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Chapter 13

"She's what!" Charlie blustered.

"Um," Quil rubbed the back of his neck. "She is going to the Cullen's." It sounded like a question.

Charlie stood up and started walking back and forth. It was not so much a pacing motion, but more like he wanted to go somewhere and didn't know the direction to walk in.

"Charlie, Why don't you and Quil go back to my house? You can get your car, maybe pick Bella up. I will meet you both at the Cullen's house."

"Oh I'll pick her up, but I am not bringing her there."

Charlie insisted.

"She won't give up." Jake argued. "She will find a way to get to him. With or without you." The boy had a point; they both knew how stubborn Bella could be.

"I'm not ready for this." Charlie said to himself. He had to find a way to stop Bella from taking off whenever she wanted. "It's fine, I'll just arrest her." He nodded his head.

Jake rolled his eyes. "I'll see you at their house."

Charlie practically ran back to the Blacks house. He looked over at young Quil annoyed. While he was huffing and puffing the boy didn't even break a sweat.

"Is there anything you need, Chief?" Quil asked once they reached their destination.

He gripped his side, the shooting pain making him groan. Bending over and resting his hands on his knees he rasped out, "No, I'm good."

Quil hesitated, then turned and left shouting, "Good luck." over his shoulder.

Looking up Charlie could see his friend watching him from the porch. He took one more deep breath before dashing past him into the house. Billy followed behind him as he rushed around the living room collecting the papers off the wall.

"Charlie, maybe you should slow down, take a minute to really catch your breath."

He turned and scowled at the man. "Maybe I could, if you didn't let my daughter walk off to Dracula's Lair."

"What was I supposed to do, tie her down?" He asked incredulously.

"Why not? You had the rope." Charlie snarked back.

"Charlie, as much as you want to, you can't control what she does. She is eighteen. You can try to guide her but the final decision is up to her, and there is nothing you can do about that."

Grabbing his keys he headed out the door. He knew his friend was right, but that didn't mean he was going to admit it.

It wasn't long before he came upon his daughter, She had a determination in her steps that Charlie couldn't deny. Jake was right too; she would find a way, no matter what it took.

He drove past her walking on the side of the road. Pulling over he blocked her path. She went around the passenger's side, walking directly past the car.

Charlie opened his door and stepped out. "Bells get in the car." he shouted over to her.

"No!" She shouted back.

"Why are you being so difficult!"

She turned on him with fire in her eyes. "I'm being difficult, What about you?"

"Me, what am I being difficult about?"

"You wouldn't bring me home, and guilt tripped me into sleeping at Billy and Jake's. You won't talk to me, or listen to me. You have questions and instead of asking me you run off to the middle of the woods somewhere to ask Rosalie of all people." Bella raised her arms and then let them fall in frustration. "And now you're trying to get me in the car so you can drag me back to the blacks house."

Charlie knew he hadn't communicated well with his daughter, especially since finding out about all this. If it would make a difference he would try.

"I wouldn't take you home because I don't know how to protect you from this. I grew up to see vampires as very scary, fictional, monsters that somehow became real. They are even more scary now, since all their vulnerabilities are apparently a myth.

I wasn't trying to guilt trip you. I just needed some time to process. Which, might I add, I am still trying to do.

I wouldn't talk or listen last night because I couldn't handle any more information. And I went to Rosalie because I am having trouble trusting anything that comes out of the mouths of people that have manipulated and deceived me for the past year and a half, and that includes you."

Charlie put his hand in front of his mouth and closed his eyes. He didn't mean to say that last part. Not only was he dealing with finding out about the supernatural, but also that his daughter and his best friend knew the truth, and were both keeping him in the dark.

Feeling betrayed by everyone he trusted he wasn't sure where to turn. The only reason he thought the wolves might be the safer choice to be around was because he saw Bella fearlessly run up to one and proceed to smack the crap out of it while the wolf just stood there and did nothing. Rosalie's statement about her being in constant danger around them didn't help.

Taking a deep breath he opened his eyes, without looking up to see Bella he told her. "I wasn't taking you back to the Blacks. I was going to take you to the Cullen's. Please get in the car."

Without waiting for an answer Charlie folded himself back behind the wheel and waited.

When Bella got in the car they sat there in silence for a minute before she spoke.

"Dad, I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth. I was trying to protect you."

"Protect me? What part of not telling me that bloodthirsty monsters are after you is supposed to protect me?"

Becoming defensive Bella jumped over the vampire laws and into defending the vampires. "The Cullen's are not monsters!"

"I wasn't talking about the Cullen's." Bella's mouth opened and closed like a fish. "Make no mistake. According to that blonde girl, they thirst after your blood just as much as this Victoria's mate did, if not more." When Bella's pale complexion became even paler he pushed. "But you already knew that, didn't you?" She clamped her jaw and looked away. "I bet you also knew I would have done anything to protect you. Maybe that's the real reason you didn't tell me, because you knew I would have tried to keep the two of you apart."

"The Cullen's would never hurt me."

"I know about the almost attack from a paper cut on your birthday."

"Edward would never hurt me." She insisted stubbornly.

"Yeah, why don't you rewind time and tell the broken girl who was barely surviving after he left her in the woods that."

Bella clenched her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut trying to stop the tears. "He was trying to protect me."

"By leaving you in the woods?" He was annoyed with his daughter for constantly defending the vampire that essentially hurt her so badly. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

Bella jutted her chin out. Staring through the windshield she announced. "Your life is in danger. Humans aren't supposed to know that vampires exist. Their law is, if a human finds out then that human must die or be turned."

"And yet your boyfriend thought it would be okay to tell you?" Something more for him to hate the boy for.

"Edward didn't tell me. Jacob did."

That took him by surprise.

"Why the hell did he do that?"

"He didn't believe vampires were real. He thought it was a story."

"The boy turns into a giant wolf, and he didn't believe vampires were real?"

"No, he hadn't shifted yet. He thought they were all bogus stories."

"Billy knows the truth, apparently he has known his whole life. He is still alive, and doesn't seem to be in any danger."

"Billy is part of the supernatural."

"But he's human… right?"

"I don't know how to answer that."

He thought of something she could answer.

"Did you know that Alice… Dazzled me?" The guilty look on her face told him she did. "Do you think they do that to you? Maybe that's why you're so obsessed with them?"

"I'm not." She protested. Her father raised his eyebrows. She could tell there was nothing she could say that would convince him. Bella shook her head in defeat. She did feel the need to make one thing clear. "Once you know they can do it, it doesn't really work any more."

"Did they do it before you knew?" Bella looked out the passenger's window to avoid her fathers gaze. "Bells." he prompted.

"Edward did it a few times in school." She admitted, then quickly said. "He was trying to get to know me and I was being difficult."

"And you think that makes it okay?"

Bella shrugged, "I would have used it if I could have."

Pulling back onto the road, Charlie shook his head. He wanted to tell her that it was wrong for someone to do that, but he couldn't, because if he had that power he would probably use it too.

Bella started to become anxious. She was sure they passed the border back into Forks, but Edward was nowhere in sight. Something had to be wrong. Why else would he not be there waiting for her.

Pulling into the driveway She could see Jacob pausing in front of the house. She jumped out of the car before it came to a complete stop causing her to fall on the ground.

"The blonde's right, it is a wonder how you are still alive." Charlie mumbled rubbing his hands over his face.

Bella was back on her feet before Jake could get over to her. She looked up to see his concerned face.

"Bells, honey, I swear it's not my fault. I honestly had nothing to do with it." If it wasn't for the hint of amusement in his eyes, she would be frantic with worry.

She narrowed her eyes and walked past him.

Alice stopped her at the front door. "Now Bella, I told you we would do what we had to." Alice's face went from cautious to horrified. "What are you wearing!"

Thank you for reading.