Whelp this is it folks. The last chapter before we start getting down to brass tacks. Or whatever vampires get down to when things difficult. I'm so excited and you should be too! I've been writing at work (I have a disgusting amount of free time to fill) so hopefully I write enough chapters that we can start posting regularly!

The song for this chapter is One Last Dance by Us the Duo. Remember that you can play along with the story on Amazon Music using the special web address below!

HEY READERS! Want to be able to play all the songs from this story in order while you read? Well now you can! Just visit: https colon slash slash .com slash user-playlists slash 83eaf70f5fd2488da12e8f0787411603sune?ref=dm_sh_670a-24ac-70cc-3d48-5036e (Remember to replace the words with the punctuation and no spaces!)

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Disclaimer: I'm only doing this for a friend. I don't get anything from it but her undying appreciation. I certainly don't get to have fun with Emmett and the boys in my head.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: One Last Dance
BPOV

I pulled the door open and smiled at the receptionist, Patrice. She smiled back at me widely.

"Bella! We haven't seen you in forever! How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well, thanks. How are you? How's Alfie doing on that new diet," I asked, leaning against the front of her desk.

"He's doing so much better. He's mad I won't let him have human food anymore but he's already lost so much weight and is so active again. Do you want to see a picture?" I nodded and looked at the picture she'd pulled up on her phone. It was an action photo of a corgi in the middle of catching a ball.

"He looks great! I hope I get to see him soon and get some cuddles in."

"He'd love that. Anyway, are you here to see your dad?"

"If he's got a minute. I know that you guys are burning the candle at both ends these days."

"That's an understatement. But I'm sure he can take a break to see you. Head on back to his office." I thanked her and headed for the back of the building. The bullpen was normally slow and quiet, deputies exchanging pleasantries and stories more often than not. But it was almost unrecognizable. People were moving between desks and rooms, talking on the phone and to each other, calling out to coworkers. There were far more people than our little station even employed and in one of the side rooms, I could briefly see people standing in front of a board. I looked around for Charlie, assuming he'd be in the thick of things instead of holed up in his office. I was right when I found him standing outside one of the interview rooms, talking to an unfamiliar woman in a pantsuit. He looked over at me as I walked toward him and then did a double take. His face pulled down into a disapproving frown and he excused himself before making his way over to me quickly.

"Bella, what are you doing here?" He gently grabbed my elbow and guided me to his office, closing the door behind him.

"I know it's a surprise visit, but I haven't seen you in a while and talking on the phone is great but I do need to occasionally see you to ensure you aren't succumbing to a diet of pizza and old takeout," I teased quietly. His face softened and he pulled me into a tight hug.

Growing up, I'd always felt a little bit of awkwardness hugging Charlie. He was my dad and it should have been natural but we didn't see each other much and add to that the fact that we were both criminally shy; it made things awkward. But time and age -and probably living with him these past few months -had made me appreciate Charlie's hugs. He wasn't an overly emotive man. But when he hugged me, it felt like safety and protection. I knew he had my back and there was an innate sense of home that I used to only feel with my mom. Sometimes when Carlisle hugged me it felt similar but also completely different. I knew he would protect me and back me as well, but with Carlisle, hugging provided a completeness, like part of me was missing until we were holding each other again. With Charlie, it felt like when you've been away from home for a while and that relief that comes from being back in familiar surroundings, of being able to relax and unwind.

I'd missed him the past couple weeks.

"I've missed you, Bells, but things are pretty hectic right now. I had you staying with the Cullens to keep you away from this mess." We were going to skate over the fact that he had initially lied about why I was staying with them and the truth had come out accidentally on a phone call when he'd been too tired to keep his story straight.

"I know and I promise that this won't be a regular occurrence. I just…"

"What is it? Did something happen? Is someone threatening you?" He grabbed me, panicked.

"No, nothing like that. I just wanted to talk to you. Not the way we do on the phone. I just felt like… I don't know. Maybe I'm just feeling a bit disconnected since it's been so long."

"Me too, kid. It's been rough not seeing you. I really, really miss your cooking. There's only so much pizza a man can eat before he starts craving salad, of all things." I laughed.

"Well, if I come see you again, I'll be sure to bring something a bit more satisfying."

He sat down in the chair in front of his desk and I took the one next to it.

"How's school since you've been staying home? Is life with the Cullens good? You haven't been taking things too far with Edward, have you? I'm busy but I'm never too busy to shoot him," he grumbled and I laughed.

"School is fine. Living with the Cullens is different but they've been great. Esme goes out of her way to make me feel welcomed. And no, Dad, I haven't taken things with Edward too far. I promise we aren't doing anything you wouldn't be okay with witnessing." He mumbled disgruntledly under his breath and I smiled. "He's a good guy, Dad. They're all good guys. For all that Emmett loves his pranks and jokes, he's respectful and loyal. Edward lives to stir the pot and try to put Carlisle in an early grave, but he always knows where the line is. He completely respects my boundaries."

"I know they're good kids, Bells. It's just weird to know you're living with your boyfriend. I trust you, but teenage boys are monsters. I should know: I was one." I stifled a mortified laugh.

If only he knew that my boyfriend wasn't a teenager at all but actually centuries old and a member of the fanged undead.

"I promise that even though Edward is a monster in some ways, he's respectful and he cares about me. You don't have to worry, I promise. Plus Esme and Carlisle would never let anything happen. They don't want to break your trust."

"I guess that's true. Just promise that if he crosses the line, you'll tell me so I can shoot him."

"If he tries anything, I'll shoot him."

"That's more reassuring than you know, Bella. You've always been such a good kid. Your mom… she did a good job." His voice was thick at the end and I felt my eyes grow hot. I didn't think about my mom as much as I used to. I knew that this meant I was healing and moving past my grief but when reminders of her hit, remembering her loss felt so poignant.

"Will you… will you tell me how you and mom met? I've only ever heard her version." He stared at me for a minute, eyes shiny.

"We met when I was in college. She was taking a gap year and it was her first time in Seattle. I was at UDub, finishing my degree in criminal justice. I was walking to class and it was pouring rain. I didn't see her until I'd already run into her. She was just standing there, in the rain with her face up to the sky, getting soaking wet. She was… enchanting. Like she was a desert flower and this was the first water after a long drought. I couldn't take my eyes off her. I tried to apologize for bumping into her but she just grabbed my hand and started talking."

"What did she talk about?" He smiled fondly.

"Everything. She was going on about the rain and then about her trip and her hometown. She just kept talking and she was like… magic. She was bright and bubbly and so uninhibited. I couldn't have resisted her if I'd tried. She drew me in and I was caught. We spent every spare minute together that we could. She even snuck into some of my lectures with me," he said, chuckling. "We got married a few months after that. Everyone told us it was fast but I couldn't picture my life without her in it. After I finished school, we had planned on moving to California. There was a job in San Francisco that I had applied for. But my dad got sick and my mom couldn't really take care of him. So we decided to come to Forks. I knew the chief at the time and he pulled some strings to get me a place on the force. I used to wonder… if she resented me for bringing her here instead of what we'd planned. This is a small town, Bella, and your mom… your mom wasn't made for small towns. The people here thought she was too much: too exuberant, too loud, too bright, too opinionated. I tried to make up for it but it wasn't enough. We had you about a year after we moved here and you were -are -perfect. She was so excited to have a baby. She absolutely doted on you. I thought that maybe it would change things; that maybe having you would make it easier for her to be here. But it didn't. Eventually, it got to be too much and she just couldn't handle it anymore: this town, how much of my time and energy my parents needed, staying in one place."

He was silent for a few moments while I pictured the story he'd told me. Mom's story hadn't really been different, although she'd waxed poetic about Forks and all of its failings. And after hearing his side, I now wondered if maybe she had convinced herself that they didn't love each other after she left. Hearing it from Charlie's point of view, especially when I could see how much it still affected him, was heartbreaking.

"She took you with her and as much as I never wanted to be separated from either of you, I could see that being here was hurting her and changing her. I couldn't do that to her. But I couldn't leave my parents. So I did what would hurt you both the least."

"You still love her," I said softly and he nodded, scrubbing a hand over his face. "How did you know, in the beginning? I mean, you said so yourself that people told you how fast it was. How did you know that the risk was worth it?"

"I just knew. Even from the beginning, when I was with Renee, it was like… like a part of me had been missing and when we were together, I was whole. Like I hadn't been taking full breaths until she was around and then suddenly, I could breathe even though I didn't know I wasn't until I felt the difference. That never changed. Even after… when I would meet her to get you or to take you back to her, it felt like that. When she got sick… Bella, I wanted nothing more than to forget everything I had here and just leave it all behind to be there with you and her. But Phil was in the picture and it wasn't my place. After he left, I offered to come but she made me promise not to." I wiped messily at the tears on my face. I'd never known that Charlie had loved my mom after all this time. That he'd loved her until the end, just like me. He pulled me into a hug. "I am so sorry you lost her, Bells. If I could have spared you that pain, I would have." I gave a watery laugh.

"I'm sorry you lost her, too," I said. "But I'm happy that I got to get to know you better. I love you, Dad." He gave a suspicious sniff.

"I love you too, Bella. Always have and always will." We held each other for a few minutes before I pulled back and we both awkwardly wiped at our eyes. Charlie handed me a tissue and I tried to clean myself up before it was time to go. I knew I'd already taken up more time than he probably had to give. "Now, as much as I hate it, I have to get back to work and you need to get back to the Cullen's house. I'll call you later, okay?" I nodded and stood up, taking a minute to gather myself.

"Kick ass, Dad," I said to him as I was leaving and he blew out a breath and then huffed out a laugh.

"Doing the best I can, Bells." I hugged him again before heading out of his office. He had a couple of his officers walk me out to the car. Rosalie was in the driver seat, reading a magazine when I got in.

"Ready to go, Izzy B?" I smiled at the new nickname Emmett had used that had caught on.

"Yeah."

By the time we got home, Carlisle was already there. He'd changed into gray sweatpants and a black v-neck tee. I found him sitting on the couch when we walked in. As soon as I saw him, I walked over to him and buried my face in his chest.

"Hello, beautiful," he murmured, wrapping his arms around me. "Did you have a nice visit with your dad?" A sob burst out of me as I wrapped my arms around his waist. "Bella? Are you okay? What happened?" I shook my head, trying to catch my breath enough to answer him. "Is Charlie okay?" I nodded awkwardly.

"Can you just hold me for a while," I whispered tearfully.

"Of course, darling." He bent down to sweep me up into his arms and sped us up the stairs to his room. He laid me gently on the bed before climbing in next to me and pulling the blankets up around us.

And then he just held me quietly while I cried. While I missed my mom so much that I felt like an exposed nerve. While I cried for my dad, who had found true love and happiness with my mom only to lose her and let us both go at his own expense. I cried because Charlie had perfectly described how I felt about Carlisle.

And I cried because I knew that this meant that one day, I'd have to willingly say goodbye to my father when I chose to be with Carlisle forever and we faked my death.

And I cried because I knew it would break him.