"'No' is not a complete thought. If we want our children to learn to think like adults, we need to explain our adult thinking. Don't command. Communicate."

L.R Frost

For a moment, no one spoke.

Billy began. "Nessie-"

Renesmee's chocolate-brown eyes shone with tears. She swallowed hard, trying not to burst out sobbing. And then before anybody could blink, using her inhuman speed, she raced to her bedroom. They heard the door slam shut and locked.

"Nes-" Jake had phased back to human form. He struggled to get up, but the other Wolves all put their weight behind him and forced him down on the carpet.

Sue took a shaky breath. "Hello?" She asked into the receiver. "Yes, please come quickly." She gave the address to Charlie's house.

"Gabrielle Delacour is coming." They all turned and started. "She's a witch," she informed Charlie. "And a scientist for the supernatural." Charlie's eyes bugged. "Maybe she can explain things better than we can."

For a moment, Charlie was unable to speak. Then, he managed. "That would be most appreciated."

Sue swallowed and hands still shaking, put down the phone.

Tears shone in Billy's eyes. His entire face contorted with grief. Charlie, Sue, Seth and Leah had only ever seen him like this twice: the first time at Sarah's funeral, and the second time at Harry's.

His shoulders shook as he sobbed, heartbroken. He cried openly, tears lining his face with the grief and pain that only a father and a loving family man could feel, despite his failings, as he covered his face with his hand. Sue took a shaky breath, and tears gleaming in her eyes, came forwards to clasp Billy on the shoulder as he sobbed.

On the ground of the wrecked living room, Jacob watched wide-eyed and horror-struck at seeing his father sob... as he absorbed what he had done.

Jake went pale. What the everlasting hell had he done?!

"She'll be here soon." Sue whispered. "We can... we can sort things out."

Sure enough, the doorbell rang.

Sue opened it. Standing in the doorway, was a woman draped in a black dress and coat with knee-high boots and leggings. Only her hands were bare: they glowed silver-white and delicate, perfectly-shaped. Her hair was covered in a loose patterned, silk headscarf and her face... was a mask.

"It's me." Gabrielle's voice sounded from behind the metal mask.

Sue stared. "I'm half-Veela," she reminded her. "It was alright for you to see me, even though some of you have never phased, but for most non-magical humans they would be driven to insanity and forget even themselves."

Charlie made a strangled sound at the back of his throat.

Sue looked back at Charlie and sighed. He stared at her. An unspoken message of communication passed between them. Sue's eyes were sad, desperate, but resigned and understanding. Resolute. This was what needed to be done.

Slowly, Charlie nodded.

Sue stepped aside to allow Gabrielle in. She turned on the lights which flooded the room.

Gabrielle took in the sight of the trashed living room, the shell-shocked adults including a grieving Billy whose sobs had subsided, somewhat, but whose heartbroken and utterly devastated look remained. She looked down and saw the pack in their Wolf forms piled on top of their Alpha, naked in his human form. They all stared at her.

She stepped forwards. "Chief Swan." She addressed Charlie. "My name is Gabrielle Delacour. I am a scientist, diplomat and political mediator among other things."

Charlie blinked. But apparently, some of the words she'd said to him got through and must've sounded good enough, better than anything he'd had all week, so he relaxed- somewhat.

"I promise, I'm not here to cause you harm," Gabrielle said calmly. "But I believe this mess should be cleaned up first and then explanations given. As well as dealing with the perpetrator." She turned towards Jacob.

Jake snarled. "I haven't done anything!"

Drops of saliva flew from his mouth. His dark eyes were furious and crazed. His cheeks were flushed.

Gabrielle only sighed. She looked back to Charlie. "With your permission, I would like to clean up your entire living room and mend everything that is broken." She informed him gently and calmly. "If you're not used to this and you feel uneasy, it's alright; just turn around and close your eyes, and I can tell you when I'm done cleaning."

That snapped Charlie out of it. He shook his head. "No, I've closed my eyes and turned away enough." He said, firm and resolute.

Gabrielle regarded him for a long moment. "Very well." She said finally. She withdrew her wand. Gabrielle waved it across the room.

Instantly, the sofa stuffing cleaned itself and flew backwards into the sofa and armchairs and the upholstery mended itself seamlessly. Furniture flew backwards and re-settled themselves to where they had once been. The picture frames and glass mended and flew back onto the mantlepiece, where the chips of plaster also resettled seamlessly into a whole. The separate shards of the coffee table mended themselves seamlessly and also flew right back up. The reading material all mended and fixed themselves, flying back to the stacks they had been in.

Actually, everything looked neater than what they did before Jake stepped in.

Everybody stared. "All done." Gabrielle announced shortly. She turned towards Jake. "Please stand."

Sue interjected. "He's naked."

"I know." Gabrielle said calmly. "But I was a healer and a medi-witch- our equivalent of a medic- before this. Nakedness does not faze me." Slowly, gingerly and hesitantly, the Wolves all stepped back and away from Jake.

The minute they were off, Jake sprang to his feet.

Gabrielle waved her wand and before anyone could blink, Jacob was clothed in white shorts and a t-shirt. She pointed her wand at a roll of newspaper- out of date, apparently. "Portus," Gabrielle whispered, casting a spell on the newspaper. She picked it up.

"This will have to do for now." Gabrielle said quietly. "Mr Black, please proceed out of this house and back into La Push. I have set wards to alert us, including your father, if you should leave." Her voice turned steely.

Jake's jaw crashed open. "No- Nessie, I have to-" he began desperately, suddenly remembering seeing her and her expression and what he had done, the others sprang forwards in their Wolf forms and Jake snarled and started to phase back.

Sue interrupted him. "You've done enough." Her voice was quiet but bitter and clear. Her words hit him like a slap. A well-deserved one."

Gabrielle turned back to Jacob, shaking her head. "She doesn't need you right now," she said flatly. "The poor girl has had enough and needs some time and space."

"Please," Jacob begged. "I need her- she doesn't understand-"

Gabrielle was shaking her head. "And do you really think that she will after seeing you do such things?" She asked, gently.

That question made Jacob take a step back. Gabrielle looked at him with pity in her violet-blue eyes- the only part of her that was visible beneath the mask and the fabric.

Jacob took a deep breath.

"I-" he began. He started to realise that he had been beaten. "Please... just tell her..."

Gabrielle shook her head sadly. Jacob's voice took on a more desperate tone.

"I'm- I'm her guardian- her soulmate- I would never hurt her-"

She suddenly thrust the newspaper roll into his hands. Jacob stared first at the roll of paper and then at Gabrielle incredulously. "What's that going to d-" it began to glow blue.

"Now." Gabrielle murmured. Suddenly, in a swirl of colour, Jacob vanished, his entire form seemingly being sucked inwards, like coloured liquid through a suction tube. He barely had time for a yelp before he was cut off. Charlie's jaw crashed to the ground. Everybody stared.

"Jacob is at the Black residence," Gabrielle turned back to the stunned audience. "I have set up wards in and around his room so that he doesn't leave. Even if he manages to break the doors, windows or even the walls and roof down, the spell will alert us and track down where he is. Right now, he is a risk to the community at large, and especially to Renesmee who is a high-profile target."

Billy burst into heartbroken sobs again. Despite the shock of seeing literal freaking magic, Charlie never thought his friend could be so broken-hearted, least of all when somebody hadn't died recently... had they?

His mind flew back to Jake. Was this- was this the same Jake that they had known? The one they had known for all his life?

Or was this someone else?

Gabrielle sighed. "It seems that explanations are in order."

Once they had cleaned up and Billy's sobs had subsided somewhat- once more- the group gathered around the kitchen table.

Gabrielle explained who and what she was: a witch, yes. Meaning humans who simply have a different extra gene. As a result, each witch or wizard had a separate organ in their brains, and energy-producing organelles in the marrow of their bones that charged internal power like a battery. Charlie's eyes bugged further at that, and the others looked... stunned and uncomprehending to say the least. Sue blinked, and Seth's mouth gaped.

In Gabrielle's case, she explained. She was different: her mother and maternal grandmother were Vila- otherwise known as Veela. A species of faeries related to the Mediterranean nymphs who featured in the stories of Greco-Roman mythology. Charlie's eyes bugged and almost rolled inwards when she said this. Gabrielle waited, but Charlie held up a hand and asked her to continue. He seemed to be plowing through, which said a lot about himself, Gabrielle thought.

Billy, on the other hand, was too miserable to speak. Tears still rolled from his eyes and pure grief was etched deeply within the lines of his face, while Sue looked pale and shaken. Quil was shaking, but it didn't look like he would phase. His eyes were fixed on the spot where Jacob had been on the carpet, horror-struck and pale. Embry looked pale and sick. Seth too was pale, shaking and looked like he was grieving. Only Gabrielle remained composed- as far as they all could tell behind that mask- and Leah, pale as she was, held herself together better than the others. Her back was straight and her eyes stared up ahead.

Gabrielle wondered if she finally saw that she had no choice. Jacob didn't know what he was doing, least of all when his imprint was involved.

And so they explained the entire story. It took a long time, Gabrielle reflected. Everything Sue, Harry and Billy- who was still shaking and sobbing- had experienced but had been forced to keep from Charlie, due to their grandparents' instructions, everything Bella had said and told what had happened, and everything that Gabrielle had figured out about them or already knew.

Charlie was silent throughout. When he finally spoke, he asked.

"So Jake..." his voice was hoarse as he choked out Jake's name "he's gone mad?"

Billy's shoulders shook and he turned away. He then gave a horrified, heartbroken moan and covered his face with his hands. Embry and Seth came to stand beside him and placed hands on his shoulders. Quil stood up to offer him support and Leah reached across the table to take his hand.

Gabrielle sighed. She sounded weary. "If not, then he is certainly close to it." She admitted.

"And Edward?" Charlie's voice was equally hoarse. "He's in jail?"

"His trial will commence soon," Gabrielle warned. "I've just received the notice: in three days time."

They started. "Depending on the revelations and the severity of the crimes, he could either be facing centuries if not millennia of imprisonment or execution." Charlie jerked backwards, his eyes wide and stunned. He hated Edward, but he never wanted this. Even for him.

"They're vampires," Gabrielle sighed. "Years or even decades would seem like weeks or months. Hardly enough time for them to be satisfied in regards to punishment for severe crimes.

"Bella," she said quietly "has pleaded for, well if not clemency, then a reduced sentence." Gabrielle said quietly. "However... she has also told me that she wishes to... change things."

They all blinked. "I cannot say it without her agreement," she warned "that's Bella's secret to reveal, not mine. But she has... indicated that Edward and her... well, even if he is released from prison or- although this isn't likely- pardoned from his crimes, or found not guilty, despite all odds, then..." she sighed. "Well, it's hard to explain without revealing the details which are hers to reveal or keep secret by right. But nothing is going to be the same for her and Renesmee, you can be sure of that.

"Rest assured that whatever happens, Edward Cullen is almost a hundred percent for certain not going to be around either of them or you, or this entire town for longer than you will be alive for."

Charlie's shoulders sagged. Every pore radiated with nothing short of the purest relief from his being.

"This can't be easy for them," he mumbled however, remembering the Cullens, his daughter and granddaughter. "Not Bella or Nessie... or any of them."

As angry he was at the other Cullens, he wouldn't wish that for them. No one deserves to see and suffer knowing their kid is in jail. Even though he's technically not a kid and was probably older than Charlie. And as furious and bitter as he was towards Bella, he still loved her. And he admitted he had made mistakes, mistakes which caused Bella to turn out the way she did, including with marrying Renée when neither of them were ready or understood what marriage and parenthood meant, nor even knew each other that well, really.

And he would never wish this on his poor, innocent granddaughter... as happy and relieved as he was to have her away from Edward's poisonous influence and despite the fact that he genuinely believed that she was far better off without the manipulative asshole that was her father.

Charlie sighed and rubbed a weary hand over his forehead and the rest of his face.

He looked at the tear-stained face of his remaining best friend. As angry and upset as Charlie was over Jacob with Bella and Nessie... Billy wasn't just his best friend; he was his brother.

But this was Charlie's fault too. The only innocent person here was Renesmee- and this new fairy-witch, Gabrielle who was also a scientist. Yeah.

He shook his head. "We all need to have a long talk, okay?" He said, softening his voice. His gaze was sad, upset but also gentle as he looked at Billy first, then Sue, Leah, Seth, Quil and Embry.

"Just not now. But..." he waved a hand. "Jake's not okay, is he? He needs help?"

Gabrielle nodded. "Yes, he does."

Charlie sighed. He rubbed his face with his hands. "You a psychologist or a therapist as well? You know anyone who's a shrink that knows about the supernatural or treats werewolves or..." he waved a hand in the air. "Whatever he is?"

Gabrielle smiled behind her mask. "While I have studied psychology, my field of expertise is not enough. Still, I'm quite certain that there will be people who can help Jacob deal with his... issues. Same as anyone else."

Charlie was silent as he absorbed this. "And this... imprint?" He asked quietly.

They could practically hear Gabrielle frowning behind her mask. "Remember what I said about other species of Wolves- how they're different from actual werewolves, despite often being labelled as such?" Charlie stared, then nodded slowly.

"I remember."

"They all each have different variations of what they refer to as the Moon's Pull or the Moon's Draw," Gabrielle explained calmly. "But because the previous two generations in the Quileute tribe have never phased and they are all descended from a single common ancestor who lived only mere centuries ago... well, have you ever studied evolution? Centuries are not enough for it to progress."

Charlie grimaced. "I remember. Just never expected science and magic to come hand in hand."

Gabrielle sighed, amused. "I understand. But in truth, if my explanation helps, science and magic are two different terms for the exact same thing. In the case of many a supernatural being, witches and wizards, vampires, et cetera, they are born with the natural ability to manipulate and use it, but that's like a non-magical person boarding an airplane and using it to get from one country to another. Or turning on the lights and television without knowing precisely how the device works." Charlie made a face and nodded, conceding this fact.

"But in your case, non-magical humans are just beginning to understand how to make leaps," Gabrielle explained. "Because you never had magic, like my kind, to make your lives easier, you've had to continuously improve and advance yourselves over the countless generations. The camera and the radio both came before the television, which came before computers and cellular phones. You had wooden ships and horse-drawn carriages before you had steamships and trains, before you eventually moved onto cars. It's a long, ongoing process which never really ends." Charlie made a sound of agreeing.

"But in the case for my kind who use magic... because our lives are so easy, for the longest of times, we have never had to look for alternative solutions." She admitted. "Why invent, design and build an airplane when we can already fly?" Charlie stared. "Why invent, learn about and use antibiotics, penicillin or iodine which merely boosts people's immune systems to fight and eliminate pathogens like viruses and bacteria, when we have medicines that can completely eradicate such pathogens and cure people almost instantaneously?" She shrugged. "Of course, that came with its own problems. If you're asking me whether I have the cure for cancer, sadly I don't." Charlie winced. "Sorry, but no. Not yet at least. None of my kind suffer from cancer or many of the more serious non-magical pathogens, just as your kind- non-magical humans- don't suffer from the illnesses that plague our kind: pathogens which require the presence of magic to thrive and survive. And because we've never really studied the immune system, for example, because we have never needed to with the instantaneous cures we can produce, or at least solutions to cope with incurable or the more difficult ailments, my kind have never studied the specifics nor thought that they could be useful in any way.

"However, my belief was that I needed to combine the two to have an overall better understanding. After all, there are some things, like pathogens and curses that we haven't been able to cure, like Lycanthropy: the curse of the infectious werewolf- a true werewolf, not the ones whom you see here, who are called Loup-Garoux." Gabrielle paused, allowing Charlie to take everything in. "Infectious werewolves, Lycanthropes or Lycans, well, some species and variations of the strain are able to be passed down via biological reproduction, but for the most part, they reproduce via infecting humans." She shrugged. "Loup-Garoux reproduce via procreation. Imprinting is a natural biological instinct ingrained within each of them which would help them find, not only someone who is best-suited for passing on the gene and producing healthy offspring with the individual Wolf, but also someone who has the best chance when combined with the individual in a mutual Pull, to get along and live happily together. Someone who has the best chance of growing to be someone's soulmate, as opposed to, as Jacob, Sam, Jared and Paul instinctively believe, being immediate soulmates upon making contact with that other person." She paused.

"You have to build the relationship, start from scratch. And if it still doesn't work out, then both parties should be able to separate and- after a while, especially if they haven't mated- find someone else to feel the Pull and start over again."

Charlie let out a sigh. "So why did Jake 'imprint' or 'feel the Pull' with my underage granddaughter? The daughter of the girl who broke his heart and a vampire?" He demanded.

The Quileutes around the table winced as Gabrielle recounted everything she had discovered and theorised. Charlie's face was pale, and Billy looked like he was truly sick. Sue shot him a worried look, as did Charlie- he couldn't help himself.

"I recently reversed the imprint bond between Quil and Claire Young," she continued. "Emily's niece." She glanced at Quil. "On his request. You see, she was two years old when he imprinted." Quil swallowed. "And he realised and admitted that there was something wrong with that connection. So upon his request, I reversed the bond and ensured that he would be able to feel the Pull again- just not with an underage and unwilling person."

Charlie let out a breath.

"And... you think you can cure Jacob?"

"I am certain that I can reverse the imprint and ensure that the two of them would be able to live without each other," Gabrielle said firmly but gently and slowly. "However, I am not certain that I can cure Jacob of his personal mental and emotional issues. They merely culminated with him imprinting upon Renesmee. The imprint wasn't the cause, it was a result."

Everybody grimaced or, in Billy's case, flinched.

"Left untreated, just as with your daughter Bella and quite likely Edward too-" Charlie's eyes shot up towards her, baffled. "-this has been the overall result." Gabrielle spread out her hands.

"In Edward's case, I understand. Psychology and psychiatry was a pioneering field in his day and throughout most of his life as a vampire. And most in his day or even a decade or so back would rather suffer in silence than admit that they are having problems, not only to spare themselves of the public embarrassment and humiliation, but also out of fear that they might be going mad. But mental health issues isn't just putting underwear on your head and pencils in your nose." No one laughed at the description. "It's often far more subtle than that. Left to fester and spiral out of control, like a rolling snowball, it becomes a massive, overwhelming problem that crushes and completely overtakes the person he was or might have been beneath." She explained.

Charlie closed his eyes. Billy took a shuddering breath. Sue took a hand each from Billy and Charlie and squeezed them.

"I should've gotten Bella to a psychiatrist," Charlie mumbled miserably. "Or a psychologist."

"Or me for Jacob," Billy whispered, his voice faint and almost silent. "I never knew that after Sarah died and the girls left... Jake would feel..."

Gabrielle sighed. "Abandonment issues?" She looked at each of them. "It would explain everything."

Sue nodded. "Jacob's mother died when he was young. Car accident." She looked worriedly towards Billy who kept his head down, tears still rolling down his face. "Soon after, as soon as they thought he could look after himself and didn't need them any longer, Rachel and Rebecca, his older sisters, left home. They found it too painful to stay."

Gabrielle sighed again. "I see." Her eyes were sympathetic. "His mother's death, before he was ready, despite not being involuntary and not at all her fault, was felt and perceived by Jacob as abandonment all the same." Billy looked completely anguished as she spoke. "And his sisters' leaving him, despite him seeming to be emotionally and physically mature, also compounded such feelings. The first women he had known in his life, his mother and older sisters, have all left him. That is why he was so afraid and terrified, so forceful and desperate for Bella not to do the same, even to the point of being physically rough with her, and yet it still happened." Charlie winced, his eyes also looking anguished.

"And now he is absolutely terrified that the same thing will happen to Renesmee." Gabrielle said quietly.

"So you were right." Seth said, numbly. He looked at his sister.

Charlie rubbed his hands over his face. Something glimmered in his eyes as she recounted Jacob's mental health issues and heartbreaks, as well as beholding Billy's anguish. "What about Edward?" He managed to keep his voice from cracking. "What's wrong with him?"

Gabrielle bit her lip behind the mask. "Something similar," she said quietly. 'But in his case... He was turned during an influenza pandemic in the twentieth century. Edward was the only surviving child of a successful lawyer who paid for his private school fees and music lessons, but was emotionally very distant. His mother raised him, seemingly by herself. She had a number of other children, but all of them were either miscarried or died young, so she poured all her love and attention towards Edward. When the pandemic struck, the entire family became ill. His father died during the first wave while Edward steadily weakened. His mother too, caught the virus but her son was so much worse than her and she feared losing him along with everyone else." Gabrielle sighed sadly. "According to Carlisle, who was a doctor at the time, she sabotaged all her chances of survival to try to nurse him back to health. It failed, and she died from her efforts before her son, though not before making Carlisle promise to do whatever he could to save Edward, even if he did something he couldn't do for anyone else.' Gabrielle was silent.

Everybody stared.

"To this day, Carlisle is still unsure of whether or not she knew what he was." Gabrielle said, in answer to everyone's unspoken question. "But he did as she wished. He transformed Edward. Edward may have been affected by his 'Survivor's Guilt,' as you may call it. let's also not forget he came from a very different era. People were old-fashioned about traditional values back then. His father was the provider, the main breadwinner, as you can call it, and he would have not only paid for Edward to go to an elite private school, he expected his only surviving son to someday take over and provide for his elderly parents, as well as continuing the family name by marrying a nice and appropriate girl and having children, all of whom he would be expected to provide for someday." Everyone fell silent. "Not to mention that since his parents' other children had all died young, they really needed this boy. There was no retirement policy back then, no retirement homes, at least not credible ones, and savings..." Gabrielle trailed off. "All the pressure was on Edward, but his father has been... emotionally affected by the deaths of his other children and grew distant from this remaining boy, all the while heaping pressure on him to be the man of the house and provider for his family someday. Whereas his mother had heaped all her hopes, dreams, love and nurturing onto this one surviving child she had left." Charlie and the others winced. "She raised him according to the values and beliefs of the time. The roles and expectations of the ideal men of that era. She fed him her beliefs and values, and his father instilled and imposed the same or similar expectations onto Edward during his most formative years, and as distant as his father was, it is more than likely that Edward wished to gain his respect and approval someday. As a result of his time period and the manner of thinking his parents taught him, as well as the values and beliefs they instilled in him, Edward sees the world through very different eyes than those of the teenagers of today.

"These days, you are officially an adult when you turn eighteen- or twenty-one in some eyes. But even though he was born in the twentieth century, there were still some who believed that at his age- seventeen- he was already a man. Boys certainly believed it. And it sounded like Edward did as well. His parents too, or at least his father did. His mother didn't want him to sign up and go to war, even if it meant lying about his age." Gabrielle grimaced. "Like so many other boys had done."

Charlie looked taken aback. "That's what tended to happen a lot back in the past," Gabrielle said quietly. "And in desperate situations. I was eleven when the second war in my world officially ended."

"Also, like I said, even though Edward was not close to his father and may have even resented him for his distance and all the pressure he'd heaped on this one surviving boy to be the man of the house and the provider for all his family, but it is also more than likely that, like with many sons and daughters, he secretly longed for and hoped to gain his father's approval and respect someday, if not outright affection." Gabrielle pointed. "Not to mention, he was really close to his mother, who was pretty much the only parent who raised him. He didn't want to cause her pain or disappointment, so he never ran away and enlisted for the war effort whilst lying about his age. She instilled in him all the beliefs and values about how he should be as man when he is grown. What a good man, a gentleman of quality should be like. How he should behave, et cetera. And what kind of girl he should marry."

She gave Charlie a look as she said this.

"So... Bella's that kind of girl?" Charlie sounded baffled.

"Back in the day, seventeen or eighteen would not have been to young to get married, or at least engaged." Gabrielle said quietly. "Not to mention, Edward is a romantic. He's stuck in the old-fashioned schoolboy phase of his day too, wanting and trying to be what his mother might have dreamed her son to grow up to be. Her clumsy nature may have appealed to him on its own as a 'damsel in distress' constantly swooning, tripping and falling over- and someone like Edward was raised by the standards of his day to catch her as it was gallant, and to see her as something wonderful, like a fairy-tale princess."

Charlie made a face, like he'd bitten into something weird and unsavoury. Leah and Sue also grimaced, Seth looked torn between embarrassment and amusement, as did Quil and Embry. Only Billy didn't react. Instead, he looked thoughtful, though mostly numb. As if contemplating that Jake might see Bella in a similar light- and Renesmee.

"I know how it sounds, but as old-fashioned as it may seem to you now, as ridiculous even, it was normal back in the day. It was the ideal standard." Gabrielle emphasised. "And Bella not taking an interest in her appearance, as well as having a critically-low self-esteem and self-confidence... well, Edward mistook it for the virtue of modesty, it seems. Something which was ideal, the kind of maiden princess that fairy-tales had, the kind of woman his parents would have seen as appropriate and wanted him to marry." Actually, Gabrielle doubted that, even though she had never met Edward Anthony Senior and Elizabeth Masen, they would have seen Bella as appropriate according to their standards. Not just because of her background; a lower-middle-class daughter of divorced parents no less, but also if what everyone said was true, then Bella was perhaps too clumsy for the adults in their day. Not so much the adolescents, as Edward himself displayed; he was still like Bella: a young and hopeless romantic. His parents may have also had plenty of things to say about her conduct and feelings for Jacob, even if he wasn't First Nations, her lack of appropriate manners and knowledge of proper conduct, and they wouldn't have wanted anyone who had any romantic feelings for and kissed another boy, even if she had been emotionally blackmailed into doing so out of guilt and fear. They would have also had plenty of things to say about her motorcycle and cliff-diving stunts, her inattentiveness to her 'social acquaintances' or friends, her studies and even her working class job, as well as her apparent lack of respect for her own father being a sign of her 'unworthiness' and 'inappropriateness' in their eyes.

No, Bella Swan would not have actually been seen as appropriate or even acceptable as a wife for their son by even old-fashioned people who expected obedience in wives and daughters/daughters-in-law, despite her admitted 'pushover' nature. She would never have been welcomed by Edward Anthony Senior and Elizabeth Masen. Not if they were the old-fashioned traditionalists that their son had been brought up by. Merlin, they would more likely to have fought like hell to prevent their son from ever seeing or setting eyes on Bella ever again, if they still lived, and they certainly would have never given their blessing, much less Elizabeth's engagement ring, for Edward to propose to Bella. His father would probably try to pay off Chief Swan to prevent their children from seeing each other again, or slapped a restraining order on either of them. Bella could have ended up in jail herself and her father could have potentially lost his job because these two couldn't keep their hands off of each other, had they all been human and born in the same time period. They would have absolutely despised her for her disrespect towards her own father and the other adults in her life alone, as well as for trying to initiate physical intimacy with Edward before they even married. Carlisle and Esme may have been desperate to see Edward happy, but they were immortal vampires who sought to adapt and disguise themselves within the world, and Edward had been on his own enough. But Gabrielle doubted that late-nineteenth and early twentieth-century parents like Edward and Elizabeth Masen would have been as passive and less strict about certain standards.

Which just proved how young and naïve Edward truly was, Gabrielle thought grimly. He really was a dreamer and a very young romantic. This was a means to obtain the life and adulthood that he wished he had, of fulfilling his stifled and suppressed youthful romantic dreams and notions. Since he couldn't get a clear read on her thoughts, and she looked nice enough and her blood ensured that she constantly had his attention, and he saw that she had a critically poor self-esteem and sense of confidence, enough to seem 'modest' rather than showy or 'vain' like the girls who always dressed up and wore makeup, as well as being clumsy which appealed to his strong romantic side... Well, considering the fact that the 'pure' and 'virtuous' girl he perceived Bella to be was from the twenty-first century which largely consisted of people who did not discriminate based on gender, ethnicity and nationality, religion, sexual orientation and so forth, both Edward and Jacob must have been surprised and touched, hopeful even, that she might have seen and accepted them for who they were as opposed to focusing on the Victorian Gothic horror story that shaped people's perceptions of their respective kinds.

After all, Edward came from an era when segregation was normal and a widely-accepted part of life, even though some may despise it, even white people. Homosexuals and bisexuals were prosecuted unless they hid themselves in the closet. The feminist movement was an unopened or barely-opened bud, and many looked down and scorned 'vulgar' 'New Women' who insisted upon a higher education and gaining jobs in their own right without delegating anything to their husbands- if they had any. Bella in the surface seemed the romantic, old-fashioned damsel stereotype, as well as the Juliet archetype or the Cinderella one; young, sweet and innocent, full of hopes and dreams, longing to escape her dreary, miserable life. To be more than what she saw herself to be: to be the princess. On the surface, she had all the qualities and ticked all of the boxes, and Edward never thought to look deeper, and even if and when he did or was offered glimpses of the real Bella, someone who might not be who he thought or wanted her to be, he was full of denial; enough to twist the words that came out of her mouth and put his own inside of it, along with causing her to second-guess her own thoughts, feelings and opinions, or make her feel very childish or silly whenever she openly said what she actually felt.

Bella was Edward's blank slate and, like Renesmee for Jacob, an empty cup that needed filling.

Besides, judging from his psychological profile and the way he very much dominated the relationships with his wife, daughter and even his siblings, and possibly even parents, he too must have learned, even subconsciously, by example. To be more specific, the example of his biological father and namesake, who also expected and held him to certain high standards of their day. Edward Anthony Masen Senior, Gabrielle suspected, had been the unquestionable head of their house and family. Carlisle, by contrast did not throw his weight around as much. And in the absence of such strong authority, no matter how much he may have had, and certainly would have chafed against if Carlisle or Esme had treated their adoptive children in such a manner, Edward subconsciously sought to fill in the void and become the authoritative strong man of the house, even if he had to use emotional and psychological manipulation in order to do it. Of course, it sounded like he was a dictator, which, in fact, he was.

She said all this to Charlie and to the rest of them.

Charlie looked bitter. His mouth twisted in an ironic grin. "Looks like history repeats itself." He said softly. Gabrielle's brow furrowed under her mask and Billy and Sue both grimaced, along with Leah.

"Keep in mind Edward's own immaturity and youth when he was transformed and consequently frozen in that stage of adolescence, frustratingly just out of reach of legal adulthood." Gabrielle emphasised. "Of course, nowadays, we know better. Just because someone is physically of age, doesn't mean that they are emotionally and mentally mature." They all winced, especially Charlie and Billy. "Still, it seemed to Edward that he was as good as a man, back then. Boys and girls are both like that: get a growth spurt, the boys' voice breaks, the adults start preparing him for the real world and heaping pressure on them, and they already think that they are men. Girls too; they earn enough success in school and they start to think they know how to navigate the world. Start giving them all more than enough responsibilities, and they will be more than certain that they are adults. And the danger is that because of this they tend to believe that they know things better than even the actual and more experienced adults who 'don't understand' simply because there is a lack of communication and understanding between them and consequently, mutual respect." Again, both fathers winced.

Gabrielle gave them knowing looks. "Neither Bella nor Jacob respect either of you because, quite frankly, they do not believe that either of you 'understand'. After all, how could you? If parents try to understand and to communicate that they do- not because they wish to immediately react by shooting down and making the teenager feel stupid or that his or her feelings are trivial and worthless, but to give them some degree of respect, they are more likely to listen and respect you in turn. Unfortunately this is something many parents do not understand. They take the authority and closeness they had in their offspring's childhood for granted when, like with all relationships, even romantic ones, it needs to be nurtured, constantly nourished and to adapt to new environments."

Charlie let out a laugh. "Yeah, that would've helped a lot."

Gabrielle nodded. "Not to mention the fact that they largely felt isolated and on their own during their childhoods and adolescence." Billy closed his eyes for a moment, and Charlie swallowed, accepting this gentle criticism. "And the fact that both of them had largely been left, not just to their own devices during moments of emotional turmoil, with or without the hormones of puberty, during much of their most crucial formative years, they were expected to uphold greater responsibilities, well... their parents not taking charge, or at least leading by example all the while expecting a certain standard from them... like I said you need to earn their respect. Don't take whatever childhood obedience and loyalty they had for you for granted." Charlie exhaled and Billy nodded silently.

"Also keep in mind that you were supposed to be kept in the dark about the existence of the supernatural, even for your own safety, and that Billy grew up believing vampires are soulless, heartless monsters. And then there was the intensity of their feelings which neither of them have stopped to consider that either of you may have felt at one point because neither of them wish to romantically end up the way your respective marriages had. I'm sorry to say this, but it's true. 'What does Dad know? What does he understand?' the two of them must have asked themselves this, and as a result, worked hard to keep you both out of the picture of their personal lives and issues, even when they needed help, because they refuse to believe that they are anything other than adults and that the feelings they have are special and different from the tragedies of their father's personal lives that there are no risks of them ending up the same way. Even to the point of outright lying to your faces and doing illegal things behind both your backs."

Charlie and Billy grimaced. Sue winced in sympathy. That explained a lot, actually.

"Yet they did need someone to reach out and help them." Gabrielle explained patiently. "And they needed you to reach out instead of just lying back and going with the flow, as they would say here." The two men winced, as did Sue. "But to first do that, you needed to understand and to communicate and make them understand that you understand, not by belittling or looking down, or scorning and disregarding their feelings and opinions, simply because they are young or you do not agree. If you wish to be respected by your own children, show them that you also respect them as individual persons."

Gabrielle paused thoughtfully. "Bella's problem as a parent also seems to be this," she admitted. "Like with you, I suspect, she sees Renesmee as an extension of her own self and Edward together, rather than as her own person. Edward sees Renesmee as a miniature Bella, or rather, the dream-persona he believes Bella to be. Jacob never saw Renesmee as her own person, not when he wished for Bella's pregnancy to be terminated, not when he tried to murder her as a newborn to get revenge on Bella's choices and the pain he put her through-" everyone flinched apart from Gabrielle "-not when he imprinted and consequently turned things around in his mind. Bella's eyes on Renesmee was what triggered him to imprint. He believes that the reason he was attracted to the mother in the first place was because destiny called him to his rightful soulmate: the daughter."

Charlie looked green, and so did Billy. They both looked ready to hurl. Gabrielle waited, watching for any signs that they did, wand at the ready to conjure buckets, but they never did. Quil and the others looked upset and disturbed.

"Yet imagine if Renesmee had inherited Edward's eyes," Gabrielle said quietly. "Imagine if she had been a boy instead. That was equally likely. Would Jacob have imprinted?" She shook her head. Charlie's grimace returned.

"He did not see her as her own person because her individual personality was not yet developed, even though she had already started thinking thoughts that Edward could read. She was a baby, yet to navigate and see the world with her own eyes, and form her own feelings and opinions about things- feelings, thoughts and opinions that the parents and supposed soulmate shot down, belittled and disregarded. They imposed their own opinions and edicts upon her, even when she could choose." Gabrielle shook her head.

"This is largely, I believe, because Jacob does not want her to deviate and consider another path other than being with him, as he does not wish to be abandoned- again." More wincing all around. "And because Bella was so blinded and utterly dazzled by Edward, as well as her own youthfulness when she entered marriage and motherhood, along with the fact that she panics easily when faced with sudden danger which she has, all too often, been forced to confront. She did not think things through when she forced her own daughter to be a prisoner in a gilded cage for the sake of protecting her, she thought, especially once she had discovered that Renesmee would likely live for centuries, like Nahuel and his sisters, the other Dhampyr of their species, that there was still a long way to go before she had to start preparing Renesmee for the real world. I also suspect that she wished she could protect her daughter, the way she never was, against not only the very real dangers and suspicions of the humans around town, but the ostracisation and isolation that she herself faced. Besides, she utterly believed every single word that came out of Edward's hypnotising mouth." Gabrielle shook her head again.

"Edward's parenting is a product of his own time, as well as the tragedies and hardships that his parents had faced, and the sense of loss, Survivor's Guilt and his own personal feelings of inadequacy due to being unable to become a fully functioning adult." Gabrielle explained. "He threw his weight around and abused his authority, supernatural abilities and influence he had over other people, including Bella, because he sought to become what the weak man or the young boy's idea of a strong man was.

"Edward's father died before he could see his son grown into a man, and Edward would never have the chance to make his father proud, nor to gain his approval." Sue's eyes widened slightly as did Leah's. The others absorbed this in silence. "And then his mother, even though she was sick, sabotaged all her chances of surviving the pandemic to try and nurse him back to health, since he was so much worse than her and she was so afraid she would have to lose him, after losing all his siblings too." Everyone winced.

"He feels tremendous guilt, I suspect. And to be the one who survived, yet being unable to be the man his parents wanted and either brought him up or expected him to be, and with actual adulthood just out of his reach... Well, Edward is, I admit, the weak man or the young boy's idea of a strong man. He thinks that throwing his weight around makes him more of a man. His controlling, dominating behaviour, even to the point of being manipulative, is a means of compensating for his own perceived failings and weaknesses, his own short-comings." She paused.

"Especially in regards to Bella and Renesmee whom he sees as his utmost responsibility and duty to protect, even from imaginary threats." She said softly.

All around the table, they all looked like they suddenly understood. "To this day, Carlisle still can't figure out whether or not Elizabeth Masen genuinely knew what he was when she made that request." Gabrielle continued. "But it certainly has impacted Edward. He has never forgiven himself. And his inability to move on with his life, away from the stage of adolescence and to grow up... well, it certainly has formed the Edward you know today. He is frozen forever. And this is just a case of mere decades into his life... centuries later, it might be an even-bigger problem if no one deals with it." She confessed.

"Imagine having to exist forever in the shadows. You have eternal youth and beauty, but you must hide in order to survive; you cannot be seen. You have inhuman strength, speed and senses, but what do you use them for, if you don't prey upon humans? Or if you're not hunting animals? You have accumulated so much wealth, education and experience, but what for? Carlisle is forever moving from one small town to another, as a general practitioner, for all his experiences and knowledge. He can never achieve anything monumental, despite all his experiences and knowledge that he had accumulated, such as discovering the cure for cancer. Their children must always go to high school or college." Everyone made a face, not liking the sound of that existence.

"They lack meaning in their life, along with the inability to move on. They must always hide in the shadows. That's not a life; that's a mere existence; a pointless, meaningless one, for the most part. One that will last for eternity." Gabrielle herself shuddered.

"Even though they are not actually the Un-dead, it is not in the slightest bit appealing when you examine it more closely." Gabrielle sighed. "Mortality and immortality both come with their list of pros and cons, some more specific in regard to certain species than others." She didn't elaborate.

"Carlisle and the others mentioned that at some point, after Esme was turned and joined their coven, Edward went his own way," Gabrielle uttered slowly. "He went through a 'rebellious phase.' Unable to control his thirst, yet still holding himself not only to the ideals that his birth parents had taught him, but the empathy for humans that Carlisle and Esme expected of him, Edward tried to find a compromise in between. While, like so many vampires, especially to those new to this lifestyle, Edward struggled with the diet of animal blood. But at the same time, he did not wish to consume blood from innocent people. So for a time, he went his own path and began targeting criminals. Would-be murderers, rapists, robbers and thieves, corrupt individuals, abusive ones..." Gabrielle paused. "He admitted that he had been the one to deal with Charles Evenson, Esme's abusive first husband whom she had ran away from as a human."

Charlie's eyes were massive, as he hadn't known anything about Esme's history until now. But Sue and Leah's eyes were wide with understanding.

"He thought to kill more than one bird with a single stone," Gabrielle confirmed. "On one hand, he was unable to control or rid himself of the thirst with animal blood alone. At the same time, he would be able to channel his inhuman strength, speed and supernatural senses and power for what he believed to be was for the greater good. He would save innocent lives whilst eliminating the true criminals and satiating his thirst so he would be able to find it easier not to attack innocent people. This, however, began to wear down at his conscience and at some point, he took a look at himself, within himself, and did not like what he saw. He was completely burdened by the knowledge of what he became and returned to Carlisle and Esme like the prodigal son." She paused.

"Since their species was younger than the others and more completely isolated than the other vampire species of the Confederation and do not possess the same benefits, such as safer living spaces and manufactured blood and blood-based products that are not made from humans but are certainly consumable for vampires, tasty even, their species struggled with feeding. It was difficult for them to adapt to the taste of animal blood, and most find the thirst to be too overwhelmingly strong they are unable to think about anything else, especially when they are new to this life. Not to mention the scent of human blood- and its taste- is incredibly powerful- and addictive. More addictive than heroin to an addict." Gabrielle explained slowly. "They are also like sharks: once they scent blood that has been spilled or tasted it... it is almost impossible to resist. Not without years of practice like Carlisle, or better yet the blood and blood-based products that the vampires of the Confederation consume which are able to eliminate their thirst, at least temporarily. Some species have far better control than others," she admitted.

"Edward struggled, especially since as it turned out, since he possessed the magical gene for humans, albeit in dormant form- he was never a wizard- this granted him the power of limited telepathy," she informed Charlie whose eyes bugged. "He can hear and see the thoughts of all those around him, but only their most immediate thoughts."

"Wait- so he really can-" Charlie spluttered.

Gabrielle nodded. "With the exception of your daughter and, to an extent, you." Charlie looked bewildered.

"Me?" Gabrielle nodded.

"It appears that Bella possessed the magical gene prior to transformation." She explained. "While it did not awaken fully and manifest completely, making her a witch, its presence undoubtedly means that someone from her family line, an ancestor, was a witch or wizard, from at least your side of the family." Charlie's jaw crashed to the floor. "Some wizards and witches can have offspring known as Squibs; born with the magical gene but in dormant form. In days before I made this discovery public, Squibs were often treated shamefully, taken as a sign that there was something wrong with them or their parents, their bloodline and magic. This was, of course, due to the lack of knowledge on science and genetics back then. And a rampant prejudice. But living without magic in my world is like living without electricity, petrol-fuelled engines, batteries, running water, plumbing and a sewage system for non-magical humans." Gabrielle confirmed. "Playing games, as many used magic, was a handicap many of them had to face. School was not an option in our world, since they educated and trained young witches and wizards to harness, control and channel their magic properly, so they could not even get more than a basic education in my world. You would find it difficult to even gain employment, even for jobs that required no educational credentials, if you were a Squib. And few, if any families, or even individuals, were willing to marry a Squib, so romantic and marital prospects were out of the question, least of which is because they were afraid that this so-called 'condition' would be passed down to their offspring."

"That's terrible," Seth stated, bluntly. The others all agreed. Gabrielle nodded. "Quite. Which was why Squibs were sent to non-magical schools and to live in the non-magical world, integrate and intermarry within their community. It was seen as kinder than to force them to remain in a world where they could truly never belong- although of course there are always the scum of the earth who have their own ways of dealing with children that do not match up to their expectations." Gabrielle warned darkly. "As a police officer you've no doubt dealt with those type of parents before." Charlie grimaced and nodded. "But yes, usually they tended to integrate and intermarry with non-magical people. Their children married and had children with non-magical humans, and so forth down the line. But the gene is only dormant in many cases; they often unexpectedly awaken. That is how two non-magical parents, with seemingly no magical heritage, is able to produce a child who is a witch or a wizard. And since many considered it shameful to produce Squib children and the magical governments in my world don't really see much importance or potential to become fully contributing members of society, their births are not recorded by them, either. Which is why until I discovered proof, did research, gained enough evidence and data to confirm my argument and theory, no one knew how and why some magical parents had a non-magical child, and the other way around.

"In Bella's case, I suspect that someone in her heritage- and yours- had a particular gift for Occlumency: the ability to shield one's mind from mental powers, like Edward's telepathy. Edward, it has been proven, has been descended from an old magical family, via his mother: the Diggorys. Some members have a particular aptitude for Legilimency, telepathic abilities, which Edward's admittedly limited telepathy is a very small part of." Gabrielle confirmed.

"I noticed a resemblance between him and someone I had briefly met many years ago as an eight-year-old child, travelling to Britain. He was a boy of seventeen, the exact same age Edward is frozen in, and although much more personable, polite and friendly by all accounts, the resemblance was there. His hair was dark brown not bronze and his eyes were grey, but they looked identical in every aspect, apart from Edward's paleness and his... aloof and coldly superior aura. Cedric Diggory was the champion for the British school of Magic in an international tournament and, most tragically, he was the first casualty in the Second Wizarding War, simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time as a witness to an event that the enemy did not wish to be made known." Gabrielle's eyes were sad. "He was good, gracious, kind and polite; he always treated other people fairly. And he was kind to me, and tommy sister who was his rival in the competition, and I noticed this because not a lot of people were when either of us were growing up; we're part human and stick out like sore thumbs." Gabrielle explained.

Sue blinked. Gabrielle shrugged. "Yes, it's sad, but it's true. But back on topic, I remembered Cedric Diggory well. I noticed the resemblance when I first met Edward, though I kept quiet, and I won't be making this fact public either, due to any surviving family members, relatives and friends that Cedric may have had who are still living. But I looked into Edward's background as well. And Bella's." She gazed solemnly at Charlie. "You have magical relatives, I noted. Some still carry your surname. One of them is Ava Swan, one of the first friends I had ever made when I first travelled to America." Charlie jolted, surprised. Leah was stunned, Sue inhaled sharply, and Seth's eyes bugged. Embry and Quil looked surprised.

Gabrielle explained. "Bella is undoubtedly her relation. Adsila Sizemore, the MACUSA agent whom you met-" she nodded to the Clearwaters "-went to school with Ava Swan. She noticed it as well: the resemblance between both of them. The same hair- though Ava's might be a shade darker- shape of face, slightly similar noses, the same willowy and slender build. The same eyes too." Gabrielle paused, momentarily disturbed by the thought of Jacob possibly imprinting on Ava. She would have hated it, Gabrielle thought. Even if there was nothing wrong with their imprinting, she would hate to be tied down.

"But just as importantly, Ava is also a very powerful Occlumens, someone who has the ability to block or shield against Legilimency, which Edward's abilities were a small part of," Gabrielle continued "similar to Bella and you. The difference between her and the two of you is that you are descended from a Squib branch of the family, whereas Ava- whose mother is surprisingly also related to Bella's mother's family the Higginbothams, who are another magical family with a Squib branch which gave rise to your daughter's mother-" Charlie's eyes bulged out of his sockets. Seth's jaw crashed open, and Leah gaped. "-not only possesses the magical gene like you but it is active within her. Making her a fully active witch. You and Bella on the other hand, well, based on what Bella has told me about her latent abilities- Edward being unable to hear or see her thoughts and other telepathic vampires being unable to affect her- she was a few generations away from the magical gene re-activating itself. If she had remained a human and had offspring with another non-magical human and therefore, descendants, my estimation was that it would be three to four generations until the magical gene reactivates and you have a descendant who is a witch or a wizard."

Charlie slumped against his chair. He was speechless. Gabrielle fully understood: it was one thing to be told the supernatural existed, another thing entirely to discover that your best friends' children were supernatural and turned into giant wolves, yet another thing to find out that your daughter's husband was a vampire and she was one herself, still another thing entirely to learn that she had a daughter and one who was half-vampire no less, and yet still another thing to have to process and cope with when being handed the information that your family- and your ex-wife's family- may have been magical albeit in a dormant manner, and that someday your descendants would be able to possess magic. That's not to say all the other things he had gone through throughout his life, especially ever since his semi-estranged daughter came to live with him over two years ago.

Gabrielle sighed. "I think for now, it's important to focus on everybody's mental and emotional health and well-being." She said frankly. "Jacob... you have to communicate with him. Most people at that age- and Bella's- believe that their parents don't understand their personal struggles. But is that really true? If you look at Bella's relationship and marriage to Edward-" she nodded towards Charlie. "-and take away the supernatural elements, and the psychological and emotional abuse as well as the so-called 'love triangle', is it really any different from your own relationship and marriage to your ex-wife? While I admire and respect you for standing your ground and perfectly understand and empathise with your reasons as to why you couldn't simply move away from Washington, and I respect your ex-wife for actually deciding to take Bella with her and commit herself to raising her child and making a good life for both of them- regardless of whether her efforts had borne fruit or if she was simply led astray too many times, based on the accounts both you and Bella have given- it's quite obvious that Bella has grown up emotionally neglected." Charlie flinched and Gabrielle nodded gravely.

"In regards with you, you have been distant for most of her life. Yes, she saw you during almost every holiday. Yes, she came to visit you and you took the trouble to take time off to visit her in California until she moved here. Yes, there may have been phone calls and emails, texts even between the two of you. But the two of you were practically strangers, and neither expected the other to understand their struggles because quite frankly, you never tried to reach out to one another. In your case, you had already given up before you tried to become a parent, by your own admission, because you believed what your then-wife had said about you and your approach to parenting and raising your daughter, as well as your married life. I do not believe you ever truly gave up on trying to be a parent to Bella, but you certainly expected your ex-wife to bear the majority of the heavy responsibility during your daughter's most critical formative years."

Charlie gave a deep sigh and looked down.

"But in regards with her mother, Bella became the parentified child. She was emotionally neglected, instead of being nurtured, so her confidence and self-esteem was never fully developed or healthy. She never had a parent looking after and reaching out to her, because the only other adult in her life, her grandmother, died when she was young and knew that she didn't have much time left so she spent more time teaching and preparing Bella to survive on her own. Bella was overly burdened with responsibilities so that self-care and social interaction was put to the side and shoved down further as time went on. By her own admission, she never went on play-dates and didn't have any friends in Phoenix or California, apart from her mother, because she always had to be looking after her, spending her entire time on her mother, her schoolwork, the house chores..." Gabrielle trailed. "Or simply being the adult of the house. Kids can be cruel as much as they can be innocent. I suspect that her 'middle-aged attitude', as her mother had termed it, bore the brunt of mockery and ostracisation within her peers, as well as her 'nerdiness'. No one invited her over to have fun or to be friends because they knew she wouldn't- or couldn't- accept their invitation- not that many would have, since they didn't think too highly about the girl who didn't put much of an effort into, not just her mere appearance, but her interaction with her own peers or even the staff, and didn't try to reach out to them either. She stumbled and tripped over her own feet, she didn't have any confidence, she mumbled as she spoke, didn't like to make eye contact with people, didn't like to say hello..." Gabrielle sighed.

"She wasn't popular. But her being 'middle-aged' in attitude since she was forced to become the adult in her own home would have been a cause for mockery more than anything, or at least the belief may have been that she would not know how to have fun or to interact with others. Or, more likely, she simply did not wish to make friends. No one taught her, no one boosted her confidence. She was too busy looking after her own mother to be looked after and nurtured. This was never healthy and judging by the look on your face, you know it. You may see her maturity and capabilities as a good thing- and they are- but it came at the cost of a healthy mental and emotional development. Regardless of how mature and gifted or capable a child or adolescent may seem, they still need to have time and people reaching out to them- family who are present- in order to be children or adolescents for the sake of a healthy growth or development."

Everyone else was wincing with every word Gabrielle spoke. She sighed.

"I think Bella may have reacted to that," she confessed. "Because she felt she was not protected, not only was she unconsciously or subconsciously drawn to Edward, and easily forgave his... abusive and morally questionable tendencies, but she became utterly dependent upon him, making it easier for him to gas-light her." Gabrielle had explained the term of 'gas-lighting' to Billy and Charlie, all of whom looked sickened and horrified at the thought. "She also utterly believed his every word, even when he later admitted to lying to her, because she believed it was all for the greater good and he had been benevolent and wonderous enough to grace her with his mere presence and attention. She thought that lowly of herself." Gabrielle warned, causing Charlie to cover his face with both hands. "And now she has a daughter whom she smothers, utterly determined to protect her in the way she wished she had been. But at what cost? Renesmee may physically grow very quickly," Gabrielle warned. "But she is also still a child who wishes to grow mentally and emotionally. Besides, Jacob does not see that of her, either. He sees his future love, his soulmate, his best friend's daughter and at one point the dangerous and murderous child of his rival and the girl who broke his heart. He doesn't see her as her own person."

Charlie sighed. He looked at Billy whose dark eyes conveyed heartbreak and remorse.

"We all failed," he then looked at Sue. "Except for you and Harry. You guys have every right to be proud of Seth and Leah."

Sue smiled, but sadly shook her head. "I may be proud of them and I'm certain that Harry will be and always was, but I made my own mistakes as a parent. Trust me."

"Everyone always will," Gabrielle admitted gravely. "But leaving things be and making no effort to reach out when they need you the most is the worst mistake that any parent can make. It's not too late," she insisted.

Unbeknownst to Gabrielle and the others, with the exception of Charlie who had completely forgotten, the hidden camera observed and recorded everything. Charlie had known Jacob would come and he had a feeling that it may have been his last. While he melted down some silver and made bullets, Charlie wasn't eager to use them on Jake, his best friend's son and a boy he had known all his life, no matter what he did. But he would have to protect Renesmee. If he died trying, well, the camera would record everything and Billy and the Cullens would know.

To Damarius: Wow. Really? Maybe Charlie just needed adjustment. I understand, it didn't sit right with us for a dad and a cop to lay down like a doormat and look the other way. And Charlie is the type of person who simmers beneath the surface- he may regret not doing something earlier or sooner, but he will regret everything. And he's brave enough, as a cop and as a dad/granddad to stand up for what is right. He had to be the Chief of Police for a damned good reason, and not because he's a trigger-happy moron like the ones responsible for triggering the BLM movement. If he's close and respected by members of the Quileute Nation, and yet he's Chief of Police, then it has to be for a damned good reason.

To hosieL: Yeah. And she knows it. She's desperate to get away now, but knows that Jacob won't let her.