*Sprinting to my computer after illness, injury, moving, getting a new job, situational writer's block and holiday madness knowing my readers have PTSD: CHAPTER IS ON THE WAY, DEAR! CHAPTER IS ON THE WAY!*

Apologies for the wait! I probably won't be on my regular schedule for a few updates, so I can get back in the groove, but the story is still going. Sorry for the fake out and war flashbacks y'all.

Charlie was mad I had gone rogue; not so mad that he didn't immediately call Sue. The discussion with the Council that followed after was quick: Jacob would be the one they sent. Pending the Denalis' decision, he would be up in three weeks—just a few days after my fourth treatment.

Jake and I talked all night after the call about his trip. The Denalis aside, he was actually quite excited to see the town. He wanted to see where we had been staying, Tom's truck, the café, the diner, the bookshop, and everything else the town had to offer (which admittedly wasn't much more). He also mentioned exploring the forests on his own where it was safe to shift.

Charlie seemed equally as excited as I was to have Jake visit, but he was a little disappointed Sue wouldn't be joining. I knew he missed her, but she didn't want to come up after Seth and Leah were bummed only Jake could go. They hoped to come soon if the trip with Jacob went well, but I knew Charlie wanted to see her sooner rather than later.

With plans eagerly made, we went into town the next morning to find the Denalis. We had breakfast at the diner, first, to avoid any awkward company at the café should the Denalis have changed their opinion on the matter. Eager to hear the family's decision, we ate and paid for our meals in record time—Charlie didn't even bother to be served his mandatory second cup of coffee.

Tanya's Mercedes was parked in its usual spot outside the bookstore. Behind it were two other cars: the BMW that belonged to Carmen and Eleazar, and a Tesla that I had no doubt belonged to Kate. The sign on the store was still flipped to "CLOSED", but it opened before we were even within five feet.

I didn't recognize the woman who appeared in the doorway. She was taller than both her sisters, and her hair was a darker shade of blonde than theirs as well. Her eyes flicked between us as she smirked. "We thought you might be around." She stepped out to hold the door and waved us inside.

Charlie grunted in thanks and stepped through first. I followed him close behind with the last sister—Irina—behind me. The rest of the coven was gathered around the front of the store. Kate had perched herself on the edge of the checkout station, and she waved enthusiastically as we came in. Carmen and Eleazar stood to the side together and smiled politely. Tanya, predictably, stood in the center. Irina closed the door and went to lean her hip against the counter beside her sister.

"Bella, Charlie," Tanya greeted warmly. I raised my hand in a small wave; she smiled. "We spoke about the matter in great length last night. Your friends aren't Children of the Moon, but there is still history between our kinds which leads to some hesitance about them being here."

"Understandably," Charlie nodded. He knew the Pack's history well enough to take a guess at theirs. "We spoke to them last night. They agreed keeping the peace is in everyone's interest."

"While that is reassuring to hear," she said slowly, "we do still have questions we would like answered and terms we would appreciate being agreed to."

Charlie and I shared a look before he nodded. It was a reasonable request, but we couldn't overshare our knowledge of the wolves. We were still in agreeance of not putting all our cards on the table just yet. "Fair enough. We'll answer what we can."

"Thank you. First, we would like to know who they are sending."

I spoke up this time, "Jacob Black. He's my best friend…and the Chief's son." He would hate the fact I told them that. Jacob wasn't exactly looking to take up that mantel any time soon, but it displayed the trust they were supplying to the vampires. He was important. "Jake won't cause any trouble on accident. He wouldn't risk it on purpose, either."

"He's a good kid," Charlie added. "Responsible with a good head on his shoulders."

Kate frowned. "Kid?" She lifted her legs to fold beneath her. "Then he's a pup, and pups are dangerous with their temper." She snorted loudly when our heads turned in sync. "Now I see where Bella gets her glare."

Carmen jumped in before either of us could respond. "Kate means no insult to you or your friends," she assured. "It's simply a concern we have. We've had a few past experiences with young shifters, and their unpredictable temper is not ideal for tense situations."

"It's an unnecessary concern," Charlie said cooly. He took in a breath and relaxed his shoulders. "Bella will admittedly have more knowledge than me on this subject, but the wolves are perfectly in control of themselves. Their tempers are only unstable when they first turn."

Irina hummed, unconvinced, and quirked her brow. "And how long has he been able to change? I assume he's not much older or younger than Bella herself."

"Long enough to not rip my head off when I sucker punched him mid-argument." Technically that had been Paul, and he had tried to rip my head off, but Jake had tackled me out of the way to safety. Charlie appeared to agree the vampires didn't need to know that, though, as he said nothing to correct my statement.

Kate whistled, and Irina regarded me with a small hint of respect in her eyes. "Damn, Swan," the pale blonde grinned, "you got guts. You'd make a badass little newborn."

I stiffened.

Tanya, almost imperceptibly, shot her sister a warning glare. Kate minutely ducked her head before she smiled at me apologetically. I frowned, and my eyes shifted back to Tanya. She had the same hardness in her eyes as when she confronted Glenn. It melted as our eyes met, and the faint smile she always had returned.

Charlie cleared his throat awkwardly. "Yes, well, she gets that spunk from her mom, I'm afraid." His attention returned to Tanya. "Bella isn't wrong, though. Jake especially has excellent control over his ability. He might be young compared to you all, but who the hell isn't?"

Her eyes left mine. "A fair point," she admitted. Her thumbs hooked into her belt loops. "Given you've spoken to him, I assume you know when he wants to come, and how long he wishes to stay."

"The hope was for him to come in three weeks." He scratched his cheek. "We don't know the exact day until a flight's been booked, but a week is what Jake was planning for."

"And he agrees to the terms I discussed with Bella?"

"He does."

Her eyes moved to each member of her family. There was no audible response from any of them, but her attention was returned to us. "A week will suffice. When the date is settled, though, we would like to be told. I would also like to meet him to know who exactly is visiting our home."

"Of course," Charlie nodded enthusiastically. "I'm sure Jake would like to meet you, too. His dad made mention of it."

Tanya nodded and took a few steps forward. Her hand slipped into her pocket to remove a small slip of paper. She stopped a few paces back and held it towards me. "This is my number. You can contact me when you know, and we can arrange a time to meet."

I took the paper and tried not to think of how heavy it felt between my fingers. "Thanks."

She smiled. "You both should have it for emergencies, anyway. It's not really efficient to hunt for us when we need to talk." She stepped back as I tucked the number into my pocket. Kate grinned, and Irina swatted the back of her head without looking.

"Thank you, Tanya." Charlie meant it. He missed home as much as I did—maybe even a little more. "We really appreciate your family allowing him up here."

Her smile was warm and genuine. "Of course, Charlie. This is yours and Bella's home, too."

He nodded and awkwardly shuffled his feet. "Well, thank you. Really. Your generosity is appreciated." His fingers gently grazed my elbow in a silent signal to leave. "We'll call you when we know more about Jake's arrival." He stepped back towards the door.

Tanya, abruptly, moved forward. "Actually, I was hoping to speak with Bella for a moment." She turned towards me with a questioning look. "If that is alright with you, of course?"

I was surprised at her request but found myself nodding anyway. I encouraged Charlie out the door, "Go ahead and call Billy. I'll meet you outside."

His brows pulled together, but a quick look at the rest of the family already retreating silenced his protest. His head jerked in a curt nod. "Alright…I'll see you in a minute." He slowly turned and backed towards the door.

The Denalis disappeared in the back. I wasn't sure if they were simply going to wait in Tanya's office until we were done, or if there was a second exit in the back. Either way, I appreciated they at least tried to give the appearance of privacy for whatever it was Tanya wanted to discuss.

The doors shut softly at either end of the store, and I was suddenly aware of how alone we were. It briefly occurred to me that I wouldn't have agreed to this conversation months ago. "So…" My arms crossed loosely over my chest. "—what was it you wanted to talk about?"

At the tension in my shoulders, the smile I had grown accustomed to naturally spread across her lips. "Nothing malicious. I swear." The muscles in my back relaxed as she took a half step forward. "I just wanted to say thank you."

"Thank you?"

"For trusting us." I wanted to argue I still didn't trust them, but Tanya pushed on as if she sensed the words coming. "You came to me yesterday to ask for this favor, and you trust us to hold our end of the bargain. I know we aren't allies by any means, but I still wanted to thank you…especially, after what you mentioned yesterday."

I recoiled into my jacket instantly. My fingers knotted into the material on either side and pulled it tight. I didn't exactly regret sharing that bit of information to defend the wolves, but the reminder that she knew was less than pleasant. I had neither planned nor wanted to share that part of myself with the Denalis. It was a memory I hated to remember I had and knowing someone else knew of it made it even worse.

"It is staying with me." My eyes that had migrated to the floor lifted. I searched her face for any trace of a lie. She only smiled kindly—empathetically. "We all have our demons, Bella, and yours aren't mine to share. I simply want you to know I understand the gravity of what you're giving us, and that I won't allow it to be wasted."

I believed her. It would have been hard not to with the conviction she laced in every word, but I thought I would have even without it. As much as I didn't want to admit it, Tanya had kept her word many times over of proving her integrity. The rest of the Denalis I was still growing accustomed with, but I knew Tanya's word was important to her. I had no reason to doubt if she meant it.

The unknown feeling in my stomach appeared once again. I swallowed and turned to look at anything in the room but her. "Thank you."

"Of course, Bella." Her sincerity bled into her voice, and it made the feeling even stronger. "Your father just ended his call," she announced. "I won't keep you any longer."

"Right." I awkwardly stumbled over my feet as I turned towards the door. My hands released their grip on my jacket as they dropped to my side. "Uh, thank you again for letting Jacob come. He's a good guy."

Tanya chuckled. "I never doubted he was," she said honestly. "I know from first-hand experience how hard someone must work to gain your favor. It is a goal I'm still working towards myself."

I didn't know how to respond, so, I turned to set my hand on the doorhandle. My fingers had just brushed the metal when she called out again. "Oh, and Bella?" I glanced over my shoulder. "Irina owns the body shop in town. She's agreed to take care of that dent I put in Tom's door for free."

"She doesn't—"

"It was my fault, Bella. It's my responsibility to fix it." She turned on the ball of her foot and nodded to the door. "Your father is waiting." She disappeared into the back before I could argue.

Charlie was leaning against the car as I stepped out of the shop. His fingers were doing that anxious tic he had of drumming against his bicep. He arched his right eye brow questioningly and pushed off the car. "All good?"

I nodded. "Yeah, all good." He stared at me uncertainly as I rounded the car. I scratched my neck. "She just wanted to let me know that Irina could fix the dent."

The answer seemed to satisfy him enough as he huffed. "Good. I was wondering how we were gonna explain that to Tom."

I felt the weight of the paper in my pocket the rest of the day. Charlie had briefly borrowed it to put the number in his phone before he urged me to do the same. I had never realized how hyper aware of a stupid square in my pants I could be.

I sat on my bed with my computer on my lap typing a new entry rapidly. I had entered a support group after my second diagnosis and journaling had been a highly recommended activity. It was something I had only kept up for the first few months after the Cullens left, but after the last few days I had decided to give it another try. It was not, however, an easy task when I felt the paper crinkle with every tiny adjustment of my legs. My fingers would stop every few sentences in irritation before they resumed their tapping.

"—the Denalis. They confuse me. Tanya confuses me. I know that just because they know the Cullens doesn't make them the Cullens. I also know that—"

Crrck.

"—the Cullens were fucking weird. They told me themselves they were weird for their kind. I know it may not be fair to judge the Denalis based on the Cullens, but—"

Crrrrck.

"—how can I not? It would be the same if they were human. They're family left me behind like I was shit under their shoe. What's to say they won't do the—"

Crrrrrrrck.

"Mother—!"

I tossed my laptop onto the bed beside me, shoved my hand in my pocket, and yanked the stupid fucking thing out. It was slightly misshapen from being stuffed in my pants for so long, but the number inside was still in good shape. Whatever pen Tanya had used must have been expensive with how dark and smooth the ink was.

I sighed as I ran my thumb over it. Why was I letting myself get so worked up over a string of numbers? It was stupid, really, to psych myself out over a simple gesture. There was no malicious meaning behind them. Charlie had been comfortable enough adding them to his phone, so why couldn't I?

Because you're scared.

It wasn't a clarification I needed, but it didn't make it any less true. The last five paragraphs I had written in circles about the Denalis depicted that much. Charlie didn't have the same past with vampires as I did. He wasn't brought into a loving family and left behind like the unwanted family dog on the side of the highway. He wasn't toyed with, taught he mattered, or made to fucking fall in love.

Charlie was collateral damage to the Cullens, but he wasn't made into the shrapnel like I was. He wasn't torn apart like I was. He wasn't broken like I was. Why wouldn't I be scared? The thing was that I didn't want to be scared. I knew I shouldn't be scared. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply through my nose. The paper crunched as my fingers curled around it. Why was I still letting Edward—them—affect me after so long? I had to stop letting them. I had to stop making them control my reactions even to small shit like this.

I pulled out my phone.

It's Bella. When can Irina fix Tom's truck?

The world didn't explode.

The Cullens didn't magically appear only to leave again.

My cancer didn't kill me on the spot.

Funny.

I snorted. My phone buzzed.

Hello, Bella. Irina said she is more than happy to take care of it tomorrow if you have the time.

What time?

The shop was larger than I expected it to be for a small town. The shop in Forks had only two stalls for cars to be pulled into with a tiny lot in the back. This one had five windows with labels for the correlating service above each, a decent lot in the back, and appeared to have back storage for several parts.

Irina was already outside as I pulled up. Her hair was up in a messy bun behind her head with a few stray hairs in her face. Her hands were already stained with grease along with the dark blue coveralls and brown boots she had on. She waved me down to pull into the farthest left stall. There was a lift in the middle that I carefully guided the truck onto until she motioned for me to park and hop out.

"Tanya made it sound like she demolished the thing." She smirked as she placed her own palm in the dent. Her fingers were just a tad too long to fit. She snorted. "I guess her guilt made her exaggerate."

That was kind of nice to hear given I would have been the one to get grief on it from Tom. "Will it take very long?"

Irina shook her head as she dropped her hand. "Not at all. If you want me to do a brake pad change and oil change it will take some more time, but it won't be longer than an hour or so."

I frowned, surprised she would be able to do it so fast, until I remembered why Jacob and I always took so long to do it ourselves. Jake was an enhanced individual, but his human body still had limits. He couldn't lift a car one handed to crawl beneath it. "I haven't noticed the brakes needing to be changed. The oil really should be. I had planned to do it myself, but…" I motioned vaguely to my bald head.

Irina hummed. "I'm sure it would be more activity than your doctor would recommend." She tilted her head curiously. "Do you have much experience with cars?"

I shrugged and stuffed my hands in my jacket. "Jake is a mechanic. He taught me basic stuff."

"Good. Everyone should be knowledgeable about vehicles. It was a real shame when schools let that portion of education go." She moved to a panel on the right side of the wall and pushed a button. The lift began to raise the truck up into the air. "In that case, you may assist me instead of sit in the waiting room. Only if you would prefer to, of course." She stopped the truck two feet off the ground.

The idea of sitting in a dull waiting room for an hour as not appealing at all. The shop was about a mile from the main part of town, and I wasn't exactly in the mood to go for a long walk, either. "Fine."

Irina seemed pleased by my answer as she motioned to an old grease and oil-stained jacket that was easily a size too large for me on the back wall. "Put that on to protect your clothes. I'll do all the heavy lifting, but you can be my runner."

I removed my nice jacket and swapped it with the larger one on the hook. The old jacket didn't fit too awkwardly despite the size difference, and the sleeves didn't fully engulf my hands. I was able to push them up my arms easily enough to keep my hands free. I was actually growing a little excited at the prospect of working on the truck like I used to with Jake. It had been one of our regular hang outs, and I had missed the activity as much as I missed him. It would feel good to use my hands again.

"Grab the rolling cart and bring it over." She pointed to the black cart in the corner with a single tray. "It has the ratchet wrench and sockets on it along with an oil pan." She snatched a creeper that had been leaning against the wall to set on the ground to roll beneath the truck.

When I had brought the cart over, Irina had me hand her the oil pan and then the wrench with the proper socket fitted. "You don't use your hands?"

"I could," she said from underneath, "but it takes the fun out of it. Besides, you can't really be the 'normal human mechanic' in town using your bare hands." I heard the bolt pop and then rattle before she rolled out to hand me the bolt. I hadn't even noticed her put on gloves.

I set the bolt on the tray on top of a used rag to keep it separate from the rest of the tools. I took the dirty oil filter next and handed her the new one she had waiting on a work bench beside the waste bin. It was an easy rhythm to fall into, and it left a lovely feeling of warm familiarity in my stomach that led to me agreeing to a brake change. Going through the same motions I had with Jake helped to ignore the twinge of homesickness in my chest.

I was appreciative Irina made no effort to create small talk. Besides the occasional directive, she said nothing else and remained focused on whatever task was at hand. Whenever the requirement of something was too much for me physically (which was basically eighty percent of the work), I would stand back and silently watch. The way her hands moved slowly began to produce an old memory the more I watched.

It wasn't hard to place once it had come to me. From brief moments of sticking my head into the garage when her music was going, or from that one time she allowed me to sit with her for two minutes, I began to see images of Rosalie. It wasn't incredibly hard once I began to notice the similarities. They shared many physical traits—tall, blonde, and lean—and Irina had a bluntness to her not so dissimilar to Rosalie. Softer than the younger woman's sharp tongue, but it was still there.

Once the likeness appeared, it grew hard to pretend it didn't exist. I had to physically turn myself away once or twice to prevent myself from going to a place I didn't really want to. I hadn't had very many warm moments with Rosalie (if they could even be considered that), but she had been the only one in the family to be brutally honest about her feelings towards me from the start. I had known where I stood with her, and as such her exit hadn't hurt as much as the others.

I hadn't expected to be so affected by a reminder of her, but it shouldn't have surprised me. She was the only Cullen I still held an ounce of respect for. She hadn't let the romantic notion of Edward and me cloud her beliefs and logic like the others had.

Like I had.

Maybe that was part of why it stung more than I thought it would.

I was able to ground myself by focusing on the tasks at hand. It helped that Irina gave clear instructions of what she wanted me to assist with and provided extra knowledge to some of the gaps in mine. Tom's truck was older than the one I had in Forks, and Irina carefully explained the differences in how to replace the pads.

When it came time to fix the dent, I sat back and let her work. She grabbed a strange bright orange suction cup with two hands and placed it over the dent. She cranked one handle and then pulled. The dent popped out instantly, and the door looked good as new. Well, almost.

"There." She nodded appreciatively at her work as she drew her fingers along the now flat surface. "Tom will never know his precious hunk of metal was damaged."

I let out a puff of appreciation. "Thank you. Really."

She waved me off dismissively. "Any time. Our goal is to keep trouble at a minimum between us, remember?" She set the tool down and tossed me a grease wipe. "Take some of the grease off then use that door to get to the bathroom. You can wash off the rest."

My hands were mostly clean, but brake dust and oil had still stained the top portion of my fingers along with the occasional mark on the backs of my hands. I gratefully took the wipe to remove the worst of it before I followed her instructions to a door on the right. The bathroom was right inside and another specialty soap was in the dispenser to help scrub away what remained on my hands.

I removed the greasy jacket from my shoulders when I came back out and snatched mine from the hook. Irina was finishing putting away the rest of her tools. "If you notice any other problems with it," she said, "bring it here. I've worked on it enough that I should have most parts it will need."

I tossed my jacket into the cabin. "I will. Thanks."

I was about to climb into the truck when a thoughtful look crossed Irina's face. She studied me for a moment, and I debated just jumping in and driving off before she had a chance to say what she wanted to. "When you first met Carmen," she began, "you said that you were a liability to us. You are, in away, but you were never a problem to us." She tilted her head with a faint close-lipped smiled. "I hope you're beginning to see that, Bella. After all, we wouldn't let just anyone invite a stranger to our home."

My teeth dug into my tongue. Rosalie would have never said that. She would have spat at my feet first.