Bear

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

A/N-the prompt was Charlie brings home a dog for Bella.

Charlie scowled when he pulled up outside his house to find Edward Cullen's silver Volvo blocking his drive. His fingers tapped the steering wheel irritably as he was forced to park the cruiser on the road. It was bad enough that his daughter was still so insistent on dating the creep, despite the way Cullen had treated her in the past, but now the insolent asses pretentious car was taking up space on his front drive. Well he wasn't going to stand for it. He may not be able to force his daughter to stop seeing Cullen, but he could force the pasty dipshit to move that wreck off his property.

The irate police chief climbed out of his car and opened the rear door. He ducked down inside the vehicle and pulled out a cardboard box. As he lifted it, the box rocked in his arms, followed by a sharp yelp. Charlie's scowl was replaced with a smile as he hefted the box up higher against his chest and carried it up the porch steps.

"Bells, I'm home." Charlie bellowed when he entered the house. He kicked the door closed behind him as the box bounced in his arms again. "Quiet, fella." He whispered to the occupant inside. "I want this to be a surprise."

His daughter eventually emerged from the lounge, immediately shadowed by her wretched boyfriend. Charlie's scowl was back as he met Cullen's predatory gaze. Edward's lizard like eyes didn't even blink as his fleshy lips curved up into a forced smile. "Good afternoon, Chief Swan." He said politely.

"Is it?" Charlie barked in response. "Your car is blocking my drive. And isn't it time for you to leave? Bells has a curfew."

"Dad, please." Bella's pale face was burning with embarrassment. "It's not five yet." She looked up at Edward apologetically.

"I grounded you for a reason." Charlie reminded her pointedly. "It's this dolts fault that you fled half way across the country to rescue his sorry ass..."

Bella's face flushed a darker red as she drowned in mortification in front of Edward. She couldn't believe that her dad was being so hostile. She was impressed with Edward's restraint as he regarded her bristling parent with a bland smile. "Dad, it was my choice to go. This isn't Edward's fault in any way, shape or form."

Charlie's lips thinned. "You know what I think." He told her coolly. "I am not going to change my mind anytime soon."

"I understand it will take time to prove myself worthy again, sir." Edward said formally as he put a comforting hand on Bella's shoulder when she tried to defend him again.

"Stop being so obsequious." Charlie snapped. "Now move that heap off my drive."

"Dad, you're being rude. Edward is just trying to..." Bella was interrupted by a faint yelp coming from inside the box that her father was clutching against his chest. "What's in the box?" She asked curiously.

Charlie's expression softened. "I found him by the side of the road when I was on patrol. I think he's been abandoned." He opened the flaps of the box and a small head popped up, followed by a furiously wagging tail. It was a puppy. "I've christened him Bear."

"Oh my, he's so adorable." Bella cried as she reached out and picked the black and tan puppy up out of the box. It immediately began to lick her face. She laughed at the enthusiastic greeting. "You are such a cutie." She crooned. "Isn't he cute, Edward?"

Edward wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Yes, very...cute." He muttered. He reached out a hand and tried to pet the animal for Bella's sake but the puppy nipped his fingers and he snatched his hand back.

"Good boy, Bear." Charlie didn't hide his amused smile. "He knows who he likes."

"Aww...he's just getting used to us. Isn't that right, sweetie." Bella fondled the excitable puppy's ears.

"I've got to be going now, Bella." Edward said stiffly as he tried to regain her attention.

"Okay, see you tomorrow." Bella barely looked at him she was so focused on little Bear.

"Right." Edward noticed Charlie grinning at him out of the corner of his eye. It was made worse by the fact that he was privy to the older man's private thoughts and they were far from flattering. He bid the police chief a hasty goodbye before finally taking his leave.

"He's a German Shepherd." Bella told Jacob over the phone. "I've been reading all about his breed. They can be curious, loyal, alert, obedient, confident, intelligent, watchful and most of all courageous."

"Just like me then." Jacob quipped.

"Very funny." Bella retorted, laughing. But she couldn't deny there was some truth in his statement.

"How's he getting on with the bloodsucker?" Jacob didn't hide his sarcasm. "Has he bit him yet?"

"Will you stop calling Edward names." Bella said irritably. "He is not a bloodsucker."

"I'm calling it as I see it." Jacob replied nonchalantly.

"Jake..."

"Does he or does he not suck blood out of his victims?" Jacob challenged her.

"The animals are not victims."

"But he sucks their blood."

"Alright yes." Bella snapped.

"That makes him a bloodsucker then. Am I right or am I right?"

"Oh, shut up. I'm going to go now." Bella hung up before Jacob could respond.

"Boys are stupid." Bella complained to Bear. He was lying draped across her lap, his eager brown eyes looking at her expectantly as he waited for his next treat. "Except for you, sweetie." Bella smiled at him tenderly, stroking the back of his head.

Bear's tail wagged back and forth as he let out a small yip in agreement. Bella laughed and threw a biscuit into the air. He raised his head back and caught it neatly within his jaws. "You are a clever boy, aren't you?"

Night was drawing in. Bella sighed, lifting Bear off her lap and plopping him down in the dog basket by her bed. "That's your bed, sweetie. Night, Bear." She smiled, bending down to scratch him between the ears, before switching off the lamp and bathing them both in darkness.

Bear wasn't happy about that. He whined, his ears drooping as he looked up at Bella's bed. He trotted out of the basket and made a leap for the bed. Unfortunately his stumpy little legs didn't quite make it. His paws caught on the quilt as he tried to scramble onto the bed, and he slid off, taking the quilt with him. It fluttered over his head like a shroud, covering him completely. Bella quickly switched the lamp back on and scooted across the bed. She was confronted with her quilt moving across the floor in an agitated fashion with poor Bear underneath. She tried not to laugh as she reached out and tugged the quilt off the poor puppy, revealing his sad little face.

"You win. Forget the basket. C'mere." Bella picked Bear up and settled him beside her. Tucking the quilt around them both, she switched off the lamp again and they soon drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Loud yelps, followed by growls, awakened Bella with a start. She panicked, her heart racing at a hundred miles an hour. Switching the lamp on she was shocked to see Edward running around her room with Bear nipping at his heels. Her boyfriend looked so flustered, his normally coiffed hair all mussed and untidy as he tried to escape the small puppy, that she couldn't help but laugh. Edward must have climbed through her window and disturbed poor Bear who had become alarmed at his sudden appearance.

"Call it off, Bella." Edward pleaded with her.

Bella hurriedly climbed out of bed and grabbed hold of Bear. The little puppy was shaking, his ears were back, eyes narrowed fiercely as he yelped in Edward's direction. "It's okay, sweetie." Bella soothed him.

Suddenly the bedroom door was thrust open. Charlie appeared in his stripy pyjamas carrying his gun. He snapped the overhead light on revealing his daughter sitting on the bed with a an agitated Bear on her lap and Edward at her window with one leg cocked over the ledge. The police chief's face turned beet red as his eyes narrowed dangerously in Edward's direction.

Then all hell broke loose...

"I thought my dad was gonna have a coronary." Bella told Jacob as she grimaced at the memory of her father chasing Edward out of the house with his gun. He had created such a ruckus that the neighbours had called the police thinking that their house was being burgled. Charlie's deputies had come racing to the scene, thinking that their chief was in trouble, only to find him ranting in his stripy yellow and blue pyjamas. Bella had never been so embarrassed in her life and not just because of Charlie's bad choice in sleepwear.

Jacob chuckled as he scratched Bear between the ears. The little puppy licked his face in response, his tail wagging so fast it was a blur. "I would love to have seen that. What happened to the bloodsucker?"

"Edward had to leave of course." Bella shook her head, sighing. "He's being very difficult. He told me I needed to get rid of Bear. Can you believe that?"

"Yes." Jacob refrained from rolling his eyes. "I hope you told him politely to do one."

"Well I wasn't going to be rude about it." Bella said testily as she pulled Bear into her arms. "I mean how could anyone resist this, cutie?" She cooed, kissing Bear on top of his sweet head.

"He likes me." Jacob pointed out, flashing Bella a knowing smile.

Bella arched one eyebrow. "Well you have a lot in common, don't you?"

"Like?" Jacob pressed.

"You've both got tails." Bella cackled as she dissolved into laughter.

"Very funny." Jacob grumbled as he gave her sour look.

Bear's tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth as he bounced around in front of them in excitement.

A/N-thanks for reading!