A Few Truths

by NiceIceEdward

The heart monitor beeped out a constant, staggered rhythm, matching the beats of Charlie's failing heart. Charlie's wasted body barely made a form under the white sheets and light blue blanket covering him. His eyes were large, round and accusatory as they stared unblinkingly at me from their darkened and sunken spot on his gaunt face.

He licked his lips, preparing to continue his questions.

"So, the first year you were here, the night you ran out after breaking up with Edward?"

"Dad, please don't ask these questions. I hate myself for the things I said that night."

"Bella, this is the only chance I have to ask them. If I weren't out of time, I wouldn't be asking in the first place. But now, before...well, I just want to know the truth. I don't need to lie to myself for the sake of sanity any longer. I never wanted to hear the truth, because what I did know scared the hell out of me, and I was frankly terrified to have my suspicions confirmed. Give me some credit, Bells. It hasn't been easy, all of...this." Charlie gestured expansively at the room around us.

When Carlisle had given Charlie the prognosis of his degenerating condition, Charlie had said he wanted to go home. He'd even gone so far as to check out of the hospital. If Edward hadn't intervened and suggested that Charlie continue to receive medical care, by moving into the Cullen house, Charlie would probably have returned to my old house in Forks and slipped quietly away that night.

He'd made it through many nights since then, Carlisle's - and when he wasn't available, Edward's - constant care and attention keeping him as healthy as was possible, and comfortable for the past weeks since his heart attack. So he'd taken up residence in a section of the downstairs which had formerly been part of the great room. Upon Charlie's consenting to move in, Esme, Emmet, Jasper and I had erected enclosure walls into one corner. Esme had taken everything from Charlie's room at his house, and put it up piece for piece, in the new room. She'd even painted it the same awful color his old room had been.

"Bells?" Charlie asked, pulling me back from my awkward silence.

"Some of ... our kind," I stumbled on the words, still unused to the switch from constant omission to open honesty with Charlie. "are what are known as 'trackers'. I guess you could say they're sort of like human game hunters, and the hunt is their favorite sport. The day Edward invited me out to play baseball, we were visited by 3 others of our kind, but who followed a...different diet than the one chosen by the Cullen's."

Charlie blanched a little and in a hoarse whisper said, "Different, how?"

I looked at Charlie, if I'd still been able to, I'm sure I'd have blushed. "Our family, the Cullen's I mean, we hunt animals. Most of our kind has a strictly human...diet." My voice faltered a little on the last word, though it wouldn't be noticeable to Charlie's human ears. He winced slightly as I said human.

"So, you're a v...you know what, don't want to know. Just go on Bells, just...go on." His eyes begged me.

I couldn't help chuckling a little.

"Well, James, the tracker I told you about usually didn't get opportunity to hunt very far for his prey, I was a rare find. I was the best game he'd ever found. I couldn't risk endangering you, and Edward knew he had to get me out of Forks, or James would attack me. I'm so sorry I said the things I said to you that night Dad, but I couldn't risk time to argue with you. I had minutes only to get out of the house. James was outside listening to our whole argument. I had to draw him away from you. If he thought I was with you, he'd have killed you. I had to protect you."

"We ran off to Phoenix trying to get as far from James as we could. We didn't count on his ingenuity; he got into my school record, and found Mom's address. So he went there and looked for things he could use to lure me in. It was a brilliant idea, and worked perfectly. He used an old video tape of Mom to make me believe he had her. He hid out at my old dance school and waited like a trap-door spider. He was able to terrorize me a little before Edward, Alice, Carlisle and Jasper got there and saved me."

Charlie's teeth ground together when I mentioned James terrorizing me. Good thing I didn't explain everything.

"Does Renee know any of this?"

"No, Mom doesn't know anything." I answered.

"The hospital and the hotel accident, that was all a cover story?" he prompted.

"Yes, James managed to hurt me pretty bad before Edward got there." I said softly.

Charlie's expression was fierce and he was visibly struggling not to get angry. "He broke your leg and cracked your head?!" he asked in a loud gasp.

I could only nod, and Charlie turned his head away with his fists tightly bunched into his sheets. He looked like a man trying to escape. Without turning back to me, he said, "Bells, you should have told me. I could have helped, I would have been there...to do...Christ, I don't know...something!"

"No Dad, he just would have hurt you too, or used you against me, or worse..." I couldn't finish that thought, but he seemed to understand, and finally turned back and looked into my eyes. He unballed his fists and reached for my hand.

"Seems to me you took an awful lot onto yourself for such a young girl." he said softly, while I did my best to look contrite, though I think we both knew I wouldn't have done it any different even if I'd had a choice.

"Well, James isn't a problem anymore, if it's any consolation. Jasper, Emmett and Alice saw to that."

I could see Charlie's warring comprehension, his minds natural instinct to retain ignorance, and his new need to genuinely know, and understand finally. After a few minutes, his face settled into a more relaxed expression. Then his brow puckered, a wrinkle that was always there above his nose, deepening.

"What really happened when Edward left? What was that all about?"

I sighed deeply, I really didn't want to talk about any of this, but there was no way Charlie was going to let me escape explanation.

"You have to promise to understand that things were so different then, I don't want you holding anything against anyone in my family, Dad. I mean it. I made things so difficult for them, I was stupid and selfish and the only one to blame."

One of his eyebrows raised quizzically, and he gave me a look that plainly said I'd better explain further. I sighed again, realizing that was a close to a promise as any I was going to get from Charlie.

"Edward always blamed himself for what happened with James-" I began.

"He should!" Charlie interrupted.

"Dad! Remember, you like Edward, don't revert on me now." I admonished.

He closed his eyes, inhaled and nodded his head, "You're right, ok...well, go on then."

"...as I said," I glared at Charlie, letting him know with my expression he wasn't allowed to interrupt again. "Edward couldn't let go of what had happened with James. He'd always accused me of being a magnet for trouble, but he began to believe he was the cause behind it. I was too worried about not measuring up to he and his family as it was, I wasn't about to compound that by admitting I'd always been accident prone. On my 18th birthday, Alice planned a small, Cullen family birthday party for me. Alice made sure there was Cake, all out decorations, and presents."

Charlie smiled when I mentioned Alice and her party plan, but at the tone I said presents in, he frowned.

"We'd just arrived; I opened a couple of the presents at Alice's request. When I opened one of them I uh...I cut my finger."

"I should explain that Jasper didn't always live by the Cullen diet, and he was the last to change to their diet. So he wasn't as able to resist his...temptations as well as the rest of them, though all but Carlisle struggle with it if it's right in front of them. When I stupidly cut my finger, Jasper tried to attack me. Edward threw himself between us of course, and they wrestled him out of the room. I fell back getting away from Jasper," I purposely avoided including Edward's accidental part in that moment, "and cut myself on broken glass. It was a disaster of a party, but Carlisle stitched my arm up, and everything was, to me at least, fine. But Edward just blamed himself again. He couldn't let it go. He believed that if he wasn't here, bad things wouldn't keep happening to me. He convinced his family, and they all left."

Charlie's expression was staggered. He looked overwhelmed. I didn't think I should say anymore, afraid it might bring on another heart attack. He looked incredibly upset.

After a very long silence between us, long enough for me to begin noticing all the minute details in the room, little things Esme had done to make the room comfortable for my father. I felt such love for her, my face contracted, and Charlie noticed.

"I"m sorry Bells, I didn't mean to bring up difficult memories." he said.

I looked at him in surprise, and realized he probably thought I was about to cry. I smiled softly, "No, no, I'm fine Dad." We were in danger of another long silence when Charlie said in a soft, curious voice, "But they all came back?"

Oh boy...this was going to take some explaining.

"Alice has a really strong sense of intuition, you could sort of say she can see the future, or...possible futures."

"Are you saying she can see the future?" Charlie asked. Sometimes I forgot where my ability to see past evasion came from. I smiled at his directness.

"Yes, I am." I replied.

He grinned, "I like Alice, and I've always liked Alice."

I chuckled, "I know that, so does she."

Charlie's grin faltered, and I decided it was time to continue with my story.

"Alice saw me jump off the cliff at LaPush. She told her family, got on a plane and came here to help you if what she saw was true, and to check on me, if it wasn't."

"And they followed her?" he guessed.

"Not exactly, Edward wasn't staying with the family during that time, I guess he'd gone off on his own, but he called just after Alice had left. Rosalie told him what Alice had seen, Edward thought I was dead, he..." I trailed off.

Charlie waited a moment, then squeezed my hand. "Go on."

I took a deep breath, "He tried to kill himself."

Charlie's eyes popped open. "He what?!"

"I'm not going to go into it all, he couldn't bring himself to just kill himself, but he knew of some dangerous people in...in Italy. When Alice found out his plan, she told me and that's why we flew off for those 3 days. I went to save him. I knew if he saw me alive, he'd give up his stupid plan." I said with a slight loss of control at my annoyance with Edward for his foolishness. A lot had changed about me, practically everything, but I still couldn't imagine a world without Edward.

"Ok, that sort of explains that. I'm sorry I punished you Bells, but you had no right to run off like that for 3 days without a word. I have dealt with heady stuff at the department, but nothing scared me as bad as those three days did. I realize it was a long time ago, but...I can't regret my decision. You needed to face the responsibility of your actions."

"You did what you had to, Dad. I did the same. Either way, it ended up as it should, and when Edward found out what my best friend was...he decided I was at more risk without him here to protect me than with him gone, so they all came back."

"What do you mean?" Charlie slipped momentarily back into his typical blissful ignorance.

I froze. I didn't like bringing up bad memories for Charlie, but he was asking all the wrong questions.

"Earth to Bella..." he pushed. He shook my hand a bit to jar me back to attention.

"You know...Jacob and...what he...how he..." I gestured with my head and hands, trying to emphasize the words I couldn't, or didn't wish to say. Charlie still looked like he was waiting for the punch line. I sighed deeply, and blurted out "Remember when Jake changed in front of you?"

Now it was Charlie's turn to freeze. "Oh...that, uh...yeah, okay. I think I can tell you now, Bella, I have never had as bad a fight with Billy as I did just after that."

I laughed, imagining what a conversation that must have been. Two grown men trying desperately to avoid stating the obvious and still face the truths between them. The memory of the coming events that caused that conversation sobered my laughter. My memory of the birth of Reneesme was fraught with clouded human memory, and distorted images and visions. I didn't remember all of it, and whenever I tried to bring the subject up to Edward to talk about, he got a vacant, haunted expression on his face that made me change my mind.

Charlie must have been thinking about that time too.

"Is Nessie human?" he asked, guardedly.

"She's half human." I said, evasively. Charlie's lips thinned, and I hunched slightly.

I thought he'd call me on my evasion, instead, he asked, "Will she be safe?" his face crumpled in concern.

"She will be perfect, always. If anything threatens her, she will be the best protected girl on the planet."

Charlie bridled. He never had completely understood about Reneesme and Jacob. If I was honest with myself, I'm not sure anyone else did.

"Will you be safe, Bella?" he asked softly.

I nodded and smiled. I could feel my face bunch painfully. I felt pressure in my middle, and I unconsciously put a hand there and pressed gently into my side. I couldn't speak, so I just leaned down and kissed Charlie's hand. I sat back up and put my other hand over our clasped hands.

The door whispered open then, and Carlisle came in. "I'm sorry Bella, I need to check on Charlie. Would you mind giving us a moment?"

I nodded and stood up. I leaned down and kissed Charlie on the cheek, while he kissed mine.

"I'll be back after Carlisle's done, I'll see where Reneesme is, okay?" I said.

He nodded, and squeezed my hand again.

I squeezed back and said, "Love you, Dad."

He responded, "Love you too, Bells. Don't be gone long." and the unspoken acknowledgment in that quiet sentence was very hard to hear. I could almost feel the unspoken words in the air, 'I haven't got long.'

I walked out the door of the room, turning to pull it closed behind me. When I turned around, Emmett and Jasper were sitting on the sofa with a chess board between them. Emmett looked very annoyed, and Jasper was smirking wickedly. It would be obvious to anyone which of them was winning.

Jasper turned to me and his smirk turned into a frown. "Can I do anything?"

I shook my head and smiled politely. "Actually, yes...do you know where Reneesme is?"

He shook his head, "I don't, but Alice probably does."

I lifted my eyebrows, and he turned to look out the open front door.

I walked to the door and looked out front. Alice was standing very still, her graceful arms hanging at her sides. I opened my mouth to ask her where they were, but I didn't have to. She suddenly opened her eyes and began running for the edge of the surrounding meadow. She suddenly leaped onto a low branch of one of the trees and crouched. I heard two heartbeats, a light quick step of feet, and the lumber of four paws stepping through the trees. Something in the air shifted and I heard a strange sound. Reneesme stepped out of the surrounding greenery. We met eyes and smiled at each other. Just then, Jacob in a pair of frayed shorts stepped out of the treeline behind Reneesme. He smiled, waved and was suddenly assaulted by a blurred shape from above. The two of them rolled, Jacob hadn't even finished his roll before he blew out of his skin and the reddish brown wolf I knew so well replaced him. He snarled loudly at Alice and snapped at her.

Alice giggled and danced gracefully just out of his reach. She laid a small finger on his nose and said, "Mind your manners, Jacob Black."

He shook his whole body, and then snapped at her again, this time playfully, and Reneesme and Bella joined Alice's laughter this time. The wolf jumped into the trees, and ran off. Reneesme called after him, "Jake!"

I could hear the sound of branches and saplings crunching and snapping as he flew past them. A moment later he came back, human again. He was wearing a pair of black sweat pants.

"Do you know how many pairs of pants you've made me shred in the last two weeks, you spiky-haired gremlin!"

Alice laughed like a carol of bells, and Jake looked very annoyed.

"I will mark your Porsche if you don't stop!"

Alice's eyes opened wide, and she curled her lips back and snarled like a demon, it was very incongruous with her amazingly delicate frame and beautiful pixie face.

Jake grinned widely, and smugly, "Not so funny now, am I?"

Alice grumbled, "Dog." and turned around, standing still.

"And you're the flea that bites me. Be warned, I'll do it.".

Alice looked over her shoulder and grinned from ear to ear, "No you won't." she quipped. She smiled like a felon and leaped lightly away in a cloud of giggles.

Chuckling, I stepped over to Reneesme at the same moment Jake reached her. I placed a hand on her shoulder, "Grandpa Charlie wants to see you."

She smiled, "Is he in his room?" she asked.

"He always is." I said wistfully.

I turned and watched Reneesme walk towards the front door. Movement in Charlie's room window caught my attention, and I saw Edward looking out at me. We looked at each other from across the yard, I was drawn in to his eyes and began thinking of our little cottage and our room, when the door behind him opened and Reneesme walked in. Edward turned away, and I watched them hug, then walk over to Charlie's bedside.

I walked inside, and went back to Charlie's room. I could hear Carlisle in his room upstairs, so I knew he was finished with checking Charlie. As I stepped in the door, I heard Charlie clear his throat.

"Son, it seems I've had a lot of misguided grievances against you, and I want to thank you. Apparently you were looking out for my daughter, while I was busy looking for ways to keep her away from you, Edward. Thank you." He smiled, and Edward smiled in return.

"Grandpa Charlie, Mommy and Daddy can't be kept away from each other. Believe me, I've tried before."

Charlie, Edward and I laughed, and I could hear the stifled sounds of laughter from outside the room too.

Charlie chuckled hard enough to cough, and after taking a sip of water to soothe his irritated throat, he smiled at her.

"I'm just now beginning to see that, darlin'. You're much smarter than your Grandpa."

"I'll teach you about everything, if you want, Grandpa Charlie. If there's anything I don't know, I'll bet Grandpa Carlisle does."

"You're probably right, Nessie. But there's one thing Grandpa Carlisle doesn't know how to teach you."

Reneesme looked at Charlie with frank, reverential eyes. "What?" she begged.

Charlie lifted a tray from the table on the other side of the bed and set it on his lap.

"How to eat an oreo cookie."

Reneesme rolled her eyes and made a sour-lemon face. "I don't like cookies, Grandpa Charlie."

Charlie looked at her and nodded his head sagely, "That's because you don't know how to eat one."

I looked at him as he handed a cookie to Reneesme.

"Were you this silly with me when I was little, Dad?"

He chuckled, threatening the plate on his bed. He reached a hand out and steadied the plate, then looked back at me, "No, but it isn't too late to try I hope." He grinned.

I turned as I felt a breeze blow in through the open window. I went to pull it down a little, seeing clouds forming on the horizon. As I pulled the window down I saw a leaf blow by the window and get pasted against one of the rail posts on the porch. I watched as it struggled against the wind, it's small stem and pointed ends curling and whipping back and forth in the strong gust.

Whatever happened, at least there was truth between Charlie and me. I'd finally been able to tell Charlie pretty much everything. It gave me a feeling of release and contentment. Suddenly the leaf was torn from the post by another opposing breeze and off it flew, cartwheeling across the ground and whipping around the corner of the house. I sighed and turned back to my family, pulled me and Edward's outstretched arm drawing me to the edge of the perfect circle of love I saw before me.