Title: Vocalise

Author: pantheradraconis

Rating: T

Pairing: Bella/Rosalie

Summary: "From calm and serene to I want to rip you to shreds. Sometimes getting to the part where you can say I love you and never question it is a pain in the arse." - Review from ChesireMonkey. Alice saw a vision involving Rosalie and Bella. What did she see? And how will it affect everyone around them?

Vocalise

By pantheradraconis

Chapter 37: Conclusion

The weeds were putting up a fight and Charlie wasn't sure how much work he really wanted to be doing right then. He stood back up and stretched his back, wiping the sweat from his brow. He turned to watch Sue pulling on her own section of weeds with far more vigor and concentration. Charlie smiled and made his way into the small house on the Res. He grabbed some water bottles from the fridge and carried one out to hand to Sue. She took it gratefully, wiped her brow, and drank down half the bottle before smiling up at him. Her smile didn't last, it never did anymore.

The garden was starting to take shape and the vegetables were sprouting up slowly. The one at Charlie's house had gone completely wrong so they had moved the more thriving plants to the Res. Sometimes Charlie thought about moving in with Sue entirely, maybe then he could stop waiting… But no, he would never stop waiting for his Bella to come home. And Sue would never stop waiting for Leah. They would stay as they were, moving back and forth between the two houses, trying to make it work.

Just then, a barking wolf came running up to them. The small, gangly, sandy colored wolf ran right up to Sue and jumped around excitedly. Sue wasn't sure what to make of her son's gestures so she told him to speak with her.

Without a second's thought, Seth transformed into a human, bare naked before his mother and Charlie. Charlie turned around and began examining the garden but still listening carefully.

"There's activity south of the line. There are vampires." Seth was barely able to hold his excitement in. "The smell of three vampires and Leah!" His excitement caused him to burst back into a wolf and he began running around in circles and rolling on the ground. After a moment he took off the same way he had come.

Sue fell to the ground, her knees hitting the sandy dirt hard. She didn't feel the impact, didn't react to the pain, didn't even cry out. Instead, her face was completely impassive and Charlie wondered briefly if she had fainted. He, himself, had still not gotten used to words like 'wolves' and 'vampires' but knew them to be a norm in the Res. Three vampires, could one of them be his Bella?

"Is it true?" Sue asked the air in front of her.

Charlie, for his part, was unable to move from his own spot. He watched the area that Seth had ran off to but was starting to wonder if he had ever really been there at all.

"It's been over two years," Charlie responded quietly.

"They said it was possible," Sue added, speaking about the certainty of the Cullens.

Charlie was about to say more but he turned his head to see Bella standing on the edge of the tree line. She was beautiful, she was perfect, she was glowing ever so slightly; Charlie wasn't sure if she was real.

"Hi, dad." The voice was quiet and serene and Bella.

"Is it really you?" Charlie asked. He had had this dream before and woke up near tears to find it wasn't true. He wasn't sure how many times he could experience the loss of his baby girl.

Bella showed a small smile. "It's me, I finally made it back." The brunette shrugged nervously.

"Oh, Bells!" Charlie moved forward barely holding himself back. He took several steps before he stopped just within arms reach. He held a hand out and lightly touched her shoulder. When his hand felt the solidness, he grabbed her and pulled her into a long hug. No words were spoken.

When Charlie finally released Bella and took a step back, he realized there were a lot of words being spoken behind him. He kept one arm on Bella, possibly to keep her from disappearing, and turned to see Sue and Leah in a heated discussion. There was anger but also love and concern. They were both crying and holding one another.

Charlie and Bella looked at each other and laughed. They waited the several moments before Leah was able to pull back and gesture to the other people standing a few paces away.

"Mom, this is Nahuel and his aunt Huilen."

Sue looked at the tall man before her and crossed her arms, refusing the hand he offered in greeting. "Are you the reason she took so long getting home?"

Bella laughed, "That may be more my fault than his."

"Mmhmm." Was Sue's reply as she finally let her attention turn to Bella. "Come here."

She gestured Bella over to her but the younger girl turned to her father. Charlie finally let his hand slip from her shoulder and Bella moved to hug Sue. "I'm so glad you both made it home. I'm sorry for everything."

"There's no need to be sorry. I don't even know where to begin. It's nothing now. It's easier now."

"Thank you for coming back."

"Thank you for accepting me."

"You're family."

"As are you."

The two pulled back and smiled. Charlie moved over and placed his arm around Bella's shoulder. He gestured toward Leah, who laughed and pulled him into a short hug. Finally, Charlie turned to Nahuel and Huilen.

"It's uh, nice to meet you two." He eyed them curiously before turning back to Bella. "I'm um, not even going to bother wondering how you met." He looked at Leah, who had unconsciously moved next to Nahuel. "But it looks like you're going to be a part of all this too?"

"We shall see about that." Sue eyed Nahuel and crossed her arms again.

Nahuel nervously turned to Leah but got no response. He looked over at Huilen and asked, "O que diabos eu devo fazer? What the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Ela é sua sogra, não olhe para mim. She's your mother-in-law, don't look at me." Huilen shrugged before stepping forward and shaking hands with Sue and Charlie in turn. "I am Huilen, nice to meet you both."

"Ela não é minha sogra… She is not my mother-in-law…" Nahuel muttered under his breath.

"Not yet," Leah laughed. Nahuel grunted, almost wishing he hadn't bothered to teach Leah Portuguese while they waited for Bella and Rosalie. There were times that Leah wished to return home on her own but she wasn't willing to put Charlie through the grief, so they waited. They all returned together.

"That dirty mongrel with his yapping pack of dogs. Who does he think he is? I'd rip them all to shreds if not for…"

"Rosalie, you made it." Bella cut off the angry blonde causing her to look up and smile. "Dad, Sue, you both remember Rosalie?"

"And you!" Sue started yelling at Rosalie as if she had been in mid-argument. "Staying here for so long before going after her, if I had gotten a hold of you…"

Her words continued on as Charlie turned to Bella, "I may have confided some of my frustrations." He walked over and, ever so hesitantly, took Rosalie into his arms for a short, efficient hug. "Thank you for bringing her back."

The blonde, for her part, didn't pull away or stiffen up; not too badly at least. "I'm sorry for taking so long." She replied. "I would have been here even earlier if it weren't for your guard dogs. You'd think they would have given more issue with the two stranger vampires!"

"They recognized Nahuel," Leah replied. "Or at least, they recognized the bond."

"What's this?" Sue turned to look between Leah and Nahuel. "Is it true?"

Leah leaned into Nahuel and nodded.

"I have come to formally ask for your blessing." Nahuel bowed slightly, his arms hanging awkwardly unsure what to do with them. He stayed in that bow for several minutes before cautiously taking a peek up at Sue and Charlie. The two were holding back laughter. "I, umm…"

Bella and Leah both held back their own laughter, the taller girl stating, "They're waiting to see how long you'll hold the bow."

"Oh, uh, yes, of course." He looked back down at the ground.

Bella finally let the laughter release.

"I meant that they'll keep waiting until you look up." Leah laughed as well.

"Right." Nahuel quickly straightened himself. "Por que isso é tão difícil? Why is this so difficult?" He whispered.

"I can't argue with an imprint." Sue shrugged. "But keep in mind that if you do anything to hurt her, I've got a whole pack of wolves ready to rip your throat out." She said the words with a smile which Nahuel feared more than any wild beast.

"We should…" Rosalie started to say but was cut off by Charlie.

"You're not leaving, right?" He asked urgently.

"No, dad." Bella smiled and brushed his arm with her hand. "We're here to stay, at least for as long as we can. But, we came here first, there are still a lot of people for us to see. Would you like to come?"

He nodded and then turned to Sue and Leah. "Are you coming as well?"

Sue shook her head but smiled. "Who am I to stop this conglomeration? Should I bring food?"

Bella was about to say no but Rosalie quickly agreed. "We would love to have a large BBQ style in our yard. If you'd like to bring a dish please do but don't feel obligated." She turned to the disbelieving look on Bella's face. "Esme would kill me if I wasn't a gracious host. And besides, Alice will get the message." Just then Rosalie's phone went off; Rosalie looked down to check the message. "They'll be ready in about a half hour."

"That means we will have plenty of time to drive over. Leah?" Bella turned to the taller girl. "Can you call the pack?"

Without a word, Leah ran off into the woods, a high pitched howl filling the air shortly after. The chorus echoed and Leah was back with Seth. The smaller wolf ran inside the house before coming out a fully clothed boy, a giant smile on his face. He scooped up Bell and twirled her around before turning and doing the same to Nahuel.

"Welcome to the family, shorty!" Seth cheered before turning back to Leah and Bella; calming his features as quick as a light switch, he asked, "Do you want to see the grave?" His attitude now serene.

"Please." They both nodded. "I'll be right back, dad?"

"Yeah, but say hi for me." Charlie scratched the back of his head as the five teens made their way toward the tall cliff looking over the sea.

"May I help you get your things or make a dish?" Huilen asked Sue. The two women were soon bustling in the kitchen while Charlie packed a quick bag for Seth. He had gotten used to the boy needing an extra two or three outfits for any length trip.

Bella stood on the cliff's edge, a few steps from an intricately carved wooden wolf statue, and watched the tall waves hit against the rocky ledge. She had only told Rosalie what had happened once. She had tried so hard to believe it had all been a bad dream but losing the ability to sleep made that excuse a hard one to commit. He was already so broken when the waves had taken him, his body had been crushed and tossed and forgotten like a piece of trash. Bella shivered and Rosalie reached her arms around the shorter girl. Leah held Nahuel's hand and began telling him all the jokes she and Jake had told over the years. Rosalie added in a few blonde jokes she had always hated but now associated with her mate's lost friend. She would remember them with a more carefree appreciation.

The group made their way back to the house and loaded up in two cars with Bella riding with Charlie and Leah riding with Sue. The rest of the wolf pack traveled through the woods, their extended imprints traveled in a car driven by Emily, and everyone met up with the group just outside the Cullen's house.

When Bella got out the car she was immediately ambushed by a tiny but fierce force.

"I missed you too, Alice."

"How could you keep me in such anticipation! One day you were all gung-ho we're going home! The very next day you were going to take another five months. You're exhausting to watch!"

Bella laughed and gently patted the smaller girl's head. When she was released, Alice ran over and jumped on Rosalie's back, holding her away from greeting Emmett and Jasper.

"Come here, Bella." Esme appeared wearing a red checkered apron and holding her hands out for a hug. Bella moved in gracefully, hugging Carlisle and Edward in turn. They all smiled down at her with such joy, the younger vampire was overwhelmed.

"Why are you all being so gracious? So forgiving?"

"You're family," Carlisle replied.

"Family does stupid things," Edward added. "Like take two years to get home."

"But I made so many mistakes."

"We all have." Esme smiled her loving, warm smile. "But being a part of a family means having a place to come home."

Bella quickly embraced Esme again. She whispered, "Thank you," even though she knew just about everyone around could hear her.

After the multiple other greetings, especially the awkward meeting between Nahuel and Emmett (who immediately challenged the half-vampire to a series of competitions to see which supernatural being was better), the large group assembled around tables and grills and backyard games. Seth played Edward in a rampant version of badminton, Alice and Jasper danced, Emily eventually getting Sam to do the same with her, the wolves ate, a lot, and everyone chatted as if they were old friends.

"How do you live like this?" Nahuel asked Leah and Bella as the sun was setting in the summer sky.

"What do you mean?" Leah asked over her fifth hamburger. "Like what?"

"With all this chaos and all this noise?"

"He means with all these different personalities," Huilen added in as she watched Quil show Claire how to play croquet. "Nahuel and I have lived in solitude for most of a century and a half. And Nahuel has never known life living among humans, or, in this case, shifters and other vampires." Her words came out not so accusatory but still worrisome. "The only interaction we have had with other supernaturals would be Nahuel's father and sisters, and a few nomads." She shrugged. "This is very different indeed."

Bella laughed. "I am an only child that lived mostly with my mother before moving to live here with my dad. I do not have the experience of this combination either."

"Don't look at me." Rosalie scowled. "It's all Bella's fault that we ended up joined at the hip with the PAW Patrol."

"I was only with the pack for a year before joining up with you," Leah added. "This is all very strange."

Nahuel nodded. "Strange but nice in a way."

Bella and Rosalie exchanged a look that quickly changed to a smile. Bella held Rosalie's hand and nodded. "Strange but nice."

Leah laid her head against Nahuel's shoulder and closed her nice. "Strange but nice."

A/N: It's been nice, thank you for all the love and support. I am moving unto full focus with my fanfic Intrinsic Fascination for now. I wish to finish that before starting anything new. Please check it out and let me know your thoughts! Thank you again.