Fate’s Hand At Play
By Mama4Dukes
Chapter 02:
The next morning, Seth was up bright and early excited for Bella’s arrival and praying to Taha Aki that she was going to stay over at his house for the duration of her stay. Her story was so intriguing and he wanted to get to know her. Seth, himself, had never been in the presence of a vampire. By the time he had phased, the Cullens were gone and they only had to contend with the redheaded vampire who disappeared from the area less than a month after he phased. He was considered too young to chase after her so his main job was to protect the reservation along with Brady and Collin.
Seth decided to clean his mother’s house. It didn’t need cleaning, but he wanted it to look perfect for Bella. He even went to the flower shop in Forks and bought a few arrangements and set them up around the house. He put a vase full of pink roses in the room Bella would, hopefully, be using. After that, he came home and baked. Seth had been living on his own for years now and he had quickly learned that if he wanted to eat something other than fast food, he needed to learn how to cook. So, he made everything from pumpkin bread to chocolate chip cookies, hoping it would please his imprint.
Seth wasn’t the only one cooking for Bella, though. Unbeknownst to him, almost all of the imprints and elder’s wives on the reservation were whipping up their own delicacies. There had been a short meeting between the pack and tribal elders during which Jacob had informed the pack and their imprints that Bella had left the area to keep Forks and La Push safe. Cooking their specialties was their way of thanking her. Joy Ateara was busy canning fresh jam for Bella to take home with her to New York City. Meanwhile, Billy Black was carving a Quileute bracelet of a wolf for her.
Around 3pm, Bella knocked on the door. Seth eagerly went to answer the door.
“Hi, I said that I’d stop by,” Bella said shyly. It wasn’t that she was uncomfortable, it was the fact that she didn’t feel at home in La Push. The fact was that her father was never really a part of her life, her mother never really cared, and Bella’s real family was a group of four overprotective vampires who had taught her more about life in the last thirteen years than her blood relatives ever did. And here she was at a reservation with admitted vampire killers, she wasn’t sure how comfortable she felt with that knowledge.
“Come in, Bella. Mom and Dad are out shopping for groceries.”
Bella walked inside and sat on the sofa.
“Would you like something to drink?” Seth asked. “We have soda, beer, wine, milk, orange juice, lemonade, iced tea, egg nog, and bottled water.”
“Water will be fine.”
Seth grabbed a bottle of water and sat down across from her.
“So, you’re an emergency department physician. At what hospital?”
“New York Downtown Hospital.”
“Do you like working there?”
“It’s busy. It’s crazy busy, but I don’t mind. You mentioned that you’re a family practitioner. Where?”
“I work at a practice in Quincy, Massachusetts about twenty minutes south of Boston.”
“That must be different.”
“Well, it’s not as busy as the emergency department. I remember doing my rounds in Chicago while I was an intern. It was nuts. I like a more relaxed pace. I like family practice because I get to see all different kinds of patients and, in many cases, I can get to know the entire family.”
“How come you didn’t come back here to work? In my experience, most members of Native American tribes return to their reservations after their residencies.”
“Um, this isn’t the life for me. I prefer it on the East Coast.”
“Oh.” Bella didn’t want to pry as to why he chose to live so far away from his family and his tribe. Everyone was entitled to their own privacy.
“Did you meet a lot of Native Americans during your residency?”
“Yes, I did. I was one of the few white people there along with Alice and Charlotte. Alaska Native Medical Center has a lot of trouble getting residents in because most people don’t want to move to Alaska.”
“I can see why. I made sure that I applied for residencies in bigger cities.”
“Where did you get your medical training?”
“Washington State University. I did my undergraduate work there too. Are you only certified in emergency medicine?”
“No, I’m also certified in rural medicine and internal medicine. How about you?”
“Rural medicine as well. I figured that if I was ever became hard up on finding a job, I could always come back here to the tribal clinic. They’re always looking for help. Whenever I’m home, they call me when they need a hand.”
Seth knew that he had jinxed himself at that point. His cell phone rang. Sure enough, the tribal clinic needed help, their urgent care clinic was overflowing with patients.
“Damn it, I need to go to the tribal clinic. I knew I shouldn’t have picked up that call.”
“I can help you, if you’d like,” Bella said. “Truth be told, I’d rather not wait here by myself. I have my medical bag in my car. I always carry it with me.”
“Well, come on. They have scrubs and lab coats there.”
Bella drove with Seth to the small clinic. She was introduced to the staff, who were grateful for the help, quickly. She was surprised to learn that there wasn’t a physician on staff. The clinic was run by two physician’s assistants and two nurse practitioners who were supervised by Dr. Gerandy of Fork’s General Hospital.
She had just finished diagnosing a child with an ear infection when Seth hollered for her. A man was brought to the clinic by his wife after he accidentally sliced through part of his leg with a running chain saw. He was bleeding profusely from his leg all over the waiting room floor. One of the nurses had already called an ambulance knowing that this was a case for the emergency department in Forks.
Bella jumped into action immediately. She yelled for some gauze to try to stave off the bleeding while Seth got a drip started. It was clear that the man had hit a major artery. They dove into the ambulance together with the man for the half hour ride to Forks.
“I need you to radio into Fork’s General, get Dr. Gerandy on the line stat!” Bella yelled to the EMT. “We need an operating room set up immediately and at least twenty bags of O-neg ready to go in the emergency department.”
“Hypovolemia!” Seth yelled indicating that the patient had gone into shock.
Bella turned her attention back to the patient while the EMT kept Dr. Gerandy abreast of the situation.
When they arrived at Fork’s General, Seth and Bella were a bloody mess, but they couldn’t leave the patient. Bella and Seth both ended up scrubbing up and assisting with the vascular repair surgery. By the time they got out it was seven pm.
“Bella, I’m used to seeing you as a patient in the emergency department, not the other way around,” Dr. Gerandy chuckled. “I remember that you used to faint at the smell of your own blood. I guess you outgrew that.”
“Definitely.” Bella chuckled at the thought of how she got over her fear of blood. Her vampire family had brought in all sorts of blood and kept mugs of them lying around the house so she would become accustomed to the smell. Ironically, it was the same way that they taught newborn vampires how to control their bloodlust.
“Where do you practice, Bella?”
“New York Downtown Hospital.”
“And are you staying with your father?”
“That’s still up in the air, but I’ll be in the area.”
“Good, I’ll call you when I need help.”
“Gee, thanks, Dr. Gerandy.” Bella was pretty sure that she was supposed to be on vacation.
“I’ll be calling Seth here, too. Any chance I can convince the pair of you to come and work for me in Forks? We could use a couple of big city physicians here.”
“Not at the moment,” Seth replied.
“Let me give the two of you a ride back to La Push. I’m assuming that your cars are still at the tribal clinic since you came in the ambulance.”
By the time Seth and Bella returned to the house, the entire pack was gathered in the living room and Sue and Charlie were pacing the floor.
“Christ, you two are a mess. We heard what happened,” a worried Charlie said.
“How?”
“Small reservation, small town. Word is, that man would have been dead if it weren’t for the two of you.”
“Are you hungry?” Sue asked.
“Famished,” Bella admitted. “We were in surgery during dinner.”
“Well, why don’t you both take showers and we’ll get dinner out for you.”
“Sure, my suitcase is in my car.”
“Oh, I’ll get that for you,” Seth offered. Bella threw him her car keys while Sue showed her to the room she’d be staying in plus the bathroom.
“You didn’t have to put flowers in my room,” she said to Sue.
“Oh, I didn’t, my son did that.” She smiled and walked away, leaving Bella wondering why Seth would be so thoughtful as to leave pink roses on her nightstand for her.
Sue Clearwater couldn’t be happier that Seth imprinted on Bella Swan. She was beautiful, successful, and self assured. She was perfect for him. Sue had worried that Seth would never have a meaningful relationship as a result of never imprinting. She knew that he had girlfriends in the past, but he made sure to never become too serious with them because he was afraid of hurting them. It was a concern that he brought up to his step-father.
Marrying Charlie was the best thing Sue ever did for her kids. He was a doting father to Leah and Seth, much more involved than Harry ever was. He took an active role in their lives, admittedly because he was such a lousy father to his own daughter. The guilt about his relationship with Bella weighed heavily on him. And Charlie Swan was walking on eggshells around his daughter for fear of chasing her away. She had proven to him that she had the ability to disappear off of the radar and with her powerful vampire friends, she had no doubt that if push came to shove, Bella Swan would once again disappear without a trace. Sue’s goal was to make sure that Bella felt welcomed enough so that she stayed in their lives.
As soon as Bella and Seth were out of the shower, they were seated at the dining table and surrounded by the pack. Everyone had a specialty dish or dessert that they made and wanted them to try.
“Gee, and this is two days before Christmas. What’s it like on Christmas Day?” Bella asked.
“Oh, it’s psychotic. We cook and cook and cook some more,” Kim said. “Do you cook, Bella?”
“As a matter of fact, it’s a hobby of mine. Growing up, my parents couldn’t cook to save their lives so I soon learned that if I didn’t want to starve to death, I needed to learn how to cook.”
“That’s for sure,” Charlie said. “I miss your beef stroganoff, Bells.”
“Oh, I can make that for you while I’m here.”
“Did I hear that Bells is making beef stroganoff?” Billy Black asked as he wheeled himself inside.
“Yes, I am. Would you like to come for dinner then?”
“Absolutely.”
A minute later, the entire pack had invited themselves for dinner. Beef Stroganoff was scheduled for the day after Christmas.
Bella wasn’t sure how she felt about all of these people she didn’t really know suddenly inviting themselves for dinner. She was a bit overwhelmed. She smiled graciously at everyone, but, in all honesty, she felt terribly uncomfortable. These wolves were really odd. The men and women were all a bit overly polite, almost as if they were going out of their way to be nice to her. Almost all of the women showed up with some sort of dish that was their specialty and the men all took great pains to speak to her. Seth Clearwater seemed like he was the only normal one here. At least he was acting completely himself. Bella made a mental decision to stick close to Seth. The rest of these wolves and their wives were odd; they were a bit… clingy, perhaps?
The next morning, Christmas Eve, Bella slept in and woke up feeling refreshed. Seth was already awake and flipping pancakes at the table on an electric griddle. Her father was fiddling with a couple of fishing lines while Sue was in the kitchen frying up some bacon.
“Good morning,” she greeted. “May I assist with anything?”
“No, no, we have everything under control here. Just relax and make yourself at home.” It bothered Sue that Bella was so formal in her speech with her. She wanted her to feel comfortable with her just like Seth and Leah were comfortable with Charlie.
Leah and Jacob walked into the house at that moment with their two sons. Leah greeted both Charlie and Sue with kisses on the cheek.
A boy, around ten years old, who was the spitting image of Jacob walked up to Bella. “Who are you?”
“I’m Bella. Who are you?”
“I’m Harrison.”
“Harrison, that’s a fine name,” Bella said.
“Everyone calls me Harry. I’m named after my grandpa who died.”
Bella felt someone tugging on her pants. “I’m William. I have a boo-boo.” A little boy around five years old showed Bella a bandaged finger.
“How did that happen?”
“I got a paper cut.”
“What a mean paper,” Bella replied. She thought back to her eighteenth birthday party when she got a paper cut and Jasper, who was overcome with everyone’s bloodlust, nearly attacked her.
“Okay, boys, leave Aunty Bella alone,” Leah told them.
Aunty Bella? Um… Bella was not comfortable at all with that. She smiled a fake smile and sat down to have breakfast. She ate quickly then told everyone that she needed to take a quick ride to Port Angeles. As soon as she got there, she parked her vehicle in a McDonald’s parking lot and called Alice.
“Alice, can I go home yet?”
“ Absolutely not! You’re to stay put Bella.”
“I don’t feel comfortable. And these people are too clingy. I mean, my father’s stepdaughter is having her kids call me Aunty Bella. I’m an only child! How can I be an aunt? And yesterday, the women all acted as if I was their sister or something. I felt so crowded-in! And you know what else? They invited themselves to dinner when I told my father I’d make him his favorite beef stroganoff.”
“ Bella, they just want to get to know you.”
“Can’t they fucking do Facebook and Twitter like normal people? On top of that, I feel like I can’t talk about you guys. I flipped out a couple of times last night because they called you guys bloodsuckers and leeches. I didn’t appreciate that at all. I did tell them that the Cullens were those things though. So can I leave? If I leave now, I can make it to Paris by Christmas.”
“ No, you may not. Besides, we’re not in Paris right now.”
“Where are you?”
“ We’re hunting exotic game in Kenya.”
“Kenya? I want to go to Kenya! Please, Alice? I really don’t like it here. I’ll sit in a tree while you hunt like I used to.”
“ No, you’re to stay put. I promise you that if you do, you’ll be happy.”
“What are you not telling me Alice?”
“ My lips are sealed. Oh, and you need to pick up extra Christmas gifts.”
“What? I hate shopping!”
“ Just pick up a few hundred dollar gift cards.”
“To where?”
“ I don’t know, wherever people around Forks and La Push shop.”
“Forks Outfitters?”
“ Yes, yes, that should do. Now go to the nail salon, get a mani-pedi and take a bit of a break. You need to calm down and relax, you’re meeting your… um… and um… get your eyebrows waxed too.”
“I’m meeting my what, Alice?” Bella asked suspiciously.
“ Nothing, nothing. Just do as I say.” Click.
Bella let out a deep sigh. Her phone call to Alice got her nowhere. It appeared as if she had to tough it out in La Push with these strange, clingy people who insisted on making her a part of their family.
Jacob Black was perplexed. Sure, it’s been over a decade since he’d spoken to her and, admittedly, he had to end their friendship in a harsh manner thirteen years ago, but he was sure that she understood. Bella, though, seemed to be extremely uncomfortable, she held everyone at arm’s length. This morning, after breakfast, Bella practically ran out of the house. It was almost as if she couldn’t get away from everyone fast enough. Now she was in Port Angeles running whatever errand she had to run instead of sticking around and getting to know her family. For all intents and purposes, he was now her brother-in-law due to the fact that Leah was his wife and Charlie and Sue were married and he fully intended to fulfill that role. On top of everything else, Seth had imprinted on Bella and now she was a part of the pack regardless of her past with vampires. He decided to call a pack meeting to discuss the Bella Swan situation.
The pack and elders gathered at Sue’s house to discuss Seth’s imprinting on Bella Swan. They were all urging Seth to break the news of the imprinting to Bella immediately, but he knew that he couldn’t just spring it on her. Circumstances were different between him and his pack brothers. Seth and Bella were no longer high school students or even young adults who viewed the world with wide open eyes. They had experienced life, seen the world, and had careers and lives of their own to maintain. Neither of them were tied to La Push or Forks by any means.
“Just give me an opportunity to discuss it with her privately,” Seth pleaded. “I don’t know her. None of us know her really and we shouldn’t overwhelm her. It’s obvious that it took a great deal for her to muster up the confidence to come and see Charlie.”
“But we’re her family now,” Leah protested.
“I hate to tell you this, Leelee, but I don’t even think she considers Charlie family. I mean he did say that he wasn’t as involved as he should have been with her. Do you remember how our father was with us when he was still alive.”
“I do,” his sister admitted.
“Well, I think we need to make a greater effort to welcome her,” Sue declared. “At this point, she seems to be more comfortable with her bloodsuckers.”
“They kept her safe, Mom. Whether or not they’re our sworn enemy, they not only kept Bella safe, but from the sounds of it, they kept La Push safe. And I think that if you guys keep referring to them as leeches or bloodsuckers, you’re just going to push her away. Think about it, the last thirteen years of her life was spent with them as her only family. That’s more time than she’s lived continuously with Charlie.”
“Geez, Seth, when you put it that way, it kind of changes the whole scope of things,” Jared said. “She must think that we’re all a bunch of assholes.”
Right at that moment, Bella Swan pulled up in front of the house after running her errands. She was on her cell phone making a last ditch effort to leave La Push. This time she was talking to Peter. Unbeknownst to her, the ears of the entire pack was eavesdropping on her conversation with him.
“ Pete, I have to get out of here! Alice says that I have to stay, but I don’t want to. I know that I sound like a petulant child, but can’t I leave?”
“ Nope, you’re going to have to gut it out, kitten.”
“ Petey! I swear to God, if you don’t let me come and visit you and Sugar Tits, I’m going to tell her how you ruined your latest issue of Big and Bouncy!”
“Big and Bouncy?” Paul mouthed excitedly. It was his favorite nudie magazine and he, too, had two subscriptions. One to archive and the other to use.
“And who the hell is Sugar Tits?” Sam asked in a whisper. “I want to meet someone named Sugar Tits.” Sam was a titty man and loved women who were well-endowed on top. He got a dreamy expression on his face imagining the breasts on someone named Sugar Tits.
“ You know that Char doesn’t give a crap about that stuff, now what has you all in a tizzy? What’s wrong with everyone in La Push?”
“ They’re… I don’t know… they’re clingy, you know. They all act like they’ve known me for ages when they only just met me yesterday. I’m just not comfortable here. Plus they call you guys derogatory names like leeches and bloodsuckers.”
“ Well, that’s not cool.”
“ So can I come and see you guys?”
“ Nope.”
“ What?”
“ You need to stay there, kitten. Get to know these people. You don’t want to be alone for the rest of your life, do you?”
“ Peter, I swear, I’ll make more friends when I go back to New York. I’ll even make it a point to go out with my colleagues after work or some shit. Just please, please, please let me visit you and Char for Christmas. These people are weird. The men and the women are too touchy feely, like leeches-I mean the insect not the derogatory term they use about you guys, and they’re too… I don’t know… how to describe it, Pete, they seem to operate like they’re one big group. It’s too weird. Very Cullen-like if you ask me.”
“Cullen-like?” Jacob asked the equally shocked pack. He was completely aghast at the comparison.
“Did she just compare us to a bunch of leeches to a leech?” Jared was completely stunned.
“ Isabella Marie Swan, as your big brother, I’m ordering you to stay put. Who knows, you might realize that someone piques your interest in two days time.”
“ Alright, what the fuck are you and Alice hiding from me? And that’s another thing, I have to watch my mouth while I’m here, curtail the swearing, and act all ladylike and shit. You know how I have a hard time doing that. I also have to be careful of what I talk about because, god forbid, I mention you guys in front of them; they might attack you guys and then I’ll have to find a way to put them to death. They can feel free to kill the Cullens though, I don’t give a shit about them. But if they lay one hand on my family, I will find a way to murder the whole lot of them. And believe me, I can be very creative in my methods of exacting death.”
“ You’re so cute when you’re angry and protective. I bet your lips are all pouty and your nose is scrunched up.”
“ Peter! Stop changing the subject. What the fuck is your all knowing ass hiding from me? You don’t usually mention a time frame.”
“ You’ll find out soon enough. Open your heart and your mind, Bells. I love you and if any of them give you trouble, you call me and I’ll run down and open up a can of whoop ass on them!”
“ Why won’t you tell me why I have to be here? You’ve never hidden anything from me.”
“ Sorry, I have to go and play hide the salami with my mate.”
“ No one uses the phrase ‘hide the salami’ anymore, Pete.”
“ Goodbye, kitten, have a nice Christmas.” Click.
Bella groaned in frustration when her cell phone buzzed.
“ Hello?” she answered shortly.
“ Bella, this is Dr. Gerandy over at Forks General. Our emergency department is much busier than usual. I’m wondering if you wouldn’t mind coming to assist for a few hours until five pm? One of our physicians called out sick.”
“ Absolutely, I’m on my way,” she answered cheerfully. She ended the call and uttered a relieved, “Thank fuck!” under her breath before she turned her car engine back on and drove away.
The pack was completely silent when she drove away. “What? What just happened?” Sue and Billy both asked.
“She was begging one of her leech friends to let her visit him and his wife. He wouldn’t let her come, told her that she needs to stay in La Push or she’ll be alone for the rest of her life,” Jacob explained.
“She did mention that one of the vamps was a seer and the other just knows shit. Maybe they know that Seth is her mate?” Billy threw the possibility out there.
“Do you think it’s possible that they’re actually working with us?”
“It sure sounded like it,” Sam said. “One thing is for sure, neither of them had any love for the Cullens.”
“I’m glad you brought that up,” Billy interjected. “I think the treaty needs to be reviewed and revised. Clearly, five of the Cullens didn’t think that Bella was important enough to keep safe. In my view, that’s a violation of the treaty. A big one. It needs to be spelled out and placed in the archives for any future pack members in case they do return. And as much as I hate to do it, we need to make a treaty with the vampires that kept Bella safe. They not only kept an imprint safe for us, they kept La Push safe for us, that’s significant in my opinion. Well, we have plenty of time to do this. We need to get Seth and Bella together first and she keeps finding ways to avoid him and the rest of the pack. She’s going to be a tough nut to crack.”
The pack decided that it would be best if Jacob tried to warm up to her first since he knew her best. He waited for her on the front porch of the house and around six pm, Bella parked her rental car and got out wearing hospital scrubs.
“Hi Jake,” she greeted. “You’re still here?”
“I’m always here. My wife can’t cook so we come here to eat.”
“Oh, how long have you been married?”
“Believe it or not, almost eleven years. I got married on my eighteenth birthday.”
“Wow, that’s young. And you’ve been here the entire time? What do you do?”
“I’m a mechanic. I own a comprehensive auto repair shop with Quil and Embry, we do everything from engine repairs to body work.”
“You must be excellent at your job. I remember how you used to work magic with my red truck.”
“Believe it or not, that truck is still running. It was Seth’s first truck when he got his license after you left. Anyway, after he was done driving it, Quil, Embry, and I completely overhauled it and put in a new engine, your dad drives it now.”
“That’s awesome, Jake. You’d like Pete, he… um… that’s great. I’m glad that you like cars.”
“You can talk about your vampire friend, Bells. He’s a part of your life,” he said kindly.
“Um, I was just saying that you’d like Peter. He overhauls cars for fun. He just rebuilt a ’69 Dodge Charger to look like the General Lee in the Dukes of Hazard.” She pulled her iPhone out. “Here, he just sent pictures of the car and the engine.”
Jacob scrolled through what must have been fifty photos and he was thoroughly impressed. “Now, that’s amazing. He did the work himself?”
“Yeah, he does all of the work himself. He likes to tinker. He taught me how to do basic car repairs like oil changes and whatnot so that I wouldn’t have to waste money on stuff like that.”
“That was nice of him. I’m glad he taught you, everyone should know how to do those things.”
“Yeah, they should. Um, well, I’m going to go inside and have a shower now. I always feel germy after leaving a shift at the hospital.”
“Sure, sure, it was nice talking to you, Bells.”
“It was nice catching up with you, too, Jacob.”
Bella went inside, greeted the massive crowd inside, and went to take a shower. She still couldn’t understand why these people had to all congregate together all of the time She took a quick shower and went out to face the wolves, she laughed at the idea, then thought to herself, “They’re wolves. Wolves run as a pack.” She made a mental note to look up wolf behavior on her laptop later, maybe that would clue her in to the odd behavior of these people.
Dinner was an odd event, Sue had a table set up buffet style where everyone could just grab food and eat. Bella was used to eating alone, she had spent the bulk of the last thirteen years with vampires who consumed blood. Twice a year, on Christmas and her birthday, the two mated couples would consume human food just for her so she didn’t have to eat alone. Her family was that sweet to her.
As she finished her dinner, she stared in shock as most of the men hit the buffet for fourth and fifth helpings of food.
“We have a higher metabolism than an average human. That’s why we need more calories,” Seth explained, settling in next to her. “Feel my wrist. I think you’ll understand what I mean.”
Bella placed her hand on the inside of Seth’s wrist and gasped in shock. He was burning up, but it wasn’t just his elevated body temperature that shocked her, it was the tingles that pulsed straight through her fingers and ran through her entire body.
“Um, wait here,” Bella said. She ran into her bedroom and grabbed a thermometer from her medical bag. She returned and shoved it into his mouth.
Seth pulled it out before it beeped. “One-o-eight point nine, that’s the temperature we run at.”
He placed the thermometer in her palm and couldn’t resist keeping his hand in hers. He liked the feeling of electricity radiating between them. The other imprinted couples were all watching them with knowing smiles on their faces.
“I’ll just put this away,” Bella murmured. She shut the door to her room and sank down to the floor. The tingles, the electricity, the two vampire couples that she lived with described those as part of the mating pull. But Seth wasn’t a vampire, he was mostly human, and she was a hundred percent human. How could she, a mere human, be experiencing these feelings. And it wasn’t just the electricity-she felt drawn to him, but why? She really didn’t know the guy well at all. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she intended to find out.
After inhaling a couple of deep breaths to steady herself, Bella headed back out to face the wolves. The party broke up soon after with the women assisting with the washing up. She didn’t like that at all. She felt that men and women should participate equally in household chores. She noticed that Seth was the only male helping and she liked that about him. It was a big plus in fact. He was sensitive, much more sensitive than his sister.
Bella liked Leah, but she didn’t like how Sue Clearwater cooked three meals a day for her family and she left without so much as a ‘thank you.’ She didn’t even help with the clean up. Oh well, it wasn’t her business to intrude. These people weren’t her family so she wasn’t about to say anything.
She decided to retreat to her room and fill out Christmas cards for these additional families who she didn’t bring gifts for. Bella had only brought Christmas gifts with her for Charlie and Sue. She had assumed that this trip would be nice and quiet. She didn’t realize that she’d be inundated with people her father and his wife considered extended family wanting to get to know her.
The next morning, Christmas, was a flurry of activity. Bella woke up early to help Sue get started on the turkey and fixings. Around ten am, Charlie, Sue, Seth, and Bella sat by the tree and it was time to open gifts prior to breakfast. The amount of presents under the tree was mind-blowing. Bella wasn’t accustomed to this. She received a beautiful sweater set and some pretty drop earrings from Sue and Charlie and a box of Godiva chocolates from Seth. She added this as a plus to the mental tally she was now keeping on Seth.
Bella gave Sue and Charlie their gifts. “Um, I wasn’t sure what to get for you so I got you all gift cards,” she said. She had given Charlie and Sue each one thousand dollar gift cards to LL Bean. Yesterday, she rushed into the Starbucks in Port Angeles to purchase Seth a hundred dollar gift card from there. She knew for a fact that doctors lived on coffee and she noticed in the last couple of days that Seth was no different. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know what you liked so I figured that you could choose something that you like online from L.L. Bean.”
“Thank you, Bella. This is so generous,” Sue said giving her a hug. “There’s a new coat that I want from L.L. Bean and several other items. I’ll be able to buy that and more with this.”
“And L.L. Bean has tons of fishing gear, kiddo. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, Charlie, Sue,” she said.
Seth held his gift card up. “I go to Starbucks three times a day, this will definitely come in handy.”
“I figured that. I stop there a couple of times a day myself.” Bella decided to change the topic. “So when are everyone else stopping by?”
“Everyone will be here around four. Why don’t you have Seth show you around the reservation,” Sue suggested. “You haven’t been here in thirteen years, there have been a few changes.”
“Oh, sure. As long as it’s not an imposition on…”
“I’d love to show you around,” Seth jumped up from his perch on the floor eagerly. He grabbed his jacket and practically bolted to the door. He wanted to spend some time getting to know Bella.
They walked for a bit, silently, around the reservation. “So, tell me about yourself, Bella,” Seth prompted.
“There’s not much to know. I’m a doctor. I usually end up working ten to twelve hour shifts then going home to crash. I drink a lot of coffee and I live in a penthouse in the Upper East Side.”
“I have to ask you and please don’t be offended, how can you afford to live on the Upper East Side? It’s not exactly affordable on a standard ER physician’s salary.”
“Well, my vampire family are wealthy-wealthier than even the Cullens. I have two extremely overprotective brothers that refused to let me go off on my own without some form of financial security so they purchased a penthouse for me in a secure building in a safe neighborhood along with parking. They also set me up with a bank account with an ostentatious sum of money in it, despite my protests that, as a physician, I’d be able to support myself well.”
“Wow. I was wondering because penthouses on the Upper East Side don’t come cheap. I mean, celebrities live there.”
“I know, it’s embarrassing really, but Jasper, Alice, Peter, and Charlotte are like an odd combination of parents and siblings to me. They refused to take no for an answer and it made them feel better knowing that I had financial security. It’s made life a lot easier for me,” she admitted. “But enough about me, tell me about yourself. I know for a fact that you’re Charlie’s pride and joy.”
“He’s done a lot for me, much more than my own father or mother ever did. When I first phased into a wolf, it was a horrific day. Leah and I were arguing while your father was over having dinner with my parents. The argument turned physical with Leah slapping me across the face. I became furious and my body started vibrating with tremors, which is what happens prior to transforming for the first time. Suddenly, the two of us phased in the middle of the living room in front of my parents and your father. My father collapsed from a heart attack right then and there. My mother was freaking out and your father was the only one holding it together. He administered CPR while the rest of the pack came to take care of me and Leah. Billy and Old Quil explained stuff to your father and my mother.”
“Oh my God, that must have been a horrible day for you. I’m so sorry.”
“This is where you’re going to think I’m a terrible person. My father dying was the best thing that ever happened to both me and Leah. Your father has been a fixture in our lives from that point on. He took care of my mother, Leah, and me. He made sure that we didn’t fall into a depression and he was completely involved in my life, more so than my own father ever was.”
“That’s great to hear. I have to admit that I don’t really know Charlie very well. He wasn’t a very involved parent with me and, with my mother, I was more of the parent. I spent most of my childhood taking care of her rather than vice versa.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Seth. Like you, I had a different set of parents. Sure they weren’t exactly human, but they were caring, loving, and humane and that’s all that really matters, isn’t it?”
“I agree with you.”
“I have a question for you and, if I’m being rude, please let me know right away. Why are your extended family members so clingy and handsy?”
“You’re talking about the pack right?”
“Yes.”
“It’s a wolf thing. We run as a pack, we are one pack so in order to assure each other that we’re there for each other, we touch each other.”
“Interesting. And their wives-why are they so subservient to their husbands? Well, everyone with the exception of Leah.”
“You noticed that, huh? You’re really observant. I don’t have an answer for you. With Leah, though, I can say it’s because Jacob is the alpha male wolf and Leah is his alpha female wolf mate.”
“So wolves have mates?”
“We call them imprints, but yes we have mates.”
“Vampires have mates.”
“Really? How do they meet them?”
“They just know. They feel something called the mating pull. Electricity when they touch, chest pain when they’re apart for long periods of time, odd physical characteristics like that. They can feel when their mates are happy, sad, angry, or in danger.”
“Wolves are like that too. Maybe part of the reason why the wives are so subservient is because they feel a need to take care of their mates. I don’t know, I can’t explain it. I don’t like it. As for Jacob and Leah eating at my parent’s house all the time, it’s a necessity if my nephews want to be fed. It’s not that Leah is irresponsible. She’s an RN and extremely responsible. Leah just can’t cook. Her food is truly not palatable.”
“Gotcha, she must be like my mother. No matter what she tries to cook the food comes out tasting like shit.” Bella flinched. “Sorry for swearing. I don’t exactly have a very ladylike mouth. I’m trying to keep it in check while I’m here.”
“You don’t have to feel so uncomfortable, Bella. Feel free to be yourself. The pack is being exceptionally well behaved in front of you, usually we have all sorts of curses flying around.”
“I’ll try to remember that.”
“Come on, let’s get back. I’m sure everyone is there by now.”
“Oh, okay. Thank you for taking me on a tour.”
“I didn’t really take you on a tour, Bella. We just walked and talked.”
“So what? I had fun.” She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. Seth was mesmerized. It was the first genuine smile that she had smiled since arriving in La Push and he hoped to get more of those out of her. She was breathtaking when she smiled and Seth could see what had captivated Jacob before he imprinted on Leah.
She was a very quirky girl, most likely from her very strange experience of living with vampires. He wasn’t bothered by the fact at all. In fact, he was intrigued. Her vampire family seemed like really nice people and he actually wanted to meet them.
They arrived back at the house and, sure enough, they were surrounded by the pack once again. As soon as Bella walked inside, people were giving her Christmas presents. She mentally thanked Alice for telling her that she’d need to pick up gift cards for the additional families. She gave each family a one hundred dollar gift card to Fork’s Outfitters.
Emily was the first to thank her, “Bella, this is so generous of you. Are you sure about this?”
“Absolutely, you’ve all been so kind with cooking your specialties for me and whatnot. I truly appreciate your hospitality. And I love the hat and mittens that you knitted for me. I’ve never had anything hand knit for me before. I feel so special. Thank you so much.” Bella really did appreciate the beautiful accessory set. It was a hell of a lot more heartfelt and because it was homemade, it was all the more valuable to her.
“You’re welcome and you are very special to the pack. You know that, don’t you?”
“Uh… sure.” Bella thought that was an odd, cryptic statement. Why the hell would she be special to the pack?
The next person to give Bella a gift was Billy Black and his wife Joy.
“I made you some homemade jam, Bella. I thought that you could take it home with you to New York City.”
“Joy, thank you, I’m so touched. I can’t believe you made this all yourself.”
“Oh, it was nothing. I’ve been doing it since I was a little girl.”
“Don’t say it was nothing. You put a lot of effort into it and I loooove jam.”
“What are your favorite flavors?”
“Strawberry, Raspberry, and Peach.”
“Oh, I’ll make you peach in the summertime.”
“Stop hogging Bells,” Billy interrupted his wife and handed Bella a package. “I made you something, sweetheart.”
She opened up a package containing a silver bracelet with a very detailed, intricate wooden carving of a wolf hanging from it. “This is beautiful, Billy. Did you carve it yourself?”
“I did.”
“It must have taken you days to carve. Really, I’m not worth the trouble, but thank you.” Bella gave Billy a peck on his cheek causing him to blush a deep shade of crimson-a difficult task to do with his tanned skin.
“Bella, you are worth it,” Seth whispered from behind her.
His words reminded her of a time, years ago, in Phoenix when Jasper had told her she was worth it. She turned to face Seth and nodded her head in thanks before she, once again, had to face the steady stream of people wanting to wish her a happy Christmas.
A couple of hours later, Bella slipped out of the back door. It was still early evening and the party was in full swing. She decided to go for a short walk so she could get away from the throngs of people inside.
“Hi Bella,” a female voice chirped from behind her.
“Oh, hello Leah.”
“So, are you going for a walk?”
“Um, yeah, I just needed to get away for a bit.”
“I don’t blame you. I used to not be a big people person either.”
“Do you always get together like this?”
“Believe it or not, yes. It’s a wolf thing.”
“There seem to be a lot of wolf things,” Bella commented.
“It kind of changes your whole perspective on life. We have special needs that come along with being wolves. We like to stay in a big group, make decisions together, eat together as a pack.”
“So what you’re saying is that although you’re human, you take on wolf-like characteristics.”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“How come your brother doesn’t live with you?”
“He’s always been a free spirit. He’s never let the pack control his actions. A lot of his free thinking comes from our dad… I mean… um… your dad.”
“It’s alright, Leah. Charlie’s been more of a father to you and Seth and I’m happy for you. I really only spent two years of my life with him-one during which I was an infant. When he had custody of me, I only saw him once a year and he never really made a big effort to see me more than that. I don’t know him well at all and I highly doubt that I’ll ever get to know him.”
“Doesn’t it bother you that Seth and I are closer to him?”
“Why should it? My life followed a different path from yours. I have people that fulfilled the role of parent just like Charlie did for you and Seth.”
“You’re talking about the leeches, right?”
“They’re vampires, Leah,” Bella snapped.
“They aren’t human; they’re cruel and unfeeling. They drink blood. They don’t even have a beating heart. How could you call them parents?”
“They still feel, Leah. They have a deep capacity to love and to care. Have you ever known a vampire personally, aside from an evil one?”
Bella stalked away from Leah leaving her stunned in her wake. Fortunately for Bella, Leah didn’t follow her. She was furious. She didn’t take too kindly to her family being insulted. She realized though that much of Leah’s prejudice was due to the fact that the Quileute wolves were designed to kill vampires. She recalled Seth saying earlier that the pack was being extremely polite in front of Bella and realized that they were as uncomfortable with her as she was with them. These people would never be able to accept the people that meant the most to her because it was inherently programmed within them not to. She decided that enough was enough-she would cut her trip short by a few days and return home to New York tomorrow. Coming to La Push was most certainly a bad idea. She returned to the house, slipped back into her room, and started packing. She planned on leaving first thing in the morning.
Bella rejoined the party with a fake smile on her face. She made polite conversation with everyone without delving into too much detail about her own life. She noticed that many of the wolves and their imprints took to joking about vampires as a form of entertainment. She gritted through those even if she wanted to shoot off at the mouth. When the party finally ended, she sat up with Charlie, Sue, and Seth for one last night, then loped off to bed happily-looking forward to her departure from the area tomorrow.
Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction 
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