A/N: I know I know I have been a bad Author. LOL. I am sorry for the delay but real life has gotten in the way. Especially since I have been promoted twice in the last 3 months. So I humbly beg your pardon.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and supported my story. : )

CHAPTER TWELVE

As Charlie was picking up the phone to call Bella a knock on the front door stopped him. Who could that be? He wondered. Rising from his seat he moved to the door. As he glanced out of the peep hole, he saw that it was in fact Bella. His shock turned to sadness as he realized that she did not see the house as her home anymore.

He quickly shoved his hurt away, after all who did he have to blame but himself, and quickly opened the door.

"Bells, what a surprise to see you," he said, his left hand rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Did you want to come in and have a seat?"

Bella almost smiled at the sound of her father's, she could never think of him as 'Dad' again, nickname for her. However, her fondness for the name shattered when she realized that Jacob used it to tell Edward, 'See, I get to call her a nickname you can't'. "Sure, wanted to talk some things over with you," she explained, "That is if you have time?"

Charlie winced at the slight bitterness in her tone. Having looked back on his life with his daughter he realized that yes he did love her but he hardly showed it in a tangible way. Recovering as quickly as he could from the comment, Charlie nodded his head, "Of course, let me turn off the game."

And he did just that. He grabbed the remote and shut off the television. Not put it on mute, as he had once been prone to do, but shut it completely off. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Shocked was the word to describe Bella when she had seen her father willingly shut off the television. "Well, I came to tell you that Edward and I are getting married on August 13," she began to explain. "But first I want to know something. Why did you try pushing me to Jacob when Edward came back? Why couldn't you trust me, your only daughter, to choose what was right for my own life?"

With a sigh Charlie looked at Bella. Really looked at her. She looked almost as broken as when Edward and the rest of the Cullens had left.

"There's no way to explain it. I realize now how much of a jackass I have been acting. All I can say is I became prejudiced against Edward the moment you were brought out of the woods after they left..."

Bella held up her hand, "Stop right there. I told you that I had followed Edward into the woods. You never believed me?" she screeched.

Charlie looked sheepish. "Look at it from my point of view kid. You go out with him on a date last spring, come home shouting that you don't want to see him and then tell me you're moving back to Arizona? You come back from Arizona with a broken leg and five months later you are found in the woods screaming and crying for Edward. What am I supposed to do, welcome him back with open arms?"

Bella sat back on the couch as she thought about what her father had said. He made sense. Any father would have been against the guy who had caused their beloved daughter pain. She groaned internally and realized she would have to give the best performance of her life.

"I couldn't talk to you dad because let's face it you and I are not exactly the sharing caring type when it comes to verbalizing our feelings. When Edward asked me to formally be his girlfriend last spring I couldn't help but hear the words you and mom have been shoving into my head since the divorce - Young relationships are bad, marriage bad. Add that with my already low opinion of myself and you have what happened last spring," she told him.

Even Charlie had to concede the point Bella had made. "So you're telling me that last spring you freaked out because you thought that you and Edward were getting too serious too soon?" Bella nodded. "Ok, that makes a little sense; but what about September?"

"Edward had told me he felt that since his family was moving away that it would be best for a clean break. I didn't agree with him. But we are both stubborn people. Alice, Esme and even Rosalie had even told me that Edward was just as bad off if not worse than I was. When I had that cliff diving incident Edward was under the mistaken belief that I was dead and had been planning on killing himself. That's why I was gone for those three days," she partially lied. After all, a lie is more believable when it contains an element of truth to it. Charlie reeled back in shock. The boy had tried to kill himself all because of the thought that Bella was dead? That seemed like the plot of one of those books that Bella was so fond of.

Bella watched her father as the wheels turned in his head. "Charlie," he winced at her use of his name instead of calling him dad or daddy, "I am not here to ask for your blessing, because frankly I do not care. Your treatment of my relationship with Edward and your attempt to push me into the arms of a man who was capable of rape," she shook her head. "I know for a fact that Edward could never and would never do anything like that, not after what happened to Rosalie. Frankly, I can't trust your opinion. While I have lived with both you and mom I have been the caretaker. Yes, you both worked and brought home the checks. But since I was twelve I have been cooking, cleaning the house, buying groceries and paying bills."

Charlie had been stunned. He hadn't thought he and Renee were that bad. But it seems as if they were just too caught up in themselves that they neglected the basics often enough that Bella felt the need to take over. Ok, cooking was different. He knew neither he nor Renee could cook for shit. But that didn't mean he couldn't have helped out around the house doing dishes or vacuuming or similar chores. Loath he was to admit it, Bella had a point. For the most part she acted like the adult while her parents acted like just out of college kids trying to find themselves. With a sigh he looked over at Bella, "I know you don't want it or need it, but know that you do have my blessing. You are right; when he is with you I have never seen Edward act nothing more than gentlemanly. Even when I have given him bait to rise too. Just tell me the time and where you're marrying him and I will be there."

For the first time in a long time Bella felt that Charlie was truly acting like a father. With tears in her eyes Bella threw herself at her father, engulfing him in a hug. That last moment seemed to validate for Bella that Charlie was truly repentant and knew that he had tremendously over-reacted. It also solidified her decision that if he was truly sorry for what he had done she would ask him to walk her down the aisle. "Thanks dad. I will bring over an invitation in a couple of days. I wouldn't want the man who is walking me down the aisle to my husband to not show up on time," she whispered into his ear.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Forks…..

Where the hell is that human?! I have been hunting her all over this Godforsaken town. Edward caught wind of the thoughts. A smirk crossed his face as he realized who he had heard. He quickly thought about confronting the evil red head. He knew as soon as he thought it Alice would view the future; sure enough a second later he received a text.

DO IT! We're on our way to help. The text read. Being one to never doubt Alice….in most things, Edward began to follow through.

"Victoria!" he called out at vampire speed. Something he knew the red headed witch would be unable to ignore. "Don't you want to kill me? After all James was dead the moment he decided to hunt my MATE!"

The fiery and lethal red head heard the taunt and quickly made herself known. "Your mate? Oh please, she is a human. Nothing more than food. My James was more a man than you are. I am going to relish killing you," she replied as she threw herself at Edward. Her deadly intent clear in her eyes and on her face.

Edward, reading her intent, caught her by the throat and slammed her to the ground. "You will never harm My Bella. My promise to God," he said as he ripped her head off.

He continued quartering the demonic woman not realizing his family had arrived. Upon seeing that Edward had everything under control Alice, Jasper, and Emmett began lighting the fire and burning the remains.

As Edward and his siblings watched the remains of the demonic woman who had been hunting their family he couldn't help but be thankful that Bella had taken a week to go visit her mother in Florida before the wedding.

"Eddie! Are you coming home or not?" the booming voice of his "brother" Emmett called.

Edward shook himself out of his own thoughts replied, "Stop calling me 'Eddie'… 'Emmy'. And no," he looked over at Alice, "How's the weather in Jacksonville?"

Alice smiled and let her eyes glaze over as she looked into the future. "Cloudy with a chance of rain from the tropical storms coming in for the next week. Go get her," she laughed.

Edward smiled and ran ahead of the family so he could pick Bella up from her father's and surprise her with a visit to her mother.