CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:

Hermione's POV:

I arrived home from my date with Alice at nearly midnight. It felt exhilarating and scary, being in a relationship again, and this one had such significant promise of being long term.

After Alice agreed to be my... partner, I suppose, we snogged for nearly twenty minutes straight and then ended up walking and talking for over an hour, with the occasional bouts snogging (okay, it was more then occasional).

After kissing Alice goodbye in her Porsche, I crept into the house. Charlie was watching a game on television on low volume. Saturday was his day off, so he tended to stay up late, but I don't say anything, instead I quietly make my way up to my bedroom, only to get the fright of my life as a scowling Bella almost walked straight into me, on her way to the bathroom. "Bells?" I asked, puzzled, and then my eyes widened in alarm as I caught sight of her hand in a brace. "Oh my god! What happened?" I gasped.

Bella, seeing me, gave a soft squeal, her expression melting from annoyed to excited. She threw her arms around me in an enthusiastic hug, a bright grin on her face. "Oh my god! How was your date?" She gushed, softly enough to not disrupt Charlie. I smile as my cheeks go pink.

"Well, Alice revealed that she mated on me and now we're in some sort of monogamous relationship." I tell her, and she lets out a much louder sound of excitement.

"That's so cool!" she beamed, her eyes shining, and I narrow my eyes at her, a thought striking me.

"You already knew she mated on me, didn't you?" I asked, shrewdly, and she looked sheepish.

"Maybe." She offered guiltily, and I scowl darkly at her.

"Some twin you are." I grumble, before pointing to her hand. "You never answered my question, by the way- what on earth happened?" Bella's excitement practically visibly leaves her, her shoulders falling in a slump and her expression turning glum as she looks down at her hand.

"I broke my hand punching Jacob." She says, and even through her upset, I can see the flash of anger in her eyes.

"What did he do?" I winced, gently grabbing her by the elbow and steering her back into the bathroom. She followed; not remarking as I turned on the light then shut and locked the door behind us.

"Edward in your room?" I ask, under my breath. She shakes her head.

"He's not going to be back for half an hour- I'm pretty sure Carlisle and Esme are talking him out of breaking the treaty by going and punching Jacob for me." Her face looks guilty. I wince.

"Good lord, what did that idiot boy do to piss you both off that badly?" I ask.

"Jacob told me he loved me, that he wanted me to pick him, not Edward, and then he kissed me." Bella explains, biting her lip and looking at the ground. I raised an eyebrow.

"And which part of that was supposed to surprise me?" I asked, dryly, pulling out my wand and placing it beside the sink, before carefully undoing the brace and sliding it off Bella's swollen hand. She bites back a hiss of pain, and glares at me.

"I didn't realize he was in love me." She exclaimed, and I'm horrified as tears suddenly spring into her eyes. "Oh god, Hermione, I feel awful!" She started literally sobbing and, alarmed, I gently hug her, being careful not to knock her now exposed broken hand.

"Shh, it's alright. We'll fix this." I promise her, "It's not your fault, Bells. Just tell me what happened, all of it, from the start."

After spilling the whole sorry tale to me, Bella cries a bit more into my shirt while I rub her back. Eventually her tears slow and she pulls back, sniffing and wiping her eyes with her sleeve. I pick up my wand and giver her a soft look. "Let's fix your hand," I say, gently, "put your hand up on the sink ledge for me." She gives me a cautious look.

"Will it hurt?" She asks.

"Only for a second. You'll still have to wear the brace so the vamps don't realize, but I'm sure you'd rather not to be walking around with a broken hand." I tell her.

"Right," Bella says, gingerly resting her hand on the sink before frowning at me. "Why haven't you told Alice what you are? I mean, now that you're together it's okay, right?" I hesitate, not sure how to explain to Bella how I feel. In the end I settle for the bare minimum.

"Not yet, Bella. It's complicated." I tell her. She gives me an uncertain look but nods anyway, accepting my decision. I point my wand at her hand and mutter, "Episkey!" Bella lets out a sharp hissing sound of pain, and her hand makes a cracking sound as the bones knit back together.

"Ow!" she grunts, "dammit, that hurt!" I smile, slipping my wand up my sleep.

"Abracadabra, you're all better." I tell her. Her eyes widen somewhat as she tentatively moves her fingers.

"I'm pretty sure I'll never get used to that." She says, shaking her head in amazement. I smile at her.

"You're welcome, now put back on the brace. I'm off to bed." She smiles back at me, looking more lighter then before.

"See you in the morning, Hermione." She tells me. "I love you."

"Goodnight Bella." I reply. "And, of course, I love you too."

I watch as she goes into her room, closing her door behind her with w gentle click, before turning back to the stairs. Before I go to bed, there's something I have to do, something I'm certainly not looking forward to.

I make my way back downstairs, and over to the living room. "Dad," I say, quietly, causing a surprised Charlie to look at me, his face creasing with concern at the seriousness in my voice.

"What is it?" He asks, and I frown at him.

"I'm not telling you how to be a parent right now, because I'm not a parent and I don't know how to be one, but I'm going to be brutally honest and say that I am disappointed with how you handled the situation today." I say, hating that I have to do this, but it's too important for me not to. Charlie looks shocked by my words, absolutely shocked, and my gut wrenches at the hurt in his eyes.

"Hermione?" He asks, weakly.

"You are a police officer. I'm fairly confident that that means you are aware of this little thing called consent." I say, and I can't quite control the anger in my voice here, and the darker, more vindictive part of me is glad when I see him flinch. "Jacob assaulted Bella when he kissed her without her permission. She was so upset about it that she broke her hand defending herself. You then congratulated him. I don't care if you don't like Edward, I don't care if you want Bella to be dating Jacob instead, when your daughter was distressed by being overpowered by a man who touched her without her permission, and when she expressly indicated she did not want to be touched, you expressed your support to the person who did it. How is Bella supposed to feel comfortable coming to you, when this is how you have treated her? How am I supposed to feel comfortable coming to you? It doesn't matter that you know Jacob, that he's her friend, what he did was wrong, and your reaction has told him not only are there are no consequences for what he's done, but that he can do it again if he wants."

"Hermione," Charlie's face has gone pale, and he looks like he wants to be sick. Belatedly, I realise how furious my tirade has turned, but I don't regret it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Don't apologise to me," I interrupt, my voice sharper then a razor, and Charlie opens his mouth, closes it, opens it again and then hesitates before speaking.

"I... I'll go talk to Bella." He says, quietly. "And Jacob too. I'll make sure he won't touch her again unless she gives him her complete consent, and that he knows if he ever does touch my baby without her say so I'll get a restraining order put out on him. I'm police chief here, I won't have a single damn problem getting a judge to sign off on one. And Hermione... I am sorry, to you too. You're right- I'm the parent, and you shouldn't have had to spell this out for me."

"I'm glad we've sorted this out." I say, quietly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight Hermione." He says, looking miserable but determined, and I know that Jacob will not touch Bella again unless she says he can.

Harry's already fast asleep in my bed, and I cross over to my wardrobe to change into a nightdress, before snuggling under the covers next to him.

My mind is racing, thinking about all that's happened, and I don't know what to say, what to think. Right now, I just so desperately want to be normal, so that half of these problems disappear. The bond Alice and I already share is so strong, only two weeks after meeting.

Maybe I will marry her. Maybe I will be able to tell her I'm a witch. But not now. I can't, not yet. It's illegal, and right now... I just so desperately want to be normal, to be Bella's sister, not the messed up War heroine, to have a relationship that isn't stained by my past. Alice makes me happy. I want to be happy.

I just want to be happy.

-

Saturday passes slowly, with Bella doing a terrible job of playing 'my hand is still broken' while I study. Saturday night, we all pile up in Charlie's cruiser and drive over to the reservation, for dinner at the Clearwaters'.

I'm excited to see Leah, but hesitant about whether or not to mention I'm dating a vampire- I'm not exactly sure how she'll take it. She hates vampires, blaming them as much as the other shifters for what's happened to her- becoming the only ever female shifter; the freak, the oddity.

Bella is happy enough to greet Seth, though she awkwardly keeps her distance from Leah, obviously not sure how to act around the older girl. "It's real nice of you to invite us over tonight, Sue." Charlie greets Seth and Leah's mother, a woman around his age with long black hair streaked with grey and a tired face. I watch with interest as he presses a quick kiss on her cheek and she smiles warmly at him.

"Actually, it was Leah's idea." Sue says, before ushering us all in. Leah rolls her eyes at her mum. She's looking beautiful tonight, dressed in soft green with her short dark hair in a twist. While Sue leads Charlie into the den, Leah and Seth direct Bella and I into what I'm assuming is Leah's bedroom.

It was nice bedroom, too, not exactly what I expected from the older girl. The walls were a hunter green color, the carpet just as dark, with the furniture made from dark, carved wood. There was a bookshelf on one side of the room, a desk in the corner, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers and a double bed set in the middle. The floor had dresses, sports bras and shorts lying everywhere, and there was a pile of shredded clothes in the corner. Her walls were plastered with posters of different bands I didn't recognise, with names like "Avenged Sevenfold", "Linkin Park", "Craving Lucy" and "Dropkick Murphys". I liked the room, I decided- it was comfortable, homey.

Seth sat down on top of the desk, while Leah sat on the bed and I sat beside her. After a moment's hesitation, Bella joined us on the bed, looking like she was feeling very out of place. She still wasn't entirely comfortable with Leah's presence, no matter how hard she was trying to hide it.

Leah breaks the silence. "Seth told me Jacob broke the news to you and you broke your hand punching him." She says to Bella, in a voice that's far too amused. I have to hold back my own smile, and Bella blushes bright red.

"Leah!" Seth squeaks, blushing too.

"What? I thought it was pretty fucking funny." Leah snorts, her dark eyes amused, "I wish I could have seen it."

"Well I wish I could un-see it." Seth pouts adorably, "I wish you'd tell me how you made that mind barrier thing so I could use it too!" I feel myself stiffen slightly, but Leah just winks at Seth.

"Meditation, little bro, it's called meditation."

"It's so not." He grumbles, and Bella looks equal parts mortified by the knowledge the whole Pack saw what transgressed between her and Jacob, and suspicious of Leah's 'mental barrier'. She gives me a stern look, and I widen my eyes in false-innocence that, unfortunately for me, she sees right through. We're going to talk about this later, her eyes promise.

Bugger, I sigh internally.

"So how's your week been?" Bella asks Seth, politely. Seth stifles a yawn.

"Busy. Not much sleeping." He tells her.

"Sam's been running us ragged, the asshole." Leah adds, with an unhappy twist of her lips.

"Well, I started dating a vampire." I decide now is a good time to break the news. Seth seems to choke on his own saliva while Leah just laughs, the sound rich and smooth.

"I knew I could smell leech on you," She says, amused. Bella looks shocked at how easily Leah is taking the news, and Seth does to, judging by the way his jaw drops open. "So which one is it- the blonde bombshell, the red-head or the really short one?"

"The really short one." I admit, with a smile.

"While I can't say that I approve of you dating one of them, I'm happy for you." She tells me, and the sincerity in her tone is touching. Seth has just caught up.

"Wait, the really short one? You're a lesbian?" he asks, surprised, before he claps his hands over his mouth, looking like he wants the earth to swallow him whole. Leah rolls her eyes at her brother and I smile at the mortified boy.

"Yes." I tell him. "One hundred percent lesbian."

"I-I'm really fine with that!" He rushes to assure me, "I mean, I'm surprised and stuff, but I don't have anything against, you know-" he's blushing again and I laugh, lightly.

"Seth, it's fine, don't worry." I tell him.

"DINNER!" Sue yells from the dining room.

"You guys go, I want to ask Leah something." I tell Bella and Seth, and they both nod and leave, Bella thoughtfully shutting the door behind them. I turn to Leah. "Are you really okay with the whole me dating a vampire thing, because you took that really well." I tell her. "I was inside your head, remember- I know how much you hate vampires." Leah gives me a small, sad smile.

"I'm not happy about it, Hermione, but I'm okay with it. You've saved my life," she says, her voice pitched soft so that Seth can't hear, "Sam tried alpha-ordering me to tell him how I did it, but your shields are really fucking strong! I could easily lie to the bastard. Before... before, I sometimes thought it would be easier if I just... stopped trying. Maybe let the red-haired bitch get her fangs into me, next time we were chasing her. But things are... less difficult now."

"I'm very glad." I tell her, softly, and she gives a choked sort of laugh.

"It's still hard," she admits, "really fucking hard. But every day that passes it gets a bit easier, if only a little. Maybe one day I'll wake up and I won't hate myself, not like I do right now. Maybe I'll be able to see some sort of future, outside this fucking wolf shit."

"Trauma takes a long time to get over." I say, reaching out and softly squeezing her hand, "but you'll find your place in the world, one day, I promise you." Leah gives me a smile that's more sad then happy.

"I'm glad you think so, Hermione. Maybe one day I'll think so too." She murmurs, before we go out to eat the delicious smelling meal Sue cooked up.

-

On Sunday, Alice lounges across my bed, watching as I complete my essay for English. She actually lets out an exaggerated sigh of relief when I finish, and I give her a mock-glare at her. "You said you just had a little bit of work to do." She pouts, "I want to spend time with my girl!"

"I'm finished now, sweetheart." I smile, putting down my pen and moving onto the bed next to her. She lets out a playful growl and jumps on top of me, knocking me down onto my back and straddling me.

"No more school work!" she orders, before bending down and kissing me. Her deliciously icy hands run down the length of my arms, before she gently grasps my wrists and pulls them above my head, locking them in place with an ironclad grip. I moan into her mouth, surprised by her slight domineering side, but very turned on, and my hips arching up to grind against hers. She pulls back and gives me a naughty smirk.

"Tease." I say, breathlessly, even as I squirm underneath her. She giggles and lowers her head so that her lips are trailing along my neck, her cold tongue licking a stripe over my throbbing jugular vein.

"You're so beautiful, Hermione." She whispers, and I basically whimper as she transfers her grip around my wrists to one hand, her free hand trailing agonisingly slow down the side of my body until her the tips of her fingers are slipping under the hem of my jeans. I arch my back and moan as she bucks her hips against where I'm wet and throbbing, and her hand moves from my waist to under my top, slim fingers trailing delectably across my stomach. My breathing quickens and my body squirms in anticipation as her fingers trail higher and higher, until the sound of the front door interrupts us.

Alice quickly rolls off me, pulling her hand back and releasing my wrists. I blush heavily as I hear Bella's voice, and realize that Edward's with her, which is why Alice stopped. Her brother being able to read her mind while we're getting our sexy on is not something either of us fancies.

"So, got any plans for today besides studying?" Alice asks. I give a breathless laugh, even as I adjust my shirt.

"I was thinking of buying a car, actually, before you distracted me." I tell her.

"Oh my god! What sort? I know a really great dealer!" She says, enthusiastically.

"I was going to a second hand place we passed in Port Olympia the other day, actually, sweetheart." I explain and her face falls slightly.

"You don't have to, I can, you know, help pay?" She offers, and I immediately shake my head.

"It's not that I can't afford a new car, Alice, I'd just rather not stick out too much." I admit to her. "Besides, you can buy some really nice second hand cars these days, not like that atrocity Bella has." I raise my voice as I finish my sentence, as I hear Bella and Edward making their way past, up to her bedroom.

Bella sticks her head in the room and scowls. "I heard that." She grumbles. I raise an eyebrow.

"What? It is an atrocity. It should be torn into a million pieces and each one of those million pieces should be doused in gasoline and burnt beyond recognition." I inform her.

"Oh you are mean." She tells me.

"Well, that is what sisters are for." I wink at her.

"Hey, do you guys want to go to Port Olympia today?" Alice pipes up. "Hermione wants to get herself a car so she doesn't have to be driven around everywhere in Bella's wreck."

"Stop picking on my truck!" Bella exclaims, loudly, a playful scowl on her face, "it's a loyal car! And it has... personality!"

"And it could break down any day now." Edward decides to chip in, with a crooked grin on his face. Bella throws her hands up in the air in exaggerated exasperation, unable to help the grin on her face.

In the end, Edward agrees to drive Alice and I into Port Olympia, and he and Bella will go off to the movies while we go car shopping then return to Forks in my newly purchased car.

The drive up is filled with Edward's music- old classical instrumental pieces. Bella seems to enjoy it, but Alice pulls out her thin, sleek phone and plugs in some headphones for us to share, with more modern music playing which I enjoy more then the instrumental pieces.

The used car sale yard isn't that big, and there's a rather small selection of cars available to choose from. Alice has a fairly good knowledge of car mechanics, thanks to Rosalie she tells me, and helps tell me which cars will actually run nicely and last for a reasonable amount of time, and which ones will break down before Christmas.

I pick out a plain navy blue sedan, a non-descript sort of car that nobody will give a second glance. I'm hoping Arthur can apparate over to Forks one weekend and give it a few 'adjustments'- the Muggleborn part of me is enthralled by the idea of a flying car, I have no shame in admitting. Harry, on the other hand, has sworn he's never going near another flying vehicle again after his experiences with Arthur's Ford Anglia and Sirius' old motorbike.

"Are you sure?" Alice asks, doubtfully, staring at the car I've picked out. "I mean, it's nice I guess, but it's..."

"Boring?" I supply, with a small grin.

"Yeah." She nods, looking a tad sheepish. "Really boring." I smile at her earnest face.

"Maybe I can paint it." I allow, and she immediately nods.

"Definitely! I'm thinking maybe a dark green," she begins, and she goes on, deciding on which shade in a mostly one-sided conversation, while I take care of buying and registering the car.

On our way back to Forks, Alice gives me a smile that is all smirk and sin. "Perhaps we should christen this car." She purrs, a gleam in her eyes. Warmth curls down my spine and I moisten my lips, pulling the car up on the side of the road. Because of the minimal population, there's next to no traffic heading along this stretch of road that leads from Port Olympia to Forks.

"Yes, I think we absolutely should christen this car." I agree with the beautiful vampire in the seat beside me as I kill the engine.