unconsciousness would be an undesirable outcome

[self_composed]

On Sunday, Bella drives to the movie theater with Angela in tow, and her car breaks on the way home from Angela's house. She calls a tow truck, and calls her dad, and she goes home in the cop car and her station wagon goes on vacation to the mechanic.

On Monday, Charlie drives Bella to school.

As she's been discharged from the car and Charlie pulls away, a van driven by a panicking teenager screams out of nowhere towards Bella.

Making wishes is easy.

It is not automatic. It is not instantaneous.

The van creams Bella, good and proper.

Comments

[self_composed]

Charlie blinks at Alice again, then shrugs. "There's room."

"Officer Swan," says the receptionist lady, after the elevator ride ends and they're rolling out, "Dr. McAllister wants to ask you to reconsider -"

"Nope," says Charlie, and he opens the door and pushes Bella out through it. At his cruiser, he picks her up - without much visible trouble, though he does grunt softly - and puts her in the back seat and buckles her in, since someone as banged up as she was would need help with that.

[edgeofyourseat]

Nice.

Alice gets into the backseat, too. Which causes him some trepidation, but fuck it, he's with Bella.

[self_composed]

"It looks like we're being arrested," Bella laughs.

"You done anything I ought to arrest you for?" Charlie asks.

"Nope," Bella says. "Well, I suppose it's technically a school day."

Charlie snorts. "Laney's eighteen, isn't he? Even if he weren't, I wouldn't be likely to take him in for caring about my little girl."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Yes I am," says Alice. "And yes I do."

[self_composed]

"You just make sure you do that in a nice respectful manner," says Charlie, "and we won't have any problems."

He is still a dad.

"Everything is fine, Dad," says Bella.

[edgeofyourseat]

Strangely, being obliquely threatened seems to cheer him right up.

"Oh, I'm respectful as hell," he says brightly. And not very convincingly, with that grin.

[self_composed]

"I'm going to trust Bells on this one," Charlie says, after a moment.

"Thank you," says Bella, looking pointedly at Alice.

[edgeofyourseat]

Alice just laughs. In a friendly sort of way.

[self_composed]

"So, Dad," Bella says, wishing away the cast illusion because the neighbors aren't really that nosy, "everybody saw me get hit by a car. I probably need to stay home for at least two weeks, and then go back on crutches. Alice, can you bring me all my assignments, or would that be so patently ridiculous that I should ask Angela?"

[edgeofyourseat]

"You should probably ask Angela," he says. "I mean, I could, but so could she, and it'll make more sense if she does it, and I think we want as much sense as we can get."

[self_composed]

"The risk is she'll want to see me," Bella says. "But - Dad, stop listening, if you like - I can probably be pretty casual with everything, now, and the illusion's only a square each way, right?"

[edgeofyourseat]

"Yep," Alice says cheerfully. "You're probably full up on those, right? You want any more? Man, I cannot wait to try for a hex."

[self_composed]

"I have..." Bella is still wearing a hospital gown, which appears to have mostly escaped her notice until just now but does not seem pleasing. She picks up her invisible necklace. "Twenty-seven. I'm good."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Cool," he says. "Lemme know if you wanna stock up."

[self_composed]

Bella nods, humming to herself.

As an afterthought, she wishes herself a pair of jeans and a T-shirt in place of the hospital gown.

"Wow," she says. "These fit really well. I'm never going clothes shopping again."

"Keep the wacky hijinks to a minimum in the cruiser, Bells," says Charlie.

"Sorry, Dad."

[edgeofyourseat]

Alice bites his lip, and glances at Bella, and draws a little heart in the air with his fingertip where her father can't see.

[self_composed]

Bella giggles.

They pull onto her street.

"You haven't seen my house before," Bella remarks to Alice. "It's not as big as yours."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Yeah, I'll bet it's not," he agrees. "And I'll bet you don't have an underground lair, either."

[self_composed]

"There's a cellar!" Bella says. "It contains boxes and the old microwave and mousetraps and plumbing."

[edgeofyourseat]

"How's it on pillars?"

[self_composed]

"There is one metal pole in the middle of the whole thing," chuckles Bella. "That's it."

Charlie pulls into the driveway to let the teenagers out. "Since you're okay," he says, "I'm going to go handle some things at work. I'll be home at the usual time. Call me if you need anything, Bells."

"Will do, Dad," she says, and he waves and pulls away.

[edgeofyourseat]

"You're gonna take over the wooooorld," Alice sings, bouncing a little.

[self_composed]

"Yep," laughs Bella.

She has a key. It's in her backpack; she hasn't started separately carrying a purse yet. She lets herself and Alice in.

[edgeofyourseat]

"I like your house," he chatters as he follows her in. "It's little and cute and it's yours and I like it."

[self_composed]

Bella chuckles. "It's my dad's. I've had very little influence on the decor. I think the kitchen has been yellow since before I was born."