FicWad

Edward remained as quiet as possible, leaving Bella to her thoughts, as she hurried around the kitchen. It was obvious she was flustered as she’d almost dropped the spaghetti sauce twice now. Any other time he would have laughed at her clumsiness, but sensing just how serious the situation, it was hardly funny.

All he could hear from Charlie’s thoughts upstairs was why? and how? As usual, the only thoughts ever heard from him were those that he thought the loudest and they never were complete. While at times it was nice to give Bella her privacy, at other times, like this time for instance, it was maddening. She was hurting, that much was obvious, and he hated not being able to do anything about it.

His cell phone vibrated in his pocket, abruptly removing him from that train of thought. He looked down and noticed a text message from Alice. He smiled while reading; asking Alice should have been the first thing he’d done when he’d seen Bella in this state. She could always see, good or bad, what was happening to Bella. That was as long as her best friend, Jacob Black, was not involved in that future.

The fact that Jacob Black was now her best friend was another maddening situation. Edward had been the reason they had ever formed that relationship. It was his fault that their connection had become imperative to Bella’s survival and mental state. As Bella had so mildly put it once, “I have no idea what state you would have found me in without him putting me back together after you left.”

He looked up from his phone noticing she had stopped fixing dinner and was leaning over the counter. He got up and stood behind her.

“Bella, honey, please tell me what’s going on,” he said, practically begging. “You know I hate seeing you like this.” He knew the pain was evident on his face and he hoped it would cause her to reveal what was going on.

She sighed heavily, turned around, and fell into him. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, holding her upright as she started sobbing again. He knew she hated crying in front of anyone, as she assumed it meant she was weak. Whatever was wrong had to be terrible. The only other time he’d seen her like this was through Jacob’s thoughts in response to Edward leaving her.

He had damaged the one he loved. This was something he now feared may be unforgivable, despite Bella’s reassurance that it was not. He continued to hold her as the sobs quieted. She pulled away from his shirt and looked up. Even though she had promised him he wasn’t the monster he made himself out to be, it still surprised him to look into those eyes and see the depth of love swimming in her soul. He may not be able to read her mind, but her emotions had always been apparent on her face.

“I’m sorry I messed up your shirt,” she said, looking down and attempting to wipe away the wet spot.

Edward chuckled. “Bella my dear, you have nothing to be sorry for. I just wish I could help.”

She sighed heavily before looking up at him again. “I wish you could too, Edward. Believe me.”

She lingered there momentarily, staring into his eyes, before turning around to the counter. Edward returned to his normal spot at the table.

Charlie stomped downstairs, his thoughts but mere whispers now, humming quietly to himself. He turned the corner into the kitchen and stopped, noticing Edward there.

“What’s on the agenda tonight, kids?” Charlie said. He was being more polite than normal, which worried Edward more. Apparently Charlie was the one in trouble, not Edward. Unfortunately this only confused him more. What could he have possibly done to make Bella this distraught?

“Well, Charlie,” Edward began, “I brought a fresh batch of college applications for Bella to fill out.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Charlie said. He walked into the hallway and returned with a large manila envelope.

He handed Bella the package. “You got a letter from The University of Alaska Southwest.”

Bella yanked the envelope from Charlie and hurried to open it. She pulled out a letter and a folded schedule of courses. She grinned proudly as she began to read.

“I got accepted,” she whispered.

“Congratulations honey,” Charlie said, wrapping Bella quickly in a hug. “I’m so proud of you.”

He pulled back, both were still smiling, but the tension was also written their faces. Charlie rocked back and forth on his heels, standing next to Bella. It was strange to see them so uncomfortable in each other’s presence.

“Well . . . I’m just going to go watch my game,” Charlie said, pointing to the TV. “Remember ten-thirty, you two.”

He huffed in Edward’s general direction as he passed, continuing to the living room, where he retreated to his recliner. At least his politeness hadn’t lasted long. Whatever they were upset about Charlie still remembered the revolting state Edward had left his daughter in. If Charlie was anything, he was a good father and Edward was happy he wasn’t the only one looking out for her. She could use all the help she might get.

The microwave dinged, shaking Bella from her reverie. She laid her acceptance package on the counter, removed the spaghetti sauce, and poured it over the noodles. She grabbed two plates, pausing momentarily before returning one back to its place in the cupboard.

“Dad, dinner’s ready,” she shouted in Charlie’s direction before sitting across from Edward at the table.

“You’re not eating?” Edward said quietly, concern written on his beautiful features.

“I don’t feel like eating,” she stated simply. “Besides, don’t I have more college applications to fill out?”

He pushed them towards her, deciding it was better not to pick a fight. He had been in a constant state of worry since he met Bella, but he had been always aware of what was bothering her in the past. The helplessness he felt now was overpowering. He chose not to dwell on it, picking up the newspaper and trying to distract himself. Since he was not actually intending to read it, he was surprised when the headline actually captured his attention.

Death Toll On The Rise,

Police Fear Gang Activity

As he continued to read, he was disgusted. A monster was loose in Seattle, a monster just like him; and if it continued they would need to intercede before the Volturi deemed it necessary. He put the paper back down, refusing to read any more and looking to Bella. A smile crept across his face as he looked at hers. The beauty that radiated from her never ceased to amaze him. Perhaps what made her more beautiful was her inability to recognize it in herself. Although, he wished she realized it even if only slightly; a beauty as elegant as she deserved to know it.

As long as he could keep this from her, she wouldn’t feel the need to turn into one of those monsters. She would use this as an excuse for turning into one sooner than he was willing to deal with. Keeping this from her was his one and only priority and distraction would be his weapon of choice. The thing bothering her now would keep her occupied. As soon as he left he would call Alice and find out what was so distressing to Bella. She looked up from her application, smiling slightly, and turned to Edward.

“Dartmouth?” she said, amused. “There is no way, Edward.”

“There are always . . . exceptions,” he said, winking.

She huffed at his comment, returning to her miserable mood. She was more like her father than she would probably care to admit in this moment. Stubbornness ran in her family in all forms. She folded her arms across her chest and sighed heavily. He noticed the tears were starting to well up in her eyes. He panicked, quickly changing the subject once again.

“Alice has been wondering if you would be up for shopping sometime soon,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “She seems to think that you are in need of a new dress for graduation.”

She unfolded her arms, placing them on the table, and then folding them across her chest again. She seemed at a loss for words, torn between hating all forms of shopping and wanting desperately to leave the house.

“I’m still grounded, Edward,” she said bitterly.

Charlie turned around, facing them. “You could go shopping with Alice . . . if you . . . if you want Bells,” he stuttered.

She turned around in her chair, facing Charlie. “Oh, so my grounding only applies to him,” she said, pointing to Edward.

“Well . . . no,” Charlie said, swallowing hard. “I just thought you might deserve some freedom. You’ve definitely earned it.”

She turned around slowly, as did Charlie. “I’d love to. I’ll call Alice later.”

Edward chuckled softly as Bella’s phone started ringing. They should have known Alice would see her decision. She got up from the table and walked over to the receiver.

“Hello Alice,” she said, answering the phone and rolling her eyes. “Oh Mom, sorry . . . Yeah, Dad’s right here.”

Charlie jumped from his recliner and walked swiftly towards the phone. Edward looked at Charlie, perplexed as he picked the receiver out of Bella’s hands. He was never in any hurry to talk to his ex-wife and often asked Bella to tell her he wasn’t home. This was definitely a change, but not one that Bella should or would be upset about. Bella returned to the table and picked up another application.

“Hey ‘née,” Charlie mumbled, “let me call you right back from the upstairs phone.” He promptly hung up the phone, not allowing her to answer.

“You two behave. I’ll be upstairs talking to your mom.” He said, waiting for a response from Bella, but she continued to fill out her paperwork without even acknowledging that he had said anything. Charlie’s look of defeat covered his features before he continued upstairs.

Edward turned to Bella who had now taken to ignoring him as well. Whatever was wrong was bad, because she never treated her father that way. At that moment, his cell phone vibrated in his pocket again.

-Please come home-

If the message wasn’t alarming enough, the fact that it Carlisle had sent it was enough to make him realize it was serious. He couldn’t leave Bella like this though, or could he? Bella was a grown woman after all and his inability to let her make her own decisions and deal with things is what had gotten him in trouble recently. Besides, Carlisle would have mentioned something if whatever was so urgent was life-threatening to Bella.

Edward looked up and met Bella’s questioning expression. He simply smiled at her which he was sure was hardly fair. She instantly fell into one of the stupors always caused by his smile. Once she had claimed that he “dazzled” her, and knowing this, he used it to his advantage but only in those situations most dire. Unfair was hardly the word.

He chuckled. “Well, dear, I have to go,” he announced, taking her hand in his. “I’ll be back before you know it.” He placed a light kiss on it before getting up.

“Who was that?”

“That was Carlisle. He needs me at home to help with something,” Edward said, shrugging his shoulders, trying to appear nonchalant.

“Okay,” she said, lowering her head.

He came around the table, picking up her chin in his hands, forcing her to look at him. “I will be back shortly. I promise,” he said, kissing her on the tip of her nose.

She smiled slightly as he walked to the door. She watched him leave before getting up from the table leaving the papers scattered there. Bella trudged up the stairs into her room falling onto her bed. She didn’t even care enough to change her clothes.

Edward watched her retreat to her room before he got into his car and raced home. As was custom for him, he drove home at an alarming speed. Recently, everything seemed to be turned on its head. He knew that everything couldn’t go back to exactly the way it was before he left. There were consequences to his horrible actions. Edward hoped whatever he was racing home to find out had nothing to do with what he saw in the newspaper. Hopefully, it was exactly what the local authority feared, a serial killer, and not what Edward feared, another kind of monster loose and too close to home.

Carlisle’s text message had him on edge as he turned down the familiar path to his home. Alice was waiting for him on the steps with her head in her hands. Jasper was with her, of course, rubbing her back, although that was not where the soothing power would come from. She craved his touch so it helped nonetheless.

Edward quickly scanned everyone’s thoughts as he got out of the car in the driveway. Everyone was thinking about something different in an attempt to block him out. He reached Alice and Jasper on the stairs outside the front door, taking Alice’s hand and walking inside.

Rosalie and Emmett were seated on the couch and Esme and Carlisle were in front of the television facing them. Jasper took a seat in the nearest chair and Alice sat in his lap. Edward walked to sit next to Emmett who looked somber as he patted Edward’s back. Edward slowly faced Carlisle nervously awaiting what was to be said next.

“Well now that everyone is here,” Carlisle began, “I think it’s time everyone was clued in to the current situation.”

“First, there is what Jasper and I believe to be a newborn vampire loose in Seattle. I have been following the news closely relating to that area and I fear that it can be nothing else. The problem we face is that if the Volturi fear that it will expose our world, they will send members of the guard to correct the problem,” Carlisle announced, turning to face Edward directly.

“The problem with this, as you know, son, is that with the guard being so close, they will inevitably check in on our family and Bella’s condition. We assumed when you made that promise, we would have far longer to follow through before we would be held accountable. That is no longer the case,” he stopped, facing the room as a whole again.

“We have several options relating to this. We can go over them shortly. Alice has not seen the Volturi making any sort of decision or even indicating they are aware of the newborn issue in Seattle. Right now, I believe Alice would like to speak with everyone regarding something she has seen on a different subject,” he finished, motioning for Alice to begin.

Alice slowly got up from Jasper’s lap, looking to him for reassurance before speaking. It was Edward’s turn to put his head in his hands. He was not looking forward to turning Bella into the monster that he was. She was too pure a person to corrupt in that manner. Spending eternity with her was something he craved, but not at the expense of her soul. He knew his selfishness would win in the end as the Volturi had been promised that she would, in fact, be changed.

“Well today around one this afternoon I saw a vision of Bella,” she began. Edward immediately looked towards Alice. “She was walking around school introducing a small, blonde girl to everyone. She kept saying, ‘This is my sister, Lily’.”

Alice let that sink in as Edward continued to stare at her with a look of confusion etched on his face. She continued.

“Obviously, I went to Carlisle and we started to look up Bella’s birth certificates and things of that nature.”

Alice stopped and looked to Carlisle for how to continue. When she didn’t, Carlisle returned to the head of the conversation. He held Alice’s hand as he began to speak. She did not like causing him pain so whatever she was having trouble saying would do just that.

“What we discovered was that her original birth certificate listed her as multiple or twin,” Carlisle stated, looking to Edward also.

He leaned back into couch with his hands over his mouth. He remained motionless while Alice went to sit beside him. She quietly took his hand and looked up at him. Edward slowly looked over meeting her eyes.

“How could I not know this?” he asked, obviously taken aback.

“Well, she didn’t even know it,” Alice reassured.

“But how did no one, in all our time here, ever think about this once? She is the police chief’s daughter. This had to have been a big deal,” he questioned.

“I feel that the town as a whole respected Charlie and Renée’s privacy and it has been quite a while since anyone has even heard anything about it,” Carlisle said.

“Regardless, this is happening and I assume Bella is quite distraught,” Esme said softly, speaking to Edward.

Edward looked around at his family one by one. They were all there to support him and once again he felt as if it was not deserved. They were there for him, but who was there for Bella? She was the one in emotional turmoil. She had just been delivered news that went against everything she knew of her parents and her childhood.

Receiving a new sibling in his family was always a joyous occasion around their household. It meant that someone else viewed their lifestyle as suitable and enjoyable, or in Jasper’s case, at least tolerable.

In Bella’s case, it meant of things would be changing drastically and possibly not for the better. This new person was completely foreign to Bella, Charlie, and their way of life. This could be a good thing or a very, very bad thing.

Hopefully, for Bella’s sake, it would be a good thing. The way her luck was running as of late, probably not.

“Well,” Edward said, quietly, “What can we do to help her with this?”

Everyone looked to Carlisle for the answer. He spoke carefully and calmly.

“I suppose we should all be prepared for any mood this may cause in Bella or any changes. She is still the same person we all love and for that we must respect her privacy. She may choose to open up to all of us or none of us,” he said, looking to Edward, “and for that we must be ready.”

Everyone shook their heads and then looked to Edward. He slowly got up from the couch and headed for the stairs. No one but Alice dared approach him which always made him smile. He turned to her, assuming she was going to say something to reassure him that everything would be okay as she did so often.

“I’m here for you Edward, we all are,” she said, hugging him.

“I know that Alice,” he said, before turning and walking to his room. He would need to compose himself as he would return to Bella shortly. He was to be there for her, as Carlisle had put it, in any way she needed. Even if that meant he wasn’t the one she opened up to. He feared that might be the case, but what scared him more was who he thought she would call on instead.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Charlie opened his eyes and was confused with his new surroundings. It took him mere seconds to comprehend where he was, in Bella’s room, or his new room rather. It was so surreal to him how much had changed in the last three days.

Bella and Charlie had switched rooms as his was bigger. He had also purchased another twin mattress set to go next to Bella’s, with sheets and a comforter that Alice had picked out. Edward had become a permanent fixture, more than he already was anyway, and Charlie hardly had a say in it. How could he? He had turned Bella’s life upside down and she’d been so understanding, or at least pretended that she was.

He got up and started to get dressed. He had laid out his clothes last night in anticipation for today. Nervousness had taken over as his primary emotion starting last night around six o’clock. He’d taken sleeping medication just to calm his nerves. It allowed him two solid hours of sleep before he was awake again. Granted, it was only five in the morning, but lying in the bed was just not something he could do anymore. He would go get a cup of coffee from the diner or something, anything else but staying in bed and waiting.

Today was the day he was going to pick up and Lily and by now the entire town knew it. He was both scared and excited at revealing this news to his friends and coworkers. A small smile played on his lips as well, as he started to think of how relieved he now felt. He finished getting ready and headed to Bella’s room to check on her. Peeking his head in, he noticed she was still sleeping. She had opted not to join him, saying she was going to be there to show Lily around on her first day of school at Forks High School instead. Charlie hoped that they would get along, not needing the stress that it would put on any of them if they didn’t.

He continued downstairs and outside, stopping to get his coat and keys. He locked the door behind him and headed towards his car. He got into his police cruiser and turned on the radio. The silence would not suit him today. He pulled out of the driveway and pointed his car towards the diner. When he arrived, there was only one other car in the parking lot and he knew that car well. She was the town gossip, being the waitress at the only diner in town it was hard not to be; she heard everything.

He turned off his car and walked inside slowly, dreading the questions he knew were coming. Surprisingly, when the bell rang announcing his arrival she didn’t even look up to see who it was. He took his normal seat by the window and waited for her to take his order.

She strolled over from the counter smiling. She pulled her pad and pencil out of her apron.

“Hello Chief,” she said. “What can I get you this morning?”

He rattled off his usual order without even looking at the menu. Surprisingly, she looked up at him, smiled, and returned to the counter, but not before relaying his order to Devon, the cook. Hopefully everyone would be so nice as to give him his privacy regarding this situation, at least today. He doubted that would be the case, but he could always hope. His nerves were not going to make him a very social person today.

She returned with his order quicker than he thought possible. As often as he came, he shouldn’t be surprised, especially since there was no one else there. He smiled up at her before grabbing a fork. She walked back to the counter and he began to eat with more of an appetite than he was aware he had at the moment.

He finished his meal quietly thinking of what he would say to Lily the first time he saw her again and how the conversation would play out. He didn’t even know her, how she would react to him or her new surroundings. It would break his heart if he found out any harm had come to her from the couple that adopted her. He sincerely hoped that wasn’t the case, for their sake and his.

He finished, wiped his mouth, pushed the plate back, threw down the usual amount, and walked out the door without even a wave. He was too distracted for common courtesies today; everyone would just have to understand.

He got back in his car and turned the radio up louder before pulling out onto the road and heading for the interstate. Seattle always seemed a long drive, but today it seemed hours away. Being left to his thoughts was usually something he appreciated, but in his current state he felt this may not be a good idea.

Without even being aware, he arrived in Seattle, first noticing as he hit the outer edges of the city. As some of the larger buildings came into view, he began to notice just how nervous he was, as his hands were actually shaking on the steering wheel. He directed the car towards the airport and began to sweat.

He arrived at the airport and found a parking spot near the luggage pick up area. He got out slowly, taking a deep breath, and walking towards the entrance. He decided to stay near the luggage area as meeting her at the gate may seem too overwhelming, whether that was to him or to her, he wasn’t sure.

He went from sitting to standing several times over the next half hour. He even began to pace as he neared the hour mark. He knew he was early, but that wasn’t calming him down a bit. As nine o’ clock rolled around, he began rubbing his palms against his jeans repeatedly.

As the conveyer belt sprang to life, Charlie jumped from his seat as if an alarm had gone off. People began filling in around it and he starting looking for the girl Chief Taylor had described. Charlie was on his toes looking over everyone when he spotted her. A smile broke out on his lips and the nervousness faded away. He walked through the crowd to the little girl he had finally found.

She was bobbing her head along an unknown song. As he got closer, he noticed she had ear buds in and was blocking everything out. As not to frighten her, he tapped her on the shoulder. She immediately removed one looking his way. She smiled at him before looking down. It was apparent she was shy or maybe scared. Charlie wasn’t sure yet.

What he was sure of though, was the fact that she had entirely too much makeup on. No child should even own that much makeup. He quickly corrected himself acknowledging sadly that she was not a child, she was a young woman, and an adult legally; she was free to wear as much make up as she wanted. Even if it bothered her father greatly.

“Hi Lily,” he said, extending his hand. “I’m Charlie.”

She looked up and shook his hand, removing it quickly. She looked back down at her shoe, which she was moving back and forth in front of her. It gave him time to assess the small girl before him. She had blonde hair on top and black hair near the bottom. It was an obvious dye job as both colors were an unnatural shade.

She was wearing a small, white spaghetti strap tank top and a very tattered pair of jeans. A small, wooden cross necklace dangled down in front of her. Charlie was not sure he approved of any of her attire, but chalked it up to the fact that Bella wore nothing like this and he just wasn’t used to it.

“Well, which bags are yours?” he said, trying very hard not to let his disapproval in her appearance leak into his voice.

“Mine are bright green,” Lily said softly, not looking up.

Charlie moved towards the conveyer belt through the crowd looking for bright green bags. He spotted them instantly and picked them up. She only had two small suitcases which surprised him. He laughed to himself as he realized it shouldn’t, when he had come to pick Bella up she only had two small bags as well, hers being less flamboyant though.

He would have to learn not to compare the two so much. He needed to realize that they were two separate people who had lead separate lives until now. That thought saddened him as he wished this wasn’t the case, but it was and everyone would just have to deal with it; starting with him.

He walked with the suitcases over to where Lily was standing with one ear bud hanging down in front of her. She had yet to look up so Charlie concluded scared was probably a better description of her mood. He lightly touched her hand which caused her to look up at him.

“Are you ready?” he said, motioning towards the door.

She took a deep breath and sighed. “As ready as I’m gonna be.” She smiled and looked ahead as they began to walk toward the car.