Dearest Readers: WELL, I have finally relented and decided now was the time to upload a story. This one isn't what I set out to write in the fall--that story is about 10 chapters long now & needs lots of work--but this idea came to me & I couldn't help but write it out. Right now, I'm not sure how far I'll take this (it may depend on the response I get), but it probably will be a rather short flick. If you are coming to this after reading my Witches of Twilight, I hate to tell you that this isn't the sequel. The sequel is in the works... but because of the changes I made to Twilight, it is nearly impossible to follow the storyline of New Moon or Eclipse or Breaking Dawn. That said--I'm not done with my witches yet, bear with me and I shall give you another story that is NB/Eclipse/BD and something completely new.
SO, let me know what you think of the little situation that I have placed Edward in... poor Edward, I really do enjoying toying with him & making him squirm. Child Services will be a story only told from Edward's point of view--I am not a writer to jump or change POV. I hope I have captured his mind well enough. Remember, I don't own Twilight & no infringement is meant.
Enjoy, -Raca
***Italic words are thoughts Edward is thinking. Bold Italics are thoughts he is 'hearing'.***
Child Services
EPOV:
Chapter 1: Foster Family
"This really isn't happening…" I spoke my disbelief aloud as Carlisle paced the room.
Yes son, I'm afraid it is. Carlisle's thoughts were laced with anger and sadness. He appeared at my side and rested his palm on my shoulder. "I wish there was something we could do to fix this… but I'm afraid, my hands are tied."
My anger flared again. "Jasper's broken into harder places. Why doesn't he just log into the Child Service agency and fix this?"
"Edward," Carlisle sighed, "He would, but—what with all the attention the Federal Government is giving me right now—we can not risk something like that." I should have stuck to Hospitals—the private practice only created problems.
Carlisle's mind wander off to the audit that the IRS had began. He had started his own business three years ago and now, after some remarkably profitable years (thanks in most part to Alice's stock market foresight), the government was investigating him. The family was clean on paper; we were always so careful to cross every 't' and dot every 'i'. Not even Alice had predicted what they would dig up so quickly. My adoption papers, or more accurately the fact that my adoption papers didn't exist.
At one point, Carlisle had filled out the appropriate information for the current family, but it seems that the state misplaced it. The state had all the paperwork to 'prove' that Emmett and Alice were 'younger siblings' of Esme and that Jasper and Rosalie were 'adopted twins', but there was no paperwork regarding Carlisle's adoption of me. My information had fallen through the cracks and now with the Federal investigation, the State was suddenly concerned with my 'well being'.
"The Child Services representative will be here in three minutes." Alice called from down stairs.
I'm sorry Edward. I promise, as soon as this is cleared up, we'll have you home. Carlisle apologized for the hundredth time.
I shook my head. "I know it isn't your fault—I just don't understand why they are sending me so far away."
Carlisle picked up one of my suitcases as I took the other. We walked down the hall and stairs at a slow human pace. Neither of us wanted to rush this. We were walking on uncharted ground and I was going to have to do most of the traveling on my own. I had spent nearly a decade away from my vampiric father, but we had never been forced apart before. His thoughts mirrored my own—it felt as if we were being punished. The state was consciously breaking apart our family—removing me from them and sending me hundreds of miles away. And for what reason? The answer left a sick feeling in the pit of my being. I was being punished and sent away because it was the only thing the state could do. Carlisle's past was perfectly clean and my missing adoption papers was the only flaw they had found in Carlisle's façade.
We were halfway down the stairs when there was a knock at the door. Esme appeared at the bottom of the steps followed by a short, middle-aged man. His thoughts were nervous and scattered. He was equally confused on the why the IRS had notified him.
"Um, Edward Cullen?" He asked while he took in my assembled family.
"Yes." I responded coldly. I still was in disbelief that this was actually happening.
The man met my eyes briefly and perhaps he could sense my hesitance. "I'll give a moment to say good bye. I'll be out in the car."
He let himself out and Esme arrived at my side and took me in a hard hug. Her mind was a mess of sadness and disbelief. I dropped my suitcase to wrap my arms around her now shaking body. Silent, tearless sobs shuddered through my sweet mother's body.
"I'm not saying good bye Edward." She told me with a strong voice. I am just saying that I'm going to miss you so while you are gone. She tightened her grip on me before pulling back and fussing with my messy hair. Now try and behave yourself—please don't scare your foster family too much.
I chuckled softly and kissed her forehead. "I promise to be on my best behavior."
"He's poor foster family." Emmett said, shaking his head, but with a playful gleam in his eyes. "Depressed, brooding Edward—they are going to be begging Carlisle to take you back."
Rosalie quickly smacked his head and then turned to me. You know I won't say it, but we'll all miss you—in a way. I smiled at Rosalie's semi-affectionate thoughts. Just don't do anything stupid that will keep you away longer.
I nodded a response and Alice pounced on me. Her grip around my neck was stronger than Esme's and much more forceful. I still can't see the end. But I'll keep looking. I'm so sorry Edward, I'm so sorry.
"Alice…" I started, but she interrupted me with her thoughts.
I've found a way to get around their 'no contact' rule. They might be sending you away, but I'm not going to let them disconnect you from us. I promise, as soon as I know how, we'll have you home again.
I knew, next to Carlisle, Alice felt the guiltiest for my current situation. She believed that if she had seen this coming, Jasper would have been able to replace the paperwork before they ever new it was missing.
"Have you seen anything new about who they are sending me to?" I asked.
"No." Alice huffed in frustration, "The Child Services people are so disorganized—they haven't even figured it out yet. They found a 'temporary' home, but even that vision changes—I'm not very confident of any future right now."
I gave Alice a firm hug and the set her on her feet. "I look forward to hearing from you—soon."
Jasper and Emmett gave me quick, 'manly' half-hugs before the Child Service's man came back inside to see what was taking so long. My family followed me out the door to the porch and watched in silence as I climbed into the car.
"Okay kid." The man addressed me, "Let's go."
Sergeant Dan Gibbs struggled with one of my suitcases as we walked the steps of the Fork's Police Station. The ride from Seattle to Forks was uncomfortable and gave me little insight as to who I was actually going to live with. Gibbs was too nervous around me to think clearly and so I was surprised to pull up in front of the Police Station rather than my foster family's home.
We walked into the stuffy entryway and Gibbs placed my bags next to some chairs. I glanced around the room to see if anyone was thinking about a teenager coming over, yet found no thoughts along that line.
"Wait here and I'll get the Chief." Gibbs said to me with a shaky voice. He wound his way around the desks to the only office in the back. The man behind the desk was on the phone, but waved Gibbs inside and then mouthed 'bring the boy in'.
Gibbs reluctantly returned to me, "This way."
The plate on the door read 'Chief of Police Charles Swan'. Chief Swan finished his call and stood. "Gibbs thanks for picking him up. Go ahead and transfer his bags to my car."
Gibbs nodded and gladly took his leave. The Chief remained still for a moment and watched me with discerning eyes. I grew uneasy as I tried to capture the Chief's thoughts, all I was getting was a garbled mess of words and static—like an old radio that couldn't tune in on a frequency clearly.
"Are you taking me to my Foster family?" I asked in attempts to make his thoughts focus and become clearer to me.
"Yep." The Chief's one word response did nothing to answer my many questions or clear his mind to me. We stood for a moment more analyzing each other before the phone rang again.
"Swan." He answered, settling back into his seat.
I focused to hear the other side of the conversation. "So, do we have a guest?" The person on the other end was a woman. Her words confused me slightly—Did she mean that I would be staying with Him, with Chief Swan?
"Yep." Chief Swan was a master of words. I rolled my eyes at my sarcasm.
"Well, I hope he isn't a vegetarian, would you ask for me?" I couldn't help but smirk at the choice of wording of the woman on the other end of the line.
Chief cleared his throat and acknowledged me, "Bella wants to know if you're a vegetarian."
I smiled a little more and shook my head. Trust me, nothing your wife could fix would be even somewhat appetizing.
"Nope Bells, you're in the clear."
"Good, cause I already put Italian sausage in the lasagna." Chief Swan hummed in appreciation as the girl continued, "Dinner will be ready in twenty."
"Alright, we'll head right out." The Chief hung up and stood. "Let's go Edward."
"So, I'm staying with you?" I asked, trying to get some kind of information out of him.
"Yep." He said, eyeing me closely. Better be for a damn short time. I swear if he so much as looks at Bella funny I'll ship him off. I'm doing the state a favor here, but it won't take much for me to send him on his way. Chief's thoughts faded back into an indecipherable hum.
Once we were in his cruiser I pressed for more information and tried to start with something rather innocent. "So what is Mrs. Swan cooking for dinner?"
The Chief looked at me in confusion. "Mrs. Swan?" He laughed shortly, "There isn't a Mrs. Swan… hasn't been for more than fifteen years."
"Oh, I apologize, I didn't mean to bring up… I'm sorry, sir." I mentally slapped myself—First conversation and I bring up his dead wife!
The Chief chuckled again, "Renee is now Mrs… actually, I don't recall Phil's last name at the moment. Anyway, Isabella is my daughter."
"Oh."
You better keep up that innocence. Chief's mind fussed over his daughter for a moment before his thoughts cleared again. If he thinks of touching her, so help me, they'll be sending him home in pieces.
I had heard over-protective thoughts before, but I still found myself curious as to what Isabella was like. I reviewed the clearer thoughts I had seen of her through the Chief's eyes: brown hair, brown eyes, heart-shaped face and small build. I didn't find anything particularly stunning about her, even though the Chief's thoughts of her were only positive. The Chief brought me out of my thoughts.
"Bella does the cooking, I think she said she was fixing lasagna."
I nodded and the car fell silent again. We turned down a sleepy residential road and parked behind a rusted out truck. The Chief looked at me momentarily—apparently second-guessing his decision and then stepped out of the car. I found comfort in the fact that the forest crept up closely to the house—meaning meals would hopefully be easier to find.
I followed the Chief inside. The door opened up to a small living area. Stairs rose to the left, at the right was a couch and recliner sitting in front of a large TV. There were two doors on the opposite side of the room. I took a quick breath and instantly regretted it—the home smelled of tomato sauce, garlic and other foods that made my nose curl.
"This way kid, I'll show you your room."
The Chief led me across the living room and opened the second door and stepped aside so I could enter. He rubbed the back of his head and shifted on his feet. "I'm afraid it isn't much—this is normally my den, but I've cleared out the closet and we bought a new mattress for the day bed."
"No, it's great." I said, striving to be the polite, grateful child that I should be. I pulled my luggage in and set it on the bed. I opened one bag and my 'travel' bag fell out. Alice had been good to think of all the 'human' things I might need—toothbrush & toothpaste, deodorant, razors & shaving cream—things I would have to 'use' and eventually replace if I was stuck here long enough.
Chief noticed my bag. "Oh, I'll show you the bathroom where you can put that. Mornings might get a little interesting with three of us sharing one bathroom—but at least Bells isn't like most girls, she's usually pretty quick."
"I heard that!" A voice called from the other room. "And for your information I'll be showering at night. That means only you boys will have to fight for bathroom time."
I couldn't help the smirk that rose over my lips. Chief's face match my own and he laughed softly himself. "Edward, the bathroom is upstairs, the door on the right."
I nodded and Chief Swan passed through the door next to mine—a fresh wave of human food made me decide to visit the restroom first. I took my bag and retreated up the stairs to the bathroom. I froze as I passed one of the other doors. My muscles tensed and venom flooded my mouth. Christ—that smell! I didn't stop my feet as they silently led me into a bedroom. The walls were a soft blue and a bed lay at one side across from a desk and a rocking chair. I breathed in more deeply. Instantly my throat caught fire. It smelled heavenly—the most delicious scent I had ever encountered.
I growled and crouched to survey the source of the luscious smell—the human that would surely be the sweetest thing I had ever tasted. Just then a soft laugh met my ears. Chief Swan and Isabella were quietly laughing about something. The sound pulled me from my instinctual mind. The Chief's daughter creates the glorious smell.I forced myself from her bedroom and to the restroom, as I walked I forced the monster down. I ran the water and splashed generous amounts on my face. It helped to refocus my mind.
I am not going to attack the Chief's daughter. I am not going to kill anyone today—they are innocent, good people. I silently cursed the government once again for sending me here. The monster inside me thrashed at the fragile cage the housed him.
Just one bite—just a taste.
"No." I argued with myself as I stared in the mirror, "I am not a heartless killer."
We've killed before. How is this different?
"She's innocent. I have never wasted innocent blood."
It wouldn't be wasted; we would savor every drop.
I growled at the mirror as I saw hunger darken my irises. "No." But the word was weak, a faint whisper.
It is only natural thing to do.
"Killing the blameless is far from natural." I held back the beast with chains of morality, "I am not that kind of monster."
I took a deep breath and was assaulted with the sweet smell of the Swan girl. Her aroma made the beast cry out for freedom. I only want to end our suffering! He thrashed and I battled against myself. Never before had blood called out to me like this.
"Edward, dinner is ready." A sweet, shy voice spoke from the foot of the stairs.
Yes, yes dinner is to be served. I mentally slapped myself and turned on the faucet again to try and cleanse the evil thoughts from my head. Chairs scrapped against the titled floor downstairs and I heard the Swans shuffle around.
"Should you go check on him?" The girl asked softly.
Realizing I couldn't hide in the bathroom forever, I dried my face and took a quick look around. Make sure you flush before you leave the bathroom—they expect that. Alice's words of 'how to appear human' ran through my head and I nodded in agreement. I flushed the toilet and then opened the door to face my temptation head on.
I made noise on the stairs as I descended to warn of my approach and took a deep breath before opening the swinging door to the kitchen. Chief Swan was seated at the head of the small table, reviewing the sports section of the Seattle newspaper. The girl, Isabella, was standing in front of a cutting board. The knife made a crunching, ripping sound as she sliced of large portions of bread. I took a testing breath of air. My nose wrinkled in disgust—human food was deplorable. Yet I found some relief in that the girl's appealing smell was overpowered with the 'food' that was laid out on the table.
I was still standing in the doorway as Isabella turned. Her eyes immediately found my own. A glorious blush crossed her face before her eyes broke away from mine and fell to the table. She shifted on her feet, glanced up at me again and then quickly to her father.
It took me a second to realized that she was uncomfortable and that I was still staring at her. Her look at the Chief became more desperate. She doesn't want me here. The thought was natural enough—why should a weak human want to have a dangerous killer in their home? Yet, for some reason, the thought was hurtful.
Chief Swan was completely oblivious to me standing a few feet away from him and to his daughter's pleading eyes. I cleared my throat in attempt to pull him from his paper long enough to send me on my way.
Chief suddenly looked up and around the room. "Oh." He muttered under his breath. "Edward, this is my daughter Isabella."
"Bella." She corrected rather firmly as she blushed more deeply. I gave her my best polite nod and she set the bread on the table before pulling out her own chair.
I swallowed the venom that was pooling in my mouth and followed her lead, sitting across from her. Bella reached for the Chief's plate and piled it full of lasagna, garlic bread and salad. I took another short breath; thankfully it was filled with the smells from the food and very little of Bella's or even the Chief's scent.
Bella placed some food on her own plate and then extended her hand out to me. What does she want? My mind spun at the possibilities and I strained to try and 'hear' what she was thinking about.
Bella blushed again, "Would you rather fill your own plate?" She asked and started to retract her hand.
"Oh. Here." I smiled weakly and handed over my plate. Bella took it and placed as much food on it as she had on Chief Swan. Perhaps I should have said yes. I thought was looking down at the unsatisfying flavors that lay on my plate. There is no possible way I'll be able to force all of this down.
Having sensed that the food was served, Chief Swan folded up the paper and hungrily dug into his meal. He made an odd 'hmmm' sound as the first bite crossed his lips. Bites two and three followed the first before either were properly chewed or swallowed. Does every human eat like this? I was mildly disgusted at this feeding ritual, but Bella seemed to enjoy it. A small smile rose over her lips as she watched her father's enthusiasm. She shook her head slightly before bringing a bite of lasagna in her own mouth. She blew on the steaming hunk of sauce and pasta, sending a fresh wave of food and Bella across the table. Venom flooded my mouth.
I felt a growl building in my chest. Bella's lips closed softly around her food and the fork reemerged clean. Her eyes closed slightly and she chewed slowly. I stared in fascination as the muscles of her jaw worked. Under her paper thin, porcelain skin I could see the soft muscles flex and relax. The small, slow movements were much more sensual than the Chief's. When she swallowed, so did I. Her tongue darted out to catch all the evidence of her bite and I was mesmerized. How many times I had seen humans eat before? I was sure it was thousands of times, yet never before had one made it some appealing.
"Don't be shy, Edward." Chief said, breaking me from my stare, "Bella is the best cook and lasagna is one of her specialties."
I nodded again and aware that two pairs of eyes were now closely watching me, I picked up my own fork and stabbed a piece of the red, squishy stuff. Trying to keep my face free from any repulsed or sicken expressions, I found the offensive bite in my mouth. I chewed mechanically and forced a swallow. I could literally feel the food sit in my stomach. My muscles clenched to force the foreign stuff up and out of my body and I quickly took a drink of my water to hide any gagging. Apparently my actions weren't too odd because Chief and Bella returned to their own plates of food.
There was no dinner conversation and I found myself hiding more food in my napkin than actually eating. Well, at least I'll have something to do in the bathroom now. I thought as I looked forward to vomiting up the food that sat so uncomfortably in my stomach. The Chief quickly cleared his entire plate and rose stiffly.
"Pre-season game." He offered up as an explanation and Bella nodded as if she understood what he meant. I was quickly becoming frustrated with this situation. No one seemed capable of forming a complete sentence of any significance and Chief's thoughts were even more vague. To make matters worse, I was beginning to believe I was losing my gift because I had yet to hear a single thought from Bella. The Chief grabbed two more pieces of garlic bread.
"Great dinner Bells, thanks." He said as he retreated to the living room. Soon the television was buzzing and a chair groaned as he settled into it.
My eyes met Bella's again momentarily before she turned hers down to my plate. "You don't like ricotta?"
"Excuse me?" I asked. I had no idea what she meant, or where this question was even coming from.
She blushed slightly, "You've hardly eaten the lasagna—usually that means that you don't care for ricotta cheese."
Ah, so ricotta cheese is in this 'meal'. I quickly latched onto the excuse she gave me, "Yes, I don't care for it much." I said perhaps too honestly. I mumbled out more words in attempt to not insult Bella, "But this really is the best lasagna I remember having."
Bella shrugged and just as easily brushed off my compliment. "You don't have to eat it, you won't offend me if you turn food away. Are there any foods you are allergic too or don't really care for?"
I didn't follow her line of thinking and was momentarily perplexed as to what she actually asking.
As if seeing my confusion, Bella snorted and spoke again, "I don't want to make something you'd hate."
I chuckled softly at the irony, but then took the question very seriously. What foods would be the worst to eat? My mind went to all the cafeteria food I had been subjected to. I quickly had a list.
"I guess it is mostly texture." I started, hoping this was an appropriate way to describe food.
Bella nodded, "Okay, so soft and squishy is a no-no."
No, soft is wonderful. You are soft… and warm… and so fragile. The beast reared its head again. I swallowed the venom. Bella rose from her seat and collected her plate. I froze as she reached for mine. I could feel the heat that radiated off of her skin. Her heart rate picked up and I could see the sweet blood pulsing faster and faster under the milky white skin of her wrist.
Must get her away. I took in a haggard breath and was assaulted by her glorious smell. Get away from me, Bella. I shook my head. "No, I'll clean up."
I was instantly standing and collecting the dishes Chief had left at the table. Bella took a half step back, her face shocked. Good, you should be afraid. Yet, that fearful expression in her eyes and the way her eyebrows knitted together made me want to apologize. For some reason, I didn't truly want her to fear me.
I paused to give her a moment to recover and spoke again. "You prepared a lovely meal, at least allow me to clean up." I softened my voice and face, gazing up at her through my lashes.
Bella's mouth fell open slightly. In one quick and completely uncontrolled movement, Bella spun, placed her dishes in the sink and retreated past me. I sighed in relief. I had never before been so grateful to be alone. I knew being separated from my family was going to be difficult, but I never imagined it would be like this.
I deposited my napkin full of food in the trashcan and went to work on the dishes. Twice I forced myself to stop and slow down, not only would it look odd for me to finish too quickly, but I wasn't yet prepared to leave the kitchen and go to the living room where Bella and Chief Swan sat. I needed more time to prepare myself for that.
As I finished drying the last of the dishes I heard water rush to the upstairs bathroom. I peaked in the living room where only the Chief sat. Bella must be showering upstairs. The thought was relieving yet sent a chill down my spine. At least it was safe to sit in the front room, what with my temptation upstairs.
I cleared my throat and walked into the room. "Chief Swan, who's playing?" I asked as I took a seat in a threadbare couch.
"Seahawks and the Cowboys." His eyes never left the screen as he spoke to me, "You like football?"
"I don't mind playing, but I'm more of a baseball fan."
The Chief turned to me with appraising eyes and then cracked half a smile. "You're a good-sized boy, why don't you try out for the team? God knows how badly we could use some talent."
I shifted slightly. I'm sure that wouldn't be a good idea. I could easily hurt someone… that is if I even made the team. I wouldn't even be able to pass the physical—not with the lack of pulse, inability to give a blood test or even have a 'normal' temperature of 98 degrees. "No offense sir, but I hope to not be here that long. I'd love nothing more than return to my family."
The Chief nodded and returned to his game. His mind focused slightly and I was able to capture a few coherent sentences. Poor kid is oblivious of the trouble his family is in. Why would the State of Alaska want to get rid of him so quickly? Damn Feds would hardly give me any information on the 'Cullens'. What are they hiding?
I was about to try and ease the Chief's mind about my family when a door upstairs opened. Instinctively, I breathed deeply to sense any changes and I was hit with Bella's scent. It was accompanied with a humid and heady scent of strawberries. My fingers curled around the edge of the couch, willing myself to stay still.
A flushed Bella in sweats and a ratty t-shirt took three stairs down and called out to the Chief. "Night Dad." Her eyes flickered over to me and she paused for a moment, "Good night Edward."
I gave a weak smile and nodded once before turning back to the TV screen.
"Night Bells." Chief called raising one hand but never actually turning. She quickly retreated back up the stairs. I heard a door close, followed by the distinct 'click' of a lock. I smiled to myself, good girl, make sure to lock out the bad guys.
With Bella locked away and not invading my air space, I was able to relax and focus on the game. At the beginning of the forth quarter the Chief's breathing changed and soon he was snoring. I snickered at the sound; I couldn't remember that last time I had actually heard someone snore.
Well, I better 'get to bed' too. I thought of things I could do to keep myself occupied until the morning. A soft click and a few muffled steps distracted me and drug my eyes to the staircase. Bella was halfway down when she stopped and noticed my watchful eyes.
"Oh, I didn't know you were still up." She whispered over the Chief's snores. A delicious blush rose over her cheeks.
"I was just about to go to bed." I said, but didn't move from my seat. I still didn't trust myself around this fragile, delectable girl.
Bella had successfully made it down the stairs and walked over to the side table to a worn book. She clutched it closely to her chest and chewed on her lower lip. Chief Swan's snores increased in intensity and Bella released a very unlady-like snort.
"I hope you're a sound sleeper." She said while gazing at her father, "He'll make bear noises most of the night—sometimes it shakes the whole house."
I chuckled softly, "I sleep like the dead."
"Okay, well, good night." Bella turned and trotted up the stairs. I remained perfectly still until I heard the lock of her door engage and then I fled to my own room.
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