"A Stranger in the Night"

O/S Poll: Option 3

Rated: M

Synopsis: Bella Swan left her small hometown of Forks, Washington, 10 years ago in the middle of the night without any warning. Ten years later, she returns to bury her father, the police chief and local town hero. But is he really a hero? And why did she leave? And what is Edward going to say when he finds out she's back?

Edward POV

"Do you think she's gonna show?" Emmett asked.

"I don't know," I replied.

"I can't imagine her not coming," Emmett replied. He was always the optimist. I knew better.

"I'll bet you a twenty she doens't show," I said, opening my billfold and pulling out a twenty dollar bill.

"You really think that she wouldn't come to her fathers funeral?"

"She hasn't been back since graduation, Em. I don't even think Renee and Charlie know where she is."

"Her father died, Edward. I think she'll be here."

"They don't know where she is. How would they notify her of the death?" I had him there. There was no way for her to find out that he had died, and unless she kept up with the news from our small town, I didn't see her coming.

"We'll see," is all Emmett said. "I gotta head back. I have a lot to do." I watched as Emmett pulled his coat off the back of his chair and put his arm through each sleeve. He had a hard position to fill. He was currently the 'acting' police chief of Forks, ever since Charlie was killed in the line of duty a week ago. We walked out of the diner, a place we had been frequenting since high school, and I watched him unlock his police cruiser and get in the seat.

"You coming for dinner tonight?" He asked after rolling the window down.

"Yeah, as long as Rosie is cooking," I replied.

"Do you think that I would cook when Rosie is in the house?"

"No," I chuckled because I knew that Emmett couldn't cook to save his life. He once tried to make chipped beef using mayonnaise. It didn't turn out well.

Rose and Emmett had been married for seven years and I'd been enjoying dinner with them at least once a week since I'd moved back to town two years ago.

"I'll see you tonight," I waved to him as I bleeped my Volvo open. I was back to my office, and seeing patients within the hour. The thought of my high school love, Isabella Swan, coming back to bury her father didn't enter my thoughts again.

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Bella POV

"Fuck," I swore under my breath as I saw the blue lights in my rearview mirror. This was the last thing I needed. I pulled over to the side of the road and pushed my window button. The window rolled itself down and I reached over to the passengers seat and grabbed my purse. I dug through my purse until I found my drivers license and registration and waited patiently for the cop to come to the window. I knew what he was doing. He was running the plates of the car. Not that it would help, it was a rental. There was no way I could drive my own car here. It had enough miles on it, I didn't want to put three thousand more on it while traveling up the coast.

"License and registration," the cop said, shining a brigh light in my eye. I hated it when they did that. I knew the reason, to check my pupils and see if I had been drinking, but I still hated it. I handed the two cards to the cop and waited for the interrogation.

"Ma'am," I cringed. I was only 28 years old, I hated being called ma'am, it made me feel old. "Do you know how fast you were going?" I saw that coming. Of course I knew how fast I was going, I had a spedometer. But I didn't dare say that.

"No," I replied, "forty-five?" I had really been going seventy. I shouldn't have been speeding. I knew I had no pull in this town anymore, and I hadn't for a long time.

"Seventy, ma'am." Is all the stone face cop said. He looked young. He was tan skinned and I thought he was from the local Indian reservation.

"That fast?" I giggled a little, hoping, he didn't notice.

"Momma," I saw my little girl move in the backseat and realized that stupid cop had probably woken my sleeping child up. "Why'd we stop?"

"Mommy was going too fast sugar. Go back to sleep. We'll be there soon." She pulled the snugglie up to her chin and readjusted her unicorn pillow pet and closed her eyes. I hoped she slept the rest of the way.

"Your last name is Swan?" the cop, who I now noticied had a name badge that said "Black" on his uniform.

"Yup," I replied. I was bored. I was tired and I just wanted to get to the hotel and go the hell to sleep.

"Any relation to Chief Swan?"

"Yup," I replied again.

"How?"

"How, what?" I asked. His line of questioning was confusing.

"How are you related to the Chief?" He reiterated.

"I'm his daughter, Isabella." This kid had to be new to town. Everyone else would've know who the hell I was.

"The Chief has, er had, a daugther?"

"Yup," I say again.

"Why haven't I ever met you?" He asked.

"I"ve been out of town for the past ten years," I replied. This guy was irking my nerves, "you gonna give me a ticket so I can get going, or what?"

"Slow down," he said, passing my ID and registration back to me. "Drive safe. And wear your seat belt."

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Emmett POV

"Did you know the Chief had a daughter?" Jacob asked me that morning as I walked into the office.

"Yeah, I went to high school with her," I replied. "Why you ask?" I pulled my coat off and placed it over the back of my chair. I grabbed the coffee carafe off my desk and filled it with water, then poured it into the coffee maker. I put my cup under the drip and as soon as it was full I switched my cup out for the carafe. I put the cup to my lips. I needed this. I had been up a large portion of the night walking my newborn back and forth across the floor. Rosie had just been too tired to deal with him.

"I met her last night," as Jacob said this, I blew coffee out of my nose. It hurt. The scalding liquid burnt the hairs of my nose and I choked a little.

"Excuse me?" I said, putting my cup down. No way did I want a repeat of coffee going through my nose again.

"I pulled her over, she was speeding," he handed me a handful of paperwork and started to walk out.

"Jacob, wait," he turned around and headed back towards me.

"Yeah, chief," he answered.

"What do you mean you pulled Isabella Swan over for speeding? She's here, she's in Forks?" I couldn't believe it. The prodigal daughter had returned.

"I don't know if she's still here, but yeah, I pulled her over, last night. She was going seventy in a forty-five."

"You give her a ticket?" he thought about the question for a second. I already knew the answer.

"No, I felt bad for her. With what happened and everything."

"Uh huh," I put my coffee cup to my lips and took a long drink. "How'd she look?"

"Um, good, I guess. I have nothing to compare her to. She's a very pretty lady. Her daughter was cute too."

"Daughter?"

"Yeah, I think I woke her up when I shined the light in her eyes."

"How olds the kid?" I asked.

"I don't know. Seven or eight. I'm bad with kids ages."

"That'll be all, Jake. Have a good night. I'll see you tomorrow."

Jake walked out door and I thought about what I had learned. Isabella Swan was back in town. She somehow found out her father had died. And she had a kid. I knew I should call Edward and let him know. But I wasn't sure how I'd tell him. He was heartbroken after Bella had left and I'm not sure I could see him go through that again, whether she was only in town for a day or two or the next year. He would not handle that well.

And she had a kid. A big kid. He wouldn't handle that well either.

He did owe me twenty bucks though.

Nah, I still can't tell him.