CHAPTER TWO: THE SAD REALITY

"Charlie?" Jeremy asked. "Can you hear me?"

"Jeremy," Bonnie said, grabbing his arm and holding on tightly. "Jeremy, he shouldn't be here right now!"

"I know," Jeremy said back. He watched as Charlie took in the surroundings, moving to and fro. "Charlie."

"Jeremy? Jeremy Gilbert?" Charlie asked making eye contact with the boy. "And Bonnie?"

"That's right…" Jeremy whispered, realizing it really wasn't an illusion that stood before him.

Charlie looked from one to the other, "I don't understand. What am I doing here? The last thing I remember was…. red, there was red hair and it burned," here he grasped at his neck, "my neck was on fire…"

"Vampire," Jeremy gasped, "He's grasping at his neck right now Bonnie. Something about red hair and burning."

"I'm not sure about that," Bonnie responded, "but if he was bitten by a vampire then it would explain why you see him right now… Do you think there's a possibility that he might be in the in-between?

Jeremy shook is head, "You know I've only been able to see the dead."

"So I'm dead," Charlie slipped in. He hadn't stopped paying attention to the two teens. Taking in Jeremy's solemn expression he took the silence as a yes. A rush of clarity seemed to flow through him as his posture lightened and a sort of peace entered his eyes. "I'm dead."

Jeremy frantically shook his head, trying to deny it. "Charlie, you can't be dea—There's always a possibility! I mean—!"

Bonnie looked wildly at Jeremy, "What is it Jere? What's he saying?!"

"Maybe that's why I'm here," Charlie said calmly. "Before I came, I remembered wanting to talk to Bella. I wanted to tell her something… can you tell her for me?"

With his throat clogged up, Jeremy could only nod in response.

"I need you to tell her that I love her. I need you to tell her that I loved her more than anyone. She is the most selfless person I know, she is the most stubborn person I know, and she is the strongest person I've ever seen. It's not fair how everyone has been taken away from her… but she still has you, and Bonnie, and Elena, and Jake, and the rest of you bunch… remind her that. Remind her that she will forever be loved… My little miracle."

Jeremy took Bonnie's hand in his own, gripping it hard. "Miracle sir?"

Charlie gave him a sharp look, "When the time is right, you need to tell her the truth. You need to tell her that she's not my biological daughter."

"Wha—"

"A girl – a girl who looked really familiar now that I think about it – came to our doorstep one day. She held a little baby girl tenderly in her arms. She told us that this baby would grow up to be something special and would need our love and protection in order to do so. She left after she told us the girl's name: Isabella.

"When you tell her, make her understand that no matter what, she will always be ours. Renee will always be her mother and I her father. Always. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Jeremy said.

"Good," Charlie nodded once. "Then I guess this is goodbye." And in an instant, Charlie Swan was gone.

Bonnie looked up at Jeremy's face, realizing the discussion had ended. "Jeremy? Is Charlie still—"

"He's gone. He's really gone," Jeremy admitted pulling Bonnie to encase her in a hug. "He gave me a message for Bella… He's… She's… I have to tell Elena!" He suddenly pulled away and grasped at his phone, but his hands were shaking and the phone quickly met the ground.

"Dammit!" he cursed, squatting down to pick it up. But he couldn't seem to make it back standing. His body just shook harder and he wasn't able to grasp the device. He punched the ground, "God dammit!"

"Jeremy," Bonnie whimpered, covering her mouth with her hands. In that moment she wanted to stay strong for Jeremy, but she couldn't hold back her tears. "Jeremy."

"Just give me a second!" Jeremy shouted as he sensed her bending down next to him. "Just please… give me a second."

A minute passed and the shaking stopped. He wiped his face with his sleeve and swiftly rose with the phone in his hand. He turned to look at Bonnie and gently brushed a few of her tears away. "I'm sorry."

Bonnie shook her head, knowing what he was apologizing for, and embraced him hard. "It's ok. I'm ok. We're ok. We have to be… for Bella."

With that said, they left, heading for the Salvatore Boarding House, heading to break part of Elena's heart.

*VDT *VDT *VDT

As Elena, Damon, and Alaric returned from their excursion in the cave hidden in the Lockwood basement, Elena couldn't stop a small smile from appearing. The cave held important clues that could prove to be the turning point in their battle against Klaus.

"Someone seems very happy," Damon smirked, calling Elena out. She attempted to take a strike at him, but missed as he simply caught her fist. "She also seems to need a bit more practice. Have you been coaching her at all Ric?"

Alaric didn't bother with an answer; instead he walked through Damon's hold on her hand and opened the entry door. "Bonnie? Jeremy?" his voice reached through the house as well as outside. "What are you two doing here?"

Adrenaline soared through Elena's veins as she quickly followed Alaric's voice and found her brother and friend in the living room. She took note of Bonnie's red face and Jeremy's tense body. "Bonnie! What's wrong? Are you ok?" She rushed to her friend's side, inspecting her for harm.

Bonnie just held a finger to her mouth, motioning at Jeremy who seemed to be absorbed in a conversation on his phone.

"…Ok," everyone heard him say. "Ok... September 7? So soon? That's—.

"Who's he talking to Bonnie?" Elena questioned, but Bonnie just shook her head, still trying to listen in.

"…No I understand….Uh-huh… Yes… Quileute Indian Reservation, 1:00 pm. Ok…"

"They're talking about a funeral," Damon said, eyes focused on Jeremy.

"A funeral?" Elena looked worriedly at Jeremy. "Who's funeral? Bonnie?"

"…Thank you so much for letting me know Jake, it really means a lot…"

"Jake!? As in Jacob Black!?" Elena was done trying to be quiet. "Jeremy—!"

"Elena…" Bonnie tried to hold her back from her target.

Noting Elena's struggle, Jeremy made eye contact with Bonnie before taking the conversation to another room. "Jake, I need to know how she's… "

Alaric followed him out as Elena ceased her struggling, turning her ire and frustration onto Bonnie.

"What the hell is going on Bonnie!?" Elena exclaimed. "Why are Jeremy and Jacob talking about a funeral!?"

"Oohh… Sabrina is in trouble!" Damon said, walking over to grab a quick drink from the bar. "This should be good."

"Shut up Damon!" Elena was the one to shout. "Bonnie please, what were they talking about? I need to know!"

Bonnie gave her a distressing look. "Jeremy saw Charlie last night."

Elena just gave her a confused look. "I don't understand. So you guys saw Charlie in town. Was Bella with him? But what does that have to do with a funeral? I mean, I can understand why you look so worried, I'd hate for Bella to be here when all these vampires are in town."

"Hey!" Damon complained, but was promptly ignored.

"Bonnie, what's really going on?"

"I saw him Elena," Jeremy spoke up, his phone call apparently concluded.

"I know you saw him Jere," Elena responded frustrated. "But—"

"No Elena." He stopped when he stood a step away from his older sister. "I saw him Elena. Bonnie couldn't. Only me."

"But that would mean…" Elena's eyes grew wide.

Damon took a swig of his drink. "I don't get it. So Jeremy saw another dead person, what's the big deal? We all saw dead people yesterday."

Alaric could only shake his head as Damon dug his own grave. He honestly couldn't say he was surprised when in the next second Damon clutched his head in pain from Bonnie's attack.

"The hell was that Bonnie!?" Damon rushed over to her, dark veins surrounding his eyes. Bonnie's burning gaze met his head on, but with a heavy sigh, she simply pointed to Elena's shocked state. "Elena?"

"If, if you saw… Charlie," Elena began, reaching her hand out to Jeremy who took it gently in his own. "Then… then that means… But what about… Is Bella?!"

"I didn't see her," Jeremy calmed his sister. "She's still alive Elena. She's safe and she's alive."

Damon shook his head and turned to Alaric for answers. "I don't get it. Who are they talking about?"

"Bella, Isabella Swan," Alaric answered.

Damon's eyebrows twitched, "And… who's that?"

"Their sister, their little sister."

*VDT *VDT *VDT

"I still don't understand how you convinced Damon to stay behind," Jeremy said.

"About that…" Elena admitted. She shifted in her seat and played with her fingers. "You know how I rushed us to the airport after I got that phone call?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I may have asked Bonnie to… delay Damon," Elena said, giving Jeremy a half smile.

"You asked Bonnie to…" Jeremy's sudden laughter woke Alaric seated in the aisle seat. "That's priceless!"

"What's priceless?" Alaric asked, slowly waking up from the land of dreams. He stretched his arms in front of him until he heard two satisfying pops, then let them rest on the two armrests. He looked around, "Are we almost there yet?"

"Elena asking Bonnie to knock Damon out. And I think a little less than 30 minutes now," Jeremy answered. "But you know we still have the drive from Seattle to Forks?"

Alaric sighed, but nodded his head. And the three settled into a peaceful quietness, interrupted every now and then by restless children and whiney babies.

"You know you didn't have to come with us," Elena told him, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Jere and I could've managed alone."

Alaric gave her an inquiring look, and after seeing Jeremy shaking his head in agreement, gave him one as well. "I know I'm not your parents, and I'm definitely not Jenna, but after everything… It's the least I can do. Besides, with all the stories I've heard from everyone, I honestly look forward to meeting this girl."

Jeremy turned his head to look out the window and Elena smiled. "Thanks Alaric," she said.

"No problem," Alaric answered, relaxing further back into his seat and closing his eyes. "Besides, I didn't want to be the one left behind to face Damon's wrath. It's a good thing Bonnie's good at taking care of herself."

26 minutes later, the three stood in the lobby, waiting for Jacob Black to pick them up.

"Hey Elena," Jeremy asked. As they waited, he checked his phone for missed calls and found a voicemail from Bella. "Did Bella call you the other day? I just got a really weird message from her, and she said she'd call me back but she never did."

Elena brought out her phone. "I don't think so," she said, "But it's been really hectic, I may have missed it… Oh! She did… give me a sec…" As she listened to Bella's words, her face gradually lost its color.

"Jeremy," Elena croaked, "When was the last time you talked to Bella?"

His eyes scrunched up as he thought back. "I don't know… late July? Early August? Why?"

Elena never got to answer as a very tall, tanned teenager approached them. "Are you guys Elena and Jeremy Gilbert?" he asked.

"Yes they are," Alaric replied for them, "And I'm Alaric. Are you Jacob Black?"

He shook his head, "No, the name's Embry. Jacob stayed behind to deal with some things. Come on, car's parked over here."

"So… " Embry began, the silence in the car beginning to bug him. "You guys will be staying at Bella's house… they have a pull out couch and—"

"We've stayed there before," Elena interrupted from the back. "Is that where Bella is right now?"

Embry took a glace at her through the mirror but quickly reverted his eyes back to the road. "Bella's with Jacob on the rez right now. She hasn't really been back to her house since… Leah's been picking up stuff for her as she needs them."

Elena and Jeremy exchanged looks. "Do you think you could take us to Bella right now?" Jeremy asked.

Embry tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "I am under orders to let Jacob speak with you first."

"And why's that," Jeremy stared. But he didn't get a response, and it stayed quiet in the car for the rest of the ride.

"You're in luck," Embry pulled over. The passengers watched as a motorcyclist roared past them and screeched to a halt in the driveway. "That would be Jacob."

"That's Jacob?" Elena muttered stepping out of the vehicle. "Why do I get the feeling Bella's gotten herself into a lot of trouble?"

"You have no idea," Embry smiled though the window. He waited, watching Elena, Jeremy, and Alaric head indoors, until Jacob walked up to him. The small smile left his face. "How's Bella doing?"

"Well, I finally got her to get some sleep," Jacob admitted, running a hand through his long ebony hair. "But since she's been waking up from nightmares so often I'm not sure how long this time will last."

Embry nodded solemnly. He pondered his thoughts for a second before asking, "I don't get it Jake. Why couldn't Elena and Jeremy go immediately to Bella? They're really worried about her, you should've seen them in the car – Elena looked like she was going to burst into tears any second."

Jake shook his head, dismayed. "Because she doesn't even know they're here," Jake admitted. "Look, I gotta to go. Keep an eye on Bella; she's at Sam's place right now. If she wakes up please call."

"Got it boss," Embry nodded. He took off without another notice.

Sighing with the thought of what was to come, Jacob trudged through the front door to see Jeremy setting up the pull out couch and an older man setting some sheets nearby on the floor.

"Hey," Jeremy greeted, pausing his task. "We thought it would've been weird to stay in Charlie's room, so Elena took Bella's and we're taking here… Oh, this is Alaric. He's my and Elena's…. he's our guardian."

Alaric shot Jeremy a quick look, before walking up to Jacob to shake his hand. "It's nice to meet you Jacob."

Jacob returned the greeting. "I think I remember Bella mentioning you. She was really happy when she found out her aunt had finally found a descent guy…" He stopped as he took count of the look on Alaric's face. "Sorry, I've been told I need to think before I speak."

"No," Alaric assured him, "It's ok, really. Jenna was a pretty awesome person… She always said Bella was her second niece."

"Are you kidding? I swear she loved Bella more than me," Elena joked coming down the stairs. "And it's nice to finally meet you Jacob." She didn't hesitate to give him a big hug. "Thank you for taking care of her."

Jacob frowned.

"So why did we have to talk to you first before we can see Bella?" Jeremy asked. He had finished setting up his bed and came to stand beside his sister.

"Right," Jacob said. "I'm in charge of giving you the details of what's been going on… um, sorta like I'm preparing you, warning you? …I'm supposed to give you a heads up on what you're probably going to see so you don't accidently upset Bella even more… yeah, that's it!" Jake smiled. "You get what I'm saying?"

"Not a clue." Jeremy deadpanned.

"Damn. Well then let me just say what I have to say then I'll lead you guys to her." The trio nodded.

"Well first things first," Jacob started. "Bella requested that no one was to inform you of what happened. In other words, Bella has no idea you guys are even here."

"What?" Elena said.

"She had this whole huge explanation on why she didn't want you two to show up, but it boils down to the fact that she didn't want to trouble you guys by making you come, that you guys already had enough on your plate and it would be mean to pile up even more," Jacob said. "Hence the, 'I don't want any of you to call anyone from Mystic Falls'."

Jeremy and Elena made eye contact, that sounded an awful lot like what they said when it came to Jenna's funeral.

Jacob wasn't done though. "Of course she had no idea what she was talking about! She was being stupid and idiotic and foolish and so... so freaken' selfless! …But, I guess it didn't really matter what she said since I already called Jeremy earlier. It only took three days and here you guys are."

"We would've come sooner," Jeremy said, "but somebody was reluctant to let us go."

"Jeremy!" Elena chided. "What he means to say is that we had some prior commitments to take care of, but the second we got free we came straight here."

Jacob could only nod his head. "Riight… Anyway, Bella is basically crap right now. She's barely eating, her sleep is constantly disturbed by nightmares, and it doesn't help that she was the one who found Charlie."

"She was the one to find him?!" Elena said aghast.

"It was bad," Jacob admitted. His fists clenched and you almost hear his teeth grinding against each other. "It was really really bad. At one point we thought his death was going to kill her." Elena's and Jeremy's eyes grew big. "No! I mean, I meant… She's getting better."

"Can I ask how Charlie passed on?" Alaric spoke up, but quickly backed down after seeing anger seep into Jacob's eyes. "Nevermind, I know I'm in no place to ask."

"No!" Jacob quickly assured the man. "You have just as much right as everyone else! It's just that we, the pack that is, feel as though we could've done something to prevent his death… But we failed."

"I'm sure that isn't true," Elena argued. "I'm sure you guys did everything you could in your power. You can't possibly take the blame for something you have no control over." Elena eyed him. "And don't even think for a second that Bella blames you for this because she doesn't. Trust me."

Jacob shook his head, "You really remind me of her you know." He turned to address Alaric. "Basically, Charlie was at the wrong place at the worst possible time. There has been a long stream of deaths in Seattle recently and Charlie had apparently picked up a lead. He informed his colleague he was going to meet up with his source.

"An unknown person, who we're now assuming is an accomplice, later approached Bella and hinted about Charlie being in danger. I got a call from her a couple minutes afterword…" Jacob's gaze drifted off. " She was freaking out, saying how it was all her fault… I couldn't get her to calm down. She kept repeating 'the meadow' and 'Charlie' and 'Vic—"

A haunted look entered Jacob's dark eyes. "Before she hung up on me she said she was sorry. She told me she loved me and she'd always be my best friend… It was like she was saying goodbye."

"Jake…" Elena said worriedly. She placed a comforting hand on his forearm.

Jacob looked down at it before meeting her eyes and continuing. "No one could find either Charlie or Bella. Everyone had searched the town as well as the reservation and not one could find a trace… Eventually I remembered Bella telling me about this meadow the lee—Edward, this meadow Edward would always bring them to. She said it was their little sanctuary. We tore apart the forest looking for it; we were frantic by that point. It seemed like hours until Seth called everyone saying he found it, saying he found them…

"When I got there… Bells was just sitting there. She had Charlie's head in her lap and her eyes wouldn't leave his face. There was blood everywhere… there was so much blood… Sam told me they needed to make sure Bella was ok, they couldn't tell if she was hurt or not, but every time they tried moving Charlie from her she'd cry out.

"It took me a while to reach her. She wasn't crying, but at the same time it felt like she was. Her eyes were unfocused and empty, completely empty… she wasn't blinking. I didn't know what to do so I just began talking, I don't know what about but I didn't stop, and slowly… a tear fell, then another, and another. She blinked once, twice, and then she turned to me with the most broken look I've ever seen… She passed out as soon as the others took Charlie away…"

A grim silence filled the air as the magnitude of Jacob's words hit them.

"I—We need to see her Jacob," Elena said, breaking the stillness. Her hand clenched tighter around his arm. "Now."

He nodded and gently released her hold on him. "You can follow me in Bella's truck, the keys should be inside the glove compartment."

Sam greeted them ten minutes later. He led the party to the guest bedroom where Bella lay, thanked them for coming, and pulled Jacob away to talk with him in the kitchen.

No one entered the room at first. They just stood there. "I'll wait here," Alaric took initiative, giving Jeremy a small nudge forward.

The two siblings nodded and wordlessly entered the room. Heavy drapes hanging in front of the window caused the place to look eerily dark, seeing how it was only midday. Bella lay snuggled under deep burgundy covers, her face peacefully at ease.

"Oh Bella…" Elena whispered brushing a few of Bella's stray hairs from her face. "You've been through so much…"

Jeremy stood uncomfortably at the foot of the bed, arms held stiffly at his side. It dawned on him that the last time the three of them were together in a room was in November… when Bella was in the hospital.

"No… no… please…."

Jeremy shot a look at Elena who in turn looked down at Bella.

"No… Dad…" Bella began tossing and turning, the covers getting bunched from being moved back and forth. "Stop… please… no…"

"Bella," Elena coaxed at her shoulder. "Bella it's just a nightmare—"

"No… No stop! …Daddy!" Bella sprung forward, eyes wide open, chest heaving. "…Daddy…" Unaware of the viewers, she shoved her face in her hands and cried.

Elena looked unsurely at Jeremy who returned the same lost expression. Not knowing what else to do, she hesitantly reached out a hand to gently place it on Bella's shoulder. "It's ok Bella."

At first, Bella jumped at the contact, but as the familiar voice washed over her, she froze. Almost unwillingly, she slowly raised her head, very suddenly making eye contact with Jeremy. Her gaze lingered on his profile before it gradually landed on Elena.

She did say anything, just watched. Noting this, Elena lightly sat on the bed facing Bella, then carefully pulled the girl into a hug. "We're here Bella. We're here."

Jeremy watched as Bella's face scrunched up trying to withhold the on slaughter of tears, but eventually she gave in. She wrapped her arms tightly around Elena, dug her face into the comforting shoulder, and let everything out.

Walking around the other side of the bed, Jeremy sat down behind Bella and joined the embrace. "We're here Bells. We're not leaving."

Time passed unacknowledged, and eventually Bella's cries ceased and her breathing evened out. "She's asleep," Jeremy whispered as Elena gingerly unattached herself from the hug. She stood up as Jeremy got himself situated on the bed. He rested his back on the headboard and tenderly lowered Bella so her head rested on his leg. As though understanding the new positions, she shifted so she lay on her side, allowing Jeremy to place his hand on her arm.

Elena looked lovingly at the two of them. "I'm going to get some fresh air real quick," she told Jeremy. "Will you be ok?" Jeremy responded with a sarcastic look. "Right. Well, I'll be back."

She was trying to be strong, she really was, but as soon as the bedroom door closed behind her all her walls just went crashing down. She walked until she passed the kitchen where she could hear Jacob talking to a girl, passed the assortment of guys lounging in the living room, passed Alaric and Sam who tried to get her attention by calling out her name, and came to find her solstice behind front door. It shut soundly behind her.

Alaric gave Sam an apologetic look and followed his charge through the entryway. She hadn't got far, only standing at the far right end of the porch. He walked until he stood beside her, offering silent support.

"I don't know what to do Ric," Elena said, her eyes fixed on something in the distance. "She's in pain and I have absolutely no idea how to help her."

Alaric took his time answering. "Elena, you are already giving her exactly what she needs. Your support, your empathy, your hugs, your love… Right now, Bella just needs to be reminded that there are still people here who care about her, who love her unconditionally. Elena, you're already giving her that and more."

It took him by surprise when he suddenly found Elena in his arms, her hands digging into his shirt as her tears stained it wet. He stood still, but in the end he came to relax and wrap his arms securely around her. "You're doing amazing Elena, simply amazing."