Where I Belong

Chapter 2

Song I listened to for this chapter: Never Go Back by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

Peter Whitlock POV

Has my mate lost it? I think so. Seriously, she wants to keep a human child around. I'm not exactly familiar with the pint-sized population, unless you count my brother's wife. Shit, Little Bella might be as tall as her and she can't be more than five years old.

Alice...that crazy pixiepire. What the hell does my brother see in her? I don't see it. When we met her, I immediately knew that we wouldn't like her. Not just because my shit was going off, but I just knew that she was a manipulative bitch. Just like Maria...

I shudder at that bitch's name, shaking my head and focusing back on the present. I got a task to complete, and I need to complete it fast. I have to take care of this fucking car, this fucking body, and stage two deaths. Oh, I'm in for a great fucking night. I quickly lift up Little Bit's mama's body and place it in the car, trying to think about what I'm going to do. I then get in the driver's seat to get the hell out of here, but when I turn the key, it just sputters. Ah, so that's why they were stuck. Broken down car, vampire sees opportunity for a meal.

Fucking fantastic. I turn to look at the surrounding desert and start strategizing. I guess we're going with animal attack. There's all kinds of wild animals out in the desert, bears, wolves, coyotes. Their car broke down, bear came and killed them. Horrifically tragic story. Probably be in the paper, people will mourn, and they'll move on. Easy. Bella said she doesn't have any family, so I don't expect anyone to come looking for her.

Alright, now I have to fuck up the car.

I quickly get out and smash up the car, breaking the windows and tearing the door up. I then look at Bella's mama's body, silently apologizing to it before I make it look like a bear mauled her. I then tear the door off near Bella's car seat and rip the belts connected to it. Bella was taken and dragged off by the bear. If I only had some of her blood, this story would be as solid as my skin. Whatever, it's believable enough, and we'll be in Texas anyway. I see headlights coming down the road and I take off, wanting to just get my ass home and in the shower.

But first, I make my way toward Little Bit's house, remembering the address from her mama's driver's license. It takes me a little bit of time to find, but I eventually arrive the quaint, yellow house. I hop the fence and walk around the side of the house, opening a window and quickly flitting in, landing in the kitchen. I'm a man on a mission, so I don't have time to look around. I make my way upstairs and open a door, finding it leads to what I'm assuming is her mom's room. I close the door and then walk into the room across the hall, seeing it's designed for a little girl, pink galore. I make my way over to the closet, grabbing a bag out of it and shoving random articles of clothing in it. I then grab a pair of sneakers and shove them in the bag, too.

I'm trying to not take anything too noticeable, in the chance that they do launch an investigation. I do a last check around the room before seeing a stuffed teddy bear on her bed. My shit has been going off when I see it, telling me to take it. My shit has never led me the wrong way before, so I quickly grab it and stuff it in the bag. I then walk around the house, wanting to see if there's information about Bella. I find a small desk in the dining room and open it, finding a lock box. Thankfully it's open, so I look through a couple of papers before finding some important papers - Little Bit's birth certificate and social security card.

Isabella Marie Swan. Born September 13, 1987 to Charles and Renée Swan.

She just turned four years old about a month ago. I put the papers back in the box, before rifling through the desk and finding a newspaper article and obituary from a year ago.

POLICE OFFICER KILLED IN BANK ROBBERY

There's a picture of a man that you can tell Bella gets her looks from, same brown eyes, brown hair, pale skin. Under the picture is a long article explaining that Charles Swan was killed by a robber, who escaped police. He is survived by his wife, Renée and daughter, Bella. Poor kid lost her mom and dad within a year of each other. Life is so fucking cruel sometimes. I put all of that stuff back, not finding anything else of use. I then walk into the kitchen and exit through the window again.

Running to Texas usually doesn't take long, and the trip alone isn't bad. I usually stick towards deserted roads anyway, not wanting people to see a blur of movement pass them by. Another reason Char and I travel at night when all the humans are asleep, all the cretins come out late at night to feast on.

I finally arrive at our home at around six in the morning as the grey sky is lightening, and walk right in the rancher style house. Hopefully Char won't get mad about me tracking mud in the house, the rain picked up on the way back from Phoenix. I follow the sound of a heartbeat upstairs, seeing my woman under the covers with Bella wrapped in her arms, tiny hands clutching my mate for dear life in her sleep. Char motions for me to be quiet, before looking back down at the small bundle with pure love in her eyes. Geez, not even three hours and she's got Char wrapped around her tiny finger.

Oh, no. Char can't get too attached because we are not keeping her. It will be near impossible to keep her under wraps from the Volturi. Then all of us will be killed, and I don't want my mate and this little girl's blood on my hands. I can contain the growl at the thought of the Volturi killing Char.

Shaking my worst fear out of my head, I throw the bag on the ground, Char raising an eyebrow at it. "I went to her house, figured she needed some clothes and shit." I tell her with a shrug, but the smile that crosses Char's face is breathtaking and makes me glad that I did it. She then glances back at the Little Bit, gently brushing the hair off her head. "Also found her birth certificate. You are holding one Isabella Marie Swan who was born on September 13, 1987. Found out her daddy was a police officer, died in a robbery."

Char gets a sad smile on her face, before looking out the window, seeing the rain that has steadily picked up. We should be able to go outside today and not be worried about our sparkly asses getting spotted in the Texas sun.

"You're a mess, why don't you shower?" Char quietly laughs while I playfully glare at my woman. Shaking my head, I walk into the closet to grab some clothes before connecting bathroom to take a quick shower. I shower off, listening to Char's soft hums to Bella.

Walking out of the bathroom, I feel a lot better now that I'm finally clean of the blood from Bella's mom that the rain didn't wash off. Charlotte sees me and gently break the stone hold of Bella's tiny hand on her and lay it back down on the bed, pulling the covers up, and kissing Bella's forehead. She then walks over to the dresser and grabs my wallet off the top, taking some money and placing it in her pocket. Raising an eyebrow in question, she sighs. "She needs food and some other things. I'm gonna head to the store."

My eyes widen as I realize, "You're leaving me alone with her?"

"Just for an hour, at the most. I just need to run to the store." Charlotte explains and I just gawk at her, not believing what she's saying.

"You're leaving me alone with her." I say as more of a statement, already feeling nervous. She can't leave me alone with Bella, I don't know nothing about kids. What if she wakes up? What if she asks me for something I can't give her? Shit, can a vampire hyperventilate? I think I'm going to be the first one.

"Peter, you will be okay. I'm not asking you to take on a whole army of newborns." Charlotte tells me and I roll my eyes.

"I think I might prefer that." I mutter, receiving a smack upside my head from my lovely mate.

"Peter, she is sleeping. Just stay in the room with her, she probably won't even wake up. If she does, ask her if she's thirsty. If she is, get her a glass of water. Turn on the television if she's bored. I will be back with food for her. You will be fine." Charlotte stresses the last part and I sigh, shaking my head.

"Alright. Fine." I say and she smiles, kissing me on the lips.

"Good boy." she coos, pinching my cheek while I swat her hand away, listening to her retreating form laughing all the way outside and into the garage. When I hear her pull away, I turn around towards the Little Bit, seeing her still asleep. Okay, I can do this. I can do this. Shit, I've fought in the Southern Vampire Wars along side Major Jasper Whitlock, I've dismembered hundreds of newborns, barely breaking a sweat. I can handle a four-year old little girl. This is nothing. I shake my head and walk out of the room and down the stairs, figuring Bella won't wake up for a little while considering the emotional night she had.

Walking into my living room, I plop myself on my couch and grab the remote, turning the television on. I waste about an hour watching nonsense on tv, when I hear a couple whimpers from upstairs. Oh, fuck. I jump out of my seat and flit upstairs, seeing Bella rolling around the bed while sobbing. Her eyes are closed, so I assume she's having a nightmare. Yeah, last night was a fucking nightmare. I then look over in the bag and pull out that teddy bear that I got and walk over to her shaking form, sitting down on the bed.

"Bella...Bella, wake up, you're just having a bad dream." I softly murmur, placing a hand on her arm.

"Mommy, no!" she screams, shooting up out of the bed and actually scaring the shit out of me. Jesus Christ, this little human just startled me. She then looks over to me and immediately launches herself into my arms, while I stiffen up, not knowing how to react. She sobs into my shoulder and I cringe, feeling out of my element. Oh God, Char didn't tell me what to do when she starts sobbing like this. How in God's name do I comfort a crying child? "It wasn't just a dream." she sobs out, her chest wracking as I wince.

Hesitantly, I place a hand on her back and start rubbing circles. Her sobs seem to only get louder, so I sigh and pick her up, situating her in my lap. "It's okay, Bella. You're safe now, Little Bit." I tell her, rocking her back and forth while I hold her. I think I saw this on tv once.

I then see the bear and pick it up, showing it to her. "Is this yours?"

Her tearful brown eyes immediately light up and she nods her head, frantically. I then give her the bear while she cuddles it to herself, and I can't help but smile. That is so fucking adorable. "Th-thank you." The gratitude in her brown, doe eyes just makes me so glad that I got it for her.

"You're welcome, Sweetheart." I tell her and she lays her head on my chest, holding the bear to her. I then remember what Char said to do if she wakes up. "Uh...are you thirsty, Little Bit?"

She nods her head and I smile at her before going to stand, only for Bella to whimper and hold me tighter. "Please d-don't leave me alone."

I feel something in my chest tighten at those words. "Bella, I'm not leaving you alone. I'm just going to the kitchen to get you some water." I tell her, assuring her that I'm not leaving her by herself. She just raises her brown eyes, a couple of tears slipping from them.

"Please?" she says, her lips quivering and I sigh, knowing I won't be able to say no to that face. Good thing she doesn't know that, she could probably ask for a million dollars and I'd hand it over without a second thought.

I pick Bella up, surprised when the girl curls herself into me, clutching the bear to her while the other arm is wrapped securely around my neck. I walk down the stairs and into the kitchen, Bella burying her face into my shoulder. I walk over to the cabinet where Charlotte bought glasses and dishes "to keep up appearances." I grab a glass out of the cabinet and walk over to sink. I fill up the glass and then turn off the water, Bella not making any indication of moving.

"Bella, I have your water." I tell her and she raises her head to look at me, I can't help but give her a small smile. She looks over to the water and I hand it to her, chuckling when I see the girl gulp down the water like she's been stuck in the desert. She finishes the water and hands the glass back to me. "Do you want more?"

She shakes her head no, the corners of her lips twitching up. "No, but thank you." she whispers and I smile, putting the glass on the sink. I then remember what Char said, so I walk into the living room and plop down the on the couch, the tv still on. I situate Bella in my lap as she continues to cling to me, not letting go of her little teddy bear. I flip through channels, coming across the Looney Tunes. Bella brightens up for a second, before it extinguishes and she looks a little sheepish.

"You wanna watch cartoons?" I ask her and she looks up to me from under her lashes, nodding her head. "You got good taste, Little Bit." I comment, being rewarded by her lips twitching again. I smile as she lays her head back on my shoulder, eyes glued to the television. I find myself absent-mindedly running my fingers through her hair as we watch tv. Sometimes she'll giggle, and the sound is tugging at my heart, making me smile. Eh, I could probably get used to this kid, it's not as bad as I thought. Usually, all the human kids I see are whiny little brats, but Bella is...different. Maybe it's because of what she saw last night, hopefully she won't turn into a brat.

Nah, she doesn't seem like she will.

After about an hour of watching cartoons, I feel Bella becoming dead weight in my arms. Looking down, I see her eyes are closed and her breathing is even. I'm not surprised she's asleep, she's probably physically and emotionally exhausted. I brush some of her brown curls away from her face, not even fighting the grin that twitches at my lips. She's a cute kid, Char seems to already love her. Seriously, there's no way in hell I'm going to deny my mate anything that makes her happy.

Chuckling to myself, I shake my head. Well, it looks like Bella Swan is now Bella Whitlock.

Charlotte Whitlock POV

"Finally."

I sigh as I slam the back door of the truck, walking over to the driver side and slipping in. Okay, I had a little bit of difficulty in the store picking out food. I realized that I have no idea what Bella likes and I don't know if any of this stuff is good. Walking through the aisles, I just picked up some stuff that looks easy to make - bread, peanut butter, jelly, cereal, milk, macaroni and cheese, butter, spaghetti. For now, I'll just get that. I think I'm going to have to pick up some cookbooks and ask Bella what she likes to eat.

I also grab some bath stuff for her, soap and stuff for bubble baths. My mate is a genius for going to Bella's house and getting clothes for her, though we will get some more for her in the future. I hope we have a future with Bella, I don't think I'm going to be able to give her to an orphanage. Thinking about her sad eyes and her quivering lip when she was crying, no there's no way in hell I'm giving her to an orphanage.

She's mine. I don't give a flying fuck about the Volturi. We saved her, and now she's our responsibility.

Besides, sending her to an orphange where she describes two people with red eyes that saved her isn't sticking to the whole "keep the secret" thing. Now that I'm thinking about it, should we tell her? She's bound to know something when we don't eat, when we don't sleep, when we have to leave to go feed, the super strength and speed, and most importanty - why our eyes are red. Yeah, that's bound to bring up suspicion. Right now, we only have two options - kill her or keep her. We are sure as hell not doing the former.

Right now, I just want to get back to my house, with my mate, and see Bella. I'll admit, I'm already wrapped around her finger. I got a feeling that she'll do the same to Peter. Which reminds me, I should hustle home in case she has woken up and Peter has no idea what to do. Oh, I just hope that he followed my directions.

I pull into the driveway, taking off the glasses I wore into the store to cover my eyes while ignoring the dirty looks people give me for wearing sunglasses inside. I throw them on the dashboard before flitting out of the car and quickly grabbing all of the bags. I hear Bella's heartbeat is still steady, showing that she's still asleep. I sigh in relief and walk inside the house, almost dropping my bags at the sight I see.

Peter is sitting on the couch with Bella in his lap, sleeping peacefully while clinging to him. My God, that is the cutest sight I've ever seen. Peter looks up at me with a smile, placing his fingers to his lips while looking back down at the sleeping angel in his arms with a smile full of love. Bella works quick at making people like her.

I smile and walk into the kitchen, placing the bags on the counter and puttig them all away in the cabinets and fridge where we keep extra blood we, uh..."took" from clinics. We're going to have to explain that, too.

I then put the bags away before walking to our guest room, which will now be Bella's, and putting all of the bath stuff in the bathroom. I look around the bedroom, figuring that we're going to have to order some furniture and paint it for her, any way she wants.

"Hey there, Bella." I hear Peter say and I walk out of the room, walking into the living room where Bella is rubbing her sleepy eyes. She then looks up at me and her eyes widen with recognition. I give her a tentative smile before slowly walking over to her.

"Hey, Sweet Thing. How did you sleep?" I ask her, Bella holding the teddy bear to her as she looks back and forth between Peter and I.

"Okay." she says, her gaze still flickering back and forth between us. Well, she's definitely seen the eyes, but she's not freaking out. I then hear her tummy growling and I smile as she looks a little sheepish.

"You hungry, Bella?" I ask and she looks up at me, nodding her head. I reach out to her and she takes my hand, hopping off Peter's lap and walking with me into the kitchen. I then help her up to the barstool and walk over to the cabinets. "Do you like peanut butter and jelly?"

She nods her head with wide eyes and I smile, taking out the peanut butter, jelly, and bread to make her a sandwich. I slice it into triangles and place it on a plate. "Do you want something to drink, Honey?"

"Milk?" she asks, taking a bite of the sandwich.

"You got it." I tell her, grabbing a glass out of the cabinet and filling it with milk before placing it in front of her. Peter then saunters into the room, taking a seat on the stool next to her.

"Is that good, Little Bit?" he asks her and she nods her head, her cheeks full of food as she chews. I laugh at the sight and keep the smile on my face as I watch her drink the milk.

Bella then finishes her sandwich, drinking the rest of her milk as I walk over to her. "Thank you."

"You are welcome, Sweetness." I reply, taking the plate over to the sink to wash as Peter smiles at me. You know, I think we could do this. It doesn't seem that bad raising a little girl if it's like this, and she's like this, all the time. We'll be okay.

"So...you're vampires."

Ahhh! That mind blowing moment when one of your favorite authors (Kittyinaz) on here follows your story. Seriously, I'm still screaming from excitement.

53 follows and 31 favorites. Holy shit, thank you so much! You guys are so awesome. Thank you to everyone who reviewed too! Seriously, made my freaking life.

I'm glad you're liking the start and we should see Jasper's POV in the next chapter, I just wanted to establish everything with Peter, Charlotte, and Bella first.

If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I would love to hear your ideas or requests!

I put my story on my Word Press. Link is on my profile!

Thanks a bunch

-Jalen-