"You lied to me Billy! If you had just been honest, and told me I would have asked to what you thought. But now, you don't get a say in this. That's how it works with me." I explained for the 10th time as I packed my bags. Billy and I had been fighting for a good hour now, Jake had given up 15 minutes in. Apologizing for betraying my trust and walked out the door, but Billy didn't waver so easy.
"Bella, be reasonable. They're vampires!" Billy yelled from my door.
"Yea, and Jake's a werewolf, so what? They are my family just as much as you or Charlie. I would do this for any one of the pack, and you would too." I started looking him in the eye. His shoulders slumped with defeat.
"I know you care for them Bella, but-" Billy began again.
"No! That's it Billy. I've listen to you, I know how you feel. I'm doing this anyway, please accept that." I turned my back as he started to open his mouth.
"Fine Bella. Just remember what them leaving did to you," he said as he backed his chair out of my room and down the hall.
About half an hour later I had gathered all the things I needed, and made my way to the kitchen to call my ride when I noticed Billy. He was sat, facing the backyard that led to the forest edge.
"Bella, there's something else I need to tell you," he said looking out the back window.
"What is it Billy?" I sighed, sure that whatever was about to come out of his mouth would be less than pleasing.
"About six months ago, the boys caught a scent by your old house." He said, not turning to look at me.
"A scent? What kind of scent?" I asked.
"A vampire," he answered calmly, I swallowed hard. Was it the vampire that killed Charlie?
"What happened?" I asked in the least terrified voice I could muster.
"It was Charlie, he had been turned." He still wasn't looking at me, which I didn't mind since I'm sure my face was a wreck. Charlie came back, but why? Was he hunting, was he looking for something. Could that something possibly be me? And if it was, why was he looking?
After a long pause, he continued.
"He asked where you were," Billy said looking down at his lap.
"Charlie did? He remembered me?" I asked, trying not to get my hopes up.
"It would seem so," he responded, finally turning his chair to look at me. He looked worn-down, more so than normal.
I had questions, probably about a thousand but I wouldn't ask Billy. It was time to leave, and I knew that he never would have shared this with me had Esme not come back.
I stood without commenting further, grabbing my bags where I dropped them.
"I'll let you or one of the guys know when we make it there," I said briskly walking out the front door.
I walked out the door to find Quil sitting on the front steps. I asked Quil to come pick me up so he could drop me off at my old house in Forks to meet up with Esme so I wouldn't have to leave my car there. As Esme was the new owner I don't think she would have cared, but best not to get people wondering.
We didn't say anything to each other, he just looked up at me with guilt in his eyes. He must have heard Billy telling me what had happened.
I loved Quil, I really did, and I'm almost positive he would have wanted to tell me about seeing Charlie. But I was absolute in knowing that it wasn't his decision.
After another moment of silence, I handed him the keys to my truck so he could drive us.
We were outside of my old house before either of us spoke.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about what happened," Quil said, breaking the silence that had enveloped us.
"Thank you for saying that," I responded quietly. I wasn't totally ready to forgive any of the guys for keeping something like that from me.
"I'm surprised you didn't chew Billy up one side and down the other," he said like he was waiting for me to blow up. When I said nothing, we fell into silence again.
"Will you please stay?" He begged looking like a puppy.
"Can't stay Quil," I said softly. "More than ever I think I should do this," I sniffed, trying not to get emotional.
"When will you be back?" he asked. I pushed open my door and went around back to grab my things. Quil quickly came around to meet me.
"I'm really not sure, and I start school in the fall. I may have to go straight to campus." I said honestly. Esme still hadn't explained everything but I suspected this thing with Emmett could take some time.
I plucked my things from the back of the car, I didn't have too much. A suitcase and two bags.
"I'll tell you everything about that day if you just stay Bella," Quil tried to bribe me with information about my father. I looked at him, his eyes were cast down. I understood what he was doing, and if it was anyone else I probably would have gotten upset. But I could see where Quil was coming from.
We had gotten close over the last year, and he didn't want to see me hurt.
"I know what you're doing, and it won't work. I love you, and I forgive you for keeping something like that from me. I understand why you did it, now it's your turn to understand. And please Quil, try to understand. This is something that I have to do.
"For a year now you've been helping me, all of you. Now it's my turn to help someone I love, I didn't make this decision lightly. And part of me is fucking terrified if I'm being honest."
"Shouldn't that be a sign not to go?" He asked quietly.
"I'm afraid not," I said simply. He looked at me then, he looked sad almost dejected. I suppose he really thought he could talk be out of it, he should have known better by now.
I took a step towards him, dumping my things on the ground and wrapping my arms around him. He responded immediately, wrapping his long arms all the way around me and lifting me.
"Crap, I'm going to miss you." He mumbled into my hair.
"I'm going to miss you too kid, you better call me." I said trying to keep the tears at bay.
"Please call me if something happens, I will run there if I have to." Quil whispered softly in my ear.
"You will be the first one I call, promise." I whispered back. I had the highest of hopes but knew that one day, I might have to take him up on that.
"Alright, I'd better go." Quil said pulling back, he looked like he might cry. My heart clenched in my chest.
I grabbed my things quickly before I dissolved into tears myself.
"Call me soon," I shouted from the walk to the front porch as Quil began to back the car away.
Esme greeted me at the front door, opening it wide so my bags and I could fit in.
"We'll drive to Sea-Tac, the flight is only about an hour." she said quickly, taking the bags from my hands. She walked into the garage and flipped on the light. There was a dark tinted European SUV, Esme haphazardly threw my bags in the back.
"In a rush, are we?" I asked as I walked over to the passenger side.
"Yes, sorry dear. I received a call from Alice while you were packing your things. They were able to get him to go hunting so I booked the first flight out."
"When's the flight?" I asked closing the car door behind me and fastening my seatbelt.
"Two hours," she said peeling out of the drive, I hadn't even noticed that she opened the garage.
"But Seattle is over 3 hours away," I said pulling the seat belt tighter across my torso.
"My children aren't the only ones who enjoy speed," she grinned at me.
"Ok, and when will you be able to explain all this to me?"
"Suppose I should do that know, we won't be able to openly speak on the plane." Finally! I was going to get some answers.
"Three days ago, Rose took Emmett out into the woods. We aren't exactly sure what she said to him, but she came back to the house and he didn't. I tried to speak with her but all she did was grab some of her things and leave the house.
"I wasn't sure he was coming back, we were about to go looking when Jasper started to feel something. Emmett was in complete and totally emotional turmoil.
"It didn't take us long to find him, but when we did, there was no reasoning with him. I would use the word feral but, there was no anger. He was just confused. He had no idea what was going on. He couldn't recall hardly anything. He didn't know how he got there, or remember his talk with Rosalie. He didn't remember us, he also thought it was 1935 and he had just been changed."
"But he did know he was a vampire?" I asked.
"Yes, thankfully he did seem to have an understanding of what he was." Esme said, looking at me.
"I don't get it, you said he was asking for me? How does he remember who I am, but none of you?"
"That is one of the many questions we have. Along with, if he thinks it's 1935, when does he think he met you?" There was a moment of silence as we both thought.
"What do you think is going to happen when he sees me?"
"That my dear is something we cannot agree upon. I believe he may regain his old memories upon seeing you. Jasper thinks he may get violent, though I think that's just Jasper. And Alice, well, you can ask her when you see her." She said that last bit with a slight smile. The first one I had seen since we began this conversation.
"Wait, how has Alice not seen all of this?" I asked, suddenly realizing that she should be able to see whatever future response Emmett was going to have to me.
"I was wondering how long it would take you to ask that. It seems, whatever Rosalie has done to him caused Alice to lose the ability to see his future." She explained, seeming more than a little pissed.
"You really think Rosalie did this to him?"
"Who else could it have been? She was the last one to see him. She didn't tell us she was leaving him until after she had done it. Beside the fact that we haven't been able to get ahold of her,"
"So... Jasper couldn't feel anything from her? Like her falling out of love?"
"That has actually been very hard for Jasper. He swears her emotions never changed, I think, perhaps it means she was never in love with him."
I didn't know what to say to that. I could never get a read on Rose, but I could have sworn Emmett was truly in love with her. And he didn't seem like one who could be easily fooled. Though he and I didn't get the chance to speak often, so maybe I never really knew him.
After a few moments of silence Esme spoke up.
"Can I ask you something dear?" she said quietly.
"Of course," I responded.
"What was Quil talking about when you two were outside?" She asked not looking at me.
"Eavesdropping, were we?" I asked slyly.
"Vampire hearing Bella, you truly can't help it." She winked down at me.
"Which part?" I asked trying to recall the conversation.
"He apologized for not telling you 'what happened'. What did he mean?" she asked looking at the road.
"Oh, just about the phone calls you and Carlisle made, he knew about them." I lied.
"I see," she said still watching the road. Not for the first time I lied to a vampire and not for the first time, I was unsure if I'd gotten away with it.
"Where are you living now?"
"Outside of a town call Missoula," she explained.
"Montana?" I laughed. "You didn't move very, far did you?" It was a long drive from Forks to Montana but it was only one state away. I figured they would have gone to Canada, or the Bahamas.
"I refused to move any further away, the others wanted to go to Alaska. Edward did eventually, but I wanted to stay close."
"Close to what?" I asked incredulously.
"To you dear," she turned to me with a smile.
"Oh," I said lamely. Her statement brought a lightness to my heart, but a sinking feeling in my gut. I didn't get it, if they all cared about me so much then why was it so easy for them to leave?