AN: Because I'm oh-so-casually futzing with Bella's age to match her with Adam, the events of the Saga will also swing forwards, spanning 2007 to 2009 instead of 2005 to 2007. SPN-wise, this means that around the time Bella and Adam meet, Sam and Dean are in Rhode Island investigating and 'angel' of death that turns out to be a preacher's spirit gone vigilante.

Also, points to anyone who can guess what this fic is named after…

Chapter Three – Wayward Son

His mom had been quiet lately. Adam knew it had to do with his dad; it always had to do with John, but this was…

This time he was worried, because she seemed worried.

Through a small gap in the kitchen door he could see her sitting on the sofa with bills and letters and even a few open books lying in front of her on the coffee table. But out of all those papers and paraphernalia there was one crumpled set of pages that she would not put down. She flattened them on the table top and smoothed them with her fingertips, then, gripping them tight, read them with hasty eyes. Like she'd done it dozens of times before.

When Adam got a glimpse of the pages contents it was in his father's boxy tradesman's handwriting; hectic notes and diagrams, cross-outs and corrections evident even in the dim light of the corner table lamp and his mother's laptop.

It was not the first time he'd seen those pages, but he hadn't gathered the courage to ask her about them and he refused to go snooping through her things looking for those pages when she was on a late shift at the ED.

Still. He hated not knowing.

He hated being reminded of his dad like this; hated that it was hurting his mom.

Hated that after all this time he still missed the guy.

He cleared his throat and called out, "Mom, popcorn's done; I'm heading up, okay?"

Kate startled and looked up as Adam pushed the door open and put his head around it, then gave him a weak smile and nodded. She looked tired.

"Okay, hon, enjoy your movie."

"You need anything?"

"No, I'm good. Night, sweetheart."

"Night, Mom."

He turned and went upstairs, breathing through his nose and trying to concentrate on the scent of the popcorn.

In his room a figure was standing in front of his bookshelf, examining his science fair prizes and the spines of his DVD collection, mixed through with his novels and old medical journals.

"Hey," Adam said, "see something you like?"

Bella turned, her banner of russet hair drifting over one shoulder. She smirked, holding up his boxset of Firefly in one hand like it was a smoking gun.

"You really are a nerd, huh?"

"Don't mock," Adam told her seriously. "Whedon's like the only one who got the whole there's-actually-no-air-in-space-so-of-course-you-can't-hear-the-spaceships-during-an-exterior-shot thing right."

One of Bella's eyebrows went up.

"Respect the science, Bells, and respect the Sci-Fi."

She grinned, rolling her eyes. "I have total respect for the science. And the Sci-Fi."

This time Adam gave her a look.

"Most of the time," she amended. "Speaking of, enough with the secretive crap. What's this movie I just have to see?"

"Okay, well, you know Ridley Scott?"

Bella narrowed her dark eyes. "He's ringing a bell."

"He's a director. You know, Alien? Black Hawk Down? Gladiator?"

"Oh God."

"Don't make that face. This is one of his best ones," Adam continued, digging through his shelves and pulling out a DVD. He held it out to her. "And I got the Director's Cut version, too."

Bella was inspecting the case. "Blade Runner?"

"Uh huh."

"Adam, I don't know…"

"Look, you watch this and I solemnly swear to sit through the whole of the BBC's production of Pride and Prejudice with you."

Bella stared at him. Her lips twitched with the beginnings of a smile.

"No way…" she whispered. "How do you even know there was a BBC production of Pride and Prejudice? You're a dude!"

"…I may have got it on DVD for my mom for her last birthday."

Bella was full on grinning now.

"Oh. My. God."

"Do we have a deal?"

"You bet your ass we do."

They spend the next hour crashed out on Adam's bed, facing his desk with his computer doubling as a DVD player and following the exploits of Richard Deckard (Bella with rapt attention).

It was nice. Adam had been a little worried he wouldn't be able to make friends in a town like Forks, where just about all the kids at the tiny high school knew each other from the local kindergarten and had practically grown up together. Windom had maybe fifteen hundred people over Forks and Adam had gone to a high school just a little bigger than Forks High; he had seen how hard it was for new kids to integrate into a little community like that. He felt bad now for not making more of an effort back then, when he had been the kid with all the friends from kindergarten.

Admittedly, it wasn't as bad as he'd thought – his position as something of a novelty had at least gotten him talked to, and a few interested looks from a few girls (and Edward Cullen that one time but Adam didn't like to think about that because Cullen and his siblings had freaky eyes and made the hair on the back of his neck stand up) – but he hadn't really clicked with anyone.

And then, there was Bella.

Click.

It felt like they'd been friends for years, not days. He trusted her, and felt like she trusted him too. He felt like he could tell her things he hadn't ever told his friends back in Windom. Occasionally, it freaked him out a little, but when he'd told his mom she'd just smiled and said, "Sometimes it's just like that, honey, sometimes it's just as easy as breathing."

Easy as breathing. Easy.

Maybe that's why, during a self-imposed intermission, Adam found himself murmuring, "Hey, Bella? Can I ask you something?"

"Yes, I think it's feasible that Edward Cullen is totally gay for you."

Adam stared at her. "What?"

Bella blinked back at him and said innocently, "Was that not what you were gonna ask?"

"No!"

"Oh. Oops." She gave him a look of solemn interest. "Continue."

Adam narrowed his eyes at her. "…Fine. But we're coming back to…that later."

She smiled. "Of course we are. What was your actual question?"

Adam cleared his throat and looked down at his hands, picking at his bedspread, suddenly a little uncertain. It was a personal question after all.

"Do you think…? I mean, did your mom ever miss your dad, after you guys moved away?"

He looked up when Bella remained silent for so long, afraid he'd offended her, but she was gazing thoughtfully out his window, calmly watching the rain scatter over the driveway and through the swaying pines.

"I think so," she said softly, then nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, she definitely did. I think she still loved him for a long time after that."

"Enough that she might have gone back? Or thought about it?"

Her gaze switched from the rain to him, her eyes sad.

"Forget I asked," Adam backtracked. "Bells, I'm sorry, I shouldn't –"

"No," she said quickly. "No, it's fine, it's just… I haven't thought about it in a while and I…"

She sighed, running one hand over her forehead and brushing her hair back.

"I think… I think, if she'd been a different person, she might have gone back to him or spent more time trying to convince him to move out to Cali when we lived with Gran. But…I don't think how much she loved him was the problem… I think it was just that our life worked the way it was, and she knew that she'd never get Charlie out of Forks."

"Not for love nor money, huh?"

She smiled. "Yeah."

When her eyes found his again they were shrewd.

"Why do you ask?"

Adam went back to picking at his bedspread. "Year and a half of radio silence kind of makes you wonder, y'know? What could possibly keep a roadie mechanic so busy he can't even get to a phone?"

"He hasn't even called you guys?" Bella breathed, incredulous. "God. I mean I know you said you didn't see him very often but…"

"It used to be different," Adam muttered. "I hardly saw him, but he called every other week unless he got snowed under with a job."

"So you thought he was snowed under again?" Bella asked, "And that's why he wasn't calling?"

"Yeah. But then weeks turned into months, and then it was a year since we'd heard anything from him…" He sighed through his nose, feeling his gut tighten. "It's too long for it to be a job."

When he met Bella's eyes she was watching him, expression sharp with realization.

"You think something's happened to him," she said. "That's why he hasn't come back or called."

"No, I…"

"Yes," Bella said gently, her face softening. "Yes, because you know he cares enough about you and your mom to come back. And if he hasn't…"

"If hasn't then he's stuck somewhere or he's dead," Adam said, voice a little thicker than he meant it to be. "And my mom's going to get her heart broken. Again."

Bella watched him for a moment, then leant down and press her forehead against his. Adam closed his eyes when she pressed her palm to his cheek. He could feel her breath, warm against his mouth.

"Whatever happens," she murmured, "I'm here."

"I know."

In the dream he was filled with light. It shone from him, from inside him, bright blue sparks spilling from under his fingernails, shaken from his hair, dancing in clouds from his every breath.

Before him stood Bella, wreathed in gold. Smiling.

She reached for him gold and white sparks falling in a cascade of light from her fingertips, her flesh lit up so brightly he could see the ruby lines of her veins and the brass shadows of her bones. She reached for him, touching his face.

Their lips met and the world went white.

Adam woke laughing, his skin tingling and his heart thudding, and had no idea why.

School was persistently average after the weekend. Adam tried to put his dad out of his mind and focus on his school work.

And Bella.

And the persistent interest of at least four boys, other than himself, in Bella (prom was admittedly approaching, but seriously, cool your jets guys, goddamn).

And trying not to focus on Edward Cullen's persistent interest in both himself and Bella which was really starting to get a little be creepy, especially in light of Bella's not-so-innocent comment yesterday.

It did, however, bear dealing with. Just not with Bella, who would laugh at him.

An opportunity came up late in the day, during his study period…

"So," Adam said to Angela with the air of someone adding catalyst to an unknown chemical combination, "Bella thinks Cullen's totally gay for me."

Angela looked up from her English notes, Exorcist-slow and stared at him, brown eyes startled.

"What?" she said. At least she'd kept her voice low.

"Bella. Thinks Cullen wants my body."

"No, I heard you, I just…wow." She tilted her head to one side, thoughtful. "That would explain a few things."

"…excuse me?"

"Was that not the answer you were expecting?" Angela asked solicitously.

It's a conspiracy, Adam thought savagely.

"No," Adam snapped. "You're supposed to comfort me and say, 'no, of course not, he can't possibly be gay for you, Bella is cruelly toying with you.' Or something."

"I can't imagine why she would toy with you," Angela said reasonably. "But then I suppose you know her a bit better. You two do seem close."

Adam ignored the offer to discuss his relationship with his clearly tricksy friend and said, "Seriously, do you think he's gay for me?"

"Is that a problem?"

"What? No, I just…uh…it's kind of creepy?"

Angela gave him a disapproving look. "Homophobia is a refuge of a weak and fearful mind, Adam."

Which was interesting, coming from the daughter of a preacher.

"No! No, no, I'm not a homophobe, Ang, I have friends who're gay. It's just… it's not the gay that's creepy, it's the Cullen."

Angela blinked at him. "Oh. You don't like him?"

"Honestly?" Adam rubbed at the back of his neck; he was getting a phantom cold spot there from just thinking about Cullen and his strange eyes. "He kinda freaks me out."

Angela bit her lip, clearly torn. "Well, sometimes he can be a bit…odd. But you can't help how you feel," she acknowledged. "Do you want me to talk to him?"

Adam quickly shook his head. "No, no, that's okay… I mean it's not like it's just me, right?"

"…you think he's gay for someone else as well?" Angela asked, curious (but fighting a smile; Adam had the sneaking suspicion she had spent the majority of the conversation pulling his leg).

"Uh…no. I just mean…have you noticed him watching Bella, a bit?"

Angela looked… No, really?

She looked guilty.

"Well, yes," she said. "But I think he feels bad about not wanting to sit with her on her first day. He told me last time we had Bio II that he wants to apologise to her."

Adam felt his eyes narrow with automatic suspicion. "Oh really?"

Angela nodded. "He asked if you would swap seats for the next class, so he could talk to her."

Oh-ho, conspiring with the enemy, are we?

"Did he now?"

"Adam."

"What?"

"Is this meant to be an impersonation of the Count of Monte Cristo or are you just naturally this suspicious and maniacal?"

Adam made an effort to appear less suspicious and maniacal and said, "I just don't trust the dude, y'know?"

"Well, to be fair, you don't know him that well. I wouldn't expect you to."

Adam wanted to say that, actually, he was a pretty trusting guy, but when a dude eyes you up like you're a piece of meat on a semi-regular basis and then treats your best friend like she's contagious on her first day he'd trust them about as far as he could throw them.

Adam reckoned, if he really put his back into it, he could throw Edward Cullen about three feet. Maybe.

That's not a lot of trust.

Instead of saying this, he sensibly kept quiet and nodded at Angie. There was a pause as the pair of them went back to their school work.

Then, "Adam."

Adam looked up from the exploits of Chaucer's pilgrims to find Angie wearing her Very Serious Face.

"I trust him."

"Okay…"

"And I think you should swap seats with him; let him apologise to Bella."

"Angie…"

"She's my friend too, you know," she tells him, "and I don't want my friends to be unhappy with each other. Imagine how awkward it would make my birthday parties."

Adam returned her brief smile.

"And…it can't hurt to let him try. He might surprise you."

Yeah right, he thought. "Yeah, maybe. But you owe me."

Angie raised her eyebrows at him, enquiring. "Oh?"

"Yeah, for when Bella kicks my ass for this."

"…Deal."

That night, for the first time in what felt like a long time, Adam made a call.

"…this is John. Leave me a message or call Singer if it's urgent."

Needless to say, Adam did not have 'Singer's number. His life, and his mother's might have been significantly less stressful it he had.

"Hey," he said, keeping his voice low and mindful of his mother similarly getting ready for bed just down the hall, "its Adam again, obviously… Don't really know why I'm calling again, but…felt like I needed to.

He rubbed a hand over his face. His eyes ached; too long reading by the dim light of his desk lamp and he felt tired down to his bones.

And homesick.

"Look, I know I've said this before, but we could really do with seeing you. If you can get here, I mean, which I'm starting to think you can't. Mom…Mom seems worried about something and for once I don't feel like I can talk to her about it. Mostly because I'm pretty sure it's you that she's worried about. She's got some papers of yours or whatever, and she keeps reading them and getting this look on her face…

"Dad, please, just…just tell me if you're alive or not, at least. Even just that and I'll be happy.

"…bye."

AN: I know I'm sort of meandering here, but I wanted you guys to get a good look at Adam before we get to Edward's chat with Bella…and I really want that particular chapter to be from her POV lol. As usual, let me know whatcha think!