Chapter 7: Charlie Swan

When Charlie came face to face with what Bella's life is like, he took it as any "normal" human being was..if you were a Swan. Being in this new bed, Charlie hadn't gotten so much sleep in ages. What really woke him was the quietness. He got out of bed, dressed in gray sweats and a Forks Police Academy t-shirt. He slipped on his "manly" baseball slippers and made his way towards what he hoped for was Bella. He made his way quietly down the hall and noticed an open door. He knocked peaking his head inside to see Bella laying in bed with a small woman next to her bedside. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Oh! You must be Charlie. I'm Fred." She held her hand out and Charlie shook it. He glanced at Bella noticing she looked rather tired. "Is she alright?" Fred shook her head and pulled Charlie along. Fred lifted up the shirt Angel had put over her showing Charlie the physical damage her visions have been giving her. "What the hell did this?" Fred sat Charlie down explaining the last few weeks and her visions. "So a Beast is tormenting my daughter because of some sick twisted game? But yet also because Bella thinks this Cordelia woman is connected to it? Well where the hell is she, because I'll end her now if that's what needs to be done. Why didn't she say anything?" Fred sat back down. "Well..Lorne who is a demon, got into an argument with her and Bella felt it best to keep these a secret because she thought we were stressed and should be focusing on helping our friend." Fred sniffled a little bit. "If I would've known, I would've done something." Charlie patted Fred on the back in a comforting gesture. "It's okay Kid. She's fine. Bella's a string girl. It's something I know Bella would do. Where can I find Angel? I haven't met him personally yet." Fred stood, and after putting the chair back in its place, she led Charlie downstairs.

"Guys." Fred announced and everyone looked over to see Charlie looking at them all. Only Lorne, Cordelia, and Angel were in his office. Gunn smiled and reached his hand out. "I'm Charles, but everyone calls me Gunn. It's nice to finally meet you. Bella wouldn't stop talking about you." Charlie laughed. "Good things I hope." Gunn nodded giving a laugh and went to Fred's side. "Do you need me to take shift?" Fred nodded kissing his cheek and Gunn disappeared upstairs. Charlie laid his eyes on a young boy just about Bella's age if not a year younger. "You must be Connor. Bella told me briefly about you." Charlie stuck out his hand and Connor shook it hesitantly. "How is she?" Connor inclined his head upstairs. "She's fine." Fred answered.

Charlie looked around some more finding a bookshelf full of old looking books. There was one book open to a page with a demonic looking creature that Charlie couldn't take his eyes off of. "What's this?" He asked pointing to it. Fred looked over his shoulder with a grimace. "The Beast." She answered. Charlie looked at Fred and then back to the book. "This is what she sees? What else?" Charlie opened another skimming through pages of ancient texts and demons. "Holy shit. Wait when she has these visions, she has to see these types of things?" Fred nodded showing Charlie another one. "A baby eater? What the...?" Charlie was mesmerized to say the least. It was scary and interesting all at once.

Angel's office door opened and Charlie turned looking at who he knew as Angel. "Charlie Swan. Nice to finally meet you." Angel made his way over holding his hand out with a smile. He could see why Bella likes him so much. Charlie shook his hand. "Likewise. I haven't gotten around to properly introducing myself. I've met pretty much everyone I think. But I want to talk to you about my baby. Fred gave me the run down. Can this be fixed? I also want to have a word with this Lorne and Cordelia person." Angel has to hand it the guy. He was straight to business. "I'm not sure if...you know what? They're in my office." Angel turned back around with Charlie next to him and opened his office door.

Two people turned around. One, a woman with short brown hair, and light brown eyes. The second, Charlie didn't know what to call it. "You look nothing like other demons." He commented. Lorne shrugged holding his hand out. "Lorne." Charlie shook his hand while looking him over. "So I've heard. I hear you're the one that told Bella to keep things quiet. I know you're worried or trying to help this woman get her memory back but you don't know Bella. If she feels like the people she loves are already under stress, anything she goes through will be kept secret until it blows up in everyone's faces. Now I don't know anything about this world but if something happens to her, I will kill you." Lorne looked down, still reeling from the guilt. "I know. It's nothing I don't deserve." Angel looked between them all, he wasn't overly acceptive to Lorne at the moment.

As he led everyone out, Gunn came downstairs with Bella leaning on his arm. Angel moved forward helping her down the rest of the stairs and on the couch. Charlie made his way over kneeling down next to her. "Hey kiddo." Bella gave a tired smile. "Hey, so you've met everyone huh?" Charlie nodded. "You need to get some sleep." Charlie stated running a finger under her eye. "Sleep isn't going to do anyone good. I just need to heal up. Besides I was getting cooped up in the room anyway." She chuckled. Angel warily looks her over. He wasn't big with public display, but he couldn't stop himself from running a hand through her hair.

"So what's happening right now?" Bella asked glancing at Cordelia then to Angel. "Well Lorne thinks he's come up with a memory spell. He just has to spinkle it on Cordelia's tongue." Bella nodded keeping quiet. "Okay..lets do this." Cordelia stick her tongue out as Lorne sprinkled what looked like dust on her tongue. Everyone waited silently as she looked around. "I remember. Everything." She stated. "So you remember who we are then?" Angel asked referencing the team. "Yes Angel. I just don't know these two." She pointed towards Charlie and Bella. She moved forward but a hand stopped her. It was Gunn. "I wouldn't do that." Cordelia looked confused. Bella stood instead with the help of Angel and made her way towards Cordelia. "Bella.." She stuck her hand out, taking a deep breath. She knew what was coming but it was the only way. Angel tensed ready to pull Bella away at any moment.

It was like lightening went off the moment they touched hands. There was a wind that burst through the air as both women's eyes clouded over. Charlie's eyes widened as they both started to ascend into the air. Inside their minds were memories. They were reading into the others lives but unbeknownst to Cordelia, Bella saw different things. Horrible things. It was like thunder this time as a large boom and gust of wind sent them flying in opposite directions. Angel was able to catch Bella and Lorne barely managed to catch Cordelia.

Bella let out a breath as her scars seemed to heal. Looking under her shirt she let out a groan. "Thank you Jesus." Everyone looked at the two confused. "What was that?" Gunn asked. Bella looked to Cordelia. "We just saw memories.." Cordelia look baffled. Got you bitch. Bella thought. Bella nodded. "Yeah..I'm not sure why but that's all we saw."Angel was curious though. "Do you still have visions?" He asked Cordelia. She shook her head looking rather sad. "No. I think the Powers really gave that job over to her. I saw that by the way. How you saved her." Angel nodded smiling down at Bella. "Yeah.."

"So now that Cordy has her memory, what about the Beast? " Gunn asked. "He's going to surface soon. We just need to be ready." Bella answered. Charlie was still looking at the same spot. "Dad..?" Charlie shook his head. "Oh..sorry. Does that happen often?" Everyone just shrugged as it was a new thing, and Charlie just hummed to himself. Angel dismissed himself making his way into his office with Cordelia. After he closed the door, he turned around getting a good look at her. "So..how much do you remember?" He asked. Cordelia sat in a chair and sighed. "Everything. I remember you Angel. Everything you did as Angelus. But I remember us, or what was almost us." She whispered. Angel looked away. At another point in time, he would've rejoiced, and gave in to her every whim, but he looked out the curtain in his office to see Bella. She was sitting with her father just smiling. He couldn't give that up for something that was always danced around.

"That's good..I-I'm happy. We've been worried." Cordelia stood making her way towards Angel. She looked up at him with a sad smile. "There is no us anymore is there Angel?" Angel shook his head moving Cordelia's hand away from his chest. "I'm sorry. You were just gone and the visions Bella were having about you.." He trailed off. Cordelia's eyes narrowed. "What visions?" Angel could detect something in her voice and his gut told him to lie. "Just how to get you back and worrying if you wouldn't be the same. I let you go." Cordelia nodded and stepped away from Angel. "I understand. I'm thinking it would be best to stay with Connor. I don't want to intrude and from Gunn's reaction to me getting close to Bella, I assume something weird happened." Angel said nothing as he watched her leave out his office. Angel scrubbed a hand across his face. Bella was right.

After they left, Angel came from out of his office. Angel looked around at his team and Charlie. He looked to Bella with stern eyes. "You were right. You saw something more than just Cordelia's memories. I need to know." Bella nodded pacing. "This was why I didn't want Lorne to fix her. She was harmless. Angel you knew something descended with Cordelia when you retraced the steps to where she ascended. Except Cordelia has been this things vessel since the moment she came down, but what this creature, The Devourer, didn't expect was to lose its own memory. You restored its memory. Angel do you remember the creature in the tunnels when you found me?" Angel nodded. "Yeah. Why?" Bella looked to them all her eyes glowing with knowledge. "The Devourer is from its world. That's why it said what it said. That she's coming. It's waiting for her. It. Hell I don't know. But I realized that Lorne needed to give her this memory stuff. She doesn't realize I saw her true form. Without it, The Beast would've stayed in my head. We need to stop it before it carries out its mission." Charlie looked at his daughter proudly. "Which is?" He asked. "Ultimate destruction." Bella answered.

"So we've technically let her start her evil plan then?" Gunn asked. Bella nodded. "It was the only way. Cordelia thinks we suspect nothing and that we believe that she is who she says she is, but, we will kill the beast before it can destroy the world." Bella answered. "Okay, then what about Cordelia?" Angel asked. "We'll find a way to save her."

AN: I am working on Guiding the Saviors and will have something Monday. Do you guys think I should follow the Angel timeline?