Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer Chapter nine
Charlie's pov
Damn it! I should have kept my big mouth shut! Renee was going to kill me if she ever found out I mentioned our secret to Vanessa. But the way she'd been behaving, her lack of concern for her sister and her constant desire to be the centre of attention just got to me. She reminded me so much of Renee's selfishness, it rubbed me the wrong way every damn time.
Bella was like me, quiet, reserved, capable of withdrawing within herself as a defence mechanism. She was the hardest to let go of when Renee took off. Though I hated myself for it, I did favour her. Then again, Renee favoured Vanessa, so I wasn't the only parent in the wrong.
I took a deep breath, shoved aside my own issues and focused on my senses to find Bella. If she was in the forest I would be able to find her. I might even be able to track her farther out if I could get some time to focus. I debated on going into the woods, but then I would risk running into one of those damned dogs.
For a brief moment I considered going to the Cullens, asking them for help, but I wasn't going to risk exposing myself to a bunch of vampires, no matter how civil this group might be.
"Damn it!" I muttered when I drew up a blank about where to set up to find Bella.
My cell phone rang in my pocket, jolting me from my musings.
"Swan," I barked.
"Chief Swan, this is Alice Cullen," a soft musical voice told me.
"How did you get this number?"
"Bella gave it to me. Chief Swan, Bella needs you. I don't know what's happening, but I know you'll be the key to saving her." Her voice had taken on a panicked edge, one that made my muscles tense in an instinctive fight or flight response.
"Where is she?"
"She's with me and part of my family, but we really need you to come here."
"Where am I finding you?"
"I'll text you the address."
"Okay, I'll be on my way right after I've settled Vanessa at La Push."
Alice's pov
When Edward and I were hunting I got a brief flash of Charlie going to find Carlisle to help find Bella, but he quickly changed his mind sending the entire future revolving around Bella into a dark pit.
Edward, who of course had followed the scene in my head was back at the house before I could really come back from my vision. I ran after him, arriving a few seconds after he did.
I asked Bella for her father's number and called him before Edward could voice his protest, but I was sure it was coming. I informed Charlie that we needed him and couldn't quite hide the panic I felt from him. Thankfully he understood and was on his way over, but I was still on edge because he was floating in and out of my visions like Bella had when she pulled away from every one.
Edward sensed my worries, but didn't comment on them. He only sat by Bella's side, trying to cool her burning fever with his own temperature. Bella's blood had changed in scent even more that before we left and I knew that this was something we needed to worry about.
"Love, will you let me call Carlisle? We could use his medical advise."
"Do what you think is right, Edward," she murmured. "Alice, did my dad say he was coming?"
"He did. I get a feeling he could help us, possibly even more than Carlisle can."
"Why?"
"I have a feeling he can explain some things about your illness. It's nothing solid, just instinct. I think Charlie knows more about the supernatural than he lets on."
Bella closed her eyes, wincing in pain. "My dad isn't that observant, Alice," she groaned.
"Love, relax. Let's worry about your dad when he gets here, okay? I'm going to call Carlisle. Will you be okay with Esme for while?"
"Sure. Love you."
"I love you too."
I had to look away when they kissed, because it made me miss Jasper like crazy. Not only that, but there was something about seeing the two of them together that made me feel protective of them both. They were so strongly bonded to one another that I feared if they were to be separated, neither of them would survive for long. That was one of the reasons I hadn't agreed to the plan to force Edward to stay away from her.
Edward motioned me to follow him once he disentangled himself from Bella's arms. I gave Bella a quick kiss on the cheek before following my brother out of the room.
"Ali, can you see if the men at La Push suspect something?"
"I can't see the wolves once they've started phasing."
"What about the older men, the ones that don't phase? Please, try, Alice."
I nodded and made myself focus on Billy Black, one of the most prominent men on the reservation. For as far as I could see there was no reason for us to worry about the wolves in the foreseeable future. I heard Edward sigh in relief beside me.
I turned my head and smiled at him. "I'm sure things will turn out okay, Edward. You just have to be patient."
He nodded, but I could tell he had a hard time hanging onto hope. For once in all the years I spent with him, I did not know how to bring him out of this slump. I could not reassure him with a vision, nor could my words ever alleviate his worries.
All we could do for the moment was pray that Charlie and Carlisle would be here soon and would be able to help Bella get well again.
I went back in to sit at Bella's bedside while Edward called Carlisle and informed him about what was going on.
Carlisle's pov
I broke the connection feeling like my insides had been torn. I had never heard Edward sound so panicked, which meant he loved Bella far more than any of us have ever suspected. Even Jasper hadn't realized just how much. My stomach churned as I remembered how casually I had dismissed their connection when the wolves were here.
But I had no time to dwell on it. I had to get to my son and Bella. I would see if I could intercept Charlie, so that we could drive together. It might be wise to speak to him before we arrived.
"Kids," I called in a normal voice, knowing they would hear me.
Rosalie and Emmett emerged from their room, looking awfully dishevelled. I cringed at the smell of their lovemaking. Sometimes they were a bit too much to stomach. Jasper trailed into the room after them, rolling his eyes dramatically.
"I just received a call and it seems that I am needed in Canada right away. I trust you three to keep things going here and to cover for my absence when someone asks. I will contact the hospital myself. Alice and Esme will be gone longer than they first thought, so I've also excused Alice from school for the next two weeks claiming a family emergency. If you have any inclination that people are suspicious, or if the wolves demand to know why so many of us are missing, contact me immediately and I will let you know where to go and what to do. Can you promise me this?"
"Of course." Jasper muttered. "I don't understand why Alice didn't call me though."
"I think it's best that we keep as much secret as we can until we know what it going on. Please trust me on this," I offered.
They agreed, albeit reluctantly. I apologized again for not informing them properly, and then hurried to get my medical bag.
I found Charlie just outside of town, heading in the direction of Seattle. I signalled him to pull over. At first he scowled at me and stomped further on the gas, but when he realized it was me, he pulled up to the next gas station.
As I got out of the car he was already swinging a bag over his shoulder and heading my way. "I take it we're travelling together?" he said.
"We are, get in, we can talk on the way."
He nodded curtly, tossed his bag in the back seat and slid into the passenger side.
"Let's go," he muttered as soon as he had his seatbelt on.
We drove in silence for nearly an hour until I finally decided I needed to know why Alice had called Charlie and what exactly he knew.
"Charlie, can I ask why Alice called?"
He turned to me with a scowl on his face. "My daughter runs off with your son and you dare question my being here?"
"No, that's not what I meant. It's just…. I don't know what Alice's reasons were for calling you."
He inhaled deeply, cracked his neck and then turned his eyes back to me. His eyes had taken on a startling violet colour, but not only his eyes had changed, Charlie's features had altered into something more ethereal.
"Charlie?"
The man beside me snorted. "It's a ridiculous name, I know, but after three centuries Charles got tiresome. Especially now that I am bound to this body and this world for the rest of my life."
"What are you?"
"I believe you would call me a fallen angel."
It took all my senses to keep the car from swerving off the road. I was in the car with a being that we thought to be myth. My head spun.
"Can you explain this to me, because I am having a hard time comprehending this."
Charlie shook his head, his face returning back to the one I was familiar with. "Even with all that extra room you have up there?" He cocked an eyebrow at me, a smile tugging on his lips.
"You know about us." It was a statement, but he nodded in confirmation.
"I know about all creatures that live in and near Forks."
"Are there more than us and the wolves?"
"Yes, but none that would make any difference for any of us. They're creatures like wood spirits and pixies. They float in and out of this dimension and most of them like the dense forests and the humidity. They never interact with other species, though. I just know they're there because I can see them."
"This is incredible. But how did you become a fallen angel?"
Charlie winced. "It's very simplistic. I fell in love with an earthbound creature and created new life with her. Once she was pregnant, I fell, which basically means I am stuck as half human. I age, but in another thirty years, this body will rejuvenate to the age when I first came down to earth in it. So I will live on forever, repeating the same approximately fifty years over and over."
"At least you have a fifty year time frame. We are forced to repeat this charade every five to ten years."
"Ah, but you have a safe haven up in Alaska where you retreat to every few moves, right?"
"How do you know?"
"I should explain how we angels even come into existence."
"Please do," I said quietly.
"We are created to counterbalance the evil creatures that roam the earth, and note my quotation marks around the word evil. In every species there are those that are malicious and there are those that are benevolent. I didn't have to do much balancing with you. Hell, with your willpower and the good you're done the world over, I might have to do some evil things to even you out, but thankfully that's not something I have to do."
I scrambled to wrap my head around this information. "So every time a vampire is created, an angel is born?"
"No an angel is created as well. It works almost the same as creating a vampire, except it doesn't involve any biting. I can't remember much of it, but I know that we burn like you do, it's supposed to be a cleansing ritual for the human soul that is necessary to evolve into an angelic soul. Don't tell anyone I said this, but I think it's bull."
At that I had to laugh. Charlie grinned happily.
"Hmmm…" he mused. "I don't think this has ever happened before, the evil vampire and it's good angel counterpart sitting in the same car talking amicably."
I laughed so hard I would have been crying if I were still human.
Charlie's pov
I never would have expected to feel so comfortable with Carlisle. Of course I knew almost everything he has done over the centuries up until the moment I fell, but he was still a vampire and I had been imprinted with the belief he was evil.
But here I was, chatting like we had been friends for ages.
"Hey, Charlie," Carlisle started. "What happens to an angel when a vampire gets killed?"
"It's pretty nasty, but the angel burns again for three days then returns to earth in his human form without any memories. Most of them die pretty soon after, because living without any memories whatsoever drives a lot of them crazy to the point of insanity."
"That's horrible."
"Yeah, that's why I'm not too fond of the Volturi. They kill far too many of their own kind for the most ridiculous reasons. Too bad their angel counterparts are just as hungry for power. They actually help them by executing many of the re-humanised angels. Sick bastards. The world would be better off without them."
Carlisle nodded absently, no doubt mulling over the consequences of the Volturi's actions.
"Did Alice or Edward tell you what's wrong with Bella?" I asked, finally voicing my biggest worry.
"Are you sure you want me to tell you?"
"Yes. I'd rather be prepared."
"Bella and Edward consummated their relationship and ever since that happened, Bella has been steadily getting more and more sick. Her blood has been changing and she's feeling horrible."
I clenched my fists and tried my damndest to stay calm. "Did they use protection?"
"I don't think they did, seeing as vampires cannot reproduce."
At Carlisle words, I snapped my head up to glare at him. I knew my eyes were flashing violet by now. "Are you stupid? Did you ever research this statement you just uttered?"
I could see his throat work as he gulped. "No," he whispered.
"Well let me tell you, incubi are nothing more than male vampires who impregnate non-vampire females. And with Bella's genetics, it is most likely the cause for her body's violent response. She's half angel, half Siren and there is no way here body will accept your sons sperm! She'll most likely die!"
Carlisle winced. "I never realized this could happen and it's not like any of us knew about her parentage."
"I know. It's just the worry for Bella that's talking. Even me and Renee aren't sure about her genetics. From the way people respond to Bella and Vanessa, it seems that Bella has my genes and Vanessa had Renee's. We don't know what that means and up until now it never seemed to matter."
I turned to stare out the window, my stomach in tight knots. I didn't feel like calling in the help of the oracle, but depending on Bella's condition, I would have to. She would give me the tongue lashing of the century when she heard, I was sure of it.
"So Renee is a Siren?"
I chuckled. "Yeah. I was like those ridiculous sailors and was lured right into her arms. Too bad she didn't know how it would affect her when she slept with me."
"What do you mean?"
"Man, Carlisle you are too curious. One day you'll regret wanting to know about everything."
"Can't help it, I was born inquisitive."
"Fine, but don't ask me for details."
"Agreed, go ahead."
"Wood nymphs and Sirens, like Renee, are beings that exist in another dimension and only show themselves occasionally. They only come to this world to breed. They lure human men into their traps and make love to them until they have been impregnated with the next generation. It's really strange, because if they're pregnant with a boy, their body rejects the foetus. In short the come here until they're pregnant with a girl and then return to their dimension."
"Renee made the mistake of luring me, an angel disguised as a human. With her being pregnant with two girls she was welcomed back like a queen. It wasn't until the girls were born that they discovered their father wasn't human. Renee got kicked right back to earth, with the girls. Since I had already been convicted to life down here, she decided to try and make things work with me. It didn't, so she left."
I had to give Carlisle points for not looking shocked.
"Wow," he breathed after a few minutes.
"Tell me about it. You wouldn't believe how much I had to keep from spilling to my girls."
"So why didn't you tell Bella to stay away from Edward?"
"Bella is alone too much. Vanessa draws people in like she were a Siren. She's never been left wanting for company. I thought Edward would make he a good friend. I didn't expect them to run away together, though."
"That's our fault. The wolves wanted us to force Edward to stop seeing Bella. We agreed to it to keep the peace."
"Damned mutts."
Really, before those boys started phasing they were pleasant enough, but now they were interfering where they weren't wanted.
"Well, I'll be sure to pay them a visit when we know what's going on with Bella."
"I'll go with you. Bella is part of our family now and we fight for family until our last breath."
I laughed. "One you don't even need."
Carlisle grinned and nodded. "We'll be at the border soon."
I felt my stomach tighten as the nerves resurfaced. What was I going to find? How was Bella doing and if she did get pregnant what would that mean for her? As far as I knew no human woman ever survived the birth of a half breed.
A/N: So the truth is revealed, but there a still some questions to be answered.
For all of you who left me a review on last chapter, thank you so so much. Every single one of them cheers me up significantly. So, what did you think of this one? Hit or miss?
Love,
Mo
PS Who has gone to see New Moon, yet? I did and I must say I missed Robert's music. I really loved the two songs he did for Twilight and it's a shame they didn't include any in New Moon. (And the same goes for Bella's lullaby, by the way.)
