Stockholm Syndrome BPOV Chapter 10 – Seeing Charlie

Previously:

"I know you feel the pull between us. You'd have to be an idiot to not feel it. But, even though that pull is there, we can prevent ourselves from acting on it. You can't help who you are attracted to but you can help what you do about it. And I can tell you this, right now Edward Cullen; it will be a cold day in hell before I give in to this."

I turned to leave his room but his voice stopped me.

"You've had your turn, now listen to mine."

I froze and very carefully turned back around. Edward's brows were furrowed and he pinched the bridge of his nose. His jaw was tight like he was clenching his teeth together.

My eyes were opened wide and my body trembled slightly. Edward looked frighteningly like a vampire from the movies when he opened his eyes and stalked forward in two steps, standing just inches from me, looking down. I wanted to take a step backwards and run but I was hypnotized by his eyes as they locked onto mine. They were solid with something he was determined to say, something I was afraid to hear. He opened his mouth and began to speak.

"You may think that you know who I am and what I'm about but you don't. You may also think that you know exactly what I want from you but you are wrong again there. You insinuated that I wanted a physical relationship with you, lovers was your term. Well Bella, while you are sexy and smell fantastic, that isn't my concern. What I want is in you, not just your body. And as for that cold day in hell…well pack a coat because it's coming and I know it better than you do. You can fight this all you want Bella but I know you want me too."

It felt like he had just punched me in the gut with his words. I don't know why they hurt so bad but they did. Maybe because he was right but I couldn't be sure. I stood there, my eyes still wide, staring at him as he stepped back from me. I started to pull in deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself but I was too pissed to calm down.

Without even thinking I raised my hand and slapped him across the face. However, I was the one in pain from the slap as I felt bones snap in my hand.

"OH FUCK!" I screamed out as the pain shot through my hand and up my arm.

Edward just stood there as the room became crowded and Carlisle began checking me out. Esme and Rose were also hovering over me. I saw Emmett wrap his arms around Edward and Alice and Jasper seemed preoccupied with him.

'Good,' I thought to myself. Let him feel like shit. He deserved it. He looked like he felt like shit too. I hoped he did.

Carlisle led me out of Edward's room and up the stairs to his office to tend to my hand. He was very gentle as he handled my hand, deducing that two bones were broken but that they were clean breaks. He put my hand in a brace and said as long as I was careful that it wouldn't need a cast. He also gave me some 800mg ibuprofen for the pain, which I was grateful for. Thankfully I was a lightweight when it came to pain medicines so I didn't need anything stronger at the moment. I went to leave his office but he stopped me.

"Bella?" Carlisle said as I was about to walk out of the room.

I turned around and replied, "Yes?"

"How are you doing?"

What did he mean how was I doing? I was being held captive in his house, presumably under his orders! How should I be doing?

"What I meant was how are you taking things around here and can I get you anything?" Carlisle expanded.

"Well, you see doc, I'm stuck here and you guys won't let me go. Your son seems to think that I want him. You say that you're keeping me here to keep me safe yet all that has seemed to happen so far is me getting injured. And, I want to go home. Does that about sum it up for you?" I stood there, staring him down with my arms crossed over my chest. I wanted him to know that I was serious.

"Bella, I'm sorry that you're being kept here but really, I cannot let you leave. We've already explained to you that there are others of our kind that don't take lightly to outsiders knowing our secrets. They will kill you Bella and anyone around you at the time. I'm sure you don't want your father's blood on your hands."

"That's not fair!" I yelled. "Don't bring my father into this! You would be the reason that anything would happen to him or me. You and your family would be responsible not me!"

I was pissed at his comments and stormed out of his office and to my room. How dare he even insinuate that I would be the reason that something would happen to my father. How could he even justify the illegal behavior, the kidnapping and holding me hostage, with my safety and my father's safety?

Stupid fucking bloodsuckers! I would find a way out of here and I would make sure that they would pay for this. I wondered what kind of things would kill them since sunlight didn't seem to do it. Did all the other TV vampire defense mechanisms not work either? I would have to test the garlic and holy water if I could get my hands on some. I didn't know if I would be able to do the wooden stake without them seeing it coming.

I headed to bed that night and had dreams of me killing off the Cullen's one-by-one all Buffy the Vampire Slayer style. Each time I had the dream I saved Edward for last. What bothered me most about the dreams was my hesitation to kill him. There was something there, screaming at me to not do it. But each time, I found the will within me to pick up the wooden stake and plunge it towards his body. But each time, I awoke before the stake made contact.

The final time I woke up I stayed up. It was afternoon already, I could tell by the direction the sun was coming in through the window. I headed to the bathroom to wash up and shower. My dreams had me feeling all sorts of confused. I hated Edward. I hated him for what he had done to me. I hated him for being the reason I was stuck here. So, if I hated him so much then why did I hesitate to kill him? Why did I wake up every time before I could do it?

These thoughts kept my mind occupied throughout my shower and while I was getting dressed. I finally came back to reality long enough to realize that there was something new in my room, something that wasn't here before and that shouldn't be here.

I ran to my bedside table and snatched up the picture frame. It was a picture of Charlie, Renee, and me when I was a baby. What… How… Where did this come from?

I immediately grabbed it and ran down the stairs to find Carlisle and Edward talking in the living room. They both looked at me like I was crazy for a second before I exploded on them.

"Where did you get this?" I demanded to know. "How? What did you do to my father? Is this some kind of warning? Are you trying to scare me by showing me how close you can get to him? Tell me!"

Both of them just stood there as the living room filled up with Esme, Alice, and Jasper. None of them spoke as I stood there, clutching the picture frame, my breath coming in pants because of my anger level.

I quickly tired of the quiet game they were playing so I started screaming and throwing everything I could reach, demanding answers to my previous questions. Esme tried to wrap her arms around me in an attempt to console me but I wasn't having it. I started screaming at her, at all of them, at all of the stupid fucking bloodsucking vampires.

Before my rant could continue much longer I felt a wave of calm wash over me and my anger level plummeted as I suddenly became tired. It had to be Jasper. I had been told about what he could do but couldn't seem to fight it off. I sank to the floor, the overwhelming lethargic wave that hit me made me exhausted. I felt my head becoming heavy and fought my drooping lids but they won out as I sank into a pair of cold arms and a sea of black.

I woke up on the couch and noticed Edward and Alice were in a heated discussion with Carlisle and Jasper. Esme was fawning over me and helped me sit up. I was still feeling lingering waves of Jasper's abilities and wondered if he was still trying to control me.

I shook my head to try and clear the fog so I could listen in to the hushed argument that was taking place. Unfortunately I couldn't hear a thing they were saying because they sounded like they were sighing and humming. I had heard them speak like this before and assumed it was some form of weird vampiric communication. Finally, Carlisle sighed heavily, a real sigh, and everyone turned to look at me.

"What now?" I asked acidly as they all stood there, staring at me.

"Well Bella, against my better judgment, Alice and Edward have suggested that we take you to see your father," Carlisle said in a serious manner.

"What do you mean see my father?" I asked as I stood up and crossed my arms.

"I mean, they will drive you by him, let you see that he is alive and well and that no harm has befallen him. He will not be able to see you and you won't be able to speak to him. But you will be able to see that he is alive and that we did not harm him in any manner. But remember Bella, if you try anything we have the means and abilities to stop you. Do I make myself clear?" Carlisle explained like he was my father or something.

"Crystal…" I said snootily.

Carlisle turned to Alice and said, "Are you sure you see nothing happening?"

"Absolutely," Alice said in a chipper tone. "Come on Bella, Edward and I will take you."

While I wasn't too keen about being that close to Edward, I did want to see my father. I walked out of the living room, following after them, and into the garage. Edward opened the back door to a black Mercedes with dark tinted windows and gestured for me to get in. I did and noticed Alice sitting beside me in the backseat. Edward got into the driver's seat and we headed out.

Within a few minutes, Edward drove quickly, we were inside the city limits of Forks, a place I hadn't been in about two months. A place I had only briefly gotten a glimpse of my first day driving in with Charlie.

Alice sat beside me and was staring off into space, then her eyes focused and she spoke out loud. "He'll be coming out of the diner in a few minutes Edward."

I saw us making a turn onto Main Street, where the diner was located, and I soon spotted Charlie's cruiser sitting out front. Edward parked a little ways down the street so I could look out the window at the diner. Sure enough, about a minute later, Charlie walked out of the diner. He looked so haggard. I wanted to run to him, take care of him, let him know I was ok. My father had aged years in a matter of months. Seeing him look so haggard caused an automatic reaction.

Without thinking I reached for the door handle and got the door cracked just an inch before I started screaming. But the scream couldn't even fully leave my mouth before a cold hand clamped over it and the door slammed shut. I saw Charlie looking around for a moment as Edward slowly drove away, all the while glaring at me in the rear view mirror.

I fought against the cold hand of Alice that was still firmly in place over my mouth and reached for the door handle again. I would jump out of the car if I could. However, Alice's tiny little body was suddenly wrapped around mine, holding me down against the back seat of the car while Edward quickly exited Forks and headed back to the Cullen's house.

He skidded to a stop in the front yard while Alice was shushing me and trying to console me in the back seat. She opened the back door to get out and I bolted from the car, taking the chance of my momentary freedom. I ran as fast as I could down the driveway screaming my head off, hoping to draw any kind of outside attention.

I felt a pair of cold arms wrap tightly around my upper body and I was lifted into the air and brought back to the front yard, kicking and screaming the whole way. Alice grabbed my legs while Edward held onto my upper body tightly, trying to restrain me as I fought against them.

Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Emmett, and Rose appeared in the front yard and Edward began screaming at Jasper.

"Control her! Do it Jasper! She's going to hurt herself! Do it now!" Edward growled out as I felt the pull of Jasper's black unconsciousness begin to wrap itself around me.

I fought against it but he sent more to me, even walking up to me and placing his hand on my head. Once he touched me, it was like I was injected with tranquilizers, I couldn't fight it.

The last thing I heard before succumbing to the darkness was Carlisle speaking the words, "We have to move."