A/N: To be honest, this is a chapter I would skip if you really like Charlie. If you're looking for fluff, I would turn elsewhere. This chapter definitely touches on sensitive subjects, not unlike some of my other chapters, but this one is probably the most effed up. So, seriously, if you're fairly easily offended, please refrain from continuing.
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Bella
Charlie glanced over at me when I arrived home. I was soaked from the rain and had a giddy post-kiss-with-Edward-freaking-Cullen smile on my face. Charlie's eyes were glazed over and the coffee table next to the couch was covered with empty beer cans. I'd seen him have a beer or two during football games, but I never saw him drunk.
"Bella!" he slurred. "You're home! Where ya been?" he asked.
"I told you . . . La Push beach, remember?"
He burst out in a merry laugh. "Oh yeah," he said in between chuckles. "Forgot."
The drunkenness hit too close to home, and I marched up to my room to avoid it. I jumped onto my bed, forgetting about the newly drunken Charlie and recalling everything about my day with Edward.
Those lips . . . those eyes . . . that hair . . . fuck, Edward Cullen was perfection. I sank into my soft, purple comforter, thinking about his beautiful lips against mine. I was awkward and probably a terrible kisser, but everything about it just felt so right. It was like our lips were carved specifically for each other— they fit perfectly.
A sharp knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.
"Bella!" Charlie sputtered as he let himself in my room.
"Uh . . . yeah?" I responded, feeling dreadfully uncomfortable.
Charlie stumbled to my bed and plopped down, letting out a humongous sigh.
"It was so lonely today without you here," he said, making me even more uncomfortable. What the fuck was he thinking?
"Um, yeah . . . I think you might be a little drunk, Charlie. You better go to bed or something," I said, feeling slightly scared and small.
"Wha? Who ya think ya talkin' to, Bella? I'm your dad," he said, attempting to playfully nudge my arm but missing. His arm lingered around my shoulder and he suddenly rubbed my back.
My heart pounded in my chest. Charlie wouldn't hurt me, would he? He adopted me. He was the person in charge of my wellbeing. His hand wandered from my back to my breasts, and my breath stopped. There was no way I would let this happen to me.
"Get your fucking hand off me," I threatened menacingly, pushing his arm away. He smiled and grabbed my hip, then brushed his fingertips close to the area between my legs. I immediately regretted having ripped jeans as his fingers danced across the open skin from the holes in my jeans.
Charlie's fingertips felt like acid on my skin, burning away all the trust and compassion I previously had for him. I never had a reason to distrust him for multiple reasons: he was the chief of police, he passed the adoption screenings with flying colors, and he always seemed to be concerned with my wellbeing. My stomach turned as I willed myself to the present, willed myself to look into Charlie's drunken eyes and prevent what was likely on his mind. My heart pounded loudly as I pushed his arm off again, stood up, and backed into the corner of my room.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I cried.
Charlie smiled malevolently as he took the steps necessary to stand right in front of me. He was fucking relentless. He looked down at my trembling body and slurred, "Come on, Bella. You know you want this." He reached toward me again, never faltering from his awful plan.
"You're fucking sick!" I screamed, pushing his adamant hand away before he could touch me again. He chuckled, as if he were playing some fucking perverted game with me. His amusement sickened and infuriated me. I refused to be the broken toy that everyone abused over and over again.
"You're so pretty," he said. His eager eyes scanned my entire body.
My eyes filled with hot tears and my stomach turned impossibly more than it already had. "I trusted you," I choked out. "You're a sick motherfucker, a fucking waste of human life." The tears finally streamed down my face as I spoke. He wiped my tears with his hand, which made me have to fight back my vomit.
"There, there," he said softly. Before I had a chance to react, his entire demeanor changed. He pinned me against the wall by my wrists and whispered venomously, "Don't you ever fucking talk to me like that again, do you understand?" His furious eyes bore into mine.
I nodded tightly to distract him from what I was about to do. He was strong and held a good grip, but I still had access to my legs. With my entire strength and will, I forcefully kneed Charlie in the balls. He screamed in pain, immediately releasing my wrists to crawl in a fetal position and clutch his tainted package. He whimpered on the floor, looking as helpless as an infant. The power in the room shifted from him to me the moment I kneed his family jewels.
"Fuck you, Charlie," I hissed. I spat on his pain-ridden face and fled from the house as fast as my legs would take me.
I knew I should have headed straight for the police station. Anyone with even a hint of common sense would have done so. However, I was in a dilemma because Charlie was the chief of police, and policemen were immensely tight knit. They stuck together through all the fucked up situations they endured, and I was almost certain they would believe Charlie's word over my own. He would tell them I was looking for attention because I was adopted and I wished I lived with my birth parents. That was just one of the many excuses he could have fed them, and I was certain they'd believe anything he chose to say.
When I was far enough from the house to feel comfortable, I reached in my hoodie for my cell phone. I sat underneath a huge tree for shelter from the rain as I scanned through my call history. Luckily, not many people called me, and the only number that didn't have a matching name was the one I was looking for. I clicked on it, held the phone to my ear, and prayed Edward would answer.
Edward
Esme smiled warmly at me, scooping salad on her plate. She asked, "Are you sure you don't want any salad, dear? You have enough meatloaf and mashed potatoes on your plate for an entire army!" She laughed, knowing I wasn't one to eat my greens. I didn't really feel comfortable with the concept of eating shit that looked like leaves, so I made up for it by filling up on whatever else we were eating.
"Thanks mom, but no thanks," I mumbled with a mouth full of her delicious mashed potatoes. They were warm in my mouth and soaked with gravy, just the way I liked them.
"Chew your food before you speak, you little pig!" Alice squealed at me. I rolled my eyes playfully, then casually rubbed one eye with my middle finger.
Carlisle gave me a warning look. Apparently I wasn't so slick when it came to eye-rub-fuck-you's.
We were all eating at the dining room table, something rare that made Esme light up with delight. She was glowing as she watched us greedily shovel her culinary efforts into our mouths. Even ever-graceful Alice shoved humongous bites of food into her mouth, making humming noises from its delicious taste.
"Mom, this is so yummy!" Alice beamed, smiling at our mother gratefully.
"Yeah, mom. It really is," I chimed in.
Carlisle hummed in agreement, and Esme thanked us profusely.
My cell phone suddenly vibrated erratically in my pocket. I peeked at the screen and was surprised to see Bella's name on the caller I.D. I wanted to answer, but I didn't want to upset Esme since family meals were such a rarity in our house. I let it vibrate until the call went to voicemail, intending to call her back after dinner.
A minute later, my phone vibrated again. This time, it was a text message. I opened it promptly and read:
Hey Edward, I'm sorry to bother you but something fucked up just happened and I need you. Is there any way you can pick me up?
"Esme, I really need to get one of my friends right now. I'm very sorry to interrupt such a nice meal. It's really important that I help her, though." I blurted out quickly. I was so worried that my stomach ached, but eating too fast probably contributed to the pain.
Esme's brow furrowed. "Oh dear, who is it? Is everything okay?" she asked, clearly concerned.
"It's Bella. And I don't know, but she said something happened and I need to pick her up." The only thing my family knew about Bella was that she was new to Forks. I hadn't told them she was the one Jasper sexually assaulted. We never spoke about Jasper, and none of us ever wanted to know anything about the crime he committed. I knew it was unhealthy, but that's just the way it was.
"Go do what you need to do. I'll make sure to save the rest of your dinner," Esme said. It was nice to have such an understanding mother, and I didn't take it for granted.
"I hope your friend is okay. Please be safe," Carlisle chimed in.
I assured them I'd be fine as I left the dinner-filled table and headed outside to my car. I had another excuse to drive fast, and I would surly take advantage of it. Bella needed me, and I wanted to be there for her in a heartbeat.
The rain made the road incredibly slick, so my car was a little unsteady when I hit stoplights. I called Bella while I drove to find her whereabouts, which she had trouble explaining to me. Her voice was hoarse and panicked, which made me more even more concerned than I already was
Bella was huddled and shivering underneath a tree when I slowed to a stop. She looked miserable, and I was afraid to hear what happened to her. I jumped out of my car and helped her stand.
"Bella, what happened?" I breathed.
Her eyes were red and puffy and her body language was a million times different than it had been not thirty minutes earlier when I dropped her off. She peeked up at me, stood up, and threw her arms around me. Her face was buried on my shoulder as she silently sobbed. I rubbed her back soothingly, giving her time to calm down.
Minutes later, Bella released herself from our embrace and asked in an exhausted voice, "Can I come home with you? I can't be at Charlie's anymore and I have nowhere else to go. I'm sure it's an intrusive question and you can feel free to say no."
"Of course you can," I replied. I figured she and Charlie had a huge fight because the way she said his name made it sound like she was repulsed by him. She would probably calm down at my house, call him, and go back home. It would be simple and I'd be happy to provide a safe haven for her, even if it was only temporary.
"You look freezing. Please, hop in," I said, opening the passenger door for her. She gratefully stepped in my Volvo and I cranked up the heat to warm her up.
"Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me," she said, her alluring eyes fixed on mine.
"Please. I'm just happy to be able to help you out." I paused, giving her some space. I didn't want to pry immediately.
I didn't get a chance to ask. As I backed up and sped down the road, Bella offered a sudden explanation for the situation.
"Edward," she started, her voice cracking. "I . . . I came home today to see Charlie drunk. He's never been drunk, at least not in front of me." She paused for a moment, and from the corner of my eye, I could see her eyes glistening with tears. Her voice grew harder to understand as she got more upset. She continued, "Edward . . . Charlie's a fucking pedophile. He tried to get in my pants tonight, he touched me. I kicked that motherfucker in the balls, and that's when I ran away and called you."
My veins boiled with anger as I thought about the chief touching Bella that way. How many fucked up things could happen to one person in such a short lifetime? I gripped my hands tightly on the steering wheel. Before I could respond to Bella, a brown flash of a deer flew in front of my car. My immediate reaction was to swerve out of the way, but the roads were too slippery, and I lost control. Bella screamed as the car spun around several times and finally slammed face-forward into a humongous tree.
A/N: Wouldn't it be fucked up if this was the very end of the story? Hah! Don't worry though, there's plenty more to go. And I apologize for all the angst this time around. I'll try to squeeze some fluff in soon to even it out. Thanks for sticking with me, if you are still reading this, and thanks for all the lovely support!