Janet looked up at him. The females were all huddled in a small group, with the exception of Duncan sitting next to Janet.
He looked at them, then glanced over to the males. He took a seat on the couch and waited for the night to pass.
Duncan came over to him and sat. After a good six hours, he stiffened and looked at the ceiling. "You hear that?"
Charles looked up and listened closely, as did the others.
Bella's now-loud screaming could be heard, along with pounding.
Charles raced upstairs to her.
When he got in, he saw her in the bed, struggling with an unseen force. Screaming as if she was being tortured.
Charles looked at her sadly and sighed. How long were these nightmares going to go on? He approached and put a hand on her arm. "Bella."
Her eyes flew open, panic all across her face. "Did something happen? An attack?" she asked quickly, trying to get up fast and getting dizzy.
Charles gently urged her to lie back down. "Nothing happened. You were screaming again, that's all."
"Oh, sorry," she said, her voice shaking.
"Shh. It's alright."
"No, it's not fair to you and your family. Every night, screaming as if someone was trying to kill me again," she said, shaking her head.
"May I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"What is it, exactly, that you dream about. . .?"
"It changes sometimes. At first, it was that night you found me. Before you did, anyway. Then to you, Jacob, and him fighting. And tonight, you. . .and Jacob fighting. But mostly the first one," she explained.
"I see. . ." He looked away.
"Is everything okay?" she asked, a little concerned.
"Everything's fine," he said, looking back at her. "Don't worry."
"What have you been doing when I was asleep?" she asked.
"Waiting for you to wake up," Charles answered with a bit of a smile.
"Oh. . .So, what's today's plans?" she asked him, hoping he had an idea. She was completely out of them.
Charles wished he had a plan.
"Want to go for another hike?"
"Anything you want."
"Let me get into something else, and we'll go," she said, going for the bathroom. When she came out, she walked to his side, smiling up at him.
He wanted to say something about it only being five in the morning, but at her smile, he bit his tongue and smiled also. "Where are we headed today?"
"Meadow. Or a new clearing that the whole family can visit when they get bored. But I'll show you it first if you want to go there first," she said.
"Why wouldn't I want to share it with them?"
"Well, I think it might not be big enough," she said, trying to picture how big the area was.
"For twelve people?"
"Well, I'll show you it," she said, walking out the door toward the woods again.
Charles followed, chuckling quietly. He looked forward to seeing this.
She led him to a clearing that looked like a baseball field, but three times bigger. "What do you think? Is anyone in the family really fast or athletic? More than normal, I mean."
"Levi is a natural fighter," Charles said, surveying the area. "I'm not sure if that counts."
"I think it might work. Well, it's here if any of the family want to play a game."
"Like what, for example?"
"Well, it's perfect for baseball. . .What do you think?" she said, hiding a smile.
"That sounds interesting," he said, looking down at her.
She let her hair fall in front of her face, still hiding the smile.
Charles moved her hair behind her.
She smiled up at him. She was about to tell him something, but she had forgotten when she looked at him. Her thoughts went foggy, and she could not pull her eyes away from his.
"May I ask why you're staring at me?"
"No reason," she said, looking down at the grass.
Charles frowned and studied her.
She looked back up at him, blushing as he looked at her.
He ran a finger across her cheek, following the trail of blood rising to the surface.
She froze, automatically looking up at him, words still unable to form.
Noticing her discomfort, he let his hand fall back to his side.
For an unknown reason, she hugged him. "Thank you for. . .for everything."
He looked down at her, confused why she was thanking him yet again. Nevertheless, he wrapped his arms around her. "You're welcome."
She was crying, but did not know it. "I'm probably really confusing, and screaming in the middle of the night, having instances when I'm not even connected to reality. How can you stand it?"
"You don't live this long as a vampire, managing newborn after newborn, without acquiring a great deal of patience," Charles told her. "I'm confident that one day, things will be different."
"I hope so," she said, letting her hair hide her face again. She didn't know what to do anymore.
Charles moved her hair back again. "Why do you do that?"
"Do what?" she asked.
"Move your hair in front of your face like that."
"I don't know. It just happens."
He was skeptical, but didn't press it.
"You choose something for us to do now," she said.
Charles thought, and then asked, "Do you think you would be alright on your own for an hour?"
"Yes, why?"
"We have to do something."
"What?"
". . .It's probably for the best that I don't tell you." He turned and started walking back the way they'd come.
"Fine, I'll go talk to the pack, unless you think I'll get torn to shreds." She laughed a little.
"Bella. . .please, stay at the house. We won't be long."
"Fine," she said, smiling. "I'll sit in the house and watch the game like my dad."
Charles smiled a little. "If that's what you want."
"You go, I'll stay. Promise."
"Thank you."