I won't babble. You can just get on with . . . reading.
As always, hugs, kisses, and thanks to my uber Beta, Jenny Cullen.
Chapter 12
Finzi, A Severn Rhapsody, Op. 3
Charlie POV
"Charlie, are you sure?" We walked through the backyard, Catherine still not believing me about Bella.
"Yes, now c'mon." I kept her hand in mine, heading towards my favorite path in the woods behind the house. All of a sudden, she stopped and pulled it away.
"Charlie, I . . ." Her eyes were wide and darting around the trees. "I'm not sure if I want to go in there."
"Shit . . ." I muttered. I should've realized she'd be scared of the woods. ". . . I mean, dammit. Aw, Catherine, I'm sorry. It's just a beautiful walk, and don't worry, you're favorite Police Chief is right here." I took back her hand and pulled her closer to me.
"It's still light out, babe. He wouldn't dare try . . ." I took both her hands in mine, and held them between us, against my chest. "Besides, you were the one who said he was gone, right?"
She needed to get back on the horse. And I was starting to think she was right about the psycho being in Canada by now, especially when my guys hadn't found him.
I didn't let her hands go as she took another look around, scanning nearly every tree that bordered my yard. Her eyes finally came back to mine, her fear scaling back to a shy grin. "You're right. I'm being . . . stupid. Let's go."
She let go of one hand and started to run, pulling me with her. I let her run about fifty feet in, with me in tow, when I stopped and jerked her back into my arms. She wasn't expecting it, and crashed back into me, and I couldn't help noticing the feeling of her breasts smacking into my chest. Her mouth was open, breathing just shy of heavy from the run.
"You know, you've only kissed me once today," I reminded her, glancing at her pink lips with one thing on my mind.
"Actually, twice, if you count your hello kiss when I first got here," she smiled and brought her arms around my neck.
I didn't waste another second. I took her lips with mine; first the top one, and then the bottom, eventually twisting my mouth, insisting that I find that sweet tongue of hers. I felt like I couldn't get her close enough to me, against me, and held her tighter still. I knew I never wanted to let her go. Bella or no Bella.
Suddenly, she pulled away, giggling. "While I do love your kisses, Chief Swan, we're never going to get anywhere if we stand here making out like a couple of teenagers." She started walking away, and gave me the pleasure of watching her behind shimmy as she did so. I didn't move, staring at it, at her, like the under-sexed, over-horny man that I was becoming.
"Hey, you're supposed to be next to me, Mr. Policeman, not taking in the view from behind." She didn't even turn around.
Busted! I quickly jogged up and laughed, taking her hand. It was so small, and yet . . . so strong.
I don't know how long we walked. She told me more stories of her family and life back in Chicago, and how I was going to have to learn how to play golf "if this thing was gonna work." Me? Golf?
I told her of Bella's childhood summers with me, some God-awful dating stories I could laugh about now, and the mischief that Billy Black and I used to get into when were kids. She laughed the hardest about these, and I realized I'd never heard it before; at least, not the deep, gut-busting kind she was having at mine and Billy's expense.
"God, you were awful. I thought my little brother was bad," she said through deep breaths, holding her stomach with the hand I wasn't holding hostage.
"We were quite the, uh, team. I'm amazed my mom and dad lasted as long as they did."
"I am, too." She was still giggling.
We walked a bit more, neither of us saying anything. It was a good quiet - comfortable. I couldn't help but watch her, letting her lead, noticing her confidence come back with each step.
Suddenly, she said, "So they're both gone?"
"My parents?" She nodded. "Yeah, quite a few years ago. My dad first, and then my mom." It wasn't rough telling her. I wanted her to know everything about me, as if we could make up for the twenty some-odd years we'd missed being together.
"Ya know, you're lucky to still have your mom," I said as I swung her hand.
"Yeah. She's my best friend. And my sister, of course. I feel bad sometimes for my brother. I think he sort of gets shafted with the amount of estrogen he has to deal with, what with a wife, two sisters, and a mom."
"Yeah, I feel for the guy. And I only know you." I laughed and pulled her toward me, bringing her fingers up so I could kiss the back of her hand. As I set it free, the wind blew a stray curl across her cheek, and I couldn't help but push it away. I let my thumb run across her cheek, down the side of her face, until I tilted it up, bringing her mouth to mine. I gently brushed my lips across hers, and something went zinging through me, as I felt her tug handfuls of my shirt at my side.
I left her lips and chuckled as I saw her head tilted back, eyes still closed.
"Don't stop," she whispered.
I snuck a look at my watch. "Well, if you don't want to be out here when the sun starts to go down, we should start heading back." Her eyes popped open on that, so I let the one side of her go. The one arm still around her guided us both back the opposite way.
"So, what's on the docket for tomorrow?" she asked.
"Another surprise." I knew it would be even better than the last.
"Really? Geez, Charlie, you sure know how to spoil a tourist." I heard her smile, even though I couldn't see it. "What should I wea-"
"Totally casual. Wear whatever," I interrupted, and shook my head, chuckling again.
"Um, okay." She stopped mid-step and turned toward me, putting her hand to my chest, rubbing back and forth. "I just want you to know, this is . . . this is the best vacation ever." She gave it one last pat, and then turned to walk alone, ahead of me. I could tell by her face before she turned that she had wanted to say something else to me, but was trying to figure out how, so I just fell in step behind her.
We walked for a good ten seconds before she finally spoke. "I didn't tell you the whole story when you asked me why I'd chosen Forks."
"Oh?" I asked, surprised. Since I couldn't see her face, I had no clue where she was going with this.
"Yeah. Forks was kind of a fluke. It just happened to be on the map near Seattle. You see, I think I was sort of having this mid-life crisis. Between my job and not knowing if I wanted to do it anymore, my life and the crappy way I think it's turned out, and the fact that I was . . . alone, I needed to just get away, from everything and everybody and . . . find myself again. I had this inkling that something was just around the corner, that something was going to happen to me, something life-altering. That's when I met you on the side of the road." She kept walking, not turning around, and I stayed behind her.
"I think . . . I think I was meant to meet you. I don't know why, and frankly, I don't care. Because, I . . . I'm really glad I did." She stopped, and I saw her hand go to her cheek, wiping at it. It took me two steps to touch her shoulder. She turned, wrapping her arms around my waist, and buried her face in my chest.
"Charlie, I'm not crazy, am I? Please tell me . . . you feel it, too?" she whispered into my shirt.
I brought my hands from around her shoulders to her tear-streaked cheeks, lifting her face to mine. I didn't know what to say. The naked fear in her eyes, the pinched vee above her nose, the way her lips were parted, waiting for me to respond. I mean, I think I knew what to say. All I did know was that beating thing in my chest felt like it was going to explode.
"I-I do. I . . . thought you would think I was crazy if I . . . said so." The corners of her mouth turned up, and I realized I'd said the right thing. It was like a hundred-ton weight lifted off my back. I brought my mouth crashing down to hers, and it was all I could do not to throw her down on the ground and make love to her right there. Somehow, someway, I wanted this woman with me, for the rest of my pathetic days on this earth.
She tilted her head back, a huge smile on her face. It made me incredibly happy to know I'd put it there.
"We're never going to make it back at this rate. Don't you want to watch the Mariners' game for awhile before I go back?" I stared at the back of her as she started walking again.
Whaaat?
"Go back? Why?" Okay, yeah, I wanted her to stay for the obvious reasons. I could admit it.
"Because." She didn't even turn around.
I jogged to catch up to her. "Because why?"
"Because all my stuff's at the cabin. Besides, we haven't seen him, I haven't seen him, since . . . He's gone. Poof." Her tone told me she was growing more and more confident about that fact, but she stopped again, and stared at the forest floor. "And as much as I'd like to jump the bones of the Police Chief, I would also like to, um, play the role, here."
I grabbed her hand and gave it a slight tug towards me, if only to see her face. "Role? What role?" Her cheeks were a light pink, and I wasn't sure if it was from our walk, or because she was blushing.
"You know. Respectable. Charlie, I've known you all of five days. You really think I'm gonna sleep with you, having known you only five days?" She pulled away and started walking again. Was she playing hard to get with me? What the hell did she mean by respectable?
"How can I know you're not another psycho or something?" She sounded absolutely serious.
I held up mid-step. "Are you kidding? What you just said . . . what I just said . . ."
Talk about mood swing - like that carnival ride - the big ship that goes back and forth. "I don't think I'd introduce you to my daughter if I were a psycho, would I?"
She confounded the hell out of me, but I remembered I'd compared myself to her real psycho not two days ago. Of course. This wasn't hard to get. This was self-protection. The woman was cautious. Guarded. And after her confession the other night, I could understand that. I'd had more time to . . . resolve things, not that I ever really had, if I was being honest with myself. Renee, some bad dates, Sue . . . yeah. I thought of the women in my immediate past, and the memories were there . . .but getting fuzzier.
"Hmmm. Could just be a head-fake." She finally turned back to me, with a small grin on her face. "Hurry up, old man. Let's go watch your Mariners lose for awhile before I head back." I was sure my face gave away not only my confusion, but also my disappointment. Deep down, I knew she was right. I wouldn't force her to stay. I wanted her, yes. But I wanted her to want to be with me.
I caught up to her and took her hand one more time. "All right. You win."
"I usually do," she laughed.
"But I'm still calling Humphries and Jackson . . ." I said, kissing the top of her head.
Bella POV
Alice, Edward, and I returned home, Edward having insisted on driving my car. I so rarely let him. He had his fast one, and no matter how hard he tried, I still liked my safe one, although it was still quite speedy. We hadn't even come to a complete stop when Alice bounded out, undoubtedly wanting to see Jasper, but most likely wanting to dish to Emmett my sorry attempt at humanness.
Edward opened his door to get out, and I said, "Edward, wait." He looked back at me as he slid back into his seat, closing the door. I wanted some alone time with him, so in case anyone was listening, I encased us both in my shield. I replayed Catherine's and Charlie's conversation in my head. Alice had wanted me to see it, and now I knew why. Even if neither one of them had said the word love to each other, it was obvious.
"Bella." Edward was thinking the same thing I was thinking.
"She likes baseball, and apparently plays golf. Although, I can't see Charlie playing golf." Even with my vampire mind, I attempted to process all that I'd heard, all that I'd seen, between Catherine and my father.
"She's an interesting woman. But she's very cynical. I heard Charlie tell you that he hasn't felt this way since he was with your mother. That he and Catherine both have 'baggage', and that she's been hurt in other ways. I would imagine he means by men in her past."
"Yeah. What did you see after he came back in?" Edward showed me Catherine's thoughts, her reaction to Charlie's expression, the one that I'd given him. She was quite sure I didn't like her, and that he was trying to soften the blow; absolutely terrified that he might let her go, because of me.
When Charlie came back from talking to you and she saw his expression, I think her heart stopped beating for a moment. She truly wants you to like her, because she really does love him. Bella, I know that feeling."
"So do I."
I turned to him. "What about Charlie? Were you able to? . . ."
"Love, Charlie's thoughts are as big a mystery to me as yours used to be, but I could feel the tenor of them like twenty foot waves. Trust me, we're both lucky we didn't know what he was thinking." Edward grinned slightly, gazing out the windshield.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked sarcastically out loud.
"Let's just say his, um, general feelings are similar to . . ." and in Edward's mind, I saw the replay of that first night I slept in his brand new bed.
"Oh. Oh! Oh, eeew." If I could still blush, my cheeks would've been a nice shade of magenta. Edward laughed heartily at what had been my naïveté.
"I did find it somewhat humorous, though, in that she's, uh, holding him off. Respectable, I believe was the word she used. Like father like daughter, apparently." He grinned.
"Tarnishing my honor, Mr. Cullen?" I taunted.
His mind flashed the phrase "if the shoe fits . . ."
"Hmph." I crossed my arms, pretending to be offended, but I knew he could see right through me, when I glanced to see him grinning.
I climbed over the console, throwing my leg over his lap to look at him.
"Whoa!" he said out loud.
"Mr. Cullen, I'd like to remind you just how much you've tarnished me." I glided my hands up his chest to his cheeks, forcing my lips on his, twisting my lower self against him as I felt my affect on him through his jeans.
"Bella, while I would love to take you right here on the front seat of your car, the family is waiting for us. Emmett is about two seconds from running out here." He sent the thought to me as he ran his lips down my neck, his hands now pulling my behind closer to him as I wiggled unmercifully against him.
With my hands still on his cheeks, I brought his face back to mine and gave him one final kiss, sliding my tongue against his in a slow, steady rhythm, until I jerked back. I brought my leg from around him and slid back over into my seat.
"Tease," he said, grinning at me.
I tried to calm down, suddenly remembering how Catherine had joined in teasing Charlie with me at lunch, and then also on their walk. A tinge of regret at not being able to get to know her better tugged at my insides. As soon as we left, I might not ever see either one of them again. But as long as Charlie had her, as long as they were together, it would make leaving easier.
Charlie was in love; in love with a woman who was as just in love with him. I'd never thought I'd see it.
"You're right, you know," Edward said, staring forward again. "Although I know it doesn't make it any easier for you. I get to bring my family with us. You'll be leaving part of yours behind."
"Edward." I grabbed his hand and forced him to look at me. You, Renesmee, and the Cullens are my family, too. I can always meet Charlie without her . . . for awhile . . . until she gets comfortable with us. Until she understands. Something tells me she and Charlie are not going to end anytime soon. She'll have to learn the 'need-to-know' thing eventually."
He turned back to look out the windshield, but rubbed his thumb tenderly over the top of my hand, his thoughts revealing distant memories. Me walking down the aisle at our wedding, that second time in the blue room on our honeymoon, and finally, when I'd gone after Jacob after he first imprinted on Renesmee. I laughed out loud, because I'd never seen his perspective on that one before. The love he felt flowed through me, giving me strength. Aside from being with Edward for eternity, I realized the choice I'd made, the sacrifice as Edward always called it, might actually help Charlie and Catherine. It had to.
He turned once more to look at me, and brought my hand to his lips, kissing it softly.
"Edward, we have to stop this guy," I said with all possible conviction as I retracted my shield.
"We will, Bella. Let's go in and see the others, although you may want to go hide. Emmett knows," he said as he got out of the car. If I had just waited to take back the shield, I might have seen what Edward had. Ugh.
"Couldn't Alice have waited, oh, say ten minutes?" I asked, opening my car door and stepping out.
"Apparently not." Edward had already gathered up the bags from the trunk, and waited for me at the hood of the car.
We walked in to find everyone in the living room, Edward bringing my bags into the kitchen. Carlisle was in his chair, with Esme on the armrest, as usual. Rose sat in Emmet's lap on the other chair. Alice was on the couch, Jasper across the room. It was then that I noticed both Renesmee and Jacob sitting on the floor in front Jasper. Jacob was lying on his side, with Renesmee in front of him in the crook of his stomach, her legs crossed and head down. His hand softly rubbed her back. In the instant I registered the troubled look on her face, I knew. Someone had told her.
"Jacob!" Edward yelled from the kitchen.
"Yeah?" Jacob's hand stopped midway on Renesmee's back, as her eyes flew open to stare at him.
"Will you join me in kitchen, please?" Jacob's slight hesitation and a glance to Renesmee must have been a clue to Edward, as he added, "Now."
So it had been Jacob who told her. Dammit, Jake. I watched him as he walked by me, and my eyes told him everything I didn't say out loud. I'd let Edward handle this, and joined Alice on the couch.
"Okay, from the looks of it, I can guess that you didn't find anything else today." I knew Edward would hear if we discussed anything. He probably already knew.
"Aw, Bella, I just don't understand it. Nothin'. Not a scent, not a trail. Nothin'." I could tell by Jasper's expression, he just couldn't fathom it.
From the kitchen, everyone heard, "Edward, I'm sorry. Really. But she knew something was up. I . . . I couldn't lie to her anymore."
Renesmee's face twisted as Edward said with some authority, "Jacob, I'm her father, and she's still seventeen. You will follow my rules until . . ."
"Sure, sure. I understand," Jacob muttered, and then whispered, "Edward, you know I'll protect her. Protect her with my life," as if whispering would keep the rest of us from hearing. The silence from the kitchen was deafening to me, only because I was sure Edward already knew this, even if he didn't like it.
I couldn't let Renesmee stew anymore. "Sweetpea, please come sit by me." She got up and walked over slowly, staring at the floor. I couldn't imagine if, when I had been her age, a room full of my relatives knew everything that happened in my life. Or my father knew every thought that went through my mind. When she finally sat down, I wrapped my arm around her. "We'll talk about this later, you and me." I kissed the side of her head.
At that moment, Edward and Jacob decided to join the rest of us. Jake took his spot back on the floor as Edward joined Jasper just behind him.
Renesmee looked up at me, tears in the corners of her eyes. "Mom, I just wanted to know what was going on. I'm old enough to understand. And I want to help Grandpa Charlie."
"Absolutely not." The timber of Edward's voice scared even me.
"Edward." I shot him a glance. "The three of us will discuss this later." I glanced at Jacob, and he knew I meant he wasn't included. Edward and I both knew we had only a few months left with our daughter before she and Jake . . . I didn't want to think about that now. We had more urgent issues in front of us, like the lives of my father and Catherine.
"Edward, I think Renesmee should stay. Whatever happens, whatever we're going to do, it will involve her." I didn't have to throw my shield around him for him to know what I was thinking. Renesmee would be as far from the action as we could get her, which meant Jacob would be with her. His affirmative blink was all I needed.
"So Bella, when were you going to tell the family about this eating disorder?" Rosalie dug her elbow into Emmett's gut. Everyone giggled. Even Carlisle.
"Wow. Hilarious, Emmett. Gee, Alice. Did you kiss Jasper first, or did you go straight to Emmett with the news?" Her impish smile made me smile back.
Alice reached across Renesmee to shove my shoulder. "C'mon, Bella. Admit it. It is funny."
Renesmee giggled. "Don't tell me you're on their side?" I joked to her, and poked her in the ribs to tickle her.
"Mom, really. From the way Alice told it, you were a disaster." Emmett laughed heartily at that, with Rosalie again elbowing him.
"I hate to interrupt this delightful family moment at Bella's expense, but we really need to concentrate on how to help Charlie and Catherine." Carlisle glanced up to Esme, squeezing her hand. Even in its simplicity, the gesture told me just how worried Esme was.
"So you found nothing? Nothing at all?" Edward was as dumbfounded as Jasper.
"Nope. We went all over the place. Clear up to the Canadian border," Emmett said dejectedly.
"I did find a trace of something at Charlie's, though," Alice finally spoke. "A scent, but nothing I recognized. Neither did Edward."
"It was a few days old. Nothing current. I'm pretty sure it's him, although I have nothing to base that on. I'm also quite convinced it's Catherine he's after, otherwise there would have been more recent evidence of him around Charlie's. He must have followed them there at one point, tracking Catherine. Although I can't for the life of me figure out why he hasn't just . . ." Edward stopped and looked at Renesmee, who instantly snuggled closer to me.
Jasper, who had been deep in thought staring at the coffee table, finally chimed in. "Carlisle, have you ever known of a skill like this? One of us being able to hide from our kind?" he asked.
"Only if they've moved far out of range, but even then, there's a trace, a scent. The closest skill I know of is Bella's shielding. But that's for the mind. When she does it, we can all still see, and hear, each other."
"Well, he isn't going anywhere in the near future, because the vision is still clear." Alice's uneasiness with stating the fact was evident, even as she did so.
Did this guy have some sort of never-before-seen ability? "But even if he did, why her? Why Catherine?" I still couldn't think of any other reason than she was his singer.
"Good question." Jasper turned to Edward. "You've seen into her mind. Was there any hint, any reason at all?"
"The only thing that she was concerned about was . . ." Edward glanced at me, "losing Charlie."
"Dad, what's she like? I mean, is Grandpa . . . are they . . .?" Renesmee stopped and took my hand, showing me Charlie in a tux, waiting, as an unidentifiable woman walked up an aisle in a wedding dress. I smiled, threw the image at Edward, who responded with his own grin.
"Nessie, I'm not sure if a wedding is in their future, but I'm pretty sure they're in love. Neither of them have spoken the words aloud, at least not when Aunt Alice, Mom, and I were there."
Alice reached over to give Renesmee, sitting between us, a hug. "Don't you worry, I'm watching for it. When I see it, you'll be the first person I tell. Because then we'll have to start planning . . ."
"Alice." I reached over and touched her shoulder. "You are absolutely a force of nature when it comes to weddings." Alice had been right all of those years ago. With time, I had truly grown to appreciate all that she had done for Edward and me.
"We have to dooo something!" Rosalie stood up and raced over to the patio doors in almost a blur, clearly frustrated. "We can't let this happen. They have a chance, a future . . ."
Emmett shot out of the chair. "Babe, we're gonna. We just have to . . ." He folded her into his arms.
"Yes, we have to. If Grandpa is in love . . ." Renesmee's voice trembled, but her insistence shocked me, as I realized she'd been looking at Jacob when she said the word love. If my heart hadn't already stopped, it would have at that moment. Edward saw it, too, and even though he tried to hide it by turning away, he wasn't happy. Jake's eyes went from hers to mine, and then quickly to the floor. I was glad he hadn't seen Edward's reaction.
"But how? We can't even find him," Rosalie said disgustedly into Emmett's chest.
"Ness, honey, I need to get you back to the cottage. C'mon, I'll help you do your homework so we can watch a movie. Your pick." Jacob looked at me for some sort of encouragement, undoubtedly wanting to get not only Renesmee, but himself out of there.
Renesmee's face turned to mine. "Mom, can I stay, please? I . . . I'm worried about Grandpa, too."
When she looked at me with the brown eyes that Edward said were so like mine, it was hard to refuse her. She would pester Jake with questions the rest of the evening. Let that be his punishment for telling her. That, and whatever Edward had in store for him. "I know you are. Let us figure this out, and as soon as we know what we're going to do, I'll tell you. I'll be along in a little bit." Her shoulders slumped, and she looked to Edward.
"Dad?"
"Your mother's right. But we'll both be back before you go to sleep. We all need to talk after Jacob leaves." Jacob slowly rose up off the floor, avoiding Edward's gaze, and came over to Renesmee, holding out his hand. But Renesmee ran past him and threw herself into Edward's arms.
"I'm sorry, Dad. I'm sorry I . . ." she said, her cheek pressed up into his chest.
"I know you are. We'll talk in a bit. Go on." Edward kissed her forehead.
"I won't shift, so we can walk," Jacob said as Renesmee went to him and took his offered hand.
As they reached the patio doors, Jacob opened it for her, but Renesmee turned around, looking at each of us. "Please. Please find a way to save Grandpa. And Catherine." She turned back, and they walked out, holding hands.
I dropped my head forward into my hands, leaning over not for any physical reason, but because the worry I'd had for my father had just been compounded by my daughter's. Death was such a foreign concept for her when it came to us. She understood that Charlie would die someday, being that he was human, but for one of our kind to be the cause of it . . . especially now. It was too soon.
So wrapped up in my thoughts, I barely noticed Edward join me on the couch and wrap his arm around me. I leaned back into him, tucking my feet under me, and rested my head on his shoulder.
"So where do we start? Anyone have any ideas?" Edward said.
"We could just follow them. Follow her." Esme had been silent for so long, her voice surprised me.
"They were staying at the house, at least long enough to watch the baseball game, but it might be over by now," I acknowledged. I knew what Edward was thinking even without shielding the two of us. Catherine was adamant about going back home, eventually, not wanting to spend the night with my father. I inadvertently smiled.
"We know how Charlie loves his baseball. He found a woman that will actually watch it with him?" Carlisle's shock spoke for everyone.
"Apparently. She also wants him to learn how to play golf." Even Esme laughed at that.
"Yes, and she was quite, uh, stubborn in her . . . not wanting to spend the night." Alice giggled.
I suddenly started to feel uncomfortable. "This is my father we're talking about, Alice. Remember? You all don't need to know everything about their . . . personal life." It suddenly occurred to me the many similar conversations they must have had about Edward and me. I'm glad I didn't know then . . .
"Rose and I will run over there right now, just to see what's going on." Emmett's arm around Rosalie's waist pulled both of them toward the patio doors.
"Emmett! I swear to . . . if you even . . . if I find out you've seen anything you shouldn't have . . ." I started to get up, but Edward's arm held me back.
"Don't worry, Bella. I'll get him out of there if things start getting hot. I know how to distract the big boy." She put her hand to his chest and batted her eyelashes at him, pulling his arm and him out the door. That, I knew, was an understatement.
"I want Alice to take Carlisle, Esme, and me to where she found his scent. You two okay here for awhile?" Jasper asked.
"Sure. If we're not here, we'll be at the cottage. We have to talk to Renesmee, anyway." I didn't know which discussion was more difficult right now - Charlie or Renesmee.
Carlisle and Esme got up, and Carlisle walked over to stand in front of Edward. "Son, go easy on Jacob. You know how persistent Nessie can be when she really wants something."
"Yes, like mother, like daughter." Edward squeezed me to him and rubbed my head, mussing my hair.
"We'll be back in a bit." Alice danced out the door on tip-toes, Jasper following. Carlisle and Esme were right behind them.
Edward and I sat quietly for a few moments, me keeping my thoughts to myself, jumbling back and forth between why we couldn't find the guy, the creature, that was after Charlie and Catherine, and what to do about Renesmee.
Edward nudged me. "I wish I knew what you were thinking right now."
"I know you do," I replied. "Edward, I haven't been this worried in seven years," I finally admitted. I grabbed a strand of hair, fiddling with it as thoughts of Alice's vision flitted in and out, along with a new nightmare of the creature getting anywhere near Renesmee. "I could throttle Jake right now."
"Yes. I share that feeling," Edward confessed. "But Bella, she was merciless in her questioning of him. I saw it in his head. We should have known he'd cave. The only secret he's ever been able to keep . . ."
I interrupted, "Um, if you remember, he didn't even keep that one." Not only had Jake oh-so-long-ago spilled the beans with me, but he'd darn near given Charlie a heart attack.
"Ah, yes. You're right," he conceded.
I was only half listening, or I would have jumped on the fact that Edward had said I was right. I enveloped Edward in my shield, not wanting to be alone with the whirlwind that was my brain now. He heard as the questions kept coming.
"How could this be happening? Charlie meets a woman, and all of a sudden she has a vampire hell bent on killing her? Was there a connection to us? Why? What had we done?"
"Bella, stop. Please. I can't . . . you're . . ." Even Edward couldn't keep up with me.
"I'm sorry. I just want to know why? Do you think there's a connection to us?"
"I don't know. There doesn't seem to be. He's kept well away from us."
"Exactly."
"What are you getting at?"
"Doesn't it seem a little strange to you that we can't find him? That he's after the woman Charlie's involved with?"
"Do you think he's here to draw us out?"
"I don't know. But you said it yourself, well, almost. If she were his singer, she'd be dead by now. So why the delay?"
Edward started to replay the vision again, more for himself. I had no desire to see it again, so I withdrew my shield.
"We need to talk to Renesmee," he suddenly said. I looked over at him, and just as I did, Emmett and Rosalie came in the door.
"Nothin's happening over there. Charlie's on the couch watching TV, and Catherine must have gone home," Emmet reported, plopping down on the chair.
"Yeah. Everything looks fine. No one's going to be on a beach tonight. Well . . ." Rose put her hand on Emmett's shoulder, rubbing back and forth.
"Hmmm. Maybe we could get a glimpse of him if he's hanging out?" Emmett's hand came up to take hers, but something told me the smile on his face had nothing to do with tracking the creature.
"Yes. Yes, maybe we could. Bella? Do you think we should go back to Charlie's or . . ." I knew what she wanted me to say.
"No, I think Charlie and Catherine will be fine for tonight. Go . . . do . . . whatever you feel is necessary." I smiled at both of them. You'd think after all these years they could keep their hands off each other for one night. Then I thought of Edward next to me.
"We need to find out where she lives," Edward said suddenly.
"Yes. Maybe I could call the station. They'll know everything about her by now." Even if Charlie didn't.
"Okay, well, then we'll be seeing you all later. We'll, uh, check in at Charlie's on our way back," Emmett offered.
"Thanks, Emmett. We'll be at the cottage," I said, half paying attention as they went out the door again.
"Let's go talk to Nessie," Edward said, pulling my hand as he stood up. He knew I wanted to be near her, regardless of what needed to be said. Renesmee was now the same age as I was when I met Edward. What Charlie must have gone through, and not even knowing that Edward was . . . I remembered the times Charlie had tried to talk to me, and the many more times he'd just left me alone in my room. How many nights Edward had spent in my bedroom . . . Were Renesmee and Jacob sneaking? . . . No, Edward would know, and he would tell me.
Wouldn't he?
It suddenly became crystal clear to me how much I loved Charlie. And how difficult the next hour or so would be.
A/N:
So, everyone, um, frustrated with Catherine and Charlie yet? I hear you, yeah you, the one shouting, "Hell yeah! Just get on with it!"
Alright. Alright. Just . . . hold your pants on. ;)
The Cullens - pretty blase about a vision and a vampire they can't find?
Maybe. Maybe not. He IS just one vampire . . .
And just what the hell is going to happen with Nessie/Jake/Bella/Edward?
Hmmm.
Ok folks. Time to fasten your seatbelts. The next four chapters are the cream to your coffee, the chips to your dip, the peanut butter to your chocolate. I will try to post quickly, but again, my perfectionist, and my mentor, may rear their ugly heads. Not to mention my wonderful beta, Jenny Cullen, might reach through the screen and throttle me.
Thanks, as always, for reading and . . . er, well you know.