Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
13. Adjustments
"What," Bella squeaked, "you told Charlie?"
I winced. I might have guessed she would have this sort of reaction.
"He needs to know what's been going on," I told her.
"No, he doesn't. I'm fine on my own," she insisted.
"For God's sake, he's your family, Bella. You just don't keep this sort of thing hidden from family. What if-"
I stopped when I saw the look on her face. Bella sagged in defeat. Her eyes were starting to look a little too shiny for my liking.
"I know," she said in a thick voice, "I know it's stupid, but at first, it was this wonderful, magical secret. And then, after-he-left, I was too afraid to admit how stupid I was."
Bella turned those wide, puppyish eyes on me once more. I felt like I should do...something to comfort her, but I wasn't sure what. Instead, I just opened my car door.
"Let's get this over with," I said as I stepped out.
"Mike, wait!" she called, scrambling to catch up. I paused.
"I'm sorry," she said, then went on at my quizzical look, "for how I've treated you. I said some horrible things. I know most of it was because of him, but, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking some of it myself. When I first got here, you know? I'm sorry. You're not a golden retriever."
"Gee, thanks." I couldn't keep the sarcasm out of my tone. I turned away from her, but she caught my arm.
"Mike, please. Please, can we start over? I-I'm scared."
I shouldn't have turned back. Those eyes of hers were just too compelling. I sighed and pulled her into a friendly embrace. She was shaking slightly.
"It's okay." I murmured, "you have the book Lauren gave you?"
She nodded. I could feel the copy of Dracula wedged between us.
"Good, and you can have this," I said. I unhooked my crucifix and put it around her neck instead. I had a few other at home. Bella fingered the crucifix curiously.
"Does it really work?" she asked.
"It does," I assured her.
"I've never been religious," she admitted.
I shook my head. "Doesn't matter. Come on, your dad is waiting,"
I walked her up to the door with my arm loosely slung around her shoulders. I hesitated at the door, not sure if I should knock. My dilemma was solved when Chief Swan flung the door open and ushered us in.
He bombarded us with questions. I knew that Bella wasn't up for this right now, so I calmed him down as quickly as I could.
"You should let Bella rest," I said, "there will be plenty of time to talk about everything, but she's been through enough for now."
I tried to remove my arm, but Bella clutched at me.
"Don't go," she practically whimpered," he used to come through my window. What if-"
I looked at Chief Swan.
"Maybe you could help her see that her bedroom is safe," he suggested. His tone was light, but I noticed he gave a significant look to his firearm hanging on the wall as he said it. Right. No funny business.
I walked with Bella up the stairs. When we reached the top, she nodded toward the door that led to her bedroom. I opened it. It was obviously empty, but I doubted that would be good enough for Bella.
"Let's see," I said. I walked her over to the bed and had her sit down.
"Shall I check the closet?" I teased, hoping to make her laugh. Instead, she paled even more. "Let me guess, he was in there at some point."
Cullen really was a creepy guy, even if he was a vampire. Hoping I wouldn't see anything too embarrassing, I crossed to her closet and made a show of looking inside.
"Nothing," I reported, turning back to the bed. She was sitting all the way up by the headboard, her knees drawn up under her chin. She looked like a small child.
"Now, the window," I said, moving to examine it, "it's locked. You'll need to revoke his permission to enter, though."
"How?" she asked.
"Just say 'you may no longer enter' while concentrating on the thought of him," I explained.
Bella cleared her throat. "You may no longer enter."
She looked at me for approval. I nodded. "Now for a protective charm. Give me the crucifix."
She clutched at it. "Do I have to?"
I sighed. "Let me see if I have anything in the car."
She opened her mouth to protest my leaving, but I gave her a sharp look that said 'do you want my help or not.' She wisely kept silent.
Bella's dad was just outside the door.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
"Yes, I just need to find a charm for the window," I told him.
"A charm?" Chief Swan asked.
"Like a crucifix. I think I have an extra in my car. Starting tomorrow, though, we can help you put up more permanent protection around the house."
"I think I have an old crucifix from my mother," he offered, "I'll get it."
He disappeared and reappeared a few minutes later with a tarnished crucifix. I took it and reentered Bella's room. She hadn't moved. I was aware of Chief Swan watching from the doorway as I rigged the crucifix to hang in front of the window.
"There," I said, "all done."
Back downstairs, I was saying my goodbyes to Chief Swan. I was almost out the door when Bella appeared at the top of the steps. She had changed into her pajamas.
"Can't Mike stay?" she begged.
I mouthed 'please no' at Charlie. I wanted to get home. He seemed to agree with me completely; he didn't want to worry about a teenage boy sleeping over.
"Bella, I really don't think he can," Chief Swan said.
"But I'm going to have those nightmares again, and what if he comes back, and-"
Charlie held up a hand. "I doubt his parents would be okay with him being out all night."
"He can ask them," Bella said. In record time, she was waving a cordless phone in front of my face. Charlie shrugged at me.
I dialed my home number. I didn't think calling my parents would make any difference. In fact, I hoped it wouldn't. But if it helped Bella have peace of mind to know I'd tried...
My dad picked up the phone. I explained the situation, mentally projecting my desire for him to refuse Bella's request. To my surprise, he told me what a great idea it was to have me stay there, since Charlie didn't know anything about vampire defense and the house was currently unfortified. When he hung up, I stared at the phone in disbelief.
"They said 'yes,' didn't they?" Bella asked, looking almost happy.
Chief Swan looked at me. It was my turn to shrug. Bella had us backed into a corner.
"I'll get some extra blankets and he can have the couch," Chief Swan grumbled.
Bella looked relieved. She finally went back into her room. Chief Swan brought me the promised blankets and a pillow. He gave me one more warning look, but his heart wasn't really in it. He realized that I didn't like the situation any more than he did.
As I drifted off to sleep, I thought about how much blackmail material I would have against Bella once she came back to her senses. Normal Bella certainly would hate being reminded of how clingy she was acting now. I was sure that soon, that sarcastic Bella would be back.
She hadn't been lying about the nightmares. Her bloodcurdling screams reached me even in my place on the couch. When I got up the stairs, her dad was already in her room, trying to wake her. Her eyes looked around wildly when they opened. Chief Swan spoke softly to her, stroking her hair. I decided he had it under control and went back downstairs.
About twenty minutes later, I heard soft footfalls on the stairs. I looked up to see Bella. She was clutching Dracula in her arms like a teddy bear and the crucifix around her neck glinted in the dim light.
"Does your dad know you came down here?" I asked.
She shrugged, which I took to mean 'no.'
I sat up and patted the spot on the couch next to me. She sat. I thought she might say something, but she just stared at the book in her lap, tracing the letters with a finger.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, yawning.
"Not really," she said, quietly.
"All right them," I said.
She looked at me then. "You're annoyed now, aren't you?"
I sighed. "A little."
"It's just...that room..."
I stifled another yawn.
"Here," I took Dracula from her and opened it to the beginning. I put my arm around her and she snuggled close.
I started to read. It probably wasn't the best bedtime story, but Bella didn't seem to mind. She was soon lulled to sleep by the sound of my voice. When I was sure she wasn't going to wake up, I closed the book and set it aside.
I almost jumped when I looked up to see Chief Swan standing in the entrance to the living room.
"I went to check on her and she was missing," he whispered.
"Yeah. I think it's hard for her to be in that room," I whispered back.
He watched Bella sleeping contentedly on my shoulder for a few moments.
"Are you okay with her?" He asked.
"I guess?" I wondered if it was a trick question.
"Just this once," he said and went back upstairs.
I shifted slightly to get more comfortable. I didn't want to move Bella too much for fear of waking her again, so I settled for resting my head on top of hers. I'd slept sitting up before on plane rides and long car trips. I knew I would be feeling awful in the morning, but it looked like it couldn't be helped.
Author's Note: In a sense, it pains me greatly to write one of these. However, since this is NOT to further my own self importance, here we go. I would like to thank AngelofDeath001 for beinag amazing enough to create a community partly because of this story (I am the Author mentioned in its description). The community is called New and Different and showcases well written stories of that description. Since AngelofDeath001 is doing this to support authors like me, I figured the least I could do is support the community with a mention here. So please, check it out.