We should all be thankful for Canadian Thanksgiving - I spent four days at my inlaws and did almost nothing but write! I've got this one done, and have about 3/4 of the next one done!

This chapter is dedicated to the readers, who've been calling out for Steven Hunter's blood since chapter two. I hope you like this resolution.

I also need to put in a warning. My beta has informed me that this chapter has a very high creepy rating. I don't imagine many of the people who are really bothered by that are still reading, but just in case... creepy.

Thanks always to Jeannie for putting up with me when I'm being demanding and when I interupt twelve times in one phone conversation to tell you about this story.

I do not own Twilight.


What the Boys Did

EPOV

Chapter 14

"Edward," she asked, "where were you?"

I froze. She knew. She knew I'd gone to see Steven Hunter. What was I going to tell her?

*********

When we'd gotten off the plane in Philadelphia, it had been overcast and humid. It almost felt as though we'd never left Forks. Jasper and I tried our best to ignore the thousands of people (and their thoughts and feelings) while Emmett picked up our rental car. A Pontiac G5 – disappointingly slow, but common. No one would notice it, no matter where we parked.

I sat in the backseat while we drove towards the neighbourhood where Steven Hunter lived. My thoughts were spinning. What if he wasn't there? What if he was? What were we going to do if he was unrepentant? How far could we go without revealing ourselves? And worst of all, what if he did something which left us with no choice but to kill him?

Mixed with these worries were my thoughts of Bella. I worried that she would have nightmares without me, or that she would get into an accident. But more than that, I worried that she would realize where we had gone.

"Edward, enough!" growled Jasper from the front seat. "You're driving me crazy."

"Sorry," I muttered. "Do we have a plan?"

Fuck you man, thought Emmett, before he sighed loudly. "No, we don't have a plan. You two were so busy trying to keep things from Alice that we couldn't make any decisions. So we have no plan, which isn't going to work if we don't want to kill the guy."

"Well, Alice isn't here right now, and we don't have worry about her til we get home," Jasper said. And it's me who'll be dealing with her anyway.

"So, should we plan something now?" I asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"I think we should spend a day observing before we do anything," Jasper began, his thoughts full of strategy. "Edward can listen to was he's thinking, and Emmett and I can look through his stuff and see what we can find."

"Okay," said Emmett, "What are we looking for?"

"Trophies taken from victims, journals, that kind of thing."

What the? "Won't the cops have already found all that stuff?"

Let's hope they never investigate you! Jasper thought in exasperation before explaining, "They'd have taken everything they could find, but he's probably got stuff hidden away, if he has any."

That makes sense, thought Emmett. "So once we have proof…"

"We're going to talk to him about it," I put in.

Talk? Really?

"Talk, Emmett. And scare him. And make sure he realizes that if he ever looks sideways at a child again..."

"We'll kill him slow and painful," Emmett finished with a grin.

The rest of the drive was quiet. We were all lost in our own thoughts – mostly of our partners and their reactions to this little side trip.

Emmett was pretty sure Rosalie would be disgusted that we hadn't killed Steven Hunter. Jasper was sure that Alice would approve of our actions, but be vocal about how the whole family should have been involved, and that there should have been more planning. I was torn between my joy at having a partner to think about and my dread of telling Bella I had lied to her. She was going to be upset. I knew that she considered this her choice to make, but how did you look at the woman you loved and tell her she was making the wrong decision?

A wave of artificial calm swept over me as we drove into a neighbourhood. The dark made little difference to my eyes as I looked around. The houses were small but well cared, the cars used but running and the yards clean and tidy. And at almost every house there were signs of children. Bicycles, wagons, sprinklers, chalk drawings, skipping ropes... they were everywhere.

It made me furious to think that Steven Hunter had been living among them and could have been victimizing any of the children now sleeping in these homes. I had to stop myself from scanning their dreams as we passed by, looking for nightmares like those that troubled Bella.

When we arrived in front of 42 Parkway Dr. the lights were off. Steven Hunter was asleep. I looked at the clock – 10:30 pm. I found his thoughts. He wasn't deep enough asleep for proper dreams yet. Random images flashed through his mind. Mixed in with cars and computers and street signs were children's faces.

I sighed and pulled back, knowing that I wouldn't be able to stop myself from running in and killing him if Bella's face flashed through his mind. We discussed it quickly. There wasn't much we could do while he slept, so we drove away, and found a motel for the night – somewhere to wash, and watch TV. I couldn't relax, but Emmett did, and so did Jasper to a lesser extent.

We headed back wordlessly at dawn, arriving just in time for me to hear Hunter's thoughts as he woke and headed to his computer. He filled his days on house arrest with On-line gambling.

We got out of the car and moved towards the house. The front door was heavily bolted, so we quickly ran around to the back. A sliding glass door was the perfect entry point. Jasper spent part of 1957 learning to pick locks and it only took a second to pop the lock on the cheap door.

I took a deep breath as we entered the house. Steven Hunter's scent filled my nostrils. Part of my mind became occupied with memorizing it, in case he ever escaped and I was forced to hunt him down. The rest noted that subtle hint of something I remembered from my days hunting down murderers and rapists. There is a distinctive smell to those who prey on others.

Once inside the house we began following scent rails. He seemed to spend most of his time gravitating between his bedroom and the computer. The house was a mess – full of boxes and magazines, newspapers and trash bags. He appeared to eat a lot of Chinese food take out.

We began our search – quietly.

It was an unbelievable amount of stuff to sift through, even with our advantages. Over the course of the day a pattern developed. We would bump something, put something down too heavily and Hunter would come to investigate while we hid.

By the third time, he was getting scared, and we were enjoying the game. Jasper smiled at me in the closet where we were hiding.

"Watch this," he said, too low for human ears. At once, Hunter's heart rate accelerated and I could hear his hand shake as he twisted the door knob of the room our closet was in. I moved just slightly, so that I could see through the crack of the cheap closet door. He peeked into the tiny bedroom, his knees almost knocking with fear.

Jasper's grin widened and Hunter's whole body went stiff. His face went red and he began to mutter under his breath as Jasper turned his fear to anger.

"Stupid kids! Bet they broke in just to see the jailbird!" Stupid boys! His thoughts continued, Why do they need to pull stunts like this? Girls don't. Girls are so much quieter!

I raised an eyebrow at this thought, but Jasper dissipated his anger and he broke off his thought and returned to the computer. Once he'd taken his seat at the computer again, Jasper spiked his fear again. Twenty minutes later he came back up the stairs, heart racing, knees shaking.

Steven Hunter had just paid the delivery man for his dinner when Emmett found it. 'It' was a beautiful jewellery box covered in Asian lacquer and mother-of-pearl. It was covered in Hunter's scent; he handled it often. Inside were love letters. From Steven Hunter to his victims.

"Look at this!" Emmett said in disgust, riffling through them. "Jessica, Amber, Joy, Michelle, Olivia, Tammy, Lucy, Bella,"

He'd said the last name without thinking, and I snatched it from him before he could react.

It read,

Dearest Bella,

I crave your soft skin like an addict craves drugs. Your deep brown eyes suck me in. They are so beautifully expressive – I can read them like a book. They tell me that you love me everyday.

When we were at the restaurant last night, I felt your foot on my leg. You are so naughty. I know you were telling me that you feel the same way I do. I adore all the silent ways you find to tell me that you want me.

I want you too. Always.

Steven

A tidal wave of artificial calm swept me under as I struggled to get myself under control. I wasn't aware of anything until much later as Jasper and Emmett smuggled me out of the house. When I came back to myself, we were in the car. Jasper was driving, and Emmett and I were in the backseat.

"You're back?" Jasper asked, sensing my anger receding. I look at the clock in the rental car. It was 6 pm – 30 minutes had passed.

"Yes," I answered. "Where are we?"

'Driving around Hunter's neighbourhood," said Emmett. Sorry about that man. If I'd had any idea...

"Don't Emmett," I cut him off. "I know it was an accident, but please; don't even think about it."

Got it.

We pulled up in front of Hunter's house again.

"What's going on?" I asked, noticing a car in the driveway.

"Not sure," said Jasper. "We've driven by a couple of times, but only heard snippets. Being near by didn't help you any, and it's hard to hear from the car, even with the windows open."

"We think it's his lawyer," Emmett explained.

"Whoever it is, Hunter's feels nothing but contempt for him. And whoever it is feels disgusted by Hunter."

We got out of the car and hid in the bushes under Hunter's open window. I focused in on the conversation inside the house. "..best bet is to accept the plea. The alleged victims get a public apology and you spend less time in prison," said the man we assumed was Hunter's lawyer. Through the lawyer's eyes, Hunter screwed up his face.

"I really don't like the idea of pleading guilty to something I didn't do."

You really don't like the idea of what happens to child molesters in jail, you sicko.

"I realize that, Mr. Hunter, but it's my job as your legal representative to present you with what I think is your best choice. The plea will mean significantly less jail time for you, for a few seconds spent apologizing."

That's just great, thought Hunter. My legal advisor has given up on me. What a crappy lawyer. I wish I had the money for a real lawyer. A real lawyer would have made sure I got off! A real lawyer would make them understand that I never hurt anyone!

The lawyer was almost laughing at Hunter's stubborn insistence. What the hell do I care? Don't take the plea. Spend as long as you like in prison being someone's girlfriend.

"Obviously it's your choice, but continuing through the sentencing while maintaining your innocence is not likely to be in your best interest."

The lawyer continued to talk for the next few hours, explaining the procedures of the sentencing and getting Hunter's signature on forms. I was so absorbed by the back and forth between the two men inside that I jumped when Emmett whispered, "Cops!"

We ran back to the car, Jasper put it in gear and pulled away at a reasonable pace. The police did not follow us, and we all relaxed. I filled the others in on what had been happening with Hunter and his lawyer.

"So, when we go back...?" Emmett asked.

"We grab him and let him know who we are and why we're here," Jasper said.

"We're going to freak him out first though, right?"

I frowned at Emmett. "What do you mean, 'freak him out'?"

Emmett grinned. "Well, we've already got him on edge; it shouldn't be too hard to tip him into a panic, even without Jasper meddling with him."

"A little game of cat and mouse would go a long way to making sure he knows we're serious," Jasper added with a smile. C'mon Edward, we've all earned the right to scare the guy... even you. It'll make our 'talk' more enjoyable this way.

They had a point. I nodded and Emmett let out a whoop. When we drove past Hunter's house a few minutes later, we realized that the police car we'd seen earlier was parked in his driveway. The officers were walking back to the car. The taller was was thinking:

Good thing he stays there. Gives me the creeps having to check on him in this neighbourhood; too many kids. I'd hate to have to start searching if he went missing. I'm glad he's sticking with his house arrest, and can't wait til he goes to prison!

"They're checking that Hunter is obeying the conditions of his house arrest. Drive around the block again, and they'll be gone."

It was dark and quiet when we came back. Hunter was asleep, his dreams full of things that go bump in the night.

"He's scared in his sleep!" Jasper crowed.

"He's not scared enough," said Emmett with an evil grin. "Let's get him more scared."

"Wait! Do we have a plan?" I asked.

Emmett shrugged. "We can spend a while playing 'make a noise and run' until it gets boring, then we'll grab him a tie him to a chair."

"Why are we tying him to a chair?" asked Jasper, picturing it.

Emmett shrugged again. Just because "It seems like a good idea?"

Jasper snorted. "Whatever. Sounds good."

We crept into the house. Emmett headed straight the bedroom. "Check it out!" he said softly. He took a piece of paper from a stack in the hall, balled it up and threw it into Hunter's room. It skimmed the tip of his nose as it crossed the bed. We ran and hid, and listened to Hunter roll over in bed. I watched through his eyes as his eyes flew open, and heard his heart started to thump loudly as he thought What was that? He sat up for a minute listening before he lay back down to sleep.

I followed Jasper as he opened the window of the room next to Hunter's bedroom and climbed until he was holding the ledge of Hunter's window, and then knocked on the window three or four times. I heard Hunter jump up to investigate and Jasper let go; dropping to the ground a story below and ran around to the back door to let himself back in. I watched through Hunter's eyes as he ran to the window and pulled up the blinds but saw nothing. He went back to bed.

We kept it up for a couple of hours. We knocked on walls and windows. We banged pots and pans. We moved things. Emmett put Hunter's dining table in the living room, before deciding that he should take up being a ghost professionally.

Hunter, after being woken for the third time, was almost incoherent with fear; his thoughts a garbled mess of conspiracy theories. He chased us from room to room. We occasionally went quiet, and he would return to bed while Jasper increased his fear until he was almost panicking and then calming him all at once. He would decide, in the calm, that he'd just been imagining things, and we could start over.

By 1am I was done. Jasper looked at me, sensing my resolve. It's time? I nodded.

Emmett looked at us, It's go time? I nodded again and he and grinned. He picked up some computer cables. I couldn't find any rope.

Hunter was standing with his back to the hallway, staring into the room where we'd found his jewellery box. I could've sworn I heard it in here. Can't be kids, moves too fast!

I carefully grabbed his arms from behind. I covered his mouth as he screamed with a certain amount of satisfaction. He went limp in my arms and I carried him downstairs and set him in the chair Emmett and Jasper had prepared. Emmett tied him to the chair with the computer cables.

What the hell! He exclaimed mentally. I'm being robbed! I need to call 9-1-1!

I laughed out loud at the idea of the police rushing over to help him. "I don't think that the police would hurry here Steven Hunter."

His expression changed from terrified to suspicious. How do you know who I am? And what I was thinking?

"I know all kinds of things," I said, as Jasper handed me the bundle of letters. I tried very hard not to look at them as I waved them in Hunter's face. "I know that you like to pick on little girls. I know that you make them cry."

"Yeah, does that feel like a big man?" Emmett jumped in, "Forcing yourself on little girls who are too young to say no?"

Hunter's eyes narrowed. What does he mean? "I never forced myself on anyone! Those girls wanted me. They were all very mature! We knew no one would understand – they've been warped into thinking it was something bad. It was beautiful!"

It was the dumbest thing he could have said. Emmett and Jasper both saw red, while I was shaking off Hunter's mental images. Jasper lunged forward, and in that moment, I heard Bella's voice in my head. "I can't let this change everything. I won't let HIM change everything."

I had to stop my brothers.

It wasn't easy. I managed to get between Hunter and my brothers at the last possible second, and tried to get them to back off. Jasper was radiating fury and I had to fight off my reflected anger as well. Bella's words echoed in my head over and over.

I faked moving left and then moved right to push Emmett backwards, and heard his mental voice realize what had happened as his thoughts returned to normal. I tried to do the same to Jasper, but didn't notice that he'd grabbed Hunter's hand. I pried his hand off as he flew across the room, but not before we all heard the crack of Hunter's wrist breaking.

His scream brought Jasper back to his senses. Tears of pain streamed down Hunter's face. Emmett and Jasper were both mentally telling me how sorry they were. Hunter's thoughts were so full of self pity that I didn't hear his doubts coming. "What are you?" he choked out. "You sure as hell aren't human." It's you that've been torturing me.

"No, we're not human," said Jasper, pulling himself away from his regrets. "And we're here to tell you that you are never going to touch another child – ever."

Are they angels? Hunter wondered.

"We mean it Hunter," Emmett growled, the bass vibrating in the room.

Nah – couldn't be. He nodded at Emmett, eyes wide.

"We're here on behalf of Bella Swan," Jasper began. I tried to stop him before he could say the words, knowing what would come next.

Bella Swan? Hunter thought, confused. Then he remembered and his thoughts were full of memories of little Bella. Dressed up and going out to dinner; laughing and holding a doll; and in a small white bed, tearful eyes wide over a heavy male hand while the other hand crept up her leg.

Just as the anguish seem to be too much, just as it seemed like I would be forced to watch him molest Bella, something changed. The memory changed, warped. There were cowboys on the bedspread, and it was a younger version of Steven crying in fear. A man who looked much like the adult Steven Hunter was in the bed with him.

Hunter was as trapped in the memory as I was, and began to cry out. "No Daddy! No! Don't!"

I finally pulled out of his thoughts and jumped to Jasper's.

...sorry Edward. That was so stupid of me.

"S'all right," I said hoarsely, staring at the terrified man in front of me. "We can't hurt him anyway. I promised Bella. Anyway, he's just passing along what his father did to him." I barely registered the shock on Hunter's face before continuing. "We're going to let you go, Hunter. I'll even set your arm for you before we go. But if I EVER hear that you've come within ten feet of a child for any reason, we will kill you. You know we can."

He nodded, imagining us ripping him apart with fiery swords.

"Let's pack up and go," I said. Jasper dug around in the kitchen until he found an ACE bandage and I splinted Hunter's arm with a couple of chopsticks. We even put the table back in the dining room before we left.

We didn't speak again until we were driving away.

Emmett leaned forward from the backseat. "Did he think about..." Bella?

"Yes Emmett, he did. I don't want to think about it."

Sorry man, that sucks. Are you okay with how that went down?

I nodded. It hadn't been the perfect revenge I'd wanted, but somehow it felt better knowing that Hunter was only a human with a bad past. The burning inside me was gone, replaced with fear of Bella's reaction.

Jasper sensed my change of mood, and changed the subject. "We should hunt before we go home. Do you want to try here, or in Washington?"

"Better game in Washington," Emmett said immediately.

"Washington," I said. I wanted to be closer to Bella, even if she didn't know it.

*********

I stared at Bella. And decided.

I told her everything we'd done. Every lie, every plan, everything. I told her about the letter, but not what was in it. I told her about breaking Hunter's wrist. I told her about his past. I told her how he'd left him.

And I waited to see how the most important person in my life would judge me.

So... what did you think? (I'm really nervous...) Just one more chapter and an epilogue.