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Emmett sat on the sofa with Jasper and Edward as Carlisle and Esme went to the front door. All three sat stiffly, their natural response to stress or anxiety. And he was stressed and anxious, but beyond that, he was furious. He couldn't read the guy's mind or emotions, and he hadn't heard for himself what he'd said abut Bella, but he trusted his brothers' account of events and knew that this guy was a threat to his sister. That was all he needed to know. Emmett didn't think of himself as a murderer. He'd killed humans, sure. He was a vampire. It happened. It was always accidental and he regretted it afterwards, though maybe not as much as he maybe should. But hey, life was too short for wallowing in regrets…well his wasn't, but that was besides the point.
At the moment though, he could see himself committing a murder. It would be so easy…almost too easy. The guy would walk in with Renee, the only witness. Of course he'd let her live…he wouldn't take Bella's mother from her, unless she asked it of him. He'd do anything she asked. But there were no humans around, besides her. And he didn't care if it traumatized her…he could live with that. He would let the guy see him coming, let him know that he had threatened a member of a vampire's family. He would bare his teeth and snarl, grinning the whole time, hold the man down while he sank his teeth into his neck, let him suffer.
Edward elbowed him hard in the side, and he turned to find the kid's face twisted in a grimace. "I'm not going to do it." He whined, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.
"Carlisle would be upset. He wouldn't allow it. And what about Renee?"
"She'll never mess with Bella again." Emmett said simply. "She'll just be grateful that I let her live." Jasper gave him a sharp look and Emmett sighed. "I wasn't going to do it!" He snapped at his brothers once again. "If you don't like what you hear, stop listening."
"You know I can't." Edward snapped back. Jasper rolled his eyes and leaned back against the couch, ignoring their argument, and Edward was surprised to find his thoughts focused on Alice and Bella rather than on Phil or Renee. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised…Jasper had become quite attached to Bella.
Phil and Renee followed Carlisle and Esme into the room, and Edward tuned back in. Jasper smirked and Edward almost laughed aloud at the growing anxiety he was shoving at Phil. Emmett caught on and grinned, eyeing Phil with amusement. The couple missed Carlisle's reproving look, but the three younger vampires made a concentrated effort to look polite. Phil was looking between the three of them in trepidation, while Renee stole glances at him. Finally he met her eyes and focused on her thoughts.
'I do wonder how Bella got someone like Edward…I mean she's sweet and pretty…but honestly. He's like a supermodel…and he's so devoted to her.' Edward suppressed a growl at the woman's assessment of Bella, as if 'sweet' and 'pretty' were even close. Jasper read his irritation and glanced at him questioningly after greeting Phil and hoping that the man would recognize his voice. It worked; now Phil was terrified and Jasper was happy, but Edward felt himself growing to dislike Bella's mother even more. She obviously had a distorted perception of her daughter, and he wondered if they were seeing the same person. Somehow the woman managed to skip over all of Bella's best qualities and focus only on the negative. Forcing himself to hold his tongue, he slipped into Phil's head, but it wasn't much better. The man was obviously afraid of Emmett and Jasper though, so that was a plus, but he was apparently taking pity on Carlisle and Esme, believing that Bella had lied to them.
"Look, there's obviously been some kind of misunderstanding. Apparently Bella has…claimed that something pretty serious happened to her…"
"Claimed?" Edward couldn't help himself, even though he heard Carlisle's rebuking thoughts. Their father had only allowed them to stay under the condition that they listened quietly while the 'adults' talked…of course they hadn't forbidden Jasper from making them ill at ease, but Carlisle's was silently regretting that oversight already as Phil leaned away from them, apparently unconscious of his own actions. Leaning back in his seat again, he grimaced when Emmett started up with his violent daydreams once again, giving him a subtle elbow in the ribs.
Suddenly listening to his father's thoughts, he realized that Carlisle had no intention of scolding Renee or even Phil, even if Jasper wanted nothing more. Of course, it had been Jasper who had found her…he shook that thought out of his head; it hurt to even think of her like that, limp in his father's arm, fighting to breathe, her lungs refusing to work for her. No, Carlisle was using this opportunity to question Renee about Bella's past. He probed her thoughts carefully when Carlisle began to ask his questions, ignoring the incredulous thoughts of Emmett and Jasper when they came to the same realization. As much as he wanted these people punished, Bella's health was more important.
Alice glanced out the window longingly. The beautiful mall sprawled across her vision, the beautiful signs resting over giant glass doors, practically begging her to come in. She was in desperate need of some new clothes, and Bella barely had anything to wear. And she needed make up! And shoes…and maybe some new socks…honestly she couldn't imagine Bella not having a good time; there was so much to buy! Besides, Bella never used her shiny new black credit card, and this was a perfect time to do so. Instead, the girl insisted on using her own money to buy whatever she wanted…which was practically nothing. Bella didn't make much working at the sporting goods store, so it didn't really matter, but Alice couldn't understand why Bella hated shopping so much. Glancing over at the girl as she almost lovingly caressed the spine of a novel, Alice rolled her eyes and mentally corrected herself. 'I don't understand why Bella hates normal shopping so much.'
Rosalie glanced up at her human sister and snorted, rolling her eyes, then went back to flipping idly through a sports car magazine. The two vampires were seated in the corner by the window at a small round table. Alice looked back down at her fashion magazine, her eyes skimming over a dress she though would look good on Esme. Quickly memorizing the cut of the fabric, she mentally played around with the color. She hadn't gotten her adopted mother any presents lately…nor her father. Flipping through the magazine, she searched for something he might like. The men in her family tended to accept the clothing she picked out for them with bemused resignation, but Carlisle genuinely loved getting presents from his children, so she kept at it.
Bella, on the other hand, seemed to dread any kind of gift, and Alice had no idea why. She hated having anyone spend money on her, hated getting presents or having any attention on her for any period of time…it was like she was constantly trying not to inconvenience anyone. Alice winced at the though, realizing she was probably spot on. The more she learned about Bella's childhood, the more she thought that her beloved sister had been mostly responsible for herself, never being taken care of or supported by her mother, not emotionally. Alice wondered if Bella had even been allowed to go shopping or just have fun without worrying about money or taking care of her mother.
Shaking the thoughts away, she looked back over at Bella. As soon as they had entered the bookstore, Bella had wondered off absentmindedly, as if drawn to the shelves and shelves of books. Rosalie and Alice had started to follow, but decided to watch her from a nearby table, subtly keeping an eye on the ridiculously accident-prone girl while giving her space to enjoy herself. With Bella's luck, the building would catch fire and Alice and Rosalie would have to drag her out of the carnage any time now.
But she looked happy, Alice realized. Happier than she had in a while, anyway. Checking the time, Alice realized that an hour had passed. Although Bella had eaten the previous night, she'd been unable to keep anything down this morning, and Alice worried. She knew that humans had to eat several times a day and drink more than that, so she had picked a store that was surrounded by restaurants. She decided that she'd give Bella another hour or so and then ask if the girl wanted to eat.
"Have you heard from anyone?" Rosalie asked quietly. Alice glanced back over at her sister and shook her head.
"No…Jasper hasn't said anything…no one has."
"Do you think they killed him?"
Alice thought for a moment. "No…Carlisle was serious when he said he wouldn't. I think Phil and Renee will go back to Charlie's…I've only been watching Bella." She said, almost apologetically. Rosalie nodded, her eyes thoughtful. "Honestly, I don't think Carlisle would hurt him...especially not with Renee around. And I know he won't let Emmett or Jazz or Edward do it."
"Then what are they doing at our house?" Rosalie murmured irritably.
"Carlisle was worried about Bella's medical file. Maybe he wanted to talk to Renee about her medical history." Alice guessed. Frowning, Rosalie rested her chin in her palm, more out of habit than anything.
"Do you think Bella's mom didn't take her to the doctor when she was sick?"
"Maybe…or maybe she just didn't notice." Alice said sadly, her eyes downcast. She hated to think of Bella's childhood…a little girl forced to grow up too quickly. She mourned for her friend, even if she couldn't remember her own childhood. "Bella was the one looking out for Renee." She reminded Rose.
Rosalie clenched her jaw, but before she could respond, Bella wandered closer, one book clasped in her left hand, another open in her right, her eyes skimming the words hungrily. Alice smiled, choking back a laugh when Bella nearly missed the chair, her eyes going wide and her hand opening, dropping the book, to grab the table. Rosalie didn't bother hiding her amusement. Embarrassed, Bella turned back to her book and pointedly ignored Rosalie, her cheeks flushing a dark red and filling the immediate area with a more potent smell of her blood. Flinching a bit, Alice pushed the slight burn to the back of her mind and concentrated on her magazine once more.
"Have you heard from anyone?" Bella asked in a small voice, her eyes intent on Alice who sighed.
"Nope. Not yet." She said cheerfully, even if she had to force her voice to get that way. Bella was quiet for a moment and Alice began to worry. Reaching out gently, she placed her hand on Bella's. "Hey, don't worry. Carlisle and Esme are going to take care of it, okay? You don't have to do anything."
"I should be making…."
"Oh no. Don't you start that, little sister." Alice told her in a teasing voice. "You are making anyone do anything. We're doing this because we love you. Alright? Carlisle and Esme love you, so they're taking care of this…problem. And you're shopping with us because apparently you were in need of new books." Bella was silent for a moment, but smiled softly. "You are also in need of new clothes…" Bella groaned, but it was a good-natured sound. "But because of your unnatural aversion to anything fashion related, apparently we can't fix that today." She sighed, her face melodramatically sad, then looked back down at her book, and Rosalie rolled her eyes, obviously onto her plan. "I was really hoping that you'd want to come to the mall with us…you never let us take you shopping." She lamented, her fingers idly tracing a pattern on the magazine page. "And Carlisle and Esme are so hurt that you never let them buy you anything…you won't even use the credit card they gave you." Glancing up at Bella and trying to make sure she hadn't gone too far, she grinned when she saw the longsuffering look on the girl's face.
"Fine. I'll go shopping with you." She grumbled, rolling her eyes and picking up her books as she stood, ignoring Alice's victorious smile. "Just stop trying to act." She stuck her tongue out at Alice's offended expression and Rosalie snorted, her laughter filling the store and making men from upstairs peer over the railing to stare at the beautiful girls heading toward the checkout.
Alice flitted around the little shop, her eyes alight as she looked through the racks of clothing, pausing only when something that would look good on Bella caught her attention. Bella, on the other hand, stood by the wall, gazing out the window wistfully. "How about this?" Bella had established only one rule for this little trip; she had to approve anything Alice wanted to buy for her. Alice had countered by refusing to tell Bella any of the prices. A tentative compromise was formed, and Rosalie watched in amusement as Alice brought dress after dress to Bella, promising that she would love it, that Edward would love it, that Mike Newton would love it (That got her a dress thrown back in her face), all to no avail.
Now, Alice stood in front of Bella holding what may have been the most casual item in the shop. The sundress was the exact shade of blue that went best with her skin, made of loose, light fabric that slid through Bella's fingers easily. She had no idea when she could ever wear it in rainy, cold Forks, but it was beautiful….she couldn't deny that. Alice's smile slowly bloomed as she realized that Bella loved it, and she stepped back, crossing her arms smugly. "Alice…I'd never have a chance to wear it."
"Wear it around the house."
"But it's probably…"
"If you say expensive I swear I will buy everything in this store and put it all in your closet." She threatened, her eyes darkening. "Do you like it?"
She started to deny it, but met Alice's eyes sheepishly. "Yes." She muttered reluctantly.
"Then you're getting it! Yay! I finally found something. Come on, we need to keep looking." Rosalie laughed at Bella's surprised grimace.
"You should have known she wouldn't stop with just one."
Edward wondered if Phil realized how lucky he was. Carlisle had been quite close to throwing him out…physically and painfully, a few seconds into the conversation. More than once, Jasper had imagined, quite vividly, how nice it would be to drop him out of a window. Emmett was going for the direct approach in his mind, draining him dry in the living room. Even mild mannered Esme was contemplating throwing them out, something unheard of for her.
Renee's husband was determined that Bella was lying, of that he was sure. The man wanted to protect his wife from their suspicions, which he could respect, if the man wasn't trying to hurt Bella. But peering into Renee's mind was the important part, he told himself as he watched Carlisle question her.
"Was she lying?" Edward looked up at Carlisle after Emmett had slammed the door in their faces. Edward sighed, the image from Renee's mind disturbing him.
"Yes…to a degree." All eyes were on him and he tried not to focus on the mental picture. It was Bella, but much younger. At first he had been happy to see it; he'd never seen any image of Bella as a child apart from a video of her from the ballet studio, and he blocked that memory as best as he could. She was young at the time of Renee's memory, her long brown hair pinned back, her small form pressed in a corner. He'd realized then that something was off about this memory. Renee was shouting, words he didn't care to focus on. It was Bella he watched. Her breath was coming in pained, short gasps, the tiny girl fighting to breathe, her face flushed, her lips blue tinged.
"Bella, stop it." Renee's words were clearer now, her anger tined with panic. "Bella, that's enough! Breathe! Bella!" She'd grabbed the girl's arms, shaking her hard, then brought back a hand and slapped her, her hand leaving a red mark on the little girl's cheek. Seeing that, Edward had almost leapt from his seat, disregarding the fact that his was a distant memory.
"I think Bella was eight or nine. Renee was going to leave her for a week. There was something about the girl that watched her…Bella didn't like her…or she was afraid of her. Maybe of another kid there…Renee wasn't sure. She went into hysterics when Renee was going to leave."
"What did Renee do?" Esme wondered softly, her voice pained. Edward didn't want to say, but Carlisle's intense, clinical gaze was on him.
"She hit her. Then she left her crying in her room." Esme gasped softly, but it was Jasper and Emmett who had the most violent reactions, snarling and growling, their eyes dark and furious. "She told the babysitter that Bella was just throwing a fit. Then she left…I don't know what the babysitter did."
"Did it ever happen again?" Carlisle's voice was carefully controlled and Edward was glad that Renee was no longer in the room.
"A few times. Right after she met Phil was the most recent. She doesn't remember what caused it. She told Bella that she was too old to be acting like this…I think she hit her again. Then she left the house."
"Do you think she has a panic disorder?" Esme asked, ignoring the way Emmett jumped up and headed for the door, determined to have a 'chat' with Renee. After a pointed look from Esme, Jasper reluctantly caught his brother's arm and held him in the room, waiting for Carlisle to answer.
"I don't know…I'd like to run some tests on her. I have some sedatives at the house, just in case. I don't know if she'll need anything stronger. It was always set off by her mother?" He asked Edward.
"As far as I know. Maybe she was unable to cope with the responsibility her mother put on her?" He asked. Carlisle frowned thoughtfully.
"I'm not sure…I'd like to talk to her about it. But I need to give her a medical examination first." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "They'll be back this evening, and I can check her over. Have you spoken with them?" Edward shook his head then looked Emmett and Jasper who pulled out their phones.
"I'll text Alice." Jasper suggested. Emmett pocketed his phone and dropped back onto the loveseat beside Edward.
'I'm glad you didn't kill her.' Edward glanced up in surprise at Emmett's silent admission. 'I'm sorry…sorry that I ever said you should.'
"You couldn't have known…" Edward murmured, ignoring everyone else in the room.
'I didn't understand how much you loved her….or how you even could…until I met her.' His eyes softened and he grinned at Edward. 'Man, if Alice had tried to tell me how much I would love her…' Edward chuckled at the thought, remembering how vehemently he'd denied his own love for the girl…how he had sworn that he'd run away and never see her again. He remembered that family meeting...the argument with Jasper. He laughed at that, considering Jasper's view on her now. 'Ed, just imagine how Jasper would have reacted.' He chuckled, their minds apparently going to the same place. 'He was all ready to assassinate her…now he'd kill anyone who tried.' Edward's eyes softened as he watched his brother type a message to Alice, chuckling at whatever reply she had given.
"Apparently Bella asked to go shopping and drug Alice and Rosalie to the mall." Emmett and Edward laughed aloud at Alice's version of the story. "I think she even got Bella to buy something." Carlisle grinned, his worry momentarily forgotten. "They're going to take her to eat, and they'll probably come home early."
"How's she doing?" Emmett asked.
"Alice says she okay…a little tired. She's having fun though." Emmett grinned and nodded, glad to hear that she was okay, while Edward worried about the tired part. She hadn't been eating enough lately and it was bound to catch up to her, but he still didn't like it. Resolving to watch her more carefully, he took a moment to grin at Esme who was watching him worriedly. Standing, he moved to sit beside her and kiss her cheek, slinging an arm around her shoulder. He loved his family, more than he though was possible. His mother and father were the best he could have ever hoped for, he adored his sisters, even when Rosalie was being...well, Rosalie, and his brothers were his best friends. His mate, his Bella, made everything complete, and he would be happy to have her back in his arms.
Bella sat in the passenger seat of the car, her head resting against the window. She'd eaten lunch at the mall and was almost uncomfortably full and strangely tired. Then again, she thought, she had suffered through a few panic attacks recently…and those were bound to make her tired. She remembered panicking as a child, screaming and crying…how she'd blacked out once, how tired she had felt when she'd woken up. Looking down at the book on her lap, she reread the back, trying to redirect her thoughts. She never thought about those times, never considered what they might have meant. After all, they never really worried her mother.
Alice and Rosalie were talking too softly for her to hear, but from the occasional word she caught, Bella surmised that Carlisle and Esme had taken care of her mother and Phil. She winced at the thought, desperately hoping that they hadn't hurt Phil. She was sure they wouldn't hurt her mother, but Phil had 'attacked' her, if only verbally, and she knew how Edward, and his brothers, felt about that.
It wasn't long before they were pulling into the driveway, and Edward was at her door before Alice could even stop the car, he was opening her door, unfastening her seatbelt, and pulling her into his arms, his nose against her hair as he inhaled deeply. For several moments she just stood in his arms, her head tucked under his chin, and let him hold her. "Did you have fun?" He asked softly, and she realized that everyone else was inside.
"Yes. I got some books…and Alice bought me a dress, among other things." She tried to work up a grimace but couldn't quite manage it…she did like that dress. Edward chuckled, kissing her forehead.
"I can't wait to see it on you." He placed an arm around her back and began to lead her inside, and Bella started to reach back for her bags only to find that Alice had already carried them in. Rolling her eyes at their ridiculous speed, she rested her head on his shoulder and let him lead her into their house where the rest of their family waited.
So...this was going to be the end...but there will probably be one or two more chapters...or more. Honestly who knows. I'm no good at planning. I hope you liked this chapter :)