Chapter 21
Unexpected Guests

Author's Note: This chapter starts immediately after Chapter 19 ended.

(Bella's PoV)

Edward and Emmett were arm-wrestling, when the front door to the Black house opened again. Emmett got distracted when Louis, Alice and Jasper walked out, and Edward took advantage and slammed Emmett's hand down onto the table. The end of the wooden table broke.

"Hey!" Billy said, looking at the broken pieces of the table, "I told you boys to be careful!"

"We'll buy you a new table, Billy," Emmett said.

"Relax," Billy said, "Jacob made it for me."

"So?" Carlisle said, looking at Alice and Louis, "How did it go?"

"Better than expected," Alice said.

"I hope so!" Rosalie said, "You were gone for over half an hour!"

"We'll know in a little bit," Carlisle said, "And I have a perfect way to test it. While you were meditating, Bella and I were talking. You see, Louis, vampires have powers. As you know, Alice can see the future. Edward can read people's minds."

"Not everybody," Edward said, looking at Louis, "I can't read yours."

"Anyway," Carlisle said. "Bella's power... well, in vampire terms, we call her a shield. The only problem is that we only know Bella can protect against mental powers. We don't know if she can shield physical attacks. That is where you come in, Louis."

"Are you sure, Carlisle?" Edward asked.

"Edward, I have to work on it," I said.

"We don't even know if it will work," Edward said.

"Exactly," I said. "That is why we have to test it."

"What do I have to do?" Louis asked.

"Basically you just have to do what you always do," Carlisle said. "Charge at Bella. She'll try to shield herself. If you are repelled, we'll know it works."

"Just don't really hit her," Edward said.

"Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way, Edward," Carlisle said.

"What are you talking about?" Edward asked Carlisle.

"In order for Bella's shield to work," Carlisle said, "I think that Bella has to really believe that she's in danger."

"He's right, Edward," I said.

Edward sighed.

"I'll be very careful, Edward," Louis said, "I promise."

Edward didn't respond, but walked over to me.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked me, taking my hand.

"I am," I said, nodding. "I have to do this. If it works, I might be able to protect all of us."

"Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, Bella," Carlisle said. "We have to make sure it works on just you before we go too far with it. Are you ready, then?"

I nodded. I let go of Edward's grip and walked out into the yard. Louis walked about twenty yards away from me.

"Do you need time to concentrate?" Louis asked me.

"Just give me a little bit," I said.

I closed my eyes and thought back to when I was originally working on my shield. I was definitely much more nervous back then, so I knew this might be easier now. At that time, I was much more worried about the fate of my daughter and my family. This time it was werewolves instead of the Volturi. Compared to the Volturi, I'd take on werewolves every day. Of course, when I finally got control of the shield, it seemed so easy. But even then, physical attacks could go through my shield like it was thin air. When it came to using my shield against physical attacks, it was like I was just a beginner.

I concentrated on the shield, and after a few moments, I saw the line, invisible to everyone else but clear as day to me, float out over the ground. It was the barrier of the shield.

"Do you think she's ready?" Louis asked Carlisle and Edward, "I mean, I don't know what to do here. I don't want to ask her, cause you said she can't know when I'm going to attack."

"When you're ready," Carlisle said to Louis, "go for it."

Suddenly, Louis ran at me with neck-breaking speed and I focused on my shield. As he got closer, I concentrated harder and for some wild reason, I imagined a brick wall, hoping my mind would turn the shield into one. Then I saw Louis' left foot enter the shield, and I gasped, stepping to my right just in time before Louis ran passed me.

"Did it work?" Billy asked from the porch, "He didn't hit her."

"Bella?" Edward asked me.

"He was able to step right through it," I said. "He didn't hit me because I moved out of the way. But that was just my reflexes. It didn't work."

"What were you concentrating on?" Alice asked.

"I imagined the shield was a brick wall," I said.

To Alice's right, I saw Rosalie roll her eyes.

"Best thing I could come up with," I said.

"Physical attacks are much more powerful than any mental attack," Carlisle said.

"But you can sense physical attacks before mental attacks," Emmett said, "You can see them coming at you easier. How can it be harder?"

"It's the brute strength of your body," Carlisle said, "Not your mind."

"But isn't the mind stronger than the body?" Jasper said.

"Both can be broken down just as easy," Carlisle said, "With Bella here, she's had months to prepare for mental attacks against her shield, and we know they worked out pretty well against the powers of the Volturi."

"But they could have stepped through it as if it was thin air," I said.

"Exactly," Carlisle said, "And I don't think it had anything to do with your training. The shield is a mental barrier, and it, in turn, blocks mental attacks. So it is easy to understand that it is stronger against mental attacks than physical attacks."

"Then we were right to begin with?" I asked. "It's no use to even try?"

"I didn't say that, Bella," Carlisle said, "It just takes time."

"Time is not on our side, Carlisle," Edward said, "We can't sit back for too long. There will just be another attack like the one in Kalaloch. And you know as well as I do, that every attack has escalated from the one before it."

"And if my father finds out about the police in the area," Louis said, "He'll panic. Panic induces anger, and we all know what will happen after that."

"So what should we do?" Emmett asked.

"We'll train more with Louis," Carlisle said, then looked at Louis, "If it is okay with you."

"Of course," Louis said.

"And my shield?" I asked.

"Train your shield on your own," Carlisle said. "I don't think it's the threat of an oncoming attack that empowers it."

I nodded. I walked back to the porch and sat near Billy, while the rest of the Cullens walked into the field. As I watched my family train with Louis, I thought about how to strengthen my shield. At first, all I could think about was how useless it was to even try. If Carlisle was right, then my shield was best against mental attacks. It was, in a way, a mental attack of its own. Physical attacks were on a whole different level. I just had to discover that level.

About twenty minutes into the training, my concentration was interrupted by a ring-tone, though it wasn't from my phone. It was from Billy's. Billy picked it up and put it to his ear. I tried to regain my concentration, but a couple minutes into Billy's call, I heard my father's name.

"Okay," Billy said, "I'll warn the boys. Thanks for telling me.... All right. See you."

He pressed end on his phone, and I could tell Billy had a worried look on his face.

"Was that Charlie?" I asked.

He nodded then rolled his wheelchair over to the opening of the porch.

"Time-out!" he shouted.

Everyone stopped in their tracks.

"Something wrong, Billy?" Carlisle asked.

"That was Charlie," Billy said. "It looks like he's coming here with the Seattle police."

"What?" I asked, standing up, "I told him to lead them in the other direction!"

"Well, apparently," Billy said, "Jacob went to Forks and he ran into the one of the boys from Seattle. They got a little suspicious and are heading this way."

"I guess that means we're done for the day," Louis said.

"It would look pretty weird if we were all here," Emmett said.

"Well, we can't take the cars," Alice said, "We'd pass Charlie and the Seattle police on their way here."

"All right," Carlisle said. "We brought two cars, so two of us have to stay here."

"If my Dad's coming," I said, "Then I want to be here."

"I'll stay then," Edward said.

"Good idea," Carlisle said, "You'll be able to read their minds and tell us what they wouldn't tell you."

"That's what I was thinking," Edward said.

"Okay," Carlisle said, "We'll go back to the house. See you soon."

And just like that, everyone in the field but Edward and Louis ran off into the forest in the direction of the Cullen house.

"I need to go find Leah," Louis said. "I promised her I'd find her when we were done."

"We'll be here," I said.

Louis nodded and ran off into the forest. Edward walked over to me, and to my right, Billy dialed his phone again and suddenly I heard a ring-tone coming from inside the house.

"Damn it," Billy said, "Jacob forgot his phone again."

"He must be in wolf-form, then," I said.

"I just hope the cops don't see him like that," Billy said, "Which reminds me. I need to make a bunch of calls. The tribe is going to want to know they are coming. You two will be all right?"

"Yep," I said. "Thanks for everything, Billy."

"Don't mention it," Billy said, as he rolled into the house.

Edward and I exchanged glances, and I put my arms around him, and my head on his chest.

"Do you really think my shield isn't going to be able to repel physical attacks?" I asked.

"I don't know," Edward said, "I need to think about it more. I have some theories, but I don't know if they'll work."

"Theories?" I asked.

"I'll tell you about them if I think they can work," Edward said.

I nodded. Suddenly, I heard a whooshing sound, and a minute later, Jacob ran up to the porch in his human-form. He looked very out of breath.

"I got here.. as fast... as I could," he said, panting, "Listen."

"You don't need to tell us, Jake," Edward said, "We already know."

"You know what?" Jacob said.

"Charlie and the police from Seattle are on their way," I said. "Charlie called Billy to warn him, and he told us."

"They are coming?!" Jacob asked, "Damn it. I just told Charlie to keep them away."

"What were you doing in Forks?" I asked.

"I was going to see Nessie," Jacob said, "And next thing I know, I'm being confronted by Charlie and one of the jerks from Seattle. Where is everyone else?"

"The rest of my family is going back home," Edward said, "And Louis is looking for Leah. Your dad --"

"Is very mad at you right now, Jake!" Billy's voice said behind us.

Billy wheeled out onto the porch.

"What do you think you were doing?" Billy asked.

"I was just in Forks to see Nessie," Jacob said, "since I couldn't do anything here. It's not my fault the Seattle police saw me."

"Charlie says they're already suspicious of you," Billy said, "Something to do with how big you are."

Edward chuckled. Jacob scoffed.

"We'll be lucky if they don't spot the Grayson's house on their way here," Billy said. "Have you had any thought as to what might happen if the Graysons get word that the police are investigating the very thing the Graysons are guilty of?!"

"So why don't we tell the police who's guilty?" Jacob asked.

"You know the police can't do anything about them, Jake," I said.

"So?" Jacob asked, "One way or another, it will take care of one of our problems."

"Idiot," Edward muttered.

"What did you say to me?" Jacob asked Edward.

"What do you think would happen," Edward asked, "if the Seattle police that are here just happen to wind up dead? More police from Seattle would be here."

"At least it would scare the Graysons away," Jacob said.

"Or scare them into attacking someone else," Edward said. "How would you feel if they attacked your tribe?"

"We can take care of ourselves," Jacob said.

"You know very well that they would kill you and your pack," Edward said. "And maybe Lyle wouldn't stop there. How would you feel if your whole tribe, all of the Quileutes, were slaughtered because Lyle was angry that the police interfered?"

Jacob stared at Edward. He looked ready to attack my husband. Then, he just walked over to one of the chairs and sat down.

"Edward's right, Jake," Billy said.

"Yeah," Jacob said, "And we can't do anything about it. Our ancestors provoked a war against an enemy they couldn't defeat, and now their descendants, us, have to pay for it."

Louis and Leah appeared around the corner of the house.

"We heard sirens coming our way," Leah said, "They'll be here soon."

"I called as many of the tribe as I could get," Billy said.

"I'll go warn the rest of the pack," Jacob said, "I bet most of them are in wolf-form."

"Don't tell them to come here," Billy said. "Tell them to go straight home. It will look suspicious if they are all here."

Jacob nodded, got up and, as he jumped over the railing of the porch, I heard him say "about the only thing I'm good at around here." I frowned, and I noticed the reactions of everyone else on the porch and knew they must have heard him too.

"What was that all about?" Leah asked.

"Jacob's the reason the boys in blue are headed our way," Billy said.

Leah scoffed.

"I knew it," she said. "He told me he was headed to Forks. I should have stopped him."

"You didn't know," Louis said.

Suddenly, I heard sirens, but with my strong sense of hearing, I didn't know how far off they were. A minute later, two Seattle squad cars pulled up behind the two cars. Four men, one I recognized as my father, and one woman got out of the two cars and walked over to us. Charlie looked a little surprised to see me and Edward here. But I also noticed he looked more surprised to see Louis here, and I knew Charlie recognized him as one of the Graysons.

"I hope we aren't interrupting anything," one of the men said, and I noticed B. Cross on the nameplate on his chest.

"No, sir," Billy said, "Just a chat amongst friends."

Charlie introduced the four cops. The one who spoke up was Brent Cross, a Sergeant of the Seattle police. I assumed he was the lead investigator.

"Chief Swan tells me you're his daughter," Brent said to me.

"Yes, sir," I said.

Brent nodded and looked over at Billy.

"And you must be the father of the boy I met in Forks," Brent said to Billy.

"Jacob's my son, yes," Billy said.

"Have you seen Jacob lately?" Brent asked.

"Nope," Billy said, "But he should be back soon. You can never tell with teenagers."

"I understand," Brent said, "I have a couple of my own."

"Is Jacob in trouble?" Billy asked.

"No, sir," Brent said, "These officers and myself are just here to find out what the good people of these small towns might know about the incidents around the Olympia Peninsula. You haven't seen anything weird, have you?"

"No, sir," Billy said, "We've been pretty lucky around here."

"Your son's pretty tall," Brent said, "Is that common with most of your tribe?"

"Sure, I guess," Billy said, shrugging, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm just curious," Brent said, "I don't know too much about the Quileutes, I'll admit."

Brent looked over at Leah and Louis.

"You, boy," Brent said, nodding to Louis, "What's your name?"

"Louis, sir," Louis said.

"You don't look like a member of the Quileute tribe," Brent said.

"Louis is a friend of the tribe," Billy said, "He is a guest in my house."

"Are you from around the area?" Brent said, still looking at Louis.

"No, sir," Louis said.

"From your accent, I'd say you're European," Brent said.

"Yes, sir," Louis said.

The female officer walked over to Brent and whispered something in his ear.

"Oh, yeah," Brent said, then turning to Billy, "On our way here, we passed a very large house. Do you know who lives there?"

I looked at my father, then to Billy. Both had stone-hard expressions.

"It's been vacant for as long as I've known," Billy said.

"We saw a couple of cars there," one of the male cops said.

"Someone must have just moved in there then," Billy said, "I don''t pay much attention to it. That house isn't part of the Quileute reservation."

"We're not too familiar with your reservation," Brent said, "Perhaps we could get someone to lead us around."

"Well, I'd volunteer," Billy said, "But as you can see, I'm not too mobile."

Billy chuckled at his own humor, and Brent chuckled as well.

"But my son might volunteer when he returns," Billy said, "It's the least he can do for bothering you in Forks today."

"It wasn't too much of a problem, I assure you," Brent said.

"Still," Billy said, "He knows his way around here."

"Then we'll be happy to accept his assistance," Brent said.

As soon as he said this, Jacob walked around the corner of the house. There was no emotion in his face when he looked at the officers, though I knew he wasn't too happy with the police being in the area.

"Hello, again," Brent said.

"Er... hey," Jacob said.

"Jake," Billy said, "These fine officers want a little tour of the reservation. I've told them you'd volunteer your services."

I heard rustling and I knew it was Jacob grinding his teeth back and forth, probably biting back a retort.

"I'll be happy to," he finally said.

"Wonderful," Brent said, "We'll just go right ahead then."

"I'll stay here, Sarge," my father said.

"As you wish, Chief," Brent said.

He tipped his hat to the rest of us and followed his companions back to the two squad cars. Billy looked in Jacob's direction and cleared his throat.

"All right!" Jacob said, "I'll go!"

"Behave yourself, Jake," Billy said, "And you know what I mean."

"Sure, sure," Jacob said, with a huff.

He walked up to Brent's car and went into the front passenger's seat. The two squad cars backed out of the driveway and headed down the road.

"Interesting new friends you have, Charlie," Billy said.

"Yeah," Charlie said.

Charlie looked at Leah and Louis, and I realized with a jolt that Charlie knew who, and what, Louis was.

"I could say the same thing about you, Billy," he said, his gaze still on Louis.

I wanted to explain the whole thing to my father, but I knew that he expected I knew more about the werewolves then I probably should, at least in his opinion.

"You're one of the Graysons, aren't you?" Charlie said to Louis.

"Yeah," Louis said.

"So," Charlie said, "I guess that means that you're a --"

"He is," Billy said, "But he's not with his family anymore. He's sided with us."

"Uh-huh," Charlie said, "Well..."

He paused and I wondered what was brewing in his mind. I couldn't read my father's mind, like Edward could, but I had a feeling I knew what he was thinking. He was in the middle of an investigation that was spread out over the whole peninsula, and here was one of the apparent suspects in the case. I suddenly thought that my father would put Louis in handcuffs right then and ask questions later.

"Whatever," Charlie finally said, "I know more than I want to know already."

He then looked at me, and I wasn't too surprised. I knew that he was probably wondering why I was here in the first place.

"Could we talk for a little bit, Bella?" he asked.

"Er... sure, Dad," I said. "Edward and I were about to go back to the house anyway. If you want to go back to town, I'll take you and we can talk on the way."

"Sure," Charlie said.

"Actually, Bella," Edward said, "I am going to stay here for a bit. Something has come up."

I looked at Edward, and could tell from his expression that there was something else he was wanting to tell me. Charlie went to Carlisle's car, and I walked over to Edward.

"Something wrong?" I whispered to him.

"A couple of the Seattle police are going to be heading for the Grayson's house in a bit," Edward said, "I heard it in their minds before they left. I have to make sure they don't get hurt."

"Exactly how are you planning on doing that?" I asked, "I thought we wanted to avoid the Grayson's house until it was time?"

"Don't worry, Bella," Edward said, "I have a plan."

"Right," I said, "Just be careful."

"Always am," Edward said.

"I knew you'd say that," I said.

"You better go," Edward said, "Your father is getting impatient."

"What does he want to talk to me about?" I asked.

"He just wants to know a little bit more about Louis," Edward said.

"What do I tell him?" I asked.

"You'll figure that out," Edward said.

"I knew you'd say that as well," I said.

Edward chuckled and kissed me briefly on the lips.

"Go," he said, "I'll see you soon."

"You better," I said.

"I knew you'd say that," Edward said.

I rolled my eyes and headed for Carlisle's car. I got in the driver's seat and started up the engine.

"What was that about?" Charlie asked.

"He just wanted to tell me he'd see me soon," I said.

As I backed out of the driveway, I couldn't help but think to myself that I hoped that would be true.

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Cliffhanger! Whew, this took a while to write. I had a bit of trouble with what I wanted to do with the cops, but I finally figured it out.

One or two of the reviewers said they've been wanting me to write in Edward's PoV soon. Well, I think that next chapter you'll get your wish!

Feedback would be great.