Summary: Parents' death left her with a new-born brother. Claiming him as hers, she heads to her father's. How'd she cope her unsaid secrets with the green-eyed jerk's advances and the unknown lurking danger, EXB,AH, Jealous/Possessiveward. Razzle Dazzle & Silent Tear Nmnee
Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight saga or its elements, I can wish though…
A/N: Hey, guys! I hope all is well. I have missed you so much. Well, firstf is first… as you know YDKA has been nominated for a Silent Tear Award, for the 'Best Edward & Bella' category; I want to thank each and every one of you who supported me and my story there… even if I didn't win; the nomination alone was a HUGE honor! I hope this chapter will be a good treat for all of you.
To all of you my amazing readers, I name…
LizHartzog5813, acw1, Angelwells, tatie1970, IGOTEAMEDWARD, Ice Fata, Nik2010, robsmofm, Deadly Desires 09, maggiejoma, rayekay, lalibare, superantona, laceyndom, lilquackers77, ladysharkey1, Litany Gone, Lori94, KatyAtAll, RoseArcadia, flyrbrd, gossip-bangkok, amandaolsson, mountainlion718, April, weirdsister1905, amwine, mellicious secret, AKEMI SHIKON, b3j02, jackspergirl, lovingit3, snusa, cvds, MzCoqueta, aerobee82, Soccer11, ashley1023, bitandhooked, edward4life1, lionandthelamb24, may-bell-rose, Nez93, reesessweetie, Mels78, mommyof3boys, twilightmom1, Kefe, twilightgirl80, MoriaAngel, mad4hugh, xneverthinkx, Callie1515, Lavianca, Kimmie39, LyndsBaby, twilight4u, foxjessica70, jenie16788, LoveThoseVampires, aliciataz, flame55, TraceyJ, Twilight-boo, Courtney37, jktwi19, EdwardsBrunette2, Kynicole, SweetHart2BME, caseytabwizz, Mscutie331, SRVampire, Madam Monet, 2lilangels, BellaCullenPR, babylopez2008, ajendas, Twilvr17, Twilightie, RingTheBella, Jennmc75, emroseliz, beignet, mel, Emmii, Angel Dee, CitizenCullen25, shaz308, OmTrOcKiT1o1, NATwilight, EmraePenne, iwantacullentoo, FiorellaM, fish525, 1twifan4evr, mommyamybee, DoubleAgentA, sharon89, dontrun, ho0ii, alsotwilightandedwardfan, turquoise1581, Lillie Cullen, blackagurl, snv3, tam1116, QuueenElizabeth, LyfINTeknicolor, doves1993, Hope4more, JuicePopper, venichel sangalang, MrsEdwardCullenP, gloomywanderer, iamawickedchild, TheseViolentEnds, IndiaIdania, nktwiworld, marysway, star fire, xxkissesandcuddlesxx, robertnkristen, 71star, Giaah, gothgirl1245, LoveHopeAndAllThatShit, amgrant3, betsmecullen, kristyv, Nonita, loulouau, ginnmeadows, TWILIGHT QUEEN, ImBitten2, angel04une, Nauni, dementedevilpixie, Kira-Razor, readingmama, luv4jake, valerieval, Mary, Babe Pryor, radiate689, MyriadProBold and teamedwardtwilightfan
You are all AMAZING! With your continuous support this story has become what it is now :) I really hope that I haven't missed any of your names ;)
Special shout out to the awesomeness called Kefe for betaing my chapter. You are just AMAZING, bb :) It was a short notice and since I'm leaving for vacation to London, she's to thank for this quick post. Boy you should have seen the mess she got to clean in this chapter lol thanks again bb :) Please, check out her latest stories A Tangled Web and Love is Hell Both equally awesome and are in my favorites' list.
I didn't even get the chance to send it to my sweetest Kelli (Breath-of-Twilight) to have a look at it. Luv ya too bb :) please check out her stories also in my favorites.
To my MUST read stories (all in my favorites' list)…
"Like a Moth to A Flame" & "Sweet Treats and Deadbeats" by CitizenCullen25 you're always in my mind bb :) even if I'm not twittering ;)
"Freeze Frame" & "Shipwrecked" by Jewels64 you are awesome, and I hope that things will look up again for you bb :) Luv ya!
"Homecoming" & "Prodigal Returns" by dontrun can't get enough of those updates ;) XOXO to my sweet Alex.
Now without further ado, here it is…
You Don't Know Anything
Chapter Twenty-One
Charlie and I flew after Alice, almost tripping over each other, trying to get fast to Bella.
I could feel the veins in my body pulsing so hard that I thought I would explode. The sound of Bella's blood-curdling scream was still echoing in my ears.
Charlie and I reached the top of the stairs to find the girls standing outside Bella's room, facing away. Alice was holding Bella tightly to her, while Bella's form was shaking with violent sobs.
Charlie took in their sight, took his gun out and bolted into Bella's room holding his gun preparing for any sign of danger. I didn't even look in the room's direction. I was just relieved that Bella was here.
"Love, are you okay? What is it? What happened? Did you hurt yourself? Is someone in there?" I asked frantically and pulled her into my arms. Alice's tears were streaming down her cheeks and, she kept muttering apologies for being so negligent.
fI heard loud curses coming from Charlie. I looked in Bella's room direction and noticed that the whole floor was matted with clothes and items.
What the fuck happened in there?
I heard Charlie talking on his phone and asking for back up.
"Oh God, Edward. All the blood! I… Oh God!" Bella said between hiccups.
Blood?
I leaned back and gave her a once over to make sure there was nothing wrong with her. Once I confirmed, I wrapped her in my arms again.
"Shhhh… you're okay. No one will hurt you. You're safe," I cooed as I tightened my grip on her.
I kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back. I un-wrapped one arm from around Bella, then hugged Alice who was now fully sobbing like Bella.
I took another look at the room and noticed that a few items were tainted with blood.
I cursed under my breath and looked at Alice who was shaking her head at me.
"Oh God, it's my fault, Edward," Alice said between hiccups.
I furrowed my brows at her and rubbed her back.
"What are you talking about, Ali? You didn't do anything wrong?" I asked her.
She shook her head and looked at Bella.
"After we got back from school, we came here to get a few things from Bella's room. And since the room smelled a bit stuffy, we opened the window a bit. We forgot to lock up," she said miserably.
"That's what's been haunting me all night. I was responsible for locking up and I totally forgot about it. And now look what had happened." Alice continued to sob.
"Alice, that's not your fault," Charlie told her, "It was something bound to happen. What happened in that room was planned ahead; you just gave the person who did this a window of opportunity," he seethed beside me, "literally, that is."
If I'd ever thought Charlie was scary before, then I was thoroughly mistaken.
His face was pale and his body was rigid. He looked like a person who was about to commit murder. Murder with his own hands. I noticed his hands twitching when he looked at his daughter who was sobbing softly, trying not to look to the direction of her room. He made a move to take her from my arms and hug her, but the guys' running up the stairs interrupted him.
"What happened? Did someone get hurt?" Dad ran up the stairs with the family in tow.
Alice threw herself in Jazz's arms once he appeared from behind Dad.
"Someone broke into my house. Someone was in my daughter's room. Some PSYCHO was in MY house! The Chief of fucking POLICE!" Charlie bellowed to no one, his face turning beet red.
Bella flinched and trembled in my arms at her father's yell.
Dad stood at the Bella's door, cursing at the scene that I was yet to see. I saw Jazz coaxing Alice in his arms so that he could take a look at the room. He blanched, averted his eyes and moved to stand beside me.
Em and Rose came running up the stairs but were held back by Charlie, who told them it was a crime scene that was very disturbing. Apparently, Mom had already taken JC home.
"Did you see the room?" Jazz asked me quietly with a frown on his face.
I shook my head and he gestured with a nod towards the room, as if telling me to go see.
I looked around and saw Charlie and Dad talking. Well, if you'd call 'Charlie yelling and Dad trying to calm him down' talking, then yes, they were talking.
Em and Rose were standing a few steps below and looking at us quizzically.
I moved slowly, trying to take a look inside the room, but was stopped by Bella.
"Please, don't go," Bella pleaded still hiccupping.
"I'm not going anywhere, love. I just want to take a look," I told her, kissing her forehead.
"No, please. Please, Edward, don't look." Bella pleaded again with her watery eyes.
I could hear the sirens blaring, as they gained distance, and knew this would be my only chance to check the thing that freaked out the guys like that.
Luckily, Charlie came and pulled Bella from my arms. He hugged her and informed her what was going to happen as soon as the troops arrived.
I looked around, noticing that no one was looking at me, and then took the few remaining steps to stand at Bella's door.
I was assaulted right away with the smell of blood. The whole room was a mess. Clothes, which were torn and stained with blood, were strewn across the floor. None of the big furniture items were moved, which, I suspect, was to avoid any disturbance.
But the sight that drained all color from my face was Bella's bed. There laid a dead baby deer, its neck was slit with a knife and drenched in blood that covered all the sheets. Its head was positioned on Bella's pillow to mimic a sleeping person. Above the headboard there were five words, written in blood, which got my knees buckling.
'Watching over you, my deer'.
I even noticed how 'dear' was spelled like 'deer' the animal, which I'm sure was on purpose, since he had left that animal there.
My body swayed a bit as I imagined this sick psycho-fuck near my Bella in anyway at anytime.
So, he's been watching her?
When?
Where?
A lot of 'what if's' crossed my mind.
What if I hadn't been with Bella all the time?
What if I wasn't with her when this psycho did this?
What if something happened to Bella? Period.
I turned around rigidly, pulled Bella out of Charlie's embrace and hugged her so tightly that it knocked the breath out of the both of us.
I looked over Bella's shoulder to find Charlie's pale face staring at me.
We locked gaze for a few seconds till someone called for him. He shook his head turning to answer whoever had called him. But he stopped, turned his head, mouthed 'thank you' and left.
Thank you?
He should kill me, or at least maim me; but no… instead, he's thanking me.
The guys and I stepped aside, allowing enough space for the team to get into the room.
"So, I guess I'm not gonna need anything from my room after all…" Bella sniffled and buried her face in my shirt again.
"I'm sorry, love," I whispered and tightened my grip around her.
"Alice, when did you open Bella's window?" Charlie asked.
Alice looked at us, sniffling.
"Uh… it was this afternoon, around 4 pm," Alice said in a small voice.
"Did you see anything off with the room when you came here?" Charlie asked in full cop mode.
"No. Everything was in place, Dad," Bella answered before Alice could.
"Has anyone been to the house after that?" Charlie asked, looking at us expectantly.
"Yes, Chief Swan. Jasper and Alice came to rearrange a few things in the house before the Agents came. Then Rosie and I came here to do our role. But we didn't go upstairs when we came here, we stayed downstairs," Em answered as he held Rose's shaky form. I guess she had looked inside the room too.
Charlie nodded and looked at Bella with ashen face.
"Is it him? Is it that crazy murderer you told us about?" Bella asked him softly.
"We don't know that yet, Bells," Charlie shook his head, "but my personal guess is that it's him." His mouth now set in a hard line.
"Carlisle, would you please take the guys to your house? It's gonna be a long night for me," Charlie told Dad.
Dad nodded at him.
"Oh, and just a few pointers before you go. Stay together. I don't want any of you staying alone at any point in time. Make sure that at least one person knows where you are all the time. As for those punishments, we'll shift them to start next week." Charlie looked at Dad who nodded back at him.
"Let's go, guys." Dad led the way, dodging the police officers as he went.
We followed silently behind him, the girls sniffling a bit and holding to the guys like their lives depended on it.
We entered our house and met my worried Mom in the hall.
"What happened? Did anyone get hurt?" Mom asked us worriedly.
"Someone broke into Isabella's bedroom." Dad laid it flat.
Mom gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. She came to stand in front of Bella.
"Are you okay, honey? You wanna talk about it?" Mom asked softly.
To my amazement, Bella pulled herself from my arms and threw herself into Mom's arms, bawling her eyes out.
"Shhhh… it's okay, dear. Everything will be okay. You're safe. Shhhh…" Mom soothed her.
"Oh, Esme, it was horrible. What if JC was there or even Edward or any of the guys for that matter! He could have hurt them," she said between sobs.
I looked at her incredulously. She was worried about us?
The guys and Dad and Mom looked at her like she had lost her mind.
Mom and Dad looked at each other then, not sure on how to break it to her that the psycho was after her.
"Um, you realize that the psycho who broke into your room wanted you and not anyone else, right, Bells?" Em asked her skeptically.
"Em!" Rose bellowed indignantly, making Bella flinch.
Dad, who was standing the closest to Em, smacked him hard on the back of his head.
"Ouch!" Em yelped and glared at Dad.
"I guess there is really no middle ground between being a jock and computer wiz except air-headedness!" Dad snapped at him.
"Bella honey, you're safe with us. No one will touch you here and I'm sure Edward won't let anything happen to you," Mom told her softly.
"It's not like he's gonna cuff Bella to the bed and guard the door," Em quipped, earning groans from Dad and Jazz.
"Shut up, Em. Don't give him more ideas than what he already has in mind," Jazz snapped and Dad narrowed his eyes at me, giving me warning glances.
I smirked mischievously at the guys. I mean, I know I shouldn't have been thinking about this stuff right now, but my eighteen year old perverted mind said otherwise.
Come on, guys, give me a little trust.
Cuffing Bella to my bed would be an understatement.
Can anyone say "Solitary Confinement"?
Bella turned to give me a cautious look and I widened my smirk. I would have loved to have her locked up in my room for the rest of my existence. I'd bring her food to our bed… then eat it off of her; licking and biting as I went.
I gulped and shook my head, willing the problem now swelling in my pants to go away. It was not the time for such matter. A psycho was going after my Bella, and I was thinking of licking cream off her nipples.
I groaned again internally.
"You can sleep in my room if you want, Bella. Maybe, we can have a girls' sleep over with Rose," Alice offered softly. I knew she had her heart in the right place, but there was no way in hell I was gonna let go of Bella tonight, or any night for that matter.
I turned to glare at the evil pixie.
"Not in this life, Pixie," I warned and pulled Bella from Mom's embrace. "I saw what happened when she was out of my sight for even that small period of time. It'll never happen again," I said in an almost clipped tone.
"Never say never," Bella told me.
"It's not fair. I didn't leave the window open on purpose," Alice said sadly as she wiped tears from her eyes.
Shit! It's not you, pixie!
I wanted to apologize, but Jazz cut me off.
"Dude, that's not cool. Don't blame it on her. It was an honest mistake. I should be blamed for this. Not her!" he snapped at me furiously.
"Shit, Jazz, I didn't mean it like that. I didn't mean to blame any of you. I was just thinking that it's because I left Bella's side, that's why we're all in this shit," I apologized, yanking on my hair roughly.
Jazz and Alice looked at me and nodded. That was when Bella pulled herself out of my arms and glared at me.
"Hey, don't you dare blame this on yourself!" Bella seethed. Then she looked at the others.
"None of you should take the blame. It was my fault all along. I was the one who opened the damn window. I should have closed it after ten minutes just as Alice instructed. But I was too damn distracted getting ready and thinking of the Agents and all. I'm just glad none of you was harmed," Bella said in a strong voice, which was surprising since she was crying not long ago.
"I can't expect you to be around me all the time, Edward. As much as I'd love to have you around, that's just not gonna happen. And, I'm just glad that I was there with Alice in my room. I can't even imagine-" Bella continued tiredly, but I cut her off.
"What? What would you have done?" I snapped at her making her jump and take a step back.
She just had to blaming herself! She thinks I can't be around her all the time. Well, now. She'll just have to wait and fucking see.
"I should have been there, Bella. I shouldn't have had you out of my sight. I mean, look what happened. Plus, what kind of fight tactics you think you have against a full-grown man who did that in your room, huh?" I narrowed my eyes as I took a step towards her.
I saw her tremble a bit and take a tentative step back.
"Edward," Dad warned softly, still standing in the hall with us.
I raised my hand, stopping him from saying anything else.
"I could have fought him," Bella said, trying to look tough.
"Really?" I chuckled humorlessly, then took another step towards her.
"Yeah." Her voice trembled a bit as her back hit the wall behind her.
"Edward, you're scaring her," Mom warned.
I kept my gaze locked with Bella's for a full minute, not saying a word.
"Well, love. I'm not going to stand here and argue with you on the possibility of you fighting anyone, 'cause here are how things are gonna happen," I told her in a stern voice.
Bella gulped and shifted on her legs.
"Starting this moment, you are not leaving my sight. And I mean never. You are not to go anywhere alone, not even in this house. Even when you want to go to the bathroom, I'll check it before you go in. At school, you're already in the classes I'm taking, so you'll be with me at all times, except for the time you're in with Jazz." I stopped and narrowed my eyes at her when she rolled her eyes at me.
"You won't be going into bathrooms with the girls, except when escorted by one of us guys. We'll go into the bathroom, check that everything is safe, then you can go in with one of said guys waiting in the bathroom outside of the stalls," I told her calmly, thinking of how to accomplish that.
Bella raised her brows in question.
"We'll manage it at the time," I said.
I raised my hand, cutting her off when she tried to protest.
"Mom, if you don't mind, can you take care of JC for the duration of the investigation till everything is safe?" I asked Mom.
"Of course, son, I was going to do it anyway. He'll be safe and sound here at home, when you come back from school." Mom smiled warmly at us.
"Uhhumm…" Dad cleared his throat gaining our attention.
"Honey, you won't be at home tomorrow," Dad told Mom with a smile.
She looked at him confused.
"Where else would I be, dear?" She asked him doubtfully.
"You'll be at the hospital with me. You can use my office for your work, instead of working from home. I'll be calling the security company to see if I can upgrade the security here at the house," he informed her with a tight smile.
"Honey, don't you think you're a bit over-reacting? I mean—" she stopped when she saw Dad's glare.
"Ditto on that scenario, Edward." Em nodded at me and tightened his grip on Rose, who was now glaring at him.
"Hey!" Rose snapped.
"Same here," Jazz said and smiled at Alice.
"Hey, guys, don't you think you're over-reacting a bit?" Bella asked in a small voice.
We all turned and glared at her, including Mom and Dad. I mean, this whole predicament was because of her and she didn't even realize it.
"Sheesh! I was just saying-" she stopped when I took another step towards her and pulled her into my arms.
"If you want, I can run my suggestion by the Chief to see if he approves…" I trailed off with a smirk.
I knew threatening her with her dad was a low blow, but I was desperate now.
"Hey, that's not fair," she said sadly, lowering her gaze to the ground.
I sighed and kissed her temple. She couldn't even imagine how scared I was of the thought of her being hurt in anyway.
"Please, love, let me take care of you. At least until the psycho is caught?" I asked her softly, rubbing her back.
She relaxed and released a long sigh. That's when I knew that I won that argument.
"Fine. But only till the psycho is gone," she warned.
I nodded and sealed our agreement with a quick peck on the lips.
"Deal." I smiled.
"So, we know what to do. Guys, I hate to emphasize on the gravity of what's happening right now…" Dad started, before we made our way upstairs.
Then he talked a few minutes about what's expected to happen and best way to deal with this thing - like staying together all the time and making sure we have our cell phones… etc.
"I know that Bella would need to go shopping tomorrow to get a few…" Dad trailed off at the glare he got from Alice, then corrected himself quickly.
"I mean, a lot of things tomorrow, so, I'll ask Charlie to send a cop with you guys to the mall in the afternoon. I'm sure he'll be the one to offer it though," Dad concluded and said his 'goodnight'.
I noticed how Bella looked weary at the end of Dad's speech.
"Bella, come to my room for a second, I'll give you an outfit for tomorrow's school day and shopping trip." Alice said, then held Bella's hand and dragged her to her room.
Jazz and I chuckled as we left the girls to go to my room, in hopes of checking out what was happening in Bella's bedroom.
~~~o~~~
Murderers give you boners.
No. Correction,
Murderers give you major boners.
It's a fact and it's easily proved.
How? You ask me.
It's pretty simple, you see.
Murderer + Bella's room = No Bella clothes.
No Bella clothes + Pixie = Pixie clothes - cause the 'No Bella' eliminates the 'Bella' factor.
Pixie clothes = small clothes.
Small clothes + Bella = Big fucking major Boner!
After a restless night, Ali knocked on the door and entered in the wee hours of the morning, saying something about needing to work on Bella's outfit.
"Ali, we already chose the outfit, I just need to put it on. Can you let me sleep for a minute?" Bella said, then she buried her face in my chest.
"Bella, how can you say that? Trust me. I have a plan. Now MOVE!" Alice snapped.
"Pixie, go away, we haven't had much sleep last night," I said in a gruff voice.
She tried to drag Bella out of bed, but I held onto Bella like my life depended on it, with future thoughts of electrocuting the door knob.
"Edward, JC is up, so she needs to get up anyway," Ali told us.
On cue, JC's whimpers came from his bassinet.
fBella and I groaned. Alice smirked evilly.
"Damn it, Ali. You woke him up, didn't you?" I snapped at her, then sprang out of bed and darted to the bathroom to take a shower.
Standing by the doorway, I waited for Bella to come down for breakfast.
JC was fed, dressed, taken care of and seated in his baby seat, waiting for his trip with Mom and Dad to the hospital.
Chief Swan, looking like a sick pale zombie, sat beside me at the breakfast table drinking his morning coffee and eating his breakfast.
"Aren't you guys gonna be late for school? Where are Bella and Alice?" Charlie asked quietly. That was probably the first thing he said since he sat at the table.
"Alice is getting Bella ready for school today." Jazz huffed and checked the time.
"Huh? Since when does Bella need help getting ready? She usually takes less time than me getting ready." Charlie said.
"Bless her," Jazz and I said at the same time, shaking our heads.
"We're ready." Ali stood in the kitchen doorway, with a blushing Bella behind her.
"Bells? You okay?" Charlie asked her worriedly when he noticed that she was silent.
"Bella, come on, show them the outfit." Alice took a step to the side, revealing what Bella was wearing.
Or rather… NOT wearing.
Her outfit consisted of extra skinny black jeans that rested pretty snugly against her hips, showing all her curves, and a beautiful black, almost see-through, simple shirt. Well, not almost see-through. It's a fucking see-through shirt, because I could see her fucking black lacy bra underneath. The shirt wound a bit short, that the hem didn't even meet her jeans. So, a generous sliver of her mid-section showed. Her hair was styled in soft curls falling softly on her back. Wearing only little makeup, she stood there all nervous and fidgeting in her place.
She looked all kinds of vulnerable and beautiful.
Not quite beautiful as much as she looked breathtaking!
And I was going to kill Alice!
"What the hell, Ali? Are you crazy? There's no way she's getting out of this house like this. Were you even there at her house last night?" I snapped loudly, getting up and knocking off my chair, not caring that Bella's father was sitting right beside me.
Charlie cleared his throat, making Bella blush some more.
"Mom, can you give Bella some of your clothes?" I turned and asked Mom.
"Alice honey, don't you think that those clothes are not appropriate for school?" Charlie tried to say calmly, but his face was showing how much he was 'not okay' with this.
Dad came into the kitchen, upon hearing my outburst, and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Bella.
"What the…?" Dad trailed off and looked furiously at Alice.
"Alice! I thought you offered Bella school clothes! Scratch that. I thought you offered her clothes. Period!" Dad seethed at Alice.
"Guys, I have a plan," Pixie said with a smirk, not caring about the glares.
"Ali honey, whatever that plan is. I think you can tune it down a bit, don't you think?" Mom told her gently as she came to usher Bella out of the kitchen.
"No! Wait. Just listen for a minute. Please," Alice pleaded softly.
"Not gonna happen," I snapped and made my way to Bella who hid herself behind Alice.
Huh! Like that's gonna work.
"Edward, guys, Alice has a really good plan. Please, at least hear her out," Bella pleaded, then ran away from me and sat beside her dad.
I glared at her.
"Well, for starters, as Esme said, we can tune it down a bit. But I'm not opposing to hearing your plan, Ali," Charlie said quietly, turning to Jazz.
"Or maybe you should explain, General Jasper, since this was your plan in the first place?" Charlie looked at Jazz, quirking an eyebrow at him.
What?
I turned slowly to where Jazz was sitting quietly. Dad raised his hand before I could say a word.
"What is it this time, Jasper? More brilliant ideas?" Dad asked quietly but narrowed his eyes at him.
I leaned my back against the counter and crossed my arms. I glared at Jazz who didn't look fazed at all.
"Well, someone had to think of something and fast. We are at an advantage point here. Alice and Bella seem to agree with me on this," Jazz said in his quiet manner as he sipped his coffee.
"Well, let's hear it," Charlie said, not taking his eyes off Jazz who kept the eye lock with Charlie.
"Well. We all know that what happened last night was tragic. What I need to know before I say anything, though… Charlie, were there any clues that last night attacker was the same person as the psycho killer?" Alice asked Charlie calmly.
The colour drained from Charlie's face at the memory. He contemplated a bit and nodded.
"But that stays in this room," he added and we all nodded.
The faces in the kitchen went pale at his declaration, but Bella's face was the palest.
Charlie reached his arm and gave Bella a one-arm hug and kissed her on the top of her hfead.
"Okay. Here is the plan. It's pretty simple really. I believe last night's attack was triggered by something related to Bella or her actions. Now, the only places Bella goes to are: School, Day Care and Port Angeles, occasionally. And today, we are gonna go to all these three places, try to retrace our steps from our last visit to Port Angeles, then we'll see what happens," Alice stated confidently.
"We are not going to use Bella as bait. Period." I seethed.
"Edward, whoever is out there will continue to haunt us, unless we do something about it. And quickly. Do you want us to stay in fear all the time? What if he attacks when we least expect it. At least this way, we know that we can lure him out. If Bella acts like nothing happened, it will definitely provoke the psycho," Jazz replied heatedly.
"Don't you see what's going on, Edward? It's either she's the bait or the prey…" Ali said trailing off and giving me a pointed look.
I hated it when she was right.
"And it's gonna be alright, Edward. I know it," she assured me softly.
"We believe this guy will be lurking somewhere, hoping to see the fruit of his action. He'll want to see how much he terrorized Bella. But guess what he'll find? He'll see that nothing has changed for Bella. That it was only a matter of inconvenience that she'd overcome by borrowing some clothes from her friend, yet, still looking as hot as ever." Jazz winked at Bella, who blushed a bit.
"And as Dr. Cullen said, the Chief can have a cop follow us. Conspicuously would be better. And the whole gang is going to be there at all times. We just need to entice him out of his hiding, that's all. I wouldn't have proposed such a plan if I had thought for one moment that Bella would be in danger," Jazz said indignantly.
"Plus, I wouldn't have gone through this if we hadn't asked Bella first. And again, don't forget that we have the advantage of hitting the iron while it's still hot. We act fast and he'll try to catch up; and while at it, he would be making a mistake. That's when we can catch him," Alice finished and crossed her arms.
"We've tried your plans before. And look where it got us," I snapped at Alice.
"Well, our plan worked! The glitch in it was simply not foreseen," Alice defended.
"Well now, any glitches in this plan could cause someone his or maybe her life!" I hissed at Alice who shrank back.
"A good offense is your best defense. So, unless you're okay with a repeat of last night's performance or maybe something worse… that's your best option right now, Sir." Jazz ignored me and locked gaze with Charlie.
"Edward, this is our best option. This time, we can have the adults' support," Bella pleaded. I opened my mouth to object, but she turned to Charlie and pleaded.
"Dad, last night was the scariest night of my life. I've never felt such fear before; and I don't want a repeat. Can you help us? If not for me, then do it for JC's safety," Bella implored softly.
"Esme, Carlisle, will you step outside with me for a second?" Charlie asked Mom and Dad, and all the parents stepped outside the kitchen.
"I can't believe you're suggesting this, Jazz. You are way out of line. Would you have done it if it were Alice?" I seethed at Jazz.
I mean, subconsciously, I knew that he meant well; and doubting his intentions was wrong. But that suggestion was a low blow. He shouldn't have even thought of it in the first place.
"Edward, how could you even think that?" Bella snapped at me.
Jazz bolted from his chair, knocking it down.
"Hey! I knew Bella way before I knew Alice, Penny-head. Bella is a sister to me. If you ever insinuate again that I would have acted differently, things will turn ugly between us!" Jazz threatened, glaring daggers at me.
"Sorry, guys. I'm sorry, Jazz. I didn't mean…" I shook my head. Jazz nodded, accepting my apology.
"Guys, I know this is the best idea. And I know that at a moment's notice, this will be our best option. But, I just… this is crazy!" I took a deep breath and tugged at my hair.
"Edward, we can't afford to fight among ourselves right now. We only have each other to trust. If we turn on each other…" Ali trailed off not even daring to complete her thought.
I nodded mutely at her.
They were right. A good offense is our best defense.
"Alice is right." Charlie came into the kitchen with the other parents. His face was so pale; like he was being led to the guillotine. Dad apparently sensed the Chief's dilemma, so he took over.
"So, we talked. We believe Jasper's idea is a best one at this moment. We have our reservations though. This idea only can work if you all work together. Girls, you can't leave alone, not under any circumstances. It's dangerous enough as it is," Dad told us, then he turned to Bella.
"Bella honey, for some reason, this psycho is fixated on you. You need to make sure that all your steps are careful. There is no room for any mistake. Don't forget that JC's safety is at stake here," Dad told her.
Bella nodded mutely.
"You okay, honey?" Charlie asked Bella who looked like she was going to pass out.
"Yeah, Charlie, I'm fine," Bella croaked, "just peachy."
"Hey, everything will be fine. You've got all of us here. No need to worry. If you don't like the looks anyone is giving you, just point him out to me, hon, I'll take him out for you," Rose quipped and winked at Bella, trying to lighten the mood.
"Thanks, Rose. Thank you all. I'm so sorry that I'm putting all of you in danger." Bella's tears began to leak as she looked apologetically at every one of us.
"Honey, it's not your fault," Mom told her and hugged her for a second as she cried.
"Bella, I can call the school to excuse you from today's classes," Charlie said in a worried tone, not knowing what else to do.
"No, I'm fine. The sooner this is over, the better, right?" Bella sniffled.
"I'll just wash up and we can be on our way," Bella said and made her way to the bathroom.
"I'll help you." Alice followed with Rose behind.
Charlie stopped Bella before she left the kitchen.
"And please, grab a jacket to put on that outfit, will you? As much as I want that son of a bitch caught, I don't want to drive him to extremes. This is suicide," Charlie told her.
Dad nodded and the guys and I agreed whole-heartedly.
She pouted and turned to leave with the girls on her tail.
"I'll take care of Aro, Charlie. You don't need to worry about him today," Dad told Charlie.
Charlie thanked him quietly and patted him on the back.
~~~o~~~
School was hell on earth.
As per usual, of course.
Still today, we got the special of 'Shit with a side of crap with a cherry on top!' from the B&B – Bitches & Bastards - Central at Forks High.
I mean, not only did I have to endure Bella dressed like that - even after she put on Mom's jacket – but the B&B of Forks High had to do a thorough job of grating on my already fucked up nerves.
Everyone at school had heard of what happened at Bella's house – as expected. So, naturally, each one of them, except a few ones, offered their own renditions of could've, would've, should've.
As we walked through the crowds, the bastards had thrown all kinds of comments our way…
'… maybe Cullen was fuckin' around like he used to…'
'…the creep wouldn't have come near her, had he seen her with me…'
'…Reckon he had fought the attacker? Look at his eye and hand…'
As for the bitches, they had different hopes and dreams and they've expressed it freely…
'… pity he couldn't rid us of her, Cullen would have come back to me then…'
'… Is it second or third time is a charm? I'm hoping it's the second time, I can't wait longer…'
'… I didn't know Cullen was into necrophilia, look how pale she is…'
And the last one that I was about to kill the bastard who said it, had it not been for Jazz who held my arm, was…
'… with that outfit, not sure he would've seen her, cause she wouldn't have been out of my bed much…'
"Chill, man, Bella is going through the same emotions too, don't you see?" Jazz warned me, then nudged me to look at Bella who was holding to me like her life depended on it.
What worried me the most was how pale she looked.
"Love, are you okay? You wanna go home?" I asked her softly.
She shook her head and sighed.
"No, Edward, I'm fine. I guess we should have known that all these people would know, being it Forks and all. It's just some people are less sensitive than you'd expect," she said and continued walking.
"I just want all this to be over so that we can get on with our life. I mean, worrying about those agents was one thing; but right now I'm worried that some psycho might hurt someone I love and care for. And it's just so overwhelming trying to think of just how…" she trailed off and shook her head again.
"It's better that we're at school, it keeps me from thinking of the worst things that could happen. I just need to keep my thoughts occupied with something right now." She smiled softly, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Well, that's good," Alice said from behind us.
"Our shopping trip, after school, will do just that." Ali smiled sweetly, while Bella's smile vanished.
"Ali, I'm not sure I'm up for it, can I take a rain check?" Bella declined, then looked at me for help.
"Not gonna happen. You said it yourself, you need a distraction. And what better thing to take your mind off everything than shopping." Alice winked at Bella.
Then Alice took my hand and dragged me away for our class, while Bella went with Jazz mouthing 'Help' to me.
I smiled apologetically and shook my head.
At the end of school day, we re-grouped around the two cars. I noticed how Jazz and Bella looked tense.
"You okay, man? Anything happened?" I asked him, while keeping my eye on Bella who was yet to look at me.
"Newton happened." Jazz huffed and shook his head.
I creased my forehead in confusion, then looked at Bella.
"Love, are you okay? Did Newton come on to you?" I asked her worriedly.
"No he did NOT come on to me. Edward, how could you do this to Mike? You hurt him so badly," Bella snapped at me.
I looked at Jazz for explanation.
"The class consisted of us completing a project, so the seating arrangement was changed for this class only. She was seated beside Newton; and God knows what crap he fed her about our last encounter," Jazz told me quickly.
Bella crossed her arms waiting for me to explain.
"Love, we talked about this before. He started it. He-" She cut me off.
"Even though, Edward. You hurt him so bad. What if you caused him permanent damage? You need to control that temper of yours. He could have sued you and got you in jail. Even if he's mistaken, that's no reason to act at such extremes." Bella huffed and went to Em's car, but she turned to me just before she got in.
"And just for your information, Mike was sweet enough to apologize for the way he acted the other day. He, also, said that he will make it up to us. Now, how can someone like that be evil?" She snapped and got into the car.
"I'll talk to her," Alice said softly and got into the car with them.
Jazz and I looked at each other and got into my car. We stopped by a pizza place to eat before heading to Port Angeles. I noticed that Bella didn't even glance my way. We ate quickly, and called Dad and Charlie to give them updates, and Bella talked to Esme to ask her about JC. Almost an hour later, we got back into our cars and drove off.
The trip to Port Angeles was almost quiet. Jazz talked to James on the phone, for a few minutes, to inform him of the latest developments on JC's adoption, the Agents and the attacker. He agreed to meet us at the mall. He said that Vicky would catch up with us later.
I kept sneaking glances at the rearview mirror, noticing the car that had been following us since we left school. It lookedlike Charlie kept his word and provided us with a bodyguard of sorts. That was good.
"What did Mike tell Bella exactly?" I asked Jazz, trying to sound casual.
But, I guess he saw right through my bull, cause he quirked a brow at me.
"Fine. What did ASS-WIPE tell my Bella?" I snapped.
"Well, that's more like it." He snickered at me.
"So?" I prodded.
"I was out of earshot. But from the glimpses I took towards them during class, he was talking Bella's head off. And she looked really pissed at a few times and sad at others. But you should have seen how he looked, man." Jazz smiled widely.
I couldn't help but crack a smile at that.
Yes, I'd have loved to see my work of art on that pervert.
"Anyway, give Bells a break. She's just been through hell and back. Don't forget that she's been dealing with you, the man of extremes, for a couple of months now. And now she has to deal with extreme violence. She needs some cooling down time," Jazz advised.
Well, he was right to some extent.
"I'm not that extreme," I mumbled, earning a humorless chuckle from Jazz.
"Sure, man, whatever makes you sleep at night," Jazz said and flipped through his blackberry.
"Alice just sent me an email. She says that she got Bella to cool down a bit. And she says and I quote: 'Control that temper of yours, or else, I'll be signing you to a much needed anger management sessions. And you don't know, maybe we could get Dad to sign into those with you and get family discount,'" Jazz finished the quote and doubled over in laughter.
I glared at the car in front of us and saw Alice and Bella turn their heads to sticking out their tongues at me.
I narrowed my eyes at them, and then smirked evilly.
We chatted idly the rest of the way. Once we got to our destination, we got two parking spots near each other and got out.
Alice and Bella walked together ahead of Jazz and I. And I noticed that Bella didn't even try to make eye contact with me.
We headed to the furniture store to get Bella a new bedroom set to replace the soiled one.
Alice, of course, insisted on a whole bedroom make over, saying that this will help Bella forget about the whole thing.
I, for one, found it a waste of money. I mean, she's already sleeping in my room, I didn't know why she insisted on buying a new one.
We decided to divide ourselves into teams so that we didn't crowd one isle as we shopped.
Rose and Em decided to go pick up the paint after Bella agreed on the color. Jazz went to meet up with James at the mall entrance, saying that Vicky will call us in a few to meet up with us as well.
Alice and Bella walked ahead of me through the bedding isle, choosing new bedding colors along with drapes and other stuff for her room.
I noticed how the guard kept decent proximity to us without invading our privacy. He was dressed up casually in jeans and a t-shirt. He was Native American, with dark hair and dark eyes. What surprised me the most was that he looked around my age; he could have been a little older maybe, but you could see that he was quite young.
A Kindergarten Cop.
HA!
Now, usually I didn't care about those kind of details, unless it was something that affected me personally or something that involved me. And, I wondered how Charlie even thought about recruiting such person to take care of this serious task.
Bella.
I mean, even though the guy tried to stay subtle at it, I noticed how the fucker's gaze was locked on Bella.
I stepped into his line of sight and broke his gaze. He gave me a once over and rolled his eyes at me, while I glared at him.
I glanced at Bella and Alice and noticed that they were both engrossed in choosing the needed colors. Bella's cell went off and she answered it quickly not looking at the screen to see who the caller is.
"Hey, yes, I'm here. Yeah, we're at the store you told me about. Yeah… Uh huh… As you said, they have lots of great stuff and amazing deals. I already chose a few things, yes… that would be great. I'll see you in a few." She smiled as she finished her call and cfed her phone.
I guessed Vicky was here.
"Oh! They have this on sale. I wonder what colors they have left," Alice pondered and walked away to find a salesman to ask about the item she wanted.
I looked at Bella and noticed that she avoided looking at me at all costs.
"Love, I…" I stopped when she huffed and walked to the end of the isle. I heard her soft voice as she talked to someone at the end of the isle and I assumed Alice had found her already.
I turned around and noticed that Kindergarten cop was smirking at me. I glared at him till Alice cut off our glaring contest.
"Edward, Where is Bella? I found these awesome drapes; they'll be perfect for her room," Ali babbled beside me.
I looked at her in confusion.
"I thought she was talking to you, she just walked up this isle not up to a minute ago. I heard her talking and I thought she was talking to you," I told her, a bad feeling already settling in my stomach.
"Hey, guys, anything good in here? I haven't been to this store before. I think it just opened a few days ago." Vicky came from behind, and looked around.
What? Wasn't she the one Bella was talking to on her cell?
"Weren't you the one talking to Bella on the phone just a few minutes ago?" I asked her, with that sickening feeling settling more in my stomach.
"No, I just came here. I haven't talked to anyone but James," Vicky answered with a confused frown.
I looked at Alice who was looking around us in alarm.
"I just came down this isle, I haven't seen her and I wasn't the one talking to her," Ali said, grabbing her phone to dial Bella's number.
I bolted to the end of the isle with Kindergarten cop following closely behind.
"Bella?" I called loudly.
There was no one there. I looked at the guy and we split up in two directions.
Where the hell is she?
I mean, she was just here.
I found one of the salesmen, "Excuse me, have you seen the brunette that was walking with us?" I asked him quickly while scanning the place around me.
"No, sorry, sir," he answered and went to help a customer.
"What is it?" Jazz ran up to us with James following close behind.
"Bella," I managed to choke out.
"Sir, I want you to lock the exits. NOW! Where is the store manager?" the cop asked, reaching for his walkie-talkie.
He sprinted into action and ran like a mad man trying to find my missing girl.
Hell, she was only a moment out of my sight. How could she disappear like that?
"Check the exits," Jazz ordered and ran with us running behind. They were all clear.
We reached a door that needed an access card to open it.
"Sir, would you please open the door for us?" James asked one of the clerks.
"Only employees are allowed in this area, sir. It leads to the store's storage room and garage. Customers are not allowed in there," the clerk replied courteously.
"Sir, my girlfriend is missing, open the door. NOW!" I bellowed at him.
"I don't have the access card. I'll call the manager." He cowered back and ran.
Jazz stayed with me, while James ran to see if he could find any traces of where Bella went.
By the time the door was opened, I was so tense that I thought I'd have an aneurism for sure.
"Bella!" I called into the almost dark area that looked a lot like storage.
"Hey, Sir," Jazz said and ran towards a guy who was sitting in front of a small TV screen.
"Sir, have you seen anyone come here? Sir?" I asked in a loud voice, demanding the attention of the ass who was ignoring us.
"Edward, I don't think he heard you." Jazz put his arm in front of me to stop me from advancing to the guy.
I looked at him confused, then noticed that the guy wasn't even breathing.
Jazz reached his cell and dialed a number.
"Chief Swan, we have a situation. Bella has been kidnapped," Jazz said calmly into the cell.
End Chapter Twenty-One
A/N: DUN DUN DUN! The dreaded has happened! Think she's okay? Did you guess did it! So, my sweets? How was it? Next chapter, we'll get to see some drama, action and someone is gonna get their ass kicked… Please, review and tell me of your thoughts :) Again thanks to all of you who took the time to vote :D
Luv ya all!