Chapter 25

I am sitting next to Charlie at their back door, watching Bella and Jennifer run around throwing snow balls at each other. Both of them have red flushed faces, and huge smiles.

"She used to love building snow people," Charlie says and I turn to him. His eyes are cast on the girls so I look over him to make sure his blanket is still covering him. "We used to build them every year, it was 'our time'." Where he has a lopsided smile on his face, I know there is sadness over the fact he can't join them.

"Emmett and I used to play out in the snow for hours-snow fights, sledging. We hated it when my mom would call us to come in."

"What about Alice?" I frown, and he looks around at me. "Alice, was she out with you?"

I snort and shake my head at him. "God no, she used to beg, for us to take her, but we would say no. She would then go to my mom, but mom would just say no, that she was too young or it was too cold…." I trail off, as I remember the number of times Alice would cry and beg to join us, but mom never gave in.

I clear my throat and look back at the girls, just as Charlie starts to talk again. "Renee hated it when I would do what she believed was boy things, with Bella. But if my girl wanted to try something, if that was football or dancing, I thought she had the right to choose herself."

I nod my head agreeing with him.

"I think sometimes when you're growing up you only see things from your own point of view. Have you ever taken a step back and tried to see from Alice's?" Charlie says as I shake my head and give him the 'eye'.

"Alice is a good girl, she may be on a shaky path, but that's not through her own doing. When your brain is working against you, your logic changes the playing field greatly, more so when your brain makes you believe you don't have anyone in your corner."

I swallow and bob my head at him. "I take it Bella told you I still have not spoken to Alice since I found out that she was the one who stole?" I ask looking back at Jennifer and Bella who are now on the ground making snow angels.

"No, Alice..." my head snaps around to him and I pull my eyebrows together.

"I don't agree with what Bella did, covering for Alice, but I can understand why. The system is not perfect Edward, you know that! Alice would have been sent to jail if any other judge than Aro would have been there. Mental health issues are such a taboo subject that most think that you just feel a little sad or you're completely insane, some even think you are a danger to the public. There is no in-between." Charlie stops talking and takes a deep breath. "But there's too much in-between in life. Take Bella's tattoo, you read it one way it says one thing, you change your angle and it says something complete different."

"Bella has a tattoo?" I ask as I look over at her. Charlie chuckles and I turn to him

"Yes, you should ask to see it, but remember after you see it, look from her point of view. Once you have that in mind, keep it there when you talk to Alice… and your mom."

"I will," I agree, just as we hear a car pull up.

"Uncle Emmy's here!" Jennifer yells and runs off around the front of the house.

I jog over to Bella and hold out my hand for her. She takes it and I pull her up, and then brush the snow off of her.

"You have a tattoo?" I ask and she grins at me, bobbing her head. "You gonna let me see?"

"Sure," she says giving me a side ways glance as she walks away heading toward her dad.

"You ready to go inside?" she asks him softly.

"I am," he whispers and Bella grins as she drops a snowball over his head making him guff out a laugh.

"You didn't get Edward!" he says as he shakes his head.

"Nan, he would scream like a girl," she says as she looks at me over her shoulder. I raise my eyebrow at her, contesting what she just said, and blows me a kiss.

I give her a sly grin back. "Move," I say as I take hold of her father's wheelchair.

"I can do this," she protests and I shake my head at her.

"Nope, you go and get dried off, and I am sure your father would rather I helped him get dried."

"Fine, but come to my room, and I'll show you my tattoo." I stop and just freeze as she walks away.

"It's on the top of her leg, you think I would get you to ask her to show you if it was any where near her private?" Charlie guff's out and I roll my eyes and start to push him again.

"Hi," I say as I enter the living room with Charlie. I help him take his jacket and gloves off, and I dry his hair. As soon as I am sure he's dry, I head upstairs toward Bella's room.

I softly knock on her door, and her door opens. My eyes scan her to see she has a dress on, and I can't help my grin.

"Don't say it," Bella sings out at me.

"Say what? You look cute?" Bella gives me a death glare and I wink at her.

She huffs but moves out of the way and I walk into her room, which is surprisingly nice and calming. Her walls are purple with some silver. She has a king size bed, what looks like a walk in closet, and then there is a desk that has a load of school work.

"This is a real nice room," I say turning to her, she blushes and looks down.

"Thanks, beside Alice and Sue you are the only person who has been in here."

"Well, I am honored."

"It's not like I am giving you knight hood," Bella says with a roll of her eyes.

"Just show me this tattoo."

Bella pulls up her dress and on her thigh I can see the words I'm fine. I frown and look at her.

"Come here and read it the way I would see it."

I tilt me head knowing this is what Charlie had said too, but I'm not sure what he meant. I touch Bella softly as I look downwards. I gasp and move away from her and look at it making sure I saw it right the first time. When I see I'm fine, I move back to her and look down.

"What?" I mutter feeling unsure of how the words have changed to 'save me'.

I slowly kneel down taking a closer look, only this time I can see both, 'I'm fine' and 'save me'.

"This is amazing," I tell her as I touch the tattoo.

I pull my eyebrows together and slowly look up at her. "I'll save you any day, you've just got to ask."

Bella gives me a small smile and her hand goes in my hair, as she starts to play with it. "I got it when I lived with Renee. People would often ask if I was okay, and I would always answer with I'm fine. But I wasn't, not even close. I knew they knew, but as long as they heard I'm fine they thought they did their job. I got hurt by someone I trusted, made huge mistakes, and… well, I saw this and I went and got it. It saved me, made me know that I was not alone, no matter how alone I felt."

I slowly stand and Bella's hands drop from my hair, and move to my body. She starts to absent-mindedly play with my shirt buttons.

"I've been and went through a lot when I lived with Renee, some of it was my own doing. I know I can't change it, but I just have to move on, and I know I've lived and learned from it."

My hand moves to her back as my fingers go in small circles as my other moves to her hair and I begin playing with one of the loose strands.

"I would like you to tell me about everything you've been through. I want you to trust me to listen, and be there for you. You are stronger than what you know."

"Maybe," Bella smiles up at me. She swallows dropping her head on my chest, as her arms wrap around me.

"Go easy on Alice, if not for her, then for me." The vulnerability to her voice makes me kiss the top of her head.

"I'll try if you start to put yourself first," I answer hoping she will start to do this. I have a feeling it has been a long time since she has.

"We better get down there. I am surprised no one has come up for us." As she speaks, Bella clasps my hand and I smile, feeling grateful for the contact.

"You were not a member of the Confederate Army in the war!" I hear Jennifer chuckle.

"Yes, I was, darlin',"

I look to Bella and whisper a "Who's that?"

"That's Jasper," she mouths with a chuckle.

"That war was in the 1860's you would have to be a vampire to have been in it!" Jennifer carries on and I smirk over how smart she is.

"Well, lets not tell anyone, and I may turn you one day," Jasper says smoothly and grins at Jennifer making her scream, as she hides giggling behind Emmett, as Jasper pretends to try and bite her.

"Jasper's Rose's brother, right?" I ask. Bella nods. "Then why is he talking with an Texan accent?"

Bella snorts and then laughs out right. "Because he thinks he can get more girls with it," Rose tells me with a roll of her eyes.

I raise my eyebrow as I look at Jasper, but he just smirks at me. "Women love men from the south, you should try it, it could help get you laid."

"What do mean? What's laid?" Jennifer asks. I swallow and run my fingers through my hair. There is no way I can talk to her about this kind of thing.

"It's when two people are close, kiss and stuff," Emmett answers with a gruff.

"Oh, well Daddy's getting laid then."

"What?" I stutter as everyone in the room looks between Jennifer and me.

"You and Bella kissed, I saw you," she states matter a factly.

My eyes flicker to Bella who seems to have gone red and has dropped her eyes to the ground.

"Yeah Sue!" Bella yells, pretending Sue had called. Before I can stop her she runs out the room.

"Edward a word," Charlie mutters.

I sigh but nod and wheel him out.

"You can't date her," he says bluntly.

"I really like her…"I stutter out to him, hurt that he seems to be against us.

"Edward, calm down. I don't mean you can't ever date her, just not while you are her probation officer!"

I let out a soft sigh. "I know, and we only kissed that one time. It will not happen again until her probation is over."

Charlie bobs his head and rubs his face. "Has she told you about her past boyfriend?" I shake my head at him, and his eyes flicker to the door and then back to me.

"She hasn't told me either, but I am a cop," he says raising his eyebrow.

He always talks about our guts knowing something without being told. "I know he was older, and he hurt her badly. I'm not sure when this happened, but she was with Renee, which means she was under sixteen at the time."

I blow out a breath and my own eyes move to the door. "I will not hurt her, not again. What I have seen over the weeks shows me what I think I knew all the time and that's why she got to me so much. She's an amazing, smart young women, she's mature, loving and has an amazing talent. She's loyal to a fault, but will always have her friends back."

Charlie gives me his lopsided grin. "Don't tell her I told you this, but I think you got to her from the start. I knew she was hurt when you believed the rumors about her stealing. As much as I love Alice, I did hope that her not wanting to disappoint you would push her into getting Alice help."

I feel my heart sink knowing he isn't coming right out in telling me, but I know my actions hurt Bella more than she would ever admit.

"Son, we can't change the past, just learn from it. Now be a good friend and push me out so I can have some nice Christmas dinner, then I can watch my girl, and your girl open their gifts."

I chuckle but nod, knowing he is right. I need to move on, and show Bella I am no longer a fool, and she fulfills me.

Here are a few to hold you over, hopefully. We hope to have this all posted and finished by the end of the month! Thank you for sticking with this story!