Chapter Twenty Eight

Jasper

Christmas was fast approaching and I still had to get arrangements made for Bella to see snow on Christmas morning but it was unseasonably warm this year and a lot of places were praying for snow to kick start their winter sports season. It was beginning to look like we'd have to drive across the border into Canada. Not that I minded, I just wanted Christmas to be perfect for my wife, our first Christmas together, the first of very many. Of course we hadn't discussed her becoming a vampire yet, that could wait a while, I wanted her healthy and happy and then we could approach the subject. I always found it fascinating that although she had only bad experiences of vampires in her past she had taken to the family and my friends as if they were human. Even the red eyes among us were treated just the same and she didn't bat an eyelid at the thought of being left alone with Peter, Charlotte or Darius not to mention Garrett although being a ladies man he could charm the birds out of the trees and I kept a weather eye on him in particular, but she had eyes for only me.

That morning we got mixed news, the man Alice and the others had taken to Cannon beach had died peacefully in his sleep after gazing out at the ocean all afternoon. They said he had talked about it until he dozed off and Alice and Justin were staying behind to organize for his ashes to be scattered on the ocean by one of the fishing boats, something he had thought a wonderful idea when Alice had suggested it to him. We had a thank you letter from the old folks home about the concert and the free clinic Rose and Carlisle were on their way back to now had not only a dentist for three days but an eye specialist had cut short his ski holiday, with the weather so bad in Colorado, and offered three days worth of eye surgery. To see Bella so happy at other people being helped made everything worth it and I suddenly realized how insular we had all become, like most humans too it seemed.

Edward and Garrett who had been out checking on a story of an army veteran being harassed by some school kids had news too. It seemed the kids were making fun of him because he had been disfigured by a booby trap mine, typical kids to pick on anyone who looked different so the guys had gotten together the kids and the veteran who had explained what had happened to him and how it made certain things difficult, one hand was a hook although he would be getting something less scary looking soon. The kids had listened as he told them why he had been there when he got hurt, trying to save some young children trapped under fire and suddenly things seemed to make more sense to them. By the time the guys left two of the kids had started tidying his front yard and another was helping attach some grab rails to the front door. Sometimes all it took was a little education and understanding.

Then Charlotte rang with another problem, she had been shopping for some things, she didn't go into details when she came across a young girl crying in an alley. At first, she thought there had been an attack but that wasn't the problem and she asked if she could bring the girl here.

"I think Bella might get more sense out of her than I have."

Of course, Bella was only too eager to help and soon Charlotte and Alexis, the fifteen-year-old girl arrived. It was apparent she hadn't been on the streets long and soon Bella had her seated with hot soup and bread rolls and a glass of milk which were devoured in minutes. Her story wasn't an uncommon one according to Bella who had heard many like it. Alexis fought with her parents and decided to run away so she could do what she wanted. Three weeks on the streets had taught her a tough lesson and now she wanted to go home again, but she'd been mugged and had no money and no ID.

"Why doesn't she go to the police?"

"She's afraid welfare will get involved and they'll take her away from her parents or get them in trouble. It happens and other street kids will tell newbies all kinds of horror stories just for the fun of it, I heard plenty myself at first but what I ran from was more horrific so it didn't work on me."

"So, we do what? Ring her parents?"

Bella shot Charlotte a warning look and turned to the girl who was still shaking slightly.

"Would you like to clean up while we try to contact your parents for you?"

Alexis nodded and Charlotte showed her upstairs while I waited. And as soon as they were out of earshot Bella's explained further.

"We need to make sure that Alexis didn't run away because she was in danger at home. Even some of the most horribly abused youngsters prefer to go home and try again to the horrors of the street. If she is in danger from her family then I would rather find her somewhere safe for now and work out intervention after the holidays."

I nodded and she spoke to Darius who was by now really in the swing of things after seeing the end result of at least one of his inquiries. He had left his charge with his ex-wife, it seems they both felt they had a lot of apologies to make and he had arranged a motel room and meals for the old guy and enough money to have a decent Christmas, they planned on visiting their daughter Anna's grave together Christmas Eve. Of course, even busy as he was it didn't take long for Darius to do a complete check on Alexis' family and it seemed she had been telling the truth about why she left. There had been several arguments about her latest boyfriend and when her parents refused her permission to attend an all-night party she had decided to run away from home.

She and her boyfriend made an agreement the two would meet up at the Greyhound station in Portland where he would take her home to his place for Christmas. He had turned up right enough but didn't have anywhere to stay, it turned out he too was a runaway and soon got through the money she had stolen from her parents. Then he just upped and left her one evening, promising he was going to get them some hot food but never returned. Her family were looking for her frantically, but he had told Alexis that if she contacted them or went home she would be taken into care for sure and be prosecuted for the theft and she had believed him.

Bella spoke to the family who were relieved to hear their daughter was safe and agreed to drive to Portland straight away to collect her. I think Bella had them believe she was an outreach worker from the city, after all, we didn't want any awkward questions.

"There won't be, they are just so relieved and they want to go home and forget this ever happened. They have their daughter back safe and sound and that's all they are concerned about Jazz."

We told Alexis when she came back downstairs and then there was a painfully long wait for her parents to appear but when they did it was easy to see the relief and love in their eyes and we were all happy when she went home with them, their thanks ringing in our ears. As Bella had predicted, they didn't care who we were, we had found their precious daughter and that was all they cared about, having her home safe and hopefully much the wiser.