Disclaimer:
I don't own Twilight.
Author Notes
Thank you everyone for your patience waiting for this chapter. I had hoped to have it done over the 4th of July weekend, since it was a holiday for me, but I was sick and couldn't get it done. I've been planning and plotting this chapter for a long time, as well as the ones that follow. Dooba, Jannie, Deb, Chris and Shannon have all worked with me on this, helped me figure out the angles and direction and been even more invaluable than usual. Thanks guys, I love you all so much!
I am thrilled to announce that Seeing Bella won the Avant Garde award for best Charlie. Of all the awards for which it was nominated, in my heart, I wanted the Charlie award so much. I've put a lot of my own dad into this Charlie, in terms of my dad's attitude toward blindness and how he taught me to believe in myself, as well as the little affectionate gestures of this Charlie. My dad died in 1997, but this award means so much, because it's a little like honoring him.
So, thank you all very much, with all my heart, because it's your votes, your love for this character, that gave me this award, and I know that very well. So, here's to all of you. Pour a glass of wine, soda, coffee, juice, whatever you fancy and toast yourselves for being the absolute best!
***warning***
There is strong language in this chapter. Also, please don't brain me for not enough Edward and Bella. This all had to happen the way it does.
Enjoy!
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Several weeks later, Charlie's direct office line rang. He knew Bella was going to the Cullens after school, so he didn't think it could be her. He picked up the receiver.
"Chief Swan," he said gruffly.
"Hey Chief, what're you doing?" Billy asked.
"Hey, how's it going?" Charlie replied, smiling.
He hadn't been out to visit Billy in a while. He missed his best friend and didn't like being at odds with him.
"I'm doing ok, can't complain," Billy answered, "I was wondering what you're doing this evening? Do you and Bella have any plans?"
"She's over at the Cullens today," Charlie said, "She usually goes over after school a couple times a week."
Charlie paused, expecting Billy to inject his usual tirade about the Cullens and all the time Bella spent with them. But Billy was strangely silent.
It was all Billy could do to hold back the words he wanted to say. Sam had laid into him about how he was trying to get Charlie to figure things out. Finally, Sam had commanded Billy to stop. Billy knew how much Sam hated to use his authority in that way. Billy was an elder, and Sam was not usually disrespectful to the elders, even though his position as alpha made him Chief.
But Sam had reminded Billy that as alpha, it was up to him to maintain the peace with the Cullens and to protect the tribe. He pointed out again how Billy's actions were putting them all at risk, and at last got a promise that Billy would keep his mouth shut. Billy could only hope that he'd given Charlie enough food for thought, so he could come to his own conclusions.
Billy cleared his throat and went back to the reason he'd called.
"So you don't have dinner plans besides ordering pizza?"
"No, what are you getting at?"
"Well, we're having a bonfire on the beach tonight," Billy explained, "Weather's been warm and all, you know, so we thought we'd have a big bonfire, roast hotdogs and other stuff, drink beer, sit around and shoot the shit. You want to come?"
"Sure, that sounds great," Charlie agreed, "I'll be off in an hour and just need to go home and change out of my uniform."
"Just come right over after you get off," Billy said, "We don't mind a fale face Chief in his fancy uniform among us."
Charlie and Billy laughed. It was an old joke between them.
"All right. I'll see you in a while," Charlie said.
He hung up, returning to the paperwork he'd been doing when the phone interrupted him. It would be good to hang out with his old friend. It was ridiculous the way they argued about the Cullens, and he hoped they'd avoid the subject at the bonfire.
When his shift was over, Charlie let his deputy know where he'd be, grabbed his things and left for La Push. He hadn't been on the reservation since Bella had come back from her summer trip, and he was looking forward to spending the evening there, as long as Billy stayed off the subject of Cullens.
The bonfire was roaring when Charlie walked down First Beach from his car. Billy sat in his wheelchair, drinking a beer. There was a typical lawn chair nearby, and Charlie knew it had been set there for him. He and Billy exchanged half hugs, and Charlie sat down, accepting a beer from Harry. He draped his uniform coat over the back of the chair but didn't remove his holster, since there was no safe place to leave his gun.
"Hey guys, what's going on?" he asked, popping the top on the beer and taking a deep swallow.
"Same old shit, different day," Harry said, "What about you? How's crime in the busy metropolis of Forks?"
Charlie laughed.
"Yeah, really busy there," Charlie chuckled, "Mark and I spent the afternoon playing cards. It's been pretty quiet around town lately. Caught one of the high school boys speeding in a school zone and gave him a big ticket. Next time, he'll lose his license."
"Wow, heavy crime rate," Billy and Harry joined Charlie's laughter.
"How's Bella enjoying her senior year?" Billy asked.
"She's having a great time," Charlie answered, "Lots of homework, of course, but you know how it is when you're a senior. You know it's the last year of high school, and it's all good."
"Is she gonna apply to college?" Harry asked, exchanging a serious look with Billy.
"Yeah, of course, she and Edward are planning to attend the same university, so they're deciding where to apply," Charlie explained, "Renée wants her to go to Jacksonville, but Bella's actually thinking of the University of Alaska, for some reason."
Harry felt a sense of relief. If Bella was planning to go to Alaska, that would mean the Cullens would be leaving. He supposed he should care that Bella Swan was going to stay involved with a group of bloodsuckers, even become one, but Harry tended to agree with Sam on the issue. Bella knew what she was getting into, and though it hurt him to know that Charlie would have to be told his daughter was dead, Harry would just be glad when she and her Cullens were gone. The People would be safe from the vampires in their midst, and the young people of the tribe would stop phasing. Harry was worried about his own son, Seth, who was just about old enough to start phasing.
Good riddance to Bella and the Cullens, he thought. The sooner they were gone, the sooner he could relax his constant worry about Seth.
"Hey Charlie, want a hotdog?" Jacob asked, running up to them, "Got a nice one just coming off the fire."
"Sure, thanks, Jake."
"Here you go. We've got chips and water melon too."
Charlie took the practically overflowing plate from Jacob.
"Dam, you look like you're still growing, Jake," he commented, "You'd better stop or you're not gonna be able to buy clothes anywhere. What you been up to?"
"I've been rebuilding this old car, a Rabbit," Jake told him, "I'm almost done, just looking for a specific part I need."
"That's cool. I know you're not quite old enough to be driving though. I let you get away with it when you bring Billy, but other than that, or here on the Reservation, I hope you're not driving."
"Nope, wouldn't want to upset the chief of Police," Jake's cocky grin seemed to light the darkening sky, "But I'm rebuilding this car, and it will be mine when I do get my license. Someday, I'm gonna have an auto shop of my own."
"That's great," Charlie said, "You guys could use one down here, too."
Jake nodded and raced off to join his friends. Down the beach, the members of the Pack were goofing around, wrestling, racing the waves and eating more hotdogs. Sam, Jake, Paul, Quill and Embry were there. Those who had imprinted were accompanied by their girlfriends. Jared was on patrol and would howl if he came upon a threat and needed the rest of the Pack. One of the boys was always patrolling the boundary line in wolf form, just in case any rogue vampires came to the area.
"So, I heard Charlie telling my dad, that Bella is applying to college in Alaska," Jacob mentioned casually, "He said Edward would be going there too. You know, that will mean all the Cullens will go with them. Looks like they are going somewhere far away from a lot of people. Wonder if she's really going to go to college, or if that's just a story they are giving Charlie."
"Who cares?" Paul asked, "I can hardly wait for them to get the hell out of Forks. And if Bella goes with them, so much the better. She's worthless."
Jacob lunged at Paul, shoving him down into the sand.
"Shut up, fucker," he snapped, "Bella is my friend."
"You keep some strange company," Paul sneered.
"Paul, Jake, that's enough!" Sam's command lashed out with all the power of the alpha, even though they were all in human form.
"I know why they have to go," Emily said, "But I'll miss Bella a lot. She's become a good friend."
Sam put his arm around her and hugged her against him.
"I know, honey," he said, "But she will go where the Cullens go, and she will follow her fate and her dream."
"Whatever!" Paul laughed nastily, "Follow her fate? You're sounding all mystic, huh, Sam. You're not a medicine man or anything. Bella is a stupid girl, all wrapped up in the idea of being immortal and love."
He spat on the ground.
"Well, aren't we sort of the essence of mystic?" Sam asked casually, "Just as our imprints understand and accept what we are, so Bella is committed to her vampire and his family. The difference for her is that she will have to join them to be with him forever."
"No, that's not the important difference," Paul argued, "The difference is that we are protectors, and they are destroyers. Bella will be choosing to become a destroyer."
"Oh, give it a rest, Paul," Quill groaned, "You're getting as bad as Billy over there."
"I know what Billy is doing has the potential to be dangerous," Paul said, "But can you blame him for wanting to try to save his best friend's daughter?"
"Enough already," Embry muttered, "I'm so tired of arguing about this crap. It's not our decision and not our business."
"But it is our business!"
Paul had been calming down, but now his temper rose sharply again.
"How do you figure?" Jake asked.
"Oh, a little thing called the treaty," Paul drew out the word, "We've put so much stock in that thing for years, and now we just sit back, knowing the Cullens will break it, and we say nothing because it's Bella's choice. That's just stupid. Not to mention the hell she's gonna put her dad through when she has to fake her death or whatever they'll do to keep Charlie from wondering why he never hears from her. She's pretty damn thoughtless, if you ask me."
"But we didn't ask you," Jake sighed.
"Paul, I'd appreciate it if you would shut up about Bella," Emily chastised him, "She is my friend, and I don't like to hear you talk that way about her."
Normally, the members of the Pack listened to Emily. She was a kind woman, and they all adored her. She always had plenty of food around her house for when the boys visited, and she didn't mind having them over constantly. She laughed at their antics and made them all feel like they had a home with her.
Paul's temper had been hard to control since he first phased, and the growing relationship between Sam and the Cullens had him on an even shorter edge. Now hearing Emily defend Bella Swan and criticize him, infuriated him.
"Oh, yeah, you're all cozy with her and the bloodsuckers now, aren't you?" he sneered, "Best buds with a leech in the making, and Sam, our own Alpha encourages it! I thought we were supposed to be protectors of our People, and instead, we're fraternizing with the enemy, and even letting our women fraternize too! It's outrageous."
"That's enough!" Sam snapped again, "You will not speak to Emily in that manner! It helps all of us, if we can get along with the Cullens. They are not a threat to our People, or to any other humans."
"No, of course not," Paul answered, "No threat, naturally. What would you say they are to Bella Swan?"
"It's her choice," Sam replied, "They'll keep her from hurting humans. I cannot argue with her choices. The Cullens are good people. They will take care of her, and while they are here, there will be no problems from their kind."
"But that's part of the problem," Paul yelled, "Just having them here risks the chance of others of their kind coming to the area, others, who wouldn't be so-called vegetarians. We should run them all out of here, and kick the Swan girl's ass out with them!"
"Bella is my friend, too," Jake said in a low threatening whisper, "I suggest you shut the hell up about her."
"Back off, Jake," Paul answered, "When we're phased, I know you're second in command and all that, but here, when we're human, I can think for myself and speak my own mind. Bella Swan is a naïve idiot, and you, Sam and Emily are as idiotic as she is, if you think any good can come from being friends with bloodsuckers."
"Why don't you come with us sometime and meet the Cullens?" Emily suggested, "It might be helpful if you could get to know them and see them as the genuinely good people they are."
"It will be a cold fucking day in hell before I go try to be friends with a Cullen," Paul growled, "If you knew what is decent for our people, you'd cut ties with them too. But no, you're just a brainless do-gooder, no better than Bella Swan, trying to cross lines as old as our people."
But Paul had gone too far, and Sam seemed to grow in size with his rage.
"You will never speak that way to Emily again, Paul, do you understand me?" he said, "I know this subject upsets you, and when we're here like this, I try to give you guys some room to argue and express your objections. But you go too far when you insult Emily, so knock it off, right now!"
Paul shrugged.
"You know, you call the Cullens bloodsuckers and leeches and imply that they are evil," Emily said, "But they have far more tolerance than you do. They are willing to meet us halfway and to find common ground."
By the time Emily finished, Paul was trembling, his body ready to phase. How dare she tell him how to behave? He had to obey Sam, but he had no obligation to her, and the way she implied the Cullens were better than he was became the final straw for his temper. He was too angry to think, but instinctively, he tried to turn his body as the change happened and he burst into his silver gray wolf.
"No! Paul, stop! Emily!' Sam bellowed, forcing himself not to phase on the spot.
Emily screamed, as the claws of the silver wolf that was Paul scraped down her face. She fell into the sand and lay there still.
Sam cried out and dropped to his knees beside her, glancing quickly at Jake. Jake understood and phased immediately in order to try to get Paul under control.
As soon as Jake phased he began to order Paul to back off. His mental voice rang with the power of the Alpha, but it wasn't really needed. When Paul realized what he'd done to Emily his anger melted away. He let Jake push him back and then dropped to the sand and began to whine.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," his mind repeated, "What have I done?"
Charlie, Billy and harry sat by the fire, eating, drinking beer and talking with the comfort of long friendship. Charlie heard the raised voices from the group of kids and glanced over, checking to see that everything was ok.
Once a cop, always a cop, he thought.
As he continued to talk to his friends, he kept looking over at the kids, his concern growing as the voices got louder and the situation seemed to escalate. When he saw Paul yelling at Emily Young with a look of fury on his face, Charlie jumped up and began to run down the beach toward them. He heard Harry and Billy coming behind him but paid no attention.
"This is not good," Harry commented to Billy.
Billy just shook his head and tried to get his chair to go faster. Harry helped push, as the sand impeded the movement of the wheels. He was afraid Paul would phase any minute, and this was not how he'd wanted Charlie to find out the truth.
As Charlie drew near the argument, he saw how Paul was shaking and wondered if the kid was about to have some kind of seizure. He thought about doctors, ambulances, other emergency response teams. He fumbled in his pocket to check for his cell phone, breathing a huff of relief that it was there.
He was still several yards away, when he saw Paul suddenly transform from a large angry man into a huge snarling gray wolf. Paul had been standing when it happen, and as his front legs came down, his claws scratched down Emily's beautiful face.
"Holy shit!" Charlie gasped.
He'd frozen just a moment, as he tried to understand what he'd just seen. It could not be real, absolutely could not be real. For a second he wondered if he'd had too much beer. His heart was pounding so hard he feared he might have a heart attack.
But Charlie Swan had been a police officer for a long time, and he was trained to stay calm in a crisis. He began to run again, reaching to his holster for his gun. He drew the gun, flipped off the safety and took aim. Just as he took aim, he saw Jacob, his best friend's son, a boy he'd known since the day of his birth, change into another huge wolf.
Charlie was still trying to come to grips with what he had seen. Legend had come to life before his very eyes, and he didn't know how to deal with that. Charlie was a man of logic in many ways. Being an officer of the law had demanded that of him. Evidence was what he'd always depended on, hard cold facts. But he'd lived surrounded by myth and never really seen it till now. His world was changing, would never be the same, and he didn't know how to handle that. For the moment, he knew that the only thing he could do was take care of Emily. Years of experience helped him pull himself together and do what he knew must be done.
"Freeze!" Charlie yelled, holding the gun steady.
He thought it sounded ridiculous, after all, how could he expect two huge wolves to understand such a command.
"Charlie, don't!" Billy yelled, "Don't shoot. Those are boys. You know it; you saw it. One of those is Jake."
Charlie did not lower the gun. He understood that the wolves were actually two young men, but he needed to protect the other humans.
He saw the russet colored wolf that was Jacob push the silver Paul wolf away. He saw how Paul didn't fight, and eventually, Paul even collapsed to his belly, whining.
Jacob could see that in spite of his attempt to stay calm, the Forks Police Chief was terrified. His glance kept flicking to Sam and Emily, and Jacob could tell Charlie wanted to go to them. It seemed obvious to Jake that Charlie did not want to turn his back on the two monstrous creatures before him.
Poor guy, must be about to crap his pants, Jake thought.
Jacob looked into Charlie's eyes and let his own posture show an almost submissive pose. He hoped his true nature could show through his eyes, that Charlie would know he had nothing to fear from him. He let his tongue loll out of his mouth in a classically "good doggy" expression. He could still smell the fear rolling off Charlie in waves, and he whined. He flicked his glance to Quill and Embry, trying to get them to do something to reassure Charlie. He looked between them and the police chief and moved his head in a sort of nod.
"Charlie, it's cool," Quill said, "They won't hurt anyone."
"Yeah, man, even what happened with Emily was an accident," Embry said, "Paul would never hurt her on purpose."
Charlie was not convinced. He'd seen Paul's anger, and he could see the terrible wounds on Emily. He looked over at Billy.
"It's really ok now," Billy said with complete calm.
Billy looked at Harry, and Harry helped him get over to the two wolves. Billy reached his hand out and touched his son, looking over at Charlie to reassure him.
Charlie holstered his gun, though he kept one hand within easy reach, just in case. He ran to where Emily lay in the sand, still unconscious. He figured it was probably a good thing she was out of it, as she'd be in a lot of pain when she woke up.
"We need to get her to a doctor now," he said, "Has anyone called an ambulance yet?"
They all shook their heads.
He was going on instinct and training now. He tried not to think of all he'd seen and the ramifications of the fact that at least parts of the Quileute legends had come true before his eyes. He reached for his cell and called dispatch to have an ambulance sent.
"Yeah, we're down on First Beach," he told the dispatcher, "About a quarter mile from the big bonfire. Yeah, to Forks General. Great, tell them to hurry up. Poor girl is bleeding badly."
Sam was still kneeling by Emily, trying to stanch the bleeding with his shirt. He wondered how the hell you dealt with serious facial injuries like those to her face. Could any doctor fix this? His Emily was so beautiful, and now would she be scarred for life? Sam wept. He looked over at Charlie. There was maybe one doctor who could help.
"Charlie, please call Carlisle Cullen," he said, "He's the only one I trust to take care of Emily."
"Sam, what are you doing?" Billy called out in anger, "You must not send her to the leech doctor!"
"There is no time for your prejudices right now, Billy," Charlie snapped, "Carlisle is the best. I'm calling him right now, Sam."
"Emily would want this," Sam said, "She trusts Carlisle."
He turned back to Charlie.
"Look, Charlie, I know what you've seen here tonight, and I know you must have a thousand questions," he began, giving Charlie a look he'd give one of the Pack, trying to temper it with respect.
Charlie just glared back.
"You're damn right I have questions!"
"You can't ever tell anyone what you've seen here," Sam continued, "I know you know this in your gut. But I need to say it out loud. You risk death to us all, including you and Bella, if you go public with what you've seen. Do you understand?"
Charlie did understand, more than he guessed Sam realized. For now, he would keep his thoughts to himself, but he'd be getting answers from someone, and damn soon, he promised himself. He nodded at Sam and turned away to call Carlisle.
Emily moaned and shuddered awake.
"Sam, it hurts," she whispered.
"I know, baby, I know," Sam held her hand tightly, "Charlie called an ambulance. They'll be here any minute. He's got clout, you know."
Emily tried to laugh but cried out in pain instead.
"You should call Dr. Cullen," she said, "I want him to take care of me. He'll understand."
"Charlie's doing that now," he told her, "We need to—I'm sorry, baby, we need to come up with a story for the ambulance guys."
"We can tell them you and Sam were hiking in the woods and got attacked by a bear," Harry suggested, "He carried you back here, and you made it to the beach before you fainted. Sam, Jake and Paul need to get the hell out of here and phase back."
Sam issued the order to Jake, and the two wolves disappeared into the woods. Harry went to the spot where the two wolves had been and began to erase any tracks in the sand.
Charlie's mind was still reeling with all he'd seen. He could almost try to convince himself that he'd imagined the whole crazy scene, but watching Jake switch for cocky friendly boy into a monster beyond anything Charlie had ever seen, had made it all come home to Charlie. Billy had tried to tell him the old legends were true, and Charlie had scoffed.
"Evidence, give me evidence," He'd demanded every time, always laughing at Billy's insistence.
Well, now there was evidence, and Charlie didn't know what to do with it. Instinctively, he understood that Sam's warnings about keeping quiet were necessary. Somehow he knew they could all be in grave danger if he spoke up about all he'd seen that night. Danger from what or who, he didn't know, but he knew it would be dangerous. Not to mention that anyone would think he'd lost his mind if he started prattling on about teenage boys turning into giant wolves. Hell, he thought, it wasn't even a full moon tonight.
His mind switched to the Cullens. If the legends were true about the Quileutes turning into wolves, did that mean that the legends about Cold ones were true as well? Had Billy been trying all these months to tell him that the Cullens were vampires? Had Bella, his precious beloved daughter gotten herself involved with vampires? His mind rebelled over the word, and he wanted to laugh at himself for being squeamish. He could say wolves, boys turning into wolves, but not handle vampires? How was that any more over the top than wolves?
He thought of the Cullens. Carlisle, compassionate beyond words, caring for every injury, small or large, sweet lovable Alice, and no nonsense Rose, girls Charlie loved almost like daughters. He thought of gentle Esme, goofy Emmett, and Edward, the boy his daughter loved so much. He thought of Jasper, but his mind couldn't think of it anymore. There was something about Jasper—if he could believe any of them were vampires, he could almost believe it of Jasper. Still, how could those loving people, who had given Bella so much and brought her so much happiness be the coldhearted evil creatures of the Quileute legends?
He could not think of it all anymore. He had to deal with what came next.
"When you don't know what to do, Charlie," his mom had told him years before, "Just do what comes next."
In the current situation, what came next, was taking care of Emily. He'd deal with the rest of the night's implications later.
"Where's that damned ambulance?" Charlie snapped aloud.
Just then, they heard the wail of the siren, and Charlie ran up the beach to meet the EMT's and direct them to the injured girl.
The Cullens and Bella were all gathered in the living room when Carlisle's cell phone rang. They'd been listening to Emmett's collection of novelty music.
"Of course you like novelty music, Teddy," Bella had teased him.
"Well, yeah, I do," Emmett pouted, "I like things that make me laugh, and there's nothing better than Weird Al Yankovic for that."
He then proceeded to play a variety of novelty songs, and the entire family had been drawn to the laughter. By the time he reached Weird Al's Yoda song, they were all in stitches. Bella was gasping with laughter and holding her side. As the song reached its final lines, none of them could resist singing along with the repeated, Yoda, yo, yo, yo, yo, Yoda, as the song faded out.
"Oh that line about playing the part till he's old and gray," Bella couldn't stop giggling.
Emmett kept singing the refrain, and the rest joined him again.
"You know, whenever I hear the song Lola, by the Kinks, on which this parody is based," Edward said between laughs, "I always want to sing this, Yoda, instead."
Carlisle smiled as he watched his family acting like the silly kids they so rarely had the chance to be. Even Edward was singing along and smiling, he noticed. He could well remember a time, when Edward would have turned up his nose in disdain and left the room instead of joining in and laughing along with the rest.
Alice leapt on Edward's back.
"Remember this guy we used to know called Emo Eddie?" she teased, "He would have stalked away from a Weird Al marathon in lofty, holier-than-thou scorn."
"Hey, I kinda remember that guy," Emmett added, "No novelty music for him. No way. Nothing so base and sometimes irreverent. And can you imagine him singing yo, yo, yo, yo, Yoda?"
Edward tossed Alice off his back and tackled Emmett.
"Boys, outside if you're going to wrestle," Esme exclaimed, "My living room cannot take a vampire wrestling match."
"Sorry, Mom," Edward and Emmett said, smiling sheepishly.
"So, admit it, little bro'," Emmett said, "You enjoyed Weird Al, and the rest of the stuff I played, didn't you?"
"Yes, oh great Emmett, the oversized teddy bear man child," Edward said, trying to sound solemn, "I did indeed enjoy it. Satisfied?"
"Very much so."
Bella laughed at their antics.
Esme smiled and turning to Carlisle, she said simply,
"Boys, they never do grow up."
"Um, yeah, Esme, we aren't growing up, you know," Jasper said, "Vampires, remember."
They all laughed.
Carlisle's cell phone rang, interrupting the laughter.
"It's Charlie Swan," he commented, "There must be an emergency."
"Hello, Charlie, what can I do for you?" he asked, answering the phone.
"We've got a serious emergency with one of the girls in La Push," Charlie explained, "Emily Young was wounded here. An ambulance is on the way, taking her to Forks General. Can you meet us there?"
Greif overwhelmed Carlisle. He looked over at Bella, who couldn't hear her father's side of the conversation, though all the vampires had heard and frozen in what they were doing.
"Charlie, you know the people on the Reservation don't like to have me treat them," Carlisle continued.
"Emily asked for you specifically," Charlie said, "Sam also asked for you. He told me to call you, in fact. Carlisle, she was hurt by a—by a—well, let's say she was hurt by an animal."
Carlisle understood. Charlie knew about the wolves. Emily had been injured by one of the wolves.
"What are her injuries?" he asked.
Charlie went on to describe Emily's wounds.
"Charlie, you're going to have to bring her here. You can't take her to the hospital, because we can't explain these injuries."
"I've already called an ambulance," Charlie answered, "And we were going to say it was a bear attack."
"We can't do that," Carlisle explained patiently, "The lab would do tests, and it would not show anything to do with bears. The wounds probably don't match bear claws either. You've got to bring her here. I've got everything we'll need in my office. Ask Sam if he knows her blood type."
Charlie checked and gave the answer to Carlisle.
"Good, that should be easy enough to get. Hurry, now, cancel the ambulance and get her here as quickly as you can."
He hung up. Turning back to the family he began to give orders in a rapid fire rhythm, almost too fast for Bella to understand.
"Emmett, get the hospital bed set up. Esme, can you get some warm blankets—Emily will be in shock—put them in the dryer to make them nice and warm for her. Rose, I may need your assistance, start getting the supplies set out."
Bella looked puzzled.
"Do you have a mini hospital here or something, Carlisle?" she asked, "I mean, a hospital bed, medical supplies?"
Everybody grinned over at Edward, who would have been blushing if he still had human blood in his veins.
"It's like this, Bella," he began, almost stammering, "I—well, I worry about you, and when you started spending so much time here, I thought it best to be prepared. You know, in case of any accidents or other unforeseen circumstances."
The vampires snickered, though nobody was quite in the mood for frivolity. Still, it was always fun to get a tease in at Edward, since he could take it so much better now.
Carlisle resumed giving instructions.
"Jasper, I hate to do this to you, but Emily will be bleeding, and with all of us here, and you picking up on us getting thirsty, I'd rather not risk it. Sam will most likely be nervous about that kind of thing anyway, and with the wolves and Charlie being here, I'd rather none of us get even near losing control. Any of you, if you feel the least bit like you're going to go into bloodlust or come close to losing control, leave immediately. We will have three humans in this house, and I will not have anyone slipping. We've come too far with the wolves, and I need not go into what Bella and Charlie mean to us all."
They all nodded. Bella was biting her lip, wanting to know what was going on, but not wanting to interrupt Carlisle.
"Alice, go with Jasper, because Sam's presence will block your visions, and I need you to be doing your best to see our future. There's a couple things I'll probably need from my office at the hospital. Here's a list."
"Do you need me to stay close to listen to Charlie's thoughts?" Edward asked.
"Yes, that would probably be a good thing," Carlisle decided, "Tell Bella what's going on. She'll want to be here anyway, and you can be with her, waiting for news on Emily's condition."
"What happened to Emily?" Bella questioned fearfully, after Carlisle's rushed departure to his office upstairs.
"It sounded as if she was injured by one of the wolves," Edward explained, "Charlie said by an animal, but he stuttered over the words and hesitated a great deal. Carlisle thinks Charlie saw the wolf, and that he knows the truth. That's why he's having Charlie bring her here, because we can't explain the kind of wounds she'll have."
"Sonofabitch!" Emmett swore, "That damn Billy Black. I wouldn't be surprised if he set it up."
"Now, Emmett, that isn't very likely," Esme chided, choosing to ignore the cursing.
"Those damn mongrels have put us all in a bad spot," Rose hissed.
"Oh, Edward, Emily is hurt, and Charlie knows the truth, and it's all a mess!" Bella cried, "What will we do if Charlie does know?"
"We'll have to deal with that if it comes," Edward sighed, "There's no way to predict how he'll react till he makes some kind of a decision. We'll need to discuss this with Carlisle. Can you see anything, Alice?"
"Nothing yet," Alice answered, "Both Charlie's and Bella's futures are all over the place right now. He can't make up his mind. He's considering sending you away to your mom, Bella. He's also considering forbidding you to see us. He's even considering going public. He's reluctant to do that though, I think. I don't see that future as often as the others."
"Well, I won't be going to Florida," Bella shrugged, "I'm 18 after all. Would Charlie kick me out though?"
Tears came to her eyes at the thought of her father throwing her out.
"Of course he wouldn't throw you out," Esme comforted her, "And if he lost his temper and did, temporarily of course, you would come here. This is your home. You will not have to leave town, and you won't be homeless, no matter what."
"But what if he tells someone what he saw?" Bella cried, "It could be disastrous for everyone."
Alice came to take Bella's hands in hers.
"That's one possibility," she said solemnly, "And that future isn't pretty. We're all wiped out that way. But I'm telling you, I don't see that one very often, and I'm seeing it less and less. You know your father, do you think he'd do anything that might risk your life?"
"Of course not."
"Then stop worrying," Alice glanced at Jasper, "Send us all a little calm, Jazzy."
Jasper obliged, sending a strong wave of calm to everyone.
"We need to come up with contingency plans, just in case," Jasper said, "I've got all that paperwork from Jenks if needed."
"I'm not going to leave Charlie here alone to face whatever comes if he tells people," Bella interrupted, "I know you guys all are ready to disappear at a moment's notice, but I will not leave my father to the danger."
"Bella, the wolves will protect him," Rose argued.
"No, she's right," Emmett said, "Bella would never be able to leave with us, if she didn't know her dad was safe, too. We couldn't count on the wolves this time, because they would be in just as much danger."
"Not to mention, that Charlie Swan may not feel too friendly toward the wolves right now," Jasper agreed.
He went to Bella to give her a hug.
"Maybe I should have Jenks get some documentation for Charlie, too," Jasper told her, "We'll talk to Carlisle when he's finished with Emily. Alice, keep watching the future. Edward, you're going to have to stick close to Charlie. I know he's hard for you to read, but his reactions must be pretty strong, so I'm hoping you can get something from him. Keep in touch by cell phone. Edward, you know where to find the paperwork, if needed. I'll call Jenks while I'm out and have him get some papers for Charlie."
Everyone scattered to do the tasks Carlisle had set for them. In the distance, they could hear the cry of Charlie's siren.
End Notes
Thanks for reading! I'm so excited to hear your thoughts.
Announcement
This fandom is incredibly generous with many charities available for authors and readers to get involved. One very dear to my heart is the fandom for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. My beloved father died at age 57 from lymphoma. He was not one of the lucky ones. I am contributing a Charlie point of view outtake of this story to this cause in memory of my dad. If you're interested in signing up either to write or to donate to receive the stories, please check out
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Recs
A couple stories with great Charlie characters!
First another actorward.
For the Love of Alice, by Isannah
Edward is a Hollywood star; Bella is an English teacher with a student who has serious disease. Bella helps initiate a meeting between the actor and the child who is ill, and sparks fly between Bella and Edward. This is a sweet lovely story, with wonderful characters.
http:/www . Fanfiction . net/s/5080462/1/For_the_Love_of_Alice
This Is Not My Life, by Isakassees
Edward and his young daughter are at the grocery store, at the same time that Bella is there. Bella and the child are kidnapped. Charlie and Edward work together ceaselessly to find them and bring them back safely. The story alternates between the two who were taken and the family left behind trying to find them. There is some serious violence done to Bella in this story, but *not* to the child. It's a special story and I promise it has a happy ending, very happy in fact.
http:/www . Fanfiction . net/s/5540509/1/This_Is_Not_My_Life
