DISCLAIMER: Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm glad everyone thinks the contest sounds like a good idea. I've decided the cut off date is Jan.1st. It must be in one(or more) of the Cullen's POV but not Edwards. Please make sure to put in the summary that it is an entry for the Revealing of SSA contest hosted by MK Marie. And make sure to keep them in character with the story. Please and thank you! I'm excited to hear them. There will be another judge other than just me. There will be more details to come. You can start sending in your entries as soon as you want.
I'm glad everyone seemed to like the last chapter. Please don't forget to review this one. Enjoy!
-bpov-
"You look nervous." I giggled. We had just passed the sign saying that we were entering the town and Edward looked... petrified.
"I'm not." he scoffed.
I shot him an incredulous look. He was sitting rigidly in the seat, his hands clenched at ten and two on the wheel, and the shirt that was never usually even tucked in was now buttoned all the way up to his throat.
He peeked at me out of the corner of his eye to see if I bought it. I smirked at him, raising one eyebrow.
"Maybe a little." He admitted.
I laughed.
"Why?"
He tapped the steering wheel anxiously.
"Because he's your dad." he said simply. "And you love him."
Of course I loved my dad. Why was that worrisome?
"Oh," I feigned horror. "terrifying."
He blew out a breath.
"He means a lot to you and you mean a lot to me. So I want to make a good first impression."
I grinned. He was so cute when he was all flustered. I could see his point though. The situation had been different when I'd been meeting his family but I'd still wanted to make a good impression.
"So, you're not scared that he's gong to pull the gun out on you." I said. "Just that he won't like you?"
"Yes."
I would never understand this man.
"Guns I can handle." he said easily. "But it'd probably make everything easier if we got along."
He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.
"And I know it would make you happy."
I nodded. Things would get pretty awkward at Christmas if he and Charlie didn't get along but I wasn't going to stop dating him if Charlie didn't approve either. As a matter of fact I could very easily become one of those girls who sticks around even after she'd been dumped. Eventually the poor guy just has to change his phone number and move. Wow. Good thing Edward loves me.
"He's going to love you, Edward." I promised.
He did not look convinced.
"Eventually." I mumbled.
We hadn't told Charlie we were coming before hand. Maybe we should have but it was too late now. The gravel crunched under the tires of the moving van and I sat up a little straighter, looking down the driveway. It's funny how sometimes it feels like absolutely everything has changed and other times it feels as if time has frozen all together. Nothing ever changes at Charlie's. The tire swing we had hung up when I was little still hung in the big oak tree out front. The old wooden bench Mom picked out way back when they were still together remained on the front porch. And I could see the yellow lace curtains in the kitchen window from here. As I got out of the van I took a big whiff of fresh air. Even the air smelled familiar.
"This is where you grew up?" Edward asked as we walked up the walkway. He seemed to be examining every detail of the small property as if soaking in the little things that add up to me.
I smiled.
"This is it."
I don't know why I had been stuck on the big city life before. It didn't seem as important now that I was standing in front of my childhood home, Edward holding my hand. Maybe a life threatening situation is good every once in a while to keep everything in perspective. Who knows?
"Do you think he's home?" I asked, getting excited.
Edward chuckled, probably at the tone I was using. I sounded like a kid in a candy store, or Emmett in... well, a candy store.
"I don't know, love." He said. "Why don't we knock and find out."
He looked calm enough now. It was like he needed to keep the balance. As soon as I started getting nervous he became cool and collected. I was chewing on my lip, looking at the front door instead of knocking on it.
"What if he's mad at me?"
"He won't be." He assured me. "After we explain that it couldn't be helped."
I smiled thankfully and knocked.
"I can't imagine anyone being mad at you." He whispered, kissing me on the cheek.
I rolled my eyes. Hadn't he just witnessed someone literally try to kill me?
We heard footsteps and then the lock on the door clicked, the door swung open.
"Bella?"
I smiled timidly, the smile of a daughter who knows she's in trouble.
"Hi, Dad."
He frowned.
"What's going on?" He asked immediately. "I've been trying to get a hold of you for four months!"
"I've only been gone for three months." I cringed.
His frown deepened.
"I was worried." He said. "You didn't tell me you were even going on vacation, nonetheless where you were going."
I looked down at my feet.
"She couldn't, Sir." Edward said from beside me. "Please let us explain."
Charlie looked at Edward for the first time, his eyebrows raising.
"And who is the man holding my daughter's hand?"
Edward dropped my hand almost on reflex under Charlie's intense stare. I sighed.
"This is Edward." I informed him. "And he's right. I couldn't tell you I was going. I didn't have time."
He looked like he wanted more information on Edward but his eyes swung back to me.
"Are you in trouble?" he asked, worried. "Honey, what happened?"
I looked at my dad- new wrinkles around his eyes. He had aged since I saw him not even a year ago. I felt horrible for making him worry so much.
"I was." I admitted. "But I'm fine now." I looked at Edward lovingly. "Thanks to Edward."
Charlie's eyes flicked to Edward but then they were back on me.
"What happened?" He repeated. "Are you okay?"
I nodded.
"I'm fine, Dad." I assured him. "Now."
He nodded slowly, still not quite sure it seemed.
"Can we come in?" I asked after a moment.
He blinked, seeming to just realize we were still standing on the porch.
"Oh," he said. "Of course."
He stepped out of the door way, tugging on one side of his mustache.
"Come in."
He shut the door behind us and I looked around the room. The house wasn't expensive and big. Things like that had never been important to Charlie but it was homey. I had missed it's warmth when I was living in Chicago, even before my opinion of my new home had changed. I had tried to replicate the feeling of security there but it never really felt like this. Maybe it's because the people I loved where here.
"So... where were you?" Charlie broke the silence.
I took a deep breath. Here came the hard part. I wasn't sure how he was going to take the news. I knew he could handle it- not my Mom. My mom would lose her mind if she knew. She would lock me inside and never let me out of her sight if she knew what I had been going through over the past year or so.
...That's why we weren't telling her.
But my dad was tough. He could handle it. I knew it was going to be exponentially hard for him though. I can't imagine having to hear this from the point of view of a parent. Having to hear that this had been happening to your child. I hoped I could soften the blow some how.
"I was in Forks." I said quietly.
He raised one eyebrow.
"In Washington." I explained.
He didn't look any less confused.
"And why were you in, 'Forks?'" He asked.
His eyes shot to Edward. "Was it for this young man?"
I shook my head, reaching out for Edward's hand again. My father's eyes narrowed as I clutched onto his hand but Edward just squeezed my hand comfortingly and smiled at me, giving me the encouragement to continue.
"No," I said. "It wasn't because of Edward... exactly."
Charlie sighed.
"Just tell me, Bells." He said briskly, in his cut the crap tone. "I can take it."
I smiled.
"I know you can, Dad." I nodded. "But you have to promise not to freak out and you have to promise not to tell Mom."
If he didn't look scared before he sure did now.
"Not tell Mom?" He asked. "Why can't I tell Renee?"
I just shook my head.
"She can't take it."
He felt for the edge of a nearby sofa, never taking his eyes off of me. His eyes were the epitome of parental concern.
"What happened?" It wasn't even a question any more. He was demanding to know.
"I was... avoiding someone." I said. That was a good way to start. It didn't sound as bad as what really happened.
He now just looked confused.
"Was someone stocking you or something?" He asked. His eyes narrowed. "Was it that Crowley boy who was following you to work? Because I told you I could drive up and... talk to him. You didn't have to disappear for three months."
Yeah, 'talk.' Sure. Talking to boys who showed even the slightest bit of interest in me had never just meant talk to Charlie. It usually involved at least mentioning casually that he was legally allowed to own and operate bigger guns than were usually allowed.
"It was more like hiding from someone." I conceded.
He wasn't getting it.
"Perhaps you should just tell him, love." Edward said quietly.
"Love?" Charlie asked, raising both eyebrows.
"I was in the witness protection program." I blurted out.
Both men turned from their involuntary(at least in Edward's case) stare down and looked at me, one cringing and one with wide eyed disbelief. Maybe I should have eased into it a little more delicately than that. Maybe blurting it out wasn't the best way...
"What?" Charlie asked finally.
I bit my lip, squeezing Edward's fingers once. He gave them a squeeze back. It reminded me of when we told his family that we were 'married.' We had been there for each other then too. Together- we would do this together. Charlie was so stunned he forgot he was supposed to be indignant and didn't even notice our intertwined fingers.
"I witnessed something I wasn't supposed to see." I began, trying to decide just how much I wanted to tell him. It had all seemed so simple when Edward and I were talking earlier. I wanted my dad to know the truth. I hadn't realized it would be this hard to let him in on the secret.
"And the people I was supposed to testify against weren't too happy with me."
He watched me with careful eyes for an unmeasurable moment before turning slowly to look at Edward.
"I don't like you." He said, straight forward as always. "But I'm hoping you can tell me the truth. Bella wants to spare me." He looked at me with a disapproving look and I wrinkled my nose. Was it so wrong to try to 'spare' him?
"She has good intentions but I don't need to have the sugar coated version." He continued. "Tell me how it is."
Edward looked at me and I tried to beg him with my eyes to leave out the gory details. He stared into my eyes, seeming to contemplate. He sighed.
"I can respect that." He finally said, turning back to my dad. "And I agree. You need to know what is going on with your daughter."
Charlie seemed surprised by his response but then nodded.
"Until very recently I worked for the CIA." He continued. "We had been investigating an infamous mobster for years, although I had only been assigned to the case a few months ago. The mobster was B.B. Blaque."
"Billy." Charlie said, not surprised really- just stating a fact. His eyes had widened when Edward admitted to being a CIA agent but he seemed calm enough. He was listening without any expression, not giving me anything to go on.
Edward nodded.
"He had one son- Jacob Blaque, Bella's ex boyfriend. She went to the house one night and she witnessed a murder at the hands of Mr. Blaque."
Charlie looked at me but I looked at the floor. I had come so far- the nightmares completely gone if I was with Edward. With enough effort I could even control the flashbacks, the horrible wave of memories. I didn't want to think about it anymore. The CIA had wanted me to make a closing statement to be included with Edward's statement in the report but Edward used one last favor so that I didn't have to. He said he didn't want me reliving it anymore and I didn't want that either.
"I am ashamed to admit that the CIA, my team actually, convinced her to testify against Mr. Blaque." Edward sighed. "With Bella as a witness we knew we could finally get him put behind bars and save countless lives."
He looked at me, his eyes pained. "But in the process we ended up putting her in danger."
"That's not true." I interrupted. Charlie had to know that Edward is the one that saved me, not endangered me. "I would have testified anyway."
I sighed.
"The main point is that Jacob wasn't to thrilled with me putting his father away as you can imagine. And the CIA thought there was a chance that he could be a danger to me so they moved me."
Edward sent me a very faint smile, as if thanking me for not seeing him as the monster that he saw himself as. I kissed his cheek.
"They moved you?" Charlie prompted. He had been silent throughout this entire explanation but his voice sounded tight now. I looked at him and nodded, trying not to see how terror filled his eyes were. It made me feel like I had been kicked in the stomach. Why had this happened? Even after it was all through it was still causing people pain.
"Witness protection program." I repeated. "Edward saved my life."
Understanding flared in his face and he shut his eyes.
"He came after you." It wasn't a question.
"But Edward saved me." I reiterated. "And Jacob was kil-" I cut myself off. That word was still too ugly to speak out loud. I had killed someone."I'm no longer in danger."
-Charlie's pov-
There are things that happen in this world- terrible, unspeakable things. I see them on a daily basis working as a police chief, even if it is just a small town. But knowing those things are there doesn't compare to knowing your little girl is in the midst of it all. You worry when you become a parent- is she going to be happy? Is she going to be healthy? And if you're Bella, is she going to make it through the day without tripping over something and breaking her arm? Those worries never go away. Is she lonely? Is she missing her mother? Is she going to talk to the stranger on the playground? As they grow older you get used to these worries; they become second nature- just thinking about your child. But this was every parents worst nightmare.
Someone had tried to... tried to kill my little girl.
I couldn't even think of anything to say. I just kept imagining what could have happened. With her all the way in Chicago I never would have known anything was wrong. I hadn't known anything was wrong. I just would have gotten a call one day- probably a normal, boring day and it would have changed everything. Absolutely everything. With Renee gone Bella is the only family I have. She's really the only person I have ever loved unconditionally, without limit. I thought I loved her mother like that but as the years passed and she didn't come back that love that I had thought unconditional faded until it's only just a shadow in the back of my mind now. But if something had happened to Bella. I don't think I could live through that.
"I just... I don't know what to say, Bells." I admitted. My voice sounded choked even to me and I hated the pain in Bella's eyes then. She couldn't stand to see anyone hurting. She was so selfless. Even after all that she had been through she was still worried about me. No wonder I didn't think anyone was good enough for her. They weren't.
"He's dead right?" I asked suddenly, anger pooling in my veins. Just as I had never thought I could experience that level of pain I had never felt this level of anger either. Yes, it would have changed my life if that... that... I couldn't even think of a word for him. But if he had hurt my little girl I would have found him and killed him. And I was pretty sure that Edwin person would help me bury the body. He was a CIA agent right? He could find me some nice new guns with a lot of force behind em'.
Bella nodded. The boy who was still holding her hand cringed.
"Yes," She said, well whispered. "He's dead."
I raised an eyebrow.
"What?" I asked. "If there's something else here I want to know." I don't know how she had expected me to take this... news but I thought I had handled it pretty well.
"Nothing." Bella said, her voice louder. "Nothing at all. He is no longer with us so there shouldn't be a problem."
She was lieing. She always sounded like the characters in those books she was always reading when she tried to lie to me.
I sighed.
"Just tell me," I said tiredly. "that you're going to be okay."
She smiled. I felt my chest tighten. She looked a lot like me most of the time but when she smiled- my god; She looked like her mother. I never would have seen her smile again if things had gone differently.
"I'm going to be fine, daddy." She said softly.
I felt my throat tighten and I coughed, rubbing my hands over my face- hoping she didn't realize how close to losing it I really was.
"I'm glad, honey." I said, awkwardly I'll admit. I had never been good at expressing my feelings. I knew I loved her. She knew I loved her. Why did it matter if I told her as much using big words that people only use when they want to sound smarter than they actually are. But how could I even tell her how much I would miss her if she- I couldn't even really comprehend that myself. "You don't realize how much I love you."
Her eyes teared up. If she started crying I don't know what I was going to do. Renee had always been better with the tears than I was. As a matter of fact Renee cried to damn much- cried over everything. Bella had never really been overly emotional so I wasn't used to it.
I cleared my throat, looking at the boy. That was a safer topic and one I needed to discuss anyway.
"You saved her life?" I asked, directing the question to him.
He looked at Bella and she gave him a look that I didn't understand. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Well, the fingers of his free hand because he was still clinging to Bella with one hand. I'm pretty sure I had thrown him a death glare when he grabbed her hand in the first place and I'm also pretty sure he had seen it but that didn't seem to matter much.
He nodded.
"Is she still in danger?"
"No, sir." He assured me.
I narrowed my eyes at him. I had just heard about one of her ex boyfriends trying to kill her. I'd be damned if I was going to accept another one just like that.
"So, what are you still doing here?" I asked.
Bella shot me a look and I smiled innocently back. It might have sounded rude to her but I needed to watch out for her, the last experience should be evidence of that.
"Since you're not with the CIA anymore and all." I explained away my behavior, hoping that Bella would retract her own personal death rays. Yes, she was too much like me for her own good sometimes.
And another question I would have to ask later- why wasn't he with the CIA anymore? If he had saved the witness and done good on the case they wouldn't have fired him. What had he done that was bad enough for them to overlook the fact that he'd saved Bella and still fire him?
The boy looked slightly uncomfortable. He shuffled back and forth on his feet and he pulled at the collar of his shirt as if it was stifling in here. Good.
"Well, sir." he finally said. His voice sounded a lot more sure than he was acting. "I'm here because I care a great deal for your daughter and I want to be with her. And to be perfectly honest after all she's been through lately I feel uncomfortable when she's out of my sight."
It sounded like he was going to be honest with me at least. I valued honesty above all else. And he didn't seem like the type of guy to dance around a subject. He got straight to the point; I liked that. What I didn't like was the fact that when he looked at my daughter his eyes grew darker and her cheeks turned pink. If he liked her a little less I might like him more if that makes any sense.
"Thank you for keeping her safe." I said grudgingly. I would have liked to do it myself but someone didn't think I should be notified of the situation.
"I will always protect her." He vowed. His voice and actions seemed even more sure than they had even moments before.
"'Always?'" I cocked an eyebrow at him. "You're planning on sticking around for quite a while then."
"Dad." Bella groaned.
I looked at her briefly before turning my eyes on Edward. Fine, so I knew his name. But I made a mental note to call him by the wrong one for the next couple times I saw him. He was dating my daughter, dang it! My little girl. The only reason I hadn't taken him on a tour of the gun room was because he'd saved her life. And no, I didn't really need a gun room but I liked having them all out and in one place just in case I needed to show them to someone- mostly a boy that wanted to get cozy with my daughter. If you intimidate them enough you don't actually need to use the gun.
"I plan on 'sticking around' for as long as she wants me." He replied, just a hint of attitude in his voice.
I cracked a smile. At least he wasn't going to be like that Yorkie kid who'd asked Bells out in the ninth grade. He'd practically curtsied when I said anything. And he almost messed himself when he got his tour of the gun room. Don't tell me you're going to protect Bella if me and my few guns scare the living daylights out of you.
"Well, we'll leave it up to Bella then." I agreed, wiping the smile from my face. I liked him a little but let's not go crazy here. "But if you hurt her I will make you cry. I don't care if you did work for the CIA."
He looked like he was fighting off a smile.
"I'll keep that in mind." He said.
I nodded.
"Are you about through growling and showing your teeth?" Bella huffed. "You look like a dog guarding a bone."
"I'm just doing my job, Bells." I grinned.
She rolled her eyes.
"Come here." I said, opening my arms for her. I wasn't big on hugs but finding out your daughter almost died is an exception to that rule.
Bella smiled and loosened her hand from Edward's, something I found great joy in. Sure, he was probably better for her than anyone else. I mean he had saved her life. But I still didn't like seeing him touch her.
And she threw her arms around me, burying her face in my neck just like she did when she was little.
"I love you, baby girl." I whispered.
"I love you too." She said. "I've missed you."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope you liked it. Any favorite lines/scenes? What did you think of Charlie's point of view? I was kind of iffy about doing that because that's one point of view I have never written from before. But it seemed like the natural way for the chapter to go. Any thoughts on that?
Much love!
