A/N: Wow! Do you know how amazing you guys are? Last chapter received Sixty-Eight reviews! That's a new record! You don't know how much I appreciated the feedback and although this is late, I have the next chapter halfway written meaning it should be posted within two days. Thanks again to all of you, your reviews were wonderful!
I hope you enjoy Chapter Twenty-Seven!
Kaylee
Chapter Twenty-Seven-
Charlie Swan
1964 – 2012
Beloved Father and Beloved Friend
The rain pelted relentlessly against my skin, thoroughly soaking my clothes making them cling to my skin as the wind whipped my hair, causing it to fly out in all directions. I probably resembled a drowned rat or looked deranged as I stared down at the cold granite rock. The words inscribed there were meaningless, doing my father no justice for all he had done for me. For this town. I truly hated myself for doing this to him. If it weren't for me, Victoria would never have come after him. If I had never come to Forks, he would still be alive. Venom pooled in my eyes, blurring my vision with tears that could never fall. My family was standing nearby, under the cover of the trees. I could feel their eyes boring into me as I stared unblinking down at his headstone. They were sorry for me, they wanted to empathize with me, but they didn't know Charlie. To them, all he is, is this gravestone. They were here for me and me only.
When I had seen the news report announcing his death, I hadn't known what to think. It had taken at least an hour for the initial shock to wear off before I broke down into sobs. Daniel held me all night while Jamie and the others watched on helplessly. That it was my fault Charlie had died, because of that monster Victoria, made everything worse. She was sending me a message; she was after me.
I tore my eyes away from the headstone, the guilt and pain becoming too much and began walking towards my family. Their expressions were all understanding and Jamie pulled me into a hug.
"It will be alright."
I smiled slightly at her as she pulled away. Anthony placed his large hand on my shoulder and grinned. "Let's get out of here already."
I nodded and lead them away from the cemetery, casting one last glance at Charlie's grave before taking off at full speed. The others followed closely behind, Jamie somewhere in the middle, surrounded by my brothers. She was still technically a newborn and still hard to control. I led them through the familiar forest of Forks and down the pathway behind my old home.
The key was still under the eave and I smiled sadly, wondering at how everything had changed, but at the same time nothing at all. The house had been relatively undisturbed and seemed unchanged since I had last been here. The same worn couch greeted me as I entered the living room and from the corner of my eyes I could see the faded yellow cabinets, Renee's poor attempts at bringing the sun into Forks.
"This is where you lived?" Jamie asked quietly as she moved to stand beside me. I nodded and moved towards the stairs, my feet leading me of their own accord to my bedroom.
I stopped just in front of the door, my hand hovering just over the handle as I silently debated whether or not I should enter before working up the nerve. The door creaked as I pushed it open to reveal the same pale yellow walls and ragged blue curtains. My bed was still pushed in the corner, the sheets as mussed and tangled as they had been seven years ago. A thick layer of dust covered every surface and I was sure that this room had been undisturbed since my disappearance. A small smile tugged at my lips as I saw the dinosaur that I had used as a computer and wondered how I ever got any work done. My eyes were drawn to the old wooden rocking chair and without thinking I moved to sit down. It groaned under the weight as I settled into it.
The memories that assailed me as I glanced around the room made me cringe and my heart constrict, but I couldn't bring myself to leave. This was something I needed to do. It was clear that Charlie hadn't entered this room, whether or not it was because it hurt him too much to be reminded, I didn't know.
"Knock, knock." Joshua said as he peeked his head in through the door.
"Hey."
"Can I come in?" He asked looking at me uncertainly.
I shrugged. "Sure."
He grinned and hopped onto my bed, causing a layer of dust to fly into the air. "So,"
"So..."
"This is your room." He said, looking around, his expression calculating. Unimpressed.
"Yeah, well its no palace, but I liked it."
"No, it looks like you." He said shaking his head and I shot him a funny look. Unsure whether or not I should be thanking him. I opted to change the subject.
"So, what are you doing in here?" He shrugged and leaned back on the bed, his arms folded and resting behind his head.
"Just seeing what you were up to. You seemed down."
"Seeing my father's grave tends to do that me." He cringed at my tone and I apologized. "Sorry, I'm probably not the best company at the moment."
"It's okay. I just wanted to make sure you were alright." He said, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and standing up. "I'm sorry if I bothered you."
Shaking my head, I rose from the chair and moved towards him, wrapping my arms around his waist. "You weren't bothering me, I just needed some time to think is all." He kissed my forehead and rumpled my hair playfully as I pulled away.
"No problem, sis." Josh smiled before exiting the room, leaving me alone once again. I sighed and sat down on the bed, fiddling with my hands absent mindedly, my thoughts unwillingly straying towards the Cullens.
I cringed when I remembered our last meeting, their faces flashing through my mind. Their shock at my appearance and pained expressions at my anger were foremost in my thoughts. Accusing me whenever I closed my eyes. No matter how much they had hurt me, they had once been my family and I shouldn't have taken my anger out on them. If they didn't want me, I had no right to be angry with them. They can't control their feelings and I couldn't make them love me. I wonder most at Edward's plea to have me stay. Did he just feel guilty? He didn't have to. It wasn't his fault he didn't want me, and I had my own family now. Even if I hadn't been so blinded by anger during that meeting I still wouldn't have stayed. But I can't help but wonder what would have happened if I had. I didn't allow myself to dwell on those thoughts for long. It wouldn't do me any good to ponder what could have been; I just needed to deal with what is.
I was drawn from my thoughts by Anthony's boisterous laughter and I stood up from my bed slowly, my curiosity leading me down the stairs. I froze at the bottom step, as I saw my brothers huddled around the fireplace, Jamie standing off to the side with a smirk on her face.
"What are you doing?" I asked suspiciously, unsure if I actually wanted to know.
All Eight of them turned around, their eyes twinkling in amusement.
"Bella, why didn't you tell us you were such a cute baby?" Anthony snickered, holding up a picture of myself as a baby, sitting naked in a bathtub. My eyes widened in horror. Damn Charlie for never taking those down!
I was at his side in an instant and snatched the picture from his hand. However the damage was already done and the image ingrained into their memories for eternity. I quickly gathered the six other photos that had lain on the mantle and hid them from view.
"My favorite was the picture of her dressed up as a pumpkin." Jamie teased casting me a sidelong glance. I turned to glare at her. Traitor.
-x-
"I'm fine." Jamie insisted once again as I tugged on her hand, pulling her out the back door of the house. I didn't have to be a mind reader to know she was lying. Her usual amber eyes were dark, almost black and the circles under her eyes were more pronounced.
"Don't argue with me, Jamie. You're still a newborn and need to hunt frequently." From the corner of my eyes I saw her glaring at me, but I ignored her. This was for her own good.
"Aw squirt," Anthony pouted as he playfully ruffled Jamie's hair. "Don't you want to chase down a lion or a grizzly with your bear hands?" She swatted away his hand and tried to hide the small smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth.
"No." She said stubbornly, and then added, "And don't call me squirt."
"Come on, its fun!"
"How can calling me "Squirt" be fun?"
"I was talking about hunting, but that too."
"You're an idiot."
"That hurts, Jamie."
I rolled my eyes and tuned out their argument. Those two were like children. Instead I turned my attention to Matthew who was watching the exchange with a mixture of amusement and longing. Poking him in the side, he reluctantly tore his eyes away from the two and met my gaze. I raised my eyebrow and smirked as he smiled at me sheepishly.
"All right you two," Christopher intervened. "Break it up."
"She started it." Anthony said childishly to which Jamie responded by sticking out her tongue. Before he could respond I spoke up.
"Okay, I think its time for you all to leave."
"That hurts, Bella."
"Shut up, Anthony. Remember to steer clear of La Push."
"Yeah, we know Bells." Michael waved off my comment as they all started heading towards the forest.
"I'm serious!"
"Don't worry, Bella." Daniel said as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "They won't do anything stupid."
I rolled my eyes. That was highly doubtful.
-x-
"Are you sure they're in here?" Daniel grumbled from the inside of Charlie's closet.
I pulled my head out from under his bed and bit my lip. "Um, no." How was I supposed to remember where my father had kept his pictures? We weren't really a talkative family.
I heard a growl come from the closet. "Your father was a pig."
"Pack rat would be a more appropriate term." I ducked my head back under the bed only to come face to face with an empty pizza box. Okay, maybe Daniel was right.
"Where are those pictures?" I questioned aloud, standing up from my place on the carpet and scanning his messy room.
"I don't know, but they aren't in the closet." My brother announced as he dusted off his jeans, a scowl marring his features. "I'm not going back in there."
"Oh fine, you big baby." I huffed. "I think there are some pictures from Phoenix in my old room. You may have to rummage around a bit, but it should be better than in here."
I didn't have to say another word before Daniel disappeared out of the room. I glanced around once more, hoping I might have overlooked something, but knowing it was unlikely. Sighing, I decided to go check the closet downstairs when I heard the front door slam and the smell of a wet dog slowly invaded my senses.
"Shit." Daniel muttered lowly before appearing beside me. He was glaring at the staircase and I looked at him curiously, my nose wrinkling as the smell became more pungent.
"What is that smell?"
He didn't answer, but took a slow cautious step forward. I noticed his posture had slipped into a crouch as he began his descent down the stairs. I followed behind, confused as to his behavior. I heard the sound of someone in the kitchen and I stiffened. What if it was a human? I glanced anxiously at my brother as he glided towards the kitchen, the smell becoming more pronounced.
As we turned the corner I had to stifle a gasp as I stared at the large muscled back of a shirtless russet skinned man. His black hair was cut short and was moving around the kitchen as if he were searching for something. Suddenly he stiffened and spun around quickly, glaring at Daniel and I. The man started shaking violently and Daniel snarled at him taking a step forward. I looked between the two and my eyes widened in realization.
"Jacob?"
-x-
Victoria.
I snarled as I thought the name of that vile creature. I had seen many things in my short life, human and vampire alike, but no one had ever encompassed what a monster truly was until I had met her. It wasn't enough to go after me and my family, but now she was after the Cullens. I had thought that after James everything would have been settled. I should have known it wasn't that easy. After all, who am I if not a danger magnet?
I pushed my legs faster as Jacob quickened his stride to match my own. The other wolves aren't too pleased with him at the moment. When he called saying he would be bringing a vampire with him to their meeting with the Cullens they refused vehemently, but after Sam Uley consented there was nothing they could do.
Daniel wasn't too keen on the idea of me going with Jacob either, but he reluctantly agreed to get the others and bring them to the clearing. From the sound of Jacob's directions we would be heading towards the baseball clearing. How fitting that the place where it had all started would be the beginning of its end.
Jacob didn't seem too surprised that I was a vampire, which made me believe that the Cullens must have mentioned it, although under what circumstances I wasn't certain. Apparently my family and I have stumbled into a war zone, according to the information that I had gleaned from Jacob. The way his eyes tightened and the slight quickening of his heart when he spoke about the situation tipped me off to the danger that they were all in.
They would die fighting my battle.
If it hadn't been for me, Victoria would never be seeking revenge for James' death. And now that I knew, there was no way that I wasn't helping. With my brothers powers the odds should be tipped in our favor and their chances of winning go up exponentially while the opportunity for death dropped.
That thought alone made my decision.
I cut off my breathing as the smell of werewolf became stronger; alerting me to the fact that we were drawing near. My pace gradually slowed until we were both standing on the outskirts of the clearing. I stayed hidden in the shadows as Jacob stepped forward, making his appearance known. I felt the glares of all the wolves on me as I awaited Jacob's signal. I watched as he stepped towards the front of the pack, stopping by the largest wolf of them all, before tilting his head slightly in my direction.
I hesitated momentarily. My last meeting with the Cullens hadn't ended too well and I wasn't sure how they would receive me. Oh well. They will just have to accept it.
I took a deep breath before stepping into the light, my face composed into an emotionless mask. I guess you could say I was taking a page out of Edward's book.
Ignoring the startled and disbelieving expressions on the Cullens' faces, I spoke.
"I thought you could use some assistance."
Please don't be angry with for me for ending it there. The next chapter will be up within two days so in the meantime press that button and tell me what you think! Do you like it? Hate it? Are you happy to see the brothers again? Please review and let me know.
