So sorry, I guess you must have realised the last two chapter numbers were reversed so just to apologise I am posting another. Love Jules xx

Chapter Thirty Seven

Jasper

I had promised myself that if the others hadn't found evidence to show Charlie by the time we returned then I would visit the bitch myself and force a confession from her own lips although I wasn't at all sure Bella would approve. She had only witnessed The Major in action once but she knew what I was capable of, did she hate her stepmother enough to loosen him on her? Well, we would soon find out but what she needed to understand was that I would do whatever it took, whatever, to keep her safe and avenge my mate. I was a vampire first and foremost and Bella needed to understand exactly what that meant before she became one herself.

In the event it wasn't necessary, when we arrived home Edward and Alice sat looking smug, a pile of papers and a journal laying on the coffee table before them. When Bella saw these she picked up the journal and sat in a corner to begin reading it while they filled me in on the details in the bank statements. When I heard that Sophie had been robbing Bella blind as well as mistreating her I felt my rage begin to build again and struggled to keep it under control but Esme took my arm.

"Jasper, there's a better way to handle this. I know you want to kill Sophie but Charlie needs to understand what she is really like. If she dies or disappears it won't solve anything and you want Bella and her father to be reunited don't you?"

"Does it matter Esme? Once we are married and I turn her they'll be permanently parted anyway."

"Yes, but don't make it impossible for the two of them to get closure on this. I beg you."

I shrugged her off but in my heart, I knew she was right, Bella loved her father and it hurt her that he believed her capable of such actions. Looking over at my mate I saw her brush tears from her eyes but sensing my gaze she looked up and smiled reassuringly and nodded then went back to the book.

"What's the plan? If you hand these to Charlie he's going to think you forged them, or he'll want to know how we got our hands on them and as a cop breaking and entering followed by burglary won't go down well."

"I know, and that's why we decided it would be best if Charlie discovers them for himself. All we need to do is to make sure they are left where he can discover them."

Alice explained where Sophie had hidden them, a clever idea but one that could play into our hands.

"If Bella could be persuaded to contact her father and ask him to pack up her belongings while Sophie is otherwise engaged he'll have a reason to go into her room and we can ensure the hiding place is easily discoverable."

It sounded a good plan, provided Bella agreed and we waited while she finished reading Sophie's journal. I didn't know exactly what the bitch had written but it was easy to see and feel Bella's distress as she finished and closed the journal with a snap dropping it to the table.

I went straight to her ready to comfort her but I felt a new resolve in my mate and watched amused as she twisted Rosalies ring around on her finger. I grabbed one of the pads we had laying around to ease communications while Bella was here and began to write,

"Bella, they want you to contact Charlie and ask him to pack up your belongings. Tell him you aren't going back. It's a ruse to get him into your room so he can discover the paperwork for himself. I know once he's seen it he'll be over here to apologize and then I will ask for your hand in marriage."

She read as I wrote and then smiled nodding her approval although I could sense how nervous she was at the thought of speaking to Charlie now.

"Won't Sophie pack up my things, though?"

I explained Bella's concern to the others and Esme explained she had arranged to take Sophie out for lunch again.

"She's under the impression that I'm giving her moral support after her ordeal and it suits me to allow her to think so if it serves our purpose. It means Charlie will probably do it himself. If not then I guess we'll need a plan B."

Bella understood Esme's explanation without too much difficulty, it was as if she was becoming attuned to our thoughts and conversations and picked up their meaning so much more quickly now. Part of it I was sure was due to the fact that she trusted us and knew how much we all loved her.

It was decided Bella shouldn't meet Charlie face to face in case he tried to persuade her to go back and pack her own things so we wrote a note to Charlie and Bella made a mark at the bottom, one he would recognize, then I took it to the station knowing he would be finishing his shift soon while Esme drove off in the opposite direction to pick Sophie up and make sure she was away from the house when Charlie got home.

He looked warily at me as I approached him,

"Jasper, I need a word with you if you have time."

"If it; s about Bella then no Charlie, I don't have time right now, not with you taking everything she says as a lie. You know how upset she is right now?"

"She attacked my wife."

"Yeah, and did you bother to find out why she did that?

Or did you take your wife's side right away? Anyhow, Bella asked me to deliver this for her."

I handed him the note and turned to leave as he opened it.

"She's not coming back then? Isn't that a sign of guilt? Can't she face Sophie? Apologize for almost strangling her?"

I turned, probably a little too fast as he flinched,

"Apologize? I think someone else owes her an apology, more than one person in fact."

Knowing I was getting close to losing my temper I made my escape before doing something I might regret later.

I didn't go far though, I wanted to be sure Charlie found the things we had left accessible for him, so I followed him when he left work and found a comfortable spot outside where I could hear what was going on inside the house. The place was deserted now and I knew Esme would keep Sophie away until I signaled that Charlie had found the journal. It would be interesting to see his reaction when his dear wife appeared and I was curious how she would try to get out of the situation if indeed she even tried. It would be almost impossible with her own words condemning her.

I didn't have to wait long for Charlie to arrive, he must have left almost immediately after me. As he got out of the cruiser I thought how old he suddenly appeared. This mess with Bella had aged him overnight and it was only going to get worse. I listened in as he made coffee and ate the cold cuts Sophie had left him out for dinner then head his measured tread as he went upstairs and opened Bella's door slowly sighing as he did so.

"Bells, how did it all go so terribly wrong? What am I going to do with you?"

Rustling told me he was folding her clothes and putting them into a case which didn't take long, it seemed she didn't have that much. Then he stacked her few books on the desk and I heard the thump as one dropped to the floor and he cursed as he bent to retrieve it. Then came the sound I had been waiting for, an intake of breath and a quiet comment,

"What the hell is this?"

He'd found the secret drawer we had left ajar for him and settled back to wait for the explosion I was sure would come when he finished reading, texting Rose to let her know so she could keep Bella up to date with things.