It was a strange sight to see them both standing in the doorway and smiling at me when I was so unprepared to see them. But remembering Charlie's lectures about behaviors that shown your guiltiness, I opened the door wildly and welcomed them the most naturally I could, hoping I didn't sound too breathless.

"Come on in, dad's not home yet but I was just about to start preparing the diner", I said cheerfully "Would you join us?"

"That would be great Bella if that's not too much trouble. Jacob's cooking has got nothing on you!" Billy answered

I pretended not to notice the red that came to Jacob's cheek as he busied himself by maneuvering Billy's wheelchair in the small entrance and in the living room. All the while, Billy made comments about how long it had been since the last time he came and how he had missed my cooking and hanging out with Charlie.

That's was all Billy, complaining about not seeing Charlie enough when Charlie was always going to La push and spending hours fishing with him, I thought.

Speaking about fishing, it reminded me that that's where Charlie had said he was going all day:

"Didn't you go fishing with Dad just today?" I asked Billy.

"Today? Of course not, it's not a time to go outside. Why, did Charlie go fishing?"

"Yes" I confirmed.

I noticed Billy's face turning somber and hoped I hadn't offended him by underlining that he hadn't been invited to the fishing party. Seeing how it was pouring, I would have been happy to avoid it but for Billy and probably for all guys, it would probably looked like Charlie thought he was too fragile for the weather.

Trying to change the subject, I turned the TV on and the sound of a baseball game filled the room. The sport channel was the only one Charlie ever watched, not that I complained, I didn't watch the TV much anyway.

"I know that's why you really came!" I joked.

"Well... our TV is a bit broken so that's was one of the reason..."

I took the order for drinks and left the 2 guys in the living room. I was almost in the kitchen, relieved that Alice seemed to be safe when Jacob noticed the plates and glasses still pilled up on the counter.

"You where having people over?" he asked

I tried to look casual when I answered positively

"Sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt anything", Jacob said.

"No worries, they left already, I just didn't take time to clean up", I said the more naturally I could. At least, part of it was true, Angela did leave earlier.

"So who was your friends?" Jacob asked again

"Just some people from school", I said, wondering why he insisted so much on the subject.

"Was Edward Cullen there?"

ahhh, so that's why Jacob was so noisy all of sudden

At the mention of Edward's name, Billy, that I had thought completely engrossed in the game butted in :

"You are friend with the Cullen boy?" he asked

"Not really", I answered. Not really a lie either. Friendship wasn't really how I would have described my relationship with Edward. Head spinning / infuriating / incomprehensible was more accurate descriptions.

"You were with him the other time" Jacob insisted. "During the charity party".

I was starting to be irritated with him to keep coming back to this subject. Why couldn't he let it go? I only wanted to stop thinking about Edward, something I did too much for my own sanity. Not to mention that discussing Edward in front of Billy could become dangerous in the whole Alice's situation. Billy wasn't a cop anymore but he still had all the instincts and was always following what was happening in Forks. And sure enough, now, he was looking at me very intently, much like he had done the night of the party Jacob had just mentioned. I remembered that Edward too had been interested to know who Billy Black was that night and he hadn't looked pleased when I had said his name and that I knew him. I couldn't shake the feeling that there was an history there.

"Yes, he is my lab partner in Geology", I said now, Wishing it was a sufficient explanation for why we had been together during the party and why he had lend me his jacket.

Apparently so because Jacob made a face but stopped his questioning and Billy too returned to watching the TV, so I was free to leave them to busy myself in the kitchen.

I was hoping Charlie would be home soon. I really liked Jacob and Billy but somehow, between Alice's hasted departure and the palpable tension that came from the mention of the Cullens, I was feeling uneasy.

I tried to regain my composure the best I could in the circumstance but a moment later, it became much worse.

I was bringing a beer for Billy and 2 glasses of soda for Jacob and me and I wanted to put them on the coffee table in front of us. So Jacob helpfully tidied up the magazines and papers that took some space. But in the pile he was making, I recognized some official documents from Esme's file that Alice or I must have forgotten there at some point of our reading. So much for making everything disappear! Jacob didn't see anything, already sipping his drink and watching the game. But when I grabbed the documents to put them somewhere so Charlie wouldn't see them, I saw Billy's gaze follow my movements. But now it was too late to put them back and do as if I didn't know what it was so I left for the kitchen again to hide them. As it was my territory, I was pretty sure it would be a good hiding place from Charlie. But not from Billy I realized when I heard him entering the kitchen behind me.

"Oh, do you need something?" I asked, still clutching the notes and probably looking anything but innocent.

Billy gave me one of his unreadable gaze that always made me feel exposed.

"Are you interested in Esme Volturi?" he asked me.

I was speechless for a moment. He should have seen Esme's name somewhere on the notes but I didn't know why he was bringing it up like that.

"Not really" I answered. No need to pretend I had no idea what he was talking about, I was a lousy actress.

"Not really as you aren't really friend with the Cullen boy, the one who gave you his jacket the other night?" Billy said.

God he was observant! I was less and less comfortable in the narrow space, my issue blocked by Billy's wheelchair and all his interrogations.

"That's true" I stupidly tried to explain. "I don't know this boy that well".

"You know him enough to look for Esme Volturi" Billy observed.

Once again, I was speechless, how did he know all that ?

"I'm not looking for anything" I lied, hoping it was forgivable in this case. "It's just some of Charlie's stuff".

It would have been plausible enough, Billy had not known Charlie's tendency to have all his work-related files very tidy and never just lying around. But he knew it and he said so:

"You know it's not. And as a matter of fact, I know it too."

For once, Billy was wrong, it really was my dad's documents, even if I didn't find them lying around and I said so; except the part about finding them in the attic. Somehow, telling an ex cop about a huge space where my dad never went, didn't seem like a good idea when everybody in town was looking for a runaway.

Billy must have seen that I wasn't lying for once about the documents belonging to Charlie. But for some reason that made him angry.

"Listen" He said in a low voice "I don't know what you are doing with these documents but since you are Charlie's daughter, I will give you an advice: don't go near the Cullen family, they are bad news"

I had never seen Billy like this, it was frightening to see him transform from Charlie's best friend to this scary person. I felt like a suspect he was dealing with and I really didn't like it. What I also didn't like was the way he was acting in my house. What right did he have to follow me and ask questions about some documents and give me advices about the Cullens? Maybe it came from good sentiments but Billy's reaction to the news that I knew Edward, pissed me off. I was sure he didn't even know him, how could he judge him? Maybe, when he was still working as Fork's chief policemen, he had followed Carlisle and Esme's case, even if I didn't understand why it was my dad that kept the file in his attic, so he must have known about Carlisle going to jail. In either cases, if he knew all of the story of just part of it, I didn't see why I couldn't befriend Edward. Billy was just illustrating exactly what Edward seemed to be afraid of if people knew his story: shutting the door and advising people to do the same. After all the energy I had wasted trying to make Edward believe nobody would react that way, I was seeing the proof of his fear.

So that's maybe why I reacted the way I did, telling Billy he didn't know the Cullen and that I didn't see why I couldn't be friend with them.

It was stupid from me to confirm the huge part they already had in my life but I was too angry to care.

Billy was startled for a moment, probably from the shock of seeing me, good little Bella, contradicting him and being pissed. I was sure he was going to reiterate his advice when we heard Jacob from the living room:

"What takes you guys so long? I'm bored all alone!"

Billy bit back his comeback and simply said: "Be careful out there, I will be watching you". And with that, he left the kitchen.

This didn't help my anger, he would be watching me? From what right ? But after a while alone, I started to calm down. Billy truly was a good friend to my dad and he obviously was worried about me, even if I didn't like his way of showing it. Sure, I didn't like his disapprovement of the Cullens for a crime Carlisle had committed a long time ago and out of love but I wasn't there when it happened. I couldn't know every detail of the story. But I was pretty sure, whatever was still to be discovered about Edward, I could trust him. He had already saved me twice, from my over enthusiastic classmates and from Mike and we weren't even friends most of the time.

For now, I prepared a diner of rice and vegetable and tried to calm all anger I felt against Billy. It worked but it was soon replaced by anxiety when I started to wonder if Billy would talk to Charlie about any of this. If he spoke to Charlie about Esme's file, it would bring a lot of questions and probably a tour in the attic, something that should be avoided at all price.

By the time Charlie came home, drenched and with only one little fish for all his troubles, I was a bundle of nerves.

Luckily, after he had taken a shower and we started eating, the mood considerably lightened up, helped by the very good mood Charlie was in. Maybe the thought of spoiling it would stop Billy from reporting on me. But just in case, I stayed near Charlie to prevent Billy to have an opportunity to talk to him. I even endured an entire baseball match to stay by their side. Jacob was thrilled and I was exhausted. And from the glances I stole at Billy from time to time, I could tell he wasn't really into the game either. He was troubled by something, probably his memories, and looked uncomfortable.

But at least, the dreaded conversation didn't take place and when they left, Charlie was perfectly happy about his evening.

It's a bit short but I have plenty of idea for the next one so hopefully I won't let you hanging for too long.

Thanks as always to everybody who favorited/followed/reviewed this story