54. Best friends share… everything.
Disclaimer: the characters and all recognisable situations belong to Stephenie Meyer - this is a work of fan fiction, except for the legends and histories of the Quileute that, of course, belong to them. I pay my respects to their gods.
Thanks to BanSidhe [ruadh sidhe] and Feebes86 for betaing and pre-reading.
[AN: and I swear Charlie's theme song has to be the Prodigy - Stand up
www. youtube. com/watch?v=3YBCYjDt7Ds - just has to be]
Meanwhile - Charlie's POV
Charlie Swan felt old. He dropped Seth home. It had been one of the longest days of his life. It was still the same day, but fast approaching a new one.
Sue had met them at the door, thanked him and then looked guilty. She had her hands shoved in the pocket of her jeans. She invited him in.
"I should have warned you; I should have said something," she started, as she stood in her kitchen looking uncomfortable.
"About what?" Charlie checked. Best to check what, exactly, she was apologising for.
"I'm on the Tribal council now, Charlie. I hear that you know all about the tribal secret."
"Yeah," he grunted. "Shot a gigantic wolf in my back yard, that changed into Quil right before my eyes. Seems my daughter is linked to two of them somehow."
"You don't know how many of us have wanted to shoot Quil," Sue joked, nervously.
Charlie had always thought that Sue was his friend. He gave her a betrayed look now. "I asked Seth on the drive home. He said you locked him in his room that one weekend; those days when Bella became tied to them," he accused.
She looked really guilty now. "Seth's only fifteen. He's just not ready for that; I don't care how old he looks physically. He's my son and I protected him." She lifted her chin.
"And you couldn't warn me?" Charlie asked. "So that I could protect my daughter?"
"And break the secret?" she challenged.
"Wouldn't have had to do that," Charlie grunted. "Could have been as simple as 'don't let Bella go to the rez this weekend. Don't ask me why; just don't let her out there.' I would have trusted you. I would have kept her at home and none of this would have happened."
Sue sighed. "I think it might have still happened. She can be a little wilful. And the wolf gods have a way of making things happen."
Seth sidled into the room. He could hear them talking.
"Seth?" his mother asked.
"He saved them," Seth stated.
"Who?"
Seth jigged his head at Charlie. "He shot the redheaded vampire. Took her head clean off."
Sue blinked. "With what?" she asked. She was imagining rocket launchers and so on.
"A handgun," Seth answered.
Sue looked horrified. "H-how?"
Charlie shrugged. "Lucky shot," he mumbled.
"We couldn't get to them," Seth stated. "She was torturing Embry and he was nearly dead. Charlie went into the mine alone. Charlie is the hero tonight."
Sue just threw herself at Charlie and hugged him. It took them a long time to let go of each other. Seth snuck out and left them.
When they finally let each other go; they both looked at their old friend with different eyes.
"Sue," Charlie said. "I don't know what to say. I don't know how on earth you cope with two of them in the house. Three, with Jake here all the time now."
"They are my children, Charlie."
"I know that… I just…" He ran his hand over his face. "Did you know this could happen? When you married Harry?"
"It was an old legend. There hadn't been a wolf pack for generations. No one really believed it could actually happen. Except maybe the Atearas; Old Quil remembers it." She smiled, but she looked tired. "And Billy," she added.
Charlie reached for her hand and held it in his. "Bella told me it all happened that night; Harry and…" He couldn't finish the sentence.
She understood. "Yes. He had a bad heart. It could have happened at any time. I had him on a diet and everything. All his whining about eating rabbit food. But I know Leah still blames herself… and Seth? He should not have changed at that age; it's too early. We think it was the shock."
She hugged him again impulsively. "Have you been to the medical centre yet?"
"Not yet."
"Is Seth correct? Was Embry dying?"
Charlie sighed. "It seems she took some kind of sick enjoyment from cutting him and watching him heal again. She was torturing Bella as well, without laying a hand on her. Sick bitch," he muttered. He took a deep breath. "By the time we got him out, he wasn't healing anymore. I think she had finished playing with him by then. She would have just killed him."
"He couldn't phase? You know, change into a wolf."
"They had Bella taped to his body."
"Oh, my God," breathed Sue.
"He wouldn't hurt her. The boy deserves a medal and I can't even thank him publically." Charlie sounded furious.
"No one has any idea what they have done for the community," Sue said. "It's a thankless task."
"And they are all so young," Charlie added.
Sue just nodded.
"I should go," Charlie said. "But can I… call you?" he asked carefully.
Sue smiled at him. "I'd like that."
And then he drove to the medical centre to check on Bella and Embry, but they were both asleep. The sight of Embry's slashed flesh was a shock to him. As was the fact that it was not bandaged.
Bella was snuggled in next to Embry. He stood and looked down at her. She looked oddly younger with all her hair hacked off. Quil saw him and gave a head nod towards the corridor. He and Quil had a muttered conversation in the hallway outside the room.
"Her wrist was fractured. They have strapped it," Quil informed him. "Embry's back is covered in some surgical glue, they can't stitch him and we heal too fast to use bandages."
"So he's healing faster now?" Charlie checked.
"Yeah, sucking down the calories from a drip. But he still has a way to go before we can get real food into him. Plus his throat…" Quil looked angry again. "He's having trouble swallowing."
"And what about you?" Charlie asked him. "Are you okay?"
"I am now. Thanks to you. I nearly lost it before." He shuddered.
"She would have killed them both; once she stopped playing."
There was silence for a minute.
"She was …" Charlie struggled for a word. "Inhuman," he finished.
"They're all a bit like that. Dunno why. Maybe they are just too old, you know? We live for such a short time. We become like bugs to them. Mayflies."
"She called Bells a hamburger," Charlie noted.
Quil snorted. "Bet she loved that."
Charlie cracked a smile. Then he thumped Quil on the shoulder in that guy way. "You take care of my girl, all right? Actually, you look after both of them. Tell her I checked in, will you?"
"Sure, sure," Quil responded.
Charlie kissed his daughter on the forehead. He patted Embry's head too. He really liked that boy. He had been through an amazing amount in his short life so far. Sixteen. He shook his head. Quil was a pretty good guy too. She had done very well in her choice of lifelong partners, even if the fact that she had two of them, still weirded him out.
As he was driving out of the rez, he found himself heading for the Black house. The lights were on. He thought he knew where Leah and Jake were. The door opened as he pulled up. Jake waved him inside. "Hey, Charlie," he greeted him cheerfully.
Billy was still up; evidently Jake and Leah had been filling him in on what had happened.
"You smell like the medical centre," said Leah. "How are they?"
Charlie nodded. "Asleep. Quil is with them. Embry's back is…" he just shook his head. "It's healing now," he finished.
Billy and Charlie still hadn't really greeted each other. They had last met when Charlie had come out to ask his best friend about the tribal business and Billy had refused to tell him anything. (chapter 30)
Jake and Leah looked at each other and made a decision to run for it.
"Ahh… I'll just grab you a beer Charlie, and then Leah and I have to go."
Billy's eyes narrowed.
"Yes," Leah agreed too quickly. "Gotta go."
"Your mother was up. I just dropped Seth home," Charlie added. He was still standing awkwardly in the corner of the room.
"Cool, she might be feeding Seth," Jake hoped.
Billy finally made a huff noise. "Oh sit down, old man," he snapped.
Charlie sat. He opened his beer. Took a sip. Rubbed his fingers over his moustache. Drummed on the table with the fingers of his other hand, and stared at nothing.
Charlie sipped his beer. They sat there in silence for a good ten minutes, before he cleared his throat. "I shot a vampire today," he said.
"I heard," said Billy.
And that was that.
Then they made arrangements for a fishing trip.
