Chapter Fifty Five

Exiting class, Pretty Boy and I came face to face with my dad. I instinctively stopped when I noticed Charlie leaning against the wall opposite the classroom door when we emerged into the hallway. His expression was grim. I felt the hand holding mine tighten, and I wondered if Pretty Boy was as worried as I was. When he spotted us, my dad pushed his body away from the wall and made his way over to us. It was almost funny how the crowded corridor parted like the Red Sea before Moses as the Chief of Police walked through the throng of students. In any other situation, I may have laughed at my classmates' reaction. Right then, however, nothing could have taken away the feeling of impending doom.

"Bells, I need to talk to you about some things. You probably won't be coming back to school today, so we can stop by your locker on the way out if you need to grab anything." Dad stated once he was close enough for me to hear him over the hustle and bustle. Everyone else was making their way to their next classes and casting curious gazes in our direction.

"Sure thing, Dad," I answered as dread made my blood run cold.

"I'll come with you," Edward asserted, stepping closer to me, and I was surprised when my dad nodded his acceptance.

"We'll need to stop by the office too, then," Charlie stated as he led the way. "I only checked Bella out, so I'll need to let them know you're coming with me. We'll also need to let your parents know."

"I can call them while I run by my locker then meet you guys at the office, if that's okay."

"That's fine, son. Bella, where's your locker at?"

I led the way without saying a word. All sorts of worst case scenarios were running rampant through my mind. What if James had somehow gotten out of jail? No, I couldn't even think about it. I gathered my books then followed my dad to the front of the school. I opted to wait outside while he went in and did whatever it was he needed to do.

"It's going to be okay, Beautiful. Whatever it is, it's going to be okay." Pretty Boy's reassurance did little to calm my nerves. I let him pull me into his arms and tried to absorb some of his confidence.

"All right, kids, all set. Edward did you let your folks know you were leaving school with me and Bella?"

"Yes, they're concerned and want updates, but they're fine with me missing a few classes, under the circumstances."

"Okay, good, let's go."

The ride over to the station was silent, only occasionally broken by the squawk of the police radio. Dad had only told us where we were headed. He said he preferred to wait until we were there before discussing the whys. It was hard not knowing, but I respected his wishes and didn't hound him for information. We had to continue to wait when we got there while my dad handled a situation that had come up while he was gone. I was contemplating taking out my frustration on a nearby wall when I felt Pretty Boy's hand on my shoulder. He turned me around and hugged me close. I breathed in his scent and let him calm me in the way only he could.

"Are we ever going to be able to move past all this? Will it ever be over?" I asked quietly, hoping for assurances that one day it would be done. He didn't answer my question, though, probably because he didn't know the answer any more than I did.

"When you walked out the door that day I asked you to leave, I was so mad. At first, I thought I was mad at you for not fighting me." He shushed me when I opened my mouth to argue with him. "Let me finish." At my nod, he continued. "I thought I was mad because I wanted you to fight for me, for us. But I quickly realized that wasn't the case at all. I was mad because I didn't fight for you. I pushed you away when I needed you the most, and I'll never forgive myself for that." He put his finger over my lips when I made to interrupt him again. "I was wrong, Beautiful Girl. I was so wrong. When Eleazar, my therapist, told me it was probably for the best, I wanted to hit him.

"It wasn't until the other day that he confessed he had only told me that in hopes I would get angry. He wanted me to see that I could fight for what I wanted. It wasn't until I told him he could shove his ideas and theories up his ass that he shared that with me. He was proud of me, and I finally realized I could be happy. That I deserved to be happy. The guilt from my parents' death and finding out that I hadn't been there to protect you from James made me forget that for a while, but I won't ever let that happen again. I'm here until you tell me to leave. Even then, you'll probably have to push me away several times before I even think about going anywhere. Then I'd follow you around like some sort of protective stalker for the rest of your life anyway."

There was no way I wasn't kissing him after that speech. I wasn't even embarrassed when my dad cleared his throat a few minutes later.


Disclaimer: Nope, I still can't take credit for Mrs. Meyer's creations...

A/N: Um, I wonder what Charlie has to say that's so important...Well, I don't really wonder because I know, heehee. The next chapter will tie up a lot of loose ends and end this bad boy. Then we'll have an epi and that'll be all she wrote, ya'll :-)

Tackle hugs to the wonderful Writtenbyabdex for her mad pre-reading skills.

Thank you so much for reading and/or reviewing. The thoughts you've shared with me on this story are truly appreciated!

See you soon :-)

~SP