Author's Note: Thanks for still reading! The site was having a little trouble with Chapter 6, published on Halloween 2020. It's showing for some people and not others. I hope that there won't be any issues with it as I put this chapter up.

EPOV

Charlie's thoughts were absolutely murderous for what I had done to his daughter. My only concern was protecting Bella as he stormed into the house. Carlisle and Esme were only a split second behind him, following the sound of Bella's steady heartbeat up to my bedroom. Charlie was right on their heels.

I stepped away from Bella, drawing Charlie after me into the hallway. I knew that Carlisle and Esme wouldn't allow her to be harmed.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now!" he shouted, his face a deep red. His thoughts were thinking about how I had taken his only daughter from him twice now, once by making her run away and now by biting her.

"Bella." I replied simply.

"That's exactly why I should!" he yelled, reaching for me. Jasper and Emmett appeared behind him, their thoughts showing me that they would restrain him if needed. I shook my head. I deserved his anger.

"Charlie, there aren't enough apologies in the world for what I've done to Bella. I was delusional when she found me. I never intended her any harm. I love her." I said, truthfully.

Charlie contemplated my words a moment, appearing slightly calmer for two seconds before he made a fist and punched me right in the face. I allowed it. I didn't feel a thing. I wished that I could have.

He immediately recoiled in pain from the hardness of my body. "Son of a bitch!" he yelled. His thoughts were a violent string of curses and images of him tearing off my head. He cradled his fist in his good hand.

"I deserve your anger, but I'm afraid you will only hurt yourself. I would gladly let you injure me if I could."

He ignored me and went to go see Bella. I walked in the room a few seconds behind him. His face was whiter than mine when he saw her.

"She's alright." Carlisle said. "Her change appears to be progressing normally. I wish I could do more for her but really we just have to wait."

"I'm sorry Carlisle. I've let the family down again, twice this time." I looked at him and Esme in shame. Bella was whimpering quietly. I walked over to take her hand, but Charlie grabbed me.

"Don't you touch her!" He was still thinking about ripping my head off.

"She needs me."

"You're the last thing she needs! You're the reason she's like this!" he shouted.

"I don't disagree, but she wants me with her." Bella reached for my hand, not realizing that I wasn't right beside her.

"Emmett, Jasper." I said, causing them to appear in the doorway. Jasper was incredibly pained, feeling every emotion as Bella did, but he wanted to do all he could to help. He kept his composure, although his thoughts were trying hard to focus on anything other than Bella's burning. I cringed seeing how she was feeling through his thoughts. I remembered my own change.

Both of my brothers put a hand on one of Charlie's shoulders. He looked at each of them slowly, likely debating if he could punch them too, and then let go of me. I took Bella's hand in both of mine and carefully sat down on the bed beside her.

Alice and Rosalie joined us upstairs. Charlie sat at the foot of the bed and put a hand on Bella's leg. "I'm here Bella. I love you kid. I hate that you're hurting." He glared at me. His thoughts were still a string of curses directed at me.

"I guess this is as good a place as any for the family meeting we need to have." Carlisle started. "Bella, I know what you're going through is incredibly painful and you won't be able to participate much. Can you squeeze Edward's hand for me?" She did and I nodded. "OK, if you object to anything, do that again and Edward will speak up for you."

Bella rubbed my hand with her thumb a little and I took that as her understanding. I nodded at Carlisle once more and he started. "We have many things to discuss. The primary concern that we all share is for Bella's safety and the protection of our secret. We should have another two days before her change is completed. Esme and I talked on the way over and we think it's best that we move her to another of our properties, one with less humans and more hunting area. We also think it's best that we all go to help her through her newborn stage. Any objections so far?"

Everyone's thoughts were in agreement, even Rosalie's internal ranting. Finally, we can stop all the drama and just settle down somewhere for a decade or so. No more of this he loves me, he loves me not bullshit. I wish you had just killed her or changed her in the beginning.

Carlisle continued. "We will have to take her by car to not arouse suspicion. We won't need to make any stops, except briefly for gas. Jasper, do you think you can keep her calm enough to get out of the house silently?"

He nodded. I am happy to help however I can. She's taking everything incredibly well. She still adores you, Edward. I smiled at him. The guilt of my crimes still weighed heavily on me, but I couldn't deny my feelings for Bella and it was re-assuring to know that they were truly returned.

"Alice, do you see any trouble?"

"No." she said. "I still can't really see Bella, but I don't see any issues in the future for the rest of the family." I don't normally see half-breeds and people in transition though Edward, so don't get your panties in a wad.

"OK, great. We'll leave here just after dark. Charlie, you can come along if you like, but you won't be able to stay in the house with us once Bella wakes up."

"And why not?!"

"She'll be a vampire, Charlie. A newborn one, with little to no control." Jasper said gently. Charlie was clearly angry, but he simply nodded. I reminded myself to thank Jasper later for whatever influence he used on his emotions. Jasper just winked at me and started strategizing travel plans in his head.

Alice walked over to Bella and started stroking her hair. "Hi Bella, I've missed you so much! You are going to be gorgeous when you wake up." Bella smiled faintly.

"She already is." I added. Alice stuck her tongue out me. You just wait, brother.

"You're going to be strong as hell too!" Emmett shouted. "I can't wait to wrestle!" His thoughts showed how much he was looking forward to going up against a newborn.

Carlisle re-gained control of the meeting. "Edward, I hate to bring this up. Did you cover your tracks well?" You know I have to ask in the interest of protecting the family. I'm sorry.

"I disposed of the body. No one will find it." I said guiltily. Bella squeezed my hand hard, nearly as hard as she had when she broke it the night before. "What is it, love?"

She was struggling to speak. "Jasper?" I asked, hoping he could at least help us make sense of her emotions.

"She's in so much pain. She's also feeling frustrated. She may be hurting too much to be able to talk without just screaming in pain."

"Can you help her?"

"I'll try." he said. I felt him try to calm her, but it wasn't working. "Bella, it hurts like hell. I feel it too. I still remember my change and it was every bit as bad. It will be OK in a day or two. I promise."

"No!" she finally managed to shout. Jasper looked at me, confused. I don't know what I said.

Esme took Bella's other hand in hers. "Bella, if your objection was to Jasper, squeeze my hand." Bella didn't move. "Was it to something Edward said?" Bella squeezed Esme's hand.

"Did Bella see you kill the human?" Esme asked. Charlie's glare at me intensified. Before I could answer, Bella squeezed Esme's hand again.

"Your objection is to me saying Edward killed a human?" Bella squeezed her hand.

"You don't believe Edward killed the human?" Bella squeezed her hand again.

"Bella, I did. I'm a monster. I did take an innocent life only hours before you found me."

"No!" she yelled. "Eyes…gold." The same words she said last night. The effort to talk took away whatever focus she was using to not cry out in pain.

She started screaming and let go of me and Esme as her body convulsed uncontrollably around the bed. Charlie went to go stand beside Emmett and Rosalie.

That's more like it. Rosalie thought. I was wondering when that would start.

"Rose!" I shouted. She raised an eyebrow at me and led Emmett downstairs by the hand.

I laid down beside Bella, despite the volume of her screaming and her violent kicking. I would endure all of the pain in the world for her. I put my arms around her and kissed her forehead. "It's alright, love. We can talk when you wake up in a couple days. You're safe. I won't leave your side." Charlie grumbled, but I ignored him. He wasn't my concern in that moment.

Once Bella was able to regain control and settle down some, Carlisle sat down on her other side. "Bella, you're trying to tell us that Edward didn't kill anyone, but he did. Alice saw it. I know our eyes are usually gold. We try very hard to not harm humans. But Edward did. He feels incredibly guilty I'm sure."

"She's angry with you Carlisle." Jasper said. "We aren't understanding something. Edward, what park were you in earlier?"

"I don't know."

"How far away was it?"

"I don't know."

"Where did you dump the body?"

"In a river."

"Which one?"

"I don't know."

"Describe the human you killed."

"It was a woman, dressed warmly in a thick jacket and a wool hat. I couldn't hear her thoughts."

"Edward," Alice started. "You described her clothing. Describe her."

"I can't. I'm sure you had a vision and saw her too."

"I did, but while you were clear, she was blurry. I couldn't see any of her features."

I growled in frustration. "What are you people getting at?!" I was clueless. I really didn't want to relive the memory of taking an innocent soul.

"Now you've done it, Edward." Jasper laughed loudly. "Now Bella is mad at you."

"Do you finally believe that I'm a monster, Bella?" I asked, removing one of my arms from around her. She grabbed my arm tightly and put it back around her.

"She loves you." Jasper said, smiling. "But we're missing something. She said, 'eyes gold.'"

Esme grabbed one of Bella's hands again. Maybe. "Bella, are you saying that Edward's eyes were gold when you found him?" Bella smiled and squeezed both mine and Esme's hands.

"That's it." Jasper said. "We understand what she wanted to tell us. She's calming down now. But if you'll both excuse me, I can't take the burning she's feeling." Jasper took Alice's hand, and they went downstairs to put at least a little distance between him and Bella. But yell if you need me brother.

I looked at Carlisle and Esme, confused. Charlie was nearly in shock at seeing Bella at so much pain, but he stood there silently, not willing to leave her side.

"I had hunted quite a few animals before I encountered the woman." I said to Carlisle. "Would that be enough to stop my eye color from changing? If I was already full?"

"I'm not sure, son."

"I did kill her." I said, looking away in shame. "I remember the taste of her blood and everything."

"But you can't describe her, and you didn't hear her thoughts?" Carlisle asked. "You don't even know where you were?"

"No."

"You said that you thought Bella was a hallucination until she screamed."

"Yes."

"Is it possible that this woman was also a hallucination?" I looked back up at Carlisle in shock. I found myself speechless. Vampires don't hallucinate. But I had been. Yet I was positive I had killed her.

Carlisle was contemplating in his thoughts. I've never heard of a vampire hallucinating or suffering from delusions before, yet you had been hearing and seeing Bella sometimes you said. Perhaps it was just a hallucination.

"But Alice said she saw me do it!"

"Yes, but Alice's visions are based on decisions. You decided to kill the woman or not woman. Alice doesn't have a way to know if she was real or not. She can't describe her either." Innocent until proven guilty, son.

"Well I guess we have no way of knowing."

"Why not?" Charlie asked, looking right at me. He had been following the conversation. "I for one would really like to know if my daughter is dating a murderer or just an asshole teenage vampire."

"I did kill people, Charlie, decades ago. And I as good as killed Bella."

"Fine. But I want to know about this woman. You said you dumped the body in a river. You guys don't need to breathe underwater. Why don't you and your brothers go see if you can find the body?" He was determined to know the truth all of a sudden. His police instincts, I figured.

"Not a bad idea, Charlie." Carlisle said, intrigued.

"I can't leave Bella."

"I'll stay with her." Esme said. "I can tell her more about our family and help dress her for travel. I won't leave her side until you return. I promise."

"Go." Bella whispered. I could deny her nothing. I kissed her forehead. "I love you. I'll do as you say. But I will be back the second I can." She smiled faintly and Esme took my place beside Bella, starting to brush her hair.

"She's in good hands, Edward. Carlisle and I will see to her every need. I'm sure Alice will be thrilled to help me dress her too." Alice bombarded in the room with a suitcase in hand without even a second's delay. "See?" Esme said, smiling.

I still don't like you even if you're innocent. Charlie thought. But I do like a good mystery. And this one seems pretty important to Bella.

I nodded in agreement with him and went downstairs to collect my brothers.