Epiphany

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A/N-thank you very much for the kind reviews on the last chapter.

Chapter Eighteen-The Police Chief of Forks

"I did what needed to done." Charlie answered gravely.

"What does that even mean?" Bella demanded. There were times she felt like the world was slowly disappearing in front of her. Now was one of those times. She didn't understand what was happening. "Where's Jake? I don't…."

"Stop it, Bella!" Charlie cut in harshly. "You cannot keep falling apart all the time."

"You don't know what I've been through." Bella protested.

"How could I when I was kept in the dark about everything!" Charlie grabbed hold of her shoulders and forced her to look at him when she tried to turn away. He shook her a little as she literally froze in front of him. "Look what they did to you, Bells." He continued gruffly. "Where's my strong-willed daughter gone? The damn Cullens did this to you. If not for your connection to Jake then I feel you would have lost yourself completely."

Bella felt like she was fading away. She felt the old gaping wound rip open again in her chest. Her heart slammed against her ribs so hard it was painful. And the void. The black hole inside her head, deep inside her soul, slowly swallowing all her hopes and dreams. That was the worst of those moments. The realization of the vacuum, the nothingness, the emptiness inside. She sagged against Charlie as she experienced a sudden epiphany.

"You're saying being around the Cullens was sucking the life out of me."

"Yes."

Bella stayed rooted to the spot as she gazed up at her father's serious face. Slowly, the panic and anxiety attack flowed away, and yet she still shook as she listened to him talk.

"When Billy was forced to finally reveal the truth to me after what I overheard you telling Jake, it became so obvious to me. The Cullens many not have bled you dry but they still sucked the life out of you. You changed after you started hanging around that son of a bitch. You became like a meek version of yourself, just living to please him. When he and his damn coven left, you fell apart like a broken marionette without the puppeteer to pull your strings. It was awful seeing you so low. But, slowly, your friendship with Jake brought you back to life. You were getting better until he came back, bringing his cursed family with him. Now look at you! Bells, you are in as bad a state emotionally and physically as you were when he left the first time."

Bella's eyes fell to her shaking hands, knowing full well that her father was right. The mental and physical anguish she had suffered as a result of Edward's abrupt departure from her life had been the same as a drug addict going cold turkey. All those months lost in mourning. All those times afterwards spent nearly trying to destroy herself until Jacob had brought her back from the brink.

"Did Billy tell you about my connection to Jake?" She faltered.

"He hasn't elaborated on it much. There hasn't been time. A lot has happened." Charlie's brows drew down. "I lost my shit when he told me what had really been going on right under my nose. I was struggling to believe him until I saw the bitemark on your wrist…." He closed his eyes briefly and gulped in a huge breath. "I was so angry…but he's right…now is not the time to hold grudges. After the bombshell you dropped on Jake, we needed to act fast."

Bella's stomach dropped when she heard this. She was still in the dark about what had happened. She now realised what it must have felt like to be in Charlie's shoes. "What happened?" She asked fearfully.

"They got her."

Bella's heart rate quickened as she stared at her father in disbelief. "Got who?" She whispered, even though she knew he meant Victoria. "How?" She found it impossible that the vicious red head who had been plaguing her life for so long could have been caught. What had changed?

"You know who." Charlie said grimly. "And as for how…all it took was some foresight and careful planning. And for the wolf pack to stop adhering to an old treaty that has no relevance in today's world."

Charlie passed Bella the coffee before lowering himself down into the vacant chair opposite her. They had retreated to the kitchen after his surprising revelation. Bella clutched the warm mug in her hands and took a fortifying sip of the hot liquid as she tried to steady her nerves.

"It was Jake who surmised that the strange vampire rooting around our house when we were asleep must be connected to the one who has been hunting you all this time. He didn't think it had anything to do with those Volturi creatures I overheard you talking about. He guessed if it was one of them, then they would have probably taken you and killed me if the end game was to make sure you were changed."

Bella nodded and gulped down more coffee as she realised the logic behind Jake's conclusion. Like always she had been too quick to jump to the worst-case scenario instead of taking the time to think things through properly.

"After sharing his conclusion with the others, they were all in agreement."

"How do you know all this?" Bella interrupted. "I mean you were with me the whole time. Weren't you?"

"I was here…" Charlie hedged. "And so were they."

"What?" Bella nearly choked on her coffee.

"Billy didn't just send Sam and the others up to join Jake and me when he found out that I knew. He came with them. He wanted to see me face to face so he could explain. While you were asleep inside, we had a tense meeting outside where you couldn't hear us. While Billy and I had it out with each other, Sam and the other protectors were safeguarding the house. "

Bella couldn't believe she had missed all this. She felt numb as the tears gathered in her eyes. She felt useless and a burden. While everyone was risking their lives on her behalf, she had been sleeping off yet another panic attack like the coward she was.

"I won't bore you with the semantics. Billy and I eventually reached an understanding. I finally diverted my anger in the right direction and tried to figure out how to deal with your red headed stalker." He paused and rubbed a hand over his face tiredly. "After putting our heads together, we came up with a plan-we worked out that the red head's forays into La Push and the surrounding areas always started from the same place-the sea. It was how she got in and how she always made her escape."

Bella tried to breathe calmly as she listened to her father speak.

"I wondered why Jake and the others weren't staking out the beaches along the coastline if they knew the red head was using them as a way to sneak onto their lands. That was when the conversation about that damn treaty happened. I couldn't believe what I was hearing when Billy explained to me about the deal his ancestors had made with the Cullen's. Worse still, I couldn't believe they were still sticking to it and the boundaries that had been put in place. I argued the world had moved on since then and what worked for the old pack didn't work for the new. I could tell by Jake's face that he'd had this same argument with his father and the elders of the tribe before."

Bella was seeing Charlie in a whole new light. She had never seen him so animated before. He was always so cautious around her because she constantly made him walk on eggshells out of respect for her fragile feelings, but she imagined he must be a different man at work. He didn't hold the position of police chief for nothing. A new wave of respect for the man who had sired her coursed through Bella. Charlie had literally worked his way through the information dump that had been landed on him about the supernatural, and was working his way through it calmly and methodically, not acting like a hysterical maiden in distress like she was. Bella felt thoroughly ashamed of herself.

"Anyway, to cut a long story short, and after another tense debate, it was decided that the treaty was going to be revoked. The Cullens had broken it by agreeing to….to change you." Charlie swallowed thickly, clearly having difficulty coming to terms with his daughter's initial decision to end her life just so she could live an eternity with Edward. Bella's face flushed and she was unable to meet his eyes. "That's a conversation for another day." He growled.

"Dad, I'm so…"

"I don't want apologies now, Bella." Charlie muttered. "Just let me finish what I've got to say."

Bella's heart twisted with anguish as she nodded her head in agreement. "Okay." She said faintly.

Charlie sighed again. "So that's what they did. The pack staked out the coastline. And lo and behold the red head made an appearance right on cue. And she wasn't alone. She met up with an accomplice, who happened to be carrying the same red blouse that you told me had mysteriously gone missing. A warning signal went up from one of the wolves as soon as she was spotted and they immediately congregated together, working as a team to take her down. Without the worry of stupid boundaries holding them back, they ventured onto Cullen territory and surrounded her and the male accomplice…and well… you can guess the rest."

"That's the reason behind the fires…." Bella breathed.

"The bonfires weren't only set to dispose of the redhead and her companion's remains, but as a warning signal to the Cullens. If they don't leave, they're next." Charlie replied grimly.

A/N-thanks for reading! Jake will be back in the next chapter I promise. Please review.