Moonlight

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Six-A Startling Message

Bella woke up early the next morning and snuck a change of clothes out to the truck. If Charlie discovered that she was planning to go cliff diving with Jacob, she was sure he would bust a vein. While she set about making breakfast, she also secretly cobbled some food together for their impromptu picnic. There wasn't much to choose from, she had been spending so much time in La Push lately that she hadn't done any grocery shopping.

"Do you want some toast?" Bella asked her father a little while later as she whisked his empty cereal bowl off the table and dumped it in the sink.

Charlie put the down the newspaper he was reading and looked up at his daughter with interest. "I'm all good, kiddo." He said quickly. He paused, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Um….by the way….um…there's no need to cook me any dinner tonight. I'm eating out."

There was something endearing about the way Charlie's cheeks flushed red when he was embarrassed. Bella hid her smile as she feigned ignorance. She knew perfectly well he must be going on a date, his reaction made it so obvious. "Oh, is it a work thing?"

Charlie cleared his throat again. "Um…not exactly." He tugged on the collar of his shirt. "It's hot in here!" He puffed.

Bella had to turn away from him, she was in danger of blowing her cover by laughing out loud. Why did Charlie find it so hard to just admit he was taking a woman out for the evening? "So, if its not a work thing? What is it?" She was glad her voice sounded steady at least.

"Just meeting up with a friend, that's all." Charlie mumbled.

"What friend?" Bella felt laughter bubbling up in her throat and she clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle it.

"She's no one you know." Charlie mumbled again.

Bella couldn't take it anymore. She turned back around to face him and she dissolved into a puddle of laughter, her stomach shaking as she fought a new gale of giggles. "Oh, Dad, I know you're going on another date. Why try to hide it?" She gasped.

"Because I have to suffer silly reactions like this!" Charlie huffed irritably. "Its bad enough Harry and Billy constantly trying to get a rise out of me. And you wonder why I'm so secretive about it."

Charlie's admonition sobered Bella up. She gave her father a quick smile of apology. "I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I'm glad you're dating again. I really am. Tell me about her." She pulled up a chair and sat down, looking at him expectantly.

Charlie's cheeks flamed again. "There's not much to tell." He hedged.

"Well does she have a name?"

"Of course, she has a name!" Charlie blustered.

"What is it, then?" Bella was barely able to contain her eyeroll. Prising information out of Charlie was like trying to rob a steel vault.

"Anne." Charlie's face relaxed into a goofy smile when he revealed her name.

"That's nice." Bella leaned forward eagerly. "What does she look like?"

"Oh, you know." Charlie was getting uncomfortable again. "About so high." He held his hand up, indicating someone a few inches taller than Bella herself. "Red hair, nice smile."

"So, she's a red head, huh?" Bella couldn't keep the teasing lilt out of her voice. Charlie gave her another exasperated look and she apologised again. "I'm sorry, Dad. I'll behave. Where did you meet her? On-line?"

"No, I did not meet her on-line." Charlie retorted. "Her tire blew out and I happened to be passing and offered my assistance."

"Aww…so you were like her knight in shining armour." Bella cooed.

"That's it!" Charlie grumbled as he pushed his chair back. "I'm going to work."

"Dad, I'm just teasing." Bella tried to get him to sit back down, but he wasn't in the mood to be placated.

"I'll see you later." Charlie muttered as he pulled on his jacket.

"Have fun tonight, Dad. I mean it. I just want you to be happy." Bella said earnestly.

Charlie's expression softened when he saw how sincere she was being. "I know, kiddo. I'll catch up with you later."

"And I want all the gory details." Bella called after him as he made to leave. She heard Charlie mutter under his breath about precocious teenagers, smiling to herself as she returned her attention back to scavenging food for the picnic.

Bella expected Jacob to meet her out front, the way he usually did when her noisy truck announced her arrival. When he didn't, she guessed that he might still be sleeping. She decided to wait-let him get as much rest as he could. He needed his sleep, and that would give the day time to warm a bit more. Jacob had been right about the weather, though, it had changed in the night. A thick layer of clouds pressed heavily on the atmosphere now, making it almost sultry, it was warm and close under a grey blanket. Bella left her sweater in the truck as she knocked quietly on the front door.

"C'mon in, Bella." Billy said. He was at the kitchen table, eating cold cereal.

"Hi, Billy. Is Jake still sleeping?"

"Er…no." Billy set his spoon down and gestured for Bella to sit.

Bella felt her throat tighten as she settled down in one of the chairs opposite him. "Has something happened?" She could tell from his expression that something definitely had.

"Embry, Jared and Paul crossed a fresh trail early this morning. Sam and Jake took off to help. Sam was hopeful-she's hedged herself in beside the mountains. He thinks we have a good chance to finish this."

Even though it was good that they were finally making headway in trapping Victoria, it did nothing to ease Bella's worries about the pack's safety. Billy looked far too complacent for her liking, much like the pack often did when they boasted about their prowess. "Billy, they've got to be careful. Victoria is not your average nomad, she's particularly wily and vicious. I should know."

Billy chuckled deep and low. "Do you really like La Push so well that you want to extend your sentence here?" He quipped. "Jake and the boys know what they're doing. They've been preparing for this."

"This is not funny, Billy." Bella snapped. It was rare she raised her voice to someone senior; she had a deep respect for Jacob's father, but right now his dark humour was touching a raw nerve. "This is too scary for that."

"You're right." Billy agreed to keep the peace. His dark eyes were impossible to read. "But its not as dangerous for them as you think it is. Sam knows what he's doing. You're the one that you should be worried about. The vampire doesn't want to fight them. She'd just trying to find a way around them…to you."

"How can you be so naïve, Billy?" Bella demanded. "She's not just trying to find a way around them to get to me. Victoria is testing them. Each time she encounters them she's learning more and more about them-the way they move, work together, how fast they are…everything! I know you've got complete faith in Sam, but I sure as hell don't, and if you tried to have a proper conversation with Jake instead of dancing around him, you would know that he doesn't, either."

"What?" Billy's eyebrows pulled together and his complexion had a greyish tinge to it.

"They've only killed just the one vampire-Laurent was probably as much as a shitty fighter as Edward was. He was an easy kill. But Victoria is a whole other ball game."

"We take what we do very seriously, Bella. Nothing's been forgotten. Everything they need to know has been passed down from father to son for generations." Billy said defensively.

"Says the man who kept the whole wolf thing secret from his own son!" Bella retorted angrily. "You kept them in the dark for so long, they were all thrown in at the deep end instead of being able to better prepare for what was coming!"

The memory of Victoria, wild, catlike, lethal, was too strong in her head. Bella knew that if she couldn't get around the wolves, she would eventually try to go through them. If Victoria had managed to recruit Laurent to her cause, she sure as hell wouldn't stop at recruiting others. Jacob had already confided to Bella that's what he suspected might happen. He and Sam had butted heads about it on more then one occasion when Jacob wanted to change tactics. But Sam stubbornly held on to his way of doing things.

"I'm not going to continue arguing with you about this, Bella." Billy responded sternly. He went back to his breakfast and said no more.

"I'll be at the beach." Bella told Billy abruptly, and hurried out of the door. She knew if she stayed, she would end up saying something to Jacob's father that she might regret.

The forest seemed vaguely vacant as Bella walked toward the beach. She didn't see any animals-no birds, no squirrels. She couldn't hear any birds, either. The silence was eerie, there wasn't even the sound of wind in the trees.

Bella knew it was all just a product of the weather, but it still made her edgy. The heavy, warm pressure of the atmosphere was perceptible even to her weak human senses, and it hinted at something major in the storm department that might even top the thunderstorm when Jacob had healed her scar and they had kissed for the first time.

One glance at the sky backed this up, the clouds were churning sluggishly despite the lack of breeze on the ground. The closest clouds were a smoky grey, but between the cracks she could see another layer that was a gruesome purple colour. The skies had a ferocious plan in store for today. The animals had to be hunkering down, that's why they were so quiet.

When she reached the beach, Bella wished she hadn't come-she'd already had enough of the place. She had been there almost every day off and on. She trudged to the driftwood tree, and sat on the end so that she could lean against the tangled roots. She stared up at the angry sky broodingly, replaying her argument with Billy again in her mind.

Bella felt she should regret her harsh words, but she found she didn't. It was time someone said something to Billy. The guy really needed to realise just how much he had hurt his son by keeping such a lifechanging secret from him. Billy couldn't and shouldn't expect Jacob to endure that kind of bombshell and expect there to be no consequences. Bella was glad she had called him out on it, though she wish she hadn't blasted him in the heat of the moment like that.

She tried not to think of the danger Jacob and his friends were in. Because nothing could happen to Jacob. The thought was unendurable. It was like a knife in her heart. No. Nothing would happen to him. She had to believe that, or how was she supposed to function. She needed to pull herself together for his sake as much as hers. He needed her to be strong, not a wilting flower.

"Do better, Bella!" She scolded herself as she got up and began to pace back and forth.

Bella glanced up at the cliffs. They were a black knife edge against the livid sky. She remembered the day Jacob had told her about Sam and his 'gang.' She thought of the boys-the werewolves-throwing themselves into the empty air. The image of the falling, spiralling figures was still vivid in her mind's eye. That was supposed to have been her and Jacob today….

Bella turned back to face the sea. The waves had picked up as she paced., beginning to crash against the rocks, but there was still no wind. Everything still whirled around her, but it was perfectly still where she stood. The air had a faint electric charge- she could feel the static in her hair.

Feeling agitated, Bella moved away from the driftwood log and headed toward the tide pools instead. Carefully, she stood on one of the slippery rocks and looked toward the horizon. The slate grey of the ocean reflected the black clouds in the sky, all except for a flash of fiery red. She wondered what it was as it floated toward the shore from a great distance away.

Her cell phone vibrated in her pocket, alerting Bella that a text was incoming. Maybe it was Charlie trying to make contact. The phone signal was patchy at best way out here. Momentarily distracted, Bella pulled out her cell and nearly dropped it when she saw the name flash up on the screen-Alice Cullen.

After all this time Alice had decided to initiate contact. All the air left Bella's lungs as she shakily opened up the text message, it was short and to the point.

In large capital letters Alice had typed-BELLA RUN!

A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.