Moonlight

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

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

Chapter Forty-Six-Reflection

Charlie sat on the Black's old couch with his head in his hands. The devastating knowledge that Edward Cullen was really a vampire rolled over him, slow and painful, and the worry of what he had set in motion because of his former ignorance pecked away at him like an angry bird. After several failed attempts to contact Anne and put a stop to whatever she had planned, he had collapsed on the couch in defeat.

"Dad." Bella said tentatively as she knelt down in front of him. "Are you okay?"

"I don't think I'll ever be alright again." Charlie's voice came out muffled. He took a deep, shuddering breath and finally took his hands away from his face. "Why, Bella?" He asked hopelessly.

Bella felt her throat constrict, she glanced helplessly up at Jacob who had come to stand beside her. He lowered himself down carefully, so he was crouched next to her. "I can't…."

"I know this is hard, Bella, honey." Jacob reached out and drew her into the security of his arms. There was something so warm, something that felt right, smelt right. She let her body sag; her muscles becoming loose. In his embrace she felt her worries lose their keen sting and her optimism raise its head from the dirt. She felt him brush her hair back with his fingers and kiss the top of her head gently. "You can do this. You're not alone. I'm right here."

Bella took courage from Jacob's soothing presence as he released her. She pulled herself up from her kneeling position and settled down beside Charlie on the old couch. "I'm sorry, Dad. I never wanted to hurt you."

"You're the one who's been hurt." Charlie's voice was tight with strain. "I'm your father…I knew there was something off with that boy…I should have trusted my instincts. But I was so afraid of losing you…" His hands curled into fists on his lap.

Billy and Jacob had retreated to the far corner of the room to give father and daughter some semblance of privacy. They talked together in low voices, going through their options, Charlie's revelations about the mysterious Anne had them all concerned.

"How did it even start?" Charlie asked. "Did you know what he was straight away?"

Bella felt heat flood her face, reigniting her anxiety. There was no easy answer to that question. "I didn't know that he was a vampire. When I first met Edward, he just seemed so mysterious, I was intrigued by him and wanted to know more. And, I suppose, as shallow as it sounds, I was attracted by his good looks."

Charlie sat forward in his chair, his elbows resting on his knees as he gave her his full attention. "I can understand that, Bells. We've all been attracted to someone because of what we see on the surface, but when you found out his true nature?"

Bella felt like someone had kicked her legs out from under her. The weeks of stress, of worry….it was all taking its toll. How could she explain the spell she was under when she was with Edward? The more involved she got with him, the more she had lost her sense of self.

"By the time I worked out what he was, I was already in too deep." Bella sighed, hooking a lock of hair behind one ear as she spoke. "I was blind to his faults, making excuses for his controlling behaviour. He admitted after we got together that he used to break into my room in the middle of the night and just stare at me while I was sleeping. This was before we even knew each other that well….and, somehow, I convinced myself that was romantic. Looking back now I see how disturbing his behaviour was."

Charlie looked sickened. He pushed his fingers into his hair and shook his head. "And I was in the next room when this was all going on?"

"I didn't even know, so how could you?" Bella implored. "When I think back on it now, Edward came into my life when I was at my most vulnerable. When I first moved here to live with you, I found myself completely alone without friends at High School. We were like strangers, you know that. I was missing mom…and I tried to pretend I was okay, but I really wasn't."

Charlie's chin wobbled slightly as his guilt choked him. "I'm to blame. I should have…."

"Please, Dad, don't play the blame game." Bella begged. "You tried your best; I wasn't exactly receptive to your overtures. It was just how it was. We were both at fault."

"I'm so sorry." Charlie said gruffly.

Bella dropped her gaze to her hands in resignation. The conversation was dragging up a lot of painful memories she would rather forget. "I did make friends eventually. Good ones-like Angela Weber. But by then Edward was already being possessive and over-protective, he did nothing to encourage me to have a social life outside of just being with him and his family all the time. Classic signs of controlling behaviour, I see that know, but then I naively thought it meant 'true love.' It wasn't until Jacob and I reconnected that I learned what real love was."

Bella cast an adoring smile in Jacob's direction, feeling soothed when he gifted her with one of his own beautiful smiles in return.

Charlie watched their interaction, the tension in his body evaporating. His shoulders sagged and he sat back on the couch, his hands no longer curled into fists, but resting loosely on his upper thighs. "It warms my heart that you found each other again. You were so close when you were kids…I always hoped, deep down, that you would get together. I just wish the journey to get there hadn't cost you both so much." He drew in another deep breath. "I should have protected you better, Bells."

"You tried, Dad." Bella reminded him. "Billy tried. I was the one who wouldn't listen. There was nothing more you could have done. You didn't have all the facts…. I knew you were worried about losing me…and I selfishly used that knowledge to get my own way where my relationship with Edward was concerned. I'm sorry I did that."

Their frank conversation had purged a lot of Charlie's anger and resentment. He opened his arms to Bella and she went straight into them. As he hugged her, she curled up on the couch beside him, relaxing into his side. A comfortable silence fell. It was one of those moments to savour the company of others and feel that sense of peace that comes from feeling loved and protected.

Under a sky of perfect midnight velvet, under stars so brilliant they drew the eyes heaven bound, Billy and Charlie sat on the front porch, reflecting on all that had happened.

When the guilt came to haunt Billy again, he was forced to take a breath. He had no excuses left to give to Charlie for his role in how things had played out. They had been friends since their early teens, along with Harry, they had been there for each other during the worst of times and the best of times. This was the biggest test of their friendship; it had been rocked to its very foundations. The trust had been broken.

Billy wondered if there was any way for them to gain back what they had lost. "Can you forgive me?" He asked straight out.

Charlie turned to look at him from his seat on the porch swing. His eyes held all the sadness of the world. "I can't even forgive myself." He said wearily. "Our kids have paid a heavy price for our mistakes, Billy."

"Yes, they have." Forlorn, Billy looked up at the stars. They filled the sky like pale corn into freshly turned ground. It was the promise of life in the darkness, a sense of warmth springing from the cold. It was a vastness to bring humbleness and an eternal space to bring gratitude for the cosiness of home. No matter the years that passed, Billy knew he would never get tired of the sight. "I need to ask you something, Chief."

"What?" Charlie said distractedly. He was holding his cell in his hands, checking for the hundredth time to see if Anne had finally answered any of his frantic calls or texts. There was nothing but a resounding silence from her end. He was getting increasingly concerned.

"Jake and I were talking…." Billy hesitated.

"About?"

"About Anne… and wondering why you would be sharing so much personal and private information with a woman you've only met a handful of times." Billy saw Charlie's eyes become guarded, but he forged ahead anyway. "Not to mention that's she's a total stranger to Bella…. that's not like you."

"Maybe you don't know me as well as you think." Charlie retorted. "I mean I never thought you would lie to me and keep so many secrets…. but here we are."

"You are justified in your anger toward me and you have every right to be bitter." Billy said heavily. "But I know you…. I could see your frustration building in the police station when Cullen got off scot free. Despite what you think, I do know you, I could tell you were planning to do something extreme. I just never figured it would be this."

"I was desperate!" Charlie replied through gritted teeth. The swing seat began to sway as he leaned forward abruptly. His whole body was tense. "I couldn't come to you…. Harry had just died…we were all grieving. Anne was an outlet. She let me talk…. sometimes for hours…rambling on and on…I've never had that before. She was interested in everything I had to say. And before I knew it, I found myself confiding in her about more personal things. She gave such good advice…. she was there for me, even when she had to leave for Oregon, she called every day to check in with me."

Billy's guilt cut just as deep as the first time as he realised just how much Charlie had been suffering since Harry had passed away. Harry had always been the mediator of the group, the calm and humorous one, whose ability to put people at ease made him the perfect confidante. Billy knew that if Harry were still alive, it would have been his advice that Charlie sought. Instead, adrift, and afraid to burden those closest to him with his problems, he had found himself leaning on a total stranger.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you enough, Charlie." He said roughly.

Charlie rubbed his aching temples. "I haven't been there for you much, either. We've both been locked in our grief. But Anne is a good person- "

"Who seems to keep some rather dubious company." Billy argued. "She offered to have Cullen dealt with. Didn't that raise any red flags?"

"You don't know her!"

"And neither do you! Did you actually listen to Bella, earlier? About what she said about Edward Cullen? Do you not see the see the similarities here, Charlie?" Billy demanded.

"What?" Charlie scoffed. "Are you suggesting that Anne is a vampire?"

Billy's expression remained grim. "Not just any vampire."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I don't think Anne is her real name. It's a pseudonym. It was Jake who figured it out, actually. We think that this Anne is actually Victoria." Billy explained. "She's been using you to get information."

Charlie's cell phone began vibrating in his hands, signalling an incoming call. His face paled when he saw Anne's name flash up on the screen. He didn't even glance Billy's way as he stood up and walked a short distance away to answer it. He couldn't let himself believe he had been taken in like that. "Why didn't you answer any of my calls?" He asked urgently.

"That's not a very friendly greeting." Anne responded playfully. "I'm calling to let you know that you don't have to worry anymore. I've dealt with your little problem."

"You think Anne is Victoria?" Bella cried in alarm. She sat, cuddled up against Jacob, shivering not from the cold but from fear.

Jacob could hear the rapid echo of her heart beat. Before she could draw in the air her body needed, she melted into his form. His arms wrapped tight around her like steel bands, supporting her against the avalanche of new information that was making her head spin. "I was just remembering the vague description he gave us of her once-the pale skin, red hair. Tonight, it all clicked into place."

Bella stared at him miserably. He was right, it did make a sickening kind of sense. What a perfect way for Victoria to obtain information and use it to her advantage. She was a better tracker then her mate James ever was. Bella rested her forehead against Jacob's chest and closed her eyes in despair. "What are we going to do?" She pleaded thickly.

Just then her cell went off. Bella felt Jacob's arms loosen around her as he gave her room to pull her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans. She shifted awkwardly in his lap, her fumbling fingers finding the phone and holding it up so she could see who was calling. "It's Alice again." She told Jacob. "I'm not ready to speak to her yet."

"Do you want me to talk to her instead?" Jacob offered. Bella nodded, quickly passing him the phone. Jacob swiped his thumb across the touch screen and answered the call. "Its Jacob." He said, his tone bordering on rude. "What do you want?"

"I need to speak to Bella." Alice's bell like tones were oddly subdued. "Please, Jacob, it's urgent."

"Bella's not ready to speak to you right now. Whatever you need to say, you can say it to me."

There was a long-drawn-out silence on the other end before Alice finally answered. "It's Edward." She said flatly. "Carlisle found his burned out remains this morning. He's dead." Then she hung up.

A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.