Chapter 22

Sam:

The coffee between my hands began to cool as the Chief of Fork's police force spoke to me in hushed tones. His expression was as serious as my own as he told me a tale I wasn't sure I was supposed to know.

It was about Bella. Just the same as my life since I'd met her in that disgusting dive bar in Port Angeles, it was always about Bella. Some of the story I had already known. I knew that she had dated Edward, one of the Cullens. I had known that her and the cold one were no longer together, though not the reasons behind it. Lastly, I had known that she'd asked them all for space, yet I was fairly certain that she didn't mind having Rosalie and the Ape around. If she minded Jasper's presence was yet to be seen.

What I didn't know was that the leech had been abusive towards her. He'd been controlling and manipulative and had kept her from her human family and friends. If I wasn't the controlled beast that I was my hands would have been trembling around the mug. As it was, my wolf was pacing inside me, restless, and thirsty for blood to be spilled.

"It pisses me off too, I assure you." The Chief said, giving away some of that perceptiveness you could see lingering in his chocolate eyes that so closely mirrored his daughter's. "Thing is, that's one stubborn girl if you don't already know. If I had tried to tell her anything different, she'd have surely stayed with the bastard. She had to come to the right decision on her own."

I nodded in agreement. My mind was swimming with all of the new information about Bella that I'd just learned. I would have to play my cards right here, I don't think Bella had any intention of me knowing about all of this, which made me once again wonder why her father was entrusting her story to me.

"I understand." I told him. His mustache twitched beneath his nose, giving away the barest hint of a smile, as if he knew my entire deck before I knew which hand to play. "Why is it that you are telling me this?" I finally got the question out.

"That's be because if you do my daughter that way I'll shoot you. No questions asked." Charlie said with a deadpan voice and an even flatter expression. I know I must have looked shocked, I hadn't given anything away. "Now, you seem like a good man, Uley… but you need to work on your poker face. I don't know the extent of the relationship you have with my Bells, but it's pretty clear to see where it is headed."

I sat stock still, rather shocked by this interaction with the seemingly oblivious man. He'd sure as Hell proved me wrong. The said man stood and clapped me on the back.

"Come on now, let's go back up now, son." He suggested then went on to leave the common area without waiting to see if I would follow.

By the time I had gotten back up stairs to the waiting lobby near Bella's room Charlie was already in conversation with Emmett and Billy. Billy looked fairly uncomfortable as the vamp made idle chit chat. The ape of a bloodsucker looked as comfortable as he always did, which was quite the feat because just across the room Jared and Jasper were still quietly discussing his theories on his mate's vision and what it could mean. The only difference was now, they were also surrounded by the rest of my pack brothers and Leah, my pack sister.

Jasper, on the other hand, seemed very ill at ease as he explained his theories for a third time. I decided then and there that he wasn't totally off the hook. Just as I'd deducted before, he was the fighter of the Cullen clan and therefore, the one to be wary of. He made brief eye contact with me before continuing on.

Seth stood and made his way to where Emmett, Charlie, and Billy were, he seemed to get along with the vampire pretty well. They chatted and goofed off, unaffected by the opposing mood on the other side of the space.

"So you guys are here without the knowledge of the rest of the Cullen clan?" Embry asked once Jasper had finished explaining everything to the large group.

"To be honest with ya'll Carlisle and Esme are only concerned about Edward's wellbeing and interests. As for my wife, I've been careful to keep my decisions… well indecisive so that her visions can't track my whereabouts." Jasper told them with his signature southern twang.

Everyone just sort of nodded conclusively. Despite my personal cautiousness towards him I felt some pity for him. His wife had been hiding things from him and now he had to hide things from his wife. Truly, that's not how a life with your mate is supposed to be.

The wild-haired vampire in question gave me a knowing look, like he could see right through me and understood where my thoughts were headed. It made me feel ice cold. I was not so gently reminded of the fact that this particular leech could feel my ever emotion. He could also manipulate my every emotion. That was enough of that, I thought, then shut myself off from him completely. He broke eye contact right away, and was saved by Embry asking another question.

"So do you guys even really consider yourselves Cullens anymore?"

Bella:

"Rossseeyy!" I exclaimed, possibly a bit too loudly, my mind felt fuzzy and stuffed, like maybe there wasn't enough room in there.

"Woah girl, what did they give you?" She asked me, obviously able to tell the difference in me. She shook her head a little at my ridiculousness and her beautiful hair shook with her. I reached out to touch it.

"So soft." I murmured as I felt silky strands slip between my fingers.

Rose was a good sport and waited patiently for me to move past my infatuation with the texture of her blond locks.

"They had to put me on sleepy pills." I stated simply. My attention moved about the room rather rapidly as I could find very little to focus on. Then I noticed the worried look on her face, so I tried my best to quell her stress. "I couldn't sleep but then big wolfie helped me and now he's done talking to me, so I woke up."

Her eyes narrowed in thought and I realized I may have said too much. I couldn't remember, maybe I only mentioned the copper wolf in my head. Maybe I hadn't said anything out loud.

"What wolf, Bella?" Rose questioned, squashing my hopes that I hadn't truly mentioned the great wolf.

"Just a silly dream." I told her whimsically, trying to convince her that it wasn't a big deal, even though it was. I was never a good liar. She looked at me incredulously and I know that my cheeks inflamed in a red blush, further incriminating me, but she must have taken mercy on me. She didn't push the topic any more than that. Instead, she brought up a different wolf.

"So Sam, huh?" She leaned in and whispered. I felt my cheeks grow impossibly warmer and I knew that they flared up an even brighter red. Partly because they had met and now I was going to talk about him, but mostly because there were a thousand of tantalizing images of our time together that floated through my mind all at once.

"We are just buddies." I assured her, still feeling loopy. I realized that she knew this and that was why she'd chosen to bring him up now. This way she could get the details out of me while I was vulnerable.

"Oh! I bet you are!" Rose nearly barked out a laugh. What was a bark of a laugh called when it was done so gracefully? I couldn't think of the right word at the moment.

"We are! With benefits I think…" I added on. I didn't mean to let that out, but memories were still rushing through my conscious like photographs and I couldn't help but gush about the incredible Sam.

"Annnd I need details! Just how… beneficial are these benefits exactly?" I gave myself a mental smack on the forehead for all of the information I was unintentionally giving up. That said, I was still unable to stop myself from continuing on about the gorgeous man who was likely still outside my hospital room.

"Very." I blushed again. "I mean, have you looked at him? He's yummy!" I said, again, too loudly.

Rosalie just laughed at me once more, and shook her head in a way that was lighthearted.

We talked some more and awhile had passed when it had begun to get dark outside, which I could see through a small window in the temporary room. I don't know why they had bothered to put in a window at all because the view was simply the brick of another part of the building and nothing else.

I was not longer drugged up by the time Rose left me alone in the room. Or, at least I thought I'd been alone.

Author's Note:

I left y'll on just a bit of a cliff hanger there! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! As always, I love hearing from you guys. What are your thoughts and theories, give me some constructive criticism, I love and appreciate it all!

For now though, Happy Reading!

-Dahlia