Much love to my pre-reader Sazzledazzled, my beta Edwardsfirstkiss and my banner maker 2brown-eyes. You guys are the best and I couldn't do this without you!
I screwed around with this chapter after Edwardsfirstkiss looked at it. All mistakes are mine.
We all know that SM owns Twilight, but The Devil is my own twisted idea.
The Devil's Plan
Chapter 13
The Party is Over
Despite Esme's invitation to spend the night, Bella just wanted to go home. After the night's events, she craved the familiar and comforting surroundings of home. Charlie Swan was not one to become overly concerned over a phone call, but when he'd heard his daughter's shaky voice asking him to pick her up at the Cullen's, he didn't hesitate to pause the movie he was watching and make his way across town. His parental instincts kicked in and all he could focus on was getting to his baby girl.
Charlie Swan had been the Forks' Police Chief for nearly thirteen years, and prided himself about his knowledge of his town's inhabitants, but he had yet to make it out to the Cullen house. He had to admit that he was more than mildly curious as to what had brought a renowned surgeon, his successful business owner, wife, and All-State running back son to tiny Forks. There wasn't much known about the youngest Cullen, except that his daughter was quite enamored with him. Depending on how things went with Bella, he might do a bit of light questioning to fill in the blanks. While Bella had assured him on the phone that her distress hadn't been caused by Edward, Charlie had already decided to give the Cullen boy a good once over.
Walking up the front steps, Charlie noticed the numerous carved pumpkins that were littered around the porch. Their distorted grins now dark as their candles had died down. Side-eyeing the hopefully fake skeleton that sat in a heap by the stairs, he rapped on the door.
The door opened quickly revealing an attractive woman. "Charlie, I'm Esme Cullen. I'm so sorry that we had to meet under these circumstances." Charlie shook Esme's offered hand.
"Yes, well, I get that a lot." He chuckled, trying to lighten the mood a bit with a little police humor.
Esme smiled, grateful for the moment of levity. "Come in." She ushered him into the well-appointed foyer. "I'll get the kids." Charlie nodded as she walked away. His police instincts took over and he took a moment to survey his surroundings. While the home was clearly decorated to the hilt for the holiday, there was nothing visible that would upset his daughter to the point where he was called. Something must have happened with the boy he decided.
His plans to grill Edward were cut short as the suspect in question came in to view, followed closely by Alice and his puffy-red eyed daughter. Charlie wasted no words as Bella rushed into his arms. His strong and independent girl looked scared and fragile. He didn't like it. "Are you alright, baby?" Bella nodded into his chest, visibly relieved to be in his arms.
"What happened?" Bella remained silent but hugged him tighter. Not used to having his questions unanswered, he looked to the assembled group for answers. Edward and Alice both stared at him with their sad eyes fixed on Bella.
"It appears that a game got out of hand." Esme offered, coming to stand next to her son. "I wasn't there, but it seems that whatever happened seriously affected Bella."
"A game? What kind of game?" Charlie asked sternly as his mind immediately raced to the types of games he'd played as a teen boy. Had one of the boys gotten handsy in a closet? Was Bella forced to do something she didn't want to do? His blood began to boil at the thought. "Boy, you better answer me. If you or anyone else laid a hand on her…" His steely-eyed glare focused on Edward.
"Edward." Esme nudged her son. She could tell what direction Charlie's thoughts had taken and her son needed to defend himself.
"No sir! It wasn't anything like that." Charlie continued to stare as he awaited the rest of the boy's explanation. "It was a game of Ouija."
"What the hell is Aweegie?" Charlie's pronunciation of the game's title would have been comical had the situation been different. Charlie was less worried about the game's title and more concerned that there was a new teen sex craze he'd now have to research and train his staff on.
"It's a board game that calls on spirits." Alice answered, as she walked over to him and put a comforting hand on Bella's back. "We think Grandma Swan came through." At the mention of her grandma, Bella pulled away and looked up at her father. Charlie quizzically looked down at his daughter. After his parents had died he and Bella had both grieved but they weren't ones to see ghosts in every dark corner.
"It was grandma. She called me 'Bear' and she mentioned mom." Bella choked up and buried her head back into her father's chest as her small frame was wracked with almost violent sobs. Charlie looked helplessly at Esme. He had no idea what his daughter was talking about or why it had affected her to the point where she could barely stay upright under her own power.
"It's a game from the sixties, you call on a spirit and a plastic pointer moves to reveal answers. I had forgotten I still had it." Esme added sadly.
"It moves on its own?"
"No, you put your finger tips on it and then it moves." Charlie nodded at Alice's explanation.
He was still in the dark as to Bella's severe reaction. But he now had a better idea of what had happened. Someone had played a joke on her, a very cruel joke. They'd picked the one thing that still haunted him and his daughter, Renee's abrupt departure from their lives. He would ferret out the jokesters later, first he would get Bella home and calmed down.
"Let's get you home." Bella nodded and turned to face the worried faces of Esme and Edward.
"Esme, thank you for everything. I'm sorry that-"
Before Bella could finish her sentence, Esme had her in a tight hug. "Don't you be sorry about a thing sweetheart." Esme whispered in to her hair before giving her a kiss on the forehead. "If you need anything, you call me. Okay?" Bella promised she would and then turned to Edward. She was at a loss as to what to say to him. She was embarrassed over her reaction but somehow knew that he wouldn't hold it against her. She also knew that he deserved an explanation but she'd have to figure out what had actually happened before she could offer one.
"Edward, I, um…"
"You don't have to say anything. It was um, a strange night." Edward smiled and took her hand gently.
Bella's hand tingled where it touched Edward's hand. His presence through the night had been comforting. But his current touch reminded her that there had been a moment at the beginning of the night that alluded to a chance for the night to end up with a kiss and possibly a declaration of feelings between the two of them. She was sad that circumstances had over shadowed that moment.
"Yeah." She breathed out quietly.
"It's late. Alice do you need a ride home." Charlie's voice broke into Bella's thoughts.
Alice's expression instantly registered that fact that she didn't have a ride home because she'd refused to leave earlier with Jasper. Her mind raced to comprehend what she'd done and what the ramifications might be. She hadn't even considered leaving the Cullen's with Bella in such a state. Every instinct she possessed had screamed at her to stay. She'd felt that she had to stay and protect Bella. From what she wasn't altogether sure. However there was no question in her mind that at that moment she wasn't going to leave Bella's side. Now that Bella was safe, again she couldn't tell from what, Alice had to wonder how Jasper was going to react and how was she going to handle it if he broke up with her?
"Yes, please."
"Of course. Let's get out of the Cullen's hair. I'm sure they'd like to call it a night." It was nearly two in the morning. To Charlie's way of thinking the only people out this late were up to no good.
With one last thank you to Esme and a nod to Edward, he gathered the girls and guided them to the car. Bella never let go of Alice as they got into the squad car. The drive home was silent with neither girl uttering a word. Alice and Bella embraced at Alice's door, her mother's shadow could be seen hovering just inside the modest home awaiting her daughter's return.
"Your mom is going to be pissed you're so late." Bella remarked, motioning towards the house.
"Probably. But I don't care. Promise you'll call in the morning or whenever if you need me?" Bella nodded, thankful to have her friend back. Alice gave her another hug, whispering into her hair. "We'll figure this out. Don't worry." She promised before walking into the house.
Charlie and Bella drove the three blocks to their house. Neither speaking as they entered the Swan home. Bella immediately headed for her room. Charlie watched with concern as she walked up the stairs. Bella was halfway up when she turned back to a confused Charlie.
"Dad, I know it was grandma." Bella stuttered as the tears threatened to pour out.
Charlie winced at the sound of distress in her voice. Her pain was obvious. "Honey, it's easy to get excited and allow your mind to play tricks on you. Grandma Marie loved you very much and you miss her. It's okay to wish that she was here. But she's gone. Get some sleep and we'll talk about it in the morning." He cupped her cheeks, placing a kiss on her forehead, totally avoiding any mention of his wayward wife.
Bella pulled away shaking her head as she continued her climb. How was she supposed to forget what had happened?
~~TDP~~
"Good morning, Son. How was the party?" Edward's sleepy eyes focused on his father. Carlisle Cullen was sitting in the corner of the kitchen with the Sunday paper laid out before him, a giant R2D2 mug, a father's day gift from Emmett, of coffee sitting to his right. "Judging from both you and your mother's matching expressions; it must have been quite the good time. I'm sorry I missed it."
Edward sighed and took the seat across from his father. After only terse statements and yelled accusations for the last six months, he was still trying to get used to having casual conversations with his dad. Today he really needed the father that had been there before the incident. He was confused, and a bit scared over about night's events. It was so late after Bella left that his mother had gently kissed him good night and sent him upstairs, promising that they would talk in the morning. Visions of Bella's beautiful face twisted in fear and sadness had haunted his sleep. He still wasn't sure what had happened, and it had preoccupied his thoughts all night.
"Edward, did you hear me?" Edward shook his head, attempting to clear his head fog. He looked as if he'd been at an all-night frat party. Something he was sure that most fathers would be used to seeing on their seventeen year- old son's face, and certainly a look that he was no stranger to seeing on Emmett's face but on Edward, it was concerning. The fact that he'd glimpsed the same expression on his wife's face as he'd tried to tempt her into an early morning tryst, had provided nothing but questions about what happened last night.
"I'm sorry, what?" Carlisle studied his youngest son with a discerning eye. Edward's eyes were puffy with dark circles under his eyes. His hair was abnormally oily and his usually pale skin looked even more translucent than normal.
"Son, what happened last night?"
"I don't honestly know," Edward said quietly. "Whatever it was, it was bad and I don't know what to do about it." Carlisle watched his son lay his head onto the kitchen table. He knew that his first instinct should have been to offer some kind of comfort. A pat on the shoulder, a hug, kind words… But after the trouble they'd been forced to deal with over the last six months, his first thought was to ask Edward what he'd done.
Carlisle tamped down his first instinct, he took a deep breath and looked his son in the eye. "Tell me what happened. Maybe I can help."
Edward took a deep breath and a leap of faith and proceeded to retell the events from the night before. As he repeated the story, Carlisle stayed silent, listening intently, only pausing for a moment when the now docile, Kodi appeared in the kitchen wanting to be fed and let outside.
"…And then she just lost it. I didn't know what to do, so I called for mom. With both Kodi and Bella acting hysterical the whole place was just crazy."
"Wait, Kodi was acting up?" Edward nodded. "What did he do?" Carlisle was very surprised to hear what his son said next. So far the chubby puppy had given them no reason for concern. He rarely barked at anyone. Not the mailman, the UPS driver not even the veterinarian when she'd given him his puppy shots. Kodi got excited about two things, one of his family walking through the door after even a short absence and the prospect of getting a cookie. Otherwise the animal barely moved except to accept said cookie or to roll over for a belly rub. This was completely out of character for the little guy.
"When exactly did he begin to act up?" Edward thought for a moment, the night's events blurred before him as he tried to pinpoint the moment.
"Um, I guess it was when he and mom came down to help Bella."
"Okay then he was probably reacting to Bella's state of mind. He loves that girl."
"No, it was worse than that. Mom and I both told him to stop and when I tried to pick him up, he moved away from me and then when Lucian got close to Bella, he stood guard at her feet and then all hell broke loose." Carlisle's previous simple explanation withered with the new information.
"Lucian?"
"He's a friend of Jasper's, um Alice's boyfriend. Alice is Bella's best friend." He added after his father continued to look confused.
"Do you know him?" Edward shook his head. "Did he say or do anything to Bella to upset her?"
"Not that I know of. After everything happened and Bella was upset, he came towards her, I guess to say goodbye. That's when Kodi really went nuts. He wouldn't let Lucian get near her."
"Was his manner threatening?" Edward wanted to say yes, but didn't want his personal feelings about Bella to cloud his judgment about the boy.
"No, not really." He added.
"Edward, we could have a serious problem if Kodi decides to start attacking people with no provocation. Think, son."
"I thought he was kind of strange. He looked at Bella like she was his possession. It was weird. And he didn't really speak to anyone but Jasper and Bella, he just stood in the corner watching everyone with his dark broody eyes." The floodgates were open. Edward let everything out. "And it felt as if he were egging her on to play the stupid game, which is bazaar because when the shit hit the fan, he didn't look happy about it all."
Carlisle slowly digested what his son was saying. It was apparent that the boy hadn't made a good impression on his son, but was that more because he'd had designs on Bella rather than the boy's character? None of that explained Kodi's reaction. He decided to change directions.
"Okay, this boy, Lucian sounds a tad creepy-."Edward snorted and crossed his arms over his stomach at his father's assertion that Lucian was merely creepy. "-but you've said nothing about what else was going on. What happened to Bella?" Edward's eyes softened, he uncrossed his arms, and leaned his elbows on his knees as he tried to come up with the words to explain the events to his father when he had yet to fully comprehend them himself.
"Dad, it was scary. The pointer thingy started spelling out words, everyone was yelling and then Bella said that it was her dead grandma talking. She turned white as a ghost and burst into tears." Edward recalled. "And then it got worse. The thing started spelling out stuff that didn't make sense. All the girls got scared. Ben, Mike, Tyler, they all wanted to leave. Everyone was freaked out. Including me."
Carlisle wasn't one to get caught up in ghosts or things of that nature. He was a surgeon, a scientist. He believed in things he could see, touch and feel. But something had sent most of Fork's teen brigade into a frenzy last night. "What did the game spell out?"
Edward looked up to him with sad, serious eyes. "That Bella's mom was dead."
~~TDP~~
Sunlight filtered through the lavender curtains of Bella Swan's bedroom, bringing with it the promise of warmth and a rare opportunity to plan an outside activity without fear of rain. But Bella didn't care about either of those things. Sighing, she rolled over, not even attempting to find a dry spot on her pillow. She'd spend most of the night with her body twisted in misery and tears falling from her eyes.
Isabella Marie Swan had always believed in the truth. She'd been taught from an early age that lying was not only wrong but disrespectful and Charlie Swan had raised a respectful child. He didn't lie to his daughter. When her beloved gerbil died when she was five years-old, Charlie didn't quickly dispose of Gary, and replace him with Gary 2.0. He'd simply told his child that her pet had died and had held her while she cried before assisting her with a small funeral in the backyard. When Charlie's father had been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer and was given weeks to live, nine year- old Bella was told the hard truth about her grandfather's condition. To no one's surprise, the resilient child absorbed the truth and proceeded to spend every free moment she had, making sure her grandfather's last days were full of the love and laughter that only a beloved grandchild could provide. When Renee disappeared, Charlie had used every bit of his professional knowledge and skill, every favor and every spare cent he had to try to locate his wife. All to no avail. When Renee left, she had taken her car, suitcase and whatever money she had in her wallet. There wasn't a note to explain why she was leaving her husband and daughter. After two years of fruitless searching, Charlie told Bella that her mom had left them for good. What he couldn't tell her was why she'd left. Because he didn't know the answer.
He still didn't. But the events in the Cullen's basement had brought up questions. Bella was letting go of the fact that the answers had come by way of her deceased grandmother, she would deal with that later, but the fact the being was claiming that her mother was dead, not gone, but dead, was causing the young woman immeasurable pain.
Heaving a big sigh, she forced herself to get out of bed. Her young bones creaked with age that she didn't possess. Bella ignored her body's plea for more rest. If she had slowed down enough to catch a glimpse of herself in the mirror over her dresser, she would have been aghast at her appearance. The deep patches of dark skin under each eye aside, her hair was sticking up in every which way and in terrible knots making her look like a human version of the mythical, Medusa. However, her appearance was the least of her worries, she was on a mission.
Charlie Swan's mind set rivaled his daughter's. After sending her to bed and assuring her that everything would be better in the morning, he'd done something that he only did once a year. He'd gotten out the bottle of Glenfidditch Single Malt Scotch, the one he kept in his bottom desk drawer and his wedding photo. After taking a healthy slug of the scotch, he'd picked up the picture, tracing Renee's face in wistful remembrance. Her hair light brown hair had been tightly wound upon her head with loose curls falling around her heart shaped face. In the photo her light blue eyes had been shining brightly up at him as he'd smiled proudly into the lens. Their hands clasped tightly together in newly-wedded bliss.
"Why Renee? What happened to change how you felt about me? What was so important that you had to leave us?" These questions remained unanswered as they had every year he'd asked them. After another shot of scotch, Charlie would usually place the bottle and the picture back into the bottom drawer to be locked away for another year, but tonight wasn't the date of their wedding. Charlie had broken protocol and asked the questions for their daughter, not for himself. He'd tried not to hate Renee for throwing him away but it had been very difficult to do so when he looked into the eyes of his beautiful daughter. Bella deserved better. She'd deserved the love and care of both her parents. The thought that some rotten delinquent brought up her loss in a game, in front of a room full of her friends-made Charlie see red.
They'd told her that her mother was dead. Something he'd wondered about but could never prove and for moments throughout the past years, he'd hoped it was true. It would be so much easier to believe that Renee hadn't chosen to throw them both away because of a small fight they'd had. He'd tried to find Renee and had failed. He'd tried to raise their daughter to be strong and secure in her father's love but after seeing Bella come apart over a hooligan's trick, he was now afraid he'd failed there too.
The late hour and the alcohol made him feel a bit fuzzy. Charlie decided to forego the long walk upstairs to his bedroom, instead flopping down onto the well-worn leather couch in the corner. He left the scotch on the desk but he couldn't make his fingers let go of the picture.
The first thing Bella noticed as she walked into her father's office was the uncapped bottle of amber colored liquor sitting on the desk. She replaced the cap but left it and the shot glass out. Her father rarely drank anything harder than beer. However it didn't concern her to see that he'd needed something a bit stronger to get through the night. She'd almost wished there had been something available to her to force sleep.
A loud snore from the corner couch drew her attention. There lay her father. His arm thrown over his eyes, blocking out the sunshine and presumably anything else that might interrupt his drunken slumber. Bella crept closer, noticing that he was still in the same clothes he'd worn last night. He had no blanket protecting him from the early morning chill that had penetrated the walls of their home. Her initial intent to confront him with her questions softened a bit when she saw the picture he had clutched in his hand. Sighing, Bella gently removed the frame from his grasp and looked down on the image. Her parents looked so happy. Their love for each other evident on their young faces. Bella slumped down onto the floor next to the couch. Her eyes traced every detail of her mother's face, recognizing the shape of her eyes as the same as her mother's. Bella realized that though she shared many of the same features as Renee, there wasn't much else she knew about her mother. Growing up, Bella had been so worried about upsetting Charlie that she had kept her questions to a minimum. Grandma Swan had filled in a few blanks, admitting that her knowledge of Renee Antoinette Cygnus had been limited to a few sparse facts as Renee had come to Forks to live with a distant cousin after losing her parents in a car accident when she was only twelve years old. She knew her mother was an only child and had been born in Italy. She knew her maternal grandparents names; Isabella and Giordano Cygnus. Even though she'd never met them she'd felt a bit of pride that she carried a part of them with her, albeit only a name. But she had almost no knowledge of her mother as a child, teenager or even as a mother. Her memories were fuzzy and incomplete as a young child's tended to be. She wondered if Renee liked to read as much as she did. Was her mother musical? Bella could barely carry a tune. What was her mother's favorite color, flower, or food?
What had transpired in the Cullen's basement had left her reeling. Both her heart and head had been ripped to shreds with the words that had appeared.
Not to mention how they had appeared.
She had initially come downstairs to confront her father with those words, but now as she saw the aftermath of Charlie's night, she realized that there was no way he would have allowed her to think that Renee had walked away from her if he had any proof of anything else. Grieving over a parent's death, as truly awful as that would be, would have been preferable to thinking that you weren't wanted.
Bella tried so hard to be strong and to not allow her mother's defection rule her life. However there were times when she couldn't escape the feelings of loss. Tears slid down her cheek to land on her mother's image.
"Bella, baby, come here." Bella immediately fell into her father's arms. He rocked his girl and whispered comforting words into her hair as she cried. When he'd awoken and saw her with the picture, he'd realized that in trying to shield her from all that bad that Renee had left them, he'd also shielded her from Renee's good points.
"Baby, I can't explain what happened at the Cullen's, but maybe it's time I give you all the answers I do have?"
Bella pulled away and looked up at her father. "I would like that."
~~TDP~~
"And how did your night go?" Ba'al regarded Astarte with contempt. She was just getting in after what he could only guess was a night of debauchery with the Cullen child, while he'd had the displeasure of having to watch all they had worked toward teeter on the precipice of ruin due to a gossiping spirit, before his master decided to end the night by demonstrating how he used to "Fuck the Whore of Babylon". In a nutshell, it hadn't gone well, and he was legitimately worried that they wouldn't gain their freedom.
"We're fucked." He stated simply, and watched the blood drain from her face.
Sooooo, not a lot of action in this chapter. But I felt our characters needed to come to grips with the night's events. Please be patient, answers are coming. I promise.
Please leave me a review. I'd like to think someone besides my sister is reading this. LOL!
Until next time, be happy and safe.
ruinedbyrob
