A/N… Okay, we're still at Charlie's house. I'll let you get to it.

~oOo~

Chapter 9 – The Night is Falling

When the shadows come
And the night is falling
And the voices tell you
This might be the end
Screaming
When your heart is barely beating
When your lungs are barely breathing
Thinking this might be the end when
You're caught in the
Crossfire

"Crossfire" by No Resolve

EDWARD

Something woke me, and I inhaled sharply. It was still dark, and the living room at Charlie's was quiet aside from everyone's deep breathing and soft snores coming from Jasper. According to the clock on the wall, it was almost three o'clock in the morning.

But it was the soft breath on my neck I focused on, because Bella had somehow ended up with her head on my chest. Gently, I pushed a lock of hair from her face, studying the natural beauty in the dim glow of a light from the hallway.

I wasn't lying to her that I wanted to figure us out. I'd lived too long thinking one thing, and now I wanted to revel in the truth, to relearn us. It wasn't bullshit when I'd told her I could do my job anywhere. She lived in California, and she had a job she would need to get back to eventually. I could write anywhere, and everything I did could be done remotely. I didn't give a damn about Washington versus California. I didn't care that she traveled – hell, I could do that with her too.

Just gazing down at her relaxed face while she slept brought back memories of sneaking into her room, of secret smiles and kisses, of making love to her until I thought we'd both go crazy.

And Jesus, I wanted that, too. I wanted it so badly, even my body was reacting to her being in my arms again.

I shifted away from her a little in order to control myself, but warm brown eyes opened to meet my gaze.

"Shh," I barely said aloud, pressing my lips to hers.

Even though we were in a room full of family and friends, we lost ourselves for a moment. Deep, tongue-swirling kisses, with hands slipping beneath shirts. I wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her flush to me, and her leg hitched up around my hip.

Fuck, we were quickly losing it…until the power on the house thumped off.

Bella and I came apart with a gasp of air.

"Shit," we hissed, sitting up instantly.

"Guys!" I called, reaching for Emmett while Bella shook Jasper and Alice.

What really got everyone's attention was Max. He was on his feet, pacing around the room, almost like he was following their movements outside. They were here, and Max was pissed off. Snorts and growls erupted from him as he finally landed his gaze on the back door. Finally, that deep, guttural bark that only a German Shepherd had was aimed at the laughter echoing from the back porch.

All of us grabbed weapons, taking positions at windows and doors. Things went silent for a split second, and then the back door shattered into oblivion. We all raised our weapons, but three vampires flew into the room. It felt like I was hit by a truck, especially when I came to a sudden stop against the wall – high on the wall, like top of the wall on the second floor.

The stench in my face was worse than the pain of being slammed into drywall and wood supports, causing me to drop my crossbow. The vampire who held me was a man – messy, dirty-blond hair, wearing a fanged grin and what looked like a Mariners jersey. It was so fucking dirty; I couldn't tell exactly what was beneath blood and soil and whatever else he'd wallowed in, except that sawdust caught my eye.

Behind him was just fucking chaos. Max sounded feral, with snarls and barks. I could hear Emmett fighting, Jasper yelling, and Bella's struggle.

"Give up the key, asshole," the one in my face growled.

"What key?" I sneered, trying to get my hand on something, anything, to get this guy off me.

His hand wrapped around my throat, squeezing, and I finally grunted out, "Okay, okay. Let me just…"

I reached into my pocket, my hand wrapping around a bottle of holy water. I blindly spun off the cap and quickly brought it back out, squirting it into this guy's eyes. He screamed, dropping me back to the living room floor, which hurt like hell. Without thinking, I reached for my crossbow, pulling the trigger.

Baseball vamp burst into flames, turning to ash over my head. I reached for another arrow just as Victoria appeared in the doorway to survey her work.

Bella was being held down by a female vampire with long black hair, but just when I thought to bring my weapon up, Max launched himself at Bella's attacker. They fell into the kitchen in a cacophony of snarls and teeth and guttural noise. Jasper was being held up high on the wall by a guy who looked no more than sixteen, but Emmett reached up with all the strength he had and rammed an arrow into the vampire's stomach straight up into his heart. Fire bloomed brightly but snuffed out immediately when ashes fell to the floor.

I raised my weapon at Victoria, pulling the trigger, but she knocked my arrow away as if I'd merely tossed it at her. She looked straight out of a nightmare – glowing eyes, a menacing snarl, and that wild red hair. Blood stained her face, her clothes, her hands. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I wondered who she'd killed, who was missing a loved one tonight.

"I want that key, you insignificant gnats!" she screamed, and suddenly she was on me, pressing me down into the rug, my shirt ripping beneath her hands.

However, she shrieked in terror at the sight of my tattoo, pushing off me, which caused my head to thump hard to the floor. And it gave everyone else a chance to aim some sort of weapon her way. I was splashed with holy water, and she deflected more arrows, but before I could even blink, she was flying out the destroyed back door.

"Christ, Edward," Bella gasped, rushing to me. "Are you okay?"

"I think?" I grunted, not trusting my legs just yet. "Everyone else okay?"

"Yeah," Rose and Jasper said at the same time.

Alice was on my other side. "I'm okay. You aren't bit or anything, are you?"

I shook my head, squeezing my eyes closed as I sat up. "No, but I feel like I've been through a damn blender."

"Baby, you're bleeding," Bella whispered, lightly tugging at the back of my shirt.

I pointed upstairs to the shattered drywall and the broken two-by-four supports behind it. She nodded but looked over when Max walked to her. He sniffed her face and neck and then mine.

"You were awesome, buddy," I said through a sigh, rubbing his head with a shaky hand.

Max sat down next to us, but we all looked up when Emmett stepped back through the back door. He was pissed, muscles twitching and jaw clenching.

"You know what she's fucking doing, right?" he boomed, pacing a little in front of that door, and the splintered wood snapped beneath his shoes. "She's gonna keep coming at us until we either give up that key or someone gets fucking killed!"

Nodding, I slowly got to my feet. "I have a feeling she's just as old and strong as James," I surmised in a grunt as I made my way to the counter and took a stool. "She waved away arrows like she was swatting at flies."

Bella was still fussing over what was probably scratches on my back, and I pulled her to my front, whispering, "I'm okay. I promise." However, I could see Max shift next to her. "Breathe for me, baby," I whispered in her ear.

She nodded vehemently, inhaling sharply, but she let it out nice and easy. She nodded again. "Promise you're okay?"

Huffing a laugh, I said, "Yes, ma'am."

Her brow furrowed, and her hands sank deep into Max's fur.

These were the changes in Bella she kept warning me about. Remembering the Bella from before, she would've just picked up and kept going after this type of fight. The Bella now was absolutely terrified of losing someone in this room. She was panicking, not over the fight, but that I might have been hurt. She panicked before when we'd kissed for the first time in seven damn years, because to allow happiness felt off and wrong. She'd been told over and over she didn't deserve it by her own fucking mother, and it sank in a little. When she tried to step away from me, I wrapped an arm around her, pulling her between my legs with her back to my front to keep her close.

Bending to her ear, I whispered, "Don't push me away. I'm not going anywhere."

Bella finally cracked a smile and nodded. Her sweet cheeks turned a little pink, but she didn't say anything.

We did, however, focus on Emmett, who said, "If we go out to that cabin today, we may want to prepare to stay overnight."

"Oh, hell no!" Rose protested. "I'm not fucking sleeping in that old-ass house. I haven't forgotten what it was like. Fuck, no."

"I'm also not sleeping where there may or may not be some sort of tunnel that bitch can use," Alice added, pointing toward the door. "Look, I'm all for setting James on fire and roasting hotdogs on his ass, but staying outside one of these safe rooms? You're kidding, right?"

"What safe room?" Bella countered, gesturing toward the door. "It's not anything we can't set up somewhere else. Victoria threw her acolytes through that door. That hawthorn door – the wood that repels them – and all it did was singe the one who landed on me. They just kept coming."

"She'll just keep making more and more until we're too tired or outnumbered, and we'll make a mistake," I added, shaking my head. "If you remember, she tried this shit ten years ago. She hit us hard before giving up."

~oOo~

Edward – Fourteen…

"Here, Ed," Charlie said, holding out a plate with burgers on it. "I can't promise they're not dry, but it's better than nothin'."

Grinning, I took the plate to the picnic table he'd set up in the backyard. The girls were all drawing pictures or writing their names with some sparklers left over from July Fourth. They were all dancing to a silly pop song Emmett was playing on his phone.

I glanced over to Jake, and he was watching them with a smirk on his face, but I could tell he was missing his sister. This was the first time we'd gotten together since we'd locked that vampire up in that cabin basement. We were letting off some steam since Renee was in Port Angeles with some ladies from church. They were seeing a movie or concert or something.

Jake's eyes were on Bella and then Alice but went right back to Bella. When he caught my gaze, he flinched. "Sorry, man. She's just…"

"Yeah," I agreed with a nod. "She is."

"She's all about you, though."

I shrugged, not necessarily believing it, but I was hoping, nonetheless.

He laughed, shoving me a little. "Trust me. I heard my sister talking with Bella not too long ago, because Rachel wanted to know if you two were a thing."

Sighing, I shook my head. I'd known about Rachel's crush, but I just never saw her that way.

"Anyway, Bella kinda warned my sister off."

My eyes drifted to the girl in question, and I smirked at what she was writing with a newly lit sparkler: B + E. Something about that made my palms sweaty, but I glanced up when Emmett stopped playing music. Silence rang out, and I couldn't tell if it was because the music had been so loud or if something else was causing everything to shut up.

Just when I was about to say something, Jake whispered, "Something just moved in those trees."

In the far back corner of the Swan's backyard was a fort thing that Jasper and Bella had abandoned ages ago. It was just plywood and boxes, as well as some tarp. Renee used it to store her potting soil and planters.

However, it was suddenly smashed to the ground – wood and orange pots shooting off into the backyard, and that last thing caught Bella's leg. She went down while the redheaded vampire stepped fully into the light from the porch.

"Charlie!" Jake and I yelled simultaneously, but I was already in motion toward the threat.

I ran to Bella, sliding in the grass like a runner into home plate. "C'mon, Bella," I urged her to wrap her arms around my neck, and I scooped her up, making a run for the back porch, where all our friends were yelling for us to move our asses.

Charlie stepped out of the back door, raising his crossbow, and I dropped to my knees to get out of his way. He fired off a shot, but when I turned to see the result, all I saw was the vampire, unharmed getting closer. She seemed zeroed in on Bella – specifically Bella's bleeding leg. I turned to place myself between them, just in case this crazy demon decided to jump, but two more of them dropped to the lawn behind her – both men.

A stream of water hit her from behind me, and she screamed as her arms, face, and hands burned and steamed. When she took another step closer, another stream of holy water doused her. An arrow launched at one of the vampires behind her, and he burned brightly before snuffing out.

She stopped, snarling loudly, and I swear I heard the words, "I want that key! I'll kill you all!"

"You won't get him back," Charlie countered, "because there's nothing to get back, but feel free to keep trying."

He pulled what looked like a flashlight out of his pocket and clicked it on. Instead of a white or yellow beam of light, it was a bluish-purple, but the reaction from her was instant. Her skin burned and flaked, singeing and smoldering.

The last one with her stepped forward in revenge or stupidity, but before he could come anywhere near us, Emmett stepped up with another crossbow, pulling the trigger. Fire bloomed, and instantly he blew away in the wind. The redhead was the only one remaining, but she screamed once more our way before taking back off into the treetops.

I looked to Bella, asking, "You okay?"

"Yeah, it's already stopped bleeding," she whispered back. "Thanks."

I nodded, looking up at Charlie when I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Bravest shit I've ever seen, kid. I owe you one."

~oOo~

"Holy shit," I gasped, locking gazes with Rose, because it seemed we'd all forgotten that particular memory.

"UV lights," we said at the same time.

"I can get those," Emmett stated, nodding.

"What'cha thinking, Ed?" Jasper asked, giving that wide open door a side glance.

"I'm thinking we need to check that old trap, and I also think we need to follow Jake's and Charlie's lead," I replied, groaning when I slipped off the stool.

"Maybe you should take a day," Alice suggested.

"We don't have a day," I countered with a shake of my head. "She's going to keep coming. She just doesn't realize we know where she's hiding."

"He's right." Bella's voice was soft, but she gazed around the room. "If we go, we bring everything – all the weapons, all the defense we can carry."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, but eventually Jasper nodded, saying, "Okay, then let's get our shit together. We'll take Billy with us as soon as the sun is up."

Bella turned in front of me, whispering, "Come with me."

She led me upstairs, giving the shattered wall above our heads a scathing look on the way to her bedroom, and she tugged at me to sit down on the edge of her bed.

"Don't you move."

Grinning, I raised my hands in surrender as she left me to step into the bathroom. I heard the water run and a cabinet open and close.

She reappeared, whispering, "Take that shirt off."

"Bella, I'm…"

"Off, Edward."

I reached back, grabbing a fistful of cotton and tugging it off over my head. She crawled up on the bed to sit behind me.

"Thank fuck," she said through a deep sigh. "It's not as bad as my damn imagination had it."

I shot a glance over my shoulder. "I saw that. I'll be bruised more than anything, baby. I'm more pissed off that she interrupted one helluva kiss."

The giggle was sweet music to my ears, and even better was her comment.

"Jesus, Edward, you haven't changed a bit."

I chuckled, shrugging a shoulder as she gently cleaned me up. It stung, and I hissed a little, but she kept going.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked her.

"God, no. Are you kidding?" she countered, scrambling down from the bed in order to stand between my legs. "No. Not a bad thing at all, Edward. In fact, just when I thought you'd be angry or bitter, you were still…you. Sweet and kind. I just… I needed that so badly. I didn't even know how badly."

"I was angry and bitter at one point, but…" I trailed off, shrugging a shoulder as I reached for her waist to pull her closer. "I'm not sure that was ever aimed toward you, maybe just life in general. I think once I started writing – seriously writing – I purged a lot of it out of my system."

She smirked. "By writing a brunette who goes by the name Hershey."

Grinning, I nodded. "Yup. Jasper has it all wrong with Baby Ruth. I remembered kisses, not nuts."

Her laugh was gorgeous, and she gently grasped both sides of my face. "I may or may not be a celebrity stalker when it came to you."

I snorted, rolling my eyes. "Like there's a lot to see."

"True, but I think I've downloaded every interview just to see this face," she whispered like it was a confession as she raked her fingers softly through my hair. "And every time I'd watch you, I'd just…fall in love with you all over again."

My heart thumped in my chest with that soft, nervous statement. "You never stopped?"

"I never stopped. You?"

I shook my head. "Nope. I tucked it away, but I never stopped."

I kissed her lips softly, whispering, "I've loved you my whole life, Bella. There's no stopping that." I kissed her again, holding her close, but I pulled back a bit. "We've got this, baby. Maybe I'll move to you."

She shook her head. "No… Edward, I want to come home."

I studied her face, and she meant it. I knew we'd work out the details later – her own place, my place, or hell, even Charlie's house. I'd be willing to bet he left it to her.

"Done. We move you back home." I kissed her one more time and then stood. "But first, we have to stop Victoria from draining the entire Pacific Northwest.".

~oOo~

A/N… Are you still strapped in? Please keep all hands inside the vehicle until it comes to a complete stop. ;) We're back with Bella next chapter.

Next chapter goes up Sunday. Until then… Mooches, Deb ;)

Songs added to the playlist:

"Crossfire" by No Resolve

"Hammer to Fall" by Queen