Author's Notes: Stephenie Meyer owns all of these characters, I decided they could be aliens. I reference Unchained Melody as recorded by the Righteous Brothers. I hope you like it.

Chapter 16: Shots Fired

I shot Edward an apologetic smile and he laughed, his face transforming into something more feral. I giggled and we started to circle each other in the middle of the lawn. I knew that he had held back the last time, while I had been trying to hurt him. It hadn't been a fair fight.

"So, are we holding back this time?" I taunted him.

"Do you think you can handle me?" he asked.

I snorted at his arrogance, but then he was gone. We all moved fast, faster than human eyes could track but he was even too fast for my eyes. I turned around in the clearing, searching the trees, his siblings chuckled around me. I strained to hear, knowing that my eyes would be no good against his speed. I caught a rustle of pine needles and spun, only a squirrel. Air rustled my hair from behind and I dropped into a crouch, letting him sail over my head. He rolled and bounced onto his feet. My hand grasped at empty air as I lunged for him. I heard nothing but his laughter from the trees. He was like a ghost.

"Use your training, Bells," Charlie called. I looked over at him sitting on a rock and twisting his mustache. He loved his new facial hair but he pulled at it all the time when he was nervous.

Huh.

I must have picked up my eyelash thing from watching him. I shook my head and closed my eyes, listening to Charlie's advice.

Edward was faster than me. I nodded, accepting my limitations. What were his limitations?

He was fast, he always knew where people were going to be next. He could anticipate their movements from their thoughts, but not mine. I could put him just where I wanted him, he wouldn't be used to tricks. I suppressed my smile and let out a frustrated growl.

I stood still and waited, understanding his game. I let my eyebrows furrow and clenched my hands to my sides, all the while biting my lip so that I wouldn't giggle and give myself away. I stood like that for a full minute. Then I heard it, my moment had come. A pinecone fell from a nearby tree. I spun in the direction of the sound then fell into my crouch, reaching my hand into the air over my head, snatching his wrist from the air as he sailed over me once again. I rolled with him this time until I was straddling his chest and had pinned both of his wrists into the grass above his head.

"Never be predictable," I whispered, dropping a kiss onto his surprised lips.

"Know your opponent's strengths, know your weaknesses," Charlie shouted. "They will be different in every fight. You have to think, beat them with your mind first."

I crawled off of Edward and Charlie came over and offered him a hand, pulling him back to his feet.

"You did a good job of using your surroundings, kid," he said, patting Edward on the back. I watched my partner stand up a little straighter at the compliment, "I've never seen anyone move that fast," Charlie looked up at the others. "Could you guys see him?"

We all shook our heads. "Wow, we should get a doppler gun to see how fast you're going." My chest swelled with pride. "But, you're too reliant on your gift, you usually count it as a strength, but sometimes it can become a weakness." Edward nodded.

"Can I see what it looks like when you can use it?" Charlie asked. I went and took my seat and Emmett stood up cracking his knuckles.

The fight started in the same way. Edward and Emmett circled each other, but Emmett was quick to strike. He was aggressive where Edward was defensive. Emmett fist swung over Edward's head, cracking the air like a whip. While Edward was fast on his feet, Emmett's fists were like lightning. They danced through the clearing, Emmett swinging but never hitting anything but empty air as Edward moved like a blur. Finally, he came to a stop just behind Emmett and placed a hand on either side of his brother's head.

"Bam! Snap! Kapow!" he said while gently twisting Emmett's neck. A peel of laughter erupted from my chest as he continued to make comic book sounds.

"Christ, don't encourage him," Alice moaned. He looked over at me and smiled. I stopped laughing, I was hardly able to catch my breath.

Charlie came and sat down next to me, throwing his arm over my shoulder. I leaned into him, watching as Edward fought Alice. She stood in the clearing, every once in a while taking small steps to the right or left. I had to guess that she was predicting Edward's movements and dodging him but I never saw him. It looked like she was just swaying to music by herself in the lawn.

I let out a long yawn, the night before catching up with me.

"I can't decide if this is fascinating or boring," Charlie commented.

I turned and looked at him. "Hey, did you get contacts?" I asked. There was a small line circling his irises.

Panic crossed his face and Edward appeared out of thin air to stare at him. Alice used the distraction to pounce on his back.

"Uh, yeah," he pulled on his mustache. "I've needed to get my eyes checked for years, but I've never had the chance before now." He reached out and ruffled my hair before getting up to talk with Alice. "Turns out, I'm getting old," he called over his shoulder.

It was weird but his eyes weren't quite the same color. I shrugged and figured it was just refraction caused by the lenses until Edward sat beside me rubbing the back of his neck and staring at my father.

"What's wrong?" I asked, gently elbowing him in the side. "Don't like losing?"

He shook his head. "He's lying," he answered, tilting his head at Charlie. "You trust him, right?"

I nodded, "With my life." I looked after my dad. "Whatever he's hiding, he'll tell me in his own time. He always does." That was our relationship. We never kept secrets for long. He knew when I started my period and I knew about his crush on Whitney Houston. I wondered if he had a new girlfriend or something. Maybe that's why he went for the contacts instead of glasses.

Edward nodded, "Want to go again?"

We spent the next several hours in hand to hand combat. The Agency had trained the Cullens well and there wasn't much that they didn't know. Except for Edward and Alice who relied too much on their gifts and had no clue how to fight against me. After about twenty matches with each of them they were getting better, but I was drained.

We all sat on the large boulders that created a border between the grass and the lush forest behind their house. Cool water quenched the burning ache that had spread through my throat. My muscles were sore and I felt an empty pit in my stomach every time I reached for energy. It was like trying to scoop up water from a nearly empty basin, getting almost nothing with each attempt. I was debating having Edward carry me back to the house when Charlie pulled out the bucket of water balloons.

"No, Charlie! I don't have enough energy to form a physical shield."

"You can make a physical shield?" Alice shouted.

"No, I can't," I yelled, directing my anger at Charlie. He knew I couldn't do this, how many times would he make me try?

"She did it once, to save me. I still think that it's a matter of incentive, not energy. That's all around you, Bells." He looked around then an evil look flashed across his face as his eyes landed on Edward.

"You know, I got a call from the school today," he said in a menacing tone. I felt my stomach drop and my blood turned to ice.

Edward's eyes went wide. "You did?" he squeaked.

Charlie nodded, "They wanted me to review the school's policy on PDA with my daughter." He pulled his Glock out of its holster and pointed it squarely at my partner's chest. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you, son?" He reached over the top of the gun and pulled back the slide, chambering a bullet. My breath started to come in quick pants and I reached out to touch the massive red cedar behind me. I pulled as hard and as fast as I could, feasting on the heat held within the tree, draining it of life.

"Charlie, stop it!" I yelled. Edward held up his hands and shook his head. Time slowed down as I saw the fire explode out the side of the gun. I sighed as I watched Edward throw himself to the side knowing that he was too close and that the bullet would still hit him in the chest regardless of super speed. I forced my shield out, pulling harder on the tree, Ice cracked under my palm as I froze the wood. My shield seemed to coalesce, like it wasn't just made of air anymore, but maybe molasses. The bullet slowed as it passed through the barrier then flattened as it made contact with Edward's T-shirt. He fell backwards off the boulder, partially from the impact, but more so from the shock that Charlie had actually shot him.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! That fucking stings Charlie!" Edward bellowed, lying flat on his back and rubbing at the spot the bullet had hit him.

"Language," Charlie chided with a smirk.

"Language! Language?! You're not my father, Charlie Swan!" Edward yelled, picking himself up off the ground and stomping into the house. Edward's siblings looked after him, each was wearing an amused expression. Jasper in particular seemed to be finding immense pleasure in this exchange. They took one look at me and made their excuses to go and check on him, leaving Charlie to face my wrath. My dad just laughed.

"What? It worked. You slowed the bullet down. I saw it." He rubbed the back of his neck, at least a little remorseful. "It's not like it hurts you guys that much anyway, he's being a baby," he muttered.

The cedar creaked behind us and fell in a thunderous crash taking out several saplings in its path. Charlie and I winced. I hoped that Carlisle and Esme weren't particularly fond of any of these trees.

I limped into the house, leaving my muddy shoes on the back steps and coming in through the kitchen. I found Esme stirring a pot and let my hand linger over the heat from the stove for a moment. I had more energy now than before Charlie shot Edward. That tree held a lot. I pondered the fact that I still had a reserve. It meant I hadn't effectively channeled everything into the shield. I needed to practice this more, maybe it was possible to learn. I wouldn't let Charlie know that his ploy had worked though. It had been a dick move.

"Is he okay?" I asked, letting my fingers dance over the heat of the flames. I knew that physically he would be fine, maybe a little welt. I guessed that it hurt about as much as getting hit by a paintball if you were human. It stung like the dickens, but it wouldn't cause any lasting damage.

Esme nodded, continuing to stir. The smell of dinner was making my mouth water. "Is…is he…mad at me?" I asked.

Esme laughed, "He's not mad at you." She turned to inspect my face. "Oh honey, you should go talk to him," she said, rubbing my cheek with her thumb. I could tell why they treated her like their mother. "I'm going to have a talk with that father of yours," she said, glaring out the back window at Charlie. I looked out and he caught Esme's gaze and recoiled for a moment. I snorted.

I made my way up the stairs to the third floor where I knew he stayed. I guessed that they had given him the floor for everyone's sake. Granting him distance from the happy couples every night, and granting them some privacy from his gifts. The thought made me desperately lonely.

The door swung open the moment my fingers touched the wood to tap. I wanted to crush Edward into a hug, but despite Esme's reassurance, I worried that he was in fact angry with me. Maybe I could have stopped the bullet, or maybe this just wasn't worth him having to deal with Charlie. My stomach twisted.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

He smiled, "You know that bullets can't hurt us. Although I am a little pissed at Charlie."

"You aren't pissed at me?" I asked. He shook his head and furrowed his eyebrows in question. I chewed on my lip and stared at my shoes.

"Sometimes, I wish I could read your mind," he whispered.

I smiled up at him, "You know, everyone feels that way all the time."

"Yeah, but they don't know what they're asking for," he answered with soft eyes, his knuckles tracing a line from my temple to my chin. "I usually wish that I couldn't read people's minds, yours is the first I have ever truly wanted to hear." He shook his head, "Ironic really."

I nodded, but kept the fact that I could open my mind to him my secret for now. I was feeling too vulnerable at the moment to share that piece of myself.

He moved out of the doorway so I could see past him, an invitation. "So…yeah…this is my room," he said, clearing his throat.

The golden carpet was soft and plush under my bare feet. There was a wall of windows like I had seen in many parts of the house but there was a door that Edward had left open. I looked out thinking that I would see a balcony but only found open air three stories up. I shook my head, this was a home designed for aliens. I loved it, the way his room was so exposed but enveloped by the forest surrounding him. He fit there, just not alone. I turned around and found a wall of bookcases. He had so many of my favorites; everything that Brandon Sanderson has ever written, every single Jim Butcher, Frank Herbert, Isaac Asimov, he even had a section of Jane Austen. I ran my fingers over the spines of the books with reverence, pulling out Cytonic. I hadn't gotten a chance to read this one yet.

He nodded, "You can borrow it, it's good. Far fetched psychic aliens and all."

"Thanks," I chuckled.

I noticed a large stereo in the corner and a record player on the other side. I saw that some of the shelves were filled with CDs and records. I nodded to myself, while modern technology allowed people to house their music on a small device in their pocket, that device would be owned and tracked by Volterra. We couldn't have those things, still his collection was immense. I noticed that the shelves wrapped around the room at waist height, creating a night stand at the side of his bed. I quickly averted my gaze from the white duvet and wrought iron headboard before images of him tying me to it assaulted my brain. I was too late.

"You like music, a lot," I commented, trying to rein in my hormones.

"Yeah I do…it also helps to drown out the noises coming from downstairs. I have really great acoustics."

I grimaced, I wanted to say something to make him feel better, to make him laugh. To take away the years he had suffered without me by his side. "I bet it would drown out the sounds coming from in here as well." My eyes widened at my own words.

The musical sound of his laugh was worth the embarrassment. I went back to perusing his collection of CDs.

"What do you want to listen to?" he asked. I had an idea and started searching for the song that had been playing in my head for days. They were organized based on genre then in alphabetical order so I was able to find the CD I wanted in seconds.

He's a little anal, isn't he?

I opened the CD case to find it empty.

Or maybe he isn't.

He laughed at my expression and hit play on the stereo. Bobby Hatfield's voice crooned Unchained Melody through the speakers.

Woah, my love, my darlin'

I smiled and cocked an eyebrow. He shrugged, "It was the last song I listened to last night."

My heart clenched at his admission and my feet moved across the rug to get to him. He held out his hand to me and I placed my palm in his. He reached up and placed my hand on his broad shoulder, I let it snake up into the hair at the nape of his neck. He took my other hand in his and started swaying with me in slow circles around the room. I let my head rest on his shoulder, cool air floated across my neck as he pressed his nose in and took a deep breath. I couldn't help but note how well our bodies fit together, how whole I felt wrapped in his arms.

I'll be coming home, wait for me.

He had.

"Did you mean what you said in our dream?" I asked.

"Yes, which part?" He murmured into my hair.

I sighed, "That you were falling for me before you knew who I was?" Sometimes I still worried that he wasn't in love with me, but a fantasy he had conjured in his head during his years alone.

He nodded and I had to rein myself in. He hadn't said that he was in love with me, just that he was falling.

"It ate me alive. I couldn't fathom my feelings for you, knowing that you were not my mate but I couldn't deny them either. It was quite the conundrum, knowing that I would choose you over anyone, even the fantasy," he said, moving us in a small circle.

"You know, I have no idea what we're doing."

He pulled back, his eyebrows pulled together in question.

I motioned around us, "Dancing," I supplied.

He snorted, "It's all in the leading." He held up my arm and spun me. I giggled as my hair fanned around my head. "They taught us how to blend in with high society at the Agency, so that I could get close to any target."

I shuttered and his face fell.

"I'm sorry Bella, you deserve better than me. I should have left them."

I swatted his chest. "Stop that, you were just a kid. You did leave them."

"I could have left sooner, I could have disobeyed them," he grumbled.

"I don't think you could have," I said, pushing a lock of hair out of his face and he stared at the ground. "But, why didn't you guys try to disobey?" I hoped my question wouldn't hurt him but I had been curious.

"Jasper did, he was prepared for their punishment, willing to face it for his values, but…,"

"But what?" I asked.

"They didn't come for him. They took Alice for testing, she saw what would happen if we fought. There would have been losses on both sides, so she went." He looked up at me, tears glistening in his eyes.

"They said that they wanted to know what conditions we could survive in, they had tested us before, but they never went so far. She was in the cold storage for two months. The Agency left the EEG feed to run in our common room so that we could watch her brain activity slow and finally…stop." The final word hung in the air.

"They let her die?" I whispered.

"For ten minutes."

We didn't need oxygen, we didn't need glucose, but we did need energy to survive. I had no idea we could be resuscitated after so long, I had never tried. I shuttered.

"The threat was always there after that, they would kill our mates. It's why the others didn't rebel," he said.

"What about you?" I knew the answer, The Agency would threaten the others. Even though Edward didn't have a mate, he did have a family.

"Alice and I have always been very close," he said. "We share such similar gifts, it's easy for us to relate to each other. She's easy for me to talk to. Sometimes back then… I wondered…."

"What?" I asked, cupping his cheek in my hand. The song had long since ended and we stood motionless in the center of the room holding each other.

"I don't think of her that way, she's my sister," he cringed for a moment then continued, "but back then I was so lonely and jealous of all of them, I just wanted what they had and knew that I never would." He stopped and looked at the floor. I touched his chin, lifting it so that his eyes would meet mine.

"I won't judge you," I whispered. He nodded, tears filling his eyes.

"I wondered what would happen if Jasper died too," he said in barely a whisper.

I nodded and led him over to his bed, pulling him with me so that we were lying side by side, his head resting on my chest. I brushed my fingers through his wild hair, the ends tickled my nose as I leaned forward to kiss his forehead. Of course he would have entertained ideas like that, I would have. My chest tightened, my limbs became heavy. I was being crushed under the weight of his loneliness. It had been different for me, I was a young teenage girl with no expectations of love but the future was limitless. Charlie was with me and we had each other. Edward was surrounded by people that loved each other more than him. He had lived in absolute certainty that he would die alone.

"They knew, they knew that she meant the most to me. They threatened her twice as often as the others because of it. It was my fault and I lived knowing that no harm would ever befall me. It didn't matter what the others did, I didn't matter to anyone."

I wanted to hurt each member of our family for making him feel that way. I wanted to scream at Charlie for shooting him but mostly for taking me away. I would have endured every last torture to protect the boy nestled into me. My bones vibrated with rage. I ground my teeth and remained still. He needed me with him more than he needed me to burn the house down.

I let my hand glide from his hair and down his shoulder and I traced designs onto his arm with the tips of my fingers. A tingle of electricity vibrated up my hand and I rejoiced in the silky texture of his skin stretched tight across the long muscles of his arm. My chest vibrated as he hummed into me.

"You matter to me," I said, sitting up and moving from under him. I knew that the bullet wouldn't have done any real damage but I needed to check for myself. How many times had he been hurt because of me? I wasn't worth it.

I moved in front of him, grabbing the hem of his black T-shirt. He sat up with a confused expression but allowed me to pull it over his head. I needed to get closer, I got up on my knees and placed one on either side of his lap, letting my fingers trace over the angry red welt that had emerged over his heart. I leaned forward and kissed it, wishing I had the ability to heal the bruise on the surface along with the wounds beneath. All because of me. His gasp startled me and I looked down at myself, realizing that I was straddling my half naked boyfriend in his bed.

Long fingers wrapped around my hips, holding me, possessing me. Without my permission, my pelvis tipped forward and pushed into him. A ridiculous whimper fell from my lips at the pressure and friction the movement caused. His grip tightened and he pushed his own hips up, letting the hard length straining against his jeans demonstrate his excitement. I crashed my lips into his, snaking my hands into his hair. Warmth soaked my panties and I started to burn, desperate for friction. His moan filled my mouth and I greedily pulled it into my lungs while pushing and sliding down the length of his cock.

His lips started to twitch, his hands moved in jerky motions until he pushed forward, knocking me backward so that I fell onto my back and he was positioned over me. My hand went down to his waistband and I started to fumble with the button on his jeans. He let out a quiet sob and he moved his long fingers over mine. I thought that he would help but instead he held me still. The same fire that burned in my panties seemed to live behind his eyes. I moved my hand again. I needed to see him, I needed him to be inside me. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Bella, it's the bond," he said, trying to catch his breath. "We're moving too fast." His voice broke under the desperation, he was clearly trying to convince himself as much as me.

No!

I pushed up on my elbows and bit my lip, trying to be seductive. Maybe I could convince him. He whimpered and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Just…," his voice trembled, "Just take a minute, if you still want to in a couple of minutes…"

I felt a monster come to life from somewhere inside me. She did a little jig at his offer. Like I was going to say no after a few minutes. He would be inside me soon.

Except that you have only been dating for four days.

He's my MATE! The monster screamed.

I thought we didn't like that word.

Fuck

I chanced a glance up at Edward, he had a knowing smirk pulling at his lips though he was trying to repress it.

"Fine," I whined.

He snickered and rolled to the side to snuggle into me. "Maybe we could just watch a movie or something?" he suggested. I nodded and looked through his DVD collection. I settled on Pacific Rim which we both agreed was the worst in all the best ways. He pulled back his comforter, clicking on the heated blanket. I wormed in next to him and he wrapped his arm around me, letting his hand sit awkwardly at my waist. I picked it up and pulled it to my chest, letting its weight ground me. I was asleep before the title credits ended.

Author's Notes: I have a special place in my heart for single dads since I have one. That was one of the driving factors in conceptualizing this story. My husband originally dubbed it, "Charlie Swan: American Badass".

Either way, since Charlie is largely based on my dad and since he would have shot Edward in this scene, I had Charlie do it. In fact, he and my husband spent this evening smacking each other with a flyswatter (playfully).

Bella is pissed about it, there will be words.