Dead Man's Party
Chapter Two
And so, Sam and Bella became an established couple. Charlie Swan, Bella's father, was relieved that she was no longer dating Edward Cullen. He always felt the boy was a bit odd. The stuck-up kid had always been staring at his daughter as if she was something to eat. So when Billy Black finally told Charlie about the Cullens being vampires, he realized that Edward Cullen truly had been looking at his daughter like she was his next meal. That thought shocked him to the core, and he grounded her for two weeks for not being completely honest with him.
Sam Uley had dropped out of high school because he had phased into a wolf. After he had imprinted on Bella, Billy and the other elders ordered him back to school. He had been reluctant to go back, ashamed for having dropped out of school only a few months shy of his graduation. This time, with the added incentive of being able to enroll in school with his girlfriend, Sam happily returned to Forks High to complete his education.
Things plodded along nicely for several months. Then, several other youths from La Push ended up phasing: Jared Cameron, Paul Lahote, Embry Call, Jacob Black, Quil Ateara, Leah Clearwater, and Seth Clearwater—in that order. Sam had to train them to kill vampires. The problem was he really didn't know what to do. He was going by a sort of guidebook left by the previous pack. He had never been in a fight and indeed never killed a vampire. But life continued on. Sam took Bella to homecoming, they went on a school field trip to Seattle, attended parties in Forks and La Push, and went to the senior prom. They kind of had to because Bella was prom queen.
On Monday night, after the senior prom, Sam and Bella hung out in her room making out. Bella had changed the design of her room significantly. Gone were the vine-covered purple sheets and the ugly green walls. Instead, she had re-painted the walls with a simple white to brighten up the space and replaced the comforter set with a cheery, pink floral set. She even had her father purchase a new mattress for her. She had to 'accidentally' spill paint all over her old one to convince him to do that, but she refused to sleep on a mattress Edward Cullen had held her on. In any case, Sam could smell his scent lingering in the room, and it made him gag. After Bella endured an hour-long lecture from Charlie about her carelessness, he finally acquiesced and bought a new mattress set for her. It was about time, too, because the old one hadn't been changed since she was three years old.
Sam rolled on top of Bella, relishing in the feel of her soft lips as the rest of his body pressed against her. His left hand roamed, indiscriminately caressing all, before slowly finding its way underneath her shirt. Sam immersed himself in the feeling of being close to her, wishing they could stay like this forever.
"I can't wait until graduation, Bella. Then you can move into my house," Sam murmured. He already had a reservation home assigned to him last year when he became alpha of the wolf pack. As he was the alpha, it was easier for him to have his own home. Moreover, Sam's mother's new husband was not Quileute and unaware of Sam's unique genetic trait. She had recently moved away from La Push to Oregon. Bella had spent prom night with him at his house. Sam had shown her all the love he felt for her when he made love to her. Culminating, when he divested Bella of her virginity and marked her as his.
"Neither can I. Dad won't be happy, though."
"No, I imagine not, but what can he do? Besides, he's been spending a ton of time at Tiffany Call's house; otherwise, I wouldn't be able to spend the nights here with you."
Bella wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her. "This is true. I like Tiffany. She's super sweet, makes great carnitas, and keeps my father occupied."
Sam slid down to kiss her belly button, making Bella giggle. He was about to relieve her of her shirt when the back of his neck prickled. He suddenly bolted upright, his eyes narrowing as his gaze swept to the window.
"Sam?" Bella whispered worriedly. She glanced in the same direction he was looking to find Edward and Alice Cullen were both perched on the window sill, their eyes wide with shock.
Bella's ex tried to open the window, failing when he realized that the latch to her room was now fully repaired. He wondered who the boy with Bella was. She had promised not to do anything dangerous, and here she was nearly fornicating with him. He wasn't even white. He was one of those savages from the reservation.
"Stay here, Bella," Sam commanded.
"No, absolutely not. Those vampires are manipulative. I don't want to be with them alone."
Sam dropped his forehead onto Bella's. "Okay, I won't leave your side."
Meanwhile, on the other side, Alice was busy trying to persuade Edward not to crash through the window. But, of course, Sam heard every word of their conversation.
"We have to save her. Bella's virginity is at stake. Her scent. Her wonderful scent will be destroyed," Edward cried.
And because Sam felt like being a cocky asshole, he took the opportunity to kiss Bella on the fleshy part between her neck and her shoulder, precisely at the point where he had marked her as his imprint. Edward, stunned to the core at seeing this, plummeted two flights down from the window sill, landing flat on his back.
"We apologize for disturbing you! We'll see you soon!" Alice called before jumping down to check on her brother.
Edward was stock still and did not move, his face one of abject shock and misery. "She was supposed to be my mate," he groaned. "Where did it all go wrong?"
Alice rolled her eyes. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe you were too arrogant in front of her? Or perhaps you were too busy telling her how to change for you? I do know one thing for sure. Bella Swan was never your mate. She was your singer."
"Was?"
"Was."
"Why not anymore?"
"Because when her wolf marked her, he changed her scent forever, infusing his with hers."
"Oh…" Edward groaned.
"You would have drained her, Edward. That's why I insisted we leave Forks. I didn't want my best friend drained by you."
"And now we've returned because it's safe for us to do so?"
"Exactly. Bella's blood won't call to you anymore. She'll be just another girl to you, albeit one whose mind you can't read. Come on. We need to go back and tell everyone what happened."
"Do we still have to live here? Can't the wolves take care of the situation?"
Alice rubbed her temples. "No, no. We must stay and help," she declared. "It was, after all, your mistake."
XOXO
When Sam and Bella had started dating in September, Billy Black finally informed his closest buddy about the supernatural world in Forks and La Push. Bella being Sam's imprint made her fully a part of the wolf pack, and Bella's father needed to know the truth. Charlie had slugged Billy with a solid left hook to the jaw after hearing that Bella had dated a vampire. He was angry that his best friend hadn't warned him sooner. Billy thought he should have told him and was highly apologetic in hindsight. Soon after, they'd cracked open a few beers and put it all in the past, resuming their friendship as usual. Charlie, like his daughter, was good with weird.
"What are you kids doing here?" Charlie Swan asked when Bella and Sam entered the Black residence.
"Daddy!" Bella dove into her father's arms.
"What's wrong, kiddo?" Charlie arched an eyebrow at Sam for an explanation while he rocked his daughter gently.
"The Cullens are back," Sam announced and then proceeded to tell him everything he overheard, including everything he heard Alice telling Edward. "And I'm not dropping out of school again to follow them around."
"Of course, you're not going to drop out. You're going to finish school and go to college like you were meant to," Billy stated. "You're an intelligent young man, Sam. It would be best if you'd further that intelligence for your own good and the good of the tribe.
"Oh, good. I was worried I'd have to drop out of school again to keep tabs on the Cullens."
"Sam, you didn't have to drop out of school when you changed into a wolf; that was your decision. All the other boys still attend school with you, don't they? Even Paul, who has the least amount of control, is still in school," Billy pointed out.
"That's because his father would tan his hide if he missed school. You know how strict Lieutenant Lahote is with him."
"Yet Paul is still a hellraiser," Billy noted. "Gene keeps a tight leash on his son because he'd run wild if he didn't. The kid gets bored easily. As it is, he has a 3.8-grade point average with minimal effort."
"The Cullens won't hurt me, Sam," Bella assured with a squeeze of her hand. "I just don't want Edward trying to sneak into my room at night again."
"When the hell did that slimy jellyfish sneak into your room?"
Bella's mouth popped open, and she backed away from her angry father.
"Bella?" he raged angrily.
"Um… From April to September of last year," Bella admitted, "but we didn't do anything! He just liked to watch me sleep. But, apparently, he had been watching me sleep for several weeks before that."
"I swear to God she was a virgin when we first met," Sam added, trying to help his distressed girlfriend.
A muscle in Chief Swan's jaw twitched as he considered Bella's words. Then, with a tight expression, his eyes darted angrily to Sam. Still, he was angrier about the Cullen kid sneaking into his daughter's room for some reason. "I will kill him," he growled, grabbing his Winchester before dashing to his cruiser.
Billy Black threw his hands into the air as he followed his friend out to his cruiser in an attempt to stop him. "Do you two kids ever think before you speak?" he questioned before leaving the house.
Billy managed to catch up with his friend. He hopped into the cruiser just before it sped away with the sirens blaring. He needed to talk his friend down.
"Come on, Bella. We have to stop your dad. He ran out the back door and phased into wolf form. Bella climbed onto his back, and Sam raced to the Cullen residence. They beat the cruiser by a good ten minutes.
XOXO
Bella and Sam knocked on the Cullen's door and were promptly admitted. They explained the situation which had arisen between Chief Swan and Bella.
"Why is it that your father knows of our kind, Bella?" Carlisle Cullen, the head of the coven, asked politely.
"Well, it couldn't very well be kept a secret, could it? I am Sam's mate and still a high school student living at home. Sneaking around and lying to my father is something the Quileutes don't condone. So asking me to keep the secret of your true nature was not fair to me. You should never have asked me to do such a thing."
"I understand the reason he was told, and you are correct; asking you to be deliberately deceitful was an unprincipled request."
Edward, who had been listening to the conversation and had become increasingly angry, turned to Bella. "I trusted you, Bella. You were supposed to remain pure and chaste. But, instead, you've given yourself to this mutt. You're a whore! A slattern!"
Sam angrily growled at the vampire. He took deep breaths to stay in control. Bella rubbed his back softly to keep him calm.
"How dare you, Edward? You're throwing a temper tantrum because you can't have me anymore. Admit it! You're jealous. That's why you're calling me those names. Admit it!"
"I will not! You gave yourself to him before marriage. Therefore, you are unclean for defiling yourself."
Help then came from an unexpected corner. Rosalie Hale, the blonde beauty, slapped Edward, knocking him down to the floor. She jumped on top of him, punching him repeatedly. When Edward shoved her off of him, making Rose fly to the other side of the house, Emmett stepped in. With one hand, he held the spoiled vampire up against the wall, shaking the house, "You're going to apologize—first to Bella and then to Rose—for demeaning them."
The first thing Bella noticed was that not one person came to Edward's defense. In fact, every vampire in the room was scowling at the Victorian prat. Then several things happened at once. First, Rosalie came to her side and linked arms with her as a sign of solidarity. It was an odd twist considering the gorgeous vampire had always disliked her. At the same time, her father walked into the house with Billy Black following in his wake, stopping abruptly to watch the proceedings. Finally, Charlie spin-cocked his Winchester shotgun in a threatening manner directly in front of Edward.
Emmett dragged the pathetic, squirming vampire in front of Bella and Rose. The giant vampire kicked the back of Edward's shins so he would fall to his knees. When the child stubbornly refused to say anything, Emmett gave his neck a great squeeze. "Apologize now!"
"I don't understand why I should have to apologize to them. Bella and Rose might as well be prostitutes," Edward sneered. "This one gave her virginity away to that dog and let him mark her as his! And then that one was just asking for it. She shouldn't have been walking on the streets in the dark with no gentleman to escort her. She brought it all on to herself. Those men taught her a lesson as far as I'm concerned!"
Bella gasped, guessing what had happened to Rosalie. She turned to hug the blonde as tightly as she could, trying to muster every bit of care she had in her. With venom pooled in her eyes, Rose hugged Bella back, immersing herself in the first human hug she'd had since her change.
"Do you realize what a pathetic, misogynistic little shit you are, Edward Cullen?" Sam asked. "You have no right to insult any of these beautiful women. How dare you act as judge and jury over their lives?" Then, motioning his hand to Rosalie, he said, "Women do not ask to be raped. This woman had a right to be walking wherever she wanted, whenever she wanted, without worrying about her safety. I think your views on life are twisted and skewed." He then added, "You're a pervert and a stalker. Watching a girl sleep in a room at night is unnatural and, frankly speaking, sick! Bella is my imprint. When she gave herself to me, it was done jointly with consent and love and never forcefully taken."
"What he said, fucker!" Emmett dropped Edward onto his back and slammed his fist into his face. Sam assisted by stepping directly on his stomach, keeping him still so he could not move. Then Jasper moved to decapitate him, but Carlisle stopped him.
"No, wait! Stop!" Carlisle pleaded.
Edward grinned smugly, knowing his father would save him. His ability to read minds was too crucial to Carlisle Cullen. He would never willingly throw that talent away, especially over an inconsequential debacle involving two harlots. Perhaps, he'd sample a little bit of Bella's goods now that she'd been tainted. She was free for the taking. Edward internally boasted to himself about his talents and considered all the derelict things he would do to Bella. While he blew his own trumpet, the pompous twat forgot to read the mind of the one man he believed would save him.
Carlisle approached Edward with a stony expression on his face. "I brought you into this world. It's my job to take you out." Then, with one twist of the head, Edward Cullen was no more. Jasper took the remains and threw them into the fireplace, tossing a lit match afterward. All watched as purple flames erupted, consuming the body and eventually disintegrating it to ashes.
"Well, shoot dang! I was just going to threaten the twerp with my shotgun, but your way will work, too," Charlie quipped.
"Chief Swan, can you show me the clever way you cocked your Winchester?" Jasper asked with enthusiasm. "I've always wanted to learn how but could never get the hang of it."
"Sure, it's easy. It's all in the wrist." He demonstrated the action to him a few times before handing the shotgun to the vampire and allowing him to try. "Don't worry, it's not loaded."
Carlisle Cullen approached the newly arrived men. "Chief Swan, I'd like to sincerely apologize for Edward's involvement with your daughter. Until now, I didn't realize just how distorted his mind was. Esme had been warning me for years, and I dismissed her concerns, but hearing him speak to Bella and Rose, I realized that he had no place amongst us. He should have never been changed."
He held his hand out to shake. Charlie took it and accepted his apology. "God damn, you're cold!"
"Yes, it's part of our nature." The vampire doctor turned to Billy next. "Chief Black, I am glad you are here. In fact, I'm happy you're all here. I'd like to tell you why we've returned." He motioned to the dining room. "If we could all sit down, I can explain everything."
They followed him in. Carlisle began by introducing everyone to each other. After appropriate greetings were exchanged, they all sat down. The long dining room table had enough chairs for everyone present plus four place settings set up. Esme brought out dinner for the three humans and one shapeshifter in the room. "I hope you all steak," she said as she served everyone. She placed the side dishes on the center of the table and an additional plate piled with steaks before asking, "Would anyone like lobster to go with their filet mignon? This meal is Bella's favorite. We knew you'd be arriving here without having dinner." Esme set down a large bucket filled to the brim with steamed lobsters.
"Bells, is this why you ate at the Cullens all the time when they lived here?"
"Daddy, when have you ever fed me steak and lobster?"
"Instead of answering his daughter, Charlie smiled at Esme and said, "Thank you, Mrs. Cullen, for this fine meal."
Billy and Sam followed suit and dug into their meals.
"I'm not sure if Bella told you this, but Alice here has visions," Carlisle stated.
"Visions? Like she sees things?" Charlie asked.
"No, she is a seer. Much of the outcome is subjective to the whims of the person she's having the vision about. But to make a long story short, Alice can see into the future."
"And what has she seen?"
"Before we get to that. I must acquaint you with a bit of history. Do you recall the time Bella ran away to Arizona last year?"
"Sure, when she broke her leg while falling down the stairs."
"It's not how she broke her leg. Instead, she was attacked by a nomadic vampire named James."
"How come I was never told this?" Charlie put his fork down and glared at everyone, including his daughter.
"Please, Chief Swan, let me finish explaining." A sense of calm seemed to engulf the room. Bella knew Jasper was responsible for manipulating everyone's emotions, but at this point, it seemed apropos. She winked at Alice's mate, who responded to her gesture with a surprised smile.
"First of all, I must apologize that you were not informed of the truth of what happened. We swore Bella to secrecy, saying that should the truth of our existence become public, it would endanger the lives of all those involved. It was wrong of us to ask a minor to withhold information from her parents." Carlisle explained the events that transpired the previous spring while the humans calmly ate their meals. "Edward had brought Bella to watch us play baseball in an area high up in the Olympic Mountains. We go there so we can play without withholding our strength. Like the Quileute wolves, vampires have tremendous speed and power that cannot be openly displayed to humans. While we were there, three nomadic vampires approached us: James, Victoria, and Laurent. James decided to play a game of cat and mouse with Bella. He was a tracker. He had the supernatural ability to locate any living being quickly. Bella became his prey, and we promptly removed her to Arizona because she didn't want to put you in danger.
"When we arrived there, James lured her out of our care by claiming to have kidnapped her mother. Bella went to save her mom and quickly realized James had set a trap. He attacked her, breaking her leg and then biting her wrist. Edward saved her by sucking James's venom out of her system, but he took too much blood—almost killing her. He stopped just in time, and we were able to get her medical attention. Jasper and Emmett destroyed James.
"Unfortunately, we neglected to take his mate Victoria into consideration. A supernatural being is extremely protective of his or her mate. James's mate is no exception. Upon learning of her mate's death, Victoria has become livid. She has vowed to take her revenge on those responsible. The main person she blames is Bella, and she will do everything she can to make her suffer."
"Well, I'm fucked. Can someone please pass me another lobster?" Bella requested.
Esme did the honors, smiled indulgently at her, and even cracked open the lobster for her. "Would you like more drawn butter, dear?"
"Oh, sure, sure. This is delicious as usual, Esme. By the way, Alice, when will this supposed revenge take place?"
Billy, Charlie, and Sam, who were appalled at the news, couldn't believe how calmly Bella was taking things. They were so stunned that they could not continue eating. Bella nudged her head at Jasper, who delivered another sense of calm, followed by a feeling of hunger, at them. Soon enough, they were all diving into their meals with gusto once again.
"That's the thing. Victoria hasn't made any firm decisions yet. So as of now, we have no knowledge of where she is. But I know that it will mean destruction for Forks and La Push when she comes unless we team up and fight."
"Well, then, that's what we'll do. The Quileute wolves and the Cullens will form an alliance," Billy Black declared between bites of his steak and lobster. Frankly, he hadn't eaten this well in ages. "This is excellent, Mrs. Cullen." Jasper had no need to manipulate the normally intractable tribal chief. The way to his heart was his stomach.
"Oh, you're very welcome, young man. You know you look just like your grandfather Ephraim. Oh, he was such a handsome young man. And he liked to eat, too."
"I keep forgetting you knew him."
"I did. I also met Levi and Quil. They were such polite boys. They loved my apple pie." She motioned to the oven. "I have one baking in the oven right now for you."
"I'm looking forward to it, ma'am."
"So am I," Charlie agreed.
"Esme, did you happen to purchase my favorite Ben and Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk Ice Cream?" Bella asked nicely.
"Of course, I did, sweetheart, and I bought a variety of other flavors for the rest of our guests. When I was human, I enjoyed vanilla ice cream with my apple pie."
"Ahem!" Carlisle cleared his throat. "Back to the discussion. We think it would be best if someone, a wolf or vampire, is with Bella at all times to ensure her safety."
Charlie Swan looked up from his meal and observed Bella. She was his only child, and he'd do anything to keep her safe. When she was hurt in Arizona, he had been petrified. But then Carlisle Cullen had just explained that she had left to keep him safe. He noticed Sam appeared to be equally determined as he was to ensure her safety.
On top of that, Sam still needed a bit of parenting. The boy should not be living alone while still in high school even if he'd been assigned a reservation home. To tell the truth, Charlie wanted to throttle Sam's mother for abandoning her son. She was uncaring, unfeeling, and the most derelict mother in existence.
"I agree with you. To that end, Sam will be moving into our house," Charlie announced to the surprise of everyone. Bella and Sam were especially astonished.
"What about when Sam patrols the reservation?" Billy asked.
"Oh, that's easy. We'll have Tiffany's son Embry over during that time. He can stay in the spare bedroom. It's about time I make an honest woman out of her anyway. With both Embry and Sam at our house, Bella will be extremely well-protected."
"That's some pretty quick thinking there, Charlie," Billy commended. "Any of the wolves in the pack would be willing to protect Bella. They all like her."
"Charlie, wouldn't it be easier if Bella just moved in with me?" Sam offered.
"Don't push it, boy. You're lucky I'm even letting you move into our house before graduation, and that's only because you have that weird supernatural mate thing going. You're not getting her a day before. Besides, it's only six more weeks until you graduate."
"I don't blame you for trying, buddy." Emmett gave him a pat on the back. "Good effort."