Bella leaned against the cool window of the police cruiser and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry."
Her father was the chief of police. He didn't have time to pick his crying daughter up from school in the middle of his shift.
"You don't have anything to apologize for," Charlie said. "The only one who should be sorry is that Cullen boy."
It wasn't Emmett's fault either. It was just a slip of the tongue. A momentary lapse of judgment. Emmett hadn't meant to be cruel when he asked if she had any plans for mother's day. He'd simply forgotten what had happened last summer. Just like Bella did for those precious few seconds after she opened her eyes in the morning.
Bella watched Emmett exit the school with Dr. Cullen. His hair was a mess and the collar of his shirt was torn.
"He's lucky I didn't bring my handcuffs," Charlie said, glaring at Emmett.
A vision of Emmett behind bars popped into Bella's head. He'd be miserable in jail. There would be no recess or video games. He'd have to have stale bread and water for lunch. He'd miss Christmas, summer vacation, and his birthday. When his family came to visit, Alice would probably tell him that stripes were 'so yesterday.'
"Please don't arrest Emmett," Bella pleaded, close to tears. "He didn't mean it!"
It wasn't Emmett's fault that Mike jumped in with a cruel joke or that the rest of the class laughed. The only one to blame was Bella. She was in fifth grade, not kindergarten. She should have developed thicker skin by now.
"He was just trying to make the other kids stop teasing me," Bella said. "He didn't mean to hurt anyone."
What the recess monitor called a "vicious attack" was really more of a shoving match gone wrong. He was just trying to make Mike see that it was wrong to make fun of a girl who'd lost her mother.
"I won't arrest him," Charlie said as he watched Emmett climb into the front seat of Dr. Cullen's shiny new Mercedes. "It looks like his foster father has this handled."
Dr. Cullen said something to Emmett, but Bella wasn't good enough at lip-reading to tell what. Judging by his tear-filled eyes it wasn't pleasant. Maybe he wished he was going to prison instead of facing whatever punishment waited for him at home. Bella hoped Dr. Cullen would go easy on him. It was just a scraped elbow. Mike would be fine in a few days.
Bella waved goodbye to Emmett as Dr. Cullen pulled out of the parking lot. She hoped the principal would come to his senses. It wasn't fair that Emmett got suspended while Mike didn't even have to go to the office.
"I know you care about Emmett," Charlie said. "But he may not be the best friend for you right now. Violence is never the answer."
Charlie didn't say it but Bella knew what he was getting at. All the grown-ups thought Emmett was trouble. None of them understood why , one of the most respected men in town, kept a hyperactive foster kid around. If only they could see what she saw. While Emmett often lost his temper, it was only when someone picked on him or those he cared about.
"We could spend the rest of the day in La Push if you'd like," Charlie said. "The reservation school had the day off."
Bella slumped down into her seat. "Can we please just go home?"
Bella was in no mood to run around on the beach with Jake like nothing was wrong. All she wanted to do was go home and curl up with a mug of tea.
Charlie wrapped his arm around her. "Of course, Bells. Whatever you need."
A clap of thunder snapped Bella back to the present. In typical Fork's fashion, the sun had abandoned them without so much as a goodbye. Bella hoped she'd be able to make it home before the rain started.
Bella did a double-take when she looked out the windshield and saw the garage door. How had she managed to safely drive across town without realizing it? And why had she come here instead of the Cullen house?
Bella was about to reverse out of the driveway when Edward whimpered in the passenger seat.
Bella touched Edward's arm. "Edward, are you okay?"
Edward started to shiver. His skin was cold to the touch. She should have thought to grab his jacket before they left. While stylish, the cotton shirt Alice picked for him wasn't built for warmth. The poor guy had just gotten over being sick. He'd end up in the hospital with pneumonia if she didn't get him somewhere warm fast.
Bella looked up at the house and bit her lip. This place was her sanctum of solitude. A quiet retreat for days when life was too much. A spot to mourn the family she'd lost. Not even Emmett and Alice had ever made it farther than the front porch. Was she really going to let Edward in?
Bella wrapped a wool blanket around Edward's shoulders and led him over to the threadbare living room couch. He whimpered when she let go of his hand.
"I'll be right back," Bella said, offering him a reassuring smile. "I'm just going to find something to help warm us up."
Bella rummaged through the pantry. Soup. Chili. Hot chocolate. All expired by months. How long had it been since she'd sat down at the table for a meal? Six months. A year? It was hard to say. The small kitchen didn't feel like home without her father cursing up a storm over another burned meal. At long last, Bella found a dust-coated box of tea wedged behind a faded box of pop tarts. She brushed it off and started the kettle. Tea didn't expire, right?
Bella returned to the living room with two steaming mugs of green tea. Edward was looking around the room with a bewildered expression on his face.
"Bella," He asked, eyebrows scrunched. "Where are we?"
Bella handed him a mug of tea. "My father's house."
"No, we aren't. Your father's house has white furniture and big glass windows."
Bella sighed and sat down on the opposite end of the couch. "Carlisle isn't my father."
Had no one explained their family structure to him?
Edward took a sip of his tea. "But he calls you his child."
"He's my foster father," Bella explained. "He took me in after my parents died."
Bella did the mental math. By the time she finished high school, she would have spent more time living with Carlilse than she did Charlie.
"I'm so sorry, Bella," Edward said, reaching for her hand. "I know how much it hurts to lose your parents."
This was good. This was progress. Edward seemed to be accepting that his parents were dead and no crazy fairytale plan could bring them back.
"It's okay," Bella said, allowing him to hold her hand for a second before scooting away. "It happened a long time ago."
Bella would never "get over" losing her parents, but she had come to terms with what happened. Her parents were dead and they weren't coming back. While she had turned down Carlisle's offer to adopt her, he had promised she'd always have a home with him. Bella was well aware of how fortunate that made her. Most teens in her situation were rotting away in foster care with no hope for a better future.
"Are any of you Charlisle's children by birth?" Edward asked.
"No," Bella said. "The only two who are related by blood are Rose and Jasper who are twins."
"There aren't many men where I come from who would raise children that weren't their own," Edward said. "Carlisle is a good man. He'd be an excellent king. "
Bella couldn't imagine Carlisle wearing a crown or spending his days being waited on hand and foot. He'd much rather put on scrubs and help people through the worst days of their lives at the hospital.
"I'm sorry about all the trouble I've caused," Edward said, looking down at the floor. "I would understand if Carlilse asked me to leave."
Edward was oblivious to social norms. Edward had a loose grip on reality. Edward caused trouble everywhere he went.. Edward was a Cullen.
"It's okay, " Bella said, shrugging. "We've all caused our fair share of trouble."
Jasper threw up every pizza day. Alice spent money like it was going out of style. Rose was the queen of mean. Emmett had a permanent record thicker than a phone book. Bella held the town record for most trips to the emergency room. Carlisle probably thought Edward was the easy kid.
"I bet none of you have fits over sandwiches or dead frogs," Edward said. "You probably all think I'm insane."
Bella swallowed the lump forming in her throat. How many times had she questioned her sanity after her father's accident? For months she was certain Carlisle would someday get fed up with her emotional outbursts and send her way. Much to her surprise, someday never came.
"I don't think you're insane," Bella said. "I think you're grieving. Grief does funny things to a person. It can make you see things that aren't real."
Like red-eyed monsters hiding in the treetops.
"Edward, look at me", Bella said. "No matter what happens, no matter how badly you mess up, you will always have a home with us."
"I've known that since the minute I laid eyes on you."
Bella's cheeks flushed. That line was like something out of a cheesy romcom. Had Alice been there she would have made a squeal so high pitched only dogs could hear it.
"The past week has given me a lot of time to think," Edward said. "I've come to realize that I made a mistake and I owe you an apology."
Bella raised an eyebrow. One mistake? She could come up with at least four mistakes from today alone.
"I moved too quickly and scared you away," Edward said.
That was the understatement of the year.
"I apologize for starting to plan a wedding before we'd had a chance to get to know each other." Edward continued. "I will not force a romantic relationship on you if that isn't what you want."
Edward paused as if waiting for a response. When no response came, he offered her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. " I'm willing to accept it if you'd prefer to just be friends." Edward closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "If you don't want to be friends, if my apology has come too late, I'll accept that too. I will leave and never come back."
While Bella didn't want to marry Edward, she also hadn't liked going days without speaking to him. While he was a constant source of annoyance and stress, it was becoming harder and harder to imagine life without him.
"Friends sounds good to me," Bella said.
Or maybe something more than friends.
Their hands were just millimeters apart. One twitch, one leap of faith, and they could be so much more than just friends.
On that day, Bella wasn't ready to leap. She folded her hands and placed them on her lap. "Thank you, Edward. I'm glad you've come to your senses."
"I hope the same happens for you as well," Edward said. "I'm going to need all the help I can get. If what Midnight tells me is true, Forks is in desperate need of saving."
Bella closed her eyes and counted to ten. This was the problem with Edward. Every time she thought they were making some type of progress, he took two steps back into crazy town. Maybe it was time to tell Carlisle what was going on.
The other side of the couch was empty when Bella opened her eyes. Edward was in the entryway. He opened the door and Midnight darted inside. She did a figure eight around his legs and ran upstairs. Bella's eye twitched, but she didn't comment. Of course Midnight was there. Why wouldn't she be? Home was only a five-mile walk in the pouring rain away.
Edward returned to the couch and sat down next to Bella unaware of the anger blooming in her chest.
"Edward," Bella said, "Can I ask you something?"
Edward smiled. "Of course."
Before Bella could ask her question, Midnight hissed at something upstairs.
Edward grabbed Bella's arm and pulled her off the couch. "We have to get out of here, now!"
"Why?" Bella asked, pulling away from him.
Had he not just promised never to force himself on her?
"There's something upstairs!" Edward exclaimed. "We are in serious trouble unless we leave, now!"
Bella rolled her eyes. "It's probably just a mouse."
Bella sat back down on the couch. She wasn't afraid of some stupid rodent. Midnight would kill it and leave the evidence for someone, hopefully, Rose, to find later.
"Bella!" Edward hissed. "I'm not joking. We need to get out of here, now!"
Bella crossed her arms. "No, we need to talk."
It was fine for Edward to grieve. It wasn't fine for him to involve her in his delusions.
Edward grabbed her arm. "Bella, listen to me. We need to go!"
For once, Bella agreed with Edward. They did need to leave. Allowing him inside her house had been a mistake. She should have just driven him back to the Cullen house, pneumonia be damned.
"Please, Bella," Edward begged. "I'm not trying to trick you. We need to leave, now!"
"Fine," Bella said with a sigh. "Let me grab Midnight and we can leave."
"Your guardian will be fine," Edward said, tightening his grip. "It doesn't want her. It wants us!"
"It's a mouse," Bella snapped. "It wants cheese, not human flesh."
"It's not a mouse!"
"Then what is it!"
"A vampire!"
First, it was witches in the hospital. Then werewolves in La Push. Now vampires in her father's house? What was next, trolls in their school?
"There's not a vampire upstairs!" Bella said.
"Yes, there is!" Edward argued.
"No there isn't!"
They heard a loud crash. Bella thought of the bookshelves lining the walls in her old bedroom. What if Midnight had knocked one over and gotten pinned underneath? She could be hurt or worse.
Bella tried to pull away but Edward only tightened his grip.
"Let me go! Bella growled.
"No!" Edward hissed. "We're leaving and that's final!"
Edward wrapped his arms around Bella and tried to drag her outside. Unfortunately for him, Bella wasn't willing to go without a fight. She kicked, scratched, and squirmed to get away from him. Edward grunted and let go when she elbowed him in the groin. Bella paid no mind to his moans of pain and ran upstairs to find Midnight.
Bella found Midnight in Charlie's bedroom. The only thing amiss was an open window. The sounds they heard must have been the wind.
"There you are," Bella said, picking up the cat. "Let's go home. Edward seems to believe there's a vampire on the loose."
Midnight hissed when Bella said the word vampire.
"I know," Bella said. "That guy is in serious need of a therapist."
Edward rushed into the room brandishing a poker from the fireplace. "Leave her alone, foul beast!"
"See, Edward?" Bella said, gesturing to the empty room. "No vampires."
"Midnight must have scared it off," Edward said. "Even a vampire isn't foolish enough to mess with an angry guardian."
Midnight hissed at Edward.
"I know, I'm sorry. Edward said. "I tried to get her out, but she won't listen to me."
A wolf howled somewhere in the woods boarding the backyard. Three of its friends howled back. Bella's blood ran cold. While she didn't believe in vampires, she did believe in wild animals. Not all creatures were as harmless as the cat rumbling in her arms.
Bella slammed the window and turned back towards Edward. "We should probably head back home. The others are probably worried."
