(Hello readers! So I'm not sure how many fans I have of this fanfic, but either way I know I'm way overdue with an update for this story so I hope you enjoy this one. I did my best not to pull anyone out of character and I'm working to build up Paul and Danielle's relationship a little bit at a time (since they are my intended couple to contrast with Bella and Edward). I hope you guys enjoy it. I own nothing but Danielle my OC.)
...
"So wait! Let me get this straight...A van was skidding across an iced parking lot right towards your sister's truck and you thought the smart thing to do...was to run across said icy parking lot and get between the van and your sister?" Leah asked, one eyebrow raised incredulously as she glanced over her shoulder to where her friend sat on floor next to Leah's bed.
"Hey! I wasn't about to just let it hit her! At the very least I was going to try to push her out of the way." Danielle shrugged her good shoulder, shooting her friend a look as she looked up from her notebook.
Leah nodded consideringly at this. "Okay, I'll give you that, but still Dani...trying to outrun a van on ice and snow?" She snickered and Danielle looked up with a playful scowl from her history notes.
"Come on Leah, I thought I was here to be morale support for you tonight. Not to be reminded of how dumb it was of me to try to get between Bella and Tyler's van. Believe me, I got enough of that from Jake, Quil and Embry." She retorted.
Leah's grin sagged slightly. "Sorry, it's just...Sam's going to be here with her and you know I won't make it through the whole night without wanting to kill myself if you're not there to distract me." She said a bit dramatically, flopping back against the headboard of her bed.
Danielle gave her a sympathetic look. "Why did your parents invite them anyway? They know what happened between you guys. They have to know how awkward it will be for you all to be there together." She toyed with a corner of her notes as she waited for Leah's answer.
There was a sigh. "Because Emily's still my cousin and that means she's still invited to family functions. I guess now since Sam and her are engaged that he's now included in that as well." She rolled her eyes and frowned up at the ceiling, letting her own notebook fall flat against her chest.
Dani frowned too. "That sucks. Are you sure you can't just skip out then? I'm sure your Mom at least would understand. We could go hide out at one of the small beaches together until the dinner is over." She suggested, looking down briefly when she felt her phone vibrate.
Leah shook her head. "I wish, but I'll never heard the end of it from Dad if I skip out on this." She gave her friend a helpless half smile that Dani returned with a chuckle as she looked at the message she got from Angela confirming that Erik had asked her to prom and reminding her about the shopping trip they were going to be taking to Port Angelos this weekend for prom dresses.
"I guess not." She shrugged as Leah laughed with her and turned over to the side of the bed, propping her head up on her fist.
"But enough about tonight. Tell me more about when you ran into Paul Lahote at First Beach. You're sure it was him?" She leaned forward suddenly and Danielle felt her cheeks heat.
"Yeah, he was hanging around with Sam and that other guy um..." Her facial expression scrunched up as she struggled to remember the identiy of the other boy who she often saw hanging around with Sam Uley's Gang.
"Jared." Leah put in and Danielle snapped her fingers. "That's the one! Anyway, they almost hit me and my friend Angela with their soccer ball and next thing I knew, Paul was looking at me like he'd never seen a girl before." She shrugged and Leah giggled.
"That must have been priceless. Big Bad Paul struck dumb by one of the Police Chief's twin daughters." She sat up. Danielle bit down on her lip as she sent a reply back to Angela.
"It was...weird for sure. Nothing like the way I saw him talking to his past two exes anyway." Dani shrugged.
"Well maybe he'll talk to you again...tonight. You know Sam usually never shows up anywhere without his posse." Leah shrugged back. Dani felt the blood drain a bit from her face and she turned to face her friend with a half incredulous, half confused look on her face.
"You actually want me to talk to Paul?" Leah shrugged. "I don't know. My Dad said he's changed since he started hanging around Sam. They like formed a reservation watch group or something."
Dani nodded. "Yeah I know, my Dad's told me about that too. But that doesn't mean everything changed about him." She looked down at her biology notes again as if they might be able to tell her whether "Big Bad Paul" had really changed from the hot-tempered flirt everyone on the Rez knew he was.
"I guess not." Leah conceded. "But it would definitely be a welcome distraction from Sam and Emily tonight." She mumbled. "Well for me anyway." She chuckled and Danielle scoffed.
"Gee thanks."
"You agreed to be my morale support." Leah reminded her. Danielle started to respond when a knock on the door interrupted whatever she had been about to say.
"Hey Girls, the others are starting to arrive. Come down and socialize." Leah's Mom poked her head around smiling warmly as Leah sighed semi-dramatically and started to shift her legs over the side of the bed.
"Sure thing, Mrs. Clearwater." Dani stood and moved to put her homework away in her backpack.
"Is Emily here?" Leah asked rather bluntly, making Dani flinch a bit though she wasn't exactly surprised by her forwardness.
Mrs. Clearwater shot her daughter a warning look. "Yes and I expect you to at least be civil to each other and to Sam for the duration of the evening. Now come on. I need to stop the boys from eating all the food already." She turned to hurry back downstairs and Dani laughed softly.
"Yeah come on Leah. Before Seth eats all the chicken."
...
"So, you still haven't set a date yet then?" Mr. Clearwater asked, his posture continually leaned a bit forward as he interrogated Sam who sat across from him with Emily on his left.
"No Sir. We're...trying to take things slow." Sam glanced so quickly in Leah's direction that Dani wasn't sure she actually saw him look that way at first, before he continued.
"However, we did want to get some particulars set in place before too much time passes...and make sure that you all knew you will be invited to the wedding when the day arrives...If it won't make anyone too uncomfortable."
An audible scoff sounded then from Leah's direction and Danielle winced, trying to shoot her friend a quick warning glance, but it was too late.
"Danielle, would you mind going out to the porch and getting the rest of the chicken off the grill? I think I smell it about to overcook." Sue said calmly enough though her eyes were narrowed in a stern expression.
Leah sprang up from her seat.
"I'll go get it." She was quick to offer, but her Mother shook her head. "No, we are in the middle of a discussion." She turned to nod encouragingly at Danielle giving her a warm smile.
Leah gave her Mom a bewildered look. "But, her shoulder..."
"Seth, will you go with Dani and help her out?" Mrs. Clearwater turned towards her son and with a sigh, the younger boy heaved himself up from his seat.
"Sure whatever." He shrugged before turning towards where Danielle was sitting.
Turning her head to give her friend a quick sympathetic glance, Dani got up to follow him out the back door.
"Leah, I know this is hard for you and believe me we've been just as angry about this situation as you are, but you can't keep being angry and spiteful at your cousin forever. She and Sam are trying to making amends and the least we can do is try to meet them part way." Danielle sighed as she heard Mrs. Clearwater's slightly muffled voice filter from the house through the cracked open windows.
With another sigh, Seth paused in front of the grill. "We forgot to grab the plate. Hang on, I'll go get it." He quickly offered, turning on his heel to go back into the house.
Danielle shrugged her good shoulder and went to grab the tongs as she heard the door swing open and shut again.
A soft breeze blew across the yard then, wafting the aroma of the chicken into her nose. Smiling at the delicious smell, Dani bent forward to inspect the pieces left on the grill.
"Want some help?"
With a gasp that nearly turned into a scream part way out of her mouth, Danielle sprang away from the warmth of the grill, dropping the tongs on the ground before whirling around in the direction of the sudden unexpected voice.
"Whoa!...Whoa sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay?" The voice asked again just as Danielle finally found the owner of the voice.
"Oh my gosh!..." She sighed and mentally groaned, raising a hand to rub her forehead as if she suddenly had a headache. "Don't do that! I could have ruined the rest of the Clearwaters' chicken!" She dramatized, taking another deep breathe before bending to pick up the tongs.
A large brown a hand grabbed it first and held it out to her. "Again sorry." The boy standing before her apologized again, looking sincere as he turned the tongs so that the handle end was pointed at Danielle.
Danielle shook her head at him dismissively, accepting the tongs. "It's fine. Just don't sneak up on me again. Especially at night." She said half seriously, but half jokingly as her eyes adjusted to the dim light and she recognized the boy who was standing by the porch.
A tingle raced down her spine as she looked into his eyes and she furrowed her brows unsure of why it suddenly felt right and safe to be with him.
With big bad, Paul Lahote who was known for his often violent temper and had gotten dumped by his last girlfriend for being too ferociously jealous.
Paul chuckled in response to her reaction to him. "I'll try. Oh, I'm Paul. In case you don't remember." He joked sticking his hand out for Dani to shake.
Danielle shrugged, quickly shaking his hand before turning back to the grill. "Dani. Yeah I remember. You almost took mine and my friend's heads off with a soccer ball."
Paul laughed heartily yet a bit sheepishly at that. "Oh right..sorry again about that too." He said, scratching at the back of his head.
Danielle shook her head. "It's fine." Paul shuffled closer as if to inspect the chicken for himself. "So what are you doing out here then? Sneaking some extra vittles?" He joked and Danielle laughed at his playful jab.
"No, not exactly. I was invited here by Leah to give her some emotional support while Sam and Emily approach her parents about their plans to marry, but...that didn't really work out well." She carefully adjusted the tongs in her hand and glanced back towards the house.
Paul nodded. "Yeah same here. I mean, Sam asked me to come with him since Jared's on a date, but then he decided last minute when we were about half way across the yard that it'd be better if he and Emily went in by themselves." He sighed and looked down at the grill.
"Go figure."
Danielle glanced from the chicken to him then nodded before rocking back on her heels. "Yeah. Go figure." She echoed him.
Paul shrugged.
"So, can I ask what happened to your shoulder or...is it too embarrassing?" He asked with a hint of a playful grin on his face.
Dani shook her head. "Oh, I broke it falling in an icy parking lot at school a couple weeks ago. A van was skidding out of control right at my sister and...well I was hoping to warn her or...push her out of the way I guess." She shrugged, laughing at the absurdity of her own words.
"Pretty dumb of me now that I've had to tell the story several times."
Paul chuckled too. "Wow. Well at least you guys are okay right? Aside from...the obvious." He gestured weakly with one hand at her sling before reaching for a drumstick.
Instinctively, Danielle hit his wrist with the tongs to stop him. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"
Paul shrugged. "Eating? You don't think they're going to miss one piece of chicken, do you?" He asked, taking a bite out of the drumstick he pilfered from the grill.
Danielle sighed. "Not anymore now that you've got your spit on it." Both Paul and Danielle started to laugh again when the sound of the porch door swinging open made them both whirl around at Seth, who reappeared on the porch with a sizable plastic platter in his hands.
"Oh. Hi Paul. You need Sam for something?" He asked, a hint of distrust in his dark eyes, though Paul hardly seemed bothered.
"No, I was just catching up with Danielle." He said casually, smirking at Dani again before taking another bite of chicken. Dani shook her head at him, feeling a bit of heat in her cheeks.
"Uh huh. Well we should probably get the rest of the chicken in before my Dad gets too hungry. We all know how the old man can be." Seth tried to joke, but it came out sounding a bit strained.
Paul just nodded, giving Danielle one last helpless smile before turning to hop off the porch, tossing the now bare chicken bone into the yard and licking his fingers for good measure before taking off across the yard.
"Guess I'd better go then. I'll see you around?" He asked. Danielle shrugged. "Maybe. The Rez is practically my second home." She joked a bit pathetically trying to lighten the mood.
Paul chuckled with her. "Great. Goodnight Danielle." Turning, he jogged away from the house. Seth waited till he was no longer visible before speaking again.
"I didn't know you and Paul Lahote were friends." Turning to face him, Danielle shook her head. "We're not. He just appeared by the porch a minute ago and started talking to me." She explained hastily.
Seth raised an eyebrow. "Okay. Well, does my sister know you're cool with him now or...?" He asked. Danielle shrugged her good shoulder.
"Kind of. Though I have a feeling she only wanted to talk about it because it distracted her from Sam and Emily being here tonight." She chewed on her lip as she found herself glancing back across the yard where Paul had run off.
"Anyway, we're hardly friends or anything. He just wanted to apologize for almost hitting me and my friend Angela with a soccer ball the other day." Seth nodded his head.
"Ah, yeah that makes sense. Just be careful. My Dad says Paul's changed a lot these days since he joined Sam's gang, but...well you know." Finally a grin curled the side of his mouth and Danielle chuckled.
"Yeah I know. Trust me, my Dad's a cop. Warning me off all the bad boys is his specialty." Seth laughed with her.
"Right. Okay well let's get these back inside. I have a feeling, Leah is going to start throwing hands at Sam and Emily soon if you don't get back there and start distracting her again." Carefully balancing the plate of chicken in his hands, Seth turned to head back into the house.
Nodding, Danielle followed, moving a little faster so she could open the door for the younger boy.
...
"Dani! Bella! What about this one?" Jessica asked as she came out of the dressing room wearing a long satin pink evening gown and a pair of white gloves that came up past her elbows.
Dani nodded in approval while Bella looked absently at the floor. "You should totally get that one, Jess! Mike won't be able to take his eyes off you." She grinned and Jessica lightly rolled her eyes at that though she was unable to keep the pleased smile from appearing on her face.
"Yeah I really like this one too. I think I might get these gloves too since it's spaghetti straps. What do you think, Bella?" She asked, looking over at the other Swan sister who flinched a bit as if someone had just thrown a paper wad at her.
"Oh! Uh...it looks great." Bella quickly threw on a smile and Jess slumped a bit dramatically while Dani turned her head away to hide a grin.
"Okay, you've been saying that for the last five dresses me and Angie have tried on. Are you seriously even trying here?" Jessica asked, throwing her hands up as Angela stepped out of the next dressing room, looking a bit shy as she stepped carefully across the store wearing a pale blue dress that had some shiny beading on the bodice.
Danielle shook her head laughing a bit as Bella blushed a bit in self-consciousness. "Don't sweat it, Jess. Dress shopping isn't exactly in Bella's wheelhouse." She joked earning a softly narrowed eye look from her sister in return.
"Hey, I'm trying! And I do think that dress looks great, Jess. You should totally get it." Bella defended herself, speaking enthusiastically as she appraised the pink dress on Jess one more time before allowing her gaze to drift to Angela who was turning from side to side in front of a mirror.
"Oh my God, Ange! You look amaze! Poor Eric is going to faint if you open the door for him looking like that." Danielle joked making Angela laugh as she turned from the mirror to face her friends, looking back down at the dress.
"Stop it, Dani. I really like the beading on his dress though. It's so..." She started to elaborate when a series of quick knocks on the window made all four girls jump.
Jessica shuddered when she saw a group of teenaged boys run past, some hooting at them and others pointing jeeringly as they passed by.
"Ugh, that's comfortable." She and Angela both moved to cover their bare arms and shoulders with their hands as they shuffled to get out of view from the store window.
Danielle gingerly nodded her head in agreement. "Agreed. What a bunch of creeps."
"Disgusting." Bella chimed in with a frown. Angela shook her head. "I'm going to get changed. Try on the purple dress again." She turned to head back into the changing room.
Dani moved to call after her. "Take a picture in the blue dress first so we can compare it with the purple!" Angela turned and nodded quickly before disappearing into her cubicle.
Jessica turned to follow her example. "I'm going to go change too. I think I might get this dress." She turned to look at herself in the mirror again and did a little twirl.
Bella stood from where had been previously sat next to Danielle by the window, nearly stumbling a bit over her own feet while almost hitting Danielle with her purse.
"Sorry! Uh...do you guys mind if I like..go check out the bookstore down the street real quick? I'll meet you at the restaurant." She glanced sheepishly at Danielle who gave her a quick reassuring look in return.
"What? Are you sure?" Angela asked from inside the dressing room and Jessica paused with her hand on the door knob to her own changing stall.
"Yeah I mean, you still have to help us pick out shoes to go with our dresses." She added, but Danielle shook her head.
"No, it's okay. I've got it, Bells. You go ahead. Just don't be too late." She gave her twin a sympathetic smile, knowing how much Bella wanted to check out the bookstore in town and that she would be even less helpful or engaged with the shoe shopping than she was with the dresses if they made her stay.
Bella gave her a grateful look in return. "Thanks. I won't. See you guys." She waved and Jess and Angela before shuffling out of the dress shop.
Jessica gave Danielle a look as the overhanging doorbells jingled. "Wow. Your sister is really nothing like you." She said matter of factly as she went int her dressing room to put her regular clothes back on.
Danielle shrugged. "Yeah, Bella is mostly all Charlie when it comes to these types of things." Turning, she ran her hand through the soft silky fabric of a silvery cocktail dress that had sleeves which were slightly off shoulder.
"You should totally try that one on." Jessica suggested and Danielle whirled to face her. "But I'm not going to Prom." Jessica playfully rolled her eyes.
"Right sorry. Excuse me for trying to include you in the fun." She pretended to be annoyed, but Danielle saw right through her.
"Thanks Jess really, but the last time you talked me into going to Homecoming with you guys, I had to spend the whole night dodging Ian Lambert and enduring icy blasts from his date's angry eyes." Dani shuddered and Jess mirrored her distaste.
"Yeah, but at least Ian transferred before this year. You wouldn't have to worry about him at Prom." She started to grin before it faltered just the slightest bit. "Of course, given the way Tyler's been acting around Bella, she might have to worry about him."
A soft sarcastic snort escaped from Dani then at that. "That's one thing we do have in common. Bella wouldn't be caught dead at a dance anymore than I would." She laughed a bit and Jess joined in.
"Seriously though, if that Paul guy asked you, would you go to Prom?" Jessica asked suddenly and the laughter suddenly stopped.
"Jess..." Dani trailed off, trying to fight the warmth that started to streak her cheeks now whenever she thought of Paul.
"Come on, Dani. You said he tried to ask you out. I bet he'd totally go with you if you asked him to Prom." Jessica wheedled. Dani gave a little frown.
"He didn't...I mean, all he asked was if I was free on the weekend and I told him we'd made plans to go shopping." Jess gave her a semi hard nudge in the ribs.
"Hello? He's dropping hints that he's interested! Don't just leave him in the dust. Reciprocate! At least have a coffee with him or something!"
"Yeah about that..." Dani sighed, though she was pretty sure Jess had noticed her blushing by now as she thought of the last run in she'd had with Paul.
"Jake, please tell me you're kidding." Dani's eyes felt like they might pop out of their sockets in a second as she gaped at the spiked hubcabs, Jacob was examining as if he were seriously considering purchasing it.
Jake laughed heartily at the look on Dani's face. "What? Don't tell me you wouldn't want to drive a car that had these babies on them?" He picked up a hubcab as if to give Dani a better look at them.
"I mean, no one would dare try to get too close to you if you had spikes on your ride." Dani smacked him in the arm for his joke.
"It doesn't even fit in the budget. Besides, my Dad would freak if you showed up at my house and gave me a car with spikey hubs." She retorted and Jake shrugged, nodding concedingly at her point.
"All right, fine. What about spinning rims then?" The grin was back and Danielle started to roll her eyes, turning to leave the aisle and look for a bathroom when she collided into someone behind her.
"Oh!...I'm so sorry! I didn't...Paul!" Dani gaped, seeing him standing in the aisle, bending to pick up the box of tail light bulbs that fell off a shelf when Dani bumped into him.
"Hey Danielle. It's okay. I wasn't really watching where I was going either." Paul shrugged, grinning toothily he looked up to make eye contact with Danielle again.
Danielle felt the heat rising up her cheeks again. "Do you...ever wear a shirt?" She asked without thinking. Paul glanced down at his bare chest then chuckled.
"Only on special occasions." He joked, scratching his head before straightening his posture. "So hey, I was going to ask before at the Clearwaters', but I was wondering, do you-are you doing anything this we-."
"Hey Paul! We got to go!" Sam suddenly appeared at the end of the aisle, Jared nearly at his heels. Paul gave them an angry yet sulky look, but he sighed before looking back at Danielle apologetically.
Danielle shook her head reassuringly. "It's okay. I'm actually going shopping with my friends for Prom dresses this weekend." She chewed on her lip, glancing over at Sam and Jared before returning her gaze to Paul.
Paul's shoulders sagged a bit. "Oh. Okay. D-do you-?"
"Paul!" Sam barked, sharply gesturing with his head towards the door of the store. Paul sent him another glare, this time clenching a fist.
"Just wait!" He snapped back, making Dani flinch a bit.
"Uh, I was going to ask you...I want to make up for almost hitting you with the ball that last time. Could I maybe, take you out for coffee sometime?" Paul asked hopefully.
Still feeling Sam and Jared's eyes on her, Dani pulled her lower lip in between her teeth, thinking. "It was just a soccer ball. It's not like you almost hit me with your car something." She shrugged her good shoulder.
Paul shrugged back. "Yeah, but...I still feel bad. How about Sunday at ten? Do you know the cafe near the edge of the Rez?" He asked.
Dani scuffed her toe on the floor. "Sure." She murmured with a slight smile. "Leah and I went there right after..." She started and trailed off, glancing awkwardly over at Sam.
Paul nodded. "Good. Should I pick you up or...?"
Dani gnawed on her lip again. "I can meet you." She said quietly, feeling the heat intensify in her cheeks.
"Paul." Sam's voice came again, more pressingly and this time Paul let out a low growl. "Coming!" He barked back at him.
With a sigh, Jared turned to leave the store and Sam followed after lingering for a moment longer.
Paul shook his head. "Sorry about that. I really need to go, but will you really meet me at the cafe on Sunday?" He asked, already moving one leg back to follow his friends though there was a hopefulness in his eyes.
Dani nodded. "I will." She said, feeling her stomach do another flip. Relief mixed with joy washed over Paul's expression. "Great. I'll see you then." He held two thumbs up in the air before turning to rush out of the autoparts shop.
Dani found herself staring after him as he sprinted to catch up to Sam and Jared.
"Um...what was that all about?" Jake asked with a slightly uncomfortable laugh, making Dani jump since she'd somehow forgotten he was still there.
Dumbly she shrugged at him.
"No way! He did ask you out! Girl, I told you!" Jessica nearly squealed, grabbing Danielle in a sudden hug. Danielle giggled along with her, feeling the effects of her friend's enthusiasm.
"The thing is, my Dad knows about Paul's past reputation as well as anyone on the Rez does and if he found out I agreed to a date with him..." She shook her head, knowing there was no need to finish her sentence.
Jess shrugged as if she didn't see any problem. "So? I'll go with you. Your Dad won't have a problem if you take a friend with you to meet him." She proposed just as Angela came out wearing a lavender colored cocktail dress.
"You'd do that?" Dani asked with a grin and Jessica gave her a disbelieving look. "Of course. In fact, Angela and I will both come. We'll walk in a little bit after you and take a table nearby where he won't see us." She wiggled an eyebrow.
"Wait, where am I going with you guys?" Angela spoke up, confused. Dani and Jessica turned to glance at her.
Jessica smirked.
...
Hey, this is Bella. Leave me a message-.
"Still no answer?" Angela asked, starting to look as worried as Danielle as the latter punched the hang up button on her phone with a frustrated sigh.
"No. Guys, I'm getting worried. Bella would call if something was delaying her." She reasoned, chewing on her lip as Jessica reached to dab at a bit of tomato sauce on her face.
Jessica shook her head. "Well, if she's not here in five more minutes I say we order something for her. I'm sure she's so hungry right now she could faint." She dramatized a bit and despite her worry, Danielle let out a snort.
"Yeah okay. I'm going to try calling her again." Danielle picked up her phone again and redialed Bella's number. A few minutes later, she hung up.
"Okay, that's it. I'm going to head over to the bookstore and see if she's still there." She stood abruptly from her seat, abandoning her half eaten plate of spaghetti.
Jess and Angela start to get up after her, one of them grabbing her purse that she left behind in her haste. "Dani wait! You can't just go out there-!"
"Should I bring the checks, Ladies?" The waiter who had been taking care of them stepped in Dani's way with a tray of food balanced on one hand.
His eyebrows were raised in a wary manner and Dani felt her stomach twist as she realized what her suddenly running out while her friends tried to follow her looked like to the restaurant staff.
"Sorry, she just forgot her purse." Jessica quickly made up an excuse while Angela took advantage of Dani's hesitation to lightly grab at the sleeve of her hoodie.
"Dani, come on. It's too dangerous for you to go out by yourself." She murmured. "Let's finish eating then we'll go out to look for Bella together." She suggested.
Danielle sighed through clenched teeth. "Fine, but if she doesn't show up or answer her phone soon, I'm going to call my Dad." She turned to stalk back to their table, already pulling up her phone again.
Jess and Angela exchanged glances before following her back.
*Riiiiiiing*...*Riiiiiiing...*Riiiii-* "Dani?"
"Bella!" Danielle almost yelled, pausing just before blushing at the attention she attracted from the other diners.
"Oh my God! Where are you? Why haven't you been answering your phone? You know, Port Angelos gets shifty after dark! I swear sometimes-!"
"Dan! Dani! Calm down! I-I'm okay! I just...I got lost coming out of the bookstore and Edward found me. He's driving me over to the restaurant now." Bella cut her off, her voice wavering a bit as the sounds of rushing traffic slightly muffled her words.
"Wait? Edward? As in...Edward Cullen? What was he doing here and how did he know how to find you?" Danielle furrowed her brows in confusion though the relief she felt at knowing her sister was fine bled through her exasperation.
There was a long pause and Danielle took the moment to sink back into her chair, noticing the inquisitive looks on her two friends' faces.
"I was just lucky I guess. Look, we're going to be there soon. I'm sorry I didn't hear my phone. It was on vibrate. You didn't call Char...Dad, did you?" Bella asked and Dani lightly rolled her eyes.
"No, though I was about to." Dani shook her head, rubbing at her temple as if she had a headache.
"Okay...good. I'm almost there." Bella responded. Dani nodded her head. "Okay. We'll see you I guess."
She hung up the phone after listening to Bella's dismissing reply.
"She's okay?" Angela asked as Dani reached for her fork again. Danielle nodded. "I think so. Apparently she got lost." She ate a forkful of pasta.
"Where is she?" Angela continued. Danielle sighed and gave her friends a look. "You guys are going to lose your minds."
...
"Oh my..." Jessica trailed off, stopping in her tracks as she, Angela and Danielle stepped out of the restaurant together, meeting with Bella and Edward Cullen at the edge of the parking lot.
Dani looked from her sister to Edward and back again with a look that said "I need a better explanation. Pronto."
"Hey! You made it. Sorry, we would have waited for you, but we got so hungry. Dani was about to flip her lid though." Angela gestured at Danielle who shot her a look.
"I'm just glad I don't have to get Dad to file a missing person report on you. That would have really got Mom going." She muttered, making Bella cough out an awkward laugh as Edward smiled almost smugly to himself beside her.
"Actually, this whole thing was my fault. I ran into Bella on the street and we got to talking. I'm sorry to worry you all. Especially Danielle." Edward nodded at the girls, offering an especially warm and endearing smile at Dani.
Dani shrugged nonchalantly. "Thanks for bringing her back safely, Edward." She said politely, gesturing with her good shoulder back towards the restaurant.
"I actually ordered something for you, Bella. They said it would be ready soon. I ordered it to go so you can eat in the car on the way back."
Edward seemed to frown at that and Dani frowned back bewildered as Bella started to nod appreciatively.
"Well, I can give Bella a ride back home if she wanted to eat inside. That is, if it's okay with you. I'm sure you must be famished." Edward moved his gaze from Danielle to Bella with another smile. Blushing, Bella shrugged.
"Uh...sure. Yeah that'd be great." She looked at Danielle as if silently asking her opinion. Danielle glanced back at her friends.
"I think I'll stay behind too. I'll call Dad and let him know we'll be running late." She nodded at Jess and Angela and they both nodded back, shamelessly stealing another oggling look at Edward who frowned again briefly before turning towards Jessica's car.
"Okay. Call or text us when you have a chance." Angela replied, making the universal hand gesture for a phone with her hand.
Danielle nodded. "I will." She turned her gaze back to where Bella and Edward stood. "Um...so I ordered the beef and mushroom ravioli for you, Bells. I hope that's okay." She managed a half grin at her sister.
Meeting her eye, Bella smiled back. "Sounds good." She looked over at Edward who seemed to be having an inner debate with himself.
"Shall we go in?" He asked, the conflict quickly being replaced with another warm and kind smile. Bella nodded, a deep pink blush filling her cheeks again as she self-consciously tucked her hands into her pockets.
Dani mirrored her nod. "I'll go check on your food." She spoke to Bella and turned to go back into the restaurant. Edward got to the door before she could and pushed it open.
"I can do that, if you want to call your Dad and make sure he doesn't worry about you guys." He glanced at Bella again with a toothy smile though Danielle gave him a strange look.
"It's no trouble." She responded tentatively. "Besides I'm the one who placed the order. The staff..." Dani took a shallow breath as the rest of her words died on her lips under the weight of Edward's gaze.
It wasn't...intimidating per se, but something about the look in Edward's golden brown eyes made her almost subconsciously decide not to argue with him.
"I insist." Edward said softly, the friendliness never leaving his tone. "It's already getting pretty late. Go ahead and make the call. I'll make sure Bella has something to eat before I take you both home." He said, making a grand sweeping gesture with his other hand as if to usher the girls inside.
Still hesitating, Dani walked back into the foyer of the restaurant, watching as Edward moved confidentally and gracefully across the floor to take out order desk and began to speak to the woman working there.
Barely stifling a sigh, Danielle sank into the bench set close to the entrance as Bella moved to follow him, glancing back at her sister once before a waitress turned to guide them to a table further in the interior.
Craning her neck to see, Danielle made a quick mental note of where Edward and Bella were sitting with the ravioli before pulling out her phone and hitting her Dad's speed dial.
"Hello?"
"Hey Dad, it's Dani. Uh...I just wanted to let you know that Bella and I are going to be a late getting home. Bella got lost trying to meet up with us at the restaurant so we'll be heading back after she gets something to eat." Danielle quickly explained, choosing to leave Edward Cullen's sudden appearance out of it even though she knew her Dad respected the Cullens and their kids.
"Oh...okay. That's fine. I'm going to be a little late myself. Something came up on the animal attacks case and...it's going to take me awhile to get it wrapped up. Will you and Bella be okay by yourselves tonight? You both got your keys and your pepper spray right?" Dad asked, sounding tired and worried at the same time.
Dani nodded her head, taking another peek over at Bella and Edward. "Yeah, we're okay. Are you going to be okay? I can get Edward to drop us off at the police station or-."
"Wait! Edward? I thought you guys were out with Angela and Jessica?" Charlie cut her off confused and Dani felt the blood rush to her face at her slip up.
"Yeah we were...but since Bella ran late, they had to get going so Edward offered to drive us home after Bella finishes eating. According to Bell, they ran into each other when she got lost trying to find us."
She heard her Dad sigh. "Next time just stick together, okay Dani? It's obviously been too long since the last time you girls went to Port Angelos together and with these mystery killings I don't need my own daughters taking unnecessary risks."
Dani nodded in agreement, feeling another shiver race down her spine when she looked over and met Edward's eyes again for a second.
"Sure thing, Dad. I'll let Bella know." She started to swing her legs, determined not to look up in Bella and Edward's direction again.
"Good. So did the shopping go okay? Did you...find any nice dresses that will work?" Dad asked a bit awkwardly and Dani smiled, sensing her Dad's discomfort at trying to talk about clothes.
"We did for Jess and Angela. Bella and I aren't going to the dance, remember?" She asked with a shrug.
"Oh right. Well uh, be safe and...let me know when you get back. I'll uh...try not to be too late getting back to the house too." Charlie sighed and Dani felt her stomach turn at hearing the stress in his tone again though he did his best to sound calm and casual.
"I will. Bye Dad." She stood from the bench, hitting the hang up button after listening to her Dad's last reply.
Taking a deep breath, Dani turned to head over to where Bella and Edward were still sitting, the plate of ravioli now empty as they laughed together about something.
"Hey Edward? I don't want to impose, but is there anyway you can drop me and Bella off at the Forks Police Station? Something came up." She glanced over at Bella's slightly confused expression before continuing.
Wrinkling his nose a bit, Edward nodded, rearranging his facial expression quickly back into an amiable smile. "Uh sure. Sure, that's fine. Is Chief Swan okay?" He asked seeming, genuinely concerned.
Dani nodded. "Yeah, it's just, the recent killings around town are getting more intense or something. I just want to make sure he's okay since, you know he's not really a talk about feelings type of guy even with me and he was saying he might stay late at work tonight." She shrugged.
Bella and Edward exchanged a quick glance with each other, Bella frowning a bit with worry while Edward seemed to be having a inner deliberation with himself.
"Okay. I'll drive you guys to the police station then. Bella, are you ready to go?" He asked, looking down at the other girl who nodded almost eagerly at him before catching herself and exchanging a look with Dani.
"Yeah, I'm ready." She stood, stumbling on one of the legs of the table as she did so. Dani stifled a laugh.
"Shut up." Bella quickly shot in her sister's direction. Dani quickly raised a hand in a semi defensive manner.
...
"Are you cold?" Dani looked up when she heard the question, though her gaze quickly fell away with a dismissive shake of her head when she saw Edward had directed his question at Bella.
Clenching her jaw, Bella shrugged her shoulders. "A little. Dani, you cold?" She asked, starting to reach for the dial controlling the heat. Dani started to nod, starting to slip her own hands into the sleeves of her hoodie when Edward got the same idea as Bella and his fingers met Bella's at the heater.
Dani glanced over when she heard her sister gasp. "Your hand!...It's so cold. Like ice!" Bella exclaimed, gaping at Edward who tensed a bit visibly in response.
"Um yeah...bad circulation." He muttered, his eyes flickering in Dani's direction. Bella looked instantly uncomfortable for some reason, but before Dani could question either of them, her attention was drawn by a pair of flashing squad cars and an ambulance parked in front of the Forks Police Station.
"Whoa! What's going on?" Dani suddenly straightened in the backseat of Edward's volvo, leaning towards the window.
Bella started to roll down her window when Edward turn to pull the car into the parking lot. "My Father's car is here too. What could...?" Edward commented, trailing off while nodding at the luxury car that looked equally as expensive as his.
Dani sprang out of the car the moment Edward put it in park, hearing Bella and Edward follow shortly after just as the door swung open and Dr. Cullen appeared looking deeply disturbed and sad.
She froze and felt the blood drain from her face when she passed the ambulance and saw a body laying on a stretcher inside, mostly covered by a sheet except for the feet which were stained a bit disturbingly red.
"Dani. Bella. I suppose you've heard then." Carlisle greeted the girls in a resigned manner, taking immediate notice to their arrival.
Forcing herself to look away from the grisly scene, Dani shook her head. "Only that there was a development in the animal attacks." She responded, her worry only growing when she saw two officers leave the building, both exchanging a distressed expression with each other before heading over to their own vehicles, nodding at the girls.
"What's going on, Carlisle?" Edward asked calmly.
"Yeah, is Charlie okay?" Bella chimed in.
Dr. Cullen sighed, keeping his gaze on Danielle and Bella. "He's fine. His friend Waylon Forge was found dead in the woods near his place earlier this evening though. I just examined the body." He nodded towards the ambulance.
Dani gulped and exchanged glances with Bella. "He's dead?" She asked, in disbelief knowing how much her Dad regarded his friends since the divorce.
"How?" Bella asked.
"Animal Attack." Dr. Cullen answered readily.
"The development in the case." Dani muttered mostly to herself though everyone around her caught it. "It's getting closer to town."
Dr. Cullen offered her a kind reassuring smile. "Queets River is still a way off. You girls should just go inside now and be there for your Dad. He's taking all this pretty hard." He said honestly yet gravely.
Nodding in understanding, Dani rushed to get inside hearing Bella following.
Inside, the police station was mostly dark except for the dim light coming from the desk lamp in Chief Swan's office.
Dani got there first and didn't hesitate before throwing her arms around her Dad from behind. "Dad, it's us. I'm so sorry about Waylon." She gave him a little comforting squeeze, feeling him reach and pat her elbow in a grateful manner.
"Yeah, that's really terrible." Bella added, tentatively putting a hand on his other arm in a sympathetic gesture.
Charlie sighed. "Thanks Girls. I just...can't believe it is all. I've known Waylon for 30 years. He scared Dani the first time he dressed as Santa for her first Christmas party." Dani stifled her snort at the memory, knowing now was not the time to laugh.
Heaving another sigh, Charlie turned, taking in the sight of his two daughters looking at him with sadness and sympathy in their almost identical eyes before attempting to put on a brave smile.
"Well, the important thing is we'll get to the bottom of these attacks soon. They can't run forever after all." He said as confidently as he could muster and Danielle tried her best to smile back at him.
"True. Are you going to be okay though, Daddy?" She asked. Her Dad responded by setting a loving yet firm hand on her cheek. He did the same with Bella.
"I think so. Just...promise me one thing both of you?" He looked from Bella to Dani and back again until both girls nodded.
"Keep an extra can of pepper spray in your purses. Just in case until this is all over." He reached into his desk and pulled out two small silvery canisters.
Dani immediately took one even though her first can of pepper spray was still mostly full and slipped it into her bag. Bella hesitated. "Um I'm not sure that's a good idea for-."
"It will give me some peace of mind." He stretched his arm out to her with the remaining canister in his palm and Bella seeing that he was really worried for their safety after the death of his friend, nodded and took the can.
"Okay." Charlie took a deep breath and a made a sweeping motion with his arm before moving to head towards the door. "Let's go home, Girls. I think I'm ready to sleep on it now."
Dani nodded and rushed back to her Dad's desk to turn off the lamp before following him and Bella towards the exit, both girls careful not to look back in the direction of the body still sitting in the back of the ambulance again as they rushed to get into the back of their Dad's patrol car.
...
