Will be home by 8 tonight. We've got a mess here in Port Angeles. -Charlie
Things alright at all? That's five days almost.
We've got bodies. A pit of them. We're working out the details of it. -Charlie
Let me know if you need Bella or I to come drive you home.
All good here. Just keep an eye on Bella. I've got FBI here within some special units. They'll be taking it over from US marshals -Charlie
Will the let you back to Forks only?
No idea. I'm too involved at this point. Signed a few NDAs -Charlie
"Who are you texting?" Bella asked looking over from the stove.
Adley had leant back on the counter as her phone had buzzed. Edward was sat at the table working on the homework brows creased as he grumbled over the dictionary. She had to give him the points for taking hers without her knowing.
"You're father. He'll be home by eight hopefully. They've got a mess there. The FBI are getting special units involved." Adley advised.
She glanced over to Edward. "Have you heard anything from your family? Regarding Victoria?"
"We've begun to scout the area and such. Scents of a few vampires are in the area. Hers included. The Volturi guard have it under control with our help." He replied before turning back to the packet.
Bella and she ate dinner in time. She sat back after they finished the dishes. Bella shot her a look. Adley nodded.
Edward looked between the two of them before he set his packet away.
"We need to talk."
"We can always talk Bella," he encouraged her.
"It's about us. Last night you proposed." She took a deep breath. "It made me uncomfortable. It was your response to me saying I felt this was a dream, you being back. Getting spontaneously married may have been some romantic gesture back a long time ago, to me it's not. Especially when we are nowhere near this step."
"I'm sorry my actions made you feel that." His brows furrowed.
Adley poked at his aura. He was sad and ashamed.
"I need time." She replied.
"I can go home if you would feel more comfortable—"
"No!"
Bella panicked. Adley took her hand from the third chair between the two of them. She turned her attention to the teen boy feeling just as panicked.
"It is obvious your bond of fragile to parting again." She commented. "What Bella is trying to get out Edward is she needs time with you. Your words six months ago hurt her badly. I showed you just a glimpse of what she felt daily. For her sake I will not put you through it again. You need to work with her to repair this wound. She acknowledges you're her mate. She isn't giving up on the relationship. But she needs effort and consistency that you will not do it again. If you do it'll end terribly."
"I had nightmares for weeks. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Adley. What you did wasn't okay. This whole mate thing we can't fix. We're together. I love you. That's clear. But these words are one sided. You've been back two days I need time to forgive you. You need to realize this." Bella pleaded.
Edward frowned but he nodded. "I am truly sorry Bella, that I did what I did. It's no excuse for it. I am thankful you are even giving me the chance to prove myself to you."
Adley nodded. 'Much fucking better boy.' She sneered mentally at him.
"I hope I can prove myself as someone worthy of Bella to you as well." He addressed her.
"I don't like you. To my distaste you are too important to her to make leave. I will try and give you the chance to prove yourself. Know though I get any word you are being an asshole or dickhead I will personally come and let you feel my gift." She smiled politely.
"Alright." Edward nodded curtly.
"There is one more issue by the way. You may need to worry about." Adley hedged, her phone chiming.
I'm five minutes from home. -Charlie
She jumped up from the table seeing the clock. It was five to seven. He was an hour ahead of what he said he'd be. She quickly got some food served into a bowl.
Edward was still in the chair sitting at the table with Bella who was looking at her confused.
"Your father is almost home."
"You should leave." Bella suggested.
"I will need to face Charlie one day. Why not today?" He shrugged.
Adley watched his aura swirl with fear but a smooth confidence. She shook her head.
"That may not be the best idea Edward. Charlie is exhausted physically and mentally. He wouldn't be afraid to set fire to you." Adley warned.
'He's severely pissed at you. I've been the one needing to hear his thoughts on you and your family. You hurt his daughter. He won't be easy.' She mentally chastised.
"He's here." Edward announced.
Adley sighed shaking her head. His funeral. She was still wanting to toss the lighter to Charlie. She walked to the door.
Right on time Charlie entered kicking off his shoes. Dark circles were around his eyes. He was pale and looked frankly like shit. She pursed her lips. He would not be kind. He was still suited up and had his gun on his hip.
"I have dinner still warm in the kitchen. Get out of your vest and come eat."
"Pizza would more than suffice. Thank you Adley." He undid his bullet proof vest and slipped off the belt. She took it in hand.
"No worries Charlie. I know this is a lot for you."
"Was the concert venue great?"
"It was, Bella and I really had fun. Thank you for trusting me."
He raised a brow. "Why do I feel like I'm being buttered up? What's happened."
He looked over her shoulder. He frowned squaring his shoulders. His nose scrunched up with his brows. He reached immediately for his belt in her hands.
She pulled away.
"Adley give me my gun. There's vermin in my kitchen." He sneered.
She shivered at the growing anger exploded from Charlie. Her hairs on her neck stood. She shook her head holding the weapons tight. they were useless anyways.
"No Charlie. You cannot murder a teen boy." She sighed.
"Are they back? How long have they been back, and did you know?" He ground through clenched teeth.
"When I called their name at roll call today. It seems Dr. Cullen did not like his move and they came back. I'm sorry Charlie I didn't tell you. You've been so busy."
"He hasn't been alone with her, has he?"
"No. I have been present."
"Evening, Chief Swan." Edward waved from behind Bella.
He was not touching her in anyways.
Charlie held his hand up. "No do not speak to me boy. I'm seconds from killing you. Why are you in my house. What made you think you were welcome here?"
"They were catching up on homework. Nothing has happened."
"Dad, —"
"No Bella. Go to your room. Cullen get out of my home." He barked.
"I'm an adult."
"Under my roof." He warned.
Adley motioned to Bella. "Get your father's dinner. I suggest you listen Edward and go home. It's been a long day. We will talk later. Right now leave."
'He is two seconds from killing you or having a heart attack leave now.'
"Good night Bella. Good night Chief Swan, Ms. Choi."
Edward left as swiftly as he could. Charlie was taking deep breaths. His anger shook him to his core.
"Bella tell me you aren't stupid. You aren't back with that piece of shit." He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Charlie, go eat then we'll talk." Adley turned taking the food from Bella. "Go upstairs and get ready for bed."
Bella nodded running upstairs. She handed Charlie a beer and the meal.
"Sit down and eat. Then we will talk." Adley ordered.
She watched him chug the beer. He set the bottle down and ate half the bowl of kimchi. He took a few deep breaths.
She sent out waves of calm to try and defuse the man before her. Right now she did not doubt for a second he would find some sort of explosives and set them off with Edward in a room.
"I respect Dr. Cullen he's been nothing but good to this town. I am quite glad to have talent like him back in town. He could be anywhere. However, the way his son hurt her. What in fuck am I to do?" He sighed stabbing some more food and eating it.
Adley sat down on the couch next to him. "She's an adult Charlie, regardless of her always being your daughter."
"I know. That's the reason this is so frustrating. I don't want to push her away because I over reacted. She only just came back to me. You helped so much to bring her back to a version of normal. I don't want her to run away with him because she chose her heart instead of logic. Bella was so badly hurt. I trust her but him he's not good for her." He sighed, deeply frowning as he chewed.
"I am not looking forward to this either. I saw Bella it took a lot to pull her back to earth. Ethically he did not choose to move away. He did not choose the best way to tell her... I'm not a fan of the boy either." Adley agreed "We may need to trust Bella, make it supervised visits and during then he can be assessed if he's worthy of allowing back around Bella. I'm sure the emotional harm that occurred he didn't mean to do. He's seventeen."
Adley lied through her teeth at the end. He was a one hundred plus year old vampire frozen as a teen. He was selfish and nearly killed his mate, but she couldn't tell Charlie any of this. She had to use the ruse he was but a boy. Not fully thinking shit through. The reality of it was so much worse.
"I'm working on these cases, I have no time to watch them."
"I'll do it then. I'm in the school enough I'll keep an eye out while there and I'll keep by Bella. I'm not just going to abandon our friendship because he is back. She has been traumatized and I'm not walking away."
"You're a life saver Adley. I don't know what we did for your friendship, but I absolutely appreciate it. How can I repay you seriously? You've been taking care of us for months. I came home and got angry. Let myself get too hungry, and you've listened and fed me." He murmured.
"Keep buying me breakfast and coffee and we're good. Now I'm sure Bella missed you. It's been four days. It's early enough in the night. Talk to her Charlie. She's an adult."
"Thank you Adley, especially for helping so late. I'll talk to you tomorrow about timing for him and Bella. Work out a schedule."
"Don't worry Charlie, it'll be alright." She patted his arm walking to get her things.
She should probably head home and give them some space. She made her way the door.
"Good night Bella." She called up the stairs.
"I'll hold you to it," he jested with a half grin.
Adley made her way out to her Jeep in front of the house.
Adley changed into a pair of blue silk short shorts and a matching silk tank top and over robe. A set she'd bought more currently. Her hair hung around her as she set to start her kettle on the stove top.
Her front door opened and closed. She heard the closet in the front foyer open and close. She went to investigate.
Her heart settled seeing Marcus. She smiled.
"Hi,"
Marcus looked her over brow raised. "Evening beautiful."
She opened her arms stepping up to hug him. She laid her head on his chest taking a deep breath. He wore a suit jacket and button down. He wrapped his arms around her running his fingers through her hair.
"A long day?"
"You have no idea."
"I think I have some, assigning the Cullen teens homework in other languages?" He mused.
Adley snickered. "I'm firm in my stance of they need a challenge too. They have the audacity not to know more than European languages."
"Specifically, Edward."
"I have no regrets or guilt."
"I am well aware." He chuckled kissing the top of her head.
"What did you get up to today?" She pulled back walking back into the kitchen to continue with her mission for hot chocolate.
"We went to the scenes of a few incidents across the state. I met up with Abdul from our internal workings of the FBI. He got most of the guard up on what the hypothesis is for the occurrences here. There is a lot that needs to be done and quickly I'm afraid, the pit found in Port Angeles is more urgent we need to act. It will require my attention for the next few days." Marcus informed her resting on the counter beside her.
"What are the findings?"
"That we may be looking at a newborn army." He sighed. "I updated my brothers that we may be here for some time working on a few ways to track them down and eliminate the threat. The other issue is the attention it has drawn from the humans. Abdul has been working on spinning a tale with evidence, but it'll take time. This Victoria is much harder to track than we thought. Demetri is doing his best to focus in on her however with no previous meeting of her it'll be hard."
"Demetri, what is his talent?" She asked.
"He is a tracker, one of the best. Once he meets someone, he can track them to the end of the world and back. No one can thwart his abilities. He is efficient for us. In cases such as these he is going off scent from memories of others and trusting their words it is her scent."
"It would've been nice if I was poisonous. Then she'd be dead. Would've served her right from biting me."
Marcus paused. He guided her to be in front of him. He pushed her hair off her neck looking it over. He saw the silver crescents easily in her soft taupe skin, it stood out. He ran his fingers over the mark the skin wasn't hard as expected. He'd seen Ms. Swan's bite on her arm. Aro had referred to it when he tried to read her memories. The skin was like theirs, but it was slightly warmer from the blood still in her.
"The skin is discolored as expected. I wonder if the venom lingers in your cells still. It's been how long since you were attacked?" He questioned.
"Just over five or six weeks, I believe."
"Your red blood cells may still contain the venom. I'm not one hundred percent but it might." He turned to pull his cell phone out.
A few hushed whispers went between him and who ever he was speaking with. Adley scrunched her face up utterly confused. The venom could still be in her system? If that was the case, why wasn't she changing? Her kettle signaled it was done boiling.
She got to mixing the packet and adding the milk in. she grabbed herself a few peanut butter cookies from the jar she'd made prior to leaving. She put them in a napkin and went to sit on the couch. Marcus followed behind her sitting and allowing her to curl into his side while flipping on the TV. She kept it low as she ate. She really didn't pay much attention to the home building show. HGTV was great for mind numbing.
"If there is still venom in my blood why am I not changing?" She asked. "Bella said it was only a few drops needed to turn someone. It's why a vampire must ensure they have completely drained the body. In that sense what of animals if exposed to venom?"
"Animals die when exposed, not one has survived the transition. Aro got close fifty years ago with a rabid dog. He didn't know it'd been exposed to rabies until it was too late. It mixed with venom produced something close to that of the infection of what causes werewolves."
"That's sad." She paused. "What of myself then?"
"I am not sure. That is a mystery. Just as the fact you survive death. It is not an easily decoded reason. Here in America, we have set up a few labs to do research. If you were open to it, I could escort you to one of the facilities. We could investigate your genetic makeup." He suggested.
"I would be a lab rat?" Adley scrunched her nose up sipping at her drink.
"None would dare," he assured running a hand down her opposite arm.
"I do not see the harm in finding out what's going on. To my knowledge my siblings are both aging and mortal…"
"Are you sure?"
"No." she whispered. "I have never discussed this with my siblings, only my aunt Janet. She was my therapist and dealt with it all."
"Your aunt, is she?"
"No, she's been aging at a steady rate. While Asians tend to age well, my aunt is beginning to show her age. She's in her early sixties." Adley remembered her closest aunt.
A beautiful woman, so well poised. Her dark hair hadn't begun to turn grey until two thousand. She kept it in a bob, and her skin the perfect taupe, as her almond eyes were always surrounded by her long lashes. Her hands soft as she was. Her Aunt Janet was born in Korea but moved over as a little girl. She grew up and got a PhD in psychology. Eventually landing a job working with the university in Seattle along with some government work.
"I'm sure if you would like this weekend, we could go to the facility we have outside of Olympia. All the other guards are currently busy, so I am sure Ibrahim will be more than enough to escort us." He offered.
Adley tilted her head. "Ibrahim? Isn't he busy with the rest of your guard?"
"His assignment has been to you while I am away."
"Is he positioned outside my home or something? I haven't met him."
"Currently he is to give us some privacy. He usually is rather close by." Marcus replied.
Adley yawned trying to comprehend when she'd have noticed the guard.
"It feels like eternity since we last were here." Charlie commented looking over the menu in front of him.
"It's been a week for you," Adley reminded skimming the pages.
The early morning light was still coming in from the windows to their left. Charlie set his down ordering his usual. Adley decided to get an omelet with peppers and spinach in it. She prepped her coffee while they waited for their food.
"I'd say," He huffed leaning back.
"How're you coping, I've been meaning to ask. Your friend, Harry he died recently." She hedged looking up to him.
Charlie rubbed at his chin. He'd allowed his beard to grow out it over the weekend it seemed. "I've been so busy in Port Angeles that its barely registering. I'd been friends with Harry for nearly four decades of my life. Our parents were friends. It still feels like if I call this weekend to go fishing, he'll answer."
"Grief takes many forms. Don't beat on yourself that you've been stuck on work. You're a chief of police, dealing with a massive case."
"Yeah, and I'm being a terrible friend." He scoffed. "I'm off the case officially for two weeks. I've been told by my boss I am to take the time to deal with this. I've put in more than enough time to take bereavement time."
Adley took a sip from her coffee before responding. "How many hours were you putting in Charlie? You've been working nonstop sun up to late in the night from what I've seen. I spent a lot of time in your home mind you. Don't lie to me either."
The man flushed red downing his coffee before raising his hand for a refill. "I've been busy."
"The cases have taken over your life. Your boss was kind to give you the time. Go to your friends Charlie. The cases won't be solved in the next two weeks. It's a sad reality. Go say good bye." Adley suggested, while their food was delivered.
"I'm not the only one he left. He had a wife, Sue and two kids. Leah and Seth, nineteen and fourteen? A retired veteran. A goddamn good cook and father." He shook his head.
"Death doesn't discriminate on who or when it takes someone. We are the ones who need to cope and exist with the loss. If you feel guilty on not being there go up to the reserve today and see his family. See how they are." She hedged.
"I would but my daughter's got an issue in our home." He scrunched his nose up taking a bite of his bacon.
"I'll keep an eye on those two. I promise."
"I hope she doesn't go back to how she was before he left. Focusing in on just him and ignoring her friends and life. Bella doesn't seem to see around her when he is around. I frankly get worried at the intensity of their relationship. It's not normal." He gruffed.
"They are intense, yes. Some of us are lucky to meet our soulmates." She replied not resting on the issue.
"I hope to god not. He's undeserving of her."
"He makes her happy. They have some issues to work out, but I hate to say it, they may be together for a while." She warned.
"It's conflicting to think on that. Bella's a grown adult and I respect her choices, even if taking him back so quickly is alarming."
"Teens don't have full frontal lobes. Give them time. I'm sure Edward is more than aware to be in the best form from here on out. Too many people willing take care of him." She snickered.
Adley finished up her work for the day later than normal. Her chest had begun to ache sometime around noon. She decided to take the time to finish up a few assignments for the next while. Her thoughts moving to Marcus, the pang flared with the thoughts of him. So, she did her best to distract herself from the itch she was experiencing. Usually, she'd just invest more time in Bella, but the girl decided to go home and spend some time with Angela.
She grinned happily with her assignments for the week printed off. An extra special one for the Cullen siblings sat on top. She got into her Jeep in the parking lot, chuckling to herself while reviewing the forty pages for the vampire pair.
"Is that Korean?"
A deep voice asked from the back seat. Her eyes snapped up to the rear-view mirror.
"Gah!" Adley turned jumping back into the steering wheel. The horn honked. "Fucking hell! Who are you?"
Heart thundered in her chest, as she glared into the back seat. Her assignments went flying beside her. She zeroed in on the vampire in the back of her car.
"Apologies, I'm Ibrahim, your body guard." He replied picking up the first assignment with Edward Cullen's name. "I thought they taught only in English here in the USA."
"It's a bit of revenge for a certain vampire pair of siblings I'm teaching." She hesitated to tell him. Guard? His aura was one of amusement and spurts of yellow. He was genuine in his answers. "How did you get into my vehicle without me knowing?"
"I've been in here for the past twenty minutes. I gave you a moment after you began cackling at your computer. I can see why."
Adley blushed. She'd been plotting revenge. "Why are you guarding me?"
"Master Marcus has requested it. Reports of vampire being back in the area that isn't a Cullen."
"Why would I need a guard? I literally cannot die."
She blinked a few times starting the vehicle and the ride home.
"Even so my lady, you are his mate, and he wishes to keep you safe. Death is not the only revenge on someone, the Volturi has many enemies from over time. If indeed there is a newborn army in the area, a weakness of us would be you." He advised.
"Makes some sense…"
She murmured while he took to putting the files on her seat. She got out and parked her vehicle in her driveway. She stared up at her empty one level home. Her teeth imbedded in her bottom lip. Her chest flaring momentarily. No one was home inside those doors. She didn't want to be alone.
"Are you alright my lady?"
"Perfectly fine." She pursed her lips before quickly grabbing her assignments and putting them back into her bag.
She got out and headed into the house. Ibrahim followed at a slow pace into the home. She flipped the lights on setting her bags inside the home. She pulled her cable knit sweater and tossed it into the hamper, she was left in a plain grey shirt. She turned to the vampire in question.
"You may be the empath, but I recognize loneliness when I see it."
"I'm not lonely." She scoffed heading to her fridge where the number for the local pizza shop was.
She quickly ordered a small pizza loaded with peppers and peperoni. She got some soda and turned back to lean on the counter. The vampire kept his distance to the far side. She looked him over.
He was a lean man with coils of dark brown that were perfected around him. His skin a dark brown with a cool undertone, he was pallor as most vampires. He was dressed in jeans and a button down of black with a darker suit vest. A chain connected to a pocket of silver. His features were middle eastern she was able to deduce.
"You've been rubbing at the spot on your chest for some time."
She dropped her hands from her chest and pushed back her bangs. "I've pulled a muscle. Nothing to worry about. It's nothing to worry over. I'll be fine."
"It sits right above your heart?" He queried.
"How?"
"I have a mate as well my lady, I understand your pain." He replied.
"Where is your Mate?"
"Currently Maxim is in Italy, he is training newborn recruits in Volterra in the lower levels. He lost a bet some time ago with Demetri." He smiled at the memory. "He is prettier than he is intelligent at times."
"How did the two of you meet?"
"I was on a mission in Russia, three hundred years ago. I was a scout, as you can tell most cannot detect me without me making them aware. I keep an eye out on other covens and report back to the Volturi. When we need some spying done, I am the one sent usually. We had reports of a coven who was planning to attack the Volturi. Naturally Master Aro sent me out to listen in on these rumors. It was confirmed by a few of their guards who were patrolling the area. Maxim he was one of the said guards."
"He didn't just start talking, did he?" Adley asked taking a seat on the couch, he pulled up the chair across from her. He chuckled.
"He did not, however what he did do was not much better. They were going to be setting off explosives they had smuggled out of China off in the castle. He was discussing the beauty of the fireworks in China, nothing he'd ever seen until he was there for the lunar new year celebration. He was new to immortality. Listening to him going on about the colors… I could listen all night to his excitement. It was hard to watch as we culled off the coven the next day, Maxim had a super strength that kept him alive. It was also imperative that Master Marcus was around he saw our bond."
"Our relationship wasn't instant. He was assigned to be with me for a few missions. I did not understand why the brawn was assigned to me, he hindered my work constantly, he talked about just about everything under the sun, he would destroy vampires who were plotting against us. I snapped constantly at him."
"That would be difficult if he was never quiet." Adley mused.
"He was a brute and clumsy. He used his strength over brain. I complained constantly, we argued almost every day. I finally asked why he kept to my side. He did not want to leave. It was all he said on the topic. To this day he has not left my side." Ibrahim mused looking off.
"Are you a part often?"
He shook his head. "My gift can expand to others, and with him it has strengthened to cover almost anyone around me. I had no choice but be stronger, he would give us away. He put us in danger too much, especially down in Mexico during the southern wars here. Nearly had us attacked by thirty newborns. If his own gift was not there, we'd perished long ago. We usually are on missions together, this last half a century we have been a part but mostly due to his duty."
"This pain in my chest then, it's my bond to Marcus?"
"correct." He nodded.
She scrunched her nose up. "I haven't known him more than five days. Why am I feeling it? Surely our bond is too new for this."
"It is something in new mates, their bond is not secure enough for distance, their reaction to being away can echo through the bond causing the ache."
"He isn't doing this voluntarily. He has work to do. I understand that. I'm not desperately missing him." She wrapped her arms around her legs.
"Our mind may know, but our souls are primitive in their needs. The pain is it a lot?" he asked.
"No just a small pain. I can manage it just fine. I don't need Marcus to come back, he has work to do to upkeep the law and keep the vampire world safe. I'll just keep myself distracted. Maybe a trip along the trails this weekend is in order."
"Marcus would drop the world for you, he can keep the vampire world safe with you nearby." Ibrahim assured.
"He shouldn't…"
"It's what mates do."
She waved it off as the doorbell rang. She paid with cash and took the pizza and canned soda to the living room she set it down and pulled out a certain box set near her DVD player.
"I'll be fine. Want to watch Buffy the Vampire slayer?"
"What?"
Adley stared at him. "It's a TV show. You'll like it I promise."
A/N: Thank you for reading :) appreciate the positive reviews. To the one doubting human drinking vampires, this is a volturi loving fanfic, not so much Cullen one. While I will never go in into detail of severe violence there will be some death in further chapters. not of main characters tho.