8. Change

"Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

(Edward's POV)

The poor girl looked as though she was about to collapse. I suppose if I had just heard that someone tried to strike a deal surrounding my death I'd probably feel the same. That was only a minor addition to whatever the hell she'd been subjected to already.

"There's one problem," she said when the officer reappeared. She was struggling to catch her breath. "Won't he just kill me whenever he gets the chance? I mean, he knows he's a wanted man. There's no need for him to try to cover this up; he's a goner anyway."

"He's playing a game, kid," he told her, looping his fingers around his belt. "This is what he does for fun. We've been trying to figure this asshole out since he last came around and we're no closer now than we were then. We don't know what his motives were or are, and we don't know if he has any further involvement in the tragedies that have struck your family. But there is one thing we are absolutely positive about: he is undeniably sadistic and so he is going to go about this in the sickest, most cruel way you could possibly imagine."

A shiver crawled up my spine.

What had we let ourselves in for? My father offered, without considering the possible consequences for even a second, to have Bella stay with us temporarily. I had a funny feeling he knew a lot more about her than he was letting on, being her doctor and everything, and I was sure that's what led him to offer our services. Of course, he doesn't know that we know she is a patient of his, and he didn't even consult my mom. However, that was a minor detail, because we all knew that where my father was, my mother was too.

"What now?" she asked timidly. I could see her hands shaking from here; what a shock this must be to the two of them.

A warm drink, I suggested internally. For the shock.

"We've spoken to Edward about what happened so..." The officer shrugged. "You'll leave with the Cullens. I'll send a couple of officers with your aunt to collect some of your belongings. They'll bring them to you later today."

He left us again, heading over to the counter to busy himself with more papers someone had just handed him. The guy looked as though he had a thousand things going through his head and my family probably wasn't one of them. The station was still buzzing with life, it had been since we arrived, and the seriousness of this whole thing hit my like a punch to the gut. The fact of the matter is that Bella's life is genuinely at risk.

At that thought, she practically dived into Sue's waiting arms.

They had to say goodbye and none of us felt it right to watch, so we simultaneously turned to one another to start a conversation.

"Scary shit," Emmett muttered, wincing when the word slipped out in front of our parents.

"It is that," my dad said, shaking his head slowly. "Listen, kids, I'm truly sorry about this. It's going to be a big change for you guys but I just couldn't do nothing. I hope you can understand."

"You shouldn't apologise, dad," Rosalie said, resting her hand gently on his shoulder. "It's the right thing to do."

"Listen to your daughter," my mom said, smiling warmly. "She's right."

"The right thing isn't always the easiest thing I suppose."

"And that's okay," I mumbled, shrugging. "Alice was going to invite her over this weekend anyway. Let's look at it as her extended stay at Villa De Cullen."

As quickly as they laughed, the humour vanished. Bella was beside us, looking down nervously, and we knew without having to ask that it was time to leave. There was nothing that would make this any easier so there wasn't much point in trying.

My mom hugged Sue on our way out which I thought was very sweet, considering the two barely knew anything about each other. I suppose it's only a natural thing to do, especially for someone as caring as my mom, and Sue really looked as though she needed it.

The automatic doors slid open and the cold air almost took the breath out of me.

I felt a little uneasy being out in the open. At least the police station was somewhat safe. It wasn't that I was afraid of him, it was that I didn't want the piece of shit to even exist. I didn't need to know the story to want that more than anything. Any person who caused someone like Bella to look as horrorstruck as she did in there, did not deserve to live another second.

"You, Rosalie, and Jasper can take my car," I muttered, chucking Emmett my keys. "Alice and I will go with the others in dad's car."

He shrugged and the three of them did as I suggested without any kind of protest. Alice and I are the only two who've had any sort of brief encounter with Bella. She'd be far better having some sort of familiarity than none at all.

Here comes goodbye
Here comes the last time
Here comes the start of every sleepless night,
The first of —

I switched the radio station, realising too late how upsetting that song most likely was. I'd only switched it on in the first place to fill the awkward silence whilst I washed the dishes. My mom made some food when we arrived home but Bella politely refused. She's currently sitting at the counter behind me and I'm almost too afraid to say anything.

What could I possibly say to her?

I could ask her if she wants anything, but she'll probably just shake her head for the umpteenth time, and that conversation will die before it has even started. The trouble is that I don't know anything about her, aside from the fact that some psychopath is out to get her, and that's not really the most pleasant opener. I suddenly wishes I wasn't the only one in here with her; one of the others would be better at this.

Perhaps my overthinking it won't help the situation. The last thing any of us wanted was to make her uncomfortable, and she's probably sitting there wondering what the hell is wrong with me. I didn't want her worrying that—

"You've been rinsing the same plate for the last 42 seconds," she said quietly.

That plate she mentioned clattered into the sink, sending water splashing in all directions. I almost laughed at the fact she had actually managed to startle me with her timid little voice. It had been easier to know what to do earlier when the adrenaline was still coursing through me.

"I was thinking."

"What were you thinking about?"

"I was trying to figure out what to say," I admitted, laughing softly.

She laughed, too. "Sometimes it's better not to say anything."

"Sometimes," I agreed, drying my hands on the towel hanging over the rail. "However, I don't believe now is one of those times."

She hummed, and I finally turned to face her. How strange it is to go from bumping into one another a few times, to living in the same house. I suppose the circumstances didn't allow for any other alternative, especially if she didn't want to be place under protection. I suppose, in some way, she was still getting that. Our house will be under constant surveillance. Until anyone says otherwise, we've just got to continue as normal.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," I said, sitting down across from her. "Anything."

She sighed. "Was he frightening?"

I should have known she would want to question me further about my encounter with him now that the initial shock had apparently worn off. She simply looked tired now, as opposed to completely hysterical.

"He was... intense," I said, trying to be as honest as possible without alarming her. "I saw him before he approached me. He just looks like the kind of stranger you really don't want to talk to so I tried to pretend I hadn't been staring at him. But he caught my eye and... there he was, asking me to..." I shook my head, unable to fathom it.

"He didn't threaten you, did he?"

I felt a frown tugging at my brows. "No. He didn't even let me respond, he just told me he would know if I'd done it."

"I don't understand why he would ask someone else to do it if he's so set on playing this stupid little game."

"If anything, it's probably part of the game," I told her, watching as she tried to understand what I meant. "He's getting inside peoples' heads, Bella. I felt like shoving him in front of a bus as soon as the words left his mouth, if that makes you feel any better."

"Maybe a little."

At that, the doorbell sounded, and Bella automatically jumped up. She knew who it would be, as did we all, and everything suddenly felt very official. Bringing her things into our home made her a part of it. Oh, how fast life can change.

"Um," she mumbled, halting after she'd taken only a few steps. "Your house is like a maze. I can't remember how to get to the front door."

A/N: The song used in this chapter is 'Here Comes Goodbye' by Rascal Flatts.