a/n There are no words for this.
Yeah, it's early and I got nothing right now except for the Everly Brothers in my ears and coffee in my mug.
An Encounter—Forks, Washington, November 2003
The sex sounds coming from downstairs were easy enough to ignore when one had had eighty years to practice.
Edward sat back on his heals to admire his new walls. The acoustics in this new room would be the best he'd ever had them. At this point, he had unpacking down to an art, but still. This was always the best part. Making it so his room would fill with music other than…
"Emmett Cullen, so help me God if you break through anything in this house, I will murder you!"
The thudding and moans stopped abruptly. Esme's voice cut through all of it. Edward snorted.
"Shut up, Edward!" Rosalie's voice was biting. Jealous…
Edward bit back the comment he so wanted to throw and hopped out the open window and into the rain and black night.
He ran until he couldn't hear them anymore. He was at the edge of the town by then, and he stopped just on the edge of someone's yard.
The lights in the house were off, and there was no car parked in the driveway. He slowly made his way out to the sidewalk, his mind going over his own thoughts. He was glad no one could hear them.
He wasn't sure how much longer he could deal with this. Something had to change soon, that was for sure. Being the seventh wheel in a house with three matched couples wasn't the most exciting thing ever. It wasn't painful, really, just awkward.
Awkward enough to make him walk at a slow human pace.
He was grateful that he'd been wearing a hoodie and a beanie when he left the house. He'd look a little less suspicious if anyone drove by. He wasn't sure who would, though—it was Thanksgiving, and the little town with its small town virtues was occupied by family dinners right now.
He was counting cracks in the sidewalk when he heard a car behind him.
The thoughts of the man in the car weren't very complex. A vague wondering of something, probably the kid walking down the street in the rain and cold. The car slowed, and Edward realized it was a police cruiser. He heard a window roll down, but he kept his eyes downcast and kept walking.
"Son?" The voice was low and a little concerned. "You okay?"
Edward nodded and kept walking, not looking over. He wasn't sure what the cop was doing in this part of town in the first place. It was the edge of town, and very quiet.
"You oughtta get out of the rain, son," the cop said. "Can I drive you anywhere?"
Somehow, Edward sensed that this do-good cop wasn't going to leave him alone until he'd taken him somewhere.
Edward stopped on the sidewalk and stood for a second before he turned and stalked toward the passenger side of the cruiser and got in.
He was glaring at the dashboard when the cop spoke. "Where you headed, son?"
Edward thought for a moment, not really wanting to return home. Carlisle was working tonight…
"The hospital," he said.
"You okay?" There was a frown in the cop's voice.
"Fine," he muttered. "That's where my dad works."
He expected questions, but got none. It was odd, like the guy wasn't thinking about the situation at all. He was a little confused, but it didn't seem very articulated.
It was quiet for a minute or so before the cop finally spoke. "Thought I knew all the kids in town," he said. "You here visiting family?"
"No." Edward looked out the window, still scowling. "My family just moved here."
"Oh." The cop's voice didn't change much. "You one of the Cullen kids, then? I know Dr. Cullen works at the hospital." Edward nodded. "Nice guy, your dad."
The cop seemed genuine, and Edward glanced over at the man.
He was actually kind of good looking, for a guy around forty. He had curly brown hair that was barely flecked with gray, and wore a brown mustache. His face bore the lines of time, but it didn't detract from his looks. His appearance was that of a guy who worked, went home. Probably single.
"Do you always work holidays?" Edward asked. "Don't you spend it with your family."
The cop shrugged. "I've worked holidays for years. My daughter lives in Arizona with her mom, so I don't really have family around here. I work it for the other guys."
"That's nice of you."
Again, the guy shrugged. "Not a big deal," he said. "It's part of my job description."
Despite his misery, Edward managed a smile. "Single cops have to work harder? Why should you have to suffer just because you're single?" Ironic.
The guy cocked an eyebrow. "I'm the Chief of Police," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "If they don't do it, I have to."
"Oh."
Silence fell for a moment before the chief cleared his throat. "So, what year're you?" he asked.
"I'm a freshman."
The chief nodded. "Same year as my daughter. She lives in Phoenix with her mom."
Edward nodded and did not respond. That was the end of conversation, and a comfortable silence settled in the car.
Two minutes later, the chief pulled into the parking lot of the Forks General Hospital, and around to the Emergency Room entrance. Having seen the cruiser pull up, Carlisle had exited the building, and was confused to see his son riding shotgun.
Edward? His father's thoughts were concerned. Are you alright, son? You're not in trouble, are you?
Edward minutely shook his head.
You mean, no you're not in trouble, or no, you're not alright? Nod, if you're not in trouble. He was a little frantic. What a parent.
Edward nodded, just slightly, as the car came to a stop. Carlisle walked over to the chief's window, which rolled down as the doctor approached. As Edward climbed out, Carlisle leaned casually against the car.
"How's it going, Charlie?" he asked. "Everything okay?"
The cop, Charlie, nodded. "Found him wandering around by himself on my way home. He was just walking down my sidewalk."
Carlisle frowned. "What on earth were you doing all the way there? Or, in town, for that matter?" Please don't say you drove—you're not supposed to be old enough for your license here!
An excuse came easily enough. "We were on our way back," he said, shrugging. "Rosalie was getting on my nerves, so I got out and she drove off. I was going to walk here and get a ride from you."
Carlisle sighed heavily. Half true? "That so?"
"Yeah." Half true.
Carlisle ran a hand over his face in a very human gesture. He looked back at the cop. "You have kids, Charlie?"
"I have a daughter. Doesn't live here, though."
"Be grateful you only have one," Carlisle said, sighing again. "I love these kids." He wrapped an arm around Edward's shoulder and turned him so they were side by side. "I do. But I'll be damned if they don't make me crazy sometimes."
Charlie laughed. "Yeah. I get calls from my ex-wife freaking out that Bella's not 'as happy as she used to be,'" he said, putting up air quotes. He shrugged. "I think it's that she's a teenage girl."
Carlisle smiled. "How old is your daughter?"
God, did he have to stand here and talk with Carlisle while he caught up with some boring cop with not a lot on upstairs?
"Fifteen. Freshman, same as your son." Charlie squinted. "Didn't catch your name, young man."
"This is Edward." Carlisle grinned. "The youngest." Take that, second oldest child. Don't think I don't see you doing the, 'I wanna go home' foot dance. "And I now need to take him home so I can deal with my oldest, Rosalie." He reached in the car to shake the cop's hand. "Good to see you, Chief."
Charlie grinned. "You too, Chief."
Edward managed to smile at Charlie. "Thank you for the ride, sir," he said. "I'm sorry if I inconvenienced you at all."
Charlie shook his head. "Not at all, son." He waved, then he was gone, down the road.
Carlisle turned to Edward. "So, I see you've met Chief Swan."
Edward shrugged, scowling again. "I suppose so. Not the brightest bulb in the box."
Carlisle smiled and turned them toward his car. "So, would you like to go home, or go hunting, just you and me, no siblings?"
Edward actually brightened. "Is that a trick question?"
Carlisle laughed, and they walked toward the car. "You need to get away from that house. Too much of anything is toxic, son. So tell me what your baby sister did to get on her big brother's nerves this time."
"She spoke."
This time, the laughter was louder than ever, and this time, Edward joined him.
a/n I already know what's next. And I know there's going to be a companion piece to this.
Couple of notes: Charlie talks about the kids being polite and respectful, so he had to meet them sometime, right?
Also, if you've been bad like me and read Midnight Sun, Edward mentions thinking that the chief has slooooow thoughts, hence the "not a lot upstairs" references. So he had to have been around him before, right?
We're out of time. Bella's next, with a little twist. Reviews rock my sox.
