Yay next chapter!

As I mentioned in the last chapter, there was a small competition running to guess why Charlie was so upset. There was a winner, who I am proud to announce is… ellaryne!! Congratulations and thank you to everyone else that had a guess.

Also, I've decided that I'm going to avoid cliff hangers as much as I can. I take it that you guys don't like them very much =)

The inspiration for this chapter is actually included in the song, and if you can listen to it when you're reading the song, it will make the story so much better. My sister proof read this whilst she was listening to the song, and she absolutely loved it. But that could just be bias.

Anyway, the inspirations are:

Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol

Fix You - Coldplay

For One Day – Evermore

Jump Then Fall – Taylor Swift

Never Say Never – The Fray

Signal Fire – Snow Patrol

The Last Day On Earth – Kate Miller-Heidke

Before I get on with the story, sorry for kind of ignoring Jared at the moment. I promise, he'll be back VERY soon…

Enjoy!

Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight or The Last Day on Earth

Chapter Six: I Ache, Inside

Look down

The ground below is crumbling

Look up

The stars are all exploding

The radio was the only thing in the station that broke the silence that had been there, awkwardly, for the whole five hours I'd been there. I stood up to turn it off, the noise being disrespectful somehow, but stopped myself. Charlie needed me now, he needed someone next to him.

Charlie's blank expression mirrored that of the other five officers in the building, two of which were sitting opposite us, their heads in their hands. The other three had moved into a separate room to begin the long list of calls that would eventually have to happen.

How could this of happened?

The question nagged at me, persistent and ever present. Deep down, in the back of my mind, I knew exactly what could have caused such a tragedy, but I doubted anyone here wanted to hear my theory, much less believed me.

It's the last day on earth

In my dreams

In my dreams

It's the end of the world

And you've come back to me

In my dreams

"Dad…" I said quietly, muttering. "Do you need help with anything? Is there something I could do?"

Charlie blinked, looking at me like he'd never seen me before. Like I was the only person on earth. He looked so fragile, so broken, it was like looking in a mirror to what I had looked like less than half a year ago. I shuddered mentally.

"I'm alright, Bells."

I looked away. He wasn't.

Officer Johnson, a thirty-something year old officer looked over at me. "Perhaps you should go home. The Chief's going to have to be here for a while."

I nodded, standing up. The tension in the room, not to mention the emptiness, was killing me.

I turned to Charlie. "If there's anything you need, I'll be at home."

I gave a half smile to Officer Johnson and walked out of the station.

Between the dust and old debris

There's a light

Surrounding you and me

The same song played in the truck in the drive home. I kept the radio on, maybe as a distraction more than anything. I couldn't think right now. I didn't want to think.

I reached the house and parked. During the drive, the rain had slowed to a drizzle, as it always did in the evenings in Forks, but I still was soaked when I got to the front door.

I bee-lined to the phone, switching the radio on as I walked past it. The song that was playing at the station and in the car was good, fitting somehow.

It's the last day on earth

In my dreams

In my dreams

It's the end of the world

And you've come back to me

In my dreams

Punching in a well known number, I waited for the call to be answered.

A husky voice answered. "Black residence."

"Jake, it's me."

A slow intake of breath. "Bella? Are you alright?"

I nodded, realizing how stupid that was. "I'm alright. You've heard, haven't you?"

Jake sighed. "Maybe a bit more than that."

I figured as much. "Do you want to talk to me about it? Please? I just… I need to know…"

There was a loud noise coming from the receiver. Jake swore under his breath. "I have to go." He muttered.

"No, Jake!" But the line was dead.

I sank to the ground, leaning against the wall next to the phone.

I'd lost Jake, all over again and again and again.

How could he keep doing this to me?

I wondered if I still even had a heart, after all that I'd been putting it through. Probably, it was still there, shattered and broken into tiny pieces. I felt like it had been ripped out, stomped on my a football team, chopped and diced, fed into a grinder and shoved into my body.

Shattered and broken? Try damaged, maybe beyond repair.

In my head

I replay our conversations

Over and over

Till they feel like hallucinations

You know me

I love to loose my mind

The door burst open, and I scrambled to my feet. A figure came racing up the hallway, towards me. At least now I knew my heart was still there. It beat like crazy, thudding like a drum in my chest. My hands brushed against the wall, trying to find something. A bat would be helpful right now

"Bella?"

I sighed in relief. "Jake?"

A light switched on. I'd been so intent on getting to the phone that I hadn't bothered with light switches.

Jacob was panting, wearing only cut off shorts. His chest and feet were bare.

I forced a smile. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "You wanted to talk, so here I am."

"You ran, didn't you?"

He laughed. "Being a wolf does have some advantages. I think I just broke the ground speed record."

Without warning, he scooped me up off the floor, carried me to the lounge and dumped me there. He plopped himself next to me.

I groaned. "No need for a demonstration."

Jacob's face was unreadable. His eyes were cautious as he scanned my face. What did he hope to see? A reminder, a hope, that he still had something to cling onto.

"You were there, won't you?"

He nodded, looking away, his euphoria gone suddenly. "It all happened so fast…"

Whenever we talk

Anybody speaks your name

I still feel the same

Oh, I ache, I ache, inside

I moved closer to him. He was warm, extremely so, and comfortable. "Charlie told me the police perspective on what happened, but I can guess…"

Jacob pulled me closer to him, leaving his arm around my shoulder. "Your guess is probably right."

I gasped lowly. "All those people."

The station was unnaturally busy when Charlie pulled up. He jumped out of the car, racing up into the motion sensor doors. I followed his lead, anxious to find out what had happened.

An officer called out to Charlie. "Forensics have confirmed all of the identities now. The reports are in your office."

He nodded absentmindedly.

"Dad," I said carefully. "What happened?"

He exhaled deeply. "Something happened this morning, just after I got to work. A couple of hikers discovered a… well… some bodies in the woods. It's not good."

I gasped lowly. "That's… oh…" I was lost for words.

Charlie looked away. "One of them was Harry. Harry Clearwater."

Jacob rested his head on my shoulder, bringing me out of my flashback.

There'd been eleven bodies found altogether. Eight were from out of town, Olympia and Seattle mostly, according to forensics. Two were from town, the super market owner and a resident on the far side of town. The last was Harry Clearwater, a friend of Charlie and Billy's and an Elder of the tribe. He was like a second father to Jake, and now he was gone.

A low sob escaped from my mouth. "I'm so sorry, Jake."

He didn't say anything.

The song on the radio finished. The news segment came on:

And now, in breaking news, the bodies of eleven people were discovered in the Olympic National Park just thirty miles out of Forks at nine o'clock this morning. Police say that the cause was murder, and are asking for any information from the public-

Jacob, quicker than my eyes could see, jumped up and turned the radio off. His eyes were wet with tears.

"Don't apologize, Bella." He said. "I'm the one that should be explaining."

He took a deep breath. "We – the pack – were out this morning, trying to follow a scent left behind by a vampire. We followed it for an hour, and then we found… them." He paused. "The bloodsucker was draining the last of them, but then they saw us. Sam ordered us after the leech, but when we saw Harry…" He trailed off for a few moments, then continued. "We had to hurry, because Sam heard hikers coming. She tried to run after that."

I gasped. "She?" I asked incredulously.

Jake nodded. "We caught her though. Sam and Paul finished her off. It was too late to save Harry though."

I debated whether or not to tell Jacob that the vampire the pack had just killed was most likely Victoria, but I decided against it. There was no point worrying Jacob even more than he was now. At least, now that she was gone, I had some closure and peace of mind.

The door bust open, and a figure came running in. Didn't anyone knock these days?

Sam bust into the living room, his eyes wild. "Jacob," he said sternly. "I thought I told you this wasn't a good idea."

Jacob shrugged, not startled like I was about Sam's sudden appearance, though he had probably heard him coming. "Bella deserved to know."

Sam scowled, but let the issue past. "It doesn't matter now. Something's come up, and we need the whole pack." He nodded in my direction. "Nice to see you again, Bella."

I smiled, though I'm sure he saw right through it. "Same to you."

Sam left, leaving the door open. "Hurry, Jacob." He called in his booming voice.

"Bye," Jake said, hovering near the hallway. "I'll try to come and see you soon."

I nodded. "Tell the Clearwaters that Charlie and I are thinking of them."

Jacob sighed, and followed Sam out the door.

Poor Charlie, and the Clearwater family.

I know this is out of order according to the New Moon plot, but then again, Bella and Jared never happened, so I'm okay with changing the plot.

Thanks, and keep the reviews rolling in. Awesome to see the reviews in my inbox each day! I admit I am very vain and self centered, and enjoy reading people giving my writing compliments =)

Thanks, and keep reading,

Little Miss Illusional