*A/N: I started this chapter off with what happened earlier in the night, a few hours before Charlie's ill fated run-in with Victoria. I am sure you guys know by now, but yes, I did hurt and kill Charlie Swan. I am sorry to all those who liked his character. I did not do it out of malice. Please try to forgive me and happy reading! :-)

Chapter Summary: The aftermath of Charlie's death and funeral has left Bella more dependent on the La Push wolf pack more than ever. Now that Charlie is gone, it becomes clear that protecting the former Police Chief's daughter might be harder than previously thought and a new arrangement emerges to keep 'the human' safe from the harm of the cold ones.

Chapter IV: 'Empty With You,' by The Used

BPOV

(Hours earlier, the same night)

"Bella, you look a bit happier lately. Is hanging out with Jacob again making you feel better?"

I turned my body toward Charlie at the dinner table and gave him a small smile, pushing the rest of my food away with my fork.

"Smooth, Dad. Real smooth, but yes, Jacob and I are talking again," I responded.

I had been so concerned when Jacob had dropped off the face of the planet after an outing with a sick Mike a mere few weeks ago. I had caught the same bug and I thought that Jacob was sick too. A case of mono was the reason I had been conveniently provided with at the time, but now I knew the truth; Jacob and other members of the pack were risking their lives to protect Forks and La Push; as werewolves. I could have dealt with Jacob being anything except not being there for me. I was fine with him being a werewolf. He seemed even cuddlier somehow. Except when he had tried to rip out his pack mates' throat last week.

"I'm glad. Billy says the kid seems happier too."

"You and Billy gossip like two little old ladies," I joshed, pulling my knees to my chest and sipped more of my hot chocolate. My throat was hoarse from talking to Angela and Jacob back to back like that; I never was this popular in Phoenix. Two calls in the same night? That was a Bella Swan record. "You two need another hobby besides talking about us kids and fishing."

"Eh well, we'll save that talk for another time. I've gotta go. There has been another attack near town. Thanks for dinner."

"No problem." I had quickly fried him up a steak, some greens, and rice; he needed the energy. There had been another call about an attack not long ago, and Charlie, as police chief, needed to leave to check it out. Another 'animal attack,' no less.

"I'll be home late. Maybe not until morning if it takes that long."

"Do you have to check out this animal attack? What if it isn't animals?"

"Well, what else could it be, Bells?"

I grinned a little at the fact that Charlie had called me by the same nickname as Jacob. I shrugged. "Something else?"

"Like aliens? Other supreme forces of life?"

"I don't know. Whatever. Something like that."

Charlie chuckled. "Lay off the fiction novels, Bella." He ruffled my already messy hair.

"They're romance novels, by the way."

"Yeah, romance. That why you fell so hard for Edward? Think you fell into one of those classic timepiece novels like Romeo and Juliet or Midsummer's Night Dream?"

"No. Edward was Edward." I waited for the hole to swallow the rest of my emotions as I said his name, but I felt nothing as I repeated Edward's name, over and over in my head. Edward, Edward, Edward. No effect. Humph.

"Well, I'm just glad you snapped out of it. I was afraid I would have to send you to Jacksonville with your mother and Phil. You know, because I didn't know what else to do. I didn't even see how unhealthy that relationship was."

"No one could have predicted it, Dad. Don't be silly. I wouldn't leave you all alone anyway; you, Billy, and Jake would starve to death without me now. I could not have had that on my conscience."

I watched my father begin and end a big, throaty laugh, shaking his stomach. He stood up and reached over my shoulder, giving me a sort of half-hug. "Love you, kiddo."

"Wow, thanks, Dad." I looked at him. "Be careful."

"Always am," he responded, grinning.

(Present…)

"It's official; I cannot sleep," I spoke to my bedroom ceiling. One of the few nights that it wasn't raining and was dead quiet outside is the night that I can't seem to find my spot in the bed to sleep. I had been stirring for almost an hour and I was sick of it. "Figures." I tossed back my covers.

Suddenly, I heard a cackle in the wind, making even the noise of the trees scratching the side of the house seem tame. Feeling brave, I sat up in bed and walked slowly to the window. A reddish figure moved in the brush, but was otherwise still.

"Victoria," I whispered. I had no doubt-She found out about Laurent and came to Forks to finish the job.

I will make it easy.

I quickly threw on a hooded sweater and an old pair of jeans that needed to be washed for laundry. I peeked outside of my opened door, listening for Charlie's snores. It was quiet; as it had been outside before the laugh. Charlie must not have come back yet.

Charlie did say he might not be back till morning, Bella.

"Shoot. I hope Charlie got my message. I really needed him to leave his spare uniform out so that I could include it in the laundry." I abruptly chuckled at the thought of Charlie having a cell. I bet he'll never figure out how use it beyond answering and hanging up.

I proceeded outside, not worrying about waking my sleeping father. Then hear the wolves cry, a shocking chorus of high-pitched shrills that rocked me by my nerves.

They sounded close.

I shuddered a little under the moon. "Maybe they're synchronizing themselves, like watches," I said out loud. Jacob, my big, furry, red timepiece. That's dumb, Bella. I shook the thought from my head and kept my pace toward the forest. I could have sworn something was there and if Victoria would make my death quick, then maybe the rest of my loved ones would be spared.

I would exchange my life for my family's. Of course if I do end up being that close to Victoria, I doubt that I would be in any position to bargain with her, but I had to try anyway. What else did I have to bargain with? My life for theirs sounded more than fair.

I stepped over a few large rocks, feeling my feet slip and slide in the cool earth. Even in sneakers I was a walking nightmare. It was pitch black. I thought about tripping and immediately slapped my forehead. "Jeez, Bella. Should have bought a flashlight," I scolded myself. Eh, what for? I didn't need to actually see Victoria as she killed me. That would be like adding salt to a wound. I jumped over a sodden bush and promptly tripped, landing almost directly on my palms. I heard my right wrist snap, but it wasn't broken; it just ached. "Awesome. Victoria better hurry up if she doesn't want to feed on a broken body."

I kept walking, realizing in my haste, I had forgotten to leave a note for Charlie. "Shoot," I muttered. I didn't have Edward to write me any more notes like he did the night he left me in the forest. Charlie wouldn't know where to start looking for me if I did manage to catch up to Victoria. The wolves might know, but that would be it. The wolves saved me last time, but I couldn't expect them to keep doing that. They had so many problems; so many other things to do. Protecting a small, frail, short, and alabaster-skinned girl was a little time consuming. Yeesh, you sure are hard on yourself.

All of a sudden, something told me to stop.

I listened for once and did, trying to hold my breath so that I could hear the offending creature. "Hello?"

"Bella?"

I knew that voice. "Jake, is that you?"

I started walking closer to small cluster of trees when he called out sharply, "Wait, I have to put on pants."

"Huh?"

"We're all ass when we phase back to human. Literally."

I chuckled, a little embarrassed. "Oh."

Seconds later, my Jacob emerged with a sad look on his face. My grin caved to the force of gravity. "Jake, what's wrong?"

"Bells, honey, it's Charlie. Something happened to Charlie."

Those were the last words I heard before everything went black.

(The day of the funeral)

I wiped my eyes with my chambray dress shirt, tugging it by the waist. My body didn't feel like my body anymore and I was on auto-pilot. I kept waiting to run out of gas or steam, but I had yet to.

I yanked on my shirt again; it was a color that the store clerk at Sun Ray's, a small boutique just outside of Forks, had called 'antique brass.' I hated the way the shirt was hugging my body, but I didn't have any dress shirts, and I knew that I would need one for Charlie's funeral.

I pulled at the collared neckline; it was slowly suffocating me, and if I was going to be around werewolves for the rest of the day, I would need the air to fight the closing-in feeling I was bound to have. The rolled up sleeves bothered my elbows, but I had to have roll the cuffs or the shirt would have been too long. Or so I had thought. Other than that, it was a nice shirt for a funeral.

Funeral?

My dad's funeral was starting, and what I was worried about was the color of my snug dress shirt? I tugged on my chiffon skirt, one of the few pieces of designer clothing that I owned, thanks to Alice.

Alice? Not her too. Thinking of Alice got me thinking of the Cullens, which lead me to Edward, who left me just like Charlie did. It was hopeless.

"How am I going to get through the day?" I shrieked, starting to cry again.

"Bella, you alright? Need a few more minutes?" Jacob's voice still sounded deep, even through the door. I knew that I was going to drive him crazy all day; Jacob, Billy, and Charlie didn't like crying, but Jacob had been really tolerant. I guess it was even expected. The past few days had been slow. School had been so calm and quiet that it was boring, reminding me of the days of when I was a mindless zombie. Today felt a lot like when Edward and his family left. No surprise there; I felt alone and abandoned then too. "Bells, honey, you okay?" Jacob repeated. I had forgotten that he was there, just that quickly.

"I'm sorry," I called back. "Yes, Jacob, I will be right out."

"Take your time."

No, Jacob, I couldn't take my time. I couldn't be late to my own father's funeral.

I sniffed again. Renee and Phil would be coming in from Florida tomorrow. They couldn't find a flight in time in order to make it to the funeral, and I insisted that they not spend the time or money driving from Jacksonville, Florida .

"Oh honestly, Bella, I couldn't believe that there were no flights available. It was absolutely unheard of. What a major inconvenience to everyone who has to plan around these little airport snafus," my mother had stated during our phone conversation last night.

"Yes, Renee," I answered her back in my mind. "It was a bit of an inconvenience for someone to die. It always was. That's why it just feels so unexpected and rushed. No one planned for it at all; not even the airports."

I sobbed again.

"Jake?" His name sounded broken in my dry throat, but he had heard me. I felt his arms wrap around me, taking me slightly toward the bed. I shook my head, clouded with fog from crying so hard at such a high altitude. "No, I'll never want to get up if I lay down."

"You're going to be okay."

"Am I, Jake? Charlie is gone. Charlie is gone, and it's all my fault."

"No, it's not. Trust me; we are doing everything we can to track down that leech. In fact, half of the pack is out there right now looking for that redheaded bloodsucker. Jared even switched with me so that I could be here and Sam allowed the change at the last minute. We will catch her, Bells, and then you'll be safe."

"Okay," I whispered back, not really believing him, but I had no choice. I still had to get up and I still had to move as if my soul depended on it, which it did. I would have been considered a horrible daughter, which I was. It was my fault that Charlie was dead. Victoria never would have even knew of Charlie had she not been after me. What could Charlie have been thinking? Did he regret me as the life flickered out of his eyes? Did he know that his own daughter had been the cause of his demise? Demise, demise, he's dead, Bella, and he's NOT coming back! Ever! Don't you get it? Or are you in denial about that too?

My throat was dry as I swallowed back a bit of bile and started to tremble slightly. My inner voices were contemptuous, even inside of my head. I had no peace and I didn't want any; I just wanted Victoria to finish the job.

Suddenly Jacob kissed my cheek; I felt his warm lips press my skin and his hands hold mine. Jacob was such a great friend. "Thank you," I muttered. Even the Greek gods could not have been as selfish as I had been to Jacob lately.

I felt Jacob pat my hand.

The pastor kept talking as if he had known my father personally, but I knew that Charlie stopped going to church not long after Renee left. Charlie once told me something to the tune of "Those women go to church to pick up men." His tone was quite comical; or at least it had made me laugh. I called him 'a stud' and he relayed, "Yeah, the ladies man." After that, I tried to stop discussing the subject with him, unable to stop chuckling at my father's cluelessness at my sarcasm.

Now, I wasn't laughing at all.

I rubbed my ankles against each other, feeling that my dress shoe straps were too tight. I should never have let Jacob buckle my shoes. What does a teenage boy know about shoes? Women needed extra space in their shoes to breathe a little; that's what ½ sizes were there for.

I forced the small bit of distractive anger out of my mind and squeezed Jacob's hand as the pastor continued to recite that my father died bravely, in the line of duty. I saw a few of the deputies sniff, their hatless heads bowed down in a perfect row, and even their walkie-talkies were off. The absence of the green lights and the blank, gray screens of their handheld devices showed their appreciation for my father, their police chief. I glanced at their uniforms, perfectly ironed and clean, their black patent shoes reflecting the pulpit's light, and their hands perfectly poised in front of them, palms turned in slightly and still. Even after the display of such obvious respect, they were still the lucky ones. They still had their families at home and when they left this funeral home, they would be able to do more than just envision their loved ones safe and sound; they would be blessed that they would be able to hold them in a few hours after their work shift, and that would be like heaven on earth for them.

I wasn't so lucky.

"Oh, Jake!" I cried out suddenly and started to snivel again. I felt Jacob and Billy on the side of me, gently patting my shoulders.

"It's okay, Bella. It's alright," Billy meekly replied. He sounded as if his voice was full of tears as well.

Nothing would be the same anymore. The house was empty, and I was alone. The only other thing I could do was to move to Jacksonville, but who would come to see Charlie? Sure, his grave was on neutral land so that the people from the reservation could see him without having to ask permission of the Cullens if they come back.

Yeah, right. The Cullens weren't coming back, Bella. You know that, don't you?

Suddenly, I felt Jacob pulling on me lightly. "We have to stand, sweetie. It's time to leave."

We proceeded outside, and I glanced back at the closed coffin. I had wondered why Jacob and the rest of the pack had insisted upon leaving the coffin closed, but Jacob had answered back, "No, Bella. You don't want to see Charlie like that." Now I wished that I could have seen Charlie like that, however he was. He was my father, and I loved him, no matter how Victoria had made him look. But it was too late to change it now.

It was too late to change a lot of things.

Jacob continued to hold me close to him and, as I suspected earlier, his 108 degree temperature quickly started to make its way into my shirt's collar and almost immediately made my rolled up cuffs damp as they continued to rub against my skin. I was going to have to step away for a bit if I didn't want to look like I had just stepped out of a hot shower.

"Bella," a voice called close behind me.

"Bella, it's Sam," Jacob whispered to me when I didn't answer.

I turned toward Sam's body, but my head felt much too heavy to give him the proper eye contact. It was a courtesy that I did not feel like providing him with; Sam didn't seem to care one way or the other. He started to speak again.

"Bella, my deepest regrets for what happened to Charlie. He was a good man and a great friend to the Quileutes."

"I know he was. He loved it on the rez." Why was Sam stating the obvious? I bitterly wondered. What did he want?

Sam cleared his throat before continuing and I felt Jacob's hands dig into my sides. "I know this is a bad time for you, and I suspect that it's going to get a bit tougher, but we do need to discuss a strategic plan for keeping you safe during your stay here in Forks."

"No. I would rather let her finish me off. You guys should be spared…" I trailed off, almost ready to cry again.

Sam touched my chin, lifting my head. I saw that his eyes were red, focused on me. "That's not the way we do things. We intend on keeping you alive, for your sake and for Charlie's."

I ripped my head away. "Charlie is gone. My dad is gone, or were you the only person in Forks that didn't attend the funeral?" I sarcastically spat out.

"I was there. I was also there when he died." I met Sam's eyes again when he spoke his last statement. "We would not be able to protect you if you leave for Jacksonville."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Good, then we must—"

"Sam," Jacob interrupted. "Don't do this. There has to be another way."

"That parasite will be back." Sam persisted. "We have seen that she specifically targeted Bella and her father; she's coming back, and we must keep Bella safe."

"Wait a minute, Sam," Jacob began. "I just think Bella needs time-"

"Stop talking about me like I am not here," I abruptly voiced, turning toward an open-mouthed Jacob. I sighed and changed my tone when I saw the look on his face. "Are you making me a part of my own protection?" I asked Sam.

Sam nodded. "It is you she's after. Why wouldn't you be a part of it?"

I focused on Jacob's sullen face. "Jake?"

"Of course I want you a part of this, Bells. The most important thing is that you stay safe."

My interest piqued, suddenly feeling like I had a new purpose in life. "I'll do what I can to help. What's going on?" I was finally going to be involved in my own well-being. Edward would have never allowed this.

Sam swallowed before answering and Jacob dropped his gaze. "Twenty-four hour protection from the pack, on a consistent and rolling basis, starting this week if possible. With your mother and her husband in town, we'll stay patrolling the outskirts of the house, careful not to attract attention. You shouldn't see us."

"Okay, I will do what is needed."

"Bella, it's not that simple." Jacob cut in and turned closer to me. "In order to effectively make this work, a pack member needs to stay in the house with you now that Charlie isn't…around," he said carefully. "Before, we were able to patrol your house, leave a couple time gaps, but for this to work—"

"I'll have a teenage werewolf living in my house at any given time until Victoria comes back. Great, I hope the fridge is big enough for you guys," I attempted to joke.

Jacob looked down again. Sam captured my attention. "Bella, we need your permission to come onto that land and to stay in your house. You are the only one outside of the rez who knows what the cold ones are."

I shrugged. "Done. You have my permission." It wasn't like Jacob hadn't been by the house before, or Billy either. Why did it matter now?

"Okay."

"Who's staying with me in the house? Will it be Jacob? Can he afford to spend that kind of time away from Billy?" I asked, knowing full well that Jacob's plate had already been full even before I had come into the picture.

"It's not me, Bella," Jacob replied solemnly.

"So, who is it?"

Jacob hesitated seconds too long before Sam answered. "It's Paul."

My face scrunched up. "Paul?"

PPOV

"This is ridiculous! This is complete bullshit!" I screamed, already picturing that I was foaming at the mouth. "I am not staying in that house with her. I have an image to maintain. How the hell am I supposed to get any ass if I stay at the prince's girlfriend's house? What did he have to say?" I demanded, getting more pissed by the minute at an extremely passive Sam.

"I spoke to him about it before I spoke to you. He wants Bella safe, just like we all do."

"You spoke to him first?" I continued yelling. "What the fuck? It's my ass that has to be there, and you didn't ask me about it? You just assumed that I would go?"

"I didn't assume anything. I figured I would have to order you to go."

"You got that right." I picked up a nearby metal chair, property of the funeral home's that had been left by the cleanup crew for Charlie Swan's funeral. I heaved it into a tree; it landed in one of the top branches. I heard my Alpha sigh.

"You know you're going to have to climb the tree and get that before it falls down and hurts someone, right?"

"I'm not a leopard; I don't climb trees," I snapped back at Sam.

"You'll climb this one, and you will stay at Bella's to protect her."

"No," I said stubbornly.

"She gave you permission."

"So? What do I care?"

"Been thinking about anything special lately while you've been self-helping yourself?" Sam asked rhetorically.

I grimaced; Bella had become my favorite fantasy lately while I masturbated, and I was always angry with myself when I hadn't been able to resist the urge to use her after I had finished. I slapped my hand against my jeans-covered thigh, the wind hitting my bare chest. "What did she have to say about it?" I was suddenly interested now.

"She wasn't thrilled, but Jacob took the news worse than she did. She doesn't mind being used as bait as long as the rest of us are safe too."

"Stupid girl," I retorted, but I was secretly amazed. Bella Swan was incredibly selfless, and it shocked me that someone like her could be. "So I have to be miserable right along with her?"

"Do you blame yourself for her father dying?"

I held my tongue, not sure what words would come out had I decided to answer. I knew it was foolish and I knew that Charlie Swan's death had not been my fault. Whether I had chased away that red-headed bloodsucker or not, Charlie would have died in that forest. I knew that, and the rest of the pack knew it too.

But that didn't mean I felt nothing.

"It was not your fault," Sam affirmed anyway. "It was the leech's. She taunted you and made you chase her."

"I let my temper get the best of me," I said back, sounding inexplicably close to a low whine.

"She baited you; pure and simple," Sam repeated.

"I should have ended the chase sooner. I could have gotten someone sooner."

"Jared has the best eyes in the pack; he can see for miles. There was no one close, and it was not your fault," Sam insisted. "There was nothing more you could have done."

I growled and recoiled back. "I don't need to be around her. It's not safe. She really can't stand me, and I'm not that big on her either."

"Is that so? I think you're lying to me and yourself. You should be happy."

"Why?"

"If I had put any of the other guys in that house, you'd be pissed."

"I wouldn't give two shits about who got to sleep under that roof with her," I continued to lie. Sam knew me; I would have been mad. Especially now. I already wondered what Jacob had been allowed to do with Ms. Perfect Swan, but I knew it couldn't have been much. His fantasies of her were along the same lines of my own; not that either of us had anything real of Bella's to compare it to. But he had kissed her. Suddenly I did start to foam a little at the mouth. I had almost succeeded in putting my head through a tree trunk the first time Jacob had phased after. Even though she had told him that they could only be friends after that kiss, I was still plenty mad.

That's right, prince. Hands off; she's mine, I thought smugly.

"Why did you pick me?" I asked Sam. "Jacob would have jumped at the chance to do this."

Sam looked at me. "Jacob's affection for her is strong, but it's not the same as what you have. Because whether you like it or not, Bella Swan is your imprint, and when the time is right, I know you will do what's best for her."

I shook my head, annoyed that Sam had to pick this moment to sound so spiritual and deep, like he was the voice of God. I had skipped church. I rarely made it the tribe festivals or even to class for language lessons. I didn't need to listen to this.

"I swear, she'll try to domesticate me, Sam."

"You could stand to learn some manners."

I stared at him, trying to keep my face hard but I faltered. Something was gnawing in me that I wasn't quite use to. It felt like something close to happiness, but I couldn't tell; I was suddenly ready to vomit from the feeling. If the Swan thought that I was going to be buying flowers and turn into a real bitch, then forget it. Her and I were not going to get along at all.

"Give it a chance. Keep her safe," Sam ordered. "If I see that you can't handle the job of being under the roof with someone you hate so much, I'll let you out of it."

"No questions asked?"

"What do you take me for? Of course I'll ask questions, but I won't try and stop you from a bad decision. You've been making them for years, all on your own, anyway."

"When do I leave?" I asked, ignoring his stab at my inability to make a logical choice.

"We'll wait and see, but probably in less than a week. I suggest you get all your humping done in that time span."

"I guess I'll have to."

"And get that chair from the tree, I said," Sam said again. "Don't let me waste an order."

I gave him a wicked grin, took in a deep breath, and started to pull myself up one branch at a time. I got to the near top quickly when I thought of Bella as my prize instead of a bent, metal chair, as much as I hated to admit it.