Chapter 25 – None of the right questions

JPOV

A/N: I know I promised a teaser, but the last few weeks have been nuts. I'll spare you the deets, as I'm sure you're ready to read!

The back deck of Rachel's house was alive with loud music and laughter. The girls were casually piled together in each other's laps at the patio table. The guys gave the mass of estrogen a wide berth by keeping to the opposite end of the covered wrap-around.

I tossed back a shot of Jack after having failed at yet another turn at Modified Beer Pong. Paul had come up with his own version of the game to compensate for the wolves' heightened senses and abilities.

The table was about sixteen feet long. Shot glasses of liquor were used in place of plastic cups of beer, and rubber bouncy-balls in place of ping-pong balls. The damn game just got more and more impossible with every round.

But that was the point, wasn't it?

I stepped aside and let my ears sift through the throng of overlapping voices. It only took a second to pinpoint Ness's, her easy, confident tone rising above the others as she conversed with the imprinted girls.

I eavesdropped on their conversation, completely ignoring the guys ribbing each other as they rotated around the Beer Pong table. Ness and Hannah were answering seemingly endless questions from the other imprints, some general, others more personal. Ness knew I was staring, but kept her focus on the conversation at hand.

Every few minutes, her eyes would wander across the space between us and she'd smile at me, the sparkle in her eyes resembling the stars that shone in the unusually clear night sky.

In that moment, everything felt so perfect: my sister approved of Ness – which wasn't a requirement on any level, but it sure was nice. Once the kids had been put to bed, they'd spent a lot of time talking and laughing together. And Ness was so comfortable around the pack and their companions, carrying on casually like she'd known them for years.

That was, until Hannah answered Kim's question, "What's the wildest thing you've ever done in bed?"

It wasn't unusual for the girls to share such private information. When your husbands and boyfriends had spent years seeing each other's most intimate thoughts, there were no secrets. However, Embry and I weren't mentally connected to the larger pack, and thus, our sex lives didn't go any farther than the two of us and our imprints.

Unless it was shared voluntarily…

"Renesmee," Hannah replied with a drunken giggle. She nibbled her lip and glanced across the table at Ness with a whole lot of suggestion.

At once, all the guys stopped cutting up and looked over to the group, waiting for the train wreck to ensue like a bunch of gossip-hungry old biddies.

"Well, technically it wasn't a bed, but—"

"Hannah!" Ness screamed. With her elbows planted firmly on the table, she buried her face in her hands.

Silence stretched for what felt like hours while Ness kept her face hidden. Her body was rigid and motionless, lacking the soft quiver of sobs. I'd learned early on that Ness wasn't one to keep anything bottled up. Her body language suggested impending rage and I knew that I needed to get her out of there.

Fast.

After taking three long strides in their direction, my sister saved Hannah's life. "Emily and I made it to third base!" she blurted loudly, slicing through the tension and drawing everyone's attention to her and Emily.

"Ugh! That's fucking gross!" I yelled, pretending to heave into the bushes.

"Oh shut up, Jacob," she replied lightly, rolling her eyes.

Ness showed no outward indication that she'd been on edge just moments before, snickering as she watched Emily and Rachel bicker back and forth about how that little bit of information was the only secret they'd ever managed to keep from the pack. But I knew she couldn't have let it go so easily.

Once the commotion died down a little, I pulled Ness into the house and upstairs to the kids' bathroom for some privacy. I shut the door and held both her hands in mine, hoping to get a peek into her mind, wishing she would share her thoughts and feelings willingly.

She kept me in the dark. Not even a flicker.

"I'm fine," Ness said quietly. Her eyes were slow to meet mine, but when they did, I could see her resolve in them. She may not have been fine at the moment, but she would be.

"You sure you don't wanna head back to the campsite for the night?" I asked roughly, wagging my brows for effect.

"I need to save face. If we leave now, what will that say about me?"

She had a point. Although, I was a little surprised that she cared so much about the impression she made. I'd always seen Ness as the 'take me as I am' type, and I loved that about her, but it felt pretty good knowing that this was important to her.

I leaned down to kiss her. She stood on her toes eagerly. The brush of our lips seemed too quick, but it was soft and reassuring on both ends.

Ness and I went back outside before anyone could start making assumptions about what we were up to. She found a seat on the steps with my sister and Kim, Jared's wife. When I was sure that she was comfortable, I headed over to where a few of the guys were.

I needed to get some advice on my proposal – a topic that made my lungs tighten and my heart race and my entire body sweat. I pulled Jared off to the side. Aside from Paul, who for obvious reasons wasn't an option, Sam and Jared were the only married men in the group. And I wasn't sure I could keep cool around Sam after what had happened earlier. It was damn hard to not kick his ass right there in the backyard after he had hurt my Ness's feelings so deeply.

"Hey, man. Can we take a walk?" I mumbled.

He raised a brow, but once he noticed the anxiety that no doubt was written all over my face, he shrugged and grabbed his beer from the banister. We walked a couple of blocks down the street in order to get out of Ness's hearing range. With all the noise at the party, I doubted she could hear much farther than the end of the driveway, but I needed to be sure.

"So, what's up dude?" Jared asked after several long, silent minutes had passed.

"You're going to think I've lost it," I said, staring at the ground and running my hand through my hair nervously.

He chuckled. "You lost it a long time ago, man."

"I'm…I'm going to ask Ness…" I trailed off.

"To marry you?" he said in a tone several octaves higher than his normal bass.

My gaze shifted around the scenery. "You're quick."

My hands were sweating at just the thought of it. What if she said no? What if my mother's ring really wasn't enough for her? What if it was too soon? I had been so confident about it all when I had spoken to Edward, but now that I was so close to actually following through, I was scared as hell.

It would kill me if she declined.

"And you're coming to me for…?"

I huffed and shoved my damp hands into my pockets, my foot steadily grinding against the pavement. "I don't know. I really want to ask her. I mean, we're going to be living together in Alaska and it seems so juvenile for us to just live together. She's so much more important than that."

Jared understood the imprint bond. He had one of his own, he didn't need me to get into the specifics of just how much I loved her already and how every minute we weren't together was fifty-nine-point-nine seconds too long.

"Sounds to me like your mind's already made up, bro. Look; I asked Kim the day after we graduated high school. I would've asked her sooner, but her parents would have shit a brick... Waaait, what does Edward think about this? He's going to cut your nuts off, I bet," he finished jokingly.

I smirked arrogantly and looked him square in the eye so that I could see his reaction. "I got his approval."

Jared's jaw nearly hit the asphalt. "What? How? I figured he'd be all protective over her and shit. I mean, since that's how he used to be with Bella."

"What can I say, I'm a good guy," I said conceitedly, straightening my collar, raising my chin high. "But for real, he can read minds. He knows where I'm coming from. He respects me on some level and I'm pretty sure he knows that no one on the planet will ever take care of Ness as well as I would."

"What happens if she says no?" he said, knocking my budding reassurance to the ground.

I shrugged. "I guess I spend however long it takes proving to her that I'm the best man for the job. I'm pretty sure she won't say no, though. She kinda told me she wanted to marry me the other day. Do you think it's too soon, though? I mean, crazier things have happened, right?"

"Before I asked Kim, I talked to Sam. He pretty much told me that human relationship standards don't exactly apply to us. It's not like she's some random chick. She's your soul mate. Who cares what anyone else thinks," he said with an air of finality.

Having a heart-to-heart with Jared was awkward; for me, at least. It was rare that I opened up like that. He was right, though. My mind was made up and that's all that really mattered.

My return to Rachel's was greeted with the sound of Ness puking. Down the hall in the bathroom, Rachel was rubbing her back while Hannah swept a wet washcloth across her face. Seeing Ness like that worried me. I'd seen her drink a lot more than she had tonight without puking. And she'd been sick during the flight that morning as well.

On the way to our campsite, I had to stop the car a couple of times so she could lean out the door and heave. She couldn't manage the walk through the woods, so I carried her all the way to the tent.

Ness was sick for the remainder of the night and well into the next morning. She returned to the tent after another trip behind the bushes and laid her head in my lap.

"We can come back in a few weeks, babe. Wouldn't you rather get better and then come back?" I asked, stroking her clammy forehead softly.

She shook her head. "It's getting better. I'll be totally fine. Let's get some hangover food or something. Is there a Waffle House around here?" Her voice was scratchy from all the vomiting.

I couldn't hold back the chuckle that escaped. "There's not a Waffle House for several hundred miles, but we've got a pretty decent diner if you want."

Nessie sat up slowly. "That's fine. I need grease and carbs ASAP."

Knowing my Ness, I knew she wouldn't give up on the Charlie issue. She was so damn persistent any time she wanted something. Those heels of hers dug deep into the ground and didn't budge. It was only a matter of time before she brought it up.

That time came sooner than I thought. Her stomach began to settle once she drank some hot tea at the diner. Her personality came bubbling back to life, complete with smiles and laughs…and her unyielding determination. Her approach was cute, though.

Her lips formed a pout and she looked up at me through her lashes. "Can we see him today?"

My stomach did a nervous flip. I couldn't refuse her anything, but damn, did she have to ask me this? Did it have to be Charlie that pulled me over?

I couldn't look her in the eyes when I replied, so I focused on slicing up the fried eggs that the server had just dropped off. "Sure, just call your parents and we'll be on our way," I said casually.

I glanced up to see her lips form a thin line. "If you insist."

My shoulders slumped. "Don't make me out to be the bad guy. This is serious."

"Fine, I'll call them," she resigned, digging through her purse for her phone.

I felt like I was standing before a firing squad. Edward was going to be furious. I figured it wasn't so bad. I already had his approval to propose and I did try to keep her away from Charlie, sticking to the heavily wooded side streets and going as fast as I could push the rental car in order to get us the hell out of Forks.

"Hey Mom, can you get Dad and put me on speaker?" she said, scrunching her eyebrows and biting her lip.

I leaned in closer to Ness in order to hear their conversation as clearly as possible.

"Okay, baby, we're here. Is everything okay?" Bella asked.

Nessie rolled her eyes. "Not really. I met someone interesting yesterday. Looks a lot like us, actually."

"Hmm. That's weird," Bella replied nervously.

"Put Jacob on the phone," Edward muttered flatly.

Her eyes tightened. "Don't pin this shit on Jacob. He already told me the truth and neither of you have any right to be upset with him. I know he's my grandfather and you're both assholes for keeping him from me my entire life. How could you?"

"Oh God," Bella gasped.

There was silence on the other end for a moment. "He did WHAT? Oh, he's dead. Tell him that," Edward roared.

"So he is my grandfather?" she asked, choking back the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes.

Silence…

"Renesmee…there are reasons…we can explain. Just come on home and we'll talk about it, okay? Your father and I just arrived and it's absolutely beautiful here. You're going to—"

She cut Bella off, "Shut. UP! The only reason I'm calling you is because Jacob wouldn't agree to my seeing him again until I did. And if you haven't already figured it out, he didn't tell me a damn thing. If you want to be pissed at someone, go look in a fucking mirror." She hit the End button roughly and barely refrained from slamming the phone down.

I reached across the table and took her hand in mine. "I'm sorry," I said seriously, unsure of what else to say.

"It's not your fault," she murmured, swatting at the tears on her face.

"I'll keep my end of the bargain. What should we do, race around Forks until he pulls us over?" I joked.

"Invite him over for dinner at your dad's or something. I'll cook."

"You're beautiful, smart, sexy, and you cook? How'd I get so lucky?" I said, grinning at her.

"Not that well, but I try. Now call your dad and plan something, please." The look she gave me could have convinced me to do anything she asked.

We were supposed to go hiking later that morning but I didn't want to risk Ness getting sick again, so we spent the day at the campsite. If living in our own place was going to be anything like the time we spent alone in the forest, my life would be heaven. It was so peaceful and relaxing. We didn't do anything but spend time together, and that was perfect. There were no big shindigs to get ready for, no partying or drinking, just us and nature.

Making love to Ness in such a serene, private environment was the best. It wasn't wild or kinky. It was the epitome of lovemaking – sensual and intimate, unadulterated affection. I didn't know if it was the scenery or the privacy, but she wanted it a lot.

I happily obliged, taking her three times before finally disentangling our sweat-covered bodies so that we could get what she needed in order to cook dinner that evening.

Ness virtually bounced through the grocery store, and her liveliness continued all the way to Dad's house. She was really excited about seeing her grandfather again, but she was pretty nervous. I was nervous, too, but not because I was about to spend the evening with a grandfather I never knew I had. No, my tension was brought on by something much more serious.

You don't become the Chief of Police by being a blind idiot. I guessed it didn't matter if he suspected anything, though. Her determination was fierce no matter what she was doing, and I had no doubt that Bella and Charlie would be seeing each other again within a few months…somehow.

Charlie's police cruiser was in the driveway when we arrived, sending Ness into a panic. You would think she was about to cook dinner for the President or something. Apparently she wanted to have some kind of hors d'oeuvre prepared for his arrival.

I gently turned her perfect face to me. "You've got to calm down, babe. There's nothing to worry about."

"I know I'm freaking out over nothing. I just want to make a good impression." She rolled the hem of her top between her thumb and forefinger anxiously. "Do you think he'll suspect anything?"

I grabbed her fidgeting hand and stroked the back of it with my thumb. Biting back my own nerves and apprehension I answered, "Probably. But that's a good thing, right? Look, it doesn't matter. Just relax and be yourself. There's some mini bottles of vodka stashed in the kitchen. Maybe that'll help calm you down."

"Ugh." She cringed. "I'm never drinking again. I'll be alright, let's go."

Her first conversation with Charlie was awkward and brief. She formally introduced herself as just Ness. They shook hands and smiled, staring into each other's identical eyes, examining the similar facial features. Charlie's expression turned perplexed as Ness made her way to the kitchen.

"How do you know her again?" he asked for the second time since we arrived not five minutes prior.

"We met at school," I replied truthfully, meeting his analytical stare.

"School. Why aren't you there now?" His gaze shifted from me to the girl in the kitchen who – beyond all logic or possibility – resembled his "dead" daughter and her widower.

"Stalker ex." A half-truth, at least. "We're transferring to University of Alaska."

"Hm. Well it'll be a little closer.Knowing your driving record," yeah, you should see my running record, "you could make the trip in a couple of days; see your old man more often. But why Alaska?"

"It's cheap, for starters. They practically pay you to live there. And they've got a really good Environmental Engineering program."

In truth, I picked Alaska because I wanted to be closer to the reservation, but not too close. I loved my family and friends, but being away from it all over the last year had given me a chance to grow up a little, have some privacy, and feel normal for once. Anywhere closer than Alaska could have come with things I wasn't ready to deal with, responsibilities I wasn't willing to take on at the time.

Charlie put his round of questioning on pause, but I still caught him looking over his shoulder at Ness several times. I could see the confusion and astonishment all over his face, from the creases in his forehead to the way his mouth pursed every time he turned back around to face the TV. Sue didn't seem to be the wiser, treating Ness like the perfect stranger she was as she helped her cook.

"Alright guys! Dinner is served," my personal heaven called from the kitchen.

The three of us got up at once and took our seats at the cramped table. Ness had lied to me earlier, claiming that she "tried" to cook. She managed to take something as simple as spaghetti and turn it into a gourmet meal.

"I gotta say, this is the best spaghetti I've had in a long time," Charlie said, spinning his fork around the heap of noodles eagerly.

Ness perked up and smiled. "Thanks! It's all in the spices. Extra oregano and—"

"Lemme guess, fresh garlic instead of the jar stuff?" he interrupted casually, like they were talking about the weather or something equally insignificant.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"I've had it before. My daughter, she passed a while back, she used the same trick."

Ness looked around nervously. "Oh, I'm sorry." There was a moment where the only sound was forks hitting plates. "Do you have other children?"

Charlie shook his head slightly. "Two step-kids, but they're grown. It's just me and Sue here."

That wasn't enough for Ness…damn that girl. "So you've been married before? Where's she now?"

I had to say something before things went too far. "We have plenty of time for questions, babe, take it easy," I whispered.

"We divorced ages ago. She comes up here with her husband every couple years to visit our daughter's memorial."

Ness was having a hard time controlling her anger. Her hand scampered around my leg until she found the hem of my shorts and jerked it up a bit, exposing enough skin for her to project. I have a grandmother, too? Anyone else I should know about?

I shook my head slightly.

"So, Ness, are you originally from Georgia?" Charlie attempted to seem merely curious, but the look in his eyes gave away his deep need for information.

He was figuring it out.

"No, she's from California," I blurted before Ness could give away where she's really from.

"Hmm. Any siblings? Older brothers…or sisters?"

"I'm an only child." Ness was focused on Charlie, completely ignoring the food in front of her.

"Uncles?"

"What's with the line of questioning, honey?" Sue asked, saving me from having to find a way to separate them.

"Just curious," Charlie said, returning his attention to the delicious meal.

Charlie was still there when we left for the night, spending every second he could with Ness while trying not to come off as creepy. We made plans for all of us to have dinner at his house Wednesday night.

If I'd known that Ness and Charlie would wind up meeting, I would have planned to stay in Washington a little longer, but we'd already booked and paid for our crazy-expensive flight to Alaska.

The following afternoon was beautiful. We had just returned from swimming and I watched—okay, stared in amazement, as she towel-dried her wet hair. I followed the beads of water running from her wet hair down her arms and back, taking in the flawless curves of her bikini-clad body.

My girl was fucking perfect.

My ogling continued as she laid out a blanket where the sun was beaming the most. I expected her to crack a joke when she noticed my gawking, but she just smiled a smile that warmed me from the inside. Suddenly it felt like there was too much space between us.

I lay down beside her, turning on my side and wrapping an arm around her small waist. I propped my head in my hand so I could see her face better.

This was it. The perfect moment. Just us, the trees, the birds, and the warm sun.

I'd envisioned at least fifteen different ideal scenarios for proposing – on the beach; a spot in the mountains with a view that spanned for miles; over a dinner that I cooked for her, among other ideas – none of them were so simple as this. But suddenly, the place or the amount of planning didn't matter as much. It felt right, like now was the perfect time. It didn't matter that it was mid-afternoon or that we were simply hanging out, doing the same thing we'd done since we got here.

My stomach was flip-flopping like crazy and my palms got sweaty. My heart sped and my fingers trembled slightly as they brushed across her face lovingly.

Ness's brows knitted. "Jacob, what's wrong?"

"Absolutely nothing is wrong. Everything is perfect…because of you."

She smiled and her cheeks turned a little pink. So. Adorable. "I love you," she said sweetly.

My heart radiated every time she said that. I kissed her lightly on the lips. "I love you," I said gruffly, my nerves making it hard to speak, "so much.

"I never thought I could feel this way. I always hated the concept of imprinting. I thought it was like being in a lovesick daze or something, like you go from living your life to having no free will. But I was far off the mark. You are so perfect for me, imprinting or not. I love everything about you – your energy, your strong-mindedness, how fun you are to be around. I couldn't have picked a better woman myself."

She rested her hand on top of mine and shared her feelings with me as I kissed her long and soft. Flashes of images played behind my eyelids. Every memory she had of us from her point of view, snippets of every kiss, every smile, every 'I love you'…every time we'd made love. All of them coated with her emotions – mostly love and happiness, and lust of course.

My tongue explored her mouth as more images came, except these had never happened….making love in what I assumed was our home in Alaska; us having a huge snowball fight with her family; hiking through some tropical jungle. The next ones made me kiss her more fervently. I was standing in the snow surrounded by both our families, wearing a tux. Then she comes into view, wearing a wedding gown. My heart stammered. Then the image changed. The three dark-haired, caramel skinned babies from her dreams appeared, we were playing with them on a spring day.

I sealed the kiss and hovered a few inches above her face, taking a moment to gather the nerve to ask her, praying to every deity known to man that she said yes.

"Renesmee?" I breathed.

Her phone rang. It was right beside us blaring 'Beast and the Harlot' loudly, Kimber's ringtone – some inside joke of theirs.

Ness quickly sent her to voicemail. "Sorry, you were saying something?" she murmured, kissing me once.

"M—"

The fucking phone rang again. Kimber.

"Hang on, baby. It might be important." She looked at me pleadingly as she pulled the phone to her ear.

"Hey honey, I'm really busy, what's up?" Ness mumbled.

"Oh. My. God! I met the hottest guy ever yesterday. Those Denali chicks came down to welcome us to Alaska and he came with them. He said you two have met before. His name's Andrew." Kimber's excited squeal rang loudly through the receiver. I briefly wondered if I should be worried about this supposed 'hottest guy ever', especially if Ness had met him before. Maybe there was something I hadn't heard about yet.

"Buzzed hair, tats, and dimples, right?" she asked indifferently.

"Yeah. God, I just want to eat him up. Two more weeks and it is on!"

"Kim, can I call you later?"

Kimber did her pregnant-woman whine. I knew then that the conversation with Kimber was far from over. Ness couldn't deny her anything right now. She felt bad for the misery she was going through and did everything she could to make her happy. It usually didn't bother me in the slightest, but I was trying to propose.

Ness made a pouty face, mouthing the words, I'm sorry.

"You've got five minutes," I whispered.

"Come home. I miss you. The Denali sisters are disappointed you're not here, too," Kimber whined, playing into Ness's weakness.

"I've got some business to take care of here. I'll be there Friday, though," she said apologetically.

Ness and Kimber chatted for a few more minutes before she finally convinced her that she was neglecting me and needed to go. Too bad the moment had come and gone. I wasn't about to propose now that Kimber had interrupted the perfect moment.

"Who's Andrew?" I asked casually.

"One of the Denali men-of-the-moment. Apparently he's smitten with our Kimber. He's taking her on a real date tomorrow night," Ness said, excited for her new sister.

"Kimber? On a date? Wow, that's a leap for her."

I didn't want to talk about it with Ness, but when Kimber and I were hooking up, we never did anything remotely close to going on a date. We even made a point not to show up at parties together or around the same time.

"Where exactly does a vampire take a pregnant human on a date?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. He's surprising her, which probably means he has no idea."

"They're going alone?" I was right to be concerned. Kimber was a fragile human, even more so since she was pregnant. I wasn't nuts about the concept of her going anywhere with this guy, especially unsupervised.

"I don't think anyone would allow him anywhere near her if he was a threat. And last time I saw him, his eyes were ocher," she said, trying to placate my apprehension.

Like that changes anything. "You don't think she'll sleep with him, do you?"

Ness's body stiffened and she narrowed her eyes. "Why, you jealous or something?"

I slumped, looking at her incredulously. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm only asking because I don't want her to get hurt." And that was the only reason.

"Well you'll be happy to know that she's waiting until after she's changed. I think she's learned her lesson on what happens when a human fucks a vampire." She still seemed a little peeved that I was asking about Kimber and concerned for her safety, but I guess I'd be the same way if our roles were reversed.

The tension in the air dissolved once I began showing Ness exactly how not jealous I was by worshipping her body with my mouth and tongue. After I made my point – numerous times – we spent a little while longer relaxing in the sun before getting ready for dinner at Charlie's.

The round of questioning picked up right where they'd left off. This time, they got to know each other on a more personal level. Likes and dislikes, past experiences, opinions on current events. They only spoke to each other for the most part, but the rest of us didn't mind that at all. They needed this time together.

As eleven o'clock ticked closer and closer, everyone looked tired. The coffee we'd had with dessert was wearing off and Charlie had to be at work in the morning. I casually looked at my watch – like I didn't already know what time it was – and then at Ness. No one wanted us to leave, but we'd have to sooner or later. We were leaving for Seattle the next day, then Alaska that evening.

Beside me on the sofa, Ness yawned again and stretched. We looked at each other for a silent moment. I didn't want to be the one to tell her it was about time to head back to the campsite.

Charlie stood and cracked his back. "Well, you guys oughtta be getting back. That's a long hike you've got ahead of you. But don't be strangers." He looked at Ness and I somberly through his sleepy eyes.

Tears pricked in Ness's eyes and she tried to blink them back. She got up and met Charlie halfway. They embraced like they'd never see each other again, tight and unmoving.

"We won't," she murmured with a sniffle.

When they finally disconnected, she walked to where I was standing. The tears she'd tried to hold back had rolled down her cheeks and more were welling. She took a deep breath and casually wiped her face as though she was swatting away the tiredness, but she couldn't wipe away all the red in her face and eyes.

Seeing her like this only further solidified my determination to keep the two of them in each other's lives.

Charlie walked us out, closing the door behind him, his eyes shifting around nervously. "I don't know what's going on, but uh…could one of you have Edward call me?" He gave us both his card with his home phone number hand written on the back. "Please, just give him this. I know you know how to reach him."

Neither of us neither confirmed nor denied his suspicions. Ness tucked the card into her purse and buried her face in his shoulder one last time. I shook Charlie's hand and gave him an affirming look.

I held Ness impossibly close all night. Her sadness was palpable to me, and I wished there was something I could do to ease it. But I could only promise her that we'd see him again, and soon.

Charlie knew we'd be headed to Seattle the following morning, so I wasn't surprised when blue lights flashed behind us soon after we crossed into Forks. Ness pulled over to the side of the road with a smile on her face, eyes practically glowing. Did they plan this?

"Oh, hey Ness! I didn't realize it was you," Charlie said once he reached the window.

Yeah. Sure.

"So does that mean you're not going to give me a ticket?" she asked humorously.

"Of course not, but with this new system the cars are equipped with, I do have to run your license and registration." And follow the paper trail. Funny, Charlie didn't ask me for shit when he had pulled me over Monday.

She handed him her license and the paperwork from the glove box with a gleaming smile. "No problem. I understand."

If he knew how to use his resources, which I was sure he did, he'd be knocking on the Cullen's door in no time.

A/N: I almost split this into two chapters…but I figured since you guys have been waiting for this for like two weeks (or more?), I'd leave it as is. I should be able to send a teaser this time. And I hope to post a Second Chances update soon.