Chapter 16: The Long Arm of the Law
Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight.
Charlie hadn't ever been to the Cullens home before. Home? It was more like a mansion, with its manicured lawns and stately trees lining the driveway. He'd never seen so much glass lining the front entrance of a house either. Who cleaned all their windows, he wondered? Then he imagined how much homeowner's insurance they had to pay, especially for glass breakage. It was probably just a drop in the bucket for these people though. They had money coming out their ears. At the moment that fact didn't seem to be helping Edward any. It was certainly true that money can't buy happiness; he was glaring proof of that. Just this very morning the poor sap was standing in the rain, soaked to the skin, pining over his daughter.
No, he had to get rid of that train of thought. That boy was trespassing on his property and scaring the daylights out of Bella. It was intolerable, and—he had to admit—kind of creepy.
It seemed ironic that a poor boy from the reservation was always smiling and cheerful, and this rich kid was brooding all the time, like a sad white-faced mime. Maybe he needed to be taught a lesson in gratitude.
He parked the cruiser in front of the entrance, and opening the door, stepped out of the vehicle. He pulled himself up to his full height and straightened his uniform. Up the massive concrete steps he climbed, and rang the doorbell. Esme came to the door, smiling. She was such a beautiful gal that Charlie envied Carlisle—not for his money, but for his luck in finding a wonderful woman to be his wife. He almost wished he didn't have to come and ruin her day.
"Chief Swan," she said. Her simple welcome was as melodious as a song, and her smile could light the heavens. "What can I do for you?"
"I'm here to see Carlisle. He hasn't left for the hospital yet, has he?"
"No, no, he's getting dressed. Come in and sit down. He'll be right with you."
She led him into the living room, and seated him on a pale green tufted couch. Charlie couldn't help but notice how gracefully she glided over the ceramic floor. It was almost as if she was floating on air—literally.
Carlisle came down the stairs with Esme at his side. The chief rose from his seat as Carlisle approached him. He greeted Charlie warmly.
"You wanted to speak to me?" He motioned for his guest to sit down.
"Yeah, but I was hoping to include Edward in this conversation. Is he here?"
"I'm afraid not. He and Emmett went running this morning. Is there something wrong?"
"Actually, yes. You know I've never had a problem with any of your children. They've always been well behaved until recently."
Carlisle leaned forward, his brow wrinkled in concern; his golden eyes searching Charlie's for answers. "Are you saying that Edward has not shown proper respect for the law?"
"How can I put this? You know that Edward and Bella were . . . well . . . together. Apparently Bella broke it off, and Edward hasn't dealt with it in a mature manner—to put it politely. Yesterday, last night, and early this morning, he has been standing outside in our yard looking through our windows. I guess he was hoping that Bella would come out and talk to him. I know this to be a fact, because I saw him myself, this morning."
Carlisle's mouth dropped open in surprise. He could hardly believe that Edward would stoop to such tactics. He was appalled, and rightly so. He would certainly talk to Edward. This was not only criminal activity, but it would bring undue attention to their family, and subsequently to their way of life.
Standing abruptly, Carlisle apologized for his son. "Chief Swan, I am so sorry for the emotional distress my son has caused you and Bella. You can rest assured that I will have a lengthy conversation with Edward. This will not happen again. You have my solemn word on that."
"I appreciate it, but I have to warn you that if that doesn't work, I'll have to pursue this to the full extent of the law. And if that means I have to get a restraining order, I will. I can't have my daughter feeling like a prisoner in her own home. I better go now. I have to get home, and you need to get to the hospital for your shift. I hope there are no hard feelings about this."
"I understand, I would do the same to protect my family."
The two men stood and shook hands. Esme saw him to the door.
On the way out of the driveway, Charlie spotted Emmett and Edward running toward the house. He beeped his horn to get their attention, little knowing that they heard him, and caught his scent from a mile away. They stopped in their tracks as Charlie got out of the cruiser once more.
"Edward, come here, son, I need to talk to you—NOW!"
Out of the corner of his mouth, Emmett sarcastically muttered, "Jeepers, it's the cops. What the hell did you do this time, bro?"
They walked up to Charlie. He glanced away from Edward for a second, his eyes alighting on Emmett.
"Emmett, if you'll excuse us, this doesn't concern you."
Backing away, Emmett saluted his brother, and ran back to the house, knowing full well, that he would be privy to every word spoken.
The sight of Edward got the chief riled up again. He spoke through clenched teeth. "I had a long talk with your father about your little—shall we say—episodes these last two days. Just be thankful that I spoke with him first, because I have to say, I was pretty pissed after I saw you outside our window this morning. It wouldn't have taken much for my gun to go off accidentally if you know what I mean. Now I'm warning you, if I catch you on my property again without Bella's permission, there will be hell to pay. Do I make myself clear?"
Edward looked down at the ground. "Yes, sir. It won't happen again, sir. I promise."
Looking at Edward's slumped shoulders and the sadness in those amber eyes, Charlie began to feel for the kid again. He put his hand out and placed it on his shoulder. "Look, Edward, I know what it's like to lose the one you love. I'm not a complete ogre. I understand how broken your heart feels right now, and I sympathize with you, but stalking Bella is not the answer. If anything, it'll push her away. You need to think about what I'm telling you. I don't want to have to use my authority against you, I don't. But you're fooling yourself if you think I'll turn a blind eye if this ever occurs again, because believe me, I won't.
"Do we have an understanding then?"
The heartbroken boy stood there silently.
Charlie pressed him again, "Do we?"
Nodding his head, Edward, sadly walked away, and into the house. Emmett draped his arm around Edward's shoulder and greeted him with, "Dude, what were you thinking?"
Edward knocked Emmett's arm away from him. "Shut up, Emmett. Just leave me alone; I don't want any company right now."
Emmett glared at him; he didn't get it. What was the attraction besides her tantalizing blood? "She's just a weak little human girl. Get over her, man. She's not worth it!"
The door slammed to Edward's room, shutting Emmett out, and no one saw a bronze hair on his head until Carlisle came home thirteen hours later.
Charlie got back in the cruiser and left for home and a cold breakfast.
Bella was washing the dishes as Charlie came through the door. "I don't think the Rain Man will be bothering us anymore. He got my message loud and clear. Now, do you think you could do your old man a favor and heat up my food?"
Three days went by and Bella never saw him outside her window again. Then the next afternoon a letter came for her. It was obvious that the script belonged to Edward. She stubbornly left it on the coffee table with the rest of the mail and went about the remainder of her day. She warred with herself over whether or not to read the dang thing.
She cleaned the house getting ready for Jacob to come over. They were going to watch a *gasp* martial arts DVD tonight. It was his turn to pick the movie. She saw him yawning over Enchanted April two nights ago, so it was only fair to give him his chance to pick out what he would enjoy.
When Charlie came home, the first thing he did after hanging up his jacket and holster was change his clothes, then he sorted through the mail. He rolled his eyes as he noted the envelope with that elegant script. It was a no-brainer to figure out who the letter was from. Out of the corner of his eye he spied Bella, her glance trained on the letter in question.
"Are you going to read this, or shall I throw it out with the rest of the garbage?"
Caught in the act—darn. "I don't know, Dad; I haven't decided yet. What do you think?"
Charlie held out the pesky envelope between his thumb and forefinger as if to hand it to her. "What do I think? I think if you decide not to read this, you'll always wonder what was in it. It'll haunt you for the rest of your life. But, it's up to you; no one else can make that decision for you.
Exasperated, she growled. "Oh, just give it here then! Jacob's coming over tonight and I was in such a good mood. Then this stupid thing had to show up."
She ripped open the letter angrily. The note was blessedly short.
My dearest Bella,
This will be the last communication you will ever get from me. I wanted you to know how deeply I regret my foolish and inappropriate behavior I displayed the last two days that you witnessed my presence outside of your home. That reckless act caused you nothing but mental anguish and perhaps anger as well. I am truly sorry.
I shall always treasure with fondness, the time we had together. I will always love you, and no other as long as I live.
I have left Forks, and have no plans to return. I wish you all the happiness in the world. I know Jacob will love and protect you. May he never forget how fortunate he is to have you in his life.
Love always and forever,
Edward
Bella let out a big sigh of relief. Edward finally had the grace to bow out, and leave her and Jacob in peace. She would never regret her time spent with him, but she was ready to move on. A new chapter had opened up in her life, and she was anxious to see what that had in store for her.
A/N: I wish this website had the capability of displaying fonts. I recently downloaded some Twilight fonts, and Edward's letter is written in that elegant way, just like in the books.