A/N: I am going away on a business trip so I don't know how long it will be until my next update so enjoy this extra long chapter. As always reviews are welcome.
Edward POV
"Bella, what is that?" I asked staring at the red death trap with wheels in Bella's driveway suddenly afraid if her answer.
Bella let out a long sigh. "That is my motorcycle." She replied.
"Your motorcycle?" I asked hoping that my ears had deceived me and I heard wrong. The image of Bella on such a dangerous mode of transportation was horrifying to say the least. I tried to calm myself with the thought that she was sitting here safe beside me and not buried under that machine on the side of the road somewhere. The thing sat there mocking me, reminding me of all the mistakes I had made. Somehow I knew I had been the cause if Bella taking up this dangerous activity. All I needed was confirmation from Bella. It wasn't rational but I had a sudden urge to destroy it as if destroying I could erase all my previous wrongdoings, wrongdoings that I foolishly perceived were right at the time.
She nodded mutely still staring ahead at the offensive vehicle her arms crossed in front of her, a definite sign that she was angry…maybe just as much as Charlie was. "Might as well get this over with." She finally said already opening the car door to get out. Before she could, I grabbed her wrist effectively halting her. She looked at me surprised. I didn't care how illogical I was being, I wanted, no, needed an explanation.
"What on earth were you thinking or were you…thinking, that is?" Bella winced and I immediately felt sorry. "I apologize. That came out wrong. It's just that the thought of you on that…that thing…well I can't even form the words."
"It was just a hobby I took up after you…well you know." Now it was my turn to wince. "Jake must have blown the whistle on me."
What did that mutt have to do with this? I wondered. Was he the one that put the ridiculous notion in her head that taking up riding would be a good thing, a safe thing for her to do?
"ISABELLA MARIE SWAN, I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE. GET YOUR BUTT IN THIS HOUSE RIGHT NOW!" Charlie yelled from inside the house.
"Great, he's even using my full name. Look, I'll explain everything later. Just let me deal with Charlie first."
I had no choice but to accept this. I would have to get the details later. "I'll be waiting in your room." I told her.
"I didn't expect anything else." Bella said caustically. I didn't mean to act like the overbearing fiancé however I couldn't let this go for some reason.
She walked to the house slowly like she was on her way to her execution. I almost laughed at the absurdity. Despite how angry Charlie was with Bella, I knew he probably wouldn't be too hard on her. Not as hard as I would be, were she my daughter. Charlie was all bark and little bite. Speaking of barks, I could smell the distinct odor of dog not too far away. When I was sure Bella was safely ensconced in the house, I drove off a little to hide my car and got out.
"You can come out from hiding mutt. I can smell you."
Jacob Black jumped down from the tree that overlooked Bella's bedroom window, the same tree I used nightly to gain entrance into her room. I felt a tightening in my gut at the thought that he could have used the very same means of entry or worse yet watched us when we thought we were alone. But that was impossible, I thought trying to calm myself. I would have smelled his stench immediately.
"I wasn't hiding, parasite." He said with a smirk on his face. I wanted to enjoy the fireworks.
"What is the meaning of this? " I asked him through clenched teeth. I had to remind myself to stay composed. There could be no fight here, not with Bella and Charlie so close. Not to mention the neighbors that would get a show right out of a horror movie.
He shrugged, unconcerned that I was so close to beating him to a pulp. "Just thought Charlie would be interested in what Bella was up to." If I can't see her I made damn sure he can't either.
Ahh, so that was his game. He thought to get Bella grounded. If he only knew that regardless, I would spend every night with her as I always did, he might not have bothered. Just as well. I had no intention of enlightening him. There was no telling of what he would do then.
"How very adolescent of you, pup. I warned you to stay away from her." I spat out almost wishing he would make the first move. But he looked wary now, like he knew I could read his thoughts, see his motives.
"I don't take orders from you, bloodsucker. She's not one of yours." Not yet, not ever.
But she would be one of mine, I thought with a sense of satisfaction. It was amazing how much my position on that had changed since my return. I wouldn't let Jacob in on that fact however. It would only provoke the dog more and I didn't want to goad him into a reaction everyone would regret.
"Why don't you just leave? Go back to the hell where you came from." He told me when I didn't answer him.
If only he knew that the months spent without my Bella-and yes she was mine- was hell. A hell like I had never known before and never wanted to know again.
"Funny. I was just going to tell you the same thing."
I really wanted to end this conversation but I wasn't about to leave before he did. Inside the house I could hear the argument that ensued between Bella and her father.
"Isabella Marie Swan…you are grounded!" Charlie yelled. I could almost sense his face mottled red in anger.
"For what?" Bella yelled back indignantly.
"Well, I got what I came for" Jacob said with a self satisfied grin. I wanted to punch it right off his face. "See ya, leech."
He backed away not wanting to turn his back on me and ran off. My full attention was now tuned into the war going on inside as I stealthily made my way into Bella's room and waited for her on the bed.
"For riding motorcycles, that's what!"
"You never said I couldn't"
"I never said…? You can barely walk across a flat surface without tripping…it was implied."
I cringed on Bella's behalf. She hated that she was clumsy but to have Charlie throw it in her face like that was unnecessarily hurtful. I wanted to come to her defense but he couldn't know that I was here. I also couldn't completely disagree with him either. Sadly enough I knew he was being unkind because he worried, as did I.
"That's great, dad…just great. Thanks a whole hell of a lot. It's nice to know you have such confidence in me."
"I'm sorry Bella but you know it's true. You could have been hurt so easily."
"I had been riding that motorcycle for months. Obviously I suffered no great damage."
Well, that phrasing was odd. "No great damage" obviously was Bella's way of stating but not stating that she had gotten hurt but not enough to sustain long term injury. This concerned me and only strengthened my resolve that there could be no more motorcycle riding. It would only be a matter of time before she would get badly hurt. I didn't even want to think of the ramifications if that were to happen.
"I don't care. You're still grounded." It was apparent that Bella got her stubbornness from Charlie.
"You can't ground me. I'm 18."
"You're still under my roof." Oh no, Charlie. Tell me you just didn't pull that card. Unfortunately, I didn't have to be able to read Bella's mind to know what was coming next.
"That can be remedied." Bella said in a determined voice. Then I heard stomping come halfway up the stairs then suddenly stop. "Look dad, I don't want to fight with you. I really don't want to move out yet but I am 18, I am getting married this summer. Don't you think grounding me is a little futile at this point? I promise I'll get rid of the bike. I have no reason to ride it anymore anyway."
Now that was interesting. What reason did she have for riding it in the first place? I would just have to wait for her to explain that one. Charlie's position had waned on the whole grounding matter. Bella's argument was logical and I knew punishment would no longer be an issue. He didn't want to fight with her anymore either, not when he knew he would be losing her in a few months anyway. I was also grateful Bella had agreed to get rid of the bike before I had to say anything. I knew Bella would not appreciate it if I treated her like the fragile human she was.
"You're right Bella." Charlie said. "I don't want to fight with you with you either. I won't ground you but please don't…"
"I know, I know…no more motorcycles. I promise. Now, I am going to do some homework before cooking your dinner okay?"
"Okay…So...uh… what does Edward have to say about this motorcycle business?"
"I don't imagine he's very happy about it either."
Now that was a gross understatement as several other harsher adjectives came to mind. I waited patiently for Bella to enter her room. She was still wearing her trench coat as she barged in the room and threw her bag on the floor in a huff and I guessed that she didn't want to reveal what she was wearing underneath it to Charlie. He would have had apoplexy on the spot.
"Could this day get any worse?" It was a rhetorical question so I did not answer. I just raised my eyebrow at her and waited for her to continue with the tirade I knew was coming. She didn't disappoint as she paced around the room trying to organize her thoughts. She looked so adorable when she was angry.
"Ugh!" she groaned as she paced. I hid a smile so as not to raise her ire further. She continued speaking at an increasingly quick pace. "First, Alice makes me up at some ungodly hour to primp and preen me into the next Teen Vogue cover girl." She began ticking off her fingers. "Then I have to deal with the leers of the entire male population of the school, next I get accosted by the line backer from hell in the locker room, everyone thinks I'm pregnant and now my ex-best friend rats me out to my dad…ugh"
Red flag, red flag! My mind screamed at me. Although she spoke quickly, I caught every word and my mind seized on one thing, one dangerous tidbit of information that I didn't know about….accosted…by a linebacker? Someone accosted my Bella and I wasn't informed until now?
"Wait. Go back. What did you just say?" I asked her sitting up from my relaxed position on the bed, all my muscles tensed now.
"I was just complaining about the day I had. You know, Alice, the whole school thinking I'm pregnant… Jake." Bella responded attempting to put on an innocent expression. She was definitely covering something up.
"You skipped over something." I informed her.
"I did?" She looked at me, her eyes wide.
"Bella" I warned. "What was it about the line backer from hell, specifically?"
"Oh, that." She gulped.
"Yes, that." I said grimly. There was no way I could let this go. I knew something was up with her and Alice in the locker room and I should have questioned them further about it then. All sorts of scenarios now rose to my mind, none of them good. If someone had hurt Bella, there would be hell to pay.
"It was nothing." Bella said with a wave of her hand.
"If it was nothing then why are you so hesitant to tell me about it?"
"Because you'll get upset." Of course, I thought. She wanted to protect me and my feelings when it was so obvious that she was the one that needed protecting.
"I'm upset now." I took her hand in mine and looked into her eyes. "Bella, we've talked about this remember?" I said reminding her of the conversation we had to be truthful with each other.
She gave an exasperated sigh. "Okay, come on, let's go."
Now she had me confused. "Go? Where?"
"Your house." She said with a sigh as if was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Why?" I asked her cautiously trying to figure why she felt the need to go to my house to tell me whatever it was she needed to say.
"Reinforcements." Her answer was resolute. "If you want to know, I want to at least tell you some place where you can't overreact…err…much."
If I wasn't worried before, I certainly was now. She wanted to go to my house so my family could prevent me from doing whatever it was I would want to do after hearing Bella out? The scenarios in my brain were getting worse and more vivid as the conversation wore on.
"Fine but when we get there I want details. All of them."
She nodded her consent and made some excuse to Charlie that she had to go to the library for research on an assignment. When we drove off in my car, I decided to ask her about the motorcycle. If I couldn't get an immediate answer on one issue, I was going to at least get some answers on another one.
Forcing a smile I tried to keep still the less then productive emotions rolling through me as my hands tightly clenched the steering wheel.
"So about this motorcycle." I started.
"What about it?" Bella asked me cautiously.
"I can't picture it." I told her. "It just doesn't seem like the type of thing you would do."
"Well, you don't have to worry about it anymore. I promised Charlie no more bikes."
Yes, she had promised him and I didn't doubt she would not break it however that wasn't really what I was concerned about.
"I'm relieved that is the case however I am curious as to why you took up such a dangerous activity in the first place." I was pleased with myself that I could discuss this rationally despite the waves of fear I felt at just the mere thought of her doing anything that could harm her. But I knew Bella well, knew that she would react defensively and angrily. The last thing I wanted was another fight between us.
"It's silly really. And really doesn't matter at this point."
It did matter. Everything about Bella mattered to me. "Even still. I would like to know."
"You won't like it."
"I'm sure I won't" I told her taking her hand in mine and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Just humor me anyway."
She blew out a reluctant breath. "It started out as a lark really. You see I discovered by accident that when I was in a dangerous situation, I could hear your voice. "I sucked in a breath and waited for further explanation. She glanced at me nervously and I nodded for her to continue. "The first time I was in Port Angeles with Jessica. We went to the movies." She furrowed her brow in thought. "When we left, there were these guys on motorcycles that looked like the guys that harassed me there the last time. When I approached them…"
"You approached them?" I yelled nearly losing control of the wheel.
She winced. "Do you want to hear this or not?"
After taking several deep breaths I was finally able to speak. "Please continue." This was worse than I thought.
"As I was saying…when I approached them I could hear you voice telling me to stop...to turn around and walk away. The closer I got to them, the more insistent and worried your voice became. It felt like you were there with me again. It was a dream come true."
I should feel grateful that the me of her hallucinations was guiding her in such a potentially harmful situation but it pained me to realize that she was desperate enough to place herself in danger on purpose for an illusion. Angela had told me what happened that night but actually hearing the events unfold from Bella's point of view was nearly my undoing.
"What does this have to do with the motorcycle?" I had a feeling I already knew but I had to ask anyway.
"I'm getting to that." She said disgruntled. "So I noticed that my neighbor was getting rid of two motorcycles and I brought them to Jake to fix up. He's a good mechanic. Anyway, I wanted to see if I would be able to hear your voice again once I started to ride. And I was right. As soon as I turned on the motor you were there again telling me to stop, warning me desperately not to do it. I did it anyway as I am sure you already figured out. It just felt so good to have you there with me even though it was only a vision I conjured up." She placed her hand on my thigh in a calming gesture and I tensed because I knew she wasn't finished. "You wanted me to be honest so I will tell you the need for you over rode everything else and if I had to put myself in a dangerous situation to hear it, well than that's what I did.
I didn't know what to say-how to react. It was true. I did want her to be honest but I had never expected this. "You risked your...life…to hear my voice?" I barely wanted to think about it let alone say it out loud.
Her hand came up to caress my cheek. "But it's okay now. You're here. I wasn't lying to Charlie or to you when I said I had no need for such things anymore."
As if that was any consolation. The hallucinations I could understand. Had I not seen her face, heard her voice everywhere I went? But this?…To purposely put her life in danger? I quickly pulled over to the side of the road unable to drive anymore and with a strangled sob I hauled her into my arms and buried my face in her hair. I wasn't being rational, of course but I had an overwhelming need for this close physical contact.
"It's okay. I'm right here." Bella said soothingly stroking my hair. I held her tighter.
"I'm so sorry." I whispered. What had I done to this beautiful girl? I was amazed and honored that she could forgive me after all that I had unknowingly put her through.
"It's not your fault Edward. It was me. I was the one being stupid. I should never have told you."
"No" I said pulling back only slightly. "I'm glad you did. I needed to know."
When I was composed enough to drive again, we continued on to my house. As we came up the drive I noticed Alice standing impatiently in the open doorway. Seeing her automatically brought to mind why we were at my house in the first place and I tensed again for what was to come.