The Visitor

A/N: Jilburfm rocks the beta. Happy reading

Bella POV

"How do I look?"

I eyed myself skeptically in the mirror. I was so far beyond dead.

It was 9:00 a.m., and I was already late for school. When Alice had seen the vision of us sitting in detention for tardiness, she'd thrown a fit, run up the stairs, and picked out an outfit. For me.

"Hurry!" she yelled, stampeding back down and out the door to warm up the car. Small favors.

I looked at myself in the mirror then turned to Edward.

He sat on the bed pensively, as if the answer to this question held the answers to the universe.

"Pretty." His voice was low and decisive. Never had I been so inflated by one simple word, yet I found myself smiling from ear to ear.

I pulled back my hair and did a quick once-over, double checking to make sure I got all the blood off in the shower. That would be a hard one to explain.

"Come on!" Alice barged into the room and dragged me out, my last glimpse of Edward being that crooked, quirky smile.

When I opened my phone after school was when things took a turn for the worse. I had 14 missed calls and closer to 3,000 text messages, all to the key of "Call me immediately." I swallowed back fear and guilt and a thousand other emotions. I was confident they'd come back with a vengeance shortly.

Alice had warned me, right before I'd gotten out of the car, that tonight wouldn't be pretty. She told me that if I wanted to come over later, fine, but that I'd have to walk, because she was not driving me and I would definitely not have my truck. Apparently things weren't going to go so well this evening.

In my defense, which I understand was shaky at best, I really didn't think Charlie was going to check on me. Any other day, by the time I wake up for school he's already gone to work. Of course, by some weird cosmic intervention, he chose this morning to change it up.

I stood on the porch for at least seven minutes, just shifting my weight from foot to foot, putting off the inevitable. The cruiser was in the driveway, which meant that Charlie had probably called off work today.

As much as I tried to push it aside, guilt stabbed at me like a thousand little pinpricks until I could dawdle no longer.

I thought briefly about running away screaming, finding a nice little hidey hole and eating bugs and drinking from the river until I died. That way I didn't have to face what I knew was coming.

I'd let Charlie down, and what killed me most was that it hadn't even been twenty-four hours since our big responsibility talk.

Crap.

I knew he'd heard me when I walked in, because the familiar drone of the TV was quickly muted.

I stilled in the hallway, hanging my coat and willing my heart to just calm down, just for a minute.

It was that look that I dreaded most. That look that said 'I trusted you, and you let me down.' The one every parent comes fully equipped with but reserves for the most dire of circumstances. The one reserved for when your child has really shown themselves to be a bad egg.

The one that fathers give to daughters who sneak out to see their boyfriends in the middle of the night.

"I'm home," I called down the hallway, proud that my voice was generally even, but still fighting with my heart over whether or not it should be beating quite so rapidly.

The lack of answer told me one of two things: Either Charlie was so infuriated that he could not yet respond, or he'd had a heart attack when I walked in the door alive.

That was one coin I didn't want to flip.

"Dad?" I asked timidly. My footsteps were light, a false kind of serenity to my movements, when I walked toward the living room.

Charlie was sitting in his favorite chair, staring at the muted show blankly, a beer in one hand his cell phone in the other.

He did not look up at me.

I sort of expected that he was going to give me the silent treatment and just wait for me to spill my guts (which probably wouldn't have been too long), so he surprised me when he said, "Sit down."

Automatically, I did. I wasn't sure if I should apologize or if I should wait. Whenever my mom caught me doing something I shouldn't be doing, I'd always let her say her piece then show the remorse. But Charlie wasn't my mom, and even if he was, this situation was probably worse than anything I'd done to date.

When he spoke, his voice wasn't one of an overworked cop who'd had a few too many beers. It was that of a parent who'd sent countless text messages and phone calls to his daughter over the past several hours, probably on the verge of filing a missing person's report, when she walked in the door unscathed.

"Dad, I…" I didn't know what to say, so I let my voice trail off.

"I went to the Cullen's," Charlie said, after a pretty significantly petrifying pause. He kept his eyes carefully trained on the television when he spoke, and I didn't respond. What could I say?

"The Doctor has always been a very nice man. I'd have arrested him, if I could, but on what charges?"

"I can explain," I finally whispered. But could I? And, more importantly, should I?

"Well, then," he responded, still not even sparing me a glance. "Let's hear it."

I paused, not really expecting him to call me on an explanation.

"I…" I focused on the floor, eying a small ripple in the wood, and felt my eyes start to water.

"I don't want you seeing them anymore."

His gaze continued to rest on the TV but he definitely wasn't watching it. His hands were clenched tightly, his arms rigid, the muscles in his jaw working furiously to remain emotionally detached.

"Dad, I —"

He slammed his beer down on the side table and his eyes finally met mine. They were filled with a fury that I'd not remembered ever seeing in Charlie, one that both worried me and amazed me. Because I guess I didn't realize he cared so much. But what he was proposing wasn't a choice.

"You're not to see the Cullens anymore."

"That's not really an option," I whispered, able to hold his gaze only for a few split seconds. There was no way to make him understand how far deep I was in, but I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he could not keep me from them. From Edward. I focused on keeping my breathing level, waiting for it to be over.

"You don't call the shots. And until you're responsible enough to, you won't call the shots. Do you have any idea what it feels like? For your daughter — your child — to be missing from her bed at six in the goddam morning?"

While, personally, I figured he was overreacting, I'd never seen Charlie so angry at me. And I guess I never saw it coming, because, Christ, teenagers sneak out. It's what they do. Why should I be any different?

When I realized he was waiting for an answer, I said, "I'm sorry," and pulled the pillow from the couch into my lap. Was I sorry? If I could do it again, I think I probably would. But I was sorry for worrying him.

"Where were you?" Charlie's voice was demanding, his temper flaring now that he'd gotten started.

I shook my head, refusing to look him in the eye. Refusing to see all the hurt and the anger and refusing to see what he thought of me in that moment. If he had visited Carlisle, he already knew where I'd been.

"What's his name?" he spat, standing and placing himself directly in front of me. I'd never seen Charlie intimidating, but I don't think I'd have imagined it was possible.

I paused, gathering my wits. "Edward," I said calmly.

"Well, you and Edward are not to see each other again."

I let that one sink in for a minute before responding.

"Wait… like, ever?"

"It's become clear to me, Isabella, that a relationship is too much for you to handle like an adult."

The air whooshed out of me in a defiant laughter and my eyes narrowed as my temper got the better of me. "Is this a joke?" Before he could respond, I added, "You can't tell me who I can and cannot be friends with. What about school? Am I banished from my educational pursuits as well? What? Are you going to handcuff me to my bedposts and flush the key?"

"Maybe!" Charlie bellowed, standing now. I stood, too.

"I said I was sorry! What else can I do?"

"Maybe it's time we think about other options." His voice, which was full of anger and contempt, lowered considerably at that last thought. His body language immediately changed from imposing to defeated, and I knew I'd not approve of these other options.

"I don't want to explore other options," I told him, my words shaking as my emotions ran wild.

"I don't know." He breathed out his words like they pained him greatly and it pained me too, to be honest. "I just think maybe… maybe you were wrong to come here."

Ouch. I felt tears immediately flow over and scolded myself for being so sensitive. There was a way to fix this. There had to be. Charlie was angry, but we'd work it out. We always did. Although never had he been quite so upset with me.

"I just — I just think that your mom — well — she might be able to deal with this stuff better."

"I don't think so." This couldn't be happening. He couldn't be serious. "I'm okay with it, if you want to do the bedpost thing. But I'm not going to Florida."

He sat on the couch next to me and when I looked at his face, I saw all kinds of things. Resentment, pain, longing. Anger. He was masking it now, but it was definitely still fueling his words. Could I even blame him? "I'm trying. I'm trying so hard to do right by you, but… the sneaking out, the secret boyfriend… you're never around! And your schoolwork…" He looked away from me and closed his eyes. "You used to be so focused. So driven and – so happy, Bella. But these past few months, you've changed. And I can't say I'm impressed."

I tried to see it from his perspective.

"What happened to you?" His voice was a sigh, dejected and deflated. "I know we've never been real close, and I know I haven't always been the best dad, but cut your old man some slack?"

It was then that I made the decision to tell my father the truth. Because everything was falling apart, and if he wanted to, he really could ship me to Florida.

"I fell in love," I said, shrugging because I felt like I was lost. I wiped my hand across my face, trying to be less pathetic and drying the free flowing tears. Before he could comment, I continued, "And I know it sounds stupid, because 18 year olds can't be in love, but I did. I am. I do." His face remained carefully blank. "Love him. I love him.

"And before you ask, no, we're not having sex, and no, we're not doing anything bad or illegal, and he's 17 and he's smart and beautiful and… Please," I choked back a sob and I wanted to stab myself for being such a mess. "Don't make me go to Florida?" My voice came out as a whispered plea.

Charlie's mouth fell open.

"I know I messed up and I suck and I get it, but I'll do better. You can ground me or lock me up or take my truck and my internet but just… don't make me go to Florida.

"Please, Dad."

He scratched the back of his head in a way that was his token move and sighed. "Bella, I just don't know if I can deal with it anymore. The lying and the sneaking around. What happened?"

"Edward needed me to be with him last night. I didn't even," my voice lowered, "I didn't even realize what I was doing. I didn't think. But I went, because he needed me, and because I love him, and because that's what you do for the people you love."

"You can't just leave in the middle of the night without telling anyone, Bella! I thought you'd been kidnapped. First with that man looking for you, then just running off? It's not – it's not right to put me through that.

"Look, you say your boyfriend needed you. I get that, Bella, I do. Okay. He needed you, and I'm sure it was important, because you're a smart girl. But would letting me know kill you?"

I hadn't actually considered telling Charlie I needed to leave.

"I just," he continued, "I feel like I don't know you anymore."

"I can't change what I did," I whispered, my vision blurred from the stupid tears. "But I can do better, and I promise, Charlie, I'll do better."

He nodded his head and lifted his hands in defeat. "I know you will, Bella." He half smiled, but it only disheartened me. "Christ, pull it together." A loud, obnoxious sob escaped me and I laughed because what else could I do?

"On three conditions."

I prepared myself for the worst, hoped for the best.

"Anything."

"First, you're grounded."

Okay, I expected that much.

"No internet, no TV, no car, no friends, for…" He looked at me, confused. "What's a good amount of time for something like this?"

"A month?" I asked, sniffling. Hell if I knew.

We weighed out how long would be appropriate. We finally decided on two weeks, which I thought would kill me dead, but I'd take it.

The second was that I was never ever allowed to sneak out, ever again.

"What's your last condition?" I asked, the panic rising in my chest once more.

"I want to meet him."

I closed my eyes tightly, wishing I could go back to this morning, before any of this had happened, and just have gone home when Alice suggested it.

"Dad," I breathed, and he could predict refusal before I even started.

"'No,' isn't an option, Bells. If you're going to be living under my roof, eating my food, and sneaking out my window, I'll need to see what all the fuss is about."

I'm pretty sure Charlie was trying to be light to keep me from falling apart again, and I know he was just being nice, but how could Edward possibly come over to meet Charlie?

"Okay," I agreed reluctantly, unsure of how to make this happen but willing to revisit it. Several moments passed before I felt prepared to announce, "I have a counter-offer."

"This isn't really a negotiation," Charlie said, but his expression led me to believe that he was at least somewhat interested in what I had to say.

"I agree to all of your terms, Dad. But the part about meeting Edward… Well, it's kind of complicated."

"That so?"

"Edward… he doesn't really do well with new people." I was making him sound like a maniac, I realized, but I couldn't explain it any other way on such short notice. I could see his rebuttal budding, so I made sure to make my point. "And I'm on board with him meeting you, but uhh, can we maybe do it at the Cullens' house?"

Confused, Charlie said, "Uhh… sure."

"Okay, then. I accept."

"Okay, then."

We sat in awkward silence for several minutes before Charlie finally broke it.

"So, are you cooking or are we ordering pizza?"

I trudged up to my room ruefully, thinking back to the argument. Something about it was nagging at me, but it was all so blurry and emotionally charged that I couldn't come up with anything specific.

When I got to the room, I looked around remorsefully. I felt like crap, and this would be my cell for the next couple weeks. I might as well get used to it.

It didn't feel like home now. My bed felt cold and alone, and I sat down on the edge, pulling my feet up. How the hell was I going to survive the next two weeks?

Eight days passed that way. I went to school, came home and read all night. Ironically, I'm pretty sure Charlie was the one with the guilty conscience, so he made sure to be home for dinner every single night.

When I wasn't going crazy worrying about Edward and the Cullens, I had to admit that the time at home was actually sort of nice. Every evening over dinner, Charlie would ask me about Edward, and every evening over dinner, I'd do the best I could to answer him. My answers were always vague, but Charlie seemed genuinely interested in the things that I told him. Then he'd follow up with schoolwork, friends, and finally (albeit reluctantly) the Cullens.

Charlie was angrier with them then he was with me at that point, and when I tried to champion them, he'd tell me things like, "Carlisle knows better," and "They encouraged it."

The waiting was impossible, but Alice assured me on the phone that everything was fine. I told her I'd kill her if she wasn't taking good care of my vampire, and I meant it. I'd ask her for information updates and she'd tell me that they were doing everything they could to gain the upper hand.

Not being able to pitch in definitely lowered my spirits, and I found myself wishing that I could do something to help.

For all that, though, the distance from all the crazy was sort of nice, in its way. It gave me time to realize that I really missed my dad and I really missed reading and I really missed my bedroom.

Of course, none of these held any comparison to how much I missed Edward, and I often found myself calculating the days, then the hours, then the minutes until I could visit.

I wondered if my punishment ended at midnight exactly or if it was implied that I'd have to wait until after school next Thursday.

It was Friday night and, as par for the course, I was lying in my bed. I'd long abandoned the book that I'd started, opting instead to let my angst wash over me. I stared at the ceiling, watching the shadows.

I wondered what Edward was doing right at that moment. Probably he was lying in his bed, too, maybe watching shadows with me in spirit. Alternatively, maybe he was hunting or playing video games with Emmett and I'd never even know. It was stupid that I wasn't allowed to be there with him.

After replaying every happy memory I had with him in my mind (which should really only take a few minutes, but took me considerably longer), I glanced at the clock.

It was 1:12 a.m., and I wasn't even all that sleepy.

With a moan, I rolled on to my stomach and smashed my face against my pillow.

"Being grounded sucks," I mumbled into the cotton.

The lights were all off and I thought about going to bed, but instead decided to wallow for just a little while longer.

At some point I must have fallen asleep, because I awoke with a start to an odd noise.

My heart leapt in my chest as a branch broke just outside, and I immediately jumped off the bed and flattened myself against the wall next to the window. I clutched the first bludgeoning weapon I could find, which turned out to be my spelling bee trophy from third grade. I listened carefully, but heard nothing.

Keeping my breathing calm and my body poised for action, I slowly peeked down at the tree.

It was an animal, the rational (though small) part of me said. But then that crazy force inside of me that I had absolutely no control over told me that it was something else.

Maybe the Volturi had finally come for me. It seemed unlikely that they'd enter my house via tree-and-window, but who knew? Or maybe it was the evil scientists who were out to get Edward. Either way, I wasn't anxious to find out.

I briefly considered screaming, but before I even could, a hooded figure appeared right in front of me, on the other side of the pane, and I'm pretty sure I swallowed my lungs and my voice and everything else that can't be swallowed.

I heaved out a sigh that said oh-my-god-you-gave-me-a-heart-attack before setting the trophy aside and throwing all of my weight into heaving up the sticky wood.

"Hi," I breathed, my smile insurmountable. I was still panting heavily from the panic, nausea and exertion, but I didn't care.

"Hi," Edward responded, his face reserved and uncertain. "I'd have knocked but… I didn't want to wake your father."

My smile grew impossibly larger. "Probably for the best." I moved aside to let him in, bouncing on my toes and waiting for the moment to make my attack.

As soon as both of his feet were planted on the floor of my bedroom, I tackle-hugged him, throwing all of my weight into his arms.

I didn't care that this was potentially stupid, or that my hair was a mess and my outfit had purple kittens on it.

And neither did he, by the way he hugged me back, completely ignoring the jolt that ran through his body at the contact.

I laced my fingers through the hair on the back of his neck, pulling his head to mine and letting our lips meet. And it was divine.

"I missed you," I whispered against his neck, kissing his jaw line. I think every emotion I'd been holding in was coming out in waves, and Edward was the recipient. I hoped he didn't mind too much.

"As I missed you." He pulled away and held my face in his hands, looking at me as if he hadn't seen me in years. For the most part, his body was calm, but I could feel the slight shake of his nervous hands. This was new territory for him. "Alice said you were grounded."

He ran his hands through my hair, his signature sort-of-smile melting my heart.

"Yeahhh." I drew out the word and reluctantly pulled away, taking him in under the light of the moon. His hands were chilly to the touch, his watchful eyes flecked with a gold so deep that I knew he'd hunted. He seemed uncertain in uncharted territory. I watched, amused, as he took in the nuances of my bedroom, and when his eyes rested on me once more, I took his hand and dragged him to the bed. "So we should probably be quiet."

"I can do quiet," his voice was low, but not quite a whisper, as he sat beside me. I was glad for it, too, because I really didn't think I'd have the strength of mind to ask him to leave, regardless of whether or not I thought we'd be caught.

"And also, if you hear Charlie —"

"— run?"

A small laugh escaped me and I lay back in bed, prompting Edward to do the same, and he didn't argue. I'd been waiting for this for over a week, and it wasn't disappointing.

We were on our sides, facing each other.

"Yes. Fast and far, lest a crazed cop with a shotgun hunt you down."

"He can join the club."

I didn't like that Edward reminded me so quickly of everything we had to fear, but I guess it wasn't something he could hide from.

"About that." He closed his eyes and nodded his head tersely. "Have you guys learned anything?"

"I haven't tried, really." Edward responded. As an afterthought, he added, "I've been sort of useless this past week."

I smiled and scooched in closer, reveling in the feel of his now-strong arms wrapping around me. My head rest on his bicep, so close that I could feel every breath he took. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, letting his scent assault my senses. I set myself to the task of matching my breathing to his.

I had a thousand questions that I wanted to ask him, like how he'd hunted, what he'd been doing, and how he came to be in my tree that evening, but I didn't want to break the silence that had settled. Wrapped so tightly in his arms, I was reminded by the almost-unnoticeable tremble in his frame that this was a huge deal for him. He'd come to see me; he'd traveled here, all by himself, for me. It gave me butterflies.

"Charlie said I could go to the station tomorrow and search their database," I whispered, tilting my head back so I could see more of him.

"I told him that I had a genealogy project, and since he's already being served a healthy dose of guilt every day, he was an easy target. I don't know if it'll help, but I feel like I can't just sit here and do nothing, you know?"

"Yes," Edward said, "I know."

"I'm really glad you're here." My arm fit nicely under his, my hand drawing patterns into his back. Probably it'd be inappropriate to ask him to take his sweatshirt off. "How'd you find me?"

"I… followed your scent."

"My scent was still strong enough to follow?"

"Well, it was… when…"

Reality dawned on me then.

"This wasn't your first time here?" I asked, enamored with the prospect that Edward had been checking in on me.

"I — well, no." Edward looked miffed at being outed. It was kind of cute on him. "I wanted to make sure you were safe…"

"When was the first time, if it wasn't tonight?" I snuggled in closer, my heart beating rapidly in my chest as I nuzzled into the fabric of his shirt.

"Alice told me you couldn't visit, so I came…last Thursday."

"Why didn't you come in?" I asked, astounded.

"Your father was yelling at you." He smiled and ran his fingers through my hair, down my spine, and I was a big goober in his arms. "I didn't think it was a good time."

"Yeah, good point," I allotted, but then thought about it. "But why didn't you come in any other night?"

"I…" He looked ashamed, his eyes all dark and emotive. "I can't let him take you from me."

Clinging to him instinctively, I thought about this. No one could possibly take me from him. Or I'd die. "Edward." My voice was muffled by his clothes, but I knew he'd hear me. "I'll never let that happen. I'll never, ever, for as long as I live, let anyone take me from you."

His breath was a sigh, but he kissed the top of my head and I knew the sentiment was shared. "But," I added as an afterthought, "I love that you did that for me."

And then my vampire hugged me tighter.

I fell asleep that way, and when I woke up, Edward was gone.

I sat in front of the computer in Charlie's office. Edward came back last night, which made me super happy, but then left again in the morning, which made me realize that my life would suck for at least five more days. But I'd get through it.

I typed Edward Masen into the bar, and narrowed it down to 1911. Alice mentioned something the Volturi had uncovered, which left me feeling like we were missing a big piece of the puzzle.

It searched a bazillion scanned newspaper articles, from all over the country, as well as unpublished police stuff, and left me with a hearty pile of crap to wade through.

After looking through the first few articles and coming up empty, I refined.

Edward Masen, Scientist, Death, 1911.

The first thing I found was a death notice, which I decided was for Edward's grandmother. It read:

Emily Masen, 1868 - 1911.

It was complete with funeral information. Survived in death by her husband, Edward Masen Sr., son, Edward Masen Jr, and grandson, Edward Masen III.

It was weird, seeing this hundred year old document and knowing that it was during his childhood, but I made no mistake: that was Edward.

I continued scrolling through articles, occasionally adjusting my search. Eventually, I came to one in the classified database that looked promising.

It came up as "unresolved," and was titled 'Emily Masen - 1911.' I pulled it up as the door opened.

Quickly, I minimized the page, feeling like I was seeing something that no one should see.

"Hey, Bells," Charlie said cheerfully, handing me a cup of soda. "How goes the hunt?"

"Not great," I admitted, leaning back in his rolly chair and stretching my muscles.

"Anything I can do?"

"Nah," I responded, closing my eyes and rubbing my neck. "But thanks."

"No problem. I'm gonna get back to work, just figured I'd check in."

"Thanks, Dad."

As soon as the door was definitely shut, I opened the page again.

Cause of Death - Unknown

In what appeared to be the case of the decade, Emily Masen's body was discovered floating in small lake. Police were baffled when the corpse was examined, because, as the article explained, her death didn't make any medical sense.

The only evidence they found which might bear some explanation to what actually killed her was a small hypodermic syringe mark directly above her heart.

I continued reading, dumbstruck by this woman's horrific death.

Burned from the inside out, the article told. As if some blood-eating virus had swooped in and destroyed her. The actual cause of death seemed to be multi-organ failure, the result of an "acid-like" substance entering her bloodstream. They were unable to identify what chemical had entered her.

I could make a few educated guesses.

When questioned, Edward Masen told officials that he'd been out of town on business. A colleague at a research hospital in Ohio acted as his alibi.

I wrote down the name of the laboratory, along with the contact information and any other details I thought might be relevant.

I read the article carefully, but found no further information.

Once more, I amended my search.

Ohio Medical Center Research Institute, 1911, Edward Masen.

In 1913, two years after Edward Masen quit his job at the hospital in Chicago, he gave a lecture at the Institute about a huge discovery that might reinvent the way power is allocated throughout the world.

According to a psych evaluation, in 1956, at the age of 88, Edward Masen died in a maximum security psychological ward, his constant ramblings about vampires controlling the universe leading doctors to believe that dementia had taken hold of the once-brilliant scientist. His dying words both confounded and mesmerized the doctors who were present. Inject me.

When Charlie came in and told me it was time to go, I was more than ready to be done for the day.

He promised I could come back again if I needed more material. I assured him that I would take him up on his offer.

A/N: Out of town for the weekend - will shoot for another new chapter by next Monday :) Thanks for reading!