A/N: Thanks to jilburfm for betaing, ocd_indeed for validating, and jeesiechreesie for that thing that she did. Here ya go, a couple days early.
BPOV
When the first flakes of white hit the marshy green of Forks, Washington, I was sound asleep. I awoke that morning in my own bed, shivering, and realized with alarm that D-Day was fast approaching.
Edward stared out of my open window, mesmerized by the blanket of snow covering my yard.
I, on the other hand, was not so welcoming of the shift in weather.
I watched with amusement as he stuck his hand into the cascading flurries, turning it this way and that, his brow crinkling occasionally as if in deep thought.
Standing, I wrapped my blanket around my shoulders and padded across the room. I twined my arms around his torso and tried very hard to see it as he did.
To Edward, the snow was magical. Yet another gift the outside world had to offer him. A symbol of change, of freedom. A symbol of beauty and light in an otherwise dark place.
To me, though, the snow was merely a marker in time; a harbinger of a fate which we could not escape.
He half turned, wrapping one arm around my shoulders and squeezing me closer to him. I was his willing servant.
"I'm sorry." He started to pull his hand back in, presumably to close the window. When I stopped him, he said, "But you're shivering."
"I've had worse." Three nights a week, Edward and I ran. Well, Edward ran and I rode, but the sentiment was the same. His anxiety over my body temperature never lessened, but the run was addictive. To both of us. We'd talk about anything and everything. Usually conversation revolved around my experiences, because on the rare occasion that we'd get to talking about him, his face would crease with worry and a deep tremor would run clear down his spine.
I didn't like it, so I tried to avoid the heavy stuff.
Regardless of conversation, by the time we'd get back to the mansion I'd be as frigid as my vampire. Afterward, we'd sit by the fire and he'd rub warmth back into my arms. I can't say I hated it.
"It's amazing," he said, as if he'd never seen snow before. Of course, he had, but not in almost a century.
"Does it look different now?"
His head angled toward me and he smiled, kissing my forehead. "Yes."
"How?" My voice came a whisper as I glanced at the clock. If we got sloppy, we'd get caught.
It'd been over a month since Edward started sneaking to my house, almost completely eliminating my need to break Charlie's number one ground rule. So far, no one had mentioned it.
I was almost certain the Cullens all knew and it just wasn't a high priority, and I was grateful not to have to explain myself.
"It's so much clearer now. I can see… everything." He removed his hand from the window and held it in front of me. The little white dots all blended together, his cool body preserving them for just a little bit longer. "Every single little flake has its own shape."
His hand was ice to the touch, but I held it loosely, trying to see what he saw. Without vampire vision, I could make out no shapes. Without vampire hearing, I wouldn't recognize the constant slap-slap-slap of the snow against the window. Alice had described it to me once. She said it was her very favorite part of being a vampire.
Which brought me back to what I'd been trying to convince Edward (all of the Cullens, in fact) of: They needed to change me.
"Why won't you do it?" I sat back down on the bed as he closed my window. He took his place beside me and pulled his knees to his chest, and I let my head rest against them.
"I can't," was always his response, and today was no exception. "You know I… I can't risk it."
Edward was the only semi-willing participant in what would have been my plan, and he didn't trust his body with the task.
I found myself asking, for the thousandth time, "Why won't Carlisle, or Alice? Why are they keeping me weak?"
I know it wasn't fair to Edward. It felt dirty exploiting his gift, like I was asking him to pry into the minds of my friends; of our friends. Immediately, I regretted it. "Don't answer that," I told him before he had a chance.
I felt his hand graze my spine and rest on my neck. He pushed the hair away and traced patterns into my skin, and I was reminded of all those nights spent in the basement with him.
It was amazing, really. He had always been so strong. From the very first night that I'd approached him, through homecoming, my birthday, the Volturi and even hunting. Every action caused him so much suffering, and yet he'd withstood it all.
I just wanted to be strong for him. Just once, I didn't want my safety to be at the forefront of everyone's mind when this thing went down.
"You could ask Carlisle tonight?"
Edward's voice didn't carry a trace of doubt, which made me smile, but his words carried a reminder that wiped the smile clear from my face.
Tonight.
How had this happened?
"God," I moaned, turning my face into his leg. After what had to be at least five minutes of silence, I picked up my head and turned to look at him. His expression was a mask of composure as he reluctantly freed my neck. I missed his hand immediately.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?"
Edward nodded, his smile offering little reassurance.
"When he asks you why you're not in school, tell him you graduated early."
"From where?" Edward's interest surprised me, and I thought about it.
"Somewhere far, far away." He smiled.
"And college?"
I had no idea what to tell him. The truth was, I wasn't sure Charlie would ever approve of Edward as my boyfriend. Despite his lack of family, history and a social security number, his social awkwardness alone would really kill his chances. "You're taking a year off."
"Taking a year off… why?"
"But definitely you're going to go eventually. Since you graduated from high school early, you wanted to take some time and let your peers catch up with you. You're very gifted." I squeezed his calf playfully and was rewarded with a low chuckle.
"Should I mention that?"
"It can't hurt."
"And if he asks about my family?"
Frowning, I considered this. "I don't know." The silence was a hefty one. "This is going to be a disaster." With a sigh, I fell back in my bed.
The Cullens' kitchen was one of the most beautiful lies in existence. Sitting in it as Esme moved about nervously, I admired its contents. It was probably the most fantastic kitchen I'd ever seen, let alone cooked in, and it was never, ever used.
Alice and I had gone grocery shopping that afternoon, under the direction of buy everything in sight, a vain effort to make the kitchen complete.
Usually, there was some blood in the fridge, next to some milk and maybe a few snacks for me. In the freezer, there was almost always a frozen pizza in case of emergency. Other than that, the place was deserted.
Fully stocked with pots, pans, plates, and every other utensil a kitchen should have, this kitchen was a farce.
And why shouldn't it be?
It took upward of an hour to unpack everything and another hour to 'human proof' the rest of the mansion, just in case.
We double checked all the toilet paper, kicked the heat up a few degrees, lit a fire and put the blood under lock and key.
Only when Alice was satisfied that the house was passable as human-inhabited was I allowed a break.
I sat at the kitchen island with Edward as Alice, Rose, Esme and Emmett put together the most beautifully aromatic food I'd ever smelled. I had no idea how they knew these recipes, but the scent was intoxicating, assaulting my senses from all angles.
Edward watched me with fascinated eyes.
"I miss it," he whispered, and I covered his exposed hand with my own. It was one of the rare moments where Edward willingly gave up information about himself, and I was all ears.
"Food?"
"Yes. Chicken. Cheese." He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "Chocolate."
"Does it still smell good?"
At this, he laughed humorlessly and shook his head.
"Only one thing smells good to me now."
Of course. "I used to gag at the smell of blood. Last year I had to be hauled to the nurse's office for passing out during a science experiment."
"I still do. It's foul."
Alice wandered over to the counter and hopped up, crossing her legs daintily and leaning back on her elbows.
"It doesn't tempt you at all?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
He thought about it for a minute, before responding. "No. It — it dulls the ache. But it doesn't smell good."
"So tell me, Edward Masen, what is this fabulous aroma, if not blood?"
He cast a sideways glance my direction and shook his head.
But Alice's watchful gaze missed nothing, and she gave an approving nod and hopped down.
I rolled my eyes and stood, as well.
"Can I do anything?"
"You can go home to shower and get changed. Charlie will be more comfortable if you come together."
I thought it was silly that I was required to clean up to eat dinner with my dad, but since I was basically doing nothing, I took it as my cue to leave.
"You seem nervous," Charlie noted astutely.
I smiled to try to reassure him, when in fact, I was nervous. Incredibly so. It was asking a lot of Edward, when he could barely tolerate Jasper, to make conversation with my dad.
Putting it that way, I realized what an epic mistake this night was going to be.
I let my head fall back against the headrest in the cruiser.
"I'm not so bad, am I?"
"It's not you," I groaned into the air. Charlie knew this. I'd been preparing him for weeks on tonight; be ready for the worst, hope for the best. The best, in my humble opinion, was that Edward would be able to sit through dinner without having a heart attack.
The worst wasn't pretty.
I opened my eyes and appraised my dad. His shoulders were tight, his hands gripping the wheel a little too firmly. He was clean shaved, wearing a button down shirt and the finest jeans Forks had to offer a middle aged cop.
His hair was trimmed and his cologne, saved only for the rarest occasions, gave him an air of sophistication that he didn't usually carry.
He wanted to make a good impression, and I loved him for it. Unfortunately, I just couldn't see tonight going well.
As we pulled into the driveway I checked the tree line, verifying that there were no ribbons or anything that could be misconstrued as a ribbon. It'd become my routine to coast down the rocky lane and pay careful attention to every last trunk.
If Alice's visions were correct, we were safe for another night.
The thought gave me little comfort.
Together, we padded up the steps and onto the porch, where Charlie knocked twice on the big European door. More likely than not, the Cullens all knew we were here and Emmett was cracking his first joke about the pace of my heart rate. Alice was probably making sure every picture frame was straight. Esme was probably checking the temperature of the chicken. And Edward… well, who knew what Edward was doing.
After an extended wait, the door opened before us. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, and I heard Charlie laugh next to me. I was glad someone was having fun.
"Charlie," Carlisle greeted, extending a firm hand. Charlie shook it.
"Doctor Cullen."
My dad held his hand a little too long before releasing it. I let out my breath.
"Hi, Carlisle," I said, and hugged him. It felt like the right thing to do.
"Come in." Carlisle took a few steps back and allowed us to pass.
We hung our coats and were greeted by the rest of the family.
Charlie looked them all over twice, then looked at me and I shook my head, a silent answer. No Edward yet.
As the introductions went on, my anxiety grew. Charlie slowly started coming into his element, comforted by the warmth of the mansion, the familial photographs scattered about, and the can of beer that Esme had graciously handed to him.
"So," Charlie finally said, sitting down in the living room while Alice and Rose put the finishing touches on the dinner. "Where's the boyfriend?"
He wasn't looking at me when he said it, and I assumed he wasn't talking to me, so I just internally groaned and pleaded with anyone who would possibly help me to intervene. Right now.
"Edward's just upstairs, getting dressed," Esme chimed, her eyes showing a worry that was not detectable in her voice. "Maybe you should go check on him?" She looked at me when she said this.
I was mid-stand when his voice carried into the room, followed by a very dapper-looking vampire. "Sorry I'm late," Edward said, his voice timid only to the most trained ear. I slowly took him in, starting at his shoes.
They were black leather, the tops covered by the sexiest pair of jeans I'd ever seen. It was rare that I saw him in jeans at all, but these ones were definitely new. This was Alice's doing.
They hugged his legs in the most appealing way, the dark wash flattering the toned muscles of his legs, making him irresistible. I unconsciously licked my lips a little as I made my way upward.
The button down shirt that Edward wore was enough to make any girl swoon. It was black and sleek, fitting his torso like a glove, begging me to run my hands over him. He had it rolled up a bit on his forearms. The top button remained modestly undone.
When I met his eyes there was a smile there, and I couldn't say how long my hypnosis had lasted. I heard my dad clear his throat in the background, but I couldn't pull my eyes from my vampire.
"I… sorry. Dad," I said, finally breaking the spell, "This is Edward. Edward, my dad, Chief Swan." I used his title because I knew it made him proud.
If you didn't know Edward, you certainly wouldn't notice the hesitation in his step, or the way that Carlisle hovered protectively by his side, more for his peace of mind than for actual protection. You also wouldn't notice the tightness of his shoulders, or the flinch that accompanied his handshake with my father.
It was an award winning performance.
"Nice to finally meet you, Edward. Bella's told me so much about you."
Edward swallowed back some terror and I smiled in spite of myself, because damned if he wasn't trying. "Yeah," he choked out, pulling his hand back. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."
Alice took that moment to come in and Edward was immediately by my side. I held my hand out for his and together we followed the family into the dining room.
With the food before us, there was little chatter. I watched curiously as each of the Cullens used their own strategies to clear their plate, pitching in conversation when necessary. Mostly, though, Carlisle and Charlie talked shop, talked city politics, and, to be frank, gossiped like old ladies.
Interestingly, the Cullens' plates were clearing at the same rate as my own. Edward didn't have any trouble with this part, but I worried about how he would do later. Alice once described to me what they needed to do to get the food out of their bodies.
Edward eating human food was like Edward drinking blood before Carlisle fixed him. When they weren't looking, I'd nab bites off his plate and devour them, discouraging him from eating at all.
"So Edward." Both of us snapped to attention at the sound of his name. "How old are you?" I didn't like having the attention on Edward, but I knew it was going to happen eventually. I tried to think of a distraction.
Edward's eyes found mine in a brief moment of panic before he replied, "Seventeen." I saw his throat bob as he swallowed. Now or never. I prayed it wouldn't all come crashing down, not with the finish line so near. A quick glance at Carlisle and Esme told me that they were both prepared to save him, should the need arise.
"Bella likes the younger fellas," Emmett said gruffly, nudging me with his shoulder. I gave him a look that I hoped conveyed shut-up-or-you're-dead-when-I-become-a-vampire, but he only laughed.
"Seventeen." My dad whistled as he threw it around in his head. "You play any sports?"
The response was a terse shake of the head. "No. I don't… I don't go to school."
He looked at me for affirmation and I nodded and squeezed his hand under the table.
"No? You didn't…" Charlie looked at me and I blinked hard. "Why aren't you going to school?"
"I… graduated?" A single noise of laughter escaped Emmett before I shot him a look so scathing that he took the hint. "Uh… from a school in Chicago." I felt Edward's hand shaking in mine as he desperately tried to keep eye contact with my father.
"That where you're from?"
He nodded automatically, exhaling a too-shaky breath.
Charlie missed it. "Ahh, the Windy City. You like it out there?"
"Very much."
Dad leveled his eyes with Edward's.
"You don't sound like anyone I know from Chicago. How long have you been in Washington?"
"Who do you know in Chicago?" I interrupted, diverting.
"Well, uh." Charlie scratched his chin and took a drink from his beer. "Oh! I've been meaning to ask you about that man."
"What man?"
Everyone got a little too quiet before Alice took it upon herself to resume the quiet chatter.
"He was from Chicago. Told me so himself. Now he," my dad said to Edward directly, "had the accent to go with it. Does it have something to do with what neighborhood you're from?"
Edward looked at me, concerned.
"Wait, wait. Back it up. What man?" I asked again.
"You know," Charlie said, maybe one beer too far in. "The one I told you about. The morning that… Well, you know. And why was he visiting you so goddam early, anyway?"
"No, I don't know. What morning? What man?" My heart started its little panicked dance and I took a drink of my water.
"The one with the hair thingy." He stared at me blankly. When I showed no signs of recognition, he said, "You know… Longish blonde, tall…" I still didn't know who the hell he was talking about. "Came knocking at 5 a.m. Told me I needed to find you immediately, he had to talk to you…" It was like prying the information from his fingers. I still waited. "He's why I came up to get you that morning." Charlie looked at Edward then. "The morning that you convinced her to sneak out."
"I'm sorry, sir," Edward whispered, as shocked by the admonishment as the rest of us.
"Dad!"
"I don't know, Bella. It was a long time ago. He never came back so I just figured you squared it away."
He took in the rest of the eager faces, no longer attempting to mask their curiosity or unrest. "You're not in some kind of trouble, are you?"
"Dad, please. I need to know what he said."
Charlie's face turned serious.
"He said he was Gary from Chicago and needed to speak with Bella Swan and that it was important. I asked if you were in some kind of trouble, and he said he knew you from school and needed to speak with you."
Gary? From Chicago?Nothing in my memory fit that name. Edward, too, seemed puzzled, his face contorting into a thoughtful mask.
"Did he say anything else?"
"He said that if you came home to give you the…"
Charlie trailed off, a moment of clarity finally coming to him.
"The what?"
"He had an envelope with him. I think I put it in my jeans… Bella, when I went upstairs to get you and you were gone — I sort of lost it. I was worried sick and then you came home and I just… It slipped my mind. I'm sorry, honey, I'll look for it."
I closed my eyes and tried to breathe. "What was he wearing?" I heard Edward ask from beside me.
I looked at Charlie, waiting for his response. "A shirt. Jeans. Dog tags." After a moment's thought, he said, "You know, Edward, that's a pretty strange question."
Emmett finally let out the laughter he'd been holding in, slamming his fist down on the table. "You should come to dinner more often, Chief Swan," he said, smiling broadly. The room quieted.
"Charlie," I heard Esme say after several minutes. "Would you care for another beer?"
Charlie stood and put his napkin on the table. "I think I'd better head home."
We had a standing arrangement that I was allowed to spend the night on Saturdays, mostly because I was eighteen, but partially because he wanted me to know that he was giving me a chance to regain his trust. He knew I wouldn't be going home with him tonight.
Everyone else rose and followed my father to the door.
"Thanks so much for visiting," Esme chimed, and the Cullens said their goodbyes.
I collapsed into the couch the moment the lock tumbled.
"Well," Emmett said, plopping down next to me. Edward stood casually in the corner, unbuttoning another button on his sexy shirt. Save some for me, I wanted to say. I didn't. "That went well?"
I let my head fall into my hands and, from left field, I started bawling. I don't know if it was the emotions in the room, or the anxiety of the news my dad had thrown on me, but I was certainly having an episode.
I felt cool hands on my neck and immediately thought Alice, but as his strong arms pulled me to him, I knew it was my vampire. And damned if anyone else was going to make him theirs.
"Ahh," I groaned, trying to pull it together.
Jasper stood awkwardly, his face a mask of confusion and uncertainty, but his ability making my body relax.
After about five minutes of Edward holding me I was able to sniffle away the last of my outburst and say, "Thanks, guys. I don't know what happened."
"It's an ugly situation," Carlisle hedged, testing the waters. When he was confident that I wasn't going to have another outburst, he said, "We'll work through this. Bella," Carlisle came and took a seat on the other side of me, "did anything your father said spark your memory? Anything at all?"
I'd never even met anyone named Gary. I told him so.
"But if he used a fake name? Or your dad's memory failed? Anything about the description?"
I shrugged. There was nothing out of place.
Beside me, I felt Edward stiffen.
"Edward?" Carlisle saw it too.
Taking a deep breath, Edward said, "I don't… It's… It's probably nothing." He took a pause and we all knew to give him his time, because if he knew this man, it could be huge.
"But… that day… in the woods…" The constant stutters were definitely a nervous habit. I squeezed his hand. He looked at me and suddenly it clicked.
"The guy who left you!"
"What?" Carlisle asked, leaning forward.
"The guy… with the long blonde hair and the dog tags!" Part of me was thrilled to have something, and part of me was petrified of what this might mean.
"That's an awful big leap," Jasper spoke from the corner. It was true enough, but why bring me down?
"Still," Carlisle said, "it's more than we had."
I nodded.
"Carlisle." I swallowed and forced myself to let go of Edward. Carlisle's powerful gaze fell directly on me. I mustered all my resolve and said, with the certainty of an adult making her own choices in her life, "I need you to change me."
His eyes faltered. He must have understood the seriousness of people knocking on my door looking for me, because he said, "If I did this, Bella, you'd be a newborn."
I nodded. That was true. I'd also be better equipped to defend myself.
"And you'd need to be kept under lock and key to keep you from hurting anyone."
I knew that too.
"And you'd never see Charlie again."
That one was harder to cope with, but I'd made up my mind.
Again, I nodded. "I know," I whispered. "I know, and I hate it. But there's no other way…" My voice was a squeak even to my own ears. Charlie. I'd find a way to see him again. Five, ten years down the line. I'd find a way to let him know I was okay.
"It's not something that I can undo. Once it's done, it's done. And it's forever. Are you sure you're ready to make that choice?"
Without hesitation, I said, "Yes."
That's when we heard it. Alice screamed from the kitchen, and something crashed to the floor.
Jasper was the first there, followed by the rest of the vampires, followed by me. Because I didn't have vampire speed. But I would.
"No," Alice whispered, her golden eyes black and heavy. She scanned the room quickly, assertively, until her eyes landed on me. "Take it back."
"What?" I asked, confused. What?
"Whatever you decided!" she cried. "You need to take it back now."
Carlisle frowned at his eccentric daughter. "Alice, be more specific."
"I don't know. I was washing, cleaning. Watching. And suddenly everything… it changed." Her voice had an edge that told me she'd be having a Bella-style breakdown if she weren't a vampire.
"How did it change?"
"Bella," she cried, running over to me. "Bella is… is… dead." The last word came as a whispered omen. Dead. The sound reverberated in my ears. Dead.
"Dead, dead?" Emmett said. "Or only sort of dead."
Rosalie glared at her husband. "Dead, dead, asshole."
"Whatever changed," Alice said. "Whatever you guys decided. They're coming…" Her voice trailed off as she looked into the future again. "They're coming for Edward, and if Bella is a vampire before they get here, they will kill her without hesitation." Her face was contorted and terrified. She swallowed and ran to me, taking my hand. "They'll kill you – you'll be too strong for them to risk keeping alive, Bella. They'll kill you to get him. I just saw it."
"But… but if I'm human…"
"If you're human," she looked once more, "it's… better."
"But if I'm a vampire I can fight –"
"No." Edward said from behind me. "It's no longer an option."
I heaved out a sigh of desperation and frustration as Carlisle officially changed his mind. Again.
She took a brief trip into the future to verify that I was still breathing and when she came back, all she could say was, "I'm sorry."
I nodded, defeated, and turned for the stairs. I was ready for this night to be over. Alice held my hand tight and pulled me into a hug.
"Bella," she whispered, laying her face against my shoulder. "I can't lose you. I know it seems counter-intuitive, but they will kill you if we change you right now." She didn't let me go until I hugged her back, accepting it as the truth. I told her I understood, and even though I didn't really, I knew there wasn't much of a choice.
As I ascended the staircase, she called after me, "You're my very best friend, Bella. I can't lose you. I won't lose you."
When I woke up, Edward was all wrapped around me and I was all wrapped around him. Good thing Charlie wasn't around.
"Morning," I said, yawning. His returning smile was reserved, which immediately put me on alert. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing…" He hesitated and my mind reeled with the possibilities. "It's just… It's hard."
I fell back on my pillow and rubbed my eyes, and I felt Edward's cool hand on my stomach. Oh,God, my mind whispered. I didn't think I was ready for this.
"Edward." The blush crept to my cheeks. I figured I'd better get Carlisle or Emmett to have this discussion with him. Maybe it's been too long.
"What?" Edward said, and then he laughed, a real, genuine sound that I'd never heard come from him. "That's not what's hard." And he laughed again. It was a beautiful noise, one with virtually no traces of that boy that was found in the woods. It was freedom, and just hearing it was liberating.
I couldn't imagine how good it must have felt.
I covered my face with my arm and then we were both laughing, and I wanted to pause the moment in time, because already I was wondering: if Edward was not talking about his penis, what else was he talking about?
When our laughter died down, it felt like the air of seriousness had been lifted a little, and I was glad for it.
"It's Carlisle… his thoughts this morning." He looked at me, his eyes showing the signs of worry that I'd noticed.
"What's wrong?" I asked again.
"He's bought this… a thing… to put inside of me."
A tracking device. We'd been toying with the idea ever since Aro of all people suggested it. Last week Carlisle told us that he'd been looking into various models, and apparently this morning he'd decided to purchase one.
"You can tell him 'no,'" I immediately responded. Edward was well within his rights to tell Carlisle it wasn't an option if that were the case.
"Do you… do you think it'll hurt?"
The pain that flashed in his eyes stabbed at me, and I told him I didn't know. Carlisle would be the one with the most answers, and when I suggested we go ask him, Edward was like-minded.
I took a minute to get dressed, brush my teeth and hair, and rub my vampire's shoulders. I wasn't sure if I'd be okay with Carlisle causing Edward pain.
Not your decision to make, the rational part of me chastised.
We knocked at the office door, where Carlisle was sure to be, and he welcomed us in.
"Edward," he said, standing. "I was hoping you'd come."
Edward nodded and sat down in the leather chair, leaving me no where to go but the other side of the room.
From behind his desk, Carlisle retrieved a small silver case. Inside, I could only assume, was the device he wanted to install into my vampire.
"Do you know what this is?"
We nodded in unison and he looked to us individually to confirm.
"I have a contact in New York who acquired this for you. I think it's a good idea, Edward."
Edward nodded.
"If they manage to get you, we'll be able to track you. The important thing to be aware of is that I will never, ever use this if we don't feel you're in danger. Edward, this is a huge concession of freedom, and perhaps a human rights violation as well, but I believe that, as of right now, this is our best shot."
Nod.
Carlisle went into great detail about the material, how the tracking worked, and how we would remove it in a few months. He focused so heavily on it being Edward's choice that I was beginning to think that he wasn't even sure of it himself.
Edward inhaled deeply and puffed out the breath.
"Do you have any questions? Are you okay?"
"Will it hurt?" was all he could ask. I knew it was what he would ask, and that was fine. I had some other ones, though.
"No," Carlisle told him. He pulled out a hypodermic needle that looked so sharp and shiny that it could cut through rock. Yowch. "It's small, and I can inject it into you."
"Where will you put it?" I blurted, forgetting that I was supposed to be waiting my turn.
"Well," he responded, seemingly hesitant. "That's the main problem we're facing. This isn't a fail-safe. It's a long shot. If someone, somehow, gets to you, they are likely to discover a tracking device. I would assume they have precautions in place for things of this nature. Edward," Carlisle put his attention back on my vampire. "If they find this, they will go to any and all lengths to remove it. If they have to cut your body apart, they will find a way. It's not going to hurt going in —"
"— But it will be a bitch coming out." I put my face in my palms.
"Yes." Keeping his eyes on Edward, he said, "I can bury it deep, so hopefully it won't be detected in their scans, but, as I said, it's a long shot."
"How deep?" His voice was soft and contemplative, most of the fear ebbing.
"If I put it into your thigh, it'll be surrounded by muscle. Even still, it's likely to be detected eventually. We can only hope that it'll help us find you."
"Do it."
"Edward, like I said—"
"—I know. It'll hurt if… when… they find it. It's… It'll hurt no matter what." He swallowed then looked at Carlisle, "If they get me. It'll hurt no matter what."
"They won't get you," I said, knowing I was lying and hating myself for it. But they both knew I was lying, too, so I guess it didn't count.
"She's right." Carlisle smiled when he said this, because he was lying, too, but why not?
"And if they do, we'll find you before they touch you." I stood and crossed the room, opting to sit on the arm of his chair instead of in my own little isolated corner.
"Do it," Edward said again.
To his credit, he didn't even flinch.
As I made it to my truck, my phone vibrated in my pocket.
Charlie, the ID flashed.
"Hey, Dad, I'm on my way home."
"Just wanted to let you know that I found that note."
I sat down and turned the engine over, eager for the heat. Was this news that I wanted?
"It says, 'Please contact me immediately.'" He read off the phone number. "And I remembered something else," he said conspiratorially.
"What is it?"
"His name wasn't Gary." Charlie paused, and I could picture him trying to get the name exactly right. "It was Garrett."
A/N: We're getting down to it now. Maybe 5 chapters left? Thanks for reading! (P.S. When I write in italics, ffn likes to take out the spaces. Argh.)