Disclaimer :- I do not own Twilight. :(
Long chapter again to make up for my silence. :)
Chapter 12
Renée's POV
"Renée, where the hell are yyoou?" called - or rather slurred - Phil.
My hands started to shake. He was back. From the pub, no doubt.
"I-I'm in here," I called back, trying to sound brave and light-hearted but failing miserably.
He stumbled into the living room where I had been looking at pictures. I quickly hid the pictures of Bella, Emmett and I. I didn't want to make Phil angry.
"Baby, come up to bed," he licked his lips trying to be seductive. It wasn't working.
"I… um … am watching this program on TV," I fumbled for an excuse quickly turning towards the TV. The thought of acting all couple-like with him; it repulsed me. I didn't want to share his bed but I also didn't want to make him angry. "I'll be up when it's finished." I sighed inwardly with relief and prayed silently that Phil would be asleep by the time I got up.
He was squinting at the TV. "But yyoou dunt watch Doctor Who," he slurred. His tone quickly turned to anger as an idea dawned on him. "Are yyoou trying to avoid me? Is that it?"
"No!" I denied frantically.
"Yesss, yyoou are!" he exclaimed. "Well, I'm gonna teach yyoou a lesson. I don't like it when my wife doesn't please me." He lunged across the room and grabbed my hair. I screamed as he dragged me by the hair off the couch and across the floor. He let go of me briefly to kick me in the stomach before dragging me to the bedroom. I moaned anticipating the pain.
Oh God. I wish I had believed Bella when I had the chance. I wish that I wasn't so scared of Phil. I wish I could just stand up to him.
I wish that I could tell someone.
E.A.M.C.E.A.M.C.E.A.M.C.
BPOV
We pulled up in front of Renée's - and my former - house. I looked out of the window briefly before climbing out of the car.
I didn't see Phil's car. A good sign. When I had seen Renée on Friday, our conversation had been uncomfortable, tense. She had mentioned then that Phil had gotten a new job. He was probably out working then.
Flashback (Friday)
I waved at Edward as he drove away to complete Alice's errands. When he was gone I knocked on the door and rang the doorbell.
I waited nervously tapping my foot up and down. I took a deep breath as I saw movement behind the door. I had made sure that Phil had been out at the time of my visit so at least I didn't have to worry about that.
"Bella?" asked Renée in astonishment. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you," I said simply.
"Oh," she said. I noticed she was nervous as well. "Umm… would you like to come in?" she opened the door wider. As I walked in, she gave me a tentative hug.
We walked into the sitting room (well, she limped) and I sat down on the couch whereas she sat down on the seat opposite me. "So… uh… How are you?"
"I'm good," she said. "And you?"
"I'm good as well. I heard about the mugging," I raised my eyebrows at her. "How is your leg?" I gestured to her cast leg.
"Oh, it's fine. The doctor said it was a clean break which is good. What happened to your arm?" she looked pointedly at my cast arm.
"Gym. Need I say more?"
Renée laughed quietly. "I should have guessed. You were always so klutzy. So how is Forks? Is Charlie OK? Are you making friends?"
"Yeah, Forks is fine. Charlie is good, he said to tell you to get well soon. I have made a few friends." There was an awkward pause. "Um…" I tried to think of something I could tell her. Something that could break the ice. "There's this one family that I'm particularly friendly with. Actually, they're the ones I made this trip with."
"Oh, so I take it they are nice?"
"Yes, very nice," we fell silent.
"So this family, are they anyone I would know? The Newtons? The Blacks?"
"Nope, you probably don't know them. They just moved to Forks a few years ago. Dr. Carlisle Cullen is the father and Esme is his wife and they adopted 5 children - well, they're not really children any more. Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie are Seniors and Alice and Edward are Juniors at Forks High. Alice is my best friend and Edward… well, he's my boyfriend," I told her uneasily. I didn't know what to label my relationship with Edward. He was definitely more than a friend, and 'boyfriend' even sounded too … small. Too fickle. But then again you don't go around introducing people to as the love of their life or their soul mate or something like that. So I just stuck with boyfriend.
"Boyfriend?" her face lit up. "What's he like?" she asked enthusiastically. I knew that Renée had always wished that I had boyfriends, had been more popular, when we were living in Phoenix. She didn't understand that no boy had caught my eye - or rather I had caught no one's eye. Even if I had, I wouldn't have accepted them unless I really liked him. There was only one man who I would ever go out with and that was Edward.
"He's amazing," I told her simply. I didn't know how to describe him. He was perfection.
"Good looking?" she waggled her eyebrows.
I laughed. "Oh definitely, that's the understatement of the century."
"Is he a jock?"
I considered the question. He was definitely not a jock but then again what category would Edward fit into in your average high school? He would no doubt be popular but would he would be the type of popular everyone loves to hate? Definitely not. He was the guy every girl in the school dreamed about dating. In real life, he was an outcast, an outsider. No doubt about that. But if he hadn't distanced himself from the frivolous high school life, he would be A-List Celebrity on the scale of popularity. "No, he's not a jock. He doesn't really socialize a lot. Of course all the girls drool all over him but he never seems to notice."
I realized then that this was the first time we were talking at ease with each other ever since I had arrived. We were retreating back into the friendship we had back when I was 13 before Phil arrived in our lives. There was no secrets between us. Well, maybe a few but none that weighed on our minds all the time. Like the Phil secret.
She laughed. "You seem very happy with Edward." A shadow fell across her face. "I'm glad that you have moved on from here and are happy now. I know Emmett's death weighed heavily on you and… the Phil situation."
"How is Phil?" I asked politely and stiffly.
"He's … fine. He just got a new job so he won't be home as much anymore," she looked relieved.
"Speaking of Phil, are you going to tell the police about how you made up the mugging story and how Phil was the person who did this to you?" I leaned forward and took her hand in mine.
She abruptly took her hand away. "What are you talking about?" she laughed nervously. "Are you still going on about Phil hurting you? It's getting old, Bella. Phil loves me, he would never hurt me! I'm serious, Bella. Never repeat this again," she looked terrified and I could tell she was lying when she told me Phil had never hurt her. I knew Renée too well and I knew when she was lying and when she was saying the truth. It was obvious that Phil had gotten to her and she was pretending that because she was afraid.
"But what about the email you sent me? You admitted it, Renée. Why can't you just go to the police, protect yourself? I'm terrified for you. I managed to get away before it was too late but I'm not so sure you will if you keep on going on like this!"
"Bella, please, please, please stop it. I was mugged, for the last time! Phil had no hand in it. I never told you anything of the sort. Why would I go to the police about something that isn't true?"
"Please, mom," I begged her. "Please, I just want you to be safe. Leave him, at the very least. You could stay at Charlie's until you can get a place of your own. He wouldn't mind. If not for your sake, then for mine. It's driving me crazy knowing that you are living with a madman."
"I'm sorry, Bella. I just can't do that," she told me with tears in her eyes.
End Flashback
I shook my head of my thoughts and rang the doorbell. I felt a sense of déjà vu as Renée opened the door just like she had on Friday and the same surprised look appeared on her face to see me. I knew she knew that I was upset that she wouldn't just leave Phil. She thought that I thought she was crazy, a coward. But that wasn't true. I could see why Renée's reasoning. I didn't think she was being weak or spineless in anyway. She was rightly scared and she was just doing what she could to protect the remainder of her family and herself. She understood the danger of leaving Phil -- as did I -- and she didn't want to incur his wrath. Renée was all that I had left excepting Charlie and now the Cullens and she didn't want to hurt me anymore than had already been done. She had witnessed what I was like after Emmett's death and she didn't want a repeat of that.
"Bella, what are you doing here?" she hugged me.
"Well… I had something to talk to you about," I told her and looked at Edward and Carlisle who gave me reassuringly looks.
"Oh hello," Renée said, noticing Edward and Carlisle behind me for the first time. "And you are?"
"I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen and this is my son, Edward," Carlisle introduced himself. "We're friends of Bella."
"Oh, yes I heard about you," she said. "Would you like to come in?"
"Yes, thank you. This would probably be better inside anyways," Carlisle agreed amiably and followed Renée into the sitting room.
Edward whispered in my ear, "It's going to be alright. You're going to be fine." before sitting down beside Carlisle. I sat down beside Renée and cleared my throat.
I noticed that she had been moving very stiffly when we were walking and had positioned herself on a very peculiar angle sitting down, which was no doubt uncomfortable for her. I put the clues together and I knew in my heart that Phil must have got to her last night.
"Are you okay?" I asked concernedly when Renée winced. I could tell that neither Carlisle nor Edward had missed it either and were exchanging worried looks.
"Yes, I'm fine," she smiled thinly. I could tell she was in pain.
I looked helplessly at Edward. How was I supposed to breach the subject of Phil? How would I get Renée to admit to Phil beating her with Carlisle and Edward there? I couldn't even get a proper confession out of her on Friday when we were on our own completely and no one would have overheard us, and here I was trying to get it out of her with two strangers as well, one of them a doctor who would no doubt try to look over her to make sure there was no serious or lasting injuries. However I wasn't sure I would have enough courage to tell her that I was going to the police if they weren't here.
Edward nodded encouragingly at me. I shook my head slightly to say to give me a second to collect myself.
"So, Dr. Cullen, you are very young to adopt five teenagers." Renée said. "I wonder how you can do it. I could hardly cope with two!"
Carlisle chuckled. "It can be hard sometimes but my wife and I have always wanted a big family. I'm very proud of my children just like you are very proud of Bella. She has been through a lot." At Renée's startled look, he quickly added. "With her brother's death and having to move to a new town not knowing anyone I mean."
Edward took my hand and squeezed it.
"Do you want us to go for a while so you can talk to her?" he mouthed.
I shook my head frantically.
"Mom," I started nervously. Renée had been talking to Carlisle about how I had been when I was younger but turned towards me.
"Yes, Bella?"
"I… um, I told Carlisle and Edward about Phil," I told her, my voice gaining confidence as I continued. "I'm going to the police and I want you to testify as well."
Renée's mouth opened and closed a couple of times before finally getting over the shock enough to speak. "You can't go to the police," she stated.
"Why not?" Edward and Carlisle were all but forgotten.
"Bella, do you have any idea what he will do to us if we do!" she exclaimed, standing up. I realized that this was the first time Renée had admitted about Phil being guilty, in so many words. She was sick of pretending that life was fine, that she loved her husband. "Do you really want the same thing that happened to Emmett happen to you?"
"Of course I know what he is capable of!" I said hotly, getting angrier at the second. "I had to endure it for years and when I finally told you about it, you didn't believe me! He nearly killed me, Renée! How the hell am I supposed to just forgive and forget that!?"
"I'm sorry, Bella, OK?" she said, close to tears. "I'm so sorry I didn't believe you, I just thought you were acting out because of Emmett's death! You and Phil had seemed so close before Emmett died! He always went to talk to you, always drove you to the hospital and was always so interested in your school life!"
"Did you ever even stop to think that maybe the reason Phil was always going up to my room because he wanted to beat me! The reason why he always asked about my social life was because he wanted to make sure I didn't tell anyone about him!"
"No, I didn't," she confessed. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I know you will never be able to forgive me for not believing you but please try to understand!" She rubbed her eyes trying to wipe away her tearful eyes.
That was what brought me back to earth. I had been shouting at Renée when it wasn't her fault. She was sorry and I can't say I blamed her for not blaming me but because of the stress and the frustration I was feeling because she wouldn't go to the police, my anger had got the better of me and I had said words I didn't mean.
"I'm sorry, mom," I said and wrapped my arms around her in a hug, my anger disappearing. "I forgave you long ago, and I do understand why you believed him over me. He was, and still is, your husband and you loved him. He always gave the appearance of a family man and he always tried to make sure you didn't see him when he was angry. I was just a teenage girl who had been known to be depressed, her brother had died and I had told you out of the blue claiming it had been happening for years. Of course you would believe him, I would if I was in your position," I tried to sooth her.
She sniffled pathetically and we continued to hug each other for a few moments. Renée was just so naïve, so childish at times that I felt cold, hard hatred for the man that had ruined her innocence. She always liked to look on the optimistic side of life and she got really upset and emotional when she watched the news or when she read about a murder or something like that in the newspaper. Which was why we wouldn't let her watch it when we were younger. By we, I mean Emmett and I, of course.
"Please, Renée. We have to stop him," I whispered in her ear. "If not for your sake or mine, do it for little Bridget," I said referring to the little girl who had been dominating the news recently. She was a little 7 year old girl who had been beaten, sexually assaulted and starved by her dad. When it was discovered, her dad had broken out of custody with the help of his thug friends and kidnapped Bridget. She had been missing a month and the police had given up looking for the little girl. They were now looking for her body. The father had still not been caught either and the story had spread to Europe, particularly in the United Kingdom. I had left for Forks just when the dad had first kidnapped the girl and even before when the truth was just uncovered of the beatings, Renée had been so concerned for the poor girl.
"Bridget's story is tragic but I'm not doing it for her. I'm doing it for you so you don't have to worry anymore about Phil. I want him out of our lives for good."
I smiled and hugged her tighter. After a few more seconds I walked over to Edward and Carlisle and grasped Edward's hand.
"Can you come with us now?" I asked her. "We want to get this out of the way as soon as possible."
"This will take weeks, if not months, to get this all cleared up," Carlisle told me.
"I know, but after today it won't be so hard."
"What do you mean?" Edward asked me.
"Well, once I've told them the truth, I can't change my mind. If I told them I lied, it wouldn't change anything. If they drop the case, they will most likely continue to have him on their radar."
"I don't know. I told Phil I wasn't going out today and if he comes home early, he'll be angry. He'll think that I've been meeting other men," Renée confided, looking uncertain.
"Come with us, it will only take a couple of hours and if it takes any longer, tell him that you had to do an errand or go grocery shopping or something like that. He can't argue with that. I mean, you do have a life outside this house!"
"Not to Phil I don't. He's become so suspicious recently and if I so much as glance at another man, he accuses me of being attracted to him, fantasizing about different men."
I felt so sorry for Renée. I could see how scared she was of him. "Please come," I asked her again.
"OK, fine! But only because you're my sunshine," Renée smiled, using the nickname she called me back when I was a little girl.
E.A.M.C.E.A.M.C.E.A.M.C.
Renée came with us in Carlisle's car and soon we were pulling up to the front of the local police station and parked in the car park near it. When we walked in, Carlisle went up to the secretary's desk and we sat down outside in the foyer to wait for him with Edward. Ever since we had got out of the car, I had been gripping Edward's hand in mine and keeping him very close.
Renée and me both were very jumpy and kept on turning around to make sure no one was looking at or following us. We didn't want Phil to know what we had done until he had been brought into questioning.
Carlisle emerged a few minutes later, and he showed us into a more nicer furnished waiting room. The secretary came up to us and gave us a sheet which we were supposed to fill in. Mostly it was personal details like full name, date of birth, current address… stuff like that but there were other questions concerning why we were here in the police station.
About a hour later a man walked up to us in a suit. He looked very ordinary; nothing stood out about him. The perfect look for a police officer. He had short brown hair with a few gray hairs and blue eyes. He looked like he was in his 40s.
"Hello, my name is Detective George Banner. Would you like to follow me?" he told Renée and me. Carlisle and Edward stayed behind as they weren't actually going to be interviewed and had no connection with the crimes we were here to report other than that they were close to me. As I was still a minor and had been during the abuse, an approachable, smart looking lady showed me into a room and Renée went on with Detective Banner.
Her name was Detective Susan Gardiner and she specialized in cases to do with child abuse. She had long blond hair and a peculiar color of eyes. They were gray with tints of green and blue in them. She was very pretty.
She looked at the sheet I had filled out. "So, Isabella, you are here to report your stepfather?"
"It's Bella," I told her. "And yes, I've come here to make sure Phil doesn't hurt anyone else like he hurt my mom and me."
"OK, Bella, is it ok if I video record this interview?" she asked me kindly, gesturing to an inconspicuous video camera in the corner. I nodded and she turned it on and made sure that the video was focused on me. I looked down at my hands, feeling uncomfortable.
Should I really be doing this? I asked myself. Should I have not gone to the police? Maybe it didn't have to go this far. Maybe I could have just persuaded Renée to leave Phil and that would be that. We wouldn't have to go through this trial then. We wouldn't have to have our personal lives analyzed, all my relationships and different friendships.
"We'll start with an easy question, Bella," she told me. "How old are you now?" she asked even though she could have just worked it out from the sheet in front of her.
"Sixteen."
"And your date of birth?"
"February 18th, 1992." (I know her birthday is really 13th of September, I needed to change it though)
"When did the abuse start?"
"When I was 13 years old," I took a deep breath. She gestured me to go on. "About 4 months after my mom and Phil got married."
"Phil was the man who abused you, wasn't he?"
"Yes," I nodded.
"What did Phil do to you?"
"He beat me and he threatened me. He called me names, stuff like that." I said not looking at her.
"Did he-" she hesitated. "Did he hurt you in other ways too? Did he - for example - touch you in places which people don't usually? Inappropriate places?"
"What do yo-" I gasped. "No, of course not," I said quickly and blushed furiously. "He hated me; he wasn't attracted to me. He's not that sick!" I explained. "The whole reason this happened was because he thought I ruined Renée's life. I was the reason why Renée couldn't have any more kids and he was angry. He had always wanted a big family - a family of his own. His own, biological children. In his eyes, I had purposely set out to hurt him, that I had decided that when I was born, I would make sure it was a difficult birth and purposely went out to make sure she could have no more children by the end of it! He was crazy in that way."
"And when did it end?"
"After my brother died last year. Emmett had found out about what Phil had been doing to me the day he died. Emmett had walked in on us when Phil was in the middle of beating me," I retold the story, leaving nothing out. "The only reason I hadn't told anyone before was because Phil used to threaten me - he used to say if I told anyone he would kill not just me, but Emmett too. When Emmett died, I had nothing to hold me back from going to the police. We made a deal - he would stop beating me and I wouldn't go to the police."
"How did Emmett die?" she leaned forward in her chair.
"After he found out and I had fallen asleep, he had went out for a drive to 'clear his head'. There was an accident and his car fell over a cliff, him in it. He didn't survive."
"It was an accident?" she said doubtfully. "Were Emmett and Phil close?"
"Yes, on both accounts. Emmett looked up to Phil and they got on together well. He was like a big brother to Emmett and he thought Phil was cool - cooler than most dads or step dads," I paused, trying to figure out her tone when she asked me if Emmett's death was an accident. "Of course it was an accident," I finally said and stared at her. "What are you trying to suggest?"
"Nothing, it just seems strange - a very big coincidence. He finds out that you've been beaten for years by a man he had looked up to, trusted, and that he had just stood there and done nothing over those years-"
"He didn't know," I interrupted her. "He couldn't do nothing if he didn't know there was something!"
"I know that," she said calmly. "I'm just trying to get into Emmett's mind here. I studied psychology in university before deciding to become part of the police. He must have been feeling awfully guilty that day, don't you think?"
"I suppose so," I said grudgingly. "He was that kind of person. When someone close to him was hurt or something like that, he used to blame himself. It was like a warrior defending his kingdom and when one of the enemies broke through his defenses. He took his responsibilities really seriously."
"So it wouldn't be very surprising then that he would be beating himself up about it, would it? He's probably also feeling guilty and confused why you didn't tell him. Why he had to find out about it himself instead of you confiding him. He would probably think that you didn't trust him," she mused. "That day, when he was passing the cliff he may have even been thinking about death…"
"Stop it!" I cried and tears spilled over. I couldn't hear anything more about how I had caused Emmett misery on the day of his death.
Detective Gardiner seemed surprised by my sudden burst into tears and quickly rifled through her bag for a bag of tissues. She retrieved it and offered them to me. I accepted them and dabbed my eyes, my shoulders shaking with the effort to try and stop my sobs.
"It's OK," she said comfortingly. "Do you want to take a break?"
"No, it's fine," I sniffled and blew my nose.
Despite my protests, she stopped the video camera rolling and got me a drink of hot chocolate and a chocolate bar because 'everyone feels better after chocolate,' so she says. Five minutes later, the tears had completely stopped and I was feeling a little better but I still felt fragile, like at the slightest provocation I would burst into tears again. She turned back on the video camera and said, "Now where were we?"
"Emmett wouldn't have committed suicide," I told her adamantly.
"I never said he did," she blinked at me. "Why are you so sure he didn't though?"
"Because he left me a note before he left. He said he would be back soon. He would never leave me alone with him, and when I needed him most," I knew I was starting to go into hysterics even thinking about it.
"You have to remember though, from what you told me, Emmett had kicked Phil out of the house. He honestly thought that Phil would run for his life so as not to spend the rest of his life in prison - or at least the majority. In a lot of suicide cases, people who have just been through traumatic events don't even know consciously they're going to commit suicide until the ideal way comes up. Maybe subconsciously they've known since the minute they left the house but it was only when he came to the cliff did Emmett realize how he could stop the guilt."
"Emmett wouldn't do it!" I chanted.
"Bella, calm down, it's OK. It's just a possibility but we'll never know whether he did or not. At least I don't see us finding proof unless he hid a suicide note somewhere or something like that..." she trailed off.
"Moving on, you moved to Forks about a month ago. What was your main reason for moving away so far? Was it for safety reasons? Did you want to avoid Phil?"
"Yeah, both of them but really what it all comes down to I wasn't happy where I was so I moved to Forks where I could find a chance of happiness and wouldn't have to go through everyday as 'The Girl Who Had A Hot Brother But He Died'. Not only that but I was tired of feeling scared in my own home. Home is supposed to be a sanctuary, you know?"
"Were you not concerned about leaving your mother in the clutches of a man who had beaten you many times before and was maybe indirectly the cause of your brother's death?" She wasn't accusing me, she was just trying to get a grasp of the background of what had happened.
"Of course I was," I said. "But Phil loved my mom, there was no question about that. I had just assumed that she wasn't really in danger - that his love for Renée would triumph over his violent tendencies. Even now I think he still loves her, in his own twisted way. That's why I think it was so hard for Renée to accept what had happened and why it took so long to persuade her to prosecute. He genuinely loved her and to Renée this wasn't Phil. This was a monster in the image of the man she loved. I suppose it is my fault for leaving her here when there was even the slightest chance that she might be hurt but I had tried my best to make her believe me and it hadn't worked."
"Bella, you have to stop blaming yourself for everything that has happened to you," she placed her hand over mine. "It wasn't your fault and you shouldn't beat yourself up about it."
She continued to ask me questions to do with Phil's abuse and she went through all the evidence Dr. Pattinson had given me earlier that day.
After about a hour, she was nearly finished. "We have a strong case, Bella. I may use your interview today as part of visual evidence in court. I will try and ask all the questions I need from you before you leave to go home but it would be advisable for you to be there at the trial. It would be better if you were a witness but if it is too upsetting for you, there are alternatives.
"I would like you to see a friend of mine - a very good psychologist - who could help you work through some issues. It is obvious that you still don't have closure from your brother's death and is still not over it. I would also be best because no doubt the months coming up to the trial will be hard for you and will be very stressful so it would be a good idea to have a safe place where you could work out your feelings and speak freely. I assume Renée is going to leave Phil; does she have a place to stay? I only say this because there are hostels for people going through similar experiences. She would be safe there and there would be no way Phil would be able to find her.
"As we have not investigated into Phil yet, we do not know if he has any contacts with well known criminals and they may be persuaded to try and kill the witnesses. This is unlikely but be prepared to be put into the Witness Protection Program. It probably won't come to that but I just wanted to prepare you." I nodded mutely.
"So that's it," she smiled warmly at me. "I look forward to seeing you again and we will be arresting Phil later on today to question him and we will probably charge him after we have spoken to the contacts you gave us."
"Thanks," I told her and I walked back to Edward.
When he saw me, he got up from his chair and smiled warmly at me, his amazing crooked smile lighting up his whole face. He gently caressed one of my cheeks and whispered to me, "I missed you."
Carlisle was now talking to Detective Gardiner and I learned from Edward that Renée would also be coming out of her interview soon, in about 2 minutes. They were just wrapping up the interview from what he heard from Detective Banner's thoughts.
Edward made me sit down and he gave me a drink of cold water. I thanked him mutely and drank the whole cup in the one go.
That was when Renée appeared, she smiled warmly at Edward and me when she saw us, obviously enjoying seeing her daughter with her boyfriend, a sight that she sometimes doubted she would ever see.
"How are you?" Edward asked me worriedly. "I know this must be hard for you but soon it will be better. He will be out of your life forever - we just have to go through the trial."
"I'm OK," I shrugged it off. "I thought it would be harder but it actually feels a bit of relief. I just want this all to be over, I want to start over again."
Carlisle, Renée and the detectives had been talking among themselves as Edward and I were talking. They finished up and walked over and I asked what was going to happen now.
"We have enough proof to arrest Phil and question him, we need to know his side of the story first before we officially charge him but I don't think he can duck out of this," explained Detective Banner. "The evidence is locked vault tight. Sergeant Ramsay and a couple of PCs are already on their way to the address of his new work where they are going to arrest him there. Myself and Detective Gardiner will be accompanying Mrs. Dyherhome where she will pack some of her belongings, her medication and vacate the premises. We will also take the opportunity to look around to see if there is any more incriminating evidence around."
"Renée will then stay with us in the hotel for a couple of days," Carlisle continued. "I have already reserved another two suites in the hotel, for Charlie and Renée." I noticed Renée looked a little disgruntled by this. "Now I see where you get your reluctance to accept gifts from," he smiled.
I snorted. "Renée doesn't like 'charity' but she's nothing compared to Charlie. He's even more independent!"
We decided that Renée would ride with the detectives to make sure they didn't get lost and Carlisle, Edward and I would take Carlisle's car back. Originally I was going to be riding with the detectives as well in the plain police car but I didn't wanted to separate from Edward, again. I had hardly talked to him all day it seemed; we had been going everywhere today.
The detectives - and another man I didn't know who I later found out to be another Sergeant - were in normal clothes in case Phil was having the house watched by his cronies - OK, it really wasn't likely, more like a one in a million chance - that the house was being watched but it was better to be safe than sorry.
The Detectives and the Sergeant made a beeline to my room to look for anything they thought might help them with the case. They asked my permission if it was OK if they rifled through my personal belongings but I could tell it wasn't much of a question, more like a statement.
I helped Renée pack her favorite clothes but she kept on trying to push her luck and didn't understand the concept of just a few outfits, one suitcase. I told her again and again that once she had decided what she was going to do, where she was going to live, she could come back and pack the rest of her clothes but she still didn't understand.
By this time it was way on in the afternoon. Nearly four. While Renée and I were finishing up packing the police were finishing looking around the house, Carlisle and Edward left to pick up Alice and Charlie.
I wasn't sure if I was looking forward to seeing Charlie or dreading it. On the one hand, I had missed him and he was refreshing, the one person who wouldn't ask me all these probing, personal questions. If you wanted to talk about your feelings, Charlie was definitely not the guy to go to. Which was what I wanted. I was emotionally drained from all the questions and it would be a change to be asked puddle deep questions. On the other hand, although I hadn't been untruthful when I told Charlie about Phil, I hadn't exactly told him everything. He would find out the worst parts - the parts I wanted to shield from him - and Charlie had a gun. I was seriously scared for Phil. No joke.
Although Charlie doesn't like talking about his feelings, that doesn't mean he doesn't have deep feelings. If that even makes sense. And I worried about that. He didn't really confide in anyone as far as I knew, so if he did take it upon himself to get revenge we wouldn't have any warning. I knew when Charlie had set his mind on something, he wouldn't stop trying until it was completed. He was stubborn, a trait I had inherited from him.
E.A.M.C.E.A.M.C.E.A.M.C.
Phil's POV
My job wasn't good and the pay was crap but it was a job nonetheless. I was lucky enough to get this with my CV. I didn't exactly have the most impressive resume in the world.
I was just talking to my friend on the phone inviting me along to the pub with him after work. We did it nearly everyday so it wasn't a big surprise. To tell you the truth I had already had a little to drink. But no one would guess. I was always good at holding my liquor. It was only when I was completely wasted that I had to worry about doing something I would later regret.
I took a quick, stealthy swig of my flask and a costumer came up to me to ask about a piece that they were interested in (He works as a guy who helps makes sales in a big store). I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes and showed them the tag on the office chair that they were looking at where it clearly told them the information they were looking for. I tried to hide my annoyance that some people couldn't even read tags but I mustn't have been 100% successful as he gave me a dirty look as he decided on whether to buy it or not.
This was going to be a long day.
I decided to think of what I would do when I got home, after I had a couple of drinks at the pub of course. I needed to say sorry to Renée for last night but it was her fault. She had looked at that man the other day when we were out. I could tell she thought he was attractive and that annoyed me. I bet that was the reason she pretended she was watching that stupid Doc-
Hell, what was the name of that TV show?
I asked the other sales' assistant but she just gave me a weird look. "Are you OK?" she asked me. "You're kind of slurring your words. And I think you are talking about Doctor Who," she continued on in a bored tone.
Oh, yes that was it. The Who of the Doctor world. The Doctor of Who-ness. Doctor who had no name except Doctor Who. The Doctor that's name fitted in the middle of a knock-knock joke.
Knock, knock
Who's there?
Doctor
Doctor Who?
I sang to myself under my breath. Apparently I had been louder than I thought because Michelle or Rachel or whatever her name was gave me an even stranger look.
"Are you Mr. Dwyer?" asked a few men in police uniforms.
I nodded. Big mistake. Before I knew it they had put handcuffs on me and carted me out of there…
E.A.M.C.E.A.M.C.E.A.M.C.
BPOV
When we had finished with Renée's packing, the Detectives dropped us off at our hotel. Carlisle and Edward hadn't arrived back yet with Charlie and Alice so Renée took that opportunity to settle in while I looked through my diary that I had kept religiously when I was younger that Detective Gardiner had given to me privately. She had found it when she was looking through my belongings and thought it 'was important for my healing process'. Whatever that meant.
I looked through it anyways. This diary was massive - about 600 pages in it. It had been originally 2 or 3 separate notebooks but I joined them together so it was only the one book. I had started writing in it on my thirteenth birthday and I had written quite regularly in it. Even in the middle of the whole Phil situation I had found time to write about how I felt in my diary. The entries seemed to come far few and far between by the time I got to 15 and after Emmett died, practically nonexistent except from a few entries here and there.
There was a note saying that she had photocopied some of the entries as evidence. She wanted to make sure I knew about that because it was private.
I flicked through it while I was waiting for Edward and Carlisle to return with Charlie and Alice, and Renée to finish unpacking. I flicked to a random page and stopped to read it. It was the second time I had wrote in my diary since Emmett had died. After Emmett had died, I had taken to writing to Emmett instead to my diary. I never wrote 'Dear Diary' before that anyways, it had always seemed so cliché, I had just started writing about my day or whatever I was writing about. After he died, my diary wasn't my friend, my confidante, it was my Emmett. Yes, I probably should be sent to an asylum but that was how I thought about it.
"Dear Emmett,
I can't believe you're gone. Every morning I wake up thinking it's all just a nightmare, I'm back to being 13 again and Renée never met Phil but every morning I find out that it is true. And it's nearly as bad as when I first heard the news. Every morning it's like that day all over again. Repeated over and over. And I'm sick of it. I just wish that I didn't have to feel this anymore. I wish a lot of things but I have learned the hard way that wishes don't come true.
I want Phil to leave me and Renée alone. He doesn't hurt me anymore, not unless he wants to be sent to prison but he still stares, glares. It frightens me. I'm scared for myself and our mom. She's so fragile - I don't want to show her what her husband really is. I don't want to burst her out of her little bubble of life. God, I sound like the parent. I remember how Renée and you always used to say I was born middle-aged. Maybe that's the problem. Maybe I'm sick of being the responsible one and I want to be looked after. I want to feel protected, I want to be a child again.
But I know I can never be one ever again. Children are supposed to be naïve, unknowing of the cruelty of the world. I have seen too much of this world.
I had a dream last night, Emmett. For once it was a good dream. It was of an angel, an angel with a peculiar color of hair. A bronze color. He was very pale and his eyes were a butterscotch, topaz-y color. It was nice. It gave me hope for the first time since you died. I want to find this angel; but why would he want to find me? He told me not to give up, that you wouldn't want to. We were in a meadow, Em, and it was so perfect, so beautiful. When he laughed, I thought I would faint. It was such a beautiful laugh.
OK, I know you don't like it when I drool over boys. Sorry. I wish you were here even if you are overprotective. Even if you do need to have a shower more often. Even if you do find it a personal conquest to make me blush as often as possible.
God, I miss you so much.
Bella
xxx
Reading over this, I hoped that Dr. Gardiner hadn't read this. She would think I was insane with my dreams that featured a boy that sounded like my new boyfriend.
She wouldn't be looking this far in my diary, I tried to reassure myself. She would be concentrating before Emmett's death.
I had been sitting in bed when I was reading this and I hadn't realized until I touched my cheeks that I was crying. I put the diary away and put my head in my hands. I took a few deep breaths and raised my head from it's former position. I needed something to distract myself. My eyes zoomed on my iPod. I grabbed it and put it on shuffle.
Bad idea. The song that came on just reminded me more of Emmett. It was 'My Immortal' by Evanescence.
I'm so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
'Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me
You used to captivate me
By your resonating light
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts
My once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away
All the sanity in me
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me
I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me
That was the last straw. I surrendered to my misery and sobbed. I tried to muffle it into my pillow but I guess it didn't work because next thing I know, a strong, hard body was hugging me, comforting me.
I looked up with tears in my eyes expecting him to be a little shocked by my sudden outburst but his face held no surprise. He rubbed my back comfortingly while I sat on his lap leaning into him, still crying. I immediately felt better when I was with him. As cliché and stupid as it sounds, it was the truth. He had caught my heart completely and when he was gone, it felt like a bit of me was missing and when we were together, I was whole.
I felt very guilty that when I was with Edward, I could forget about Emmett. I had told myself that I would never, ever - not even for 1 second - forget about him. Never stop thinking about him.
I felt guilty for moving on with my life. I was scared of forgetting him but I was also terrified of remembering him. I didn't want the pain. I didn't want to feel anymore regret. I couldn't change the past but I could change the future. I could hardly change the future when I was terrified of change.
When I had stopped crying, I showed him the diary. I wanted to share myself with him completely. I didn't want any secrets or half-truths with him.
I was afraid that he would think I was weak - I had broken down because of one entry in my dairy that I had written years ago and with the help of listening to one song.
"Why would I think you were weak, Bella?" he asked me, puzzled when I confided what I felt. "You are so strong, love. I'm surprised that it took so long! Anyone who has went through what you went through and had to live through this hell of a day would probably have been worse off than you! Don't be ashamed for missing your brother. Don't be embarrassed because you're feeling sad - you are only human."
Hopefully not for long, I thought to myself but of course I did not tell him that. Something tells me that now was not the time to ask him about me becoming a vampire.
"I love you," I told him.
"I love you too," he told me, caressing my cheek. "You are my life now."
"Promise me that you will never leave me," I grabbed his shirt, my hands clenched tight. I was absolutely terrified that Edward would leave me on my own like Emmett had. It hadn't been Emmett's fault that he died and I didn't think he purposely left me, but I was just so terrified of losing another person I loved.
"I promise," he said sincerely. "I love you, remember."
I relaxed in his arms.
"I wish I could just stay with you forever," I sighed in his embrace. We were now lying side by side on the bed, our arms wrapped around each other. I didn't want to leave his arms. They were my sanctuary, my home, my safe place. I didn't want to abandon the only true place I could feel safe and loved and venture into the war zone. Because that was what my life had turned into - World War Three but on a much smaller scale.
"As much as I would love to have you in my arms forever, Charlie and Alice are here," he told me regrettably. "And knowing Alice, if we don't join the others within the next 5 minutes, she will use force. She was going on about taking you on a shopping spree tomorrow," he warned me.
"Aww, is Edward scared of his small, little, pixie sister?" I teased.
"You better not let her hear you say that, she will barbecue you alive," he warned me seriously.
"No, she won't," I said brightly. "She loves me best, she wouldn't hurt me. Plus even if she did decide to barbecue me then you would save me!"
"True," he smirked. "But do you really want to risk it?"
Suddenly there were two heavy knocks on the bedroom door. "Bella, Edward, if you're not out here right this minute I swear-" Alice started to threaten but Edward had already opened the door for her.
He was still sucking up to her after the clothes incident.
"Bella!" cried Alice and hugged me tightly but not too tightly. I could tell she was trying to restrain herself from using her full strength in the hug.
"How was your flight?" I asked her.
"You will not believe it when I tell you, Bella," she told me, her face solemn. "The airport was so small that the only shop was a little newsagents'!"
I faked a gasp. "What is the world coming to?" I exclaimed sarcastically.
Alice either didn't notice my sarcasm because she was so upset or she just ignored me. "I know!" she agreed.
I couldn't help but laugh. Alice frowned and said angrily, "Bella, don't laugh at me! Airports with no shops are like, against mother nature. It's a sin!"
"Oh yes, how could I forget the 11th Commandment?" I mocked.
"Yes," she agreed wholeheartedly.
Edward interrupted before she could go anymore. "Alice, I think Bella wants to see Charlie, don't you?" he asked me sweetly.
"Yeah," I nodded my head and Edward took my hand and we walked to the door.
I turned around to see Alice pouting. "What's wrong?" I asked her.
"I wasn't finished talking," she said. "I didn't even get the chance to tell you about-"
She was interrupted yet again by the sound of foot steps and Charlie, Carlisle and Renée's faces peered in through the open doorway that we were about to go through.
"Dad!" I said happily.
"Hey kid," he greeted. "I missed you around the house."
"I've only been gone two days!" I laughed.
"I was just about to show Charlie his room and get him settled before we go out for dinner," Carlisle informed us. "We'll be back in about ten minutes. Behave," he smirked.
Charlie and Renée together seemed such a weird sight. They were always amiable with each other on the rare occasions Charlie visited us but because of Charlie's job and ties to Forks he hadn't been able to visit me often. I knew that Charlie had never really gotten over Renée and that made me sad that he hadn't found love like I had with Edward. I knew it must be uncomfortable to hang out your ex-husband/wife so I decided that maybe Renée coming to stay with us for a while wasn't a good idea.
"Edward, out!" commanded Alice as soon as the adults left. "It's time for me and Bella to have some girl talk ab-"
"No," Edward interrupted, folding his arms smugly. "I'm staying here with Bella as I promised her I would."
"Gah!" screeched Alice in frustration. "Why do I keep on getting interrupted?!"
"Maybe because you're not a very interesting person," Edward teased. "Joke," he added hastily when he saw Alice's face.
"You better watch your back, Edward Anthony Mason Cullen," threatened Alice.
"Mary Alice Brandon Cullen," retaliated Edward.
"Eddie," smirked Alice.
"Mary." Alice scowled.
"Eddie-kins."
"Freak," Edward threw at her after deciding that Alice's name wasn't offending enough.
"Eddie-poo."
"MAB!" Alice's face darkened and she glared at Edward. She looked furious; I actually felt scared for Edward.
"MAB?" I asked in confusion.
"Mad Asinine Baby," Edward explained, his eyes still trained on Alice, daring her to continue. Alice growled.
"Um… am I missing something here?" I deduced.
"MAB are her initials. Mary Alice Brandon. The first two words are pretty self-explanatory; the third merely has to do with the fact she is a baby both physically and mentally," Edward said smoothly, chuckling at Alice's glares. Alice was still growling and it looked like she was about to pounce on Edward.
"Alice, don't do anything you might later regret," I warned her, recognizing the evil glint in her eye.
"Don't worry, I won't do anything I regret," Alice empathized 'I regret'. Edward's smug face faltered a little bit but he didn't back down.
"Alice, you're being a little self-absorbed and selfish," Edward tried to get her to forget about her revenge and focus on the reason for this trip. "You should be focusing on Bella and not on your brother!"
"Oh, yes how could I forget about the shopping trip!?" Alice's attention was immediately diverted. To me. Crap.
I glared at Edward. I was going to help Alice. I was going to bring him down for reminding Alice about the shopping trip she had arranged for me, however indirectly.
"Bella! Bella!" Renée's excited cries called from the main room interrupted our conversation. "You have got to see this!"
Reviews = Quicker Updates! What do you think Renée wants to show Bella?
BTW - chapters should come more quickly now. XD Sorry.
Love,
Smile! Edward Luvs Yhoo XD
xXx