I realised today that Charlie very rarely appears in my fics and as it's Father's Day I decided to give a nice place in this one because hey he's a nice guy.


"You still think it's him don't you?" Jasper asked her later as they lay on their bed, staring at the pale moonlight playing across their ceiling.

"Yes, I do. Who else could it be Jazz? At the very least he knows about the scars and hasn't done anything about it." Alice found his hand with hers and played with the calloused fingers absentmindedly.

"Why would he do it though? He's always been so against her becoming like us." A frown pulled at her eyebrows, he was playing Devil's Advocate; making sure she was sure about Edward.

"I'm not sure. Maybe he's using the venom to mutate her slowly, make her stronger. Maybe he even has this noble vision that he's making her stronger to protect her from the Volturi. I don't know Jazz, if I could just get a..." She stopped when her husband rolled to face her with serious autumn coloured eyes.

"Are your visions down? How long?" Alice bit her lip and Jasper pulled one of her hands into both of his. "How long Allie?"
"Nearly a month. I don't know what's wrong with them. But if I could just see." A knock sounded at their bedroom door and a second later it swung open to reveal Carlisle.

"You didn't tell me your visions were down." His light gold eyes were narrowed but there was no mistaking the concern that shone in them.

"I didn't tell anyone Carlisle." She replied carefully; it was a rare occasion that their pseudo father sought out any of his children in their rooms. Rarer still that he would seek out just two of them outside of his study. "How can we help you?"
"I was thinking about what you said, about Edward and Bella and I remembered something. Something Charlie told me a few weeks ago." Carlisle stepped into the pale green walled room and closed the door behind him. Alice and Jasper had soundproofed their room years ago so they didn't have to listen to anything going on outside of their room…and so none of the others could hear what was going on inside the room.
"What's going on here Carlisle?" Jasper murmured getting to his feet. Alice mimicked him moving to stand next to the doctor, one small hand resting on his arm.

"Charlie found spots of blood on Bella's sheets a while ago. He's also caught a few glimpses of marks on her shoulders. He broached the subject with her before speaking to me and she vehemently denied she was hurt at all." Carlisle took an unnecessary breath. "Edward was in the room. And he found the blood the morning after one of Edward's visits." Alice closed her eyes, forcing the rage that was rising in her chest back down. She was only marginally successful and when she reopened her eyes they were deep, dark burnished gold.

"I'm going to her." The men nodded but she wasn't waiting for permission from them, she'd already opened the window and leapt out into the cool night air.

It only took her minutes to reach Bella's house but once she reached it she stopped. It was late and Bella's window was closed, the light was off. The living room light however was on and flitting forwards Alice knocked on the front door. She could hear Charlie ambling from his chair to the door and she shifted impatiently, willing him to move faster. Finally the door swung open to reveal the police chief. "Alice." He sounded surprised she mused, as he had every right to be, girls her age should be in bed by now, not knocking on the door to their best friend's house. She saw he held his gun in his hand and knew then exactly how worried about his daughter the man was. "Is everything ok?"
"I don't know Charlie. I've been talking to Carlisle about Bella and-"
"You've seen them too? The scars?" There was a hint of relief in the man's dark eyes and Alice knew she'd done the right thing by knocking on the door rather than the window.

"Yes sir I have." He backed from the door, placing his gun on the kitchen counter and waving her inside. She obliged quickly, closing the door behind her. "You think it's Edward don't you?" Charlie laughed quietly.

"You don't? Who else could it be Alice? Who else gets that close to Bella?" His eyes begged her to give him a name that he could work with while guilt flickered to life in her heart. She had been that close and it shamed her to think that it had taken her so long to notice the marks.

"I don't know Charlie but I really wish I did." She didn't realise her hands were clenched into tight fists at her sides until Charlie's eyes darted down to them.

"You have to leave it to me Alice. Go through the proper channels." Alice couldn't respect the man more than she did in that moment. His daughter was being hurt and even though it was painfully obvious that he wanted to kill the culprit as much as she did, he still held on to his reason. Still knew that he had to turn them into the police. Alice was spared from agreeing with the police chief when Bella herself wandered into the small kitchen.

"Alice? What are you doing here?" The soft brown eyes were confused and still muddled from sleep. The vampire stored the image in her mind, a smile playing at her lips; the human was simply adorable when she was half asleep.
"What can I say Bell? I just love your Dad's company." Charlie chuckled to himself and Alice's smile became a little more real. "What brings you downstairs?"
"I couldn't sleep." Alice and Charlie shared a concerned glance but neither of them dared broach the subject of the bites that night. "Talk to me till I can?"
"That ok with you Sir?" Alice looked up to the man, she knew she didn't really need to ask; she knew he'd say yes, but she also knew that the man liked to feel as if his opinion mattered where his daughter was concerned.

"Sure Alice. You go ahead." He smiled at the girls as Bella led Alice back upstairs.

"What's wrong Bella?" The vampire whispered once they reached her room. The human slipped into her bed, patting the side in a gesture for Alice to sit beside her. Alice stepped over and took a seat. "You can tell me anything."
"Did you mean what you said earlier? That you love me?" Alice was drowning in Bella's dark brown eyes and she barely noticed her traitorous hand moving to stroke the girl's hair.

"Of course I did." She murmured, hoping to anything that was listening that Charlie hadn't followed them upstairs. They would have a hell of a job trying to explain themselves if he had.

"You I love you too right?" Alice was sure for one short second that she could feel her dead heart beat at the revelation, as if Bella was breathing life into her again. "I just…I don't know. With Edward and all…" Alice kept stroking her hair soothingly and her eyes drifted closed. Alice made herself focus on the small purple flower that had been left lying on the bedside table.

"I know Sweetheart. I know." Bella's breathing evened out and slowed a little and Alice knew the human had fallen asleep. She looked so peaceful in sleep Alice mused, suddenly aware of the reason Edward liked to watch her sleep. Unable to resist she dropped a feather light kiss onto the corner of the slumbering girl's mouth and wandered back downstairs. "Goodnight Charlie." She called with one hand on the front door.

"You're a good kid Alice. I'm glad she has a friend like you looking out for her." The man looked awkward as he said the words but was rewarded with a dazzling smile. "You go get some sleep. I hear you're playing in the soccer match against the Quileute team tomorrow." She faked a yawn and nodded. "Good luck kiddo."
"Thanks Charlie." She smiled and it wasn't until she was racing through the forest that she realised what flower had been lying on Bella's table.

It had been a petunia. All flowers carry a meaning, she remembered Esme telling her long ago, and you shouldn't give a flower without knowing it lest you offend the recipient. Whoever sent the petunia had either never had this advice or knew exactly what they were saying. Alice hoped fervently it was the former.

Petunias were symbolic of resentment and anger.

/

The school day passed with alarming speed for Alice the next day; she had barely danced through the main doors, it seemed, before Jasper was leading her onto the soccer pitch in her school colours. "Remember to try and stay human like ok?" He whispered in her ear as he gave her a hug for luck and to steady her nerves. She could see the Quileute team hopping off of their mini bus. All of them were lean and strong and she recognise Quil, Jacob, Embry and Leah.

"Only if those guys do." She muttered back, eyes twinkling as she settled into her position. Bella had come to watch, sat beside Emmett who was chattering animatedly to her. It made her smile that the human laughed every time her brother made a joke. No matter how bad it was.

The smile dropped as the whistle blew and Jet made a break for the ball. He dodged through Quil and Embry easily and passed it towards another of their team members who was quickly tackled by Leah. Alice began to drift into her thoughts until Jacob appeared in her line of vision with a wide smile and glittering eyes, the ball at his feet. He kicked it at her with werewolf strength but she caught it easily and tossed it back into play along with a wink towards Jacob. She distinctly heard Leah mutter that it wasn't fair because Forks High had a leech in goals and laughed to herself.

The game passed quickly and most of the way through the second half Forks High were winning; two to nothing. Then Alice caught sight of her bronze headed brother swaggering up the school field. Her limbs developed a slight tremble as she watched him pass to Bella, pull her to her feet and kiss her hard on the lips. His hand was on her arm, and it looked to Alice that his grip was painfully tight, as he whispered in Bella's ear. Alice's sight clouded at the edges and she was thrown into a vision.

Edward was yelling, tearing trees from the dry ground and tossing them away. He crashed his fists into a rock and split it in two. Bella was screaming. Edward whirled on her, roaring in her face. He threw her against the now solitary tree and buried his teeth into her neck.

Alice regained her sight just as the ball flew past her head and into the goal. She was breathing heavily as Embry celebrated with Quil and Leah. Jacob was watching her; she was now visibly shaking. She looked over to where Emmett was sitting and saw him talking to Rosalie. Edward and Bella were nowhere to be seen.


Oh I love a good cliffhanger don't you?