Chapter 17 (Damn trees)

B.P.O.V

What, no. I thought. This couldn't be. I couldn't be going back to my father. Oh god no!

"No!" I screamed, and Charlie glared at me as I clung to Edward. The Cullen family had walked over to me and I was sobbing; muttering over and over again as Edward rubbed circles into my back.

"No, no, no, no, no, no…" I repeated. Edward muttered something I couldn't understand through my sobs.

"Bella, lets go." Charlie said with a bitter/sweet toned voice, and grabbed my arm. At first his grip was gentle, but as I tried to pull away he ended up dragging me out the court room door with me screaming at him to let me go the whole way.

"Edward, help! Please." I said the 'please' in a soft voice and saw him take a step forwards, but Emmett put a hand on his shoulder.

Why is Emmett stopping him? I thought and looked back at them once more with my big brown eyes before Charlie yanked me out of the building.

"Get in the car." Charlie said, but without waiting for me to react he shoved me in like a rag doll. To him, that was all I was. I was his rag doll of Renée, all because I looked like her. I didn't even bother trying to struggle as I sobbed quietly. I was going to die and I knew it. Charlie was driving extra fast which was an indication that he was mad. We were on the highway home when something came out of no where and fell in front of us.

"What the-" Charlie began, but I didn't hear the rest as two things happened at once. The car slammed into something big and someone pulled me out before I could scream… or even blink for that matter. When I opened my eyes Edward had me in a tight grip. I looked at him and then at what was happening in front of us. Emmett had knocked a tree onto the road so that Charlie would crash, and they could get me out before anything happened to me. That's what he was whispering to me in the court room. The other thing I noticed was that the car was on fire and Charlie wasn't coming out. I don't know how but I knew he was still alive in there and I needed to talk to him before he died. It was the perfect twilight and a dark gold mist had formed over the horizon. It was amazing how the flames glowed against the moonlight. Edward let me go when he saw that I was okay and I ran to the car. Edward was too preoccupied with the spreading fire to notice. I got into the now open door, ignoring the flames threatening to burn my skin, and saw that Charlie had bashed his head against the wind shield, and from the looks of it had cracked his skull. Blood seeped through several wounds, each different in size and depth. But some how he was awake and for the first time in so long, he looked completely somber.

"Renée would be so ashamed," There was love and passion in his voice that I knew to be for my mother. I wanted to help him. I wanted to smile the way he did at his wedding and for the first time I knew how.

"No, Charlie. She'll forgive you. She'll do it because she knows I forgive you. See, she's still smiling." I said and handed him the open locket. He looked at it with so much intensity that I felt the tears in my eyes weld up for a different reason than the fast ascending black smoke. Somehow it didn't matter to me, all of what he'd done.

"You look so much like Renée," he gasped, "Bella, kill me. Get me back for what I did to Renée." He was choking at this point, and I could do nothing but stare at him. He raised a weak arm to pull out his gun before giving it to me. He then took the locket that was in his hands and tied it around the handle, hands shaking throughout the entire procedure.

"Bella! Get out of the car before it explodes!" Alice called, and I felt something pull at my ankle but I didn't turn away from Charlie to see what. I couldn't.

"Kill me and then go with them, but always remember Renée loved you with all her heart."

"No, Renée had enough love in her heart for the both of us but you just couldn't see it before it was too late," I told him, and without taking my eyes off him I pulled the trigger. The shot blasted at his temple, and as his body collapsed against the seat, he wore that same smile he had on his wedding photo, softer now but it was still there on his lips.

Charlie was dead.

Before that could even register my actions there was a shocking scream as two cold arms pulled me out onto the pavement and covered most of my body as an explosion went off in the background. I cowered into Edward's chest; somehow knowing it was him, as his words and the fire crackles rung through my head at the same time.

"You're so stupid! (Kiss) How could you do that to me? (Kiss) I though (Kiss) I thought he had shot you (Kiss)." Edward was frantic as he mumbled things through kisses, which he planted all over my face.

"I had to tell him I forgi-" I was cut off with a violent coughing fit, and I coughed frantically. Edward held me tighter as he stood up.

"Don't ever scare me like that again." He whispered in a more serious begging tone. He looked so beautiful. He had a black smudge across his right cheek and his hair was even more on the wild side. In the background was the car on fire and it looked straight out of a 'James Bond' movie, only James was far too sexy for his own good in this picture.

"Bella, give me your jacket." Alice said and I did as she told me. She threw it onto the car wreck and then took out a pocket knife. I didn't bother asking why she had one on her.

"Hold still." She said, and without warning she cut off all my hair that went past my shoulders. Now I had shoulder length hair.

"This will make them think you died with Charlie. We'll tell everyone that we are moving again after your funeral." Alice explained as Edward looked at my hair with much disapproval.

"Let's go home." I whispered, and the Cullen's nodded as we heard the sounds of sirens in the distance. On the way home Edward kept sighing as he played with my hair.

"Edward, it's really okay. Alice will fix it up and it will look better then ever." I explained as Edward twirled a strand between his fingers.

"I know, but it was so beautiful long." He said with another sigh and kissed the strand before letting it fall back in to place.

"Edward, I want to keep this somewhere for now until Charlie's funeral. Can you put it in one of the drawers in your room?" I asked, handing him the gun with the locket tied around it. We were pulling up in the driveway when a pixy opened the car door and pulled me out without even giving me a seconds warning. In this time I knew that I wouldn't be able to attend Charlie's funeral, but I'd find some way to say goodbye.

"I've been going over hair styles I could do, and found the perfect one! HA! Serves you right if you saw something you weren't supposed to Edward! That's what you get for trying to read my mind!" Alice yelled, and I could hear Edward's groan of disgust.

"Now come on! I have the best strawberry shampoo you have to try! And I get to use that expensive hair cutting kit I got in France when I went to study there! It's been so long!" She was jumping up and down. As we came to Alice's room, I saw Alice had changed her room into the ultimate beauty salon. On the nicely made bed were some light blue silk pajamas. On her counter had to be at least 20 different types of brushes, scissors, hair products, clips, stationers, curlers, and even some hair dye! When she pushed me into the bathroom there where15 different types of body washed alone. I was honestly too scared to approach anything. The bathtub was already almost full. I wondered how she did all this so fast, until Rosalie walked into the room with a shampoo bottle.

So she had Rosalie help her… I thought as Alice started unbuttoning my shirt.

"Alice! What are you doing?!" I screeched, and Alice looked at me like I was crazy.

"You're covered in filth from the explosion. I've already seen you and we are all girls, now off with the shirt and into the tub!" Alice commanded and before I could complain I was pushed into the huge tub. I went to pull the clothes tighter around me but they seemed to have vanished, and then it hit me like the warm water. My dad was dead. I was safe, with the Cullens. I couldn't help it. I laughed and cried at the same time. I could see the strange 'Are you insane' look Rosalie was giving me, but all I could choke out through cries of ringing laughter was:

"He's gone." Understanding crossed their faces as waves of calm crashed over me. Jasper managed to calm me down enough that they could wash me up and sit me down on a chair in front if a mirror, even though he wasn't in the actual bathroom with us. I nearly had a heart attack. My skin was smooth and I had a strange look in my eye. Happiness, maybe…

I couldn't really place my finger on it but I was pulled out of my thoughts when Alice revealed the scissors.

"Don't move." Alice said, and snipped at a small piece before taking a brush and going through my hair with it. She blow-dried my hair straight, before working with scissors and cutting it again. My head felt so light now that it was so different. I liked it. After thinning my hair out she looked at it with semi approval.

"You don't suppose Edward would let me dye the ends and the back purple, would you?" She asked and his growl was even audible to my ears.

"I'll take that as a yes." I said sarcastically and we all laughed.

"Well voila! My work here is done. Feel free to change into your pajamas before going downstairs." She said, and they both left so I could change. (Picture of hair on profile 'Imagine it a little longer so it touches Bella's shoulders')

I got dressed slowly and carefully, liking the feel of being so clean, so light. My new life… I thought and looked into the mirror. Those sparkles in my eyes were still there, and I didn't know if it was the new hair or the fact that I was now, (not officially), but one step closer to being a Cullen. My life changed forever in the past few hours and I didn't know how much more it would within the next few. I slowly walked down the stairs and at the bottom was Edward sitting on the couch with a book. I had a suspicion that he hadn't been waiting for me, but as he looked up, I noticed that the book was upside down. His eyes looked at my hair and he gave a huge smile before consuming me in a hug.

"It will have to do." He mumbled, smelling the top of my head.

"I like it. It's less of a hassle but personally I would have preferred to dye it hot pink." I teased him and saw the disapproved look on his face.

"So, are you not going to kiss me because I have short hair, or because I'm orphaned? Take your pick." I teased. Edward leaned in to kiss me without a second thought. It felt so wrong saying the word 'orphan' and actually meaning it. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

"What orphan? I don't see anyone in this house besides my children. But if I'm not good enough for you, then that's okay." Esme said in mock hurt at the bottom of the stairs with Carlisle's hand around her waist. Edward and I pulled apart, smiling at one another.

"Oh my god! I love you so much!" I screeched and jumped into Edward's arms again, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. We laughed as he walked me down the rest of the stairs, and once we were on solid ground, spun me in circles.

"I love you…" Edward breathed in my ear once he put me down.

"I love with all my heart." I replied and oh-so slowly, he pulled me into a passionate kiss.

"Woo-hoo!" Emmett yelled but we paid no attention. What did catch was the knock at the door.

"Hide Bella, it's the police!" Alice said in a low voice and I looked around frantically. Before I could find a descent hiding spot by myself, however, I was pushed under a table and over the table a red table cloth was draped over so you couldn't see under. I couldn't help but peek through the bottom as the door opened and Officer Heartly walked in with Officer White.

"Good evening officer." Esme said, as Edward got up from the book he was reading again. This time the book was the right way up.

"Mom, what's going on?" Edward asked and Alice and Emmett came down the stairs like they were just getting back from playing.

"We would like to ask you if you were on highway 1-40 at 9:25 PM." Officer Heartly asked and Esme looked at him with a confused expression.

"Why, no Officer. We took the 1-25 home." Carlisle said coming from his study with a big medical book in his hands.

Ding!

"Oh the cookies are done! If you'd excuse me." Esme said, leaving with Alice.

"Dr. Cullen, we would like to know if you have seen Isabella Swan." He asked.

"Not since the trial." Carlisle responded.

"Why?" Edward asked firmly.

"A tree fell in front of Officer Swan's car and he seems to have died. We found Bella's jacket and hair but was wondering if she might have managed to escape and come here."

"As I said before, we have not seen her."

"We are going to send a search party for her and if nothing is found by morning we will confirm her death. Would you like to help look? The poor girl is probably scared and alone and wanting her dad." At that last part I made a 'Yah right' noise without thinking which took his eyes around the kitchen/ dining area. I closed the red table cloth and tried not to laugh at Edward's slightly paled face when he saw me peeking. It was so funny I couldn't help a small giggle come from my lips and bit my bottom lip to shut myself up. I saw a dark figure walk to me and shut my eyes. This was it!

"Cookies, Officers?" Esme's voice rung out and the figure walked away. I let out a sigh of relief and bit my bottom lip once more to make sure I didn't laugh again.

"No thank you. We need to be going. Goodnight." They said and I heard a few goodbyes before the door shut and I burst out laughing.

"It really is impossible to keep you safe!" Edward exploded but I could tell he was saying that in a playful way.

"You can come out now." Edward added after I didn't move.

"No, I like it down here." I said with another giggle.

"Oh really?" Edward asked skeptically.

"Yes, you should come down here with your upside-down book and that amazing smelling batch of cookies." I said and before I knew it Edward was beside me with the book in one hand and a cookie tray in the other.

"So, you thought I didn't want to read it upside-down?" Edward asked, handing me the tray, and I leaned back so I was sitting against pillows he had somehow managed to bring as well.

"Maybe, maybe not." I said and he gave me that famous crooked smile.

"I was reading the book upside-down because it's more of a challenge." He explained, going back to his book. I shrugged and ate the cookies. It was a nice silence but after a while I was bored and attempted to read Edward's book over his shoulder, but he was flipping the pages too fast. I pouted and Edward laughed before flipping it to the first page and reading it out loud. I closed my eyes and imagined it. Turns out the book was 'a great and terrible beauty.' It was the first book in the 'Gemma Doyle Trilogy. (One of the best books in the world! You NEED to read all 3!)

I don't know how long but after a while I fell asleep, my head resting against his shoulder and, waking up to hear Alice call,

"A vampire named Victoria's coming with some friends."

Ooooo cliffy! Yay! Charlie's dead! I know you all expected Edward or Jacob or Carlisle to save her but for once I wanted Bella to over come her problem without the help of Edward. So Bella had the honor of killing Charlie.

I hope the chapter was worth the wait! Pleas review! I loved the reviews I got last time! And I need help finding a fanfic.

I'm not sure about the name but it's where Edward, Jasper and Emmett are famous singers and on a tour. Bella is a monitor for a Cullen Chat site and gets complaints about this guy scaring people saying he's going to torture the Cullen's till they kill themselves. So Bella goes to a Cullen concert to warn them.

If you know what fanfic I'm talking about please tell me.

Thanks!