Chapter 25 – Secrets

Charlie's POV

I pulled a beer out of the small cooler I had brought with me and popped the top. The first drink was like a cool spring breeze over my throat. I heard the door click shut down the hallway and glanced over my shoulder. I turned and smiled at Billy, pointing behind me.

"Think it's a good idea to leave those two in the same room alone?" I asked, joking. I watched a wise smile drift over my friend's face.

"That's one thing I actually wanted to talk to you about," Billy said, and I sputtered on the beer I had just taken another drink of. Jake and Bella?! I went to get up as I spoke.

"Are they-"

"Not yet, my good friend. Calm down," he said. He waited until I settled back down on the couch before continuing. "But I think they're getting serious." I gave him a look. That was my daughter in that room. Why was he telling me this now? What was going on?

"How serious?"

"You always knew Jake fancied Bella. A lot. Ever since she moved back into town, she's all he's been able to talk about," he said, and I gave a brief nod. Well, better him then-

"What about Edward?" I was surprised my voice held a little bit of contempt. Was it because of the pale boy, or because it was any boy who wanted to get near Bella?

"That would be the other issue I wanted to talk to you about," my friend said, crossing his hands beneath his chin. He looked as if he were thinking really hard. Finally, he leaned in a little and I followed suit. His voice dropped a level in volume.

"Edward is abusive, Charlie," he said. I gave an inward roll of my eye. I had already seen witness to this. Their little spat before she ran from the house, hands packed with bags as she attempted to make it to Renee. The night he had left her in the forest, when the whole Cullen clan had up and left. Billy went on.

"Not just emotionally abusive, as you've seen. He's physically abusive as well…" he trailed off. The words sunk into my stomach like a serrated knife. That boy had hurt Bella? Anger whipped through me like lightening. What was going on? I jumped to my feet.

"What happened, Billy?" I asked, already heading towards the room. He grabbed my hand and anchored me to the living room. If I had had less respect for my dear friend, I would have ripped from his grasp and went running down the hallway. I hadn't seen Bella yet. She was clumsy, off balance on the best of days. What had gone on? Was she able to walk? How abusive did Billy mean Edward was?

"She's fine now, Charlie. I just thought you needed to know. I know Bella was hoping to keep everything on the down low, as they say. She never wanted to be an inconvenience to you," Billy said, pulling on my hand and indicating to the couch. I took a seat, burying my head in my hands. Bella had never wanted to be an inconvenience to anyone. That's why she'd moved here to Forks in the first place. How could she think that this would inconvenience me? I was her father. When her mother and I had her, we agreed to never let any harm fall upon her. Look at what a great job I was doing.

Billy's hand was on my shoulder, trying to comfort me. I didn't know if I could be comforted. I needed to know what was happening.

"What happened?" I asked, lifting my head to look at the other man. He brought his hand away and sighed.

"Apparently, he's been keeping Bella under lock and key. He's been trying to keep her from seeing Jake. He's a very jealous boy, and he knew Jake and Bella were getting closer," Billy said. I grumbled beneath my breath. How was he keeping her under lock and key? I asked.

"From what I've gathered so far, from listening down the hallway, he would come over while you weren't home. He would keep her from the phone, keep her from going anywhere. How it sounds, I think he might even have drugged her to keep her asleep through the night, so she couldn't make an attempt at anything," he said. I got to my feet and started pacing. The boy had come into the home? Breaking and entering. Kept Bella from calling anyone? Hostage. DRUGGED her? Unlawful sedation. I had three counts on him already. All I had really needed was one and Bella's word to take him in. I continued pacing, glancing at Jake's room whenever I came near to it.

"Bella made her escape this morning. I don't know the details, but she flipped her truck. The gang's still working on getting it over here," Billy finished. I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to him. She had flipped her truck? Had that monster of a vehicle come down on her?! Was she utterly injured and he was just trying to keep the worst from me right now? Billy grabbed my hand again.

"She's ok, Charlie. Honestly. I just wanted to talk to you about this alone. She's pretty traumatized by the whole ordeal," Billy said. He let me go once I made my way back to the couch.

"I'm going to get that boy. He won't ever see daylight without a set of steel bars around him again-"

"Charles, don't you dare! I only told you this so you'd be aware of it. Jake and Bella would probably kill me if you went after Edward," Billy said. There was something in his eyes. Something raked through me with his gaze.

In his eyes, I saw fear. Desperation, even. I sat back down on the couch and looked straight at him. Something about the story was missing. Something was off.

"What are you not telling me?" I asked, looking him deep in the eye. Years of wisdom, shone back at me. Secrets I could never know. The tribe's secrets.

"Something I can't tell you. Something you don't even want to dream about," he said, and I looked away. Tribal secrets and their silly thoughts were something I really didn't want to think about.

"You need to trust us, Charlie. If not the tribe, if not Jake or Bella, then trust me," he said, and I looked up at him again. "Edward is dangerous."

Those three words sent chills down my spine. Not just for me, but for my little girl. I paused for a second, baffled by that phrase. My little girl. I pushed it to the back of my mind, how it unsettled me. How close had she come to not being ok, as Billy said? I forced my mind away from the danger she could have faced.

"What about the rest of the Cullens?" I asked, leaning backwards a little. Billy also leaned back in his seat, stretching out his back.

"We've still got to talk to them. All of this happened so quick, none of us have even really gotten to talk to Bella. Jake's been trying to help her through all this, the best he can. But I can assure you, we'll be talking to the Cullens very soon," Billy said. I gave a brief nod. It was hard to believe someone like Alice, or Carlisle, could be related to someone like Edward. They were just too nice of people. Had Edward just gone completely bad? What had caused it?

I let my thoughts drift back to my friend and my daughter. My friend's son. I've always liked Jake. He was giving me more reason to like him now, by helping Bella through this. He had helped her through her slump when Edward had first left, too. I owed so much to the boy.

Didn't mean I didn't need to talk to him about things beyond kissing. I grumbled under my breath. Hopefully Billy had already had that talk with him. I didn't know if I wanted to attempt that talk with Bella.

I looked up at my friend now. If he said the tribe was going to take care of things with the Cullens, I would believe him. They'd always seemed to deal with Cullens. They always threw parties when they left. Rejoiced, when they weren't around.

"I'm putting my faith in you, Bill. I'm putting my daughter's life in your hands, I feel. You better make sure this gets taken care of. If you don't want me to get involved with the matter, make sure something's done about it," I said. I knew it was a little rude, but who didn't get rude when it came down to their offspring? Billy was already nodding.

"We're already working on it. Don't you worry yourself about a thing, Charlie. Bella's in good hands. Jake will never let something like this happen again," Billy said. I couldn't help a small chuckle.

"You sound as if the boy's her father now," I said, resting back into the couch and finding my can of beer again.

"You know, he feels responsible for Bella. He feels horrible that things came this far, but all he was trying to do was give Bella her freedom of choice," Billy said, glancing down the hallway. I heard Bella laugh, and it warmed me. Just knowing she could still laugh calmed me.

"I hope I don't ever see that boy again." I said, gripping my can a little tighter than I needed to. The thought of seeing him, knowing what he did, watching him smile at me… It was enraging. I'd never felt so mad in my life.

"I think the kid already left town, actually. Hopefully, he won't come back… But he's a selfish, stubborn, jealous old bloke. I don't know what Jake and Bell's relationship will bring out in him," he said, still looking down the hall to Jake's room. Jake laughed now. I let out a breath and took a long glug of my beer.

I was tense. I don't think I would be able to relax, with all this hanging over my head. I wanted to arrest the kid for everything he'd put Bella through. But there was something bigger than me here. There was something bigger than what a boy does to a girl when he likes her and she doesn't return the feelings. There was something bigger than humanity here. Billy's eyes came to rest on me again.

"I just thought you should know about all this. I was hoping that when you're not working, you'll come by here a lot. We'll all feel safer knowing you're not alone, and I know Bella wants to stay here, where she feels safe," Billy said. I nodded quickly.

"Wherever she feels safe. I won't keep that from her. And I'll probably be over here all the time. Without Bella at home, cooking, there's nothing really tying me to the place," I said, laughing a little. It got Billy to laugh. Seeing him laugh made me laugh harder. In the end, we were just two old folk, giggling like children.

This was a laugh to try and release all the tension. True, it did relieve some. But there was much more where that came from. I felt there was much more to come.

Rosalie's POV

We all stood around the living room, listening to Esme recount the past events to Carlisle. Everyone was stiff. Both Alice and I wanted to interrupt her in several points, but the look on Carlisle's face was lethal. I'd never seen him look angry before, but he was far beyond it now. I didn't know Carlisle was capable of anger. When he spoke, though, it conveyed the same air of restraint and calm.

"So, no one knows what happened to Bella?" he asked. Alice looked like she wanted to speak, and so he let her.

"I'm almost positive she made it across the line. Edward was angry that he'd lost her, so she had to have," she said.

"No thanks to you," I muttered under my breath. Emmett nudged me in the side and I bit my tongue as Carlisle glanced at me. "Sorry," I said, softly.

"I don't know what has come over you all lately. Just because Edward has lost it doesn't give you all reason to follow him. This family has been like this for decades, and it will not fall apart now. We need to stay strong, especially if we've lost one of our members. We can't let Edward be the string to unravel us all," he said, looking at all of us in turn. We all nodded.

"We're going to need to talk to the pack of wolves. They haven't attacked us yet, but if we don't get into contact with them and let them know we had no part of this, they could very well attack us the next chance they get," Carlisle said, looking meaningfully at Jasper. There seemed to be an unspoken conversation between them. Probably trying to figure out how best to approach the matter.

Carlisle turned to me next.

"Rosalie, you will never attack your sister like that again- I don't care what the matter is. If you had an issue, you should have come to me, or Esme-"

"But Carlisle, no one would have listened! You all would have asked Alice what she saw, and she was too wrapped up in Bella being one of us that she would have just said Edward was fine! You have to understand, I did this to save Bella!" I cried out, losing any ounce of calm within me. I didn't want to be blamed for doing the right thing. I had always known this was the right thing.

Carlisle gave a brief nod.

"I acknowledge you did this for the right reason, Rose. But that still doesn't take away from the fact that we are a family and cannot have bad blood between us," he said, glancing at Alice. She gave a brief nod. I did too.

"Alice, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have attacked you, but I hope you understand why I did it," I said, begging her to see me and my reasons. After a moment, she nodded, glancing away.

"I know why you did it, Rose, and in truth, I'm glad you did. If you hadn't, who knows what would have happened to Bella. She could be lying in the middle of the road right now, transforming into one of us," she said, her voice shaking. It almost made me want to break down and hug her. Almost.

"Alright. The next topic to address…" he was looking at Alice now. Jasper got closer to her. "Why won't you tell us what Edward's plans are?" This made everyone as taught as an archer's bow. Everyone was tense. Alice just shook her head, glancing around at all of us.

"I can't… He would hate me if I told you… I told you all I can, Carlisle. He's not going after Bella, and he's not going to the Volturi," Alice said, and Carlisle interrupted.

"Is he a threat to humans?" he asked. Alice let out a minor sob and glanced back at Jasper. He looked at her, as if urging her to tell us everything. She looked back at Carlisle.

"Carlisle, I can't say…" she said. It looked as if Carlisle had gotten his answer. Carlisle's hand went over his mouth and he turned to face Esme. She was biting on her nails, a habit she had taken up when the family was at odds.

"Jesus, there's no turning back… If he's a threat to the population, we need to talk to the wolves right away… If they think we're all in this together…" he said, speaking quietly to Esme, even though we could all hear. She nodded her agreement. Carlisle turned back to face us all.

"Since Alice can't say what's going on, we assume the worst. We'll talk to the wolves and remake the treaty… Excluding Edward," he said. I'm sure it stung everyone in the room to hear that. It probably broke Carlisle in half to have to say it. He turned and slid his arm around Esme, pulling her towards their room. We all dispersed then. I followed Emmett to our room.

"Do you really think Edward's a threat to the humans?" I asked, as he shut the door behind us. We both went over to our windows and pulled them open, glancing out at the horizon. The day had drawn itself out, so slow. We had spent hours down stairs, talking, arguing, yelling, before Esme had been given the right to tell the story of the day. The sun would set within the next hour.

"I don't know what he could be doing right now… you know how he felt about Bella. Losing her would be like us losing each other," Emmett said, wrapping his arms around my waist. I rested my hands on top of his, leaning my head back a little.

"I can't imagine what that would be like," I said, feeling his lips at my temple. He nodded.

"Neither could I."

Jake's POV

"Alright, you win. We'll go out to the living room. Hopefully the dads are done talking like old ladies," I said, as Bella was tickling me. I grabbed her hands and pulled her down to kiss her once before I helped her out of the bed. We went to the door and I opened it, slowly.

"Is it safe?" I called down the hallway. I glanced at Bella and saw her testing her weight on her foot. She looked like she'd be able to walk on it pretty well. I think the hot shower helped.

"Come on out, son," Billy called and I smiled, offering Bella my hand. She took it and I entwined our fingers before leading her out to the living room.

"Bells…" Charlie said, already off the couch. She broke my grip and went towards him, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly. He hugged her back, just as well. I'd never seen such an act of emotion pass between the two of them. I glanced at my dad and he gave a little shrug and mouthed 'I had to.'

My heart plummeted into my chest. He had told him? Obviously, he had excluded the vampire and werewolves bit, but he had confirmed the story about Edward's idiocy? I gritted my teeth a little. Damnit. What was Charlie thinking now? Was he going to try and go after the Cullens? What would they do if they were threatened by a human?

My dad seemed to read my thoughts and shook his head. A flood of relief went through me. Somehow, he had gotten Charlie to understand he shouldn't go after Edward. I let out a little breath and turned my eyes back to the emotional scene before me.

"Billy told me what happened, Bells… I'm so sorry, I had no idea… I would have tried to be home more often, but things were always coming up at work…" he said, arms still wrapped tight around her. Apparently, the thought of his daughter being abused brought out emotions in him. It was nice to see, a father acting how a father should.

"It's ok, dad. It's not your fault…" she said, starting to pull away. He looked as if he didn't want to let her go. "Everything's fine," she said, looking up at him. He nodded a little and took a step back, seeming to remember that he was supposed to be acting like a manly man. I could see the tears swimming in his eyes. It must be hard thinking you'd almost lost your daughter.

I stepped closer to Bella and his gaze fell on me. He sniffed once and then jutted his hand out, offering a hand shake. I smiled a little and put my hand in his. He brought me in and patted me on the back. It was a little awkward, but I understood.

"Thank you… For helping her. I owe you a lot. This is the second time you've come to her rescue," he said, pulling back to look at me. I tried to smile, but his words struck home in my chest. I just wish I'd been there to help Bella before this had happened. I glanced at Bella and she smiled at me.

"It's no problem, sir… You know I love your daughter," I said, looking up at him again. The scene felt a little too surreal. Us all standing here, acting like a loving happy family… While there were vampires, running amuck, just outside our doors. While Bella's bruised and battered body stood hidden in a wrap of cloth. I managed a small smile and he finally let go of my hand. He turned to Billy.

"So when's the game start?" he asked. My dad glanced over his shoulder.

"About a half hour. Everyone should be on their way now. I know Emily was planning on making something for dinner, for everyone," Billy said. Charlie glanced at Bella once more and they both shared a little smile.

"You sure you're ok?" he asked.

"Never better, dad," she said, leaning in to wrap her arm around my waist. I put my arm over her shoulder and pulled her close. Charlie nodded once more and then took a seat on the couch. It was odd to think that things were just going to be that simple. Bella indicated that we should go to the kitchen.

"My dad's always been one to avoid anything too far from reality… Billy probably just said 'Charlie, you don't want to know,'" she imitated Billy very well, "and my dad left it at that," Bella said, laughing a little as she went to the fridge.

"I guess it's simpler for someone to believe their daughter has a psychopathic ex boyfriend, rather than a blood crazed ex vampire boyfriend, huh?" I said, rubbing at the back of my neck. She turned from the fridge and smiled at me.

"Exactly. Imagine what he'll say if he ever finds out I'm dating a werewolf."

A/N : Alright, you'll hate hearing this but I've got the next chapter written and waiting for your reviews. Give me 15 by tonight and I'll post it. Then I should be able to get a few more chapters written tonight so I can post them during the week. Please get me to 15 more reviews? I'll love you for forever. Feel appreciated, because my eye has been killing me. It was watering the whole time I wrote out and edited this chapter.

On that note, if there are any errors, I apologize! Get the next 15 reviews up, guys!