Chapter 10

Bella was trembling as she sat in the car parked right outside the police station. Her instincts were telling her to follow along with the dude's... the vampire's instructions, hide, get the hell out of the area and never return. Logic was telling her to go inside the station, find Chief Liz and tell her about it all. Then why couldn't she move?

Rubbing the space between her brows, brown eyes flitted to the rearview mirror. Terror had them wide.

"Get it together Swan!"

Taking another breath she looked at the sleeping dog, the constant barking had wiped the little fella out, and got out of the car leaving the window open a little. Five minutes later she was back. Chief Liz had the night off.

"Let's just go home Barky"

Barkley didn't even open an eye as Bella turned the engine on and started driving again. When she got to the Gilbert house, she checked on the teens. Jeremy was wrapped around a dark haired and very naked girl; Elena was thankfully alone in her bed and cuddling a pillow. Bella wanted to sleep as well but she knew it wouldn't work. Instead she placed Barkley on her bed to continue sleeping and stepped into the shower. Her skin picked and prickled around her ribcage where an arm shaped bruise where and so did the side of her neck.

Once washed and cleaned she got dressed in a pair of denim shorts and a short sleeved high necked t-shirt that covered her brand new bruises and dressed the wound on her neck.

Then she went to the kitchen to make herself a pot of soothing valerian tea, think and email her father. With the morning light, she wasn't any calmer and so she decided to get baking. It always calmed her. She was nearly done with the first batch of sugar cookies and was about to get glazing (because glaze makes everything better) when a thumb was heard from upstairs and Jeremy traipsed into the kitchen, mouth stretched in a yawn.

"Munchies?"

Bella threw him a look.

"Couldn't sleep. Cooking and baking helps me. Feel like giving a hand?"

Jeremy nodded, yawned again and popped a cookie in his mouth. At then another. Bella snorted at the speed the cookies went from plate to mouth.

"Your idea of helping?"
"I am! Now you have fewer cookies to glaze."

Bella rolled her eyes at the teenager and stopped his munching short when she handed him the tray with the chocolate chip cookies to put in the oven.

"That the girl you were telling me about?"

Jeremy froze and slammed the oven door with a harsh bang.

"What about her?"

Bella leaned against the counter.

"Nothing. Just she could leave through the front door you know. Letting the girl jump down from your window can leave her with couple broken bones. Not exactly my idea for a pleasant morning after, you know?"

Jeremy's fists were tight and for a minute Bella thought she had gone too far. Then the teenage boy relaxed and sat in a chair heavily.

"I don't think she's sticking around much loner anyway. It took me saying I have more pot to get her to come by last night"

He winced and looked at Bella under his lashes. She shook her head raising both hands.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that drugs part. I also won't pester you with advice about it, just know I'm here, okay?"

She squeezed his shoulder with a crooked smile. Jeremy nodded and both pretended that he had something in his eye when he wiped them.

"Help me with breakfast?"

The breakfast dish was warm and sweet smelling when Elena showed up, already dressed and ready for the day. She bid them good morning and poured herself some coffee. Then she sat down at the table picking on her breakfast and ignoring them. Jeremy rolled his eyes at his sister and her cell phone before tucking into his own breakfast. Bella bit back a sign before pouring one more cup of coffee for herself.

"Do you guys have plans for the day?"

Elena shrugged her shoulders before muttering something about a back to school party. Jeremy's eyes rolled even more and bit in his steaming breakfast harder.

"Good God, was I ever like this in my teens? It's a miracle I made it out of them, if so"

Bella thought with a mental snort that she covered with a bite of breakfast. Just when the silence became nerve wracking Barkley raced into the room barking loudly. Elena shrieked away from the furball of energy. Jeremy took the bacon from his mock-pizza breakfast and tossed them at the dog. Since Bella's stepfater often did the same, the doggie was more than well trained to avoid being hit with the bacon and catch it with his mouth instead.

"Can I play with him Bella?"
"You already are, just be gentle with him. I do have to return him soon you know."

Bella laughed and watched Jeremy play with his food and the little dog as if he was five instead of fifteen. Elena threw the pair a look before making up an excuse and leaving them, cell phone firmly attached at her ear.

"Well, if you want to play with Barkley for the day, it's fine with me. I'll drive over to your dad's practice and set up."
"Do you know when aunt Jenna will be back?"

Elena asked from the doorway. Bella shrugged

"No idea. Give her a call?"
"Mind if I go to that party? Won't be back late."
"The back to school party at the lake you mentioned?"

The seventeen year old girl nodded. Bella was half considering asking how she can party less than a week after her parents' deaths but decided not to. She couldn't understand 17 year olds when she was one! She nodded at Elena and decided to get on with her own day, starting with grabbing one of the cherry/berry combo juices from the cooler in the car. She tasked Jeremy to take Jenna's boxes and bags from the SUV and put them in Jenna's room at their house while she moved hers to her own car. The creamy blue Mini barely fit it all and her, let alone the teenage Jeremy who got in the passenger's seat right as Bella was starting the engine.

"Need a lift somewhere?"

She asked around a mouthful of juice. Jeremy shrugged the shoulder that wasn't full of dog.

"I'm going with you. Elena is going to have the other two bimbos in here for a primp session or whatever she likes to call it. I haven't done something to deserve that! Please take me with you!"

Bella snorted at the mock desperation of his tone and shook her head amused.

"Fine. Do come along pal. You would be useful in lugging all that crap and to showing me where your dad's practice actually is."

She drove in silence for a few minutes that was only broken by Barkley's deep purrs and occasional bark elicited by Jeremy's fingers while she was enjoying her liquid breakfast. She kept stealing glances at the teenage boy wondering exactly how to broach his drug taking issue, if it was even her job to. She had hinted about it to Jenna who had taken it in stride, saying that she too was a recreational drug used his age and had grown out of it. Bella wasn't so casual though.

"Turn the merry go around in the plaza and then go left"

Jeremy instructed as they reached the small town center and then went to a series of quiet side roads and Jeremy instructed her to stop at a pie shop. Across the street from it was a fenced yard, guarded by loopy looking gnomes no less, and a two story building.

"Here we are."

Jeremy said and hopped out of the car to unlock the gate and motioned her inside before he popped the bright orange beanie of a gnome and grabbed a pair of ketys to open the house's heavy oak door after setting Barley down who immediately started barking at the gnomes.

Inside the building was done in earth tones. On the side was a glass door, clearly marked as "G. Gilbert, MD" straight ahead a staircase and under it another door.

"Dad's practice is on the ground floor, his lab in the basement and the apartment on the first floor. Come on in, I'll show you around. Will the doggie be okay?"

Before Bella could respond that Barkley was going to be okay 'chatting' with the gnomes, the little furball chased an invincible butterfly inside the house and rushed upstairs.

"He's fine."

Bella laughed and entered the house. Jeremy spent some time telling her about how his parents had bought the place to move in after their marriage but ended up taking over the original house and converting this one to a practice and places for the siblings to live in.

"Where are your grandparents?"
"Moved to Maine of all places!"

Bella knew deflection when she saw it, she meant the Gilberts, not the Sommers, but she let it slide. Instead she let Jeremy open the apartment's door, followed the doggie inside again and then got to work. They were taking a break after moving all her bags inside when she decided to say what was in her mind

"Jer?"
"Mhm?"

Brown eyes met and held

"I know it's none of my business, but you really should stop taking drugs. You're a smart guy; you can see how it's bad for you, right?"

She meant well, she really did, but when Jeremy's voice was a little stoned and faraway sounded when he agreed to stop, she thought her words were in vain. He was already too high up to listen.

A/N: So sorry to have dissapeared guys but, let's just say that real life got a bit too real and my online one had to to pause for a bit. All's well now however (well, for the most part anyway) so I'm back with a new chapter for you all. Hope you like it :)