Hello again! Another chapter to finish the weekend.

But looky, we're close to chapter 69! *snickers like schoolboy*

So lets get through the formalities so we can get back to the fun, shall we?

Warmer Climate- Snow Patrol

~~oo~~

Chapter 67: A shock… Tragic… He will be missed.

EPOV

I didn't sleep much.

Not because I was afraid or excited or anything to deal with the fact that I was spending the night beside Bella.

No.

I was awake because my mind was battling with my feelings.

I knew Bella had been in shock. That's why she was so numb to reacting.

It had to have been horrible seeing my dad there in his car, dying or already dead.

After what she had gone through with him.

Why the hell was he trying to chase her down to begin with?

What had been his plan?

Why did my feelings seem so mixed up?

I hated him.

No, that wasn't true.

I hated what he had become.

I lay there in bed beside the woman I loved, knowing that this was going to change things when we got up in the morning.

I'd have to face my feelings.

Bella mumbled softly in her sleep, her body shuddering for a moment against me.

She had been having nightmares all night.

I supposed it was to be expected.

After all she went through.

I held her close and whispered into her ear, calming her shaking until she let out a soft moan and fell back into a fitful sleep.

I stayed awake.

Looking up at her ceiling and thinking about where everything had gone wrong with my dad.

Times had been better.

When I was little, and remembering Carlisle playing catch with us some nights when he wasn't working doubles.

Or helping us with our science fair projects when I was ten.

He didn't build us that tree house. But that was because he worried about our safety.

He had worked hard to make sure his family was well taken care of.

I remembered a time when he still kissed Esme. That was long ago though.

He wanted us to be like him when we grew up.

Meaning obviously doctors.

Not the other thing.

We had lived for so long not knowing about his other life.

Tanya had been at our house since she was a teenager.

She baby-sat for us.

I couldn't think about what that meant all those years ago.

Had Carlisle been screwing her, even then?

When had he stopped loving…. Us?

I closed my eyes to those thoughts.

There had been some good times.

But you never really knew people it seemed.

The man I had known as my dad died a long time ago.

Perhaps that was why I was having trouble finding that grief that people expected.

How do you grieve for someone who was foreign to you? Who had given up on you a long time ago? Who had openly worked to condemn and destroy you, and your love?

I watched the sun slowly track its way up the sky.

Some things I didn't have an answer for.

Instead, I watched and held Bella, hoping that my presence comforted her from the nightmares.

I turned my head and acknowledged the Chief when he poked his head in to check on us.

I had made sure to stay in my jeans and above the covers, even though Bella was cuddled against me. He nodded and his moustache barely twitched before he stepped away, purposefully leaving the door cracked a few inches.

I had to respect the Chief.

He loved his daughter. And looked out for her when she needed it. He was a father figure that one could learn from.

I sighed and held Bella a little while longer before I slid out from under her to gather my things. I really needed to go home and shower before we went to the hospital.

Esme might not even be there any more.

How long did it take to make arrangements for a body?

I tiptoed down the stairs, finding the Chief in the kitchen at the table.

"Morning," he mumbled, looking up at me as I stood in the doorway. "You look like hell. Come have a cup of coffee with me."

I shuffled towards the table, laying my jacket and shoes on the chair before going to grab a cup of coffee. I could feel the Chief's eyes on me, but it didn't unnerve me that way it used to.

Something had changed yesterday.

So many things had changed yesterday.

But the chief and I…

There was an understanding I think.

Not that I wasn't scared of his gun or his protective nature when it came to Bella. But we both understood that Bella was the most important person in our lives.

I settled in across from him, glancing to find him still looking at me.

"She didn't sleep well, did she?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"Nightmares all night," I replied and took a slow drink of my coffee.

"Did she say anything?"

I looked up at him and he smirked.

"She talks in her sleep," he explained.

I knew that of course.

"Mostly garbled words. Nothing really coherent," I said and smiled to myself thinking on those nights she had said my name in her sleep.

Those dreams would be difficult coming after all this.

"Were you going to leave?" he asked, eyeing my jacket.

"I need to take a shower, get a change of clothes. I don't know how long Esme might be there until," I said, and rubbed at my eyes.

"They'll have to do an autopsy," he said and winced when I looked up at him. "Sorry, son. It's standard practice with an accident. His body won't be released for at least another forty eight hours."

I thought about what Esme must be going through and let out a weary sigh.

All the times she comforted me, this was my time to do it for her.

We heard footsteps and watched as Bella came through the door, looking like she had just come in by tornado.

"You're still here," she breathed when she saw me. "I thought you had left."

I stood and moved over to her quickly, holding her as she slowly moved towards the table.

"He was just having a cup of coffee with me, Bells," the Chief said, watching us as we settled in across the table. "You know, male bonding time and all."

She looked from him to me in a daze.

I could tell he was thinking the same thing I was as we looked at her.

She looked way too exhausted to be up and about.

"You should be in bed," I said quietly.

"I'm fine," she said, making the Chief and I both grunt.

So stubborn.

"I can go to the hospital on my own, let you rest," I said, already knowing she'd disagree.

"I can go with him," the Chief volunteered.

"I am going," she said, glaring at her dad.

He sighed and looked over at me.

"I told you she was determined," he said and smirked. "Okay. Just let Edward go home and shower. I'll drive you both there if you like."

"Dad, I don't want to be driven around in the police cruiser," she groused.

I couldn't blame her.

One of us would have to be in the back.

He sighed and nodded, looking over at me thoughtfully.

"I'll drop her off at your house and then I'll see you there. I have to go check on Bella's truck. They're supposed to be pulling out the cars today," he said and stood up.

I leaned in and kissed Bella on the forehead, feeling her lean into me.

"I'll see you in an hour?" I asked.

She nodded and watched as I put on my shoes and jacket, her eyes a little large in her tired and drawn face.

I kissed her again before walking out, the Chief close behind me.

"Wish she'd stay at home," he grumbled. "You'll bring her home early?"

I nodded and turned back to him as the door opened.

"I'll look after her, Chief Swan," I pledged.

He let out a long breath and nodded.

"I know you will, Edward. I saw it yesterday," he said and patted me on the back gently. "You're a good man. I'm glad she found you."

I didn't know quite what to say to his comment, so I simply nodded and made my way out to the car. It was a sunny day, rare here as I made my way home, lost in thought.

I didn't know if Emmett had been told yet.

I had no idea what I'd find when I got home.

Would Esme be there?

Would Emmett?

I pulled in to see that no one was home.

Probably at the hospital.

I went straight to my room, grabbing fresh clothes before jumping in the shower. I hoped it would refresh me. Clear my mind of all the thoughts.

Wash away yesterday.

But I somehow knew as soon as we entered the hospital, everything would come crashing back into my head.

I hoped I didn't have to see him.

Was that wrong?

But I didn't, not even to say goodbye.

I would. Eventually. In my own way.

But for now, I needed to get through the day.

Chief Swan delivered Bella as he had promised, and we were soon off to the hospital.

It felt as if we had just come from there.

Bella was quiet the entire way there, lost in her own thoughts.

"You don't think she'll blame me, do you?" she said finally, her face leaned against the window.

Who?

"Esme?" I asked. She nodded. "No, of course not. Bella, she would never think that."

She simply nodded and was quiet again.

When we stepped into the hospital, you could just sense the mourning in everyone we spoke with.

Of course. Carlisle Cullen had been a huge contributor to the hospital.

A shock.

Tragic accident.

He will be missed.

So many condolences as we made our way to where they had my mom waiting.

I simply nodded and kept my mouth shut.

They would never know him.

It made me a little bitter, knowing that he would be remembered as this great man.

No one would know the truth.

Except us.

"There's you mom," Bella whispered as she motioned to a group of people in the hall.

I noticed Emmett right away. He turned to us and stared for a moment as we made our way towards them. I couldn't read his emotions.

Except for grief.

As soon as we got close, Esme was pulling away and pulling me into her arms.

"Thank god the two of you are all right," she said and pulled Bella close as well. "Both of you."

"It'll be okay, Mom," I whispered as I held her, looking down at Bella to see if she was doing all right.

Esme pulled away and looked at Bella, her eyes doting.

"You should be in bed, Bella," she chided, always the mother first.

"I wanted to come with Edward. I wanted to help," Bella said, earning her another hug from my mom.

I could tell my mother was on the edge of falling apart. She must have been here all night.

"Mom, you should get some rest," I said, earning a scowl from her.

"I'll be fine," she said.

So much like Bella this morning.

Emmett moved towards us, face downturned until he stepped up close.

"She's been like that all night," he said quietly to me as Esme pulled Bella to go sit with her in the waiting chairs. "Well at least until Tanya showed up."

I looked at him in alarm.

"Tanya showed up?" I asked, shocked.

He nodded and then chuckled darkly.

"Dude, Bella clobbered her in the nose. Broke it," he whispered and glanced at Bella. "I had no idea she was so violent."

"Wait," I said and pulled him a little farther away so that Bella and Esme couldn't hear. "Tanya came in because of her nose? She didn't know about the accident?"

He shook his head.

"I don't think so. Maybe. But she was threatening to press charges on Bella when Mom and I walked past her exam room to see about Dad," Emmett said. "And then Mom just went sorta nuts."

He shook his head and his eyes went wide.

"I've never seen Mom go ballistic," he continued. "I mean hauling off and dragging Tanya off the table, the two of them rolling around on the floor like one of those bad girl fights you see. It took three security guys to get Mom off of her. And then of course the Police took Tanya as soon as they realized who she was."

"The police have her?" I asked, wondering why the Chief hadn't said anything.

"Chief Swan was the one reading her her rights," he said and looked back over at Bella. "I can't believe they entrapped Bella like that. What was Dad thinking? It's insane."

I nodded. It was all I could do.

There was so much information in my head now.

"Tanya said it was all his idea," Emmett continued. "Something about taking Bella from you. I don't know what he had planned, but it didn't sound good. And then Tanya said something like being promised you and that's when Mom really lost it. That's when they got Tanya out of the room before Mom killed her."

I couldn't even fathom what Carlisle would have done to Bella if that truck hadn't come when it did.

Bella looked over at me and offered me a tired smile.

Did she have any idea?

Was that what her nightmares had been about?

I had to get her back home soon. She looked even more tired now that she was up and walking about.

She needed to sleep.

Esme didn't look too much better. She looked like she had been crying all night.

This waiting around was going to wreck her.

"Mom," I said, moving up to stand beside her. "You should go home. They'll call when they're done."

I saw her wince, knowing I had used a poor choice in words, but it was all I had.

We were all a little raw.

"Emmett can take you home," I said, trying to sound in charge. I looked over at Bella and she was looking up at me thoughtfully, a tender smile on her face.

Esme finally acquiesced, telling the hospital to call when things were settled.

I hugged her one more time before turning Bella towards my car.

"Is she going to be all right?" Bella asked.

I watched my mom as she slid into Emmett's jeep, her eyes closed in the passenger seat.

"I think so," I said. "She's always been a survivor."

I closed Bella's door and got in to start the car.

"You've changed so much since the first day I met you," she said, looking over at me with that thoughtful gaze again.

"How's that?" I asked, glancing at her as I drove.

She smiled and closed her eyes.

"When I first met you, you ran from anything that scared you," she said, making me frown.

I had only run from her.

And maybe myself.

"But now you are sure of yourself, and strong and taking care of people," she said, eyes opening to regard me. "You're a very strong and compassionate person."

I snorted and looked away from her, knowing she was still a little out of it from the accident.

"I'm so happy that you're mine," she whispered and closed her eyes again.

We drove to her house in silence then, my thoughts playing around with what she had said.

Everything that had happened to us.

It had shaped how we were.

As a couple, and as individuals.

I remembered her those first couple of days too.

A little shy.

So innocent.

But not.

But willing to try.

To fight.

Now here we were.

She was right. We had changed a lot.

Would we have ever gotten together if things had been different?

Perhaps.

But I think the struggle to keep what we had made us stronger.

Not a lot of people had the will to keep doing what we had done.

And that is why I knew I was so very lucky to have Bella as mine.

~~oo~~

Funerals are always so somber.

A week had passed since the accident, and the town had come together to help arrange for Carlisle's funeral. I could tell it irritated Bella and the Chief as much as it did me, but we kept our mouths shut.

To protect Esme's image and all.

I couldn't care less about my own.

People already thought I was strange.

But the town needed to remember people in their best light, so they came in force to his funeral.

Esme took it in stride, playing the grieving widow well.

Everyone knew they had separated briefly, but that seemed to be forgotten as the community stepped up to pay their respects. Esme would nod, and wipe her tears and thank everyone.

I had no doubt she was grieving.

She had been with Carlisle for over twenty years.

But I also knew that they had fallen out of love well before the thing in Alaska.

I never wanted to be like that with Bella.

I'd never fall out of love with her.

Ever.

I stepped away from the busy line of people wanting to wish their condolences in search of Bella. I found her on the back porch, the afternoon sunlight playing on her hair as she sat there on the swing.

It was too cold out to be sitting outside, but she was there anyway, looking out at the yard and trees beyond. She turned when she heard the door, smiling as she patted the seat beside her.

"It's too cold out here. You should be inside," I said gruffly, sounding too much like her father.

She seemed to sense it and chuckled.

"You are spending way too much time with my dad," she said, her smile quivering after she had said it.

I had actually enjoyed talking with him when we were alone.

She looked out again to the trees and let out a long sigh.

"It's been nice, having dinners with you and Esme and Emmett. I think Esme has appreciated the company," she said, staring ahead.

I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her in close.

"I think she has, although Emmett says that your dad has the hots for my mom," I replied and pursed my lips.

I didn't see it.

"Eww, what would that make us?" she asked, teasing.

"Kissing cousins?" I replied and leaned in to kiss her.

"I like boyfriend and girlfriend better," she mumbled and nuzzled into me. "Emmett's just a perverted ass."

I laughed that she still called him that; well aware of everything this family had to hide.

We had learned a lot this week.

When the Chief had gone to Carlisle's house, the one that Tanya had lured Bella to, he found out just what Carlisle had been into.

It took us two days between Bella and I both for him to finally understand that I didn't have some playroom where I whipped Bella or tied her up.

Still the Chief had trouble getting his head around the fact that Esme and Carlisle both were into that lifestyle at one point. It took Alice to convince him that some people lived quite normally.

Carlisle had been the deviant.

And then there was the night that Mr. Alistair Jennings came to pay a visit.

He was Carlisle's lawyer. An old friend of the family.

And come to deliver the terms of the will.

I'd say we were all stunned when we found out about the properties.

Multiple properties.

Alaska and Forks we knew about.

But Esme nearly lost her shit when she learned about the villa in Italy.

The flat in London.

The house in upstate New York.

The businesses in Chicago and New York specializing in the lifestyle.

All left to us.

Tanya was nowhere in the will.

Esme immediately discussed selling the businesses.

She had no interest in keeping up Carlisle's side businesses.

And then there was Mr. Jenks.

Esme had hired him to find out everything he could about Tanya Denali and Carlisle.

He came with a box full of information.

Formal complaints about Tanya and her inappropriate dealings in private homes tutoring boys my age.

Things that Carlisle had paid off for her to keep quiet.

The forged documents stating she had certificates to teach in several states.

Carlisle had done a lot to keep her pristine.

I wondered how much he loved her, if at all.

It didn't matter now. There were enough charges on her to keep her away for a long time.

At least that's what the Chief had said one night over lasagne.

Yeah, the Chief and Bella had been over all week.

Bella had taken it upon herself to take care of dinners so that Esme could make arrangements.

The Chief had come almost every night because Esme asked him.

She seemed to enjoy his company.

In a strictly platonic way.

I was sure.

I had enough issues.

I wasn't going to think like Emmett.

They were just friends.

And Esme needed a friend. It seemed to be helping.

Esme seemed much more grounded after several talks with the Chief.

It was totally platonic.

I sighed against Bella as the sun dipped behind the trees, knowing that if I was cold, she must be freezing.

"Let's go inside," I whispered and kissed her softly on the head.

She hummed and pulled away, looking up at me with that thoughtful look again.

"Are you doing okay? I know the last week has been difficult," she said. "I've missed being able to spend any alone time with you."

I leaned in and kissed her.

"I'm okay," I whispered. "Things are going to be different now."

She smiled and nodded, standing up slowly and pulling me with her. I held her in my arms for a few moments, enjoying the peace and quiet, even if it was cold.

Bella kept me warm.

But even with her warmth, she started shivering in the cold, which was our sign to head inside, to mingle with the guests for a little while longer before she'd go home with her dad.

It was the night time that I hated the most, being without her.

I'd lie in bed and wonder about our future.

Would she still come with me next summer, to Seattle?

Would she be able to, without that scholarship?

I couldn't be without her, whatever I had said to her father about distance not being an issue.

I knew.

After everything.

I wanted Bella with me.

Forever.

Somehow I'd figure out how to convince her to go with me.

Because the nights were the worst without Bella.

~~oo~~

AN: I had a lot I wanted to cover in this chapter, but sometimes simple is better. And really, some things are best left unknown. Not even Jenks can dig out everything about someone.

Next chapter we're moving on… and yes, we're wrapping things up. A few more chapters and an epi. *little sob*

Hope to get another chapter out in a couple of days.

MWAH!

steph