Chapter Thirty Three
Peter
The Major had been gone a long time and we had no idea where, Charlotte was getting concerned, she thought we should go look for him.
"I feel responsible Peter, she was in my care".
"Char it's not your fault she decided to leave and come back to us. Fuck, she knew why we'd sent her away. Why'd she have to do something so stupid?"
"Peter its Jasper I'm worried about. How would you feel if you lost me?"
"Yeah well, that's different, we're together, have been for years now".
"It's not different, she was his mate. He'd finally found her and now she's gone. We need to find him".
"OK but where the fuck do we start?"
"I have no idea, how about Forks? We know he met her there".
"You think he's hanging around her grave? Fuck that's sick".
She hit me hard round the head,
"Will you stop doing that, it rattles my brain woman".
"No Peter, I'd have to hit you in the crotch to do that",
"Ha Ha!"
I didn't want to admit I was as worried as her. The Major was our only friend, real friend, and if he needed us we should be there for him, even if he didn't know he needed us.
We drove up to Forks in the mist and the rain.
"Fuck it's depressing up here. Why the fuck would the Cullens want to live here?"
"So they can be outside during the day I guess. Don't forget he's a Doctor. Oh yeah, Dr Fang. So now what?" We stopped in the centre of the town. She looked around,
"Well there's the Police Station".
"And?"
"Her father is the Police Chief".
"Oh yeah I forgot".
"I'll go get directions to the cemetery and see if he's there".
I waited on the truck while she went in, humans made me uncomfortable, all except Bella. She'd got under my skin somehow. When she came back she gave me directions and I drove off.
"He's there but he looks like shit. I don't think he got over her death".
"That makes two of them then" I said pointing to the lonely figure by a flower covered grave.
I knew it was him without even seeing him properly. As we approached he never lifted his head.
"Hey Major, you need to move. Too conspicuous out here in the rain, soaking wet and no coat".
As I touched his shoulder he tensed and snarled,
"Go away Peter".
"No, you can't get rid of me that easy. I really don't want to be rolling round in the dirt with you but I will if I have to".
He looked at me then, and I saw a soul in torment. Charlotte took his arm and we stood looking at the stone Charlie had erected over his daughters grave. It was simple, just her name and age and a simple sentence,
OUR LOSS IS HEAVENS GAIN
After a while we pulled him away to the truck. As we got in I saw another solitary figure in the trees watching us.
"Who's that?"
He looked over,
"Quileute wolf, just watches me".
We drove to a motel and persuaded him to shower and get changed as he was dripping all over the floor.
As the shower started there was a knock on the door. I gestured for Char to open it while I stood against the wall beside it.
"Is the Major here?"
It was a Vampire, a tiny one, pretty, with a pixie haircut.
"Who?"
"I'm Alice Cullen and I need to speak to the Major now he's got friends here".
"What do you want with him?"
"Look, I'm not the enemy. I helped him contact Bella".
"Oh, you're Mystic Meg" I said as I peered at her, "well come in".
Charlotte
She skipped in, thanking him.
"He is here" she said then heard the shower.
"Oh good, he's out of the way. You have to get him away from here. The longer he stays the more likely Charlie is to confront him".
"And that's a problem because?" Peter asked sarcastically, "The Major wouldn't have a problem taking out a human".
"Exactly. The Volturi only need an excuse to take him out and if he kills Charlie that will give them one". "Why do they care about this human?"
"They don't but they do care that his daughter associated with vampires and that your Major was also interested in the girl. In fact he's making himself too obvious, they worry he'll give himself away, not allowed as you well know".
The bathroom door opened and Jasper walked out still dripping, a towel around his waist,
"Alice? What are you doing here?"
"I live here remember"
"Why here?"
She shrugged,
"You have to go. You're making yourself too conspicuous. God! After all I did to stop this very thing happening. The Volturi will come if you don't leave".
"Let them, I don't care any more Alice".
"You may not, but Charlie will go down with you and that I have tried to avoid".
"Tried to avoid? What's going on Alice?"
"I'm trying to keep you all alive, is all. You have to leave Forks before the Volturi decide to visit. Remember the law, keep the humans in the dark? You aren't exactly helping".
"Why do you care Alice Cullen? Bella's gone so why do you care now?"
Alice didn't say anything she just looked at him. I looked at him too, his face was even lighter than usual, "She is gone isn't she Alice?"
"Of course. You spend everyday at her grave Major".
He touched his scarred chest and swallowed. "Really gone?"
"Yes Major and you need to be gone too".
At this she turned and went to the door.
"I'm sorry Jasper, I didn't help you much after all but I know she'd want you to keep going".
"Do you Alice? Do you know what she'd want?"
She nodded,
"Yes I know she loves, loved you very much".
"I'll see you again soon" he said and went back into the bathroom as she left.
"What the fuck was all that about?"
I shook her head,
"No idea, but I think we missed something he didn't".
Alice
I could have kicked myself for that slip of the tongue, or had it been intentional? Although I had no idea where Bella was I'd had someone keeping an eye on her and she wasn't dealing with it at all well. If she was in that much pain I knew the Major was suffering equally. I wondered if he had any idea she wasn't dead? The way he touched his chest, the way he looked at me. I knew he would be coming with questions, what I didn't know was what answers I would or could give him. I tried looking into Bella's future and Charlies but it was so misty now, I didn't know if the danger was as bad as it had been, if they could safely meet again but was I prepared to take the chance with Bella and her father. Well Charlie really, Jasper would look after Bella but Charlie would be at risk and even Jake and the wolves couldn't protect him if the Volturi decided he had to die.
It was hard on Jake, knowing the truth while watching Charlie fall apart at the seams with grief. He wasn't handling it well either, especially when he'd found she was on the way to Jasper when she had her accident although he could hardly blame Jasper for the accident itself. I needed to speak to someone and it would have to be Carlisle. He was the only one who could understand the Volturi way of thinking and who wasn't anti Jasper. I wasn't looking forward to the conversation however. When I told Jake what I'd said he agreed we needed some one to talk to and Carlisle seemed the best of the bunch, after all he already suspected what we'd done.
So as not to give the others any suspicion we went to the hospital hoping to see him in his office. When we got there however he was away teaching for the day so we sat in the truck waiting for him to get back, we had to speak to him without the others hearing. When Jake saw his Mercedes he flashed his lights and Carlisle pulled over. I got out and went to the drivers window,
"Carlisle can we talk to you for a minute?"
He got out and leaned against the side of the truck,
"Alice? Why do you need to talk to me this privately? Hello Jake?"
"I think we have a problem Carlisle".
He nodded "The Major?"
"Yes"
"Well I can't say I'm surprised, he was always going to turn up here eventually".
"I know but he needs to leave or he's going to start it all up again. The Volturi watch him off and on and they are going to want to know why he's hanging around a human grave here, which will put Charlie in danger again and it will all have been for nothing, What do we do?"
He took my arm,
"Alice you faked it all didn't you? You need to do what you should have done in the first place, tell him the truth".
"But I don't know where Bella is now and the contact I had has moved on. She wont be easy to trace".
"I think that's the least of your problems Alice, he'll find her. It's what he decides to do with you two that concerns me".
Jake put his arm round me,
"I'll protect her Carlisle".
He smiled a little sadly,
"I know Jake but who's going to protect you?"