Chapter Twenty Eight

Charlie

I could hardly believe it but my world had been turned on its head in the course of a single day, I thought I'd lost my daughter only to find out she was in the company of a vampire, then she was saved from shape shifters by another vampire and now after being attacked by those same wolves she was dying. Then she had been snatched from the jaws of death by another vampire and was becoming one herself. I carried her upstairs concerned by her restlessness until Esme who followed me upstairs explained it was all part of the transformation.

"In fact it would be more usual if she were screaming in pain, the transformation is very painful but once its over she will never feel pain again."

"How long does it take?"

"About three days provided she has enough venom in her system and I think Jasper knows what he's doing."

"How well do you know him Esme?"

She hesitated,

"We don't know him at all Charlie only by reputation but he's come here to join our family for a new way of life."

"Like Garrett you mean?"

"Not quite. I think Jasper wants to learn to live on animal blood."

That knocked me back,

"If he lives on human blood now how did he not kill Bella?"

She shrugged,

"Great will power I suppose. I don't really know. Carlisle is the only other vampire I know personally who can change rather than drain a human. Once we start feeding it's almost impossible to rein ourselves in."

"Then I guess I owe Jasper big ti..."

I tailed off hearing heated words down stairs,

"You go Charlie. I'll sit with Bella for a while"

Jasper

I stood looking out at the rain,

"Sam Uley is still, out there somewhere."

"Did he see you bite Bella?"

"No, I don't think so"

"Just why did you anyway?"

I turned at Garrett's accusing tone,

"I made a judgement call. She'd lost too much blood and it was my conclusion that she would bleed out before I could get her to safety."

"You mean the easy option or did you start to feed and come over guilty?"

"I'm sorry? Are you accusing, me of something? If so spit it out."

"I think you decided the easiest thing would be to drain her and blame the wolves but then you suddenly realised you might bee seen by those same wolves so you bit her instead as a cover story. I'm not even sure that wound that's so conveniently already healing was even made by a wolf. I know your reputation Major."

Carlisle attempted to hush Garrett but then Charlie was there looking at me.

"Is Garrett right?"

"Chief Swan I don't think you should..."

I shook my head,

"No he isn't but I can't prove it unless Bella remembers the attack when she wakes up."

"And of course she wont, newborns never do...do they? How convenient for you Major."

I took a pace forward but Charlie held up his hand,

"Hey, I don't know what happened tonight. I don't know who's lying or who's telling the truth but I have a daughter turning into a vampire and a girl who turns into a wolf locked in my cellar. Now while I'd like to thank you all the only person I feel I can trust right now is Carlisle, he's been up front with me so far so come on Carlisle. Tell me what really happened tonight."

I could see Carlisle was trying to work out exactly what he knew as opposed to things he'd heard and I wasn't going to come out of it smelling of roses, not with his friend Garrett making the accusations.

"You believe what you like Chief Swan. I did what I set out to do, I saved your daughter from the shape shifters. I hope you get things sorted out and no one is too inconvenienced. I'm going now"

"Where? In this?"

"I'm used to roughing it Chief Swan but don't worry, I'll be long gone by the time the storm breaks and I wont be back. Good luck with your daughter"

I threw the towel on a chair and went to the door ignoring Roses protests that I should stay and give my side of the story,

"There are no sides. The girl was dying and I saved her. That's all there is."

Then I went out into the night cursing the bad luck that had brought me to Forks at this particular time.

Charlie

The tension leached away once Jasper had gone and I wondered at a member of their own kind who could upset even them, was he particularly dangerous? I didn't have time to worry about such things at the moment Carlisle told me we had more pressing problems.

"The Quileutes will soon learn that Bella is becoming a vampire. By biting her Jasper broke the treaty and we will be dead unless we leave the area."

"But they started it. They bit her first, they crashed Garrett's car, they could have killed her twice or at least that's what Esme tells me, besides which isn't the treaty between the Cullens and the tribe? Jasper isn't a Cullen."

"Yes Chief but I doubt they will see it that way and with Jasper gone its only Garrett's word against theirs."

"Then why let him go?"

"We can't afford to get into a blame fest with the Quileutes. They aren't the only guardian tribe and if they call on others for help there will be a massacre. I'm sorry Chief we have no choice but to go and I think it would be safer if we took Bella with us, she's one of the enemy now."

"Take Bella? No way, she's my daughter and she's staying with me."

"Chief Swan. The Quileutes will be here soon looking for their female. They will smell Bella and know she has been bitten. If we are still here they will kill us and if you stand in their way they will kill you also, not to mention Bella who is incapable of defending herself."

"Then I'll talk to the Quileute. At least let me try"

Carlisle sighed but Esme smiled encouragingly,

"I doubt they could man an attack right now Carlisle, they've lost too many of the pack. Let Charlie at least try to put things right."

Put things right? What the hell did she mean? The Quileutes had deliberately put my daughter in danger to further their own agenda against the vampires. The only way of putting this right was with a high-powered rifle and I had one ready for them. Carlisle nodded reluctantly and I went through to the alcove I used as a home office and sat down leaning back to think, to clear my head of all this. Had my grandfather, my father, gone through this kind of shit? No, they hadn't the misfortune of a child wounded by one and changed by the other but my money was on the vampires as friends. Although I was suspicious of Jaspers motives in turning Bella I couldn't fault him for bringing her home alive. Garrett seemed suspicious of him too but then I knew he was sweet on my daughter, was it jealousy? I couldn't deal with that right now. I could hear Bella becoming restless upstairs and tried to shut out her moans of pain thankful in Esmes words for the fact it wasn't much worse.