Well, seven years later and I'm finally continuing this story. Let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I don't think.
Charlie doesn't remember the drive out to the Cullen Mansion being this long. He has to pull over multiple times along the way to compose himself in order to see the winding road clearly. Bella's note sits folded up in the passenger seat, a constant reminder of her absence. Finally, he sees the unmistakably large white home through a break in the trees. He pulls the car up to the end of the driveway, takes a deep breath, and then goes to the front door.
He knocks twice, fast and hard, fighting to remain level.
Carlisle Cullen opens the door barely a second later.
"Chief Swan," Carlisle says, extending a hand. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I'm here to talk with your boy, Edward," Charlie says with a grimace, giving Carlisle's hand a half-hearted shake. "Is he around?"
Charlie notices that Carlisle keeps the door partially shut, his body blocking the view inside.
"Edward's not here. He and Jasper and Emmett left for a camping trip this morning. Is everything okay?"
Charlie tries to peek around Carlisle's shoulder. "Did you see him this morning before he left?" he asks.
"Yes. They left only about an hour ago."
"Was—was he with—" Charlie's voice fails him as he tries to say Bella's name. He feels himself slipping out of control of his emotions again, and turns his face away from Carlisle as he fights back tears.
"Bella?" Carlisle says softly. "No, she wasn't with them." He opens the door wider. "Charlie, please come in. What's happened?"
~o~o~
Bella shuts the door to her apartment and slides the dead bolt closed. She reaches behind her and unties her waitressing apron, letting it fall to the ground by the door.
"Hello?" she calls out. There is no response. Still, Bella goes through each room in the tiny, barren apartment, checking to make sure they are all empty, before heading to the kitchen. Out of the freezer she grabs a frozen dinner, which she tosses in the microwave. She braces herself against the kitchen counter, taking slow, deep breaths, listening to the hum of the microwave.
Relax, she tells herself. He's not here.
Still, Bella barely touches her food, spending more of her time staring out the window then watching the television as her food grows cold sitting on her makeshift coffee table. She glances at her watch, fiddling with the jewelry on her wrist. When she goes into the kitchen to throw away her uneaten meal, she spots a pair of scissors sitting on the kitchen counter. She picks them up, examining the blades. The shiny metal catches the light, and the bright gleam startles her. She drops them on the counter, memories flooding into her mind. His body, shirtless, shimmering in the sunlight like marble. Them together in the field—in their field—lying in the grass.
He's everywhere. When she touches the fridge and she is reminded of his cool, hard skin. Whenever she sees the sunset she is reminded of his bright eyes. Now, she closes her eyes and hears him playing Clair de Lune on his piano and can feel his breath on the back of her neck.
The lock on the door clicks, and Bella's eyes fly open. She instinctually grabs the scissors as the door is pushed open, but then tries to hide them once she sees who it is.
His skin is already darker from just a few days of being in the California sun. When he sees her, a giant grin lights up his face. His smile falters slightly when he sees her gripping the scissors at her side.
"Hi," he says.
"Hi, Jacob." Bella looks down at the scissors in her hand, embarrassed. "I was thinking about cutting my hair off." She swallows. "Tonight."
Jacob sets his work bag down next to Bella's waitressing apron. All of the tools jangle and clank together as they hit the hardwood floor. "Are you positive? I'm sure we can get you an appointment—"
Bella shakes her head. "Can we just do it right now, please?"
Jacob seems conflicted, but finally complies. "Okay. If you're sure." He walks up to her, takes the scissors from her hand, and pulls her into his arms. Bella is overcome by his warmth and finally feels herself relax. It's the only time she feels safe, when she's with him.
"How was your first day of work?" Jacob says into her hair, still holding on to her. "I've been worried about you all day."
Bella feels tears prick at her eyes. "It was okay. Everyone is really nice."
"Are we going to be okay here for a while, do you think?"
"Yeah," she replies. "Are you happy?"
Jacob pulls away, looking down at her. "This is the happiest I've been in a long time, spending so much time with you."
"How was work?" Bella asks, his sentimental words barely affecting her. All she can feel is fear, misery, and loneliness. Despite Jacob's presence, she feels oddly empty, as if she left herself behind in Forks and brought along all of the terrible memories instead.
"Good. I think they might let me train behind the bar some nights when it's not as busy. I'll get more hours that way. That fake ID Sam got me is finally getting put to good use." He laughs, pulling her to him again. He grabs a strand of her hair and tucks it behind her ear. "C'mon, let's go cut your hair."
~o~o~
"Do you think he believed you?" Alice asks, watching from the window as the police car disappears down the driveway.
Carlisle sighs deeply as he takes a seat at his desk. "I think so."
Alice shakes her head, drawing the curtain back over the window. "I'm glad she left. I'm glad she got the hell out of here."
"Have you had any visions of her?"
Alice shakes her head. "No, I haven't. I haven't been able to see anything." The lie doesn't taste right in her mouth. She hopes Carlisle won't push the question further.
Carlisle nods. "Good. If you do, if you see anything in the slightest, you can't be around Edward. If he finds out where she is, he'll go to her."
"Jasper and Emmett can't keep him like that forever," Alice retorts. She leans against the bookcase, smoothing her hands across her skirt. "What are we going to do?"
"Jasper is keeping him calm, and if he makes a break for it, Emmett can chase him down."
"So that's the plan? Watch him every second of the day until he magically forgets about her?" Alice can't hide the sharpness of her voice. Carlisle looks up at her from his desk, frowning.
"Alice, please. Have more sympathy for him. You haven't even been to see him yet."
"Bella was my friend. He almost killed her. We barely got to her in time. What if I hadn't had that premonition? What if we would have been too late?"
Carlisle stands up from his desk. "Yes, then what? Then he would have killed her. Then we would have lost both of them that day. Edward can barely live with himself right now. What happened was a mistake. We have to forgive him." Carlisle lays a hand on Alice's shoulder. "Go talk to him. You'll see."
Alice stares at the floor. "I need more time."
Carlisle nods solemnly, then leaves Alice in his study. Once she is alone, Alice closes her eyes and focuses on Bella. Nothing, she can't see anything. Not even a glimpse into her life. She shakes her head, frustrated.
She wants to tell Carlisle about her latest vision. But if she does, Carlisle won't want to be around Edward in case Edward reads his mind and learns what she saw, and Carlisle is Edward's best shot at getting better. She closes her eyes again, and her premonition from late last night plays through her head.
Edward is on top of Bella, eyes black. She fights him off, screaming, as his mouth digs into her neck. He drinks her blood, every last drop, moaning in ecstasy. Then, as he realizes what he has does, he becomes horrified, trying to bring her back to life—
She snaps out of her vision. It doesn't make any sense because that was essentially the same vision she had before she stopped Edward yesterday. But hours later, she'd seen it again, this time even more vivid. Maybe it's a fluke, she thinks. Or maybe what she stopped yesterday was going to happen again, inevitably.
Maybe Bella still isn't safe.
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