Chapter Two

I've made up my mind; I will tear this love out of my heart, I will tear it out by the roots.

— Anton Chekhov, from The Plays of Anton Chekhov; "The Seagull"

I woke up in a bed in a glass room, with the light of the morning sun in my eyes. I squinted. It still took some getting used to, expecting to wake up with a hangover and not having one, and then waking up after not having had a drop and having a killer hangover. There was always that moment of confusion, in that split second between opening your eyes and really waking up. I didn't know where I was, and my heart gave a single panicked thump in my chest.

Someone had clearly carried me to bed, it was probably Alice. Everyone else would have woken me up.

I stretched out, looking around the room. It was a little bare for the Cullens. They must not have pre-organised the house to be set up. The only thing in the room was a comfortable bed in plain white sheets. I wasn't sure I had ever been in this room before.

I quickly got dressed and pattered out into the hallway, each step bringing back memories of years spent walking and running around the house. I absentmindedly ran my fingers along the plaster, as if it could tell me all the things I had forgotten.

"Morning!" Alice greeted me in her usual sing-song voice as I entered the living room. She was sitting with Rosalie, looking at what looked like colour swatches. Edward and Bella were on the lounge, looking miserable.

"What are you guys doing?" I asked, noticing that the house was in fact fully furnished and decorated.

"Picking out a colour scheme for the nursery," Rosalie said, not looking up.

"Oh, okay." I looked over at Bella and Edward and raised an eyebrow. "You know that traditionally, the parents participate in these kinds of things."

"The parents don't seem to want to participate," Rosalie said, shooting a glance at Edward. "And you told us there wouldn't be much time. If Carlisle can start to stockpile blood, I can decorate the nursery."

Edward seemed particularly pale as he looked at the piles of colours.

"How are you guys feeling?" I asked, sitting down with them and doing my best to ignore Alice's squeal of delight. Apparently she found the perfect shade of yellow.

"Under pressure," Edward said flatly.

Bella squirmed. "I'm not even pregnant yet. I feel like theres all this fuss and it might, you know, not happen. There might be something wrong with me."

"It can happen," I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I just feel sorry for you guys, because you know that every vampire in this house is going to be listening for you guys doing the deed. Don't be surprised if Rosalie bursts in afterwards to take a photo for the baby book."

"I heard that," Rosalie growled as Bella turned a bright shade of pink.

"Will it hurt much?" Bella asked me quietly.

"Bella," Edward said, lifting her chin so she was facing him. "We don't have to do this."

"I want to. I want us to have a family and I'm ready to be like you. I'm already so old."

I rolled my eyes, "You're 26."Bella was still touchy about her age.

"You should be nicer to me or I'll tell Charlie you're here."

I feigned shock as I got up, "I'm going to go for a quick run since some of us have to actually exercise for our figures." I shot Rosalie a look.

Jasper seemed to appear out of nowhere, "That probably isn't the best idea."

"Why? Are the Volturi outside again?"

Jasper looked pained.

"She'll be fine, Jasper." Carlisle said, appearing with Esme. "Our arrival has appeared to go unnoticed."

"When you get back we're going to see Charlie." Bella said. "Not negotiable."

I growled, "Bella! You know I'd love to see him, but he is quite literally the biggest old woman in Forks. My arrival will be secret for about two seconds."

"Honestly Leighton, that dog is going to find out you're here. Just get the awkward meeting over with." Rosalie said, not looking up. She never really warmed to Jacob. Bella's silence seemed to indicate that she agreed.

"Really, Leighton. I don't think this will be as bad as you think. Jacob seems good, he's moved on. He's not going to come breaking down the door demanding his Ramones t-shirt back if that's what you're worried about."

How could I tell them that was what I was most worried about? Not that Jacob would notice that I was here, but that he would notice and not care in the slightest?

On my way out the door, I paused at the front steps. They were completely repaired, of course, the timber was probably not even the same timber, but I touched it anyway. I was nice to try to believe that it was something that Embry touched. That we sat there together once, a long time ago. I felt a pull inside my chest, like someone trying to pull out a stitch, and I tried to ignore the feelings that bubbled up out of the old wound; fear, panic, despair. They demanded to be felt and I knew shoving them to the side would come at a cost. I did it anyway. How could one person hold so many feelings inside themselves? Surely, they had to spill over at some stage?

I began running, pushing myself until I could think of nothing except where my next step would land and how I would take my next breath.

#

When I returned, I was able to walk up the front steps without shaking.

#

We had decided that we would tell Charlie that Bella was pregnant now - so that the quick pregnancy didn't come as such a shock to him. He won't know that we are living here, but think that we are visiting regularly before the baby comes. When the baby arrives, well we just decided to deal with that when it happens.

Bella and I were both a little uneasy with this plan, there was something that felt dirty about lying to Charlie, even if it was for his own sanity. I personally just wanted to tell him the truth. I was sure that in all these years around the Cullens he had twigged that there was something not quite right about him. He was the Chief of Police after all.

When Bella and I drove past the house, the cruiser wasn't in the drive and the house was quiet. Bella gave me a questioning look. It was game day, and so there was a chance that Charlie was with Billy at his house.

"Let's try to station," I suggested, before Bella could suggest we go to the reservation. It was one thing to not hide from Jacob, it was another to turn up at his house. He probably hated me, after all. God, could he hate me?

"Are you sure you're ok?" Bella asked.

She had been asking this every few minutes since we reached the centre of town.

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "It's so odd to be back."

"Its strange how this place never seems to change,"

She was right, besides maybe one new store, everything was exactly the same as the day I left it five years ago. Only the people had changed.

"What was it like? When I left?" I asked, my heart in my throat.

Bella had actually left Forks a year before I did. She went off to college with Edward in Alaska like she planned and all the other Cullens left after that as well. Was it then that things changed for Jacob and I? It was hard to tell the exact moment, though I was sure there was one. Maybe it all started with leaving. I wanted to leave, he couldn't. He was the alpha by that stage, Sam having stepped down to give Jacob his rightful position. There was no danger, and somehow even the magic that was this incredible life lost its sparkle. I wanted to pursue my designs in New York, Jacob would have rather died then go there.

"My species dies in captivity," he told me and I knew it was true.

"I've only seen him a couple of times since. The first time was a couple of months after, and he seemed okay. And then it was maybe a year after, and he seemed more okay. And the last time was last Christmas and he seemed really good. He was seeing someone then, he brought her to lunch."

I nearly crashed the car. "You never told me that!"

I was hurt, because Bella kept something from me. We didn't keep things from each other.

"I didn't want to hurt you!"

I knew that Jacob would be seeing someone. I had been seeing people. But hearing it confirmed stung more than I expected it to.

"Well, it would have given me a year to get used to the idea before I had to see him again. Are they still together? Is it serious?"

I tried to prepare myself for the idea that he was married, maybe had kids. Who knew what else Bella was hiding from me for my protection.

"I don't know, I'm sorry Leighton. That must be lousy."

I took a yoga breath. My lungs were getting a workout this trip. "I can't exactly be hurt. I left him, remember?"

"Just because you left, doesn't mean you weren't hurt too." She tapped my leg reassuringly.

#

The look on Charlie's face when he saw us walk through the door of the station was priceless. It seemed to flicker between uncontainable happiness and deep suspicion.

"What's happened?" was the first thing he asked as we reached him. He stood up and looked around, as if expecting danger to be chasing Bella and I to him.

"Surprise!" Bella and I said at the same time.

Charlie looked even more confused.

"We're here to visit you," I laughed, as Bella gave her dad an awkward hug.

"And who are you?" Charlie asked me, his voice flat.

I rolled my eyes, "Did you develop Alzheimer's since the last time we spoke?"

"I could have, it was that long ago."

I sighed, "I'm sorry, Charlie. I made it here eventually, didn't I?"

He fixed me with a stern look for one more moment, before turning to a young guy I hadn't seen before. "Houghton, these are my girls Bella and Leighton."

Houghton, whoever he was, was hot. Tall, with sandy blonde hair and caramel skin. I could tell straight away he was trouble, never mind his uniform.

He looked surprised before a sly grin spread across his face, "Well I'll be damned, they actually exist. I was beginning to think you made them up. You both must have got your looks from your mum, because you sure as hell didn't get that pretty from this guy."

"Oh, I'm not actually related." I clarified. "I'm like a - what am I? An adopted daughter?"

"A stray cat. Fed her once, and she kept coming back."

Bella laughed, I hit her. Charlie grinned. We were just one big dysfunctional family.

"Well, I will see you ladies around. Don't go breaking any laws now," Houghton said, tipping an invisible hat.

As soon as he left the room Bella and I burst into laughter, "How do you stand that southern drawl?" I asked Charlie.

"It's not so much his voice as the words he's saying," said Charlie, rubbing his head. "He's talking about electronic records, keeps showing me his smart phone, wants bluetooth in the cruiser. Keeps hassling me to vote for Hilary."

Bella and I laughed harder.

"What are you doing at work on a Saturday?" she asked.

"Oh, there's been a few break-ins recently. Thought I'd put in some overtime since my daughter never visits me."

"Well, I'm here now and I'm cooking you dinner."

"Sounds good, where are you staying? Is Edward here too?" he looked around, knowing by now that Edward was never far away.

"Edward is here too. He's doing some shopping. We're staying at the Cullen's old house actually. They're using it for holidays."

"Okay, I should get finished here by 5. What time will you two be over?"

"Actually, I won't be there tonight," I interjected. Bella and Edward were doing their phoney pregnancy revel, I didn't want to be involved in any more deceiving than I had to be.

"Typical," Charlie snorted.

Just at that moment my phone ran. It was Melissa, my assistant, business partner, life saver, friend, who was keeping the label running while I was here. I excused myself and ducked outside to take the call.

"Leighton, I'm so sorry to bother you, but we have a problem."

I groaned, it was virtually impossible for me to go away these days. Sales from our website were increasing at a virtually unsustainable pace. We had three different shows coming up that I needed to design new pieces for. We needed bigger premises, I wanted to open a store, we needed more seamstresses, I needed a new accountant. The list went on and on. It was exciting, it was busy, but a little piece of me just want the success to translate into my other life, my real life. I worked hard, but I knew this was only working out because it was, well, my dream. Sometimes that made it hard to tune into work.

"What is it?"

"We've run out of fabric for the Julie dress and the supplier has none either. Megan is sick and can't work this week, we'll never be able to get those pieces sewn before the show next week without her."

"Okay," I took a deep breath, thinking. "Why don't you try the Julie dress in that new fabric I ordered yesterday instead? Send me a picture of what it looks like, but it's a low priority. I had an email last week from a seamstress looking for casual work. Maybe she can trial one piece and if her work is to standard see if she is available to fill in for Megan this week?"

"Okay, can do. Thanks, Leighton. How's the trip?" Her voice was full of knowing. You talk about a lot when you spend 12 hours a day together.

"It's good so far..." I said cautiously.

"Have you seen him yet?" she whispered, though I don't know why. It's not like Jacob could hear her from New York.

"Not yet," I said. Was that relief or disappointment in my voice?

I ended the call and took a moment staring at the near empty carpark. It was so quiet here.

"Important business call?"

I turned to see Houghton standing behind me. How long had he been listening? "Something like that."

"So is it true you're some big, fancy fashion designer from New York?"

"Is that what Charlie told you?" I laughed, "He exaggerates."

"No, not Charlie. You're something of a legend around here Leighton Summers."

I froze, not sure of where this was going. There was a sparkle is Houghton's blue eyes that promised the trouble I suspected earlier. He was playing with me, but to what end?

"Well, not many people leave, so that is something extraordinary about me I guess."

"Not many people leave with a coven of Vampires."

I took a step back, my stomach twisting. I couldn't figure this guy out. What did he know and how did he know it? His eyes still seemed playful, but there was something else there. Something I couldn't place.

"What do you want?"

"No trouble," he said, raising his hands up between us. "I just wanted to get to know you a bit, that's all. After all, I used to think about you a lot and I'm sure I'm going to be thinking about you again real soon."

I hesitated, confused. Then suddenly there was a howl, impossible to tell how far away it was, but it ran down my spine like ice water. Almost at the same time, Houghton's radio buzzed.

"You didn't strike me as the wolf type," I told him.

"Well, you never know these days." He said, giving me that sly grin. "I've got to go. I'm sure I'll be seeing you."

He started to make his way to the police cruiser.

"Houghton!" I called after him. "Is there anyway you could not tell him I was here..." I started. "I just thought I'd have a few days, to, I don't know, prepare."

Houghton laughed at this, which didn't make me feel any better. "Its Lee, by the way."

"What?"

"My name, it's Lee. Houghton is my last name."

He got into his car and backed out without answering my question.