Back to the Start
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.
Mind Games
Charlie passed over the bridge at the Calawah river, the road winding northwards, the houses flashing past him growing further apart, getting bigger. And then he was past the houses altogether, driving through misty forest. The Cullens lived off the beaten track, in the remotest part of Forks, miles away from the nearest human habitation. They clearly valued their privacy.
He turned abruptly on an unpaved road. It was unmarked, barely visible among the ferns. It was only by luck rather than judgement that he hadn't missed the turn off altogether. The forest encroached on both sides, leaving the road ahead only discernable for a few meters as it twisted, serpent like, around the ancient trees.
And, then, after a few more miles, there was a thinning of the woods, and Charlie suddenly found himself in a small meadow, or was it actually a lawn? The gloom of the forest didn't relent, though, for there were six primordial cedars that shaded an entire acre with their vast sweeping branches. The trees held their protecting shadow right up to the walls of the house that rose among them, making obsolete the deep porch that wrapped around the first story.
Charlie slowed down, stunned by the size of the place. He didn't know what he had been expecting-the Cullens obviously had money-but this, this was impressive. The house was timeless, graceful, and probably a hundred years old. It was painted a soft, faded white, three stories tall, rectangular, and well proportioned. The windows and doors were either part of the original structure or a perfect restoration. Charlie assumed that had to be the wife's input, he had heard that Esme Cullen had a gift for renovating old properties.
As he switched off the engine, Charlie noticed that his cruiser was the only car in sight. As he swung the driver's door open to climb out, he could hear the river close by, hidden in the obscurity of the forest. He had not called ahead to let the family know of his impending visit, thinking he would have a better chance of getting his point across to Dr. Cullen and his wife if he called on them unexpectedly, giving them no time to prepare.
Charlie walked slowly through the deep shade up to the porch, his gaze everywhere at once. Even before he had a chance to knock, the front door was pulled open by none other than Dr. Cullen himself, almost as if he had been alerted to Charlie's arrival beforehand, which could not possibly have been the case.
"Chief Swan, what a pleasant surprise." Carlisle Cullen greeted him with a welcoming smile. He stepped aside smoothly, ushering Charlie inside.
Charlie nodded curtly as he stepped inside. The interior was even more surprising, less predictable, than the exterior. It was very bright, very open, and very large. This must originally have been several rooms, but the walls had been removed from most of the first floor to create one wide space. The back, south facing wall had been entirely replaced with glass, and, beyond the shade of cedars, the lawn stretched bare to the wide river. A massive curving staircase dominated one side of the room. The walls, the high beamed ceiling, the wooden floors, and the thick carpets were all varying shades of white.
"Its an impressive place you've got here, Dr. Cullen." Charlie said grudgingly.
"Why thank you." Carlisle said, still wearing the same warm smile. He walked silently by Charlie's side toward a raised portion of the floor, dominated by a spectacular grand piano. Standing to the left of this piano was one of the most beautiful women that Charlie had seen in a long time. "This is my wife, Esme."
"Good morning, Mrs. Cullen." Charlie would have tipped his hat to her if he was wearing one.
He had seen Dr. Cullen before, of course, had been struck by his apparent youth, but the man had nothing on his stunning wife. Esme Cullen had the same pale, beautiful features as her husband, but there was something softer about her. Something about her heart-shaped face, her billows of caramel-colored hair, reminded him of the ingenues of the silent-movie era. He completely lost his train of thought as she smiled at him sweetly.
"You're very welcome, Chief Swan." Esme stepped forward, reaching for his hand. Her cold grasp seemed to awaken Charlie from his stupor. "It's so nice to meet you."
"You, too." Charlie nodded again, quickly releasing her hand. "But I'm afraid this isn't a social call."
"Its not?" Carlisle carefully arranged his expression into one of polite interest. "Is it something to do with a case you're working on? Something I can help with?"
"No." Charlie hitched up his gun belt, keeping his gaze firmly on Carlisle's face. "I came here to talk about my daughter – "
"Is she unwell?" Carlisle interrupted, his brow creasing in concern.
"Let Chief Swan finish, dearest." Esme lay a gentle hand on her husband's arm. "Forgive us." She said to Charlie, smiling at him so warmly that it made his attention drift again. "Perhaps I can offer you some refreshment?"
"No, thank you, Mrs. Cullen." Charlie quickly looked away from her, trying to put his scattered thoughts in order.
"Please, call me Esme."
Charlie nodded again. "Thank you, Esme."
"You were saying?" Carlisle prompted.
Charlie was about to speak when he noticed some other members of the family coming down the stairs. In the lead was young girl, around Bella's age. She ran down the stairs, a streak of black hair and white skin, coming to a sudden and graceful stop in front of Charlie.
Charlie noticed both Carlisle and Esme shoot warning glances at her, but she ignored them.
"You must be Bella's father. She does take after you in looks. Hi, I'm Alice. I'm in some of Bella's classes. We're not close friends yet, but I'm sure we soon will be."
Charlie was completely taken aback by this declaration. No one else seemed to know quite what else to say, either. An awkward silence descended, which was only dispelled when Alice's companion appeared. A feeling of ease spread through the room, and Charlie suddenly felt comfortable where he was.
"This is Jasper." Alice introduced the tall, leonine figure with the blonde, curly hair.
"Nice to meet you, Chief Swan." Jasper said. He kept his distance, not offering to shake Charlie's hand. Charlie thought his demeanor odd but found it impossible to feel awkward near him.
"Yes." Charlie cleared his throat, feeling overwhelmed being surrounded by so many. "Um…as I said, this is not a social call. I want to talk to you about Bella."
Alice bounced forward again. "Is she okay?" She asked.
"Alice." Esme intervened gently. "Let Chief Swan speak."
"Oh, sorry." Alice apologized swiftly. "We'll leave you to it." She caught Jasper's hand, pulling him along with her, only stopping to pause briefly at the bottom of the stairs as she flashed Carlisle and Esme a meaningful glance.
"I'm sorry about that." Esme apologized again. "Alice can be a little…well…a little enthusiastic sometimes."
"Quite." Charlie mumbled.
"Please go on, Chief Swan. No more interruptions this time. I promise." Carlisle laughed.
There was something about the doctor's carefully ordered expression that aroused Charlie's suspicions and made him believe that the interruptions had been deliberate, as if to provide a distraction, and set him off course. He was about to launch into his speech when the same sense of wellbeing he felt earlier stilled his tongue.
Shaking his head, he paused for a minute, trying to collect his thoughts again. He noticed Carlisle and Esme exchange a swift glance, their seemed to be a glimmer of apprehension in their shared look. It brought everything back into sharp focus for Charlie, as well as the reason for him being there in the first place.
"I am here to talk about my son and your daughter." He announced, wishing he could inject more force into his tone, but for some damnable reason that odd sense of calmness wouldn't let him raise his voice above a normal level.
"Oh?" Carlisle asked. "Which one? I have three."
Charlie guessed the doctor knew very well which one. He said Edward's name aloud anyway. "Edward."
Carlisle smiled blandly. "Oh, Edward, yes, I believe he also shares some classes with Bella."
"Oh, I can assure you he's been doing a lot more than just sharing my daughter's classes." Charlie warned, narrowing his eyes.
Bella had never been so relieved to see anyone in her life. Jacob was to be her savior once again. He ditched his bike on the sidewalk and loped over to her side in a few long strides.
"What's going on, Bella?" Jacob asked in concern, while throwing a hostile glance in Edward's direction. "Is he bothering you?"
Edward spoke before Bella could respond, his voice so peaceful and gentle that it made his manner seem more threatening. "I am simply here to give Bella a ride to school." He turned slightly to throw Bella a quick smile, his face still calm, acting as if all this was nothing more than a simple misunderstanding.
Jacob glanced down at Bella, noting the strained expression on her face, the tightness around her eyes. "Is this true, Bella?" He asked in a low voice, putting his hand on her shoulder.
Bella was biting her bottom lip so hard with her teeth that she was in danger of making it bleed. She shook her head vehemently. "He disabled my truck."
Astonishment crossed Jacob's face, followed by a quick rush of anger. His hand on Bella's shoulder shook a little, showcasing his heightened emotions. He took it away, dropping it back down to his side, and flexing his fingers one by one as if to stop them forming into a fist.
"Is this true? You disabled her truck?" He demanded.
Edward's stance remained casual; his arms folded across his chest. He laughed as if it was the most ridiculous thing in the world. "Why would I do that? Like I said, I came here to give Bella a ride to school because the weather was so bad."
A rush of anger at the blatant lie overrode Bella's fear. "Stop gaslighting me!" She cried, jabbing a finger in his direction. "You told me so yourself." She turned to Jacob, her voice pleading. "He did, Jake. Honestly, he did!"
"It's okay, Bells." Jacob said soothingly, trying to calm her down. "I believe you." He then turned back to Edward, drawing up to his full height and glaring at him confrontationally. "What did you do to her truck?"
Bella was amazed to see that Jacob was taller than Edward now. He must have grown at least half a foot in height since she had last set eyes on him.
Edward's face remained composed, his expression blank. "Nothing. Try it for yourself if you don't believe me."
Doubt flickered in Jacob's eyes briefly before he turned his attention back to Bella. "Do you have the key?" He asked gently.
Bella nodded, dropping the key into his open palm. "It won't start, Jake. He had the part in his hand. He showed me."
"I know." Jacob said in the same gentle, reassuring tone. "Its going to be okay."
Jogging over to the truck, he opened the driver's side door and climbed in. Shoving the key into the ignition, he twisted it hard to the left, there were a few clicks then suddenly the engine roared deafeningly to life.
Bella gasped in surprise, an impending sense of dread and unease building in her stomach. She kept her pleading gaze on Jacob, watching as he switched off the engine and slid nimbly out of the truck, his heavy tread making no sound on the driveway.
"I told you." Edward said smugly. "Just a total misunderstanding."
Jacob returned to Bella's side. Her face had gone deathly pale. She looked like she was going to be sick. She felt confused and unsure of herself, her conviction wavering. Had she imagined the whole thing? Was Edward right, had she misunderstood everything he had said?
"You should leave now. You're upsetting Bella." Jacob said sharply as he rested his hand on Bella's lower back in a supportive gesture. "I don't know what kind of mind games you're playing, Cullen, but it ends now."
Edward levelled his gaze at Jacob, his eyes remote. "As I said, this has been nothing but a simple misunderstanding." He repeated for the umpteenth time. "I'll see you at school, Bella." He said, tearing his eyes away from Jacob's hostile stare. Then he climbed into his car and drove off down the fog-enshrouded street.
A/N-thanks for reading!