Edward sneaked off to La Push nearly every day for the past two weeks and always to Jacob's property. He rarely went inside the main house and tried to be as respectful of the older Black's land. While in the garage, Jacob would work on the bike, sometimes with Leah - and Bella - while Edward watched on.
"Now I'm reconnecting the throttle," he informed him one day.
"And that controls the gas, right?"
"Yup, see I told you you'd learn a thing or two out here."
"I didn't doubt you for a second." Edward checked his watch, "Shoot, I gotta go, I still need to pick up groceries before my dad gets back."
"Okay, I'll just be here when you want to come back."
"You sound like an NPC."
"I see you've been hanging out with your sister more," he chuckled.
"More Emmett, he's a bigger gamer than her recently."
Edward picked up his bag and headed back to his car, giving a simple wave to Billy inside. The older man nodded at him a bit more relaxed than he had been the first time they met. Cullen kept his speed low as he drove through the Reservation and hit the gas once he was out of the Tribe Police's territory. He sped through the neighboring towns until he hit Forks where he parked and jumped out of the car. He glanced over the list and picked what he needed, now memorizing the cheapest products, before he finished browsing the canned goods aisle.
"Cullen, right? You're one of Carlisle's kids?" someone asked further down the way.
"Huh?" He turned around now face to face with the town's Sheriff. "Oh, yes."
"He talks about you guys all the time."
"How'd you know?"
"Your family's the only group that dresses like that, although the jeans are a little out of the ordinary."
"Yeah, I knew I was gonna get dirty today, so I didn't want to wear anything nice," he explained away.
"How's everyone doing? I feel like I don't see your siblings that often?"
"Yeah, well some of us work from home, so they really only spend their time either around the house or in one of the surrounding cities. We're probably going to move soon, though."
"Really? Why?"
"We're adults, some of us want to go to different places. Forks isn't for everyone, I guess."
"Well, that's unfortunate, I was beginning to like you guys."
"Yeah, I should head back home, though, got everything I need."
"Of course. Tell everyone I said hi. Oh, and before I forget," he chuckled, "Let Alice know that she needs to be more careful on our servers. Not everyone's as willing to wipe the data as me." Charlie grabbed a few cans of vegetables and headed back down the way he came.
Edward checked out before Charlie caught up with him again and went back home to inform Alice. After putting the refrigerated items away, he slipped into his sister's control room and waited patiently for her as he tried to figure out how to tell her she'd been found out.
"Oh, you're here already, good. I was at that outfitter's shop, you know the one Bella works at," Alice immediately began retelling. "She gave me her discount so I got a few things. You know, I think you were right about her. How was it at Jake's?"
"Good, fun. I had to cut it short though, food run, you know."
"Yeah, you kinda left everything on the counter, I thought you got taken or something."
"No, um… Sheriff Swan, I ran into him at the store and he said some things. He knows you've been in the servers and breached their data, but he's been covering for you."
"That's impossible." She logged onto the computer and pulled up a wall of code. "I haven't been back hacked in months, how did he see?"
"I don't know, I just needed you to know."
"I need to fix this before Esme catches wind of this. Do you think he knows what we're up to?"
"No, he probably thinks you're just curious or some anti-government group."
"How did he know it was me?"
"Maybe he guessed. What's your handle?"
"Comm1W1thR122."
"Comi with- come on, he definitely thinks you're an anarchist, Al."
"I know, whatever. I'm gonna rewrite this and test it a few times, it might be a while."
"When you're done, do you want to go to the Rez tomorrow?"
"I don't know, I'll have to explain this to Esme somehow and I need to make sure this is bulletproof before I hand it over."
"So what do you do to test it?"
"I ripped a self-learning virus off some asshole a few years ago and now I send it through my code. If it gets through in five minutes then I need to work on my defense."
"Okay, good luck, then."
Alice locked herself in the den for the rest of the day leaving her brother time to finish his chores and close out the day with whatever he could fill the remaining time doing. As the next day elapsed, Edward packed his belongings to go back out to Jacob's place. He waited quietly until Carlisle headed for the front door, this time, however, his dad hesitated.
"Ed, I really care about you, son," he carefully began. "I know you've been visiting the Black family on the Quileute's land. Charlie told me."
"And?"
"And I told you not to go there."
"Why are you so weird about that place?"
"It's the Tribal Police. Their laws and judiciary system are federal, not state like the rest of the county. If you were to get in trouble out there or overstayed your welcome, then they could unravel everything."
"Then, what about Sheriff Swan? He knows about what Alice is doing. He caught her sneaking into the police data and now she's had to redo everything to protect us."
"And why do you think he was so nice about it?"
"So you told the Sheriff but what I'm doing is more dangerous?" he incredulously huffed.
"You are just a pain and have been for the past year. What is going on with you?"
"I just want a bit of freedom. It's great and all you got to fulfill your savior complex with my siblings, but I'm out. I'm done with this shit, Carlisle."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm out, I don't want to live like this, hiding and moving every few months. I know we have a break after this, but I can't do this anymore. I just want to be normal, so I'm going to La Push to hang out with my only friend outside of this family."
"No, you're not."
"Even if you miss work."
"Even then," he tested his son.
Edward grabbed his bag and keys and headed for the door only to be stopped by the head of the family. He shoved past him just as his brothers came down to check on the situation as it unfolded. Carlisle pressed his body weight against the door to prevent the younger man from getting through.
"Carlisle, come on, it's not a big deal," Emmett tried to dissuade his dad.
"No. If you go through this door, you're out of here."
"Fine, I'll find somewhere else to stay."
Emmett stood between them and opened the door. "Just let him go, he'll come back. You taught us to be safe, Edward knows how to protect the family. Just trust him."
Carlisle shook his head and was only stopped by the largest Cullen until Edward had disappeared from the driveway. His son sped down the narrow road, passing slow vehicles until he arrived at the small house. Pulling up the gravel driveway, he took a few calming breaths and knocked on the front door where he spotted Jacob in the living room with Billy.
"Hey," he greeted through the window. Once he opened the door, he asked, "Do you want to hit up the beach today?" While he waited for a response, he fumbled with the phone in his pocket and his keys.
"Yeah, sounds like fun."
"Let's go," he beckoned. They loaded up in his car and casually drove down the road. Jacob turned on the radio and assessed his friend. "You good?"
"Yes, just got into it with my dad before I left. It's fine, he'll cool off when I get back."
"Sorry about that."
"Tell me what you've been up to, I need a distraction."
"Not much. Work's been good, I've been saving up to travel, but I'm not really sure where to start."
"You could hit Seattle first and head south from there?" he suggested.
"I kinda wanna go out of state first."
"Ashland Oregon's nice, I hear. It's a quaint little college town."
"You sound like a travel blog," he teased.
"Yeah, yeah. So, what beach are we going to?"
"Beach 3."
"How ominous."
Jacob rolled his eyes, "We have a name for it but we don't tell it to most people. Even if we did, they'd just butcher it." They passed a sign marked 'Beach 3' and pulled up to the unmarked lot where a few other cars were idled and parked. "Come on."
He led him down the path through a sparse grove of trees that partially hid the ocean. The spray hit them and cooled off the forest air around them until they approached the low waves. Jacob led him down the shoreline where they both tried so hard to look more interested in the impossible view of the beach than each other. Edward kept his gaze directed to the variety of stones and sand or assessing the treeline inland. His friend seemed like he couldn't decide what was more enticing, the clouds above or wherever they were inevitably headed.
"So, what about your elusive past? You mentioned this place is nicer than where you grew up."
"Yeah, but I don't really like to live in the past. I look forward, for the most part."
"I understand," he gently responded. They walked a few more paces taking in the sounds of the ocean and distant creatures in the forest like the call of a few deer and elk. "We can talk about other things or nothing. I just like being around you."
"Me too," Edward agreed.
He tried to stay reserved about his response, still unsure of how Jacob felt about him despite seeing him often. The taller man took a half-step away from him to give him space as they meandered down the way.
"Can you tell me a bit about Leah and Bella's deal?"
"Are you asking for yourself or Alice?"
"I'm asking because Alice is my sister."
"Ah, yeah. Well, they have a mostly open relationship from what I know. They've been together for a while. Real cute, the two of them."
"I just want to know if Bella's stringing her along, you know?"
"No, she wouldn't do that. While she was in college she was in an open relationship with some friends from high school, Tyler and Eric. Nice guys and they made it work while they were there until both of them transferred out of state. God, she was heartbroken for a hot second there, but then she started hanging out with Leah, got her groove back, and now they're an item. I don't know how she did it or does it, but as long as they're happy I'm not gonna say shit," he laughed. "You know, Leah likes Alice, she keeps asking if you're gonna bring her along."
He waited for Edward to confirm or deny it and when he finally got the hint, Edward answered, "I'll try again, but she's been slammed with work. She only finally got a chance to see Bella yesterday."
They walked down the beach for a few more silent minutes until they got to a massive boulder that had a small cove dug out of the sand. Jacob squeezed into the nook where he waited for his friend to join.
Edward stood before him, his hands in his pockets while the other man looked up at him expectantly. He suddenly felt bad about what happened between him and Carlisle earlier and wondered again if he was just using Jacob to infuriate his father. Edward mulled over his next words carefully and finally figured out how to say it.
"I should probably stop seeing you, though. I really pissed off Carlisle, he just doesn't want me taking up space on your land and community."
Jacob furrowed his brows in confusion and looked as if he had been slighted by the statement. "No, I like it when you come over. It gives me something to do."
"It's not like I want to stop coming, I just don't want to add to the tension already in the house…" His words visibly affected Jacob so to preserve their friendship, he asked, "Or maybe we could meet outside of La Push or I could meet some of your friends, not that, you know, I don't enjoy your company."
"I don't know, people around here are a little wary of white people. I mean my dad only just started liking you and he's seen your face out here the past few weeks." Jacob explained, relieving any stress with, "He'll never admit it though."
Edward finally sat next to him which seemed to comfort Jacob as his shoulders slumped into the boulder behind him and he tucked his knees up to his chest. They watched the vast ocean. Black waves rushed towards them before breaking at the shoreline with white foam that spread through the course sand and pushed driftwood and bones closer to their spot. The clouds finally broke after months of endlessly drowsy days and parted to reveal the bright sun.
"Are other places as liberal as the internet says?"
"Yeah, depends where you go. Towns are normally more conservative but the cities are nice. What's at the top of your list?"
"Portland, but once I get to California, I was thinking maybe Berkley, Sacramento, San Francisco - obviously -, Los Angeles - also obviously -, and probably Hollywood. After that, I was thinking of checking out some Reservations in Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico."
"Yeah, that's a good list. I've been to some of those places but I haven't been past San Francisco. From what I've heard, LA's superficial compared to NorCal, you know. And Sac is nice and all but it depends on what kind of person you are."
"What do you mean?"
"Lots of museums and the people are interesting, always have a place to be, you know, it's the Capital."
"That's the Capital? I thought it was SF or something like that?"
"No," he chuckled, "That place is way too cool."
Jacob let a few more minutes elapse in silence to ask, "So, why did you come out here? And so often?"
"Well, you were nice and inviting," he tried to gauge his possible reaction before finally confessing, "It also doesn't hurt that you're easy on the eyes."
Jacob audibly guffawed at him. "You are just too much all the time. Is that what it's like being a pretty boy?"
"And you're not?"
Jacob shut up for the first time at one of his friend's quips. They silently watched the scenery again when Jacob ducked out of the cozy cove. "Come on, let's head back."
He gave Edward a crooked grin and helped him up while they meandered back to the car. They took their time and let the sounds of the ocean drown out whatever either of them wanted to say before they ended up back at the parking lot. Edward wasn't sure if his statement ruined the moment under the boulder and as they got back to Jacob's place, he was stopped.
"Before you head out," he dug through his pocket and pulled out a cord necklace that had an agate wrapped meticulously in silver wire.
"You really didn't have to get me anything."
"I know, it's more protection, you know," he chuckled. "If you wear this out here, others will know you're not a lost puppy."
"Puppy?"
"You know what I mean. Want me to put it on you?"
"Sure."
He leaned over, his head bowed so he didn't have to look into Jacob's eyes as he put it on. Once the necklace was clasped, Jacob began home before his friend could say or do anything else in such close proximity.
"I'll see you around then!" He almost felt embarrassed by how giddy he sounded as Jacob waved at him from the porch.
Edward blushed the entire way home and touched the agate while he drove. He felt the swirled metal that encapsulated the stone and let his nails glide over the smooth medallion. He tucked it into his shirt as he headed back inside, surprisingly met by his father at the kitchen's island. He no longer looked mad he seemed defeated. Carlisle popped his head up to greet him.
"Hey, come here, please."
Edward followed his request.
"I'm sorry about earlier. I'll deal with Charlie tomorrow, okay?"
His son only nodded and headed toward his room. He couldn't help but stare at the stone around his neck and hold it against his chest as he rested in bed. Edward blocked out the other sounds around him before mindlessly performing his duties as the day ended. He wanted to go to La Push again and couldn't help but imagine what he wanted from Jacob or what he could give him in return. In all reality, he just wanted to kiss him and spend all day with him, as if they weren't doing the latter already.
In the morning, he prepared for the day and continued to stare at the stone in the mirror. He tucked it back under his shirt on his way downstairs where he saw Charlie and his dad speaking at the dining room table. He stopped in his tracks but not before Carlisle acknowledged him.
"Morning, could you get Charlie a cup of coffee and something to eat?"
"Yeah," he whispered.
Edward went through the motions of making breakfast, listening intently from the stove before he went to serve them. After he was excused, he continued spying on them from the kitchen by keeping his head pressed against the wall.
"I want in," he heard Charlie say. "Whatever it is you're planning."
"Fine, I guess I've kept it secret long enough, was only a matter of time."
"I thought I knew you, but this is just-"
"Yes," Carlisle cut him off. "I'm sorry. That's all I've been saying the past week." Silence fell between them again. "I'm planning to pad our wealth one more time and we'll be out of everyone's hair. Emmett is done, so is Edward. Even Rosalie's having doubts and with Alice it's uncertain. At this point I only see Esme and Jasper returning from the hiatus."
"God, you sound like an addict. Don't you have enough?"
"It is, though. It's the rush. I love finding my way into places and I just- I can take what I need, normally small things, and be out without a trace, and with everyone here, it's a breeze. I don't even need to lift a finger, just guide everyone to their place."
"So where's the hit happening?"
"The chain bank here. We'll take what we need and we'll leave, we'll be out of your hair."
"Why? And why bring me along? Why start this?"
"I don't know, I just… I'm sorry about everything."
"What if you stayed here during the hiatus?"
"And when we start up again? Are you willing to let me go? Will I want to go?"
"I guess you're right." Charlie let out a long sigh and the seat creaked beneath him. "Your kid, Alice, she's getting close to Bella and I don't want her involved in all of this, god if she knew I knew what was going on, she'd shame me out of the force."
"Alice knows the rules, Bella will never know and if Alice stays with us, Bella will see the world and she'll never know pain or strife again."
"Okay."
"I'll see you out then."
They got up and went for the front door where they waved at Edward and continued their conversation at their guest's cruiser. Charlie played with his baseball cap and nodded a few times before looking back at Carlisle. He smiled a few times and laughed as he said something before leaning in to give Carlisle a peck on the cheek to signal the end of their conversation.