A/N: I'm not an expert at anything, so if there's something that doesn't sound like it would normally happen, it probably wouldn't.

I don't know how many more chapters there will be. I'm going by the seat of my pants right now.

ENJOY!

3/27/2024

Rear-view Town

Chapter 16

It was like everything happened in slow motion. Bella glimpsed her dad slowly coming out of the bathroom. As soon as she saw what was in his hands, she tried to keep Edward talking. When Charlie landed the first blow to Edwards head, Bella screamed at the top of her lungs as she watched his head roll across the floor. She sat in shock as she watched Charlie with the porcelain lid held high above his head.

He needed to make sure Edward was dead. He needed to get his daughter home to her babies, so without hesitation, he began slamming his weapon into every part of what remained of Edward. His body was breaking into a million pieces sending satisfaction washing over Charlie. Edward would be complete dust by the end of it all. "Dad stop. There's nothing left of him." Bella pried the lid from his hands. "You need to sit or you'll rebreak your legs."

"He's never gonna get you, again," Charlie said breathlessly. Bella helped him sit down in the nearest chair. "I had to try; I had to do it."

Bella wrapped her arms around her father. "I know, daddy and you did good. A lot better than what I could have done. We're safe now thanks to you."

They stared at the petrified flesh pieces that used to be Edward until Bella couldn't stand it anymore. She took the trash can next to the bed and scooped up his head. There wasn't one trace of remorse in that room. Ding, Dong, the vamp is dead.

Paul was in shock as Alice tells him what she knew. "I saw everything the moment it happened. I saw through Bella, Edward and Charlie." She shook her head. "Charlie's braver than we all thought."

"Charlie killed him?" Billy asked with surprise.

Alice smiled. "Charlie took his head off with one good swing of a toilet tank lid. Edward never saw it coming."

Paul was excited. "Angel!"

"I'm here. He's gone; he's dead."

"We all know. Alice saw it happen." The million-dollar question was next. "Do you know where you are?"

"Not yet. Dad's still trying to catch his breath." Bella grabbed her shoes and the wheelchair. "I'm going to check now. I'll let you know." Paul was antsy as he waited for her to let him know her location. He paced back and forth not caring who was watching him. "You're not going to believe this, but do you remember when we had that really long conversation about the show Lost?"

How could Paul forget. It was then that he realized that if there really was no such thing as imprinting, her love for the show Lost, proved she was meant for him. "Of course I do."

"I'm pretty sure we're underground." She pushed another set of curtains aside only to find more bricks. The whole place smelled musty like dirt. After finding a door through a room that looked like the kitchen, she opened it only to find a metal ladder going straight up. The area it was perched in was circular in shape. "Definitely underground."

In a matter of seconds, four vampires were approaching Paul. "Alice knows where she is and we're all kicking ourselves for not thinking of it."

"Why?" Paul looked confused. "Where is she?"

"Republic. We did a search for property under Edwards name, but we didn't find anything under Cullen. There had been a couple under Mason, but nothing turned up on those. Then I searched under Edward DeLuce, which is his great grandmother's maiden name. He bought 10 acres of property in Republic about six years ago."

"Bella says they're underground," Paul tells them then shook his head. "She says it's like the underground bunker in the show Lost."

"How ironic," Rosalie said. "Well, let's go get them."

"You're not going without me," Paul stated firmly. "Plus, Charlie has two broken legs and he probably reinjured them by forcing himself to go after Edward."

Jasper nodded. "We'll be back with a couple of vehicles."

"A van, maybe," Paul suggested. "Something that Charlie can be comfortable in."

Alice wiggled a phone in Paul's direction. "Just talked to Carlisle. He suggested to bring Charlie to the house. He'll get him all fixed up with no questions asked."

"Good idea," Paul agreed. "Plus, he knows Carlisle and I'm pretty sure after all this, he trusts him."

"Okay, we're on it," Emmett said. "Give us twenty minutes."

As soon as the vampires left, Paul needed to stay in contact with his wife. "Angel?"

"I'm here." She had tears in her eyes as she sat on the steps that led to the ladder. "We can't make it out."

"It's okay, baby. I need you to relax. With Edward gone, you have nothing to worry about. Emmett and the others went to get a couple of cars for us to get up there. You're in Republic, so if we don't stop, and as fast as the vamps drive, we'll be there in no time."

"I wish I could just blink us home." She was happy that they were finally going home, but she had been away from her husband and kids longer than she was aware of. "I'm afraid the babies won't know who I am."

"Oh, Angel. They will. You're their mother and as soon as you hold them, they'll know." Paul sat on the steps of his front porch. "Tonight, you'll be home with your family. You can take a long hot shower or bath while mom makes dinner for everyone."

"As much as I've missed everyone, I just want you and the babies in our room tonight. I want them to sleep with us." More tears fell from her eyes.

"Anything you want." Paul couldn't help smiling with happy tears. "I'm never letting you out of my sight, again." Rosalie and Emmett rolled up, driving an all blacked out Expedition with Alice and Jasper driving the same. "Angel, you'll be coming home in style."

"I don't care how I get home; I just want to get there."

If they followed the posted speed limit signs, it would take them a little over two hours to reach their destination. With Emmett driving one vehicle and Jasper the other, their trip to Republic was made in half the time. As soon as they arrived, the hardest part was going to be finding where Edward had built his underground hideaway.

"Paul, can you have Bella call out to us? We might be able to hear where she is so we're not looking all over ten acres of thick forest." Jasper opened his door and jumped out. "If we can't hear her, then we have some ground to cover."

"Angel, we've made it to the property. We don't know where the bunker is, so Jasper suggested you call out to us and hopefully we can hear you."

"Oh, thank God. I tried to open the hatch, but it's locked. I looked around for a key, but I couldn't find anything." Bella walked into the room where her dad was. "They're here. I just need to yell for them. Hopefully they can hear me."

"Climb up that ladder. Maybe that will be easier," Charlie suggested as Bella pushed him into the room closer to the exit.

Bella began yelling for Paul as loud as she could. She hoped she was loud enough because she's been ready to get the hell out of dodge since she woke up strapped to a bed.

"Are you yelling, Angel?" Paul made sure he had his ears open to everything around them.

"I am." Bella started looking around for something to bang against the metal ladder. "I'm going to hit the ladder with something and yell."

Everyone spread out over the property. Ten acres didn't sound like a lot, but it was when you were looking for something. They all walked slow with their ears focused on sounds that weren't made by nature. They made sure to bypass the sound of the snapping twigs and the crunch of leaves as they eased over the ground. "Sshhh," Emmett said. "I hear something banging."

Then Paul heard it himself. "Keep going, Angel. We can hear you."

As soon as Bella started yelling louder and hitting the chair against the metal harder, every supernatural ear heard which direction the sound was coming from. "That way," Rosalie said, pointing towards a large cluster of trees and two huge boulders that looked completely out of place. "Could he be any more obvious?"

With the very keen eyesight of the vampires, they were able to see where there was an entrance. They moved the huge rocks until they could get to the opening easier. "Bella!" Paul yelled as he helped moved more rocks. "Angel!"

Bella heard them as they got closer. "I'm here!"

When Emmett ripped the door open, Paul moved to peer into the hole. "Angel?"

Bella stepped into view just before Paul dropped down and landed right in front of his wife. She was in his arms seconds later. They kissed each other on every exposed surface of skin. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you so much, too, Angel. I'll never let you leave my sight, again." Paul pushed his face into the crook of Bella's shoulder and neck. "Never again."

They heard the clearing of a throat and turned to see Charlie. "Um...don't forget I'm here."

Bella pulled away from Paul and reached her hand out to her dad. "We're going home."

One by one, the vampires dropped down into the hatch followed by Jake. "What's up, Chuck?"

"I've never been happier to see your ugly face," Charlie said jokingly. "Get me outta here."

Jake drove home while Paul and Bella took up one of the back seats. Charlie had fallen asleep thirty minutes into their drive. "If I'm assuming correctly, am I taking Charlie straight to see Carlisle?"

"As bad as I want us to go straight home, he needs his legs taken care of. I'm afraid they've started healing the wrong way." Bella laid her head onto Paul's shoulder. "I'm thankful that P.O.S didn't let him die."

"We all are," Jake said sincerely. "We've all been on edge since that psychopath took you."

"He's gone now. Every thanks to Charlie for that." Paul gave Bella a little squeeze. "I could never thank him enough."

Bella snuggled even closer to Paul. "I can't wait to hold my babies."

Jasper, Alice, Emmett and Rosalie stayed back at the bunker to make sure it was cleaned up of all the Edward ash. They had piled his remains outside the entrance and set fire to them. They had to make sure Edward couldn't find his way back. His head was the first thing they put flame to. As much as they hated that their brother was now gone, they were more at ease from worry. They were much like Carlisle when it came to a life of any kind. Everyone and everything deserved a chance until they didn't.

No one outside the vampires knew what Edwards intentions were. Alice had found file after file of plans that Edward had made over the years. He had bought other properties across the globe with the same blueprints of the bunker they had found Bella in. They planned to talk to Carlisle about what to do with Edwards belongings. Alice was bitter with how things had turned out. She truly loved Edward as her brother and silently blamed herself for not stopping him sooner.

Carlisle met Jake when he pulled into their driveway. He lifted Charlie from the SUV with little effort. "I'll do some x-rays and assess him from there. I'm hoping Edward didn't let his infection spread too far or let his bones heal incorrectly."

Bella kissed her dad's cheek. "We'll be back in a little while with the babies, okay."

Esme came down the stairs and straight to Bella. "Oh, my sweet girl. I'm so sorry all this happened to you."

Bella wrapped her arms around her vampire friend. "You couldn't have known unless he wanted you to."

"We were all fooled," Carlisle stated truthfully. "We'll get through this."

"We will," Jake said as he patted Charlie on his shoulder. "We'll see you soon, Chuck."

No one said anything to Bella or Charlie about Billy. They wanted it to be a surprise and an added bonus to celebrate as soon as everyone was home.

As Jake pulled away from the Cullen residence, leaving her dad in capable hands of someone she trusted, Bella's stomach began to twist with nervousness. She was afraid her babies wouldn't know her. She worried that she missed so much in the weeks she had been away from them. "Are they walking yet?"

Paul smiled. "Not yet." He kissed her temple. "I know what you're thinking, so stop it. They'll know you."

When they pulled through the entrance of the reservation, two of the wolves, in their human form, howled up to the sky. It was a happy howl none the less. Jake didn't speed through town but pulled in front of Paul and Bella's house in no time at all. Everyone who was anyone came flooding out from inside. Bella searched relentlessly through the crowd to find her babies as she stepped out of the SUV. Seconds later, Billy and Cora slipped through the mass of people holding Bella's intended targets. Her hands went to her mouth as she saw them. Her eyes flooded with happy tears as she saw how much her babies had grown in the weeks she had been gone, and thankfully, as soon as they laid eyes on their mother, all three babies began to bounce in the arms of their grandparents. Malia reached for Bella first before she sat on her front lawn and accepted her other two children with fervor.

"They've definitely missed their mother," Cora said happily. "We've all missed you." Then she looked around. "Where's Charlie?"

"We had to take him to Carlisle because of his legs. We'll go pick him up in a little while," Paul said with a smile. "Unless Carlisle calls before then."

"I'm gonna go see him," Billy said. "Did anyone tell him that I phased?"

"Billy?!" Bella looked up to her father-in-law. "You're standing! I'm sorry. I didn't notice."

He smiled down at her. "No surgery. I just needed to get good and pissed off."

Of course, Bella was crying from pure happiness. Her babies were crawling all over her as she sat on the ground in her front yard of her home. She was so thankful to be back with her family. There was no longer a threat hanging over their heads so they could finally get on with their lives. That's all she wanted in the first place. In that moment she wished she could go back in time and never meet Edward. His existence was the other side of her danger magnet.

"Let's get everyone inside," Cora suggested as she bent over to pick up one of the babies. "It's getting too cold out here for these three."

Paul helped Bella up from the ground and reached for his only son, but he refused to let go of his mother, so he reached for Ember. She was hesitant at first then changed her mind really quick when she realized it was her daddy wanting to hold her. "Daddy has missed his babies, too." He blew raspberries on her cheek. "Somebody needs a bath."

The entire pack that had gathered around welcomed Bella home before they took off. The few that needed to patrol headed out to check the boundaries. Sam stepped up before he left. "It's good to have you home, Bella."

With her free arm, she reached up and hugged him. "I'm glad to be home."

"Em's gonna come see you in a couple of days. She wants to make sure you get acclimated to being back home." Sam leaned over and kissed the top of Creed's head before he mussed his hair. Creed smacked his hand away before laying his head on his mother's shoulder. "Party pooper."

Bella chuckled. "It's about their bedtime."

Sam looked over to Paul. "Take the rest of the week off. The shop will be there when you're ready and I'm cutting back on patrols."

Paul nodded. "Thanks, man."

It was nostalgic as Bella stepped through the front door of her own home. It felt familiar but strange at the same time if that makes sense. She knew everything would be the same as it was before she was taken. Paul made sure nothing was changed. He couldn't remember the last time he slept in their bed. He had rested with the babies, but to actually sleep all night without Bella next to him, it didn't happen.

The kitchen was the usual gathering place, but Bella wanted to sit on her couch in her living room. Creed had stuck his thumb into his mouth and snuggled in as close as he could. The girls found their way up onto the couch and tucked in to her other side. If there was a will there was a way that all three babies would get comfortable on their mother's lap. Bella cried as she looked up to her husband then kissed each baby on the top of their heads. "I'm so overwhelmed, right now."

"I know, Angel." He sat down next to her and draped his arm across the back of the couch. "They need a bath."

Cora stepped into the living room from the kitchen. "Can I get you two something? The babies have already eaten."

Bella smiled up at her mother in-law. "I could use a glass of iced tea." She turned her face towards Paul as soon as Cora went into the kitchen. "Can you go start their bath? I think we have some bath time to get caught up on."

Carlisle had called as soon as they were done bathing the babies. He decided to keep Charlie with him overnight because he had to put him under anesthesia in order to rebreak one of his legs and set it correctly. He thought he might have to do surgery, but his leg popped back into the correct position. Charlie needed more antibiotics just to be on the safe side, as well. The patient was perfectly fine with staying with a house full of vampires. He was already thinking of ways to drag out his stay because the bed he was in, was like laying on a cloud.

The twins came running into the living room just as Bella came down the stairs with Malia on her hip. They went straight to her and wrapped her in his arms. "We came as soon as we heard. We were with Ness at school decorating for the fall dance."

"I missed you two so much." Bella kissed both of their cheeks. "You'll have to come over this weekend and tell me about everything that I've missed."

"Definitely," Rachel said just as Malia reached for her. "Awee...Hi punkin'."

Cora had been in the living room helping Paul dress the other two babies when she noticed her daughters hugging on Bella. "Is Jake back from patrolling yet?"

"He was just walking up when we were leaving." Rebecca reached down and picked up Creed as soon as he scooted himself across the floor to his aunt. "Hey, buddy."

"I should've known he'd go to Nessie first. I'm gonna wring that boy's neck." She stood from the couch after gathering the wet towels they used for the babies. "He was supposed to come back over here when he was done."

"Did you need help with something?" Paul asked when he reached to take the towels from her hands. "I can help."

Cora kissed his cheek before patting it. "You need to be with your wife and babies. Let your brother help me for once."

Paul wanted to insist that he help her, but he wasn't about to pass up uninterrupted time with his immediate family. "Thank you."

The house had finally grown quiet for the first time in weeks. Paul had gone through the entire house to make sure that every window and door was locked. It was going to take a while before anyone on the reservation felt completely safe again. Double checking would forever become a habit performed every night before bed.

Paul walked into this bedroom where his wife and children lay sleeping on their king-sized bed. As he looked upon them his heart swelled with so much love. His family was finally back together. He was sure he wouldn't be able to sleep. He wanted to keep his eyes on his Angel. The fear of her disappearing was first and foremost in his mind. It would take some time for him to learn how to cope with his feeling of loss. Even as Bella lay in front of him a twinge of fear creeped over his spine.

As easy as he could, he climbed onto the bed with all three babies between him and Bella. A new day would arrive in a matter of hours and Paul wanted to do absolutely nothing all day except take care of his wife and his babies.

Thank you!

RTB