Stephenie Meyer owns the Twilight Saga. I own twitchy fingers that enjoy writing for no profit.

Chapter 16: Shocks and Sharing

Sam POV

Billy and I must've sat there, frozen in shock like a pair of ice sculptures for nearly a whole minute before the Chief finally broke the tableau by speaking again.

"Oh for God's sake, you two if you're not going to speak, then at least breathe would you? Billy might be easily portable for trips to the hospital, but I think it would take about three of me to carry Sam out to the truck." I let out a burst of surprised laughter, quickly joined by both Billy and the Chief, and the thick tension in the room eased a tiny bit. I still didn't know just how to start this conversation though, so I looked to Billy for help; the Chief was his friend, so maybe he would have a better idea of how to handle this than I did. Billy leaned forward a little in his wheelchair.

"So Charlie. How about we start with just how you know about the wolves?" He asked with a calm I'm pretty sure he didn't really feel. I certainly didn't.

"Ah. So there is more than one then." The chief said, pleased. "I was almost positive that Sam here was one, and I had my suspicions about Jared too. I assume he is the other?" I was impressed.

"So you didn't know. You just had a pretty good assumption?" I asked him. "What would've happened if you were wrong, and the rogue bear really was just that - a bear?"

"Well then you and Billy would've had a good laugh at my expense, and I'd have eventually bought both of your silences with the threat of no more of Bella's cooking." He gave us a smug look. It would've worked; Bella's cooking was too good to miss out on just to keep up a joke against the Chief. "If there's one thing I've learnt over my years as a police officer, it's how to get information out of people. Make them think you know more than you really do, and it's amazing just how much information they spill without realising their mistake." I was impressed. I might be a wolf, but the Chief was a wiley old fox.

"Ok then, Charlie. You might've gotten a certain amount out of us already, but this is too important for us to play games with you." Billy said seriously. "Sam and I are just going to sit here nice and quiet, and you can tell us just exactly what and, more importantly, how you know." I nodded at Billy, and we both sat back with our lips sealed, clearly indicating that we had no intention of speaking again til the chief spilled.

"Ok. Sounds fair." The Chief agreed. "I grew up hearing Billy telling me bits and pieces of the tribes legends when we were kids, I never took them seriously, and he knew it. I always just took them as campfire stories, made up to scare us kids, but with the increasing number of missing people in the last few weeks, and the bear sightings, I started to wonder a little.

At first I laughed at myself, told myself I was being a silly, gullible old man, but then I started noticing things. Things most people would've overlooked unless they'd had the police training I've had, combined with the stories from my childhood." He stood up and walked to Billy's fridge, pulling out three beers and offering one each to Billy and I. Opening his beer, he took a long swig, then continued with his story.

"The first thing I noticed was, of course, the sheer size of you, Sam. Not that it's unheard of for a guy of, what were you, seventeen?" I nodded. "Yeah, ok a guy of seventeen to have a growth spurt, but seriously, you were growing inches a week there for a while, as far as I could tell from the odd glance at you when we passed each other on the Rez or in town. I admit my first thought was that you were taking some sort of steroid, but short of catching you in possession in town, there wasn't much I could do; Iv'e got no authority on the Rez, as you know. A few weeks later, I began to notice how much time you were spending here at Billy's place, Sam." The Chief said, turning to look at me as he sat back down. "Even though you're much closer to Jake's age than Billy's you never came to hang out with the kid. He makes no secret of his dislike of you, no offense, so it was clear you were spending time with Billy. I couldn't work out why that would be, and when I noticed you were also spending a lot of time with Harry Clearwater, despite breaking up with his daughter, and also with old Quil, something began to stir in the back of my head. For some reason, the three Elders of the tribal council had a special interest in you, and when two of those Elders had a reason to dislike you - Billy because of his son's issues with you, and Harry because of his daughter's - and yet treated you as a friend and equal ... Well the nosy old police chief in me was fascinated."

I turned to stare at Billy with growing unease; if someone outside the tribe had reasoned this far, and then followed his line of reason to find the truth, how many others within the tribe might do the same? Billy looked as concerned as I was, but made a 'shushing' gesture with one hand. We should hear him out completely before we did anything else. The Chief was continuing on. "It was a long while before anything new caught my attention, and so the other things remained just an annoying niggle in the back of my head, popping up front every so often to bug me. The next thing was how you always wander around half naked." He smirked at me. "Now I don't care how proud you are of your muscles, running about all the time shirtless in winter in Washington ain't exactly subtle, son." I blushed. I knew that going around in just shorts was nothing to do with showing off my physique, but I could see how it would look to everyone else. "I'm guessing you just don't feel the cold at all" the Chief asked, and I shook my head. He smiled and carried on. "Ok, so you don't need to cover up, but you might want to give a little thought to putting on a shirt every now and then anyway, at least in town, to keep people from talking. Now after I'd noticed how you dressed, or didn't as the case may be, I started paying closer attention. Again it's been a while since I came up with anything new, but then there was yesterday." He settled back into his chair a little, placing one ankle on the other knee in an outward sign of relaxation. I didn't buy it. "He's just as tense as Billy and I. He's just refusing to show it." I thought.

"What do you mean, Chief?" I asked him, wondering what exactly about the day before had tipped the scales and brought him to his final conclusion.

"Really, son, you should call me Charlie. It seems to me that when a man knows you turn into a giant wolf every so often, you should be able to call him by his first name." I smiled.

"Ok, Charlie, thanks. But anyway, what about yesterday?"

"It was several things. First, I got the first good look at Jared that I've had in a while and he's just a tall, and shirtless as you. One could be an anomaly, two is suspicious, and adding Jake and the growth I've noticed in him lately, three makes a pattern, but I'm guessing we'll come back to that latter.

Second, you and Jared seemed to reacting to, and sometimes laughing at, things I couldn't hear. Yet you both reacted at the exact same time, like you'd heard something. My hearing's pretty good, so I figured if it was something I couldn't hear, then it was something no-one could hear. Yet you two did. It was interesting.

Third, the amount of food the two of you packed away, yet still looked like you could finish off what was left in the lasagne pan, along with whatever was left on my and Bella's plates, and still have room for desert.

Fourth was the way you and Jared sped out of my place just after I was called about the missing hikers, and the final thing was the fact that I set out just a couple of minutes after you, when you were 'headed off to do another quote on the Rez' yet just around the corner, I drove past your parked truck with neither of you anywhere to be seen. At the time, I was far too busy to do much more than file the fact away for later, but last night, after a few mad dreams, as my brain hooked all the facts I've learned together into a pretty picture, I came to the conclusion that maybe all those stories Billy used to tell me weren't quite as fictional as I'd always assumed, and maybe the Quileute tribe was the unknowing charge of at least one, and most probably two very large wolf protectors." He finished his tale and chugged the rest of his beer, looking between Billy and I to see our reaction. "Holy shit. He worked the whole thing out himself from circumstantial evidence, niggling feelings and 'a few mad dreams'. The man's brilliant. He's wasted on the force in a small town like Forks. He could've done wonders on big cases in Seattle." I was seriously impressed. Worried, but impressed. Was it just him, just the way his mind worked? Or had other started putting together the clues? Had he told anyone else? "Oh fuck me sideways with a chainsaw. Has he told Bella?"

"Alright then, Charlie." I started, feeling a little weird calling the Chief by his first name. "So you know that Jared and I are werewolves, you suspect that Jake might be too, and you understand that us wolves are here to protect the tribe." I summed up, taking my turn to o fetch us all a new beer apiece from the fridge. "What we need to know from you is simple. How much of the wolf stuff do you actually know and understand, who else you've told about it, and what you intend to do with the information." Billy nodded along, taking the beer I handed him as I sat back down. Charlie and I each opened our own.

"I guess I don't know much about the wolves at all really. Just that you exist, and that you protect the tribe." He answered, taking a swig of his new beer.

"So you know about the cold ones, the vampires, too then?" Billy asked him, surprised. Charlie shot beer out of his nose, choking and spluttering, and alarmed, I reached over and pounded him on the back to help him regain control.

"Vampires too? Shit. Ok, no I didn't know that bit. That's what you protect the tribe from? Is that what's been taking all the missing hikers and campers? Vampires?" Billy and I nodded gravely

"That's what our wolves are made for, Charlie. To kill vampires. They protect the tribe, and recently the town too, from the leeches, keeping them from killing and feeding in the area, chasing them off, or killing them outright." Billy told him with pride.

"Well damn. I never really put any thought into that part of your old stories, Billy. I remember you talking about the cold ones, but the word vampire never really came to mind. So these disappearances lately, are they the work of one single vampire, or several different ones?" He asked, his police hat back on for a moment. I chose to answer that one.

"We think its all down to just one. A red headed female who seems determined to either get into town, or onto the Rez for some reason. She says she's come for what she's owed." This thought made me growl under my breath "She'll get it too. Especially as, as far as I'm concerned, what she's owed is being ripped apart and burnt." Charlie grimaced at the violent image.

"Sorry Charlie" I said, "but that's the only way to make sure they stay dead. They have to be dismembered and burnt, or they can reassemble themselves, given enough time, and return to kill some more." He nodded reluctantly, understanding, but not liking what I had said. "We managed to chase the red head off again last night before she killed the second hiker, but I'm pretty sure she'll be back. She's very persistent, and we don't know what it is she's after." I scowled. "She's also amazingly good at getting out of trouble. We had her pretty much pinned down last night, but she still escaped." Billy interrupted me.

"All this is very interesting of course, but we still need to know, Charlie, who have you told? And what do you intend to do with your information?" Charlie looked surprised.

"I've told no-one." He said, and I breathed a sigh of relief, echoed by Billy. "For one, who would believe me? Anyone I told would assume I've cracked under the pressure if being the chief of police, and I'd soon be sending out invites for people to visit me in my lovely new white room, featuring deluxe padded walls." He gave a little chuckle. "As for what I intend to do, well... Nothing. Unless there's anything I can do to help out sometime, I don't think there's anything to do. Although I would like to ask one question, and maybe a favour?" He looked at me rather than Billy.

"I can't make any promises without knowing what it is, Charlie, but if its something I can do, without causing danger to the tribe or us wolves, then I'll try." I said.

"I wanted to know; just how close to town is this vampire getting?" I grimaced.

"Too close for my liking." I answered. The closest scent we've caught was less than a mile from the edge of town, but I've not worked out a pattern to her attacks." He quickly got up from his chair and said

"Hold on a minute. I'll be right back." He left the room and headed out to his truck. A moment later he was back, carrying a map of the area. He spread it out on the floor and we all crowded round it. Pulling out a marker pen from his pocket, he marked the last known locations of all those still missing, and then the place where the only other body to turn up had been found. Finally he marked the place we'd found and fought the red head the night before.

"May I?" I asked, holding out my hand for the pen. Charlie passed it to me and I went to work, marking each spot we'd encountered the leech ourselves, and then the spots where we'd come across her scent, explaining what each mark I was making related to. Finally I marked the Cullen mansion. Charlie gave a questioning look at that, but let it pass for the time being. I was relieved. I wasn't sure how well it would sit with him that his daughter had dated a vampire.

We all sat back and examined the map in shock. The bright red dots on the map formed a sort of corridor leading through the forest towards town. This wasn't a surprise really, but what was a surprise was that the corridor was leading in the general direction of Charlie and Bella's street. Charlie spoke first.

"I don't know if what she wants is in my street, or if she's just identified the street as a weak spot, and the easiest place to get into town without being spotted, as it is that street that runs closest to the forest edge, but hits makes the favour I was going to ask a little more urgent." He said, once again looking directly at me rather than Billy. "I don't like the thought of Bella home alone as much as she is with me working different shifts. Now she's not working anymore, she's even more likely to be at home by herself more often, and with this vampire heading directly towards our street, I'd like to ask if she can spend more time here on the Rez. I'd say its probably the safest place in the area right now, and I'd feel a hell of a lot better being out at work if I knew she was safe and not alone." I didn't even need to think about it.

"Of course." I said, quickly echoed by Billy. He continued

"Bella's never any trouble to have around, Charlie. She'll be more than welcome here whenever you can talk her into it. I'd guess your only problem will be getting her to agree. You know how stubborn she can be if she can't see a reason for what's being asked of her." They both smiled affectionately.

"I've already thought about that" Charlie said, his smile turning a bit calculating. "She picked up a couple of motorcycle wrecks yesterday. Not much more than a big pile of rusted crap in my opinion, but she asked me for permission to try and get them running again, but she's got no idea of who to ask." Billy began to grin himself, clearly catching Charlie's drift quicker than me.

"Well now, I'm sure Jake would be delighted to offer his help." Billy was all but rubbing his hands in glee, and I had a bad feeling that I knew what the two older men were planning. I was right.

"Yep, I thought as much." Charlie said with a smirk. "And who knows what else might develop while they're working. I'll suggest to her that she'd be sensible to learn a little about how to do basic repairs while Jake's working on them. That'll keep her here more often, and if they're in each others company that much ..." He tailed off. Insinuating that the outcome would be a foregone conclusion. My heart sank. Both fathers clearly believed that it would only take close proximity for Bella and Jacob to develop feelings for each other. They both knew both their own child and the other's well. Who was to say they wouldn't be proved right. I interrupted.

"So, Charlie. Earlier you were vying suspicions about Jake being one of us wolves. It wouldn't bother you, then, to have Bella involved with one of us?" I tried to keep my voice light. "La la la, just asking an innocent question, la la la, no ulterior motives or agendas here, la la la" I willed him not to notice how truly interested I was, for two very different reasons, in his answer. He didn't seem to read anything into my question, although Billy was casting me curious and slightly suspicious glances.

"Why would it bother me?" Charlie asked with genuine confusion. "You're all good guys, good men, and who would she ever be safer with?" Charlie really was an exceptional man. He'd discovered that werewolves really do exist, he'd learnt that we tear apart and burned other sentient creatures, even if they were blood-sucking killers, and he was so non-judgemental that he was genuinely confused as to why he might be concerned about his daughter becoming involved with one of said werewolves. Exceptional.

"Good point, Charlie." Was all I could say. If I succeeded in arguing against Jake, based on his mere potential wolfiness, I would only be shooting any case I might make for myself down in flames. Charlie looked at Billy.

"So is Jake...?" He broke off, not knowing how to word his question. But Billy got the gist.

"Not yet." He answered. But he's well on his way through the change. And once the change begins, there's no stopping it. Sam reckons Jake's got a few weeks yet though." Billy's voice held that mix of sadness and pride that I heard whenever we discussed Jakes change between us. I understood it completely. I felt it was important to give Charlie a warning.

"Once he does make the change, Charlie. It won't be safe for him to be around Bella for a while. Our tempers rule our phasing completely for a air while when we're new. And anger is never far below the surface. It would only take the tiniest thing to set him off, and as she doesn't know about us, we wouldn't be able to warn her out of he way in time. If he phased too close to her he could do some serious damage." Charlie was asking the warning seriously, and he considered for a moment.

"Maybe we can tell her that Jake's sick or something, then stall her as long a possible until he's in control?" He suggested. It seemed a workable plan. I hoped for Bella's sake we'd be able to pull it off. She'd already been abandoned once. Both by the boyfriend, and by the entire family. I hated the thought of taking someone else away from her. Especially when she wouldn't understand why.

That all decided, we sat back and Billy and I began to carefully pick through what Charlie might already know from the stories he'd heard as a kid, and what we felt he should know, taking care to avoid anything that we weren't sure he should know. We could always give him more information later, but we couldn't un-tell him something if we later decided it was a mistake to let him know that articular bit.

So for the next half hour, we answered questions as best we could, telling him about the pack structure, owning up about Paul's existence as a member, and letting him know about the enhancements our human forms were granted as part of the deal. When we finally reached the end of what we could tell him right away, he slapped his hands on his thighs and stood up. Shaking my hand, then Billy's, he thanked us for being so open and honest with him, and I walked with him to the door. Just as he was about to get into his cruiser he turned back to me and said.

"Oh. I almost forgot. When we were looking at the map?" I nodded

"Yeah? Did you forget to mark something, Charlie?"

"No" he replied. "I was wondering. Why did you mark the Cullens place?"

For the second time that evening, I froze.

Ok. Last time I did this to you I wasn't at all sorry; I found it rather amusing, especially as I knew I was switching povs in the following chapter.

This time I am a little sorry, but I promise that I'm not changing povs again, so you can find out how Charlie takes the news says soon as I update next. Which as you know, I try to do each evening.