Well friends the time has come. I've been writing ahead so that we can avoid long cliffie breaks. So everyone grab your emotional support alligators or Emmetts and let's continue, shall we.

The song for this chapter is Love Story by Sarah Cothran. Remember that you can play along with the story on Amazon Music using the special web address below!

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CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE: Love Story
BPOV

"I realize that you all just want to keep me safe but it's just to see my dad. Surely I won't be kidnapped and gruesomely tortured from the police station," I grumbled at Rosalie.

"Look, do I think you're a badass and that any man who tries to take you out is an idiot? Sure. But they aren't my rules. You know Carlisle is worried about this guy your dad is trying to catch. So if it makes him feel better to have someone with you whenever you aren't here then that's what we'll do. Your dad will still be there after someone gets back." I scowled at her. "Don't pull that face with me, Izzy B. I'm doing this for Carlisle. We're all doing this to keep you safe."

"I know. It's just hard not to feel like a little kid. You guys are already decades older than me anyway plus I can't go anywhere by myself? It's grating." I was fully aware that I had my arms folded tightly against my chest and my shoulders hunched.

"I get that," she said soothingly, "but I promise it's not forever. This is just one of those weird days when we all seem to have something going on. Edward and Esme are in Seattle with one of her clients. Alice and Jasper went to meet Peter and Charlotte near Portland. Carlisle is working a double shift and Emmett and I were planning on just hanging around today but my own client called and said that he can't pick up the car I restored for him and asked if we could deliver it instead. He's in Bend and we have to drive the car to him and he's on a time crunch since some of the parts were backordered. So if you could please just wait for whoever gets home first before going to see Charlie, I would appreciate it. I know it's inconvenient and irritating but it's what works best for the plan."

"Fine, I'll stay. Do you know when my relief team is supposed to arrive," I asked sarcastically. She smiled and tapped the end of my nose.

"Carlisle will probably get home first unless there's an emergency. Edward and Esme should only be a few more hours. He texted to say they were getting ready to head back but they're driving so it takes longer."

"Okay. Be safe on your trip," I grumbled petulantly. Rose laughed and hugged me.

"I know this has been a lot. We just want you to be safe," she sighed. I hugged her back.

"I know you do. And I know Carlisle isn't the only one who worries." She gave me a small smile.

"It's just a testament to how much we all love you, Bella."

"I love you, too," I said softly. "Now, go shock and amaze your client. Get that cheddar." Her face scrunched.

"Let's add that to the list of things I hope you never say again," she teased before heading out the door, climbing into the truck Emmett was waiting in, a restored vintage car strapped safely to a trailer on the back. They waved at me before driving off and I headed back into the house.

It felt empty and silent.

"Come on, Swan: you can last a few hours by yourself," I muttered and even that felt too loud in the quiet. I grabbed the book I'd abandoned by the couch and dropped into the cushions, settling in.

But I couldn't focus. It felt like a current was running under my skin, making it impossible to concentrate or sit still. I sighed deeply and closed my eyes, trying to remember some of the meditation techniques that my mom had taught me when she was going through her meditation-yoga phase when I was in middle school.

The silence stretched on.

I growled in frustration.

I could just hop in a car and go see Charlie. I didn't need a babysitter. We would be at the police station! No one was going to do anything to me in a police station. And I needed to talk to Charlie. It had been a couple weeks since we last spoke and now that I knew I was going to inevitably lose him, I felt like I needed to soak up all the time with him that I could. I hadn't slept well the last few days, an alien sense of foreboding filling my dreams with panic and anxiety until I eventually woke up in a cold sweat. I'd had a headache for days now. I wasn't sure why I was feeling this way but I was tired, stressed out and visiting Charlie would hopefully calm me.

I grabbed my jacket and slipped my shoes on, pulling the keys off the hook before stepping outside and locking the door behind me. I climbed into my truck and started the engine, cringing at the loud growl that seemed to echo louder than usual across the secluded property. I ignored the twinge of guilt and unease as I made my way down the long gravel drive to the highway. I know that everyone just wanted to protect me but sitting alone in the house, waiting for a chaperone slash chauffeur slash babysitter, seemed like a waste of everyone's time.

I pulled up to the station and parked. As I was getting out, my dad pulled into the parking lot in his cruiser. He pulled into a spot and climbed out, not noticing me.

"Dad," I called and he turned, immediately anxious.

"Bella? Did something happen? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said tiredly. "I just wanted to see you. You've been too busy to send more than the occasional text and I wanted to make sure you were okay." He pulled me into a hug.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry I haven't been in touch more. This case has been heating up and my time isn't really my own lately. But Bella, we talked about this. You shouldn't be coming to see me. At least not without notice or planning." I frowned at him, annoyance flaring.

"I get that you're worried for my safety but I'm not going to schedule time with you. I wanted to see you and so I came to see you. Of all places, the station should be one of the safest options." He sighed heavily.

"I get that, Bells. I just want you to be careful. Who came with you today?" He looked past me toward my truck.

"No one. Everyone had something else going on and I didn't want to just sit at home when I could be here, seeing you." His face darkened.

"You're not supposed to be alone, Bella! Do you know how much easier it would be for something to happen to you without someone with you? What if you got a flat tire on the side of the road? Someone could grab you and there wouldn't be any witnesses! This psychopath could take you and I wouldn't know until he sent me pieces of you!" I scowled at him, feeling angry and frustrated and fed up with this whole situation.

"I know that you're chasing some bad guy, but I cannot just put my life on hold indefinitely in the hopes that nothing happens to me! It's been months, Dad. Months that I've been avoiding school and only going somewhere if I have someone to go with me. Months of not seeing you, of worrying about you, terrified that this is going to end with you getting horribly injured, or worse killed."

"I'm just trying to keep you safe," Charlie growled. In a distant part of my brain, I recognized that I was being irrational. I knew that Charlie just cared about my safety. But whatever part of my brain had been hit with the angry stick was in full control and running the show.

"Yes, I know. Keep Bella away from the house. Make sure Bella is never alone. Don't let Bella go to school because it's an easy target. For how long, Dad? How long am I supposed to keep doing this? When does it finally end? When school is over? When I graduate? When you're in a coffin being lowered into the ground? And then I'll finally move on and just hope that Carlisle can help pick up the pieces of my broken heart and I'll get a happily ever after?" His face went blank.

"Why would Carlisle be the one fixing your heart, Bella?"

"What," I asked, trying to sort through what I'd said.

"You said Carlisle would pick up the pieces and you'd get a happily ever after. What does Carlisle have to do with that?" His voice was robotically neutral and quiet. My gut clenched in panic.

"I-I meant Edward." His eyes tightened.

"No, I think you said exactly what you meant to say. What's going on, Bella?" I gripped the sides of my head, trying to ignore the pounding drum solo going on inside. "Did Carlisle do something? Did he pressure you?" His voice was clipped.

"No! He would never." His eyes widened before his mouth turned down in an angry grimace.

"Are you sleeping with him," he demanded, grabbing my arm.

"No!"

"He thinks that his son's girlfriend moves in and that gives him the opportunity to play savior and make you feel indebted to him."

"No, that's not what's happening," I cried.

"Really, Bella? Because it sounds to me like I sent my daughter to live with someone I thought I could trust and how he's making advances on her even though he's way too old for a minor!"

"You've got it wrong!"

"Do I? He's lying to you, Bella! Whatever it is that he's told you, whatever compliments he's paid, he's after one thing!"

"He loves me!" My voice rang out in the sudden silence. Charlie stopped, staring at me in horror. "And I love him."

"What," he gasped.

"I love him. He's not trying to take advantage of his son's girlfriend. Edward and I were never together. He's respected my wishes every step of the way and I… I love him."

"No," he growled. "You think you do, Bella, but what you're feeling is not love. It's not."

"It is," I said firmly, wiping at the tears on my cheeks. "I feel like my whole self around him, Dad. That way you felt about Mom? That's how I feel about Carlisle. Like I'm only breathing when he's around." His face went slack.

"You can't, Bella. You can't be with him. He's older. He has kids. Kids that are the same. Age. As. You. I don't know what games he's been playing, but this isn't anything like Renee and I."

"I know you don't want to hear it," I said slowly. "I know you're feeling betrayed. It's why I decided not to tell you; why I pretended it was Edward, not Carlisle."

"So you were fine lying to me? And Edward was obviously in on it too. Did Carlisle ask him to do that? You're playing right into his hands, Bells!"

"There's no game, Dad! Carlisle is the one who didn't want to start anything. He's the one who said I could do better. But I don't want better! Not if it's not him."

"Bella," he said, breathing heavily. "You can't see him anymore. I'll arrange for you to go to a safehouse. I'll have some uniforms take you right now."

"I don't want to go to a safehouse. There is nowhere safer for me than with the Cullens!"

"It's illegal," he fumed. "What he is doing with you is illegal. And as soon as I finish making sure you're safe, I will be heading straight for the hospital and arresting him!" I grabbed his arm as he began pulling me across the parking lot to the station.

"You can't do that, Dad! You-"

"Hey, Chief Swan!" We both turned toward the road. A nondescript tan car was pulled up in front of the entrance to the parking lot, blocking it from the road. A man was standing on the driver's side by the hood, gun pointed at us. He was average and completely forgettable but I got the feeling that Charlie knew exactly who he was. "I've really enjoyed our game of cat and mouse. You even managed to stop me from getting to your daughter like I planned. But I always get what I want in the end. And now it's time for me to move on to the next town."

I was frozen, praying that someone was watching, someone could stop him, anything. But my prayers died when the sound of gunshots tore through the air.

Edward's POV

"Thank you for coming with me," Esme said from the seat beside me. I squeezed her hand and pressed it to my lips.

"To the ends of the earth, my love," I murmured.

"I was thinking of making Bella Italian for dinner when we get home," she murmured conversationally and I smiled as recipes drifted through her mind.

"You do more cooking for Bella than you do for me," I teased. She laughed and my heart lifted. Even after decades together, I would never get over the pure satisfaction I felt when I heard that sound, knowing I was the cause.

"Do you want me to cook for you, dear? I'll expect you to eat every bite. It's only good manners after all," she said archly. I laughed and buried my face in her neck, licking along the smooth skin and relishing the taste of her. Her sharp intake of breath made me smile in triumph.

"Husband of mine, I realize it's not absolutely necessary but I think it would be better if you actually kept your eyes on the road while behind the wheel," she breathed. I chuckled against her skin before leaning back and sighing.

"Always ruining my fun with your common sense," I lamented. She laughed, her mind immediately filling with beautifully naughty images of us together. "If you want me to keep driving, I strongly suggest you turn your thoughts elsewhere, my darling wife. I am a mere teenage boy after all. And it has been far too long since I have had my dirty way with you against a tree." She giggled.

"That's because you can't control yourself enough to leave the tree in one piece." I gave her a feral grin.

"I'm sure you meant that as an insult and yet I feel extremely complimented."

"Only you, husband, would take the destruction of your environment as a compliment." I laughed deeply.

"You're really the one to blame, wife. I wouldn't be nearly so destructive if you didn't make me feral with need." She pressed a hand to her heart in mock outrage.

"I see we're victim blaming now."

"I'm the victim. Every time I see your face, I'm rendered completely helpless by you. It's amazing I'm able to function at all instead of worshipping you night and day like the goddess you are." She pulled my face to hers for a passionate kiss. I kissed her back, meeting her passion with my own. I pulled off the road at the next turn and parked under a giant pine tree.

I need you, she whispered in her head and I groaned as she began to think through all the things she wanted me to do to her.

"Esme," I breathed as she climbed over the console and onto my lap, pressing herself against me.

My phone buzzed.

I ignored it, pressing myself against her as her fingers wound into my hair.

My phone buzzed again, not stopping.

Maybe you should get that, she thought ruefully.

"My hands are full," I explained as I grabbed the sculpted globes of her bottom, squeezing.

My phone started buzzing again.

What if it's an emergency, she thought, already pulling back from me. I cursed and grabbed the phone, answering the call.

"Alice, this had better be imp-"

"Bella's in danger," Alice cried and I immediately sat up straighter.

"Explain," I said, putting the car into drive and swinging it around. Esme climbed back into her seat.

"I don't know for sure who it is but she went to see Charlie and there's a man, holding a gun. He shoots her, Edward! I'm too far to get to her but you might be able to if you start running now. She's at the police station. You have to hurry!"

"I will," I promised before hanging up and pressing the briefest kiss to Esme's mouth.

"Go," she said urgently and I flung the car door open, already running.

The world passed by me in a blur of greens and browns. I pushed myself harder, my mind reeling with what Alice had told me, but it felt like I was moving through tar. I growled my rage and ran through the forests of the Olympic Peninsula, trying to reach my best friend before something terrible happened to her.

Why was she with Charlie? Why wasn't anyone with her?

What if I didn't make it in time?

Forks started to appear around me and I ran through the back of the town toward the police station.

The daughter is here too! What a gift! I growled as the thoughts penetrated the haze of worry in my head. It was that lowlife who had threatened Bella.

"-I always get what I want in the end. And now it's time for me to move on to the next town," I heard an unfamiliar voice say as I got closer to the station. I could see Bella and Charlie through the trees, standing in the parking lot as a stranger pointed a gun at them.

"No," I roared but I was too far away.

Gunshots rang through the trees and I watched in horror as Bella and Charlie dropped to the ground. The man climbed back into his car and tore away from the police station, too far ahead for me to do anything to him. I raced to Bella and Charlie. Her pale face was growing whiter while her shirt started to blossom red. I sniffed and fire ripped down my throat, the almost overpowering smell of her blood triggering every instinct I possessed.

I wanted to taste her.

Needed to taste her.

Nothing would ever be better than the succulent, ripe feast spilling onto the pavement before me.

Carlisle.

I couldn't hurt Carlisle.

I couldn't be the reason that Bella didn't make it out of this alive.

Nothing was worth the absolute devastation losing Bella would cause.

I stopped breathing, focusing my mind on Carlisle's face if I hurt her. I pulled my shirt off, pressing into the wounds on Bella's abdomen. Her blood flooded over my hands, staining them red but I jerked my eyes to her face. Her eyelids fluttered weekly.

"Charlie," she breathed. Her eyes met mine and I could see the panic in them. "Is he…?" I looked over at Charlie. His chest was moving, barely.

"He's still breathing," I assured her. Officers streamed out of the station, alerted by the gunshots. They started shouting and someone dropped down next to Charlie, hands hovering nervously over him. "Pack the wounds and apply pressure," I barked out. People surrounded us and I heard someone calling 911. "We have to try and stop the bleeding. How many shots did the Chief take," I asked. Thoughts were flying as fast as words between people and I struggled not to let it overwhelm me, to focus on stabilizing Bella.

"It looks like five," a deputy answered. I counted Bella's entry wounds.

"She took three. Through and through?" I turned her gently, checking for exit wounds.

"Only three exit wounds on Chief," he answered. I cursed.

"Come on, Bella. This isn't how this ends," I said to her urgently. Her eyelids were fluttering, her heart rate stuttering.

"Car… lisle," she rasped.

"We're going to get you to him, Bella. He'll fix this. He'll fix you," I promised desperately. I could hear the sirens approaching, too far for the humans to pick up on but the sound gave me a renewed sense of hope.

"I don't know if I can feel a pulse," the deputy with Charlie said. I could still hear his heartbeat but it was sluggish.

"Dammit," I huffed. "You," I said looking up at another officer who was watching the scene with cool, controlled thoughts. "Come put pressure here. Don't let up." He nodded robotically and moved to Bella's other side, pressing his hands where mine had been. I turned over to Charlie, feeling for his pulse. "Come on, Charlie. She'll kill me if she loses you," I muttered under my breath. The ambulance pulled up and I sighed in relief before I realized that it was just one ambulance. EMTs rushed toward us with a gurney.

"What do we have," Earl asked me and I was grateful for the familiarity that came with being the son of the town doctor.

"Five gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen. Three through and through. Heart rate is sluggish," I pushed out. "Bella has three entry wounds, no exits. She's been minimally conscious. Heart rate is steady but slowing."

"We have to take Charlie first," Earl said. "He's in worse shape." I looked over at Bella desperately. They were both in bad shape. I wasn't even sure that Bella would make it to the hospital before they lost her heartbeat.

But Charlie was as close to death as one could get without stepping into the light.

"Take him," I said and Earl moved in to take my place. I helped Peggy and the other EMT get Charlie onto the gurney and into the ambulance. I spun back to Bella and dropped down. "Bella," I said urgently. She moaned faintly. "Bella, stay with me. I can't lose you. We can't lose you."

But as she lay in the parking lot of the police station, blood soaked and injured, I worried that losing her was an inevitability.