I sighed with relief as i watched Bella run away, the anger and hatred towards me obvious in her deadly gaze. She could loathe me all she wanted, i would deal with any fallout as long as my actions benefited her.

My thoughts returned to the more urgent matter afoot as i quickly rushed back to the house, entering as Carlisle was explaining to the others; Chief Swan was coming here and we needed to make ourselves scarce.

"Alice had a vision this morning and he spoke to me this afternoon; he wanted to discuss something about Bella's case." He glanced up at me, wondering if I'd gained anything more concrete in Alice's vision but i could only shake my head.

"Where is Bella now? Shouldn't she know about this?" Rose spoke with concern, knowing this could be distressing to witness while also risking her thirst.

"I've handled it; she's hunting with Alice, properly this time." My firm tone caught her attention with a frown, unsure of the implication.

"Should you really be here?" Her tone was cutting, as if stating the obvious to an idiot.

"It's best for the family if i can understand what Chief Swan's thinking, as well as his progress with the investigation. I intend to stay hidden regardless."

I swear, if you've harmed her again...

I rolled my eyes at her. "Give me a break, Rosalie. I've made sure she stays away without laying a hand on her, happy?"

Her scowl deepened though, before she could challenge further, we all heard the sound of a car leaving the freeway and heading down the drive. With a final glare, Rosalie and Emmett went outside while Jasper headed upstairs, wanting to remain nearby in case his powers were of use. I moved into the kitchen and out of view, able to observe through their minds while keeping an eye out for Bella's return. I was sure i had nothing to be concerned about, as Alice would watch for when it was safe, but i couldn't help my background fears for the beautiful vampire with the breathtaking fury.

Should i put something out for him, or is that too much? Esme pondered on how to appear "normal" in this situation, not having handled human company in decades. I popped my head around the corner and shook it to indicate not yet, which she accepted before sitting back down. We all listened in nervous silence as the Chief parked up, sitting in his car for longer than expected once the engine was off. As he rustled through his papers, the anguish was still as fresh as it had been the night i visited, though i could detect his underlying determination to keep his focus on his mission to find his daughter.

I admired him for it, even though it chilled me to the bone.

His steps were heavy and slightly sluggish, as if each lift of his foot tired him greatly. Clearing his throat as he approached the porch, he took another moment to collect himself before knocking on the door, switching to Chief of Police mode.

Carlisle opened the door with the same mindset and tone of voice he used with his patients, maintaining a calm expression. "Good evening, Chief Swan, please come in."

"Charlie, please." He shook his hand as he walked into the house, briefly noting the spacious entrance before following Carlisle through to the seating area. Like before, i found his mind tricky to hear, but i could feel some underlying uncertainty.

Esme rose to greet him with a polite smile. "Hello, I'm Carlisle's wife Esme. Can i get you a drink or anything, Chief Swan?"

"Hello Esme, just a glass of water please, thank you." He nodded his greeting as she went to get him a drink, taking the seat offered by Carlisle. I remained out of the way as Esme filled the glass, reassuring me with her thoughts, before she returned with his drink and retreated to the study.

"So, how can i help you today?"

Charlie cleared his throat again as he retrieved his notebook, his pain becoming more subdued as he focused on the conversation. "I've been following up any potential leads, non-ordinary occurrences, anything that could help me to... to find Bella."

Carlisle nodded in response and gave Charlie a moment, letting him proceed in his own time while i continued listening intently to his foggy mind. It was like searching through a smokescreen and i struggled to find much indication for where he was going.

"A couple of the nurses mentioned you ended your shift early that evening?"

An inaudible hiss escaped me at his question; was he trying to suggest Carlisle was a suspect?

"Yes, i did; we had an unexpected emergency." Carlisle's tone was calm and polite, sure with his words as he kept as close to the truth as possible.

"We?" He jotted down brief notes as they spoke.

"Yes, it was a family emergency so i returned home to help."

"Would you be willing to share the nature of the emergency?"

Only another vampire would notice the hesitation as Carlisle considered his response. To the Chief, a normal second passed before he received an answer.

"A few of my children had gone to Seattle and, while there, someone stole Alice's purse. The boys attempted to intervene but they were threatened with a weapon. Thankfully everyone was ok, but understandably shaken up."

The image he created was quite vivid and would upset any human who experienced it. I mentally applauded his idea as Charlie continued with his notes.

"Is that why the kids weren't in school for a few days?"

"Yes, Alice was quite upset at first but after a while we encouraged her to return to the outside world."

"As a family unit?" He looked up to examine Carlisle's expression, though there was nothing to give away his lie.

"It took all of our efforts. Alice can be quite timid and was nervous, her siblings wanted to make sure she was ok too."

The image of Alice he painted was such a 180 on her personality i would've laughed any other day, but now wasn't the time as i continued listening.

"Scary world out there." The Chief commented as he took a sip of water. Through Carlisle's eyes, i could see Charlie's hands were shaking slightly, but not enough for it to be commented on.

"That it is, i'm just grateful they're ok." He tried to keep the guilt out of his eyes, though when Charlie looked back at him, he would likely assume it was pity.

"What about your son, Edward?"

I froze when i heard my name, unable to anticipate it from his mind. How had he connected me to this?

Carlisle gave a confused expression, which Charlie clarified. "I've been told Edward hasn't returned to school since that weekend."

"Ah yes, Edward is quite a sensitive soul and felt tremendous guilt from not being able to protect Alice. When we finally coaxed him out of his room, we encouraged him to go and stay with my sister in Alaska for a while. She lives in a remote area so we figured it would help him mentally to recover."

Charlie was surprised by his answer, his uncertainty returning before he continued adding to his notes. "Edward didn't want the same help as Alice?"

Carlisle shook his head. "We did try, but it didn't work as well. He's a bit of a loner and can find a large amount of people around too much to handle sometimes." Carlisle seemed to mentally wince at his description before continuing. "He and Alice are quite close and she begged to go with him, but we encouraged her to stay behind. I think being around her brought flashbacks, but Edward's not the type of person to make another feel bad, so he refused to speak about it."

"What about his school work?"

"My sister is a home school teacher, so she's helping him while he's there."

"Did you report any of this to the police?"

"No, I'd been too focused on making sure they were recovering to talk to them."

The Chief nodded as he finished writing, looking back up tiredly. "Well, i hope Edward, Alice and the others feel better soon."

"Thank you, i hope so too." Carlisle smiled back at him sincerely. "Did you have any further questions for me?"

He shook his head as he began to re-organize his papers. "Not at this time, but thanks for seeing me."

"Happy to help." He offered to shake the Chief's hand who, as he moved to return it, dropped a few of the pages he held. Carlisle reached down to help and noticed a couple of images among them. He examined the top photo of a black coat on the forest floor before handing them back to Charlie. "Is this what you found?"

Charlie looked at the top image for a moment, his shoulders hunching slightly. "Yeah, that's Bella's coat. They, erm... they found it a little further into the forest a-and..." He took a shuddering breath before continuing. "...S-so far, this is all we've got other than her truck, no other leads. It's ripped, like s-she w-was roughed up... or some animal managed to..." He was struggling heavily to keep his emotions in check, eyes beginning to fill as he quickly turned the image over. My face fell to the floor, knowing his comment about an animal wasn't far off the mark.

"My apologies, i shouldn't have asked, or looked for that matter." Carlisle's guilt was amplified at the image of the Chief fighting not to fall apart, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You know where i am if you wanted to talk to someone."

"Appreciate it." Charlie's voice was gruff, clearing his throat again as he forced back the tears. "As always, if you hear anything else let me know."

"I will, have a safe trip home." He walked him to the door, watching with concern as he got into his car. Seeing his head fall into his hands, Carlisle closed the door to give him some privacy, not knowing what to say or how to rid the unpleasant sensation that he knew exactly where his daughter was.

His guilt had nothing on the shame i felt as i listened to Charlie quietly crying in his car. My eyes closed at the agony ripping through him, ignoring everyone around me as i absorbed it. A flash of a memory, Bella smiling a goodbye to him as he left the house; i could only assume it was the last memory he had of her before our paths crossed.

Repeating my actions from a few nights ago, i stayed with his mind as he fought the pain, managed to gather himself and, eventually, driving off with a hazy image of his house and the sensation of loneliness. I couldn't feel any relief as he departed; despite Carlisle's efforts to shift focus and the mental pain fading, the personal torment of my destruction of the Swan family refused to go away.

...ward! Edward, look out!

I barely had time to register Alice's mental alarm as i opened my eyes before, in a blaze of glory, Bella appeared through a shower of glass and roughly shoved me against the dividing wall. I heard the plaster crack as my head made sharp contact, her furious face and bright red eyes glared into mine as i had to work to change my focus.

"Well, look who hunted!" I smirked, a snarl erupting from her as i tuned out Alice's warnings in the background. "Doesn't look like it's helped your mood though."

Her snarl became louder as her force against me strengthened, enough that i wondered if the wall could take it.

"Something on your mind, Izzy?" I recalled the nickname she hadn't liked as her eyes became pure loathing. "Come on, use your words."

"Don't call me Izzy!"

Her grip on me tightened as i found myself suddenly thrown to the ground, another large crack as my body made contact. I could hear the others' panic and uncertainty at how to defuse her sudden anger, though Alice kept them at bay for now.

"And how dare you speak to me like that?" She was leering over me, practically trembling in her anger. "What gives you the right?"

"It's a free country." My tone was calm with some arrogance seeping through. "Plus, you were being your usual stubborn self, someone needed to take off the kid gloves."

I sensed some surprise, hurt and annoyance from the others at my words, though it only fuelled Bella's anger. A part of me wondered if i would lose another limb if i kept this up, but it wouldn't stop me maintaining my self-appointed role. I'd welcome any of the pain i deserved and Bella was always willing to provide.

...hate him!... ruined my...

I froze in confusion as a new voice seeped into the usual buzz in my head. What was that? Did... did i just hear Bella?

I didn't have much time to contemplate it as Bella slammed her foot down into my chest and began to pull at my arms, the scar from her previous attack rippling in pain as it began to give way. Before she got too far, Emmett pulled her off and Jasper was beside her in an instant, working to quell her anger without physical contact. Her furious eyes turned to them as she struggled against Emmett, nearly succeeding before Jasper ramped up the sensation, still trying to avoid touching her unnecessarily. Esme and Carlisle helped me up with some relief, Alice continuing to flick between future moments while Rosalie held some disappointment that Bella had been thwarted.

"I wasn't finished with him! Let me go!"

"Bella, you need to calm down." Jasper had a stricter tone as he tried to take control of the situation.

"I feel it's justified, personally." Rosalie's snarky tone still held some amusement, never disappointed when Bella got the upper hand on me.

"Enough, Rose." Carlisle addressed her firmly, but this only aggravated her more.

"She has every right to show her feelings! Why is Bella the one being subdued while Edward attempts to rule her life with manipulation and lies?"

Her words did pause Bella's struggles, the others freezing in tension as her glare returned to me. "What does she mean?"

"Technically, i didn't lie-"

"What does she mean, Edward? What aren't you telling me?!"

She was like a bull ready to shoot out of the gate the moment the bell sounded. My jaw set and i held her gaze as long as possible, not wanting to break her further, as Carlisle decided to take charge of the conversation.

"Your father stopped by, Bella, while you were hunting."

The anger in her eyes evaporated, her body slumping in Emmett's grip as she looked at Carlisle. "My dad was here?"

Her tone and expression appeared so young, so vulnerable, completely opposite from the lethal vampire from before. For a moment, Bella sounded like the young, lost girl she really was.

"He wanted to ask a couple of things about you, trying to find any potential leads that could help the investigation."

Watching her listen to Carlisle, looking fragile enough to shatter, i wanted nothing more than to hold her, reassuring her we'd find a way through this together. It was an urge i had to work to ignore, one i still didn't understand, but i knew if i tried anything like it my head wouldn't remain on my shoulders. As if she heard me, her eyes became ice cold again as they returned to me.

"You knew he was coming?" Her eyes then met Alice's, Jasper sensing her fury returning with a feeling of betrayal. "Did you know too?"

Alice looked uncomfortable as she replied. "I had a vision this morning, nothing solid until later in the day when he approached Carlisle, but i knew it was likely."

"And you didn't think to tell me?"

"I wanted to, Bella, i swear, but if i did the vision changed quite drastically..." The implication of her words was heavy, which seemed to equally upset and anger Bella.

"I still should have been told!" Her tone left no room for arguments. "I have a right to know, especially when it's my family."

"And what would you have done if we had?" I dared to ask, feeling i had to challenge for her to see the truth.

"I..." Her words failed as she went to give the obvious answer, knowing she couldn't have been here for it.

"That's why you need the family to help with your decisions. If you'd insisted on being here, how do you think that would have ended?" The idea of Bella being put in that situation tore at me, knowing how much it would destroy her if she inadvertently caused her father's end.

Her growl of frustration sounded at knowing i was right, but there was no way she would admit to it.

"First of all, this isn't my family and you don't decide for me. Secondly, i could've handled it, held my breath or something."

Alice's tone was nervous as she responded. "It's not that easy, Bella..."

She wasn't understanding the danger and my frustrations turned into anger. "You're a newborn and driven by your instincts. Do you really think because you struggled to hunt some deer, you'd manage to control yourself around a human, heart beating and the smell of blood overpowering your senses? Would you risk your father like that?"

Her body tensed in fury again. "You don't know-"

"Yes, i do know, because I've been doing this a lot longer than you have! If an older vampire would struggle to resist, then you wouldn't last two minutes in that room!"

Edward, tone it down. Carlisle's thoughts told me i was taking this too far, but i found i couldn't stop myself with the scene in my head.

"Oh, because you handled it so well when you met me?" I hid my wince at her words as i held her gaze. "Stop treating me like i can't take care of myself!"

"Then stop acting like a stubborn brat!"

"Alright, that's enough, both of you." Carlisle stepped between us before turning towards her. "Bella, I'm sorry that we didn't tell you, we thought it would be for the best but i see now that was wrong."

Her head lowered and her tone was still shaky. "Thank you, Carlisle."

"And Edward," He turned to me. "There's no need to be so harsh, Bella understands the consequences involved."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as i looked back to her still-glaring stare. "I apologize for my rudeness, Bella."

She didn't respond as she focused on her breathing, working to control her anger. She then shook herself out of Emmett's grasp before examining the room, noting the cracked plasterboard, floorboards and destroyed window she barrelled through earlier.

"I'm sorry for the mess, Esme, I'll help to repair it."

Esme was quick to console her. "It's ok Bella, you don't need to-"

"It's fine, I'll help." After a pause she then moved towards the window, looking back into the darkening forest as Alice moved closer to her.

"Are you ok?" She went to place a hand on her shoulder, but Bella immediately stepped aside to avoid it. She tried to hide the hurt from her eyes at the rejection.

"I just... need to be alone for a while..." She spoke quietly before leaving quickly through the window frame, not in the way she had run off before and wanting to escape.

Just like that, my anger disappeared. I immediately wanted to apologize for my words again and longed to follow her, find a way to make it up to her, but i knew she wouldn't accept it.

Alice's vision distracted me, watching a moping Bella in the forest as two decisions branched off from it; one was her returning to us, the other saw her fleeing. I was startled by the pain the second image caused me, as if someone had punched the air from my chest. I didn't want Bella to go anywhere.

"What do you think splits the decision?" My voice was strained as i questioned Alice, drawing the attention of the others.

"I can't say for sure but, after tonight, i wouldn't be surprised if it falls to trusting us." She still sounded upset, feeling they'd began to develop a sisterly bond that could now be broken from her actions. "If we follow or approach her, she's more likely to take the second option."

"It's not your fault, Alice." I looked at her sincerely with this, knowing i had overruled the choice which was backed by Alice's gory vision of the alternative. "Bella's smart and understanding, she just didn't want to think about the result if she'd stayed."

"Because you know her so well, Edward?" Rosalie stared at the back of my head; i refused to turn and meet her gaze. "All that time you've spent together, is that it?"

"Please, there's been enough fighting tonight." Esme's tone was distressed, the last hour taking a toll on her. "We need to make sure Bella is ok and prove she can trust us, that we are her family... if she wants us to be..." Bella's rejection had hurt her, but she was confident she'd gradually come around to the idea.

"I'm sorry it escalated to that level." I apologized to Esme, before looking down at the mess of our fight. "I'll clean this up and give you some breathing space. I don't think it's wise for me to be around when she comes back."

How considerate of you. Rose threw one last mental dig my way before she left for her room, Emmett following behind after remaining uncharacteristically subdued. His concern was strong, his only thoughts were hoping his little sister would return.

There was nothing to worry about, she'll come back. I reassured myself as i moved to clear the mess; i refused to consider the alternative.

A/N: Slightly longer chapter than normal; this is one of the scenes i've had in my head since i started writing so wanted to get it right!

Thanks as always to your continued support, i'm glad so many are enjoying it across the forums :)