3. Take Me Home

BPOV

Edward explained that he needed to go on a hunting trip while I was eating my sandwich. I tried concentrating on his words. His comforting gaze. The taste of this delicious sandwich. Everything was going out of focus though. I was getting upset, I knew that much. I needed to calm down.


He’s just going to be gone for a couple of hours, it’s not a big deal.


I need to look at this logically, and stop letting my emotions cloud my judgement. Ok...he HAS to feed. It's a necessity. If I were to try to convince him not to go, it would be the same as him telling me that I can't eat my sandwich. This delicious sandwich with the tangy sauce, and fresh, cold meat. I can't just deprive him of a meal, no matter how much I may want to. He would never do that to me.


I want to tell him to stay. I want to cry and beg him not to leave me, even if it is only for a few short hours...it will feel like an eternity to me.


Ugh, I am so selfish.


I shook my head a little, everything was going blurry. I kept searching his gaze, helplessly trying to just focus and calm the fuck down. It wasn’t working though. That’s when I heard it.


He’s leaving us? Why? He just got back!


Her voice was frantic. I started taking deep breaths, desperately trying to put off this inevitable 'episode'. I don't want him knowing about Marie.


You don't want to introduce us? Aww, that's really too bad, doll. You couldn't keep him all to yourself even if you tried. He's mine, too.


But...what will he think?


It doesn't matter what he thinks! If he loves us, he'll accept it. Oooh, it will be fun to play with him...this will be like a test of his true love. So bloody romantic.


Marie, no.


Can he deal? Or is he gonna be a pansy and cry about it?


This isn't a game.


Ten bucks says he cries about it.


He won't understand! None of them will.


Jesus Christ, stop your fucking whining - I will handle it!


I cringed at the harsh tone in my head. After a few seconds, I heard her again, her tone back to normal.


I always take care of us, Bell. I'll make sure he never leaves us again...


What are you going to do?


Shhh, don't worry. I promise to be sweet.


I heard her dark chuckle, as everything went black.

**********

When everything came back into focus, I was outside. I could feel the cool breeze on my skin. It felt good. I noticed that everything was silent. I opened my eyes, and saw Edward and Alice standing by me, looking at me with such intensity, that I actually stepped back a little bit.


I just stared back at them, unsure of what to say. I knew what had just happened. Marie. That one word was explanation enough. And from the looks that they were giving me, they knew something was wrong with me. That I was crazy.


Ugh, will you shut up with that bullshit already? You are NOT crazy.


Oh, this is not good. I started hyperventilating.


“Bella? Shit, calm down, sweetheart. Just breathe, ok?” Edward walked over to me and enveloped me in his arms.

I just clung to him, and he picked me up like I was a child. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. He put one arm under me to support my weight and with his other hand, started rubbing circles in my back.


What had happened? What did they see? What did Marie do?


I heard her giggles in my head, but no explanation.

Damn it!


I'll show you later she whispered to me.


Later I agreed.


I started nervously running my fingers through Edwards hair at the nape of his neck and gulping down some much needed air. I had to clear my head. Please don’t leave me, please don’t leave me, please don’t leave me... I kept repeating this mantra in my mind. I couldn’t live through it if he left again because of this.

I must have started talking out loud, because the next thing I knew, he was whispering in my ear, “I'm not going to leave you," he stated firmly. "You are everything to me, my beautiful girl." He sighed deeply. "Oh, my Bella…" he breathed. "What happened? Are you alright? Baby, please calm down. Please.”


I started breathing deeper, and calmer, just basking in his words of reassurance, and soon I could feel my body begin to relax in his arms. After a while, he set me back down on my feet and cupped my face in his big, strong hands then looked me in the eye. He didn’t speak, and neither did I. Out of nowhere, Alice piped up. I almost forgot she was standing there with us.


“Hey,” she said softly.


I looked at her. And that's when I took a second to look around and take in my surroundings. We were in the school parking lot. And it was still full of cars.


What time is it?


I looked at my wrist for my watch. 1:53pm. Wow, so I skipped about two hours. My mind reeled at what could have happened in that amount of time. I looked back up into Alice’s eyes. She looked so concerned, and very confused. I felt a pang of guilt for making them worry so much.


Bell, tell Ali to fucking calm down. And look at how anxious Edward is getting! This isn’t a goddamn tragedy, ya know. So you can quit being a motherfucking drama queen about it. The sooner you relax, the better. Just let them know that you and me are a packaged deal. We stick together, remember? Always. I protect you. You’re my Bell.


I grimaced at Marie's ramblings, then reached out to my best friend. “Hey,” I said back. I wrapped my arms around her for a hug, which she seemed to enjoy immensely. “I’m ok, Alice. Really,” I said softly, then I pulled back and smiled at her.


“What happened in class…? Bella, something is going on. I-I’m worried about you. Please, Bella. You can talk to me.” She pleaded then looked up at Edward, who was watching me intently. “You can tell us anything.”


I nodded and then looked at the two vampires in front of me. This was so awkward and uncomfortable. I wish they would stop looking at me like that. I bit my lip as we kept up our silent staring.


Nope. I’m really not ready to talk about this shit.


Pansy.


You shut up.


“Can you take me home?” I asked Edward.


He didn't say anything. He just took my hand and we started walking towards the Volvo. He opened my door and I got in, buckling my seat belt. Alice slipped in behind me and Edward got in the drivers seat, started the car and drove off. We didn’t talk, everything was silent. Edward held my hand in his lap and rubbed circles into my palm with his thumb. I was sort of confused right now, though, because I don’t know what actually happened. I don’t know what, exactly, they are freaking out about.

Marie will tell me when we’re alone though. She always does. She’ll let me watch her memory, so I’m not completely clueless when the time comes to discuss this.


Sooner than expected, we were parked in front of my house. Charlie wasn’t home, but I didn’t expect him to be. He never is anymore and besides, he would still be working at 2:00 in the afternoon on a Monday. I sighed and looked at Edward, to find that he was already looking at me. I bit my lip. I knew they were waiting for me to talk about it. Or maybe they were waiting for another weird outburst. I don’t know.

Ugh, everything is ruined.


Shut up. Nothing is ruined. In fact, doll, nothing really happened. I didn't even get a chance to talk to Edward about leaving. Hmmm-Mmm, Edward. I want to bite him.


I turned my head sharply from Edward and blushed. Rubbing my hand across my face to hide the blush, I reached for my door handle and felt Alice’s hand on my shoulder. I paused and looked back at her.


“I bet you want some alone time, huh?” she suggested softly.


No, I want you to stay and play with us, Ali.


I stayed quiet and bit my lip.


She nodded in understanding. “We’re going to get a head start on that hunting trip, ok?”


She doesn't want to play?


No, they are going out to eat.


Fine then.


I nodded and turned to Edward. He leaned in and gave me a soft, lingering kiss. “I love you, Bella. I’ll see you in a few hours, okay?”


I nodded. “I love you, too. Bag a few mountain lions for me, ok?” I smiled up at him, trying to lighten the mood.


He chuckled and said, “Anything for you, baby.”


With that, I got out of the car and walked up to the front door and unlocked it. As I walked into the house and turned to close the door behind me, I heard the Volvo speed off. Now, I wait. To see if he’ll really come back. Back to a crazy girl.


He'll be back. We're irresistable she said playfuly. I smiled.


I had been upstairs, cleaning my room when Marie decided to show me what happened today. It was actually kind of funny. We spent a good 10 minutes laughing together about it. I can't believe Mike actually started to cry! Aw yeah, but I wouldn’t have been that mean to him. Though, maybe now he’ll finish that stupid chemistry project. Marie was very adamant about not letting him treat me like a doormat. I'm definitely not doing the entire thing when it’s supposed to be a partner-project.


I was dusting my bookshelf at 3:30, trying to past the time when there was a knock on the front door. I skipped downstairs to answer it and saw our neighbor, Ms. Haley standing there with a sheepish look on her face. I could already guess what she needed.


"Hey, Deb, what's up?"


"Bella, honey I need a favor."


I already knew what favor that would be, and didn't mind at all. "Where is she?" I asked, referring to the two year old little girl I had been babysitting a lot recently.

I didn't mind at all. It gave me something to do, and she was a funny little kid. We always had fun together, and I found out that after my first time watching her, she kept asking her mom when she could come play with me again.


"Katy's in the car, sleeping. I got called in to work on an emergency and probably won't be home untill around eleven," she cringed as she said this. "I know it's a school night for you, and all..."she whispered, looking at me hesitantly.


"Don't worry about it, we'll be fine." I suddenly remembered what Alice had said at lunch. "Umm, actually I have dinner plans over at my boyfriend's house. You know, the Cullens? It's at seven, so if you don't mind me bringing her along for the ride, we're going to have chicken and potatos from what I hear," I informed her.


She smiled and patted my shoulder. "Oh, that's fine, I just hope she isn't too much trouble for you."


"We'll be fine, and I should probably be back here around nine. I'll just hang out in the living room with her tonight, until you get back."


"That'll work!" she smiled brightly. I nodded and started walking out to her car to get Katy, carseat and all. "And you have my numbers in case you need anything."


I lifted the sleeping little girl into my arms and nodded again, "Yep. We'll see you tonight."


She came over to kiss Katy's forehead that was currently laying on my shoulder. "Tonight," she whispered, then got in her car and drove off.


I walked back into the house and laid Katy down on the couch, then went back outside to get her bag and car seat, thinking I would definitely need it tonight, with the way Edward drives.


That thought caught me off guard. Edward doesn't know Katy...none of the Cullens do. He doesn't know about my recent babysitting adventures...


He doesn't know a lot about you now.


That thought made me sad. It was true. A lot had changed since they left me behind. Oh well, the only way to remedy that situation is to let the Cullens get to know me again. The real me.


I grabbed my backpack and sat down at the coffee table with my back to the couch Katy was laying on, and pulled out some of my homework. After 10 minutes of trigonometry, Katy started to wake up. She opened her bleary eyes, saw me and smiled.


"Hey munchkin!"


"Bewwa!" she giggled, sitting up.


"You wanna play with me today?"


She smiled brightly and nodded then held her arms out for a hug. I embraced her and commented on how she was getting 'so big'. Yeah, it was a lie, she still only came up to just above my knee, but she totally ate that shit right up.


We were sitting in the living room, Katy in my lap, watching Spongebob when the front door abruptly slammed, scaring the shit out of me.


"Ahh!" I screamed, making Katy scream right along with me.


I heard Charlie's voice, "What the hell? Oh...hey Katy," he said softly and waved to her.


"Hi, Chawie," she squeaked, then turned her attention back on the TV where Spongebob and Patrick were doing....something, with that, ummm...Squidguy? Yeah, I have no idea what was happening, but Katy was really getting into it. Singing along, laughing, and all that.


"Hey, Dad."


Long time, no see.


"Bella, we need to talk," he informed me.


Dread froze the pit of my stomach. He was home early. And I know that tone of voice. It’s universal to all kids. It’s the 'you’re in deep shit now'voice. I clenched my eyes shut and opened them again, trying to steel myself against the wrath of my dad. He must have been contacted at work by the school.

Shit.


“Isabella Marie!” he yelled when I didn't respond. Didn't even look at him.


Oh shit.


"Alright!" I yelled back, picking Katy up off my lap and placing her on the floor. "I'm gonna go get you a juice cup, ok? Stay here and watch your show," I told her.

She nodded, her eyes glued to the screen.


I stood and turned to face my dad, who was glaring at me.

Glaring at me? Damn, he never glares...

"Yeah, dad? What's up?" I asked, trying not to sound as nervous as I was.


"Kitchen," was all he said, then he turned to walk to said kitchen, with me hot on his heels.


As soon as he turned around to face me, his hand flashed out and I instinctively flinched. When I focused on what was in his hand, I saw that it was a letter from the mail. I looked up at him, puzzled. He looked furious.


“A ticket, Isabella?” he demanded.


Oh shit.


I exhaled a breath I didn’t know I had been holding. “Look, Da-”


“Speeding with no seatbelt?!” he practically screamed at me.


Fuck.


Don't let this motherfucker scream at you, Bell. Take care of it, or I will.


I just looked up at him stunned. I don’t remember getting a ticket at all. That could only mean that this was Marie’s fault. Ugh, I was so angry with her right now. Tears glistened my eyes, and I could feel them start to fall down my cheeks.

“I…I’m sorry,” was all I could manage to say to my dad.


Damn it, this isn’t my fault!


“Sorry is not going to clear this problem up, and you know it! Isabella what was going through your head??"


“Charlie…please, keep your voice down, alright? Katy is in the next room, your going to scare her,” I whispered harshly, taking a few steps back away from him.


He ignored me. “What if you had hurt someone else with your recklessness? You’ve got to stop being so stupid, Isabella!” he roared at me. “You are gonna learn to put safety first, damn it. I’ve taught you better than this!”


My vision started to blur as I heard Marie's voice again.


If he makes you flinch one more time... her voice threatened.


“And the school called me at work, by the way. Disrupting class, threatening a student, and cutting last period? What the hell is going on with you?!” he yelled in my face.


I took a deep breath. This was getting out of hand. “Look, I’m sorry, ok? Now could you just please shut up? I have a headache,” I whispered, tears drenching my cheeks.


He looked stunned, then anger quickly came over his features, "Did you just tell me to shut up?! I am your father, you don't tell me what to do, you disrespectful little girl."


Fucking hell, this wasn't working. Everything was getting so blurry.


I wiped the tears from my eyes. "Dad!" I yelled back getting his attention. and clearing my head at the same time. "Look, I'll pay for the ticket and be more careful from now on, alright? I promise. And I said I was sorry, what else do you want from me?" I asked, my voice no longer a whisper.


“It's not about the ticket, it's about your carelessness! And what the hell happened at school?!"


That was the last thing I heard him say, before everything went black.

MPOV

Well, isn’t this just motherfucking peachy.

I looked up into the angry face of my father figure and sighed. All this drama over a stupid little piece of paper...


And by the way, where the hell has he been, lately? Certainly not around here! My Bell got depressed and he just up and fucking disappeared like those Cullens did. He just couldn't hack it with an emotional teenage daughter, so I showed up to take care of her. My Bell needs me. I protect her. I'm damn good at my job too.


Hell, he probably just got a call at the station, notifying him of my traffic violation, then got embarrassed in front of all his little cop buddies. So, now he wants to come home to play 'daddy'. To scream in my face.

I don't fucking think so.


"Fuck you," I spat, glaring into his eyes.


*SMACK*


Oh...my god, he fucking hit me!


I put my hand to my cheek and could feel tears smarting my eyes. I started to clench my fist.


Goddamn it, I hate crying.


"Don't you ever talk to me that way again, young lady! Do you hear me?"


I glared at him, my vision blurry because of the tears. I angrily swiped at my eyes, trying to clear my vision. He stood there, staring at me, obviously waiting for my reply. Instead, I balled up my fist and swung as hard as I could, hitting him square in the nose. He groaned and put a hand up to his face to hold his nose. It was clear that he was stunned by what just happened. After all, this had never happened before. Neither me, nor Bell, has ever gotten violent with dad.


Well, there’s a first time for everything, motherfucker.


I stood my ground, hand still on my aching cheek, and clenched my jaw. I noticed blood starting to trickle down his nose.


Good, he deserves the pain. He hit me first, damn it.


“Hitting fucking hurts, doesn't it?!” I yelled at him.


He looked down at me, pain evident on his face, but didn’t speak.


Well, that just won’t do.


I shoved at his chest. “Answer me, goddamn you!”


He didn't.

I stared in his eyes for a second more, then spoke. “Christ, you’re a sorry son of a bitch, you know that? You stay gone for weeks, fuckin your whore, then you have the audacity to waltz back in here, out of nowhere, and try to play fucking 'daddy' with me? To yell at me? Over a motherfucking ticket? You think you can smack me around and I won't do anything about it? You don't know me at all!" I ranted into his shocked face.


"Don’t you ever touch us again,” I growled at him.

A look of confusion crossed his eyes.


That’s right motherfucker, I said us. Your precious Bella isn’t around right now. She ran off, probably hiding in a goddamn corner somewhere.


That thought pissed me off. He didn’t respond, just stared into my eyes. He knew something was wrong, that my Bell never acted like this.


Well, there’s a new chick in town, Daddio. You better fucking get used to it.


I started to back away from him, looking at him in disgust. I turned towards the fridge. I remembered that Bell promised Katy a juice cup.


I was breathing hard, and once my back was to him I realized that, damn it, I needed to fucking calm down. There's a baby in the other room that doesn't need to see my anger.

After a few seconds of silence I told him a low controlled voice, “Get the fuck out of my kitchen.”


After pouring some Hawaiin Punch into a sippy cup, I turned and watched him watching me with apprehension. He slowly walked to the counter and got a paper towel, balling it up and holding it to his nose. Then he spoke hesitantly, almost in a whisper.


“Bella?” he rasped.


“GO.”

My voice rang loud and clear as I glared at him. I was done talking to my father figure. I needed to be away from him, now, before my carefully constructed calm façade fell away and I got violent again. That definitely wouldn’t solve anything. He turned and walked out of the room. I listened to his footsteps pound slowly towards the front door. I heard it open and close. I went to the window and opened it up all the way. The cool breeze rushed in and felt good to my overheated skin. I gulped down deep, cleansing breaths. I watched him walk to his police cruiser, get in, and pull out of the driveway.


Fucking good riddance.


I counted backwards from ten slowly and then walked back into the living room to find Katy dancing around the floor to the kid show theme-song blaring from the TV, oblivious to what had transpired between me and my father figure. She danced her way over to me and reached for her sippy cup then started drinking it down greedily, humming to the song.