Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of its characters.

Beneath the Surface

Bella's POV

I was lying in bed listening as Charlie showed our guests out. It had been several hours since Edward had left me in the woods. Contrary to what I led everyone to believe, I was not broken up about it. I detested Edward and his arrogant, holier than thou attitude. I'd spent the last several months fighting the urge to rip him limb from limb when I wasn't laughing my ass off at him that was. But that would've ruined the plan. Not that the plan didn't get shot to hell anyway. Edward was gone, as was his family. That wasn't supposed to happen.

My thoughts were interrupted by a door closing. I got up and quietly made my way downstairs, just in case they hadn't truly left.

"They're gone," I heard Charlie say.

I quickened my pace and stopped trying to be sneaky. I found Charlie in the kitchen by the door. "Thank God. Why did you call them in the first place?"

"I didn't. Billy was with me when I got home and saw your note. If I didn't act worried, he would've been suspicious. I don't have your mojo to trick him into thinking whatever I want," Charlie said.

I smiled. It was true. I could convince anyone I met whatever I wanted. It was almost like hypnosis. All I had to do was whisper what I wanted someone to think or see in their ears and they would. That was why everyone who saw him believed Charlie was the police chief and had lived here in Forks his entire life. It was also why the Cullens believed we were both human.

That's right, I was far from human. Charlie wasn't either. Neither one of us had been human for almost two hundred years. Every time the Cullen treated me like I was some defenseless little human, I wanted to punch them, when I wasn't laughing that their stupidity that is.

"Why'd you leave a note anyway?" Charlie asked.

I gave him a look. "You really think I left a damned note? I haven't left you a note since I was seventeen, the actual age of seventeen. The arrogant asshole must of left you the note. He probably thought my poor human heart wouldn't be able to handle the rejection and left it so you would send someone after me.

"Well, you played the part nicely. Sam said he found you in the forest basically catatonic," Charile said as he started messing with his eyes. He was taking out his colored contacts. When he was done, instead of the dark brown eyes, he was left with blood red ones.

I cringed just thinking about the dog. "Mangy mutt! I'm never gonna get that stink off of me."

"You're the one that let him find you," Charlie pointed out.

"Well, I had to make it look real. Everyone around town saw me go around worshipping the ground Asshole Edward walked on. They would've been suspicious if I just bounced back like nothing happened," I said.

"Not if you used your mojo," Charlie said.

"Okay, fine, so I like screwing with people's heads," I finally admitted. Boy did I like it. There was nothing better than screwing with someone's mine, and it was much better when I didn't use my power to do it. It was so much more fun.

"You're like your mother that way," Charlie said with a chuckle.

I laughed at him. "From here? Like you're so innocent? You can't tell me you don't get off on it every time you're with Billy or Harry, knowing what their ancestors used to do to our kind."

Charlie grinned back at me. "Alright, so I enjoy it too."

"Did the dumbass call yet?" I asked.

"About an hour ago, and stop calling your brother a dumbass," Charlie said, ever the father.

Yeah, the family didn't just consist of me and Charlie. I had a brother, a blood brother. We were both Charlie's children and we were both turned, though not at the same time or the same way. "So what did he said."

"He said that he miscalculated how the plan would work," Charlie said.

I rolled my eyes. That was my dumbass brother alright. He had a way of speaking the obvious that just had you ready to punch him. "Oh, really? I couldn't tell. I'm gonna break both his arms off, literally!"

"No, you're not. He couldn't have known things would end like this," Charlie said.

"It was his stupid plan! He should've thought it through!" I yelled. I was pissed. I really hated the way things ended. Oh, I didn't care that Edward was gone. I was ready to end him myself just to get him out of my life. But he had taken everyone with him, including my mate. That pissed me off.

"Okay, calm down, Bells. We can still fix this. We just have to go about it a different way," Charlie placated me.

"I want what's mine," I said firmly. Obviously I was a very territorial person. I wanted what belonged to me. He belonged to me, just as I did him. I intended to take back what was mine.

"You'll have what's yours, honey. It just might take a little more time. For right now, we should get out of here. We'll head back home and see what your brother and his lovely wife have to say. I'm sure they already have some kind of idea of what we should do."

I nodded. My brother was the planner in the family. True, the plan didn't always work, but he always came up with another. Eventually, the plan worked. it was just sticking with him until he got it right. "Alright, fine, but he better not screw it up this time. I'm not a patient person."

"I never would've guessed, Bells. Go get your stuff. We'll head out now. We'll need to stop before we make the journey though. I need to hunt."

I nodded again and headed upstairs. I would go and I would even reign my temper in for the moment as long as I got my mate back soon. If not, all hell was going to break loose.