Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Love of a Father

Edward (POV)

Pain. A sensation and concept as unrecognizable as my old mortal heartbeat. As creatures of slow change, immovable opinions and deep instinctual cravings, a simple reminder of pain can be a shock to the system. James had done more than remove my head and arm. He had hurt me. In that indeterminate time between the pain of death and the resurrection at the hand of my would-be lover, I experienced something. It wasn't the fires of hell, or the peace of heaven. It was something else that was endlessly dark and solitary, but not frightening. Had I been wrong all along? Did I still have a soul?

I had no answers, but for the first time in a century I no longer felt as if I were damned simply because I had chosen to live instead of die with my mother. Of course, it wasn't an informed decision, but over time I had come to internalize that I could never blame Carlisle or my human mother for their actions. He did what he thought was best for me, and suddenly I felt grateful for it. I had committed horrible acts, disappointing myself, Carlisle and Esme. Yet nothing held a candle to Mason and his story of conquest and violence.

I could only imagine what Angela was going through. I hadn't even had a chance to tell Bella of my past, but now I doubt she would think twice about it. How could she, when her best friend was falling in love with a man whose history included massacring an entire country. Sure, the numbers back then were far fewer than today, but that level of hatred and malice towards humanity. I hadn't encountered that since the Volturi. Yet, Mason was not that man. Separated from his actions by millennia, he had spent a thousand lifetimes trying to atone for that violent past. In a very real way, I could relate.

My home had always been a sanctuary for me. Always located away from the closest city center no matter where we lived. For the most part, it was generally far enough away from people to give me a modicum of peace. Even with the minds of my family surrounding me, I was able to exist with simple distractions without losing my mind. Then came the change, and now my gifts were no longer passive. I could stand in the center of Forks and not hear a soul. It was like I could breathe again, a gift I hadn't expected but found an almost euphoric joy now that I had it.

This new peace afforded me time to think, with my vampire mind I suddenly felt the vast scope of the nearly unlimited time ahead of me quite differently than I had before. Or perhaps it was because Bella was responding to me again. Not just begrudging acceptance, she seemed to relax at my presence and even reached out for contact a few times as she waited for her father to finish his unexpected transformation into one of us. Either way I was no longer dreading the unchanging nature of our immortality. I had things to look forward to. If we survived what was coming.

If I could dream, those dreams would be filled with the nightmares I witnessed in Alice's vision. I could understand why she hasn't been fully forthcoming with details, none of our family needed to carry that burden. We both loved them all entirely too much to subject them to our waking horror. Especially Angela, the human in our lives that I had been responsible for and failed. The guilt I still felt, despite her miraculous survival, weighed on me. Which was part of the reason I was outside of her house again, instead of standing by my beloved, waiting with her.

"Human's sleeping. How tedious." Rosalie said from beside me, she had just returned from a circuitous run of the neighborhood.

"I would expect more from you, don't you still covet your humanity?" I said curiously, I could never fully understand Rosalie's rationale for hating her existence.

"There are things that I would miss if I were suddenly human again." She admitted without much emotion.

"How are arrangements coming along?" I asked changing the subject, she didn't seem interested in a long philosophical conversation.

"Charlie's car has been planted, and we left enough evidence to lead the local authorities to an easy explanation." Rosalie frowned; she didn't like the best solution to his sudden disappearance any more than the rest of the family.

"I wonder how many will buy the story?" I asked out loud, although I didn't expect her to speculate.

"Suicide is never understood, but always accepted. The note made it clear that a search will make no sense." Rosalie sighed, "I'm going to rejoin Emmett." Then she was gone without anther word.

"Later Rose." I said after her shaking my head. I wasn't sure exactly what she was going through, but given how much my gift had changed, I could imagine her inner conflict was substantial. I was simply happy I wasn't already intimately familiar with that conflict, another new perk of my altered gift.

I stood sentry, letting my new ability stretch out far enough to hear anyone attempting to sneak up on me, but not enough to intrude on any human mind in the area. I heard Carlisle and Esme's minds as they approached before I heard them physically. My shift over, I could rejoin Bella back at the house without guilt, not that my guilt could ever be assuaged.

"Edward." Carlisle said happily.

"Father." I said using my familial name for him, it felt right to need him as my parent right now.

"I haven't heard from Mason, is he still in the area?" Carlisle asked looking around.

"No, I haven't seen him. I doubt he is far; it is easy to see how much she already means to him." I added, not sure how aware Carlisle was about the romantic nature of Mason's association with Angela.

"Alice mentioned she saw them kissing in her vision. I hadn't realized their relationship had already started." Carlisle shook his head, "I guess it is something we should discuss with them. It could have consequences for all of us."

"I'm pretty sure that ship has sailed my love." Esme said with a small smile. "Angela is already in love, and I'm pretty sure Mason is as well. He is harder to read."

"Why get in their way, she deserves whatever happiness she can get while she's still human." I wasn't sure how I felt about her joining the ranks of immortals, her kindness and humanity were always her defining characteristics and I worried that she would lose them to the instinctual drive to feed.

"I'm not sure there is anything we could do at this point anyway." Esme said looking towards Angela's window, and caught a glimpse of someone in her room. I instantly focused my mind on her room and found a distinct absence of a mind that was the signature of Mason.

"I hadn't even realized he was in there." I said shaking my head.

"Would you have done any differently with Bella?" Carlisle asked.

"Honestly, no. I didn't." I frowned at myself, slightly ashamed of the times I snuck into her room when she was sleeping. "How is Alice doing?"

"She hasn't left Bella or Charlie's side. I think she is deeply confused and hurting. I just don't know exactly what happened with Charlie, but I know it was wrapped up in her depression following Jasper just leaving like that. If I could get my hands on him." Esme said more angrily than usual, but I couldn't blame her. We had all trusted Jasper with Alice's heart, and he betrayed that trust.

"You'll get the chance; he will come back to support us in the coming battle." I said sharing that aspect of Alice's vision.

"Well, fine. That doesn't mean I forgive him." Esme said with a touch of frustration, although it did seem to cut off her anger.

"I'm going back home. I need to check on them." I said and Carlisle nodded, but stopped me first by putting a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm so glad you are okay my son. When Bella called, I almost lost my mind with worry." Carlisle looked me with such love that I was momentarily humbled. It was easy to take for granted the father he had become. In so many ways, he was more of my parent than my human father had ever been.

"Father, I never say it enough, but I love you. Both of you." I smiled at Carlisle first, who looked so happy that if he were human, he would've been teary eyed. Then at Esme who immediately pulled me into a tight hug. I sighed heavily and looked at them both one more time before taking off for home.

The long run felt good, the wind against my skin was liberating. I was lost in thought and then I heard a sound I couldn't quite place. I expanded my mind again, and suddenly felt the presence of three of the Quileute pacing me from a safe distance. Wolves following me, gauging me, measuring to see if I was an easy target. I felt them inching closer, and simple math made it clear I was going to lose in that altercation. I pushed my speed, faster than I usually ran and soon I left them far behind, one letting loose a howl of frustration.

As I got within eyesight of home, I stopped to gather my thoughts and make sure I didn't look as worried as I felt.

"Damn." I whispered to myself, pulling out my cell. It rang twice before Carlisle picked up. "The wolves are growing bold; they will start attacking us soon. We need to call that parlay."

"With everything, I don't know how receptive they will be. I'll attempt to contact them tonight." Carlisle's voice was frowning.

"I'm home, but we shouldn't move around alone anymore." I suggested, already feeling exposed.

"Understood. I'll see you soon." Carlisle hung up first, and I slid my phone back in my pocket before going inside.

Charlie looked worse as I arrived, he had entered the final stage before the external changes would present themselves. I had never seen a transformation of anyone near Charlie's age, he wasn't old, but he wasn't a teenager like most of us had been. Even Carlisle was in his twenties when he was turned. I was curious how much of his age would be preserved, or whether our physical beauty would rob him of those years etched into his face?

I stood near Bella, making sure she was aware of my presence without intruding on her physical space without her express desire. She held onto her father for a few more hours before reaching back for me. She took my hand and pulled me against her back. Then she closed her eyes and pressed her head into my stomach, then looked up at me.

"How much longer?" She said pleading, I could see the toll this was taking on her.

"Soon, you can see his skin has started to change. The external appearance is the last alteration before we wake as the venom works its way from the inside out. He should start to hear us again soon, as you are aware." I reached down and stroked her cheek; she closed her eyes again and pressed her face into my hand.

"I remember, this part was strange. Everything changed all at once, my mind and my senses expanded a hundred-fold in what felt like seconds. Things that made sense were turned upside down, and people that felt safe were suddenly strangers and instant potential enemies. Dad, if you can hear me I'm here, I'm alive and soon you will be awake and that fire will never hurt you again like this." Bella reached out and pushed a stray lock of his hair back into place.

Before he had begun the transformation, my encounters with Chief Swan left me with the impression that he was simple minded, not stupid, just without significant depth. It was an attribute common to far too many people. Yet once I began to direct my attention exclusively towards him to gauge where his mind was for Bella, I found a barrier much like Bella's. Only his wasn't nearly as powerful, or maybe it was of a different type. It created an illusion of simplicity, when in fact he was sharply focused, and driven by intense curiosity and compassion, and deeply intelligent and surprisingly well read. He loved simple pleasures like fishing and baseball because they distracted him from the boredom of small-town life, and a job which rarely challenged him despite his calling to serve the people.

Slowly the lines around his eyes, forehead and mouth began to fade, not entirely but enough that he easily lost fifteen years from his face. The specks of grey in his hair and mustache disappeared, and the black of his hair turned lush, shiny and vibrant. I had always thought of Charlie as an attractive man with a strong presence. He was a force of good in town, and I sorely wished that this had never happened to him. Yet here we were, watching this good man change into something else.

Would he be a monster? Would he give into selfish impulses like most of our kind? Or would he follow in his daughter's footsteps? All I knew was that Charlie didn't deserve this, this life of sacrifice and isolation.

"He's ready." Alice said softly, her voice soft and barely audible. She stood and backed away from us before disappearing into the house. I started to say something to stop her, but I could understand her fears. I wondered how long it would take her to face Charlie? My distraction proved short lived, as Charlie's transformation completed and his heart came to rest.

His awakening was typical of our kind, as he felt the new sensations of flesh and senses and reacted instinctively. His crimson eyes opened, and Bella moved back and held her breath in fear. He looked up at the ceiling for a long time, and then threw himself forward spinning to face us in midair. As he landed, he let out a deep growl, and I could see Bella taken aback by the hostility.

"Dad! It's me Bella!" Her melodic voice strained and taught with emotion. He wasn't as lost as most newborns, and I could see his intellectual mind trying assert control over his impulses. His aggression partially faded, and his face softened as he saw Bella for the first time.

"Bells." His new voice was difficult to marry to his old self, even having witnessed the transformation before it was hard to see the old man inside this new shell. Yet his affection for her was painfully clear. He moved without hesitation and pulled her into a monstrous hug, lifting her off the ground and twirling her around several times before setting her down. He pulled away to get a good look at her face, his smile was infectious, and I could help but grin like a fool with him. If we could cry her face would be stained with tears, and his would've been as well. Because as soon as he absorbed her features his smile fell.

"What happened? Why are you so different?" He was deeply confused, and his instincts were playing havoc on his concentration. That's when he saw me, and somehow drew quick parallels between me and his daughter. This snap deduction allowed him to put two and two together, that somehow, I had done something to Bella. His face changed, and he let go of her. Then in an action I almost couldn't track he turned and lunged at me with a vicious roar and hatred in his eyes.

Author's Note: Looking back I just realized we haven't had an Edward chapter for a long time. Well, according to my outline he is about to have at least two more in the next ten chapters. Funny thing about chapter names, some remain no matter how much I alter the chapter. Others, like this one, change several times. It started as Echoes, and then Small Fires, but eventually I realized this is about Charlie and Carlisle so I finally settled on what we have now.

The plot is ramping up a bit at this point, there are some slower chapters in the next ten, with a lot of conversation, but also some MAJOR events are on their way as well. Bits of Alice's vision will soon take shape and I will say no more.

Please write a few words to describe how this chapter felt to you, good or bad. I always appreciate your comments.

As always I keep my profile updated with my schedule of releases...which I think I might consolidate near the top so it is easier to read.

Thank you for reading.