Hello again! So this update took longer than I thought it would, but I buckled down and got it done. Enjoy! :-)

So sorry for the wait...

Chapter 11

The loud sizzling of the bacon frying in the pan didn't distract my thoughts like I hoped it would. No, my mind was still running a hundred miles a minute. Much like it had all night long the night before. I don't think I had ever slept so terribly. Not even the nightmares that had plagued me for the last few weeks affected me like this was affecting me.

I glanced briefly at the kitchen table and a chill ran up my spine.

The table was still cluttered with papers and the evidence that was recently discovered. I averted my eyes quickly and focused back on the bacon that I was trying not to burn.

After a fitful night of sleep I had woken up with a headache. I'd thought back to the dream I'd had the night before—well make that nightmare—where I had watched helplessly as Mike Newton brutally murdered Lauren's brother before he did the same to Charlie, and then the Cullens, leaving Edward for last. I had kicked and screamed all to no avail as I had watched the life drain from their eyes. I'd woken up out of breath just as Mike was turning towards me waving a bloody knife in my direction.

It had barely been five a.m. when I woke up from the terrible dream. I had instantly tried to do everything I could to keep from thinking of the nightmare. I had cleaned my room, started a load of laundry, and took a shower, but none of it had helped one bit. Because I just kept seeing Edward's beautiful green eyes—eyes I had come to love—slowly fade of any life at all; they were just dull. Dead eyes.

So I had decided to come downstairs and make Charlie breakfast. He had the day off so I decided to have breakfast waiting for him when he woke up. Cooking always cleared my mind because I knew I had to focus solely on putting together ingredients correctly, setting proper temperatures and trying not to overcook or burn anything. It had worked for a bit, but not long enough. As soon as I was done with the French toast I had made and had started on the bacon the thoughts I was trying to keep down, knocked against my skull hinting at another headache. It didn't take much to cook bacon so that meant my mind was free to wander.

Eventually the grease popping me on my skin pulled me away from my thoughts. I pulled the bacon form the pan and quickly started on eggs.

I was sliding the last omelet from the pan when I heard Charlie coming downstairs. I grabbed a plate and started filling it with food.

"Morning," Charlie greeted while pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Good morning. Sleep well?" I asked.

"Meh," Charlie replied. "Could have been better."

Sounded like we were in the same boat. I didn't tell Charlie that though; it would only cause him to worry. I set down a plate in front of him.

"Looks great Bells," he commented.

"Thanks. Juice?" I asked.

"Mm, no thanks," he said around a mouth full of food. I served myself up a plate, but not as hardy as the one I fixed for Charlie. I barely had an appetite.

I noticed when Charlie started fumbling with the papers on the table.

"Think you'll get anywhere today?" I asked gesturing to the stacks.

He shrugged and sighed. "I don't know Bells. Hopefully, but it just seems like this case is going nowhere fast."

"But you found new evidence?" I stated as a question.

"I know, but we still had no leads. I mean we could have the evidence examined, but with no leads and no suspects we'd basically still be getting nowhere."

I was battling with myself. Should I tell him what I thought of the evidence? If I did would he be angry with me for snooping when I wasn't supposed to be? Would he even believe what I told him? And then another question popped into my head, one I hadn't even considered until now.

Did I even believe me? When I had looked at the evidence the night before I had been so sure. My mind had instantly connected to Mike and the way that I had seen his shirt torn when we were talking in school the other day. I had just instantly connected the dots. But did I connect them too soon? It was a definite possibility that Mike was not the only one who had a shirt like that. But what were the chances—if someone did own the same shirt—of that shirt being ripped the exact same way that Mike's was ripped. I knew the chances were very slim. So why couldn't I just open my mouth and tell Charlie what I thought? I wanted to talk to Mike first—to see if I could casually bring up Lauren's brother, maybe I'd get some sort of reaction that I could go on. I just didn't want to accuse him of something and get him possibly thrown in jail if there was some other explanation. I decided to keep what I knew to myself for the time being. Just until I could talk to Mike. It was probably very stupid of me to keep something like this to myself, but it was just too much information to process over one night—one night that was filled with gruesome nightmares, which made my thought process no better.

"Well, maybe you'll find something that can possibly pin this to someone. Don't give up," I said and felt horrible.

"I don't want to give up but most of the time when cases start playing out like this they eventually run cold."

We sat in silence for a few minutes before he spoke up again. "I'm going to run down to the station for a bit."

"I thought you had the day off."

"I do, I just work better with things like this when I'm in my office and it also wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion from one of the boys down there."

He stood up and went over to the sink to clean his plate. Once he was done he gathered up the things from the table, grabbed his coat and keys and headed out the door. Once I heard the cruiser crank up and pull out I realized that I was left alone with nothing to do for the rest of the day. Nothing to keep my mind busy; so I set about doing what I did best when I was trying not to think too much. I cleaned. I practically cleaned the whole house, top to bottom—I even went as far as rearranging every single item in the cupboards and pantry. When I was done I looked at the clock only to find out that it was barely one-thirty.

I sighed. The house was eerily quiet and every task that I could have done was finished. I could watch television or even read, but I knew I wouldn't be able to pay attention for long.

I went upstairs and plopped face down on my bed and instantly wondered what Edward was doing. I wanted to see him, but our first date was tonight and I didn't want to seem too needy for his company. Besides, I would be seeing him in a few hours anyway. With that thought I went to my closet to attempt to find something to wear for said date. I just stood there and stared at the clothes before giving up and falling back down on the bed. Who was I kidding? I was no good at picking out outfits for occasions like this. And then it hit me. I knew exactly what to do to pass the time.

I picked up my phone and dialed Alice.

"I'm so glad you called Bella," Alice said as we pulled up to park in front of a clothing store named 'Elegance'.

"Well, you are the expert on things like this and this is my first date with your brother. I want to look nice."

"Well you thought wisely. My brother won't be able to take his eyes or his hands off of you once I'm done with you," she said with a giggle.

We were in Port Angeles shopping for me an outfit for tonight. After I called Alice and asked her to come along to help me she was in my front yard practically five minutes after we had hung up. So yeah, she was excited; maybe even a little more excited than I was.

Once we were inside the store she pulled me straight towards the back. It was obvious that she knew the store well by the way she knew exactly what section suited me best. And I had to admit the clothes were stunning. They were dressy, but not overly so. Perfect clothes for a first date.

"Here." Alice flung an armful of clothes at me. "Go try these on."

"Uh, Alice, can't I look and see if I like something before you start deciding for me?"

She laughed. "Silly Bella. This is what I do best. Now get in the dressing room and try them on," she demanded playfully.

After trying on the four outfits she had thrown at me and deciding that none of them would do, we continued our search through the racks of clothing. I was just about to give up when I spotted black lace peeking from between two lime green shirts. It was as if the shirt was peeking out at me alone, beckoning me to take it off the rack. When I pulled it out I was absolutely sure that I had found the perfect shirt. It was all black lace with a high neckline and it was lined underneath with sheer nude fabric.

"Oh wow," I heard Alice say. "That's hot! That's THE ONE!" She was looking at the shirt I was holding with a big grin on her face. "I couldn't have made a better decision myself. So what are you going to pair it with? A skirt or jeans?"

"Jeans definitely. I don't want to push it with this weather two nights in a row."

"Then I know the perfect ones. This store keeps them in stock because they are best sellers and you'll see why." She hopped off and came back a few seconds later with what appeared to be a plain pair of dark jeans.

"And what's so special about these? They look pretty ordinary to me."

"Like I said, you'll see when you put them on," she said as she shoved the pants at me.

They were the strangest texture. They didn't feel like jeans but they were also too sturdy to be made of cotton. I went into the dressing room and when I had the outfit on I knew that this was the one. And I also found out why Alice insisted on these pants. They clung to me like a second skin making my legs and butt look stellar.

"Awesome, right?" I heard Alice say as if she could sense my reaction from outside of the dressing room.

"More than awesome."

Once we were done shopping, we grabbed some frozen yogurt and headed back home. It was nearing five when we pulled up in my driveway. Charlie's cruiser was back and I was relieved that I wouldn't have to be alone in the house again. Being alone didn't appeal to me much lately.

"Well, I would stay and help you get ready, but I have to help Edward with a few things. So have fun on your date and tell me all about it later."

"Wait, do you know where he's taking me?" I asked, hoping to get a hint.

"No can do. I promised Edward that I wouldn't say a word. So you'll just have to wait and see."

I made a sour face at her. "You suck."

I waited until she was in her car and safely down the road before I went inside.

"Dad?" I called out.

"In here," he called from the living room. He was laid back in his recliner watching a football game.

"Long day?" I asked.

"Extremely."

"Get much done?"

"No more than I got done last night."

He looked kind of defeated and I felt extremely guilty for holding the information that I had in. I decided then and there that I had to tell him.

"Uh, Dad?"

"Yeah?" he asked, not taking his eyes away from the TV.

"There's something that I need to tell you about—" but the phone ringing in the kitchen abruptly cut me off.

"Hold that thought, would ya?" He got up and went to answer it. "Charlie Swan," he greeted. "Wait, what happened?….. How long ago was it?…. Was anyone there when it happened?"

Listening from this end of the conversation it seemed like something was going on. What? I had no clue.

"Okay and the cameras didn't catch anything?… Okay I'll be there in ten minutes."

Charlie came back into the living room and flipped the TV off before going over to the closet to pull out his police jacket.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"There was a break in down at Library. I'm gonna go check it out."

"Any idea who it could have been?"

"No the cameras didn't catch anyone, but they said that the archived section was pretty ransacked."

"Well, be careful."

"Always am Bella."

"How long will you be gone?" I asked.

"Who knows? I may have to go down to the station when I leave the library. So don't wait up."

"I'll be with Edward," I blurted out. "We uh, we have a date tonight."

"Didn't the two of you just go out last night?" he asked sternly.

"Yeah, but it was just to a party and were with friends so it wasn't actually a date."

"Well, don't stay out too late and be careful."

"I will."

He was heading for the door before he turned around to face me again. "What was it that you had to tell me again?" he asked.

It was only then that I remembered that I was about to tell Charlie about Mike before being interrupted by the phone. My opportunity was now lost because Charlie had business he had to take care of. I didn't know how long he would be gone so I just decided I would tell him tomorrow. I couldn't put it off much longer.

"Oh, we can talk about it tomorrow. You should get to the library to see what happened."

"Okay. See ya Bells," he said before rushing out the door.

I sighed and headed for my room. I had just a little over an hour to get ready. I showered quickly before styling my hair in loose curls and pinning the top portion up. My make up consisted of mascara, lip gloss, and a tiny amount of blush to the apples of my cheeks. I was stepping into my black boots when the doorbell rang. I quickly zipped the boots up, looked myself over in the mirror, and bounded down the stairs.

When I opened the door I was nearly knocked off my feet. There stood Edward looking like he had stepped off the cover of GQ magazine. Under his coat he had on a simple black dress shirt, the first few buttons were undone and I could see a light sprinkling of chest hair which was indeed the sexiest thing I think I had ever seen. The shirt was paired with black casual jeans—only Edward could pull off jeans and a dress shirt so classily. He was outright gorgeous, his cheeks and full lips flushed from the cold, his copper hair in a sexy disarray.

I think I downright drooled at the sight of him.

"Edward," I said breathlessly. "You look… wow." I couldn't even form words for how good he looked at that moment.

He chuckled. "Well thank you, but I must say that I have some very dangerous competition because Bella, baby you look absolutely stunning."

My breath hitched. He had never called me 'baby' before and I absolutely loved the way it sounded coming from his lips. I could feel my face heat up; maybe I shouldn't have put on any blush I'm sure the one I was sporting now would put any makeup to shame.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

I nodded. "Let me just grab my coat and we can get going." I turned to get my coat from the hall closet and when I turned around I was pretty sure that I had caught Edward checking me out. I decided to call him out on it.

"Like what you see?" I teased.

"Bella you have no idea," he said, his voice low and deep, smooth like velvet. I shivered a bit and shook my head a little to clear my head of the thoughts that were quickly going straight to the gutter.

"Ready to go," I said with a smile and he led me out to his car.

"So where are we going?" I asked, knowing he wouldn't tell me, but I had to try anyway.

"Still fishing for a clue, I see," he said with a smirk.

I was sure that Alice had told him about my nosiness earlier. "Just curious," I replied.

"You'll see soon enough beautiful."

We rode in comfortable silence until we finally pulled up in his driveway, which left me confused.

"Why are we at your house?" I asked.

"This is where our date will be taking place," he replied.

That was when I noticed that all of the cars were gone. Carlisle's black Mercedes was absent as was Alice's Porsche. When we got inside the house it was incredibly quiet and all the lights were out.

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

"Carlisle had some sort of medical conference dinner in Seattle and Esme went with him and they won't be back until tomorrow afternoon. And Alice is out with Jasper. So we have the entire house to ourselves," he said and I could hear the sly little smirk in his voice.

"Hmm, smooth aren't you?" I joked.

He chuckled. "I am nothing if not thorough."

"So what do you have planned for tonight," I asked as he took my coat and hung it up. He ran his fingers lightly down my bare arms and I shivered. "If you don't stop that we'll be spending this whole date making out on the couch," I said.

"That is perfectly fine by me," said.

I giggled. "But as tempting as that might be, I assume you have something planned and I don't want all of your hard work to go to waste."

"Very well," he said. "Follow me." He grabbed my hand and led me into their immaculate and spacious dining room. I gasped at what I saw.

The end of the dining table closest to us was set up with a deep plum colored tablecloth. On top was a beautiful and obviously antique silver candelabrum that held three candles. The candlelight glowed upon to plates set up filled with the most delicious looking lasagna and salad that I had ever seen.

"Edward, this is beautiful. You must have been at this all day."

"Well, Alice helped me with most of the decorative elements; she actually set this up when I went to pick you up," he gestured to the table. "And my mom helped me with the food, seeing as I can't cook." He chuckled. "But it was all my idea."

"Well it's lovely. I must say that this is already turning out to be a perfect first date. Shall we?" I gestured to the table.

"After you," he said and pulled my chair out for me to sit.

"This is seriously really nice Edward. I know I've said it already, but I think you definitely deserve the praise."

"Well, I did it all for you, so it wasn't any trouble at all."

I smiled at him before tucking in to my lasagna, which was hands down the best lasagna I had ever tasted. I think I may have moaned out loud to which Edward chuckled.

"That good, huh?" he asked with a smirk.

"You have no idea. I've never had lasagna that was this good before."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. I mean I think the few times I've made it it was pretty good, but this… this is fantastic. I may have to steal Esme's recipe."

"Your uh, your mother never made things like this?" he asked and I could hear the hesitance in his voice when he spoke of my Mom. It didn't bother me as much as I thought it might and I was sure Edward's presence was the reason. For some reason he just made everything better. It was even more proof of how hard I was already falling for him.

"Uh no. My mom didn't cook much—well she didn't cook at all seeing as she could even properly boil water." I chuckled at my mother's less than stellar kitchen skills. "I always did most of the cooking which I was fine with because I loved doing it. Our roles were always kind of reversed that way."

"What do you mean?" Edward asked.

"Well with me and Renee it was always sort of like I was the mom and she was the child. She was always a bit scatter brained. She was always trying new and exciting thing which of course she would drag me along with her. Though there were quite a few things that I had to talk her out of like bungee jumping or the time when she dragged me to Arizona with the intention of going rock climbing," I explained wistfully.

"You miss her," Edward said.

"What?" I asked being instantly pulled from my trip down memory lane.

"You mom. You miss her; I can see it in your eyes," he said, his eyes burning into mine.

I nodded. "I do. I miss her so much, sometimes so much I can barely stand it, but… I know this may sound a bit strange, but sometimes I think that if it weren't for the accident that took her life then I would never had met you. I like to think that she sent you to me because she knew that I would need someone who understood me and someone who wouldn't make it hurt so much… does that even make sense?"

He smiled. It was a sad smile. "It make perfect sense to me." He reached over to my face to catch a tear that I didn't even know had fallen.

After we finished dinner Edward cleaned up and started to lead me to another part of the house—their outstanding den.

"Another part of the date?" I asked.

"Yes." I could hear the grin in his voice.

He led me into the den and gestured for me to sit on the couch, which was positioned in front of a blank wall. There were a few candles lit here and there, but nothing over the top. It was subtle yet nice, which was very me. Edward went behind the couch and I could hear him fidgeting with something and then I heard a light whirring sound, which sounded familiar in a strange way. When the wall in front of me lit up I knew why I knew the sound. It was a film projector. Edward tinkered a bit more behind me before coming to sit beside me on the couch.

"Wow, you really went all out with this," I complimented.

He shrugged. "Like I said, nothing if not thorough," he said before draping his arm around my shoulder.

"So what are we watching?" I asked. Surely he wouldn't keep that a secret either.

"One of my favorites. Dracula—the original version."

"From 1931?" I asked.

"Yep. Gotta love the classics. They set the stage. Without the classics we'd have nothing to go on."

"I can't believe this is your favorite movie," I mused.

"It's not my favorite, it's just one of them albeit very high up on my list of favorites."

"So what are your other favorites?"

"If I sat here and listed all of my favorite movies we would be sitting here long enough to have watched the movie twice," he explained to which I gaped.

"You have that many favorites? You've actually watched that many movies?" I asked in disbelief.

"I'm a bit of a movie nerd," he confessed with a chuckle.

"A bit?" I teased.

"Alright, enough making fun of me, the movie is starting."

We settled in to watch the movie, but our attention was only focused for about twenty minutes. Edward kept gliding his fingers along the back of my neck, which was making my skin heat up. I was sure that he was doing it on purpose because when I bravely grabbed his face and started to kiss him, he didn't protest one bit.

His mouth gladly invaded mine and the movie was forgotten. His lips were like silk gliding against mine and I couldn't seem to get enough. He was everywhere—his intoxicating smell, the heat coming from his body, his hands roaming all over me. I quickly climbed onto his lap. My hand slowly inched down to the buttons on his shirt. I cautiously unbuttoned one and when he didn't stop me, I finished the rest. My hands roamed over his chest, my fingers feeling the soft hair on his chest tickle my fingertips. I was sure I felt him shiver underneath my touch, which made me smile to know that I was making him feel this way. Slowly, his hands began to inch up my waist, going in a steady direction to the undersides of my breasts. He stopped when he was right underneath, silently asking for my permission. I nodded and he wasted no time moving his hands to gently cup my breast. I broke away from his mouth to catch my breath and his lips instantly went to my neck and my fingers went to his hair, which was already pretty much disheveled.

I could feel the very prominent bulge in his pants underneath me and the feel of it made my skin heat up even more. I didn't know where my bravery was coming from, but before I knew it, I was lightly moving my hips. I didn't know where this needy feeling was coming from, but I just wanted so desperately to feel more of him. He moaned into my neck and I pressed my hips down a little more firmly. I knew that we needed to slow down, but it was like I was in a lust-induced coma and I didn't want to come out of it. When I felt Edward's tongue slightly graze the skin my neck, I knew that it was time to stop. I could only imagine what that feeling would do to me. I stilled my hips and put a bit of space between our upper bodies.

"Maybe," I began, out of breath. "I think we should stop now, before it goes too far too soon," I said.

Edward nodded. "You're right. It was getting a little too hot in here."

I chuckled and gave him another quick kiss before climbing from his lap. We couldn't really concentrate on the remainder of the movie so he suggested to taking me home. I didn't really want to leave, but it was getting late and I didn't want to worry Charlie unnecessarily.

Once we pulled up in front of my house, I noticed Charlie had returned home. The porch light was on, but the house wasn't lit up much from the inside so I assumed that Charlie had gone to bed. Edward got out and came around to get my door for me. He took my hand as he walked me to the front door. I was reaching for the doorknob, when Edward effectively stopped me with a searing kiss. It was short, but it left me breathless.

"Wow, you are so good at that," I said, with my eyes still closed.

"Well, I don't like to brag, but…" he trailed off suggestively. I pushed his shoulder a bit.

"Okay cocky," I joked. "I had a really nice time tonight," I told him more seriously.

"So did I. I can't wait to do it again."

"Same here, but next time, I pick where we go."

"Deal." He leaned down and placed one last chaste kiss on my lips. Short and sweet. "Goodnight Bella."

"Goodnight Edward."

As I stepped inside the warm house, he walked back to his car. I watched out the window until his car pulled off and disappeared down the street. I sighed and leaned against the door. I was pretty certain that I was in love with Edward Masen.

I didn't bother waking Charlie to continue our earlier conversation. Instead I quickly washed my face and slipped into bed. I was dozing off, when my phone vibrated on my bedside table. I picked it up, smiling, knowing that it was Edward.

Goodnight Love. –E.

That was all it said, but it was enough. I was certain that I would be sleeping nightmare free.

The next day I woke up to find Charlie already gone. He would probably be gone most of the day, so I figured we could talk later.

After I read a sweet good morning text from Edward, I fixed myself breakfast consisting of eggs, toast, and bacon before taking a long shower. After my shower I decided to watch a bit of TV, but nothing held my attention long. So I was stuck wondering what I could do with my day. I thought of my research project for my history class and I decided to start working on it. I gathered up my things and headed for the truck, hoping that the library wouldn't be off limits due to the break in the night before. I was in luck because when I pulled up I noticed there was a car in the lot—No police cars, thankfully.

Forks public library was mainly just on huge, old Victorian style house on the outside that had been renovated to become a library on the inside. It was kind of odd, but it was definitely beautiful and kind of fitting for the small town. There was only one person working behind the front counter. She looked to be in her mid to late thirties. She had dark hair that fell just past her shoulders, her skin was tan and there was a slight olive tone underneath. She wore small, black-rimmed glasses.

When the bell above the door dinged, announcing my entrance she looked up and smiled. I could instantly see it in her eyes that she knew who I was, but she didn't come right out and say it. Instead she waited for me to approach her.

"Good afternoon," she greeted when I walked up to the counter.

"Good afternoon," I said politely.

"What can I help you with today?" she asked as she pulled off her glasses, which fell to hang around her neck.

"I uh, I have a history project that I'm working on and I need some good research material," I explained.

"What's your topic?" she asked as she moved from behind the counter.

"I have to do a detailed research paper on the history of Forks."

"Well, our town isn't exactly what you would call interesting—not much history, but I think that I can help you out a bit. Follow me."

She led me through to a room on the east side of the house. The room was painted a soft mint green and two of the walls were lined with tall bookshelves. Some held books and others held magazines and newspapers. On the two walls closest to the door desks were set up and they held very modern looking computers, which was a bit surprising. There were three square tables spaced out around the room. The woman—I still hadn't gotten a name—went about picking up books and magazines, even newspapers that she thought I might need. She had a pretty hefty stack of material when she was done. She placed it all down on one of the tables.

"This is what we have that could help you out with your paper. It's not very much, but it should get the job done."

"Thanks…" I trailed off.

"Oh, I'm Emily. Good friend of your father's."

I knew she recognized me. I nodded.

"Thank you Emily."

"No trouble at all. It you need anything, I'll be at the desk out front."

"Thanks again." I sat down at the table and started with the books, that looked kind of old, but not incredibly so. As it turned out the history of Forks wasn't all that bland after all. It was pretty interesting, I mean as interesting as a small logging town could get, but still interesting all the same. As I searched I jotted down notes that I thought would help me. There weren't any certain specifics that I had to put in the paper, but there was something specific that I was looking for. I knew that I would end up searching for it before I even got to the library.

I was still trying to be Nancy Drew and figure out more about that family that Charlie had told me about. More specifically the girl that had disappeared. Figuring that it had happened over a hundred years ago, I knew that I would maybe need to look in the archived section of the library. I remembered that Charlie had said that the archived section was the part that had been broken into the night before. Would Emily even let me check it out seeing that someone had 'ransacked' it as Charlie had said? I decided that it couldn't hurt to ask.

I went to the front desk. Emily was reading a book and munching on a sandwich.

"Uh, Emily?" I called out timidly.

"Yes dear?" she asked kindly.

"I found the material that you gave me very helpful," I started, easing my way into it. "But I was hoping to delve a little bit deeper. Does the library have an archived section that I could maybe look in? I would love to find more specific historical information on the town."

She didn't look suspicious of me, which was good.

She shook her head. "There isn't much and what we do have is off limits at the moment. I'm sorry to have to tell you that."

My hope deflated. I nodded. "Okay. Thanks anyway."

I went back to work with a little less enthusiasm. After a while there was a familiar pressure in my lower abdomen. I rushed to the front desk, suddenly in a tight.

"Where are the restrooms?" I asked.

Emily hesitated a bit before answering. "Go up these stairs," she gestured to a staircase to her left. "Turn down the left hallway and it's the second door on the right."

"Thank you," I said gratefully before bounding up the stairs. When I got to the landing at the top it was just instinct that I looked left and right, even thought I knew that the restrooms were to the left. But I got a lucky break by doing so. The right hallway was taped off with that all too familiar yellow police tape that I had see just last week at school. I considered ducking under to investigate, but the need to relieve my bladder was stronger. And besides as clumsy as I was, there was no way I could snoop with Emily just a floor below me. In a house this old she would no doubt hear every step that I made. So I just went ahead to the bathroom instead.

After I was done I went back downstairs to find Emily slinging a purse over her shoulder and grabbing her keys.

"Are you closing?" I asked confused.

"Oh no, I have to go pick up my son from his math tutor. I won't be gone long, but I'm turning the sign over to closed just in case someone comes by. I'll lock the door as well. You can finish your research. I will be right back," she said before bounding out the door.

This was my chance. It was now or never. I waited until I heard Emily's car pull out before quickly running back up the stairs and ducking under the tape. There were four doors; two on the right wall and two on the left. They all had golden plaques on them indicating what each room was for. My eyes zeroed in on the door that read: Forks Public Library: Archives. I twisted the knob, half expecting it to be locked, but I gasp in relief when I find it open. The door creaked a bit when I opened it. The room was very big; smaller than my bedroom. There were two file cabinets on either side of the window, which looked over the window—that was good; I could be on the look out for Emily.

There was one lone bookshelf on the left wall and a small desk on the opposite wall. Papers were scattered over the top of it. I went to those first. They were only papers documenting inventory and book orders. I moved to the bookshelf, but found that it only held old dusty magazines. They were more modern looking, maybe from the fifties or sixties, not old enough to have been printed a hundred years ago. My last hope was the file cabinets. I was lucky that they weren't locked up. The cabinets were unusually wide and when I opened one I understood why. There newspapers—rows and rows of preserved, laminated newspapers in order by date. The more recent ones were still the usual gray-ish hue that newspapers usually were, but I noticed that the older ones had a sort of yellow tint to them. I scanned over the dates, but none were old enough, so I moved to the second drawer. Still no luck.

I was just starting to leaf through the papers in the third drawer, when a noise coming from the direction of the other cabinet got my attention. The handle on the top drawer had somehow fallen off. I closed the drawer I was in tightly and slowly moved to the second file cabinet. I pried it open with my fingers, seeing as there was no handle to grip. I started to thumb through the papers when I noticed that one towards the very back was sticking out. It was almost as if it was calling to me. Something told me to pull it out and so I did—at least, I started to. I only got a brief glimpse at the headline—Forks Girl Gone Missing…- before I heard the jingling of keys behind me. I knew who it was before I turned around.

Crap. I was caught. I slowly turned to find Emily standing there with a disapproving look on her face. She didn't look mad though, which was good. At least I thought so.

"Bella, I told you the Archives were off limits. Didn't you see the tape outside?"

I looked down at my feet. "I'm sorry I was just a bit curious. I didn't mean—"

"Look, it's nothing personal. I'm not trying to hide anything, it's just that there was a break in last night and the police are still looking over the room. I would hate for you to get wrapped up in this if they found something up here that could connect you to the break in, which could very well happen, considering that you're in here," she explained kindly.

"You're right. It was stupid of me to come in here. I'm sorry."

"No harm done. Once the investigation is over, this room will be open to whoever may need it, including you, but just not right now."

"I understand," I said as I walked past her. When I got back downstairs, Emily right on my heels, I noticed that there was a boy sitting at the counter, his face buried in a comic book. He had dark hair that fell in his eyes; he looked to be around ten or eleven.

"Bella, this is my son, Seth," Emily said.

Seth looked up from his comic book. He was like a carbon copy of Emily, only he was a boy. It was uncanny.

"Seth, this is Charlie's daughter, Bella."

I gave Seth a small wave. He just looked at me with wide eyes.

"Mom," he said in a whisper. "Why did you never tell me that Chief Charlie had a hot daughter?" he asked and I let out a chuckle.

"Seth! Inappropriate," Emily scolded.

"What?" I'm only telling the truth."

"He's fine," I said. "I'm gonna get back to work. It was nice meeting you Seth."

He nodded, but it seemed like he was once more focused on his comic book.

I worked for a few more hours before I noticed that the sky was turning dark. I looked at the clock on my phone. It was going on six; I had no idea that I had been here so long. I also noticed that I had a text from Edward, which must have come through when I was upstairs snooping. I instantly responded.

So sorry! I've been in the library all day. Research. –B.

He responded instantly, which made me feel like crap for not getting his message sooner.

No worries. Esme wants to know if you'd want to come over for dinner. –E.

Sounds nice, but I really need to get home and cook for Charlie… is tomorrow okay? –B.

Totally fine… dinner will be at six tomorrow. –E.

Perfect! See you in school tomorrow? –B.

Definitely. Can't wait to see you. I miss you. (pathetic?) Lol. –E.

Not pathetic. Cute, very cute. I miss you too. –B.

Then come for dinner tonight, please? –E.

Edward, I need to feed Charlie. He's probably helpless right now. –B.

No, you're right. Well, I'll see you tomorrow. –E.

Until then. –B.

He sent me a smiley, which in turn made me was gathering up her things as I was leaving out.

"Oh good, I was just about to close up," she said. "It's been such a slow day. I'm glad it's over."

"Thanks for the help today," I said.

"No problem; it's my job after all."

"I'll be back soon," I promised. "Bye Seth," I said as I walked out and I was pretty sure he blushed.

I made a quick run to the grocery store to pick up some items for dinner before going home. The sky was fully dark when I pulled up at home. Charlie had made it in for which I was grateful. I was such a scaredy-cat these days.

"Dad, I'm home," I called out. I expected and answer, but got nothing. I just figured that he was too into his work. "I'll get started on dinner as soon as I put my things away," I said as I turned the corner into the kitchen.

I stopped dead in my tracks and the grocery bags slipped from my hand when my eyes landed on Charlie. He was at the kitchen table slumped over his paperwork. Even from where I stood I could tell that his body was limp and in danger of falling out of his chair.

"Charlie?!" I yelled and ran to him. He didn't respond when I shook his shoulder a little. He just slumped down even further. I dropped to my knees to try to support his weight to keep him from falling onto the floor. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Edward.

"You must really miss me, huh?" Edward said when he picked up the phone.

I couldn't respond to his playfulness because I was currently freaking out. "Edward! Could you ask Carlisle to come over here quickly? Something has happened to Charlie and I don't know what to do," I said frantically into the phone.

"Bella calm down. What happened?" he asked, all signs of playfulness gone from him voice.

"I came home from the library and found Charlie slumped over the kitchen table unconscious."

"Is he breathing?" Edward asked.

I instantly felt for a pulse. I nearly cried when I felt it under my fingertips.

"I feel a pulse," I said.

"Okay, Carlisle is on his way. Sit tight and try not to panic."

"Okay."

In less than tem minutes there was a knock on the door. Carlisle came in and headed straight for the kitchen. Edward was close behind him. He pulled into his arm and squeezed me tight.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'll be okay when I know that Charlie is okay."

He led me into the living room to sit down. I heard Carlisle talking to someone on the phone. I was pretty sure I heard the word head trauma, but I couldn't be sure. I didn't notice I was crying until I felt Edward wipe my tears away.

"Hey, don't cry. Everything will be fine, okay?"

I only nodded; I couldn't form any words at the moment. I was still in shock.

Minutes, if not seconds, later an ambulance pulled up and paramedics were rushing inside the house. Carlisle came into the living room while they were taking Charlie out.

"As Charlie's doctor I will be riding in the ambulance for emergency purposes. Edward get my car and you and Bella can follow us to the hospital."

"What's wrong with him," I asked.

"It looks like he was hit in the head. He's heavily unconscious. I'll know more once we get to the hospital. We need to get going now."

I nodded and got up from the couch. Edward turned out all of the lights before leading me outside to the car. The ride to the hospital was quiet—I just stared blankly out the windows. I didn't register when Edward helped me out of the car once we got to the hospital. I barely noticed Esme and Alice hugging me. When had they gotten here? Time in the waiting room seemed to creep by at a snail's pace. It was almost an hour later when Carlisle entered the waiting room. He had a rather glum look on his face.

"Carlisle?" It was Esme who spoke up first.

"Charlie has suffered from blunt force head trauma. He was hit in the back of his head rather forcefully by something. We're still trying to figure out what that weapon could have been. There was a bit of swelling on his brain so we've put him in an induced coma for the time being, until the swelling goes down. He's not brain dead, which is good, but he could be out for at least three to four days due to the nature of his injuries."

"Can I see him?" I asked, tears falling in a steady stream down my face. All I could think about was how I couldn't lose the only parent I had left. My mother hadn't even been gone a good two months. Charlie couldn't be taken away from me too. I wouldn't be able to handle it. They'd have to insert me into an insane asylum because I would surely go crazy. How could all of this happen to one person over the course of merely five weeks? I was surprised I could still speak in complete sentences. It felt like I was floating—as if I were watching this happen to somebody else—an out of body experience.

"Sure, but it can only be you. Everyone else will have to wait here."

"Even Edward can't come?" I asked desperately. I could not do this on my own. I needed someone with me and Edward was the only person I wanted with me at this moment.

Carlisle sighed. "He can wait outside the room, but he can't go in. Is that okay?"

I nodded. "That's fine."

The walk to the ICU was a tough one. I hated hospitals as it was and this situation only made me hate them more. Edward kept a tight grip on my hand the entire walk to Charlie's room. Once we got there it was like my body was starting to lock up. I couldn't make my feet move any further. I didn't know what I would find on the other side of the curtain, but I was sure that I would fall apart at the sight.

"I don't think I can do this," I said shakily, burying my face into Edward's chest.

"Hey," he said in a quiet voice. "Yes you can. I know that this must be hard for you, but Charlie needs you in there. Go talk to him; just let him know that you're okay. That could maybe help him start to pull through."

"Edward is right," Carlisle said. "He will be able to hear you, even if he can't respond. Go and give him some reassurance. Let him know he has his daughter to come back to."

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Will you stay here?" I asked Edward in a small voice.

"I'll be right here. I'm not going anywhere. I promise." He kissed my forehead.

I pulled back the curtain slowly and what I saw almost caused me to run right back out, but I knew that Charlie would want me to be strong for him, so I continued on. He was so pale. If it weren't for the beeping machines he could be passed off as nothing more than a corpse. My breath hitched as I took him in. He looked so fragile. My big brave policeman dad, lying on this bed helpless. It was only then that I considered who could have done this. I wanted to hunt whoever it was down and kill them. Who could do such a thing? Better yet, why did they do it? From what I knew, Charlie didn't have enemies so who could it have been?

I didn't know why my thoughts kept going back to Mike Newton and that ripped shirt. What could he have to do with this? He was definitely connected to Lauren's brother, the evidence was proof. But that got me thinking; the intruder in our house, the library incident, and now this. Were they somehow all connected? I was certain I was missing an even bigger part to this confusing puzzle, but I couldn't seem to fit the pieces together—I just couldn't connect the dots.

I stepped a bit closer and leaned down to place a kiss on Charlie's head. "Dad, I know that you're in there and I know that you can possibly hear me. You have to be strong and pull through… this is your scared little girl telling you that she needs you to pull through for her. If you leave me, I'll have nobody." Sure that wasn't true, I would definitely have the Cullens, but I could not lose both of my parents in such a short period of time. "Please pull through dad, so we can find out who did this to you. That's what you do best. You catch people who do things like that. We need you out here. I need you."

I gave him another kiss to his head. "I love you dad. I'll be back soon" With that I walked back into the hallway where Edward was waiting anxiously for me. I didn't need to say a word; he just pulled me into his arms and let me cry silently.

After a while Carlisle notified me that the Police were in the waiting room to ask me some questions. I was really not in the mood for anything like that, but I had to think about Charlie. He would want me focused on trying to find out who did this. There were two policemen waiting for me. The looks on their faces told me that they knew my dad well. They were hurt as well, they just hid it better.

"Bella, I'm officer Clearwater and this is officer Uley," the officer with the graying hair said. He was about the same height as Charlie, but he was a bit on the heavier side. The other officer; officer Uley was obviously very young. He looked like he was somewhere between twenty-three and twenty-six. He had black shiny hair and dark eyes. They both had tan skin with an olive undertone. Kind of like Emily. I wondered if they were related in any way.

"We have a few questions to ask you," officer Clearwater stated.

I nodded and told him to continue.

"Were you home all day today?"

I was pretty sure they already knew the answer to that, but I answered anyway.

"No, I wasn't."

"What did you do today?"

"When I woke up this morning Charlie was gone; I assumed he went down to the station. I fixed me some breakfast, watched a little TV and I went to the library to start on a research paper for school."

"How long would you say you were at the library?"

"Most of the day basically. It's a very time consuming paper that I'm working on."

Officer Clearwater nodded. "Did you go straight home after leaving the library?"

"No. I went to the grocery store to pick up some things to make dinner and when I got home I found Charlie in the kitchen."

Officer Uley was writing in a notepad as I told them all of this.

"Do you have even the slightest clue to who could have done this?" Officer Clearwater asked.

Here I was again. Did I tell these cops about my suspicions of Mike Newton or did I leave the information untouched? I really didn't have to decide because the thought of Charlie lying in that bed decided for me.

"I think that… maybe you should talk to Michael Newton," I said.

"Mike?" I heard Edward say behind me.

I nodded.

"Do you think he did it?" It was officer Uley who spoke that time.

"I'm not positive that he did it, but I really, really think that you should talk to him. He may know something."

"What makes you think Mr. Newton may know something about this?"

I sighed and rubbed at my temple. I was tired and I just wanted to go to bed. "It's… I can't really explain it right now okay? I'm tired and I can't think properly. Just talk to him. Trust me on this."

They both nodded. "Are you done?" I asked.

"There is one more thing," officer Clearwater said.

"What is it?"

Officer Uley pulled out a zip-lock bag from his back pocket. "Do you recognize this?" he asked as he handed me the bag. Inside was a necklace. A blue moonstone attached to a thin chain. I furrowed my brows at the unfamiliar object.

"No. Where did this come from?" I asked and gave the bag back to officer Uley.

"We found it under the kitchen table when we went to check the house out. There was this and the lock on the back door was broken."

"So you're saying someone broke in? Wouldn't Charlie have heard that?"

"That's what we thought too, but then we came to another conclusion. We dusted the doorknob for prints. We found a few, but it was obvious that that the weren't fresh."

"So you're saying that someone broke in before Charlie came home and then the snuck up on him and knocked him out?" I asked.

"Yes, but that's not all we're saying."

"Well please get to the point!" I almost yelled.

"The prints had been on the knob for a few hours."

"How long is a few hours?" I was fairly certain I understood what they were getting at, but I just didn't want it to be true.

"From what we could conclude, the prints had been on the door for half the day. As early as 10 a.m."

"So you're telling me that this intruder was in the house with Bella while she was home today… Alone?" Edward asked, because I couldn't speak one word. All I could think of was that there was someone in the house with me while I was cooking, watching television, taking a shower. I felt nauseous.

"Yes. There is a strong chance."

"Well why didn't they hurt her? Why just Charlie?" Edward asked for me again.

"We don't know. But we searched the whole house and nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except for the necklace we found."

"Well, I don't recognize the necklace and I don't know who it belongs to. I just know that I need to get some sleep."

"Very well. Thank you for your cooperation Bella," officer Clearwater said. "And I hope Charlie pulls through soon."

I nodded. Once they were gone Esme who I hadn't noticed was still here rushed to my side, with Alice in tow. Alice grabbed my hand and wrapped her tiny arms around me. I hugged her back just as firmly. She hadn't said much tonight. Maybe she just didn't know what to say. I was sure I wouldn't if the roles were reversed.

"Bella, sweetie how about we go to your house and get you some things. I would feel much better if you stayed with us until Charlie is better. I'm sure that would make you feel better too," Esme suggested.

"That sounds good to me. I can't even imagine sleeping there tonight… or ever again for that matter."

Esme smiled sweetly at me. "Come on honey. We're leaving Carlisle's car here. You'll all ride back home with me."

I may have broken a record when considering how fast I was in and out of my house when I went to get my things. I basically told Edward to just grab an armful from the closet and I grabbed an armful from my underwear drawer. I grabbed up a few pairs of shoes, my toiletry bag and we were in and out in less than ten minutes. I didn't want to stay in the house longer than necessary. The feeling of eyes on me was unnerving. I just wanted to get out.

Once we were at the Cullen's Esme showed me to the huge guest room I would be staying in (with my own bathroom). I practically ran for the shower. I wanted to scrub the whole day off of me. When I emerged from the bathroom, I found Edward sitting at the foot of the bed.

"My, my. Sneaking into my room already, I see," I joked lightly. There was no real enthusiasm in it, but I needed to do something to lighten the mood a bit.

He smiled. "Esme sent some tea up for you. It's good. It will help you sleep."

"Thanks," I said as I took the mug from him and took a few sips. It was Heavenly. "Oh wow," I said.

"Yeah. Esme's tea will make you feel like you're on cloud nine, especially her 'Goodnight Tea' as she so affectionately calls it."

"Esme is a genius in the kitchen," I said taking a few more sips and I was already feeling the calming effects it had on my stressed out body.

"Are you okay? Really?" Edward asked.

I shrugged. "I don't even know how to answer that. All I kept thinking about at the hospital was how I just couldn't lose both Renee and Charlie so close together. That would utterly destroy me."

"He's in good hands. Carlisle will take very good care of him."

"I don't doubt that he will, but I just hope Charlie pulls through soon."

Edward nods. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," I said as I sat my mug down.

"It's about what you told the police at the hospital… about Mike Newton," Edward said, his eyes curious.

"I sort of figured you would ask. There is something else about Mike that I didn't tell the police, something that makes me think that he could indeed be involved in what happened to Charlie."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Well, it goes back to Lauren's brother. You see the police came across some new evidence close to the scene of the crime. It was a ripped piece of a shirt and a button. I saw it because Charlie left it in the kitchen table at home."

Edward looked confused. "What does that have to do with Mike?" he asked.

"I was talking to Mike at school the other day and I noticed that his shirt was ripped and that he had a button missing. The fabric of his shirt was downright identical to the fabric that I saw in the evidence bag. And he also had like scratches on his neck like maybe he had been scratched by something… or someone…"

"Lauren's brother?" he asked.

"Yes. Maybe he scratched Mike to defend himself or he was trying to get away from him… I don't know it just doesn't seem right."

"Bella, why didn't you tell the police this?" Edward asked. "This is big."

"I know I just wanted to talk to Mike first before I went accusing—"

"Bella I didn't even see the evidence, but from what you're telling me, I even believe that it's Mike. I know you want to do the right thing, but think of Lauren and her family. They need to know this. And even more we could possibly have a killer walking the halls of school with us… and you were actually considering going near him again to talk to him?" Edward rambled.

"Edward, calm down. It was a stupid idea."

"Bella the police need to know this. You need to tell them."

I nodded. "I will, but can we just finish talking about this tomorrow? I'm tired."

"Sure love," he said as he ran a hand down my cheek.

I finished the rest of my tea and stood up. I pulled the covers back and grabbed Edward's hand.

"Bella?"

"I just want you to stay with me until I fall asleep… like you did last time. You can leave when I'm happily snoring, I promise."

"Okay," he agreed as he climbed in behind me. He surprised me when he climbed under the covers with me.

The sheets were blissfully cool and Edward's embrace was warm. I hoped that Esme's tea and Edward's arms around me would be enough to keep the nightmares away.

"Goodnight Edward," I whispered—my eyes were already drifting closed.

"Goodnight Love," Edward whispered back.

And then I was lost in a sea of darkness.

A/N: So from a little sweet romance to smack in the middle of more drama. Can't poor Bella have a break? Sorry to say, but Bella is about to get on board a very emotional and unpredictable roller coaster. Heads up... things will only start to get uglier after this chapter. (Just another heads up in case you were wondering, I'm not going to kill Charlie. Even though Bella seems to have the weight of the world on her shoulders and I wouldn't do anything like that. Like she said, that would destroy her.)

What did you think of little Seth's comment to Bella? Cute is he not? You'll get to see him flirt with Bella again!

So yeah, there's a creepster stalking Bella and wreaking havoc on her life. Any ideas. Remember Mike isn't the only one who has to look suspicious just because I made it so obvious. Bella has other enemies who are capable of doing such horrible deeds. Can you name a few?

Okay, I'm done with the cryptic questions.

I know that it's being dragged out a bit, but Bella will find out more about the disappeared girl, the whole Forks abhors Christmas deal, and also the creepy girl with her face that she keeps seeing.

Sooo until the next update which I'll try to scrunch out in the next week or two. The details of this story are coming together and working themselves out in ways that are amazing me, so it just takes a bit longer to get it all out there. Please don't hold it against me.

Please review! I would GREATLY appreciate it!

~XOXO - BlckSwnn ~