I eased myself back down onto my feet, looking up at Edward’s dark eyes. Never before has the color of black onyx been so soft and adoring. I lay my head against his chest for an immeasurable amount of time and let him sway me gently in his arms. I closed my eyes, just breathing in the scent of him. His fingers were linked with mine, his stone arms wrapped around my waist. After a long moment I turned slightly, reaching to grab my toiletries bag before turning back to him. He sighed.

“I guess I have to leave now.” His statement sounded a little like a question, his accompanying expression warming the inner cavity of my chest. I could see that he wanted more than anything to stay. The sound of movement came from the first floor of the little house, indicating that Charlie was awake downstairs in the kitchen. The clamor of metal pots sounded as if he were starting to make breakfast.

“We need to talk to Charlie.” I sighed, reminding him. He nodded sagely, mentally acknowledging the rocky path that lay ahead in trying to reason with my father about my sudden three day absence. Edward stepped forward, pulling me back into the comfort of his arms and lovingly leaned down to kiss me on my forehead.

“I’ll knock on the front door in an hour,” he whispered, his cool lips lingering against my hair. Then he kissed me again, this time on the lips, before he disappeared out the open window. I stood staring after him for a long moment before turning to head to the bathroom.

The shower was calming. The hot water rolling over me relaxed my taut muscles since my whole body was stiff after so many hours of motionless sleep. I took only twenty minutes to prepare for the vehement conversation that was to come. I didn’t dare avoid any minute of it. I wasn’t about to let Edward face Charlie alone. I changed clothes quickly and I had just finished brushing out my tangled hair when I heard a strong rap echo from the front door. I froze in place facing my reflection in the mirror, mentally preparing myself for the onslaught.

“Chief Swan.” I heard Edward’s respectful greeting as clearly as if were standing next to me.

I threw the brush down without looking to see where it had landed and made my entrance to the kitchen evident with the sound of my noisy footsteps trampling down the stairs. My body stumbled to a stop to see that Charlie held the front door open only a fraction, his tense profile parallel to me.

Charlie’s body stood rigid and angled between me and the door. I had to lean over to see beyond his guarded stance. Edward was standing on the stoop still wearing the same clothes as before in my room, a complacent look etched deeply on his humble face. His slightly disheveled appearance made him no less beautiful; his jet black eyes soft and repentant.

“May I come in and speak with you, sir?” Edward’s voice asked gently and I felt my face grimace sourly. The need of permission to enter was apparently in response to Charlie’s last edict that prohibited Edward from coming into the house. I hadn’t been conscious for that exchange but I had plenty to say about it afterwards. My gaze became increasingly heavy on Charlie as I unconsciously crossed my arms in physical representation of my stance on the matter--the expectation that my staying was contingent on Edward staying with me. My eyes strongly kept their focus while Charlie retained his rigid position at the door. From my limited view, a glimpse of spiky black hair caught my attention.

I inched forward to see that Alice stood behind Edward, her pixie face visible from around his right shoulder. She made eye contact with me and a small, polite smile turned up the corners of her mouth.

“Hi Bella…Charlie,” Alice chimed in a voice so amiable that you would think that nothing was wrong at all; that she had just dropped by on a Sunday to say, Hi.

Charlie grimaced now. His attention was pulled quickly to Alice’s face and then traveled swiftly back to throw an outraged glare at Edward. I watched as the color of Charlie’s cheeks went through a myriad of colors ranging from a sallow purple to a vivid red. He looked uncomfortable. I’m sure he knew that he was outnumbered with Alice there and his blood pressure was visually pulsating underneath his thin skin. A long moment passed and Charlie eventually bobbed his head in kind concession to Alice, only to then turn and throw a pointed look accusingly at Edward. I didn’t expect that Edward had asked Alice to come along but that she probably insisted to help temper the situation.

Feeling the weight of my gaze, Charlie turned to meet my eyes and then looked back at the visitors who were still standing out in the drizzling rain.

“Dad,” I managed to open my mouth to say something. “Remember that we talked about this.” I tried to make the words sound less like an ultimatum but still hold a persuasive level of threat.

“I remember,” Charlie replied balefully. “You can come in, Edward,” he said, an expression half-pained, half-furious playing across his features. Charlie stepped backward pulling wider the span of the door before glancing back at me. For one fleeting moment I saw the overwhelming concern in my father’s aged eyes. He looked wary as if he were battle-worn. Alice remained on the front step unexpectantly for a moment before Charlie noticed that she was not moving to enter after her brother.

“You are always welcome here, Alice--please come in,” Charlie said his voice reproachful.

“Thank you,” Alice said patiently, stepping into our increasingly crowded kitchen. “I understand that we need to explain what happened last week. I had just as much responsibility as Edward in—”

Charlie cut her off mid-sentence.  “I could never be angry with you, sweetheart. I know that you were acting on behalf of your family.” Charlie spoke without averting his heavy glare from Edward. Edward stood solidly and pensively meeting my father’s eyes. “If you girls would go upstairs for a little while. I need to discuss a few things with Edward, alone.”

Charlie’s face got darker in the instant that he said Edward’s name. My attention fluttered back and forth over the distance which separated the two men. The apprehension was thick and static between the two, permeating the whole room with its intensity. In the corner of my eye I saw Alice give a small nod before taking my arm.

“Okay. We’ll just be in Bella’s room. Let us know when you want us to come back down.”

Alice could see the panic play across my face as she pulled me gently in the direction of the stairs. I staggered as she pulled me backwards, my body still squared and facing the two stone figures facing one another like some bad western showdown. I physically refused to leave Edward alone and cornered. In a quick flash Edward’s eyes met mine. They appeared resigned but strong. His gaze moved in a darted motion towards the staircase, silently directing me to leave. I gave one confused and wooden nod of my head before allowing Alice to usher me by my elbow up to my room.

                            *          *          *          *          *

 “Ugh!” I threw my body backwards onto the bed, my arms giving a leaded bounce against the bed’s surface.

“It’s alright, Bella. I don’t see anyone getting--uh, irritated to the point of violence.” Alice’s expression was faraway as she tried to predict the outcome of the overly quiet conversation taking place a floor below us. Her perfect face contorted in a pretty way as her eyes squinted and I imagined that she was trying to see if and when Charlie was going to lose it. I sat up abruptly, propping myself up on my elbows.

“Alice, it’s been ten minutes.” I could feel my face twisting with the stress. “What could they be talking about?” Alice’s face flexed more as I watched her work to try and answer my question. After a long minute her features relaxed.

“They are still working out the details. Nothing is final—I can’t say for sure until they have come to a decision.” Her posture perked up in anticipation for a fraction of second and then relaxed again. Her face then lit up again a second later, a dazed look in her eyes before deflating in the same way as before. She shrugged in frustration.

“Nope—just flickers. Wow, Charlie is really ticked off. He’s come up with about 101 ways of confining you to the house.” I felt my forehead furrow. I knew I was grounded for life, that wasn’t up for deliberation. I wanted to know how badly he was grilling Edward.

“That’s it,” I said hopping off the bed. “Enough suspense.”

I tiptoed to my bedroom door, the floorboards creaking loudly, exposing me for the poor spy I am. My bedroom door gave a high pitched squeak as I opened it quickly to creep into upstairs hall. I began to hear the faint echoes of the discussion as I approached the top of the stairs. Charlie’s voice sounded clearly up the distance of the staircase, which meant that he was sitting opposite of Edward at our kitchen table. I rolled my eyes as the second step from the top groaned conspicuously while I slowly sat myself down, trying in vain to carefully position my weight quietly. Soundlessly and with seemingly no physical effort at all, I turned to find that Alice was silently sitting next to me on the same step.

From my elevated perch I could see the back of Charlie’s plaid, flannel shirt. The sight was oddly reassuring. Being a cop, Charlie was trained at keeping his emotions in check, but something inside made me fear that the ingrained, parent instinct to protect might override his more mature senses, especially with all that he’d suffered emotionally this week. The tone of their voices indicated that the exchange seemed to have remained civil. Neither of them sounded incredibly happy, but at least no one was yelling. Actually, they kept their voices so low that I had to lean forward and strain to hear what was being said. Alice stayed perfectly still, her body slightly reclined backward with her head cocked to one side, and her eyes seemed lost in thought. Again her vampire attributes were so helpful in situations like this. I’m sure she would give the recap later if I missed anything important.

“I understand completely, sir.” I could finally make out the velvet tone of Edward’s voice.

“Then you can understand why I’m concerned.” The steel inflection of Charlie’s voice was intimidating. “It was, challenging…” I heard Charlie work to find the right words. “To watch her struggle—it’s not healthy for her to be around…friends that have that level of influence on her.” Charlie kept his composure until the one word, “friends,” when his base voice raised an octave and turned acidic. I could feel the sound of it reverberating off the kitchen cabinets. The restraint was evident in his voice and I had to hand it to Charlie; no matter how much he did not understand about Edward, it took strength to avoid showing weakness in front of the boy who broke his daughter’s heart.

“I understand—” I heard Edward begin, but Charlie finished his sentence.

“I don’t think you do.” A deeper tone marred Charlie’s voice now. It boomed with the anger that I feared.

“Chief Swan—I know it was wrong to leave. I know that now. At the time,” Edward’s velvet voice spoke swiftly now. “It was foolish to give her no notice the way I did. I just believed—stupidly, idiotically—that it would be easier for both of us that way.” I heard Charlie exhale loudly. The sound was deep and seemed skeptical, if that was possible.

“I truly wanted to do what was best for her and I admit that I failed miserably. Whatever I can do now, I will do.” For the first time I heard the edge in Edward’s tone. “To make amends to her, and to you, sir.”

It was silent for a moment as I continued to push my ears to detect the subtlety spoken words. All I could hear now my own heartbeat pounding in my ears and I resented the noise. Neither of them spoke for several minutes and my anxiety grew with every passing second. Only Charlie’s heavy breathing gave a barometer to what was happening in the uncomfortable silence. I glanced at Alice who sat as motionless as a statue, her eyes closed, seeing the future that I desperately wanted to know.

Edward’s sudden words shocked me.

“I missed her more than you know,” he said in a voice so low that I barely caught it; and apparently in response to some facial expression or thought of Charlie’s that only he could see or hear.

"Is that right?” Charlie’s response was simple, but whipped out from his lips in a tone so level and sarcastic that I could feel its sting even from where I sat. The next sound I heard was alarming--Edward’s sharp intake of breath. The silence returned, more ominous than before. What was Charlie thinking that would make Edward react that way? I bristled in my seat and my legs ached to launch me forward. It was then that I felt Alice’s cold and gentle hand on my arm, restraining me. She had emerged from her trance and her eyes were serious, searching mine.

“Just give them one more minute,” her voice was lower than a whisper. “It will be okay.” Her face centered on mine, the words and her expression soft with reassurance.

I grudgingly retook my place on the step and waited, bracing myself for the verbal abuse to continue.

“I’m sorry, Chief Swan. I know my actions were incredibly reckless,” Edward’s voice started the conversation again. This time his velvet voice was more composed, but sincere. “I respect your right to protect Bella, and I assure you, this won’t happen again. Whatever rules you feel are reasonable, I will follow them. If I may just see her…” his voice trailed off.

I felt my eyes beginning to well up, the battle to either unthinkingly race down the stairs or just burst into tears right there raged inside me. Alice, her hand still on my arm pulled me into her shoulder. Alice gently rubbed my back in soothing circles as my tears finally brimmed over, spilling helplessly down my cheeks.

“I don’t want you over here all the time,” Charlie said matter-of-factly, triggering the more steady flow of my silent sobs. “Bella needs to have a life, outside of a...you.” The verbal stumbling would have almost been funny if his words weren’t so menacing. Charlie obviously didn’t want to use the term, boyfriend, which may have given more authority to Edward than he felt inclined to at that moment.

“Whatever you feel is best, Chief Swan.” Edward’s response was level and diplomatic. “And please know that Alice had no part in this. I asked her…” I didn’t catch the last of Edward’s words because Alice’s sudden movement next to me captured my attention. Her head popped up and her eyes instantly narrowed in irritation.

“Edward,” Alice growled his name under her breath. I forcibly wiped away the tears with the back of my hand and leaned further forward to continue to listen; it sounded like it was finishing up now. Alice, one hand still patting my back, continued to mumble from what I could tell was a mock imitation of Edward’s voice, followed by more of her quicksilver speech. I tried to tune her out to let my auditory senses return to the melodrama unfolding in my kitchen.

“You can call me Charlie.” Although the words were cordial, Charlie’s voice was not. I responsively stood up as I heard this first indication that the discussion was coming to a close.

“Bella! I can hear you!” Charlie’s voice boomed now, bellowing in the direction of the staircase.

Each step gave a procession of groans as I trampled down them again in swift dissension; Alice standing with me less than a second later.

“We’re done. You can come down,” Charlie called blankly after I was already standing next to him, continually wiping at my cheeks with the back of my sleeve.

I turned my gaze to Edward, looking up at him through red-rimmed eyes. I took one step towards him when Charlie swiftly stepped in between, eyeing each of us like a warden.

“Here’s the deal.” Charlie held his hands up, parallel to our inclined bodies. “You are grounded, young lady!” The flat palm that was once parallel to me swiftly became a pointing finger.

“Okay.” I nodded in eager agreement. Charlie did not put his accusation finger away.

“That means that you are expected to go to school, come home”--His voice had a specific inflection on that part--“and do everything that you used to before, before…well, before!” His voice came out in huff as he shot another warning look at Edward. Charlie’s arms then fell lank to his sides and he gave another heavy sigh before continuing; Alice, Edward and I all stood in rapt attention. Charlie had the floor.

“Okay,” I said again quietly. Charlie stared, unseeingly at one of the little kitchen’s yellow cabinets for a minute as he deliberated. I gingerly stepped around him to take my place next to Edward. His onyx colored eyes shimmered and I took his hand firmly in mine. We both looked up suddenly to face Charlie’s glare as the action of our hands seemed to have suddenly spurred his verdict.

Charlie’s betrayed expression moved up from our intertwined fingers to my face in an instant.

“You are restricted to the house until further notice. You can leave for school but after you come home each night,” Charlie’s voice was pitched, agitated. “He—" Now his finger blatantly pointed at Edward’s face. "—is not allowed to visit until 7:00 p.m. in the evening. That time ends at 9:00 p.m. sharp,” he added firmly, panting a little from the force of his commands.

I felt my face fall a little at the strict time limits but I looked up to see that Edward’s expression was completely poised. I started to open my mouth, but thought better of it and closed it again. I wouldn’t argue.

“Okay,” I said with a tone of resolution in my voice, holding Edward’s hand steadily in both of my own. Charlie glared down at the gesture warily.

“This arrangement starts tomorrow.” Charlie’s eyes turned hard now.

“Bella is to stay in her room until then.” Charlie’s voice carried a ring of finality as if he had enough negotiations for one morning. His cold stare began at our clasped hands and moved up Edward’s arms to his face. Edward pulled his gaze from mine and respectfully bowed his head towards Charlie, turning to leave as if following my father’s unspoken prompt to get out. I trailed behind him, my hand refusing to let go of his. I stared longingly into Edward’s eyes as he turned to face me on the porch. He lifted my hand, still linked with his, to his lips, kissing it gently.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Edward said, the tone of his voice unusual, as if he were trying to make the depth of our exchange seem more commonplace. A quick flicker of his eyes up to the eave of my bedroom window gave me the hint that he wasn’t really waiting until tomorrow to meet me up in my room. I let out a relieved sigh before I felt the door behind me suddenly rock further open in one swift movement. Charlie rested his forearm over my head, on the door’s frame in a defensive stance, watching us furtively.

“Goodbye, Edward.” Charlie’s voice was dismissive.

“Thank you, Charlie.” Edward smiled sincerely, turning with muted footsteps back towards the driveway. At that same moment Alice stepped out past us following Edward.

“You are welcome to stay, Alice.” Charlie’s attitude changed dramatically as he addressed her, turning warm and fatherly.

“Bella and I will gladly drive you home in the cruiser.” Of course Charlie had to specify the mode of return transportation—there was no way in hell I would be allowed to drive Alice back to the Cullen’s house by myself. Alice gracefully skipped up to me and kissed me lightly on the cheek.

“Thanks, Charlie, but I’d better ride home with Edward. Esme was worried and she will want to talk to me. Would it be okay if I stopped by tomorrow afternoon instead?” The suggestion made Charlie’s solemn face stretch instantly into a grin, with teeth showing and everything. I shifted my weight to rest backwards against the door, just watching in awe. Of course Alice could dance daintily right through all of my set, red-tape restrictions. It was reassuring that at least I wouldn’t be all alone during my indefinite sentence of confinement.

“Sure. Bella has to stay here, but you can come over anytime you want. Please reassure Esme that everything is alright. Nothing to worry herself over,” Charlie confirmed aloud.

“Sounds great, thanks Charlie! See you later, Bella.” Alice’s beaming smile left me feeling like the worst was over. “See you tomorrow.” She shot a particularly impish grin at me before following the sidewalk to where the Volvo was waiting, engine quietly running.

I lingered at the door despite Charlie’s attempts to escort me away. I knew that I would see Edward in a few minutes but I wanted to show all the signs of love that teenagers did, even though Edward was no meager high school crush. I gave a small waive to the Volvo as they slowly pulled out of the driveway. I paused, staring from behind the glass storm door feeling a bit like an animal in cage. One of those sad-looking puppy dogs stuck behind the window at the pet store.

“Alright, already. Enough of that,” Charlie said, a more commanding tenor entering his voice. “You know why you’re in trouble, Bells.” I retained my stance despite Charlie’s words, my hands resting against the cold, rain-strewn glass. I turned to see that Charlie was sitting, his shoulders hunched at an unnatural angle at the tiny table.

"Did you get any breakfast yet, Dad?” I removed my hands from the door leaving the heated imprint of their shape on the glass.

“Not yet. I was just going to fry up some eggs,” he said, the timbre of his voice distracted; maybe wishing that the last 45 minutes had been less conflicted.

“We have some leftover sausage and ham—how about links and omelettes?” I walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out the carton of eggs as I offered them. From over the refrigerator door I peeked his direction and smiled. He needed to know that I wasn’t mad at him, and a hearty meal seemed like Charlie’s definition of a peace offering.

The return grin he gave me brightened his entire face, his eyes crinkling at the corners. For the first time all morning, his expression didn’t reflect the worry and anger that I'd seen emanating from him. For the first time in a week, he looked relieved. I returned to rummaging through the fridge to get all the ingredients.