Charlie Swan: Vampire Hunter

43

Carlisle

The drive to Forks is passed mostly in silence. Charlie drives most of the way. I can tell that the nervous energy rolling off me is getting to him, and I do my best to tamp it down but I can't get my mind to stop coming up with all the terrible scenarios we could be walking into. We turn down the driveway and before Charlie can turn the car off, I'm out the door and halfway to the house.

From the outside everything looks as it should except that its dark and there's no movement. Inside everything is covered in a layer of dust like no one has been here in months. I hear Charlie blow out a breath as he walks in behind me.

"They're gone." I say, during around slowly.

He walks up behind me and wraps his arms around me. "They are, but they might have left a note. Before you panic, we should look around more."

I bury my face in his shoulder and hold on tight to him. I'm fighting to breathe. Technically as a vampire I don't need oxygen but my lungs still – usually – work like normal human ones. I can feel that I'm on the edge of a panic attack and I don't want to do that to Charlie. He's been nothing but supportive, and I'm not worried about this changing that, but I don't want to scare him like that. I can feel Charlie's arm moving across my back in soothing circles.

"Carlisle." He says, concern heavy in his voice. "We're going to find them. I'm sure they're fine. The house is neat. No signs of a struggle, at least here, which is a good sign." He lifts my chin with two fingers, looking me straight into my eyes. "Take a deep breath and then we'll take a look around."

I laugh weakly. "I don't technically need oxygen. You should know that Mr. vampire hunter."

He laughs and shakes his head. "You may not be breathing for oxygen, but it will still help center your mind. I need you not panicking because I don't know what we're going to find here."

I know he's right and it irks me a little. I hate when he's right. "Come one Carlisle." He prompts, shaking me a little.

I shake my head. "Okay, okay. Deep breath incoming."

He laughs but looks a lot less worried about my mental stability. I detangle myself from his arms and look around the house again. "We should look upstairs. And the kitchen." I say.

Charlie nods. "I'll take the kitchen, you go upstairs."

I'm barley half way up the stair before I hear Charlie yell. "I found something." I turn and run back toward him.

Charlie's holding a piece of paper in his hand eyes flicking quickly as he reads. "What does it say?" I ask him.

He looks up at me and then back at the paper. "They had to leave." He says finally. "You can read it yourself, but they went to Vienna."

I grab the paper out of his hand and skim the words printed there in Edward's neat handwriting. "I'm going to kill them." I growl.

Charlie tenses a little at my tone. "Carlisle." He says, words laced with warning. "They were technically within their right. This is their territory, their home. It was your home too but it's not anymore. We go to Vienna, and we find Edward and Alice and then we figure things out."

I shake my head a little. I want to give into the rage I can feel simmering under my skin. For the second time today I'm trying to control my emotions in a weak attempt not to scare Charlie. I can feel my chest heaving as I lock eyes with him across the kitchen.

"Charlie, they hurt my children" My voice cracks a little on the last word and I see his face soften. "I don't - I can't – I need to do something."

"So, we go to Vienna." He says, moving across the room to grab my hands. "We don't need to kill all the werewolves here in some twisted act of revenge."

I nod a little, slowing my breathing as much as I can. "Okay. We go to Vienna."

The words have barely left my mouth before I'm hit from behind by something large and heavy. I crash into Charlie and turn around teeth bared a snarl on my lips to face the pack of angry werewolves who had managed to sneak into the house.