Midday Clouds - The Charlie Swan Story

Chapter 43 (Eclipse 2)

I could barely sleep that night. I kept having nightmares of Edward sneaking in through Bella's window and stealing her away in the night like some sort of folk-lore demon. I checked on her a handful of times, thankfully finding her alone and fast asleep, as though she'd been through some extravagant ordeal that had left her entirely spent.

It was just before nine when I cracked Bella's door open.

"Morning, Dad," she said. She was awake, sitting up on her bed, as though she'd been waiting for me.

"Oh, hey, Bella. I didn't know you were awake."

"Yeah. I've just been waiting for you to wake up so I could take a shower," she said, hopping off her bed and making for the washroom, as thought there wasn't an enormous, pale elephant in the room.

"Hold on," I stopped her, motioning for us both to take a seat. "Let's talk for a minute first. You know you're in trouble."

"Yeah, I know."

"I just about went crazy these last three days. I come home from Harry's funeral, and you're gone. Jacob could only tell me that you'd run off with Alice Cullen, and that he thought you were in trouble. You didn't leave me a number, and you didn't call. I didn't know where you were or when — or if — you were coming back. Do you have any idea how... how..."

It was hard to find the words to express just how deeply hurt, and betrayed, I'd felt coming home from the hardest day of my life, not to the warm embrace of family, but to the empty home I'd been cursed with ever since Bells and Renee had left all those years ago.

"Can you give me one reason why I shouldn't ship you off to Jacksonville this second?"

Bella's eyes narrowed. Up until that point I could tell that I was getting through, that she was at least somewhat understanding my perspective, my pain, my feelings. But at the faintest mention of her being out of proximity to Edward, I could feel her body stiffen, and her tone shift directly to defense.

"Because I won't go," she said, as if that was all there was to it.

"Now just one minute, young lady—"

"Look, Dad, I accept complete responsibility for my actions, and you have the right to ground me for as long as you want. I will also do all the chores and laundry and dishes until you think I've learned my lesson. And I guess you're within your rights if you want to kick me out, too — but that won't make me to go to Florida."

I was flabbergasted. To have my daughter take off, without a word, on the same day I was away at my bestfriend's funeral. It was a wound that was still fresh, having been just a few days prior, but here was Bella back under the young lovers' haze, all else forgotten.

"Would you like to explain where you've been?"

"There was... an emergency," she offered. I raised an eyebrow, expecting her to go on.

"I don't know what to tell you, Dad. It was mostly a misunderstanding. He said, she said. It got out of hand. See, Alice told Rosalie about me jumping off the cliff..."

I hadn't heard anything about Bella jumping off a cliff. My heart sunk. I knew she was hurting, bad, but I thought things had gotten better.

"I guess I didn't tell you about that," she choked out. "It was nothing. Just messing around, swimming with Jake. Anyway, Rosalie told Edward, and he was upset. She sort of accidentally made it sound like I was trying to kill myself or something. He wouldn't answer his phone, so Alice dragged me to... L.A., to explain in person." She shrugged, as if she hadn't just admitted the very thing I'd been worrying over for the past few months.

"Were you trying to kill yourself, Bella?" I finally asked.

"No, of course not. Just having fun with Jake. Cliff diving. The La Push kids do it all the time. Like I said, nothing."

I didn't believe it. Bells wasn't one to jump off a diving board at the local pool let alone a cliff. I thought about how much pain and turmoil she had gone through over the past few months, to lead to do such a thing, and it all came back to one thing. One boy.

"What's it to Edward Cullen anyway?" I asked, angry at what he'd done to my innocent daughter. "All this time, he's just left you dangling without a word—"

"Another misunderstanding," she interrupted.

"So is he back then?"

"I'm not sure what the exact plan is. I think they all are."

Well, so be it.

"I want you to stay away from him, Bella. I don't trust him. He's rotten for you. I won't let him mess you up like that again."

"Fine."

I couldn't believe my ears. Had Bella finally come to her senses? Had she awoken from her love-drunk stupor to see what was plainly and painfully clear from her broken bones and scarred skin?

"Oh." was all I could muster in response. "I thought you were going to be difficult."

"I am," she said with a glare. "I meant, 'Fine, I'll move out.'"

Her face was scrunched up in the same look of stubborn determination that she'd get as a kid whenever she'd set her mind on something. Back then it was going to get ice cream, or one more episode. Now it was abandoning me to live alone in this damn empty house all over again.

"Dad, I don't want to move out," she offered in a softer tone. "I love you. I know you're worried, but you need to trust me on this. And you're going to have to ease up on Edward if you want me to stay. Do you want me to live here or not?"

It was the first time she'd told me she loved me unpromptedly the entire time she'd been back. I wasn't stupid; I knew she was just trying a different tack in order to stop me from keeping her away from her boyfriend.

"That's not fair, Bella. You know I want you to stay," I choked out.

"Then be nice to Edward, because he's going to be where I am."

If allowing her to see him meant that she stayed here, that would just be a battle I'd have to lose. God only knows what kind of trouble Bella would get into while living at the Cullen house. But I didn't want to have to see the damn kid.

"Not under my roof," I seceded.

She sighed. "Look, I'm not going to give you any more ultimatums tonight — or I guess it's this morning. Just think about it for a few days, okay? But keep in mind that Edward and I are sort of a package deal."

"Bella—"

"Think it over," she insisted. "And while you're doing that, could you give me some privacy? I really need a shower."

I could tell that there was nothing more to be said. She had her heart and her mind set on being with Edward – the best thing I could do as a dad would be to keep an eye on her, keep at it, and for the love of god keep her living under my roof. Maybe Edward would leave her again. Maybe she would eventually realize just how toxic the entire situation was. Maybe she'd be more amenable to relationship talks in the weeks to come.

I left the room in a huff – furious at Edward, at Carlisle, at myself. I'd been so hands off in those first few weeks of Bella being in town, and it had all fallen apart.

For now, she was at least staying put. I'd consider that a battle well-won.