Beyond The Dawn - A Twilight Fan Fiction

Book 2 - Billy - Chapter One

                                                                                     1

                                                                     "Survival Instinct"

I sat on the couch at Charlie's house, feeling incredibly impatient; I didn't want to freak

him out, but time was of the essence. I heard the soft crack of a beer can, followed by the sound

of beer pouring into what had to be the pilsner glasses Sue had gotten Charlie for Christmas; all

I could think about was how to get him out of the house with as little explanation as possible.

Jacob explained the whole 'need to know' story to me years ago, and at first it amused

me to no end that Charlie, even in the back of his mind, would close his eyes and deny anything

he had to in order to keep Bella near. In fact, it was his blind acceptance of "the new Bella" that

kept the Cullens in town. And as long as the Cullens stuck to their end of the treaty, whatever

made Charlie happy was fine with me.

But once again, the tribe was faced with danger...because of the Cullens. I'd learned to

accept their presence in m life, and continued to renew that acceptance; first when Jacob was

pining over Bella, again when he imprinted on Renesmee, and once more when Jacob and

Nessie announced their engagement. I'd come to learn that whenever things were peaceful

between the Quileutes and the Cullens, trouble was never far behind.

And it was no different this time; both Forks and La Push were now dangerous areas,

particularly for Charlie. I'd taken the responsibility of getting Charlie out of the immediate area

because after so many years of friendship, I knew he'd listen to me and skip town – as long as I

remained calm.

Only this time, I wasn't sure I could hold it together. As a member of the Elder Council, I

felt the instinctual need to protect my land and my tribe. As Billy Black, the old man confined to

a wheelchair, I was terrified for my best friend's life.

Jacob and Nessie had just dropped me off; the only reason they weren't here was because

they had to get Sue to Seattle ahead of Charlie, only to run back to the reservation for the

emergency meeting called by Jacob and Sam. We were on high alert; my only job right now was

to get Charlie to Seattle, where Sue and I would tell him everything. Charlie finally stepped out

of the kitchen, carrying two glasses of beer. He had a wide smile on his face; he'd been smiling a

lot since he and Sue accepted his marriage proposal. He looked me in the face, and the corners

of his mouth turned down; the worry and concern rushing through my body must have shown

clearly on my face.

"What's wrong, Billy?" His eyebrows furrowed as he sat in his recliner, handing me a