Ever After |all human| COMPLETED

Chapter 37

Short chapter ahead, sorry. This is the second chapter today, though so there's that.

Edwards POV

After the police came and did a sweep of Bella's house, we were able to go inside and gather some things for her. I called my parents while we were waiting and told them about what happened and the offer I'd extended to Bella. They were both okay with the idea, simply because they knew as well as I did that she was obviously in danger.

We offered Charlie a room as well, but as suspected, he declined. He said he would stay on the reservation with Billy until whoever was doing this was caught. He thanked my parents profusely for allowing Bella to stay with us.

Of course, it was logical. After Tanya broke into my house and attempted to end my life my parents invested in all high end security systems. Cameras, alarms, motion detectors, all of it. Some may say it's a little extreme, but I knew if I was in their shoes and almost lost my only child because someone managed to break into my home whilst we slept, I would probably do the exact same.

I followed Bella to her room, not wanting to leave her side. I sat on her bed and watched as she packed some things into a duffel bag. I encouraged her to take as much as she could, as we didn't know when this person was going to be caught. She got her toiletries and packed them away, and then she picked out her favorite things to bring, besides her clothes. Her favourite book, her diary, the photograph by her bed of her and her mother. The last thing was my idea, I was worried she would forget. I knew she liked to say goodnight to her mother each night before she slept, it's one of the things I learned during one of our sleepovers.

Once she was done packing, I picked up her bags and we headed out together. She hovered by her bedroom door, her eyes scanning the room as if checking to see if she had forgotten something. She went back in and came out a second later, holding the teddy bear I'd given her on Valentines Day to her chest. She walked to my side, a grim look on her face. I knew she was panicking right now, because she was obviously being attacked. I also knew she was sad and angry about having to leave her home so abruptly, especially since no one knew when this person was going to be caught or if it was going to be before graduation, meaning last night could have been her very last night living in her childhood home and she didn't know.

We walked down to my car together, and she climbed inside without a word spoken. I turned to her father, who was watching us from the lawn where he stood with two deputies. I walked over to him and sighed.

"I'll have her call you once she's calmed a bit." I promise him. He nods once and pats me on the back.

"Thank you for taking care of my daughter, Edward." He said.

"All my life, if she'll let me." I sigh. We say our goodbyes and I go back to my car. She's sniffling softly when I get in, wiping away stray tears with the back of her hand. I start my car silently and pull out of the driveway, before taking her hand in mine. She squeezes my hand tightly as I drive away from her home, and then hesitantly leans over to rest her head on my shoulder.

I'm fine with this. Having her close to me. I could feel her tears falling onto my shirt sleeve, warm when it hits and almost instantly cooling down. I rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb, keeping my mouth shut and my eyes on the road.

I've been in her shoes, and I knew that this silent time, us just sitting together, her leaning on me, and not a word spoken was as therapeutic as it was going to get for her right now. This is what she needed. No matter how much I wanted to speak and get her to tell me how she was feeling, I wasn't going to. Her personal space had been invaded today.

Her house vandalized, her sense of security stripped away. I wasn't going to push and force myself in mentally when right now, all she needed was to feel secure. I would stay silent, until she spoke to me. Only then would she be ready.