Obsession
By Mama4Dukes
Chapter 09:
March soon turned into April, and the kids carried on attending school and participating in various club and sports activities. Bella was a star player on the varsity softball team, and for the first time, Forks High School had a shot at making it to states, which envigorated the girls to put more effort into honing their skills.
Edward Cullen had remained on the down-low, not disturbing Bella or Paul. The kids had gone to the diner in Forks several times with their friends. They had also brought friends to La Push to hang out at First Beach or one of their houses. Bella and Paul had yet to have permission to go to Port Angeles because getting lulled into a false sense of security now would be a major faux pas at this stage. Unfortunately, for Jared and Katie, their parents handed down the same restrictions.
But it was early evening on a Saturday today, and the baseball and softball teams had won their games. The crowd at Sully’s was in a celebratory mood, and Forks High School students filled the booths and mobbed the parking lot. Music was blaring from car speakers as kids celebrated, couples made out in cars, and others simply hung out with friends. Several students danced along to the music. There was lots of conversation, laughs, giggles, and joking around.
In the far corner of the parking lot, abutting the forest, a handsome Quileute boy with a chiseled jawline and muscular physique had his back against his car. He was holding a beautiful brunette girl with wavy hair and a beautiful smile in his arms. In the background, on the stereo, 98 Degrees crooned ‘I Do Cherish You,’ which was precisely how they felt about each other. They were quietly talking, occasionally sharing kisses, and getting excited about the prom, which would be in May. Their relationship had been filled with tumultuous experiences, but they stayed positive. Each day, they fell more and more in love with each other. The spirits definitely got it right when they paired these two.
With one final kiss, they decided to join their friends. The girl skipped away to join her friends while the boy turned the music off and locked up the vehicle. He had stepped inside to do just that when a Silver Aston Martin with dark, tinted windows hurtled toward the boy’s car at top speed. It caught the students’ attention; several were screaming, some were filming, and many called 911.
The Aston Martin slammed into the driver’s side door of the Ford Focus at top speed before it purposely backed up and rammed into the gas tank. As the Aston Martin sped away from the scene, the Ford Focus exploded, and the girl screamed in agony.
Bella’s friends immediately surrounded her, holding her as she cried. She tried to run to the burning car, but Jared and Tyler had a firm hold on her. She’d hurt herself if she got near the raging inferno. They had to wait until emergency crews arrived, and sirens could be heard in the distance.
If it weren’t for his supernatural speed, Paul would have died in the explosion. Instead, he opened the passenger side door and rolled to safety into the woods where he had parked his car next to. The force of the blast from the explosion blew his body deeper into the forest, causing him to hit a tree. He supposed that was a good thing because he could see the fire from where he was sitting. He wanted to get to Bella to tell her he was okay, so he attempted to stand but swayed, his vision blurring.
Suddenly, two ice-cold hands wrapped around his body. Paul could vaguely make out words being said to him. They sounded muffled, and his head felt unsteady.
A loud ringing in his ears caused him to clasp his hands over them. His body began shaking-most likely in reaction to the explosion. He thought it was an odd time for the lyrics to ‘Bodyshakin’ by 911 to run through his mind. And then Paul passed out cold.
Jasper Whitlock picked up Paul, trying to figure out what to do. Usually, he’d take him back to the house and have Carlisle examine him, but it was not possible with Edward living there. Besides, he had a sneaky suspicion that Edward was behind the blast.
Jasper then made a split decision and began running. He crossed into Quileute territory, hoping to outrun any wolves who were on guard. Upon arrival, he scented out Chief Black’s house, catching him as he was helping a beautiful woman into the passenger seat. Fortunately, no wolves caught him during his daring rescue mission.
“What the hell are you doing here? I know you’ve been helping us, but vampires can’t be on this reservation!”
“I know, and I’m sorry, Chief Black, but it was an emergency. I needed to get Paul to safety.”
“Paul!” the woman cried, hopping out of the car. She brushed the boy’s hair back. “Oh, Paul! You’re alive. Thank you-thank you, whoever you are, Mr. Vampire-for bringing my son back.”
“Jasper Whitlock, it was my honor, ma’am.” He bowed to the woman and gave her a quick smile.
“Oh, my! Bella and Katie are right about your voice being like velvet. Poor Jared-he can’t help the voice he was born with.” She smiled with relief and gratitude at Jasper. “My name is Julia Lahote. I’m Paul’s mother.”
“You’d better come inside. The wolves are all at the blast site right now.” Billy opened the door so Jasper could carry the unconscious Paul inside. The vampire placed the boy down on the sofa.
Billy called Harry and told him to stop by immediately and to bring his medical bag. Within a few minutes, he entered the house with Charlie. They had been on their way to the blast scene when Billy called, and they immediately turned around. They looked surprised to see Jasper sitting in the living room.
“Jasper found Paul in the woods and brought him here to safety,” Billy explained.
“Do you know what happened?” Charlie immediately asked Jasper.
“I actually have no idea. I came across Paul while I was hunting in the woods. I heard an explosion, so I ran toward it. Paul was thrown in my direction by the force of the blast. He landed about a foot away from me.” Jasper nodded, then decided to share his conjecture. “It sounded like something detonated. It wasn’t a normal explosion. Can you share what you know?”
Charlie nodded. “I haven’t been to the scene yet, but word is, a silver sports car collided with the driver’s side of Paul’s car while he was sitting inside at a high rate of speed. The driver reversed and slammed into the gas tank. The car sped away, and Paul’s car exploded a few seconds later. My detectives are examining videos from the parking lot and those submitted by witnesses.”
Jasper stood and paced while Harry examined Paul. “I think he’s in shock,” Jasper explained to Harry. “I spoke to him, but he couldn’t hear me. He clutched his ears, and I suspect he was a bit dizzy before he passed out. I saw a lot of this during the war. I imagine he just needs rest, and he’ll heal up quicker than a normal human.”
“Thank you, Jasper. You’ve proven to be a true friend to the Quileutes.”
“Of course. Paul is a nice kid, and so is his imprint. If I were you, I’d get Bella over to the reservation as soon as possible to see her mate with her own eyes. I’ve seen mates become suicidal with just the thought of their mate dying.”
Billy immediately called Jared, who was already at the scene. “Bring Bella and Katie to my house now. Paul is safe.” He hung up before any questions could be asked.
They sat and waited for Jared and the girls to arrive, chatting about the Civil War. Bella ran straight to Paul’s side, kneeling by him and taking his hand in hers. “Oh, thank God. He’s okay. I got so scared when I saw his car explode. I thought he had… I thought he’d… I’m so happy he’s okay.”
“As long as you’re okay, he hasn’t died, Bella. It’s how supernatural mating works. He cannot live in a world without you, and vice versa,” Jasper explained.
Harry and Billy turned to each other, completely stunned. Then Billy stood up and said, “Well, no one gave us that memo!”
Jasper laughed. “It’s most likely because while you are supernatural, you are mortal. If you’re not phasing, you have fairly normal lifespans. I have never experienced all the benefits of mating yet, so I can’t speak with the surety of experience.”
“So, that Alice girl is your mate?” Katie asked.
“No, Alice is just a companion.”
“Oh, thank God. Bella and I thought for sure something was wonky in your DNA for you to be with her-not that she’s a bad person or anything. It’s just a little weird to see you with her because you’re a very hot cowboy while she’s more…”
“Circus clown?” Bella offered.
“No, something else.”
“Tinker Bell?” Jasper asked.
“No, Tinker Bell is too cute.” And then Katie broke out into a brilliant smile. “I know! She’s like… Have you ever seen Harry Potter?”
“Katie, we have more important things to discuss than who Jasper’s companion reminds you of,” Billy reminded her with a quelling look.
Katie ignored him. “Oh, but this is important. Have you seen the Harry Potter movies, Jasper?”
“I have seen the movies and read the books,” Jasper admitted. “I do not believe my companion is like Hermione Granger. Bella actually reminds me of Hermione but with darker hair.”
“Hermione? Oh, no-not Hermione. Hermione is too pretty. No, Alice reminds me of Dobby.”
“Bite your tongue,” Bella chastised her friend with a look of ferocity. “I like Dobby. He’s annoying but loyal.”
“I like Dobby, too,” Paul groaned, squeezing Bella’s hand. “Alice is like Winky.”
“Paul!” Several voices cried in relief.
Paul pulled Bella into a hug, relieved to see her beautiful, albeit worried face. He trailed a finger down her face and cooed, “I’m okay. I’m doing much better than I was right after the blast. I’m just happy to see you’re safe.”
“Well, I see I’ve been replaced,” Julia joked.
Paul slowly raised himself to a seated position. This time, he didn’t feel any of the dizziness or instability he felt earlier. He turned to his mother. “Thanks for worrying, Mom.”
“I’m just glad you were brought home safe to me.” Julia glanced up at the lone vampire in the room. “We have Jasper to thank.”
“Thanks, man,” Paul said, holding out his hand to shake.
Jasper took it and shook the wolf’s hand. “Maybe you can clarify a few mysteries and tell us what happened. I found you in the woods after the explosion.”
Harry held his hand up to stall everyone. He examined Paul quickly, checking his lungs and vitals and asking a few pointed questions about his health. When he was done, he handed the boy a bottle of water and told him to take slow sips.
“We were at Sully’s, celebrating our wins,” Paul said. “Bella and I had just parked the car at the far corner by the woods. It’s not really a parking spot, but the lot was packed, and that part is usually wide open. We stood outside talking for a bit, then decided to join our friends. Bella went first. We could see them in plain sight.” “Yeah, we could. Jared and I waved them over because it was mobbed at Sully’s, and we wanted to try to get a table,” Katie confirmed.
“I hung back to shut the stereo off and lock up the car. I looked up to ensure Bella was safe when a silver Aston Martin came from around the corner and headed straight for me-not the car, but me. I didn’t know what to do, so I dove out of the passenger side door and rolled into the woods. I heard the initial impact, a second collision, and a massive explosion. My first instinct was to get to Bella, but when I tried to stand up, I felt my body shaking, and my ears rang something awful. Someone said something to me, but it was muffled. And then I don’t know what happened.”
“And you said a silver Aston Martin hit your car?” Jasper asked.
“Definitely. I recognized the winged logo on the car. It was a sweet ride-well, probably used to be.”
Jasper dropped his forehead into his palm, squeezing his temples as if trying to relieve a headache. After a moment, he glanced at everyone and admitted, “Edward owns a silver Aston Martin.”
“How are we going to handle this situation?” Julia asked her fiancee. This isn’t fair to any of the kids-Bella, Paul, Katie, Jared, and anyone they’re friends with. They aren’t safe anywhere. Edward Cullen endangered the lives of every single person at Sully’s.”
Julia was interrupted when Charlie’s phone buzzed. “This is Chief Swan,” he answered. A few minutes later, he turned to the room. “That was the fire chief. They suspected some sort of homemade incendiary device was planted in Paul’s car. They have confirmed that there were no human remains in the vehicle, so now they’re scouring the woods looking for him.”
“Exactly how are we going to come up with a story about how Paul got to safety?” Julia questioned.
Charlie shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll figure something out. I need to get going. Bella, Katie-I need you girls to stay in La Push until I pick you up later this evening. I’ll explain everything to your father, Katie. Paul and Jared, you two stay put, too. I don’t want anyone seeing you.
Jasper stood up and turned to Charlie. “Can you spare five more minutes for me, please? I need to discuss something with y’all. It’s important.”
“Of course,” Charlie said, sitting down.
Jasper nodded, then began speaking. “I’ve told you and Chief Black before that I’m master of my own line.” Billy and Charlie acknowledged he had. “What I haven’t told you is that I am prepared to assert dominance over Carlisle and incorporate his coven into mine. I have the support of Rose and Emmett and, more recently-Esme, Carlisle’s mate. Although a kind man, Carlisle is too weak to master his own line; otherwise, he wouldn’t have blindly followed Alice and Edward. They ran roughshod over him. Alice’s latest stunt is what caused Edward’s obsession with Bella. She lied, stating that Bella was Edward’s mate. He, of course, believed her. Once he caught a whiff of Bella’s blood, it was all over-he wanted her. Carlisle explained to you before that Bella is Edward’s singer. Her blood calls to him like heroin does to a drug addict. What he didn’t tell you is that most singers wind up dead and drained by the vampire who wanted him or her.
When Charlie tried to interrupt, Jasper held a hand up to stay him before continuing, “Back to my story. To incorporate Carlisle’s line under mine, I’ve required both Alice and Edward be destroyed. They have no business to be among the civilized-human or supernatural. They’ve become cocky because of their gifts, Alice because of her ability to see into the future and Edward because he can read minds. However, I admit that Alice has done her best to redeem herself.
“Edward’s mind-reading abilities have been shorting lately-a sign that he is entirely out of control. He hasn’t been able to read the minds of Chief Swan and Bella at all, and he can barely read Paul.”
“What do you mean by he can barely read me?” Paul asked.
“A few times, Edward has griped that all he can decipher from your mind are words like, ‘Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh,’ or ‘Mmm bob ba dupa dop ba du bob’ over and over again in a rhythmic beat. It’s driving him crazy that he can’t decipher anything in your mind.”
Julia flashed a sly grin at her son. She knew exactly what songs he had been running through his head.
“Wow, it sure sounds like it,” Paul replied. He really wanted to burst out laughing but chose not to share the information.
The blonde vampire stood up. “I am willing to cut a deal with you. It’s time I took matters into my own hands. I can destroy Edward, but I need someone else to do it to maintain cordial relations with Carlisle-a future member of my line. It can’t be by my own hands. I have two friends-Peter and Charlotte. They’ll do the culling for me, but they will need their safety guaranteed when they come to the area.”
“Anything is okay. Edward Cullen is a menace,” Billy assured.
“Peter and Charlotte follow a traditional diet. They survive off of human blood.”
“Okay!” Billy exclaimed. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“They only feed from hardened criminals, drug abusers on the brink of death, terminally ill people in desperation for relief, child abusers, and rapists. They have excellent control and are kind, almost to a fault. Their sense of justice is well-formed, though. Peter is my right-hand man.”
“Well, hell, I can even point them in the right direction for their meals. I know a lot of assholes who need to be removed from the planet,” Charlie admitted. “Jasper has been trustworthy thus far, Billy. I say let his friends come to town.
“Please, Billy. I just want to take my girl to the prom,” Paul pleaded. “Most of the vampires have been kind-especially Jasper.”
Charlie’s opinion weighed heavily in Billy’s decision, as did Paul’s plea. “Okay, they are welcome in town, but I’d like to meet them with the wolves and Charlie to identify them.”
“Fair enough. I’ll call them tonight.”
“Excellent. Well, I have to get going. Do you need a ride back to town, Jasper?”
Before Jasper could reply, Billy suggested, “Go with Charlie, Jasper. If the wolves are headed back here, they might attack you because they don’t know about tonight yet.”
“Good idea.”
After saying his farewells, Jasper hopped into Charlie’s cruiser and had him drop him off near the high school; he’d run back to his house from there. He also asked Charlie to tell Paul that his vehicle would be replaced, courtesy of Carlisle.
It was already close to midnight when Charlie finally picked Bella up in La Push and brought her back home. The investigation had taken a great deal of time. Explosions simply were not commonplace in Forks. He wanted to bring Edward Cullen in for questioning, but for now, he was sitting on the information of who had committed the crime. His detectives would discover the identity of the perp soon enough.
Exhausted from the long day, Charlie took his clothes off and threw on his pajama pants. He hadn’t even had time to change into his uniform earlier. Today had been his day off. He had gone to his daughter’s game and then to the res to watch a game with Harry when he got the call. Hell, they had heard the explosion in La Push; it was so loud.
Charlie slipped under the covers and fell asleep in no time. He was in a peaceful slumber, not even dreaming, when a blood-curdling scream woke him up.
Bella had been sleeping fitfully when a sudden gust of air woke her up. She shivered and tried to fall back asleep, but she was freezing. She turned onto her other side and snuggled into her blankets more to get comfortable when she came face to face with a pair of golden eyes.
“Hello,” Edward Cullen whispered as if nothing was wrong with the fact that he was in her room, in the middle of the night, and in her bed. “He’s gone now. I took care of him. We can be together-forever. I love you, Bella Swan. You’re mine now.”
Then Bella’s survival instincts kicked in, and she screamed while simultaneously hopping out of bed. “Daddy!” She shrieked, then reached for her bat.
“Shut your mouth! Do you want people to hear you?” Edward approached her with a vicious scowl on his face.
“Yes, I do want someone to hear! Daddy! Help me!”
“I don’t understand what your problem is, Bella!” Edward spat. “Why don’t you want me? Tell me! Tell me why!”
Aside from the fact that the vampire was clinically insane, Bella thought she was losing her mind, too. As soon as Edward said, ‘Tell me why,’ she thought of the Backstreet Boys. Paul’s boy band obsession, which he tried to hide from her, was worming its way into her heart. Fortunately, there was no need to reply because her father came to the rescue.
Charlie Swan broke open Bella’s door with a single kick in time to see Edward Cullen jumping out of her window. He turned to his daughter and pulled her into his arms. She broke down and cried, shaking in his arms.
After Charlie calmed Bella down, he asked her what had happened and became incensed after hearing her rendition of what had transpired. He set Bella up on the old chaise lounge in his room and waited until she drifted off to sleep. She had been too afraid to sleep in her room.
He didn’t blame her. How could she not be frightened to find a vampire in her bed?
Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction 
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