“This is going to be bad.” Harry said as he and Old Harry sat down and rested near the crime scene. The place was cordoned off with police tape and there wasn't really anything left there, except for a smashed flashlight and some clothing fibres.

“Now, now. Don't be nervous.” Old Harry said. “We've done this several times before.”

“As practice.” Harry said. “None of them had a violent death.”

“That's true.” Old Harry said. “I'll be taking primary this time, so if the spirit gets angry, I'll take the soul damage myself.”

Harry gave the older man a squinted look. “I don't think so.”

“I'm still your teacher, Harry.”

“You're also retiring. If you don't think I can handle this with you here, how do you expect me to do it without you here?” Harry asked, pointedly.

Old Harry gave him a concerned look, then he smiled and pat Harry on the shoulder. “I'm glad you're already assuming responsibility.” He said, quite happy. “We'll wait half an hour to catch our breath after that hike and then we'll set up around the right spot.”

Harry nodded and the two of them waited and recovered. When it was time, they both opened their backpacks and took out the things they would need to create the spirit summoning ritual. They had debated over going up to the top of the cliff to the spot of the actual death and not where the body was found, then decided that it was too dangerous and chose the spot the body remained the longest instead.

After twenty minutes, they had the chalk outlines of the ritual circle in place, the proper symbols drawn, and the candles lit. It didn't matter that it was still the middle of the day and the flames couldn't really be seen. Harry sat in the primary position with his legs folded, right in front of where the body used to be, and Old Harry was sitting to the left. Harry began the chant for the gentle request for the spirit to appear and Old Harry chanted for balance and for comfort.

Harry's body shivered and he felt the magic within him react to his request. It poured out and into the ritual circle to make the lines glow. The symbols lit up next, in a sequence, as if it was unlocking a lock. At least, that was how Harry had imagined it in his mind.

Old Harry held in his gasp as the ritual completed and the magic snapped into place. His eyes widened as the entire circle glowed and then a whitish grey humanoid form seemed to float up from the ground. It hadn't quite happened like that before and he wondered why it did this time.

When the ghost fully appeared above the ground, the man's neck was broken and his head was resting on his own shoulder. “Whaaaat... what do you waaaaant?” The ghost almost howled and his hand went to his chest to try and stem the flow of the ghost blood seeping from his chest that constantly flowed out and also didn't go anywhere.

“Can you tell us what happened?” Harry asked. He was a bit upset at the sight of the man's mangled chest bleeding and the pained face the ghost was making.

“I died!” The ghost exclaimed and loomed over Harry. “What else does it look like happened?!?”

“We know you died! That's why we're here!” Harry spat back and the ghost looked surprised. “We want to find your killer and let you rest!”

The ghost visibly calmed down and gave Harry a sad look. “I was attacked by this thing that chased me for over a mile, then I felt this happen.” He pat his bloody chest. “Before I knew it, I was suspended in the air and my blood was being sucked out.”

Old Harry let out a curse that the ghost ignored.

“Are you really going after it?” The ghost asked.

“You have my word that I'll find out what did this.” Harry said. “Can you tell me what it looked like?”

“I don't remember much, except for bright red eyes and the claws.” The ghost said with a sigh. “I just know that... it was playing with me.”

“Why do you think that?” Harry asked.

“I could hear it laughing as I ran away from it.” The ghost said.

That was all the confirmation that Old Harry needed. “All right, Harry. Let it go.”

Harry nodded. “I promise to find it and deal with it.”

“I'm glad.” The ghost said with relief. “I don't want to talk to any more people like me.”

Both Harry and Old Harry were shocked at the ghost's words.

“Who... who are you talking to?” Old Harry asked.

“There's another hiker and an outdoorsman.” The ghost admitted.

“Where?” Harry asked and added a bit more magic to urge the ghost to relay the information.

“Two miles that way in a crevasse is the outdoorsman.” The ghost pointed and for some reason, Harry got a distinct mental picture of where it was. “The other hiker is up there.” The ghost said and turned to point at the partial mountain and way up the jagged cliff.

Old Harry let out a short stream of curses before he could stop himself.

“Thank you for your help.” Harry said to the ghost and started to chant.

“You promised to find it.” The ghost said as it started to sink down into the glowing circle. “You have to keep your promises!” The ghost said and suddenly reached out to grab Harry's wrist.

Harry jerked at the ice cold touch, then realized he was actually being touched by a spirit. “I will.”

The ghost nodded as it let go and then it finished disappearing into the ground.

Old Harry wasted no time in using several water bottles to splash over the ancient runic symbols and native language written in chalk. They were washed away and the glow of the circle faded.

“Old Harry...”

“Not now, Harry. Dismantle everything.” Old Harry said, barely able to hide his anger and fear. They had two more bodies and he had no clue as to how he was going to explain to the police how they were found, especially the one up so high on the mountain. He and Harry packed everything back up and quickly left the area to head back home.

“We can call anonymously.” Harry suggested.

“Yes, we can.” Old Harry said. “Now tell me how we can tell them exactly where the bodies are without them suspecting that we were involved or had already visited both places.”

Harry opened his mouth to respond, then realized what he meant. “It's too far for me to reach the outdoorsman today, even if I didn't have to cross all of that rough terrain to get there.”

“We don't have any normal way up to the hiker or a helicopter to get the body out of there.” Old Harry said. “We also don't have anyone near either spot to send.”

Harry sighed at the huge problem, then he smacked himself on the forehead. “I forgot to ask the spirit when they died.”

Old Harry chuckled, even though he wasn't happy about the situation at all. “He probably didn't know.”

Harry nodded and they walked on. It took them nearly half the day to get to the spot on foot and they wouldn't get back until late. They also had grave news to report to the chief, mainly that he was right and they had confirmed his suspicion. A vampire had violated the treaty and killed someone.

He was not going to be happy.

*

“Has she woken up yet?” Charlie asked the frustrated doctor named Carlyle that shook his head, unconcerned that he was the one that was frustrating him. “How much longer before she does?”

Carlyle gave him both a sympathetic and exasperated look. “She'll wake whenever she does. She only fainted from the shock.” He told the police chief for the tenth time. “You need to sit and wait, or go back to the scene of the accident and...”

“I've got Pete and Frank on it, so it's being handled as best as it can be.” Charlie said. “I'm more worried about my daughter. Are you sure she wasn't struck by the van? The side was crumpled up.”

Carlyle managed to not sigh. “There's no contusions, bruising, or anything to signify that there was any kind of impact... except on her backside.” He said with a smile. “Since no one really saw the accident, I have to assume that she fell on her butt and rolled out of the way in time.”

Charlie closed his eyes and did his best to not shout that he didn't want to believe that his daughter almost lost her life and only lived because she fell down and bruised her butt. He felt a hand on his shoulder and opened his eyes to see the doctor's smile.

“Charlie, she's okay.” Carlyle said in a reassuring voice. “She's not in any danger and she's only asleep right now. I'm tempted to wake her, so she won't be up all night; but, you know yourself that you can't force these kinds of things. She'll wake when she wakes and we can go from there.”

“Are you keeping her overnight?” Charlie asked, concerned.

Carlyle smiled and took out a folded piece of paper from his inside coat pocket. He handed it over without saying a word. Charlie took the paper and opened it, to see that it was Bella's release form, already filled out and signed by the doctor. It was also dated for half an hour after she was brought in, which meant Bella was essentially staying in the hospital for free.

“Doc, this...”

“We all care about what happens to the chief of police.” Carlyle said with a smile, fully aware of Charlie's strained financial situation. “I'll be back in an hour to check on her, so sit and relax.”

Charlie nodded and went to the little waiting room and sat down next to an anxious Angela.

“What did he say?” Angela asked, biting her lip in anticipation of the worst. She gently took Charlie's hand and held it.

“She's going to be fine.” Charlie said and mentally convinced himself that she was.

Angela let out a sigh of relief. She was going to have a hard enough time facing Harry after what happened. If Bella had really been hurt, she wasn't sure if she could look Harry in the eye anymore. She already felt so guilty for not keeping a better eye out for her after Harry said she was in charge of Bella's safety.

“I think I'll ask the nurse if I can sit by her bed.” Angela said and stood.

Charlie held onto her hand for a moment longer and then nodded as he let her go. He knew they would let Angela into the room, since she was so quiet and unassuming, while he was like a bull in a china shop. He made noise just sitting still.

“I'll come out as soon as she stirs.” Angela promised and walked to the nurse's station.

*

Carlyle went down to the storage room that he used as a hiding area when doing double shifts and Edward was there waiting for him.

“How is she?” Edward asked.

“She's still sleeping.” Carlyle said. “I can't test her memory until she wakes.”

Edward rubbed his face and sighed. “I'm sorry, Carlyle.”

“You should be.” Carlyle said. “If anyone had seen you...”

“I was fast.” Edward said. “Even Jasper had a hard time seeing me.”

Carlyle gave him a searching look. “Why did you do it?”

Edward stopped rubbing his face and gave him a kind of lost look. “I'm not sure.” He said. “I just... I was walking to my car across the parking lot and heard the yells and screeching tires, then I was right there in front of her and...” He stopped himself before he said anything about the energy barrier that had popped up when he tried to grab Bella to push her out of the way.

“You're not supposed to show anyone your strength.” Carlyle admonished him. “Even if you did save her life, you have put her and all of us in danger with your actions.”

“I know.” Edward said with a sigh. “I know.”

Carlyle put a hand on his shoulder. “We'll worry about the consequences when she wakes up and if she remembers anything.”

“I hit her full force with the compulsion to forget.” Edward said. “She looked stunned, too.”

Carlyle nodded. “That's good. We can only hope it sticks.”

“Let me know as soon as she wakes.” Edward said and Carlyle chuckled.

“I'll be sure to drop everything to come and find you when it happens.”

Edward smiled. “Too overbearing?”

“A little.” Carlyle said. “Go home and I'll call when I can.”

Edward nodded and left the storage room. He knew he couldn't really do anything until the girl woke and he was determined to make sure that she was okay and couldn't remember him doing what he did. In the back of his mind, he also secretly decided that he needed to find out why she smelled so damn good.

*

Harry and Old Harry had been right. The chief was not happy at all. Getting confirmation that the ancient enemy has resumed attacking innocent people was one of the worst things to have happen for the tribe and the local community. It meant that no one was safe and the members of the tribe needed to prepare quickly.

“I want you to perform the sacred ritual on my son as soon as possible.” The chief said. “The longer we wait, the longer the enemy has to strike against us and the people.”

“They wouldn't dare come onto the reservation to attack us directly.” Old Harry said.

“We cannot assume what they will do, now that they've consumed human blood.” The chief said. “How long do you need to prepare?”

“A day, maybe two. Harry needs to rest after his first Spirit Summoning as primary.”

“I'm fine.” Harry said.

“Look at your wrist.” Old Harry said and Harry looked down to see a black mark that went around his wrist. When he looked closer, he could almost see the grooves of fingerprints. “You need to let yourself recover from the spirit burn.”

Harry sighed. “All right. I'll let you set everything up for tomorrow night.”

“Good.” The chief said. “Get home and go to bed. Our people need our protector as soon as possible.”

“I'll meditate when I can.” Harry said and stood, gave the chief a bow, nodded to Old Harry, and left.

The chief waited for a few moments after Harry left before he spoke. “He suffered from spirit burn?” He asked, quite surprised.

“He fully manifested the spirit in moments, as if it grew from the ground.” Old Harry said. “His grasp of magic is... quite astonishing.”

“How?” The chief asked. “Is his connection to the spirit world stronger than yours?”

“I've never been able to give so much power to a spirit that it could touch me.” Old Harry admitted. “Harry did it as a normal ritual that we use for animals, too.”

“What? He didn't use the shaman's summoning stick?”

Old Harry shook his head. “We were hasty in our preparations and I forgot to hand it to him before we started to chant.”

“I wonder how strong the spirit would have been if he did use it.” The chief sat there and thought about it for several minutes. “He's truly sent by the gods.”

“It's the only explanation.” Old Harry said. “He wasn't meant to come here. Some great power has intervened in his fate and brought to us the most valuable member of our society that isn't a member of our society.”

The chief laughed bitterly. “I've only had a son, you old coot. I can't have him marry into my family and become chief!”

Old Harry laughed normally. “My daughter Leah loves your son, so I cannot have Harry join my family, either.”

“Your son Seth would surely object to it if you suggested it. He does not like to see Leah unhappy.” The chief said with a genuine laugh.

Old Harry nodded. “He has a crush on a girl that is fully enamoured of Harry, too.”

“Sunflower?” The chief asked, using her English translated name.

“I think she'd be very angry if she heard you using Harry's name for her.” Old Harry said with a chuckle.

The chief waved the comment away. “Well, he hasn't chosen anyone yet, so there's still time.”

“Should we encourage them?” Old Harry asked. “We don't know who Harry might meet in the future that might sway his heart.”

The chief sighed. “You know him best. Would he like it if we forcefully put them together again?”

Old Harry sighed as well. “No. Her father tried to marry them off and they broke up for a while because of it.”

“Well, there's nothing we can do about that.” The chief said. “We will leave it up to the gods and spirits. Perhaps they will guide him to the right path to remain with us.”

“I would truly grieve if we were to lose him over something as simple as a girlfriend.” Old Harry said and stood. “I'll talk to Sara and see what she says.”

“Good luck.” The chief said and waved him from the office. He didn't bother reminding his old friend about the task he had given him, because he knew that Old Harry would do his best to protect the tribe and fulfill his duty to their people. He waited for several minutes before he picked up the telephone to call the police station.

Unlike Old Harry and Harry, he wasn't afraid at all about revealing that he knew there were more bodies. The best part was that he could easily claim that it was someone telling him about it and also that it used tribal magic to determine the locations. A woman answered and he asked to speak to the chief of police.

“Excuse me?” The chief sat up straight up in his chair. “He's where?” He asked and paused. “What happened?” He listened and slumped in his chair before he let out a sigh. “Yes, tell him to call me back.” “It's both urgent and not.” “No, I can't tell you.” He paused and waited. “Until tonight.”

The chief hung up the phone and stared at it. He knew things were going to get out of hand and he just realized how out of hand they were going to be as soon as Harry found out.

*

Harry drove the old truck from the reserve and back home. The trip hadn't seemed so lonely before and he wasn't sure why he felt that way. He had driven it hundreds of times and this was the first time he felt alone. His eyes glanced at the black mark around his wrist and almost immediately made the connection. He wasn't feeling alone at all. It was the spirit of that hiker.

He pushed the feeling aside and drove the rest of the way home on high alert. If a feeling of loneliness could affect him a little, what other potential feelings would he feel from a summoned spirit?

Harry pulled into the driveway and saw that Charlie's police car wasn't there. He frowned at that, considering how late it was, and he parked carefully like he always did. He climbed out and went into the house, unlocking the doors as he did so, and the place was completely dark. None of the lights were on and he felt the television. It was ice cold and that was very odd.

He flicked the lights on in the kitchen and went over to the phone. The old answering machine had a blinking light and he hit the button to play the messages.

*BEEP* “Hey, Charlie. I finally caught that damn raccoon that's been stealing my garbage. I don't know what to do with the thing, though. Call me.” *Click*

*BEEP* “Mr. Swan, this is the principal of Forks High. I'm just checking in to make sure you're aware of your son being called away by the tribe again. Have a good day.” *Click*

*BEEP* “Harry, it's Charlie. There was a car accident... at the school and... Bella was involved.” He paused for several moments and Harry's heart was beating very loud in the silence. “I'm at the hospital waiting to hear from the doctor and...” *Click*

“N-no.” Harry whispered and the strength in his legs seemed to fade and he sunk to his knees. “No, it... it can't... there's no way...”

The black band around his wrist burned and Harry gritted his teeth as the feeling of loneliness increased and seemed to merge with his own to make both feelings stronger.

“I can't... I can't lose her.” Harry said and closed his eyes to concentrate on Bella's face. He started to chant and he felt a slight tugging in his chest. “I won't lose her!”

It took him several minutes for him to resolve the sensation and then realized it was the talisman that he was feeling. It had a lot of his magic in it and he knew it was still working.

“Bella!” Harry exclaimed and shot to his feet.

He left the house, forgetting to lock the door in his haste, and hopped into the truck. He stepped on the gas and tore up the gravel of the driveway as he backed out onto the road. His magic flared as his adrenaline kicked in and he could feel the talisman a little more. He put the truck into gear and stepped on the gas again. For the first time in his life, he broke his self-imposed rule and sped down the road.

*

“Ugghhh.” Bella groaned as she slowly opened her eyes.

“Bella!” Angela gasped.

“Hey, not so loud. I'm sleeping here.” Bella said and closed her eyes again.

“No!” Angela stood up and touched her arm. “Stay awake!”

“Huh?” Bella opened her eyes again and blinked them at her friend. “Why? I'm tired.”

“Wait, just a second!” Angela said and Bella watched as her friend went to the door of her bedroom, only it was a blue color and the walls were a different color than her bedroom. “Nurse! NURSE!”

“What's going on?” Bella asked and looked around, then realized that she wasn't in her room at all. She saw Angela be pushed aside and Charlie came into the room.

“Bella!” Charlie gasped, overjoyed that his daughter was awake, and he knelt beside the bed as he took her hand. “Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay!”

“C-Charlie, what... what's going on? Why are you acting so weird?” Bella asked.

“Oh, god! She has amnesia!” Charlie exclaimed and held her hand to his lips to kiss it for several seconds. “Oh my poor little girl. We'll get through this, I promise.”

Bella laid there and wasn't sure what was going on. A nurse and a doctor came into the room and Bella was surprised at how handsome the doctor was. He also looked fairly young, even with the touches of grey at his temples.

“I'm glad you're finally awake.” Carlyle said with an award winning smile that seemed to dazzle the nurse and Angela. “How do you feel?”

“She has amnesia, doc! She can't remember what happened!” Charlie exclaimed.

Carlyle put a hand on his shoulder and turned the smile on him. “Relax, chief. She's just confused about being in a parking lot before and waking up inside a hospital room.”

Charlie sighed and nodded as he calmed down. That was completely understandable.

“Now, Bella. Can you tell me the last thing you remember?” Carlyle asked.

“I was walking across the parking lot to meet with Charlie and...” Bella paused. “People shouted and...” She looked at him. “A van came out of nowhere and I fell backwards onto the pavement.”

“What happened next?” Carlyle asked, his gaze intense. “Please, tell me.”

Bella looked into his eyes as the image of Edward being suspended in the air in front of her and the van crumpled around him floated through her mind. They're never going to believe me. She thought. “I... I just... there was... I don't know what...” She shook her head. I can't say it. I just can't! They'll think I'm crazy. She looked back at the doctor. “The last thing I saw was Angela's face and then I woke up here.”

Carlyle smiled reassuringly and nodded. “Everything's fine now. You're all right. Nothing hit you and the only injury you might have is a slight bruise on your bottom.”

Bella relaxed at the reassuring tone of the doctor's voice. “Thank you... um...”

Carlyle almost laughed at the confusing look on her face. “Don't worry if you can't remember me, because we've never met. My family only moved back here two years ago.” He said with a dazzling smile. “I'm Doctor Carlyle Cullen.”

Bella's eyes widened. “Doctor Cullen? As in the Cullen Family?”

Carlyle nodded. “I assume you've met one of my adopted sons. He started high school this year, too.”

Bella nodded and didn't say anything else. I'm really glad I didn't say anything! He's Edward's father!

“As I said, you're fine and you can leave whenever you want.” Carlyle said. “I suggest you go home and...”

“WHERE IS SHE?” A loud male voice carried through the hospital and made everyone's ears ring. “PLEASE! SOMEONE TELL ME SHE'S OKAY! PLEASE!”

Bella trembled at the sound of loss that she could clearly hear in that tormented voice. There was a sound of something screeching, like claws on metal, and then the room to the door smashed opened.

Harry stood there, his slightly out of breath muscular body framed in the doorway, and his hands clenching and unclenching. He stared at her with such relief in his eyes that Bella's heart seemed to beat erratically at the sight.

“B-Bella.” Harry whispered and stepped into the room. The pressure in the room seemed to increase and Carlyle unconsciously stepped back from it. With each step he took, Carlyle took one back, which just happened to take him away from Bella.

“Harry... what... what are you doing?” Angela asked, quite nervous. She had never felt anything like it before and she wasn't sure if she should be scared or not.

Harry turned his head to look at her. “I trusted you.” He said, the accusation clear.

Angela gasped and she felt like something had stabbed her in the heart. He had never looked at her like that before and tears came to her eyes. “H-Harry...”

“I don't want to hear anything from you.” Harry said and looked away, shunning her. He might as well have slapped her face, because Angela burst out crying and ran from the room. His clear rejection had crushed her resolve and she couldn't stay around him when she knew he didn't want her there.

“Harry! She didn't do anything!” Bella said in defense of her friend.

“I know.” Harry said and the pressure in the room reduced.

“Then what was that all about?” Bella asked and waved at the door.

“She didn't do anything.” Harry said and knelt beside Charlie on the floor. “I asked her to protect you and she didn't.”

“Angela wasn't responsible for...”

“Yes, she was.” Harry interrupted her. “I was called away on tribe business and I formally charged her with your protection. When it comes from me, that means a lot more than just the words and she knows that.”

Bella looked into his bright green eyes and wished that he wasn't wearing glasses, just so she could see his eyes even better. What am I thinking? She asked herself. “But... you shouldn't expect her to...”

“I did and she did as well. She failed in her task and she could barely look at me when I entered the room.” Harry said. “I won't be seeing her anymore, either.”

“Harry! You can't break up with her over this!” Bella asked.

“Why not? She let you get in a car accident!” Harry countered. “I don't even know what happened and I know she should have never let you go anywhere near the parking lot by yourself!”

“That's enough.” Carlyle said. “You can't be shouting...”

“Shut. Up.” Harry said as he stood and glared at him.

Carlyle held up his hands at the angry look and the nurse wasn't sure what to do.

“Harry! He's my doctor!” Bella said and grabbed his arm to stop him from doing something stupid.

“I don't care what he claims to be.” Harry said pointedly and looked back at Bella with a normal expression. “How are you? Are you okay?”

Bella opened her mouth to keep arguing and Charlie stood.

“She's fine.” Charlie said and pulled Bella off of the bed. “Come on, let's go home.” He said and put her coat on her, gathered up her school things to hand to Harry, then led her from the room without a word.

*

Harry was angry. When he was close enough, he could tell that the talisman had been activated at its full capacity, which meant that one of them had tried to assault his Bella. He didn't know the circumstances and as far as he was concerned, it didn't matter. They would have had to try to physically grab her for the full shield barrier to come into effect and that pissed him off. It was the first time he had been called away since she came back and her life had already been put into danger.

That just wouldn't do. Oh, no. Not at all.

Harry was going to do something about it and he was going to put as much effort into it as possible. He glanced at the young woman walking next to him in the hallway of the hospital and she looked even more reserved and quiet than she had ever been. Later on tonight, he would try to talk to her about what happened and maybe he would find out which one of them had done it, because having a specific target would make his efforts more effective.

*

Charlie was filled with such relief that his daughter was fine that he ignored everything else. His police radio was off, he didn't check in at the police station as they drove by, and he ignored any attempt to wave at him. None of it mattered to him, because he was taking his daughter home and that was that. He needed to protect her more than ever now.

Bella was in the front seat and Harry was following in the truck, despite Harry practically begging for Bella to ride with him. He knew not to push once Charlie made a decision and he pretty much tailgated Charlie all the way home. Charlie didn't mind it this time, despite the act breaking the traffic laws. He liked that Harry was as desperate to protect Bella as he was, and he wasn't going to discourage that.

They arrived home and Charlie missed the fact that the door was unlocked as he led Bella and Harry inside. Once the door was shut, he ordered the door locked and looked at his timid daughter.

“Bella...”

“Dad, I'm fine.” Bella said, her voice a bit stronger than normal, then she felt a strong pair of arms go around her from behind as Harry hugged her.

“I'm so happy that's true.” Harry whispered in her ear as he held her gently. “I was so worried...”

Bella frowned and pulled away before she turned to look at his face. “What happened to you all day?”

“I was called to the reservation to perform several rituals for the tribe.” Harry said, completely truthful.

“During school and all day?” Bella asked, almost accusingly.

“I only got back about ten minutes before I showed up at the hospital.” Harry said. “I got Charlie's phone message and... and I...” He took a shaky breath and turned his head away as a tear came to his eye. “I thought... I thought I was going to lose you again.”

Wh-what is he doing? Bella asked in her head as she saw the strong man in front of her tear up.

“I can't bear it again, Bella. I can't.” Harry whispered. “It hurt so much when I couldn't see you every day. I couldn't play with you or be with the only person that didn't ignore me.”

“What are you talking about?” Bella asked, her own voice barely above a whisper. “How can you remember...”

“I remember it all.” Harry said and looked back at her, tears rolling down his cheeks. “How I felt at the time, what was happening between Renee and Charlie, everything.”

“But... but...”

“I didn't understand it at the time. It wasn't until I was much older that I figured it out.” Harry said.

“Your... your letters...” Bella said, halfheartedly.

“How could I write out what it felt like when I didn't know how to describe it?” Harry shook his head. “Even now, I... it's hard to come to grips with losing the only person you ever really cared about. Then this happened and I thought...”

“It's time for bed.” Charlie said, interrupting them. “I'm keeping you both out of school for a couple days.”

“What?” Bella turned to look at him. “Dad! I'm fine!”

“I'm not!” Charlie spat and then he closed his eyes for a moment. “Neither is Harry.”

“But...”

“Bella, you might be fine; but, you were in an accident that could have seriously hurt you or... or even...” Charlie stopped his words before he said the unthinkable. “We all need time to come to grips with this. There's only two more days until the weekend anyway. The school won't say anything.”

Bella knew it was a losing fight, so she sighed and nodded acceptance.

Charlie stepped forward and gave her a hug. “Go take a bath and get changed. I'll order pizza and have it delivered.”

“A long hot bath does sound nice.” Bella admitted.

“What do you want as toppings?” Charlie asked as he let her go.

“The works and easy on the sauce.” Bella replied.

“Harry?” Charlie asked.

“Whatever Bella wants.” Harry said and Charlie nodded.

“All right. Go on, both of you.” Charlie said and shooed them away.

Harry waited for Bella to go upstairs before he went outside to reinforce the property's protection wards. He was never letting anything come onto their property, no matter the reason. When he was done, he went inside and thought about changing into fresh clothes. He needed a shower, though.

He glanced at the downstairs bathroom door and his mind started to fill with all these scenarios of unlocking the door, busting in, falling in, and walking in, only to see a very naked Bella half covered in suds and the rest of her exposed for him to see. She was in the tub, out of the tub, drying off, putting on a towel...

Harry mind almost froze at the thought of seeing her in just a towel and having it slip off of her and getting to see all of her. His erection grew and felt uncomfortable in his jeans. He had to adjust himself to ease the pain and went up the stairs to his room to get a change of clothes. He went back down to the kitchen and sat there to wait for Bella to be done.

The pizza arrived sometime later and Charlie knocked on the bathroom door. “Pizza's here.”

“Okay!” Bella said, a bit loudly.

Charlie walked away and went to the kitchen to divide up the pizza. Like Harry, he hadn't cared what was on the pizza and ordered what Bella wanted. He bought an extra large and it would last them a day, maybe two.

The phone rang and Charlie picked it up. “Yeah.” He said and then listened for a minute. He glanced over at Harry and nodded. “I'll call him right now.”

“What was the look for?” Harry asked and bit into a piece of pizza.

“The chief wants me to call him on urgent business that's no rush.” Charlie said as Bella came out of the bathroom.

Harry's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, because just like the crazy thoughts going through his head, Bella wore only a towel and nothing else. He tried to not stare and he failed miserably. He also hoped that Bella didn't notice how much he had failed.

“I forgot my clothes.” Bella said, her voice unconcerned, and went up the stairs.

Harry's eyes watched her like a hawk and didn't deviate from watching her until the heels of her cute little feet disappeared from sight. He glanced down at his painful erection and decided he needed a shower right away. He heard that a cold shower helped with things like this. As he stood, the pain was much sharper and he chose to have a very cold shower instead.

*

Bella's hands trembled as she locked her door. She hadn't missed Harry's intense stare at her. She couldn't quite tell where he had been staring; but, she could make a couple of educated guesses. She walked over to her dresser and hesitated as she reached for the towel that blocked her from being completely naked.

She walked over to the large window at the side of the room and closed the curtains, then walked back to her dresser again and let the towel drop to the floor. Her mind immediately imagined Harry walking in on her to see all of her, something that no one else had ever seen, and her face flushed red as she blushed.

Bella dug through her underwear and pulled out a pair of panties, ones that were a bit racy for her normal tastes, and slipped them on. Her mother had bought them for her sixteenth birthday and cryptically said that Bella would know when she needed to wear them. For some reason, she felt like now was a good time to wear them.

She didn't bother with a bra, considering she was going to sleep after having some pizza, and went to the closet to grab her pyjamas. They were cute ones that were light and warm at the same time, so she wouldn't need to use the blanket when she went to bed. She put them on and sighed at the feel of them against her skin.

Bella left her bedroom and felt the pyjama fabric a bit more than usual, because her racy underwear didn't cover a lot, and a shiver went up her spine at the naughty feeling it gave her.

Huh, Renee was right. Bella thought and went down the stairs to go to the kitchen. She didn't see Harry and was a little disappointed, until she saw the small pile of clothing on his chair. She let a mischievous smile appear on her face and picked up a piece of pizza.

Charlie hung up the phone, his face a mix of anger and frustration. “I have to go.”

“What?” Bella turned to look at him with surprise on her face. “It's nearly nine o'clock.”

“Crime waits for no man.” Charlie said and grabbed two pieces of pizza and put them on a plate, then grabbed his jacket. “Tell Harry... he probably already knows. Never mind.”

“Knows what?” Bella asked.

“Don't ask.” Charlie said and left at a fast walk.

What was that about? Bella asked herself as she ate her pizza. How could Harry already know about it?

The bathroom door opened and a still dripping Harry came out with a towel wrapped around his waist. Bella's mind almost shut off as she saw all of his corded and rippling muscles. It wasn't overly done and complimented his frame perfectly, like he was the perfect male specimen.

“I forgot my clothes, too.” Harry said, sheepishly.

Bella's mouth opened to speak and she couldn't make any words come out. She wanted to say that she had implanted that thought into his mind, because she forgot hers, and all she could think about was him letting that towel go. Her mind immediately recalled Jessica joking and asking her how many times she had seen Harry naked... and now she desperately wanted to.

She really, really wanted to see what the towel was hiding. Barely hiding. She corrected as Harry let the thing go to use both hands to pick up the bundle of clothes. Oh, my god! She almost gasped out loud when the towel gaped open as Harry stood up and turned away.

Bella was sure she saw something there... something that made her heart race. She suddenly felt the cloth around her nipples was a bit rougher than usual and she looked down to see that her nipples had made an appearance. She blushed and hunched her shoulders a little to ease the stimulation, then she did what Charlie did. She grabbed a plate and put her partially eaten piece of pizza on it, along with another full slice, then she went up the stairs and completed her hasty retreat from the kitchen.

*

“Are you sure this is real?” One of the deputy officers asked, irritated that he had to come in so late.

Charlie gave him a stern look and the officer sighed.

“I don't want it to be real any more than you do.” Pete said and clapped the officer who spoke on the shoulder. “There's no reason to doubt the chief on this. The Native American Chief, I mean.”

“I know, it's just... two more bodies? What the hell are we going to do?!?”

“We investigate and try to find out who they were and recover the bodies if we can.” Charlie said.

“Goddamn, we're going on another day long hike, aren't we?” Another officer asked.

“At least.” Charlie said and put the map down. “This is where the hiker is.”

“Son of a...” Pete stopped before he cursed. “We're going to need a helicopter to get up there.”

“I know. The mayor's not going to be happy.” Charlie said.

“We're going to blow the state's budget before the end of the year.” Pete said with a sigh. “Where's the other one?”

Charlie pointed out where it was and the officers groaned. It was going to be a long trek out into the wilderness and none of them wanted to do it, not even Charlie.

“This is why I called you all in tonight.” Charlie said. “We'll be heading out at 6 in the morning and I wanted you all warned and ready.”

“Who gets station duty?” Someone asked.

“ME!” Nearly everyone yelled in response.

Charlie chuckled and pointed at Pete. “The winner is the one who didn't ask for it.”

“You didn't ask, either.” Pete said with a smile.

“I have to go, so the place is all yours tomorrow.” Charlie said. “You can get the temporary deputy list from Margaret.”

Pete nodded while a few people whispered how lucky he was. “Hey, I have to take care of the entire town for the whole day while you guys get to slack off out in the woods.”

The other officers exchanged happy looks, now that they realized that Pete had the much harder job.

“Go home and get some rest. We'll meet back here in the morning and then we'll head to the second body first.” Charlie said and they nodded. “It'll take a day or two to work on the mayor to get him to approve the helicopter expense, so we'll worry about retrieving the hiker's body then.”

The deputies left the station with both dread and anticipation. No matter what they were going to discover when they found the bodies, it was going to cause another uproar in the town when they came back. Three bodies in as many days was not going to ease people's fears at all.