I'll be home for Christmas

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: the characters and all recognisable situations belong to Stephenie Meyer - this is a work of fan fiction, except for the legends and histories of the Quileute that, of course, belong to them. I pay my respects to their gods.

Charlie had gone home to get changed and then Sue had come back from the Black place. She told him Bella was asleep, so he didn't need to rush back. He was a bit worried about Sue, as well. She was very stressed, and too anxious and he knew that she hadn't been sleeping well or feeling well for a few days, but in her usual way, she was putting everyone else ahead of herself. She had taken over Harry's position on the tribal council and was privy to all the goings on, some of which she couldn't tell Charlie about. Trouble was, things started to happen so quickly that she was dealing with too much.

She had finally told Charlie about the wolf pack, when they were discussing him moving in. It wasn't fair otherwise. Charlie got the impression that she had left a lot out of the story. She just said that the attacks on the hikers that he had been investigating had been done by vampires, and that was why the wolf pack had come back and why they were needed.

Charlie had known Sue for a very long time. Being more than a friend was fantastic and he didn't want to ruin that. He hadn't dated for years and he loved being with Sue and being part of her family, so he let it go. He had a tendency to do that with people he loved and he loved Sue Clearwater.

Charlie Swan, the Chief of Police could harass a suspect until they confessed, but he knew he had let Bella get away with a lot of things when she lived with him. He remembered Bella telling him about seeing the giant wolves, and his struggle to believe her. He assumed that she hadn't known the tribal secret at the time, or later, as far as he knew. But then the years of difficulty in contacting her had happened; her hiding meant that she knew something. Was it something else? Something different?

Charlie couldn't begin to guess what it was.

They hadn't had a chance, with all the kerfuffle, to tell the Blacks that Sue's brother Lucas had come home. He had shown up the night before and they had all stayed up late talking around the kitchen table. Lucas said he had been dreaming of La Push and that he eventually just had to come back. He was still single and had been on the road for years.

Sue was pleased to see him, but confessed to Charlie in bed later that night, that it worried her. Lucas was in his late thirties and had sworn that he was never coming back to the rez.

"People change," Charlie tried.

"No, you don't understand. Lucas keeps his promises."

And then all the rest of Sue's worries had just poured out. They hadn't got much sleep. So when Bella showed up in the morning, Charlie was not surprised.

But right now, Sue needed him, too. She kept going over all her worries again as if saying it would help somehow.

Charlie wasn't good at talking but he was great at listening, and he just let her go. Bella was asleep and he could wait.

He was just about to head out, when the phone rang. It was Seth to tell them Bella was heading off to Seattle with Jake for a few hours. She had promised to come back and she was with Jake, so Charlie thought he could bet on her return.

Charlie frowned at Sue. She did not look good.

And then whatever Seth said next, sent Sue from stressed and worried into a rage.

She slammed the phone down. Something she always hated the kids doing. With two super strong werewolves in the house, they had a lot of accidental breakages.