( outfit for
chapter above )

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chapter one
evasion.

"Four o'clock on the dot," Charlie muttered as Bella walked into the house.

Christina placed the plate full of steaks on the table next to the potatoes. She laughed lightly as Bella rolled her eyes behind Charlie's back.

"What? Now he's too punctual for you?" Bella sighed as she sat down at the table next to Annie.

They both greeted each other lightly before digging into dinner. Christina was cutting up Annie's steak as she munched on her baked potato.

Charlie sighed as he placed down his knife and fork, looking directly at Bella. "You understand why you're being punished, right?" He asked, making Bella look up from her plate.

She nodded her head. "I know, I put you through Hell."

"You put all of us through Hell." He looked down at Annie, making sure that she wasn't listening before looking back up at Bella. "I have other reasons for grounding you. Like... I just want you to get some separation from him."

Bella pursed her lips. "What about Christina?"

"What about Christina?" Said girl asked looking up from cutting Annie's steak. She slid the well done pieces onto her daughter's plate as she listened to Bella explanation.

"Why don't you separate Christina and Carlisle?" Bella asked, pointing her fork towards her older sister.

Christina wrinkled her nose before hitting Bella's fork away from her face with her own. "I'm almost twenty-two years old. I'm a little old to be grounded— plus, I didn't do anything to warrant being grounded."

Charlie cleared his throat. "And I think Christina's doing enough separation on her own without my interference."

Christina grumbled at her father's jab. He's asked her multiple times why she hasn't got back together with Carlisle, and she always answers that she's not ready. He would chuckle before muttering under his breath, "poor man."

Bella sighed. "Dad, there's nothing you can do. Edward's going to be in my life."

He grumbled, "yeah, I'm gathering that." He stuck another piece of steak in his mouth before continuing. "So, alright. How about this?"

"Ew, Dad," Christina laughed. "Chew your food first."

"Mind yourself." Charlie flicked his eldest daughter's head. She batted his hand away with another laugh. "I'll make you a deal. You're not grounded anymore, if... you use your new found freedom to see some of your other friends. Like... Jacob."

Bella'a mood deflated lightly at the reminder of the russet teen. Christina chewed on the corner of her lip, feeling bad that she hadn't visited the pack in awhile either. She had been busy with work and school, and taking care of Annie. She didn't even think about visiting Emily's place.

"He's going through a lot," Charlie continued, not noticing Bella's dampened mood. "His dad's really worried about him. I remember when that was you. You needed a friend, and Jacob was there."

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        "I'm going to see him," Bella said as she walked into Christina's room. She paused in her writing as she looked up towards her younger sister. She raised her eyebrow. "I'm going to see Jacob."

"Did he finally answer your call?" Christina asked as she finished writing her last sentence to her essay. She slipped the notebook down her bed as she stretched her limbs over her head.

"No," Bella answered shortly. She bit her lip looking down at the ground.

Christina hummed. "Good luck. Have fun."

Bella nodded her head. "I'll be back later. If Edward comes by—"

"Yeah, yeah," Christina waved her hand. "I'll tell him to shove it."

"Christina—"

"I'm kidding, Bella," Christina laughed. "Go have fun."

Bella nodded her head before leaving the room once again. Christina grabbed her laptop and pulled it onto her lap to start typing her essay to send to her professor. She barely looked up from the computer screen as her bedroom window opened.

"What are you doing?" Carlisle leaned over her shoulder looking at her computer screen.

Christina barely jumped anymore with Carlisle's random visits. She sighed as she flexed her fingers, already feeling them tighten from them being tense. "Trying to send my essay in to my professor." She looked up towards the blond doctor with a smile. "What are you up to?"

"Watching you write to your professor," he answered with a chuckle. She rolled her eyes back at him before continuing her typing. "I just got off of work, so I thought I'd stop by and say hi."

"Uh huh," she mused before turning her attention towards the doctor sitting at her desk. "Want to tell me the real reason?"

Carlisle sighed, not surprised at how well the mother was able to read his thoughts. "Edward came to stop Bella from going to La Push."

"I figured as much," she muttered. She was almost irritated at the young boy's insistence of keeping Bella away from the pack.

"He was convinced that you were going to drive." He cleared his throat, trying not to get the mother riled up. "So, he was going to take your starter out of your Range Rover before I stopped him."

Christina's fingers paused over the keyboard before glaring down at the laptop. "Interesting," she muttered.

She slammed the laptop shut before getting up off her bed. Carlisle immediately wrapped his arms around her waist stopping her from trying to find Edward and chew him out.

"Let me go—"

"Now, Nina. You know I can't do that," he chuckled into her ear, making a small blush appear on her face at their proximity. He leaned backwards before both of them fell on top of her bed. She landed on his right side with a huff, both of them staring at the ceiling in thought.

"Never let me have any fun," she grumbled, making him chuckle again.

"I already talked to him about leaving your car alone," Carlisle muttered quietly. His cool fingers wrapped around her delicate hand, easily finding the spaces between her fingers. "I think he learned his lesson."

"Can vampires be grounded?" She asked, smirking at the thought. Carlisle chuckled again as he shook his head. "Damn."

"I'm going to head back home," Carlisle sighed, getting up from the bed. "Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Christina gave him a gentle smile. "I'm okay."

He grinned before landing a kiss on top of her forehead. "I'll see you at work tomorrow."

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        Christina sighed as she placed her book bag onto the passenger seat. She put her car into drive before heading towards the police station.

Charlie had mentioned earlier this morning that he wanted to have dinner with just her, Bella, and Annie. Bella had volunteered to pick up Annie from school since her and Edward would be out before she would; and they would meet her at the police station.

She pulled up next to the familiar Volvo before putting her Range Rover in park, and getting out. She furrowed her brows as she noticed the trio standing on the front steps, instead of waiting inside the station like usual.

"What's up?" Christina asked as she came onto Bella's side, not so easily picking Annie up as the six year old greeted her mother. "Hey, baby."

Bella looked towards her sister. "Missing person, a little over a year ago."

Christina nodded her head as she placed Annie back on the steps, feeling her arms getting tired from carrying the heavy child. "I remember. Dad was talking about it the other night. Riley-something..."

Bella nodded. She looked up towards her boyfriend. "Do you know anything about this?"

"We've been tracking the situation in Seattle for a while," he explained. "Unexplainable disappearances, killings... if the situation gets anymore inconspicuous, the Volturi will step in."

Bella's eyes popped open. "If they come to Seattle, they can come here— see that I'm still human."

Edward shook his head. "We won't let it get that far. And we'll go to Seattle if we have to."

Charlie walked down the stairs, greeting his granddaughter with a hug as she jumped into his arms. He groaned as he placed her down at the ground before looking back up towards the older trio. "You ready for dinner?"

Both sisters nodded their head.

Charlie glanced towards Edward before looking down at Bella. "Is it just... us four, right?"

Edward's lip twitched in amusement. "I'm just dropping Bella off. See you later." He waved his hand as they all said goodbye. He paused at the driver side door as he looked back towards Bella. "Oh, Bella. Carlisle wanted to remind you about the airline tickets you got for your birthday."

Bella narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but Edward continued to look clueless to her gaze.

"What airline tickets?" Charlie asked, looking down at his youngest daughter.

She sighed. "A round trip to see Mom in Florida."

Charlie's eyes widened. "Wow. That's generous."

Edward nodded his head. "And they expire soon. Carlisle mentioned how you should probably use them this weekend."

Christina placed Annie in the back of her car as Bella continued to argue with Edward over the tickets.

"Well, I can't just drop everything and go," she argued.

"It might be the last chance you get to see her before you graduate."

Both girls knew the meaning behind Edward's warning. Christina bit her lip as she thought about how in just a few short weeks, Bella would be turning into a vampire. She tried shaking the negative thoughts out of her head, knowing that Edward would be listening in.

Charlie nodded his head towards Bella. "Well, it might not be a bad idea. Get out of town for a few days, get some distance."

Christina chuckled lowly.

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind seeing Mom," Bella agreed, before sending daggers towards Edward. "As long as you use the companion ticket."

Christina laughed more as she watched Charlie's expression fall. "Why don't you bring your sister?"

"I have work!" She called from the driver's side door.

Charlie glared down at the ground. "Two tickets. Super, that makes me really happy."

Christina laughed before closing her driver side door behind her. Charlie got into his cruiser, and Bella hopped into the passenger side of Christina's car. The mother started towards the diner that they usually met at as Bella sighed.

"Edward's hiding something," she muttered. "And I'm going to find out what."

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First chapter, and I'm stoked! I hope you all enjoyed it!