Chapter Six
Love and Madness
Grace Cullen
Forks, Washington
La Push, Washington

I was giddy Saturday afternoon when it came time to pick out my outfit and get ready for the evening. I felt like I was doing something wrong and dangerous, but at the same time I couldn't get Charlie off of my mind. I had gone to great lengths to avoid Edward all night, knowing I couldn't slip up around his built in lie detector of a mind. I couldn't tell anyone what I was doing.

I finally decided on a rust-colored red dress that was elegant but still alluring with a plunging neckline. I put on some matching strapy heels and some earrings before grabbing my bag and heading downstairs.

"I'm going to go by the school and put together my lesson plans for this week." I announced to the congregation of my family members in the living room. "And then I'm headed up to the Canadian boarder to get some good hunting in."

"You're going hunting? Dressed like that?" Rosalie frowned at me. "You'll get such a nice dress ruined, Aunt Grace."

"I have a change of clothes in my car." I laughed at her. "Trust me, the dress is just a show. I've got to let people know I'm still alive."

"Here, why don't I go with you?" Edward offered.

"No, I'll be fine." I shook my head. "I just need a moment of clarity before a hectic week begins. I'll be fine." I promised him.

"Alright, if you're sure." He nodded.

"I am." I smiled at him, kissing the top of his head before going to the garage door. "Make sure to tell Carlisle and Esme where I'm headed, please!"

"We will." Edward agreed and I shut the door behind me, ready to get to the school and get some work done before my night out.

I got to the school and to my classroom without any problems, the only other car in the parking lot was a math teachers, so I knew no one would bother me in my room. I looked through the substitutes notes about what they covered, which wasn't very much, before planning out the week ahead. By six thirty, only two hours of work, I was done and putting away my plans in my filing cabinet.

Just before seven, I headed out to Emmett's Jeep in the parking lot and climbed in to wait for Charlie.

As I waited, I got the terrible sense that what I was doing was wrong. So very wrong that my insides wrenched in guilt. I was putting my family at risk. My sister-in-law, my nieces, my nephew, my sons, and even my own brother would all suffer if the Volturi somehow found out about what I was doing. Not to mention the kind of exposer we'll encounter if it gets out that Grace Cullen, the elusive twin sister of the towns best doctor, is dating Charlie Swan, the Chief of Police tasked with maintaining the small towns operations. The gossip and attention would be relentless.

Suddenly a knock on my window startled me and I jumped in surprise. Charlie laughed at me as he opened my car door.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. You seemed very focused on something." He chuckled, glancing at the dashboard of the Jeep. "What's this?" He asked, picking up my pink ticket. "Speeding. Ninety in a seventy-five." He whistled. "Sorry, I can't date a criminal." He shook his head, smiling at me teasingly as he tucked the ticket into his jacket pocket.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked him, playfully raising an eyebrow up at him in question.

"I'll get the ticket dismissed. There's no sense in you paying it." He responded.

"Charlie, no, I was speeding. Sure, I was trying to get home to a houseful of sick people, but that's no excuse." I shook my head at him.

"Well, it's good enough for me." He winked at me. "Are you ready to go?"

I thought about faking a phone call and having to leave. I thought about turning him down. I thought about telling him I had just discovered I had an inoperable tumor and was going to quit my job and go home and die comfortably. I thought of a million different ways to get out of a date with him.

And then he smiled widely at me, that smile I adored, and I was hooked.

"Yes." I nodded excitedly, hopping out of the drivers seat and shutting the door behind me.

"Wow. Look at you." He marveled at me.

"Oh? Do you like this dress better than last nights?" I teased him, strutting as I walked over to his police cruiser.

"I'm just impressed. You're always so beautiful, even when you're not trying. Hell, you got shot by a pistol and still managed to look gorgeous sitting up in a hospital bed." He chuckled as he opened the door for me.

"Aww, aren't you sweet." I smiled up at him, buckling my seat belt as he shut the door and got in the drivers seat. "So, where are we going?" I asked him as he pulled out of his parking spot.

"A nice quiet bar in the next town over." He replied. "I should've taken you out to dinner, but Bella insisted on making dinner before going to her friends house."

"Oh, I'm fine." I assured him, thankful we weren't going to dinner. "Esme really likes to cook." I giggled.

"So you all really live together?" He asked, he wasn't judging he was merely curious.

"Yes." I nodded. "It's a big house and we're such a close family. It just makes more sense to all be together."

"I know people think it's weird, but I'm glad you're not on your own." Charlie surprised me yet again. "I would hate to think of you being on your own to raise two teenagers."

"Carlisle sometimes tries to convince me I was wrong to adopt them." I confessed, not entirely lying. "He thinks I hindered my chances at dating by having kids so young."

It wasn't a lie. Carlisle really has said multiple times that my attachments to the coven have kept me from exploring my chances at finding my mate.

"Maybe you just needed to find an older guy with a kid of his own that gets it." Charlie chuckled and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes. Maybe you're right." I agreed as he pulled into the parking lot.

"Here, wait there." He told me, and I was confused as he got out and walked around the back of the car. "Ready?" He asked me, opening my car door and offering me his hand.

"Ready." I smiled as I took his hand, my heart melting at such a sweet gesture.

I followed him inside, my hand still in his, and to a table in the corner of the room. We had just gotten seated when a waitress came over to us.

"Can I get you two started on anything to drink?" She asked.

"I'll take a Rainer beer and she likes-"

"Whiskey, on the rocks." I cut him off. "I'm not picky on the brand." I told the waitress, who laughed at Charlie's expression before going to get our drinks.

"So, you're not a Merlot kind of person then." He chuckled, referring to last night.

"Oh I am. But I like to mix it up." I smirked at him. "Unlike one man I know." I teased him as the waitress came back with our drinks.

"Funny girl." He nodded. "Funny girl." He smiled at me before taking a drink.

"I think so." I smiled back at him before steeling my expression to the awful taste of alcohol.

Forcing myself to cough up all of that wine last night had not been a pleasant experience at all and I was not looking forward to doing it again tonight.

I was, however, very much looking forward to having Charlie to myself tonight.

"So tell me." He smiled softly at me from across the table. "How did you and your brother decide to come to such a small rainy town? With his surgical skills and your teaching ability, you could've picked anywhere in the country. He could be making five times the amount of money at a much larger hospital."

"Well, we both like the small town appeal. The kids don't do well in crowds, they like to keep to themselves, and so small schools are better. Esme really likes being at home for everyone, and so small towns where she can get out and shop and keep an eye on everyone easier makes her feel better. Carlisle and I really just care about the people we help, and so small classrooms and re-occurring patients make us feel helpful." I explained.

"But why Forks?" He asked.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "We just liked the name I guess." I joked, earning a laugh out of Charlie. "Your turn, why Forks?" I asked him.

"I was born and raised here." He shrugged. "I know just about everyone in town, and they know and trust me to keep the peace. I wanted to move nearer to Bella when she was younger, but I just couldn't leave this town."

"It's almost like something was keeping you here." I smiled at him, unable to keep myself from obsessing over him.

"Fate has a funny way of playing out." He agreed, smiling back at me beautifully.

"Fate, hmm?" I teased him. "I didn't expect such a tough man to believe in Fate."

"Tough?" He chuckled. "I'm a sucker for a good love story." He confessed.

"Really?" I giggled.

"Oh yeah." He nodded. "I'm the softest one in the department. I'll let people off on all kinds of things if they've a sad enough story for me." He laughed.

"So I've noticed." I laughed with him. "You know, you really don't need to dismiss the speeding ticket. What I did was wrong, and it's not like I can't afford it."

"I know that." He smiled softly at me. "But you were trying to get home to your sick kids, and like I said, I'm a sap."

"Well, okay then." I agreed. "What's your favorite color?" I asked him, suddenly curious to know everything about him.

"Green." He answered immediately.

"I'm not surprised." I laughed, knowing the greenery that's overwhelmingly abundant in Forks.

"What's yours?" He countered me.

"Hmm." I thought over it, I had never had to pick one before. "I think it's green too." I told him truthfully. "It's soothing and reminds me of all of my families camping trips."

We launched into questions then, it was as if we both wanted to know everything we possibly could about the other. I learned his favorite food is pizza, he loves to go fishing every chance he can, he's the youngest chief of police forks has ever had, and the most important person in his life has always been Bella.

"Do you want another beer?" I asked him, noticing he had breezed through two. He had been drinking nothing but water for the last hour of questions.

"No, of course not." He shook his head. "I've got to drive." He laughed at me.

"Chief of police." I nodded, feeling silly I didn't think of humans drunk driving habits.

"Besides, I can't go and get drunk on a first date. What kind of guy would that make me?" He chuckled.

"One that would be easier to lure in." I smirked at him playfully.

"I don't think you would have to try very hard, Miss Cullen." He muttered and I spit up some of my drink in surprise.

"Charlie, you're such a flirt!" I giggled.

"Well-" He trailed off, eyes suddenly locked on the door behind me.

"Charlie? What's wrong?" I asked him.

"Nothing." He shook his head. "Let me handle this." He told me as a group of men suddenly approached our table.

"What's a Cullen doing in La Push?" A tall russet skinned man barked down at me.

La Push. The shapeshifters. Memories of the large wolves attacking me and my family years ago flashed through my mind and my senses bristled in warning.

"Now, Sam." Charlie grumbled, suddenly looking very intimidating as he slipped into his cop mentality. "Miss Cullen isn't doing anything wrong here."

"Chief Swan, stay out of this." Another one of the men told him sternly, nearly snarling at me.

"You are not going to talk to me like that, Paul." Charlie snapped at him. "If you boys know what's good for you, you'll get out of here, now." He ordered.

"Cullen trash doesn't belong here." The third boy growled at me, knocking my drink off of the table and into my lap.

"Get out of here." Charlie ordered them, standing to his feet and pushing them towards the door. "I'm so sorry, Grace." He apologized, coming back to me as I sat dazed at the table.

"It's...um." I shook my head, trying not to panic. "It's alright." I assured him. "Let's just leave." I begged him and he put some cash on the table immediately.

"Alright, lets go get you cleaned up." He offered me his hand again and I took it eagerly, following him out to his cruiser.

"Wait till I get my hands on those boys." Charlie muttered to himself as I attempted to prevent my dress from staining.

It was a hopeless attempt, and I didn't really care about the dress getting ruined, but I had to do something to get my mind off of the shapeshifters.

"Charlie, honestly, it's fine." I shook my head, still focusing on the stain.

"No, it's not." He shook his head. "I just don't understand what they have against you and your family." He grumbled angrily.

"People fear what they don't understand." I sighed, meaning it both ways.

We are 'natural enemies', according to the shapeshifters, we fear them and they fear us.

"You're not...normal...are you?" Charlie asked quietly, a thoughtful expression on his face as he focused on the road.

"No." I confessed. "Not really."

"And whatever makes you, and your family, so different...that's what the La Push gang doesn't like?" He asked cautiously.

"Yes." I sighed.

"Okay." He nodded, and we settled back into a tension-filled quite.

The self-loathing hit me then, washing over me like a tidal wave, and I berated myself for being stupid enough to think I could enjoy Charlie's company without consequences. He's a police chief for crying out loud, Grace. Observance and intelligence is what got him to be Chief in the first place, so why did I think he wouldn't pick up on my supernatural qualities?

"Here, wait there." He told me, getting out of his seat to come and open my door, again.

"This isn't the school." I told him, taking his hand as he helped me out of the car.

We were in the driveway of his home.

"Yeah, I told you we were going to get you cleaned up." He responded, leading me to the front door. "I can't let you go home covered in whiskey." He told me as he unlocked the door and opened it for me to go in ahead of him.

"You have a very lovely home." I complimented him, looking around the cozy living room.

It was simple with a couch, recliner, and television set up around a coffee table. The couch had well loved quilts thrown over the back of it while the recliner had a warm looking blanket draped over the arm. The fireplace in the room had a large brick mantle decorated with sweet pictures of Bella and Charlie throughout the years.

"Thanks." He nodded. "There are some stain wipes in the laundry room, I'll go get them." He told me before drifting off down the hallway.

I went to the mantle to look closer at the pictures, unable to help my curiosity. A tiny Bella being cradled by a love-struck Charlie. Bella, smiling apprehensively as she posed in a tutu and ballerina slippers. Several of Bella's school photos, a progression of her dark hair and dark eyes much like her fathers.

"She's beautiful." I told Charlie, hearing him come into the room behind me.

"Yeah, she is." He agreed, before a loud gunshot went off.

"Charlie?" I cried out, turning around to find him pointing his handgun at me.

He had a wide eyed look of his face, it was as if he were terror stricken.

"What are you?" He asked me, sounding calmer than he was.

"Charlie, I don't know what you mean." I told him, sounding far more confused than I was.

"I just fired a shot at your back! It didn't even hurt you! What are you?!" He yelled at me.

"Charlie, calm down." I cooed. "Please." I begged him, and he lowered the gun. "How did you know that bullet wouldn't kill me?" I asked him.

"I conducted the investigation of the school shooting incident." He confessed. "The bullet couldn't have gone through you, like you said, there was no evidence it hit anything else but you." He explained, fishing for something in his pocket

He held a flattened piece of metal in between his fingertips.

"This is the bullet." He showed me. "I've never seen anything like this. You should be dead, but I don't think you were even scratched by that shot."

"I'm so sorry." I apologized to him, for hurting him and for ever speaking to him in the first place.

"Sorry for what? For being a vampire?" He questioned me, eyes still wide in shock.