Perpetual Existence

Fool

Edward

A liaison for the hospital shows Bella's father, Alice, my mother, and me to a private waiting area. The tension in the room is thick.

I laugh. "She'd hate that we were here waiting and worrying."

Charlie nods; a small on his lips. He wants to say something, but he stops as he glances at the others. His mind oddly blocks me from whatever he's thinking, and it's as infuriating as Bella's ability to keep me out.

I notice from my peripheral vision that Alice's brow is tight with confusion. Her thoughts can't seem to pinpoint Charlie's future, much like Bella and me in past loops.

Strange.

I share a look, telling her silently that we need a few minutes alone. She makes an excuse, along with Esme, that they'll run along to get some drinks for everyone.

The moment they're gone, Charlie's eyes narrow on me. "Stop trying to read my mind."

I don't bother to ask how he knows, but I remain frozen in shock.

"She's not the only one with her abilities; she just happens to be more powerful." He snorts, shaking his head. "I realized I can change a life-changing moment the first year on the force."

Again, I'm shocked. Knowing I can read his mind is one thing, but claiming to have the same ability as Bella to create a loop to prevent her death is mind-numbing.

"It was a routine traffic stop, and it was foggy. Visibility was nearly zero, but we both pulled off enough that it should've been safe. It was not."

The memory seems distorted and somewhat faded. It flickers as another image is superimposed over it. The original memory under the reality, though they are technically both true. He simply changed it. In the first, he was hit by a runaway car, killing him instantly. The "fixed" reality had him asking the driver to step out and they walked farther away from the freeway. The driver sideswiped the driver's car instead, all three involved survived.

"It took ten different loops for me to figure out what fate needed." Something in his voice says there is more to that day.

"When did this happen?"

The date once again sends me into a tailspin. Approximately nine months before Bella was born.

"I thought it was me creating this damn hell loop, but it's obvious now, that it's her."

I sigh, shaking my head. "I should've figured you'd have some of her ability."

"How many loops has it been?" He crosses his arms over his chest.

"Almost thirty."

He curses and gets up to pace, his hands tugging on his hair. "Usually, if anyone else is caught in the loop, they have no clue what's happening. Me, I can't control it. The instances were random, at best. It took quite a few loops to figure out something was going on now, then this time I realized it wasn't me, but my daughter. How do you know we're repeating the day?"

"I'm not..."

He spun to face me, realization clearing his mind enough for me to read him with ease. "Natural enemies of the Quileute Tribe."

I don't answer for his safety. It is, however, what he needs to confirm his thoughts.

"Is my daughter safe with you?"

I shake my head. "Not quite yet."

"How do we beat this?"

"Did you have Death following you around during your loops?" If he has her ability, then it would stand to reason that Death is determined to fulfill its mission.

He pales and has to sit down, his heart racing much too fast. "Death? No, at least I never noticed." He takes a few moments to regain his composure. "You didn't answer my question, how do we beat this?"

"It takes about three days to undergo the transformation."

His jaw drops, his eyes widening, reminding me of Bella's doe-like gaze.

My blackened heart twists in pain.

"You need to..." He can't say it out loud; the shake of my head tells him not to anyway. "If you can do it, she should live past the day and end the curse."

"In a sense, yes; however, it's not an easy task." His thoughts indicate he doesn't believe me, considering the size of my family. He isn't stupid; he realizes that we're all the same. "She would be my one and only."

"You've never done it."

I sense where his thoughts are heading and stop him. "My father can't be the one to do it from what we can tell. She can die from another's hand in each loop, but not her own. We believe it has to be me since..." Should I tell him what she means to me?

"Don't leave me hanging, Son."

"She's my mate."

He sits back and tries to stop from berating me in his thoughts, but fails. I can't say I blame him, she's finally returned home to him and now he could lose her.

"Her..."

"Blood?"

I nod and continue. "My desire for her is especially potent."

"You can't resist her blood?"

I shake my head. "I'm trying and it's been difficult." Understatement. I lean forward and tell him something else rather important. "I love her, sir. I want to save her, but you must understand, you are not allowed to know. No human is, and now, your life is in danger."

I explain the Volturi, and how we believe, since we are in a time distortion bubble, they could be waiting for us once it collapses. That if he knows about our kind, it could get not only him executed, but also my entire family, along with Bella.

"The memories fade over time," Charlie finally says after I explain. "If all this wasn't happening now, I wouldn't have remembered them at all."

"I have to end this loop, sir."

"Is it because of me?"

There is no use in denying it. "And Bella. If the memory will fade, so will the guilt that's consuming you now."

Before he can attempt to change my mind, I exit the room in my super speed. Carlisle sees me as I enter the recovery room, wanting to stop me, but instead steps back.

She looks peaceful as she sleeps, covered in bruises from her fall after being shot. Wires and machines surround her. It breaks my heart. I don't know if I can do this.

As Carlisle steps forward to offer some advice on the tip of his tongue, something dark crosses our vision, one of the machines starts sparking. We both yell as all the morphine is administered at once.

Something whispers in my ear as Bella's heart slows to a stop. "You fool."

.

.

.

I step onto the stairway of my home and gasp in horror. We've completely skipped the place in-between. Time isn't on our side, and it's clear, Bella's ability is fading fast.

Before any of my family can ask me what's wrong, I run to the phone in the living room and call Charlie. When he answers, he sounds confused, but he knows it's me immediately.

"Keep her there and stay with her. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

Without explaining, I ask Carlisle to come with me. He doesn't ask what's wrong, but he follows as I run out the front door.

I cannot fail this time.