I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.
Chapter One: Sobs and Starting Over
Charlie Swan stared at his broken daughter through the window of his living room as she continued to shove her belongings forcefully into the bed of her truck. He persisted with the nervous gnawing of his cheeks as he listened to her weep from outside. It physically hurt him that he couldn't comfort her, though he knew that she wouldn't just feel even more awkward because of the exchange.
Her dark hair was pulled into two braids that made her look innocent and youthful. Her clothes were some of his old garments. His tattered flannel shirt and worn gray sweatpants were grungy from the wet air and muddy soil. Charlie had never seen his sweet, beautiful Bella so torn up. No, that wasn't even the right explanation for how he was sure she felt at that moment in time. She was utterly heart-broken.
He watched sullenly as she laid her head on the side of her truck. Her small shoulders shook from the force of her sobs. He stood there, watching, until he couldn't take it anymore. Charlie's movement was fast and steady as he ran to console his only daughter. His large arms wove themselves around her body and held her petite frame against his chest. It took no time for her to return the gesture and grip at his shirt as she sunk to the wet concrete.
This miserable woman was not the Bella he had fathered. His Bella was smart and strong. She had been so beautiful and independent. Damn that man that changed her. Now she was nothing but a shell. A shell of what she used to be. She was gloomy and sick. She didn't speak unless she was calling out in her sobs and nightmares. She didn't eat. She tried not to eat. She cringed whenever the phone rang. She cried at all hours of the day. This was not Bella.
He wished Renee was there with them, instead of gallivanting with her newest beau. It made him even angrier that his ex-wife wasn't with their damaged daughter as she ran away and tried to hide from the cruel world that had thrown her to the wolves.
"Daddy," Bella moaned into his damp shirt.
He cooed at her in response, brushing the bangs away from her clammy face. Her skin had only paled in the week since she'd come back to him. She hadn't left the house, hell, she hadn't left her old room. The only time she ate was when Sue, Charlie's longtime girlfriend, came over and forced food down her throat and even then, she only nibbled on her sandwiched and took sips of her soup. He could've fed the rest of the town with her leftovers alone.
Charlie could only whisper to his daughter as she cried out in pain. No matter how much he wished or how much he tried, he couldn't take this hurt from her. That absolutely killed him.
*
"Bella, you don't have to go. You can stay with me as long as you need," Charlie had been trying to convince her to stay in Forks for the past half hour.
Bella sighed at her father. While she appreciated everything he had done for her, she needed to get away. Away from Forks. Away from the rain and the green. Away from the looks and the whispers. Away from the cause. Away from him.
"I know. I need to go, Dad. I promise, I'll call as soon as I get there," Bella said quietly as she shifted awkwardly on her feet.
Charlie shook his head at her. "I want you to call me as soon as you stop. It's a twenty hour drive. I know you'll get tired at some point and I don't like the fact that you are doing this drive alone. I would feel better if you took Jake with you."
Jake, Bella's best friend growing up. They hadn't spoken in months. She'd been going through a lot and hadn't really given him much consideration. She missed him, that much was true. He and Charlie had offered to drive down with her but she needed to do this alone. She didn't want to cry and scream in front of them anymore than she already had.
Jacob had seen Bella grow up, so it wasn't like he was uncomfortable in front of her tears but she felt like a burden enough as it was. She didn't need him to tell her that he would rather listen her cry than to Quil ramble on about his beau Claire. He may have been a great best friend but he wasn't exactly sensitive. He didn't feel the need to tip toe around her feelings. He was the complete opposite of the new Charlie.
Ever since she and her father had had a breakthrough during one of her many, of late, breakdowns, Charlie had been less object to showing his emotions. Bella still was unavailable emotionally to almost everyone. That was of her greatest faults, at least, that's what he had told her. Bella swallowed another sob. She would save that for later.
Charlie pulled her into another hug, his grip like a vice. "I love you kid."
Bella nodded into his shoulder. "I love you too, Dad."
She sighed, almost reluctantly as she got into her truck. She wasn't so sure of herself anymore and this decision was just adding to the list of her worries. It was hard to leave her hometown and her father. Most of all, it was hard to let go of her dreams. She knew that any future with him was far gone and staying here would only remind her of that, every single day.
Bella smiled lightly at her father as she drove off. She cried as he waved to her. She cried as she passed community hospital. She cried as she passed the old diner. But those tears didn't compare to the tears she shed as she passed by the cemetery. She bit back her sobs as she hurried past. No amount of money could make her step foot in that place ever again.
She breathed a sigh of relief as she left behind the town of Forks and her past.
AN:
I had this saved from a while ago. I just got back from a small birthday vacation, it was a complete surprise so that is why I haven't updated StF lately. I promise, I will get on that as soon as possible. Also, if anyone is willing, I would love a beta for this.
Emolaaay
