Summary: Bella is board and hungry, so she decides to give Charlie a lesson in baking brownies. Will this end in disaster, or will she cure his horrible cooking issue? Oneshot.
Disclaimer: I am not worthy of owning such amazingness. Stephenie Meyer is amazing and owns it all!
BPOV
Gerrrgggleeee.My stomach was going mad. Sitting on my bed Indian style, book in my lap. Wuthering Heights, one of my favorites. I was so hungry but what for? My stomach had been growling for the past hour or so. My monthly friend was here, or 'Aunt Flo' as me and mom called it. So, maybe I was craving chocolate. I always graved chocolate on my period.
My stomach growled again and I giggled setting my book down and standing up. I could of swore I put a candy bar in my purse from lunch this morning. I searched and only came up with a wrapper to a Crunch bar. Dang, must've eaten it already...
I looked at the time. Only 5pm. Edward wouldn't be back until tomorrow, having gone hunting around Seattle for bears and mountain lions with Emmett and Jasper. I guess he needed it, his eyes were black for the past few I was hungry as hell, as well as missing Edward. I wanted chocolate, that much I was sure of.
Heading downstairs barefoot Charlie heard me and smiled at me from the couch watching football as always. "Surprised your home, Bells. What are you up to? No Edward today?" he asked, not much seeming to care about Edwards actually whereabouts.
"He's gone out to hang with Jasper and Emmett for the day." I said. "And I'm hungry. Got any chocolate around here?" I asked.
"Um yeah, we have browning mix. But, don't ask me how to make that stuff. You know me and the kitchen aren't good friends except when it comes to coffee and cereal." he said with a chuckled. I rolled my eyes with a smile and made my way into the kitchen. I rummaged around for the things needed to make brownies. Then an awful smell hit my nose near the garbage can.
"Dad? Did you kill something and shove it into the trash?" I called.
"Um... no. But I got hungry and tried to make a small meatloaf and failed majorly. Sorry... It got burnt like crazy." he said, his voice closer and then he was in the doorway. "Told you." he said seeing me looking very disgustedly at the mess in the trash.
"Charlie, Charlie, Charlie." I mumbled shaking my head and looking at him. "You really suck." I giggled and turned opening the box of brownies mix when an idea popped in my head. "Say, how bout a 'lil cooking lesson?" I asked.
His thick eyebrows rose and his forehead wrinkled in an expression of fear and worry. "Um, your asking me, right? The worlds worst cook? Yeah.. psh okay." he rolled his eyes and sipped a root beer. I walked over to him and took his wrist. "C'mon, it's easy. Please?" I asked.
Charlie grinned and finally sighed giving in and nodded. "Okay okay, but it this house get's burnt down you buy us a new one and are my personal chef for life!" he said. Smiling I shook his hand in a deal.
I placed out everything. Two eggs, the right measurements of milk and the brownie mix along with the bowl to mix it in and pan to cook it in.
"So! Welcome to Cookin' with Bella, 101." I said in a weird accent, trying not to giggle.
Charlie smiled then looked over everything I had pulled out "So um... what do I do?" he asked looking at everything like he'd never seen them before.
"Oh c'mon, Charlie." I laughed. I took an egg and handed him the other. With my free hand I poured the mix into the bowl, then cracked the egg and let its contents spill onto the chocolate mountain. Charlie did the same, only some shell pieces fell into the mix. "Damn.." he said reaching in and pulling them out. I was fighting back giggles, but then handed him the measuring cup with the right amount of milk already in.
"Pour it in." I said, and he did as told. Then gave me a 'now what?' look. I held up my finger and went to get an electric mixer. Plugged it in, and set it on low then handed it to my father. He shook his head laughing nervously.
"Okay, no way Bells. This, I will screw up. You do it." he said trying to hand it to me. Still suppressing my laughs, I shook my head.
"Nope, gotta learn Charlie. Who knows, you could really impress Sue with this." I said with a wink. He mummbled something unintelligible and turned the thing back on, and slowly inched it into the bowl.
Now this is where it got crazy...
Charlie had obviously never done this, because he didn't even grab the bowl and hold it while he whisked. Instead and began to circulate his wrist and sent chocolate and egg white flying at the two of our shirts. We both jumped and he quickly shut it off setting it down on the table. I looked at him through one eye as I wiped chocolate and egg off my other eye and face and neck. He sent me an apologetic look and I just shook my head with a small smile and took the machine, turned it on, held the bowl, and showed him how to do it correctly. When it was mixed up, I let him try it out anyway which this time he succeeded.
"Now, set the oven to the degress the box says." I said handing him the bowl and then I spilled the brownie batter into the pan. I spread it out as he watched with a flat plastic knife, and handed it to him to lick which he gladly did.
"Mm, good Bells." he said.
"Yupp. Now, watch them while I go take a quick shower, okay?" I said. He nodded. "Shouldn't be hard, every five minutes come check on them. Stick in a toothpick too. when it comes out clean, they're done." I explained as simply as possible. I shot him a quick little playful glare then headed upstairs.
I came downstairs ten minutes later to find the kitchen filled with smoke and Charlie fanning out the oven. And some very very burnt brownies sitting on the stove top. "Dad! What did you do?" I asked walking over with a grown. I opened the window in the kitchen as well as the door to air out the room which it did quickly.
"What did you put the oven on?" I asked.
"Well uh, it said 325. I put it on 530." he explained. My eyes bugged out and I shook my head pinching the bridge of my nose. "Wow dad.. your unteachable." I mumbled, my stomach groaning in protest to my mind deciding tonight wasn't the night for brownies. I poked the things, they were so hot they burnt my finger a little, and hard as rocks. Black, nowhere near brown.
"I think you should stay away from the stove." I said shaking my head. Charlie looked upset, and we silently cleaned up together. The burnt marks inside the oven and cooling out the house and getting the smoke out. And he even scraped the hard brownies into a bag and threw them into the outside trash.
"I'm really sorry, Bells." he said.
Sighing I nodded, "It's fine dad. It's my fault for making you. I'm sorry. I'm... going to bed." I said giving him a small forced smile, I went upstairs to my bedroom.
As much as I wanted it, sleep never took me. I missed Edward, I was hungry as hell, and felt bad for my dad. Because he seemed to really want to accomplish this. Groaning I laid down and stared up at the ceiling for a while. I must have dozed off, looking at my clock it now said 8:56pm. I went to go the bathroom, but a sweet delicious smell hit my nose sending my stomach into a grumbling frenzy. Chocolate?
"What the..." I headed downstairs and into the kitchen where Charlie was trying to cut some brownies up that he'd apparently made.
"Dad, did you... make more brownies?" I asked looking over his shoulder. They looked good. And sure did smell good. I had to wipe my mouth to make sure I wasn't drooling.
"Yeah, felt bad y'know? And I could hear your stomach while we were making them." he winked. "I think I did pretty good." he said still trying to cut them. A little crooked.
"Here..." I took his hand and helped him cut them all up. Smiling to each other when it was done. We each took one and took a bite. I smiled and took anouther, one more, then finished it off. He had his done too by the time I swallowed my last bite.
"Wow, that was really good." he said with such pride and shock. It was cute, in a fatherly way. I taught my dad to make brownies!
"Yeah it was! I'm proud of you, dad. They're delicious!" I said. And to prove my point, I took another and scarfed it down. Charlie watched with a smile, and I couldn't help it as I hugged him tightly.
"Your not unteachable, dad. You did good. Excellent, actually." I said. Charlie hugged me back and kissed my hair.
"I learned from the best." he said, laughing then got serious. "Thank you, Bells. It was a nice experience. I'll definitely keep doing this." he said.
I smiled into his chest hugging him tighter. "Just promise me one thing, dad."
"Whats that?" he asked.
I looked up at him with a serious face scrunching up my nose. "Never attempt meatloaf again."
We both burst out in laughter and he hugged me tight before letting me go walking out of the kitchen he shouted over his shoulder. "Don't worry , I'm dropping out of your cooking class!"
So corny, weird, goofey. I always could see in my mind a cute little father-daughter moment between Bella and Charlie involving her teaching him to cook. And especially after the adorable moment between Bella and Renee in Eclipse, I just had to write this. Let me know what you think! I have another longer story coming up and more oneshots.