DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters, Stephanie M. does. I'm just borrowing them from the metaphorical toy box. I promise I'll give them back after I'm done : )

A/N: Sorry If the first chapter's kinda slow. It'll speed up soon, I promise!

Life as we Know It

Chapter 1

I barely managed to walk straight as I balanced the precariously and heavily loaded box in both of my arms. Dumping it unceremoniously into the truck, I took a step back to survey my handiwork. Putting my hands on my hips, I blew a hair out of my face. My braids were coming undone.

And then I was nearly knocked over.

Something barreled around me, then past me, then around the side of the house. Just as I gained my balance back, another something followed.

"Emmett!" Rosalie and I yelled simultaneously (they must've pulled the same routine on her).

For good measure, I added, "Lucy! Get back here!"

Guiltily, the pair slunk back around the house to face me. Before I had a chance to speak, Lucy did.

"Sorry Momma! I did'n' mean to knock you over we were just playin' tag!" The words came out in one long breath and she pouted as she said them. Agh, those eyes. It was impossible to stay mad at those eyes. I reached over and ran a hand over her head, smoothing down her now-messy brown hair.

"Its okay, Luce. But we have to be careful and considerate of other people, too, even when we're playing tag, alright?"

"Okay!" she chirped happily, skipping back into the house.

"Sorry momma!" Emmett tried to make the same face, to no avail.

"Yeah, not gonna happen, buster. Why do you have to get her so worked up?"

He broke character immediately. His face unfolded into a rugged grin.

"I'm her uncle, it's my job," he said matter-of-factly.

I glared halfheartedly, but it soon gave way to a smile. There was no point in getting stressed out over nothing today. It was a big day.

It was moving day.

A quick history:

I was twenty when I got pregnant with Lucy. I was young and scared an in college. I had a relationship on the rocks, and the pregnancy pushed it over the edge. It was over before she was born, and James wasn't even in the hospital the day I delivered.

He didn't see her until three days later, when we came home, and when he did, he wasn't very enthusiastic. He stayed for a total of thirty minutes before leaving because "he had plans."

Over the years, this pattern hasn't changed much. I told him he could see Lucy when he wanted to, and that wasn't very often. When he does, it's usually because his mother wants to spend some quality time with her granddaughter.

When James didn't step up, Emmett did. He's two years older than me, and while I am slender and willowy, he's built like a horse. Stocky and tall, he has the body of a football player, which makes sense, as he played in college. Yeah, he's that Emmett Swan. He played for Notre Dame all four years. Now he works at Forks Police Department, in Forks, Washington, with our dad.

The only traits we share are our chocolate brown eyes and curly brown hair. But, what works for him looks plain on me. You'd never be able to tell we were siblings unless we told you.

When we were younger, Emmett was a bit of a wild child, he was the Renee to my Charlie I guess (our parents are opposites as well – My mom a hair-brained, sporadic, creative, fun woman, and my father a down-to-earth, quiet, well-intentioned man – we're a family of contradictions). He was popular and rash and outgoing, while I was quiet and shyer than him.

He changed after he met Rosie. Rosalie was his college sweetheart, and now they're married. She's perfect for him, she can take his crap, and he can take hers. I couldn't think of two people better suited for each other. She's one of my best friends, too. While Emmett is a cop, Rose co-owns a boutique in Forks. She's great at it, and she loves it.

Forks is the town where we grew up. It's what one would call in the boondocks. Forks is nowhere near any major cities, and it has a population of three thousand one hundred and twenty people. Well, three thousand one hundred and twenty-two. It was moving day after all.

When I got pregnant with Lucy, I took a break from school and moved into an apartment in Seattle. Now, I was moving back home after years of being away…Why?

My mom died a few months ago.

It was a car crash. She hit a patch of black ice and skidded straight into the guard rail. They say she died instantly.

I hope they're right.

We used to laugh about her driving when I was younger. Mom was scatter-brained, and her driving skills (or lack thereof) reflected that. She was all over the place; she drove too fast, had no sense of direction, and had a tendency to talk on her phone, listen to music, eat and do her makeup as she drove.

Isn't it funny how something you thought was funny one minute can be so utterly unfunny the next?

We used to laugh about her driving, and in the end, it got her killed.

How's that for ironic?

Moving day passed fairly quickly. We packed the truck and the U-Haul, and made good time, getting to my Dad's house in two and a half hours. We'd be staying with him; he needed someone to look after him since Mom was gone.

As soon as the truck was pulled up in front of the house, with Emmett driving the rented U-Haul behind us, Lucy unbuckled herself from her car seat and sprinted out of the car.

"Grandpa! Grandpa, we're here!"

I chuckled after her, considering calling her back to warn her about the dangers of running through driveways. I decided against it. She was a good kid, just a little hyper right now. Wouldn't you be if you were three (and a half) and stuck in a car for more than two hours? It's a wonder she was good for the entirety of the ride.

In the end, I decided to give her a break.

Charlie came out with her on his hip chattering in his ear. He was smiling wide, a crinkly-eyed smile that belonged only to him. I hadn't seen that smile in months, and was relieved that he looked much healthier than he had at our last meeting as well.

"Hey, Bells! It's great to have you home." He set Lucy down for a second, (as soon as she was finished with her sentence) and pulled me into an embrace.

"Hiya Pops!" Emmett climbed out of the car and pulled him into a man-hug. Rosalie embraced him as well.

Dad walked over and grabbed my duffel from the backseat.

"Alright Bella, let's get you settled in."

I spent the next week situating myself and Lucy into an everyday routine at my dad's place. I got a job at a local camping supplies store and began working to make my dad's house livable again. Before we arrived, there was, no joke, a total of two things in his refrigerator – one was a case of beer, and the other was a jar of mustard.

I stocked the fridge and pantry and set up Lucy in Emmett's old room and myself in mine. I painted over his blue walls a light green and bought linens to match. I painted the furniture white and set up her toys. I unpacked her things and signed her up for preschool at the local nursery school.

I got reacquainted with Alice Cullen at the deli store in the supermarket:

"Bella Swan? Bella, is that you?"

"Alice? Wow, it's been way too long!"

"Years! How've you been?"

"I'm getting along." We crashed together in a zealous-filled hug. "I've got – I'm a mom now."

"Oh my God!"

"Yeah. Her name's Lucy, and she'd want me to tell you that she's three and a half."

"Wow. Congratulations! Is there a Dad in the picture?" I sighed.

"It's…complicated."

"Well, you can tell me all about it over lunch. My place is just down the street. Would you like to come over? We can eat and catch up."

I grinned, "I'd love to."

Alice and I were best friends in high school. After college we'd drifted apart, but it looked like she'd ended up in Forks just like I had. She was engaged to a man named Jasper who taught history at the local high school, had blonde hair and blue eyes, and whom she was very much in love with. And, in a happy coincidence, she was Rosalie's partner in the boutique business (what a small world).

When I told her about James, she was thoroughly disgusted.

"It is beyond wrong for him to do that. He only sees Lucy every couple of weeks?"

I nodded over my tea. "Yeah. It's pretty rough on her. I think she feels like it's her fault, as if she did something wrong, or wasn't good enough for him or something. I wish I could make it better for her."

"Those are some pretty heavy emotions for a kid her age. Did she tell you that?"

"Not exactly, but I'm her mom. I can tell. She gets upset sometimes when we talk about him, and she absolutely adores him."

"God knows why."

"Tell me about it."

And just like that, we were friends again. Alice met Lucy, who absolutely adored her, and in the week that passed, they went shopping (With Rosalie) twice. Each time they came back with armfuls of impractical and trendy clothing that Lucy loved and Alice insisted on paying for.

I became re-acquainted with her folks, who I had considered my pseudo-parents for a time. It was as if not a day had passed, and, they, too, welcomed me back with open arms.

Carlisle Cullen was a surgeon at a nearby hospital, and a damn good one at that. He was world – renowned, and he chose to work here. The town was very lucky to have him. His wife Esme was always involved with at least ten different volunteer projects, and always had a mug of hot tea and an open ear for anyone who needed to talk. They were two of the best people I'd ever met.

The only Cullen I hadn't been re-acquainted with was their son Edward. Alice's older brother was in Emmett's year at school, and I'd had a huge crush on him, which I'd never acted on. Alice informed me that he was a newly hired doctor at the same hospital where their father worked, and that he was, as she put it, "single and ripe for the picking."

Blushing, I informed her that I wasn't looking for a relationship at the moment. I had a daughter to think about, and couldn't get involved with a man. After a raised eyebrow, I hastily reminded her that we weren't in high school anymore. I then spent a good ten minutes convincing her that I did not (absolutely DID NOT) like him anymore. I hadn't seen him in years.

That is, until we, quite literally, bumped into each other.

I was running late to pick up Lucy from pre-school after work, and wasn't at all looking where I was going as I raced through the parking lot to my car. Suddenly, I bumped into something rather soft, and fell to the ground (of course), hitting my head on something rather hard.

"Oh, shit, I'm so sorry, are you okay? I should've – Bella? Bella Swan?" My brown eyes opened to meet a pair of dazzling green.

A/N: So…that's it. What d'you think? Reviews=love. Also, reviewers will get virtual cookies And their questions answered (provided they have any)