Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight

I have yet to decide on the end pairing, please vote in my ffnet poll to give me an idea. Thanks

Chapter 1

Bella lowered her book and looked out her bedroom window as shrieks of laughter drifted up, smiling as she saw Renee and Phil playing around in the backyard, fighting for the hose and both getting soaked. Summer had arrived and in three months she'd be seventeen and have a new stepdad, all in one month. She liked Phil, he was good for her Mom, he loved travel but was also a lot steadier than Renee. And that was why she'd been toying with an idea that had her rather nervous. She still had time to decide though, for now she really should finish packing.

She was leaving tomorrow for Forks to spend her yearly month with Charlie and she was nervous, it had been years since they'd spent the time in Forks, they'd met in California instead. Lately though she had realised how unfair that was to him, making him take a month of work and pay for accommodation out of state just because she didn't like the constant rain and small-town feel. It had been selfish and childish, two things she normally wasn't, and she didn't like realising she had been, but she was going to fix that. She would go to Forks and she would put a real effort into enjoying her time with Charlie. Yes, she was clumsy, but she'd gotten better in the last few years. She'd taken dancing up again and had worked hard at it, not wanting to be the klutz who was always hurting herself. She wouldn't win any awards, but she could now walk down the sidewalk without tripping over air. Maybe she would show him that by agreeing to go fishing or hiking with him without it ending in a trip to the ER.

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Edward dodged out of the way, nodding at the Chief's quick apology as the man passed, obviously in a hurry and then a small smile appeared as he caught the man's thoughts. He was very excited because his daughter was coming home to visit. He almost chuckled at the man's rushing thoughts. The chief was well respected in town and it was good to see him so happy. He was one of the few who accepted their odd family, a rare thing especially in small towns. Edward got in his car and drove home, relieved that Emmett and Rose had finally left their room and certain activities for the day, not even the best soundproofing could keep them from hearing and it was worse for him and Jasper since they both got a front row seat although at least Jasper had Alice when he got hit by the other couple's lust. Edward had no one when thoughts of such things threatened to overwhelm him, so he usually escaped to hunt or wander the town.

"It's safe," Jasper smirked as he walked in and Edward nodded. Jasper tilted his head, studying him. "You're cheerful, good walk?"

"Ran into Chief Swan and you would have loved it," Edward admitted as he walked upstairs.

"Oh?" Jasper asked as he followed. Out of all the Cullen, Jasper was closest to Rosalie, his 'twin', because she never judged him, even when he slipped up. Even Alice did, and she was his wife. EH and Edward were complicated, their gifts made them close, but their personalities and his past drove them apart. Still, they were family.

"His thoughts were giddy enough without being able to sense his emotions."

"Chief Swan?' Jasper wasn't sure he believed the man could be giddy, he was very reserved the two times Jasper had seen him.

"Apparently his daughter is arriving soon for a month's stay."

"I didn't know he had a child," Jasper admitted, maybe he should slip by the Chief's house tonight, bask in his emotions if he was still happy.

"His wife left him shortly after she was born and took her as well," Edward told him what he had caught in some people's thoughts when they'd seen the Chief. "She used to come every summer but stopped a few years ago and they would meet elsewhere. The townsfolk didn't like that too much."

"Poor man," Jasper admitted before heading for his study, mulling over what Edward had told him. Chief Swan was a good man, how could his wife have done that to him? He would never understand how someone could leave a good, loving partner and with a child involved?

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Bella headed through the airport and smiled as she spotted the police cruiser waiting. As she walked through the door she spotted Charlie leaning against it and quickly made her way over, smiling as he reached out to ruffle her hair.

"Hey kiddo," he greeted, taking her bags.

"Hey Dad," she greeted, getting in. it was raining but after the muggy heat of the last few days it felt nice.

"How was the flight?" he asked as he drove away from the airport.

"Screaming baby, the row behind me," she grimaced as she got comfortable, watching the scenery.

"Ah, fun," he agreed before they fell silent for the rest of the trip. Charlie parked outside the house and they went inside.

Bella couldn't see any changes from her last visit, the house felt frozen in time, like Charlie had never moved on from Renee leaving him, the only real change was the row of school photos, showing her growing up. It took only one trip to get all her stuff upstairs and into the west bedroom that faced out over the front yard. The room was familiar; it had been belonged to her since she was born. The wooden floor, the light blue walls, the peaked ceiling, the yellowed lace curtains around the window… these were all a part of her childhood. The only changes Charlie had ever made were switching the crib for a bed and adding a desk as she grew. The rocking chair from her baby days was still in the corner.

There was only one small bathroom at the top of the stairs, which Bella would have to share with Charlie, but she was trying not to dwell too much on that fact.

One of the best things about Charlie was that he didn't hover. He left her alone to unpack and get settled, a feat that would have been altogether impossible for Renee. It didn't take long to unpack since she was only going to be there for a month and a lot of her clothing wasn't suitable for the Forks climate anyway. Once she was done she headed downstairs and began rummaging in the pantry. Before starting dinner.

"You don't have to do that Bells."

"I like cooking Dad, besides a nice home cooked meal for my first night sounds good," she grinned, and he smiled back.

"Okay, but I'll do the dishes."

It was easy to fall into a comfortable pattern together, during the week she would wander the town or the hiking trails, never going too far and always with her phone, and on the weekends they would do something together. Her second weekend there they went to the Reservation for a BBQ at the Black's.

Bella got out of the cruiser and looked around, nothing had changed here since she was a child it seemed. She looked at the house as the door opened and a tall teen with long black hair emerged and she frowned before realising who he was, Jacob Black. They'd made mud pies together when they were little, down at the beach while their Dad's fished.

He grinned as he jogged over. "Hey Charlie! Grills already fired up."

"Great. Jake, you remember Bella?"

Jake grinned and hugged her. "Course I do, you remember me?" he asked as he stepped back, and she laughed.

"Yeah."

"Come on in," he led them into the house and they were soon laughing and talking as they got the food together while Charlie and Billy watched a game.

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Bella sat on the bed, utterly embarrassed even as she fought not to be sick or faint as she avoided looking at the blood on her jeans. She hated the sight of blood, always had, which hadn't been helped by her clumsiness. She'd been better, and this was her first emergency room visit in just over a year. She knew Charlie had been called and felt bad for pulling him away from work just because she could still trip over thin air. She ignored the nurse as the woman took her blood pressure and hovered.

"I heard the Chief's daughter was here," a new voice interrupted, and Bella looked up to see a man in a white doctors' coat approaching. He was maybe late 20's, blond, and movie star handsome. His face was kind, but pale, tired and he offered her a small smile. "I've got this one, Jackie," he took the chart and the nurse left. Dr. Cullen reviewed her chart, then loked up and smiled at her. "hello Isabella, I am Dr Cullen. Looks like you had quite the fall." He pulled a stool over and sat on it to take a closer look.

"It's Bella," she corrected as she looked away from what he was doing.

"Well, welcome back to Forks Bella. I hear it's been a few years since you were last here," he commented as he cut away the denim and then began treating the wound.

"Yeah… how long have you lived here?"

"Almost two years now," he injected some local, hearing her hiss in discomfort. The Chief was a good man, one of the few to accept them without any gossip or ill will and he respected the man. His daughter seemed a nice enough girl, though her scent was rather too pleasant, especially as she was bleeding. Another vampire would drain her, thankfully his control and willpower were far stronger. He had never fed from a human and while she was tempting she wasn't enough to break centuries of control. He quickly but gently stitched the wound in her knee up and then cleaned and bandaged it. "All done."

The doors opened, and Charlie walked through, relaxing when he saw Bella sitting on a bed, Dr Cullen on a stool in front of her. "Bella."

"I'm fine Dad," she smiled slightly for him and he let his hand rest on her shoulder.

"Dr Cullen," Charlie looked to the man tending his daughter.

"Chief Swan, Bella is right, she will be fine. The cut needed three stitches but was not too deep. She'll need to keep it clean and come back to have the stitches removed in fourteen days," Carlisle quickly filled him in and Charlie nodded in thanks.

Bella wanted to die from embarrassment over the whole thing. She also thought Doctor Cullen was incredibly handsome which was crazy since he had to be at least ten years older than her. "Thank you, Doctor Cullen."

"No problem, try and take it easy." He shook her hand briefly and she wondered at the coldness, but all doctors had cool hands. He watched as they left the ward, smiling at the sight of a family that was rarely together. He returned to his office to complete some charts.

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The cruiser was quiet as Charlie drove to the airport, the month had flown by and now she had to return home. There were a million things to organise for the wedding and she knew Renee wanted to throw her a party for her seventeenth as well. It was a nice thought, but it wasn't like she had loads of friends to invite, she'd just never fit in at school or anywhere. Renee's flighty nature had forced her to grow up faster than her classmates. Sometimes she almost resented Renee for not being more of a mother, for making her be the parent so often, but it was who Renee was and she loved her Mother. "Dad?"

"Yeah Bells?" he glanced at her.

"What would you think…if I did my last two years of high school at Forks High?" she asked, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.

Charlie blinked, mind spinning. He knew Bella had never really liked Forks… "Why?"

"Because I miss you, because this way Renee can travel with Phil. I'll be going to college in two years and it would be nice to spend more time with you," she answered softly.

Charlie smiled slightly, "Okay, I'll talk it over with your Mom."

"Thank you."

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Jasper watched as Alice spaced out, lost in a vision so he just held her hand, waiting for it to end. "What is it?" he asked as she blinked.

"Just flashes…a girl, she's going to be very important to all of us."

TBC….