AN: This story is rated M for a reason. Trigger warnings too many things are present in this story.
I don't own Twilight.
I just like to play around in different worlds with them :)
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Bella has always been existing. Just in the moment, everyone passing her by as life rushed by. No one cared what was happening to her. No one ever cared, not since her Grandma Swan and now she was used to being on her own for everything. Her Grandmother Swan had left everything to her including the house that her father Charlie was currently living in, in Forks Washington.
It was her choice what to do with it and having Charlie live there was the best she could come up with. However now she wanted to be there. She needed to be there, to be someplace other than where she currently was.
She always fell into the wrong crowd. Having no sense of self preservation was a huge problem in her life. She would save someone else over herself because they deserved it more than her, at least that's how she saw it. Other people's lives were more important than hers, especially people that could actually make a difference in the world. All she could do was destroy it.
She had found out the hard way that she was very different than other people. Able to manipulate elements like Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water were just some examples. She was amazed at the things that she could do but of course she only did it in private.
Charlie knew, the only one that knew. Their little secret he called it. He was protective, always had been but especially when these "gifts" presented themselves. Charlie is a man of few words and when his mother had passed he was happy she had left everything to his daughter, so she would be taken care of forever. Bella knew that he was excited about her moving back to Forks, of course he understood why and she was grateful that he didn't want an in depth explanation. She wouldn't tell anyone.
The man she thought she knew and the woman she had trusted betrayed her. They were different than her but that's what drew her to them. Being different had brought them together but it is also what tore them apart. It hurt to think about. They were the only ones she had ever trusted and they broke her, destroyed that small part of her that was still struggling to survive. Now she was empty, feeling nothing for anyone, let alone herself.
She was broken alright, shattered so beyond belief that she had tried to die. She wanted the pain to end, the suffering to disappear. Even that hadn't worked. Renee had found her and called an ambulance, the only good thing she had ever done for her daughter.
Bella knew it was time to leave then. It was the one thing Renee could do and it would be the last because Bella knew she wouldn't do it again.
As she packed her black GMC Sierra Denali truck and pulled out of the driveway Friday morning, pointing her truck towards Washington she refused to let out the anger burning inside of her. She had used some of the money her grandmother had given her to get this truck and it was the smartest thing she had ever done. She lost count of how many times she slept in it. She hated being around Renee and Phil so she would park the truck in the middle of the desert and lay in the bed of it. Staring at the stars and imagining a different life. One where she was happy and loved and cared for. One where she wasn't the one doing the caring.
She drove through the night, forcing the sleep away by downing as many energy drinks as she could along the highway. She had a few days before she was supposed to be at school. Charlie had told her he would enroll her on the first Friday afternoon after school started so she wouldn't have to start until Monday, allowing her to miss the first week of school. He called her every few hours while she was on the road and it always made her smile.
He cared about her. Renee had done her best to keep them apart over the years, like refusing to let her go for a visit over the last three summers. She hated it. Forks had always felt like home to her and she really did miss it. She missed Charlie, she wanted to live with him years ago but the court system believed that a child belonged with its mother. Oh how wrong it was to believe that. She would have given anything to be placed with Charlie, for him to have raised her. She would sneak out of the house just so she could call him and then they would spend up to three hours on the phone talking about their week. They had always been close but these last few years had separated them.
They had gotten their closeness back after it all happened but, with him being the chief of police, she knew it wouldn't be long before he began looking into the records in Phoenix. Searching for her and Renee, and what he would find horrified her. She wanted to be the one to tell him what had happened in the last few months since she had made him go back home but she didn't know how to start. He had been curious why she wanted to drive up alone, he offered multiple times to fly to Phoenix and then drive back with her, but she refused politely. She enjoyed driving by herself. It gave her time to think and to let her mind wander.
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TWO WEEKS AGO
PHOENIX, AZ
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Bella sat in the witness chair in the court room as her mother, Renee and step father, Phil sat in orange jump suits across from her to the left. The judge looked bored as the defense attorney stood in front of Bella and grinned evilly.
"Is it true Miss Swan that you have been in trouble for vandalism?"
Bella nodded, "Yes."
"That you would do anything to get away from your parents?"
Bella felt her anger rising, "Phil is not my parent."
The tall man raised his eyebrows, "He's not?"
Bella shook her head, "No. I want a DNA test to prove I'm Renee's kid but my father lives in Forks Washington. Charlie Swan."
The judge sat up straight, "Is this true Mr. Sanders?"
The annoying man frowned suddenly worried, "I don't know your honor."
The prosecutor stood, her flaming red hair wild and curly around her head, "Your Honor prosecution would like a three day recess and that the witness be remanded to state custody while we run a DNA test."
The judge nodded, "Granted and I will say this Mr. Sanders, if this is true then your clients will be brought up for more charges other than child abuse." He slammed his gavel down with a bang.
Victoria quickly rushed to Bella and took her hand to lead her out of the court room as Renee and Phil began to scream and reach for her. Officers filled the court room and descended on the two criminals as she was rushed out of the room by Victoria. The next day was spent in the hospital running DNA tests.
Unfortunately Renee was her mother but when it was proven that Phil was not her father, all hell broke loose. The judge asked Bella what she wanted and she had told him that she wanted to live with her father in Forks. He agreed and that was that. She wouldn't have to return to Phoenix unless Victoria couldn't get her out of testifying but it would take some time for the case to even get going again with all the added charges.
She had called Charlie to let him know that she was going to spend a few weeks with a friend before heading his way so that she could say all her goodbyes. Of course she didn't tell him that it would be Victoria that she would be spending all of her time with. She wasn't sure he was ready for that part of her life yet.
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By the time the sun began to rise Monday morning she was just pulling into Seattle and was extremely tired but she knew she had to get it over with. She stopped on the outskirts of the city and grabbed a few more energy drinks before heading the last few hours to Forks.
Finally, she pulled her GMC Sierra Denali truck in the parking lot of the Forks high school. The parking lot was full of vehicles and people as she pulled into the only open spot near the back end of the lot, along a curb. She took a deep breath as she slid her black sunglasses on and slid out of the truck. Whispers followed her as she walked towards the school building.
"That's the Chiefs daughter." One blonde girl said with an air of gossip, "I heard she tried to kill herself or something."
A boy from near the building said, "Damn she's hot. I'd fuck her."
Bella felt the disgust roll down her spine with a shiver and sighed, willing the wind to shift so the voices would carry in the opposite direction.
A voice that sounded like a goddess met her ears, "She's Mine."
"Rosalie you can't claim the new girl without at least talking to her first." A male voice said.
"Yes I can Edward. She's my mate. I can feel the pull to her already." The female voice said.
A small growl rolled through the wind, "No you can't. I'm going to talk to her first." The same male said.
Bella glanced quickly over towards the voices and found them glaring at each other. The blonde goddess outdid Aphrodite herself and Bella felt nearly choked as her arousal made itself known. She wanted to run to her and hold her forever, not allowing anyone to go near her.
She shook her head before quickly heading inside to get her schedule and let herself relax. Armed with her class schedule and a map of the campus she easily found her classes. She was so tired that she really didn't pay attention to anything until fourth period right before lunch. She sat next to a blonde boy with golden eyes that had been standing next to the goddess she so desperately wanted to know. He glanced at her for a moment then focused back on his textbook. She frowned and knew she had seen him somewhere before. For half the class she tried to place his face and then finally as the teacher announced they would be going over the Civil War it hit her. She gasped and Jasper glanced at her wide eyed expression and frowned. She stood quickly and grabbed her things before hurrying out the door.
She leaned against the locker near the door remembering the thousands of books she had been forced to study by Phil. His name was famous in the Civil War circle that Phil and Renee had been a part of and the red eyed people she thought were her friends knew of him and what he had done during and after the war. He had been the youngest major in the Confederate Army, he rose quickly through the ranks and it wasn't until after his disappearance that his true identity became known. He was a spy for the Union Army. He sabotaged so many battles for the south that it made it impossible for them to win the Civil War.
She whispered, "Major Jasper Whitlock." She could hear his quick intake of breath from inside the classroom and she groaned, "Shit."
She hurried to the parking lot and sat in her truck until the bell rang signaling lunch. She made her way to the cafeteria to grab something to eat in the truck and found most of the school in there already.
She grabbed a tray as three girls came up to her, "Bella right?"
She nodded.
"I'm Jessica." It was the girl that she had heard whispering about Bella trying to kill herself. "This is Lauren and Angela."
She smiled slightly at them and nodded once to each.
A boy approached and grinned at her, "I'm Mike."
Bella felt disgust roll down her spine again as she recognized the boy from this morning praising how hot she was. She nodded at him with a forced smile.
"So you wanna sit with us?" Jessica asked politely.
Bella shrugged, "Sure."
She grabbed some food and followed the others awkwardly to an empty table. Bella ate while the others talked until they suddenly fell quiet. She looked up and Jessica grinned at her.
"Those are the Cullen's." She motioned to the kids walking towards the cafeteria. "So the short one is Alice Cullen and she's like with Jasper."
The cafeteria doors opened and a short pixie like girl twirled in with the blonde male from her fourth period history class. She raised her eyebrows at them as she watched the grace at which the girl moved, intrigued at how she moved so well. Humans didn't move that well. She shrugged and continued to eat her food.
"The big one is Emmett Cullen and the one with bed head," she blushed, "I mean red hair is Edward Cullen. The Blonde one is Jasper's twin sister, the Ice Queen Rosalie Hale. "
Emmett was large but in a muscular way that fit with his six foot frame. His bright gold eyes couldn't hold a candle to his smile that was accentuated by the dimples in his cheeks. Edward had, as Jessica slipped, messy red hair that looked like he styled it that way. The last person caught her full and undivided attention.
Bella couldn't help but stare at Rosalie Hale. She was the goddess that had captured Bella's attention earlier that morning. Her blonde hair fell just below her shoulders and framed her angelic face. Her beauty was beyond compare to anything and the only thing she could think of, was that the goddess Aphrodite herself had walked into the room.
The group walked across the student filled room and sat at an empty table directly across from where they were sitting, in front of the open window. Edward looked over at Bella with a grin and Rosalie glared at Edward angrily. Emmett had his arm around Rosalie's shoulders and Bella felt anger boil under her skin.
"What's up with Hale and Emmett?" Bella asked a bit of bitterness in her voice.
Rosalie's head jerked in Bella's direction and Bella stared into familiar golden eyes through her dark sunglasses and was frozen, even her mind was empty. She had moved here to get away from the very thing she was now going to school with. The very beings that had destroyed her mind, body, and soul. She shook her head and forced herself to look away as the woman stared at her with curiosity.
The only one that had ever been kind to her was Victoria. Bella had come to care for Victoria in the short time they had known each other and Victoria hadn't been silent about how she felt about her either. Victoria being a vampire made it less difficult but she knew that eventually Victoria would find a mate, and she was okay with that. She would be happy for her and support her, still be her friend.
Jessica said quietly, "They're like together. Doctor Cullen is like some sort of match maker adoptive dad."
Bella found herself looking back at the blonde. She couldn't pull her gaze away from Rosalie, even as Edward growled. Bella felt her body begin to shake and stood quickly, "I left my stuff in my truck."
Angela smiled at her, "What do you have next?"
"Biology." She said holding out her schedule for her to see.
Bella heard Edward's soft, "Yes!"
Angela grinned, "Edward Cullen is in that class. Good luck. I'll see you in gym."
She picked up her food tray and tossed it before exiting the cafeteria. She walked around the campus, needing the fresh air to help her mind and body relax. Telling herself over and over that it wasn't them, they were not them. They weren't them. They were different, same species different people. It was always hard to separate the ones that had utterly wrecked her and ones that she didn't even know but she could try, hopefully. She hurried out to the parking lot to her truck and took a deep breath. She couldn't get the blonde out of her mind and she honestly didn't want to.
"It's dangerous to be out here alone."
Bella spun around to the beautiful voice that came from right behind her and she came face to face with Rosalie Hale. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she asked, "So why are you out here then?"
Rosalie smirked, "I like danger."
Bella raised her right eyebrow, "Define danger."
Rosalie pressed into Bella's body causing her back to hit the truck door, "Me."
Bella chuckled shoving her fear away, "I'm not afraid of you."
Rosalie smirked, "You should be."
"Because you're different?" She asked, challengingly.
Rosalie cocked her head to the side, "I'm more than different Bella."
Bella shook her head not surprised the small town rumor mill was doing its best to spread her name around, "Not to me. Although I do have to ask, why are you out here instead of with your boyfriend?"
Rosalie frowned and opened her mouth to speak but the bell rang. Bella pushed off the truck, slipping around the silent vampire, and walked towards the science building as Rosalie stared after her. She could feel the golden gaze burning a hole in her back until she rounded a corner and had to lean against the wall to stop her legs from shaking. She would have to be careful with her control around the blonde but then why would the blonde want anything to do with her? She was just a plain human and Rosalie was a vampire, after everything she went through she knew for herself that it wouldn't work out.
She pushed herself off the wall and headed to biology to speak to the teacher before class started and he pointed to the only open seat which was next to Edward Cullen. She sat down and opened her textbook.
"I'm Edward Cullen."
Bella smiled politely at him, "Bella."
He smiled, "Are you liking Forks?" He stared at her carefully for a moment then frowned.
She nodded, "I've always loved Forks." She decided to throw him off his game, "Your eyes are a little dark, are you okay?"
He nodded in surprise, "Um yeah, it's the fluorescents. I'm usually good at reading people but you're… Difficult."
Bella held back her laugh as she thought, 'Mind reader, just what I fucking need.' She shook her head, "I'm sorry."
He chuckled, "No need to apologize. I'll just have to try harder."
She raised an eyebrow, "No offense Edward but I'd rather just like to get through class."
He frowned, "Why?"
Bella grinned, "Would you believe I like school?"
He smiled softly and shook his head, "Nope, but nice try."
Bella shook her head, "So tell me Edward, what's your family like?"
He tensed slightly but smiled, "We are an eclectic bunch. Alice is very hyper."
Bella chuckled, "A hyper pixie. Good to know."
He laughed and everyone in the room stared at them but he ignored it like it was a usual thing around here, "Yes, she can be overwhelming at times but she means well. Emmett is a big goofball. He loves to have fun and make a joke of everything."
Bella smiled, "I like him already. Please tell me he loves video games."
Edward laughed with a nod, "He likes to pull all-nighters."
Bella grinned, "Man after my own heart then."
Edward smiled, "Tell me about you Bella. Why did you move here?"
The bell rang and they gathered their belongings and headed for the door. As they made their way down the hallway to stares Bella sighed, "It's complicated and a really long story."
He frowned, "You were living with your mom right?"
Bella nodded, "Yeah and she got remarried to Phil."
"Did you not like him?" He asked confused.
Bella shook her head as she stopped outside of her next class, "No and her either." She turned and disappeared into the room.
Her last class of the day was Gym. Basketball was the only thing that made the class bearable. The game had always calmed her, cleared her mind of everything that wasn't plays, offense and defense, or how to properly perform a layup. It was her outlet. She could play hard and get an adrenaline rush that would keep her going for hours afterwards. The peace she found on the court had always been her safe place and the place where nothing else mattered.
Until now.
She had never seen a coven of more than three or four but somehow she knew this was a bigger coven than they showed as she spotted three of the Cullen's in the gymnasium. They kept up their appearance well, of being teenagers in high school for the first time. She could tell the oldest of the three was the short pixie. She had learned that long ago, how to tell which was older out of a group of vampires.
She slipped into the locker room to dress, pulling on sweats and headed into the gymnasium. Basketball would be the first quarter and Bella was okay with that. The coach called her up and put her on a team with two of his best players, Mike Newton and Tyler Crowley. Mike smiled widely as Tyler introduced himself and she felt awkward.
They were against the Cullen's. Rosalie, the blonde that had captured her attention in the cafeteria at lunch, Emmett, the one built like a brick shit house, and Alice the pixie. Bella grimaced to herself before turning back to them and aligning herself with Emmett, avoiding Rosalie.
He grinned at her as she took possession of the ball and kept her back to him, "So you're the Bella everyone has been talking about."
She nodded, "Glad you noticed Bear Man."
She passed the ball to Mike and spun around Emmett easily. Mike bounced it passed Rosalie, back to Bella and she made the layup perfectly. Everyone clapped and hollered causing her to frown.
Mike pulled her aside, "No one has ever scored against the Cullen's, in anything."
She glanced over at Rosalie who was glaring at Mike's arms that was around Bella's shoulders. She smirked at the blonde and said to Mike, "More where that came from."
She ducked out from under his arm and took the ball from Tyler. She passed it back to Tyler and dodged around Emmett taking the ball back. Alice was on her instantly and Bella smiled at the pixie.
"So Edward tells me you're Alice."
Alice smiled brightly, "Yep. We're going to be best friends Bella."
Bella grinned, "Oh, we already are Pixie." Bella bounced the ball between Alice's legs and spun around her catching it for another layup.
Alice frowned at Bella as she walked over to Mike and Tyler, trying to figure out what just happened.
Tyler smiled widely at Bella, "That's definitely a record Bella."
Bella shrugged and Mike put his arm around her shoulders again. A low growl rumbled from Rosalie's chest too low for human ears so Bella ignored it. She pushed Mike off of her and took her place on the court. Tyler held the ball until the coach blew the whistle and then he threw it at Bella. She caught it easily and spun to put her back to Rosalie.
Rosalie pressed her body tight against Bella's, "I see now that you are as different as I am."
Bella smirked back at her, "Am I?" She shuffled her feet back slightly forcing Rosalie backwards.
Rosalie's body felt good against her own and she wanted more but knew there were too many watching them.
Rosalie reached but Bella faked to the left before spinning to the right. Mike came in for the block and Rosalie stumbled so she wouldn't hurt the human. Bella rushed forwards only to be stopped by Emmett so she passed to Tyler. Rosalie took Emmett's place and Bella smiled at her.
Bella played her hardest and made the vampires work for their shots and plays. She knew she was pushing them but she needed it. She needed to not let them have their control, not let them be better. Something in her mind told her this wasn't a good idea but she had never been good at listening to other people's directions, even if it was her own. Again self preservation had never been her strong point.
She kept her body close to the woman that had made eye contact with her in the cafeteria. She watched the woman's movements and her footwork and knew at the precise second that she had to make her move. She easily stole the ball and spun around for a three pointer, making nothing but net. Students cheered but Bella was already getting back in position, her head fully in the game.
The woman eyed her with so much curiosity and something else. That something else is what made Bella pause and study her back. It was something she had never seen in someone else when they looked at her. It was confusing but as the coach blew his whistle she shook her head and got her head back in the game.
After scoring twelve of her teams sixteen points Bella was well aware at how annoyed the vampires were getting. Every time they thought they had the upper hand Bella would knock them right off their feet, figuratively, surprising them with something new. Her team was winning by two points and the two boys, Mike and Tyler, were bouncing around happily.
Bella was sweating in her long sleeves as each team was now pushing the other harder than when they had started and she was overheating. She pulled her long sleeve shirt off, tossing it to Angela who grinned at her, and left her black muscle shirt tucked in as she ran back into position. The woman stared at her with slowly darkening eyes and Bella knew that look. Hunger, and not for food. Pure lust was taking over her face and Bella felt a bit complimented at that. She knew she had deep jagged scars that crisscrossed all over her body, most hidden by her clothing. But wearing just the muscle shirt showed some of the larger ones, like the one directly over her heart. It was jagged and looked like she had been gouged by something unpleasant, which she had but that wasn't the point. The burns were still covered by bandages as they were still healing but also she didn't want anyone to see them.
People stared, she was used to this but something in the way the girl was staring made her pause. She watched the vampire's eyes rake across her body, taking in the scars she could see and the bandages. Her eyes turned black instantly, but still lust was front and center. They stopped on the scar above her heart and the lust was replaced with anger and hatred. An anger Bella had seen once before and her heart began to speed out of control in her chest. She had seen this look before and it had not ended well for her. In fact it's how she ended up with all of the scars that littered her body.
The woman's head cocked to the side as she could hear Bella's heartbeat. Bella watched as concern and confusion danced in the pitch black eyes as she took her place in front of her. Through her sunglasses their eyes held that connection, a connection that Bella hadn't had with anyone before. It was deep and strong, something about it feeling like it would last forever. Bella froze as, for once in her life, she began to hope it would last forever. That maybe someday everything she had been through would have all been worth it and that she would be able to get the anger out.
Mike saw the reaction Bella was giving to Rosalie and it annoyed him that she was giving the Cullen's her attention and not him. He would have to show her who was who in this town and in front of everyone. No one turned down Mike Newton.
Tyler threw the ball to Bella and she grinned at Rosalie before faking to the right then a fake to the left and dodging right, throwing Rosalie off. She ran in for the layup but was caught by a fist to the face. She landed hard on the floor as blood poured from her nose.
Mike grinned down at her, "Sorry Bella I didn't see you there."
The coach blew his whistle, "Newton."
Rosalie knelt beside Bella, "Are you okay?"
She saw the pitch black eyes looking back at her and frowned, "I'm fine." She stood and hurried out of the gym to the locker room, catching her shirt that Angela tossed to her with a look of worry.
She pulled her button down shirt out of her backpack after she laced her boots, pulling it over her muscle shirt, and buttoned her jeans. She held the long sleeve shirt to her face as she grabbed her bag and headed for her truck, completely done for the day with everything.
Edward appeared at the edge of the parking lot with black eyes, "Are you okay?"
Bella nodded, "I'm fine. You should check on Rosalie. She seemed upset."
Edward frowned as he followed Bella to her truck, "She cares about you."
Bella sighed, "She just met me. You all did."
He nodded, "We are pretty good judges of character."
Bella shook her head, frustrated with undead variety of people, "Fuck it. I don't want to hide it." She said mostly to herself before snapping at Edward, "I know what you are. Judges of character my ass, Vampire."
Bella pulled herself up into her truck as Edward's jaw dropped in shock. He stood frozen as a statue as she pulled out of the parking lot and sped home. Her mind stayed on the gorgeous blonde as she cooked dinner for herself and Charlie. He would be home any minute and she wanted the food to be ready. She was just starting to plate the steak and potatoes when he walked in the door excitedly.
"Bella!"
She turned and half smiled at him, "Hey dad."
He smiled at her, knowing she didn't like to be touched, "I waited as long as I could this morning. You look exhausted Bells. When did you get in?"
She sat the plates on the table and shrugged, "This morning. I just went to school to get the first day over with." She pulled two beers out of the fridge and handed one to him before popping the top on hers and taking a long drink. She ate quickly and then muttered a goodnight before she rushed upstairs.
She sat on the edge of her bed and slowly began to doze off. She shook her head and pulled her jeans and shirts off before turning to the mirror. She looked at all the scars covering her bare chest, her breasts plump but covered with the white and slightly pink raised marks. She shook her head as she pulled a baggy button up shirt on then pulled her boxers off. Her member sprang free and she stared at it for a moment.
She had never had a problem with it. She was a medical anomaly, born female but male genitalia. No one understood why. One doctor had called her a medical miracle, one in a billon chance. She pulled a pair of black cargo sweats on and climbed into bed wondering the same thing she has wondered her entire life. Why was she born like this? It didn't bother her and she wouldn't hide it if someone asked, she just preferred to keep this side of her private. It was personal and very hard to explain so it was best kept in the dark. She sat her sunglasses on the bedside table as she lay down and finally closed her exhausted eyes.
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Charlie smiled at his daughter. She had been through so much and if he could find the bastards that had kidnapped and hurt his little girl he would. He ate slowly as he watched Bella trying not to fall asleep as she ate quickly. She muttered a good night and headed upstairs. He gripped his can a little too hard and the fragile aluminium can caved in his hand. Anger flowed through his veins as the memory of the night he received the phone call played in his mind.
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He had been down fishing on the Rez with Billy when his cell phone rang. It was Bella's number and he answered it eagerly, "Bells!"
"No Charlie." Renee's voice was cold and disgusted. She always was with him. "I have some bad news." Her voice was cold and emotionless, "Bella is missing. We haven't seen her since Friday night."
Charlie's heart sank into his stomach and he told her he would fly down right away. She wasn't happy about that but he also knew she didn't care if her freak of a daughter ever returned.
He did.
Bella had been born with a rare medical condition, names like hermaphrodite and intersex had been thrown around, but he didn't care. She was HIS daughter and he cared. Renee had always been disgusted by it. She wouldn't even touch Bella for the first few years and after that it was only if she absolutely had to, and never when she wasn't clothed. He was the one to care for her, feed her, and bathe her until she was old enough to do it on her own. He loved every minute of it because she was his flesh and blood. His little girl and she always would be.
He left Billy quickly and took the first flight to Phoenix. He had been allowed to help aid the police as a courtesy since he was Chief of Police in Forks. Once they had found that out all hell almost broke loose. A Police Chief's daughter was missing and it turned into a state wide manhunt to find her. He would never forget they had found her in that abandoned warehouse covered in blood. He had been there for three weeks when he got the call that she had been found but was in critical condition, with a possibility that she wouldn't survive.
As she recovered she asked if she could live with him and he said he wasn't going to take no as answer. She made him leave so he could go back to work and she continued to recover, talking to him multiple times a day every day.
They had grown closer in those few months and he was excited to have his daughter back. She had become so distant while living with Renee and he knew that Renee was the reason. He was positive that Renee and Phil were abusing her but he couldn't prove it. He's been a cop long enough to know that without proof it wouldn't do any good.
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Now she was here but still broken and he wanted more than anything to help her, he just didn't know how. He jumped as the house phone rang and he was jerked back into the present. He shook his head as he stood and crossed the room to the phone on the wall.
"Swan."
"Has the best Swan arrived yet?" A gruff voice asked.
He smiled as he rolled his eyes, "Yes Billy. She just went to bed though. She went straight to school without any sleep last night so she looks exhausted."
"I'm glad she's finally home Charlie. You should bring her down this weekend. Jake's been looking forward to seeing her again."
The cop nodded as he stared at his now crushed can of beer, "I will. I think it will do her some good. I'll call you tomorrow after I talk to her about it."
"Sounds good."
The call ended with a click and he hung up the phone. An hour later he made his way tiredly up the stairs and over to Bella's bedroom door. He eased it open gently and smiled as he took in the sight of his daughter. She was curled under the blankets fast asleep. He watched her for a moment before he took in the opened duffel bag on the floor next to the bed. Clothes were neatly folded in it but a glint of silver caught his eye.
He leaned further into the room and looked closer at the silver metal that rested half underneath a pair of sweats. His heart beat faster in his chest as anger flooded his body. He stared at Bella and whispered, "I promise no one will ever hurt you again baby girl."
He closed the door quietly and slipped into his room, slowly sitting on the edge of his bed. He glanced at the bedside table where his police issued revolver sat and frowned. He shook his head and began to undress for bed as he made a promise to himself.
A promise that Bella would never have to what's in that duffel bag.