Summary

Bella is an orphan after Charlie died and is taken into foster care. The day after her 17th birthday she gets adopted by none other than Dr. Carlisle Cullen and his wife Esme. A/HU/OOC Canon Pairings.

A/N: I have made Bella's birthday in December to fit in with it better. Sorry if you want me to stick to the Twilight birthdays.

Preface

"Bella, how many times have I told you to not run in the house?" I stopped and turned to the stern voice of my father. He stood with his arms across his chest and an angry look on his face.
"I'm sorry; I was trying to get away from Jake. He has a water balloon and wants to throw it at me, so I was going to sneak around the house and squirt him with the hose. I won't run anymore." With that said I ran out the front door and jumped down the stairs from the porch, ending in a dive and roll. I heard Jacob calling me, using bribes to get me wet.

"Bella, if you come out now, I'll give you $50 and I'll buy you a ticket to the movies. Come on, Bella." I snuck over to the hose and grasped it in my hand before turning the tap. I made sure the nozzle had the safety off and stepped out from the side of the house.

"Jacob, prepare to die." I laughed at his reaction and pulled the trigger on the nozzle and water came spraying out, hitting him square in the chest. He did a dramatic falling over backward and stuck his tongue out to the side, like they do in the cartoons when the characters are dead. I cautiously made my way over to him and nudged him with my shoe.

"Jake, you can get up now. I won't squirt you again." A smile appeared on his face as he sat up, laughing and shaking his long black hair out of his face.

"It's pay back time, Swan." And before I could even register what he had said, a blue water balloon was flying toward my chest. I felt the hose being pulled from my hands and water-sized bullets were being shot at every part of my body Jacob saw fit to soak. I closed my eyes and held my hand up in front of my face as he started to spray my face.

"JACOB!!!" I screamed, "STOP!!! PLEASE?!" The water stopped and Jake's laughter rang through the air. When I opened my eyes, Jacob was walking toward the porch where the towels were, a smile etched on his face. I ambled along after him and he threw the towel to me which I caught with one hand. I rubbed my arms and legs before my face. If I had waited, I would have seen Jake's face before his voice rang out.

"CHARLIE!!!" I stood there with the towel pressed to my face, to shocked to move. Time moved in slow motion and when I removed the towel, Jacob was running up the steps into the house. I saw his face and that triggered something in me and I knew something was wrong. Charlie Charlie Charlie I kept chanting in my head. When I saw Jake on the floor next to Charlie's body, I flipped out. I shouted things at Jake to do.

"Call 911, NOW!!!" Tears were rolling down my face as I did CPR. Come on, Charlie. You can't leave me. Not now, not this way. I couldn't see, feel or hear anything except for Charlie. I jumped when strong hands pulled me away from his body so the paramedics could work on him. I struggled against the arms until they turned me around and crushed me to their chest. I cried. Charlie couldn't leave me. After my mom died, Charlie was the only family I had. The paramedics put Charlie on a gurney and moved him out to the ambulance. One of the paramedics came over and started talking to Jacob. I heard him leave and I felt myself being pulled toward Jake's car. We made it to the hospital just after the ambulance and rushed through the doors. I ran to the front desk and the receptionist looked at me curiously. Jake spoke up before I could say anything.

"Charlie Swan was brought in a couple of minutes ago; Marcus told us he would be in a room when we got here." Jake looked so calm, how could he be calm at a time like this I asked myself. The receptionist gave me the room number and I ran through the doors, Jake hot on my heels. I found the room and I stopped as the door opened and I caught a glimpse of Charlie. He looked so weak and old, which was actually saying something because he was only 36 years old. I felt Jake behind me; I could almost feel the sympathy in his hand on my shoulder. I went into the room and sat down in the cold, hard, plastic chair next to his bed. I took a hold of his hand and kissed, hoping he wasn't too out of it not to register feeling. I lay my head on the bed and cried silently into his arm.

I don't know when I fell asleep but I was suddenly awoken by a loud beeping sound. I sat up slowly and saw doctors running into the room. I couldn't register what was going on until I was violently pulled away by Jake and the doctors had the defibrillator charged. I started shouting at Jake to let me go but he held onto me tightly. When I saw the line stay flat my mind couldn't register it. I didn't choose to believe he was dead until…

"Time of death, 1918." My heart ripped into a million pieces and I dropped to the floor, gasping for air in between my sobs.

"Daddy… Please don't leave me please." I cried into my knees.

"Come on, Bella. We should go. Charlie's gone; there is nothing they can do." Jake was pulling me away from my dad, my best friend and the only family I had.

"NO!!!!" I shouted and pushed him violently, running through the door. I heard him calling after me but I couldn't turn back, not after what happened. I ran out of the hospital, leaping over a bench (surprised I could do that in my emotional state) and ran across the road. I heard tires screech and a horn honking but I kept running. I didn't know where I was running to; all I knew was that I had to get away from the vicinity of the hospital. When I got to the park I stopped. No one was here so I sat on one of the swings and just started to swing. I went higher and higher until I thought I was going to swing the full way around. I unwound my arms and when it reached its peak I jumped. I flew through the air, feeling free, like I didn't have a care in the world. But when I started falling, everything came crashing down. When I landed on the grass, I stayed there. Not wanting to get up, or move. I pulled my knees up to my chest and hugged them tightly. I closed my eyes and played my favorite memories of Charlie and me. My 13th birthday when he took me out fishing and I fell out of the boat, I went home smelling like fish that day, my 16th birthday when he got me the complete set of Jane Austin Classics.

"There you are, Bella. I've been looking everywhere for you. Come on, Bells. Let's get you home." I shook my head.

"Bella, you're coming to live with me and Billy, okay? We won't make you go back there. Come on, you're tired and you need to sleep." I let him carry me because I couldn't walk and I drifted in his arms.

I was vaguely aware of an ache in my knees when I woke up two days later, but that wasn't what had woken me. I heard someone thumping on the front door, someone trumping down the stairs past my room and Jake greeting someone. I sat up and unraveled myself from the duvets and walked to the door. I opened it and slipped through it quietly and made my way to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. When I passed the living room, Jake was sitting on the edge of the sofa and a man sat across from him. I didn't want to disturb them, so as quietly as I could; I grabbed a glass from the cupboard and poured some water from the fridge. I walked past the living room, hoping to get back to my room, but I stopped when I heard Jake talking in a hushed voice, anger soaked his tone and it made me cringe.

"I am 20 years old and I can legally look after her. My dad is also here and we're family, even if we aren't blood relatives. So, I'm sorry, but Bella is not going anywhere with you."

"I'm sorry to have to tell you, Mr. Black but since you are not a legal guardian or blood relative, Bella has to go into foster care until she is either adopted or turns 18." I dropped my glass and all I could feel was fridge-cold water pooling around my feet. I bent down to pick up the glass but stopped when I saw black shoes. Jake doesn't wear shoes around the house, I thought. I looked up and fell backwards onto my backside.

"Bella, this is Sam Uley, would you please come into the living room?" I stood up and stepped over the glass carefully and into the living room. Jake sat down and I sat so close to him I was practically on his lap.

"As Mr. Black has said, my name is Sam Uley and I work for Social Services. We understand that you have no blood relatives or legal guardian, and since you are 16 we are obligated to put you into foster care until you reach the legal age of 18 or until you are adopted." I nodded to show I understood and stood up. Jake and Sam looked at me strangely.

"How long have I got? Can I at least say good bye?" Sam looked stunned and Jake looked a mixture of hurt, rage and sadness. Sam nodded and I walked down the hall to my room. As soon as I closed my door, there was a knock. I opened it and Jake stood there. I pulled him into the room and slammed my door.

"Jake?" He wouldn't look at me, just glared at his feet. "Jake, look at me, please? I can't leave with you angry at me." He still wouldn't look at me so I started putting my shoes on and brushing my hair. Jake sat on the bed and I moved around him, not looking at him either. When I was about to exit my door, Jacob let out a sob and pulled me into a bone-crushing hug.

"I love you, Jake. I'll miss you so much." I kissed his cheek and ran my hand along his jaw. I walked through the small house I came to call home over the last 2 days, and saw Sam standing by an expensive looking car. Jake followed me through the house and stood on the steps as I made the torturous steps to Sam Uley's vehicle.

"I'll miss you, Bells. Call me when you can." Sam opened my door and I slipped inside, noticing the comfy leather seats. The driver's door opened and closed but I was staring out the window at Jake to acknowledge him. Jake gave one last wave and we sped off.

"How much do they pay you to take minors away from relatives?" I spat at him in a tone I surprised at.

"Put it this way, it paid for this car. This car is worth more than how much your father made in 2 years." If he hadn't have been driving I would have slapped him.

"So they pay you more than $1 million? And you blow it on a Lamborghini Revention?"

"You know this car?" He turned to look at me quickly before turning back to the road.

"Who doesn't? This is Jake's dream car, but this car sucks. All it's good for is looks and going fast."

"OI, YOU? WAKE THE FUCK UP YOU SLUT!!"

A/N~ Cyber teddie to anyone who can spot the Twilight references. Thank you for reading. Please rate and review... Love it? Hate it? Don't mind it? Thanks

Love Jeseliaxox