Author Note: Hey Everyone, this is my first twilight fanfic. I used to have another account on here but I forgot my password and I can't remember my password to my e-mail that my account was registered with either (the account is 9 years old). I have previously written Phantom of the Opera, ER and Mediator Series fanfics. I had a hard time trying to write Edward/Bella pairing and this is what came out one day.

I have changed the characters ages due to plot of the story. I have also changed the order in which certain things happened. Bella already knows about the wolves, Edward is already gone sort of thing. There is one thing though that I must make clear right now. There will be nothing "under age" in this fic. Though Bella will be a minor in the beginning she will be 18 eventually and nothing will happen until then.

Also, Sam is 10 years Bella's senior. There is a reason for this and I would appreciate it if you gave the idea a chance before knocking it. I know I am taking a risk with that but I feel it will be a good idea for the story itself.

Oh and Billy is not in a wheelchair, there is also a reason for that too lol

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own ideas, the characters belong to Stephanie Meyer, I just play with them!

Summary: Bella is an orphan at seventeen. Her mother died giving birth to her and Charlie passes away. She has no biological family left and Billy Black becomes her guardian. However, things are already set into motion that will change Bella's life forever.

Chapter One: The Small Things

I sat on the front porch steps of what was soon to be my abandon home, waiting to be picked up by Billy Black, Charlie's life-long best friend and now my legal guardian for the next year. I never thought at seventeen I would be an orphan. It's only something you hear or read about happening to others, not you.

My mother had passed giving birth to me, leaving my Dad Charlie to raise me. He didn't know the first thing about pony-tails or how to dress a girl but he did try his hardest. Charlie never remarried and it was just us two these last seventeen years.

I heard the old familiar rumble of Billy's truck come up the road. It took him 3 days to convince me I needed to leave the house; I just wanted to hold on to Charlie's memory a little longer before I had to leave it behind for a year. I may have hated him most of the time, but part of me still loved him. He had left me the house, but because I was only seventeen I couldn't legally live on my own. I tucked my hair behind my ears and stood up, slowly making my way down the path to the drive way. I wondered what it'd be like living with Billy and Jacob. I had no idea where I'd be sleeping. Their house was tiny, five rooms – kitchen, living room, bathroom and two small bed rooms and they were constantly bumping into each other.

"Hey Bella," Billy said putting the truck in park.

"Hey…" I said quietly as I put my suitcase in the bed of his truck. I sold mine when I found out I'd be living on the rez and attending their schools.

"Everything locked up?" he asked me as I climbed into the truck. The truck smelled like cigars, just like Billy… just like Charlie. I swallowed over the lump in my throat and tried to find the words to answer him.

"Yeah…" I wasn't much for conversation these days. Inside of a year I lost the love of my life and my father. I didn't understand why I had been dealt this hand. I lost my mother at birth, wasn't that enough knowing I caused her death?

"I wanted to talk to you about an idea I have…" He started as we got going down the road. I nodded and continued looking out the window, the less I had to talk the better.

"You know that my house is on the small side. There is a boy that lives just down the road from me, Sam Uley, he has a large home and offered you a room if you'd like. You'd have your own bathroom connected to your bed room too. You're more than welcome to stay with myself and Jacob if you want, the choice is yours Bella." He finished. He silently awaited my response, which I wasn't sure what to say to that.

I had met Sam Uley a few times. As far as I knew he hated me, he hated Edward mostly but I knew he hated me for even dating the guy. Edward was their enemy, he was a vampire, and Sam was a werewolf. It did confuse me though, why would he offer ME a room, ME of all people.

"He's twenty-seven, that's not a kid." I stated. Billy chuckled a little, looking over at me.

"Bella, he's a good guy. Very respectful and you two will benefit from each others company. He lost his Mom a couple years back." That was what I loved about Billy. He could always find the positive in a negative situation.

"Does he know it's me?" I asked quietly.

"Yes, he does. He told me to bring you buy so he could show you around, see if you would like it." Billy said matter-of-factly, as we began turning onto the road leading to the rez.

I silently wondered if Billy was suggesting this just because Jacob had just imprinted on one of his classmates. Jacob was not happy about the imprint in the beginning; he and I had been spending time together for about six months when it happened. After that he kept his distance and I rarely, if ever, heard from him. It wasn't long after that I felt that old familiar hole in my heart open up again and began to break down all over again. I could almost guarantee that Billy knew I had fallen for Jacob.

"What do you say we take a ride by Sam's?" He asked me. I knew deep down though that it'd be better if I stayed with Sam, hostility remaining or not.

"Sure…" I agreed. "I think we both know its not just a ride by…" I offered.

Billy just shot me a glance, almost as if he was saying he was sorry. I knew he was doing it for both my sake and Jacob, whom I'm assuming my presence would upset. He hadn't even bothered trying to talk to me since Charlies passing.

A few minutes later we came up on the log cabin. It was gorgeous. The perfectly stained log cabin was surrounded by huge trees and sat just feet from the shore of an ocean cove. It also had a large open farmer's porch that wrapped around the cabin.

Sam was outside stacking wood into a neat pile next to the steps and along the front porch. He waved as we pulled up and, as always, he was shirtless. He wiped his brow with the back of his forearm and took a swig of water. Jacob looked like a miniature version of him, all of the pack did, it was like they were little clones of Sam. None of them could match him in height and he stood at least a foot over me.

"Hey Sam" Billy said getting out of the truck. I slowly followed. I wonder what he would be like towards me, would he be mean just because or would he be nice? He didn't strike me as the type that would sugar coat anything.

"Billy," Sam nodded as Billy headed to the back of his truck to grab my suitcase. Sam took another swig of water, it only took a moment for his eyes to land on me. I could feel it, even though I wasn't looking up at him. I didn't want to look him in the eye. I knew he felt that I was responsible for a lot of turmoil caused by my association with the Cullens. I also knew he felt pity for me because of what happened with Jacob.

"Welcome Bella," Sam said, his tone was warm and inviting. Wow, that's a first. I slowly began to look up from shoes. His legs were firmly toned and sculpted, his abs were rock hard, hell his whole body was perfect. There was nothing boyish about Sam at all. I guess Billy just refers to him as a kid because it doesn't make him feel so old.

The second our eyes met I felt a warm rush flood my body, enough that I let out a small gasp at the feeling. Sam's expression was hard to read, though I do think the term stunned would serve well. I felt alive suddenly, for the first time in days since Charlie's passing.

"Shit." Billy muttered coming back from his truck with my suitcase. He had witnessed the exchange between us. I'm sure it must have looked a little strange, me randomly gasping and Sam looking like a deer in headlights.

"What?" I asked curiously. I felt my heart leap in my chest when I stole another glance at Sam; he looked a little more at ease but still looked unnerved.

"Nothing, he just tripped." Sam answered. I accepted that answer, not because I wanted to but because I felt I had too. That was the thing about Sam; he was the Alpha of the pack. He was also extremely Dominant and submissive fit nowhere in his description.

I looked at Billy; he looked like he wanted to say something but was holding his tongue. I wanted to know what he was going to say or at least what he was going to offer for an explanation as to why he cursed.

"Come on, I'll show you to your room." He wasn't even going to show me around. Great. He started up the porch steps and led us into the house. The outside of the house didn't even begin to do justice for the inside of the cabin. Everything was perfectly stained. It was a man's house, though his taste wasn't half bad.

Sam led us upstairs to a bed room far down the hall. It was a decent size; the bed had been freshly made with basic white linens. There was a small dresser, night stand and window seat overlooking the view to the cove.

"I know its not much, but I figure you can do your girl thing in here." He said awkwardly.

"Girl thing?" I raised an eyebrow at him as I walked over to the bay window.

"Whatever, dinner will be in an hour, make yourself at home. I'll see you at 6:00 in the kitchen." If Sam Uley thought he was going to spend the next year ordering me around he was sadly mistaken.

"I gotta get going. Thank you Sam for helping us out." He shook his hand. I never understood why guys do that, the hand shake thing, it was weird. Billy stepped over to me and gave me a bear hug. I heard Sam leave the room, he was probably trying to give us privacy.

"He's always with you Bella, remember that." He said to me in a low voice

"I know…" I smiled back at him.

"Good. I'll see you soon." He said leaving the room.

I looked around at my surroundings. So this was going to be 'home' for the next year. I looked around; outside all of the windows you could see the ocean. I bet it's beautiful a sunrise or sunset. Charlie always taught me to appreciate the small things in life, the things people take for granted he said, they always hold the most beauty.

I started to unpack my suitcase immediately. That was one of my quirks. I had to be organized almost constantly. It made things flow smoother and I didn't want Sam to think I was a slob. It felt weird putting away my things in a different room, different house. It reminded me that Charlie really was gone...and that I was now free, sort of... I tried not to think anymore of him while I finished unpacking.

I changed into more comfortable clothing and went to the bathroom to wash up before heading down to the kitchen. I realized that I was once again caring about what Sam thought of me. Why should I care? I have enough to worry about; I didn't need to worry about Sam and what he thought of me. I was still nervous though about the impending talk Sam and I would be having over dinner. I worried that he maybe was putting on an act for Billy's sake and was going to be a jerk after he left.

I looked over at the tiny alarm clock 5:21 PM it read. I laid across the bed. I loved the smell of clean linen. It brought back child-hood memories of Charlie trying to be domestic, our whole house had an over bearing smell of the scent "clean linen" after one of Charlie's officers told him he read it in his wife's magazine that kids love that smell. To this day I have never found proof of that but I did find out it was one of my mom's favorite smells when she was alive.

I closed my eyes just for a moment… but I was already gone.

I hope you like it thus far! Please review! =)