A/N: I meant to put this into the first chapter, but I just got so damn ahead of myself. There are fundamental issues I had with the series, mostly the portrayal of Bella, and I am attempting to right these issues in my own mind by getting them down on "paper." Frankly, while I found the storylines compelling, I didn't feel the characters were fleshed out enough, and found the lack of profanity and sex beyond frustrating. So I'm going to make Bella stronger and I'm going to give her a bit of a potty mouth. Edward will act like an adult, because that's really what he is. I hate Jacob and the entire Quileute angle, but I'm trying to be faithful to the series, and will portray him with as little bias as possible. Please review. I am terribly, terribly new at this, and am simply trying to get Twilight out of my system.

I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. Stephenie Meyer does. And now she's rich.

Chapter Two

After 45 minutes of relatively comfortable silence, Charlie finally opened his mouth again. We had chit-chatted about Arizona and Renee and Phil as we waited for my trunks to be removed from the plane. We had discussed the weather forecast for the next few days as we loaded his police cruiser. We had exchanged the necessary pleasantries about being "excited to be here" as we both got settled in the car. And then small talk had been replaced by silence. Blissful silence. That's the one great thing about Charlie… he doesn't feel the need to fill dead air. But, right now, there was apparently business to attend to.

"So, Bella…" Charlie began, shifting uncomfortably in his seat and tightening his grip on the steering wheel, "we should probably discuss how this is going to work."

I could tell he was uncomfortable. We hadn't lived together since I was a baby and, though he would visit Phoenix occasionally and the two of us would go on our traditional 2 week vacation every year, we really didn't know each other very well. I turned to him so he could tell I was listening and I nodded.

"Well, I know you're older now, and you'll be needing some space. And, you know, I've gotten so used to living by myself for the past 17 years... I just want to make sure you're comfortable. I know your mother likes to… spend lots of time with you and everything… it's just… with my job, I tend to be out of the house a lot…" his voice trailed off and he became visibly more flustered. His job as Chief of Police was not necessarily a stressful one in such a small town, but I was sure it kept him more than busy.

"Ch-… Dad, please, don't worry about it," I rushed. Renee did like to spend lots of quality time with me, but the truth was that I spent just as much time taking care of her as she did of me, and, with someone as high maintenance as Renee, it could get exhausting. A break from such constant attention and worry would actually be pretty refreshing. I missed her already, but was grateful for the bit of independence her absence afforded me. "You know me. I like being by myself. I'll be fine. We'll be fine. Really."

His grip on the steering wheel relaxed a bit at that. He was clearly very happy for me to finally be staying with him, but the period of adjustment would be… uncomfortable. For both of us.

"Alright, Bella. You know that if you need anything, to talk or anything… just know I'm always here for you. I know this is stressful, starting a new school and getting used to such a new place… I'm here. If you need me." This was clearly what he had been trying to say to me, and he nodded once to himself with a slight smile on his lips, as if congratulating himself for getting it all out. Charlie wasn't much of a talker. Neither was I.

"Thanks, Dad. I appreciate that." I turned to look out the window again, thinking father-daughter time was over. We were just entering the town now, passing a small sign bearing the words "Forks, WA: Population 3,221." This was it. My new home. I closed my eyes and let my forehead rest on the glass of the window, sighing quietly to myself. From Phoenix to Forks. The knot in my stomach gave a little twist. My entire life shifted from one place to another in less than a day. How was that even possible?

"So, about your car…" Charlie's more confident voice broke into my reverie. I didn't turn this time, simply grunting for him to continue. "Well, I found you something nice. I think it's nice, anyway."

"How much?" I asked. We had been discussing the possibility of him helping me buy a car once it was decided I was moving up here. Renee had been forced to chauffer me all over Phoenix, and I wasn't eager for Charlie to have to do the same. Especially since his only car was his police cruiser.

"Well, you know, I had been thinking about that. I don't want you to spend your savings, Bella. Especially with you moving into a new town and everything… you should have money to go out and do things with the friends you'll make. So, I, uh… I decided to go ahead and buy it for you. As a welcome home gift." He stole a glance at me out of the corner of his eye, his lips twitching up into a smile beneath his mustache. "I hope that's alright."

Shocked out of my reverie, I sat straight up and turned to face him, my seatbelt cutting into my shoulder from the force of my sudden movement. "Dad… that's… thank you so much. Really. That's amazing. Thank you."

His smile widened as we turned down a street I vaguely remembered, pulling up to a house that I hadn't seen in years. Even with such faint memories, I knew nothing had changed. The house was the same grayish white it had always been, standing two stories with its sash windows framed in blue shutters, one of the last alterations my mother had made to the house before she left with me. It sat small and simple, set back a bit from the street, with its small, one-car driveway separating it from the thick forest the lot disappeared into. There was only one noticeable change… a wide, rust-colored pick-up truck which sat parked at the curb. It looked old and solid and, best of all, very, very me.

"Dad?" I questioned as we pulled into the driveway. I turned around in my seat, craning my neck to catch another glimpse of what I hoped was my new car.

"That's it, Bella. Hope you like it." He looked at me, trying to gauge my reaction. Surprising both of us, I leaped across the seat and gave him a quick hug around the neck. The knot in my stomach eased up a bit. Maybe Forks wouldn't be so bad.

"It's perfect, Dad. So perfect. I love it. Really, I can't thank you enough." I jumped out of his cruiser and jogged over to my gift, tripping over a seam in the concrete along the way.

"I bought it off of Billy, you remember Billy. Anyway, he and his son rebuilt it as sort of a project, and they said it's in solid condition. Shouldn't have any problems with it. I think he said it was a '53 or a '54, but I can't really remember." His voice was bright as he went on, clearly relieved that I was so happy with his purchase. He watched me examine my new car, laughing as I attempted to polish the Chevy emblem on the front grille with the hem of my shirt. The chrome had tarnished decades ago, and I was fighting a losing battle. "Look, Bells, I hate to break this party up, but it looks like the sky's about to open," he said, suddenly glancing at the mean gray clouds overhead with a bemused expression. As if in response, a fat raindrop landed on my shoulder, followed by another. I hate the rain.

"Ummm… yeah. Let's get inside, then." I said, following behind him as we unloaded my trunks from his cruiser and hurried inside. I hadn't brought much, so everything got into the house and upstairs in one trip.

And suddenly I was there. In my tiny, postage stamp-sized room. Charlie helped me dump my luggage in a corner and muttered something about ordering a pizza and getting out of my hair while I got settled. All of my former elation whooshed out of me in one long sigh. This was real now. This was home. The knot in my stomach tightened and churned and expanded. In three strides, I crossed the room and perched tensely on the edge of my bed. What next?