AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and to my beta Margaritama for her awesomeness. REVIEW PLEASE-(They really do make me type faster!)
Bella
I waited until the cabin was nearly empty before I got out of my seat and headed towards the ramp. The small airplane had landed as close as possible to Forks, but there was still a long ride to the town itself.
I looked around for a few minutes before I spotted Charlie waiting for me. A smile slowly grew on both our faces when we saw each other. Some of my things had been shipped ahead. They should be waiting for me at the house so I had just two suitcases and my backpack with me.
"Hi Dad." I said quietly as he walked up to me.
"Hiya kiddo." He replied with a smile and I had to bite down on my bottom lip to keep from screaming when he leaned in to give me a one-armed hug. I hated physical contact now. Ever since-no I couldn't allow myself to think about that man right now. This was my father, I had to have trust my father. He loved me and would protect me, of that much I was certain.
He grabbed both of my bags from baggage claim and led me outside. Of course it was raining, I didn't really take it as a negative sign. This was Forks so I had already mentally prepared myself for the weather and it kind of fit my mood.
"Thanks for letting me stay with you dad." I smiled a bit as he loaded up my bags into the car.
"Bells, it's really ok. I'm glad you're here. Give us a chance to spend time together and all that parenting stuff." He got in to the driver's side as I jumped into the front seat.
The rest of the car ride passed mostly silent. We were both quiet people, preferring to observe without speaking. We both loved each other, but didn't feel the need to openly display it. A grand total of four sentences were spoken during the hour and a half ride.
Pulling into what would now be home, Charlie parked the cruiser in the driveway and we both climbed out. I took a second to look around and noticed that nothing had changed from what I could remember. An old tire swing I remembered from when I was about ten years old was still up and I vaguely remembered the blue car that was parked next door.
I followed Charlie inside and it was all still the same. The fireplace held a few more pictures from school and I knew I would have to have a little talk with him about that. My kindergarten drawings were still on the fridge and I still saw the little traces of my mother when she was trying to brighten up the place during the early weeks of their marriage.
We made our way upstairs. I opened the door to my room.
"Um, I just got the furniture and if you don't like anything, we could take it back. Your mom said you liked purple, so the saleslady picked out the bedspread." I looked around for a minute while he stood right outside the door with his hands in his pockets.
"Everything looks fine. Thanks."
"Yeah, well I'll just let you get settled and I'll see you later."
I stood until I heard him go into the living room and turn on the TV. Living with him would be easy-almost like living on my own. I walked over and sat down on the bed, looking around some more. The only difference in the room was a twin bed instead of the toddler bed, there was also a desk and dresser. The bookcase was empty except for whatever I had left during the summer vacations I'd spent here.
My boxes and suitcases were piled up in the corner so I decided to start unpacking. Tomorrow was the first day of school for me so I didn't know how much time I would have afterwards and I wanted to get some of it out of the way.
I was busy unloading my box of books and pictures when I heard something loud outside but I ignored it. I dedicated a whole shelf to just pictures of when my life was just about perfect. My beloved books were carefully sorted by author when I heard Charlie called me.
"What's up, Dad?"
"Well, I thought you might want to go out to eat. And I got you a little homecoming present and it just got here."
I felt my face go red. "Dad, you didn't need to get me anything."
"I know, I just figured I'd get you a little something that you would need anyway." He tossed me my jacket and shrugged his on as we walked out the door.
In the driveway sat a huge old pick-up truck. The red paint was faded and it was one of those trucks you would see abandoned in garages.
"It doesn't look like much, but the Blacks took very good care of it. Its running good and I know it doesn't look like much, but it's all sturdy."
I couldn't stop the smile that grew on my face. It wasn't the prettiest vehicle I've ever seen, but it was mine. It had character, and I could tell it was sturdy like he said. Something that I would definitely need if I was going to be driving in the slushy weather.
"Dad, this is great! I love it, it's perfect." I turned to him, giving him a very brief one-armed hug.
"Yeah, well I figured you wouldn't want to catch a ride in the cruiser, so I'm glad you like it." He replied awkwardly. "Well, let's get going before the diner gets too busy."
I ran my hand across the bulbous front of the truck as I passed it on the way to the cruiser and hopped in the passenger side.
The drive took less than five minutes. I vaguely remembered the tiny restaurant and followed Charlie realizing he was definitely a regular. He went straight to a corner booth after grabbing two menus from the bar.
"You know, I can cook, Dad. I've done all the cooking at home for years." I said after I took a look through the menu and noticed that they weren't the healthiest choices in the world.
"You don't have to do that, Bells. There's pizza and a few places that deliver."
"I don't mind at all. I like to cook. I mean, it'll save money and I'd like to help out around the house. I mean, I think I saw the laundry pile moving before we left." I said with a smile.
I wrinkled my nose when our food arrived and saw how much bacon and sausage was on his plate. I looked at my food and was pleased when I didn't see any excess grease gathering. "You know, some fruit with your eggs might be better for you." I said, taking a bite of my omelet.
"I'm as healthy as a horse. Don't worry about me, Bells."
I was about to reply when the bell over the door dinged and I looked up to see someone come it. He reminded me of some movie star from the old movies that my mom used to watch when she went through romantic phase.
He had on a powder blue dress shirt with a midnight blue tie and black slacks. His hair was a golden blond that looked silky and untouchable at the same time. He smiled and nodded at some people and stopped when he passed our table. "Mary, can I get a few slices of the cherry pie to go, please?" He called out.
"Charlie, good to see you." The movie star smiled at Charlie.
"Likewise. I was gonna call you tonight. Uh, I was made aware that Edward is going to turn eighteen in a few weeks. I haven't had too much trouble from him for the past few days and wanted to let you know that it'll be harder to turn a blind eye as much as I've done in the past. He would be treated as an adult under the law if he got caught doing anything he wasn't supposed too."
"Thank you Charlie. I appreciate the warning. I think we might have him try a Church program in Port Angeles that we've been hearing good things about."
Of course I had to do something clumsy like drop my fork that second and both pairs of eyes were on me. "Sorry."
"Carlisle, this is my daughter Bella. Bells, this is our hospital's Chief of Staff and one of the finest surgeons in the world, Dr. Carlisle Cullen."
It was obvious that Charlie thought very highly of the handsome doctor. I smiled; hoping that it didn't appear forced and nodded. I fumbled with my food when I saw his hand go up to reach for mine and internally breathed a sigh of relief when it went back down.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella. I'm sorry to cut this short, but I have three women at home who are about to kill my boys if they don't get this pie. Thank you again, Charlie."
Charlie went back to his food as I watched the doctor pay and grab a small white box. "Someone looking like that is a doctor? He looks so young."
"Yeah, he's still in his mid-thirties or something like that. Good thing that Esme is so involved in the community, or else women would be throwing themselves at him. Best thing that happened to the hospital. Nice family too, for the most part."
"What's wrong with them? Who's turning eighteen?" I was curious to know about someone of whom Charlie would think so highly of.
"Their youngest son, Edward, is a bit of a trouble maker. Not the parents fault, really, there's just something wrong with that boy. Never had a kid give me so much trouble. But with five kids, they did the best they could."
"Wow, five? Big family."
"Well, two are adopted. Carlisle's older brother and his wife died a few years ago and they took in their twins, Rosalie and Jasper. Emmett, Alice and Edward are their own."
"That was nice of them, to take two kids in when they're so young and have their own."
"Yeah." Was the only reply I received. The rest of dinner went by in near silence. When we were done, Charlie left a few bills on the table.
We home drove in silence and I called dibs on the shower. I heard the TV in the living room go on before I finished getting my things together. I started the shower and opened my toiletry bag and noticed the small makeup kit that my mother had forced me to bring. I didn't want attention, trying to be all girly would bring just that so I rolled my eyes and shoved it into the back corner of the tiny shelf that Charlie had cleared for me.
Just the thought of starting school tomorrow left me feeling exhausted and I knew I would crash as soon as my head hit the pillow.
Edward I heard the tires crunching up the path and stop. I walked over to my window, looked down and saw my father walk up to the porch. The poor man had a box from the diner in town so I knew that dinner tonight would be a moody affair. That's what happens when you're living with three women. I took another swig of whiskey and turned away, going back into my living room.
My last therapist had asked me to continue my journal entries and I found that it actually helped sometimes. Over the past two years, I had amassed quiet a collection that now took up a whole shelf on the massive bookcase by my bed. Small, cheap notebooks had eventually been replaced with custom made leather journals. I think I was subconsciously making them as a mementos for my mother to offer her some understanding of my state of mind when I eventually killed myself by a overdose or something more horrible.
I heard glass breaking downstairs and guessed that Emmett had looked at Rosalie the wrong way or said something asinine. The girl was unbelievably beautiful but a bitch to most people. Of course, I couldn't talk much, she has been incredibly helpful to me over the past few months.
It was quiet for a few more minutes before I heard my father's footsteps down the hall. He rarely came up here anymore, ever since he had to do an emergency stomach pump last year when I mixed some E with cocaine. We only spoke when it was purely necessary and mostly when my mother was present.
He stopped in front of the door for a few seconds and I had to roll my eyes. "Come in, Dad."
I Iooked up as the door slowly opened and stared as he took a quick look around the room. His posture was tense..
"I got nothing here, Dad." I was trying to stop my brain from overanalyzing every little move he made.
"I just saw Charlie Swan at the diner. He had a few words about you."
It used to be a sick kind of game for Chief Swan to catch me doing something wrong at least twice a week. But after the last time, I took a good look at him and saw the signs of very high blood pressure and stress. I had studied medicine enough to know that I shouldn't mess around while he was on my back so much. I was an asshole but I didn't want to be the reason Chief Swan had a heart attack. I had made it a point to avoid the usual spots where I knew the Forks cops, all nine of them, usually hid and thought I was doing a good job.
"He knows you're turning 18 in a few weeks. Getting caught with anything or doing something illegal now carries some jail time. You'll be seen as an adult by the Courts."
I just nodded. I knew about the conversation. Charlie had already delivered last time I was caught fucking Jessica Stanley and her cousin during the Homecoming Dance. Some crap about public indecency or something.
"Edward, I'm trying my hardest to figure you out. I know we haven't been the best parents to you, I mean, for you to do the things that you've been doing, your mother and I had to have done something severely wrong. I'm willing to do or give you anything to have you back with us. I miss my son." He said quietly.
It really broke my heart a bit. I didn't think that I was a bad person, I still had a heart. I saw my father look twice his age right then and knew it was my fault. My brothers and sisters were perfect children and never gave them any trouble.
"I know, Dad. And you didn't do anything wrong. I'm just a fuck-up; you shouldn't waste your time with my issues."
"Edward, you're my son. I'll worry about you until the day I die. And you're not a 'fuck-up'. Life is hard for all of us, you even more so. I just want to help you, son. You're mother and I need our son back. It's not just you that we're worried about, either."
"Dad, please. Can we have this conversation another time, its three o'clock." I said, standing up and going to my bedroom door.
"Go ahead, son. You know you can talk to me about anything, right? I really hope that you learn to open up to us again. We really do love you. We all do."
I watched him leave and just stood there for a second. I walked across my bedroom and went to the door closest to my bed. "You can go now, Rose. I'm staying in tonight."
"Are you sober?" She said, looking coldly at me.
"Rose, I'm clean right now. Go on and find Emmett. I'll call you if I need you." She nodded and left.
When I heard the outer door closing, I turned back a forced smile. Last day of freedom before school started.
Maybe it was really time to get my act together, but I knew it wouldn't be as simple as waking up and deciding to do it. I needed to get my head on straight before any change was possible. I looked at my reflection in my mirror.
Ironically, the one who depended on it was looking straight at me.
