Happy New Year! I am still having trouble believing that an entire year has gone by, I feel like I missed it somehow. Anyway, I am also sorry it took me this long to update, but one of my best friends came into town, and then my sister-in-law was here, but she has gone home this morning, and I have found the time to abandon my life, and dive deep into the depths of my imagination.

Peace!


Alice was able to wing a ride home with Bella, well Alice didn't do anything. It was Charlie who called, and told Bella whatever her plans were tonight would be cancelled if she didn't drive her home, the look on her face as he told her this suggested she just might found something else to do if it gave her the chance to make Alice's life even harder.

But she finally relented, and pulled into the driveway at 4:47, hoping out of the truck Bella shifted to reverse and started to pull out.

"Where are you going?" Alice wasn't sure why she asked, she was almost positive she wouldn't get an answer, but old habits die hard she supposed.

"I have to leave now if I want to make it to Port Angeles on time." Bella replied backing the last tire out of the driveway, Alice was almost sure that was not only the most Bella had said to her since she had arrived, but also the first complete sentence she had uttered in her direction.

Checking her watch again she bolted for the house, how was she supposed to get ready for the game, finish her home work, and make Charlie dinner in an hour?

Pulling the pasta from the pantry, she put water into the bottom of a pot setting it on the stove to boil. There was sauce in the pantry that would take five minutes to heat up, the spaghetti would be ten minutes. She could do this.

Leaving the kitchen she made her way to Bella's room, well it was her room too, but she refereed to it as Bella's room, seeing as Charlie had all but removed everything thing that made it Bella's in order to fit Alice in there too. Which is why she tried to be in it as little as possible when Bella was home, throwing open the door, she sighed.

Bunk beds.

Alice had tried not to complain because she knew Charlie was trying and that was really all she could ask of him, she allowed herself a moment to lie back on the bed. A luxury she hadn't realized was a luxury back in Alaska, but now any second where she was off of her feet felt like a vacation, but as she glanced at her still packed suitcase she recalled why she was here in the first place.

Standing to her feet once more she resisted the urge to groan as they screamed their weary protest, and knelt beside her bag. Alice told herself she was changing because she wanted something more comfortable then school clothes, not because she didn't want Jasper to only see her the the sensible khakis and collared shirt she had chosen that morning.

Grabbing a pair of her favorite dark wash skinnies, and a blue long sleeve shirt she knew matched her eyes, and a black hoodie she gave herself a once over in the mirror. Surprisingly she like the combination, she had always loved putting clothes together, but for some reason never liked the way she looked in them.

Emptying out her backpack on the bottom bunk Bella had told her she would have, she grabbed the wallet that had settled at the bottom, she had never been much a fan of purses, because she never needed more then ID, some cash, and a library card to survive, and she saw no reason to buy an entire purse for the chap stick she could slide virtually unnoticed into a front pocket.

Bounding back down the stairs, she found the water had come to a boil, and she dumped in the pasta, and checked the time, 5:15. Charlie would be back any minute, now that she thought about it, was she allowed to go to this baseball game? Charlie had never actually said that she couldn't hang out with the Cullen boys, but was that what he had meant when he told her they were trouble.

Alice never got the chance to try and work it out in her head, because she heard Charlie's cruiser pulling into the driveway, as she was pulling out her text book to be looking over while she stirred. The front door open and shut, and she could hear him hanging up hos jacket and gun belt, and then the stuttering of his feet on the hollow wooden floor as he tried to decide if he should stick his head in and say hello.

So, as she had everyday this past week, she decided for him, "That you Charlie?"

"Yeah." He replied sounding relieved the decision no longer rested on his shoulders, Charlie never seemed to mind she didn't call him dad, in fact if she had to guess, she thought the affectionate name falling from her lips and pointed at him would only make him nervous.

Sticking his head around the corner, he smiled because she turned and smiled, asking, "How was work?"

Again relieved of the conversing duties he relaxed even further, and leaned against the door frame folding his arms, and cocking his head to the side, "You know the usual," As a matter of fact Alice had no idea what the usual was, but if Charlie was aware of this he didn't let on, and so Alice decided it was better to just have her in the dark, "I did win at poker this morning though, so that was good--how was school?"

"Great," Alice replied a little to brightly, and Charlie looked at her out of the corner of his eye, "I was actually meaning to ask you," She turned back to the pot and began to stir it slowly, partly because she didn't need to ruin his dinner, but mainly because she didn't think she could ask this while looking at him, "I was invited to go the baseball game tonight, and I was wondering if I could go?"

"That's great," He said, moving to stand erect, and shoving his hands in his pockets, "Of course you can go. You should have called me, you didn't have to make dinner if you needed to get ready or something, I could have gotten some pizza."

Alice turned and smiled at him, and he smiled back, "Thanks Charlie, it was no trouble."

He nodded, "I told you Bella would come around, never thought she would want to go to a baseball game over a movie though--" He peered at the pot, wondering what she was making tonight.

She looked over at him from trying to program his ancient microwave, he thought Bella had invited her, and she shook her head, "No Bella didn't invite me to go with her, she said she had a movie to catch." Finally finding the right combination, she started it.

Charlie frowned, and spoke over the loud whirring as the jar rotated, "Bella didn't invite you to go to the movie with her and her friends?" He asked suspiciously, clearly not aware that Alice had heard their argument about including her from two nights before.

There was no reason why Alice needed to get her in trouble, "No she did, but I had already said I would go to the baseball game, and I saw the movie right before I left Anchorage."

He nodded thoughtfully, "Oh, well as long as she invited you."

"Yeah." Alice was still in awe of how much she had lied in this one day, after seventeen long years of being one of the most honest people she knew, five lies she had told, it was one thing to lie to kids at school she had no intention of knowing, but to lie to Charlie, was a whole different matter.

Reaching for a dish rag she pulled the sauce out of the microwave, "Can you hold the colander still in the sink?"

Looking around his cabinets like he had never seen them for a moment, he nodded like he was unsure of something, but finally picked a cabinet and returned to her side. Spilling the pasta into the colander, he backed away, as she quickly ran water over it, and then put it in a new bowl. Pouring the sauce over top of it, she began to stir it in, when Charlie spoke behind her.

Alice resisted the urge to jump and scream, because she had thought he would retreat the the living room and have flipped to a game, "So who are you going to the baseball game with?" Looking over her shoulder, she caught sight of the clock, 5:40, they would be here any second, he couldn't tell her no if they were sitting in the driveway.

She would have to stall, she glanced at him and took in the beer she hadn't heard him get, "Oh you could have asked me, I would have gotten you one."

Charlie glanced at the beer in his hand, and looked a little embarrassed that she thought she had to get him, his beers, "No, it's no problem, I only ask Bella to get me one, some of the time."

Alice nodded, and tried to look like she was trying to figure out what she had done wrong, when he cleared his throat.

"So who are you going with?"

"What?" She asked, looking back at him once more, she stilled her hands, as she heard a car pull into the driveway.

Abandoning his question, he looked toward the kitchen window.

"Oh that's them, you can take it from here right?" Alice slid by him, as he nodded absentmindedly.

"Who is them, Alice?"

Pretending she had not heard, him she reached for a jacket and was pulling it around her shoulders when she paused and looked back at him, "Charlie," This was something she had wanted to tell him for a while now, but she figured that this would provide enough distraction that he wouldn't ask who she was going with, "I just wanted to say thanks."

"It's just a baseball game kiddo." He told her taking in her tone of complete and utter indebted awe.

"I meant for letting me stay here," Charlie began to look uncomfortable, and she knew she had reached him, "You didn't have to let people know about me, but you did, because I asked you to, and I don't think I thanked you properly. You have let me uproot your routine and it doesn't even look like you stopped twice to think about it," Charlie knew she was referring to the bunk beds, and the fact that she had no shelf in the bathroom, he would soon have to buy two single beds, and maybe turn the basement into another bedroom for her, "So thanks--again."

Charlie nodded, "No problem kiddo."

Alice swallowed hard, and leaned forward, having to stand on her tip toes and grasp his shoulder in order to keep her equilibrium, as she kissed his cheek, and smiled, Charlie blushed, and she wished to tease him, but then realized they had been standing there for at least three minutes, and she back towards the door.

"Bye Charlie."

He looked up seeming to remember that she was headed somewhere with God only knows who, because he sure as hell didn't, she opened the door just wide enough for her to slip through, which admittedly wasn't wide, and was shutting it on his question.

"Alice, who is in that--" His words were cut off, even though she knew he was about to say 'car', jumping right over the steps she watched emerald eyes lighting up with amusement, and for a moment was about to tell Edward to say nothing, when she realized that he was brushing curls out of his face.

Edward did not have curls.


Oh cliff hanger, I know you are all wondering who could possibly be driving that car *rolls eyes*, but I suppose you will just have to wait until next time to find out, again super sorry about the wait, hopefully it will not take me as long next time. Read and Review and tell me if you think I got Charlie right, I think I'm a little off, but my bestie says I did a good job.