For Hannah L, thanks for the idea… !!! Charlie remembers being a teen boy, and look where that ended up, Ha ha

They were getting too close. I saw the attraction, the connection. There was a lot they tried to hide from me. The intimate moment's, I knew that they were young, I knew they were in love, and I had hoped it had been a phase. But after he came back, there was something more, intense. The way he acted around her, and she around him, it was symmetrical, like a dance of partner's who knew each other well.

I shuddered at thinking how well did they know each other. Didn't want to go there.

They were always together. The energy that jumped between them was palpable. And just thinking of them doing… teenage things, made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, and my fist's clench. I hated that she wasn't my baby anymore, and that she didn't need me to protect her. She had him for that. I'd seen him catch her before she fell, or catch things she never had the reflexes to catch.

But the fact remained, I didn't know how deep this relationship of their's went. And that was what scared me most. Is was more than a phase, I seen the heartbreak and anguish she had gone through in the fall to believe that. So I now faced a cross road, do the dad thing and stick my neck out and tell her that this is wrong, or do the good-parent thing and explain to her the consequences.

It was time for me to look at this objectively. Or as objective as a dad can get. She wasn't my baby anymore, and as much as I didn't want to see it, she was growing up and into her body. As much as I'd like her to stay eight forever, that was impossible. I felt my ears burn as I starting thinking about how I'd bring it up. Talking to her about female stuff was just as appealing as shooting my foot. Twice.

I was reviewing my lines that I had cleverly thought up as I heard his car pull up. Taking in a deep breath, I tried to calm my nerves, I had to do this, responsibilities and all that. I didn't think I'd be able to get through this completely. But I had to, for her.

My lines were now engrained in my head. All the typical lines, but how to start, I had no clue. I heard the door open, barely.

"Could you come in here, Bella?" This was it, no turning back. Like pulling halfway into an intersection during a yellow light, I was past the point of not return.

"What's up, Dad?" She looked calm, but on edge.

Smooth. Got to be smooth, start with something harmless, "Did you have a nice time tonight?"

"Yes," She was relaxing, poor poor girl. Why did I have to do this. I could have just been ignorant dad, but nope, I have to do the right thing.

"What did you do?"

"Hung out with Alice and Jasper. Edward beat Alice at chess, and then I played Jasper. He buried me."

I hit mute on the ball game, wishing I could jump in the T.V. and bury myself 6 feet under the infield. "Look, there's something I need to say"

"What is it, Dad?" The edge was back and she was visibly nervous. Didn't blame her.

"I'm not good at this kind of thin. I don't know how to start . . . ." Start with the obvious but I'd already stuck my toe in the water, might as well jump in. "Okay, Bella. Here's the thing." Damn I hate having to be Dad sometimes. Playing the part was harder now than when I had to get up at 3 am to change diapers. "You and Edward seem pretty serious, and there are some things that you need to be careful about. I know you're and adult now, but you're still young, Bella, and there are a lot of important things you need to know when your . . . Well, physically involved with ---"

She caught on quick, "Oh, please,please no!" She was now visibly horrified, and turning pink. "Please tell me you are not trying to have the sex talk with me, Charlie"

"I am your father. I have responsibilities. Remember, I'm just as embarrassed as you are" I took my duties seriously. From my job to this girl I loved. But I was still embarrassed to have to say this stuff aloud.

"I don't think that's humanly possible. Anyway, Mom beat you to the punch about ten years ago. Your off the hook." Renee, god bless that women, but that was ten years ago, she had still been wearing Minnie Mouse underwear and playing in puddles.

"Ten years ago you didn't have a boyfriend,"

"I don't think the essentials have changed that much," she had a point, they hadn't change much since Renee and I were kids, and yet, look where we ended up.

"Just tell me that you two are being responsible," That's all I care about, that what ever their doing, what ever secret their keeping, that their being safe.

"Don't worry about it, Dad, it's not like that." She was turning more pink, and looking into my eye's I started to break, but this was my little girl, and that- that- BOY, could be doing things to take her away from me even more than he already has.

"Not that I don't trust you, Bella, but I know you don't want to tell me anything about this, and you know I don't really want to hear it. I will try to be open-minded, though. I know the times have changed." No, times haven't changed. And I didn't regret anything.

"Maybe the times have, but Edwards is very old-fashioned. You have nothing to worry about." Old-fashion, I bet, old-fashion doesn't drive like that. "Sure he is."

"Ugh!"

"I really wish you were not forcing me to say this out loud, Dad. Really. But . . . . I am a. . . . virgin, and I have no immediate plans to change that status" I nearly choked on my breath, she was beet red now, and staring at me, challenging me to attempt to prove her wrong. But I was speechless, she called out my bluff, and I had nothing to come back with. So I decided to go back to the innocent.

"Can I go to bed, now? Please." she was begging to go bury her head under a sand hill. I wanted to do the same, but after years of compromising with various types of people I knew I had to bring the conversation back around, back to the innocent "In a minute,"

"Aw, please, Dad? I'm begging you." She was begging, her body language was that of a sprinter, ready to run as soon as I said go. "The embarrassing part's over, I promise," We talked for another couple minutes about the compromise we had made about her early release of being grounded. Jacob, Angela, Jessica, Work, the rest of her life outside of the Cullen's.

Don't get me wrong, Dr. Cullen is a brilliant and amazing surgeon, way ahead of his years, and little Alice, who had always been there for Bella. Most I liked.

Edward and his older, scarier looking brother, I wasn't so sure about. But never the less, I accepted her choice. Because they were who she had chosen. She had never been child-like. And now it seems like neither had Edward. Both of the kids acted like they had been together forever. And from sometime shortly after the Titanic sank. Scary.

I let her go to bed and sat back down on the couch. We gave each other a lot to think about. Words from the conversation slowly filtered back into his head . . . "- I have no immediate plans to change that status. ." that's what confused me the most. Not the declaration, but the fact she was so in love with this boy, and by the looks of him, he'd be willing to take a bullet for her. Yet, they had no further intent.

Odd. But acceptable. She had said he was old-fashioned. I already had a hunch on that. Dr. Cullen raised those kids right. They had never given me any trouble, and other than the hospital and Newton's store, I rarely ever saw them in town. But it hadn't been until Bella had latched on to this family that I had taken notice of the subtle difference between them and the rest of families.

I shook my head, clearing the thought's. That's when I heard Bella on the stairs. Hopefully she's was over the embarrassing conversation.

"You care if I go see Jake tonight?" She was smiling slyly and I knew we were ok, "I won't be out long." Jacob, good, no more of this deep thought.

We would be ok, the dark cloud looming in the distance of her leaving would be pushed away. She would still be my baby for a bit longer.

But all I had was this inch. And I would hold on to it for as long as she'd let me.