I do not own New Moon, Twilight, Joann craft stores, road games, Books on tape, CDs, Laminated maps or felt tipped pens.

A/N: Ok so it mite be a couple of days before I update because I have graduation and I'm gonna be at my dad's house but I mite get another chapter out either tonight or tomorrow night. Its all up in the air. This chapter is longer so enjoy!

The Letter

BPOV

Claire's graduation ceremony was beautiful, aside from the one very annoying mother behind me, and slightly comical. Well first, the mother behind freaking sobbed and moaned at every name that was called which became a bit irritating. But it was funny because someone in her grade had organized for them each to hold a small piece of paper with their name on it and as they shook their principal's hand while they received their diploma they put the piece of paper in his hand. When he had finished calling the names, the ground around him was littered with 780 tiny slips of paper with each graduate's name scrawled on them.

"Mom, I'm starting to think you're doing this on purpose!" Claire yelled in the general direction of my room.

I was packing my suitcase and was nervous about the weather in Forks. I kept pulling everything out and repacking, adding and subtracting items until I was sure that I was ready.

Claire barged into my room took one look at my bag and went off again. "Oh my god. Are you serious? That's all the crap that packed in the first, mom. Ok. I am taking this." She grunted as she threw my bag over her back and stormed out of my room, "And you get your butt in the car!" she yelled back at me.

"Ok just a minute." I said as I was about to grab a scarf because I was only wearing a tank top and jeans. Claire rushed in grabbed my arm and yanked me out of the door.

"Oh, no you don't. You said just a minute 45 minutes ago and now, we might miss the flight. Butt. In. Now." She motioned to the car.

We didn't miss the flight and security was a breeze because we had planned out what to wear. No metal, not even a bobby pins and we put nothing that even resembled a tube of lip gloss, concealer or god forbid an actual water bottle in my purse and her back pack.

When we were finally on the plane, Claire had to bring up Edward. "Well if he isn't my dad, who is then?" She argued.

My huge break down hadn't hardly come up since the actual even because of how busy Claire was. She was always out either taking finals or getting ready for graduation. Before I knew it, here we were on the plane to SeaTac airport in Washington where we would then drive the excruciating 5 hours to Forks. Time really does fly and I hope it continues to fly during that goddamn car ride.

I couldn't just ignore her but maybe, if I bored her, she would forget her actual question.

"Ok. First you have to understand my state, I was more than distraught. I wasn't thinking clearly. I didn't want anything to remind me of Edward and everything to help me forget him. That's why I asked everyone to start calling me Iz, even hearing my name, Bella, reminded me of Edward saying it." I can still hear it, clear as day, his smooth, lustrous voice whispering my name, his beautiful lips on my ear.

"Yeah that still doesn't tell me who my dad is." Ah. Teenagers, when do they ever quit?

"Why does it matter, you've never met or will meet him anyway?" I challenged.

"I am a part of him. I am 23 chromosomes you and 23 chromosomes him. I am not biologically yours any more than I am his and if what I have said is true WHICH IT IS, I took biology and human anatomy, if I shouldn't care about his paternity it is equal to saying I shouldn't care about your maternity because it is the same." I almost smiled at how set she was on proving herself.

"I am your mom!" I said in a harsh whisper but my voice began to escalate and I continued, "A mother gives birth, that is the biological bond, but a mom watches her baby grow and change, she is there for every momentous occasion. I am your mom, I saw you take your first steps, and you whispered your first words in my ear. 17 years later I saw you graduate from high school. You are mine, mine, mine!" I was practically screaming.

As I finished we both noticed how out of breath we were and how loudly we had been speaking. Babies stopped crying to turn their heads towards us and all conversation in a 3 row radius had halted for the other passengers to peer over the seats to have a better look at the 2 noisy women disrupting their flight.

We could think of nothing else to do but just laugh at how ridiculous we must have sounded but even under her laughter, I could see how badly she wanted to know.

After everything had calmed following our verbal battle, Claire fell asleep in the crook of my neck, it made me think of her when she was barely 5 on this same flight. It was the only other time she had seen Charlie or been to Forks and she remembered none of it.

I took the time while she was asleep to write her a letter explaining her father and why it had been that way.

Dear Claire,

I know that I have not always been the easiest mother but have always done my absolute best because you are my savior. When Edward left, I was in a daze, as I said before I just wanted to forget him but everything that I did seemed to remind me of him. That was why, in the February after he left, I slept with your father. I thought maybe doing something that Edward and I had never experienced would help me forget him. It did not bring any closure to Edward's departure but it did bring me you. Had I not had you to function for, I don't think I would have functioned at all. You were and are my entire life, the reason that my eyes open in the morning. You saved me from my downward spiral. I do admit that sometimes I slip but you have always been the one to pick me up and put me back on my feet. That is why I am telling you that your father's name is Mike Newton. He and I worked together at his father's camping supply store and he had had a crush on me since my first day at Forks High School. I am deeply ashamed that I slept with Mike, if anyone knew, they would find that very humorous but never once have I regretted it because he brought you to me and for that I will forever be thankful. I love you sweet heart and when you read this, if you could please not mention it to Charlie you would be my bestest friend in the whole world. (Like I have any other friends but please because Charlie doesn't know and I would really like to keep it that way.)

Loves forever,

Mom

I began to cry but only so much that a single drop managed to escape the curves of my face and splash onto the plain, white, notebook paper. I folded it into thirds and shoved it down the side of Claire's backpack where I knew she would find it, eventually.

I rested my cheek against the top Claire's head, which still rested gently on my shoulder. Our breathing became synchronized as I too fell into a deep sleep.

A/N: Whoo-eee. I so could have ended it there but it would have been a really short chapter so, yeah and yeah Mike is the dad I'm kind of upset about it but I (and others) didn't want it to be some random dude and who else could it be? So here's the next part.

As the plane landed, both Claire and I both jumped awake. The jerk of her head collided with my cheek and a piece of my skin was caught between her skull any my teeth, I could feel the tiny slice on the inside of my upper cheek. Ouch.

I like SeaTac because it has passenger walk ways incased in glass that cross over where the cars come to pick us up. I had Charlie on my cell phone as he described exactly where he was. I saw his tiny frame a couple of signs away. We hung up and within minutes, Claire and I located him with no problem.

Charlie isn't as young as I remember him but he certainly is not old. He and Renee had me when they were fairly young so he is only in his late 50s early 60s. My parents had always refused to tell me their age Renee said it ruined the magic. The magic of what?

"Oh my gosh bells your Christmas cards have done you no justice!"

"Iz, Dad." I reminded him as he pulled me into a huge hug. Very uncharacteristic of Charlie but I understand, he hasn't seen me in nearly 12 years. When he finally let me go, his gaze shifted to Claire.

"Hi Claire, I'm Charlie." He said softly and put his hand out to shake hers.

"Hey Charlie!" Claire said not wanting to be too formal. She moved forward but instead of taking his hand gave him a quick hug. I could see Charlie's face light up. "Its nice to meet you, uh, again but really for the first time because I don't really remember anything from when I was 5." We all smiled and began to walk toward the luggage carousel.

"What do your bags look like, I'll grab them real quick." He said noticing that most of the bags had been dispensed onto the round carousel.

"Well, mine is a black one but the tag says Isabella Swan and Claire's is a large black duffel bag with pink woodland creatures on it." I said, giggling.

"Woodland creatures? That are pink?" Charlie asked.

"Well, it is really easy to find at the airport. Plus, mom and I got really bored one Sunday after lunch and went to the Joann craft store. We bought like 50 pink woodland creature patches, you know like bunnies, deer, raccoons all that good stuff and couldn't decide where to put them." Claire could hardly speak she was laughing so hard.

"So we found her duffel bag stuffed in a closet and spent the entire day and half the night ironing the creatures on." I finished for her.

We looked up to see that Charlie had a hug smile on his face and he was laughing too. Probably at how strange we are together.

"Well," He said, which caused more laughter to erupt from me and Claire, "I'm glad to see that you two are so close."

"Hey," Claire managed, "There it is."

Charlie walked over to grab the bag and sitting right next to it was a large black suitcase. He checked the tag and grabbed them both.

"Wow, your suit cases are even close. How special." He mumbled.

"So, Charlie do you have any fun car games for the drive home?" I began my interrogation.

"Uh. I didn't know I was supposed to have any."

"What about CDs?"

"The cruiser isn't allowed to have CDs it's distracting when I'm on duty."

"Uhg. You brought the Cruiser?" I always felt like I was some sort of criminal when I was in that car.

"What else would I have brought, bel—Iz?" He corrected himself.

"Ok. Good point. So what about books on tape?"

"Same as CDs."

"Do you have a map?" Claire chimed in.

"Well, sure. It's one of those fancy ones that's laminated so you can write on it and then wipe it off when you're done." He replied, proud that he actually had something that we wanted.

"Ok. Cool. Do you have any pens to write with?"

"I have a couple in the glove box. Do you mind checking Iz?"

I quickly found a felt tipped red pen and a felt tipped blue pen. Then, as quickly as I could, I unbuckled my seat belt and climbed in back with Claire. Charlie had removed the bars usually separating the driver from the back seat.

"I could write you a ticket for that." He said, pretending to disapprove but I could see that he didn't want me to do it again.

"Ok, so I think we should plan out the places we want to go and mark them on the map. So that we can then plan good routes to take, maybe 2 places in 3 days and then drive back to Forks." She was very proud of her idea.

"I want to go to Seattle at least once. Oh and Charlie we're open for suggestions and if you would like to come on one of the weekend trips, you're more than welcome because I know you work during the week." She called to the front of the cruiser.

"Ok, Seattle. Do you wan to go to Mt. Rainier and take some of the trails around the bottom since neither of us are much for camping?"

"Mmmk." She circled the tiny words Mt. Rainier on the map. "How about the San Juan Islands?"

"Are those the ones where you have to bike everywhere?"

"Not necessarily, we could sail. I hear there are porpoises and lots of seals during the summer." She said scanning the map for more options.

"Ok. You can put it on there." Maybe she'll forget later. "What about the Olympic Park Institute. It is usually a camp but there are also hotels and they are on the edge of a lake. I think its Crescent Lake."

"Sounds nice. Oh look, the Freeway loops around it and there's a Port-"

"Port Angeles?" I already knew it was a yes. It was the only place that didn't take freaking 100 hours to get to from Forks.

"Yeah. It looks like it's right on the water."

"Mhmm. That's what makes it a port. It's beautiful and not too far away from Forks. We could definitely go for a day."

We spent half of the car ride marking everything that sounded good. Even taking Charlie's suggestions. Mt. Saint Helens. The Cascades. Various Beaches. Cross the Narrows Bridge, we would do it on the ride today but it was still beautiful. The next half of the car ride, we cut some of the absurd places and activities. River rafting. Parasailing. Walla Walla (Where the apples are grown) and many more.

Finally. I recognized the dense green forests around us and the thick blanket of clouds that were so familiar even having been gone for nearly 2 decades. We would be home any minute now. As Charlie pulled the Cruiser into the spot it had occupied every day I lived in Forks, I glanced over and saw my truck. My truck.

"Charlie is that my truck?"

"Oh yeah. I kept it running and sometimes people come by to borrow it when they are getting repairs on their own cars, I am like the one-man Forks rent-a-car. But you can use it while your hear." He smiled and unlocked the door.

I was glad to be home and gently shook Claire into consciousness. Maybe this would be fun.

"It's so cloudy. Why would anyone want to live here?" She mumbled. Still half asleep.

"You grow to love it and sometimes the clouds even protect you deepest, darkest secret." I whispered in her ear.

A/N: WooHoo! We're in Forks baby yeah! (Ok I just watched Austin Powers, sorry) but sorry about the really long part about the map (which is actually relevant later on) and I just miss Washington SOOO much so I wrote about it a lot to remember it. Yes that is right I usually go every summer for about 2 months but this year im only going for a week. Ok im sorry about the long author's note but I have something else to say. I know some people might be pissed about the mike thing but im just gonna say now. Would u rather it b some one Bella knows or just some random, horny college guy. And if it wasn't mike that got her pregnant it was either gonna b Tyler or Eric EEW. Review plz! Much love…