The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25 dot com

Prompt: #11

Pen Name: Missus T

Pairing/Character(s): Bella/Charlie

Rating:T

Word count: 481

Photo prompts can be found here:

thetwilight25 dot com/round-eight/prompts

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It was late when Bella woke up thirsty and decided to go downstairs for a drink.

She was surprised to see the light from the TV flickering in the living room and wondered what game could have kept her father up so late. But it wasn't a game on the television. When she made it to the bottom of the stairs she stopped, the images on the screen made her freeze in place.

It was her mother. She was with some friends in an old school car slowly cruising what looked like the parking lot at First Beach. Bella remembered the old car from when she was a kid, it had been Billy's car, the one he was driving in the wreck that paralyzed him.

The picture was grainy, the way old movies sometimes were. She remembered the giant camera Charlie had used when she was a kid and smiled, thinking about him standing around filming her mother and her friends with that beast on his shoulder.

"Renee," someone off screen yelled, "when you going to ditch that loser and get with a real man?"

Bella watched as her mother ran her fingers through her hair and laughed. "Like who, you, Joshua Uley? I don't think so!"

There was a loud, sharp laugh, then Charlie's came through the microphone. "Leave my girl alone, Joshua! Find your own!"

There was a chorus of awe's, then Renee waved at the camera and grinned. "Love you, Charlie!"

The music coming from the car got louder, and Bella covered her mouth to stifle a laugh as she recognized an old Bon Jovi song. Renee and her girlfriends lifted their hands in the air, singing and swaying.

"They're going to run Billy's car out of gas and never leave the parking lot," Joshua chuckled.

"Yeah, but he's having a great time showing off for Sarah."

"Ain't that the truth?"

They laughed and the camera cut off, leaving a blue screen.

Bella sniffed and wiped her eyes, and Charlie's head whipped around, catching her watching.

"Shit, baby." He fumbled for the remote as if he could rewind it and take away what she'd seen.

"It's okay, daddy. I don't remember a lot of times she wasn't fighting with you."

He stood and walked over, pulling her into his arms.

"She loved us, baby. A long time ago, before life got crazy, she loved us, and she left so we would all be happy."

"I know. I just… I've never seen her like that, so in love with you."

"Well, what can I say? I'm a catch." He squeezed her tight and laughed, lightening the mood.

"You're a great catch, daddy, and Sue Clearwater is lucky to have you." She stepped out of his arms and went back up the stairs without ever getting a drink.

Charlie stood there, shocked, wondering when his daughter had gotten so smart.

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