A/N: I am just overwhelmed by your responses to my last chapters. I got so emotional, I had to actually put the story away for a while before I could continue. I appreciate you all more than I can say.

Starting with this chapter, I am including different quotes that I found after my own loss. Hopefully they resonate with you, as well.

Heartbreak

"Death ends a life, but it does not end a relationship, which struggles on in the survivor's mind toward some resolution which it may never find." Robert Anderson

The next week passed by in a blur. While I was with Renee, Edward and Emmett got my and Elizabeth's stuff moved. Edward assured me that by the time I was ready to come home, I would be able to go straight to his condo in Sacramento. I had shrugged and said OK, not really caring about moving right then.

Staying with Renee had been hard. She alternated between yelling at me and crying over Charlie. I let everything slide, since she was going through the same thing I was. Taking care of her and Elizabeth had been a full time job for me, so I had filed for a leave of absence from work. It made sense, since I didn't really have the ability to concentrate on my job anyway. My boss had understood, allowing me to take my full twelve weeks of unpaid leave. Edward had understood also, and assured me that he would make sure my bills were paid while I wasn't working.

I couldn't find it anywhere in me to care about my job…or anything else. The white fog had settled down on me allowing me to take care of funeral arrangements and deal with my mother. Deep down I knew that I was fooling myself not dealing with my feelings. But, again, the fog dulled everything and made it easier.

Edward came up for the weekend to stay, since my father's funeral was that Sunday afternoon. Part of me was happy to see him, hold him, and cherish the rock in my life. Unfortunately, my heart wasn't ready to do that. He could sense it, apparently, because he kept a safe distance. He kissed and hugged me lightly when he got there, but didn't touch me again after that.

"Bella?" he asked, crawling into bed with me. It was the night before the funeral, and I was still folding the funeral programs.

"Hmm?" I said, not looking up from what I was doing.

His hands touched mine, stopping me from folding. I looked up and saw the concerned look on his face.

"Please talk to me."

For a moment, the fog started to lift and I could feel the raw pain starting to consume me. A single tear slid down my cheek as I shoved the fog back where it was before, stopping the pain immediately.

"I'm fine, Edward, really."

"Bullshit."

"Huh?"

His critical eyes swept over me, settling on my eyes. "Who do you think you are talking to?" His voice was quiet and stern. I slipped a little.

"OK, listen…no, I'm not fine. But, I can't lose it right now. Please, Edward, I promise that I will talk to you after the funeral. I-I just can't right now."

His eyes softened and he reached his hand up to my face. "You are under too much pressure. Why are you doing everything? Couldn't Renee…or Jessica…" His voice trailed off. He leaned back in bed and rested his head against the wall. "They didn't want to, did they?"

I rolled my eyes, turning them toward the programs. "Of course not. Renee is a mess and Jess only came over yesterday for the first time. She was here for all of an hour before she ran off, claiming that she had to do something. Whatever. It's fine."

He shifted closer to me on the bed. "No, love, it's not fine. You are taking on too much. You think I don't notice the look in your eyes? It's the same look you had in your eyes when you were trying to plan Jake's funeral. Look at me," he said, placing both hands on my face, forcing me to look at him. "You. Are. Not. Alone. I am here for you, love, and I will not let you handle this all on your own. What can I do?"

I shrugged out of his grasp, looking down again. My heart fluttered as I spoke. "You weren't here all week, Edward. I've done everything on my own since I got here last weekend. I made sure my mother was eating, I made the guest list for the funeral, called everyone to invite them, called the caterer, created the programs, made the music list, ordered the flowers…" I sighed and looked up to meet his eyes. I knew that I had hurt him with my comment about him not being there, but still, I pressed on. "I have taken care of everything this week. I'm fine."

He was quiet for a moment, just staring into my eyes. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you all week, Bella."

"I know, Edward, and I'm not faulting you for not being here. All I'm saying is that I've handled it so far. I'll be OK."

He was silent then, grabbing the programs and helping me to finish folding. Once we were done, I settled back in bed, facing away from him. He pushed up next to me, bringing his arm around me and kissed the back of my head.

A calm serene feeling came over me as he held me tight. For the first time in a week, I actually slept.

~PMU~

"Charles Swan was a beloved husband, father and friend…" The minister started the funeral and I began to tune out. I was listening for certain queues to ensure the program went off without a hitch, but I couldn't listen to his specific words.

Elizabeth sat on one side of me, while Edward sat on the other. At some point during the ceremony, Elizabeth reached over and grabbed my hand, snuggling into me. I could see tears streaming down her face and I ached to be able to help her. Edward saw this also and put his arm around the two of us, gently stroking Elizabeth's head. It was a small gesture, but it almost made me smile at how sweet it was.

"At this time, we'd like the children of Charles Swan to come up to speak a little bit about their father." That was the queue I was waiting for. I turned slightly and nodded to Jessica, who made her way up to the front of the church.

"Hello everyone, I'm Jessica Swan, the oldest child." She stood tall, almost looking down her nose at everyone. Somehow that didn't surprise me. "Charlie Swan was a wonderful father. He was so good to my mother, and to us children. Before Emmett came along, and then Isabella, Dad used to take me out to the marina, just to watch the ducks. Of course, it was harder once there were more children in the house to do that sort of thing, but he would read to me, play with me in the backyard, and he always told me he loved me. I will miss you, Dad."

With that, she walked off the stage as Emmett made his way up to the front. Knowing him as I do, I could tell he was a little nervous. Most things don't phase my brother, but I knew this situation was different.

"Hello, I'm Emmett Swan. I'm the middle child. I first met Charlie when I was born…" A few people chuckled, and my calm, carefree brother returned. "But, seriously, Charlie was a friend and a father. He taught me everything I know: how to treat people, how to work hard to get what you want in life and how to just be a good man. I owe my father everything in this world for teaching me all that he did. I can't imagine a better father or friend. Thanks, Dad."

Edward squeezed my hand. I stood up slowly and started walking toward the front. I noticed that Emmett hadn't left the stage, but was hovering behind the pulpit. I shot him a grateful look, and turned to stand in front of the entire church.

"Hello everyone. My name is Bella Black, the youngest. First of all, I want to thank all of you for coming today. I know that Dad would have appreciated it.

"Charlie Swan was my hero. He was my protector, my confidant, and the one person – other than my brother of course – who knew me better than anyone. There were so many times that I asked him if he was psychic or something. If he had been, that really would have made sense. He could look at me and know immediately what I was thinking, had done or wanted to do."

I smiled a little, remembering the conversation he and I'd had about me being pregnant. That helped me push through. "It's because of him and Emmett that I am who I am today. My father used to tell me to 'remember who I am' when he was giving me advice. Thanks to him, I know who I am and how to handle life. He was my sounding board on more than one occasion, and he was always giving me the little pushes that I needed in life."

I bit my lip and looked down at my notes. I felt Emmett slide up next to me as the fog started lifting. "He wasn't just my father," I said, feeling the tears pooling in my eyes, "he was my best friend. He had devotion to his family and friends. Overall, he was a good man with a big heart. I can't tell you how much I will miss him. I love you, Daddy."

Emmett helped me back to my seat, before taking his. I nodded at him, unable to smile, silently thanking him for helping me. As soon as I sat down, Elizabeth snuggled closer to me and Edward put his arm around me again. They would both have to be my safety net now. Without my father, I was just going to be drifting out to sea…hopefully Edward and Elizabeth could help keep me from floating away.

I felt my hold over the fog fading, and it started to disperse. As I sat in the church, finally allowing the pain to consume me, I knew that I would never be the same.

A/N: Sorry it's a short chapter. Honestly, I just couldn't put it all in one. It felt like too much. Next chapter coming soon.

Thanks for reading.