Chapter Song: Who Are You, Really by Mikky Ekko


Bella and Charlie were just finishing eating their cheesy grits in the living room as they watched the Today Show, when she took his empty bowl and placed it down on the coffee table.

"More coffee?"

He shook his head, actually showing teeth as he smiled.

She stacked their bowls together, debating with herself on how to start. "Uncle Charlie..."

"What, sweetheart?"

"I'm almost done with finals and will be graduating in a week and a half—"

"Don't remind me." He grumbled, but he was still smiling with a question in his eyes.

Bella sighed. "And I'm worried about you."

"How come?" He was truly shocked and confused.

"Because you'll be alone."

She would still be around, but not leaving with him anymore since her and Edward were splitting rent on an apartment with Kate. Bella had offered to pay for it in full, but they'd both refused, encouraging her to invest her money. Which she did, with the help of a professional.

His whole face softened. "It's not something new for me, Bells."

Bella nodded. "I know, but you deserve to be happy."

"I am happy."

Bella shook her head. "That's not what I mean."

His thick eyebrows came together to form something that resembled a large fuzzy caterpillar. "What are you getting at then, kiddo?" The question was terse, not in aggravation, but in bafflement.

Bella rubbed her face. "I think you need someone in your life...someone to date."

"Date?" He repeated as if she'd told him he needed to stop fishing.

Bella nodded. "Yes, date. I think it will be good for you."

"Who in the world could I date?"

"Mrs. Dwyer."

"She's married."

Bella shook her head. "Not anymore."

"Since when."

"Since way before I came here."

"Really?"

Bella nodded, looking at him oddly. "You seriously had no idea?"

Charlie shook his head.

"And you still looked at her like she was a stack of flapjacks?"

Charlie looked insulted for only a moment, before hanging his head. "Never said I was prefect."

Bella touched his arm, patting it a little. "It's okay. You technically didn't do anything wrong."

He looked up at her, smirking as he rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the supportive words."

"Anytime. But for real, you should ask her out."

He looked nervous all of sudden. "I don't know."

"I do. Don't scare yourself out of a good opportunity. I can get her cell phone number from Kate for you—or better yet, we can set up a date for you two."

"God no!" He softened his voice when he saw her slightly hurt expression. "You're a doll, but I'll...pursue her in my own way, when and if I want to."

"Fair enough. But I still think you'd be crazy not to."

He hugged her. "You're ninety nine perfect angel, one perfect rascal, you know that?"

She kissed his cheek, before standing and grabbing their dirty dishes. "Thanks!"

Charlie shook his head slowly as he watch his beloved niece leave the room. She popped her head back in the room to say goodbye. He half waved. He waited until he heard her drive off to call Scotty and tell him to follow her at a safe distance. She knew that he always had people on her, but it made her less upset to see them.

He thought about Mrs. Dwyer—Renee as he shaved. There weren't a lot of women like her in this town. Everyone his age was so plastic and made up all the time while Renee was a little sloppy around the edges. Not in a bad way, though it did sound like an insult even in his own head. She was just...real. Hair a little frizzy and laugh lines etched on her face, but she was a pretty thing anyway. And her eyes. Damn, those things could make a ship crash into rocks without a care in the world.

He told Bella if he wanted to just to get her off his back, while truth be told, he'd been wanting to ask the woman out for some time now. He just never had the cojones to do so. Now, knowing she was free and single, his courage boosted somewhat. Not enough for him to be all gung-ho about it though.

It took him half the day to finally force himself to call her office on the pretense that he wanted to check up on Bella. Renee was a smart woman though and figured out that he wasn't just calling for that in only three minutes.

"What do you really want to ask me, Sheriff?" her soft, kind voice asked over the line.

"Call me Charlie."

He could almost hear her smile. "Charlie."

He closed his eyes from hearing his name come out her mouth. Shit, if he was this affected by her through the phone, he'd be a damn mess face to face. The line was silent. "Well...uh, this is gonna sound really out of the blue, but are you currently dating anyone?"

The line was so quiet he almost heard crickets. "No," she said slowly.

"Are you interested in dating right now?"

"That depends, Sheri—Charlie. Why do you ask?"

"Depending on what exactly? Just wondering." He pulled at his soaked shirt collar.

"On who's asking me out." She laughed a little, sounding like bells.

"Well I'm wondering about how you'd react to me asking you out specifically."

"I thought so."

"What would you say?"

"I'd say, this isn't the best conversation to have over the phone."

He cursed himself lower than dirt in his head. "I know. I'm an idiot."

"You're not an idiot. I'm thinking you're more nervous."

"Winner, winner, chicken dinner."

She laughed fully then. "I've always liked you, Charlie."

He sat up straighter as hope flourished inside. "Does that mean I have a chance?"

"If you come ask me in person, then yes, you do."

"Already on my way," he said as he peeled out of the driveway.

She laughed again before saying goodbye.

He said goodbye back as he stopped off only to get a single red rose.


He walked into the now empty school, knowing that Bella was with her girlfriends at the mall since she'd told him so through text only minutes ago. He found Renee's office pretty easily since he'd been there before.

He knocked on reflex as he tapped his foot vigorously, hearing his heart beat in his ears as he waited.

"Come in," came her voice.

He entered, peeking through the door to see her tousled hair fighting against a clip trying to restrain it as she bent over some paperwork.

She looked up at him with glasses perched on her nose almost slipping off. She sat up, pushing up her glasses. "Hello."

"Hey."

They just looked at each other for a moment, before Charlie stepped forward and handed her the rose.

She smiled as she took it to smell the petals, he was glad he'd allowed the woman to spray the thing. "It's beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you."

She blushed at his corny line.

He swallowed roughly, before sitting in one of the two chair in front of her desk. He felt like he was at a meeting. It was weird and funny at the same time, but mostly nerve raking.

She placed the rose down on her desk carefully, before pulling off her glasses that were probably just for reading. She wasn't his age, but was also only four or five years younger, making her thirty five-ish.

"Did you want to ask me something?" she prompted.

"Oh, yeah, right. I did."

She waited patiently. She was so flipping cute.

"Will you go out with me, Renee?"

She smiled, taking a moment to answer. He thought, Ah, shit, what if she says no? That would be awkward as hell. He'd never ask another woman out again if she rejected him.

"Of course I would, Charlie."

"Really?"

She laughed, nodding.

"That's great! When?"

She titled her head at him. "Have you not thought this out all the way?"

"Of course I have."

She didn't look like she believed him.

"Okay. I haven't." He scratched his head hard. "I'm no good at this."

"I think it's charming."

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

"Well, then, be ready to have the most awkwardly enchanting date ever."

"Can't wait," she smiled at him, before standing up and walking to him.

His butt was glued to the chair while all he could do was watch her get closer and closer.

She stopped inches away from him. "What made you interested in me?

"Honestly, Bella encouraged me."

"Really?" That was obviously not the best answer.

Charlie back pedaled quickly. "I've had a...crush on you for while too."

Her smile came back swiftly. "Why?"

His hand took hers as if it had a mind of its own. He didn't mind it though, not one bit. "Beside the fact that you're quite the looker, I appreciated how you treated Bella with kindness and still do."

She smiled down at him, bending to kiss his cheek. He closed his eyes as he felt nothing but her soft lips on his five o'clock shadow. She lingered there for a moment before pulling away. "She's a nice girl, it was and still is easy to be kind to her."

Charlie nodded, knowing how true that was. You'd have to have a hole in the head not to be able to be anything but friendly to Bella.

Without thinking, he pulled her on his lap. She didn't protest, but her eyes were wide and her little cupid's bow mouth was in a small O as her fingers dug into his shoulder blades.

He tucked a loose hair behind her ear, wondering what had caused him be to so bold as he calmed his arousal down with steady, long breaths.

"Would you like to start the date now?"

She licked her lips, eyes skittering around his face before she nodded.

He smiled, face hurting from how foreign the movement was before bringing her face slowly to his. He paused, just to prolong the moment. Finally, he brushed his lips against her, loving the little mewing sound she made as she scrabbled to get closer to him as they started making out like teenagers. He pulled her away at some point, chest heaving as he brought himself back inch by inch.

Her eyes were latched to his, looking at him as if she'd never expected anything like this to happen between them. That made two of them, but, damn, was he happy that it was.

"Are you hungry?"

"I can eat," she let out breathlessly.

He stood up with her still in his arms, depositing her to the ground with a quick kiss to her nose. She leaned into him. Her fresh scent drifted up his nose as he wrapped his arms around her. Holy crap, Bella deserved a medal for encouraging him to date Renee that morning.

They went eat at a intimate, privately owned Italian restaurant, both equally infatuated with the other.

He kissed her goodbye at the door of her house, before promising to call her in the morning.

They went on many dates that next week, finding themselves completely drawn in and happy.


Bella was glad to see Charlie and Renee hit it off so well. She'd worried that Kate be freaked out by it, but she seemed to like the pairing as well.

Bella was finishing her last final on the last day of her high school career. After double checking all her work, she brought her paper up and sat down. She needed to pee, but knew she wasn't suppose to be by herself for any amount of time. And if she was, she had to be armed. She wasn't allowed to have weapons in school, so the last wasn't an option.

She looked out the window, seeing one of Charlie's undercover officers drive by. She was safe with them almost always around. Charlie tried to make it less obvious, but it was a sweet, pointless effort.

She raised her hand, asking to be excuse when the teacher noticed.

He nodded.

She walked quickly to the bathroom that was all the way at the end of the hallway. She was done and washing her hands, when she looked up at the mirror and saw a large figure from her nightmares behind her. She opened her mouth to scream, but he'd already covered it with a rag.

All she saw was black.


Bella woke up in a dim, hot room, strapped to a chair with duct tape on her mouth.

There was a map on the wall with little red tacks clustered and scattered about it and a collage of pictures beside it. All of the pictures were of her. Her with Edward, Charlie, and all her friends. A chill covered her body. He'd been following and watching her for a long time and she hadn't had any sort of creepy feelings to warn her. The last thought was the scariest. How stupid she'd been. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

She swallowed a gasp as she heard the door open below and someone ascending.

She strained her neck to see behind her and regretted it because all she saw were a variety of tools crusted with old blood.

She turned away, crying softly as his foot steps thumped closer.

He stopped right behind her.

Tears ran down her face, blurring her vision as she felt his presence radiate around her.

He walked around her to face her, hunching down. "Don't scream," his deep voice warned, showing her the hunting knife in his hand. What little light was in the room, reflected off the intimidating ridged blade.

She nodded, really not thinking she could even if she wanted to.

He pulled off the tape with no sort of gentleness. She whimpered as she looked down at her lap.

"Look at me."

She slowly did what he said, seeing nothing but death and hate in his nearly black eyes.

Suddenly, he grabbed her and she cried out weakly. She calmed only enough to realize that he was hugging her and crying as well, shaking hard from the labor of it.

She sat there stiffly, not daring to more a muscle when all she wanted to do was rip her own skin off.

He pulled away, looking at her with a pleading expression. "I'm so, so sorry." Her head snapped back in shock. He was sorry? For what? Killing her parents and many other innocent people? He shook her a little."I'm sorry, Chelsea. Please forgive daddy."


A/N: WTF!? Hehe, I'm evil to leave y'all with that cliffhanger, I know.

I'm not giving anything away, but I promise to post the next chapter very soon.

Until next time,

Phee