Hey guys!

New Year, New Chapter!

This one's all about Charlie and the Forks gang.

Hope you enjoy.

Charlie readjusted his duty belt for what felt like the hundredth time that day. He'd been wracked with nerves ever since he woke up. It was his first day back at work, or really just Monday. It was hard to believe that his whole world had been flipped on its head in just three days. The station had generously given him the day off on Friday for Bella's graduation. He spent most of Saturday morning in blissful ignorance and the rest of that night and Sunday learning everything his best friends had to teach him about the world of magic and monsters.

He sat in his office that day going over every unsolved case with an unusual lack of evidence or unique causes of death. He went back and forth with the idea of calling Renee, but he had no idea what he would say, or what could be said that wouldn't just ruin her day. He decided he didn't know enough and called Billy on his lunch break. Billy had told him of the planned meeting between the pack and the vampires that stayed. They knew more about Bella and could probably answer his questions.

The thought of meeting an actual vampire terrified him. He could remember his limited interactions with the Cullens; grumbling at Edward, exchanging pleasantries with Alice and Esme, discussing Bella's recovery from various injuries with Carlisle. He remembered them being pale and sharing the same unusual eye color. He thought they were a good looking bunch, but it never mattered to him so he didn't focus on it. Any other oddities, he'd dismissed as them being quite rich and insular in their small town. He knew that they were a rare form of vampires who didn't kill people, his mind couldn't conjure up an image of any of them with the red eyes he'd heard about. Regardless of his apprehension, this was his only way to find out about Bella.

He made the trek into the woods with Jake and Sam carrying Billy and his chair with ease. They were shirtless and barefoot, discussing patrol schedules softly. When they finally made it to the clearing, they set Billy down and waited for the others to arrive. Four giant wolves slowly emerged from the edges of the trees behind them. Charlie breathed through his nose to keep calm and focus. He stood to the side of Billy as Sam and Jacob stood at the edge of the treaty line.

Nothing happened for three minutes, and then the wolves stood rigidly at attention, some holding back growls. Charlie spun frantically in circles, trying to locate the threat, his hand hovered over his weapon. Billy caught his wrist and turned him in the right direction, the wolves had calmed down, though they were still ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

Jacob took a step forward and called out to the trees before him. "We just want to touch bases and make sure we're on the same page. A few of us also have some questions about Bella." There was no response from the dense trees and Charlie started to wonder if he just couldn't see them for some reason. "Jake," Billy called out to his son after seeing the confusion settle in on Charlie's face. Jacob spared them a glance before sighing and walking back towards them. "There are humans present, you're going to have to speak up and show yourself so we're all included in this conversation."

A soft breeze rustled the leaves at the top of the trees and caught Charlie's attention for one second. That was all that it took, as when he focused his eyes back to the forest floor, he could clearly make out a rather large silhouette standing in front of a tree. The young man was built like the rest of the boys on the res. His broad chest was covered by a faded orange military undershirt. His hands where tucked casually into the pockets of his blue jeans. He wore sneakers on his feet and a thin green jacket.

"We just wanted to make sure we stayed on our side of the line." His voice was relatively deep and carried a light accent that matched his Latin features and dark curly hair. He was still hidden in the shadows, so Charlie could not see his eyes. He looked rather normal, but so did the Cullens.

"We didn't want to scare them." This voice was softer and lighter, a female's voice, and it drew Charlie's attention directly above the young man. A small girl sat on a low hanging branch. She wore a simple white sundress and a large blue flannel shirt as a jacket. Her soft face and long brunette curls reminded him of Bella. She swung her sandal-clad feet playfully as she offered up a kind smile in his direction. "You don't have to worry, we've already eaten and know how to control ourselves around humans." Her eyes were also shaded.

Charlie took a step forward, offering them a small smile. "You don't have to worry about that. I know you're friendly." The young man and woman shared a quick glance at each other, playful smirks making their way on their closed lips. "I'm not afraid of you guys."

"Well, that's good to know." Charlie jump as the smooth voice pulled his attention to the other side of the clearing. This young man was leaned up against a tree. His black boots, grey jeans, and light grey sweater matched his casual stance. His head was down, seemingly focused on the coin he was flipping through his fingers. The breath caught in Charlie's throat at the sight of his hand sparkling in the sun. He cast a quick glance back to the other two, noticing that they were further back in the trees, completely hidden from the sun. This man, closer to the treaty line and standing unabashedly in a large patch of sunlight, was clearly the leader among the three.

Charlie forced his chin up and his shoulder back as he took steps in his direction, he was barely aware of the sound of the wolves shifting with him. "If it's alright with you, son, I'd like to ask you some questions about my daughter, Bella." The young man lifted his head and Charlie stopped in his tracks. The pale skin of his face glistened in the sunlight, just like his hands did. The deep blood-red eyes, however, stood out among his glittery features as a sure sign of danger and superiority. The black pupils of his eyes were laser-focused on Charlie, a small amount of amusement was swimming through the red pools. Charlie broke eye contact with him and assessed him again, this time focusing more on his build and features. He'd made his way back to his face and caught the swoop of his hair and the shape of his nose before the nagging voice in the back of his head finally broke through. "Riley Biers!"

In the blink of an eye, the man's entire demeanor had changed. He was stood up now, to his full height. There was tension in his shoulders and a fleeting look of surprise and worry washed over his face before he settled on suspicion. "What of it?" His voice was thick with authority and it sparked a quick snarl from one of the wolves. Charlie was lost in his head, putting all of the pieces together. "You've been missing for months. Your parents-your face has been plastered all over the news. They've been searching for you all through Seattle."

Riley stood as frozen as a statue, a blank mask over his face. "Well, I think it's safe to say they're never going to find me." His voice was void of emotion, but Charlie could see the turmoil just below the surface. He let out a sigh and nodded sympathetically. The clearing was filled with silence once again as Charlie let Riley work through everything. It was like a switch had been flipped when he came back to himself. A casual smile covered his face as his eyes met Charlie's again. "What was it you wanted to ask me about your daughter?"

Charlie's back straightened as he focused back on his main concern. "Where is she? They say you were working together with her to stop the woman that tried to hurt her. Why? Who is this man that she left with? Why did he take her away?"

He took a second and then responded. "Don't know. Yeah, that was me. Victoria was a manipulative bitch who didn't deserve to get what she wanted. His name is Fred. I don't know for sure, but I've got a few guesses." Charlie let all of his answers sink in before responding. "What do you mean you don't know?" Riley sighed and stepped forward. "I mean Freaky Fred came out of nowhere, crushed Vicki into a pulp and then took off with her. No one had the strength or lack of self-preservation to try to follow him after he knocked us all on our asses." Charlie furrowed his brow as he tried to quell his growing fear. "What do you mean?" Riley let out a snort. "If the name doesn't give it away, Freaky Fred's really good at making you want to stay the fuck away from him."

"Stop calling him that." The young woman reprimanded Riley, standing between the two of them in an instant. Riley threw his hands up in surrender and took a step back. Charlie turned to her and was taken aback by her features again. She was taller than Alice but smaller than Bella, and even with her red eyes, the similar hair and chin pulled at his heartstrings. He thought back to the number of missing people in Seattle over the past few months. Riley had been the face of the epidemic, most of the people were homeless, drug addicts or sex workers, making it harder to track their disappearances. He knew that She would have had her face plastered right next to Riley's if there was a family that was missing her. With a pang of sadness, he wondered which category she had been a part of before she got swept up in all of this.

"Don't worry, Fred is harmless." Charlie rose his eyebrows at this. "The Fred who 'crushed Vicki into a pulp' and 'knocked everyone on their asses' is harmless?" She sighed and shook her head. "He was just upset. He panicked with all those people around." "Well, how do I know he won't be upset and panic while he's got her all alone?" "Because she's safe now. The threat is gone, he can protect her."

Charlie ran a hand over his mustache and took another deep breath to gather his thoughts. In his heart, he knew she was okay. He knew that she wasn't lying somewhere drained of all of her blood, but he still wasn't convinced that she was completely safe. "Why?" He sighed, finally. "Why would he do that? Why does he care?"

The young girl took her time responding. He could see the concentration and apprehension in her eyes. He looked around and noticed a similar hesitation in everyone. He hung his head down. "Just say it." She spared him an apologetic glance. "I don't want to speak for him. We won't know for sure until they come back."

"It's not that hard to figure out." Riley scoffed from behind her. "She slit her wrists in the middle of a field full of vampires." "She did what!?" "She was trying to provoke Victoria, and it worked. The only reason the rest of us didn't pounce is that Fred was keeping us…distracted. When he finally got a whiff of her, he didn't rip her throat open and drain her. He picked her up and took her far away from all of the potential threats."

Charlie took another beat to comprehend that information. He was a smart enough man and an experienced enough officer to put all the clues together. He could see the answer right in front of him, but it still didn't make sense. "It really happened that fast? He just knew, in an instant, that he wanted to protect her instead of hurt her?"

The group of supernaturals exchanged a knowing look. "It's an instinct." Bree offered up softly. "When you meet them and smell them for the first time, you just know. You know in your bones that they're important, that they matter to you." She cast a quick glance behind her to find that the vampire in the green jacket had moved to stand by her side. They shared a glance and Charlie knew that she was speaking from experience.

"It's all in the eyes for us." Sam's voice drew everyone's attention. He had a fond expression with an easy smile. "The instant you lock eyes with your other half, your entire world changes. They become your gravity and you would do anything, be anything for them." There were a few nods of agreement among the wolves. Riley tilted his head and donned an intrigued smile.

Charlie didn't remember making his way out of the woods and back to his cruiser. He was trapped in his memories, trying to find a reason for all of this to be happening to him and his daughter. It seemed the moment she arrived, she was past the point of no return.

Not a month after her first day of school, she was in with Edward and the Cullens and spending all of her time with them. He thought back to the night she left, yelling at Edward and him in the same way her mother had. The next time he saw her she was broken and bruised. He remembered her and Edward not skipping a beat.

When the Cullens left and they found her in the woods, he was worried that she'd be heartbroken beyond repair. When she seemed to bounce back, he was relieved and proud to see her getting accepted to colleges and graduating top of her class. Not days later, the secret world of vampires had pulled her in again and there was another vampire claiming her as his own.

There was no way out of it. She was always going to be caught up in this world. Even if she didn't end up with a vampire, all her friends are werewolves. "Charlie?" The sound of Billy's voice pulled him out of his mind. He turned to see his friend sporting a concerned expression. He felt a tear escape his right eye as he came to terms with his reality.

"She's gone." His voice cracked and Billy came closer and took his hand. "Don't say that. She's coming back." " But when?" He asked raising his voice. "She's with that vampire and she'll become one while she's up there. She was going to become one anyway." Billy stayed silent knowing nothing he could say would help his friend. "When she graduated, that was the last time that I saw her. I've already seen her for the last time, she's already gone."

The two men stood on the side of his cruiser and cried for the loss of his daughter's youth, innocence, and human life.

And, there you have it!

Sorry for such a downer ending,

but Charlie and Bella will have a talk soon enough.

Next chapter we're back to the cabin

and things will get lemony once again!

Till next time!