Part 1

"Don't worry Mom, I'll be fine," Charlie said, leaning against her suitcase.

Her mom's hands fluttered around, trying to find something to do, before they settled on Charlie's shoulders. "Be careful, alright? And don't overwork yourself, you know what the doctor said-"

"I know," Charlie stressed, interrupting with a smile. "I was there when they told us everything. And now I've really got to go, I don't want to miss my flight."

"Yes, of course," her mom said, pulling her into the tenth hug of that morning.

Charlie hugged her back tightly before pulling back and grabbing the handle of her suitcase. "Give Bella another hug from me when you get home, will you?"

"I will," her mom answered. Charlie could see the tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Just, call me when you arrive."

Charlie nodded in agreement and hugged her mom one last time, savoring the feeling. Then, she finally started moving towards the check-in line, joining the queue of travelers. With one last wave back, she pulled her phone from her pocket to find something that could entertain her as she waited for her turn.

She grinned when she saw the goodbye-message Bella had sent and quickly typed an update on their mom's state of distress. Good luck to her sister for handling that when she got back from school.

The lady behind the desk was very friendly and helped Charlie to lift her suitcase up onto the conveyer belt when she saw she was struggling.

"Seattle, huh," the woman asked, checking Charlie's passport before moving on to the computer.

"Yep," Charlie answered, one hand coming up to comb through her hair. "Moving back in with my dad, he lives in the area."

"Well, have a lovely journey," the woman said with a smile, handing Charlie her ticket and passport.

"Thank you!"

Her backpack was small enough to fit in the space underneath the chair, and she pushed it down. Shrugging out of her bomber jacket, she looked out the window and sat back in her chair. She connected her headphones to her phone and pushed shuffle on one of her many playlists. When the familiar tunes started playing, she closed her eyes with a sigh.

-x-

"Dad!" Charlie called out, grinning widely as she spotted a familiar man near the arrival bay.

His head whipped up from his surveillance of the hall and soon a smile broke out on his face too. Charlie all but ran towards him, jumping into his arms and hugging him tight.

"I missed you," her muffled voice sounded from where she had pressed her face against his chest.

"It has been a while," her dad acknowledged, patting her back and letting her go. He looked her over, his eyes landing on her hair.

Charlie saw where his gaze had landed and brought her hand up to push her hair back into place. "Do you like it?"

"It's very short," he said. "And very brown."

"So?"

He cocked his head and nodded. "It suits you."

Charlie felt relief at the acceptance she did not even know she wanted. "Thanks. I was looking for a change, I guess."

Her dad hummed in response, his eyes showing understanding.

They caught up a bit on the more recent events while they made their way over to the baggage claim to get her suitcase. By the time they found themselves outside and Charlie could physically feel the difference in climate, they had moved on to the more fun subjects, like football and the fact that her dad was letting Jacob Black drive around in his dad's truck without a license.

"You know you could get in serious trouble for that?" Charlie asked, amused.

Her dad shrugged. "I think the people have other things to worry about."

Charlie shook her head and laughed, pulling the hood of her hoodie up when she felt the first raindrops hitting her face. "Where did you park?"

"Uhm," her dad said, looking at her uncomfortably. "I was a bit early and thought it would be nice to go for a little walk before I picked you up. The cruiser is… a few blocks that way?"

"Dad!"

-x-

A shiver wracked through Charlie's frame when she stepped out of the car, the cold wind hitting her. Her clothes were still very much damp thanks to her dad's awful timing and lack of umbrellas, and now that she was no longer sitting in the cruiser with the heat cranked up to dangerously high levels, she could really feel the difference between Phoenix and Forks.

Her dad got her suitcase out of the trunk, carrying it up the porch. He fumbled for his keys, finding them in his pocket. The door swung open and Charlie stepped inside, taking in the unchanged hallway as her dad turned on the light and moved past her to bring her suitcase upstairs. When he came back down, Charlie had already taken off her coat and stood in the living room, where she was trying to turn on the fireplace.

"Here, let me help," her dad said, moving her hands aside to push the right buttons. The fire finally ignited and Charlie sat down on the floor right in front of it, closing her eyes as she felt the heat seeping into her cold bones.

Her dad sat down on the couch behind her. "I was thinking we could order pizza?"

Charlie hummed. "Good idea. Have you actually learned how to cook since last summer, or is that still a no-go?"

Her dad looked so extremely guilty that she did not even need him to answer that question out loud.

"Well, I guess we'll be taking cooking classes together in the weekend, then."

"As long as we can go fishing on the day we're home," her dad suggested. "Or watch football."

"Really?" Charlie raised a brow. "It's 2019, Dad, there's no need to feel like you should 'reinstate your manliness' or whatever. Besides, I'm pretty sure your future girlfriend would love it if you cooked her a romantic meal. I plan to seduce my future wife with the mad cooking skills those classes will help me build."

Her dad gasped. "You're gay?"

"Ha, ha," Charlie said, shooting him a playful glare. "Really funny. If you didn't know that up until now, I don't know what you've been doing the past ten years."

Her dad could not help but grin at himself. "Come on, that was funny."

"It wasn't," Charlie argued, sticking her tongue out at him. "Now shoo, go and order us some pizza. Vegetarian for me!"

-x-

"So," her dad said, grabbing himself another slice of pizza. "When are you starting physical therapy again?"

Charlie's eyes stayed glued to the television screen, following the movements of the players. "I have my first appointment next week, on a Thursday, I think? I'll have to get out of school early."

"I'll make sure to pick you up, then. Mark told me he didn't mind taking over some of my shifts."

"That's really nice of him," Charlie said, finally looking at him. "I'll be starting school on Monday, right?"

"Yeah," her dad nodded. "That should give you enough time to settle in a bit. I'll drop you off at school in the morning, but I think you'll have to fix yourself a ride back home."

"Oh, I don't mind walking," Charlie said. "It's only like, what? 15 minutes from the school back to here?"

"Are you sure you should be walking longer distances like that with your knee?" her dad asked, a look of concern on his face.

Charlie sighed. "They said I should try and exercise more, as long as I don't strain myself. Besides, it's not actually that far."

"Alright," her dad said. "Whatever you say."

It was silent for a moment before he spoke up again. "How did Bella cope with you wanting to move back here?"

"She wanted to come too," Charlie said, earning herself a surprised look from her dad. "I convinced her to stay, though. Just because I want a change, it does not mean she had to uproot her life too and leave her friends behind. I asked Joseph to keep an eye on her."

"Joseph?" he asked. "As in your dance partner?"

"My ex-dance partner, yes," Charlie corrected. "He's a great guy. I'm actually pretty sure he has a crush on her."

Her dad's bewildered face made her burst out laughing.

"I'm not even kidding! He's a nice dude, and would be a wonderful boyfriend for Bella. I might have, I don't know, hinted that to her too…"

"Charlie!" her dad exclaimed. "Did you set them up?"

"…maybe?"

Her dad groaned. "What else should I have expected?"

-x-

Her phone's familiar ringtone shook Charlie out of the nostalgic haze she had found herself in when she had stepped into the room she and Bella used to share when they were young. Frowning, she took her phone out of her back pocket, her eyes widening as she glanced at the screen.

"Fuck!"

She quickly swiped to accept the call and held it up to her ear. "Hi Mom?"

"Char! Honey, I'm so sorry, I forgot my phone at the restaurant in the airport, I only just got it back!"

Charlie let out a quiet breath of relief, before feigning ignorance. "It's alright, I arrived safely at dad's. I was just looking around my room and planning to unpack my things. How are you and Bella?"

"We're okay! We miss you though, baby. You have got to visit us once Christmas rolls around, alright?"

"Sure," Charlie said, smiling.

"Now, you go and take the time to unpack your bags. It was good to hear your voice, I love you!"

"I love you too," Charlie answered, sitting down on the neatly made bed.

She ended the call once they had both said their goodbyes, throwing the phone next to her. She had just very closely escaped her mother's wrath for forgetting to call her once she had landed.

-x-

"Good luck!" her dad said before Charlie slammed the door of the car shut, turning around to face the school building. Or buildings, in plural, because apparently they had decided that it was a good idea in rainy Forks to make students walk outside in between their classes.

She waved her dad goodbye, watching as he drove away, leaving her standing at the side of the road. Now, on to the information desk. It was still very quiet in the parking lot, only a few cars were parked near the entrance, most of which she expected were the teacher's. She was happy that her dad had suggested they go in a bit earlier today: now she would have enough time to get her schedule and find out where she would have to go first, without having too many kids stare at her.

Charlie gripped the strap of the backpack she had slung over her shoulder and made her way over to what seemed to be the main building. She cringed when she accidentally stepped in a puddle, the water seeping into the fabric of her shoes. Quickly she jumped up on the sidewalk, moving on.

A blast of warmth hit her as soon as she pulled – after she had tried to push, no matter what the sign said – the door open. Behind the desk near the back of the room sat an older woman, who was dressed as if it was 80 degrees outside instead of 50. She looked up and broke out into a smile that was just a tad too big for Charlie's liking.

"You must be Charlotte Swan!"

"Yep," Charlie answered awkwardly. "That's me."

"I'm Mrs Cope, it's so lovely to finally meet you! I have your schedule somewhere in here," Mrs Cope muttered, shuffling through the enormous pile of papers stacked on the desk. She retrieved a single sheet and grabbed what looked to be a map of the school out of an even more disorganized drawer.

Had this woman ever heard of Marie Kondo?

"We received all your information from your previous school," she continued, laying out the papers in front of Charlie. "This will be your schedule, please take a look to see if there's any mistakes, and here" – she unfolded the map – "is a floorplan of all the buildings."

Charlie leaned forward to look at what Mrs Cope was showing her and then continued to hum at all the different routes that were drawn out on the map with a red pen. Finally, she got the code for her locker, and after a "Good luck!" she was on her way to her first class.

-x-

With a sigh Charlie took a seat in the back of the classroom. Luckily the Spanish teacher seemed to be alright, and she had not asked her to introduce herself, instead telling her to go and sit down somewhere. There was nothing more awkward than presenting yourself to an entire classroom.

She was scrolling through her Instagram feed and messaging back and forth a bit with Bella when someone sat down in the seat next to her.

"Hi."

Charlie looked up to see a blond-haired girl. "Hello."

"Are you Charlotte Swan?" the girl asked her curiously.

"Uhm, yeah," Charlie answered, shifting in her seat.

The girl's face lit up. "It's so nice to finally meet you! You have been the talk of the town ever since the Chief said you were moving in with him. I'm Meghan, by the way."

"It's nice to meet you too," Charlie responded, as she was reminded of the fact that, yes, everyone did know everything about everyone in Forks.

A guy sat down at the table in front of her, and Meghan's eyes flickered over to him, but her focus soon returned to Charlie. "So, where did you move here from? Somewhere in the South?"

"Moved here from Phoenix, Arizona," Charlie shrugged. "It's a lot warmer over there. And much less rainy, too."

"But you're so pale!"

No shit, Sherlock. "Yeah, I know. It's the one trait me and my sister both inherited from my mom. Well, that and her occasional clumsiness."

Meghan nodded and looked like she was about to continue her interrogation, but the teacher closed the door behind the last student and started the lesson.

-x-

It turned out that Meghan was in most of her classes, and after having the awkward conversation where Charlie told her to actually call her 'Charlie' instead of 'Charlotte'("but isn't that your dad's name?") she was introduced to Cassandra ("call me Cass!"), Anna and about five others whose names she had not been able to memorize yet. They all jumped at the chance to meet 'the new girl', as Charlie has so creatively been dubbed, and she was invited to sit with them at lunch.

Which is how she ended up going to the cafeteria together with Anna, who she shared her biology class with. She chuckled at the funny story Anna was telling her, pushing the door open and walking in, weaving through the collection of tables and chairs. Then, for some reason, Charlie's gaze was pulled right to a table near the window. Or more specifically, to the people occupying the table. Her eyes scanned the group, as she continued to hum at the things Anna was saying, but once her gaze reached the last member, her steps halted. Too distracted to notice the backpack laying on the ground, her feet got caught in the strap and before she could realize what was happening, she was falling forward, her head slamming into the corner of a table and she ended up on the ground.

Ew. Who knows what else lay down here.

"Charlie!" Anna, who had unsuccessfully tried to catch her, said. She knelt down besides Charlie, who was now groaning.

Charlie brought her hand up to her head, blinking and pulling away when it came away wet. She held her fingers in front of her eyes and even with her blurry vision she could easily see the red that now stained her skin.

"Fuck!"

People were starting to crowd around her now, but luckily Meghan had had the sense to find a teacher. Mrs Waters came hurried over, elbowing her way through the overly curious clique. Charlie, meanwhile, was trying to sit herself upright, but her head was so woozy that she could not find her balance and she ended up laying back down.

"Charlotte, are you alright?" Mrs Waters asked, kneeling down beside her as well.

"'m fine," Charlie mumbled, trying to sit up. "Jus' a bit of blood, is all."

Mrs Waters' hand came up to her head, eyes widening as she took in the gash on Charlie's right temple. "Meghan, would you go up to the counter and ask for a clean cloth?" She turned back to Charlie. "Here, let me help you."

With Mrs Waters' help, Charlie managed to sit upright, although she had to hang forward as a wave of nausea washed over her. Meghan returned, and a towel was pressed onto the wound, which was still bleeding, the blood dripping down the side of her face.

"Do we need to call an ambulance?" Anna asked.

"Nawh, I'm fine," Charlie slurred, tilting her head up to look at her new friend. She blinked against the bright lights, her eyes somehow more sensitive, and watched as a look of horror came over Anna's face. She did not actually look that awful, did she? "Told you I was clumsy."

"I called the Chief," came a new voice, which Charlie recognized as Mrs Cope's. "He is on his way here."

She had not even realized Mrs Cope was nearby. Was the entire cafeteria now filled with people? Her eyes flickered around for a moment and she was quickly able to conclude that yes, that was in fact the case.

What a great way to make first impressions.

-x-

"Let me through," her dad's gruff voice pierced through the murmuring of the crowd. Charlie tilted her head upwards, being careful to keep the towel pressed against the gash.

"Eyo, dad!" Charlie slurred. "Watcha doing here?"

Her dad's eyes fell upon her and widened a bit before he schooled his features. "Charlie, you've got to start being a bit more careful, kiddo. I'm taking you into the ER, that's for sure. Can you stand up?"

"Yeah," Charlie said, bending her knees and pushing herself up with her hand. Or, she tried to do that, but her legs did not want to cooperate and she fell back down. Luckily her dad had grabbed her arm, and she was gently lowered to the ground. His hand tightened when she tried to make another attempt to stand up.

"Stay seated, Char, this isn't going to work."

Charlie looked up at her dad, who was glancing around the crowd of kids gathered around the crime scene. "You" – he pointed at a bulky figure in the back – "Doctor Cullen's kid, right?" When the boy nodded, he continued, "Good, good. Care to help me out? I need to drive the cruiser closer to the entrance, could you carry Charlie outside for me?"

"Sure," the boy shrugged, stepping forward.

"And everyone else," her dad said. "Out. This is not a spectacle."

The crowd slowly thinned out, until only a few people were left. Her dad turned back to her and said, "I'm going to get the cruiser closer to here, alright? Doctor Cullen's kid will help you out."

"A'right," Charlie said, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Hey, I'm Emmett," the boy said as he knelt down.

"I'm Charlie! It's nice to meet you," she slurred, sticking a hand out in what she hoped was the right direction. Then she realized it was covered in blood and she awkwardly pulled it back.

Emmett laughed, but quieted when he saw Charlie's wince at the loud sound. "Well, let's get you off this floor."

Charlie was still thinking about how to say she would be fine if he just gave her a moment to figure out how to make her legs walk, when Emmett picked her up bridal style as if she did not weigh a single thing. Charlie's head rolled around until her cheek rested against his shirt, and although in the back of her mind a voice spoke concern for getting blood everywhere, it did not really get through to her.

"Ooh, you're nice and cold," Charlie said, burrowing her cheek further into the cold. She could practically feel it radiating from him, was that not funny?

She could feel Emmett's chest shaking with silent laughter. "We're skipping a few bases here, don't you think?"

Charlie hummed. "Well, I'm sorry to tell you," – she absentmindedly poked a bloody finger at his chest – "good sir, that I don't swing that way. I prefer me a good lady."

Emmett continued to shake, even when she felt the cool air hit her, and Charlie wondered why he thought what she said was so funny.

"Could you help her in?" her dad's voice sounded.

Charlie whined a bit when her cheek left the cold pillow and she was sat upright in the backseat of her dad's cruiser, but opened her eyes when she remembered her manners.

"Thank you," she said, waving to Emmett with her free hand, the other still pressing against the gash.

"You are welcome."

-x-

"Well, what have we got here?"

Charlie looked up from where she was inspecting her bloody hands. In front of the bed in the white examination room stood a handsome man, a doctor, she oh-so-intelligently deduced from his white coat and stethoscope.

"Hi," Charlie said, waving at him. "I'm Charlie."

"I know," the doctor said with a barely concealed smile. "Your father has been raving about your move to Forks for the past few weeks."

Charlie spared a glance at her dad, who was definitely blushing now. Huh, Bella did that too.

"I am Dr Cullen," the doctor said. "Can you tell me what happened today?"

Charlie furrowed her brows as she tried to remember what had happened in the events leading up to this bloody mess. They were going to have lunch, she and Anna were making their way over to the queue, and-

"Oh my god, Dad," Charlie said in realization. "I was looking around and I saw this gorgeous girl and then I tripped over a backpack."

"You tripped," her dad said slowly. "Because of a girl? You actually injured yourself – you hit your head – because you were distracted by a girl?"

Charlie nodded with wide eyes.

Her dad groaned. "Why do I not find this surprising at all?"

"Hey," Charlie said, pointing her bloody finger at him. "I take offense to that!"

"It sounds like you had quite the first day," Dr Cullen said, effectively breaking off whatever good-natured argument was about to occur.

"Yup," Charlie agreed, nodding, but soon stopping herself when it worsened the throbbing in her head. "Oh! I also split my head open, it's a bit…" she trailed off, looking at the blood that had ended up on most of her clothing and her arms.

"I gathered," Dr Cullen said, placing his clipboard on a chair. "Would you mind if I took a look at that gash of yours?"

-x-

"You're back!"

Charlie nodded as Meghan crashed down into the seat next to hers. "Yep."

"My mom said you would, she talked to the Chief when he came to the store for some fishing gear last Saturday, but I wasn't sure. None of us had your phone number, so we couldn't send you a message either! Here, if you give me your number I'll add you to our group chat."

Charlie recited the numbers from memory, looking as Meghan typed them in, creating her contact in her phone. A minute later she got the notification that she had been added to the chat, and she made sure to enter everyone's names.

"Thanks," she said, shutting off her phone and putting it away.

"No problem!"

When she walked to lunch that day, she was very careful to look where she put her feet. She safely arrived at their table, an amused-looking Anna at her side.

"Hey guys," Charlie said, sitting down in an empty chair. She slid her backpack of her shoulder and put it on the ground, taking out the lunch she had brought from home.

The others greeted her warmly, and she was easily pulled into the conversation with everyone. Still, her eyes kept on straying back to the table of people that had distracted her on her first day. When her gaze landed on the gorgeous blonde, who was sitting in the exact same spot as last time, she was sure her heart skipped a beat.

"Ah, you've spotted the Cullens," Cass whispered dramatically.

Charlie swiveled around. "What?"

"The Cullens," Anna said, leaning forward. "The mysterious adopted family of Dr Cullen."

"Ah, Dr Cullen," Charlie said, turning back around to look at the family. "He's a good man, stitched me right up."

"Yeah, he's the best doctor in town," Meghan butted in. "But his kids usually keep to themselves. The tall blond and the black-haired girl are a couple. They're together."

Charlie frowned, a knot forming in her stomach. "Which blonde?"

Meghan looked at her weirdly. "The one to Alice's – the girl's – right, his name is Jasper."

"Oh," Charlie nodded, relaxing. "Good."

Anna raised a brow at that comment, but Meghan had jumped into her role and decided to continue the introduction. "The one with the crazy hair is Edward, he's a sophomore, like Alice. Then you've got Emmett-"

"Yeah, we've met," Charlie said. Emmett looked up right at that moment and a grin split across his face. Their eyes met, and he waved, laughing when Charlie saluted him.

"-he and Jasper are in our year, together with Rosalie, the blonde. She is a bitch to anyone that tries to speak with her," Meghan finished. "Especially to boys, people say she might be gay."

Charlie inhaled sharply, an angry fire started to burn in her stomach. "Seriously? Are all people that low here?"

Meghan seemed taken aback. "Well, it's what everyone says."

Luckily Anna saved them from an awkward and tense silence as she changed the subject. "Are you joining us at the park today?"

"The park?" Charlie asked, returning her focus to the conversation at their own table.

"Yeah, you should totally come!" Cass said, excitedly bouncing in her chair.

"We meet up at a field a bit into the forest," Anna explained. "It's a lot of fun, there's usually food and drinks, and we play some games, talk a bit, things like that."

"Well, it sounds like a lot of fun, but I can't come today," Charlie remembered with a frown. "I've got PT in Port Angeles today."

"PT?" Meghan asked.

"I tore my ACL a while back, during a dance performance," Charlie said, before clarifying, "it's a ligament in your knee, I had to get surgery."

"Ouch," Cass said empathically, at the same time that Meghan asked, "You're a dancer?"

"Yep," Charlie answered. "I did competitive dancing with a friend of mine. I had to slow down after surgery though, so that sucked. It's one of the reasons that I decided to move back in with my dad."

"Well, good luck at PT," Meghan said. "Maybe you can join us at the park the next time we go?"

Charlie grinned. "For sure!"

A/N: This story consists of 6.5 parts which I'm planning to upload over the coming weeks! This social distancing has sped up my editing considerably ;) Small disclaimer: I completed this story before the start of all the corona madness, and as such you'll see that, whilst it is set in 2019-2020, there is no mention of it at all. Oh well, if this story's universe can have vampires and shapeshifters, it shouldn't be too hard for you to imagine it not having corona ;) I hope you leave me a review to let me know what you think!

Lots of love,

Laura