A/N: Whelp! Here I am, with another new story! I think this whole "staying in" thing is offering some of us writers with a little more time for some writing!

Hello, readers! I am here with my first, actual, Twilight story. Now, this story manifested from me originally reading the series when it initially came out. Back then I was a teenager and loved the series!

Now, fast forward MANY years later, I still have a soft spot for the series, but now being an adult, there are some decisions made by characters in the series that I wouldn't fully agree upon, now that I have the so-called "wisdom".

Which, made me start to think: What if Bella and Edward met when they were adults and not teenagers? Would their decisions, actions, and outcomes be different? And THUS, this story was born!

Now, I want to put in this little reminder before I start: I know that some of the characters may seem OOC. It is NOT my intent to drastically change the characters. I want to try and keep things as close as I can. However, I do want to leave you with this: You are surely not the same person YOU were in high school and might make some different choices now then when you were younger.

With that, I hope you enjoy!

Nautical Twilight

Chapter 1: The New Normal

There's a saying: That everything can change in a blink of an eye. My life was starting to become the living embodiment of just that.

"Charlie, did you remember to take your blood pressure medication?"

I knew my question was going to touch, somewhat, nerve with Charlie. It had every morning, noon, and night since I had arrived.

"Oh, come on, Bells!" He dragged out the last sound of my name. Making ever so clear to me his annoyance. It was funny, with each passing day, he was becoming less of my father and more of a toddler. "I'm not a little kid, you don't need to be reminding me all the time to take my medication."

"Oh, yeah, so much "not a little kid", your daughter isn't currently meal prepping for you for the entire week?" I tease, fastening the tupperware lid on Charlie's "Tuesday" lunch before flashing him a little smirk at the kitchen table.

He wasn't amused.

"I already told you, Bella, you didn't need to prepare my lunch for the week.I'm perfectly capable of making my own meals. I've been doing it practically my entire life." Charlie attempted to defend, crossing his arms across his chest and slouching down in his chair. Were we on the verge of a tantrum? Only time would tell.

All I wanted to do was say "And that's exactly what got you into this mess", but, I didn't. Seemed like too much of a low blow. Especially at this point in time. So, I just decided to skate around it.

"I really don't mind, Charlie. I was simply teasing." I countered, placing the Tupperware lid for "Wednesday". Just two more days to go and I would be done. "You still didn't answer my question. Did you take your medicine for today?"

"Yes, Bell-UH." Charlie responded, mocking the way that he said my name. Had we graduated-or downgraded-to teenager?

"What about the Statin?"

"Yes."

"Carvedilol?"

"YES! I even took the baby aspirin as Dr. Carlisle recommended, are you happy?" Charlie huffed and puffed, his aggravation with me no longer even attempted in being hidden.

"Immensely." I smiled, right as I finished up "Thursday". Just one more left.

Truth be told, I was actually quite happy to hear that he had been able to take all the medication assigned without (much of) a reminder from me. It would make leaving him tomorrow-all day-a little bit easier. It was reassuring.

This was my life now. The new normal.

Who'd of thought that just a little bit over a month ago, I was living in Arizona, in a great condo and working as a writer for this pretty stellar online news media website (eat your heart out, Buzzfeed).

And now? Now, I'm living in Forks, Washington, with my father, in my bedroom that hasn't been touched since I stayed with him the summer I was 14; and only recently being hired at the town's local library, where you will be making just a little bit above minimum wage. It was becoming quite the adjustment. One minute you're living the highlight of indepence and then, just like that, you are back in your childhood home looking after your man-child of a father.

It truly was for the best, though. Especially for Charlie. That call still haunts me and sends chills radiating up my spine. It was March 18th; a Saturday. I got a call from the hospital telling me that Charlie had a heart attack. It had been a combination of high blood pressure-from not eating well-and stress brought on from work. Apparently, he was eating breakfast at the Lodge-alone-when he had the heart attack. Just dropped to the ground. The owner was the one that called an ambulance. Luckily someone had been around. I have found myself on more than one occasion playing the "what if Charlie had been alone" game and that always ends with me feeling like I've taken a swift kick to the gut.

My dad and I have never been close. Even growing up. I was a lot closer to my mom. Probably why I ended up living with her following their divorce. Charlie and I tried...we just didn't have much in common. It didn't get any better once I entered adulthood. We typically communicated through text and the occasional phone calls-usually during birthdays and holidays.

Still, the idea of realizing your own parent's mortality, on top of knowing that he was out here living alone, and would continue being out here alone, the choice became increasingly easy. He needed me. Even if he would deny it.

I gave my two weeks at my job, put my-beautiful-condo up for sale, sold it, packed up my things and now I've been living in Forks for three weeks.

It took both Charlie and I some time to get used to living with one another. We were two people that had lived independently for a while. But, we were starting to get our own routine going.

As I finished up the last of Charlie's meal prep for the week, and explained what containers paired with which, the two of us said our "good nights" and ventured off to our separate corridors.

Even after three whole weeks, walking into my bedroom was like stepping into a time capsule; a Bella Swan time capsule. Everything in here screamed my pre-teen self. Right down to the Lost Boys poster that hung over my bed. I had quite the crush on Jason Patric.

Maybe one of these days, I will give my room the Extreme Makeover: Adult Bella Edition that it rightfully deserves.

However, at the moment, I have greater things weighing on my mind.

Like, tomorrow, for instance.

Tomorrow would be day one for me at Forks Public Library. You are looking at their new page. Sure, it wasn't in the field that I went to college for and have seven years of experience in. Nor, would it be paying anything near to what I was making before. The bright side, however, was I was able to nab this job purely on Charlie's good word and the hours would be flexible for me to take Charlie to his doctor appointments and anything else he might need.

That was the true upside: Being able to be there for my father.

I laid out my wardrobe for the morning, took care of my nightly regimen, and crawled right into bed. Tomorrow was the start of a brand new chapter in the Isabella Swan tale. I needed my eight hours. Or, at this point: six and half. Crap.

Yes. In the blink of an eye, your whole world can be flipped upside down.

TBC...