A/N: This chapter is not pre-read since I posted 3 chaps in one day. I thought I'd give them a break since they are so wonderful for keeping up with me every day! So forgive any mistakes, please!

~Normal people have no idea how beautiful the darkness is~

It's a Wednesday night and I'm having dinner with Charlie. It's quiet tonight, and there's awkward tension lingering in the air. I can tell he wants to get something off his chest, but every time he opens his mouth to speak, he changes his mind, and nothing comes out. He's swirling the spaghetti I made around in his plate.

He's making me nervous. I'm so close to yelling at him to just spit it out. I haven't talked to Charlie about Edward since the first time he met him, and he doesn't know about our break-up and make-up. He was barely home the past couple of weeks and I tried my best to hide it from him.

We never spoke about Edward anyway; that topic was off-limits. He wasn't happy with my decision, but he knew he couldn't change my mind and wanted to avoid an argument—I guess. That's why I didn't tell him about the break-up. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction and the 'I told you so' smirk. We're back together now anyway, so thank God I didn't tell him.

"Dad, spit it out. What do you want to say?" I drop my fork to the plate and ask impatiently.

"What are you talking about?" He stares down at his food, playing dumb.

"I can tell by the way your mustache is twitching that you want to say something," I responded bluntly.

"Bella, I-I don't know what y—" he tries to deny it at first. "Ok fine, I spoke with Jake," he sighs.

Fuck. That's the thing that sucks about your best friend being close with your dad; that they talk about you behind your back. It's weird though, because every time I got involved in crazy shit, Jake would never tell Charlie. I guess he must be really pissed about what happened with Edward.

Shit. Charlie already doesn't want me with Edward. Now he's going to have even more of a reason to hate him.

"Look, Dad…" I try to explain before he can start bitching.

He cuts me off before I get a chance. "Bella, you know how I feel about that boy Edwin, and I don't condone any violence..."

"Ugh, it's Edward! And you don't understand…" I slap my palms against the table.

Neither of us let the other one finish their sentence. "Bella, calm down and let me finish," he uses his stern, fatherly voice. I listen to him and keep my mouth shut. "Jake told me the whole story, alright? I'm not going to add my input because you already know what I'm going to say. I'm definitely not happy with what happened, but maybe you should hear Jake out. He's a lot more of a forgiving guy than most people deserve," he finishes, scratching his mustache.

That catches me off guard. I was expecting a lecture. I keep my cool and ignore the smart remark implying that I don't deserve Jake's forgiveness. Which one of us is his child here?

"Why, what did he say?" I lean forward, resting my elbows on the table.

He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms; the food on his plate is forgotten about. "That there are no hard feelings towards you and Edward. He was pissed off at first but realized how the whole situation seemed and didn't blame Edward for overreacting." Charlie lifts his chin as his eyes narrow. "In my opinion, Edward should have used his mouth to solve the problem, rather than fixing it with his fists; but you know Jake, he doesn't mind a good fight every once in a while. Jake just wants you in his life, in any way he can get, and if Edward is willing to move past this and not attack him again, he'll forgive him."

I'm in shock. I obviously still want the guys at the Res in my life—we've been through so much, but I was starting to believe that it wouldn't be an option. I thought I had to choose between them or Edward. "And why couldn't he tell me himself?" I challenged.

"Bella, that boy is always the one running after you since you were kids. Don't you think you should be the one apologizing to him?" He hinted with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, your boyfriend did attack him. Jake's accepted that you'll never be together, and he's fine with that, but that doesn't mean you have to lose him as a friend. He was the first friend you made when you came here."

"Not like I had a choice," I roll my eyes. I didn't really, when Jake showed up at our doorstep with his dad Billy—Charlie's best friend, the first day I arrived. But Jake was a good friend, and I'll always be grateful for him. "Anyways, last time I checked, I was your kid, not Jake. Shouldn't you be on my side?" I tease, not completely serious—just a bit.

"Yes Bella, but I know how stubborn you can be. You take that quality from me, and if I don't put you in your place, who will? You have everyone wrapped around your little finger," Charlie taunts.

I can't help but chuckle at his statement. I guess Charlie can have a sense of humor—sometimes.

Although the mood is lighter than when we first started this discussion, I'm a bit suspicious of how Charlie isn't freaking out considering how much he loathes Edward. "Wait—why are you so cool with this all of a sudden, especially if you know what Edward did?" I bite my lip, nervous to hear his answer.

He wipes his mouth with a napkin and exhales before setting it down. "Look Bella, you're eighteen years old. I'm not here to control you and tell you what you can and cannot do; not like you would listen anyway," he began with a playful grin. "I've just always wanted you to be safe and shockingly, I trust your judgment. As much as I don't like the reason for it, I've never seen you this happy and carefree before. I'll tell you though, if that boy ever breaks your heart or lays a pinkie on you, I will hunt him down with my shotgun." His lips press tight together as he frowns.

I grin, pushing my hair away from my face. "Thank you. That really means a lot to me, Dad. Well, the first thing you said; the last part you don't have to worry about. Edward won't hurt me. We really do love each other." I hope he can see in my expression and hear in my voice how much I mean those words.

It was nice having a heart to heart with Charlie. He's a lot more understanding than I give him credit for. I guess I'm always afraid of him letting me down, considering what happened with my mom, but he's nothing like her. He actually cares and loves me.

"Dad, are you seeing someone?" I pry. Between him barely being home anymore and the happier he seems, he has to be dating someone.

His mouth twitches into a half-grin and his eyes crinkle. "Now, what would make you think that?"

"Wow, she must be really special if she makes you smile like that!" I snickered.

He responds with a smile that makes his face glow. Charlie has always struggled with keeping long-term relationships since I was a kid. He tried dating, but it was never serious enough to bring someone home or to make him this cheerful. It means a lot to me to finally see him so happy. Although he's always denied that he needed someone in his life, I can tell the difference in him now that he's romantically involved with someone.

We all need somebody to love us, accept us for our flaws, and comfort us at our worst.

I guess I'm not the only one in this house that broke out of their shell of being afraid to find love. Charlie and I are way more similar than I care to admit.

Now that he's distracted with someone else in his life, hopefully he'll get off my back about Edward.

Speaking of Edward, all I had to do now was convince him to make up with Jake. Yeah, like that's gonna happen. Maybe if hell freezes over first.