Chapter 1-

Charlie POV-

"But I don't want to, daddy." my five-year-old pouted, her hands on her hips as she firmly declared her final decision, her tone unwavering with a logic that made sense only in kid language.

But who was to tell her that!

"Bells, baby," I let out a sigh, running a tired hand through my hair- I hadn't slept all night, courtesy the crying kid who let out a scream every time she heard the thunderous- always there- rain honor the roof of this house. I mean, I love the kid more than my very life, but a man does need his sleep, too. "Sue needs me, honey, you know that."

"She always needs you." my angel pouted stubbornly, giving me the sad eyes.

I shrugged in defeat, refusing to give in to those exceptionally sad- when they want to be- eyes of hers. "She is going through a tough time, sweetheart. She needs a friend. And Daddy needs to be there for her."

She frowned, pouting in defeat. "But daddy, you were going to take me to the park today. We were going to play on the swings. I want to go to the park. I like the swings." She stomped her feet in disagreement with my decision.

Ah!

The small world of a preschooler, where everything revolves around your happiness and sadness!

Real life unfortunately, was much more than that.

"Bella," I lifted my lighter than she looked daughter in my arms, kissing her on the forehead lightly, hurting for the fact that her small heart had been broken by me today, but knowing that I had no other choice but to do this.

She needed me, sadly much more than my daughter needed me today.

Sue Clearwater, nee Uley, had been my closest friend for more than twenty- five years now, and I was twenty-six, just for the record. We had been there for each other through thick and thin, our parents the closest friends one could find in this small a town. We had gone to school together, right from kindergarten up to High School, seeing and experiencing every awkward phase of the other's life- braces, acne, first kisses and all. She had been there for me when I started dating Renee at the young age of sixteen, and I had been there for her when she walked down the aisle two years later, Harry Clearwater waiting for her at the other end.

Our friendship had never changed- through dating, marriage, kids, my divorce….and now hers.

Harry Clearwater was the worst of the worst one could find; I regretted even thinking of him as a friend. He was a….

I had no words that I could use to describe him, honestly.

All I could say in his honor was that he was trying to throw his heavily pregnant ex-wife and six-year-old out of the only house they could call theirs, Sue's difficult pregnancy not even affording her the freedom to work and earn enough money to rent another house for the meanwhile. Heck, she could hardly even move in that house these days- from the bedroom to the kitchen, forget leaving those four walls and going anywhere.

She was having a tough time, had been facing it since she caught Harry cheating on her a few months ago, the man unapologetic as he admitted to doing so since before their daughter's birth, a laugh leaving his mouth as he admitted it.

Asshole.

He was a disgrace to this society; I don't even know how Sue managed to put up with him for all these years of their marriage.

I mean, Sue was like…amazing and extremely good looking.

How could he even think of doing that to her?

Anyhow, with the last month of the pregnancy falling upon her, Sue often called me up in tears, Harry always to blame for her anger and sadness. He had even tried to manipulate Leah into hating and blaming her mother- who could not pay enough attention to her these days, obviously, no fault of hers in that.

Just imagine!

Renee looked to be a saint in front of this man.

I was almost tempted to build her a shrine, praying in front of it each day.

And this morning had been one such- more frequent than I liked- morning. Sue was feeling horribly low- and she needed the company and support.

She had no other living family to call over, her mother having passed away back when she was a teenager and her father having left the world a few months after she got married at the young age of eighteen. She was an only child, and while she had relatives, they were the kind to observe from afar, worrying about you for only the sake of gossip or to seem like they cared.

It was a pity.

But she was my family- and till I was there in this world, there was no harm that could come to her.

I would make sure of that.

I was letting Harry go way too easily at the moment- I was aware of that, too, but he was still Leah's father- and I could not do that to that little girl who adored her father. But if he crossed another line, my gun and a severe warning would be going his way.

I wouldn't shoot him.

Nah.

I did have my own daughter to think of.

But scaring someone to death was not out of limits.

It was completely acceptable, especially when you are the newest recruit in the police force of this small town and spend three hours in the gym each day, having the body and biceps to prove so.

Harry, on the other hand, had a paunch, and he was just a year older than me, having never heard of the term eating healthy in his lifetime.

Sure, even I gorged on the occasional pizzas and burgers once in a while, but I made sure to exercise the amount of the next day in the gym- my father having advised me this on his deathbed. He had never kept healthy eating habits, a price that he paid when he suffered a heart attack in his forties, leaving my mother and I behind.

"Daddy," Bella's whisper pulled me out of my thoughts, her small arms wrapped around me tight.

"Yeah, princess," I forced a smile onto my face, glancing at the wall clock in the room. Sue would be expecting me any time now, Leah having woken up and eaten her breakfast. Leah did not appreciate company before that, a fact that we had come to learn the hard way when she saw me in her living room a few weeks ago, minutes after having woken up, breaking into tears on not seeing her mother anywhere around.

Yeah, Sue made it a point to always inform her before an unknown- and not supposed to be there in her house- face made itself known.

"Daddy, I don't like him. He is a baby." She stated, a frown on her face.

I gave out a sigh, pushing a strand of her soft hair behind her ear, her mother having sent two bottles of baby shampoo and clear instructions of how her waist length hair needed to be tended to while she was here with me in Forks. Sometimes I wondered if Renee thought that I was daft…or simply incapable of surviving on my own. I did know how to wash and shampoo hair, thank you very much.

Though, waiting for it to towel dry- my baby wasn't allowed the hairdryer, and tying it up in those complicated two plaits was the tougher part.

I sometimes wondered if Renee would be too angry at me if I cut it all off- Bella was a cute kid; she would look good in any hairstyle- or lack of it, but let's not risk the wrath of that woman.

She was co-operating with me, sending Bella to live with me in Forks for the entire summer and a week around Christmas- and let's not jinx that.

I did need to talk to that woman regarding my daughter every now and then.

So, being on cordial terms was important.

"But Bells," I smiled at her. "You like Aunt Sarah. She makes the yummiest cookies, you yourself have told me that!"

She pouted, not having any answer to oppose said statement, knowing that she herself had admitted so.

"And Rach and Becca have those pretty little barbies you like to play with. They let you dress them up and get them married to that male barbie…"

"He is named ken, daddy,"

Yeah, whatever.

Who cares what his name is?

I shrugged at my daughter, nodding my head in agreement. "Do you want to miss Barbie and Ken's wedding? We can go to the park tomorrow? Aunt Sarah has promised to make you chocolate chip cookies and a tall glass of your favorite lemonade."

Yeah, now I was just playing on her weak spots.

But let me be honest with you- every parent does that once in a while, especially when you have a stubborn kid who simply refuses to give in.

In such a case, you have to use your intelligence to its capacity.

She pouted, looking up and meeting my eyes. "Why can't I come with you? Even Leah has a pretty barbie? I can play with her."

"Yeah," I agreed with her. "But she hates sharing them. We should not make someone sad, should we?"

Also, Leah was unafraid to push others away if they came too close to her things…

And the girl hit hard.

My poor baby would be literally crushed if I didn't stop that scenario from occurring.

"But daddy, Jakey is a baby. He keeps crying. I don't like it." she frowned, shaking her head to herself.

"He does not cry as much anymore, honey." I assured her. "He is three years old now, see, not as small."

I admit- the last time Bella had been here, over Christmas, poor Jake had just taken his routine vaccination shot, crying for days after that.

Heck, even Billy had looked ready to cry by the second day- Jake just did not stop crying, Sarah and Billy at their wit's end…

Bella thought over it for a few minutes, the temptation of cookies and toys heavy over her head.

"We can go to eat ice-cream?"

"Sure, honey. In the evening we will eat ice-cream." I nodded my head, a grin crossing my daughter's face instantly at the news that she would get ice-cream today, her favorite flavor being good-old fashioned vanilla.

Her mother worried too much about her teeth, honestly.

I mean, they were just milk teeth- and Bella would not be sleeping without brushing them, unless I forgot to make her brush her teeth….which knowing myself….was heavily probable.

Anyhow, she was just five.

It was not like I was corrupting her or anything.

"Okay, daddy," she grinned at me. "I am ready to go to Jakey's house."

I let out an internal sigh, aware that she always called that house- Jake's house, even though he was the youngest member of that family.

Either way, finally!

"Let me get your bag ready and then we can go."

She nodded her head at me in agreement, as I let her down to watch cartoons for some time, my feet taking me up the stairs towards her bedroom- where her toys rested in pride, for she always slept with me on my bed, too scared to sleep alone.

I blamed Renee for that.

Also, I could not see my daughter cry.

So, what if she refused to sleep in a separate bed, worried that the monsters would come for her?

She was just so small yet….

I shook my head, risking another glance at the clock. It was getting late, and with my daughter now in the agreement, my oldest friend needed me.

It was time for me to be there for her.