BPOV

I awoke early Monday morning to the constant drip drip drip of rain on the roof. Of course it would be too much to ask for, no rain on the first day of school. Charlie had foreseen this though, and was prepared. As I entered the kitchen, he looked up from the stove where he was frying eggs and bacon, coffee was dripping into the pot. A parka, matching rain boots, and an umbrella were sitting in one of the chairs. He had a stack of notebooks and pens on the table. "I figured you would need these," he said quietly, almost like he was afraid he had overstepped some weird father-daughter boundary. Honestly, this was the first time since I was ten that I didn't do my own back to school shopping. The feeling was odd, but also comforting; I wasn't quite sure how to navigate being the child in the relationship, but maybe this would be a good thing?

I threw the notebook and pens in my backpack and slid the boots on, shoving my tennis shoes under the table. Charlie then set a plate in front of me. I guess Poptarts were no longer my go to breakfast. As I ate, Charlie talked, walking me through our schedule.

"Today I've got to go in with you, sign some paperwork. School ends at three fifteen, I'll find a spot in the parking lot and wait for you. The fridge is fully stocked, both with lunch options and food for dinner. Eat what you want when you're hungry, Bells, don't wait on me. My schedule can be hectic, but I want you to have as much as a normal life as possible."

Tears welled up in the corners of my eyes. When was the last time I had been taken care of like this? I thought back and cringed; Renee had brought me some cool soup when I had my tonsils removed at twelve. Until Phil entered our lives, I had been in charge of the house - finances, shopping, cooking, cleaning - I had a bus pass, and if I needed something signed for school I'd simply bring the paper and a pen to Renee who blindly signed whatever was placed in front of her. This worked for us, but I hadn't really thought too much of how the dynamic was backwards until I was faced with the opposite scenario. How did things get so screwed up?

I loved Renee, I really did, but things changed when I was in the fifth grade. I had gotten off the bus, excited to tell her about the trip to the aquarium we were going to take next week, but when I got to the house it was locked, our car wasn't in the driveway, and the lights were off - it looked like she had forgotten all about me. I reluctantly pulled my key out of my backpack and let myself in, but no matter how many light switches I flicked on, I was left in the dark. I saw a pile of mail on the kitchen table that had been left unopened and cringed as I read the return labels - three from the electric company, two from the phone company, red "FINAL NOTICE" sprawled across the envelope like a shining beacon, calling for the envelopes to be opened. How had she let it get to this point?

I had sat on the steps leading into the house, bills scattered around me when Renee pulled up a few hours later. "Oh, Bella. You'll never imagine the day I had!" She then went into a detailed account of her getting lost in the eyes of a man at a coffee shop down the street and regaled me with their tales. I learned way more about my mother and the finer points of sex than my eleven year old brain cared to know, but I was happy mom was home and safe.

Suffice it to say that from that point forward I grabbed the mail, paid the bills, kept us from ever getting to that point again. Renee was more than happy to concede that duty to me.

Having Charlie treating me like a daughter, a child even, was disconcerting. I wasn't sure how to function in this capacity, but would make do.

"Thanks, Dad" I said quietly, rushing up to hug him. I banged my knee against the table and sent coffee spilling across the wood in my haste. Charlie was already mopping up the scalding liquid by the time I had stopped dancing around in pain. "Don't sweat it, Bells," he said as he he set the rag in the sink and picked up a piece of bacon, munching it as he filled the dishwasher.

I just stared, still reeling from the realization that for the first time in six years I had someone willing to care about me, put my needs first. I was still thinking on this when Charlie grabbed my bookbag and headed towards the cruiser. "We should get a move on, wouldn't want to be late on your first day, now would we?"

I cringed as I followed him out the door, locking the handle and pulling it shut behind me. "No, that would be a real shame," I mumbled. I may enjoy Charlie's presence more than I had anticipated, but the thought of the day ahead of me had my stomach rolling with anxiety.

EPOV

I had spent the last few days hanging out in town, hoping to hear more about Bella Swan. Carlisle, through his connections at the hospital, knew that she was the Chief of Police's daughter. Normally the Cullen's avoided trite human gossip, but Carlisle put on a brave face and sat with his night nurses during their meal break Thursday morning, eager to pick up what information he could glean. I, of course, was nearby, in his office nonetheless; I knew I could pick out more in their unsaid thoughts than what the women were willing to voice to the good doctor.

"Good morning Becky, Jenna. How is the ER treating you this fine morning?" Carlisle asked as he set his tray down. He had opted for dry toast and black tea while the nurses had full breakfast trays in front of them.

Oh my, what is Doctor Cullen doing here? "Goo- good morning, Doctor. The ER is a bit slow, thankfully. How are you?" Jenna's inner thoughts were now rambling on about how she was going to have to be seen in the ER if her heart rate didn't slow down. I tuned in to her a little more and could hear the rapid pounding and laughed, humans were so easily distracted.

"I'm well, thank you." Carlisle then lowered his voice, as if he was speaking a secret. "Did my ears deceive me, or is there a rumor of Chief Swan's daughter coming to visit?" he asked, throwing a bit of charm their way.

Ah yes, the prodigal daughter, returning at last. Such a pity Charlie never got over that hussy of a mother. No doubt she grew bored of the girl and pawned her off on our good Chief. Becky's thoughts were vile, and I quickly put effort into not hearing them anymore, I had learned enough. I couldn't tune out her spoken words though, as they rang through Carlisle's mind clear as day to me. "Why, I do think I heard something about that. Isabella coming to little old Forks. Why is a mystery though. Roger is pulling extra duty at the station this weekend though, so Chief Swan can pick her up from SeaTac and get her settled."

I didn't think I was going to learn much more here, so I left the hospital, leaving a note for Carlisle that I'd see him at home after his double shift. I made a quick lap over to the police station, noting the Chief's car in a spot near the door. I noted a few distant minds, but nothing close enough to be coming from the station. He's got to be in there; why is it so quiet? It had never been so silent with a conscious human around. He's conscious, right?! I was suddenly worried about the Police Chief; there was no other explanation for the silence emanating from the station.

I paced back and forth, thinking of a valid excuse for bursting into the station, when I heard it; finally a sign that the Chief was alive and well. I wonder what cereal Bells likes? I then heard a pencil furiously scribbling along a thick pad of paper. It was then that I noticed his thoughts were there, just muted, and more like a general idea of how he was feeling as compared to the stream of consciousness most humans produced. There was quiet satisfaction. Contentment and optimism, along with a small amount of excitement. These were all tied together by soft adoration with a tinge of anxiety, and marred by the grey current of guilt.

I wondered how his brain worked, to sound this way to me. Did he really not think thoughts until he was saying them, or acting on them? How odd.

And these feelings. All brought on by one little human? I liked to think humans were predictable, and up until now they were. Most were thinking the most mundane thoughts - finances, sexual exploits, aggravations, and triumphs. Their emotions were usually in line with their immediate thoughts - love, or lust as was more common, along with sex; worring about finances; anger over a traffic jam. As I said, predictable. But Charlie Swan, he was something different altogether. It was no surprise with his quiet thoughts that I hadn't gotten to know him, or his daughter over the last two years. And just where had she been? Obviously there was a mother, but why was Bella leaving her and coming to Charlie? And for how long? While I now knew more, I was also no closer to unraveling the mystery of Bella Swan; in fact with each new piece of information, I had more unanswered questions. This girl had infected my every thought, and I had yet to set my own eyes on her yet. I stayed near the station hoping to hear more about Bella.

The sun was setting as a car sped into the lot, stopping next to Charlie's. Deputy Roger Mallory's thoughts flooded Edward's mind, Stupid brat. Why'd she decide now of all times to come to Forks, I'll never know. I had promised Lauren we'd spend the last weekend of summer vacation at Disney Land, but no, father of the year over here decides to use his position as Chief to somehow worm his way out of working for a whole weekend. Rebecca of course isn't thrilled either, but was oh too willing to help me spend the overtime money before it's even been banked. Ah, so this was darling Becky's husband. I wonder if he knew how she lusted after his boss.

When he thought of Lauren I instantly saw the girl he was thinking of. She had asked him to the girls' choice dance last year. He had politely declined, he didn't date, and she had turned bitter. "No boy has ever said no to me, don't you know what you are missing?" she had screeched in her nasally voice. He had simply gotten in his car and drove away, and from that point forward she hadn't even looked in his direction - well, at least not head on. He knew she was hyper-aware of him and his family, but she posed no threat; she was merely jealous.

The whole family seemed like a train wreck if he was being honest. He hoped for her sake Bella and Lauren wouldn't cross paths too often, though even without Alice's foresight he knew not to bet on that outcome - Forks was too small to not come in contact with everyone at some point.

Unfortunately, it seemed like other than her name and the fact she was coming here, Charlie had kept her move to himself. Edward would just have to be patient like everyone else and see her for himself come Monday. It was one of the slowest weekends in his entire existence.