The drive was borderline tense with silence, but Charlie refuse to let the tedious friendship turn sour. Not again. Although the drive wasn't long, he began pointing small pieces of his town along the way.

"Those buildings right there are the police station and city hall. And right behind it is the high school. Over there is Dorthy's and Phil's home, they actually have three kids..." He attempted to keep his voice low and soothing. Now that Taylor was officially not a threat and a town member, he wanted to make her feel welcomed. That meant keeping all gruffness from his voice.

She nodded along politely, looking engaged and if the half-quirked smile was anything to go by, charmed with the little town of Forks. She asked questions, asking about some random families here and there as he rattled off names.

Sweet kid, caring about strangers.

"Down road over there is La Push, a Native American reservation." He tried not to remember everything that came with the beautiful reservation. "My friend Billy lives there." He sighed, placing a smile on his lips, trying to banish the bad memories with the remembrance of the good, blissful times when he knew nothing.

"How is he doing?" She looked out her window, into the large forest that surrounded the town. Her tone was as light and curious as ever. Biting his lip, he decided it would be better to tell her half-truths so she wouldn't bring up anything painful.

"Not so well after his son died," Charlie replied woefully, pressing on the gas to continue their trek home.

"I'm so sorry to hear that." She crossed her hand across her lap and bowed her head, like some internal prayer. "What happened?" She cautiously asked after a moment, turning her head to look at the older man. Her eyes held a deep-rooted sorrow. Great, now he made her sad.

"Heart Condition." He lied easily enough. Well, dying of a broken heart should have counted as a heart problem in his books.

"Over here is the community hospital, fortunately, it's not too busy." Charlie's mind wandered off to the first time his daughter was sent for immediate care. The van was so close to killing her, he'd really need to thank the Cullen boy sometime eventually. Taking a right, he pulled his car down his street. With some normalcy, he pulled into his driveway. Killing the vehicle, he turned to his new ward.

Her soft eyes somewhat glazed over, Her fist bunched around her t-shirt, her breaths somewhat shallow and frequent. Taylor didn't seem to register that they arrived. She was panicking. Assuming something had triggered her, Charlie started calling her name. The worst thing to do would be to touch her in a state like this. So that would be his absolute last resort.

"Taylor." He tried in a firm voice. "Taylor." She blinked slowly, then a bit more quickly. She turned to him.
"Sorry, was I zoning out?" She rubbed the back of her neck, closed her eyes, and exhaled. Taking a moment to examine her arms while she collected herself, Charlie did a brief scan of her arms for any scars. Anything might have told him what she was attacked with, or if she might be prone to harming herself as a coping mechanism.

Surprising enough, there wasn't a single mark on her smooth skin. No freckles, no scars, not even a visible tattoo. He had heard of pimps and sex traffickers tattooing their prey so others would know who's 'property' they were messing with.

"Hey, it's okay." He gave his best comforting looking, not that he thought that it was worth much. But still, he wanted the teen to feel at ease here. If something was triggering her, he'd do his best to fix it. "Is something wrong?" Her dark eyes widen a fraction before she rapidly shook her head.

"No, no sir." She shook off her distraught aura in a moment. "I just haven't been inside someone's home in a hot moment." She opened the car door after that and started to collect her things instantly, she was trying to prove she was fine.

Knowing that he'd better give her some time to calm down, he strode up the porch and opened the door for her to come. Her chest hitched in an almost unnoticeable manner, had he not been watching her closely, he wouldn't have seen it. Her deep, warm eyes took in all the cozy home had on display. The grey converse twitched as it step onto the floor into the entryway room. She wasn't faring well it seemed. Maybe if he lead, she wouldn't feel trapped. Just tapping the front door close with his boot, he gestured her with a strong hand to follow him up the stairs.

"It's not much, but it's home," He echoed in the dull halls. He paused for a minute before turning back to her. Both of their feet are still in mid-step. She quirked an eyebrow in a silent question. Taking the hint, he rubbed the little scruff he'd been growing out around his chin.

"You, ah, going be okay going up and down the stairs? I can move some things from the home office upstairs and take that room," He pointed to a side room, "and make it yours, but thing is, the only bathtub is upstairs..." He bit his lip in pondered this. He's been meaning to turn that half bathroom into a full.

"It's fine Mr. Swan, I don't mind the stairs, besides," She smirked, easy-going sweet. Tan's hands brushed her fly away back once again. "I don't want you moving all that furniture." She shook her head, the dark braids flipping over her shoulders.

Sighing Charlie nodded. He decided he'd turn the office into a bedroom. Maybe he could get Marty and a couple of the guys in the office to help him move. Lord knows hiring a team would be a bitch, the cost of renovating the bathroom alone was going to bite him in the ass. But Jesus, he couldn't let Taylor go waddling up and down these steps pregnant. No that wouldn't do.

"Whatever you say kiddo." He quirked his lips up as the native girl let a minuscule giggle escape her lips. He remembered when Bella was a kid, she would be squealing while she ran around the house playing with Jacob while he and Billy just watch.

Opening the door to his daughter's room, he braced himself for the reminiscing. He pushed the wooden door wide and his heart sank at the purple walls and old furnishings. The duvet on the bed was still made from her wedding day morning. Like sensing his tension, with her free hand, Taylor rubbed his shoulder.

"Are you..." It was like she was having a hard time just getting the words out. As if she knew, he was moments away from breaking down. He missed his little girl. He loved her so and cursed himself for being to the blind. Letting her regress because of some boy and run off without a thought. Sometimes he really wondered if he failed a parent. He thought he'd put Bella before himself, cared for her through her highs and lows. Loved her with his whole heart, but...if he did the parenting act right, why did she always forget about him? It was almost like she resented him. With all the forced conversation and awkward body language, he was just a stranger in her eyes.

Resting his head on the door frame he took a deep breath. He really was a failure.

"I messed up as a Dad." He walked into the dusty room and sat on Bella's bed. He didn't remember the last time he came in here. It was embarrassing, thinking that he could be called a good father figure. He let her down. "I, I divorced with my ex-wife a while ago. And Bella stayed with her most of the time. She...I was just child support in her eyes, I think." Charlie sagged his shoulders. He shouldn't be doing this, not in front of the kid.

But she had those eyes, soft and compassionate. Like she understood as his pain and more. All the hurt of letting down someone you loved with your whole being. She had that warm energy that you wanted to bath in. She dropped her bag and sat beside him. Wrapping her arms around him lightly, she embraced his trembling form.

"You're her dad, even after all this time, I still love my parents." Her voice cut the stiff silence of the room. "She loves you, but maybe she just didn't know how to show it." Taylor slowly retracted her arms and began pulling at the end of her dinner shirt.

"Sorry, I-," He took a deep breath, he was probably traumatizing her, no one wanted to watch a grown man cry. "I just miss her." Keeping his voice low was better than the risk of it breaking and cracking.

"It's okay, you're only human you know." She twisted her head to look at the window. Her attempt at giving him privacy. He was grateful for her emotional awareness.

"..." He gave a light hum as she rubbed his shoulder for a brief second, before slinking her digits away. He was probably was making her uncomfortable. Wiping his eyes with the back of his sleeve, he stood.

"I'll let you get settled in." Those words sent him to a time long ago. This was all wrong, standing before him wasn't a mouse-like girl with hair dark like the grand oak trees of the north or pale skin like she'd only lived in the moonlight. No, this wasn't Bella. Standing in his daughter's room was Taylor, abandoned by her family. Taylor, who was crawling and kicking her way through motherhood because someone refused to love their kid. Taylor who got spat on by life but was still fighting her way through it. Taylor who needed him right now, Taylor who needed a dad. He'd be there for her. He'd be better this time, better than he was with Bella.

Giving her a polite nod, he walked out of the furnished room, already putting together a mental list. He'd need more food, and clothes, lord knows that none of Bella's clothes would fit her. He'd need to get her registered at the local high school. Damn, he needed to call Billy too. A nurse, he had to start getting things ready for the baby...

"I'll be out running a few errands Taylor, I'll be back in a bit. " He paused at the front door, what if she needed him while he was out? It wasn't like she had his number, did she even have a cell phone? Walking out to his cruiser, he dug around the glove box before pulling out two walkie-talkies. Black and pristine, he ambled his way back into the house and up to Bella's her room. He rapped light on her door with a knuckle.

"Yes, Mr. Swan?" She doored the full, she grinned at him, like she won the lottery. He forced a smile back at her, sad to think that in her eyes, maybe she did. She glance at his extended hand, before carefully taking the device.

"Are we going to start a secret club?" She cracked the joke. Charlie could only let a snort through his nose. Only Taylor...

"Well, until we get you a cell phone, this is the best I can do in case you need me." He shook his head at the ridiculous idea, a single old man and a pregnant teen in a secret club. That would look good in the paper. Making his way back to his cruiser easy enough, he took off out of the driveway. Well, more like on autopilot. His hands felt clammy and his heart heavy and buzzing with anticipation all at once. He was just shy of adopting a kid and it scared him. There were only a few times his mind had been this withdrawn and most of those times involved Bella or Renee.

He took a deep breath and looked at his cell phone, God give him the strength to talk to Billy.

Trudging through the thicket was mindless, endless. Easy and forgettable. Mud clung to his russet fur as burrs and thorns pricked his sides, he almost enjoyed the feeling of the occasional sharp rock dig into his pads. Placing another paw on the rock slide, Jake dug himself up the slope. Rain-soaked through the alpha's thick hide just as much as the liquid coated the mossy rocks.

It wasn't his fault.

A flash of blurred light lit up the barren forest before it waned back into haunted darkness. The rumble of thunder rattled Jacob to the bones, he flatted his ears to will the sound to go away. That, and the aching of his heart too. He felt like he was alone on an island, worlds away from a soul who could hear him. Not that it seems like anyone ever listens to him, but maybe, that was how it was supposed to be?

But it wasn't his fault...

He didn't ask to be fated to a newborn, much less than that of one who was the daughter of his rival and his former friend. Someone who was the embodiment of the love he lost. The happy ending that was stolen from him. Nessie...Bella was right, he shouldn't care, shouldn't love a soul he'd only met for a brief moment. It was sick, him, a fucking goddamn werewolf, in love with the very thing he was destined to kill.

The sheer force of shame riddled throughout his body and he reeled back, losing his footing on the slope. His head cracked against a rock and he slumped to the ground. Some predator... Edward fucking Cullen could hand him his ass without even trying, hell even Bella could. The sissiest guy and the mousiest girl could kill him with ease. He couldn't protect Nessie, even if he wanted to. It was best she stayed with her mother and father and very far away from him.

Should he even try and get up? What point was there? It wasn't like he was going to live long. Sam said that tribal legends spoke of wolves dying if their imprint rejected them. It was a for-life thing, a ride or die. This was going to be the end of his life...

He huffed, eyes going out of focus. That bastard won. Not only did he get the girl, he successfully killed the teen too. He must be so please with himself, even after, after...Jake gave up his tribe, his pack, his own want so that Bella and him could be happy. Edward didn't even try and defend him when Bella hit him, he didn't give a damn, he was fucking smiling as his wife, nearly beat her best friend to death, as she screamed at him to break the bond. What was the point anymore? Hell, fuck it. If he was going to die, then was the point of being miserable in his final few days, or was it final hours? He pushed himself slowly from the bog of a forest floor and looked up at the moon.

He didn't need to think anymore, it would all be over soon. Shakily standing on all fours, he glanced at the slope. He just would run until he blacked out. It was one of the few times ever felt free, so why not? Better than crying on the forest floor like...like Bella did when Edward left her.

Damn her... damn her.

He pushed his limbs into a sprint. Crying, whining for months that Edwards had left her in the 'worst' pain imaginable, she became a fucking zombie. Bella had the audacity to throw him into the same feeling, when she knew what it was like living without the other half of your soul? She really didn't care about him, did she? Jake was seething, he could feel the foam curling around his snout as he huffed, trees blowing by him. Fuck her, this wasn't his fault. He never asked for it. He had been kind, patient, understanding, and did she ever try and really help him, or just help herself? Fuck him, fuck her, fuck everyone. He was better off alone! Rage clouded his mind, his grief drove him forward through the night. Nothing mattered anymore.

He didn't really see anything, but one moment he was prowling through the earthy terrain of Canada, and the next he was flying through the air, body numb and head spinning. The landing was too quick for him to even feel any part of it. He did register that he was tumbling on the road. He must have gotten hit by a fucking car, perfect, just perfect. Jake turned a muzzle at the blinding light of the car behind him. A muffled growl of someone inside the car was just loud enough for Jake to pick up. That could make Jake laugh, that bastard thought he had a rough day? This asshole just hit him, he should be the one picking a fight.

The door flew open as a deep voice rang out in the empty night, "Are you fucking kicking me?" The voice contained a light east coast accent, the sharper pronunciation and emphasis on certain vowels gave it away.

"No Jerald, I hit a fucking dog the goddamn size of a horse, the car's busted and the police are only a few miles!" A crack startled Jake as he felt his bones starting to reset. A piece of something slid towards his muzzle, a texting pad. This idiot just threw his phone on the ground, Jake gave a weak chuff, someone had a temper.

"Oh, you think that's funny do you doggo?" Jake heard footsteps moving closer to him. He pricked an ear in minor interest, this dude wasn't worth his limited time. The moment his bones finished healing, he would be outta here. The teen boy didn't even get a chance to recover from the kick to the head before he heard the cock of a gun and he was suddenly staring down the barrel of a handgun.

Jake flicked his eyes towards his assailant, the floodlight of the car's brights blocking out most of the man's features, but somehow, by some twisted joke of nature, Jake found the man's eyes. He was pulled. He was drowning, all over again. He wanted to curl up under the hand of this stranger and let him pull whatever strings he wanted. Jake was his.

He must have felt it too, he lowered his gun slightly. That was all the wolf needed, in a heartbeat he was shifting. His soul felt ablaze once again. Moments later he was staring up at those eyes, still shadowed by the light, merely reflections of bounce-back light. But Jake wanted those eyes on him, forever.

"Holy-" The man seemed lost for a moment before pressing the barrel back up to the teen's slightly bleeding forehead. "You're going. to get me outta here, got it?" Jake decided right then, right there, he loved how husky his imprint's voice was, how demanding and strong it commanded him. How it addressed him, noticed him.

"For you, anything."

Thought I'd add a little flash back in there for you darlings