Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews, alerts and favourites. You don't know how much these little things keep me going. Really, I want you all to know how much I appreciate them.

Lunatic – Nope, I'm Filipina. (:

kfoll – Basically, a rest house is similar to a beach house, except without the beach. Kind of like a home away from home thing, ya know? I'm sorry. I'm no good at explaining shit. Lol.

Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice; but for those who love, time is eternity.

- Henry Van Dyke

Bella P.O.V.

"Grampa Charlie?"

My father, who had been staring at me like a deer caught in the headlights prior, looked down at his grandson for the first time. I gulped as I saw his brown eyes take in all of Dan.

I was waiting for the explosion of angry curses from Charlie. However, I was met with stunned silence. He looked at Dan in disbelief, obviously realizing who had knocked up his daughter years ago. Slowly, he lifted his eyes to meet mine. Despite his obvious shock and apprehension towards the discovery of Dan's paternity, the adoration he held for the little boy was obvious. I gave him a sheepish smile. He opened his mouth to speak, but his grandson cut him off.

"It really is you, isn't it? I keep seeing you in momma's pictures at home and sometimes she looks at the frames with a sad look. She misses you a lot, grampa." He stopped his little rant for a bit to catch his breath before continuing, not giving any of the adults a chance to speak. "Tsk. You should have visited her!" My son scolded his fifty three year old grandfather with a wiggle of his finger. "You look just like momma, too. You have the same hair and the same eyes. It's so cool! I'm sure if momma was a guy, she'd look just like you."

Sue cleared her throat at that moment. She gave Charlie and I warning looks before turning to face Dan, a smile plastered on her face. "Hey, little man. I've got some cookies inside. You want to have some?"

Without even bothering to ask for permission about the cookie, Dan let go of my hand and grasped one of Sue's quickly. He looked up at her and grinned. "I like you, grampa's wife. Where are them cookies?"

I resisted the urge to slap my forehead at my son's bluntness. Sue, on the other hand, obviously found this funny since she did nothing to hide her laughter. Even Charlie let out a few chuckles.

Sue then led Dan away as he continued to chatter away, this time about some toy he saw on tv. I sighed, knowing that the inevitable has now come. Time to face the music - or in this case, Charlie.

I sat down on one of the porch steps and waited. Charlie followed suit, not even twenty seconds after. "Edward Masen, Bella? Really? Didn't you know about that kid's reputation? Even back then, that boy was trouble."

His voice wasn't mad. Accusatory, maybe. But not mad. I chanced a look at him out of the corner of my eye and he looked calm. I sighed. "I know, dad. I just – I thought he had changed. Obviously I was wrong. Dating him was such a mistake. I can't even express my regret in words. But Dan – dad, Dan is the best thing that ever happened to me." By the end, a small smile was on my lips.

"How – how did it happen?"

I turned to look at my dad and raised a brow. He gave me a questioning stare before his face flushed. "N-not..." He cleared his throat. "That's not what I meant. I mean, how did you even start dating? What happened?"

A sigh escaped my lips before I looked straight ahead. "I'm not really sure how we started out, dad. He just came up to me one day. He told me he wanted to know me." I paused to run a hand through my hair. "Of course I was suspicious at first. I heard about his reputation and was wary of getting my heart broken, too. But he was really persistent. And with your constant fights with mom, then the divorce – dad, it wasn't long before I got attached to him. He made me feel secure, safe. It wasn't hard to fall for him when he was acting like that."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him frown as he turned to look at me. "If your mother and I had only noticed what we were doing to you... Bells, I'm so, so sorry."

This time, it was my turn to frown. "Dad, it's okay. I'm not blaming you at all. Things just happened. And it's all in the past now. It is what it is. Besides, even if I could change it, I wouldn't. In the end, I have Dan and that alone makes me one hell of a lucky person."

"So, what happened? Where's Masen? Did he even know about the child?"

I paused for a few seconds. I was aware that I was a shit liar that's why I had to choose my words carefully. Half truths were the best I could come up with now. "Of course he knew, dad. I told him right after I found out. He just – he wanted different things. A baby was never in the picture. And by that time, we had broken up already. In the end, we agreed that I raise Dan alone."

With all my heart, I prayed that Charlie bought my words.

"So he didn't even offer to help? Even just for the pregnancy?"

"He did. But I refused him. If he wasn't going to help the whole way, I didn't want any of his help at all."

We both fell silent for a few minutes, both lost in our thoughts.

"He really seems like he's something, Bells." Charlie rubbed his jaw, closing his eyes lightly. "Is he – what's he like?"

It took me a few minutes to realize we weren't talking about Edward anymore. "You're going to love that little monster, dad. His name is Daniel Isaac Swan."

"Daniel Isaac Swan, my grandson."

And just like that, I survived the storm. We were okay again. No more secrets. At that very moment, I'm so glad I had Charlie as my dad. We didn't always have the best communication but that's just how we were. Words didn't define our relationship. We just knew that we were there for each other. No matter what.

Minutes passed between Charlie and I. We just spent it talking about each other's lives, future plans and of course, my son. With a small glance toward my old man, I let a sly look cross my face. He paused, waiting for me to talk.

"So Sue?"

At the realization of where this conversation was headed, my father's face turned scarlet. A playful smirk appeared on my face. "Yeah..."

"How'd it happen?"

Charlie stayed quiet for a while. I assumed he was gathering his words so I let him be, waiting patiently. One minute passed. Then two. On the third minute, he finally opened his mouth to talk. I waited excitedly for the story – when the front door opened and the topic of our conversation's head popped out. She gave us a sheepish smile before locking gazes with my father.

It was weird to see such strong adoration in my dad's brown eyes. Even when he was with Renee, I never saw that much emotion in his eyes. Sue must be really special to my father.

At that moment, I decided not to pry into their lives. My father was happy with this woman; a woman whom I knew for most of my life. And his happiness is really all that matters to me.

"I'm so sorry for interrupting your talk but I need to get something from the grocery. Apparently, Charlie here has no more spices left." She gave my father a scolding look in which he returned with an apologetic one.

I thought about this for a minute then decided. "I could go get the spices for you. Dad should spend some time with Dan and I would appreciate it if you were with him, Sue."

"Oh, you don't have to, Bella. The store is very near and I could be there and back in just ten minutes."

I rolled my eyes. "Really, Sue, it's fine. You should just start with whatever it is you're making. I'll help when I get back." At this, I stood up so she couldn't argue. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my dad shake his head at Sue in which she responded with a nod and a sigh.

"Alright. Thank you, Bella."

I smiled and made my way to my car.

As I drove, the nerves came back again. I should have thought this through. Forks was a really small town. And though the store I was about to go was probably smaller, anyone could be there right now. I prayed with all my might that no one I directly knew would be present there. It would be best to be in and out of this small town without being detected.

To calm my nerves, I switched the radio on. Automatically, my car was filled with some modern tune and from memory, it was Demi Lovato's voice. Though I wasn't aware of the title of this song, the catchy beat caught my attention.

Now if we meet out on the street I won't be running scared,

I'll walk right up to you and put one finger in the air,

And make you understand, and make you understand,

You had your chance, had your chance!

But even if the stars and moon collide,

I never want you back into my life,

You can take your words and all your lies,

Oh, oh oh! I really don't care!

The music was actually good and the lyrics were relatable to my situation. Though as much as I wanted to stay and listen some more, I had already arrived at the grocery store.

With a few words of courage, I killed the engine and got out. I was quick to head over to the spices area after getting a small basket. Once I was there, however, I paused. Sue didn't exactly tell me what was lacking in my father's kitchen because I had left quickly after offering to go to the grocery for her. Dammit.

With no other choice, I just grabbed onions, garlic and ginger. I included a few bell peppers and tomatoes, as well. Just as I was heading towards the cashier, I saw some packed cookies and thought Dan might like them.

I made my way towards the cookies and just after I grabbed a box, a voice I never thought I'd hear again called out to me.

"Bella? Dear, is that you?"

Though my father was never aware of Edward and I's high school relationship, Edward's mother caught us one night. We thought that she would be out with Edward Sr. the whole evening and Edward had invited me over to his place. As his girlfriend of two weeks, I did not hesitate. We watched a movie and even made out a little bit.

To our surprise though, at around nine in the evening, the Masen front door opened and in came Esme. She was surprised to see me and it was really tempting to say that Edward and I were only friends. But with our position, you'd have to be pretty much an idiot to believe that. I was partially in Edward's lap, his hand on the small of my back, supporting my weight while I had my arms around his neck, my hands still in his hair. Obviously, we were doing more than friendly activities. The swollen lips we were both sporting was proof, among everything else.

Dropping the pack inside my basket, I turned to face the beautiful woman with a smile. She didn't change a bit. "Hello, Esme."

She ran over to me and gave me a tight hug. "It's so good to see you again, dear. You have certainly grown into a beautiful young woman."

Though her son had a heart of stone, Esme was actually a very kind woman. She had been like a mother to me during the divorce era of my teenage years. With a laugh, I responded. "Well, thank you, Esme. Besides, you still look as beautiful as I remember. Not a day older."

With a friendly smile, she hit my arm playfully. "Oh, you. Listen, Bella, I would love to stay and chat but I'm kind of in a hurry. How long are you staying in Forks for? Do you think it's possible for you to have dinner with us tonight?"

Think! Think of an excuse! Quick! "Actually, Esme, I'm staying in Port Angeles right now. I only came here to visit Charlie for the day."

Her face fell. I felt the start of guilt coming and I began to curse inwardly. Whatever you do, Bella, do not change your mind. DO. NOT. CHANGE. "Oh. Um, maybe next time you're around, yes?"

Probably not. I, personally, don't have a fucking clue if there will be a next time. If it were up to me, this would be my last visit here. I'd obviously still have to return to Port Angeles for the Celer project with the Cullen Corp, but I plan to avoid Forks at all costs. Esme started to turn around and I smiled in victory. But then my smile started to fall from my face as I thought of all the times Esme was there for me. Even when she knew of Edward and I's break up, she never stopped showing me she cared. The least I could do for all her kindness was to have one simple dinner. I grimaced. "Uh, you know what? Nevermind. Tonight sounds good actually. I'm not sure when I'll come back next and I think it would be nice to catch up with you."

Faster than I thought possible, Esme turned around with a big smile on her face. I composed myself and morphed my grimace into a smile. Damn me for having a soft heart. "Wonderful! I'll have dinner ready by seven."

I couldn't help myself. It seemed important that this question be asked. "Um, Edward wouldn't be there, would he?"

A sympathetic looked passed across her green eyes and she let out a soft smile. "No, dear. Edward doesn't live with us anymore. He only comes to the house during Sunday brunch after mass. In fact, I think he's out of town for the weekend because of work. If I remember correctly, he'll be back tomorrow morning."

I didn't know I was holding my breath until I let it out after hearing what she said. Thank God. At least I didn't have to face him tonight, as well. Two evenings in a row is just too much. "Alright. Seven 'o clock. Do you still live in the same place?"

"Oh. Um, Bella, I remarried. Things weren't working out well with Edward Sr. so we separated. My husband is Carlisle Cullen now. He came just a little while after you left so I'm not sure if you know of him." Esme looked a little embarrassed.

Right. I forgot. That's why Edward was handling Cullen Corp. I rolled my eyes at myself inwardly. I can be so stupid sometimes. I wasn't sure how to respond to that. Should I express my sympathy for her failed marriage with Edward's father or congratulate her for finding Carlisle?

However, before I could decide, the bronze haired woman in front of me started giving me directions to her new home. I listened carefully so as not to get lost and asked some questions to get everything clear. Once I was sure I knew where to go, I gave her a smile and promised to see her later.

Before she left, Esme stepped closer towards me and enveloped me in a hug once again. "He's changed, Bella. The Edward before, he's different now. I'm not going to meddle in your business, but I would like to ask you to keep that in mind if you ever see my son again."

I didn't know how else to respond so I simply gave her a small smile and a nod. Seemingly satisfied, Esme waved and bid her goodbye, saying how excited she was for later.

As I was paying for my purchase, a thought then struck me.

Who the fuck was supposed to watch Dan for me tonight?

Author's Note: I apologize if the grammar and whatnot are lacking. It was not thoroughly re-read. I will get to that though tomorrow. Hahaha.

Give me your comments and questions, yeah? ;) Until the next chapter! It'll be pretty intense. (: