AN: First things, this story has an amazing banner made by the even more amazing Mist! Thanks so much! You can see it on twitter, or the link on my profile!

Second- when I added in all the characters who weren't present at the time of Twilight, I wasn't changing canon- just going back in time. With that said, this chapter is a little rough, so hold on tight... Oh, and I went back and added months to each chapter to help follow the timeline a little better. Sorry I'm so confusing sometimes ;)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but some shirtless pics of Alex Meraz that clog up the memory on my phone. SM owns all.

Chapter 6

November

Charlie POV
"What do you mean she's not coming?" I didn't really expect a response, but I just couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"You heard me, Charlie. She's not feeling well right now. Sorry." She didn't sound the least bit sorry.

"I already bought her tickets! What am I supposed to do with that?" It was a deflection—I didn't care about the money. I just wanted my Bells.

"Look, maybe they'll exchange them for next summer, or I can use them when we go to see my parents at Christmas. I'll pay you back," Renee offered, trying her best to sound reasonable and responsible. Neither were her strongest traits.

I sighed as I looked out the dark window. The rain was changing over to sleet, and I knew we'd have a thin coating of ice by morning. The chill outside matched the chill in my heart. This just wasn't a good week.

It didn't even feel like Thanksgiving at all. For the first time in years, I had to struggle to come up with something to be thankful for.

It didn't seem like it was only a few months ago that I had my baby girl sleeping upstairs in her room, eating her cereal on the coffee table while she watched cartoons. So much had changed since then, and my mind was still struggling to keep up.

I tried one more angle with Renee, hoping she had a shred of affection left for our friends here. "Renee, everyone really misses Bells. She wasn't able to come to the funerals, and I know the kids especially want to see her." My next words were nearly a whisper and I doubt she even heard me. "I miss her."

Renee turned abruptly angry, as she had every time that I'd brought up Big Quil's recent drowning. I still couldn't believe my cousin, my oldest friend, was really and truly gone. He was so full of life—so much bigger than life—and it was hard to grasp the fact that a simple storm could have taken him from this world.

Aunt Molly couldn't handle the news at all. She had simply given up. She didn't have the will to live after her only son was so senselessly killed. We buried them less than two weeks apart.

Making that phone call to Bella was one of the hardest things I'd ever done. She was so young, and so far away, that I didn't think she could truly understand the loss we were all feeling. It wouldn't be real to her until she was here, and they weren't.

"Look, Charlie, whatever. She's sick. There's nothing I can do about it now." Renee's raised voice must have brought Bella to the room—I heard a hacking cough and my baby girl's sweet voice asking for me. "Here, Bella wants to talk."

"Daddy?" She sounded hoarse, and congested, and I instantly felt bad for wanting her to travel.

"Hey, Bells," I answered. "You not feeling good?"

She coughed again, though it sounded like she put her hand over the phone to do so. My baby girl was always polite. "Yeah. Sally Williams sneezed on me and gave me her germs. She didn't even say she was sorry."

She sounded so disgruntled that it took every ounce of my control not to laugh. Leave it to Bella to take catching a cold as a personal affront. "I'm sorry, baby. I wish you could be here, but you just try to rest up and get better so you don't miss too much school."

Bella sniffled a bit, and I couldn't tell if it was the extra snot in her nose, or if she was crying. "I miss you, Daddy. I want to come see you at Christmas. I don't like going to California."

I sighed as I scrubbed my hand down my face. Times like this were the hardest. I knew I could try to fight Renee and get more time with my daughter, but she would not make it easy, and I didn't want her to push her frustrations with me out onto Bella. It was just easier to not rock the boat.

"Now you know your Gran is missing you. And you can see your cousins down there too," I reminded her. I knew my ex-mother-in-law truly loved my daughter, and Renee didn't take her to visit nearly often enough. I would give anything for Bella to have more time with my parents. "You can help her make those cookies you love so much, and maybe you can mail me some?"

That thought seemed to brighten her up. "I will. Can I send some to Quil too?"

My breath caught at her question and I sincerely hoped she was talking about little Quil. I decided to test her. "Sure, Bells. You can do that. You might have to send extra for Embry and Jake though."

Her laughter was a little rough, and I knew I wouldn't be able to stay on the phone much longer. She needed to rest her voice. "Yeah, I know" Her sigh sounded much too grown up when she continued, "But Quil needs the cookies more right now. He's not gonna be as happy this Christmas."

At least she seemed to understand the loss, even if she hadn't been able to mourn with us here. Next summer would be the real test, and god, that seemed so far away. "Okay, baby girl. It sounds like you need to get some rest, but you can call me again when you're feeling better."

I didn't speak to Renee after Bella got off the phone, and I only sat there a minute before pressing the buttons to dial my Chief. I might as well take someone's shift for Thanksgiving. I no longer had a reason to be off that day.

-o-o-o-

The day started off quiet. There was one dispatcher on duty, and I was the only one on patrol. Mark was on call if we needed him, but everyone else was enjoying the day off with their families.

I parked at the intersection of 110 and 101 north of town, hoping to catch any speeders coming through at the last minute. I tried my best not to think about Bella and what she was doing. She'd sounded better when I called the night before, and was looking forward to the "traditional" Chinese takeout that Renee would buy for Thanksgiving. She did always have her quirks.

I was about to turn around and head to the other side of town when a call came through on the radio. My adrenaline was pumping as Candace described the accident scene, just south of the Calawah river off 101. I was less than a mile away.

I threw on my lights and pulled out, eyes scanning the road for the wreckage. Two other cars were parked on the opposite side of the road, and as I pulled across to shield the accident site, I saw a silver car whose front end was crumpled against a tree.

I let dispatch know that I was on site and stepped out to see what had happened. A sick feeling of dread began to build in my stomach as I looked at the battered car. My mind wouldn't let me process what I was actually seeing until I reached the broken passenger side window and peered through to see the driver.

I immediately turned my head and threw up my measly breakfast of coffee and toast all over the damp leaves. A rushing sound filled my ears as I worked up the courage to look back at the car and pray that the driver was anyone else.

Her warm brown eyes were vacant and dull, her long, silky black hair was caked in blood. My best friend's wife… Sarah.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~

December

Paul

Paul hated holidays. He'd never had a reason to celebrate with his family, and holidays meant that his dad was off work and usually had access to alcohol, or something stronger. Paul had slipped away July 4th by staying with Jared's family, but Labor Day and Thanksgiving had both been equally bad.

Paul nearly lost faith in Charlie on Thanksgiving Day. His dad had been up late the night before, and Paul accidentally woke him when he tried to get a glass of milk. Tommy was passed out at the table, but his head shot up when Paul let the cabinet door slam.

With fresh bruises on his arm, eye, and ribs, Paul spent the rest of the day huddled in his closet. He'd tried to remain strong, but couldn't hold the tears at bay as hour after hour passed. No one came back to save him this time.

It was several days later when Paul learned where Charlie had been, and why he hadn't come to Paul. As much as Paul disliked Jacob, he still felt bad that the boy lost his mother. As bad as she was, Paul still missed his own mom, so he couldn't imagine how bad Jacob must have felt. Jake actually had a great mom.

Charlie was busy the month following Sarah's accident, and Paul didn't see much of his friend. He struggled through his days, staying out of his dad's way, and just trying to make it through school without too much trouble.

He'd avoided Jake and his buddies, giving them a wide berth as Quil and Jacob mourned their lost parents. Embry had moved away from his best friends not long after Big Quil died—his mom rented a small house just down the street from Paul. After particularly rough nights with his dad, Embry usually showed up at the corner just as Paul was passing by. They would walk to school in silence, but with a tentative camaraderie.

One such morning, shortly before school let out for the winter break, a couple of older boys were lying in wait just down the road. Paul was already sporting a sprained wrist and bruised ribs, but when he saw Embry get pulled down by his hair, he waded in swinging.

Paul may have been small, but he was fast and full of pent-up aggression. He knew every weak spot on the body, and he used that knowledge to defend himself and his sort-of friend. A car pulled up, driven by Sam Uley's grandpa, and the older boy and man were able to wrestle the bullies away from Paul's frenzied attack.

Charles Uley pulled Embry and Paul into the car with him and drove them to the tribal clinic. Both boys were covered in blood, and he could see the way Paul was favoring his left wrist. He wanted to get them checked out before they went to school.

Embry had a bloody nose and the beginnings of a black eye, but other than a small scrape on his palm he was fine. Paul's knuckles were scraped and bruised, and his shirt was torn at the shoulder. He truly looked like he'd been in a street brawl.

Paul sat silently through the examination, refusing to answer any questions and avoiding eye contact with every adult there. Charles and the doctor exchanged a look over his head, and neither missed the way Paul froze when the doctor advised that Paul stay home from school for the day.

"I sent Tommy to Port Angeles for supplies today," Charles said, still watching the small boy. "I think I'll call over to the Black house and see if Charlie Swan is there. He can keep an eye on Paul for the day."

Tiffany Call came to pick up Embry and take him to school, but Embry asked her to wait when they passed the bed where Paul was sitting.

"Paul?" Embry said quietly, finally drawing the attention of the battered, stoic child. "Thanks for helping me out there. I'm sorry you got hurt."

After a brief pause, Paul accepted the hand that Embry held out, and nodded before looking away. "Okay," Embry spoke louder, his smile wide. "Well, I'll see you around!"

It took almost half an hour for Charlie to be tracked down and called to the clinic, but no one missed the worry on his face when he ran in looking for Paul. The doctor assured him that the boy had simply been in a fight with some older children, and he would be just fine.

The tall officer rounded the corner and finally spied Paul slouched on the too-large exam bed. Brown eyes met almost-black, and for the first time in a month both Paul and Charlie wore genuine smiles.

Paul held his good fist out and met Charlie's worried gaze. "Hey Charlie. Don't worry about me—you should see the other guys."