A Man Named Charlie.

"Friendship is held to be the severest test of character. It is easy, we think, to be loyal to a family and clan, whose blood is in your own veins." - Charles Alexander Eastman

Berlin held her silver metallic blue eyes on the road ahead of them as her father drove. He hadn't said a word since they had left the group of people behind on the beach. She knew she should have done what she always done and stayed away from any contact with out sliders that didn't belong in her world.

"What were they?" Berlin finally asked turning to look at her father as it dawned on her, her father wouldn't allow her to talk to 'normal' people. Berlin watched as the smiled came on to her father's face as he took his eyes off the road to look over at her.

"I see you finally caught on little one." He stated with a grin on his lips that made a smile come on to hers as she nodded her head.

"There Shifters, they changed into the form of a wolf to protect their land from...well from Vampires. I had encountered them at one point when I had left you in Iceland." Her father said turning his eyes back to the road. Berlin felt her eyes widen when he had stated that there where Vampires in the area.

"Papa you can't honestly be telling me that we are going to stay in a place where there are Vampires!" Berlin stated in hysteria.

"Now, my little one don't worry they don't know about us being here and I intend to keep it that way. I didn't give you wings just for them to be ripped apart or tarnished by the hands of such vile things as them. The first sign of a Vampire knowing of our existence here and we leave." Her father said. His voice harsh and cold, as his grip on the steering wheel tighten making it groan in protest as it was starting to bend at his untamed furry.

Berlin couldn't help but smile at her father's words and actions as she turned her eyes out the window to hide her growing smile. His actions had settled her fear of losing him. Berlin knew what her grates weakness where and one of them was losing her father and having no one left in this world. It was a fear she had woken up with and could never understand why. Her father had stated that in the past she had lost someone very dear to her, the only person who had held her heart and soul and it had crushed her so much that when she had awoken she no longer knew of the pain but would always hold it as a fear.

"So this friend of yours that we are going to visit, Charlie, what is he like?" Berlin asked in curiosity as she turned her eyes back to her father. Once more she watched as a smile came to his lips as his silver metallic blue eyes softened to misty silver dispelling any blue there had been.

"He is a good old friend of mine. I met him in this small town when he was at the age of...well let's say not so young, but not to old either mind you." He stated with a chuckle and Berlin couldn't help but laugh with her father. "He was married at that time expecting a child on the way. His wife Renee was...well she was "pleasant," but I could tell she wanted so much more out of her life then to live in this dreary little town. Then after the child was born - a girl - she had left him and took the child along with her leaving Charlie all alone and with a broken heart no less." Her father said with sorrow as he kept his eyes on the road ahead.

Berlin took in her father's tone of sorrow and smiled softly at him. Her father was in love with this Charlie and she knew it. She hesitated to speak her next words

"You love him."

Her father looked over at her briefly before his eyes flickered back to the road and slowly he nodded his head.

"Ever since I had first laid eyes on him" Her father replied and that was that. Berlin didn't ask any more questions or speak another word as her father and her drove in silence. But in her mind Berlin couldn't help but wonder what this Charlie looked like. Is he tall, short, thin, muscular or heavy? Is his hair black, brown, red or blond...is it even still there? Is he a happy person, sad person, indifferent person or just a person? Is he a good man or a bad man? Is he worthy of her father or not?

Berlin didn't know but she was going to find out and soon since her father had turned into a drive way of a small yellow home that was close to the woods. The first thing she noticed was the cop car in the drive way. At this she sent a questioning glance a her father who grinned at her.

"He's a cop." He told her as he turned off the car. Good cop or a crooked cop? Berlin wondered knowing her father was giving her privacy and not digging in her mind. She got out of the car and into the light rain that was coming down from the overcast sky above. She closed the door behind her as did her father, slowly Berlin fallowed behind her father as h walked up the walk way and to the door.

Berlin watched as her father knocked on the door and waited.

"Coming" A gruff voice called from behind the door. Berlin started to shift from foot to foot nervous about meeting the man her father loved. Soon the door opened and there stood a man who looked to be in this mid-thirties, his hair was dark brown and was fading a bit into gray at the roots but only a bit. His eyes where a coffee colored brown, his face showed that he was under some stress and had some wrinkles on it. He was tall but not as tall as her father was; he was well fed but not over weight and looked to be a decent man. Over all Berlin liked him.

"Charlie, my friend how are you!" Berlin heard her father ask as he clasped Charlie in a manly hug. She watched as the surprise on Charlie's face slowly turn into a smile.

"Silver is that you, it's good to see you again old friend!" Charlie stated also hugging her father in a manly hug that was brief and short lived.

"Yes, too long. May we come in?" Her father asked. Charlie smiled and nodded as he cast his coffee colored eyes at her for a moment before letting them in. Berlin fallowed her father into the home and turned to take off her jacket and hang it on the rack by the door. When she had removed her jacket and hung it she fallowed her father into a nearby room which was the living room.

Berlin sat on the sofa next to her father as Charlie sat on the recliner across from them with a smile on his face.

"So this is your, Berlin." Charlie asked looking at her with smiling eyes. She saw her father nod his head.

"Yep, this is my little Berlin. Berlin this is Charlie Swan." Her father introduced with a smile. Berlin smiled at the man named Charlie and nodded her head.

"Hello, sir." She stated softly. She watched as red colored Charlie cheeks.

"Sir, that's so polite and to formal. Just call me, Charlie." Charlie stated looking at her and Berlin nodded her head.

"Alright, then you can call me Lin-lin. It's a nick name papa had given me." Berlin stated with a smile.

"Where is this daughter you talk so much about Charlie?" Her father asked looking around the room as if she would magically appear. Berlin rolled her eyes at her father's childish acts at times, but that was stopped at the look that crossed over Charlie's face. His eyes became dark, his face hard and his lips pressed into a hard line as if to stop the profanities that wished to pass threw them and out into the air.

"What is it old friend?" Her father asked looking at Charlie just as she was.

"She's with the Cullen boy." He spat as his eyes narrowed on the coffee table between them. This caused Berlin to raise a slim brow at his harsh, cruel and furry filled tone before she flicked her eyes over at her father who met her with his own eyes. Seems that this boy is well hated by your dear old friend, father. Berlin thought to her father as she turned her eyes back to the man seething with anger before them.

"Oh, my, what has this said boy done to encourage your wrath old friend?" Her father asked.

Soon Charlie was spilling the tale that involved his daughter Isabella otherwise known as Bella, and how she had moved in with him, started to date a boy named Edward Cullen. Who then left her last year leaving his daughter heartbroken so much so she couldn't function right till a boy named Jacob Black started to befriend her, how Charlie thought they would get together, only to have the Cullen boy show back up in the small town and get back together with his daughter who willing agreed and now they act as if he had never left and she was never hurt and said Jacob Black never existed, leaving him now heartbroken.

After the tale was over with Berlin and her father sat in silence thinking over what they had just heard. Berlin couldn't really wrap her mind around the whole thing since she had never really had a boyfriend, let alone a boy who she was friends with. Her father on the other hand was seething with untamed furry that came from the very pits of hell from some unknown reason.

"I'll make some dinner you two must be starving 'cause I know I am." Berlin stated as she stood up hoping to distract the two burning men who sat with anger. It seemed to work.

"Oh, no you don't have to." Charlie stated with a blush. Berlin smiled at him and shook her head as she walked into the kitchen. She knew it was rude to just barge in and take over like this but she needed to get away from the rage that was building up in the room. Slowly she heard the TV turn on and a sports announcer voice ring in the air. A small smile came to her lips and she started on dinner for not only herself but the two men in the other room.

The night passed with laughter, jokes, sports, food and talk. Charlie was a nice man and Berlin was alright with him if he wanted to get with her father, but something told her they would never be anything more than friends and she was also okay with this since her father rarely ever had friends...male friends.

"Why don't you two stay here?" Charlie asked as the clock showed it was well into the night. Berlin looked at her father waiting for him to answer and he did with a nod on his head. Soon they were setting up the living room for her father and herself. Charlie went up stares and to his room. Berlin slept on the sofa and her father on the floor.

The room was lit by a small candle that sat on the table.

"You smell it Berlin." Her father's voice asked in the dimly lit room. Berlin nodded her head.

"Yeah..." She answered quietly.

"We leave early, understood."

"Yeah..."

It was then that they heard it, the sound of a window opening up stares.