A/N: First of all, thank you so much for all the reviews and all the hits! You guys are great! Secondly, it was brought to my attention that Bella's "letting go" of Charlie was a little abrupt, and looking back I think that's probably true. So in an effort to remedy that, this chapter is for all of you who felt bad for Charlie. Angst ahead!

Bella

Trust the Cullens to buy another car, just to get me across the country. I hadn't given much thought to how we would be crossing to the other side of the States, and it wasn't until I laid eyes on the unfamiliar Audi that I realized what Carlisle and Alice had done.

"Like it?" Alice asked innocently when she noticed me staring.

"Alice, please tell me you rented that," I begged, though I already knew the answer.

"And go through all the trouble of having to return it?" Alice rolled her eyes. "We didn't have time to drive here, and we're most certainly not taking you anywhere on an airplane. Trust me, this was the simplest solution."

"I wasn't aware that 'simple' was synonymous with 'expensive' and 'extravagant'," I muttered. "Did you really have to buyanother car? Doesn't everyone in your family already own at least one?"

Carlisle winked at me as he unlocked the automated locks. "Well, yes, everyone did. Until today, of course."

I didn't catch the implication at first. "Wait…what?"

"You don't mind if I drive your car, do you Bella?" Carlisle teased.

"Carlisle," I spluttered, "I don't need a car!"

He just shrugged. "You can't bring your old truck with you. Think of it as a 'welcome to the family' gift."

"But…"

"Don't be difficult, Bella," Alice grinned, knowing full well how much I hated gifts. She opened the passenger side door and stepped back, gesturing for me to get in, but I wasn't about to let this slide.

"I don't need a car! I'm perfectly willing to be shuttled around for the rest of eternity!"

"You'd regret making that decision," Alice warned, though her eyes were twinkling. "Of course, no one says you have to take my word for it." She tapped a dainty finger to her temple. "It's not as if I can see the future or anything."

I rolled my eyes. "Alice, you can't tell me that my refusing to let you spend so much money on me is a decision I am going to regret."

She shrugged. "If you want to take that chance, fine. Get in."

Still I hesitated.

"You can think of it as a loan, if you'd like," Carlisle offered, leaning on the open door, his eyes betraying his amusement. "It doesn't have to be agift. Just a car we own that you happen to drive on occasion."

"Either way, you have the whole trip to mull this over," Alice added. She gestured again for me to get in. "This car is how we're getting to Ithaca regardless, so you might as well get in."

As much as I hated to admit it, Alice's logic did make sense. I looked from Alice to Carlisle and back again, then sighed. "Fine," I huffed as I got into the offending car. "But this doesn't mean it's mine."

"Not at all," Carlisle chuckled as Alice shut my door and slid into the backseat. I buckled my seatbelt out of nervous habit, ignoring Alice's quiet laughter. Carlisle started the car and soon the magnificent white house had disappeared behind the solid wall of trees.

It was almost nine at night. We had decided to wait until dark before leaving, and though Alice and Carlisle had come up with a multitude of excuses why, I knew it was for me. I had needed a little time to take care of a few loose ends and to come to terms with the idea of never seeing the people I loved again. Charlie was at the center of my heartache, though I couldn't help hurting a little for Jacob either.

I had spent most of the afternoon writing two letters, one for each of them, both of which I had burned immediately afterwards. It didn't do much to quell the ache I felt, but it was better than nothing. I was distracted for a little while upon learning that Alice had bought me a "temporary" new wardrobe while I was unconscious. To her credit, she had managed to keep it to traveling standards: enough only for one suitcase. Of course, the three blouses, two pairs of jeans, assorted articles of underclothing and set of pajamas probably all cost about the same as my entire old wardrobe.

First the clothes, and now a car… I winced and sighed, watching the dark outline of the trees. The clothes I supposed I could accept, but a car was another thing entirely…

The drive to my house took less time than I'd hoped it would, though having a vampire driving probably contributed to that. Carlisle pulled the car to a stop a few houses down the street from mine and turned it off. I could barely bring myself to look at the familiar house, the hurt was so sharp.

Alice reached up and patted my back gently, said, "I won't be long", and then got out of the car. It was all I could do not to follow.

Alice

I knew Bella was watching me every step of the way from the car to the front door of her old house. I hated to admit it, but I could see now why Edward had always been so stubborn about leaving Bella human. He'd wanted to spare her this pain. But then, Edward's stubbornness was the reason she was going through it now. If the choice had been hers then maybe she would have been able to deal with this separation better, but Bella had been stripped of her right to choose and had had no time to prepare for it. My fists clenched as I walked up the stairs and onto the porch. Bella would have us to help her through. Poor Charlie was going to have to face this alone.

I knocked on the door, then waited, listening for sounds of movement from inside. I knew he was home; not only could I hear him walking around, the upstairs lights were on and his police cruiser was parked in the driveway. I knocked again when it became apparent that he wasn't going to come to the door, then tried the door handle, which was surprisingly unlocked.

"Charlie?" I called into the house, stepping cautiously inside. "Chief Swan? It's Alice Cullen." There was a moment of silence, and then Charlie appeared at the top of the stairs. He squinted down into the darkness uncertainly.

"Alice?" he asked. I reached over and turned on the front hall light.

"Sorry for barging in," I apologized softly. "I'm only going to be in town for a few more hours… Dad and I heard about…about what happened, and I wanted to come see how you're doing."

"How did you get in?"

"The door was unlocked."

Charlie looked slightly annoyed. "Renee must have forgotten to lock up behind herself." He came down the stairs and I was able to get a better look at him. He looked like he hadn't shaved or slept since Bella had first disappeared; the large shadows under his eyes could have rivaled a vampire's any day. The poor man looked like he was falling apart at the seams.

Charlie led the way into the kitchen and pulled a chair out for me before sitting down himself. "What brought you back?" he asked, and though the question was casual, I could tell that it was forced.

"Dad had some business to take care of at the hospital and I wanted to come along, just to visit."

"Ah." Charlie rubbed his face tiredly with his hand. I reached across the table and gripped his arm.

"Charlie, I am so sorry." He nodded, not meeting my eyes. "Is there anything in the world that I could do to help you?" I asked helplessly.

He shrugged, and when he spoke next, his voice was barely above a whisper. "Thank you, but no, Alice. Renee's here, and she's been helping out a lot. I managed on my own before she came…" I could see the tears welling up in his eyes and felt very much like shedding tears of my own. "It'll be…different…this time…" I nodded, frowning. I didn't have to be able to read minds to understand that by 'different' he really meant 'harder.'

"Oh, Charlie…" I looked away as he tried to compose himself, knowing he was uncomfortable being so out of control in front of someone.

"I can't help but feel that this is all my fault," he admitted finally, his voice so soft that I wouldn't have been able to hear it with human ears. "She was so depressed after…after you all left, and I didn't know what to do to help. What if something I did led to this? I didn't send her back to Renee when I should have, and now, because of my own inadequacies, she's dead!"

"Charlie, no!" I insisted. "Listen to me. I know its tempting to blame yourself, but you can't. Bella loved you as much as she loved anyone, and if she were here she would be horrified that you could even think of blaming yourself! She loved you for being her dad, and wherever she is now, she still loves you. She wouldn't want you to blame yourself, and she'd probably lay into me for even letting you consider it! Do you understand?" I asked. Charlie hesitated, then nodded slightly.

"You're right." He made a noise that was half-laugh, half-sob. "Now if only it were that easy."

"I know it's hard. Unbearable, even. And it's okay to hurt, that's only natural. But I think Bella would want you to keep living, Charlie. She would want you to move forward, when you're ready to."

"I know." He sighed shakily, and we sat for a moment in silence before he stood up abruptly. "I haven't been very…hospitable, have I?" he asked apologetically.

"I understand," I reassured him.

"Do you want anything to drink or eat?" he offered, struggling to sound more upbeat.

"Don't worry about it. I should probably leave soon anyway."

Charlie looked slightly perturbed at this. "Could your father and you use a place to stay?" he offered.

I shook my head sadly. "We're on a tight schedule and have to drive all night."

"Right."

I stood up as well. "I'm truly sorry. I know how hard this'll be for you." He nodded, staring determinedly at the floor. "Just promise that you'll think about everything I've said, okay?"

Charlie nodded. "Thanks for visiting, Alice. You were one of her best friends. Make sure you keep your own advice too." I nodded somberly, hesitated, and then hugged the grieving man.

"Take care of yourself, Charlie. Do it for Bella."

He nodded again, his eyes wet and far away. "For Bella," he repeated softly.

Five minutes later I was sliding into the backseat of Bella's new Audi. "I told him everything, Bella, and I really think he'll be alright," I said as Carlisle started the car and turned it around. "He loves you. And he knows you love him." I saw Bella nod shortly. Carlisle's eyes in the rearview mirror warned me to let it alone for now, so I settled back in my seat, hoping against hope that Charlie would indeed be able to pull through.

Bella

I had gotten to see him, just for a few seconds, as he let Alice out of the house. Her words as she entered the car were reassuring and hopeful, but I wasn't quite ready to look forward. I wanted to cry, or at least to sleep and get away from the ache I felt for my dad, but being a vampire made it impossible for me to do either. Instead, I curled up in my seat and rested my head against the window, watching as we headed out of Forks and in the direction of the Olympic National Park.

Goodbye, Charlie…

A/N: Maybe that was a bit much… Oh well. In any case, next time we're back on track and on the way to Ithaca! Thanks again!