Ah, I know you don't want to her my excuses. I'm sorry, but here's an update.

But of course, soon to come are *wince* finals. *shudder*

This means I will be studying non-stop. Enjoy a little diddy about Charlie. I'm going to attempt to write some Carlisle and Esme love. :]

Policeman

Charlie sat in his office on a lazy Wednesday afternoon. The office was humid, despite Fork's cool temperatures, even in the heat of the summer. He cracked a window and leaned back in the chair, reviewing some old reports for the millionth time. He wiped his forehead and glanced through the frosted glass in his door. Karen, his assistant, looked just about as bored as he was.

Nothing much happened in the small town of Forks during the summer. Everyone else had gone away to the sunnier states to enjoy their freedom there. Heck, nothing much happened in Forks any day. The scanner blipped with idle chit-chat between officers, but that was it. He heard a chair creak outside and Karen poked her head in.

"Slow day Chief."

He nodded and tapped his pencil against the desk. "Would it be a bad thing to say that I wished for somebody to misbehave? Some store to be robbed? Something?"

She laughed and leaned against the frame. "I'd probably come along. It's so hot in here that the ice is beginning to fan itself." Actually, it was probably all melted by now. "Oh, how is Bella doing? I heard she was back from Phoenix."

Charlie sighed and ran a hand through his thinning hair. "She's better, nothing much wrong now but the broken leg. She's not a hard girl to take care of." He mentally cringed at the thought of her "boyfriend." He knew that Edward Cullen was a very honest young man, but after this incident he was beginning to doubt him. He hurt his little girl, causing her to move out, only to bring her back looking like she lost a battle with a MAC truck. Despite his doubts, the doting care he showed towards her right now always warded off his suspicions.

Karen broke his musing. "That's good, I heard it was a bad accident. Oh, and as much as I hate to do this, these just came in." She walked over and plopped a large pile of paperwork on his desk. Charlie cringed and shook his head incredulously as Karen exited the room. Where was all this paperwork coming from!?

After about fifteen forms the scanner crackled to life once more.

We have a report of a disturbance on Emery Street. Neighbors say they can hear screaming and shouting, sounding like a fight. When confronted they found a man and a woman fighting, apparently the man threatened to "teach her a lesson the hard way." Requesting officers. Both participants have finished fighting and are waiting.

He pushed himself up from his chair and walked into his office. Officer Harrison looked up and set his work down.

"Want me to take this one chief? Sounds like an easy open-and-shut case."

Charlie shook his head. "Why don't you join me Harrison? I need a break from all the paperwork. We can catch some coffee on the way back."

Soon Charlie and Harrison were speeding down the road with the lights on. Emery street was on the bad side of town, if there was one. The pulled up to a run-down house and climbed out. The door was slightly ajar when they walked in. A woman was leaning against the wall, crying and staring at her shoes. A man sat at a table with his head in his hand.

"There all yours." Said one of the neighbors as they strode out the door. Charlie took his number for future questioning, should the need arise. The witness report wasn't far behind. Harrison strode open to the woman and Charlie beckoned for the young man to join him outside. They both leaned against his car, and the young man pulled out a cigarette.

"You'll kill yourself real good with that."

He sighed at the smoke and threw it on the ground, stomping on it with his heel. "You can throw litterin' on my tab too."

Charlie sighed and stared at the mashed white mess on the pavement. "Well, I will have to charge you for attempted assault. You did threaten her with a knife." He glanced up to the troublemaker. "You mind telling me what exactly was going on this afternoon, and your name?"

"It's Rick." He shoved his hands in his pockets and scowled. "I thought I knew all about Janet in there. I really liked her man. I just found that she was steppin' out on me." The scowl deepened. "I just lost it. You probably don't know what it feels like to have the girl you love walk out on you."

There's the rub. He crossed his arms and leaned back against the car, assuming a relaxed posture. This man wasn't going to take off. "You'd be surprised. Did you think threats were the proper way to handle this situation though?"

He growled and kicked a rock, watching it bounce off a light post. "Woman are so confusing! You think you know them, but they're just stringing you along the whole time! I thought she loved me, I really did. Gosh, how do I end up like this?"

Charlie laid a hand on his shoulder. "I used to have a wife, who almost did the same thing your "Janet" did. I still lover her though, and I don't want to hurt her though."

Rick looked at him. "Real...well, I guess you know what I mean then. I-I still love her. I don't want to hurt her. I just got so angry, I couldn't think straight. Guess I know where that got me."

Charlie chuckled. "Women are confusing. If you think they're bad now, wait until you have a teenage daughter." Rick laughed at this one, a wheezy guffaw. Yes, he'd better lay off the stuff. He glanced once more to the splotch of color on the otherwise black pavement. "You know what I have to do now though." He took the handcuffs from his belt and signaled him to turn around. Rick did with a sigh and he clapped them on his wrists, getting him into the back seat.

Charlie climbed back into the front seat of the cruiser and waited for Harrison. Rick slumped dejectedly in the back-seat. "Look, Rick. Maybe Janet isn't the type of girl that's for you. By cheating, she shows that maybe she doesn't love you as much as you thought." He paused for a minute to swallow a lump in his throat. He didn't wonder on why it was there. "Maybe you just have to let her move on, and move on yourself." He voice was a little shaky, and he looked at his hands on the wheel."

"I don't imagine living without her though."

Charlie glanced in his review mirror. "Maybe not right now. Maybe not for 14 years from now. Someday. Listen, stop with the cigarettes, get a decent job, and stay out of trouble. Once your life is in order, your love-life will follow."

Another deep sigh was heard from the backseat. "You know, everyone thinks that you officer's are all bad. You sure make a lot of sense though." He smiled suddenly then. "Hey you said you got a teenage daughter. What's she like?"

Charlie shot a look so fierce into the review mirror that Rick cringed into his seat and didn't speak another word all the way back to the station.