A/N- This chapter, and the entire story, contains the effects of emotional abuse/manipulation. Please consider this when deciding to read.

This is the final retroactive Beta chapter from the fabulous Dollybigmomma, please give her some love. As ever, she lets me know about mistakes, but sometimes I simply don't listen. What can I say? I'm a rebel. She, however, is nearly without flaws. Don't let my rebellion sully your opinion of her grammar and formatting skills.

Thank you for reading, please consider reviewing?

Bella

It was nighttime. The nightlight in my room was dim, and there were crickets outside chirping. I wasn't normally awake so late, but mommy and daddy were shouting, and I couldn't sleep. Edward had just lent me a book, and I hummed his song for me while I read it. Or, tried to read it.

Every once in a while, mommy and daddy would get really loud, Edward called it a crescendo, I think. I could hear what they were saying, and it distracted me. Then, they would get quiet again, like someone told them to shush.

I wasn't sure what they were yelling about, but it happened a lot. Mommy would get sad a lot. Daddy would try to make her happy, and then mommy would get angry. I wanted to try to make mommy happy, too, but it usually just made her sad again.

"I'm not happy here, Charlie, our daughter isn't happy here." Daddy responded, but he was quieter, so I couldn't really hear him.

"Well, she can make friends somewhere else!" she shouted, and I started to hear angry steps coming up the stairs. My bedroom door burst open, and I clapped my hands over my ears.

Mommy was in my room. She turned on the lights and went to my closet. She pulled out my blue rolly bag they had me use when we took trips or when I went to a sleepover.

"Mommy? What's happening?" Just as I asked her, daddy entered my room. Mommy opened the bag and put it on my bed. She went to my dresser and started taking out clothes. It wasn't careful, like when she was picking out an outfit for me, it was like when she was moving clothes into the washing machine.

"Renee, please, don't do this." Daddy came up behind her, and he tried to grab her arm, but mommy pushed him off her.

"I have to, Charlie, I can't stand another day in this town!"

"Daddy?" I looked up at him, worried. Whenever mommy got this upset, we would usually talk about something else. He came and sat down with me on my bed, giving me a big hug.

"Bella, sweetie, it's all okay, everything is going to be okay. You and your mommy are going to go away for a while, but don't worry, I'll see you soon, alright, honey?" Daddy was saying it was okay, but he didn't look like he believed it. Sometimes, adults lie.

"Okay, Daddy. It'll be alright." Sometimes, I needed to lie back.

Mommy went to her and daddy's room, and the thumping in her room made me think she was packing in there, too. Daddy grabbed my backpack and talked to me in his nice voice. Together, we packed some of my favorite toys, coloring books, crayons, and some books, including the bunny one Edward had just lent to me.

When mommy got back to the room, she had a bag over her shoulder and grabbed mine. "C'mon, baby," she held her hand out to me.

"Renee, please, don't do this," daddy begged softly, and mommy rolled her eyes.

"Charlie, I have to." She kept her hand out, and I went to follow her, but daddy stopped me.

"But do you have to take Bella?" He was sad.

"She's my daughter, too," mommy said, and she sounded like she wanted to cry. Daddy finally let me go, and I walked with mommy down the stairs. Daddy helped me get my shoes and coat on, and he carried me to the car, getting me into my booster seat.

Mommy packed our bags into the car and then got in on the driver's side. "Let me know when you get somewhere safe, so I know Bella is okay." Daddy gave me a kiss on the forehead and closed my door. He walked back and stood on the front steps watching, while mommy drove us away from my home.

"Mommy, where are we going?" I asked quietly from my booster seat. I could only see a part of her face in the glow from the passing streetlights. She seemed mad, but not. She didn't answer. I got quiet again.

Out the window, I saw everything I knew passing me. The diner where we ate sometimes and saw daddy's friends. The library where I searched for new and better stories. The school where I got to learn and play. After a while, there were only some trees, more and more, until I saw the mailbox that marked where Edward and his family lived.

Edward.

Then, it was trees again. Trees…trees…trees.

Mommy and I sat in silence, the sound of the car on the road making me sleepy like it always did on road trips. I fought to stay awake. It was too wrong. Daddy wasn't here. We never took a trip without daddy, or without planning ahead. By the look on mommy and daddy's faces, I didn't think either of them had planned this trip.

Slowly, I fell asleep, lulled into slumber by the gentle sounds of the road, and the fresh, emerging rain.

...

The sound of the rain that had always annoyed my mother was the most soothing thing in the world to me. The world was getting washed clean, wiping away the previous day's dirt and sidewalk chalk. Rain brought a fresh new beginning, feeding the plants that covered the green, green forests, from the tallest of trees to the smallest patches of moss. That rain that had said goodbye to me on my way out of Forks was the same that greeted me on my way in over a decade later.

There was silence in Charlie's car, besides the rain, on our way into town. It wasn't really unusual with Charlie; he was never the talkative kind.

After living in Arizona for so long, the sheer amount of green was nearly overwhelming. Green trees with green moss covering the trunks. The ground was covered in green ferns and other greenery. It was as though the green was saying hello, welcoming me home.

My eyes were glued on the world outside the car. I did miss Forks, of course, but the last time I had been here, I hadn't been aware of the danger I interacted with every day. Sure, deep in the forest would still be beautiful, tranquil, and contain more green than I had seen my entire time in Arizona. But I wouldn't be able to go into the forest anymore, not the way I had before. With boys who were now men, who now had anger to take out on someone like me. Even by myself, I couldn't be really safe, as I could never be really sure I was alone.

The carefree feeling I'd had in Forks all those years ago came more from the innocence and naivety of childhood. Forks wasn't the fairytale land of Happily Ever After's I had imagined it to be. It was the same as Arizona, which was the same as anywhere else. I would have to remember that, and not let myself get too swept up in the beauty of it all.

We didn't talk much, which was fine with me. I didn't know what I would say if he asked why I had gone from not visiting on holidays, and not even calling him, to moving in with him. Luckily, he had always been a quiet person. It wouldn't be any time soon.

He mentioned how I would probably need to get more of a winter wardrobe while I was here. I agreed. He also mentioned how it would be hard for me to adjust to the cold and rain. I agreed. I was in jeans, a pair of ratty Converse, the thickest long-sleeved shirt I had, and the heaviest hoodie I owned. It was almost enough. Though it was unseasonably cold, it was nothing compared to what the later fall months would bring, let alone the winter.

When we got to the house, Charlie helped me get my two measly bags to my room, and then he left me to unpack alone. It had been years since I'd been at Charlie's house, and my room looked like it, though without dust. He said we could redecorate sometime, that I probably wouldn't like it still. He was wrong. True, it didn't feel like the room of an almost adult, but it reminded me of the good times. The holidays I'd spent in this room were some of the best days I could remember. The holidays, back when I had been allowed to come, were the few times I'd gotten to see my dad, and the times I had been able to get away from Phil.

My room reminded me of that joy I had once felt. Joy unadulterated by worry, by fear, by the primal need to survive and protect. I knew it would be impossible to keep my new life from staining the few unsullied memories I had left, so I figured I should at least enjoy it while I could.

I grabbed my backpack and pulled out my laptop, setting it on the desk that had before only seen arts and crafts. I booted up the laptop, trying not to fidget as I waited.

Phil had told me I needed to let him know the moment I was home. What if he thought I should have gotten there sooner? I paced, trying not to bore holes into the floor, or into my laptop with my eyes. Finally, it made it to the home screen, and I called Renee on a video call.

When she answered, her face brightened, and she called out to Phil, letting him know I was there. I couldn't make out what he responded with, but after a moment, Renee turned back to me. "He says that's all, to remember your rules, and to call before you go to bed tomorrow." I was confused, but Renee started asking me questions about how it was in Forks, if Charlie was happy to see me, and other idle chatter I couldn't quite make myself care about. I excused myself from it quickly, claiming I needed to unpack and settle. I knew she could see it for the excuse it was, but she let me go anyway, telling me she loved me.

I played music quietly from my laptop while I unpacked. I opened my closet, finding it empty but for a few items I was sure would no longer fit, and I started putting away my clothes. In my dresser, I found a few of Charlie's old sweatshirts. They were worn and soft, and they smelled exactly like summers in Forks.

Okay, so Charlie has some kindness, but it doesn't mean there isn't cruelty in there, too. I wanted to be proud and never wear them, but it wouldn't do any good. The only difference in wearing them versus not wearing them was my warmth. In fact, maybe it would endear me to him. He could get upset at my snubbing his kindness.

Yes, wearing one of the sweatshirts would be the wise choice. Later, though.

I continued unpacking until I got to my last article of clothing, the hoodie with my treasures. I needed to find a place to hide them here. Somewhere that wouldn't be obvious, even to Charlie the cop. For now, I put them in the very back of my closet. If he was on a rampage, it would be enough out of the way, he might not make it to the spot before he turned on me.

I waited in my room for as long as I could stand it. If I hid too much longer, he could come looking for me, and it would make it all worse. Steadying myself, I slowly stalked down the stairs, trying to make myself ready. With Phil, I knew what to expect. Charlie was the devil I didn't know, and for that, he was all the more dangerous.

When I got downstairs, I found Charlie much like how I usually found Phil. On the couch. Watching baseball. Drinking beer. At least some things stayed the same.

I sat on the recliner, across the room from the couch, facing Charlie. He turned to me, putting his game on mute. Uh oh.

"Uh, Dad…since I'm here now, I just wanted to ask what, uh, what my responsibilities are here. Or…what the rules are."

Charlie nodded slowly, looking deep in thought. Had he not considered it before? Or was he trying to figure out how to tell me?

"Well, I guess you haven't really lived here for a while. How about we see how it goes and, uh, adjust as needed?"

Well…shit. No way to avoid trouble if you didn't know what the rules were. There was barely any tension in the room, it just felt more…awkward. It was a lot like how I remembered conversations with him back when I was a child. Back then, he would always mumble and avoid eye contact. He had been better with an, "I'm going to Jake's," from me before calling back, "Be home before dark."

"Uh, okay, I can do that." I didn't know if I could, actually, but I knew I would have to.

"Okay." He watched me as I stood up, moving away from him. He turned the volume of the game back up, and I walked hesitantly to my room.

There's no way that actually just happened. He's gotta be playing mind games with me, right? What kind of sick fuck was he?

I went back into my room, closing the door slowly. For the rest of the night, I paced and worried about Charlie. Or more, his rules.

Realistically, they couldn't be too different from Phil's. Only go to school and back unless absolutely necessary, take care of the house, keep my grades up, that sort of thing.

And no boys, of course. Even if Charlie wasn't cruel, the boys certainly were.

I would just have to do as Phil advised and stay good. Though, I was sure I would be more on alert than ever, ready to catch the slightest misstep.