A/N: Hi there! What a way to start the weekend with reading the thoughts of our favorite green-eyed sexgod.

Here I'm giving you — unbeta'd and probably full of errors — an outtake of Edward and Charlie's trip to the bar.

I hope you'll enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight...

Outtake – Blessing EPOV

"I hope you're not too set on going to the station," Charlie said with a mysterious grin as we were about a few hundred yards away from the house.

What was that about? He had told Bella and Sue that he had to go to the police station to do some work, and Bella had already told me that it was some kind of habit or maybe tradition on Thanksgiving. What neither of us had anticipated was that he insisted on taking me with him. I hadn't spent more than five minutes alone with the man since we'd arrived last night, and we hadn't talked more than ten sentences with each other. Although he'd given up the almost hostile attitude toward me, I still felt a little uneasy in his presence. After all, he was Bella's father, and I really wanted him to like me since I was planning to stick around for a long time.

"Uhm, no. I'm not," I answered him carefully.

He only grinned a little darkly while staring straight ahead. "That's good then, because that's not where we're heading."

What did he mean? Did he know about me and Bella? Did he know about last night? That I had snuck into her room and had sex with her while he was asleep just across the hall? Oh my God. He wouldn't shoot me, after all, would he?

I didn't say anything. Instead, I tried to compose myself to not show him how nervous I suddenly was.

We rode in the cruiser for a few more minutes before Charlie pulled into a small parking lot in the middle of town. When I got out, I started to look around, trying to figure out why we were there.

"Come on, Edward," he said, waving his hand to make me follow him.

I looked around again, but when I realized that the only way out was to turn tail and run, which wouldn't give my hopefully future father-in-law the best impression, I shrugged my shoulders and followed the man.

I was quite surprised when we entered a bar. The chief walked straight into the long room filled with middle-aged men, greeting the bartender and ordering two beers. Then he sat down at a small table in the back of the bar, facing a giant plasma TV that was showing ESPN.

"Isn't this better than hanging around the house, doing stupid chores? I come here every year, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, basically whenever there is a lot to do in the kitchen, and the women are better off without me." He laughed as I sat down next to him.

"Bella already told me you'd probably be at work this morning. They don't seem to suspect what you're really doing." I shook my head, chuckling lightly at the smugness on Charlie's face.

The bartender came over, setting two bottles of beer on the table in front of us. "There you are, Chief. Busy times at home again?" The gray-haired man who was wearing a checkered flannel shirt seemed to be amused by Charlie's tradition.

"Yeah, just like every year. Tom, this is Edward, by the way," Charlie introduced me, moving his head in my direction once.

We nodded a silent hello to each other.

"So, having a private word with the future son-in-law? It's great to see that Bella finally has someone. I won't bother you any longer. Enjoy the game." Before I could object to his words, Tom was gone again.

"Cheers," the chief said as he clinked his bottle to mine before he took a big sip.

I was sitting still, stunned by what had just transpired. The fact that Charlie hadn't denied the barkeeper's assumptions made me feel uncomfortable. It was not that I really objected to his assessment of our relationship. To be honest, it was the same way I felt about it. But knowing that Bella wasn't there yet, which meant that we technically weren't a couple, made the situation kind of akward. Who was I to Charlie? A random friend his daughter brought home? He'd already told me yesterday that Bella had never brought anybody home before. After telling me her whole story last night, I was sure she'd never known anyone she wanted her parents to meet. Had she really wanted to introduce me to them, or did she just have pity on me when she heard that I wouldn't be with my family on Thanksgiving, and taking me with her to her family was just inevitable?

My eyes were on the flat screen while my thoughts were spinning. I took a long drag from my beer and avoided Charlie's gaze. Although he appeared to be watching TV, I could feel his eyes on me every now and again.

After a while of sitting silently, Chief Swan cleared his throat. "You know, I'm glad to finally meet one of Bella's friends." He paused for a second, taking a sip from his bottle. His eyes that had been on the flat screen wandered to meet mine. "I know Alice, of course. I've known her since she was five. And I know Jasper. He's kind of like a brother to Bells. But other than that, no one."

I wasn't sure what he wanted me to say, so I just remained silent, picking at the label on the bottle in my hands. I had the feeling that he wasn't done speaking yet.

"The only person other than Alice that she's ever brought into our house was Jacob." I cringed slightly upon hearing his name, and I was sure the chief had noticed it. I felt my teeth clench but tried to keep my calm. I didn't want Charlie to know that I had animosities toward the son of his best friend. My eyes wandered to meet his, and what I found there was understanding. "I don't know what happened between Bella and him, and I might never find out. But I have a feeling that you know a lot more than I do. However, I'm not as oblivious as my daughter likes to think. I know very well that she was in love with him and that he hurt her badly. She's never been the same girl again after that."

Charlie's lips were pressed together in a tight line, while his eyes were fixated on the bottle in his hands. "Edward, I've watched the two of you together last night and this morning. Bella says you're just friends. But I see the way you look at her, and it's nothing like a man looks at a friend, even if she's as pretty as my daughter." I was holding my breath, waiting for him to shout at me, draw his gun or just punch me in the face. My gaze met his, and to my surprise, he appeared to be calm and composed — not the least bit mad. I slowly let out the air that started to make my lungs ache as Bella's father continued to speak.

"I can't remember the last time I've seen my daughter as happy and content as she seems to be when she's with you. I don't want you to tell me anything she doesn't want me to know. I respect her privacy and yours. There's only one thing I want to ask of you. Please, take care of my little girl. I know she trusts you, and I can see that you love her. Just promise me to be good to her."

Chalie's eyes that were so much like Bella's were openly pleading with me. He was worried about his daughter's well-being and her happiness. I was moved by his sincerity, and I had to clear my throat, which was constricted with emotion, before I could answer him.

All I could say was, "I promise, I will." My voice was strong and determined. I tried to put everything I felt for Bella into those four little words. I was glad to see that Chief Swan seemed satisfied with my reaction.

He placed his hand on my shoulder, squeezing lightly. "Thank you, son. I know you're a good guy."

He smiled at me, and I smiled back involuntarily. "Thank you, Charlie." I felt myself tense up with the significance of the moment. We locked gazes for a moment, and I saw that Chief Swan was aware of it, too.

I was relieved when he tried to lighten the mood. "Now — " he took his hand away " — enough with the emotional crap. Didn't we come here to escape the girly stuff? Let's have another beer and enjoy the game." Charlie looked toward the bar. "Tom, two more, please."

I slumped down in my seat to sit a little more comfortable. Now that I was finally able to relax. I couldn't believe that Charlie had accepted me as his daughter's boyfriend just like that. I didn't even have to try hard to get him to like me. He just gave me his blessing — freely and deliberately. It felt good that he approved of his daughter and me being together. Now, the only thing I needed to do was get Bella to acknowledge what was going on between us. I knew that it wouldn't be easy but I felt that last night was a major step in the right direction.

********POMH********

A/N: Was it what you had expected it to be? Some reviews for last chapter said that you anticipated Charlie to grill Edward. But that's not my Charlie. He wants to see his little girl happy.

For all of you who are interested, I'd be happy to meet you in my FB group Payton79's Fanfiction for a little chat or just to share some teasers and pictures with you.

Let me know what you think. The next regular chapter will be up on Tuesday and it will be "Kinky" ;).