Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. No copyright infringement intended.

All right, kids. Here we go!

Chapter 15: Charlie Comes to Dinner

Bella's POV

I turned in my seat to receive the test papers from the people behind me in Government class, tapped them twice on my desk to neaten them, and added mine to the pile. I passed the papers ahead to Brittany who winked, likely believing we'd both done well after our intense study session at her house this weekend.

I'm sure she had very little to worry about either way. After all, her father wasn't preparing to meet her boyfriend's vampiric family in less than twelve hours.

As soon as the test was over, Edward put his hands on my shoulders, attempting to will my body into a state of calm. "It's okay, Love," he said for the ninth time since meeting me at my truck this morning.

I smiled - how could I not with his flawless face mere inches from mine? - but my heart wasn't in it. No matter how many reassurances he gave me, no matter how sincerely Charlie had said he looked forward to tonight, I was convinced this dinner would be a royal disaster.

And for once, I was betting on myself.

The bell rang for second period, and Edward took my hand and led me down the hall. His grip was tight enough where I wouldn't lose my balance and soothing enough to save me from a full-on panic attack. I squeezed his hand in appreciation, and he squeezed back, rubbing the back of my hand with his thumb.

If only he could hold my hand all night long.

When lunchtime arrived, Edward escorted me through the line, suggesting anything that might excite my non-existent appetite. When I realized he wouldn't quit until I had a suitable snack, I grabbed a strawberry-banana yogurt and a granola bar.

"Happy?" I groused.

"Very," he said as he paid for my lunch.

I reluctantly slid into my seat at our crowded table, wishing I could hide in the bathroom until tomorrow morning. Brittany and Jessica were sitting with us, as was Lauren much to my dismay. After our long weekend together, I could have gone without seeing her again until Christmas, but maybe she was more mature than I thought. Either way, she was barely a blip on my radar today.

"What's the matter, Bella?" Jessica asked. "I'm sure you smoked Cromley's test."

"She's having a Meet the Parents moment," Alice said lightly.

"What does that mean?" Brittany asked.

"Her father is coming over tonight to meet the family," Alice continued. "Bella's freaking out for reasons I fail to understand."

I rolled my eyes at her cavalier attitude as she smiled back. "It'll be a piece of cake," she said.

"Meeting the parents can be scary," Angela said. "I remember when Ben's parents came to my house for the first time. I wanted to bury myself alive."

"And my dad's not the police chief," Ben observed.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad," Brittany said. "Chief Swan is cool, and Dr. Cullen seems great."

"How do you know?" Jessica asked.

"I saw Dr. Cullen at graduation last year," Brittany said. "I didn't speak to him or anything, but he seemed really nice."

"Carlisle's great," Alice agreed, "and so is the rest of my family. Bella's worried for nothing."

My brow furrowed again, and Edward leaned closer as if to whisper in my ear. His cool breath blew down my neck, dissolving my desire to flick yogurt all over Alice's smug face. He kissed my cheek, and I heard Lauren suck her teeth.

"I hope you at least have sense enough not to act like that in front of your father."

And just like that, my bad attitude returned. "Lauren, why don't you just shut the f-"

"Earrings!" Alice shouted before I could drop the bomb on Lauren. "Bella, I forgot I have some earrings for you in my locker." She pulled me up with her superhuman strength before I could protest. "Walk me there."

I glared at Lauren as I stood up, embarrassed for losing my cool in front of Brittany again, and stomped out of the cafeteria toward Alice's locker. She surprised me by plopping a pair of pearl gray studs in my hand. "They'll go great with your outfit tonight," she said as she closed her locker.

"Whatever." I put the earrings in my bookbag. "Why didn't you let me tell Lauren off?"

"Because as richly as she may deserve it, she's not the reason you're so upset. You need to calm down if you want tonight to go well."

"Why?" Alarms clanged in my head. "What will happen if I don't calm down? What are you seeing?"

"I'm seeing my best friend have an ugly meltdown in the hallway." I frowned at her response, and she laughed again. "Would you relax? I've told you: nothing bad happens tonight."

"But you can't see everything. What if Charlie makes a snap decision and ruins everything?"

Alice considered that possibility. "Well, freaking out will not make things better, so please, for your own sake, do not let your nerves get in the way tonight."

I tried to remember Alice's plea when it was time to head home that afternoon. I had soaked up as much of Edward's comfort as I could before he put me in my truck to prepare for our evening. He kissed me soundly and promised me again everything would be fine. I asked him how he could be so sure, and his eyes betrayed his uncertainty.

Still he said, "Somehow it will all be well."

I wished I could believe him.

Charlie must have left work early because he was home when I got there. It was not quite four-thirty, yet he was already in the bathroom shaving. When he walked by my bedroom an hour later, I saw he was wearing a new cotton shirt and what were supposed to be his good pants.

"You're not wearing that, are you?" he asked as he caught me watching him.

I looked down, not seeing the problem with the jeans and sweatshirt I'd worn to school.

"This is a big night, kiddo," he said gently. "I just want you to look your best."

I gaped at my father, wondering if Alice had gotten to him, then decided starting off the evening with an argument was probably not the best idea.

"I was just about to jump in the shower."

"Great." He smiled. "I'd like to leave at six, if that's okay."

I came downstairs with a minute to spare. Charlie turned off the highlights from the early Mariners' game, muttering about a lazy outfielder, and fished his car keys off the hook in the hallway. He locked the front door before leading me to the passenger side of the cruiser.

"You look nice," he said as he opened my door.

The black mock turtleneck and gray pleated skirt made me feel like a Catholic school freshman, but I thought they looked nice with the earrings Alice gave me. "Thanks."

We drove to the Cullens' in silence, and I almost wished that a giant hole would swallow us into the earth before we arrived. Just trying to figure how to introduce Charlie to the Cullens was giving me a headache.

Thankfully, they spared me that agony. When we pulled up, Alice was on the top landing with Esme. I had never been so glad to see the two of them in my life.

"Hey, Bella!" Alice sang as she danced down the stairs toward us.

Charlie's composure cracked. "Hello again, Alice."

"Good evening, Chief Swan!" I thought she was going to pirouette for him. "We're so glad you're here."

"So am I." He grinned. "And call me 'Charlie,' please."

"If you insist." She slipped her arm through his and escorted him toward the door.

"This is Esme," Alice said as we ascended the stairs. "Esme, this is Police Chief Charlie Swan, Bella's father."

"It's lovely to meet you, Charlie," Esme smiled.

Alice led Charlie inside, and Esme put her arm around my waist as we followed. Her cool embrace relaxed me, and I forgot to be nervous. "It'll be okay, dear," she whispered. "You'll see."

Carlisle was shaking hands with my father when Esme and I walked in. Charlie didn't wince at Carlisle's icy touch, and I nearly sighed with relief. No matter how well we had all prepared for tonight, the slightest misstep could ruin everything Edward and I had rebuilt in the past two weeks. And that thought tortured my sanity.

As if he had read my mind, Edward materialized on my right while Alice introduced Charlie to the rest of the family. She kept Charlie's back to us while Edward and I hugged and kissed, and though the contact was brief, it allowed me to breathe again.

"And you already know Edward," Alice said as Charlie turned around.

Edward stepped forward and shook Charlie's hand. "Nice to see you again, Chief Swan."

"Yes," Charlie said. He was opened his mouth to speak again when a savory aroma derailed his train of thought. "What smells so good?"

"Dinner," Esme said proudly from the kitchen where Rosalie was helping her set the table. "I made a vegan three-cheese quiche. I hope that's all right."

"That sounds great," Charlie said. I was sure he didn't know what quiche was, but with Esme smiling like that, she could have served him regurgitated cow cud, and he would have asked for seconds.

"Where should I wash up?" he asked me.

"I'll show you," Edward offered.

The two of them left the room, and Alice rushed over to me. "Why do you doubt me?" she beamed. "I told you it would be fine."

"Are all of you really going to eat dinner?" I whispered as she ushered me toward the table.

"Yes, ma'am," Jasper smiled.

"Calm down, Bella," Rosalie said as she passed me. "It's not as if the stuff can kill us."

Emmett snickered at my humorless reaction, and Carlisle shook his head. "Not tonight, okay?"

As Edward and Charlie rejoined us, I noticed the seating plan for the first time. Carlisle was seated at one end of the rectangular table with Charlie on his left. Beside Charlie was Alice, followed by Emmett and then Edward. Across from Edward was Rosalie, followed by Jasper, me, and Esme on Carlisle's right. Edward was on Charlie's side of the table, so my father couldn't glare at him or see him watching me. Being sandwiched between Jasper and Esme would keep me calm, and Charlie couldn't resist Alice's charms.

It was a brilliant arrangement.

Esme set our plates before us, and the aromas wafted around us like a delicious fog. Charlie smiled as we reached for the flatware when Carlisle cleared his throat and said, "I thought we might say a prayer."

My father and I looked at each other in confusion and put our hands in our laps. I couldn't remember the last time I had seriously prayed for anything and didn't know if God would remember me. But Carlisle was pious enough for all of us, so I bowed my head and closed my eyes as he did the honors.

"Eternal God, our heavenly Father, who alone make men to be of one mind in a house, we humbly thank you for this special night and ask that you continue your loving-kindness unto us. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen."

"Amen," we said together.

The prayer seemed to alter the atmosphere, and we started our evening on a pleasant note. Charlie oohed and aahed over Esme's cooking, and I was stunned when Emmett scarfed down three plates of food without really pausing to chew. Our fathers talked about mutual professional acquaintances, and Charlie asked about assorted crime victims he had personally assisted. With the way things were going, I started to believe that I had been worried for nothing.

"How long have you and Esme been married?" Charlie asked.

"Not nearly long enough," Carlisle said fondly.

"That's his cute little way of saying he doesn't know," Esme teased. "This year will make ten."

"Wow," Charlie exclaimed. "You must have married young."

"When you know it's right," Esme said. "Why wait?"

"And when did you start adopting children?"

Here we go.

"I'm sorry," Charlie replied to the expression on my face. "Was that rude?"

"Not at all," Esme smiled. "Our lives must seem strange to you."

"A young married couple, willingly adopting five teenagers?" Carlisle continued. "It's certainly not the norm."

"No, it isn't," Charlie agreed, handing his plate to Rosalie who had started to clear the table. "I sometimes have my hands full with just the one." He smiled when I rolled my eyes.

"We're happy to answer any questions you might have," Carlisle said.

"I'm glad to hear it." And in that moment, he transformed from "concerned father" to "Police Chief," winding my stomach into an elaborate knot.

"Why did you choose to live out here in the forest?" he asked. "Not the safest place for a family."

"We needed a large house with lots of acreage," Carlisle said as I grimaced internally. "With five teenagers and their varied interests, the fewer neighbors to annoy, the better."

Charlie laughed. "I've never had a single complaint."

"And you never will," Esme winked at her children.

"Why Forks?" Charlie resumed. "I'm sure you could have more prestige and certainly more money if you worked in a larger city."

"There are more important things than money," Carlisle replied. "Peace of mind, security, and family among them."

"We also love the outdoors," Esme added. "And this area has some of the best trails and forests in the country."

"I did hear that you guys go camping a lot," Charlie admitted.

"Every chance we get!" Emmett boomed. "I mean...yes, we do... uh, sir." Esme chuckled at Emmett's enthusiasm while Rosalie shook her head.

"You all have the same complexion and eye color," Charlie said. "Why is that?"

And there it was.

The question that would ruin my life.

I closed my eyes and clamped my mouth shut. Screaming wouldn't help, and it was far too late to change the subject. Carlisle had been so forthcoming in his answers that any sort of deflection would rouse Charlie's suspicions.

Not that it mattered now. Not that anything would ever matter anymore.

I felt Jasper's waves of calm and Esme's hand on my leg, but their consolation was useless. I knew Alice was sitting across from me with wide, apologetic eyes, but I refused to look up. This tragedy was not her fault. It wasn't anyone's fault, really.

Unless you blamed the two people whose unstoppable love forced this confrontation into existence.

I wanted to look at Edward, to lose myself in his warm, golden eyes one last time, but I couldn't. I wouldn't be able to take his sorrow, his guilt, his love, and his sense of futility. I wouldn't be able to keep from running to him, from flinging myself into his arms one last time before our forever ended for good. I wouldn't be able to ignore the irony that for all the dangers in the supernatural realm, for all of Edward's fear that his world would be the death of me, in the end, my human father would destroy us all with a question.

A benign question with an impossible answer.

What would Charlie do when Carlisle told him the truth? Would he try to grab me and run? Would he detain the Cullens before calling for back up? Being a vampire wasn't illegal, was it?

I knew Charlie was armed; he never left the house without his pistol. Would he draw his gun and shoot them all?

My God, he would try to kill Edward first!

Although bullets couldn't hurt my beloved, the thought of Charlie trying to kill Edward stopped what was left of my heart, and Esme squeezed my leg with greater force, causing me to cough. She handed me my wineglass, and I gulped its contents, heedless of what my father might say. Charlie was about to find out that he was in a house full of vampires. Now seemed like the perfect time for me to get good and drunk.

These thoughts took barely a second to stampede through my mind, but that was plenty of time to complete their mission of mayhem. Carlisle took a needless breath to answer Charlie, and I winced as the proverbial axe prepared to fall on our collective necks.

"We have an incurable, non-fatal blood disorder."

I opened my eyes as the world around me screeched to a stop.

What was that?

"And one of its most unfortunate effects," he continued, "is that it decolorizes our skin and eyes."

What did he say?

"The eye issue can be corrected with colored contact lenses," Esme added. "But our pale skin and colder-than-normal body temperatures are much harder to disguise."

I finally looked up to glance at Edward. His eyes were calm, and I remembered he could read the minds of everyone else at the table.

Edward could read the tenor of Charlie's mind, yet Edward didn't look worried in the least.

I blinked at him stupidly as I processed what was happening:

Carlisle and Esme were telling Charlie the Cullens all looked alike because they all had the same rare blood disorder.

Not "Because we're vampires who almost drained your daughter two weeks ago."

But "Because we have a rare disorder that messes with our blood."

Was I drunk already?

Jasper nudged me, and I realized my mouth was hanging open. I shook myself out of my stupor and found Alice smirking from the other side of the table. "Piece of cake," she mouthed again.

A rare blood disorder.

A rare blood disorder?

Could the explanation really be that simple?

"I had no idea," Charlie said with feeling. "How long have you had it?"

A long look at Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett revealed their bewilderment as Carlisle answered Charlie's question. And from their quick glances at each other, I deduced that Carlisle hadn't told anyone what he would say if Charlie asked the million dollar question tonight. Alice must have watched him make the decision a few moments ago, the same moment in which Edward read the answer in his mind. Everyone else was as surprised as I was.

I marveled at Carlisle as he addressed my father. Could he and Esme have long ago discussed what they would say if anyone ever asked about their physical similarities? Or had this ruse been concocted for my benefit?

When I next looked at Charlie, I noticed a peculiar look in his eyes. "Bella has always been pale," he was saying. "Do you think she could have it too?"

Esme shook her head and smiled. "She's just a fair-skinned beauty."

"She spends so much time here," Charlie hedged. "Is it possible that she could..."

"No," Carlisle said. "It's not contagious."

"I'm very glad to hear that," Charlie sighed.

"We would never put Bella in danger," Esme said.

"Of course not," Charlie said. "I'm just...I'm just relieved, that's all."

"We understand," Carlisle said.

"Why don't we retire to the family room?" Esme suggested. "This might be easier to discuss in there."

Charlie rose from the table after Carlisle and Esme, and I had planned to speak with Edward during the short walk to the living room. But Rosalie intercepted me and planted herself beside me on the loveseat.

So much for that.

In the interim, Carlisle had answered Charlie's medical questions - thoroughly enough to satisfy even his policeman's curiosity - and I began to believe the worst was finally over.

"Is that why you decided to adopt these children?" Charlie asked.

"In a way," Esme said. "Being so familiar with this disease made us sympathetic to young people suffering with it."

"I learned about Edward first," Carlisle said. "His mother had been one of my patients, and she asked me on her deathbed to take care of her only son."

"Her deathbed?" Charlie asked.

"She died several years ago," Edward whispered from his seat next to Alice in the oversized chair.

"I'm sorry, son." Charlie looked kindly at Edward for the first time in their history. "I didn't know."

"Thank you," Edward said, and I wanted to run to his side, take him in my arms, and kiss all of his bad memories away. And if my father hadn't been there, I would have.

"Rosalie came along next," Carlisle said after a moment.

"I thought she and Jasper were twins," Charlie said.

Esme shook her head. "People assume as much because of their similar hair, skin, and eye color. We used to correct the misconception, but it seems to help people make sense of our differences. It's a lie, but a relatively harmless one."

Charlie nodded as Carlisle continued. "Rosalie was really struggling, and her family...well..."

"My old life became intolerable once I realized I was sick," Rosalie interrupted. "It was best I left."

"Do you miss your family?" Charlie asked.

Rosalie tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I have learned to accept my life as it is."

She had spoken with a smile and without excess emotion. But Rosalie's reply tugged at my heartstrings, and I found myself patting her leg in sympathy. I half-expected her to slap it away, but she laid her cool palm on top of mine before folding her hands in her lap.

"I didn't want to be a burden to my family," Emmett was saying. "So I jumped at the chance to live with Doc and Esme."

"How would you have become a burden?" Charlie asked.

Emmett shrugged. "People don't like 'different' where I'm from."

"I know it may sound like we were trolling the country looking for afflicted kids," Esme said. "But it wasn't like that. Carlisle's work took him to different places, and periodically, we would find..." Her hands aimlessly indicated her children. "It's hard to explain it all at once," she smiled. "But when we met each of them, it always felt like..."

"Fate," Charlie said.

Esme's smile nearly cracked her face. "Yes! Exactly like fate."

Charlie looked at Alice next. "What about Suzy Sunshine over here?"

"We found them," Alice trilled. "I'd heard about how kind and sympathetic the Cullens were, so Jasper and I sought them out."

"Together?"

"Yep! And they took us in as two of their own."

I groaned inwardly as Charlie's head whipped back to Carlisle. "So the two of them are a couple? That wasn't just a rumor?"

Alice blanched at her mistake, and Edward pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Yes," Carlisle replied. "Alice and Jasper were a couple when we met them. Emmett and Rosalie began their relationship later."

Charlie leaned toward Carlisle as toward a deranged suspect. "You're telling me that you allow your sons to date your daughters right under your nose?"

For the second time that night, I feared I might pass out in a dead faint.

"It does sound perverse when you phrase it that way," Carlisle conceded. "But try to see things from our perspective."

Charlie folded his arms. "I'm listening."

"With their peculiar medical history, it isn't easy for any of them to sustain friendships, let alone find companionship. As Emmett said, people don't like 'different.' And because we knew our children were older and leaving behind lives they loved, we didn't want to place unfair demands on them. We asked them to respect our home, God, and the world He created, and to use wisdom and discretion when they make decisions. As surprising as it may sound, their relationships have never posed a problem because they deal with any romantic issues privately. So we only police their behavior when we have to, and so far, it hasn't really been necessary."

"That all sounds good," Charlie said. "But it's still a little..."

"Weird?" Esme finished his thought. "I know. Between the disease and all of us learning to live together, this arrangement took some getting used to, believe me. Carlisle and I never planned to have so many people living with us, but we couldn't imagine our lives any other way. And we certainly prefer it to the alternative."

"And that would be?" Charlie asked.

"Being empty-nesters," she replied softly. "They're all of age, and once Alice graduates, there will be no reason for her to remain in Forks either. She and Jasper, like Rose and Emmett, could choose at any time to leave us and live on their own. And as much as we would miss them, Carlisle and I would not stop them if that's what they wanted to do."

"But for now," Carlisle continued, "they want to stay with us and keep our family together. And we consider that a blessing."

Charlie closed his eyes after a moment. "And where does Bella fit into all of this?"

"What do you mean?" Esme asked as she glanced at Carlisle.

"She's dating your youngest son," Charlie said. "How does all of this affect her?"

"As Bella is not our daughter, she and Edward are not bound by the same conventions as these four are," Carlisle replied.

"But she is always welcome here." Esme smiled. "Always."

I knew Charlie's eyes were on me, so I fixed mine on my lap. But my heart was reaching out for Edward, straining to touch him. With the width of the room and my father's presence between us, I felt Edward reaching for me too. Our silent communion strengthened my scattered soul, and I knew I would survive the rest of the night.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

After Esme served her amazing coffee cake for dessert, Jasper turned on the television to catch the second game of the Mariners' doubleheader and made himself a new friend. He and Charlie fussed and discussed Seattle's chances in the postseason while I played chess with Edward. I beat him twice, much to Emmett's amusement, mainly because he couldn't read my mind. That, and the fact that one of Renee's former paramours was a nationally-ranked chess master who taught me six variations of the Budapest Gambit.

Carlisle and Esme walked Charlie and me to the door and thanked us for coming. Charlie shook Carlisle's hand warmly and bowed to Esme. He spoke to each of the Cullen children before leaving and even patted Edward on the shoulder. Charlie walked me back to the cruiser where I settled into the passenger's seat, and I was certain the evening could not have gone any better.

I fully expected Charlie to tell me what he really thought of each Cullen once we were alone in the car, but he didn't say anything of the sort. In fact, after his last words to Carlisle on the porch, Charlie didn't say a word.

Not one word.

He didn't comment when we had to detour around a fallen tree. He didn't complain when the call came over the radio about some rowdy teens speeding on the main road. He didn't even chuckle when I asked him to identify the main ingredient in the quiche that he'd loved so much.

Charlie did not utter one single sound for the entire ride home.

I knew it was too good to be true.

I looked out the window as we drove, reviewing the night for any missteps. Maybe he was upset that the Cullens had served wine to their teenagers or that I drained my glass in a matter of seconds. But he'd assured Esme when she'd asked his permission that legal adults having a glass of wine under parental supervision was fine, as long as the parents themselves weren't alcoholics.

Surely he wasn't worried about that.

Maybe he was feeling guilty for asking the Cullens so many questions. I'd never known Charlie to be so officious outside of the station, and maybe he was experiencing inquisitor's remorse. Charlie didn't often apologize, and if he felt the need to do so now, that discomfort might be enough to render him mute.

As my memory yielded no viable explanations for Charlie's surprising vow of silence, I decided not to press the issue. I would instead focus on the success of the evening and the moment when Edward would climb through my window later tonight.

But when Charlie didn't open my car door, refused to look at me as he unlocked the front door, and then proceeded to go upstairs to bed without even saying "Good night," my tolerance for his reticence reached its end.

"Dad! What's with the silent treatment?"

Charlie stiffened on the third step. "Bella, can we not do this tonight?"

So something was bothering him.

"I'm sorry," I said with less steam. "I don't know what happened or why you're suddenly acting this way, but I deserve to know what's going on."

"You deserve to know?"

"Yes," I insisted. "The Cullens were nothing but honest with you, so you should at least be..."

"Honest?" He turned around with unreadable eyes. "You call what happened tonight 'honest'? How stupid do you think I am?"

Charlie's question popped my bubble of confidence, and I stared at him blankly.

"In my years as an officer, I've learned a thing or two about human nature," he said as he descended the stairs. "And I know that the truth is always found in what people do not say."

I found myself backing into the living room. "I don't know what you mean," I said in small voice.

"They spent so much time talking about their illness and how they found their children. Hell, even the kids got involved, spilling one sad detail after another. All designed to keep me in the dark about what all of you were hiding."

"Hiding?" I croaked.

"You most of all."

I fell into the couch, my eyes widening with each successive word.

"You're a terrible liar, Bells," he smiled grimly. "So for all their attempts to distract me with their so-called honesty, one look at you proved there was a much bigger secret being kept from me. It took some thinking, but I figured out what it was."

So this was it.

This was how it would all end.

That "blood disorder" stuff hadn't fooled him for a second.

He didn't confront me in their home because such behavior was unbecoming for an officer. But under his roof where his name was on the deed, he could do or say anything he wanted. After all, he was the Police Chief. Who would question him here?

Had Billy Black tipped him off somehow? Sent him a message that neither Alice nor Edward had seen?

Did that matter now that he knew the truth?

My heart thundered in my ears and threatened to combust as Charlie sat down across from me. I closed my eyes and prayed, for what I didn't know. I hoped God remembered me from dinner and still cared enough not to desert me now.

I waited and waited for Charlie to lower the boom, but he didn't say anything for a moment, for too long a moment. And when I summoned the courage to look up, his eyes were melancholy, dejected even.

"You love him."

It wasn't a question, yet he seemed to be waiting for an answer.

"Edward," he said.

"Yes?"

"You love him."

I nodded in confusion. "I know."

His eyes were hollow with sadness. "I didn't."

The intensity of the moment made us both uncomfortable, and I began picking at my purple nails. Charlie rose from his chair and walked over to the mantle. He idly touched a photo from my fifth birthday, a childish scowl revealing my long-standing dislike of parties.

"I knew how Edward felt about you the first time he brought you home," he said softly. "A man knows when a man is serious about a girl- a woman. And that boy was as gone for you as I was for your..."

Charlie cleared his throat as my heart floundered uncomfortably.

"Edward's feelings were obvious, if not too strong for someone so young. But yours were harder to figure out. I gathered you thought he was 'hot' or liked him somewhat, but I didn't know if there was more to it than that.

"But I watched you tonight, and the strangest things happened. You didn't greet Edward when you saw him, even though he kisses your cheek every time he enters our house. You didn't sit together the whole night, and when you played chess, Alice and the big guy chaperoned. The entire family seemed to be keeping you and Edward apart, even though I came over to acknowledge your relationship. And that made me wonder what they were trying so hard to hide."

Charlie took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his thinning hair.

"My mind immediately went to the worse-case scenario. I thought you were pregnant."

"What?" Anger and embarrassment flooded my face, but Charlie smiled. "I quickly realized that wasn't the case."

I'd almost thought he'd unnerved me on purpose, but I didn't have the energy to object.

"I thought about every teenage horror story I'd ever heard," he continued, "but nothing seemed to fit. You weren't on drugs or in a gang. He wasn't a troublemaker or a terrorist. But I knew something was up.

"Then I remembered the most important thing I've learned as a cop: the obvious answer is usually the right one. And as I thought about what the simplest truth could be, that's when it hit me."

Charlie looked at me wistfully. "You love Edward. You love him in the way that turns a boy into a man overnight. Everyone there knew that and was trying to keep your old man from finding out."

I felt like I should say something but wasn't sure what.

"I know they were trying to help," he said. "And I don't blame you or him for that matter. These things never happen when you want them to. If I'd had my way, you wouldn't have met Edward until you were in your sixties. By then, I would be too old and senile to care about you leaving me."

My eyes began stinging. "I'm not leaving you."

"Not tonight," he smiled. "But you will. And you should. What you have with Edward, people wait an eternity to find. Some of us never do. So as much as I hate to see you growing up so fast, I won't stand in your way."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I accept Edward as your choice. No more unreasonable curfews, and I won't glare at him when he comes over. He can pick you up for school and take you to work, as long as he doesn't make you late. And if you ever want to spend the weekend with the Cullens, just give me a heads up. Edward is a fine young man from a good family, and I trust they love you almost as much as he does. I wouldn't share you with him for anything less."

I had successfully held back most of my tears and remained quiet while Charlie opened the floodgates of his heart. But the last bit of his revelation had been too much, and I threw myself into his arms. He caught me awkwardly then patted my back, turning his moist cheek away from me.

"I love you, Bells," he murmured. "And you'll always be my little girl."

"I love you, too, Dad," I whispered. "Thanks for understanding."

Charlie nodded then motioned that he was ready to head upstairs. I rose from his lap and averted my eyes. Emotional sharing wasn't our thing, and we were both embarrassed now. He touched my arm briefly then headed upstairs. I collapsed into his chair, my mind reeling from the night's events.

"You can go ahead and call him now," Charlie yelled after a few minutes. "I know you're dying to."

I laughed aloud then ran up to my room with my phone in my hand. Charlie smirked as he entered his bedroom, and I didn't bother to hide my joy. Closing my door behind me, I turned on my stereo before dropping the phone on the bed. I crossed the room and stepped into Edward's waiting arms, safe and sound at last.

I hope you think I've done this all-important chapter justice. Only one way to tell me!

PS – Chapter 3 of "Serenity's Prayer: The B-Sides" shares much of this chapter from Rosalie's point of view. It has some interesting insights I think you'll enjoy, so give it a shot!