"Bella," Tanya said gently nudging me. "We're at your house."

I opened my eyes and found we were parked in my driveway. I hadn't realized I fell asleep. I had only planned on resting my eyes on the drive home, not sleeping.

Do you want to come in?

"Do you want me to come in?" Tanya countered.

I nodded. I was planning on making dinner for Charlie. If you want to learn how to cook, tonight would be a good time to start.

"Then I would be happy to come in," Tanya said.

Charlie's car was here which meant he was home. When we lived in Forks, Charlie could be found on the couch with a beer watching the game on his days off. While he did still watch the game when he could, he had taken to doing other things. Last week he made a rack for the firewood. He spent half the day cutting logs for firewood in preparation of the cold weather. I think he was thrilled to have a large fireplace to enjoy.

Tanya headed inside the house. I could hear banging and cursing coming from the living room. I glanced at Tanya and she had a smile on her face. Well at least Charlie wasn't doing anything too dangerous.

We walked into the living to find Charlie trying to build a bookcase for our movies. He hadn't seen us. He was too busy trying to hold the pieces of wood together with one hand and hammer in the nail with the other hand.

"Ouch, dammit," Charlie hissed a second later. He managed to hit is finger with the hammer, probably not for the first time.

Tanya disappeared from my side just as Charlie dropped the pieces of furniture. He held his thumb up and I could see the blood trickling down.

Charlie looked up. "Bella," he exclaimed. "Did you just get here?"

I nodded just as Tanya reappeared with a first aid kit. Charlie stared at Tanya, his eyes wide. He looked at Tanya and then his bleeding thumb. "I'm not going to hurt you Charlie," Tanya said. "Even if you weren't Bella's father. We don't feed on humans, remember?"

Charlie blushed. "Right," he agreed. "But still, blood and vampires don't mix well."

Tanya snorted. "For others perhaps." She sat the first aid kit down and started pulling out what she needed to treat him. "I've been alive for a very long time. Human blood has little effect on me."

Charlie glanced at me before asking his next question. "What about the Cullen's?" he asked curious.

I decided to make myself comfortable on the couch while Tanya took care of Charlie. I couldn't watch. Blood still made me queasy.

"No stitches," Tanya muttered. "Carlisle is immune to the smell of human blood. It's the only way he could be a doctor. With the exception of Carlisle, they have all killed humans before, however Rosalie is the only one who has never tasted human blood."

Charlie frowned and so did I. "But you said she killed humans," he muttered.

"She did," Tanya confirmed. "But she didn't feed from them. You would have to ask her if you want more information. It's not my place to tell."

Charlie looked to me and I shook my head. I knew nothing about Rosalie, mostly because she hated me. All I knew was Carlisle only turned the others because they were close to death.

"Right," Charlie muttered, wincing as Tanya wiped the wound with an alcohol pad.

It only took a few minutes for Tanya to take care of Charlie. She disappeared when she was done but I knew she was still close by. Do you want some help with that?

Charlie stared at the bookcase like it offended him. "Yeah, I could use some help," he admitted. He looked at his bandaged thumb. I'm glad he realized he couldn't do it alone. Tanya and I could easily help him.

Tanya returned. "Hold the pieces together Charlie," she instructed. He did what she said. She grabbed the nail and pushed into the wood.

Charlie stared at the pieces in amazement. I watched as Charlie and Tanya worked together to build the bookcase. Charlie would hold the pieces together while Tanya nailed or screwed them together with just her fingers. I had to admit. This was entertaining to watch.

When they finished Charlie stared proudly at the surprisingly secure bookshelf. "Thanks for your help Tanya," he said gratefully. "What are you guys up to this afternoon?"

Homework and I'm teaching Tanya to cook.

"You want to learn to cook?" Charlie asked her in surprise.

"I want to be able to cook for Bella," Tanya said honestly.

Charlie's respect for Tanya just dramatically increased, whether Tanya noticed or not. "Okay," Charlie said with a nod.

Do you want any help with that?

"Nah Bells," Charlie said. "Go get your homework done. This is the easy part."

I headed to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water before going upstairs to my room. Tanya followed behind. When we got to my room, I grabbed my backpack and dumped the contents onto my bed. I needed to work on my organization or it was going to be too easy for me to get behind in my classes.

Tanya took a seat at my desk when she realized I wasn't going to be using it. Once my assignments and notebooks were organized, I flipped through my textbooks. The books I needed were left on the bed while the rest were shoved back into my bag. I dropped my bag over the side of my bed and got to work.

Math was first on my list to tackle because I knew it would take the longest to finish. It was also the most annoying and frustrating to do. I had to re-read the examples in the textbook several times before attempting the problem. Luckily, the teacher assigned the problems with the answers in the back so I could check if I was doing it right.

I checked my answer and growled when I realized I had gotten the problem wrong. I crumpled up the paper and tossed it to the side so I could try again.

After the third attempt, I was ready to throw my textbook across the room. I threw the crumpled paper to the floor but this time it never hit the ground. I looked up and found Tanya unfolding the paper.

"Would you like some help?" Tanya offered. "I may not have done high school repeatedly but I did go to college a few times."

Please, I signed to her.

Tanya grabbed the chair and dragged it over to the side of the bed. She grabbed the pencil and paper from my hand and began explaining the different problems.

It took over an hour for me to get my homework done. But with Tanya explaining everything, it was far easier to finish. I sighed in relief once it was done. My neck was stiff from bending over the piece of paper.

I glanced at my alarm clock. It was almost five and I would have to start thinking about dinner soon. The only thing I had left to do was my anatomy worksheet, and to study for an upcoming exam in government. The exam wasn't until Thursday though so I had time.

I put my math work away and grabbed the worksheet. Anatomy in high school was largely about memorizing so it was fairly easy. Just some fill in the blanks and short answer questions.

I quickly filled out the sheet before putting everything away.

I'm done, I wrote. I flexed my hand. It was cramping from all of the writing. I have an exam to study for later but if I don't get to it tonight it's okay.

"I can help you study later if you want," Tanya offered. She was always so quick to offer to help me. I felt guilty but at the same time, who better to help me study for a government exam then someone who has lived through it all?

I nodded and she beamed. "Would you like to learn some more sign language before you have to cook?" she questioned.

I nodded again and she taught me several more things. It wasn't enough to hold a full conversation but I now knew the entire alphabet, hello, goodbye, how are you, please and thank you, yes and no, and hungry and thirsty.

Thank you, I signed when we were finished. I frowned. I had more to say but I couldn't sign it. I sighed and grabbed my whiteboard. For learning sign language and for teaching me.

Tanya cupped my cheek. "Of course Bella," she said softly. "Come on, I can hear Charlie's stomach growling."

I laughed and followed Tanya downstairs and to the kitchen. It was strange how well she knew my house, considering she'd only been here a few times. "What are we making boss?" she asked.

I froze. I hadn't even considered what I was making. I knew the fridge was stocked because I went grocery shopping a couple days ago. So, we definitely had food. I just needed to come up with a recipe.

"You don't know," Tanya realized with a laugh.

I blushed and nodded. I held up my finger, to tell her to give me a minute, before opening the door to the fridge. I dug around the fridge and found a pack of chicken thighs that needed to be used or frozen. I put them onto the counter and looked around some more. I eyed the soy sauce in the fridge and a plan was formed.

I was going to make chicken teriyaki with roasted broccoli and rice. I was even going to do a homemade teriyaki sauce since I had everything I needed. It was simple but it would work out well.

I grabbed the head of broccoli and sat it, along with the soy sauce on the counter. I dug through the cabinets to grab what I needed for the teriyaki sauce. I made sure to grab the rice while I was in the cabinets.

Once I had everything I needed I grabbed my whiteboard so I could let Tanya know what we were doing. I'm making chicken teriyaki with rice and roasted broccoli.

Tanya nodded. "What do you want me to do?" she asked.

Can you debone the chicken?

Tanya stared at the bag of chicken and wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Yes, I can," she said with a sigh.

I grabbed her hand before she could walk away. Does the smell bother you? Like the blood and stuff?

"The meat is unappealing," Tanya confirmed. "The blood, as little as there is, isn't fresh so it isn't appealing either."

If it's bothering you, you can... Tanya grabbed my hand before I could finish writing.

"I'm not going anywhere Bella," she said firmly. "If the smell gets to be too much I can hold my breath."

I had forgotten they could hold their breath. From what I remembered, it wasn't something they enjoyed. While breathing wasn't necessary, it was uncomfortable to be without their senses.

I nodded and went back to work. While Tanya prepared the chicken, I got the rice maker out and was making rice. Once the rice was going I got the broccoli cut up and tossed with spices and olive oil and the teriyaki sauce made. I turned on the oven so it could start preheating.

Tanya handed me back the deboned chicken. Instead of taking it back I put it on the counter and wrote out my next instructions while she washed her hands. Cover the chicken in the teriyaki sauce. Don't use more than half the sauce. I'll cook the chicken on the stove when you're done.

I got my pan out and started to heat it up. When the oven beeped I put the broccoli in and set the timer.

Tanya watched carefully while I cooked the chicken. I saw her eyes flicker to the clock on the microwave. When I flipped the chicken, her eyes would go back to the time. She was checking to see how long it took me to cook the chicken on each side.

If you ever cook chicken for someone, make sure there's no pink in the middle. Raw chicken is dangerous for humans.

I covered the chicken with the rest of the sauce and let it sit. It was almost cooked

I glanced at Tanya and saw her frowning. "How do I know there's no pink when I'm cooking?"

I took the chicken out of the pan and sat it on a plate before I grabbed a hot pad and took the broccoli from the oven.

While that stuff cooled down I dug a meat thermometer from the drawer and handed it to her.

Meat thermometer. You stick it into the chicken and it reads the temperature. You want it to be 165 degrees but it'll continue to cook even after being removed from the stove. So, you can remove it at 160. All meat should rest for a few minutes before cutting it, so it can retain its juices.

I quickly plated food for Charlie and I. I offered Tanya a plate but she shook her head. "Since Charlie knows, I don't need to play human here," Tanya explained. I shrugged and put the plates on the table. "I'll go get him."

Tanya left the kitchen while I poured two glasses of milk. I sat them at the table just as Charlie arrived. "Smells good Bells," he said. He took his usual seat. I sat down across from him and we ate in silence.

Tanya never came back from the living room. She knew I didn't like to be stared at while I ate. I could hear some noise and it sounded like she took over Charlie's job of putting our movies on the bookshelf.

You roped Tanya into helping you? I tapped the table to get Charlie's attention.

Charlie swallowed a mouthful of rice before replying, "I didn't force her! She volunteered to help. Said you didn't like being watched."

She's right. Vampires have a habit at staring at me while I eat. I don't like it. Tanya's not as bad as Edward had been though.

Charlie's eyes darkened at the mention of Edward.

Sorry Dad. I shouldn't have brought him up.

Because of Tanya I could think about Edward without my chest hurting, or flinching. But I didn't stop to think about how Charlie would react to his name. It was an unspoken rule for the longest time that the Cullen's were never mentioned, and now all of that had changed.

"Don't apologize," Charlie said, setting down his fork. "You have every right to bring him up. I'll never forgive them for what they did to you and I hope to never see them again… but we can't pretend like they don't exist. They were an important part of your life."

After we finished eating I got up to start cleaning up. "Leave the dishes, I'll do them tonight," Charlie told her. He glanced at the leftovers on the counter. "Anything special I should do with the food?"

I shook my head. Rice can go in a Ziplock. I'll make fried rice tomorrow night with it. The rest can go in any container you find.

Charlie nodded. "Right, go on and relax. I know you haven't had much time for that," he said. I gathered my things. "Is Tanya, uh, staying again tonight?" he asked before I left the room.

Yes. I sleep better with her.

"I figured," he muttered. "I'd hoped when we moved the nightmares would go away." He sighed. "I won't stop her from being here. The nightmares aren't healthy for you. Just… just be careful, if you two are doing…"

I waved my hands to cut him off. We're not doing anything, I wrote. I underlined it several times. There's no relationship Dad. She's a friend, a good friend.

"If you say so Bells," Charlie said. I frowned at him. "Go on. You have school tomorrow."

I headed upstairs with Tanya right behind me. When we got to my room, I debated between crashing in my bed fully dressed, or going about my nightly routine and getting ready for bed the proper way. I decided on my routine, but only because I would be much more comfortable that way.

I grabbed my things and headed to the bathroom. I preferred to shower in the morning so that was one less thing to worry about tonight. I quickly changed into my pajamas before washing my face and brushing my teeth. I brushed out my hair as I found my hair easier to deal with in the morning. Once I was done, I grabbed my dirty clothes and headed back to my room.

Tanya was sitting in my desk chair, flipping through my borrowed copy of Of Mice and Men. I had checked it out Friday since we were going to start using it in class tomorrow. I meant to start reading it this weekend but didn't have the chance. It was a short book though, so it wouldn't take long for me to finish it.

I dumped my dirty clothes into the hamper and climbed onto the bed. It wasn't all that late but I was exhausted. I set my alarm for the morning and grabbed my book so I could read for a bit.

It didn't take long for Tanya to walk over to the other side of the bed and slide in under the covers. "You should sleep," Tanya muttered. "I can feel how tired you are."

I glanced at her face. There was nothing but concern there. I nodded and put my book away. She left the bed long enough to turn off the night. I laid my head against her shoulder and closed my eyes.