Charlie had been young when Renee had agreed to marry him. He was new to his job, and his parents were sick. She had been a welcome light in his life. He had been so delighted when she got pregnant, but it was short-lived. She had wanted to leave, to go someplace warmer, "more inviting," as she always said. When Bella was born, he thought she would settle down, but she didn't. His parents kept getting sicker, and he needed to stay with them. Renee didn't care. She had taken off in the middle of the night with Bella. For four years he took care of his parents alone, supporting Renee and his child from afar. He barely got to see his daughter in those early years. She didn't call him 'Dad' like he so desperately wanted. He didn't push it. Then his parents died.

Charlie felt all alone then. It felt like the world had shriveled up around him. His best friends had done their best for him, but it still felt empty. Then Bella was allowed to visit for the summer each year.

Bella, his best decision, lit up his world. She was a shy child with a sweet smile and had a kind attitude. When he took her to see his friends and their children, she took right to little Jacob. Sarah had loved Bella. Bella was a little helper around the house and kept Jacob company when his sisters wouldn't. Charlie loved her with all his heart. He thought that the summer months each year were worth the wait. She was always such a happy kid. Until she wasn't.

When Bella had stopped visiting every year, Charlie's heart broke. He stopped putting in effort and poured all his time and attention into his job and fishing. His world wasn't the same.

Three years later, his little girl was back in his home, for the rest of her teenage years. She had turned seventeen and was in his house again. It felt like a miracle that she was back. (It disappointed him, however, that it took three years of Renee being neglectful to get her there). Things had started looking up. Then Cullen happened.

At first, he was gruff because who wouldn't be with their little girl's first boyfriend? He wanted her to know that he'd have her back, and keep an eye on the kid. Their relationship had been that obsessive kind that some first loves had. Charlie had figured they'd have a painful break-up and she'd move on. That hadn't happened, however. The boy had been strange and possessive from the start; Bella had bent over and twisted backward to fit his bizarre mold. Charlie had been at a loss for what to do for his daughter. She kept getting hurt in strange ways, and doing things that were so out of character for her. She wasn't the kind to say awful things to others or run away at the slightest conflict. She was stubborn and kind and stood her ground when it came to the things and people she cared about. Suddenly she was a shell of a person when her boyfriend wasn't telling her what to think and do. She was quiet and gave in whenever anyone said something contrary to her. Charlie was scared for Bella.

When Edmund had left, he thought she'd be sad for a little while, and then go back to normal. It didn't go like that. He lost her almost completely. She was a silent ghost around the house. She seemed to run on autopilot as she lost weight and did her daily tasks. She didn't smile, and she screamed in her sleep. Charlie had threatened to send her back to her mom just to get a reaction out of her.

Jacob seemed to be the only thing to help. The young man had stepped up and taken her back in. They had grown apart after Bella had left, but when she moved back, a small connection had formed. Since Cullen had left, Jacob had started to reach out more often. It took a few months, but she finally latched onto his offer of friendship. Charlie watched in awe as the son of his best friend helped his daughter become herself again. It was wonderful, to him, to see her smile. She was suddenly excited about things again. She was reading, listening to music, and dancing around in the kitchen as she cooked. Bella was his daughter again.

As in everything else in Charlie's life, tragedy struck, in three parts, all at once. Harry died. A heart attack that had been looming over Harry's health finally struck, and his family watched him die as they waited for help to come. Alice Cullen had shown up on their doorstep, and Charlie's worst fear of them coming back seemed to be coming to fruition. And then when he was busy helping his friends on the reservation, after Harry's death, Bella had taken off. She went off to help Edward, her note claimed. Jacob had been distraught. The young man looked as if it were Bella's death knell. Charlie was worried that it might have been.

He tried to ground her when she got back, but it seemed to have made no difference to her. Bella was back to being not-Bella, as Jacob had once referred to her. She was strange and quiet, and skittish. Charlie would spend the rest of his life regretting that he hadn't caught the signs. He was a cop, and he told himself that he should have known better. The signs were pasted in big, bright, neon letters above her head, every time that he saw her.

Bella was being abused. Charlie had missed all the early signs of it, and Bella had paid the price.

So, there was Charlie, the phone up to his ear as he dashed around the house, trying to get everything together. Bella was in the hospital, and it was clear that she had been hit. None of her injuries could be explained by an accident, and none of it could have been her fault. His holster was buckled, and his call ended. He barely had his shoes on when he dashed through his door, slamming it shut behind him. He had no time to waste, not this time.

Charlie had arrived at the hospital in record time thanks to the lights on his cruiser. He wasn't risking anything by bothering with traffic. He had sprinted through the familiar doors of the emergency room, and gone up to registration, and there was already a nurse standing up, ready to show him the way. He had followed, his breath rushing in and out of his lungs, focused on nothing but the thought of his daughter.

Doctors and nurses were running in and out of her room, and plenty of voices were all going on at once. He could hear the steady beeping of the heart monitor hooked up to her. He couldn't see her through the throng of people. He wanted to see Bella. He needed to see her face and know that everything was going to be okay. The nurse that had shown him the way called out, and a few people turned towards him. One of the doctors turned out to be Dr. Gerandy. He spotted Charlie and gently escorted him from the room, and out into the hallway, letting the door close behind him.

"Chief Swan," He started. His voice was gentle, filled with sympathy. His form of addressing Charlie, however, made Charlie scared. He hadn't been scared like this in a long time. No one talked to him like that, in the hospital, unless something terrible had happened. "She's going to be okay, we're sure, but I wanted to warn you."

Those words sent Charlie's mind and heart into overdrive. If it hadn't been for his change in diet, (due to Harry's death, one that had been preventable), he would have feared a heart attack. Charlie didn't want a warning, he wanted to see Bella. A warning meant it was worse than he had imagined. (How could it be worse? It shouldn't be. His daughter was a clumsy girl- he desperately wanted it all to be a misunderstanding of some silly fall). He didn't bother to hide how he felt as Dr. Gerandy offered him a steadying hand.

"She's wrapped up right now, so you won't be able to see most of the damage, for now. There was a lot of damage to her face, heavy bruising, and minor fractures to her upper arms. She has a serious concussion, of which there are a number of symptoms-" The doctor's voice drowned out as Charlie took in the beginning of the damage. Unlike with any of the more serious crimes he had seen on the job, he couldn't compartmentalize this- not his little girl. Bella had definitely been hit, and considering her behavior, it was likely this was not the first time. Guilt began to drown him, and he felt his failure grab at him. How could he have let this happen? How could he have left his daughter, (the one who took care of everyone else, always so aware of their feelings), in the hands of a monster?

Charlie began to focus on how he was going to handle this. He wouldn't be allowed on the case. He could, however, make Cullen's life very hard, if not the whole family.

Dr. Gerandy shook Charlie lightly. "Did you hear what I said, Chief Swan?"

Charlie tried to wave off his thoughts for a moment, so he could listen to the doctor. "I'm sorry. I'm trying to figure out what to do."

"I understand. She listed you as her emergency contact, and you're her next of kin. Although she is an adult, you do still have charge of her care. I'm going to give you a copy of her records, and if you consent, we'll also give a copy to the police. They were called only a few minutes ago. It shouldn't be long, now." His hand on Charlie's shoulder squeezed gently, and he gestured to a set of chairs opposite Bella's room. "Take a seat. We'll let you in as soon as we can."

Charlie sat down, his body sagging in the hard chair. He felt all of his energy leave him as he tried to hold back his tears.

He needed to call someone. Bella wouldn't want to be overwhelmed, but Charlie needed support. Who better than his best friend? Charlie reached into his pocket and brought out his cell phone. He'd call Billy.

In the Black household, Billy was sitting in his wheelchair, propped up next to the kitchen chair. He had been eating cereal, (not exactly a great meal for early dinner, but he was alone- who cared?) when the phone rang. He huffed, figuring it was one of the Council members calling to complain about one of the Pack members' behavior. Despite that, he maneuvered over to the phone hung on the wall, and picked up.

"Billy Black, who's this?"

"Billy. I need you at the hospital. Please." It was Charlie, and his voice was filled with misery. He sounded on the edge of tears, and that wasn't something that happened often. Billy was automatically alert.

"What's wrong," Billy asked, something heavy growing in his chest as his subconscious came up with the answer. "And how soon do you need me? I will need to get a ride."

"It's Bella. It's really bad. That fucking boy hurt her, Billy. I should have realized. Something has been off about her for weeks-" Charlie's voice cut off as a strangled sob broke out of him. There was static on the line before Charlie continued talking. "As soon as you can, please. I'm not sure how long it will be before I can see her. I'd appreciate the support."

Billy closed his eyes as a silent sigh left him. Of course. He knew that something would eventually happen between her and the Cold-One, but he couldn't fathom it being a public issue. He felt deep sympathy for his friend and a lingering fear for Charlie's daughter. He could only hope that she had not been bitten. It would cause all of them problems.

"Of course. I'll be there as soon as I can," Billy said, waiting for Charlie to respond. Charlie thanked him, and the line went dead. Billy frowned and dialed another number.

"Uley residence," Emily's voice called from the speaker. "What can I do for you?"

"Emily. I need you to put Sam on the line. It's Billy."

"Oh- yes, of course. Just a moment." There was fumbling on the line, and Billy could faintly hear Emily calling out for Sam. It was only a few moments before the deep timbre of Sam's voice could be heard.

"Billy?"

"Can you get Jacob and meet me at my house? I need a ride to the Forks Hospital. It's Bella."

That seemed to shock Sam, as there was silence for a moment. Billy knew, however, that no matter Sam's feelings on the matter, he would heed Billy's request.

"Yes. I'll be a few minutes. Be ready for when we get there."

Silence. The phone clicked and the line went dead. Billy sighed, trying to situate himself. He needed a break from those kinds of problems. It was catching up on his health. After he lost Harry, one of his oldest friends, he had taken stock of his own health. It had been rough since Sarah had died, and he hadn't eaten well. His diabetes had taken his legs from him, but he wasn't willing to let it have anything more. It would be strange, as well, to lose his life to that disease instead of all the supernatural things in his life.

Billy went to the front porch, closing the front door behind him. He was going to support his friend. Even though Bella had willingly consorted with the leeches, she didn't deserve to be harmed. No person did. The monsters had a strange way of luring their prey in, and she had been around them longer than likely any other human had. Billy couldn't blame her entirely.

So Billy waited on the porch until Sam's car came rumbling up the driveway, Jacob sitting in the passenger seat. He explained little as Jacob helped him into the car, and he stayed quiet the whole drive up. Charlie would explain.