"You want something to eat?" Charlie asked as I walked nervously into the kitchen.

I shook my head as he pushed out a chair for me. Sitting down, I looked around the small kitchen filled with bare essentials.

"I'm not really hungry," I said.

He nodded, picking up his sandwich. "Okay. There's lunch meat in the fridge and some TV dinners in the freezer if you get hungry. We'll go to the store tomorrow, if you want."

I nodded. "That's fine."

"You okay? Did you take your medicine?"

"Yeah, a few minutes ago. I'm fine."

"Good, good."

I sat there quietly as he finished the last few bites–unsure of what to say or do. The silence was awkward and tense, and I was about to go upstairs until he spoke again.

"We'll enroll you in school next week, I think," he said. "Give you a few days to get settled first. I mean, if you're up for it then. What did that doc say? Did he give a timeframe?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't think so. It's just a broken wrist and bruised ribs. I've had . . . worse."

Silence again.

This time with him staring at me with sad eyes.

"That's a damn shame." My brow rose as he sighed. "And it won't happen again," he added. "No one will hurt you again, Bella. Not here, not anywhere. I just wanna make that clear."

I bit my lip and nodded.

"And, uh . . . I guess we should sort some other things out, too."

"Like what?" I asked.

"I don't expect you to, you know, clean up after me or do my laundry or make dinner. If you wanna cook, that's fine, but it's up to you."

"I like to cook."

He smiled, nodding. "Then by all means, but it's not necessary. I like to eat after all."

"I can clean too."

He shrugged. "We'll do our fair share, all right? So, do you . . . like things? To do, I mean."

"Read."

"We'll get you some books then. And if you need anything else—like clothes or other stuff, just let me know."

"I can get a job."

"When you're better and start driving you can—if you want. I'm not rich, but I can take care of you. I want you to go to school and do well, so that comes first. Do you like school?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I actually do."

"Good. Got a career in mind?"

"I . . . I don't know. Kind of? Maybe? I always kind of wanted to be a teacher. An English teacher. I never really . . . thought I'd happen, though."

"If that's what you want, it can happen."

He actually sounded like he meant that—like he believed I could actually do something. I didn't even believe that.

"Do you like sports?"

"I'm not very athletic," I said with a soft laugh. "I don't really know much about them, to be honest."

"The Super Bowl is coming up in a few weeks. I'm pretty sure the Seahawks have a good chance this year."

"Football?"

He laughed and nodded. "Yeah, Seattle Seahawks. If you wanna watch with me, you can. But you don't have to."

"Do you like . . . other things?"

"I'm pretty dedicated to baseball too—the Mariners are Seattle's team. And I go fishing. Have you ever gone?"

I shook my head. "No. I've only seen fish in tanks."

"I'll take you sometime if you want. Carlisle and I have plans to go in the spring—he's Esme's husband. Good family. Just moved here in the fall, actually. They have a boy about your age, I think. I have some guys on the reservation I go with too."

"Reservation?"

"The Quileutes. They're a Native American tribe not far from here. You'll meet Billy and Harry sometime, I'm sure. Billy's boy, Jacob, is a couple years younger than you, but he's a good kid. His two daughters are a bit older and have moved away. Harry's got two kids too, but Seth is younger and Leah's . . . well, she's a little older than you, but not very . . . social."

"That's okay. I'm not very social either."

He nodded. "Yeah, me neither. Billy and Harry have been my friends for years."

"And the Carlisle guy?"

"Like I said, just moved here. He's a good guy, though—chief of medicine at the hospital. Damn good doctor. We're lucky his wife wanted to move somewhere peaceful. He could probably have his pick of any hospital in the country, I'm guessing."

I nodded and listened to him talk—going on for a good while about his friends and the small town he'd always called home. Eventually he asked again if I was hungry, and though I wasn't, I said yes to appease him. It was nice to just . . . talk to him—to listen to him, really. He rambled on and on, adding a little seriousness of the new situation in every once in a while. As shocking as this all was to me, it was the same for him.

"I think I'm going to go to bed, if that's okay?" I asked, finishing the can of Coke he'd gotten out for me.

He nodded quickly, waving me off. "Yeah, yeah, you must be exhausted. I'm headed that way too, I think. Will you do me a favor?"

"Yeah, of course."

Expecting him to ask me to clean up the sink he'd just placed my plate in, I was surprised by his question. "Figure out what all you need? We can do that tomorrow. And I mean, you know, comfort stuff too, not just necessities. And let me know if you need me tonight? If sleeping is difficult?"

"You want me to wake you up?"

He nodded. "If you just need company, yeah."

I smiled softly. "Yeah . . . I'll let you know." I wouldn't, but the offer was too nice to just shrug off. "Thank you . . . for everything."

"You're welcome, Bells."

Bells.

I'd never been called that before.

I don't own Twilight.