Please enjoy the second chapter; we're continuing with the medium-length chapters for now. We've got one more coming after this, and then we've officially burned through my pre-written and pre-edited chapters. That's nothing to worry about for now though.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Seattle International Airport. Local time is 2:33 pm, and the temperature is 65 degrees."
The pilot's voice over the intercom made her open her eyes. She'd allowed herself to doze off sometime after the second hour and had been in a state of half-sleep since then. It didn't take long for drowsiness to shift into dread as she quickly grabbed her carry-on and stood to begin shuffling behind the slow line of passengers attempting to depart. This was the part she hated the most whenever she took a flight, and her face was turned down into a frown that could rival Bella's level of misery. The slow crawl down the aisle irritated her, but she bit her tongue and endured it.
Her foot tapped on the ground as she waited to spot her luggage coming around the conveyor belt. As a distraction, she pulled out her phone and took it off of airplane mode, making sure to occasionally look up so she didn't miss her bags. First, she responded to the questioning text from her mother to let her know she'd arrived in Seattle safely before sending a similar message to her sister, knowing she'd want to know without having to get a text first. Next, she responded to the newest message from her father, smiling giddily when she realized they had mere moments left before being reunited.
He was letting her know that he was a few minutes away and would circle around the pick-up area until she came out. It felt like every bag under the sun passed by before she finally spotted her luggage and nearly leaped toward them. Once again loading herself up with all her belongings, she swiftly weaved through the crowded area full of people who reminded her of meerkats the way they perked up when they thought they saw their bag.
When she walked out of the airport doors, she scanned the long line of cars until she saw the unmistakable police cruiser that belonged to her father. There was a gap on either end of the vehicle, almost as if the other cars were too afraid to park near the police officer. It didn't help that the man was standing on the curb near the passenger-side door with his thumbs hooked into the belt loops of his uniform pants. Leave it to her old man to still wear his uniform while doing even the most mundane tasks.
Charlie's head swiveled left and right as he surveyed the people who passed, clearly searching for someone. He'd recently shaved, she noticed, missing the 5 o'clock shadow she was used to seeing him with and leaving only his mustache that he'd had for as long as she could remember. His hair was mussed like he'd been running his hands through it earlier, which she was sure he had. It also looked like he'd grown a little bit of a gut since she last saw him, no doubt from the amount of takeout the man ate. Having Bella around would do him some good, and she was once again put out that her sister had backed out on their original departure date.
He spotted her when she was about twenty feet away, and she returned his wide smile with one of her own. It made him look ten years younger compared to his normally stoic disposition which caused him to look older than he was. Though she still had bags hanging from her shoulders, she let go of the handles of the others to meet him in a tight hug. He squeezed her close and placed a kiss on the side of her head that made a tension she hadn't known she was carrying release.
"Long time, no see. I missed you, Dad," she said, feeling reluctant to end their embrace but also eager to begin the drive back home. It was a long way to Forks, and it would be best to get started sooner rather than later.
He pulled away first, smile still firmly in place as he took her in. "I missed you too, Kiddo. You're growin' up too fast." His eyes went up to her hair in particular. "You let your hair grow out?" He asked while taking the heavier luggage from her hands and easing some of her load.
Addison reached up to pull at the end of one of her curls. She normally kept it cropped an inch or two below her shoulders, but it now reached her mid-back. "Yeah, I thought it was about time I tried it out again. The heat up in Phoenix almost made me rethink it, but I knew I'd be moving up here soon, so I'm keeping it for now." He nodded, and they walked together to begin packing all her luggage into the back seat and trunk.
There was a bit of a struggle to fit everything, and they had to play Tetris with a few of the items, but they eventually managed. When he closed the trunk, her father gave her a playfully exasperated look. "You sure you didn't bring your entire room with you?"
She rolled her eyes and lightly shoved his shoulder. "Nah, I made sure to leave a lamp and some curtains behind, but that was only 'cause I ran out of space." They laughed and she joined him in the front of the cruiser. He waited until she put on her seatbelt before pulling off and beginning the drive home.
Since they had quite some time before they arrived, Addison led the conversation by catching him up on everything that had been happening in her life recently, knowing he wanted to hear about it. She let him know that she was still doing well in school and enjoyed the subjects she was learning, but she was very much looking forward to the week break she would have before starting at Forks High. They'd agreed that she would start at the same time as Bella to make the transition easier for them.
He was mostly content to listen as she told him stories about what she'd been getting up to, but that was to be expected. Her father wasn't a man of many words, and she was used to carrying the conversation when they were together. Occasionally, he would comment or laugh at something she said, and he sometimes even glanced at her from the corner of his eye to make sure she knew he was listening and interested in everything she had to say.
She must have been talking for an hour straight before she'd told him everything she'd wanted to tell him, and she happily accepted the bottle of water he'd brought for her. After taking a few gulps, she sucked in a slow breath and settled into the seat. "So," she shifted so she faced him more, and he glanced at her again, "what about you? What have you had going on since last summer?"
The man shrugged. "Nothin' much; same old, same old. There hasn't been much trouble around town lately, so the station hasn't been too busy."
She wasn't surprised by his short description and knew she'd have to pry in order to get more details. "C'mon, you've gotta give me more than that. How have Billy and Jake been doing?" Charlie had been friends with the older Black for years now, and he'd never hesitated to come visit whenever she came up for the summers. She had fond memories of him coming to the house with his son, Jacob, to watch games and fry fish. They held a special place in her heart, and she was excited to catch up after so long.
"They're doing good. That boy has been springing up like a weed, though. I don't know what they're feeding him on the reservation, but he's grown at least two inches in the last few months."
Addison groaned while rolling her eyes. "Of course, he did. That kid is gonna be taller than me at sixteen." When they were younger, she would tease him for being shorter than her and found it hilarious how flustered he'd get by it. He'd always told her that he would eventually be taller than her and make her eat those words, and she guessed he was sticking to that promise.
Charlie seemed to know exactly what memories she was thinking of because he chuckled with a shake of his head. "You'll get the chance to see for yourself next week. They're coming down to visit after Bella gets here."
"What am I, chopped liver? They didn't want to visit me on my first day back?" she asked, pouting.
He shook his head. "They would have come, but I thought it would be best if we gave you some time to settle in first. Good thing I did because it looks like you're gonna be spending all that time getting everything unpacked." He looked away from the road for a second to shoot her a cheeky grin that made her roll her eyes again. "I've also got that meeting in Seattle a few days from now that I told you about."
She nodded, remembering. He'd let her know a few months ago when he found out about the trip he'd have to take for work. What he'd be doing, she wasn't sure, but she knew it would last three days, and he'd be staying an extra day so he could be there to pick up Bella when she arrived from the airport. "Ah, I guess I can forgive them this one time then." There was a brief moment of silence before she asked, "What about Harry? Have you done any good hunting lately?"
He smiled with pride. "Sure have. We just went fishing a couple of weeks ago and caught some nice trout. You would have loved it. We went to that spot you love and had more luck than usual."
"Please tell me you took pictures."
"Well… it slipped my mind in the moment."
Sighing, she shook her head at her father but couldn't help but smile at his sheepish expression. "Of course. We've gotta get some memory puzzles for you, Old Man."
He scoffed, but she could see the amusement in his brown eyes that matched Bella's perfectly. "Old? I'm forty years young."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Dad."
They spent the rest of the drive chatting about everything under the sun, and before she knew it, they were driving past the 'Welcome to Forks' sign that looked more weathered every year she visited. It was a town with a little over 3,000 residents, and she could already spot some familiar faces as they drove down the relatively busy streets leading home. A few people had waved at the cruiser as they passed by, and Charlie lightly honked as a returned greeting.
When they pulled in front of the two-story home from her childhood, a big smile split her face, and she was ripping off her seatbelt before the car could come to a complete stop. Her father gave her a disapproving frown but didn't say anything while putting the car in park. Unsurprisingly, she was the first one out, and she sucked in a deep breath through her nose that was let out in a content sigh from her mouth. The air was humid, and it smelled of wet earth, signaling that it had recently rained. She allowed her eyes to roam over the various shades of green making up the tree line behind the house. She'd taken many walks in the forest over the years. Nothing cleared her mind quite as efficiently, and she longed to venture down the paths she remembered like the back of her hand.
Her grin widened when she saw the other car parked in the driveway. It was her blue BMW that she'd shipped here in preparation for her arrival. Though the sun was hidden by clouds (as usual), the paint still shined brightly, and there wasn't a speck of dirt in sight. It had clearly been washed, and her heart warmed as she realized Charlie had to have done it for her. The man was truly a sweetheart.
The sound of the trunk being popped open broke her out of her reverie, and she moved to help him with her items. Charlie insisted on grabbing the heaviest ones, leaving her to carry the lightest of the two bags on each shoulder while he managed the rest. Since his hands were full, she used her personal key to unlock the front door and held the screen open for him so he could shuffle through.
Her childhood home was exactly as she remembered it from last summer and the many summers before that. Being honest, hardly anything had changed since Renee decided to leave with her and Bella in tow. The cabinets were still the obnoxious yellow that her mother had painted them to brighten up the place, the dining table was the same one a much younger Bella had run into and knocked out her front tooth on, and the walls still held scattered photos picturing the siblings at different stages in their lives. Addison always made sure to bring updated pictures of them when she visited to avoid the embarrassment of having their cringy and awkward childhood moments displayed for any guests to see. Now, there was a comfortable mix of old and new that filled her with warm nostalgia.
Her father led the way up the stairs, skipping over the spot on the third step from the top that had been squeaking for over four years now. Charlie's room was the closest to the stairs, and her room sat right next to his, facing the backyard. Bella's room was across the hall from hers, but the door was almost fully closed, so she couldn't get a good look at the updated decor she'd helped her father pick out.
The door to her room was pushed open to reveal everything in the same order she'd left it, besides the bedding that looked like it had been freshly washed and made. The posters of her favorite bands and musicians cluttered a section of one of the black walls, and she could already spot some that would need to be removed since her tastes changed over the year. Her eyes traveled along the—currently unplugged—fairy lights that circled the entire room in equal dips and curves. She and Charlie had painstakingly hung them up a few years prior, and she'd been obsessed ever since. The sight made her more eager to check Bella's room to be sure that her sister would enjoy the addition of the small lights to her alternate bedroom.
The desk was pushed to the wall nearest the window—Addison always liked looking outside at the backyard when she was studying—and the frustrating computer took up a decent amount of the surface area. She'd spent many a-nights frustrated by the darned thing and how slow it loaded sites and she anticipated plenty more in the coming year. Decorating the windowsill were all her childhood trophies that she couldn't allow herself to get rid of. They reminded her of how proud baby Addison had been to show her dad how good she did in a competition. Getting rid of a token of such fond memories sounded abhorrent to her, so she kept them proudly displayed for the birds and the occasional deer to see.
Her father set the luggage down in the center of her fuzzy black carpet, and she followed behind him to place her bags on the end of the bed. Seeing it all laid out for her made her notice just how much work she had cut out for herself. Glancing to the side, she met eyes with Charlie who seemed to be thinking the exact same thing. He smiled at her knowingly and stretched with his hands on his hips. "Well… I'll give you some time to get settled and then meet you downstairs to head to the restaurant."
Addison laughed while nodding eagerly. "Yeah, for sure. I couldn't have said it better myself. I'll just freshen up and meet you in… ten minutes."
"Will do, Kiddo." He was almost turned toward the door to leave when he hesitated. After a short moment, he put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed with a smile. The twitching of his mustache told her he was trying to repress it as best as he could. "It's good to have you back."
Without waiting for a response, he left her room, closing the door behind him. Addison's heart warmed, but she had to shake her head at her father's awkwardness. He could be so sweet sometimes, but the man shied away from nearly any acknowledgment of the actions. If only Bella knew how alike they truly were.
The days spent reuniting with her father were filled with smiles and laughter. To her pleasant surprise, he'd taken off work for all the days leading up to his work trip to spend time with her. They made the most of their uninterrupted time together… after she spent the remainder of her first day tackling her second closet. It was a task that proved to be too much for one sitting, so she decided to put it off for the time being and get some rest.
Her next day back home, he'd woken her up in the early hours of the morning to remind her of the fishing trip they'd planned over dinner the night before. Of course, she was groggy, and her limbs ached a little from the sheer load of clothing she'd been moving around for hours, but she'd dragged herself from her bed to get ready regardless. After a clarifying shower, she was excited and speeding back and forth between the bathroom and her room to finish getting prepared.
At the back of her closet, she'd pulled her fishing attire off of the hanger. They were the most worn and dingy clothes she owned from the many trips she'd taken with her father and his friends, but they served her well. The jeans were pulled on with minimal wiggling (thank goodness she'd sized up) and the bulky coat was thrown over a plain black t-shirt. She collected her hair into a sleek ponytail that was pinched through the loop of her fishing hat at the back of her head. The outfit wouldn't have been complete without it. The hat was passed down from her father, and she'd cherished it ever since. Finally, she'd stomped her feet into the fishing boots that went up past her ankles and met Charlie downstairs.
They'd spent a few hours together on the open water, mostly silent, but it bothered neither of them. "Too much talking will scare the fish," he'd always told her, so it was common practice for them to remain quiet outside of the occasional jab or comment. She could still remember how strictly she would follow the 'rule' when she was younger than ten. Not a peep would leave her tightly pressed lips, and she'd fully shushed Bella the one time they'd convinced her to join them. Looking back on it, that was likely the reason her sister refused to join them going forward.
After their fishing trip—where she'd forced her father to take pictures with her of their catches for the day—they'd returned to the same diner for dinner. Neither of them could cook, so it was the only other option outside of ordering takeout. She'd been able to catch up with the regulars she hadn't seen the night before, including her favorite waitress, Cora. The older woman with tight brown curls hadn't been working the previous afternoon, so she was all too excited to take the time to catch up with her and welcome her back in. They'd been coerced to stay longer with the promise of blueberry cobbler and strawberry shortcake, Addison's favorite. That night, they'd talked so much that her throat had begun to dry out.
The evenings that followed were spent at the same diner, which she didn't mind in the slightest when surrounded by such good company. Even her father's work buddies had stopped by one day to have dinner with them. They couldn't help but make comments about how much she'd grown and tease Charlie (as usual) about how excited he'd been to tell them about her arrival. It had made her father blush, but not once did he stop smiling, which told her he didn't mind it as much as he pretended to.
Outside of going to the diner and fishing, they'd spent the remainder of their time relaxing together at home. They chatted about how their favorite teams performed in the games and how they expected them to perform in the coming season. They talked about the rise in crime over the state, which led to a conversation about how work had been going and the funny misdemeanors that came from living in such a small town. That then morphed into a discussion about how work had been going for her and the petty drama that came from working part-time retail. The topics bounced from one thing to another, broken by the occasional silence they felt no need to fill.
Everything always felt so easy when she was around her father, and the more time spent with him helped heal the ache she felt whenever they were apart. It was an ever-present feeling that she couldn't shake so long as her family remained separated as they were. Whenever the ache of being without her father would pass, a pang of being without her sister would replace it. Addison also knew that once Bella joined them in Forks, her heart would begin to throb longingly for her mother as well. It was the way things were, and she contented herself with the knowledge that time would heal the wounds.
Speaking of time, the days leading up to her father's work trip flew by quicker than expected. Her alarm woke her up at an ungodly hour, and she fought through the suffocating cloud of grogginess to look at the time. It was only four in the morning, but Charlie had to be up early enough to make it to Seattle at a decent time, and she wanted to see him off. So, she shrugged on her robe and shuffled down the stairs to wait for him on the couch. She could hear movement from his room and smell the coffee in the air, so she knew he'd already been up and moving about for at least an hour before her. The thought of waking up at that time made her shiver, and more yawns shook her still-tired form.
She'd just started to doze off when he finally came down the stairs with his luggage in tow. There weren't nearly as many bags as she'd brought only days before, so he managed to carry them all with ease. Even so, she stood and stretched as she gestured to them. "D'you need any—" a yawn cut her off, "any help?"
He shook his head and waved her off. "No, I think I can handle it. You just make sure to lock up behind me when I'm gone." She fell back onto the couch and took a bigger gulp of coffee to help keep her awake as he stepped outside to begin loading up his cruiser. He made a total of two trips, and on the third, he stood with his hands on his hips and a stern expression. She saw the dad-talk coming from a mile away and sat up to give him her full attention. He'd been giving her these talks ever since she was reasonably old enough to be left alone, and she was sure she knew what he was going to say before he said it.
"Addie, remember to lock up after yourself any time you leave this house and check the doors and windows before bed each night. Now, I don't believe anyone in this area would do anything too crazy, but you never know. I left the number to the station as well as some of the boys' direct lines next to the phone in case anything happens, and you can't reach me. If it comes down to it, you still remember the code to the locker, right?"
Addison nodded while scrubbing her eyes. "9-13-8-7, Bella's birthday. Of course, I remember. Before you even say it, I know how dangerous and unpredictable handling a weapon like that can be. I swear to only use it in the event of a true emergency… which means it'll stay there entirely unused for the days you'll be gone, like always."
He sighed and shook his head. "I know it won't, but I had to be sure. There are too many dangerous things in this world to not be prepared. Speaking of, if you're gonna be out in those woods, make sure you take that bear spray and survival knife with you." He held up a hand when she started to protest. "And I don't want to hear any push-back about it. I don't care if you're only going ten feet, you know as well as I do that anything can happen out there. Promise me, Addison."
Not once since she'd lived with her father had she come into contact with a single bear or even a wolf. The most she'd see were elk or deer, but they'd usually be too skittish to stick around long enough for her to get a good look. She wasn't dumb enough to believe that they weren't out there at all, but they surely weren't in the general area behind their home, and she didn't expect that to change anytime soon. Bug spray would be more useful if she was being honest.
Regardless, she relented and agreed. "Alright, Dad, you got it. No walks without the bear spray and knife." She stretched and yawned again. "I'm not planning to go out much anyway. I'll probably just spend my time here finishing my room and mentally preparing to start school next week."
"Why not take some time to put in a few applications? College is right around the corner."
Addison groaned into her coffee cup. "Please, don't remind me. I've got all the time in the world to figure that stuff out; it's not like I'll have much trouble getting into whatever school I want." School was never a struggle for her, and she maintained her position as one of the top students in each of her grades. Her GPA currently sat at a respectable 3.9, so she worried very little about being turned down by any school she applied to. As far as she was concerned, that was something for future Addison to worry about.
Charlie huffed and shook his head at her. "It's better to think about your future sooner rather than later, Kiddo." With that, the subject was dropped. "Anyway, I left you money for takeout in the jar on top of the fridge. No company… unless you want me to tell Billy and Jake—" She didn't let him finish.
"That's okay. I'm mature enough to be left alone for a few days without someone checking up on me. I'll be fine, Dad, trust me."
He shifted on his feet and looked at the ground for a moment. "I just hate to leave you alone so soon after you got here."
Her heart warmed, and she stood up while smiling at him. "Dad, you should know by now that I don't mind being alone for a while. You'll be back with Bella in no time, and you won't even have to worry about it. I'll only have one out-of-control teenage party while you're gone." His blank look sobered her quickly, and she lifted her hands in surrender. "Kidding, kidding. It'll be me, myself, and I against my closet for the next few days. What's the worst that could happen?"
"You're asking that question to me, a cop. You realize that?"
"Actually, now that you mention it, I think it's about time for you to hit the road." Addison pet his shoulder and led him to the door that she proceeded to hold open. "Love ya. Drive safe."
He stepped out onto the porch but held the screen door open to turn and look at her. "I will. You be sure to stay safe and call me if anything happens." Pulling her closer, he gave her a short squeeze and a kiss on the side of the head before stepping back and letting the screen close.
She stood there, on the porch, and watched as the cruiser pulled out of the driveway and down the darkened streets until she could no longer see the tail lights. As per his instructions, she closed the door and made sure it was locked before returning to her coffee. The only sound in the empty house was her scattered sips as she forced herself to stay awake with help from the caffeine. There was no point in attempting to go back to sleep, so she would get an early start on finishing up her room… after she allowed herself to lounge for a bit longer.
So, what did you think about this one? How are we feeling so far? I get nothing's really happened, but I'm trying to give it a little more build-up than I did the last 2 times. This is called character development. I'm pacing myself now. I don't know how long that's gonna last, but at least we've got it for another chapter.
In this rewrite, I wanted to focus more on Addison's relationship and dynamic in the family. Too often in the past, I just inserted a character into a family for convenience and plot's sake without thinking about what that really meant. If there's one thing I strive to do in this 2024 rewrite, it's make sure I'm making my past little fandom self proud. To me, progress from that first draft is as simple as (mostly) doing the opposite of what I did back then. I'm not hating on myself, I had ideas aplenty and an ability to write chapters quickly... I just wish I also could plan and pay more attention to detail.
Whelp, you live and you learn. We gorge ourselves on the fruits of my labor now. There's one more chapter waiting for you, and I suspect you'll enjoy the change of pace.