Monday morning arrived like a battle cry as thunder rolled overhead. Bella sighed as she sat upright in bed and looked out into the storm. Waves crashed against the rocks below, hiding the pebbled beach underneath, now covered by the high tide.

It reminded her of the view she'd stared into before jumping off the cliff, almost drowning herself. As if emphasizing the point, thunder erupted once more. She rolled her eyes.

Better view from the top, but much closer to the sk y. Somehow, the fifth-floor apartment didn't seem as high up as the third-story hotel room without the raging ocean underneath the windows.

I should have brought Jack with me. He'd have loved this bullshit.

Her friend slept like the dead during storms, but Bella never faired so well with them. She hadn't had the pack's comfort in ten years. Bella shook away the thought of her previous best friend, attempting to shove those memories safely back where they belonged.

Spending so much time with Leah and talking about the pack was the last thing she should have done. Bella's dreams that morning pervaded with memories she'd long forgotten - Sam's serious scowl and Emily's extensive scars. She remembered Quil's obnoxious laughter and Jacob's warm hugs and kind eyes. Most of all, she recalled Paul and Embry, whose personalities were polar opposites. One was shy, while the other was overly confident and…

Well? Rude. He was rude. There was no way around it back then.

Then there was Jared, who had never made his disliking her a secret. Even he'd appeared in her dreams, making her anxious as he pointed toward her husband in irritated silence, as though egging her on.

But for what? Did Jared want her to apologize? To let her husband go? That made little sense. That's why she was already here. She was going to drive herself insane thinking about it.

She realized it was late enough to call her work and reached for the phone, hoping Nathan was in a good mood this morning.

Her disposition gradually darkened as the receptionist placed Bella on hold for the third time. Nathan being away from his desk often implied he was making rounds, pretending to check up on others while ignoring his actual duties for penile popularity's sake.

After what seemed like the fiftieth ring, she got redirected to his voicemail. "Nathan, it's Bella…"

She heard the audible click as he picked up the receiver. He sounded pleasantly surprised to hear from her.

"Hey, Bell-la. How's the family?"

"Oh, you know. Some things never change." And some changed a lot, but Nathan was not her confidant.

"So why are you calling on this lovely Monday morning? Don't tease me about coming home early. Your phone has been ringing nonstop, driving Janet nuts," he teased, referencing the woman whose cubical sat just behind hers.

If only Janet knew how often Bella had wanted to sabotage her stupid copy/printer just to have some quiet.

"Actually, Nate, I need you to extend my leave by another week. Part of the reason I came here was to deal with some family issues, and major plans changed that are out of my hands."

"Uh," Nathan chuckled nervously. "No can do, Bella. We really need you here."

"I have the hours, Nate."

"That's not the point." He sighed. "You know, you're kinda on thin ice here, as it is."

"Really?" She'd expected him to be difficult, but intimidating her had never worked, and he knew it. "Either I'm on thin ice, or you guys need me. Which is it?"

He grumbled, "It can be both, you know?"

"There aren't enough writeups for you to fire me, Nate. I have the hours and the prior approval for the leave I'm already on. I am legally obligated to stay here until I see this issue through, and I'm only asking for a week's extension."

"And I'm saying no," he said firmly. "Now, why don't you think it over and call me back in a couple days. Hmm?"

"Nate? No. I've addressed this with you. I just told you I have legal obligations. You can work with me here, or I can go over your head."

"Is that a threat?"

Raising her voice, she asked, "Like you just threatened me with my job?"

It only made her angrier as he chuckled. What a narcissistic prick.

"Okay, now, Bella. Okay. Calm down."

Yeah. Because that works.

He said, "Look, I'll look into it. Right now, I have to say no. That's just how it is."

"And I don't accept that, Nate. That's just how that is." Bella hung up her cell phone and tossed it onto the bed. She stomped toward the bathroom and turned on the shower, hoping Nathan's attitude wasn't just the beginning of a potentially aggravating day.


With nothing else planned and a full day to kill, Bella showered, dressed, and wore contacts because of the rain.

Cursing herself for leaving her raincoat in the car, she had to make a mad dash between the lobby and the vehicle. It did little to stop her from being drenched by the downpour. She hurried to shut the driver's door and somehow broke a fingernail. Bella hollered over the sudden pain and shook her hand to push the ache away.

Welcome home, bitch. Ignoring the burning in her fingertip, she pulled on her seatbelt and drove toward Forks.

Bella drove past her father's house, intending to invite Charlie for breakfast, but the cruiser was gone. She spotted it at the precinct parking lot a few minutes later and carefully parked her rental car beside it. Bella grabbed her raincoat from the back seat and shrugged into it just as the rain slowed.

She rolled her eyes and looked up at the sky from the driver's window. "Really ?"

With the way her luck was going, she half expected to find Charlie's car was there without him. Instead, she spotted him as she got buzzed into the lobby, sitting at his desk behind the wide glass panels separating his office from everyone else. He beamed at her through the open blinds and rushed out to meet her before she could ever announce who she was looking for.

His voice echoed through the lobby as he hollered, "Hey, Bells!"

She grinned and moved to meet him with a hug. Two officers she remembered from her teens appeared beside them, each surprising her as they greeted her with rough shoulder pats and the same look she was used to seeing from too many men.

Seemingly oblivious, Charlie chuckled as he gestured at them both to go on and guided her to his office. His grin looked almost painful as he sat behind his desk, beaming proudly.

He asked, "So what's up, Bells? Didn't expect you to call on me here."

Bella sat in one of the twin chairs across from his desk. "I wanted to see if you could have breakfast with me, maybe? If not, I can always bring something back for you."

Charlie said, "Hell with that. I'm the boss!"

Bella laughed as he stood, grabbed his jacket and keys, and gestured for her to lead the way.