2000

Portland, Maine

Charlie had taken the late night flight from Port Angeles to Maine and had not slept a wink. He was exhausted but that didn't matter to him as he arrived at the funeral home. Funerals for hunters oddly enough doubled as a reunion. Most of them didn't see each other unless on hunts so seeing each other was a reminder of who was still around.

Vampire hunting was a thankless job where they never got any recognition. It certainly didn't pay the bills. It was a drain on whatever meager resources you had to begin with as weapons, gas, and motels added up quickly in this economy. They expected to die young and not even get to old age. The ones that got to retire were lucky.

Everett Stanley had been considered lucky. He had gone straight into vampire hunting after serving in Vietnam where he had served with Charlie's father. He had retired at the age of sixty with a large family and a nice house in Maine. When Charlie had gone into hunting, he'd gone to Everett to learn the trade as his own father had been too ill to teach him.

Charlie approached where Everett stood near the coffin talking to a few people.

"Charles, my boy." Everett pulled him into a hug. He still smelled the same, cigar smoke and leather. "It's been too long."

Charlie pulled away, uncomfortable with physical touch. "I'm sorry to hear about Ethan."

Everett nodded. "He would have hated that this is how we're having a reunion. He would have wanted it to be for something less depressing."

Charlie smiled slightly. "Ethan did enjoy a party."

Everett's son, Ethan, had been a brother to Charlie as they had gone on multiple hunts together in their early twenties. They had seen each other less as the responsibilities of day jobs and families got in the way but they had kept in touch over the years. Occasionally, they would meet up to go on a difficult hunt together. The news of Ethan's death had shaken Charlie. It wasn't shocking in their line of work but it didn't make things any easier.

Everett patted Charlie's shoulder. "I'm still glad to see you, Charles. You look well."

"How is Joan?"

"Handling it as best as she can," the older man replied. "She's a tough gal. She'll make it through."

Charlie had vague recollections of Ethan's wife who had been a short brunette with curly hair. He paused when he saw Joan talking to the guests. She wore a plain black dress and looked calm and dignified even when there was a soft, bruised quality to her. He found it hard to look away from her quiet strength.

"Joan," Everett called out, gesturing for his daughter-in-law to come over. The brunette came closer and Charlie saw just how pretty she was. "You remember Ethan's old friend Charles?"

Joan smiled politely. "Charlie. We danced at the wedding."

"And that time I broke into your home that one time and you hit me with an umbrella."

She let out a surprised laugh. "I remember that! You scared the living daylights out of me."

"I didn't mean to. Ethan was the one who refused to go to the ER."

"What is it with you hunters and avoiding hospitals?" Joan shook her head. "I'm surprised Ethan lasted this long." She covered her mouth with her hands, her expression bemused. "I can't believe I just said that."

There was a gleam in Everett's eyes that Charlie knew was nothing but trouble. "I'll leave you two to catch up."

Charlie watched his mentor walk away. He was not one to assume things but he had a feeling that Everett was maneuvering him like a chess piece in a game he did not agree to. Everett Stanley had always been a meddlesome old man. Charlie told himself that he was not going to go along with whatever mad plans his old mentor had cooked up.

"You know I haven't been able to laugh in days," Joan admitted. "It feels too soon to even joke about him."

"I wouldn't be too concerned about it. Ethan did enjoy making fun of everything especially in the most inappropriate of times."

"He was a menace." Her eyes were glassy with emotion. "I miss him."

"I miss him too."

Charlie was not open with his emotions but it was easy with Joan and he didn't know why.

Joan turned away, wiping at her tears. "My daughter, Jessica, misses her the most. She's a total daddy's girl."

Charlie remembered they had a daughter around Bella's age. She must've been ten or eleven. He couldn't recall what she looked like as a child except that she had Ethan's blue eyes. His own mortality felt starker than ever before.

"Kids are tough," Charlie tried to comfort her. "They bounce back."

"I hope so."

"Stanleys are known to be exceptionally tenacious."

Joan turned back to him, a soft smile on her thin lips. "That is true."

Charlie told himself that he was only having this moment because it was emotional. There was nothing more to it. Anything more would be inappropriate. No one had meet-cutes at a funeral of all places.

2002

Portland, Maine

Charlie didn't know how to talk to teenage girls. His own daughter was in Arizona and had stopped coming to see him a few years ago limiting their contact to the occasional phone call and birthday cards with money sent in the mail. He wasn't the sort of person to push but he knew he had to try if he wanted any sort of relationship with his future stepdaughter.

Charlie escaped the party downstairs to find where Jessica was hiding. She was sitting at the balcony despite the cold. She had put on a heavy winter jacket but even that had limitations. He slid the balcony doors open and she turned to him, her face furrowed in annoyance at seeing him.

"What do you want?" she demanded, uncaring how impolite she sounded.

Charlie almost smiled.

Jessica wore her heart on her sleeve, all her emotions loud and visible for anyone to see. Just like her Dad. When Charlie looked at her, he saw Ethan's blue eyes staring back at him. The rest of her was all Joan from the big smile to the curly hair.

"I was just wondering where you were," he replied. "Aren't you cold out here?"

"I like the cold."

He moved forward and took a seat on the empty patio chair beside the one she was sitting on. "Yesterday I heard you declaring that you were going to move to somewhere sunny because you hated the cold."

"I change my mind. I like the cold and I'm never moving away."

It was exceptionally freezing that night as autumn bled to winter. Charlie was used to the cold having grown up in Washington but even he shivered in just his coat.

"You don't want to move to Forks," he declared, watching her face to see her reaction. Her face scrunched up unhappily. "That's why you left the party after your mom and I announced the engagement."

"I don't understand why we have to move to some town where we don't know anyone when you could just move here."

"My job is in Forks."

"And my life is in Portland," she retorted. "All my family and friends are here. This is the only place I've ever known and you want to rip me away from everything."

Charlie tried to remember being thirteen and how small your world was. He had lived in one place his entire life. He didn't know what it meant to have to restart somewhere else entirely. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to make this difficult for you."

"You're kind of ruining my life,"

He nodded, conceding. "How about we give it a year? You've never been to Forks. You might like it. You can make new friends."

"What if I don't make any friends? What if nobody likes me?"

"Trust me, kid. It's a small town. Everyone will want to be your friend because you're new."

She looked intrigued. "I'd be…popular?"

"There's a high chance."

She seemed to mull it over. "If I don't like it after a year, I can go back here?"

"We can discuss it. I just want to make this work for all of us." He offered his hand. "Deal?"

"Deal." She shook his hand. Her blue eyes narrowed at him. "Why do you care if I'm happy?"

"We're going to be family."

"You're not my dad."

Brutal but honest. He couldn't fault her for that. She had inherited Everett's way with words.

"I know. I'd never try to replace your Dad. He was one of a kind. He was one of my best friends."

"Could you…could you tell me stories about him?"

"Of course." He got to his feet and gestured towards the balcony doors. "But let's go get something warm to drink first. I can feel the frostbite settling in."

2003

Forks, Washington

"I am teaching you how to shoot not because I'm teaching you how to hunt vampires," Charlie clarified. "But because you know vampires exist and you might need to defend yourself at some point."

"Does that mean I can learn how to use a flamethrower?" Jessica asked.

"No."

He had taken them to the woods behind the house. Deep enough that the gunshots would not rattle any neighbors or Joan who was doing her aerobics workout in the living room, Joan had specifically forbade teaching Jessica how to hunt vampires but she was willing to compromise on self-defense. If Jessica hated shooting guns, then he could say he tried and move on.

He lined up empty bottles and tin cans on a log to use as targets. He showed Jessica how to turn off the safety and how to aim with the hunting rifle. She supported the gun without having being told to her. She instinctively positioned herself at the right angle and on an exhale pulled the trigger.

A tin can flew off the log. She hit the targets with a sharp accuracy. Jessica was a natural. It wasn't surprising considering she was a Stanley after all.

Jessica lowered the rifle and turned to him, her blue eyes bright and eager for approval. He smiled, unable to be anything but proud of her despite knowing Joan was going to hate this. Jessica was born to be a vampire hunter.

Lord help them all.

2003

Forks, Washington

"Absolutely not," Charlie grumbled as he carried his gear bag towards his truck, his stepdaughter followed him and refused to be shaken off like a bad omen. "You're way too young."

"You were barely older than me when you started hunting and my Dad had already been on a few hunts when he was my age," Jessica argued, gesturing wildly as if it helped prove her point. "And Poppa Everett had half a dozen kills under his belt before he even turned sixteen."

"Everett likes to exaggerate."

Jessica's grandfather and his old mentor had a penchant for changing details to make his hunting stories more interesting. Everett Stanley believed a good story was better than accuracy which made discerning what was real and what was fiction in his stories. Charlie learned quickly after meeting Everett to take anything the old man said with a grain of salt.

Jessica shrugged. "He probably killed at least one."

"Maybe."

Charlie opened the truck door and threw his gear bag inside. Jessica refused to leave even as he slid into the driver's seat and shut the door. She looked at him sadly through the car window like a rejected puppy.

Sighing, he rolled down the window to tell her, "I promised your mom I'd keep you safe, kid. And that means no hunts."

"It's not fair. Mom doesn't get it," she said. "I'm from a family of vampire hunters. I should be learning how to hunt vampires."

"Just cause your family did it doesn't mean you gotta follow 'em. You're smart and scrappy. You'll find other things to do."

"Like what?" she challenged, petulantly. "Student government? Volleyball? Debate team?"

"You already do all of those things," he pointed out. "Maybe take up knitting."

"Knitting?" she practically shrieked.

Charlie rolled down the car window and started the engine, knowing his stepsister would start ranting and would not be stopped. He drove quickly away from the house even as Jessica waved her arms like an angry penguin at him. He knew Jessica would continue to pester him about going on hunts but he would not budge. He had made a promise to Joan and he would not break it.

There had been times he wondered how Ethan would think about how Charlie was taking care of his family. Charlie thought he was doing his damned best.

2004

Forks, Washington

"Explain to me again how I'm not allowed to go hunting with you but you're just going to allow a whole coven of vampires to move into the neighborhood?" Jessica demanded.

Charlie was in the garage cleaning out his guns. Joan refused to have weapons inside the house especially the kitchen table. She didn't seem to have a problem with blades but guns were regulated to the garage. He didn't know if she had this aversion before Ethan's death and he never asked her.

"I don't have control on who buys property in this town," Charlie answered. "And Billy said they don't feed on people."

"Why would Billy Black know they don't feed on people?"

"Turns out this specific coven have a treaty with the Quileute tribe going all the way back to Chief Ephraim Black in the 30s."

Jessica raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "The 30s were ages ago. The treaty still holds up?"

"They never specified an expiration date for the treaty, only what can break it."

"Which is?"

"If they bite a human, the tribe will come after them."

"That's it?" Jessica questioned. "That's the only thing they have to avoid doing?"

"Yes."

"The standards are so low, they're in hell. There are a million terrible things you can do that don't involve biting someone. Could we not have added more specifications to the treaty?"

Charlie shrugged. "If it works for them, I'm not knocking it. Keep it simple, stupid."

Jessica frowned "I don't think you understand, Charlie. It's a whole coven of vampires in town, just walking around and pretending to be human. They've enrolled at my high school. This is really weird."

Charlie put down his gun to look at her. "Well, if they bite anyone, you'll let me know."

"Jesus Christ. Charlie," She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Let me try explaining this again. Grown adult vampires have enrolled at my high school…"

2005

Forks, Washington

"Absolutely not," Jessica said. "She can't move back here. Not with the family of vampires in town."

Charlie sighed. "Her mom's going to be travelling. Bella can't stay alone in Arizona by herself."

"She will be safer in sunny Arizona than she would be here."

They were cleaning up Bella's old bedroom he hadn't touched in years. The walls were a faded baby pink. There were still dolls and toys for a little girl he had to pack away. The bed was too small and would need to be replaced.

"Charlie, it's not safe," Jessica insisted. "Do you know what I saw last week?"

He looked over the bedroom and all the changes he would have to make. He would need Joan's help. She was better at these things. She was better than him at so many things besides interior design. He honestly didn't know how he survived all these years without her. He didn't know how pleasant marriage could be when it was with the right person.

"Charlie!" Jessica clapped her hands to get his attention. "Focus."

He sighed again. He adored his stepdaughter but she did have a tendency towards being dramatic. It made his life interesting at the least. "What is it?"

"I saw Edward Cullen gnawing on a deer in the middle of the forest. He looked up and saw me and just ran away without a word. It's that easy to learn about vampires these days. Bella is not going to be able to escape it."

"Bella doesn't know anything about vampires. She doesn't know that I'm a hunter."

"And you think she won't have questions about the weapons in the garage? All the Molotov cocktails and flamethrowers?"

Charlie frowned.

It wasn't his fault vampires could only be killed by one method – fire. Everything else just bounced off their diamond-hard skin. He wasn't going to use a pack of teenage werewolves as his defense because he didn't believe minors should be involved in any shape or form.

"She won't wonder about your frequent 'fishing trips'?" Jessica gave him a look. "And not to mention, you just look like a vampire hunter."

He was a taken back by that. "What?"

"It's the moustache. It's why it's so big. It's full of secrets."

Charlie touched his upper lip and wondered if he should shave off the moustache. Joan had made a comment or two about it over the years, mostly about bristly kisses. Or maybe he could finally grow out a full beard like he had always dreamed of. Would that make him look more suspicious?

As if she could read his thoughts Jessica said, "You would look better with a beard."

"I'll think about it," he conceded. "Bella is moving in. That's non-negotiable."

Jessica rolled her eyes and turned to walk away. "If she ends up entangled with one of the vampires, it's your fault."

She was out of the door when Charlie realized something. He called out, "Wait! Jess, what were you doing in the forest around Edward Cullen?"

2005

Forks, Washington

The big day had come. Bella was coming to Forks. Charlie was driving to Port Angeles to pick her up from the airport while Jessica and Joan got the house ready. They had planned a nice family dinner to welcome Bella to town.

Charlie was getting into the police cruiser when Jessica questioned, "Do we wait for her to ask or do we tell her immediately?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"When is that? When she notices that hourglass of sparkly ashes you have in the living room?"

"That's a family heirloom."

"It's an heirloom filled with vampire ashes, Charlie."

"My great-grandfather made that. Glass-blowing was a hobby of his." He closed the car door and rolled down the window. "I'm only going to be gone for a few hours. Please behave while I'm gone."

Jessica crossed her arms over her chest indignantly. "What kind of trouble do you think I'm going to get into in two hours?"

"The kind of trouble involving our friendly neighborhood vampires."

She scoffed. "I do not go anywhere near the Cullens. Thank you very much."

"Just the one you have a crush on."

"I-I do not have a crush on Edward Cullen!" she sputtered. "He is the most arrogant guy I have ever met– both human and vampire –and he thinks he's better than everyone else just because he drives a nice car and he uses too much gel in his stupid hair."

Charlie gave her a look. "You stalk him around town, Jess."

"He stalks me!"

"You asked him to the school dance."

"On a dare," she corrected, vehemently. "It was Lauren's fault."

Charlie knew he wasn't getting his stepdaughter to admit to her disturbing and amusing obsession with the only single vampire boy in town so he turned on the car engine. "Be good," he reminded her one last time.

"I don't like him!" Jessica exclaimed as he drove away.

2005

Forks, Washington

Two hours.

He was gone for two hours.

And in that time Jessica managed to sneak out to play baseball of all things with the Cullens and almost die when three nomad vampires interrupted the game and realized she was human.

"So, we lured them back to the house– after Rosalie and Emmett got Mom out of there and to safety first –and we threw Molotov cocktails and flamethrower-ed the crap out of that creepy blond vampire and his redhead girlfriend," Jessica recounted the events. "

Charlie rubbed his temples, feeling a stress migraine settling in. "And what happened to the third vampire?"

"He left. He didn't want to die because of Undead Sid and Nancy so he went to Alaska to live with the Cullens friends over there. They also don't feed on people."

"That's nice to know," Charlie grumbled.

He had sat down on his recliner while the Cullens were cleaning up the mess around his house. There had been some fire damage but they had taken care of that and the Cullens reassured him that Mrs. Cullen would be more than happy to renovate the house herself at no cost to Charlie. He and Bella had arrived to them sweeping vampire ash off the floor while Edward Cullen had fussed over Jessica like a mother hen.

And worse, there had been kissing and cheesy declarations of undying love. Apparently, nearly losing Jessica had put things into perspective for Edward.

"Vampires are real?" Bella asked, wide-eyed and chewing on her lower lip.

She was sitting on the couch next to Jessica and seemed to be taking in things slowly and Charlie didn't blame her. It was a lot of information to process in ten minutes.

"Yes. That's what I've been saying," Jessica snapped. "Keep up. How are you going to be a decent vampire hunter at this rate?"

"Jessica," Charlie admonished her. "Be nice."

Jessica looked sheepish and muttered a "sorry" to Bella. Edward Cullen came over and Charlie eyed him warily. He had kept an eye on the Cullens ever since they moved to Forks the previous year. He didn't know his biggest problem was one of them failing in love with his stepdaughter without his notice. Charlie had thought Jessica's crush had posed no real harm until Edward Cullen decided he returned her feelings.

"Rosalie and Emmett are returning with your mother," Edward said. "She has been worried and asking about you."

Charlie was relieved to know that Joan was safe. Everyone had come out unharmed in the end.

"She's going to be so mad when she sees what happened to the kitchen," Jessica stated. "By the way, Charlie, we broke your creepy hourglass during the fight."

"What hourglass?" Edward asked.

"It used to have vampire ashes in it. Charlie's great granddad used to put his best kills in the hourglass."

Edward looked horrified. "And you just had that in your home?"

"It was an heirloom," Jessica and Charlie answered at the same time.

Joan arrived with Rosalie and Emmett and Jessica told her everything that happened while she was gone. Joan tried to comfort a perpetually confused and overwhelmed Bella. Charlie just wanted to sink into his recliner and take a nap. It wasn't even noon. Too much had already happened that day.

Edward Cullen seemed to gravitate towards Jessica like a moth to a flame and was never far away from her. Bella was sneaking intrigued glances at him that he didn't seem to notice. The vampire was focused on the short brunette talking a mile a minute. He was holding her hand.

"Edward," Charlie called out, motioning for the boy to come closer. The vampire complied, reluctantly stepping away from Jessica. He took a seat on the couch at Charlie's insistence. "I don't know how long this thing has been going on for but I'm warning you that if you hurt my daughter, I will hunt you down. I will not stop until the deed is done."

Edward's golden gaze widened slightly. "I only met your daughter today."

"My other daughter, Edward."

Jessica was his kid whether either of them would admit it out loud or not. Ethan Stanley would always be her Dad but Charlie was her Dad too even if she didn't call him that. He loved that girl to bits and damn anyone that tried to hurt her. Why she had to fall in love with a vampire was beyond him.

Edward nodded. "I would never want to hurt her."

"Try not to. She'd probably kill you herself."

Jessica was a natural, after all.

It'd be a shame if Charlie had to teach her how to properly hunt a vampire.