Chapter 13

I would like to thank the great Frannie Walsh for becoming my Beta! Thanks for all of the hard work I know that you put into each chapter! Hugs

Song for this Chapter: Kill a Word by Eric Church

After an hour of dead silence, Charlie slowly got up from his seat and opened the door to the cabin. I followed and watched as he took off his coat, hung it up by the door, and climbed the ladder towards the loft.

He hadn't spoken a word, fidgeted in his chair, nothing. He just stared off into space. I had sat on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what he would say.

All I got were crickets and his back as he left me standing at the front door.

After closing the door and taking off my coat, I stoked the fire, added some wood to it, and turned off the oil lamp on the table. I walked over to the couch, taking off my muck boots after I sat.

I'd done what I'd come to Forks to do. I was blessed to be able to tell my father the truth about my new life, vampires, and what the pack really is. So why was I feeling like I'd done it all for nothing? Sure, I knew that there was a major chance my dad wouldn't be able to handle what I needed to say. I'd known that even when Mom died.

That's another one of the reasons I always kept on running. I hadn't been strong enough emotionally to take my dad turning his back on me, too. Hell, I don't know if I am strong enough now.

Peter and Charlotte tried to warn me. They tried to get me to see that things might not end up the way I've been hoping they would. Damn, that word. At this moment, if I could kill a word it would be: HOPE

One would think with how upset and anxious I was that I wouldn't be able to fall asleep, but somehow I did. It wasn't an easy sleep. Old nightmares seemed to meet my dreams like old, familiar, unwanted friends. The dreams had changed over the years, but they always seemed to take the same twists and turns.

I must have been reliving a really bad one when I sat straight upright on the couch, sweat covering every inch of my body, and my hair matted to my forehead. The clock on the wall read 4:44 am. My breathing was still heavy, when I turned my head to see my father staring at me as I tried like hell to pull myself together.

"I didn't mean to wake … you," I stammered. "I don't remember screaming out or anything," I still had the same sweats on from the airplane.

What I wouldn't give for a hot shower at this point. I want a good, strong cup of coffee…

That's when my brain finally caught up with how we'd left things between us last night, and I suddenly didn't have any more words to say or think to the man in front of me.

My dad and I just sat there looking into each other's eyes. It was sort of like a staring contest, without either one telling the other person when to start. I don't know how long we each sat like that, but it felt like forever in some ways and not enough time in others.

I didn't want this time with my dad to end, but I also didn't want to leave us as we are right now. I'd given him what I thought he needed to hear. I'd tried to make up for my mistakes, and I thought I'd turned some of those things right.

But at this moment, I couldn't tell.

Do I try to apologize?

Do I call Sam and have her come and take us back to Nome now? Do I…

"Let me say something right off the bat, Isabella. Don't you EVER leave me without full knowledge of where you're going and who the hell you'll be with again! Do you hear me?"

I just nodded my head, half afraid if I said something now, he might not ever talk to me again. Sometimes I believe he forgets I'm a now twenty-three-year-old grown ass woman.

"And as for anything else, young lady? When we get back to Forks, you better not even think about leaving until we've finished cleaning up what should have been both of our lives together."

My dad was on a roll…

My mind still a bit foggy from sleep finally caught his last words, "You want to keep me? Even after everything I've told you?"

I was baffled at that moment. How? How did my dad still want me after everything I've been through? Not to mention the things that are still to come. All the lies I've told. All the time I avoided coming to see him.

After everything else?

I had tears rolling down my cheeks as I sat in stunned silence.

Charlie knelt before me, wiping away every tear as he said, "From now on it's me and you. If you have a problem, I'm your person. Just like if I have a problem, I'll expect you to be there for me. I've been up the last two nights thinking…"

Once Dad started talking, he didn't stop.

I made breakfast and after eating, stowed all the unneeded gear.

Then, I spent the day cleaning the cooler, every flat surface, the floors, near the front door and wood burner. I gathered dirty clothes and sheets from upstairs and a few kitchen towels. I'd drop them off at the airport. I'd always paid a woman in Nome to wash things before I left. She'd have them waiting for me at the airport upon my return.

Charlie cleaned the ash from the wood burner, leaving enough precut wood next to it. That way, if someone were to get stranded, they could at least get one good fire going before they had to hunt down more.

He got his bag together, while I did the same.

Dad talked through lunch and dinner time. I'd never heard him say so many words. He'd always been the strong, silent type. It was like once he started talking, he couldn't stop.

The last step before leaving was to slather the cabin in a thick layer of Pine-Sol spray. (It keeps the animals from trying to break into empty homes.)

Once the cabin was tucked away, Dad and I made our way to the shore line, where we stood waiting for Sam. All the while, Dad was still talking.

Soon, we both heard the engine from somewhere above us. Charlie had a smile on his face as the plane touched down on the water within fifteen feet of us. After reloading the things we were taking with us, Sam gently took off.

Before we knew it, we were landing again in Nome. Very quickly after that, we were on the Lear Jet and on our way back to Forks.

"Hey, you never did tell me about this plane," Dad finally asked.

After spending the last day telling me how things were going to go down once he was back home, I felt strange about finally being able to speak again.

"Dad, I make good money writing and selling songs. I bought that cabin, the ranch, and a few other places with cash money. But I don't make airplane kind of money," I laughed as I waved my hand at the plane's cabin.

"The first song I wrote and sold went on the Top 10 chart. It was sold to a country artist with more money than sense. In fact, he's taken a couple of my songs to number one. This is his beauty… I asked to borrow it, and he offered it for whenever I needed or wanted it." I one shoulder shrugged at him. "Hell, he's even paying for the pilots, crew, and the jet fuel."

Charlie whistled at that. "Why, though?"

"If you think a songwriter gets paid huge royalties for their songs, you ought to see what the artists signing them get! That man has made many of his dollars off the backs of songwriters. I just happen to be his favorite." I smiled, thinking about the millions several of my musical creations have made.

"I'll show you my financial investments and statements someday. You'll see that I've got my butt covered. Hell Dad, I can cover my butt, your butt, everybody's butt…" trying to make a joke. But if he wants to see how I'm doing, he's more than welcome to it.

"Hell, my management team works for free. Most of the management teams in Nashville make their money off their clients. Getting mine for free saves me money like you wouldn't believe."

Charlie gave me a strange look, "Peter is my agent, Dad. It's not like he can file a 1099 for himself. So he works for free. You know, being a vampire, he doesn't exist to the IRS, or Social Security. Nowhere, really. I guess he only exists to me and Charlotte. Maybe to his brother…" I trailed off.

My brain started thinking about the things I'd missed when talking to my dad over the weekend. He ended up burning the yellow pad with his questions on it, so I needed to tell him a couple more things.

"I told you last night how if I don't go through the change, the Volturi will make an example of those I love. I mentioned the Cullens, Dad, because Aro sees Carlisle as the main source of my finding out about vampires and then doing nothing about it. He's going to punish the whole coven even after I'm changed."

"Yeah, but we have over two years until then, Bells. We'll talk about all this shit," holy hell, my dad cussed, "sometime after we get things sorted out in Forks."

Just like going to Alaska, the flight back took about four hours. Sure, with a tail wind, we might gain a few minutes, but there was a lot of time to just talk on this flight home. And trust me, that's just what Dad and I did.

Once the plane had landed, it was stowed in the hangar, and our bags were in the back of my little R8.

Dad drove my car home towards Forks. I didn't know if the pack would be waiting for us. However, I thought Sue might be. So the pack would be waiting for a call from her.

I suddenly realized I didn't dread this trip to Forks like I had when I landed before the party. I felt like with Dad knowing all about my crazy fucked up life, I could face whatever awaited us.

I found myself even enjoying some of the things Dad had talked about earlier. "Yeah, we need to get this Fork's crap sorted out," I said out loud. Charlie's head bobbed in agreement. When the Welcome to Forks sign came into view, I had a genuine smile on my face.

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