Getting Up 2 - (Twilight AU, Charlie-MC)

La Push was a place that Charlie had visited a few times out of friendly reasons. Just like today.

While the last few days hadn't truly fixed everything, the sense of having a new schedule to drill his body and mind onto left him in a somewhat pleasant mood. The trip to the reservation wasn't that extensive to his usual chores, and since it was a free day from his job, Charlie could enjoy the feeling of being back to the kind of quality time that didn't leave him a mess: fishing with one of his best friends.

Billy would usually complain that he was a 'burden' or something. Ever since he had been stuck to a wheelchair due to diabetes, the old gruffy moron was always trying to pull away from those already-rare occasions. Then again, it was also rarer since Harry Clearwater couldn't make it since he was busy with some 'tribe-related business'.

Still, nothing had prepared Charlie to quite the disappointment he got from Harry's wife herself. Poor Sue looked tired as she delivered the news and-

"Billy joined Harry with the tribal matter. I am afraid this will take a few hours, Charlie," Sue answered quietly, trying to sound sympathetic but clearly stressed over something.

"It's alright, Sue. I guess that's for another time and-"

"Unca Charlie!"

The cry of delight coming from one of the halls of leading out of the living room got the attention of both adults, and the police officer was surprised at the sight of just little Leah coming along with such a rapid pace of legs.

The child was a wild thing with her boyish attitude towards many things. Wearing a pair of black shorts, tiny sandals and a sleeveless blue shirt, the little critter looked outrageously happy at seeing someone as 'unimportant' such as himself.

It wasn't about the value he gave himself, but rather what Charlie felt when within the reservation. He was an outsider despite the bond he had with Billy Black and Harry Clearwater, important members to the 'elder council' of the Quileute Tribe.

Then again, the little child was quite the different girl compared to his Bells. Where Bella would be relatively tame around people, Leah was extremely open and social with familiar faces. A little rascal as she tended to be quite pushy about her wishes, and with her father and mother being a mix of soft and stern, the result would vary from time to time.

"If it isn't little Leah. How're you, lil' rascal?"

"I am fiiiiineee!" She exclaimed giddly, sporting her smile and revealing two missing front teeth.

"And what's with that smile?" Charlie pushed, glancing at Sue as the woman rolled her eyes in amusement while the little girl suddenly appeared shy.

"I-I ran into a tree, Unca Charlie."

"And why did you do that?"

"I was chasing that dummy Rachel and I hit a tree."

"Do not insult your cousin, Leah," Sue argued and the girl pouted. "These two have been at it for a while and... she's also restless because Harry didn't take her to the meeting."

Charlie was surprised once more. "Why not? Is this one of those 'boys only' kind of meeting?"

"That's one way to put it, yes," The woman explained. "So, I am stuck with her and she is not being a good girl."

"I am the goodest of girls, mom!" Leah huffed, arms crossed by her chest and puffing her head left and right. "It's just that this isn't fair. I wanna see what's it all about and daddy said he would have asked- so why doesn't grumpy Billy let me?"

That's a good name for that brooding friend of mine.

"Because it's not meant for girls. Which is why I didn't go either."

The pouting didn't cease, which left Charlie in a really difficult position. While most of his reading had been centered around those 'self-improving' guides, he had also looked into parenthood ones. While he wouldn't say he was a guru for this sort of topic, he found this phenomenon as something he had read in the few books he looked into.

Leah was not going to calm down despite what her mother was trying to do. De-Escalation was not easy by just limiting 'why' a child could not take part to something important, which is why many times parents struggled to keep those unruly moments under control.

In a sense, Charlie could remember having had moments where 'knowing' with the right phrasing would have avoided a few headaches with his parents, but at the same time, there were ways to 'distract' the children from getting too cranky about the matter itself.

"I could take her for a car ride around Forks."

The offer didn't come out of the blue. It was something Charlie had considered. In a way, this wasn't just a self-sacrificing attempt, but rather a 'personal test' to see if he could behave properly around a child with how things where. He was going to be average at worst, but he wanted this to be a chance to see if he could be the father Bella needed.

And as Sue returned the words with a surprised look, and Leah with a hopeful smile, it quite became a 'battle' to either reject or accept Charlie's politeness. Sue was tired as it was between doing housechores, helping around at the tribe and other duties that left her quite spent, and Leah was already zeroing on the one thing she could do... but with a few rules to keep up with.

So, despite some reluctance, Sue accepted the police officer's offer, and Leah was soon sitting in the car with him.

"Is this the one you use to fight crime?" The child asked, giddily bouncing on her seat as the belt kept her mostly put in place.

"No. There are a few at the department's parking lot and this one is actually mine."

Despite the few 'negative answers', Leah kept a bubbly mood through the entire trip. They stopped a few times to check the local park so she could play with the other kids, but then Charlie did something that he came to regret.

He was dissuaded by Leah to check one of those cheap toy stores in town. Charlie usually didn't go there as most of this stuff was second-handed and, albeit cheap with their prices, tended to be quite easy to break. He once brought a doll for Bella when she was still in Forks, and the thing broke in less than two days.

Not a pleasant few nights in the couch considering that his daughter was crying for a few times through those days...

Still, the plan of keeping this just a 'look but not buy' kind of deal came off when Leah found something that stole her full attention.

A wolf plushie.

It was actually of good quality when compared to the previous item he brought there, but the memories on how these things can easily break the hearts of kids made him reluctant. And then Leah hit him with something that he knew was still his weakness.

Hugging the plushie close, appearing extremely girly and very childish in her attempt to push this onto him as it became clear that this was a battle he may have actually lost from the very beginning.

"Unca Charlie! Pretty please, I want it! It's so cute!""

...

Despite the damning smile on his face as they left that store and the wide grin on Leah's little face as she scurried for the car with her new 'puppet pet', Charlie felt like this was a huge loss for his pride.

Still, it worked in keeping the child 'contained' as she didn't pester him any further and actually appeared in love with the new toy she got.

When they returned, Charlie was glad that Harry wasn't back just yet and Sue appeared a bit better than a hour earlier. She raised a few questions about the plushie, but appeared overall pleased with the way her daughter appeared incredibly happy with it.

After he left to get back home, Charlie would get a call from Harry to thank him for the gesture and even offering to pay him back in due time, but Charlie refused as he got something more meaningful out of that simple walk in town:

Experience and the feeling of being a good dad once again.

AN

I forgot to mention that it is still around 1992-1993 in these two chapters. Leah is 6 and so she is far from developing a short-temper just yet.

Also, I have read some suggesting her as a potential pairing, and while that looks interesting as a 'crack-ship', due to the age I have to say 'nah'. Still, that doesn't mean I will not turn their bond into something meaningful as Leah deserves some good headpats (both as a child and as a wolf).