A/N I would also like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I didn't get the chance to thank you personally.

Chapter 25

Narrated by Shelly Cope.

Izzy

After much discussion, Charlie knew he would have to let Izzy go to Forks. But he didn't want her to go on her own. For Charlie to stay with her, he would be separated from Sue for the duration of Izzy's stay. Sue couldn't get that much time off work, especially if they were going to travel across the country in the RV for a vacation.

It was decided that Seth and Leah would stay with Izzy in Forks. But it was agreed that the kids wouldn't be away from their parents longer than a school year. It also gave Charlie peace of mind, as they would call home if anything went wrong. Charlie could be there in a couple of hours by flight.

Charlie knew if he called Mark, he would get Izzy; keeping her safe until he got there. Izzy was still very withdrawn, which worried him.

But they would go for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Helen said she would go down to visit Izzy to make sure she was coping.

Izzy had released a few pictures to a gallery and her work was still in demand. She would need a studio while she was in Forks.

Charlie allowed Izzy to pay for work to be done on the house. She needed a studio. There wasn't a spare room in the house to turn into a studio. She bought the plot of land next to the house and had one built. Izzy also wanted a carport; she didn't want to upset the neighbors with the amount of cars Seth, Leah and she would need.

Helen suggested she have dimmer switches put into the house so she could adjust the lights to a level to feel safe.

The neighbors watched the building contractors change Charlie's house. The land next to the house had been turned into a carport. A kitchen extension was built with an extra bedroom over it. They were curious as a room with many windows was built over the carport. A small piece of the garden had also been fenced in.

A car dealership delivered four cars. A 2011 Honda Element for Seth, a new model Volkswagen Beetle for Leah a Toyota Prius for Izzy, and an old Kia Rio. That was going to be the punishment car. If rules were broken, car keys would be taken from them, and they would have to use the punishment car.

~T&I~

Teddy

Teddy had wanted to live away from his parents, so he secured a house to rent.

Mrs. Burns had gone into a home and her family didn't want to sell the house in case she wanted to come back. Teddy signed a lease on a month-to-month basis. It was fully furnished, but he bought a new bed. He collapsed the other one and stored it in the bedroom he never used.

Unfortunately, although Chelsea had an apartment on the edge of town, she still always turned up at Teddy's house. This was a constant argument between them.

Teddy even disagreed with Emmett about giving Chelsea the job at school. Emmett pointed out that this was his own fault; when you get into a dangerous relationship with no commitment; someone is bound to be hurt when one person wants more.

The house he rented was across the road from Charlie Swan's house, and as promised, he cut the grass. He painted Izzy's tree house just in case she came home.

Mr. Richardson spoke to Teddy about a concern he had about the service dog that was coming with the new tenant. What If the person was blind, and the poop wouldn't get cleaned up?

The next day an RV drove up to the Swan's house.

Teddy stood behind a large tree where he couldn't be seen while spying on the neighbors. Charlie was the first out of the RV, stretching out. He was followed by the two kids belonging to his girlfriend Sue. Then, a big dog got out, sniffed around, cocked his leg up, and pissed on the tree in their garden.

A few minutes later, a small girl got out. But Teddy groaned when he saw her. She looked like she was going to be trouble. She looked the rebellious kind. Her short hair was half lilac, the other side pink and the bottom yellow. She wore clothes that should be in a museum. There goes the quiet neighborhood.

~T&I~

"Hi Chief," Teddy said as he walked across the road.

"Hello, Teddy. How are you and the family?" Charlie asked.

"Everyone is good. Jasper and Alice are back in Forks. Mom is happy that she has got more grandkids to spoil," Teddy chuckled. "I graduated from college now. I'm a teacher at the high school."

"Not computers, I hope," Charlie chuckled.

"Actually, biology. Although I might have to teach computers to the Freshman class," Teddy replied. "With Emmett working there, the kids will know me as Mr. Masen. It is less confusing for everyone. Although Emmett is Vice Principal now."

"You've done well. You will probably be teaching the twins. They're staying this year. They are seniors," Charlie informed.

"Who is here with you?" Teddy inquired.

"You remember Sue? We got married a few months ago," Charlie added.

"Congratulations," Teddy said

"Nice to see you again Teddy," Sue replied. "Congratulations on your first teaching job."

Teddy watched as all the kids brought bags out of the RV. He was hoping for an introduction, especially to the youngest one. He was trying to work out why Charlie would let a kid dress like that.

"Kids, come and meet one of our neighbors," Charlie yelled. "You remember Seth and Leah. That's Marie. She's a little shy. This is her service dog, Bobby."

"Why does she have a service dog? Is she deaf or blind?" Teddy asked.

"No, nothing like that. It's complicated. She might tell you about it one day if she gets comfortable with you," Charlie said with a tight smile.

"I'll leave you to it. If you need anything, I'm just across the road," Teddy said as he walked away.

"Sure, will Teddy," Charlie replied.

Teddy sat in the room watching the kids as they emptied the RV. Especially the youngest Marie. That dog shadowed her. He watched as she touched him every so often. Then he could see her in the room with all the windows. Charlie carried boxes into the room. She seemed to be opening the crates that had been delivered.

Now and then, Charlie would hug her. She seemed to cry. Was she crying because she was in pain from whatever caused that limp? Maybe it was her choice of footwear. What young girl would wear Doc Martins?

Marie spent a portion of her night sitting in a rocking chair on the porch, knitting. Chelsea pointed out that she was a freak. No young kid knits.

One evening, she was sitting playing her guitar, and singing softly. Teddy wanted to listen to what she was playing. Chelsea had invited herself over and wouldn't let him sit on his porch. She ended up staying the night. She stood in the window naked. I asked her if she realized she made herself look like a slut.

I noticed Marie was in Izzy's bedroom. He didn't know why but he resented the girl even more as well as Charlie for replacing Izzy with this girl Marie.

Teddy noticed people were coming and going, obviously coming to see Charlie, and getting to know the kids. He noticed whenever anyone came by the house, Marie would be in the room with all the windows. She only came down when Chief Mark came and visited.

One night, the entire street must have been woken up by the screaming that came from the house. Teddy was hoping this wasn't what was to come this next year. He was dreading the possibility of having any of these three kids in his class.

~T&I~

"Hi Mom, am I early?" Teddy asked as he walked into the kitchen sitting at the table.

"No sweetheart, you can never be early," Esme replied. "No Chelsea today?"

"Mom, she is driving me nuts. She keeps turning up at my place. I keep telling her we are not a couple," Teddy growled.

"Well, if you stopped entertaining her during the night, afternoon, or morning. Then she would stop thinking you're a couple," Esme said.

Teddy blushed to know that the neighbors had obviously seen her. This means if some neighbors have seen her, so has Charlie.

"Don't forget Charlie will see her antics. He might not be the Chief anymore, but you can bet your life he will still have some pull at the station," Esme growled. "Not only that, but it's also embarrassing when people say things to both your father and me. Especially in the store or at our place of work."

"Nanna, we are here. Where are you?" Little Bella yelled.

"I'm in the kitchen," Esme shouted back.

"Guess what happened when we were in the store with Mommy? Ginny's mommy told my mommy that Chelsea and Uncle Teddy were doing the dirty. She was so mad that Chelsea was at the window with no clothes on. When I asked Mommy what doing the dirty meant, she said that they were probably working in the garden and had to have a shower and forgot to close the curtains," Little Bella continued to tell her story. "Daddy is mad at you, Uncle Teddy. He said a teacher should have more respect than that and set an example. Now all the kids are going to be saying stuff."

"Oh shit. Chelsea has got it into her head that I have a thing for one of Charlie's kids. Her name is Marie. We never met her when we were in New York. But the kid is about 14 years old. It's sick of Chelsea to think I see her as more than a kid," Teddy moaned.

"Who's Marie?" Jasper asked.

"A girl who has come with Charlie Swan and his new family. Apparently, the kids are staying here for the year. But there is a younger girl with them," Teddy explained.

"So, Marie's here? Does she have a big English Sheepdog with her?" Jasper asked with a smile.

"Yes, there's a big dog with loads of fur. If that's a sheepdog. Charlie said it's a service dog," Teddy shrugged.

"Do you know her, Jazz?" Alice asked.

"Know who?" Rose added.

"A small girl named Marie is staying with the Swan family. She wasn't at the wedding, so I don't know where she fits in with the family dynamic," Teddy concluded.

"Well, Jazz, have you met this girl before?" Alice asked again, getting annoyed.

"No, Charlie mentioned her to me when I saw him once in New York," Jasper lied.

"Maybe we should see her and make her feel welcome if she is shy," Esme said.

As Emmett came into the house, he yelled, "Teddy, get in Dad's office now!"

"Shit," Teddy said as he reluctantly got up and went to the office.

~T&I~

Jasper wanted to speak with Charlie, and he planned to see why Charlie had kept it from Teddy that Izzy was in Town. He waited for his day off to go. Alice would be at work so she wouldn't know where he was going. He hated keeping secrets from her, but he must see why Charlie had kept Izzy from the townspeople. Not even her neighbors knew who she was. What he didn't expect was the way Izzy's appearance had changed. She had many piercings in her ears and nose. Jasper was also shocked by her hair. If she had tried to disguise herself, she had succeeded.

"Come in Jasper, for what do we owe this visit? I thought you would come during the day, not after dark. I imagine no one knows you're here," Charlie stated.

"Well, I wouldn't say secretly, but I would have to tell people about Izzy, and you're keeping her hidden," Jasper replied.

"This isn't my doing. If I had a choice, she would never have come back here. She wanted to come back, and I asked for guidance from Helen, her therapist. She said we were to go at Izzy's pace, and she hadn't gotten the courage to meet anyone yet. It will be overwhelming for her. If she can't cope here, we will just take her home," Charlie said.

"But what about Teddy? He lives across from you. Surely, she would want to meet up with him again to talk everything through," Jasper begged.

"If you think I'm going to let my Izzy become Teddy's booty call you are mistaken. Everyone can see what goes on over there. That girl isn't even his girlfriend. It's embarrassing, and I have spoken to Mark about it. So, no. No one is push Izzy until she is ready or wants to speak to Teddy. She sits watching him. I can tell by the look on her face that she is hurt by him living his life that way. I think deep down it was her Teddy that got her through half of the things she had to endure," Charlie growled. This Teddy is not the same person that she remembers.

"I'm sorry Charlie; I didn't know he was acting like that. I can't blame you. I wouldn't like to think that any of my daughters were treated like that. But what about the rest of the family? Are they going to be told she is here? Or even alive?" Jasper continued.

"As I said, she will make herself known when she is ready. Sue and I aren't staying with Izzy, and the kids will be here for the school year. I would let you see her, but she's gone into her studio, and she doesn't like to be disturbed. I'm sure she will seek you out soon," Charlie finished.

"Okay, I'll see you soon Charlie," Jasper replied.

"We're leaving in the morning and we're not coming back until Thanksgiving. We'll see you then unless anything goes wrong in the meantime. So, I'll say bye for now," Charlie said.

"Okay, Chief, I'll check on Teddy," Jasper replied.

Jasper didn't get into his car. Instead, he walked across the road and banged on Teddy's front door.

"What the hell. Give me a minute," Teddy yelled.

Jasper pushed past him, standing shaking with anger in Teddy's lounge.

"What the fuck Teddy? I know Emmett has spoken to you about what is going on here. But Charlie has seen it as well. You are going to be sorry if you keep this up. Besides him telling Chief Mark. If Izzy ever came back, he would never let you see her," Jasper growled.

"Shit Jazz, I just don't know what to do. I keep trying to tell her we are not an item, but she keeps turning up here. What can I do?" Teddy said as he pulled on his hair in frustration.

"First, stop sleeping with her. Second, when she comes round, don't answer the door. Don't go to the bar with her by yourself. Teddy, there are lots of things you can do to stop her from coming to your place and doing such things. You realize you could lose your job, don't you? People in this town have short memories. Some of them have already made a comment about you being a drug addict and teaching their kids," Jasper advised.

"But I haven't done drugs since I was about fourteen. That's not fair," Teddy said.

"That is why you have to be careful and prove that you have changed. You don't intend to turn to drugs again. Now I have to go. You have a lot to think about. It might do you well to befriend the kids across the street. They are staying for the school year," Jasper counseled as he left.

Charlie and Sue left early the next day, as they had to drive back across the country. He wasn't comfortable leaving the kids there. But Seth was excited about a new adventure. Leah was just worried about anything happening to the three of them. Not from the cult, but from pervert Teddy across the road. She had seen him watching them and she didn't like it. If he stepped out of line with Izzy, he would find out what Jersey girls are capable of.

~T&I~

As Izzy sat singing softly to herself, she was startled by Jane Freeman from next door as she approached her on the porch.

She knew she had dementia and shouldn't be out alone. But she wasn't sure what she should do. She hadn't met anyone with dementia before and had to google it to see what it was.

"Hi, Lucy, I'm glad you snuck out as well. You brought your guitar. I love listening to you play. I saw that guy again in the store today and he is so dreamy," Jane cooed to Izzy.

Izzy didn't know what to do other than play along.

"Really? Which one was that?" Izzy asked.

"Phil Freeman. But Julia Sinclair was giggling, and he didn't really pay much attention to me. Play some Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young," Jane asked.

Izzy played as Jane joined her singing.

You, who are on the road

Must have a code that you live by

And so, become yourself because the past is just a goodbye.

As they continued to sing, she saw a worried Mr. Freeman come out of his house.

As they finished the song, she saw Jane's husband walking across to her.

"Oh my gosh! Phill is coming over. Quickly, play another song, Lucy. I don't know what to say if he speaks to me," Jane said, panicked.

Our house is a very very fine house

With two cats in the yard

Life used to be so hard

Now everything is easy cause of you.

Smiling as Phil joined in the song. He had told Izzy that he loved to see his wife be like her old self, even if it was just for an hour while she sang with her.

"Would you like to dance Jane," Phil asked.

"Yes please," Jane replied as she giggled.

Because I'm still in love with you

I want to see you dance again

Because I'm still in love with you

On this harvest moon.

Izzy didn't see Chief Mark pull up in his patrol car.

"Jane, may I walk you home?" Phil asked his wife.

"Yes, please. I'll speak to you tomorrow, Lucy," Jane said as she waved to Izzy.

Both Mark and Izzy watched as Jane giggled like a giddy teenager.

"I've not seen her that lucid in years. But I'm here because there has been a complaint. I know you find it hard being in the house all the time and you're used to singing out in the open. Maybe you can sit on the back porch," Mark suggested.

"Don't tell me it's Teddy that has made the complaint?" Izzy asked.

"No, it's Teddy's whatever she is, Chelsea. She claims that all the activities at night over here are more annoying than crickets," Mark said.

"Okay, Chief, not a problem. It's just that Mr. Freeman enjoys spending his time with his wife. I'll just explain to him. I'll sit in the house. The back porch is too dark with the forest being there. I know that I have Bobby, but it's still dark," Izzy said.

"Sorry Izzy, but I have to take complaints seriously," Mark advised. "Goodnight Izzy."

"Goodnight, Chief," Izzy replied.

Izzy had just started her shit list again, and Teddy and Chelsea were on top of it.

~T&I~

The first day of school was chaotic. People were rushing around, locating their lockers, and finding their homerooms. Teddy had the freshmans in homeroom. He had seen Seth and Leah, but there was no sign of Marie. They had separated them, which was unusual for twins. But Marie needed to be in school. Teddy just couldn't work out what Charlie was thinking, leaving these kids to fend for themselves.

"Emmett, Marie, who is staying at Charlie's, hasn't turned up to school. You need to go around there. It's best if you go around while they are in school. That way, she won't expect anyone," Teddy advised.

"Are you sure she's the age for high school? You said she was small," Emmett continued to ask. "I suppose I'll go if that's okay with the boss."

"If she's not in high school, then we can ask at the junior high. But I think she should at least be a freshman," Teddy concluded.

"Okay, you'd better be right on this, Teddy. I don't know what the Chief knocking on my door for harassing them," Emmett grumbled.

Getting in his car, he didn't know what he was going to say if she was home. What if she was just a little person? She might be a genius and had finished school already. He had never met a kid like that, but there was always a first time. As he approached the house, he could see the youngest struggling with her big dog. Trying to lift it into her car.

"Are you supposed to be in school today?" Emmett asked as he got out of the car.

"Could you take us to the vet's office, please? I don't know what's happened, but Bobby's chest is bleeding, and he has a puncture wound. I think it needs checking out in case he needs stitches," Izzy asked.

"I suppose so. Then we are having a conversation about why you're not enrolled in school," Emmett continued.

"Because I've graduated. Why would I want to go to school? Will you take me or not? Could you just help me get him into my car and I'll take him myself," Izzy growled.

"Okay, but he better not bite me or throw up in the car. I have enough of that with the kids," Emmett grumbled. "Come on kid. He won't bite, will he?"

Besides Izzy whispering to Bobby, no one spoke.

"Here we are. Let me help you with him," Emmett said.

Izzy looked around and remembered all the times she used to come here with the different animals she found.

"Is mom in?" Emmett asked the girl in reception.

"Yes, just go through, Emmett," the girl said.

"Hi Mom, this is Marie's dog. She doesn't know what's happened, but his chest is bleeding, she thinks it might need a couple of stitches," Emmett advised.

"Oh, you poor thing. What is your name, big guy?" Esme asked.

"His name is Bobby. He's, my dog. Please help him, Doctor Teddy's mommy," Izzy asked.

"Izzy, is that you?" Esme gasped.

The songs used are

Teach your children – Crosby, Still, Nash, and Young

Our House by – Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young

Harvest Moon – Neil Young.

I would like to point this out before anyone gets upset. Chelsea hasn't done anything to Bobby, he's just caught himself while he was exploring.

Thanks always to Kellie (Klcivinski) my pre-reading for taking the time to read through the chapter.

Also, as always, thank you to Donna (EdwardsFirstKiss) for sprinkling your magic on my work and making it readable.

Any mistakes are all mine.