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Chapter Text

It had been over two years since Bella had gotten married to that scum. Charlie couldn’t help but be mad. She never really liked Edward. She used to think Edward was abusing her which had only intensified her hatred for him even more, but it all sort of subsided as Bella insisted Edward was who she wanted to spend her life with, and well… that he didn’t abuse her. He loved her more than anything else in the world. Whatever that meant. Charlie would always want Bella to be happy. Even if that meant giving her life away. Yea… Vampires. 

‘Mom?’ Bella leaned her head sideways, making Charlie’s trail of thought stop.

Charlie blinked hard, glancing around the room full of purging golden eyes, all laid on her. Charlie cupped her head as she took a second to just stop thinking. I am never going to get used to this. She could only feel the glares only intensifying as she lifted her head. Yet she felt more relaxed, which was nice for a second, before she was promptly reminded as to why she felt that way in a room full of blood-sucking ticks. She quickly found Jasper’s uncomfortable face, feeling as though she needed to scream at him once again to not mess with her emotions. 

‘Looked like you needed it.’ Jasper pleaded, with his awkward alien smile. Everything these people did just irritated her more and more. 

This was one of the few times Charlie had actually agreed to eat at the Cullen's house. It was kind of impossible to say no when Renesmee had asked so sweetly. Charlie had always had a weakness for her little girls. Esmé and Carlisle always invited her over but Charlie continuously denied, using stupid work excuses. They just… creeped her out. They were always so perfect and well dressed. It was uncanny. Where did they even find each other? Or is everything just handed to you when you kill and eat humans for a “living”? WHATEVER!

‘Mom, did you hear what I said?’ Asked Bella. 

‘Sorry, sweetie. Just…-’

Bella interrupted before Charlie could come up with some lame excuse again. ‘I’m worried about you, Mom. You’re always working. Have you been out with your friends lately?’ 

Charlie had thought for a second. Of course she hadn’t. What did she look like? Probably like shit, was the best she could think of. She wasn’t skinny like Rosalie or small like Alice. She was a mess, and always at work. Maybe it was because she couldn’t believe the kind of world she was in, or that she didn’t want to admit her daughter was… what she was. It didn’t matter. She was either at work, slumped over some files of petty thefts, or at home, drunk on the couch, unable to decide whether she needed one more drink or some good sleep. The usual answer being alcohol. It’s not like she could lie either. Bella’s corpse of a husband could read her mind, nonconsensually, though Charlie had once exploded, yelling at everyone and their mother to stop using their powers on her. 

Charlie just looked at her daughter, defeated. She couldn’t win in this conversation.

‘I’ve been thinking… erm, maybe I could move back to Forks?’ Bella prompted, with a slight shrug. ‘You could, uh… spend more time with Renesmee?’ 

Charlie’s gut fumbled all over the floor, stumbling to pick it back up. She felt so guilty. She was never a fantastic mother, and she let Bella back into Forks, like an idiot. If she hadn’t come back, she would’ve never met Edward or the Cullens. 

‘Charlie…’ Edward murmured.

‘Ms. Swan,’ Charlie corrected, hoping her stabbing glare was enough to stop Edward out of her mind, ‘Are you asking me, Bella?’ She asked softly as she looked back at her daughter to her left. 

‘I know how you are, Ma. This could be good for you, right?’ Her head turned to the others, looking for reassurance, which of course she got. They had some kind of hive mind. They all nodded, with some little ‘of course’ and ‘totally’. 

‘Your granddaughter misses you all the time, believe it or not,’ The warm smile Bella let grow made Charlie’s heart fuzz a little. Obviously she’d do anything for Renesmee. Charlie managed to raise her lips a little bit, her doubt wearing away. ‘Come on,’ She placed her hand on Charlie’s arm, ‘What do you say?’ 

Charlie took a moment before answering, a little teeth showing through her smile, ‘Yea, sure.’ 

Alice erupted next to them, hands together, smile bright. Now Alice, Alice was likeable. She was kind and full of gleam, so it was impossible for Charlie to truly hate her. She was always so nice to her, bless her heart. It was sad she’s coupled up with that rubberneck. 

Esmé stood, holding a glass of champagne in his hand. The others quickly summoning their own glass. ‘To Bella and Edward!’ 

‘To Bella and Edward!’ They all chant. 

_________________________________________

‘Isn’t she beautiful?’ Bella gleamed as she stroked her daughter's hair.

Charlie stared as she leaned against the door frame. Her daughter had grown to be a beautiful woman. Her skin was silky smooth, luscious hair, piercing eyes. She really was her angel. Charlie felt both proud and gloomy. She really would never be able to wash away the feelings of guilt. Though Bella was extremely beautiful and intelligent, she still was dead. And there was no simple way around that. 

‘She reminds me of you, you know,’ Bella whispered softly, ‘She has your attitude.’

They both chuckled as they reminisced, remembering how stubborn Charlie was when Renesmee was born. She was happy, of course, to have a granddaughter. It just meant Edward had laid his grippy hands on her daughter. But at least she had a granddaughter. Vampires can’t reproduce, even if they’re perfect beings. Renesmee would be the only granddaughter out of the whole family, so all in all, it wasn’t the worst. After all, Renesmee was the cutest thing Charlie had ever seen. 

‘Bella…’ Charlie took a long pause to build courage for her words. She had never been one to be good with emotions. ‘Bella, listen, I’m-’ 

‘It’s okay, mom,’ Bella grinned, ‘I get it. You’re my mother, I’d be the same... Kind of.’

Charlie couldn’t help but smile. She pushed herself off from the door frame, walking towards her girl. There weren’t many moments they shared such intimacy, but each and every one, Charlie cherished. They wrapped their arms around each other, Bella digging her head into her mothers shoulder. Charlie slightly flinched. She had forgotten about Bella’s burning cold skin. Her lack of heartbeat and breathing. She squeezed her arms a bit, wishing her warmth could somehow transfer to Bella’s idle heart. 

‘I love you.’ Bella propositioned. 

‘Yea,’ Charlie responded, sighing as she laid her head on top of Bellas. ‘It’s getting late though.’ She mentioned as she pulled away from Bella, her hands still on her arms. 

‘Ha, forgot about that,’ Bella giggled to herself as she guided her moms hands away from her arms. ‘You should get going. You don’t want to drive half asleep, officer.’ 

‘Yea, yea,’ Typical Bella. Her and her police jokes. They never got any funnier with every time she’d crack one. ‘I’ll be fine.’ 

Now, all Charlie could do was yawn as they walked down the stairs. The whole family had been waiting for them it seemed. It wouldn’t be so surprising. They just love to listen to anything and everything, don’t they? 

The lights were dim, yet their bleached skin and flaming eyes could be seen through the dark. God, they’re so creepy.  As they reached the last step, Alice held out her arms towards Charlie and Bella, making both of them look at each other awkwardly. 

‘Oh!’ Bella realised, leaning into Alice’s arms, tugging at Charlie’s. A hug, duh. It was short and ragged, Alice’s little jumps and squeezes made Charlie shake with every moment. She was quite strong. Hmm, not just quite, but you know. 

‘Are you sure you’ll be fine driving home, Charlie?’ Alice asked, her tone suggesting something. 

Charlie’s head twisted, a small leer appeared on her lips. ‘Yea, of course,’ Charlie chuckled a bit uncomfortably, ‘Is something wrong?’

There was a slight pause from the little fairy, her body motionless, ‘It’s cold and foggy tonight, Chief. I’m just worried that’s all.’ 

‘Ha, I’m 47, Alice. I’m sure I’ll be fine.’ Though Charlie was grinning, her tone oozed uneasiness. Alice’s “superpower” or whatever was predicting the future, so it didn’t really make her feel any good when Alice was worried. She could also just be pitying Charlie. She was a vampire after all. Charlie was sure they all gained some sort of superiority complex after they changed. 

‘You know, mom, maybe one of us could drive you?’ Bella prompted. 

Charlie looked towards Bella. Now, she was sure she was just a poor puppy to these people. 

‘I will take you, Chief Swan,’ A soft voice spoke out from beyond the young adults. Her straight hair flowed as she walked towards the rest of the group, a small smile bending. Fuuuuuck me. 

The only one ever so generous enough to offer to take Charlie Swan home was, of course, Carlisle Cullen. The slim, toned, pretty, monstrous big gremlin Carlisle. She was everything Charlie wasn’t. A perfect mother, a great wife, a talented doctor, physically fit… very fit, and of course, dead. Every ounce of energy Carlisle radiated made Charlie feel the need to find a way to kill a centuries old creature. Yes, she was that annoying.

‘I can get there myself,’ Charlie’s voice was firm. A ride home with the devils reincarnate… great. ‘...Seriously.’

Carlisle’s face was pristine. No bumps, no lumps, no wrinkles. No imperfections. Daggering golden eyes with a sharp bone structure that was sure to slice anything that came near it into pieces. I mean, are we joking? 

‘I insist,’ Carlisle’s voice was gentle, like she was talking to a child. She always spoke like that though. Especially with Charlie. Like she said, it’s a superiority complex. ‘You don’t know what might be out there.’ Her smile grew as she winked at Charlie. 

A few silent chuckles were heard around the group. That was funny, sure. But silly old Charlie could feel a strong hormone, called anger, pierce through her veins. All of a sudden it was hot, and Charlie could feel her heart beating against her chest. 

Maybe it was childish the way she reacted, but it was enough that Charlie was getting a ride home from Carlisle. She didn’t need to be ridiculed on top of that. Charlie tried to stay calm, but unlike Jasper, it was a bit challenging. She quickly glanced at Bella, hoping that she’d understand that as a “Goodbye”. She turned around and slightly paced to the door, grabbing the doorhandle eagerly. 

Carlisle murmured something to her family, with a quiet response from a few of them, before following Charlie to her car. The sound of her heels could be faintly heard, even if she wasn’t that far behind. These fuckin ghoulish freaks… get me out of here already! 

Carlisle let out an ever so soft chuckle from her “pretty” lips… or whatever! Charlie’s internal monologue turned into just screaming and crying as the seconds passed on. ‘You’re eager to get home today, Chief.’ She spoke, her lips naturally upturned.

‘Yea, whatever, just open the door.’ 

Carlisle stopped at the door of her car as she stared foolishly at Charlie. She was waiting for something. 

Charlie got a bit freaked out as she just kept… staring. Her lips were still upturned, but she wasn’t actually blinking anymore. ‘Are you finally gonna kill me now, or…?’ 

Carlisle’s smile turned white as her canines glowed in the darkness, the smile reaching her eyes. ‘No, Charlie,’ She slightly giggled before she continued, ‘You’re just forgetting something.’ 

Charlie’s head tilted as her eyebrows twisted. She didn’t even bring anything to the house, so what could she be forgetting?

It was silent as Charlie continued to think, which was slightly cut as the tiniest sound came from the lips of the other woman. ‘Please?’ 

That was just the thing Charlie needed to be set over the edge. Her eyebrows furrowed, face boiling hot. ‘Are you fucking kidding me?’ Her voice a bit too loud. 

‘It’s important to have nice manners, Charlie.’ This devil was so lucky a bullet couldn’t get rid of her. It only annoyed her more as she saw that Carlisle’s smile hadn’t faded. 

‘Oh my god!’ Charlie growled as she waved her arms in the air. She twisted, walking away from the car. ‘I’m going home!’ 

‘Get back to the car, Charlie.’ Carlisle’s voice was still gentle. 

Charlie continued to walk. It was freezing balls but it was important to not admit that. She was going to win this one. Charlie’s lived here forever, maybe God would be nice to her for once… But it had never been this cold. And it was hard to see… Fuck. 

Charlie groaned as she knew she actually wasn’t going to win this one. She stopped, crossing her arms tightly. 

‘Are you done?’ Carlisle asked, still at the car. It’s not like Charlie had gotten very far anyway. Old loser.

Charlie didn’t want to turn around. At all. However, it took a real woman to own up to her mistakes… Charlie groaned one more time before storming back to the car, her eyes not even coming close to looking in Carlisle’s direction. As she tried to pull the handle, it jerked back. Ha. Charlie kept pulling the handle before stopping, dropping her head. 

‘Opened this door, Carlisle.’ 

‘Not without a please.’ 

‘I am going to fucking kill you!’ Charlie looked back up at the creature on the opposite side of the car, her voice eager.  

Carlisle smirked, like she was expecting such a threat. She slightly raised an eyebrow, motioning she had won. 

Charlie’s grip on the handle only became stronger, the blood flow in her hands slowing down. She dropped her head again, trying to breathe normally. She stayed like that for just about a minute before looking up at Carlisle, who had seemed to not have moved, a smirk still implemented. Stupid vampire with a degrading kink. 

Charlie pierced her lips, trying to pull every ounce of dignity she had out from her ass. She took one last big breath before quietly asking… ‘Please?’ 

Carlisle’s smirk turned into one of her “pure” smiles. ‘Thank you.’ 

The car beeped, and Charlie sighed as she quickly opened the door and sat down, Carlisle doing the same. Just a bit slower. Charlie was finally in a warm environment, thank God!

Back inside the house, Alice grinned as she patted Bella on the shoulder as she walked past her up the stairs, behind Jasper and the other couple. Edward walked towards Bella, hands in his pockets. Edward slightly smiled, as if to reassure Bella. 

‘My mom is crazy.’ Bella said, her voice easy. 

‘I wouldn’t say that,’ Edward stepped up to her level, leaning towards her, ‘I’d say she’s quite crazy.’ 

They both shared a small laugh before finding each other's hands, Edward resting his head on her shoulder. ‘Yea, she is, isn’t she?’

Chapter Text

The shift in temperature made Charlie’s body jerk as she stepped out of the car. It was so cold. The heat inside of the car made Charlie forget about the little outburst she may or may not have had earlier. But now that was all gone, and all those terrible memories started flowing back. 

Charlie closed to the door behind her, starting to walk up to the steps of her front door. Alone, she wished, but the faint noise of some luxurious, pointy heels whispered against Charlie’s eardrums. Charlie rolled her eyes, and whipped around. 

‘Thank you, you can go home now.’ She hissed. 

The pale creature didn’t respond, her expression unchanged. 

‘What now?’ Charlie snapped, her face beginning to scrunch up. 

Carlisle responded by looking at her up and down, before looking towards the door, stepping forward. ‘You’re getting sick, Charlie,’ Her blonde hair flowing in the cold air, as she stepped up the stairs.

‘No, I’m not?’ Charlie responded, aggravated, ‘...Where are you going?’

Carlisle whipped around as she swung the door open, ‘Come on, I’ll make you some herbal tea.’ She swiftly stepped inside, leaving Charlie in the cold, confused.

Charlie sprinted into her house, nearly tripping and breaking her head open as she did so. She didn’t even close the door as she frantically looked for Carlisle, who had just managed to open her front door without a key. She had already taken off her long, beige trenchcoat, which was placed on a chair at the dinner table. Carlisle rummaged through Charlie’s cupboards, looking for something. 

‘How did you get in?’ Charlie demanded, still confused. 

This gained her no response. Carlisle found what she wanted and started boiling some hot water. ‘Hey!’ Charlie snapped again, much louder, ‘How did you get in, Carlisle?’ 

Carlisle turned her head, not fully facing the frantic woman behind her. ‘Where is your key, Chief Swan?’ She asked gently. 

Charlie paused. She lifted her hands, trying to feel her front and back pockets of her jeans, before bringing them upward to those of her jacket. Ha. Of course, she had forgotten her keys, which led her to forgetting to lock her door. This one wasn’t her fault, and she could back that up. Shortly after Renesmee had asked if Charlie would like to go to the Cullen’s for dinner, Bella had rushed them out of the house. Charlie guessed this was because food was already cooked, which was technically only for Charlie anyway, and even if Charlie had said no, Bella would’ve dragged her along anyway. Those lucky girls… 

‘Fine. Whatever,’ Charlie was defeated. Carlisle could win as many times as she wanted to, she was too tired for this. ‘Are you nearly done?’

‘Yes, actually,’ Carlisle’s voice rang, like you just knew she was smiling, ‘This will make your throat feel much better tomorrow.’ 

‘I’m not sick.’ Her voice coarse. 

Carlisle hummed, smiling. She had poured whatever she made into a mug Charlie hadn’t seen in years. Wonder where that was… She pulled out the chair that was the closest to Charlie and motioned her to sit down as she placed the mug in front of her. Charlie hesitated. She wasn’t sure why… but this was certainly weird. 

‘I’m not trying to kill you, Charlie,’ Carlisle leaned into Charlie’s face, before walking past her to close the door Charlie had left wide open, ‘My compassion for humanity will always be greater than any desire to harm.’ 

Charlie stayed still. It’s not that she didn’t believe Carlisle… It was that she might. She was so charming and persuasive, it was hard to not do what she said when she’d ask you so politely. Charlie let out a grumble before sitting down in the chair, cupping the mug. 

‘What even is this?’ Charlie smelled the tea, confused… yet again. Smelt like some kind of-

‘Peppermint,’ Carlisle walked back towards the kitchen, sitting down next to Charlie, ‘There are many things in these cupboards you do not even know are there.’ 

Charlie glared at her, ‘So what?’ 

Carlisle tapped her index finger on the table as she responded, ‘Spring cleaning?’

‘It’s November.’

‘Always good to get ahead.’ Her smile was small, but it was still just enough to piss off Charlie.

‘Get out of my house.’ 

Carlisle looked at Charlie… in a weird manner. It’s like she was seeing past Charlie. Like I’m even hiding anything… Charlie felt uneasy, the grip on her mug becoming a bit tighter. Carlisle hummed, her smile spreading as she was done with her staring. She rose, putting on her trenchcoat, fixing the collar before looking back at Charlie, who was embarrassingly staring. 

‘See you soon, Chief Swan.’ Carlisle's voice was easy, her yellow eyes bright. 

‘Yea, whatever.’ Charlie broke her eye contact as she took a sip from the hot tea… which was unsurprisingly soothing. This little…

Carlisle walked towards the door, before stopping as she held the door handle, ‘Make sure to lock this door, Charlie.’ Her voice offering fair warning. 

Charlie looked up to see the woman, but she had disappeared already. At least the tea is good… 

You’d assume that Charlie would’ve gotten up and locked the door. But of course, she did not. Maybe Carlisle really was trying to kill her. She was so sleepy, she almost felt delirious. She struggled to lift her feet towards the couch, barely managing to fall back on the couch. 

She repeated something about the door. Lock… something. But it was too late for her to do anything as she closed her eyes.

______________________________

The sound of birds chirping was what awoke Charlie from her little coma. Dim light peaked through the curtains in her room… In my bedroom? Charlie lifted herself from the little pit she had shaped in her bed, looking around. She was in her room. Not her… living room? 

God, what happened last night? She asked herself, scratching her head. The last thing she could remember was… something golden? But all of that didn’t matter as Charlie looked to her left, the clock on the bedside table reading 11 AM. 

‘Shit!’ She yelped, scrambling to find her uniform. As she reached the bathroom to change, she noticed she was in her pyjamas, which she could positively remember she was not in the night before. ‘What the fuck…?’ She muttered to herself. Worry about that later. 

The station was relatively quiet. No one seemed to look up when Charlie had entered, late. She tried to subtly comb through her hair with her fingers as she rushed out of her house, leaving herself no chance to fix herself up. No one seemed to notice anyway. She walked to her little corner. It’s not like much happened in this small town anyway, so it probably wasn’t that bad that Charlie was late. 

After hours of going over boring and useless paper work, it was already 4PM and the main door could be heard opening. Along with a few other officers gushing over something, which could only mean one thing. 

‘Mom!’ Bella called out from behind the piles of paper that hid Charlie’s view.

Charlie peeked over the mountains of work to see her daughter holding hands with her little girl. Colour came to Charlie’s face as the points of her lips turned upwards. 

‘Hey girls,’ Charlie rose, stepping away from her desk, ‘What are you doing here?’ 

The resemblance between Bella and Renesmee was always uncanny. It’s almost like none of Edward’s genes had even been processed. God, I wish. ‘I hope we’re not disrupting anything, Ma.’ Bella tucked her hair behind her ears. She was always a shy one. 

‘No, it’s alright. I don’t have much going on.’ Charlie lightly smiled, reassuring her daughter. 

‘Well, I was wondering if you could take Renesmee for the weekend?’ She fiddled with her coat’s zip, looking down at Renesmee. ‘Alice invited us on a “spontaneous” trip to Saskatchewan, over in Canada.’ She used quote marks when she said spontaneous, like Alice did this on purpose. ‘The scenery is amazing, apparently.’ 

Charlie thought for a second. I mean, sure, she could take Renesmee, she just hadn’t expected it to be this soon. ‘Erm, yea, no totally.’ 

Bella chuckled as she looked at her mothers reaction, ‘Don’t worry, Charlie. You can stay at the Cullen’s. It’s baby proof.’ 

Charlie’s easy expression dropped as Bella let the C word out. This was easily spotted by Bella, who promptly crouched down to Renesmee, telling her to go talk with the officers. They seemed to be extremely fond of her as they all greeted her with beaming smiles. Not that Charlie was jealous or anything… She internally slapped herself as she looked back at her daughter. 

‘Mom-’

‘I’m sorry. I just expected her to stay with me.’ Charlie pleaded for innocence as she could see Bella was upset over this. 

Her arms were crossed, and she seemed a bit tense. Bella knew how Charlie felt about those vampires, but she still longed for her to be more accepting. Her eyes emitted worry and told Charlie that she had messed up enough. 

‘I don’t get it, mom. Will you never tell me why you even feel this way?’ Bella’s voice was pressing, stabbing daggers into Charlie’s heart. 

Charlie didn’t want nor know how to respond. The best she could mutter up was a small sorry. 

‘Carlisle will stay behind. Keep an eye on you and Renesmee.’ Bella’s sadness slipped away as it turned into irritation. 

‘Wha-’ 

‘It’s final.’ Bella snapped as she turned to look at her daughter, who was doing some kind of magic trick demonstration with Deputy Steve, ‘Pack some clothes, I’ll come pick you up at 6.’ 

‘Bells…’ 

But Bella didn’t turn around. Just like Charlie, Bella had her own stubbornness. It was an inherited family illness. Bella joined Renesmee, crouching down by her side, laughing at whatever stupid joke Deputy Steve had just made. 

Charlie felt sick. She loved her girl, but there were some things she couldn’t tell her. Some things she wanted to herself. It wasn’t fair, but it was Charlie’s business, not Bella’s or the Cullen’s. She sighed as Bella walked out of the station, Renesmee skipping down the stairs. A weekend to deal with that rat, sure, why not? She rolled her eyes as she reluctantly sat back at her desk. 

Sure enough, Charlie had to rush out of the police station as she had decided to indulge in more paperwork than she could handle. It was 5:46PM already, and Bella had said she’d come to pick her up at 6. Not much time. 

Even before she pulled into the driveway, she could see there was another car here. Damn it. She sang in her head as she rushed to get out of her car. She could smell a familiar aroma as she stepped through the door, only to turn to the kitchen and see there was already a small suitcase on the table. 

‘Uhhh,’ Charlie stayed still, mid step, ‘Hello?’ 

‘Ah, Charlie!’ Carlisle yipped as she came down the stairs holding… some of Charlie’s clothes, ‘About time.’

Charlie stared as Carlisle came down. She was holding some of Charlie’s jeans, flannels and… underwear? Charlie’s face began to steam. 

‘Okay,’ Charlie grabbed the clothes from Carlisle’s hands before she could step off the last step, ‘Give me that.’

She rushed towards the kitchen and stuffed her clothes into the small suitcase. She planted her hands on the table, her heartbeat uneven. Stupid fucking grandma underwear. She itched her forehead as Carlisle came into frame. 

‘Are you alright?’ She asked, seeming worried, ‘Must be the fever.’

‘No, I’m not sick,’ Charlie insisted again. For a creature known to have immaculate hearing, she couldn’t seem to hear Charlie saying that. ‘What are you doing here, anyway?’ Charlie asked as she looked up to the woman. 

Carlisle analysed her for a few seconds, before her usual smile returned. ‘Bella said I would be babysitting you this weekend.’ 

Charlie’s body paused. Her breathing, her thinking, even her heart. The way I’m going to-

‘Charlie,’ Bella stepped into the house, a cold breeze following her. She came towards the kitchen, Carlisle walking forward to greet her, ‘Hey Carlisle.’

Charlie stayed glued to the table, stabilising herself. She was so angry. She didn’t want to go to that house, or be with that thing. Charlie wouldn’t make it through this weekend without killing something, specifically Carlisle. Stupid monster, making jokes and rummaging through my underwe-

‘Charlie,’ Bella called out, her arms crossed again, ‘You ready?’ 

Everybody seemed to be coming out of nowhere. Charlie sighed as her name was called out, turning around to look at her daughter. She was, of course, still upset about earlier. Charlie cleared her throat as she picked up the suitcase from the table. She nodded, as she felt too guilty to respond to Bella. Now that she could crush her with her pinky, Charlie wouldn’t risk that. 

All three of them walked out to the car that was in the driveway. The singular car. How did Carlisle get here? Carlisle smiled at Charlie, as if she knew exactly what Charlie was thinking. That didn’t matter, as she quickly looked away, walking faster. 

Charlie placed the suitcase in the boot as the other two sat down inside the car. She didn’t know if Carlisle had packed everything for her, but she didn’t want to make Bella anymore mad. 

The drive was a bit too fast for Charlie’s legal opinion. Bella wasn’t driving too much over the legal limit but… still. Carlisle and Bella were talking among themselves, Charlie unable to hear. She couldn’t tell if they were talking or whispering, the back of the car felt like it was miles away from the front. Renesmee and her father greeted them when they arrived. Bella’s tense body loosening up as Edward kissed her on the cheek as she got out of the car. Charlie unwillfully stared.

‘Grammy!’ Renesmee yelped as she dashed to Charlie. 

Charlie gleamed as she crouched down to reach her level, opening her arms for Renesmee. She pushed herself into Charlie, nearly making them both stumble onto the floor. Charlie held Renesmee's arms as she inspected her for a second, ‘What did you just call me?’ 

‘Grammy?’ Renesmee’s head titled, her face puzzled. That she got from Charlie.

‘Let’s stick to Nana, okay?’ Charlie propositioned, ‘I’m only 47.’ 

Renesmee giggled as she nodded her head, reaching for Charlie’s hand. Charlie flew forward as Renesmee took her towards the door. Her feet twisted as she tried to not to fall. Renesmee was young, but she was strong, so naturally Charlie was surprised at Renesmee’s power. Charlie’s face grew hot as she struggled to move forward, feeling eyes on her as stumbled all over the place. 

Thankfully, Renesmee’s grip on her hand dropped as they walked through the front door. Alice chuckled as she saw how Charlie rested her hands on her knees as she tried to catch back her breath. 

‘She’s strong, isn’t she?’ Alice’s blinding white teeth dazzled as she spoke. She skipped over to Charlie, picking up her arms and taking her towards the living room. 

Charlie whined as she was getting dragged by another vampire. The hallway opened up into this elaborate living room with big white sofas. It’s like every time Charlie stepped into this house, she discovered a new part of it. It was unnecessarily big from creatures who don’t even sleep or need warmth. God, what am I doing here… 

There was quiet chatter around the room. Rosalie was sitting on Emmett’s lap, rubbing off fur from his jumper, with Jasper and Esmé talking among themselves, looking outward to the rainy forest of Forks. Charlie always felt unsettled how human they all act, even when they’re not… anymore at least. 

Carlisle swept past behind Charlie, walking to the center of the living room, followed by Edward, Bella and Renesmee. Edward stood by Charlie as Bella took Renesmee to the sofa, both of them sitting down. Charlie glanced over at the freak next to her who seemed like he was ready to get the hell out of there. Now that she could agree with. Edward cleared his throat, his direction towards Esmé. He turned around, lightly patting Jasper on the shoulder. 

Esmé was extremely handsome, you know. Well, more like pretty? Charlie had never seen a man have such a look. Even in a room full of… well, “good-looking” creatures, he stood out. Not quite as much as the bright blonde one-

‘So, is everyone packed?’ He asked, hands clasping together. He strided over to where Charlie and Edward were standing. Everyone’s eyes followed his movement. 

‘I think you know the answer to that, Esmé,’ Emmett joked as pounced his leg, making Rosalie grunt as she got up. ‘You helped put everything in the cars.’ He used quotation marks around “helped”. 

A few chuckles were heard around the room, making Esmé blush… which Charlie hadn’t believed they could even do. ‘Alright, enough tomfoolery,’ Esmé smilled brightly, ‘Let’s get going. Flight is in two.’ 

Charlie’s head popped up as Esmé finished his sentence. ‘Two what?’ She asked, leaning towards the taller man. 

‘Two hours,’ His smiled stayed in shape, ‘I’m sure you know we’re very fast, Charlie.’ 

Charlie stared, stunned. It’s not like she travelled outside of Forks… like ever, but even she knew you should leave quite a while before your flight. 

Edward and Esmé giggled as they looked at dumbfounded Charlie, as she tried to process the information. The motion made Charlie stand straight again, backing towards the wall, clearing her throat. 

Everybody said goodbye to Renesmee and Carlisle, sharing hugs and kisses. Charlie felt a bit odd. She didn’t necessarily belong here. This was a close knit family, and Charlie was… just there. She shifted in uncomfortability.

’My wife,’ Esmé called for her, ‘I hope you’ll behave.’

Carlisle evily grinned as she walked over to him, reaching for his hands. ‘I cannot make such promises,’ She slipped her hands behind his neck and pulled down his head, so she’d be able to kiss him on the cheek. Charlie unwillingly stared at the two beautiful devils. ‘I’ll be keeping in touch.’ Her smile turned bright, almost soulful. 

Esmé lightly laughed in response, ‘Alright,’ He walked towards his grandaughter on the couch, courching down and patting her head. He whispers something to her, inaudible to Charlie, but it had made Bella laugh and Renesmee firmly nodded her head. He got up and motioned for Bella to get up as well, ‘We may be fast, but we don’t want to be late either. It’s not in class.’

Rosalie and Jasper grinned as they walked past Charlie, with some quiets “goodbyes”. Emmett followed shortly behind, nodding at Charlie. 

Edward and Bella had their own moment with their daughter before they were to leave her with a freakishly evil monster and Charlie. Bella squeezed her daughter tight and planted a kiss on her forehead, then walking up to Charlie. 

‘Well then,’ Charlie started, ‘I, um… Hope you have fun.’ 

Bella looked back at her daughter, who was now being lifted into the air by her father, ‘I’m going to really miss her.’

‘It’s just a few days, she’ll be fine, Bella. I’m going to take care of her.’

Bella looked back to Charlie, ‘Will you really?’ 

Charlie twisted her brows, ‘What?’

A ludicrous grin began to grow on Bella’s face, ‘I mean… she’ll probably be making sure you don’t kill Carlisle.’ 

Charlie’s face sarcastically dropped, ‘Ha.’ 

Bella covered her smile with her hand, not being able to cover much as the smile reached her eyes. ‘Come on, mom. Just…’ Her hand dropped, and her expression tensed, ‘Just please behave. For Renesmee?’ 

Charlie’s face flushed, embarrassed. She cleared her throat, pushing herself off the wall, ‘Yea- Yes. I will.’ 

Bella gently smiled. She was satisfied enough. Even though her mother was all over the place, she loved her anyway.

They shared a brief hug before everyone piled out of the house. Carlisle waved as the cars drove away, smile bright. She looked at Charlie, who had her arms crossed. Cold, probably. ‘So, what are you plans for this weekend, Chief?’ 

Charlie kept her eyes forward as she responded, ‘Finding a way to kill you.’ 

Carlisle chuckled, ‘Oh, Charlie.’ She patted Charlie on the back…