A/N: Sorry this took so long to post. My beta got it back to me last week, but my younger brother came into town so I was busy entertaining him. Then yesterday was Father's Day and it was just too hard to post this chapter on such a special day.

Thanks goes out as always to my amazing beta Dawn. Thank you for the comments and suggestions. I tried to figure out a song to go with this chapter and the only one I could come up with for how Bella is feeling is Luther Vandross "Dance with my Father". Check it out if you haven't heard it. I always thought it was just a pretty song, but it now holds a special meaning in my heart.

I don't own Twilight.

Chapter 3

Charles "Charlie" Swan
Jan. 25, 1959 – Nov. 21, 2010

Charles "Charlie" Swan, 51, of Forks, passed away Nov. 21, 2010. He was born in Forks, Washington to Geoffrey and Helen Swan.

Charlie completed high school in Forks. He then joined the Washington Basic Law Enforcement Academy in Burien, Washington. Once he graduated, Charlie moved back to Forks and joined the Forks Police Department. Over the years, Charlie worked his way up the ranks and has been Chief of Police for the past fifteen years.

Charlie was married to Renee Higginbotham for more than 32 years.

He was an avid fisher, a sports fanatic and enjoyed the outdoors.

He will be remembered for his work ethic and honesty, as well as his love for family and friends.

Charlie is survived by his son Emmett (Rosalie) of Seattle and a daughter, Isabella of Charleston.

A celebration of his life will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Forks Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Salvation Army.

The newspaper with Charlie's obit still sat on the kitchen table from Thursday. I had read it several times since it was printed in the Forks Forum on Thanksgiving Day.

It was the first year that the Swan family didn't make a big deal about the holiday. In years past, Renee would wake up early to start cooking the turkey. Once I woke up, she and I would work on the side dishes while Emmett and Charlie watched TV. We would eat around five p.m., once all the men and women from the police department who didn't have families arrived to enjoy the feast. It was tradition; a tradition that fell to the wayside in the wake of a sudden death.

I was sitting, sipping on a cup of coffee, waiting for Renee to finish getting ready for the day's funeral service. We were supposed to have already left to get to the cemetery on time, but I had learned that Renee's lack of time management had only gotten worse since Charlie's death. In her defense, they wouldn't start the service without us.

"Okay, I'm ready," Renee declared, walking down the stairs and trying to put in her other earring. "How late are we?"

"It doesn't matter, Mom. We can arrive whenever we want," I replied, standing up to put my half empty cup in the sink.

"Have you heard from Riley?"

I informed Renee Friday night that Riley might be at the funeral service, but that he hadn't called to confirm anything. She said she wouldn't do anything unless he mentioned Charlie being in a better place or anything about God's will. And that went for anybody, not just Riley. Renee believed that God was cruel and evil for taking Charlie away from her. She felt he was better off on Earth with her, living out their dream of traveling around the country in an RV once they both decided to retire, which she had hoped would be within ten years.

"No, he hasn't called or texted," I shrugged, somewhat sadly.

A part of me—the part that still loved Riley—wanted him to show up. To me, it meant that he still cared about me; still loved me and that there was hope for us. The other part of me was yelling 'Shut up, you stupid idiot. He cheated on you, left you and didn't look back once until this all happened.'

"You're better off, Bella. I think you should avoid marriage and love in general because all it does is end in heartbreak. I wouldn't want you to ever go through what I'm going through. This pain is all encompassing and if it wasn't for the medication the doctor gave me, I wouldn't even be going to this service."

"I know, Mom," I sighed.

"Alright, let's get this over with before Emmett sends a police escort," Renee commented, lifting her purse onto her shoulder.

I walked to the front door and grabbed the keys off the hook nearby. I opened the door and found a man wearing a police uniform standing in front of me with one arm raised in a way that it looked as if he was getting ready to knock.

"Hey, hi, hello," he fumbled.

I cocked my head looking at him curiously.

"Sorry, let me start that again. Hi, I'm Officer Edward Cullen. I was sent here by Emmett to make sure everything was okay. He's worried that you two aren't at the service yet. Is everything okay?" he asked, doing his best to look inside the house with me standing in the middle of the doorway.

"Oh, Officer Cullen, what are you doing here?" Renee asked, coming around the corner.

"Hello, Mrs. Swan," he smiled. "I'm here to bring you two to the funeral."

"Oh, you don't have to do that. Bella is more than capable of getting us there safely."

"I'm on orders, Mrs. Swan. Now, you wouldn't want me to disobey orders, would you?" he asked, eyeing her.

Renee shook her head and instantly gave in. "No wonder why Charlie always liked you, though I only knew you by Cullen. I bet you never gave him any lip."

Edward smiled fondly, "I had my moments, Mrs. Swan. So, are you going to let me escort you two beautiful ladies or am I going to have to call for backup?"

"Well, I don't want to be any trouble. Bella, will you lock up please?" she asked stepping past me and grabbing Edward's offered arm.

I was utterly confused by the conversation that had occurred before me. Either, Renee had a sweet spot for that Officer Cullen or her medicine kicked in at the right time for him. Officer Edward Cullen...where have I heard that name before? Officer Cullen? Oh, he's the one who helped Renee when she found Charlie. The one who stayed with her until Emmett arrived. Oh, I groaned, the one who she asked if he was single and he said no. Dammit. I hope this isn't going to be an awkward car ride.

I finished locking the door and made my way to his police cruiser. Renee was seated in the back, leaving the front seat open for me. I shook my head as I slid in—the door was already open—and closed it.

"Is everything okay?" Edward questioned, looking at me.

"Huh?" I asked, turning my attention to him.

"You're shaking your head."

"Oh. No, everything is fine," I replied, buckling my seatbelt. "We can go now."

"Okay," he said, turning on the lights and hitting the gas pedal. He sped down the road and out of our community towards the cemetery.

The usually fifteen minute trip only took ten. I found myself grabbing onto the door handle a few times as Edward ran through two red lights and a few stop signs. Because I was slightly scared for my life, I remained quiet for the short trip, afraid to distract at all.

"Sorry about that, but I was told to get you two here as fast as I could," he commented, stepping out of the car. "Even if that meant using my power of authority illegally."

He went around the front of the car and moved to open my door, but I beat him to it so he opened the door for Renee instead. I looked across the street to see a crowd of people waiting and Emmett making his way towards us.

"Mom," Emmett sighed. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm here, Emmett. I don't want to be, but I'm here. You obviously sent the right person to get me out the door and here quickly."

"Thank you, Edward. I appreciate your help," Emmett said, shaking Edward's hand.

"No problem. I'm going to take my seat."

"Alright, everybody is waiting. The preacher has somewhere to be at three so we need to get this show on the road," Emmett mentioned.

"Alright, alright," Renee muttered, leading the pack toward the crowd.

Emmett and I had to walk swiftly to catch up to her.

"Sorry, I'm late," Renee apologized as she neared the group. "My husband was always the prompt one and without him here, there isn't anyone to keep my on time."

People nodded, understanding, and smiled sadly; some offered a comforting hand as Renee passed by, which she held briefly before moving on to the next one. I stared straight ahead, avoiding the sympathetic looks.

We took our seats in the front row with Rosalie, Charlie's best friend, Billy, and his son, Jacob, Alice with her parents, Andrew and Cynthia, and Angela with her fiancé, Ben. Behind us, I knew there were more friends from the Rez and Forks hospital because we talked about the seating arrangement ahead of the service. In the third and fourth rows, the last rows of chairs, sat men and women from the Forks Police Department. They were all dressed in their uniform; each wore their hat and their badge which had a black band around it, recognizing Charlie's death.

Fellow law enforcement from Port Angeles and Seattle stood in their full attire in the back mixed in with hundreds of people from town. To me, they were just faces in the crowd, people I may have met once or twice but couldn't remember their name. Even though I didn't know who many of them were, I was touched to see them. Honor guards from Seattle stood to the side, not far from the preacher.

I stared straight ahead, over the casket, towards the rows of tombstones as the preacher began. I tried my best to block out everything that was being said, all the sniffles and sobs. I didn't care to hear what the preacher had to say about Charlie, retelling stories that Renee had mentioned days before, telling the people that sat and stood around us what kind of man was no longer with us. I already knew and I didn't need to be told by someone who had never met Charlie.

I didn't want to be there. I didn't want to say goodbye. It wasn't how it was supposed to go. Charlie was supposed to die as an old, wrinkly, gray haired man. He was supposed to be around to torment future boyfriends before I found the right one. He was supposed to be around to walk me down the aisle the day I finally got married. He was supposed to be around to be a grandpa to the kids I hoped to have. It wasn't right.

It was those kinds of thoughts that kept me from crying because they would only make me angry and realize a little more just how cruel God could be.

I thought I had successfully made it through the entire thing as I noticed the preacher start to wrap up by closing his journal, but then Renee broke down sobbing. From what I gathered from his last few words, he mentioned something about God having his reasons.

"That's crap! There is no good reason for my Charlie to not be here with me," she wailed. "He's not in a better place, he's not!"

I wrapped my arm around Renee's shoulders, pulling her as close to me as possible. I felt Emmett place his hand on her lower back and rub small circles. I kept my mouth shut because nothing I could say would make things better and I felt her pain to an extent.

The preacher had nothing else to add and invited people to come forward to share their own stories about Charlie. A number of people spoke—many I recognized, including Officer Cullen.

Since I was no longer distracted or scared for my life, I finally got a good look at him. He was very attractive. His green eyes were the first thing to catch my attention; even with the few feet between us, I was trapped. He had a handsome face—a chiseled jaw line with a square chin, a straight nose that wasn't too wide, thick brown eyebrows and a pair of lips that had me licking my own. Whoa, where did that come from?

I shook my head and blinked myself out of the trance I was in, choosing to focus on one of the bouquets of flowers around the casket. That was until he spoke. Officer Cullen cleared his throat, and for some reason, this time his voice had an effect on me. His voice wasn't assertive, strong and authoritative like before; it was softer, cool and so smooth that goose bumps broke out along my arms. And even though he was talking to dozens of people, I felt as if he was only talking to me.

I dared another look at him. He had thick, unruly brown hair with natural looking copper color highlights. He was tall and his police uniform accentuated his athletic build. I couldn't stop staring and I felt horrible for ogling him at my father's funeral.

Edward was so captivating that I found myself actually listening to the story he was telling.

"Charlie knew that I didn't want to work in Forks. When I dreamed about being a police officer, I always saw myself in Seattle where there are crimes to investigate and criminals to put behind bars. I didn't want to be in small town Forks where we find excitement in pulling over someone driving ten over the speed limit, which is rare," he explained as some people snortled.

"I had been working in Seattle for about a year before all those police shootings and it scared my mom so much that she begged me to move to Forks. I ignored her, but she would call me everyday crying until I gave in. My first few months on the job were boring as hell. I complained everyday about the lack of work to do and arrests. Charlie would always tell me to relax, that something would happen eventually. And it did. I had been on the job for six months and it was Halloween. We got a call about some kids going around egging and toilet papering yards. I thought, finally, I can reprimand some kids, take them into custody and hold them until their parents arrive.

"I was driving to the address I was given when I saw some kids running down a driveway away from a house that had a small fire burning on the porch. I put on my blue lights, pulled over rushing out of the car and up to the door. I stomped on the fire putting it out within seconds. It was then that I smelt it...that foul odor of dog poop. Those kids had ding dong ditched an empty house and I fell for it.

"To move this story forward, I never found those kids on either incident, but when I got back to the station, I found out who was the real culprit. There was a brown paper bag sitting on my desk and I bet you all can guess what was inside. Turns out, Charlie asked those kids to do the prank and had one of his neighbors call in the fake complaint just to give me something to do," he chuckled as we all laughed. "It was a lesson well learned. I never complained after that. I'm going to miss my chief. He taught me a lot about being an officer, especially in a small town, and life in general. I just wish I was able to know him longer. I know you'll be looking down on us, Chief, making sure we're doing our job properly."

He turned toward the casket and bowed his head for a few seconds. He then walked back to his seat.

It was quiet for a few minutes as no one else came forward to speak. The Honor guard took that as a sign that it was over so two members stepped forward, one on each end of the casket, and lifted up the flag; they moved it over and then folded it properly. They brought the triangle shaped fabric to Renee and the guns were fired. I jumped with the first few, but then, I became used to the loud noise.

Renee thanked the men and pulled the flag close to her chest, letting more tears fall freely. We remained seated as people started to filter out quietly, some stopping to offer their condolences again. We had thought about playing music, but decided against it, wanting the gun salute to be the finale.

I stood up, leaving Renee with Emmett and walked towards the casket. I laid my hand on the smooth surface and quietly told Charlie how much I loved and missed him. I then took a red rose out of one of the bouquets and placed it on top of the coffin.

"You would think Charlie would have been able to work some magic and make it a little bit warmer," Rosalie commented, rubbing her gloved hands together.

"It's kind of fitting, don't you think? There's even rain in the forecast, which people say is good luck," I replied solemnly. "I view it as Charlie crying from the heavens, feeling bad for the pain he has caused all of us, especially Renee."

"I could see that," Alice added, slipping an arm around my waist.

Suddenly, Angela broke out in a fit of giggles and three pair of eyes turned to look at her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm just remembering your thirteenth birthday party, Bella, when Charlie walked in from work, looking mean as hell and eyeing all the boys in the room. They all quickly separated themselves from us girls. Then that Spice Girls song 'Wannabe' came on and he broke out the running man."

"Then he started doing the dance moves that the four of us made up to go with the song. I remember that party," Alice jumped in, giggling. "You were so embarrassed, Bella."

"Could you blame me? It was my first boy/girl party and there's Charlie shaking his butt in front of everyone," I smiled, shaking my head as I remembered my father's antics.

"But you got over it because we all joined him and finished the dance together. We got a great applause," Rose laughed, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "And they all wanted Charlie to stay and dance some more."

"After that, he always tried to volunteer to chaperone at school dances using the excuse that the kids love him," I said. "Thank you. Even though I don't like remembering, hearing stories about him are the only times I smile or laugh. I'm so glad you guys are here."

I wrapped my arms around Alice and Rosalie as Angela stepped closer to join in the group hug.

"We wouldn't be anywhere else," Angela stated, rubbing my arm.

We held onto each other for a few minutes before Ben cautiously interrupted our time together. He and Angela had to run back to their house to let their new puppy out before heading to my house for food and drinks. I hugged them both before watching them walk away.

Alice, Rosalie and I then turned to walk back to my family. That's when I saw Riley talking to Renee; he was holding her hand.

"Wow, look who actually kept his word and showed up," Alice commented, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Please don't start anything, Alice," I sighed.

"I'm not going to. I was just making an observation."

"An observation that I was also thinking," Rosalie added.

"I know you guys don't like him, but sadly, I want him here," I said, turning to face them both. "I didn't realize how much I needed to see him, until just now. I know it's stupid, but I want his comfort and his attention. I watch you and Emmett, Rose, consoling each other and I want that for now. At least until I can figure out a way to deal with this."

"But, Bella…"

"I know I have you guys, but it's different with Riley. There aren't as many memories with him and my dad. And there's times when I need to not remember because I don't want to be angry and I can't cry when I need to be strong for my mom."

"You need to grieve, too, Bella," Rose argued, grabbing my hand.

"I will, at some point, but not now."

They both narrowed their eyes at me before sighing and mumbling 'fine'.

"Thank you."

I turned to see Emmett standing behind Renee with a slight snarl on his face. I needed to save Riley before my brother attacked.

"I may not like you, Riley, but I know Bella will appreciate the gesture you have made," I overheard Renee say as we approached.

"It's the least I could do, Mrs. Swan," he replied, letting go of Renee's hand. "Hey."

"Hi, you came," I smiled, pulling him into a hug.

"Yes, I told you I would. I know I've broken a lot of promises, Bella, but this was one that I just couldn't break," Riley explained.

"Thank you," I said, pulling back from his embrace.

"Hi, Rosalie, Alice," he waved.

They offered snotty smiles before walking away with their arms crossed.

"When did you arrive?" I asked as I pulled him away from the group.

"I flew out last night after work and stayed at some hotel in town," he answered.

"When do you leave?"

"I'm here until Monday night, but my parents said I can stay until I'm no longer welcome. By the way, they also said don't worry about rushing back. Technically, you could do a lot of your work from here, if you really got the itch."

"Work is in the back of my mind, but I can't focus on it right now."

"That's fine. There's no rush. You look tired," he commented, brushing a finger under one of my eyes. "You haven't been sleeping?"

"No," I shook my head. "My mom hasn't been sleeping, either. She's up cleaning the house, going through paperwork in the office or sitting outside on the patio. I can't sleep until I know she's gone to bed, which generally isn't until late in the morning when the sun is coming up."

"I'm sorry, babe. Has she tried taking any sleeping pills?"

"She refuses. This happy pill that she is on now is supposed to make her drowsy but she fights through it."

"Well, maybe after today, the stress from it all will lift and she will crash."

"I hope so. I'm worried about her, Riley. I've never seen her like this. Not even after the death of her mom. I feel helpless."

"You just being here for her is doing a lot, I'm sure."

"Which is why it'll be hard for me to leave," I admitted, closing my eyes.

"Hey, Gidge, we're heading back to the house since people are supposed to be showing up soon. Are you riding with us?" Emmett asked, looking only at me.

"Hey, Emmett, I'm sorry to hear about your dad," Riley stupidly stated.

I watched Emmett turn his attention to Riley and narrow his eyes. I looked back and forth between my brother and the man I still loved, feeling the tension rolling off both of them. I didn't want there to be an argument. Charlie would not approve, even though I was sure if he were there, he would've been standing right next to Emmett.

"Calm down, Eminem. I know you won't like it, but I'm going to go with Riley. I'll see you back at the house, okay?"

"Fine, Gidget," he harrumphed.

"I love you, Eminem," I said, hugging my brother.

"I love you, too, Gidge."

"He really doesn't like me, huh?" Riley asked, once Emmett was out of ear shot.

"What do you expect, Riley?"

"Yeah, I guess I can't blame the guy. I really fucked things up with you, but I'm here now. Shouldn't that count for something?"

"In my eyes, yes, but in theirs, no. It's just something you're going to have to accept for now."

"Okay. By the way, how much does me being here count?"

"Considering it's the first nice thing you've done in the past few months and you flew across the country, I'd say three percent."

"Oh, ouch, burn," he said, pressing his hand to his heart as if he was in pain. "I hoped for at least thirty percent."

"Yeah, well, this is a tough scale, buddy."

"And I'm ready to work until I get to one-hundred percent, more than one-hundred percent," he said, placing a kiss on my forehead.

I closed my eyes, reveling in the feeling of his lips on my skin.

"I really am glad you're here and you didn't let me down."

"Yeah, well, someone has to be here to distract you from the reality and patiently wait until you decide to come back from Isabella land."

"See, you get it. Why doesn't anyone else? I love my friends, but they want me to deal with my dad's death, to give into the grief. I can't be the one breaking down right now, not when Renee is, too. This is about her, not me. I will give in when I know that she is okay," I said adamantly.

"That could be awhile," he mentioned.

"I have time," I shrugged.

"I will tell you this, Bella," he started, holding my face between his hands to make sure I was looking at him. "I will let you live in Isabella land until it starts to affect your health and well-being. Then, I will step in and take you to get help."

"Okay."

"Alright, I know you're doing your damndest to avoid going home, but we really should go before Emmett sends that officer to come get you again."

"I know. Let's go," I quickly leaned in and pecked his lips before letting him lead me to the car.

I wasn't sure why Riley got on a plane and flew across the country, but I wasn't ready to question it. I also wasn't ready to ask him about his relationship with Victoria. For now, I was content in having him around, like it used to be. Like when I knew what to expect out of my life because within the past week I felt as if I was barely keeping my head above water.

A/N: Thank you for reading. Now, let me know what you think especially when it comes to Bella and Riley. What do you think of Officer Cullen? Any thoughts on their first meeting?