My eyes shot open. Damn biological clock. It was only 5am; Bella wouldn't be awake for several hours. Then it wouldn't be long before Edward came knocking on our door. A part of me knew that I should be grateful he had returned; Bella had come out of her walking coma since the Cullens had moved back to Forks. Even though I could have done without Edward, I was glad to see Alice again. She was my personal savior when it came to taking care of Bella's, um, teenage girl stuff.

I planted my feet on the cold hardwood floor and set about my morning routine. I automatically went to the living room to turn on the local news. I made sure to keep the volume low so I didn't disturb Bella. She had trouble sleeping as it was.

Pouring out a bowl of cornflakes, I chuckled to myself when I thought about how I no longer needed to make sure that the milk wasn't sour. Bells did all the grocery shopping now. It was hard to remember how I had lived so long without her around. She had immediately stepped in to take care of me and never asked for anything...almost. The one thing she wanted desperately was for me to approve of her boyfriend. But how could I do that after I had failed to protect her from him in the first place? I had always liked the Cullens, but my bias had pulled the wool over my eyes. Idiot.

It was two more hours before I heard Bella rustling upstairs. I never admitted this to her, but I could predict when she would wake up by the noises she made in her sleep. In between dreaming and waking, her sleep talking always got louder. As much as her noises disturbed me, I knew there was nothing I could do to comfort her. For some reason, only Edward could do that. And even he couldn't be with her 24 hours a day. Not that I would ever let that happen. He was under strict visiting hours. It was going to stay that way for a while.

Billy and I hadn't planned on going fishing today, so the morning dragged on. I was surprised when I heard a soft knock on the door. Who could possibly want anything at 8 o'clock on a Saturday morning? Even more shocking was seeing Edward standing there, that stupid grin on his face.

"You're up early, Edward. Bella should be down soon; why don't you come back later."

"Well sir, I actually wanted to talk with you before Bella came downstairs."

This caught me off-guard. I avoided talking with him as much as possible, as much to avoid conflict as to try and hide my growing distaste of him. Unfortunately, the current situation necessitated that I invite him inside.

"Sure, Edward. Why don't you have a seat."

"Thank you, Chief Swan."

The two of us sat in awkward silence on opposite ends of the kitchen table. Edward casually looked around the room as I looked down at the table. I had nothing to say to this boy. Edward's next words came tumbling out so fast I was unsure they had even been said.

"Actually sir, I was wondering if you would like to accompany me on a fishing trip today."

WHAT? I tried to act like this was a normal request, but had trouble forming a calm and collected response. "You want to go fishing with me? Right now?"

"Yes." Edward replied, regaining his confidence.

"Instead of spending the day with Bella?" I was becoming increasingly confused.

"Of course I would love nothing more than to spend the day with Bella. However, I also want you to get to know me, sir. I am going to be around for quite some time. I think it is important for us to have some kind of rapport." He spoke slowly and clearly, as if he had rehearsed this explanation. I remained skeptical.

"And you think spending the day with me will do that?"

Edward paused before looking hopefully into my eyes, "It can't hurt, can it?"

He made a good point. A fishing trip was harmless. I didn't have to like the kid. It would definitely make Bella happy if I was keeping an open mind about Edward. Besides, fishing with Edward was better than not fishing at all.

"Edward? Dad?" Bella appeared sleepily on the stairs. She looked as confused as I felt.

"Good morning, love. Your dad and I were just talking." Edward was immediately by her side, holding her hand as she came down the stairs. As much as it disgusted me, I knew why he did it. Bella was overly clumsy on a good day. Sleepy and confused, she could have been downright dangerous on a staircase. When I saw that she was safely seated, I dropped the news.

"Edward and I are going fishing today."

Bella's eyes widened in fear as she fully awoke and became deadly serious.

"Edward, you don't have to do that," she whispered quietly but forcefully. Oh thanks, Bells.

"Actually Bella, it was my idea." Edward suddenly seemed defensive of his little scheme.

"Yeah, male-bonding and such." My pathetic attempt at a joke lightened the mood a little. Bella's eyes softened and Edward's hands loosened their grip on the table.

"Um. Ok. I guess I have homework I could work on until you get back." Bella was not as happy about this as I had hoped. I tried to formulate a way to make her feel better about this plan, but Edward jumped in.

"May I suggest going to La Push while we're gone? I am sure Jacob would love to see you." I couldn't believe Edward Cullen had just uttered those words. He obviously hated Jacob Black, and for good reason-- Jacob was giving Edward a run for his money. I may not be the most observant man, but the way those two fought over Bella was obvious to everyone except Bella. I had to give Edward credit for being so understanding of Bella and Jake's friendship. Maybe the kid was making some progress.

As Bella and I glared incredulously at Edward, that stupid grin returned to his all too perfect face. I glanced between him and my daughter; you would swear they could communicate telepathically. Moments passed before they released the hold on each other's eyes and I assumed the silent "conversation" was over.

"Alright. You two go. I'll call Jake, if that's ok," Bella hesitantly asked, although I wasn't sure if the question was directed at me.

"Of course it's ok, Bells! You and Jake have fun. I'll take care of Edward." I suddenly felt much better. As a Team Jacob fan, this day certainly had its advantages.

"Bella, you know I love you" Edward responded cryptically. I tried to control myself from rolling my eyes as they shared in another silent moment.

Taking Edward's lead, we arose from the kitchen table. As Edward and I headed for the door, Bella grabbed my arm to pull me into a hug.

"Dad, please go easy on him," she pleaded in a whisper.

"I promise."

She then turned to embrace Edward, almost tripping into him. They exchanged a few quiet words I couldn't hear and then Edward started to lean in a little too close. I coughed purposefully, trying to break up the moment without being the "annoying dad." Bella blushed, Edward chuckled, and I suddenly wanted nothing more than to get out of the house and onto the lake.

"We'll see you later, Bells. Edward, let's go. We've already missed the best fishing hours of the day."

I insisted on driving so I could use the task as an excuse for not enthusiastically involving myself in conversation. I simply explained that I knew where the best fishing spots were. Not to mention taking the police car meant that people stayed out of your way and you could drive as fast as you liked.

We drove mostly in silence, and occasionally Edward would initiate a chat: how things were at the station, the changes at Forks High since I had been a teenager, how my family was...

"Bella is my only family."

"Oh." That ended Edward's attempts at conversation until we arrived at my favorite spot. You could barely tell from the road that there was a pull-off to park the car. Once we got out of the car I lifted up some thick branches to reveal a dirt trail leading to the lake. It was a small body of water, just big enough for a few boats. However, it was never crowded and most Saturdays Billy and I had the entire area to ourselves. Our own private sanctuary.

"I can see why you like this place, Chief Swan. It reminds me of a meadow I visit when I want to clear my head."

"I am a water man, myself. Here, grab that tackle box and let's do some fishing."

Edward dutifully grabbed the equipment and then helped me paddle out to the middle of the lake. As soon as we were in position, I got to work baiting my hook and soon my line was cast in the water. I settled in, waiting for the fish to bite and Edward to talk. When I glanced over, I realized Edward was still staring quizzically into the tackle box, rod in hand.

"Edward, have you ever been fishing before?"

"No, sir. I must admit it seems a bit unclear. How do you choose which equipment to use?"

My earlier frustrations melted into amusement. Here is one thing I knew much more about than Edward did. It was ironic to see this suave, model-like character fumbling with anything. The next half hour was spent explaining the concept of floaters, sinkers, hooks, and bait. I kept talking partly out of enthusiasm for the sport and partly out of my anxiety that once this conversation was over, a very awkward afternoon was sure to follow. Edward regarded my rambling lecture with passionate interest, but I couldn't be sure whether he was sincere or just giving me a huge ego boost. Once he had perfected the art of casting, which of course took him no time at all, we sat in silence for a few minutes until Edward spoke up.

"And now we just sit here?"

"We have to wait for the fish to bite."

Edward let out a small sigh. I chuckled and answered his exasperation. "Well, what did you expect, Edward? We're not going to dive in and chase the fish."

"I'm sorry, sir. I guess I'm just accustomed to hunting. It is a more proactive venture."

"Well, I don't see how. You're just waiting around for a deer to stroll by so you can shoot it."

"Oh, right."

I had made Edward uncomfortable by my joking assault on his interests, so I took pity on him and changed the subject. "Your family goes camping a lot, don't they?"

"Oh yes, sir. We all love the outdoors. You must think I am crazy for never having fished before."

"Well, yeah. It did surprise me. I was sure your dad was the fishing type."

"He is more of a big-game man. I guess he has rubbed off on us in that respect." Edward's smirk finally returned. I found myself happy that he was enjoying himself. Snap out of it Charles, you are suppose to be the intimidating father of the girlfriend.

"Well, I'm glad your family's love of the outdoors has started to rub off on Bella. She never mentioned an interest in baseball or hiking or anything like that until she started hanging around you all." Good, bring the focus back to Bella. She is the reason we are sitting on this lake in the first place. The mention of Bella brought an even bigger smile to Edward's face. I couldn't have that. I had to remind him that I was still unhappy about his relationship with my daughter.

"Of course, after we found her soaking wet in the woods and limp as a rag-doll, I was sure she would never go into the woods again. I guess I was wrong." When I saw Edward's tortured face, I knew I had struck a low, but strangely satisfying, blow. It pained me to bring it up, but he had to know what he had done to my baby. I had been there to witness Bella's coma; there was no way he could possibly understand the consequences of his past actions.

I suddenly became nervous as Edward continued to sit there, one hand on his fishing rod and the other pinching the bridge of his nose, eyebrows furled. I tried to keep my gaze towards my line in the lake, but I kept glancing sideways at Edward, suddenly unsure that making my comment had been a good idea. Edward didn't seem like the violent type, but if you make a man upset enough, there is no telling what he can do (and Edward was definitely strong enough to do plenty of damage). As I stewed over ways to diffuse the situation, Edward's posture straightened and both hands came back to the rod.

"I am sorry sir. I just get so frustrated with myself when I think about the pain I caused Bella, and you, and my family...when I, when I..." I had never seen Edward so flustered. It was too human for him. His reaction was unnerving; however, I was relieved to know his anger had not been directed at me. He continued apologizing for himself.

"I can never take back leaving Forks. All I can do is try to make up for it every day for the rest of my life. It may be hard for you to believe, Chief Swan, but everything I have ever done I have done because I had Bella's best interests at heart. I will never forgive myself. I don't expect you to forgive me either."

"Well, Bella seems to have forgiven you." Whether I like it or not.

"Despite what you may think, I do love your daughter, Chief Swan...I am in love with your daughter. She knows me completely, for better or for worse, and she loves me anyway. You can't find that kind of love and acceptance everyday. Every century, for that matter. I am here to stay. Whether you like it or not. I just wish you would like it, sir."

Despite the rebellious end to his speech, I felt refreshed that Edward had been so frank with me. The burning intensity of his eyes and the fluidity of his words left no doubt that he meant every word he said. I was still uncomfortable with the idea of my daughter being so involved with this young man, but for the first time I began to comprehend that this was not just a high school romance. These two kids were in way over their heads, and that scared me. I don't know why I had found their relationship so hard to believe before this moment. Bella wasn't one to talk about her feelings, especially with me. Edward had a way of being incredibly convincing.

"Edward, you have given me a lot to think about."

"I know. I apologize, sir. When I start talking about Bella I just can't seem to stop."

"I noticed."

And then something I hadn't expected happened. I actually started to laugh. Edward looked confused for the second time today.

"Is something funny, sir?"

I had absolutely no idea what was funny, and that made me laugh even more. I guess the absurdity of this fishing trip finally caught up to me. I calmed down enough to excuse my irrational behavior.

"I'm sorry, son. I don't know what came over me. This afternoon, well, it has been quite overwhelming." As I looked up at him, I noticed his crooked grin had returned.

"Now, what do you find so amusing?"

"You called me son, sir." Oops.

"Don't get excited. I can be caught calling a person "son" when I am bringing him down to the station, too." Nice save, Charles.

"In any case, Chief Swan, I am glad I got to talk to you this afternoon."

"Don't think this changes anything. There are still visiting hours for you."

Edward didn't try to bargain with me. Maybe, in time, I could learn to like this kid. Speaking of time...

"Hey, we have been out here all day and not a single bite!" That was really unusual.

"I think the fish are scared of me," Edward brooded.

"Nonsense, Edward, they are just fish. They don't know we are out to get them."

"Of course, sir. But sometimes raw animal instinct beats out human intelligence."

"In my experience, generally not with fish."

We left the lake empty-handed, but I didn't care. I was going to sleep a little better tonight knowing that Edward seemed less harmful than I had previously imagined. I probably would never accept the serious nature of their relationship, but maybe I could pretend to be happy for Bella and her boyfriend. At least it was a start.

Thankfully, we didn't say a word on the trip back. Edward was too busy smiling the entire way home.