Caught in the Flames

Chapter Fifty-Two

Okay, so I'm starting something new. I'm one of those writers that I have to have a ton on my plate or I get bored. I doplan on finishing all of my WIPs, but I wanted to try something different. Anyhow, this will be a drabble-ish fic. My chapters will be a thousand words or less, unless the chapters lend themselves to something longer (i.e., a lemon...). We're also going to be switching back and forth, every five chapters between our two favorite characters, Edward and Bella...

As always, none of this is mine. I'm just the perv who want to make our beloved Twilight characters swear, drink, and go at it like horny rabbits. This story will be a combination of love, suspense, some violence and steamy, sweaty sex.

On with it!

Chapter Fifty-Two

BPOV

"Charlie, what did Mom say?" I snarled.

"Haven't you spoken with her?" he asked, his voice sounding small.

"Not really. We had a falling out. Spill it," I said coldly.

"Your mother alluded to the fact that you didn't want anything to do with me. She said that I needed to make my child support payments until you were eighteen but that the court restricted our contact. I wanted to fight it because you are my daughter, but Renee started raising holy hell and was threatening to call my boss about the one time I smoked weed," Charlie grumbled. "I couldn't lose my job so despite my gut telling me that Renee was wrong, I abided by her stupid rules. I paid her child support..."

"How much was that a month?" I asked, tears pricking my eyes.

"Twenty percent of my paycheck. It was automatically deducted and sent to Renee's account," Charlie answered. "Roughly four hundred dollars each paycheck, eight hundred a month when you were first born and it increased as I moved up the ranksin the Forks Police Department."

"And Mom said that I didn't want anything to do with you," I spat.

"Yes," Charlie said sadly. "I hated not talking to you. I wanted more from you, but Renee threatened lawsuits and terminating my parental rights. I told her if she terminated my rights that she wouldn't be able to get my child support payments. That changed her tune really quickly." He was quiet for a few moments. "How long have you been out of touch with your mother?"

"Since January," I mumbled. "Grams died. She left me the house in Chicago and I moved up here. Mom...Renee has changed, Charlie." Tears that I didn't want to fall started traveling down my cheeks. "And I always wondered why you never called moreoften. I thought you didn't want me."

"Bella," he breathed. "No...I always wanted you. Ever since I found out I was going to be a dad, I was over the moon. I wanted to show you the world and give you everything, but when Renee left, she made that impossible. She must have been screwing the attorney because the custody agreement was awful. I tried to get it overturned so that you could stay with me, but Renee wouldn't budge. Eventually, the judge said that I could have visitation. That's when she moved."

"And thus began our nomadic existence," I spat bitterly.

"Was it awful? Should I have fought harder?" Charlie asked, his voice wavering.

"I wished you would have," I sniffled. "The only person who truly cared about me was Grams. Not my mom. Not her litany of boyfriends. Not my classmates or teachers. We never stayed in one spot long enough for me to make friends. Just Grams. Mom held down a job, but she just gambled the money away, along with your child support money. I had to get a job at fourteen so we wouldn't lose our apartment. This dingy, smelly loft apartment that was no bigger than a public bathroom. I hadto go to school on work study because every penny went to pay our rent or the car payments."