1: Skinny Love (Ed. Cullen)

2.

Bambi gets more excited the closer to Forks they get, Bella gets more withdrawn, hides in her book as Bambi listens to music, her eyes become lighter, brighter as she looks out the window, the landscape changing to that of the place she loves, all greens and browns and reds of the winter, she turns to Bella and smiles, Bella looks to her and though she isn't having as much fun she does smile, her sister's mood is always infectious. There's just always been something about Bambi. Bella points to her ears and Bambi removes her headphones.

"Did you pack your pills?" Bella asks, Bambi's eyes widen and she fakes alarm. "Bambi" Bella scolds, Bambi laughs.

"Relax, I packed them...Mom checked.....five times" Bambi answers and looks back out of the window. Bella takes her hand and squeezes softly. The constant reminder that the doctors think she is insane, although the technical term is schizophrenia, that that is what's going on with her, and for the most part the pills work, she's normal. Bella squeezes her hand and Bambi looks to her.

"It's going to be fine" Bella tells her, Bambi smiles and nods.

.............

"Daddy!!" Bambi shouts as she sees Charlie, 40's. Taciturn, introverted. he smiles and rubs the back of his neck and then catches her as she hugs him, Bella smirks amused watching them, Bambi has always been the touchy feely one, Charlie's not all that big on the hugging but for his little Bambino.

"Bambino" he greets kissing her head, she pulls back and Charlie smiles at Bella. "Bella" she smiles back.

"Hey, Dad" he takes a bag from Bella and wraps his other arm around Bambi's shoulders and kisses her head again. He's missed his girls. Bambi holds her hand back for Bella who smiles and takes it.

..............

Charlie sets the girls bags in the trunk as Bella and Bambi leans against the car together, Bambi sets her head on Bella's shoulder and she smiles and takes her twin's hand in hers. Charlie pauses to watch the two of them and smiles, it had worked out better then they expected when they'd taken Bambi in as their own. The relationship between the two girls, that bond.

"Alright..." He states, they both look at him. "Shall we?" they both nod and without even having to argue about it Bambi gets in the back and Bella in the front. Charlie shakes his head amused and climbs in the driver's side.

................

The drive is quiet, Bella's too awkward to start a conversation and Bambi's in the back which makes it awkward for her to start one, she looks between Bella and Charlie, silently willing one of them to say something, the silence in the car is killing her.

"Your hair's longer" Charlie points out looking to Bella.

"I cut it since last time I saw you" Bella corrects, Bambi hangs her head holding in a groan.

"Guess it grew out again" Charlie mumbles. Bella just nods. Silence. Charlie glances to Bambi. "You got your ears done?" she reaches up and touches the earrings and nods.

"Yeah..." she smiles at him, he smiles back.

"How's your mom?" he asks.

"She's good" Bambi answers. The car falls into more silence. Yikes. They pass a SIGN: "The City Of Forks Welcomes You - Pop. 3246." Bella sighs. Bambi smiles as the trees pass by the window. As the cruiser drives through, Bambi takes in this logging town, every storefront has a wood carving. It makes her happy, all the nature everywhere. The Timber Museum's sign is two loggers sawing a stump. The police station is a small wooden building across from City Hall..Charlie glances in the rear view mirror at Bambi who's smiling, he knew he could count on her being happy about this move.

.....................

The cruiser pulls up to the old two-story house. A woodshed full of firewood. There's a small boat in the garage, fishing gear, an old buoy. Bella climbs out... home, Bambi jumps out and smiles with more energy than Bella. She squeals a little and bounces on her feet as Charlie climbs out, he smirks at her and heads to the trunk. Bambi has missed this place, she takes a deep breath, she can almost smell everything, the river in the middle of the forest behind the house, the moss growing on boulders, the ferns, the spruce, fir and maple trees.

"Bambi?" Charlie asks behind her, she snaps her around to him. "You okay?" she nods and smiles.

"Just...glad to be back" he kisses her head and she takes a bag from him.

..................

Bambi, Bella and Charlie carry in the bags. The house isn't stylish (the only new thing here is a Flat Screen T.V.), but it's comfortable, lived-in. Lots of fishing memorabilia; photos of Charlie fishing with Quileute Billy Black. Handmade cards to "Daddy" and photos of Bambi and Bella. Bella winces at herself, age 7, in a tutu, sitting stubbornly on the ground. Bambi nudges her and smirks. Bella rolls her eyes back.

"I put Grandpa's old desk in your room" Charlie tells Bella and then turns to Bambi. "The attic's just as you left it" Bambi smiles and nods. "And I cleared some shelves in the bathroom" Bella grimaces and looks to Bambi who takes forever to get ready in the mornings.

"That's right. One bathroom" Bella mumbles. Bella's eye lands on a photo of a much younger Charlie and Rene, on vacation, beaming with love.

"I'll just put these up in your room" Charlie reaches for Bella's bags, he knows Bambi likes to do it herself.

"I can do it" Bella and Charlie both reach for the bags, bumping one another awkwardly. Bella backs off, letting Charlie carry the bags upstairs. Bambi looks to her sister who sighs and shrugs. "I don't know how to talk to him like you do" Bella tells her sister. "I just....I guess we don't have that much in common"

"You're joking, right? You're both awkward and prefer your own company, it's weird how much alike you both are sometimes" Bambi grabs her bags.

.......................

Bambi sets her bags on her bed in the attic room, once they were old enough it was decided that the twins wouldn't share, and from the attic there is a great view of the forest out back so of course Bambi had taken it. And since she's just added to it, reminders of all the phases of her life, photos of her and Bella, of her and Charlie, of her and Renee, of Bambi, Jacob and Caleb Black, her closest friends in Forks, more so Jacob then Caleb, he always had a thing for Bella growing up and well...Bambi and Jacob liked to prank. She smiles and moves to the dresser where there is a framed photo of Bambi and Jacob in Halloween costumes from a few years prior. Bambi had dressed as a fairy and Jacob as a werewolf, she smiles and shakes her head. She hears a honk outside. Bambi runs across the hall and looks out the window to see a faded red truck, circa 1960 pull up.

...............