𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐎 | Twilight

3.1

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"Four o'clock on the dot, that kid trying to brown nose me now or somethin'?" Charlie checked the clock on his left but didn't glance at his daughter, only the worrying headlines of the newspaper. Tango was in a particularly playful mood, nipping at Charlie's feet which were covered in thick white socks. Charlie would wiggle his toes every now and then just to keep her interested and around.

Bella scoffed lightly, "He has a name. Now he's too punctual for you?" Tango barked a hello and sniffed all around Bella, she smelt like corpse which only meant one thing; Edward had been all over Bella. At least that's what Tango thought.

Since the return of the Cullens Tango had been a tad cold to Edward. Whenever he was over, Tango would exit through the dog flap and lay out in the garden or on Bella's bed, rubbing her scent all over it marking her territory. Supposedly, Edward had siblings but Tango had never met them since none came to Bella's, she briefly saw a girl who smelt like Edward but with short brown hair.

"Okay." Charlie slapped down the newspaper on the table, which Tango tried to reach for and pulled it half way of the table before Charlie pulled it back. "You understand why you're being punished right?"

Bella nodded now sat next to her father, "I know, I put you through hell." Tango wandered around the couch front, ducking under Bella's legs which rested on the coffee table.

"Yes, you did." The father turned to his daughter, "But I have other reasons for grounding you. Like, uh...I just want you to get some separation from...him."

"Dad, there's nothing you can say," Bella pushed herself up so she was more comfortable, the girl pulled her hair out of Tango's reach as she'd wandered behind the couch trying to put anything in her mouth. "Edward is in my life."

Charlie reached for his beer sighing, "Yeah, I'm gathering that." He took a sip just as Tango rounded on him and playfully chewed his hand. The chief didn't stop his dog, well used to the playful bites. "So, all right, how about this? I'll make you a deal. You're not grounded anymore if, you use your new found freedom to see some of your other friends too, like...like Jacob. He's going through a really tough time right now. His dad is really worried about him. I remember when that was you. When you needed a friend, Jake was there."

Bella soon left the two to go up to her room, Tango took Bella's spot on the couch and kept trying to lick Charlie's face. The handler allowed her to be playful for a while before he told her to stop, like always she listened instantly.

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Tango laid in her bed by Charlie's bed, head on her paws as she listened with her eyes closed to the two worried parents talk to her human. Their son, Riley Biers, was missing and had been for over a year now. They were hoping for some news and willing to pay for private investigators if the police couldn't find him.

Charlie had no good news for the couple, nothing had turned up and it was way too long ago for Tango to find a scent in the area. Perhaps last year they may have had a chance but it looked like Riley was just going to be another of Seattle's missing people.

"I'll fax these down, first thing." Charlie guided them out of the police department, Tango at his heels, after all where Charlie went, she went.

Mr Biers thanked the chief of police before following his wife to the car. "Thank you."

Charlie couldn't even imagine the pain of Bella going missing. Overall he had had plenty of scares in the past year, first with the trip to Phoenix and then his daughter flying all the way to Italy for a boyfriend he didn't even like. Yet it seemed like Tango was always on his side as the dog was giving Edward the cold shoulder recently, something the chief of police found very amusing.

Bella smiled small at her father stood next to Edward leaning on the rails, "Hey."

Charlie looked at Edward with a not so subtle why-the-hell-are-you-here look. "Hey." Tango groaned in her head at her owner's equal awkwardness.

"You ready for dinner?" Bella asked.

"Yeah." The chief of police looked at Edward with a raised brow, "It is still just you and I, right?" Tango let out a bark to remind them that she too was coming to dinner, Charlie rolled his eyes but placed his hand on her head from where she sat next to him.

Edward smiled to himself hearing Charlie's annoyed thoughts. "No, I'm just dropping her off." He squeezed her hand, "see you later."

Bella had a lovestruck look on her face as her boyfriend walked down the steps. "Bye."

Edward turned right as he reached his Volvo, "Bella, my parents wanted to remind you about the airline ticket you got for your birthday."

"What airline ticket?" Charlie frowned looking at Bella.

Bella opened her mouth and closed it again at Edward, her head turned to her father hands stuffed in her pockets. "A round trip ticket to see Mom in Florida." Tango lifted her head up, Bella liked to talk to her mom a lot so she often heard the conversations they had.

Charlie felt like it was a never ending surprise with these kids, he was getting to old for teenage drama. And he always knew the Cullens were wealthy, that was to be expected of a high quality surgeon, yet he never imagined they would be so giving to Bella. "That was generous." Tango stood up and stretched into downward dog, they'd been in the office for most of today, a less active day so the dog was a bit stiff from just sitting in her bed. The only that had changed was now she was sitting next to Charlie on the wooden porch.

"It expires soon, so you might want to use it this weekend." Edward knew exactly how to convince Charlie to get Bella out of town.

"Well, I can't just drop everything and go." Bella rebutted.

"It might be your last chance to see her before you graduate." Bella understood the hidden message, the last time to see her mother before she turned into a vampire. The girl had lots of time to spend with Charlie and Tango, which Edward argued since she'd only had such a short eighteen years compared to his 109, Bella would regret not spending time with her family in the future and that's what he always worried about. Edward was worried Bella would blame him later on in life, so he hoped by letting her spend more time with her mother and father, even dog, that it could convince Bella to live a human life.

"Might not be a bad idea. Get out of town for a couple days. Get some," Charlie breathed in deeply, "distance."

Bella hoisted her bag over her shoulder. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind seeing Mom." She turned to Edward as what she thought was a stroke of genius struck. "As long as you use the companion ticket."

"Wait. There's two tickets?" Neither answered. Charlie rolled his eyes walking down the front steps with Tango trotting behind dutifully. "Super. That makes me really happy."

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authors note- simple facts = Bella treated Charlie like absolute garbage.

I love when people comment about tango so if you're enjoying this story, don't forget to comment!