- Penname: Latreasem1

- Title: He Sent me to Heaven after Six months of Hell

- Summary: After spending six months in hell in the Middle East, Bella Swan on her way home to the waiting arms of her fiance'. On the flight home, the handsome passenger across the aisle brought her out of her emotional hell, and she feels she's now in heaven. But will finding out who he is, send her back to Hell? AU/AH

- Pairing: Jasper/Bella/Carlisle

- Rating: M

- Word Count: 14,303

- DISCLAIMER: The author does not own any publicly recognizable entities herein. No copyright infringement is intended.

This was the longest assignment I've ever been on. I've been filming a documentary in Abu Dhabi for the last six months about the abuse of young children used as jockeys in camel races for the entertainment of wealthy men. It has been a grueling 6 months. My emotions are entirely shot to hell, and I don't think I've ever cried so much in my entire life. The whole experience was emotionally hellish, and I didn't know how to get myself out of that headspace.

There was no way I could sit through a regular commercial flight on my way home. So, I ponied up the extra money to upgrade my ticket to a private first class suite on the plane. This was just what I needed to decompress before arriving back in the states. My fiancé Jasper was waiting for me, and I was definitely looking forward to being back home again. Jasper was the one who actually brought this story to my attention. He has invaluable knowledge of the region after having done three consecutive tours in Iraq. Once when he was on leave, he'd gone to the UAE for his R & R and became a first-hand witness to various atrocities. When I pitched the story to my bosses at HBO, I didn't expect to be the producer on this project. This would be my first shot at the helm of a major production. Naturally, I jumped at the chance. But, of course, I told them that I needed to discuss it with my fiancé first.

"Bella, Darlin' I understand that this is a great opportunity for you. But I want you to understand what you're gonna be getting yourself into, honey. You're going to see things that will shake you to your core,"

Bella leaned into the conversation, listening with great intent as Jasper continued to explain the ground truth about life in the Middle East.

"And please don't forget, we're not talking about a country that gives any consideration whatsoever to the rights of women in any way, shape or form. You need to get used to the fact that you'll be treated like what we'd probably consider second-class citizen status. As a woman, you'll need to cover yourself from head to toe. Hair, ankles and wrists included."

A sly grin played briefly across Jasper's face as he made his next comments: "If I'm honest here, I'd have to say, I'm pretty grateful that you're not going to be on display. I mean, it's not like I want them worshiping this gorgeous body of yours." He grinned, grabbed me by the waist and pulled me into him. I just giggled and swatted him playfully on the chest.

"But seriously, Bella, I'm not here trying to tell you what you can or cannot do, baby. I love you. You waited for me, and that's pretty major. And, now that I'm back - I don't ever want to be without you. So, if something were to happen to you over there, I already know that I wouldn't be able to hold it together. I was only able to hold on over there because I knew what I was fightin' for and that once I was done, I had a reason to come back from hell because you were here. I'm willing to wait a little longer if that's what it takes, but once you get back, I want to put a ring on it, and make you mine for the rest of our lives."

We made love the rest of the night. But, that was 6 months ago. I mean, not only was I just plain horny as hell, but I was also an emotional wreck.

The night before my flight, instead of staying in the correspondent's apartment, as I had for the last 6 months - I checked into a gorgeous 5-star hotel. All I wanted was to soak my weary bones in a bubble bath until my skin looked like a prune. I sat there until my fluffy, comforting bubbles disappeared and cried like a baby. This was the first time I'd ever really let my emotions go. I was quite conscious of not wanting to show any signs of 'female weakness' as I navigated my way through this virulently male society. I felt the need to prove that I deserved to be there, so I sucked it up without complaint.

I hadn't been sleeping well, and if it weren't for that long hot bath, the Michelin Star dinner and sumptuous breakfast the next morning - the entire hotel experience would have been a waste of time and money. So here I was once again and thankfully for the last time, covering myself from head to toe. But this time, I treated myself to a few things. First, a light and airy linen maxi halter dress, and a beautiful open weave cotton lace cardigan that I could button up to the neck, for my trip to the airport. I covered my hair with a light linen scarf and hid behind chunky sunglasses. I have to admit, I did feel somewhat glamorous in this outfit. But, once I had boarded the plane, and was safely ensconced in my private first-class suite, I was going to shed the jacket and scarf. Once, we reached New York, I was going to ditch the entire get up. I mean it. I never wanted to lay eyes on that shit ever again. Not ever.

After being escorted by the flight attendant to my suite, I realized that my splurge was money well spent. I give myself a few moments before takeoff to get acquainted with my suite before buckling into my seat for the next leg of my flight.

There's a short layover in Dubai but, we're not required to disembark the plane. I'm returning from the lounge with a glass of freshly squeezed juice for breakfast when the Flight attendant escorts a very handsome older gentleman to the pod across the aisle from me. He was wearing a very sharp business suit, accompanied by a neatly pressed dress shirt with what looked to be an expensive gold necktie. A pocket square sat neatly in his breast pocket and his well-coiffed hair shined like spun gold, with slight greying at the temples.

"Good Morning Madam," he said in a fading British accent

"Good Day to you sir," I responded with a slight nod. His eyes lit up, and he gave me the most beautiful smile I've ever seen. I could tell he was an older gentleman, but there was no way to guess by how much. He was a good-looking man and by all accounts, kept himself immaculately groomed.

"So, you are an American?" He added, with a smile. But then, his face took on a curious look.

"I'm sorry, my dear, but you do look awfully familiar, might I know you from somewhere?" He asked. It was always very awkward for me when someone recognized me. It wasn't like I was famous, I had only written a couple of books, one of which could be considered a seedy romance novel. Which honestly is how most people recognized me. The other tome was a volume about Native American Oral History. Then, of course - there were the small documentary film projects that I'd done.

"Well, I'm not sure, I have done some documentary films," I told him. But he was now looking through his messenger bag and of all things he pulled out the romance novel that I wrote under the pen name Belle Blackswan. He then turned to me with a smile.

"Is this you?" He asks, pointing to the hardcover book. I'm absolutely blushing, now. Probably beet red, at that. Of all the work I've done, it seems like the one book that I wrote in college was going to be my legacy in the literary world.

"Oh, don't be embarrassed, darling. Believe it or not - I happen to have a penchant for erotic romance novels. It is without question a guilty pleasure that I wholeheartedly indulge as often as possible. Though reading your work was definitely one of my favorite vices," He told me, with a blush of his own.

"And I have to tell you, this one is quite good as such things go. I must admit it's one of my go-to's when on long, lonely nights. I'm not into porn, per se, but give me a good erotic novel, and I'm a goner." This revelation made me laugh out loud.

"Oh, so you find it amusing, that a man of my age would go for a young adult sex novel?" He asked with an arched brow.

"Yes, actually, I do. But, to each his own I guess." I shrug. "I suppose I should thank you for buying my book," I told him. His smile then faded.

"Oh, well I didn't buy it, I sort of stole it from my youngest daughter. She's who you should really be thanking for stoking my curiosity and feeding my guilty pleasure. One day I saw this book laying on the floor next to her while she was sleeping on the sofa, and I picked it up to have a look at the dust jacket. After skimming through it once or twice, I found that I couldn't put it down. Now, every time I visit, I sort of "borrow" another of her books. Unfortunately, I don't think I can go into a bookstore and put the book on the counter to have the clerk give me that look." He said. Now I was laughing uncontrollably. I just pictured the scene playing out in my head when it came to me that I hadn't laughed in 6 months.

"Well, Mr…" I said holding out my hand to take his.

"Dr. Cullen actually, but please call me Carlisle." He said taking my hand and bringing it to his lips for a kiss. I blushed and was swooning like a lovesick teenager.

"Well then, Carlisle, I want to thank you for reading my book. But mostly I'd like to thank you for lifting my spirits. I've been on a challenging and emotionally arduous assignment for the last 6 months, and while speaking with you, I realized I haven't laughed or smiled about anything in months. I'm just about sure that I've spent much more for this first class suite than I should have, but with everything that I'm processing I just couldn't stand to sit among everyday passengers with all that emotional energy bouncing around the cabin." I told him.

"Oh, my dear, I'm so sorry. It's a shame no one has seen that beautiful smile in that long, but I am honored you chose to share it with me." Oh my god, the suave bastard, he had me smiling and blushing all over again.

"Well, If you'll excuse me, Carlisle, I'm going to have breakfast then I think I'm going to try and get some sleep. Unfortunately, I didn't get as much sleep last night as I would have wished." I told him.

"Oh, that is a shame. If you'd like, I could give you a little something to help you sleep. I am a doctor after all." He told me.

"I'll keep that in mind. But let me try on my own first thank you," I told him. I then went into my pod and closed the partition.