Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Stephenie Meyer created it all; I just like to play around in her world.

As always a shout out to the Fab Five for their support and help - and AngleycDevil & NKubie for all their beta power!

~MF~

Isabella POV

Warmth surrounded me, but my head hurt, like the time I'd snuck away with my girlfriends and gotten drunk. It was a harsh throb at the back of my skull, and I wanted to remain perfectly still in hopes, that with time, hell would pass over. Unfortunately my bladder wasn't going to allow me the luxury. It was when I shifted to ease out of bed that I realized the source of the heat that had comforted me.

Cole.

Dressed in a t-shirt and boxers, he was snuggled to my back, his hand resting gently on my hip. The corner of a bandage peaked out from under the neck of his shirt, and the sight reminded me of what had happened.

Lunging out of the bed, I looked around the room and dove for the first open door. Thankfully, it was the right one. Wrapping my arms around my chest I tried not to fall apart as I went to the restroom, emptying my stomach into the trashcan while I used the toilet. But the moment I caught my reflection in the mirror, any control was gone. Heavy dark circles made my eyes looked bruised, and I was white. Not pale, but white. I looked dead.

Dead.

Gunshots.

Flashes of blood.

My mom falling.

The searing agony that exploded in my heart was incapacitating, and I slid down to the floor, propping against the wall. Ice filled my veins, until I felt Cole's arms circle me. Lifting me, he carried me back to the bed, pulling me under the covers and into the warmth that had lulled me before.

"My mom?" My voice was harsh but small.

He squeezed me gently. "I'm so sorry," he said.

The sounds that tore out of my chest weren't human.

She couldn't be dead. She just couldn't be. Memories raced through my mind – the football games she'd coached, knees she'd bandaged, moments of her brushing my hair, and the talk she'd had with me about sex, about how to embrace being a tom-boy while at the same time being a lady. Moment after moment assailed me as Cole kept me wrapped in his arms. I clung to his shirt, barely realizing when he held tissues to my nose to blow and wiped my tears.

At some point, he made me sit up, holding a bottle to my lips. "Baby, drink some water, please." When I complied, he held out some pills. "Some Tylenol, too." My head was throbbing. It was just too much.

He watched me warily while I threw the pills into my mouth and finished the water. I leaned into his hand when he brushed his thumb across my cheekbone.

"Where are we?" I was numb, tired, sore, and unable to accept what was happening, but it was finally catching up that I was not in the dorm, nor at the hospital where we'd been taken.

"A motel outside Atlanta."

We both startled when a door along the wall opened. Phone to his ear, Evan's eyes found me then slid to Cole. They stared at one another for several moments before Evan nodded softly and closed the door. My confusion grew.

"Isabella, I . . ." Cole paused.

I watched as he took a deep breath and appeared to steel himself.

"I have so much to tell you, and I don't know where to start." He brushed his finger across my cheekbone again, tapping my bottom lip before dropping his hand. He linked our fingers together. "You are going to hate me when I'm done."

I gasped, feeling fear battle the ice inside me.

"My name isn't Cole Braedon. It's Edward Cullen."

What!

"I work for the FBI, and I was sent to watch over you."

Anger coursed through me. He'd lied and deceived me. The crack of my hand against his face echoed in the room and pain radiated up my arm. "You son of a bitch!"

Red imprint vivid against his skin, Edward remained still. His eyes moved back and forth across my face, assessing. "My job was prescribed. The way I feel about you wasn't."

I shifted slightly, his words like blows. Unable to meet his pleading look, I turned away before I hit him again. I might not be able to see his reaction, but I heard the sigh.

"You are in grave danger and have been placed in protective custody. Jasper and I have been ordered to bring you back to Seattle."

"Jasper?"

"Evan."

Of course. They'd both been lying. Fancy that. Poor little Isabella Rossi, too stupid to figure out that the only reason the god sitting across the bed would be interested was because it was his job!

"Stop!" He barked out, and my eyes jerked back to him. His green eyes were full of emotion. "No matter what you believe after this is all said and done, know that I never faked a moment of attraction, affection, or desire."

Unable to face him, I turned away as sobs began to tear out of my chest again.

"Bella, please."

Bella, again?

"My name is Isabella." My voice was raw and cold.

I heard him take another deep breath. "Your name is Isabella Marie Swan. You are the daughter of Charles and Renee Swan. They called you Bella. You disappeared from Forks, Washington when you were five years old. Renee, your mother, was murdered, and it was presumed that you'd been as well."

Again, he'd captured my attention, and I stared at him. The buzzing in my ears spelled trouble.

Good catch Bells! Now, grab the fish under the gills or it might get away. Renee! Look at what our daughter caught.

A tall dark headed man with a flash of rich, brown eyes like mine. A woman who looked a lot like me holding a book and smiling from a lounge chair.

Bella, sweetie, run for mommy okay. Run sweetheart, as fast as you can and hide. I love you . . . always remember I love you.

"My daddy."

Pain skewed Edward's face. "Felix died too, Bella. I'm so sorry."

NO! The edges of my vision began crowding in. My daddy had died? Felix, or the man with brown eyes. It was too much. Darkness rushed forward in a great wave.

~MF~

Edward POV

I wanted to weep like a child when I saw who awaited us in the plane. My dad stood immediately seeing the unconscious woman in my arms. Jasper had offered to carry her because of my shoulder, but Bella weighed all of two pounds, so it was easy to use my right arm to carry most of the weight. Her cheek pressed against my chest and head neatly tucked under my chin, I'd relished the contact.

"What happened?" he asked, as I placed her on the small couch.

Jasper stepped into the front of the plane to confer with the pilot. He was an accomplished one himself. The tiny airport just outside Carrolton that Jacob had routed us to held only a few single engine planes and a very short runway. I didn't want to think about how the plane had landed or how we were going to take off, so I focused my attention on my dad.

"Shit."

He chuckled, and I wanted to cry when he placed his hand on my shoulder. My father was my hero.

"I'll check you after her, okay? I want to see if that emergency room doctor sewed you up well enough. Your mother was spitting mad when Jacob informed us what had happened and that I was needed. I thought she was going to throttle him when he said she couldn't come." His blue eyes twinkled merrily. "I'm not quite certain what you and Jasper have gotten us into, Edward, but I'm enjoying the digs, even if the vacation was forced."

"Where is everyone?"

"A tiny island not far from Ben Ure. A friend of a friend of Jacob's cousin owns the island and has a cabin there. He's one of those people that have prepared for the end of the world. There's a bunker behind it stocked with enough supplies for us to live for years. It's gorgeous. Nothing but trees, the ocean, and absolute peace. It's driving Alice crazy."

I chuckled, even when it didn't feel right.

"Buckle up," Jasper announced, sticking his head through the door. "We're taking off."

It only took a few minutes to get airborne. It was a few minutes of utter panic, wondering if the plane was going to get off the ground before the runway ended, but Jasper and the pilot pulled it off. I held the still unconscious Bella through it.

"Okay, so give it to me from beginning to end," my dad said, kneeling beside the couch.

"Has Jacob cleared you?" I asked.

He chuckled, rolling his eyes at me. "Even retired, I still outrank him, son." He pushed Bella's hair back gently, leaning over to pull her eye lids up. I saw the gun then on his hip. Shit . . . my mom was going to kill me.

He saw where I was looking and laughed. "Your mom has been particularly feisty the last couple of days."

I slapped my hands to my forehead. "Okay, I don't need the visual."

"Start with what happened to Bella."

And so I did, giving him the gist of the case. I cringed when his hand stilled over her at the point where I admitted that I'd been set up by Jacob to seduce her for information.

"Oh man. You're in for it." He shook his head as he reached for the medical bag beside him. Pulling on his stethoscope, he listened to Bella's heart, then took her pulse.

"Physically, she's fine, Edward. The mind is an amazing organ. It can limit blood flow to injured limbs, produce epinephrine for flight or fight, and manufacture the hormones to transform a girl into a woman, a boy into a man. So many miracles, including protecting us from trauma. We can either let her wake when she's ready . . ." he held up an ammonia capsule " . . . or I can expedite the process."

I wanted her to be okay, and although I was nervous with her being unconscious, there was no true reason to force her awake. "Let her rest."

He smiled and rose smoothly, tucking the capsule back into his bag. "Now, for you."

I tried not to grimace as I pulled the shirt off. You would think my father would be gentle with me, but no such luck. He poked and prodded, causing me to hiss in pain.

"Quit being a baby."

I rolled my eyes at him, earning a smack to the back of my head. It was such a familiar interaction with my father that I couldn't help but grin.

"The doctor did a decent job," he muttered, poking at the stitches at my side. "It's going to leave a nasty scar though."

"God forbid he isn't pretty," Jasper teased from the cockpit.

I wanted to flip him off and would've had I not looked up to find confused brown eyes watching my dad and me.

Isabella POV

Soft voices woke me, and I watched a handsome man bending over Cole – no, Edward – checking his side. Without his shirt and the bandages, I was able to see the bruising around the two stitched areas, and they looked bad. I didn't know how to even begin to deal with what he'd told me, the betrayal, but there was no doubt he'd put himself between me and danger.

Danger that had killed my parents.

Closing my eyes at the pain, I didn't even have the energy to sob. I felt so numb that it would be so easy to just fold in on myself, pull the cover over my head, and disappear.

The sound of a smack caused me to jerk my eyes open, and I saw the handsome blond man grinning down at Edward. "Quit being a baby." He then added, "The doctor did a decent job. It's going to leave a nasty scar though."

"God forbid he isn't pretty." I was fairly certain it was Jasper's voice coming from the other room.

The surface I was laying on swayed under me, and my stomach pitched. Nausea threatened. It was at that moment that Edward glanced up and caught my gaze. He stood, and the action drew the other man's attention in my direction.

"Isabella, it's good to see you awake," the man said. He moved gracefully toward me and bent down. "I'm Carlisle. How are you feeling?"

"Feeling?" My voice was harsh, and I pushed to sit up, even though it was hard to find the energy.

Edward had come to stand behind the man and handed him a bottle of water over his shoulder. Carlisle unscrewed the cap, offering it to me. His movements were slow and he kept his eyes on me. In the back of my mind I realized it was as if he was reaching out to a wild animal, trying not to startle it. My gaze jerked back to Edward. He hadn't replaced his shirt, but he seemed oblivious to his state of dress.

"There's a small bathroom to the back of the plane if you need the facilities," Carlisle offered.

Once he mentioned it, my bladder began screaming. Wait, plane?

"Plane?"

Carlisle looked back toward Edward, who shrugged his shirt on with a grimace, then sat beside me.

"You passed out Bella. Jasper was on the phone with our supervisor while we were talking. He made arrangements for the plane to pick us up. We're on our way to Seattle."

Anger burned brightly across my skin, but my first thought was of my mom and dad. I tried to hold back the tears. "My momma and daddy?"

Edward's eyes clouded. "We were waiting on you to tell us what you would like to do."

I had no clue. I'd never thought about them dying. A sob seized me, and I stood, moving toward the area Carlisle had indicated.

A soft knock came at the door a few minutes later. "Bella, I'm going to leave your bag outside the door in case you want to change."

Someone, I assumed Edward, had pulled a pair of yoga pants on me, but I was without underwear, my mouth tasted vile, and my hair was limp. Looking at the small sink, I didn't know that I could accomplish much, but I wanted to be clean so badly.

Opening the door, I was surprised to see that Edward had been true to his word, leaving the bag there and not remaining to confront me. I was grateful for the moments to myself. I wanted to smile when I looked into the package, but couldn't find the energy. Small bottles of shampoo and conditioner, my washed bra and panties, a washcloth and two thin towels they must have taken from the motel, a brush, face cleaner, toner, moisturizer, and clean clothes had all been placed neatly into the bag. Most importantly, there was a toothbrush and toothpaste. I'd never been so happy to see travel sizes in all my life.

Seizing the toothbrush, I cleaned my teeth twice before I felt human again. The paper cup that had been placed to the side of the sink gave me an idea. Flipping the toilet seat up with my foot, I used the cup to pour water over my upended head, letting the excess drip down into the basin. When my hair was wet enough, I scrubbed shampoo vigorously through the strands. Edward must have combed my hair, because I only felt a few pieces of gritty glass.

Rinsing was hard, because the cup had to be filled and the toilet flushed time and time again, but finally, I felt like I had the soap out. I didn't try conditioner. After pulling off the clothes I'd been wearing, I washed off with the washcloth then cleaned my face. The astringent burned from all the tiny nicks, but the moisturizer soothed the fire racing across my skin.

Too bad I didn't have a cure for what was destroying my heart.

I stepped out of the lavatory dressed in clean clothes and pulling a brush through my tangled hair.

Devastated, betrayed, confused, grieving, mad, sad . . . lost.

It was time to figure out what the hell happened to my life and determine where I went from here.

~MF~

Okay, for those that are going to blast me because she wasn't too hard on him . . . it isn't over yet. HA!

Hope you enjoyed.