I have had a massive case of writer's block. Sorry for the delay! All characters belong to Stephanie Meyers.

Edward's PoV

The door opened on its own and we walked back into their strange building. Everyone but Jamie met us and guided us to the elevator, which stopped on a different floor than we had previously been to.

We stepped out and saw a series of bedroom suites. As we walked past some of the open doors, I got a glimpse and it was almost bigger than my entire house! We came to a stop at the end of the hallway and Tori gestured us inside.

I'd never seen more extravagance in my life. Uncle Aro loved to be over the top, but this was so tastefully decorated. I could tell Bella felt the same way. Her wide eyes took in everything and her eyes told me exactly what I was thinking. This was made to feel like a home, not just a space to sleep in or a museum where you couldn't touch or use the "nice things."

Entering through the door, I saw a living room on the right and a kitchen on the left. They guided us toward the living room, which was rich in hues of brown tones and an accent wall painted in a navy blue. The walls surrounding the place were made to feel welcoming, not constricting.

Everyone sat down and they all looked at us in question. We did owe them an explanation. Given my previous behavior, which I was quite ashamed of, I just couldn't find the words to describe a situation. How could we even begin?

Bella saved me. I think all the perspiration on my forehead spoke volumes. My hands were so clammy, that she removed her hand and wiped it conspicuously on her jeans.

"I know you weren't expecting to hear from us so soon. Truthfully, we weren't planning on contacting you until much later, when we were finally able to process all of the drama. The problem is that Aro's associates are after us. My guess is that they are interested in taking over the wealth of Aro's estate, which is all in Edward's name.

We need your help, even though we've done nothing to earn it, to stay out of public eye. Demetri is a very good tracker and probably knows where we are right now. Felix is a heavy brute that has skills in martial arts. He won numerous competitions before being recruited by Aro.

I think Aro told them where the money is and who has access to it. Neither of them are skilled enough to hack and transfer it electronically, so they'll probably come after us and force our hand.

Edward, do you think that's everything?" She finished.

I had no idea she had thought of that much. I was barely past them being after us and needing to hide while we figure it out. She's brilliant.

"Uh. Um..." My brain was not processing yet and her eyebrows furrowed in thought. I doubt I had ever been this scattered. It just didn't quite compute.

She turned back to them and we waited for them to just tell us to go to hell, that we're not worth this much work. We did leave when the going got tough, so there's no point in them agreeing.

I grabbed Bella's hand and stood up, about to apologize for asking and to leave before my family died in peril. We were losing time, that I was sure, and we needed to find a safe place to stay.

"Sit, Edward," my mother commanded. She eyes met mine and I was truly scared of her reaction. She put her hand on my father's knee and I sat down, putting Bella on my lap. I needed her to keep me calm, since I was pretty close to losing it. Twice in one day.

Her eyes darted between ours and softened when they came upon Winnie. "Of course we'll help you. Family is the most important thing and we finally found you. Besides your initial reaction, I think this is a positive thing. Yes, it is forced, but we'll learn about each other in the best way. We will work together to keep you safe." She nodded to herself and knew she spoke for everyone.

I wish I was a great leader like her. My heart constricted from the pain of losing them so early in my life and having to bond with them while ours lives were in danger.

The four of them got up and left us, saying goodnight. It was only 4pm, but the stress of the day caught up with us and we needed to just breathe. I looked at Bella and Winnie, calling her over to sit on the couch with us. I put my arms around them both, squeezing tightly and keeping my emotions locked down. To lose it now would not help. I had to be strong for them.

Bella's PoV

Edward's silent sobs were the only sound in the room. He was squeezing us tightly and I didn't think he knew his own strength. He probably didn't even know he was crying. His eyes were closed and my heart broke for whatever battle was raging inside of him. The man had gone through so much in one day.

We needed a plan. But first, we needed each other. We spent the rest of the day in each other's company, playing cards, watching TV, or just talking about Winnie's latest adventures that she had with them.

We avoided the elephant in the room. We knew tomorrow would entail planning on the defense and offense. It would be exhausting and I wondered just how long this running for our lives would take.

It seemed so odd to have had such a nice, peaceful existence for so many years, only for it to possibly come crashing down so quickly. But, I loved my family and would do anything for them. I would lay down my life and I knew they would do the same. Hopefully, that would never happen.

We finally went to bed. I waited until Edward's breathing evened out before carefully getting out of bed. I couldn't sleep. I left our suite and went to the kitchen, hoping a cup of hot chocolate would soothe my nerves.

"I couldn't sleep, either." I jumped from the sound, my hand went straight to my chest in response. I turned to the right and saw his mother standing at the doorway. "Sorry to have surprised you. I guess it's a mother's instinct to have the situation running through your mind until you find a solution."

I nodded. "Yes, I agree. So, do you have any ideas?" I just couldn't figure it out. Why now? Why, at all? Money couldn't have been the only reason. It defies logic.

"I've been asking myself all of these questions that I can see are going through your head, as well. Your eyes are very expressive and it's pretty easy to see when you're lost in thought. Maybe it's a mother to a mother thing. Perhaps you and I can brainstorm?" She looked hopeful and I wasn't sure why. I knew Edward was hesitant about this whole situation, but did I look like that?

"I agree. The men may try to take charge of the situation, and we all need to work together. I think you and I can put together a cohesive plan, yes?" She nodded in response, smiling at me and gesturing for us to sit at the breakfast nook.

"Ok, so let's make a list of what we know so far, ok?" That seemed reasonable. She grabbed some paper and made two columns. What we know and what we don't know.

What we know

What we don't know

Money is motive

Full motive

Who is behind this? Felix and Demetri

Who else?

Where/how will we hide? Here, for now, with disguises

Police are clueless

If police will help or deter us

Action plan:

Question Aro

Hack into police database to find out what Felix and Demetri saw

Make a list of suspects besides Aro, Felix, and Demetri

Scope out other locations to hide

Make an escape plan at each said location

With that, we planned to show the family members and see what to do from here.

Morning came and I felt kisses on my cheeks and nose. "Hmmpf, five more minutes...I don't wanna go to school today...I have a geometry test...more cheese, please. I like sharp cheddar. At the table..."

I heard chuckling and had no idea why the deli guy was laughing at me. The chuckling got louder and louder. I came out of my strange dream and opened my eyes. Edward's grin was wide and his smile reached his eyes. It was nice he could forget our lives were in peril for a few minutes before reality would set it.

"Wanna shower?" He wagged his eyebrows.

"Sure. I'll go first." I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom, locking the door quickly. He banged on the door, loudly protesting my wickedness.

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" he yelled. I laughed quietly so that he didn't get too upset and break the door down. He didn't need to hurt his shoulder on top of everything else.

After 15 minutes of a hot, relaxing shower, I got out and wrapped a towel around myself. I unlocked the bathroom door and peeked on both sides. The coast was clear and I ran to the walk-in closet. Safe!

I turned around, only to see my husband smiling at me devilishly. "Oh. Were you trying to hide?" he asked. He reminded me of a wolf that would blow my house down.

I leaned away, hoping he would just open the closet door and go to take his shower. We didn't have time for any extracurricular activities, based on what his mother and I came up with. After I said goodnight and went to bed, I thought of other things to put on the lists.

"My, my. What do we have here?" He looked me up and down, probably thinking of all the ways to devour me. I had to admit, I was beginning to think the same.

"Mom! Dad! I'm going to take a shower now!" Winnie called out. It was incredibly embarrassing that she knew we were in the closet. It was also slightly upsetting that got him out of his mood and, before I knew it, he raced out of the closet and beat her there.

"No way! Your mother probably used almost all of the hot water. I get as much of the rest as possible!" he yelled from behind the door. Lukewarm water was more important? Ridiculous. You'd have thought he'd be used to it by now.

"Mom!" Winnie screamed. "Are you going to seriously let him do that?"

I tightened my towel and exited the closet with as much dignity as I could muster. "Winnie, want me to fill you in on something?" She nodded slowly. "Sweetie, this building has an industrial grade water heater. It would take godzilla to shower before the hot water ran out." Her eyes bugged out and she grinned. She kissed me on the cheek in thanks and ran to another suite. I didn't know if my theory was true. I guess I'd find out soon.

An hour later, we were all in the kitchen eating breakfast. Tori and Jamie were quite the experts in preparing delicious meals. I'd never had such delicious eggs, hash browns, and pancakes. What did they put in them? The fresh squeezed orange juice was magnificent, although I didn't care for the pulp.

His mother called for everyone's attention and got straight to work, announcing what we came up with. We knew putting more heads together would help figure out a solution.

I hope you liked it.

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