A/N: Oh god, I am so sorry guys that I didn't give you the teaser to those who reviewed! Seriously, it was so typical, my wifi went down right after I posted the last chapter, and I could only use the data on my phone, which made it very inconvenient to answer reviews with teasers I didn't have on my phone … *sigh

Luckily, the wifi came back on this morning, so at least I am able to give you this chapter on time!

I'm gonna continue putting the disclaimer here just be sure that everyone are aware of where this story originated.

This story isn't 100 % mine. I have transformed it into a story from an interactive story app called Choices (an app I am completely obsessed with atm) and the creators are Pixelberry Studios.

So here's my disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the plot of this story. All recognizable content belongs to their respective owner. No copyright infringement intended. Names and places have been changed for the purpose of Fanfiction.

{Chapter 14}

In an instant, everyone fell silent. Alistair's eyes fell to his shoes, and he spoke through a grimace."Not ... not the Carlisle Cullen. My name ... is Carlisle Alistair Cullen, the Second. The man who built this place, the man who brought all of you here ... is my father."

Not one word was uttered for a solid minute.

"Whaaaaaaaaaat?!"

"So it's you?"

"Did not see that coming!"

"I kinda did."

Tanya looked at Alistair with blank eyes. "You ... you've been lying to us?"

"Tanya, I'm sorry. I ... I never meant to hurt you." He reached for her, but she pulled away.

Edward was still glaring. "So wait ... you're the boss man's son ... and that's supposed to make us trust you? What's the deal? Did he plant you here to spy on us? Is he listening in right now?"

Alistair threw his arms in the air, exasperated. "No! For god's sake, I'm not a spy!"

Garrett looked at Edward. "I dunno ... I think he sounds sincere."

Edward didn't relent. "That's what spies do! That's, like, literally their basic job!"

"I'm with Edward on this one. I don't believe him," I said without taking my eyes off Alistair.

"You should all follow Bella's example," Edward said. "She knows to not be so gullible."

"Tell us the truth, Alistair," I pressed.

"I am! I would never work for my father because I hate him! I only came with on this trip because I wanted to confront him." Alistair let out a long sigh and turned to the railing, gazing out over the island. "My whole life, all I ever wanted was his approval. His respect. For him to look at me with pride ... to embrace me as his heir. He was always gone, on one business trip or another ... always occupied with his resort or his research projects. My tenth birthday, he was in Kyoto, unveiling his new fusion-powered bullet train. My high school graduation, he was in Moscow, negotiating a trans-European trade agreement, and I always thought I could impress him if I just achieved enough ... if I followed in his footsteps ... he'd finally recognize me for what I'm worth."

Tanya walked closer to him. "Alistair..."

Alistair frowned. "He promised me that we'd spend time together this summer. That he'd show me the intricacies of his business. That he'd consider ... consider ... bringing me in. He canceled, of course. As he is wont to do. But that wasn't the worst part. No, the worst part was when I discovered that ten students from my very college would be randomly selected to take a trip to his prized island ... while he was there."

Garrett frowned. "Cullen was here?"

"I sent him a furious letter," Alistair continued as if Garrett hadn't spoken. "And lo and behold, I got an email inviting me to come along after all. Perhaps he meant to make amends. Well, I wasn't going to make amends. I was going to tell him how I truly felt. Sever myself from this blasted family, once and for all. I planned all that ... but then we hit that storm ... and now I realize how foolish I was. My father is gone. For all I know, deceased. And I'm stranded here, where I'll probably die, too, and he'll never know my true feelings."

"Alistair ... That's so sad," I said sympathetically. I couldn't help but to believe him after that story.

"I don't need your pity, Bella!" he replied through gritted teeth.

Emmett stepped in. "Whoa, hey, Bella was just—"

"I'm not some tragic mewling whelp, begging for your sympathy because my father never loved me. I'm an accomplished scholar. A scientist. An entrepreneur." Alistair's hands tightened on the railing.

"Bella was just being sympathetic," Garrett said, but it was impossible to reach Alistair in that moment.

"I don't want sympathy! I want validation! I want my father!"

We all looked at each other uneasily.

Victoria approached slowly. "Alistair ... I understand why you got yourself onto the trip ... But why did you lie to us after we landed? Why not tell us the truth?"

He sighed and turned to us. "I didn't trust you. I thought if you knew who I was, you'd want to blame me ... or use my connections. Then, when the situation became clear, it was too late. I'd already lied ... and I thought if you found out the truth, you'd assume I was involved."

Edward snorted. "Gee, I wonder why?"

"I wanted to tell you. I did. But I—"

"Not to interrupt the therapy session," Leah said. "But is anyone else seeing that?" She pointed out over the railing. There, we saw the island's sprawling jungle and reaching out from it, like grasping fingers, were a half-dozen columns of smoke.

"The Watchers," Peter said, and for the first time since the observatory, he looked scared.

"They're not hiding anymore. They're gearing up," Edward said.

"Getting ready for war," Leah instinctively reached for her belt where she had a knife attached. "My guess is ... they'll strike at first light."

A cold wind blew over me. Our conflict suddenly seemed so small, so trivial.

Emmett cleared his throat. "I'm ... gonna go back downstairs."

"Me too," Kate said and followed Emmett.

Edward locked eyes with me. "Yeah. No point staying up here."

One by one, we all headed back downstairs, leaving Alistair alone on the rooftop, gazing out into the night.

I wandered down into the restaurant, where everyone had split off into various smaller groups. There was a tense energy in the air, a palpable dread. Emmett and Rosalie hung out at the bar, Kate and Peter sprawled on the couches, and Iris and Alice stood by the barricaded windows.

I strolled over to the bar, where Rosalie and Emmett were laying out an array of bottles.

"It's gotta be strong, right? We can agree on that?" Rosalie said.

Emmett nodded. "Oh yeah. Definitely a couple shots of hard liquor in there. I'm thinking rum, because of tropical island?"

"Naw naw, you drink rum when you're kicking back on the beach. If you're facing certain death, you gotta go with whiskey."

"True ... but that doesn't pair as well with blue curacao, and we gotta have blue curacao. Because ... you know ... the Watchers have blue skin..."

Rosalie looked up from the label she was reading on one of the bottles. "I was gonna ask about that! So are they, like, just the dudes from Avatar?"

"Naw, those were, like, blue cat people. These are like blue-and-green plant people? Which reminds me ... should we put something herby in it? Like some mint, maybe?"

"What're you two up to?" I asked, not at all understanding what they were talking about.

Emmett turned around and grinned at me. "Trying to make the perfect drink for the night. Something that says 'fun and friendship in the face of likely death'."

I let out a small, shocked laugh. "That sounds awesome."

"You think so?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I mean, we've barricaded the doors, made some weapons, done everything we can to protect ourselves ... Why not have a drink? For old times' sake, if nothing else?"

"Exactly!" Rosalie raised the bottle she held up in the air in a toast.

I looked at them both. "This might be a weird thing to say ... but I really admire your optimism. You guys somehow managed to find an upside in some pretty dark situations."

Rosalie pointed at Emmett. "Hey, he's the optimist. I just like drinking."

I smiled at her. "When you guys figure out what your drink is ... I'd love to try one."

I stepped away from the bar and strolled over to the couches, where Peter and Kate were sprawled out.

"So, Kate ... you're smart, right?"

"Compared to you, Peter, who isn't?"

"I just mean, whaddya think our odds are? Against the Watchers, I mean? I bet I could take two, maybe three of them hand-to-hand ... but if they've got swords? Or like, they're riding dinosaurs?"

Kate frowned. "Why would they be riding dinosaurs?"

Peter shrugged. "I dunno. Just seems like the kinda thing they'd do."

Kate straightened up. "Look, Peter, I have absolutely no idea what our odds are. I don't think anyone does. I just know that I sure as hell don't want to die here."

Peter glanced at her. "I mean, none of us want to die."

She sighed. "I know, but ... it would just be so unfair. I had a whole life planned out, and I'm not going to get to live any of it. I was going to graduate with honors ... do a medical residency in New York ... become a world-renowned neurosurgeon ... and get married to Ga—" She looked down at her hands and sniffled. "I mean ... in ... It doesn't matter. It's stupid. It just can't all end here. Not like this."

I sat down next to her. "Kate, we didn't get off on the best foot, but just look what we've survived so far! We outran a sabertooth tiger ... fought a giant crab ... braved a chamber of magma ... outsmarted the Observatory..."

"Also, remember that time I saved everyone from falling off a cliff? Cuz I totally did that," Peter said, still slumped deep in the couch.

I focused back on Kate. "We've faced death a dozen times since we got here ... and every time, we beat it. I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know what the Watchers are going to try, or what we're going to do. But I know I believe in us."

Peter groaned as he sat straighter. "Yo, not gonna lie, Bella that was a corny-ass speech."

Kate sniffled again. "I mean, yes, it was corny and cliche and totally not grounded in reality ... but," she smiled at me. "It was actually kind of nice."

"Well, I try."

I left them and walked up to the pile of furniture barricading the windows, which Alice and Iris were examining. They didn't notice my approach.

"What do you think, Iris?"

"Provided an attack force of five Watchers, these barricades should deter them for at least thirty minutes."

"And if there are more than five?"

"I can answer that question, but my Positive Social Interaction module suggests it might be better not to."

Alice smirked. "Well ... I do like a good challenge!"

"Indeed. 'Appreciates adversity and responds well to pressure' is listed as one of the dominant traits on your employee profile!"

Alice stopped in her tracks. "Iris ... what else does it say about me?"

"Oh, plenty ... 'Excellent outdoor skills' ... 'Upbeat and encouraging attitude' ... 'Could use some sensitivity training' ... There's more, of course, but it's Gamma classified. And my current build is only cleared for Epsilon and lower."

"Good," Alice answered.

"Alice..." I said to announce myself, and Alice jumped in fright.

"Oh! You startled me! Is there something you wanted?"

I narrowed my eyes slightly. "Just wondering ... Ever notice how you and Iris kind of look alike?"

Both of their eyes widened.

"Huh?"

"Us?"

"We don't..."

"I mean, do we..."

"No, I ... but..."

The two stared at each other.

"...Facial analysis algorithms confirm that we are 87% similar, colloquially known as 'could be sisters.' It can be assumed that Mr. Cullen has a type."

Alice stammered. "Wh ... what do you mean by that? I ... I don't know what you're insinuating."

"Simply that Mr. Cullen clearly has a subconscious bias toward facial appearance in regard to the women he associates with."

Alice gaped. "Oh. Yes. In that case, yes. He certainly seems to have a type."

I looked between them both. "This was a weird interaction. I'm going to go, now."

I walked away from the windows, and that was when I noticed Tanya sitting all by herself. I walked over and took a seat next to her. "Hey."

"Oh. Hi, Bella."

There were a tense couple of seconds and then I cleared my throat. "You, um, want a drink or anything? Emmett and Rosalie are making a signature cocktail..."

She shook her head. "No, thank you. I don't feel like drinking."

"Is this about Alistair?" I asked carefully.

"No. I mean, a little. Okay, yes. Like, I get why everyone's mad at him. He shouldn't have lied. That was wrong, I agree. But ... but I understand why he did it. I understand why he felt like he had no choice. And he must feel so bad..."

"Is that all?"

Tanya looked at me and let out a long sigh. "Look. I'm not the most ... socially skilled person in the world. And maybe I'm just misreading the signs. But for a while there, it felt like ... like he was opening up to me. Like he was dropping that acerbic, bitter shell and showing me his real self."

"You like him," I stated. There had never been anything more obvious in my eyes.

"I do. And now I might never have a chance to tell him so."

"You should go tell him how you feel right now."

She blinked at me. "You think so?"

I smiled gently. "Look. We're stranded on a mysterious island full of terrifying creatures, and there's an army of blue-skinned warriors gearing up to attack us. If there was ever a time to tell a guy you like how you feel ... it's now."

Tanya nodded slowly, and then more determined. "Yeah. Okay. Yeah. You're right." She took several deep breaths. "Tanya Denise Miller ... you got this." She took a few steps, then turned around. "Do you think you could maybe come with me? For moral support?"

"Sure."

The two of us took the elevator up to the rooftop garden again. The doors slid open and we saw Alistair huddled against the railing, clutching his bleeding hand. A dozen shards of broken glass lay around him.

"Alistair!" Tanya ran over to him, kneeling down by his side.

"Tanya? What are you—"

"What happened?"

"I ... I accidentally smashed a glass. Cut my hand. Quite unfortunate."

"Let me see."

He retracted his hand. "It's fine! Just leave me be! I can handle it!"

"You're bleeding badly, Alistair. We need to wrap this up." She took Alistair's hand in hers and looked around for something.

"Here! Use this leaf!" I ripped a thick green leaf off an unusual potted plant and handed it to her.

She wrapped it around Alistair's hand, and he winced. "Better?

"Mmm. Perhaps a little. Now leave me be."

"Wait ... I ... I wanted to..."

"I said go, Tanya! Please, I beg of you!"

"I really think you should hear her out," I told him, and he turned to me.

"Why? So I can feel like even more of a wretch? So you can rub in just how badly I've betrayed you?"

"No, you big idiot! So I can tell you how I feel!"

"What?"

Tanya sighed. "I know that you're not the friendliest person. I know that it's hard for you to open up, to connect to people, to make friends."

"I never needed them," he mumbled.

"Come on, Alistair. You know that's not true. You've clearly had a hard life. And you've built up these walls to protect yourself, to keep yourself from getting close to others, to keep them from hurting you. Hurting you the way your father did."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "And what makes you so certain you know me so well?"

"Don't you get it, Alistair? I know ... because I'm exactly the same. My mother only cares about one thing: that I'm number one in everything, no matter the cost. All my life, I've had to deal with her pressure bearing down on my shoulders. I got straight As. I got prestigious awards. I interned at her company and excelled at all my tasks. And yet..."

"It was never enough," he finished for her.

"Exactly."

"Tanya, I ... I had no idea we had so much in common."

"Neither did I. And yet, in a weird way, I feel like maybe I kind of did. From the minute we got off that plane, I felt drawn to you. And as totally insane as this past week has been, the highlight has been the time we've spent together. You're smart and interesting and you have a real kindness in you, buried so deep ... like diamonds at the heart of a thousand feet of stone."

Alistair looked at her with awe. "Tanya, you ... you understand me."

"Of course, you dummy." Smiling, Tanya stepped up close to Alistair and stretched up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. Alistair's cheeks flushed a deep pink. "I like you."

He gave her a rare smile. "And I like ... Heavens!" He held up his hand, the one he'd cut earlier, in disbelief. As Tanya and I stared, he unwrapped the leaf to reveal that the cut had completely healed.

"Whoa!" I said, shocked.

"Remarkable!"

"Truly!"

Tanya examined the leaf. "The plant leaf! Perhaps it's a hyper-evolved form of aloe..."

"It could be, but that doesn't explain the rapid speed of recovery," Alistair said. "It's somehow reconstructed the cell tissue."

"Amazing ... Do you think that maybe it's in relation to the serum generated by the—"

"I'll leave you two alone. I think you've got it from here," I said and backed away.

I hopped back into the elevator and headed down to the lobby. The rest of the guys were there. Edward lounged by the bar. Leah practiced combat by the doors. Garrett scanned hotel blueprints. Victoria sprawled in a big comfy chair, and Benjamin came bounding around a corner.

"Heya, Bestie."

"How are you holding up, Benji?"

He shrugged. "Oh, you know. Ups and downs, peaks and valleys. Found some chips in the kitchen, gonna get murdered by a bunch of Lord of The Rings rejects ... The usual."

"At least you got some chips, though."

He shook the bag in front of me. "Salt and vinegar, baby. The best." He looked out at the four others hanging out. "Sooooooo ... you gonna ... you know..."

"Am I gonna what?" I asked, seriously confused about what he was saying.

"Do I seriously need to spell it out? Make a move!"

I blanched slightly. "Wh ... what?"

He snorted. "Come on, Bella! I've seen the way you've been acting around Edward. Flirting ... teasing ... staring out with those ba-dump ba-dump heart eyes. So what are you waiting for? Go get that steamy R-rated action!"

I looked over at Edward and then back at Benjamin. "I ... I mean ... now?"

"This might well be our last night on Earth, Bella. What better time than now?"

I looked out again at the lobby and decided Benjamin was right. This was the time. The time to take it all the way. I walked over to Edward and poked him in the shoulder. He turned his head and smiled before turning completely.

"Help ya with something, Princess?"

I shrugged. "What are you up to?"

"Trying to see if we've got any good whiskey left. You?"

"Not a whole lot." I took a deep breath. "Just wondering if ... maybe you wanted to come with me to my room?"

Edward paused. His eyes met mine, and I remembered that moment underwater; that shared kiss as we both sank; filled with regret that we would never get to spend a night in each other's arms.

He stood up from his chair. "Yeah. Yeah, I do."

I strolled into my suite, leading Edward by the hand. There was a nervous energy in the air, a tension, a hovering sense of anticipation.

I walked over to the window and looked at the island; at the columns of smoke; at the beautiful night sky. Edward paced over to stand by my side, and I turned to look into his eyes.

"Hey, you."

He smiled down at me. "Hey."

And then we came together in a passionate, frenzied kiss. We slammed back against the window, kissing, nuzzling, and biting. My breath came fast, and my heart pounded in my chest.

"Yes ... yes..."

I reached down and ripped off Edward's shirt, tossing it across the room. He grinned and pressed forward, pushing me harder against the wall with the length of his body as he kissed along the side of my neck.

"God, you're gorgeous."

I ran my hand along Edward's torso, feeling the taut, firm muscle. "Less talking, more kissing," I demanded.

"Wouldn't you like that."

I pulled my own shirt over my head, and then Edward's strong hands were all over me, caressing, stroking. We staggered along the wall, kissing so roughly it almost hurt. A chair was knocked over and a flower vase smashed to the floor, but we didn't care.

"Mmmmm..."

My back slammed into a dresser, and Edward hoisted me up onto it. I wrapped my legs around him, pressing him against me tightly.

"More ... don't stop," I moaned.

Still kissing me, Edward's hands slid up along my bare thighs. I gasped, running my hands through his long hair and pulled him down. His face was an inch from mine, and I felt his breath on my face. I looked right into his eyes.

"I've never wanted anything as badly as I want you," he confessed breathlessly.

"Then have me," I said without hesitation.

He leaned in against me, and we kissed once more as he lifted me up, my legs still wrapped around his waist. He moved us toward my bed and laid me down on top of the covers and began trailing kisses down my jaw, past my neck, and to my breasts. I sucked in a sharp breath when his lips touched me through my bra.

"Take it off, please," I pleaded with him, and he pushed his hand under my back to unclasp it.

Once it was off, he looked down at me with wonder. There were feelings in his eyes that I couldn't identify, and I didn't want to in that moment. All I wanted was more of this. More of him. I wound my arms around his neck and pulled him down over me again.

"Please ... please..." I was unable to voice what I wanted in a more elaborate way. I had wanted him pretty much from the start. I didn't know exactly when his view of me changed, but I didn't really care either.

We took off the last of our clothing, not bothering to crawl underneath any coverings. I kissed him, and he kissed me, and we melted together into complete bliss.

Afterward, we lay together, side by side, gasping to catch our breath. The room around us was pretty much totally trashed and neither of us gave a damn.

"That was ... something else."

Edward rolled over to look at me. I brushed a strand of hair from his cheek. "You're something else," he said, and I smiled widely.

"The gruff, no-nonsense Edward Masen acting sentimental? Now I've seen everything."

"What can I say, Princess? You've got that effect on me." He stroked my cheek with the back of his hand, and I pressed my face to it and kissed his fingers, one at a time.

"Think we're gonna make it through this thing? Get off this island and go back home?" I asked him, although, I had no idea where 'home' was for him.

He turned onto his back, staring at the ceiling. "Make it through this? Probably. Get off this island? Hope so. But if there's one thing I know for sure, it's that I'm never going back home."

I frowned in confusion. "Why not?"

He looked at me thoughtfully, and then let out a long exhale. "I'm a wanted man. The second I set foot on U.S. soil, they'll put me in handcuffs and send me to prison for life."

I rolled to my side and supported my head on my propped up elbow. "Seriously? What were you, like, a bank robber? A drug dealer?" I asked, only half-serious. Then a thought struck me. "Were you ... lying about being in the Navy?" I was scared now. What if he wasn't who he'd told me he was.

He shook his head. "Naw, that was all true. Went to the Naval Academy at eighteen. Was the best damn pilot they'd seen in a decade. That was where I met Jazz."

"Jazz?"

"My bunkmate. Growing up, I always made more enemies than friends, but Jazz and I hit it off right away. He was funny and smart ... kept me from screwing up too bad... always tried to talk me outta fights, but always had my back when he failed."

"You guys were close," I stated.

Edward nodded and grimaced as if he was in pain. "He was my best friend. I loved him like a brother. Best day of my life was when we got assigned to the same deployment. When we were up in the sky, flying side-by-side ... one of the few times I could say I really felt happy."

I looked at the man I knew I'd already fallen hard for despite the short time I'd known him. "What happened, Edward?" I asked quietly.

He frowned angrily. "We were running recon missions off the coast of Kharzistan, aiding a rebellion, when Jazz discovered something. Our commander was this real piece of work by the name of Alec McKenzie. Kinda guy who always talked tough, so long as he was picking on someone who couldn't fight back. Turns out, he was up to a lot more than bullying. Ol' Commander McKenzie had a nice little business on the side. He was forging paperwork to request weapons we didn't need ... and selling them directly to the tyrants we were supposed to be fighting."

I gasped. "No!"

"Jazz and I were going to report him. But while we were gathering evidence, McKenzie somehow found out. He sent us out on what he claimed was a standard recon mission ... but it turned out to be a damn ambush. Kharzistan military shot us out of the sky. I ejected in time," he paused and clenched his jaw. "Jazz ... didn't."

I felt tears well up in my eyes, but also anger. "Oh, Edward ... Tell me you got revenge."

He looked at me. "Oh, I wanted to. Believe me. I spent a week out there, crawling through the desert behind enemy lines, hunted by the dictator's forces, and all I could think about was my hands around McKenzie's neck. But when I got back to the base ... he was waiting. Along with a pair of MPs."

"Military police," I said to myself. The entire story was unbelievable, but at this point, I trusted Edward implicitly, and I doubted he would lie to me.

"He'd doctored the records, made it look like Jazz and I were the traitors. They came to arrest me. I punched McKenzie right in his worthless face, dove out the window, and ran like hell. I've been running ever since. Hiding out in Costa Rica."

I stroke his hair softly. "I'm so sorry about your friend."

"Not gonna lie, it still hurts. After that, I figured, well, that's what I deserve for letting someone get close to me. I wasn't going to make that mistake again. I wasn't going to let anyone else in." He turned onto his side and leaned close, his hand on my chest, his face touching mine. "Then I met you."

He leaned down and we kissed deeply, my hands going around his neck, pulling him closer. Eventually, he leaned away.

"Edward, I..."

Suddenly, he sat straight up in bed. "Did you see that?"

I frowned. "See what?"

"I thought I saw something move outside ... just by the window..."

"But, Edward, we're nowhere near the ground floor..."

"Yeah, I know, that's why I'm—"

The bedroom window exploded in a hail of glass, each shard gleaming in the moonlight. A figure swung through, landing solidly on his feet. His golden eyes glowed in the dark and locked with mine.

"Bella! RUN!"

A/N: Wow, talk about being caught unprepared!

Not a whole lot of new questions came up in this chapter, except maybe the strange interaction Bella had with Alice and Iris…

Finally, Edward revealed his past and he and Bella had a nice time before they were so rudely interrupted!

I love to hear all of your thoughts, and this time, I promise you that you will get a teaser! Really, scout's honor!

Until then,

Stay Awesome!