Chapter 14

Esme flicked through the photos that had been taken in the past week. The first week of their holiday. She smile as she looked at the picture of the boys with their heads buried in the sand, their bodies flaking like a fish out of water. She laughed as she looked at the photo of the girls in mid air at the air horn prank the boys had played. She laughed as she found the images of Emmett getting squirted with the air freshener. Setting them down she sighed to herself, remembering. The pranks that had occurred earlier that day. The girls were in the lead of the prank weekends thanks to Bella. Custard pies had been thrown, clothes turned bright pink, quad bikes had been keyed and so on. The score was:

Girls - 3

Boys - 2

Everyone was out hunting on the main land except from her. She was staying behind to watch over Bella.

Esme silently walked around the big house, noting how quiet it was without everyone here. It was almost too quiet. The exception bing the beats of Bella's heart. The rhythmic breathing that came with sleep and the panting that came from Nick. Esme trailed her fingers over the pictures that littered the house. Alice has brought stacks of pictures of Bella with the family to add to the collection. Esme stopped at one picture, picking it up and tracing Bella's face. It was a picture of Esme and Carlisle with their arms around each other. Bella was squashed in the middle with Nick in her arms, the biggest smile on her face. One of her front teeth was missing. It has been taken the day Bella's first tooth had fallen out at the age of 7.

An ear piercing, heart wrenching scream ripped through the quietness, pushing the silence into a cupboard until it was forgotten about. Esme gasped, hearing Bella's sobs and Nick's confused barks. She set the picture down and ran upstairs at vampire speed. She was in Bella's room and by her side in less than a second, her maternal instincts taking over as she pulled the hysterical child into her arms and proceeded to shush her. The screams quietened down after a minute, giving way to uncontrollable sobs that racked Bella's small body, shaking the bed.

"Bella! Shush, darling, sshhhhhh. It's ok. It was a nightmare." The chant was repeated until the tears dried. From what Esme could tell it had been a horrible nightmare, one that had scared Bella silly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Esme asked when all was silent, and the shoulder off her top was thoroughly soaked with salty tears. The bed shuddered as Nick jumped onto the bed and Bella giggled a bit, still in Esme's arms. After a minute Bella shook her head and Esme nodded, planting a kiss on her daughters head. Not everyone like to share everything.

"Will you read to me?" Bella asked in a small voice. Esme looked down at her and nodded.

"Of course. What do you want me to read?" Esme helped Bella under the covers, plumping her pillows and tucking her in. Nick was clutched in her arms.

"Once upon a time?"

"Ok then." Esme picked up the book from the shelf and started to read. She read rumplestiltskin's story and Regina, the evil queen's story too. When she had finished Bella still wasn't asleep. Instead she was looking at Esme with curiosity behind her chocolate eyes.

"Didn't you give this book to your sister?" Bella asked. Esme nodded, venom tears welling up in her eyes. Carlisle had done some research and found out Esme and Bella were related.

"Yes. I did. Our mother had been given it by her mother when she was pregnant with me. I was the eldest. When our mother died my sister found out she was pregnant. I gave her the book as she had adore sit more than me. When I was pregnant she gave it back. I was going to read it to my son but he died..." Esme took a deep breath. Bella was smart. She would understand. "Or so I thought." Bella gasped. "My son didn't die. My husband paid off the doctors to say he was dead when he was just sick. After I became a vampire my son grew up to be a cruel man. He married a woman named Anjelica Swan. She was your great grandmother. I am your great, great grandmother." Esme explained. Bella looked shocked.

"So... We're related?" Bella asked. Esme nodded, not expecting Bella to through her arms around her. When she pulled back Bella had a big grin on her face. "Can I still call you mommy though? Great, great, great, great granny is a bit of a mouthful." She held Esme's gaze. Esme nodded, smiling.

"That's fine. Now settle down. You need to get some sleep for tomorrow. We need to get the boys back for the custard don't we?" Bella giggled and snuggled down into her bed. Esme set the book on the table and turned off the light.

"Good night Bella."

"Night mommy." Esme shut the door behind her and went back down stairs.

•*•*•*•

By the morning Bella had forgotten about her nightmare, instead remembering how Esme was related to her. After she had eaten her pancakes she pulled on a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and some ballet flats before meeting the girls in the tree house that Alice and Rosalie had built one night during the week. It was a big tree with a wooden ladder going up the side. The house was a decent sized room made of wood. There were 2 windows and the inside had been lined with sand. There was a rug on the floor, four folding beech chairs and a cooler filled with drinks for Bella. In the middle of the house was a small coffee table.

Alice was waiting at the bottom of the tree. Bella jumped on her back and Alice ran up the ladder, and was in the tree house in less than a second. Rosalie was stroking Nick. She and carried him up the tree. Once they were in Bella pulled a piece of paper out of her back pocket and spread it out on the coffee table.

"I dreamt up a plan last night!" She announced, sharing a smile with Esme. Bella put her shield up around the house so that they boys wouldn't be able to get near it. Rosalie and Esme smiled at one another, not believing how adorable Bella could be. Nick barked, wagging his tail as Bella explained.

"Oh! We can those fairy costumes we left here in 2005!" Alice squealed. Bella giggled and nodded.

•*•*•*•

The boys were all in the shower after lying on the beach all morning. The girls were about to put the plan into action. First was Emmett. The girls stood outside the door. Bella let out a giggle and was quickly shushed. Rose winked at her and walked into hers and Emmett's room, pulling Bella along with her. She opened the wardrobe doors and Bella flexed her fingers. All Emmett's clothes, shoes, underwear and other things flew into a ball in mid air. With a look at Rose, Bella sent them out into the corridor. Rose cracked open the ensuite door.

"Hey! Em! Have you seen my hairbrush?" Rose asked, picking up his clothes and all the towels and placing the oversized fairy costume on the top of the closed toilet.

"Nah babe." His answer could be heard.

"Ok then." Rose walked out the room, everything gathered in her arms. She quickly dumped them in the pile in the hall way.

The same was done for Jasper and Carlisle. Then came the tricky part. As Edward didn't have a mate it would be awkward for any of them to go in and Bella couldn't go because he would smell her and hear her heart immediately.

"What are we going to do?" Alice whispered. Edward wouldn't be able to hear them over the water in the shower. Bella beckoned for them to come closer and they did.

"I'll use my powers and say I was looking for Ali because we are playing hide and seek." She told them. They nodded. Bella cracked the door open and slipped inside his room. She snuck over to the bathroom door, fairy costume in hand. She took a small breath and looked over to see the girls giving her a thumbs up. Bella pushed the door open and screamed, switching the clothes and towels quickly. She sent the clothes out the room.

"Sorry! I was looking for Ali!" She squealed and covered her eyes, trying to back away.

"Bella?" Edward asked, sticking his head out the shower and looking around.

"I was looking for Ali." She repeated, her hands covering her eyes as she stumbled out the room. Edward chuckled and watched her go, not noticing that his towels and clothes were missing.

When she got out she released a breath. She didn't want to see Edward naked.

"That was close!" Bella sighed and they laughed quietly, Bella used her powers and gathered all the items in the air. They walked out to the beach, the ball floating behind them. On the beach Alice pulled Bella onto her back and ran to the waterfall. Emmett's clothes were put at the top, in a cavern. Next they put Jaspers clothes in a cave. They were hidden behind a big rock. Carlisle's went on the opposite side of the island buried in a cheer in the beach and Edward's were put at the foot of the mountain, up a tree. Alice ran back and set Bella down just in time to hear the yells.

"ROSIE!" Emmett roared.

"ALICE!" Jasper yelled.

"ESME!" Carlisle sounded disgusted.

"BELLA!" Edward shouted. The girls giggled and then burst out laughing when the boys exited the house in pink sparkly fairy costumes with wire wings attached to the back. Esme took a photo, laughing at her husbands indignation. Bella wiped away the tears and handed out the maps.

"Your clothes are at the X point." Bella grinned. The boys grimaced and started to head in the direction of their clothes. Esme took a photo of their retreating backs, the fairy wings reflecting the Suns light.

Later that night Bella was settling down in her bed when something fell on her face. Picking it up she saw it was a spider. She screamed. And screamed. And screamed. Everyone burst into her room. The boys stood back, snickering. Bella carried on screaming, tears streaming down her face. Suddenly Edward jumped up and grabbed the spider, crushing it into dust and clutching Bella to his chest. She carried on screaming and thrashing. Everyone looked concerned.

"Why isn't she stopping?" Emmett asked, only to be slapped by Rose.

"Because you idiot. The boys at her foster home used to torture her with spiders and she was bitten by one. It was poisonous." Edward explained quickly, cursing himself for forgetting. Everyone but Edward was kicked out the room.

"Shhhh. It's ok Bella. No spiders. It wasn't real."

Outside the door everyone was gathered. Eventually the screams stopped and they heard Bella's rhythmic breaths. The door was flung open and Edward stood there, his eyes ablaze with anger as he glared at Emmett.

"I told you no!" He said and sent Emmett flying through a wall. Emmett peered up, over the Emmett shaped hole.

"Sorry?"

"Tell her that when she wakes up." Edward stormed off. The final scores for so far in the prank war were:

Girls - 4

Boys - 2