The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: #15 – Island
Pen Name: beegurl13
Pairing/Main Character(s): Bella & Edward
Rating: M

Photo prompts can be viewed here:
thetwilight25 dot com backslash round-six backslash prompts

A/N: I don't own this, we all know who does. What I do own is a family that kept me very busy over the holiday weekend. And children who seem to love arguing as much as they love breathing and eating. It's gonna be a long summer...

Thanks to my girlies – EdwardsBloodType, Unchanged Affections, Twilight44, goldentemptress, HollettLA, MaggieMay14, Luxure, and my fan fic wifey Mrs. Robward. I love them more than I can possibly say. I'm a lucky girl… :)

~*0*~

Chapter 21

~*0*~ Island ~*0*~

I hang up the phone and just stand there, staring at it. I don't even know how much time has gone by, but soon I hear someone clear their throat behind me.

"Um, Bella? Everything okay?"

Turning around, I remember that Mike is here, and he's looking at me like I'm about to fall over or something.

"Uh, yeah. Listen, can you watch the bar for me for a minute? I need to run up to my apartment and get something. Leah's supposed to be coming in, I guess. So just watch it until she gets here, or I get back. Whatever."

I quickly walk through the doorway without waiting to hear his answer. Not that he can do anything if a customer comes in, but he could hold them over until Leah gets here.

A few minutes later I'm back with my purse and keys in my hand. Leah's standing behind the counter talking to Mike, and I stop to thank her for coming in.

"Of course. Go see your dad; make sure everything's okay with him. I'll cover you for the next couple of days, don't worry."

I hug her and thank her, then hurry down the hallway and out the back door. Sitting in my car, my hand is shaking so badly that I can't get the key in the ignition. Just as I lay my hands on my lap and start to cry, there's a knock on my driver's side window. It makes me jump, and then I see Mike standing there.

"You okay?" he asks when I open the door.

"No, my dad's in the hospital. I have to go to Forks."

He looks at me closely. "Bella, I don't think you should drive like this. Why don't you let me take you over. I'm heading in that direction right now anyway for work stuff, so I'll give you a ride."

His offer is very sweet, and I want to take him up on it, but then how will I get home?

"Why don't you leave your car keys in there with Leah, and then when Edward gets back, he can drive over to Forks and get you. That way you can spend a few days with your dad. Edward will only be gone a few more days, right?" Mike asks.

It's a great idea, and I nod and mumble an "uh huh" to him. I take my keys to Leah and explain what's going on, then Mike and I go out to his car. He has a nice car, and for a moment I wonder if I'll ever have anything as nice. Not that I want it, but I'm just curious.

The drive to Forks is quiet, and I'm staring at the trees as they whiz by us. Why didn't my dad let me make him a doctor's appointment last month? I knew something was wrong when he was looking so pale at my birthday party. What if he waited too long? What if we can't stop it now? If only I'd done something more than just spend all my time thinking about Edward leaving. If only I'd spent more time with my dad. What if this is it? What if Edward leaves and then my dad dies? How will I handle that without Edward here? Would he come home if I asked him to? Could he?

"So, Bella, I wanted to talk to Edward about something. I know this is bad timing, but do you think you could have him call me when he's back?" Mike asks as we approach the hospital. The trip has flown by and I don't really register his words.

"Oh, um yeah, I'll tell him."

"Great. He can call me at work, that's fine," he says as he grabs a card from a cubby hole in the console. "This has my work number and my cell. Either of those are good. Just tell him sometime next week, okay?"

I nod. "Sure."

I don't really let myself wonder why Mike wants to talk to Edward, but it seems odd since they've never gotten along very well. My thoughts are too focused on my dad, and as we pull up to the hospital, Mike asks me if I'd like him to walk me in. It's a nice, friendly gesture, and I thank him for it. The woman at the front desk tells me which room my dad is in, and Mike and I walk down the long, white hallways until we find it.

Rosalie is standing outside the room talking to Emmett, and she sees me first.

"Hey," she says, waiting for us to get closer. She gives Mike a double take, probably wondering why he's there, but then looks back at me. "The doctor's in with him now. You should go in, too, so you can hear what he has to say. Heaven knows your dad probably won't tell you exactly what's going on, so you should hear it for yourself."

She smiles, remembering how he kept things from us last time, and I turn to Mike.

"Thanks for the ride, I really do appreciate it. I'm okay from here."

He smiles. "Any time. I hope things are all right with your dad," he says, then hugs me and says goodbye to us.

Rose looks at me in a strange way, and I know she's dying to ask about it, but I don't let her. I hurry into my dad's room just in time to catch the tail end of the doctor rattling off several test results.

"Oh, Bella," he says, "I'm glad you could make it. I was just telling your dad some of the results from our tests this morning." He turns back toward my father and continues. "As you know, there are four stages of cancer. Last time we were at stage three. That's where we're at again. I think if you'd waited any longer, things may have progressed to stage four, but luckily we caught it in time."

Doctor Hunter smiles at my dad and me. It makes me feel a little better, especially with the way I was thinking on the drive over.

"I have every reason to be hopeful that we'll beat this again, just like last time. There's no reason to give up. We know what treatments worked previously, and we're going to do our very best to make sure we get rid of this, okay?"

"Thank you, Doctor Hunter," I say, shaking his hand before he turns to my dad.

"I will see you in my office Monday morning, Charlie. Your first round of chemo starts then, got it?"

My dad nods and grunts his acceptance. I know he hated chemotherapy before, but if he wants to stay alive, he doesn't have many other choices.

"Bella, we're going to keep him overnight, but as long as everything goes fine you'll be able to take him home tomorrow morning. I trust you and your family will be able to help him out like you did last time?" he asks me.

"Of course," I respond, knowing that soon enough I'll have lots of extra time once Edward's gone again. In a weird way, I'm happy that I'll have something to take my mind off of missing him so much. I just wish it wasn't this again.

I sit with my dad for the rest of the afternoon, visiting with Rose, Emmett, and my Aunt Lillian. A few of his friends stop by, too, including Jake and his dad Billy. My dad seems to be in good spirits. When visiting hours end, Rosalie offers to give me a ride back to my dad's house, and it's then that I realize I didn't bring anything with me. I have no extra clothes, or even a tooth brush. We stop by the store so I can grab a few little things, and I try to remember if I left any clothes at my dad's the last time I stayed.

"So, Mike, huh? What was that about?" she asks. I'm kind of shocked she held off asking this long.

"Oh, he came into the bar for something right as you called. I think he wanted to talk to Edward. I don't know, but he offered to drive me, which was probably smart. I don't know that I would have made it in one piece otherwise. I was shaking pretty bad."

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to tell you, but you needed to be here."

She promises to pick me up in the morning, and I go into my dad's house, wanting nothing more than to be alone so that I can call Edward. I need him, and as I cry to him on the phone, he promises to try and get back early. I hate that my problems have to take him away from his work, but I can't help it. I need him with me. I need his arms around me, his shoulder to cry on, and most importantly his words of love and encouragement. As I lie on the couch through the night, I wonder how I'll ever make it without him here.

~*0*~

It's near midnight on my third day in Forks when Edward shows up. My dad has settled into a routine of sorts, and we're just kind of waiting for Monday. Tomorrow is Sunday, and my dad has his heart set on going to Jake's for a barbeque, even though I think it's a bad idea. I'm hoping that Edward can talk him out of it, but seeing the camaraderie between them tells me we'll be going to Jake's on Sunday afternoon, whether I want to or not.

The barbeque is fine, and Edward actually gets along pretty well with Jacob. He's able to see the relationship between the two of us, and how sibling-like it is. He never had any reason to worry about us together, and I'm glad that even after all this time, he can see it for himself. I never want him to have any doubt about my feelings.

We stay at my dad's for a few days. Edward helps me a lot with caring for my dad, especially after his first round of chemo Monday morning. I tell him about Mike asking to talk to him, and he seems puzzled as to why Mike would be looking for him in the first place. Tuesday evening, we drive back to Clallam Bay, after my Aunt Lillian comes to stay with my dad. She and Rose are planning to help him for the rest of the week, and I need to get back to the bar. Leah's been working every day since I left, and I know she needs a break.

It's Wednesday night and I'm lying in bed next to Edward. I know he's supposed to be leaving in a week, and I want so badly to ask him to stay. I start to talk several times, yet my voice always seems to fail me. I can't do it.

"So, I talked to Newton yesterday," Edward says.

With all that's been going on, I completely forgot that Mike had been looking for Edward.

"Oh yeah? What did he want?" I ask. I brace myself for the worst. It could be anything, including something about his whack job cousin Tanya, who even after all this time can't seem to take a hint. Not that she's done anything crazy or extreme, but I've run into her a few times. Each time she mentions my "friend" Edward and how she can't wait to see him again. Whatever, delusional bitch.

"Well, he kinda offered me a job. Or, the plant did."

He's silent after he tells me, and so am I. "A job? What kind of job?" I ask, wondering if this could be it. If this could finally be the reason he gets to stay with me.

"Well, something about being an inspector at the plant. They need someone to inspect the deliveries of fish and the boats they come in on. They're trying to make sure everything is done according to the laws and codes and stuff. You know, that the fishermen are doing things the right way."

It sounds like a really boring job to me, but I don't care. If it means that Edward doesn't have to go, then it's my favorite job in the world.

"So, what do you think about it?" I ask quietly, trying to judge his mood about the offer.

He sighs. "I don't know. I still have over a year on my contract, so we'll see."

"When do you have to give him an answer?"

"Within the next week or so," he says. It seems like he's hiding something—like he's not telling me everything.

"But you're leaving in a week."

"Yeah, about that," he mumbles. "I called my boss and got a month's extension. I don't have to leave for another five weeks."

I shift onto my elbow and look at him. "What?" I ask, and I know my voice is filled with excitement, but I can't help it. I have more time with him. He'll be here until around Thanksgiving, and the thought of spending a family holiday with him excites me.

"I told Aro that I've got a family emergency and I can't get away yet. I talked to the guys on the crew and they're fine with staying. A couple of them talked about picking up an odd trip here or there with other boats. I think that'll be good for them. It will give them some experience working with other crews, you know?"

"Yeah, that would be great for them. Wow, he just gave you an extension? No questions asked?" I'm curious, because from what Edward's said before, it sounds like his boss isn't the nicest guy around.

"Well, I had to promise to fill my quota by the normal end date, which means catching the full amount in about two-thirds of the time. We'll just have to fish a lot more often, and not spend as much time on land."

I don't mind that part. The less time he's on land, the less I have to worry about all the pretty senoritas propositioning him.

"Can you do that? Is it possible?"

He looks at me and raises his hand to brush a piece of hair behind my ear. His fingers trail down my jaw and across to my lips. "Baby, I wouldn't have promised it if it wasn't possible. I have a good name in the fishing industry. I've worked hard to get the reputation I have. I'm proud of it."

His words make me smile, and I snuggle up to him, finally letting myself fall asleep. My mind has one less worry on it tonight. I have Edward for an extra month, and I'm not going to take it for granted.

~*0*~

Over the next few weeks, things slowly continue in a pattern of sorts. Edward and I take our turns with my dad, helping him a few days each week. The guys on Edward's crew are fishing with lots of different boats, and it makes Edward hopeful that once he quits fishing, they'll be able to find new crews to join. He doesn't say much more about the job, though I wish he would. I know he was supposed to give Mike an answer already, but he hasn't said anything at all about it.

One day, he and I clean out his apartment and turn in his key to Mrs. Cope. All of his things are moved into my place, and we're officially living together. My dad says he's not too sure about us living in sin, but then he laughs and just asks that we make sure we're married before we give him any grand kids. Edward and I both laugh about that, knowing that babies are a long way off for us.

A week into November, Edward comes in late one evening. He looks like he's flustered, and I'm not quite sure why. With all that's been going on, and the stress of my dad's illness wearing on me, I know I haven't been the easiest person for him to be around. I feel bad about it, but I know I'm doing the best that I can. Something is weighing him down, as well, and I hope that maybe he'll finally tell me what it is.

"They asked me to fish one more trip. They said their total for the season is low and they need bigger numbers to fill their quota. They're gonna pay us double what they usually pay."

My eyes go wide. "Double? For a regular trip?"

"Yeah. Jasper and the guys want to do it. Jasper figures his cut from just this one trip will pay for the wedding next summer. It's too good of an offer to pass up, you know?"

"Well, yeah, it's a good deal. When would you go?"

He fidgets just a little, his fingers playing with his keys. "Tomorrow."

I stare at him in disbelief. "Tomorrow? But, why so soon? I mean, you're not ready at all."

"I know, but they need us out tomorrow, or they'll find someone else. They asked me because they know I'll deliver."

The thought of spending a week without him is frustrating to me, but I really don't want to tell him that.

"But you were gonna help this week with my dad," I say, hoping that maybe he'll understand how much I need him.

"Damn it, Bella, everything's not about you, okay?"

He turns and stomps off to the bedroom, leaving me alone in the living room, staring after him. He never blows up at me for things. Never. Something else is going on, and I can feel it in my stomach. Not wanting to cause a scene or a big fight, especially if he's leaving tomorrow, I slowly get up and follow him into the room.

"I didn't mean to insinuate that everything is about me. I'm just saying I really need your help, and I don't have anyone else lined up to help me with my dad this week. That's all."

He's sitting on the bed, facing away from me, but I can see how tense his shoulders are, and it makes me nervous.

"Call Emmett or Jake or something. I'm sure one of them would be more than happy to help you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, confused by the tone of his voice.

"Nothing," he says, shaking his head.

"What going on? What's wrong?"

"I'm just stressed out, okay? Ugh, why do you always have to press me about this shit?"

I'm taken aback by how angry he seems to be getting, and I'm afraid to say anything more. I really don't want what is most likely one of our last nights together this season to end up in a fight. If he goes fishing for a week or two, that means he'll only be here for a few days before he has to leave for Argentina. That is, if he's still planning on going to Argentina.

"I'm not pressing, I'm just asking. Obviously you're upset about something, and I want to help."

"Well, baby, you can't help me with this one, okay? You keep worrying about your dad and your own problems and let me handle mine."

I've had enough of his crap, and I walk across the room so that I can stand in front of him and look him in the eye.

"Look at me," I demand, waiting until he finally looks up from the floor. "What is going on? Tell me. I'm not stupid, Edward. I know something's up, okay?"

He laughs a sad laugh, then rolls his eyes. "Is there anything you haven't asked me about lately, Bella? Anything at all?"

"Yeah, the job offer."

"Yeah, the job offer. Why haven't you asked me about it, huh? Do you not care? Did you just figure I'd take it and we'd keep playing house here? Why? Tell me."

His words are hurtful to me.

"I'm not just playing house, Edward. I thought we were in this for the long haul. Is there something you need to tell me?" I ask. I can feel my eyes starting to sting with tears, and I will myself to hold them back. I don't want to cry in front of him.

He looks back down to the floor. "I didn't take the job."

"What? But, why?" I ask. I don't understand what's happening to us.

"Can you really see me doing that job for the rest of my life, Bella? Can you see me ever being happy in a position like that?"

"Well, you don't have to stay in that position. I mean, you could work it for a little while and then move on to something else." I'm trying really hard to stay positive and focused, but it's not easy.

"Look, I'm just not ready to give up sailing yet, okay? 'Cause I know once I quit, you won't ever let me go back, and in case you haven't figured it out yet, my life is on the water. It's who I am. I can't just stop."

His confession hits me like a tons of bricks. I can't keep the tears from overflowing my eyes anymore. "You can't stop? Or you won't stop? I thought you said that you'd stop to be with me? I thought we had a plan? Was that just a lie?" My bottom lip is starting to quiver, and I can hear my words cracking as I say them out loud.

"Yeah, we have a plan, but I'm just...I'm not ready. I'm not ready to stop. I need it too much. I made promises to people. People depend on me. They need me."

"I need you!" I yell at him. "I need you here with me! My dad is dying, for all intents and purposes, and I need your help. I can't do this alone, Edward."

"Yeah, well sometimes we have to let go of what we want so that we can give other people what they need."

"Seriously? You give and you give and you give of yourself to everyone else, but not me. Not when I really need you. And I do, Edward. I need you here. I did this on my own last time, and I can't do it again. Yeah, your crew might need you, but so do I."

He stares at me for several seconds, then lets out a deep breath. "I'm not staying, Bella. I'm gonna fish this last trip, and then I'm going. I'll be back next season."

I'm so angry and hurt, and I can't keep my thoughts from flying out of my mouth.

"What if I'm not here next season, huh? What if I can't wait anymore? What if I can't wait for you to give me what I need?"

Slowly he stands from the bed, coming closer to me. "Are you saying I have to choose between you and my job? Is that it? Because you already promised me you'd wait another year until my contract is done. You're gonna back out on it now?"

"You promised if you got a job offer here, that you'd stay. And you're not. Why should I keep my promise when you're not keeping yours?"

His eyes are alight with a fire and rage that I've never seen before.

"Fishing is who I am, Bella!" he yells, and his voice is like thunder shaking my soul down to its core. "I have a name and image to protect. I've worked too many years to throw it away now! The fucking plant even offered to buy me out of my contract, and I still said no. What does that say about this place, huh? You think I really want to end up here forever? Working in a fish factory? Weighing the catches that other crews bring in? How the fuck could that ever make me happy, Bella?"

I'm sobbing and my arms wrap around my middle.

"Because I'm here," I whisper. I don't know if he can even hear me, but he must.

"Yeah, well maybe that's not enough."

With those final words, he turns and storms out of the room, and I hear the front door slam shut. My eyes shut tight and I cry and cry, letting out the sobs that have built up inside of me. I don't know where he's going, but I can't let things end this way. I know he loves me. I know it. Something's gone horribly wrong today, but I know this isn't him. Not the real him, anyway.

I have to find him. I have to fix this. I can't let him leave like this.

~*0*~

It's an hour after I last saw him, and I've been walking all over Clallam Bay, looking for him. It's not until I come to the beach that I finally spot him. He's sitting on a rock, looking out over the water, with a bottle in his hands. I slowly approach him, trying hard not to be overly emotional.

"Edward?" I say softly. He already knows I'm here, but he doesn't answer. Instead he just takes a drink from the bottle of liquor he has. "Edward, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I asked you to stay. I'm sorry that I need you so much. I'm sorry that I'm not enough. And I'm sorry that I would rather have you working a boring job for the rest of your life, just so that I could have you every day. I love you, and I want you here. I'm not sorry for that. Please, tell me what's going on?"

It takes him a couple of minutes before he says anything, and then his voice is alarmingly different from earlier.

"If you want me to take the job, I will."

"You can't put this on me. Please, don't. I don't want to be the reason you hate your life, Edward."

He blows out a long, deep breath. "Then what do you want, Bella? You want me to stay, but you won't ask me to. You want me to give up my life and stop being who I am, but you don't want me to resent you for it. What do you want?"

"I just want you."

He laughs a sad, loud laugh. "You want me, but you won't wait for me. Is that it? You gonna go run off with some other guy if I don't take the job? You blackmailing me now?"

"Edward, don't say that. Why are you being so hateful to me? I love you. I only want to love you, that's all."

"If you loved me, you'd wait like you promised. You'd let me be who I am. You'd let me sail and fish and go all over the world doing what I love most. You'd let me be the person I'm proud to be."

I want desperately to touch him, but I can't. He's saying such vicious and horrible things; I can't bring myself to connect with him in that way.

"I want you to be that person, but I want you with me. Is that so bad?"

He turns to look at me, giving me a cold stare. "Just let me go, Bella. Let me do what I need to do, and when I'm done, I'll be back, okay? Let me fish this trip, and then I'll come back and we'll figure out what to do about the job."

I nod at his words. "Go, go fish with your crew. But Edward, I can't wait forever. I want a life, a normal life. With a husband who's home every night, and children who know their father. I think I deserve that much."

He doesn't say anything; he just turns and stares at the water, taking another drink. After about ten minutes, I lean forward and kiss his cheek, whispering an "I love you" into his ear before asking him to come home to me. Turning around, I walk away and leave him on the beach. The walk is quiet and lonely, and I hold his locket between my fingers, remembering the way he looked when he gave it to me.

I know he loves me. I know he does. I just have to wait for him to work all this out in his head.

It's the wondering how long it will take that worries me.

I get home, change into one of his t-shirts, and go to bed. In the morning when I wake up, there's a note on my nightstand.

I love you. Always.

Looking around the apartment, I notice that Edward's not here. I hurry to the window and look out at the harbor, searching for his boat. Maybe if I hurry, I can catch him before he leaves. When I spot his space, my heart stops.

He's gone.

~*0*~ EPOV ~*0*~

"Man, Ed, why you want outta here so early this morning? I like to sleep, you know? And with Brandon crying all night, I don't get much of that anymore."

"I know, but I needed out."

"What's up?"

"Bella and I had a fight. She wants me to take that fish plant job. I couldn't."

"I thought you wanted to be here with her."

"I do, but I'm not ready to quit this yet, you know? I mean, this is who I am. It's who I've been for so long; I don't know what I am without it."

"Don't you wanna find out?"

"I don't know. What if who I am isn't anything great? What if who I am isn't someone Bella wants anymore?"

"Honestly? How could you even think that?"

"I just...I don't know. Things have been stressful. She's all messed up over her dad, and it's eating away at me because I can't do anything to fix it. I'm so helpless and useless to her. And then that stupid job offer, and all this work stuff... I just let things build up until I exploded last night. I shouldn't have, but I did."

"How's her dad doing? Emmett said it's not looking good."

"Nah, it's pretty bad. I don't know if he's gonna pull out of it this time."

"That's rough, man. No wonder Bella's taking it so hard this time around."

"Yeah. I know."

"So how'd you get Aro to give us an extension? He bought the family thing?"

"Yeah, he did once I told him that Bella and I got married."

"No shit! What'd he say to that one?"

"He asked if she's pregnant and how big her daddy's shot gun is."

"Sounds like Aro. So, how long we out for this time? You still thinking ten days?"

"Yep, that's the plan."

"Cool. So, uh...Alice had a bad dream. Normally I'd shrug it off, but she's like a little psychic or something. She knows stuff."

"Oh yeah? Pretty bad?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we'll see. Hey, there's the island off Neah's Bay. I could use a good breakfast; I didn't have time to eat. You wanna stop?"

"Nah, let's just get this trip done. None of us had anything decent to eat this morning. I'll go get the guys working on something."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Oh shit. You think we oughtta be worried about all that black and gray and white out there? I don't see a stitch of blue anywhere on that horizon."

"Nah, we've been through worse. We'll be fine."

"Whatever you say, bossman."

*sigh* "We'll be fine."

~*0*~

A/N: Let's just be clear here. Edward's NOT going back to what he was before. He and Bella are both under a lot of stress right now, and it's finally starting to really affect him. Everyone has bad days, you know?

We didn't get it last chapter because we needed to see his thoughts after this chapter. Hope that works for you. :)