A/N… Hey guys, we pick back up at Aunt Kate's. I won't keep you up here. Let's get to it.

~o~H&E~o~

Chapter 25

BELLA

"IGOR, show me a detailed map of Port Angeles Harbor, including the closest transportation possibilities in that area," Alice stated, glancing up at the three large flatscreens on the wall over the computers as they lit up with satellite images, maps, and water currents.

Yes, Miss Alice.

Aunt Kate's computer room was large and impressive. She'd built it for us with Alice's specifications, so there were five computer stations, a large round table in the center, and several flatscreen monitors on every wall. Alice, Makenna, and Rose were currently each at a computer. Jasper, Mickey, and the Cauldwells were at the table with the blueprints covering the whole thing.

I hadn't seen Harry and Ned since we'd needed their help when Bethy had been taken by Lilith. Alec and Carlisle had also called them in as a favor when they'd taken the mountain compound. They were silly and funny, never taking things too seriously, which was very much like Emmett and Jasper. They'd aged in the last seven or eight years, but then, we all had. I remembered Jasper teasing them about never getting married, but the two younger men sitting with them were clearly their sons.

Ned's son, Junior, was the carbon copy of his father – light-brown hair, goatee, and a smile with adorable dimples. He was good-looking with broad shoulders, and he exuded outdoorsman, but just like the rest of the men in my life, he held himself with the discipline of a military man.

His cousin was no different, although Austin, Harry's son, was the quieter of the bunch. His dark eyes studied the blueprints in front of him. A few inches taller than Junior, he was the epitome of the "tall, dark, and handsome" thing all women talk about.

"How big is this property?" Junior asked, flipping from one page to another.

"What's inside the fence is all Aunt Kate's. Outside the fence is in the Denali National Park. Well, most of it anyway," Mickey replied.

"There are three weapons caches." Jasper tapped on the page. "One in the house – just outside the kitchen – one in the barn, and another underground in this clump of trees. The safety bunker is in the barn as well, inside Goliath's stall. Good luck to any motherfucker who messes with his ass."

I grinned at that but left them to discuss their options for guard placement, perimeter checks, and communications. For a moment, I wondered how Edward and Eleazar were doing with Ji-Yun, because she seemed like she was going to be a tough nut to crack. I couldn't think of a single reason that would cause someone to be that loyal to a man like Kim Min-Jun. He was a cold asshole about the loss of his people. It didn't even bother him that Seong was not only taken by us but no longer a player in his game.

A small thought flickered through my mind, something that only a woman would understand.

"No," I whispered to myself, shaking my head and sitting down to an available computer. "Do we have aliases for Ji-Yun?"

Makenna didn't even bat an eye; she simply slid a scrap of paper my way, immediately going back to the screen in front of her.

I glanced down at the list and began my search. I blocked out all the chatter, all the typing, and IGOR's responses for several minutes. I had a hypothesis I wanted to test out, starting in Seoul and moving into North Korea. Not everything was accessible in a normal search, but luckily Eleazar had given Alice clearance via the CIA. The entire globe was at our fingertips.

That amount of information was daunting to me, but Alice was in her element. She was using facial recognition for Kim in just about every video camera from Port Angeles to Seattle. Train stations, airports – large and private – and boat charters, she was searching them all for Kim Min-Jun. She'd shown Makenna how to watch the EMP's location, which had been moved from the harbor where we'd all been. It was now mobile, stopping occasionally, and Alice was certain they were trying to use it, so she had a satellite on it, watching for changes.

Rose, on the other hand, was dealing with the media concerning the destroyed cargo ship, the chaos at Twi Tower, and the aftermath at the mountain cabin. She was in charge of spinning a different tale for each incident. Twi Tower was already a mess of terrorist plots and destruction. What we didn't need was the masses putting the pieces together that Twi Tower, the cargo ship, and a shootout in Trinity were all the same fucking terrorists – or one terrorist in this case. At the same time, Rose was also using this as a way to watch for any more threats, someone watching the clean-up, or familiar faces in the crowds. Again, facial-recognition software was in action.

I didn't realize I had company at my side until the room went quiet. I glanced up to see Bethy watching me work.

"Hey, pretty girl. Movie over?" I asked her, pulling her to me.

"Nah, but all those boys would rather play video games instead."

Chuckling up at her, I said, "Silly boys."

"Right?" she said, all affronted. "What are you working on?"

"I'm trying to figure out what would cause someone to stay loyal to a man who seems like he doesn't care about anyone."

She read my screen, tilting her adorable face to the side. "A baby."

"I think so, too."

"So does he not care? Or is he pretending not to care in order to keep that a secret?"

I stopped, glancing up at her. "Maybe, smart girl."

"I mean, Daddy has to play tough, but he loves us more than anything. He just has to do it to protect us," she surmised with way more wisdom than I'd expected. "He was like that in Poppy's building when he came to get us. He was tough, but he was there to keep us safe."

My eyes stung a little because she wasn't wrong, and I was so glad she knew just how much her daddy loved her. Cupping her face, I kissed her cheek.

"So where do you hide a child when you're starting a war?" I asked sarcastically.

"Grandparents." She giggled, rolling her eyes and pointing toward the kitchen, where Esme and Aunt Kate were cleaning and chatting. "Duh, Mom," she said, still laughing. She squeaked when I tickled her side. "Hey!" She batted my hands playfully.

"Let's see if you're as smart as you think you are."

I started a different kind of search. First, I looked for Kim Min-Jun's parents but found both of them had passed away in the last ten years. Switching to Ji-Yun's parents gave me exactly what I'd been looking for: a son.

Kim Sun was a three-year-old little boy currently living in Seoul, Korea, with his maternal grandparents.

"Aw, he's cute!" Bethy whispered, smiling up at the monitor.

I hit print on all the photos I could find of Sun and his grandparents, shifting the search to real-time locations and data. Once I had everything I could find on the little boy, I turned to Bethy.

"You are awesome!" I praised her, tugging her braid a little.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she replied like Alice, which caused her aunt to giggle and glance up from her own work.

"I have to get this out to your dad, baby." I grabbed all the pages from the printer, turning to face my daughter.

"I know I can't go, but can I stay in here? Abby's keeping everyone inside."

"For a bit, but don't stay up too late, okay?"

She nodded when I kissed her forehead. I left the computer room, walking out the front door. The barn was lit up, as was the tent Eleazar's people had erected. There were voices coming from the tent, but the two guards in front of the door made me smile.

"Hello, boys," I crooned to Lock and Load, kneeling down to get nuzzles and licks and howls of happiness. I hadn't seen my huskies since we'd been in Twi Tower and sent an injured Alec downstairs with them to keep them safe.

The tent door flew open, and I smiled up at Alec. "I have info for you to use."

"Bellissima, maybe you shouldn't…" he hedged, trailing off, but I knew what he was doing.

"Well, take a break from whatever you're doing, and let me in, or tell Edward and Eleazar to come out here."

"Don't move, okay?"

The next person to appear at the door was Edward, followed closely by Eleazar. I heard shuffling around in the tent, but I looked to my husband.

"Sweetness, we talked about this," he started, and I simply handed over the stack of papers.

His eyebrows shot up high, and he glanced over to Eleazar, who was reading over his shoulder. Both smiled, shrugging a shoulder.

"As stubborn as she is, you come at her with this intel, she'll shut the fuck down for sure," Edward advised.

Eleazar nodded and started to pace. He gave a quick look my way. "You should bring this in to her."

"And just what am I supposed to do with it?" I asked in a hissing whisper, glaring between the two men. "Threaten her? Threaten a child? Have the two of you lost your minds?!"

Edward grinned, shaking his head. "No, sweetness. Simply give the illusion you're threatening. Depending on how she reacts, maybe switch to an offer of salvation."

"Oh." I thought about it for a moment, finally giving a nod. "Okay, I'll talk to her."

Stepping into the tent, I scanned the inside, noting that it was set up similarly to the way it was at the house in Forks. Ji-Yun was sitting at a table, eyeing me with hatred. She was also soaking wet, so they'd obviously started with the tough shit.

Her eyes continuously darted around to every person in the room, landing back on me when I took the chair across from her. I set down my stack of information, keeping it facedown on the table. She flinched when I moved my hands to pull my hair back a little.

Dean stepped forward. "I'll translate if you need."

Nodding, I looked back to Ji-Yun, who said, "Get on with it."

I smiled, tapping my finger on the papers in front of me and keeping my eyes on her. "I'm not here to torture you. I don't torture people."

She scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"No, that's their job." I pointed to the men around me, and Dr. Sharp, who I guessed was here to make sure they didn't kill her while interrogating her. "I, however, like to ask questions. So that's what I'm going to do. Ready?"

She shrugged belligerently.

I smiled again. "I need to know what Kim's plan is, Ji-Yun. I need to know how many more men he has here in this country. And now that he has no bombs, just what does he think he can do? We've killed a significant amount of his people, and we'll keep doing it until he's the only one left. Tell me these things, and I can make the water stop, get you something to eat, and finally let you sleep."

"Fuck you."

I heard a deep sigh behind me, but I held up a hand to stop Edward. I didn't even need to look to know he was about to step to the table and say something.

"It's interesting you take that position, Ji-Yun. I'm quite certain that Kim has underestimated these people standing around you and some who aren't here. I don't think you understand just what you're facing." I sat forward, leaning my arms on the table. "Let me explain, and then see if you change your mind about my questions.

"The men in uniform aren't just military. They're hand-picked by the CIA." I pointed to Eleazar. "That man… He's the CIA. He's also family, and that means he tends to spoil us, protect us, give us information that normal people don't get to know. My personal intel team can find anyone. Right now, they've got eyes on just about every camera in the Pacific Northwest. I can find Kim with or without you. That's not the hard part. Trust me."

"Damn straight," Emmett praised in a murmur from the far side of the room.

"Killing him, that's not hard either."

"Then what the fuck am I here for, bitch?!" she snapped, fighting the handcuffs that were attached to her chair.

"First of all, there's a bounty on your head. That's pretty awesome," I said wryly, grinning. "Again, CIA. I'm not sure who of us qualifies for the payday; I'll have to ask him later." I jerked a thumb toward Eleazar. "Sad part about that is you end up in jail."

She shrugged.

I smiled, nodding a little. "You act tough, but I know for a fact that there is only one fucking reason you're protecting Kim Min-Jun."

She snorted, but she was also eyeing me warily.

Turning over the top page, I showed her the picture of Sun. Like Bethy had said, he was an adorable little boy. A fleeting thought ran through my mind: he was going to grow up most likely never really knowing his parents. They would either die thousands of miles away from him, or they'd spend the rest of their lives locked away. Either way, she'd never hug her baby again. That, to me, was extraordinarily heartbreaking.

Her reaction was volatile. She lunged my way, bringing her chair with her, but the two military guards pushed her back down and held her there. Her nonchalance melted away, and her language immediately shifted into Korean. I didn't need Dean to translate just exactly how badly she wanted to kill me right then. It was in her eyes.

I didn't say anything for a minute; I slowly turned over each picture, making sure she could see them. Her son and her parents were obviously being watched. Whether it was by our people or theirs, I had no idea, but the pictures were of everyday life and taken in secret. There were surveillance photos, satellite images of the neighborhood, and every angle of the building where they lived.

When I got to the last one, I turned them all back over, folding my hands on top of them as I studied her. Ji-Yun was pissed off and scared. If she could've gotten her hands on me, she would've killed me. And that thought made me smile her way. Clearly, Edward's attitude was rubbing off on me.

"What's Kim's plan, Ji-Yun?" I asked again. "He's running on empty at this point, so what's left for him to do?"

When she didn't answer me, I glanced over my shoulder to Eleazar. "How quickly could you activate an operative to make contact with Sun and his grandparents?"

"Within the hour, Bella," he replied immediately.

Nodding, I turned back to Ji-Yun. "That could go a couple of different ways. We remove them from this negotiating table…or we take them into protective custody."

"No!" she yelled out, struggling against her guards. "You wouldn't! You're a mother!"

My fist hit the table as I stood up over her. "You're fucking right, I am. I'm the same mother whose children were in the building you assholes tried to burn down. What makes you think I should treat yours any different?!"

She simply shook her head, but her eyes were wide and dilated. Despite her dampened state, sweat broke out on her forehead. When she stayed quiet, I stood up, gathering my information on her son.

I turned to Eleazar, handing him the pages. "This should be everything your operative needs to find and remove their target."

"Thank you, Bella," he replied without any emotion, but he pulled out his phone.

Turning my back on Ji-Yun, I locked gazes with Edward when she finally spoke.

"No, wait!"

I smirked Edward's way, and he was disciplined enough to maintain an emotionless face as he stood tall at the tent door. Facing her again, I raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not protecting Min-Jun, I'm keeping him away from my son!" she said, turning to Dean to ask him something in Korean.

Dean shook his head, a little pissed off, and answered her back in English – most likely for our benefit. "If Kim knew you were hiding his son, he'd kill you for not telling him."

"He knows he has a son, but if I didn't do what he wanted, then he'd take him and kill my parents," she answered him.

I held up the pictures. "Someone is watching them."

She nodded. "Min-Jun has friends in government. It's how he…he…" She trailed off, searching for a word.

"Threatens," Dean offered, and she nodded. "He shows you he can get to them at any time."

She nodded, obviously beyond exhausted at this point.

"So," I started, dragging out the word as I turned to Eleazar. "Let's take that power away from him, too. Put them under your protection."

"Already on it, Bella," he said, closing the laptop. "I should have confirmation they're on Camp Humphreys within the hour."

"Why would you do that? Why do you care?"

It was Edward who stepped up to answer the question. "Because they are innocent in this situation. What we do…all of us…shouldn't be taken out on them. Trust me when I tell you, this group, these people, will kill Kim and everyone involved to protect the innocent people – the people in Twi Towers, the sailors on the cargo ship, and our families. We'll continue do it until there isn't anyone left to keep fighting."

Ji-Yun's eyes avoided Edward's, and she glared down at the table instead. "Min-Jun still has a machine that can do things to electricity."

"EMP," I offered, and she nodded. "It's disabled. We made sure to make it useless in case he got his hands on it."

She was nodding. "He knows. He tried to use it at the shipyard." She glanced around the tent, her eyes landing on Carlisle. "It's him who he wants."

My eyebrows raised, and I glanced back to my father-in-law. Turning back to Ji-Yun, I asked, "For what?"

"More weapons. We know he has more, that they're stored everywhere, and Min-Jun wants them all. And he knows you can fix the machine he has." Her answer was soft and seemingly honest. "He's determined to get revenge for the nuclear weapons he took from him."

Edward snorted, shaking his head. "He's after the wrong asshole. I'm the guy who hunted them down, killed the weapons dealer, and made sure those motherfuckers were taken off the grid. They're killin' cancer at this point."

Ji-Yun smirked a little at that. "He's coming for all of you. He mentioned someplace in Alaska."

"Fuck me," Emmett muttered through a sigh.

I turned to look at Edward and Carlisle, both wearing the same expression. They weren't surprised. In fact, they looked like it confirmed their own suspicions. I stood up from the table, giving Ji-Yun a small smile and a nod.

Once I was away from the her and closer to Eleazar, Edward, and Carlisle, I said, "Let her eat and rest. And let her see her kid when you get him somewhere safe. I'd be willing to bet that would go a long way."

"You trust her." Carlisle's tone was skeptical.

"I trust the mother in her. And if she knew she was sitting on the property that Kim plans on attacking, then she might be even more helpful."

All three of them nodded, but Edward followed me out of the tent.

"Sweetness," he called, and I turned around to face him. "We…W-We h-have t-to l-lock th-this p-place d-down."

My brow wrinkled at his stutter; he was nervous. I nodded. "I know, Edward. We'll watch for Kim… Well, IGOR is watching for Kim's face to pop up somewhere."

Edward's handsome face bloomed into a sweet smile, and he closed the distance between us, cupping my face and kissing me senseless. It was deep and sweet, with sweeping lips and talented tongue.

Pressing his forehead to mine, he whispered, "Tomorrow will be a busy day, b-but I-I s-still w-want t-time w-with th-the k-kids."

I laughed softly. "You mean you want them to show you the kittens."

He grinned. "Yeah," he replied slowly, sounding just like his son.

"Okay, kittens in the morning, death and destruction after. Got it," I teased him.

Edward chuckled. "Go on in. We all need rest before we make a plan for this place."

I kissed his lips again. "Okay. That goes for you, too, Mr. Cullen."

"Ten-four, sweetness."

~o~H&E~o~

EDWARD

Tugging on a pair of jeans, I forced myself not to crawl back into bed after my shower. I wasn't sure I'd slept three hours, but shit had to be done and plans needed to be made. Bella was already up and in the computer room.

I raked a hand through my damp hair and picked up my cup of coffee, taking a sip. The door creaked open, and I smiled at my bedheaded son peeking in.

"Rough morning, Sammy?" I asked him, sitting down on the edge of the sofa in our room.

Walking to me, he shook his head. A small smile played on his lips when I pointed out that his shirt was on backwards.

"C'mere, buddy."

He tossed the baseball cap he was carrying onto the small sofa by the door and then held his arms up like he had when he was little. My son wasn't so little anymore, though. He was almost eight. And he was built like I'd been – long, lean, big feet, and the hair. Christ, the hair was exact. I had more sympathy for it than I found any humor. It was a bitch to tame, unless it was kept short or under a baseball cap, which he grabbed from the sofa once we'd corrected the shirt situation.

"Mom sent me to get you," he said softly, putting his cap on backwards.

"Well, I guess I'd better listen, huh?" I got up and pulled on a long-sleeved T-shirt.

"Yeah," he said slowly and softly, wearing a grin, but it faded quickly.

"What's up?" I asked, sitting back down and standing him between my legs.

"I heard Uncle Alec and Uncle Jasper talking…" He trailed off, his brow furrowing. He tilted his head much like his mother. "Is the bad guys comin' for us?"

I snorted, shaking my head. "You and Bethy need to stop eavesdropping."

He grinned, shrugging a shoulder. "Sometimes we can't help it. Uncle Emmett isn't exactly quiet."

I laughed, pulling him to my lap and kissing the side of his head. "Fair point, buddy." I kissed his head again, trying to think of the best way to answer him. "Honestly, Sammy, I don't know, but I don't want you to worry about it. Let us do all the worrying, okay?"

"I wasn't scared. You'll protect us. Like you did in Poppy's building." His voice was so sure, so firm, that I hugged him tighter.

"You're right. You and Mom and Bethy, you all come first. Understand?" I verified, and he nodded. "Everyone here will keep you safe."

"I…I want to help."

"You do help, Sam. You don't even know how much you help."

Just sitting there with him was like a balm to a burn. He and his sister were everything I worked for, everything I fought for, and the reason I stayed grounded and in control. Bella fought with me, but our kids were our focus.

He nodded, but he looked me in the eye. "No, I meant, I can help with the drone or in the computer room with Aunt Alice."

"Oh, God, son," I said through a groan. "Your mother would kill me dead."

He giggled. "No, she wouldn't."

"Maybe," I teased him. "But one major decision at a time. Don't we have an appointment in the barn?"

My boy lit up like a fucking Christmas tree, nodding vehemently.

At the same time, the door opened again, and my Bethy was bursting in. "C'mon! Mom says to get your butts in the kitchen!"

"You guys are awful bossy this morning," I grumbled, standing up with Sammy in my arms and setting him on my shoulder like a sack. "This is a lot of trouble for two little fluff-balls that poop in a box."

Bethy laughed, and Sammy giggled, fighting my tickling hands as we walked down the hall, through the living room, and into the kitchen.

Bella wasn't alone at the counter. Rose was with her, sipping tea and munching on toast. She seemed a little pale, but she gave us a smile when we came in with loud laughs and teases.

I set Sammy down on the stool next to Bella, kissing my wife before walking around to the other side of the counter.

"Let me grab something to eat, and I'm all yours, guys," I promised, picking up a plate and filling it with toast, eggs, and bacon. "Someone was busy this morning."

"Me," Rose admitted. "I couldn't sleep."

I eyed her again, but it was Bella's slow, discreet shake of her head that shut me up. My eyebrows furrowed, but I ate quickly while the kids chattered away with their mom and Rose. Once I was finished, I set my plate in the sink, and the kids were already on their feet, dragging us toward the front door.

"Okay, okay, okay," I said, which made everyone laugh because I sounded like Alice. However, when the kids raced each other to the barn, I took the opportunity to turn to Bella. "Is Rose—"

"We think so," she cut me off and then kissed my lips quickly. "But you can't say anything. She's only taken a store pregnancy test."

"Oh, hell," I said through a deep sigh. "Does Emmett know yet?"

"No."

"Oh, for fuck sake," I grumbled. "We have to plan for her then, Bella. She's… Nothing can happen to… She goes into the bunker with the kids and Aunt Kate."

"Yeah?" Bella asked in a deep laugh. "You tell her that."

Grinning, I shrugged. "Not a chance in hell."

We arrived in the barn, and I was greeted by snorts and whinnies from Goliath, Samson, and the newest addition, Noah – Goliath's offspring. I gave them all pats and attention and then turned to see the one stall blocked off with bales of hay. My kids were inside covered in fluffy, hyper, playful kittens.

The whole litter was climbing all over them, and they were giggles and grins. I straddled a bale of hay, sitting down with Bella between my legs.

"Oh, my God, they're adorable," Bella whispered, taking a ball of black fluff from my son.

Bethy handed me a white one. They were old enough that their eyes and ears were open but young enough that they still relied upon their mother – a black and gray tabby – who was watching us with sharp green eyes from the corner of the stall while four more kittens of varying colors tumbled around her.

I lifted the little white one up to my face, smiling when she grabbed my nose with both tiny paws. Her claws were needle-sharp, but not enough to hurt, really. I glanced over to Bella, who was kissing the top of the black one's head. It looked blissed-out.

"This is a boy," Bella pointed out, holding him out to me.

"Girl," I told her, trading the white one for the black one. He looked up at me curiously and then rubbed his face against my chin. "Well, shit," I barely said aloud, but Bella chuckled.

My kids, however, were unnaturally quiet, which made me want to laugh and torture them a bit more. They really wanted these two kittens. If there had been an issue, Bella would've put her foot down, but she seemed to be letting me lead on this shit.

My first thought was to lecture them on responsibilities, but the two of them did pretty good with the dogs already. Feeding them, letting them out, and even walking them when we weren't at home were all good habits with Bethy and Sammy. They didn't even think about it. However, a few points did need to be pointed out.

"They have to stay indoors, guys… If we do this." I started, holding up my hand when they started to make all the promises in the fucking universe. "We live in the woods, which means predators – wolves, hawks, eagles, bobcats – animals that prey on the slow and spoiled." I pursed my lips together, because what I didn't say was that I couldn't take the heartbreak of my kids should something get at their pets. "That also means litter boxes. Those are gross but necessary."

They nodded in unison.

"It also means vet visits." I raised an eyebrow at Bella, hoping she understood that these two needed to be fixed ASAP.

"They can go to Lock and Load's vet," Sammy offered.

"They can," Bella agreed, "but what your dad is saying is that this is a different type of responsibility than the dogs. Not harder, just different, and it's in addition to your responsibilities with the dogs. Okay?"

Again, they nodded like crazy.

I glanced up when my dad appeared in the barn, his face serious and all business until he saw the kids. He smiled, but he needed us.

Turning back to the kids, I handed Sammy his black kitten, and Bella gave the white one to Bethy. "The answer is yes, but—" I held up a finger when they started to cheer. "You will help me build that climbing contraption you wanted."

Sammy dove for my lap, hugging me and thanking me.

Bethy squealed and kissed my cheek, saying, "Thank you, Daddy."

I shot a glance to Dad, who was watching on with a small, amused smile on his face. It didn't reach his eyes, however.

"Guys, huddle up," I said to my kids. "Quick family meeting."

Bethy sobered faster than her brother, but both plopped down in the hay in front of us. She was a perceptive thing, giving her Poppy a glance. When everyone was quiet, I sighed, reaching over to cup Bethy's face and then place a hand on Sammy's head briefly.

"From this moment on, I need you guys to listen to what we tell you. Your mom and I still have a bad guy to stop. And this one is clever, so we have to be prepared for all the worst-case scenarios." I paused for a moment, smiling down at the mother cat, who was coming over to say hello – we were in her nursery. "I'm being honest with you two because you've seen some of the ugly parts already and because we can't seem to stop either of you from listening."

Bethy smiled, Sammy grimaced a little, but Bella spoke up.

"He's right. You're both old enough and smart enough to understand the seriousness of this situation, so if we tell you to hide, you're gonna hide." Her tone was not to be debated. "It's quite possible the fight will come to us, and if that happens, we do not have the time or the extra people to get you somewhere safe."

I leaned closer to them. "This place was built with safety in mind, though." I pointed across to Goliath's stall. "Underneath Goliath's pile of hay is a bunker." Both kids looked around me across the barn and then back to me. "You'll be in there should shit go bad." Bethy opened her mouth to say something about my language, and I said, "Don't even bring the swear jar up, little sweetness. I said yes to the kittens. I'm in the good for days." I raised an eyebrow her way.

Bethy laughed but nodded, holding up her hands.

"Edward," Bella said through a laugh, shaking her head at me. "I need you guys to set an example for the rest of the kids, please. But as soon as we say hide, then you'll come here."

"Okay," Sammy said softly. "I…I can help. I can help Aunt Alice!"

"No, sir," Bella shut him down instantly. "Not a chance. I love that you want to help, but the best way to do that is to stay safe. If we know you're safe, it lets us concentrate on what we need to be doing, which means we won't make mistakes because our mind is elsewhere, and that means we can stay safer. Am I clear?"

My son looked disappointed, but he acquiesced. "Yeah."

"What about…" Bethy started but trailed off, glancing around the barn. "What about the horses, the dogs, these guys?" she asked, and I'd expected it, really. She'd been raised with most of these animals.

"You take the cats with you," I told her. "Let me worry about the rest. We'll need Lock and Load. Maybe the horses, too."

"Okay."

"Good," Bella said, cupping Bethy's face and kissing her forehead. She did the same to Sammy. "Go play. We've got work to do."

When the kids left, giving Poppy a high-five on the way by, Bella and I stood up to face him. He'd been waiting patiently.

"He's been spotted in Juneau." His words were soft but firm. "We don't know how many are with him, but the facial-recognition software caught his face in a convenience store just outside the city."

My nostrils flared with hate and my temper. "This asshole doesn't know when to quit," I stated. "Fine. Let him come. He'll regret coming to wherewe know every fucking inch of the place. I don't give a fuck how many motherfuckers he brings with him."

"That's my opinion, too. Let's lock this place down, son."

"Roger that," I said, turning to Bella. "We need to plan, sweetness."

"I see that." She nodded, looking between us. "Then tell me what you need."

~o~H&E~o~

A/N… Apparently, I wasn't done with family time. ;) Or Ji-Yun, to be honest. And really, who can resist Mercward and a pile of fluffy kittens? LOL

Anyway, I ran a bit later than I'd intended with this chapter, but I'm simply happy the muse isn't pouting anymore. I'll take what I can get. So until next time… Mooches, Deb ;)