Back in her suite, Izzy was lying on the couch with her head in Alec's lap. He stroked her hair gently and left her to her thoughts. One of the things they had in common was being silent contemplators. They both needed to think things through before they were ready to talk.

Jane was already working on a bath for Izzy. She had followed her brother and his mate when they left the throne room earlier. It didn't take more than a look from her brother for Jane to know Izzy was hurting and that she wasn't ready to talk.

A knock at the door brought Jane from her thoughts and she raced from the bathroom to let Aro inside Izzy's suite. He gave her a small smile that quickly disappeared when his eyes landed on Isabella's head in Alec's lap. She looked almost as she had the day she first walked into their lives.

Aro moved over solemnly to join the couple on the couch as Jane went back to check on the bath. Izzy began to sit up until Aro gestured for her to stay before lifting her feet and sitting down with them in his lap. She felt a moment of awkwardness before realizing decorum was the least of her worries at the moment.

These two cared for her. They all seemed to here. This was her family and that thought, that one word, family, set off intense feelings of anxiety and guilt. Her body shook with the need to cry or scream but under those hands, Alec's never faltering in their gentle exploration of her hair and Aro's resting softly on her ankles, thumbs stroking her skin so very faintly, she started to feel her body relax of its own accord.

She couldn't form the words she needed, but she realized that she didn't need words. She took a slow, deep breath and dropped her shield so Aro's hands could do more than comfort her body. His hands took in everything inside her mind and she could almost feel some of the weight of it all start to ease.

"My dear Isabella, the depth of your guilt is not unlike your favorite place, the sea. Unfortunately, the nature of what we are always means we must mourn and let go of the life we had before. You cannot go on this trip. The temptation to visit your father would be too great. Not to mention the danger of being seen by the wrong human." Aro continued to stroke her skin softly as he spoke the words he'd dreaded telling her since Carlisle had delivered the news.

Izzy nodded but didn't bother to speak. She knew she could never see Charlie again. What was truly bothering her was how selfish she had been. Why couldn't he have been enough? Why couldn't she have been a better daughter? How had she let Edward wreck her the way she had? How could she have ever been that weak?

"You are not weak, Isabella," Aro responded to her thought, his voice nearly a growl.

Izzy sighed and turned her face toward Aro's. "I know I'm not now, but I was then."

"No, Isabella. You may have had only human strength in your body, but your mind was already strong and so was your heart. It is not your fault that you fell hard, trusting someone who let you down."

Jane reentered the room just then and knelt by Izzy's head. "I haven't seen inside your head Izzy and I don't know what you're feeling right now, but I do know that whatever you were before, you are something new now. Try to let go of guilt attached to a life that is no longer your responsibility."

"Jane is right," Alec said, finally speaking up. "She and I could sit around and feel guilty for a lot of the things we've done. And believe me, we deserve our guilt. But that would be almost selfish. What we do here is bigger than any one person. We protect our species and, in some ways, we're also protecting humans. We can't do our jobs if we hold onto guilt that doesn't serve us. We live a very long time, but we have to live in this moment to continue to really be alive and not just exist as empty shells."

"I hadn't even thought of him," Izzy confessed in a soft whisper.

"You have to remember, young one," Aro counseled, "We are not what we were before. He was your father, but that life ended when this one began." He continued petting her and monitoring her thoughts as she processed his words. "I will send Alec and Jane with the expedition to Seattle. How does that sound?"

Izzy lifted her head to regard Aro. "You'll let them check on him for me?" Her question was filled with hope.

Aro smiled and nodded. "I am sorry I cannot allow you to go. I hope you will accept this." He didn't need to see her nod, he could feel her thoughts. She was appeased for now and he was grateful it took so small a thing.

"You rest, Isabella. Enjoy this time with the twins. They leave tomorrow."

Jane led Aro to the doorway and gave him a small smile. "We'll take of her, Master."

Aro nodded and took his leave.

Jane pulled Izzy from the couch and Alec's lap and gave her a gentle push toward the bathroom. "Go on before your water cools too much."

Alec stood and hugged his sister tight. This adventure was going to be harder than any before. He'd never wanted to skip out on the action before. He did want to check on Izzy's father and reassure her that he was just fine, but Alec would miss her so much while they were away. All this was so new. He wasn't used to caring for anyone but Jane.

"We'll take care of everything," Jane responded to the palpable level of stress she could feel in Alec's arms around her. "Just like we always do, together."