Chapter Twenty Five

Bella

Rosalie accompanied me to the police station when we got word that Ellie had been found safe and well. I would have preferred Jasper's company but he had left earlier on some errands and wasn't back. I just hoped that he wasn't going to disappear on me again, I didn't think I could stand that. Ever since he appeared the night before I had a feeling of completeness, something I couldn't remember ever feeling before with a man. Whether he felt the same or not I couldn't tell. All I could do was to hope he would stick around long enough for me to find out.

There was no need to put on a show of relief and joy for the police when Ellie called my name and ran to hug me. I lifted her up into my arms and held her tight, both of us crying with delight at being together once more. She was bigger, more a little girl than a toddler and so grown up. It hurt to realize I had missed the joy of watching her grow but no one would ever come between us again I was determined of that.

The police were very kind and patient and only when I found it possible to hand Ellie over to Rosalie did they escort me into one of the interview rooms to tell me exactly what had happened. From their account, one of the men responsible for Ellie's abduction had second thoughts and dropped her off at the office of a Seattle lawyer, a Mr Jenks who immediately contacted them.

"He also had some papers which he claims were dropped off anonymously and which further implicate your husband in organized crime. As he is dead there is nothing we can do about that but I'd like to tell you officially that you are no longer a person of interest. Ellie doesn't remember very much about her kidnap and we can only assume that the men who took her kept her drugged which is probably just as well. Our surgeon gave her a medical check and there were no signs of any kind of abuse, physical or mental. Under the circumstances, we feel there is no point in putting the child through any further distress. You and she are free to leave."

The only words that interested me were his final ones, Ellie and I were free to go and I intended to get out of Seattle as fast as possible. However, there was one thing I was still curious about.

"Doug's wife, was she involved?"

He looked uncomfortable.

"I'm not really at liberty to discuss that, but I doubt any action will be taken against Mrs Deacon."

I nodded, so if she was she'd managed to escape justice but would she also escape whoever abducted Ellie? I guess that depended on whether she had any of their money. I couldn't find it in my heart to wish her well, the bitch had torn my family apart in the same way I couldn't attend Doug's funeral. Maybe the bitterness would fade with the passing of time but right now I'd have been happy to see a concrete slab over the bastard to make sure he was good and dead.

Rose and Ellie were chatting together animatedly when I returned to the waiting area but as soon as she saw me Ellie was up and running over to me beaming with delight.

"Can we go now, mommy?"

"Yes sweetie we can. Thank you, Rose."

Rose smiled down at Ellie. "It was my pleasure, Bella. That's a beautiful little girl you have there."

We left the police station and Rose drove back to the apartment.

Looking around when we entered my apartment Ellie saw Emmett and Alice but instead of running to my side as she always had when she saw strangers Ellie marched up to Emmett and held out her hand.

"Hello, I'm Ellie."

Emmett beamed at her and engulfed her tiny hand in his giant one shaking it very gently.

"Hello Ellie, I'm Emmett."

"You're Rosalie's husband, she told me about you. And you…"

She turned her attention to Alice. "Must be Alice. Hello."

Alice too shook hands with my daughter then looked over at me.

"We finished packing up your stuff ready to put it in the trunk. We thought you'd like to get away from here as soon as you could. Rose will be going with you but I'm going to join Carlisle and Esme, I think they might be glad to see one of us especially since Edward has gone for good."

My ears pricked up at this and I questioned her eagerly.

"Edward? What happened? Is that why Jasper left?"

"No. Edward is safe in Volterra. According to Carlisle, he went there for refuge knowing it was the only place he would be safe from Jasper."

Emmett snorted.

"That's a matter of opinion. I wouldn't bank on anywhere being safe from my brother if he was determined."

Rose tried to hush him but I wanted to hear more.

"So Edward and Alec are going to get off scot-free? How is that justice? So much for the rulers of your world. It seems to me only certain people get justice when it comes to Aro Volturi."

Rosalie suggested that Ellie might like to go outside for a few minutes and Ellie ever curious agreed. This really wasn't a topic she should be listening to.

"Bella. Let it go. Jasper will sort it out eventually, but for now, you need to concentrate on Ellie and leave all the bad stuff behind."

"I know Alice but that's easier said than done. I hate to think that he's not going to get any justice. They held him prisoner for three years. Can you even imagine that? I'm amazed he didn't go crazy in that time."

"Jazz is even tougher than he looks, Bella. Trust me."

I laughed at Emmett's words but it held a hollow ring to it.

"Trust has to be earned as I said, but I guess after all you guys have done for me I should at least be grateful. I am grateful, but I'm still a little wary, you'll have to accept that for now."

Alice nodded and Emmett looked rueful, "We really are sorry we left you in the lurch Bella but allowing us to spend Christmas with you and Ellie is one hell of a payoff."

"Well, as soon as Jasper gets back let's go."

Alice started.

"Oh, he's not coming back, Bella. He said he'll meet us there. He had things to do."

My heart sank, was this merely an excuse? Would he in fact return or was he gone? I liked to think he would keep his word and spend Christmas with us, but I guess I could understand if not. After all he'd been through maybe he just needed a timeout to readjust.

I decided there was no point in hanging around here any longer and grabbed my bag following Emmett and Alice downstairs to the car. We found Rose and Ellie talking to a man with a dog, a small black and tan terrier that was making a real fuss of Ellie much to her delight.

"Say goodbye to your new friend Ellie, we're going now."

She left the dog reluctantly and talked about it all the way to the airport where we dropped Alice for her flight to Anchorage.

"I asked daddy if we could have a puppy but mama was frightened of them so he said no. Can we have a puppy mommy? Can we?"

I ruffled her hair and smiled.

"Sweetheart, right now we don't even have a house of our own to live in so a puppy might have to wait a while but we'll see."

"So we aren't going back to our old house?"

"No, we're going to find a new one all for ourselves."

She was almost jumping up and down with delight.

"Really? Will it have a garden? And a big bedroom for me? What about all my toys and clothes?"

She stopped and looked at me curiously.

"Is Sharon going to bring my things? Or daddy?"

There hadn't been an opportunity to tell her about Doug's death and now I decided it could wait until after Christmas. To drop it on her now would be cruel and pointless.

"No sweetie, Alice has arranged for them to be picked up and put in storage until we find somewhere new and don't forget Santa will be here soon so you'll have new toys to play with."

"OK. Well, can I have a Princess room? Like the one I saw on TV."

"What room would that be? I don't think I saw it."

She launched into a description of a Disney princess room complete with four poster bed and golden legs on the furniture.

"I don't know about that, we'll see. For now, you can show me around your island."

She was delighted to do so after a magical flight in a seaplane flown by a man that my daughter was very familiar with. In fact, the moment she set eyes on Darius she called his name and ran over for a hug before introducing us formally once more. During the flight, she opted to sit beside him leaving me to talk to Emmett and Rose who seemed as excited as Ellie about Christmas on the Island.

"I guess I've lost my job now."

"Don't sweat it, Bella. The money I retrieved and put in that bank account will see you OK. We thought you'd want to spend time catching up with your daughter. Besides, you were wasted at that diner."

I made a face.

"I know but it was the best I could get. You know I never graduated so college was out."

"There's still time Bella. Time for you to decide which way you want to go. You could become a mature student. Ellie's in school so you'll have time and you know that we are more than willing to help. You could find yourself with a surfeit of babysitters."

I laughed at that, "Yes, vampire babysitters. At least I'll be sure Ellie would come to no harm. I guess I just need some time to come to terms with having my little girl back in my arms. it's been a hard year."

"So sit back and relax and let Ellie fly you to paradise."

I did as Rose suggested after a quick peek to make sure that Darius had the control and not my five year old daughter!

There on the shore to greet us was Peter who I had met along with a woman who could only be his wife. She waved and came to greet us as we climbed out of the seaplane while Peter took the ropes to tie the plane down. So, Darius was staying too? I wondered just how big this house was but I needn't have worried, it was huge!

Ellie grabbed my hand and pulled me to the house, up the steps and inside, only to stop herself when she saw the interior. It was like a fairy story, decorations, tinsel, twinkle lights and the biggest Christmas tree I had ever laid eyes on covered with strings of popcorn, candy canes, straw figures and with a huge star on top.

Dropping my hand she raced through a door and I heard her call for me.

"Mommy, hurry, look."

I followed her into the great room with its full height patio doors leading onto a glass-floored balcony with a view over the ocean to the land in the distance. This room too was decorated to within an inch of its life. The decorations must have cost a fortune by themselves yet it was very tasteful.

The others followed us at a more dignified pace followed by Charlotte with freshly baked gingerbread men and hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows on top. Before I could thank her and take a mug of chocolate from the tray my daughter grabbed my hand and dragged me off to see her bedroom. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to make it comfortable for a little girl. There were pink cushions, a huge teddy bear and a bookcase filled with books just right for a girl of her age. I had to admire the clothes that had been bought for her which again were expensive but practical. I had some more thanks to give my friends.

When I finally got to my chocolate the others were all settled down and Emmett had found a cartoon to watch. Elle joined him sitting crossed leg on the thickly carpeted floor. I think he had done it deliberately to give me a chance to take a breath.

"This is beautiful. It must be costing a fortune to rent."

"Actually, I waved the rental."

I turned to Darius shocked.

"This is yours? It's beautiful."

He grinned and suddenly reminded me of Jasper.

"The house? Yeah."

"Don't be so fu… modest big D. He owns the whole island, Bella."

"You do?"

Darius made a face at Peter, I got the idea he didn't like bragging about what he had, and changed the subject.

"You know what day it is tomorrow, Ellie?"

She turned to look at him.

"No. Is it your birthday?"

Darius grinned, "Nope, it's Christmas Eve."

Ellie got up with a shriek of delight, "YEAH!"

She danced around the room tugging at Rose and Charlotte until they joined her then stopped.

"Mommy. Jasper said Santa knows where I am. Does he? He won't forget me will he?"

Peter shook his head.

"He wouldn't dare Princess. If he did I'd kidnap his reindeer and stick his boots to the floor. Then no one will get any presents."

Ellie giggled as if used to hearing such threats from Peter then came to sit with me, cuddling up on my lap and falling asleep in minutes, it had been a long and exciting day for a little girl and I wondered if Alice had found the presents I had wrapped for Ellie before I knew I was going to see her. If not I would have to ask Darius if he could possibly fly back to the city to get them.

As if having read my mind Rose leaned close and whispered in my ear, "Your presents for Ellie are hidden in the plane. Darius thought it was a good idea to have them safe from prying eyes."

"Thank you."

I closed my own eyes and enjoyed the feeling of my little girl on my lap.