Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Stephenie Meyer created it all; I just like to play around in her world.

As always, a shout out to the Fab Five for their support and help - and AngleycDevil & NKubie for all their beta power! I couldn't do this without these wonderful ladies.

Edward POV

Waves crashed against the rocky beach, the sound of the water lulling me back to sleep. Bella lay cuddled against my chest, her warmth adding to the relaxing atmosphere. Phillip had snuck us out of Washington and hid us out in a cabin just west of Astoria, Oregon. It was close enough to Seattle for my comfort, but hidden away in the woods bordering Fort Stevens State Park. Heavily armed agents patrolled the area surrounding the house; although, until it was all over, I wouldn't rest entirely.

Senator Newton, his brother, and Mike now resided in federal prison amidst a firestorm of news reports, special called hearings, and general chaos. Bella and I had stayed in D.C. long enough for them to question her and determine she knew little, other than the fact that Mike's father had been in her home. Instead, Felix Rossi, even in death, had become the FBI's new best friend.

However, it had been determined until the Rossis could be thoroughly contained, Bella's life was still in danger. It was the method of containment proposed that still shocked me. While Felix had mostly implicated himself, there was still enough evidence against Demetri and the others that an investigation could've been launched. It would've been messy, long, complicated, and not guaranteed to be successful, but it wasn't without merit for the agency to consider. Instead, Phil had consulted with his supervisor, and they'd determined to negotiate with the Rossis. . . Bella's safety and the guarantee the Rossis would forfeit their activities in North America for the information being buried. Felix, postmortem, was going down, but the other family members could ride out the storm, if they so choose. The FBI would monitor them heavily, for sure, in hopes the family wouldn't attempt to re-establish roots. But for now, their contacts were severely compromised . . . the family, including the suspected ringleader, Marcus, having already fled back to Italy. The sole American survivors were Bella, her cousin Renata, and their grandmother.

The blurring of lines bothered me immensely, but looking at the woman in my arms, I had to let go of the queasiness in my stomach. It would mean her safety.

She was exhausted. She'd started her period while we'd been in Washington and dissolved into tears. Between mourning her father and mother, the pressure, and her sobbing admission she'd wanted to be pregnant, I'd known better than to say a thing. All I could do was hold her. She was a twenty-one year old woman, who just weeks before had believed herself to be an eighteen year old girl fresh off to college. Since then, she'd lost everything she'd known and gained a father, who loved her more than life. Now was not the time for her to have the additional stress of being pregnant, no matter how the image secretly thrilled me.

She and I needed to talk about our future, but it was only one of the things that needed to happen. I still had the disk Jasper had supplied to give her, as well. There was such a thing as timing, and last night hadn't been it. Instead, I'd made her soak in a hot tub of water before we'd crawled into bed, and I rubbed her lower back until she'd fallen asleep. The shot of whiskey I'd given her had ensured she'd slept soundly all night.

Morning called, urging me to the restroom and a shower, so I slowly eased out from under her, moving my pillow to take my place. The weak, morning sunlight filtered into the room highlighting her, and my heart seized. She was so fucking beautiful, the rays dancing across her skin and highlighting the red in her hair. And . . . the sight of the cheap gold band on her hand doing things to me that I couldn't explain.

Shaving before I got into the shower, I ran my hand across my chin, noting the dark shadows below my eyes. The last few weeks had been hell, and until we heard from Jake, Jasper, or my dad, I didn't know if it was going to get any better soon. There was so much Bella and I had to discuss, and the fear she wouldn't choose me in the end made the nausea, rolling in my stomach, worse. All I could do was let her know I would give her the time she needed to make up her own mind, away from the stress we'd been under. It would be the only fair way, the only way I knew she really wanted me, not just the sense of security she felt with me during the horrific events of the last weeks. Determined not to let fear destroy me, I turned the hot water on and soaped down quickly. I wanted to fix her breakfast, so there was no time for a leisurely scrub.

It would be okay, I told myself as I dressed. I needed to find happiness in what I had in the moment and allow the future to worry about itself.

That sense of enthusiasm disappeared instantly when I opened the bathroom door to a gun in my face. I didn't even have time to reach for the one at my side.

The Rossis had found us.

~Mother Father~

Bella POV

Struggling against DiCaprio's tight embrace, I tried to scream to warn Edward, but Leo muffled my attempts. The thick gloves he wore protected him from my bite. Edward opened the bathroom door, his gaze flashing immediately to me as Santos snatched his gun. But the screams tore out of my throat as Santos used the butt of it to hit Edward in the head. He fell, his head bouncing against the wood floor with a loud thump.

Rage fueled me as I fought against Leo, twisting and turning in an effort to get to Edward, but Leo squeezed me tightly pushing the air from my lungs. I slumped, barely holding on as he carried me out of the house, waiting in agony to hear a gunshot. It didn't come, but that didn't give me much hope as I was carried into the forest, because we passed the bodies of agents as we moved through the trees. Numbness won after my struggles failed to gain an inch of freedom.

What did it matter?

If Edward was dead too, I really didn't care to go on.

We broke through the trees in a small cove. It was there Leo carried me onto a small rubber boat and held me as the others cranked the engine and maneuvered out into the inlet, then into open sea. Tears poured down my face as my stomach heaved, and I yanked away from him to empty what little food I had in my stomach over the side of the boat.

"You bastard!" I screamed at him, lunging as soon as I could in an attempt to claw his face.

Without responding, he captured my hands. It was useless to struggle as one of the others slid over to wrap his thick arms around me. The grief swirled and bubbled inside, ripping at my heart and making me dangerous. If they were taking me home, I was going to find a way to use it. My uncle would die at my hand; I swore it. Turning away from their dark stares, I looked out over the choppy water as the spray from the boat drenched me. I'd never been suicidal before, but for the briefest moments, I wondered what it would be like to sink beneath the waves. Finally, the boat slowed, and I looked up to see a large yacht bobbing in the water.

It was one of Uncle Deme's.

The man, himself, waited in the stateroom, where I was taken, dripping sea water onto his fine carpet like a drowned rat. He was dressed in one of his suits, the tie loosed and the top button undone. Holding a glass of some alcohol, he swirled the dark liquid around in the crystal goblet. At his nod, all but Santos left, closing the door behind them. Sneering, I eyed my uncle's head goon, glancing quickly down to where he'd shoved Edward's gun in the waist of his pants, before I turned my attention back to my uncle.

He looked horrible, like he'd aged twenty years since I last saw him. Had I had an ounce of emotion left, I would've felt sorry for him. "Murderer."

He jerked as if I'd hit him, but he recovered quickly. "I will accept your accusation, even though no one in my employ pulled the trigger on your father or mother." His voice cracked.

"Bullshit. You set it all in motion."

He pushed the chair out from behind the desk and rose. I refused to back down as he came to stand before me. The smell of his cologne was something I remembered as comforting, but today it made me sick.

"I did. God help me, I did." His eyes glazed, but he was too much of a demon to actually cry. "It will be my greatest regret."

I spit in his face and watched with satisfaction as he wiped it away. Santos moved quickly to our side.

"Are you afraid a defenseless little girl will hurt your boss?" I taunted.

"Enough, Isabella. I'm quite aware you would prefer me dead." Demetri stood his ground. "Shall we dispense with the posturing long enough for me to carry on the conversation you and I need to have?"

"Hm . . . let me see. I've killed your mother and father, because I overreacted to my brother needing a break from the business. I've hunted you across the United States and killed people in an attempt to get you, including the man you love. Now, I have you, so kiss your future goodbye." My chest heaved with rage. "Seems pretty clear to me. I'm not sure what else you need to say."

"Dear God. You are so much like her." Tears actually spilled down his face even as he smiled at me.

Like who? What was he talking about? My eyes twitched to the gun, but unfortunately, Santos saw where my attention had gone.

Pulling it out, he pulled the clip from the bottom and ejected the one in the chamber. Throwing the gun across the room, he pocketed the bullets. All while my uncle gazed at me.

"I loved your mother."

Renee?

My world turned on its axis. "Huh?"

"Felix brought her home to meet the family, and I fell in love immediately, fully . . . irrevocably."

Irina?

"She never knew. She was too in love with Felix to pay me any attention. But he knew, even as he stood beside me as my best man at my marriage to the witch our father insisted on for alliances. I thought I might tempt her away once. They were having problems; Irina was distraught about being unable to give Felix a child."

Gunshots echoed in the air, and I turned to the noise. Mama lay on the ground, and red stuff leaked out onto the ground beneath her head. I was supposed to get away, but instead, I ran into something. Something with hands. Crying out, I kicked at the person's legs, but my efforts were useless. My screams were cut off by a hand covering my mouth, and I looked up into the face of . . .

"You were the one who gave me to Mama!"

"I gave her a child. The one thing your father didn't, and she told me she loved me. Her eyes lit up with such joy and completion that she was indescribably beautiful. She leaned over to me, but instead of what I expected, she kissed my cheek. 'You are the best brother ever, Demetri,'"he said in clear mimicry.

His hand cupped his cheek reverently, making me worry about his mental status. The starry-eyed blank look didn't help much, either. I watched as the memory faded, and he focused back on me. "While I coveted my brother's wife, I loved him deeply as well." He turned and went back to the desk. Leaning on it, he continued with his confession. "Don't misunderstand. I always knew if Felix died, I would make Irina mine. But I was willing to wait to pick up the pieces."

Anger fueled my steps as I rushed him, almost colliding with him before Santos caught me from behind. Still, I was able to get in one good punch, popping his head around and making me feel like I'd broken my hand. The pain felt good considering the rage I felt.

"I deserved that one," he said, spitting blood out on the carpet.

Santos pulled me back several feet before Demetri spoke again. "Let her go." I heard a grunt from behind me, but the man complied.

Holding a pristine white cloth to his mouth, Demetri eyed me. "I retrieved you to ask a question, Isabella. Do you want to go home, or do you want to stay here? It is your choice. The family believes Felix was responsible for the leak of the information that cut our ties here in the States. But the sins of the father won't be brought down upon you. You know that is how it works."

Red mist appeared before my eyes at the anger I felt. "You murdered my mother and father. How could you even think I would go home with you? Just kill me now and get it over with."

He lowered his head, shaking it for a minute. "I am complicit in their deaths. I believed what was being fed to me and opened up the wrong communication channels, but my men were sent to retrieve all three of you, not kill you. The Senator has their blood on his hands. My men were too late for Felix and Irina, but were behind you when you were chased. Several were killed in the crossfire between the Senator's men and the FBI. Actually, your young man killed more than a few."

He actually grinned at the information, which set me off.

"You killed him!" I screamed, lunging again, only to be caught up short. Struggling against Santos was useless, but I did it anyway, remembering Edward falling to the floor.

"He was terminated?" Demetri asked Santos, and I shrieked in rage.

"No, sir. Just temporarily disabled, like you requested. He'll have a hell of a headache though. It was my special touch for all the trouble he's given us."

Edward wasn't dead? The thought wormed its way into my heart quickly, burying in deep and sending warmth shooting out to melt the cold inside.

"Very well," Demetri said with a nod before turning to me. "Again, I'll ask. Do you want to go home to Italy, or have you decided to remain here and make your way?"

"I have no home to go to." My words were caustic. My mother and father were gone, and I would not live a life of secrets any longer.

"So be it."

I waited for him to pull a gun out and level it at my chest. I was ready. To know Edward was still living was enough. Steadying myself as he reached behind him, I took a deep breath. Confusion sent me reeling when, instead of a gun, he brought a purse out from behind him. Walking forward he slipped it over my head, then took control of my left arm from Santos, forcing it through the loop before returning it back to the man behind me.

"Because of the agreement I will sign with the United States government, you will never see us again, Isabella. You'll need to return to Mr. Swan. I'm sorry that I don't feel sorry for taking you, but you gave happiness to the person I love most in life. Because of her, I'm setting you free. You should know that you won my love along the way, as well. In fact, I always thought of you as my child with Irina."

I growled at him, pissed he was attempting to ruin what had been special between my father and me. He was unimpressed with my anger.

"Inside the satchel is information regarding your mother's investments. It's yours now. It was her inheritance and free from any stain of impropriety." He said this with a sarcastic tone, and Santos laughed softly from behind me.

"I hate you."

That affected him, his face twisting at the words.

"I understand you do; however, I love you, and I always will." He approached, cupping my cheek, even as I tried to jerk away. "Take care, Isabella." He glanced behind me. "Make sure she is returned close enough to their cabin that she can find the way, and then return quickly. We need to be gone before the authorities are alerted to our presence."

"Yes sir." Santos switched his hold on me, lifting me so I couldn't struggle.

"I hope you rot in hell!" I yelled as we went through the door. It was such a lame retort, considering I wanted to kill him.

He said something, but I couldn't hear it as Santos pulled me down the same hallways by which we'd entered. "Send Lucas with me, but I need you to stay and prepare the boat for the trip back. I'll return as quickly as I can," he said to Leo.

I wanted to scream obscenities at them, but if what my uncle had said was being followed, I didn't want to do anything to lengthen my time on the boat. Away from Demetri, Santos wasn't so nice, all but tossing me into the raft-like boat. Another man I didn't recognize crawled down the short ladder, manning the engine. We were barely away from the yacht when Santos took out a gun and pointed it straight at me.

"I could tell him you dove into the water, and that we were unable to retrieve you, so don't give me any trouble. You've caused enough already." Ignoring me then, he gave some coordinates to the other man.

We hadn't gone far when a noise in the distance carried over the waves.

"Boss, what's that?" the man asked, pointing to something.

"Fuck!" Santos cursed, standing and shading his eyes. The flimsy thing we were riding in shook from his actions. "Helicopter." He turned to me with an angry look. "Fucking bitch is going to get us all killed." He grabbed me by the shirt and lifted me. "Hope you're a good swimmer."

My wish from the earlier ride came back to haunt me as the ocean closed over my head and the cool water swirled around me.

I was going to die.

We were miles from the shore, and I wasn't that good of a swimmer. I had to try though; Edward was waiting for me. Pushing to the surface, I yelled out as something hit the water near me.

"Good luck, bitch. Head that way." Santos pointed away from the sun before giving me a jaunty salute and turning the boat back toward the yacht.

The bastard had thrown me a life preserver ring. A lot of good it was going to do out in open water. It was white and made of Styrofoam . . .the stuff that flaked if you ran your fingers over it . . . that could break apart in rough waters. To add to the irony, I was bleeding from my period, which would make me shark bait in the ocean. But the ring floating away from me was better than nothing, and I began swimming to retrieve it from the current.

The sound of the helicopter grew louder, and I panicked when it passed directly over me. I'd just reached the flotation device, so I wrapped my hand in the string around it before I looked to see if it was a military one. If Edward was really alive, he would've sent out the troops. Unfortunately, when I wiped the salt water from my eyes, I saw it was all black without any type of identification.

Santos and Lucas had made it back to the boat; they were scrambling over the side. How silly they were going to feel when the black helicopter turned out to be a friendly, as I suspected. Unwilling to stick around, I did what he'd said, linking my arms over the circle and kicking away from the sun.

I didn't even have time to scream when something grabbed me by the leg, dragging me under the water.

Lost in a nightmare, I saw my ghost, the man who'd stared at Edward and me from the tunnel. The one I suspected had kept me company during the cave in. He wrapped me in his arms as the water around us churned and fire raged along the surface. His skin felt as cool as the water, his black short hair drifting around a handsome face. But what truly caught my attention were his eyes.

They were the strangest shade of gold.

~Mother Father~

AN: Hope everyone had a happy and safe New Years!

Please go over and read the Age of Edward contest entries if you haven't already. Some really good ones, and I need to go do my reviews for them. I'm amazed at the talent!