AN: Half way home and family awaits.

Thank you for all your kind words and reviews and to all those who follow or favorite this and any off my other stories.

MeteorOnAMoonlessNight is my fabulous beta, despite the implication that I don't have one by a guest reviewer

She deos an absolutely sterling job every single time.

Disclaimer: SM owns the rights to all things Twilight.

Chapter 33

Edward

A Nasty Surprise

Coming in to land was surreal. It seemed as if there had been no time between taking off in Tonga and now landing in Australia. Bella sat beside me as she'd done on that fateful flight, although this time we were more; more because of the experiences we'd gone through during that time.

Now, she was the most important person in my life. I would be lying if I didn't admit to myself that there was a kernel of fear deep inside me that insisted on tightening every time I thought about what was to come when we hit Australian soil.

Accompanying us was a representative from the Australian Government, and I could tell we made him uncomfortable. Most of the survivors didn't have passports or ID, and we were all changed by our experiences. Death had walked among us, taking one here and one there, and now we would have to relive it all for officials and probably journalists alike.

As we deplaned, Bella clung to my side, trembling slightly at the barrage of camera flashes and the shouts from the reporters who had gathered. She buried her head in my chest as all the survivors were practically paraded through the airport concourse, led and flanked by members of the Australian Federal Police. They had been assigned to us and had taken responsibility for us as we set foot on Australian soil. I caught sight of Marcus, and truthfully, found myself dreading the separation from Bella that would be happening shortly; I knew I would be debriefed both by my boss and the AFP.

Behind them, I could see my mom and dad clinging to each other, tears clearly visible on both their faces. On either side of them I could see four others, two of whom I would have recognized as her parents, which would make the other two her brother, Emmett, and her sister-in-law, Rose. I didn't miss the frown on both men's faces as they took in my protective arm around Bella.

My view widened as I saw lines of people waiting to greet us, all of whom exhibited the same joy and tears as those on the faces of my family. These were the relatives and friends of the people who followed behind me; people who had believed their loved ones to be dead. All because of Jacob Black.

My attention was drawn back to my parents who were now pushing through airport security, followed closely by Bella's family. As we stepped toward them, everyone behind me split apart and headed for their families. Bella and I were pulled apart as I was engulfed in the strong arms of my dad, his face wet with tears. Mom seemed to be incapable of uttering a sound other than soft sobs. I gripped them both hard, feeling my own tears threaten.

"Hey, Mom, I'm fine. Shhh… I'm here." Dad's hold loosened a little as she burrowed into my chest much as Bella had recently done. Over her head I could see Bella in much the same situation, her mom and sister-in-law in floods of tears, hugged by all four at once. Her eyes met mine as she lifted her head, a small nod acknowledging me.

"Oh, Edward." My mom was finally able to speak, wiping her eyes with a tear-sodden tissue with one hand and gripping the front of my shirt with the other. "I thought you were gone; that we'd never see you again. What happened?"

"It's a very long story, Mom, and I will tell you everything when I can. Right now, I want to introduce you to someone who has become very important to me." I unhooked her hand from my shirt, grasping it in mine, and turned toward Bella. My heart beat faster as I watched her family surround her, pulling her away from the concourse, and a slight feeling of panic covered my skin in goosebumps.

"Bella?" I called. Her head turned as she realized what was happening, and she pulled away from them, practically running toward me. My heart didn't slow, but was beating faster for a totally different reason. "Come and meet my parents," I asked, holding my hand out to her.

Mom wasn't letting go of my other one, so I dragged her with me, pulling Bella into my arms with Mom still holding on to me.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I didn't realize we were moving away from you." She turned in my arms, never letting go of me, and beamed at her family. "Mom, Dad, Emmett, Rose―this is my Edward." Her eyes shone as she looked back at me, missing the glare from her father and brother as they took in the proprietary arm I had around her. I tightened my hold, almost ready to challenge them both, but remembered my manners.

"Mom, I want you to meet Bella Swan." She let go of me and immediately hugged Bella. Dad followed, standing beside me ready to greet her.

"It's good to meet you, Bella." Mom finally managed to let go, putting one arm around my waist and another around Bella's.

"And this is my father, Carlisle." Dad gripped her hand with both of his, echoing Mom's sentiment.

"It's so nice to meet you both. Edward has told me a lot about you." Bella smiled at them, and I could tell both were immediately taken with her.

Bella's family had caught up with us now, her father reaching for my hand. "Bella's told me a lot about you and your family, Mr. Swan. It's nice to meet you."

"Edward." The grip of his handshake belied Charlie's quiet words and the penetrating look he gave me. It was as much a warning as a greeting and I had no doubt that I would have to prove my worth to both him and Emmett, the brother who didn't even both to answer my words, instead glaring at me as he gave my hand a perfunctory shake.

The beautiful blonde standing next to him scowled at him and elbowed him in the ribs, whispering a fierce 'Emmett' under her breath before turning to me and hugging me. "Hi, Edward, I'm Rose. Don't mind him; he's just over-protective." She pulled me into a hug, whispering quietly in my ear. "Don't worry, he'll come around." It seemed she was very astute having already picked up on my possessive hold on Bella.

Holding my hand out to Bella's mother, I murmured, "Mrs. Swan."

Ignoring it, she pulled me into a hug. "Call me Renée, Edward. We thank you for keeping our Bella safe, don't we, Charlie? It's so nice to meet you." She glared at her husband, seeming to know that his greeting hadn't been friendly. He looked down at his feet and said nothing, his gaze flicking momentarily to Bella and then Renée.

I pulled Bella to one side, speaking quietly. "We'll both have to give statements about the hijacking and what happened on the island. Everyone will be called for their version of events, although each of us will be interviewed separately. Can we meet up afterwards, please?"

"I won't be far away, Edward. I'll wait for you." It felt as if she was promising more than meeting up later, and as Bella slipped out of my mom's embrace, she moved closer to me and fully into my arms, her lips catching mine. The noise from around us disappeared for a minute or so until a clearing throat brought my attention back to the here and now. Looking around, I could see smiles from my mom and dad; I knew they would be happy for me. Charlie and Emmett's faces told a different story, but I shrugged internally. It wouldn't be putting me off, and at least I was accepted by Rose, who smirked at me, and Renée, who smiled happily.

"Bella," Charlie said gruffly, breaking the pregnant silence that had enveloped us. "Come on, the police have agreed that you can come back to the hotel with us so you can get cleaned up. They'll call you when they want to take your statement." He glared at my arms where they encircled her, obviously not happy about how close we were.

Ignoring him, I focused my attention on Bella. I could see that she was wavering, the thought of a hot shower and clean clothes calling to her, and much as I would like her to just wait for me, I knew that my interview was likely to take a lot longer than hers.

"Go on, sweetheart, you get cleaned up and call me when you're done with your interview. How about we all go to dinner and get to know each other?" I would have preferred her company alone, but our families also needed our time.

Bella giggled, snuggling closer to me. "That sounds nice, but how can I call you when neither of has a phone?"

Marcus, who had been standing over with the AFP, stepped forward to hand her a piece of paper. "My number, Bella. I'll be with Edward for a while, so call that number when you're ready and I'll deliver him directly to you. Okay?"

Bella smiled her thanks and took the small piece of paper, tucking it into her pocket before turning back to her parents. At that moment a voice called her name and her head shot up and she stared across the concourse.

"Jordan?" Her voice showed how confused she was. She looked at her mom, and then her dad. "Dad?" she whispered. "What the fuck is he doing here?"

Charlie put his hands up, scowling and somehow looking guilty at the same time. "There's no need to cuss, Bella." He frowned and continued. "Please, just listen. When you went missing, he came to us and explained what happened back in Chicago. He insisted on coming with us when we heard you'd been found."

"Okay, Dad. Just what did he explain about fucking someone else in our bed?" Her voice was a hard, hissed whisper. "And the baby that resulted? Come on, Dad. He's a very accomplished liar. I should know; he told me enough of them."

"There's no need to be crass, Bella. I know there have been a few misunderstandings, but you need to hear him out." Charlie looked behind him, watching the man in question approach. "Jordan took leave of absence to come with us when the plane first went missing. He admitted that he lied to you when he found out about the baby because he felt it was his responsibility to be there for it. He wanted you to move on quickly and thought he was being kind. When he found out that the baby wasn't his, he left this Martina straight away. He said he never loved her the way he loved you. The moment he found out that the baby wasn't his, he wanted you back."

"I don't need to listen to anything he has to say, Dad. He still cheated on me. He told me he didn't love me enough."

"I know, I know. But, when we were devastated after the authorities told us that they'd picked up three guys who told everyone that they'd watched the plane go down with everyone on board, he stayed. We were a mess, Bella, after they called off the search, and he was a comfort. He talked to us about your life in Chicago, and it made us feel closer to you. "

"Then why did it take him so long to speak to you? We'd been apart for six months before I even left for Australia, and missing almost seven. That's over a year, Dad. Why now?"

"I don't know, Bella, but you need to give him a chance to apologize and to tell you all of this himself."

"I don't fucking owe him a thing, Dad. I'm with Edward now, and I love him."

Jordan had reached us now, pushing into the circle of family and pulling Bella away from me. He hugged her and kissed her, although she moved her head so his lips landed on her cheek, before she managed to push him away.

"What the fuck, Jordan? You have no right to be here and definitely no right to touch me."

Somehow he managed to miss the fact that she stepped away from him and back into the circle of my arms, her back to my chest, reminding me without words that she was mine.

"Baby!" he exclaimed. "I'm so glad you're safe. Did Charlie tell you I'm back for you?"

Bella looked up at me, shocked, and mouthed 'baby? Charlie?' before turning back to Jordan. "I don't care why you're back, Jordan, or what lies you've told my parents to get back in their good graces, but we are definitely not back together, and never will be."

Jordan reached for her again, and frowned when I took a step back, preventing him from touching Bella, holding her close to my body. Unfortunately, there was little I could do right now as I could see Marcus and the AFP investigators getting impatient. Most of the rest of the survivors had left with their friends and families, with many promises to stay in touch.

"Bella, I'm going to have to go, they're getting impatient," I leaned down to whisper in her ear.

She tilted her head as my breath wafted over the skin on her neck, goosebumps rising in its wake. Her eyes stayed on Jordan, showing him exactly where she stood. "That's okay, Edward. Go and do what you have to, and as soon as they've finished my interview, I'll call Marcus and we can arrange when and where to meet." Now she turned in my arms and hooked her arms around my neck, kissing me fiercely. "I love you, Edward." Her voice was just loud enough to carry to everyone else, and I could see Emmett and Charlie giving me the stink eye.

We hadn't been apart since Jacob took her back on the island, and it felt wrong to be letting her go now, but I had no choice. Reluctantly, I stepped back, watching her as she walked away with her family.

It felt so wrong, I called out to her. "Bella." When she turned back toward me, I asked, "Which hotel are you in?"

Bella turned to look at me and then Rose, who was beside her with an arm slung over her shoulder. "Great Southern Hotel," Rose called out. "We have a room booked for Bella under Miss Swan." I felt easier now I had a place I could find her if I needed to; being away from her made me nervous as hell, and I didn't trust Jordan as far as I could spit.

Watching her move away from me wasn't easy, but I remembered that my parents were still standing behind me. "Sorry," I said sheepishly as I turned my attention back to them. "I just need to know she's safe; she's important to me."

"I can see that, Edward. She's beautiful, and I can't wait to get to know her better." I knew that look from Mom; I would be interrogated at some point about my feelings for Bella. Not that it really bothered me; it came from a place of love.

Her arms came around me again, her tears wetting my t-shirt. Even Dad's eyes were red-rimmed as he held his hand out, eventually pulling me and Mom into a hug. His voice cracked when he spoke. "We're so very glad you're home and safe, Edward." Standing there surrounded by their love, I realized how much I had missed them. We only pulled apart when Marcus cleared his throat. Mom mopped her eyes and even Dad brushed his hands surreptitiously over his face.

"Sorry to interrupt, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, but I need to debrief Edward as soon as possible and then the AFP wish to speak to him in more depth." Marcus's look was apologetic.

"It's fine, Edward." Carlisle put his arm around Esme and drew her close to his side. Slipping his hand in his pocket, he withdrew a keycard. "We've booked you a room at our hotel. When you're done, we'll be having dinner in the restaurant, if you'd like to join us. Of course, your Bella is most welcome."

I loved the sound of 'your Bella' and agreed that I would see them later, but I'd let them know what Bella and I would be doing as soon as I'd spoken to her. Sighing at not being able to head to the hotel right now and see my girl, I hugged them both and watched as they too left the airport. I had no choice but to follow Marcus to the waiting AFP car and to their offices.

** Skyjacked **