I hope you all forgive the long break. Last week, I moved to Australia to study for a semester and I've been adjusting, and…well, not having internet. But I did want to go ahead and post this chapter. Thank you all for reading, and thank you for all of the reviews. I truly appreciate them! Thank you to reviewers Lady Queen, Demon, and Iloveyourstory.

ALSO I will be submitting a story for the Fandom LLS auction, which is an organization that will auction off several stories in order to raise money for different forms of blood cancer research. I have already submitted the piece, a sequel to Wrecked, so check out the site if you are interested. The link is up on my profile, or you can just google them

Edward

Bella stared at her phone for a long time. Carlisle and Esme had gone back to their room about an hour ago to give us some privacy…and to have some privacy of their own. Emmett and Rosalie were doing the same, although they both wanted to come to our room later and hang out with Bella. They'd missed her…and worried about her. Emmett had seen her briefly this morning, but he was still hoping to catch up…and ask her what the heck she'd been thinking, almost going to meet that psychopath alone. I'd advised against that question. The most important thing was that she hadn't…she'd trusted us. And she was safe. That was all I cared about.

We sat together on the sofa, her body tucked under my arm. We had air conditioning…I'd made sure of that, but it was still very warm for her, and although she'd lived in Arizona before, a desert state, I wanted to make sure she was comfortable. She leaned her head against my shoulder, making herself comfortable as I tried to keep her cool, the phone still in her hand. "I haven't spoken to her since the hospital." She spoke suddenly, her voice small and fearful. I rubbed her arm, kissing her hair.

"I know. She was…upset?"

Bella nodded, laughing halfheartedly. "She was…hysterical. She was screaming and crying and asking about…" Her words broke off as she hid her face against my shoulder for a moment, taking a deep breath. I ran my fingers through her long hair, careful not to snag any of it. It was still damp, and she smelled so good…I took a deep breath, embracing both her sweet scent and the burn. "How are we going to keep your secret if she's here…with Phil?"

"We've existed alongside humans for quite a while. You don't have to worry about us. We're pretty good at this by now." She was silent for a moment, playing absently with the cellphone. "Are you worried…about Phil? I mean…do you like him?" She shrugged.

"He's fine." She told me, obvious disinterest in her voice. I doubted she would be able to hide it if he'd ever been unkind to her, and he certainly wouldn't mistreat her while we were around. Carlisle wouldn't allow it…none of us would. It didn't seem like the two had any kind of real relationship, which, I supposed, was better than a bad one. Still, I wondered if she resented him for taking her mother away from her…if he'd made any effort to include her in his new little family, or if he'd been glad that she'd left. I would find out soon enough, and react to him accordingly.

"We'll tell them that Emmett and I are sharing, and that you're sharing a room with Rose. Their room will be downstairs…we'll make sure they have plenty of money to burn, so they'll go out and enjoy the island…you can go with them too, if you'd like. And Carlisle and Esme will take them out in the evening. We may go as well. They won't even notice that we never go out during the day." She seemed doubtful, but nodded, still not moving to make the call. "Carlisle and Esme will take care of this, Bella. You don't have to do anything." I placed my hands on her shoulders; her brown eyes hesitantly meeting mine. "We're trying to keep you safe and hidden, but this is also a vacation for you. You've been under so much stress…I want you to relax. Call your mom and tell her that Carlisle and Esme want to pay for her and Phil to come to Bora Bora…as a present to you. Or if you really don't want to call her, Carlisle can speak with her. This is not something we want you to worry about. Alright, love?"

Bella gave a tiny, hesitant nod, her lips turning up at the corners when I leaned forward and kissed her, my hand cupping her cheek. Her arms wound around my neck, and she pressed closer to me, her body flush against mine. "I love you." I whispered to her, pulling away from the kiss for just a moment, my hands cupping her face. "I want this to be a vacation for you. I want you to relax and enjoy yourself…you don't have to worry about taking care of things…of taking care of your mother. Carlisle and Esme will do that. The only thing you have to worry about is what you would like to do this evening after we've called your mother." She smiled a little, resting her forehead against mine. "We can go to the beach…it's very warm. Or we can go shopping…I know how much you love that." I chuckled when her nose wrinkled, reluctant amusement lighting up her eyes. "We can go out to dinner." I trailed my hand over her shoulder, falling to her back and caressing her skin under the fabric, making her close her eyes and relax as my hand gently kneaded the back of her shoulder.

"You don't eat dinner." She all but whispered, her muscles loosening as I continued the massage, and I removed the phone from her hand before she could drop it.

"No, but you do. So dinner?" She hummed, not really answering, but I took it for a yes. "I'll find somewhere good…I'm going to have Carlisle come in so that he can talk to your mom. We can just pretend it's a surprise for you…okay?" She hummed again, and I grinned, happy to have found a new way of getting her to relax.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door and I finished rubbing her shoulders, pocketing the phone and laughing when she seemed to jolt back to awareness, stretching her neck. Carlisle greeted me with a smile, asking quietly if Bella was okay. "Can you call her mother?" I asked softly, glancing back at the girl who stood, and he moved to her side, pulling her into his arms. "I think she's worried about it…"
"Of course. I'll book the ticket as soon as I speak to her. Are you taking Bella out?"

"Yes. I think it will be good for her." He smiled down at Bella, smoothing her hair as soon as she looked up at him.
"You and Edward go out as soon as you're ready. I'll call your mother." He told her gently, kissing the top of her hair. 'She's looking better.' He thought, his thoughts not directed at me. He rubbed her back for a moment, taking the phone from me when I handed it to him, and she looked down at the phone in his hand for a long moment, seeming to hesitate. "Don't worry, Bella. I'll work things out with your mother. You don't have to worry about anything."

After a moment's hesitation, she smiled up at him, wrapping her arms around him once more, this time holding onto him tightly. "Thank you." She whispered, her head against his shoulder, and he returned the gesture.

'It means so much to her…to have someone taking care of her.' He thought sadly, holding her in his arms. 'Her mother obviously never did…' He smiled at her when she pulled away, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Get ready…it's getting dark, and the two of you should enjoy the evening. I'm sure you'll find something fun to do." She smiled, glancing over at me hesitantly.

"I'll wait out here for you. You should have plenty of clothes in your suitcase." She nodded, thanking me quietly, and then headed into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. "Thank you." I murmured, and Carlisle put a hand on my shoulder, smiling gently down at me.

"It's not a problem, Edward. She needs someone to look out for her…to…to care about her." He shook his head. "I don't know if her mother ever did that for her. It doesn't seem like it."

"No…I don't think she did." I touched my father's arm, pulling him out of his troubled thoughts. "But she does now. She has you and Esme…and the rest of us. Emmett and Rose love her too…so do Alice and Jasper. She has a family now." Nodding, Carlisle flipped the phone open, finding her mother's number in the contacts section, and dialed. Leaving him to it, I headed over to my own bag and pulled out a laptop, searching for the nicest restaurant on the island.

Carlisle

The phone rang only once before a frantic voice answered. "Bella! Honey I've been trying to reach you! Are you okay?" I frowned at the phone, then over at my son who was watching me in surprise. We hadn't known that her mother had been trying to contact her…why hadn't Bella been answering her phone? She'd only told us that she hadn't spoken to her.

"Mrs. Dwyer? This is Dr. Carlisle Cullen." I corrected her.

"Doctor…oh god, is Bella okay? She hasn't answered her phone…where is she?"

"Bella is fine, Mrs. Dwyer. She's actually been doing much better. I'm not sure why she hasn't been returning you calls…"

"Can I talk to her…why are you using her phone?" She suddenly sounded suspicious and I smiled a little.
"Bella is currently on vacation with my family…she and my daughter are sharing a room at the hotel where we are staying, and I thought that it might be a nice surprise for her if Esme and I had you come and join us…of course your husband is welcome as well."

"Join you…on vacation?" She clarified, still sounding skeptical.

"Yes. My wife and I are staying with most of our children at a hotel for a vacation. We thought it would be helpful for Bella to get away from Forks for a while, so we brought her along."

"I'm sorry…Doctor Cullen? You were the doctor that treated her…what about Billy?"

I frowned…had Bella not spoken to her mother at all? I'd been under the impression that she'd at least emailed her occasionally. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Dwyer…did your daughter not tell you? Bella and my youngest son have been dating for quite some time…almost since she began school in Forks. And she and my daughters have become good friends…we see her as a part of the family, to be honest."

"Oh." There was something in her tone, then she cleared her throat, forced cheer in her voice. "I guess she's been busy…she always is. Well, I appreciate the offer, Dr. Cullen, but I'm afraid there is really no way we can afford…"

"Of course my wife and I insist on paying…this is as much a gift to Bella as an offer for you. She misses you…I believe a visit with her mother will do her a lot of good." I couldn't really justify the lie, but I also didn't want to chance her mother being hurt by Victoria before we could find the vampire and possibly destroy her. Bella had already lost her father. I didn't want her to lose her mother too, regardless of how close they were. "Please. Mrs. Dwyer. We insist. Won't you accept…for Bella?"

She hesitated for a long moment, then sighed. "For Bella…are you sure it's not any trouble?" I smiled.

"None at all." I promised, glancing over at Edward who stood, heading into the other room and knocking quietly on the door, waiting for Bella to invite him in. "We'd be happy to have you for a few days…we're staying in a very nice hotel and we can book you a room. Would you like to come tomorrow, or would that be too soon?"

"No…um…I'll have to speak to my husband. Can I talk to Bella?" I hesitated, watching Bella open the door, smiling at Edward who pulled her into his arms, kissing her forehead. She'd changed into something Alice had bought her, a loose blue tank top and shorts, and obviously designer flip flops…the girl was smiling. She was happy…why hadn't she been answering her mother's calls? Whatever the reason, I doubted she would want to talk to her mother now.

"I'm sorry, Bella and Edward just went out." Bella didn't even glance up at the obvious lie, focusing on Edward and asking him quietly where they were going for dinner. I knew she didn't care…neither did Edward. But he answered anyway, suggesting Asian food and putting an arm around her, leading her towards the door. I nodded at them as they passed, touching her shoulder briefly as they stepped out of the door. "I'll give you my number and you can call me as soon as you speak to your husband…let me know if he would like to come as well and I'll book the tickets."

"Why are you doing this?" She asked suddenly, her quiet voice suspicious once more.

"Mrs. Dwyer, my wife and I see Bella as a part of our family, and we think it would do her good to see you. I'll book your flight as soon as you let me know."

"Wait…you didn't say where you were staying…"

"Bora Bora."

Esme lifted an eyebrow as I hung up the phone, dropping the little device into my pocket. "She's been trying to call her?" I hadn't checked Bella's phone to verify that story, but I didn't exactly feel comfortable doing so. She noticed my hesitation and smiled a little. "I wasn't questioning her story."

"No…I'm not sure. Why would she ignore her mother's calls?" I wondered, moving to sit next to her on the sofa.

"I can't pretend to understand their relationship." My wife told me softly, turning and putting an arm around me. "She agreed to come. That counts for something. Maybe they can try and fix their relationship." I wasn't so sure…Bella didn't seem to want much to do with her mother, choosing instead to confide in us…not that I was complaining. I loved that Bella trusted us. I loved that she wanted to turn to us, that she saw us as her parents. It was what we'd wanted. We loved her. We saw her as our daughter. But she had a mother as well; a biological mother who loved her and, apparently, had been trying to call her. And Bella wasn't taking her calls.

There was a soft knock on the door and my wife invited Emmett and Rosalie in. They seemed concerned, but they didn't ask. Instead, they sat on the adjacent loveseat, Rosalie naturally tucking herself against Emmett. "Her mother's coming…probably in the next couple of days. Rosalie, we'll need it to seem like the two of you are sharing a room." My daughter nodded, glancing up at Emmett. "Just for her mother, of course." I paused, then looked at them imploringly. "Did you know that her mother has been trying to contact her?" Emmett's eyes narrowed as he looked down at his wife, then up at me.

"No…" He shook his head, as did Rosalie. "She didn't say anything."

"Her mother's been trying to call her?" Rosalie leaned forward, clasping her hands.

"Apparently she's been calling her." I pulled the phone out of my pocket, handing it to Emmett. He flipped it open, and I assumed he went to her missed calls, because his eyes narrowed.

"Six…six missed calls, and that's just in the last week." He told me simply. "Two are from a different number…I guess she called from a payphone? Or her husband's phone…why doesn't she want to talk to her mother?"

"And if she doesn't want to talk to her mom, why are we bringing her here?"

"Because, Rose, no matter what issues she has with her mother, she doesn't want her to die." My wife explained patiently.

"Maybe we should go find her…" Emmett was grinning slightly as he toyed with the flip phone. "Ask her what's up."

"Maybe not." I smiled wryly at my son. "She and Edward went out…he's taking her to dinner. Give them some time together. She needs this."

"She spent all day with him yesterday!" He cried, still grinning, and I rolled my eyes, letting him know with the gesture what I thought of him before turning back to Rose. "They'll be home later this evening."

"Well, in the mean time, Rose and I are going to go out for some dinner of our own." I lifted my eyebrow once more, crossing my arms. "Not that kind of dinner...there are some birds around…might be fun to catch some. We won't let anyone see us." Esme laughed softly, reaching out and taking my hand.

"Have fun. Keep your phones on. Have you heard from Jasper?"

"He called a few hours ago…Alice is looking but Victoria hasn't made any decisions about Bella or her mother as far as she can tell."

"Good. We have some time. Are you going to book the ticket?" I nodded, kissing my wife's hair and heading over to Edward's laptop to look up the best airline.

Bella

My mother had told him…she'd told Carlisle that I'd been ignoring her calls. Now they would all know…I couldn't. I couldn't talk to her. When she'd first hard about what had happened, she'd been hysterical, and lying in a hospital bed, still in pain and on who knew what kind of medicine, I'd done everything I could just to calm her down and keep her from driving all the way over, or blowing all of her money on a plane ticket, and she would have drug me back, and it would be baseball games and bleachers and trying to give them time together and pretend not to notice when they would sneak off in the middle of the day and…I pushed that thought away.

And then, this man I barely knew had walked into he room, found me crying, and had held me. He'd just held me, and told me that I would be okay. And I was. I was okay, because for the first time that I could remember, someone was taking care of me. I didn't have to worry about upsetting him. I didn't have to worry that my crying was hurting him. He was taking care of me.

I couldn't bear to go back. Not with everything that had happened and with the problems with Billy and with figuring things out with Edward…and Charlie. I couldn't go back to being the parent to my mother. Not after learning what it was like to have parents that took care of me and older siblings that cared about me…"Bella?"

I realized suddenly that I'd been staring at my rice for the last…how many minutes? "Yeah?"

"Are you okay? Would you rather have something else?" I shook my head, eyes widening.

"Oh, no. It's good." I assured him, taking a bite. He didn't seem convinced, but although I knew he had heard part of Carlisle's conversation with my mother, he hadn't asked mea about ignoring my mother's phone calls, and I was just grateful that I hadn't had to explain myself yet. Still, I was sure he was going to ask. "Wanna try?" I asked, trying to change the subject. He smirked, shaking his head when I offered him the spoon.

"No, thank you." He told me with a smile, touching my hand. His face softened for a moment. "Would you like some dessert?' I shook my head, taking another bite of rice, then reaching for the chicken. "Emmett texted me. He and Rosalie are going to hunt around here…and I was going to head over to Australia to hunt tonight." He spoke hesitantly, as though I would be upset, and I felt a pang of shame. Had I really made him feel like he couldn't even eat…drink…whatever.

"Okay." I smiled, shrugging a little. "How long will you be gone?" I wondered casually, taking another bite.

He seemed a bit relieved and smiled, leaning back in his chair. "Only tonight. I'll probably be back before you wake up. And you're mother should be here in a day or two, so we have some time to spend together." I nodded, smiling.

"We could go to the beach." I suggested, leaning forward on the table. "It's warm outside…the water should be nice." He smiled, watching me finish my meal, then standing, reaching over the table to kiss me gently on the forehead.

"Let's go now." He suggested, taking my hand and pulling me to my feet. "It's warm, we can walk on the beach…have you ever built a sandcastle?" I laughed, shaking my head.

"Not really…I mean, I tried once in our yard."

"It works best with wet sand." He told me with a grin, leading me around the table, grabbing the take out container and dropping it in the trash before heading over to the boardwalk.

It was a short walk to the beach, and to my surprise, he didn't speak the entire way. He only held my hand, smiling over at me when I glanced at him in the dim light cast by the lamps. It was warm, almost hot, but it felt wonderful, and as we stepped onto the beach, I slipped out of my shoes, closing my eyes and smiling when I stepped into the squishy, warm sand. He chuckled when I paused, digging my bare feet into the clean sand, gazing out at the water. "Sandcastle?" He suggested, and I nodded, following him to the water, my shoes in my hand.

He was good at building sandcastles, but that shouldn't have surprised me. He was good at everything. But what did surprise me was that he didn't try to talk or interrogate me…he'd never said anything about me wanting to meet James alone and he hadn't asked about my mother or Phil…it was a little unnerving. So as much as I tried to focus on my own sandcastle, on building a nice little building out of sand and surrounding it with a moat and seashells in the dim light thrown from the buildings facing the beach, my mouth betrayed me. "I couldn't go back." I blurted out suddenly, my hands pausing where they were buried in the sand. "I couldn't…after Carlisle and Esme…" I knew I wasn't making sense. I didn't care…I needed to explain. So taking a deep breath, I tried to gather my emotions. "I didn't answer her calls because I couldn't go back to being her parent." He was silent, but I didn't look up. I didn't dare. He probably thought I was terrible. He probably thought I was a crappy daughter who would make her mother worry…my thoughts were cut off when his lips pressed against mine, and I was pushed back against the sandcastle that promptly gave under my weight, until I was laying on the beach, his body pressed on top of me, sand in my hair, and I couldn't have cared less.

"I love you." It took him a while to pull away enough to say the words, but he did, cupping my face in his hands. "I love you so much. When I saw…" He shook his head, kissing me again. "Alice saw what would have happened." He explained softly. "Bella, I don't blame you for not wanting to speak to your mother…for ignoring her calls. No one does. The only reason we wanted to bring her here was to protect her. You don't have to spend time with her…Carlisle and Esme will keep her occupied."

"She's my mother." I didn't know what I was trying to say with that pained statement, nearly a plea, but he seemed to understand.

"I know." He murmured, cupping my face in his hand. "I know, love. And I know that this isn't fair to you…and I'm sorry. We'll get Victoria. Esme and Carlisle love you, and they'll be your parents. But…that's all I can promise." He was whispering, and his lips met mine once more for a long minute. "We'll do everything we can to keep her busy, but you may have to talk to her. She'll want to know why you haven't answered her calls…I'm sorry. I'm sorry she was never a mother to you. I'm sorry you had to take care of her, but that's all over now."

"She has Phil to take care of her now." It was irrational to feel the way I did…to feel somehow jealous of Phil…to feel like they didn't want me around anymore, but I couldn't explain any of that. Edward only wrapped his arms around me, rolling us over so that I was no longer lying in the sand.

"I'm sorry." He murmured once more, reaching up and brushing my hair off. "I ruined your sandcastle." I couldn't help the laugh that escaped, and he grinned triumphantly. He sat up, keeping me in his lap, and kissed me once more, brushing me off and trying to get some of the sand out of my hair. "Come on. Let's build one together."