Dear Edward,

I know you're exhausted from working basically 24/7, and you can't know how proud I am of you for being on the front lines and dealing with everyone who's sick at the hospital, but I've got to tell you: this really fucking sucks.

I know I'm supposed to be homeschooling, but I can't lie, Ben and Heath have both been watching Netflix for three hours because I don't understand how to teach 6th grade math.

Or third grade math.

And I know that I promised I wouldn't let him watch again for at least a week, but Bennett is watching Frozen 2 for the second time.

Today.

I called Rosalie for support and she told me that she didn't give a fuck if Ella and Garrett missed a couple months of school because in all likelihood, they would "probably be fine."

Also, I'm pretty sure your mom is drunk, and texting me to rage every time Donald Trump does or says something stupid, and honestly, that happens so often I had to hide my phone in the dishwasher.

Just a head's up: Alice and Jasper are coming to stay with us through the quarantine because Dalai wants to be close to her cousins, and Jasper feels very strongly that together, we can put more positive energy out into the fractured universe. He also said something about the two of you joining your stones together. But I'm not sure I heard that correctly.

Anyway, I love you.

Come home soon. I need a nap.

Your Bella.

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I groan when finally seat myself in my car. It's been four days straight of emergency medicine and not enough supplies. Damned virus. And even more bedamned government.

But enough about that. It won't do to wallow in my musings. I reread the email from Bella that she sent - I look at the time stamp - yesterday, (how could it be that long since I've talked to her?) and wonder again why I had to become a doctor.

These are just rhetorical wonderings and not actually used for self-reflection, and therefore a waste of my time. Seriously, I must get my thoughts in order for my family. Bella needs me. I send her a text saying I'm on my way. She doesn't respond, but I realize that she said she hid her phone in the dishwasher to avoid my mother.

I make a mental note to remind her that it's not sanitary nor a prudent choice in an emergency to not have communication. Then I make a mental note to not chastise her as soon as I see her and my boys.

The boys must miss me almost as much as I miss them. And my Bella...there are no words for how I feel about her. But I'm finally on my way home after getting my test results, and I need my family. And I need to clear my head.

I change stations from the news channel to classical. While I'm humming along, my phone chirps, alerting me to a new call. The screen says "Emmett." Great. It's like he sensed I was available. I know this to be impossible, but somehow Emmett always finds me.

I touch the button to answer after only a slight hesitation. We are in a serious emergency, after all, and he may need assistance. "Ed!" he yells. "Why does Jasper get to quarantine with you and not us?"

So no, there's not an emergency. He's just called to annoy me.

"I don't know why he says he needs to be there with us, Emmett. I have been at the hospital for a week. But he's not stepping foot in my house without the proper precautions."

"He said something about aligning the stones to bring positive healing energy."

"Bella alluded to that, yes," I reply, impatiently. "I don't know what that means." Of course I don't know what most of Jasper's ramblings are about. When he is around, mostly I try to focus on my sister and my niece and the fact that they love him. For some reason. I have yet to realize what exactly that is and it's been many years.

"So I'm guessing he's trying to Thanos a cure," Emmett replies.

"Are you using 'Thanos' as a verb in that statement?" I ask, confused. It may be the extreme fatigue, but I'm hypothesizing that it's Emmett's lack of syntax.

"You don't know Thanos?" he asks, sounding incredulous. "How about Captain America?"

"I believe I have heard of that one. Our wives have many pictures of him with his flag emblem. They are very patriotic." They also have many pictures of him without his costume. Some shirtless. Hmm, that's interesting. I make a note to inquire about this.

Emmett snorts and mumbles something like "want to touch his American flag pole."

"How about Black Panther?" he asks.

"Are you referring to the genus Panthera which is comprised of jaguars and leopards that have dark fur, or the political organization of the 1960s?"

I hear Emmett mutter something once more that sounds like, "motherfucker talking about cats" and I hear a groan.

"I did hear about the movie Cats. Bella had a copy that she called the 'asshole' edition. The ladies watched it while drinking rather heavily. I was working with the kids on their science experiments. Well, Jasper was there too, but I don't need to tell you how useless he was when it came to science."

"Please focus on what's important, Edward. Jasper wants to be a hippie Thanos with his crazy rocks."

Yes, that's what's important right now, Emmett. Is he even listening to himself? I try to placate him. "So, explain the Thanos part? I know it's not a Greek god you're referring to."

"How have you not heard of the Infinity Gauntlet? Are you living under a rock?" Emmett screams. Well, it's not screaming but it's incredibly loud. I turn down my volume so I don't have hearing issues later.

"No, but Jasper does spend considerable time below rocks. Literally. He built his office underground and the door is surrounded by large crystal boulders. You've seen this before, Emmett."

"Whatever. Why does he get to quarantine with you and I don't?" Emmett whines. It's not attractive. After all these years I still don't know why Rosalie puts up with it. I mean, I put up with it, but only for small amounts of time and obviously I didn't reproduce with him. Luckily their children seem to have the best features of both parents. Well, Emmett's best feature is being large, so possibly my previous thought is incorrect.

"Bella and the boys and I don't need your germs in my house. You're close enough. I outlined all of my safety protocols in my presentation. I emailed it to all of the family. Now let me drive home in peace."

Emmett makes a noise and mumbles something about making vodka quarantinis and killing his blanket fort idea.

Another call appears on my screen. Jasper. Great. Just what I need right now.

"I'll talk to you later, Ed. We're not finished with this." He clicks off.

I sigh and connect Jasper. "Yes, Jasper?"

"Hello, Edward. I was just wondering what healing crystals you had at your house right now? Quartz? Bloodstone, possibly?"

I exhale slowly. High blood pressure would not be helpful in my current situation. Why would I have any crystals at my house other than the kind Bella puts in the bath tub? Ooh, naked Bella in the bath. Maybe naked Bella could be my nurse and disinfect me.

"Edward?" Jasper says, interrupting my very explicit thoughts.

"I believe our kitchen counters are quartz, but you may not touch them. In fact, you may not touch anything in my house."

"Edward, didn't you make the meditation ring I told you to? I gave you enough crystals to cleanse your negative energy. And you know that jade egg is excellent to soothe Bella's vag-"

"No!" I interrupt him even though it's rude to do so. I don't want the rest of that word to come out of his mouth. I don't want him to even consider my wife's vagina. It doesn't need soothing. I mean sometimes she likes when I make love to her aggressively, but I would never go to the point where she required a cold rock to repair tissue. Then I start thinking about what he does with my sister. Dear god.

"Jasper, is there a point? I need to focus on driving and I've barely slept in seventy-two hours."

"Obviously you don't have enough hematite on you. I can feel the negativity flowing through the phone," Jasper says.

Or you can hear how irritated I am by your nonsense. I start thinking about how Bella would pinch my arm as a signal to get along with Jasper. I can almost feel the sting right now. At least it's a lot easier to look at him and carry on a conversation since he changed his hairstyle. The muppet hair has been replaced by a pony tail. It's still ridiculous, but at least it doesn't look like a wig. It complements the caftan and sandals that he still wears. Honestly he's lucky we live in California, or he'd have major frostbite.

I mean, as much as that look can be complemented. Bella says he's lucky he's really good looking, or he'd be made fun of more often. She says hot guys get away with many things. She points out Emmett as well when she says this. She's usually right about these social norms so I just take it as truth.

I don't think Emmett or I could make fun of him more than we do, but I guess she means by others. And I wouldn't want Dalai to be embarrassed by her father.

"So I guess I'll see you later, Edward. I'll have all the provisions." He clicks off. He had been talking while I went on a tangential thought and didn't hear what he said.

Wait, what? See me later? No. I'm not seeing anyone except Bella and the boys. After a very thorough and lengthy decontamination process.

And I don't know what he means by provisions. Probably a box of containing sparkly rocks and a few feathers. Probably not even sterile.

So not useful in a quarantine. Unless he's thinking of an alternative to toilet paper...

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AN: Thank you so much for your wonderful response. We all need something to take our mind off the shitshow that is life. We send you all love and some of Jasper's crystals to cleanse the negativity.

Note: If you have not done so, you may want to read the outtakes we posted in LIMBO, because that's where all the children first appear.