22.

Edward tapped to accept the call, only peripherally aware of the way Bella steered him towards the door leading to the back yard.

"Alice, is everything ok?" he asked the moment he was outside.

He didn't immediately get a response, but he could hear her hitched breaths and tiny sobs, and knew that it was bad.

"Hey, hey," he soothed, "What time is it there, Tiny? I just had a dinner of pizza and ice cream, can you believe that? We haven't done something like that in a while have we? Ah, I'm so glad you called, because I miss you! Come on, sweetheart, have a sip of water for me, and then tell me you're ok, huh?" He coaxed and cajoled, and after what seemed like ages, she had calmed down enough to speak again.

"Edward," she said, voice shaky and sounding almost lost. "I want to come home."

"Anytime," he said immediately. "You know you can come back home anytime. You want me to book tickets for you? Just give me a minute and I'll figure it out."

"I… I don't want to wait. He might come back to the hotel, and I don't… I don't want to talk to him," she gasped out, her breathing growing erratic again. "I don't want to see him, or be near him, I just want to leave!"

"Alright, then why don't you pack up your things, hmm? I'm right here with you." He kept talking, ignoring his anger at Jasper to ensure that his sister was slowly calming down. He talked her through finding her things and packing them up, step by step. "Have you put in your clothes? Good, don't worry about creasing them, Tiny, I'll get them cleaned and ironed for you here. And if you forget anything there, that's ok too. I've been thinking of taking you shopping, so let's do that, right? Don't forget your phone charger. Great, are you wearing comfortable shoes? Now just check that you have your passport, and let's go."

She sounded less hysterical as he kept up the constant chatter, and soon she was ready to leave. "I haven't even put on makeup," she groaned, and he could tell she was feeling better. "Ugh, everyone's going to look at me and know I've been crying!"

"Are you kidding me?" he teased. "Your sunglasses cover half your face! Besides, I've heard good things about airport restroom mirrors. People could probably shoot make up tutorials there."

"Edward!" she exclaimed, half laughing, voice raised over the ambient noise of people passing by. She was going down to the hotel entrance, then, he figured. "They're getting me a cab. I'll just get the first flight I find, hopefully right away."

"See if you get a flight straight to Seattle, Tiny," he said. "If you don't, that's fine too, we'll get you a connecting once you're back in the US."

"Okay," she said, suddenly sounding very small. "I don't know what to do, Edward."

"Oh Tiny," he said softly, "We'll figure it out together. Just get here and I'll help you do whatever you need to move on."

"He cheated on me," she said in a hushed voice, and he knew that she was in the cab now. "I saw him, and I didn't even have it in me to say a word. I just turned and walked away. I don't think he saw me. I don't think he would have stopped even if he had seen me, but… why would he do this to me?"

Edward let her speak, keeping his own anger and disgust firmly leashed. This was the side of Jasper that he had known and despised for years, after all. And this was precisely the end that he'd warned his sister about for years. But being right in such a situation was not something that gave him any joy.

He stayed on the phone with her right till she reached the airport, and made her promise to text as soon as she got a ticket. He was hopeful that she would manage to get a flight quickly. Even though she'd said Jasper hadn't realized she had caught him cheating on her, Edward would feel a lot more relaxed once he knew for sure that the two of them were no longer on the same continent. The farther Alice was from that deranged criminal, the better.

He sighed and quickly scrolled through the messages she'd sent earlier. It was more or less what she'd just told him, but a lot more incoherent. At least she'd sounded more like herself by the end of the call.

He suddenly felt very tired, the events of the day crashing into his mind with the force of a tsunami. Barely conscious of his surroundings, he tugged at his hair in frustration and just stood there. The moment passed; he turned back to the house and saw Bella sitting on the steps, leaning back on her hands with her face turned up as though watching the sky. Or maybe she was just watching the leaves dancing in the breeze. Either way, he wasn't prepared for the sense of relief and rightness he felt just seeing her there, waiting patiently for him, as though she knew that he would need her after the call.

She looked his way as he walked up to her, but didn't shift away when he sat down next to her. They sat a few moments almost but not quite leaning against each other, and Edward allowed himself to imagine it… the warmth of her body fully leaning against his side, burying his nose in her hair to breathe in the scent that had teased him for weeks now, maybe even getting to hug her for longer than the few seconds that were deemed socially acceptable.

The moon was a weak, inconstant presence half hidden by clouds and the motion-triggered lights had died out, but in the light that filtered out of the windows behind them Bella glowed.

"Is she ok?" Bella finally asked, looking back at the dark treeline.

"Not really," he said, wondering how to tell her the whole of it. "She caught him in the act, apparently."

"Oh, she must've been in shock… is she safe? Does she have someone she can trust there?" Bella turned to him, distress clear even in the dim light.

"He didn't realize she was there," he said grimly, nodding when she visibly relaxed. "Yeah, I'm glad she walked away and called me. She's already on her way to the airport. She'll try to get a ticket for the first flight back to the US. I said to try for Seattle, if possible."

Bella looked relieved. "That's good! She'll be safest with you, and it'll give her time to figure out what to do about him."

"Besides, he's least likely to fuck with me," he laughed, but then sighed. "I don't know how much I can keep from her about everything that's been happening, with Izzy, with Esme, with everything we've found out. It's all tied up to Jasper, and she's never listened when I've said anything about him."

"She wanted to trust him," Bella said, nudging him with her shoulder. "And I mean, give her time. She will need to work through what she just went through, as well. Afterwards, well, you will be able to judge how much she can take."

"You have more faith in me than I do," he replied, amused and touched by her sincerity. "I just feel… ahhh I don't even know."

"What?" she asked, trying to get him to turn his face back towards her. He wondered if his stubble felt terribly scratchy on her soft palm, and then wondered if his horny thoughts could just wait till he was back in his bedroom.

"I've been looking forward to the next few days," he finally confessed. "And I'm glad she's finally left his sorry ass. I wish she'd never even met him. I want to be there for my baby sister, you know? But… I just really also wanted to be here for Seth." He said it all in a rush, his frustration and relief, anger and confusion all spilled out before them in the quiet night. "I can't just bring her here, and I don't want to leave yet. I don't want to miss seeing him settle back in, and I want to be here helping you and…" He ran a hand through his hair, tugging on the ends in agitation. "I can't even ask you to come back with me. It's probably a terrible idea to even think of it, because Alice needs the time alone just to come to terms with things, but I want… I will really…"

"I'll miss you too," she said quietly.

Then her hands were cradling his face, thumbs stroking under his eyes, over his cheekbones, and she was kissing him. He wondered if he'd imagined it, but as her nose nudged his, as her lips caressed his, he shivered. The world simultaneously fell silent and spun into a frenzied orchestra of the most glorious music that seemed to pulse through his very veins.

The kiss… or kisses, he had lost track… went from chaste to downright filthy in moments. She was so sweet, the touch of her tongue and the heat of her mouth were the only things that existed anymore. He was suddenly ravenous for her, and there was very little finesse in the way he sought to map her lips. When she drew back to catch her breath, he didn't let her go far, gently tugging at her lip with his teeth, which made her laugh, and then he found himself being hugged close, while she dropped little kisses all over his face.

He couldn't help but laugh at the way she left loud smacking kisses on his cheeks. He couldn't help but return the favor, making her squeal in protest when he outright licked her jaw. He caught her hands in his when she tried to smack him in retaliation, and somehow they were laughing and struggling against each other, and their eyes met and they were kissing again, deeper this time, less tentative, less exploration and more submission to an inevitable pull that had tied them together from the first moment they met.

How long they spent wrapped up in each other Edward couldn't even begin to guess; all he knew was that when his phone startled him back to earth, he was completely disoriented. So much so, that it took him a few seconds to recall why Alice was calling him.

He quickly accepted the call, but this time he didn't move away from Bella. She seemed at least as dazed as him, and settled against his side as he spoke to Alice. It was a short call, just to let him know that she had managed to get a ticket and would be boarding soon. In a little over twenty hours, she would land in Seattle.

"I'll have to leave tomorrow," he told Bella after he'd ended the call with his sister. "I'll go home to Westport first, and then to Seattle."

"Take me with you," Bella said suddenly, hopping up from the step they had been sitting on. "My car is still there in your garage, you know. I should bring it back. And I'll take care of cleaning the house while you get groceries. It'll be faster and you won't get too tired driving around all day long. In fact," she said sternly, "If she's as exhausted as I think she will be, you guys should stay in Seattle for the night."

Edward tried to hide his grin at her bossy tone, but he probably didn't do a very good job. "You sure? I could just ask Jake to come along for the car, you know?"

"Edward Cullen," she scolded, tugging him to his feet and pushing him towards the house. "Just accept that I'm going to help you, ok?"

Her words filled him with warmth, and he could not help but pull her in for a long hug. "I honestly don't know why you're so damned nice to me, Bella Swan, but thank you. I don't know how long I'll be away with Alice, so call me anytime you need to talk or... I know you have great friends, but just take pity on this old man? And apologize to Seth on my behalf. I can't say bye to him this time, but tell me when he comes home, won't you?"

"You really do get sentimental when you grow old," she said pityingly, ruffling his hair. "It's a good thing you're still good looking. C'mon now, I'm exhausted." She yawned and stretched as they walked back into the kitchen. Rose and Jake must have cleaned up while they were outside, because everything was in its place now, with the lights dimmed and no other sounds disturbing the quiet space.

Watching her yawn, Edward's own body suddenly felt heavy with sleep. "See you in the morning, then."

They trudged up the stairs hand in hand, silent except for the occasional yawn. At her door, Edward placed a single kiss on the back of her hand, pretending he didn't see the way she pouted when he walked away to his room. Sitting down on the bed, he set an alarm for the next morning, and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

…

The next morning, they were in Westport in time for breakfast, and after a hectic morning getting the house in shape, Bella left immediately after lunch. That would get her back to Forks and to the hospital in time for Seth's physiotherapy session.

Much as he hated to see her go, Edward knew he couldn't convince her to stay another hour or two. More importantly, he knew that he shouldn't try to do such a thing. It didn't make it any easier, though, when she gave him such a short kiss goodbye and hopped into her car. He sat on the back porch watching the waves and thinking of Bella for a good half hour before standing up with a huff and dusting off his clothes. It was time to bring his sister home.

A/N: I was going to add a bit of Alice here, but then I thought why not just post it anyway?!