So, this short story is dedicated to Carey Anne and the ladies who were in on my Zoom call, Clo, Aileen, Emma, Consuelo, Alyscia, Trina, Brier Lynn and Krida. It will be a drabblish story, with shorter chapters. Shorter chapters mean quicker updates! :-)

This is not mine. I don't own Twilight, but I wish I did. Sigh …

Don't throw sharp objects at me. Miss Alice is sick, but you know me. I'm a HEA whore! Up next will be their return to the states and trying to return real life.

Chapter Sixteen

May 4th, 2020

The days following Emmett's phone call about Miss Alice were hectic. Bella contacted the United States Consulate and got more definitive answers about reentering the country. Their biggest issue was the timing of when they needed to get their rapid COVID tests. Some websites were saying that the test needed to be done within a week of travel and other sites said it needed to be within twenty-four to forty-eight hours.

Erring on the side of caution, the doctor was coming the day before Bella and Edward's departure. They were not looking forward to having their nasal passages swabbed and the cotton swab practically touching their brains, but they needed a negative test in order to get home.

"Okay, Osvaldo is driving us to the airport. Our flight leaves at half past eleven and we fly into Dallas. We have a health screening and then we have several hours until our connecting flight to Seattle," Edward said. "We will need to stay in one of the lounges, but there will be food for us."

"Sounds good," Bella murmured, unfocused as she was packing her bag.

"Hey, Glitter, look at me," Edward whispered, gently turning her in his arms. He saw tears in her eyes. "Sweetheart, Miss Alice will be okay. You've talked to her on FaceTime."

"She looked so pitiful. I've never seen her look anything less than curled and poofed and beautified," Bella whispered, curling into his arms. "With the mask on her face and her skin looking grey? I'm so scared, Edward. I can't lose her."

"I spoke to my dad and despite her appearance, Miss Alice is in good health and is not as sick as other patients in the hospital. She's also isolated from the more serious cases, but still on the COVID floor. She's got a private room," Edward explained. "Let's get out of here. We haven't eaten yet and all this stressing is counterintuitive."

"Edward," Bella argued.

"Come on. Nahuel is bringing a basket of food for a lunch on the beach. It's a little chilly for topless times on the beach, but we can still eat," Edward said, threading his fingers with hers. "We need to get out of this room."

Bella frowned, but allowed Edward to pull her out onto the beach. They put on their masks while they walked to the beach, finding Nahuel spreading out a blanket, using a picnic basket to keep it from blowing away. Edward handed him a large tip before Nahuel left.

"This looks nice," Bella murmured, taking off her mask and sliding on her sunglasses. She sank onto the blanket and curled up. "Thank you for being the voice of reason. Normally, I'm pretty even-keel, but with Miss Alice, all sense of calm dissipates. She is, for all intents and purposes, my mom."

"I get it, Bella. I'd probably be as much of a mess if it were my mother," Edward said softly, pulling out the food from the basket. "However, you're not a mess, Bella. You're strong and positive for Miss Alice when you talk to her. I can see how much she loves you. Her eyes light up and despite her being sick, she's happy to see you, happy to talk to you."

They made their plates and Bella huffed out a breath. "You know what pisses me off? Her family! Her kids and grandkids! They haven't once contacted her. And yet, once she kicks the bucket, they will swoop in and pick over her shit like fucking vultures. They don't care about her. What the hell?!"

"Have you met any of Miss Alice's family?" Edward asked, sipping some beer.

"I met her oldest son, JR, when I first moved into my apartment. He seemed okay, but distant. Miss Alice said that he was going through a divorce and was wary of women. However, it baffles me that the cold man who'd I met was related to the warmest human I'd ever met," Bella murmured. "I don't know. Miss Alice did make me her medical power of attorney and the executor of her will and trust. If those selfish assholes what any of her money, they have to go through me and her attorney. She doesn't like Miss Alice's children, either. Maybe I'm just bitter, but I'm pissed."

"You have every right to be pissed, Glitter," Edward said. "Her family sounds like a bunch of tools."

"Which is why I'm so upset that we're so far away. We're moving heaven and earth to get back to Seattle and her kids and grandkids probably couldn't even be bothered to leave their homes," Bella sighed. "I'm sorry. I'll stop bitching about this. Perhaps, we can talk about traveling back to the states. I want to film it. Hell, I've got a lot of footage that's going to be keep me busy for months. Posting short videos has been okay while we're here, but I want to get more into the nitty gritty of quarantining while we were here. Also, talking about where I go moving forward … do I continue doing this travel blog/vlog? Especially, during the time of COVID."

"Your subscribers are loyal to you, and they have some great ideas," Edward said. "Ask them. Ask them what they want to see. Tell them about your concerns about COVID and traveling. Once we get back to the states, film a video and be honest about it."

"Will you join me?" Bella asked. "Or, at least, be with me while I film the video?"

"Of course," Edward smiled. "I'm in this for the long haul, baby."

"I love you, Sparkle. I couldn't have gotten through this without you," Bella breathed.

"I love you, too, Glitter."

xx DD xx

May 6th, 2020

They woke up early and walked to the main building of the resort. The doctor could only come in the morning. So, in the private dining room, the doctor set up a small medical clinic for anyone who needed testing. Bella went in first, crying as the swab damn near poked her brain. She dabbed her eyes and pulled her mask back up. Edward went next and he growled at the intrusion.

"Ten minutes," the nurse said in heavily accented English, putting their swabs into some solution. "You have your cell phone? Your numbers?"

"It's on our forms," Bella said.

"We'll text you with the results. If negative, we'll print out your forms," the nurse explained, her eyes crinkling. "Go eat breakfast."

"Thank you," Edward said, threading his fingers with Bella's.

Walking out to the pool deck, they ordered some breakfast and coffee. When their meals were delivered, their cell phones vibrated. Picking them up, they read the results and smiled. "Negative," Bella said, pressing a hand to her chest.

"I'll go get the print outs. Then, after we eat, we can go into the business center to print out our boarding passes," Edward said, kissing her cheek before putting his mask back on his face.

Bella cut into her omelet, staring out at the ocean. The waves were rocky this morning. The white noise was welcomed. Edward came back with an envelope. "Both of our test results are in there?" she asked.

"Yep," Edward nodded. "The doctor said that this will get us onto a plane. They may require another rapid COVID test at the airport, but for now this is our ticket out of here. We will have our temperature checked and we'll have to self-certify that we hadn't been in contact with someone who had COVID."

"Kay," Bella answered. After eating their breakfast, they walked back to their villa after printing out their boarding passes. Their bags were packed and all they needed to do was pack up their toiletries, which they would do tomorrow morning. "Do you want to film a goodbye to Chez Louis? Tell everyone about our plans to return home?"

"Sure thing, Bella," Edward smiled.

Bella picked up her vlogging camera and tripod. They walked outside, setting up on the beach. Once they were settled, Bella pressed the record button. She took Edward's hand. He kissed her temple, whispering against her skin.

She turned to kiss his lips gently before talking. "So, I've posted some short videos on my YouTube channel and blogged updates on my blog and Insta. As clichéd as it sounds, we are living in uncertain times. A pandemic … it's surreal, to be honest."

"I remember when H1N1 was a huge deal, but it was quickly squashed. This? This is so much more," Edward snorted. "It's so unpredictable. People who are exposed might get sick, or not. Some people have mild symptoms where others are in the hospital, hooked up to ventilators and fighting for their lives. It's mind-boggling and incredibly scary."

"Exactly," Bella nodded. "We got stuck here in São Paulo, which if you looked around, is pretty freaking epic." She picked up the camera, giving a slow pan of the beach, their villa, and an array of tropical flowers. She settled the camera back in front of them, smiling sadly. "However, our time in paradise is coming to an end. A couple days ago, I got some news about my family. So, we managed to get a flight home and we leave tomorrow. Edward did a lot of the hard work."

"Commercial flights are still in flux, but we managed to a flight out tomorrow morning. According to the United States Consulate, we needed to have a negative COVID test. We both got tested this morning. I love getting my brain poked first thing in the morning," Edward quipped. "But, we rewarded ourselves with omelets, bacon and pancakes after our tests."

"Which we're both negative," Bella grinned. "That makes sense since we've only ever interacted with each other. If not, we wear our masks. It's the resort policy that in the common areas, you needed to be masked. The only time you can take them off is while eating. It's so nice here, that most of the dining is outside."

"If we don't eat outside, we eat our villa. The resort, Chez Louis, has been amazing and so very accommodating. With helping us with laundry, making arrangements for creature comforts and contacting local medical professionals for periodic COVID testing and refilling prescriptions," Edward said. "When you go on a vacation, you only pack a week's worth of medication and you end up staying for a lot longer than a week ..."

"The doctor also came out for other reasons, as well. Anyway, we're leaving tomorrow and I'm eager to get back to the states. I've missed my bed and my plants, though they may be dead by now. We've been here for two months? Right?" she asked Edward.

"It's been two months, maybe a little longer," Edward nodded. "It flew by because I was with you, but I'm also eager to get home."

Bella smiled, kissing him tenderly. "So, we have our negative tests and we're leaving tomorrow morning. We might have to be rapid tested again, but if it gets us home, I'm okay with that. We fly from São Paulo to Dallas/Fort Worth. Our layover is a few hours, and we get to hang out in the first-class lounge. We had to make sure we have enough time to get through customs and any other health screenings. We will be filming our adventure in the airport, along with any other steps along the way."

"Once we get back to Seattle, we have to quarantine for two weeks and then we can go from there," Edward smiled.

"Hopefully, things will go smoothly. My fingers are crossed," Bella said, holding up her hands with her fingers crossed. "So, we'll see you tomorrow." She stopped recording and blew out a breath. "Okay, we've got a few hours before we can call Miss Alice. I'm going to try and finish editing the train wreck of a romance novel."

"What's wrong with this one?" Edward asked, helping Bella to her feet.

"The love scenes are just so ugh," Bella shuddered. "It was written by a man, and he does not know a woman's body. Rest assured; this author must be a virgin living in his mother's basement."

"Ouch," Edward laughed. "Show me some of the nastiness, please?"

"I'll send you the worst passage," Bella quipped. "Come on, Sparkle. Let's get some work done."

They worked separately on their various projects. The only break that Edward took was when Bella emailed the most atrocious piece of literature he'd ever read. "This guy gets paid to write?" he laughed.

"Yep," Bella replied. "Oooh, we can call Miss Alice. Carlisle said any time after ten. It's just after one here, so we're in the clear!" She opened up FaceTime and dialed Carlisle's number.

Carlisle's masked face filled Bella's computer screen. His blue eyes brightened when he saw both Bella and Edward. "It's good to see you guys," he murmured.

"How is she doing?" Bella asked.

"Every day she's getting stronger. Miss Alice was in excellent health before she was admitted and that's working in her favor," Carlisle replied. He was walking through the hospital, and he arrived at Miss Alice's room. He knocked. Miss Alice weakly called for him to come inside. "You look much cleaner, Miss Alice."

"One of the nurses came in and helped me shower. I couldn't stand my own smell. The fact that I can smell myself is a good sign, right? My sense of smell is coming back," Miss Alice snickered. "The same nurse also curled my hair. I feel somewhat human."

"Well, I've got some folks who are eager to talk to you," Carlisle chuckled. "Show off your new hairdo!" He handed the iPad to Miss Alice. Bella let out a choked sob.

"Oh, sweet girl, don't cry," Miss Alice said. Her hair was curled, but she still wore a nasal cannula, and her skin was very pale. "I'm getting better, Bella!"

"You look so much better," she sniffled.

"You do, Miss Alice," Edward beamed. "Is my dad treating you well?"

"Honey, your dad is a Godsend. He's also easy on the eyes," Miss Alice grinned. "He's also blushing something fierce. His ears are bright red."

"That's a Cullen trait," Edward laughed. "I get the same way when Bella flirts with me."

"You love it," Bella smirked, kissing his cheek.

"I love you," Edward smiled, capturing her chin, and kissing her lips.

"Love you, too."

"I'm so glad that Bella finally pulled her head out of her ass," Miss Alice cackled. "Did you two kiss and make up?"

"In more ways than one," Bella quipped. "Have you talked to your kids?"

"JR called me and gave me some cock and bull story that he wouldn't fly out to see his old, decrepit mother. That kid is going to be written out of the will," Miss Alice sighed. "For fuck's sake, they all are. When I get better, I'm calling my attorney."

"Speaking of which, how are you feeling? Other than clean?" Bella asked.

"I'm feeling better. I'm still having some shortness of breath and I can't taste anything that's sweet. Spicy and salty things? No big deal. A piece of cake? Not a chance," Miss Alice said. "And, I miss sweets!"

"Your sweet tooth will come back," Carlisle said. "Our concern is when Miss Alice is going to be discharged from the hospital."

"What do you mean?" Edward asked.

"She can't be home alone and usually we'd send her to a rehabilitation facility. However, due to COVID, I'd rather she convalesce somewhere more protected. Edward, would you mind if I take Miss Alice back to your condo and I can take care of her there?" Carlisle asked.

"Of course, Dad," Edward nodded. "Miss Alice, my condo is a little … well … modern and cold."

"But, the bed's comfortable," Bella chirped.

"I can imagine," Miss Alice snickered dryly, winking at Bella and Edward. "Are you certain you don't mind?"

"Miss Alice, you're a part of our family," Edward smiled. "You're important to both me and Bella."

"You two are doing more than god damned kids," Miss Alice huffed. "You're in the will! They're out!"

"Don't make any rash decisions," Bella chided.

"The only decision we need to make is where Miss Alice is going to stay once she's discharged from the hospital," Carlisle chuckled. "I don't think it'll be too long. She's made a quick turnaround. I think she can be released after this weekend, barring any secondary infections."

"How long will she need to be in Edward's condo?" Bella asked. "I need to set up the grocery delivery."

"I can do it, Bella," Carlisle said. "And we'll play it by ear when it comes to Miss Alice's recuperation. You've got to deal with your own quarantine."

"Right," Bella grumbled, wrinkling her nose. "Ugh … I'll have to set up my own grocery delivery."

"I had Emmett bring over the food from my apartment to yours once we found out you were coming back. It's the least he can do since he infected me with this funk," Miss Alice growled. "The groceries that would go bad, he pitched, but the rest was placed in your pantry and fridge. Stop worrying."

"It's hard not to, Miss Alice," Bella whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "I should have been there."

"No, Bella. I will not begrudge you happiness. You deserve that, sweet girl. I was terrified of the virus. I still am because I'm not out of the woods," Miss Alice explained. "But, you are doing more for me than my own flesh and blood. I love you so much, Bella. You, too, Edward."

"Oh, Miss Alice, we love you, too," Bella cried, wiping hastily at her eyes.

"When do you leave São Paulo?" Carlisle asked.

"Early, early tomorrow. We should be back in two days," Edward explained. "Unless something happens where we need to quarantine at our layover."

"Safe travels," Miss Alice smiled.

"We'll keep in touch as much as we can," Bella nodded.

They said their goodbyes, ending the call. Bella felt a little more at ease, seeing Miss Alice on the mend. Edward enfolded his girlfriend into his arms. "She's doing well, Glitter," he murmured.

"But, you said it yourself that this virus is unpredictable," she whispered.

"Think positively, Bella. We'll be home in two days," Edward said soothingly.

xx DD xx

May 7th, 2020

Early the next morning, Bella and Edward donned their masks and met up with Osvaldo. They settled their bill and left a sizeable tip for them in their villa. Osvaldo drove them to the airport, and it was nearly abandoned. Bella filmed as the rainforest morphed into a cityscape, but there were no cars on the road. "This is so weird," Bella murmured. "I mean, it's like the end of the world."

"When I dropped off Mr. Benjamin," Osvaldo began, "it was even emptier. I mean, no one was in the parking lot, and it was so eerie."

"It still is eerie," Edward mumbled behind his mask.

Osvaldo parked the car at the international terminal. He got out and unloaded their luggage. "It's been a pleasure having you with us at Chez Louis," Osvaldo said. "I hope that … once everything is back to normal … you'll come back."

"Thank you for everything you've done for us. We left you a tip in the room," Bella explained. "I wish I could hug you, but social distancing …"

"I get it," Osvaldo chuckled. "Safe flights!"

With an awkward fist bump, they walked into the airport with their luggage, passports, and proof of negative COVID test results. The TSA agents checked their temperature and paperwork before waving them through to the airline counter. Again, their paperwork was double checked, along with checking their bags and they were given updated boarding passes. Carrying their passports, boarding passes and COVID tests, they walked to the security checkpoint.

Ten minutes later, they were in an empty lounge and were drinking some coffee, after wiping down every surface with wipes. "I think that's the fastest I'd ever gotten through security," Bella said at their table.

"I haven't traveled much, but that was quick," Edward snickered, nibbling on his breakfast. "This is going to be a long day … a long trip."

"At least we'll be together," Bella smiled, swiping a piece of bacon off his plate.

After finishing their meal, they left the lounge and sat at the gate. Bella did some work, editing a new book after she uploaded the raw footage from her memory card onto the external hard drive.

"Is this book better than the one from yesterday?" Edward asked as he responded to some emails on his computer.

"Yes. Much better. It's a romance, but no disgusting descriptions of the most acrobatic sex … Having sex in a back bend? Who does that?" Bella groaned, shaking her head. "I mean our sex life is pretty creative, but fucking in a back bend? Yeah, I don't think so."

"We could try," Edward snickered. Bella shot him a look. "Or not." The gate agent announced that boarding was starting. Edward closed his computer. "You ready, Glitter?"

"I'm so ready, Sparkle," she nodded, tucking her computer into her backpack. Slinging it over her shoulder, she walked to the gate. Edward followed her and they were scanned into the flight, walking along the jetway. Settling into their seats, Bella chuckled, "I can't believe we have the entire row to ourselves."

"My long ass legs are appreciative for that," Edward laughed, kicking his feet up. Bella snapped a picture of him with her phone with a giggle. Over the speakers, the flight attendants explained the safety features along with estimated flight time to Dallas. They finished their spiel and the airplane barreled down the runway.

Eleven hours later, they landed in Dallas at ten in the evening. Upon their departure, they were health screened and given clearance to go to customs. Swiping their bags from baggage claim, Bella and Edward walked to customs. The Dallas airport was a bit more busy than the São Paulo airport, even so late at night. There was a decent wait to get through customs, but they got through relatively easily. They made their way through the international terminal to domestic American Airlines terminal, to the first-class lounge.

Their flight from Dallas to SeaTac was departing a little after one in the morning. So, they had a couple of hours to sit through before boarding their final leg of their trip. They ate some snacks and talked about their plans once they got back to Seattle. "I just want to sleep," Bella yawned, sipping her coffee.

"Soon," Edward chuckled. "As soon as we get back, I arranged for a car service to pick us up and then we'll go to your place to crash."

"Shower and then crash. I want to scour my face," Bella snorted, putting a fresh mask on. She handed him a fresh one as well, which he put on with a resigned sigh. She checked her watch. "We can go to our gate."

"The end is in sight," Edward said, pulling his backpack onto his shoulders.

"There's no place like home," Bella quipped, weaving her fingers with his and leading him out of the lounge. Walking through the nearly deserted terminal, they found their gate and checked in with the gate agent. He double checked their paperwork and COVID tests before telling them that the flight would start boarding once it was cleaned from the previous flight.

Bella leaned her cheek against Edward's shoulder, trying her hardest to stay awake. When the flight was called, Bella jumped awake. "We're almost home, Glitter," Edward said, pulling on her arm. "Let's go."

"Home stretch," she yawned, giving the gate agent the boarding pass.

The flight from Dallas to Seattle was a little more full, but still had a row all to themselves. Bella tried to stay awake, but lost the battle and nodded off before they reached their cruising altitude.

xx DD xx

May 8th, 2020

"Bella, wake up," Edward cooed, brushing her messy curls back. She blindly waved his hand away. "Glitter, we've landed, and we need to get off the plane."

"So sleepy," Bella mumbled. She cracked an eye open, glowering at Edward.

"I should rename you Grumpy," Edward laughed. "Do you want to go home?"

"Yeah, I do," she yawned. "I'm up."

They got off the plane and walked to baggage claim. Edward handed Bella his cell phone to call the car service while he got their bags. The driver told Bella the vestibule where he'd pick them up. With their luggage, they walked outside and took off their masks for a few moments, tossing them into the garbage can. Once the black limo pulled up, fresh masks covered their faces and greeted the driver. Bella gave him her address and they pulled away from the curb as the sun peaked over the horizon.

Arriving back at Bella's apartment, she pulled out her keys. Edward paid the driver, and they got their bags from the trunk. Bella looked up at her apartment building, smiling behind her mask. Rolling her bag to the entrance, she opened the door and walked to check her mailbox. With Miss Alice in the hospital, she didn't have anyone to check her mail for the past week. Balancing her mail and her bag, she walked to the elevator with Edward.

"I'm praying that there's no foul stench in my apartment," Bella said.

"According to Emmett, he emptied out any grossness and actually sprayed a shit-ton of air freshener," Edward quipped.

"Candles. I'll be lighting candles and investing in essential oils," she quipped. "After sleep. I need sleep."

"Me, too, love," Edward agreed, shaking his head in order to stay awake.

Bella opened her apartment door and smiled when she did not smell rotten food. She removed her mask and tossed it into the garbage in the kitchen. "I know we have a ton to do, but all I want to do is shower and sleep."

"Let me call my mom. She wanted me to get a hold of her once I got back to the states," Edward said.

"I'm going to …" Bella murmured, pointing to the bathroom. "Join me when you're done?"

"Of course, love," Edward grinned, watching as she dragged her suitcase into her bedroom. He pulled out his cell phone, sitting down on Bella's couch. Dialing his mother, he waited for her to pick up. She did, sleepily answering the phone. After a brief conversation, he hung up and padded into Bella's bedroom. He heard the shower going. He opened the bathroom door and found Bella asleep inside. He chuckled, turning off the water and lifting her out of the bathtub. He wrapped her in a towel. Drying her off and tucking her into the bed, he slid in next to her after taking off his clothes.

Bella wriggled closer to Edward. "There's really no place like home," she mumbled. "Love you, Edward."

"Love you, too, Bella," Edward murmured, closing his eyes.

A/N: They're back home. Also, if you want to see how they traveled home, check out a YouTube channel, Kara and Nate. They documented their travel back to the states during the pandemic. I'll post the video on my blog and tumblr. I also suggest watching their videos. For someone who yearns to travel but is too chicken to do so, seeing them do it is all sorts of awesome. Other pictures are also on my blog, as well.

I'm also on FB: Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation. Twitter, too: tufano79. Come join the fun!

If I had to guess, we're close to the end of this one. I'm thinking we'll have a couple more real chapters and then we'll be done. We need to find out about Miss Alice. We also need to meet her ungrateful children. So, that'll be the next chapter, along with some citrusy goodness.

Leave me your thoughts!