15

"So, Swan stands up, and in front of everyone in our chemistry class, says, 'The next person who asks me about the tournament is going to get my foot up their ass. I'm nervous as fuck and about to lose my shit, so calm the fuck down'." Alice laughed before taking a drink of her beer. "Mr. Grey stammered something about her not using that kind of language in his class and sent her to the office."

"When the chief walked into the office, I expected him to be pissed, but he wasn't," Bella snickered. "Instead, he shook his head, put his hands on his hips, and said, "Damn, Bella, you should see the swells coming in. Hurry and get your shit. We'll catch a few since you're no doubt going to be suspended."

Edward laughed. "Wow."

"That was the chief for you," Esme scoffed. "I don't know who was more disappointed when Bella blew out her knee: her or him. He loved watching her surf."

Bella frowned, wrapping her arms around her knees as she brought her bottle of water to her lips. She, Edward, Alice, Jasper, Esme, and Carlisle were sitting on the back deck of Carlisle's boat, having stuffed their faces with grilled Opah, fresh crabs, and so much more. While everyone else had split a twelve pack of beers, Bella had chosen water. With her meds, which she took with everyone watching, alcohol was a no-no. They'd been reminiscing about their lives for the past hour, which Bella wasn't sure was a good idea or not. Living in the past wasn't much easier than knowing she didn't have much of a future left.

"He loved everything his girls did," Carlisle said, ending the awkward silence that filled the air.

"Not enough to live, I guess," Bella quipped before letting her feet drop from the edge of her chair and standing.

She ignored the pleading look from her sister as she made her way to the far side of the boat, leaning against the railing. They were only about twenty miles off shore. Close enough that she could see the lights coming off the island, but far enough to pretend she wasn't dying.

Bella smiled when she felt a pair of arms slip around her waist, her body automatically melting against Edward. "Tell me about your family."

Edward sighed, released his hold on her, and moved so that he was leaning against the railing, his back to the water. "My parents divorced when I was five. Dad never got over it, I guess, and couldn't handle being around me if he couldn't have my mom, too. By the time I was seven, he had disappeared and mom remarried. With the new husband came an older brother, who made my life hell—as a good brother should," he said, laughing.

"So, you don't really get along with your step-brother?" Bella asked.

Edward frowned. "Most of the time, I guess. Don't really see him much with the tour and all."

"What about your mom and stepdad? Are you close to them?"

"It's complicated."

Bella placed her hand on his chest. "I understand complicated."

"Mom never really paid much attention to me, I guess. I was a reminder of my father. I look a lot like him, and she hated him, so in return she hated me. Well, maybe not hate, but she and my stepdad weren't around enough to like me, or my brother, I guess. Think that's why I love the game so much. It started as a distraction and became my passion."

"I can understand that," Bella murmured, leaning against him.

"Surfing?"

She nodded. "And photography. Surfing is just a way of life here for most people, but I was good — like really good. I had people looking at me from the time I was thirteen, but then I busted my knee and couldn't compete anymore, so I did what I loved second, and started taking pictures."

"Which are amazing, by the way," he said, smiling as his hands clutched her hips.

"You've seen my work?"

Edward laughed, nodding. "I might have googled you."

"You googled me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she grinned.

"Are you saying you didn't look me up on the web?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. Why would I?"

"You weren't curious about me?"

"Of course I was, but I never thought about googling you."

"Hmm, okay, well, I guess I'm nosy. Anyway, when I googled you, I found your pictures, and they were really good."

"They're all right, I guess."

Edward dragged his hands up her back, over her shoulders so that he was cupping her face. "They're almost as beautiful as you."

And before she could protest, his lips were on hers, and everything was right in the world.

—BDBH—

For the second morning in a row, Bella woke up with Edward in her bed. He was laying on his stomach, a sheet barely covering the lower half of his body. She tried to be quiet as she dressed in a white bikini and slipped out of her bedroom. The door to Esme's room was closed, but Carlisle's shoes were next to the front door. Bella snatched her surf board from against the house and carried it down to the water. She stuck one end in the sand before raising her arms over her head and stretching. Her body ached — both from the episodes she'd had over the past week and two nights of love making with Edward.

No, not love making. Sex. It was just sex, she told herself. She couldn't allow herself to fall in love with Edward. He was a fling, her lover for the next ten days or so, until the tour took him somewhere else and she was left to die alone. That's all he could be.

"Are you going in? Looks like some pretty wicked waves setting up."

Bella twisted at the waist, finding Carlisle dragging his own board down the beach. "Are you going to yell at me if I do?"

"No," he chuckled. "Should I?"

Bella smirked and turned back toward the water. "Probably."

"So, um, I was going to talk to you about this later, but since we're alone right now," Carlisle started. He placed his board next to hers and started stretching his arms over his head. "I've been doing some research, looking for clinical trials that might offer you something."

She sighed.

"Look, I know, okay? But I figure it doesn't hurt to look, does it?"

"It's not going to help," she argued. "Terminal, Carlisle. That's what you told us when the chief . . . There's no cure."

"I know. I just thought, maybe, there might be something out there that could help."

"And was there?" she asked, trying to keep hope from lacing her words.

"Maybe," he said. "There's, um, this guy in New York, who has been using IV infusion therapy for MS patients. I've contacted him to see if his treatments might work for kufs, but he hasn't gotten back to me yet. It's not a cure, but might give you more time at least."

"More time, huh?" Bella whispered before reaching over and grabbing her board. "It doesn't matter how much time you can get me. In the end, I'm still going to die, aren't I?"

And without giving him a chance to respond, Bella ran into the water, trying to lose herself to the surf.

—BDBH—

A few hours, and a dozen waves later, Bella dragged herself out of the ocean, and back up toward the house. Carlisle hadn't mentioned his new treatment plan again after paddling out to join her, which she was grateful for. For just a few hours, she just wanted to enjoy the feeling of the board under her feet and a wave curling around her body.

Carlisle and Esme were seated at the kitchen table when Bella walked into the house. She ignored them as she went to her bedroom, finding Edward sitting on the side of her bed with his shoes in his hands. His bronze hair was wet and his shirt still unbuttoned.

"Hey," he said, grinning. "Were the waves bitching?"

Bella snorted at his use of slang. "The bitchiest. Where are you off to?"

"Gotta meet up with Whitlock for a run before the tournament starts. We're up against a team from Brazil that have almost beat us twice in the last year."

"Ah." Bella turned toward the dresser, pulled the top drawer open, and grabbed a pair of panties. "Well, I guess I'll see you at the pit then."

She heard Edward stand and a moment later felt his arms wrap around her waist. "Stay with me tonight."

"At your hotel?" she asked, tilting her head back so she could see him.

"Yep," he whispered and pressed his lips against the side of her head. "We'll order room service and raid the mini bar."

She laughed. "Hmm, I could be down for that."

"Good." Edward kissed her. "I'll see in a bit, okay?"

Bella hummed and walked to her bedroom door, watching as he quickly left. Unable to keep the smile off her face, stepped back into her room, closed the door, and told herself they were just having fun.

An hour later, Bella found Alice waiting for her at the entrance of the tournament. Like had been her habit over the last few days, Alice shoved a mango and kiwi smoothie in Bella's hand with a look that clearly said not to argue and just drink it.

"Okay, Peanut, let's hear it."

Alice laughed. "Straight down to business, eh, Swan? Okay, well, here's the plan. Since we have six teams to feature — three men's and three women's — I figured the best approach is to take one team in the morning and one in the afternoon over the next two days, and again over next weekend. I figured we'd start with Rosalie Hale and Tanya Clearwater in the morning with Edward and Jasper tomorrow afternoon, Kate Denali and Angela Webber the following morning with Garrett Mitchel and Ben Cheney that afternoon. Then the next Saturday, I've got Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley, Mike Newton and Tyler Crowley. I'm actually hoping Felix will stop being a dick and pick another team to feature, because between you and me, those guys are jackholes, who need a pineapple shoved up their asses."

Bella snorted. "No shit. Tyler Crowley doesn't seem too bad, but I'd rather not work with Mike Newton. The dick has already put his hands on me too many times."

"Oh, really?" Alice raised an eyebrow. "Leave it to me, Swan. I'll make sure we don't have to deal with him."

"Peanut," Bella warned with a shake of her head, but Alice wandered off in search of Felix before she could stop her. And that was why Bella made it a habit not to tell Alice everything.

Throughout the morning, Bella managed to fill three memory cards with pictures she'd taken of the players, action shots, and of the crowd. The beach was filled with supporters, especially as Edward and Jasper's match drew closer. With five minutes before their match was due to start, Bella slipped away from the pit and started toward the hospitality tent, needing a bottle of water and a banana to take her noon meds. It was hot and a headache had been to throb at the base of her neck. However, as she passed behind the bleacher, a pair of hands grabbed the tops of her arms and yanked her back and down onto the ground. Bella screamed, but a hand covered her mouth, muffling the plea for help as the crowd cheered whatever was happening in the pits. Bella's eyes widened when Mike Newton straddled her body, his hand over her mouth and his other slamming into the sand next to her head.

"You fucked with my career, bitch," he snarled. "You fucking, cock-teasing, bitch, fucked with my career!"

Tears filled Bella's eyes as she tried to deny that she had done anything to his career. Mike had her arms pinned to her side with his meaty thighs, and the lack of oxygen from his hand being over her mouth had her head throbbing worse.

Mike leaned down so that he was maybe an inch away from her. "Now, I'm going to fuck you, find out for myself why Mason likes your pussy."

Bella cried harder as she tried to free herself. Mike grabbed the front of her pink tank top with the hand that had been next to her head, yanking it down over her bikini top. However, before he could touch her breast, someone threw him off her, and Bella gasped for air as Seth slammed Mike onto the ground, his fist making contact with the left side of the assholes jaw.

Bella scrambled away from the two of them as Seth hit him again and again. The crowd above them appeared to have heard the commotion because moments later, they were surrounded by spectators. Felix pushed his way through the crowd, looked from Seth, who had Mike pinned face down in the sand, to Bella, who had her knees pulled against her chest.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Felix asked, dragging Mike out from under Seth with ease. "Jesus, you've busted his nose!"

"Serves him right," Seth snarled as he stood and gestured toward Bella. "He assaulted her!"

And just like that, everyone's eyes were on Bella's, including Edward and Jasper, who had joined the crowd of gawkers.

Thank you for all the reviews, and the insane patience with me. I just started a second job, so my time is limited, but I'm always working on updates, I promise.