Twilight and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. I'm just playing around with them.

Lots of thanks to MelissaMargaret for making this pretty, and to anhanninen and xxluvCarlisleEsmexx for prereading.

Trust, okay?


EPOV

I couldn't stop thinking about Bella.

How she looked tonight. Her smile. The way she felt barely pressed against me while we danced.

The night wasn't over, but what had happened so far kept running through my head, and I was pretty sure I didn't want it to stop.

Normally, I wasn't a fan of these kind of events. My teen years had been full of them, my only reprieve being college. But since I'd moved back home, I'd been forced to attend again.

It wasn't that I hated the idea of giving to charity. That was great and all, but why did it require me putting on a tux and schmoozing with people who picked their friends based on income? Yeah, our family had some money but that didn't make us act like assholes. I didn't know why everyone else thought they had to.

The nap I took after work hasn't been planned at all – there was no way I'd do something like that on purpose after all the wrath I'd gotten from Mom last month. But that nap combined with the traffic worked out for the best. Instead of having to mingle before dinner, I arrived just in time to go right to our table, only having to smile and nod a few times in the process.

And what . . . no, who was waiting for me at our family's table made me almost forget why I didn't like these things.

Bella in a fancy dress was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. She made me speechless the one time I wished I could say something, and I had heartburn before even eating anything. The dark pink dress looked perfect, and her long curly hair was just begging for me to touch it.

I hadn't noticed a girl this way in a while. The few quick fucks I'd had since college while good didn't feel anything close to how I felt when I just looked at Bella.

But that wasn't right, was it?

We were friends now and since we'd declared it, things had been good. Jasper was becoming a good friend too, but there was just something about Bella. She listened to me and didn't pretend to be anything she wasn't. Which was fine with me because she was funny and . . . sweet. And she seemed to care about me.

She was more than just a homeless girl I'd accidentally stumbled upon. She was Bella. My . . . friend. I'd found myself enjoying our talks every night and even just sitting close together and holding hands on my couch was nice.

My dick enjoyed that too for some reason, and he especially liked the hugs she'd given me. And he was definitely paying attention tonight.

So maybe it wasn't right. I wasn't sure if I cared anymore. Bella made me happier than anyone else and I was pretty sure I made her happy too. She definitely smiled and laughed enough as we talked and danced together. I knew I'd never forget what it felt like to hold her close as I led us to the music. And I wasn't even mad when Lucy and everyone else in the family wanted to dance with me, too. I wasn't sure if anything could ruin this night.

And even now that we were taking a break from dancing, I just couldn't stop thinking about her.

I wasn't sure where she'd disappeared to, but I filled my time and avoided talking to anyone by walking around to look at the different auction tables. Most of the items didn't interest me in the least, but I did halfheartedly bid on a vacation that looked pretty cool and some earrings that had potential for a birthday gift for Mom. Since I was here, I might as well save myself from some shopping torture later.

But then something caught my attention. A necklace. It wasn't fancy or anything – just a silver looking heart with a few small diamonds on it – but right away I knew I wanted to bid on it. This necklace would look perfect on Bella. Friends could give each other gifts, right? Maybe her birthday was coming up soon or something.

Or maybe I was just screwed.

Either way, I didn't care, and I took my time to think of a good bid that would give me the best shot of winning. Bella was going to get this necklace from me, and hopefully she'd like it and hug me again.

With a smile on my face after I entered my bid, I started to walk back to our table, but then something else caught my eye. It was a basket full of kids' books. Something made me want to get them for Lucy even though I knew I'd probably be the one she'd ask to read them. Still . . . I wanted to do it, telling myself that life was easier when the kid was happy. I couldn't lie to myself that much, though. The truth was that maybe I liked Lucy, too. Just a little bit. And if she'd liked that little doll I'd gotten her so much, maybe she'd like these books, too.

After finishing my final bid, I wove through the crowd to get back to our table. I was hoping to see Bella but instead Mom was the only one there and she was frowning.

"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting in my chair. "Where's Bella?"

"Bella wasn't feeling well, so she and Lucy left a little early," she explained, her frown getting bigger. "Rose was taking the boys home anyway so they rode with them."

"Oh. Will she be okay?"

Mom shook her head a little. "I . . . I really don't know, honestly. She didn't look good. Do you think you could leave a little early too and go check on her? Your father and I have to stay til the end, but Alice, Jasper, and Emmett are staying so we'll be fine. I'd feel much better if you did."

"Yeah, I can," I agreed immediately. It wasn't like I wanted to be here, especially without Bella. And now I was worried. Bella seemed fine before, so it was weird that she was suddenly sick. We ate the same things and everyone else was fine so it couldn't be food poisoning. But if it was, I'd rather be at home for that mess anyway.

Mom let out a breath and reached over to squeeze my hand. "Thank you, dear. I don't think I need you for anything else, so if you want you can go check in with your dad and then head out. Thank you for being such a good sport tonight."

I shrugged. Really, it hasn't been bad at all. "No problem. I'll let you know what's going on as soon as I get home."

When I stood, she stood with me and pulled me into a tight hug. One that showed exactly how worried she was. Mom was a hugger anyway but she didn't try to squeeze the life out of us unless she was scared.

Once I was free, I quickly found Dad who was talking to one of his previous colleagues from when he'd worked at the hospital before going into private practice. Apparently they hadn't talked since he'd gone into private practice because even though I clearly needed his attention, Dad ignored me for another few minutes.

"Did you need something, son?" he asked after the other guy finally went to mingle with other people.

"Uh yeah. Mom said Bella wasn't feeling well and went home early with Rose. She wants me to go check on her now. Unless you need me for something else . . . "

Dad shook his head, his eyebrows dipping. "I don't need you for anything, but do I need to go check on Bella, too? Did your mother know if she'd gotten sick or something?"

I shrugged. "No idea. She was fine a little while ago. Maybe it's all the people." Even I didn't like that and I'd done this before.

"That's true. She was a bit anxious about tonight. Just call if you need something."

"Will do." I started to walk away but then remembered something. "Oh, Dad, I entered a few of the auctions. Can you pick up the prizes if I win? I'll pay you back."

"Of course. Which ones did you enter?"

When I explained my bids, he began smiling and watching me with a strange look in his eye. Thankfully, he didn't comment further so I was able to escape toward the door.

I was only stopped by Jasper before making it out the door, but he didn't keep me long – just wanting to know what was going on. I only told him the basics because knowing Mom, the whole family would know what was going on soon enough.

Traffic wasn't as bad as it had been earlier but it was still a holiday and it delayed me more than I'd wanted. The delay did give me more time to think about Bella.

But this time, they weren't all happy thoughts. What if it wasn't just the people and she really was sick? The idea of food poisoning ran through my mind again, but I still felt fine so that didn't seem very likely.

I wondered if I needed to stop and get her some medicine or soup or something. Wasn't that what made sick people feel better? I grabbed my phone to call and ask Rose what to get but then I realized I had been driving on autopilot and was almost home.

As soon as I parked and turned the car off, I hurried into the house. Right away, I found Rose in the kitchen fixing some cups of water.

"Hey," she said when she heard me. "What are you doing home so soon?"

"Mom asked me to come check on Bella. Is she really sick?"

Her face changed, falling slightly. "Well . . . I don't really know. She said she was fine but she didn't look good and she took Lucy upstairs as soon as we got home. I wonder if something happened because I'm not sure if she looked sick exactly. I was about to go check on her as soon as I take drinks to the boys downstairs."

"I'll do it," I offered. I needed to see if she was okay and if she needed me to get anything for her. I hoped she'd feel better so we could talk more tonight like we did every night. Only now I wanted to hold her close again.

If Rose was surprised by my offer, it didn't show. "All right. Let me know if she needs anything. The boys are wound up so we'll probably stay til everyone else gets home."

With a nod, I turned and headed upstairs. Everything was quiet so I knocked softly on her door in case Lucy was sleeping.

"Bella?" I called softly when no one answered my first knock. "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

I stood and waited for a minute, debating on whether or not to just open the door. If they were both sleeping, I didn't want to wake them but I needed to see if everything was okay.

Finally, I carefully opened the door. A nightlight was on and with the light from the hallway, I was able to see well enough. Lucy was in bed asleep, but Bella wasn't beside her. I looked over to the rocking chair in the corner but Bella wasn't there either. The light was off in the bathroom but I still quietly walked over and looked in just in case Bella had passed out or something. I found nothing, which left me confused. Where else could she be?

Unless she was in my room. She did like it in there for whatever reason, so it seemed like the best place to check. She could have been waiting on me to get home, and that thought brought the heartburn back. I really needed to find some tums soon.

After making sure I didn't wake Lucy and closing the door, I walked down the hall to my room. The door was also closed even though I remembered leaving it open when I'd left earlier, so I hoped I was right.

When I opened the door and only found a dark, empty room, I started to worry. Where else could she be? She never really hung out anywhere else in the house without someone there. Rose would have known if she was in the basement, and I hadn't seen her anywhere downstairs when I'd passed through. There were always the other bedrooms and bathrooms which didn't seem likely, but I guessed it wouldn't hurt to check.

I took my jacket off, going to lay it over the arm of my couch, but I stepped on something that crinkled. I looked down and saw that it was a piece of paper. Reaching over, I turned on the light and bent down to grab the paper. It was folded in half, and when I opened it, I was not expecting what I found.

Edward – I'm sorry. So sorry. I can't let anything bad hapen to you and your family or Lucy. I have to go so you will be safe. I'm sorry I didn't say anything but please take care of Lucy. She will be safe with your family and she loves you all very much. I do to and I can't say thank you enuf for everything you did for me and for being my freind. You are the best freind I ever had. I'm so sorry but I hope you will forgiv me. Bella.

The writing was sloppy but I could read it. I just wasn't sure what she meant. She had to go? Go where? I had no idea what she meant about being safe and taking care of Lucy. Why wouldn't she be able to take care of her kid?

Suddenly, it hit me, and I ran for the stairs.

"Rose!" I yelled, not thinking about being quiet anymore. "Rose!"

She met me at the bottom of the stairs, frowning. "Edward? What's wrong?"

"Rose, she's . . . she's gone."

"Gone? Who's gone?"

I shoved the paper into her hand. "Bella. I found this in my room. She must have put it in there."

She unwrinkled the paper without another word, and tears filled her eyes as she read. "Oh no," she gasped. "Oh no. No, no, no. I can't believe . . . I have to call Mom and Em."

She tossed the paper back to me as she ran toward the kitchen. I felt like I couldn't move or think or anything. What was even happening?

I scanned through the note again, really not liking how many times she said safe. If she was in danger, I needed to do something. I could protect her. Our whole family could protect her from whatever she was afraid of.

I had to go find her. She definitely couldn't leave now. She was my best friend too, and I wouldn't let her go without a fight.

I grabbed a coat on my way to the door, but Rose stopped me.

"Wait," she said, putting her hand on my arm. "Emmett, Jasper, and Alice were already on their way home. They'll be here in less than a minute so you should wait for them. Make a plan to search."

"But she's out there in the cold," I gritted out, not wanting to be mad at my sister-in-law, but we were losing time.

"I know," she said, gripping my arm. She sniffed and a tear fell down her cheek. "I know. But we'll get her back. There's no other option. Bella will come home. Tonight."

She nodded, as if to make her words true, and I nodded in return. There wasn't another option, and though logically I knew it would be better to have a plan and go together, I hated just doing nothing.

So I paced in front of the door. Any other day, Mom would have been complaining that I was wearing a hole in her floor, but today I didn't care and I was sure she wouldn't either.

"Do Mom and Dad know?" I asked Rose as I paced.

"Yeah, Emmett was going to call Dad and tell him so he could break the news to Mom. I'm sure they'll be on their way as soon as they know."

"Good. We need Dad." We needed him as a doctor and to be in charge. We were all adults but sometimes it was still good to have a parent.

Rose nodded. "I know. Everything will be okay, Edward."

I wasn't sure if I really believed her but I had to make myself think I did so I wouldn't run out the door. But thankfully, I heard a car in the driveway only a second later.

I moved away from the door just in time for Emmett to rush in with Alice and Jasper right behind him.

"We need a plan," Emmett said as he went to hug Rose.

"All cell phones need to be on with the volume up," Jasper said. "No missing any calls."

Emmett nodded. "Right. And I don't think we should wait for Dad to search. We need to go as soon as possible. Which way do you think she would have gone?"

"Toward our building?" Alice suggested. "She probably paid attention at least once on the way there, right? She's so smart so I bet she remembers."

"She'll find a bus station."

"Why do you think that?" I asked Rose, barely keeping up with what everyone was saying.

"Well I definitely can't see her hitchhiking and she can't fly without an ID. I'm pretty sure she's mentioned taking a bus to get here, too."

"I've heard her say that," Alice agreed. "I think you're right. So we look between here and the nearest bus station to the building. Who's going?"

"Me," I said right away. "I have to go. I have to."

"I know," Emmett said, holding my eyes, no sign of my teasing brother left. "We're going to get her back, man."

Jasper slapped my back. "Count me in. Alice?"

"Rose and I can stay here with the kids," she said. "In case Lucy wakes up. And we can keep Mom and Dad updated if they're held up."

Emmett nodded and kissed Rose before walking back toward. "So that's our plan. Let's head out."

I started following out the door when a little voice stopped me.

"Eddard? Where go, Eddard? Where Mama?"

"Oh, fuck," I whispered, slowly turning around.

Lucy was in the doorway of the kitchen rubbing her eyes. She looked like she was still half asleep, but she'd clearly seen me. Rose went to her right away and picked her up.

"Edward has to go out for a few minutes, sweetheart," she said softly, rubbing her back. "Let's go back up and rock for a while."

"No." Lucy shook her head and reached for me. "Eddard. Peas, Eddard?"

I was torn. She was making that pouting face again that made me want to give her whatever she wanted, but I needed to find Bella.

"I'll go," Alice said softly, and I turned to look at her. "Lucy needs you right now, okay?" She lowered her voice. "Don't let her be scared and I promise I'll help bring her home safely."

I didn't like it, but I let out a breath and nodded. I still felt like I needed to help search, but I guessed Lucy needed me too. She didn't need to be upset because that would be the one thing that could make this night worse. Bella would want Lucy to be happy, so I could at least do that for her.

Emmett, Alice, and Jasper quietly left, and I went over and took Lucy from Rose. "Okay, Lucy. Let's go upstairs."

She laid her head against my shoulder and wrapped her arms around me. "Kay, Eddard. Eddard room. Peas?"

"Yeah okay. We'll go to my room."

I waved my phone at Rose, reminding her to keep me in the loop, and she nodded.

"Of course. Put it on vibrate in case she goes to sleep. And let me fix her a cup of water."

After she handed me the cup, I carried Lucy upstairs to my room. I hoped I could find some cartoons for her to watch so she'd go back to sleep, and luckily I found a channel that worked.

I sat down on the couch with Lucy in my lap, but that wasn't good enough for her.

"Lay down bed, Eddard. Night night time."

I didn't want to lie down in my tux so I shifted her over and stood up. "Wait here," I told her, handing her the cup of water. "I need to change and then we can lie down."

She took the cup without fussing, so I quickly grabbed some pajama pants and changed in the bathroom – never letting my phone out of my sight. Even though it had only been a few minutes, my anxiety was growing not knowing exactly what was happening.

Lucy actually stayed on the couch until I opened the bathroom door, and then she ran over to me. "Eddard, where Mama? Mama go night night too, uh huh?"

I had no idea what to say, but since she'd asked before, I didn't think I could get away with not answering this time.

"Uhh . . . Mama had to go to . . . the store. Yeah. But she'll be back soon, okay? Let's lie down and watch whatever this show is."

She looked at me and smiled but didn't ask again, so I hoped I was off the hook now.

I carried her over to the bed and put her down on the other side before lying beside her. That wasn't what she wanted though, and she immediately scooted over until she was pressed against me.

"Love you all much, Eddard."

"Yeah. Um go to sleep now, okay?"

"Kay," she agreed, throwing her arm over me.

I wondered if this was how she slept with Bella every night and how she handled that because I was not sure if I could do this all night.

Thinking about Bella had me pulling my phone out to hold it on my chest, watching it for any sign of communication.

The minutes ticked by, and I was pretty sure Lucy was asleep. She hadn't said anything or tried to sing along with whatever weird show we were watching. I thought about trying to escape to go downstairs to wait with Rose but every time I shifted just a little, Lucy would shift too and whine. I'd narrowly escaped her being upset before and was not ready to do that again so I stayed put.

Five more minutes passed and my phone refused to light up. I finally texted Rose to see if she'd heard anything but just wasn't telling me, but she said she hadn't gotten a call yet either.

There was nothing left to do but wait, but I couldn't do that so I started praying to whomever might have been listening. I didn't know how or why Bella had become so important to me, but she had. I couldn't imagine my life without her now, so I prayed she'd come home safely. Based on the way everything had happened tonight, I was pretty sure the whole family wanted – no, needed her to come back.

Three minutes later, there was a knock on the door which made my heart start racing. As soon as Mom's head appeared in the doorway, my eyes started stinging.

"Mom . . ."

She walked over and knelt by the bed, grabbing my hand and kissing my forehead. "Shhh. I know, sweetheart. I know. They'll find her, and she'll come home. We'll make sure she knows she's safe here, okay? Whatever it is, we'll make it right."

I couldn't say anything else so I just nodded. We were both silent until I felt like I could talk again and then I nodded toward Lucy.

"Can you take her?" I whispered. "She whines when I move and I don't want to wake her up, but I need to be downstairs."

"Of course," she agreed right away. "I'll go lay down with her. You can keep me informed, but I know it'll be okay. Hear me?"

She didn't move until I nodded, but then she stood and somehow scooped Lucy into her arms without waking her up.

Once she was out of the room, I jumped up and hurried down the stairs. Rose was sitting in the kitchen, watching her phone like I had been watching mine.

"Nothing yet?" I asked, sitting on the stool beside her.

"Nope. But it hasn't even been an hour since they left."

She was right, but it felt like it had been hours if not days.

"Dad's warming blankets now," she said. "That's what we need to do first – get her changed and warm her up. We can ask questions after she's had time to rest."

As much as I wanted answers for . . . everything, I knew this was a good plan. Nothing else mattered except Bella coming home safely. We'd figure everything else out later.

Just as I was about to start pacing again, Rose's phone rang. I tensed and held my breath as she answered and put it on speaker phone.

"We've got her," Emmett said. "She'd gotten farther than we were expecting but we were searching thoroughly so it took a while. But we've got her."

Quickly releasing my breath, I laid my head down on the counter, thanking whomever I'd been praying to before. Rose grabbed my hand and squeezed, sniffling.

"That's so great, Em. How's she doing?"

"Ehh . . . Ali's holding her in the back, trying to warm her up a little. She was a little confused when we found her, but she let me pick her up and she sure did hold on to me tightly. I think she's cried herself to sleep now, though."

I clenched my fists and lifted my head. The thought of her being upset made my chest ache, worse than the usual heartburn. I was going to take care of her now. I needed to.

"Emmett," I said, my voice stronger than I was expecting. "Bring her to my room when you get home. I'll have it ready."

"You got it, Ed," he said right away. "She's safe. I promise. We'll see you in about ten minutes."

As soon as he hung up, I jumped off the stool and headed to find Dad. He wasn't in the laundry room like I was expecting but I found him soon after in his office.

"They've got her and Emmett's bringing her to my room," I blurted out. "Can you help me get it ready?"

He nodded, grabbing his bag. "Sure, son. I'll meet you up there."

I ran back upstairs, peaking in on Mom, but Rose had already told her the news and Lucy was even still asleep.

Maybe our night was turning around.

After fixing my bed and grabbing my extra blanket from my closet, I went to the hall closet and found one of the extra heaters. I plugged it in close to my bed and turned it on so the room would be warm.

Dad came up soon with his bag and the warm blankets. "She should be fine," he said as he organized everything. "It is snowing again now – only lightly – and at most she's been out two hours. She's a smart girl so I'm sure she put on a coat, but I'll still check her over. She'll be fine."

I wasn't sure if he was talking to make me feel better, but it worked. And I felt even better when I heard footsteps on the stairs.

Stepping back from the bed, I watched the door, feeling so much relief when Emmett walked in and I could see Bella with my own eyes. She looked so tiny in his arms and she was shivering, but her eyes were closed, even as he laid her on the bed.

"I'll leave you guys to it," he said softly, clapping my shoulder before leaving.

I watched closely as Dad checked her out, talking to Bella the whole time. I was pretty sure she was asleep, but that didn't stop him.

"Okay, sweetheart. Everything looks good. Your pupils are fine and I don't see any lacerations or broken bones so that's good. Your lungs sound good and so does your heart. A little fast, but that's understandable. And your temperature is . . . 96.9 so that's a bit low but not too seriously. We'll get your clothes changed and warm you right back up."

I figured that was my cue to go get Rose and Alice or Mom. As much as I didn't want to let Bella out of my sight, I wasn't going to be the one to undress her. That would definitely be crossing the friendship line.

Waiting for the girls to finish wasn't as bad as waiting for them to find her, but I was still impatient. When they finally left the room, I went back in. Dad had already put everything back in his bag and he walked over to me and pulled me into a hug. It was what I needed after the long night, and I hugged him just as tightly.

"She's fine, Edward," he assured me again. "Exhausted, I'm sure, and a little cold, but she'll sleep and warm up quickly. We'll all talk tomorrow, okay? And you try to get some sleep, too."

"Okay. Thank you, Dad. Tell everyone thank you."

"No thanks necessary," he said as he stepped back. "Our family loves her like she's always been our daughter, sister, and friend. Tomorrow, we'll make sure she realizes that and that we'll always keep her and Lucy safe from anything."

I nodded, and after he'd left and closed the door, I turned out the light and carefully climbed onto the other side of the bed. She was on my side, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was back and safe, and I felt like I could finally breathe again.

I carefully shifted us so she was in my arms and I could hold her closely. She let out a sigh when I tucked the warm blankets around her but otherwise didn't seem to care, and her shivering slowed down and stopped.

"You can't leave again," I whispered, kissing her forehead. "I need you, okay? You have to stay."

She mumbled something I couldn't understand and her hand came up to rest on my chest. I put my hand over it, squeezing softly.

We'd fix everything tomorrow, but until then, I wasn't going to let her go.


A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long. I had to fight through some massive writer's block, but the good news is that you'll get the next chapter in a week!

And I'm sorry I didn't get to review replies. No one wanted Bella to run, but it was always planned to be this way – and that she wouldn't be gone long. Next chapter you'll get all the answers Bella has to offer. ;)

Thank you all for being patient with me and so incredibly supportive! You guys are awesome.