Beneath The Surface

by MyBella

One summer, an internship in Africa, bloodlust, sharp teeth, and a boatload of fear are all that stand in the way of Bella Cullen landing a job at the Atlanta Aquarium - As long as she doesn't count cocky shark expert Edward Masen on her list.

26. 26 Twinkle Twinkle

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. Stephenie Meyer owns anything and everything relating to Twilight. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended and in order to keep it that way, No reproduction, copying, reposting, downloading, or any kind of redistribution of this story is allowed. This is to cover my arse as much as yours! And finally, the Original characters, plot, names, nicknames, songs, poems—anything I created from my very own brain—are all the property of the author of this fanfic, My-Bella. Unauthorized use of the material is plagiarism so please be kind and don't steal my creations.

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Chapter 26 – Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Tuesday, June 24th

"How did it turn midnight so fast?" Edward asked, hugging Bella tighter against him.

She laughed against his chest. "Time flies when you go on and on about your favorite foods. You spent an hour glorifying tacos alone."

"Smart ass," he said as he pinched her on the butt.

She squealed and tried to roll onto her back but he was holding too tight. She was sure he'd let go if she asked but she wasn't done enjoying his cuddling yet. She was surprised he was so good at it—and a little worried about what was causing this new level of affection. She was also surprised he was still awake with how close he'd seemed to falling asleep at the table earlier. She suspected he wasn't ready for the night to end and tomorrow to begin; he hadn't even suggested at all that she try to sleep.

The press of his lips to her forehead brought her back into the moment. "What are you thinking about, kapu?"

She scratched her fingernails along his jaw, enjoying the way it made him hum in pleasure. "I was just wondering if there might be something you wanted to talk about, something that's keeping you awake."

"Why would you think that? You know I don't sleep often and when I do it's erratic."

"It's not so much the not sleeping as the not letting there be any room between us."

He immediately relaxed his hold. "I thought you were enjoying it."

"I am and you better tighten those arms back up right now," she demanded, pulling his chin down so he could see how serious she was about it.

The size of his smirk was a good match for the tightness of his hold. "Like this?"

"Don't be a jerk."

He tried to look contrite but he couldn't contain his smirk. He was enjoying this as much as she was and she was sure the only reason their limbs weren't completely entangled was his worry for her leg.

"Yes, you're very cute but you're not getting out of answering my question," she told him.

He shifted a little, causing her to sink further into the dip his body created and giving him access to the side of her neck. Her hands clenched in anticipation of feeling his lips but all she felt was his warm breath hitting her cool skin. "I've got something better we can do with our lips." His kiss finally came and she sighed in relief while arching up for more.

Don't let him distract you, she ordered herself. Resist his tempting temptation. His dastardly distraction. His—Holy hell! How does he make a tiny kiss feel so good?

His fingers trailed across her cheek and then slipped under her jaw, turning her face so he could reach her lips. The contrast of his soft lips and scratchy stubble caressing her face had her shivering in his arms.

"You cold?" he asked quickly, not really giving her a chance to answer. But just as swiftly he disappeared from her arms to grab the blanket from the end of the bed and cover her up.

Bella found herself smiling and shaking her head at him, not knowing what else to do with someone so intense one second and loving the next. He had already shown he could be kind before, but the attention he'd been giving her since her injury, it was above and beyond.

"Better?" he asked, tucking the blanket around her first and then wrapping his arms around her for good measure.

"Thank you. Not just for the blanket. For taking care of me these past couple of days. For trying this morning and at dinner to get along with Alice. And for being brave enough to let yourself love me. I know none of this has been easy for you and I appreciate your willingness to try."

"Bella, I—"

She put her hand over his mouth just the way he'd done to her in the past. "Let me finish, please. I know leaving later this morning is going to be different for you, and probably feel a little strange. You won't be here to watch over me and make sure I'm eating and resting and being a good patient." She paused to pull in a breath and hoped he wouldn't misunderstand the rest of what she wanted to say to him. "It's actually a good thing you're leaving without me. You need to see that as much as things have changed, the basics are still the same. You have a job to do, an important one that needs your full focus. It's okay if you don't think of me at all while you're working."

He pulled back, his expression suspicious and wary and his tone somewhere between angry and hurt. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? Did you change your mind about staying?"

She grabbed his face and forced him to look at her. "I'm not leaving." She softened both her grip and her expression. "You know, it's a lot easier to reassure a person when they admit to what's bugging them. I can even understand why you would worry that Alice could change my mind. But I don't get your refusal to talk to me about it."

"I'm not refusing and I wasn't worried until you told me not to think of you."

Bella pressed her lips together to keep from calling him a liar. While she understood this was all new to him, she wasn't about to put up with half-truths and face-saving white lies. "Edward, I'm going to slowly count to five in my head. I suggest you take that time to replay your words and decide if they're really the ones you want to stick with."

He rolled onto his back and pressed his palms against his eyes.

She scooted closer and put a hand on his chest. "Talk to me, please."

His hands moved up into his hair, allowing him to peer up at her. "You make my head spin."

"Does it help at all to know you do the same to me?"

"No." He slid his right arm under his head and opened his left arm in invitation for her to lie against him. Once she was settled, he started sliding his fingers up and down her arm. "I know you make up your own mind. But I also know it's hard not to listen to your family, especially when they're being very vocal and insistent."

"If this is because I told you she can be bossy—"

"It's because she loves you, Bella. She loves you and she's terrified of losing you."

"The same could be said for you."

"She's your sister. There's no choice there."

"There's always a choice. And my choice is to be here. I'll be right here when you get back on Friday and I'll be going with you on Saturday when you board Galeos again. In the meantime, I want you to focus on your work. Earlier I wasn't telling you not to think of me. I was just assuring you that it's okay if you don't. I know this is new for you and that you need time to adapt to all the changes. I don't want you to feel bad or guilty if you get deep into your work and don't miss me."

"The missing you thing … I don't have any idea how that's going to go. Usually when something confuses the hell out of me, I push it aside until I feel like coming back to it. But that doesn't work with you. The more I try to not think about what's confusing me with you, the more it becomes the main focal point.

"As far as Alice goes … I can't say that I'm entirely worry-free, but I do believe you, that you want to be here."

"That's not quite the same as believing I'll be here when you get back."

He sighed into her hair and then kissed her head. "It's all I can give you."

She nodded, understanding his hesitance to fully commit to expecting to see her on Friday. She didn't like it, but she understood it and respected him for being honest. She just also wished she knew how to make him feel as completely certain as she did.

They were both quiet for a long while; the only way she could even tell he was still awake was the gliding of his fingers along her arm. The silent room and his warm body began to make it hard to resist sleep and her eyes were halfway closed when Edward asked her a question. "Do you know the constellations, kapu?"

Bella propped herself up on her arm a little and set her chin on his chest, deciding to see where this question would lead rather than force him to stay on topic. "I know some of them."

"My mom … Beth. She started teaching me the constellations right before we ended up moving to Hawaii. The house we lived in with my grandparents had access to the roof and she'd take me up there at night. She'd say 'Okay, Sailor, we—'"

Bella couldn't help interrupting or giggling. "Sailor?"

"You want to hear this or not?"

She mimed zipping her lips closed.

Edward waited a moment to make sure she'd really stay quiet. "She'd go over four or five constellations with me and then she'd tell me to pretend we were lost at sea and that our only hope of getting home was for me to find the constellations to guide our ship safely to port. She'd make me find all the ones she'd shown me and then declare us safe and me a hero. She always made me feel like I was her champion.

"When Esme took up teaching me, she tried to do it the same way but failed every time, mostly because she didn't know the stars like Beth. It didn't help that she couldn't read a star chart either and often held it upside down. Then one night, she turned it into a team effort, had me help her figure out the star chart. From then on, we learned them together."

He blinked and the far off look in his eyes faded while his lips turned up in a smile. "Probably not the easiest way to learn them."

"I think it's perfect." Bella hoped he only saw her smile and not the tears standing in her eyes. She loved it when he shared bits about his past like this and never wanted to give him a reason to think he should stop. She wasn't sure she could get him to understand the tears were from how happy she was to know he had received so much love and attention from both Beth and Esme. He wasn't the kind to ever ask for it, no matter how much he might need it. She could tell he just wasn't built that way.

He brushed her hair aside and then cupped her cheek. "Do you feel up to coming somewhere with me?"

"Edward, it's after one in the morning. Where could you possibly want to go?"

"Just come with me. Please?"

She had never had any intention of denying him, she'd just wanted to know what he was up to. But the "please" beat out her curiosity and she gave him a nod as her answer.

He was smiling as he slipped out from under her and got up from the bed. He held his hands out and asked for hers. When he had her standing on the bed, he turned around and offered up his broad back. "I don't trust your limp on the stairs or in the sand."

"So the beach is involved?" she asked, carefully hooking her injured leg around his waist.

"What is it with you? Are you allergic to surprises?"

"My dad always said it was because my curiosity is stronger than my patience."

Edward snorted. "Yeah, I can agree with that." He took a test walk away from the bed and after getting her to tighten her arms around his neck he took her outside and onto the beach.

While he slowly trekked across the sand with her perched on his back, he said, "So tell me about 'Bug'."

Bella smiled, amazed that he actually remembered hearing the name that one time and excited that he still wanted to know more about her. The incident with the ray really hadn't scared him off—and neither had her sister.

"It's not a very long story. And it's definitely not as fun as some of the ones you've shared about your moms. Actually, mine's pretty practical compared."

"There's no need to compare, kapu. We're not in competition with each other."

"I know. I just don't want you to think it's an awesome story behind it and then feel letdown after you hear it."

"Nothing about you has been a letdown."

She smiled and kissed his neck in thanks. "My dad named me 'Bug' when I was really little. As soon as I could move around on my own, I started following him everywhere. He'd get up from the couch to get a snack in the kitchen and there I'd be there, crawling right behind him. He'd be trying to get ready for work in the morning and I'd follow him in and out of the closet and bathroom. He worried he wouldn't see me one day and he'd accidentally step on me, just like a bug. But he always saw me. And he would pick me up and hug me and say 'Bug, I'm not fascinating enough for you to follow me like this'.

"But he was, Edward. He was the smartest man I've ever known and I wanted to be just like him. I wanted to dream big the way he did, and then work as diligently as him to make it come true. I wanted to be as kind and as generous, and definitely as strong."

Edward stopped walking and after gently setting her feet down in the cool sand, he turned and held her face in his hands. "Kapu, you are like him. You're smart and dedicated and so strong. If you didn't dream big, you wouldn't be here right now. Everything you've done since you've joined MMR has shown all those qualities and more. Do you honestly think we would be together if you weren't kind and generous with me? If you hadn't forgiven my mistakes and given me new chances?"

Bella shook her head in denial, causing her tears to spill from her eyes. As hard as she always tried, she never completely felt like she was doing enough to make her dad proud. "I'm not like him, Edward. I'm not. He'd be so much better at all of this."

"He wouldn't. He'd do it in a different way, but that's just because he's not you."

"Edward—"

"Kapu, please shut up and listen for once." He waited to make sure she wasn't going to say anything else. "Esme told me this, and she reminds me when she feels like I need to hear it again." He paused and scratched at the bridge of his nose, turning on Bella's curiosity and setting her mind spinning with ideas on why he might be nervous.

"I hate to admit this, but she reminds me a lot. Probably more than she should ever have to," he confided. He set his hands on her shoulders, his thumb brushing along the side of Bella's neck, making it an effort for her to focus on his words and not his touch. "Maybe you can hear it and catch on to it better than me. And if not, then it'll be my job to remind you of it.

"Kapu, every day that you get up and give your absolute best to who and what you love, is a day that makes your father and your uncle proud of you. Just like every day that I do it makes Esme and Beth proud of me."

"If you have to be reminded a lot, doesn't that mean you don't believe it? And if you don't, how can you expect me to?" she questioned while he used the tail end of his lucky shirt to dry her tears.

"It's not that I don't believe it. It's that I want it to be true so damn much. Bella, I'm not blind. I know I'm not an easy person to get along with. One of the reasons I love Whit and Lee so damn much is because they've never hesitated to tell me when I'm being a jerk. They know that I'm not acting that way on purpose, that there's something causing it, driving it. Usually it's just my inability to understand the way other people think, even Esme at times.

"My brain doesn't look at a situation and think of how it might make someone feel. All I see is how it's going to change things. Gopher makes me strip a bolt on the boat and all I see is the actual damage, the potential for damage to have been caused to some other part of the system, the trip time for parts, and the extra hours Lee and I will have to put in to fix everything. I don't think of how badly Gopher might feel about causing the problem. I don't care if it was an accident and he's sorry. I know that sounds cold, but it's how I think right then in the moment. It's not until I get a chance to step away and see a bigger picture that I notice whether or not he's sorry and if I gave him a chance to apologize.

"And it's when I've stepped back that I worry about letting my moms down. I worry about Lee being mad at me, and Gopher thinking I'm a jerk and wanting to leave the team, possibly taking Lee with him. Esme always knows when I'm thinking that way and that's when she reminds me. Not so that I feel better about having been a jerk, but so I know that I still have a chance to give my best to the day and make things right."

"This is why." Bella shook her heavy head, weighed down by swirling thoughts and a new insight into Edward.

He gently lifted her chin until they could see each other's eyes in the moonlight. "Elaborate. Please."

"I couldn't figure it out. That day at the ocean center. You were so angry and I was positive you were going to cancel the internship. But that night … You were kind and encouraging and really wanted me to stay. I couldn't figure out what had caused you to be so different in the same day. I'd doubted even Esme talking to you would have changed you that drastically. But you changed yourself. You stepped back and then you gave your best effort to fixing things."

"And you were kind and generous, kapu, giving me the chance to fix things." His mouth settled over hers in a whisper of a kiss. "Thank you for not giving up on me."

"How could I when you keep on me believing in me?"

"You're too strong not to." He pulled back and gave her the smile everyone called 'shitty'. "Now! The reason we came out here … Guppy, I'm going to teach you about one particular constellation." He moved so that he was standing behind her. He wrapped his left arm around her waist and then used his right to lift her right arm up and point it toward the sky. He moved it toward their left sides just a little and then further up.

"What do you see, Guppy?"

"Stars. Oh, but they look so much brighter here than back home."

He folded her fingers under his except for her index finger. "Focus on the pattern," he instructed, slowly moving her hand in a slanted line across the sky. He moved it up for a bit and then back across to where they'd started.

"An open rectangle, right?" Bella questioned, turning her head to see his face.

He was smiling and from the size of it she was pretty sure he was impressed and pleased with her answer. "That is the constellation Gemini."

"Like your astrology sign?"

"Not really. Do you know any Greek mythology?"

"Just the basics."

Edward lifted her hand again and helped her trace the constellation once more. "The Gemini constellation is made up of two brothers, identical in looks but not twins. Their mother was married to a king and only one of them was his son. The other was the son of Zeus. They were born together and raised together and loved each other very much. They went on all kinds of adventures together, even joining in on the search for the Golden Fleece. One of their trips turned tragic when their cousins decided to turn on them. The son of the king was killed and when the son of Zeus found his brother dead, he couldn't bear to be without him. He asked his father to take away his immortality. Zeus did as he asked and then placed both brothers in the sky together, a reminder of the strong bonds love creates, bonds that not even death can break."

He brought her arm in so that her arms and his were hugging her and holding her against his chest. "Maybe if you start to miss me, you might look up at Gemini and know that I'm thinking of you too."

Bella didn't need to ask—she could feel it. Esme had taught Edward about Gemini, about love lasting beyond death. She could picture it. A lost little boy and a nervous aunt, both of them looking up at the stars and trying to figure out how to navigate through the pain of a world without Beth.

"Think you'll be able to find it on your own?" he asked, his voice a whisper in the dark.

"Always."

"Good." He kissed the crown of her head and then let her go. "We better get inside. It's getting colder and you should probably try to sleep some."

She waited until she was settled on his back to respond. "I'll sleep after you leave for work."

"Damn you've got a stubborn streak."

She smiled while pressing her lips to the side of his neck. "Almost as big as yours."

His only response was a grunt.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

With her cheek pressed to his, she made him a promise she knew she'd never want to break. "I love you."

"I love you too, kapu." No hesitation, no nervousness, and no sign he was saying it just because she had. She believed with everything in her that he was being completely honest; she hadn't felt this happy and at peace in years.

So strange how right her father had been, that a guy would enter her life and turn it upside down. She wondered if he'd told her about the rest of it, about feeling so happy her heart might burst in her chest … she wondered if she would have been able to believe him.

"What do you want to do since you don't plan to sleep?" Edward asked as he crouched down and set her on the edge of her bed.

She waited for him to look at her and then grinned impishly at him. "You mentioned earlier kissing me for as long as I could stand."

If her grin was an imp, then his smile was a full-fledged devil. He leaned in and over her, forcing her to lie down on the bed. "I vaguely recall a conversation like that. Think you can remind me of the details?"

She lightly scratched through his stubble before pressing her palms to his jaw and drawing his lips closer to hers; the anticipation had her body temperature rising and heartbeat quickening. She realized she wanted so much more than a kiss, but more than anything she wanted his happiness. If she pressed for more, he'd give it willingly but he'd also end up regretting it, especially if it caused any issues for either of their careers. She had to respect his line and hold it for both of them.

"Kapu, you gonna kiss me or just stare at me all night?"

"Haven't you ever heard that good things come to those who wait?"

"Everyone has. I just didn't believe it." He shifted onto his side and brought her with him, holding her close in his arms yet leaving room so they could see each other without their eyes crossing. "Then I met you."

She did end up kissing him. Small and sweet and definitely shorter than she had planned. But she didn't feel unsatisfied. Not even a little. How could she when she got to spend the rest of their time together in his arms? He told her some other constellation stories he remembered and she shared how her dad had taught her to read and write through her marine journals. It was everything she didn't know she needed and when it came time for him to leave with the team, she was able to honestly smile and be happy he was heading back to work without her.

"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait," Lee called, flapping her hand and trying to get the attention of the three cackling men sitting at the helm with her. They were swapping the snack bowls Esme had made for them, along with stories of what was new for each of them. "First of all, what was Carlisle doing up at that hour? Secondly, how the hell did Alice end up in your bed?"

Whit brushed at his eyes, having laughed himself to tears. "Apparently he stayed up all night talking to Esme and she asked him to help wake the team. Alice ended up in my bed because I invited her. She needed comforting."

"Oh, I bet you showed her all kinds of comfort," Gopher joked, playfully socking Whit in the arm.

"Sorry to disappoint but the truth is that we slept. That was it."

"Boring!" Lee declared. "Mase, what about you? Did you share a proper goodbye with Guppy?"

He pretended not to hear her, focusing instead on the olives he was tossing into the air and catching with his mouth.

"Obviously you've forgotten what I did to you the last time you were a jerk to me," she warned.

Falling ice cubes immediately filled his head and caused him to shiver. It also forced him to answer her question. "We had a nice goodbye. She stayed up all night with me."

"What's she going to do about her little sister?" Gopher asked.

Masen shrugged. "She says her sister can either accept her choice to stay or stay angry."

Lee looked at him over the rim of her coffee cup. "Did she tell you she invited Alice to stay and watch MMR work?"

"I told her to make the offer."

"Thank you for that," Whit said, passing over the bowl of cheese cubes. "Seeing us in action, seeing Bella in her element, that's got to make a difference with Alice."

"What if it doesn't? What if Alice runs back to Florida?"

Whit shrugged. "Then it's going to be a long distance relationship."

"Whit, we're not talking about a state or two over," Lee pointed out. "It's Hawaii to Florida for part of the year and then whatever oceans we're docking in for the other half."

He swiveled his chair to face her. "If it was Gopher, would it matter?"

She nodded to show she understood and reached out to take hold of Gopher's hand. Masen remained silent, unsure if he could handle that kind of distance and lost as to what kind of person that would make him if he couldn't. He tossed a cube of cheese into his mouth to give himself something else to focus on.

"These Cullens are something else," Gopher declared. "They're like little natural disasters wrapped in attractive packaging. Bella happens first, getting Mase all tied up and then getting him to relax. Kind of.

"Then you've got Carlisle. Esme has been tripping all over herself around him. Blushing and flirting. And he's obviously enjoying it because the stiff dude who walked into our home is not the relaxed vacationer who wished us a good trip this morning. Well, except for that five minute window when he was going to throttle Whit for sleeping with his niece.

"And Alice … Never seen such a little thing be so hugely annoying. She's got Whit hanging from her every word … Mase wouldn't mind hanging her off the back of the boat … And Bella—that girl has the patience of a saint. If that had been one of my little sister's saying that stuff, I'd have given her the five-finger-shut-up."

"Alice didn't make a good first impression," Whit said as he looked at each of them. "I know that. We all know it. But, Gopher, if you'll give her a chance, you'll see she's really a wonderful woman."

Gopher grinned and clamped a hand on Whit's shoulder. "Pull your tights out of your arse, bro. I never said anything about not giving her the chance to show us another side. I'm just saying the one we've seen so far is Two-Face ugly."

"Two-Face?" Masen questioned, not sure which comic book character the man was referencing this time.

"Enemy of Batman. Used to be a friend but got hurt and went psycho. His brain short-circuited, kind of like Alice's when she saw the photos of Bella with Bruiser."

"Thanks for that," Masen said, pointing at Lee. "We wouldn't have had nearly as big of a shit-storm if those hadn't been taped up above the bed."

"That's bullshit and you know it," Lee replied. "Alice's sole intention of coming out here was to take her sister home. It could have been a photo of Bella petting the freaking roaming gnome—Alice still would have flipped out."

"I gotta agree with Lee on this one," Whit stated. "Alice is extremely attached to Bella and anything that takes her out of Alice's sight is a bad thing."

Masen gritted his teeth, knowing all too well what Alice thought of Bella's choices. "That's Alice's problem. Not Bella's." Even as he said it he knew it wasn't true anymore than it would be true for him if anyone in his family was facing a problem.

"They're sisters so the problem belongs to them both," Whit replied. "But so does the solution. Alice needs to take Bella up on the offer to stay and Bella needs to let Alice see the depth of her fear and her determination to ease it."

"If Alice stays, she pulls her weight," Lee declared. "She helps Gopher when she's not observing Bella working with us."

Masen understood where she was coming from and even agreed to a point, but he also knew Lee was only looking at it from the view of Alice being a bratty tagalong. She wasn't seeing that for all of Bella's fears, Alice's were worse because she wouldn't admit to them.

"Alice will have to earn her keep just like the rest of us, but as much as I hate to say it, we have to be more careful with her than we ever have with Bella. Guppy knows her fears and she can feel her attacks coming on. Alice is still in denial that she has issues. She thinks it's perfectly reasonable to pretend seventy percent of the world isn't covered in water."

"I don't buy that," Lee argued, shaking her head. "She just wants to call the shots and have things done her way."

"Think about it Lee," Masen urged. "Haven't you noticed that I'm a shark person but none of you have been tagged that way? Especially not you, Whit. Alice is so blinded by her fear for Bella and her fear of sharks that she hasn't even processed that you three being part of MMR means you're shark people too."

Whit backed him up immediately. "Masen's right. Alice's fear comes out as anger and bossiness. She didn't bring up their dad to hurt Bella. She did it because that's her greatest fear—losing Bella the same way they lost their dad. And for all her talk about leaving with Bella, she never once realized it meant leaving me too until I pointed I tout to her."

"None of it matters until Alice makes a decision, so let's set this topic aside and focus on today," Masen ordered. They absolutely had to deal with the situation between Alice and Bella but his first priority right now was making sure everyone got home safely so they could be there to help fix things.

Gopher's arm shot up into the air. "I read over the plan for today and I have a question."

Masen sighed. "Put your arm down, bro. We've been telling you for years you don't have to do that."

"It feels necessary since I know I'm about to be schooled."

"Whatever," Masen replied with a snort. "What's your question?"

"You have Whit and Lee switching out in the cage after a couple hours. Is there any way I can convince you to let me in on the rotation?"

"We're not just getting in the cage to watch what the sharks do. We're getting film and photos to help plan for tomorrow when we use the decoy seals."

"I know and I've been practicing my camera skills. There's hardly any shake now."

"How hardly is that shake?"

"Very hardly. You know I wouldn't lie and risk fucking up a mission."

Masen looked to Whit first and received a barely noticeable nod. He looked to Lee next, finding her smiling, her expression daring him to turn Gopher down.

He set his eyes on Gopher. "I'll give you an hour when it's expected to be slow. If your camera work is good enough, I'll give you a slot during the action tomorrow."

"Bro, you will not regret it," Gopher promised.

"We'll see. Go study the underwater current map so you'll know what to expect."

"I'll help him," Lee said, getting to her feet. She gave Gopher a pat on the back and a smile, then moved behind him so she could use her hands to sign "thank you" to Masen.

Whit and Masen looked at each other silently for a moment and then fell apart into snorts and chuckles. "Sisters," Whit said, shaking his head and letting out another snort.

"I take back my previous claim. This shit is hands down the weirdest thing to ever happen to us." Masen shook his head and then dropped it into his hands. "Fucking ridiculous."

"Not the adjectives I would use. I was thinking more like incredibly awesome."

"You know what I mean. The craziness of it is ridiculous. Bella is awesome."

"I promise you'll see Alice is too. We just have to help her see what's right in front of her. She has to recognize her own needs and then she'll be able to see Bella's." Whit took the cheese bowl back, surveyed the few pieces remaining, then shook his head at Masen. "Six tacos last night and you're acting like you've been starved for a week this morning."

"That was last night."

"I'm still full, though. So what did you do to burn off the tacos, bro?"

The image of Bella smiling in the moonlight came to Masen and caused him to smile. "I talked with my kapu."

Whit chuckled and socked him in the upper arm. "Fess up. You did more than talk if you're grinning like that."

"How did you put it? Sorry to disappoint? 'Cause all we did was talk."

Whit stared at him like he was waiting for more. When he didn't get it, he said, "That's different for you."

Masen shrugged. "She's different. There's absolutely the urge to be physical there, but it's not all there is. It's not the main goal. And that confuses the shit out of me, just like most things with her. But somehow when I'm with her, I'm so focused on her that I forget about all the confusion and enjoy that time.

"We talked last night and it was pretty great. I'm not going to lie and say it was as good as sex, but I think it meant more than sex would have too. I told her some stuff about Beth and Esme, and she talked about her dad. It was the first time she's really brought him up since she told me about losing him. She trusts me with his memories—that really means something to me. Maybe because of how careful I guard mine of Beth. I don't know. I just know I don't feel like there's anything I didn't do last night that I wish I would have."

"The sign of a man truly in love. The ability to be comfortable and content no matter the activity."

Masen rolled his eyes, finding that explanation to be too simple and cheesy, and changed the topic. "I've been thinking that maybe it would be a good idea for me to talk to Carlisle alone. I'd like to see if he can fill in some of the big blanks Bella has in her memory. I know she dreams about what happened but she can never seem to remember when she wakes up."

"Probably because it's so sudden, ya know? Startled out of her sleep by fucked up images. I hated that phase right after."

"What do you think makes the difference? That you're past that and she's not?"

"Age for one. She was only fourteen. Plus, mine happened directly to me and other than a chunk off my leg, no life was lost. Poor Guppy lost her father." Whit paused and eyed him curiously. "All this talk about her dad … Mase, where's her mom?"

He blew out a heavy breath; he still didn't understand this business with her mom and doubted he ever would. "She kind of lost it. Renee, her mom, she was already on her way with Charlie gone so when Bella told her she still wanted to work with marine life, Renee went bat shit crazy. Carlisle sent her off to live with extended family in California and brought the girls to his home in Florida."

Whit shook his head and sighed. "No wonder Alice has such an extreme attachment to Bella."

"They were both dealt shitty hands so that's no excuse for Alice's behavior."

"You really don't see it, do you?"

"See what?"

"Alice is a controller, just like you. If she's in charge of the situation, then she can make sure the ones she loves are safe. Bella is happy to take a seat and enjoy the ride until there's something she really wants for herself."

"Alice is nothing like me," Masen argued. "Her choices are based on a selfish desire to have Bella safe in the way Alice feels most comfortable with. My choices are based on the true physical and emotional safety of my team."

"How about the part where you both believe you're right, without any thoughts of compromise at all?"

He turned Whit's words over in his mind a couple times before answering. "If—and this is a pretty big fucking if—but if there was going to be a compromise, what would that be? I'm not going to set Bella's progress back to ease Alice's fears."

"I'm not saying you should. But maybe you and Bella can sit with Alice and go over everything she's accomplished so far. Show her the safety plans that have been in place at each step of the way. Have Bella describe the challenges and the achievements and really let her sister see why Bella believes so strongly in our program and us. Then once you've done that, get Bella started on her next task."

He could see the wisdom in his friend's suggestion and the potential for success along with the gloom of possible failure. "Let me think on it some more. I agree we need to do something but I want to make sure it's as right for Bella as it is for Alice."

Whit grinned while gripping Masen's shoulder. "I wouldn't expect anything less of you, bro." He gave him a clap on the back and left him to captain his boat and his team to Seal Island.

"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"

Alice's POV:

"Alice?

"Sweetheart?

"Yo, Thumper!"

Esme's call startled Alice out of her thoughts and she turned from Bella's doorway to face the woman sitting on the sofa. "Me?"

"Yes, you. Everything okay? You've been standing in that doorway tapping your foot on my floor for the past five minutes. It's not exactly a catchy tune."

Alice grinned, as surprised by Esme's humor as by how much she liked it. "I was just checking on Bella. She's been asleep a long time."

"Actually, it's only been a couple hours. She stayed up last night with Edward and didn't get to bed until the team left. Why don't you come sit with me?" Esme patted the empty cushion next to her. "Let's talk."

"If this is some attempt to convince me your son—"

"Edward is perfectly capable of convincing you of his love for and belief in your sister all on his own. I want to talk about you. What do you do for fun? What are your dislikes? Maybe there's a town you'd like to see while you're here. We have three days to ourselves before the team returns. And I have the keys to Edward's Bronco. It's ours for the taking."

She knelt on the sofa and then sat back on her legs. "To be honest, Esme, I'm not entirely sure I want to be here when they return."

"Afraid they'll convince you to join them?"

"Yes." Alice's eyes widened as she realized what answer she'd given. "No! No, that's not it. I just don't think I should join them."

"Because of your job?"

"Well … I did make a commitment."

"If not the job, then maybe it has to do with your friends back home? Carlisle mentioned you're in a sorority. Will staying here cause a problem for you there?"

"No, they know why I'm here and they're cool with it. My sorority big sister and the other girls in charge all said to take as much time as I needed to be with Bella."

"Then what is so important that you need to return home right away?"

She didn't have an answer and she certainly didn't like the corner Esme had backed her into. She liked even less how subtly it had happened.

"Edward, Bella, and Whit would all like you to stay, Alice. I would like you to stay."

"Why would you want me to stay? Don't you think I'm being selfish? Your son certainly does."

"My son and I have never based our opinions of others solely on what we each think. We decide for ourselves. Personally, I don't think you're intentionally being selfish. I believe you're reacting out of fear."

Alice shook her head to deny the claim. She didn't feel afraid outside of thinking of Bella next to a shark and she didn't feel selfish at all. Well, maybe a little but there's a greater good involved so that sort of wipes it out, she thought. To Esme she said, "Staying won't change my mind."

"Whether it does or doesn't remains to be seen. However, I can tell you it's best to have all the facts in any situation you're facing. Staying with us will allow you to see what it is we actually do and how we do it. Knowing what Bella's days truly consist of is much better than letting your mind come up with misguided theories. Wouldn't you agree?"

She didn't respond.

"Besides, you can't really be ready to leave Whit so soon after finally meeting him."

Her neck audibly cracked from how fast she raised her head to meet Esme's eyes. "You know?"

Esme laughed and nodded. "There's very little my misfits don't share with me. And boy has my Whit got a crush on you. Since you allowed yourself to accept his comfort last night, I'm pretty sure it's mutual."

"Everything I know about him from our dreams and the past few days … He seems like such a great guy."

"So if he's so great, how is he friends with Edward?"

Alice's mouth silently opened and closed, making her look a lot like Bella had that night on the beach when she'd found out she was sharing Edward's tent and not Esme's.

Esme's eyes lit up as she laughed again. "You are as easy to read as my kid. There's no way he's not wondering how his best friend could have fallen for a girl wanting to force her sister home. Just as there's no way you can understand Whit's friendship with Edward when you think he's brainwashed your sister.

"Now imagine if you stay. You can see that there's no brainwashing involved. Edward is a great mentor, the team is very supportive of Bella's efforts, and your sister wants very badly to conquer her fears. Edward will see that you are a fun, sweet, loving person who is very loyal to her big sister.

"You can go home. You can return to your life in Florida and continue to not understand Bella's relationship with Edward, or Whit's friendship with him. You can allow your mind to run wild with concerns for her safety. And you can learn about Whit from dreams, short phone calls, and occasional emails.

"Or you can stay. You can give yourself the chance to get to know Whit up close and personal. Hopefully you'll see firsthand what it is your sister does, and the relationships that confuse you will become clear. Don't you at least owe yourself those opportunities?"

Alice had to admit it was appealing. Especially the parts about getting to be with Whit and having Edward not think of her as a selfish brat. Still, she was reluctant to commit to anything just yet. "I'll think about it."

"Good," Esme replied with a smile and a gentle pat to Alice's knee. "I've got to take Lizzy out for her mid-morning walk. Would you like to come?"

She looked around until she spotted the small dog lying in the doorway of Bella's room. It seemed really attached to her sister which was weird because they'd never been pet people. "Does she bite?"

"Only Edward and only when he deserves it."

She laughed at Esme's answer. "I think I could be friends with a dog like that."

"Let's try it out and see. I'll get her leash on her and you can lead her around the beach."

Lizzy was all too happy to accept the leash and the invitation for a walk. She had been trying to round the corner of the house before Alice and Esme were even out the front door.

Alice was surprised at how strongly the dog tugged against the leash for being such a little thing. Then again, she wasn't very big and always had a ton of energy bubbling up out of her.

The two women were quiet as they walked along the beach together so Alice filled up with the silence in her head by going over everything Esme had shared with her. After the first run-through, Alice came to a conclusion that she hadn't expected. She went through everything two more times before she finally gave in and admitted what she'd learned. Esme hadn't said a single thing Alice didn't already know—she'd just said it in a way that hadn't left room for excuses. And without those excuses, the choice wasn't a choice at all. It was a necessity for both Alice and Bella's futures as individual women and sisters.

"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"

Bella's phone chirped with a call and she smiled, positive of the identity of her caller. "Hi."

"What are you doing?"

Her smile widened as she looked up at the night sky, her eyes finding the constellation immediately. "The same as you."

Edward's silence was answer enough.

Bella closed her eyes and pictured him. He was most likely frowning over her being right but his blue eyes were sure to still be glued to the sky. She had him out of his element again, something he both enjoyed and loathed. He couldn't stand to feel confused, and missing her when he had never felt that way before for anyone was a big muddy mess.

"How was your day? Did you get some sleep?" he asked. "Did you take it easy with your leg? How were your head and stomach today?"

She laughed at how switching his mind to her health made him so talkative. "I'm fine. No stomach issues today and only a slight headache earlier. I did take it easy with my leg but I also worked on strengthening it so I'm not limping as much."

"Did you sleep?"

"I had a very nice morning nap," she assured him. "What about you? How was your day? I read on the daily that Gopher took a turn with the underwater video. How did that go?"

"You read the daily?" He sounded genuinely shocked.

"Of course I did. Despite my issues with sharks, I've always been interested in what you guys do. Though, I have to admit tomorrow's daily will be a little harder to read with what you have planned."

"It's not as dangerous as it reads on paper, Guppy. I'll be in the shark cage so technically I won't be in the water."

"But you will be luring sharks near Galeos with decoy seals."

"It's not really that near. That's why we'll be using long range lenses. I don't want Galeos in range of the decoys until I know for sure how the sharks will react to them."

Bella waved her free hand in dismissal, not up to discussing it any further while they were apart this way. It was so much easier to brave when he was standing beside her. "So what about Gopher?" she questioned. "How did he convince you to let him have a try? And did he do okay?"

"He asked for a chance and told me he'd been practicing his camera skills. I could tell he was being serious and that his only goal was to help complete the task. And he ended up doing pretty good. He still has too much of a shake to let him be involved on a regular basis, but if he continues to practice and improve he could eventually become a backup for Whit."

"I'm sure Gopher was really grateful for the chance."

"He was and I was glad to give it to him. You have to know that I've never excluded him from a mission because of any personal feelings about him. It's always been a question of safety, especially his own. When he first joined MMR, he would have done just about anything to prove to Lee he really wanted to be here. Then for a while he wanted to prove to Whit and me that he could do anything we could. I couldn't let him in the water with his head focused on showing off. When he's beneath the surface, his mind has to be on the task at hand and his surroundings. Anything less puts his life at risk and I can't allow that. But when he asked today, I could tell it was all about the work, about getting the best footage in the safest way."

"Just so we're clear, I've never thought for a moment that you were holding Gopher back because of personal feelings. While I haven't always agreed with your methods, I have understood that there are real reasons for implementing them. And no one can argue with your results. Anyone who would try only has to look at the pictures on my wall."

"I prefer your journal entries."

Bella grinned, hearing both the honesty and smile in his voice. "I'll have to make sure to write about our snorkeling adventure before you get back so you have something to read."

"I'm sorry, kapu. I wanted the snorkeling to be fun so you could have at least one entry without any mention of worry or fear."

"Edward, you have nothing to apologize for. I wasn't paying attention. I startled the ray. You made sure I had immediate help and the best care. If anyone should be sorry, it should be me for cutting your birthday short."

"You didn't cut it short. You just changed the location from the beach to your room. Sharing a comfy bed with a beautiful girl—nothing to complain about there."

She laughed at his cocky tone and then tried to knock him down a peg. "You know, it's typically not a good thing for a man to be so attached to his puppy."

"Hey!" Edward bellowed, making her laugh all over again. "Come on, kapu. That wasn't nice."

"Did I bruise your ego a little there?"

"Not nearly as much as my ass when you made me fall at the tidal pool."

"Made you? We obviously have two very different memories of that afternoon."

"Favorite moment that day?"

Bella quickly replayed every single second with him through her head, but she already knew what she would pick. "Your song."

"Your song, kapu."

Even from a boat in the middle of the ocean he had the power to make her cheeks flush and her insides warm and melt. "Will you sing for me again sometime?"

"Maybe. Not tonight, though. I have to get inside and finish a few things up for tomorrow. And you need to get to bed. You need a full night's sleep."

"It's weird without you now."

He didn't say anything and she thought maybe he hadn't heard her. But then he sighed into the phone and she knew he'd heard. "So much of this feels weird, Bella … I wasn't … It didn't seem like falling in love with the confusion and the worry. The missing you thing now … I don't want you to think I only see the negatives. I just … I don't know how to say the positives."

She smiled while looking up at the constellation he'd shown her. "You know, Edward."

When he spoke this time, there was no awkwardness in his voice and there might have even been a bit of a smile coloring his tone. "I love you, kapu. Go get some sleep."

"Good luck tomorrow to all of you."

"Thanks, Guppy. Hold down the fort there and give my girl a treat for me. Night." He ended the call so suddenly she wondered for a second if maybe his battery had died. But as she thought about what they'd each said during the call, she came to the conclusion that he'd most likely been as honest as he could stand and wanted to get off the phone before his annoyance over all the changes became visible.

As she settled under the covers on his side of the bed, she realized that he'd been in such a rush to get off the phone that he'd thrown her off and she hadn't had a chance to say something she felt he should hear. Two somethings, actually.

She grabbed her phone from the nightstand and scrolled to his name to send him a text message. Wanted to make sure you know I love you too. Can't wait for Friday. Stars are poor substitute for seeing you. Good night, your kapu.

She knew he probably wouldn't see it tonight since he typically turned his phone off when he worked but that was okay. He would eventually turn it back on and find her message. Bella drifted off to sleep with images of his green eyes and playful smirk filling her head.

"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"

Whit's POV:

"That smile … It's familiar yet foreign. You're happy about something but you're also finding it ridiculous. You don't typically combine those two emotions." Whit's head moved to the right as he continued to survey Lee.

"Mase has a girl."

Whit laughed. "Yeah, I kind of noticed that."

Lee was still smiling as she sat down in the chair next to him. "He's in her room, passed out on his stomach, with his face buried in her pillow. That part is completely ridiculous because that's so not him. He's not that guy who misses someone and gets sentimental. But just maybe he is and that makes me so happy because despite his ability to be a complete fucktard, he's a great guy with a big heart. He deserves the chance to love and be loved."

Whit nodded, agreeing with everything she'd just said. "He called her tonight. I saw him coming down from the upper deck with his phone in his hand."

"Do you think he admitted to missing her?"

"If he did, it was in his own way." Whit snorted and added, "Lucky for him Bella seems to speak Masen."

"Grasping Masen-Speak is harder than any of the foreign languages I've had to learn," Lee joked. "On a serious note, I'm pretty impressed with how Guppy's handled the whole ray incident. I was worried it would set her back and maybe even make her quit, but she's more determined than ever."

"If she can stay this determined, then Masen will absolutely be able to help her work through her fears."

"What about you? Think you're going to be able to do anything with your dream girl? She seems pretty damn set on busting Masen's balls and dragging Guppy home."

"Alice wants her sister safe, Lee. You can understand that desire."

"I do. I totally get it. But I can't see letting your own fear stand in the way of someone you love." She put an arm around Whit and rested her head on his shoulder. "As afraid as I was for you, I never once thought of keeping you out of the water, not with knowing how much you love it."

"It's all perspective, Lee. It's how you look at life, both your own and those of the ones you love. I think for Alice, she's so afraid of losing the loved ones she has left that she honestly can't see she's standing in the way of Bella's happiness."

"Does Alice know about you yet?"

"No. She's not ready. She can't handle it yet."

"Are you sure about that? Or are you comparing her to Maria?"

Whit shrugged. "I don't think I'm exactly comparing them but I'm definitely thinking about Maria. She was a hot-head but she had a good heart.

Lee interrupted with a snort. "Most days."

Whit grinned, knowing that was pretty accurate. "But Maria also wanted life to be perfect and she couldn't deal with anything less than that. Seeing my leg before it was repaired, she just couldn't stomach it. At the time, I was pretty pissed at her. I mean, there I am in a hospital bed with a chunk of my leg missing, having nearly died, and all she seemed to care about was whether or not I'd walk with a cane and a limp. But after the anger and the hurt, came the realization that I was better off without her. Someone who can't stomach sick people isn't a good match for a guy wanting to be a nurse."

Lee lifted her head and grinned at him. "Well that and she was a harpy in a bikini body."

Whit snorted and laughed. "Yeah," he agreed with a nod. "She was that too."

"And there was definitely no love lost between her and Masen."

"She didn't want to give him a chance, and he got tired of giving her new ones."

"Think that'll happen with Alice?"

"Nope. I'm going to make sure Alice gives him a chance and Bella is going to make sure Masen doesn't give up on Alice."

"Team effort. Fastest way to get things done around here."

"And get them done right." Whit held his fist out and Lee bumped it with hers.

She widened her smile and he knew right away she was going to be a smart ass with him. "So the dreaming of each other, how explicit does that get?"

He laughed and pushed on her shoulder. "You're ridiculous."

She grabbed him up in a hug and squeezed hard, letting him feel the depth of her happiness for him. "And you're in love. Even if it is with a sparkle-shoe wearing tiny tornado of disharmony."

"Love you too, Lee."

She gave his cheek a loud kiss before letting him go. "Love you, bro. I'll be in the kitchen making a late night snack if you need anything."

"Coffee would be awesome," he called, watching her shadow move down the hallway wall.

"One fresh pot coming right up!"

Whit's phone had vibrated a couple times during his conversation with Lee and now he pulled it out to check his messages. He found one from Alice that made him feel hopeful.

A-Dream: Thinking of you and opportunities we would have if I stay. I know you'll still talk to me if I don't, but I'm also thinking it won't be nearly the same. I don't want to talk about it tonight, but I wanted you to know I'm thinking about it.

And one from Esme that made him snort so hard it hurt.

Esme-MisfitMom: Accidentally got Carlisle drunk. I know it's bad form to make a pass at a drunk, sexy, drunk man, but it's so hard to resist. Tell me again why we must be good?

He rubbed at his sore nose while reading over Esme's text a second time and then typed out a reply to her.

Resistance is not as futile as it feels. Besides, you know you prefer the sexy over the drunk. Hold out for a sober moment and get extra sexy. That's my advice.

Next he sent a text to Alice, hoping it would make her smile.

Off helm duty in a couple hours and then I get to dream of you. Warning you now, thoughts of Paris and croissants in my head. I feel a romantic stroll coming on ;) See you soon.

Whit had his phone halfway into his pocket when he suddenly felt the need to send one more text.

Guppy, hope you had a good day. You are missed by us all. Masen most. Keep following my orders. I'll know if you don't.

There, he thought as he put his phone away. Bella has been reassured, Alice has been comforted, and Esme has been reigned-in. This nudger has done his duty for the night.

"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"

Alice's POV:

The corners of Alice's mouth were sore from how wide she was smiling as she re-read Whit's text message. A romantic stroll through Paris sounded like a perfect dream after this long day.

"Did you get a message from Whit?"

Alice nodded as she looked up at Bella, finding her still playing with the puppy. She had gone to bed earlier in the night but then had been woken by Uncle Carl and Esme giggling out on the patio. The two sisters had sat in Bella's doorway watching them carry on for a bit before deciding to leave the drunken adults to their flirting.

They'd made themselves a late night snack of peanut butter and banana sandwiches, just like they did back home when they couldn't sleep. Now they were in Bella's room watching a movie, though neither of them paid much attention to the iPad screen.

"You've never smiled so big for a guy. Not even your first boyfriend. What was his name? Tommy? Timmy?"

Alice thought hard but she couldn't remember either and that made her giggle. "It was kindergarten. That's too far back to recall his name."

Bella looked up from the puppy and smiled at her sister. "This is nice … Us talking and not fighting."

"You do know I don't want to fight with you, right?"

"Yes. But that doesn't do us much good."

"I know," Alice admitted with a sigh. "Even though they were flirting when they said it, I think Uncle Carl and Esme really do believe I should stay."

"Of course they do. They want what's best for both of us, Alice. They don't want either of us to be so afraid that we can't live our lives the way we want."

"Well if I stayed, would you make that Masen guy be nice to me?"

Bella snorted. "First of all, you really need to stop referring to him in that way. Secondly, I can't make him be nice any more than I can make you. You want him to be nice, try being nice to him first."

Alice crossed her arms over her chest. "It would be a lot easier if he wasn't so hell bent on getting you near sharks."

Bella reached out to take hold of her sister's hand and tugged her arms loose. "Alice, I really want you to listen to me. Edward is only doing what I asked him to do—to help me not be crippled by my fear of sharks."

"But why does it matter? Isn't fearing a monster the smart thing to do? I mean, you don't want to be around them, right? You aren't planning to become a shark expert at the aquarium in Atlanta."

"If I want to reach my full potential there, then I have to be around them. The aquarium's largest exhibit has multiple species of sharks living in it. I can't be in the middle of talking about a manta ray and then freak out in front of a bunch of kids just because a sand shark swam up to the glass."

"That won't happen."

"Alice, it can happen. It will happen if I don't do something about my fear. In fact, it has happened. When I first got to Hawaii, Edward took me to this beautiful ocean center. We were having a great time and sharing what we know about marine life. I was even impressing him with the way I can explain about the creatures without it being boring. And then a shark swam close and I couldn't take it.

"You know how you felt when you saw the pictures above my bed? That's not even close to what's it like for me. I've always worked hard to hide it from you because I felt like I needed to protect you. I guess I felt that if you knew I was afraid then you would be afraid too."

Bella shook her head, looking a little frustrated. "Afraid … It's too simple a word for what I feel. I can't catch my breath, I can't hear because my heart's beating so hard, and I can't move. I'm literally frozen with my fear. It happened to me at the ocean center and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I was lucky that Edward believes in me because otherwise I could have been sent home before the internship even began.

"Sometimes I wish I was like you," Bella admitted. "I wish I could give up on the water and be happy with a life on land. Heck, I wish I could have just been happy working with the dolphins and whales at Sea World. But then I see a ray or a mollusk or a raccoon butterfly and I know I could never be happy without the sea in my life.

"I don't want to settle for what's easy, Alice. I want so much more out of my life and my career. I want to excel and make a difference. Whether that puts me working with sharks or not, I can't have a panic attack every time they swim near the glass. Even if I don't take the aquarium job, I need to get a handle on this fear. I don't ever want to experience again what I did at the ocean center."

"What? Why wouldn't you take the job?"

Bella gave a tired laugh and sunk both hands into her hair. "You are doing exactly what you used to when you were fourteen and fifteen. You're hearing keywords and reacting to them instead of listening to everything I'm telling you. Do you have any idea how frustrating you are when you do that?"

Alice grinned. "Probably as frustrating as my big sister when she tells me she wants to be near sharks."

"I'm not saying I want to be near them every day. I just want the ability to do it."

Alice noticed the way Bella was now hugging the puppy to her chest. Something about it made this all click in a way talking about it hadn't. Bella really was scared. All the nights Alice had been afraid of the dark or missing their parents or just didn't want to be alone, Bella had always been solid and brave—and kind enough to let her little sister into her bed every single time. It had never occurred to Alice that her big sister might be just as scared and just as lonely.

But why wasn't she this scared when she was talking to me earlier about sharks? Alice asked herself. Just as quickly, she admitted the answer. Because Masen was here and he really is helping her.

Alice sucked in a breath and grabbed hold of her courage to force out the question on the tip of her tongue. "If I did stay, would I have to do what you're doing? Touch sharks and be around them?"

"You won't have to do anything you don't want or don't feel ready for. Edward doesn't push unless he knows you want it and can handle it. And you don't have to work with sharks at all. You can just watch us."

"Us? You really consider yourself part of their team?"

"I know I am. I've earned it. And I'm not done, Alice. I'm not leaving MMR."

"I don't understand it. But maybe if I stay I will?"

Bella scooted over to sit beside Alice and put an arm around her. "Maybe. Even if you don't, it would be nice to have my sister with me."

"Even then? Really?"

"Always," Bella promised. And then she grinned and tapped Alice on the nose. "As long as you aren't instigating arguments with Edward."

"I can't promise that."

"Okay but just know I won't protect you from his reaction."

Alice's jaw dropped and she gasped loudly. "But you have to. You're my big sister and you don't let anyone mess with me."

"You look horrified," Bella exclaimed while giggling. "Worse than when you stepped in the neighbor's dog's poop in our driveway with your new shoes."

Alice rolled her eyes and then gave a good argument for why Bella had to protect her. "You promised me in third grade when George Ross sat behind me in class and wouldn't stop pulling my pigtails."

"How in the world do you remember his name?"

Alice grinned. "Because I'll never forget how my big sister made a boy stop hurting me by threatening to put stinging jellyfish in his bathtub."

"I'll never let anyone hurt you if I can help it. I'm so sorry that my needing to be here hurts you. I wish I could prevent it."

"I don't understand why you need it, but I can see you believe you do. I'll do my best to accept that for now."

"Thank you." Bella kissed Alice on the temple and then struggled to her feet. "As fun as it is to hang out with you, I need to get some sleep. Edward will know if I don't and he'll tell Whit and then I'll have my nurse and my doctor getting on me about resting."

"Bella—" Alice bit on her lip, deciding at the last second that it was a childish request not worth voicing.

Bella knew anyway. "What side of the bed do you want?"

Snuggled in beside her sister with a snoring puppy lying between their legs, Alice made a tentative decision to stay for a full week, just to see how things would go. She listened to the lulling tones of Esme and Carlisle conversing until she finally drifted off to sleep, hoping to take a stroll through Parisian streets with Whit.

"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"

Esme's POV:

"More wine?" Esme asked as she topped off her own glass.

Carlisle held his glass out to her. "If I didn't know better, Ms. Masen, I would think you're trying to get me drunk."

Esme laughed. "Carlisle, you hit drunk about a glass and a half back."

"I did," he agreed with a low chuckle. "And you're catching up with me," he said, pointing a finger at her and swaying in his chair a bit.

She leaned in with her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand, getting a good look at his gray-green eyes and the glassy look they held. "Yep. Drunk."

"Not too drunk to appreciate a clear night and a beautiful woman."

"Oh, Carlisle," she breathed out with a sigh. "You're making it hard for me to behave."

The backs of his fingers brushed along the side of her arm. "I don't think either of us would mind if we misbehaved a little."

It was so tempting and would have been so easy, but it wasn't the right thing to do so Esme forced herself to continue being good. "Alright, Mister, no more wine for you," she ordered, reaching out to take his glass.

He caught her hand and brought it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles. "You're amazing."

"And you're drunk," Esme replied while blushing madly. She was doing her best to behave but there was only so much willpower inside of her. "You better hand over that glass of wine."

"You're the most amazing woman I've ever met. The way you spoke to Alice this morning … I could never have gotten through to her so easily."

"It was nothing. As much as she seems to hold a grudge against my kid, she's a lot like him. I figured if letting him lead himself to the answer works on him, it would work on her too."

"You made today a better day, Esme. Alice is calmer and at least open to the idea of staying. And Bella's progress is moving right along. I owe you, Edward, and Whit for those things."

"You don't and I won't hear any mention of it again."

Carlisle leaned in to her further, bracing himself with an arm on the edge of the table. "I want to hear why you aren't married. A woman like you, so full of life and heart, it seems universally wrong that no one has seen it yet."

"A few have seen it. But I come as a bundled package. I haven't found the man whose heart is big enough for me and my misfits. I need someone who will jump in there and be in the mix with us, someone who doesn't mind rarely getting to have me all to himself. It'll happen someday."

"You know what you want and you don't mind waiting for it. I like that. That's good. That's what Charlie … He wanted that for Bella and Alice and I've tried. I've tried so hard to encourage them to be that way. But you never know. You never know if you're doing it right or fucking it up. Excuse my French, Esme."

She held back her laugh at his excusing his cursing, pushing her lips together and giving him a slow nod as a response.

"I just … " Carlisle sank back into the chair and ran a hand through his windblown brown hair. "I want my girls to be everything Charlie always knew they could be. Bella, she … she has such a love for the waters and the creatures in them."

He suddenly sat up and moved close to Esme again. "Her face when she's talking about her job—Esme, she's so full of passion and fire. She reminds me of Charlie strongly in those moments. He was always one to go hard after what lit a fire in him. Charlie saw it in her from an early age. He knew she was going to spend her life on the water. That's why she was with us on that damn fishing trip."

Carlisle picked up his wine glass and sighed into it, then gulped down a mouthful. "I have to be drunk because it hurts too much otherwise. My nieces don't have a father or a mother because of me. Because I booked that trip and I didn't turn the radio on first thing that morning and I didn't get them out of the water fast enough."

Esme grabbed his hand, squeezing his flesh until he looked up and she knew she had his attention. "You're lucky you're drunk, Mister, or I'd have to knock you on your ass for thinking you are anything less than an amazing parent. What happened to your brother was an accident that no one could have predicted. Just as no one could have predicted Renee's reaction to Charlie's death. You did the best thing, the most loving thing anyone can do in a situation like that. You took your nieces into your home and raised them as your own. You love them unconditionally, you support their dreams, and you even do all you can to broker peace between them. Those young women have lost a great deal, but they have also gained so much through you. The years you have given them are what you should focus on and think about instead of wasting time trying to lay fault for one blameless event."

He was still close to her and she could see the glassiness had left his eyes to be replaced with hurt. "Honestly, Esme … Don't you ever feel guilty for standing in Beth's shoes?"

"In the beginning I did. But I quickly saw it wasn't helping me and it certainly wasn't helping Edward. He needed me to fill those shoes to the best of my ability and then he needed me to make them my own. He needed to feel that I wasn't just being a placeholder for her, that he belonged to me as much as I belonged to him. Just as your girls have needed that from you. And from what I can tell, you've given that to them. So why should there be any guilt associated with doing something so wonderful for someone you love?"

"I'm going to kiss you. You need to be kissed for seeing the love and beauty in our situations and not just the pain and sadness."

Esme wanted that kiss badly but she also wanted him sober enough to remember it so she pulled back. "Carlisle, as much as I have enjoyed this night, it's time to call it done and turn in."

He gave her a nod and then got to his feet all on his own; she was shocked by his steadiness after his earlier swaying while seated. She grabbed her glass and the nearly empty bottle of wine while he carried the empty plate of cheese cubes they'd demolished and his own glass.

They made quick work of washing the dishes together and then he escorted her to her door, seeming more like a character from an old black and white romance movie than a real man in these modern times.

"Esme, thank you again for a wonderful day and night."

She shook her head at him while leaning back against her doorframe. "You really have to stop acting like I'm doing something grand. It's going to give me an ego complex."

"You'll have to stop impressing me first."

"Raise your standards. That'll solve it right away," she joked with a soft chuckle.

Carlisle stepped into her personal space, setting one arm against the frame just above her head and nearly touching his forehead to hers. "I have to kiss you."

"You're too drunk to remember it." As much as she knew the words were true, she wanted them to be wrong. She needed him to kiss her more than she needed her next breath.

"There's no such thing. You're unforgettable in every way." Carlisle kept Esme from denying his words with the simplest yet most complicated action a man and woman can partake in—a first kiss.

And oh man was it a kiss worth telling about it! This wasn't some tentative barely there and gone again moment between young people. This was the life's too short to waste time let me blow your mind right now merging of lips. A hard kiss with harsh breaths, grasping fingers, and noses smashed against cheeks. Esme didn't even feel it when her head banged against the doorframe from Carlisle's efforts to get closer to her.

Her hands gripped his arms, feeling the movement of his muscles and the power there. It would have been the easiest thing in the world to pull and lead him into her room. Easy. So, so easy. But not right. Not right when neither of them were completely sober. Not right with there still not being a firm decision from Alice on the girls' futures. And not right because of the temporary nature of their relationship. Carlisle was only here to ensure his niece was okay. Once Bella was healed, he'd be jetting back to Florida. Esme wasn't the type to be opposed to a one night stand at all—she just didn't want something so short-term with Carlisle. He was too good, too attractive on too many levels—once just wouldn't cut it and he hadn't given any indication there could be more than that.

With a heavy sigh and a pang of regret for what wouldn't be, Esme pulled away and slipped inside her room. "Goodnight, Carlisle." She couldn't read his expression but that was probably a good thing. She really didn't want to see her thoughts confirmed in his eyes.

Carlisle cleared his throat and mumbled "goodnight" before turning away from her door. She almost had it shut when he turned back and called her name. "I'm sorry for being so forward. I really hope you won't hold it against me in the morning."

She replied with a joke that hopefully removed any guilt he might be feeling over the kiss. "Pretty sure the only thing I'll be holding is a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin."

"Would it be okay if I joined you in that?"

"As much as we drank tonight, I'd be shocked if you didn't."

"See you at breakfast then. Goodnight, Esme."

"Night." She closed the door and then turned to lean against it. So close. So damn close and still light-years away. I know I'll find the one someday but does someday really have to be so freakin far off? And do you really have to tempt me with such a remarkable and sexy man in the meantime?

She washed her face, changed into her nightclothes, and crawled under the cool sheets of her bed. Regardless of how the night hadn't ended, it had still been fun and it had been great to see Bella and Alice spending some time together. They probably have no idea they were spotted in the doorway of Bella's room. Edward will be happy to hear about it tomorrow. Whit too.

Esme turned over to face the window and the night sky beyond. The sky was clear and the stars bright, a perfect night for stargazing. She wondered what her son was doing, if he was missing Bella, and how he might be handling it alone without his kapu and his mom. That thought led her to think about Carlisle's question of guilt for filling in for Beth. Esme often wished her sister were here to see the man Edward was turning into but mostly she just felt lucky to help shape him and to be here to support him.

She fell asleep thinking of her sister and the nephew she loved as her own son. She dreamt of times spent with them together and of future moments she hoped to experience with Edward. And then she dreamt of a man with brown hair and gray-green eyes wanting her and her misfits. She would have been thrilled to know that across the house that man was dreaming of her and what a life together would be like.

"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"

A/N: We had a lot of interesting little glimpses into the characters and their motivations in this one. We hope you all enjoyed! We've got a couple pictures up over on the blog to go along with this chapter so be sure to check them out.

We had to share part of a review for Chapter 25 – It comes to us from Hope4more:

Edward is Dory from Finding Nemo! Has a heart of gold and determination to make it all right...bringing them all together even if he wants to just go lounge in the whale's mouth and call it a day!