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 33 – Thumper Owns All The Horns
Friday, July 4th
After tightening the last screw, Masen put down his screwdriver and picked up his birthday gift. The added hardware made it heavier than his lucky mask—and more difficult to find that balance between comfort and a secure fit, but he was determined to get it working and use it at least once. When he was finally satisfied with its placement, he turned his head toward his cot and his test subject.
Bella slept soundly, using his lucky shirt as a blanket. The past couple of days had been hard for her, spending her days on deck spotting sharks and her afternoons indoors reviewing video and still footage of the Great Whites. In addition to the drain her anxiety had on her, she wasn't sleeping well, waking up six and seven times throughout the night and never really getting into a deep sleep.
Then there was her watch. She'd given herself a brush burn from the twisting, leaving him no choice in the matter. Whit and Lee had agreed it was the right call but he'd still felt sick to his stomach when he'd told her she couldn't wear it while working anymore. She'd of course been upset but she'd also seemed to understand it was for her safety—she at least wasn't mad with him. When he'd accidentally woken her last night while leaving his bed, she'd insisted on coming down to his project room with him to watch him work. And when he'd finally insisted it was time for her to get some sleep around midnight, she'd chosen the small cot over his big bed upstairs.
Looking at her now, seeing her so relaxed and at peace, he loved it, but it also annoyed him that it couldn't be this way for her all the time. He knew things would get better over time, but that didn't give him any added patience right now. What he did have right now was a working camera—hopefully—to capture this moment of peace for the both of them.
He pressed the release button and heard the whir of the camera's small engine followed by the click of the shutter. He carefully took the mask off and set it on his plan table with one hand while reaching for his screwdriver with the other. Powered by his excitement, it took him less than a minute to get the digital card out of the camera and into his laptop. Hope this works, he thought as he waited for his computer to read the information on the card.
The sight of the open options box had him grinning wide and tapping excitedly on the touchpad to get the folder open so he could see if there was an actual viable image contained within.
There was a photo but it was almost too dark to make out. Still, Masen wasn't discouraged. The aperture could be fiddled with, letting in more light. It was one of the trickier parts to mess with but certainly not impossible. He'd been worried the digital card receiver was damaged, one of the few things he couldn't yet fix.
After making a few adjustments, Masen closed up the casing on the mask and put the digital card back into it. He put it on and spun his chair so that he was once again looking down at his kapu.
It was on the second whir-snap of the lens that Bella's eyes fluttered open.
He pushed his mask up onto his forehead and got out of the chair, kneeling down next to her. "Morning."
She giggled softly. "You look like a mad scientist."
He grinned while taking the mask off. "Better?"
Her fingers traced the edge of his hairline. "Mark from the mask. What were you doing with it?"
"I was testing the adjustments I made to the camera."
She perked up at his words, her eyes opening fully. "It works?"
"It's taking pictures. Now I just need to get the light balance right so it can take usable photos."
She pushed his lucky shirt aside and sat up. "Let's check the one you just took."
They moved to his plan table where his laptop was ready and waiting. He quickly removed the card from the mask and put it into the machine. Bella stood just behind him with her arms around his neck and her chin resting on his shoulder.
The first picture wasn't much better than the original but it seemed to have been an angle issue because the second was damn near perfect.
She lightly slapped his chest while giggling. "Really, Edward? All the maps on your walls and your prototype right there on the shelf and you take photos of me."
"It's not as good as the one of you at Boulders Bay Beach, but it has its own charm."
"Charm? It's basically a picture of your shirt, my nose, and a mess of tangled brown hair."
He tapped the laptop's screen. "Don't forget your pursed lips and your cheek resting in the palm of your hand."
"How in the world did you see all of that? You barely glanced at it."
He turned his chair around and tugged her between his legs, smiling up at her while wrapping his arms around her. "There's not much I don't see when I look at you." He drew her lips to his and kissed her long and slow, something he'd been itching to do for hours now. He was careful not to let the kiss get away from them; as much as he'd enjoyed last night he knew it wasn't smart to tempt their self-control too much. There were seven weeks left on location and then a week of wind-down back home in Hawaii and only then would the internship be over, freeing them to fully immerse themselves in their personal relationship.
Bella didn't so much pull away from him as stumble against him and he had to laugh at being able to knock her off balance—she'd been doing it to him from the moment she'd walked into his life.
"It's not funny," she said, struggling not to smile. "Okay, maybe it's a little funny. But it would be a lot funnier if it happened to you once in a while."
"Trust me, kapu, you knock me on my ass daily."
Her lips curled in a small smile while her fingers caressed the hair at the back of his neck. "Good."
"Know what else is good? You look rested. Though I don't know how on that tiny cot."
"You can just come right out and ask how I'm feeling, you know. You don't have to build up to it or anything. I know you're just trying to make sure I'm okay."
He wasn't sure what he'd done to give himself away—and he felt like a giant ass all over again for thinking it was impossible for her to read him, that she had to have been eavesdropping.
"I'm honestly looking forward to working with Gopher today," she assured him. "I'm even excited to get to work, and I haven't felt that lately knowing I would be working as a spotter. And because I know you'll ask, I didn't say anything because I really wanted it to be a passing feeling, that I would get excited about it."
He remained quiet, sensing she had more to say from the way her fingers kept moving through his hair.
"I was being too hard on myself yesterday. It's not realistic to expect this to be like school where I master a lesson on the first try and earn an A. This is more like a puzzle and I have to slowly fit the pieces together in order to see a finished product at the end."
He smiled at the conviction in her voice, once again in awe of her ability to battle back from her anxieties and find her strength again. "That's probably the most perfect explanation I've ever heard."
Her smile was wide and genuine. "So now that we're both feeling better, what's next? More test photos with the mask?"
He glanced at the clock on the wall above his file cabinets. "Unfortunately, it's nearly time for bathroom allotments to start."
"And breakfast is right behind that and then you give out our duties and then our half day of work begins."
He hated seeing her so disappointed and at the very same time he found it cute as hell. After kissing away her pout, he promised to bring the mask home with them and give it a try in the waters of Gordon's Bay. He knew he could convince Whit to swim out with him to test it.
Masen and Bella parted ways on the stairs—actually, Lee forced them to stop "sucking face" and go their separate ways. She and Bella had drawn breakfast duty for this morning and she had refused to go upstairs without her assistant.
He headed into the bathroom since he had the first slot, still grumbling under his breath about Lee's interruption. He didn't need a shower since he'd taken one last night but he did need to give his facial hair a buzz with the electric shaver. He considered shaving it all off just to freak Esme out but then decided to save it for an actual special occasion. Messing with her was fun but seeing her get that "mom look" in her eyes was always better.
By the time breakfast was over and he was standing up to read over the assignment sheet, Masen was feeling pretty damn good. His kapu had slept, she'd eaten all of her breakfast, and she'd been engaged in all of this morning's conversations. She was ready to go and re-engaged and he'd helped to get her there.
"Assignments," he announced, pulling the sheet from his folder. "Today's going to be a little different. For one, it's only a half day. For another, we moved closer to Seal Island first thing this morning. We're now positioned in what's called Zone 4. It's reportedly the most active zone around the island. As with all new areas we enter, there will be no cage work on the first day, observation only.
"Whit, you've got spotter duty today. Thumper, you're his helper, same deal as yesterday with Lee. You write down everything he calls out to you.
"Lee, you're in charge of video today and Gopher is your second. You decide where you want the cameras placed and on what areas you want them trained."
She immediately lifted a finger up. "Hold on just one damn minute. You are not putting me in charge on a half day where there's no hope of an afternoon recovery if you hate my choices. Not without a damn good reason for it."
He made no attempt to control his smirk. "You all wanted me to share more of the responsibilities with each of you. I'm simply granting your wish."
"You don't simply do anything, Mase," she replied with a steely glare. "But fine. I'll run the video cameras. Just know that you don't get to bitch about it later if you don't like the footage."
His smirk widened into his shitty smile. "No bitching involved. I'll just make you redo it all when we get back to work on Monday."
Gopher snorted. "That's the Masen we know and love."
Masen continued on with the assignments. "Guppy and I will get Galeos ready to dock. Secure the cage, disassemble the wench, store away the gear we've been using the past few days and etcetera and etcetera. We'll also be keeping a close watch on the time to make sure we all stay on schedule.
"Today is a half day so when we break for lunch, we're actually going to head back to Gordon's Bay instead of having lunch on the boat. Esme's expecting us and she's going to have a meal waiting so there's no lunch duty today. We're also not going to have our regularly scheduled cleaning so I ask that each of you clean up your rooms before we disembark from the boat. Don't leave any food lying around, Whit."
"Why are you calling me out like that, bro?" Whit asked, leaning across the table to see Masen clearly.
"Because you sleep with chocolate in your pillowcase," Bella answered.
"That," Masen said, smiling proudly and pointing at Bella with his thumb. "If there are no questions, then let's clean up and be on deck in fifteen minutes."
The table cleared out and the boat filled with buzzing voices and hurried footsteps as they discussed the pros and cons of today's assignments while rushing downstairs to get ready.
Masen went into his office to put away his folder and heard the door slam behind him. He looked up from his desk to find Alice leaning against the door with a fuming mad look on her pinched face.
He had no idea what he'd done to set her off this time but he was sure she'd tell him all about it. "Can I help you with something, Thumper?"
Her face went from red to purple. "You're a real asshole, you know that? You're purposefully giving my sister crap work. Yesterday wasn't her best day, sure, but that doesn't mean you treat her like a baby and put her in the corner. You're supposed to be helping her. You promised her."
He managed not to outright yell at her, but he made no attempt to hide his anger. "Don't mistake my desire to be nice to you for Bella's sake as some kind of free pass to say whatever stupid ass thoughts are in your head."
"Stupid!" she screeched, sounding more like a gull than a girl.
"You heard me. Stupid. I don't know what is it about me that makes it so easy for you to jump to the worst fucking conclusion you possibly could, but you need to get control of that shit. Immediately."
"Being an ass to me isn't going to make me leave this room. Not until you give my sister a real assignment."
It was one thing to question him as a person. That he expected and couldn't give a shit about. But she was questioning his commitment as a mentor to Bella's success and happiness and that was something he could not stand. It had truly hurt him to take her father's watch away yesterday. That on top of the stress of his responsibilities to the team, to the new mentor program, and all the changes in his life—having Alice questioning him pushed him right over his limit.
"I'm done with your bullshit," he yelled, slamming his fist down on the desk. "I'm fucking done." He came around the desk and stood right in front of her. "You don't come aboard my boat and question me as if I have answer to you. You don't question my commitment to my team. And I don't care what relation you are to Bella, you don't ever question my commitment to her. No one cares more about the safety of everyone on this boat than I do and the fact that you refuse to see that proves how determined you are to hate me."
She lifted up on her toes, trying to be face to face with him. "I'll question anything I want when my sister is involved."
"Your sister, huh? Because you love her so much more than anyone else, right? More than me for sure, right? I've got some questions, Alice. How's your sister been sleeping the past few days? How many times a night does she force herself to wake up from her nightmares?"
Alice blinked at him.
"Don't know any of those, huh? Maybe you'll know this one. How does she feel about her assignment? About taking a step back to regroup?"
Again, Alice only stared.
"Last one. Because you know me so well that you can call me an asshole with complete conviction. How much work do I put into every single action plan I make for my team?"
No answer from Alice.
"Your silence is exactly why I can say 'fuck you' without an ounce of remorse. I know the answers and I know Bella. I know I'm helping her in the exact way she needs. I'm taking away direct contact with sharks so that she can have a break from her anxiety. I promised Bella I would do whatever was necessary to protect her and that's exactly what I'm doing, what I'll always do.
"Maybe if you didn't have your head so far up your ass, you'd notice I'm protecting you too. Why the hell else would I have you standing around writing on a clipboard, letting you be in the middle of everything without actually putting you in direct contact?"
Her stony expression didn't change even a tiny bit; her mind was already made up about him.
"You can stand there and think I'm just some asshole putting your sister near sharks all you want. But that's not going to change the truth. Only one of us is doing what's best for your sister and it sure as fuck isn't you.
"Work today or don't work, Alice. I don't give a shit. Just don't get in your sister's way. And stay the fuck out of mine." He pushed her aside and stormed off to his room, needing space and time to calm down. He had a team depending on him and not a lot of time to get himself in the right frame of mind to keep them safe.
He shouldn't give a damn what Alice thought of him, yet he couldn't keep it from bothering him. It wasn't a question of whether or not she liked him because he truly didn't give a shit. It was her distrust of his intentions toward Bella that bothered him.
None of it could be allowed to get in the way of his work—that was an absolute. They only had a half-day and a lot of work to get done in that short time frame. He needed to be focused on his team and the plan he'd come up with for them today. While Bella wouldn't be seeing any sharks today, she would be talking to him about them. He hoped that giving her an arsenal of shark facts would help keep her mind from imagining them as monsters; he knew her perception of them was a huge factor in her anxiety around them.
There was a knock on his door followed by Bella's voice calling his name.
He took a deep breath, pushed down his feelings about his run-in with Alice, and opened the door with a smile. "Ready?"
"Almost," she replied while ducking under his arm and entering his room. She went over to his dresser and snagged his MMR hat from the top of it. She threaded her ponytail through the back and adjusted the bill on her forehead, smiling wide at him when she was done. "I needed my hat."
He laughed at her boldness and marveled at her ability to change his mood so quickly and thoroughly. There was still plenty of anger over Alice's accusations, but the pleasure he felt at seeing Bella smiling while wearing his hat outweighed it easily.
"Out!" he ordered, pointing at the hallway and hiding his smile.
She gave his cheek a quick kiss and then scooted past him.
He let her get as far as the doorway and then he dragged her back to him by the tail of her shirt, her giggles filling his room and widening his smile. He managed to get her wiggling body turned around and found her lips with his. He'd meant for it to be soft and sweet but the taste of her on his tongue was too good for just a small sampling. He could tell she agreed from the grip her hands had on his hair.
"Hey! You two stop that!" Lee ordered from the hallway. "What did I tell you two about sucking face on company time?"
Masen laughed under his breath, not wanting to give Lee the satisfaction of hearing it. She was already enjoying throwing his words back at him far too much.
Bella had to blink a few times before the glazed look in her eyes started to fade away to be replaced with eagerness. "Time for work."
He stood there for a moment just enjoying his certainty that Alice was completely wrong about him. If he wasn't helping Bella, she wouldn't be excited to get to work right now. She'd be anxious and mousy instead of her usual bold and determined self.
"Edward, let's go, slowpoke!" Bella said as she tugged on his hand. "I still need you to wrap my wrist before we can go up on deck."
"I'm gonna wrap your mouth while I'm at it," he joked, allowing her to pull him into the hall. "You get a little sleep and suddenly your right back to being a smart ass."
"You would know best since it's your constant state of being."
Gopher had overheard their conversation and was now laughing at the both of them. "Guppy one. Masen none."
"You, inside," he ordered Bella, pointing at the medical room. He turned to Gopher and said, "You need to head upstairs and make sure the camera is fully charged with a fresh digital card in it."
Gopher stepped in closer and spoke low so that only Masen would hear. "I heard some of what Thumper said to you in the office. I hope you know she's a hundred percent wrong. You're giving Bella exactly what she needs from her mentor and her partner."
Masen wasn't sure how to respond, much less how to thank Gopher for saying exactly what he'd needed to hear. He settled for giving the man's shoulder a squeeze.
Gopher grinned and gave him a hard pat on the back. "I got your back, bro."
Masen snorted and shook his head. "Get your ass upstairs and get a camera."
"Aye Aye, Captain!" Gopher responded with a salute.
Masen's smile was completely genuine and his mind was back at what it considered to be rest, fully focused on work and the day ahead of his team. He'd get Bella's wrist wrapped for her, they'd get the boat ready for docking while the others gathered more shark footage, and then everyone would make it back to Gordon's Bay safe and sound.
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"Okay, you are never allowed to wrap my wrist again," Bella declared while laughing.
"What are you talking about? It's perfect," Edward argued.
She couldn't stop laughing. "It's so crooked. I could do a better job one-handed."
"It's your fault for distracting me."
"And what exactly was I doing to distract you?"
He smiled while helping her to her feet. "Looking adorable in my hat."
She crooked her finger at him and tipped the bill of her hat back to give him room to come in for a kiss.
He was taking her up on the invitation too but then he stopped at the sound of Alice's voice. "Bella, I need to talk to you real quick."
Bella mouthed "sorry" to him and then craned her neck to see her sister over his shoulder. "Later, Alice. We're finishing up with my wrist now and heading upstairs."
"It'll only take a few minutes."
Bella pressed down on the waterproof tape Edward had just laid across the end of the gauze covering her wrist. Once she was sure it wasn't going to move, she answered her sister. "We don't have a few minutes."
"Bella, this is really important."
"So is our work, Alice."
"Bella—"
She stepped around Edward to see her sister. "I said later. Look, I know this isn't really important to you, but it is to me and my team. I promise I'll make time for you after our work is done."
"Is that good or do you need another piece of tape?" Edward asked from behind her.
"It's good," Bella promised. "Now let's get going."
"I'm going to sit today out," Alice said, backing out of the room. "I'm not really feeling well."
If her sister thought claiming to be ill would get her to stay inside and take care of her, she was sadly mistaken. She was finally excited about work again and she wasn't going to let that feeling pass her by. "Get some rest, Sis. I'll check on you when we're done for the day." Bella kissed her sister's cheek and then headed upstairs with Edward by her side.
After letting Whit know of the change in plans, and assuring him that Alice was fine, Bella started in on her work with Edward.
"What's first?" she asked, looking between the cage and the wench.
"It's your team. You tell me." His grin was a combination of his smirk and his proud smile—she loved that he only smiled that way for her. The team knew him so well after such long friendships and they had so much history together; it was nice to have a part of him that was only hers.
Bella surveyed the gear once more and then gave her best guess as to what he'd pick. "Well since the cage is partially blocking the wench, I say we tackle it first."
"Not bad, Guppy. Not bad at all."
She beamed at his praise.
And then she'd sweated her butt off under his direction. They'd moved the cage to the other side of the boat and secured it tightly. Then they'd dismantled part of the wench and crated the parts. After that, they'd had to take the crates down to the mechanical room on the bottom deck. Once they'd finished with the big items, they'd started in on all of the small ones. There had been numerous containers of gear to be towed and stowed. In between all of their hard work, Edward had kept track of the time and had routinely checked in with every team member to make sure they were all okay and not running into issues with their assignments.
Now with the work all done, Bella turned her face into the shower's cool spray, washing away some of the dirt and sweat and thinking of how hard Edward worked every day to protect them all. It was amazing to watch him keep track of every big and little detail and still have enough focus to make sure every team member was safe. She admired his dedication. Even more, she respected him for doing the right thing no matter how much it might hurt a person he cared about. It was undeniably upsetting to be without her watch, to feel the absence of its comforting weight on her wrist, but it was also the right choice for the entire team. They depended on each other so much that having a distracted or injured team member was an unacceptable risk.
While soaping up her body, she thought back on how he'd gradually worked sharks into their assignment. He'd mostly stuck with sharing information about non-lethal sharks, giving her the migratory habits of one species and then the diet of another. He'd kept it interesting and fun, turning it into a guessing game for her. The best part was that at no point had she felt anxious.
Out of the shower and dressed in clean, dry, and fresh-smelling clothing, she went upstairs to spend some time with Edward. She knew he'd be at the helm and she was hoping he might let her drive the boat once they got close to Gordon's Bay. She also wanted to thank him for making today a great work day for her.
The sounds of boisterous male laughter had her stopping at the edge of the hallway. If Edward was having some guy time with Whit, she didn't want to interrupt.
It was Gopher's voice she heard first. "I'm just sayin'. Some girls are mad dogs. You can either run or shoot."
His comment was followed by more laughter and then a yelp.
"Whit, that hurt, man," Gopher whined.
"You deserved it," Whit told him. "And since when the hell are you on Team Masen? And you!"
"Fucker!" That had been Edward. She was sure of it.
"That's what you get for encouraging Gopher," Whit said.
"Not my fault the man has a point," Edward replied.
"And it's not entirely Alice's fault that she blew up on you."
"It damn sure isn't yours," Edward insisted. "She has her own mind and mouth and both are determined to paint me the bad guy."
"Mase, I told her about my leg last night. I know that had to be on her mind today."
"So what? I should give her a free pass to shit on me because you have a gimpy leg?"
"Fuck you, my leg's not gimpy."
More laughter came from the room, confusing the hell out of Bella because she couldn't figure out what they'd found funny.
"All I'm trying to say is that there's more to Alice than what you've seen of her," Whit shared.
"Great for her," Edward replied. "And I truly wish you the best with her. But as far as MMR goes, she's done."
"I agree with Mase on this one," Gopher announced. "She's not taking any of this seriously. She's got her own agenda and that's all she cares about."
"Mase, as my friend—as my brother—I'm begging you not to make a decision today. Just give both of you the next couple of days to calm down and think through things before making any decisions."
Bella stepped into the room and answered Whit. "No. If Alice is putting the team in danger, then she has to go before someone gets hurt."
"Guys, want to give us some privacy?" Edward looked at his friends in a way that made it clear this was an order and not a real question.
Gopher clamped a hand on Whit's shoulder. "Come on, bro. Let's go make sure your room is free of food contraband."
Bella waited until the two men were right in front of her and then she put her arms around Whit and hugged him tightly. "Don't blame yourself. Not unless you want me to kick your ass."
"But how do I know hearing about my leg didn't push her into arguing with him?"
"Whit, we've all lost people we love and pieces of ourselves, and we're all still responsible for everything we say and do. We make the choice every day not to be angry at the world or to blame others for our tragedies. Alice has that same choice to make and none of us are responsible for her choosing wrong."
"Thank you," he said as he returned her hug just as hard. "I'm a lucky man to have you in my life."
She smiled and kissed his cheek before letting him go. "Alright. Off with you two. Go find all the chocolate."
With those two gone, Bella turned to face Edward, finding him frowning. "Guess you've got something to tell me," she said as she approached him.
"I was going to tell you tomorrow." He seemed sincere, looking right into her eyes and not hesitating to wrap his arms around her. "Just wanted you to have one nice, calm day."
She took his face into her hands and smiled at him. "Edward, we're in South Africa surrounded by Great White Sharks. There is no calm."
He laughed and hugged her tighter, lowering his head to her shoulder and pressing a soft kiss against her neck. She could feel the tension in his body and knew it would feed into his reluctance to tell her what was going on. She figured the best way to handle this would be to make it seem like it was no big deal.
She pulled away and hopped up into one of the chairs, folding her legs in front of her. "So!" she said with a big smile. "What happened with Thumper? Did she argue in favor of chumming?"
He leaned back against the dash panel, crossing his arms and legs. He was definitely guarded but the fact that he was still looking right at her gave her hope he would eventually open up.
"I want to ask you something first," he finally said. "What did you think of your assignment today?"
"I loved it," she answered immediately and honestly. "I'm not saying it's an assignment I want to take part in every week, but I think it was important work. Now I get why it's such a big deal. MMR has a lot of gear, some sharp and some heavy and some are both. You have to protect it all from thieves while protecting the boat from the gear. And I really liked the way you slid shark facts in with your guessing game. It was unconventional and fascinating. I wasn't expecting it and by the time I realized what you were doing, I was having so much fun with it that there was no room for any anxiety to creep in."
She smiled wide and added, "Plus, I can now authoritatively tell people that dogfish sharks are named for their tendency to travel in packs, not for their ability to bark underwater."
He grinned but it barely touched his eyes. He was questioning himself as her mentor and that pissed her off. She was complicating his life in enough ways and he didn't need the stress her sister was causing. He damn sure didn't deserve for anyone to make him question himself as a mentor, especially since he was doing a damn fine job at it in her opinion.
"Come here," she ordered, pointing at the floor directly in front of her.
His blue eyes widened in surprise. "Excuse me? Did you just order me to do something?"
"Right here," she said, still pointing the spot out for him.
He was trying hard not to grin as he stood up straight and uncrossed his legs and arms. He seemed to be waiting for enough time to pass for him to believe he was moving because he wanted to and not because she'd told him to.
When he was finally standing in front of her, she grabbed a handful of his shirt and used it to pull his face down to hers. "You listen to me, Edward Masen. You are a damn good mentor and every success I've had with this team has been because of you. Because you're patient … because you adjust your plans to fit my experiences … because you care. Even if I wasn't your kapu, I know you would care enough to see me through this internship. I know it and you know it. Don't you dare let anyone make you question yourself."
His mouth moved roughly against hers while his hands gripped her hips tightly; she easily matched the passion of his kiss and the intensity of his hold, as fueled by her anger at her sister as he was by his pent-up tension. It meant a lot for him to go above and beyond with Alice for Bella's sake but it wasn't what she wanted. Not for any of them. Not if it caused him stress and to question himself.
"I tried." His voice was rough and breathy and his green eyes bored into her, making her feel more flushed. "I didn't want to argue with her. But she accused me of pushing you out of the way instead of helping you."
"She had no right to do that. You and I talked about my options and I agreed with you that stepping back was right."
"What if you hadn't agreed?"
She pressed her hand against his cheek, missing the sting of his stubble since he'd shaved it down so much this morning. "I would have told you. I would have asked for more options. But I didn't need to because your idea made sense. Because I trust you as my mentor. No matter what we've had right or wrong in our personal relationship, you have always made the right call, the best choice for me, when it comes to this internship."
"I never make a decision without looking at the choices from every angle."
"Edward, I know that."
"I'm not wrong here, Bella. I'm not going to apologize for what I said to her because I meant every word."
"Stop," she said, holding his face with both hands now. "You don't have to justify anything to me. You know this team better than anyone. If you feel Alice is an unacceptable risk, then I believe you."
He sighed and relaxed some, his fingers no longer digging into her hips. "That's the part that pisses me off the most. If she would just keep her mouth shut and really look at what we're doing, she would see that we're not crazy shark people putting you in danger. She would see the progress you're making and how hard we're all working to help you be successful. Hell maybe she'd even have some success in her own struggles."
Bella smiled and pulled on his shirt, bringing his lips to hers for a soft, quick kiss. "You have such a good heart."
She only got a small grin in response but at least it touched his eyes this time. She felt exceedingly proud of herself for getting them to turn green with how guarded and tense he'd been at the start of their conversation.
"Esme tells me that a lot," he shared.
"And you have the nerve to doubt her? Oh, Edward," she said with a pretend sigh. "What will I do with you?"
A full on smirk curled his lips. "I've got a couple ideas."
"Ones that don't involve our line?" she challenged.
He decided to kiss her again rather than answer her. It wasn't much slower or softer than their first kiss but it definitely didn't have the tension. This was purely him expressing his attraction to her and vice-versa.
He let out a groan while pulling away. "You make it ridiculously easy to forget why there's a line."
"Me? What about you?"
His lips were curled into his shitty grin. "I'm completely innocent. A bystander in this mess."
"Yeah, okay," she replied with a snort. She patted his chest while uncrossing her legs and getting onto her feet. "You stand there and believe that while I go have a chat with my sister."
"Hold on a minute," Edward said, locking her in his arms. "I don't want you putting yourself in the middle of this. Well, not any more than you already are. I just … I don't want you getting hurt."
"I'm going to do for her what I've done for you. I'm going to listen to what she has to say and then give her my opinion. I can't promise we'll both leave unhurt. I can only promise it's necessary. It's time she gets it through her head that she's not going to get what she wants. I'm tired of her disregarding what I want and need, and I'll be damned if I let her put any of us at risk with her attempts to get what she wants."
He nodded and let her go despite looking as if it was the last thing he wanted to do.
"I'll be fine," she promised. And then she teased him in hopes of relaxing him. "I'm just going to make it clear to my sister that I'm on Team Masen. No big deal at all."
He shook his head at her, smiling all the while. "I'll be right here if you want to talk after."
"See you in a bit then." She leaned up and kissed his jaw and then headed off to find her sister.
Bella found Alice upstairs on the viewing deck, curled up in the chair and hiding behind her knees.
Bella sat on the loveseat and took in the view for a moment. "Beautiful view, huh?" she asked.
Alice shrugged. "It's not bad."
Bella grinned, not because she found her sister's response funny but because it was exactly what she'd expected. "It's interesting how our strengths can so easily become our faults. My attention to detail and my ability to visualize the future from choices made today … I know those traits fuel my anxiety. And you, with your fathomless determination. Your whole life, every goal you've set for yourself you've followed through on. Except for the occasional times when what you wanted conflicted with what someone else needed."
Alice finally looked at her and for once she seemed open to talking rather than guarded and ready for a fight. "I'm not determined, Bella. I'm terrified."
"Of what?"
"You getting hurt. Or worse. And Whit, he's …"
"What about Whit?"
"Have you seen his leg?" she asked, her eyes wide and fearful. "Do you know what happened to him?"
Bella nodded. "He shared his experience with me."
"Experience." Alice reached up and roughly wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I'm sorry, but a visit to the Eiffel Tower is an experience. Having a shark attack you is … There aren't even words for what it is."
In that moment, Bella saw herself in her sister. She saw how she had been when she'd first arrived, when she had been so sure nothing Edward or anyone else said would ever change her opinion that sharks were vile, monstrous beasts.
"Alice," she said as she reached out and put a comforting hand on her sister's knee. "It's a life event. It's something he experienced and survived. He had to decide how to react to it, how to incorporate it into his life, how to move on from it. And you know what? I think he's done a marvelous job. He held on to his love of the water. He retained his confidence and his outgoing personality.
"There are some things he's changed about his life. He isn't the first in the water and he doesn't swim or surf alone. He makes sure everyone on his team knows basic first aid, CPR, and tourniquet skills. And he never, ever denies himself dessert. He survived and now he has a passion for life that's beautiful and inspiring."
After wiping away more tears, Alice sniffled and asked, "But for how long?"
"No one knows how long they have, Alice. I don't. You don't. Uncle Carl doesn't. What if you live to be a hundred and all you can say about your life is that you're a hundred? What if you only live to be thirty but your funeral takes all day from all the people you touched, the lives you shared in?"
"You'd rather risk dying young to say you conquered your fear of sharks than live to be old and gray with me?"
Bella threw her head back and groaned. "Alice, you're doing it again. You're picking pieces of what I'm saying instead of hearing the entire message."
"I get it!" Alice yelled at her. "I get that everyone is a-okay with this stuff except for me. I'm the troublemaker for hating this, for hating how scared I am for all of you."
"No, you're the troublemaker because of instead of saying what you just said to me, you blame people and make hurtful accusations."
"I didn't—"
"You did and you have been since you got here." An idea came to Bella on how to get through to her little sister. "Get up and come with me."
Bella led Alice downstairs and into the MMR office. She went to the desk first, knowing she'd find the folder with today's assignment sheet there. She pulled the sheet out and showed it to her sister.
"Do you see this? Do you see our names and the details of our assignments? This page is front and back for a half day, Alice. Remember that. A half day." Bella put the sheet in Alice's hand and went over to the file cabinet where Edward stored his backup materials.
She pulled out the expanding file folder and turned to show it to her sister. "See all this? This is how he got to that single sheet. There are multiple weather reports in here, beginning last night and going through this morning just before he announced our assignments. I know that because he does the same thing every single time he plans a day for the team."
She reached in and shuffled through the pages until she found what she was looking for. She pulled it out and slapped it onto the desk for her sister to see. "This is his rough draft of the assignments. Here are our names and his initial idea for each of us. Here are the pros and cons and potential consequences. Here's the last time we had the assignment so he can make sure no one is getting bored. And over here in the margins, this is where he writes what he hopes we gain from the day.
"And here you are," she said, having flipped the sheet over and found her sister's name at the bottom. "Right there, read what it says," she demanded, her finger pointing at the sharp, slanted print in the margin.
Alice's eyes widened and her mouth moved without sound.
"Read it," Bella commanded.
With one last nervous glance at her sister, Alice picked up the paper and began to read. "Helping to collect data gives Alice a way to safely participate and hopefully lead to her beginning to feel like a member of the team rather than the lone outcast. Her purposeful aversion to shark sightings continues and until I see her curiosity peaked, I will not give her contact assignments. As with all members of my team, mental well-being is second only to physical safety."
Alice lowered the paper and Bella hoped it was remorse she was seeing in her sister's brown eyes. "Bella, I didn't know he—"
"Stop," Bella ordered. On the outside, she appeared forceful and demanding but on the inside she was reveling in relief over finally getting through to her sister. "Don't make any excuses. Don't tell me how hard this is for you. Just answer one simple question. Do you want to be here? Not for me. Not for Whit. But for you. Do you want to be here?"
Alice fidgeted and looked anywhere but at her sister. "Yeah but—"
"Here are the conditions then. First, you don't have to like what the team does, you just have to stay out of the way if you don't want to participate. We are not going to stop just because you want us to and you're only wasting everyone's time by trying to stop us.
"Second, you don't have to like my choice to be here, but you do have to accept it. No more attempts to play on my feelings for you, or my fears, to get me to go home.
"Third, be honest. If you're scared, then say you're scared. We can all understand that and we might even be able to help you feel better by talking it out with you.
"And finally, and most importantly for me, stop attacking Edward. I am here because I want to be here, not because he's forcing me. I am part of the MMR team because it's what I want, not because he's brainwashed me. Every assignment he gives me takes into account my anxieties, my goals, and my abilities. You will not question his decisions as my mentor. Do it again, and I'll put you on a plane for home myself.
"Now, if you want to stay, and if you give me your word that you'll meet my conditions, then I'll go to bat for you with Edward. I'm not promising I can convince him, only that I'll try. If you can't abide by them, then pack your things and go home."
Bella took the sheets from her sister and put everything back where Edward had filed them. "Think long and hard, Alice. Either you stay and become a real team member, or you go home. It's up to you to choose."
She kissed her sister's cheek and then headed upstairs to find Edward and relieve him of the curiosity that most likely had him pacing at the helm.
"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"
"Kid, I'm beginning to suspect you're purposefully moving at a snail's pace," Esme commented.
Masen smirked, keeping his eyes on the laptop monitor and his fingers clicking away at the keys. "Maybe if someone wasn't interrupting me every two seconds to tell me to hurry, I might be done by now."
"Doubtful," she replied with a snort. "You're in full-on perfectionist mode, though you refuse to tell me what put you into it."
"It's over so there's no point in talking about it."
"It's not over so long as you're perturbed by it."
He thought about it for a bit and ended up agreeing with her. He turned his chair to face her. "Alice and I ended up having an argument. She accused me of not having Bella's best interest in mind and I went off on her."
Esme set her chin in the palm of her hand, looking like she was about to have the world's most interesting conversation. "Details. Provide them."
He rolled his eyes at her. "You never just take my word for anything."
She laughed and ruffled his hair. "And you never learn that loving you doesn't mean I automatically believe every word coming out of your mouth. You have, on occasion, reacted in a less than ideal way."
"So what are you trying to say?" he asked, grinning because he knew exactly what she meant since it had been a running gag between them for years.
"Dramatic, Edward. You can be dramatic at times."
"That word is not in my vocabulary."
"Sure. But if it were, would you say you exhibited the signs of it?"
"Not this time," he promised her. "I told you earlier all about Bella hurting herself with her watch and how I didn't want to just take it away from her. Alice was there, Mom. She wasn't standing right beside us but I know she was watching with Gopher from the hall. She saw me tie Bella's watch to her shorts. She saw me give my own watch to Whit.
"Knowing that, knowing the lengths I went to in order to not take away the watch, Alice still automatically decided the worst about me today. She believed I was breaking my promise to Bella by giving her busy work and pushing her aside rather than helping her with her anxiety. Had she just asked me rather than accusing me, I would have told her all about the detailed conversation I'd had with Bella last night.
"Mom, I honestly don't want to fight with Alice. I really don't. But she's been with us for nearly a week and she stubbornly refuses to see how much my team means to me."
"We are your family first."
"Exactly. No matter what people think of me personally, I've never had anyone question my dedication to my team. It pissed me off." He let out a breath and under the weight of her stare he shared what he'd held back. "It kinda hurt too."
"I would imagine so. She did so much more than question your intentions with Bella. She questioned your love for your family, your commitment to their protection. As devil's advocate, though, I have to point out that she doesn't know you like we do."
"She hasn't tried, Mom. I've done all I can to show her I care and at every turn she's found a way to claim it's an act for Bella's sake. I hate to say it, but I don't think I can help Alice."
"What does Bella think?"
Masen stared at his mom, wondering how the hell she knew.
Esme laughed. "Kid, if you hadn't talked to her about this, you would still be pissed and not just in perturbed perfectionist mode."
He grinned, surprised and thankful all over again that Bella could make him feel less stressed about it all. "I explained what had happened and then she went to talk to Alice about it. She thinks she finally got through to her too. Said she showed her all the backup paperwork for today's assignment sheet."
"You don't seem convinced."
He shrugged. "I thought I was making progress with Alice until this morning."
"I can see why you'd be reluctant to put any stock into it. But at the same time, sisters have an insight into each other that no one else ever manages."
He grinned and took hold of her hand. "Like you and Elizabeth."
"Exactly," Esme replied with a soft, slightly sad smile. "We knew all the ways to make each other laugh, and all the buttons to push when we were fighting. I've seen that same bond in Bella and Alice."
Masen rubbed his hands over his face in agitation. "I've been asked not to make up my mind about Alice one way or the other."
"Ah ha," his mom cried. "There is the source of your perfection and my frustration. So tell me, Kid, how'd Bella convince you to agree to that?"
He snorted at the smirk on his mom's face. "She asked nicely. And it was really more Whit than her. He tossed a 'brother' into his pleading request."
"Ooh, right in the heart," Esme said as she patted Masen's chest. "Pesky thing about families. They know your weak spots."
"I'm still not completely convinced you didn't give Whit and Lee lists when I first brought them home to meet you."
"Of course I did," Esme said, her twinkling gray eyes giving away that she was joking. "You know, I used to update that sucker yearly but then Bella arrived and it's been daily ever since."
He grabbed the arms of her rolling chair and pushed her away from him and the desk. "You are done." He turned his own chair to face the laptop and went back to finalizing his daily report.
He could hear Esme purposefully edging closer slowly and loudly until he felt her lips on his cheek.
"Love you, Kid."
"Love you too, Mom."
She stood and ruffled his hair. "You better. And you better finish that report up too. I'm ready to get outside and enjoy the fire-pit with our family."
"Five more minutes," he promised, planning to stop for her whether he was completely done or not.
"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"
Another dark giggle came from Lee—Bella had counted seven so far and her curiosity could no longer handle not knowing what her friend was seeing on her iPad screen. She wandered away from Gopher and Whit's conversation and sat down beside Lee on the beach blanket.
"What are you—Oh my!" Bella's face immediately heated up.
Lee's dark giggle floated on the night air again. "Guppy, even in the dark there's no hiding your blush."
"The screen's pretty bright," Bella defended.
Lee smiled wider. "Look at this one. Completely life-like. Except for the part about it being green."
"How the heck did you end up on this page?"
"You know, I'm not sure but now that I've found it, I'm highly entertained. Let me scroll back down and show you some of the comments."
Bella read a couple and found herself giggling right along with Lee. "This one's got a point. The one who shakes with rage is the only one without motion."
"Oh jeebus!" Lee squealed, tapping the screen enthusiastically. "Look at this one. 'Hulk Smash'. That is brilliant."
"If the picture's not a fake, then smashing is definite if you're not careful," Bella replied, setting them both off giggling again.
"What is so fun—Hello." Esme squeezed herself in between Bella and Lee and snatched the iPad. "Twin motors. I can get under that."
Lee nearly fell over laughing while Bella sputtered and floundered.
"Oh, but I do like the curves on Thor," Esme continued as if this conversation was the most normal thing in the world. She put an arm around Bella and smiled. "I know. It's weird with me being a mom. But remember, I'm only thirty-five and my sex drive is fully intact."
"Bet Carlisle likes that about you," Lee said as she wiped away tears from her wild laughter.
"And let me tell you, with a man like him, these will all be poor substitutes," Esme assured her. "Still, we have to be able to take care of things on our own from time to time. As a responsible female figure in your lives, it's my duty to warn you both … No matter what font the 'discrete' comes in, there ain't no hiding the final scene of the play."
Lee looked directly at Esme and with a serious expression told her, "I fucking love you, Esme Masen."
Esme winked at Lee. "I fucking love you too, Lee Hale." She then turned to look at Bella. "I fucking love you too, Bella Cullen."
Bella was too busy laughing to respond. She had never met anyone that could switch from responsible parent to fun adult the way that Esme could and she felt extremely lucky to have her in her life. And from the sound of it, her uncle was pretty lucky too.
"While I like the look of Iron Man, it's too bad there's not a He-Man one," Esme lamented. "How fun would it be to yell out 'by the power of grayskull'?"
Lee was almost as red in the face as Bella. "Different brand of comics, Esme."
"Was He-Man actually ever a comic?" Bella questioned.
The ladies were so entrenched with their conversation that they hadn't noticed Gopher approaching them and they jumped at the sound of his voice. "He-Man was a marketing tool for the toy company Mattel while Iron Man is a comic book character from the Marvel universe. But I've got a feeling none of that is going to be as interesting as the reason for the laughter, the comic book talk, and the guilty looks you three are sporting."
"A guilty look would imply we have something to feel bad about, and I assure you we do not," Esme stated emphatically. "We're merely enjoying the wonders of the internet."
Gopher reached out and snagged the iPad from Esme's hands. "Woah! What the hell?" His wide eyes shot over to his girlfriend. "Lee?"
"What's she done now?" Whit asked as he walked up beside Gopher. He took a look at the screen, let out a whistle, and said, "Somebody's lacking some satisfaction."
Gopher glared at him. "She's not lacking for a damn thing, especially not satisfaction."
"That website begs to differ," Whit replied with a chuckle.
"Lee already has a real hulk. What the hell would she do with this little imposter?"
Whit snorted. "What indeed."
"Now, boys, there's no need to get your panties twisted," Esme told them. "We're only perusing a few well-endowed options to keep the fire burning bright. You should both appreciate the work we women put into maintaining happy and healthy relationships."
The guys looked at each other and then smiled at Esme, the both of them speaking at the same time. "Bullshit."
Esme pretended to be shocked and even let out a gasp. "What have I ever done to make you two doubt my sincerity?"
They lifted their hands and started recounting things but since they were talking over each other, Bella couldn't understand a word they were saying.
"What's going on out here?" Edward asked, walking up with his arms full of fresh beers. "I could hear you guys from the house."
"Our women are thinking about replacing us," Gopher told him.
"No one said anything about replacing," Lee corrected. Then she smiled wickedly and added, "We're just checking out some additional ways to have fun."
Once Edward had passed out all of the beers, he took the iPad from Gopher and looked over the website that had been entertaining the ladies and was the source of the guys' shouting. Bella watched as his neutral expression turned to one of speculation and his eyebrows lifted toward his hairline.
He smiled his shitty grin and used one hand to rub at his chin, as if he was deciding which of the thousands of smart ass comments swimming in his head was the best to share with the group.
His eyes finally settled on Esme. "Mom, if you'd told Carlisle you were this horny, I bet he'd have canceled some business meetings to get back here."
"You shit!" Esme passed her beer to Lee and then lunged at her son. He had already handed off the iPad and he easily spun out of her way. He'd also put himself right in front of Lee and she gave his back a hard push, sending him flailing forward and allowing Esme to tackle him into the sand.
"Can't believe you would say that to me," Esme scolded him.
He continued laughing. "You were the one who went and fell in love."
"I told you that in confidence." She was laughing too much for it to sound believable for even a second. Not to mention that they'd all seen the way she looked at Carlisle and him at her.
"I'm not sure Uncle Carl would know what to make of this," Bella said as she watched Edward help Esme to her feet. "But I can't wait to see him try when I explain it."
Edward plopped down on the blanket and set his head in Bella's lap. "I can't wait to see how red your face gets when you tell him how it all started."
She used the rim of her beer bottle to hide her smile. "No idea what you're talking about," she said before taking a long swallow.
"Where's Thumper?" Gopher asked as he sat down beside Lee. "She's missing a good time."
"She wasn't feeling well so she went to bed early," Whit answered.
"Hope she's okay," Gopher said sincerely.
"She's fine," Bella assured him. "This is what she does when she's embarrassed about her behavior and unsure of how to fix it. She hides in her room under the guise of an upset stomach. She'll be fine as soon as she apologizes."
"No more work talk," Esme warned. "We have the weekend off and we are going to enjoy it as a family."
"Any ideas on where you'd like us to go?" Edward asked. He seemed to be enjoying having Bella running her fingers through his hair—he was completely relaxed with his eyes closed.
"A local recommended Kleinmond," Esme shared. "Cute little town about an hour away from here and it has a great beach. I thought we could pack a picnic lunch and spend the day enjoying the sun and the surf."
"I'll look it up and see if surfing's possible or boogie boards only," Lee offered.
Esme tapped Bella's knee to get her attention. "While they're playing in the water, you and I can take a walk to the bookstore to get ourselves some new books. Maybe Alice will want to tag along too."
Bella nodded in approval. "Some fun reading material would be good. It'll give me a nice break from my required reading. Edward thinks the more scientific facts I know about sharks, the less I'll fear them. He's given me his copy of Great White to read."
"Oh, one of his favorite books written by his favorite nature photographer. I bet he paired that with The Book of Sharks by Richard Ellis."
Bella grinned, tickled by how well Esme knew her son. "How'd you know?"
Esme snorted. "He talked about that book for three months straight after reading it. It was all 'did you know this' and 'did you know this person did this'. I could barely get a word in. He's just lucky I love seeing him so passionate or I'd have used Lee's duct tape idea on him."
"You know, I am laying right here," Edward said. "I hear every word you're saying."
"You're looking mighty comfortable with the intern, Kid. You sure that's wise?"
Bella could tell from the twinkle in Esme's gray eyes that she was teasing, but Edward must have missed it because he immediately sat up and put some space between himself and Bella.
"Jeebus, Kid," Esme cried, nearly laughing too much to talk. "Too easy."
Edward said nothing. He just sat there with his arms and legs crossed and a disgruntled look on his face.
Esme sobered up and looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, Edward. I was just getting a little payback for your earlier teasing about Carlisle. I didn't realize you were still concerned about Bella being our intern."
"I'll be concerned right up until she's not. I don't want her career suffering because she cares about me."
"Edward, that's not going to happen."
"Damn right it won't. I won't let it."
"Does it matter what I want?" Bella asked, worried as much by the conversation as the frustrated look on Edward's face. She had that twisting feeling deep in her gut again, that sense that everything could get messed up from just one wrong word.
She took away the distance between them, ignoring the wary look in his eyes and sitting right in his lap. Somewhere inside of him he wanted this or his eyes wouldn't have still been green. "We're not working right now," she told him. "That means I'm not the intern. I'm just your kapu. End of discussion."
He sighed heavily. And then he slid his arms around her and pressed his face against her neck. She could feel the flutter of his lashes tickling her skin along with the rapid beat of his heart against her back.
Esme mouthed "sorry" to Bella and she smiled in response. It wasn't Esme's fault or even really Edward's. This was because of Alice, because of the way her sister had made him question himself today.
If Bella went far enough back, she could blame it on herself, her mother, her father, her uncle … But where would that get any of them? It seemed once again that Edward was right. Blame would only ever fuel the negative emotions and reactions. It was time to accept things as being natural consequences and then work on rehabilitating those reactions.
"Would it be alright if I joined you guys?" Alice's voice was the last Bella had expected to hear tonight.
"There's a free spot right here next to me, sweetheart," Esme offered with a smile. "But if you'd rather sit with Whit, that's fine."
"I, uh … I think I'd like to sit next to you instead," Alice answered, casting a nervous glance at Whit. She probably thought he was upset with her for attacking his best friend. Bella knew that he was, but she also knew he was worried for Alice—and possibly irrevocably in love with her.
A long silence followed Alice's arrival, leaving the crash of the waves and the crackle of the fire as the only voices in the dark. Bella wished Gopher would say something funny to break the tension. Even better would be if Whit said something wise—or if Alice apologized.
None of those things happened. Instead, the quiet was broken in an unexpected and unique way.
Lee began to sing.
"Took my love and I took it down."
She looked to Whit and he grinned as he joined in with her.
"Climbed a mountain and I turned around.
And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
'Til the landslide brought me down."
It wasn't a concert performance by any means, but Bella could tell the song meant something to them. It was in the way they looked at each other, smiling as if they were sharing a longstanding and lovely secret between them.
She became even more convinced of her theory when Esme, Gopher, and Edward's voices joined in with Whit and Lee.
"Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?
Well, I've been afraid of changing
'Cause I've built my life around you.
But time makes you bolder,
Even children get older,
And I'm getting older too.
Take my love, take it down.
Ah ha, climb a mountain and turn around.
And if you see my reflection in snow covered hills,
Well, the landslide will bring you down.
Oh, oh, the landslide will bring you down.
The song ended as abruptly as it began, leaving Bella with goosebumps on her arms and a lump in her throat.
"Esme introduced us to this song," Edward whispered into her ear. "Whenever one of us feels like life's overwhelming us she either plays it or makes us sing it. It's supposed to remind us that we're never alone, not for the highs and never for the lows. Guess Lee felt we needed it after everything with Alice today."
"That was beautiful," Bella said loudly to ensure everyone heard her.
"I agree completely with Bella." Carlisle's voice had them all looking up at him. "I only caught the end but it was magnificent."
Esme squealed as she struggled to her feet, ignoring all the laughter at her expense. She was a woman on a mission and Bella was pretty sure she only had eyes and ears for Carlisle at that point.
"Yep. My mom's a goner," Edward said with a quiet laugh.
"You really think?"
"Oh, I know," he assured her. "She's all in."
"Good. Because I'm convinced he is too."
"He damn well better be. He's got his tongue in my mom's mouth."
Bella snorted at Edward's petulant tone. "Pretty sure her tongue was the instigator."
"You know what this means?" Whit asked as he plopped down beside them. "I've lost any shot I ever had with her."
"You have a crush on Esme?" Alice asked, looking both shocked and worried.
Bella and Edward laughed while Whit tried to explain it was only a long-running family joke.
Bella could tell Whit was only confusing Alice more so she spoke up. "It's his way of annoying Edward."
Alice didn't look completely convinced. "It's a weird way to annoy someone."
"No weirder than your wayward attempts to piss Masen off," Whit pointed out.
Alice sucked in a breath and grimaced. "I deserved that. I own the horns, right?"
"What?" Whit and Edward asked at the same time.
Bella chuckled. "It's something Gopher told her."
"When you mess with the bull, you own the horns," Alice clarified. She then locked eyes with Edward. "I'm sorry."
"We're not talking work," Edward replied matter-of-factly. "Esme forbid it. You can ask your sister if you don't believe me."
"No, this isn't about work. This is just about how I've treated you. I'm sorry."
Bella sunk her teeth into her lower lip, waiting to see what Edward would do. He had every right to blow Alice off; she'd been rude from the start and she certainly hadn't given him any reasons to trust her. Bella didn't want him to accept the apology for her sake either. So what did that leave?
"I appreciate the strength it takes to admit you were wrong and apologize. I don't think you're a bad person, Alice. But I don't think we're going to be friends anytime soon either." He moved Bella off of his lap and onto the blanket then got to his feet. "I'm gonna call it a night."
"Want some company?" Bella asked, hoping he'd agree but not expecting it.
He shrugged. "If you want. I'd understand if you wanted to spend some time with your uncle."
Bella immediately stood. "He'll be here tomorrow."
Edward grinned and offered his hand to her, which she happily took and squeezed tightly. They walked over to Esme and Carlisle to exchange hugs and goodnight wishes before heading inside.
Once they were in the quiet of the house, they managed to clean away the sand from their legs and feet, and then grab a snack from the kitchen without waking Lizzy.
"Are you actually tired?" Bella asked as she closed her bedroom door. "Or did you just want to get away?"
Edward flopped down onto the end of her bed. "Both."
She eyed him closely, noting that he did look tired, but there was also frustration in his expression and she wanted so badly to improve his mood. She thrust the bowl of fruit forward and excitedly said, "Look! Plumbs!"
He took his hands out of his hair and stared at her. "Did you just say 'plumbs'?"
Her embarrassment had her cheeks turning a dark shade of red. "You know what I meant."
"I'm not so sure about that," he said, propping himself up on his elbows. "You already surprised the hell out of me once tonight."
She shrugged and settled herself into the chair, putting her feet next to his thighs and then tossing him a plum.
He stared at the fruit, turning it over and over in his hand before finally turning his green eyes on Bella. "I'm sorry about before. About my reaction to Esme."
Since he'd reacted well to teasing earlier in the day, she tried it again now. "You had a pretty stressful day so I might be inclined to forgive you for it."
"What would I have to do to persuade you to forgive me?"
"Well …" she said strictly to tease him.
"Please don't tell me you want one of those toys from the website."
She hadn't given it any real thought but she couldn't resist seeing where this conversation might lead. "It's an idea. It would definitely keep our line safe."
He sat up and took a bite from his plum, obliviously licking away the juice that dripped down his chin. "On the one hand, it's nice to know I'm not the only one looking forward to when the internship ends. On the other, I don't believe I should have to deal with competition before I've even been given a shot."
Bella controlled her smile. "Lucky for you then that our line keeps you out of the competition."
Edward pointed the last little bit that remained of his plum at her. "If we're being technical here, there's no competition at all if I'm not in on it."
She gave him a pretty good replica of his shitty grin; the perfect comeback was sitting on the tip of her tongue just waiting to be launched. "You might be out of the running but there was more than one Avenger available to fight my frustration."
Edward's jaw dropped and he stared at her as if he'd never seen her before.
Bella managed to hold herself together for ten seconds, but only because she counted it off out of determination to make him squirm as long as she could. As soon as she hit ten, she started laughing hard enough to turn her face red all over again.
Her laughter ended with a gulp produced by Edward's closeness. His hands gripped the arms of the chair and his face was right in front of hers, leaving her the impossible task of deciding which to look at—his lips or his eyes.
He inched closer until she could smell the plum on his breath. "Are you really frustrated?"
"Sometimes."
"How about now?"
"You, um … Maybe?"
His soft lips were warm on her neck. "You sound awfully unsure, kapu."
She groaned and somehow found the strength to push him away. "You are so mean."
He chuckled at her. "Like you weren't being mean a minute ago."
"I was trying to cheer you up," she defended. "You know, we probably should have a plan. Saying there's a line and we're going to stay on this side of it is great, but how are we going to ensure success? As much as I want to do what's right, to do what makes you feel comfortable, there's a point where what we're feeling makes thinking straight impossible."
His shitty grin came out. "One way is to keep our clothes on."
She briefly considered reaching for a plum in the bowl on the floor to toss one at his head. "That's a faulty theory. We've kept our clothes on and yet your hand ended up on my flesh."
He wiggled his eyebrows at her like some old time villain of vaudeville. "And what soft flesh it is."
"Hey, Mister! This is serious business. I'm trying to protect your virtue." How she didn't crack up laughing while saying it, she'd never know.
He took hold of her hands and tugged. "Come here." Once she was situated on his leg he told her, "How much of this is because of my earlier reaction and how much is actual worry?"
Bella felt bad about her answer because she knew he was trying his hardest. "Eighty-twenty."
He held her tighter and pressed his lips against her temple. "I'm sorry. I let Alice get in my head more than I realized. Not that I'm claiming that's an excuse, I'm just trying to explain. I never should have reacted the way I did and I damn sure shouldn't have pulled away from you. I can't help being concerned for your career but I also can't let that worry put distance between us. I want this to work, Bella. I want us to work."
She smiled as her palm pressed against his cheek and stubble. "That is all the inclination I need to forgive you."
His answering smile and his follow-up kiss left no doubt in her mind that he was happy to be forgiven.
"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"
A/N: Yeah for Masen and his birthday gift! We weren't entirely sure he would be able to get it to work so we were happy to see he fixed it and got himself a new photo of his kapu.
That Alice! One minute she's climbing out of the hole and the next she's digging it deeper! She might just push Masen to chum for the first time ever. LOL
We want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Enjoy this time with your families and make memories to last a lifetime. Also, be safe! Make sure you're around for many more years and memories.