The barbeque on Saturday is actually really fun. Alec is a master griller, and all the people I meet, service members or otherwise, put me at ease and make me feel welcome. By the time we leave, I have contact info for several of the wives, and one of the kids we saw earlier has braided my hair into a knotted mess because I let her.

Even though Monday is a holiday, Edward has duty, and everyone is preparing for deployment. There's a lot of work to do, and I send him off knowing he'll be busy all day. I talk to Rose and Emmett, and then Jasper and Alice before I pick out my clothes for my appointment for my background check and clean up around the house.

Just as I'm contemplating a cup of tea and a movie before I go to bed, my phone rings with an unknown number. When I first glance at it, I think it must be someone I met over the weekend until I realize that it's a San Diego area code. I grab my phone, answering it before it goes to voicemail.

"Hello?"

"Hello, I'm looking for Bella Swan."

"This is her. Who is this?"

"My name is Sergeant Hunter, and I'm with the NCIS in San Diego. I'm calling in regards to Jacob Black." The sergeant's voice is calm but commanding. I take a steadying breath.

"What's going on with Jake? I haven't spoken to him in, I don't know, more than six months. I recently moved to Virginia," I explain as I take a seat on the couch.

"Ma'am, Petty Officer Black hasn't reported to his command in five days. Base police were called to his barracks three nights ago due to a noise complaint, but he hasn't been seen since."

I sigh. "I'm sorry to hear that, sergeant. I also fail to understand why you're calling me about it."

"Ma'am, you're listed as Petty Officer Black's emergency contact. If he contacts you, I need you to encourage him to report into his command or turn himself in to base police for discipline."

Snorting, I stand up to pour myself a glass of wine, completely forgoing the tea. "I doubt he's going to call me, but I will encourage him to turn himself in if he does. Can I ask you … you said base police came to his barracks because of a noise complaint?"

"That's correct."

"Was an Embry Call involved in that report? He was recently discharged from the Navy, and he and Jake had a volatile relationship. I have documentation of Embry's abuse against Jake, both physical and financial." I don't want to be involved at all. I also don't want to be quiet when I have information.

"Would you be able to email me what you have?"

I take down Sergeant Hunter's email and promise to send everything along as soon as possible. "Sergeant, will you do me a favor? Jacob and I didn't part on great terms, but I don't want to see anything bad happen to him. Can you update me, if possible?" I'll worry; it's in my nature.

"Whatever I can share with you, I will. Thank you for your cooperation, ma'am. Have a good night."

When I hang up, I down half my glass of wine and text Edward, knowing he'll see it when he gets a reprieve from duty. I do my best to put Jake out of my mind by picking out my clothes for tomorrow and pulling something out of the freezer for dinner when Edward will be home. I'm just placing it on a plate in the fridge to thaw when my phone rings again.

This time, I know it's Edward before I even see it. "Hello?"

"Hey. Are you all right?"

"I'm … fine. I'm worried, but I haven't called or texted him. I can't … I can't do this again, Edward." Leaning against the kitchen counter, I exhale deeply. I'm tired, down to the bone. It's been a stressful few months, and this is the last thing I need.

"I get it, and I don't blame you. Look, I'm sorry, and I don't have a lot of time to talk. Go to bed and get some rest for tomorrow. You'll be fine, and I'll be home in the afternoon, okay?" I can hear people calling out in the background on the call, and I smile to myself.

"Thanks for checking in on me. I love you."

"I love you too. Good night." We disconnect, and I clean up my glass. I check the doors and turn off the lights as I go, brushing my teeth, and setting my alarm before climbing into bed.

**BoU**

Victoria is just as nice in person as she was over video calls. After the initial small talk, she asks me how I did meeting the Navy wives, and I relax at the fact that she remembered that I had mentioned it.

"It was a little awkward, but it was actually fine, I think." I shrug. "I'd rather be in this situation than that one."

Victoria chuckles. "Not a lot of people find me less intimidating. So, let's get started, and we'll see how you feel after we're done."

She explains to me that I've already been through a basic background check and passed with flying colors. I've never been in trouble with the law, aside from maybe a couple parking tickets that I paid right away. I pay my taxes, I go to jury duty when I get called, the usual.

Victoria explains that for my security clearance, I'll need to provide her with addresses and phone numbers for my family and friends, former employers dating back at least ten years, close coworkers, landlords and roommates, all the schools I've attended, and any neighbors I know. Then they'll do an FBI reference check of all those people along with a review of credit, tax, and police records.

"Can I ask what the difference is between the FBI check and the basic background check? I mean, you already know that I haven't been arrested or convicted." I'm a little confused as Victoria explains everything.

"The FBI check will find if anything has been expunged." She looks up from her paperwork to stare at me. "Has anything been expunged?"

"No."

"Good. Fill all these out to the best of your ability. You can take a copy home and email me with more info. We can have you start applying for jobs in the interim while we wait for all the reports to come through." She glances over to her monitor, then back at me. "Is there anything you need to tell me?"

I'm racking my brain until it hits me. Jake. I give Victoria the easiest explanation possible about the situation with Jake. "I'm sure my name is on some report, at a minimum, at least from the NCIS call I got last night."

I watch as Victoria sets down her pen and looks at me calmly. "How are you doing? Have you spoken to your friend?"

I'm taken aback but grateful to her for asking. "I'm fine, but I haven't spoken to him. I haven't spoken to him in months. I hope he's okay, but I'm not a part of this anymore."

"Can I ask you a question? Your background and education doesn't support it, but there are several openings in Fleet and Family Services in victim advocacy." Victoria's eyes are shining, and I can tell she's already three steps ahead of me.

"I'm not qualified for something like that." I shut it down quickly.

"You're not, that's true. But I'm not talking about being an active advocate. They need admin support more than anything right now. They need people in their branch of the organization to help screen victims and take reports. I think you could be very useful there."

"Isn't there something in project management? That's really more in my wheelhouse." I'm not above pleading with this woman.

"There is, but would you consider it? It's important, and I really do think you could do good work there." Victoria drops it after I nod, and we continue to fill out paperwork. At this point, all I want to do is finish this up, go home, and wait for Edward so I can talk to him about this.