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As always, huge thanks go to my pre-reader/cheerleader team Gredelina1 and IamTheAlleyCat. Also to Snarkymuch for beta'ing this chapter and listening to all my bitching when the words wouldn't flow. I love you all.

This chapter is for JMarie as I think she will REALLY appreciate the way it ends.

~ Chapter Twenty — Unexpected ~

Edward POV

Edward?

I heard him coming up the stairs. Foolishly, I'd hoped he would leave me to my thoughts, but it seemed as though I would not be granted my wish. I came to my bedroom under the pretence of packing some things for our journey, but in truth, I just wanted to have a moment alone. After two years of almost complete solitude, it was hard for me to get used to having people around me again. I wanted to be away from this person more than any other.

"Come in, Jacob," I said tiredly.

Carlisle had told him all we knew of what had happened to Bella and how she was living. And as Carlisle had spoken, I had listened. Not to Carlisle—I knew all he had to say already—I had listened to Jacob's thoughts. I had hoped that in the years since Bella's 'death' he would have moved on and found someone else to obsess over. I was disappointed. If anything, his feelings for her had grown.

He hesitated at the door, unsure of what to do with himself now. He had expected me to send him away at the least and attack him at the most. I was tempted by both prospects, but I restrained myself.

"Nice view," he said, looking out of vast window that made up one wall of my room.

"I don't think you came here to discuss the enchanting vista." I smiled wryly. "Say what you need to say Jacob. I can hear it all batting about your mind."

That wasn't entirely true. I knew he wanted to speak to me about Bella, as her face kept coming to the forefront of his mind, but other than that, I was clueless. His thoughts were so scrambled in the wake of the news he had heard that they made little sense to me.

He took a deep breath and exhaled in a rush of air. "I haven't missed that little talent of yours."

I snorted. "I doubt you have missed anything of me, Jacob. I'm sure you had a victory party the moment I left the cliff."

"I wasn't partying." I noted that he didn't deny the actual party. "And I did miss things about you."

I laughed wryly. "And what exactly was it about me that you missed?"

"I missed having someone to talk to that understood the pain," he looked at the floor, avoiding my eye, "and the guilt."

I saw it then, in his mind. He had come to my cliff many times, but I had ignored him. I cared nothing for his pain. Now I saw in his eyes an echo of the pain I had suffered after Bella's loss. It was nowhere as great as my own agony. He was human—or at least partly human—he could not feel things as deeply as a vampire could. But it was there.

"If I had been there…" he trailed off, looking awkward.

"If you had been there, what?" I asked. "What could you have done that Seth didn't?"

"I should have come back when she called me. I was just so mad that she chose you, that it was you she wanted to marry. I wanted her to…" I wanted her to hurt like I hurt..

I felt an automatic wave of fury at his words. He wanted to hurt my Bella when every iota of my being fought against that on a daily basis.

He held his hands up in front of him. "I was young and stupid. I didn't understand then what I know now. I thought it was a competition, me versus you, the protector against the enemy."

I rolled my eyes. "You fool. It was never a competition."

"Yeah, I know. I never had a chance; I see that now."

"That's not what I meant. Although you are correct, you never stood a chance, what I was referring to was the fact Bella was never a prize; she was—no is—my reason for existing."

"I know. I get that now. That's what I am saying; I'm trying to apologize."

I quirked an eyebrow, not quite believing what I was hearing. Jacob Black, the bane of my existence, was apologizing to me. It was almost funny.

"I mean it, Edward. I'm sorry for what happened. I was wrong, and I hurt her. Believe me I know that. It kills me to think that her last memory of me was me running from her."

I didn't like to tell him that Bella probably had no memory of him at all. The change often stole our memories away.

"What is it that you really want, Jacob?" I asked. "I doubt you just came here just to apologize to me."

He seemed to be steeling himself for something. When he spoke, his words came out in a rush. "I want to come with you. I asked Carlisle, and he said it was your choice. Please let me come, Edward. I need to see her."

"No." I didn't need to consider his request for even a second. There was no way he could come with us. This moment was for Bella and me alone. I would not have him there to spoil it. Besides, it wasn't safe for him to come.

He looked forlorn at my refusal.

"I am not merely saying this to be cruel."

"But that's part of it," he accused.

It was true, and I didn't bother denying it; instead, I deflected. "It is not safe for you there. Bella is a vampire now; you are a werewolf. You are natural enemies. She could kill you."

"I can take care of myself," he said mulishly. "Anyway, you guys said she thinks she's human."

"She does, but our aim is to break that delusion. And you cannot defend yourself against Bella. If you were to lay one paw on her, there would be ten very angry vampires ready to defend her."

"Ten?"

"We have friends, and, as I am sure you can imagine, they have become very attached to Bella. She has that affect on people."

"I remember," he said a little bitterly. "Is that it, then? You aren't going to let me come?"

"That is it." I nodded solemnly. "In any case, you have a job to do. Like Carlisle said, your pack needs to be prepared"?

xXx

The journey south was a blur of airports and overly friendly humans. I wanted to pace the aisles, exclaiming to all in earshot that I was returning to my miraculously living love, but I resisted the urge, mainly because Emmett would have laughed himself silly if I had.

I had never really enjoyed flying. There were too many people thinking too many contradicting and anxious thoughts for me to be able to block them out completely. I tried to focus on Carlisle and Esme's as much as possible. They were reasonably peaceful compared to others. Best of all, they were ruminating on their memories of Bella—for my benefit. It was pleasant to sit back in my seat and watch images of Bella and I together pass through their minds.

I wanted to be with Bella as soon as possible, and I thought that would mean going into the rainforest, but Carlisle had received a call from Alice before we boarded the plane at SeaTac. Apparently, their efforts to convince Bella to leave her hideaway had gone a lot smoother that they had anticipated, and they were already on road. It was going to be a race to see whether we reached the island first or if they would.

We touched down at Galeão International Airport in the early hours of the morning. I was on edge as we passed through security; if we were delayed too long, we would be trapped by the sun and forced to wait until evening to leave. That was the one negative of Esme's island; on it, we had complete solitude, but getting there was a problem. It would have been better if we could have taken her to the Oregon house, but we had no way of knowing how she would manage the journey—she certainly wouldn't be able to handle flying—and we could run into difficulties passing through the borders. Luckily, we made it out of the airport long before dawn, and we were able to collect one of the cars we kept in long-term storage in the city to get us to the dock.

"Are we swimming?" Emmett asked hopefully as we pulled into the parking lot at the quayside.

Carlisle smiled at his enthusiasm. "You are welcome to swim, Emmett, but I was thinking we should rent second boat for us. Alice will need our own to get Bella to the island."

Rosalie looked relived. Vanity was her mainstay, and swimming would spoil her elegantly pinned hair. I didn't particularly care how we got to the island as long as we got there.

While Carlisle went about renting a second boat, I began to pace anxiously." Esme caught my arm as I passed her and pulled me into a tight embrace. "We're almost there, Edward. Try to relax."

Relax? The idea was laughable. How could I possibly relax when somewhere my Bella was making her way to me even now?

"Perhaps that was the wrong choice of words." She smiled wryly. "I know you are anxious, but you need to control yourself. Bella needs you to be calm."

That was the hardest part. I had no idea what form of Bella was coming to me. From what I had been told and what I had seen in Carlisle and Esme's thoughts, she was an echo of the woman she had been. My Bella had been so strong, but because of the sick torments of the Volturi, she was broken. How would she react to seeing me? Would she be happy, scared, or perhaps even indifferent? My thoughts circled on the possibilities, each made me more and more anxious.

Carlisle came back to us then, holding the keys to another boat. He had run into a little trouble with the owner—he hadn't appreciated being woken in the middle of the night for service—but Carlisle had eased the tension with heartfelt apologies and a large wad of cash. He led us to the boat he had managed to procure, and with him at the wheel, we made our way across the water to the island.

xXx

Carlisle POV

"Where's Edward?"

"Where do you think?" Esme looked out of the window to where my youngest son was sitting on the deck that jutted out into the ocean.

He had been sitting there since the moment we arrived. While the rest of us prepared the house for habitation, he waited for Bella to arrive. I didn't begrudge him his vigil; if it were Esme, I would have been the same way. I did wish he would come inside, though. I wanted to speak with him, and I didn't feel comfortable invading his space. There was so much to talk about, apologies to be made and explanations to be given.

"You could go to him," Esme said softly. "He would probably like some company."

I looked down at her and smiled. She knew me better than anyone, except perhaps Edward.

It wasn't just my not wanting to invade his privacy that held me back; it was indifference I feared. At the moment, I had hope that our bond could be healed, that he would forgive me for my past mistakes; if I went to him and he refused me, it may well break my heart.

Esme kissed my cheek and whispered into my ear, "He will forgive you. Have faith."

I pulled her into my arms and pressed a kiss to her silky hair. "Have I told you today how much I love you?"

She pretended to consider carefully. "Once or twice, perhaps. But I can always stand to hear it again."

"I love you, Esme Cullen. I love you more than I can possibly say."

She smiled beautifully. "And I you. Now go to our son. He needs you."

I stepped out onto the warm sand that reached to our door and basked in the heat for a moment. Isle Esme was a serene place, my favorite of all our dwellings. Here we had complete privacy to be ourselves and in the most beautiful surroundings.

Son, can I talk to you?

He didn't respond verbally; he just shrugged his shoulders. I took it as a positive sign that he didn't refuse me and made my way down the beach towards him.

I took a moment to examine him carefully as I sat down beside him. He looked terrible. Every day of his misery was etched into his skin. He had not taken care to hunt properly since Bella's disappearance. He had hunted before we left Forks, but it would take more than one hunt to banish the dark shadows from his eyes and the sallow cast to his skin. Had I not known better, I would have believed him a corpse.

"I've looked worse," he said in a hoarse voice.

Unfortunately, that was true. The moment he arrived on his cliff top, before he knew Bella was alive, he had looked much worse. Bella's return had at least brought some of the light back to his eyes. It would return in full the moment he saw her. I was sure of it.

"That remains to be seen." Once again, he was responding to my thoughts. We had always favored this form of communication, and it gave me a glimmer of hope that he had returned to it.

What is worrying you? I asked.

"I'm…" He took an unsteady breath. "I'm afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid of what comes next. Bella is alive, which makes me happier that I have ever been in my life, but she's so broken. I don't know how to help her."

It was almost exactly the same concern I had. I was happy she was alive—no, not happy, exhilarated—but I shared his concerns. My expertise was human medicine, not psychiatry. I knew Esme harbored a hope that Bella would be healed as soon as she saw Edward again, but I feared it would not be so simple. I didn't know how someone could come back from the kind of torture that she had suffered at the hands of Aro.

"Aro!" He said the name as an expletive. "I will kill him for what he has done."

A frisson of fear swept through me as I thought of my son pitted against Aro and his guard. He would be slaughtered before he even reached the castle.

"Don't underestimate me, Carlisle," Edward said coolly. "I will find a way to end him, even if it is the last thing I do."

"That's what scares me," I said. "I fear that it will be the last thing you do."

He shrugged. "I am prepared to risk that."

"How can you say that with Bella returned to you? Would you really risk leaving her alone in the world again?"

He raised one eyebrow. "Concern for Bella, this is unexpected."

"That's not fair, Edward. I love Bella as you do. I—"

"No, you don't!" he said, jumping to his feet. "You have no idea how I feel about Bella! If you had, you could never have left her to look after the wolves."

I rose to my feet, too, my own anger coming to my aid. "I made a mistake, Edward, and I openly admit that. I should have been with you, not tending to the wolves, and I will never forgive myself for it. But do not doubt my love for her. I love Bella as I love all of my family."

We stood inches apart, both breathing heavily.

"I made a mistake, Edward." My voice broke on his name. "I swear I thought I was doing the right thing. Never for a moment did I think Victoria would get away from you."

He stared into my eyes, searching for something. I opened my mind and replayed the worst memories of the last two years. I showed him my horror as I arrived at the cliff to see him and the family searching the waters for Bella. I showed him my heartbreak as I realized she was lost. I showed him the hours I spent comforting Esme in her pain and my own sessions of grief letting into the forest when I would fell trees and crush boulders. Finally, I showed him the equal parts of joy and grief I had felt when I heard how Bella lived now, including my confession to Esme that I believed I had caused it all.

I prepared myself for a variety of reactions, but I was still caught by surprise. He bent double at the waist and positively roared with laughter. I watched him with concern. I had never seen a hysterical vampire before, but there was always a first time. I wondered if I should slap him.

"No… no need," he said, waving a hand at me. "I'm not hysterical." He choked himself to calm again and looked at me. "Honestly, Carlisle, you thought this was God's punishment for you? And here I was thinking Rosalie was the arrogant one in this family."

I laughed a little, too. I couldn't help myself. He had essentially echoed Esme's words. With both of them disputing me, I could not doubt myself again. It was not I that had hurt Bella so grossly; it was Aro.

"And that is why he has to die." He was not laughing now. He was deadly serious.

"I'll make you a deal. I will do all I can to aid you in this if you allow me to help. If Aro is to be killed, I want to be a part of it."

He stared at me dumbstruck. I understood his reaction, I was always the pacifist, but Aro deserved to be killed, and if Edward was to do it, I wanted to be at his side. This would be my redemption for my past errors.

"We will die, Carlisle," he said in a tone steeped with gravity. "Would you leave Esme alone?"

"Would you leave Bella?" I countered.

I understood why he was prepared to risk himself to avenge Bella. In his heart of hearts, he did not believe she was still his. He was scared that all that had happened had stolen her away from him. I knew my son.

He nodded. "Perhaps a little too well."

"Perhaps." I extended my hand to him. "Do we have a deal, then?"

"Yes, with one proviso. We will not seek Aro out, but if he comes for us, we will take him on together."

"Agreed." We shook hands, but when he tried to release my own, I held onto him a little longer. "She will love you, Edward. I am sure of it."

"I hope you're right. More than anything, I hope that."

"Of course I am. If anyone deserves happiness, it is you, Son."

He shook his head. "No, there is one person that deserves happiness more than I: Bella."

I couldn't argue.

We sat again and dipped our feet into the warm water of the ocean. And we waited.

xXx

Sunset came and went, and still we waited. Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie joined us in our vigil, and together we searched the horizon for a sign of the little boat.

It was almost midnight when my phone rang. I snatched it up immediately.

"Alice?"

"Sorry, Doc, it's me, Peter."

Fear gripped me. Why would Peter be calling? "Where is Alice?"

"She's with Jasper and the little lady; they're on their way to you. She didn't want to call for fear of spooking Bella."

"Oh, thank goodness." I breathed a sigh of relief. "How is Bella?"

Edward was at my side, listening carefully. I was impressed that he had the restraint to let me handle the call and to not snatch the phone from my hand.

"She's a little jumpy, which is why I am calling. Alice said to tell you to give her space. She doesn't want you all leaping at her the moment she arrives. Apparently, she had a vision of something going amiss, so she asked me to call."

I looked around at my family. We were indeed poised ready to leap at Bella the moment she arrived. We did it without thinking; we were just so eager to see her again.

"Understood, Peter. Will we be seeing you soon?"

"Nope, Charlotte and I are on an undercover mission at the moment. I'm sure Alice will tell you all about it."

"Very well. You take care of yourself, Peter."

"Will do. See ya, Doc."

I snapped my phone closed and looked to Edward. "You're in charge here, Son. Would you like to be alone for this?"

Emmett opened his mouth to protest. He was as eager to see Bella as the rest of us. Rosalie cut him off with a dark look.

"No, you can stay, but I think we should wait by the house. I don't want her to feel crowded."

We walked with trudging footsteps back to the house and settled ourselves around the seating area Esme had designed.

We had been waiting for their arrival for an hour when Edward suddenly leapt to his feet.

He gasped. "I can hear her!"

"Hear her what?" Emmett asked then fell silent as the sounds of the boats engine reached us. "Oh, they're here."

"No!" Edward swatted a hand through the air. "I can hear her. Bella. I can hear her thoughts, and… Oh, God."

"What is it?" Esme asked, wrapping an arm around his waist. "What is she thinking?"

"She's confused. Something has happened that has scared her. She doesn't like being here. And she thinks… Oh, Lord. She thinks Carlisle will kill her."

I sucked in a deep breath. I had heard these words before, and they stunned me now as they had then. I had hoped Alice and Jasper could have broken this delusion by now.

"She… She's hopeful," Edward choked. "She wants to die."

"Oh, Bella." Esme clapped a hand to her mouth, looking stricken.

"She'll be okay," Emmett said stubbornly. "She just needs to see Eddie, and she'll be good. It's just the confusion of being out of her element. She can't really mean it."

Edward shook his head. "She is determined."

At that moment, the boat appeared on the crest of the horizon. I could see Jasper at the wheel, but Alice and Bella were not visible. We stood in silence as the boat chugged to a halt at the jetty and waited as Jasper jumped out and offered his hand to Alice. She took it and climbed into the dock.

I still couldn't see Bella. Alice was bending down to talk to her, which made me think she was on the floor of the boat, possibly cowering there as she had in her cave. "It's okay, Bella," she said softly.

The boat rocked slightly, and then Bella appeared on the jetty.

"I'll be damned," Rosalie said in a whisper. "It's true."

Edward was staring at her with a look of wide-eyed wonder. I felt sure that his eyes would have been filled with tears had he been capable of it.

"Bella." He sighed her name like a prayer.

His words seemed to draw her eyes to him. She stared at him, mouth agape, and then with unsteady footsteps she began walking along the dock.

I luxuriated in the moment of their reunion. This was what two years of hell had been for. This moment was for them and them alone. The emotion in Bella's face was unreadable, but Edward's was clear to see. He was joyous.

Before Edward and Bella could meet, however, Esme choked a small sob, and Bella's eyes snapped to her. Then it all happened so fast I would have missed it if I had blinked. Bella looked from Esme to me, and a fierce growl rumbled up her throat. She ran forward and launched herself at me.

"Bella, no!" Edward shouted a warning, but it was too late.

I had a split second's moment of confusion before her teeth sank into my throat.

Thanks for reading. As always, if you would like a teaser of the next chapter, let me know in a review or a PM.

Simaril x