Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.
I'M SO SORRY! I know I've been MIA lately. I had about half the chapter done by the time Breaking Dawn came out, but didn't feel right posting it not finished. Then I had finals this week and barely even had time to sleep. I'll be keeping up with a schedule better now. But here it is, hope you enjoy it. Tell me what you think! Thanks for all the feedback I've gotten so far – you are all AWESOME!
- perfectshadeofdarkblue
Best Definition of Good Intentions
5 –
Another House of Cards Caves In
It was Sunday morning and Bella was tired of being holed up in her room. To be completely honest with herself, she'd have to admit that she was tired of being holed up in herself. She had spent the better part of the week brooding, hardly talking to anyone. On more than one occasion, her friends at school had asked if she was okay. But since none of them were Alice, Bella faked a smile and pretended to be a part of the conversation for a few minutes before she slowly faded back to the recesses of her mind. The only people who didn't notice her troubled demeanor were, of course, the only people who could have done something about it – her parents. She'd seen her mother for a grand total of almost three hours over the course of the week and, frankly, Bella was tired of playing second fiddle to her mother's job. She remembered the days when she wouldn't leave her mother's side, the days when they would do absolutely everything together. They would eat breakfast together in the morning, clean the house, go grocery shopping, watch a movie, make dinner and take a walk, all in the span of a single day, never tiring of each other's company. That was a typical Sunday for Renee and Bella, while Charlie would be out fishing. Bella longed for nothing more on this Sunday.
Bella couldn't believe how quickly she had spiraled downward since she left the Cullen's home one week ago. It just seemed as though anything she cared about disappeared at the same time. Her home life certainly hadn't improved. Bella actually thought it had gotten worse seeing as neither of her parents spent any time at home, both throwing themselves into their work. Whereas Alice normally would have kept this from getting to Bella, her best friend had gone back to Chicago for the week for her uncle's funeral. And that's what really drove Bella mad. When Alice called Bella Monday night to announce their safe arrival in the city, she had filled Bella in on the exact details of the situation since she hadn't been in the right frame of mind the previous night. Alice told Bella all about Carlisle and Edward's almost fifteen-year friendship, describing her uncle in great detail as well as his beautiful wife, Elizabeth. As Alice moved chronologically through the last decade and a half, she faltered when it came to discussing their son, Edward Jr. Very briefly she touched on the subject, merely explaining how he and Emmett had been such good friends when they were younger. She described stories of watching the two boys wrestle in the Cullen's apartment back in Chicago, of Edward accompanying them on vacations, of Edward and Emmett being overprotective, overbearing older brothers whenever she mentioned a good-looking movie star. What she never described was Edward and his parents together. Alice wanted to avoid thinking of the kind of despair that goes along with unexpectedly losing both parents at such a young age so she refrained from thinking of Edward in the context of his parents. Instead, she focused on him as a part of her own family, which was very much how life was before they left Chicago.
Even though Carlisle and Esme were not Alice's biological parents, Alice thought of them, and only them, as her mother and father. She had no recollection of family before the Cullen's. She had been told that her mother had put her up for adoption immediately after birth and she knew nothing about her father. And she didn't think she needed to. Alice couldn't imagine any other life for her than the one she lived now. She felt no sadness or sense of loss about her biological parents because she had never known them. Simply, she couldn't imagine a bond greater than the one she shared with the two loving souls who had took her in, even though she was not of their own flesh and blood. She understood that the bond of true family must feel a hundred times greater. But she couldn't bear the thought of it. So she didn't think of it.
On the other hand, Bella couldn't stop thinking about it since that conversation with Alice. Of course, she had picked up on the fact that Alice never described Edward's relationship with his parents, how she had only spoke of him when it directly involved her own family. Regardless of what the actual facts were, Bella couldn't stop herself from imaging the horrors Edward was going through. Here she was, slipping into a black hole because her parents didn't spend any time around each other. Edward's parents were gone and never coming back. Taken, ripped from his very clutches, without hesitation. Bella tried to imagine herself in the same situation, hoping some sense of gratitude would be instilled in her because her parents were still very much alive. For the better part of the week, Bella dwelled on death. Her mind would wander in class, thinking of all the ways her parents could be taken from her, just as easily as Edward's were. Charlie was the police chief, after all. Granted, of a small town, and the most trouble he had to deal with was vandalism or accidents in the forests, but the core of his career focused on danger. Renee might not be putting herself in such a direct line of fire, but with all the work she'd been doing, she was spending more and more time in Seattle, which was a much more dangerous city than Forks. And she spent all that time driving on the interstate, to and from, day after day. In the rain. Bella ventured a guess that her mother spent more time driving on the interstate in the rain than she spent at home, especially this past week.
Bella managed to convince herself that she was worse off than Edward. His parents were forced away, hers were not. Her parents were doing this on their own accord. Time stood still as Bella thought this. Bella prayed for a decision to be made. She needed an answer; she couldn't deal with being stuck in this limbo anymore. When she had a decision to make, she agonized over every little detail, but as soon she made her choice, she stuck with it, following it through to the very end. Neither Charlie nor Renee was happy living like this. Selfishly, she thought, she wasn't happy in this current arrangement either. She felt the best decision was for her parents to get a divorce and go their separate ways. But it was not her decision to make.
Gently pushing off the ground, easing the rocker from her childhood back and forth, as she stared out the window, Bella suddenly became all too aware of the time. She had been sitting and staring, and thinking, for nearly three hours. Quickly, she scolded herself while she finally changed out of her pajamas. She vowed that she would not linger over the things she had no control over any longer. This was her parents' problem, and no matter how much she was dragged in the middle, whether they knew she was or not, there was no point in allowing herself to be miserable - not when she couldn't fix it. Bella stole a glance at her clock, noticing that Alice would be home in a mere five hours. For the first time in seven days, she felt an inviting emotion flood through her. She was excited.
Before running out of the house, she grabbed her phone and keys, shoving them into her pocket. Now that she'd made up her mind to be happy, her empty house couldn't contain her mood. There was nothing like the great outdoors to share happiness with. Bella trudged through the yard to the side of her house, making her way to the forest's edge. She easily found the small trail head and dove into the green flora. She continued steadily for a few minutes until she was surrounded by the large trees. Overheard, the sun almost completely disappeared except for the bright rays sliding in between the overlapping leaves and branches. She turned then, following a path that ran parallel to the road. Despite her familiarity with this part of the forest, she did not have a good sense of direction and knew better than to test herself. She did not want to become lost in the woods. Soon she reached her destination. She pushed through overgrown brush, coming out on the other side where a small creek wound its way through the expanse of nature. She was standing in at the midpoint of straight section, but could see no more than half a mile ahead, where it turned and was replaced by dense tree trunks. Deciding to be adventurous, she turned around and followed the creek in the opposite direction – the direction she'd never been in. She had run through the pros and cons in her mind before setting out on her journey. She soon came to the conclusion that she would not get lost, not if she was following the creek. It was as a better trail than Hansel and Gretel's.
Taking in her surroundings while she surged ahead, Bella became lost in the beauty of her newfound forest. It maybe a forest filled with the same kinds of trees, repeated across the ground, but her father had taught her to have a greater appreciate of nature than that. She understood each tree was different; each had its own story, and without those individual stories, the forest was incomplete. Bella became so concerned with memorizing every tiny detail, that she soon wasn't paying much attention to her footsteps. She wandered dangerously close to the water's edge, stepping on a slick rock. Her foot slid out from underneath her and before she knew it, she could feel the wind rush past her face as her body was flung backwards. She managed to throw her arms out in time and grab onto the closest thing, a tree branch, to stop her backside from colliding with the ground. She struggled to reclaim her balance on solid, dry ground, and ended up colliding with the trunk of the tree she was holding. Her phone, which was been delicately placed in back packet, dislodged with the force of impact. It fell to the ground, bouncing through the carpet of leaves covering the ground, and underneath a thick brush. Bella dropped to her knees, sliding her hand along the ground, feeling for her phone. The hems of her jeans were draped over the rocks, the water lapping over them. Her fingertips grazed the edge of the phone, as she tried to lower herself further. Her right knew slid on the wet leaves and her stomach flopped onto the ground. As she fought to reclaim the wind that had been knocked out her, her arm shot forward, pushing the cell phone out of reach. She listened closely, not being able to breathe, hearing the phone hit, what she thought was, rock after rock, leaving the rustling leaves in its wake. She stood up, brushed the dirt off her knees, and forcefully pushed herself through the brush to avoid getting stuck. However, the other side of the brush was not level ground. She nearly lost her balance and was tossed over the side of the hill, she held grabbed hold on the same tree again. She could see the flashing silver of her cell phone as the sun's rays reflected off of it, contrasting with the beauty around it. Carefully, she sat down, edging herself down the hill slowly. After the first few feet, the hill became steeper and she no longer had control over her sliding. She landed, gracelessly, next to her phone. She picked it, and herself, up, thrusting the electronic above her head in victory. Then she looked around. Bella realized she couldn't make her way to the top of the hill she'd just slide down and she had no idea where she was in relation to where'd been. Silently, she cursed herself for parading through the unknown forest by herself.
Bella wandered wordlessly, in the direction she thought she had come from, constantly checking the slope of the hill to see if there was a better vantage point. She found none, and collapsed to the ground, afraid to go on. She stared at the phone in her hand, deciding who it would most beneficial to call. She looked up when she heard the rustling of leaves. There was no wind, so she just assumed a small creature had scurried by. The movement startled her in the silent environment. Her gazed returned to the phone.
Then it rang.
Bella looked at the name flashing across the screen, "Jasper." She flipped open the phone, bringing it to her ear because the equipment had time to register the call was answered.
"Jasper," Bella sighed, relieved.
"Hey, Bella," Jasper's calming voice came through the line.
"Jasper, I need help."
"What's wrong?" Immediately, he was alarmed.
"I'm lost in the woods," Bella admitted, embarrassed. Her blush along grew hotter when her confession was met with Jasper's laughter. "Jasper! This is not funny! I have no idea where I am! I need help! Come find me!" Bella was starting to panic.
"Only you," Jasper managed to choke out.
"Can we please not comment on my inability to stay out of trouble until I'm safely out of the forest?" Bella demanded, more than requested.
"Sure, sure. Sorry, Bella. Alright, do me a favor…" Jasper started, unsure of his next words. "…walk around a little bit. See if there's anything you might recognize, to help you get home."
"I already did that. I don't want to get more lost before I'm found," Bella snapped back, as she remained rooted to the ground.
"Just humor me, okay?" He waited for her response. He could hear the crunching of leaves as soon she stood up. "Okay, what do you see?"
"I see trees, Jasper. Honestly, how do you think this is going to help?"
"What do you see?" he repeated.
Bella sighed, giving up arguing. "There's a hill behind me, I slid down it and realized I couldn't get back up. I followed the creek this direction, but can't find my way back now. Other than that, nothing stands out." She walked around trying to find something that she could comment on, something that would help Jasper find her. "It looks like I'm in a clearing; the trees are definitely sparser where I'm standing. One edge though, its thicker than all the others – it has a lot more trees. I can barely see past them."
"Do any of the directions look lighter?" Jasper asked, hoping to lead her in the right direction.
"What do you mean?"
"If all you see is darkness in one direction, obviously that's going to lead you further into the forest, so don't go that way. But if you can see light another way, there's more sun – you want to go that direction," Jasper explained. He leaned back on the car he was standing beside.
"Actually, yeah. Even though I can't really see anything beyond those trees, I can definitely tell more light is coming from that direction. But it's so thick, that can't possibly be the right direction." Bella was almost talking to herself more than Jasper.
"Just walk through the brush. If it turns out to be nothing, you can turn around." He waited for her acknowledgement. "Okay?"
"Sure, why not?" Bella answered sarcastically. She rushed forward through the brush again, this time being careful not to almost through herself over the edge. "Jasper, I think you're right! I can see the sun now! I'm going to keep wa…" Bella made her way through the next line of trees, emerging from the forest completely. In fact, she came to face to face with Jasper.
"You were saying?" Jasper grinned as he shut is cell phone and put it back in his pocket. He was standing in Bella's driveway, leaning against her truck.
"Are you kidding me?!" Bella looked around, taking in her surroundings. To her right she could see the head of the trail that she started out on and behind her was the thick line of trees marking where the forest met the road. "How did you know where I was?"
"I just pulled up and got out of my car when I heard you yell. I'm guessing that's when you fell. I didn't know you were lost and figured you were just going to walk through the trees any second. But then I couldn't hear you anymore so I decided to call. I was just going to tell you I was here and ask why you were in the woods, but I couldn't resist playing a little joke on you when you said you were lost." Jasper started walking towards the house, but Bella stayed where she stood. "What?"
"Jasper! I really thought I was lost! I was freaking out in there and didn't think I'd ever be able to get out. And you thought it'd be funny to play a joke on me!" Bella spit out at him.
The laughing smile fell from Jasper's face as he walked toward Bella and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, Bella. Nothing was going to happen. You would have found your way out eventually. Just think, I really helped you get out sooner." The smile returned as he felt Bella expel the breath she'd been holding as though his relaxed manner had been transferred through his hand.
"Alright, alright. Thanks for helping me, Jasper. Now how about we don't mention this to anyone?" Bella pleaded.
"Oh, you know I can't promise that. But tell you what; I'll try to hold off for as long as possible."
"I guess that's better than nothing. So what are you doing here anyway?"
"Kidnapping you," Jasper replied seriously. "No, I'm kidding. Alice is coming home today, don't tell me you forgot."
"Of course, I didn't forget! But that doesn't explain why you are at my house."
"I'm picking you up. We're going to meet the Cullen's at the airport when their flight comes in. What do you say?" Jasper dug a set of keys out of his pocket and unlocked his car with the push of a button.
"I'm in!" Bella raced toward the car. She jumped in and buckled her seatbelt before Jasper had even opened his door.
The hour drive to the airport was quiet as Jasper slid a CD into the player, causing the two friends to let their thoughts overtake them. Bella curled up into the passenger seat and watched the scenery fly by out the window. Before her subconscious pushed her more serious thoughts to the front of her mind, Bella smiled at the realization that it wasn't only Alice who had a need for speed. She thought about how if Alice had been driving, she would have told her to slow down, but it was impossible for Bella to not feel safe around Jasper. As Jasper turned the car off the highway and slowed to a stop at a red light, Bella could feel his eyes on her. She looked up to his waiting face where very content smile had made its home.
"What's up?" she asked.
"It's nice to have you back is all," Jasper answered while accelerating the car forward as the light changed.
Bella knew exactly what he meant but didn't know how to respond to Jasper's comment. She figured he knew all the details of her sordid troubles from Alice, but she had never directly said anything and didn't want to risk saying something more than he knew. "Yeah, well…" Bella stuttered trying to form the perfect sentence.
Jasper reached over, placing a hand on her arm. Bella looked down at the calming touch. "You don't need to say anything, Bella. I just wanted to say that I'm happy whatever was troubling you is somewhat worked out." He gave her an encouraging smile, saying without words that he wasn't going to say anything specific. "I've been really worried about you all week, but I know how you don't like the attention people put on you sometimes so I didn't want to force you to talk about it. I can only imagine how hard this week was for you, to go through all of this and not have Alice around to talk to. But just know that I'm always here for you, Bella. If you ever need to talk, I can listen."
Bella had originally thought she'd been in control of these emotions when Jasper first spoke, but by the end of his speech, she could feel the water gathering behind her eyelids. She finally opened her eyes, knowing they'd be glossy, but still she needed to thank the friend she had taken for granted.
"Thanks, Jasper. That really means a lot to me."
"Now don't forget it," he said simply while pulling into a parking space.
Bella and Jasper walked through the terminal, checking the arrival screen as they passed. They made it to the gate just as a steady flow of passengers crossed the security threshold.
"Does Alice know we're co–," Bella turned to Jasper but couldn't finish her sentence before they were tackled.
"Bella! Jasper!" Alice squealed, pulling them both into a hug.
"I guess that's a no," Bella mumbled under her breath. Louder, she said, "Hey, Alice. I can't really breathe when you're choking me."
"Oh, sorry," Alice spoke as she loosened her grip. "I just missed you guys."
"We missed you, too," Jasper said sweetly, leaning down to kiss his girlfriend. When he pulled away, he looked at Bella, muttering "More than you know."
Bella just glared at him, warning him of what would happen if he chose to say another word about the mood that had controlled her life the past week. By this time, the rest of the Cullen family had made their way to their daughter.
"Couldn't wait just a few more hours to see us, Bella?" Carlisle teased as he pulled her into a hug.
Bella noticed that his normally confident smile didn't brighten up his entire face this it usually did. She could only imagine how hard this past week had been for him. She wanted to cheer him up. "I missed my family."
"I'm just glad to see you aren't hurt. I was worried what would happen to you if I was gone," Carlisle continued to tease.
"Hey! I've been accident-free all week!" Bella defied.
"What do you call today?" Jasper quipped.
"Shut up!" Bella smacked his arm and immediately Alice started laughing.
"What happened?"
"Nothing!" Bella insisted, but missed the look Jasper gave to Alice, meaning he would tell her later.
Next Emmett came up behind his father and pulled Bella into a hug. As he held her tightly for a minute, Bella stole a glance at Alice and mouthed "That bad?" to which Alice nodded her head.
"Come on, kids. Let's go get our luggage," Esme announced, trying to steer the group away from the somber mood that was settling in.
Once they had collected their luggage and were heading towards the parking garage, Carlisle said to his children, "I assume you guys want to ride back in Jasper's car."
Alice and Emmett simply barreled off in that direction while Carlisle shouted after them, "I see how it is! Just abandon your father!"
Alice turned around. "You know we love you, Dad. But we've been with you all week!"
Esme waved them off, "We'll see you back at the house."
Emmett climbed into the front seat after declaring his long legs wouldn't fit in the back, even if Alice slid the seat all the way forward. Jasper started the car and pulled out the parking lot as Alice and Bella made themselves comfortable across the backseat.
"Bella." Alice was staring at Bella's legs which were curled up on the seat between them.
"What?"
Alice couldn't form words. She pointed to her dark, wet stains on Bella's jeans.
"What, Alice? Use your words," Bella had a feeling she knew where this was going, but was trying to put it off for as long as possible.
"What happened to your pants, Bella?" Alice finally spit out.
Jasper turned his head to look at Bella's legs across the backseat and immediately began laughing so hard that Emmett had to grab the wheel to keep the car under control. Bella leaned forward and smacked Jasper across the back of his head to make him stop laughing.
"Sorry, Bella. But seriously, just remembering the look on your face earlier is too funny," Jasper said in between reclaiming his breaths.
"Someone has got to tell me what's going on," Emmett passed the wheel back to Jasper and turned around in his seat to stare down Bella.
"I went walking in the woods. And because it's me, I fell," Blood rushed Bella's cheeks as she tried to keep her answer simple, even though it was understated.
"No. What really happened was Bella went for a walk in the woods and fell. But then she thought she was lost. I was in her driveway and heard her fall and called her to tell her to come to the airport with me, but before I could get two words out she freaked out and started going on about how she was lost. I knew exactly where she was because I could hear her. Let's just say, she was pleasantly surprised to realize she'd been standing about three feet from the road," This time Jasper's laughter was accompanied by Alice's and Emmett's.
"I know you guys have missed being around me all week, but seriously, do we have nothing better to talk about? How was going home to Chicago?" Bella tried desperately to change the subject.
Emmett sighed while Alice explained. "It's not really home anymore. Things are so different, especially now."
"It was like stepping into a time warp," Emmett continued. "It all looked the same, but didn't feel comfortable at all. It was like we were just sitting around waiting for the next thing to happen." Emmett's voice lowered in volume a bit, as though he were talking more to himself than anyone else. "I hadn't talked to Edward in so long, let alone seen him. I feel bad about not keeping in touch better and for this to be the circumstances for us to hang out again. Man, it just sucks. I didn't know what to say." He spoke louder now, posing his question to the car. "I mean, what am I suppose to say?"
Alice just shrugged her shoulders while Jasper raised his eyebrows in the rearview mirror, leaving it up to Bella to answer.
"I don't think there is any one thing you are suppose to say, Emmett. I'm sure it meant enough to Edward that you were even there. Sometimes, knowing you've got someone there for you is what's important." Bella squeezed Alice's arm, letting her know she wasn't talking just about Emmett's problem but that she was also thanking her best friend for always being there.
"Yea, but I felt so wrong. That's not me. I'm not the person who lets you cry on their shoulder and tells you everything is going to be alright. I show my love through humor. And this was hardly the time or place to be funny," Emmett argued.
"I think you've got it backwards, Emmett. I think it was exactly the time and place to be funny."
"Really, Bella? His parents are dead and you want me to make jokes?" Emmett couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Well, when you put it like that…"
"Then how would you put it?" he inquired.
"I just mean that, obviously, he realizes he's lost his parents and that they're aren't going to come back. I don't think he needs any help being reminded of that. And if you tried acting all sentimental, he'd realize that it was in response to his parents' deaths. But if you acted like yourself, he would have some reminder of normalcy. Granted, his parents' deaths changed everything in his entire life, but that doesn't mean it all has to feel as though it's changed," Bella trailed off, feeling everyone's eyes on her. She cursed herself for thinking it sounded like it made sense in her head. Quickly, she tried justifying herself, "I mean that's just what I think. I don't know Edward, so maybe not. I'm just guessing."
"Bella, that's actually really smart," Emmett was shocked. Why didn't he think of that when he had tried talking to Edward during the week? It was his turn to curse himself for his idiocy of constantly reminding his friend on the loss he had suffered.
"Really, Bella," Alice agreed. "I knew you two would just get along great."
"Us two? What are you talking about?" Bella questioned, having lost Alice somewhere.
"Oh, shoot. I wasn't supposed to say anything. Oh, well, guess it's too late now. Just promise me you won't say anything. You, too, Jasper." Once Alice had confirmation that they would not tell anyone, she continued. "Carlisle's really worried about Edward. Granted, his parents did just die, but it's like he's completely shut down. He's like a robot, just goes about his daily business without registering anything. He doesn't eat and from the looks of it he's not sleeping either. Carlisle wants to help Edward and wants to make sure he's properly cared for. He's orphaned now, but he's almost eighteen so going into the foster care system isn't going to do him any good. He goes to a private school in Chicago, the same one we went, too. They had dorms there, but none of us ever lived there since we lived in the city. But Edward's going to finish out his junior year, staying in the dorms and then he's going to come live with us in Forks. We'd been planning to go on a family vacation for the first two weeks of summer, but Carlisle and Esme decided to make it four weeks to really give us a chance to learn how to be together."
Jasper and Bella were speechless and Alice took that as a bad sign.
"You both would really like him. We're all going to get along great. And I think it'd be good for him to be around all of us. I think it might help him realize that even though his blood family is gone, he can still have a family of his choosing, a family of his friends. He's just like you, Bella. You both have such different views of the world, and you both shut practically everything else out when things get tough."
"Oh no, Alice, don't worry! Everything will be fine. I just couldn't believe how kind and caring your parents are. I feel so lucky to even know them." Bella pulled Alice in for a hug, and then processed the last thing her friend had spoken. "Hey! I do no shut everything out!"
"Bella." Jasper scolded.
"What are you guys telling me?" Alice looked from her best friend to her boyfriend.
"Nothing," Bella answered.
"Jasper," Alice pushed.
"Bella had a rough week without you," Jasper answered. "Sorry, Bella. But you know one of us would have told her sooner or later."
Alice turned to her best friend, staring her down. "How rough of a week?" she demanded. Bella remained silent. "I should have known you hadn't been this happy all week."
The foursome remained quiet the rest of the drive home. Alice finally spoke again when they pulled up to her house. "Call your parents, Bella. Tell them you're staying here tonight."
While Alice walked upstairs after Jasper, carrying her bags so she could unpack, Bella walked to the phone in the kitchen. She started dialing the number to her house, but realized that Charlie wouldn't be home yet and she guessed her mother wouldn't be either. She listened for the dial tone after hanging up, then punched the number to her mother's cell phone.
"Hello?" A woman giggled into the phone.
"Mom?" Bella asked, unsure if she'd hit a wrong number.
"Bella? What's wrong?" Bella could hear a rustling through the phone line.
"Nothing. I just wasn't sure if it was you at first. Are you at work?"
"Of course, where else would I be?" Maybe home, Bella thought. "I'm on a break. What's going on?" Bella could hear another person talking mumbling something to her mother, but couldn't make out what they were saying. She could hear her mother's giggling response.
"Just wanted to let you know I'm going to stay at Alice's tonight." Bella decided it was either to tell her instead of ask for permission. She could hear her mother gasp on the other end, and assumed it was from the authoritative tone she'd just taken.
"Mhm. Sure, sweetie." Rene sounded out of breath. "I gotta get back to work. We'll talk later." Then she heard the click of the phone dying. Bella replaced the phone in its cradle as Emmett came down the stairs.
"Where are you off to?" Bella asked when she saw Emmett's keys in his hand.
"I'm going over to Rose's."
"Want to give me a lift?"
"Sure, your house is on the way."
"Let me tell Alice." Bella ran upstairs and told Alice that Emmett was going to bring her home so she could grab clothes and that she'd be back.
Bella tried talking to Emmett while his jeep made his way across their small town, but he seemed to be in too somber a mood. Bella only hoped that Rosalie would be able to say something to comfort him. She never knew Emmett to be so quiet. Once instead her quaint home, Bella quickly gathered some clothes, and left a note for her father. She told him that she talked to Renee and that she'd see him tomorrow night for dinner. She mentioned maybe she'd make his favorite fish fry if brought home a good enough catch. Bella was trying to make things easier for her father. Seeing how hard everything was on her, she could only imagine how hard it must be for him. He wasn't even putting up a fight anymore. Her red truck rumbled to life and she made her way back across town, feeling herself slip back into the hole she'd lived in during the past week. At least peace had been fun while it lasted.