A/N: Forward progress is always good. Hope you enjoy. Please review! I do love getting feedback.

**-…-**

Chapter 29

Charlie and I ate our pancakes in relative quiet, which was pretty much always how we ate our meals. Just because I was going away for a while didn't change all our routines. I told him Esme had made a bunch of food for him, and while he complained that she shouldn't have gone to so much trouble, I could tell he was pleased and probably more than a little relieved. At least we could have the fire department stand down during mealtimes at the Swan residence.

Soon the Cullen caravan arrived in all its splendor. "I wonder if clowns are going to start pouring out of those cars," Charlie quipped.

Emmett stepped out of his jeep at precisely the right moment for me to say, "Yep, apparently so."

Edward came to the door. For some reason, Charlie hurried ahead of me to open it. "Edward," he said with a deeper-than-usual voice, shaking hands with his future son-in-law.

"Good morning, Charlie," Edward answered quite a bit more brightly than he had been greeted. "Are you ready to go, Bella?"

I nodded, then turned to my father. "Well, this is it. I love you, dad. I'll miss you." We hugged tightly.

"I love you, too, Bells. Don't worry about me, but I'll exercise my parental rights to worry about you, so don't even tell me not to."

"I know it wouldn't do any good. Just try not to worry too much, OK?" I chuckled through the tears pooling in my eyes. I didn't know if this would be the last time I would see my father, or if the next time I saw him, I'd want to drain every drop of his blood.

Our moment was interrupted as Esme and Carlisle came to the door with boxes full of food in little freezer containers. Each one had a label with cooking instructions. I figured even Charlie couldn't mess that up, although if it could be done, he'd be the man for the job.

"Dr. and Mrs. Cullen, come in," Charlie welcomed them. He was much friendlier than he had been with Edward. "Mrs. Cullen, you didn't have to do all this. You already have a lot of mouths to feed without adding me to your trouble."

"First, please call me Esme, and second, it's no trouble at all. It's a pleasure to cook for someone who appreciates it."

"…and someone who needs the help so much," I jabbed at Charlie.

"I'd argue, but I'm afraid I'm really no good in the kitchen," he answered with a laugh. "Maybe you can smell the smoke from this morning's adventure in making breakfast for my daughter."

"Maybe a little," Esme tittered quietly. I knew that meant she could literally smell it a mile away.

"Let's get these things into the freezer," Carlisle interrupted. "Then we'd best be on our way."

Charlie looked at Edward rather sternly, appearing to size him up, although why he would need to do that at this point was beyond me.

"You take care of my daughter. I'm trusting you, even though it goes against my better judgment."

"Dad!"

Edward ignored my outburst and looked Charlie directly in the eye. "I'll do everything in my power to keep Bella safe. Even if you and I had nothing else in common, we both love Bella, and if something happens to her, it will be over my dead body."

"Why do people keep using that phrase?" I yelped. "Can't anyone think of anything less morbid than dead bodies?"

"Oh, Bells, you don't need to be so sensitive. It's just a saying," Charlie scolded as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "It's not like anyone's actually going to die. What is it you always tell me? Take a pill?"

Of course he couldn't know that death was a very real possibility on this particular trip. I tried yet again to laugh it off and credit my jumpiness to nerves, but the truth of the matter chilled me to the bone.

As Carlisle and Esme said goodbye, they also assured Charlie I would be under their careful watch. Charlie and I hugged again and exchanged another 'I love you' before it was time to get into the car.

Carlisle led the way in his Mercedes; he and Esme had decided to take Fred with them, keeping him separated from Emmett as much as possible. We were in the Volvo with Jasper and Alice, and the Jeep with Emmett and Rosalie, and about 12 million suitcases, brought up the rear.

We were only going to Port Angeles where the Cullens had chartered a small jet. Apparently Rose was to be our pilot. Who knew? I preferred her to Emmett, although I'd imagine he would tend to be more serious when it came to matters like crashing a plane. However, I'd watched him play video games, so I could also see him practicing his barrel rolls and figure eights in the sky. I might not be killed, but there would almost certainly be a clean up on aisle seven.

"Emmett can be our flight attendant," I joked from the Volvo, knowing he would hear me in the Jeep behind us. This was confirmed when he blasted his horn a few times in protest.

"Em said to tell you he'd rock one of those blue uniforms with the tight skirt," Edward informed me. "And Bella, for the love of all that is holy, please don't challenge him on it."

"They don't make a skirt big enough for the Incredible Bulk. Maybe if they sewed three of them together, he might be able to get it over his gut," I snickered, making faces at Emmett through the side mirror.

Another horn blast let me know I had gotten to him. Edward chuckled. "I can't repeat that in mixed company, Emmett."

"Oh, come on. What did he say?" I queried eagerly.

"Bella…" he warned with equal parts disapproval and distain.

Alice intervened from the backseat, "You know if you don't tell her, Em will and we'll never hear the end of it."

A series of rapid honks let me know that she was right.

"Fine," Edward acquiesced. "He said he'd need more than three skirts just to cover his… well… you know…."

"Emmett Cullen!" I exclaimed through a giggle while waggling my finger at him through the mirror. I could see he was laughing uproariously. Even Rose was chuckling. Edward was trying to be all stoic and appear scandalized, but even he had the tiniest smirk playing on his lips.

In front of us, Fred's arm shot out the passenger side window to give a thumbs-up, which could only be for my benefit. I was pretty sure Carlisle and Esme were shaking their heads and sharing the parental 'all-knowing glance.' And really, what else could they do?

In what seemed like no time at all, we were staring at the sleek corporate jet that would take us the almost 6,000 miles to our destination. The overall mood of the family seemed light and jovial, but there was an indefinable underpinning of dread, each of us knowing this could be one more step toward our final destination.

I tried to wipe that thought from my mind as I took my seat next to Edward while the other Cullens made quick work of loading the cargo.

"Wow, Miss Prima Donna," Emmett teased when he boarded the plane. "What? You think we're just going to do all the work while you sit here drinking champagne and nibbling on petits fours?"

"That's exactly what I think," I smiled with satisfaction. "And where are these refreshments you speak of? Why are they not on my table yet, stewardess?" I clapped my hands twice, indicating that he should hurry.

Turning to Edward, I sighed heavily. "It's just so difficult to find good help these days…"

Emmett let out a boisterous guffaw before heading toward the cockpit with Rosalie.

"Wait. Is he going to be our copilot?" I asked no one in particular.

Rose turned a raised an eyebrow at me, which was something that always made me uncomfortable. "First, I don't need a copilot, and second, yes, he's going to sit up front with me. Is there a problem with that?"

I gulped, not entirely sure if she was joking or not. "No, sir. No problem, Captain, sir," I answered with a salute.

She smirked at me, then turned to Emmett and sighed dramatically. "It's just so difficult to find good passengers these days…" With a wink to me, she took her husband by the hand and led him to the cockpit.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

**-…-**

Carlisle and Jasper talked strategy for the first half of the flight. Alice and Esme were pouring through all sorts of Italian fashion and architecture magazines. Esme didn't really care much about fashion, and Alice seemed bored with architecture, so it was comical to watch them switch topics every so often. Even if you didn't know who'd had a penchant for which topic, you would be able to tell by their body language alone.

Fred had a portable video game because heaven forbid he have to live without digital entertainment for a few hours.

Edward and I just held each other. He'd tried to get me a soda or some water or a packet of those honey-roasted peanuts they have on every plane, but I just wanted to snuggle with him. We'd moved to the surprisingly comfortable sofa, despite our 'flight attendant' insisting that I keep my seatbelt securely fastened at all times.

He'd also mentioned that, in the unlikely event of a water landing, my vampire boyfriend could be used as a floatation device.

What Emmett failed to understand was that I didn't need anything but Edward's loving, protective arms around me. He was much better than a seatbelt. I felt more secure and comfortable in his arms than in any other place, and not just because he was indescribably strong, but because he was my home.

Nobody bothered us until after we stopped to refuel at a small airport just north of Boston. Edward and I stepped out onto the tarmac so I could stretch my legs, even though I could easily walk around inside the plane. I wasn't normally claustrophobic, and we were travelling in the very lap of luxury, yet I couldn't help but compare myself to one of those hapless sheep in the back of a truck, blissfully unaware that she was headed to the slaughterhouse. Except I was aware.

The fresh air felt wonderful. It was sunny out, so Edward was careful to stay in the shade of the jet as the fueling crew got to work. I, however, was free to step into the sunlight, so I took advantage of it. I closed my eyes and tilted my face upward, spreading my arms to more fully absorb as many rays as possible.

When I finally opened my eyes again, they eventually adjusted to the shadows where Edward sat on the stairs, grinning at me like I was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen. I slowly walked to him, sad to leave the sun, but happy to be returning to my safe place. Edward's eyes were black as night; apparently my stretching and basking had been more interesting than I'd anticipated.

"Hungry?" I asked, the double entendre clear in my question.

"More than you could imagine."

I smiled. "On our honeymoon, I want you to remember to tell me what you're thinking right now, OK?"

"Definitely. We may even have to reenact the moment, just for clarity's sake, of course."

"Of course. We definitely want things to be clear," I cooed, reaching up to stroke his cheek. He leaned his head into my hand and nuzzled my palm.

"OK, you lovebirds, break it up," Rosalie interrupted, poking her head out the open cabin door. "We're ready to go. All aboard!"

"She's taking this captain thing a little too seriously," Edward chuckled.

"I heard that!" Rose yelled from inside.

"I know!" Edward yelled back.

We boarded the plane again, Rosalie returning us to cruising altitude before Emmett let me remove my seatbelt. I'd decided to humor him, since he was taking his self-appointed role as air marshal so seriously.

As it turned out, he was a pretty good flight attendant, too. To my astonishment, he presented me with a lovely tray of dainty little sandwiches and snacks with a two-serving sized bottle of wine.

"When in Rome…" he chuckled as he opened the bottle. I looked at him askance. I didn't even drink wine. He poured a small amount into my glass and waited expectantly. For what, I did not know.

"You're supposed to sniff the wine and swirl it around in the glass and then take a tiny taste," he explained.

"Why?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "It's what they do in the movies, so there has to be a reason for it."

I did as I was instructed. "Mmmm… this is pretty good!" I held out my glass for him to pour some more.

"Let's not get Bella drunk, shall we?" Edward chastised his brother as he removed the bottle from Emmett's hand. "One glass should be sufficient, methinks."

"And here I thought I left my dad back in Forks," I frowned. Emmett laughed, taking the bottle from Edward and setting it on my tray.

I nibbled on my lunch and took regular sips of the wine. I could feel my nerves easing and looked at Jasper curiously.

"It's not me. I think you're feeling the effects of the liquid courage there," he joked.

"I'm still plenty nervous," I confessed.

"I know. I can feel it, but believe me, you're not the only one."

"OK, game time. Who's the most nervous?" I quizzed. Other people played games to pass the time when they travelled. Ours were just a little different.

"Actually… I think it's a tie between Esme and Edward," Jasper answered.

Both appeared ready to protest, but then Edward shrugged in resignation and Esme held out her hand to him. "At least I'm in good company," she whispered, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"If it makes you feel any better," Jasper added, "the only one not nervous is…"

"Emmett," almost all of us said in unison, causing us to break out laughing.

"He's actually looking forward to it, although he does have momentary worries for the rest of the family… especially Rose, but also Bella and Fred," Edward pointed out.

"Awwww… ain't that sweet," Fred teased. "I'm definitely feeling the love. I KNEW he had a thing for me."

"Shut up," Emmett said from the cockpit. "I just don't want to lose the Luigi to my Mario."

"Sounds like true love to me," Alice quipped.

Emmett burst through the cabin door. "Hey, Mario and Luigi are bros, man. Just like me and Fred. Don't be hatin' on the brotherly love, man. It's a beautiful thing."

"Since when did you become a flower child, Em? I suppose you were at Woodstock, too," I teased.

Everyone groaned and started protesting. Fred and I looked at each other, puzzled.

"Do NOT get him started on Woodstock," Esme warned.

"Oh hell yeah, I was there!" Emmett almost shouted. "Can I say 'hell' in front of you, Bella?"

"Hell, no," I deadpanned. He grinned.

"The remainder of the flight is only eight hours, six minutes," Carlisle reminded him. "Are you sure we have enough time for this story?"

Emmett rolled his eyes and continued, unhindered. "That was a once-in-a-lifetime show. Even MY lifetime!"

He began excitedly listing all the bands he saw, who was the 'most awesome' of the bunch, etc. It was interesting to me for about fifteen minutes, but then I understood the Cullen's reaction when he started giving details. According to him, there were thirty-two acts and he was just starting to tell us about the first one.

"Carlisle, can I just jump out of the plane and swim to Italy?" Jasper asked.

"Only if I can join you," he quipped in return.

We all laughed, except Emmett of course.

"You're just jealous," he retorted.

Jasper sighed dramatically. "Yes, I'm jealous of you surrounded by a half-million drugged-up, sweaty, smelly humans having free sex everywhere and using nature as their toilet."

"That was the best reason to be a vampire at Woodstock – I never had to wait in line for the bathroom. No need to eat or sleep, and I remember everything perfectly," Emmett proudly announced.

"Yes, we know. We remember the story perfectly, too, especially after hearing it so many times," Jasper grumbled.

"Sorry, guys," I sheepishly apologized. "I didn't know…"

"Of course you didn't, dear. Nobody blames you," Esme patted my hand consolingly.

"I blame her," Jasper said under his breath. At first he sounded serious, but then his face broke into a grin the size of Texas.

"Woodstock," Fred murmured quietly. "The only Woodstock I remember was Charlie Brown's bird."

Emmett gaped at Fred. "Dude. You did NOT just compare the greatest concert of all time to a stupid cartoon character."

"Woodstock was not stupid. He was hilarious. And I'm sure your little show was great and everything, Em… I just don't remember hearing about it before," Fred explained.

If Emmett had blood, it would be boiling. "LITTLE SHOW? Did you just call it a little show?"

"I'm sure it was great for, you know… back in the day," Fred shrugged. "I've heard of a few of those bands you're talking about… I mean, everyone knows the Grateful Dead. And The Who… don't they sing the theme song for 'CSI'?" Fred started humming the tune.

Apparently, that was the last straw. Emmett got up and returned to the cockpit without another word.

"Wow. If I'd known that would shut him up, I would have mentioned Charlie Brown and CSI ages ago," Jasper whispered.

"I wasn't trying to shut him up," Fred mumbled guiltily.

"Don't worry about it, Fred," Carlisle interjected. "Everyone goes through this when they get older and the younger generation doesn't know what they're talking about anymore."

"Reminds me of a line from The Simpsons," Alice added. "Grandpa says 'I used to be with it, but then they changed what it was. Now, what I'm with isn't it, and what's it seems weird and scary.'"

Jasper high-fived his wife.

"Should I go talk to Emmett?" Fred asked. "I don't want him to be mad at me."

"Just let him sulk for a while," Jasper answered. "He'll get over it."

"Plus, we all agreed that you and Emmett aren't allowed in the cockpit together," Esme chastened him.

"There has to be a dirty joke in there somewhere," Jasper laughed. Alice made the sound of hitting a rimshot.

"You guys, Emmett my best friend. I didn't mean to insult his concert."

"Fred, Jasper is right. Emmett is quick to get mad, but he's also quick to forgive and forget," Carlisle added.

"You know, the funny thing is, I actually admire him for being able to go to something like that. I can't imagine having the kind of control it would take to spend that much time with thousands of humans," Fred lamented. "I don't think I'll ever get used to the bloodlust."

"But you're around me all the time," I reminded him.

"I know, but I've figured out a way to put you in the 'other' category."

"'Other?' What does that mean?" I chuckled bemusedly.

"Well, as I see it, there's four groups: human, vampire, animal, and other," Fred explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Animals are fair game, humans are off limits, but the two things you never, ever eat are other vampires and anything from the 'other' category."

"I'm not sure if I should be flattered or offended," I laughed, "but hey, whatever works for you."

"At the risk of getting all mushy, you're essentially my sister now, and I like having you as a sister," he explained rather solemnly. "I was an only-child growing up and I remember always wishing I had someone else, like most of other kids did."

"I'm sure some of your friends with annoying siblings would have traded places."

"I didn't say they were my friends…" Fred replied with an edge of bitterness to his tone.

"Surely some of them…"

Fred cut me off. "No. None of them. I was always alone. Kids were mean to me."

"Oh, Fred, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…"

Fred interrupted me. "It's OK, Bella. You couldn't know… It's just, I was a scrawny, ugly kid with thick glasses and bad hair. And those were my better qualities," he laughed in an obvious attempt to lighten the mood. "I never really got a chance to know if I would ever 'grow into my looks' as my mom used to say. I was the dictionary definition of a card-carrying nerd."

"That can't be true," I insisted. "Unless your transformation really transformed you, you couldn't have been ugly or scrawny. I mean, seriously, let's face it. You're gorgeous."

"Gorgeous?" Fred choked.

I felt Edward stiffen next to me. "Oh, calm down," I dismissed him rather abruptly. "I only have eyes for you, my dear, but my eyes still work. I'm sure I'm not the only girl who would think Fred was a hottie, unless that whole tall, blond, chiseled, ruggedly handsome thing didn't appeal to them."

Fred looked at me like I had monkeys flying out my nose.

"Oh, come on, Fred. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. I'm sure someone of the female persuasion has mentioned this to you at some time or another."

"Actually, not really. I can guarantee nobody has ever used the words 'gorgeous' or 'hottie' in reference to me before."

"Maybe not out loud," I shot back.

He sighed. "It's nice of you to say those things, Bella, but you don't have to… I mean, I'm content with being average…" he trailed off.

"Average? You think you're average?" I scoffed in complete disbelief. "Compared to who? You look like a young, beach bum version of Brad Pitt. If that's average, I'd be afraid to see good-looking!"

"Bella, you don't have to flatter me. I appreciate it. Really, I do, but I have a mirror, and despite what you see in movies, vampires do have a reflection," he joked half-heartedly.

"Alice, Esme, back me up here!" I implored.

Fred held his hands up to stop them. "Sorry, ladies, but I already know you sort of have to agree with Bella at this point, right? Really, I'm OK with my looks. I mean, seriously, I'm just glad not to have acne anymore. It's amazing what venom will do for bad skin."

He laughed at his own joke about making a billion dollars on venom-laced face cream, but I could see he was covering for some deep-seated self-worth issues. It was the first time he'd ever seemed to lack confidence like this.

"Fred," Carlisle interjected, "I wonder if that's why you manifested your particular gift. Maybe you repel people because you're used to being alone, or maybe you want to reject them before you think they'll reject you."

"And you thought YOU were a nerd," Jasper said to Fred, poking fun at Carlisle.

"It's just a theory," Carlisle attempted to defend himself.

"Oh, that's a new one. Carlisle has a theory. How bizarre!" Alice joined in.

"OK, you kids. Give your old man a break," Esme chided, smiling mischievously at her husband.

He took her hand and kissed it. "Thanks, dear… I think…"

"You know, I've never thought about how I ended up with this so-called gift. I thought it was just there. I mean, sometimes it's cool, but I'm kinda liking having a family. I've never really had a family… My parents spilt up when I was eight. My mom always joked that they should have divorced nine years earlier. Even at that age, I knew what she meant. I lived with my dad, but he was always working or 'dating,' as he called it. I don't think I ever saw the same woman more than twice…" he trailed off.

I grimaced at the thought. Charlie didn't date at all, and I couldn't even fathom him bringing home a different woman every night. Renee dated before she met Phil, but she never stayed out overnight and she never brought anyone home with her.

Fred continued. "Riley tried to tell us we were a family, but I wanted nothing to do with any of those freaks. Bree was the only one. She was nice to me, and at first I though it was just for protection, although I wouldn't blame her if it was, but she would leave me books and then we started talking a lot more after Diego disappeared. She'd seen the dark cloaks and she'd been in the sun. We knew Riley was lying to us, but we didn't put it all together until we started sharing notes. She's really the only friend I ever had my whole life, before I met all of you..."

Nobody said anything for a while. What could we say?

"I didn't mean to be Captain Bring-down. Sorry, Edward, I know that's your job," Fred said with a grin.

"Did anyone else hear Fred volunteer to go skydiving without a parachute?" Edward quipped back, giving him a solid punch to the arm.

"Mommmmmm, Edward hit me!" Fred yelled to Esme through his huge grin.

"What would you like me to do about it?" Esme played along.

"Punish him, of course!" Fred cried out.

Esme put her finger to her lip, making it look like she was deep in thought. "I'll tell you what: When we land, I'm going to walk away. If you want to retaliate against Edward, you go right ahead. I'm sure he won't mind at all, will you, Edward."

He smiled mischievously at Fred. "Not at all. I'm sure I'll be very understanding and won't even give one thought to how you would pay for such a grave mistake."

"See?" Esme was smug. "It's all settled."

"Awww, mom! You take all the fun out of everything," Fred whined.

Esme smiled and nodded. "Thank you for noticing. My work here is done."