A/N: To my Fly Away Home readers - If you're reading Oblivious, you might have seen that I'm struggling with depression, and things in my head are really hard right now. I really want to get the next chap out to you, but as I mentioned, it's a new genre for me. Right now, it's difficult for me to process new things. I know what I'm doing in my other fics, so they aren't suffering as much. Promise I'll get a chapter to you as soon as my brain cooperates. Thank you so much for your patience and support.

Edward's phone rang early. Luckily, with a lifelong hatred of his alarm, it was his automatic reaction to reach out and silence the noise. He blinked at the screen, slowly coming to the realization that it was ringing, not going off.

Alice.

"Hey," Edward whispered, connecting the call. "Hold on a second."

"Whaizit?" Bella muttered, stirring beside him with the noise and his movements.

"Shh." Edward tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear. "Go back to sleep. It's okay."

She looked at him, her eyes unfocused. Her lashes fluttered closed again, and she slept.

With a final look, Edward eased himself out of bed and headed outside.

"Hey. Sorry," he said, putting the phone to his ear.

"Who were you talking to?" Alice demanded.

"Hello to you too, Alice." Edward ran a hand over his eyes, trying to wake up. "Bella's still asleep. I would be too, except my sister is calling me at seven on a Sunday morning. What the hell?"

"Wait, wait, wait. Go back to the part where Bella is with you in your hotel room."

Edward hung his head, rubbing the back of his neck. "She's stayed with me a few times since I've been here. Just to give her a break, you know? Her dad doesn't always say the right things."

"And you do all of a sudden?"

Edward flinched. Well, he deserved that. "I don't know, Alice." He went to the balcony and leaned on the rail, looking out at the motel parking lot. "Things are different here."

"Okay. Talk to me."

Talk to her.

Alice had been begging Edward to talk to her for years. Just talk to me. I want to help. I want to listen. You have to talk about it, or it'll kill you. It's killing you, Edward.

Edward closed his eyes and shuddered.

This was different. The more he woke up, remembering the night before and all the nights in Forks, he had to say something to someone. He had no idea how to think about what was happening between him and Bella. He had no context for this, no idea what he wanted, and no idea if he was doing the wrong thing.

"Do you know it's the first time I've been out of state in ten years?" Edward said, looking out over the little town.

"Yeah. Believe me, I know."

"It's different." He curled his bare toes against the floor. "I have nothing to think about here but her."

"Is that a bad thing? You've been putting off thinking about her for months now."

"She kissed me. And I kissed her." Despite his uncertainty, Edward's lips curled upward. "There's been a lot of kissing."

"Oh, mercy. Kissing the mother of your child. People will talk."

Edward was quiet at that. Whenever anyone talked about the mother of his child, he still thought of Kate. Guilt twisted in his gut. There was still this gulf between him and Bella's baby. He wished like hell he could cross it, but then again, he didn't want to try.

It wasn't fair. He knew it wasn't fair.

"Are you still there?" Alice asked.

"Yeah." He had to swallow past a thick knot in his throat.

The whole story came out. He told her everything that had happened. He told her about meeting Charlie and punching Richard Newton. He told her about Charlie telling him to leave Bella if he was only there out of responsibility. He told her about Jacob but not what little Bella had said about her triggers-that was her business.

He felt ever so slightly lighter when he was done. Somewhat. A little.

"I came up here to support her. That's all I wanted to do, but this is getting…"

"Complicated?" To his surprise, Alice laughed. "I know you went up there for her, but I think being away from here is doing some good."

"What the hell are you talking about? Everything is a mess. Nothing makes sense."

"Oh, Edward. That's life."

"Don't talk to me like I'm twelve years old."

"No. I'm not trying to downplay what you're feeling here. You want to think it's terrible. You probably want to think it's great too, or else you wouldn't have kissed her more than once. You wouldn't have her in your bed right now." She laughed again, and the sound infuriated him.

"This isn't a joke, Alice. This isn't a joke for me, and what I'm doing to her isn't a joke either."

"Oh, god. You idiot. I'm not laughing because I think this is hilarious." Again she laughed. "I'm sorry. I'm trying not to be happy, but I can't help it. Edward, don't you get it? You've been a ghost for ten years. I almost want you to stay in that town. Or if not there, go anywhere else, if only for a little while. Don't you see that you're engaged in something for the first time in forever? You're defending Bella to her father and her best friend. You're punching assholes. You're kissing a woman you have feelings for."

"Right. I'm thirty-seven years old, committing acts of violence against strangers-"

"That guy deserved it."

"-and kissing a woman almost half my age with whom I already have a complicated relationship. We're going to have a baby, which neither one of us is prepared for, and you're happy about all this?"

"Yes! I'm sorry, but I'm fucking ecstatic. Do you have a meaningful relationship of any kind with anyone you met after Xavier died? Have you made a friend? Or even made a major life decision?" She huffed. "It's going to be okay. You're just living, that's all. You remember living. No answers. No clear course, but you figure it out eventually."

Behind him, a door opened. Edward peered over his shoulder to see Bella in the doorway. Despite his irritation at his sister and a general anxiety about everything in general, he had to smile. She was squinting in the sunlight, her hair wild about her face and her lips pursed in slight confusion. "What's going on?" she asked, her voice raspy.

He couldn't help reaching out to smooth a particularly willful strand of hair down. "Nothing to be worried about. I'll be inside in a minute."

Bella yawned and nodded, retreating back inside.

"Please don't run from this, Edward," Alice said in his ear. "This is too important."

Edward ran his big toe over a pebble, trying to ease the tightness in his throat. He knew she wasn't talking about him leaving physically. He never would have done that regardless-left her high and dry. His sister didn't want him to turn a blind eye on whatever else was happening between them, and that he was sorely tempted to do. Part of him even thought it would be the best choice.

He sighed. "I'm not running."

"Good. That's good." Alice still sounded so happy it was disconcerting to him. "Go on then. Go back to her."

When Edward went back in the room, he found Bella laying down on the bed they'd shared the night before. The sight of her stoked a spot of warmth in his chest. She was awake, though he could see her eyes were still hooded with sleepiness. She was a vision dressed as she was in his boxers with her hair spilling haphazardly over the pillow.

"Hey," he said, sitting on the corner of the bed, looking at her. "That was Alice checking in."

Bella yawned. "Does she know what time it is? This is my summer vacation, man. I'm supposed to be sleeping in until at least two like a normal college kid." Her eyebrows furrowed, and she put a hand to her belly. "I guess she didn't know I was with you."

"She does now."

"Is that…" Bella played with the edge of her shirt. "Is that weird? Is it weird that I stayed with you? What did she say?"

That was a loaded question. "Do you think it's weird to stay with me?"

She met his eyes, her expression shy, and shook her head. "I'm glad I stayed." She looked down again. "I'm not a pain in the ass?"

He laughed and crawled up the bed to lay beside her. Haltingly, he traced her features-her cheeks, the line of her chin. What could he tell her? That small conversation with Alice had put words to some of what he was feeling. What would she say if she knew she had given him a reason to get up in the morning, a purpose for his listless existence? And it wasn't something he did out of duty, though it was duty that had forced him not to forget that for a few hours one night. He'd shared something deep and meaningful with another human being.

"I'm glad you're here," he said, because it was the truth and it was easier than everything else in his head. He leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Do you want to sleep more, or do you want breakfast?"

"Oooh, you monster. What kind of a choice is that to give to a hungry and sleepy pregnant woman?"

~0~

Edward sipped his coffee, watching Bella's eyes light up when the waitress set her food down. It was just a few days ago she'd been forgetting to eat.

"Mmm. You know how everyone just loves bacon?" she asked, studying the piece in her hand.

"I seem to recall some kind of national obsession with it. Because it's delicious." Edward took a big bite.

"I was always a sausage girl, or even better, ham. Now though? I love it." She bit into the piece and closed her eyes as though in ecstasy. "It's so good. This baby is messing with my tastebuds."

A clatter startled them both. The person in the booth behind Bella had dropped their silverware. Edward's eyes were drawn over Bella's shoulder. His heart sunk.

Almost instantly, Bella's body language changed. Her shoulders hunched inward. "Lauren, what are you doing here?"

Lauren turned all the way around, leaning on the booth. "I have breakfast here before my shift, if it's okay with you."

Bella ducked her head. "Yeah. Sorry. You just surprised me."

"So you're pregnant?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Oh. I, um…" Lauren flashed that fake smile Edward loathed. She gave Bella's shoulder a shove that was a tiny bit more forceful than playful. Edward clenched his fist beneath the table. "What a liar you are, Bella Swan. Just friends. Congratulations."

"Thanks." Bella cleared her throat. "I'm going to go to the restroom." She ducked out of the booth and made her escape.

Edward balked when Lauren slid into the booth Bella had just vacated. "I'm so sorry," she said, leaning across the table, her expression a picture of sympathy.

"What?" Edward asked. "Why?"

Lauren put a hand to her chest. "You can be honest with me. I've known Bella for years. I know she has issues, but for her to try to trap you like this is so sad."

For a second, Edward forgot how to form words. His mind couldn't accept that anyone would have the audacity to speak like that about anyone, let alone Bella. "Excuse me, but who the hell do you think you are? You don't know her, and you don't know me."

Lauren crossed her arms, her sympathetic expression gone. "Oh, I don't know her? Miss Hoity Toity in high school, thought she was amazing because she was with an older guy. Yeah, like anyone was surprised when he beat the shit out of her. She's not the kind of girl who deserves a good man." She looked him up and down. "What does that say about you?"

"Listen, I don't know what's wrong with you, but I'm done listening to this garbage." Edward got out of the booth, reaching to take his wallet out of his pocket.

"Hey, the truth hurts. That girl is all kinds of messed up."

"Whatever you think Bella is, I guarantee you, it's a thousand times better than what you are. An asshole put her through hell, and you think that says something about her character? What does it say about you?"

"Edward?"

Edward looked up at Bella's shaky voice. He extended a hand for her, tossing money on the table. "Come on. We're getting out of here."

Bella looked uncertainly between them, but she took Edward's hand.

Lauren scoffed. "Oh, that's how it is. You were stupid enough to stay with an abusive asshole, and instead of learning your lesson, you went out and found the first controlling prick you could find. Smart."

Edward took a step forward, but Bella held his hand firm. "You know what, Lauren?" she said, her voice wavering but angry. "Fuck you."

They walked out together. Edward blew out a sharp breath when they were outside in the fresh air. "God dammit," he said, seething. "I'm sorry, Bella. Maybe there's somewhere else we can go for breakfast."

"No," she said, her voice small. "That's okay. I'm not hungry anymore." She wrapped her free arm protectively around her stomach. "What did she say?"

Fury curled like a rock in Edward's gut. "It doesn't matter. It was a bunch of bullshit. She thinks she knows so much about you? Well, it doesn't take much for me to know she's a petty, malicious person."

"Yeah, well, it's her version of the story that's going to get out. That'll be fun."

They lapsed into silence for the five minutes it took them to walk back to the motel and up to his room. Bella sat down woodenly on the edge of the bed, her expression vacant and her posture slumped.

Edward had been wrestling with an idea since he'd come to Forks. Seeing her so defeated was the last nudge he needed. He sat beside her, taking her hands in his. He kissed her fingertips until her eyes focused again, and when he spoke, he worked to make sure his tone was even, regardless of how angry he was. "Bella, I need to ask you something. I wanted to ask you before you left Flagstaff, but I didn't think I could." He chuffed. "I should have. If I'd known this place could be like this, I wouldn't have let you go."

Bella took her hands from his. "Let me go?"

"No. No. God, that came out wrong. That's not what I meant." He took a deep breath, trying to organize his thoughts. "Before you left, you said you had nowhere else to go, but that isn't true."

"But it is true. This is where I live."

Edward shook his head. "It's where your father lives. Tell me if I'm wrong, but you aren't happy here."

Bella didn't say anything, and she didn't look at him.

"I've been thinking about this since...well, since I got here. I want you to leave with me tonight."

Her head snapped up. "What?"

"I'll buy the ticket. It won't be a problem. Just come home with me tonight. I hope you know you're welcome there."

"That's crazy."

"It's really not. I told you I wanted to take care of you. I told you I would."

Bella stood up, pacing a few feet away from him and running her hand through her hair. "You don't even have room for me, Edward."

"You can take my bedroom-"

"I'm not going to take your bedroom for a month and a half."

"Take it for a few days then, and I'll…" Edward sucked in a breath.

He'd thought this through, but it was harder than he wanted it to be to say the words. "I'll... I'll clean out the spare room for you. Alice has a spare bed frame in her garage. I'd just have to buy a mattress."

"You don't have to do that for me. I'll be fine."

"Yeah, you'll be fine. I have no doubt of that. You're stronger than anyone should have to be. I want to do this for you." He took her hands again, relieved when she didn't pull away. She let him pull her back down on the bed. "I need you to know you have a choice. And honestly, Bella, I know I'm not giving you a lot of time to think about it, but I really hope you'll come home with me. I hate what this place is doing to you. I've only been here for a few days, and I'm exhausted."

He shifted off the bed, kneeling in front of her since she wasn't looking at him. "Bella, you can get through anything. I have no doubt of that. And I know your dad and your friend want to be here for you. I'm glad they're part of your support system. It's this place." Forks was good for him, Alice had said. Well, it was horrible for Bella. "You don't deserve this."

Bella was quiet, chewing on her bottom lip. "It would hurt my dad. He tries really hard."

"I know that. I can see that, but you're more important than his feelings. I'm not telling you what choice to make; I'm telling you you have a choice. It's no problem, in fact, it's what I'd prefer. I want you to be healthy. For you and for the baby too. Stress isn't good for either of you."

He squeezed her hands. "It's up to you, and it's an open ended offer. I'll bring you home whenever you want."

~0~

Ten hours later, Edward watched out the window as Seattle became a distant pinpoint on the horizon. He sighed, relieved that was over. Who could have guessed his first vacation in about twelve years would be like this?

His right hand found Bella's knee, and he turned away from the window to smile at her. He could see in her eyes that she was deep in thought, probably wondering what the hell she was doing moving in with him, even if it was only for the summer. Still, her expression gentled, and she smiled back.

She was brave and beautiful. He didn't have any more idea what the heck they were doing than she did, but he was glad she was coming home with him.

A/N: I want to thank all of you who have shared your stories and left supportive messages for me. It really does mean the world to me.

To my Fly Away Home readers - again. Thanks for your patience.

So many thanks to Packy 2.0, songster, barburella, and jessypt. Mwah.