All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer; I just like to play with her characters.

No copyright infringement is intended.

HUGE thanks to darcysmom and twimom817 for beta'ing and to EdwardsmyObsession1971 for prereading - without you ladies this story wouldn't be what it is!

When You Least Expect It

Chapter Seventeen

When all else fails …

EPOV Continued ...

I called my mom.

I told her all about Bella and her illness and how concerned I was - how helpless I felt because I was so fucking far away. The one good thing was that I had sent Emmett home to Los Angeles the day before because Doug had arrived to relieve him. Before he left, Emmett told me to let him know if there was anything he could do for me.

I could have him stop in and check on Bella.

"Oh, sweetheart … I should go help her. Poor baby."

"Mom," I groaned, "she'll think I sent you. Besides, I'm going to have Emmett stop over at her place to check in on her."

"Nonsense, Edward! She's sick and the last thing that she is going to want is your security guy there to check in on her. She might enjoy some company, sweetheart, but she needs to be taken care of and I don't think Emmett can provide that for her."

"So you're going to fly down there to take care of her?"

"Of course, I will, honey! Let me get some things together and I bet I can get a flight down this afternoon."

My parents lived in a beautiful estate in Napa. They moved there a couple years ago hoping to enjoy the quiet serenity the valley offered. My sisters were both quite happy living in San Francisco and both they and my parents were only a short plane ride away.

"Thank you, mom. You're the best."

"I haven't done anything yet, sweetheart. We have to see if Bella will allow me to help her first."

"This is true," I chuckled. "Let me know when your plane lands in L.A. and I'll arrange for a car to pick you up."

I ended the call with my mother and immediately called Emmett. He agreed to meet my mom at the airport and take her over to Bella's condo. Bella had made sure that Jasper had her new address to forward over to Nick so I asked Jasper to text Emmett Bella's address.

"Ali said that Bella sounds awful. It may do her good to have your mom there, but it won't be an easy sell. Bella's too damn stubborn for her own good sometimes."

I knew Jasper was right but I hoped beyond all hope that Bella allowed my mom to stick around in case she needed someone.

After all the arrangements had been made and I confirmed that my mom's flight had landed in L.A., I breathed a sweet sigh of relief.

"Bella is so sick, sweetheart. She looks like death warmed over," My mom said sadly.

"Where is she? Can I talk to her?"

"Calm down, Edward. She's here but she's sound asleep. I will not wake her so that you can talk to her. She needs her rest. She's got an awful cough from the pneumonia and she struggles to catch her breath."

I hated hearing how sick Bella was. She was always so vibrant and full of life. To hear about her being so sick she fought to breathe was more than I could handle.

"Was she upset that you were there?"

"No, Edward. She didn't even fight me when I told her I was staying to help her. Her Dad called a little while ago and I spoke to him – he's going to keep Kaden until Bella is feeling better. He doesn't want to take a chance of Kaden getting sick too."

"No," I agreed. "It's better if he keeps Kaden. I'm sure it's killing Bella that he isn't there with her – he's her entire world, Mom. But with his heart murmur – it's best to keep him away."

"Sweetheart, I hate to say it but I need to go. I'm making Bella some dinner and I've sent Emmett out to the store to pick up a few things."

"That's all right, I'm in the car on my way to the set anyway. Thank you, Mom."

"For what, honey?"

"For being there for Bella when I couldn't be. I'm getting ready to head to the set, so when I get back to the hotel tonight, I'll call to check in on Bella."

My mom and I said our goodbyes and I stepped out of the car and headed for my trailer.

Over the next few days, I'd call to check in on Bella and more often than not she was sleeping. My mom kept me informed as to how Bella was doing. She was weak, frustrated and missed Kaden immensely.

"She said she misses the sound of his laughter – I can relate to that. I miss the sound of your laughter when you were a little boy too."

"Kaden will be back with her before she knows it. Is she feeling any better?"

"I think she's getting there. The more she rests the better she'll feel. Her meds make her sleepy. She's got another doctor appointment in a couple of days to see how the meds are working – I guess we'll know more then."

Several days passed by in a blur and before I knew it, Valentine's Day was upon us. My mom had said that Dad was coming into town to take her out to dinner. They never missed spending a holiday together and she said they weren't about to start now. I worried about leaving Bella by herself, but Mom promised me that I shouldn't worry because Emmett volunteered to come over and hang out with Bella for a few hours.

I felt relieved knowing that Bella wouldn't be spending the holiday alone. I realized too late that it was Valentine's Day or I would have attempted to come up with a gift to send to her. I had to settle for texting Emmett and asking him to take her some flowers in hopes of putting a smile on her face.

We were taking a short break from filming, so I decided to try to call Bella to see how she was and I was surprised to hear her answer the phone.

"Hello?" She whispered loudly.

It was obvious that she was trying not to use her full voice. I imagined it was probably from a sore throat and coughing too much.

"Bella?"

"Hey."

"Are you okay? You don't sound like yourself."

"I'm getting better but my throat still hurts," She admitted, confirming my suspicion.

"Does it help having my mom there?"

"She's taking good care of me. You were right – it does help knowing that she's here if I need something."

"Good. How's Kaden?"

"He's good. Ready to come home and I'm ready to have him home. I miss him so much but because of my meds and the fact that I'm sleeping so much – it's just easier if my dad keeps him a little while longer."

"Give yourself a few more days, Bella."

Bella was quiet for a few moments as if she was trying to gather her thoughts.

"How is Australia?"

Of course she would ask the one question I was dreading. I needed to be honest with her, but I didn't want to tell her everything. It was too far away and I was missing her something fierce. I'd give anything to wake up in my own bed only to come downstairs to find her making something delectable for breakfast. I missed our morning tea. I missed her but there was no way I could tell her that. I didn't want to overwhelm her.

"Too far away, but things are good. We're pretty on-schedule for filming. I will be in L.A. for the Oscars and I'm looking forward to the trip home."

Bella grew quiet again and somehow I knew that I had to draw her back into the conversation.

"Bella?"

"Oh … sorry, I guess I spaced out."

"It's okay, Bella." I chuckled. "I just wanted to see how you're doing and hear your voice."

"I'm glad you called, Edward. I miss your voice too."

"Email me when you're feeling better okay?" I asked.

"Okay."

"Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"Happy Valentine's Day."

In the days before Bella got sick and busy with moving, she and I spent a lot of time emailing back and forth. The time difference was killing me but if I learned one thing – it was that Bella spoke more freely when she was using the written word. She seemed less inhibited and I greatly enjoyed our email conversations. I learned so much about her in those simple emails and I was looking forward to several more.

True to her word, Bella emailed me when she was feeling better. She was overjoyed to have Kaden back home and in her care. My mom had since gone home but Bella appreciated her company and care. I knew I needed to talk to Bella about the upcoming Academy Awards. I was feeling a lot of pressure from Nick to decide on a date, and while I would have loved to take Bella, I decided that since she was just getting over being sick and getting back into the routine of having Kaden home, I didn't want to overwhelm her so I explained to her that I had asked my sister, Carlie, to accompany me. I was so worried about how Bella might take the news that I consulted Jasper about it before I sent off the email.

"Bella will be fine with it, Ed. She's not expecting an invitation anyway – in fact, it's probably the last thing on her mind."

Jasper's reassurance made me feel a lot better. I sent off the email and told her that I was looking forward to seeing her. Unfortunately, in the days after I sent her the email, she continued to write to me but she was more distant than she had been. The tenor of her writing wasn't the same and I feared that something was wrong but I refused to read anything into it until I saw her in person.

I got into L.A. late on Thursday night, and I was hoping that Bella had left me something to snack on in the fridge and my girl didn't disappoint. Granted, it wasn't sushi – but it was something. The next morning, I woke to the smell of coffee, vanilla and something faintly sweet wafting through the air.

I could hear Bella and Jasper talking in the kitchen but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I crawled out of bed and pulled on a t-shirt before using the bathroom and heading downstairs.

Jasper was seated at the breakfast bar drinking a cup of coffee and looking at his calendar. Bella was on the other side of the counter slicing up some strawberries. She looked beautiful – even if she was wearing her typical chef's coat and jeans.

"Mornin', beautiful," I said softly as I moved in beside her, breathing her in. "You're a sight for sore eyes. I've missed you."

"Good morning, Edward."

Bella's tone was clipped - short and to the point and so very unlike her. Something was wrong but I couldn't quite put my finger on what.

"Everything okay?"

"Mmmhmm. Have a seat and I'll get your breakfast. Are you hungry, Jasper? I made Belgian waffles."

Jasper refilled his coffee and nodded. He joined me at the breakfast bar moments before Bella slid our plates over in front of us. God, did I miss her cooking.

Over breakfast, Jasper and I chatted back and forth about the game plan for the weekend. Carlie would be arriving Saturday afternoon from San Francisco and she'd be staying until Monday. Our flights were leaving within an hour of each other so Carlie and I decided we'd head to the airport together.

"Bella … would it be a problem for you to make dinner for Carlie and I on Saturday?"

"Of course, that's no problem. Did you want anything in particular?"

"Carlie's a vegetarian so maybe something to fit her diet? She would love your mushroom ravioli. Also … would you mind making some muffins or picking up some pastries for Sunday morning?"

"Nope," She said, popping the P. "That's not a problem either."

"Carlie would love your lemon poppy seed muffins, Bella."

Bella nodded.

"No problem, I can make up a batch on Saturday while I'm here making dinner and they'll still be fresh for Sunday morning."

"You are the best, Bella." I grinned.

Jasper and I eventually headed to my home office, leaving Bella in peace in her domain. We had a few things to attend to before he left for the day to spend some much deserved time with Alice. As I passed through the kitchen, I noticed that Bella must have gone to the market so I decided to spend some time in my music room. It felt like it had been ages since I'd played and I had to say that I missed it.

I'm not sure how long I'd been lost in my music when I felt eyes watching me. I looked over to the doorway to find Bella looking at me very seriously.

"Bella, is everything okay?" I asked concerned.

Bella shook her head sadly.

"No, Edward. I need to talk to you."

"Sure, Bella. I always have time for you."

I rose from the piano bench and met her halfway across the room where my leather couch sat. We both sat down on the couch facing each other and I watched Bella carefully as she fidgeted with a string on the hem of her coat.

"Edward," Bella began. "I'm not really sure how to say this … but, I've been doing a lot of thinking in the last couple weeks and I'm not sure that exploring this … thing between us is a good idea."

What the fuck? We'd been talking and getting to know each other and I thought Bella had finally started to open up. Not fully – but she was starting to.

"Bella, I … I guess I'm a little confused. I thought things were going so well between us. I mean … just last week we talked about giving this thing between us an honest try when I come home from Australia for good. You don't want that anymore?"

I let my eyes roam over her face, searching for any uncertainty. I thought I saw something in her beautiful hazel depths but I couldn't be sure.

"No."

I exhaled sharply, expelling a breath neither one of us realized I'd been holding.

"That changes things."

"I'm sorry, Edward. I think its better this way."

I panicked. I didn't know what to do in that moment. I wanted Bella to stay … this wasn't what I wanted at all but I did give her an out before I left for Australia and she'd been nothing but honest with me. When it got to be too much for her I asked her to tell me and it looked as if shit just got real.

"You'll still stay on and cook for me won't you?"

My voice was uneven as I asked the question but I needed her to say yes. If I only got to keep Bella as a friend, I'd somehow learn to live with that. True friends were few and far between in my life.

"Do you want me to?"

"Of course I do, Bella. I don't want you to go off and cook for anyone else. Please stay."

She nodded.

"Okay. Umm … dinner is in the fridge and the instructions for it are on the door. If you have any questions, call or text me."

"Bella … are you sure you won't reconsider?" I asked desperately.

"Edward … I can't … I'm sorry. If this is going to be hard on you – maybe it's best that I don't continue working for you either. I'll get you through the weekend and you can find someone else to cook for you when you come back from Australia."

"Why are you doing this, Bella? I don't want anyone else … I want you."

With a shake of her beautiful head, Bella rose from the couch and left the room leaving me frozen on the couch. I wanted nothing more than to run after her and beg her to stay and reconsider. I wanted to pull her into my arms and protect her and beg her to let me love her. I wanted to kiss her silly and give her the world, but first I had to convince her to let me.

So I texted her.

Come back so we can talk? – E

Desperate. That was me summed up in one word. I didn't want Bella to walk out my door never to see her or Kaden again. I'm not sure what spooked her and made her attempt to run, but I'd do everything I could to keep her a part of my life.

In the weeks since I'd left for Australia, Bella had become my sanity. She kept me grounded, and when life and work became too much – she was the calm amidst the storm. I needed her and I wanted her to need me.

A/N: Oh Edward! *sigh* If he only knew ... I hope you've enjoyed Edward's POV - I know sometimes it's repetitive but I like to see what's going on in that handsome head of his and I hope you do too. ;)

Next update will be next Monday and we'll hear from Bella again and see how she's handling this distance from our sweet Edward.