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

No copyright infringement is intended.

HUGE thanks to my betas darcysmom and twimom817 as well as my pre-reader EdwardsmyObsession1971. I couldn't write this without their unending support and encouragement.

A/N: Y'all are getting this an hour early because I can't seem to keep my eyes open long enough to post it when I normally do. Thank Daylight Savings time, but don't get used to it ;)

When You Least Expect It

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Arrivals

EPOV

Bella was sniffling and she sounded upset. Her tone of voice had me on edge.

"I went over to your house tonight to get that sheet music you asked for. I didn't see the pap when I pulled into the drive. I was so careful. He must have parked further up the street or driven by and saw that the gate was open. I wasn't in the house for more than five minutes."

"Bella … baby, calm down. What happened?"

"He … he followed me home. He clicked picture after picture as I walked to my front door. They know where I live now, Edward."

"Did you call Emmett?"

I knew she was panicking, and I couldn't blame her. This was her first run-in with a pap actually trying to get a picture of her. If they followed her, they obviously knew where she lived and if the pap had connections, they could take her license plate and figure out who she is. I had no way to protect her from that. I could however, send Emmett over to chase off the paps and make sure that she was safe. If nothing else, she could go back over to my place and stay.

"Yeah," she sniffled. "He's on his way over."

I breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"Good. You'll be okay, beautiful. Unfortunately, they have a way to figure out who you are now. If whoever tailed you has connections they can find out your name. I don't want you to panic, Bella. I'll do what I can to keep them away, okay?"

"I have to protect Kaden, Edward. He is with my Dad tonight, thank God, but what about the next time? I don't want them taking pictures of him and posting them all over the internet."

"I know, beautiful and we'll do what we can to keep that from happening."

I talked to her for several more minutes – long enough for her to let Emmett in and to talk to him myself for a few moments.

"I'll make sure she's safe, Ed. If nothing else, she can come over to my place or I'll take her to your house."

"Thanks, Em."

"Anytime, Ed."

He handed the phone back to Bella and she was still sniffling. I longed to hold her in my arms and kiss away her tears, promising her that everything would be okay.

"Hey," Bella said softly.

"Hey, beautiful. Just a few more days and you and Kaden will be here with me."

"I know. I picked up his passport today. We can't wait to see you. Kaden misses you."

"I miss him too. I miss you both, every damn day, beautiful."

My birthday fell on a Thursday and I managed to talk Bella into letting me fly them in the day before and they'd stay until the following Monday. I didn't have to work on weekends, so my time was my own, and I wanted to spend it with them. The unfortunate part was that they'd have to find something to occupy their time while I was filming on Thursday and Friday.

The day before my birthday, I spent all day filming. We were out in the hot sun, and because we were working with animals it took a little longer than it would if we had been on a soundstage. Bella, Kaden, and Emmett were due in on an afternoon flight. I was excited and anxious all at the same time – so much so that I was having problems concentrating on what I was doing.

"Edward! Come on buddy … get your head back in the game. I know your girl is on her way but let's get this out of the way so we don't have to do it again tomorrow," The director said as he patted me on the back.

"Yeah, sure." I grinned.

Jasper was meeting Bella and company at the airport, and then he'd accompany them to the villa and get them situated. I'd arranged to rent a four bedroom villa. I had hoped Bella would stay with me in my room but there was a room for her and Kaden to share in case she didn't want to. Emmett and Jasper had their own rooms as well on the opposite side. In the center of the villa was a comfortable living room complete with a flat-screen TV and a large kitchen in case Bella felt so inclined to cook.

Hey, handsome – we are in Jasper's capable hands. Kaden's hungry so I'm gonna go ahead and feed him. Should I wait for you to have dinner? – B XOXO

I grinned when I saw her text. I was due back on set for another couple of hours, so I texted her back quickly.

Hi, beautiful. Glad you've arrived safely. God, I can't wait to see you guys. I have to work for a few more hours. Don't keep Little Man waiting, feed him and if you get hungry, don't feel like you need to wait for me but I will want to get something when I get back. Craft Service is okay but it's not exactly a five star restaurant or my own personal chef. ;) See you SOON. – E XOXO

Just over three hours later, I stepped out of the car and into the lobby of our hotel. It was early evening and I was exhausted from a long day of filming. I wanted nothing more than a hot shower, a hot meal, and to wrap my arms around Bella and Kaden and show them how much I'd missed them.

When I walked into the villa, the living area was dark except for the glow from the TV. Bella and Kaden were both fast asleep on the couch. Bella was sitting up with her head back and Kaden was straddling her lap with his head on her chest. They looked so sweet and peaceful that I almost didn't have the heart to wake them up but I was itching to kiss Bella's soft lips.

I rounded the couch and sat down carefully beside them. While it was evening in Marrakech, it was early afternoon in L.A. and it was close to Kaden's naptime. I leaned over, brushing the hair off of Kaden's forehead. Bella had gotten it cut in my absence and I'm sure it was Alice's doing. I softly kissed Kaden's forehead before reaching up and kissing Bella's.

"Hey," Bella murmured sleepily.

"Hi, beautiful."

"You look tired."

"It's been a long day. I was on set by four thirty this morning. My only break was lunch. How long has Kaden been out?"

Bella shuffled her sleeping son on her lap.

"Umm, I'm not sure because I don't know when I fell asleep either. I waited for you for dinner though."

"I guess we should order in then."

I walked to the bar to get the menus and took them back to Bella.

"Can I take him?" I asked, motioning to Kaden.

"Yeah," She yawned.

I pulled Kaden from Bella's lap and situated him against my chest. He felt so heavy in my arms and the weight felt wonderful.

"He missed you so much," Bella whispered, gazing up at us with a smile.

"I missed him too," I smiled in return.

"Let's try and lay him down. I'm sure the last thing you want to do after working all day is to hold him all night," Bella said as she rose from the couch.

I almost hated to put Kaden down and if it weren't for the fact that Bella was here, beautiful and rumpled with sleep, I wouldn't. I followed her to the bedroom and carefully laid Kaden down in the middle of the huge bed. As I pulled the blanket up over him, Bella dug out a nightlight and plugged it in.

"Will he be okay by himself?" I asked worriedly.

"He's got his light and Tow Mater so I think he'll be fine. We'll leave the door open a little bit so we can keep an eye on him just in case."

Bella kissed his forehead and stepped away from the bed and into my arms. For the first time in weeks, I felt a sense of peace wash over me. She wrapped her arms around me as I buried my nose in her hair.

"I probably smell like I've been travelling all day," She murmured into my chest.

"That's okay," I chuckled, "I smell like I've been out in the heat working all day."

"Well, let's order some dinner and you can clean up while we're waiting."

Bella relinquished her hold on me and stepped out of my embrace.

"Hey," I said, pulling her back to me. "I've missed you and I wasn't ready to let go of you yet."

"I've missed you too, Edward. So much."

I looked down into the hazel eyes I'd become so fond of and cupped her face in my hands. I brushed my lips against hers and I felt Bella melt into me.

"Better?" I asked.

She nodded against my chest.

I knew Bella was a little worried about how it would be for us to be together again after a few weeks apart. I tried to assure her that everything would be fine. It was like she kept waiting for me to change my mind. All I wanted to do was keep her and Kaden in my life forever.

An hour later, we'd both showered – separately, much to my dismay – and waited on the couch for our food to arrive. Kaden was still sleeping soundly in the next room.

"What time do you have to be on set tomorrow?"

"Ehh … four-thirty again, I think. My call sheet is over on the bar."

"What do you want to do for your birthday?" Bella asked as we ate our dinner.

"Honestly?"

Bella nodded.

"I want to relax with you and Kaden. We could order some room service and I'd be completely happy."

"So … you'd be okay with me making you dinner?"

"I'd be more than okay with that, beautiful."

When we'd had our fill of our meal, we cleaned up the living room a bit and turned in. As much as I hated to waste the time I had with Bella on sleep, we were both tired and while I had hoped to curl up in bed with her – we decided to put Kaden in bed with us fearing that he would wake up scared in the middle of the night.

"He should be fine tomorrow night – he'll know where he's sleeping, and hopefully he'll be comfortable enough to be by himself."

"That would be great. I'd love to have some alone time with you for my birthday too," I grinned cheekily.

"That could be arranged."

This time, Bella crawled into the center of the king-sized bed, moving Kaden to one side and leaving the other side for me. I raised my brow at Bella in question.

"Just get in already, Edward," She giggled.

Bella didn't have to tell me twice. I crawled in beside her and turned out the light. I settled in as Bella snuggled up to me and I wrapped my arm around her. It felt so good to have her softness and warmth nestled beside me. I'd only had the privilege of experiencing that a few times before, but the memory of Bella in my arms did no justice to having the real thing. I knew it was something I wouldn't easily tire of.

My alarm went off entirely too early the next morning, and I silenced it quickly not wanting to wake Bella and Kaden who were still sleeping peacefully. I gently tucked my still warm pillow next to Bella and made my way to the shower in the spare bedroom. Jasper met me half an hour later in the living room with a wry grin on his face.

"Happy Birthday, boss. Glad to have your girl here with you?"

"Definitely. I'm happy to have both of them here. Damn, I missed Little Man."

"He was so excited to see you … I guess he was asleep by the time you got back last night?"

"Yeah, so he hasn't really 'seen' me yet."

Jasper nodded.

"So what's on tap for today?" Jasper asked as we climbed into the car hired to drive me back and forth to the set.

Doug stood to the side, holding the door for us.

"I will be out on location today – for most of the afternoon. I won't be back until early evening at best. Bella will probably want to go shopping, she wants to cook me dinner for my birthday. I'd feel better if you and Emmett both went with her. You know your way around here somewhat, so you should know some good places to take her. But Jazz, whatever you do … don't let her and Kaden out of your sight. Tell Emmett the same. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to them while they're here visiting."

"I agree, and I'll let Emmett know. Is there anything you need while we're out today?"

I thought about Jasper's question for a moment and my thoughts flashed to Bella. While I didn't know if we'd have the opportunity to be intimate – or if she even was ready for that yet, I wanted to be ready. We hadn't really talked about it before and I didn't know if she was on the pill or got a depo shot. I knew that she said she'd had problems conceiving Kaden but that didn't mean that things hadn't changed in that department. I wanted to be responsible and make sure we were covered if the opportunity arose.

"Yeah," I said running my hands through my hair. "I'll text you what I need."

Jasper's sideways glance and quiet chuckle told me that he knew what I'd be asking him to get.

We chatted for a few more minutes as we walked across the set to my trailer. There were already people milling around and starting their day.

"I'll go pick up something to eat and bring it back. We can go over anything else I need to take care of while you're eating."

I nodded and entered my trailer while Jasper headed to Craft Services.

Jasper stayed for a couple hours and we discussed some new scripts that I'd been sent. One was for a romantic comedy directed by Garry Marshall and the other was an action flick to be directed by Quentin Tarantino. Both roles seemed very promising and I was interested in seeing more of the scripts.

"Call them and tell them I'd like to see more of the scripts. I think there's something there but I need to read more before I make a decision. There's also the timing – do they know I still have two more projects to film this year?"

"They do. When they first inquired if you were available, I told them that it depended on when they wanted you for filming. Once you're done with your other two projects, you're taking some time off. You have a few weeks between this project and the next one but not enough to truly rest."

"I'm all for that. Did they mention when they wanted me?" I asked.

"Both projects are slated for 2014. One would start in January and the other starts in June."

"That could work then. Get me the scripts, I'll read them over and talk to Bella about it – then I'll let them know."

"This thing is serious between you two then? I mean, I figured it was a huge deal when you asked me to make arrangements to fly them over here but … you're seriously thinking about this long term?"

"Absolutely. Whatever decision I make on these projects, I'll make with Bella and Kaden in mind. They are a part of my life, Jazz. I want them to stay that way."

Jasper grinned and clapped me on the shoulder.

A little while later, he left my trailer as I headed onto the set. We were filming on set for a few hours before we went on location.

As I walked to the hangar where our set was, I pulled my phone from my pocket and saw that I had a text from Bella. It was a photo of her and Kaden – apparently taken by Emmett as they sat by the pool outside our villa. Kaden's smile was wide and happy. Bella, of course, looked beautiful.

We miss you, but we are keeping ourselves entertained. BTW … happy birthday, handsome. – B XOXO

I wished I could have been there with them but I knew I'd have to be patient for a couple more days.

Filming was long and tedious that afternoon, and was made even more miserable by the blistering heat. I longed to be lounging poolside with a beautiful brunette and an adorable little blond.

I texted Bella as my driver maneuvered us through the streets of Marrakech on our way home. I had texted her a few times throughout the day trying to give her an idea as to when I'd be back and because I needed some sort of connection with her. I missed her banter and she didn't disappoint. I didn't want her to make something special for me only to have it screwed up because I had to work late. I walked back to my trailer as if I was on a cloud, calling Bella and letting her know I was on my way. When she asked me if I'd talk to Kaden because he was asking for me – I couldn't say no. As a matter of fact, I'd never say no to either Bella or Kaden.

When I walked through the door of our villa nearly thirty minutes later, I was greeted by a very enthusiastic Kaden.

"EWWARD!" he squealed.

"Hey, buddy!" I said, picking him up and twirling him around. "How's my favorite little man?"

"Good. Me and mommy swimmed today."

"You did? Did you have a good time?"

"Uh huh! Den we goed shoppin'. Mommy's cookin'."

"I know she is," I grinned. "It smells amazing in here, Bella."

I rounded the corner to find Bella in the kitchen. I had no idea what she was making, but it did smell mouthwatering indeed.

"Hey, you." Bella smiled shyly.

I entered the kitchen and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

"Eww! Ewward! You kissed Mommy and Mommy's a girl!"

"What's wrong with Mommy being a girl?" I asked.

Kaden furrowed his brows and crossed his arms at his little chest in defiance.

"Girls. Are. Yucky."

I glanced over at Bella to find her holding in her laughter.

"Oh, Buddy … Mommy might be a girl but you don't really think she's yucky do you? 'Cause I don't think she's yucky. Your Mommy is amazing – after all, she takes you to cool places like Disneyland and the Zoo. She makes you special dinners that you love and she reads you your favorite books. Not all kids have a Mommy as cool as yours."

Kaden's face remained scrunched up in thought as I looked between him and Bella.

"Ewward?"

"Yeah, Buddy?"

"Jude's mommy makes him eat tofu. Tofu's yucky and my mommy would never make me eat anyfing yucky."

"That's right, Buddy. She wouldn't make you eat anything yucky." I chuckled.

"Ewward?"

"Yeah?"

"I love my Mommy."

Me too, Buddy – I thought to myself. Me too.

A/N: I guess you guys didn't get my "flashy monsters" reference in my last a/n but now you know it was the paps who followed Bella and freaked her out. Yes, they will be something she'll have to get used to, but they caught her completely off guard. Things might be different when she's expecting them …. Quite a few people asked me about the letter that Bella wrote to Edward and slipped into his luggage. I didn't forget about it and hopefully you guys won't when it makes a reappearance later in the story.

Did y'all like the teaser I left for ya on the Fictionators? There's another one there for Chapter 29 ;)

St. Paddy's Day is Sunday and in honor of that - here's a couple rec's for ya - (Yeah, I know one of them is mine, but this Irishward is HOT!)

What Fills the Eye Fills the Heart by TwoTwiMoms -Bella is an erotic romance novelist who finds herself in a pub to escape her roommate's animalistic "romps". While at the pub, she meets sexy, Irish Edward. On St. Patrick's Day she gets a romp of her own but can she make the romance last longer? Rated M.

Volition - by Rochelle Allison (This is one of my favorite stories! It's been rec'd a bazillion times, but it's SO good - one that I can read several times.) It's Belfast, and the year is 1972. Bella's worried about her brother and his best friend, Edward, and their dangerous involvement in the Irish Republican Army. Is it really wise to fall in love with a rebel? Rated M.

Thanks for reading and your lovely reviews. See you next week!