Chapter 6

The morning sun was beginning to rise over Forks and Carlisle and Esme still sat watching the same television series with Edward and Bella.

"That show must be good," Alice said with a laugh as she crossed through, disappearing again as quickly as she came, "Masen's stopping by," she added.

Carlisle glanced up at the clock and saw that it was just after six in the morning.

"Now?" Esme asked her. No sooner than a second or two later, the rumble of a car engine sounded off from somewhere close by, then died off and Masen entered the house, still in his uniform from the night shift.

The four of them greeted him and looked like he had something to say.

"Seth and Lucy decided to get away for a bit," he told them.

"Get away?" Bella asked first.

Masen nodded to her, "Leah just called. They stopped by the house-"

"Where's Alex and Michael?" Esme asked abruptly before he could finish the sentence.

"They're fine," he assured her, "They're still over with Leah, and she also says thank you, by the way, for sending them there." He could read in his parents' expressions that they were both on edge from their physical postures and facial expressions, "They aren't gone. They're at my house."

"How do you know for sure?" Carlisle insisted.

Nicole and Alice wandered into the living room before Alice nudged her daughter forward with a quick, "Go ahead."

"I can see them right now," Nicole told them, "They're at Masen's house with Cassandra."

Masen looked confused, "I thought Alice can't see past the Quileutes."

"Nicole can," she told him with a smile, "We're just discovering her little talents."

He nodded, "Cool."

"So, what's going on with Seth?" Esme asked, "And Lucy?"

Masen sighed, "I don't know the whole story. I have to talk to Leah when we get home. They talked to Sue, I guess. Me and Charlie started to talk about it at the end of the shift..." his voice drifted off, "I'll let you know the details later in the day."

"Is something wrong?" Carlisle asked him, "Did they go to Italy?"

He shook his head, "I don't think so. I don't think it has anything to do with her dad."

A silence fell over the group before Masen spoke again, "I just wanted to give you guys a heads up. I didn't want you to worry about Alex and Michael because it had nothing to do with them, and they didn't even know anything about it. Seth and Lucy weren't trying to hide or be sneaky. From what I could tell, they just wanted to get some space from everything. Charlie didn't seem overly worried."

"Did they say where they were going?" Bella asked him.

"I don't know," Masen told her with a shrug.

Alexandra and Michael entered the house and Esme's posture relaxed completely upon hearing their arrival. Masen smiled.

"Told ya," he said to his mother.

Esme gave him a look then sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I'll keep you guys posted," he said, "I'll call you when I get home and talk things over with Leah."

"Okay," Esme told him, then stood up and gave him a big hug, "Oh, you look so-"

"Handsome," Masen nodded and looked over with a smile at Edward and Bella, "I know."

They both grinned at him and Esme shook her head.

"Call us when you find out the details," Carlisle said, "I hope everything's okay."

"No one seemed worried," he told his father, "I mean, not seriously worried anyway. Leah was alright on the phone, and Charlie was alright. He said Sue was obviously a little bent out of shape about it, but she was okay."

Carlisle nodded with a thoughtful expression as his eyebrows narrowed.

"Hey guys," Alexandra passed through the living room with a wave with Michael at her heels.

Masen laughed, "He's like her shadow, huh?"

Bella snickered at his comment and glanced at the television that was on the main menu screen repeating the same thing over and over.

"I'm going home," Masen said to everyone, looking at his parents, "I'll talk to you guys in a bit."

"Alright," Carlisle said with a nod.

Esme hugged him again and he made his way back out the door, giving a wave to Edward and Bella as he did, followed by a generalized shout to everyone else.

"Want to pick up on the series again tonight?" Edward asked, glancing at the TV.

"Sure," Esme told him with a nod.

"I wonder what that's about?" Carlisle said, thinking in depth about Seth and Luciana.

"Maybe they just needed to get away," Edward said, "I can understand that. They're both caught between different worlds. Maybe they needed a break from everyone except for each other."

His words made sense to Carlisle, sensing Edward knew personally that sometimes getting away from reality was necessary.

"I mean, I did it," he continued, "Several times. Whether right or wrong, sometimes it feels like the best thing in the moment."

"Yeah," Carlisle nodded, "I'm sure you're right." He sighed, then looked at the screen and got back to what Edward had said just before, "Yeah. Why don't we watch a few more episodes tonight."

Bella flipped off the DVD and brought the television back to their normal cable with the remote.

"I'm sure it has nothing to do with the letter, Carlisle," Edward told him, "It sounds like they made the decision before you even got it."

He looked over at him, knowing he'd read his thoughts, "It was just a quick passing by thought."

"I think it's okay," Edward said.

"They're staying in a..." Nicole thought for a second and looked up at Alice, "What is it called? There's a long hallway and a lot of doors. You can stay there for, like, two days then you can leave."

"Oh, a hotel?" Alice asked.

Nicole nodded, "Yeah, that's it. They're at a hotel."

Esme smiled then looked at Alice who smiled back.

"They're alright," Nicole went on, "Promise."

Carlisle snickered, "Thanks for letting us know."

"You're welcome," she told him with a grin.

"Come on, you," Alice said, pulling her daughter by the hand, "It's time to do our nails."

Esme watched the go, then seconds later let a brief, uncomfortable expression linger on her face that she attempted to hide, though Edward and Carlisle both picked up on it.

Carlisle looked at her for an extra second, "What's wrong?"

Edward studied her for a moment, and Bella studied him to try to see what he was thinking.

"Nothing," Esme said.

Carlisle looked over at Edward, who shrugged.

Esme shifted her body weight then let her hand trickle down toward the side of her stomach next to her belly button.

"How long has it hurt?" Edward asked her.

Carlisle looked over at him then back to his wife, who shook her head.

"I just started getting this pressure," she shook her head and winced again, "I don't know, Carlisle."

They all exchanged glances.

"Where's the pain?" he asked.

She immediately grabbed his hand and placed it lightly on her stomach. "Around there."

Carlisle lightly moved his hand over the area, putting a little pressure of his own on the spot to see if Esme would have a reaction.

"Does that hurt?" he asked her.

She shook her head, "No. It doesn't hurt really..." A deep breath left her mouth, "God, there wasn't an eclipse last night was there?" She laughed for a second, but Carlisle's eyes shot up to meet hers. "I'm not serious. It was weeks ago."

They all stood there silently while Carlisle continued to run his hand in the area that was causing Esme the slight discomfort.

"Carlisle," she said, "Something's not right."

Nicole came back into the room, "Call Masen back," she told them.

Carlisle looked in her direction and Edward raised his eyebrows upon seeing what was going through his niece's mind.

"Why don't we take a drive over to the reservation," Edward suggested.