The Twilight Twenty-Five

Prompt: #1 – Airport
Pen Name: beegurl13
Pairing/Main Character(s): Bella & Edward
Rating: M

Photo prompts can be viewed here:
thetwilight25 dot com backslash round-six backslash prompts

A/N: I don't own this, we all know who does. What I do own is a love of realism and angst, and the need to merge them whenever I possibly can. :D

Thanks to my girlies – EdwardsBloodType, Unchanged Affections, Twilight44, MaggieMay14, Luxure, and my fan fic wifey Mrs. Robward. I love them more than I can possibly say. I'm a lucky girl… :)

Today is my girl kitkat681's birthday. I lurve her stories. I LURVE her. Check her out…she's kind of amazing. I hope your day is wonderful, Sweets! Love you!

This story has been rolling around in my head for a while. I figured The Twilight 25 would be a good way to make me get it out. I hope you enjoy it. :)

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Constant Bearing, Decreasing Range (CBDR)

Sailing Term. Definition - Implication of disaster: ships may collide: a problem or an obstacle which is heading your way. Often used in the sense of a warning, as in "watch out for this problem you might not see coming."

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Chapter 1

~*0*~ Airport ~*0*~

I stare at the ceiling as he hovers over me. He's trying his best, panting and moaning, pushing and thrusting, but it doesn't matter. My heart isn't in it anymore. I wonder if it really ever has been. He wasn't anything serious or long term, just someone to pass the time with. He was good for that, at least, and usually he was good at getting me off, but not tonight. Tonight my head is somewhere else, a thousand miles or so north.

"Baby, you feel so good. You're gonna miss this," he whispers in my ear as he sinks into me again, harder and faster this time.

His brown hair is wet from perspiration, which isn't unexpected. It's already over 100 degrees here, even though it's only April. I'm just glad that if I'm leaving Arizona, it's in the spring. At least that means Washington won't be freezing.

His fingers slide down to my clit, pushing and circling it. It feels good, and for just a moment I let go of my plans for tomorrow and I meet his mouth with mine. It's hard to deny the hunger between us, and I dig my nails into his back, pulling him down onto me.

"Oh, Bella, that's it baby, let go," he groans, pushing faster and faster, his hips pounding against mine, the muscles in his back flexing and twisting under my fingers. My lips graze his neck, sucking his skin between my teeth as I feel the familiar burn in my stomach. When his fingers wrap around my nipple, I give in, arching my back toward him as I let out a scream—the heat of my orgasm consuming my body. I feel it in my toes that curl, my hands that clench, my mouth that hangs open in the air. A few more thrusts and he's cursing under his breath, his mouth against my ear. Hot breath huffs through my hair, and he stills, then falls on top of me.

"Damn, baby, what am I gonna do without you here? You're gonna visit, right?" he asks between labored breaths.

"You know I will," I say. I won't, I know it and I think he probably does, too, but neither of us is admitting it. "Anything's possible."

We lay side by side for another hour or so, just feeling each other and letting our bodies say goodbye.

"You sure you have to go?" he whispers. When my eyes meet his, I can see the sadness he has over my leaving. It's not like I'm excited about going, though I am looking forward to a change. No one wants to have to go home because of a sick parent, but that's the hand I was dealt.

"My dad's sick, we've been over this. He needs my help, babe. Rose can only run one bar at a time, and with all the medical bills he's got, he can't afford to shut down one of them. Especially not now, with the fishing season about to start."

My dad lives in a tiny little town in northwest Washington. He owns a bar there, which my cousin Rosalie pretty much runs for him. He has another bar in a port town about half an hour away. Clallam Bay. It isn't much, though the population grows to about fifty times the normal size when fishing season starts. I know my dad needs the money that lonely fishermen are willing to spend, and when he asked for my help, I couldn't say no.

"Maybe I can come with you. It's not too late for me to look for a transfer," he says.

I look him square in the eyes. "No, we already talked about this. Your job is here, and I need this time with my dad. I'll see you when I come back, which you know I will. My mom's still here, so..."

He smiles, a dimple denting his cheek. "Promise?" he asks.

Nodding, I lean forward and place a kiss on his lips, letting my tongue peek out and tangle with his.

"I promise, Eric. I'll be back."

I knew it was a lie the second it left my mouth, but I said it anyway, and I let him believe it. He'd figure it out soon enough.

~*0*~

Mid April isn't a horrible time of year. Lucky for me, the airport isn't too busy. It was good planning on my part to avoid a holiday weekend, and I mentally pat myself on the back as I move through the terminal to my gate. Only at the airport would people not look at me weird for carrying a heavy winter jacket. After all, it's ten in the morning and already nearly ninety degrees outside. If I'd walked down the street like this, people would be laughing aloud, or thinking I was crazy. Maybe I am crazy, considering what I'm giving up to help my dad, and where I'll be spending the next phase of my life. My mom thinks I'm insane, but then again, that's just because she made it out of that town by the skin of her teeth, or so she says. My father has always been there, and he always will be, which is why my mom ran when she did.

My childhood was fine, a little lonely, but overall pretty decent. I had my mom and grandma, and that was all I needed. A few times a year my dad would come visit, or I would go see him in the summer. I always loved that, because Rosalie was there. She was my one and only cousin, and lucky for me, she was just a year older than I was. We had always gotten along great, even when she shot up almost a foot one year and filled out enough to look like a swimsuit model. All the boys in Forks were after Rose, which meant our first real teenage summer consisted of her fighting off every jock in town, while their not-quite-good-enough friends pretended to like me so that they could get closer to her. She was always on my side, which I appreciated, setting them straight and letting them know just what jerks they were. It wasn't until a few years later, when I was in college, that I truly came into my own, and boys finally started to like me for me.

As I wait for my plane, I buy a cookie and a map book. It's been so long since I've seen much of Washington, and I know I'll need something to do on my days off work. There are only so many books I'll be able to read as I crash at my dad's house or hide in the storage room above the bar between shifts. Rose filled me in on the schedule, so I know I'll be working The Bay bar while she stays in Forks and runs things there. Even though it's only a half hour drive between the two towns, gas being the price it is will limit my ability to travel much. Plus, I'll be in the old truck my dad bought me the summer after I turned sixteen. I'm shocked it still runs, but apparently...it does. It almost makes me wish I was driving from Arizona to Washington, but since my mom wrecked her car and needs mine, I'm outta luck.

The flight is long, but good, with a lay over in San Francisco. I don't leave the airport, so it's not like I really get to see any of the city. Landing in Seattle, I'm assaulted immediately by the humidity, which I'm not used to. Lucky for me, Rose is there waiting, and she grabs me as soon as I'm within arm range.

"Bella! I'm so excited you're here! I can't wait, we're gonna have so much fun!" she says. I know she's excited, because her voice raises about two levels higher than normal.

We grab my bags from the carousel, then start toward the doors. Most of my belongings were mailed in boxes a few days earlier, and Rose tells me that they'll be arriving in the next day or two. I'm glad, knowing that if nothing else, I'll still be surrounded by some of my favorite things.

"Oh Bella, you have to meet Emmett! He's so amazing. I don't know if you remember him or not, he's kind of new to town."

My mind races over faces, matching up names, but there's no Emmett that I can recall.

"I don't think I know him, do I?" I ask, placing a suitcase in the open trunk of Rose's car.

"Maybe not, he moved here a few years ago. He and his sister came from Kentucky, so he's got this little accent. Hot damn, Bella, he's incredible!"

It's then that I notice the sparkler on her left ring finger.

"Shut Up!" I yell, grabbing her hand and holding it to my face. "You're engaged?" I ask, unable to believe what I'm seeing. The forever wild Rosalie Hale is engaged?

"Can you believe it?" she squeals, jumping up and down. "He just asked me a few weeks ago. We're in no rush, but ugh, Bella...I love him." The smile on her face tells me she means it, which is good, since she apparently just promised to spend the rest of her life with this man. "A lot of things have changed, Bella. A lot. But don't worry, you'll see."

I smile back at her, wondering what she's talking about, but I'll know soon enough.

The long ride to Forks is filled with chatter—Rose telling me about Forks, all her old friends, my dad's health, and the bars.

"I remember hiding under the bar ledge when we were little," I say. "I wonder how many times my dad spilled liquor on us?" Rose let's out a laugh, and then I do, too.

"If child welfare services had ever come and checked on us, I swear they would have thought we were ten year old winos, for as much as we smelled like a brewery," she says, her hair whipping in the wind as she giggles and laughs.

It's easy being with her. I don't have to pretend to be something I'm not. Rose accepts me, quirks and all, and for the first time in what feels like years, I let my guard down. This may not be where I thought life would take me, but now that I'm here among the tall pines and constant rain, I'm excited. It feels like something's coming—something big—and even though my stomach's in knots over it, I think it's what's meant to be for me. It will either make my life, or break my heart. At the moment, I'm not sure which, though if I'm being honest, it doesn't feel like it's a good thing.

I suppose time will tell, but for now, I'm on course with no plans to deviate from my route.

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We pull up to my father's house, and immediately I see some of the changes that Rose must have been talking about. For one thing, the house that was always white is now brown, and the rose bushes my mother planted before I was born are gone. The truck I remember my dad last driving is not here, but there's a newer model in its place. He must have upgraded at some point. Maybe I would have known if I'd come back to visit sooner.

I look around the side of the house for my truck, but it's not here. He may have parked it in the garage, but that's highly doubtful. Rose just sighs and in a sing song voice begins to hum a tune, followed by lyrics I'd recognize anywhere.

"Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...Turn and face the strain, ch-ch-changes, pretty soon now you're gonna get a little older..."

My mom loves David Bowie. It's sick, really, but I've heard this song far too many times in my life. As Rose slams her door and makes her way to the trunk to start pulling out my luggage, I climb out of the car. Standing up and looking at the neighborhood around me, I can't help softly singing to myself, "Time may change me, but I can't trace time..." It's true. Time did change me, and it seems things here are different, too. Maybe that's the weird feeling in my gut. Maybe it's just that things are different, they've changed. Maybe it's something more. Whatever it is, I think I'll be powerless to it. I just have a feeling.

The front door opens and in the doorway stands my dad, looking thinner than he was last time I saw him. His smile is just as bright, though, and I can't help but run to him. The fact that he may not survive his condition is something I've never let myself think. At least not until this very moment. Grief instantly overwhelms me, and I hug him as soon as I reach him.

"Hey, Bells. Good to see ya, hun."

"Hi Daddy," I say, my face buried in his chest.

"You have a good trip?"

I nod, hoping that's answer enough.

"Well, she's here, and in one piece. I guess I'll see you two tomorrow then?" Rose says, after dropping my bags on the sidewalk near me.

"You're not staying?" I ask, turning to look at her but unwilling to let go of my dad.

"Nah, all this father-daughter bonding stuff is too mushy for me. Plus, someone's gotta run the bar that earns the money to pay for all this," she says, swooshing her hands in big circles in front of her.

"But I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yep, Uncle Charlie here thought it would be good for us to go over some stuff before he turns you loose in Clallam Bay. He figured he'd at least try to give you a running start at managing the place." She smiles, knowing I'm in for a big adjustment. I've never run anything on my own. This could be a really bad idea.

"Okay, tomorrow then. Thanks, Rose," I say, letting go of my dad and turning to hug her once more.

"Anytime."

Once she's gone, and my dad and I have brought my bags in, we sit down in the kitchen, eating some sandwiches that he's put together for us.

"So, where's my truck?" I ask, wondering where he's hidden the beast.

"Oh, that. Well, it wasn't runnin' too well, and this kid off the rez asked about it. He said it was a classic or something, wanted to restore it, so I sold it to him."

My eyes pop open. "What? Dad, what am I gonna drive while I'm here?"

"Oh, well that little SUV out there, I got you that. I think it'll be good. It's got four wheel drive and new tires, and it runs pretty smooth. I just had the engine tuned up and-"

I jump up, running to the living room window. The car is parked on the street in front of the house. I hadn't even noticed it when Rose and I pulled up, but it's nice. Way nicer than my dad can afford.

"Dad, how much did that cost you? I know it wasn't cheap, and with your medications and stuff, you can't afford that."

"Well, that kid paid me a good amount for the truck, and I had a little set aside. It's no biggie, Bells. I wanna make sure you're safe driving back and forth all the time. You know those roads can be a little dangerous, especially in the winter time."

"Dad..."

He grins a bit. "Oh, and remember that storage room above the bar? That one you used to play in when you were little?"

I remember the dusty space. It always seemed so enchanting and mysterious, and Rose and I spent hours and hours playing in it during the summers while my dad and her mom worked. "Yeah, I remember. What about it?"

"Well, I had it converted into an apartment for you. You can live there, although I hope you'll still come home and visit your old dad sometimes."

"What?"

"I just figured there's no reason for you to be driving out there and back every day, you might as well have some place to stay. And at least it's not in those apartments that Mrs. Cope runs. You know, the ones where the seasonal deckhands live. This will be safe and it's got everything you need. I even put in a satellite and internet, so it'll be just like home."

I smile at him. "Thanks, Dad. That's really nice of you."

He twists his coffee mug around in his hands a bit, avoiding my eyes. "It's the least I can do. I mean, you gave up your whole life to come help me. You're an adult now and I don't want you feeling like you have to live at home with your dad. You need some freedom and your own place. I'm just sorry I don't have something nicer for you."

Moving away from the window, I hug him again. "Dad, a new car and a new apartment? That's more than I ever imagined. It's wonderful. And then to throw in satellite TV and internet? Next you're gonna tell me it's got indoor plumbing, too."

"Oh yeah, well." He smiles at me. "Nothing's too good for my Bells."

I laugh, and in that moment I know I've made the right decision in coming here. No matter what that feeling might be, this is right.

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A/N: You ready? It's gonna be a bumpy ride…not gonna lie. But My Girlies love the idea of this and the storyline, so I hope you will too. :) There's a banner for this on my fanfic Facebook account – Beegurl OneThree FanFickee.