AN: I'm BACK! Sorry for the long absence. Being pregnant does have its drawbacks when it comes to writing and getting chapters out to my lovely readers.

I do have an announcement to make. Due to the fact that I am 8 months pregnant and still getting prepped for my son's arrival, I've decided to only work on one story at a time instead of several. The story I have chosen is Immortal Desires Can Be Deadly, my Carlisle/Bella story. It is one of the more popular of my stories, not to mention one of the first I ever started writing, so I really want to work on it.

Now to make up for that, I will be updating two stories today. I will be updating True Mates REBOOT, my Bella/Benjamin story and I will also be updating The Lady's Rebel Lover, one of my Garrett/Bella stories.

So here we go…

True Mates REBOOT

Ch. 10: Leaving for Home

Benjamin's POV

For the first time in all my years on this earth, the morning greeted us with a dark, cloudy day. Egypt had never been so dark. It was as if the world was grieving with my Bella. My musing thoughts are broken not only by a knock at the door, but also by Bella's cell phone going off. The phone woke Bella and she slowly grabbed it to answer. Judging from the noise she made upon looking at who was calling, it was not someone she wanted to talk to.

I didn't want to leave her alone for even a second to deal with this person, but a second, urgent knock at the door forced my hand. I quickly rose from the bed and went to the door and found Aleena on the other side. She asked, "Is she awake yet?" "Only just. Her phone went off, though I don't know who she is talking to." "It's probably her mom, Renee. She just called me but I didn't answer." "Why not?"

Aleena sighed before saying, "Renee is a difficult woman to be around, much less talk to. To be honest, she doesn't give a damn about Bella and never has much to say unless she can benefit from it in some way. She's probably only calling Bella to make sure that she's not coming to Florida. Renee is living the high life and doesn't have time for her own daughter. Makes me sick." So that's why Bella hasn't mentioned her mother to me, not that I blame her after hearing all that from Aleena. A sharp thud turned my head to see Bella burying her face in a pillow and her phone on the floor. I turned to Aleena and asked, "When do we leave?" "My dad called. The car will be here in about two hours, but the jet is all ready to go. He had a feeling we'd have a slow start, not to mention that we have to pack."

Nodding I said, "Order something light for breakfast. Fruit would be best, though no strawberries. I don't think her stomach could handle anything heavy right now." Bella's rushed footsteps to the bathroom merely confirmed my statement. Aleena nodded and walked away. I went to the bathroom and found Bella retching into the toilet. I quickly got a warm washcloth and pressed it to the back of her neck. When she was done, she used the same cloth to wipe her face and mouth before going to the sink and brushing her teeth.

When she was done, she hopped up on the counter and leaned back against the mirror. She was paler than normal, her grief taking what little color she had gained during her visit. Her eyes were bright, yet dimmed at the same time. I leaned close to her and asked, "How do you feel angel?" She smiled at the endearment before saying, "Lost. Angry. Annoyed. Quite a lot of things. Again, my emotions would probably give Jasper a migraine." I smirked before asking, "I assume some of these emotions are due to whoever was on the phone earlier?"

Her face, somewhat calm, tightened in anger as she said, "Stupid bitch." When she saw my confused face she said, "My 'mother' didn't call to see if I'm okay. No, she just called to tell me about her and Phil's new life in Florida. When I was finally able to speak and mentioned Dad, she blew off his death like it was nothing. Her only concern was if I was coming back to live with her again. I merely asked her why would I when I wasn't wanted there to begin with before hanging up. I never want to see her again. Luckily I'm already over eighteen otherwise I would have to." "To be honest, I don't blame you Isabella. She doesn't seem to be a good person to me."

She chuckled a little before saying, "That would be the understatement of the century Benjamin." I chuckled before pulling her close to me and saying, "Aleena told me that a car will be here in about two hours to take us to the airport. How about we get dressed, pack up and eat before anything else?" She nodded and hopped down from the counter and we went back into the bedroom. I quickly noticed that my things, which Kebi had packed, had been placed on the bed.

Bella immediately shed her short and tank top and dressed in a pair of tight black hip hugger jeans, a white thin strapped tank top, a green plaid shirt, and a pair of dark green Converse. As she braided her hair, I grabbed a small box that was in my luggage. I had planned to give it to her the night before, but the shocking news of her father had pushed its importance to the side. It still probably wasn't the best time, but perhaps the small gift would lift her spirits a little. I walked up behind her as she finished braiding her hair and set the small box down in front of her.

She slowly opened it to find the small pendant and chain inside. I pulled it out and at her nod, slipped the small jade scarab around her neck and fastened it. As she straightened it I said, "I know this doesn't change the fact that your father is gone sweet girl, but perhaps it can help ease some of the pain." She smiled, turned to face me and said, "Thank you Benjamin, I love it. It does help a little bit." I nodded and kissed her softly on the lips before turning to the bed and grabbing something to wear.

Wanting to be respectful, yet comfortable I followed Bella's example by wearing black jeans, a grey plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and my black boots. Bella quickly packed her things and then double-checked to make sure that she hadn't forgotten anything. Before she and I left the room, Bella stopped and opened her duffel that contained all the souvenirs she had bought for her friends and family. She dug through the bag and took out one specifically wrapped package. She took said package and tossed it in the trash. The tag read 'To Renee'. I didn't bother to ask why.

Grabbing our bags, we went and joined the others in the sitting area. Room service had arrived while we had been getting ready and I saw that Aleena had followed my suggestion in regards to food. Small bowls of fruit were accompanied by toast, different types of jelly and hot tea. Placing our bags with the rest of the luggage cart that had also been delivered, I sat down with Bella as she ate some fruit, toast with grape jelly and sipped some tea.

Amun cleared his throat and said, "I spoke to Aro both last night and this morning. He is absolutely furious with the Cullens. He had given us permission to exact our right to revenge for their crime of keeping Bella from you Benjamin." Bella whispered, "And possibly killing my father." We all turned towards her and I asked, "What do you mean Isabella?" She sighed and asked, "Do you remember me telling you about Victoria?" At our nod she continued, "Well after the Cullens left, Victoria showed up trying to kill me for James' death. The Pack was busy all senior year trying to keep me alive and the rest of the town clueless as to what was going on."

Taking a sip of tea she said, "Suddenly she disappeared about a month before graduation. The Pack kept up patrols but she never popped back up. Now the Cullens show back up in town and Victoria kills my dad. Something doesn't feel right." After a few seconds, I started to agree with her. While it wasn't unheard of for a vengeful vampire to use such tactics, this was not one of those times. Bella's father had been killed shortly after the Cullen's reappearance in Forks. Did their arrival get this Victoria woman's attention and cause her to kill Bella's father in retaliation? Perhaps.

Amun nodded and then said, "We'll get the answers you seek Isabella, I swear it." All Bella said was, "Keep Edward and Alice Cullen away from me and we're good." We all promised to protect her from the more dangerous members of the Cullen family. We sat and talked for some time before the hotel called our room and informed us that the car was here to take us to the airport. I grabbed Bella's hand in mine as we left the room, Amun and I pulling the luggage behind us.

The luggage was quickly loaded by the hotel staff and we were soon on our way. Bella stayed close to me the entire ride there. I didn't have to be an empath to know that she was hesitant and nervous about returning home. Not only would she have to deal with the aftermath of her father's death, but also with the return of the family and ex-lover who had broken her heart, her trust and abandoned her so cruelly.

As we entered the jet upon reaching the airport, her hand never left the scarab at her throat. After sitting down and putting her in my lap, I kissed her temple and said, "Isabella, be at peace. They will never touch you again, I swear it. I will kill them all before I would let any harm come to you. Just grieve for your father and then we'll deal with the Cullens, together."

She looked at my eyes and, apparently seeing the honesty in their depths, smiled and kissed me. The kiss was deep and passionate, but she didn't let us get carried away. She knew that I wouldn't allow anything sexual while she was grieving and neither of us wanted to tease the other to that point of no return and risk rejection.

We settled in as the jet took off and flew towards Forks, Washington. When we arrived, we would be met by the Pack. They would judge how safe we truly were before escorting us to Forks and Bella's home. The funeral for Chief Charlie Swan would be the afternoon of our arrival, a closed casket service. As Bella fell into conversation with Aleena on how they would deal with college, I began to plan the eventual confrontation with the Cullens. Dealing with them would depend on how they acted at our presence at Bella's side.

One wrong move and all of them were dead. That I promise.