A/N: You have long plane rides and hotel WiFi to thank for this one. So, the last chapter got loads of favourites and alerts, but only one review (thank you nicolleio, lots of hugs from Edward for you).

Oh also, I made a twitter today, and so far only have one follower. Pop over to www(dot)twitter(dot)com/xBlairCatherine if you're interested, I'd love to talk to you all.

BPOV

I stood in my closet trying to find an outfit for the day. I was only going over to Edwards so I decided to be comfortable. I pulled on a pair of grey woolen knee-high Prada socks, light pink silk Marc Jacobs bloomers, a white loose-fitting Alexander Wang t-shirt, and Doc Martens. Happy with my outfit choice, I grabbed my cell phone and car keys and walked downstairs into the kitchen.

I grabbed an apple and a bottle of water to eat and drink in the car over to Edwards. I left through the mudroom door, trying to escape the house without running into anyone. I succeeded in getting to my car without being noticed, and quickly drove down the driveway and out the gates.

As soon as the property was out of site, I pulled the car over and reached into the glove compartment. I rummaged through the piles of CDs and books until I found what I was looking for. I got what I needed – one Zoloft, one Xanax – and put the bottles back in the glove compartment. I popped the pills into my mouth and swallowed them with a drink of water. I let out a sigh of relief as the drugs entered my system. I started the car up again and set off for Edwards.

I pulled up outside the Cullens and got out of the car. Out of the six of us, this was my favourite house by far. It was the perfect mix between modern and cosy. It was a large white edifice, surrounded by trees and wilderness, and backed onto a surging river. The entire back wall of the house was made of glass, and you could see miles and miles of trees, and mountains on the horizon. It was breathtaking.

I walked up the porch steps and through the door. I figured Edward would be in his room nursing his hangover so I began making my way up the stairs. Just as I reached the top Esme walked out of Carlisle's office. She looked stressed. Her brow was furrowed and her usually smooth face was lined with worry.

"Hey Esme," I said, alerting her to my presence.

"Bella, darling, how lovely to see you," she greeted me. She walked down the hall to me and enveloped me in a hug. Pulling back, she kept her hands on my shoulders and held me at arms length. "Bella, you look like you haven't eaten in weeks," she admonished. "You're staying for dinner tonight."

I was more than happy to oblige. Home-cooked meals were a rarity in the Swan-Dwyer residence. Renee wasn't into the whole motherly thing, and Phill was too into being masculine to spend time in the kitchen. If I wanted a proper dinner, it was up to me to make it myself.

We chatted for a few more minutes, until she had to leave for cardio barre.

I continued down the hall to Edwards room. I knocked on the door, and when he didn't answer I went ahead and entered.

He was passed out on his bed, still fully dressed on top of the comforter.

I climbed up on the bed and crawled over to him.

"Edward. Edward wake up," I called softly, running my hand through his messy hair.

He groaned and slowly opened his eyes, squinting against the light.

"You're great company," I teased, poking him in the side.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm awake," he murmered, sitting up on the bed. He leaned over to give me a kiss.

"How are you?" I asked.

I saw a hint of something I couldn't place darken his features before he quickly smoothed his expression.

"I'm fine," he said after a beat of silence.

I wasn't convinced. I raised my eyebrows at him, letting him know he couldn't fool me.

"Honestly, love, it's nothing. Just leave it for now."

I didn't want to push him, trusting that he would talk to me about it when he was ready. Edward and I didn't keep secrets from each other.

"Ok…" I agreed.

"Come on, lets go watch a movie," he suggested.

We lay on the couch of the informal living room, Edward with his back against the arm and and me leaning on his chest. He had his arms wrapped around me, and we were covered in a thick woolen blanket. It was such a comforting, familiar position, I found myself struggling to stay awake. The steady rise and fall of his chest was more soothing than any lullaby. I inhaled deeply, and snuggled further into his chest. He smelled like home.

Eventually, Esme called us to the dining room for dinner. We sat next to each other at the large wooden circular table.

"Bella, it's nice to have you to join us for dinner," Carlisle smiled warmly at me.

"Thank you for having me," I replied. It was the first time in a couple weeks that I'd seen him. His appearance had changed in that time. His usually blond hair was streaked with grey. Worry lines were permanently etched into his brow. There was a hint of stubble growing on his jaw. He no longer looked like the handsome young man he used to. Instead he looked older and worn down, like the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.

Juanita entered the room and began setting dishes out on the table. My mouth watered at the delicious smells emanating from the food. I quickly loaded up my plate, and waited for the others to do the same before I completely devoured it.

The atmosphere throughout dinner was tense. It was a total contrast to how dinner at the Cullens usually was. I was used to lively conversation, and everyone sharing stories and news from their days. But now everybody ate in silence, not even attempting to create conversation.

I glanced over at Edward and once again saw the stress written on his face. I reached over under the table and grasped his hand. I didn't know what was going on with his family, but I wanted to offer comfort in any way I could.

He glanced over at me and flashed a small tense smile before turning back to his dinner.

Worry gripped my heart. I didn't know what was going on with the Cullens, but I was going to find out.

I lay on my bed, bored out of my mind. I had left Edwards house at seven, sensing that his family weren't really up for company. I didn't usually count as 'company' at the Cullens, but it was clearly a serious situation if Edward wasn't talking to me about it.

My phone began ringing somewhere on my bed admist the piles and piles of cushions, pillows, and clothes that were strewn all over it. I eventually located it and hit the answer button.

"Bella party at Laurens, dressy-casual, I'll pick you up in a half hour, bring your own drink," Alice burst out the second I had the phone at my ear.

"Hello to you to Alice," I teased. "This is really late notice, I'll look like shit."

"Bella you always look great, don't worry about it," she said.

"Ok I'll see you in a half hour then," I confirmed. I heard a loud squeak before the line went dead. I laughed to myself at her antics, and got off the bed to get ready.

I walked into my closet and quickly selected an outfit. I decided on a black silk Zac Posen sleeveless dress, that turned into a deep purple at the end, with black Steve Madden six inch ankle boot heels, and a black YSL leather jacket. Next I backbrushed the roots of my hair, creating volume that it was otherwise lacking.

I checked the time. It had been 25 minutes since Alice had called. I grabbed a rusted back Balenciaga purse, throwing in my cell, car keys and wallet.

Right as I made it to the end of the stairs, I heard a car pull up outside the doors. I walked out and hopped into the front of the bright yellow Porsche.

"Hey Al, we need to go to an offlicence," I said. "Oh and hey."

"Hey Bella. No problem. You look hot. Very badass."

"Thanks," I laughed. I felt badass too. Tonight was going to be a good night.

I stood alone in the middle of the crowded room, swaying to the beat of the music. My eyes were closed, my hands were in my hair, my hips were moving with the rhythm. The walls were thumping, talking to me. They started moving closer and closer, trying to trap me. I decided to escape from the stuffy room into the kitchen.

The kitchen was crowded. There were couples making out aginst the counter, guys were downing shots while yelling and cheering and laughing, girls were filling up their cups giggling and staring at the guys.

Someone thrust a cup into my face, so I took it and quickly downed the contents. I closed my eyes again, feeling the alcohol warm my body. My eyes and limbs began to feel heavy, more than was normal considering what I'd had to drink. I began to feel unbearably dizzy. I opened my eyes. Everything was moving in and out of focus. I could feel my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

I wanted to go outside, but my legs weren't listening to what my brain was telling them. Eventually I managed to make them move, and began slowly making me way out of the kitchen. Everything was blurry. I grasped onto the kicthen cabinets, feeling my way outside. I felt as though I might collapse at any second.

As soon as I made my way out to the back yard, I collapsed onto my hands and knees. I began crawling off the concrete patio area, onto the lawn. Once I was on the grass, I fully collapsed and curled up in a fetal position. I could faintly make out blurred figures standing around the pool, before everything went dark.

"Bella. Bella darling, please wake up," I heard a sweet angelic voice call.

I struggled to get my eyes open, but they eventually complied. I was in my room, in bed, wrapped in my big white fluffy comforter. Edward was sitting Indian style on my bed next to me.

"Edward. Water," I managed to rasp.

My throat felt as though it had been rubbed raw with sandpaper. Swallowing felt like I was trying to force down razors. My head was pounding, and my stomach was in bits. This wasn't a normal hangover. I took the bottle of water Edward held out to me, and chugged down over half of it at once.

"What happened last night?" I asked. I couldn't remember a single thing from the party, and this wasn't a normal hangover. I was on some sort of a comedown, but couldn't remember taking anything at any point.

"Someone spiked your drink. I found you passed out on the lawn," he explained, looking pained.

I was shocked. Forks parties were usually pretty safe, considering everybody knew each other. I couldn't think of a single person who would have spiked my drink.

"I don't have a clue either," Edward said, obviously knowing what was going through my mind. "I was with Emmett and Jasper playing stupid drinking games, when Alice came running over in a panic. She said there was something wrong with you, and you'd passed out on the lawn. I went to find you, and brought you straight home. It was clear from looking at your beer that you had been drugged."

"Did you stay here last night?" I asked.

"Yeah. Renee and Phill were out when we arrived home, so you haven't been caught."

I sighed in relief. I hadn't even considered the trouble I might be in until he brought it up.

"Thank you for taking care of me," I said gratefully.

"Of course my Bella," he replied, and kissed me sweetly on the forehead.

EPOV

After I made sure Bella was ok to be alone, I drove home. Carlisle and Esme would be wondering where I was if I didn't get home soon.

I entered the house and made my way into the kitchen. I was surprised not to find Juanita cooking breakfast at the stove. I took a box of cereal from a cupboard and walked up to my room, planning on eating it dry.

About ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door and Esme came in.

"Edward, where did you end up last night?" she asked.

"I crashed at Bella's," I told her.

"I should have known," she grinned. "Listen, we need to talk."

I felt my stomach roll with nausea. Please please please don't let her have more bad news, I thought.

"Sure, what is it?" I asked, trying to stay composed.

"Well… Juanita left last night. She thought it might be easier for everyone if you weren't at home to witness it."

I stared at her for a few minutes, trying to let this news sink in. It felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. Junita was gone. And she didn't say goodbye. I suppose I could see her logic, but it still upset me deeply. I didn't want to think of what life in the Cullen house would be like now. Juanita had been a part of the family for years. She'd practically raised me as much as Esme had.

"Edward, honey, are you ok?"

I struggled to compose myself. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit shocked."

I could tell from looking at her that she understood how I was feeling, and why I wanted to hide it from her. I'd never been comfortable expressing emotion in front of anyone other than Bella. I didn't know why exactly, I just felt like sadness was a very private emotion. I preffered not to have anyone witness it.

"Well I'll leave you to catch up on your sleep," she said. Her eyes were filled with sympathy and sadness. She turned around and left the room.

As I lay on my bed, I couldn't help but wonder. How much worse would things get for my family before they started to get better?

A/N: So the plot thickens. What do you all think is up with Bella taking medication? Review and let me know your guesses.

Oh actually I happen to be wearing Bellas party outfit in my twitter picture, so if you want to see it go look there. Once again it's www(dot)twitter(dot)com/xBlairCatherine.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.