Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

--

Iverson was back early from his so-called extended leave. "Is your father stable now?"

"Yes, he's doing fine. I hope everything's been running smoothly here in my absence." The elderly doctor shared an office with Edward and headed the Department of Internal Medicine. The hospital was so small and perhaps a bit over-staffed, resulting in a lack of private offices, even for the higher-ups.

"Perfectly fine. Everything's been pretty slow actually."

"That's great. You know what, Masen? Take the rest of the day off. Riley told me there's no one coming in, and I'll take the cases for the rest of the day. I heard you've been working longer shifts and volunteered to be on-call. I don't want you being drained out in your first month here."

"No, it's perfectly fine. Rosalie's always in, and there isn't much to do at home yet."

"Look, go home. I don't want to see your face here until noon tomorrow. Get out, no excuses." Edward rolled his eyes and went to tell Rosalie that he'd head home and come back to pick her up when her shift ended. Once there, however, he found only Bella sitting in Rosalie's seat.

"Hey, is Rose with another patient?"

"I don't know. She said she wanted to pull some strings to get the blood-work done stat, so I won't have to come back."

"Well, I hear the ER and ICU are slow, so maybe the techs will be willing? So, anyway, how are you? When does the cast come off?"

"I'm good. I have no clue when it comes off – it's already starting to itch. It sucks being a klutz." She looked angered at herself for being so careless.

"Being a klutz comes with its advantages," he grinned brightly. "It makes for a better knight in shining armor."

"Yeah, if only. The only guys I know are Emmett, my dad and Jasper."

"Dating life in shambles? The only prescription for that would be getting out of this hell hole."

"What? No, I love it here. This is home," she looked somewhat taken aback by the comment. "Why are you here if you don't like it?"

"I didn't really know what I was getting into when Rose and I decided to come. She wanted a quiet life, I guess. I hate this sort of thing. Adrenaline is my thing, not empty beds and careless doctors."

"Did Rosalie force you?" She looked tentative and regretted the question as soon as it was asked.

"Well, not really. I mean, I don't know. We don't exactly mesh well all the time. We're both dominant personalities, but sometimes someone has to back down, and this time it was me." Edward had no idea where all this was coming from. He and Rosalie were supposed to act the part of the perfect couple.

"Oh. Well – I – um – "

"We've been married for three years. I know it looks like we get along so well, but not everything is as perfect as it seems. That's marriage, though, right?"

"Well, I wouldn't know." She laughed, trying to break the tension she hadn't realized was building.

"Trust me, you don't want to know." He started laughing, as well. For some reason or other, he felt a pull toward the innocence of the girl before him. Her dark hair was messy around her shoulders, down to her waist. The cast on her arm was still the bright pink it was last week, the only signature on it was a messy scrawl he couldn't make out. He was dressed simply in fitting jeans and a white t-shirt. This was the last woman he thought he'd ever feel drawn to. He'd seen his fair share of intriguing, hot women who worked for Zone 50. He always thought he'd end up with someone he worked with, but the awkward connection he felt with Bella was something he'd never experienced before. And, he didn't even know her. "What the hell!?" was the only thing he could think.

Rosalie came into find Edward leaning back on her desk and Bella in her chair, both staring at each other without speaking. "Ahem – am I interrupting something?"

"No, no, Edward was just – "

" – waiting to tell you that I'm heading home. I'll come by to pick you up when you're done."

"Why? You still have five hours left."

"Iverson told me to head on home," he looked pointedly at Rosalie, communicating to her that she should find a way to the Internal Medicine Department to get a whiff of what was going on.

"Alright, I guess, you'll just have to make two trips." She glanced towards Bella.

"Wait, I'm sure Emmett and I can give Edward a ride home. I don't think he'll mind. That way you don't have to make two trips. If that's fine with you, Edward?"

"Why wouldn't it be fine with him? He'll come." Edward was not given a chance to speak as Rosalie shuffled him out the office and told him to get his stuff ready while she finished with Bella.

It was beyond him why Rosalie was trying to set him up with a civilian. They were supposed to be strictly professional on the job. He headed up to his office, where he changed out of his scrubs and made sure his drawer (with his pistol) was locked. It was a risk to keep a gun in the same quarters as potential suspects, but he figured even if these doctors were smuggling organs, they probably had no idea how to work a weapon.

"Edward! You're still here! Are we still on for dinner tonight?" It was Alice.

"Alice, I'm so sorry for running off like that," he surprised Alice by hugging her tightly, lifting her off the ground.

"You know, you two may be 'just friends,' but I think we should keep the squeezing hugs to a minimum," Jasper cut in.

Ignoring Jasper, Edward spoke directly to Alice, "I'm sorry for not keeping in touch. Have you seen Mom and Dad recently?" As an undercover agent, he was rarely allowed contact with family. He knew with the CIA, they were allowed to call home and visit at times, but Zone 50 was much more stringent. He had not spoken to his parents in years. Alice, having lived with Edward's family for years, saw Edward's parents as her own and looked up to Edward as a brother. She thought he'd become a reclusive musician and had suffered greatly from the loss of contact. Their connection was evident in the tears now threatening to fall from her eyes.

"They're good. Why – why didn't you ever call? I'm sure – ," Edward shushed her quietly.

"Later. Come over to my place tonight for dinner. We'll talk about this then."

"What's going on?" Jasper looked concerned that his girlfriend was crying over another man.

"I'm sorry, Jazz. Edward was always like a brother to me. He sort of dropped off the face of the planet a few years back. It's kind of shocking to see him again after so long." The tears were gone, and anyone could see that she was visibly building up her perkiness again. "By the way Edward, Jasper is my fiancé. I assume you two already know each other."

"I've had the pleasure," his reply was tinged with sour undertones. He might be over the prank, but he was still an overprotective brother.

"Oh, that's great. I hope you don't mind if he comes over for dinner, too." She didn't wait for an answer as she hugged Edward once more, and said that her boutique couldn't be left with her assistant for too long before it self-destructed.

"So, you went to Dartmouth with her?"

"Mm, yes. Hey, Jasper, you don't mind if I leave? I have a few things to take care of. We'll talk tonight, okay?" Mimicking his cousin, he left without waiting for an answer.

--

"Bella! I'm ready to head out. Sorry to keep you two waiting." He followed behind the two as they headed to what looked like a large red glob of metal. "Is this going to get us home in one piece?" He looked incredulous.

"Please, refrain from insulting the truck. It knows what you're saying."

"Right, and I cheat on Rosalie with my Benz."

"Don't all men?"

Emmett was laughing as they got into the cab. "I tried to get her to sell it and get a used Camry or something, but she won't give it up. Apparently it has sentimental value." He rolled his eyes dramatically as Bella elbowed him.

Somehow the three of them had squeezed into the seats, even with Emmett's large body. The rest of the ride was fairly quiet as Emmett fiddled with Bella's radio, occasionally blaring a loud pop song, causing him to turn it off quickly before trying once more and starting the cycle again. Though Edward found it thoroughly entertaining, he couldn't stop sneaking glances at Bella, Alice now the last thing on his mind. He had a feeling that this girl was going to cause him quite a bit of trouble in the near future.

---

Constructive criticism is much-appreciated. :)