Beta: Random Loves.


Chapter 7: Revelations


My eyes snapped open. I still felt sleepy, my head was throbbing painfully and I hadn't had a drop of alcohol last night. I recoiled deeper into the sofa as a pair of blue eyes stared unblinkingly at me.

"About time, boy, I thought you were dead. You certainly slept like a corpse," Marcus said, his impatience evident.

"What time is it?" I asked gruffly, rubbing the back of my hand over my eyes, trying to get the sleep off me.

"Half past nine. No one's awake yet so you have time to make yourself presentable. And while you're at it, you might want to scrub off that trail of drool you're sportin'," he snickered, cackling even louder as he saw me wipe off the non-existent 'trail of drool.'

"Ha, ha, ha, are you done with the stupid jokes at ass-crack of dawn?" I deadpanned.

He rolled his eyes at my response. "It ain't even dawn anymore. The sun is shining so it's time to get the day started," he replied in a ridiculously false cheery voice.

I decided to ignore him. The sun may already be up, but I deserved the right to be cranky considering I only had about five hours sleep.

"How come no one else is awake, yet? I expected Carmen to be up by now…" I asked.

"In case you didn't know, it's Saturday and while it's not technically her day-off, she does get up at around 10am on weekends."

"Okay, so why did you wake me up so early?" I asked, even I could hear a tiny edge of whine in my tone.

"Because, Mr. Sleepyhead, I was under the impression that you wanted some explanations."

Those words woke me up faster than any coffee could. I sat up straighter as most of my sleepiness went away. "I do. So what do you have for me."

He smirked at my eagerness. "Before I say anything else, I wanted to apologize for not being here last night. Or to help with what happened between you and Tanya," he said, in a rare tone of somberness.

My excited smile faltered as the guilt weighed heavily in my stomach. Before it could affect me anymore, I waved his apology away. I could deal with the guilt later but I needed answers now.

"Anyway," he continued, as if he had never apologized, "I got another message from Aro last night. Yes, it did have information about your marriage to Tanya, but it's not efficient enough…"

"What do you mean?" I asked. Any information, efficient or not, was better than no information at all.

"It means that while I found out about your marriage, it wouldn't be much help. Don't worry, I'll still tell you what I know, but it won't be enough to answer or explain everything."

I nodded. We were finally getting somewhere. "It's fine. Just please tell me what you know."

"As you wish," he then blew out a huge breath and started to explain, "Overnight, I found out that-"

He cut himself off, and tilted his head to the left, a look of utter concentration on his face, before continuing, "Actually, I think that it'd be better if we took a…walk somewhere else to talk about this. I can hear Carmen waking up and I don't want to delay this talk any longer."

He got quiet and closed his eyes. "Have some breakfast first and then we'll take a walk."

Puzzled, I stared at him. "What are you? Physic?"

Marcus rolled his eyes. "Nope, just part of my powers. Now get your lazy ass up. The sooner you get going, the sooner you'll have your answers. Now follow me."

He got up and walked around the unfamiliar kitchen with an ease as if he owned the place. I grumbled, but followed him. I didn't even bother to ask how he knew the place so well. He probably snuck around, and memorized the place while everyone was asleep. I bet he doesn't sleep at all.

I sat down at the marble counter, while Marcus got out a plate, a tall glass, and a spoon and fork from the drawers. He moved without hesitation as he placed the utensils before of me, and sat down across from me. I stared at the empty plate in confusion. There was no food and he hadn't prepared any.

As if sensing my skepticism, he simple smirked and snapped his fingers. There was a quiet click before my eyes widened at the sight before me. My empty plate was now filled with bacon, eggs, two pieces of toast with a glass of orange juice at the side.

I flashed my eyes at him, and asked incredulously, "You can do that? You're holding out on me. What else can you do?"

"A little bit of this, a little bit of that. I'll tell you sometime…or better yet I'll show soon," he chuckled, mysteriously.

I rolled my eyes at him and forked up some egg. He watched me eat while I struggled not to squirm under the scrutiny. Honestly, I couldn't stand being watched while I ate?

It was the most awkward feeling…

I'm sure my discomfort was plain on my face but he didn't turn away, smirking at me all the while. I hastened to gulf down my food. Ten minutes later, my plate was now empty. As I stood up and carried my things to the sink, I heard Marcus' chair scratch against the floor.

"I'll take care of the dishes. You just get dressed and meet me back here in five minutes," he ordered, and I smiled to which he quickly added, "Don't you get used to it, boy. I'm far from your servant."

I walked up to my room and opened the door quietly. Nestled in the huge bed was Tanya with her right leg thrown over a big pillow. Because of the sleeping woman in my bed, I tiptoed even more quietly to the closet and put on the first pair of jeans and sweater I touched. I grabbed the worn down sneakers I came with here and put them on as well.

I retreated to my room, quietly opening the door. Snuggled in the huge bed was Tanya, her right leg exposed over a large pillow. I didn't want to chance her waking up, so I tiptoed to my closet, closing the door behind me with a soft click. I was still awestruck by the size of this room. I quickly found everything that needed, and dressed in record time. If felt good having nice things to wear again.

As I contemplated where the en-suite bathroom might be, I spotted a closed door to the right of the wall of suits. Sure enough it was the master bath. I quickly brushed my teeth and rinsed my face. I ran my hands through my hair, trying to flatten it out. It was pointless.

I took a short moment to think of Tanya. I wasn't ready to face her about last night…I hoped that she had no memory of what happened, or nearly happened, between us last night. I slipped out of the bedroom, careful not to wake her, and joined Marcus in the front foyer.

"Ready?" he asked, and at my nod, he continued. "I'll explain while we walk."

I closed the door quietly behind us. Just as I was about to lock it, I paused, and then said, "Should I leave the door unlocked? I don't have a key to get back in."

He smiled in response and he held up a brass key. "No worries, it is taken care of."

I didn't even want to ask. I jammed my hands in my jacket pockets as I felt the chilly air against my face. We walked in silence for a bit, with only the sound of birds chirping for company, in the quiet neighborhood. Then Marcus finally spoke, "You may have already pieced some of this together. In this world you and Tanya married. However, your marriage is in tatters, in fact, it may already be damaged beyond repair."

"That much is obvious," I agreed, "But why? What happened to us? I don't really understand, the Tanya, I remember from high school was fine. Why would I not even try to repair our marriage?" The grown up Tanya may be a bit immature, and wild, but I shouldn't make that kind of judgment based on one evening out. Surely, she wasn't always that...crazy.

As if reading my thoughts, Marcus tilted his head in contemplation, and said, "On the contrary, there are plenty of reasons why you're marriage is on the slopes. Are you ready to find out?"

"Yes," I replied immediately.

"Fine, but remember, you asked for it," he warned before taking a deep breath, "From what I found out, in this world, you and Tanya stayed together. Instead of running away, you talked things through. She revealed her desire to study medicine as well. You found common ground and worked on your relationship, even through college."

I didn't know what to do with that information. I couldn't believe that our relationship survived. I had used college as an excuse.

Before I could ponder on that too long, Marcus continued, "While you were accepted into pre-med at Harvard, Tanya was accepted into the same, but at UC Berkley. She befriended all the right people, hung out with the rich kids. You had your fair share of arguments, but you managed to make thing work. Studying and your girlfriend were your main focus, it left little room or time for anything else. Even, your visits to Forks were cut off."

I frowned. From his tone, I deduced that my short visits home played a huge role in changing my life.

"With fewer visits home, you missed the chance to run into Bella," he explained, his tone filled with...sadness, "You never made it to that dinner party. You didn't talk for hours. You didn't ask her out. You didn't fall in love."

My heart rate increased. The results of one decision back in high school set off a chain reaction that caused me to miss the opportunity of finding Bella?

A heavy weight settled at the pit of my stomach as I braced for the next bit of information.

"Without realizing what true love felt like, you carried on with Tanya, thinking that what you two had was love. The years passed, and before you knew it, you both had your medical degrees. You were still on opposite sides of the country, your residencies in Boston and Los Angeles, respectively," he explained, "However, time continued to fly by and Tanya grew impatient for a proposal. I don't know if she loved you. It is hard to tell. From what I've gathered, Tanya is the type of woman always looking for opportunity, and/or the right people to advance her career."

My mind was swimming with information overload and it must have shown on my face.

"You'll understand soon enough, son," he said at my puzzled expression, "Anyway, you had just finished your residency and were considering your options, when one sunny day, Tanya unexpectedly flew to Massachusetts. She confronted you about your future together. Put on the spot, and without thinking things through, you proposed. She was ecstatic, while you were having second thoughts. You dismissed them as nerves."

He clucked his tongue at me disapprovingly, and gruffly continued, "Can't say I like this version of you much. You are a completely different person with this Tanya."

Without letting me respond, he carried on, "Not even a month after your engagement, you were married. The wedding, an extravagant and over the top affair, held in one of the prestigious L.A. hotels. You honeymooned in Hawaii. It was there that you agreed that neither of you wanted children."

Why wouldn't I want children?

Mason and Gracie were complete surprises, and being responsible for two young children took some getting used to. However, I couldn't fathom the idea of never wanting children.

"Don't ask me. I don't know. Like I told you, I have knowledge of your actions, but not the reasoning behind each decision you made," he said, guessing my thoughts, "So, after your honeymoon, you decided to return to Washington. You were offered and accepted a position at Forks Hospital, where your father worked and still works. With the help of her parents, and some influential friends as backers, Tanya started her own Dermatology and Cosmetic surgery practice in Seattle. You both enjoyed successful careers and were living the high life…or at least that's what everyone seems to think.

"Looking at you, everyone just assumes that you're happy. You make for a handsome couple, both acclaimed doctors, nice homes, and fancy cars, who would want more? Some might question why you don't have any children, yet. The speculation is that you are both too busy saving and/or improving lives," he concluded, with a clap of his hands, "So, that's what your life in this world is like. Tanya stays in your Seattle condo during the week, tending to her practice, while you are director of the E.R. at the hospital. Occasionally, you attend parties but it's rare that you go together."

"I don't exactly know how things evolved to this, but you might have a chance to find out later," he added, cryptically.

"Okay…so is that all? Why exactly is my marriage with Tanya in tatters? Is it because deep down, I regretted marrying her or is the combination of everything?" I asked, agitatedly raking my hands through my hair. I was frustrated, although I had some answers, I was left with even more questions than before.

"Probably the latter. But then again, Tanya has made an unfortunate decision, herself. In fairness, if you can call it that, it did happen long after you drifted apart," he said, lost in his own thoughts while looking up in the sky.

What was with him with all this vagueness and cryptic words?

"What did she do?"

His eyes met mine, sympathy evident in his gaze. Why did he look at me like that?

There was nothing worse than being looked at as if you were something to be pitied.

"What?" I asked a bit defensively.

"I think we best sit down," he said with a shake of his head, leading me to a nearby bench.

I waited expectantly. Whatever he was going to say, I would take it like a man. I was not a small child that needed to be babied.

"She cheated on you, Edward," Marcus admitted, saying my name for the first time.

I felt like I was punched in the gut. My breath left me. Oh God, oh dear God, I'm gonna be sick. I held my head between my hands as the world around me spun, my stomach churned.

"What? Cheated? Why?" I rambled, struggling to form words as the memory of a certain blonde stranger flitted through my mind. I had been right.

"I know, but sometimes, things out of our control just happen. It wasn't like it was unexpected. It was wrong, she might even admit that herself, can you blame her? You hardly gave her a lick of attention. Frankly, I'm surprised that you're reacting this way. The Edward from this world didn't really give a shit," he said bluntly and shrugged.

I clenched and unclenched my hands at his words while the dizzying feeling swept out of me. "Of course I'm angry! Irritated! Annoyed!" I spluttered, "I don't know what the fuck I'm feeling but I deserve the right to feel! Christ, she's...my wife!"

"Edward, son, you need to calm down. Pull yourself together," he attempted to soothe me, "I think you are forgetting that your wife in this world is Tanya and not Bella. I don't think it's a stretch to remind you that you don't love Tanya, in this world or the other. She cheated on you, not Bella."

Clarity, he got to the heart of my problem in seconds. Grudgingly, I admitted he was right. My anger at my wife for cheating was secondary to the fear that gripped my heart of the idea that I may have pushed Bella to do the same. Even Marcus said it himself. In this world, I didn't give Tanya the time of day and I had been doing the same exact thing to Bella in the other world. Where I was clueless about Tanya, I remembered every single one of my fuck-ups when it came to Bella.

Jesus, I'm such an asshole. I'm so sorry, Bella.

My mouth hung open at my train of thought. I had been too arrogant to admit, even to myself, that everything that happened in the other world was my fault. Now was not the time to dwell on the other world. I needed to find answers in this world, and then, if given the chance, work on correcting those aforementioned fuck-ups.

"Is that it? Her cheating was the final straw?" I asked, trying to get my breathing under control.

He nodded as he eyed me warily. "I'm not really sure…I'm positive that there is more to this puzzle than I even know," he sighed.

We were quiet for a minute, gazing out at the quiet street, before I spoke. "I want to do it."

"Do what?"

"I want…no, I need," I said firmly, "all the answers, a full explanation for everything. I need to find out the full truth before making any other decisions."

Marcus was looking at me intently. Was that pride I saw in his eyes? For me?

He wiped a non-existent sweat of his forehead and said, "Phew! I wanted you to find out everything but I wasn't about to push you into doing so. I didn't want you to suffer from info-overload," his tone was back to his normal sarcasm.

"So, how exactly am I going to get more answers?" I asked, with a roll of my eyes, "From Carmen? I can't very well just ask her…she'll notice that something weird is going on."

"You didn't actually think I wouldn't have a plan, did you?" he asked, flashing me his trademark smirk, before snapping his fingers. In his hand, he had a bottle of Sherry wine. He continued, "You, my friend, are going to ply Carmen with this. Only a little bit though," he shot me a warning glance, "…it will help her to loosen up some. Then, you can question her, but not harm her."

I reluctantly agreed. I wasn't a big fan of over imbibing. However: Operation Let's Get Carmen Tipsy was officially on.