9

The city was dark and the lights in the tall high-rise looked intimidating. I had no idea how to introduce myself, or where to begin apologizing. He was alive and I would have to concentrate on that fact. I would willingly take his anger and his accusations, because he was alive to be angry.

When I approached his door I could hear loud music and smell smoke and liquor. If he was having a party it should be a good sign, but who would party on the twenty year anniversary of your parents deaths? I knocked and nobody came to the door. I knocked louder and finally an unsteady man opened up. I could tell right away it wasn't Edward.

"Hi, I'm looking for Edward," I said confidently.

He didn't respond, only moved away from the door and let me see the inside of the apartment. I walked in to find people all over the place. They all appeared either drunk or high. They stared at me with glassy eyes and nobody spoke. I walked up to a girl sitting in a chair and asked, "Where is Edward?'

She turned her head and stared down the hallway for a moment before slowly lifting her hand and pointing. I headed down the darken hall and opened a couple of doors before finding Edward sitting on the edge of his bed in only his boxers. His head was raised but his eyes were closed. His bare chest was covered in tattoos and his hair hung tangled to his shoulders.

My eyes were spilling tears before I even realized I was crying. I walked slowly toward him, making noise he should have heard, but he never opened his eyes. I stood in front of him, taking deep breaths of air that didn't seem to penetrate my lungs. "Edward?" I called out softly.

He swayed a bit but didn't respond or open his eyes. I reached out and touched his shoulder and leaned closer to speak to him. "Edward, open your eyes."

His eyes finally opened but they didn't focus on me. He simply stared forward. I looked at the pile of clothes on his floor and picked up his shirt and began to forcefully put it onto him. Then I got his jeans and put them over his feet before pulling him to stand and fastening them onto his body. "Where are your shoes?" I asked, but received no response.

I decided to forget about the shoes and pulled him toward the door. It was then I finally noticed a woman was in bed with him. She never moved or opened her eyes either, so I continued out the door with him.

After sitting him into my car I knelt down to fasten the belt. I stared into his face and said, "Edward, I am so sorry. We're going to fix this, I promise."

I had no idea why I was promising something so absurd. He already served his time, he already gave up on his future, what could I fix? He was now a thirty-two year old man full of bitterness and regret instead of the naïve boy who was so full of promise.

I took him back to my place and stripped him down before putting him into my bed. I stuck his clothes in the washer and then sat at my computer to find out everything I could about Edward Masen. I found out he had changed his name to Edward Cullen, most likely trying to escape his infamous past. He lived with Esme and Carlisle when he was released from prison, but moved into the condo after his drug use became an issue for the family.

When his clothing was clean and dry I sat them next to my bed and then fell asleep on the couch. I was emotionally exhausted, and we hadn't shared one word yet. I had no idea how I was going to face all of this. He would probably just think I was crazy anyway.

He hadn't wakened up and it was now past two in the afternoon. I decided to make some food and hope the smell would stir him. I also wanted to feed his emaciated form and hope it would make his muddled mind clearer. I made spaghetti and meatballs for the protein and carbs and broiled some garlic bread. I was checking the meatballs when he came walking into the kitchen.

I felt my face blush to see he was only in his boxers again. "Your pants and shirt are clean," I informed him.

He looked at me really hard and then nodded before jumping up onto my counter to sit. "I got really fucked up last night," he admitted. "Tell me who you are again."

It felt so wrong to hear Edward talk like that. I was used to the polite boy who used perfect manners at all times. I ignored the question and asked, "Do you do that often?"

"Probably, tell me what we did," he joked. His smile was so familiar but his dirty hair was not.

"Why don't you take a shower while I finished making a meal," I suggested. He jumped down and headed out of the kitchen.

Suddenly he turned and asked, "Do you have any weed? I feel a little anxious."

HE was feeling anxious, I was downright freaking out! I shook my head and he left the room. I glanced at my cabinet containing my liquor and decided to keep it locked away. This was going to be confusing enough without adding vodka.

I made way too much food, hoping he would agree to take some home and work on putting meat onto his bones. I set the table and poured some juice when he came back into the kitchen, this time wearing only his boxers and jeans. His wet hair hung dripping down his body and I tried to keep from watching it.

He pulled out a chair and sat right when my doorbell rang. I worried it was Jake and walked cautiously to the door. Just as I looked out of the peephole Alice flipped me the bird. I opened the door to find everyone standing there. She pushed me aside and said, "I know you made plenty for all of us to eat."

Emmett and Rose followed her into the kitchen but Jasper put his arm around me and asked, "Are you holding up okay?"

"No," I admitted. "I haven't told him anything yet….but surely Alice told you that."

He laughed and walked with me into the kitchen. Rose stared at Edward and gave a disgusted grown before saying, "You didn't age well."

"Rose," I yelled angrily. "He's had a tough time."

"I'm just saying he could clean up a bit, maybe eat a little more, and for heaven's sake use some eye drops."

I looked over at his bloodshot eyes and wished I could get my own bottle of Visine and fix the red tint. He looked at the group of people looking back at him and then chuckled uncomfortably. "I don't usually party with your kind, but whatever," he said, and then took a bite of bread.

Alice scooted her chair closer to him and then pointed at me. "Do you recognize her?"

His eyes moved to mine and I looked away out of guilt. He shook his head and said, "I was really fucked up last night."

Emmett laughed and I smacked him on the shoulder. Alice clarified and said, "Does she look familiar, like you knew her a long time ago?"

He looked at me again but this time I stared back at him. He narrowed his eyes and leaned unconsciously toward me before suddenly backing away and saying, "No, should I?"

I didn't know what I wanted from him, would it be easier if he remembered me or not? I decided to push him a little and said, "Do you remember playing in your attic?" I could see him visibly tense and he moved his eyes away from mine before taking another bite of bread.

"Edward, I'm a psychiatrist. Everyone here knows you are innocent," Jasper said to calm him.

He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. "That doesn't mean shit to me," he demanded.

His defiance angered Rosalie and she yelled back at him. "Well, it should, because we are the only people in this city who think you're innocent."

"Rose, don't," I said softly.

Edward glanced at me quickly and then said, "Who the hell are you people?"

We were all silent until Emmett spoke up and said, "We want to help you prove your innocence and find the real killer."

It sounded great. It didn't make us seem like freaks who messed up his second chance at life. It made us sound like friend, comrades in his cause. We all smiled down at him but his face never softened.

"The case was solved, haven't you heard," Edward said, and I could hear the pain in his voice.

Emmett leaned against my refrigerator and gave Edward something to think about. "What if they made the wrong deduction when they found the kid? What if the murder weapon was tossed into the laundry chute where you just happened to hide? What if the wounds on your arms and legs weren't from a struggle with your parents but from trying to get out of the chute?"

"A jury wouldn't believe you," Edward said, and went back to his plate of food. He had gone through the trial already and knew the truth wasn't going to matter.

"A judge would believe it if we find the real killer. You could be exonerated," Emmett continued.

Edward didn't respond and kept eating. I finally knelt in front of him and said, "Edward, look at me."

His eyes found mine and I could see the fear building inside of him. I didn't know if he recognized me or if he felt I was a ghost from his past. I smiled as kindly as I could and said, "You didn't kill your parents and it's time for the real killer to be found."

His eyes filled with tears and he shook his head. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"You can have your life back," I pleaded with him.

"My life?" he yelled. "What fucking life? My life ended with my parents. I'm already dead; I just don't have a corpse yet."

His words stung and I wanted to throw my arms around him for comfort, but I had no comfort to offer him. I shook my head back and forth adamantly as I said over and over again, "No, no, un uh, you are not dead." He was here in the flesh and that opportunity doesn't came along often. He was getting a third chance and I couldn't let him blow it. "You never took the easy way before, don't do it now. You are not guilty and you need to stand up and fight. We'll help you, you're not alone."

Tiny Alice took command of the room and said, "You know her don't you, Edward?" I noticed Edward never contradicted her statement.

We all turned to look at Alice and she began introducing everyone. "Emmett is a police officer. He can get the case reopened. Jasper is a psychiatrist and he can help you with withdrawals and anxiety. Rose and I are mediums, psychics who see things. And of course you already know Bella Swan is a reporter."

There, she said the words, telling him my name. The name he knew as his imaginary friend from long ago who convinced him to search his house and find the laundry chute. His eyes went from everyone slowly toward me. When ours connected his widened and he pushed away from the table. I reached out for him but he slapped my arm away. "Stay away from me," he demanded as his face paled.

He ran from the room and out of the apartment without getting his shirt. Jasper stood and put his arm on my shoulder. "I'll go after him, don't worry."

I felt helpless and hopeless. Maybe Edward was scarred too much and didn't have any desire to fix his life. It was possible I should have let him parish along with his family. Alice knew what I was feeling and came over to hug me. "Bella, he needs your help, now more than before."

"I don't think I can help him," I said as I began to cry.

"You have to, because your fate is tied to his," she said knowingly.

I pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "What?" I asked, totally clueless to what she was telling me.

"You and Edward love each other very much. It is a really old love, like it existed centuries before. No matter what happens in life or how many lives we each get, you will always find each other."

I wanted to tell her she was wrong, or crazy, or that I didn't believe in a love that spanned lifetimes. But something in her words resonated inside my heart and I suddenly ached for Edward. I had to fix his life or lose mine in the process. I took a deep breath and then headed toward the door.