A/N: Thank you all for taking time to read and review! So, yes, Emmett's okay, but Edward may be in some hot water. There is mention of suicide in this chapter. If this is a trigger for you, please skip the italicized paragraphs.

As always, I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does.

EPOV

"Masen?" Rosalie stared at me, utterly bewildered. "Your last name's Cullen…right?"

My mouth opened and closed several times as I tried to start the conversation I never intended to have, but that fucking detective beat me to it.

"No ma'am, Cullen is his aunt's surname-"

"Detective Adler, I would rather not discuss this here," I huffed. "Is there something in particular you need from me?"

"Well, Mr. Masen-"

"Edward…just Edward," I corrected, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"Alright…Edward. We were notified that Masen's Bar caught fire tonight. The firefighters were unable to save the structure and notified the Arson Unit that the blaze was particularly intense. We'll begin an investigation in the morning as to whether or not the fire was set intentionally."

"What does that have to do with me? I wasn't there."

"You are the owner of the bar-"

"Actually, no he's not," Marcus snapped. "Masen's Bar is owned by the Masen Family Trust-"

"Of which Edward Masen is the sole beneficiary and you, Mr. Volturi, are the trustee." Detective Adler added curtly, pointing his finger in Marcus' direction. "See, I did my homework."

Realizing that tempers were quickly getting heated, I stepped in to squash this little impromptu rehash of my family history. "Detective Adler, can we do this another time? My friend is badly injured and I'd like to concentrate on him for the moment. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have, but not right now."

The detective's eyes narrowed as he eyed me suspiciously. "Fine, Mr. Masen. You can come down to the precinct tomorrow at noon." He turned his gaze to Rosalie, taking in her disheveled appearance. "We'll also need an official statement from you, Miss. I take it you and the injured gentleman were in the building when the fire started, correct?"

"Yes," Rosalie hissed, cutting her eyes toward me. "I'll come down tomorrow with Mr. Masen, but I'm afraid you won't be able to get Emmett's statement until he's more lucid." The heat from her glare burned through me, scorching my very soul. Fuck, Marcus was right…I should have told them.

"Very well," Detective Adler proclaimed with a condescending tone as he turned and pulled his silent partner toward the door. "I'll see you all tomorrow. And Mr. Masen…Edward, feel free to bring your attorney."

Marcus growled low under his breath. He hated being referred to like a common lap dog. "We'll be there."

Relief flooded through me as the detectives finally exited the room. I dropped down into the closest chair and hung my head, completely stunned as to tonight's course of events. The bar was gone - possibly torched on purpose, my friends were injured, and my dirty laundry had just been aired to everyone who mattered in my life.

Fuck me.

"I don't understand," Rosalie spat as she stared me down, her eyes full of hurt and contempt. "Your name is Edward Masen? Not Cullen? You own the bar?"

"Rosalie," Marcus sighed, "can we please not do this now?"

"Why not now?" Rosalie stood from her chair and began to pace the length of the small hospital room before finally coming to stop right in front of me, glaring accusingly. "I thought I knew you! Is this just some sort of game to you?"

My eyes filled with tears as her verbal assault sent slivers of ice deep into my heart. "No Rosalie," I whispered. "I've been exactly where you were a year ago. This was never a game to me-"

"Stop! Just stop!" Bella shouted from her wheelchair in the corner. My heart splintered further at her outcry. "Rose," Bella huffed, "you've had a rough night. So, please stop attacking Edward."

Rose snapped her mouth closed and stomped back over to Emmett's bedside, plopping down in the chair and gripping his hand tightly. She refused to look at me again.

I chanced a glance in Bella's direction and was surprised to see her staring intently at me with compassion shining brightly in her eyes. "Edward, our hour is almost up. Will you take me home?"

Nodding wordlessly, I stood up and crossed the room, slipping behind Bella's wheelchair. As I grasped the handlebars, Bella reached her hand up behind her shoulder and placed it over mine in a comforting gesture. I could have fucking cried right then and there.

I pushed her toward the door and Marcus followed close behind. With a parting glance toward Rose and Emmett and a painful lump in my throat, I whispered, "I'm sorry for what you must think of me right now, Rosalie, but I truly hope you give me a chance to explain."

Offering no response, Rosalie's eyes stayed trained on Emmett's sleeping form as we slipped from the room and made our way back down to the car. The ride home was heavy with an oppressive atmosphere, the silence only broken by my labored breathing. Marcus asked if I would like for him to come up so that we could talk, but I just shook my head no. Right now, I just wanted to go to bed and pretend that my past wasn't rearing its ugly head.

After getting Bella settled for the night, I turned to leave her room when her quiet voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Edward? Please wait."

I couldn't bear to turn and look at her. I didn't want to see the disappointment in her eyes. This whole time, I thought I was doing the right thing…fulfilling my father's legacy. What a total fuckup I turned out to be.

"Go to sleep, Bella…it's been a long day." Ignoring her plea, I turned out the light and closed the door behind me, making my way down the hall to my own room. I slammed the door behind me and stripped down to my underwear, falling into bed as I let the angry tears streak down my temples and into the pillow below.

I closed my eyes and willed the tears into submission as I flung my forearm over my eyes. I silently prayed for sleep to take me; hoping beyond reason that I could have a do-over…reset this horrific day. My memories seemed to be on rewind as I relived Rosalie's accusations, Emmett's burned appendages, and Marcus' shrill screams that the bar was on fire. As my mind began to shut down, I saw Bella's beautiful face and beaming smile; felt the softness of her lips against mine.

As sleep pulled me under, my last thought was of that wondrous kiss. Maybe today hadn't been all bad…

Happy fucking birthday to me. So maybe I had been a tad melodramatic to attempt this on my birthday, but what the fuck did I have to lose? My head was pounding and my whole damn body ached, but it was the incessant beeping from that fucking heart monitor that was driving me absolutely batty. A loud commotion from the hallway caught my attention and I just knew my personal hell was about to get a whole lot worse.

The door to my hospital room flew open, hitting the wall with a resounding thud as an enraged Carlisle stormed inside with Marcus hot on his heels.

"You selfish little prick!" Carlisle spat as he grabbed for my hospital gown. Marcus gripped his other arm and managed to yank him back a few feet as Carlisle continued to hurl insults at me. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Haven't we been hurt enough? Hasn't Esme been through enough?"

I pulled the blanket up over me and tried my best to ignore my furious uncle, refusing to meet his heated glare.

"Look at me you little shit! Do you have any idea what you've put your aunt through today? First, she's abducted by those sick, twisted friends of yours; forced to endure depravities so horrible she won't even tell me what really happened. Then she's made to suffer the anguish of the trial for their crimes against both her and your father, all of which rest squarely on your shoulders. Yet, after all that, the only redeeming act you can think of is to end your own life!"

At my shrug of indifference Carlisle lunged toward me again, grinding his teeth as he growled at my insolence. Marcus was able to restrain him once more and pulled him toward the door, pleading with him to calm down before security was called.

After several long moments, Carlisle gave up his struggle against Marcus, defeated and grieving. "You disgust me. God forgive me, but I'm glad your father isn't here to see how you turned out. It was his mission in life to help those less fortunate and he would be devastated to see you this way…a good for nothing degenerate. I refuse to take the blame. After his death, I tried, Edward…fuck I tried. We brought you into our home…treated you like a son. And this is the thanks we get!"

While my silence was actually due to the rather uncomfortable heaviness in my chest at the mere mention of my father, Carlisle took it as a sign of further indignation.

"I'm done, Edward...I'm just done," he sighed, slowly turning and stumbling out of my room.

I closed my eyes against the onslaught of tears and fought back the nausea, swallowing endlessly until the rolling in my stomach subsided. A warm hand landed on my arm and I looked up into Marcus' weary eyes.

"Oh, Edward…why would you do this?" he pleaded, his eyes glassing over as he examined the various tubes and wires leading from my body to various machines scattered about the room. "Please, help me understand-"

"What's to understand, Marcus? I'm a fuckup. Didn't you hear Carlisle? It's all my fault; Esme's assault, my father's death, everything."

"He's distraught, Edward," Marcus sighed as he took a seat in the small chair next to my bed. "You tried to kill yourself. It was pure luck that Esme found you. He's angry…and rightfully so."

I groaned loudly in frustration and turned away from him. "Not you too, Marcus-"

"Hey, don't pull that petulant teenage bullshit with me, son. I won't fall for it like Carlisle does. Your father…he was my best friend; the kindest and most selfless man I've ever known. I'm a better person because of him."

I detested talking about my father. If it wasn't for me, he'd still be alive. He did so much…gave so much. My father truly was my hero. I just didn't realize it until it was too late.

"He loved you so very much," Marcus continued, "even though he didn't know how to show it. I know there was a…rift…between the two of you. You felt alone and ignored. He didn't have a good sense of balance for the true passions in his life."

I shrugged nonchalantly as if his words meant nothing to me. "I had Carlisle and Esme…they were pretty good stand-ins for when my father was on one of his crusades."

"But they weren't him, son. They weren't your father. I understand. We've all made mistakes in this life." Marcus's voice was thick with regret and cracked on the last syllable. "Don't continue down this path of self-destruction, Edward. Become the better man; the man your father always knew you would turn out to be."

My tears flowed in earnest and I tried to quickly wipe them away, only to have more take their place. I was a bottomless well of grief and there seemed to be no end. "How, Marcus? I've lost everything! Destroyed the lives of everyone I love!"

"Let me help you, son. I can help you. You haven't lost me."

My eyes snapped open and I sat straight up in bed, clutching at my chest while I tried to slow my pounding heart. Except for my labored breathing, my room was utterly silent, the inky blackness cut by rays of moonlight streaming through my window.

I finally shook off the last vestiges of my dream and swung my legs off the side of the bed, rubbing my face briskly. In the calm quiet of the extremely early morning hours, my thoughts were a cacophony of jumbled memories; each one adding another layer of guilt to my already burdened conscience.

An unfamiliar sound met my ears and I strained to detect its origin. I got up and walked slowly to my bedroom door, creaking it open and peering down the hallway. The noise sounded again; a quiet cry from Bella's room. With my heart in my throat, I rushed to her door and knocked loudly.

"Bella? Are you alright?" Pressing my ear to the door, I continued to hear her muffled cries. In an instant my brain ran through all of the actions I took upon our arrival home. The door was locked and the alarm was set, of that I was sure. Logically I knew that it was extremely unlikely that someone had broken in, but my head and my heart were in disagreement.

I burst through the door intent on saving Bella from her assailant, only to find her restrained within the confines of her blue sheets, kicking and writhing in her sleep.

"No, no, no…please let me go," she pleaded to her invisible attacker as tears poured from the corners of her closed eyes. Her face was covered with a fine sheen of sweat and her hair was plastered to her forehead.

"Edward…Edward!" she gasped in between gulps of air. Her cries urged me to action as I raced to the side of her bed. I'd never had a panic attack while asleep, but Bella was definitely on the verge of a violent attack right now.

Just as I reached her side, she flew awake, screeching to the ceiling as her eyes darted around the room.

"Bella? Bella! You're safe! It's okay!" I chanted, trying to break through her confusion. "Bella…it's me, Edward." I tried to reassure her, but she was still reeling from her nightmare and pushed me to the floor.

Bella tumbled out of her bed, kicking and screaming, falling to her knees on the floor before scrambling to the nearest corner. She curled into a ball and trembled violently, still caught in the grips of her nightmare. I crawled toward her and clasped her ankle, all the while knowing full well it may only reinforce her fear…but I had to try.

"Please Bella…please, try to calm down," I begged as her blue tinted lips moved soundlessly. I pulled her to me and wrapped myself around her, pressing her back to my chest and placing my palm flat against the base of her throat. I scooted backward and propped us up in the corner with my back to the wall and my legs on either side of hers. "Breathe with me, Bella…please breathe with me."

She struggled for a moment until she burned off the rest of her adrenaline and slumped back against me, utterly exhausted. Under my touch, her anxiety decreased incrementally until finally her breathing began to even out.

"Edward?" Bella whispered into the dark.

Realizing that she was finally lucid, I sighed with relief and closed my eyes. "Yes, Bella, it's me. You're okay sweetheart."

"Wh-what happened?" she asked as goose bumps broke out across her skin.

I wrapped my arms completely around her and rubbed her forearms briskly, helping to warm her up a bit. "You had a panic attack, sweetheart."

"While I was asleep?"

"Yes," I replied. "Nocturnal panic attacks are rare but not unheard of. I…I heard you…from my room. I'm sorry I just barged in, but you were calling out and I thought someone had broken in-"

Bella gasped loudly and began to shake slightly in my arms at the mention of a possible intruder.

"Hey, hey…it's okay. You were having a nightmare. No one broke in, Bella," I reaffirmed. "I didn't mean to make you think otherwise. I'm sorry." Her shaking abated and she snuggled back into my chest, tucking her head under my chin.

"Will you tell me what your nightmare was about?" I asked hesitantly.

"It's all kind of cloudy now…only bits and pieces," she whispered. "Jake was here and he was telling me to run."

"Run from me?" I asked as a painful lump formed in my throat.

"No…not from you. There was fire everywhere," she cried, "and James was blocking my path."

"Shh, Bella, it's okay. I'm sorry that the fire at the bar affected you so much." I hugged her tighter to me, hoping to calm her a bit.

"No…I mean, yes, it did…but in my dream the fire was here…and you were hurt. I couldn't find you." She suddenly turned and looked deeply into my eyes, almost like she was searching for something. "Before the fire broke out, Jake was here…holding my hand like he used to when we were kids. Jake told me to trust you…that you would take care of me. He said you're hiding, but that deep down you're a good man and that I should be patient."

I sighed and closed my eyes against her intense stare. I needed to tell her. Marcus was right; I had to come clean to everyone. I had shunned family for too long and I cared about these people. They deserved to know the truth about me, consequences be damned.

"Jake was wrong, Bella. I'm not a good person, but I have been hiding for far too long." My head fell back against the wall with a hard thud as I opened my eyes and stared up at the ceiling. "I'll tell you, Bella…all of it…but I need a few hours to get my thoughts together, okay? Then you can decide if you want to stay with me."

"I don't mean to push, Edward. You don't have to tell me," she mumbled. "I won't condemn you for your secrets."

I could hear the disdain in her voice and instinctively knew that she was referring to the little display that Rosalie made at the hospital.

"Please don't be angry with Rose," I pleaded. "This is all my fault. Marcus warned me and I should have told them the truth ages ago. They're the closest friends I've ever had and I can only hope they'll forgive me once they know everything."

Bella shook her head in disagreement. "Rose's accusations were cruel, Edward. She should have given you the benefit of the doubt."

To an extent, Bella was right. I knew that the things Rose heard came as an incredible shock to her, but I'd known her and Emmett for a year. Surely she could've afforded me a little patience.

"Come on, Bella," I whispered as I climbed off the floor and pulled Bella up into my arms. "Let's get you back into bed for at least a few hours, okay? Then we'll talk."

Wrapping her arms around my neck, she hummed lightly and buried her face into the crook of my neck. "Will you stay with me?" she mumbled. "I don't want to be alone." I could feel the heat from her inflamed cheeks, obviously embarrassed at her admission. "You can have the right side of the bed…I trust you."

I gulped loudly at the thought of sharing a bed with this beguiling creature. "Sure, Bella…anything you want."

I tucked Bella under the covers and then proceeded around the foot of the bed, climbing in on my side. I made sure to leave at least a foot of space between us, even though it left my right leg dangling off the side.

Bella mumbled something that sounded like goodnight, before sleep quickly overtook her. I just stared at the shadows dancing on the ceiling, willing my body into compliance, as I contemplated the possible repercussions from the conversation we would be having in a few short hours.