CHAPTER TEN - CONSEQUENCES

EDWARD POV (During Payment)

"Edward!" I heard my name being called through the darkness.

"Is he alright?" another voice asked.

"How the hell should I know?"

Just then I heard a phone ringing or what sounded like a phone ringing. I couldn't be sure as my head was still spinning, for all I know the ringing could have came from my ears. Where was I? What the hell happened?

"Hello" I heard Alec's voice again.

I tried to open my eyes but my eyelids felt heavy, like I could sleep for a month.

"Look Minty I'll take care of it, I'll get you what you're owed" he snapped before I heard a bang, which I could have only guessed was the phone being slammed down.

"Who was that?" the other voice asked, I was pretty sure it was Jane.

"Wrong number"

"What are we going to do with him?" Jane's asked.

"Slap him"

"I'm not going to slap him, you slap him"

"No thanks his already punched me today, I'm not going to piss him off again by slapping him" He almost laughed.

"What if he has got a concussion?" she replied.

Oh for god sake just slap me I wanted to scream if I was going to just lie here in the darkness not being able to move I might have well have done it in silence.

"Fine" she huffed.

"Edward" she whispered. "Edward" she whispered again but this time I felt pressure on the side of my face.

"Wake up!" She started to shout.

I was surprised that that did the trick. My eyes snapped open as she was about to slap me a second time. Jane was sitting next to me on the floor in her bathrobe as Alec was crouching over the top of me looking down.

"Morning sleepy head" Alec laughed.

"What the, what happened?" I had to ask because I really couldn't remember.

"You passed out don't you remember?"

Yeah I could remember that part but what I couldn't remember was why. I grabbed Alec's hand as he pulled me up. I must have stood up to quickly because the blood rushed to my head nearly knocking me back down.

"Whoa" Alec steadied me.

"Sit down dude, Jane get him a drink"

He ushered me to their sofa while Jane went into the kitchen. He planted me down before he got his shoes on.

"You off out?" I asked.

"Yeah mate got business to take care of" by that I guessed he meant his problem.

"Jane I'm just going out for a while catch you later" he shouted in the kitchen before leaving.

Jane came in and set a glass of water down on the coffee table in front of me. I reached out and took a slip but before I placed it back on the table something caught my eye which made me completely miss the table.

"Don't worry I've got it" she said.

I didn't even acknowledge her words or movements. It was like I had tunnel vision and I could only see this purse that was sticking out like a sore thumb on the mantel piece. I had finally remembered why I had passed out in the first place. This purse pulled me in like a magnet before I knew it my feet were already moving and my hands were on the purse. I examined every inch of it precisely and every detail made my heart flutter even more. It was Bella's, it had to have been, even if Jane coincidentally had the same purse and drew the exact same whiskers on it there no way she had the same sent that lingered of it, the sweet scent of strawberries.

"Where did you get this from?" I asked turning around holding the purse in my hand.

"No where its mine" she replied still picking up the broken glass from the floor.

"Jane I need to know where did you get it!" I said raising my voice.

"I told you its mine!"

"Ok then, you won't mind me taking a look"

"No" she shouted jumping up off the floor.

I was much quicker than her I undone the zip and checked the contents. Money, coins, library cards and a drivers licence. As I turned the card around in my hands the purse and all the content in my other hand fell to the ground as I looked into the face of my angel.

It was her, it was my Bella I could stare at this photo and hours, day or maybe even weeks could have past by without me knowing. Time never meant anything when it came to her. I had a bucket load of feeling all shoot through me at the same time I didn't know if to cry, smile, jump for joy or be sick.

"Where did you get it?" I managed to push out, I didn't have a clue how I sounded.

"Fine, I found it at work" she admitted picking up the contents and the purse off the floor.

I knew she was lying again and I didn't have the patience for her mind games.

"Get dressed, you're going to show me where" I asked her. Let me rephrase that I told her.

"Fine, I have to talk to Sabrina anyway" she huffed and hurried to her room.

I quickly ran back to my apartment to put on some clean clothes and to grab a jacket. I didn't have time to stand around and choose so I took the first things out my wardrobe and ripped the new labels off. Black jeans, black top, and a grey jacket, done. I put Bella's driving licence in my pocket and returned to Jane's apartment in less than ten minutes.

Surprise, surprise she wasn't ready so I waited around for her to finish while I went over my thoughts clearly. How could Jane's have ended up with her purse? Even if she was telling the truth how the hell would somebody else have ended up with it? Something didn't add up and I had to find out what it was?

Just then Jane appeared with from the hall with her work uniform in her hand, she threw it on the sofa and grabbed her jacket before we left.

Beings as I didn't have my car and Alec had took his car we had to walk a few blocks to her work place. It was 1.30pm by the time we arrived at the diner, I didn't really pay attention to the decor or the surrounds I just knew that there was a lot of red. We entered and the place was nearly deserted except for a few people scattered around that I didn't really take the time to notice. The only person I did notice was Sabrina standing behind the counter with a huge grin on her face.

"Edward what a nice surprise, I didn't no you missed me this much" she cooed.

"I didn't" I said crossing my arms.

If it would have been under different circumstances I would have laugh at the reaction from her face but I didn't move an inch. A strange feeling washed over me that sent a shiver down my spine and for no apparent reason I looked to the left of me straight at an empty booth.

"You're telling me" Sabrina and Jane laughed together.

I didn't really get the gist of the conversation but I wasn't really paying attention.

"I can't believe him and her are still together" Sabrina said.

"Yeah I no after what I told you what happened, anyway I've told you the hot gossip now" Jane replied.

I could only guess that they were bitching about their friends behind their backs.

"Yeah it just shows you what friends are capable of, oh which reminds me your friends were in here earlier looking for you, I gave her your number"

"What friends?" Jane perked up.

Yeah what friends? I thought to myself.

"I dunno didn't catch their names, brown eyes, long dark brown hair, yey height, your build"

Her description was all that it took to make me feel sick, physically sick and I knew why.

I bolted back out the door to the parking lot where I puked up at the side of the diner. A river of sick erupted out my mouth as I started to hyperventilate. I grabbed the side of the railing for support as my head spun around.

She was alive...

All my emotions exploded within me at the same time. Love, hate, happiness, sadness, betrayal, guilt you name it I had it. There were that many I didn't no which one to focus on. The one that shone the most though was anger and that was the one that had made me sick. I was angry at myself. If she was still alive then I had left her all alone. I had abandoned her. I fell to my knees and rocked back a forth on the pavement, pulling at my hair. I sucked in all the air around me and the growl that erupted out of my chest echoed around the parking lot.

What had I done? How could I have been so selfish and stupid? I should have known that she was alive because I was still alive. My heart still beats everyday and that was only because hers was. I pleaded with her to stay alive for me, for us, for our child and she did and look what I did? I ran away and hid, the world would be better off and my Bella would be better off from the selfish, stupid, idiotic, horrible person that was myself. I had left Bella alone to deal with the aftermath of the accident and our loss. All the guilt, shame and betrayal would live with me forever and I would not let them escape through my tears. I would hold and deal with all these consequences inside and burn from the inside out like the demon that I was.

"Edward, what the hell..." Jane said tiring to pull me up.

"Don't touch me!" I growled at her.

I managed to pull myself up, how I did not now. My legs or my body didn't feel like mine.

"You stole it from her didn't you?" I asked without looking directly at her.

"Who?"

"The girl who Sabrina was talking about."

"Yes" she whispered.

None of this was Jane's fault and I guess I couldn't blame her for stealing the purse because it only led to the truth being revealed in the end and that was Bella was alive. I wanted to see her now more than ever not to give excuses for my actions or to beg for forgiveness, but to simply make sure that she was safe, to see if within these six months apart she finally found something or someone to make her happy because Bella deserved that. I stared walking again through the parking lot with a destination and a plan in my head, I knew I had to see her and knew where to go to find her.

"Edward where are you going?" Jane shouted behind me.

"Home" I whispered.

About twenty minutes later I arrived in the hallway of my apartment with Jane trailing behind me.

"What the hell!" she shouted running past my door to hers.

"I've told Alec time and time again about fixing this door"

Her front door being wide open didn't go unnoticed to me either. I decided to skip my apartment and take a quick look in case there was anybody inside. The living room looked trashed but there no signs of life.

I retreated back to my apartment leaving Jane to clean up the mess in her own apartment whilst I left my front door open in case the vandalises came back then I would surprise them, and trust me how I was feeling right now it wasn't going to be a nice surprise. I headed straight into my room and grabbed my duffle bag from underneath my bed and started shoving everything in. I didn't know how long I would stay in Forks or where I would stay for that matter. Would my family welcome me back with open arms? Would Bella? I hoped not that way I would feel like what it is to be rejected, abandoned.

"Edward!" I heard my name being called.

"In here"

Alec burst through my bedroom door.

"Edward, you gotta help me, please" He rambled on in a frantic rate.

"Calm down Alec what happened?"

"They took her, we need to go now!" He shouted pulling at his hair.

"Took who, what's going on?"

"I got a call from Minty the guys, they took her because I haven't paid them"

I took him by the shoulders and guided him back into the living room.

"Took who?"

"Jane, they took Jane, I swear to god if they have hurt her"

I didn't have a clue what he was going on about, for a split second I thought that maybe he was drunk or sleep walking but when I sin the worry in his eyes that thought flew away faster then they came.

"What's all the shouting about?" Jane entered holding a dishcloth.

Alec tore his way from my grip and ran straight to his sister.

"Oh thank god" Alec said picking her pick into a hug.

"Ok, erm what's going on" she tried to say as he squeezed the life out of her.

"Yes please explain"

I was baffled as much as Jane was. He released her then walked to the window.

"I owe some money to some bad people but I haven't been able to come up with the cash. I got a call from them today saying that they have got my sister and if I didn't come up with the cash then I she was as good as dead"

I guess this explains how much trouble he really was in.

"But I'm right here" Jane perked up going over to hug her brother again.

"Well if your here, then who have they got" Alec asked confused.

"I think I know" an all too familiar voice spoke.

I turned and followed the voice to the front door which revealed a tall blonde man leaning up against the doorframe. I recognised him straight away, how could I not he was my youngest brother. Then a sudden rush of urgency engulfed me and I knew the answer to Alec's question.

"Bella"