a/n: Twilight characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot and characterization is mine.

"Thou art a flesh monger, a fool, and a coward." ~Measure for Measure

Chapter 14 – A Fool and A Coward

Heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway with an omniscient clanging of keys. A brawly man with thick arms yet a boyish face stood before the holding cell and looked at the occupants.

A man was half laying on one of the benches, half his body was resting on the floor. His drunken snores let out a putrid breath that all of his cell mates were forced to endure. A couple officers upstairs delayed booking him because they wanted him to sleep off his overdose of whisky from the night before and figured they were doing the old man a service.

Across the cell was a middle aged, slightly overweight man who was sporting a black eye and bloody knuckles. His eyes would flick around the room in a paranoid manner every few minutes and take inventory of his fellow cellmates. Tapping his foot against the concrete floor, the sound beat in conjunction with the footsteps approaching down the hall.

"Cullen," the brawly officer called out.

Edward had his head in his hands deep in thought. Hearing his name he sat up and replied with a feeble, "Yes?"

"Looks like you have a friend upstairs," dimples appeared on the brawly officer's face, "You are free to go."

"About fucking time," Edward muttered and stood up. He was directed out of the cell and down the hall and through a stairwell. He expected to see Jasper with Alice in tow waiting for him, but instead his mother sat patiently on one of the plastic chairs in the lobby, "Were's Jazz?"

Esme stood up at his voice and rushed to his side, "He's not here yet."

"Then how did I get out?"

"I don't know," Esme shook her head in confusion before muttering, "Oh Edward, I forgot to bring along shoes!"

Edward looked down at his bare feet, another reminder of the debacle of his life, "It doesn't matter. Is Bella still here?"

"When I followed you in, she went upstairs while they took you back there. She hasn't come down since."

Edward looked up the stairwell with an inquisitive stare. It appeared all that was upstairs were office spaces, and for the life of him he could not understand why Bella would be up there. He wanted to follow after Bella and confront her right then, but he also had quite a bit of time to contemplate his next move while sitting with his fellow cell mates. His next move needed to be cautious, there was not more at stake then reclaiming his ex-wife. He had Ellie to think about.

"I need to see Jasper."

Leah put Ellie down for a nap, and then wandered out into the small living room where she immediately collapsed on the couch.

"Fuck," she muttered under her breath, cognizant that a four-year-old lay sleeping on the other side of a very thin plaster wall.

The day had certainly not gone as she had planned. Instead of wowing Bella with their dream home, she was ambushed by the Cullen's.

There were many things in her life that Leah regretted, but taking care of Bella and Ellie was not one of them. She hated Edward and how he reacted to the thought of his daughter. Men were always controlling the situatio, and the women were left to suffer.

Leah stood up and walked over to the small portable iPod dock and scrolled through her play lists. The distinct notes of Mozart's Requiem filled the room, and she pulled down the volume to not awake a sleeping Ellie.

So much controversy surrounded the finale of the piece, but in its final workings it still remained a masterpiece. A tribute to death written at his death, Leah sighed.

Moving back to the couch, Leah knew she had several calls to make. Charlie would need to be notified of events, if nothing else to comfort his daughter. She could make him relay the news to Jacob and cut out that awkward call.

But her first priority would be set up a counter attack to what would inevitably be Edward's response to finding out he was a father. The Cullen's may be in shock now, but Leah had no doubt that as soon as the shock wore in his next call would be to an attorney.

Leah's role would quickly move from friend and confidant to protecting the interests of her client.

She lay lost in her thoughts, but finally realized how long she had been sitting in shock when the Requiem gave the voices to the fifth movement, 'Sanctus'. The haunting melody ran through her.

But Leah could not make herself begin the barrage of calls. Instead her mind was plagued by the question of why she hated Edward. He had done nothing to her personally, yet all these years she had shielded his former wife and child from him.

Because he hurt Bella like Sam hurt me, Leah softened at the admission.

"Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus

Dominus Deus Sabaoth.

Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua.

Hosanna in excelsis.

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.

Hosanna in excelsis."

It was a communion of thoughts, and Leah felt no less purged of repentance then before the revelation. Although she craved more time to organize all the chaos, she resigned herself to taking care of the task at hand.

Picking up her cell phone she dialed a familiar number, "Charlie. It's me, Leah. We have a problem…"

The moment Esme and Edward arrived back at the town house, Edward bolted for the stairs. He needed some time to himself to process the morning's events, and Esme was not helping him to focus.

Edward stepped out of the shower and into his master bedroom. His skin was still rubbed raw as he failed to extricate the mental filth around him. He caught a glance of his naked body in the mirror and his mind flashed back to that morning, waking up in Tanya's bed with her trying to pleasure him.

No matter how hard he tried, he could not remember anything from the night before, and his guilt compounded. He did not know how he would face Tanya at work now. Worse, he did not know how he could face Bella now.

But his indiscretions that made him feel as if the world was against him had amazingly moved to the least of his worries. Now he had to contend with his ex-wife, the love of his life, lying to him about their daughter for years.

"Shit! Fuck! Goddammit! ASSSHIT!—" Edward screamed out obscenities to his mirrored form. The vein in his neck was pulsing and rage fumed on.

A quiet knock came from the door and Esme's gentle voice came through, "Are you alright in there?"

"NO!" Edward wanted to scream. He was as far from 'alright' as any one man could be. Instead he took a breath and answered, "I'll be out in a minute."

"Okay," Esme said with her voice filled with disbelief, "Alice and Jasper's cab just pulled up."

Edward threw on an old pair of pants and a ratty t-shirt, knowing he would be chastised by his younger sister for his style inhibitions but not really caring. He had been fingerprinted a few hours before and really did not feel the need to put on the designer pants she had purchased for him last Christmas.

Badasses like me don't wear Armani, Edward thought while bounding down the stairs.

The front door was already open and Jasper Whitlock walked through heaving two pink suitcases into the foyer.

"Wife," Jasper yelled out the door, "What words in 'short trip to Chicago' warranted four suitcases?"

Alice Whitlock sashayed through the front door and planted a kiss on her husband's cheek.

"Husband," she mocked, "Shut up and carry in my luggage. I have a mother to hug and brother to smack upside the head."

"Yes ma'am," Jasper grinned and ducked back outside to grab the remaining bags.

"Pink, really Alice?" Edward said in disdain at the hideous luggage.

Instead of retorting, Alice followed through with her threat and used her petite hand to slap her brother behind the ear, "Less likely to get stolen then plain old black."

"Ouch, that really hurt!" Edward held the side of his head as the sting lingered.

"You've been keeping things from me Edward,"

"So you hit me?"

"I have been trying to get a hold of you for over a month and you have ignored all of my calls! Yeah you deserve to be given a good smack," Alice did a quick survey of the foyer, "The house is so different from what I remember."

"It still feels the same though," Edward muttered under his breath.

Esme walked out of the kitchen clutching her cell phone and smiled when she saw her daughter and son-in-law. She always felt out of place when her family was far away, and now she felt even more complete. Coming forward she gave them each a generous hug before turning toward Edward.

"It took a few well placed calls but I know where Bella is staying," Edward eyed her suspiciously for a moment and his mother simply shrugged, "What? I have connections."

"Mom, why don't you help Alice settle in with her four massive bags of luggage. Jazz and I need to have a little talk."

While Esme and Alice put away clothes and took a tour of all the renovations to the townhouse, Edward guided Jasper to his library. He shut the doors, and instead of going to the leather seats as his brother-in-law did, Edward gravitated to his piano bench. It comforted him and brought him a bit of solace.

His fingers dusted across the piano as a soft melody came to mind. Tension leaked into his body and he thrust his fists onto the keys with a crashing sound reverberating throughout the room.

"I have this distinct feeling that you are upset right now," Jasper cocked his eyebrow.

"Thank you Mr. Obvious," Edward retorted and turned toward his brother-in-law.

"Alright Edward, before we begin, I have to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"Why didn't you call Garrett about this situation? He was your divorce attorney."

Edward grimaced and scratched the back of his neck, "Umm, yeah. We had a falling out."

"What kind of falling out?"

"I may have punched him when he wouldn't let me follow Bella to talk to her after our divorce hearing."

"So should I be worried about a black eye in the near future?"

"Only if you hold me back."

"So noted," Jasper sat back in his chair and took a deep breath, "So how was your time in the slammer?"

"A load of crap. It took you long enough to get me out."

"Well, it was a bogus charge anyways. The officer should not have been on your property in the first place. However, I can't be given the credit for your quick release."

"What do you mean?"

"It looks like you have a buddy at the precinct, because they sprung you before my paperwork was even processed."

"Who do you think it was?"

"I wondered the same thing," Jasper sat back with an amused expression on his face. "I spoke with a very chatty receptionist at the station who was a little loose with the gossip. She mentioned that a Detective Isabella Swan was to thank for making sure you didn't become someone's bitch behind bars."

"Bella?" Edward said with exasperation.

"Umm—you missed the punch line on that one Edward. Detective Bella," Edward scrunched his eyes with confusion, "For a doctor you can be a bit dense. Let me be a little more succinct: Bella is a police officer."

Edward's eyes widened at the news, "Fuck."

"I'd say. Your ex-wife is a gun toting officer who could probably shoot your pansy ass without even flinching."

"What the hell am I going to do?" Edward stood up and began pacing in front of the window.

"I am assuming the first thing you will want to do is petition for custody. They will have to determine paternity and that might require a DNA test. But if Esme is right, that kiddo of yours is practically a mini-Edward."

"Yeah, she is," Edward stopped pacing for a moment and genuinely smiled. Thinking about his brief glimpse of Ellie was the first thought that had lightened his mood all day.

"Why don't we focus on that and then go from there?" Jasper said, "I know this is messed up—instant fatherhood and all. I'm still mad at you for ignoring my wife and worrying her to the point of tears. But—you are family and I want you to know we are here for you."

Edward nodded briefly in acknowledgement and stood momentarily starring out the window at his quiet backyard. He closed his eyes and spoke barely loud enough for Jasper to hear, "Is it wrong that even after everything she has put me through, a part of me still loves her?"

Jasper wanted to say "yes" that Edward was crazy to care about Bella with all the pain she threw at him. He wanted to tell Edward to forget about that crazy bitch and run her into the ground.

Yet, when he put himself into that position and replaced Bella with Alice, it forced him into another place. If Edward loved Bella half as much as he loved Alice, his feelings became muddled. Being the brilliant lawyer he had become, Jasper evaded the question.

"Does it matter if you love her? If she loved you, would she have put you through all this crap?"

Bella had followed behind as Volt brought in Edward for processing. As soon as they entered the precinct she headed upstairs to her desk to wait for him to finish up his charade.

Volt walked back to his adjacent desk with a smug smile until he saw Bella's face. He spent the next ten minutes being scolded about abuse of powers from his partner.

"Don't you ever pull that crap again, do you hear me?" Bella began to rant. A few of the officers stuck around to watch the show and grimaced at the tongue lashing Volt was receiving. One passed behind Bella's back and motioned to Volt and began miming a ball and chain dragging back his leg.

Bella broke her tirade to throw a backward smack at the mime behind her, "Yorkie you idiot, I can see your reflection in the window."

The other officers would constantly raze Volt that his relationship with his partner was like a marriage without the benefits. Most would assume that Volt who had been on the force for over twelve years could pull out his seniority card with his partner whenever she started to scold him.

However, those who worked closest with the two knew that it was Bella who wore the pants in their work relationship. She did not demand that Volt answer to her, but in an odd way he had the natural affinity to protect Bella if only for the reason that he was intrigued by her. Oddly enough, she was blissfully unaware of her unknowing power over him.

Volt had become fascinated with his petite partner from the first day on the job. He had tried to get a good read on her, but she was unlike any officer he had ever met. She never mentioned a thing about her home life, and not a single personal effect was on her tiny office desk. It was as if she entirely split her work world from her home world, and this enthralled him.

Every one of Volt's former partners, including his first who had been his mentor, eventually learned to defer to him. He certainly was not the strongest officer, the best marksman, or even the most thorough detective, but his family ties and reputation made him a formable person on the police force. There was even talk of putting him the pool to be considered for sergeant within the next few years, an unheard of feat that would make him the youngest in their departments' history.

But you would never know that watching Volt sheepishly take every single one of Bella's angry words. Deep down he was amused by her tenacity and only he knew the juxtaposition of his outward appearance versus his inward musings.

Bella only silenced her rant as she huffed out of the room and make sure the charges had been dropped against Edward. As she walked out of the open office space, Volt turned around and grumbled at the onlookers.

"Alright, show's over slackers, get back to work!" he yelled and strode to his desk to type out his report on the latest case he and Bella were investigating.

Being the observant detective, Bella was quite aware of the stares she had received from her fellow officers. With the shock of the morning she finally just snapped, and it just so happened that Volt was in her path when the storm emerged.

She confirmed that Edward was going to be released immediately, but knew there was no way she could face him right at that moment. This day was never supposed to come, but the only explanation was the stars had aligned just right to create the perfect storm in her life.

Underlying all of the verbal lashing she had given was the cover to the terror she felt in that moment. She walked down a quiet empty hallway throwing her back against the concrete wall. Sliding down slowly she met the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees.

He could take her away from me, Bella sobbed tearlessly.

Creating a secret life had worn her down. Hiding a daughter was not an easy task, even more difficult when her only living family was halfway across the country. It was times like this that Bella desperately wished her mother was still alive because she would have comforted Bella and in her own crazy way brought her a bit of mental relief.

Bella was in no state of mind to be at the station and she knew no one could find her in the hallway looking like this. Her body ached but there was no time for hesitation, she could not be discovered in such a compromising position. Standing up she smoothed out her shirt and began walking back to her desk.

The Sergeant's office door was ajar as Bella passed by and a voice echoed through, "Detective Swan, could you please step in for a minute."

It did not come out as a question, and Bella took in a deep breath before turning around. Quick flashes crossed her mind.

God, I hope he didn't see me break down. Crap, what if he found out about Volt bringing in Edward?

"Could you shut the door behind you?" the Sergeant barely looked away from his computer screen. He was quiet for a moment before looking up and motioning to the chair across from him, "Please, have a seat."

"Sergeant, is there something I can help you with?" Bella asked hesitantly. Sergeant Banner dazed off for a moment before he responded.

"Swan, I wanted to follow up and see how the Bree Tanner case is going."

Bella breathed in a sigh of relief that her boss's questioning was moved in this direction rather than her personal life, "Well sir, we have hit some dead ends. There is barely any evidence to go on and all of the witnesses to the assault were complete inebriated. At this point we need a viable lead to continue the investigation."

"I was afraid of that," Banner rubbed his forehead and let out a sigh, "Any theories we can poke around?"

"I interviewed the family last week, trying to see if there were any motivating factors of why someone would go after the girl. They didn't say anything about any animosity toward the family…" Bella's voice trailed off.

"Something not sit well?"

"Yeah—" Bella thought carefully about her next words, "Her father was very tense during the whole interview. I just have this gut feeling that there is more going on there then he is letting on."

"Maybe you could poke around there? See what his connections are?"

"I've started to. The Tanner's old money goes all the way back to laying down the continental railroad. Now Mr. Tanner owns a multinational freight company. They are a logistics provider for a high volume of importers and exporters. Their corporate offices are here in Chicago, but they also have containers coming in mainly through the ports in Charlotte and Seattle."

"You think he is involved in trafficking?" Banner leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yes. It is hard to get a reading from him. I can't tell if he is directly involved or if perhaps he is just looking the other direction while it happens," Bella starred out the window for a moment and could faintly hear the busy street traffic below, "I can't shake the feeling that the assault on his daughter was somehow a warning, a precursor threat."

"Detective Swan, what's on your mind?"

"I think we are dealing with something bigger than we originally thought."

"Does Detective Volt share your concerns?"

"He is convinced this is a girl at the wrong place at the wrong time type of crime."

Banner paused for a moment and appeared thoughtful, "Volt does not think there is a connection to her father?"

"The only connection he sees is that her daddy's company makes enough money that Bree can go out on the town and party like the Hilton's."

"So you disagree."

"Not exactly. At this point, anything is plausible. My gut just keeps telling me we are missing something."

"What makes you think that?"

"The attack feels premeditated. There are surveillance cameras located at points all around the building, and the point of her attack is miraculously a blind whole in the coverage. There were plenty of potential witnesses in the area, yet she was assaulted and no one was an eyewitness. Someone should have been able to identify the perpetrator, yet no one can even confirm his existence. Something does not add up—he knew what he was doing."

"Alright. Keep me posted. I am getting a lot of pressure from the higher ups to make an arrest. From here on out I want daily updates on your investigation, pass that along to Volt. If someone close to Ms. Tanner so much as orders a coffee from the corner shop, I want to be the first to know."

"Yes, sir."

"You can go now Swan," Sergeant Banner dismissed Bella and immediately went back to examining something innocuous on his computer screen.

Bella stood from her chair exiting Banner's office and made her way back to her desk. Volt looked up from a stack of papers he was examining and took in her appearance. When Bella met his watchful gaze she saw him squint slightly as if he was trying to get a good reading on what was going through her mind.

Bell shrugged and took a seat. Volt's desk was situated directly across from hers in the main office space. He looked at her thoughtfully before turning back to his work.

"Banner wants us to give him daily updates on the Tanner case," Bella mentioned before opening a manila file folder.

"Okay," Volt replied without looking up from his computer screen.

Undeterred by her partner's obvious attempt to remain distant as retribution for calling him out earlier, Bella opened her case files and continued her research on Bree Tanner's family connections. She did not have a shift until later that evening, but she did not want to accidently walk out and run into Edward or his family.

Instead she pored over a few files with information she had requested from one of the in-office researchers. Everything in the file contents was information she had already gathered. She was meticulous in her combing of the details, but was about to give up on this direction of investigation. Bella turned to the last page and read a surprising bit of text.

"No way," Bella muttered under hear breath. She read over the information one more time. Sitting back in her chair, she gazed out a window at the other end of the room. Clearing her throat, she gained her partner's attention.

"What is it Swan?"

"We have a new lead."