Chapter 20

BPOV

I held Demetri's gaze as he comforted Tanya. Erin was shaking in my arms, still crying.

He sighed, "Bella, four men just tried to come in here to do God knows what. I don't think staying with Edward will be enough, and I don't think this is just Charlie. It was too quick, and right now he is across the country."

He was interrupted by an officer who cleared his throat to get our attention. "I'm sorry. I know you all are shook up but all of you will have to come to the precinct to make statements and answer questions. Under the circumstances, this isn't the place to do that." He looked at Erin and frowned. "Uhh, is there another way to take the little one out? It's kinda messy down there in the kitchen." He grimaced and looked over at Demetri.

"Uhh, yeah. The second set of stairs comes out in the living room," I answered with a shaky voice, wondering why we couldn't leave through the kitchen.

Tanya and Demetri were whispering to one another when I heard Edward's frantic voice. "This is my girlfriend's house! Let me in!"

"Oh, Edward's here. God, I forgot he was on his way," I murmured, realizing that had he been just a few minutes earlier, he would've been caught in the gunfire. "That's my boyfriend downstairs," I informed the officer. He immediately radioed downstairs for the officer to let Edward know we were alright and would be heading down in a moment.

With Erin clinging to me, we made our way downstairs and through the living room. There wasn't much out of place, but I saw bullet holes in my walls and a lamp was shattered. I noticed that there was a lot of traffic towards the kitchen, for some reason. On our way out the door, I passed a detective that had 'Homicide' on his jacket. He stopped short when he saw us, taking everything in.

Stepping outside, I spotted Edward right away, pacing outside of the crime scene tape. He spied us immediately, and I walked as fast as I could to reach him, with Erin weighing me down. The moment I felt his arms engulf Erin and me, a sob burst from my throat.

"My God, Bella, what happened? They won't tell me anything."

I looked up at him and shook my head, looking pointedly at Erin's head, which was still buried in my neck. Understanding hit him as he wiped the tears from my face and gently pulled Erin from my arms to rest in his own. For just a moment, she tried to cling to me and put up a fight until he begin to coo in her ear, and she calmed down almost immediately. I was shocked. Erin didn't really know Edward, but apparently she felt safe in his arms.

The detective I had seen earlier was eyeing us and purposefully made his way over. "I trust you are headed to the station for questioning?" He was very curt and sounded very unsympathetic, with a harsh demeanor that irritated me. I disliked him immediately.

"Detective, my girlfriend, her daughter, and her friends were just victims of a home invasion. Perhaps you could find it in you to show a little compassion right now." Edward's voice was terse as he tried to control his temper with the officer. "I assure you, they will be there to answer questions. Now, if you will excuse us, we need to calm Erin." Taking my hand, he led us to my car. I saw Demetri and Tanya follow suit. I caught Tanya's eyes as she climbed in my backseat. They were filled with worry and fear. Demetri ran back inside to grab my car keys and was gone for just a moment, locating them in a key bowl by my front door. Returning quickly, he climbed in my backseat.

The detective yelled for another officer to "escort" us to the precinct. He was starting to piss me off. "You would think that we were the suspects and not the victims the way he was acting. They need to be finding those guys that attacked us tonight instead of treating us like we've done something wrong!" I lamented, as Edward buckled his seatbelt.

"One guy," Demetri corrected in a monotone voice. "They are only looking for one guy. The dread head."

"But you said there were four…"

He cut me off. "The others are in the kitchen."

"Then why weren't they arresting..?" Edward silenced me with a "shhh", and that's when it hit me. The homicide detective, the yellow crime scene tape surrounding the kitchen, the detective demanding we come down immediately for questioning... I realized the intruders were dead, and my sweet, fun loving, mischievous friend had killed them.

"Oh, Dem," I turned to look at him, tears filling my eyes. His eyes were stormy, and I felt guilt consume me. I knew Demetri had struggled with his past at one point. His time in the service had left a mark on him, but he eventually had come to terms with it. He had already seen more than his fair share of war and death, and now there was more blood on his hands because he was protecting me. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"Bella. Stop," he said forcefully. "This is not your fault. Don't think it. Ever. Do you know what could've and probably would have happened if I hadn't been there tonight?" He glanced at Erin who was snuggled into his side. "I will never regret tonight. So neither should you."

"Guys, let's talk later, OK?" Tanya spoke up, her voice raspy from crying. "Erin is scared enough. Let's get this over with first."

We all agreed, and the car got silent until Edward spoke. "Erin, sweetie, I'm sorry I left the pizzas in my car by accident. Would you like something to eat? We can stop anywhere you like."

Erin's little head raised up and looked at me before answering softly. "Chick-Fil-A." Despite everything, I smiled. She loved that darned restaurant.

He pulled into the drive-thru and asked if anyone else wanted food, which we all declined. My appetite was totally destroyed. I was sure it would all come back up anyway, with the way that I felt at the moment. My stomach wouldn't settle down at all.

He proceeded to order Erin a kid's meal before heading to the precinct. Once we arrived at the station, Tanya, Demetri, and I were met by various officers, all of whom seemed to be giving Demetri weird glances. We were seated in a waiting area while they informed whomever that we were there to make statements.

Edward was immediately on his cell phone with an attorney, explaining the situation. He saw my puzzled look and said, "Just as a precaution, baby. You never know with these types of things. Better safe than sorry. She will be here shortly but will not intervene unless she sees or hears something that is detrimental."

"But doesn't that make us look like we are guilty of something?" I whispered.

"No. It's common practice to answer questions with an attorney available, so that you don't mistakenly incriminate yourself." He went on, softly. "Three men are dead inside of your home. It's their job to ensure that the truth is revealed, so they may ask some questions that you shouldn't answer or give answers that can be used against you."

Tanya frowned at him. "But we didn't do anything."

"I know, but still, let's wait until Jane gets here and she can be present during questioning. She won't interfere unless she sees them trying to railroad you guys. I'm just trying to protect you, nothing more," he insisted. "She was actually still at her office, which is less than a block away. She will be here in about 10 minutes."

Six minutes later a petite blonde walked up to Edward and greeted him with a hand shake. "Hello, Dr. Cullen."

She looked fierce, even with her small stature. Her eyes were shrew and piercing as she listened to Edward explain the events. She took us all in, her eyes lingering on Erin, who was snuggled into my side.

"Was she…?" she asked.

"Yes," everyone answered in unison.

"Wow. OK. So this is what we will do. I may not be needed on retainer, but I will sit in with you as you make your statements and they ask their questions. I will not do anything unless I see the questioning turn down a road we don't want." She looked at us all. "Is that OK with all of you?"

"Yes. Absolutely. We just want this night to be over with," Tanya spoke up. "It's been a long day." Her voice sounded dead and I knew right then something was going on with her.

Jane gave a sympathetic smile. "I can imagine. Let's get this show on the road, shall we?" She walked over to a desk and begin speaking with the officer. Moments later, Demetri was being escorted to a room to give his statement.

"Edward, can you keep an eye on Erin for a moment, please? Tanya and I are heading to the ladies room." I was already tugging her with me as I spoke. "Sweetie, I will be right back," I reassured Erin, as her eyes widened in alarm. "The restroom is just right there. See?" I pointed to the door which was just a few short feet away, and she relaxed. I heard Tanya huff as we entered the restroom.

I turned towards her as soon as the door shut. "Spill."

She defiantly crossed her arms and stiffened. "This isn't the time, Bella!"

"Bull. Now spill," I demanded calmly. Tanya was on edge and she was jumpy. Whatever it was had her body language off, and I didn't want the police to read it as anything that it wasn't. "What is it, T?" I pleaded.

Her bottom lip trembled. "I went to the doctor right before I picked you up from the airport earlier today. I had been feeling off the past few days. I'm so paranoid about this disease. I really was just making sure…." Her voice trailed off. "I didn't have time to wait for results, so I told them to just call me with them." She lowered her head. "I'm pregnant, Bella."

"Oh, Tanya," I breathed out.

She looked up at me with tear-filled eyes. "I considered having an abortion. I wasn't going to tell a single soul. Oh, God, Bella. I'm a horrible person. All I could think about was, what if I have the disease? Or worse, what if my baby has the disease? I was being so selfish. It was all about my feelings. I never once considered how Dem would feel. I was so wrapped up in myself." I just let her vent and get it all out.

"But, God, Bella, when we were in that room and I didn't know if Dem was alright, all I could think about was this baby. Dem didn't know he was a father-to-be because I was being selfish, and he may have died." She wailed the last part out, and I wrapped her in a hug. "He deserves to be a Dad, and I'm so scared to give him that."

"Tanya, I can't pretend to understand your dilemma. This disease is serious, and it's horrible, but, sweetie? You cannot make decisions that will alter both of your lives without talking to him. He deserves that, T. You are letting your fear make irrational decisions that you will regret one day." She cried even harder. "T, your grandmother didn't have the disease. It could skip you, too, and if it doesn't, we will deal with it, OK?" I grabbed her face between both my hands and stared in her eyes. "I will never leave you alone in this and neither will Demetri. Give the man some credit."

"Oh, God. I'm going to be a mom!" She half laughed, half choked out.

"I'm going to be an aunt!" I laughed, relieved and scared at the same time.

AN: Happy Thanksgiving