A/N: Long time, no write…as usual. I'd like to blame London on this one. I went there during my prime writing time in March and didn't recover quickly. Anywho, I hope you all enjoy this newest installment of WCN. There isn't much more ground to cover after this, so maybe I'll finish it up by summer.
To my reviewers – you ladies are awesome. I'm at 600 now…wow. I know I'm generally fail at responding, but I appreciate each and every one.
To my beta – keepingupwiththekids came out of beta-retirement to work on this chapter for me. She's the best.
S. Meyer owns the characters, I own the plot…don't take it, I would be most displeased.
EPOV
Bella's door closed with a resonating click that snapped my eyes to it, as if my heart had just now realized I had to leave. I was rooted to the floor, unwilling to move unless it was to go back. Back to where Bella was pinned between her mattress and me, and I was licking water off her creamy porcelain…Alice was snapping her fingers viciously.
"I do not have time for you to play, should I stay or should I go," her voice disrupting me from my daydream. She was angry with me, that much I was sure; her mood was cleverly hidden while Bella was present. With Bella safely tucked away in her apartment, there was no reason for her to hide it. Alice grabbed my arm, with enough force to remove tendons from bone, proceeding to drag me down the stairs. Whatever my heart may have wanted, Alice crushed it with her sharp heel.
"Okay, Alice…I'm following," I pleaded, after she had tugged my arm again dissatisfied with my pace. I couldn't take her being angry with me. As much as I wanted to keep her out of this earlier today, I couldn't deny how helpful she had been and would continue to be if I let her. "It wasn't what it looked like," I offered, once the cool March air hit both of us. I hoped it would help cool her temper. Her cold, probing glare made me think otherwise.
"And if I hadn't come to find you, Edward…what would have happened?" Bad things would have happened. I would still be at Bella's…we would still be in her bedroom. It would have been the best night of my life. But Alice's voice was so tight with anger that I opted for a different answer, and hopefully one that would charm her into a better mood.
"Your timing was impeccable, Ally," I replied smoothly, adding a smile.
"You think this is funny?" she all but screamed, and for a second, I flinched expecting her fist to connect with my face. "Don't avoid the question, Edward! What would have happened?" My feet shifted from side to side, fingers nervously went through my hair as I withered under her intense gaze. Charm, obviously, wasn't the way to go tonight.
"She was so convinced of my weakness, Ally," I mumbled to the sidewalk. "She said tonight would be it, that it was all we would have…" another wild tug of my hair out of sheer nerves. "I had to…I had to make her see we had something more. That I can't live without her…and she didn't see it until I began to show her. I think she saw it…right before you started beating down the door. Would we have gone too far? Yeah, probably. But I don't care anymore, Ally. I don't care."
"You don't care?" Alice asked. I shook my head no in reply. "You know what this means?"
"Yes," I answered. Alice exhaled sharply. "She means that much to me."
"I know," Alice whispered, "and I'm not surprised that it'll come to this. It's what I expected would happen, I've been waiting on you to arrive to the conclusion. However…it's a good thing Mom worked Dad over real well at lunch today. He might not disown you for leaving the church now."
"Disowning might be better than the silent treatment I'm bound to get from him regardless. It'll be as if I don't exist, why not make it official?"
"Why don't you drive us to the hospital and I'll tell you why I think it won't be as bad as you expect. A lot went down at lunch today, brother dear."
"Hail a cab, I told Bella I'd leave my car here," I told her, as I walked up to my trunk to grab my overnight bag. I'd come prepared just in case I did spend the night with Bella and packed for my shift the next afternoon. I longed to change into the scrubs that were inside the bag, hating the feeling of wearing something that belonged to Bella's ex. The shirt had a musty scent I wasn't altogether fond of.
When I had closed the trunk and relocked the Volvo, Alice was halfway up Delaware walking toward Michigan, flailing her arms around to get a taxi's attention. It helped she was a girl, because she obtained one faster than I would had on a night that looked on the brink of a downpour.
"Get in," she demanded, swinging the door open as the cab came to a halt in front of me. "Everyone's at the hospital, it's time we settled all of this. No more secrets, okay?" I nodded in agreement as I climbed into the cab beside her, though it made my throat instantly dry as my nerves battled what little courage I had collected. The last thing I wanted upon my arrival at the hospital was round two of the showdown between me and my Father. At some point, I would have to apologize for throwing a paperweight at him, even if he deserved it, at the time.
Alice elaborated on the story of the Sunday lunch while I changed into the scrubs, omitting any confusion or questions for when I walked into Tanya's room wearing clothes large enough to fit Emmett. I was amazed, once again, by my Mother's strength to take Father down a few pegs, though guilt pierced my gut for it. She shouldn't have to fight my battles anymore. If I hadn't been so absorbed with my own problems and depression, maybe I would have noticed Tanya wanted someone else long ago. How much of this could have been avoided? How could I have not seen how miserable we both were? At what point did the communication between us shut down completely? If only she could have talked to me, I would have set her free.
The buzz of my phone ended all internal thoughts, especially when I saw Bella's name on the screen. The message was so unexpected I could hardly understand the words. None of it made sense. My mother and sister were there? Why would they be? Surely, this was some kind of a joke. Quickly, I typed a response back to her, only to receive an obviously more stressed message of concern seconds later.
"What is it?" Alice asked.
"Mother and Rosalie are at Bella's," I answered, still in a state of confusion.
"What?" Alice screeched so loud she made the driver jump in his seat and left me to wonder if I'd ever have full hearing in my left ear again. "Did they follow me?"
"I guess so," I answered, while I pondered what to tell Bella. She was asking for help and guidance and all I could think of was how I wanted to go back and fend off the wolves.
"Rose was really pissed today at lunch," Alice added, not helping with my hero complex when it came to Bella.
"That's nothing new, Ally. She probably has the same close-minded stance on this as Father does."
"Bella's a tough girl," Alice replied, "I kind of wish I were there right now. She wouldn't back down easy. It would be an interesting match up." I laughed, because I couldn't help it. It was true. I could see Rose being her snide, rude self and Bella letting loose a tirade of swears that would make a sailor blush…in front of Mother, no less.
"We should go back. I can't leave her alone with them."
"No, we can't. Don't worry, Edward. Mother is there to keep a leash on Rose. She probably followed Rose there to do just that. Just text her that and she'll be fine. You're needed elsewhere." I nodded, staring at my phone, wanting to do something more than send a lousy text message. Bella may not have needed me there, but I wanted to be there to protect her against Rose's harsh words. The cat was out of its proverbial bag though, and she would have to face some scrutiny if we were to ever be together, as would I. I just wished we could be on the same battlefield. One day soon, we would be.
I typed a message I hoped would calm and comfort her, for it was all I could do now, as I had arrived at my very own battlefield. The cab came to an abrupt screeching halt in front of the hospital gravity nearly threw me into the passenger seat ahead of me. Alice immediately started shoving me toward the door.
"Alice! Chill out, I'm going," I chastised to no avail, she kept shoving.
"Hurry up, I'm getting all anxious," she justified, as she handed some money to the driver. He took off quickly as if he were anxious to be rid of us. Alice latched onto my arm, hauling me toward the entrance much like she had earlier when we left Bella's. A death grip advising she expected me to bolt the other direction at any time.
"Alice! You're about to tear my arm off. I'm going to need an x-ray if you keep this up."
"Oh shush, you big baby," her pace not deterred. "If I'm hurting you, then move faster." It was so tempting to throw her over my shoulder and carry her the rest of the way at my own pace. All of this rushing wasn't playing well with the nerves that threatened to ulcerate my stomach. I weighed my options quickly as we came upon the elevators. At least she hadn't chosen to run up the stairs.
"You never told me about Tanya's condition," I prompted, tearing Alice's attention from the descending light above the elevator. She had been tapping her toe against the tile floor impatiently while she waited.
"I didn't tell you anything because I don't know anything. Dad didn't relay anything to Mom other than she was awake. The only thing I do know is that Catherine sounded really angry when I was here earlier, before I met the mystery man."
"That could mean anything," I muttered, Catherine was always angry. I didn't really know her any other way, except on the day of the wedding. She seemed pretty happy then.
"I know….I know," Alice agreed. "It's just all that I have." The elevator chimed, signaling the doors were about to open. Alice's arm gripped mine tighter, though I wouldn't have thought it possible.
"Are prenatal vitamins giving you super-strength?" I asked her, jokingly.
"Are you going to cry all day about my grip, really?" She asked, but couldn't mask her smile. Mission accomplished. She couldn't stay mad at me forever.
"I'm not going anywhere, Ally, I promise," I assured. An uplifted eyebrow from her told me she wasn't so sure. My track record this week wasn't exactly stellar. It seemed I was always running somewhere to avoid the things to come. "Things are different now," I said, letting my internal thoughts be voiced for once. "And I really appreciate everything you've done for me this week. You've been more supportive than I deserve." She loosened her grip slightly as she turned to face me, surprising me by the glint of moisture in her eyes.
"Stop it," she cried, "I'm an emotional mess already," she added, swiping a tear from her cheek. The elevator chimed again, notifying us we had reached our destination of Tanya's floor. Alice, thankfully, hadn't returned her previous grip on my arm as we made our way down the long hall. Butterflies swarmed my stomach with each step closer to Tanya's room. A glass of bourbon would have done me and my nerves wonders during this time. It would give me some strength to do what needed to be done. With the lack of alcohol present in the hospital, I had to settle on an old comfort. Hail Mary, full of grace…
Alice stopped suddenly in the middle of the hall, pulling me to an abrupt stop beside her.
"What is…?" I started, but then followed her gaze down the hall. A man, completely disheveled, stood at the far end, his eyes locked on Alice, looking much like a deer caught in headlights. Alice shook my arm loose from her grip, taking off at a sprint after him. "Alice! What are you doing?" The man recovered from his semi-paralysis, before she was too close, and ran in the opposite direction.
"Go talk to Tanya," Alice said, as she stopped briefly to kick off her shoes. "I've got to get him back here!" I heard her yell back to me before she disappeared around a corner. It took my tired and confused mind a full thirty seconds before it dawned on me I was face to face with the other man. Most men would feel threatened, or would have run after him for a confrontation, demanding he stayed away from their wife….me? I felt relief. Relief that she had someone who looked like they truly cared for her, like I should have been, but couldn't. So long as Tanya and I could figure out how to proceed after all the secrets were out, I sincerely thought that we would be okay…and of all things, happy.
The unexpected lightness that came with that revelation brought me with ease to the wide wooden door of her room. A door I had long been avoiding because of the guilt and despair of being trapped in this sham of a marriage. Meeting Bella changed my perspective of what it should have been like…how it would be when I made Bella my wife.
Whoa….slow down, Cullen.
But it sounded right. Just not right now.
Right now, I had my hand paused at the door, prepared to knock for entrance. Right now, I had to make things right with my family, tell them everything. Right now, I had to set my wife free to be with the one who would love her, and she had to reciprocate. I knocked on the door pushing it open upon my force. The voices on the other side immediately silenced.
Tanya was the first within my sight, she lie still on the bed, unmoving except for her eyes following my position as I walked over to her side. She said nothing and she didn't reach for me, making it difficult to tell what she was really thinking. The opposite could be said for her Mother, who towered over her on the opposite side of her bed. Catherine looked angry enough to breathe fire and wouldn't have shocked me if she had. I mentally wondered how fast I could reach a fire extinguisher or some burn cream, before actually lifting my gaze from Tanya to her.
Fight or flight senses kicked in high gear out of habit when around Catherine, with flight demanding to take precedence. I took a deep breath, refusing to back down to her or anyone. Times were different now, I reminded myself. I wasn't alone and this wasn't just my fight anymore. With Tanya's odd silence, I wondered if I wouldn't have to fight for both of us until she gathered more strength. I could do that, if it meant Bella was my reward.
"Edward," the voice of my Father came from the corner. "I see Alice finally tracked you down." His voice didn't hold the malice or anger it had the night before, a little annoyed by my late arrival, yes, but not angry.
"Yeah," I answered, my fingers finding their normal route through my hair, giving me reason to look away from Catherine and back to Tanya. Tanya seemed to have lost interest in my presence quickly, as she had become preoccupied by playing with her hair that had been pulled into a loose ponytail. She seemed so strange and quiet…something wasn't right.
"Pity," Catherine spat, "I'm sure it must pain you to be here when there's somewhere else you'd obviously rather be," her words were sharp and clearly intentional, as if she expected to open up the confession lines right here. I choked back a retort to hold off the fight I knew was looming regardless. Instead, I noticed how Tanya never looked up at Catherine when she spoke.
"What's going on?" I asked, the question directed to my Father, and when he didn't answer fast enough, I reached for her chart at the foot of the bed. A sound escaped Catherine's lips that could only be characterized as a hiss.
"If you were ever here, you wouldn't have to ask," she snapped, and subsequently, snapped the chart right out of my hands.
"There is no excuse for my actions, nor am I asking for any forgiveness, especially from you. Right now is not the time. Now tell me, what is going on?" I demanded, hardening my stare toward my Father. He had to answer my question, Tanya was still my wife.
"Aphasia," he finally relented. Through my peripheral, I could see Tanya glance up at me through her lashes, as if she were trying to hide her actions. "She can't speak," he added, when I tried to catch her looking at me, "and it appears she doesn't understand us either."
No, that didn't seem right. She was hiding something.
"It's most likely temporary, but we'll need to do some more testing. I've scheduled a PET scan first thing tomorrow morning," he went on to say, I nodded stupidly, staring at Tanya because none of it made sense. Was my Father distracted to the point he wasn't picking up these tells she kept doing. Were they specifically for me? Or was I over-analyzing and my exhausted brain was playing tricks on me?
"Naturally, when I have the chance to tell my daughter of your infidelities, she can't understand a word coming out of my mouth," Catherine casually added as if discussing the weather. I couldn't hold back the eye roll from the irony of my life. My infidelities were nothing compared to what her daughter had been doing behind my back for nearly two years. Did Catherine really not know why an unknown man was lurking outside her daughter's room all week?
"I don't believe it wise to discuss idle gossip at this time," Carlisle interrupted, right when he knew I was about to say something I wouldn't regret, but he too, obviously, wanted to avoid the confrontation in front of Tanya.
"She's my daughter, Carlisle," Catherine screeched, her voice getting louder by decibels, "and I'll do whatever I need to keep…" she stopped herself before continuing.
"Keep what?" I asked curiously, "your daughter in a cage?" Catherine shot me a look that a week ago would have had me running for the door. Her face turned bright red as she held back what she wanted to say, not without great restraint.
"How dare you…" she started with venom lacing her tone. She was a snake ready to strike at me with only Tanya, quiet and aloof, separating us.
"Edward!" Carlisle called out, our attention switched from each other to him. "Please join me outside. There is much we need to discuss." I glanced back at Catherine, who had returned to a more collected version of herself thanks to Carlisle's interruption, she was wearing a cold smile of victory on her face. I was about to agree and follow my Father out the door when Tanya's cool hand clamped down on mine. She was still playing with her hair with her other hand, her eyes never moving to betray her, but Catherine and I both stood bewildered at her movement. Tanya clearly didn't want me to leave.
"No," I responded quickly to Father, who had missed the whole exchange, Catherine's eyes shone with either anger or jealousy. "I think I'd like a few minutes alone with Tanya, if you don't mind." I added, with a sweet smile toward Catherine.
"Very well," my Father relented, easily, to my surprise. Mother really must have done something miraculous, because this was not the man I threw a paperweight at last night.
"I'm not leaving!" Catherine cried, when he tried to usher her away from Tanya's bedside.
"Come on, Cathy," he said, in what I would deem as his 'nice doctor voice', the one that had patients complying to whatever he asked, the one reserved for children afraid of shots, he was now using on Catherine. "You need a break, and Tanya needs some rest soon. Five minutes, Edward, then she rests."
"He doesn't deserve to be in here, Carlisle," she pleaded as he took her arm, guiding her out of the room. She was still arguing with him as the door closed, offering us a moment of peace. Not willing to waste time, I quickly wheeled a stool beside Tanya, ready to force her eyes to look at me, but when I sat down, I found they were already there. Her hair no longer her focal point.
"You can understand us," I stated, not needing to ask. She nodded slowly. "Can you speak as well?" At this, she shook her head no. "Why the charade?" I asked, unable to hold it back, even though I knew very well that she couldn't answer me directly. Tanya tilted her head toward the closed door, hinting at something or someone on the outside. "Carlisle?" She shook her head and rolled her eyes at my slowness. "Catherine?" Tanya nodded emphatically, only to confuse me further. Tanya loved her Mother. She did everything Catherine ever told her to do. What brought this change about, her near death experience or the man that Alice was currently still chasing down for all I knew.
My fingers worked through my hair in common frustration as I propped my elbows on her bed. Tanya only gazed at me, waiting for me to catch up to her, unable to provide me with more answers. As I sat watching her, it only made me realize how much I never knew her. What were we thinking when we decided to get married? Why did that make so much sense at the time? Or did it ever make sense and we just followed our parents' prompts like sheep? Everyone else was doing it; we assumed we had to as well?
So many questions I finally wanted to ask her, wasn't afraid to ask her, and she couldn't answer any of them with more than a nod or shake of her head.
A sudden buzzing in my pocket interrupted the chain of questions that would remain unsaid until I came up with a way to give Tanya a voice, or worse, waited out the aphasia. Hastily, I removed my phone from my pocket to silence it before Carlisle came in the room to kick me out and noticed I had left on my cell. The red light flashed at me, tempting me to chance the peek at the message before powering it down.
I survived! I really like your Mom, and I think she likes me, too. Come back to me soon, I miss you. ~Love, B
From the corner of my eye, I could see Tanya's uplifted brow, curious about the sudden grin on my face I couldn't hide. A poor attempt at stifling the grin, only led to her irritation of not being able to ask why. I thought about just going into it…the entire thing. Everything with Bella from the moment Tanya was comatose, but I wasn't entirely sure that's what she wanted to know. Or if it was something I should burden her silent mind with now.
"I need to tell you so much…" I started, "but I just don't know how…" I stopped myself as I stared down at my phone, the small lettered buttons screaming at me. "Wait a second…can you?" I held up the phone to Tanya, who gave me a look like I was crazy. One of the few expressions of hers I was familiar. Quickly, I cut off the phone signal before even thinking twice to send Bella a quick message back. I had to try this first and then I'd go from there. "Try typing what you want to say," I suggested to Tanya, after bringing up the notepad. A quizzical look toward me, but then she took the phone in her own hands, her fingers moving over the keys slowly. When she was finished, she tilted the screen to me. I was elated with what I saw.
New phone?
"Yes," I answered, laughing in delight. "I broke my other one yesterday." God, was it only yesterday? It seemed like ages ago I was at the benefit drinking myself into oblivion in a poor attempt to stay away from Bella. Tanya went back to typing.
Who is she?
I dragged my fingers through my hair while I pondered if now was the time. Tanya had her voice, I only needed some courage. She wants to be set free, just as you do, my conscience tried to remind myself, but I remained silent and waited for something…a sign, anything. My wandering thoughts distracted me from Tanya, who had typed something else for my benefit.
Tell me, Edward. It's okay.
There was my sign.
"Bella…her name is Bella," I answered. "I met her…the day of your accident, before I knew you were in an accident." She nodded, her eyes shifting downward to the phone held tightly in her fingers. I waited in silence, not knowing what else I should say. Tanya sniffled causing me to panic. Did I make her cry? Was Bella right in saying Tanya would want me back?
You should be with her.
I looked at the screen then back at her, tears were cascading down her cheeks.
"I know," I agreed, "but why are you crying?" Tanya wiped her face with the back of her hand before she typed a response.
I've been so horrible to you. I'm sorry.
"Tanya," I started, and grabbed her hand so I had her full attention. "It's okay. I understand why. It's the exact same feeling I've had all week. Honestly, I'm not sure how you've dealt with it for so long." An odd look crossed her features, so I took that as a cue to elaborate. "I know about the other guy. He's here…" Her eyes widened in surprise and at first, I worried we were wrong about the whole thing, that all of it was a misunderstanding, but then a bright smile broke out across her face. I hadn't seen her smile like that in years. She broke free of my grasp to type on the phone rapidly.
Felix is here? Really?
"That's his name?" she nodded, smiling even brighter. "Alice went looking for him. He's run from her a couple times," I added with a laugh. "Do you want me to bring him here?"
YES!
"Okay," I laughed again, relieved at the happiness coursing through her. This really was going to work out after all. "I'll see what we can do." Tanya quickly dropped her eyes back to the phone, typing furiously.
You'll have to keep Mother away. I heard her tell Carlisle to keep him out. She won't let me be with him.
"So she does know about him?" Tanya nodded. Just then, a tap came at the door and my Father stuck his head inside the room.
"Edward, she needs rest."
"Not now, Dad…we're talking," I said with a wave of my hand, my normal formality of addressing him lost as I was overcome with curiosity at what else Tanya knew about while she pretended to not understand. Carlisle came in regardless of my words.
"Can she?" he asked, walking into the room despite my request.
"Yes," I answered hastily, before seeing Tanya shake her head at me. "I mean, no. Just give me a few more minutes, okay?" I asked, pleading for him to leave. He nodded his head, even though I could tell he wanted to ask more questions, but he thankfully remained silent, closing the door once again behind him.
"I'll distract Catherine for as long as I can and Alice can sneak in Felix. I'm sure once she starts yelling at me she'll lose track of how long she's been away from your bedside." Tanya grinned.
Are you sure you're okay with all of this?
My left hand made a circuit through my hair as I nodded. "Yeah, I mean, this is all very strange, but I want us both to be happy. We've got a lot more to talk about though."
I know.
"Father Moloney wanted me to stop by and see him on Tuesday, but I'm thinking I should bring him here so we can both talk to him. Is that all right? We need to talk about getting an annulment." Tanya expelled a sigh as she typed a response. When she tilted it for my viewing, she looked nervous.
I don't think we can get one of those now. I'm sorry, Edward. I was weak. I don't know how the process will work now or what will happen to us afterward.
"I don't either," I answered, half laughing from relief as all the guilt I had carried around needlessly, fell to the floor. "There will be decisions made, and a lot of secrets to break, but we'll figure it out when we talk to him, okay?" She nodded, but didn't look convinced.
What about my Mother? She's not going to let us do this. She's more invested in our marriage than we ever were.
"That's something I'll never understand," I commented.
It's your name. It was important to her. She was always pushing the match, especially to Carlisle.
"How important could it be if your daughter was miserable? That's what doesn't make sense to me." Tanya shrugged her shoulders, unable to answer the question either.
She said something about pictures. It was when Carlisle was out of the room. She acted like they were going to save everything…but I didn't understand.
"Pictures?" I scratched my head while I pondered.
You haven't noticed anything funny? Anyone following you around? Mother would do it and would feel no shame about it.
"Well yeah, we had a guy catch us in the coffee shop earlier this week, but…"
"Edward!" the door had swung open violently, revealing Alice, looking as if she had run a marathon.
"Alice, what's wrong?" She was breathing heavily as I went over to her, ushering her to sit down, slipping into doctor mode as I wanted to make sure she and the baby were okay.
"I'm fine, Edward," she said, slapping my fingers away from taking her pulse. "He's outside…waiting. I've hidden him behind a corner," she added with a smile for Tanya. "He's really nice once I got him to speak to me." Tanya's fingers flew across the keys of the phone, while Alice looked at her quizzically. "Can't she speak?" Alice asked me.
"Only through the phone right now, but it's good enough," I answered, as Tanya shoved the phone in Alice's face. I leaned over Alice's head to see the message and laughed.
Do I look okay?
"Oh sweetie, you look just fine. Can I go bring him in now? I'm so excited to see this." Tanya nodded, though she looked nervous again. Alice squealed with delight and jumped up from the chair I had sat her in moments ago. Tanya motioned me to come closer to her once Alice bolted from the room. She tapped at the screen on the phone again.
"You're bruised, and mostly in covered in plaster, but it won't matter to him. He just wants to see you." She typed on the phone quickly.
Thank you…for everything. I didn't know it would be this easy. If Mother hadn't said something about you seeing someone else, I would've stayed quiet. She was so cryptic about everything until you showed up.
"I'm sure it'll be anything but easy, we have a hard road ahead of us still, which I include your Mother as a part of that, but we'll make things right." I offered, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "I'll tell everyone you're resting. There will be no need for anyone to check on you for at least an hour."
Once he's in here, I won't let him leave. I have no reason to hide him anymore.
"Fair enough," I agreed, happy she still had her stubborn streak. The door opened slowly this time, the man now known as Felix, shifted his feet forward, Alice gliding in behind him. We all stood there in silence for a moment, probably at odds as to what to do in this situation. The husband meeting the lover, the wife broken in the hospital bed, the anxious sister bouncing on the balls of her feet. It was all surreal. I shook my head of it and held my hand out to Felix.
"It's nice to meet you, I'm Edward," I greeted.
"Felix Spencer," he said, shaking my extended hand, as I smirked at his last name. Spencer? Bella would enjoy that immensely.
"She's all yours," I announced, slapping him on the shoulder as I passed. I looked over at Alice. "I've got hours before my shift begins; I'm going back to Bella's." Alice waved her hand to shush me, busy watching Tanya with Felix. I turned around to see him hovering over her, his hands in her hair, his voice too soft for our ears. Tanya was crying as he held her close to him. Yeah, I needed Bella. No more guilt, no worries. Grabbing Alice's arm, I pulled her outside the room to give the two some privacy.
"Edward!" she cried, hitting me square in the chest once we were back in the hall.
"Ow, Alice! Seriously, I'm talking to your obstetrician about those prenatal vitamins."
Smirking, she changed the subject, her voice overly sweet as she wrapped her arm in the crook of mine, "I like it when people are happy. How long do we have to keep that a secret?" she asked, pointing toward Tanya's room.
"Tanya said it didn't matter anymore, but I'm not volunteering any information. Let them have some time together before she has to deal with Catherine."
"Everything is falling into place," Alice said with a grin. "I knew it would." I laughed.
"You didn't sound so sure last night," I chided.
"That was just a hiccup…" Alice started, but stopped once we saw Mother and Rosalie charge forth from the elevator, both wearing faces of intimidating determination.
"Where is your Father?" Mother demanded with a cold malice that had both Alice and I stuttering answers. Neither of us could provide her with an answer that satisfied her.
"Did Bella not call you?" Rosalie asked.
"Um…" my hand subconsciously went through my hair, "she might have, but my signal is off. Tanya's using it to speak." Strange expressions from both Rose and my Mother told me they hadn't been informed of Tanya's condition either. "She has aphasia. It's most likely temporary, but she can speak using my phone to type her words."
"Oh the poor child," Mother said, her hand to her mouth. "Is she all right otherwise?"
"Yeah, I believe so. I didn't run any tests on her. You'll have to ask Father. Why do you need to find him?" Mother and Rose looked at each other and then back at me.
"I guess we have to tell him," Rose suggested.
"Tell me what?" I asked. Alice's hand resumed its death grip on my arm, causing me to flinch.
"Someone…" Mother began, "well, there were pictures delivered to Bella's apartment while we were there."
"What kind of pictures, Mom?" Alice asked. Tanya mentioned pictures…said Catherine mentioned pictures. My eyes widened in shock as I connected the dots in my mind.
"You don't need to find Father," I said, "You need to find Catherine."
"Are you sure?" Mother asked.
"What kind of pictures?" Alice asked, this time much louder, as she never liked being left in the dark.
"Yes, I'm sure. Tanya said Catherine mentioned pictures, but she didn't know what she was talking about. What are they of?" I asked, fearing the answer.
"You and Bella," Rosalie answered, "on the beach." I cringed at her response.
"Are you kidding me?" Alice screamed. "That…that bitch had you followed?"
"Alice!" Mother reprimanded. Alice quickly muttered an apology none of us believed was sincere.
"It doesn't matter," I said, as we all turned, walking toward where we would find either Catherine or my Father to lead us to Catherine. "The pictures can't do anything. They won't prevent me from being with Bella."
"We know," my Mother said softly, wrapping her hand around mine, "but that doesn't make it right, and they still need to be destroyed."
"Where else were they sent?" I asked. Mother shook her head.
"That's what we're here to find out," Rose tenaciously added, her arm entwined with Alice's as the four of us marched down the hall in search of Catherine, and an end to all this madness.
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