AN: S. Meyer owns The Twilight Saga.

AN: Thank you to my beta, Kalycakes. Sorry for dragging this chapter for sooooo long. You rock. See you down below, yes?

Chapter 26

-Bella-

"We've got a problem," Irina.

I didn't mean to be short with Edward, or anyone else for that matter, but this is something I had to handle myself. I was not going to be the helpless little girl Mike controlled. Not anymore.

"What can I do?" Irina asked.

This is one of the many things I liked about her, she was short and to the point.

"Who ever stole my safe managed to get it open and found what was in my external hard drive," I still couldn't believe it, "they leaked my work on the Internet, Irina. All of it."

"Shit," Irina hissed, "Okay, let me get on-line." I could hear her furiously typing on the other end, "How did you find out?"

I couldn't help but smirk, I can t believe Alice and Emmett, "Some friends of mine came across a site today."

"Crap, the publisher got wind of it, they sent me an email just now," she said, "I'll forward you the email and the link attached."

I logged onto my email account and opened the message Irina had forward.

Ignoring my publishers note, I opened the link and bypass a heavy amount of advertising before I could get to the actual chapters. And there it was.

My work.

All of it.

"Oh my..." my hand flew to my mouth, tears had blurred my vision.

"Oh, Bella," Irina whispered.

The tip of my nose started tingling as I fought back a sob.

"Why?" I croaked.

"Oh, honey, I don't know...but I'll get to the bottom of this and I'll make them pay. I'll ruin them, I promise hon."

I knew Edward and the others were just outside the door, so I took a deep cleansing breath and tried to reign in my emotions.

"Will this cause a problem with my publisher?" I had planned to write again. With Mike out of my life, I could pick up where I left off. I didn't want to let go of that dream.

"You never agreed to a series, so no," she assured. "It was a book to book contract."

I sighed in relief, "Good, good. Okay, what's next?"

"First things first, how do you feel about all of this?" she asked.

"Ugh," I rubbed my forehead with the tip of my fingers, "sad, mad, violated, scared, frustrated, you name it, I'm feeling it."

"And the baby?"

I closed my eyes and leaned back on the chair, "We're fine, I just hope all this stress won't complicate things. I know it worries Edward."

"Yes, well, it is something to worry about, hon," she sighed, "but I'm glad he's there with you. I'm sure he's trying is damnedest to provide a stress-free environment for all of you."

I smiled, opened my eyes and glancing at the door, where I knew he was waiting, "He's a good man, Irina. The best."

"I know," she whispered, then cleared her throat. "Alright, Bella, we're going to release a statement on your website and the publisher's website. It will be short and straight to the point, I'll have Sarah draw it up and waiting for your approval by tomorrow morning. I'll call our lawyers and see what we can do legally about this site and it's owner. Leave it up to me and I'll keep you posted."

I had no idea where to start, so I would have to leave it up to Irina, "Okay, just call me if you find anything, no matter the time. Okay?"

"You got it, hon. Oh, you might want to call that detective assigned to your case."

"Yes," I agreed, "that's my next call."

"Alright, Bella, I'll take care of it. You just relax and take care of that baby...and Masen."

I nodded, "I will. Thank you, Irina."

"No problem, talk to you soon."

"Bye," and with that, I ended the call.

Before I could make my next call there was a light knock.

"Bella?" Edward's smooth voice was muffled by the door, "Can I come in?"

I placed the phone back on the desk and ran my fingers through my hair, trying to look halfway presentable, "Yes."

The door slowly opened and Edward stuck his head in, "May I have a word?"

Realizing that I was occupying his desk, I jumped up to my feet and walked to him, "Of course."

He walked in and closed the door behind him. Taking my good hand, he led me to the the love seat and sat us down.

Never letting go of my hand, he asked, "How are you taking the news?"

I squeezed his hand, I knew he was worried about the baby and me, "As well as can be expected." I shrugged and said, "I don't want to get worked up over this, I know it's not good for the baby...but...UGH!" I groaned in frustration, "I hate this, hate it. It s childish but I want to throw a monumental temper tantrum. You know, throw myself on the floor and start kicking...maybe throw something."

His eyes grew wide in amusement before he chuckled, "If that's what it takes to make you feel better, then by all means," he waved his hand to the room. "Though, I would prefer it if you didn't throw yourself on the floor."

That got me smiling, a genuine smile, "Then what's the point?" I laughed, he shrugged, "I'll be okay, it's just a difficult pill to swallow."

He nodded in agreement before his eyebrows pinched together, "Bella?"

I leaned back on the couch, "Yes?"

He rubbed the palm of my hand with his thumb, "Uh, did the phone call go well?"

I turned my head slightly to face him, "Yeah, it did. My agent his going to get a hold of the lawyers and see what we can do about this. We re going to release a statement about the incident and she's going to smooth over things with my publishing house. She's really good at her job."

"Sounds like it," he said before asking, "Hey, what did you say her name was?"

"Irina Snow."

-Edward-

Irina Snow.

Fuck.

I knew Irina was involved in the publishing/agent business, but what were the chances she was Bella's agent?

I mean, they live on the opposite sides of the country!

Irina never spoke of her clients nor their projects. She always respected her clients privacy. That was Irina, Tanya's polar opposite.

I never had a close relationship with my former sister-in-law, Tanya wouldn't allow her family close enough to form one. But there was always a sense of mutual respect between us. Sure, she was never the warmest person towards me or my family but I could only think that Tanya, too, had something to do with that.

As far as I knew, there was no bad blood between Irina and I...but you never know. After all, Tanya is her sister. So, by default, her loyalty would lie with Tanya. Right?

No matter, I wasn't taking any chances where my family was concerned.

"Edward?"

I shook my head from my inner rambling and concentrated on Bella, "I'm sorry, what did you say."

She yawned, "I said, why did you want to know?"

"Oh," I frowned. Where do I start? "Just asking...how long have you known her?"

She looked up in thought, "I've known of Irina Snow for years, since I started at Brown. She worked with some of the graduate students there, landing them the kind of book deals us aspiring authors dream about. She has a lot of contacts in the business and makes the right moves for ones career. I met her, officially, my last semester at Brown. She was one of the keynote speakers in one of the seminars I was attending. After the seminar I ran into her, literally ran into her, in the ladies room." Bella blushed a bit at the memory, "We ended up talking for hours at the local pub about her work and my goals. She asked a lot of questions about my work and by the end of the night she gave me her card and insisted I send her a few chapters of my work."

Bella frowned a little, "I didn't, of course. I was too scared, what if she didn't like my work? What if she said it was no good? What would I do?"

I cocked my eyebrow, "And you wanted to be an author?"

She playfully glared at me and poked my ribs with her finger, "I know smarty pants, it was...stupid to think like that. My work is out there to be judged by all, knowing it won't be every-body's cup of tea. But at that time, I didn't have what it took to take that plunge. So, I cowered away."

"And when you decided you were ready..." I encouraged.

Bella smiled her brilliant smile, "I was very grateful I kept her card. So, to answer your question, I've known her for a while but worked with her these past three years or so."

I pursed my lips, not sure if I wanted to ask my next question but knowing I had to, "And...are the two of you close? What I mean is; if your relationship with her is strictly business or if you've actually formed a friendship?"

Bella squeezed my hand, "She's always been good to me. I wish we were closer but she lives in Cambridge...and Mike never wanted me to pursue this career so...yeah. But, hopefully, we can now rectify that."

I froze, "What do you mean?"

Bella lightly shrugged one shoulder, "She wasn't Mike's biggest fan and vice versa, back then I only wanted to make him happy," I had to bite back my anger, he never deserved her. "A friendship with Irina would have started a lot of arguments that I really didn't want, but now that Mike is out of the picture, I see no reason not to pursue a friendship with her."

Bella looked so happy with this prospect, finally free to have friends without anyone's disapproval or grief.

Why did it have to be Irina?

"I see," I tried to keep the grimace off my face.

Bella looked concerned, "My befriending Irina won't be a problem, will it?"

"No! No, of course not, sweetheart," I kissed her forehead.

She sighed happily, "Thank you."

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer to my side. Resting my chin on top of her head, I said, "There's no need to thank me, sweetheart. I want you to be happy."

I had to tell her about Irina and in-turn everything regarding Tanya. And I would have to do so sooner then later. It was only a matter of time before Irina finds out about Bella and I, I don't want Bella to be blindsided.

Sending a silent prayer to the big man up there, I took a deep breath and took the plunge, "Bella, sweetheart, I need to tell you something."

Bella pulled back from my embrace and looked at me, "Okay?"

"I think it's time I told you everything about my ex-wife...and her family."

Her delicate eyebrows furrowed, the small 'v' appeared between her pinched eyebrows, "oh?"

Just then Bella's stomach growled loudly causing her to blush furiously.

"How embarrassing," she covered her face with her good hand, "I guess I was a bit more hungry then I realized."

This would be a lengthy conversation and she was hungry, we would have to talk later.

"Let's go to dinner, we can talk later."

"Are you sure?" Bella asked, "I can wait."

I frowned, "No, let s eat. We have time to talk about this later. I'm sure Masen is also hungry."

"Okay."

My quiet family dinner turned out to be a gathering of sorts. Emmett, Rosalie and Alice sort of followed us to The Four Seasons for dinner. While entering the restaurant I spied Jasper sitting in the lounge with a drink in hand. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, I'm sure either Alice or Emmett called for him to join us.

Masen, of course, was delighted. Having Emmett and Jasper around to do his bidding without much resistance...every little boys dream.

"I'm not a chicken," Emmett argued.

Masen turned his nose up, "Prove it then."

"Dude, you just want me to get in trouble," Em grumbled.

Masen shrugged, "I thought you were a big boy."

Jasper and Alice laughed, Emmett narrowed his eyes and said, "I am a big boy...the biggest...as big as they come."

"Then do it and stop being chicken," an evil little grin spread across Masen's face, "I bet if I dared Miss. Alice or Miss. Rose or Bella...or, or even Nana, they would do it. And they won't even be scared to."

"Ohhhhh," Jasper instigated. "I don't know, but I think the little man is calling you out...and in front of your lady no less."

I glanced at mom and Bella, they were discussing the latest book releases they were interested in, having no interest in the taunting that was going on at the other end of the table.

"Fine," Emmett grumbled and rose from his seat, he glanced at Masen and said, "if I get in trouble, I m taking you down with me."

"No telling," Jasper added, "man code."

"Said who?" hissed Emmett, "That's not part of the code."

Jasper turned to me and asked, "Doc, is it or is it not part of the man code?"

I smiled apologetically to Emmett, "Sorry, Em, but it is part of the code."

"No it's not," Em argued, "that's a stupid code. Who makes these codes anyways? I'm a man, so I un-code it."

"On what grounds?" I ask, winking at my giggling baby boy.

"That it's stupid, on those grounds," he said.

"Uncle Emmett," Masen laughed, "you're saying bad words. I'm telling Nana."

"Ha!" Emmett pointed at Masen, "you can't do that: Man code. Remember?"

"You just un-coded that code, Em," Jasper chuckled.

"Yeah," said Masen, "plus, I'm still a kid, so it doesn't count when I tell."

"I think you're right Masen," Alice laughed, "Emmett's stalling."

"You too?" Emmett faint hurt, "after all we've been through together? What happen to fandom loyalty? We need to stick together."

"Yup, stalling," Rosalie deadpanned.

"Fine, fine, fine," Em said and made his way to the bar, sat down and looked around. The bartender was at the other end of the bar helping a customer. Not having noticed Emmett yet, Em glanced around on more time before reaching over the bar and picking up the plastic container holding a large amount of green olives.

Masen loves green olives.

Em practically jumped off the seat and run/walked back to us. He almost made it but was met by a waiter half way, the waiter looked at Em then the container full of olives, then back up at Em.

We couldn't hear what the waiter was telling Em, but he didn't look amused by the stunt. Emmett looked thoroughly scolded. The last time I seen him like this is when he took one of his mom's bras to launch water balloons at the neighbors four daughters. Momma McCarty was so mad; let's just say he couldn't sit for a week.

After the waiter removed the bucket of olives from Em's hands, Emmett slowly made his way to our table.

We were all trying to contain our laughter, but we just couldn't.

"Shut up," Em grumbled as he sat down.

"Awww, did little Emmy get in twouble?" Alice cooed.

"What would Momma McCarty say?" Jasper laughed.

"I hate you," he said to Alice before glaring at Jasper, "If you value your life, you'll keep Momma McCarty in the dark about this."

Rosalie snickered, "Are you scared of your mother, Em?"

"Babe," Em's eyes widened, "If you knew Momma McCarty you wouldn't be asking that question."

"You didn't get me my olives, Uncle Em?" Masen asked, puppy face front and center.

"Buddy," Em pleaded, he was a sucker for baby boy's puppy face, "I tried, but you saw that assh-uh, waiter. He took them from me." Masen still looked crestfallen, "Sorry, Mase. Look, I'll stop by the market and pick up on of those industrial size containers full of green olives for you. Promise."

Masen sighed and slightly nodded, "'Kay."

"Sorry," Em added for good measure.

"Oh, look at that face," Rosalie, it seems, was also a sucker for that face, "For the love of Mary, I'll get you some olives, sweetie."

Without another word, Rosalie marched right up to the bartender, leaned over the bar and played with a lock of her hair. We couldn't really see her face but we could clearly see the bartenders, and he liked what he saw. He liked what he saw so much that he quickly nodded to what ever Rosalie was saying and turned to pick up the biggest glass they had and filled it with olives.

"That's cheating," Em complained.

"How?" Alice crossed her arms.

"Because," Em cried, "she has boo-uh," he glanced at Masen, "uh, she has...fun bags."

I groaned.

"What are fun bags?" asked Masen.

I glared at Em, "Thank you, Emmett."

"What?" Em shrugged.

"Are those like the candy bags you get at birthday parties?" asked Masen.

"Yes," I said. I don't think he's ready for that talk yet, "that's what they are."

"Cool," Masen said while Rosalie placed the glass full of olives in front of him. Masen popped an olive in his mouth and turned to Rosalie, "Thank you Miss. Rosalie."

Rosalie smiled, "You're welcome, Mase."

Masen popped another olive in his mouth before asking, "Miss. Rosalie, are you going to share your fun bags with us?"

Rosalie choked on the olive she had put in her mouth, the rest of us gasped or laughed.

I placed my face in my hands.

"Masen Anthony Cullen," Mom gasped from the end of the table.

"Uncle Em said Miss. Rosalie had fun bags," Masen said innocently.

Rosalie turned to Em and smacked the back of his head.

"What?" Em cried out while rubbing the back of his head.

"I am calling Beth, just as soon as we get home," Mom stated.

"Please don't," Em begged, "Please, please, please don't call Momma McCarty."

The waiters had brought our food out just as mom said, "We'll discuss this later."

I looked over at Bella and smiled, she shook her head lightly and smiled back.

Yeah, things would be all right.

It was still pretty early when we got home. Jasper and Alice stayed in the lounge at The Four Seasons for a nightcap while Rosalie and Emmett went out to catch a movie.

"Come on Masen, let get you in the tub," Mom took Masen's hand and led him away from the kitchen and up to his bathroom.

"Awww, Nana, do I have to?" Masen whined.

"Yes."

"Okay."

Bella set her purse and phone on the counter before I helped her out of her coat.

I kissed the back of her head and asked, "Are you up for our talk or are you too tired? We can talk tomorrow if you want to turn in early."

She turned around, took her coat from my hands and shook her head, "No, no, I'm fine. Just let me put this away and change, these heels are killing me."

I looked at her feet and frowned, "I don't know how you women walk around in those things." I kissed the top of her head, "Yes, please go get comfortable, I'll wait here."

I saw her take her heels off before climbing the stairs. I shook my head and walked to the security monitors. Everything looked fine, nothing out of place or suspicious. I let out a sigh, knowing this would keep my family safe...well, safer.

I was about to take a seat when Bella's phone started ringing.

I glanced at the stairs and back to the phone. I didn't want to rush her just because someone was calling her. I glanced at the caller I.D.

Ann Deluca

I glanced once more towards the stairs. Still no sign of Bella. I was about to answer but the call went to voice mail.

I set the phone down but a second later it started ringing again. I looked the caller I.D.

Ann Deluca

It must be important.

I sighed and pressed the screen to pick-up the call, "Hello?"

Nothing.

"Hello?"

"...Edward?"

AN: Ahhhhhhh! I'm so wicked! Okay, so sorry this took so long. For those who follow me, know I'm an RN but I'm also a make-up artist...so I travel, a lot. But I will finish my stories...promise. 'Kay?

So, this chapter when through only one of my betas...Kalycakes got this back to me super fast and I know you've been waiting, and waiting, and waiting for this chapter so I hurried up and posted.

Thank you to everyone who send me an email asking about this story...I appreciate all the kind words. Also, I'll start posting regular teasers on Twitter (Soleil2Much.) Let's get this ball rolling, eh? Oh, also, every review get's a teaser for next chapter.

Oh, one more thing: Go check out Robicorn's stories, I love them all! I'm also a major Betty Smith and johnnyboy7 fan. Go and read the work of these wonderful authors.

Till next update,

Soleil