A/N: I should be beaten soundly for making you wait so long for this update. I can only offer my sincerest apologies for the wait. RL has decided to put up road blocks to my writing on a daily basis. Rest assured I have not and WILL not give up. I'll continue to push through! I ask you all to stick with me. We're getting to the good part!

Sazzle Dazzled and Edward's First Kiss, thank you for adding your talents to my cause. I truly appreciate you both!

Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight. Devilward is mine.

The Devil's Plan

Chapter 26

Changes in Attitude

"I know you boys might be disappointed in Christmas this year…" Esme's voice faltered, as she lowered her head as if she couldn't bear to look at her two children. After seeing Alec out when his uncle arrived, Esme, Carlisle and Emmett had joined Edward in the living room. Grudgingly, Kodi had followed, keeping close to Esme and a watchful eye on Edward. Esme had originally intended to keep their holiday as normal as possible, but the events of the past night had burned that plan to the ground. Now all she wanted to do was to forget that past 24 hours had happened and sleep for as long as possible.

"After last night and this morning, I think we can all understand how difficult today is for everyone." Carlisle finished Esme's thought. Esme nodded appreciatively before moving to sit in the large wingback chair close to the Christmas tree. Kodi moved to sit protectively at her feet while keeping a wary eye on Edward.

Esme shifted in her seat and surveyed her family. Carlisle was seated in the opposite chair while Edward and Emmett shared the large couch, albeit they were sitting as far from each other as possible, facing the front window and the Christmas tree. Her husband and Emmett looked angry while Edward looked put out. As if being in the same room with them was taxing his good nature. Normally, Esme would look for a way to lift her son's mood. She knew he had to be hurting. Last night before he'd run off, his pain was clearly evident on his face and in his mannerisms. Today, she barely recognized the young man sitting across from her. Edward had always been an easy-going child. He was generally calm and thoughtful; never quick to get angry. He rarely raised his voice or use vulgar language, but this morning he'd done all of that and more. Calling Alec out the way he had was cruel and so unlike her Edward. She knew that Alec had acted out of pain. The mother in her wanted to cuddle and soothe that boy. He'd been through so much and was now practically an orphan. Marcus had all but abandoned him after Tanya's betrayal and now that she'd taken her own life, he must have felt completely alone. But she'd not allow her empathy for Alec to excuse the pain he'd caused her son.

Esme's eyes drifted back to Edward. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest in an uncharacteristically defensive manner. Edward's eyes darted to his mother. Esme found herself shaken by the darkness reflected back at her. For the first time since the Tanya disaster had occurred, she saw what looked like contempt and hatred in Edward's eyes. She'd always known that sooner or later he would come to the realization that as his mother she should have been there for him instead of Tanya and would lay the blame at her feet. But she'd been lulled into a false sense of hope over the past six months. Edward blamed himself. He'd taken on all the responsibility for the affair. Even though Tanya had clearly been the instigator, Edward made apologies and excuses for her behavior. Now it looked as if the damn had broken. Alec had attacked Edward last night and she'd been powerless to stop him; and just as powerless when her baby had walked out of the house looking as desperate as she'd ever seen him. This morning the desperation that had been on his face was gone, and what replaced it scared Esme.

"-So that's the plan. We'll leave right after school is out; just the four of us." Carlisle's eyes darted to Emmett, making sure he understood that his girlfriend was not invited. "Right Esme?"

Esme was pulled out of her stupor by Carlisle's question. "I'm sorry. What?"

"I just explained to the boys that our trip to Hawaii would be sans girlfriends," Carlisle said, irritated by her lack of attention. It had been her idea to forgo Christmas presents in lieu of a lavish weeks' vacation in Hawaii.

Esme nodded. "Yes. I think the family needs to spend time together."

"A week with only Edweird for company? I'd rather throw myself off a cliff! If Rose can't go, I'm not going. This whole thing is bull shit!" Emmett stated, throwing a glare in his brother's direction before quickly retreating to his room.

Carlisle immediately got up from his chair and followed Emmett out of the room muttering, "Merry fucking Christmas to us. I need a damn drink!"

It was all Esme could do to hold herself together as once again, her family appeared to be falling apart.

"Edward, I'm sorry this day has turned out so badly." Esme felt the need to apologize to someone for how disappointing the day had started. Not that she'd held out much hope that they'd spend Christmas gathered around the tree singing along to holiday music, drinking festive beverages and indulging in decadent treats while enjoying each other's company. No. She was too pragmatic to hope for that idyllic family scene. But she had hoped to avoid someone threatening to boycott their dream vacation, a door slamming and alcohol use before noon.

Devilward turned towards Esme. His lips curled at the end. To Esme he appeared to be grinning sardonically. "I wouldn't say that this day turned out badly. In fact except for being denied an audience with my Swan, I cannot think of a better way to observe the so -called savior's birth."

Esme was stunned by his words. She had no idea what to make of his strange statement. She watched in silence as he got up from the couch and ambled towards the stairway. There was almost a swagger to his walk. Esme's attention was caught by a low grumbling coming from Kodi. He hadn't moved from his position at her feet and was staring menacingly at the boy she barely recognized as her son.

~~~TDP~~~

"Go away!" Emmett screamed at whoever dared to interrupt his solitude.

"I wish to have Ast-Rosalie's number." Devilward's demand bounced back at him off the closed door. He waited almost ten seconds before pounding on the wooden barrier before him.

Suddenly the door was wrenched open. "Look asshole, I've had enough of your shit!" Emmett's fist was raised, poised to hit whoever had the misfortune to be in front of him. "You're more than due for a smackdown!" Devilward's cocky grin only enraged the larger boy. Emmett swung his right hand towards Edward's face, Devilward moved swiftly to his left, causing Emmett to fall slightly forward enough to lose his footing. Devilward took the opportunity to push him further off kilter with a push to his back. In his anger, Emmett's athleticism abandoned him. He fell heavily to the floor. Devilward pounced, putting Emmett in a headlock. Emmett immediately began to struggle, only to have the arm around his neck tighten. Devilward, pulled the heavier boy up from the floor. Emmett was on his knees with his back pulled tightly to Devilward's front. Emmett had always been the stronger of the brothers. Edward had never been able to match his strength. Until now.

"What the fu-?" Emmett's question was cut off by the arm now pressing heavily against his windpipe.

"Call her." Devilward demanded. Emmett struggled to breathe as Devilward tightened his arm, Emmett began to feel lightheaded.

Edward's cell phone appeared in front of Emmett's face. "Do it now."

Emmett gasped for air; dark spots began to appear in front of his eyes. His brain barely had enough power to process the fact that his younger brother was choking him to death.

"Now!" Emmett didn't hesitate, he grabbed the phone and dialed Rose's number. The phone hadn't even connected before Devilward grabbed the phone and released his hold on Emmett.

Emmett fell roughly onto his hands gasping for air as Devilward brought the phone up to his ear.

"Who the hell is this?" Astarte's asked.

"I'm being kept from my Swan. Fix it," Devilward spat into the phone. He didn't bother to wait for her reaction before disconnecting the call.

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Devilward leaned down and condescendingly patted the still gasping Emmett on his head, before heading towards Edward's room.

Emmett got up from the floor, using the wall for leverage. When he'd finally been able to get himself back inside his room, he shut the door and sat down onto his bed. "What the fuck just happened?" He whispered with wide panicked eyes.

~~~TDP~~~

"Ba'al!" Astarte screamed. The disconnected phone shook in her hand.

The door to her bedroom hit the wall as Ba'al pushed it open. "What?!" He asked, looking around the room for whatever had caused her panic.

"He's here!" Was her reply as the blood ran from his face, leaving him looking as pale and scared as she was.

~~~TDP~~~

"Are you going to sit there and stare at your phone all day or are you going to call him?" Charlie asked his daughter for the fifth time in less than an hour. He wasn't particularly excited about Bella contacting the Cullen boy, at least not after last night's visit, but he was having a difficult time enjoying his holiday with his daughter looking so distraught. He was almost ready to call the kid himself and give him an earful.

"I don't know." Was her quiet reply. Bella had fought with herself all night with how to handle Edward's sudden silence. She wanted to demand an explanation and let him know how much he'd hurt her. But then again, she knew how much this time of year weighed on him and understood that he might need a little time to himself. But dammit, she needed him too and couples leaned on each other. The whole thing was giving her a headache.

"Well, if you ask me the kid needs to learn some manners and if he's not going to treat you right, then I'm all for you dropping the little turd." Bella frowned at her dad's statement. Since the moment they had left their house and arrived at Billy's to celebrate the holiday, he'd made snide comments about Edward's character. She knew why she was upset with Edward, but Charlie's sudden bad attitude was surprising.

"Dad, stop." She ordered sternly. Charlie quickly bit back his next statement. He could see the pain in her eyes, as upset as he was at Edward; he wasn't going to add to it. Instead, he held up his hands in the universal 'I give up' motion and backed away from her.

"Fine. But if you're not going to call him then stop with the frowning and join the rest of us." Bella watched her father walk away to join the Black and Clearwater families. She could hear the sounds of their merriment coming from the living room where holiday cheer was in full swing.

This is stupid. I should be enjoying Christmas with my family and friends. Bella though to herself. She took a deep breath and set her phone down on the table. She would deal with her silent boyfriend later.

As Bella turned her back and walked out of the room, her phone lit up. Edward's face appeared on the screen.

~~~TDP~~~

Esme had been more than shocked to hear their doorbell chime followed by rapid and incessant knocking. Putting her wine glass down, she left the kitchen and answered the door only to find her oldest son's girlfriend and her brother at her door. She hadn't even been able to ask what the Hale's were doing there before she heard a deep voice she didn't recognize as her youngest son demanded they join him upstairs. She silently watched both teens follow Edward's demand. Esme opened her mouth to ask just what the hell was going on but ultimately shook her head in in bewilderment and returned to the empty kitchen and her full glass.

"Why is she not answering?!" Devilward screamed, throwing Edward's phone onto the bed. Astarte and Ba'al shot each other a worried glance.

"Why is my Swan not picking up the phone?" His irritation at Bella ignoring his calls was beyond frustrating.

"Sire, as we told you, today is a day reserved for families. Most humans do not make time for others." Ba'al answered.

Devilward shot him a hard glare. "Do you think I need to be reminded what these humans celebrate today! Think you that I have forgotten they're celebrating his birth? The birth of the one that sits in my rightful place?!" His anger was frightening. Ba'al counted himself lucky that Satan's wrath was bound heavily while he inhabited Edward's body. For surely if they were in Hell, he'd be without his skin and nailed to the nearest wall.

"I'm not an 'other'. I'm her master and she will bow down to me!" Devilward snarled.

"Sire, I understand that you're upset but tis one day. We will find her tomorrow. You will be united with your Swan in mere hours." Ba'al promised, looking to Astarte to confirm his statement. She was being uncharacteristically quiet. He motioned his head at Devilward, urging her say something.

She shook her head quickly, dismissing him and rushed from the room.

"Where is she going?" Devilward asked, watching Astarte's retreat.

"She had to pee." Ba'al lied quickly.

Devilward nodded thoughtfully. "I'm finding that part of being human extremely annoying. As well as sleeping and the constant gnawing of my bowels." He added, rubbing his stomach. Ba'al had to hold in his laughter at Satan's complaining. He seemed more like a small child than a millennium old fallen angel.

"Yes, Sire, human feedings can be quite time consuming; especially for a male teen human. They seem to need the most food."

"Indeed." Satan nodded his head in agreement. "I would also like you to take a look and explain to me what is wrong with this boy's cock."

~~~TDP~~~

Astarte leaned against the wall just outside of Edward's room. Something was wrong; very wrong for Bella to have ignored a call from Edward. She knew enough about being a female in this time that not even the holiest of days would keep a human girl from speaking to her boyfriend. Something had caused a rift between the two love birds and if she didn't figure it out, there was no telling what Satan might do.

She moved swiftly to knock on Emmett's door.

"Fuck off Edward!" Astarte giggled slightly at his statement. He must have had a run in with his new and improved brother.

"It's me baby." She cooed into the door. Immediately the sounds of rustling bed clothes were heard before the door swung open.

"Oh my God! I'm so happy to see you." Emmett exclaimed, grabbing Rosalie around the waist and dragging her up against him. "I can't tell you what an incredibly fucked up day this has been." He murmured into her neck as he hugged her tightly to him. "Something is going on with Edward, mom and dad cancelled Christmas, Alec lost his mom and…"

"Shhhhh." Astarte cooed into his ear, as she tried to calm him. She legitimately wanted to soothe him but in order to save them all from more hurt, she needed to know what had happened between Edward and Bella. "Love, you said something was wrong with Edward, tell me." The large man in her arms shuddered and tightened his arms. Gently, she pushed and pulled at him until he'd pulled away enough that she could look at him. Astarte had seen horrible things in her lifetime. She had seen the ravages of war and famine played out on the human body. Once she was banished to the bowels of Hell, she'd seen things that haunted her even more than what she'd witnessed as a demi-god. Yet, she'd never intervened or tried to relieve the pain of those afflicted. But when she saw the red marks on Emmett's neck, heard the hoarseness of his damaged vocal chords and saw the pain in his eyes, swells of sympathy washed over her. She knew that she would do anything to keep the boy in her arms safe. Even if it meant she had to work with The Devil himself.

"Come sit down. Tell me what happened." Emmett meekly followed her to his bed and sat down, never letting go of her hand.

"He attacked me." Emmett's words came out in a rush as if he were still struggling to believe what had happened.

"Why?"

"I don't know!" Emmett exclaimed abruptly, jumping up from the bed. "He was pounding on my door like a lunatic. When I opened it, he demanded your number and when I wouldn't give it to him-he choked me." Emmett touched the red welt on his neck. "I couldn't breathe, Rose. I was legitimately losing consciousness and he didn't care, he just tightened his arm against my neck." Emmett's voice lowered. "How did he get so strong? And why did he want your number?"

She ignored his question about her number and couldn't tell him that his brother was playing host to evil incarnate and not only was he stronger but the evil inside him was plotting to end all life on Earth as he knew it. Instead, she rocked him in her arms, wanting to comfort him while trying to figure out a way to get the information she needed in order to placate the devil in the next room.

"I'm so sorry," she said, placing a kiss on the side of his head. "Em, is something going on with him and Bella?"

Emmett pulled away from her embrace. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm just trying to figure out why he became so violent with you." She lied. Holding her tongue. She couldn't very well remind him that that Edward had many reasons to fight back against his brother's cruelty.

"I don't know," he said with growing frustration. Why was his girlfriend worried about Edward's relationship? She should only be concerned with him.

"Emmett, think." She ordered him sternly.

"Dammit I don't know. I haven't seen her around here for a couple of days. I heard he had another fucking breakdown and she left." Emmett remembered his mother talking to his father in the kitchen that day. She was crying again as she reminded his dad about the grandchild they'd lost and how it was still affecting his brother. Emmett hated to hear his mother cry. He could feel her pain and knew that in the past he'd added to it. But his stubbornness and anger had kept him from soothing her. Instead, he'd run upstairs to hide in his room. Stopping momentarily at his brother's door, Emmett had heard Edward's sobs echoing his mother's. His arm had raised to knock on Edward's door, the big brother in him responding to a little brother's pain. But as he gazed on the door and hallway that had only been their home for a few months, his anger over their move was rekindled and his heart hardened. He'd walked past Edward's room into his own and turned on his favorite playlist as loudly as his ears could handle it; he'd stared into the darkness stewing in his own pain.

Rosalie took a deep breath, wracking her brain for a new tactic to try. "Emmett, maybe it's time you started to forgive him."

The look on Emmett's face could only be described as complete confusion. "What the hell, Rose? Forgive him?"

"Look, I know that would he did caused you pain-"

"Caused me pain? He ruined my fucking life! I lost my friends, my team, everything I've ever known!" Emmett fumed. Why did no one ever worry about what Edward's actions had caused him? Why didn't anyone care about him? Emmett had struggled with his ever changing feelings regarding his brother for months. His anger had been fueled to rage when his parents announced they were moving; and had only softened when they'd gotten Kodi. Remembering thei first puppy had reminded him of the bond he used to have with his little brother, but that bond was easily pushed aside when he was reminded of Edward's crimes and what they had caused him to lose.

Rosalie knew that in order to fulfill her duty to Satan, she had to get Emmett to change his feelings toward his brother and accept the one hundred and eighty turn in her attitude towards the boy.

"I just think that it's time to heal your family." She got up from his bed and walked seductively towards the clearly angry boy. Despite his frustration, he was powerless to ignore the sway of her hips and the gentle bounce of her breasts. Human males were so easy she thought as she licked her lips and smiled. Rosalie ran her fingernail up the front of his shirt, lifting her eyes to meet his lusty gaze.

"Maybe instead of thinking about what you lost," she said, slipping her hand behind his neck, pulling his head closer so she could whisper into his ear. "You should be grateful for who you've gained." She nipped his ear lobe before kissing down and across his jaw line until she got to his lips. Emmett quickly captured her lips in a bruising kiss. Her teasing had done its job. Emmett's hands came down to roughly grab her hips, pulling her tightly into him. Rosalie couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips as Emmett plundered her mouth.

The two kissed for several minutes. Emmett's hands roamed possessively over her lower body. When her skirt began to edge up, she knew she had to slow him down. Satan and Ba'al were waiting for her in the next room. The Devil would not be pleased to know he'd been kept waiting while she and Emmett indulged in a quickie.

Panting, Rose pulled away from his demanding kiss and tried to push him from her. "Babe, we can't."

"Why the fuck not?" He demanded through clenched teeth. After the day-no, two days he'd had, he needed to either hit or fuck someone. He could feel the pent up tension practically pulse through his veins.

"It's Christmas." She explained, lamely. This day held no special meaning to her but from what she knew of the Christian religion, even a man as horny as Emmett would think twice before defiling Christmas.

"Fuck." He moaned slowly, pulling away from her. "You're right. On all counts." He added.

"So, why don't we do something good? That's the point of today, right? We do a good deed?"

"Um, I guess you could say that," he said, petulantly. Still hoping for sex.

"Maybe we should start with trying to help Edward?"

"Babe, while I may agree that fucking you up against the wall is not a very Christmas like activity, I don't know that I'm ready to be that little turd's best friend." He spat, shaking his head in disbelief at her suggestion.

"You don't have to be his best friend," she purred, putting her hand on his chest. "You just need to stop being his enemy." Emmett regarded his girlfriend carefully. Specifically, he regarded her long, shapely legs, wide hips, slim waist and perfectly proportioned chest. He had to admit that the move to Forks, had ended up with a huge win for him on the girlfriend front.

"Okay; I'll try." He agreed unenthusiastically with a slight nod.

~~~TDP~~~

"Merry Christmas!" Bella and Charlie called out in unison to the Black clan as they climbed into Charlie's car.

"That was nice." Charlie commented as he gave a final wave to his best friend's family and maneuvered the car out of Billy's driveway and onto the road that would take them out of the reservation and back to Forks.

"Yes, it was." Bella agreed. The day had been very nice. She'd forgotten how much she enjoyed the twins' company.

"You know, if things don't work out with that Cullen kid, I think you have quite an admirer in Jacob."

Bella sighed loudly and rolled her eyes in her seat. Charlie had been pushing the younger boy on her all day. As much as she enjoyed the attention and honestly liked Jacob, and despite the hurt she was not breaking up with Edward. A fact that it appeared her father needed to know.

"Dad, I'm not breaking up with Edward," Bella said turning to face her father. "I don't know why you keep bringing it up." She huffed from her seat, crossing her arms over-playing her discontent. If the boy's attitude hadn't been so infuriating last night, he might be tempted to laugh at her display. But he was getting bad vibes from Edward Cullen

"I just think that in light of how you've been moping over his lack of attention the last couple of days, you might want to rethink your relationship. He sounds flighty and immature to me."

Bella sighed again and uncrossed her arms. She rubbed her temples, attempting to dissipate the headache she could feel forming. She understood why her father would think that. Edward's lack of communication had once again caused her to be upset, an emotion that she was not able to hide from her father. But Edward was far from flighty. Despite the feelings of guilt that he still harbored, Edward had persevered through more at the age of seventeen than most adults would tackle in their lifetimes.

"He's not flighty or immature. You don't know him like I do." She snapped.

"Well, then why aren't you returning his calls?" He quickly countered.

Bella ran her fingers over the phone in her pocket. Its smooth cool edges were comforting in a way she couldn't explain to Charlie. She was upset that Edward had gone silent on her, again. No matter how well she understood the roller coaster his emotions were riding, it still hurt when he turned away from her to heal on his own. It made her feel inconsequential to him. Still, knowing that the phone in her pocket contained messages from him, messages that would no doubt explain his non-communicative status over the last two days gave her a bit of comfort. Still, his question about why she hadn't returned his calls the minute they'd arrived, gave her pause. Was she the immature one by wanting him to need her? Did she stay silent hoping that perhaps he would feel the rejection that his silence was causing her to feel?

Perhaps.

Just a little.

Charlie pulled into the driveway, parking the car. He got out, reaching around to grab the small pile of leftovers from the back seat. "Are you coming in?"

Bella nodded. "Soon; I have a phone call to make." Charlie, pursed his lips but said nothing.

Bella waited until she heard the front door close before taking her phone out of her pocket. She opened it to see that Edward had called her three more times since she'd turned the phone off over two hours ago. Bella took a moment to gather her thoughts before dialing his number.

"Why have you not returned my calls?!" The demanding question greeted her after the first ring.

Bella recoiled at the force of his voice.

"Isabella, answer me! When I summon you, you will comply!" Bella had never heard that tone from him. She almost pulled the phone back so she could check the number. Surely the rude and rough voice on the other end belonged to someone else that happened to have a girlfriend named Isabella? Her Edward wouldn't talk to her in that manner. Especially when he'd been the one not returning phone calls for the last two days!

"Excuse me?"

"Is there something wrong with your hearing? Where have you been?" He asked, completely ignoring her question.

"There is something wrong with my hearing if I understand your tone correctly! How dare you give me that kind of attitude!" Bella made her own demand, fed up with his attitude. She loved him, but she would not allow him to get away with this kind of crap. She heard him take a large intake of breath on the other end. Just as she was about to hang up and tell him to call her once he regained his senses, there was the sound of a scuffle and then muffled voices, sounding as if someone were arguing with him. She strained to hear that was being said but was unable to make out any other voices but Edward's. Bella had decided to just hang up when Edward spoke again. This time in a somewhat gentler, but still clipped tone.

"Isabella, I have been informed that my previous tone may have appeared to be out of line." He huffed; clearly not convinced he was in the wrong. Bella assumed that he was trying to apologize but even his new tone had her on edge. "If you were offended, you were wrong –"Again she heard more whispering, but she'd had enough and didn't bother to wait for him to resume speaking.

"You know what Edward, why don't we both get some sleep and in the morning you can apologize to me for ignoring and then offending me."

"Ignoring you? It was you that- She hung up on me the little snipe!" Devilward exclaimed incredulously. His eyes were practically blazing with anger as he glared at the phone.

If his own eternity didn't hinge on Satan getting what he wanted, he'd laugh at the look of pure astonishment on Satan's face. Instead Ba'al sat heavily onto Edward's bed, rubbing his forehead. Satan had everything he'd wanted. He'd been manipulating events and people's lives for thousands of years to get to this point. And it all teetered on the verge of destruction because he wasn't capable of curbing his arrogance or temper long enough to deal with a teenaged girl.

~~~TDP~~~

"Bella?" Edward asked into the darkness. He tried to focus on her voice but she kept coming in and out like a badly received AM radio station. Yet, he was sure it was her. Edward flailed around in the dark looking for anything that he could grab onto. There was nothing. He was floating weightless in the dark.

Bella had sounded upset. Angry. Angry at him.

He shook his head, trying to shake off whatever had a hold on him. Edward felt as if he'd been asleep for years, his brain was muddled and slow, but the sound of Bella's voice had penetrated the heavy fog.

Forcing his eyes to open Edward peered out recognizing his room. Slowly, the activities of the last 24 hours began to filter back in. He gasped for air as despair fell heavily onto him. He'd given his body over to the Devil for a little peace.

"What did you do to Bella?!" Edward screamed.

"Well, well. Look who has awoken." He shuddered as the sarcastic voice echoed in his head.

"What did you d-"

"What did I do to Isabella?" The Devil repeated with a sneer. "Nothing, yet."

Thank you for reading. I appreciate all of your support!

Until next time,

ruinedbyrob