Author's Note: Stephenie Meyer created Twilight. I created this work of fan fiction.

We're going to jump forward to where we left off in the flash forward (Chapter 25), where Bella had begun spilling her guts to Charlie. I know there is a lot left to explain and we'll get Bella's take on things for now, but remember, as you're reading this, that Bella herself doesn't know what all went down. Some of her thoughts could be just speculation.


BPOV

"Edward is in jail? For what?" Charlie's questioning had begun as concerned father, but I could see him slipping into full-on Police Chief.

I wasn't ready to delve into any of this, but Charlie's arrival at Sue's was the end of my hiding. During the three days I had been at Sue's I had rehashed everything in my head, playing it out in my mind again and again. Out of all the horrific memories of that night, a few thoughts kept recurring over and over again:

Edward didn't want your help – or anyone's.

Edward is a killer. He killed someone!

I couldn't think of him as a murderer, even without knowing all of the circumstances.

James had a knife.

None of Edward's past outbursts were without reason.

But Edward is a strong guy. Why couldn't he just subdue James? Knock him unconscious? Immobilize him? Why did he have to kill James?

"Bella, what is Edward in jail for?" Charlie was still waiting for an answer and I had been staring at him blankly.

"He got into a fight with a neighbor from my apartment building. I think the guy attacked him with a knife…"

I caught Charlie up on the details as I knew them. I told him about the New Year's party and why Edward had to go back to the apartment. Then I had to back up and explain that James had been bothering Edward. Charlie pushed me to explain the reasons for that and I had to admit that James had been attending my cooking classes and that he did seem to lurk around the building when I was around. Charlie was furious with me for not mentioning this sooner and scolded me for not doing something before it got to this level.

I did regret not doing something to discourage James' behavior sooner. Not just because this whole scenario could have been avoided, but because, deep down, I knew that Edward had been right about him from the beginning. If I ever had the chance to admit that to Edward, I promised myself that I would.

When I got to the point in the story where we found out that James was dead, Charlie didn't react as harshly as I thought he would.

"There are some holes in this story that need to be filled in, but it sounds to me as though Edward was acting in self-defense."

Fresh tears welled in my eyes. "I hope so, Dad." I buried my face Charlie's shoulder once again and when I closed my eyes, I was back in the Seattle police station.

XOXOXOX

Once we found out that Edward was being taken from the hospital into police custody there was nothing but silent shock from everyone. Before they left to go read Edward his rights, the officers said that there would be an opportunity for Edward to speak with us and an attorney after he was booked and processed at the station. I rode with Carlisle and Esme to the police station and Alice and Jasper met us there. Carlisle had strongly advised that Alice stay away from such a stressful environment, especially so early in her pregnancy. But she would hear none of it. Emmett took Rosalie home; she had already over-extended herself and looked pale and pained as she gently hugged me goodbye. I insisted Jacob go home, but first I thanked him for waiting things out with me at the hospital. He gave me his jacket to cover my bloodstained dress and protect me from the sleet that had begun dumping from the sky.

Unfortunately, at the police station there was not much to do but sit around and wait. I sat in one of the hard plastic chairs, trying to focus and stay calm until I could get in front of Edward. I refused to speculate anymore about his guilt or innocence until he we had the opportunity to be face to face. I believed, no matter what, that he would be honest with me. The minutes ticked by and I realized I was looking at the enormous clock on the wall, but not actually paying attention to what time it really was.

"It's after midnight," I whispered. Alice and Esme looked up from where they had been huddled together, consoling each other. "Happy New Year." I half smiled at them, but had to bite my lip before tears escaped. I barely felt Jasper's arm drape over my shoulders in an attempt to comfort me. Carlisle had been out in the hallway speaking with their attorney and they returned to sit and wait with us. Finally, sometime after 1 a.m. someone came to speak to us.

"Which of you is Mr. Cullen's attorney?"

"J. Jenks," the attorney introduced himself, standing and extending his hand to the officer.

"Mr. Jenks, we can give you thirty minutes with Mr. Cullen now. Later today you'll have another opportunity to meet with him before an arraignment. Please follow me."

Jenks followed the officer and I looked at Esme and Carlisle with utter panic on my face.

"Officer," Carlisle called after them, "Will we have an opportunity to speak with Edward as a family? We didn't have an opportunity to see or speak with him at the hospital."

The officer got a pained look on his face as though he had suddenly tasted something bitter. I knew he didn't want to say whatever it was he had to say.

"Mr. Cullen has only asked to speak with his attorney at this time."

"What?" I didn't believe what I was hearing.

Everyone stood in disbelief, but Carlisle managed to speak up first, before Jenks and the officer left the room.

"Does Edward know we are all here in support of him?"

The son of a bitch officer had the audacity to shrug at us and left the waiting area with Jenks in tow.

It took me a moment to fully comprehend what was happening before I found my footing, literally, and took off after them. A female officer at the front desk called after me, but I ignored her. I ran through the station and someone grabbed me just as I turned the corner to catch up with Jenks and the officer who was taking him to Edward.

"Wait!" I cried, struggling against the arms that held me firmly in place. "Please! Did you tell him his parents and his fiancé were here waiting for him!? We want to help him!"

The officer came almost alarmingly close before he answered. He was really tall and I had long ago abandoned my high heels in the waiting room. He bent down and almost whispered.

"It took me long enough to convince him that he ought to talk to an attorney and I'm not even supposed to do that. I told him you all were here and do you know what he did?"

"What?" I asked, horrified already.

"He sorta chuckled to himself and said he didn't have a fiancé."

XOXOXOX

Alice and Jasper took Esme directly home while Carlisle took me back to the house. It stood dark and empty. I still had no idea what happened with the party.

"Would you like me to pick you up for the arraignment tomorrow, dear?"

"I'll be okay. Thanks, Carlisle."

"My son can be very stubborn and prideful. Jenks will do what he can to sort this mess out."

I didn't… couldn't… respond. I got out of the car and headed towards the house. Carlisle pulled away once he saw I had let myself in. I stood in the dark entryway and listened to the eerie silence. I could smell remnants of the food and beverages that I assume had been served to my guests in my absence.

Standing alone in the darkness, my hurt and anger fully bloomed. Edward's rejection of me and his apparent refusal to deny his guilt allowed a cold emptiness to settle in my chest. Suddenly, I felt the urge to remove myself from the entire scenario and I launched into action.

I couldn't reach the zipper on my dress by myself, so I ended up going to the kitchen for a pair of shears to cut myself out of it. I dressed in the clothes I had worn earlier in the day, locked up the house, and jumped in my car.

Fifteen minutes later I parallel parked into a space outside my building, directly in front of Edward's Volvo. I could easily see the garment bag that was haphazardly strewn across the passenger seat. I didn't think much of it, but it did remind me to brace myself for what I might see inside the building. I climbed slowly to the third floor and was surprised to see nothing out of place on the landing outside my apartment door. If there was a crime scene, it had already been documented and cleared away. Probably to avoid a disturbance to the other tenants.

Thinking of the other tenants made me think of Victoria. Where was she during all of this? Hadn't she once warned Edward about James? Suddenly, my curiosity ruled out over common sense for my safety or the late hour. I ran down the flight of stairs to their apartment and knocked. When there wasn't an answer after a few moments, I tried again, louder, banging on the door. I was near tears in my desperation.

Why the fuck can't I get any answers from anyone? Why is the world shutting me out!?

It was the last straw. I returned upstairs to my original purpose, which was to get some clothes and get the hell out of Seattle.

XOXOXOX

"Is that why you're here? Because Edward refused to see you?" Miraculously, Charlie understood the rest of my story, despite me blubbering through some of the details.

"He knew we were all there for him. He refused to see us or speak up in his own defense. He shut me out."

"Whether he's guilty or not, this whole incident was probably a shock to his system, don't you think, Bells?" Charlie asked. "It's not often we find ourselves in such violent circumstances…"

I cringed.

I knew I would have to tell Charlie about Edward's past to fill in some more of the details, and my reasoning for having to doubt Edward's true innocence. I told him about the first incident where Edward was defending Alice, then about the incident in college, and finally told him about what happened at my birthday. The more I divulged, the more Charlie's eyebrows furrowed and his mustache twitched. I didn't leave out a single gory detail, because suddenly I was very interested in hearing my father and local police chief's opinion on the whole scenario.

I had destroyed my phone and ran to Sue's to hide and avoid this all, but for the first time since I arrived I felt a twinge of regret in that decision. I was still furious and so confused in regards to Edward, though, and I had no idea how to handle the cold, hollow feelings I had when I thought of him. I hoped Charlie would give me some honest insight that didn't just sound like fatherly protectiveness.

"This is quite a tale, Bells. To be perfectly honest, I'm a little frustrated with you for not clueing your old man into any of these details about your neighbor or your boyfriend, who you now own a house with." I hadn't told Charlie about Edward buying the house for me. It was difficult enough to explain that we were moving in together after only five months. I cringed at the thought of the house, the biggest symbol of the life we had decided we wanted to build together.

"I know, Charlie. I thought I was able to handle it all. I never thought anything would get this out of hand."

"I think you're here because you're frustrated with Edward, but I also think you're here because you're scared of what you feel for him. It must be terrifying to feel so strongly about someone who could have committed such a crime."

I sat stunned at Charlie's insight. Was he right? Everything between Edward and I had moved so quickly: an instant physical connection; a powerful business partnership; early proclamations of love; moving in together. I had taken each phase in stride over the last few months and turned a blind eye to the possibility that it might not work out, or that something bad could happen to us. Now I was physically hiding from something that was going to alter us forever - no matter the outcome.

"I thought you would hear all of this and try to hide me away even further, like in witness protection or something," I half joked.

"A good cop can look at a scenario from almost any perspective. Yes, I deal a lot with the victims of a crime, but you have to remember that I also deal with the families and loved ones of those who committed the crime. They have a whole other challenge to overcome."

"What should I do now? When I let myself think about it, I have so many unanswered questions and it all seems like too much to bear."

"Well, first I think you should address some of your adult responsibilities. Weren't you supposed to be back at work on the 2nd?"

For the first time since all of this happened I realized that there must be a field day in the press about Edward, Cullen Creative, and possibly even Masen Enterprises. Suddenly I was scrambling on the bed, looking for the newspaper Sue had brought up.

Sue only mentioned the Apple announcement. Surely there would be a shitstorm for the Cullens and the Masens in the media.

I flipped through, but only saw the small paragraph in the business section she had referred to. After three days of living in my shell of denial, I was suddenly and hypocritically in need of answers.

"Would you like to hear the rest of my advice?" Charlie's question tore me away from my frenetic scanning of the paper.

"Yes, please," I said, laying the paper back down on the bed.

"I think you should go directly to the Cullens, apologize for running away, and ask what you can do to help. Whether Edward is guilty or not, I am sure they are in dire need of support. Do that before you go in, guns blazing, demanding answers."

I nodded my agreement.

"Take a shower and eat something. Then get your ass back to Seattle. Your first stop needs to be to buy a new phone, understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"I know you feel like you should guard your heart," he said, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear, "but that's just not in your nature. You give all of yourself to everything you do."

I nodded again, tearing up. But this time my tears were from my awe at Charlie's insight. I made another promise to myself that I would share more with him in the future.

No, starting now. I flung my arms around him and hugged him tight.

"I love you, dad."

"I love you too, Isabella."

XOXOXOX

Charlie had gone downstairs, mumbling about making something more substantial than a muffin. I showered and let the water run as hot as I could stand. It both relaxed and awakened me at the same time. The bathroom was full of steam when I finally emerged from the shower. I wiped the mirror with a hand towel and was shocked at my reflection. The contours of my face looked hollow and brittle. I was surprised at how much of my appearance could change in a few days with no sickness to attribute to it. I began pinching some color into my cheeks when someone pounded on the bathroom door.

"Bella, it's Rosalie! Get out here and show your face!"

What!?

I threw my yoga pants and hoodie back on and threw open the door. My hair was dripping everywhere and I didn't have any underwear on, but none of that mattered.

"Rose!" I exclaimed, "what are you doing here?"

She was standing in the hallway, tapping her foot in her impatience. Behind her, at the top of the stairs stood Jacob.

"Bella, he didn't kill him; he barely wounded him! I had to break every rule to get my hands on a copy of the coroner's report because, God knows, the Cullens wouldn't tell me anything. But, Bella, James overdosed!"


A/N: This was by far the most difficult chapter to write so far. Believe it or not, I actually think I can come to the conclusion of this story in one more chapter. I promise I will do it justice or write as much as fits the story in my head.