APV

"We have to talk," I walked into Charles' office as calmly as I could. I couldn't afford to draw attention to my actions today. I even took an extra shift in the ER so I was wearing scrubs. Charles was sitting behind his desk with his eyes closed.

"I'm not promising to listen," he opened his eyes.

"It's about what you saw," I pointed to the window.

"Traffic?" he asked, but I knew I had his attention.

"You're gonna play this game with me?" I asked.

"What game is that?" he brought his brows together. He may not have brought his A-game but he was definitely playing.

"You don't trust me?" I was shocked to realise.

"Wipe the hurt expression off your face," he rolled his eyes at me, "You know I trust you with my life."

"You just don't trust me with hers," I was tempted to turn and walk out of the room.

"It's not my secret to tell Aaron," he avoided my eyes, "But you seem to know it already so let's not play games." His voice was pleading more than anything else.

"Prepare yourself," I sat down in front of him.

"That bad," he put his elbows on his desk and entwined his fingers.

"General knowledge," I put the folder in front of him and opened it, "A man by the name of Timothy Swallows was killed around to seven o'clock this morning in the building next door," I showed him a crime scene photo, "You can see through his window when you stand on the balcony," I showed him some recon that was done for him under the pretence of finding a selling point for this office, "You were standing on the very spot this picture was taken," I showed him a picture I hadn't seen till today.

"There are still crime scene investigators next door," he looked out of the window as if to check that they were still there.

"Someone worked very fast," I nodded.

"I admire their dedication," he was obviously preoccupied, "What does this have to do with me?"

"You witnessed a murder for which there are numerous suspects," I pointed out the first obvious thing, "Someone knows it and they don't plan on letting you be silent." I watched his face, first came understanding, then fear, then panic. "Calm down," I tried not to yell.

"Calm down?" he stood up, "You're telling me to calm down?"

"Nobody knows it's Isabella," I said the one thing I knew would work.

"If nobody knows then how do you know?" he dropped the pretence.

"You witnessed a murder and you're standing there pretending not to know a thing about it," I stated, "There are four people you'd do that for: it's not me and the boys are in school."

"I would have told you, eventually," he admitted, "But this was not necessary."

"I would have waited," I told him honestly, "If only it were just me."

"Who else?" he sat down and put his face in his hands.

"I don't know," I said in a low voice, "These were hand delivered to your father's office," I pointed to the photos, "When you didn't take his call he tried me. I don't think he put it all together but he did recognise that it was some dangerous information."

"I don't get how you put it all together," the wheels in his head started turning.

"With the help of a note I destroyed," I couldn't risk anything in a situation this precarious, "It's almost like someone planned this," and carefully, "Because it boils down to this: of all the people that will be suspected of this crime, only two are without alibis," I looked at him across the desk, "Isabella and Kindle," I looked down to avoid his expression, "One of them will be prosecuted eventually and Kindle got a few tickets punched in Seattle at the most inconvenient times."

"Seattle," he breathed.

"High profile murders with almost the same MO," I knew I would have to spell this all out, "And there's a lot of pressure to punish the party responsible for the killing spree in Seattle so the 'almost' part of the last sentence is expendable."

"If someone is framing Kindle what does Isabella have to do with it?" he asked.

"Besides the obvious?" I asked before I could get my brain-to-mouth filter working, "Isabella is the only other person who wasn't best friends with the dead guy and is without an alibi for anything because no one can ever account for her whereabouts."

"Doesn't that put them both in the line of fire?" his subconscious was already looking for a way to avoid what was coming.

"The DA isn't going after someone whose whereabouts aren't known when they have someone they can place in Seattle and has a medical background," I laid it out, "You're facing obstruction charges if you don't testify and purgery charges if you do because we both know you're not going to tell them Isabella did it."

"What else can I do?" he brought his hands down on the teak and got to his feet.

"You can marry her," I said. His brows knitted then he sat down. "Then they can't drag you to the stand. In fact, I don't think they'd even drag her to court. Without that testimony their evidence is circumstantial at best."

"There must be some other way," he sat down. "They're playing pin the tail on the killer. We just have someone in that building who came in to work that day who doesn't like the guy. That's not hard when dealing with top management."

"Seattle?" I reminded him.

"Speculation," he returned.

"True," I admitted, "But there isn't any such person."

"How would you know that?" he was not giving in just yet, "You've looked for all of forty five minutes."

"There is no one else," I spoke each word slowly and calmly.

"I could just be an alibi for Kindle," he was grasping at straws.

"Then law enforcement has only one person to go after," I pointed out. He covered his face. When he removed his hands he looked so hopeless I knew he finally got it.

"I have a feeling she won't like this," he picked up the phone.

"You can't tell her," I put my hand where the phone was.

"Are you insane?" he seemed to be asking seriously.

"You want her, along with Kindle, the judge and yours truly, not to mention you, to risk being charged with eight counts of conspiracy to commit murder?" I tried to put things into perspective for him.

"Izzy can keep a secret," he was pointing it out rather than trying to convince me.

"I know," I wasn't doubting her ability to lie, "But she cannot hold her tongue and frankly, she's a self-destructive bitch."

"Don't call her that," he shook his head.

"That is not even on the same hemisphere as the point," he frustrated me so much.

"Can't you see?" he seemed not to believe I couldn't, "She is the point."

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't know that," I assured him, "You can save her but you can't do it by throwing Kindle to the sharks."

"I know that," he dug his fingers into his temples, "Dammit!" he hit the desk with his fist but it had no power. He looked like he was going to cry.

"You can't fall apart now," I walked around the desk, "You need to get married today. You need to convince Kindle that she's the love of your life because we both know she can't lie for shit," I grabbed his hair and jerked his head sideways, "Get your game face on. The judge is handling all the arrangements. We're doing this in secret. We wouldn't want anyone to know you got married after the fact."

He sat down and closed his eyes. I took the box out of my pocket and set it on the table. "Looks like you guys came to play," he said in a flat voice, looking at the ring. It was a rare, almost 25 carat pink diamond that had been sold almost four decades ago for a record breaking price to an anonymous buyer.

"He had this the entire time?" Charles was momentarily distracted.

"I think he bought it for your mother," I couldn't be sure. He never spoke a word about her.

"Of course he'd choose this garbage dump of a situation to bestow that gift on me," he redirected his anger.

"Again," I reminded him, "Far from the point."

"I wish I could say goodbye," he closed the box and put it in his pocket, "Have one last good day, a moment even."

"Charles," Isabella barrelled through the door. Her hair was down, her eyes were bright and her cheeks had the rosy colour I thought I'd never see in them again. She tripped and held on to the door handle laughing. She bit her lips and nodded.

"Okay," she tucked her hair behind her ear, "Here's the thing," she gestured with her hands like she was actually holding something, "I'm free," she laughed and wiped the corner of her eye, "I'm a billionaire and I'm free so I could do just about anything. And all I want is to come home."

The room was still and quiet for a beat. "Isabella," Charles got to his feet.

"Shut up," she put her index finger up, "You're answering too quickly," she laughed. It was the first time I'd heard a nervous laugh come from her lips. "I'm no picnic," she started talking smoothly again, "Most people in your life will never like me. And with good reason. I'm rude, and childish and I have the sensitivity of a... head of cabbage. I have done things, unforgivable things, and I can't remember ever letting bygones be bygones because the human memory just doesn't go back that far.

"All these things," she made a sweeping gesture, "You already know about me," she turned her palms up, "So here are a few you probably don't and I think you should," she looked at him in silence for a moment, still completely ignoring me, "I'm never going to be nice, this is as grown up as I will ever get and I'm not sorry about anything," she shook her head slightly.

"Also, I think 'compromise' is the ugliest word in the English language so you can't expect change," she cut the air with her hand, "I know you've had a taste of normal, even sweet, with Kindle and company," she scratched needlessly behind her ear, "And I can't give you that but I'm a jealous woman so I better get to the point," she ventured a glance in my direction, "I am flawed," she turned back to Charles, "But I need to know that that's enough because I love you."

Charles was on his feet again. I put my foot slowly on top of his. He seemed oblivious. "And if you still love me, not the person I could be if you gave me some time, the person I am now, then you can't have the rest of it," she shook her head.

"Izzy," he sounded on the verge of tears now. On any other day I would think it was joy but not today. He pulled his foot out from under mine and walked around the desk.

"Not yet," she whisked across the room and put her hand on his lips, "Sleep on it. Think of all the things you're going to have to give up. If you think I'm worth it," she kissed him. I think she meant it to be a teaser but he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately. "Only then," she pushed him back, "Find a way to let me know."

She tried to leave again but he grabbed her hand and kissed her. He was gentler this time, cupping her face. I may as well have been a chair. I closed his laptop to remind him of my presence and, more importantly, the present situation. He let her go. She walked backwards out of the door, smiling and blushing. He stood there, staring at the door.

"One last good day," I got him out of the trance, "One last moment."

"It's not enough," he walked, almost stomped, up to me, "Not nearly enough," he sat down on top of it.

"I know," I almost put my hand on his shoulder but I thought better of it.

"She's going to crucify me," he laughed bitterly. I couldn't help but scoff. Hearing about Charles' nuptial was tomorrow was going to send Isabella into a blind rage. It was utterly ridiculous that he thought he was going to be the only one she'd take it out on.

The door opened again. This time it was Kindle. I bit back the sigh. "Enough," she folded her arms in the doorway, "I won't do this any more. I'm done."

"So am I," Charles stood up, "I'm done with everyone else so I can't let you be done with me. Marry me K."

"I came here to yell at you," she slammed the door behind herself, "And you propose?"

"It's been a long time coming," he opened the box.

"Oh my God," she gasped. He pulled the ring out of the box and went to slip it on her finger.

"Marry me Kindle," he put her hands around his neck, "Right here," he kissed her lips, "Right now," he kissed her neck.

"That's insane," she said without much conviction.

"I've been insane to not to see the right woman when she was in front of me for so long," he laid it on thick, "I don't want to wait another second."

"Let's do it," she smiled radiantly. Charles called his father then he married Kindle. He turned his back on Isabella and hurt her even though he knew the chances of being forgiven were slim to none. Why didn't anyone warn me that the world was ending?