[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N]

Today's chapter is dedicated to LethalPoison for being the 400th reviewer.

**28**

Mushroom Ravioli; she didn't even like mushrooms. Bella picked halfheartedly around in the food on her plate. It was ridiculous that Agent Masen had insisted to buy her dinner in a small Italian Restaurant. He had told her it would be better to talk there instead of doing it somewhere outside.

"Aren't you hungry?" he asked, pushing the sleeves of his shirt a bit higher. "That donut you had earlier wasn't exactly nutritious."

Bella wiped her mouth on a paper napkin. "It's kind of creepy that you followed me around all day."

His left eyebrow twitched. "It is called observation. Didn't they teach you about this at the police academy?"

She reached for the glass with diet coke and lifted it to her lips. "They taught me a lot of things there."

For a few moments Agent Masen was very still. His forehead wrinkled in concentration. "Why were you at Volturi Jewelry today?" he finally asked. "I've been observing that place for two weeks now and nobody ever came to it."

Bella hesitated. How much could she tell him? She wasn't one to trust strangers very easily. Agent Masen worked for the FBI though and in a way that somehow made him a role model for her. Should she tell him about her ambitions to work for the FBI herself? No, it would be better if she didn't. He might end up laughing about her.

Masen sighed. "This is very frustrating. You're so difficult to read."

"I could say the same about you." Bella stated. "Why don't you tell me why you've been observing the shop?"

He sighed. "That's complicated. We're assuming that the jewelry store is just a cover up for their real business."

Bella started nibbling her bottom lip nervously. How exciting! She needed to calm and act professionally. But how could she stay calm, when this was so much better than scanning files all day long?

"Are they selling drugs under the counter?"

"Worse," Masen mumbled, fisting his hands into his tousled hair. "Much worse,"

"They're terrorists?" Bella whispered, her voice cracking slightly. "Are you sure?"

He shook his head. Then he pushed the glass with his coke over to Bella. "Yours is already empty. You must be thirsty."

Bella lifted the glass to her mouth and took a big gulp. "What are they doing? Tax fraud?"

Agent Masen sighed. "I wish it would be something like that." He stated. "We are assuming they are dealing child pornography."

The glass with the coke slipped through Bella's fingers. A part of the brownish liquid ended up on her jeans while the rest soaked through the carpet underneath the table. Damn it!

"Are you alright?" Masen asked, handing his napkin to Bella. She jumped from her chair, trying to wipe off the stain.

"I'll be right back." She pressed out. "Usually I'm not that clumsy."

Bella went to the restrooms where she tried to clean her jeans as good as possible. Then she splashed some water into her face. Breathe, Swan, she told herself. You need to act like a professional. You need to push away feelings. This is not about how you view this kind of things as a mother.

For a full minute, Bella leaned her head against the cold tiles. She waited until the beating of her heart to returned to its normal rhythm and the tightness in her throat lessoned.

When she returned to the table, her face was forced into a fake smile. "I didn't splash coke on you too. Did I?"

"No, I'm fine, Deputy Swan…or may I call you Isabella? My name is Edward."

"Just Bella, please." She told him, shifting back and forth in her seat. "Edward is a pretty old-fashioned name, isn't it?"

"I was named after my father, just like he was named after my grandfather himself."

"I see." Bella mumbled. "Can you tell me why are you suspecting that the jewelry store sells…this…disgusting…stuff?"

"Our eyes and ears are everywhere. What were you doing there today?"

"I'm rolling up an old case and the shop was the only trace I had to follow."

He looked down at his watch. It was some expensive looking silver thing with a brown leather band. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"No, the jerk in the shop didn't give me the information I needed. He said something about confidentiality."

"Did you honestly think you could just walk inside a shop and they'd tell you everything you want to know?" he asked with a slightly amused tone in his voice.

Bella cringed. The truth was she hadn't been thinking at all. She had acted. She had followed her instincts. Maybe that was the wrong thing to do though.

"How would you have done it?" she asked Edward. "Should I get a search warrant?"

"Are you stupid? If they know the police are involved, those fuckers will be warned."

"Why can't you simply arrest them and get them questioned?"

He smirked. "I already see. There is a lot about police work that you need to learn, Isabella."

xxxx

Alice Brandon had spent the last three days in the only pair of flannel pajamas she owned. She had cried a lot. Eaten even more ice-cream and greasy take-out from the Korean restaurant around her corner, she had ordered with a tear-filled voice.

Her heart was broken. She felt tempted to drown her sorrows in alcohol but of course that wasn't possible because of the baby.

Little troublemaker, she thought, letting her hands move down her abdomen. Was there already a tiny bump? No, it was probably just a result of her unhealthy eating habits.

She forced herself to get up from the couch she had slept on. There was no way she was ever going to spend a night again on the mattress in her bedroom where J. had taken her innocence.

Whore

The crude word echoed in her head. Yes, they are right. If this would be about anyone else but you, you'd talk about that girl the same way.

Alice felt so terribly stupid and most of all she felt ashamed. She was a smart girl, damn it! How could she let herself fall for such an asshole like James? He had manipulated her as if she was a soulless puppet.

There wasn't any ice-cream left when she checked the refrigerator. After a much needed shower she would go out to do some grocery shopping.

It was already dark when she went outside, her damp hair hidden underneath a white cap. She didn't even bother with applying make-up. Who gave a crap about how she looked like?

Inside the supermarket, Alice placed boxes with frozen dinners and chips into her cart. Then she headed for the ice-cream. How much of this would she have to stuff down until everything inside her was numb?

"Wow, you really like ice-cream. Don't you?"

She turned around, her eyes narrowing with anger. "What the fuck are you doing here? Can't a woman do her shopping without running into some asshole?"

Emmett held up his hands. "Hey, I'm just here to get some beer."

"Then get your shitty beer and piss off!" Alice snapped, pushing the shopping cart forward. She could feel the tears beginning to make her eyes water again. Oh, why couldn't she just stop with the crying? It made her feel so pathetic and weak.

Somehow Alice managed to make it outside the shop again. She placed the paper bags on the ground and fumbled around in her pockets for a tissue.

"Are they too heavy for you?" Emmett's deep voice made her spin around. Crap, he was really tall. Well, maybe he only seemed that tall because she had put on some ballet flats today.

"Are you following me?"

"Why would I follow such a hysterical person like you?"

"Asshole! God, I hate your family. You are a bunch of fucked up freaks."

Emmett crossed his arms in front of his chest. When a woman was all agitated like this, it was best to just let her rant until she was done. He lifted up Alice's groceries and carried them to her car for her, while she continued throwing insults at him.

"I hate your brother. He kisses like a slimy frog."

"Maybe that's because he doesn't like kissing girls." Emmett told her, laughing.

Alice wiped her running nose at the back of her hand. "A kiss is a kiss. J. was such an awesome kisser."

He rolled his eyes at that comment. "I wonder if his wife thinks he's a good kisser too."

With shaking hands, Alice managed to open the trunk of her car. "He promised me, he'd leave her for me."

"And you believed him?" Emmett asked. "Why? You don't seem that stupid."

"I love him! I mean. I did love him." Alice responded. "But he turned out to be a jerk. Now, I'm screwed."

"Well, maybe you'll learn something out of it." Emmett stated, placing the second paper bag into the trunk. "Only stupid people make the same mistake twice."

Alice cleared her throat. The anger inside her was much better now. Maybe, she was just exhausted from the crying. "Thanks for carrying my stuff. You didn't need to do that."

"I feel like I owe you because Jazz has been such an ass to you. Rosie has offered to fix your car for free too. But you already told me that you don't want that."

"I don't get why you and your sister would feel obligated to do anything for me." Alice told him, opening the driver's door.

"Let me guess. You're an only child. Am I right?"

"You are right. My mother died when I was a baby. That's why I don't have any siblings."

Emmett nodded his head. "Well, that's why you don't understand. Older siblings always feel responsible for the younger ones."

"I wish I had brothers or sisters to do that for me," Alice mumbled, pushing the key into the ignition. The engine didn't react. Crap, was the stupid car broken now? She tried to start the engine again for a couple of times but it didn't work. Eventually, she had to say yes to Emmett's gracious offer to drive her home again.

He helped her to carry the bags upstairs to her apartment. "Why don't you live on Campus?"

"My father didn't want that. He said they only throw wild parties and get drunk all the time."

Alice placed her groceries on the kitchen counter. She noticed that the sink was filled with dirty dishes. Crap, what would Emmett think of her now? Zafrina had taught her it was important to keep the kitchen spotless.

"A beer here and there won't do any damage." Emmett stated, opening a bottle. He pulled out a second one from the six-pack he had carried on his unharmed shoulder. With a grin on his face, he shoved it over to Alice "Beer is better for nerves than ice-cream."

"I can't drink." She murmured, putting away the ice-cream and her frozen meals.

"Well, it's easy. Lift the bottle to your mouth and suck. It's a bit like giving a blow-job."

"How can you say blow-job in the presence of a lady?"

"You're not a lady, Alice."

She reached out her hand to slap him but he quickly blocked her attempt by turning to the side. "Ladies don't fuck their professors? Is that what you want to say with that?"

Emmett took a gulp from his beer and sighed. "No, it's because you say what you think. Ladies don't do that."

"You mean that I should lie more?"

He leaned forward and pushed the white cap from Alice's head. The black curls under it looked like the perfect just-fucked look. The thought made Emmett's insides tighten up. "You should keep on being exactly how you are." He whispered, swallowing dry.

"I'm a slut. I don't think anyone should be like that."

"You're not a slut. Trust me I had my share of those and you are nothing like them at all."

The edges of Alice's mouth curled into an almost smile. "Thank you. Do you want some meat loaf and mashed potatoes to go with your beer? My Dad likes eating that."

"Frozen meals taste like shit." Emmett stated. "Why don't we head out for some decent food?"