Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, they belong to Stephanie Meyer and no copyright infringement is in any way intended. All I own are my ideas.

Chapter 50 – Intervention

EPOV

I wake up Thursday morning to an empty bed once again. I had hoped to be able to talk to Bella before she left for work but I guess I will have to wait until tonight. I let out a sigh before I get up and make my way to the kitchen. The first thing I notice when I get to the kitchen is that Bella made sure there was coffee for me.

I can't help but smile at the fact that she cares enough to make sure I have coffee. After everything that has happened lately I can't say I would blame her if she didn't. I shake my head because even though Bella says she isn't moving out, I don't think that everything is okay. I can acknowledge that I messed up.

Truth is I messed up bad. Not too long ago I laid into Bella for keeping things from me, and here not only did I keep things from her, but I kept myself from her. Before I can dwell too much on the past several days my phone rings.

I look at the caller id and let out a sigh when I see that it's my dad. Somehow I know that he is going to want to discuss the Alice situation and what is going to happen at their place tomorrow.

I take a deep breath before I answer. "Hello."

"Edward, I'm glad I caught you. You don't have to work today, do you?" he asks.

"No Dad. I don't work again until Saturday."

"Good. How would you feel about having lunch with me today?" he asks.

I sigh because I know that my answer is likely not going to make him happy. "Actually Dad, I was planning on having lunch with Bella today. Could we maybe get together after?"

"I had really hoped we could have some time to talk, just the two of us."

"We still can Dad. I just want to have lunch with Bella. However, I can meet you after and we can have coffee if you want."

"Oh no, I guess it can wait until the two of you come over tomorrow. I have to go Edward. I will see you tomorrow," Dad states before he hangs up.

I can't help but shake my head at the strange conversation with my father. Part of me wants to be angry at him and my mom because they questioned whether or not Bella could have done the things that Alice told Jasper she did, but ultimately they were only trying to figure out what could have caused their only daughter to turn to drugs.

I pull myself out of the memories of the weekend and I get myself ready for the day. Realizing that it's Thursday and Bella has to work late tonight, I decide to see how much of her stuff I can get moved in. Maybe this will prove to her just how much I want her to move in with me and how sorry I am for how I acted the past week.

I hop in the shower and get ready to leave. I make my way to Bella's office knowing that I'm going to be a little early.

As I park outside Bella's office I wonder if I should have called ahead first. Hopefully she doesn't have meetings or something like that. I realize just how out of touch I have let myself become over the past week. Bella's schedule is something that I have never before had to question like this because usually we talk about our week ahead of time.

I get off the elevator on Bella's floor and walk up to the receptionist.

"How may I assist you?"

"I'm here to see Bella Swan," I tell her.

"Is she expecting you?"

"No, I'm…" I start to say as I spot Angela.

"Hey Ang."

"Edward, what are you doing here?"

"I came to see if Bella wants to have lunch with me. Do you know if she has plans."

"Actually I was just heading to her office to see if she wanted to have lunch. She has been a little out of sorts this week," Angela says while giving me a bitch brow.

I can't help but shake my head. Obviously my treatment of Bella really affected her. "Sorry Angela. I know I screwed up and I was hoping that maybe she would want to have lunch." I find myself basically pleading with Angela.

"She got out of a meeting about twenty minutes ago so she should be in her office. Go ahead and head back there."

"Thanks Angela."

I look back and see the receptionist giving us the evil eye. I disregard her and make my way back to Bella's office.

When I get there I find Bella with her head down going through some paperwork. I stand there and watch her for a minute before I make my presence known.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" Bella asks.

"I thought I would come and take my beautiful girlfriend to lunch." I say as I walk over to her desk.

"Sounds good. Just let me clear off my desk real quick," Bella replies. She smiles at me but it doesn't quite reach her eyes.

Not wanting to press her I wait as she gathers her stuff. We head to the deli down the street for lunch.

Lunch is spent talking about things. Bella seems to want to say something but she is hesitating. Finally she takes a deep breath and looks at me.

"I have something I want to discuss with you."

I tell myself not to worry until I have heard her out. "Okay." I respond as I grab her hand.

"Last week I was offered a full-time position with Victims Assistance," Bella states hesitantly.

"That's great. Are you going to take it?"

"I want to, but I wanted to discuss it with you first."

"Bella, I think this is a great opportunity for you. I think you should take it if it is something you are interested in."

Bella just nods. "Tell me about the position," I encourage.

The rest of Bella's lunch hour is spent discussing the position with Victims Assistance. After lunch I take Bella back to her office and head to Bella's to move some more of her things to the apartment. I call Emmett and to help me move the bigger items.

The rest of the day goes by quickly and Emmett and I are able to get pretty much everything done. Since Bella won't be home until late, I decide to make dinner so that it is ready when she gets home.

I am just pulling the chicken out of the oven when Bella walks in. She smiles at me as she comes into the room.

"Is there anything I can help with?"

"Nope, I've got it. All you need to do is sit down and enjoy." I tell her.

Bella takes a seat at the table as I bring the food over and serve her. Once everything is on the table I take a seat next to Bella.

We are both quiet as we start to eat. There are so many things I want to talk to her about. When we are about halfway done I decide to ask her what has been on my mind since lunch.

"Why didn't you tell me about the job earlier?"

"What do you mean?" Bella asks.

"At lunch you stated that you had been offered a position last week. But you never said anything."

Bella puts her fork down and looks at me. "I was offered the position last week, yes. However, I wanted to discuss it with you on Friday night and when I got home Jasper was here. I never got a chance after that."

I can't help but once again regret my actions over the last week. Obviously not only did everything make Bella feel insecure in our relationship, but it also took away from something that should have been happy.

"I'm sorry…" I start.

Bella puts her hand up to stop me. "There is no need to apologize. We both made mistakes but it is behind us now."

I can't help but wonder what I ever did to deserve such a wonderful woman in my life. We work together to clean up the dishes before we move to the living room. We decide to put a movie in and curl up together on the couch.

Before long I can tell that Bella has fallen asleep. I shut the television off and carefully carry her to the bedroom. She is so exhausted that she doesn't even move as I strip her work clothes off of her.

I tuck Bella into bed and curl up behind her. Bella may say things are forgotten but I have a feeling that she is holding back some in our relationship. I hate it but I'm going to do whatever I have to in order to fix things. We just have to get through the meeting at my parent's house tomorrow.

BPOV

I woke up this morning with a knot in my stomach that didn't go away all day. Angela could tell that there was something wrong but she didn't push. Now we're driving to Edward's parents house at their request. I can't help the butterflies that have erupted in my stomach. After everything that has happened this past week, I can't help but feel uncomfortable.

I see Edward watching me from the driver's seat. I do my best to keep still and stop fidgeting. Edward reaches over and grabs my hand.

"Bella, everything is going to be okay. There is nothing to be nervous about."

I let out a sigh. I know that I can't tell him what I'm really thinking. Instead I just squeeze his hand and look at him. "I know," I tell him without conviction.

I can tell by the look in his eyes that Edward wants to call me on my lies but instead he just brings my hand to his mouth and kisses my knuckles. He keeps hold of my hand for the rest of the drive.

Unfortunately, for me, the drive seems to go by too quickly. Before I realize it we are pulling up to the Cullen house. A part of me is relieved when I realize that Alice and Jasper aren't here yet. I'm not really sure what the plan for this meeting is and that, combined with the results of the past week, has me on edge.

"Are you ready?" Edward asks after he parks.

Not sure if I can speak, I nod.

By the time I get out Edward has made his way around the car and grabs hold of my hand. Despite all the anxiety coursing through me, the feel of his hand enveloping mine helps to calm my frayed nerves. I look up at him and give him what I hope passes for a smile.

Edward gives my hand one more squeeze before we head up to the door. Once we reach the door Edward ushers me inside. All the serenity I thought I had gathered on the walk to the door has evaporated and all I want to do is leave. Edward can feel the tension in my body because he lets go of my hand and instead brings his arms around me.

"Bella, I promise if they say anything that makes you uncomfortable we will leave." Edward whispers in my ear.

I know I'm being a baby but I hate the feeling of being so out of control. To be honest, after everything that happened with Edward in the last week, I still have problems completely trusting him.

I take a deep breath before I look up into Edward's eyes. "Come on, lets do this," I say with as much conviction as I can muster.

When I turn around so that we can make our way into the living room I 'm surprised to find Esme standing in the doorway. I can't identify the look on her face, but one thing is for sure, it isn't the loving face that she had the last time I saw her.

"Bella, Edward, I'm glad that you could make it." Esme states before she pulls Edward into a hug.

Once she releases Edward from the hug she turns and heads back toward the living room. It isn't lost on me that Esme made no move to show that I'm welcome in her home. Any thought that I had before that Esme and Carlisle didn't believe Alice has been thwarted.

I can't help the sigh that escapes me as I drop Edward's hand and follow his mother into the other room. I choose a seat as far from Esme as possible and sit, trying to make myself as invisible as possible.

About five minutes after Edward and I arrive the doorbell rings. My confusion must show on my face because Edward says, "Rose and Emmett."

I get up when Rose and Emmett enter the room. I watch as Esme pulls both of them into a hug. I try to hide my hurt seeing this and instead move over toward Rose.

"Hey Rose," I state.

"Bella, it's good to see you. I wish it were under better circumstances but I'm glad to see you. We need to get together soon."

I nod and follow Rose over to the couch.

I sit next to Rose as we wait for Jasper and Alice to show up. From what I understand Alice thinks they are coming for a family dinner. I'm not sure if she knows I'm going to be here or not, but I can't help but be nervous.

I stiffen when I hear the front door close. I can tell by the tone of the voices coming down the hall that Alice and Jasper are arguing but I can't hear what they are saying. There is a part of me that wants to hide away, but I remind myself that I did nothing wrong. I didn't cause Alice to start taking drugs. I didn't do any of the things that she has accused me of.

With a new resolve I lift my head and watch as Jasper and Alice make their way into the room. Edward, who had been standing up talking to his dad and Emmett, comes over and takes a seat next to me. He grabs my hand and squeezes it to let me know he is here for me.

My eyes meet Jasper's as he makes his way into the room. I can't tell what the expression on his face is exactly but I know that he has something on his mind. A part of me aches knowing that before all this happened he would talk to me about what was on his mind.

I have to remind myself that all of that is in the past. I can't change how Jasper sees me and what he believes about me. All I can do is work on making sure that I'm the best person I can be.

I'm brought out of my thoughts by Alice's voice. "What's going on here?"

Carlisle moves over and takes hold of Alice's hand and directs her to a seat on the couch across from the one I'm on. After everyone is seated Carlisle begins to speak.

"Alice, it has come to our attention that things aren't as they seem."

Before Carlisle has a chance to say anything further Alice's eyes snap to mine. "What have you done now? What lies have you been spreading about me this time?"

I shrink back from the venom in her voice. My throat is suddenly dry and I can't get anything out of my mouth. I open and close my mouth several times but no matter what I do nothing comes out. I can feel the tension in Edward's body next to me. I gently squeeze his thigh and shake my head. I don't need him to say anything that might cause problems.

"Alice, nobody is here because we want to upset you." Carlisle states.

"Then why is she here. All she has done for the past year is work to drive a wedge between everyone I care about."

Part of me hopes that Jasper will speak up and defend me but I don't hold my breath. Instead I figure the best course of action is for me to just remove myself from the situation.

"Maybe it would be better if I take a walk." I state as I get up. It's obvious to me that nothing productive will come from this gathering as long as Alice is able to focus and put all of the blame on me.

Rose gives me a sympathetic look as I walk out of the room. I make my way to the front door and go outside.

I decide that it would be better if I just left altogether. I remember Leah telling me that she lives on this side of town. Maybe talking to her will help me.

I pull my phone out and dial her number.

EPOV

I see red as Bella leaves the house. As soon as I hear the front door close I no longer keep my mouth shut.

"What the fuck is your problem?"

"My problem is your fucking girlfriend thinking that she always has to be the center of attention. I'm sick of her coming in and causing problems for everyone around her."

"What are you talking about? Bella has done nothing to you. She has done nothing to any of you, yet you choose to treat her like shit."

"That's enough," Dad yells. "We are not here to discuss what Bella does or doesn't do. What we are here to discuss is you."

"What about me?" Alice asks innocently.

"Alice, cut the act," I tell her.

"This is what I'm talking about. Your little girlfriend gets upset and stomps out and you start going after me. I didn't do anything," Alice states as she turns the tears on.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Alice has always been able to cry on demand. It's one of the ways she has gotten away with so much.

Right on cue Mom moves over and sits next to Alice.

"Alice, honey, we're not here to attack you. Bella wasn't here to attack you either. We're here because we are worried about you sweetheart. You haven't been yourself lately and that concerns us," Mom consoles her.

I bite my tongue as I realize just how much Bella has had to deal with when it comes to Alice. If Alice has Jasper convinced half as much as she has our parents convinced.

My thoughts are interrupted by Dad. By the tone of his voice it's pretty clear that he is not falling for Alice's tears.

"Your mother is right Alice. We are here because we are worried about you. Lately your moods and behavior have been erratic. You get angry over the smallest of things."

"I'm fine," Alice states.

"No you aren't." Jasper speaks up. "Alice I have been so worried about you. I knew that something wasn't right. We know about the drugs."

"What drugs? I don't know what you are talking about."

"Alice, cut the crap. We all know the truth that you have started taking drugs." I snap.

"I can't believe this. All of you are accusing me of taking drugs. Did Bella put you up to this?"

"Stop blaming everything on my sister," Jasper snaps. "Bella has nothing to do with this. I noticed that you were spending a great deal of money but yet you never had anything to show for it. Then with the mood swings, your new friends, all the signs pointed to something being wrong. I hired a private investigator to follow you."

"Why would you do that?" Alice asks as she lets the tears roll down her face.

"I did it because I love you. I knew that there was something wrong. I love you and I don't want anything to happen to you." Jasper states as he pulls Alice to him.

I watch as a switch seems to flip in Alice. All of a sudden she pulls away from Jasper and turns toward me. "This is all Bella's fault. If she would just leave us the hell alone Jasper would never believe that there is something wrong. She caused my own husband to turn against me."

Rose, who up until now has remained silent clears her throat. "Alice it's time to accept that the people around you care about you. We can all see that there is something going on with you. Hell you have stopped doing things with me and instead are always too busy when I want to do something. On top of that your moods are constantly shifting and even now you refuse to see that we are here to help you. Instead you are hell bent on trying to take the focus off you by attacking Bella."

"See, she has even turned you against me."

Before Rose gets a chance to respond Mom speaks. "Stop Alice. All you are doing right now is proving the point that everyone is making. You are trying to shift the attention off of you. I can't say that I'm happy with the fact that you have started taking drugs and now is not the time to get into why you started. The focus right now needs to be on getting you help so that you can get better."

Alice is once again sobbing. Jasper pulls her to him and holds her while she gets the tears out of her system.

Once Alice's tears have slowed Dad speaks. "I have set up for you to be admitted into an in-patient program tonight. You will be there for the next 30 days and at that time they will reevaluate your situation."

"I don't need to go into treatment. I'm not addicted," Alice pleads.

"Okay, if that's true lets do a drug test right now," Dad states.

"Why? I told you that I'm not addicted."

"Alice, if you are not addicted then you would have no problem with a drug test. It's obvious that you are afraid of whatever I am going to find in the test."

As I'm watching the exchange I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. Since I'm not on call I ignore it. Alice has once again turned on the tears. I'm not sure if they are genuine or if they are all a game.

I continue to sit there while Mom and Jasper try to console Alice. Finally about half an hour later Alice reluctantly agrees to check in for an evaluation. Apparently Dad and Jasper had already discussed this option so a bag is already packed.

Alice is pissed when she realizes that a bag is ready for her. I can't help but wonder if her anger is over the fact that she won't be able to get more drugs before she goes to the hospital.

We all say our goodbyes as Dad and Jasper prepare to take Alice to treatment. When I hug Alice and tell her goodbye she refuses to even look at me. It stings to know that my sister is acting this way, yet is only reaffirms how Bella must feel about how things are with her and Jasper.

After they leave Mom excuses herself from the room, leaving me with Rose and Emmett. "Thanks for being here guys," I tell them.

"This is what friendship is about, being there in good times and bad," Rose states.

"I know. It just seems like there have been more bad times than good lately."

"Speaking of bad times, how is Bella doing with all of this?" Emmett asks.

Emmett's question reminds me that Bella left a long time ago. I pull my phone out to call her and see that I have a text message from her.

I didn't want to cause any more problems so I'm going to spend a few hours with Leah. Call me if you need me. Love you. – B -

I let out a sigh because Bella has once again been pushed out. Realizing that I haven't answered Emmett's question I look at him and Rose. "Things are okay. As you know things weren't the best earlier in the week. In fact I found out that Bella was planning on getting another apartment because of the way I acted. It was an eye opener into how I had been acting."

"I assume that since Emmett helped move her stuff yesterday that things are straightened out," Rose says.

"Yes they are straightened out, but at the same time I can tell that Bella is holding back from me now. It's not that she is hiding anything but I can tell that she is wary and waiting for me to mess up again."

"What happened with you and Bella?" Mom asks from the doorway.

Rose gives me a sympathetic look before her and Emmett leave me with Mom. I promise to call them later because we all know that Jasper is going to need us right now.

Once we are alone I pull Mom onto the couch with me. "As you know Jasper came to our apartment last Friday to discuss how things had been with Alice. To say it was a shock is an understatement. Then I came over here last weekend and you guys started questioning what Alice had claimed. I basically ended up being an asshole to Bella. I didn't speak or see her after Friday night until Monday night. Then I went out with Emmett and never went home. She didn't come home on Tuesday night and then Wednesday I got a call from her landlord asking about whether or not she needed to continue to hold the apartment Bella had called about."

Mom puts her hand over her mouth but she remains quiet. "Anyway, I met her at her old apartment Wednesday night and we talked. Bella explained that since I had been avoiding her she figured that I didn't want her to move in so she was just trying to make things easier for me."

"Did you tell her about our conversation last week?" Mom asks.

"Yeah. I don't want to keep anything from her. I made her promise to always come to me and yet the first time things got hard I did the complete opposite."

"Where is she now?"

"She called a friend and went to her house because she wasn't wanted here." I try to keep the anger out of my voice.

"Oh," Mom replies.

I stay with Mom until Dad and Jasper get back. When they show up I can see how upset Jasper is. It's obvious that he is going to need some support tonight.

I pull out my phone and dial Bella's number.

"Hello"

"Hey babe. I just wanted to check in with you," I tell her.

"How are things going at your parents' house?"

"Things got a little dicey after you left. I wish you had stayed."

"I wanted to be there for you as well, but it was obvious that my presence was just aggravating Alice so it was better for everyone involved for me to leave."

"I know and I hate it. So I got your text."

"Sorry about just leaving completely. I just couldn't stick around and I figured that I would give Leah a call since I didn't see her on Monday."

"You don't have to explain anything. I was actually calling to see if you were going to be with Leah for a while yet."

"I'm not sure. Do you want me to come back?"

"I always want you with me. There is no question about that. Actually Jasper and my dad just got back from checking Alice into the hospital and Jasper doesn't seem to be taking things very well. I'm thinking he is going to need some support tonight and I was going to see if Emmett wanted to come over and we could take him out."

"I'm sure he would appreciate the support. All I ask is that you call me if you get too messed up to drive. I know I don't have a car but I just want to make sure all of you guys stay safe."

"I promise. The same goes for you," I tell her.

"I will. See you at home."

"See you there. Love you."

"Love you too."

I disconnect the call. When I turn around Jasper and I are the only ones in the room. "Was that my sister?"

"Yeah. I was letting her know that I won't be home for a while," I say.

"So, how are you holding up?" I ask him.

"It's hard. I know this is the right thing to do, but I hate the fact it came to this."

"I know man. How about we go out and get some drinks and we can talk about everything."

"Are you sure that Bella won't mind."

"Nope, she is worried about you too. Come on, we can leave a car here and come back for it later."

"Okay," Jasper agrees.

I pull out my phone to send Emmett a text. I have a feeling we are both going to be needed tonight.

A/N

Recently Fanfiction has disabled the ability to download stories for people to read offline. I want my readers to know that all of my stories are also available on FictionPad and TWCS under the same pen name. These sites will allow the downloading of stories.