Thanks to Mykaela, Heather, and Gail for pre-reading and consulting for this chapter. Thanks to Fran for beta'ing.

Warning: This chapter contains graphic language, violence, and content.

Chapter 25

Edward burst through the door, craning his neck in every direction as he came into the hallway. The screaming continued, coming from the upstairs bedroom. It was a loud holler; a woman's voice followed by the banging of fists on a door.

Renee.

"Peter? Charlotte? What's going on?" Edward yelled as he moved towards the kitchen, peeking around before turning towards the steps. Had Charlotte decided to play some cruel trick on her grandmother after school? Had Renee locked herself in the guest room by mistake?

He followed the sound, stomping his feet loudly as he ran up the steps.

"Renee?" He called.

The banging got louder as he approached.

"Edward? Is that you? Edward! Stop! She locked me in here! She's downstairs! Edward! There's someone in the house!" Renee yelled through the door. Her voice was muffled but what he caught caused the blood to curl underneath his skin.

The words barely registered in his ears before he was bolting down the steps.

He was frantic.

"Peter? Charlotte?" Edward called, turning towards the kitchen as the top of his foot tapped the bottom step, "where are you guys—"

Edward felt hollow; a sudden frost web coated his insides like paint as his voice trailed off. His skin jumped and tingled wildly as he took in the scene before him. His mind was blank the instant he saw her. She stood there, a panicked expression taking over her breathing became ragged and loose strains of dirty blonde hair messily framed her face. She was pale with deep purple rings under her eyes. Her stained shirt and jeans crumpled as she stared down at the floor.

It wasn't the vision of his ex-sister-in-law standing in his girlfriend's kitchen that sprung him into action: it was the paling girl at her feet.

He could feel the tightness in his lungs when he caught sight of her light brown braids spilling mercifully over the kitchen floor. Her small hands clutched her throat, and her breaths were spaced evenly between strained coughs as tears streamed down her face like a river.

"Charlotte!" Edward yelled, sprinting to the girl's side. He shoved Kate aside, ignoring whatever blasphemy was coming from her mouth. It was difficult to tune out; she was cussing loudly. He pulled Charlotte close to him, eyes wide, trying to figure out what was wrong. He sat her up against him, turning to glare at Kate with murderous eyes.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? What did you do to her!" Edward screamed. He quickly turned his head back to the girl in his arms.

"I…I don't know what to do. I gave her candy…just to shut her up while we waited. The bitch upstairs wouldn't stop screaming, and this one wouldn't stop whining!" Kate's thin, throaty voice howled.

"Kate! What the hell happened? How long has she been like this?" Edward said, startled as he began looking around him.

"I…it just happened! I swear! I was waiting for you and Peter…I didn't know the kid, and the other lady were here! Al-..she didn't mention the other people, only that your girlfriend worked during the day…"

Edward didn't listen to anything she said; he was too focused on the child in his arms.

And the one frozen in the doorway, his wide eyes meeting that of his mother.

"What are you doing here? What…Charlotte! What did you do to her?" Peter cried, shifting his glance quickly to his uncle's position on the floor, "Uncle E!"

"Peter! I need you to get Charlotte's special box in the bathroom under the sink. Remember where we showed you?" Edward barked at his nephew, who had walked into the room, rubbing his arm casually.

Peter's eyes widened in horror at the scene before him. He stared at the woman…the woman from his nightmares before letting his eyes drift. The blood underneath his skin ran cold.

"Peter, now!" Edward bellowed.

The boy took off like a bullet, darting through the house towards the bathroom. He tore open the cabinet, quickly grabbing the small pink box, and raced back towards Charlotte. The little girl's face was scrunched up as Edward ran his fingers through her hair.

"Hold on, babe, Peter's coming. You're gonna be all right, just focus on me, okay? Focus on breathing." Edward whispered, ignoring everything else around. Charlotte's brown eyes filled with fresh tears, but she bit her lip and nodded as she fought to take a deep breath.

"Here! Uncle Edward!" Peter tossed the box the remaining distance when he broke into the kitchen.

Edward caught the box with ease, taking no time to rip it open. He removed the Epi-Pen, pulling the cap off the end.

"Okay, Charlotte. This is going to sting for a minute." Edward said, injecting the pen into the young girl's thigh, "Peter, Renee is upstairs. Go find her and call 911!"

Charlotte squirmed uncomfortably under his arm as he held the pen for a few more seconds before removing it, discarding it next to him.

After a moment, he noticed her breathing calm. Edward sighed in relief, pulling Charlotte closer to him, gently running his fingers through her hair. He dropped a light kiss on the top of her head when she looked up at him.

"There…. was…peanut butter in the chocolate." Charlotte rasped, staring widely at the woman behind Edward, "she gave it to me and made me eat it! She was trying to…she told me to be quiet." Charlotte cried harder, scooting into Edward's arms, farther away from the stranger in her kitchen. Kate gasped and backed up farther away, and from the corner of his eye, Edward saw her glance at the back door.

"Don't even fucking think about it. You about killed this little girl, Kate. You owe us a damn explanation about why you're here." Edward squeezed Charlotte before maneuvering her under the table. I'll be right here, Char. You need to lay down; we're going to get you to the hospital."

"What…what about Mommy's birthday?" Charlotte rasped again.

"Oh, Charlotte, I'm sure she'll understand," Edward said, swallowing back the sob in his throat. He moved to get up to deal with the other problem in the room, but she tugged the hem of his jeans as he moved away.

"Edward?" She whispered, "thanks for saving me."

He smiled softly and squeezed her knee before turning back to face Kate.

The smile melted before he could turn all the way around.

"What is it you're doing here, Kate? Was it you who left the note on my door?" Edward spat as he met her stone-gray eyes.

"Come on, Ed. You think I was just going to let Peter leave Chicago, did you?"

"And you don't think I'm going to let you take him, do you? The court gave him to me. You fucked up your chance when you decided to sell your kid for a bump of coke or whatever the hell you're putting in your body. Look at you … you disgust me."

"Because you're such a fucking angel, Ed-ward..."

"A kid you'll never come near again if I can make it happen. But you did that just fine yourself, Kate." He continued.

"How'd you know where to find us? Who gave you my address? Who gave you Bella's?" Edward asked, ignoring her comment.

"It doesn't even matter…what matters is you not giving me my child."

"He's not going to go with you even if there wasn't a court order, Kate. If there were no restrictions, he wouldn't go with you. Get that through your thick skull."

"He's not staying here! You're not his father!"

"Doesn't matter. I know I can be more to him than you and Garrett combined. You didn't see him, Kate. You didn't see what you did. Now, for the last time, who gave you the addresses? You said "she" earlier. Who is 'she'?"

Kate stared, gritting her teeth.

"Who do you think? Alice is just as unhappy about this arrangement as I am." She spat angrily.

"Alice? Alice gave you our addresses?" Edward said, shock crossing his face. Anger boiled underneath the surface, but he couldn't deal with that now.

"And I could kill that bastard Garrett for what you all did." She said sharply, huffing with anger. Her frail hand moved to the back of her jeans.

Edward approached her, the angry glint in his eye shimmering. He saw it from the corner of his eye, tucked in her back pocket. Her hand hovered lightly above it. It was small, which would explain why he didn't see it at first.

A gun.

"Kate…" he started slowly, staring at her gun.

Her hand touched the weapon, pulling it swiftly to the front. She held the gun, tightening her hands around the grip as she aimed at the floor.

"Kate." Edward said, harsher, "think about what you're doing."

"He's my son, Edward! And you just took him from me!"

"Kate. Peter chose to come with me. He wanted to stay here. He…"

"Shut up!"

"Uncle E?" Peter said, coming downstairs. He stopped in his tracks, staring down the weapon in his mother's hands.

"Peter…go back upstairs!" Edward said calmly, the blood rushing from his face. He kept his sights trained on Kate, but he couldn't stand for Peter to be here.

"No, Edward, he can stay. He needs to know he's leaving with me."

"That's not happening, Kate. Put the gun down, and we can talk about this like civilized adults." Edward tried to rationalize with her.

"No! I'm done talking! You, Garrett, and the court system just decided it was okay to take my baby!" Kate howled.

"Kate! You signed the papers!"

"I…I was high! I was on something! I wasn't in my right mind! You!...You're sick for stealing him!" Kate yelled, raising the gun.

"Peter, go upstairs," Edward repeated.

"No, Peter stays," Kate commanded, turning towards him. She shifted her body, swaying lightly, moving the muzzle of the gun in the direction of the young boy.

"Uncle Edward…is this what you were talking about?" Peter asked, stunned. His eyes were glued to the small black weapon.

Edward sighed and nodded, "it was a possibility, Peter. We can…talk about this later. You need to leave and take Charlotte and go back upstairs."

"No, Peter. Stay. She can stay too." Kate said in a honeyed voice. She nodded her head lightly at Peter, attempting to smile. "Maybe I'll take you both. How would that feel, Edward? You and your bitch can know what its like to have your child stolen from you-"

"No! I'm not going anywhere with you!" Peter cut her off as fury masked his face. He tore his eyes from the gun, "don't you get it? I hate you! I'm never going back with you, and you'll never take Charlotte."

"Kate! Leave him out of this!" Edward yelled, trying to get her attention back on him, "he's just a kid! Peter, take Charlotte and leave."

"Is that what you think, Peter? I raised you!" Kate spat, staring down the boy.

"Exactly. You did, and that's why I want to be here. Please, just leave! I don't want you here! I never want to be near you again!" Peter argued back, "Leave! That's what I want!"

"I am your mother!" Kate yelled.

He continued to stare at her, meeting her gaze.

"No, you're not," Peter said calmly, the fight leaving his voice. It didn't matter to him what his uncle kept from him. It didn't matter if they argued. He knew Uncle E loved him, and he would never go with this woman.

The words hit Kate like a wrecking ball. She staggered back, causing the gun to lower slightly.

Edward took advantage of her momentary slip, reaching her in two steps. She was wide-eyed when she saw him approach, quickly moving the gun up again. He managed to get his hands around the barrel, aiming it down in an attempt to disarm her. Kate was distracted, staring between Edward and Peter. She jerked her arms around, trying to get away from him.

"Kate, stop!" Edward whispered harshly. He was cut off by his nephew's voice.

"No! Stop!" Peter cried.

The loud crack of the bullet punctuated his cry.

Kate's eyes went wide, dropping the gun with a yelp. Her breathing picked up as she stared at what she'd done.

"I...wasn't...going to..I didn't..." She stuttered softly, staring at the weapon. She staggered back, frightened. Nobody listened as she spoke softly to herself, "It...was an accident."

Edward's eyes were still as the noise radiated in his brain. He blinked, trying to register what exactly it was that just happened. His shoulders tightened, his breathing becoming uncomfortable. Chills of cold air raked down his arms, clawing their way as he stared straight on. Kate's shocked eyes trained on his chest, but all he could do was blink. He registered the noises around him as he started to back up slowly, stumbling.

Peter yelling.

Charlotte's wails.

The sirens getting closer.

The creaking of the stairs as Renee raced down to the first floor.

He continued back until he hit the kitchen island. A wave of dizziness washed through him. He reached his arm to grip the edge of the counter, his hand sweaty. Through blurry vision, Edward turned his head to look at his nephew.

But he was gone.

Edward shut his eyes for a moment, trying to ease the lightheadedness. He opened them again, his green eyes looking down. His gray shirt was getting darker in the middle, and he blinked back, eyes still searching for Peter.

It took him only a second to find him. He saw the gun on the other side of the kitchen, far from Kate. His nephew stood next to his mother, his hands gripping her arm angrily as he yelled and screamed; tears streaming down his face.

It could have been seconds or minutes ... or longer.

His legs began to shake, and he realized he hadn't taken a breath in seconds. With every new intake, he gasped at the sharp pain radiating in his chest and becoming hotter and hotter.

Edward's legs started to give. He gripped the counter as he slid down, biting his lips as the pain seared through him. He felt a light pull on his arm, helping him ease down to the tile.

Renee.

"Edward, you need to hold on. What…what can I do? The ambulance is almost here!"

Edward stared at the floor, finally finding his rasp voice.

"I think…it's my… I need you to help me to lay on the floor…until the EMS get here. It's hard to breathe." Edward said, softly, fatigue hitting him.

Renee gasped, but assisted, lowering him until he was pressing the cold tile to his cheek.

"Right side down, where it hit, it'll help," Edward instructed.

Another wave of dizziness hit him, and he caught Peter's teary eyes.

"Uncle E?" Peter cried, his clogged nose catching his voice. He sniffled.

"Hey, it's okay, Pete. It's okay…it's all right. I'm okay." Edward said softly. He repeated the soft words again. He coughed softly, the metallic taste stinging his tongue. He took another deep breath, regretting it instantly as a groan of pain escaped his lips. Peter's face scrunched in response, his breath increasing.

"It's okay, Peter. Just. Stay with Charlotte and Renee." Edward said, "Make sure you tell them she already had one Epi-Pen and that she's allergic to nuts. She'll be all right." His voice was light, weak.

"Uncle E... but what about you?" Peter cried, staring at his uncle's darkening shirt.

"I'm going to be okay; I promise."

AN: There are some scenes here that have been sitting in drafts for a long time (seriously, like February - March). This story has taken so many directions since I started it over a year ago. Feel free to come chat about the chapter in my FB group "Mariescullen Fanfiction". Hoping to finish this story before May is over.

See you soon.