Emmett was at Esme's house when Bella, Mike and Edward arrived. He'd met all of them, and he was pretty good friends with both Bella and Mike now, but when Edward got out of the house, he almost didn't recognize the kid. Esme wasn't kidding, Edward wasn't doing well at all. He looked gaunt, pale and sick. Not all that different from how Brady looked when Emmett first met him, now that he thought about it.

"Come on in," Esme said. She hugged Bella and Mike, but Edward resisted the hug she offered, choosing to stick closer to Bella as the group of them went inside.

"Do you want a tour?" Emmett offered.

"I… uh…" Edward looked almost helplessly at Bella.

"Go on, we've all been here before," she said, nudging him after Emmett.

"So, is Ohio still cold?" Emmett asked. Dumb question, he thought, but the silence was deafening.

"Yeah. We got snow yesterday," Edward said. "Is that his room?"

"Yep. That's where you'll be staying while you're here. We didn't have another room we could get ready for you," Emmett suddenly felt the need to apologize to the kid. But then an orange and white ball of fur streaked out the bedroom door and straight to Edward. Jellybean. She purred and rubbed herself against his legs, wherever she could reach. "She's been hiding in the closet in there for weeks now. Looks like she's chosen her new person," Emmett said, watching. After Brady died, Jellybean became a recluse, barely leaving Brady's closet or his scent, except to eat or use her litter box. And he and Esme both had battle scars from trying to take her out of the closet so they could clear it out. In the end, they decided it was best to leave her alone. She'd come out when she was ready. And it looked like she was. Edward picked her up, and she rubbed her face on everything she could reach, climbing up on his shoulders to rub her cheeks on his glasses. Emmett nudged the bedroom door open further, but Edward held back. Alright, later then. Emmett pointed out the other doors, bathroom, his room, Esme and Carlisle's room. Then he took Edward out the back door, past Esme and Bella talking in hushed voices at the table, and into the back yard, where they could see the ocean glittering through the trees. They walked down to the beach, and Emmett, who usually had a knack for knowing what to say, couldn't think of a single thing to say to break the silence. They broke through the trees, and Emmett couldn't help remembering Brady making this exact walk a hundred times.

"It wasn't fair," he said. Edward looked up, and then out over the water.

"What wasn't fair?"

"Any of it. Everything he went through, only to die the way he did." Edward didn't say anything. "But it wasn't fair to you, most of all. Come on, there's something I want to show you." Emmett led the way past Mike, playing with Michael in the shallow surf. Mike nodded his assent to Emmett's unasked question. He'd let Bella and Esme know where they were going. Emmett nodded his thanks, and opened the passenger door of Esme's car for Edward. He drove them North, away from the beach, and up Main street. Jellybean stood on Edward's lap, watching the world go past. Ten minutes pass, then fifteen. He stopped at a different beach, with a long pier, and they left the car to go sit at the end of it. "This was where I was when I made the decision to be his friend. My mom and her boyfriend kicked me out, and he was the only person I had in the world, and he took me in without a second thought. You know, everyone says they know how you feel, but they have no idea, do they?"

"No one says that to me," Edward said. Emmett wanted to ask, but he sensed that Edward had more to say. "Everyone says 'you barely knew him. He couldn't mean that much to you.' Or they tell me I have a death wish and I want to die."

"Do you?" The question left Emmett's mouth before he could stop it.

"I don't know."

"I'm supposed to ask what you're doing to yourself," Emmett admitted.

"I figured. Trust Bella to take a trip all the way to Florida just so you can ask a question she's just as capable of asking herself."

"So what's the answer?" Emmett asked. Edward pressed his lips together. "You know, it's none of my business, but you're not the only one who's punishing yourself. We all are. He was the best friend I ever had. Probably the only friend that really mattered, and now that he's gone, I have no idea what to do with myself. Every day, something new reminds me of something he said or did, or I see something and want to show it to him or tell him about it, but he's just not here."

"Can you show me his grave?" Emmett hesitated. He hadn't been there since the funeral - it made the absence of Brady so much more final. But he'd promised Bella that he would do what he could to help Edward, and he owed it to Brady to take care of the people who loved him, so he agreed. The drive to the cemetery took longer than he remembered, but he would know this drive no matter what. Finally, they reached the gates, and drove through. It was just the way he remembered it, serene and quiet, with a tree or two every few rows. A group of people stood at a grave in the middle distance.

"Esme comes here a lot," he said, breaking the silence. "But this is the first time I've been here since…" he cleared his throat. "It's just too real, like being here means having to face life alone, and if I can avoid it, I don't have to admit that now that he's gone, I really don't have anyone left."

"But you have all of us," Edward said. "You aren't alone. Brady wasn't the only one who took you in that night, Esme did too, and I can bet she sees you as just as much her son as Brady is."

"I'm just saying, that's how I feel," Emmett amended.

"I know," Edward said. "I just don't know how to fix it." They parked at the end of a row, and Emmett led Edward toward the grave. The group of four young men stood at the grave, waiting for them.

"Edward, I want you to meet some people," Emmett said. "This is Sam, and that's Jacob, Embry, and Jared." He indicated each in turn. "They knew Brady when he was younger." There was a long silence as Edward processed this, staring at the group as if they were ghosts. Finally, Sam started to lead his group away.

"No, stop!" Edward said. "Please don't go. I have so many questions." Sam didn't stop, but Jared and Jacob did. Embry reached out and grabbed Sam's arm, and nodded with his head at the other two. "How did you know him?" Edward asked. Jared and Jacob looked at each other, and then back at Sam who nodded in defeat.

"We were held by the same group that had him. That's where we all met. I'm sure you know what kind of group that was…" Jared said. Edward nodded. "Detectives caught Brady's handlers, but it wasn't until Brady talked that they knew how big the operation was, or that the rest of us were still in the middle of it. Brady's information gave them what they needed to get us out."

"But it wasn't just that," Jacob piped up. "He was kind to all of us. Sort of the glue that held us together when most of us were ready to give up." Jacob looked at the headstone, and then Edward looked at it, really looked at it, and Emmett felt, more than saw, him tremble and start to sway, and put a steadying arm around him.

"Maybe we should go find a place to sit," Jacob said, looking from Edward to Jared.

"There's a bench back that way," Jared said, gesturing toward a group of bushes. Jacob jogged over and said something to Embry, who seemed to be using some kind of sign language. Jacob nodded, and Sam seemed to agree, and then Jacob jogged back.

"My brother thinks it would be best to get something to eat. Edward looks like he could use some food, and it'll give us all a chance to talk. There's a cafe not far from here. We can walk if you're up to it." He was talking to Emmett, but his eyes flicked to Edward.

They walked together out of the cemetery, and across a street to a small restaurant. Sam and Emmett pushed a couple small tables together, and a waitress came out with menus and water glasses.

"So you're brothers?" Edward asked. Jacob gave a quick smile.

"Just me and Embry. Our parents brought us on vacation here, and that's when we were taken. It made the news for a while." Jacob and Embry looked almost like flip sides to the same coin, with similar faces, but Jacob was blonde, and Embry's hair and eyes were very dark. "And, just in case it comes up later, Embry can't speak, but we all know his sign language." Edward perked up at this. A memory of Brady came to mind.

"Brady knew that sign language, too. I thought it was ASL, and I wondered where he learned it, but he said his friend taught him. That was you," he said. Embry gave a tight lipped smile and nod.

"Brady helped him create it," Jared said, the hint of a smile on his face.

"What happened to make it necessary?" Edward wondered. And then he seemed to realize what he asked, and his eyes widened. "God, I'm sorry. I just- I wasn't thinking." Embry shook his head and gave a sad smile, and moved the collar of his turtleneck to reveal and scar that went all the way across his neck.

"A punishment. For trying to escape," Jacob explained.

"You mean, they-" Edward visibly paled. Sam sighed in exasperation.

"You guys are going too fast. Can't you see it's too much, too soon?" Jared got up to go order some food, and Sam took his seat, next to Edward. "My turn to ask questions. How did you meet Brady?"

"I'm friends with his cousin Bella. She thought I'd be a good person for him to meet since he didn't have any friends besides Emmett and they wanted him to get to know someone new. Good practice or whatever."

"And he was willing to meet new people?"

"Not at first," Emmett piped in. "At first, he made me do the typing." He looked apologetically at Edward. "Sorry. But they were his words, he just needed a little encouragement to write them himself. But after the first day, it was all him."

Emmett caught Sam's eye, and Sam made it clear he wanted to talk in private. Emmett nodded and got up. Once out of earshot, Emmett turned expectantly to Sam.

"I want to know about Edward," Sam said. "The kid looks like he's about to collapse. That can't just be from missing a friend." He spoke as though from experience. Hell, he had more experience than most people.

"They were more than friends. They had a relationship that was… Something special. The kid might be just a teenager, but their connection was way beyond some teenage crush. But his family doesn't get it. His brother's the jock at their high school, and a big bully. He caught Edward and Brady kissing at Christmas, and it got ugly. But then something happened at some party, and he still won't talk about it. And he's got a serious eating disorder that, according to Bella, he was recovering from, but it's obvious he's relapsed. And after everything, can you blame him? Bella thinks he has a death wish, but it's not that simple. She brought him here in the hope that someone here could help him. Otherwise, he's going to end up dead."

"And that's why you called us," Sam said. "Well, we'll do what we can. Maybe it'll give him some closure." A tap on his arm made Emmett jump. Embry signed something, and Sam translated. "Edward's reached his limit for now. Take him home and let him rest. We'll be by the house in a couple of hours."

"Of course," Emmett nodded.

"Or maybe go get your car. The kid looks like he couldn't walk more than a few steps. He's really sick." Jacob said, joining them. "Reminds me of… something." He finished at a warning look from Sam. Emmett looked over at the table. Edward had his head in his hands, and what was visible of his skin was almost ashy and paper white. He could tell he was shaking from here. Jared was in the chair next to him, a hand on his back, talking to him.

"Yeah. I'll get the car. Stay with him?"

"Of course," Sam said, going back to the table. "Hey," he said. When Edward didn't look up, he circled him and crouched in front of him. "Hey," he said more firmly. "Edward, breathe. It's okay. Come on, man, breathe."

"Water," Jacob said, offering a glass. Edward raised his head, but his focus was all off. "He's going to pass out," Jacob said, just ask Edward slumped, his head striking the table top.

Emmett brought the car around, and Embry and Jacob helped him put Edward in the front seat.

"You guys go with them, and Jared and I will meet you at Esme's in twenty," Sam said. Jacob and Embry got into the back. Once they were out of sight, Jared turned to Sam.

"We have our work cut out for us with this one."

"I know, but we owe it to Brady. And in the end, isn't Edward one of is anyway? A friend of Brady's is a friend of ours."

"I just hope he's not too far gone," Jared said, getting into their car.

"We weren't. Brady helped bring us back. Now we need to help bring Edward back."

Edward woke up in a strange room. Pearl gray walls, and light streaming in from windows on either side of the bed greeted him. He knew this room, but not from being in it. From pictures? Brady's pictures. This was Brady's room. He jolted upright, but then his head started to spin and he fell back against the pillows. He didn't want to move anyway, he decided. He felt some weight on his chest, and then the rumble of a purr. Jellybean curled herself up on his chest, and he reached a heavy hand to pet her.

The door opened, and Carlisle came in. He looked sad and haggard, but his expression cleared when he saw Edward awake. He pulled up a chair and sat down.

"Son, we need to have a talk," he said. "I need to know as much as you can tell me about what you've done to yourself and what happened to you. I saw you a month ago, and you looked healthy." Edward hesitated. "Edward, please. None of us wants to bury another teenager. If we could have saved him, we would have. But we have a chance with you. Please don't take that away from us." And finally, the truth spilled out of Edward. He couldn't hold it back. And, he realized, he didn't want to.

"The week before Christmas, Tony had a party. All his friends were there, and they were drunk, and maybe there were some drugs, I'm not sure. But my parents were out of town, and they never stopped these things anyway. But I was in my room listening to some music and talking to Brady on the chat, and some of them came in. And they grabbed me, too many of them, I couldn't stop them." He pulled his knees up to his chest and lay in the fetal position, as small as he could make himself, facing the wall. "They dragged me down stairs, and there was this guy I liked, before. His name's Eric. He was there. They wanted to play spin the bottle. They made me sit with them, and whoever the bottle landed on, got to do whatever they wanted to me. They poured alcohol down my throat. They took my clothes. They did other stuff to me. And they thought it was funny. I'm not really sure what happened next, but I know I was outside, and it was cold. But I couldn't get back in. Not until the next morning when a bunch of them left and the door was open. So I went upstairs and locked myself in the bathroom until my parents got home. And then I couldn't eat. My throat hurt from throwing up the alcohol and whatever else, and every time i try to eat, I just can't get everything else out of my mind. And then I was getting back to normal, and Brady and you all came for Christmas, and it was so perfect. And I thought I could put everything behind me, but then he died. And I realized that there's nothing. No point to any of it. So why should I care what happens to me? Maybe death really is the only escape from all of this."

Out in the hallway, Emmett and Bella stared at each other in horrified shock. They both moved to go in, but Jacob stopped them.

"Trust me," he whispered. "I think we can help him. Let me try." He took a breath, and went into the bedroom. Carlisle nodded and offered his seat. Jacob shook his head and sat on the side of the bed. "When I was raped the first time, I thought the same thing," he said quietly. "They kept me and my brother apart for the first year, until I was malleable to what they wanted. Apparently, my brother was less so, because the first night we were all together was when he got that scar. They told us that if he dies, we all get the same. The only way we got through what we did, was by sticking together. Brady taught us that. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. He told us about you. He said he met the sun," Jacob smiled at the memory. "It was the first time I ever saw him truly happy, but it wasn't the last. He loves you. Even now. And if you don't believe me, you should read this." He got up and went around the bed and put a black journal on the bed next to Edward.