I couldn't do this without the help and encouragement of the lovely Sazzledazzled and the amazing beta skills of Edwardsfirstkiss. This one was a mess and I ripped it apart several times to get it right. I tinkered a little before posting. All mistakes are mine.

I hope you all enjoy it!

I don't do this often, but I'm giving you a trigger warning for this chapter. It deals with a suicide and thoughts of suicide.

Disclaimer:SM owns Twilight but Devilward is mine.


The Devil's Plan

Chapter 23

Don't Talk to Strangers

"Why so mopey? Are you afraid Santa will forget where you live?" Charlie asked with a wink while topping off his thermos with fresh coffee.

Bella shook her head and continued halfheartedly leafing through the book of recipes she had no intention of making. Frowning, Charlie walked over to stand beside his broody daughter.

"Honey, what's wrong? I've never seen you this upset with Christmas so close." He put an arm around her shoulders, giving them a little jostle in the hopes he could elicit a response from her. Suddenly, Bella threw her arms around his middle and sniffled into his side.

Her action had Charlie's parental radar pinging loudly.

"Is it that boy? Do I need to make a house call? Will I need one or two sets of cuffs?" Charlie began to mentally count how many deputies he had on staff today. If he needed to take the big kid in as well as Edward, he'd need back up.

Pulling back, Bella wiped her runny nose with the back of her hand and shook her head. "No. Nothing like that." She admitted with a heavy sigh. "It's just that I haven't heard from Edward since Wednesday."

Charlie looked down upon his child's head. With a comforting touch, he stroked her silky hair. "Sweetheart, it's only Friday. It's been a whole twenty-four hours. Maybe he's busy with the holidays? Christmas is tomorrow, I'm sure he's just busy." His words didn't have the effect he'd hoped for, as Bella's tears returned.

"You don't understand. Even when we're busy we at least text 'good night' or 'good morning', I haven't heard anything from him. Nothing!" She repeated.

"It's all my fault," she said in a whisper. "I told him about the dream and now he thinks I'm crazy. He probably doesn't want anything to do with me." Bella laid her head down onto the table, cradling it in her arms. Charlie sighed heavily as he watched his angel cry. He was at a loss. Having to deal with these kinds of boy/girl relationship problems were new to him. He'd rather grab his thermos and run out onto the streets of Forks, taking his chances with crazed holiday drivers hunting for that last gift than have to hear about the complexities of his daughter's relationship with a boy. But it broke his heart to see her like this.

"Honey, why would he think you were crazy?" He asked gently, lifting her chin so he could look into her tear stained face.

"I've been having this weird dream and I told him about it and now…" Bella shrugged her shoulders.

"What could you have said that would lead someone to question your sanity?" Charlie prodded.

Bella's eye moved to the side. "Um, it's a strange dream. There's chanting, wind blowingandIhearmomyellingformewhilesomeonewholookslikeEdwardbutisn'tEdwardholdsmedownonastonetable." Charlie's head may have well been filled with cotton for as much good as it was able to assist him in deciphering what Bella had said.

"What? Bella, say it again, slowly." He added when he saw her take in a deep breath, no doubt preparing to fire off at the same break-neck speed she'd just used.

She dropped her shoulders in defeat and started again. "I hear chanting, like that monk chanting that was really popular a couple years ago, but I don't know where it's coming from and I'm lying on a stone table with someone holding me down-."

"You're being held against your will by the Cullen boy?!" Charlie's radar was pinging off the charts.

"No, dad, not Edward but someone that looks like Edward." Bella let out a huff when the look in her father's eye told her that he didn't put a distinction between the two. "It's not Edward," she said again with more force. Charlie's shoulders relaxed slightly.

"What is this non-Edward looking thing doing to you?"

"Nothing, just holding me down, like he needs me to be there at that moment for something but I have no idea what that something is. And then-"

"There's more?" Bella nodded as Charlie squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed a hand down his face before pulling out a chair and joined her at the table. "Okay," he said with a sigh, "continue."

Bella chewed on her bottom lip as she pondered how he would take the next revelation. "I hear Mom."

Charlie's eyes widened. "You hear your mom?" He repeated. "Sweetheart, you were so little when she left, you wouldn't remember what she sounded like." Belle's body stiffened in her seat.

"I know I was little but I know it's her." She stated emphatically, slightly miffed that he'd insinuate she'd forgotten her own mother's voice. Charlie recognized stubbornness when he saw it.

"Okay," he said with a sigh, "What is your mother saying?"

Bella's stature relaxed slightly. "She says for me to fight and to not give in."

"Fight what? Not give into what?" He asked as his daughter shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. But it all stops when I hear a baby cry." If the situation wasn't serious, she'd laugh at the face her father was making. His eye had widened to the point he looked cartoonish and his cheeks were visibly red under his beard.

"Baby? What baby?!" He sputtered with a hand over his heart. He could swear he felt it skip several beats when his teenage daughter had uttered the word 'baby'. No, No, he thought. Not on my watch.

"There will be no baby! Do you hear me? That's it, no more unchaperoned dates, your new curfew is now eight-thirty and-"

"Dad!"

"-you'll need to come down to the station for some self-defense classes maybe I should get you a taser?" Bella recoiled at the sinister look on her father's face as she guessed he was imagining using said taser on Edward.

"Dad, stop! There isn't a baby. Not even close." While she wouldn't lie to herself and say that she wasn't the tiniest disappointed that she and Edward's physical relationship hadn't progressed to the point where she needed to have the birth control talk with her dad, she could see the relief in his eyes at her words.

Charlie took several deep breaths as his heart started to slow down. He glared at his grinning daughter.

"It's not funny." He declared. "Besides, I think the dream is clearly telling you that your relationship with the boy needs to slow down. Your absent mother is telling you to keep your legs crossed."

"That is not what the dream means." Bella huffed loudly at her now, smug father.

"You don't know." He challenged, getting up to collect his thermos from the counter.

"Dad, they're scary. I wake up all sweaty and it feels like a warning about something bad, evil." Her voice had lost all humor. Hearing the change in her tone, Charlie turned back to the table.

"Baby, there's nothing for you to be scared of. I will never allow anything to happen to you. I'm worried that your imagination is working a little overtime because of what you found in the book." Bella had tried to speak to her father regarding the notes she'd found. He had scoffed at them, claiming that there must be an overreaction gene running through Renee's family. After his easy dismissal of what she'd found, she'd kept Renee's thoughts to herself.

"Dad, I don't think it's my imagination," Bella reiterated with a frown.

"Honey, can we talk about this later? I have to get to the station so I can spend tomorrow home." He began walking towards the back door.

"Okay." She reluctantly agreed, placing her attention back to the forgotten recipe book.

"By the way, you WILL be taking self-defense classes and I wasn't joking about the new curfew." He grinned at his daughter's open-mouthed stare before walking out the door to his cruiser, and leaving for his Christmas Eve shift.

Bella's mood improved only slightly after Charlie left. She supposed her imagination could be running away with her, after all, she thought, it wouldn't be the first instance. But this time felt different, the dream felt real and it lingered in her thoughts long after she'd woken up. Coupled with the very weird and as of yet totally unexplained Halloween night, she was unwilling to give her father's words a lot of credence, plus their talk did nothing to help her understand why she hadn't heard from Edward. Bella decided to give him another hour or two and then call him, again. She redirected her attention to the forgotten recipe book, flipping through the pages until she got to her favorite sugar cookie recipe. Pleased she'd found something to get her mind of her dream and silent boyfriend, she got to work.

~~~TDP~~~

"No, baby, you don't wear the tinsel, it stays on the tree. Not that you wouldn't look freaking fantastic in a tinsel bikini." Edward rolled his eyes but didn't turn around from his place at the window. Ever since his parents demanded that he leave his room several hours ago, he'd been subjected to insipid conversations. Behind him, Emmett was explaining to Rosalie the Cullen family Christmas traditions, however, it sounded to Edward that he was actually having to explain everything about Christmas to her. Edward had never been a fan of his brother's girlfriend, thinking her cold and mean. He was now prepared to slap the label, 'dumb as a box of hair' on the blonde girl as well.

"Babe, the fire is fine. There isn't really a Santa Claus. He's just a nice story that parents make up for their children." Edward banged his head onto the window in defeat.

"What's your problem Edward? Are you worried you're getting coal in your stocking this year? It would serve you right." Edward ignored Emmett's taunt and Rosalie's sniggering, he continued to stare out the window, stroking the soft fur of his second-best friend, who was snuggled contently on his lap.

"I hope I don't end up ruining your life too." He whispered into Kodi's velvety ear. Since Bella's departure, Edward had been once again plunged into what seemed to him to be unending guilt trip. He couldn't forget what she had said about her dream. How it had been him holding her down, hurting her. The fact that she'd assured him several times, and that she knew it wasn't really him, did nothing to stop his mind from walking down a dark path. To Edward, her subconscious was trying to tell her he was a monster, someone that was no good and should stay away from. Why else would it be his face she saw? Why would her mother have been screaming for her to get away from him? To Edward the signs were clear. He wondered how long before Bella realized what they meant and left him. The thought of her leaving him made his heart ache, but he'd be lying if he wasn't half expecting it to happen or that she'd be better off without him.

Edward knew Dr. Felix would be furious if he were aware of the thoughts Edward was having. All of their work the past few months had been destroyed by Bella's dream. Regardless, Edward couldn't stop thinking that her dream was an omen. No matter what kind of spin his therapist and mother were able to put on his actions, the fact remained that if he'd never given in to Tanya, her family would still be intact and he could look at a baby without wanting to vomit. Maybe he wasn't the monster he portrayed in Bella's dream but could he say that he was good for her? Was he selfish enough to keep her, knowing that her subconscious saw through his façade and was warning her off?

Out of the corner of his eye he saw his phone light up with another alert for a missed call. Sighing, Edward reached over and turned the thing off, shoving it into his pocket. He snuggled Kodi closer and continued to stare out the window. He didn't know what to say to her. Avoidance was a cowardly move. He guessed that was just one more crime to add to his rap sheet.

Kodi began to squirm in his arms. Edward put him down and watched as the puppy waddled over to the front door, indicating he needed to go out. With the inane chatter still going on behind him, he made the quick decision to take the puppy out himself instead of letting him out in the back yard where he'd have to walk through the kitchen where his mother was baking. The last thing he wanted was another awkward conversation with his mother. What he did want was some peace. He wanted, no, he needed some time to forget. Just a couple minutes, half an hour maybe an hour or two where he could pretend that he wasn't the cause of so much pain.

"What do you say to a little walk?" Edward took Kodi's slow blink, as an affirmative.

Grabbing the leash, he put his coat on and hooked his buddy up.

The cold night air made his lungs clench, but the pain felt good. It gave him something else to focus on. He watched Kodi finish up with his business and then began to tug on the leash looking longingly towards the warm glow of the house. Edward let out a deep breath and focused instead on the end of the driveway. "Come on. We'll just go a little way." Edward began walking, tugging the trailing puppy behind him.

A light snow began to fall as they walked alongside the wooded road. Edward took deep breaths as Kodi sniffed the ground and barked at all the bunnies he presumed were spitefully hiding from him in the dark.

The soft crunching of the gravel and the cool flakes of the falling snow landing on his face gave Edward something to concentrate on. It wasn't snowing heavily enough to completely cover the trees and ground. He could still see the dark brown bark of the fallen tree trunks and leaves that littered the path and surrounding forest. Still, his mom would be pleased. There would be just a light covering on the ground for Christmas morning. Having grown up in Chicago, Esme was used to having snow for Christmas. Moving to Forks, had put pressure on the entire family and had caused Carlisle to lose the vacation he had stocked up, necessitating the Cullen's staying in Forks for the season rather than going to Illinois.

A car Edward recognized as his father's drove speedily past them on his way to the house, barely missing him and Kodi on the side of the road. It had gotten considerably darker since they'd started their journey. Edward decided to head back towards the house. The last thing he wanted to do was put Kodi's life in jeopardy because he didn't want to go back to the house and listen to Emmett explain the Easter Bunny to Rosalie.

Edward hadn't realized he'd led them so far down the road. Kodi ran out of steam halfway back, he had to carry the tired, thirty-pound puppy the last half mile to the house. Edward noticed his dad's car was parked uncharacteristically askew in the driveway. His brow furrowed in observation. Carlisle Cullen always parked in the garage in straight lines. Never haphazardly in the driveway.

Something was off.

Edward and Kodi shook the snow off at the front door. Kodi quickly wandered off down the hallway in search of an after-walk treat. Edward hung up his coat and prepared to escape to his room, when he noticed the voices coming from the dining room. Edward stopped in his tracks to listen, even though every instinct he had was telling him to run. The comments blended into each other, but Edward could separate the voices.

"Oh my God!" Esme declared.

"Dammit!" Emmett's voice rose over the other's in the room.

"Why now? Why would she do this horrible thing now?" Esme asked. Edward could hear the alarm in her voice. He edged closer to the room.

"I don't know." Edward fell against the wall when he heard Alec's voice. Tanya's son was clearly distraught. Alec had been avoiding the family for months, so why would he be in the house now?

"How could she be so selfish?" The disgust in Carlisle's voice was undisguised.

"Carlisle!" Edward heard his mother admonish her husband.

"I'm sorry Alec. How can we help?"

"I don't know what to do? Dad won't be back for another week." It sounded as if the boy was crying.

"Honey, we're here for you. I think I still have your aunt's number, let me get my phone." Esme rounded the corner from the dining room. "Edward," she exclaimed. "You scared me."

"Why is Alec here?" He asked. Esme's eyes darted to the room she'd just left. Fear and worry were etched deeply on her face. Edward's heart sped up at the realization that she was scared for him, making his need to know what was going on imperative.

"Honey, I need you to go upstairs to your room and-."

"Why is Alec here?!" Edward asked loudly, in a shrill tone. Something had happened, something terrible and they weren't telling him what it was.

"Edward, please, go upstairs. Now." Esme barely had the words out of her mouth when there was a commotion from the room behind her.

Before he could even consider defending himself, Alec rounded the corner. He came at Edward, with unrestrained force pushing him up against the wall. The sound of glass shattering echoed in the hallway when Edward's back and head were forced up against the wall, knocking down Esme's paintings and family pictures.

"You did this! This is your fault! It's all your fault!" Alec accused as his fists found purchase on Edward's face. Edward pushed against the older boy, throwing him back a bit, allowing him to put his hands up over his face and begin to fight back.

"Alec, stop! Carlisle, help!" Alec grabbed Edward's collar, throwing him to the floor amongst the broken glass as Alec straddled him and continued his attack. Blood began to flow from Edward's nose as his father's arms came around the furious boy, pulling him off his son.

"Emmett, help me!" Carlisle ordered as Emmett reluctantly took over restraining his friend. Kodi was running around in circles, barking menacingly at the boy that was hurting his boy. "Put Kodi out too."

"Rose, grab him!" Emmett called out. Surprisingly, she moved swiftly from her observation point in the doorway towards the hysterical puppy. Kodi became even more agitated, growling and snapping intensely as she scooped him up and headed back towards the kitchen.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Esme cried as she watched her husband help their battered son up from the floor. She instantly went to Edward, putting her arms around him. Edward swiped at the blood on dripping from his nose. The physical pain felt good, it pushed the emotional pain down.

"Let me go!" Alec screamed at Emmett, clearly fighting his friend's hold. Edward looked up to meet Alec's furious gaze. His pain was etched deeply on his face. Edward immediately felt deeply sorry for the boy that had just bloodied and bruised his body.

"I'm so sorr-. "Edward began to utter the phrase that seemed to have become more of a mantra over the past year.

"Don't! Don't you dare say you're sorry!" Alec screamed.

"Get him out of here!" Carlisle ordered his son. Unexpectedly, Emmett immediately did as his father asked.

Edward watched as Emmett dragged a struggling Alec back into the dining room.

"What is going on?" Edward screamed, pushing away from his mother's hold. "Tell me!

Esme's worried eyes darted to her husband. Carlisle sighed and put his hand on his youngest son's shaking shoulder, attempting to examine his bruised face. Edward pushed his father away in irritation.

"Just. Tell. Me."

"Edward, Tanya killed herself this morning." Edward gasped and fell to his knees as all the air rushed out of his body. Esme immediately went to his side. Trying to comfort him.

He knew Bella's dream was foretelling. He knew that he wasn't done ruining lives.

"How?" Edward asked, his voice cracking with emotion.

"That's not important." Esme insisted, kissing his temple.

"Dad! Tell me, please." Edward pleaded, ignoring his mother's ministrations.

Sighing, Carlisle looked him in the eye, "She slit her wrists in the bathtub. Alec found her this morning. Aro is out of the country. Alec called me."

Visions of water colored to a putrid brown running over the sides of a pristine white tub flashed in his mind.

"My fault. All my fault. I'll ruin her too." He chanted, rocking back and forth on the polished parquet floor.

"What? No! This is not your fault. Carlisle, tell him!" Esme implored as she held her broken son tighter to her chest, rocking in unison with his sobs.

"You didn't kill her. She did this to herself." Carlisle assured his son.

Edward didn't hear their pleas. There was only one voice in his head at it was repeating the words, "You did it! You ruined her life. And you'll do it to Bella too!" Edward broke away from his mother and started for the front door.

"Edward, wait!" Esme pleaded, her eyes begging Carlisle to stop their son.

"Let him go!" Everyone turned to look at Alec, he was standing in the hallway, his eyes red with grief and his face twisted into a sneer. "He did this! My mother lost everything because of you!" His chest heaved with the weight of his emotions. Alec wanted someone else to hurt as much as he did and that person was Edward Cullen.

"I lost my family because of you! Let him go before he hurts someone else!" Spittle ran down the tearful boy's face as he spewed his vitriol at Edward.

"Emmett!" Carlisle yelled as his son once again dragged a fighting Alec out of the room.

Esme turned towards her son, her hand out to tentatively touch him. Her hand fell dejected to her side as he stepped back from her touch. "Baby, come here. We'll figure this out. Alec is upset. He didn't mean it. Please." She begged as Edward grabbed his jacket and opened the front door. "No! Edward, you stay right there. Do not leave this house!" Esme's desperate order fell on deaf ears.

Edward launched himself from the porch towards his car. The front door slammed as his parents followed him. "Edward, you're in no shape to drive! Get back in this house!" Carlisle ordered from the front porch.

Edward slammed the car door before his father had even finished speaking. Throwing the car into reverse, he spun the tires and sped down the driveway. Despite the thin layer of slippery snow, gravel rocked up with the force of his acceleration, pelting the side of his car and anyone nearby.

Edward drove into the night. He had no predetermined destination. He had nowhere to go but knew he needed to go somewhere.

With the windows down and the cold wind biting at his face and hands, mile markers sped past his windows. He had no concept for how long he'd been driving or even where he was. He'd allowed the car to roll on its own path. On autopilot, Edward felt his car roll to a stop. From the front window he could see the lake, to the right, an observation area with benches overlooking the pitch black water. He got out of the car and headed towards the bench. He passed a sign proclaiming the area as Lake Sutherland. Edward noted, with little interest, that he had driven straight up the 101 and was just west of Port Angeles. He had no recollection of ever coming to this area before, not that it mattered, when he'd gotten into his car all he'd cared about was leaving everyone behind.

Escaping.

Disappearing.

As he took in the deserted lake and surrounding forest, he noted with a bit of gratification, he'd done just that. He was alone. Utterly alone.

Edward's tired body fell heavily onto the unyielding bench. His nose had stopped bleeding soon after he'd left the house. He hadn't bothered to try to clean the mess from his face or hands, he wore the reminder of his crimes for all to see.

Edward stared absently out onto the water for hours allowing the damp, cold night to envelope him in its frigid embrace. He sat unmoving, yet his mind would not rest. He was beset with horrifying images of Tanya staring blankly from her watery death bed. Her blonde hair matted and limp and her once tan limbs, now ghostly pale hung lifelessly outside of the tub. Edward's breath caught in his throat as blonde turned to chestnut, blue eyes turned to chocolate brown.

At the images, dry heaves wracked his exhausted body. "Bella, I can't hurt Bella." He repeated as his exhausted system reacted to the images his traitorous mind refused to stop showing him.

In desperation, he croaked out a final plea. The words left his frozen lips in a stuttered cadence: "Please- make the- hurt stop. I just want- to stop the pain." Briefly, his eyes darted to the ominous looking water. The weather wasn't cold enough to freeze the churning water, Edward thought. But he knew the temperature would be sufficient to quickly induce hypothermia to anyone unlucky enough to fall in. Could he do it? Could he allow the darkness to finally overtake him? The image of his mother's tearful and pleading face as he raced from the house, flashed in his mind. She would be hurt if he fell under the waves. He knew she'd never stop hurting. The sound of his father's voice berating Tanya for her selfishness rang in his ears. Could he be that selfish? Ending his pain when he knew his mother would continue to endure hers?

"Bella. Oh God, Bella." He wailed, hugging his arms closer to his body, not for the meager heat they provided to his frigid body. But rather he was trying to hold himself together. He felt as if he were literally falling apart at the seams. The thought of hurting her burned in him like the hottest fire, charring him from the inside out. Bella had accepted his past, loved him in spite of what he'd done. Could he be so cruel as to repay her by plunging into the dark void? Could he just leave her? Never see her bright smile or warm and comforting eyes as they looked deep into his? Could he give up the very sunshine that fueled his soul?

He walked cautiously to edge of the observation deck. There was only a single strand of cable strung between waist high posts separating him from the abyss.

His teeth chattered as he looked out onto the waiting void.

"I would do anything for the pain to stop" He whispered hoarsely to the darkness.

"Anything?" Edward turned so quickly at the stranger's voice, he lost his footing and began to fall over the edge. How ironic, he thought as he toppled over the flimsy barrier, I wasn't going to jump.

Suddenly he was hurled backwards by an unseen hand, landing on his butt in front of the bench he'd so recently vacated.

"Who are you?" Edward asked the tall cloaked figure. He tried desperately to see the person's face, but the dark December night and heavy cloak surrounding the man, shielded him from Edwards' sight. All of a sudden, Edward began to shiver uncontrollably. He'd been cold all night but the feeling that came over him when this being turned his eyes to him, made him feel as if every drop of warmth left in his body had been instantly drained and replaced with a profound coldness.

"Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm a man of wealth and taste. I've been around for a long, long year. Stole many a man's soul to waste." The man finished his speech, threw his head back and laughed loudly. It was an unnerving maniacal laugh. Edward shuddered and leapt to his feet, his fight or flight response kicking in. He prepared to sprint back to the safety of his car. Only to have the man reach out and grab his arm. With an iron strong grasp, he forcibly pulled Edward back down on to the bench beside him. Edward's eyes widened in undisguised terror as his body began to shudder in undisguised fear.

"Forgive the theatrics. Sometimes I can't resist," The man said with a slight chuckle and flourish of his hands. "Mick and the boys did a great job with the lyrics. It's quite the tribute. Don't you agree?" He asked. Edward couldn't speak. His mind raced trying to remember the rest of the song. Desperately hoping it would give him a clue as to who the man was and hoping beyond hope, the man wasn't who he thought he was.

The still cloaked man chuckled to himself before turning his cold eyes to Edward. "Rest easy Edward, I'm not after your soul."


A/N

You knew he was going to show up eventually. What did you think of his entrance?

Credit to the Rolling Stones for the words to their amazing song, Sympathy for the Devil. LOVE that song!

I'll be waiting anxiously to hear your thoughts. *slips quietly under the covers clutching her Rob pillow.*

Until next time,

ruinedbyrob