A/N… As usual, I won't be making a habit of long notes up here, except for this one. So here we go:

This is the fifth in a series, so yes, you must read the previous ones to know what is going on here. For those that know the series, rereading the last one should do it if you need a refresher.

Now… I write Angelward for shits and giggles. I write it with the intention of using music and lyrics and fun and lemons and drama and action. Blah, blah, blah… I write it to play with the canon vamps we all love.

It's been nine damn years since I wrote the last Angelward, so that being said, that's where things pick up. As in…nine years from the last one. I wrote this knowing that there are some who may not remember stuff, so I tried to expound on things here and there. It helped my pre-readers a lot, so I hope it helps you guys too.

Let's get started.

SUMMARY: Fifth in the Angel series. It's been nine years since the Cullens moved to Montana with a bigger family. They've shifted and adapted to new careers and homes, but a shadow hides, biding their time before seeking power and revenge. AU ExB

~oOo~

When Angels Fall

Chapter 1

BELLA

"Paging Dr. Isabella Cullen to pediatrics," the overhead speaker bleeped as I made my way down the hallway of St. Patrick's Hospital in Missoula, Montana.

I pressed the button for the elevator, smirking at the use of my full name. They'd learned the hard way, because there was more than one Dr. Cullen in this building. I stepped out of the elevator onto the fifth floor, heading to the east side of the facility. The corridors were quiet, but they always were during the night shift. Well, they were now. There was a point where every hospital everywhere was pure chaos.

The drab hallway changed into the brightly decorated pediatric ward. I waved to Rita behind the nurse's station.

"Hey, he's back there," she whispered, covering the phone with her hand briefly and jerking her chin toward the end of the hall.

I smiled, continuing to the office door and leaning on the doorframe.

You paged, handsome? I thought, eyeing the gorgeous sight of my husband behind his desk.

He grinned before glancing my way. "Beautiful, I need you for an evaluation."

"Aw, and here I was thinking we'd take our breaks together," I teased him, going on into his office to his desk.

"We still can, but I need you on this first, love." He handed over a file, and I cracked it open to study it.

We'd been working at St. Patrick's for a little over two years. After finally graduating UM with degrees in child psychology, we'd interned together at a small facility in Butte. But two and a half years ago, the whole world came to a rather frightening and screeching halt. COVID-19 ran rampant, and suddenly we needed to rethink how Edward and I wanted to work, because we had to do this carefully.

Edward was a physician two times over, now with a new avenue of psychology under his belt. But he and Carlisle couldn't ignore the call to help during a global pandemic. There was touch of déjà vu for Carlisle – and a little bit of a trigger for Edward, going all the way back to 1918 during the Spanish Influenza. They just wanted to help.

However, we had to consider our connection. Completi l'anima. One soul. We couldn't allow time or distance to wear on us. We couldn't allow long separations at the hospital, either. Working together was a different story. We'd learned during our internship that if we were in the same building, working the same schedule, and taking the same days off, our connection stayed fairly solid. No pain, no struggling.

Armed with that knowledge, we came to St. Patrick's with specifics of what we'd wanted – same schedule, nights only, and same days off. The only problem was the pandemic. As much as we wanted to work together under the same department, Edward was actually needed as a peds physician more. There were too many cases and not enough doctors or nurses. So Edward stepped into the role he'd played when we'd lived in London almost eleven years prior, and I'd started something brand-new but completely fulfilling.

"Jaden Carr," I murmured softly.

The file in front of me read like a normal little boy of six – bumps, bruises, a broken arm when he was three. Until I got to Edward's examination.

I narrowed my eyes when Edward said, "Yeah, there's a pattern. I feel healed broken ribs, there's a couple of scars on his knees and elbows, but that could be normal roughhousing boy behavior. What I can't say in that file is that he's having nightmares, he's easily triggered to anger when someone touches him, and he's much more comfortable with women than men."

Wrinkling my nose, I nodded. "Okay. I'll go to him."

"He's awake," Edward said, getting up from behind the desk and stepping around the boxes stacked by the wall.

Our time at St. Patrick's was almost up. As much as we liked working together, we looked too young to stay, despite how we dressed or any makeup we applied. We'd ridden out the pandemic, helped because we could, but we were about to take a break from it. Edward was ready for a break from children on ventilators and oxygen masks, and since all the travel bans and social distancing had lifted several months back, I was ready for some time with Edward and our family. As fulfilling as it was, I now understood why Edward didn't pursue this full time like Carlisle.

"You might be the only one who can keep him calm. He was brought in for COVID symptoms, but he's negative – looks like a sinus infection."

Switching back to thoughts, I asked, And you think there's trouble at home? Has he shown you something I should be aware of, Edward?

He shook his head. "I don't see an ongoing problem," he started softly as we walked back down the hall, "meaning I don't see any new bruises or marks, and he isn't thinking with fear or panic. He loves his grandmother; she's the one who brought him into the ER, but he rarely thinks about anyone other than her and his older sister."

Glancing back down at Jaden's file, I read where he did indeed live with his sister and his grandmother. No mention of a father or mother.

"I just want to make sure he's safe, sweet girl. That's all." He held the door open for me, and we stepped into Jaden's room.

Sitting up in bed was a beautiful little boy with light mocha skin and a pile of dark messy curls atop his head. In his hands were toy cars and an action figure or two. Dark-brown eyes glanced up at the two of us, and Jaden barely looked at Edward before gazing over at me.

"Jaden, this is Dr. Cullen," Edward introduced me, walking to the child's chart. "She just wants to chat with you."

"Hey, Jaden. I hear you're feeling pretty rotten, huh?" I asked him, pulling a chair to sit next to his bed.

He nodded, rubbed his face and ears. "Yeah, but it's not the bad kinda sick. Just a 'fection."

Grinning at his answer, I nodded. "Well, then you'll be outta here in no time."

"Good, I wanna go home."

"I bet. Who's missing you at home?"

His head tilted a little. "Gramma and Ember."

I gave Edward a quick glance, and he nodded.

"Who's Ember?" I asked, knowing the answer, but I wanted to get him to open up a little.

"My big sister."

"And it's just the three of you? No one else?"

He shook his head. "No, my mom died."

The way he said those words hurt my heart – like it was a secret, a whisper of his pain. To speak it out loud would hurt too much. And I understood because I'd lost my own mother, too. Florida was hit hard by the virus in 2021, and she was sick and gone before Carlisle could even inquire about her chart.

"Mine, too," I whispered, unable to look at Edward at this point because it had been hard on me to lose Renee. It was the one true fear of Edward's come to fruition, but he was and always would be my rock. I smiled at Jaden. "It's okay to be sad, to miss her."

"Do you?"

"Oh, yeah. Every day. Some days more than others," I admitted truthfully. "I bet your gramma misses you a lot since you've been here."

He grinned, a true and sweet smile. It lit up his face like a ray of sunshine. "Yeah, she says… She calls me the man of the house, so I gotta get back home to do my jobs. When I get my jobs done, I can ride the dirt bike."

Chuckling, I shot another glance to Edward, who was nodding and fighting his smile as he spoke just below Jaden's hearing. "Ah, there's the source of the injuries."

That made me smile his way, because we worked well together. Sometimes, the right questions brought the thoughts to the surface so Edward could read them.

"Well, that sounds fun!" I told Jaden, smiling at his happy nod. "I used to ride a dirt bike a long time ago. I fell once or twice."

"Me, too!" he squeaked, bending his arm at the elbow to show off a rather impressive scar.

"Oh, yeah?" I challenged him, pulling my hair back a little to show the one on my head from when I'd ridden bikes with Jacob.

"No helmet?" he asked, his mouth hanging open.

Edward scoffed, but it turned into a laugh and a dangerously raised eyebrow my way. "That's what I said!"

Grinning at them both, I tapped my forehead, whispering, "Hard head."

"Hmm," Edward hummed wryly. "No kidding." He shot a wink and grin my way.

However, Jaden's sweet laugh was the best sound, and I faced him again. "It's awful late, Mr. Jaden. Why are you still up?"

His nose wrinkled. "Nightmares," he whispered.

"What are your nightmares about?" I asked him.

"Sumpthin' bad happenin' to my gramma," he said softly, his gaze dropping to the Batman toy in his hands.

Nodding, I smiled his way. "It's scary, right? The thought of losing someone you love?"

"Yeah," he agreed, nodding a little. "They aren't so bad when I'm home."

"Well, then we just have to make sure Dr. Cullen here gets you all better so you can go home. Right?" I asked him, giving Edward a smile.

"Right," Jaden replied, eyeing Edward, who was stepping closer with his stethoscope.

"Deep breaths, Jaden," Edward told him, and the little man did, though he still sounded a little congested to me, which earned me a nod from my husband. "You're better than you were yesterday. You won't be in here much longer, I don't think."

"See?" I beamed at him. "Jaden, it was awesome meeting you." I held out my fist, and the little man bumped it. "Get some rest so you can get well enough to ride that bike."

He nodded, saying, "I will."

I stood, waited for Edward to note the chart, and we walked back to his office, where he shut the door and leaned against it.

"He's a typical boy, it seems," I told him, taking a seat in the chair in front of the desk. "You're right about his comfort with men versus women."

"It may be just because he's only been raised by women," Edward countered, walking to me and kneeling. "I'd say it was me, but he reacted to one of the male nurses the same way."

I took a deep breath, cupping his face. "He's super cute and pretty bright, but I think he's fine. He's dealing with a little grief, but he's handling it okay."

"You're pretty cute yourself, love," he countered, grinning when I laughed lightly and pressed a kiss to his lips.

I glanced around the office that he'd had for two years. "You're almost packed up, huh?"

"Yeah," he agreed, reaching up to tuck my hair behind my ear. "You?"

"God, no! I need your help," I said through a laugh. "The idea of packing my office is daunting."

Edward laughed, placing a hand on his chest. "I'll happily save you. We've got one more shift."

"Mm, my hero," I hummed, leaning in to kiss him again.

That kiss turned fiery and deep way quicker than I'd expected. Edward's hand slipped into my hair at my neck to grip as heavy breaths pushed against cheeks and tongues slipped languidly together. I let out a deep moan with a bit of a purr.

Edward's lips lifted into a smile. "I love that sound."

"You mean the sound that means you've just rendered me stupid?"

"Yeah, that." His grin was all beautiful seventeen-year-old boy, and it was accompanied by a slight head tilt and darkened eyes framed by even darker eyelashes.

"Love you, baby," I whispered, brushing his hair from his forehead. "We lasted way longer here than I expected."

"Me, too. Working with Carlisle was always interesting and educational, but working with you, that was an amazing and truly a rewarding experience. It seemed easier and not so…I don't know…heavy with you, in spite of COVID. Thank you, Bella."

"But you're ready to take a break again?" I verified, because I knew the pandemic had changed our original plans a little.

"Yes, ma'am. I feel pride in our jobs here, but I lost too many, and I need a break from these minds. Family is fine, but this was starting to wear on me," he explained honestly.

"Well, where you go, I go," I sang to him, pressing my forehead to his.

"Absolutely," he agreed but pulled back and cupped my face. "Were you okay back there talking about your mother?"

I smiled sadly. "Yeah, I'm okay. She's been gone almost a year, which went by fast." I kissed him briefly. "Actually, talking about her like that is helpful. I'm not alone. Clearly, you must remember more therapy with the other Dr. Cullen, Edward."

Edward's grin flashed quickly. "I was just checking."

"I should thank you for holding me together when she died," I whispered, and he picked up my hand to press kisses to my fingers. "Never mind the mad dash across the country to sneak into her service."

"Please don't thank me for that, Bella," he pleaded softly. "I'd have done anything to make it better."

There had been limited air travel then, so we'd driven. And we'd had to stay to the back, avoid speaking to anyone. My stepfather had looked heartbroken and lost, as had his niece, Madeline. She'd been three when we'd sailed down the Atlantic with a newborn Caroline. Carlisle had stopped so I could see my mother one last time. Madeline was eleven at the funeral.

We didn't stay. Edward drove me clear across the country so that I could simply say goodbye to my mother. And we maybe stayed ten minutes, only to drive right back to Montana.

I got through it with hugs and love and kisses, not to mention Edward let me rage, which destroyed a small section of forest. There had been laughter with Jasper, Kevin, and Emmett, long talks with Carlisle, and even some shopping with Alice, Caroline, and Rose. What I'd needed most was Esme; I'd walked straight into her arms and thanked her for encouraging me to set eyes on my mother that one last time, because she was right – time moved quickly, and things happened way out of my control.

Above all of that, Jake had driven Charlie to me just so he could hug me, love on me, check on me.

I took a deep breath and let it out, taking Edward's beautiful face in my hands. "You did make it better, Edward. Never think you didn't."

He nodded sadly. "My heart hurt for you, my love. I felt helpless."

"I know," I breathed against his furrowed brow. "Worry wrinkles, Edward. Stop it."

His brow instantly smoothed beneath my lips, and he let out a sweet chuckle.

"You'd know if I wasn't okay, baby. You'd hear it in my mind."

He nodded again, kissing me one more time before standing. "Our shift is almost over, my sweet girl. We'll pack up your office and the apartment tomorrow."

I stood as well, kissing him again. "I'll be happy to move back to the house."

"Me, too, love."

~oOo~

EDWARD

As I parked the car in front our apartment, I shook my head. It had been a strange few years. Bella and I had made plans when we'd built the house on Carlisle's property. And even though those plans morphed into something a little different, it had been so very good. Hard, but really good.

We'd rented this place when everything shut down, because we'd needed to be close to St. Patrick's. It was simple, and we'd personalized it a bit, but it wasn't our beautiful little cottage situated in the mountains. It wasn't close to our family, though we visited often. We'd separated from them these last two years, and it was time to go home.

Working with my angel had been so much more than I'd expected. It had been fulfilling and easy, even with the long hours and only working nights. It had felt like we'd made a difference, albeit a small one, during a time where death was seen every day.

"You're awful quiet, handsome," Bella pointed out as we made our way inside the small apartment. "What'cha thinkin' about?"

Grinning, I said, "You, love. Always you." It was the same answer every time, and it never failed to get the same smile and light laugh from her. I dropped my keys and wallet into the tray on our dresser, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "You're okay with quitting," I stated, because her mind seemed set.

"I am. We're pushing that age thing, Edward. And as much as I liked what we were doing, it's weighing on us both," she said, stepping between my legs, but I pulled her completely to my lap. "Plus, I can't fathom what you're hearing, what you've heard. So we're good, Mr. Cullen, because it doesn't matter what we're doing or where we go…"

Smiling up at her, I nodded. "As long as we're together," I finished for her. "Yeah, love, that's about where I am, too."

"Good," she said with a sigh, kissing my lips. "I added to the playlist."

My eyebrows shot up, and I grinned her way, dragging my tongue along my bottom lip. Without breaking from her gaze, I said, "Alexa, play bedroom playlist."

Bella's giggle was glorious and sexy, and her head fell back, so I couldn't resist that neck. We'd been doing this now for years. And now, with technology's improvement, we didn't need the old iPod. We could essentially add a song to the bedroom playlist anytime, anywhere. What had once started as something silly had become the solid base of our time alone, our constant sexual need that never slowed, never stopped. The bedroom playlist was and always would be for intimacy and love. The music seemed to always say things we didn't say out loud. It was one of the best parts of just us.

Grinning at not only the lyrics, but also the sweet, beautiful tenor of my wife's singing as she breathed words against my lips, jaw, and neck, I lost myself in her darkening eyes as clothes were slowly pulled and tugged away. "Love Makes You Blind" by Kaylee Rose was a sweet song with a touch of country to it, and it fit my girl so damn well.

Got a short fuse, when I let loose, I'm zero to a hundred
Got a mind and a mouth on me, and it always says what's on it
But you find the peace where I look for war
And when you should've had enough of me, you want more

Well, if love makes you blind
I hope you never ever open up your eyes
Where I see the flaws and scars, you see perfection
Somehow you smooth all my rough edges
And I'll never know why you see me in this light
But I thank God every day, every night
Boy, love makes you blind

I rolled us to the center of the bed quickly, causing Bella to squeak adorably, and I pressed my forehead to hers, whispering, "I think you have this backwards. This song choice, my beautiful girl."

"Impasse, Edward," she argued haughtily, and her voice cracked when my hand started touching, gliding, feeling. "Love you, Ed—"

There it was, that staggeringly beautiful statement I lived to hear as I slipped deep inside her. We said it all day, every day. It was said with honesty and sarcasm and humor, but it was always said with a touch and a kiss. And at this moment, it was said with thoughts begging me to touch her, love her, drown myself in her.

"I love you, too, my sweet, beautiful girl," I breathed against her neck as I started a slow, deep pace.

The crackling spark that fused us together cranked up a notch or two, skating over our skin and causing all thoughts and verbal communication to cease.

~oOo~

"Sweet Lord, when did we get these many clothes?" Bella muttered to herself from deep inside the closet.

"Have you met Alice?" I asked, grinning at her wry glance over her shoulder.

"Yeah, but it's not all her. Some of this is my own doing in order for us to look older," she replied softly, filling a box and handing it to me.

I stacked it with a few other boxes by the bedroom door. "Did the age thing bother you?" I asked her.

"No," she answered instantly. "There's the difference between men and women. They saw what they wanted with me – makeup and hair and clothes and whatever. Women spend their whole lives trying to stay young. With you, they saw youth. I heard it more than once." She filled another box, and I picked it up. "You don't act seventeen, so I never really thought you looked seventeen. They saw that at the hospital, too. You look young, but you're capable. That kept the questions down, I think."

I nodded in agreement to all of that. "Will you miss it?"

She shook her head. "I get why you don't do it all the time like Carlisle. It's hard to stay at a human-paced speed, it's dangerous when blood is involved, and it's difficult when you lose a patient."

"Mmm, yeah. All of that."

"Plus, I kind of miss the family dynamic…and our house!"

Chuckling, I leaned in to kiss her lips softly. "Me, too."

"I miss you guys playing music and your piano."

"Yeah, Emmett is dying to play live somewhere now that we can, and he made up that new game, so he might be the happiest that we're moving home."

Bella giggled. "Okay, I gotta say, that game is kinda awesome."

I laughed and nodded, because Emmett had taken our love for Truth and Dare and added the element of music to it. Sometimes we played as couples, or occasionally it was individually. However, as couples was the more popular choice. The last few long weekends or vacation weeks we'd had from the hospital, we'd all played it.

The game stemmed from restaurants and bars being shut down for the pandemic. We couldn't play live anywhere, and then Bella and I were already deep in work at the hospital – and so was Carlisle at the hospital in Butte, for that matter – so simply practicing wasn't all that stimulating. But the game Emmett came up with was extremely intriguing, especially when Bella and I sang together.

"Okay, the bedroom is done," she said, wiping her hands on her jeans. "Save those couple of boxes for my office at work."

"Yes, ma'am." I picked them up and set them by the front door. "We need to get dressed for work soon."

"I know." She wrinkled her nose a little. "Be honest. How much of a big deal is Rita going to make on our last day?"

I laughed. "Big. Huge."

"Dammit. Cake?"

"Maybe." I shrugged a little. "She and Susan were debating it."

One thing about my sweet girl that hadn't changed since I'd met her was her disdain for being the center of attention. By nature, she was most comfortable around people she knew – family and friends – which was why she didn't sing with us most open mic nights. Although she was getting braver as the years went by, which made me change the topic of conversation.

"Bella-love, our eighteenth anniversary is coming up."

"Holy hell, that was fast."

Laughing, I scooped her up and deposited her in the middle of our ever-messy bed. "Yes, ma'am, but the best eighteen years of my life, sweet girl." And that was the God's honest truth.

"Mmm, indeed."

"Do you want to go anywhere? Do anything specific?"

"Hmm, maybe. Let me get through this last day, baby, and get back home to our place in Lincoln. Then we'll really talk about it. Okay?"

"Absolutely." I braced my hands on either side of her head. "I'll do whatever pops into that gorgeous head of yours, even if it's staying home."

"Ah, he so spoils me," she sighed breathily and teasingly.

"Ah, he so tries," I countered, matching her dramatic tone, which earned me a giggle and kiss.

"C'mon, handsome. Last day of work, and then we can play the trust-fund kids again," she urged me, her sweet, strong thigh bumping repeatedly against my hip.

Laughing, I kissed her until she was breathless and limp in my arms. "Sounds good, my love."

I was extraordinarily proud of her, of us for all that we'd accomplished the last couple of years, but I truly was looking forward to turning another page with her. I was ready for family and maybe a little travel. Who knew what was in our future? But I no longer dreaded time or trudged through my life, because I'd have my mate, my wife, the other half of my soul by my side, and I had faith we could do anything we set out to do – as long as we were together.

~oOo~

A/N… Okay, so we dropped right back into their lives in pretty much real time now. Real time/current events… that sort of thing. Yes, we'll be getting with the family soon.

This is Jenny's absolute fave, so she's beta'ing this with love and happiness right about now. I also need to thank Suebee, DrivingEdward, maplestyle, and Sunshine1220 for pre-reading this thing. Beffers87 is responsible for the gorgeous banner.

Per usual, there will be a playlist on YouTube. You can find me over there by searching drotuno or When Angels Fall. I have a few playlists for fics over there. So that being said…

Added to playlist:

"Love Makes You Blind" by Kaylee Rose

This will most likely update every Monday, and I'll post on FB. Until then… Mooches, Deb ;)