Bella stood in front of the TV, the afternoon news was always slow unless something major happened, which meant the biggest news story was Edward.
Edward Masen is a Cullen? The ticker read on the bottom.
"WGN-TV has received exclusive photos from the Cullen-Brandon wedding that took place over the weekend. In what is turning out to be a surprising turn of events, Edward Masen was in attendance. As you know, rumors have been circulating that the former mayor of Chicago is the, presumed dead, son of Carlisle and Esme Cullen, two of Chicago's most influential socialites."
Bella laughed. Socialites. She guessed they couldn't come out and just say "The head of the biggest crime family in Chicago." However, the news channels in DC had no issue naming the Cullens for what they were. On the screen was an image of Bella and Edward. He was kissing her, her head tilted back as she laughed and Addy was running around them, her back to the cameras. The picture would've been a wonderful family shot if you didn't know the context of it.
"You're probably wondering who that is on ex-Mayor Edward Masen's arm. Our sources have told us that she is Isabella Swan-Cullen, a former CPD detective and current agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation." The anchor paused, her eyes not moving from the camera for a split second as everyone watching puzzled the same question.
"Is Isabella Swan covering for Masen's crimes?"
"As most of you recall, they were married shortly before Edward Masen was sworn in as Mayor and then she seemingly disappeared from the public eye. Whatever the truth may be, it will be discovered soon. Stay tuned to WGN-TV: Chicago's very own source for breaking news-," Bella turned the TV off.
"Slow news day?"
She looked over her shoulder at the sound of her husband's voice.
"Something like that." Bella walked over to Edward, wrapping her arms around his neck as she lifted onto her toes to kiss him. "So, what's on the agenda today?"
"Well, if what you say is true, and Jacob Black is alive, we'll be hitting the streets tonight to try and get some intel on him."
"And what are we going to do about the FBI investigation? They're going to want an update from me soon. I'm sure I've already maxed out their timeframe."
Edward shrugged.
"Honestly, they have no evidence, there's been no crime that they can charge us with. There's no law against a name change."
"No, but I can be heavily investigated for known ties to a crime family and they will uncover some … less than desirable information." Bella thought back to the murder of Aro. "In any case, I'll definitely lose my badge."
"Were you planning on remaining an upstanding member of society?" Edward laughed. "You were already stealing confidential information from them."
Bella nodded and heavily sighed.
"True…"
"What's wrong?"
"I just … my dad was such a great cop and I always wanted to be like him."
"Bella, your dad wasn't exactly clean."
"No, I know, he did stuff for your dad and whatever." Bella waved her hand.
"He did a little more than that."
"I get it," Bella stopped him. "I'm basically just like him; involved with the Cullens, I have a daughter. Hopefully we don't go out the same way, y'know, at the hand of the Cullens. Or the Blacks."
Edward's face shifted into a serious expression.
"That would never happen."
Bella nodded and leaned into him; her face pressed against his chest. Edward believed that, but Bella wasn't certain she held the same beliefs.
O…O
Bella sat at her old desk in the 57th precinct; so much had changed while staying the same. Her desk, once covered in papers and half drank coffee cups, was now clean, organized, and no longer wobbled. There was a neat stack of papers on the left corner, pictures decorated the far edge, running the length of the desktop. Children's smiling faces stared back at her as well as a young looking coupled, grinning at the camera.
"Bella?" Edward's voice echoed in her ear and Bella shook herself from the scrutinizing.
"Yeah?"
"What do you see?" He asked. Bella looked around again, the bullpen was empty.
"There's no one here." Bella stood and walked to the opposite side, looking at Seth's desk. His child had grown so much since Bella had last seen them. Judging from the photos Seth and Lyla had a second child recently. A sadness gripped her heart, squeezing it tightly like a vice. When they left Chicago, she didn't see Seth very much at first and then it turned into never seeing him. With the news, he'd know she was back.
"Well that's good. Have you found anything?"
"No." Bella sighed, seeing the nametag on Seth's desk. He had made sergeant. Bella walked to the old captain's office, Jacob's name had been scraped off and replaced by someone named Captain Daniel Torres. She stepped inside the office and flashbacks of seeing Jacob laying on the floor, bleeding out, came rushing back to her. The carpet had been replaced. Bella moved the mouse for the captain's computer, watching it come to life. A prompt came up asking for a password and Bella moved on, trying the drawers on his desk. A desk drawer opened; files nestled inside. Flipping through them Bella realized they were case files, probably current cases the captain was overseeing. Bella opened one of the files, glancing over the latest report. She flipped the page up and glanced at the photo, seeing a young brunette, her body laying at the bottom of a hill, her throat slit. She picked the folder up, flipping through more of the photos showing varying angles of the body. Bella tried to tell herself there was no connection, this is Chicago. The crime is high. She'd worked hundreds of murders from her third day on the beat. It is just a coincidence.
She tried to tell herself this, but there was something pulling at her, her gut telling her to look deeper.
"Bella, someone just entered the building. You need to be careful."
"Copy that." Bella crouched down behind the desk, collected the file and photos, and walked towards the door. She could hear the double doors creak as they swung open and then footsteps falling against the floor. Bella slowed her breathing, listening to the direction of the footsteps and they were coming towards her. There were four desks between the doors and the office, chances are the person could be heading towards one of them, but she didn't want to risk it.
Slowly moving across the office, she opened the door that led to the hallway, carefully pulling it open until she could fit through the gap. The door on the opposite side began to open just as she closed the second one behind her. Her heart was racing as she walked quickly down the hallway, passing by the precinct doors.
"Ma'am?" A voice called behind her and Bella froze. "Ma'am, do you need help?" Bella slid the file into the front waistband of her pants, discreetly tugging her shirt back down.
She slowly turned, facing the voice and Bella's stomach dropped through the floor.
"Bella?" Seth's face changed from confused to emotionless in a few blinks.
"Seth…" Bella smiled, lifting her hand in a small wave.
"Seth?" Edward asked, his voice flooding her ear. "Fuck, get out of there, Bella."
"What are you doing here?" Seth asked.
"Bella, get out. Now!" Edward yelled.
"I was coming to look for you." Bella easily lied. "How have you been?"
"So, you dropped by the precinct at one in the morning?" Seth stepped closer to her.
"I thought you were still on the night shift. I saw you made sergeant; that's great." She smiled.
Seth's eyes searched her face then narrowed.
"You were in the Captain's office. Why?"
Bella's blood ran cold.
"Not sure what you mean."
"When I came in, I saw your shadow through the door. What were you in there for?" Seth took another step towards her and Bella instinctively stepped back.
"Isabella, get out. I'm by the door." Edward's voice was pleading.
"Bella, don't make this harder than it needs to be. Did you steal something?" Seth's eyes glanced over her hands and then her waist.
"No. Why would you even ask that?"
"Are you serious?"
Bella stepped backwards again, moving closer to the door.
"Bella, I'm coming in in five seconds if you're not out."
"Bella, I need to frisk you." Seth's face hardened and Bella found herself laughing.
"Absolutely not. You know me Seth. We're friends." Bella knew she was just a few steps from the door. She could make it if she ran fast enough. She had always been faster than Seth.
Her eyes caught the movement of his hand, his fingers twitched and then he lifted his hand, gripping the handle.
"Bella, don't make me do this."
"Seth, you don't have to do anything." She turned and walked towards the door, reaching for the handle, certain he wouldn't actually shoot her. Then the gun went off, a bullet flying through the air beside her and shattering the glass of the precinct doors. Bella gasped and turned, looking at the man who used to be her best friend.
"Don't move." Seth demanded, his gun now trained on her chest.
The door next to her slammed against the wall as Edward kicked it open, his gun going off, as well. Bella watched Seth crumple to the ground, his blood spilling out.
"Seth!" Bella started to run towards him, but Edward's iron grip on her arm jerked her backwards.
"Let's go, Bella." He dragged her out the door and down the steps.
"Edward, let me go!" She yelled, yanking at his grasp.
"We have to leave!" He growled, jerking the door of his car open.
"Edward, you shot him."
"In the leg, Bella. He'll be fine." Edward shoved Bella into the passenger seat and ran around to his side. She looked through the broken door to see Seth stumbling down the hallway, gun drawn as the car lunged forward. The back glass shattered and Bella could hear bullets sinking into the metal of the SUV before she was thrown to the left, the wheels squealing as Edward took a sharp right.
"I can't believe he … he's my friend." Bella yanked the file out from her pants.
"He was your friend, Bella. You no longer have friends in this city. Only the family."
