A/N: It's been awhile, but here we are. I really love you guys for sticking around with this story
Bella took a deep breath focusing on the baby moving inside of her. She found solace in the way the kid moved rhythmically around, happy and oblivious to what was happening outside of its mother's body. She closed her eyes and her hands rested on her stomach as the baby kicked against her. She took another breath and felt her muscles relax, her anxiety lowered, and she unclenched her jaw.
It had been four hours and the feds were still here tearing through their things. It would take days to clean up the damage they had done. There were even holes dug in the backyard for some reason. Bella had no idea what the hell they thought they'd find outside in the ground. She wanted nothing more than to leave the house, but of course that wasn't going to happen. She stared at the same 20 faces she had been staring at for four hours to make sure she'd be able to recognize them away from here.
"Rowe, Hassan wants you upstairs." An agent who was only called 'Flynn' had yelled from the stairs.
Upstairs. What could be upstairs that they wanted someone else to see? Edward's office where he often hacked into highly classified information? The stockpile of weapons they hid behind the wall? Edward's ledger? The piles of information and evidence she had accumulated on different people around the city? There was so much they could find and Bella wasn't confident in their ability to hide all of it.
Bella stood up to stretch her legs, the baby was no longer happy with just sitting down on the couch for so long. She massaged her lower back and took a few steps towards the window to see what they were doing in the yard. A federal agent was carrying an evidence box sealed with red tape towards a black van. Fuck, what was in that box?
"Isabella Masen?"
Bella turned at the sound of her name. It was the man from earlier, the one that had yelled at Addy - Agent Cooper.
"Yes?"
He stepped closer to her and his hand disappeared behind him. Bella's stomach dropped because she knew exactly what was about to happen. From her peripheral she saw Edward jump to his feet.
"Can you turn around? "
She held a hand up to stop whatever Edward was about to do and she turned to face the window again.
"You're under arrest, you have the right to remain silent." Agent Cooper guided her hand behind her and Bella felt the steel wrap around her wrist. It was way too tight, definitely not procedure, but he wanted to make a show of it.
"I know my rights. Want to tell me what I'm being arrested for?"
"What the fuck is going on?" Edward's voice carried throughout the first floor and his hand was gripped tightly around his phone. Bella was worried that the phone might crack in his fist.
"We'll tell you more once we get downtown."
"I have a right to know what I'm being arrested for." Bella kept her voice even. Her facade was cool and calm, but on the inside she was panicking.
"Obstruction of justice." Agent Cooper gripped her bicep and guided her through the living room.
"Obstruction of justice?" Bella laughed. "That's not even a federal crime nor have I obstructed any investigation you're conducting."
The morning air was already warm and it stuck to her skin as they walked towards the black SUV.
"You can at least let me bring her in." Edward called from behind them. He was trying to follow them, but two agents held him back.
Bella looked behind them and saw him struggling against their grips.
"She's pregnant!"
"Edward it's fine." She nodded. She needed him to remain calm. If he did what he wanted he'd be brought in on assaulting a federal agent, attempted murder, assault. Hell, maybe actual murder. But someone needed to be here with their daughter.
"I'll have a lawyer waiting for you." He called.
She nodded and lifted herself the best she could into the SUV. The door slammed shut behind her and Bella let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.
What the fuck was she being arrested for?
O...O
"I want to know what happened." Edward threw a vase against the wall of his father's office so hard that shards of it flew back and hit him.
"We don't know what they were looking for." Carlisle muttered as he scanned his destroyed desk. Papers were strewn everywhere, folders torn apart, and notebooks littered the floor.
"Well what the fuck did they find?" Edward had a very loose grasp on his anger.
"I don't know, they've made a mess of everything. Emmett and Jasper's houses are destroyed, my office is…" Carlisle waved his hands around to showcase his point.
"Where's your ledger?" Edward glanced around the room.
"They didn't find it. They were focusing in here though so someone tipped them off. What room did they focus on in your house?"
"My office and bedroom." Edward searched his memory for anyone who would've been in his house and been privy to where he kept his documents. "They had scanners to see which walls were false."
"How would they have known to need those? I've been hit by the Feds for years and they've never once used any kind of imaging like that until now." Edward looked at his father and wracked his brain.
"Addy's birthday."
Carlisle looked confused.
"What about it?"
"Bella thought that Jacob had been at our house during her birthday. There were so many people we never would've seen, so what if he had come inside?"
"Do you just leave sensitive information around while you have guests over?"
Edward's anger returned in a flash.
"I do not, however if we were all occupied downstairs he'd have free reign of the upstairs."
"You should probably get your house in order while I deal with this."
Edward's jaw jumped.
"I was thinking the same thing." Edward spoke through gritted teeth and turned to leave, slamming the office door behind him.
O...O
Edward looked through the files on his computer as he searched for the recording from the day of Addy's party. Finding the date, he clicked on the file and waited for the screen to pull up. At 10 a.m. there was a notification of movement and it showed people arriving at their home. He skipped forward an hour and saw Addy run out the back door to the bounce house and he switched the camera to the backyard.
There were people everywhere, kids running around the backyard and people mingling while laughing and refilling drinks. Edward scanned the faces, but he recognized everyone within the frame and beyond that he didn't see Jacob Black anywhere. His eyes jumped from face to face while skipping forward by 15 minutes every few seconds.
"Mr. Cullen?"
Edward's eyes jumped up from the screen to see Winston standing in the doorway.
"Mr. Trevisano has called and states that he's at the office, but they're not letting him see her yet. He said he'll work on it and get her released as soon as possible."
Edward nodded once and looked back at the screen, hitting the skip button again. He slammed his fingers down onto the spacebar to pause the video.
"That fucking bastard." Edward threw the keyboard into the wall and jumped up. He needed to see his wife.
O...O
The interview rooms at the FBI field office were much nicer than any you'd find in the local CPD stations. The walls were a soft gray color and the table was white, there were no scratches in the floor or paint missing from the walls. No dings or dents in the table and chairs. The chairs were nice; a soft leather as opposed to unyielding plastic and metal, worn from years of being slammed around by suspects and the cops.
"So, Mrs. Cullen." The agent sat down across from her and dropped a file on the table.
"Masen." Bella corrected. The agent smirked.
"Right." He took a breath and leaned back against the interview chair as he scanned over the papers in front of him.
"My lawyer should be here soon."
"Oh, he's already here. I'm not questioning you just this second, so I asked him to wait outside."
Bella nodded and quirked a brow.
"You guys really don't play by the law, do you?"
"I'm not breaking the law." He laughed.
"Just … finagaling it to benefit you."
"Which isn't illegal."
"Sure. Anyway, what the fuck am I doing here?"
"Well my boss wanted me to come in here and ask if you wanted to make a deal."
Bella let out a laugh.
"My lawyer definitely needs to be here for this."
"The lawyer paid for by the Cullen family? As if they don't have their own agenda?"
Bella remained silent.
"For all you know he's been sent here to keep you quiet and just accept whatever happens to you."
"Maybe. Let's bring him in and find out."
The agent paused and looked at her, his eyes searched hers for any sign of weakness.
"All right, I'll get him." The agent walked over to the window and knocked twice, then opened the door. Within a few seconds a man appeared carrying a leather briefcase.
"Mrs. Masen, I'm Neori Trevisano and I'll be representing you."
His accent was thick and he wore a well tailored suit made of expensive fabrics. His black hair was slicked back on top and cut close to his head on the sides. He had a weathered face and dark brown eyes, his thick eyebrows looked like they were perched on top of his wire framed glasses.
"I'm sure you didn't try to interview my client while I was left outside?" He looked over at the agent.
"Of course not. I'm Agent Johnson." Agent Johnson motioned to the empty chair and Neori sat down beside Bella.
"So you've arrested Mrs. Masen on charges of witness tampering and obstruction of justice?"
Bella was surprised, but she held onto control of her face. Witness tampering?
"That's right, we have evidence that she's been in communication with Seth Clearwater and there's a claim that she threatened him with a gun."
Bella was confused. Had Seth turned her over on false charges?
"Do you have any other evidence besides this supposed statement from…?" Neori left the question open for Agent Johnson to fill in the name.
"A CI."
Bella laughed.
"And you believe this CI to be credible?" Neori asked.
"We do."
"I think you're reaching. If you plan to take this to court I'll file a motion for the identification of the CI on the basis that the identity and information is directly influential to the relationship with my client, thus we will be revealing who they are."
Agent Johnson leaned back in the chair again and turned it side to side.
"And this obstruction of justice charge?" Neori tapped the folder on the table.
"Directly related to the witness tampering."
"Oh yeah, you're really reaching now. Obstruction of justice is already an umbrella that covers witness tampering so there's no point in doubling them up other than trying to pad a warrant. Your evidence is so shaky that I'm going to start working towards suing the FBI for jumping the gun and arresting my client on trumped up charges."
Agent Johnson glanced over the papers in his manila folder.
"Are you actually charging her with this or are we just here as a big show?"
"You're free to go, but I did want to talk about one thing before she leaves."
He pulled a photo out of the folder and laid it face up in front of Bella. Bella's heart rate spiked and she could feel sweat breaking out along her hairline. She focused on her breathing, keeping her face steeled as not to give in that she knew exactly what she was looking at.
"Now, maybe your client can tell us what this is."
The box. Her box.
The box of all the evidence she had on her parents, Aro, Jacob, his family, the Cullens. The box Jacob had taken after he killed Levi. But she took it from Levi's and left it with…
Seth.
"What is this supposed to be?" Neori asked.
"It's a box we found that has a lot of interesting information in it along with the blood of Detective Uley."
How the fuck did her box get into the hands of the FBI?
"And you think this belongs to my client? Was her name on it?"
"No, but we were able to pull a print from it, matching one Detective Isabella Swan with the Chicago Police Department."
"This is an evidence box, correct?" Neori asked.
The agent nodded.
"Then one could argue that her prints were on it from the box just being in the precinct."
"That's a very large coincidence." Agent Johnson said.
"But not an impossible one."
"Mrs. Cullen - I mean Masen - is there anything you'd like to say?"
Bella looked across the table at agent Jonson and then back down at the photo before she shrugged.
"That doesn't belong to me."
Agent Johnson nodded.
"So, the fact that we found this box at your old partner's house is just … a coincidence as well?"
"If you found it at his home, why are you not assuming it's Detective Clearwater's?" Bella asked.
"We did at first, but then he told us it was given to him by you. On a night that you showed up to his home, frantic and terrified. You asked him to stash it and you'd return for it. But … you never did."
Fuck.
"Detective Clearwater is currently on leave due to mental health issues, correct?" It was a low fucking shot, but Bella had to save her own ass at this point.
Agent Johnson tensed up and Bella had to keep herself from smiling.
"I think that the stress of everything he's experienced over the past several years is starting to weigh on him. I'm not sure he's very reliable at this point." Bella pushed the photo back across the table to him. "And I'm not certain this isn't his evidence box."
"I'd say on that note that it's time for us to leave, unless you have something you'll actually be charging Mrs. Masen with." Neori closed his suitcase and stood from the table to button his suit coat. He placed a hand on the back of Bella's arm to help her stand.
"We'll be in touch, Mrs. Masen." Agent Johnson called after her as they left the room.
Bella waved a hand and walked down the hallway towards the elevator. The doors opened just as she reached for the button and revealed her husband. He looked 10 years older with wild eyes and his hair disheveled as if he'd spent the entire time she'd been here yanking on it.
"Edward?"
"You're leaving?" He asked in disbelief.
"Yeah." Bella nodded and pushed him back into the elevator as she stepped on with Neori.
"I came as quickly as I could. Bella, I looked over the footage of Addy's party and I found something."
"Hang on," Bella shook her head. "The Feds … they found my box and-"
Neori cut her off.
"Your alleged box and maybe you should wait to have this conversation somewhere else. Where your lawyer can't hear you or…" He trailed off and motioned towards the top of the elevator where a small camera shined back at them.
Bella felt like a fool. She knew better, yet here she was about to incriminate herself in the goddamn Federal building. She turned around and took a deep breath as the numbers slowly descended on the panel.
O...O
Edward drove along the winding road towards their house, his hand on Bella's thigh as she picked at the skin around her thumb nail.
"Bella, I need to tell you what I found on the video."
Bella looked over at her husband.
"Oh right. Did you see Jacob?"
Edward shook his head.
"No, but I did find someone else." He sighed and gripped the wheel tighter in his left hand. "I saw Seth."
"Seth?" She looked confused. "Why was he at the party?"
"I think he used it as a cover to get in the house. I also think he's the one who told the Feds exactly where to go in our house and search."
"Seth gave them my box."
"Bella," He looked over at her, his green eyes were full of worry. "I don't think you should go with him tonight."
Bella sighed and relaxed into the seat. She was thinking the same thing, but if she didn't go Jacob wouldn't show. And Seth's family would be in danger as well.
"I need to go, Edward. We have to end this shit with Jacob now."
"I don't have a good feeling about leaving you alone with Seth though."
"Well, let me call him and we can arrange to meet closer down to the docks. That way I'm only in the car with him for a short amount of time."
"Bella what happens if the second you show up they put a bullet through your skull?"
"What's to stop them from doing that any day of the week?"
Edward gripped the wheel with both hands and sat up straighter as his jaw tensed several times in a row. Bella reached over and slid her hand over his shoulder to try and ease the tension in his body.
"I'll be okay. You'll all be there with me."
He shook his head, he didn't like this plan and something about the entire thing felt off. He pulled up to the front of their house and waited for the garage door to open. Edward slowly pulled the door into the garage and waited for the door to close behind them before he turned the car off.
"Do you want to go early and scope it out? To make sure we can have every angle covered?" Bella asked as they walked into the house.
"I already have people out there doing that."
Bella nodded and looked around the living room. It was cleaner than it had been when she was hauled out of the house, but it was far from clean. She righted cushions and picked up pillows from the ground, shaking them out.
"I've got it covered, Madam. You should go upstairs and rest." Winston took the pillow from her and placed it on the couch.
"Thanks, Butler." She sighed and smiled at him.
"Where's Addy?" He asked.
"Addy and all the kids are with Rosalie and Alice at …" Bella shrugged. "Somewhere. Only Esme knows where they'll be going before she takes them or something like that."
Winston nodded.
"It's for the best."
"I know," Bella sighed. "But I hate not knowing where my own child is going."
"If you were to go with them you'd know."
"I can't go with them tonight."
"You could, I'm sure the Cullen men can handle whatever it is and they could use a decoy instead of you."
"Butler, are you saying you're worried about me?" Bella joked to try and lighten the mood.
He smiled, his wrinkled face pulling up in the corners.
"I wouldn't go that far."
"I think I will go upstairs and rest." Bella sighed again and rubbed her lower back. "This kid fucking hates me."
O...O
"Bella."
She could hear someone calling her name from far away.
"Bel-la."
A hand brushed over her head, but she was so tired it was almost impossible for her to open her eyes.
"You have to wake up."
Bella's eyes slowly opened and her husband's face came into view. She bolted up and looked around, the room was dark and she was in pajamas.
"How long have I been asleep?"
"Several hours. I changed your clothes and you never even moved. I was worried you had been drugged while with the Feds."
Bella rubbed her face and groaned.
"What time is it?"
"A little past midnight. You have to get up and get ready to meet Seth." His jaw jumped.
She nodded and climbed out of their bed before stretching, moaning as her muscles pulled tight.
"No time for that." Edward grinned as he watched her and Bella saw that his eyes had darkened. She rolled her eyes and pushed him to the side so she could grab the clothes lying on the end of their bed. Edward walked into their closet and returned seconds later with a bulletproof vest just as Bella pulled her shirt on.
"I had this made for you, it'd stop a freight train as long as it wasn't heading for your head."
Bella could see how scared Edward was, but neither of them brought attention to it. The truth was that Bella herself was scared, but she had to mask it or Edward would refuse to let her go along. Normally, Bella wouldn't second guess going into this situation, but the difference was the baby she was currently carrying.
"I had a second layer of ballistic plates placed in the vest so there's no chance the baby will be hurt." Edward said as he walked over to her and placed the vest on, velcroing the sides tighter until he was comfortable with it's placement.
"Can you breathe?" He asked and searched her face.
"Yes, Edward. I'm fairly familiar with how to wear these." She smiled at him.
"I know." He sighed.
"I promise I'll be safe." Bella said quietly and gripped his hand in hers.
Edward leaned forward and kissed her forehead then pulled her into a tight hug.
"All right," He kissed her head. "Let's go."
