No fancy author's notes this week. Just the update. (We're back with our Edward again.)

PS- I don't own anything.


Chapter 16:

EPOV—

I'm pulled from very brief rest by more knocking at the door. I'm a little irritated, because my mind was just re-conjuring my first kiss with Bella. However, when I take in the fact that I'm in a hospital gown, covered only in a thin blanket, and lying in a small room surrounded by family, I realize it may not be a bad thing that I was interrupted.

Opening my eyes, I see my father speaking lowly with two men in suits. They look towards me from the doorway as does my father. I blink and shift in the bed and then they exchange a few more words.

Mom and Tori watch them too, and I can tell they'd chase them off like buzzards if they could. Not this time, though. I know I need to talk to the investigators, so I smile reassuringly at my mom and sister when Dad allows the men entry into the room.

"Come on in," he says, sounding resigned. He walks to my side and helps me once again with the controls on the bed. "Edward, these are the men here to question you. You up for it?"

I shrug. "Sure."

Dad nods and moves back after I'm seated more comfortably. To be honest, I think it may be the first time I've sat up in a few days.

One of the men steps forward. "Edward Cullen?"

"Yes, sir," I answer automatically.

He nods. "It's good to see you're recovered."

"He's not recovered yet," my mother objects.

I meet her eyes. "I'm on my way, though."

My reply is for her, not the suits at the foot of my bed, but they don't seem to notice.

"We promise not to wear you out. We realize you need your rest. We just have a few questions to ask you about the day you were injured."

I nod.

He turns to my parents and sister. "If we could have a moment?"

"Does he need a lawyer, or a witness, or something?" Tori asks.

The men chuckle.

"He's not suspected of any crimes that we know of, so there's no need. We mean no harm."

I think about it for a moment and decide I just want some answers, and if it helps make sure that the guy who shot me and tried to kill Bella goes to jail for the rest of his life, all the better.

"I'll talk to them. It's okay. You guys can wait outside."

Reluctantly, my family agrees and soon I'm alone with two men. The spokesman takes a chair on my right and pulls out a small digital device.

"This will be recorded."

I nod. "Sure, but can I ask a question before we start?"

"Go ahead."

"How do I know you are who you say you are, and that you aren't some kind of double agents yourselves? I know that sounds ridiculous, but you can understand my concern."

The man in the chair smiles wryly. "I see you've been talking to your brother."

"Of course I have."

The man at the foot of the bed clears his throat. He's remained silent until now.

"Mr. Cullen, I'm Special Agent Marks of the FBI's internal investigations division." He hands me his badge and ID. I look them over and hand them back. "This is Special Agent Crowley. You're welcome to look at his identification and badge as well. In fact, I applaud your caution given the situation."

I wait for him to continue, certain he will.

"I can assure you, Mr. Cullen, you can trust in the FBI and our agents. What happened to you was an isolated and unfortunate situation. The man involved abused his badge and his position, as well as betrayed his fellow agents. Personally, as far as I'm concerned, I would add that he lost his mind. In any case, our job is to make sure he is held accountable for his actions. With your cooperation, we will get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible."

I digest his statement and swallow down the bubbling anger I feel at the words, "unfortunate situation."

A broken television on Superbowl Sunday is an unfortunate situation.

What happened to me and Bella was much, much worse than that. I'm not even sure I have words for it.

I turn to look at his partner and decide to get this over with as quickly as possible. "What are your questions?"

Agent Crowley nods. "Thank you, Mr. Cullen. First, we have to go over the basics, okay?"

I nod and he asks me to confirm my name, birth date, address, and that I was ambushed at gun point and then shot while trying to flee outside my parent's home on Saturday, April 30th.

"Okay, then," he says, continuing. "We'd like to show you a picture and ask you to identify the man you believe to be the one who shot you."

"Okay."

At the end of the bed, Agent Marks pulls a folder out of his trench coat and slides an 8X10 sheet of photograph paper onto my lap. "Out of the five men shown here, which one is he?"

I look over the five similarly featured faces, but recognize our attacker immediately. "That one."

"Are you certain? Number four?"

"Yes."

"How certain are you?"

"Absolutely certain. One hundred percent."

"Very good. Thank you."

The photo is taken away and the rest of the interview goes as I expected it to.

"Agents Wiles has stated during questioning that he attempted to approach you and Miss Swan, also known to you as Miss Anna Bella Dwyer, as if he were making a lawful and legal arrest. Did he at any time identify himself?"

"No."

"He didn't identify himself as a federal investigator, or a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation?"

"Uh, I think he shouted FBI at us when he first cornered us near the garage."

"And did you stop?"

"Yes. Immediately."

"Both of you?"

"Yes."

"But when he came to the front door, he never stated -his business there?"

"No."

"And so, because you'd spoken with your brother, who had informed you over the phone of the instructions he'd been given by a U.S. Marshal, you decided to flee?"

"Yes."

"And you used your parents' home security system to call for additional help before you attempted your escape?"

I thought about it. "Uh, yes."

"When did the assailant begin firing shots?"

"Umm..." This was a harder thing to pinpoint. It was all such a blur after I made my decision to save Bella.

"I think after I pushed Bella inside the garage."

"And why did you believe you needed to do that as opposed to complying with his instructions?"

"I was afraid he was there to kill her. He called her Miss Swan, and even when I met that Marshal, Jasper Whitlock, he never called her by her real name. He called her by her alias. I knew something was wrong, and that my brother had been right."

"You met Deputy Marshal Whitlock?" Crowley asked, his surprise obvious.

"Yes. About a month or so ago."

"So... you were aware that Bella was...?"

"No. I wasn't aware of anything. I stumbled upon him meeting with Bella. It was an accident; I wasn't supposed to see them together."

"What happened when he noticed you?"

"He told me to sit down and explained that Bella's safety was dependent on my keeping my head and not asking too many questions about her. He made it clear she would be sent away if her safety was compromised, but let me take her home."

"And then her identity was compromised when you and Miss Swan attended a movie together in Port Angeles. Is that correct?"

"Yes," I say, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Someone recognized her."

"And she contacted Deputy Whitlock right away?"

"As soon as we got home."

"Were you privy to that conversation at all?"

I shook my head. "No. She told me later that Whitlock wanted to move her, and that he was on his way to Forks, but would decide what to do with her when he got there."

"Which we both know never happened."

"Yeah."

"So, can you tell me what happened after you pushed Miss Swan into the garage? James claims that you attacked him."

"He shot at me almost the instant the door closed behind Bella. Or, I don't know, maybe he was aiming for her. Either way, he missed, so I charged him. He went down and I kicked the gun out of his hand. He retaliated and we threw a few punches before he got the advantage. That's when Bella showed up with a gun."

"You said that Agent Wiles 'got the advantage.' Can you explain?"

I shrug. "He um, he had me pinned. Had his hands around my neck."

Crowley nodded. "I can still see the bruises."

I reached up and touched my neck. It took me a moment to realize I hadn't even seen a mirror since I'd woken up here. I had no idea how rough I looked. Was it obvious I'd been in a fistfight on top of being shot?

"A few more questions, Mr. Cullen."

I nodded.

"When Bella came out of the garage, what happened then?"

I took a deep breath. Would, "She kicked ass" be admissible in court?

"She fired warning shots. Scared the hell out me, too. Then she said something to the assh..., um, to Agent Wiles, and," I paused, thinking back. "He thought she wouldn't hurt him, but she shot at him when he didn't let go of me. He yelled and I thought she hit him, but he didn't appear to be bleeding when I rolled out from under him. So I knocked him out, or tried to. I slammed his head into the ground and we took off."

"He followed you?"

"Not right away. We were getting in the car when he started shooting at us again."

"Your shoulder... When did that happen?"

"After I pulled the car out of the garage. When I got the car turned around, he was standing right in front of us. I told Bella to get down, but obviously I had to drive."

Crowley nodded. "Very good, Mr. Cullen. I just have one last question for you. How close were you and Miss Swan, or Anna Bella."

"It's okay, I know who you mean." I try to play it cool, but my heart starts pounding and I'm certain the monitor behind me will sound an alarm shortly. "Can I ask why you need to know that?"

Agent Crowley just smiles. "It's a standard question."

"But what does it have to do with anything?"

"We just need you to state your relationship to her for the record."

Well, shit... That was a landmine question.

What was my relationship to her? And could I even lie to these guys about it? Wasn't that perjury or something? Oh, no it was 'providing false information to a law enforcement officer' and possibly 'obstruction of justice.'

Thanks for the tidbits, Emmett...

At the end of the bed, Agent Marks clears his throat.

"Mr. Cullen, it's not a complicated question. A simple answer will suffice."

"I.." I open my mouth, but none of the labels I could use seem right. "We were... close. And it was complicated."

Marks sighs and crosses his arms. He exchanges a look with Crowley.

Crowley chuckles. "Listen, we're here to nail James Wiles' ass to the wall, not bring you under suspicion for having any kind of inappropriate relationship with a minor. Especially since she's not a minor."

"It really wasn't like that," I say, looking back down at my lap. Was I lying? I couldn't be sure.

"Well, to be frank, we really don't give a damn either way. We'd just like a statement from you that will help us put James Wiles behind bars for a very long time."

I nod and gather my wits together. "I feel... very protective of Bella. I care about her. She lived with my parents and attended the school I taught at. She trusted me and confided in me, and I swore to her that I wouldn't let anything happen to her."

"Do you love her?"

I blink at him.

"It's not a trick question, Mr. Cullen. It doesn't come with an indictment, or with any kind of judgment."

"Yes, I love her."

"And you believed her to be in mortal peril when you made the decision to run from James Wiles and hit him with the car?"

"He was shooting at both of us, so yes."

"Very good," Crowley says.

"That's what we needed to hear," Agent Marks adds concisely.

"Yeah, thanks for your cooperation."

Agent Crowley looks over his notes and then stops the recording app on his phone. I wait a moment and then put up a hand.

"Wait, so... you just wanted me to say that I love Bella and I was acting out of what...?" I struggle for the right words.

"Defense of a loved one is often seen in the same light as self-defense in the court's eyes," Marks says.

"Why should that matter?"

Crowley hesitates a moment before answering. "Well, even though James Wiles admitted to most of his crimes, he is claiming that he only drew his weapon after Miss Swan pulled a gun on him first. He also claims that he only shot you because you attempted to run him over with the car. He's trying to make it appear as though he attempted to get to Bella without harming anyone and that you resisted."

"Yeah, well... he's a lying asshole," I say flatly. "He shot at me when I had my back to him, before I even knew Bella had a gun and could defend herself."

Crowley chuckles. "We know. The evidence really isn't in his favor."

Marks coughs. "Not to mention that if Miss Swan had been trying to kill him as he claims, he wouldn't be alive right now."

I smile.

"Anyway, when we get Miss Swan's testimony everything will undoubtedly fall into place. James Wiles won't have a leg to stand on by the time we're done with him." Agent Crowley stands and puts his coat back on.

I sit up a little bit and run a hand through my hair. "Can you tell me why he did it?"

They exchange a glance. Marks answers this time.

"Until recently, James Wiles was a field agent in the Balkan organized crime division. He was undercover for a long time and it looks like he got in too deep, got himself involved with a girl. When his cover got blown, the criminals he'd been working for blackmailed him."

"How does that relate to Bella?"

Marks sighs. "The deal was Agent Wiles' girlfriend's life –and from what we understand, the life of their unborn child– in exchange for helping the Vladimir family get rid of a few witnesses."

I inhale sharply. "He was definitely going to kill Bella then."

"He says he wasn't going to murder her, but he does admit that he was desperate. In fact, the only reason he's even cooperating with us right now is because he's still desperate to get his little mafia-princess girlfriend out of harm's way."

I take in this new information in stunned silence.

"Do you know where she is?" I ask after a moment.

"The girlfriend?"

"No! Bella! Do you know where Bella is?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Cullen. We don't," Marks says.

"Then how will you get her testimony?"

"Well, that is the question? Now isn't it?"

I glare at him. "Bullshit!"

"Mr. Cullen..."

"No, you have to know where she is. Someone has to know where she is!"

"Unfortunately, the FBI doesn't handle witness protection, Mr. Cullen," Crowley says. "When we have witnesses or victims that need looking after, that responsibility falls to the United States Marshal's office."

He walks towards the door and then turns around. "Listen, given everything we've just told you, you must understand that it's best for Bella that less than a handful of individuals know her whereabouts. When it's critical that she be made available for testimony, she will be. Until then, she's safest this way."

"But what if she isn't safe? What if someone else untrustworthy has her? What if..."

Marks interrupts. "Mr. Cullen, we're positive that James Wiles was working alone on this. Those involved in blackmailing him are being rounded up as we speak. With any luck, by the time we've finished our investigation, there won't be too many individuals left out there that would have any reason to harm her."

He smiles apologetically and gives me a parting nod. Agent Crowley nods as well and the two men take their leave.

The door clicks behind them and, for the first time in days, I'm completely alone.

I look out the window and over the horizon, processing the conversation I just had and all that I learned. The whole situation seems so surreal. Stuff like this just doesn't happen to people in the real world.

To Jason Bourne, maybe...

The sun dips down in the sky outside while I contemplate that Bella's life had been bartered for the life of some other woman. Before that, her life had been bartered for her father's cooperation and silence. Both times she only very narrowly came out on the winning end of the deal.

My hearts stutters a little at the thought of how easily it could have gone the other way. It hurts to imagine a world where she ceases to exist. I raise my hand to my chest, pressing against where the ache is the strongest.

The door clicks open and my sister appears at the end of the bed. I see her in my peripheral vision, but don't look at her. I have no idea what she'd see in my eyes right now if I did.

"Are you okay?" she whispers.

I nod and hear my parents walk in behind her. The door clicks shut.

"How did it go, son?" Dad asks.

"Edward? Are you okay?" Mom adds, her hand covering my own.

Dad rounds the bed, blocking my view of the window.

"Are you alright? They didn't upset you, did they?"

My eyes move to him and he's looking at my monitor, checking numbers I have no clue about.

"I'm fine. I just... It's a lot to take in."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I shake my head.

"Will you tell us about it later?"

I nod.

"Still hungry?"

I shrug. "Yeah."

That makes Tori snort. "Boys... the world could be ending and they'd still want food."

I feel her eyes on me and meet her gaze. It's not the teasing expression I'm expecting. There's a serious question there.

"What?" I ask.

She's silent a moment, her mouth opening and then closing again just as quickly. She shakes her head. "It's nothing, Edward. Don't worry about it."

I frown, but let it go. I don't have the energy to pursue it anyway. I need food and sleep... and Bella.

At least I know two of the three are attainable. While I wait for my lunch to arrive, I turn my head back towards the window and wonder how I'll manage the third.

~(~)~(~)~

Much later that night, I'm downing my second "clear fluids" meal and watching television with Emmett, who finally reappeared after sleeping all day at the hotel across the street.

Dad walks in the room, a huge smile on his face.

"Good news, my boy. Your kidney function is back to normal. You're being downgraded from critical care and moved to a regular room, and this time tomorrow, you'll be having solid food for dinner."

I'm currently looking up at him, my mouth full of lime Jello. I've had three containers of the stuff along with two cups of broth, a glass of ginger ale, and some apple juice. Despite that, I'm still starving and can't help but be nearly as enthusiastic as he is.

He chuckles at my expression and pats my leg, while Mom jumps up and whoops like we're at a football game.

"I'm so relieved," she says, smiling and hugging Dad. When she's finished with him, she turns her affections on me. She musses my hair and kisses my cheek until I'm whining like a fifteen-year-old being hugged in front of his friends.

"Mom..."

"I'm sorry. I'm just excited."

I laugh lightly. "Over my kidneys?"

She scowls playfully at me. "Yes, over your kidneys."

Dad laughs at us, but sits in the chair nearest my head. "Your kidneys are a very important organ system, Edward. Even you should know this."

"I guess so, but she's acting like I'd just been named Superbowl MVP or something."

Mom crosses her arms over her chest, frowning. "Well, when you're a parent, you'll understand."

I shake my head, smiling. "That's not happening anytime soon."

She grins back, her eyes mischievous. "Famous last words."

I crack up laughing, because any other option in my medicated state would have likely given something away. I hadn't even had sex in over a year until Bella, and my mother chooses now to bring up reproduction.

"Seriously, Mom!" Emmett says, laughing too. "He was almost dead a few days ago! Now you're campaigning for grandchildren?"

"Exactly!" I laugh, nodding.

"You don't even have a girlfriend right now, dude."

My laughter dies a little in my throat, my breath catching even as I watch Emmett shake his head amusedly.

"Sucks being the oldest, doesn't it?" he teases.

I smile and laugh half-heartedly. "Yeah."

Mom crosses her arms over her chest. "Oh hush, or you're next. I'd love nothing more than for the both of you to meet someone special and fall in love. The rest is just icing on the cake."

Tori unexpectedly stands from her seat next to Emmett.

"I can't listen to this. I'm going home for the night."

Everyone falls silent, and Mom turns to her confused. "You're leaving now? Driving back to Seattle?"

Tori shakes her head. Her piercing gaze meets mine briefly. "I don't know, maybe not. Maybe I'll just stay at the house in Forks."

I frown in confusion. I'm not the only one.

"Sweetheart," Mom says slowly. "We haven't even been back there yet, and your brother says the place is a mess thanks to the police and FBI traipsing in and out. Why don't you stay at the hotel with us instead?"

"That's okay, maybe I'll take care of a few things while I'm there, see what needs to be done. Besides, I kind of feel like staying in my old room."

Her eyes fall on me.

"Tori, what...?" I start to ask.

She smiles insincerely and grabs her purse. "I'm fine. I don't mind."

Dad clears his throat. "Are you sure everything's okay? You seem upset."

She shakes her head. "I'm fine. I'm just tired. But I'll see you tomorrow. We can talk then, okay?"

"O-kay," Dad answers, looking to Mom for help.

"Are you sure you're alright, sweetheart?" Mom asks.

"Yeah, I'll see you in the morning."

She hugs Mom and Dad quickly and then flees from the room while we all just sort of stare after her.

"That was odd," Dad comments.

"What do you suppose got into her?" Mom asks.

"You brought up grandchildren," Emmett says confidently.

"Why would that upset her?"

"Umm, isn't it obvious?"

I glance between them and then at my father, whose face has turned into a scowl. "What do you mean, isn't it obvious? What do you know, Emmett?"

Emmett looks at him with wide eyes. "Nothing. Why are you looking at me like that? I'm just saying... Oh. Oh, wait, you didn't think I meant–"

"Well, what else was I supposed to think?" Dad shouts.

"Not that!" Emmett responds.

Mom gasps. "That can't be it. She would have told us something like that. At least I think she would."

"Tell you something like what?" I interject, having no idea what they're going on about.

Emmett ignores me. "I thought Tori bolted because she figured if she stuck around, you'd be asking her for grandkids next. Or at least bothering her about a boyfriend."

Dad runs his hand through his hair. "So you don't think she's pregnant?"

"God, no!" Emmett says, cringing.

I nearly swallow my tongue and end up choking on nothing. My eyes must look like saucers as I cough uncomfortably.

Dad thought Tori was pregnant? I want to laugh because she's about the last person on earth I could see that happening to. Instead of keeping that thought to myself however, I open my slightly doped-up mouth.

"Tori would never let that happen. She's like the poster-girl for proper birth control."

Mom gasps and Dad turns red.

"What?"

Mom grabs his arm and scowls at me.

"I just mean that she's a firm believer," I add quickly. "You know? With our background and everything?"

Dad's face is still red, and Mom motions for me to continue.

"See, between her own childhood with Elizabeth, and stories of Emmett's childhood with his biological parents, she swore she'd never go there. That she'd only have a child when it was planned for. She even speaks to freshman at UW every year about safe sex, birth control, and the consequences of unplanned pregnancy."

"Yeah," Emmett pipes in. "And I know she tells them that abstinence is the only real way to be safe, so maybe that means she practices what she preaches."

I start laughing under my breath and Mom mouths, "too much" to him.

Dad scrubs his face with his hands and shakes his head. "I really don't want to think about that Emmett, but thank you."

Mom rubs his shoulders and smiles. "Why don't we go check on Edward's transfer? See how long it will be before they move him?"

Dad nods and lets our mother lead him out of the room. She leans back inside and points at Emmett.

"You better tell your sister what you did," she hisses.

I laugh at the look on Emmett's face until my shoulder starts to hurt. He laughs at me then, but I press the call button to summon Jake with more pain meds, pointing out that he still has to call Tori and tell her what he said.

"She'll kill me," he groaned.

"Probably."

He sighs and shakes his head. "I'll wait until the morning to tell her."

"Chicken."

"Yeah, whatever. You're afraid of her, too."

"Sometimes."

"Speaking of... what was with you two when I got back tonight?"

I turn my head to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"She was looking at you like you did something that pissed her off."

I'm surprised. "She was?"

Emmett nods. "Yeah, but it was like a mix of pissed off and worried at the same time. I wondered what happened."

"I have no idea. Unless she's just pissed off I nearly died."

"Huh..." Emmett's thoughtful and then snaps his fingers. "That's probably it! Right before she took off, you said to Esme that you almost died a few days ago and now she was asking about grandkids. Remember?"

I sigh. "Crap. Maybe I should talk to her instead?"

Emmett shakes his head. "No, I'll do it. I'm the one that made Dad think she was knocked up. Besides, the two of you have a somewhat volatile history."

I shrug because it's true.

Tori wasn't exactly very happy about being forced to come live with her long-lost brother and his adoptive family at first. In fact, she sort of hated me for a long time because our mother had given me up for a better life, while she got to grow up watching Elizabeth waste away and eventually die of her afflictions.

"We've come a long way since then," I say softly.

Emmett nods. "Yeah, but still..."

"I know, and I'm not going to argue with you. I hate being in the dog house with her."

Emmett chuckles, but doesn't say anything more because Jake the nurse enters the room.

He gives me my pain meds and checks a few things before saying goodbye to me since I'm being moved out of critical care.

"I can honestly say that I never want to see your face here again." He grins. "Seriously though, man, best of luck to you. You've been a great patient."

"Uh, thanks..."

"Take care, Edward," he laughs. He waves at me and Emmett, then heads out the door.

Emmett sniggers. "I think he likes you, Ed."

I smirk. "Whatever, I'm taken."

Emmett raises his eyebrows at the same time I realize my mistake.

"Since when, dude?"

I close my eyes and lay back with a not so subtle groan. "Uhh... a little while now."

My heart is pounding, a result of the adrenaline rushing through me in my panic. I fumble for the remote control to the bed with trembling hands. Emmett gets up and helps me.

"I, um... I had no idea." He coughs. "Why didn't you say anything?"

I shrug.

Emmett's quiet while the bed lowers. I can see that he's thinking intently while I shift around to get comfortable. When he puts the remote control in my hand for me, he sighs.

"Dude... I wish I'd known. We should have called her or something. Do you think she'll be pissed when she finds out you've been in the hospital and no one told her?"

"I don't think she'll be angry with me. At least, I hope she won't be."

His face scrunches up. "Is she from Forks? Because everyone in town knows you've been here. Wouldn't she have come by?"

I sigh and rub my face with my hands. "She's not from Forks. I'll have to get in touch with her. Don't worry about it."

"Well, is it serious? I mean, if it is, then she's probably pretty freaked out."

"Yeah, I know. She probably is. But there's nothing I can do about that right now."

"Well, your cell phone was tagged as evidence, but if you know her number, you can use mine. Call her." He pulls out his cell.

"Emmett..." I say, my voice barely audible. I'm fighting to keep the emotion out of it. Fighting and failing. "Thanks, bro, but maybe tomorrow. I'm... you know, on pain killers right now."

Emmett frowns, his normally carefree features marred with worry. "Are you sure? Don't you want to see her?"

His question breaks me. "Yes, of course I do, but I can't."

"Why not?"

I feel myself crack and then shatter.

"I just can't! Okay!"

My eyes close and I concentrate on breathing. My lungs, like my emotions, are completely out of control. I hate it and I'm about two seconds away from telling my brother everything.

What is there to gain by lying to anyone at this point anyway? Keeping this shit inside —trying to hide the gravity of my feelings for Bella and mask my preoccupation with her whereabouts and her well-being—it's more exhausting than recovering from the physical injuries I've suffered.

"Why can't you see her, Edward?"

Emmett's voice is calm, but firm. I open my eyes and am not surprised to see he's flipped a chair around and is sitting astride it right next to my bed. He looks every bit the cop out for a confession.

I swallow.

"Tell me why you can't see this girl, big brother." His voice is patient, but insistent.

Taking a deep breath, I steel my resolve and meet his gaze. "She's... Bella."

Something flashes in his eyes, though it's not the immediate anger I'm expecting. Looking down, he rubs his temples with two fingers and sighs.

I wait in anxious anticipation, praying that our parents don't burst through the door at the moment.

"Not to sound cliché, but I think you should start at the beginning."

Voices in the hall catch both our attention.

Emmett frowns. "Maybe not right this second, though."

"Yeah, I don't think I can..." I gesture towards the sound of our mother's voice.

My brother's shrewd gaze meets mine. "I'm not going to think about why that is... And as soon as we get a chance, you're telling me everything, Edward."

~(~)~


Ruh-roh... or not? You tell me. ;-)

Thanks to my super-beta, SueBee0619! With any luck and her help, I 'll see you all next Friday.

-Ginnie