Hey guys, hope everyone had a great holiday, I apologize for being slightly bitter last time. Thanks for the reviews, you guys (actually, you're probably all gals) are great. Told you I'd have another chapter up quickly!

Standard Disclaimer Applies

Ch 24: Heard the World

Several weeks passed, and I had moved most of my things into Edward's apartment, falling into a pattern.

Edward was always awake earlier than I was in the morning, and would usually come back from opening the office with coffee and a bagel or muffin for me. I frequently overslept, and would eat upon stumbling into my cubicle, usually half dressed and hardly groomed. Mornings weren't my thing.

Sometimes I grabbed lunch with Angela, sometimes with Edward, sometimes with Alice, depending on who was free, and would get home earlier than Edward. Things had been super busy lately, so he'd been staying late at the office, sometimes until ten or eleven at night.

I'd sometimes surprise him with dinner at the office, sometimes have it waiting for him when he got back, whenever that was. When he was home early, and we didn't go out to eat, I'd cook, and teach him how to do some things along the way. Every week, on whichever day was available for everybody to get together, we'd have a Cullen-and-significant-other-family dinner at someone's apartment.

It was a Friday afternoon, and I had just gotten back to the apartment from work and the grocer's, to prepare the weekly dinner with the Cullens, this time hosted by Edward and I. Last week we ate at Emmett's penthouse, and before that in Jasper and Alice's apartment.

I insisted on cooking to make it up to them for the day change. I'd had a meeting at work, and was going to be late, but they decided to make it a time where they could see me for the full time slot. I didn't know why it was so important to them, but I liked the Cullens. I liked seeing them, and felt like I belonged with them more and more.

I heard them arrive while I was still cooking, as conversation was generated around drinks.

"Bella, honey, you don't have to do all of this yourself, Alice and I would be delighted to help…" Esme said after she greeted me in the kitchen.

"No, really, I've got it." I said with a smile, popping back to where my home-made Alfredo sauce was simmering nicely, finally able to use my right hand, since I'd gotten the cast off two days ago. "Are we going to go over more wedding preparations tonight?"

"No…not tonight." Alice said, yawning. "Tomorrow, we're going out to different designers, for my dress. You're welcome to come. It'll be a girls' outing."

"That sounds nice." I replied, noticing as Esme returned to the living room. "You can go, too. I'm fine here."

"I think I'll just stay and watch. They're wrapped up in top-secret Cullen stuff right about now. We don't get to know about it until we say 'I do'." She sighed, swirling her wine glass. "It's the main reason these weekly dinners were resurrected."

"Huh. I didn't know that." I said, truthfully. Then again, I didn't notice much of anything as of late. I'd been on cloud nine for the past several weeks, my job was going well, I lived with Edward…

That, and Alice was remarkably clairvoyant. She knew about everything before it happened, it was crazy.

"Well…nothing bad is going on, right? They would at least tell us that…" I ventured, going back to my food preparations.

"Would they?" she said, calmly, taking a sip of wine. "Would they really want to worry us? Think about it. I'm planning a wedding, it's a lot of work to get done by the summer. You're just getting situated in your new job after all that nonsense. You don't need to be under stress anymore, and I don't need it to start…or at least, that's what they think."

"But…maybe we can help. What if…" I started, then paused, leaning against the counter. I was at a loss for words. The Mighty Cullens, it didn't make sense how they could have any kind of problems. I couldn't even imagine what it could possibly be.

"You're so cute, Bells." Alice's bell-like laugh resounded. "The reason they haven't told us is because there isn't anything we can do. Just do what I've been doing. Make Edward as relaxed as possible whenever you see him. Jasper's been tense lately, and I don't doubt Edward has been the same way."

I sighed, nodding. I hadn't really been noticing it, but now that I thought about it, he was extremely stressed and on edge lately. His physical appearance alone gave it away. He looked so tired all the time. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. He looked…

Oh.

Oh my.

He looked just like I had when running the paper. Overworked, tired, drawn…

What could possibly be going on to shake Edward like this? To make him so…

So…

I didn't finish that thought. I didn't want to use the word "pathetic".

I checked my dinner, and found that it was ready.

"Hey Alice? Could you call everybody into the dining room?" I said, mumbling a little. I was still a little shocked. And with my big mouth, I knew I'd end up asking Edward about it sooner or later…

I resolved to make it later. When the Cullens left. But after that, I couldn't keep it in any longer. I had to know.

"Mm, it smells so good." Edward said, as I was putting finishing touches on my sauce, peering over my shoulder before kissing my cheek.

"Here, bring these out." I smiled, handing him trays of food.

Well, it was later now. Everybody had gone home, and I sat with Edward in front of the fire as he tiredly flipped through the channels…and right over CNN.

That was odd.

We always watched the news. I would know, I usually fell asleep to it.

Turning the TV off, he sighed, and kissed the side of my forehead. I looked up at him with a small smile, now noticing his change in appearance tenfold. He was exhausted.

"Why don't we sleep in tomorrow." I suggested, lightly stroking his cheek with my good hand. "You need it."

"I wish I could." He said quietly, as he took my hand and kissed it. "I'm meeting with Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper tomorrow."

"Why?" I asked, genuinely curious. "Didn't you have enough to talk about tonight?"

"Sadly, no." he replied, sighing. "Though I appreciate you and Alice staying in the kitchen."

"So it's true, then."

"What's true?"

"That something's going on, that we can't know about until we have the last name 'Cullen'."

"That's not the reason, per say…"

"Then what is it?"

"Just don't worry about it. Everything will be fine."

"Sleep in. Please, Edward." I said, not bothering to hide the plea from my tone. "You need it. Whatever you're doing with Carlisle can wait until noon…"

"I'm sorry, Bells. I can't." he sighed, looking more defeated than before.

"Yes, you can!" I exclaimed, pulling him up…or trying to, and failing miserably. He sat there on the couch, slightly amused, and easily resisting my feeble attempts. One jerk, and I was sitting in his lap, his lips on mine as he fervently kissed me, making me forget about what I was about to say.

Oh, you sly dog, you…

Somehow, I don't know how, I was too stunned by his expert kissing to notice, we ended up laying down, and in the sexiest voice I could possibly imagine, he said, "What was that, Miss Swan?" He kissed the base of my ear. "You were saying something?" He kissed my neck, thoroughly handicapping me from any sort of coherent thought.

"I…" I stammered, goosebumps rising all along my arms as he continued kissing me, teasing me, incapacitating me.

"Yes?"

I pushed him away, flushed, as he would have gone in for another kiss.

"You know I can't think when you do that."

He grinned, his gorgeous green eyes laughing as he propped himself up on his elbows, still hovering over me.

"I know." He kissed me. "It's adorable. I can't help it sometimes."

I scowled at him, and he let me get up. I glared at him half mockingly, folding my arms over my chest.

"I still think you should sleep in tomorrow."

"I know." He sighed. "But I have a meeting at nine."

"Can't you push it back?"

"It's a Saturday. They hardly agreed to meet with us in the first place. We made it early so they could have the rest of their day off."

"But…Edward…" I said meekly, my eyes wide and worried. "You're so tired. You're pushing yourself too hard. Please…"

"I'll make it up to you." He promised, kissing my hand again. He pulled me to standing in one fluid motion, into his arms, and into a kiss. "Everything is fine. Don't worry."

"But…"

"No buts." He put a finger to my lips. "Now let's go to bed. It's getting late."

I sighed, and nodded, forcing half a smile.

But I couldn't sleep. I tried to, but I just wasn't comfortable. I needed to figure out what was wrong…

Apparently, I looked like I was asleep, because about twenty minutes after we went to bed, Edward stirred, sat up, then walked over to his desk. I heard him get his briefcase, and go to the living room to continue working on something. I glanced over at the alarm clock. One a.m.

What could I do? How could I get him to stop working, for once, and get some sleep, take care of himself. I was trying to take care of him, but he didn't want it. How could I get him to see?

The fact that he was deliberately hiding things from me was obnoxious. The fact that he was going out of his way to do so was obnoxious. I'm not an overly nosy person. I wouldn't have cared if he told me that things were getting crazy and he couldn't talk about it just yet. But he just evaded it, dismissed it...

It hurt. Why wouldn't he talk to me? I was trustworthy...or I thought I was...and I thought he thought I was...

I waited a while, about an hour, to see if he would come back. Maybe another minute…maybe another five…

I got up, pulling the fluffy robe my mother had bought me on over my pajamas against the cold. Where was Edward? It was 2:15 in the morning, and he had a meeting at 9…

"Edward?" I said quietly, seeing him in the living room, with his laptop and papers spread out upon the coffee table. "What are you doing out here…it's two o'clock…"

"Just finishing up some work…preparations for the meeting tomorrow." He said, not even looking up from what he was writing. I watched for a moment, as his tired green eyes went from the laptop screen to the paper he was writing on, transcribing information tirelessly.

"You mean the one in oh…seven hours?" I said, going past him to the kitchen, to make chamomile tea. Every time I had it, I was asleep in minutes. Maybe it would have the same effect on Edward…

"That would be the one." He said, his response delayed until I came back with the tea. I set it in the small space not covered by papers, took a sip of mine, then began massaging his shoulders. Alice told me to pamper him…

"What brought this on?" he asked, smiling as he turned to me.

"Well if you won't listen to me and go to bed, the least I can do is make you comfortable as you slowly work yourself to death." I said, mocking him with the sugary tone of my voice. "Come to bed, Edward."

"Bella…"

"Please…what are you doing here, anyway?" I said, picking up a stack of papers, and setting them down again. I wanted to know, but I wouldn't look at them like this. "Is this worth staying up to all hours of the night, working on something, losing sleep and ultimately harming your health in the long run? How long have you been doing this for? How long are you going to do this for?"

I stopped speaking, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. I wasn't angry with him, I just wanted the best for him. And overworking himself WASN'T it.

"Go to bed, I'll be in, in a minute." He said, kissing my forehead. He picked up the mug with tea and raised it to me. "Thank you for the tea."

I rolled my eyes at him, and stalked off to the room. He was being so difficult.

So I waited for him to get to bed. It wasn't until about four-thirty that I felt him get into bed, and I inwardly sighed. He'd be up at probably seven-thirty, to get through traffic. And he wouldn't get sleep.

So I did something that I'd probably pay for later, a rash and stupid decision.

Once I was certain he was asleep, I unplugged his alarm clock.

I didn't care what he had to do tomorrow. He needed a good night's sleep, and if he wasn't willing to do that for himself, I would make sure he would get it.

"Hello?" Edward's groggy voice answered the phone, the next morning.

"Where are you? You were supposed to be there half an hour ago, I just got a call from Em—" Rosalie's distinct, shrill screech sounded on the other end.

"What? I…" Edward sat up abruptly, seeing his dead alarm clock, and checking his watch. He cursed. "Alright. I'll be right there."

"What's going on?" I yawned.

"I'm late…shit…SHIT, Bella, why did you go and unplug my alarm clock!" he growled as he changed. "This is a very important meeting, and they won't wait around forever…"

"Well Carlisle, Jasper, and Emmett are there. So it's not like they're sitting there all alone, waiting for just you…" I tried to reason, sitting up.

"It doesn't matter. All of us had to be present…and you…you…" he was shaking with frustration. "God dammit, Bella. Why."

"Stop and look at yourself for a minute, okay?" I exclaimed, standing and going to his side, turning him to face the full length mirror hanging on the closet door. "What do you see."

"I don't have time for this. I'm late."

"No. What do you see." I insisted, holding him there.

"I see my crazy girlfriend holding me up when I'm late for a meeting that she made me late for." He snapped.

"No. I did this for your own good. I see an exhausted, tired man who looks just like I did two months ago." I retorted.

"Well maybe if…" he started, angrily, as he tied his tie, but trailed off. He looked down at me, then at his reflection, and back. "Oh."

"I shouldn't have unplugged the alarm clock, but you need to rest." I said, looking at him seriously. "You can't keep doing this. Please, Edward."

"I know." He sighed, and kissed my forehead. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay."

I sighed, as he left, and decided I might as well get up too. I was already awake…

And I was going out with Alice and Esme today, and they're gorgeous, so I had to make myself semi-presentable…

Poor Edward. I didn't know what the problem was, and I felt bad for making him late like that, but he needed it. He needed to realize that he's overworking himself. He needed to sleep…

"Bella?" I heard Esme's voice as I stepped out of our bathroom, dressed, showered, and clean.

"In here!" I called, brushing my hair.

"There you are! I saw Edward downstairs and couldn't believe it! With the meeting…"

"That's my fault." I sighed. "I'm sorry, I messed with his alarm clock. He needed to catch up on sleep, and—"

"You what!" Rosalie snapped, coming into the room. "Do you have any idea what you did? How important that meeting is?"

So much for being on good terms with Rosalie…

"No, actually, I don't! Because none of you will tell me what's going on! Alice knows something's up too, but you won't tell her, or if she knows, she won't tell me, and maybe she's okay with not knowing, but I can't stand it! If I'm to be considered part of this family—"

"But you're not." Rosalie scowled. "You're not a member of this family. You don't know what's going on, because you're not a part of this family! God, Bella, can't you keep from causing trouble? Just for one day?"

"Rose!" Esme exclaimed, as shocked as I was.

I didn't say anything for a few moments. I was shocked. And confused. And hurt...Rosalie, I thought we'd finally connected...why would she say something like that?

"No…it's okay, Esme. Don't worry about it." I murmured, going to the door. I passed Alice in the corridor, she coming up, wondering what was taking so long.

"Bella! Where's everybody else?"

"I'm sorry, Alice. Maybe another time. I have to go." I said, with a weak attempt at a smile. I hugged her. "Have fun. I'm sure you'll look gorgeous."

"Um…okay?" Alice said, slightly confused as I walked away. "Rose? Esme?"

I assumed they were at the door, and didn't look back, just entered the elevator and left. I hadn't seen my mother in a few days…

"You mean you haven't heard?" my mother said, setting a cup of tea in front of me as I sat at the table.

"Heard what?"

"Cullen Enterprises. It's all over the news. Don't you watch the news?"

Don't I watch the news...what a stupid question. Of course I did, I was a journalist! Why would I NOT want to be up to date on what was going on? My mother. She was insane.

"Usually, but not recently. Why? What's going on?"

"The stocks. Cullen Enterprises' stocks dropped to record lows this week. There are rumors of a merger."

"What does that mean?" I said, my eyes wide. The meeting this morning…oh no.

What had I done...

"Well, nothing yet. They're just rumors. But the family might not have all its money anymore. Largely due to bad management."

"But the Cullens…"

"Didn't manage their company. Carlisle Cullen is a doctor. His son is a football player, the other a social worker. The only one with any kind of management skills is your Edward."

I sat in silence, stunned. Edward was the only one with management skills, his family's company was floundering…he'd been pulling long hours, often not back until very late at night…

Alice knew about this part, at least. She might not have known about how bad it was, but she knew part of it. I doubt Jasper had been keeping her from watching the news…

"Excuse me." I said, standing abruptly. I had to go back to the apartment, wait for Edward to get back. I felt terribly for keeping him from being on time. I didn't understand what was so important…and I still didn't know everything, but I knew that I needed to make it up to him.

Getting the mail to the apartment, I stumbled upon something on Edward's desk, when I put his mail there for him to see later.

An invoice to Cullen Enterprises, stock information, debts…it was all there. Edward had scribbled notes in the margins in his beautiful handwriting, everything added up.

Cullen Enterprises was going bankrupt.

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