A/N: I still do not own Twilight

Adjournment

Chapter 7: What is Reality?

Dr. Esme Cullen was in a state of limbo. She watched the sun setting through the large picture window of the room she sat it. She waited for the young woman lying in the bed to give signs of consciousness. She watched the cell phone that Emmett had handed her less than twelve hours prior for any signs that her husband was calling. She waited …. she waited …. she waited.

It had been almost noon when the helicopter had landed in an open field. Esme hadn't been sure of their location at the time but would later learn they were near Monticeto. She had noticed two vehicles waiting in the field where they had landed, both were black SUVs - Audi Q7s and Emmett had informed the group that Carlisle had taken care of every possible thing. There were also instructions to a safe house, burn phones, cash and clothing as well as other necessities. Esme was rather impressed with her husband at that point. She was even more impressed when they arrived at their destination and it wasn't because of the beautiful facade of the softly sophisticated french country home. It wasn't the entry way that housed the winding staircase or the formal living area that was nothing short of exquisite. Her jaw absolutely dropped to find that the fully furnished home housed a state of the art hospital room complete with medical necessities.

Esme had immediately gotten Angela settled with Rosalie's help and the two quickly discovered an infection had taken hold of the young woman. Hours later, she had sent an exhausted Rosalie to get some rest while she monitored their patient. Twice, Alice had come in to beg her mother to do the same, with negative results. Johnathan had tried to invade the room but Esme had sent him away to sleep as well. It was just the two of them. The doctor and – her daughter?

The young woman in question had long, thick, dark brown hair that caught red highlights in the setting sun the beamed through the window. She had a widow's peak like Esme's own mother. Her narrow jaw ended in a pointed chin much like Carlisle's mother. Her eyes were large and widely spaced, her cheekbones prominent, her nose thin. Her lips seemed out of proportion, a bit too full for her slim jawline. She was slim but muscular and very fair skinned which was even paler now in her illness. Somehow, Esme just knew that this was her missing child tears started to fall before she could stop them. Her daughter. Her child. She didn't need a DNA test to prove that. She just knew.

"How is she?" Johnathan asked as she stepped into the room.

"Better. The infection seems to be under control." Esme motioned for him to take an empty seat next to the bed.

"When will she wake up?" John questioned as he gripped his sister's hand.

"Probably tomorrow. Try not to worry. She needs the rest." Esme encouraged. "Tell me about her."

"Angel? She's my best friend, my sister. She's always been so smart, more athletic that I am. She always tries to make sure I'm happy even though – even though she isn't."

"Why isn't she happy?" The question sounded tortured coming from her lips.

"You have no idea what it's like. Living in that house with them. Dad controls everything. Every free minute of our time. What to do, what to say, how to dress." Resentment flowed from his words.

"And your mother?"

"Tanya didn't like to be called Mom. She was never around. She had a lot of 'boyfriends' on the side. My father didn't seem to care as long as she didn't spend time with us. He wanted the say over our lives."

"What about school? Friends?"

"We had tutors. No friends. Angel wanted to go to college, but he freaked out. Started making her spend more time at the gun range learning weapons, more time training in martial arts. Angela doesn't want any of that. She likes to read – a lot." John smiled. "I think she would spend all of her time reading if she could. It's her escape from him. You know?"

Esme felt such grief overwhelm her that she couldn't speak for a moment.

"Are you alright?" Johnathan questioned.

She nodded, taking a minute to regain her composure. "I'm so sorry that the two of you had to live like that." Esme wiped at her renewed tears. "Johnathan, will you keep her company for a little bit?"

"Sure." His smile lit up the room and she was reminded of someone else for a second.

Esme made her way into the room that she would be staying in and proceeded to have a complete meltdown in the privacy of the master bathroom after turning on the shower to mask her crying. She didn't know how long she indulged in her depression, but she managed to make her way to the bed and practically passed out when she closed her eyes.

***Adjournment***

"So, do you think the boss found us this place because it's his wife and daughters stuck here with us?" Emmett tossed a napkin at his brother to get his attention. They had just finished eating and the boys had promised to clean the kitchen since Alice had cooked.

"No. I think he chose this place because of the medical facility that's here, jackass." Edward smirked.

"So the fact that it's a five million dollar luxury home with a jacuzzi probably didn't register with the old man, huh? Do you think he'll let Rosie stay after the girl gets better?"

"Don't be such a pervert Em."

"Don't be such a prude, Eddie." He laughed.

"Don't call me that." Edward snapped.

"You need to relax some, kiddo. I used to call you Eddie when we were kids."

"He used to call me that, Em. Just don't. Please."

"Just promise me one thing. When this is over and we put all of the shit behind us. Whatever happens to Senior, we go on with our lives. Don't let him ruin the rest of your life little brother. He's just not worth it. You deserve to be happy."

"Like you are with Rosalie?" He smiled.

"Maybe not as happy as I am with Rosie, but you can be a close second with someone else." Emmett snarked and started gathering the dishes to be washed.

"Whatever, jackass." Edward stood to help. "Listen, I'll take the watch tonight. You get some sleep. You can take tomorrow night."

"Got it. Hey, I'll give you twenty if you finish the dishes."

"I'm not doing the dishes by myself so you can go spend quality time with your girlfriend."

"I had to try." Emmett laughed.

"Get to work, Em."

The two finished the chore in less than fifteen minutes and Emmett wasted no time in seeking out Rosalie. Alice had finally crashed for the night and Esme had locked herself in the master suite just after sunset. Edward made a pass at the perimeter of the property and then looked in on the Jamison offspring.

"Has she been awake?" Edward questioned.

"Not at all. The doctor said she should wake up tomorrow sometime."

"And how are you doing?"

"I'm fine." Johnathan mumbled.

Edward settled down into the chair that Esme had occupied earlier. He noted the intense frown that had become a permanent fixture on the kid's face. "No, you're really not." He took a deep breath and decided to try to give the kid some kind of comfort. "I know what it's like to feel betrayed by your own father. It's not a pleasant feeling. If you need someone to talk to, I'll listen." Edward offered. "When you're ready."

"Why are all of you being so nice to me? My father is-"

"Our fathers do not define who we are, John. You are your own person, not to be dictated by your parentage. You're still a kid. You have your entire life ahead of you."

"If he doesn't find us. You know what that man is capable of right?"

Edward could see the absolute fear in the kid's eyes. "I am aware. But we have the power of an entire government agency behind us. Carlisle is a very intelligent man. He can deal with Jamison. You know, there is something you can do to help us put him away."

"Listen, I don't know how much I can actually tell you about his business." Johnathan started, knowing exactly where this conversation was heading. "If I had my computer, maybe I could bring up some of the more incriminating things he's done. Files and stuff. He only ever had me run background checks for him. Although I think he was getting closer to having me work directly with him. The only 'job' I ever did was visiting your Dad's place and giving him the message. Even then, he had Felix waiting out in the car."

"We'll see about getting your computer." Edward nodded. "What about your sister? Did she do things for Jamison? What is her deal?"

"I don't really know if he had her doing anything directly for him. She probably wouldn't have told me if he had. She tried to protect me from stuff like that. Like I told the doctor lady, Dad had Angel working with all kinds of weapons. He was really proud. Said she was a natural."

"It's getting late, kid. You really should get some rest tonight."

"Would you sit with her until one of the doctors ladies come back to check on her? I don't want her to be alone."

"Sure, kid. I'll keep her company."

The night passed in relative quiet with Rosalie coming in to check on the patient twice. Edward walked the property and checked the security system compulsively but he found himself coming back to watch the girl sleep. He shook himself out of a self induced trance that he slipped into while watching her. He tried to shake it off and leave the room several times, but he felt drawn to this room, to her. It was just after dawn when he was startled out of a light slumber that he hadn't realized he had fallen into.

"Hey, why don't you go to bed? Emmett is up and about. So are Mom and Rosalie. You're the only one that hasn't rested since we arrived here." Alice encouraged.

Edward stretched and tried to wipe the sleep from his eyes quickly before declaring that he was fine.

"You are so stubborn." Alice muttered as she watched him staring at Angel. "I wonder what she's like? Johnathan seems to think she is pretty special."

"He thinks she hung the moon. He has a little hero worship thing going in case you hadn't noticed." Edward grinned.

"Some siblings are that way. Although, Mom doesn't seem to think they really are- siblings."

Edward's head snapped to Alice, "She told you that?"

"I don't think she meant to. Something is going on with her. I think she misses Dad or something. I've never seen her so off her game like she has been this morning. She's dropped her coffee cup twice and tripped on air. I think she actually muttered a couple of four letter words that I wasn't sure she knew before today." Alice continued to explain.

"Maybe she's just stressed. This has taken all of you out of your element for a little while."

"And what about you? Why have you spent half the night in here staring at the patient?" Alice gave him a knowing look.

"I was just making sure she didn't wake up alone. I promised Johnathan."

"Well, that was a nice thing to do."

"I am a nice guy, Alice."

"A grumpy moody ass is more like it." Emmett snarked as he entered the room. "I think you should get some sleep for a few hours. The boss sent a message this morning. He has information for us and will be sending a more detailed message later today. I think you should sleep now in case we have to move out in a hurry later."

Edward nodded and left them to look after the girl. He passed Esme in the hallway and noted the dark circles under her eyes. She didn't look rested at all. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She smiled but it fell flat. "I just miss my husband."

"And you're worried about him." He finished for her. "You shouldn't, you know. He is capable of taking care of himself. Former Navy SEAL and all that. I'm sure he can handle my father and Jamison."

"I'm sure he can." She nodded and made her way back into Angela's room wishing that she could speak to Carlisle but understanding that is was not safe to at the moment.

Edward grabbed a bottle of water from the kitchen and headed into the room that he and Emmett were sharing. He took a shower and fell into bed with barely a thought about anything, he fell asleep. Hours later he was startled awake by loud voices coming from the family room. He grabbed his weapon and made his way there to a sight that startled and confused him.

Emmett looked pale as a ghost, Esme visibly trembling, but most shocking of all, Carlisle stood in the middle of the room. His shirt soaked in blood, his hands crusted with the dried substance. His eyes held a tortured look as he turned toward Edward.

"What's happened?" Edward demanded and he knew whatever had taken place was bad. A million different scenarios popped into his head before Carlisle took a step toward him and started to speak. "Edward, son, we need to talk."

A/N: Thanks for following!