A/N: I still do not own Twilight

Adjournment

Chapter 8: What fresh hell...

The murder had been a error. An error that had cost him his sons and almost cost him his career.

His wife had discovered the worst possible secret he had to hide and the inner monster he maintained control of most of the time had burst forth causing devastation in his path. There should have been a forensic investigation. Blood samples, sketch artists, but there was nothing. All records showed that Elizabeth Masen committed suicide by taking two bottles of prescription medicines meant for anxiety and depression. Ed had hit her of course, multiple times. The report showed that Elizabeth had fallen down the spiral staircase causing the bruises. Yeah, right.

The reports did not reflect any of the truth of that night six years ago when Ed, in his rage, forced his wife to take the pills while painting a very vivid picture of how he would kill the boys if she didn't cooperate with him. Irony of ironies, the prescriptions belonged to Ed.

She had begged over and over for Ed to stop. He couldn't say at what point it happened, but somewhere in between his wife's cries for mercy, a piece of his sanity literally broke. One minute he couldn't believe what he was forcing her to do and the next, like a switch had flipped, Ed began to thrive on her horse screams and begging. It fed his inner monster like nothing else ever had before. He watched the brilliance that was his Lizzie fade in front of his very eyes. In the end, she simply fell asleep. For a moment, he had wished to be with her. Feeling nothing at all. No pain. Empty. Like his soul.

Of course things hadn't gone as smoothly as Ed would have liked. That bastard, Jamison, seemed to know everything about what happened at the Masen home that night. Just like he had known about Ed's one night stand eighteen years prior. That bastard had almost ruined him after all he had gone though.

Even after all these years, sometimes the memory of Elizabeth's screams and cries seemed to haunt him. And as it so happened, they were rambling around in his mind when a sniper's bullet found it's mark as Ed was getting into his car that was supposed to take him to yet another budget meeting. He had time to process what had happened to him in the second it took him to fall to the ground, all the time thinking how fitting that his memory of Lizzie's screams were stuck in his mind at that particular moment. And then, Ed thought, nothing. He only felt. It felt as if his entire body had been dropped into a vat of acid and then been set on fire. He wished for death in that moment. Even if death took him to the fires of hell, it surely wouldn't be as bad as the pain he felt laying on the hot asphalt outside the office building.

Carlisle's voice was suddenly in his ear even though his eyes stubbornly remained closed. His friend was barking orders to him. Things like, 'hold on', 'it's going to be okay', kept spilling out of Carlisle's mouth. There was something about an ambulance, but at that point, Ed's grip on reality completely vanished. He was grateful.

Carlisle

Carlisle had been late going into the office the morning that Tanya Jamison's body had been recovered. He had dodged three calls from Ed before he arrived at his office however, once he was inside, the older man waltzed into his office within minutes of his arrival.

"So, I hear Jamison's wife is dead." Ed stated. Carlisle didn't know exactly how his boss wanted to respond to that statement so he just offered a slight nod. "And you had a run in with Jamison in the morgue. What were you doing at the hospital this morning? Are the girls okay?"

"They're fine. Esme had an emergency at the hospital with one of her patients this morning. I dropped her off since her car wouldn't start. I happened to see Jamison go into the building and wanted to make sure he didn't cause any trouble during the autopsy." He recovered quickly from the shock that Ed already knew about the slight altercation. This just proved that Ed was under Jamison's control.

"How convenient. Do you think he will cause trouble?"

"I think you already know the answer to that, Ed. What can I do for you this morning? I have a briefing in less than fifteen minutes."

"Nothing. I just wanted to make sure your family was safe. Are my sons attending your briefing this morning?"

"As a matter of fact, I have them running down a couple of leads on Jamison. They're going to be out of pocket for a bit, I'm afraid. Do you want me to give either of them a message?" Carlisle offered.

"No, that's fine. What kind of leads do you have? Anything very promising?"

"Nothing concrete as of this morning. I promise to let you know if this goes anywhere."

"Excellent, I'll let you get back to work then." Ed offered on his way out of the office. In that moment, Carlisle knew that Ed was suspicious. He just prayed he could keep his family safe until everything was sorted out.

His briefing was uneventful and Carlisle found it difficult to concentrate. After it was over, he glanced at his watch, noting that his family was ensconced in the safe house by now and that his daughter was getting the medical attention that she needed. Isabella, his little Bella that his family had grieved over for two decades. He knew that Tanya Jamison had once been Victoria Anderson, the nurse that had abducted his newborn daughter from the hospital only hours after her birth. But how had Victoria ended up with Sebastian Jamison? How long had they been together? Did Jamison know he wasn't her father? There were more questions than answers at this point.

Just after lunchtime Carlisle received two emails that shed some light on everything that was happening. The first was from Dr. Shane. The Doctor had sent him a few initial observations about the body of Mrs. Jamison. She was originally a red head around the age of forty to forty-five years. She had given birth to at least one child which lead Carlisle to believe that Johnathan Jamison was indeed her son.

The second email was from their own forensics lab. DNA had come back quickly. Angela was his daughter. There was no doubt. When he opened the attachment and looked at the document, tears came to his eyes. He needed to talk to his wife, his daughters. Leaving a message for Senior and letting him know that he would be leaving early, he made his way out of the building and was getting ready to cross the street to the parking garage when he spotted Ed. He watched as his mentor fell to the ground, blood seeping onto the sidewalk. He felt a multitude of emotions as he watched the scene and moved automatically to help.

The following hours were spent riding in the ambulance with Ed, waiting through an twelve hour surgery, and for news of Ed's prognosis. Finally, doctors had arrived to tell him that things were not looking very well for the older man. He had slipped into a coma, there was brain damage and damage to his heart. Ed Masen Senior would most likely never wake up again.

Carlisle then had to sit in an emergency committee meeting that named him as the new director of the agency and his instructions were to find the person responsible for putting Senior in a coma. So, it was late in the afternoon, a little more than twenty-four hours after he had originally intended go to his family.

Esme

She watched as her husband entered the house, his presence highly wished for but totally unexpected. His usually pristine white shirt was covered in thick coats of dried blood. He seemed to be in total control as he explained calmly to Emmett and my girls that Ed Senior had been shot by presumably a sniper as he was leaving the office for a late morning meeting. And when Edward entered the room, sleep rumpled and confused, he explained again, going into more detail about the injuries and how Ed was in a coma. It didn't look like he would make it.

Emmett was upset, but he quickly recovered because Edward exploded. Ranting about justice and how Ed needed to answer for his crimes and demanding to see his father. Carlisle explained that it wasn't a good idea for him to leave the safe house just yet and she was torn between wanting the boy to get his closure and wanting him there to help keep all three of her daughters safe.

After Edward slammed out the back door, with Emmett hot on his trail, her Carlisle turned to her with that look. The look that told her everything. It was confirmed. Angela Jamison was indeed their child. Isabella Marie Cullen. Bella. They were going to call her Bella. Their baby girl.

"I think you need to get cleaned up a little and then we need to talk." Esme directed him to the master bedroom and herded him into the shower while she went to borrow something for him to change in to from the boys. Rosalie and Alice had both given her the look. The one that said, 'We know something is going on here and you will have to tell us soon'. Esme could only hope that they would be accepting of what their father had to tell them. More importantly, what would Angela say when they informed her.

How do you tell someone that the life they have been leading is a lie. That they aren't who they think they are.

Esme wished for a moment that she had gone into psychiatry instead of becoming a surgeon.

"I know that part of you wants to run into her room and tell her right now." Carlisle startled her from her thoughts. His hair was still damp from his shower and he had dressed in the navy blue t-shirt and jeans that she had confiscated from Emmett. They weren't a prefect fit, but they would do for now.

"And why shouldn't we? We have been deprived of seeing that girl grow up. I need her to know what happened. Why she wasn't always here with us. We have waited twenty years for this. Explain to me why I should wait even one second longer."

"Please don't be angry." There. Esme knew in that second that he wanted to play federal agent before offering comfort and love to their daughter.

She couldn't help herself. Before she knew what was happening, Esme threw a glass at her husband. One minute it was sitting on the dresser and the next moment, it shattered against the wall after Carlisle ducked from it's path. "I'm sorry," slipped from her mouth because she truly was. There was a bigger picture here. Their daughter could possibly know things that would put that vile man behind bars for the rest of his life. Even though Esme knew it in her head, her heart was breaking again. "She should be waking soon. I'm going to check on her." Esme informed him. There were more words of anger and frustration forming in her brain to throw at him but the look of defeat on his face stopped them in their tracks. He didn't deserve her ire and right then her daughter needed her help.

Angela was sitting on the side of her bed cringing in pain when Esme walked into her room.

"You really shouldn't be moving around just yet. Let's get you back into bed." Esme fussed and she could see the crippling fear radiating from Angela. Her eyes kept darting to the door to see if anyone else would enter the room. Esme moved to help her settle back into the bed and tried to reassure the frightened young woman, "Relax. No one will hurt you. You are safe here. I promise." Esme moved to the other side of the hospital bed to pick up the thermometer laying there.

"You're a doctor?" Angela seemed confused.

"Why don't you tell me what you remember and I will do my best to fill in the blanks. Do you remember how you were hurt?" Esme asked while taking her temperature.

"Do you work for my father?" It came out whisper soft, but Esme heard the fear in her voice.

Esme looked her in the eyes, "I do not work for Sebastian Jamison. I am a doctor and you have undergone surgery to remove a bullet that was lodged here." She pulled the lose hospital gown aside to show Angela the large bandage that covered her left side.

"But we aren't in a hospital." She looked to Esme for confirmation.

"No. Johnathan was able to get you to some friends of mine. They are federal agents and they can help you and Johnathan."

"Johnny's here?" Surprised didn't cover her reaction.

"Yes, and you can see him in a few moments. Can I check you over?" At Angela's hesitant nod, she began checking the rest of the young woman's vitals. "After you've seen your – brother, my friends need to talk to you if you're up to it. They need to know what happened that night. Do you remember?"

"I remember everything." There was a hint of anger in those words. Esme could only imagine what she had been through to get away from Jamison.

"Do you want to see Johnathan now?"

Esme watched as she took a deep breath and seemed to steady herself. "I would like to tell your friends what happened now. If that's alright. I would really like to get this over with."

Calling to Carlisle from the doorway, Esme explained that Angela was ready to talk to him. And after a short debate, Emmett was invited to listen in as she told what happened the night of Tanya's demise. So, after introductions were made, Carlisle encouraged her to tell what she knew.

"It was late in the afternoon and I heard Tanya and my father yelling in the kitchen." Angel began.

"Do you know what they were arguing about?" Emmett asked.

"I think it started because of Tanya's latest fling. She was never faithful to my father, but he knew it. He'd never made a big deal about it before. It sounded like she wanted to leave my father. I knew I shouldn't be there, but I stopped to listen just outside the doorway. They were really loud. I don't think they had ever argued like that before, at least, not where Johnny or I could hear, anyway."

"Why do you call your mother by her first name?"

Angel huffed a laugh, "She didn't want to be called Mom. She said it made her feel old."

"What made you go into the kitchen that night?" Carlisle queried.

"I heard him hit her. She went down, hard. I'd never seen him like that before except one other time. He looked like a man possessed. I'm pretty sure he had given her a concussion at that point because she seemed confused when I walked in. Rambled something like, 'never should have taken the doctor's brat', then she looked at me and told me I ruined her life. Me and my brother."

"What do you think she meant by her that?" Emmett leaned forward in his seat as he asked.

"I have no idea. Or I didn't until my father snapped. He told her she had a big mouth and that if she wanted to leave him, he was happy to oblige. That's when he shot her. Then, he turned to me and I think I was in shock when he started laughing. He said that maybe things would be easier if I went back to my real parents – in a body bag." She visibly shuttered with the memory. "I think I asked him why he was doing this to our family, but then all I remember is pain. I thought Johnny came in at one point and dragged me out of the house, but I don't really know if that was a dream or if it actually happened."

"It was real. He saved your life when he got you out of there." Carlisle confirmed. "Do you think he was telling you the truth?"

"In that moment, I believed him. But I don't understand any of it. Just please tell me that Johnny and I don't have to go anywhere near him again. Can you arrest him? For killing her? I will testify to everything I saw. He killed her in cold blood."

"Justice will be done in this situation. You have my word." Carlisle promised. "I will need you to make a written statement, but it can wait until tomorrow after you've spent some time with Johnathan and gotten some rest. Do you want to see him?"

"Is he alright?"

"He isn't hurt physically, but I think a visit with you will definitely help him right about now."

She hesitated, then asked, "If they aren't really my parents, do you think my real family is out there somewhere?"

Carlisle looked tortured in that moment. He needed to tel her the truth. Everything he knew about Victoria and Jamison. Esme looked resolved.

"I can tell you without a doubt that your real parents have looked for you, thought of you every day for the past twenty years. However, this has been a long day for you and you have been through quite a lot. Are you sure you're ready to listen?" Esme seated herself on the window ledge.

Angela looked confused as to how this woman, this doctor could tell her anything about her real parents, but curiosity won out in the end. "Please, tell me what you know."

"Your name is Isabella Marie Cullen. You and your twin sister were born almost twenty-one years ago at a hospital in Seattle to Mr. and Dr. Carlisle Cullen. But this story starts almost a year prior to your birth."

A/N: Thanks for following!