So this is the biggest chapter yet to date ... enjoy, see you at the end.

SIS Chapter 10

Bella and I have been parked outside the police station for the past ten minutes. I know she needs to make her statement, but I am still worried about her. It has only been a few days, and the stress of the whole situation has been hard on her.

"I have to do this, if not now then tomorrow, there is no point in putting it off any longer," Bella sighs.

I turn and look at her. "I know, it's just—" I stop talking and let out a strangled breath. "I just don't want you having a meltdown, and them not listening to you, again."

Bella simply looks at me. "That's why you're here. Besides, Emmett said he'll be in the room with us, and the attorney who has been hired by the Seattle Fire Department was called by dad to be here as well."

"Emmett will be here, if he is able to," I counter knowing that Emmett can't take part in the interview because of his connection to Bella through me. "Chief did say he called Phillip's Law and the attorney the fire department uses would be here to be sure your rights are being protected."

"It will be fine; don't think just because I broke down and cried the last time I was here, means that I will not demand full and complete justice on this issue. His actions didn't just embarrass me, he could have gotten us all killed. I'm not going to let him bully me; this time he will pay the consequences for his actions."

I turn and look at her. "I know you will, but just ..." I trail off a little. "Jacob may have only been a cop for three years, but he's still made friends. I don't want them thinking that you are in the wrong."

Bella shrugs her shoulders. "So what if they do; not everyone will always be on my side? We all see and think differently. Maybe if you didn't know me, if you didn't know my side, you may think that I was being purposely vindictive for some reason, or just out right lying."

I shake my head at her. "My mother raised me not to add my two cents in unless I know every little detail of what went on."

"But we still don't know why he left us – why he didn't say anything to anyone to send help for us," she argues.

I turn and just look at her. "There is no reason that he can come up with, or claim that will excuse him of lying to me about people still being in the basement. I cannot condone his lying about you and those kids being down there."

Bella lets out a breath and looks toward the station. "We had best just get in there, and deal with whatever is thrown at us."

I give her a nod and get out the car. I walk around the car to Bella just as she closes the door. I take hold of her hand and we walk into the station together.

"Morning, Ma'am," the officer at the desk says with a smile, "How may I assist you?"

"Hi, Officer Price," she must have gotten his name from his name tag. "I am Isabella Swan, and I'm here for my interview regarding the incident at the Pioneer Building."

The officer nods and looks at what must be the appointment book. His eyes flick from Bella to me, and then to Bella; he smiles at her and then looks at me again.

"If you can tell her to take a seat, someone will be right down to get her," he says to me.

I only side glance at Bella as I frown. "She is standing right here. See this is her," I say touching Bella's arm with one hand, while waving my other up and down in front of her. "Why don't you speak to her yourself?"

"She's deaf?" The officer states in a tone that makes me think he is calling me dumb.

"I am legally deaf, but I have my cochlear implant on, and I am able to hear enough as long as you are looking at me when you speak."

The officer seems to be a bit shocked at what Bella said. "Can you take a seat?" he stutters.

"I can," she replies, walking away from him.

His eyes go back to me, and he shrugs. "I thought deaf people couldn't hear?"

I shake my head. "That's right, they can't. However, some have hearing aids that can help them hear a little. Some can even read your lips. Never assume, just ask them how they wish to communicate next time. If you take my advice, you'll find that you will look and seem like much less of a douche-bag."

He nods at me as his eyes get big, realizing I called him a douche-bag. I walk away taking a seat next to Bella. It only takes a few seconds before Emmett walks out.

"Hello, Bella, Edward," he says using sign language.

"Hi, Emmett," Bella says back to him smiling broadly.

"If you can follow me, we're going to be meeting on the second floor, and the attorney Charlie called to warn me about, is already waiting for us. I know you don't like elevators, so walk up these two flights of stairs, and it's the second door on the left. I have to grab a few things from my office, and I'll meet you there."

Bella claps as she smiles at Emmett. "Well done, Emmett; your signing was very good," Bella compliments.

Emmett looks at me beaming with pride. "Rose has been teaching me," he tells us.

We head up the stairs as he walks into his office. Within a few seconds, he is jogging up the stairs beside us. Bella walks into the hall, and waves at another officer walking by. I look his way to see that he looks surprised, and I give him a nod and he returns it.

Emmett walks with us to the door and then allows Bella to walk in first. My eyes go to the table and I see two men dressed in plain clothing—a lady who is wearing a business suit and a man I don't know who is in a suit as well.

"Miss Swan, I am William Phillips, and this is my assistant Beverly, who is also here to act as an interpreter in case you need one at any point during the questioning. I've been retained by your father to protect your personal interest, and I'm also here in the interest of the Seattle Fire Department, since you are an employee." He shakes her hand, all while the person he called Beverly has signed everything he said.

They all stand up before Bella takes her seat. Beverly sits down where she can be in Bella's direct line of sight. Mr. Phillips sits beside her on the left, and I sit on her right. My eyes go to Emmett who takes a seat in the corner.

"I'm recording this interview. My name is Detective Marcus Mathews, and this is Detective Carmen Hill; we will be conducting the interview today. Captain Emmett Cullen is also present. This recording may be used if need be to help in the case of the Pioneer Building fire, explosion, and Isabella Swan being trapped in the basement of the building. You are not blamed for any part of the explosion, but we do need to hear your account of the entire time you were in the Pioneer Building. May I ask who you have with you today?"

Beverly signs everything, and Bella smiles at her, and signs 'Thank you, your signing skills are stellar.' Beverly repeats what Bella said and Emmett laughs while I enjoy the smile on my girl's face.

"Beverly, I have a cochlear implant on, and can hear on my right side; however, if you could continue to sign, that would be wonderful." Bella says to her and then turns to face the officers. "Apparently, this is my attorney, Mr. Phillips, and the interpreter, Beverly who he has brought with him. Since the last time I was here and not afforded an interpreter, even after asking for one repeatedly, I have also brought my own as well. This is my boyfriend, Captain Edward Cullen of the SFD, he is also your Captain's cousin and he can sign also."

Detective Mathews just smiles at Bella, and then his eyes move to me. "Miss Swan, we will need to hear this in your words as much as possible. Please continue to speak verbally and take us through what happened. What we would like to do, no matter how mundane it may seem, is to hear what happened from the time you entered the Pioneer Building until you were rescued. Can one of you two please make sure she understands what I am asking of her?" he says still looking at me.

I raise my brow at him. "In case you missed it, she can hear you, please do not at any point make her feel stupid, she is not that at all. I was a firefighter that was on the scene, and I've made my statements already to my commanding officer, and to the police officers at the scene. Please look at her, when you talk to her, and stop acting as if being deaf means she is stupid, because she is not, at all."

Mathews just looks at me. "I know, but she has to have an interpreter," he says pointing to Bella. "She brought you to be sure she would know what was being said, didn't she?"

I shake my head at him. "Detective, Beverly is signing everything we are saying as we are saying it, and Bella is not only hearing it, but has also picked up everything Beverly has signed to her. I think you need to worry about addressing her, and not anyone else. Ignorance is bliss, but in this case, it is uncalled for and unprofessional."

Mathews rolls his eyes at me. "Fine; Isabella, what happened from the moment you arrived until you were saved?" His eyes stay on me, and I glare at him.

"Look at her when you are speaking to her," I snarl, feeling pissed off by this.

"But you're her interpreter."

I close my eyes as my hand rolls into a fist. I repeat in my head that I can't hit this twat no matter how much I want to.

"Yes, but you still need to direct your questions to Bella, not me. She is the person you are interviewing. You don't ask the lawyer the question when you are questioning a suspect, do you?" Emmett asks them making them turn around. "Just so we are clear after this, your names are down for the upcoming Compassion, Comprehension, and Appreciation training day. Just so you know – it is mandatory if your name is on the list. If you avoid it, or fail the test at the end, you will have to retake and retrain until you pass. If you fail or refuse to do it, you will be suspended without pay. Now I suggest you get off your high horse, lose your unprofessional attitude, and continue the interview you are here to complete."

Mathews looks back at us and I see him gulping, his eyes shift to Bella. "Can you tell me what happened in your own words?"

Bella smiles and then goes through her day. When she gets to the explosion, I have to close my eyes. Hearing in her words the things she had to go through, I had to sit on my hands to not slam my fists down on the table when she told how she begged Jacob not to go. She explained it wasn't because she didn't want to be on her own, but because she knew that his climbing up the pile of debris would cause more of the weakened wall to fall on and hurt Mrs. Clark.

Mathews asks a few more questions, and whereas his eyes go to me now and again, he does keep his focus on Bella.

"That's all the questions we have for now. Thank you for giving us your time." Mathews stands up as does Bella. She puts her hand out to shake his, and he actually looks as if he regrets the way he had first treated her.

As soon as we are out of the office, Bella lets out a large breath. We say our goodbyes to Mr. Phillips and Beverly. "I am going to walk with them to the lobby, and get a drink of water," she says. "Can you please tell Emmett thanks for being there for me?"

"Of course, Bitsy, I'll be right down," I say.

"Everything okay, Edward?" Emmett asks as he joins me.

I nod at him, and glance into the room seeing the two detectives are still at the table.

"How the hell did he become a detective?" I ask still feeling angry about how he behaved at the start of the interview.

"When we're trained to be a police officer, we go through a lot of training in a short amount of time. I really think we should have more, and it should cover things like simple sign language as well as dealing with people with other disabilities." Emmett sighs. "Look, I can't do much about the training, but I can make sure my station trains on elements such as deaf awareness. People don't realize they are doing something wrong until someone points it out to them. Just try to judge him on how he treats Bella going forward."

I nod at him, and we start down the stairs. I am shocked to see Bella is in a heated conversation with Jake.

I move quickly to them. "Bitsy?" Jake rolls his eyes but continues to look at Bella.

"So it's agreed, right? You left telling me you were going out the back door, and that I never knew you couldn't get out." Jake says to Bella as if I am not standing there.

"Jake, I have already given my statement and I am not changing it to coincide with the lies you are telling."

"You're getting me in trouble just so he," he hisses pointing at me, "doesn't find out that you arranged to meet me?"

Before I can hit him again, Emmett steps in front of me. "Black, you were told not to come here until this evening? Who informed you that Miss Swan was here to be interviewed?"

Jake turns and looks at Emmett. "You will never last in this station if you don't stick up for your men. This is my ex-girlfriend, and she is a jealous, bitter, scorned woman, who is lying, and I could lose my job, because of it. If you must know, I had to dump her because she's a fucking whore."

"Jake!" This time the voice comes from behind us, and I turn to see Mathews standing there.

"Get up here, interview room two, now," he hisses.

"Sure, sure, Marcus," Jake says as if he is glad to see his good buddy.

I arch my brow at Emmett, but smirk when I hear Detective Matthews.

"Jacob, cut out the crap, you're in deep shit, and just so you know I took an oath to uphold the law, not turn a blind eye just because some rogue cop thinks he can do whatever he wants. Now, let's take this to interview room two; we have some rights to discuss with you."

"If I lose my job, I will fuck you over," Jake growls at Bella and walks away.

"He comes near her, and I will kill him," I tell Emmett who looks just as angry as I am.

Emmett pulls at his hair. "Look, someone else reported him for harassing Bella, so he has been watched since before you or I even arrived here. We have loads on him; he's not walking away from this. There are charges pending as we speak of harassment, stalking, and invasion of privacy. He is already looking at jail time, and that is without the pending charges for his involvement in Bella and you being arrested under false pretenses."

My eyes go to Bella who looks shocked at what Emmett said. I am shocked, too, but I'm also curious to know what all he has done to Bella before I arrived.

"Thanks, Em, call me later," I say taking Bella's hand. Emmett walks us back out, but doesn't say anything. He knows right now I am too wound up to talk things over.

When we get back into the car, I wait until I am driving before speaking.

"What all has he did to you, Bitsy? I want to know everything."

Bella rubs her head but starts to talk. "As you know, he's three years older than me. My crush started when I started high school. Anyway, we spent a year at school together, and I liked him a lot. Not that I knew him very well. Knowing that he wanted to be a cop and that he was a jock—a well-liked jock that had hundreds of girls after him—I needed help in gym class. The gym teacher couldn't always spend extra time with me, so he made Jake my tutor." Bella rolls her eyes. "The school thought I would have an accident, or get lost when we went running, so I was not allowed to be part of a typical regular gym class. Anyway, when we were together, he was nice and sweet, but when anyone else was there, he was cruel and unkind." Bella takes another deep breath. "When he graduated, I was given another student helper. The same thing went on over the next three years. My senior year, I was looking for a dress for prom. I bumped into Jake, who was a rookie cop at the time. He seemed to have forgotten me or at least forgot I was deaf. We started talking, and he found out that I didn't have anyone to go with to prom. He said he would take me. After that, we sort of dated."

I frown and she shakes her head.

"He would meet me, but we never went anywhere. After I received my cochlear implant, he freaked out. He said that he could just about handle me being deaf, but wearing the implant made me look like a cyborg reject from Star Trek." Bella snorts and I can feel her eyes on me. "I told him to fuck off, and that if he couldn't accept that part of me that he couldn't have any of me. It was a few months after that when I bumped into him the first time when he was on duty. After that, he would pull me over for stupid shit. It was never for anything that he couldn't legitimately say that he stopped me for; he just was an officer doing his duty. Just this year it increased. He has been pulling me over constantly. He has given me tickets for tons of things that people do daily. I got a ticket for crossing against the light while walking, which I did, but only because the light didn't come on. Then he pulled me over three times for my brake lights being out. Rose checked the lights out each time, and the bulb was always broken. He pulled me over for speeding; I was going two miles over the speed limit, while going downhill. It was like he was purposely making shit up, and I don't get why. It's not as if I dumped him, not really, I mean, he was the one who didn't want me."

Bella is quiet for a few seconds and I stay silent feeling angry at what he's said and done to her.

"I wonder who reported him?" she asks with a thoughtful look on her face.

"I'm not sure," I tell her as I also wonder who it was.

We arrive at the station house, and we both walk in. We go upstairs and put our uniforms on in the changing room together before joining the rest of the crew in the TV room.

"Bella's back!" Seth calls as he pulls her from me into a hug. Each of the guys follows his lead, all hugging her and showing her just what she means to each of them.

I can't help but sit next to Bella as she talks. My fingers go to the bottom of her hair, and I play with the ends as we sit talking.

"Let's play a game," Bella says. She gets up and comes back with headbands and cards. As she begins to set up the game I try to nonchalantly see what she's doing.

"Hey, no cheating," she says shaking her finger at me.

She smiles and looks around. "This game is called 'Who Am I?' We all have a name on our head. We can't ask someone who we are, but we can ask yes or no questions." Bella stands up and goes around to everyone and pulls a random card from the deck. Everyone puts on a headband, and she puts a card on the band. We can all see who everyone else is, but have no clue what our own card says. I scan the room, trying to read each person.

"Edward, ask someone questions until you get a 'no' answer, then it is the next person's turn."

I nod and take a breath. "Am I male?"

"Yes," Seth answers.

"Am I a real person or fictional one?"

"No, you have to ask only yes or no questions," Bella says with a sigh.

"Okay, well am I real?"

"No," she says and I lose my turn.

We are able to get through most everyone before the Bell sounds. We pull off our headbands, and I quickly kiss Bella's head before I run out behind the rest of the crew. When night falls, my worry, as well as Charlie's, is eased when Bella says she would like to spend the night at the station.

"You know where I am," I say as I look into her eyes.

"Yep, don't worry; I'll be okay. This room—this place—feels like home to me as much as Charlie's and your houses do."

I smile feeling somewhat happy that she feels at home in my house.

I enter the crew sleeping quarters and they all look at me. "We all figured you were staying with Bella," Seth says and I frown at him

"You all clearly said no sex at the station," I answer.

Jasper slaps me on the back hard. "Brother, you can sleep next to a girl without having sex. We don't mind you two sharing a bed, or a soft kiss or two. We just don't want anything more than that happening here. Not just because she's our sister, but this is a place of work."

I just nod at them. "In that case, see you later," I call to them as I run back to Bella.

"Hi," I say walking in.

She smiles at me and I take off my t-shirt as I move toward her. "Is there room in that bed for me, too?"

Bella grins and opens the covers up for me. I lie down next to her and hold her close. "I love you, Bitsy," I tell her kissing her head as she mumbles back to me.

~S.I.S~

The week passes us by and things start to calm down. Whereas, both Charlie and I seem to be worried about Bella; we have eased up a little. We have the schedule set so that when she is off, one or both of us are off, too. Yesterday, she had her first meeting with the station's therapist. She came out of the meeting upset, but I knew by the look on her face that it had helped her. She'll need more than a few meetings because nothing is a quick fix, but at least she is getting the help she needs. The first time someone dies and you feel it was something you may have prevented, it sticks with you. It's hard to take, and even more for people like Bella, who have such a large heart. She just wants to help or save everyone.

But I feel that today will also be good for her. Today is the day the children will receive their medals for bravery, which I agree are very much deserved. They all did a great job and actually better than some adults would in a situation like that.

I am dressed in my Captain's uniform because I have to look sharp today; Charlie and I will be handing out the medals along with the Mayor. When I walk outside, I see that Bella is dressed in a clean, crisp uniform. She looks beautiful, and I smile walking up to her.

~Do you have any idea how sexy you look dressed like this?~ I sign to her.

She looks me up and down and raises her brow, smiling at me. ~You look sexy, too, Captain.~

~We need to be careful or our hotness will start a fire,~ I sign.

Bella giggles at me, but places her head on my chest. When she looks up at me, I can see she's worried about something. ~It will be okay, I am here as well as the whole crew,~ I sign.

Bella nods. ~I know, I just ... what if they don't agree with me being a firefighter?~

~Fuck them; it's not up to them. If they can't get past the fact that you're deaf, then it's their issue, Bitsy. You are a member of our crew, and each and every firefighter in this station wouldn't trade you for anyone.~

Bella is only able to give me a weak smile. I kiss her softly before leading her outside.

I watch her carefully looking around to see just how many people have come to see the children and her—not that she knows she is also being awarded—a medal.

"There's a lot of press here?" Bella says with a whisper which I only understood because she signed along with it.

Bella moves to where all the children are seated and hugs each of them before taking her seat.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," the Mayor says. "Thank you for joining us on this beautiful afternoon. We are all gathered here to honor these courageous and wonderful children, for their outstanding behavior and bravery in an emergency situation. Their fearless attitude, not only helped save their own lives, but also the life of their teacher."

He calls each one of the children up one at a time, shaking their hands and handing them a certificate. Charlie then puts a metal around each of their necks and shakes their hand. I pin a special pin to each of their shirts and also shake their hands. Once everyone has stopped clapping, the Mayor starts to talk again.

"These children would not be here today, if it weren't for the unyielding courage of a member of the Seattle Fire Department, Station House Twenty-six." He takes a small break and my eyes look around at everyone who is here. I know they're all thinking the Mayor is talking about a member of the crew who put out the fire, and not about Bella.

"Isabella Swan, who was off duty, works for the Seattle Fire Department, Station House Twenty-six. She joined the children on their tour, to help the teacher as a volunteer. When the explosion happened, she was able to remain calm throughout the ordeal, even when her cochlear implant quit working, rendering her incapable of hearing. She carried on using her skills and training to keep everyone safe. She did what she had to do to communicate with the outside world. She not only informed the rescue workers that they were in the basement, but also where to locate them. Isabella Swan demonstrated on that day that not only is she Station House Twenty-six's First Aid Trainer, Safety Officer, Cook, Janitor and Receptionist, but also that she is much more than that. Isabella Swan is a true member of the station's crew. And today she is going to receive a medal, but for me, that's not enough. For what she did in the face of adversity, and for what she does on a daily basis, she deserves this wholeheartedly. Since joining the department, not a negative word has ever been said about her. Each of her co-workers have nothing but high praise for her, and for what they know she is capable of. Because of her bravery and efforts, which go above and beyond her call of duty, I hereby name a new program in her honor. The Swan's Guidance Program will be a program for people such as Miss Swan who are deaf, or disabled to help them gain employment working in jobs within Civil Service positions in Seattle. If we can send men into space, I'm sure we can find a way to make this happen. So, without further ado, please help me in honoring this amazing First Responder, and give her the acknowledgment she truly deserves."

My eyes go to Bella as I and everyone else claps. I wink at her shocked face. She slowly gets up, but stops at the children standing in front of her.

~Thank you, Bella, for helping us and keeping us safe. We love you,~ they all sign out together.

As tears start to run down Bella's face she looks at me and I give her a wink mouthing and signing 'I love you' to her.

She looks back at the children. ~I love you all, too and thank you for helping me.~

The Mayor moves to Bella. He talks to her in sign language, but because his back is to me, I don't know what he said. He moves a little to the side and Charlie moves in giving Bella her medal.

~I am so very proud of you,~ Charlie says and signs to her.

"Miss Swan!" someone yells and I turn seeing that it's a member of the press. Taking a closer look, I can see he is part of the news crew that had said Bella was unemployed.

"How long have you been a member of this crew?"

"Almost two years," Bella answers.

"Did you get the job because your father is the Fire Chief?" He asks and I let out a growl which seems to get lost among the other disapproving sounds coming from the crowd.

"No, stop that right there," Aro interrupts. "Charlie Swan was not allowed a casting vote in Bella's interview or hiring. Isabella Swan was offered a job on merit alone. If it were not for the interference caused by the gear which firefighters need to wear when entering a fire, and her cochlear implant, she would be a full-fledged firefighter. I for one would be proud and honored to have her on my six if I ever had to enter another burning building." Aro states sharply.

The guy just nods and as he opens his mouth to ask another question, Aro merely speaks over him.

"For that matter, I would like to personally invite anyone here that has a concern about Bella being a member of this crew to watch their training days. Bella may not be a firefighter, but she always takes part in the exercises. That means roughly sixty to one hundred pounds of gear, and hoses that she has to carry. While in gear, she can run up and down six flights of stairs, keeping time with the other crew members. In case you missed it, or are visually impaired, this young woman is not a big burly person, and she keeps up in every aspect. So before you start to insinuate any other rude comment, keep in mind that you'd likely not last an hour in her shoes."

Nearly everyone's eyes land on the cocky press guy who seems to realize that no one here is on his side.

Another person raises their hand and Aro looks to them. "Do you know what happened at the Pioneer Building, yet?"

Aro shakes his head. "We're still investigating everything. The investigation can take several weeks, especially in cases like this. Once the investigation is completed, there will be a press conference to reveal the cause of the explosion."

There are a few more questions but none are about Bella. Thankfully, and to my surprise, none are about Jake either. It seems at least for now, no one is aware that he is a cop, and that he not only left them alone in the basement, but also lied about their being there.

The afternoon goes by with me staying close to Bella. I certainly didn't want that ass-hat of a reporter cornering her when she was on her own. I am pleased that other than his rude questions, the afternoon went well.

~S.I.S~

It has been almost three weeks since the fire, and things are finally going back to the way they were before. Bella is still speaking to the therapist, and she has opened up to the crew who has all told her about their first time losing someone. I think it has helped her see that she is not alone in how she feels.

I also think since we're now only a few days away from Tanya's and Charlie's wedding, she is busy with that. Alice and Bella have been helping to arrange it. Not only has it given Bella something to do, but it is something positive to look forward to as well. Funny enough, the wedding seems to be the only topic of conversation at the station. Actually, the crew is busy trying to convince and explain to Charlie the importance of taking Tanya on a honeymoon. I agree, even if only for a few days.

"You need to take her away, Dad, it's not like you take much time off," Bella puffs. "Besides, I know if I were to get married, I would want some alone time with my hunky man." Her eyes flicker to me and I wink at her.

"I agree," Aro says as he walks through the door. "And as Bella said you are well overdue for some time off, Chief."

Charlie just rolls his eyes. "I'll send in the form; he's taking time off whether he wants to or not," Bella says in her 'do-as-you-are-told' voice.

Aro grins, and then his eyes move between Bella and Charlie. "I have completed my investigation. I thought I would stop by and let you know what the outcome is."

Charlie nods, and Seth jumps up giving Aro his seat. "Would you like a cup of coffee?" Bella asks and Aro shakes his head.

"No, thank you, Bella, I'm fine." Aro clears his throat. "I checked the restaurant's records to see if they had had any of their appliances inspected over the past year. We all know that when we deal with natural gas, they need to be checked on a yearly basis. With that knowledge and what's left of the main fryer, I can only assume that it was faulty. The gas must have been leaking slowly, so there was no strong odor, or the smell of the cooking was covering it. You would think it would be noticeable in the mornings, but we cannot prove if it was or was not.

When the gas built up too much, it exploded," he says looking at Bella. "The kitchen was located right above where you and the children were.

The fire ran through the pipes that were above your head, making the structure that was above and alongside you collapse. The second explosion was when the fire hit the alcohol which was stupidly stored in the kitchen." Aro stops talking and we all seem to merely digest what he has just said.

"The explosion hit the main water pipe, and the explosion caused the wall to crack and weaken. There was an old Cistern system in the building that was mainly used to flush the toilets. When the wall broke the blocks from the underground cistern weakened and the water ran out the sewer. The fire sprinklers and hoses the department used, added to the water pressure. The kitchen has a drain system that allows any water to flow to the lower floor. All the fresh water from the pipe, the Cistern, the sprinklers, and our water from the hydrants outside, all combined to quickly flood the lower levels."

I feel my eyes close; I fucking knew there was something strange about the lack of water pressure, yet I did nothing about it.

"The manager is looking at a hefty fine and may even serve time in jail, with a number of things he ignored and covered up."

I snort, knowing full well there is a shitload he didn't do that should have been done. A lot of the things he should have done would have prevented this tragedy from happening. At this point, it is too late for him to 'what if' himself. He is liable, and there's still two lives gone as a result. I just hope other places take note and see how important the safety regulations are.

"Now, on to Jacob 'Jake' Black. He is also looking at jail time. I believe he is the one that signed you out, and the police are having a handwriting analysis performed to prove it."

My head snaps around and I look at Aro.

"What? I mean, what do you mean?" Charlie yells and he leaps up from his seat. Aro stands up as well, holding out his hand.

"Charlie, sit down and calm down. Let me tell you what I have found."

"I'll calm down faster if you let me go and beat the living daylights out of that good for nothing, worthless, low-life bastard!"

"I'm with you, Charlie," I say, agreeing that we need to do something to the asshole.

Aro glares at me, but I raise my brow at him. It's not until Bella's hand touches my arm that I feel my anger dissipate. I look down at her, seeing she's pleading with me to calm down. I pull her close knowing that if she is with me, I won't do anything rash.

"Daddy," she says pleadingly and Charlie sighs as he takes a seat.

"You had better give me a reason to not kill him, Aro, and make sure it's good," Charlie says between clenched teeth.

"I don't think I can do that. When Jake panicked and left, he hit one of the pipes. As he did this, he knocked it down. When he got up the hole was filled, but was also deeper on his side."

I just look at Aro.

"According to Heidi, she was with the other two visitors, and they were only partially covered. When you got there, they were fully covered. We believe that he thought he had killed or hurt all of you," Aro says looking at Bella. Heidi told me that she had not signed you out, and her record supported this. She is also left-handed, and the person who signed you out was right handed. She also said she told Jacob that all of you were down there, and must have passed out. Jacob carried her out thinking that he would get away without talking to anyone. He was sure he would not be linked to any part of the underground tour and pretended to have never been there. When he came out and passed Heidi over, he figured he'd give over the record sheet he altered and be on the way out. But, when he came out, he came face to face with Edward, and his plan now had a hole in it. So he lied," Aro sighs. "He had not been fully forthcoming, but I do think he thought he had hurt some of you and was trying to cover up his rash actions."

"He's an officer of the law; he took an oath to honor and serve, and he left them to die?" I hiss. "He had better be getting charged?"

"He has been; we're in the process of drawing up a list of charges as we speak. He has been charged with reckless endangerment, interference with official acts, forging official documents, assault, and battery, and that's just the start."

"Is he getting charged with attempted murder?" I ask.

"Along with the District Attorney, we are looking into it, with the cooperation of the Seattle Police Department."

I just stare at him.

"I can prove it wasn't Heidi that signed Bella's group out, but it will be up to the DA to prove it was Jake who actually did it. The DA will also have to prove intent, but that might be easier. He felt he had already harmed you, so he was trying to cover it up."

"Where is he?" I ask as Bella's hands go to mine.

"He's in County Jail; he's due in arraignment court tomorrow. The District Attorney is going to ask that there be no bond posted and a suicide watch issued. Not only is Jake a flight risk, but he will also need to be put into a fully monitored cell and away from the general population for his own safety."

I snort. "He wasn't worried about Bella's safety, or the safety of Mrs. Clark and the six children, who gives two shits about him?"

"That's not what I meant, Edward, he should have his time in court, and hopefully he will be in jail to live out the rest of his life. You go on a mob hunt, and he may get let off, and that shouldn't happen."

I snort as does the rest of the crew. "Keep us informed, and I am taking it there is a 'no comment' answer if the media asks anything?" Seth asks.

Aro nods at us. "We are trying to keep it out of the paper until after his hearing in court tomorrow." Aro stands up and looks around at everyone. "I'll speak to you later when I have more information."

"Thank you for coming to tell me in person," Bella says sweetly.

He gives her a big smile and a one-arm hug. "I am just glad you and the others who were down there are okay. You always make my job easier, and I know it's you who keeps this lot of heathens in hand."

"They're just upset right now, but I will keep them in line for you."

"They have every reason to be upset, but they are good men, and their careers are not worth the likes of a lowlife like Jake Black." With that, Aro walks out and I hold Bella close to me.

I feel the events of what happened, with what I have just heard are overwhelming.

When theBellrings, I feel torn. Bella pushes me toward the rig, so I go. I know that we both have to get past this. I'm so glad that Jake is in jail. He can't hurt her, and I won't go to jail for killing him.

A/N: So, Jake is jail, where he clearly belongs. Not to mention he will not be getting out anytime soon. Bella was given a medal, and so were the children. There is a jerk of a reporter who thinks she isn't worth the medal she received. What do you suppose will happen next?

***On a side note, the Pioneer Building is for real, and we mean no offense to anyone associated with the building, it just hit a certain fit for our story, so we used the name and building size, along with the fact it has a restaurant like the Pioneer Building in our fictional story did.***