Guess who's back? Back again? Yeah, it's me. No excuses, no bs. Here's chapter 9. Like it? Leave some love.

Oh, and PS: I don't own it, and there is quite a bit of profanity and vulgar name calling contained herein. Just to warn you.

9.

Four hours passed with no word from Mike. Edward and Bella had kicked back in the recliner, where Bella had promptly curled up into Edward and passed out. He stroked her hair absently and cautiously observed a very distraught Rose where she lay on the couch. Emmett had made her lay down with him, futilely trying to coax her to sleep. She brushed off his attempts at soothing with a series of shrugs and frustrated grunts. Realizing he wasn't going to let her go, she eventually gave up and just allowed him to hold her. Her mind was racing with thoughts of what could have happened with her best friend, and the paranoia finally won out. She sat up abruptly, shaking off the vertigo that followed. She swung her legs off the couch and stood, frowning as she fought to gain balance.

"I have to go," she said and strode to the hall closet. She whipped it open and began searching for her winter coat. "He should be back by now. I have to… have to go. I have to go find him."

"Babe," Emmett sighed from behind her. "You're not going anywhere. You can barely stand up without getting dizzy. What makes you think you can drive?"

"I can drive," she muttered as she rifled through the clothes. "I'm…okay. I'm fine to drive."

"Babe, stop." Emmett ceased her torrent, wrapping his arms around her. She gripped his hands for a moment before pulling free of his hold to continue her search.

"Come on, Rose," Edward implored, prying himself from Bella's arms and leaving her to sleep in the recliner. "The best thing you can do right now is to sit and wait for him. I'm sure he just needs to blow off some steam."

"Did you see that storm?!" she rounded on them. "It's a god damn blizzard out there! He could have slid off the road, or hit a tree, or…or worse! I have to go after him! He could be hurt! He could be-"

"Why would Michael be hurt?" her voice was like nails on a chalkboard. They all cringed. Lauren stood at the top of the stairs, hands on her hips. "Well? Are you going to stand there gaping like fish or is one of you going answer me? What's wrong with Michael?"

"What's the matter? Afraid you're going to lose your free ride?" Edward smiled condescendingly.

"Well, if it isn't the free loading best friend," Lauren snorted. "Nice to see you too, Edward."

"Succubus," he growled.

"What did you call me?!" she shrieked.

"Shut up, both of you!" Rose shouted. She composed herself and smoothed her hair from her face. "I'm going to lay this out for you. I'll use small words so your tiny brain can comprehend, so listen closely. Due to your constant stream of lies and manipulations, Mike was convinced that Emmett had broken your heart. So when he found out that we were dating, he lost his shit and tried to attack Emmett, hurting me in the process. When he finally heard the truth- shut. up." she held up her hand when Lauren tried to protest. "When he finally heard the truth, he couldn't take it. He was so convinced of your perceived innocence that he couldn't handle hearing what you really were. He took off about four hours ago and we haven't heard from him."

"What I really am?" Lauren scoffed. "And what is that?"

"A succubus," Edward repeated with a chortle.

"What the fuck is that? Why does he keep calling me that?" Lauren threw a hand in Edward's direction, and he just laughed again.

"Stop instigating!" Emmett hissed at his friend, then turned on his ex. "It doesn't matter what it is. What does matter is that because of your lies, Rose is injured and Mike is gone."

"But Emmy, that's where you're mistaken!" she exclaimed. "If you had just told Rose the real truth, that you had come to your senses and realized you loved me, Michael would still be here and we wouldn't be having this conversation, would we?"

"Oh fuck off, Lauren!" Rose snapped. "He doesn't love you! He never did!"

"That's not what he said this morning," Lauren chortled. "You only think he went home. He was with me, Rose. In my bed. Doing things you only wish he would do to you…"

Rose threw a stool out of her way and lunged for Lauren, stopped only by Emmett and Edward's arms around her waist.

"What the hell is all the racket?" Bella yawned as she entered the kitchen. She looked quizzically at the boys where they both held a fuming Rose, then glanced over at a cowering Lauren.

"Oh look," she smirked. "It's the Thing From Under the Stairs. Don't you have another soul to suck?"

"Bite me, Bella," Lauren sneered.

"No thanks. I'm not in to sadomasochism. Heard you are though, you freak."

"What's the matter, Bella? Afraid of a little excitement in the sack? Emmett sure enjoyed it. Hell, Edward did, too."

"What?!" Edward sputtered. "I…Bella, I swear I never…!"

"Oh, you didn't tell them about our ménage a trois?" Lauren sauntered over to Bella, a victorious smirk on her face. She leaned in close and whispered. "It was so much fun, letting them both have their way with me. Emmett was always a good lay, but Edward…" she sighed. "Oh he has a side you wouldn't believe! The things he did-"

She was cut off when Bella let out a primal screech and tackled Lauren around the waist. She seized the larger woman by the hair and began slamming her head into the floor, narrowly dodging the blows Lauren attempted to throw. Lauren let out a howl of pain when Bella came up with a fist full of platinum blond tresses.

"Bitch!" Lauren spat. "Those extensions cost three hundred dollars!"

"You overpaid!" Bella hissed and slapped her in the face with the fake hair. She grabbed the back of Lauren's head and yanked it back. "And if you don't want me to rip the rest of that bad dye job out, I suggest you do yourself a favor and shut that filthy cock holster of yours and do it fast."

"What the fuck did you just-!"

A gentle knock at the front door brought an abrupt end to the feud. Bella spat in Lauren's face and got up, making a point to kick her squarely in the ribs when she stood. She tugged at her rumpled shirt and smiled up at a dumbfounded Edward.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that," she said with a satisfied huff. He pulled her to his side.

"I think I'm in love," he chuckled and kissed the top of her head. She wound an arm around his waist and they followed Emmett and Rose into the living room, leaving Lauren on the kitchen floor, sobbing over her lost extensions. Rose unbolted and opened the door. A shivering police officer stood on her stoop.

"Riley!" she shouted and opened the storm door, beckoning him in. He stepped over the threshold and embraced her warmly, before giving Bella a quick hug and allowing Rose to close the door behind them. He took Rose's chin in his hand, turning her face to get a better look at the shiner.

"Ro, what happened?" he frowned.

"Don't worry about it," she swatted his hand away and reassured him with a nod. "It's nothing."

He grimaced at first but reluctantly took her word for it. She turned back to Emmett and Edward, who both stared at her with raised eyebrows.

"Sorry," she smiled apologetically. "Guys, this is Officer Biers. He used to work with Bella's dad back home when we were kids. I didn't know you were here, Ri!"

"It's…ah… Captain Biers now," he laughed nervously. "I moved here a couple years ago. "

"What's with the late hour?" Bella asked. "Three a.m. is hardly the right time for a social call."

"Never could get anything by you," Riley smiled sadly. "Why don't you two sit down? There's something I need to tell you."

"Tell us?" Rose frowned. "Tell us what, Ri? What's going on?"

"You should really sit down," Riley repeated gently, indicating the couch. "This isn't going to be easy."

"Is it…is it Dad?" Bella gulped with tears in her eyes.

"No, Charlie's fine," he shook his head. "Bells, Ro, it's…it's Mike. There's been an accident."

The subsequent silence was deafening. Bella turned a frightened glance to Edward before looking back to Rose, who stared blankly at the floor.

"Is he alive?" Rose muttered, lifting her eyes to Riley's. "Is Mike alive?"

"You know how bad it is out there," Riley explained. "They think he hit a patch of black ice. His car spun out and went over the bridge. He-"

"Riley is he alive?!" she cut him of with a desperate cry.

"Fortunately there was a witness who called us before his car could sink into the river. They airlifted him to City Hospital. Last I heard he was stabilized. He's alive, Ro. He's alive."

Rose sank back into Emmett, her heart a leaden lump in her chest. Emmett wrapped and arm around her, rubbing her shoulder gently.

"What does he need?" he asked Riley. "What can we do?"

"His parents have requested that Rose and Bella come as soon as possible. They also requested a… a… sorry, I seem to have forgotten her name," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a notebook, briefly perusing his notes. "Sorry. They asked for a Lauren Mallory. They said she lived with Rose and Mike. Is she here?"

"I'm Lauren," she chimed in meekly, and they all turned to where she stood in the doorway, ruined hair stuffed under a white cashmere beret. "What happened? Is Michael okay?"

"I'm afraid not, Miss Mallory," Riley sighed, and filled Lauren in with the details of the car accident. She collapsed on the couch next to Emmett in a fit of crocodile tears and exaggerated sobs. He less than delicately shrugged her off and slid himself and Rose away from her. She sneered briefly, then resumed her façade of grief.

"I can give you a police escort if you want it," Riley offered, but Rose shook her head.

"I can't ask you to do that Ri. Not in this weather. Get home. Give Tori and the kids my love," Rose stood and embraced him again, shooing him out the door before he could protest further. She immediately turned to Emmett.

"We should go. Can you drive? I really don't think I should-"

"Come with me, Rose," Lauren said so softly they almost didn't hear her. "I… I need someone to come with me."

"Are you for real?" Bella was the first to speak up. "Seriously? After everything you've done to her and you want her to go with you?!"

"Michael needs us, and we should support him by doing this together," Lauren fumbled with a stray strand of hair. "We have to put our differences aside. For him."

"That's rich, coming from you!" Bella sputtered. "You can take your feigned sincerity and-"

"She's right, Bella," Rose silenced her cousin with a raised hand. Bella stared at her, dumfounded. "For once, she's right. Everyone, get your shit together and let's go."

Emmett pulled her aside as they were pulling on their winter gear.

"Babe, you don't have to do this," he said quietly, "I'll go with her. That woman is untrustworthy and I don't think I could take it if something happened to you."

She laid a gloved hand on his cheek and smiled.

"Nothing's going to happen to me," she whispered and stood on her toes to kiss him, "I promise."

He sighed, knowing he wasn't going to win this argument. He zipped her parka up to her chin and rested his forehead on hers, closing his eyes.

"Just be careful," he murmured.

"You know I will," she promised in return.

He escorted her to the door and out into the snow. They trudged through the drifts to the driveway, Emmett stopping Rose before they parted ways.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, warily watching Lauren enter her car and fire up the engine. Rose drew him close and kissed him again.

"I'll be fine, Em," she said. "Don't worry. Let's just get to the hospital."

He grabbed her arm again as she turned to leave.

"I love you, Rosie. I mean it."

"I know."

She opened Lauren's passenger door and slid in, slamming it secure behind her. They waited patiently while Edward pulled Rose's SUV down the driveway and proceeded to follow them. The only sounds that permeated the silence were the thrum of the windshield wipers and the purr of the engine as they traveled up the road to the highway.

Edward flicked on his directional and took the left onto the expressway, and instead of following, Lauren continued through the light and into town. Rose frowned as the other vehicle disappeared into the distance.

"Where are you going?" she asked, turning to the other woman. Lauren smirked and remained quiet. "Lauren, you missed the turnoff. We have to go back. Lauren!"

She touched Lauren's arm and the blonde jerked the wheel, fishtailing the little sports car across the road. Rose grabbed onto the door handle.

"What the hell?! What do you think you're doing?!" she yelled

"You think you're so smart, don't you?" Lauren growled, stepping on the accelerator.

"What are you talking about? Slow down!" Rose watched the speedometer push 80 as they flew down the road.

"You think you can just have it all, and leave nothing for me," Lauren swerved around a corner, "First, it was Michael, and now you think you can take Emmett from me, too."

"What?!" Rose exclaimed. "Mike's my best friend and has been since grade school! I didn't take him from you or anyone!"

"But you stole Emmett! He loves me and you took that away from me!" Lauren screeched.

"I didn't steal him! He doesn't belong to you, he never did! He doesn't love you, Lauren!"

"Yes he does!" Lauren crowed, looking over at Rose with wild eyes. "I just have to make him see it. And if I take you out of the picture, then he'll have no choice but to love me."

Realization hit and Rose's heart leapt into her throat

"Lauren…"

"Shut up!" she screamed.

"Stop, Lauren! Please!"

Lauren whipped around another corner and pressed the accelerator to the floor, sending the little car careening across an intersection.

"You can't have him! He's mine!" Lauren cried again as she kicked open her door and jumped from the speeding vehicle. Rose had just enough time to turn and see the light post cutting through the front end of the car before it all went dark.