Disclaimer: All characters are the express right of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.
She sat quietly on her cot and just listened to the irritating voices of the women in the cell next to hers. She wasn't playing very close attention until she heard a name she knew.
"Bella said they will get in touch with me when they decide, Mother."
"You better hope this works, young lady. I am not gonna be stuck behind bars because of your incompetence."
She stood up and walked closer to the bars so she could hear better.
"Give me a break, Mom; they will have no way to prove I was drugged. They'll just have to take my word for it."
"Victoria, Bella and Edward are not the fools you think. I have underestimated them time and again. Look where I am now. Your brother is probably dead, and we will most likely rot in this hovel."
The woman slid down the wall and smiled to herself. She listened for another hour until the pair next to her finally quieted. She needed to make a phone call, but would have to wait for morning. She just hoped they believed her.
**UYH**
Jasper hung up the phone and smiled over at his wife. He loved it when things came together.
"What, Jasper?" Alice wanted to know.
"Edward and Bella are gonna get the surprise of their life!"
"Dammit, Jasper, tell me what that was all about!" Alice smacked his arm.
"Well, my love, you will just have to wait and listen as I fill in Edward and Bella." Jasper chuckled when Alice crossed her arms in a huff, before he picked up his phone and called his brother-in-law.
"Hello?"
"Edward, are you sitting down?" Jasper asked with a chuckle.
"No, why, do I need to be?"
"Yes, and I need you to put this call on speaker and grab Bells—this concerns the both of you."
"Ok, hang on." Jasper heard a muffled shout and then a lot of movement. "Alright, Jazz, we're both here. What's going on?"
Jasper cleared his throat and began to speak. "I had an interesting phone call this morning from County Jail. Now, before you guys say anything, yes I know who is down there, and no, it wasn't either of them. This person just so happens to be in the cell next to them and overheard a very interesting conversation."
"Who was it, Jasper?" Bella asked.
"Tanya," Jasper spoke with a grin.
"What!?" Bella exclaimed.
"Jasper, what do you mean? Tanya overheard them?"
"Yes, Edward. That's exactly what I'm saying. She overheard Victoria telling her mother you would never be able to test her for any kind of drugs. She said you would just have to trust her word. I think we can use Tanya."
Edward looked at Bella, wondering what they should do. Bella smiled softly at him.
"It's up to you, babe." Bella grasped his hand in hers. "Jasper, if we do decide to use Tanya, can we get the charges dropped against her?"
"I'll have Ren check in to it, Bella. You guys think about it, and I will call her. Call me this evening and we'll discuss it further," Jasper requested.
They all ended the call, and Jasper went back to his wife while Edward and Bella stared at each other, both wondering what the other was thinking.
**UYH**
Edward stood under the hot spray and let it relax his tense muscles. Yesterday's phone call from Jasper had really thrown him for a loop. He had known, somehow, that Victoria was lying about her involvement in what had happened, but he didn't know how to prove it.
He was still trying to deal with the stigma of what happened to him, but it was proving difficult. He needed to feel like a man again. Straightening his shoulders he knew just how to do that, and it had been a long time coming.
Edward shut the water off and stepped out of the shower. He dried off and quickly dressed casually before heading down to his office.
Edward picked up his phone and dialed Emmett and Garrett for a conference call. While he waited, he unlocked his gun cabinet and pulled out his 9mm, making sure it was fully loaded.
"Eddie-boy, what can I do for you?" Emmett yelled into the phone.
"Emmett, take it down a notch," Garrett yelled from his end.
Edward laughed. "Guys, I think it's time."
Emmett and Garrett were both silent until Garrett asked, "Why now, Edward?"
Edward explained the situation with Tanya and what she had overheard. "I think we need to sink the final nail into Karen Newton's coffin. Emmett, I need you to call Ben and get him over here with all of his equipment. I need to make sure everything Mike says is backed up. I want Karen to know what happened to her precious little boy."
"Will do," Emmett said and then disconnected.
"Garrett, I need you to call your Dad and bring him with you."
"You got it. See you in a few." Garrett hung up soon after.
Edward slid the full clip into place and then chambered a round before going to find Bella. He found her in the kitchen, fist deep in bread dough.
"What are you making, Sweetheart?"
Bella looked up and smiled, "I want some homemade bread, so I am making it."
"Bella, Carmen can do that for you. You should be resting."
Edward worried about her stress level and wanted to make sure she was getting enough rest.
"Honey, I am pregnant, not dead. I can fend for myself."
A gasp behind Edward made him turn around. Esme and Renee stood just inside the kitchen.
Edward looked back at Bella with wide eyes, only to find her blushing. "So much for keeping it a secret," he chuckled.
"Bella?" Renee stepped forward. "My baby is gonna have a baby!"
Bella just nodded, and Esme joined Renee in her squealing. Edward walked over to Bella and wrapped his arms around her middle, placing his hands on the barely there bump.
"I take it you're okay with this?" Edward grinned.
"YES!" The two women squealed while the tears ran down their cheeks.
Bella looked up at Edward and smiled. He grinned down at her, and then placed his lips over hers.
**UYH**
Edward led the way down to where Mike was being held. It was long past time for him to meet his maker. Edward crossed the room and sat in a chair across from him. He waited until he got the signal from Ben that everything was set up. When Ben met his eye, he leaned forward and nodded to Quil, who dumped the bucket of ice cold water on Mike's head.
"What the fuck!" Mike sputtered.
"Hello, Mike! How are ya?" Edward began casually.
Mike shook his head, trying to clear the water from his eyes. "Are you here to kill me?"
Edward shrugged nonchalantly, "Perhaps." He sat back in his chair casually. "I want some answers first."
"What? I don't know anything."
"Now, I know that's not true. I'm sure your mother told you a few things."
"Maybe, but why should I tell you? It won't save my life."
"You're right, it won't. However, what you tell me determines if you die quickly, or if we slowly torture you to death."
Mike sighed. He wasn't sure how long he had been tied up here, but he was ready to go. Whether he walked out alive or was carried out wrapped in a rug, it didn't matter.
"What do you want to know?"
"Everything."
Mike started talking, and a flood poured forth. His mother had always wanted more than what she had. His father had worked hard to provide for all of them, but it was never enough. Karen had a series of affairs, allowing the men to spoil her in a way Michael, Sr., never could. Her lavish affairs soon brought an end to her marriage. She worked tirelessly to groom her children to join some of the largest crime families in the state. When Mike had screwed up by cheating on Bella, Karen had gone off the deep end and decided to make sure the families still joined by any means necessary.
"So what you're saying is basically your mother is a money hungry whore, right?"
Mike snapped his eyes to Edward's. "Fuck you, Cullen! You wanted to know what she's thinking, so there you go."
Edward stood up and walked over to him before leaning down to get in his face. "What about your whore of a sister?"
"Who, Vic? She's too stupid to think of anything on her own. She's more like our mother's lap dog. Mom says jump, and Vic asks how high," Mike sneered. He always hated his older sister. "Anyone Mom couldn't get into bed, Vic did. Including James."
Edward was shocked by that. He never thought a mother and daughter would share...gross.
"Yeah, I get sick at the thought, too."
"Is that it?" Charlie asked as he stepped forward. "She caused this whole fucking mess because she was greedy?"
Mike just nodded. "Well, yeah, that and..."
Carlisle stepped up beside his friend. "And what?"
"Well...okay, you know that she went to school with your wives, right?" Mike looked first at Carlisle and then at Charlie. "Well, she wanted them out of the way to get to you. When that failed, she sent me in."
Carlisle and Charlie looked at each other, each remembering the same car accident that almost cost them their wives and caused their boys to be born early. Edward and Garrett almost weren't here. Neither were Alice and Bella for that matter, and it was all because of that Newton bitch!
Emmett stepped forward. "Are you trying to tell me your mother caused the accident that almost killed my mother and baby brother?"
Edward turned and looked at his older brother, watching as he sucked oxygen in through clenched teeth and flaring nostrils.
"Yes, that is exactly what I am saying." Mike grinned.
Edward felt as if things were suddenly in slow motion. He saw Emmett pull his gun from behind his back, but before he could stop him, Emmett had fired, sending a bullet straight between Mike's eyes.
The force of the blow sent the chair Mike was tied to careening backward to the floor. Edward watched the body fall, and then turned to look at his brother.
"Emmett?"
Emmett stared at the place on the wall now painted in the blood and brain matter of Mike Newton. He looked down at his hand, realizing for the first time he had a gun in it. His hand began to shake, and he dropped the weapon like it was a smoldering brick.
Edward watched the gun clatter to the ground before taking a step toward his brother. He turned his head to Ben and shouted out an order. "Ben, call for a cleanup. I want pictures of everything."
Edward didn't stay to make sure his orders were carried out; instead, he turned his brother around and led Emmett up the stairs and into the living room.
Emmett was still in a daze. Sure, he had killed people before, but always because of an order given by his brother as revenge. Never because he was pissed and in cold blood. That was the reason he had passed on taking over the business when the time came—he didn't have the stomach to make the tough calls.
Bella ran from the kitchen when she heard the men come back upstairs. Edward looked up at her. "Babe, get me a snifter of brandy. Three fingers full, please."
Bella walked over to the bar and filled a snifter, and then handed it to Edward.
"Emmett, Bro, drink this," he said as he placed the glass in his brother's hand. Edward looked up at his mom and instructed, "Call Rose."
Esme left to go call her daughter-in-law, and told her to get there as fast as she could.
"Edward, what the hell happened?" Bella questioned as she sat beside Emmett and started running circles on his back with her hand.
"Mike is dead. Emmett pulled the trigger."
**UYH**
Jasper sat at the visitors' table and waited for the guards to bring Tanya out. He had the warden's permission to fit Tanya with a wire to bring down more dangerous criminals that were housed inside the jail. He had brought Alice along with him so that she could sew the device to Tanya's clothing.
"Jasper?" Tanya asked as she walked into the private visiting room they had been given.
"Hi, Tanya. Have a seat."
Tanya sat and listened as Jasper outlined the plan to her. "What about my kids, Jasper? Where are they? Will I get them back?"
"Your kids are staying with Bella's grandmother in Washington. She arranged for her to be granted temporary guardianship of them. Once we have all the evidence we need, the state has agreed to drop the charges. There are some conditions though."
"Anything, Jasper. I will do anything to be with my kids," Tanya pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears.
"You will have to leave the state. Bella has arranged for you to have a house and a job waiting for you when you get to Washington, and her grandmother is willing to help with the children. You are also going to have to submit to regular drug testing. Every few weeks, someone will come in and get urine, hair, and blood samples from you. The first time you fail, the deal is off. Do you have any questions?"
"Why is Bella doing all of this? I mean, I have done nothing but torture her and her family."
Alice spoke up then. "Bella believes everyone deserves a second chance. She also believes children should be with their mother."
"Anything else?" When Tanya shook her head, Jasper continued. "Okay, well Alice is going to remove a button from your jumpsuit, and then sew on a new one. This one contains a small recording device. It will pick up all the audio around you, so make sure you are someplace you can hear them clearly."
Alice made quick work of the buttons, and soon they were leaving the jail. Alice hoped it worked like everyone wanted it to.
**UYH**
Edward looked around the room and smiled at his hard work. He had given the staff the night off, and had even prepared a meal himself. Now he just had to wait.
Bella walked in the house and threw her keys into the bowl on the table in the foyer. She took off her jacket and hung it in the closet before turning and stilling at the sight before her.
Every surface of the living room was glowing with candle light. She stepped further into the room and followed the glimmering light to the dining room. There, in front of the table, on one knee, was Edward.
Bella felt the tears well, and brought her hands to her mouth as she whispered his name.
"Isabella, I can't remember a time in my life when you haven't been there. Whether it has been as my friend, my lover or my partner, you have been with me every step of the way. I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy. I want to love you when you are mad. When you are sad, I want to be the one to wipe your tears. I want to watch you grow round with our child and the others that will follow. Please say you will make me the happiest man alive and be my wife. Will you marry me?"
Edward opened the small black box that had been burning a hole in his pocket for days. When Bella set her eyes on the ring she gasped. Nestled inside was a beautiful platinum band with a round diamond precedent in the center. On either side of it were two smaller round sapphires that brought out the centerpiece of the ring perfectly. Accentuating it further were the ten smaller round cut diamonds trailing down each side of the ring.
"Oh, Edward..." Bella launched herself into his arms. "Yes..."