Outtake – William Pearson

Disclaimer: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer

AN (1): Yes, this is an outtake. I have included it as part of the main story as it fits in with the story, and I felt that it was better providing this part of the story as an outtake chapter within the main story, rather than try to mash this into details in the main chapter, or separating it into the Outtakes.

AN (2): Now I have this written it will be easier for me to finalise the next chapter and soon close off the story.

AN (3): To all of my readers, reviews and friends I thank you, for your continued support.

AN (4): As always this chapter has been neither pre-read or beta'd, so all poor grammar is my own.

William Pearson was lost! Lost in his life! Everything had changed but he seemed to be the only one who noticed.

His memory, prior to the moment he woke in hospital, was vague. He recalled having occupied himself regularly by staking out the conservatory trying to catch Edward Cullen. The previous time he had seen his teacher and friend had been horrific, the young man had been hurt, his brother…no not brother, husband Carlisle had been terrifying. William honestly believed that Carlisle would have physically harmed him, and considering the fact that William had forced himself on Edward, he was not surprised that the other felt in such a way.

Sitting amongst the abandoned pianos he had argued with himself over the events. He had been furious that it appeared Edward had led him on and given the impression that the teacher had feelings for William. However in hindsight as he recalled his interactions with Edward Cullen and started to appreciate how innocent Edward was; and that socially he was less mature than William himself.

It was then that William had had an epiphany, Edward Cullen was socially debilitated. His gifted and fantastic friend who was a musical genius and the finest teacher he had even experienced, was handicapped by a clear lack of experience of interacting with others. Sometimes William felt that Edward could look at an individual and know exactly what they were thinking, but equally was not able to glean what that same individual was feeling, so was missing half of the story.

Upon deliberation William could only conclude that Edward had been with Carlisle from a very young age and had been restricted in his interrelationships with others.

While he had been sitting in the room, William remembered experiencing a growing feeling of dread which became oppressive and almost a malevolent sensation. Suddenly the world became black and as he shifted in and out of grey, everything was reduced to vague sensations. The feel of a hard surface at his back, a tightness at his neck which was both stretching and constricting, and the most confusing drip-drip-drip sensation, as if his heart was leaking.

Eventually he was unaware of any specific feeling or sound, he had felt as if he was immersed in a warm pool gently sinking further into the black depths. It was at the moment that William was losing his sense of self to the warm and black, that he was ripped from his womb like state, everything in his body became red and hot; his heart felt like it was being overfilled, his brain throbbed and he felt like needles were pricking into every part of his skin. The worst part of the experience was that he could not move or scream so he had to endure the agony he was in. Eventually the sensations slowed and it was only at that point that he slammed into a wall of blackness, that he became desperately afraid and prayed that he would see his mother again.

~*.*~

He did not know how many times he rose from the blackness to have it envelop him soon after. He was vaguely aware of his mother's touch and smell and was reassured by her presence, feeling safe to let his body shift in and out of reality.

Consciousness arrived slowly; William felt he was being dragged up a flight of stairs, his mind and body getting heavier as he shifted into wakefulness. The world within which he emerged, was one where everything was wrong; there were people missing, facts distorted and he felt as if he was being lied to; by everyone.

Initially he had been very calm, following the instructions of the nurses as he acclimated to reality and began recovering control over his body. However his innocent request to see the Maestro caused some flustering by the nurse to whom he had posed the request. It was at that point that his world imploded.

It took two nurses and a large amount of sedative to stop him from screaming and tearing away from his bed. Everything was wrong, the Maestro was dead, the Cullen's gone and he knew somewhere deep down that this was his entire fault. His hysteria could not be contained and it was five days before he could accept this reality without screaming and sobbing. During this time his mother sat stoically beside his bed, knowing more than anyone that the loss of Edward Cullen was as much the contributing factor as to her sons condition as the death of the Maestro.

She had been working in her part of the hospital when one of the nurses had rushed down telling her that William had been was in the hospital emergency rooms, unconscious and looking like death. The young man had been found in the entrance way to the hospital, clearly having collapsed while trying to get aid. As he was being treated one of the nurses found a maroon kerchief tightly grasped in his left hand. Once they were able to remove it from his grip they identified the initials as belonging to the Maestro; the beautiful hand worked initials complimented by a treble clef. The kerchief was well known to belong to the elderly professor and lead the hospital administrator to request the local police visit the conservatory to make sure that the elderly man was alright.

It almost came to no surprise to anyone when the police officer returned to report that the Meastro was deceased, at which point the unconscious William was placed under police guard until such time it could be determined the old man's cause of death. Once the boy was stable the only rostered doctor, due to the fact that Dr Cullen had left unexpectedly days before as a result of a family crisis, went down to the morgue to perform the autopsy. It was with great relief to all when it was determined that the Maestro's cause of death was unquestionably of natural causes. It was also surmised that young William Pearson had likely witnessed the Maestro's death the shock; causing hysteria and for him to lose consciousness. The only treatment that the staff could think was intravenous fluids and rest hoping that the young man would awaken soon.

~*.*~

Once his hysteria had run its course, two weeks after his hospital admission, William was deemed well enough to go home. It was then that he tried in earnest to piece together what had happened to the Maestro, the Cullen's, and himself.

William's investigation started with Edward Cullen, he knew that Edward had been injured and extremely distressed the last time he remembered seeing him. He had carried Edward to the hospital, leaving him in the care of Dr Cullen, who had both angered and frightened William in equal measure.

He had been told by his mother and the other nurses that Dr Cullen had needed to take Edward away after the younger man had received some distressing news. According to the gossip, Edward's fiancé had been mugged while walking to a friends and had subsequently died of her injuries. Edward supposedly became so distressed he was unaware of injuring himself, holing himself up in his office until William had retrieved him. After that the timeline was a bit vague, but all agreed that Edward had been taken to a private facility to be cared for by a private nurse. Dr Cullen had returned the next day to close up the house and transfer his patients to Dr Collins. This was the last time either man had been seen, which was two days before the tragic death of the Maestro.

William heard this story from the nurses, the doctor, the police officer and his mother but even with this consensus, he did not believe it. While he could not prove it, he knew that the Cullen's had not left Oberlin when everyone believed they did, and while it should not matter, it did matter for without the truth he could not move one.

It took a bit of detective work and snooping into files while he was waiting for his mother to finish work, she was nervous leaving him also and had set him up in an empty office (ironically Dr Cullen's office) to wait during his shift, that William was able to discover the contact details for Dr Cullen. Initially, he had found the file and had not seen anything relevant, only to be disturbed. When he returned half an hour later the file was where he left it and in the front inside cover a page was pinned with the Cullen's forwarding details.

It took him a couple of days to get the courage to find a telephone to make the call knowing that there were limited options available in which questions would not be asked.

Sitting in the vacant office his eyes roamed the walls as he tried to wrack his brain for a solution to his dilemma. Standing he paced the office throwing his back again the wall facing the desk in which he had been sitting. Behind the desk was a pin board which had a number of notices attached. At the bottom corner was a small square of paper labelled 'House Phone' and a telephone number. Without thought he was out of the office and finding his mother he let her know he was going for a walk. The trepidation and relief in his mother face did not escape his notice; this was the first time he had chosen to walk outside without her.

Walking slowly at first he strolled until he knew he was out of view of the hospital and where he knew his mother and probably his doctor was watching to make sure he didn't collapse or panic. Once he was clear he picked up his pace, nearly jogging he way down the road to the Cullen's old house. On reaching the house he stood, frozen at the door step. The house was closed up, the windows locked and it was clear no one had been at the property for a couple of weeks. He tried the front door and was not surprised that it was locked. Wandering around the side he gave a confused glance to a pile of wood under the trees. Stepping closer he realised with horror that it was a piano which he could only say had been murdered. He could see that the soul of the instrument had bled out of the many wounds on its body. William could not imagine Edward doing this to any instrument; it could only have been Carlisle. But when did it happen? Was it after Edward had been injured and locked himself in the office, or had it been earlier? William suddenly felt sick, what if it happened the night that everything changed for him, had his kissed changed everything for Edward too. Carlisle was his husband, what would he have done to punish Edward for Williams poor judgement.

William bent over and emptied his stomach contents into the bushes. He fell to his hands and knees which were shaking with uncontrollable tremors. Eventually his body cooperated with his brains orders to stop and get up. Rising to his feet he felt tears on his cheeks. Trying not to look at the piano carcass he wobbled around to the rear of the house. Reaching the back door, he was not surprised that it was not locked. He tried not to think about the number of coincidences he had found in his journey to contact the Cullen's; but instead went inside the deserted house.

He wandered through the building amazed how a house that had been only abandoned a few weeks could be so empty. It felt as if no one had lived there. Finding what looked to be the office he spied the only furniture in the house; a telephone sitting on a crate. At this point he started to feel a bit nervous; looking at the telephone he had the unwelcome feeling that this was bait. For what he could not even imagine, but the feeling almost lead him to back out of the room. Shaking his head he scoffed at himself for being so silly, it was just a phone, one that he needed to use to solve the mystery of the Cullen's whereabouts.

Picking up the receiver, he spoke to the operator, who seemed unfazed that a call was being made from the phone, providing her with the number that he had ferreted from Dr Cullen's file. The call was connected swiftly and man with a slightly European accent.

"Doctor Dimitar Speaking, how can I help you?"

William paused, now he was actually talking to someone, how did he explain what he want without sounding like an idiot.

"Hello?" The man on the line prompted, "I can only help you if you speak to me." The tone was soft and reassuring, it was a voice used to speaking to the young or the mentally ill.

"Hello," William spoken softly. "I am trying to find a friend of mine, both he and I were unwell and he left before I could say goodbye."

The doctor on the line gave a small sigh, "I am sorry to hear that you have lost your friend but I am not sure if I can help you."

"Please," William begged. "Yours were the last contact number I have for him. Can I ask where do you work? I have been told my friend was ill, was he maybe your patient? His name is Edward, Edward Cullen."

"Ah!" The other man exclaimed. "Yes, I have seen Mr Cullen recently." William held his breath, finally someone who could answer his questions.

"Who are you? Is Edward ok? Is he still there?" William shot the questions down the line not drawing a breath.

There was a pause at the other end and then a quiet inquiry, "Is this Mr Pearson?" William gave a shocked gasp, "Yes! Yes, it is! Why? What did he say?"

"Mr Pearson…William. I am not permitted to say much, however Mr Cullen thought that you may try to track him down. I treated Edward my private facility for two weeks before he and his brother left the United States for Europe." William interrupted, "treated him for what?"

The doctor sighed. "Were you unaware that his fiancé was violently murdered? Edward needed help as a result."

"What fiancé?" William scoffed, "there was no fiancé; that was just a ploy."

The voice down the phone became almost pitying, "William, despite what you believe, the fact is there was a young lady to whom Edward Cullen was engaged, the fact of her violent death caused an instability resulting in self-harm and a mental breakdown." William scoffed as the doctor continued, " I am sorry that you do not believe this but it is the truth. I cannot tell you more, I have already said as much as I should. I will let you know that Dr Cullen warned me that you would contact me and told me to let you know that they have moved overseas and it would be best if you did not try to contact them and move on with your own life."

William released a choked sob. "Please young man, you have clearly been through a lot and I would suggest you talk to someone. Dr and Mr Cullen needed to make a new start, please do the same."

The doctor sighed when William did not acknowledge him. "Goodbye, Mr Pearson. Please do not contact me again," and gently hung up the receiver.

William sat on the floor, receiver in hand, tears running down his cheeks. After a while he realised that it was dark outside, his mother would be worried about him and probably raised the alarm. This was confirmed when he left by the rear door and walked around the side of the house to find the local policeman walking towards the house at a rapid pace.

William ignored the officer, who was not much older than himself and insisted on hounding and berating William in an attempt to make him feel bad, not understanding that he was beyond distressed, he was heartbroken, he was inconsolable, his very soul ached for the past, for the present, and the future. As he walked this rapidly became anger. He was angry, angry that he was still here alone, angry for those things that happened with Edward Cullen, and angry for the lies that have stayed after the Cullen's have long gone.

Returning to the hospital he apologised profusely to his mother, claiming that he had wandered towards the house without thought. In order to keep the peace he agreed to spend sessions with the hospital shrink and eventually learned to bury his pain and do what was expected. He quit the conservatory (as his mother felt, quite accurately, that the college was responsible for William's current state of mind) and with the help of his mother obtained a position as an orderly at the hospital.

~*.*~

Over the years, he was able to supress his thoughts and feelings for the tragic events, however the regular made him more and more convinced that what he was told was true and what he knew was true were very different; he couldn't reconcile the two and felt that he was going insane. In the mid 1930's the political situation abroad intensified, leading to war. William took the opportunity to sign up, leaving Oberlin and all its tragedy. While training as a radio operator was found to have an aptitude with a new technology known as radar and was trained as an administrative support officer at a secret research facility in the US. His work was so secret that he could not tell his mother where he was and had to lie to her, saying that he had been posted overseas.

While the job was administrative and sometimes tedious, he threw himself into his work to forget about everything except his role in the war effort. Everything changed when he was tasked, along with a colleague; to safe hand some materials to New York, when he saw something that tore at this very being. Coming out of a research building opposite the building he was in front of, was Carlisle Cullen. Turning sharply he felt like his chest had been hit with a sledgehammer. Turning back he watched Carlisle being joined by an attractive lady, who took his arm and the two of the wandered away.

He did not realise he was still staring at the pair when his colleague jogged his arm to get his attention. The other man frowned in concern and holding Williams arms led him back into the building they had just exited. William could not deny he felt unwell and after being seen by the medical officer, it was decided that he would not return back with this colleague but would stay in the local barracks until he was well.

Being escorted to his buck by the doctor was slightly humiliating, but no more than the intense physical and emotional distress he was experiencing simply at the sight of Dr Carlisle Cullen. He had buried the memories from Oberlin and the conservatory deep in his soul and the appearance of a ghost from that time, a ghost that was supposed to be long gone, tore away the protective bandage that he had created and he fell all that pain and anger as if it has occurred yesterday.

He stayed in his bunk that night and morning and when the medical officer visited him mid-morning let the man know that he was feeling better and maybe a walk to the park may be all he needed to recover. With approval of the medical officer, William took a walk around the city. His feet finally lead him back to the research building from the day before and at approximately the same time Dr Cullen came out of the building; but instead of meeting with the young lady he turned in the same direction and wandered calmly into the overcast afternoon.

It was not difficult to follow Carlisle Cullen; however William could not shake the feeling that he himself was being tracked. He briefly wondered if the medical officer had set someone onto him but did not let this deter him from continue to follow his prey.

William followed Carlisle to an amazing apartment building and watched the man step inside. After waiting enough time to ensure that Carlisle would have left the lobby, he entered the building he was confronted by an imposing entrance and security guard. While the Cullen's were not listed as tenants, he knew that if they were they would be in the most expensive apartment, they always had money and the best of everything so logic would hold that they were living in a penthouse apartment. William walked outside and hung around across the road in a hope to see Edward, but after a couple of hours he was disappointed that he would not see Edward that day and that if he did not return to barracks he would be declared AWOL.

Returning just in time for curfew, William was check again by the medical officer who declared that he was cleared to return to base the next day. Although he was disappointed at the thought of being so close to Edward Cullen but still being far away, William was tempted to protest or malinger. However he knew his duty, no matter his internal struggle, and planned to ask for his previously untouched leave and return to New York to stalk his prey with serious intent.

Packing his travel bag William left the barracks to the train station, where he boarded a train back to base.

The train pulled into station and all of the passengers disembarked, except for one. The conductor wandered down to wake the sleeping young man, to find to his horror the young man was deceased.

~*.*~

The death of William Pearson was investigated in detail and after an immediate autopsy was determined as non-suspicious and attributed to an unidentified malady. The medical officer in New York was reprimanded for clearly failing to properly diagnose the young man and allowing him to leave his care.

Due to the secrecy of his work, the Department of War issued a false telegram consistent with the story that he had been posted, and was killed, overseas.

Once William Pearson's body was returned to his family, no more was thought of the matter, the matter was closed.

Closed, except for an anonymous telegram sent from New York to Italy.

Consisting of a single word…

DONE!