*Disclaimer - Sadly, I own nothing of Twilight with the exception of merchandise, bought and paid for. I do, however, own my love for borrowing the characters and playing with them however I choose to. I thank Stephenie Meyer for creating the TwiWorld and for allowing us to have our fun with it. She owns Twilight, the insanity it created in my mind is my own.

Whatever Works

Gossip Girls Unite

It was with great reluctance that I slid out of bed the next morning. Strange place or not, I had slept incredibly well. I looked longingly at the inviting comfort I'd left behind. It was the most comfortable bed I'd ever slept in; far superior to any mattress set my dad could afford on a cop's salary. The linens were luxurious as well – snug-fitting and soft and didn't leave bed marks on my face, I observed as I examined myself in the mirror of my private bathroom.

Quelling my desire for coffee, I jumped into the shower. "First things first, Swan. This is a job site, not a hotel." I wanted to be ready for the day myself before I got Esme started, and she had told me she was an early riser. She also told me that she liked to take walks in the garden in the morning before the sun was too strong, so I dressed simply in yoga pants and a light cotton shirt – my preferred work clothes. I was tying my wet hair into a loose knot as I entered the sitting room and jumped when I saw I wasn't alone.

"Oh, my goodness! Sorry. Emily told me you were here already, and here I am barging in like I own the place and scaring the life out of you. I wasn't even thinking; I'm just so used to coming in with Esme's tea. I'll knock in future. And I'll introduce myself now!" The slim woman chuckled softly as she approached me. "I'm Sue Black. And I'm so pleased to meet you, Bella."

"Oh! Of course…" I chuckled at myself being caught completely off guard. This was Sue! She wasn't what I expected. She looked like a slightly older version of Emily – meaning Emily's older sister, not mother. "Wow! You look so much like Emily! You must have really good genes." I clamped my mouth shut to avoid further blurting. I hadn't meant to say that. "You look much younger than I expected," I explained more suitably. "And I'm very happy to meet you as well. Emily told me you taught her everything she knows in the kitchen, and I have to say, I enjoyed the meal last night so much. The meal, and her company. She's lovely."

Sue smiled as she rubbed my arm. Their smiles were identical too – their eyes crinkled when they grinned, and that was the only lines on either of their faces. "You're just as sweet as Esme and Emily said. Welcome. I didn't know if you were a coffee or tea gal… so I brought both."

"Coffee in the morning! Thank you!" I practically lunged at the tray she had set on the table.

"Anxious, I see," she chuckled, unoffended. "You don't have to wait – you can come to the kitchen for whatever you'd like. I know I can't motivate my body to function until one cup is in me. I'm there very early… that's not to say you have to wait for Emily or I to be in the kitchen. Make yourself at home!"

"I see you've met," Esme smiled as she wheeled herself out. "Good morning."

"Good morning! Esme, I thought you'd need my help…"

"I thought I'd give you an easier start and try my hand at independence for a change." Sue handed her a cup of tea and they smiled at each other. "Okay, I'm stretching the truth here… Sue has been helping me out in the morning, and she continued with that for today."

"I'll let you do your job without interfering, promise." Sue gave me a reassuring smile. It wasn't that she didn't trust me with her friend, and that was a huge relief. "Also, I will knock from now on. This is your home, too, and I'm sorry to just invade you this way."

"No, no, no!" I shook my head as I swallowed what had to be the most robust coffee I'd ever tasted. No bitterness, just a strong flavour and caffeine jolt. Perfect. "Please, don't change your routine on my account. I was just surprised to see someone here!"

"We'll all have to adjust; it won't take long. I'm sure Edward will just walk in a few times without thinking as well."

I noted the advisory from her tone and the look in her eyes – don't show anything you don't want seen; Edward could be in these rooms at any time. Well noted, thank you, Sue.

~ 0 ~

After breakfast, Esme and I set out for our garden walk. I took the opportunity to discuss our game plan for her rehab. "I read over Dr Banner's instructions last night," I began. I had agreed to follow his orders – signed my oath to follow his orders, in fact – but I wanted to hear from Esme as well. "He doesn't want me beginning any rehabilitation exercises yet. Your casts have been off for a few weeks?"

"That's right," she agreed with sadness in her voice. I would proceed gingerly.

"Normally we like to see patients start to work on their muscles as soon as possible – keep the blood flowing and try not to lose too much muscle tone. Are you in pain?"

"I feel nothing dear. As good as dead." She stopped her chair and stared out at her roses. "Sorry for sounding morbid. The loss of my legs is nothing in comparison…"

Her husband. I bowed my head and took a seat on the marble bench beside the walkway. "I'm sorry for your loss Esme," I said softly. I was – I knew how that felt… sort of. I didn't know if losing my father could begin to compare with losing the love of her life. I didn't even know if he was. I realized that I basically knew nothing of this woman's life and here I was administering advice on how she should proceed. "We'll take it slow. Baby steps, until you're ready."

"I can live with this. Ugly, useless legs aren't that much of a hitch. Carlisle wouldn't have wanted me to be a whiner about this."

"You're not whining," I said soothingly. "I've yet to hear a complaint out of you. The fact is, you lost something more valuable than your legs, am I right?"

She nodded as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Until that wound starts to heal, your body won't follow suit. It all takes time."

Esme gazed at me thoughtfully. "Do you think this is a waste of your time, Bella? Please be honest with me. I know you want to get to work on healing my legs, but if I say I'm not quite ready for that…"

"I'm fine with that." I gave her a sincere smile. "More than fine, Esme. We'll go at your pace. I'm well suited for regular home-care as well… helping you in any way. I'm familiar with the routines, and I'm much stronger than I appear to be."

Her smile returned as she regarded me. "I'm sure you are. And I hope you'll forgive me in my moments like these… sometimes I just miss my husband beyond belief. I thank God for my children; otherwise I wouldn't be able to hold it together at all. Okay, so tell me… what do you know about my situation?"

Her sudden switch back to business took me aback. "Well… to be honest, I was merely told that you and your husband were in a car accident several months ago."

"Three. Three months last Thursday. He died instantly, my Carlisle. At least he didn't suffer… that's what we're supposed to say, right?" The smile on her face didn't extend to her eyes as it normally did.

"That's what they say. The survivors suffer for both, I'd say."

Now her smile was back to normal. "My dear Bella. I like you more and more each minute. Now, what did they say about me?"

Was she looking for gossip? It sounded like it. I suppressed a snicker and replied, all business. "From what I understand, your legs were crushed in the wreckage. Extensive breakage and tissue damage. You had several surgeries to repair the bone structure and ligament damage…"

She waved a hand to halt my recital. "I know all that."

"You want their prognosis?" I waited for her nod. "Well, truthfully, you'll never be the same, but there's no reason why you won't be able to talk actual walks through your garden for years to come. We'll get you back on your feet, Esme. Get you living your life again."

"Well, there you are." A familiar voice sounded out before he came into view. "I'm heading off. Just wanted to see you before I left."

Esme extended a hand out to her son, shielding the sun from her eyes as she looked up at him. "How did it go last night?"

He shrugged indifferently. "Same as always. I won't be back until the end of the week. If you need anything, Mike's around."

"You'll call?"

He nodded lightly and bent to place a chaste kiss on her head. "See you in a few days."

"Visine, Edward! Don't think I didn't notice!" Esme called after him. He waved his arm in acknowledgement and carried on. She turned back to me with an evil gleam in her eye. "He hates it when I baby him."

"So you do it more, right?" I chuckled.

"Mother's privilege. I'd do anything for my baby so he can suck it up from time to time and let me mother him as I see fit."

I agreed with her. I wouldn't mind having a mother babying me on occasion.

~ 0 ~

The afternoon was spent admiring Esme's stitchery. I was in love with the quilt on my bed – hand-stitched in soft purples and deep blues, it was gorgeous. As I suspected, she had made all of the cushions in the sitting room, as well, and I gushed over her current project, a knitted lap blanket.

"So you won't be bored out of your mind while I spend hours clicking away?" she teased.

"Are you kidding?" I held up a finger and ran to my room to retrieve my knitting bag. She was elated that we shared the same hobby. "I needed something to do while my dad watched every sporting event broadcasted."

"Do you like puzzles? Edward has been coming down to work on some with me, but I'll need a fresh eye while he's away."

I had seen the pieces spread on her table and had forced myself away a few times already. I could never resist popping in a piece when my keen eye found it. "Crosswords? Love 'em?"

"Adore them!" Esme threw her head back and laughed. "My goodness, I couldn't have asked for a better companion!"

And I felt exactly the same.

~ 0 ~

As Mike had mentioned, I was indeed invited along to Sue and Emily's home for "tea". And, as he suggested, tea wasn't the only thing offered. "Don't mention this to Edward," Esme leaned over to whisper to me as she sipped on her brandy. I had a glass of wine in my hand.

"Does your son not know that you drink?" I whispered back teasingly.

"Oh, you! It's silly, I know…"

"I won't mention it. He's not around much in the evenings?"

Emily laughed as Esme shook her head. "Never. Well, except for Sunday dinners…"

"But those are early, so he's still not home in the evening," Sue piped in. "They like to do their traditional Sunday dinners like back home when Edward's here."

"Back home?"

Esme nodded; her eyes had a brandy gleam to them. "England. We lived there for oh… about ten years, I suppose. Carlisle was a Professor of Anthropology. He was offered a position teaching for a year there, and we loved it, so we stayed on. They were thrilled to extend his contract."

"That's so interesting! I've never been beyond Arizona, even on this continent!" The wine was kicking in for me – it made me excitable.

"You'll have to come on a visit. Sadly, we've got our place there on the market, but there are lovely hotels, or we could rent an apartment." Esme was talking like she wasn't an invalid. It was a good sign that she considered herself capable of travel. "We still have a place in New York though! My daughter Alice lives there now, so we could stay with her."

"New York? As in New York City?"

Esme chuckled at the ease of impressing me. "Yes, dear. Let's see, Edward was born in Chicago, but we moved to New York when he was an infant. He had his childhood there, for the most part – until he was around 10, I believe – his early teen years were spent in London up until he moved back to the States. Alice wanted to finish out school in England so we stayed with her."

"And now she lives in New York? How old is she?" I was fascinated with Esme's family. I had never known someone with such wealth, and I never imagined anyone in her position to be so open and genuine. She didn't flaunt her wealth – I got the impression her family was worth more to her than material things.

"Alice is 19."

"And she lives in New York alone?" I was shocked. I would never have the guts to do that.

The three women exchanged a look before Emily picked up the conversation. It didn't escape me. "Alice goes to NYU! So lucky. She's taking a design course along with getting her MBA. Wait 'til you meet her… she's a little bundle of energy."

"Speaking of bundles of energy…" Sue pursed her lips. I prepared for some juicy gossip. She had all the signs of a person being ready to spill the beans. "I caught Miss Thing going upstairs again – directly into his bedroom. Edward was barely out the door!"

Esme clucked her tongue in disapproval, and Emily rolled her eyes before filling me in. "Miss Thing is Jessica, in case you're wondering."

"The maid?" I had encountered her… introduced myself but didn't exactly get the warm welcome I had from the others in the house.

The ladies all snickered. "Ohhhh! I'd love it if Bella called her that to her face!"

I had a moment of panic. Had I misunderstood? "I was sure that's what Mike told me…"

"Oh, you're right, sweetie, don't worry. That is her position. She doesn't like the title, however."

"She wouldn't object to Chamber Maid," Emily snickered. "That's what she's after anyway."

Esme cringed and covered her ears. "Mother's ears, dear! Please! I don't want to know!"

The three of us chuckled over Esme's emotive plea before Sue pressed on. "Oh, Esme, you can bury your head in the sand, but you know how women see him. The general population does not see him as a sweet little toddler like you do. They wouldn't mind powdering his ass, mind you, but not at all in the same way."

I blew wine through my nose with my giggle-snort, drawing the horror of her friend's point of view away from Esme. Edward was certainly an attractive man; surely his mother would agree and realize women would be interested in what they saw. God, I hoped they didn't see a few of the looks I'd given him. He was out of my league and probably not my type – did I even have a type? – but I had noticed some of his attributes.

"You know, Bella, we don't sit around and talk about everyone this way." Sue must have picked up on my worry.

"Just blood-sucking wannabes," Emily spewed out casually. "She's a leech. You'd think he'd know that."

"Men aren't as evolved, sweetheart," Sue chided. "That's why they have us around to give them a clue. Esme…"

Esme was shaking her head. "No. I won't say a word; it's not my place to interfere in Edward's business."

Sue and Emily exchanged a look – again, it didn't go unnoticed. "I'll tell him what she's been up to when he comes home," Emily announced. "Mom already spoke to her directly, and she basically told her to stuff it, so I'll take it to Mike or go directly to Edward."

"Mike," Esme mumbled around the rim of her snifter. "Let Mike handle it. Edward doesn't need that hassle." There was no more humour in Esme's voice, and that was the end of that discussion. It left me with more questions. Was Edward involved with Jessica? Obviously, Esme did not approve, if so. Was Edward involved with someone else and having an affair with Jessica? Or was Jessica simply, as Emily put it, 'a wannabe'? And where was Edward anyway? What did he do that took him away for days at a time? It didn't seem unusual for him to be leaving so I assumed it was a regular thing. I made a mental note to ask Emily for more details later on. She was easy to chat with; she'd probably tell me the full story.

A/N ~ Thank you for all the reviews! They make me smile. :)
Next chapter, Bella (and all of you) will finally get some answers. Please stick with us. And because you've been so patient, and I'm working with super-fast beta reader Shug, and we are much further along with chapter edits than I require for my comfort zone, I will post that chapter later this week. ~ SR