You guys are awesome – thank you so SO much for all the alerts, favourites and reviews. You continue to put a smile on my face.

As always, big hugs to my pre-readers MrsK1981 and SparklyMeg, and my beta's Marly 580 and Mauigirl60. They help make this fic, and I owe them so much. Any mistakes are mine – I can't help but change things!

Squishy Hugs to Pattinlethr who continues to be my rock.

Enjoy the chapter….nervous doesn't even come close…

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Taking a deep breath, I stand and try to get a plan together. I know what needs to be done.

Angela begins sobbing quietly next to me, but I can't focus on that. Instead, I pull out my cell and try calling someone I never thought I'd need to speak to ever again.

It rings once before she answers.

"Edward? To what do I owe this pleasure?"

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EPOV

Her voice cuts through me like nails on a blackboard, and I have to force myself to remain calm. I know that if I lose it with Lauren now, it could be disastrous for Bella.

I squeeze Angela's hand and get up from the seat. She continues to cry quietly as I anxiously pace in front of her. I have no idea what Lauren's plans are, but I'm sure Angela won't cope well if she hears them.

"Hey…uh…Lauren." As much as I want to yell into the phone and demand that she tell me where Bella is, I try to keep my voice smooth. It's tough when all I can focus on is Bella, and what Lauren's planning on doing with her—not knowing is killing me.

I cringe as Lauren giggles. She murmurs my name before giggling again, except this time it's not the laugh I remember. What I once found a cute trait now makes me cringe. It almost has a sinister feel to it, and it sends shivers down my back.

"I'm so happy you called me," she says, and I can almost imagine the smile on her face.

"You are?"

She giggles again. "Of course I am, silly. Are you calling to arrange our date?"

Date? What the fuck?

"Um…"

"Because I'm ready." There's some muffling in the background. I concentrate to see if I can hear Bella, but there's no distinct sound. It sounds like Lauren is just moving around.

"I know you've planned something special, and I bought a new dress for you, Edward."

This girl is delusional, and I'm at a loss on how to deal with this. If she were mad or angry then I would know how to work with that, but she sounds absolutely crazy. If she does have Bella with her—and I handle this wrong—then I could make things a hell of a lot worse.

I decide to placate her until I find out more information.

"Of course I called about that, Lauren," I say. "As soon as I get home, we can go out for dinner. I know this really nice, new restaurant you would—"

"Don't be silly, Edward." She giggles, and I want to hang up just so I don't have to hear that annoying sound ever again. "I'm here in L.A."

Bingo.

I try to sound shocked. "You are?"

"Yes, well, I had some business to take care of. But don't you worry. It's almost finished."

My heart stutters as I imagine several worst-case scenarios.

"Are you here in L.A, Edward?"

I remain silent, unsure of how to answer. She sounds different now, almost dazed, and it scares the shit out of me.

"Edward? Did you follow her out here? Like I knew you would?"

My blood runs cold at her tone.

"I knew you would. You're so predictable!" She yells the last word. I almost speak up, but she continues. "I finally managed to break you two up, and everything would have been great. We could have been together like we were—"

I have to butt in now. "You cheated on me, Lauren! It was you who split us up—not me, and certainly not Bella."

"It was a mistake!"

"But—"

"No, Edward. We're meant to be together; why can't you see that? As soon as she's gone, you'll understand. We belong together."

Sweet Jesus, this girl is outright insane.

"Where is she, Lauren? What have you done with her?" I plead.

"Why do you want to know?" she whines. "You're not supposed to care about her. You're supposed to forget her and take me back."

I flinch when I hear a crash in the background.

"This isn't happening the way it's supposed to," Lauren says.

I pace and try to think quickly as Lauren starts murmuring. She's not making any sense, and I think she might have actually forgotten I'm here.

She continues speaking, and all I can understand is an odd word here and there.

"Break-up…"

"Gone…"

"Cliffs…"

"Over…"

I rush back over to where Angela is sitting. Her face is blotchy and red from crying, but the tears have stopped for now.

With Lauren still mumbling in my ear, I gesture to Angela to get me a pen and paper. She scrambles, reaching for her purse and pulling out what I need.

Call 911 – Now!

My hands are shaking as I pass the pen and paper back. If Lauren's words before weren't enough to put me over the edge, then her mumbling about cliffs has set some alarm bells ringing.

Angela reads the note, and her eyes widen as she lets the words sink in. With panic clear in her eyes, she looks up at me. I nod frantically and point to the note again.

Tears fill her eyes, but she does as I ask and pulls her phone out. I motion her to the far side of the room so she can speak to the cops without Lauren overhearing her in the background. I make sure she's far enough away before I speak to Lauren again.

"Lauren?" I ask tentatively. "Are you still there?"

"…I mean, what do I have to do to make you forget about her?"

"I…uh…"

"I didn't think I'd have to do this. But you've given me no choice. If we're going to be together, then I have to do it…yes…then you'll see…"

Fear grips my heart. "No, Lauren. I just want to know if she's okay. Then I can come and get you, wherever you are, and we can go away together."

The words taste like mud as they pass my lips, and I can only pray that Bella never hears this. Pretending that I could ever feel anything other than love for her—that I could ever move on from what we had—is the biggest lie I've ever told. But giving in to Lauren's delusions may be the only way to save her.

Her voice has the tendency to take on a childlike inflection when she whines. "You want to speak with her? Why, Edward?"

"I told you, baby, I need to check that she's okay. You could get into trouble, and I really don't want anything to happen to you."

"Oh, Edward, you always were so protective." She laughs. "You don't need to worry about me, though. Daddy's money means that nothing could ever happen to me."

"Please!" I beg. "Let me just make sure."

Angela comes back into the room with a worried look on her face. She holds her thumbs up, signaling that the cops are at least on their way. I just hope I can keep Lauren occupied until then.

She sighs. "Fine, hold on."

There's some shuffling around in the background before, finally, I can hear the phone being passed over.

"Well, say something! Tell him you're okay." Lauren's voice rings out in the background and I hold the phone closer to my ear, eager to hear Bella's voice.

"Edward?" she whispers, and I almost cry out in relief.

"Bella?" Emotion plows through me, forcing me to my knees. I pant as the wind is knocked out of me.

She's okay.

"Edward…it's her…she's crazy…she—"

I hear a cry before Lauren comes back on, effectively cutting Bella off. "Okay, that's enough of that."

"No! Lauren, put her back on!"

"Uh, uh, uh! That wasn't part of our deal," she says sweetly. "Now you know she's okay, so we can decide what to do and finally be together. Just like we always wanted."

I move from my place on the floor and sit on the chair. "Wait…what do you mean by we can decide what to do?"

"With Bella, silly," she laughs.

"No," I whisper. "You can't do anything to her, Lauren." I close my eyes, fighting the tears that have formed.

This cannot be happening!

"You son of a bitch!I knew you still loved her—"

I cut her off. I need the focus taken away from Bella and put back on me. "Listen to me, Lauren. It's you I want. If something happens to her and you get caught, then we can't be together."

This girl is blowing hot and cold, and I'm really worried for Bella's safety. At first, I thought that Lauren had maybe just taken things a little bit too far and was freaking out about how to handle things. Now… now I can see she really has some serious issues, which make her even more dangerous. My heart feels like it's about to burst from my chest as I pray that Lauren believes every lie I'm telling her. Getting her to trust me is the only way I can get to Bella.

She sighs dreamily into the phone. "Oh. Well, I don't want that to happen. I just want you, Edward."

"I know. Soon, Lauren."

I flinch as she squeals loudly, but my mind turns off as she begins rambling about all the things we're going to do together. She has the next few months of our life together all planned out – dining out at the newest and best restaurants and even lunch with my parents. I remain silent as she tells me that we need to work together to show our circle of friends that we're together this time for good. I really begin to worry when she starts talking about getting the wedding planning back on track.

It's only the thought of bringing Bella back that stops me from butting in and telling her that it'll never happen.

I hear a knock in the distance, and Angela leaves to answer the door. When she returns, she's followed by two cops. I nod at them in acknowledgement, but remain on the phone. I watch as Angela gets them up to speed with everything that's going on, and wait for their instructions. I've done my best to keep Lauren on the phone—and managed to find out that she does have Bella—but now I have absolutely no idea what to do.

One of the cops takes a seat next to me. He's a tall, young guy about three times the size of me. He kind of reminds me of a football player, without the padding. He has a kind face and smiles sympathetically at me as he sits. He pulls out a pad of paper and pen and begins writing something. When he's done, he places it on the coffee table in front of me and slides the table close to us.

Keep her talking! Get her to say where she is.

I take the pen from him and write my reply.

How?

Any way you can. As long as you know where she is, we can go to them.

Lauren interrupts my silent conversation. "Edward, are you even listening to me? We're going to have to make the announcements soon and then search for a venue. If we're quick, we can book a nice place for the summer and then I can finally be Mrs. Edward Cullen—"

"That sounds wonderful, Lauren." I glance at the cop, who smiles encouragingly at me. "But, before we get all wrapped up in that, I'd love to take you on a date. Do you think we can do that tonight?"

She sighs. "That would be perfect, Edward. This whole thing has been so stressful. I just need to relax."

I roll my eyes at that. Of course, out of everything that's happened, Lauren would focus on how this has only stressed her out. Bella and I have been through hell and back— she's played with our minds, our jobs, and our personal lives, yet can only think about herself.

The cop nudges me and I continue. "Of course, baby. We'll do the works tonight. I'll call around and see where I can get us a table—"

"On Rodeo Drive?"

"Um…yes, of course. And then we can go for drinks, and just enjoy being back together."

"Oh, Edward! That sounds wonderful." She squeals.

I clear my throat. "Great. So, can I pick you up later tonight?"

I worry that she'll see through my façade when she hesitates. The cop nudges me, and I know I have to really play it up for Lauren to really believe this.

"Please, baby? I want to hire a car for the night so I can do this properly. You…you deserve this."

Her deep sigh tells me she believes every word I'm saying. Lauren has always been, and will always be, a girl who demands the finer things in life. Making her think she'll get these from me is the one thing that will go in my favor.

I grab the pen and paper again and write down the address that Lauren recites to me. As soon as I'm done, the cop takes it from me and walks over to his partner. I watch, half-listening to Lauren. Both cops take out their radios, leaving the room so they can speak into them.

"So, will that time be okay? I want to look just perfect for you," Lauren says.

"Huh…I'm sorry. What time?"

"Seven-thirty at the address I just gave you, Edward."

"Right. Yes…sure. I'll be there."

"I'm looking forward to it," she says before hanging up.

I throw my cell on the chair in disgust and lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees.

Today has been all sorts of fucked up. What did we ever do to deserve this chaos in our lives? And what happened that turned Lauren from a normal—albeit bitchy—girl, to downright crazy?

With that conversation over, I feel so drained. I would do anything to have Bella in my arms and be back in Seattle. I'm so proud of her for getting this job in L.A, but I'm ready to go home.

"Mr. Cullen?" I glance up to see the cop from earlier walking back toward me.

"I'm Officer Liam Boyle." I stand to meet him and shake his hand when he offers it. "You did really well there."

I smile sadly and sit back down. "Unfortunately, it's too little, too late."

He claps a hand on my shoulder. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You couldn't have known about this girl. The mentally disturbed can hide their illness extremely well."

I shrug. "So, what now?"

"Well, my partner called the address in, and we have a squad car going there. We'll be following now; I was just waiting for you to finish the call. We're going to need you to come with us."

"Where is she, exactly?" I ask as I stand. I pick up my phone, shoving it in my pants pocket, and head outside. Angela and the other cop—Liam's partner, Siobhan—are already in the squad car, waiting for us.

"Angela, are you okay?" I ask when I'm inside.

She nods slowly and wipes at her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Edward. If I'd have known—"

I cut her off. "Don't. Do not blame yourself. Lauren is the only one to blame here."

She takes my hand and squeezes it softly. "She'll be glad you came, you know. Even though you two split up, she still loves you—it was written all over her face."

I smile softly and keep a tight hold on her hand, enjoying the reassurance from Bella's friend. "Hopefully, I'll get the chance to tell her how much I still love her."

I look back at Officer Boyle in the front. "Did you find out where she's staying?"

He nods as we pull away from the Villa. "Yeah, some motel on the Pacific Coast Highway. It's about thirty minutes away."

"A motel?"

"Yeah, why?"

I frown. "It doesn't make sense. Lauren's all about the fancy things in life. I don't believe she'd just stay at a motel. You're sure she's not staying at a fancy hotel or anything?"

"Well, that's what came up when we ran that address through the system."

I nod but don't say anything further. Lauren's proven she isn't exactly thinking properly at the moment, so I don't question it for now.

"Mr. Cullen, we're going to need for you to tell us what was said on the phone call with Ms. Mallory. You did great by getting her to say where she is, but we need to know what was said before we arrived."

I try to think back over my scary conversation with Lauren, and recap as much of it as I can. Officer Boyle's partner quietly takes notes as we're driven out of the city. Neither cop says anything about Lauren's plans until I mention her rambling about the cliffs.

"What did she say, exactly?" Siobhan asks.

"Not much. She wasn't making sense, to be honest…" I trail off as the cops glance at each other warily. "Wait…what aren't you telling me? What are you worried about?"

Liam clears his throat. "She was talking about cliffs?"

"More of a rambling, but yes."

Siobhan writes something else down, but neither of them speaks.

My stomach churns, and I fight the urge to throw up. I begin to feel lightheaded as I catch on to what the cops are thinking. They're worried about Lauren and Bella being so close to the cliffs.

"No," I murmur. "No, no, no! She can't. This can't be happening." I lean back, resting my head on the back of my seat. "Shit!"

"Edward, calm down! We'll be there soon, and we need you to keep your head. It's you Lauren wants; your girlfriend's just a pawn in all this."

"Bella, her name is Bella!"

"Okay, well, Bella needs you to stay calm. If you lose it, then we might lose her," Liam says as we pull up outside a dingy-looking motel. "Now, can you do that for us? Or will you be staying in the car?"

Like hell I'm staying in the car. "I'm coming in."

Liam nods. "Good, 'cause we're here."

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BPOV

I watch in stunned silence as Edward's ex-girlfriend hangs up the phone, a smug smile on her face.

"See, if that wasn't proof that he no longer loves you, then I don't know what is." She saunters over to the bed and sits down. "We're going out on a date. He doesn't even care about you anymore."

I refrain from rolling my eyes at her, not knowing how she'll react. The last few hours have shown me that she's definitely crazy. I've yet to see how that translates into dangerous.

I'll admit that my heart plummeted when I heard that it was him calling her. I could only hear her side of the conversation, which was pretty damning to him. I know we've split, but to hear them make plans for a date was like a kick to the stomach.

It wasn't until Edward asked to speak to me that I knew he was just humoring her to find out about me.

I tried to tell him everything I could before she snatched the phone away from me and carried on planning her perfect date.

Now, with the phone call over, her attention is turned back to me. And, for the first time since waking up, I'm frightened.

"It was you all along?" I whisper.

She nods. "Yep. It took longer than I thought it would." She huffs and sits back on the bed. "You sure had your claws latched onto him. But…at least it's over now. It's me he wants. You're finished."

"What are you going to do now?"

She rolls her eyes. "I have no idea. I did have a plan for you—hence this dingy motel." She looks around the room in disgust. "But Edward doesn't want me to get into trouble, so…here we are."

I try to reason with her. "Just let me go, then."

She laughs. "Hell, no! I want you to watch our reunion. It'll be the perfect icing on the cake."

I refrain from saying anything, knowing good and well that my mouth will do nothing but get me into trouble. You hear about it all the time—crazy people snapping in the heat of the moment. That's definitely something I don't want to experience firsthand.

While Lauren forgets about me and concentrates on what outfit she needs to wear to look perfect for Edward, I revel in the fact that he's coming.

And it's not her that he's coming for.

It's me.

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