A/N: A whole lot going on in this chapter, so you better just go read.

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Chapter 28: Fixing Leaks

The Drop In - E

I didn't give a warning call, preferring to catch her off guard. It was time for answers, and if she had any time to prepare, I had a feeling I'd end up with the same vague responses I'd been getting for months, years really.

She was in her tiny office. Fingers flying on the keyboard. Her back was toward me, and I cleared my throat to get her attention.

"Be with you in a second; just entering some numbers."

I let my eyes roam. The walls were bare. Furniture was sparse. A small desk. Her office chair and another in the corner for visitors. Papers were strewn across the small work space she had. Two pictures were propped in a corner, one of them nearly falling off the desk. One was an older couple, whom I assume were her parents. In the other a man had his arms around her. They were smiling into the camera. I couldn't make out all of the details, but something about him seemed very familiar.

"There," she said with a sigh a she turned her chair around. "Now what can I . . . " She stopped cold when she saw that it was me.

"Good morning, Jess."

"Edward." I had to give her credit. She didn't reveal any emotion. "Shopping today? Your mother and girlfriend were here yesterday."

"Yes, I know, but I'm not actually shopping, more like fishing."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't know anything."

"I don't believe you." Our eyes engaged in their own battle, neither of us wanting to break contact or reveal a weakness.

"Why is it such a big deal? You're a popular man. People are always going to be angling for information and taking pictures. You put yourself out there. Don't you have to deal with the consequences?"

"May I sit?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really."

She motioned toward the chair, and I closed the door behind me.

"Jessica, people do get hurt. If it were just me, I'd deal with it. But my friends and family are in pain. Marriages are affected. There are real people behind the pictures, behind the rumors. I really thought we covered that last time. You spoke with Tanya."

I could see her eyes change. They softened. She sighed. Whatever she thought about me and my behaviors, clearly didn't apply to Tanya.

"I really don't know anything."

"I don't think I believe you would be so stupid as to be involved this time, and there are implications that go far beyond you. But I think you have a hunch."

She didn't say anything, so I attempted a new tactic.

"Okay, so why don't you tell me a little more about six years ago."

"We've been over all that."

"Humor me," I said curtly. "From what I recall, you said you sold the delivery address of the pearls for a couple of hundred dollars right?"

"Yes."

"How did they know to contact you again? I'm not sure I remember all the details." She looked at me suspiciously.

"I don't really know."

"What I remember is that they called you out of the blue. But I'm wondering if things weren't a little more connected. My being caught at the office, your being contacted. I got your name from Bree. She said you were a friend of a friend. Who was the friend, Jess?"

"Please don't."

"It was Jane, wasn't it?"

"You're aware we know each other."

"Present tense?"

She broke eye contact then, looking up at the ceiling in thought.

"Yes."

"Tell me, Jess. You know damn well I will make your life miserable. You kept your job last time. I even sat back and watched you climb the ladder. My mother uses you as a personal shopper. There would be no chance of you getting off the hook now."

One hand was resting on her desk, and she began tapping her fingers mindlessly.

"Yes, I know Jane." She motioned casually to the picture on her desk. "That's her brother." I exhaled. What a web. But I was confused. I didn't want to react too soon though. I needed more information. "What really happened?"

"I can't. Don't make me. You talk about people getting hurt. I got hurt too, but I got past it, and I'm not involved this time. Please just leave me alone."

I could hear the pain in her voice. Something just clicked. And I acted on impulse. "Jess, did you take the fall?"

Her eyes opened wide, but she said nothing. I watched her swallow and blink back tears. "Just do whatever you're going to do okay. Get me fired. It doesn't matter. I'll survive."

"You didn't do it."

She gave the slightest nod of her head, but she gave nothing else away.

So many things became painfully clear. Jane always had all the information. She was the common thread between them all. But why? Why would Jess risk everything to protect Jane? If I were in her shoes, what would cause me to make that kind of sacrifice? The picture on the desk caught my eye again. And it was all I needed.

"You must really love him."

A very weak voice answered me. "More than anything."

Damn. I couldn't find it in me to be mad at her. She played a role in all of this, and she knew more than she was telling. I didn't think it was healthy for her or for her relationship to harbor such secrets, but I understood the motivation at least.

It was a reminder of sorts. Life is messy. Humans are stupid. Right and wrong are not as clear as fairy tales would like us to believe. I thought of my father, but only briefly. My focus was directed only on one person. And she was waiting for me at my office.

"I have one last request, Jess." She nodded in acknowledgment. "Please don't inform Jane that I know."

She thought for a moment. "She's made her bed. She knows how I feel about her actions. She'll have no warning from me."

Making Amends - B

People shot me funny looks Thursday morning. Their eyes invariably went to my stomach.

It didn't help that a grainy photo had appeared of me, consulting the fine print on the back of a pregnancy test box.

To the general public, I was pregnant.

A woman in my 9:30 meeting had the audacity to ask me if I should be drinking coffee. I grabbed a stack of books at the end of the session to carry back to my office, and was told by the guy down the hall "I shouldn't be carrying such heavy loads in my condition."

Of course, he didn't get up to help out.

I went back to my office, set down the books and shut the door. I wanted to call Edward, but he had his own issues to deal with this morning.

Short of a day here or there, it felt like all we had done for the last few weeks was deal with 'issues.' Be they about family or friends, it always seemed to come back to rest squarely on the two of us. Why did we always have to shoulder it all?

Had we made a mistake with our 'us versus' the world approach? In supporting each other unconditionally, had we tempted fate to throw everything at us?

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. What had we done to deserve any of this? The most recent set of rumors and innuendo hurt the most. It wasn't simply the inference that I was pregnant. That I could deal with. I was disappointed at the lack of support, especially given everything we had done to try and help.

Part of me understood the lack of acknowledgment from Emmett, Rosalie and Tanya. They were dealing with their own frontal assault. But for Esme to react the way she did on the phone hurt more than I had let on.

Maybe I was naïve to expect something from Edward's parents. I knew that they were not ones for public statements. Yet there was only point of conversation in Esme's call the night before. Once the rumor was debunked, she seemed fine to let us figure it out on our own.

They kept things private. I understood that. But it would have been nice to have some internal moral support.

The one that disappointed me the most was Jasper. It was in his power to help resolve the issue, to set the record straight. Edward had spoken to him last night, and Jasper had been fine with letting it hang. He justified that it would go away when I didn't look pregnant.

I had expected better from him. He was supposed to be Edward's best friend. I thought he was my friend too.

The rejection stung. Those old feelings of being left alone threatened to crash in. I kept trying to rationalize his behavior. I didn't want to believe that he had abandoned me too.

There was a sharp knock as my door cracked open.

"Hey there." Alice looked tired as slipped in and settled into a chair. "How are you holding up?"

"Don't ask for answers you don't want."

She nodded, as if she expected the response.

"We got into quite a knock down drag out after I got off the phone with you. I told Jasper that he should come clean, that this wasn't fair to either of you. He told me Edward was capable of handling it."

I propped my chin on my hand and waited for her to continue.

"You know me. I called bullshit on him. He's being selfish. More worried about how his family would react." She laughed and leaned her head against the back of her chair. "We haven't been dating two months, and we are pregnant. I would think that would be a bigger issue than his precious writing. It makes me feel like everything else will always take a back seat to his 'secret identity'."

I was torn. I had the same reaction, yet it gave me a different perspective on the entire situation.

"Alice, I'm sure you are way more important than his writing. He's just spent so long hiding, that it's become a bigger issue to him than what it should be."

She sighed and rubbed her stomach. I wasn't sure if the gesture was intentional or subconscious.

"Who would have thought that having money was so difficult, huh?" She mused. I had to laugh; she hit the proverbial nail on the head.

What do you want to do, Alice?"

"I'm having lunch with Nettie today. Come with me. Maybe she can help talk some sense into that thick headed boy of hers." Alice looked down at her watch. "I told her we'd meet her at noon. Are you free?"

I pulled up my calendar and consulted my afternoon.

"Let me juggle a few things, and I'll meet you there." Alice jotted down the name of the restaurant and the cross street and stood to leave.

"I'm sorry about all this, Bella. All you have been is a friend. It's bad enough that you've been through the ringer lately, let alone because of us."

I nodded, not trusting words.

Once Alice was gone, I shot out a few quick emails rescheduling my meetings. It was 11:20. Edward should be in the office by now.

I called his cell phone. He didn't answer. I shot him a quick text.

Lunch with Alice and Nettie. Hopefully dealing with this mess. If not, wearing cropped shirt to work tomorrow.

I thought for a moment longer. We were dealing with this head on. To really do that, we had to cross every bridge. Even the shaky ones.

I dialed the main number for CI. When the receptionist answered, I asked for Carlisle Cullen's assistant. I didn't expect to reach him, but I had to at least try.

As soon as I identified myself to Heidi, his assistant, she asked me to hold. I sat through two minutes of painful muzak, and was about to give up, when the line went live.

"Hello, Bella."

It wasn't Heidi. It was Carlisle.

"Mr. Cullen..." I stumbled for words, not expecting that he would answer the phone. I hadn't thought out what I wanted to say to him.

"Is everything okay? I was concerned when I heard that you were calling."

I took a breath and launched in. "Yes sir. Everything is fine. Well, actually, no sir, it's not, and I wanted to call and apologize for all the…"

I was tripping all over myself and not making any sense.

"Bella, calm down. You are going to make yourself sick. Now take a deep breath and tell me what is going on."

I closed my eyes and tried to collect myself.

"I wanted to apologize for everything that happened yesterday. Emmett and Tanya were together because of us, and then the rumors about me being pregnant….I did buy the test, but it wasn't for me. I have a friend who thought she might be pregnant, and I was trying to help her out. I honestly didn't think that any of this would come out. I am so incredibly sorry. I don't want this to reflect badly on Edward. It wasn't his fault…"

He interrupted before I could continue. "Esme told me about Jasper. I know Bella."

There was a long pause as I waited for him to continue. "I don't blame you for what happened. It's not your fault. I'm not sure if it was Edward's either. It just happened."

"I really am sorry, I…"

"Bella, I won't lie, yesterday was a less than red letter day for the Cullens. But we know what is true, and that is what matters."

"I'm just so incredibly sorry, it seems like all I've done is cause problems, and I don't want to mess up any progress that you and Edward have made. I felt that I needed to apologize, and let you know I'm doing everything I can to make things right."

Carlisle laughed softly. "If anything, I should be apologizing to you. I have not been very fair to you, Bella. I let things cloud my judgment about both you and Edward. You've stood by him unconditionally, and I respect that. While I might not always agree with your perspective, you may have made us all realize that we might not have given Edward a chance to prove he's different. While humbling, I can't be upset with you for that."

I was stunned. I had placed the call in an attempt to help. I didn't anticipate this response.

"Bella, for what it's worth, I realize that this phone call was not easy for you to make. I respect your courage and your devotion to my son, even if it always doesn't come across that way."

"Thank you, Mr. Cullen. I don't know what to say."

"I have a meeting to go to. But I appreciate your call. It took a lot of nerve. Thank you for calling." I was about to hang up when I heard him say my name.

"Oh, and Bella? I really think that it's about time for you to start calling me Carlisle."

Sycophant - E

Jane was on the phone when I approached, taking a message. When she hung up, she smiled at me.

"I got your message earlier. I moved your 9:30 back to 11:00. So, you are free until then. Can I get you anything?"

"Actually, Jane, why don't you come into my office?"

"Sure, just let log out, and I'll be right in."

I nodded in agreement and proceeded to my desk. I'd spent the entire walk trying to figure out how I was going to approach this. I couldn't believe it was Jane. She'd been with the company since she graduated college. She worked her way up to executive assistant status. I remembered her from when I was here before. She was a go getter. Someone we all respected . . . and trusted. Up until recently, I never would have suspected her capable of betraying the family. The idea that she had done so more than once was disturbing. The fact that she knew what damage she caused and continued to work here made me sick to my stomach.

Still, I would hear her out. We'd all been responding too much based on assumption. We'd been overreacting to things that were far simpler than we'd allowed them to be. I needed to know where she was coming from.

Jane walked in, carrying a cup of coffee. I hadn't asked for it, but she anticipated. She was the best assistant I ever had. And obviously, the worst.

I motioned to the chair across from my desk. She sat down and crossed her legs. "What can I do for you?"

I wasn't about play games. I began with the most basic question. The only one I really needed the answer to.

"Why, Jane?"

"Why what?"

I took a deep breath. "I know, Jane. It's been you all along hasn't it?" She was still looking very confused. "Pictures. Tabloids. All of it?"

She looked down at her lap. "I don't think I know what you mean."

"Yes you do, Jane. It would be easier on both of us if we don't try to dance around the issue."

"What makes you think . . . I mean . . .I . . ." But she didn't finish. She was choking up.

"Too many coincidences, too many times. How I know doesn't really matter. I need to know why."

She burst into tears. Sobbing was more like it. "Oh my god. I'm . . . so . . . sorry. I really didn't mean . . . I can't believe I . . . how could I think . .. I just . . . I don't know . . ." I could barely understand her. I handed her a Kleenex, and I waited a few minutes. I wasn't going to offer her sympathy, but I didn't want to be a bastard either.

When she started to settle down a little, I said very calmly. "I'm not going to attack you. Just explain please."

"It's so stupid, Edward." I raised an eyebrow. She looked terrified. "I mean, not you, Mr. Cullen. God, I don't know where to start."

"How about the beginning? Take me back. I need to understand it all."

She took a deep breath and did her best to explain.

"It was an accident at first. Honestly. When you were mess . . .with Bree, Jess made some flippant comment about you buying her jewelry. We teased her, but Bree was so damn excited. You should have heard her talk about those pearls. She really thought they meant something." She looked up at me sheepishly. "And then there were all those rumors, and you and Tanya announced an engagement, and Bree was crushed. She was my friend. I just thought if your engagement was off . . .well I thought you could be with Bree then. I know it was dumb, but I guess I thought you were with Tanya because of who her family was." She was talking through tears.

I withheld reaction. I needed more.

"I don't understand. Why did you leak the fact that I bought jewelry in the first place?"

"I didn't." I raised an eyebrow. "Honestly. Bree was just as torn up about that because it drew you away from her. Jess and I tried to figure out how that got out back then, and all we could figure out was that it was just one of those things. Someone saw you at Tiffany's or something because it didn't appear to be anyone we knew."

"But you let Jess take all the blame. Why would you do that?"

"She offered. I didn't say no. It was a totally selfish thing. She was interested in my brother, and I used it to my advantage. I knew how bad things would be for me if anyone learned I was the one called the press. So, I just went with it."

I shook my head in disbelief, and I could no longer control my anger.

"You saw how it affected everyone. My family. Tanya. But you started doing it again. I don't understand how you could work here. How you could see this mess and keep adding more dirt."

"I'm sorry, but there was plenty of mess you didn't see either."

"Excuse me?"

"Bree, Mr. Cullen. When you ended things with her, she was destroyed."

"Please, Jane. But people break up all the time; it's not really an excuse."

"Maybe, but you were pretty cold to her. She had to leave town too, you know. People called her names. She couldn't get a legitimate job around here. She didn't exactly have a good reference from CI, and most people had seen pictures and just thought she was a gold digger and a cheater. . She wasn't really in the mental state to be interviewing anyway. She really thought you two had something. And you wouldn't return a phone call. She was very bad off for a long time."

I swallowed hard. I honestly hadn't followed up on Bree. Maybe I should have, but really, I didn't think most people would in that situation.

"And now?"

"She's better. Not perfect, but better. Anyway, it was wrong, and I know it, but like I said it was all kind of an accident. Well not really an accident, but I didn't intend it. I don't know maybe I did. I was still so mad at you for what you did to Bree, and I didn't think it was fair that you should be happy. And the offers they made were too good. So, I started with little things. I kind of thought I was protecting Bella too. I like her, you know? I didn't want to see you do the same thing to her that you had to Bree. I didn't actually think it would hurt anyone. I didn't think you really cared about Bella. And it wasn't bad at first was it? You were just having fun in the snow or going on dates. There weren't any lies or anything, right? Not in the beginning anyway."

I was nearly shaking. I didn't know if it was worth explaining. Through gritted teeth, I responded.

"You could have cost me the best thing that ever happened to me. My brother's marriage has been shaken. Tanya has been deeply embarrassed, and you added serious strain to my family relationships. Is that not bad?"

"I didn't know. I really didn't." And with that she was sobbing again. She managed to squeak out a few more apologies. My emotions fluctuated between rage and guilt. Could this really all be my fault? Was my father right? Did it matter?

I dismissed Jane. We both knew her job at CI was over. I asked her to gather her things and go. There were other decisions to be made. She was in violation of a non disclosure clause, and a part of me wanted to make things much more difficult on her. I stared out my window for a while hoping the view would give me answers. When it didn't, I picked up the phone.

"I need to tell you something."

"I'm not going to like this, am I?"

"No, I'm afraid not, Dad." And I explained the situation. He was livid, as I expected. He did not tolerate betrayal well.

"Is she still in my building?" He was seething.

"She's on her way out."

"That's not enough. She is responsible for all of this. Emmett stayed at our place last night. Tanya's father told me today that she's thinking of moving abroad for a while. Jane cannot be allowed to just walk away."

"I don't know. I'm trying to decide if it's worth it. Maybe I'm the one who's to blame."

"Edward, I've blamed you for far too long. You cannot take responsibility for this. I realize I've been asking you to bear too many burdens, and it wasn't fair."

"Which is why I'm thinking maybe we should let it go. It's bad enough that she'll lose her job with no severance and no support in this economy."

"I do not agree. What she did was unforgivable."

"Do you really believe that? Don't we all deserve forgiveness, Dad?" I heard a sound like he was about to say something, but he stopped.

"Yes, son. I suppose we do."

The Crazy Whitlocks - B

Alice and an attractive older woman with silver blonde hair were seated in a discreet corner of the restaurant when I arrived. It was quiet, and we would most likely go unobserved.

"Hey Bella." Alice stood and gave me a quick hug. "Jasper is on his way."

She hadn't mentioned Jasper coming.

"Don't look shocked. It wasn't Alice's doing, it was mine." Nettie Whitlock eyed me up and down. "So you are the girl that sunk the unsinkable Edward. I never thought I would see the day that he would go down for the count. And from everything I have heard he's gone down hard."

Outside of Edward and Alice, I had forgotten what having a simple, uncomplicated conversation felt like. I had a feeling that Nettie Whitlock might be included in that small circle soon.

"I ordered us a bottle of wine. Not that you…" She gave Alice a pointed look, "Dare do anything to jeopardize the health of my grandchild, but dare I say it, the rest of us might need a drink before this is over."

The waiter presented the bottle, and on approval, poured glasses of wine for Nettie and me.

"Hey Mom, sorry I'm…" Jasper stopped dead in his tracks when he realized I was sitting at the table.

"Sit down, Jasper." Her tone was much cooler than it had been minutes before. "Mummy Dearest would like to have a talk."

Alice covered her mouth, trying valiantly not to laugh. Jasper kissed Alice on the head, and sat down without acknowledging my presence. He knew why he had been called here, and would not go easily.

"What is this I hear about you refusing to help your best friend out of a mess that you created?" She looked directly at him, and for a moment, I had a mental flash of Jasper as an awkward teenager, in trouble for sneaking in drunk.

"Mom, come on, you don't know..."

"Jasper, I told her about it this morning. She agrees with me," Alice chimed in. "You've been all over Edward to take care of Bella, to protect her, yet you are willing to let them deal with issues that aren't even theirs. It's not right."

Nettie leaned forward, her elbows resting on the table. "I raised you better than that, Jasper Whitlock. And Edward has been a better friend to you than that."

"Has he, Mom? He disappeared and left a big old mess for us to clean up. And since he's been back…"

"And since he's been back, he's been through more than his fair share of malarkey. And so has this poor girl here." Nettie nodded in my direction.

"Edward has been like a brother to you. He's the one who encouraged you to write, and if it weren't for him and Bella, you would have never met Alice. He's always been your biggest supporter, even when he lived out West, and this is how you repay him? I expect better than that out of a child of mine."

Jasper rubbed at the back of his neck uncomfortably. "What do you propose I do, Mom? Call a press conference and say 'oops, sorry. That's my kid with Alice. Bella isn't knocked up?' You know that it would only be a matter of time before they dug everything else up. And then what?"

"And then we deal with it," Nettie said confidently. "Just like we always have. So what if the family knows your dirty little secret. You are helping keep their albatross of an estate from the developers. They should be thanking you."

Nettie paused to take a sip of her wine. "Besides, this will be a walk in the park compared to when those topless photos came out of your cousin Lucy."

There was a moment of awkward silence before Jasper started to chuckle. "That was a pretty bad sunburn she had. She knows how strong the sun can be at Lake Como."

Alice and I frowned at each other, confused by the conversation.

"Lucy is one of the Whitlock cousins," Nettie explained between fits of laughter. "She's always been a bit of a free spirit. Anyway, she had a brief fling with an actor, the one that was in the remake of the old Sinatra movies. The family was mortified. Definitely a case of 'Not Our Class Darling.'"

Old Sinatra movies….she couldn't mean….

"They took a jaunt to his place in Lake Como, and she was caught sunbathing topless. Or sun burning topless is more like it."

Jasper had managed to catch his breath. "Did she seriously expect that actor would have told her to put on sunscreen? I've seen him in those Oceans movies; he's darker than George Hamilton."

The laughter seemed to diffuse the situation, everyone relaxed. We actually enjoyed ourselves.

After a long and very honest conversation, we agreed that I would organize a press conference for next week. It would give Jasper enough time to round things up on his end. Have some internal family conversations, beef up security around his loft. I would work with the press department at work to line things up, as they would most likely want to do the first ever Jack Hale press tour when this was done.

I didn't stick around for the actual meal. Instead, I grabbed a vendor dog and walked back to the office, thinking about what to do next.

My phone chirped just as I rounded the corner. The CI building loomed ahead of me.

The display showed Edward's name.

"Hey."

"Where are you?"

"Look out your window."

I knew he was too far up to be able to see me.

"Want to come up? It would be nice to see you after the morning I've had."

"I'd love to, but I really need to get back to the office. I have an outing to arrange." I didn't want to go into details on the street. "You know what; maybe I should pop up for a couple of minutes so that we can talk."

"I'll meet you at the elevators."

He was standing there when the doors slide open. Tie loosened. He looked tired.

"Outing? As in?"

"As in I had lunch with Alice, JW, and Nettie Whitlock. He is going to come clean on everything."

Edward leaned back against the hallway wall, and ran his hand through his hair. "This whole mess may finally be over soon."

"I take it you dealt with things here?"

"Yeah, it was what I was afraid of."

It was instinct. I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him. "Oh Edward, I am so sorry."

I hugged him hard. As I squeezed, something jabbed me in the chest.

"Ouch!" I pulled back and pushed back his jacket pocket. A silver pen stuck out of his shirt pocket.

"Nice pen, Cullen."

He smiled, and pushed my hair back from my shoulder.

"Nice earrings, Swan."

Simple reminders for everyday. Maybe I shouldn't scoff at them after all.

E/N: First off, we gave a little tribute to Lucette21, our founding BATgirl in this chapter. Hope she enjoyed being sunburned in the fic world too.

So, yes, it was Jane. And we know you all wanted to see her go up in flames, but Edward has grown. He just wants to live a happy life. And he's pretty darned closed to that HEA now, eh?

Thanks as always to the reviewers. There's so much here to react to. We really want to know what you thought, so please drop us a line. Did you guess Jane? Did you think Jess would be involved? And Jasper is going public! What did you think of Nettie? And have you warmed up to Carlisle yet?