All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer; I just like to play with her characters.

No copyright infringement is intended.

HUGE thanks to darcysmom, twimom817 and EdwardsMyObsession1971 for beta'ing and pre-reading. They make my words better.

When You Least Expect It

Outtake – Lauren

"Come on, Edward …. Please pick up."

Same thing, different day. Every time I called Edward, his phone always went straight to voicemail. I know that he's avoiding me, and I can't blame him, but I love him - in my own way.

The relationship that I had with Edward was comfortable and easy. He was a beautiful man, inside and out. Some would say that I took Edward for granted and maybe that was true. When he came to me and suggested settling down – getting married and starting a family – I panicked. Was I ready to take his name and become a wife? Was I ready to change my entire life to give him everything he wanted? When it came down to it, I wasn't.

I became distant and began to avoid spending our time off together. I made excuses, telling Edward that I was having a meeting about an upcoming project. Only part of it was a lie – I did have a meeting about an upcoming project, and it was there that I met the man whom I'd later have an affair with.

There was something thrilling about sneaking off to see David. He was handsome and a well-respected director. David had a bit of reputation himself – the famous ladies man who was never seen with the same woman twice - until he married London Murray. She was a fashion model – tall and beautiful and she gave him two gorgeous babies. David was famous for avoiding relationships, and for me he was the thrill of the chase.

"Lauren, sweetheart, come, I want to discuss a script with you." David told me one evening, after I'd joined him for dinner.

"A script? Something new for me?"

I straddled his lap and pulled the thick manuscript from his fingers.

"Not for you, my love. For Edward. I want you to take this to him and have him look it over."

"David … I can't do that. He'll want to know how I got it."

"Tell him you got it from a friend and were asked to pass it along."

He shifted me slightly, pulling my panties aside and slipped into me.

"Ugh," I moaned. "David … oh, God."

"Ask him to look at it, Lauren. Tell him he needs this role."

David's thrusts became quicker as he pushed into me.

"I can't! He'll know!"

"He'll know if you don't, Lauren."

Four days later, pictures of me and David having dinner in the back of a dark restaurant surfaced. David's hands were all over me and it was clear that I was enjoying his touch. I had warned Edward by coming clean the day before the pictures were printed. To say he was upset was an understatement. We'd been America's sweethearts, and I ruined everything. I betrayed his trust and had taken his heart and stomped all over it – his words, not mine.

"Are you serious right now, Lauren?"

"Edward, I'm sorry!"

"You're seriously trying to apologize right now? I can't believe you, Lauren. You've made me the laughing stock of Hollywood."

"Since when do you care what other people think, Edward?"

"Since you shit on my name, Lauren! I think it's best if you pack your things and get out."

"Edward, I love you."

"You love me? You love me so much that you ran into the arms of another man? We were talking about getting married and starting a family … oh … I understand now. Your hesitance makes sense now. You never wanted that, did you? So instead of being honest with me you found solace in the arms of your director. Make sure the next time you see good old David, you tell him that I'm not the least bit interested in his precious script, nor will I ever be interested in working with a piece of shit like him."

"Edward …"

"No, Lauren, I'm done. You know where the door is, I suggest you use it."

Edward went off the grid for a little while after that. I figured that he went up to his parent's estate in Napa and spent some time there before he left for his next project. He wouldn't answer or return any of my calls. If I knew Edward, he'd call after he calmed down, but it would be a long seven weeks before I heard from him again. I even tried calling Edward's assistant, Eric, to no avail.

I was in the middle of getting my hair done when my phone rang, and I knew from the ring tone that it was Edward calling.

"Edward?" I asked softly.

"Yeah … it's me."

"How are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm all right. Working … you know how it is. How is your new project going?"

"Oh … umm … I backed out of it. I couldn't do it. I'm not doing so well. I miss you."

Edward sighed.

"Lauren … I don't know why you did what you did, and I'm at a point where I don't care. You humiliated and hurt me more than I could ever imagine. How could you do that to someone you love? If you didn't love me you should have said something long ago, Lauren."

"I do love you, Edward. I love you so much." I sniffled.

"You love me so much you had an affair with a married man? His family is ruined. I know it wasn't all your doing – you obviously didn't act alone and he knew what he was doing but …."

"I know, Edward, I know. It was wrong. I don't know what I was thinking. It was a horrible mistake and you can't imagine how sorry I am. Please, Edward … tell me that when you come home we can talk. I'll do anything, I just want you back."

"We're talking now, Lauren and I'm afraid this is all I have to offer to you. I can't be with someone who would disrespect me like that and humiliate me publicly. You know how private I am and this was just too much. I think it's best if we part ways now and go on about our separate lives."

Edward's voice broke at the end of his statement, and I hoped if I stayed on the line long enough that he'd cave as ask me to go to him. All he had to do was ask.

"Edward, please … I don't want you to walk out of my life. You're all I've known for the past few years and I love you, I do. Please give me another chance."

"I'm sorry, Lauren. Walking out of your life is not something I can promise you I won't do right now. I need space and you need to earn my forgiveness if that's even possible."

"P… puh … please, Edward?" I sobbed.

"I'm sorry, Lauren. I'll be in touch."

Months rolled by and I heard nothing from Edward. It took everything I had not to call him over the holidays and tell him again how much I love and missed him.

In an attempt to check in on Edward, I called his manager, Nick, and inquired to his whereabouts.

"Lauren, I'm sorry, doll. I can't tell you anything about Edward. He asked me not to give you that information."

"Nick, please … I'm desperate. I need to know where he's is."

"Lauren, he's fine. Edward is working on a project outside of the States. He'll be back in a few weeks. If you're that desperate you can wait and try to call him when he gets back."

Since Nick was no help, I contacted one of the online blogs where paparazzo posted their photos. Through some information they'd given me, I was able to find another blog where photos of Edward filming in Australia were posted.

He looked good – tired, but good. I kept an eye on the blog and when pictures were posted of him leaving Sydney, I jumped at the chance to see him again. I contacted the young paparazzo I'd become acquaintances with, and we drove to LAX to wait for Edward's flight. We weren't able to get close to him; he had a behemoth of a bodyguard with him – one that I didn't recognize.

"Damn it, I should have tried to get him when he came home for the Oscars."

"Why didn't you?"

"He was only home for a few days then. No matter … he can't have Bigfoot with him all the time can he?"

The paparazzo smiled and shook his head.

A few days later, I called Edward's assistant Eric in hopes that he'd let me speak with Edward.

"Lauren, honey, I believe Edward made it clear that he would be in touch if and when he's ready."

"Eric, please, I need to speak to him."

"I'm sorry, Lauren. There's nothing I can do. Edward is moving on with his life. Perhaps you should do the same."

With that, Eric ended the call, and when I tried to call him back; his phone went straight to voicemail.

To take my mind off of Edward, I eagerly dove into a new project. It would keep me busy for a few weeks – if I was lucky.

At the end of May, I received a phone call from my photographer friend, and he informed me that a woman had been seen arriving and leaving from Edward's estate several times over the past few weeks.

"Do you know who she is?"

"No. I've been working on it though. She has the entry code, so it's likely that she's an employee of some sort."

"Either that or Edward's got himself a new girlfriend."

"It's possible. I'll keep working on it, but in the meantime, I was wondering if you had any connections at his agency?"

"I only know Edward's manager. I can put in a call to him but I doubt I'll get anything out of him. He's pretty faithful to Edward."

Taking a deep breath, I called Nick's number.

"Hi, you've reached Nick Malone, I'm out of the office at the moment, so please leave your name, number, and a detailed message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks."

"Hey Nick, this is Lauren Welch. Can you give me a call when you get this message? It's important that I speak with you."

Two days later, Nick finally returned my call.

"Sorry, Lauren, I've been busy. What can I do for you?"

"I have a friend who has some pictures of Edward's little girlfriend," I baited, wondering what his response would be.

"What kind of pictures?"

"The kind that Edward probably doesn't want the public to see."

"What do you want, Lauren?"

"I want to see Edward. I need to see him, Nick."

"So in exchange for these photos, you want me to give you information on Edward?"

"Yes."

"Tell me about these photos. Where were they taken?"

"Outside of Edward's estate."

"How do you know?"

"Do you think you're the only person who knows people? I have my own sources, Nick, and they're hungry. They want to know who the woman in their photographs is and it's only a matter of time before they find out."

"Bring the photographs and meet me for lunch."

"I know the perfect place." I grinned.

"I bet you do."

I met Nick in the same restaurant I'd been caught with David in. I chose it because it was dark and offered a bit of privacy. I'd gotten the photographs from my friend – saved to a thumb drive and ready to deliver to Nick. He was right on time, and I was anxious to hear what he had to tell me.

"What do you want to know, Lauren?"

"Where is Edward?"

"He's here in L.A., but he's leaving in a couple of days to shoot in Morocco."

"Where in Morocco?"

"Outside of Marrakech. He'll be there until the end of July."

"Edward's birthday is coming up in a few weeks. I want you to arrange for me to visit him on the set. I'll arrange my flight and car, but I don't want there to be any problems with security."

"Do you think Edward wants to see you?"

"He'll be all alone in a foreign country on his birthday; of course he'll want to see me."

Nick promised that he'd make the arrangements and I had my own plans to make.

A few weeks later, I stepped off the plane in Marrakech on a sunny Friday morning. The waiting car took me directly to the set of the film that Edward was currently shooting. I stepped out of the car and once I'd cleared security, an assistant took me over to Edward's trailer.

As we walked, I noticed a tall, blond man walking away from the trailer we were walking toward. I didn't recognize him, but I assumed he was one of Edward's numerous assistants.

"This is Mr. Cullen's trailer, ma'am. If he's expecting you, I'm sure he won't mind if you go on in and make yourself comfortable."

"Thank you." I smiled, before opening the door and stepping into the trailer.

I closed the door behind me and when I turned around, a familiar brunette and a little boy looked at me with wide eyes. The woman was very pretty. She was petite with delicate features and I could see why Edward might have been attracted to her.

"Oh … I'm sorry … I was under the impression this was Edward's trailer." I smiled, feigning ignorance.

"Oh, umm, this is Edward's trailer, but he's working. Can I help you?"

"I'm Lauren, his girlfriend. I came to surprise him. Who are you?"

The woman before me raised her brow in question, but she thought out her answer before she replied.

"I'm Isabella, we're," she pointed to the little boy, "guests of Edward's."

"Really?" I asked. "That's interesting … Edward never invites guests to his sets. He says it's too distracting."

"Sorry, Bella," A voice came from behind me, "that took longer than I thought."

It was the same blond assistant I'd seen leaving Edward's trailer when I arrived. He had yet to see me as he had his phone in his hand when he entered the trailer.

"Ms. Welch … is there something I can help you with?" The man asked.

"Who are you? Where's Eric?"

"I'm Jasper Whitlock, I'm Edward's manager. What I'd like to know is how you managed to end up here."

"I wanted to see Edward, so I called Nick and he pulled a couple strings to get me on set, so here I am."

"Edward won't be happy to see you."

"Yes, he will. He just doesn't know it yet."

The brunette laughed and I turned toward her once again.

"What's so funny?" I snapped.

"What's funny is that you actually believe that, Lauren."

Edward's voice washed over me like a breeze. How I had missed the sound of his voice. How had I missed him coming into the trailer?

The little boy squealed and cried out for Edward, quickly moving from his place on the floor into Edward's welcoming arms. Edward picked him up with a laugh and kissed the adorable little boy on the cheek. The scene before me was enough to make my heart ache. There was a time that Edward had asked me to have his children and I'd denied him. I was witnessing firsthand how much he truly wanted a child of his own. It seemed so natural to him, and I felt guilty.

Edward promised the little boy that they'd have lunch together in a few moments before he asked his assistant to take the little boy outside, claiming that we needed a few minutes. All I needed was for Edward to ask the brunette to leave too, so we could talk about us.

Edward's eyes moved over to the brunette and he gazed at her lovingly but as if he was asking her a question. I watched the entire exchange between the three of them, my eyes going back and forth waiting for something – anything.

The assistant took the little boy from Edward and exited the trailer and I watched them as they went. When I turned back to Edward, he had brushed past me and pulled the little brunette into his side.

"Are you okay?" Edward whispered at her temple before kissing her softly.

Oh how I remembered how those soft kisses felt on my skin. I missed the warmth and softness of his lips and his touch on my skin. As I watched how he looked at her, I realized that I'd never have that again. Edward never looked at me the way he was currently looking at the woman he'd tucked into his side.

Edward turned his attention to me.

"What are you doing here?"

I was a little bit dumbfounded – I thought it was quite obvious why I was there.

"I came to see you, Edward. I wanted to talk to you. I miss you."

"Lauren," Edward sighed. "I said everything I needed to say to you over the phone months ago. I've moved on – obviously, and I'm extremely happy. Happier than I ever was with you – there is nothing else to discuss."

"I love you, Edward," I sobbed.

Edward looked at me with a sad expression on his handsome face. It wasn't sadness though – it was pity.

"I'm sorry, Lauren. I don't know what you were thinking showing up like this. We haven't talked since that last phone call. I know you've tried to get in touch, texting me and emailing but obviously I wasn't ready to talk to you. I told you that cheating was a hard limit for me."

"Can't you forgive me and we can move on?" I begged.

"I have moved on, Lauren," Edward huffed. "Forgiveness is earned and you're not there yet. I don't know how you managed to get inside my trailer let alone on the set, but you need to leave."

Edward picked his phone up off the table and proceeded to make a call as I stood before him, numbly twisting my fingers.

"Please, Edward … can't I talk to you alone? Without her here?"

"Hey, Doug … we have an issue – can you come to my trailer please?"

Doug! Yes, I knew Doug. Perhaps he could help me talk some sense into Edward.

No sooner had Edward ended the call than Doug walked through the door.

"Ms. Welch … you need to come with me," Doug said firmly, stepping between me and Edward.

"Edward, pleeease," I cried, feeling desperate.

Edward stepped in front of the brunette protectively.

"Damn it, Lauren! NO! Do you even see this woman standing here beside me? She's the only woman I want in my life. She's everything to me – and you – you're nothing."

Nothing? How could I mean nothing to him? I'd given him four years of my life. Four good years. I'd been good to him until … but I apologized for that. Why couldn't he see that all I wanted to do was make up for my shortcomings? I loved him still, and I'd do anything for his love in return.

"Get her out of here, Doug. Send Jazz back in here if you see him will you?"

"Yes, Sir."

Doug placed his hand at the small of my back and nudged me from where I stood. Tears were streaming down my face, and I couldn't believe that I'd travelled all this way for nothing - for Edward to treat me as if I was a piece of shit.

"Come on, Ms. Welch, your car is waiting for you."

Numbly, I followed Doug to the car, and as I stepped in, I heard him tell security that I was forbidden from ever visiting the set again. If I were to set foot on the premises, I was to be escorted off and the police were to be contacted.

Since things didn't go the way that I had intended for them to go, I had to call around and find a hotel for the night. Thankfully, I was able to arrange a flight home first thing the next morning, but the delay in leaving left me plenty of time to wallow. After falling onto the bed of my hotel room in a heap, I picked up my phone and called Nick.

"Hello?"

"Nick … it's Lauren."

"Lauren … long time no talk."

"No shit. Why didn't you tell me that you weren't working for Edward anymore?"

He laughed sardonically.

"That's a recent development. Pretty boy didn't take to me warning him about his new toy too well."

"Toy? You are talking about the brunette right?"

"Mmmhmm …. Isabella is her name, but I believe Edward calls her Bella. She's his 'personal chef' but I can see that she's quickly moving up the ranks."

"She's what?"

"You heard me, Lauren. First he took her into his house as an employee, and now he's taken her into his bed."

"He does seem pretty serious about her." I offered.

"Yeah," Nick huffed. "So serious he fired me over the bitch."

The words that Edward had spewed at me rang in my head, and the more that I thought about them, the angrier I became.

"Will you meet me for lunch when I get back to L.A.? I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

Nick agreed and said that he would take care of the arrangements for lunch on Monday afternoon.

We met at the same restaurant and came up with a game plan. Nick was furious with Edward for letting him go.

"I gave him his career on a silver platter and that fucker had the nerve to fire me over a woman who won't be around six months from now."

"You have done a lot for him." I agreed.

"Are you opposed to stirring up some trouble?" Nick grinned.

"What kind of trouble?"

"Expose Bella. The press will eat it up. When she returns, she'll be hounded by the paparazzi. I don't think she's got thick enough skin to deal with it. Before Edward can return from Morocco, Bella will be long gone and you can be there to console him."

"Do you really think that will work?"

"Absolutely. Edward's biggest concern right now is keeping his precious Bella away from the pap's."

"Let's do it."

I called Adam, my paparazzo contact and he was more than willing to help me with whatever I needed. Nick agreed to finance our little plan and Adam was game. We kept a close eye on Bella. She returned from Morocco a few days after I did with the behemoth bodyguard of Edward's in tow. Adam discretely tailed Edward's little girlfriend and revealed to me that he'd known for some time who she was and he'd been following her for a while.

"How easy do you think it would be to get inside her condo?" I asked him one afternoon as we sat in the car down the street from Bella's house.

"Pretty easy. I have a friend who works at the security company she uses for her alarm system. I could call in a favor and all I'd have to do is pop the locks and voila, I'm in."

Fourth of July weekend was coming up and a few days before, I noticed the big brute pulled up in front of Bella's condo, driving Bella's SUV.

"It's all gassed up and ready to go," He grinned as Bella opened the front door.

We watched them carry out luggage and they loaded up the car. A few moments later, a very pregnant, dark haired petite girl pulled up and started adding her luggage to the mix. It looked like they were going away for the weekend and it seemed like it was the perfect time to check out the inside of Bella's little home.

Adam called in his favor and we were all set.

"You're looking for pictures," I reminded Adam. "I want something good … anything that can tell us about her life. Everyone has skeletons in their closet and I'm hoping that Bella's are scary."

I sat outside in the car while Adam did his thing. I had spoken to Nick and he wanted to get together again after the job was done. Whatever pictures Adam found would be turned over to Nick, and he'd take care of getting them to the proper outlets.

"Look at this," Nick said, passing a newspaper over to me.

The picture was of Edward and Bella dancing in what looked like a marketplace. They looked carefree and blindingly happy. I wanted that to be me. The headline read:

Actor/Heartthrob Edward Cullen spotted in the Marketplace in Marrakech but is seemingly off the Market.

The headline hurt the most because I knew it was true. He was in love with this woman, and he was slipping through my fingers faster than I could blink.

"Look at these …" I smiled, passing over the photos that Adam had taken from some of Bella's albums.

One was a wedding picture – Bella wore a poufy white dress and a smile that could only grace a bride. The second was a picture of Bella in a cook's uniform and she was holding up a certificate in front of her and the third was a picture of her and the little boy on what appeared to be the first day of school.

"Holy shit … she's MARRIED?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. "I don't know anything about her, other than she's a chef. She can't be married – Edward would never get involved with a married woman. He's made that perfectly clear."

"But still there's a kid involved, so there's got to be a story there."

"Nick … you can't run that little boy through the mud."

"Why not? And it's his mother I want to run through the mud – don't you think she deserves it? I'll never work for another agency in L.A. again – she ruined my career."

"Because he's a child, Nick! Have a little decency for Christ's sake! Don't you think if Edward is doing everything in his power to protect Bella that he'll protect her son as well? I think you're playing with fire, and if you're not careful, you'll get burned."

"So you're giving up?"

"I'm not giving up, but I won't involve or purposely hurt a child to get what I want, Nick. If Edward cares for this boy as much as he seems to, he wouldn't be happy to know that I took part in hurting him. That alone would stack the deck against me."

A few days later, Adam and I went back to Bella's condo to see if she was there. Adam was hoping to get a few shots of her that could be released simultaneously with the photos we'd turned over to Nick. Upon a closer inspection, we realized that Bella's condo was completely empty. Looking through the front window, all the furniture was gone. A neighbor peeked out her front door and asked if we were friends or were interested in renting the condo. When we asked her about Bella, she said that she'd moved out a couple days prior with no notice.

"Hmm … Bella where could you be?"

Adam put a call in to a friend and through a network of paparazzi; we learned that Edward had moved his precious Bella into his estate – far away from the prying eyes of the photographers.

As the days wore on, I realized that it was getting closer to Edward's homecoming. No one seemed to know exactly when he'd be done shooting, but it didn't matter to me. Nick called me to say that he was out. He had been slapped with a lawsuit from not only Edward, but his management company too. Somehow they'd been able to implicate him in the case of the break-in to Bella's condo, as well as the pictures that had been shared with media outlets. He was being sued for breach of contract and defamation of character. He wasn't sure that he could actually be found guilty for either offense but it was a definite possibility. Adam was charged with breaking and entering, as well as tampering with the security system. So far they'd both been tight lipped about my involvement, but there was no paper trail to implicate me either.

In light of the lawsuits against Nick, I decided to lay low and find a new project to occupy my time. Rumor had it, David had a new project that he was working on and the hype surrounding it was unbelievable, and I wanted to be a part of it. In between working on the new project and writing something of my own, I came to realize that I was a lot happier. I was doing things for me instead of for someone else, and I realized that Edward probably felt the same way. While I'd always hold a special place for him in my heart, if he was truly happy with Bella, I had to find it in my heart to let him go.

A couple months later, People magazine released an issue with Edward on the cover. He looked as handsome as I'd ever seen him and the interview inside blew me away. He'd found the one thing in his life that truly brought him happiness. Tucked inside was a beautiful photo of him in his backyard with Bella at his side. They looked perfect together, and as I closed the cover, I vowed to close that chapter of my life and find something that brought me as much peace as Bella brought to Edward.

A/N: So there you have Lauren's side of the story. I had thought about writing Nick's side, but I think it is best to have it told through Lauren. There are still three more outtakes coming your way – I hope to finish up the last of them and get it off to the beta ASAP so that I can post it before I post the remaining two. There IS a Kaden outtake coming, BUT it will be the final outtake posted and then I will mark this little ditty "complete".

Thoughts?

Thank you for reading.