A/N: Most characters belong to S. Meyer. Major plotline belongs to J. Austen. I'm just mixing both worlds.

Michelle Renker Rhodes is my beta chicky!

A&A Ch. 27 (P&P Chs. 46 & 47)

When the knock came upon the door to Bella's hotel room, she startled, gasping quietly and smiling. She knew exactly who it was. With anxious excitement, she quickly zipped up the duffel containing her things and walked over to the door, opening it quickly.

There stood Edward - grinning wickedly. She couldn't help but laugh at how darn pleased he looked with himself – like the cat that had just caught the proverbial canary. Maybe, when one looked at it, he had gotten the last laugh. But she was just fine with that.

"Hey," she chuckled.

"Hey yourself," he replied smoothly.

They stood there by the door, grinning at each other.

"May I come in?" Edward finally asked.

"Oh!" Bella chuckled again, opening the door wider to let Edward through. "Yeah, sure."

Edward strolled in, taking a look around the tiny hotel room, which contained just a small table with two chairs, a small TV, and two double beds.

"It's definitely not Pemberley," Bella said, seeing the way his eyes roamed.

Edward turned to face her and opened his mouth, but seemed to change his mind about whatever he was about to say. Instead, he smiled sheepishly and asked,

"Did you really like Pemberley?"

"I loved it!" Bella exclaimed quickly, and then feeling embarrassed, bit her lip, evading his eyes as she continued. "I mean, it was really nice to visit. You have a beautiful home and…"

Sensing her nervousness, Edward strode closer to her and lifted her chin with his fingers, making her hold his gaze again.

"Bella, you don't know how happy it makes me that you liked Pemberley. It's a very important place to me and...and I hope that next time you come to Ithaca, we might spend some more time there."

Bella swallowed, lost in his gaze. "I'd…I'd like that."

She was still lost in his eyes, her muscles frozen, as Edward slowly inclined his head and put his mouth on hers. But though the rest of her body may have been immobile, her lips responded to his immediately, tasting them softly yet thoroughly, familiarizing herself with them even more than she had last night.

When they pulled away, they were both gasping for air.

"I've been dreaming of doing that all night," Edward breathed with a grin, his forehead resting on hers.

Bella simply nodded, too dazed to speak, and Edward took advantage of her silence to wrap his arms around her waist and bring his mouth to hers yet again.

"I thought you wanted to talk," Bella smiled against his lips.

"I do. After."

She chuckled as he nipped her bottom lip, but her chuckles faded when she felt his warm tongue part her lips and teasingly touch hers. Completely forgetting the need to talk, she wound her arms around his neck and let her tongue come out to play. Edward groaned, the way he had the previous evening, and the sound made Bella sigh in perfect contentment.

When her phone vibrated against the nightstand, she completely ignored it.

They stood there, kissing languidly yet passionately for a couple of minutes before Bella's phone vibrated again.

"Do you need to get that?" Edward asked against her mouth, to which Bella simply shook her head, refusing to break their kiss, and more than satisfied with her response, Edward continued kissing her.

Two minutes later, Bella's phone vibrated once more.

"Maybe I should get that," Bella smiled impishly, begrudgingly breaking the kiss.

"Mm," Edward moaned, putting his lips tenderly on her nose.

"And then we can have that talk you claimed you came over for," she teased him. Her arms slid slowly off his neck, trailed down his arms so that even as she walked to the phone they were still in contact with one another.

"I really would like to speak with you about…a couple of things," he grinned.

"Mhm," Bella smirked, pretending not to believe him as she looked at her phone. "Wow, two missed calls from my mom and four from Alice," she murmured, feeling a twinge of apprehension in her stomach as she hit redial for Alice.

"Bella, thank God!" Alice exclaimed as soon as she picked up.

"Alice, what's wrong?"

"I just received a hysterical call from mom. She said she was trying to get in touch with you too, but you weren't answering."

The twinge of apprehension morphed into a fissure of fear.

"What is it? What happened?"

Bella could hear Alice draw in a deep breath. "Jessica has run away."

"What?"

Out of her periphery, Bella could see Edward frown in confusion, but she couldn't pay attention to Edward right now, because Alice was explaining.

"Apparently, she came home last night and announced all proudly to Mom and Dad that she's pregnant."

"Pregnant? She's barely sixteen!"

"Yes. It seems she believed everyone should've ignored that little fact and been thrilled at her announcement, and when Mom and Dad started questioning her, she became outraged and stormed to her room. This morning, when mom went to try to speak with her, she was gone."

"Gone?" Bella repeated, running a frustrated hand through her hair. Edward could see her distress and moved closer, gently wrapping his hand around her arm for support.

"Yes. She left a note saying that she was leaving with the baby's father."

"Who the hell is the baby's father?"

"She didn't say, but…Bella, you'd better sit down."

"Alice, what is it?" Bella asked, not bothering to sit.

"Mom and Dad questioned Lauren for a couple of hours, because you know Jess would've told Lauren."

"Of course," Bella agreed quickly.

"Well, at first she refused to say anything, but then…Bella, the baby's father is Mike Newton."

"Mike Newton?" Bella repeated in horror. At the mention of that name, Edward tightened his grip around Bella's arm.

"Yes," Alice confirmed. "Apparently, they've been…fooling around since this summer."

"Oh, Jesus," Bella moaned, feeling her legs weaken. Edward wrapped his other hand around her other arm, holding her up now.

"It appears that she called him last night after her argument with Mom and Dad, and he told her to go meet him."

"Go meet him where?" Bella cried frantically. "Where are they?"

"Lauren swears that all she knows is that Jess was supposed to meet him in Seattle."

Bella gripped the hair on the top of her head. "Seattle? Oh God. And what are they doing there?"

"I have no idea, Bella. That's as much as Lauren knows. Dad's been making calls to the Seattle PD all morning, but unless Mike is a total idiot, he knows he has to hide right now. This is statutory rape."

"Oh God, Oh God, Oh God," was all Bella could manage to moan over and over.

"Bella, we have to get home right away. Mom is about to go into convulsions, and I'm worried about Dad. He says he'll scour all of Seattle if he has to in order to find Mike and kill him. You know his health isn't exactly stellar. I'm hoping Emmett will come up to Washington with us."

"I'm sure he will. We'll meet you back in the city."

"Okay. I'll look up flights for the three of us."

When Bella ended the call, she quickly made her way to the door, but Edward grabbed her firmly and turned her to face him.

"Bella, where are you going?"

"I have to find Emmett right away," she blurted, staring at his chest before trying to turn herself around again.

"Wait, wait, wait," Edward said, turning her towards him once more.

It all hit Bella then, and she sat down heavily over one of the beds, cradling her head in her hands while tears of anger streamed down her face. Edward knelt in front of her and waited for her to lift her head.

And as much as Bella hated having to tell Edward about this, she knew he'd eventually find out anyway, knowing what his connection to Mike was.

"My cousin Jessica is pregnant, and apparently Mike is the father."

Edward nodded, his jaw clenched tight. "I gathered that much from your end of the conversation."

They were both silent for one long moment.

"She's run away," Bella finally added staring off beyond him, "with him. According to Lauren, they're somewhere in Seattle but no one knows where. I don't know what she's thinking." Her voice cracked as fresh tears sprang to her eyes.

"All I can think about is how I could've prevented this. I've known for weeks now the type of man Mike really is. I should've warned her somehow, made it clear to her that she shouldn't trust him. But now it's too late."

Edward drew in a lungful of air before letting it out heavily.

"So it's definite that they're in Seattle?"

Bella shrugged tiredly. "I would think that's a safer bet for them than Forks or Port Angeles - both are much smaller and would make it easier for them to be found. They can hide much easier in a large city like Seattle. Besides, Jessica is underage. He can't take her very far without her legal guardian's permission."

Edward simply nodded. "And what exactly is your Dad doing to try to find her?"

"He's been in contact with a few of his friends in the Seattle PD, and Alice says he wants to see if Emmett will come home with us to help. But what difference does it make?" Bella asked, forcing herself to meet Edward's gaze. "She's sixteen years old and pregnant from a man almost ten years her senior who obviously lacks any scruples or morals whatsoever. How are they supposed to be found?"

Edward shook his head silently.

"When I found out what type of man he really was, the things he'd done…" Bella mused bitterly. "I was afraid to say too much." She gripped her hair again. "God, what have I done?"

Edward didn't answer her. Instead, he stood up and started pacing the room, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Bella looked at him, cocking her head to the side curiously, and then it hit her.

She'd lost him.

It was Rosalie's situation all over again, and he'd already gone through it once. He wouldn't want to go through it again or associate with anyone who could possibly remind Rosalie of that most horrible time she'd gone through. Rosalie wanted to forget Mike; she deserved to forget him, and with this situation now, Edward had to distance himself from Bella and her family.

All of a sudden, a phrase she'd spoken just last night to Rosalie over dinner came back to her:

"You'll never have to deal with any part of him again, not if your brother or I have anything to do with it. I promise you that."

Bella closed her eyes, understanding what that promise meant, what it would cost her, because she finally understood that she loved Edward, had loved him all along, but that understanding had come too late now that she knew that their love could never be.

But she couldn't think of herself now. She cradled her head in her hands again, trying to figure out a way to find Jessica, and her thoughts were only interrupted by a smooth, velvet voice.

"Bella, I've got to get going, but I'll give you a call as soon as I can, okay?"

Bella lifted her head and found Edward kneeling before her once more, his features anxious, every fiber of his being screaming his need to leave the room quickly.

"Alright, Edward," she replied as calmly as possible.

He leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "Have a safe trip home."

With those words, he was gone.

OOOOOOOOOO

For those few minutes before Emmett showed up, Bella thought back to last summer – not in relation to her and Edward, but in relation to Jessica, and how Bella had never noticed any specific preference between Jessica and Mike. True, Jessica was a flirt, but she was an equal opportunity flirt, bouncing from crush to crush depending on who happened to pay her any mind that particular week. God, how Bella wished she'd paid more attention to what was going on right before her eyes, but she'd been so caught up in her assumed dislike of Edward and in believing Mike to be a saint that she'd been blind to what had apparently been just under her nose.

An anxious knock sounded against the door, but Bella knew it wasn't Edward – not this time. She opened the door and looked into Emmett's strained eyes.

"Alice called me."

Bella nodded. "Are you coming home to Washington with us?"

"Of course I am," Emmett smirked. "Not for friggin' Jessica, but for you and Alice, and even your dad. I'll help any way I can."

Bella hugged her cousin – who was more like a big brother to her.

"Thanks, Em."

"Where's Edward?" Emmett asked when Bella pulled away. "I saw him come up when I was in the lobby."

"Yeah, he was here. I told him what happened, and now he's gone," she responded, her tone holding a bit more of an edge to it than she'd meant for it to.

"O-kay," Emmett said slowly, not completely understanding what that meant. "I'm all packed, so as soon as you're ready…"

"I'm ready," Bella confirmed, and then with a quick stride to the bed to pick up her duffle, she walked out and by that afternoon, the three were on a flight back to Washington.

OOOOOOOOOO

"I've been thinking about it," Emmett said, seated at the end of the row on the airplane, his two cousins in the seats next to him, "how likely is it that Jessica, should we find her at all, will agree to pressing statutory rape charges against Mike?"

Bella pursed her lips. "Knowing Jessica, if he's currently sweet-talking her up a storm, not very likely."

"But Jess doesn't have to agree to press charges, does she?" Alice questioned. "She's a minor. Mom and Dad, as her legal guardians, are legally able to press them on her behalf."

"Yeah, but you know how Jessica is," Emmett pressed. He didn't want to upset his cousins any further, but at the same time he needed to be realistic with them. "If she throws a tantrum over it, your Dad may back off just so he won't have to hear her mouth. And if she gets to Aunt Renee, well, I don't mean to be harsh, but you know Jess can talk Aunt Renee into and out of practically anything."

Bella shook her head. "He can't be allowed to get away with this. He's a grown man for God's sakes, while Jessica, no matter how stupid, is practically still a child. And besides, it's not the first time he's done something like this, and it most probably won't be the last. He's a predator."

"What do you mean it's not the first time he does something like this?"

Bella closed her eyes, realizing what she'd said. Yes, she'd spoken to Alice about what Mike had done to Rosalie, but Emmett didn't know, and she wouldn't reveal Rosalie's secret any further, no matter what. She'd promised her; she'd promised Edward; and she wouldn't break that promise – even if she'd probably never see them again.

"Never mind. When we find Jessica," Bella murmured, "we've got to find a way to make her see that Mike doesn't give a damn about her. Once she stops believing his lies, I think she'll come to her senses."

"But how do we get her to see that he's just using her for some quick fun?"

The other two shook their heads, equally at a loss.

"Man, and what the hell is Jessica going to do now with a baby? She still has two years of high school to go. And mark my words, it'll be your mom and dad who end up supporting that baby; another mouth for them to feed."

Yes, Bella had been thinking about that as well. Her mind had been an endless loop of all the consequences of Jessica's actions for hours now.

She sighed. "I suppose I can postpone grad school for a few years. Once I'm done with undergrad in May, I can get a job in Forks and stay home, to help out."

Emmett's nostrils flared and he shook his head vehemently. "Bella-"

"Bella, no," Alice cried. "Look…I'll drop out of FIT for a few semesters and-"

"No way, Alice," Bella hissed through clenched teeth. "This isn't your fault, it's mine. Besides, you've made it this far and I'm not going to let you sacrifice yourself when you're so close to the future you deserve."

"What about the future that you deserve, Bella?" Emmett questioned. "I agree, Alice shouldn't drop out of FIT, but by the same token you shouldn't forego grad school because of a stupid mistake that Jessica made. She stuck her foot in it, let her find her way out."

Bella shook her head. "Emmett, there are things you don't understand. This is my fault. I could've prevented a lot of this; at the very least I could've prevented Jessica running off with Mike."

"Bella, you don't know that," Alice insisted.

"Yes, I do."

"How?" Emmett asked. "How could you have prevented this? You know Jessica's always been wild. I'm sorry, she's my cousin too, but the truth is the truth."

"Emmett, I knew things about him that I should've told the girls about! I should've warned the whole damned neighborhood about him! And anyway, if it was only about her, Emmett, I might agree with you, but this goes beyond her now. There's a child involved, and I have to take responsibility."

Emmett sighed heavily, frustrated beyond belief. "I don't understand at all why you feel you need to take responsibility for this. No matter what you think you knew, you shouldn't have to alter your entire future to get her out of her mess."

Bella didn't respond. She simply stared straight ahead, wishing Edward was near her, missing him already more than she ever imagined she could.

OOOOOOOOOO

Renee greeted them with tears and loud shrieks when they finally arrived in Forks after a long, exhausting day of travel.

"Oh God, I'm going crazy!" she cried. "Your father is off in Seattle somewhere and has left me here alone. I call him every hour to see if he has any news, but he never has any! How did this happen? How? After the way we treated Mike Newton, this is how he repays us? My nerves are shot to hell! I haven't been able to concentrate on any of my shows! I'm going crazy!"

"Mom, try to calm down," Bella soothed quietly.

"How can I calm down when my poor Jessica is off God knows where in her delicate condition? You've never been pregnant, Bella, you don't know how difficult it is! I warned your father that he was too strict with the girls, that they'd rebel if he didn't loosen the reins a bit, but he didn't listen to me, and this is what happens!"

"Mom," Bella said firmly, "Dad wasn't strict at all with either of the girls."

Renee ignored her.

"And now when Charlie finds Mike, he'll probably try to fight him and Mike will probably beat him to a bloody pulp, and then who'll pay the bills around here?"

Bella fought to calm herself, even as her mother went on and on. She stood there, waiting to get a word in edgewise, while Emmett excused himself to pick up a call he'd apparently gotten on his phone.

"Mom, calm down. Emmett is here, and he'll help Dad look for Jessica. We all will."

"Oh thank heaven!" Renee proclaimed. "Now Emmett, when you go meet your uncle, tell him that he absolutely has to find them. And that once he does, he has to convince Jessica to come home." She went on and on, though Emmett was engrossed in his phone call and barely paying her any mind. "And tell him to tell her that if she comes back soon, I'll take her to that adorable baby store in Port Angeles, and we can buy tons and tons of clothes and toys for the baby!"

Emmett finally hung up, and Bella watched him as he stood there silently for a few seconds, staring at the ground. His eyes suddenly flashed up to hers, but then just as quickly he looked away from her and walked over his aunt.

He took her hands in his. "Aunt Renee, I promise I'll do my best to find Jess. But you seriously need to calm down a bit."

He then turned to Bella and Alice. "I've got to go."

"What, right now?" Bella asked.

Emmett nodded. "I…I think I might have a couple of leads."

"Already? Does dad know?"

Emmett shook his head. "Not yet. I'll give him a call when I'm in Seattle."

"I'll come with you."

"No, Bella!" Emmett said roughly. And then more smoothly, "I think you should stay with your mom and Lauren for now. Aunt Renee definitely needs some moral support, and poor Lauren is probably going crazy all alone here with her. If I need you or Alice, I'll give you a call."

"But, Emmett-"

"We'll talk later, little cuz, alright?"

Bella frowned, and then nodded.

Once Emmett had left and Renee self-medicated herself into a peaceful slumber, Alice and Bella sat in the kitchen, talking.

"Alice, I should've told what I knew of him."

"Bella, you didn't know this would happen. You have to stop blaming yourself."

Bella nodded, tears stinging her eyes, for Jess and her stupidity, for the poor innocent child growing inside her…

…and for all the hope that she herself had awoken with this morning, and how in less than twenty-four hours, it was all gone.

A/N: Thoughts?

Just a few chapters left.

I plan to start posting a new story next week, for those of you interested. :) So put me on Author/Story alert, and keep an eye out.

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