Sorry for the long wait, guys; first I was taking time off to finish Revenant (which I did!) and then real life got in the way in the form of Spanish class. ¡Pasé cinco horas en la tarea de español y tengo que hacer más mañana! Pero tengo solamente tres más semanas de esa clase… Anyway, I'm back now, and if I ever mention writing anything longer than a one-shot until I finish this, somebody slap me.

Chapter 25: Paralysis

Esme and Rosalie were waiting when they arrived home, and one look at Edward's face was all it took to let his adoptive mother know something was very wrong. "What happened? Is Elle-?"

Edward cut her off with a low growl. "Don't talk about her. I never want to hear her name again." He ran upstairs, leaving Carlisle, Alice, Jasper, and Emmett to tell Esme and Rosalie what they had learned about Elle; he knew her absence would have to be explained but had no desire to sit through that explanation, to hear, laid out in excruciating detail, how the only person outside of the family he'd ever loved was nothing more than a spy and a liar. Nor did he want to see Rosalie's self-satisfied smirk or listen to her gloat about how she'd always suspected Elle was up to no good.

Her scent still lingered in his room, mostly on the couch where she had sat the one time she'd been there. He shoved it against the wall, as far from him as he could get it. That hardly helped. Esme has something to clean leather. I'll ask her tomorrow… But it was no use, and he knew it. Elle hadn't just left her mark on his couch or even the room itself; she had left it on him. She'd gotten inside his head and his heart, and she would always be there. Even if he refused to speak of her ever again, pretended she had never existed - not that his family would let him get away with that for long - he would never be able to forget her. There was no taking back his feelings for her either.

That was the worst part, knowing that the person he loved more than anything didn't care about him at all - and in spite of that knowledge, he still loved her.

###

Edward stayed in his room the rest of the night and ignored all attempts to draw him out, but the next day he returned to the communal areas of the house, determined not to waste any more time brooding over Elle. He was better off without her. Grieving over her absence after she had used him, lied to him and made a fool of him made no sense at all. Even being angry at her was pointless since he didn't intend to hunt her down for revenge; if he found her, he wasn't sure he'd be able to trust himself not to do something regrettable.

"I think that's for the best," Alice said when Edward informed his siblings of his decision not to go after Elle. "Although I couldn't get a very clear picture of the probable outcomes since you never actually decided to do it, it seemed like you'd either end up killing her or falling for her again. Whatever happened, you'd be sorry afterward."

"If he fell for her tricks again he should be sorry," Rosalie declared. "I knew there was a reason I didn't like her."

Edward sighed. "Yes, congratulations - you were right and I was wrong. Are you happy now?"

"Immensely - you hardly ever admit to being wrong. I am sorry you were hurt, though. I'm just glad she won't have another chance to do it again."

"She won't. I'm done with her."

"Are you sure about that?" This question earned Emmett a fierce glare from Rosalie, but he kept going. "I'm still not convinced that guy with the glasses didn't feed you a bunch of bullshit-"

"Emmett," Rosalie hissed, "shut up!"

The five vampires fell silent, listening for any sign that Esme was about to appear and scold Emmett for swearing. When it became clear that she wasn't, their discussion resumed. "Emmett has a point," Alice said. "You once told me that it's possible for some people to lie with their thoughts."

"Yes, and I have no doubt that the man who took Elle away is one of those people. I wouldn't have believed him based solely on what I heard in his mind; it was Jasper who convinced me."

Jasper's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Me?"

"You taught me that when someone's lying they're usually nervous, or smug if they're sure they can pull it off, but you didn't feel any anxiety or smugness from the man with the glasses."

That was true; Jasper remembered it very well. All he'd felt from the man was pity, as if he was genuinely sorry Edward had bought Elle's act so thoroughly. Or maybe it was Elle he pitied, since they were colleagues and she had been hurt.

Emmett scratched his head. "So let me get this straight: you know Horn-Rimmed Glasses was telling the truth about Elle because of your interpretation of what Jasper read from him?"

"Precisely."

"Well, if you're sure you aren't making a mistake… It's too bad; I thought Elle seemed okay. I guess you can never really tell about people." Emmett ambled off and Rosalie went with him, confident that the matter was settled and Elle would never bother her again.

Alice started to leave as well, only pausing long enough to tell Edward, "Jasper has something he wants to tell you."

"No, I don't," the empath protested.

"Okay then, it's something he isn't sure if he should tell you," Alice amended. "But I think you need to know." She continued on her way; the other two heard the front door open and close as she went outside.

"All right, what is it, Jasper?" Edward sighed. "I won't be able to let it go now that Alice has succeeded in piquing my curiosity."

"Sorry about that," Jasper said ruefully. "I told her it wasn't any of our business. The thing is, Edward, I wasn't around Elle very much, and she could be hard to read…but it did seem to me that she had real feelings for you."

"Impossible."

"Is it?"

"Yes! She manipulated me and used my feelings for her to spy on all of us! That isn't how you treat someone you care for, but it is fitting behavior for a sociopath, which is what she is. She isn't capable of truly feeling anything for another person."

"Wrong. She felt something for you," Jasper insisted. "I don't know if it was love - her emotions were different to most people's, more unstable, so I couldn't be sure - but it was there. You did matter to her."

"So," Edward began uncertainly, "are you saying you think I should-?"

"I'm not telling you to do anything; that's your choice. Alice just thought you needed to know…if the only reason you don't want to try and get Elle back is that you thought she didn't care."

Forks Hospital

Carlisle's family did not visit him at work often, so he was more than a little surprised when Edward showed up in his office. He was also relieved. Losing a mate was the most traumatic thing that could happen in a vampire's life, so he was glad his son had decided to come talk to him rather than shutting himself away and trying to deal with whatever he was feeling on his own.

"Forgive the interruption, Carlisle; I need to talk with you."

"You know you're always welcome to discuss anything with me." It was an open invitation without being nosy - he didn't want to put Edward off by prodding him to say more than he was ready to.

"How extensive were her injuries?"

There was no question who he meant. "I only had a moment to examine her-"

"We both know you can tell a lot in a very short time. Please, Carlisle, I have to know how bad it was."

"Nonfatal, assuming she received decent medical care."

Edward sensed there was more that Carlisle wasn't saying, or even allowing himself to think about. "But? Just tell me, please."

"She suffered a severe spinal fracture," Carlisle said reluctantly, hoping the news wouldn't upset Edward more. "Even with the best care in the world, she'll never walk again. In fact, she'll likely spend the rest of her life paralyzed from the neck down."

"I see. Thank you."

"May I ask why you wanted to know?"

"Less than five hours ago I had convinced myself I never wanted to see her again, that I didn't even care if she lived or died, and then Jasper told me that when he was around her he had sensed that she did actually feel something for me…and that was all it took. One little hint that maybe what we had wasn't just a game to her! He couldn't even say for certain that what she felt was love, but I was still ready to search the entire country for her just in case there was any chance at all that-" He cut himself off, breathing heavily and pinching the bridge of his nose. "I feel like I'm losing my mind, Carlisle. What should I do?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that."

Edward's hand dropped back to his side as he looked up with barely-controlled desperation in his amber eyes. "You must have some advice for me. Please. There's no one else I can ask, and I've never been so confused in my life."

"All I can say is that you should do what you think is right. Also…if you still love Elle - and it seems to me that you do - then you shouldn't let go of that without fighting for it. Of course, this is just my opinion. Whatever your choice, I will always be there for you."

"I know. And I know what I'm going to do now." At Carlisle's inquisitive look he continued, "Total paralysis is a miserable condition - I can't leave her like that."

Carlisle's eyes widened. "You're going to try to change her?"

"I am."

"Edward, what you're talking about will not be easy."

"I know how difficult it is; you've relived your memories of changing the others often enough that I have a very clear idea of how it will be. I can handle it." He sounded more confident than he actually was; resisting Elle's blood hadn't been a problem for him in the past, when it was safely contained inside her veins, but that might change once he broke the flimsy barrier of her skin and had the taste of it on his tongue. Still, he reasoned, if he did lose control and begin feeding on her, she would snap him out of it - her electrical jolts were definitely painful enough. "After her change is complete I'll take responsibility for her, but I don't know if our relationship will be the same."

"It can't be, at least not right away - she'll be too wild as a newborn."

"That's not what I meant," Edward said with a slight sad smile. "Whatever she may have felt while pretending to be my girlfriend, it doesn't alter the fact of what she did. She had countless opportunities to tell me the truth and chose not to. I still care about her too much to leave her in a state I'm sure seems worse than death to her, but I doubt I'll ever be able to trust her again."

Carlisle nodded understandingly and wondered whether Edward fully comprehended what he was about to get himself into. Managing a newborn vampire was hard enough under normal circumstances; factor in Elle's ability and Edward's confused feelings toward her and it could be a disaster. Perhaps I should go with him…

"Unnecessary. I may need your help later, but first I have to find her, and then her change won't happen overnight - assuming she even accepts my offer. I'm fairly certain she will, but obviously I don't know her as well as I thought. There's no reason for you to be away from your work and the rest of the family for so long."

"Aren't you going to bring her back here?"

Edward briefly considered that option before dismissing it. "I'd rather not fight with Rosalie about it - they hate each other, you know. Besides, we're too close to Forks. Too many people in the woods." She may not feel any remorse if she attacked someone, but I would.

"Well then, I suppose all that's left is for me to wish you luck. You're leaving now?"

"Before the others can try to change my mind, yes. I think Alice must be holding off on telling them, or Rose would already be on the phone screaming at me. I trust you'll do your best to keep Esme from getting upset over my leaving?"

"Of course. Just don't stay away any longer than you have to. And, Edward?"

The younger vampire paused in the act of opening Carlisle's office door. "Yes?"

"Be careful." A bunch of humans, even the dubiously gifted group Elle ran with, shouldn't pose any danger to a vampire, but Carlisle still had a hunch that his son was headed for trouble.

Primatech facility - Hartsdale, NY

When Arthur Petrelli came to see her the second time, Elle was ashamed to realize she was scared. The first time he showed up at her bedside it was just for a debriefing, albeit the most extensive one of her short career. He'd even used telepathy to make sure he got every single detail of her interaction with the Cullens, which had left Elle with a headache and a strong feeling of having been violated; that he was back couldn't mean anything good for her.

She watched warily as the powerful man approached, fully aware that he could do anything he wanted to her, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do to stop him. He crossed the space between them at a slow, relaxed pace, lowered the railing on one side of her hospital-style bed - which was located in the facility's infirmary, of course; the Company would never allow her to go to a real hospital - sat down, and took her hand.

Elle cringed with the desire to pull away, but only in her mind; her damaged body wouldn't obey her anymore. Her hand remained limp as his fingers curled around it.

"Good afternoon, Elle," he said pleasantly. "It's nice to see you again. I hope you've been resting well."

"That's all I've been doing. What do you want? You already know everything I found out about the Cullens, so you must be here to dispose of me." Elle didn't know exactly what happened to agents who outlived their usefulness, but the fact that killing people wasn't really against Company policy gave her a pretty good idea.

Arthur seemed taken aback by the suggestion, maybe even a little offended. "Dispose of you? You think I'd let a talent like yours go to waste?"

"So you're gonna take my power first?" Elle instinctively struggled to get away, though of course nothing happened; the rise in her voice was the only indication of her alarm. Trapped inside her own broken body, her power was all she had left, even though her ability to use it had been drastically reduced by her paralysis. Still, she could at least release electricity through her skin; it wasn't much, but it got rid of those pesky nurses who kept wanting to sedate her all the time. If Arthur took that away she would be completely helpless. But then he's going to kill me, so I guess I don't need to worry about the nurses anyway…

Arthur dropped her hand and gripped her shoulders as if to hold her down, or shake her. "I don't want your power - I'm talking about you. You took on a vampire and survived-"

"Barely," Elle said bitterly.

"You don't know how few humans, even ones with our abilities, could do what you did; you don't know how special that makes you. How valuable."

Elle perked up a little. No one had ever called her valuable before. "You really think so?"

"I do," Arthur said sincerely. "I'll admit reviewing your memories concerned me - it seemed like you'd developed feelings for one of those monsters."

"Edward. He was the first person that actually wanted me around; I think everyone else just puts up with me because they had to, even Daddy sometimes. He said he loved me."

"Until he found out you're one of us. He could have healed you, but instead he just let Bennet take you away from him. Pretty poor repayment after you helped him finish off James if you ask me."

Elle wanted to say that wasn't true, but her return to the Company was all a big blur. She thought Alice, Emmett, and Jasper had been there, and she definitely remembered seeing Carlisle. Surely the five vampires could have fought off Bennet and his team if they'd wanted to…

Arthur read the doubts that were forming in her mind as easily as if they were printed on her forehead. "Yes, they could have. They didn't because they can't understand how necessary our work is; all Edward sees is that you told him a few white lies, and he abandoned you. He doesn't care about you."

Elle was grateful she could still turn her head away; she didn't want Arthur to see the tears welling up in her eyes. Edward had made her feel like the most important person in the world, and while she wasn't sure if she had loved him, being with him made her happy. She would have been willing to do everything expected of a girlfriend for him, including staying away from other guys, if only because they were kind of boring compared to Edward.

Arthur grasped her chin and gently turned her head back toward himself. "He doesn't care about you…but we do. The Company is your family, Elle, and we take care of our own." He got up and opened the door of her room, and another man walked in. "This is Mr. Linderman, a good friend of myself and your father. He's here to fix you."

Linderman took Arthur's place on the edge of Elle's hospital bed and carefully took one of her hands in both of his, closing his eyes in concentration. Warmth spread through her body where he touched her, repairing her damaged spine, restoring her to the peak of health. Sitting up, Elle was delighted to find that she wasn't even sore from lying still for a week. "Thank you so much!" She threw her arms around Linderman's neck, and then she hugged Arthur too since healing her had apparently been his idea, and it'd been pretty nice of him not to kill her.

Arthur was unpleasantly reminded of how overly affectionate his younger son Peter had been as a child, but he reminded himself that unlike Peter, Elle could be useful to him, so he forced himself to grin and bear it. He even gave her a little pat on the back. "Just don't go falling for a vampire again, okay?"

Elle pulled back, her face perfectly expressionless except for a tiny, angry glimmer in her eyes. "Don't worry about it, Mr. Petrelli. From now on, you can count on me one hundred percent." But if I ever see Edward Cullen again, I'll show him I'm not that easy to get rid of.

Next chapter: Edward finds the facility Elle lives in, but she has a surprise waiting for him. It's not going to be a happy New Moon-style 'OMG I'm so happy to see you again' reunion, folks.