Chapter 23 – The necessity of a plan B

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"Look Anthony! It's snowing."

"Wha?" the toddler asked, trotting over to the window.

"It's snow flakes. Look how big they are and how slow they fall. Like big cotton balls."

"Ice?" the boy asked with big, wondering eyes trained on the moving objects in the sky.

"That's right, they are cold like ice. I keep forgetting how clever you are," Bella mused. "Tell you what, if you give me back my phone and the remote control, I'll help you push a chair over here so that you can climb up and have a loser look. How does that sound?"

"Have cookie?"

"You drive a tough bargain, just like your daddy," she shook her head in a bemused sort of way. Then she added, "Yes, if you sit still you can have one more cookie, but that's the last one."

She gave the boy a cracker and placed the chair on a safe distance from the light switch. He had been pretty good with entertaining himself all morning, playing semi-quietly with whatever 'toys' he could get his hands on. However, his newfound fascination with turning things on, then off, then on, then off, then on again, was infuriating - especially if you take into consideration that he had been at it since before the first light of dawn.

That was when the little guy had managed to, once again, find his way into the bag that held his fathers toiletries. Something Bella became acutely aware of when she was roused from her sleep, at five am in the morning, by the hum of Edward's electric razor and a tiny hand on her face.

There was a moment of confusion when she couldn't work out what was happening; why there was a small child with a piece of grooming equipment next to her bed, why said child was babbling incoherently, while trying to get a hold of her hair, and most importantly, why she was awake when the sun had yet to rise and peak through the shutters!

Then it all came back to her - where she was, why she was there, and the significance of the impending sunrise.

The little guy must have sneaked out of bed and gone looking for his toys, like he always did first thing in the morning. Only, this particular morning, there were no toys scattered across the room. All he could have possibly found on his hunt for his belongings were stacks of clothes, and shoes, and half packed bags… and his fathers toiletries, apparently….

The luggage, lined up neatly by the door, served as a painful reminder of just how fast the time had flown by. This was going to be their last morning in the cabin and subsequently Bella's last day with the Cullen boys before Christmas. Suddenly, getting an early start of the day didn't seem like such a terrible idea. There were only a few, precious hours left before she needed to head for the airport. So much unfinished business and unsaid words- so little time…

With a careful and steady hand she swiftly confiscated the lethal weapon from the toddler assassin and pulled him into her lap for a tight hug. Thankfully all his limbs were still attached to his body and his haircut was mostly intact… There was only one tiny, bald spot at the front part of the scalp… nothing too bad.

The boy remained still in her arms even after she was done with her inspection. It was rare that he let her cuddle him for any length of time, but some reason he seemed to sense her sudden need for a warm, fuzzy hug or two. She had known this day would come, she just hadn't expected to feel so emotional about it.

Anthony patiently endured the fuss for a good seven minutes before he grew restless and lunged for the TV remote on the nearby table. After that, he kept himself busy with Bella's cell phone for a while, before he moved on to the open/close button on the DVD player… then he found a light switch… and then it was back to the remote control again…

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.oOXOoOXOoOXOo.

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Eight o'clock came and went and Edward slept on. Bella wasn't going to wake him… well just yet anyway. She needed time to think, time to plan her next move.

Her time was running out. A nagging voice in her head, which sounded remarkably like Alice, had been berating her, non stop and without mercy, for not coming clean with Edward.

There was no denying it now, her Plan A was a bust. She had failed to complete the mission she had set up for herself. It had been a simple plan; just a few conditions she wanted to see met. The list had been reasonable short, only three boxes to tick.

One; give father and son time to acclimate themselves around each other. The fragile bond that little Anthony had managed to form with his, still somewhat reluctant daddy had to be protected at all cost.

Two; find the birth mother. Both father and son deserved some real, honest answers, for closure if nothing else. Finding this woman was all part of her master plan, a peace offering of sorts, one that Bella hoped would soften the blow when she finally spilled her news. 'Oh, Bella how can I ever thank you! Well, I don't know Edward, by not freaking out when I tell you I'm pregnant, maybe?'

Then there was the third condition; the selfish, irrational one. The one that revolved around the notion that she wanted him to want her for her, and not because of some misguided sense of obligation.

She seriously didn't know where she stood with him on that one. But mostly that was her own fault as she was the one shying away from all and every heavy conversation. She didn't know what she wanted from him. Which was very conflicting when all she ever wanted was him. She didn't know what he wanted from her… apart from another few rounds of steamy cabin sex that is.

Living in such close quarters made for made for plenty of innocent touches, and a few not so innocent ones. Lately he'd been uncharacteristically forthcoming with his wants and needs… and emotions…

Under different circumstances Bella would have found it amusing that the age-old gender roles were all but reversed – lately he'd been all for talking about feelings, her not so much - but her sense of humor seemed to have deserted her.

There was nothing laughable about her current situation. To tell or not to tell, was no longer the question. Edward needed to be told, she just hadn't figured out how to word it yet, and time was ticking…

The sooner she told him, the sooner they could work through this and just be together, like they were now.

She needed a plan B, but whatever plan B entailed, it'd have to wait because her phone was ringing like crazy.

The shrill notes of her ringtone brought her back to reality. With a weary sigh, she snatched up the phone, ready to take the caller's head off for the interruption. She didn't, of course, but her 'Hello' was not a particularly warm and sunny one.

"Agent Swan, this is Officer Franklin calling. Do you have a minute?"

The voice on the other end of the line was a little too chipper and obnoxious for her liking, but verbally abusing a police source was probably not the best course of action. Damn mood swings! Apparently this was going to be one of THOSE days….

"Not really, no, but I've been waiting for your call. Just hold on…. one moment…"

Bringing the phone with her, she forced herself off the couch, and hurried into the kitchenette area and the farthest corner away from the door behind which Edward was sleeping.

"Is this a bad time? I can call back later?"

"No, this is fine. I don't know how much time I've got, though, so let's skip the small talk and get right to it. What's up? You got news for me? What is it this time?"

"Officially, there is not much to report... Time is up. We're closing the investigation. There is nothing left for us to do now that Cullen has been granted temporary custody and the child is no longer ward of the state. Naturally we wish him the best of luck, with the kid and everything else. Can you please tell him that?"

"Why not tell him yourself…" Bella suggested in a low voice, checking over her shoulder to make sure the boy was still occupied with blowing air on the window, drawing faces in it, and also that the bedroom door was still properly closed.

"I would, but Cullen has requested that all communication should go through his lawyer, or through you, agent Swan. So I was hoping you'd relay this message."

"…about the investigation being closed? He's not going to like hearing that."

"It's not like I didn't warn him this was the most probableoutcome."

"True," Bella agreed, rubbing her forehead. "So if that was the official news, then what's the off the record scoop? What else can you tell me?"

"Well, first of all I think you should know that someone's been visiting several medical facilities in town, asking questions."

"What kind of questions?" she asked, feigning only a mild interest.

"Questions about pollen and nut allergies in two year olds. I don't know the specifics, but I've heard that a photo of a little boy has been passed around, among the pediatricians and ER docs."

"Fascinating…"

"It is, isn't it? I've reason to believe it is Dr. C himself that is asking the questions. Allegedly there are promises of sizeable donations and hefty rewards floating around as well."

"And you feel I should be made aware of this because….?"

"Because there's a fine line between rewarding someone for coming forward with information and paying someone to disclose private and classified records. There's only so much leeway I can give, without someone, somewhere shouting 'foul play! And we wouldn't want that now, would we, agent Swan?"

"Alright, I hear what you're saying. I'm not confirming or denying anything, but I'll look into it," Bella agreed with a sigh. "Now, is there anything else you want to get off your chest, Franklin? I've got a busy day ahead of me. "

"I thought you'd like to hear about the fingerprint that we have lifted, but if you're busy….

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.oOXOoOXOoOXOo.

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Edward could not see the rain pelting down on the windshield, but he recognized the sound. He blinked a couple of times, causing things to become a little clearer, but of course it only lasted for a fraction of a second.

It was as if his field of vision was constricted, narrowed down to tiny slits of darkness and what little he could see was not reassuring. As per usual, everything was very dark; the interior of the car, the figure looming above him, the scenery outside the windows. Dark, cold and shivering wet, which only confirmed his conclusion that it must be raining.

The only source of light he could detect came from some sort of recording device with a dimly lit display. He didn't have to see it to know it was there. It was a constant that never failed to make him uncomfortable. By now, he knew what to expect. The lumpy mattress on the floor may have morphed into an equally uncomfortable car seat, but even though the setting had changed slightly over time, the nightmare was basically always the same.

Until recently, he had never made it past the realization that one; his body was sluggish and unresponsive, two; his clothes were askew, missing even and three; there was a camera and another person in the room…or rather, another person in the car.

He tried to move, but a weight against his chest held him back, held him down, and no amount of resistance eased the pressure. Fear ripped through his guts. He couldn't breathe. There was fire in his lungs, ice in his blood and dread crawling in his skin, in his soul.

This was the part where he usually woke up. However, lately he had discovered that he could keep the panic at bay a little longer if he kept his focus on seemingly small and insignificant details in his surroundings. Colors, textures, sounds, smells, anything that could take his mind from the bodily sensations he was experiencing…

Darkness threatened to drag him under again and he wracked his memory for something—anything—to cling on to. The answer came in the form of Bakelite and the distinctive old car smell. Once you know the smell of Bakelite you will never forget it. There was a reason why the car seat was lumpy and uncomfortable; the car was of the older variety.

His train of thoughts were interrupted by warm, shallow breaths against his neck. Tendrils of hair brushing his cheek. A bite at his ear.

He felt hands in his hair, hands at the base of his jaw, hands running along his shoulders and then down his chest.

"Focus, focus," he chanted to himself, as a head to toe shudder passed through him. Vinyl seats, check. Bakelite, manual shifter knob, check. Chrome door handles, check… He couldn't recall the color, the model or the decade it belonged to, but the car was without a doubt an old classic. A Ford Mustang… maybe… he couldn't be sure. His thoughts were becoming more and more jumbled. The lack of oxygen was making him dizzy… and the anxiety level was making its way towards sky high…

Insistent hands was working their way into his pants. They were everywhere, rubbing and grabbing. While his body responded like any healthy male body would, his mind was threatening to have a complete melt down.

A guttural screeching sound filled the car, getting louder and louder until it turned into sobbing. Loud, wracking sobs

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.oOXOoOXOoOXOo.

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Edward jerked awake, bolting upright with a gasp. It took him a few shaky breaths to become aware of his surroundings again. In fact he was still gasping for air as the bedroom door flew open and light spilled into the room, chasing away the last remainders of darkness.

"Edward," Bella called out as she appeared at the door, balancing an visibly, upset Anthony on her hip. "See, Tony, everything is fine. Your daddy was just having a bad dream, that's all," she cooed, and carefully unloaded the child onto the bed.

Edward blinked a few times, momentarily distracted by Anthony's uncoordinated attempt to crawl into his lap.

"You okay, Edward?"

"Y-yeah, sorry… " he mumbled, turning his head towards her. As he did so he caught a glance of something through the blinds of the window. "Holy cripes!"

"What?"

"Have you seen the weather? Everything look alarmingly white out there," he rasped. His voice still raw as an after-effect of, well sleeping of course, but also his nightmare.

"Yeah, it's been snowing a bit this morning," Bella shrugged, while she watched an barechested Edward struggle with the sheets to get out of the bed.

"A bit? Look at that! We're about five flakes short of a snow storm,"

She followed his gaze to the window and, taking his lead, walked slowly across the room to peer through the blinds.

"Oh crap! It wasn't this bad five minutes ago. The roads are going to be terrible, aren't they?"

"I'd be more worried about the flying conditions, if I were you. Are you SURE you really want to get on an airplane in this weather?" The way he asked it made it clear that his question was not just about the snow.

"Yes, I'm sure," she answered. She had been over this in her mind a hounded times already.

She couldn't stay. She had a doctor's appointment to get to, a Christmas dinner to attend and a bomb to drop… Getting on that plane meant moving forward as opposed to stalling for time.

Bella blinked and realized she had spaced out again. She would never get to plan B, if she kept loosing her focus like that.

"Yes I'm SURE," she repeated, putting a little more emphasis into his phrase this time. "I will most definitely be flying home today."

"Just checking." He hesitated, as if debating with himself and then, stepping close, he grasped her chin, tilted her face up.

She expected a kiss, but instead she got what sounded like a "I think you should leave now" whispered in her ear.

"Excuse me?"

"If your mind is made up, I think you should leave sooner rather than later. To save time."

He had turned away from her as he'd spoken and was now busying himself with finding clean clothes and keeping Anthony out of his suitcase.

"If that's how you feel," Bella told his back while she watched him pull a shirt on.

When he turned around again, he looked calm and collected. But Bella noted that his lips were thin, a tell-tale sign that his outward calm was just a façade.

"Why is it always like pulling teeth with you?" He shook his head and muttered something unintelligible. "What I meant was that it's going to be a pain in the ass to drive in this mess. Especially seeing as you'll be driving a rental that's smaller, not to mention lighter, than a shoe box. Safety first and all that jazz…"

"Okay, gotcha!" Bella managed a weak smile. "So, I've been thinking about the best way to do this. What time will Emmett be here to pick you up?"

"Not sure, sometime this afternoon, why?"

"You think you could call him and tell him and tell him to be here before noon?"

"I'm not going to force him out on the road in this weather. Besides what difference does it make? The rental is all yours. You can leave whenever you please, and I don't have to check out until two PM."

"If your brother makes it here early, he can take Anthony in his car and we can drive caravan style to the airport. It's probably safer that way and also it would mean that you and I can have some alone time together… to talk, you know, during the drive. "

"Oh… Why can't we talk now?"

"Little pitchers have big ears." She shook her head, while sending a pointed look in Anthony's direction. "Officer Franklin called again this morning. You're not going to like what he had to say…."

"That's what you want to talk about?"

"Among other things."

"What other things?" He raised his eyebrows suspiciously. She waved the question away.

"Let's wait until we're alone in the car."

There it was, her plan B… It wasn't perfect, but it would have to do

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.oOXOoOXOoOXOo.

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An: So what do you think? I'm sure you all can guess where this is going… Bella will not get on that plane, because of the snow and instead she will end up in Forks for Christmas. The baby reveal is just around the corner now… I've also planned to squeeze in another lemon before this is all over.

The nightmares Edwards been having, are just that, nightmares. They don't describe the exact way everything played out in real life. Meaning he wasn't drugged, blindfolded or locked inside that car against his will. The original nightmare that he has been having for years is about what happened in that photo studio, all those years ago, but lately the dream has been morphing into something else.

As a side note I can mention that I had originally planned to make the car a Volvo Amazon 122S, which is what my father drove when I was a baby, but I ended up changing it to fit the story better.