Chapter 47 - Progress

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"You better not be doing what I think you're doing," Bella sighed, as she caught Clearwater peaking through her chart behind her back for the umpteenth time in just as many minutes.

Well, at least he has something productive to occupy his time, instead

of leering at the poor nurse, who was taking forever to finish up her tasks. At this speed the visiting hours would be over before Bella got a chance to speak to Seth in private.

"Clearly I have some reading up to do here," Seth replied, not looking even the slightest bit guilty. "Can't believe you didn't tell me you had gone and gotten yourself insperminated, Swan! Don't I always have your back?"

"You're the one that said you didn't want to be dragged into my personal life," Bella reminded him.

"Love life," he corrected her. "And I only said that in the eventuality of another round of questions with those suits from Internal Affairs. I believe my exact words were that there is no reason for me to know anything about your love life, unless it's something that's worthy of a relationship status update on Facebook. Popping out babies sort of falls into that category, don't you think? Next thing you know, you're going to be all domesticated and housewifey and I'll be forced to partner up with Newton or Yorkie or some other loser."

"Not babies, one baby and there is nothing wrong with Yorkie." Bella made a move to grab the clipboard and whatever papers he was reading, out of his hands, but he kept them away from her.

"Have you smelled him lately? His breath smells like bad feet on a hot summer day."

"So buy him mints or gum or something. Besides, it's not like I'm going to turn all housewifey over night. I hate to burst your rosy fantasy bubble, but my relationship status is still the same. Nothing has changed on that front."

"Nothing has changed, huh? You're spending Christmas with his family."

"Because of a snowstorm and technically I'm spending it here in this very hospital room."

"You're having his baby."

"That's still months aw-… " Bella tried to interrupt his rambling, but it was apparent that she wasn't finished venting yet.

"I had to hear it from your new best friend, that scary little midget. I am hurt!" Seth huffed, pretending to be offended. "You told Alice Cullen, before you told me? I'm busting my ass off covering for you at work and this is the thanks I get?"

"Sorry, but Alice is Alice. I didn't have to tell her anything she just knew," Bella laughed, trying to get a hold of the clipboard again.

"Uh-uh, not until you explain this to me…." Seth shook his head looking serious all of a sudden. "We can't all be mind readers and psychics like Alice freaking Cullen, you know. "

"Explain what?"

"This, " he said, making a sweeping gesture to her stomach. "I know you know how contraceptives work. I know you aren't stupid, Swan. "

"Are you serious?"

Thankfully, the nurse stepped in at that point and yanked the clipboard out of Seth's hands. "I'll be needing that now, thank you very much."

"Excuse me, but this is a private conversation, do you mind?" Seth asked, sounding a bit annoyed. Truth be told, they had all but forgotten the woman was even in the he flashed her a boyish smile to make up for his somewhat short tone with her. "I mean, I hope you don't mind that I talk with your patient while you work," he amended.

"Men are an impatient lot; no restraint, no self-control or understanding of actions and consequences what so ever," the nurse pursed her lips in a disapproving manner. "I'm not saying women are any better, mind you. Many get hornier during ovulation; hornier and not as picky or careful as they, perhaps, should be. We are all are fallible and contraception doesn't always work. So there you have it…. Anything else you want to know?"

Mouths agape, they stared at the woman, who merely shrugged her shoulders and went ahead adding some sort of notes of her own to the paperwork before returning the clipboard to it's original place at the end of the bed.

Unfazed, she continued, "Don't give Ms. Swan a hard time. She doesn't need more stress right now, it's bad for the baby," she crossed her arms and gave Seth a stern stare. "Capish?"

"Yes, ma'am! Sorry about that," he sounded sincere, even ducking his head a little. "I'm just a concerned friend and coworker being… well, concerned."

"That's nice. Let me give you a piece of advise, though, " the nurse replied, wagging a finger at him. "Don't let Alice Cullen catch you calling her a midget! That won't go over well. And also, arguing over who's the better friend? What are you? a twelve year old girl?"

Seth let out a humpf sound and Bella threw her head back and laughed long and hard. It felt good.

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….

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It started snowing as they pulled out of the hospital's parking lot, but the snowflakes were melting before they even hit the windshield. The wipers were going back and forth, back and forth, smearing water across the glass, making Edward feel a bit queasy.

His eyes drifted shut on their own accord, but he didn't fight them. Alice was driving which meant he could lean his head back and take a cat nap. He was glad the rest of the family had already returned home. He was running on fumes and didn't feel like talking or dealing with anyone, not even his closest family, at the moment.

He was fast asleep in a matter of minutes. It wasn't a peaceful slumber though. The rhythmic sound of the wipers took him back to another time and another car.

His surroundings morphed into the interior of a more spacious, but far less modern vehicle. His subconscious mind recognized it as a nightmare almost instantly, but he didn't do anything about it, couldn't do anything about it.

There were three things he could always count on when it came to his nightmares; one, it wouldn't be a nightmare if his body didn't feel sluggish and unresponsive… two, most of his clothes would go missing at one point or another in the dream… and three, the disturbing feeling of being watched, monitored and controlled was always and everywhere present.

He was being straddled, a pair of arms around his neck. No face, no recognizable features. A mass of flesh resembling an octopus with arms like tentacles that wouldn't let him go. Edward felt hands in his hair, hands at the base of his jaw, hands running along his shoulders and then down his chest.

His mind was running rampant with panic, screamed for him to find something else to focus on… something neutral, something non toxic, something about the situation that wasn't frightening.

Pelting rain, fogged up windows, darkness… Not helping… Even if he could scream, no one would hear him in the rain, no one would see him in the darkness.

The car was blue, he realized with a startling clarity. Blue with lots of green in it, like the shallow waters of Cancun. Despite the lack of light, he could still see the color clearly on the ledge where the passenger side window met the door. He also noted the shiny galloping Mustang Horse logo at the center of the steering wheel. The old car feel was unmistakable; the chrome door handles, the manual shifter knob, th-…

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 tried to move, but his body wouldn't obey. Focus, focus, he commanded himself. His vision blurred. Everything began to go dark.

For a moment, there was nothing…and then, suddenly, there was pain. Not the bad kind, but the sudden kind that jolts you because it comes on so quickly. And jolt he did as the sharp point of a hairpin pricked the skin of his finger. How he knew it was a hairpin he did not know, but the sensation tugged on his sleep addled mind for attention.

While the darkness made it impossible for him to see his surroundings, he realized he could still feel and distinguish textures and objects with his hands and from that he could map out the world around him. He could only hope it would be enough to keep the panic at bay a little while longer.

Hair strands, shoulder length, perhaps longer, wet and coarse with hairspray, more hairpins…and something else, something metallic and cold. He touched it again, closed his hand around it and came to the conclusion that the object was an earring.

From there he moved down to the shoulders and what appeared to be the collar of a dress shirt. The shirt was damp just like the hair, damp and unbuttoned. In fact it appeared as though part of the fabric had been ripped, or torn, or something to that effect. There were buttons missing.

Was he responsible for that? His mind blanked and he could feel a sweat breaking out on the back of his neck as his panic level rose again. He felt lightheaded, seconds away from passing out.

Not yet, not yet… He pushed himself to go further. His fingers came in contact with something plastic… a nametag! A nametag he must have seen before his vision went blurry, a nametag with a name he must have read. He willed his brain to focus on the name.

The name was… the name was… Edward!

No that wasn't right.

He couldn't think straight. A voice was calling to him, calling his name; begging to be heard, demanding to be obeyed. Insistent hands were working their way down his chest and into his pants rubbing him to hardness.

He began shaking uncontrollably, squirming and whimpering, trying to get away… trying NOT to get away. He felt dizzy again. Nothing made sense. Did he want this? Did he not want this?

Skin on skin had never felt so confusing before. Clothes were shifted, stretchy fabric pushed aside, a skirt was hiked up and then… more naked skin.

At that moment the weight on top of him became too much. The space became too confined, the darkness too heavy. He felt as if all the air was being pressed out of his lungs until he couldn't breathe.

Edward jerked awake with a gasp that turned into a harsh coughing fit. For a moment, the nightmare lingered, then clarity hit.

He had suspected it before, but now he was certain; there were details in his dreams that were so vivid they had to be fragments actual memories.

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….

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"Edward, are you okay? You're shaking." Alice frowned, reaching towards the center console to crank the heat up in the car.

He gulped and nodded. "Yes… No… It's just… I was dreaming something and it was just so vivid."

"Another nightmare?" she asked unnecessarily. The shaking said it all.

Edward didn't answer straight away, but after a quick deliberation with himself he nodded and forced himself to fight the gnawing sense of dread that had crept into his bones. He could do this. If there was anyone he could talk to about this, it was Alice.

"Listen, I need to tell you something," he started. "Please don't interrupt. I need to say it straight out, okay?"

"Oh, okay, sounds serious. " She turned her head towards him briefly, before settling her eyes back on the road in front of her. "Do I need to pull over for this?"

"No," he glanced out the window to see where they were and to estimate how long it would take them to get back to their parent's place. "Keep going and keep focusing on the traffic. I don't think I can do this with you looking at me."

"No looking, no talking. I can do that."

"Hmph," he snorted, "That would be a first, wouldn't it?"

She started to protest, but he raised a hand to stop her.

"Forget I said that…I don't want to waste my time bickering with you. Like I said, I need to tell you something. I need to tell you about the dream I just had, or the cliff note version of it anyway, the important stuff, the things I want to remember."

"I know how dreams are, they fade sooo quickly, especially the ones you really want to remember."

"Exactly, so no talking! I need to get this off my chest and you're not helping!"

"Sorry, I wont say another word. Go ahead, I'm listening."

"So, this is how it goes, " He said, steeling himself for the embarrassment ahead. "I'm in the passenger seat of a car; a classic Ford Mustang, blueish in color, but with lots of green in it too."

"Turquoise?" Alice jumped in, without realizing she was interrupting again.

"Yeah, I guess turquoise is about right. It's a really old car, like the one grandpa Platt used to drive, do you remember? With the horse logo in the middle of the steering wheel and a fancy looking shift stick, lots of chrome details… and the distinct smell of the Bakelite…"

"I remember," she nodded. "So you dreamt about a car?"

"Sort of… I'm in this car and I'm not alone, someone's straddling me. I can't see the face, I never do, but I'm in the passenger seat and she's on top of me. Long hair, dark I think, but I can't be sure. Hairpins, earrings…. She's wearing a shirt, but it's wet. I think there is rain. The car windows are all fogged up. It's dark outside and yeah, I'm pretty sure it's raining. " He paused to draw a deep breath.

"There are buttons missing, like the shirt has been ripped or torn… Everything is black and white. I don't know if that means that her clothes are black and white, or if that's just my mind playing tricks on me… She's in a skirt or dress or something with stretchy fabric. Oh and there is a nametag. She wears a plastic nametag."

"I don't suppose you know her name?"

"No. There is talking going on, but I cant remember a word of what is being said. She is being pushy and forward and I'm being sluggish… Drunk, I guess." He shuddered and just like that the shaking was back.

"You know how all my nightmares are essentially variations on the same theme? I'm trapped and someone is watching me, manipulating me…. Sometimes I can't see, can't move. Sometimes I'm tied up, restricted….sometimes there's a camera… Sometimes I'm on a mattress on the floor."

"Edward…"

"This one was so detailed, it must have been drawn from something real, an actual event in my past, a repressed memory or something."

"Like an encounter with a woman that you could have sworn you never even met?"

"It sounds crazy, doesn't it?" he muttered, mostly to himself. "Alice, what are you doing?

"I'm pulling over."

"Please don't! I just want to go home…"

"I'm calling Bella. She needs to hear this."

"No. She'll have questions, and I really don't want to answer a bunch of questions right now," "he protested, searching for an argument that would satisfy his sister. "I need to think, I need to sleep. Besides, I still got her phone, remember?"

"Fine then I'll call her colleague. He's probably still at the hospital, visiting with her."

"Alice… I don't even know which parts are actual memories and which parts are just part of the nightmare."

"They need to know, so they can help you. This could be important." she said it slowly as if explaining to a child.

This was what he wanted, wasn't it? To be taken seriously. To force his mind to unlock every single one of those suppressed memories that gnawed at the back of his consciousness. To finally summon the courage to confront this aspect of his past.

"Look, I'll text them. You can look at what I write before I send it. I'll tell them 'no questions', alright."

Edward swallowed hard and nodded, unable to say anything.

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…..

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"Did you see that? She snapped her fingers at me. I am not a dog," Seth whined like he'd just had the biggest injustice done to him.

"Get over it," Bella rolled her eyes. "She was only doing her job. Besides, don't think I didn't see you checking her out."

"Well, that was before she snapped her fingers at me, obviously."

"Right, obviously," Bella shook her head. "Enough chit chat, it's time you tell me why you're here."

"Why I'm here?"

"You heard me. I want to know why you're here, when you could be home stuffing your face with your mother's fabulous steamed Christmas pudding."

"We'll the pudding lost it's appeal after my sister's kids came down with a nasty stomach bug. Also can't a friend be concerned about another friend? Or is that against the law or something?"

"Nu-uh, not buying that. You were here just the other week, and now you're back? Come on, spill! What's this about? You wouldn't waste your hard-earned time off, flying back here if it wasn't important."

"You're right, I wouldn't. You should know though, that I've been threatened with bodily harm if I say or do anything that gets you aggravated. "

"Who? Edward?"

"Well, Cullen, but also his slighly short but very scary sister and don't forget that nurse, just a few minutes ago. Did you see the way she handled those scissors?"

"Come on," Bella groaned. "Just tell me already. Have you finished decrypting the files? From the clinic? Is this about Anthony?"

"No. I've decrypted everything that can be decrypted, but I'm not getting anywhere with it. I've brought the database with me, though. I figured you'd want to take a look at it yourself."

Bella furrowed her brow, "So if that's not it, then what? Is it the DNA test I requested? It cant be done already, can it? I just texted you about it the other day. Don't tell me Alice was wrong about the hairbrush?!"

"No, Alice was right. There was a whole bunch of girly stuff left behind by Ms. Weber at the gym. I collected the hairbrush myself and delivered it to your friend at the crime lab. You'll have to be patient, though. Even lab techs are entitled to take time off to enjoy their Christmas pudding."

"Ah, yeah, of course. The hair sample Dr. Cullen posted won't be there until the Wednesday the soonest anyway. I swear I have too many things on my mind to think straight right now. "

"Tsk, Swan," he said, shaking his head at her. "I've heard it's very common to become forgetful, but this soon?!

"What?! Are you calling me old?!"

"Ever heard of the pregnancy brain syndrome?" he laughed.

"That's just a myth," she groaned with a grinding of her teeth. "I think… I hope…"

"Relax, I'm just yanking your chain."

"Make fun of the pregnant woman, why don't you. Do I have to remind you that you're not supposed to say or do anything that could potentially aggravate me."

"You do look a little flustered, maybe I should leave?"

"Maybe you should."

"Or I could stay and tell you what I've found out about Whitlock…."

"Peter?"

"Yes. Did you know he used to be an avid blogger? Before he hit it big in Europe."

"I know, but I haven't been able to find anything in his blogs about Edward. "

"Me neither, but if you take the time to read through all his blog entries, you'll know that he's only been back in Seattle twice since he dropped out of high school and upped and left Forks all those years ago."

"Yeah, that's what the Cullens have told me."

"Right, but did you know that the last time he was back, he did this one particular gig here in Seattle that was advertised as a birthday party?

"I've heard something about a rave and I also know he did something for a radio station."

"The radio station was celebrating five years of broadcasting and the PR firm hired to promote the event turned it into a swanky, open bar, birthday party. I'm thinking this could be the birthday bash mentioned in the letter that was found with your little stepson."

"He's not my stepson, and are you serious with this? What about the timeframe? Does it fit?"

"It fits. I've spoken to someone from the PR firm. Turns out the whole evening was a bit of a nightmare, turns out quite a few of the guests had bad reactions to the mixed array of seafood that was served. It was messy. How they managed to keep it out of the local new outlets, I do not know."

"Okay, well that works really well with what Edward told me about the allergic episode he had after a run in with some bad shrimps."

"From what I understand it wasn't the seafood itself that caused the outbreak. There was something iffy about the food dyes or preservatives used when preparing the shrimps and the scallops. Apparently they are often soaked in a chemical preservative prior to freezing in order to keep them 'fresher' longer. "

"That sounds plausible. Frankly, I really don't trust most restaurants to be honest when asked whether the seafood is fresh or has been chilling out in a freezer for a while...since very few people can tell the difference. I'll run this by Edward and see if it jogs his memory. Also if you give me the exact date of the event, I'll check with Dr. Cullen if he can confirm that were talking about the same night."

"You do that. I'd like to have a word with the caterer about this… and the club owner… and maybe someone from the radio station. I think we have the 'when' ironed out. Now we just have to figure out the 'who' and the 'why'."

"There is not much I can do from this hospital bed," Bella sighed. "Hopefully I'll get a chance to speak with Peter when he calls to check in with Jasper. He should be able to fill in some of the blanks."

"That's great, Swan. I…. " Seth started, but was distracted momentarily by an incoming text message. Reaching into his pocket for his phone, he frowned upon seeing who it was from.

"What is it?"

"Aww, sounds like lover boy have been having nightmares. His evil, midget sister just sent me this," he said, handing over his phone.

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/Sometimes nightmares are dormant memories and sometimes they are just bizarre brain farts. This may or may not be useful to you, but you have to promise to save the questions for later. My brother is at the end of his rope, don't push him.

Edwards says: a turquoise, Ford Mustang, of an older model. Horse logo, Chrome details, Bakelite, the works… Girl with long, possibly dark, hair. Hairpins, earrings and a nametag. Black and white clothes. Shirt with missing buttons, wet and torn fabric. Dress or skirt.

I say: think horse, think ancient, think Latin…

It isn't much, bit it's something./

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"Gee, thanks Alice. That wasn't cryptic at all…." Bella mumbled, returning the phone to Seth.

"I'm sorry, but she's a bit of a nut job. And to think you're marrying into that family."

"Who said anything about getting married?" Bella tensed up and turned her head to glare at him. "Shi-.. I mean crap! Seth, I just thought of something!"

"What?"

"The car…. You know how the letter is signed with 'Kebi', right? I think Kebi could mean something that is somehow related to that car!"

"What? Why? Explain how you're thinking."

"Well, I'm thinking Volvo means 'I roll' in Latin."

"Right… and?"

"We know Kebi is not this woman's real name. It could still be a nickname of some sort, but it could also mean something else entirely. I've Googled the hell out of it, trying to find some other meaning in some other language."

"So have I. It's an Egyptian name, meaning 'honey'."

"True, it's also an endearment, like honey, or darling."

"Then there is Kébi, the town and commune in Ivory Coast."

"Yes, and Kebi, the bar in Bellingham."

"And now you're telling me it's a Volvo?"

"Nope, not a Volvo, but hear me out. Like I said Volvo is Latin for 'I roll'. In Latin, Kebi, originally spelt Kerbi, refers to a steel horse, guarding entrance to amythical underground world."

"Steel horse? That would make most people think of motorcycles."

"I'm not most people. Think Ford Mustang instead. Admittedly I know very little about cars, but I'm guessing each specific Ford Mustang model must have a specific name. Maybe one of them is named after a mythical horse? Or perhaps there is an old Ford out there with a personalized license plate that reads 'Kebi'… I know its farfetched, but when Alice gets a hunch she's rarely wrong. "

"Okay, I'll look in to it. Let's assume you're right, why would she sign the letter with something that is a reference to a car?"

"I haven't got the slightest idea. Something tells me this is important, though. Something tells me we've just made some real progress here today."

"You know what Swan? I think so too, but for entirely different reasons. If this woman wore a nametag, it's very likely that she was working that night, either at the club or for the caterer or the radio station."

"Progress in dead. Now, get the hell out of here so I can get some sleep!" Bella joked, only now that she'd said it, she realized how tired she really was.

"Is Cullen coming back tonight?"

"No, I told him to go home, I told them all to go, have a family dinner, get some rest."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

"I'm sure. You DO have somewhere to go, right? You're not planning on sleeping in a car or something?"

"Relax, Swan. I've got it covered. You see, I know this girl…."

"There is always a girl with you", the Bella laughed, "A different one every week or so. At least now I know the realr eason whhy you came back..:"

"Heh, what can I say? I'm a handsome fellow."

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…...

AN: I took some liberties with the Latin translation.

The inspiration came from Kerberos or 'Kirby', which is the Greek name for the three-headed hellhound that guarded the gates of the underworld.

I originally planned to have the word Kebi be part of the butterfly tattoo that has been mentioned a few times in previous chapters, but this will work better with what I have planned next. We're getting closer to the end. I know I've said that before, but really, there is not much left of the story now…