Edward sped through the streets of D.C. calling Emmett on from his Blackberry as he drove. When Emmett didn't pick up right away he started to curse. Hanging up he dialed a second time and this time Emmett picked up after two rings.
"Edward, what's going on?" Emmett sounded breathless.
Edward didn't even want to think about why he sounded like that and he clipped out. "It's Alec. I don't know what's going on but he's been in some sort of accident and he couldn't get a hold of his father."
Alec Volturi, Senator Aro Volturi's son, was only seventeen. Edward had taken to the boy since he had started working for the Senator four years ago. He saw a lot of himself in the kid. Like Edward he had grown up in the world of politics. He was a good kid, unfortunately, unlike the Masens, the Volturi tended to neglect their son. They'd shipped him off to attend expensive prep schools from a young age and though the boy visited on holidays and was brought on the campaign trail when he father deemed it beneficial and appropriate, for the most part he was an afterthought.
Edward felt that his life could have easily turned out the same way if his parents had been anything like Aro and his wife. In fact, his own father had been brought up in a similar fashion, raised by servants while his grandparents focused on the political and social standing of the Masen family. Luckily, Edward's mother, Elizabeth, had been a down to earth woman who had grown up in a middle class family. She had different family values and had changed Edward's father from the moment they met as undergraduates at Northwestern University. Though Elizabeth had never imagined that she would marry into such a prestigious family, she didn't let it change who she was and his father always claimed that her down-to-earth attitude had been what had helped him change his life for the better as well as win his Senatorial seat.
No, Alec was not that lucky. Usually, when he wasn't in school he worked quietly alongside his father's staff, trying to be helpful. Edward had taken him out for lunch a couple of times and Alec had even joined him and Emmett at a Patriot's game once, but the kid was quiet and shy. When Senator Volturi had told him to stay out of the office staff's way, Alec had stopped coming around, though he and Edward still talked now and then over the phone, more often than not it was when Alec was trying to reach his father and couldn't.
Like now.
When Edward had picked up the phone in his apartment Alec had barely been able to speak through his sobbing, his words slurred. He'd sounded so young and frightened. Somehow, he managed to relay to Edward that he had been in an accident, hit a tree or something. Alec told Edward he needed his dad, but couldn't reach him and that he was about to call the cops.
Edward wasn't thinking about Aro's political career when he told Alec not to call the cops and was thinking more about the kid. He didn't want him to get into deep shit because of a stupid mistake. And, so he'd told Alec to hold on and had had to leave Bella, though he hated to do so. He just hoped she understood.
"Shit!" Emmett exclaimed and rustling could be heard in the background along with the creaking of a springs and a woman's muffled voice. "Where?"
Edward frowned, glad that Emmett was being a bit discreet since Rosalie seemed to be there with him. He told Emmett the same directions Alec had given him and told him to hurry before hanging up.
Then he tried to call Senator Volturi. He hadn't considered calling the Senator first because he was pretty sure that the man wouldn't answer. Though as Aro's chief-of-staff he was more likely to get through to him than Alec was—as screwed up as that was—the Senator hardly ever answered his phone on a Friday night. After trying both the Senator's cell and home phone and getting sent to voice mail both times, leaving messages telling the Senator to call him back, he cursed and dialed Alec's cell phone number.
The kid picked up after a couple of rings, not even saying hello and just sobbing into the phone.
"Alec? It's Edward. Are you all right?" Christ, he thought, why didn't I ask the boy that in the first place?
Alec just sobbed in response and Edward began to panic. "Alec? Are you hurt?"
"N…nooo," Alec finally managed to respond through his sobbing.
"I'm almost there. I can't be more than fifteen minutes away. Emmett is on his way too." Edward said.
Edward stifled a sigh, not wanting Alec to think that he was annoyed. He was annoyed, but his annoyance was for the Senator, not the poor kid sobbing into his ear. "Do you want me to stay with you on the phone till I get there?"
"P…please?" Alec said, and Edward couldn't help but smile a bit. The kid was more polite than his father was, even at a moment like this.
"Sure," Edward replied.
)( )( )( )(
Of all the things he could think of to talk to the kid while he was driving he talked about Bella. Of course, she was still on his mind, and if it wasn't for the fact that they were in the middle of a very fucked up situation he might still be holding her.
Alec didn't say much as Edward talked, but at least he stopped sobbing into the phone.
He'd even told Alec about the potted palm trying to keep the kid's mind off of things.
That might not have been enough to get a laugh from the boy, but he did snort.
Once he reached the accident site he saw Alec's small BMW off the side of the road, smashed against the tree. If Edward hadn't been talking to Alec, he might have thought someone was seriously injured in an accident like that.
Pulling over to the side of the road he rushed out and found Alec sitting slumped against the opposite side of the tree trunk that his car was wrapped around, and though Edward had hung up with him moments before he was still shaking and sitting there with the cell phone to his ear.
Crouching down in front of him Edward frowned. "Alec, man, you all right?"
Alec looked up then and Edward cursed as he realized that the kid had a gash in his forehead. Taking off his scarf he used it to dab at the blood and he studied Alec's face as the kid finally looked at him.
"Hey, man," Alec said, his words slurred.
Edward studied his eyes and frowned. "What are you on, Alec?"
Alec sighed and leaned his head back against the tree trunk as he closed his eyes. "Nothing."
Edward didn't believe him judging by the way that Alec's pupils looked, but he didn't argue and he shook his head. Looking up he realized another car was pulling up and he sighed in relief noticing it was Emmett.
Emmett rushed over. "He all right?"
"He's got a gash on his head, don't know how bad it is," Edward replied as he moved out of the way to let Emmett check the boy out. Emmett had some medic training from his time in the SEALs.
Emmett checked under the scarf and frowned. "Edward, can you grab a flashlight. If you don't got one there's one in the trunk of my car."
Edward nodded and moved through the snow to his own car, digging a flashlight out of the back. Coming back he held the light for Emmett as he checked Alec out.
"Head wounds bleed like a bitch, but I don't think he'll need stitches," Emmett frowned. "You hurt anywhere else, kid?"
Alec shook his head but Emmett took the light and checked the rest of him anyway. "Well, the airbags did a number on your hands, but that's not too bad. You're going to freeze your fucking ass off though."
Emmett handed the light back to Edward and hauled Alec to his feet. "C'mon, kid. Let's get you out of here." Wrapping Alec's arm around his neck, the kid slumped a bit against him and Emmett looked to Edward as if to ask, 'What next?'
Edward ran his hand tiredly over his face and took off his coat, placing it around Alec's shoulders, though the kid cried silently and didn't seem to notice.
"Put him in my car. I'll take him over to my place in a bit," Edward said.
Emmett nodded and walked off, taking Alec with him.
Turning back to the car, Edward sighed. This could be taken care of silently and he knew that the Senator would prefer it that way, but he really was more concerned about the kid.
He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair, ignoring the fact that he was getting cold out in the snow without a coat on. Emmett came back and looked at the car.
"What now?" he asked.
Edward frowned. "Have the car towed by that company that the Senator asked us to use when Mrs. Volturi had her little fender bender." The woman had hit a curb and ruined the axel of her car while driving drunk and that had been kept very hushed up.
Emmett frowned and nodded. "All right, Chief."
Edward looked to the car and stuck his pants in the pockets of his trousers. "The kid going to be all right?" he asked.
"Well, yeah, he's flying as high as a kite right now, though he keeps saying he didn't take anything. He's not feeling pain, just scared shitless." Emmett sighed. "He's going to be fine though. When you get him to your place make him shower and if you have any ointment for minor burns put it on his hands."
Edward nodded. "Thanks for coming so quickly. The Senator was…unreachable."
Emmett snorted. "I figured as much. Though I'm going to have to find a way to make it up to Rosie. We were in the middle of some fine lov…"
"Don't say it," said Edward with a frown, remembering exactly what he and Bella had been in the middle of when the call came through.
Emmett chuckled a bit. "Just saying. Get the kid to your place. He's probably better off there then his own."
Edward nodded, squeezed Emmett's shoulder and turned to go.
A/N: First, let me say that the reviews for the last chapter took me by surprise. I expected people to comment on Jasper's behavior…nothing…Carlisle's first appearance…zilch…the citrus…nada (maybe I'm not that good at writing lemons *LOL*)…the mystery call…well, there were a few comments there. Most of you were more upset at Edward for forgetting to give Bella a ride. I think this chapter showed he had a good reason. Bella is a forgiving person as well…and she's a grown woman. If the same thing happened to me I'd just call a cab or a friend.
That being said, I hope you liked this installment and I'd really appreciate your reviews.
Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, and recommending this story!