44

"Are you sure about this?" Esme asked, turning in the middle seat of the large black SUV.

Charlie was driving, Carlisle sat in the passenger seat, and Esme was in the middle. Edward and Bella were in the very back, trying their best not to panic. They had just returned to Los Angeles and were parked in front of the Los Angeles Police Department, trying to gain the courage to go inside.

Trying but struggling.

"No," Bella admitted, her eyes flickering out the window to the large, overwhelming building in front of them. "But we can't keep pretending we aren't going to have to answer questions sooner or later. Kate and Mike were killed inside my house, and I can't move on with something like that on my conscience."

"We can't have that on our conscience," Edward added, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah, we can't," she whispered.

Esme frowned while Carlisle and Charlie sighed and shared a look. The three then climbed out and stood on the curb, waiting for Edward and Bella.

The way Bella saw it, they needed to be brave right now, but that was not how she felt. She was terrified she would walk into that building and never come back out — that the police were just waiting to lock her away for the murders of Kate and Mike. Carlisle and Charlie had assured her multiple times there was no way the police could ever pin anything on her. Charlie insisted he had evidence to prove her innocence. But trust wasn't something she gave easily, yet that was precisely what he asked her to do.

Bella looked up at Edward, placing her hand on his cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too," he whispered and placed his hand on her stomach. "And our baby."

"Keep saying that. It almost feels real."

Edward laughed. "That's why I keep saying it."

Bella smiled and looked out the window. "I don't know what I will say to them."

"Me either."

Bella nodded, and tears filled her eyes. "You won't leave me, right? You'll stay by my side the whole time."

"Forever."

She closed her eyes momentarily and then climbed out of the car. Emmett, Jasper, Charlie, and Carlisle were gathered in a half-circle, protecting them the only way they could. Esme stood with Alice and Rosalie, who gave Bella an interesting glance but didn't say anything.

Logically, Bella knew they were making the right decision, but she couldn't keep from shaking as they started walking toward the glass doors and into the lobby. Even wearing dark sunglasses and a baseball cap, everyone milling around the lobby stopped and stared, their mouths opening at the first official sighting of America's Sweetheart in weeks.

She cleared her throat, causing Charlie and Carlisle to keep moving. They had already called and set up an interview with the two detectives investigating Kate and Mike's deaths, but all that did was add to the anxiety welling up inside her. But this was just another step in her healing, she told herself — for her and their baby.

Felix and Tyler were standing next to the elevator, both turning when they approached. Glancing around first, Felix shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked between Carlisle and Charlie. Neither Bella nor Edward had spoken to Felix since the morning he'd confessed he wanted to be the one to kill his father — a brief moment when he showed his vulnerability. By the time they emerged from their room later that day, Felix had left, telling everyone he was going back to the city to keep his ear to the ground, so to speak.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Felix asked, his voice low and raw. "Just say the word, and we're out of here."

"Think we've been running long enough, don't you?" she responded.

Felix frowned but nodded. "Detectives James Marsh and Peter Davis are waiting for us on the third floor."

"Then let's go," Edward said, placing his hand on her elbow.

Though she tried to stop herself, she pulled away. Hurt filled his eyes, but he simply nodded in response to her silent explanation. Being out in the open was hard enough, and she wasn't ready to show any public display of affection, even if it was just a simple hand on her elbow. She was preparing herself to expose her deepest, darkest secrets to the entire world, but she wasn't ready to share Edward with everyone yet.

For a while longer, he was hers and hers alone.

Felix tilted his head to the side before he turned and gave Tyler the go-ahead. Bella tried to breathe evenly as the elevator doors opened, and they stepped inside. She moved to the back corner with Edward in front to keep anyone from getting too close. She placed her hand in the middle of his back, feeling him sigh.

When the elevator stopped on the third floor, Felix and Tyler were the first two out, followed by Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, Alice, and then Esme. Charlie and Carlisle were last, each turning to look at her and Edward before providing a path for them. The third floor was filled with police officers, who stopped and stared at her as they emerged.

Before Bella or anyone could speak, two detectives walked out of a room on the right-hand side of the floor, shared a look, and walked toward them. The first was tall and lanky, in an unhealthy way. He had snow-blond hair and blue eyes. His partner stood a few inches shorter and had shaggy, dirty-blond hair and dark eyes, and when he smiled, a slight dimple sank into his right cheek.

"Ms. Swan," the latter spoke with a thick, southern accent. "Thank you for coming in. I'm Detective James Marsh, and this is my partner, Peter Davis."

James stuck his hand toward her, but Bella stared at him until he dropped it back to his side. "We were surprised when we received the call from Mr. Moreno that you were coming in."

"Why?" she asked, her eyes flickering to Felix for a moment.

"Because two people were murdered inside your house, Ms. Swan," Peter replied, drawing her attention. "We have many questions we'd like answered."

"And we're willing to provide answers to any questions you have," Rosalie stated. "But first, I need to make one thing very clear."

"And what's that?" Peter asked.

Rosalie tilted her head to the side and gestured toward Bella and Edward. "They don't like to be touched by anyone. So, please be respectful of that."

"I'm sure we can . . . adhere to that request," James responded before he shifted and gestured toward the room they had just exited. "Can we get anyone coffee, tea, water? I'm sure we have some soda around here, too."

"No thanks," Carlisle said. "Let's just get this over with."

James and Peter shared a look before leading them down the hallway. While Bella, Edward, Charlie, Carlisle, Rosalie, and Felix followed the two detectives into the large conference room, the others gathered on either side of the doorway. Protecting them, Bella thought to herself. Always doing what they could to protect them.

Bella and Edward sat in the two middle chairs on the right side of the table, with Charlie and Rosalie on Bella's left and Carlisle and Felix on Edward's right. James and Peter sat across from them, each with a yellow legal pad in front of them.

"Well," James said slowly. "Let's just ask the question everyone seems to be asking over the last few weeks. Where have you been, Ms. Swan?"

"Hiding," Bella replied, reaching up, slipping the sunglasses off, and laying them on the table. "After being kidnapped and held captive for two days, we," she said, gesturing toward Edward, "went into hiding in order to . . . process what we had been through."

"I'm sorry, but you were kidnapped?" James asked, and when she nodded, Peter asked, "Who kidnapped you?"

Bella tilted her head toward Edward, who nodded before saying, "Let me start at the beginning."

The two detectives shared a look before James waved a hand in the air and said, "Okay."

Clearing her throat, Bella placed her hand on her thighs, trying to keep her composure as she began to tell James and Peter everything, starting with the first letter, the ones that followed, how she'd gone to Edward for protection, found out about their time in the Gathering of Twilight, Ben Cheney and Angela Weber, and everything in between. Well, almost everything. She couldn't bring herself to go into great detail about what Ben and Angela had done to them in the two days they held them inside the bunker. Some secrets were better kept that way, she thought.

With each and every word she spoke, their eyes widened, and at some point, they stopped taking notes and just listened with their mouths open and eyes wide.

"We didn't even know Kate Denali or Michael Newton were even missing until after we escaped from Ben and Angela," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

"So let me get this straight," James said, holding up his hand. "Your parents — your birth parents — were members of the Gathering of Twilight cult, but they left when they found out they were pregnant with you two. Then, they were hunted down, murdered, and the two of you were . . ."

"Yes, we were sexually abused until we were five years old when the FBI, led by my father and Charlie, infiltrated the Gathering. But before they could stop the Volturi Brothers, there was a massive explosion and . . . Well, we were the only survivors." Edward placed his hand on top of the table. "They have the records to prove it, of course."

James shook his head. "I mean, we've heard about the Gathering of Twilight, of course. But we thought everyone had died in the explosion."

"Edward and Isabella were the only survivors, but we kept that quiet for their sakes," Carlisle said. "They were only children, after all. You can understand why we wanted to protect them from the publicity."

"No, no, of course," Peter said quickly. "It's . . . it's just a lot to take in." He paused before saying, "Where are Ben Cheney and Angela Weber now? You said you fought them to get free. I'm assuming that means they're dead."

Bella felt herself tense, but Felix was the one who spoke. "You can contact the medical examiner's office in Salt Lake City, Utah. Ben and Angela's bodies were found inside a bunker in Lark, Utah, about three miles northeast of town. After Isabella and Edward fought for their freedom, I alerted a contact with the local police department, who seemed to understand the need to keep their deaths as quiet as possible. The ME, of course, is more than willing to discuss their deaths with you. I also have the name and number of a trauma doctor, who has agreed to give you a statement regarding Isabella and Edward's physical and mental condition upon their rescue, with their consent of course."

Bella was surprised by that information, assuming Felix had buried them in the desert. Or rather, hoped he had.

Felix reached inside his jacket and pulled out a manila envelope. He glanced at her and Edward before placing it on the table and sliding it toward the detectives.

"We're not naïve, gentlemen, nor are we stupid. We know you're not going to take our word for what happened inside that bunker. These are stills from video footage I recovered that show, without doubt, Isabella and Edward were brutalized by Ben Cheney and Angela Weber, and that they . . . they killed them in self-defense."

James reached for the envelope, but Bella slammed her hand on it first, drawing everyone's attention. Her fingers were trembling as she flipped it over, dug the flap out, and reached inside, her heart racing. Sliding them onto the table, she looked down.

First was Ben laying her on the cement table. Then, Angela straddling Edward's lap, Ben pinning Edward to the ground with his fist raised in the air, and Bella tackling Angela off Edward. Last was one of their dead bodies on the floor while Edward held Bella on his lap.

"You didn't tell us you had these," she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away.

"I didn't think you'd want to see them." Felix reached over and covered them with his hand, drawing her eyes to him. "You did what you had to in order to survive." His attention flickered to Edward. "You both did. Truthfully, we should have gotten to you faster. We didn't, and that's on us." He gathered the photos and looked at James and Peter. "Isabella and Edward did what they had to and these are proof."

Peter spread the pictures out in front of him and James, both sharing a look before they began examining them. After almost two minutes, and yes, Bella was counting, James looked at her and asked, "Why didn't you alert law enforcement when you began receiving threatening letters?"

"I couldn't risk my career," Bella admitted. "Initially, I didn't believe the treat was as serious as it was. Both my father and manager," she added, gesturing toward Charlie and then Rosalie, "insisted I hire extra protection, and that's when we went to Edward. I employed him as my personal bodyguard, only to find out later that we shared a history."

"A shared history you knew nothing about," James quipped.

"Yes."

James nodded and tapped his pen against the legal pad in front of him. "I'm sorry if I sound like an asshole, but I don't understand why you didn't come forward a month ago. Two people died inside your house, Ms. Swan, and you just . . . What? Pretended you knew nothing about it?"

"I didn't know anything about it. The night Kate and Mike were kidnapped and taken to my house, I was with Edward at his apartment."

"Alone." James tilted his head to the side. "Isn't that what you said? You were alone with Edward the morning you were supposedly kidnapped by Ben and Angela."

"Yes."

"We have proof, of course." Carlisle reached into his pocket, pulled a USB drive, and laid it on top of the table before sliding it toward James and Peter. "That's video footage from our office. It shows Ms. Swan and my son arriving the evening before, at about seven p.m. on the evening of the eighth, until just after eight forty-five on the morning of the ninth, when you will see Ben Cheney and Angela Weber abducting Isabella and Edward and killing Garrett Mitchell. There is only one entrance to the building: the front door. Every inch of the building, with the exception of my son's loft, is covered by our security system."

James sighed as he stood and picked up the drive. "It's not that we don't believe you. . ."

"Because we do," Peter said, clearing his throat as he stood. "It's just . . . a lot to take in all at once."

At that, Bella and Edward stood with everyone around them doing the same.

"The facts are the facts, gentlemen," Charlie said. "Isabella and Edward are . . . Well, I was going to say victims, but that's not really accurate. They're fighters. Survivors. And they're trying to do the right thing by Kate Denali and Mike Newton."

"Maybe there's no way to prove Ben and Angela kidnapped Kate or Mike, broke into my daughter's house, and tortured them for hours before lighting their bodies on fire, leaving them to die. We don't know why or how, but that's what happened."

Without giving James or Peter a chance to respond, Bella, Edward, Charlie, Carlisle, and Felix turned and left the room, walking back to the elevator with the others following, the eyes of everyone wondering exactly why America's Sweetheart had stopped at the Los Angeles Police Department.

—TB—

Later that day, Bella found herself sitting on the porch of the big white house on Maple Drive, otherwise known as Esme and Carlisle's house. While Bella hadn't particularly wanted to spend the night here, they didn't have any other place to stay. Her house was nothing but a pile of chard ashes, and she knew his loft wasn't a place they would ever go again. And staying at a hotel would just bring more attention than she was prepared for at the moment. Sooner rather than later, they'd have to find a house of their own, she thought. One for her, Edward, and their baby.

The front door opened, and Bella looked over, finding Rosalie stepping onto the porch. She shivered and tightened her sweater around her before she settled on the chair next to her.

"You okay, Bee?"

"Not really."

Rosalie frowned. "Yeah, I suppose that was a stupid question, huh?"

"No. I just . . ." Bella shook her head, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I'm nervous about tomorrow."

"I can call Carmen and cancel."

"Don't do that," she said quickly. "I know you don't understand why Edward and I need to tell our story, but it's . . . If there are other members of the Gathering out there, they need to know we aren't going to hide anymore; we aren't . . . we aren't going to be victimized by anyone ever again, Ro."

"But it's too much if . . . if you're not ready."

"I can't keep hiding, Ro. I can't . . . I want my life back, only I want a better one. One where I'm not afraid of everything and everyone. I know telling our story and going to Tanya and Jessica won't make the fear disappear. Irina said I will always struggle with fear and doubt, especially now that I remember every horrible detail about the first five years of my life. But she also said it's up to me on how I handle that fear and doubt. I can choose to let it cripple me, or I can choose to fight every single day. I'm choosing to fight. Not just for me, either."

"For Edward?"

Bella slowly nodded.

"And . . . and your baby?"

Her eyes widened, and Rosalie smiled. "How'd you know?"

"You mean besides the fact that I've been solely responsible for every aspect of your life for the better part of five years and can predict your menstrual cycle better than my own?"

"Yes?"

Rosalie laughed. "I found the receipt from the drug store in Charlie's truck. Edward really needs to be more careful, Bee."

She groaned. "Does everyone else know?"

"Of course not."

"No?"

"It wasn't my business to tell."

She released a breath of air. "Thank you, Ro. We know we're going to have to tell everyone, but it's . . . it's just something we wanted to keep private for a little while longer."

"I don't blame you." Rosalie stretched her hand out, so Bella tentatively wrapped her fingers around hers. "Are you happy, Bee?"

"Mostly," she confessed. "Edward . . . He makes me want to be more than America's Sweetheart. He . . . I can't even explain it, Ro. We went through so much together, more than I ever thought anyone could, and we survived. Together. And I can't . . . no, I won't let him go. I love him, Ro. I love him so much."

"Awe, Bee, I'm happy for you and Edward. If anyone deserves to be happy, it's you and him."

She nodded. "Can I tell you another secret?"

"Of course."

"He wants to marry me."

Rosalie's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

Bella laughed. "Very. We're thinking after talking to Tanya and Jessica and seeing Jacob, we'd go back to the cabin and get married at the creek. Is that dumb?"

"No."

"No?"

"Of course not. I think it's perfect. Anything I can do to help, just say the word."

"We don't want anything big or fancy. Just . . . our family."

"Well, that you will have in spades."

The front door opened again, and Edward poked his head out, smiling when he looked from Rosalie to Bella. "Hey, Emmett and Jasper want to have a movie night. Em's been yammering about some vampire movie that, in his words, 'will rock your world.' You guys in?"

"Yeah, sounds fun," Rosalie said before looking at her. "What do you say, Bee? Feel like vegging out and watching a movie with everyone?"

Biting the inside of her lip, she simply nodded, stood, and followed Rosalie into the house.

Edward wrapped his arm around her waist, and they settled on the couch, Jasper and Alice on the other sofa with Emmett and Rosalie on the floor. She laughed inwardly at just how ordinary this moment was. She couldn't think of a time when she just sat in a room with other people and watched a movie.

Of course, these weren't just any other people; they were her family.

Thank you for all the AMAZING reviews! I am so sorry this chapter is late, but I had a hard time getting the words right. Sunflower Fran saved my ass big time, so thank you! See you next Saturday!