Author's note:Thanks again to Sheri for all that you do!

ENJOY!

Chapter 10

Regrets

BELLA POV

I woke up with the sun peeking through the windows of Alice's spare bedroom. My head was throbbing, evidence that I drank way too much last night. My body felt sore and so did my vagina. Oh shit! My eyes went wide in shock as snippets from last night flashed through my head. I don't remember everything, but one thing was clear,

I had sex with Edward Cullen.

Shit! Was I that far gone? I quickly jumped, which was a mistake because now I was really dizzy. I waited a few minutes to get my bearings before I threw on some yoga pants and a t-shirt. Was he still here? I tried to listen for any noise but I couldn't hear anything.

I opened the door, and slowly made my way down the hall. Alice's apartment wasn't big but it wasn't small either, I would call it medium sized. The apartment had a pretty good sized living room and kitchen where neither was occupied by anyone. I knocked on Alice's bedroom door and was met with no response so I opened it. I shouldn't be in here as it could be considered an invasion of privacy but I needed to know if I was alone.

Both Alice's bedroom and bathroom were empty as was the laundry room and guest bathroom. I was alone. The thought that Edward left and didn't wake me up had me surprised. I was a light sleeper, so it was shocking that he had escaped quietly.

The thought also bothered me a bit. I felt like some cheap fuck. I knew I wasn't, but it didn't make me feel any better that I had a one night stand. I quickly took the sheets off the bed and carried them to the washer. Hopefully, I would have them done before Alice came home. I felt like a bad friend, so I went to get my phone and discovered I had a few messages from her. She was with Jasper, which I already knew. I guess she didn't know that Jasper had called Edward to inform me of that last night which made me sigh in relief. I wanted to keep it that way. She also let me know she would be home soon. Then it hit me. How did Jasper know I was with Edward? That part made no sense, at all. I know it was Jasper's club and maybe someone let him know or maybe Jasper just knew where I was.

The Agent in me wanted to push this further. There was something that wasn't adding up. The other side of me thought it could have been a coincidence. I heard the washer stop and went to put the sheets in the dryer. I decided I would take a shower since I smelled like sex which was further prove of what happened last night. After carefully washing my body, I felt an ache between my thighs, a good ache but nevertheless an ache. Once I was finished I stepped out. I put the yoga pants back on and a shirt then I combed my wet hair. Looking in the mirror, someone that I didn't recognize as myself looked back at me. I was glowing! It was weird what sex could do for you.

Then I heard the door close and I heard Alice call out my name. I slowly stepped out of the bathroom and was met with her piercing blue ..

"Bella!" she said excitedly. How she could be this hyped up so early in the morning was beside me but if she wasn't, I would be worried.

"Hey, Al," I said as we both went to her living room to sit.

"Bella, I'm so so sorry about last night," her face filled with remorse, as she expressed her regret. "We were already fucked, but when you said you had talked to Jasper about Carmen, I started thinking you were questioning him about all those murders… anyways my mind was like what the fuck? But I left you and that was so wrong!" Alice said. "Then I woke up in Jasper's bed this morning. He said I passed the fuck out, told me he called you a ride so I knew you would be okay but still. I'm such a terrible friend."

So Jasper said he called me a ride. Hmm? She didn't mention Edward so maybe she didn't know. Good. I didn't want to have to explain that Edward was my ride.

"Alice, it's okay," I let out a laugh. "You don't remember bar hopping back in college? You could barely keep your head up the next day." I laughed holding my ribs and Alice gave me her bitch brow before laughing with me.

"I could never hold my liquor," Alice said as I heard the dryer go off. She looked at me questionly. "I threw up on the sheets, my bad," I lied but like I said I didn't need anyone knowing including Alice of what went on last night. I could see the headlines: "FBI Agent sleeps with Former Suspect!"

"Oh dang, Bella! You were fucked up, too." Alice's face went back to being grim. "Something could have happened to you," she said.

"Alice!" I had to get her to quit worrying. "You know I'm a big girl, right? I can take care of myself."

She nodded. "So, you want to order take out and watch movies all day?" Alice said.

"Sounds like a plan," I told her with a smile.

We did just that the rest of the day. Tomorrow I would have to leave, so I made this day with Alice count. I didn't think about Edward, the cases, or the fact that once I got back, I was going to see how much Jacob had fucked up. I focused on Alice and enjoying the friend time we had together. We didn't get together much as both of us were busy people.

The next day, after packing my bag, Alice and I had a tearful goodbye. She said she would come see me soon and I held her to it. I left earlier than usual because I was going to stop by Bree Tanner's place again before heading to the airport. I took a cab to her apartment building and quickly made my way inside. I really hoped I wasn't interrupted this time. I still had the flash drive in my bag from the other day and probably wouldn't be able to go through it until I reached my apartment.

Opening her door again, I made my way around. I checked the bathroom first, since I had missed that the last time. I opened the bathroom mirror, where there were some feminine products, toothpaste, etc., but my eyes crossed in confusion when I saw a few pill bottles in the back. I already had my gloves on so I carefully picked them up. They were very well hidden. I wasn't sure why this didn't come up in the first report. Actually I wasn't surprised, like I said, some Agents weren't thorough when they were looking at a crime scene. They didn't seem to care what happened before the crime.

Bree Tanner was on some anti-depressants. Shit! Remembering that conversation from just a while ago of what Bree's parents said about her, I was beginning to think they didn't know her very well. Did they know she was depressed? Why hadn't they mentioned it? I snapped a few pictures for evidence. Nothing else In the cabinet piqued my interest, so I left and headed to her bedroom. The place was clean, nothing out of place. Could she have had a touch of OCD? Glancing around, I didn't see anything else of any interest. Going back to the office, I was starting to feel defeated. I knew I had the flash drive with me, but I honestly felt like I wouldn't get my answers from there.

Going to the desk, I started looking through her drawers. Everything was perfectly placed in them. Shutting them closed, I went to her bookcase. She had a few romance titles, a few horror books, and a lot of study material. Walking on down, I noticed something peeking out between the books. You couldn't tell if you weren't a reader, or had experience with books but there in between two books was a diary.

"Jackpot," I said, hoping it would have what I needed. I quickly put it in my bag, then I left the office after finding nothing else of interest. Walking back to her kitchen, I peeked in and found it empty. Someone must have tossed the fridge. It would have helped to see how she was eating in her final days. Going through the cabinets was much the same. Bare. She didn't have a boyfriend or she wasn't staying with anyone according to her parents. So how was she eating? To my knowledge her parents hadn't really been here since her death.

Leaving the apartment, and giving the guard the key, I questioned myself on the way to the airport. Bree died in New York, but where would she be if she had been let go from her job? Did she have a friend she was staying with? It could also explain the non-existent food in her apartment. I hated myself for not thinking of this to begin with. She was let go, which means they booted her out of her apartment. Where did she go to die in New York? She had no ties, correct? She was from here. I was going to have to wait until I got home to really do some research. After taking a nap on the plane and landing safely, I made my way to my apartment. I didn't have any messages on my machine, so after sending Alice a quick text telling her I made it, I headed to the bathroom. I took a quick shower and quickly put on a sleep set. I then made my way to my office, turning on my computer, searching my bag for the flash drive. After hooking it into my computer, I scrolled through the pictures. Besides seeing a few of Bree looking away, nothing really kept my interest. I felt like I was missing something but I couldn't put my finger on it. I pulled out the diary or journal whatever you wanted to call it. I opened it to the first page,

"To whoever reads this, know that no matter what they tell you I was right."

Confused, I flipped the page.

"I'm about to graduate, I'm so excited! The thought of finally getting away makes me feel amazing! I'm grateful for all that my parents have done including getting me this apartment. I just need to be able to do things on my own. I don't feel in control of my life and I need to see a doctor without my parents finding out but they are always in my business."

I flipped the page, noting the behaviors she showed on that current page.

"I finally saw a doctor and he says I'm depressed. I could have told him that! He gave me some pills, and told me to start writing things down to help ease my mind. I felt like it was a waste of time because I already wrote things down."

That is all she wrote on that page and then I flipped to the next one.

"I graduated today, boy, I was so happy! My mother on the other hand wants me to stay here to work. I have to get out of this city, and away from my parents! I love them so dearly but as their only child they suffocate me! I've applied everywhere! I really hope to get this job in New York City but only time will tell."

I was about to read the next page when my phone went off. It was pretty late so I didn't know who could be calling me. Looking at the screen, Jacob's name came up and I felt my stomach drop. There must have been another body. Since I hadn't been in town, Jacob was supposed to be informed of anything new.

"Hello?" I said hesitantly knowing the news I was about to get. I also couldn't believe that Marcus hadn't been the one to call.

"Hey, Bells, you make it back okay?" Jacob started. I could hear a slight edge to his voice. I knew him, I knew something happened.

"Just a few minutes ago, what happened, Jacob?" I didn't have time for games so he just needed to get it out.

"I want you to know you don't have to feel guilty about dropping the charges," Jacob said.

"What are you talking about? Spit it out, Black!" I yelled into the phone.

"Paul's dead," he said simply.

I froze. What the fuck?

"Bells, you there?"

"Yeah," I choked. I knew better, I should have kept him locked up. Whoever killed Carmen knew Paul saw him. Had to, and finished him off before he could say anything. Wait.

"Jacob, what about Quil?" I started getting worried.

"He's missing," Jacob said sadly.

What the fuck.