Thanks for your patience! I have some more chapters banked and am ready to continue posting again. Yay!
Thanks to all!
"I'm surprised you're still here." Victoria's voice startles him as he pauses on the front steps of Rosalie's to light a cigarette, turning towards the sound abruptly. "Eh, maybe I'm not."
Edward isn't trying to avoid her purposely; he had finished his breakfast with Isabella and, having lost track of time, decided to slip out of Rosalie's without drawing more attention to himself than he already had. Unfortunately, the overcast skies had temporarily made him shield his eyes from the offending light, and once he had stopped, he knew he needed a smoke in order to survive this walk home. It isn't far at all, but today the thought of it feels like endless miles of torture. His head still pulses with last night's indulgences, and he isn't sure a daytime walk is what is going to cure him.
What Edward is sure of is that talking to Victoria right now may be the thing that kills him. He knows he crossed several lines last night, and he doesn't need her to remind him of every single one of them at the moment. Isabella had already done that, and he rubs his eyes at the memories that rush to his mind.
He clears his throat and watches as Victoria shuts the front door behind her and sits down on the uneven brick steps. "I tried to leave a lot earlier than now, but to be honest, the room was spinning too fast for me to walk."
Victoria laughs and looks up at him, eyes squinted at the sun hidden beneath the clouds. "Edward Cullen? Honest?" She looks at him with a joking smile on her face. "Since when?"
He sighs and sits next to her on the step. She wonders if he minds his suit getting dirty but keeps it to herself since the wrinkles on his suit are already prominent after his night spent asleep on her bedroom floor. "Things changed while you were gone."
"I wasn't gone long," Victoria replies, her head turning at the sound of the door behind them opening softly. They watch as Isabella steps around them, nodding politely in their direction before making her way down the street. She strolls without purpose, an innocence in her meandering, and Victoria finds it endearing. Glancing at her brother, she sees the way his eyes never leave Isabella's retreating form and realizes she isn't the only one. She clears her throat, looking down at her shoes. "Maybe change sometimes doesn't have anything to do with time or distance. Maybe just proper motivation."
"Perhaps," Edward replies, reluctantly pulling his gaze away as Isabella turns the corner. He lets his cigarette hang between his fingers as his elbow rests on his knee. Silence falls between the siblings as the air around them settles. "Thank you."
"I've lost count of how many times you've saved me from myself," Victoria answers in reply, blowing off his unnecessary apology for acting the way he did last night. Seeing him in that state is extremely rare. "Only fair I repay you the gesture every so often."
"It won't be happening again any time soon," Edward states firmly.
Victoria believes him.
"I don't doubt that," she says. "I know you don't like to show that side of yourself, especially here in the city. But it's okay to let your guard down every now and then, Edward. It's nice to see you like that. It reminds me of when we were kids."
"We weren't kids for very long," he reminds her, his eyes scanning up and down the street slowly without moving his head a single inch.
"We had no choice." Victoria sighs. "Well, you had no choice, really. You became a man overnight because you had to. And look where it has gotten you."
"It's gotten me to where I want," Edward inhales deeply before letting a cloud of smoke into the air between them on the steps.
"But at what cost, Edward?" She shakes her head in disappointment. Her relationship with her brother has always been complicated; emotions change like a simple coin flip. "Don't forget I know you very well, brother. I know you don't have everything you want."
Without ever speaking the words out loud, they know who Victoria speaks of. She also knows he'll never admit to it.
"Want?" Edward questions. He shakes his head and continues watching the street in front of them. More people have started their day; everyone walks with a purpose. "Perhaps not. But I have everything I need. Wants are superfluous."
Victoria scoffs, rolling her eyes before nudging him slightly harder than she should with her elbow. "You're not the same starving boy you were when Mother died. It's all right to see beyond that. For fuck's sake, last night's celebration was for you!" She closes her eyes, thinking back to darker times when neither of them had been promised another day. She sighs and crosses her arms across her chest as if protecting her heart when she remembers how close she was to getting all she needed in life. "Life is too short not to have what you want every now and again."
"You speak like you've lived more than one life."
"It feels like I have," she admits. "Don't let all your wants pass you by. One day you'll look back and wish for them all over again. For one more chance."
Unspoken words land heavily between them, the weight of them nearly suffocating.
"I can arrange for you to see her again," Edward says. "Your child."
"It's too dangerous," Victoria answers with a vehement shake of her head. "I'm not willing to take that risk."
"Is he always watching?"
"Marcus has eyes and ears all over this city," she reminds him.
"So do I."
"I can't," she says. "I can't put my trust in anyone but myself. You, of all people, should understand that."
"If what you say is true, why do you let him have such a hold over you? Such power?"
"Who?"
"Marcus," Edward says loudly as his eyes stop scanning the street. He rises from the steps and flicks his cigarette next to a puddle by his feet. As if orchestrated, Marcus Volturi steps on it and crushes the ashes beneath his highly-polished wing tips, the smile on his face condescending, boiling the blood in Edward's veins. He sticks his hands in his pockets to keep himself from pounding them against the man's flesh.
But now is not the time or place for such triumphs.
"I would wish you a good morning, but I can see from the looks of it I may be incorrect," Marcus chuckles with forced politeness as he eyes the state of Edward's appearance; the people on the streets have become unknowing witnesses to their conversation.
"It's been a fine morning," Victoria interjects, wiping her hands on her skirt as she stands. Edward walks down the steps to where Marcus awaits, eager to hear the purpose of his visit.
"Fine morning, you say?" Marcus says, turning his focus on Victoria. "I'm curious to know if you had a fine evening, as well."
She crosses her arms across her chest. "You know I did. Caius came to collect your share."
"And that is why I decided to pay you a visit this morning."
Edward inhales sharply through his nose before speaking. "Do you not recall your agreement? You're not supposed to be here."
"And she isn't supposed to leave here while she's working for me," Marcus retorts, "but that didn't stop her from leaving last night."
"Rose leaves and still pays up," Victoria argues. "So do Tia and Kate. Why does it matter if I do or not?"
"They have proven their allegiance," Marcus says coldly. "You like to run."
Victoria looks down, swallowing hard. "I'm not running anymore."
"You didn't pull in a quarter of what you normally bring me," Marcus says. "I'm here to make sure you're aware of that."
"She's aware." Edward interrupts, his tone ominous.
"Since when do you speak for one of my girls?" Marcus asks, turning his body to stand directly in front of Edward. The two men, nearly identical in size and stature, keep their faces void of any emotion while people continue to pass them on the street. Victoria's eyes dance back and forth between both, unsure of what to do next.
"She doesn't belong to you," Edward says slowly, appearing calm despite the growing tension.
"One year of you and your pub doesn't mean anything here," Marcus spits angrily. "You still have a lot to learn. I own this place. Those girls are my property."
Edward's eyes land on the man, his fury boiling under the surface of his forced calm.
"Only a coward thinks he can own people," Edward's voice is tightly controlled, level, despite the curling of his fists in his pockets, his knuckles white from the strain.
Marcus' eyes narrow. "You've a lot to learn, boy."
Behind him on the step, he hears the softest scuffle of Victoria's shoe against the crumbling concrete, and he knows it's her silent way of urging him to back down, to not pick this fight today.
Taking a breath, Edward drops his gaze. "Are we done here?"
"Yes," Marcus answers moments before his eyes land on a brunette beauty heading towards them on the street. She carries a brown bag of simple groceries, most of her hair hidden by a delicate hat. It's quick, but he catches her eyes as they land briefly on Edward's before disappearing into Rosalie's. Not all of the girls Rosalie brings into the house belong to him, but his mind reels with possibilities at the sight of the new beauty before him.
He turns to Edward one last time before leaving. "For now."
I'll definitely be seeing you soon!