Title: Let Them Eat Cake

Summary: Alice knew deep down that even with a rocky start, by the end of the night everything would end as it should. And no extra complications would stop it from happening. Or would it?

Primary Trope: Unhappy Ending/Revenge

Disclaimer: The author does not own any publicly recognizable characters herein. No copyright infringement is intended.


Let Them Eat Cake

The gravel crunched under the tires of two cars and a motorcycle as they drove up the twisted road to the mansion sitting on the edge of the cliffs. They parked next to a bright yellow Porsche, and once the motor of the bike cut off, the only sound that could be heard was the wind whipping through the trees.

Six people looked up with wariness at the ominous manor that stood under the overcast skies. The building was way past its prime. The stone façade was cracked with dead ivy stuck to its walls. The windows were caked with dirt and two on the top floor were broken. The tension in the air wasn't from only the looming storm but from the guests themselves.

"You know I think I've seen this house before in an episode of Scooby-Doo," Emmett joked. He side-eyed Rose and Royce. It was hard to keep his humor, seeing her with him. He still didn't understand it. Things were going great with Rose until she abruptly called it off. Next thing he knew, she was hanging off Royce King's arm. Emmett thought she hated pretentious men like him.

"It's revolting, Rosalie. Why are we here?" Royce asked in disgust, casting a look of worry at his Tesla. He was concerned the building would crumble before them, damaging his new car.

"You didn't have to come. My friend, Alice, wanted to have a dinner party before we all left for college. Though I'm surprised by her choice of location," Rosalie answered in a monotone voice. She had a part to play tonight, and like the past few weeks, she wasn't looking forward to it.

"I like it; it has a lot of charm. I bet there are a lot of ghost stories." Bella focused on the building before them rather than her ex-boyfriend, who she knew was staring at her. She pulled the elastic out of her ponytail so she could hide behind her mahogany hair. At least Edward had arrived here with Emmett and not the blonde bitch he'd cheated on her with at the prom after party.

"Bella, what the hell were you doing on a motorcycle? Does Charlie know?" Edward demanded. He was pissed, seeing Bella's arms wrapped around Jacob. He tried for weeks to explain to Bella what had happened with Tanya, but he'd been blocked at every turn. He was hoping tonight he'd be able to, until he saw Jacob was with her.

"Jealous?" Jake smirked, throwing his beefy arm around Bella's shoulders.

Edward narrowed his eyes. "More like concerned because you're a reckless driver, and I don't want to see Bella hurt."

"A little too late for that, don't you think?" Jake scoffed, relishing that he could taunt Edward.

"Enough." Bella shrugged off Jacob's arm. "Edward, I'm an adult; if I want to ride on a motorcycle, I can. It's none of your business. And, Jake, knock it off. I can handle myself."

"You can't blame a guy for wanting to protect his territory," Emmett stated while eyeing Royce. He didn't trust the slime; something was off about him. He was going to watch him like a hawk tonight.

"I am not territory!" Rosalie and Bella said in unison while glaring at their exes.

At that moment, the double doors of the house opened, and a petite, raven-haired girl and a lanky, blond boy stepped out from the house. She bounced on her toes as she surveyed her guests. Even her boyfriend's tranquil demeanor couldn't calm her tonight.

"Hey, Jasper, you look like Lurch in that suit." Emmett snickered and Edward couldn't help joining in at his friend's expense.

Alice caught Jasper's hand before he flipped off Emmett. She then dropped it and clapped hers excitedly. "Welcome, everyone, those who were invited and those who were not invited. We are going to have fun tonight."

"Alice, I—" Bella felt guilty that she dragged Jake along to be a buffer without asking Alice's permission.

Alice waved her off. "It's fine. I have plenty of food. You know me, I anticipated them. Her too."

Alice glanced at Tanya's sleek red car which was coming slowly up the road. Although Jacob, Tanya, and Royce were uninvited, Alice had a plan B in place in case they had to deal with them. Alice knew deep down that even with a rocky start that by the end of the night everything would end as it should. And no extra complications would stop it from happening.

"Oh look, it's the town bicycle," Rose deadpanned.

"Rosalie, that's a Ferrari, not a bicycle," Royce lectured and then muttered "dumb blonde" under his breath. She was going to have a lot to learn.

Emmett snorted but shoved his hands in his pockets instead of commenting. A month ago, he would've defended Rose by popping this jackass one. But she'd made her bed, and she could lie in it.

Rose was more hurt by Emmett's laughter than Royce's comment. But she tilted her chin high and acted as if none of it bothered her. "I was talking about the slut driving the car. She slept with most of the guys in our class. Just ask Edward."

Edward shot her a scathing look. "I never had sex with Tanya."

"Could have fooled me." Rose rolled her eyes and examined her nails.

"Me too," Bella muttered. Her heart ached and her stomach twisted at the thought of being around Edward and Tanya.

"Bella, I swear that isn't what happened. Please, can we talk somewhere?" Edward pleaded with Bella. He knew if he could get her alone for five minutes, without interruption, he could clear up this whole mess.

Jacob pushed his way in front of Bella. He finally had his chance with her, and he wasn't going to let Edward worm his way back into her good graces. "She's not talking to you."

"I wasn't—"

"Eddie, I'm here." Tanya squealed, slamming her car door shut and rushing toward him.

Tanya was excited to get the message about tonight. She would do anything to be with Edward. She had loved him for a very long time, and finally, she was going to have her chance with him since the nerdy brunette wouldn't be in her way anymore. Her heel caught on the rocks, and she fell forward, crashing into Edward's car after he dodged out of her path. She straightened and had to fix her skintight dress to keep her boobs from spilling out. All men, with the exception of Royce, averted their eyes from her.

"Why are you here?" Edward was peeved to see the bitch who had destroyed his life.

Before Tanya could answer, Alice clapped her hands again. "Everyone, let's go inside and get started; it's about to rain cats and dogs."

Big fat droplets started to fall from the sky at Alice's announcement. Bella glanced at the house and then at Jacob's bike. She was second-guessing being here and was ready to flee. Alice sensed her friend's apprehension and hurried to her side.

"Bella, you can't leave now. First of all, it would be dangerous to ride a motorcycle in the rain—you know that. And second, you promised to be here tonight. Just ignore Tanya," Alice begged.

"Alice—"

"Please. This is the last chance for all of us to be together before we split up for college." Alice pouted. Bella couldn't leave, it would ruin everything. Besides, Alice was convinced that if Bella stayed, she would be happy that she did later.

"Fine. I can manage one night." Bella sighed.

"Thank you. Thank you." Alice squealed, hugging Bella, then pulling her along by linking arms into the mansion.

C

The interior of the building was in better shape but still looked like it had been frozen in time decades ago. The lighting fixtures were old, and they flickered occasionally, but it was warm and clean.

"This place is creepy." Jacob muttered out loud what the majority had been thinking.

"I had cleaners come this morning. Besides, it's the perfect setting for tonight's theme. We're going to have a murder mystery dinner party," Alice announced with a flourish.

"Like the eighties movie Clue?" Edward asked skeptically.

"I loved that movie. Tim Curry was the bomb," Emmett said excitedly. Maybe he could get away with strangling the prick, Royce.

"Sort of, but no blackmail, only murder," Alice replied, not wanting to give too much away.

The others looked at each other uneasily; the tension was growing heavy in the room. Several errant thoughts of revenge filtered through their minds, while a few remained oblivious to any of their wrongdoings. A clap of thunder made them all jump.

"You're going to murder us?" Tanya squeaked, grabbing onto Edward's arm. She wasn't completely stupid; she knew several of them didn't like her. She hoped that would change now that she and Eddie were close to being together.

Edward shook Tanya off, annoyed that she was clinging to him. He didn't need to look any worse in front of Bella. "Of course not, don't be ridiculous. Alice was joking; it's role playing—only fake deaths, not real."

"Oh. Well, I guess it's okay as long as I don't die for real," Tanya said perkily and fluffed her blonde hair while puffing out her chest.

"Too bad you can't." Bella made a wish under her breath. Only Rose, who was standing next to her, overheard and let out a snort.

Alice clapped her hands. "Okay, everyone, the dining room is this way. Follow me."

"Alice, all the clapping is getting annoying. Do it again, and you might be the first to die." Rosalie tried to make a joke to mask her irritation.

"That's the spirit, Rose. Follow me." Alice spun on her heels.

The dining room had a high ceiling with dark green walls. There was a long oak table, big enough to sit the whole party. In the center of it was a large vase of beautiful red roses. The group scattered to find seats, trying to avoid exes and their new partners. Alice grabbed the three place settings she had for just in case from the side table and brought them to the main one. She pushed down her frustration that no one was sitting where she originally planned.

"I'm not playing this stupid game," Royce announced. He refused to sit in the decades-old chair, not wanting to ruin his Gucci suit. He was only here to keep an eye on Rosalie. He found the rest of this to be nonsense, but she had insisted on being here. He wouldn't have to worry about this juvenile crap soon enough.

"Fine; be a party pooper." Alice ignored his attitude. His noninvolvement wouldn't stop the outcome of the game anyhow. "Jasper, please pour drinks while I check on dinner."

"Is it monkey brains?" Emmett asked excitedly.

Bella's stomach turned at the thought. "Ew, Emmett, why would you think she'd make that?"

He shrugged. "It was in the movie."

Alice closed her eyes for a brief moment to quell her irritation. "For one, this isn't an exact reenactment of the movie. Two, not only is that gross, but I'm pretty sure it is illegal. We're having chicken alfredo."

Tanya raised her hand, fluttering her fingers. "Umm…I don't do carbs."

"Then don't eat, I don't care. I'm getting sick of everyone complaining when I've been trying to do a wonderful thing for all of us." Alice slammed her way through the swinging door into the kitchen.

Alice's friends felt a wave of guilt, knowing they had been difficult, while the newcomers thought the short girl was over dramatic. Jasper let out a heavy sigh as he headed over to the small bar. He knew a party like this was very uncomfortable for some of them after recent events and he respected their feelings. However, Alice's happiness did mean everything to him.

"Come on, guys, it's only for an hour, maybe two. Can you at least fake it for that long, please?" Jasper asked. "Now what would everyone like to drink?"

"Scotch on the rocks," Royce ordered. He was going to need it to deal with tonight.

"The closest I have is ginger ale. We don't have alcohol here. We're all underage." Jasper gripped the counter, trying to keep his temper. The wind chose that moment to rattle the windows and the lights flickered.

"There has to be alcohol somewhere in a dump like this." Royce pushed the chair in front of him harder than necessary and stormed out of the room. If he was going to spend the night with goody-good children, he was going to need a stiff one or three.

"I'll take the ginger ale, please, Jasper." Bella was still feeling queasy.

Edward gazed at his beloved in concern. She looked paler than normal and seemed like she might have lost weight. "Love, are you feeling, okay?"

Tanya interceded the conversation. "I'm feeling fine, Eddie. Thank you for inviting me, but the service here is less than acceptable. Can we go somewhere else?"

"Don't call me, Eddie. I didn't invite you, but you're welcome to leave at any time," Edward said sourly.

"But you did. See." Tanya pulled out her phone and purposely showed the others, enjoying the hurt look on Bella's face.

"I didn't send you that." Edward's face narrowed in suspicion. His first thought was that Tanya sent it to herself, but he didn't think she was that good of an actress.

"One way to find out." Emmett snatched the phone out of Tanya's hand.

"Hey, that's mine." Tanya reached for it, but Emmett kept out of her reach.

"Dude, not cool. Give it back to her." Jacob started to get his feet.

"This will only take a sec. If Edward's phone rings, then he sent it. And call." Emmett hit the phone number that went with the text message.

A phone started ringing, and Edward pulled his cell out of his pocket. He showed it to Bella first, proving that his screen was blank, while the ringing continued.

"I believe your cell is ringing. Are you going to answer it?" Rose glanced sharply at Jacob.

Jacob nervously shifted in his seat, trying to think fast about how he could save himself. His chance of slithering into Edward's spot was waning. Bella was eyeing him with hurt and confusion. She had leaned on him these past few days for support. Now he seemed just as deceitful as Edward.

"It's just a coincidence," Jacob insisted, not meeting anyone's eye. The dumb bitch was screwing up their plans.

"Prove it!" Edward demanded, slamming his hand on the table. He had already been sure Jacob was behind the reason he was unable to speak to Bella. But this was a real low that he didn't see coming.

A high-pitched scream ripped through the air.

"Alice?" Jasper dropped the glass he was holding and ran for the kitchen with everyone following him.

Alice was leaning against the counter, clutching her chest. She pointed to the body on the ground with a shaky hand. "He's not breathing. I think he's dead!"

"I don't think he was ever breathing." Emmett gave the lifeless body a kick. "This is a dummy they use for CPR training. It doesn't even look real."

"Fuck, Alice, I thought something seriously happened to you. Don't scream like that," Jasper scolded, tugging at his hair. He loved her dearly, but she tended to go over the top.

"Hello, I'm acting. It's all part of the game. Well, someone check on him." Alice gestured to the victim once more.

Jacob let out a disgruntled sigh and sank to his knees. Playing along would delay everything else blowing up in his face. He dramatically checked for a pulse and the airways. "He's dead. Now what?"

"Now I will read through the synopsis, and everyone will split up," Alice explained, reaching for the storyline she'd left on the counter.

"What did you use for blood?" Bella asked, wrinkling her nose, eyeing the red puddle under the dummy's head.

Jacob dipped his fingers in and gave them a sniff then a lick. "I think it's raspberry sauce with a bit of a tang to it."

"I wouldn't…never mind, enjoy." Alice shook her head as Jacob started to double-dip in the pool of liquid, she wanted to hurry this part along.

Alice told the tale of James Dung. He was home visiting from college. While away, he piled up a heavy gambling debt and cheated on his long-time girlfriend, Victoria. He was here today at his father's house to ask for help. His father was about to run for governor and wanted the shame of his son buried.

"So, easy. It was Victoria. She killed him for cheating on her." Jacob couldn't resist getting a dig in on Edward. "He's not castrated. That's what I'd do if a guy cheated on me," Rose stated, making the men in the room shift uncomfortably.

Tanya rolled her eyes. "Well, that's stupid. How is anyone supposed to enjoy a guy's dick if it's cut off?"

"That's Rose's point." Bella rolled her own eyes and shook her head. What could Edward possibly see in her except bigger boobs? "I'm leaning toward the loan sharks. Especially, if they had mob ties. Did you say he went to Northwestern? That's in Chicago. Organized crime is supposedly big there."

"Maybe. But it doesn't sound like his dad was cool either. It was mentioned he wanted to bury the shame." Edward used finger quotes around bury. "A father like that wouldn't want a son like James causing him embarrassment."

Emmett didn't miss the way that Rose hugged herself and looked at her feet. Edward's suggestion had hit close to home for her.

"Speaking of rich boys, how come Royce didn't come running when he heard Alice screaming?" Jasper frowned.

"Because a guy like that doesn't care for anyone else but themselves." Emmett snorted and waited to see how Rose would react. However, she didn't. She just continued to stare blankly at the floor.

"So, which is it? Victoria, loan sharks, or daddy dearest?" Tanya wanted the game over so she could leave, hopefully with Edward.

"That's for you guys to figure out by searching for clues." Alice grabbed a bag off the counter. Her original plan of forcing the exes to be together wasn't going to work. So, hopefully, left to chance, it would still somehow work out how she wanted. "There are three sizes of straws, same sizes are partnered together, so no complaining or switching. Longest has the third floor, medium the main floor, and the smallest the basement."

Everyone drew a straw and held it up. Emmett grinned and was relieved he had fuck awesome partner. He held up his hand for a high-five. "Sweet! Brains and brawn together. We're going to win it."

Bella smacked his hand, and for the first time in a long time, laughed. "I couldn't have a better partner. Looks like we've got the main floor too."

Edward sighed in disappointment as he twirled his straw in his fingers. Jasper matched his straw to his best friend.

"Could be worse." Jasper cast a look at the remaining trio that looked very disgruntled to be lumped together.

"True." Edward nodded in agreement. "How do we get to the basement?"

"The door for it is under the main stairs," Alice directed, picking up a metal box. "Now before you all scatter, phones in here, so no one cheats by searching for information or ignoring their partner by playing on it."

Everyone complied but Tanya. Her phone was a part of her. There was no way she was going to give it up. She knew Alice didn't like her and might snoop to find out too much confidential information.

"No way. I'm not giving you my phone," Tanya said firmly.

"Too late." Emmett tossed in her sparkly pink phone as well as his own.

"Hey!" Tanya had forgotten he had taken her phone.

Alice slammed the box shut and locked it. "All right, everyone spread out."

"Wait. I'm starving. Can't we eat first?" Jacob complained, rubbing his stomach.

"Here, take a roll." Alice tossed him one. "I still need to cook."

"Any more of that sauce?" Jacob asked.

Alice grabbed a jar hidden behind the knife block and slid it across the counter to him. "Knock yourself out."

Jacob spread some on the roll before taking a swig out of the jar. The others watched in disgust and Alice refused to take the jar back. Jacob shrugged and thought all the more for him.

Bella, meanwhile, investigated the stove. Alice rarely cooked and Bella would be lying if that didn't make her a bit apprehensive. The stove looked like it was the oldest thing in the house she had seen so far.

"Alice, are you sure this stove still works?" Bella asked, brushing her fingers against the ancient model.

"It seemed fine earlier." Alice shrugged. "Now, everyone, shoo."

Finally, the group split up and left Alice to cook dinner.

C

Emmett and Bella set out to explore the main floor. They had always gotten along when on double dates with their exes. But they never really spent time one on one. The first room they entered was an old-style billiard room. They searched around, looking behind everything they could, like the dartboard. Emmett even helped Bella up on the pool table so she could look at the lamp above it.

"What are we even looking for?" Emmett asked. He was never book-smart but loved shows like CSI.

"I have no idea. With Alice, it could be anything. My guess, it would be for anything that doesn't look like it belongs." Bella shrugged as they stepped out of that room and headed for the next.

"Do you think there's any secret passages?" Emmett hoped he didn't sound lame.

Bella grinned. "That would actually be kind of cool. But you're going first if there are."

"Coward." Emmett chuckled, stepping into the new room. "Edward would love this room."

"Why?" Bella questioned, joining him. Her heart jolted in her chest when she spotted the grand piano. "Oh."

Bella checked out the bench and keys, while Emmett carefully lifted the lid to the piano. Bella had countless memories of Edward playing her songs he'd written as she sat by his side. It was also on a piano bench where they shared their first kiss…the first time he said, 'I love you'. And now all that was left were memories and another gift Edward didn't know he left behind.

"Are you okay?" Emmett asked. He hated seeing girls cry, and he wasn't sure what to do about the tears streaming down Bella's face. Normally, he would get Edward, but Emmett knew his friend was probably the cause of them.

"I'll be fine." Bella glanced around the room for something else to check out to distract her.

"You guys should talk." Emmett closed the lid gently. He wanted them to be happy, even if he couldn't be with Rose. He knew what happened to Bella and Edward was messed up, but he wasn't sure it was his place to fix it.

"There's nothing to talk about," Bella stated. "He cheated, it's over. He hasn't even tried to talk to me before now, so why should I go to him?"

Emmett couldn't take it anymore. "What are you talking about? I drove him myself over to your house that same night and again in the morning because he was such a mess. Your dad blocked him from seeing you, and told him if he showed up there again, he'd arrest him. I can also testify to watching him text you multiple times, texting and calling you. I know he sent you a video to proof he didn't cheat."

"I never got anything like that." Bella was so confused, she had to sit in the chair to process Emmett's statement. Hopefully, it held up, because it looked really old.

"Did you block him and forget?" Emmett wasn't trying to be a jerk.

"No." Bella shook her head.

"Did that kid, Jake, get his hands on your phone and block Edward?" Emmett suggested. He had been suspicious of Jacob since his phone rang in his pocket. The kid was acting squirrely.

"Why would he do that?" Bella asked, but she didn't rule it out completely.

Emmett waved his arms out, nearly knocking over a vase. Lightning lit the window behind him. "Why did he text Tanya and invite her tonight? That wasn't Edward. Come on, let's go check. I know Alice will let you if she knows why you want your phone. I may not be a genius, but I know that she planned this night to get us all back together."

Bella bit her lip. "Just tell me what is on the video."

"Okay. Eric Yorkie was filming the party, so he caught it and gave it to Edward. On it, you can see that Tanya was watching for you to come. As soon as she spotted you, she jumped into Edward's lap, catching him off-guard. She dug her nails into Edward's arms so hard, she punctured them. He even has the marks still—they'll probably be scared. By the time he managed to get free of her, you were long gone. He told her off before he went after you," Emmett explained.

"I was in the store a few days later. Tanya was there talking to someone on the phone about needing more condoms because she and Edward were going at it like rabbits." Bella's head swam in confusion as she tried to process everything.

"Did she see you? Because to be honest, I think Tanya and Jacob are in this together. It's obvious he wants you, and Tanya, well, she has never been shy about what she wants," Emmett stated.

Bella rubbed her hand over her face. Everything Emmett said made sense, even if it did sound like a bad sitcom episode. "I feel so stupid for not seeing it before."

"Looks like I'm good at this mystery solving after all. Now, go find Edward to kiss and make up." Emmett smiled, at least some of them could be happy.

"I think it's better to leave things as they are." Bella shook her head. Her hand ghosted her stomach before quickly dropping to the side. Her secret would only put a kink in Edward's future like it had hers.

Emmett's eyes widened because he didn't miss her hand movement. "Are you preggo?"

"You can't tell him," Bella pleaded to Emmett.

"I'm not, but you should," Emmett insisted. He was shocked Bella would keep something like this a secret.

"If I do, it will only wreck his plans for college. Derailing mine is enough, but not his. He'll stay and only end up resenting me one day." Bella burst into a fresh wave of tears.

"And you don't think he'll resent you for having a baby that's his too and you keeping it from him?" Emmett asked incredulously.

"I guess I didn't think of it like that," Bella admitted, clenching her eyes shut. With everything being so fucked up, she could barely think straight these days. And she now realized what she thought was Jacob trying to give helpful advice was for his benefit, not hers.

Bella stood and tried to muster up the courage for what she was about to do next. "I'm going to go find Edward. And I think you need to talk to Rose. Something is off about her relationship with Royce."

Bella took a step forward when she felt a wave of dizziness and everything went dark.

C

Tanya poked her head out the doorway of the bedroom she was pretending to search. She checked for Rosalie and spotted her going into a room in the opposite wing. Tanya scurried across the hallway into the room across the way. She had to find Jake so they could talk about their next move.

"Jake, are you in here?" she whispered.

Tanya was about to leave when she detected movement from the closet. She crept further into the room. "Jake, I'm sorry, I didn't think Emmett would steal my phone out of my hand like that. We've got to talk and figure out what to do."

When she didn't get an immediate response, she stepped further into the closet. "Jake?"

Tanya's eyes opened wide, but before she could yell, a blade cut through the air, slicing her neck. She fell to the carpet and soon was covered in her own blood.

Rose closed the door of the third room she searched harder than necessary. Hell, she didn't even know what she was supposed to be looking for. But at least she had a few minutes where she didn't have to dodge Emmett or Royce. She was never going to forgive her father for the mess he got her into.

Rose's father, Nathan, worked for Royce's dad, Royal King, and was caught embezzling. Royal had made her father a deal. He wouldn't go to the police if Rose would be Royce's trophy wife. Rose tried to refuse, but her father reminded her that King's bank held the mortgage to Emmett's mother's house. Emmett's mom had been sick, and Rose knew Emmett was already forgoing school to take care of her. To lose their house would hurt them a lot. Rosalie sacrificed her happiness to protect Emmett.

"You two better not be fucking somewhere while I do all the work!" Rosalie didn't know what the other two were up to, but she had seen them whispering on a few occasions around town.

Rose continued down the hallway when she heard the sound of retching coming from one of the bedrooms. She followed it to a bathroom, where Jacob was bent over a toilet. He was violently losing the contents of his stomach. The empty syrup jar lay next to him.

"That's nasty. That's what you get for eating like a pig." Rose screwed up her face in disgust and quickly left there before she got sick herself.

"Tanya, are you even up here?" Rose yelled. "She's probably chasing after poor Edward again. I should do Bella a favor and shove the slut down the stairs," she muttered.

Rose stopped outside of another room and noticed the closet wide open. Rose smirked to herself; she didn't think she'd find Tanya hiding in a closet. The smirk fell from her face when she found Tanya's lifeless body.

"Oh, my fucking God." Rose clapped hand over her mouth in shock then ran back to Jacob for help.

She found him passed out next to the toilet. "You're completely useless, dog!" she snapped angrily.

"Emmett!" Rose yelled at the top of her voice, turning to the one person who would never fail her.

Rose ran for the stairs, not being as careful as she should. Her high heel slipped, and her ankle twisted, sending her tumbling down the flight of stairs.

C

"Down here is creepy and messy. I can't see Alice coming down here to hide anything," Edward muttered, looking around the musty basement.

"I don't know. But tonight really means something to her, so I'll do anything to make her happy." Jasper rubbed his stomach. All the anxiety had twisted his stomach in knots. "You know, I bet what she really wants is you and Bella to kiss and make up, so go talk to her."

"She won't even look at me right now. And every time I try, Jacob gets in the way. He's like her personal guard dog or something," Edward grumbled angrily. He couldn't believe the motherfucker was the one to invite Tanya. Edward wanted nothing more than to go a few rounds with Jacob.

"Well, maybe since Emmett and I are here we can run interference. Try to sneak away when we all eat cake. You might be glad to miss it, but please don't tell Alice I said that," Jasper told him in confidence. The cake tasted like sawdust and was a bit sour.

"Alice baked?" Edward cringed.

"I know, I thought she was going to cater the event. I can't hurt her feelings; she's trying too hard to make everything perfect. She thought she could be as good a cook as Bella, but she should stick to fashion," Jasper stated, thinking fondly of his girlfriend.

"Hey, look. There's a bowling alley down here." Edward pointed out the two lanes on the far side of the basement.

"Now that's kind of cool. Do you think it works?" Jasper lit up with excitement.

"Alice did say to check out everything," Edward answered.

The two guys hurried across the basement floor. Unfortunately, when Jasper hit the pin reset button, nothing happened and there was only one ball and it was cracked. Edward was about to pick it up when a large spider crawled out of one of the finger holes. Both Edward and Jasper backed away from it.

"That's a no go," Jasper said in disappointment.

"Shall we keep searching?" Edward gestured to the huge basement.

"Hey, Ed, come quick. Bella needs you!" Emmett hollered.

Edward didn't have to be told twice, he rushed for the stairs, taking them two at a time. Emmett waited at the top, looking calm and slightly amused by his friend being out of breath.

"She's down in the room with the piano. She was feeling dizzy but is fine now. However, I told her everything and she wants to talk," Emmett informed Edward.

"You…" Edward didn't know whether to be relieved or pissed.

"You're welcome. I can switch with you and go join Jasper." Emmett clapped his friend on the shoulder.

C

Emmett watched with a smile on his face as Edward disappeared into the room Bella was in. At least they would be happy; maybe they'd even name the baby after him. Emmet was only on the first step of the basement stairs when he heard Rose shout his name in a panic.

Instinctively, he spun on his feet and rushed to the bottom of the main stairs. He arrived in time to see Rose trip and start to fall. Emmett lunged forward and managed to catch her before she could crack her head on the marble steps.

"What fuck...Rosie, are you okay? Where is that sorry excuse of a boyfriend of yours?" Emmett growled angrily, while holding her safe in his arms.

Rose was near hysterics at this point. "I don't know, and I don't care. I need you. Emmett, up—"

"Seriously, Rosie, tell me what the fuck you're doing with a guy like that. I know there's no feasible way you could love that joker." Emmett pressed his forehead against hers.

Staring into Emmett's brown eyes, Rose lost all train of thought. She ended up confessing everything to him, completely forgetting about what sent her running moments ago. Emmett listened patiently, even though his anger was about to get the best of him.

"Oh, Rosie, you should have come to me sooner. They should have never done this to you." Emmett tenderly kissed her forehead. He was touched by what she had tried to do for him and his mom. He wanted to strangle every last one of them who hurt his girl.

"I love you. I couldn't let them—"

Emmett placed a finger gently on her lips. "They lied to you. When my father died, there was enough settlement money from his accident to pay off the mortgage. I was staying home to take care of my mom, so she had rides to the hospital. But I guess I haven't been completely honest; I was using it as an excuse so I didn't have to go to college. I hate school. Please, don't be mad."

"Oh, I'm furious. But not at you. My father can rot in jail for what he has done. I'm through with him." Rose shifted to get on her feet. However, a sharp pain in her left ankle had her grabbing onto Emmett's arm again. "Ouch, that hurt."

"Let's find you somewhere to sit. Then I'll convince Alice to let me get you checked out. Royce better hope I don't run into him, or I might kill him."

The word kill jogged Rose's memory. "Oh my God. I completely forgot. Tanya is in a closet upstairs; her throat has been slit— she's dead."

"What?"

C

Edward rushed into the conservatory to see Bella on a small sofa looking pale and her eyes were red-rimmed. She looked up when she saw him, and she gave him an apprehensive look.

"Is it true? Did Tanya jump you, and you two never had sex?" she asked.

"Never." Edward knelt beside her since the couch didn't look like it could hold them both. "She could never hold a candle to you. I love you so much."

Edward reached for her hand, lifting it gently and lacing their fingers together. Edward kissed Bella's fingertips as she brushed his hair out of his eyes. A surge of love lifted both of their spirits that everything would go back to normal tonight.

"Emmett thinks both Tanya and Jacob were working together to separate us." Bella scowled. She had a bone to pick with Jacob, but fixing things with Edward came first.

"I've started to think the same thing," Edward agreed. "And it almost worked, but we won't let them get away with it."

"Edward, I have something to tell you," Bella said nervously.

"I have something to tell you too. I was going to tell you the night shit hit the fan, so let me speak first. I've decided to go to U-Dub next year," Edward announced.

Bella wasn't sure what to think of this revelation. "But Dartmouth—"

"U-Dub is even better. Not only do they have a great medical program, but it also has you. I don't want to be on the other side of the country away from you ever, let alone four or more years," Edward sincerely.

Bella blinked back a few tears. "Edward, I know we've been careful, but I'm pregnant."

Edward froze in shock for a moment. But seeing Bella's face, looking ready to crumple, made him jump into action. "I knew I wanted to marry you and have babies one day. It's just happening sooner. We will make it work, Bella, I promise."

Edward leaned in to kiss her. It felt wonderful to be able to kiss each other again. The warmth and the tenderness of the kiss let them both know everything would be alright.

"Come on, let's go tell Alice that we're leaving. Or at least get you something edible to eat. You look whiter than Casper," Edward teased, helping Bella to her feet.

"Funny. But I do need something to eat. I passed out a few minutes ago, luckily Emmett caught me," Bella explained, hoping it wouldn't upset Edward.

"You passed out? Emmett should've told me; he said you just wanted to talk. That's it; Alice might get upset, but you and the baby come first." Edward took her hand and led her toward the door.

They arrived at the main hall, just in time to hear Rose's announcement. "Oh my God. I completely forgot. Tanya is in a closet upstairs; her throat has been slit—she's dead."

"What?" Bella gasped. She hated the bitch, but didn't want her literally dead, just metaphorically.

"Are you sure this isn't part of the role playing?" Edward asked, squeezing Bella's hand.

"Very sure." Rosalie nodded, leaning into Emmett for support.

"Where's Jacob? Wasn't he up there with you?" Bella looked toward the second floor.

"You don't think he was pissed Tanya screwed everything up and killed her, do you?" Emmett questioned.

"I don't think so. I found him puking then later passed out in a bathroom. Stupid idiot ate all that syrup, most likely made himself sick," Rose said in disgust.

"What about Royce? We haven't seen him in a while. Does anyone really know anything about him?" Edward asked.

"If he isn't dead somewhere, he should be after what he tried with Rosie," Emmett muttered darkly.

"Well, you might have gotten your wish." Jasper appeared in the hallway from the dining room. His hair was sweaty and sticking to his forehead and he was feeling like shit. "I found him in the wine cellar. It looked like some shelves tipped over and crushed him. I can't tell if he's alive or not. I came to get the guys' help getting the stuff off him."

"What the fuck is going on? Tanya and Royce are possibly dead. For all the fuck we know so is Jacob. Jasper looks like shit…no offense, bro." Emmett picked up Rose since she couldn't walk and was ready to run for it.

"Tanya, Jacob, and Royce…" Jasper's head whipped back and forth. "Where's Alice? She wasn't in the kitchen. And something smelled funny in there, I don't think it was the food. Alice!" he bellowed, worried about his girlfriend. Did this house have a psycho killer and were they sitting ducks?

Alice stepped out of a room across from the kitchen. "Why all the screaming? I was in the bathroom."

"Thank God, you're okay." Jasper hugged her to him.

"I'm fine. What's wrong?" Alice asked calmly, folding her hands in front of her.

"What's wrong? Two, maybe three people are dead. We need to get the fuck out of here and let the police take care of it. There is a killer loose in the house," Emmett stated.

"Calm down, I'm not going to kill you guys, too." Alice let out a strange giggle. So far, she'd succeeded in her plan, even though it ended up messier than she had originally intended.

"Alice, what are you talking about? You killed them?" Bella asked in a strangled whisper. She gripped the back of Edward's shirt, completely bewildered at what was happening. This all had to be a bad dream, and she wanted to wake up.

"They had to die because they were making you all unhappy. You guys all belong together—not with them. What I did was for the greater good. Aren't you all happy now?" Alice looked at each of them one by one, feeling disappointed. She thought they would be thanking her, but they seemed scared of her. "Why does everyone look scared? Why aren't you happy?"

"We're happy…very happy. Aren't you happy, Rose?" Bella caught the blonde's eye. She hoped to silently communicate with her. Because, obviously, Alice had gone insane.

Rose forced a smile on her face even though inside she was freaking out. "I'm happy. Emmett and I are back together, so he's happy too. Tell Alice how happy you are, Em." She clutched his arm.

"I've never been happier. Was it hard killing Royce?" Emmett asked. "He's like twice your size."

The others couldn't tell if he was serious or trying to distract Alice. She beamed though, stepping away from Jasper and closer to Emmett and Rose. Emmett had to fight the urge not to stand in front of Rose to protect her. He wasn't sure if it would set Alice off again.

"A little, the shelves were heavy. It's a shame the cake will have to go to waste though," Alice sighed.

"The cake?" Edward asked, glancing at Jasper with a worried expression. Jasper wasn't looking good at all. His skin had taken on an ashen color.

"I made two cakes, one for us and one for them. Theirs had poison in it that would have taken a few hours to react in their systems. By then they should have been far from here and no one would've suspected. But little miss "I don't eat carbs" and mister party pooper made me alter my plans. Jacob was the easiest, he drank the poison straight. How thick was he?" Alice giggled.

"Alice, which cake?" Jasper's voice was strained.

Alice turned to him, and her smile faded. "Jasper. I told you not to eat the cake, that it was for later. Did you eat the one with red roses?"

Jasper could only nod before vomiting on the floor. The others turned their heads from the sight of the blood that tinged the bile. Alice rushed to Jasper's side, her elation was gone and now she was terrified. Jasper was too weak to stand and fell to the ground.

"Oh my God! You're going to die and it's all my fault." Alice held his head on her lap, stroking his hair.

"Alice, we need to get our phones so we can call for help for Jasper. Can you give me the keys to the box?" Edward asked calmly.

"They're on the counter in the kitchen." Alice started crying.

"Em, why don't you start getting everyone outside," Edward suggested, trying to take control of a very bad situation.

"The doors are locked. That key is with the others. I didn't want anyone to sneak out before you all forgave each other. I messed up…I messed up." Alice started rocking back and forth.

"I'm going to go get the keys." Edward was reluctant to leave Bella behind.

Bella clung to his hand. "I'm going with you."

They barely took two steps when the lights went out. They froze and looked back at Alice, who was still rocking back and forth, muttering to herself. They couldn't tell in the dark if Jasper was still breathing or not.

"Fuck. Do you think it was the storm?" Emmett asked.

"Probably," Edward said uncertainly.

"I'm coming with you guys. With the three of us, we should be able to find the keys faster in the dark. Rose?" Emmett cast a worried look at her then at Alice.

"I'll be fine," Rose said, keeping a wary eye on Alice. Alice had seemed to forget the rest of them were there.

"Let's make this quick." Edward hurried down the corridor, towing Bella along with Emmett not far behind them.

"What are we going to do about Alice? I think she might be sick. She's not a bad person." Bella was concerned for her lifelong friend.

"We make sure she gets the help she needs," Edward promised.

"I just hope Jasper can hold on long enough or it might send her spiraling even deeper," Emmett said worriedly. "I remember seeing candles in here. I'll grab one so we can have some sort of light." He disappeared into one of the earlier searched rooms.

As soon as they stepped into the dining room, Edward and Bella came to a screeching halt. Edward sniffed and wrinkled his nose. Bella covered her mouth and nose with her hand.

"Do you smell gas?" Edward asked nervously. "You were right; that stove was too old to be cooking on."

Bella nodded and pointed to the table. "Edward, look."

In the dim light, they both could make out that the once pristine roses were now dead. Edward pulled Bella toward the window and opened it carefully. "Stick your head out. You can't come into the kitchen with me. Think of the baby."

"What about you?" Bella asked.

"I'll hold my breath," Edward promised, kissing the side of her head before pulling his shirt over his mouth and nose.

Emmett entered the room, holding a candlestick. "I knew I saw candles and there's a lighter." Emmett grabbed it off the table.

Edward lunged for him. "Emmett, don't—"

Click!

Boom!

The Unhappily Ever After