Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Unlock Your Heart

By Momma2Fan

Chapter 22:

Edward drove Tanya to the airport with Bella at his side. He parked at the curb and let her out before going around and to collect her bags. He was glad to finally be rid of another distraction.

“Bella, I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me. I promise to make sure I deserve it.”

“Tanya, all we want is for you to stay clean and raise those kids in a healthy way.” Bella smiled gently at her.

Tanya hugged Bella and then turned to Edward. “Thanks for….well, everything.”

A member of airport personnel came and loaded Tanya’s bags onto a cart, and with a final wave, she turned and followed him into the terminal.

“Let’s go home, babe.”

Bella nodded and followed Edward back to the waiting SUV.

The ride home was mostly quiet. Finally, Bella couldn’t stand the silence anymore. “Edward, talk to me. I hate that you’re so quiet.”

Edward shook his head and kept driving. “Just leave it, Bella.”

Bella slammed her hands on the dashboard. “No, dammit! You have to talk to me, Edward. I know this is hard for you, but don’t shut me out. Please!”

Bella could feel the tears welling in her eyes. It had been three days since Renata’s revelation about the agent in Karen’s little group. Three days since he had found out, and this was the most interaction Bella and Edward had had since. Edward had been locked in his office, not talking and refusing to see anyone, including Bella.

“I can’t talk about this, Bella. I won’t. Leave it alone.” Edward’s grip on the steering wheel was so tight his knuckles were white.

Bella shook her head and turned to stare out the window, letting the tears fall slowly down her cheeks.

The ringing of Edward’s cell phone broke the silence momentarily. “Talk to me.”

“Boss, you need to get home ASAP.”

“What’s the problem, Felix?”

“Am I on speaker?”

“No. What the fuck is going on?”

“We just found Jessica. She’s dead.”

Edward slammed his phone down and floored the accelerator.

“Edward?”

Edward ignored her and drove them home as quickly as possible.

**UYH**

Edward was out of the car almost before it was in park. He didn’t wait for Bella, he just tore into the house and ran up the stairs to the room Jessica had been staying in. The sight that greeted him gave him pause.

Jessica Stanley swung from the ceiling fan, a white sheet wrapped tightly around her neck. Her eyes were glassy, staring straight ahead, but seeing nothing.

“Get her down, Felix. I’ll call her parents.” Edward sighed. He made to leave the room, but turned back, “Was there a note?”

Felix nodded and handed him a small square of paper. Edward took it and left to go down to his office, where he shut the door and poured himself a drink.

Bella watched him. Once again he was shutting her out, and she wasn’t sure what to do anymore. She placed a hand against her growing belly, soothing the child that fluttered in her womb.

She walked up the steps and turned to go in to the room she hadn’t slept in for months. Bella sat on the edge of the bed and kicked off her shoes before she curled up on the pillow and cried herself to sleep.

That’s where Edward found her hours later. He could see the tear stains on her cheeks, and hated himself, knowing he was the cause. He just didn’t know how do to deal with the knowledge that the woman who had allegedly raped him was an FBI agent.

**UYH**

FBI Agent Victoria Newton sat in an uncomfortable chair in the debriefing room at FBI Headquarters. She had a strong feeling she was either about to be fired or suspended. She knew she had screwed up royally, but couldn’t feel bad about it. During the time they were together, she had felt more love from James than she ever felt from anyone before.

She had managed to take her mother down, but at the same time, she had covered up all the crimes she knew the Cullen’s had committed. She swept it all under the rug since they were unknowingly pawns in her scheme to take out her mother. She only hoped her machinations hadn’t destroyed Edward Cullen, and by proxy, Bella.

“Agent Newton.” Riley Biers walked in and sat across from her.

“Director Biers.”

“Seems we have some things to discuss.” The Director folded his hands in front of him and waited.

“What do you want to know?”

Riley shook his head. “Vic, how the hell did this get so out of control? You were supposed to go in, get the evidence against Karen, and in the process, take down the Cullen family. You went so far out of left field I don’t know what happened. I need specifics.”

For the next eight hours, Victoria spilled everything that happened. Everything—including how she used Edward to get the evidence and confession she needed from her mother.

“Dammit, Victoria! This makes the Cullen’s untouchable now. We can’t go after them for anything, because everything you did was to save Edward Cullen. How did you fuck this up so badly?”

“I’m sorry, Sir. I have no excuses.”

“You are suspended pending further investigation. I need your badge and your gun.”

Victoria slid her sidearm and badge across the table to him, albeit reluctantly, but she knew she screwed up.

“You’re dismissed.”

Riley watched Victoria walk out of the office. He hated things ended up like this. She was a good agent, she just got blinded. He really hoped there was some way she could get her career back.

**UYH**

Bella sat in the living room with her feet up, reading a book she had heard about on the internet. It had been written by a fairly unknown author, but from conversations with Kate, it was very good.

She was so engrossed she didn’t hear Edward leave his office. “What are you reading?”

Bella looked up in shock, he hadn’t spoken to her in days. “Um…” She turned it over and read the title again. “It’s called Notice Me.”

“Hmm…Is it any good?” Edward asked as he sat down next to her.

“Very good. Edward, what’s going on? You haven’t talked to me for days and now you want to know what I’m up to?” Bella set her book down and stared at him.

Edward refused to meet her gaze; instead, he stared at the crying green eyes on the cover of her book.

Just as he was about to say something, the ringing doorbell stopped him. He got up and strolled to the door, opening it without looking through the peephole. When he saw the person on the other side, he wished he had.

He wasted no time with pleasantries; he pulled his gun and pointed it directly in her face. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“I understand you’re pissed, Edward, but I think we should talk.”

Edward chambered a round and sneered at the woman before him. “I don’t have a fucking thing to say to you, and I sure as hell don’t want to hear what you have to say.”

“Edward!” Bella called from the living room. She stood and began walking to the foyer. What happened next seemed to occur in slow motion. Bella caught her toe on the edge of the carpet and went flying forward.

Edward was frozen and could only watch in horror as Bella careened toward the floor.

Victoria watched Edward for a split second before springing into action. She pushed him out of the way and rushed forward, just in time to catch Bella before she hit the floor. Victoria helped to stand her up, and the two women turned to look at the man who still had his gun raised.

Edward looked on in shock as the woman he had vilified, saved the woman he loved, and their unborn child. He slowly lowered his arm and hung his head.

“Edward, please, just listen to what she has to say,” Bella pleaded.

Edward nodded and led Victoria to his office and closed the door. Bella turned and tucked back in to her book for a while before she decided to get up and start dinner.

**UYH**

Edward sat down and waited for Victoria to start. He knew he should have offered her a drink, but he wasn’t ready to be polite to this woman yet.

Victoria cleared her throat and then began. “I’m sorry, Edward. I know that probably means nothing to you right now, but I had to say it. I have something I need to show you.” She pulled out two DVDs and inserted the first on in the player. The sounds that greeted Edward’s ears were very familiar.

“What the fuck?!” He sat forward and watched as Victoria rode James. “But…”

“I know, Edward. Just wait.” Victoria took that disk out and inserted the second one. It showed an image of Edward, all alone in the dingy room where he was held. Edward watched himself lie in that uncomfortable bed and masturbate. He watched with wide eyes as he climaxed, crying out Bella’s name.

“It really didn’t happen? It was all fake?”

Victoria nodded. “I could never do that to another person, so I had Laurent film that, discreetly of course. Then I talked James into recording us. I’m very good with computers, so I had this made. I needed you to be convinced, and I needed them dead. It was the only way my mother was gonna go down. I am so sorry, Edward.”

Edward got up from his desk and began to pace the room. He fisted his hands in his hair and would have pulled it out if it weren’t for the small hands that stopped him.

“Stop it, baby. It’s over,” Bella whispered.

Edward wrapped her up in his arms. He couldn’t believe all the pain that he had been keeping hold of could finally be released. He felt like he could breathe again.

Bella turned to Victoria. “So what happens now? Are we gonna be facing charges since we killed James and Laurent? Or rather, am I?”

Victoria shook her head. “You guys are in the clear. Actually, as far as the FBI is concerned, you shouldn’t need to worry at all.”

Edward nodded. “I wish I could say thanks, but…”

“Don’t sweat it. Just do me a favor and take care of B. She deserves the best, and Lord knows my brother was not that.” Victoria picked up her bag and turned to go.

Bella wrapped her up in a tight hug. “Bye, Vic.”

“Bye, B. Take care, huh…”

Bella watched as her old friend walked away and out of their lives. She then turned to the man who had just been given his life back.

“Baby, I’m sorry. For so many things, but mostly for closing myself off to you. I love you, Bella.”

“Edward, you don’t have to apologize to me. I understand you thought something awful happened to you, but you know the truth now. I only need for you to promise me it will never happen again. You can’t push me away every time something traumatic happens. You have to remember I’m not the only one you push away.” Bella placed a hand on her stomach. “You also push away our son.”

Edward laid his hand atop hers and smiled. Everything he had, he would gladly give Bella and their son—anything to make them smile.

“I promise, Baby.” Edward sealed the promise with a kiss. Dinner was soon forgotten as they came together to make up for lost time.

**UYH**

Bella was sitting at her dining room table with her mother, Esme, Alice, Rosalie, and Kate. They had fabric swatches, flower patterns, and every bridal magazine available as they tried to plan the wedding for Edward and Bella. She wanted to be anywhere but stuck with all of these hyper females.

“Bella, concentrate; this is your wedding we are trying to plan here!” Alice chastised.

“Sorry, Ali. I guess I’m just not here right now.”

“Are you okay, Bells?” Kate asked from her end of the table.

“Yeah, I’m just distracted.” Bella reached her arm down and made sure her gun was still at her side. She couldn’t explain why she felt so uneasy, but she had a terrible feeling something bad was going to happen, and soon.

“Anything I can do?” Rosalie wanted to know.

“No, I just think something is gonna go down, and I am a little uneasy every time Edward leaves the house. I think it’s just hormones.” Bella smiled.

Any other words the ladies would have shared were stopped as the front door slammed open. Gunfire was heard, along with the sound of plaster hitting the floor.

Bella stood and made sure the safety was off on her weapon. She chambered a round and walked around the table, just as Karen Newton stormed into the room.

“There you are, you little bitch!” The older woman sneered. “It’s time for your trial.”

Bella took in Karen’s appearance. Her hair was wild and all over the place, her clothes hung like rags on her body, and her face looked like it had aged ten years.

“Who’s the judge? You?” Bella scoffed.

“Bella, don’t antagonize the gun-wielding psycho!” Alice hissed.

“That’s right; I’m here to proclaim you guilty. You took everything from me: my home, my son, and now my life.” Karen crept forward.

Bella raised her gun and pointed it at the crazed woman. “So I suppose my sentence is death?”

“That’s right and I am gonna execute you. You and that little bastard in your womb!” Karen raised her gun and fired.

Her aim was wide, but Bella didn’t care. She squeezed the trigger on her gun and kept on squeezing until she felt a hand on her arm.

“Bella, baby, let it go. She’s dead. Come on, Sweetheart, come back to me,” Edward crooned.

Bella raised her eyes to his. Edward watched them go glassy and then roll back in her head. He caught her as she fainted dead away.