Chapter 11 Bonus Scene

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Chapter 11 Bonus Scene

"Alec, have you seen Edward?" Marcus asked without preamble or knocking on the door to his office as he came barreling through.

Alec looked up from the report he was examining and shook his head. He'd had his nose buried in reports all morning to begin preparing for the upcoming project Emmett and Isabella would be undertaking. He hadn't even realized Edward wasn't in the office yet.

Strange.

"Did you check with Isabella to see if she knew where he was?" Alec asked, figuring if anyone knew where he was, she would.

"She's not here either," Marcus said with a huff.

"What in the world is going on with him this week?" Alec asked his longtime friend.

Marcus shook his head. He had no clue, but damn if Edward hadn't turned into a completely different person in the span of just a few days.

He'd known Edward a long time, ever since they met when they were at Northwestern together. They were in the same business classes from almost the very beginning and though Edward always gave off a cold vibe and most people tried to give him a wide berth, Marcus found himself strangely drawn to him. Not in any weird kind of way, but there was something about Edward that he connected with from the very beginning.

Through study groups and group projects, Marcus and Edward became friends. Immediately it was obvious that having friends was not something Edward was used to. He was awkward and stilted, and more often than not, hours would pass and little would be said that didn't have to do with the subject they were studying. Edward hardly ever mentioned his family, though Marcus was well aware of who he was. Everyone knew.

The Cullen name was well-known and respected in all of Chicago, hell probably all over the country. It would have been easy for Edward to use that notoriety to his advantage, but he didn't. Marcus had always admired his friend's natural instincts when it came to business matters and in his opinion, there wasn't a man anywhere that could hold a candle to him when it came to taking charge of a meeting.

Marcus knew better than anyone, besides Jasper, how much pressure William Cullen had placed on him. For anyone else, it would have been enough to bring them to their knees, but not Edward. The more William expected of him, the harder and longer Edward worked. By the time they had graduated from college and Edward was essentially William's second-in-command, Marcus had been offered a job at Cullen Publishing.

Over the years Marcus had seen a lot. He watched as Emmett and Edward passed each other in the hall or sit in the same meetings barely acknowledging the other. He watched Carlisle come and go, and more often than not, not bothering to even say hello to Edward. He watched Anna chip away at him, day after day. He watched Sophie try to put him back together again, only to fail.

He watched, with much hope, as Isabella entered the picture and knocked his staid and reserved friend completely on his ass. He'd never seen Edward so flustered as he was when he was around Isabella. Hell, Edward would only have to say her name, or hear her name from someone else before he turned into a tongue-tied adolescent. It would have been funny if Marcus didn't know how much his friend struggled, daily, with his feelings for her. He was totally outside of his element, Marcus knew, and at times it was almost painful to watch Edward try to accept the inevitable.

Over the years he watched as Edward continued to shut people out, even Isabella for the most part. There had been times when it seemed like he was going to turn a corner, only to pull back again. He'd seen it time and time again, but nothing like the past few days.

And for Edward to be late to the office? It was unheard of.

"Hell if I know," Marcus answered Alec.

"Do you know on Wednesday, I actually saw him and Isabella getting off the elevator together, holding hands and he was laughing?" Alec asked, still totally stunned by that.

It wasn't that he begrudged Edward anything, it was just such a shock to see a different side of Edward.

"You don't think they...you know...stayed home...together?" Marcus asked. He had to admit the idea seemed totally preposterous, though for his friend's sake, he hoped that was exactly what it meant.

Alec chuckled and shook his head. "Man, how the hell do I know? He's been acting weirder than shit all week. Maybe Isabella has finally pulled the huge stick out of his ass."

Marcus couldn't help but laugh at the blunt assessment by Alec. Alec and Edward weren't as close as he and Edward were, but Marcus knew that Alec respected Edward immensely and he was just being...Alec.

Crass, blunt, and no filter whatsoever.

"Look, Marcus, you and I both know he's been a pretty miserable son of a bitch for a long time. If something has happened to change that, I'm all for it. I hope to hell it has, to be honest with you. I may act like a dick most of the time, but I adore Isabella and she's put up with way more of Edward's shit that anyone should be subjected to. If I was her, I would have kicked his ass to the curb a hell of a long time ago. But Isabella isn't like that and any fool can see that she thinks he hung the moon and all that sappy shit. He's one lucky bastard she's stuck around this long and if he's finally woken the fuck up and realized that, then more power to the both of them, I say. About damn time."

Marcus sat on the opposite side of the desk, his jaw hanging open. He finally managed to close his mouth and got an evil grin on his face and said, "Dude, you have a crush on Isabella, admit it."

"What the fuck ever," Alec said dismissively with a wave of his hand. "And if I did, can you blame me? The woman is drop dead, out of this world beautiful; she's the smartest person I know, smarter than Edward even. She's kind and sweet, and she can be feisty as hell when she needs to be, too. She's..." Alec stumbled as he tried to think of a word.

"Perfect," Marcus added quietly. He felt all the same things Alec did toward his friend's amazing wife. He didn't harbor any unrequited feelings or anything like that for her, though it would be easy to do. No, he respected both Edward and Isabella too much to ever go down that path, but he wasn't an idiot. Isabella Cullen was an extraordinary woman; there was no doubt about it.

"Perfect," Alec agreed in the same tone. "Edward is one lucky man to be married to someone like her. It's about fucking time he opened his eyes and appreciated that fact."

"Seth, my young friend, looks like you have some competition in the Isabella Marie Cullen fan club," Gideon said with a wicked chuckle and a twinkle in his ice blue eyes as they watched the two men discuss Seth's favorite human.

"Hmph," the angel answered while he stewed in an annoyed silence.

It was bad enough that he had to share her with Edward, though he was her husband and, if you wanted to get technical about it, it was Edward that was sharing her with him, but he decided not to dwell on that fact at all.

"Come now, Seth, Isabella is a wonderful person. It only makes sense that she would have that affect on everyone she meets," Gideon said patiently.

"If he hurts her again," Seth said and his heart seized at the thought of that.

"My friend, you know as well as I that he has never done so on purpose. Yes, he's caused her great sorrow, but look at how far they've come...together...already in just this short amount of time. Edward's love for her has never been in question; it has just been his way for such a long time to behave as he has. Edward has endured so much, Seth; you understand that better than anyone. Anger and bitterness has a way of turning even the best of men into someone they don't wish to be," he reminded with a pointed look.

Seth sighed deeply, grateful for the reminder, no matter how painful it was to remember his own time as human when he suffered through many of the same emotions Edward had struggled with for so long.

"He has done well, hasn't he?" Seth said proudly.

"Exceptionally," Gideon agreed.

"The true tests for him are coming, my friend. Remember it is your job to guide him through. There is much at stake, never forget that," Gideon said sternly, though with love.

When Seth was left alone, he said softly, "Please, don't let me fail."

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