The Tale of the Brokenhearted

Chapter 6: A Different Kind of Midnight

I couldn't wrap my mind around anything anymore. I thought that with my gift, I had an inside look at the character of those around me, who they were and what they were capable of. I had thought Bella was a good person, or at the very least, trustworthy. Apparently she wasn't. My brother had trusted her with his heart, and she had taken it and run away. All of that was shocking, and hurtful, but I could chalk it up to humans just being weird. What I couldn't understand was my brother's actions of late, more importantly, why I couldn't see him. I didn't know where the hell he went or who he was with. I felt like Jasper knew something that he wasn't telling me, but pulling information from my husband isn't the easiest thing in the world. I may be able to use my womanly wiles a little, but he had the power to manipulate me into thinking that whatever it was that I needed to know at that very second, wasn't important at all. All I wanted to know was why and how Edward had seemed to recover so quickly.

Jasper stood at the mirror as he buttoned his shirt.

"Don't you find it a little odd?" I finally posed the question to him, since my little comments were going unnoticed.

"What I think doesn't matter, Alice, I'm just happy Edward isn't suffering from depression anymore. I mean, he's still sad, however, he's most definitely not in mourning anymore." Jasper sighed, turned around, slipped across the room, and wrapped his arms around me. "Plus, I plan to thank my brother." Now I was completely confused. "It was his midnight runs that gave me the idea to take you on this late night date. I actually think that's the same reason Emmett got a room for him and Rosalie this evening." I smiled half heartedly but I was still curious. I wouldn't have considered myself nosy, but I was extremely accustomed to knowing things. I got worried when I didn't know the full picture. I kept losing Edward around this time every night. I just wanted to know where in the hell he was going! "Alice, sweetheart, let this go so that we can have a good time this evening, besides I think Edward just wants time alone… without pity." I nodded in understanding. Esme and I had been extra attentive to Edward, so much so that he'd started to resent it, until a few weeks ago. Now, he just stayed up in his room doing whatever until midnight and then he vanished. Part of me was worried that he was hunting down and killing poor girls that looked like Bella, but the fact that his eyes remain a perfect golden hazel proved otherwise. "You about ready?"

"Yeah just give me a couple minutes and I'll be down," I waved my husband off so that I could get dressed. I was excited about a midnight date, it was most definitely different. It was really hard to find something to do in the wee hours of the morning, but I had found a gothic themed poetry read that seemed promising. I took a final look at my reflection, and then went to join my husband in the living room. As soon as I closed the door to my room, I bumped into Edward. He was very dressed up for someone just wandering around town sulking.

"Hey," I greeted.

"Hello, Alice, you look nice tonight." He paused to talk, but seemed really anxious to be heading out.

"You, too, I have a date with Jasper. Where are you off to?" I tried to sound casual, but of course he knew the inner workings of my mind and wasn't going to answer the question.

"Nowhere in particular," he murmured and our conversation stalled.

"So I guess the house will be abandoned tonight. Esme and Carlisle went to hunt. Rosalie and Emmett are "out", and so are Jasper and I. If you wanted the house to yourself, this would be your night, buddy." I smirked a little and he placed his hands and his pockets and shifted his weight.

"I get your message Alice, thanks." He extended his arm and escorted me downstairs. He didn't say any more about his plans nor did I bother him. Sooner or later his secret would be out, and I would wait. I had no choice.

Edward's POV

Everyone was gone and the house was peaceful for a change. I sat down on the couch and waited for Leah to get here. I sat down and enjoyed the silence. It seemed wasteful to go out and not enjoy this rarity. However, my time with Leah was becoming more and more interesting. We'd been intentionally hanging out for over a week now, and I felt like I knew her as well as I knew my own skin. The whole thing seemed odd. It had to be wrong it seemed very odd to feel so comfortable with someone I just met, more importantly someone I'm supposed to want to kill. I sat, impatiently tapping my fingers on knees waiting. She was almost a half an hour late, a flash went through my head. What if she'd been hurt? I envisioned her car flipped over and her inside trying to get out. I hopped up and went for the door. As I threw it open, I found her sitting on the on the doorstep. Leah didn't like for anyone to see her cry, but of course I knew that's what she was doing.

"Hey," I whispered as I sat beside her. She nodded not saying anything. I knew it was wrong, but I had to know what had gotten to her, so I peeked inside her mind. Leah mind was so odd, normally when some was angry their mind's voice would become louder, with Leah the exact opposite. Emily had come to her apartment today and voiced her upset about Leah's leaving the reservation. Emily had charged Leah with abandoning her family while they were dealing with the death of her father. She had called her selfish.

"Am I?" She turned her head and questioned me with watery brown eyes.

"No, of course not," I scooted towards her and wrapped my arm around her shoulder; she in turn wrapped her arms around my waist moving herself closer to me. "You just don't want to be around people that don't acknowledge your pain. They should be happy for you, that you are independent enough to move on when you feel it is necessary."

"How is it that you're the only one that gets me?" She murmured into my chest before pulling away from me. "Every time I'm with them I feel so drained and powerless. I don't want to fit into the mold, or accept the hand that fate has dealt me. It's not enough. I still want the same things. I'm still me, regardless of the stuff that has happened. Plus, it's not like I moved out of the state, I see Seth almost every day, and my mom understands." she said as she tried to reaffirm in her head that she was right.

"Well, don't invite unwelcome guests into your apartment. You have that option, you know." I snickered and she nudged me slightly.

"Shut up, Edward," she sighed as she looked up at the stars. "You know what the sick thing is? Part of me thinks I would take him back, you know, if the imprint were to somehow lift and he were to remember how in love we were. I'd take him back." Another tear dropped as she made her confession. I frowned; something about it upset me. It wasn't because I was jealous, I just thought she was wrong.

"And then you'd dump him. Leah, I know you; you wouldn't be able to live with what he did to you and how small he made you feel." She frowned at me and stood up and stretched.

"That's not his fault, that's the imprint." She defended her ex, all the while glaring at me.

"Imprint or no, he could have treated you better." She opened her mouth to speak and I silenced her. "Don't protest because you know it's true."

"Whatever," she murmured and rolled her eyes. "Look, I don't really feel like going anywhere tonight." She shrugged and crossed her arms across her chest. "I just need some peace and quiet, ya know?" She turned to leave, but I stepped in front of her with ease.

"Why don't you hang out here? Everybody's out tonight, I'm sure there's plenty of peace and quiet for the both of us." I smirked as I offered her my arm.

"You want me to go into a vampire lair? Are you crazy?" Her eyes were wide with amusement and horror.

"You've been in my house before." I protested.

"In the garage, this is not the same!" She laughed nervously. "You know what, what the hell." She looped her arm through mine. "I've already broken so many supernatural laws, what's one more?"