Outtake and Epilogue

OUTTAKE – on the way back from New York

Margaret Masen eyed the young woman sitting across from her on the train with a contemplative eye. To everyone who had known Margaret since childhood, she had become quite an enigma.

The sweet carefree girl who had grown into a beautiful young woman, and was subsequently swept off of her feet by the dashing Edward Masen, was not recognizable any more. The trusting girl who had listened as Edward had professed his undying love, and had agreed to marry a man ten years her senior was a far cry from the woman she was now.

Maybe it had been the years of married life which had changed her. The years spent with Ed Masen, birthing his children, managing his household, and standing by as the loving and adoring man she'd married had hardened into someone whose main purpose in life seemed merely to increase his wealth and social standing.

Never content, always reaching; always grasping for more…

How many times had she cried herself to sleep after the man she loved, the man she would continue to love until the day she died, had chastised her for her many failings? She failed in managing his home properly; she failed in molding his children into what he desired them to be; and even though she was married to one of the most important men in the city, she failed to project the proper image to the rest of St. Louis society.

How many times had she forgiven him for his harsh words after he would steal into her room during the night, wrap his warm, muscular body around hers, and make her forget the hurt he'd inflicted during the harsh light of day?

There, in the dark stillness of her lonely bedchamber, Ed would beg his wife's forgiveness. In the grey light before dawn, he would make love to her and profess that she would always be the only woman he would ever love.

He would not, however, promise that it wouldn't happen again.

And again...

When the stock market crashed, and the Masen's were reduced to a state neither had been forced to endure before, Margaret came to a realization about herself. Unlike her husband, Margaret's strength was not drawn from the accumulation of wealth and power. The source of her strength came from the love of her family, specifically the love she bore her children.

Her son and daughter were everything to Margaret. Their welfare had been the sole reason she had been able to endure the hardships of working long hours for little pay. As Ed Masen succumbed to despair, his wife reacted by working harder. As his physical and mental health deteriorated, Margaret found herself growing stronger. And when he died, Margaret and her children moved away, and began to live.

Margaret considered the move to Peoria as the single best gift she'd ever given her children. There, surrounded by the love of family, Edward and Claire had thrived.

She had been delighted when Edward had fallen for Isabella Swan, and nearly as heartbroken as her son when Bella's family had to move away. Bella was everything Margaret had hoped for in a match for Edward and more. One had only to look at Bella's adoring smile whenever she was in Edward's presence to realize that the girl thought he had hung the moon. Margaret knew that Edward was determined, and had fully expected that as soon as Bella graduated, she and Renee Swan would be planning a wedding.

And then it had all fallen apart…

As Margaret studied the face of Laura Malloy, she kept replaying the scene from earlier today in her head.

The manner in which Laura had approached her son, as if she was the object of his affections rather than Bella Swan…

She'd watched as poor Edward had recoiled from her advances, and even when he stated bluntly that she meant nothing to him, Laura hadn't backed down.

"You need to wake up Edward. I went to a lot of trouble to make sure we could be together, but I won't wait forever. What is wrong with you? You should hate her for what she did!"

"I went to a lot of trouble to make sure we could be together…"

A feeling of unease had settled upon Margaret as soon as Laura had uttered those words, and now in the silence of the train car, the implication of exactly what they meant, haunted her. All this time, when she'd tried to find a reason for Bella's sudden rejection of her son, she'd never dreamt that Bella may have been the victim of a scheming, manipulative girl; a girl who, at that moment, was staring out of the window of the train compartment, oblivious to the woman silently observing her every move.

If, as she suspected, this silly, stupid girl had been responsible for destroying the happiness of her son, Margaret feared what she might do to her.

But no, Margaret would never resort to violence.

Maybe.

At least not while her daughter was seated beside her…

At the moment, her only desire was to learn the truth. Time was of the essence, so Margaret quickly formulated a plan.

She pulled a hankie from her purse and proceeded to dab at her dry eyes with it. She motioned for her daughter to play along, after which Claire wiped the look of surprise from her face.

Margaret began to sniffle. "Oh Claire, I don't know what to do. Poor Edward has deluded himself into thinking he can't find happiness with anyone other than Bella Swan." She surreptitiously glanced at Laura to make sure she'd gotten her attention.

She had.

"You know, I never thought she was right for him, but he has always been blind to her faults… and so stubborn. Surely by now she has a new beau and yet Edward still holds onto this false hope." She shook her head and wiped her eyes again, pretending to cry.

Claire nodded in feigned agreement.

"Pardon me for intruding Mrs. Masen, but I have to say that I couldn't agree more. I'd really hoped Edward would have forgotten the Swan girl by now. Especially after what happened the last time he was at home."

Margaret raised an eyebrow. "What happened the last time he was at home, dear?"

Laura smiled, thrilled that Edward's mother was interested in what she had to say. "Well," Laura's voice dropped to a whisper, "Edward and I stayed up all night long, talking. We talked about everything…"

Margaret tried her best to keep a calm expression on her face. She knew her son, and now suspected that this girl was suffering from delusions. There was a distinct possibility that she was in need of professional help.

"I know he has feelings for me, he just can't seem to let go of her. If he only knew the truth, he'd realize that she will never take him back…" Laura trailed off, seeming to talk to herself. "We would be so happy together…"

Margaret felt her daughter tense beside her and shot her a glance before speaking. "Edward's happiness is all I desire, Laura. Maybe I could help in some way…"

Laura's eyes literally danced with delight at Margaret's words, but she was still a little wary. Would Edward's mother be angry when she found out what Laura had done?

She began slowly, quietly. "Mrs. Masen, from the moment I first laid eyes on your son, I knew he was the one for me. Unfortunately, it was some time before I found out about his infatuation with the Swan girl," Laura said with distaste.

Margaret grasped Claire's hand to keep her from lunging across the compartment, before smiling encouragingly at Laura.

"As soon as I read what he'd been writing to her, I realized that it would take some doing, but I was determined to make him see the truth."

"You read his letters?" Margaret asked, confused.

Laura had the good grace to look sheepish. "Well, a girl's gotta do what's necessary to ensure her happiness, so I retrieved a letter or two from the mailbox before the postman took them away."

Margaret nodded slowly, her face showing nothing of the anger brewing inside her body.

"After Edward and I spent that night talking, I got the brilliant idea to write to her myself. I knew the letter needed to be dramatic in order to convince her to break things off so…"

She glanced at Margaret and Claire apprehensively. "Go on dear, you're among friends, tell me what you wrote in the letter. If there's anything I can do to help, I will." Margaret even went as far as to pat the seat beside her, indicating that Laura should sit there.

Laura took the offered seat, and Margaret took Laura's hand in hers. "Well…" Laura batted her eyelashes, trying to look coy. "I told her that, um, Edward and I had gotten a lot closer that night then was actually true." She hesitated again, afraid to continue.

This time, Claire surprised her mother by interrupting. "Laura please, Mother and I want Edward to be with someone who truly loves him…" It was a true statement, but unfortunately for Laura, she had no idea that Claire was speaking of Bella, and not her.

"Well," Laura hesitated before glancing at Margaret and Claire again, and making the decision to confide in them, "I told her that I was carrying Edward's child. And that he needed to do the right thing, meaning he needed to forget about her and marry me. It was a gamble on my part, because if she'd given Edward a chance to defend himself, she'd have discovered the truth. I was willing to take the risk, and besides, as soon as Edward and I are married, it won't matter then. I'll be carrying his child soon enough…" She smiled happily before continuing. "Obviously my plan worked, because she broke things off with him…"

Laura peered up at Margaret then and gasped. Where but a moment before had been a loving smile, Margaret was now looking upon Laura with a murderous sneer on her face. Suddenly, Margaret's hand, the one that had just been holding Laura's, flew up and made contact with the side of Laura's face. The sound of the loud slap reverberated throughout the compartment.

"Move away from me this instant you horrible, evil girl," Margaret began in a low, menacing tone. Laura's hand went to cover her now reddening cheek as she literally dove into the seat she'd vacated a few moments before.

It was still too close to Margaret Masen for her to feel comfortable…

Laura began to blubber like a baby as Margaret unleashed the full fury of a mother whose child had been wronged. "You," Margaret seethed, "there isn't a word in the English language to describe how truly awful you are!"

"How dare you! You may have single-handedly ruined my son's chance for a happy future."

Margaret swallowed back the lump that formed in her throat when she thought about Edward's heartbroken expression as he boarded the transport. "Make no mistake, Edward will know soon enough exactly what kind of creature you are." Margaret took a deep breath and collected herself before continuing to speak, "It wouldn't take much for someone to be a better person than you, Laura Malloy, but let me say this so you will understand. Bella Swan is not only beautiful, she is kind and thoughtful and there isn't a dishonest bone in that young woman's body. And my son loves her, beyond all reason he loves her, as does everyone in our family. You," She raised her voiced and waggled a finger in Laura's direction, "with your treachery and deceit could never compare to someone like Bella Swan."

"I have no doubt that if you and Edward were the last two people left on this earth, he would still choose the memory of his Bella over the likes of you."

***A number of years later…..

Margaret sighed loudly as she gazed through the window at the last rays of the setting sun as they fell upon the small flower garden outside. She'd been in bed most of the day, not having the energy to do much other than lie there and think.

"Mother," Claire's soft voice pulled Margaret from her memories. "Care to share what has you smiling like the cat that ate the canary?"

Margaret giggled and reached for her daughter's hand. "You'll never believe what I was just thinking about."

Claire leaned in a little closer, anxious to hear.

"I was remembering that trip back from New York when I slapped Laura Malloy across the face,"

Claire joined in her mother's giggles then.

"She was quite a piece of work; I wonder what ever happened to her?" Claire offered in response.

"Oh, I'm sure she married some young man and proceeded to make his life miserable." Margaret smiled again, glad that her son had escaped that particular fate.

Margaret lost the smile as she thought about her boy. It had been years, yet his face was still as clear in her mind as the last day she'd seen him as he boarded the transport bound for England.

And Bella… oh how she missed Bella, who was as dear to her as her own daughter.

"Would you like me to read to you?" Claire asked softly.

"No darling. It's late. You should go home to your husband. I'm sure he misses you."

"Well, I'll be back tomorrow; all the children and grandchildren are coming for Sunday dinner as usual." Claire told her with a smile.

Margaret returned the smile, knowing that after dinner the entire family would show up at the nursing home to visit her. It had become a Sunday ritual.

Margaret frowned, aware that this time she'd have to disappoint them.

Claire stood from her chair and leaned over her mother's bed to kiss her forehead. Before she turned to go, Margaret grasped her daughter's hand. "Claire, you will forgive me when the time comes?"

Claire's eyes filled with tears. "Oh Mother," she answered in a broken voice.

"Now, now," Margaret held Claire's hand in both of hers. "Darling, the doctor was very honest with me. My heart is growing a little weaker each day. He says I'll probably go in my sleep." Margaret drew in a deep breath. "That would be a blessing. I've lived a full life and it's time."

"What will I do without you?" Claire asked through her tears.

"You will live my dear. You will take care of your family. You will take care of your husband. And some day when your time comes, I'll see you again." Margaret took a shaky breath as her eyes filled with tears. "I have so much to tell them, your brother and Bella. All about their son and his family and about you and yours…" She turned and looked at her daughter's sad face. "And, I hold out hope that God has forgiven your father and allowed him to atone for his mistakes, and that he will be there waiting for me. I miss him so, Claire."

A tear trailed down Margaret's cheek as she spoke.

Claire was sobbing as she wrapped her arms around her mother and laid her head contentedly upon her shoulder, much the same way she'd done as a child. "I love you."

"I love you too my darling," Margaret whispered.

As she'd suspected, sometime during the night, Margaret slipped away to a place where there was no pain or sorrow.

A place where there were no wars that robbed mothers of their sons.

A place where no hearts were weakened by age or sickness.

A place where those who had been long missed waited with open arms to greet her.

A place where she would find the perfect peace she'd so longed for while on earth…