Title: Back To The Scene
Based on: His Girl Friday (1940)
Summary: In His Girl Friday, Walter and Hildy are set free when the reprieve for Williams shows up. In this take the mayor and sheriff have two options, one ending in a happy outcome while the other does not. This is what would have ensued as well as the resulting conversation of truths and emotions. BxE, AU-AH, M rating.
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How in the world did I end up in this position?
Currently, we were biding our time in the press room. He was pacing in front of the solid oak table wearing a white button-up shirt and beige trousers, while I sat down in one of the sturdy chairs in a deep blue silk blouse and a black, flowing skirt that ended below my knees.
What were we waiting for? I didn't have the answer. The only thing running through my mind was that I wouldn't ever be able to see Jacob again.
I was supposed to be getting married tomorrow to a man who loved me and wanted the same things as me in life. I wanted to settle down and raise a family, own a house, become a homemaker.
I didn't want to be a reporter for the Chicago Tribune any longer. Hell, I didn't want to be a reporter at all.
Yes, I'd spent a good portion of my life sleuthing out facts and exposing stories that could make anybody's head spin. At one time I'd even enjoyed it. But I didn't like it anymore; it made the pit of my stomach churn sickly.
For the past few months, I'd been thinking about why I had been happy ruining other people's lives. It occurred to me while I was reminiscing about my failed first marriage.
I did it because of him.
I would do anything he asked — make the toughest person crumble into nothing, rob a bank, sell my soul to the devil — as long as he loved me.
And he loved me because he had made me into the top notch reporter that wrote world stopping headlines.
I'd been pining away for Mr. Edward Cullen for two whole years while he took me under his wing. He was my mentor; I looked up to him, I envied him, I loved him.
And finally, finally, he'd reciprocated my feelings.
He was a mad man, a brilliant mad man who had a passion for conspiracies and whodunits. I swore that I could clock his mental processes going more than sixty miles per hour at one point. He was a fast thinker, a smooth talker, a charismatic con man in the wrong line of business.
If he wasn't so damn good at his job, he'd be better off a criminal.
He certainly had the good looks to get away with murder; his bronze hair was always perfect, parted to the side and swept back behind his ears. His eyes were the shade of evergreen trees, and in the right light they looked like shining emeralds. Perfectly straight teeth were visible behind his lopsided smile, his crooked grin that would always set my heart a flutter. He was tall, somewhere around five foot nine, definitely the right height for my five foot four inch frame. He was sturdy, well developed for his body that was hidden beneath the business suit he always wore.
He was the complete package for me, more going on upstairs than most and always pleasing to look at. It always boggled me how I'd been some kind of package for him as well.
I thought lowly of myself. It was hard not to in the worlds view of women. All I was good for in the eyes of society was making babies and serving food. I exuded monotony, my straight, long brown hair and dark brown eyes making me blend in to my surroundings easily. I was small framed due to my family; both my mother and father were not the tallest beings in the world. Reluctantly I followed my gender's mundane need to be stick thin to feel accepted, though I'd given up on feeling accepted long ago.
Obviously, I could see why he would pick me out of all the other women in the world that were throwing themselves at him to be with. Insert sarcasm tone here.
I chewed my lip nervously; I couldn't help it with today's activities finally catching up with me. I drifted off into a stupor as I recalled the entire mess that had led us here.
This afternoon Jacob — my fiancé — and I had decided to go out to lunch before we boarded our train to Iowa. We were getting married the next afternoon and all of his family lived there. My mother, a widow, lived in Washington State. My father had passed away a few years ago. As the local police chief, he had to respond to all complaints and was unfortunately shot in the line of duty.
I'd decided that it was time my ex-husband knew about, well, everything. He and I hadn't spoken at all in the following months since our divorce. He didn't want to give it to me, stalling each court proceeding somehow. After my resilience on the subject, he had no choice. Now I had to say goodbye and at least give him a chance to do so as well.
Edward, the editor of the paper and my ex-husband, was in his office as usual as I'd made my way in to see him. He still had no clue about my pending nuptials, and I thought it at least a courtesy to inform him. Granted, I was telling him only a day in advance, but it was better than not telling him at all.
All right, so I had to tell him that I wouldn't be working at the paper any longer too. But really, the main reason for my visit was to tell him I was getting hitched again. I think.
He was genuinely surprised to see me, as if he'd completely forgotten that I even existed. We swapped words, as we often did while working together. The next thing I knew, he was taking Jacob and myself out for lunch.
We sat and talked briefly, I recall Edward doing most of the talking while Carlisle, the restaurant owner, took care of our orders. One thing led to another and soon I was offering to do one last job if Edward paid for a life insurance policy from Jacob.
I should explain now that Jacob was in the insurance business, life insurance mostly. It was a great payday when someone took out a hefty payout. I made Edward go for broke with a $100,000 policy if he really wanted me to write one last story.
After that, the two men left to go back to Edward's office and get a preliminary exam for the policy while I went to the prison and interviewed Jasper Whitlock. He was a man sentenced to death the next morning by hanging for shooting and killing a cop. This was the last story Edward wanted from me. I had no sympathy for him but one look into his eyes and I knew that he felt terrible for it.
I took his entire story, which consisted of him being fired from his job of ten odd years and being overcome with grief and sudden anger. He hadn't planned on shooting anyone, but there was an argument and things got out of hand. If I put my mind to it, I could write the story from his angle, point everything in the temporary insanity direction. I took pity on the poor soul. He sat in an eight by eight cell, wearing filthy, tattered clothes that hadn't been laundered in weeks. The skin of his face had shrunken away from his lack of proper nutrition, making him look extremely sick and fragile. His blue eyes entranced me though, they gazed at me like crystals that sparkled in the dim light and for once in his time at the prison, he looked like he had hope.
I rushed over to the press office, which was located close by, eager to get my hands on a typewriter and begin a story that could very well set an emotionally wounded man free.
After I placed a call to Edward's office, and talking to Jacob, I made sure to tell him to place the insured check for the policy into the brim of his hat. Edward could be extremely sneaky and I knew some of his close friends were in the mob scene, the closest being Emmett McCarty. If Edward placed even one call to Emmett, something could happen to Jacob and I didn't want to risk the check being picked out of his pocket or ending up "lost" somewhere on the street.
Old friends from the paper came in to sit and talk with me as I worked on the article. Most of them were flabbergasted at my getting married again and wanting to become a housewife. I tried to hurry up, our departure time for the train was quickly approaching and I didn't want to miss it.
One second I was talking with old friends and then some whirlwind of a girl was yelling at us for being monsters and hanging her world completely upside down. After taking her out into the hallway, I calmed her down enough for her to tell me that her name was Alice Brandon and she was Jasper's girlfriend. Reporters had been hounding her and spreading vicious lies about her and Jasper ever since his arrest.
Of course, since my life isn't easy, I got a call from Jacob. He'd been put in jail for supposedly stealing some man's pocket watch. I knew it was completely untrue and rushed down to bail him out.
Jacob suspected Edward, but said that he'd been too nice of a fellow to do such a bad thing. I knew better. And then, suddenly, Jacob's wallet was missing. He'd been patting himself down; looking for his identification, when he noticed it wasn't on his person at all.
I told Jacob to just go get our bags, that most of my story was already written and that we'd be able to leave soon. We'd apply for another ID when we got back from Iowa. Signing the marriage certificate wouldn't be too much of a problem for him; everyone knew his name in his home town.
As soon as I was alone in the press room again, I dialed Edward and gave him a good thrashing. I knew he was behind Jacob's arrest and missing wallet. I hung up on him without even giving him the chance to respond. He called back and I threw the phone into the garbage. I didn't want to talk to him any longer, he outraged me so!
A siren woke me out of my angry thoughts; Whitlock had just escaped from the prison. I rushed to the window and was almost shot. Bullets were flying in every which direction, the sound of echoing cracks and breaking glass filled the air.
I ran out of the room and attempted to follow the story, the only person I could catch up with was the psychologist who was giving Whitlock his last evaluation.
Apparently he'd given Whitlock a gun to reenact the entire incident. And this man had a degree?
The good thing about the press room was that there were multiple telephones for use. So many writers needed to contact others and be contacted at one time.
I had rushed back to the press room to phone Edward and tell him everything I'd learned. The psychologist had asked the sheriff to supply a gun for the reenactment and had left the bullets inside of it. One thing led to another and Jasper shot the psychologist in the ass cheek.
I was slightly proud of Jasper.
A vacant phone rang in the press room, it was Jacob again. He'd been arrested for prostitution. That was completely absurd! Jacob and I hadn't even made love yet, waiting to save it for our honeymoon.
I was about to rush out and bail him from jail again, but the next thing I knew, Jasper had scurried into the room.
He had a gun in one hand and told me to put the phone down. I hung up and talked as calmly and as rationally as I could. I tried to dissuade him from doing something that would harm the both of us. I knew he wasn't really a harmful person.
A loud and incessant knock on the door made my heart race, what if it was the sheriff? I ran to the door and turned off the lights to the press room. Bathed in total darkness, I asked who it was and opened the door a crack.
It was Alice.
I let her in and locked the door behind her, turning on the lights and showing her that Jasper was hidden inside the room with us. I tried to tune out their talking and grabbing at each other, but they were so darned loud, I couldn't help hearing them. They were in love and it warmed my heart to hear them fuss over things.
A loud knocking on the door brought me to my senses; again I rushed to it and turned off the lights. This time it was Edward. He rushed in hurriedly. I was so grateful to see him; I hugged him tightly to me. Perhaps Alice and Jasper's amorous mood has rubbed off on me.
Edward must have forgotten to lock the door behind him because in the next moment there were another few people in the room.
Mayor Aro and Sheriff Caius along with a few other officers had joined us suddenly.
The officers arrested Jasper quickly. In the commotion of arms flailing about, Alice had jumped out the window in an insane moment of trying to be distracting.
Rushing to the window, we heard a commotion from below; Alice had survived the fall and was being tended to. That left Edward and I to be arrested for aiding and abetting a murder convict.
The officers shuffled Jasper away, leaving the four of us — Edward, me, Mayor Aro, and Sheriff Caius — left in the office. Another bald, rounder man rushed in with a reprieve from the Governor. We overheard the sweaty man say that he couldn't wait any longer to deliver the letter.
Wait a God darn second, had Edward and I just stumbled into a conspiracy cover-up?
Had this panting man delivered the reprieve to the mayor and sheriff before Jasper's escape? And had they told the man to come back tomorrow after the execution was over?
Oh, this would be the biggest story of our time.
The mayor and sheriff traded glances, telling the big man to go back to his hotel and to wait for them there.
The sheriff locked Edward and I in the room, giving himself and the mayor some time to talk and formulate their own plan.
That was one hell of a day's misfortunes if I do say so myself. Now we were waiting for the mayor and sheriff to come back and decide what to do with us. I was brought out of my musings when Edward turned to me quickly.
"Why didn't you just not come back today, Bella?" Edward spat out at me suddenly.
"Well, excuse me for trying to be a good person and tell you that I wasn't coming back to my job!" I yelled back.
"You've got to go, don't you understand? You shouldn't be here," Edward forced through his teeth.
That comment hurt me, like I really wanted to be there in the first place. "Why don't you just rip out my heart and stomp on it!"
"Why would I do that? Can't you see I'm trying to be noble?" he asked as he stopped pacing in front of me.
"Ha! You don't have a noble bone in your body," I snorted while crossing my arms over my chest.
"That's not fair, Bella," he said seriously while looking down at me, slowly inching into my space.
"Oh, really? Tell me why we're stuck here then. Please Edward, enlighten me," I snapped.
"Because I don't want you to get hurt! You're better off with your Jacob then you are with me! Can't you see that, Bella? Can't you?!" We were so close now that he reached his hands out to grasp my arms. He shook me slowly as if trying to reiterate his point.
"I got us into this situation! If I hadn't been so jealous over the fact that you've moved on to another man, then I wouldn't have pushed you into digging up more information on this story! You could die because of me, and I wouldn't be able to live with that."
"You wouldn't be able to live if I died? Edward, that's crazy talk! We haven't spoken to one another in at least three months! For all you know, I could have died somewhere," I sputtered out.
"Bella, you're not understanding me. I've only gotten through the last three months because I come to work every single day. I can't not be here. Every single piece of this place reminds me of you. Your desk, my office, the town hall. Everything, Bella! I mistake people for you all the time. If I knew for sure that you were dead, I would've ceased to exist myself. Bella, I still love you, surely you can sense as much?
"Edward, this is ridiculous!! I'm engaged to be married tomorrow!" I stood up to reiterate my feeling. This issue should not be taken sitting down.
"But you loved me first. Tell me you still love me, Bella. If I die tonight, I will die willingly knowing that you still have feelings for me."
I stared into his emerald eyes which shone with unshed tears. They sparkled with hope and excitement.
My breath caught in my throat. I couldn't picture Edward dying; it pained me too much to even think about it.
"Of course I still love you. How can I not? Edward, I followed you around for years, moping and pining after you like the girl I never wanted to be!"
He brought a hand up to cup the side of my face.
"Bella, just let me love you," he whispered as his thumb grazed the apple of my cheek.
"Edward, that's all I've ever wanted," I whispered back.
Before I knew what was happening, Edward was leaning in towards me, his eyes searching mine for some kind of rejection. He would find none.
The gap between us inched into nothingness as his eyes slid closed and his lips found purchase on mine.
Kissing Edward was like sticking my tongue into an electrical socket. Every square inch of my skin flamed to life and I became some other kind of person who wasn't modest and as well behaved as I acted.
My hands acted of their own accord, reaching up to clutch at his waist as my eyes closed softly in surrender.
A lone whimper escaped me at his soft touch; I'd forgotten what his lips felt like. His lips were soft against mine, swaying lightly with the motion of his heartbeat.
His other hand came around my waist to pull me firmly against him. I'd even forgot what he smelled and felt like. His hard chest pressed against my soft breasts and an electrical current passed through my body, awakening my arousal and definitely making me swoon a little bit.
His mouth opened to me, bringing our kiss to a different level. We breathed into each other's mouths, each one more shallow than the last.
His tongue swept across my bottom lip, silently asking for entrance. Without thinking, I opened to him. It was his turn to groan as our tongues massaged against each other's.
Suddenly I couldn't have been close enough to him; the small space there was between us was just too much for me to bear as I deftly wrapped my arms around his neck. His hand that had been grabbing my cheek moved down to wrap under my bum and I jumped up, wrapping my legs around his waist. He pivoted and sat me down on the table, which was perfect height for us to still easily reach each other's lips.
My fingers toyed with the miniscule hairs at the back of his neck and he shivered into my touch.
"I've missed you, Bella. So, so much," he mumbled against my lips.
"Show me, Edward. No more talking," I replied breathily.
I moaned as his lips left mine and traveled to a spot just below my ear. He took turns licking and sucking there, making me squirm against the table. My hands tangled in his hair and gently pulled as he tormented my flesh. His hands worked slowly against my sides, half tickling me, half turning me into a pile of mush on the table.
Each ragged breath I took was pushing my chest into his, erotically rubbing my nipples against the silk of my shirt. He changed to the other side of my neck and I took the opportunity to run my hands down his chest and lightly tug at his shirt to release it from the waist of his pants.
My eyes slid open as I took in the sight before me. Edward's hair took up a good portion of my view, but I've always had a partial attraction to it. I watched his muscles ripple underneath his shirt, his shoulders moving as he continued to tease my sides.
I pulled him closer to me, my legs still loosely wrapped around him. I groaned when I felt his erection press up against me. At the connection from his groin to mine, he bit down against my neck lightly. A new sensation coursed through my body, my back arched involuntarily and I grasped at his shoulders.
One of his hands traveled up from my sides and tentatively cupped one of my breasts. I threw my head back in ecstasy as he palmed me through my shirt. Squeezing the entire appendage, he'd add an extra tug at my nipple. The tingling in my lower extremities was begging for attention.
I pulled him to me again with my legs and rubbed myself against him, trying to create some sort of relief.
This time he threw his head back and groaned.
I took the opportunity to unbutton his shirt, sliding one round, shiny button through each hole at a time.
As soon as I was finished I slowly pushed it away from his shoulders. I drew nearer to his chest, my lips running slowly against the skin around his clavicle. This was one of my favorite parts of him. I peppered kisses down his pectorals, kissing each of his nipples in turn as I made a wide circuit around his top portion.
I felt him tug at my shirt in response to him being half naked. I shifted my weight on each thigh as he pulled it from my skirt slowly. Lifting my hands above my head, I allowed him to pull it up and off of my body.
Tossing my shirt behind him, he pulled me to him and hugged me tightly, his nose skimming the skin of my shoulders and making me shiver.
He pulled back and began kissing the tops of my breasts, running his tongue along the line where the lace of my bra ended and my skin began. Each time his tongue dipped below the lace, my breathing hitched and I clutched tighter at his shoulders.
Finally, after what felt like hours of agonizing torture, he moved his hands to the clasp of my bra and swiftly unhooked it, pulling it down from my shoulders and tossing it to join my shirt.
Immediately his mouth clamped onto a now exposed nipple. I yelped in surprise as another tingle spread through my body. I needed relief soon; the table would burst into flames from my skin at any moment.
Collecting my thoughts, I attempted to take his belt off. My hands fumbled around the clasp for a moment before he took pity on me and helped me remove it.
I had much better success with getting his trousers unbuttoned. Running my hands around the waist of his pants, I freed them over the firmness of his bum and they slipped to the floor at his feet. He quickly toed out of his shoes and stepped out of the pants, pushing them towards the quickly growing pile of clothes on the floor.
His dark colored briefs filled my vision; I was suddenly on a quest to have whatever was hiding underneath that black pair of underwear. I heard him chuckle at my obvious staring as his hands ran up the outside of my thighs.
I smirked and ducked my head before he could make any more fun of me and ran a finger under the elastic waistband of his briefs. He closed his eyes in pleasure and it was my turn to chuckle.
His eyes snapped open at the sound and he smirked at me, lunging at my lips to capture them in another heated kiss.
I was squirming again in my place on the table, my skirt feeling too constricting and too warm for my own good. He must have read my mind because he wrapped his arms around my back and started to undo the zipper of my skirt. I lay down and placed my feet on the surface of the table so that I could lift my hips and pull the fabric from my body. Soon we were both breathing hard in the press room, clad only in our underwear.
He ran a hand down the valley of my breasts, over my raggedly rising and falling abdomen and landed on my mound. I whimpered, needing more than just a light hand against me. His eyes flashed to mine and he held my gaze as his fingers hooked into my panties and gently tugged them down my legs.
I held my breath. I wasn't expecting to make love with my ex-husband today. I only hoped he liked what he saw of me.
"Bella, you're beautiful. My memory doesn't do you justice," Edward said in his low voice.
I bit my lip and blushed, obviously pleased with his satisfaction of my body.
Hesitantly, he moved his hands to his own undergarment. "Are you sure about this? We don't have to," he said unsurely.
I caught his gaze and sat up, grabbing his hands away from his waist.
I kissed him quickly.
"Everything that has happened within the last few months has only been a memory of what I want with you. We need this now. I need you now. Please, make love with me, Edward. We can figure the rest out later," I said shyly as I began removing his briefs.
After pulling them half way down, I couldn't reach any farther and it was up to him to step out of them and stand before me. Ready once again to love me.
I knew I was ready. I was practically leaking onto the table, my arousal was so high. He stepped into me, his erection teasing my entrance as he coated himself with my juices.
Kissing me passionately, he placed himself into position and slowly pushed forward, slowly slipping inside of me.
Once he was fully inside, we both let out breaths we didn't know we were holding and took a moment to adjust. His forehead fell to my shoulder; his breathing sending little puffs of air onto my neck and making me arch my back from the sensation.
He groaned as I moved against him, one of his hands wrapping around my hip and stilling my movements.
Pulling out gently, he pumped back into me again confidently. I threw my head back as something kicked deep inside of me and I whimpered.
He picked up the pace, now pulling and pushing rhythmically inside of me as I clutched onto his arms and allowed him to take my body on the ride he wanted it to.
Rolling my head forward, I opened my eyes and looked at him. He face was beautiful, eyes staring down at his penis entering and disappearing inside of me and coming back out glistening with my juices. He was panting forcefully through his mouth, his lips parted into a sexy look.
I felt myself clench around him, that much closer to reaching my peak. He whimpered lightly, "You know I can feel that, don't you?"
Him saying that made me clench again and he threw his head back in ecstasy. I could feel his body start to tense, he was getting closer as well. Taking initiative, I brought one of my hands down from his shoulder and trailed it across my nipple, sending shockwaves through my body. I reached my bundle of nerves on my sex and started to rub myself slowly.
I was clenching around him more now, my release drawing closer as he started pumping into me faster and harder. Something inside of me kicked again and I drew my legs around his waist and continued to rub myself. His head flew forward; he must have felt my fingers around his erection.
"Bella? Are you… Oh, Bella," he asked as he looked down at where we were joined.
"That is… the most… oh, Bella!" he said in pleasure as he rocked against me.
That flame inside of my kicked again, and my stomach twisted in preparation.
"Edward, touch me, please…" I begged.
He reached a free hand up to my breast and palmed it, tugging once again at my nipple and sending me into a spiraling orgasm. I cried out as my muscles clenched around him, my back arching into his pumps and pulls of my body. My eyes slammed shut as stars exploded into being behind my lids.
Two thrusts later and he grunted my name as his seed spilled inside of me, sending me into another fluttering orgasm.
He jerked slowly into me, prolonging his euphoria and riding out his high before he slumped on top of me. Our bodies were damp and sticky with sweat, but neither one of us cared in that moment. Our shallow and haggard breathing became one as we slowly calmed down and evened our breaths. We leaned against each other, lightly kissing areas of skin we could reach without having to move too far or expend too much energy.
Slowly he removed himself from inside of me, each of us moaning the loss, and leaned against the table next to me.
"That was…" he began
"…completely wonderful," I finished, while giggling.
It was always this way with Edward. He knew how to play my body like the most beautiful of symphonies, bring each crescendo and diminuendo to its respective peak in melodic brilliance.
"So, things will work out for us, sweetheart?" he asked seriously as he turned to me.
I gazed back serenely. "Yes. As long as we've got each other, everything will work out the way it's supposed to."
"We should get dressed before the mayor and sheriff return. I'd rather them not see my wife starkers."
I laughed at him, "Oh, so I'm your wife again, am I? When did we decide that?"
"The moment I told you I couldn't live without you. I don't need a ceremony or anything to prove my love to you, Bella. You already know it and there's nothing I wouldn't deny you." He reached a hand up to cup my cheek once more and I leaned into his touch. Bringing his face to mine once more, he gave me a soft, lingering kiss.
"All right, husband of mine. Please put your clothes back on, I wouldn't want anyone to see you starkers either," I giggled back at him.
He smirked at me once more before leaving to gather up our clothes.
We'd just barely finished redressing when they returned. Edward blocked me from their view, standing in front of me as I peered silently around his shoulder.
"How about we just give you money and you leave the country with it?" Mayor Aro asked nicely.
"That sounds wonderful, doesn't it, honey?" I said lightly as I placed a hand on Edward's arm and squeezed in silent warning.
I thought quickly. If we took the money and left the states, we at least stood a chance of staying together and staying alive.
"Yes, we'll take the money and go to Canada. It's always nice there this time of year," Edward answered stiffly.
The exchange went smoothly, Mayor Aro and Sheriff Caius giving us each $250,000 to not breathe a word of anything that went on to anyone else.
Edward and I went together to Canada, settling down in a province near where my mother lived and raising our family. Nine months after our incident in Chicago, we welcomed our first child, Eleanor Ruth, into our loving arms.
We kept an eye on the headlines from Chicago though, and learned that Jasper had gotten his reprieve from the governor. He and Alice now lived in New York with several of their own children.
The mayor and sheriff both went bankrupt and lost their jobs shortly after the debacle, an anonymous tip pulling them in for investigation after investigation surrounding their monetary dealings and political aspirations.
I didn't ever hear from Jacob again, though I suspected that he might have stayed in jail for some time.
As I said before, things will always work out the way they're meant to. This time, it did in the most obscure of ways.