Author's Note: So I'm sorry this took so long. It took me a bit to write, then it took a while for me beta to get to it, then it sat in my email for a few weeks before I remembered she sent it back so I could post it. To say my life has been insane that past month and a half is an understatement. Just when you think things are as crazy as they can be, you find yourself in the middle of even to deal with. Well at least I have these fun little stories to escape into. I hope you enjoy it and thanks to AGoodWitch for giving it a once over for me! Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Snowbound Ch 2

Edward didn't seem to understand my distress as we climbed into the helicopter. He tried to talk to me, but the sound of the engine starting up made it impossible to talk. He handed me a set of headphones and I put them on. I could hear the pilot talking to us for a moment before the headphones grew quiet again.

Edward turned to me with a frown. "Bella, what's wrong?"

"I can't talk now. When we get off the chopper I can explain."

He lifted his hands looking bewildered. "What's there to explain? So we both will be working for Volturi. So what?"

"Edward…did they give you the employee handbook and bylaws?"

He nodded.

"Did you actually read them?"

He kind of shrugged making me want to laugh. "I skimmed it."

I rolled my eyes. "Do you have it with you?"

He pulled out his carryon bag and extracted the thick bound pile of paperwork. I took it and flipped through the pages to the one that detailed exactly how screwed we were and handed it back to him, poking the necessary paragraph with more force than necessary. He skimmed it with crinkled brow before looking back up at me in disbelief.

"Seriously?"

I nodded. "But wasn't the company created by the Volturi brothers and their wives?"

I nodded again. "Yes, but when the Volturi were found out to be philandering jerk offs in suits, their wives put the screws to them. The company nearly imploded in the aftermath. To prevent both the company from being put in the same jeopardy again, as well as the good ole boys from dipping their respective nibs in the office ink again, they devised this rule to keep them all in line. It's stood for fifty years and it's the one rule that is kept to no matter what. I have personally seen three supervisors get walked out for breaking this rule. It's the one where there is no leniency given."

Edward sighed and closed the manual, sliding it back in his suitcase. "Never say never, Bella. And I'm not officially an employee of Volturi yet, so we're okay. We'll figure it out."

"There's nothing to figure out," I sighed and wiped at the corner of my eye where a stupid tear was trying to escape. "You're going to be named the CEO in just a few short days. I've spent the last thirteen years working my way up to VP. I have a family to support. I can't afford to risk this job. I can't take any risks, as much as you might make me want to do so."

He reached out and caressed my cheek, brushing another errant tear away with the pad of his thumb. "I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you, Bella. It's fine. It's all going to be fine."

"Easy for you to say…you're not the one with two extra mouths to feed if things go sideways."

He reached out and grabbed both of my hands in his, bringing them to his lips. "Look at me, Bella."

I stared into his deep green eyes that seemed darker with the intensity of his gaze.

"I will not let anything bad happen to you and your kids, okay? I promise. No matter what, I'm going to make sure you are all safe."

I sighed again and swallowed past the lump in my throat. "I hope you can keep that promise."

He smiled and leaned in to place a soft kiss on my forehead. "I guarantee it."

It was a relatively short ride in the helicopter. The airport in DC was snowy, but nothing like the icy Armageddon feel of New York. We were quickly shuttled from the helicopter to the leer jet waiting on a nearby runway with the matching red emblem screaming at me from the side of the white fuselage.

I gasped as we entered, staring around in awe at the amazing luxury of the private plane. As far as I know, nobody outside the Volturi brothers themselves had been allowed to fly on the private company plane. Now I understood why. The company couldn't afford to give their employees Christmas bonuses this year, but by God the bosses could fly like kings. Typical.

I fell asleep on the flight from DC to Chicago. When we arrived, a massive Humvee waited to drive us through the somewhat cleared, but still very slick and messy streets. The sky was just starting to turn shades of pink and purple when we pulled in front of the house. Edward helped me carry my luggage to the door and wrapped me in a warm hug.

"I can't believe you made this happen. Thank you, Edward."

My heart clenched in my chest as I felt his warm lips brush my forehead. "It was an honor Ms. Swan. You better hurry up before your kids wake up."

I frowned up at him and glanced from him to the waiting car and back to him. "Why don't you stay too, Edward? Nobody should be alone on Christmas and I'd really love it if you could stay."

He frowned down at me. "Are you sure?"

I smiled. "Nothing in the by-laws prevents friends from sharing a holiday meal together. I'd love nothing more than to have you join us."

He cocked his right brow. "Friends?"

I nodded decisively. "Until a miracle is worked to fix the mess we are in, yes, friends."

He leaned in close and rested his forehead against mine. "Then a miracle worker I shall become."

I took a deep breath and held it, my body tightening in response to my overwhelming desire to lean in and kiss him. Instead, I let out a quiet deep laugh. "Well you've already performed one this week. Maybe I shouldn't count you out yet."

"Damn straight," he said with a crooked smile before leaning in to place a quick peck on my lips before taking a big step backward.

"If you're sure, then I'll go get my bags and dismiss the driver."

I nodded. "I'm absolutely, positively sure."

The smile that bridged his handsome face was so bright it hit me like a kick in the chest and set my heart to pounding. I couldn't help but giggle as he bounded down the driveway, slipping and sliding at the end in his rush to get his things. A few seconds later, he was at my side again, suitcase in tow.

I opened the front door and gestured for him to enter. We dusted off ourselves and stripped coats and accessories, hanging them in the closet, before shedding our shoes and padding into the dining room. I sighed in relief to be home and turned to Edward with a smile.

"Welcome to Casa Swan. It's a little cluttered and messy at times, but it's home sweet home."

He looked around with curious eyes and a soft smile. "Now this feels like a home. My parents always had showcases for homes. It was always about impressing the contacts and making a point about their lifestyle. It never felt lived in or comfortable, but this," he said with his arms spread wide, "this is a place a family goes to relax and spend time together. It's great!"

I looked around at the toys scattered across the top of the table and the counter top and the books still waiting on the end table to be read along with a couple of tossed aside pieces of clothing. I picked up the laundry and tossed it into a basket along with the kids' toys that they would have to take care of putting in their proper places later. I turned toward Edward and was about to offer to make us some coffee when the sound of small thundering footsteps followed a squeal of joy. In a flash of red flannel and long flowing blonde hair, my daughter launched herself across the house and into my arms.

"Santa did it, Mom! The only thing I asked him for was for you to come home and he did it! You're here! Oh Mommy, I love you! I love you so much!"

I squeezed her tight to my chest and blinked back the tears. "I love you too, sweetie. But it wasn't Santa who got me home. It was my new friend, Mr. Cullen." I gestured toward the man watching from behind the kitchen counter with a wistful smile. "He worked really hard to get us here. We just walked in a minute ago. I asked him to stay for Christmas with us as a thank you. Can you go introduce yourself and thank him?"

She kissed my cheek before hopping down and crossing the room to stand in front of Edward. She held out her right hand as she stared up at his six foot frame. "Hi, I'm Reese Elizabeth Newton. It's nice to meet you. Thank you for bringing my Mom home. Do you work for Santa?"

Edward accepted Reese's slightly overzealous handshake with a warm smile. "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance Miss Reese Elizabeth Newton. My name is Edward Cullen, but you can call me Edward. To answer your question, no, I don't work for Santa. Actually, I just got hired to work at the same company as your Mom."

Reese opened her mouth to say something when another set of shuffling feet entered the room. Cameron was rubbing his already messy hair with one hand as he came ambling in, but froze mid motion upon seeing Edward. He frowned then continued over to me where he hugged me sleepily. "Hey Mom. I didn't think you'd make it. Who is the new guy?"

I smiled wrapping my arms around my son and kissing the top of his head. "That's my friend, Mr. Cullen. He's the only reason I made it home this morning." Then I looked up at Edward and said, "This is my son, Cameron."

"Hi Cameron," he replied.

"Hi, Mr. Cullen, thank you for bringing Mom home for Christmas."

"It was my pleasure," he replied with a big smile.

We all stood in an awkward silence for a few moments before Reese turned to me and cocked her hip, placing her hand on it. "So can we do presents now, or what?"

Edward chuckled and I snorted. "Let's get Edward settled in the guest room and wake up Grandma first and then we can open presents."

"Woohoo!" She cheered before grabbing Edward's hand and leading him toward the entryway where his luggage still sat. She tried to grab the handle and carry it up the stairs, but only made it to the bottom of the first step before getting stuck. Edward gracefully jumped in and suggested they work together to carry the luggage up the stairs, and soon they were out of sight. I smiled and turned to start making coffee. It just finished brewing and I was pouring the first cup when Cameron appeared at my right elbow.

"Mom?"

"Yeah, Bud?" I asked as I added cream and sugar.

"Is that guy really your friend?"

I frowned, "Why do you ask, hon?"

He took a deep breath and looked around before looking up at me with eyes that were way too wise for one so young. A switch flipped the day his Dad moved out and suddenly he seemed to grow up overnight. It made me sad, like I'd failed him too, somehow, by robbing him of a part of his childhood.

"He doesn't look at you like a friend."

I raised my eyebrows and took my first sip of the life saving brew. "Oh really? And how does he look at me?"

"Like you're the new version of Overwatch and he really, really, really wants to play you."

I choked on the coffee and began coughing uncontrollably. Cam patted my back. "Are you okay, Mom?"

I coughed a few more times before it settled and then smiled over at him. "Yes, son, I'm okay. It just went down the wrong pipe."

He waited for me to calm down completely and take a seat on the couch with my coffee before he resumed his inquest.

"So, um, is he? Because I kind of think you look at him a little bit like that too."

I smiled and smoothed a hand over his wild hair with a sigh. "It's complicated, sweetie. We do like each other, but he's going to be my boss at Volturi and it's against the rules to be involved with someone I work with. I could lose my job. So no matter what we think about each other, we can't be more than friends."

"But you want to be?"

I cocked my head. "How would you feel about that if I did want to?

He frowned, "I'm not sure. It would be weird to have a guy around here. I don't like things changing even more, but I also want you to be happy. Dad's happy with Bree. I want you to be happy too."

I smiled and hugged him, kissing the crown of his head. "Thank you, buddy. I love you so much. It's not an issue right now, but I'm glad to know you will be open if I do decide to start seeing someone someday."

The sound of my daughter playing hostess reached us before the sounds of feet. Mom looked concerned by the sight of a stranger in the house, but was polite as I introduced her and explained who he was and how he had helped us. She shook his hand and smiled, but still looked wary.

The kids soon began sorting the presents and we began opening. I felt horrible that Edward didn't have anything to open, but he didn't seem to mind at all. He looked overjoyed to be part of the celebration and even began helping the kids free their new toys from the insane packaging. After presents, Mom and I finished cooking the delicious feast she had begun the night before while Edward and the kids played video games. He had offered to help, but we insisted he was our guest and he should relax. I hadn't actually intended for him to get sucked into digital land, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to be having a grand time.

We set the table and served a traditional Christmas meal of ham and all the sides around noon. We all talked and joked as we enjoyed the food, and when we were done, Edward insisted that since Mom and I cooked that he and the kids should clean up. Normally, this would be met with endless whining from my two little ones, but they didn't complain a bit as they happily helped him clear the table. Mom and I put the leftovers in containers for later while they scrubbed up the plates and silverware as a team. Then they spent a little extra time taking turns scrubbing on the harder cooking dishes. By two in the afternoon, we were all full, the mess was clean, and we were all ready to relax. The kids wanted to play again, but instead I insisted we do something as a group.

We played two board games, then watched The Polar Express and Elf. We made ham sandwiches out of the leftovers and played one more game before bedtime rolled around again. Edward took a shower while I tucked the kids into bed for the night. By the time I was done, he was out of the shower and making his way down the hallway back to his room. He was half dressed in low slung pajama pants, but he was shirtless and his hair was still wet and messy, making me fight the impulse to run my fingers through it. Water droplets were still beaded on his chest and shoulders. I had to say one thing; the man was a sight to behold. Not model like with perfect abs that take hours upon hours in the gym and a ridiculous diet to maintain. Instead it was firm, solid, and smooth except for the small smattering of hair along his pecs and the thin trail of dark hair disappearing down his pj bottoms. His arms and shoulders had some bulge to show he had strength and his pecs were relatively well defined. He looked perfect to me, and every cell in my body wanted to walk up and lick those drops of water off his chest and just get lost in him.

My thoughts must have been written on my face, because a moment later he closed the space between us and captured my lips in a soft kiss. My hands immediately flew to his chest where they roamed a little before my fingers curled around his neck and up into his hair. His kiss deepened and I melted against him. I lost all track of the world around me until we broke apart, both breathing hard.

We both whispered at the same time. "We shouldn't…""I really want to…"

I closed my eyes and sighed deeply. "You don't know how badly I want to, but…"

He looked at the bedroom doors behind me that I just left then nodded. "I should probably go. If I stay I'm not sure I can keep myself in check."

The hallway got blurry as my eyes began to mist up. "That's probably the smartest move. Um, I'm on vacation next week, so I won't be in the office until the Tuesday after New Year's. So at least the office won't be a problem until then, but once I start…I…I don't think we should try to see each other there or elsewhere. It's going to be too hard."

I couldn't hold back anymore. My voice cracked and all my pain rolled out of me at once. I buried my face in my hands and tried to keep quiet. I felt warm arms wrap around me, pulling me into a protective cocoon that was both better and worse. I felt him guide me out of the hallway and into the guest room where he had been staying and settled us on the bed. He continued to hold me, caressing my hair and whispering calming words until the tears stopped.

I sniffed and hiccupped as I rested my head against his shoulder. "It's not fair. I did everything right in my marriage, in my separation, and now I'm finally divorced and I still can't be with the man I want."

He kissed my hair and continued to soothe me. "I made you a promise, Bella, and I will not break it. One way or another, I'm going to make this work out for us. I swear to you."

I sniffed again and looked up at him. "I'm not sure how, but I believe you're going to try."

His eyes looked a little red themselves. I didn't think he was crying, but I thought he was feeling the urge. He reached up and brushed the tears from my cheeks and kissed my forehead before resting his forehead against mine.

"It might not happen tomorrow, but I will figure this out. I've spent my whole life learning to recognize a good match from a bad one. I've made more deals than I can count and have avoided just as many bad deals for the family company. You…you and I are a match that has a future. I'm not going to let it go. But I think I should still go tonight. If I stay here much longer, I'm going to end up laying you down on this bed and exploring every inch of you and I know you're not ready for that…not until your job is safe at least."

I licked my lips at the thought of him doing all the things he promised. He stared at my mouth and groaned before he stood up and backed across the room to where his suitcase sat on top of a dresser. He blindly reached in and grabbed the first article of clothing he could, which was a shirt. He slid it on. Then he zipped the suitcase shut and slid his feet into his shoes on the floor. He lifted the suitcase and carried it across the room to stand in front of me. I swallowed hard and tried not to cry as he leaned in to kiss my forehead before heading to the door.

"Edward!"

He stopped just inside the door and turned toward me. He was completely surprised when I launched myself into his arms, molding my body to his as I kissed him with everything I had. The suitcase fell to the floor with a loud thump a second before his hands wrapped around me, turning me to brace against the wall just inside the doorway.

I could feel every delicious inch of him as he pressed me between himself and the wall, lining up every part of us that fit best. His lips moved down to my neck and I threw my head back and moaned at the twin sensations of his lips on me as his hardness ground into my core. He licked his way up to my ear and nibbled it.

"Ugh, you taste so good. I don't want to walk away, even for a little while. I want every bit of you and I don't want to wait for it."

I couldn't hear anything else aside from my ragged breathing and my heartbeat pounding in my ears. I wanted to let go and just sink into the amazing man that was bringing my body to places it hadn't been in years, if even then. I wanted so badly to just let go and stop playing the role of the good girl for once. I was seconds away from asking him to do all of the things to me he was promising when the sound of a door opening down the hall had us jumping apart. Every nerve end in my body was still jumping, pulling me back toward the deliciousness that was the promise of Edward. I stepped over Edward's suitcase and into the hall instead to find myself face to face with a sleepy looking Reese.

"Mommy, I can't sleep."

I swept her up in my arms and carried her back toward her bedroom. "You were crying too loud. Why were you crying, Mommy? Was Edward being mean?"

I chuckled. "Oh no, baby, I was just feeling a little sad. He gave me a hug and tried to make me feel better."

"Did he do a good job?"

My face flushed ten shades of red as I laid her down and pulled the covers up to her chin. "Yes, sweetie. He did a very good job. He's got to go to his hotel soon though."

"But I thought he was spending the night," she mumbled, her eyes already rolling in her head a little.

"Plans changed, sweetheart. He has to go. Go to sleep and don't worry about it. Tomorrow we're going to bundle up and go play in all that snow outside!"

She smiled and snuggled down in her blankets and fell right back to sleep. I carefully closed the door behind me as I left the room and looked for Edward. He was already by the front door talking on his cell phone. When he heard my feet on the stairs he turned toward me with a sad smile.

"I have another car coming to get me. He says it will be here in ten. You know I don't want to go, right?"

I smiled and slid up close, wrapping my arms around his waist. "Yes, I definitely got that impression," I evilly rubbed against him, proud he was still at three quarter mast at the very least.

He moaned and cupped my face in his hands. "A week ago I thought my life was a mess of broken pieces. I never dreamed in just a few days I was going to meet someone who was going to make it all feel like something beautiful instead of wreck and ruin." He brushed his nose against mine on one side then the other before placing a soft peck on my lips. "I've never been so grateful for a blizzard in all my life."

I chuckled. "I agree whole heartedly."

He kissed me again and we shared a few minutes of soft, delicious kisses that warmed places in my heart I thought long dead. All too soon, we were interrupted by the honk of a car. Edward kissed me one more time with a bit more passion before picking up his suitcase and leaving the house. I watched from the porch as he climbed into the hummer and waved as he pulled away. I couldn't imagine a scenario where I would ever be able to be with him the way I was that night again, but I couldn't help but pray harder than I had in a long time that I was wrong.