Chapter 7
Tanya stood in front of a group of girls feeling safe in a crowd. My rage was so evident all of her friends backed up as I pulled away from Edward's arms and walked right up to Tanya.
"If you had anything to do with this, I will kill you myself," I said loudly.
She laughed nervously and crossed her arms, "Drama much?"
My hand shot out and grabbed her around the neck; pushing her against a brick pillar. She scratched frantically trying to get my iron clad hold to lessen. I wasn't thinking of the terror at the cabin, my only concern at that moment was for Edward.
"You so much as look at Edward again and you'll have to deal with me. Leave us alone and get on with your pathetic life. Do we understand each other?"
She nodded quickly so I dropped my hand. She moved to stand with her friends, but I moved right with her.
"I'm telling my father," she said with a shaky voice.
"No need, I'll tell the fat bastard myself." I moved closer and used my body to push her back several inches.
When she finally remained quiet I walked back to Edward, who was trying very hard not to laugh. "What's so funny?" I asked him angrily.
He raised both hands in defeat. "Nothing, I'm never crossing you again."
I wrapped my arms around his waist and lay my head on his chest. I was suddenly exhausted and needed him to be my strength. We walked awkwardly entwined into the hospital. Alice was the first person we saw and I ran to her letting my tears fall.
"How's Jasper?" Edward asked as I hugged Alice.
"He's in surgery. They think they can save his leg, but he will be in rehab for almost a year."
I knew what she was thinking; their plans for a college apartment would have to wait. I couldn't help but think Jasper would be in heaven having Alice acting as his personal nurse, waiting on him hand and foot.
"Have you seen Rose?" I asked.
"No, they won't let anyone in. Poor Emmett, please go tell him what happened," she implored.
"I wish I knew, Angela will have to tell him."
"They think the man in the water was Mr. Klein, I guess he has been missing, too," Alice told us.
I held tighter to Edward. "Son," a voice called. We turned to see Carlisle standing behind us. I fell into his arms and hugged him tightly. He looked at me and Alice covered in dirt and black coal on our faces.
"Why don't you girls come into the doctor's lounge and shower? You can put on hospital scrubs, I'm sure it will make you feel a lot better."
We all followed him down the hallway and I was relieved when Edward remained with us when we entered a small locker room. I didn't want to be apart from him for one moment. He got us towels as we peeled off the clothes that held more awful memories than dirt.
Once we were clean and dressed we went to find Carlisle to see if we could get any information on Rose and Jasper.
"Jasper is still in surgery, but I heard it was going well," he told us. I noticed Alice seemed to relax a bit.
"Rose is making slow, but steady, progress. I talked them into letting Emmett in the room. I think she will feel safer with him close." We all nodded. Emmett's massive body would fill the room.
"Bella, is there anything you need?" Dr. Cullen asked me.
My arms naturally tightened around Edward. "No, I have everything I need right here."
"Well," he said slightly embarrassed. "Take this card in case you need some help down the road."
I reached out and took a card that was a victim's advocacy group. "Victim?" I asked in confusion. "They didn't win, we did."
Carlisle rubbed my arm gently. "Victim is a noun, Bella, not a verb. You did win, but even winning can cause anxiety."
I nodded, as if I understood. I felt so removed from the terror at the cabin. I was back in my safe world with my loving boyfriend and my gun toting father. I was simply hoping all the memories would fade away forever.
"Go home, get some rest and come back tomorrow. We'll keep your friends safe," he assured me.
I looked at Alice and knew she would never leave this place tonight. Jasper would need her the moment he came out of surgery and she would never disappoint him. Edward took my hand and led me away. When we got outside the crowd had lessened and police cars were beginning to show up.
The officers nodded at me politely, but none of them stopped us from leaving. When we pulled out of the parking lot Edward turned toward his house instead of mine. I looked at him, questioning where he was taking me.
"I think your dad will be busy all night, I'm not letting you sleep in an empty house."
I nodded and leaned over to kiss his cheek, "Will you stay with me?"
He smiled, "Sure, love."
"I mean, in the bed with me, so I can feel you there?"
He pulled my hand to his lips and kissed it, "Anything you want."
I had been in Edward's room before, but never his bed. He had very careful rules regarding our intimacy and lying on his bed was a big no, no.
I crawled under the comforter and felt Edward spoon in behind me. He pulled me tightly against his chest and held me protectively. I drifted off, convinced I was already dreaming.
I woke up to something tickling my nose and heard Edward chuckle when I rubbed my nose in irritation. "That bacon smell better be coming from this room," I warned him.
"Sit up and you can eat all you want."
I opened my eyes to see him lift a tray full of food off his desk. "You are so perfect, Edward, how did I ever deserve you?"
He rolled his eyes at me and placed the tray over my lap. I dug right in and had to laugh at the thought we were all going to lose a pound or two before the guys showed up to the cabin, not realizing we would all be many pounds lighter from our ordeal.
"Bella, I don't want to push you, but can you tell me what happened?" Edward asked with a soft voice. I gasped when I realized he never asked me any questions. I just assumed someone had filled him in and felt awful making him go through the night in ignorance.
I slowly let the events fall from my mouth as he listened intently, never interrupting me and simply nodding. I could see his jaw tighten and his eyes widen but he stayed perfectly quiet. I left out most of the details, like what was written on the mirror and tripping over Mrs. Klein's body. I stuck to just the major points of the story.
When I finished I could feel my body shaking, as if I was cold, so I pulled the blankets around me. Edward moved my tray and got back into the bed to hold me tightly. The shivers soon left and I snuggled into his neck and kissed him under his ear. He didn't pull away, so I kissed him again, only longer this time.
His arms pulled me closer and my heart sped up in anticipation. I kissed him along his jaw and he lowered his face to let me reach his lips. As our kiss deepened he rolled us over, so he was now above me, kissing me passionately.
Everything melted away as we became lost in each other. Our clothes were coming off one piece at a time until reality slapped us in the face. "Do you have any protection?" I asked him.
He recoiled, as if he was touching something horrendous. "No, Edward, don't do that. I need you to love me. I need you in my arms right now."
He moved to sit on the side of the bed breathing heavily and running his hands through his hair. I noticed how his hands were shaking and his body seemed to fold in on itself. I closed my eyes in pain when my tears joined his.
"I'm not her, I won't hurt you," I offered through my tears.
His cell phone rang at that moment and he picked it up, looking at the caller ID and then handed the phone to me.
"Hi, dad," I said as I sat up.
"Yeah, I'll be right there."
I handed Edward his phone and climbed out of his bed to gather my clothes. He watched me put the scrubs back on and then smiled at me. "You're beautiful," he said softly.
I walked over to hold his face in my hands. "I love you, so much," I said. "And if you need more time, I'll give it to you."
He only nodded and stood to put on his own clothes.
Edward drove me to my house and we walked into my kitchen to find my dad and another officer sitting at the table. Edward and I sat across from them.
"Any news on Rosalie and Jasper?" I asked.
"Um, last I heard Jasper's doing well, wants Alice within two inches of him at all times," Charlie added with a chuckle. I couldn't help but smile.
"Rosalie's dad is bringing in a specialist, but she's talking now."
"Can I see her?" I asked.
"If the doctor says it's okay, you need special permission or something."
I turned to look at Edward. "I'm on it," he said as pulled his phone out and stood to walk out of the room.
"Bells," my dad began. "We need to ask you a few questions, okay."
"Sure," I agreed.
The other officer pulled out a small notebook and was skimming through the notes. "Did Mrs. Klein talk about anyone else interested in renting the cabin?"
"No, she was worried about how young we were, and wanted to make sure we understood we would have to pay for damages. She wanted one of our parent's credit cards, just in case."
"Did she ask specifics about any of you, any personal information that wasn't related to the rental?"
"No. Who was it that Rose, um, the guy in the house?" I wasn't quiet sure how to ask the question.
"We're trying to find out."
"Wait, the creep in the car isn't talking?" I asked in shock.
"James is not saying a word, plus we can't find any priors and he doesn't have a fingerprint match."
"So, the woman is still free?"
"Yes, but we will find her," my father added.
"I thought you would know them. I thought they wanted revenge on you, dad."
"No, I've never dealt with any of them before."
Edward came back into the room and I looked from him to my father. "Can Tanya have anything to do with this?"
"She's a possibility, but we have to look at relationships with everyone involved as well as their families. And, I got a call from Mr. Denali, Bella, he said you assaulted his daughter."
"Not as much as I wanted." I crossed my arms in anger.
"You're eighteen now, he could have you arrested, so cool it, understand?"
I nodded slightly.
Edward cleared his throat to interrupt us, "Um, sorry but I have a game this afternoon and I have to go."
"Sure, son," Charlie said.
"I'll come by," I assured him. "Wait, I don't have a car anymore."
"You can use my truck until we get the jeep back," Charlie offered. I wasn't sure I would want to drive the jeep again, but I agreed for now.
Edward leaned over to kiss me on the head as my father turned away and sighed loudly. "You can see, Rose," he whispered to me and left.
I answered all the questions the officer had and headed upstairs to dress and go see Rose. I had packed my favorite jeans and had to resort to a less favorable pair. I threw on my shirt, with Edward's name and number on the back, and headed to the hospital.
An officer was sitting by Rose's door and after giving him my name and telling him I didn't have ID because it was still evidence at a crime scene, he let me in the room. Emmett stood and gave me a quick hug.
"Don't you have a game?" I asked him.
"I'm not leaving here," he said forcefully.
Rosalie reached out for his hand and smiled lovingly at him. "Go, Em. I'm just going to talk with Bella and sleep. Go, hit one for me," Rose added.
He leaned his huge body over hers and kissed her tenderly, "I'll go long for ya, Babe."
She laughed wiggled her eyebrows at him, "You always do, Babe."
Emmett laughed and winked at me before leaving the room. I sat in the chair he had vacated and took her hand in mine. "I'm so sorry," I said through tears.
"For what?" she asked sounding surprised.
"For leaving and putting you through that alone."
"I wasn't alone. Ang prayed and I had no idea what I had done until it was over. I didn't make that decision. I wasn't alone," she said emphatically.
She looked at me like I was going to call the doctors back in and insist they commit her. I only smiled and nodded. "I don't think any of us were alone, finding Jasper was a miracle, too."
We each sat in private thought, until I squeezed her hand. "We're alive, we did it," I squealed.
"You bet your ass we did," she laughed.
"I have some news that will make you so happy you will be out of here and cheering at Emmett game in a matter of minutes," I teased.
Her eyes widened and she sat up more as she waited for my news. I was so excited to tell her and trying to figure out just the right way to say it when she huffed at me for taking so long.
"What?" she asked.
"I choked Tanya," I said quickly. I was holding my breath in anticipation of her reaction and we both screamed in unison, causing the officer outside the door to rush in.
"Sorry," I said as we both laughed.
"But," I added, "And this is a big but, her dad is threatening to press charges."
"Oh, hell Bella, go to prison, it would be so worth it!"
"I know," I laughed.
When our jubilant mood wore off and darkened she looked at me and leaned closer. "How did you sleep last night?" she asked in a hushed voice.
"With Edward wrapped around me. I haven't tried on my own yet."
"Did they catch them?" she asked even quieter.
"Emmett caught the other man for them." Her eyes got wide in shock, and I realized nobody had filled her in on the details.
"Edward and Emmett were coming to drag Jasper home. He didn't tell them he was coming but once he was missing they knew exactly where he went. He didn't fool them one bit by his little disappearing act. When I saw the headlights I ran to them, being chased by that psycho James." It was the first time I allowed myself to say his name.
"Emmett jumped from the car and chased him down. At that point he didn't know if he was a friend of ours or not. When he saw you, Rose, he freaked," I laughed at the memory. "He knocked the guy out before getting any questions answered."
She wiped the tears falling down her beautiful face, "I'm really lucky to have Emmett."
"Yeah, you are," I agreed.
"I was in a fog," she confessed. "I knew stuff was going on around me but I couldn't focus or respond. It was so weird. Then Emmett came in here and pulled me onto his lap and it was just….him, ya know, nothing else existed but me and him. I heard him ask me to come back to him and I didn't know what he meant. I was right here."
I hated to tell her the rest of the news and I wished someone was around to advise if it was dangerous to her recovery or not. "Um, the other one, the woman…" I began.
"One was a woman?" she asked in shock.
"Yeah, but she was pretty fierce. She's still out there, um, they haven't found her yet."
Rose narrowed her eyes and said with a threatening voice, "She better pray they find her before I do."
I felt a sense of relief wash over me. The old Rose was present and accounted for and I knew at that moment she would be fine.
"Hopefully we find her with Tanya and we can end all of our troubles in one fell swoop," I laughed.
Chapter 8
I made my way to the top of the bleachers as everyone stared at me. I kept my head down and tried to avoid their prying eyes. Once I sat down I looked for Edward, he was at his short stop position throwing a ball back at forth with the third baseman, Emmett.
He looked so handsome in his uniform. The pants clung to his lean muscular legs and his belted waist accentuated his flat abs. His wild hair, which my father complained about often, was tucked neatly into his cap, showing off his strong jaw.
I couldn't blame Tanya for wanting him so badly. Not only was he gorgeous, he had such a good heart. He was so forgiving of my quick temper and hot head. I was too much like my father and Edward was the perfect yin to my yang.
I had a crush on Edward for years before we finally went on a date. He confessed feeling the same thing for me, but all his problems with Tanya made him think I wouldn't want him. She had asked him to every dance and every event since freshman year, leading everyone to think they were a couple.
Every time Edward tried to separate himself from her, he would be threatened by her brothers, he constantly had his tires slashed or his locker raided. We were assigned to be lab partners one day and everything changed. We hit it off right away and became great friends.
After a night of studying at my house I finally told him I liked him. He seemed so hesitant that I braced myself for rejection. It was then he told me about Tanya and the fake pregnancy. I was stunned to learn they had actually married until Carlisle put his career on the line to look up the pregnancy test results.
Edward had longed for a career as an ambassador at some overseas location. His scholarship to West Point would have paved the way for him, but Tanya took that away, too. He never complained and set his sights on a state school, although I could see the disappointment in his eyes often.
When he looked my way I waved and smiled. Emmett turned to look at me and I gave him a thumbs up. I was sure Rosalie and Emmett would marry someday. They both looked like the god Zeus chiseled them from a mountain.
Jessica walked into my view and I stood to give her a hug. Her face was purple, but her eye was less swollen and could actually open.
"Why are you here?" I asked. "Mike would understand if you didn't come."
"Are you kidding me," she laughed. "I'm milking this for all I can. Every time he looks at me he offers to do something for me or buy me something. I may end up with a diamond over this."
I looked over at Mike as he made his way to the catcher's box and he waved sadly at Jessica. I pushed her lightly, "You're evil."
"I do what I can," she shrugged.
Mike was the preppy overachiever, always running for some elected position to keep his popularity in check. Jessica was his trophy girlfriend. She was cute, perky, accepted his answers without questions, and stressed over the day when he would probably dump her.
Mike cheated on her often, something Jessica accepted as part of dating the most popular boy. She found comfort in the fact he always came back to her and let her be his "in public" girlfriend. I was anxious for college to knock him down a peg or two.
We watched the inning before speaking and I finally found the nerve to ask her what had happened in the house after I left.
"We never heard anything until the guy broke down the door. We couldn't hold him back, he was too strong. I was so stupid, I had the glass shard in my hand and I never even used it. I tried to run past him, but he caught me with a right hook and I was down for the count."
I only nodded. The images running through my head were too disturbing to comment on.
"Lauren told me Rose came running down the hallway with the curtain rod and ran it right through the guy." I noticed Jess's hands begin to shake, so I reached out and held onto one.
She lowered her head and her voice as she continued. "Then she hit him right in the nose, pushing it up into his brain."
My stomach lurched a little, but I was so proud of Rosalie. "She had to do it," I said.
"Oh, totally," Jess answered. "He would have killed me and Lauren. When I came to, we had to pull Rose back to the other bathroom. She wouldn't move, and she wouldn't talk at all. I was so afraid she was going to just freak or something, but she just sat in the tub staring at nothing."
"I went to the hospital and she's much better."
"Yeah," Jess continued. "I just came from seeing Jasper."
"How's that going?" I asked.
"Good, he was wrapped around Alice like she was his oxygen tank."
We smiled at each other. "I guess we can't complain about him anymore," I said.
"Yeah, I feel badly for him, but shouldn't his parents get him some help or something. It just seems like he could go postal if anything happened to Alice. What if she broke up with him, I don't think he could take it."
"You know Alice; she will make Jasper her lifelong project. But I think she really loves him."
"There's Lauren," she motioned. I looked up to see her holding hands with Eric and coming our way.
Lauren was the quintessential insecure girl. She constantly compared herself to others and made sure to mention to everyone she was not Eric's girlfriend. Her fear of him breaking up with her, or cheating, made her too afraid to commit. Eric liked having what he saw as a low maintenance girlfriend, totally oblivious to how much Lauren needed him to prove himself to her.
I heard Edward's name called over the speaker and turned to watch him bat. I could tell his stance was a lot stiffer and he seemed to be having a hard time concentrating on the pitches.
"You can do it, baby," I screamed.
"Yeah, come on, baby," Emmett mocked me.
Edward swung and made it to second base. I stood and cheered and remained standing as I watched in fear when he took a huge lead off the base. The pitcher turned and threw, but Edward slid head first to beat the ball.
"I hate when he does that," I complained and sat down.
"What, plays baseball?" Eric responded.
"Shut-up, you know what I mean."
"Looks like he has a fan club," Eric said nodding towards the fence.
I saw Tanya and her minions standing behind the third base fence cheering for Edward as he stole third. She looked over at me and pulled her hand up to her cheek and waved to ridicule me.
I lifted both hands in the air and proudly waved as I flipped her off. She turned in a huff and went back to yelling for Edward. He stood a couple of feet off of third base and tried to ignore her voice calling to him.
"You look so hot in your uniform," she yelled and the third baseman for the other team looked at Edward and laughed.
"Don't laugh at my ex-husband," she said to the guy and he looked at Edward in shock. I could tell she was getting to him by the way his jaw tightened in anger, but he continued to ignore her banter.
Emmett hit the next pitch over the fence and began trotting around the bases. Edward waited at home plate for him to make his victory lap. When Emmett was jogging the stretch from third to home, he raised a fist in the air and screamed, "For Rosie." The entire bleachers erupted into applause.
The game was pretty much one sided and a win placed our team as the regional champs. I tried to be excited, but heaviness weighed on me, making mundane things like baseball seem unimportant. I was happy for Edward and his success. It would be a great ending to his awful year if he could walk away with a championship, and I wanted it so badly, just for him.
My thoughts were interrupted by Jessica leaning over me to poke Lauren. She mouthed silently to her. "Did you tell Eric?"
"No!" Lauren mouthed back emphatically.
"Tell him," Jess encouraged.
Lauren shook her head and glared at Jess. I poked Lauren with my elbow and nodded in agreement with Jessica. Eric finally looked at us and we all started laughing.
"What?" he asked and glared at us like he thought we were talking about him.
"Nothing," Lauren assured him.
"Chicken," I whispered.
Lauren stood and announced she was leaving. When Eric didn't stand too, she sat back down and sighed angrily. "Do you want to get a drink?" she asked me.
"Sure." I stood and followed her down the steps as Jessica scooted over to talk to Eric. We headed to the crowded concession stand and I hated being the center of attention. Everyone acted like we were celebrities and they were afraid to approach us.
I bought Edward a Gatorade and walked to the dugout when I saw Tanya standing watch close by. The game was just about over and a crowd of students was gathering to congratulate the team.
When the umpire yelled Game, everyone pushed forward, spilling out onto the field with the players, jumping up and down and screaming. I was jostled and shoved in every direction as I tried to keep my eye on Edward.
I got free of the crowd just as Tanya threw her arms around Edward's neck. He stiffened and tried to push her off of him, but she held on tightly. I came up behind her and grabbed a fist full of her hair and pulled her off my man.
She screamed loudly and I got hit from behind by a crowd of underclassmen trying to get to Edward and congratulate him, moving me from standing directly in front of Tanya and separating me more from Edward.
He was pushing his way in frustration through the crowd as I tried to find my way back to him. I was on my tip toes straining for his face when someone punched me, hard, right in the stomach. I gasped and fell forward holding my hands out to protect me from the suffocating crowd, dropping the Gatorade bottle.
I moved backwards from the mob to get some air and stumbled into the clear. I had my hands on my knees groaning when Angela leaned into my view, "Are you okay, Bella?"
I shook my head trying to snap out of the pain and slowly stood upright. I reached out and put my hand on Ben's arm to steady myself. Ben and Angela were the two sweetest people in the town of Forks. They were made for each other.
Angela hung around with us, but we never felt like she was truly one of us. She was what we all hoped we could be someday. Ben was popular, but I couldn't really say why. He hung around with Edward's group of friends, but he never took part in any of the off colored stuff they did. I always thought my father must have been a lot like Ben when he was in school.
"Someone sucker punched me," I told them.
I looked around for Tanya, but didn't see her anywhere. Surely she had run, right after hitting me. I had to give it to her, she could really punch. Edward came up at that point and grabbed me looking concerned.
"Someone hit her," Angela said distressed.
"Who," Edward asked in anger.
"I don't know, it came out of nowhere. Let's just go," I said feeling a bit nauseous.
"Let me get my bat bag." He trotted off to the locker room as I said goodbye to Angela and Ben. I walked to his car and leaned against it as I waited for him. When he returned I refused to move from the door and hugged him tightly. I kissed him several times as he moaned in gratitude.
"Congratulations, slugger," I smiled.
"Thanks, not much of a game today, regionals should be better. You want to grab lunch?" he asked.
"Sure, can I leave my dad's truck here and come back for it?"
I saw his mom walking towards us and I motioned with my head. Edward turned and smiled lovingly at her. We were wearing the exact same shirt, both proudly showing off Edward's name and number. Her shirt was ironed to perfection and mine looked like I picked it up off my bedroom floor.
"Hi, Bella," she said. "I'm happy you are doing so well. Carlisle was very worried about all of you."
"We'll be fine, it may take awhile, but we'll get there," I said trying to sound confident.
She looked slightly embarrassed and added. "I understand if you need Edward to stay close for awhile."
"I'm sorry, if last night bothered you," I offered. "We only slept."
She nodded and put her arm around Edward. "Congratulations son, you played really well today."
He smiled and hugged her tightly. "Bella and I are going to get some lunch, you want to join us?"
"No, I'm actually waiting for an important call from a client. Go ahead." She kissed him on the cheek and squeezed my arm before heading to her car.
"I guess you're stuck with just me," I teased. I placed my hand on his chest and he stepped closer, pinning me to his car.
"Perfect," he whispered as he put his hands in my hair and let it fall slowly through his fingers.
"What's this?" he asked as he pulled something from my back.
In his hand he held a yellow post-it note and he looked at it in confusion. He turned the paper towards me and two simple words sent my world crashing down around me.
Finders Keepers.
Chapter 9
My mouth was dry and I search around me for bright red hair. There were so many places around the school, and the wooded area next to the parking lot, for someone to hide. I gasped and had to grab onto Edward to remain standing.
"Where did you get that?" I screamed at him.
"It was on your back. What does it mean?" I could tell my reaction scared him and his eyes were searching the parking lot for help.
"Get my dad," I said as I slid onto my heels, leaning against his car.
Edward began digging through his bat bag for his phone and found the contents of his wallet dumped all over. He lifted the bits of paper, which used to be pictures of us, and stared at them dumbfounded.
"Someone got into my bag," he said.
"How, wasn't it in your locker?" I asked with a shaky voice.
"Yeah, it was," he said with narrowed eyes.
Emmett and Mike came into view, heading to their cars, when Edward called them over.
"Have you guys checked your bags?" he asked them both.
In tandem they dropped their bags off their shoulders and unzipped them. Emmett reached in and pulled out a handful of shower curtain rings, "What the hell are these?"
I covered my mouth with my hand to keep from screaming. I closed my eyes tightly to swallow the bile rising up in me. He then pulled out a picture of Rosalie with a round hole poked through the middle, as if a pencil had been jabbed into it.
"This isn't fucking funny," he yelled in anger as he looked around the parking lot.
Mike looked fearfully at his bag and slowly pulled it open wide. He shoved it away and fell onto his butt, backing away as he stared in shock. Emmett reached over and pulled the bag closer, revealing the body of a dead, bloodied, rabbit.
I was shaking so badly Edward had to use both arms to steady me. He placed me in the driver's seat of his car and called Charlie as he kept looking around frantically. Police were all over the place in a matter of minutes. The entire school was blocked off with crime tape and reporters began to arrive.
"Edward," I cried against his chest as we stood where we were told. "It is someone who knows us. This is personal, it has to be Tanya."
"Maybe, but why is she after everyone and not just you and me," he mused as he shook his head.
"Because that is how she can hurt you the most. If she takes away your friends too, then she takes everything."
"But wouldn't it make more sense for her to target my family?"
"Maybe they're next. Why are you defending her?" I yelled. I knew I was being totally irrational, but I wanted this to make sense, so it could be over.
"Defending her… I'm not," he emphasized as he pushed me away. "You, of all people, know better than to accuse me of that."
I dropped my head in shame and began crying harder. I felt awful for accusing him of taking her side. She had ruined him, almost completely, until I stepped in to show him what real love could be.
"Bella, stop, I didn't mean to yell at you," he offered contritely.
"I deserved it," I admitted. "I know you would never defend Tanya."
He pulled me into a tight hug and I shared my biggest fear with him as I whispered in his ear, "I'm so afraid I am going to die."
I felt a bit ashamed of myself for saying something so dire to Edward. He struggled to keep his thoughts positive and I was constantly afraid of him sinking into a permanent depression. But, his response surprised me. He tightened his hold on me and spoke with a strong voice.
"No, love, you aren't. You're going to grow old with me, surrounded by tons of grandbabies."
I laughed and tightened my own arms. My father walked up and gave Edward his standard 'get your hands off my daughter' stare, before leaning over and looking directly into my eyes. "Bella, we will stop this, understand. We will find them and stop it."
His affirmation scared me, because I could see in his eyes he was trying to convince himself as much as me. I took a deep breath and shook my head. "Dad, whoever is doing this has to know us personally. How do you randomly pick three lockers, all with bat bags the exact same, and also get close enough to put a note right on my body?"
"You never felt anyone touch you?" he asked.
"Yeah, I felt everyone touching me. It was a madhouse on the field after the game."
"Somebody punched Bella, also," Edward told him.
I shook my head in disagreement and my father's face looked angry. "That was just Tanya getting revenge because I pulled her hair."
Charlie took a steadying breath. "Why did you pull her hair?"
"She was touching something of mine," I told him.
Edward looked nervous and took a step back from Charlie. My dad placed his hands on his hips and looked across the parking lot in frustration. "Do you think you can stay out of Tanya's way until we solve this?"
"Sure," I smiled. "As long as she keeps her hands off of what's mine."
Charlie turned to Edward and looked him up and down. "Do you think you can rein in the charm long enough to help me out here."
Edward lifted his hands in protest. "I'm not doing anything."
"Uh huh," Charlie said in disbelief. "Both of you, get out of here."
Edward followed me to my house and checked all the rooms before having me come in. I let him take a shower and he changed into some sweats he had in his bat bag. "Here," I said as I tossed him an old t-shirt of his I used for a nightgown.
"I was looking for this," he complained.
"Sorry, I took it that night we watched movies at Rose's. You had it over a thermal."
"Oh yeah," he said, as he remembered with a smile the first night our kissing had gotten out of hand. "That was a good night."
"That was a freaking great night," I corrected.
He smiled his sexy smile and lifted me off my feet depositing me easily onto my bed, before climbing in next to me. We lay facing each other as closely as possible.
"Do you want me to make you a sandwich?" I asked him with a smile.
"No," he smiled back.
"Do you want me to order you a pizza?" I asked, as my heartbeat increased.
"No," he said with a husky voice and I felt like I couldn't breathe.
"Do you want me to kiss you?" I whispered.
"Yes, I want you to kiss me," he whispered back to me.
I put my hand gently on his cheek as he closed his eyes and sighed. I ran my finger down his jaw and over his perfect lips, before moving my mouth onto his. I brought our lips together softly and just let our mouths feel the sensation. I used my tongue to lightly ghost over his bottom lip causing him to take in a deep breath.
His hands moved to my neck and pulled me closer taking over control of the kiss. I moaned loudly as he moved his body on top of mine. This was somehow different, it wasn't fast and passionate like we could get when lust overtook us, and it wasn't hesitant and careful the way Edward usually moved. This was decisive and purposeful.
After he removed my shirt over my head I looked into his eyes. He was breathing heavily but he wasn't pawing me or rushing his hands. He slowly pushed his lower body against mine and I felt a shudder run through us both.
I wrapped my legs around him, something he never allowed, and gasped at the feeling. He deepened our kiss and I felt totally consumed by him. Every nerve in my body was acutely aware of every action he made.
He was so loving, and so tender, and as he reached for the drawer next to my bed for my stash of condoms, which I never thought we would use, I felt tears well up in my eyes.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I'm perfect."
He gently kissed each eye leaving wet tears on his lips. I pulled him back to my mouth and kissed him with all the love I could manage. His control amazed me. I heard my friends talk about their first experiences and it sounded like something they had to endure, rather than enjoy.
Edward was gentle and careful with every move he made; making sure it was enjoyable for me. When I finally got there, every sound and sight disappeared, leaving the incredible, indescribable, feeling of joy rippling through my body.
I became aware of my surroundings just as Edward threw his head back clenching his teeth in an attempt to stay quiet. He collapsed panting onto my shoulder as I ran my hands lightly over his sweating back.
As I held him I felt fear begin to rise in my stomach. I couldn't stand the thought of looking into his eyes and seeing regret. I tried to quickly run though our actions mentally to see if there was ever a moment of hesitation on his part that I had ignored. I couldn't think of any.
He finally raised his head and I held my breath in anticipation. He placed his forehead on mine and said, "I have never loved anyone or anything as much as I love you."
My heart jumped for joy, and I kissed him, over and, over again as I told him how much I loved him. He finally pulled away and removed the condom, dropping it in the trash by my bed. I moved over so he could lie on his back as I snuggled up on his chest.
"I was so afraid you would regret this," I confessed.
His arms tightened around me. "I was such a fool before. I didn't realize I was letting fear interfere with my love for you. I'm sorry," he said softly.
"Don't be," I whispered.
We lay there silently until Edward could feel my face pull into a smile against his skin. He moved his head to the side trying to see my expression and asked, "What's so funny?"
"We just had sex," I giggled.
"And," he encouraged.
"And it was….there is not even a word for it….make up a word because I don't have one."
He laughed and it was the most beautiful sound in the world. "I don't have a word for what just happened," he said seriously. "I've had sex before, but it was never like that."
I cringed at the thought of Tanya touching his body and wished he wouldn't have reminded me, but I was too happy to let anything bring me down.
"Us, that's the word I was looking for. It was us," I said with my lips against his heart.
He pulled my face up to look at his, "I hope I didn't hurt you."
"No, Edward, not at all. You were so gentle."
He ran his hand through my hair and I closed my eyes feeling totally and completely content. The next thing I knew the door bell was ringing.
We both sprang up from a deep sleep and began frantically throwing on our clothes. Edward's hair was all over the place and I had a huge red spot on my cheek from lying on his hard chest. We ran down the stairs and I took a deep breath before opening the door.
"Hi, Belly," Emmett said loudly. He looked at Edward and then back to me, "Did I interrupt anything?"
"Come in, Emmett," I groaned.
We went into the living room, and as I passed Edward to sit, he pulled me onto his lap. I turned to pull my feet onto the couch and smiled into his beautiful face. I wanted to wake up to that sight forever.
"Is this what I think it is?" Emmett asked staring back and forth between us.
"This, is none of your business," Edward said while still looking at me.
"Well, hell, Rosie's gonna be glad to finally get some good news," Emmett laughed and I watched Edward for any reaction.
"You don't have any news," I said as a threat.
"Sure I do, we're gonna laugh at you two and make all kinds of rude comments."
"How's she doing?" I asked him in resignation. I hated the idea of thinking about some psycho when Edward erased it all from my mind. But reality reared its ugly head.
"Good, they said she can go home, but her dad's putting in a security system first."
"Won't that cramp your style," Edward asked, knowing how often Emmett snuck in through her bedroom window.
"Naw, I'm resourceful. You guys want to make a trip to Burger Supreme, Rosie has a craving."
"I'm starving," Edward said as I climbed off his lap.
"Bella," Emmett teased trying to sound like he was chastising me, "You have to feed him before, and after, or his batting average will drop."
"Bite me, Em," I yelled out as I climbed the stairs for our shoes.
We all rode in Emmett's truck and took the burgers to the hospital to eat. We walked into Rose's room to find Jasper in a wheelchair with Alice sitting on the arm, so we offered Emmett's extra burgers to them.
After we all had some food, Emmett lifted his burger and said, "To our brave, amazing girls."
Edward and Jasper raised their burgers in agreement.
"And," Emmett continued, "To Bella and Edward for finally gettin it on!"
Rose and Alice looked at me for confirmation and received it as my face turned bright red. I quickly took a bite of my burger as everyone laughed and cheered.
