Here we go... You may want to grab the tissues for this one. I made myself cry.

Huge thanks to SueBee0619 for betaing this and keeping it quiet for weeks, and weeks. :-)

Disclaimer:All fictional characters, government agencies, songs and brands still belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.


Chapter 9:

When my eyes flutter open to the early light of another muted-grey Forks morning, the first thing I notice is that the windows are on the wrong side of the bed and my head is where my feet should be. I'm also warm. Very warm.

Despite the heat, I can feel the chill of the air on my feet and backside, and realize that my sheets and blankets are missing. I'm a little sleepy and a little confused, but it's not long lasting. All I have to do to figure out what's going on is to take a deep breath and stretch a little.

"Mmm..."

The sound rings low in my ear and I smile. Even if the scent of him wasn't all around me –on my pillows, in the air, on my skin- it would be impossible to miss the fact that Edward himself is quite literally wrapped around me. One of his strong arms is draped over my waist, the other is lying under my head. His chest is pressed up against my back and our legs are tangled hopelessly together. Well, maybe 'hopeless' is a little extreme, but I definitely wonder how we ended up like this. As I stretch, my achy muscles remind me that some recent and rather rigorous activity is to blame.

With that thought, flashes of last night flit through my brain and butterflies tickle my insides. I lift my chin to look over my shoulder at Edward and he pulls me tighter against his chest. His lips meet my temple and I can feel the goofy grin plastered on his face. There's quite possibly a matching expression on my face as well.

Edward lays his head down and I imagine what he must look like behind me. Lying on his side, eyes closed, hair wild, and lips pulled up in a crooked smile. I snuggle back against him and bite my lip to stop myself from squealing like an overexcited teenage girl. I don't do a very good job of stifling the sound completely though, and soon feel Edward chuckling behind me.

"Morning," he croons low in my ear.

"Morning," I giggle.

"I think I heard your phone a minute ago."

"You did?" I sigh. "I should probably check that."

"Mm-hmm. Did you sleep well?"

"I think so. It's a little bit of a blank right now," I tease.

"No dreams?"

"No, the dream happened before I fell asleep this time."

"For me too," he sighs, squeezing me affectionately.

I run my toes up and down Edward's calf and hold tighter to the arm he currently has draped over me. I link my fingers with his, bringing them to my lips and kissing his knuckles. When I lower our arms, I settle our linked hands against my chest.

"Mm..."

I smile and remove my hand from the equation, letting him hold one of his new best friends.

"Mmmm..." he moans appreciatively.

I giggle and try to get closer to him by scooting back.

"Bella..." Edward groans. "Your phone?"

"I hear nothing."

"Obviously. Aren't you exhausted?"

"A little. Aren't you?" I tease, wiggling back against him again.

"Completely," he says unconvincingly.

"Apparently parts of you disagree."

"Yes, well, apparently parts of me have decided to pretend that they're seventeen like someone else they know. The rest of me is almost thirty."

I laugh and encourage the part of him that wants to pretend.

"You're going to be the death of me, you know that?" he growls in my ear.

I hope not, I think.

"We should get up soon," I say.

"What time did they say they were going to be here?" Edward asks.

"I don't know. I need to check my phone. What time is it?"

He lets out a small chuckle. "I don't know. I can't see your alarm clock. It's still on the floor."

I smile, glad for the distraction. "Oops."

"The lamp too."

I laugh quietly. "At least the bulb didn't break. Did it?"

Edward pushes up on his elbow and leans over me to see. "Um, no. At least, I don't see any glass."

"That's good."

"I can't even remember how that happened exactly."

I lift my head, looking around. "I really don't know either," I giggle.

"Amazing how unobservant we can be when otherwise occupied, isn't it?"

"Mmm," I agree. "If you like though, I'm all up for trying to reenact it." I push my hips backwards a little for emphasis, and am rewarded with a groan from Edward.

"You're evil, you know that? 100% pure temptation."

I laugh. "Sorry. I guess we do need to get up and get dressed."

"And I still need to pack my stuff up," he adds.

"You're really serious about going with me?" I ask, turning a little to look at him.

"Of course, I am," he says, looking taken aback. "Are you kidding?"

I blush. "It could have been the heat of the moment. Things sometimes look different in the light of day."

His face softens and he sighs, "Bella, wild horses couldn't drag me away from you. Not now. Especially not in the light of day. I feel shockingly clear headed right now."

I smile and lift my chin higher. He takes the hint and leans in, kissing me tenderly. When he pulls away, I'm losing my battle with the haywire emotions running through me. Tears fill my eyes unbidden.

"Oh, love... What's wrong?"

I shake my head, laughing even as I fight off a sob. "Nothing. I'm just... overwhelmed, and happy, and... I don't even know."

Edward turns me around until we're facing each other. "Come here..."

I eagerly climb into his open arms, melting into the feeling of home they bring. Wrapping myself around him, I hide my face in his neck while he rubs my back and holds me tight against him. I breathe him in –his scent, his warmth, his strength. Suddenly, just having him hold me doesn't seem like it's enough. I want to be completely consumed by him.

"Please?" I whisper, lifting my chin to kiss his neck.

"Anything, sweetheart. What do you want?"

I kiss his neck again, moving higher, sucking lightly. "You," I murmur. "Please?"

"Wait, what...? Now?" he asks, pulling back to see my face.

"Yes, now. I need to feel closer to you."

He looks surprised, but not at all unwilling. "You're not too... um, too sore, are you?"

I shake my head and roll backwards, gripping his neck and shoulders to bring him with me. "No, not too sore."

"We don't really have a lot of time, love. I don't..."

I lean up and kiss beneath his jaw again before sucking his earlobe into my mouth and biting down gently.

"Then make it quick."

"Bella..." he gasps, his fingers sliding over my curves. "The things you say to me."

I smile as my knees part for him and he settles between them. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I watch his eyes darken with the same need and desire I'm feeling. Then, with mutual sighs and whispers of affection, we join together flawlessly, just like the first time.

~(~)~

When Edward and I finally manage to roll out of bed, it's late and we know that we have to get cleaned-up quickly and separately. I need another shower to tame the haystack that is my hair, and Edward needs one because he somehow managed to work up a quite a sweat already this morning. I tell him I don't mind his masculine scent at all, but he just pats me on the bottom and sends me towards my shower, while he heads down the hall to his.

My smile feels permanently etched on my face while I stand under the warm water for the second time in less than eight hours. Of course, this time I'm in here solo, but the memories of being in here with Edward are just too good not to indulge in. I sigh at the feeling of warmth that overcomes me when I think of how long we stood under the water, talking, kissing, and re-learning everything there was to know about each other.

It's almost surreal how everything came together. How we came together. I never thought I'd feel this way, but I'm happier than I've been since before my parents were taken from me, perhaps happier than I've been ever. Can falling in love with an incredible man and having the most phenomenal sex of your life top the high of winning an Olympic gold medal?

I barely contain a happy squeal. Apparently, they can.

When I'm done cleaning up, I wrap myself in a towel and go to get dressed. I stop short in the doorway to my room and gawk for a minute at the disaster scene before me. My sheets are twisted up, my comforter is on the floor, and the pillows are all over the place. Edward picked up the lamp and alarm clock on his way out, but missed where we apparently knocked over a stack of books that had been on the nightstand before we sent them tumbling to the ground. The scene is comical until I realize that it's entirely too obvious what went on in here last night.

Suddenly, the reality of my life here comes back to me. The little Edward bubble I've been in bursts, and I remember everything else that's going on.

I remember that unless I leave here, or the truth is explained, no one can find out about what went on here last night. No one can know about Edward and me being together. Edward's parents and brother would have heart attacks, or at the very least, lose all respect for him. They wouldn't even understand it if they thought we had a romantic interest in each other, not unless they knew I wasn't a teenager first – an idea that, while appealing, may not be possible and is beside the point if I have to leave today.

The thought sends my formerly giddy mood into a nosedive. Fortunately for me, there's not much time to wallow in my anxieties.

I begin picking up my room with haste. I strip the sheets off of my bed and leave them by the door to take to the laundry as soon I go downstairs. I pick my books up off the floor and straighten the lampshade that Edward left cocked to one side. I find the paper Edward brought in here with him last night, the one with my information on it, so I tear it into tiny pieces before flushing them down the toilet.

It's only when I emerge from the bathroom the second time that I realize my phone hasn't gone off again since I first woke up this morning. I look at the clock and the late hour and find it odd, so I begin looking around for the device. It takes me a moment to find it behind one of the bedside tables.

I want to laugh, but it falls short when I see that the stupid thing is dead.

"Crap, crap, crap!"

I rush to put the damn phone on the charger and press the button repeatedly to power it up. A little battery icon appears on the screen reading, "0%" and I groan. From experience, I know it will need a few minutes before I can turn it on.

I decide to get dressed while I wait; thinking that it's highly likely Jasper and Alice will show up before I can even get my underwear on.

There's a soft knock at my bedroom door and Edward's voice reaches my ears just as I pull a clean bra out of my dresser. "Baby? Can I come in?"

"Yeah, come in," I answer, smiling despite all my worries. I have to take a breath to beat down the army of butterflies that consumed me at the sound of him calling me baby.

He chuckles a moment after the door squeaks.

"Well, this scene is familiar," he says, taking in my attire, or lack thereof.

I blush and hold on to the towel wrapped around me. "Sorry, I still have to get dressed."

"You don't say," he teases.

I reach back into the top drawer of my dresser and laugh. "Yeah, just don't call me baby again and we'll be okay."

"Oh really?" he says, humor evident in his voice.

"Yeah, well..." I begin, glancing over at him as I try to discreetly remove my 'unmentionables'. "I really like it when you call me that."

"I'll be sure to keep note of that."

"You do that," I giggle.

Edward smiles and I can't help but look at him as he stands leaning against the doorframe. Other than his hair being damp, he's ready to walk out the door. He even has his bag packed and sitting near his feet.

"Ready to go?" I ask, pointing to it.

"Yes. I was motivated to make it quick," he says, winking at me. I blush deeply and turn towards my closet.

"Truthfully though," Edward continues from behind me. "Since I was just staying over for the weekend, all I had to do was throw everything I brought with me back in the bag. Pretty convenient."

"Lucky you," I call from inside the closet.

I hear him come closer. "My thoughts exactly."

Without dropping my towel, I pull on my underwear. Knowing that he's watching, I grab a pair of jeans and put those on too, before retreating farther inside my closet to put my bra on.

I start talking to distract myself from the feel of Edward's eyes on me.

"So, you left that athlete profile you got from USA Shooting on the floor in here... It had my whole life history and picture on it, so I um... I got rid of it."

"I sort of wanted to keep that," he says in a low voice.

"Well, you get to keep me instead," I answer, continuing to dress. After pulling on a ribbed tank top and my favorite dark green button-down shirt, I turn around and step out of my closet only to run right into Edward's chest.

"Oof..."

"Sorry," he chuckles.

"No, you're not," I giggle, meeting his amused, but very intense gaze.

He smirks and lowers his head. "Your right, I'm not. Not at all."

I want to make a snarky comment about stalker-like behavior, but bite my lip to avoid whimpering at his proximity. His hands slide to my hips and he pulls me even closer.

"Can I ask you a question?" he murmurs.

"Of course," I whisper.

He grins further. "Do I really get to keep you... baby?"

His low, smooth voice practically makes me swoon right there, which was obviously his point. I barely manage to answer him with a stuttered "yes."

"Good," he breathes. "Then maybe I can forgive you for destroying the one shred of evidence I had that could prove I didn't just sleep with one of my students last night."

I let out the whimper I've been holding in as his lips meet mine. The whimper turns into a full out moan, and I melt into him. I can't help it. His words have brought back another flurry of images from last night. I'm completely lost in the sensation of Edward's lips. Of his hands resting just under my shirt. And his... phone?

The buzzing sensation suddenly coming from his pocket is enough to cause both of us to pull back with a groan, but the annoying ringtone is the real mood killer.

Bad boys, bad boys,
Watcha' gonna do,
Watcha' gonna do when they come for you...

"Emmett," Edward explains, stepping back with an embarrassed smile. I nod in understanding and take a moment to catch my breath while he answers.

"Good morning, Emmett. Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

There's a pause and then a change in Edward's voice.

"Uh, yes... Of course I'm here with her," he says.

I glance up and watch Edward's face twist from surprise to confusion.

"What are you talking about? Slow down," he says after a moment.

As he listens his face grows more and more anxious, finally becoming one of outright fear.

"Shit! "Now?" he roars. "How the hell did that happen?" He meets my eyes panicked.

"What's wrong?" I whimper.

"Get your shoes," he whispers.

"What's wrong?" I ask again.

He shakes his head at me.

"Yes, I understand," he says to Emmett, eyes never leaving mine.

"Shoes, Bella," he whispers.

I blink a few times and then do as he says. My heart is racing and I'm trying not to hyperventilate, but I manage to throw some socks on and lace up a pair of Converse. Edward sighs behind me and I look over my shoulder to see him run his hand through his hair roughly and then start yelling into the phone.

"Christ, Emmett! Why the hell are you just calling me now?"

I don't know what he's going on about, but his face says it all. If I didn't know before, I know now. Something's wrong. Something's horribly, horribly wrong.

I run to my phone and try powering it up again.

Edward moves behind me as he continues to talk to Emmett. "Look, I'm not waiting for you. I'm getting her out of here now. We'll meet you somewhere."

"Edward..."I whimper.

Six missed calls, five texts. I don't need to check them all, the last one simply says, GO!

"What is it?"

I show him the message, and as soon as he sees it he grabs my hand and starts to pull me to the window, keeping my body behind him. I want to scream and pull back, protect him too, but he's stronger than I am.

He speaks into the phone while he looks outside. "We're clear right now, but I'm not waiting around. Yeah. Yeah, I know. We'll call you. Just hurry."

He hangs up and pulls me across the room. I thank God he doesn't make me ask for details, he just explains as we go. "Something happened to your Deputy Whitlock and his partner. She called Emmett. We have to get you out of here."

My heart drops into my stomach. "What happened? Are they...?"

"They got run off the road not long ago, just shortly after they left the Port Angeles airport. Apparently, one of their own turned on them. Emmett says that the woman, um-"

"Deputy Brandon? Alice?"

"Yeah, that she managed to crawl out of the wreckage and find her phone. She's been trying to call you for the last twenty minutes. Which means that whoever ran them into the ravine could be here any minute now. We need to go."

He pulls on my hand and it takes me a moment to make my brain work. We're almost out into the hall before I pull back.

"Wait, my bag."

"Leave the bag, Bella. I have to get you out of here, now!"

"Edward, I need the bag," I say, shaking him off and running back to get it.

"Bella!"

"Just trust me."

As soon as I've got the bag and I'm next to Edward again, he takes it along with my hand and we rush for the stairs. We just reach the main level of the house when the sound of gravel crunching in the driveway stops us dead in our tracks.

"Shit," Edward whispers, pulling me back against him and retreating away from the front door.

"Who is that?" I whisper back, my pulse sounding loudly in my ears.

"I don't know, but it's not Emmett. He just left an accident scene several miles south of Forks. That's why he didn't call sooner. He only now heard from dispatch that the U.S. Marshals were trying to get a hold of him. What's her name again? Alice? She told him to get you to somewhere safe and talk to no one but her."

"Oh my God... Then who's here now?"

"I have no clue, but we need to move. Just be quiet, baby."

I nod and Edward peaks around the corner towards the front door where there are sidelight windows on either side.

"There's a black SUV out there," he whispers.

I wait. He looks again.

"I see one man. Black suit, white shirt, longish blond hair pulled back. He sure looks like a fed."

"Let me see."

"Not a chance." He moves out of sight of the door and shakes his head. "I'd bet my left kidney that's the guy who ran the others off the road."

"Edward, let me look."

"No," he says, clutching my hand tighter and pulling me close. He positions me in front of him and whispers in my ear after glancing around the corner one last time. "Come on, baby. Kitchen! Now! Go!"

Edward places his hand on my lower back and we run for the kitchen. When we get there, he pulls me behind the island, both of us crouching down so we can't be seen from the front door. Unfortunately, there are large glass doors that open up from the kitchen out onto the back patio and it's not really a good place to hide.

"What are we doing?" I ask, louder than I meant to.

"Shhh... Just head for the laundry room and we'll make a run for the garage from there."

It's a good plan. The laundry room has a door that opens up to a breezeway between the house and garage. It's the door the family uses to go in and out of the house most of the time. There are hooks for all our coats and jackets and a bench with storage beneath it for rain boots and the like. The control pad for the house's security system is also in there, which may come in handy today.

I'm closest to our destination, so when Edward deems it's safe, I lead this time, crawling on my hands and knees with him behind me. When we're clear of the windows, we stand and sprint the rest of the way down the hall towards the laundry room. It's not far, but I feel like I've run marathon by the time we get there. Edward closes the door carefully and turns the lock. I shoot him a questioning glance and he shrugs.

"Might slow him down a few seconds if it comes to that."

We stand staring at each other for a moment, our breathing the only noise in the room. He breaks away first, moving to the exterior door and raising his hand towards the blinds covering the glass panes. Until now, I'd always thought it was a shame Esme covered the lovely French door with blinds.

"Okay, look... We need a plan," I whisper, while Edward peeks out. "This is ridiculous. We don't even know who that is or what he's capable of."

"It doesn't matter," Edward says, shaking his head and turning back around. "Emmett said trust no one, and Jasper told you to get out, right?"

"Yeah. So, what? We just run for it?"

"Yes."

"He might be armed, Ed–"

A muffled knocking sound elsewhere in the house causes my voice to die in my throat. The doorbell rings a moment later. Edward and I both go silent and turn our heads to listen. I reach for his hand and he grabs it tightly, but other than that one small gesture, we don't move an inch.

"Hello?" a muted voice reaches us. "Hello, I'm looking for a Mr. or Mrs. Cullen. Anybody home?"

I narrow my eyes and keep listening. It's quiet for a long time, but then there's a rattling sound and more knocking.

"I think he tried the handle."

"Edward..." I whimper as it goes quiet again.

He squeezes my hand. "Easy..."

I take a deep breath, but find myself shaking my head furiously backing away from him.

"No," I say suddenly, pulling my hand from his. "I'm not doing this again. I refuse. I'm not going sit here and hide until shit goes bad and I lose you. I'm not going through that again, okay?"

Edward moves in front of me and takes my face between his palms. "Listen to me," he says, his eyes fierce. "We're going to be fine. Everything's going to be fine. I'm getting you out of here."

I fight back tears and panic. He repeats his promise. "We're going to be fine."

I will myself to believe him. Eventually, I nod and inhale slowly, forcing the rest of my panic away. I keep breathing deeply and try to find that place I used to find when I was shooting competitively; the place that kept me from feeling nervous and allowed me to think only about what I needed to do to make my shot.

Edward copies my breathing and then lowers his forehead to mine. "Better?"

"Yeah," I say with another nod. I feel my heart slowing and the logical part of my brain taking over.

"Good. Because I think we should go now." He releases my face and slips his hand into mine.

We move together towards the door and Edward peeks through the blinds again. I keep breathing and try to imagine our path from here to the garage. I close my eyes and try to gauge the distance from my memory. I've spent enough time on a shooting range in my life to know 10 meters at a glance, and that's about how far we'll have to go. It's not far, but, unfortunately, the space we need to cross is plainly visible from the front of the house.

Edward turns around and lifts my chin up, prompting my eyes open. From his expression, I can tell he was just thinking the same things I was.

"We'll be okay."

This time it was me doing the comforting. I'm in the zone now, focused on our goal. He nods, seemingly calmed by my demeanor, and then speaks softly.

"I want you to go in front of me. My first instinct was that I should go first, but then if we're spotted and something happens, you'll be stuck near the house with no means of escape. I'm going to go out first, but then you'll run ahead of me when I tell you to."

I nod in understanding and he reaches into his pocket and hands me his keys.

"This is the key to the garage," he says, holding it up.

I take it from him. "Aren't we taking your car? It's in the driveway already."

"And that asshole parked right behind it."

I nod. "Got it. Which car are we taking?"

He grimaces slightly. "The Volvo."

"Am I driving?"

"Not if I can help it. I hate to admit that my brother and I used to pretend we were stunt drivers when we were teenagers, but we did. I'd feel better–"

I put my hand over his lips to stop him. "I get it. It's fine. We're wasting time now."

He nods and kisses my fingers before turning back around and reaching for the door knob.

"The alarm," I whisper.

He looks outside one last time. "We're going to let it go off. In fact," he reaches to the control panel and hits the police button until the alarm begins beeping quickly. I know we now have thirty seconds until the system goes into full alarm.

"A distraction?"

"I hope so..." he says, squeezing my hand. "Come on."

I feel a wave of anxiety and a quiver of fear, but try to force the feelings away as I hear the lock click. Edward turns the knob, and with the fast beeping of the alarm is ringing shrilly in our ears, there's no going back now.

Releasing my hand, Edward darts out the door and looks from right to left. I stare ahead at the garage with the key still clutched tightly between my fingers. It seems a bad dream for a moment and then I hear Edward's voice and am reminded that it's real.

"Go, baby! Run!"

Not even questioning whether or not I trust him, my feet fly forward and feel surprisingly steady beneath me as I start to run. Almost as soon as I've cleared the door and made a break for the garage, I hear the wail of the security system going into full-out alarm mode. The sound causes me to miss a step, but I manage to stay upright and a second later I hear Edward following behind me.

Somehow, I reach the garage without incident, but my hands are shaking while I try to get the key in the damn door. It takes me a few tries and by the time I turn the knob, Edward is right behind me. He pushes the door open and starts to take the keys from the door when...

"Don't move! FBI!"

My breath hitches and I freeze in place. Edward's hand is frozen over mine and I feel him go rigid.

"Hands up. Both of you," the cold voice repeats, and for the first time in my life, I hesitate to comply with an officer of the law.

All of Alice's messages confirmed Emmett's story that someone she and Jasper worked with had caused their accident. I have no idea why one of their own would turn on them, but like Edward, I'd bet almost anything that this guy is that guy.

"I said, 'Hands up!' Now!" he shouts again.

"Who are you? And what do you want with us?" Edward shouts back. I feel one of his arms slip around my waist very slowly, pulling me closer to him.

"I'm a federal agent and I need to bring Miss Swan in for questioning. Now, please, both hands where I can see them."

I raise my arms slowly, but feel Edward hesitate behind me. "He called you Miss Swan..."

I can almost hear the wheels turning inside his head.

"Please," I whisper. "Please don't do anything stupid."

Edward presses his lips to the back of my head. "I'm sorry, Bella."

"Don't... Edward, please... don't."

"I'm sorry, baby."

"No!" I shout, but it's too late. Edward shoves me into the garage and slams the door shut behind me. The gun goes off a split-second later.

Once.

Twice.

And I scream.

"Edward!!!!!"



Sorry... just don't turn the gun on me. More on Sunday.

Say it with me now, Sunday. OK?

Thanks for reading!

-Ginnie