SM OWNS ALL THINGS TWILIGHT.
AN; What else can I say but thank you so much to all the old and new readers of this story who continue to read, list and review. Please keep doing what you do. Means a hell of a lot.
THEIRSON POV
"Harry Dean?"
"Sorry mate…we're closed." Came the mumbled reply from the man beneath the car.
"I've got some work to put your way." I replied trying to hold on to my already strained patience. Thanks to that fucking idiot Talbot and his latest stunt of almost getting Cullen killed, none of the arms dealers who had access to men as well as guns for a much more reasonable price than Honandez would touch me. As much as criminals hated the police, they knew that killing one bought down far too much heat and attention on their activities. And it seemed that Cullen had been awarded the rare criminal accolade of being respected as a "hard bastard but a fair copper." Talbot and several others had told me this that's why I had gone along with the plan Felix had come up with when we had looked at the info on the younger brother's computer. It had seemed to be working Cullen was hauled off the case…until he had according to the few sources I still had in the police force had his mother watched and subjected to intense questioning by the Spooks and a real Jerry Springer style rant from himself that had her confessing and "suffering" house arrest at the family's country pile.
I had been reduced to swallowing my pride and having to go back to the fat man for help. He had every reason to be pissed off, he had set me up with the best contacts…all I'd had to do was raise the necessary money and provide the necessary insurance…Felix had assured me Talbot and Mitchell were the men to help me to do that…God had the fat man enjoyed making me grovel. And hell was I going to enjoy Talbot feel my pain.
"It'll be worth your while." I ground out.
"I've got all the work I can handle." The man insisted still from beneath the car. I had to grip Felix's arm hard to stop him from yanking the man out from beneath the car.
"I can see that…" I sneered as I looked around the shabby backstreet car garage.
"Listen pal I said no…so…do yourself a favour… and fuck off." Harry Dean growled as he slid himself out from beneath the car on the small trolley. Before I had even registered the movement Felix was holding the man in the air by the front of his greasy overalls.
"Felix!" I snapped. Babysitting Talbot had caused some of Felix's rough edges and temper, which I had spent years and a lot of money getting rid of to reappear. Before Felix had time to answer he was falling back into the car yelling in pain as his nose and eyebrow burst open and began gushing blood. Harry Dean was on his feet glaring as he rubbed a hand over the sore patch of skin which showed where his head had connected with Felix.
"Fuck off and take laughing boy here with you." He spat savagely motioning to the door with his thumb.
"Harry, I'm sorry…Felix go wait in the car…not in it I don't want you bleeding all over my upholstery." I growled.
"I still ain't interested." Harry grumbled over his shoulder at me as he began clearing the tools that Felix had sent flying.
"Viv says different."
"Viv has a big mouth."
"How is Wayne?"
"Listen fuckface…I ain't buying whatever the hell it is your selling okay?" Dean exploded lunging towards me.
"Five hundred grand…that'd keep Wayne in one of those decent nut houses instead of one of those NHS ones where the patients are left to rot." I said quickly.
There was a part of me that felt bad for using Dean's mentally ill brother against him especially, as I knew how hard living with mental illness could be but I was desperate and I really did want the poor bastard to have decent care. Sometimes the right doctor could make the difference between someone having a pretty decent life or as I said, being left to rot.
Dean let me go, giving me a chilling glare as he stormed towards the private office at the back of the garage. I let him have a few minutes to compose himself before heading back to join him.
"Well as shit as my life is, I ain't nowhere near as desperate as you…big job on and Carlisle Cullen on your arse…" Dean chuckled darkly. "And now his Yankee bird is back on the scene as well…"
"I thought she'd gone back to the States after she stood him up at the altar." I said confused. Not that I could blame her after what had happened but I didn't think the gory extra reason was common knowledge.
"She came back…"
"Well I don't think some embassy secretary can do me much harm."
Dean looked at me for a long moment looking at me as if he was trying to work out if I was serious.
"Embassy secretary? Mae Marshall aint no bloody secretary. Didn't that asswipe Talbot tell you all the details of what happened when he raided that jeweler? stupid idiot hitting Mr Whitlock's wife's place…everyone knows that's off limits if you know what's good for you." He said slowly as if he were attempting to explain something to a toddler.
"Forgive me my ignorance." I snapped.
"Listen…keeping your ear to the ground, knowing what's what, who's who, that's what, stops you if you're lucky from a bullet in the back of the head or a long bloody stretch at one of her Majesty's correctional facilities…"
"This Mae Marshall?" I prompted a new painful knot forming in my stomach.
"Dirty Harriet? Talbot had been rambling something incoherent about Dirty Harriet when Felix had dragged him away from his fight with Cullen. I had thought it was because he was so stoned. He had said it was Cullen that had shot the windscreen from the car. He had never mentioned a woman American or otherwise.
"She's from one of the American special intelligence services…forget Lara Bloody Croft, she's better looking and far fucking tougher, gun, knife one on one she's taken them all on. You might knock her down but she'll keep getting up and coming at you till she either gets you or you knock her spark out. But she's not just physically tough…girls got steel plated balls…"
My skepticism must have shown on my face.
"Seven years ago, those nutter's who were targeting the shopping centers…evil bastards…" Dean muttered darkly. I couldn't have agreed more, it was upon hearing about that and several other planned "News makers" that had caused me to pull away from the organization.
"You do this job for me…you might be able to stop a few more evil bastards doing the same thing." I said quietly. That had his attention.
"Well, the fifth bomb…there wasn't enough time to diffuse it…"
"How…do you know this…?" I asked suddenly a little nervous. The criminal jungle drums and the odd contact in the police station was one thing, but this was security service stuff. Was Dean a plant by the cops?
"My best mate was on the bomb disposal team. Mae Marshall, she grabs the bag. Cullen drives like he's some kind of racing driver whilst she holds it steady…they cover the journey in half the time it should normally take and heave the thing in a canal…three minutes to spare. They're as tough and sneaky as each other…got some sort of weird mind reading thing going on…jesus I seriously hope they never have a kid…it really would every villains worst bloody nightmare." He sighed.
If only he knew I thought.
"Well…if they're too much for you to handle." I said flippantly turning on my heel.
"I never said that." Dean said quickly.
He may well have been anxious, scared even but he was desperate and more than that, showing fear…losing face was one sure way to get yourself hurt or killed in the criminal underworld. It was something that I had to keep telling myself. But Dean's words had given me food for thought.
"You'll need backup…"
"I haven't said yes yet." He grumbled.
But I knew he would.
"I'll want half the money up front…so will the lads I hire…job like this…we'll need to get the fuck out of the country for awhile."
"You…you know what the job is…" I stammered.
"Why the hell do you think Viv gave you my name…I've already had my visit from the heavy boys…I'm way down low on a very long list, by the time they get round to rechecking it…this'll be done and I will be either dead or chasing a girl in a grass skirt round a tropical island with a lawn mower." Dean said matter of factly.
This was really happening.
ESME POV
"Right…just to show you that despite what you might hear I am not a totally heartless bastard…we'll start easy…a five mile run."
"You mean a five mile jog right…" Jake joked.
"Right…we'll jog the first five miles." Sgt Billy Black said with an evil grin.
Jake flushed with embarrassment and dropped his head beneath the weight of all of the teams death glares.
And Sgt Black was as good as his word, we did jog the first five miles but only ran for the next three instead of five, mainly because of the lack of time rather than any concern he had over our well being. The team was fit and Carlisle and I ran a lot, but we were both exhausted after our long day the previous day, the wonderful night that followed and our disgustingly early call from Jasper. I didn't know about Carlisle, but I was also a little sore from our two intense love making sessions and this morning's quick but acrobatic turn in the shower following our Jasper induced argument. I had been mortified when I had forced out of Carlisle that the others had entered our apartment…our apartment…our home…I love that…and had seen us…almost naked following our argument over Paul. I'm not sure how he'd done it and I was still mortified and mad at Carlisle despite his protestations that he had only been trying to spare my blushes by not telling me, but I had given in to Carlisle's distraction techniques and we had shared a shower making up for our first married fight.
"I hate to disturb you Dolly Daydream…but we'd be grateful if you could move your cute little backside and come and join the rest of us." Sgt Black barked dragging me back to reality. I had fallen behind the rest who were a good distance ahead of me sprawled on the ground gulping at bottles of water. I sped up feeling my blush add heat to my already overheated body. Carlisle could not, not have heard what Black had said but the only sign I could see as I flopped over the finishing line, to confirm this and his reaction was the rigid tension in his jaw and a flash in his eyes. Carlisle knew that I didn't need anyone to fight my battles for me at work. That did not stop him making his feelings at the way Black had spoken to and treated me later on known during their gun disarming practice. Jasper Emmett and Rose were the only ones we were married and Carlisle and I were happy to keep it that way. We really did want to try and separate our work and home life, but there was an unexpected rush of pride and happiness at Carlisle defending my honour, not that you would have noticed by looking at my face.
Black was not quite as tall as Carlisle but he was broader, his rough features and almost permanent scowl giving him the look of a villain rather than a good guy which only helped Carlisle's mindset as he prepared to face him. Black had called out a few of the usual taunts that Carlisle received about his title but he was taken by surprise when Carlisle sprang forward faster than Black had expected. Carlisle used the long reach of his arm and deflected the direction of the gun using his palm to grab the barrel before rotating it sideways away from him. With both hands on the gun Carlisle had then with a little more enthusiasm than necessary bought his knee up into Black's already winded body which had been bent double by a disabling blow seconds earlier. Carlisle had shared fist bumps with the team including me.
I had been wearing my engagement ring on a chain round my neck under my shirt at work but I couldn't bear to not wear the wedding band that I had waited so long for. So before we had left this morning Carlisle had removed it and replaced it on my right hand where it would look like another piece of jewelry. But the overwhelming love and peace I felt when I looked at it, not to mention the tender look of love in Carlisle's eyes as he had raised my hand to his lips and kissed the ring meant that it would never be that. It was harder for Carlisle to get away with wearing a plain gold band, so he had had to remove it and replace it with his Cullen crest ring which I had re consecrated with a kiss of my own.
From what we could determine, Theirson's plan was to kidnap the Prince and then hold him to ransom to make a point about the current war. We would have the area sown up, but with situations like this anything could happen especially considering the reception was being held in one of the airplane hangars. We needed to be prepared for some close protection of the Prince and the need for procision shooting to try and protect the innocent people that would also be in the hangar.
THEIRSON POV
"So what do I call you?" I said hoping that my nerves didn't show as I addressed the four burly and intimidating surly men sprawled around the large lock up garage which Dean had assured me was for now all they would need. Dean had gathered a team of seven trusted and trained men around him giving me my own private little army of eight to play with. It didn't seem a lot for what I was planning, but my Dad had told me endless stories of small, well trained and brave men that held off hundreds or took on missions that everyone else had deemed impossible. And the fat man assured me that they would be all I needed.
"Mountain Lion." Said a tall lean man with a pock marked face.
"Bear." Came a growl from an aptly physiqued man.
"You're not serious." I snorted.
They were.
The fat man had given me the plans for the main HQ House of the military base where the reception would be held and from where we were going to snatch the Prince. It was originally meant to be held in one of the airplane hangars but the fat man…I could not take a man who called himself Viv after Vivian Leigh seriously, had insisted that it would changed and we prepare plans for a snatch from the main house. Dean had arranged oil drums and packing crates into a mock up of the landing and grand staircase in the main reception hall.
Two of Dean's team would appear on the landing as the Prince approached it after leaving the main room after dinner, taking out his close personal bodyguards leaving the way clear for the men working the room to bundle him out in the chaos through a patio door.
I stayed and watched a few of the drills Dean put his men through. He was a hard task master, making them repeat the moves over and over again until the two men on the landing hit their marks at the same time maximizing the small element of surprise they would have. The men working the room practiced subduing and moving their pretend Prince out of the door into a waiting car.
"Wanna make yourself useful?" Dean snapped at me suddenly.
"What do you want me to do?" I asked nervously.
"Shut the fuck up and do as your told." He said an evil smirk curling his lips as a blindfold was suddenly slammed down over my head and two vice like hands gripped my arms.
"No good commanding officer would let his men suffer something that he wasn't prepared to suffer through at least once…" I heard a voice chuckle darkly
ESME POV
The Prince had been trained since he was sixteen in anti kidnap techniques and if there was the slightest hint of trouble he would be ghosted away before he had chance to realize what was happening. However we had to be prepared and the last thing we wanted was him or another innocent being hit by stray bullets from us firing in a panic.
Taking a deep breath, I removed the safety from my weapon and entered the airplane hangar. It had been dressed with tables and chairs to look as it would on the day. There was even music playing in the background to distract. It took a minute or two for my eyes to adjust to the dim light.
BANG- A target with a criminals face popped up to my left. I fired twice.
BANG-BANG- two more targets popped up. I took them down.
SMACK- Another target sprang up right in front of me…I realized just in time that it wasn't a criminal, it was a nervous looking woman.
Suddenly I could hear the sound of a car approaching at speed from my left. As it burst through the half open doors of the hangar it's passenger hanging out of his window firing at me, I dropped and rolled behind one of the tables for cover.
"Looking for me copper?" Black's voice screamed out. I rose to my knee still using the table for cover. I was confronted by him holding Carlisle in a headlock with a gun to his head. They were both wearing heavy armour and helmets which would protect them from the blanks in my gun. Black was dragging Carlisle towards the car. Two quick, closely grouped shots to the gunman in the car's shoulder disabled him allowing me to focus on the main problem. I had seconds…in a low crouch I raced forward
I fired twice. Once into Carlisle's leg, which caused him to double over and bring Black's head down to a level where I could hit him with a head shot.
I managed to hold it together whilst Black and the team bantered with me, but as soon as I managed to escape round the side of the building under the pretense of having a smoke I heaved.
"Here…" came a voice from behind me as a bottle of water appeared at my side.
When I righted myself I found Carlisle leaning against the wall dragging on a cigarette.
"Please tell me that that means I'm forgiven for not telling you about Alice and the gangs visit?" He chuckled, turning to light my cigarette for me.
"Me and the pixie will be having words about her voyeuristic tendencies." I growled with a laugh. We stood in silence for a while.
"…I just fired…I didn't think…I just did it…took you down as if you were another target."
"In there I was just another target…"
"But! We're…I'm your…" I stammered quietly.
"I thought you wanted to keep things separate." He said a little confused.
"We do…but I didn't think I would find it that easy…" I said in confusion.
"Me either." He chuckled trying to lighten the mood. "Mae, if you found it easy you wouldn't have reacted like this…it would have been bang…bang…job done move to the next one. You wouldn't even be thinking about it.
"But."
"But nothing. Out there, where it matters, when it's a matter of life or death either yours or an innocent, we aren't Mr and Mrs Cullen the couple, we are Cullen and Marshall two operatives doing our jobs damn bloody well. What we can't do is let it affect us too much once we go home shut the door and become Mr and Mrs Cullen."
"Say that again." I whispered. We were both standing leaning back against the wall heads turned to face each other. We had stayed overnight at the camp and Leah and I had been put in a separate smaller dorm, which was little more than a store cupboard with two beds crammed in it, from the boys. After everything we had been through, sleeping apart was almost painful even when we were bone weary. I could see the matching dark circles to my own beneath Carlisle's eyes.
"Mr and…" he picked up my right hand raising it to his lips. "Mrs Cullen." He said softly his own pleasure at the words clear in his eyes and smile.
"So I guess I get to live my super hero fantasy after all." I mused. Carlisle's eyebrow rose in curiosity.
" I always wanted to be either Storm or Jean Gray from the X-Men…or anyone, that wasn't that little girl hiding under the covers, pillow over her head trying not to listen to her mom being knocked around." I sighed. Carlisle's eyes softened slightly as they filled with love and support. He pulled my hand which he hadn't let go of up to his lips again.
"Well if we're going to do this superhero double life thing properly…I really do think you should invest in some leather…boots preferably…" he mused a sexy smirk twitching his lips.
I let out a strange strangled choke of surprise.
"Only if you get a cape."
"Which X-Man had a cape?"
"None…I had a thing for Superman too…any regrets about marrying me…now you know some more of my little…"
"Kinky fantasies…none at all…" he growled, but then his face clouded over once more.
"I just hope I can step up love…like you did…" he admitted.
"Carlisle…you never panicked when I was sitting in the passenger seat of your car with an unstable bomb."
"On the outside maybe…no…I trusted…trust you…but so much has happened…"
"Maybe…but I think if anything Cullen and Marshall the operatives doing their jobs have gotten tougher, are working together better than ever…I don't think I could have done what I did today seven years ago…" I said.
Carlisle considered my words.
"Why do you think that is?" he mused genuinely interested.
"Trust…there's no more doubt…no more fear…we've come though all the shit…we've got our forever…now…we're going to do what it takes for us to keep it…we'll still have our moments of wanting to make anyone who insults the other into a jigsaw." I said with a smile. Carlisle's concern had finally allowed me to finally verbalize what I knew deep down.
"Or rip them limb from limb when they accidently on purpose grab your breast twice." Carlisle growled.
"You saw that." I huffed as I remembered the soldier with the wandering hands I had partnered in one exercise.
"Jake told me…he wanted to come to your rescue but you beat him to it."
I grinned. "Mmm…the regiments choir has their first soprano singer."
"Okay…beautiful, brave, tough, sexy as hell and so bloody wise….what did I do to deserve you?" Carlisle moving so he was standing in front of me, one of his hands resting on the wall by my head.
"I was going to ask you that?" I said softly as Carlisle kissed me briefly but with incredible passion.
That afternoon Carlisle was given his chance to find out. We had been on the skid pans practicing defensive driving. Sgt Black was a tough man who had done a great job with us in the short amount of time we had, but he didn't actually admit that he was actually impressed until after our last little "challenge". A trust exercise that involved us pairing off with one person standing in the middle of the skid pad whilst the other drove towards them at speed. The loser was the one who either jumped out of the way or pulled the car up short. Black and his team said it was a chance for us to see just how much trust we had in our own skills and each other. It was a chance for the soldiers to see just how much balls we had compared to them. They had all managed to stop mere inches away from each other. Large amounts of money ended up changing hands in bets between us and the soldiers. Leah and Jake had not been quite as successful at hiding their relationship as we were and they had endured plenty of banter, none more so when Leah had gunned the engine a little as she screeched towards Jake sending him into the bushes.
"I told you! That girl is cold…a real ball buster…she'll fuck you senseless then eat you not even bothering to spit out the bones." I heard one soldier laugh.
When it came to Carlisle and I's turn the betting was a little more uncertain. They had seen how I had handled myself on the range, but Carlisle although obviously tough was still a mystery to them, they were still mistaking manners for weakness.
I took my place in the centre of the skid pan. I could see the tension in Carlisle as he approached the car.
Trust baby. Trust in us…Trust in yourself. I silently urged him.
I watched the large digital speedometer on the side of the pan during Carlisle's approach, but as I heard him get closer I turned and Looked straight ahead at him. Our eyes locked as he bought the car to a halt barely an inch in front of me.
We were ready.
AN; Okay I'm going to be a little shameless here and anyone who hasn't already…huge thanks to all who have, to head over and maybe cast a vote for this story in the Bring Me To Life Awards- Dr McDreamy category. www(dot)bringmetolifeawards(dot)weebly(dot)com.
Love you all lots- Scribex