AN: Double update, y'all! Make sure you've read Chapter-9 if you just followed the link to this one, okay? x x

CHAPTER 10

FULFILLING A PROMISE

A bell dinged as I opened the door and entered Jenny's Café. My eyes traversed the large room, taking in the rustic furniture, the vintage little umbrella shaped lights, and the far wall that was entirely made of glass and looked out to the road. Little bowls filled with fresh, fragrant flowers adorned each table. The chairs were an eclectic mix of different shades—no one matching the other—yet, they blended in seamlessly.

Even though it was my first time here, the place somehow gave me a comforting, homey feel. I could certainly see Bella spending a lot of time here if she lived close by, as she'd said.

The hostess approached me, offering to direct me to a seat, but I politely declined. Just then, my eyes fell on Bella. She was tucked into a little booth near the corner of the room, typing away on her laptop. I started to make my way toward her, but then paused. She was absorbed in her work, so she hadn't noticed me, and I took the opportunity to really look at her.

With black-rimmed glasses on her face, her clear skin obviously devoid of any make-up except the slight shimmer on her lips, and the loose waves of her long hair falling past her shoulders, she looked like the girl I'd known and loved more than anything else in the world.

She smiled at whatever amused her on her screen, and I couldn't help but think of the last day when we'd been together and happy.

"I can't," I groaned.

"Of course you can," she encouraged softly, her voice as patient as it had been ten minutes ago, when we'd first gotten to this impasse.

"Bella, just look and tell me what it says." I thrust the envelope into her lap. "I feel like I'm gonna throw up. I'm that nervous, and I can't look at it, okay? Please do this for me."

"Edward." I didn't reply, and she sighed. "Fine. I'll open it. But we're looking at it together."

I threw her an exasperated glance. "Why?"

"Because you've waited for this day for a long time," she explained, placing her hand over my cheek. "I want you to take in this moment in all its glory."

"And what if there's nothing worth glorifying in there?" I challenged. "What if they rejected me?"

"Then we'll deal with it. Together. Just like we're dealing with reading it together."

I huffed when she raised an eyebrow. She wasn't going to back down. I could see that in the set of her jaw.

"Fine," I relented, sliding back to lean against the headboard. She grinned and followed, settling herself between my legs, pressing her back to my chest.

"Ready?"

"Not even one bit," I replied honestly.

"Sounds good." She giggled. "Let's do this."

My heart pounded hard and fast in my ears while she tore the envelope open. She turned it over, and a single sheet of paper fell out.

I wrapped my arms around Bella's waist and rested my chin on her shoulder. She unfolded the letter, holding it so that we both could read it together.

My nerves stood on end as I took in the words before me, reading each one twice, thrice to make sense of them. Bella must've breezed through it quickly, because I was barely past the third sentence when she squealed.

"You did it!" she cheered, twisting her body to face me. "You got in, Edward!"

"I got in?" I parroted in disbelief.

"You got in! You're going to Quantico." She laughed, even as her eyes welled up with tears. Her hands framed my face in glee. "You're going to become an FBI agent."

Fourth time was the charm, as I finally managed to get the words to sink in. A huge grin stretched across my lips as it dawned on me that my dream was going to be fulfilled.

Bella threw herself at me, and I held her tight, kissing her with wild abandon.

"I did it! Oh my God, Bella, they accepted me!"

"I'm so proud of you," she whispered, kissing me once, twice, thrice. "So proud, Edward. I love you."

"I love you, too, baby."

Once the euphoria settled down, we lay down on our sides, facing each other with our hands entwined between us.

"I can hardly believe it," I murmured, pulling her hand to my mouth. I planted a kiss on her wrist, making her smile. "I've been dreaming of this day for so long, Bella. When we lost Masen, I vowed to myself that I would do whatever it took to make sure that something like that would never happen on American soil again. This is the first step toward that goal."

"I know, baby. That terrible day in September changed millions of lives."

"I'd never even talked about him to anyone since he was gone," I confessed gruffly. "Mom and Dad tried to force me into therapy, but . . . I couldn't rehash it all back then. So I clammed up, held myself together and forced myself to act normal, so that they wouldn't go crazy worrying over me. They'd already lost one son . . . I didn't need to scare them about losing another."

"Oh, Edward," she whispered, pain flashing in her eyes.

"You made it possible. Until I found you, I'd always been afraid to trust anyone. Masen was the one person who knew everything about me. There was nothing I couldn't or didn't share with him. When he was gone, I was terrified of letting someone else into my life to that extent. I wasn't sure I could live through another loss." I raised our joint hands to stroke her cheek with the back of my fingers. "Then you came along. You were the breath of fresh air I never knew I needed. You gave me strength to face those demons, Bella. This would never have been possible without you."

She turned her head to press her lips to my palm. "I don't believe that," she disagreed softly. "I think you can do anything you put your mind to. But I couldn't be happier to be at your side while you fulfill your promise to your brother."

"I know it'll be tough," I murmured. "I'll be gone for a few months, and after the training, then they'll appoin—"

"We'll make it work," she replied, shifting closer to me.

"We'll make it work," I agreed as I leaned in to kiss her, delighted, proud, and so fucking grateful to have her with me.

Bella looked up, as if she'd sensed my steadfast gaze, and a small smile appeared on her face. I shook my head, snapping out of my recollection, and headed toward her.

"Hey," she greeted, as I sat across from her.

"Hi." I cast a glance across the room. "Nice place."

"Charming, isn't it? I spend most of my time here." She pointed to her laptop. "As long as I have this, I'm good to work from anywhere, so I take full advantage of it. Plus, there's an unlimited supply of coffee."

"You don't like working from your home?"

She grimaced. "No, it's too quiet. I like a little-"

"Background chatter," I finished for her. "I remember. That's why you didn't like studying at the college library."

Her smile widened, and her eyes twinkled. "Exactly. It was so quiet I could hear my own breathing. Once that happens, it's all I can focus on!"

"You're lucky you can work whenever you want, from wherever you want," I commented. "Some of us don't have that luxury."

"I know. I'm lucky . . . in some ways." Her face sobered, and she shut her laptop. With her fingers interlocked on the table, she shifted in her seat, her eyes suddenly growing wary. "While we're talking about jobs, if I may ask," she began tentatively. "Did you . . . did you have to tell your superiors about us?"

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

Her cheeks flushed and she looked down, seeming embarrassed. "I just know a little bit from watching television shows and stuff." She shrugged, sneaking a tentative glance toward me. "But wouldn't you be taken off the case because of a conflict of interest?"

I leaned back in my chair. "What is there to say? We dated for six months, and we haven't even spoken to each other in six years. That is not going to hamper my ability to do my job in the fairest manner possible."

A sad frown furrowed her brow as she pulled her lower lip between her teeth. She didn't say anything for a while, and I remined silent, too.

The way I'd trivialized what we'd shared had left a bitter taste in my mouth, but I couldn't help it. Since the moment she'd walked back into my life, Bella had been driving me crazy. She was engaged, for God's sake! The way she'd called me earlier, the way she'd been smiling at me now, talking, chatting as if we were old friends who'd parted on the best of terms ticked me off.

Just the thought of her belonging to that man sent me into a tailspin.

What gave her the right to just pretend as if there weren't a thousand things still unsaid, still unresolved between us . . . as if she'd never ignored my countless attempts to contact her . . . as if, just because she'd moved on, I could be happy for her?

I watched her pull in a few deep breaths, the struggle in her mind evident as she opened and then shut her mouth without saying anything. I let my hand drift over the cutlery on the table, straightening the spoon to align with the fork.

Bella cleared her throat, and I looked up. Her body language told me she was trying to muster determination for something.

And I knew the next words coming out of her mouth would not lead to anything good.

She didn't disappoint.

"What happened to you?" she whispered fiercely. "You didn't say anything the last time we . . . talked."

I took a moment to put my thoughts in order, wondering what to say, how to explain.

"Hi," the waitress interrupted my musing with a bland smile. "Can I get you anything?"

I sucked in a deep breath, releasing it slowly before answering her. "No, thank you." My voice was probably more brusque than she deserved, and her fake smile fell.

"Maybe a little later," Bella intervened, pushing the empty cup toward her. "Thank you."

The waitress collected it and left without another word.

Bella turned her attention back to me. "So . . ." she dragged out the word. "You were saying?"

"There's nothing to say. You don't always get what you want in life."

She shook her head, probably in frustration. "I think I deserve an answer, Edward. After everything we went through, only to find out that . . ." she trailed off, and my hackles rose.

"I failed a couple of tests, Bella. The FBI expects much more than sharp instincts in their recruits. I simply wasn't good enough. That's all there is to it," I revealed. "No scandal. I just . . . didn't have what it takes to join their ranks."

"Oh, Edward, I'm sorry," she murmured in a gentle tone.

"And as far as everything we've been through is concerned . . . you're right," I continued, none too kindly. "I guess it was all for nothing. I failed you, I failed Masen, I failed myself."

Bella's eyes flashed, and she reached out to place her hand over mine. "No," she said fervently. "You didn't fail anyone. That's not what I meant, Edward."

I had to look away, familiar pangs of shame and bitterness twisting my gut.

"Remember how you told me why Masen was there that day? For an internship in designing, right? Even though your parents were not too sure about his career choice. He'd never be satisfied if he picked something just to please your parents, especially if his interests lay elsewhere. You told me you knew he just wanted to be happy in life." She squeezed my hand. "He would've wanted you to be happy, too, Edward. You're still doing exactly what you promised him—putting the bad guys behind bars. I don't think he's going to be the least bit disappointed in you."

"Don't act like you knew him," I gritted through clenched teeth. My hand balled into a fist under hers, and Bella quickly pulled back. "You didn't know my brother, Bella, so please, for God's sake, don't try to give me these platitudes."

"All I'm saying is that if he loved you, he would've wanted you to be happy," she insisted. "Are you?"

"Are you?" I threw back at her.

Her eyes narrowed. "Do you really think throwing my questions back at me is going to get us anywhere?"

"What am I supposed to think, huh?" My voice was quiet, keeping in mind the nature of our surroundings, but the words were sharp enough to make her eyes go wide. I leaned in to look straight into them. "You were the one standing before me in a wedding dress, Bella. You were about to become Mrs. Jacob Black. And two days later, here you are, calling me just to hear my voice, reminiscing about my dead brother and my family like you've always been a part of it. Tell me what I'm supposed to make of it, because I'm fucking lost."

Bella swallowed, her fingers trembling as she reached out to grab her laptop. Hastily, she started to place it in her bag.

"You're right," she spoke shakily, while she collected the rest of her stuff. "I had no right to call you. I'm—I'm so sorry." Her voice broke, and she stood.

I watched as she rushed to the counter and paid her bill. When she returned, she couldn't meet my eyes. "I'm so sorry to bother you," she whispered, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I'll just . . . I'll just leave."

She was out of the door by the time I rose to my feet. I walked briskly and caught up with her just as she was about to cross the street.

"Bella, wait," I called out.

She halted in her tracks, but didn't turn to face me. I noticed her fist tighten around the strap of her bag, but that was all the reaction I got.

"I needed to ask you something regarding the case," I continued.

"What's that?"

"Just to check if there's anything you happened to miss on the day of the wedding, or maybe a few days prior to it. We haven't been able to find anything at all that could classify as motive for Billy's death."

She shook her head, but didn't turn. "I'm sorry, but I don't have anything to add. I'll let you know if I can think of something."

With that, she rushed to cross the road, and leaving me to watch as she started to make her way farther and farther away from me.

My eyes followed her for as long as they could, taking in the hunched set of her shoulders, and the movement of her hands over her cheeks . . . possibly wiping away tears.

As the rage that I hadn't even known existed inside me started to dull, only one thought ran through my mind.

What the fuck had I done?

A/N: You know it had to happen sometime. The guy bottles up his feelings more often than he should. Ninkita has been quite worried about ulcers. On the plus side, we've got some more clarity on their past.

A very important announcement: I'll be submitting an M-rated outtake from my story, Fly With Me for the EndoRead – Authors for Endometriosis compilation. A handful of dollars donated to this noteworthy cause can get you the outtake, plus some more exclusive stories by the talented authors involved in this fundraiser. All pertinent information is available here: endoread {dot} wordpress {dot} com

Pics and teasers can be found in my FB group, Fanfiction by ForeverRobsessed (Link is on my profile)

In case you were wondering, we're nearly halfway through the story now.

See you on the 20th!

FIC REC: That Boy by Kiva Johns Adkins—Suppose Edward's Catholic upbringing and faith made him who he is. What would his life have been like had he met Isabella Swan in 1918, Chicago?

PS: A Guest Reviewer asked for clarification on a matter, so this is an added note to help them out, given that I have no other means to reply if you don't sign in to let me know who you are.

The Bureau of Investigation is NOT FBI. It was earlier called California Bureau of Investigation, later renamed as simply BI. I haven't mentioned any locations throughout the story to avoid geographical errors, but you can assume this is California, if it helps clear things up in your mind.
So Edward failed to make it to the FBI, but is now an Agent in BI—formerly CBI— an agency of the State's Department of Justice/Law Enforcement.

I'd link the Wikipedia page if ffn let me, but since they don't without me putting in spaces and (dots) and whatnot, it'll be easier for you to look it up yourself if you'd like more information on the matter. Just Google California Bureau of Investigation/Bureau of Investigation.

Though I have no idea if you're in there, I'll also post the link in my FB group, just in case.
I hope that clears it up.