First, my apologies for taking so long to get this next chapter out. I wrote it and rewrote it, taking forever to be happy with it. The good news is that this chapter is a bit longer than usual. Hopefully it was worth the wait!
Thank you very much to my wonderful validation beta nowforruin, who has been faithfully pimping this story. I can't believe how many wonderful reviews I've received! Please keep them coming, especially if you have thoughts about how to improve the story, or if something is unclear.
As always, Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, and no copyright infringement is intended.
CHAPTER 11: Teamwork
When Bella entered the dining room, she saw that the Cullens were seated stiffly around the table, anxiously eyeing Carlisle. It reminded Bella of when she and three friends were called to the principal's office for instigating a class-wide spitball fight. She noticed how Alice had scooted her chair close to Jasper. If she weren't so nervous herself, she would have thought how sweet they looked.
Esme immediately stood up and enveloped Bella is a warm hug. "I'm so glad that you came here, dear." She pulled back a bit, her warm dark eyes taking in every detail of Bella's face. "You haven't been sleeping well, and you've lost weight." She frowned. "I'd like to give that William Black a piece of my mind, treating you like that."
There was a huff from behind Esme. Bella looked past the lovely woman's shoulder-length caramel hair to encounter Carlisle's bright blue gaze. His eyes were alight with amusement.
"I wouldn't want to be in Billy Black's shoes if he ever encounters your wrath, love," he teased. "Welcome home, Bella." He managed to pry Bella free of Esme and give her a quick hug. "I'm sorry that we weren't here when you arrived. I hear that you have had an interesting few days."
"Well," Bella responded with a significant glance to Edward, "I suppose you could put it that way."
"Yes," sighed Carlisle, "it seems that we all have a lot of catching up to do."
He indicated for them to sit, then took his position at the head of the table, his expression stern. Alice squirmed in her seat. Bella peeked at the man sitting rigidly next to her. Edward was clearly uneasy, exchanging uncertain looks with Jasper.
Ah, now she understood. Without even hearing the silent conversation among the Cullens, Bella realized that at least one of them didn't think that Edward could be trusted enough to be there. She closed her eyes and focused her attention one each Cullen individually. Emmett and Jasper were feeling confident, Esme protective of her family, Alice wary, and Carlisle…curious? She opened her eyes again and watched Alice. She and Jasper seemed to be having a mental argument.
Bella was focusing so hard on trying to read everyone that she jumped at Edward's quiet voice next to her.
"Carlisle, perhaps I should go first. I'll tell you everything I can, and then leave so that your family may speak freely." He looked down at Bella, his eyes remorseful. "Alice is right…I've done enough damage here."
Carlisle made up his mind. "I understand that you need to get back to Volnostia tonight, but I ask that you stay until we're finished here. This involves our whole family, of which you and Bella are now a part. Would it prove too risky for you to remain for a couple more hours?"
Bella hurriedly swallowed the lump in her throat. She knew that Edward was feeling the same thing.
"I'll stay," he replied softly. "Thank you for trusting me."
Emmett suddenly grinned. "Finally! Let's get this family meeting off the ground!"
Nearly an hour later, they were all still seated around the table, each in their own thoughts.
"So," Carlisle stated, running a hand through his bright blonde hair, "it appears that some of our abilities have expanded. Alice can now partially read the thoughts of some other sensories outside of our family. That doesn't surprise me – it was bound to happen to one of us at some point. What does surprise me is that she can read enough of other people's intentions to predict what will happen in the very near future." He smiled fondly at his daughter. "Is that right?"
She nodded. "I think so. That's what seems to have been happening for the past few weeks. But I only get flashes of things, not real visions."
"Not yet," Jasper murmured.
"What?"
Jasper gave her a sidelong smile. "It's probably still developing. You are about the right age for it."
"I'm about the right age for other things, too," she teased. He flushed to the roots of his honey-toned hair, but the smile didn't disappear.
Carlisle's blue eyes glinted with amusement again. "To continue…Bella may be on her way to becoming a very talented empath. She and Edward have formed a virtually unbreakable empathic bond. From what I'm seeing today, they are amplifying each other's gifts." He smiled. "Especially when they are touching each other."
Bella hadn't realized that her hand had crept into Edward's, resting on his jean-covered thigh. She immediately tried to pull it away.
"Oh no, you don't," Edward teased softly. Emmett waggled his eyebrows at Bella, and Carlisle's smile grew as he continued.
"I also suspect that Edward is able to read some of our thoughts."
Everyone but Alice and Esme looked startled. Carlisle clarified, "Alice never said out loud that he had done enough damage to our family."
"I'm sorry, Edward," Alice thought to him. Edward gave her a small smile. He wasn't reading her mind clearly, but her remorse was evident to him.
"Don't be," he thought back. "You were right."
"Shit!" exclaimed Emmett. "I heard him! Oh, sorry Esme."
"Actually," Jasper interjected, "I think you heard his echo in Alice's mind. He's only hearing portions of the strongest thoughts, and so far only from Alice. The rest he picks up from emotions and body cues." Everyone looked at him in surprise. "What? He told me about this a couple of days ago. Bella seems to be making him lower his barriers, enabling him to develop his gifts."
Carlisle was leaning back in his chair, pensively tapping his finger in the dining table. "We need to experiment a bit to find out what we are all actually capable of doing. Until now, I thought that our telepathic ability was pack-like, meaning that we could hear only those who were members of the pack…family. That's how Esme and I found Emmett, Jasper, and Alice."
Esme spoke up for the first time. "It's more than that. It's an unconscious, even emotional, decision to become part of this family that allows us to communicate with each other through our thoughts." She cast a gentle, amused smile at her husband. "To use the wolf analogy, mutual love and trust allow entry into the pack."
Esme abruptly frowned at her son. "Emmett!"
"Sorry, mom," he grinned. "I couldn't help it."
"What is he thinking?" Bella asked, feeling left out of the mental conversation, especially now that it appeared even Edward could join in.
"I was just following through with Carlisle's animal analogy," Emmett defended himself. "I was thinking that that this weird empathic bond of yours is a lot like sexual imprinting."
Edward quirked an eyebrow at Bella, who promptly turned bright red.
Carlisle frowned at his younger son, and changed the subject. "We need to determine who are this Altairian Guard officer and his telepathic 'daughter,' and what they want from Bella and Edward. Even if the first encounter with them was coincidental, the second was clearly planned."
"I can help with that." All eyes turned to Bella. "I still have access to the Altairian Guard personnel database."
"We don't want you getting into trouble, Bella. What you're talking about doing is illegal."
"In theory I'm still employed there, and should still have clearance." She mentally added that she would have to log into a test account with sys admin privileges, and make it look like it was accessed from on the base. It may be an ethics violation, but this, in her mind, constituted just cause.
Carlisle looked intently at her. "Billy Black and I have a long history. I'll call him and insist that Edward be removed from the Guard's bounty list." Bella was surprised to see anger pass across Carlisle's normally placid face. "He will listen to me. I should have done it months ago."
Emmett was staring thoughtfully at the flower vase in the centre of the table. "Bounty list…bounty list…" His eyes widened suddenly. "Holy sh…uh…shallots!' Esme's lips twitched. "The Volturi are still giving monetary rewards for empaths, right Edward? Join the Volturi or die?"
Bella winced. This is what happened to her parents. Edward nodded grimly, giving Bella's hand a comforting squeeze under the table.
"We already established that the Volturi are probably involved in the murders," Edward responded quietly. "But now it appears that we have a possible motive for this officer and the woman."
Jasper nodded excitedly, his military mind already working out a counter-attack plan. "I agree with Edward and Bella. This officer can easily approach the women to recruit or kill them, after his 'daughter' finds the targets for him by using her gift. If Bella is really their next target, perhaps we can set a trap for them…"
"Bella is not live bait!" growled Edward.
The fury on Edward's face sent Jasper backpedaling. "No, no, I didn't mean it like that! Of course we wouldn't deliberately endanger Bella's life."
Emmett was following his own thoughts. "At least that rules out Edward as a target, because he is Volturi."
"No, it doesn't," Bella contradicted him. "If the guy is money-hungry, and there is a bounty on Edward's head, killing Edward would serve two purposes. Not only would he get the reward, but he would also clear the path to me."
She shot a hesitant glance at the man next to her, then continued with determination. "I like Jasper's plan."
"NO!" Edward was furious. "There is no way that I'm going to let you…"
"You are not in control of me, Edward Masen," she told him firmly, her own temper rising.
Esme decided that it was time to intercede. "We're getting ahead of ourselves. We have no proof that these two people are connected to the murders of those six cadets. Assumptions can cause us to miss the truth." Her gentle voice cast a wave of calm over the group, although Bella could still feel Edward seething beside her.
Carlisle nodded approvingly. "Esme is right. At this point we don't know what they want. Edward, I understand that you can't tell us everything, but is there a chance they could be tied to your activities in Volnostia? Maybe the Volturi are becoming suspicious?"
Edward forced himself to refocus on what Carlisle was saying. "Yes," he admitted, "it's possible. I wouldn't be surprised if Felix or Aro sent someone to watch me."
"The other agent?" surmised Jasper. "You were supposed to meet two of them the other night, but only one showed. The other could be the man or the woman?"
"And they may have been hiding, and seen Bella," Edward added grimly.
"That still doesn't explain why they were at the dealership," Bella pointed out. "If they were there deliberately, then how did they know where we were going? Tapping our Internet and seeing me searching online? A bug in the house or car?"
"Telepath," whispered Alice.
The whole family froze. "Crap," Emmet uttered under his breath.
Edward released Bella, put both elbows on the table, and held his head in his hands, the picture of defeat. "Alice was right," he groaned. "I've done more than enough damage here."
He felt Bella's twinge of annoyance at his comment, although he forgot that Alice could read him until he looked up and saw the Cullens watching him sympathetically.
"You're being stupid, man," Emmett told him bluntly. "It's not your fault this is happening. Well, not all your fault. We live with this sh…stuff all the time. You don't damage every good thing you touch, and you're not destroying Bella's life by being in it. Get a grip."
Edward turned anguished amber eyes to Bella, who reached up and gently cupped his face with one hand. The pain she felt coming from him overrode her flash of irritation.
"We're in this together, like it or not," she smiled.
"We're all in this together," added Alice. "So, Bella has her task. What about the rest of us?"
"Is it safe to discuss this now?" Bella asked, aware that the woman could be tuned into their thoughts.
"Yes," answered Carlisle. "Even our own telepathic abilities don't work through walls. We have to be able to see the person. I imagine the woman's gift works the same way."
Carlisle's expression was thoughtful. "Our main objectives are to protect Bella and Edward, and catch those two. We need to be proactive. Bella will find out as much as she can about the man and woman, and handle this from the Altairian Guard side. Edward will move from the Volturi side, investigating who may be hiring them."
He looked back and forth between Edward and Jasper. "I know that you two are working on something highly sensitive, but I trust you'll consider possible connections with the man and woman." They nodded in agreement.
Finally, he turned to Emmett and Alice. "You two are the key surveillance team. Alice, with your extended gifts you will be able to scan routinely for the woman. Emmett, I'm going to ask you to help amplify Alice's skills and make sure that she is not detected." He smiled at his youngest son. "That also means that if you happen to find them, feel free to capture them."
Emmett rubbed his fist in his palm, a huge grin on his face. "Yes!
Esme spoke up again, "Carlisle, I'm thinking that we can't rule out the possibility that they will resort to kidnapping in order to get to Bella or Edward. Perhaps we should all travel in pairs or groups whenever possible."
They all agreed. To Bella's surprise, Carlisle produced seven identical cell phones and handed them out. What astonished her even further was that only Edward was startled. The Cullens all emanated calm acceptance. Clearly they had done this before.
Carlisle's blue eyes sparkled with amusement at Bella's expression. "Most of you are already familiar with these. Bella and Edward, these phones are designed to switch frequencies automatically, based on the current time and date. We're all on speed dial. I am one, Esme two, Jasper three, Emmett four, Alice five, and now Edward six and Bella seven. Everyone's phone number is also programmed in by code name. I am 'Office,' Esme is 'Home,' Jasper 'Accountant,' Emmett 'Gym,' Alice 'Mall'…"
"Of course," grinned Alice, winking at Bella.
"And now Bella is 'School' and Edward is 'Travel agent.'"
Emmett snorted. "At least Alice and Edward are easy to remember!" Even Edward smiled at that.
The group discussed strategy for a while. Edward, Bella knew, was still feeling guilty for dragging her and the Cullens into this situation. She exchanged a meaningful look with Alice, who nodded her understanding. Eventually Carlisle spoke directly to the Volnostian.
"Edward, I meant to tell you this in private, but now this involves Bella too, as well as the rest of the family." He paused, glancing at his wife for confirmation. "While we were in Brazil, Esme and had a nice long talk with our good friends, Eleazar and Carmen. Eleazar, as you know, was one of the Volturi. The only one Aro released without penalty."
Bella was squeezing Edward's hand tightly. Was there a way out after all? Carlisle continued, weighing each word carefully.
"Eleazar admitted that he was one of Aro's 'special assets.' He is an expert in extrasensory gifts, and was one of the original members of the research team that studied empaths and other 'curiosities' in Aro's collection. As a result, he knew enough information to potentially start a war between Volnostia and its neighbours. So essentially, it was through a combination of blackmail and the return of several minor Volturi agents to Volnostia, mainly to camouflage the primary reason, that Eleazar and Carmen were allowed to leave."
All eyes were glued to Carlisle. He took a deep breath. "Eleazar thinks that he and I can arrange something similar for you, if that's what you want."
Bella could barely keep up with the barrage of emotions that swept through the man beside her. Disbelief, amazement, hope, and finally deep humility.
"You would do that…for me?"
Carlisle smiled wryly. Esme, on the other hand, was beaming.
"Of course. We'll discuss the details at some other time."
Edward nodded, feeling somewhat dazed. He glanced at his watch and stood up.
"I'd better get going," he stated regretfully. He looked fondly at the faces around the table. He didn't deserve friends like these. "I don't know how to thank you."
"Just shut up and get out of here," Jasper grinned.
Esme went to Edward and gave him a quick hug. "Come back safely."
Bella left the room with him. She could tell that he was still processing Carlisle's offer.
"I've never actually seen you completely stunned before," she teased.
Edward grinned down at her. "It was probably only the second time in my life."
"When was the first?" She couldn't resist asking.
His ochre eyes twinkled. "When I met you, of course."
"Oh. Of course." Bella felt her face redden yet again. Edward gently traced a line on her cheek with his fingertip.
"My newest mission is to make you do that at least twice each day."
"Don't you have enough missions to deal with, Masen?" she retorted, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"None as much fun as this one, Swan." He tugged at her hand. "Come with me to get my keys?"
She followed Edward up to his room. "Bella, how long do you think it would take to find the name of that officer?" he asked, grabbing his keys and rapidly scanning for anything he missed.
"About ten minutes, and then another fifteen to cover up my entry."
Edward froze and stared at her. "That's all? Ten minutes?"
Not sure if she should be amused or insulted, Bella merely shrugged. "Sure."
"Do you think you could do it now? It would help me investigate if he is being hired by one of the Volturi."
She nodded, indicating for him to follow her. Once they were in her bedroom, Bella quickly opened her laptop and plopped herself cross-legged on her bed. She patted the spot next to her, inviting him to sit down. He stretched out behind her, propping himself up with his elbow.
Bella tried to ignore the warmth of Edward's body behind her, resisting the temptation to lean back against his stomach. Instead she forced herself to focus on the task at hand, her fingers flying over the keyboard. Soon she made a small irritated sound.
"What is it?" Edward asked.
"Someone's shut down one of my accounts. Just a sec." More flying fingers. "This one looks OK. Now let's see…database query…rank of this…bases all…cross-reference this other database…" Bella rapidly typed out several lines of program code. "This script will find everyone that fits his description," she explained.
A couple of minutes later she turned to the man behind her with a smile. "OK, here goes. Keep your fingers crossed!"
She hit "Enter" and a short list of names and images appeared on the screen. There he was, sandy blond hair and light blue eyes, age thirty-six.
"Royce King II," Edward read, looking over her shoulder. "Bella, you're amazing!"
"Not really," she blushed. "I'm just a good programmer and know my way around the system."
Edward shifted a bit closer to her, snaking an arm around her waist and pulling her back to lean against him.
"Can you find out anything else about him?"
Bella tentatively allowed her stiff body to relax against him, and quickly brought up all the data attached to Royce King's ID number and cross-referenced it with public records.
"Nothing negative about him in the public domain. It'll take me a while to dig around, however."
Bella turned her head to encounter Edward's face very close to hers. He was deep in thought. "He would need somewhere to live, probably close to here," he commented.
"I'll see what I can find out. Right now I need to erase the evidence of my login before someone notices. It'll automatically send an e-mail to the administrator in about two minutes."
Edward looked worried. Without thinking, Bella reached back and pressed the frown line between his serious amber eyes, causing him to relax into a wry smile.
"Sorry," he told her. "I can't help it. Better hurry up. I'll wait."
He watched her swiftly edit multiple files, her brows furrowed in concentration. Ninety seconds later she closed the laptop with a relieved sigh.
"Done?" Edward asked. He leaned closer to her, his chin resting on her shoulder. She nodded, closing her eyes at the sensation of his breath across her cheek. The usual current between them was increasing, along with her heart rate.
"Good," he murmured. Edward sat up, reached around her, plucked the laptop from her hands, and placed it on her bedside table.
Bella turned slightly to face him, studying him, feeling the emotions flowing out of him and matching those within her. She reached up and gently stroked the trace of five-o'clock shadow on his cheeks. His breathing caught.
"It's been a rather intense evening," she commented softly, her hand moving from his face into his unruly hair.
"It's not over yet," he responded just as softly. "Come here." Edward was still sitting upright, with his legs straight out in front of him. He gently grasped Bella's waist and maneuvered her so that she was facing him, straddling his thighs.
"Is this OK?" She nodded. He was still holding her waist, the warmth of his hands seeping through her cotton top. Their blended emotions, along with the spiking current between them, were starting to make her light-headed.
Edward swallowed quickly. "I never realized," he told her hesitantly, as if he were nervous of her response, "that watching you hack into a computer system, and move around it so confidently, would be such a turn-on."
Her eyes widened in astonishment, but she didn't say anything. After a moment, he lightly tapped the tip of her nose and smiled wryly. "Breathe, Bella."
The fog cleared a bit, and she smiled back at him. When he bent his head and lightly kissed her lips, the intensity of the current running between them startled them both.
Edward groaned, and Bella immediately tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled his lips back to hers. His mouth opened willingly to her probing tongue. She felt him pull her tightly against him, but it still wasn't close enough. He slowly dropped backwards onto the bed, taking her with him. Caught up in the emotion swirling around them, Bella barely registered that she was lying on top of him until they reluctantly broke apart to catch their breath.
His hands swept down her back to her hips, keeping her still when she pulled back to look at his face. They stared at each other, dazed and out of breath. Bella slowly became aware of his lean, muscular body under her. She closed her eyes, fighting the desire to feel his weight pushing her into the mattress. Unconsciously she propped herself up higher on her arms, pressing her hips down against Edward.
"Oh God," he groaned under his breath. "Bella, we need to slow down, or we're going to wind up consummating our bond tonight." His eyes, still dark, searched her face. "I don't think either of us is ready for that yet."
Bella sighed, knowing that he was right. When she rolled off of him, he pulled her against his side, cradling her head on his shoulder as she wrapped her arm over his chest.
"You were right," she told him.
He smiled down at her. "I usually am. About what specifically was I right?"
She playfully thumped his chest with her fist. "I don't know if I should tell you anymore. Your head is already big enough."
Edward couldn't resist teasing her. "About which head are we talking? The one attached to my neck or the one…"
He caught her fist before she could hit him again, and kissed it. "The intensity," she told him, suddenly shy. "It wasn't over yet." He squeezed her gently in response.
They lay cuddling a few moments longer before Edward sighed. "It's never been so difficult for me to return to Volnostia as it is tonight. I don't want to go back."
"But you have to," Bella stated gently. She knew that she would need to help Edward leave, as much as she wanted him to stay. She pulled away from him and slid off the bed.
"Come on," she urged, grasping his hand and tugging. "I'll walk you to your car."
Edward collected his keys and cell phone, and followed Bella downstairs. Thankfully, no one else was around, giving them some privacy. In the garage, he opened the overhead door, slid into his Volvo, and lowered the window.
Propping her arms on the window frame, Bella instructed sternly, "Be careful, and please don't do anything foolish."
"I was just going to tell you the same thing. You took the words right out of my mouth."
"Well," she challenged, "perhaps you should take them back."
Edward grinned, then leaned out to kiss her. "My pleasure," he responded. He started the engine. "I love you Bella. We'll make this work. Even Carlisle is supporting us."
She smiled and nodded. "I love you too. See you in a few days." Bella fought to keep her sadness at bay. She didn't want to make this any harder on Edward. Unfortunately, hiding emotions didn't work well with empaths.
"Bella…"
"Scram," she instructed him with a forced grin. "The sooner you leave, the sooner you come back to me."
"Yes, ma'am," he responded, giving her a mock salute.
Moments later he was moving down the driveway, his hand waving to her out the car window. Bella watched him until his taillights disappeared in the distance before letting the tears fall. Her stomach was already twisted with longing for him. Giving herself a mental shake, she closed the garage door and turned into the house. Moping over missing Edward wasn't going to do any good. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep for a while, she decided to unearth more about one Royce King, serial killer.
I'm terrible at writing lemons, but I hope you liked this touch of very watered-down almost-lemon (does that make it lemonade?).
Please review!
