Our deepest apologies for flaking last week! We hope that you forgive us since we have been pretty much on schedule since the beginning. But we are human and sometimes things happen to get us off track. Hopefully this longer chapter will make up for it!

Enjoy!

Chapter 19

"You're a…you're a lawyer?" I ask dumbly, stuttering in my disbelief. Bella smiles climbing off of her bed and scampering over to collect her laptop from her small work desk.

"I am," she confirms softly. She gathers a couple of miscellaneous items in her arms: a pen, a legal pad, a pair of reading glasses, and then rejoins me on the bed. I use my elbows as leverage and hoist myself up, my back landing flush against the headboard.

"Why didn't you say anything?" I ask almost incredulously, a bit stunned she hadn't thought it important enough to bring up before now. We'd just spent the last couple of days on a Bonnie and Clyde-esque crime spree, yet she hadn't found it imperative to tell me she was a lawyer?

No way.

"Would you have taken me along with you if I had?" she asks, quirking an eyebrow in my direction. Damn she looks sexy in those glasses! I shake my head.

"No, probably not," I admit honestly, running a hand through my disarrayed hair.

"You might as well give that up because your hair is a lost cause." Bella smirks as her computer boots up. I sigh in agreement as she types diligently away into a newly opened Word document.

Bella runs me through a barrage of questions; leaving no stone unturned, no leaf uncovered.

"Can't we just have sex again and finish this up tomorrow?" I suggest after about an hour and a half later. Bella gives me a stern look, clearly in Prosecution Mode, and keys in more information.

"No better time than the present," she reminds. "Plus, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get on with our lives."

Hmm.

She has a point.

Bella asks questions for the good part of an hour before she feels confident with the amount of information she has accrued. Though I am thankful she has been so thorough, I'm even more delighted when she clicks the 'save' button on the document and begins to shut down her computer.

I readjust myself on the bed, lying my head back on the pillow, and after Bella returns from putting her laptop away, she lies down with me and rests her head on my chest. We lie there in silence, my hand stroking the long, silky strands of her hair absentmindedly.

I'm just about to doze off when Bella's phone suddenly begins to vibrate on the bedside table. The jarring noise startles both of us and Bella bolts upright with a start. I instinctively reach out and place my hand on her shoulder in comfort as she answers.

"Hello?" she asks; her voice heavy with exhaustion. "Yeah, no, I understand. Right. Sure, okay, I'll tell him. We'll be ready. Tomorrow. Love you too, bye." Bella hits the 'end' button on her phone and tosses it back on her nightstand before turning to face me.

"What is it?" I ask, a bit worried by the new, dubious expression that dawns across her face.

"That was my dad," she says slowly, as if testing the words as they come out of her mouth. "He wanted to let us know that he would be by in an hour."

"Oh, okay…"

"Edward, my dad is coming by to arrest you. You're still technically a wanted man after all." I sigh and rub my fingertips into my temples. Why hadn't I thought of that? Of course I just wouldn't be able to live in normal civilization until I was exonerated; I'd been convicted of murder after all. And escaped from prison no less.

"Bella, why did he let me go when he had me down at the station if he was just going to come around and arrest me?" I ask, only to see Bella smiling shyly at me.

"I might have told him that if he didn't give us a little time to ourselves, I'd file charges on your behalf against the Forks Police Department. Jake's actions were a bit excessive and forceful, don't ya think?" she asks innocently, biting into her lip.

Ah…that's my girl.

But what was going to happen if I got tossed back in jail and Bella wasn't able to get my conviction thrown out?

"Bella, I'm scared," I blurt out against my own volition. Bella offers me a comforting smile and lays back down, returning her head to my chest.

"I know; I am too," she confesses, "but I am completely confident in your case. If I thought there was any chance of you winding up back behind bars, I'd hand you the keys to my car right this very moment and we'd get the hell out of here." I nod, knowing she was telling the truth. I needed to have faith in her and really, she hadn't given me any reason not to. I mean, I wasn't six feet under at the moment after all.

"I know; you're right. I just need to get my mind off all of the negative possibilities," I confess, placing a soft kiss into her hair. She nuzzles closer.

"I have an idea of how to preoccupy you," she whispers seductively, her hand trailing down the length of my body. My cock immediately responds to her gentle touch.

"You're going to be the death of me," I whimper, our lips making contact heatedly. Our kissing quickly turns heavy, her lips burning a trail of warm kisses across my jaw.

Bella nips and teases at my earlobe as my hand snakes up the backside of her shirt.

"God, I want you," she grunts as she pulls herself up onto her knees and straddles my lap. Her moves are so languid, so sensual, that I feel like a sixteen year old boy, about to release my load in my jeans, when the heat of her core rubs against my dick.

"Take me," I tell her as her fingertips find the zipper of my fly. Her hand slips in the small opening after she pulls it down and gropes me roughly. I could really get use to having this vixen of a woman take care of my needs like this.

"Oh, I plan to," she groans, stroking the entire length of my erection. Something about the way she varies the speed of her hand and the intensity of her grip tells me that Bella Swan likes to be in control.

Twenty minutes later, we're both an equal mix of sweat, soft touches, and exhaustion.

"We should probably get cleaned up before my dad gets here," Bella relents. I close my eyes, having been dreading those words since the moment she hung up the phone a little while ago.

"Yeah, probably. I should perhaps catch a quick shower and try to tend to my wounds a bit," I suggest, begrudgingly pulling my arm out from underneath her back and climbing off of the bed.

"Here, I'll help you," she says with a grin and follows me into the bathroom.

Fuck Charlie Swan. If he was to get here and find me driving balls deep into his daughter against the shower wall, well….that'd be his problem, not mine.

Not two hours later, I have been formally booked into the Clallam County Jail. When Chief Swan leads me to my private cell he must detect my solemn attitude.

"It's okay, son; my daughter is the best there is; she'll get this all sorted out in no time," he says, trying to lighten the mood. I offer him a small smile as he closes the cell door behind me and locks the pad.

"I know, but that sure doesn't make being back in this kind of place much easier to stomach," I confess. Charlie grunts in understanding before retreating back to the front of the jailhouse.

True to Charlie's words, he tells me early the next morning that Bella has filed papers with the district to have my conviction overturned.

"What does that mean exactly?" I ask, a bit ashamed I hadn't yet gotten a better handle on the American Justice System.

"It means that before a judge will hear your case, Prosecution from the State must present enough evidence to prove you have been wrongfully convicted."

Two days later, I stand before Judge Victoria Cope as she informs me the State will be willing to hear my case and she would like to set the trial for 9AM the following morning. I couldn't be more thankful. It's also the first time since I got put back in jail that I have had my hands free long enough to touch Bella again.

"You holding up okay?" she asks, just like she has the last two days when she has visited me back at the jailhouse.

"As best as I can be," I admit, shrugging my shoulders. I hadn't been freed just yet and did not want to count my chickens before they hatch, per say.

"We're going to get your conviction overturned, Edward. We just have to go through the motions and everything is going to turn out just fine," she says kindly as her lips sweetly peck mine when we exit the courthouse.

"Have I told you thank you for all you have done and are continuing to do for me?" I ask, pressing her small body against one of the marble columns that adorn the main entrance of the courthouse.

"No, but you've most definitely showed it." I grin as her lips nip at mine. I can't wait for the moment the Judge throws out my murder conviction and then Bella and I can get on with trying to create a life together.

"See you tomorrow at the trial," she says as the bailiff asks me to place my hands behind my back to be cuffed.

"Tomorrow," I say in farewell as I duck into the backseat of the awaiting squad car.

The next day, Charlie gathers me from my cell and brings in a dark gray suit I have never seen before.

"Bella thought it would look nice," he says with a shrug and passes it to me. That's my girl; always thinking about me. God….why I had to go through all of this shit to get to meet the girl of my dreams is beyond me, but I am sure grateful that I have.

After changing into the suit, and giving myself a quick shave, I'm ready to go and meet my fate. At the end of the day, I will either be a free man or a death row inmate, and only time will tell.

We arrive at the courthouse at a quarter til nine. I'm starting to get nervous, and just as I'm about to go crazy, there Bella is, walking into the courthouse and then joining me as she sits in the chair beside me.

My world just suddenly got brighter.

"You look beautiful today," I whisper to her. She blushes slightly before returning the compliment.

"Oh, this old thing?" I ask, pointing to my suit. "I've had it for years." Bella giggles quietly, not wanting to make a scene.

"Sorry, it was the best that I could do. It belongs to Jake. I just thought it might look nice if you dressed up today. Judge Cope has a record of siding with handsome, clean dressed gentleman in the past. Plus, she'll never be able to refuse that accent of yours." I roll my eyes. If charming the pants off the judge was going to help my case, well, so be it.

"All rise, the Honorable Judge Victoria Cope is now presiding." After going through the motions we all take to our seats.

"Ms. Swan, you have the floor," the Judge informs the court, and Bella stands up.

"Judge, I am asking you to overturn Edward Cullen's wrongful murder conviction in the case of one Tanya Denali. New evidence and resounding proof that I would like to submit to the court today will show it was not Mr. Cullen, but a Mr. Laurent Becerill who is the one responsible for Ms. Denali's death."

"Please, approach the bench with this information."

"Judge, Edward Cullen was wrongfully convicted due to circumstantial evidence. Mr. Cullen lived with Ms. Denali at the time she was murdered and the two of them had been going through some difficulty in their relationship. Edward found out that Ms. Denali had been selling and taking drugs and he was understandably upset and concerned about it. He was about to call the relationship off when he found Ms. Denali murdered. Neighbors claimed they overheard Mr. Cullen and Ms. Denali arguing over the couple of days that lead up to her death. Jurors saw this as circumstantial evidence. To them, it proved Mr. Cullen had a motive, per say, to kill Ms. Denali."

Bella walks back and forth during her opening monologue as she presents the case. She is every bit the professional up there and I can't help but beam with pride.

"However, when Edward was placed in jail he met another man named James Varner who knew Mr. Becerill very well. James informed Edward that Mr. Becerill was in fact responsible for the untimely death of Ms. Tanya Denali. Mr. Becerill had been giving drugs to Ms. Denali to sell and when she was unable to collect the money from the people she had sold them to, Ms. Denali was then forced to find the money herself. When she was unable to do so, Ms. Denali was given a deadline by Mr. Becerill that said if she didn't have the money by a certain date and time; she was going to pay the ultimate price."

My heart aches a bit when they talk about Tanya's death. She may not have been the perfect woman for me, but I did have feelings for her and it saddens me to think her life had to end the way it did.

The rest of the day continues much the same. Bella slips in every bit of information and piece of evidence she thinks will help our case. She's impressive to watch and very good at her job.

By the time five o'clock rolls around, things begin to wind down.

"How does this work?" I whisper to Bella as she rests her case.

"Well, the Judge will be able to grant you clemency today if she sees it fit. After that, I'll bring forth the charges to have Laurent arrested and locked up until a trial and jury can be put together."

I nod my head in understanding, hoping that everything Bella has done is enough.

"Please rise," the bailiff says as the Judge enters the room.

"In the case of Edward Cullen vs. the State of Washington, I find that there was not sufficient evidence taken into account during the original trial to convict a man to death row. That being said, I am hereby expunging Capital Murder from your permanent record, Mr. Cullen. You will still need to face the law for escaping prison, kidnapping, and theft of property, but until the State brings forth those charges, you are free to go. Do you clearly understand what I have said to you?" she asks, addressing me for the first time.

"Yes ma'am," I say and she smiles.

"British, are we?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Nice. I always had a thing for a British accent," she says with a wink and then continues on, "Ms. Swan, I'll expect to see charges tomorrow for Mr. Becerill. Got it?"

"Got it, Judge."

"You two are free to go then," she finishes and then adjourns the court.

"So, now what shall we do?" I ask Bella as we climb into her car and pull out into the roadway.

"I know who I'd like to do," she admits with a wink.

I mash my foot against the gas pedal a little harder.

Finally justice is served for our Fugitiveward! Now let's hope they find Laurent. So how's everyone doing out there?

Thanks for all of your support!