Disclaimer: As always all things Twilight related are sole propriety of Stephenie Meyer. The use of the characters she created in this story mean they are still her characters. The way that we have personalized them and changed them and molded them into our story however belongs to us along with this story line. No infringement intended. Huge outstanding wonderful thanks to all the wonderful ladies who bust behind to make us readable. Want to chat with us? Join us on Facebook at TeamAllTwilight & AndTAT Fan Fiction group.
Just want to say that both Nikky and I have been excited about posting this chapter for weeks now, and we are super stoked to see what you think after you read it.
*Special disclaimer... be careful reading this at work or in the library or someplace where you can't make noise and not have everyone come after you, because by far this chapter is one we expect to hear the most about... well til maybe the next chapter... LOL*
~HCV~
Chapter 25: A Sketching Surprise
Leah ends up in bed with us almost as soon as Bella and I go to bed. Seth comes in after a few hours have passed because he woke up with pain in his arm. I get him some medicine and he crawls up next to Bella. I lay there thinking for hours about how much I need to do everything in my power to protect them. The three people I'm watching over as they sleep are the three most important people in the world to me. As I slowly get my thoughts of last night clear, I realize I must've fallen asleep because I'm alone now and I hear crying.
Listening closer, I hear Leah sobbing. "Please, Bella, don't tell Edward!"
"Leah, he's not going to be mad at you. He'll understand that it was an accident. It will be alright, I promise." Bella's voice is light and strong, but I know her enough to hear the worry behind it.
"Yeah, Leah, it's alright. I used to do that all the time, remember?" Seth asks in an upbeat tone. I rub my face as I listen to the three of them talking. I roll over, and as I do, I feel a damp patch on my bed. I move away quickly, pull the covers back and I see a large wet spot on the bed. Now I know why my princess is upset; she wet the bed. I walk into the bathroom and see Leah getting dressed.
"Princess, are you alright?" I ask, bending down next to her and offering her my arms for a hug.
She looks at me and then to the floor and begins to cry again. "Edward, I'm really sorry... I... didn't mean... for it to... happen."
I pull her into my arms and hug her close as I rub her back. After her tears settle a little, I kiss the top of her head and step back slightly. "It's alright, Princess. These things happen. I know that you didn't mean to do it. That's why it's called an accident." Leah leaps back into my arms and hugs me tight. I look at Bella, who is helping Seth get washed up and giving him his medicine. "I have an idea," I say in a cheerful voice. "I think that today should be an official pajama day in our house. What do you three think?"
"What's a pajama day?" Leah sniffles in my ear. I let her go again, sitting her on the edge of the tub, and lean back so she can see my face as I answer her.
"Pajama day is when you stay in your pajamas all day and eat lots of bad stuff, watch movies, and play games all day long." Seth and Leah nod their heads at me and Bella gives me a small half nod with her smile. "Okay then, pajama day it is in our house. I just need to make a few phone calls. Why don't you all get your robes and slippers on, and I'll meet you for breakfast as soon as I am done." Seth and Leah hug me before walking out of the bathroom to get their slippers and robes.
After they leave the room, I look to see Bella biting her lip, and I know she's worrying about something. "I'm sorry that she wet the bed. She's never done that before."
I walk to Bella, wrapping my arms around her. "Baby, its okay. She's upset, and her body is reacting to that, so don't worry about it." I kiss her head and push her hair out of her face. I hiss as I see the large bruises that go all the way up one side of her face. "Baby, how are you feeling? Are you in pain?"
She shrugs her shoulders and tries to give me a smile. "I'm not sure. I..." She stops and rubs her head. "I feel like I failed them. He hurt Seth, and I should've been able to protect him better. I'm upset that it was Uncle Harry that broke into our apartment the other time. I don't understand why he did that, or what he was looking for. How could he do that to Seth and Leah? I mean, I know that he doesn't really like me much, but they're his sister's children. I thought he would love them." I hear her sob at the end, and see a few tears run down her face before she closes her eyes, taking deep breaths.
"Baby, you did everything you could've done to help them, and honestly, you did great. I'm here for you, and I promise I'm not going anywhere, but you're going to have to let this go. If you bottle it all up, it won't do you or the twins any good."
She nods her head and dries her eyes. "I can't talk about it right now. They need me, so I'd better get down there," she says. She stretches up on her tiptoes, kisses me on the cheek, and then walks out of the bathroom.
I get washed up and put on another set of pajamas. I notice that Bella has already taken all the bedding from my bed, so I walk downstairs and head into my office. I call all the people that I need to, and it takes the better part of an hour to get through to them all. When I'm finally finished, I head into the kitchen, seeing that they're just about to sit down for breakfast.
"I let everyone know that we would be here today. A Detective Hassan is going to come over to talk to everyone. Jasper and Peter are going to come over and sit with Seth and Leah as they are questioned." They all look at me and nod their heads in acknowledgment.
We spent much of the morning playing games, and I did my best to make sure everyone had fun. Right now, I believe that it's most important to make sure the kids know that it's okay to laugh and enjoy themselves. The sweetest sound to my ears was when all three of them were laughing and joking around.
The detectives arrived, and ask that they speak to just Bella and I today. The lead detective tells us that he will speak to Seth and Leah at school, and that Peter and Jasper have already spoken to him regarding their presence when the twins are interviewed. The detective also explains that he and his partner would like to go over our statements separately. One of them is going to be speaking with Bella in my office, while the other will be speaking with me in the kitchen. Esme arrived and is sitting with the twins in the living room, watching The Smurfs.
After an hour long session our statements have been taken, and we all stand in the foyer. Bella's beside me with her whole body leaning heavily into me.
"I think we've got just about everything we need. There's just one more thing. You see, Harry has always been good at covering his tracks. He's a master of disguises, and has the ability to change his look often, so we don't have a clear picture of what he looks like. How would you feel about sitting with a sketch artist so we can get a better idea of what he looks like now?" Matt – as he asked us earlier to call him - looks at Bella as he asks.
"Matt, Bella's a really great artist. She can draw a perfect portrait from memory. I'd think with her drawing skills, she could do one herself, and it would be much more accurate than having someone else try to do it from her memory. Is that something you think you can do, Baby?" I ask her as I look down to see her biting on her lip. I know she's nervous, but she's more worried about him hurting the kids than her. Her eyes finally meet mine, and she nods her head, letting me know she can do it. "She can do it. How about this: she'll sketch it out and drop it off later this week?"
Matt looks between Bella and me, and Bella bites her lip again. I reach up to release it from her teeth before it bleeds. "That would work. Thank you for your time. We'll be in touch." He shakes my hand and gives Bella a smile before he and his partner leave.
Bella lets out a breath and looks at me, clearly scared. "Do... um, do you think Uncle Harry will... will come here?"
I shake my head and pull her into my arms even more. "No, I don't think so, but I'll protect all three of you and show each of you how to use the alarm system. Also, for the time being, I think it'll be best for you to have someone with you at all times. Matt assured me that he is also going to have a patrol car drive by every half hour, so you and the twins are safe." She looks at me and nods her head, but I can still see the worry in her eyes. I know full well that until Harry Clearwater is caught, Bella will be in a constant state of anxiousness.
~HCV~
The next few days go by, and Bella cheers up when Emmett and Christopher return. You can see that she clearly missed the little guy. I wake up to find my bed empty, and I'm certain I only awoke because she wasn't beside me. I get up, looking in the twins rooms first, but she isn't there. I check downstairs, but she isn't in the kitchen or living room. I check my office next, since she has taken to curling up on my sofa and reading, but she isn't there, either. I feel a sense of panic rising, but I can see that the alarm is active and hasn't been reset or touched since I enabled it at a quarter to ten. I have looked pretty much everywhere for her, but still can't find her, so I head back up the steps and decide to look in her art room. As I open the door, I find her sitting in one of my shirts, painting. "Baby, is everything alright?"
She turns her head and looks at me. "I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep. I had a bad dream, so I thought this might help."
I walk over, sit behind her, and wrap my arms around her waist. "Why didn't you wake me up, my love?"
She turns her head and looks at me over her shoulder. "I know that you haven't been sleeping much, either. I thought you looked so peaceful, so I decided to let you be."
I kiss her neck and then look at the picture she's working on. She's painting baby Christopher cradled in a large set of hands, and in the background is a meadow. "Emmett is going to love this! Maybe we shouldn't show him just yet."
She smiles but doesn't look at me. "I finished the sketch for Matt and then this popped into my head."
I watch for a while longer as she paints more of the picture of Christopher. "Baby, we can drop your picture off tomorrow." I look over to where it's sitting, and try so hard not to run over there and look at it. I want to know what this fucker looks like. If he comes near this house, I will kill him for hurting my family. Not wanting to scare her, I decide to wait to see the sketch until we meet with Matt.
I turn back and watch her paint some more. I'm amazed at how good she is. I know that she's using images in her mind to make this, because at no point have we ever taken Christopher to a meadow. She is truly talented. "I really love to watch you paint pictures like this. You are so incredibly gifted, Baby. It must be amazing to be able to do something like this," I say, pointing to her lifelike painting.
She looks at me and has a twinkle in her eye as she jumps up and moves around. "Stay right here," she says. I watch as she puts her painting of Christopher aside to dry, and grabs another canvas, placing it in front of me. "When I start, I close my eyes and let myself relax." She looks at me and motions for me to move. "Stand up," she directs, and I do as she says.
"I'm going to teach you how to paint." I chuckle at her and can't help but think that this is going to be messy. "Edward, I need you to think about what you want to paint. Just think of one thing: a person or a place." I smile, thinking of her; she's the only thing on my mind right now. "Do you have something in mind?" she asks, and I nod my head. "Okay, you need to visualize what you want to paint in your head, and then slowly memorize it a little at a time. Pay attention to the details so that you know where every line and curve is. Pay attention to the colors, and let the lines speak to you. Let the colors mingle into the picture. Just continue to look at the picture; remember where you are and what is around you. Let your mind fill things in for you. Sometimes you see more with your eyes closed than you do with them wide open. If it doesn't look right in your mind, then change it."
I see Bella in our room, naked in bed with a sheet covering her most personal areas. Her eyes are open, and I see desire and love shining in them. Her hair is fanned out over the pillow beneath her head, and one arm is resting above her. Bella's quiet for a few minutes as I think about the image in my mind. "Now open your eyes, Edward, and see the picture on the canvas in front of you. Can you see it?"
"Yeah, I can," I say, letting out the breath I was holding because I could still see the image clearly.
"Now we get to do the fun part," she says, picking up a smaller paint brush. "Edward, you get to color in the drawing. What color do you want first?"
I look her in the eye and answer automatically. "Brown." She nods her head at me, getting a little of the brown on the brush, and then placing it in my left hand. I feel her hand over mine, and I step closer to her, wrapping my other arm around her waist.
"Where do we start?" Bella asks me, so I move the brush to where I see her hair in the picture. I touch the brush to the canvas, and stroke down the length of her hair. After several passes, I glance at Bella from the corner of my eye, and I can see that she realizes I am picturing her.
"Baby, can we work on this more some other time? I would much rather run my fingers through the real thing than paint it."
"Yes, Edward. I think I'd like that a lot."
I turn her to face me after setting the brush down. Pulling her close to me, I slip my finger into her hair behind her neck. Tilting her head slightly, I pull her mouth to mine. As soon as our lips touch, she's licking my bottom lip. I open my mouth to her and involuntarily moan out as our tongues touch. Letting her have hegemony over our actions is customary for me, because I don't want to impel her too far, too fast. Every time we're together intimately, her actions become more bold and confident.
"Edward, take me to our bed, please?"
"Anytime, my love, anytime," I say as I pick her up bridal style and carry her to our bed.
Placing her on the bed, I follow her onto the mattress while kissing her. Running my fingers across the soft skin of her neck, I deepen the kiss. This woman takes all I give and gives it back tenfold. As my fingers trail across her skin, she moans into my mouth. When I pull back to move my mouth down her neck, her ragged breaths are only interrupted by her moans. I unbutton my shirt that she's wearing as my mouth leaves a trail across her skin. Kissing down her flesh, I can smell her arousal as my lips graze over the skin just below her bellybutton. Dipping my tongue into her cute bellybutton, she moans out, and the sound encourages me on. I kiss to the side and lightly drag my teeth across her hipbone. Hooking my thumbs into the sides of her lacy panties, I pull them down her body. With my mouth wide open, I place it over her mound. As soon as my tongue glides through her slit, her back arches off the bed and her fingers thread into my hair, pulling my face tighter into her wet heat. Licking fast and sucking the little, fleshy nub into my mouth soon has her screaming out my name as her body quakes. Licking up the juices still coming from her tight, wet pussy, I restrain her hips as she rides out her high. Working my way back up her body, I lick and suck a trail up to her mouth. Getting to her face, she pulls me to her and sucks my tongue into her mouth. I can't help but moan out in pleasure, because the way she's sucking my tongue makes my cock throb. Hooking her leg, she pushes me to the right, and I let her roll us over. Her small hands makes quick work of my pajama pants, and soon they're on the floor by her discarded panties. She kisses my skin and lightly rubs her body and hands across my abdomen. Scratching and biting, she tastes every part of my torso.
"Edward, I want you to take me. Make me yours again and again," she pants into my ear. Biting my neck and sucking the flesh into her mouth, marking me, she drives me forward. I flip us back over, and my fingers make purchase inside her tight heat. As I plunge two fingers into her, I spend time licking and nipping her breasts. I can feel the walls of her pussy clenching firmly around my digits.
"You're mine, Baby, and no one will ever touch you this way. This hot, tight little pussy belongs to me. Tell me what you want, Baby. Tell me what you want me to do."
"Ed... ward... I... please... put your cock... in me... now!" she pants out.
"Oh, Baby, I'll give you my cock with pleasure. It belongs to you." I fist my throbbing cock and stroke it a few times. Nudging the tip between her silky smooth, wet lips, I bring it up and circle her bundle of nerves. I continue to circle as she mewls out my name. When I have her panting hard, I bring my cock down to her opening and slowly push the tip into her. As my thickness pushes into the sopping heat of her tight pussy, I pinch her clit until I'm fully seated inside her. With her clit still lightly pinched between my fingers, I rub them together and make her gasp out in ecstasy. Releasing my clamp on her bundle of nerves, I hook her left leg over my arm. I recoil and lunge back in, each movement causing her to moan, gasp, or whimper. Her fingers twist into my hair and she pulls my face to hers.
"Harder... it... it... feels so wonderful."
I push harder after hooking her right leg and lifting her bottom up to meet my thrusts. "Baby, you feel so good. I fucking love being inside you. I. Love. You. And. Want. Only. You," I say each word with a resounding slap of our skin as I move within her.
"I love you, I love you," we both chant together. The words come out in a cry of moans and climax-soaked mutterings from us both.
~HCV~
Emmett, Carlisle, Jasper, and I are all at the gym working out. Esme, Zafrina, and Chas are taking Bella to a spa for the afternoon. Seth and Leah are with Sally for a special Sunday School day camp. Both things were planned before the whole Harry thing came up. Bella said that she still wanted to go if they did, and Jasper thought it would help to keep her mind off things and the spa would help relax her. There is still a part of me that wants to stay right next to her, but when Aro said that he was having Felix trail the girls and Garrett watch the twins with Sally, I agreed to it.
"Edward. Son, can I have a quick word with you?" I look at Carlisle, who looks vexed, so I nod my head and follow him. "Edward, I can see that the physical side of yours and Bella's relationship is heating up, so I brought you some stuff; it's in my car."
I look at him, dumbfounded. What the hell is he talking about? "What?" I ask as he rolls his eyes at me.
"You know, to put on before..."
Fuck, he is talking about condoms. It really isn't a conversation I want to have at the gym. I mean, fuck! Scratch that. It's not a talk I want to have; period. "There's no need. We're both clean, so why would we need them?" I ask as I move to walk away, but he grabs my arm, looking at me as if I'm stupid.
"Oh, shit! You've already had sex with her, haven't you?"
I nod my head at his question, but am bothered by his asking. "I really don't get what's wrong, Carlisle..."
He holds up his hand, halting my words. "Edward, condoms are used to stop STDs and other things as well." He looks at me, but I still don't get what the hell his problem is. "Edward, for a smart guy, you're a bit slow. What else can happen with unsafe sex?" Pregnancies, shit! I look at him wide-eyed. "Ah, you finally get it, huh? Since I'm her doctor, I know she isn't on the pill right now. I was planning to ask you to bring her in so we could all talk through your options. I noticed things heating up, and I wanted to be proactive, so I got you condoms. I got enough to last you for a month, since the pill takes that long to kick in."
I rub my face and sigh. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Oh, fuck! What have I done? "We've done it a few times in the past couple of weeks already. Will she be alright? I mean..." I stop as I hear him chuckle.
"Edward, please don't tell me you think that she can't get pregnant so soon. I think she should be fine, but you need to bring her in for a checkup. When was the last time?"
I let out a heavy sigh. "Last night."
He nods his head. "Okay, bring her in next week, and use condoms until then. I'll give her a pregnancy test before we start her on some birth control." I rub my face in worry. What the fuck am I going to say to her?
~HCV~
It's Thursday, and Bella and I have just dropped the twins at school and are heading back to the house to finish up a few things before we head over to the police station to hand in the sketch of Harry that Bella made for Matt.
There's a knock at my door just as Bella and I are about to sit down on the sofa. I open the door to find the State Policemen who are handling the James Hunter case standing in front of me. "Hello, Mr. Masen. May we have a quick word?" I nod my head, allowing them to come in before showing them to the living room.
"Bella, this is Detective Spades and Detective Scully. They work for the State Police, and are investigating Bree's case. Gentlemen, this is my girlfriend, Bella."
They nod their heads in her direction. "It's a pleasure to meet you, miss," Detective Scully says.
"Nice to meet you, Bella," says Detective Spades.
She smiles at them and nods in return. "Would either of you like a drink?" They nod their heads and I see their smiles get bigger.
"Coffee would be wonderful if you have it. We both take it black with one sugar, thank you."
"Do you want anything, Edward?" Bella asks before kissing my cheek. I shake my head and hold up the glass of juice I have in my hand. She smiles at me and heads off to the kitchen.
"Please take a seat, gentlemen. What can I help you with?"
They both sit down and Detective Spades looks at me. "Mr. Hunter has been spotted in Seattle near your restaurant. We were popping in to see if you've seen him or run into him?"
I shake my head. "If I did, you would've been the first to know."
They nod as Detective Scully writes down some information in his notebook. "Do you know why he would have gone to your restaurant?"
Again I shake my head. "I have no idea why he would be there. I haven't really been in much myself these past few months."
Just as I finish saying this, Bella walks in with the tray of coffee and a plate of muffins. Both of the detectives turn and smile at her. "Thank you, Bella," Detective Spades says.
She returns their smile and sits beside me. "Is everything okay?" I nod my head at her without speaking.
"We would like to ask your staff if they've seen him. We plan on going there next. We have the picture that was taken of him when he was questioned."
I nod my head at them, giving my permission to question my employees. "I'm sure that will be fine. I'll draw up a list of people that work there. I have something to do this afternoon, but I can join you there after I finish."
They both nod their heads, as Bella looks at me. "Will you need to speak with me?" Bella turns as she asks them while looking between us.
"Do you work at Midnight Sun, Bella?"
Bella nods her head in answer to the question. "Bella, James Hunter, Bree's teacher, has been seen near the restaurant. They just want to show you a picture and ask if you've seen him, okay?" Bella nods her head, so Detective Scully passes the photo to her. I watch as Bella's already pale faces gets even paler and she begins to shake. Both of the detectives look at each other and then to her as I jump up. "Bella, have you seen him?" She doesn't answer me, and begins muttering to herself and rubbing her head. "BELLA!" I take hold of her hand and clasp her face, making her look at me. "What's wrong?"
She looks at me with fear in her eyes. "I... I don't understand... I'm so confused."
I rub her cheeks with my thumbs. "What about, Baby? Tell me and I'll help you."
She closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths. "This..." She stops and turns the picture to me. "This can't be Mr. Hunter. I don't get why they're showing me this picture. I thought Matt said they didn't have one?"
I look at her in complete and total confusion. "Bella, Baby, this is James Hunter. This is the same man I ran into when I was in Forks."
Bella shakes her head adamantly. "No, its not! This..." she says, holding up the photo, "is Uncle Harry!" She moves away from me, getting her sketch. "Look... see? This is Uncle Harry, not Mr. Hunter." I look at her and then at the two detectives who look as confused as I am. I look at the sketch in my hand, seeing that I'm looking at James Hunter. Fucking son of a bitch! I saw him. He was right in front of me. Fuck, maybe that was why he gave me that fucking smirk when I saw him.
"Who is your Uncle Harry, and who is Matt?" I look back at Detective Scully.
"Harry Clearwater is Bella's step-uncle. He's a wanted man. He broke into Bella's apartment twice. Once he robbed her, and the second time he attacked her and her younger brother and sister. Matt is the Seattle Police Detective assigned to the case. His last name is Hassan. Matt is looking for Harry because he's also wanted for other crimes, including bank robbery and several homicides, two of which were police officers."
They both look at each other, and suddenly, Detective Scully jumps up to make a phone call. "We know who he is, Bella. Are you sure that it's the same person?" Bella, who is now close to tears, nods her head. "Looks like we'll need to stick around a little longer. I need to ask you a few more questions, if I may, Bella?" Detective Spades says, his tone speaking volumes and telling me he's not really asking.
Bella nods her head and looks at me, and I can see that she's terrified. "You're going to have to give us a few minutes. She is obviously in shock." He looks at me and I glare at him. "I wasn't asking. I'm taking her to my office. I'll bring her back in five minutes or so." I grab Bella's arm, pulling her with me. As I close my office door, Bella slowly falls apart.
"No, no, he couldn't have hurt Bree or those other girls; it can't be him. Please, tell me they made a mistake."
I pull her into my arms. "Hush, Bella. It's going to be okay. I'll make sure of that, alright?" I pull away from her enough so I can look in her eyes. "I need to call Matt and Emmett. I want you to stay right here with me." Bella looks at me and nods her head.
I stall Detectives Scully and Spades for half an hour, and both frown when Emmett walks in with Matt close behind. "I really don't think a lawyer is needed. We just want to ask her a few questions.
"Yes, you can ask her whatever you need to ask, but I will be present as you do so," Emmett says as he walks over to them.
"As will I," Matt says.
"Look, can we just do it here, please? I'm not sure if I can be of any help. I really don't know much." They go through a lot of questions, many about what her mother said and how often she saw Harry. Did she know he changed his name? Did she know any of the other names he used.
"Do you remember December of 2003?"
Bella freezes at this question, and I rub her arms and cuddle her closer to my chest. "Yes. That's when my dad died and Seth and Leah were born."
They look at her and nod. "What can you tell me about that day? Tell me everything you remember."
I sigh, knowing that this is going to be hard for my Baby to relive. "She had just turned eleven... God..."
My rant is cut off pretty much from the beginning by Bella placing her fingers on my lips. "I'll be okay, Edward," she says, turning back to the detectives surrounding the table. "Dad had his uniform on and he was smiling. Mom was really excited. She kept saying that this was it; this was their big chance. I remember Dad laughing, saying it was as long as Harry didn't fu..." she stops, looking at them, "it up!"
They both look at her strangely, and I feel the need to defend her. "Bella doesn't swear. She tends to leave out any swear words." They all snicker at her and Spades raises an eyebrow but holds back a disrespectful chuckle. I glare at him and let out a little growl.
"It was later that day, and Mom was getting worried because they weren't back. I hid because she was talking to herself, and she didn't like me to be in the same room as her. There was a knock at the door, and two men, that were dressed the same as Dad was when he left, were standing there." It sounded like her dad was dressed as a cop. "They came in and said that Dad was dead; that he got shot during a robbery. They also said that Uncle Harry was one of the robbers. They asked her about Uncle Harry, and if she knew what he was going to do or where he was going. She told them she didn't. "They kept asking questions, and Mom started shouting, and the next thing I knew, she was lying in a wet puddle on the floor screaming."
They nod their heads while Scully continues taking notes. "When did your Uncle Harry come back?"
"It was a few months after that, because Seth and Leah were both home, and they had to stay in hospital for a little while."
Again they nod their heads. "When was the last time you saw Uncle Harry?"
She looks at me, and I can see that she's scared again. "Sunday was the last time I saw him. He broke into the apartment we were staying in."
They look at her, and I swear Spades smirks. "Yes, we have those notes here, and before that?"
Bella looks down and I hear the sadness again. "We... I didn't see him, but our apartment was broken into in November. He... he said that he had done that, too. But the last time I saw him before that, was almost seven years ago. He came to the apartment for money, but my mom was gone." I see her shaking, knowing that was the time he beat her. I stop her and continue the story where she left off as Bella looks down at the floor. I'm surprised to see that not only does Matt look pissed about the story, but both of the other detectives do, too.
"When's the last time you saw your mom?" Bella rubs her head, and I know this is pushing her a lot.
"It will be six years on the tenth of April."
They look at each other and then to her. "Am I right in saying that your birthday is September the thirteenth of 1992?" Bella nods her head. "Your step-mom left you to care for your brother and sister at the age of thirteen and a half?" Again, Bella nods her head at them and they sigh.
"Okay. I think we have enough for now. We'll be in touch." They look at Matt, who also nods.
After I walk them out, I head back to Bella, who is curled up on the sofa. "Baby, you did so well."
She looks at me, shaking her head. "I should've told someone. If I had, then he wouldn't have hurt all those other girls and people." I pull her into my arms as Emmett walks away, giving us time alone.
"No, Baby. You didn't know. It's not your fault, and no one will blame you."
She gives me a disbelieving look. "Will you call Bree and her parents to let them know? I want it to come from us. Please?"
I give her a nod. "Yeah, I can do that. But first I want to ask you something... about your dad." Bella looks at me, nodding her head, so I continue. "Is the reason you don't like banks because your dad died in one?"
Bella bites her lip and nods her head. "Yeah, I saw it on the news a few days later. The people who were there looked so scared. It happened a lot. I mean, I think Harry has done it before. I remember him saying it should go as smoothly as the rest." I rub her arm, knowing this is something that needs to be passed on to the detectives.
"What about your dad? I mean, him being a police officer?"
Bella gives me a strange look. "What?"
She shakes her head. "I don't think he was a police officer; he had a lot of different uniforms. I remember seeing some of them. Like an ambulance worker and a fireman. He even had those pizza delivery driver ones. Sometimes he even dressed in a suit that had a collar like the pastor at our church has, and he carried a bible around with him when he was dressed like that. It seemed as if he was always dressing in a different uniform each time we moved."
I look at her, unsure of what to say, and notice how tired and upset she looks. "Bella, it's just about half past one. Why don't you take a nap and I'll call Liam and let him know. I'll come up after that and rest with you, but you go ahead and lie down now." She nods her head and quickly kisses my lips before running up the stairs. I rub my face, letting out a heavy sigh.
"This is fucked up." I look up, seeing Emmett standing there, and nod my head at him.
"Tell me about it. I can't believe Harry and James are the same person. Emmett, I've seen him. Fuck! He has a similar build as me, and he is as creepy as fuck. I so wanted to hit him, but I didn't. I got a bad vibe from him, but I let it go, and in turn, he hurt Bree, Seth, Leah, Bella, and countless others. I should have stuck to my guns and hit the fucker."
Emmett shakes his head at me. "You had a gut feeling, Ed. There isn't much you could've really done to change the way he is. It just pisses me off that Bella and the kids were around a fucker like that. And there's another part of me that's glad he did what he did to those other girls and not to her."
I let out a sigh while nodding my head. "I better make that phone call and head up to Bella."
Emmett nods his head in agreement before speaking. "I better get back to work. I'll see you later this evening."
~HCV~
I head into my office to call Liam.
"Hey, Edward..."
I take a deep breath. "Hey, Liam... there's something I need to tell you, and it's not going to be easy, but please just listen."
I take a few more seconds, waiting for Liam to reply. "Sure, Edward," he says.
I close my eyes and take him though what Harry has done to Bella these past few months. I make it clear that Harry is not a nice guy and Bella fears him.
"Shit, Edward. That sounds fucked up! I'm glad that she and the kids are alright."
I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Anyway, the State Police and the Seattle Police were here today, and they said that James was seen near my restaurant." Liam lets out a growl when I say James' name. "They showed Bella a picture of him, and things kind of went south fast from there. It turns out that Harry and James are, in fact, the same person." The other end goes deadly quiet, so I clear my throat and finish. "Bella asked me to let you know. She wanted it to come from us and not the detectives. She really didn't have any idea when we were talking about James that he was her uncle."
I hear deep breathing on the other end. "Are you sure? I mean, it doesn't sound like this Harry could've been a teacher. How could he fool the Board of Education like he did? Shit, Edward. I need to go and think about this. My heart tells me Bella would never allow someone to get hurt, but my head is pissed that he hurt her, and if she had just told on him when he hurt her, then my girl would still be alright. I can't help but think he wouldn't have had the chance to hurt her."
I close my eyes again. "Liam, I understand."
I hear a loud bang from the other side of the line. "I don't think you do. He made her touch him, Edward. Tell Bella not to call here until you hear from me. I need some time."
Without another word, the phone is cut off. I open my eyes to see Bella standing at the door crying. I look at her in shock, as this is the first time I have ever seen her really full-out crying. I jump up and run to her, pulling her into my arms; holding her close to me.
"He's right. It's all... my fault. I should have told someone. I shouldn't have been so stupid." I feel her legs give out, and I scoop her up before she hits the ground. I rock her back and forth as she continues crying against my chest.
It took an hour for Bella to calm down, and in the end I called Esme and Carlisle to help. When they got here, Esme went to collect the twins from school, and Carlisle went to speak with Bella.
"She's alright. I gave her something to help calm her, but I think it would be a good idea to have Jasper talk with her." I nod my head at him, thinking about him having to medicate her to calm her down. "Edward, I want you to know the meds I gave her will be alright for her if she is... you know."
I place my hand on his arm and shake my head. "She's not."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. She started her period today." We both let out a sigh of relief. A baby would not be a good idea right now, but there's a part of me that's sad. I would love to have a baby with Bella, but I know that we will need to wait.
"Edward, it's not the right time, and medically speaking, I don't think her body could handle it right now. She's doing much better physically, but with everything going on, her stress level wouldn't be conducive to a healthy pregnancy."
I know that he's right, so I nod my head at him.
~HCV~
It's been a week since we found out that Harry and James are one and the same. It turns out he's a wanted con-artist in nearly every state. Liam called last night and apologized for his reaction. After talking it out with Sienna and Bree, he realized he had overreacted. Bree told him of Bella's age, informing him of how young she really was. When he called, I told him a little of Bella's past with her approval. I told him why Bella didn't call the police after Harry hurt her. Once he was told about Bella's past, he understood why she didn't call the police. Bree was very angry at her dad and told him so.
Detectives Scully and Spades have returned to my house, and I have just let them in. "Good evening, Mr. Masen." I look at them, rubbing my face. "Is there a place where we can speak privately?"
"We can talk in my office," I offer, and they both follow me after I close the door.
"Mr. Masen, we're here to speak to Miss Swan. Could you get her for us, please?"
I raise an eyebrow at them and cross my arms over my chest. "No, I can't. She was upset after you left the last time. She's still fucking upset, and I will not have you coming here, making her feel like all this is her fault in any way, shape, or form."
They both look at me, and I notice Spades does so with a smirk. "Are you sure she's as good and squeaky clean as she makes herself out to be?"
I growl at them, but Spades just looks at me, clearly amused.
"Do you know this person?" he hands me a photo, and I look at it before shaking my head at him. "That's James Hunter." I look to the picture he handed me again and then back to him. "It took a little while, but we found a picture of him from when he graduated from college. From the information we've been able to obtain, Harry Clearwater, Charlie Swan, and Sue Clearwater Swan were all con-artists and took on many different aliases. Some people whose names they used were more unlucky than others. Case in point, this man," he points to the photo I'm still holding, "James Hunter. It appears that they killed him just after the bank robbery. We're pretty sure that Harry killed him to take over his life and new job." I look at them, and I'm sure the shock I'm feeling is clearly evident on my face. "We found a storage unit. It was in Sequim under your name."
I shake my head at them. "I don't have a storage unit in Sequim. Hell, for that matter, I don't have a storage unit anywhere."
"That's what we thought, and when Harry was seen at the Sequim facility, it pretty much confirmed that you didn't know. We believe that he's used your name a few times for housing and storage. The first time we found records of anything strange in your name was around nine years ago."
I rub my face and pull my hair as I think. "But I never met him before that day in Forks. What the hell has he been using my name for?" I feel the anger build up inside of me.
"From what we can gather, he used it mainly for rental places like we said before. However, we did find that he used it a few times to pick up girls, as well. We also found a few accounts in your name that are questionable, and we know that he used your name in Vegas to get married. There's also a report there where the victim gave your name, but the description she gave of the perp didn't match our records. That's why no one has ever contacted you about this."
I stand up and start to pace. "What the fuck was the charge?" I asked, not meaning to shout so loud.
"He beat and raped a young woman when she refused him."
I sigh and start to pace the floor. "I didn't do that."
They both nod their heads at me. "We already checked it out, and you were at the college giving a presentation on that day three years ago."
I pull at my hair again as my office door opens. "Edward, is everything okay? What's going on?"
I open my eyes to look at Bella, and notice that she still looks so fucking messed up. "Everything's fine, Miss Swan. We're just having a quick chat with Mr. Masen, and then we would like to speak with you."
I walk over to Bella and hug her into my side. "I told you that you can't. She's not part of this. She can't tell you shit!"
Bella places her hand on my face, trying to calm me. "Sure, Detectives. What can I help you with?"
They both smile at her. I sigh and bite the edge of my fist as they start asking her question after question. Zafrina came over during the questioning to sit with the twins. I'd sent her a text, not wanting them to be alone in the house or hear any of this garbage. I'm glad she came over, because the questioning has taken over two hours so far.
"Miss Swan, we saw the picture you did for Matt, and we were wondering if you could draw one of your mom and dad for us? We're in need of one so we have a clear picture as to what they looked like."
Bella nods her head. "I have a lot already. They're at the apartment in a sketch book. There's one with both of them when they used to dress up. You could use that, but only if you promise to give it back so Seth and Leah can have it. I drew it for them so they always have a picture of their parents."
They both nod their heads at her, agreeing to return the original once they had a copy. "Of course, thank you. When can we come collect it? Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, could we please get into your mother's room to have a look around? That may give us some insight on how to find Harry and Sue."
Bella looks at me, almost pleading with me to help her, and I know it's because she's worried about people entering that bitch's room. "She can't hurt you, Baby. I won't allow her to. They need to get in there because it sounds like she's in a lot of trouble."
Bella nods her head at me and then turns back to the detectives. "You can. However, I'd like Edward to get everything for you. I mean, if you just want the paperwork, then can't he get it and take it to you? If you still need to get into the room after that, I'll let you in."
They both nod again, and I think Spades is shocked that she's so willing to help. "That sounds fair," Scully responds.
When we're done, I walk them to the door. "I'll come by later this week, but you're going to have wait. I won't leave her while she is upset."
They nod their heads in understanding. "Don't worry so much. We're trying to make sure she's in the clear on this. That's why we're going over everything right now. I really wouldn't put it past Harry or Sue to try and drag her down with them." I nod my head in agreement, and then close the door after they leave.
"Baby, I'm going to go down to the gym for a bit."
She looks at me and nods. "I love you," I say, kissing her head before running down to the gym. I haven't used my home gym in a few weeks, but I know that I need to right now. I have to work out as much of this anger and stress as I can. I get changed into some gym shorts and cross trainers, but leave my shirt off. I grab my boxing gloves, make my way over to the punching bag, and start pounding the piss out of it.
I don't know how long I've been down here, but I suddenly feel as if Bella is here with me. I can always tell when she's close; it's like a sixth sense. I keep my focus on the bag but quickly glance at the mirror behind it. I see Bella sitting on the bench in her tank top and boy shorts and I smirk as I watch her in the mirror. She's staring at my chest, and then suddenly her eyes meet mine in the mirror. I love the blush that rises, and she bites her bottom lip but still gives me a small smile. She mouths 'I love you' to me, so I nod my head and give her a wink while never ceasing my attack on the bag.
As I hit for God only knows how much longer, I sense her watching me. I slow down a bit, and feel my shoulder tense up from exertion. As I watch Bella stand up and start to make her way over to me, I hit the bag one last time. Once she reaches me, she wraps her small hands around my shoulders, stands on her tiptoes, and places a soft kiss against my skin. She begins to rub my shoulders, but stops and lets out a small chuckle. "You're too tall. Come and sit down, and I'll give you a shoulder and back massage."
I look at her, shaking my head. "Baby, I'm all sweaty. You really don't want to touch me like this."
She looks at me and quirks one of her eyebrows. "I like you all sweaty, but you do have a point. Why don't I help you shower? Better yet, how about I wash you in the tub and then put you in bed before I give you a massage? That way you'll be relaxed and clean and all ready for bed, and then you can let the relaxation put you to sleep instead of going to shower after I get done with you. Now, let's go get you all nice and clean." She grabs my hand, pulling me along, and I let out another chuckle.
"You can wash me in the shower, Baby. I don't want to get in the tub tonight."
"Okay. I like being in the shower with you, too," she says with a smile.
We take a shower together, and true to her word, Bella washes my entire body. I look at her as we head into the bedroom; we are both only wearing the warmed towels she wrapped around us. "I'm really sorry for leaving you tonight. I just... fuck, Baby. I just feel so angry."
Bella shakes her head. "No, you were okay. Everything was fine. You just needed a time out. I understand the need to be alone with your thoughts. It's okay, really. Esme and Carlisle came and took Seth and Leah for the night, and Emmett took Christopher to his parent's house."
She pushes me onto the bed, and I chuckle, looking at her as she bites her lip and spins her finger, signaling for me to turn around. I pout but lie on my stomach. When I feel Bella straddle me, I look over my shoulder and watch her pour some oil onto her small hands, rub them together, and then places them on my back. She presses her weight down into her hands as she runs them down my spine. I moan out, and I'm not sure if it's from pleasure or pain. I'm tight and sore, but her fingers leave a trail of electrical current across my skin.
"Baby, that feels amazing," I moan out as her hands glide back up to my shoulders. She kneads the muscles across my upper back, paying special attention to the knotted muscles. The more she rubs my skin, the more turned on I get. "Love, you're making it quite hard for me not to just flip you over and start rubbing against you," I growl out as her hands stroke down so low that they're on my hips now.
"Maybe that's what I want," she says in a shy voice.
Reaching behind me, I tug her to my right side as I turn over and pull her face to mine. The moaning sound filling the room is a combination of us both as our lips devour each other. Before I know it, her sleek, lean body is straddling me again, but this time I am lying on my back. As she grinds her silky, robe-covered body against mine, I grab for a condom. I watch as she pulls the tie on her robe and it falls open. She's completely bare beneath the silk. The towel that was covering my torso has vanished, and I sheath my cock in the latex.
"I want you, Baby, and I want you to control this," I tell her as I stroke her drenched heat.
She bites her lip seductively as she gives me a slight nod. I know she's nervous, so I help guide her into position. Holding my cock in place, she slowly lowers her tautness to surround me as we become one. With every movement, we seem to meld together. It's amazing to me, because it's as if my body anticipates every move she makes. She moves, I move. It's like we're two magnets attracting each other, and the feeling is so incredibly intense.
Before long, we're both panting hard, and I move my thumb to circle her clit.
"Baby, you feel so good riding my cock. Oh, God, Baby, you're going to make me bust my nut. Fuck Baby... oh, God..." I moan out as I shoot my load into the tip of the condom.
Suddenly her body quakes and the only sound I hear is her saying my name over and over again. When her orgasm subsides, we lie on the bed, still connected for several minutes. Once our breathing returns to normal, I reach between us and hold the base of the condom as I pull us apart.
"God, I hate these things. They always feel so squishy," I say as I peel off the used rubber.
"Carlisle said we have to use them until the pills he gave me start to work so we don't have any 'oops' babies," she says, repeating Carlisle's words to her.
"No baby we make together can ever be considered an 'oops', my love. But before we go making any babies, I want you to be my wife first," I whisper into her ear and then kiss her cheek.
I look at her closely, deciding that we need to talk about our living arrangements. "Baby, I want to ask you about something important. I've been meaning to talk to you about this for ages now. I understand that you may need time to think it over, and of course talk to Seth and Leah, but I want you to know this is what I want. Baby, I really want for you, Seth, and Leah to move in here with me permanently. I didn't want you to leave in January, and now that you're back here and have been for quite a while, I'm not ready to give you up again. Please, Baby... please. Promise me that you'll at least think about it?"
Bella looks at me, biting her lip. "I really would like that. I feel at home here, and I've never felt like that before, but I'll only move in if Seth and Leah agree to it. Also, there are a few things that you and I need to discuss if we do move in here with you."
I look at her, smiling because I know if it were her choice alone, her automatic answer would be yes. "Like what, Baby?"
She moves a little closer and rests her chin on my chest, looking up into my eyes. "Like us both putting money in for all of the bills. I'll only live here if I'm able to contribute to the household. I want to pay my fair share of the gas, electric, water, garbage, cable, internet, insurance, house payment, and, of course, groceries." I shake my head at her but she covers my mouth before I can say anything at all. "Edward, I know this is your house, but if we move in here, I want us to be responsible. I know you don't need my help, but I'd like to do our share."
I kiss her fingers that are covering my mouth and then move them away. "Bella, I earn more than you, and really, even with the three of you here, there hasn't been that much of a difference in what I usually have to pay. I also eat out all the time when you aren't here, so honestly, I would be saving money buying groceries instead of paying for food in a restaurant every day of the week. I love you, Baby. You're my other half, so it just doesn't feel right taking money from you."
Bella nods her head at me, and I smile, knowing that I have won. "I completely agree. That's why you no longer need to pay me for working at Midnight Sun. Since you're my other half, I wouldn't feel right taking money from you to work there. And because I love working there so much, I'll just work there for free from now on. Goodnight, Edward. I love you." She kisses my lips and then turns around to snuggle her bare back into my side for the night.
"Wait... what just happened, Bella?" I hear her let out a soft breath, but she doesn't answer me. "Bella, I know you're not asleep yet, and I need to pay you for working for me..." I wait, but again she says nothing. Argh. Shit, she really outsmarted me there. Fuck! "Bella, talk to me about this. I mean let's meet halfway, at least, please?"
She turns back and looks at me. "Edward, I wouldn't be paying rent anymore. You are paying me $450 a week, and I get $200 in tips on top of that. That's $650 every week. I can easily give you $400 a week and still be left with $250. Half of that can be put away for savings, and I'll still have $115 left each week after giving Seth and Leah their allowance. I can use that to buy clothes and do fun things, so it's more than a fair amount. I mean... this is what being a couple is about, isn't it?"
I sigh and nod my head. "Okay, how about this? We both put $500 into a joint account every week. That will cover all of our bills, and also include our savings and Leah and Seth's money. The other $150 is yours, Bella, to spend on yourself."
She looks at me, giving me a big smile as she nods her head. "Deal."
~HCV~
It's Saturday afternoon, and Bella's with Esme, the twins, and Christopher at the mall. Both Seth and Leah agreed to move in with me, but I was pretty positive they wanted to anyway. I'm at Bella's apartment right now, getting it all packed up for her. Most of the stuff she didn't need has been donated to her church. Emmett took the TV, the new sofa, and a lot of her kitchen stuff for when he's able to move into his new condo. Everything Emmett is keeping has been put into Esme and Carlisle's pool house for the time being.
I have most of the stuff done, and the apartment is just about bare. The bitch's room took the longest to sort through. There was a shit ton of documents in the filing cabinet that was in her closet. I didn't have time to read them all right away, so I stuffed them all into a box to go though later. Boxes... it's ironic that I think about a box as I enter into the one that Bella claimed as her bedroom. I pack up the rest of her stuff, and finally get to her large stack of sketchbooks. There sure is a lot of shit here. Emmett and Jasper have just taken the last box of toys down to my car. Carlisle's talking with Zafrina and Aro, who both seem happy that Bella, Seth, and Leah are moving in with me. I was pretty much told that they'll still be keeping an eye on me, though.
I pick up one of the sketchbooks and begin rifling through it. I smile as I look though the ones with Seth and Leah. I see the date printed on the first page, and realize that it's from back when they were between the ages of three and five. I move on to the next book, and see it's from ages five to seven. I chuckle, picking up the next book, and turning to the first page, I check for the dates.
2001-2003
I take a deep breath before turning the page, unsure if I really want to see these people or not. There's a part of me that doesn't want to see what they look like, but another part wants to see if they look like the monsters they truly are. The first few are pictures of different parts of them, but so far, none have their faces in them.
I sigh as I turn the next page, and there they are. As I look at the picture, I feel nothing but anger. I flip to the next page, only to see the same people looking back at me. Each time I turn the page, I feel even angrier. The anger is building so fast and furious, that it's rising up inside of me, bringing with it a familiar pain that tears at my chest. I gasp as I see one where Sue is pregnant, but I keep looking through the sketchbook. I'm so into it that I don't hear anyone come in. As I turn the last page, I feel a hand on my shoulder but I knock it off. All I see is red, and I can't focus on anything or anyone. Someone – anyone – please tell me how the fuck I'm supposed to tell Bella, Seth, and Leah?
A/N: Well I am sure that there were a few shockers in this chapter for you. Only about 3 or 4 of you suspected that Harry may be using another alias. It amazes me the following this story is getting and we both want to say THANK YOU, because it is you the reader and reviewer who are making this story so popular. Thanks for the Rec's and for the wonderful pimping being done on several sites and Facebook pages. Oh I can't wait for the questions, so bring them on. ~Kasi (&Nikky)