A/N: Um...yeah...this update came a lot faster than the last one. Bella gets her say in this... I started this chapter out in third person for a reason. I hope it doesn't throw any of you off!
Stephenie Meyer own all things Twilight. I own a serious case of the giggles due to spell check.
See you down below!
Freeze Frame - Chapter 29
Charles Swan had become the successful police Chief that he was due to fine instinct, the keen power of observation and a general love for the law and to serve the public. Watching the interaction, that passed between his only daughter and Edward Cullen, had Charlie's sixth sense tingling like mad. He knew they were hiding something from him. Bella seemed almost nervous in the cruiser on the drive back from Port Angeles. Charlie was thankful that he was going to be able to spend some time alone with his daughter, without having Edward hovering near by.
Charlie had learned of James' untimely demise through the Chicago Police Department. What surprised him the most was that Bella never mentioned it. Neither did Edward.
Charles Swan was a patient man. He knew that all he had to do was wait. Bella was simply incapable of lying. Even when she tried, she could never keep the façade up for very long. It wasn't until she had moved to Los Angeles that she started keeping things from him. He thought that time had passed when he visited her in Chicago. Now he felt that same strange feeling again. Edward and Bella had a secret. One that they seemed to be keeping from everyone. Not even Carlisle or Esme could divulge the real reason for the sudden trip back to Forks.
Charlie had a sneaking suspicion that Bella was… pregnant.
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~Bella~
The drive from the Cullen's house back home was passed in an uncomfortable silence. Charlie and I never seemed to have uncomfortable silences when I was a teenager. We were very much alike in so many ways. Ever since I moved to Los Angeles, our relationship had changed. Sometimes, I caught him staring at me and I wondered if he thought I was acting just like my mother. I hated that I kept things from Charlie. My mother, as much as I love her, was the Queen of Secrets and it finally caused their marriage to implode upon itself.
I had convinced myself that I never told Charlie about any of the things that involved James because I had this strange idea that he just didn't need to know that his little girl was no longer pure and untouched. He was my Dad and my champion; some things I never wanted to change. I slaughtered that trust the night before the monthly edition of Playboy came out featuring my photo shoot. I knew I owed it to him to find out from me that I had posed. What I never counted on, were the months of excruciating silence from his end. I had enlisted my mother to plead my case, but it only backfired making us both look worse in his eyes. I was no longer Daddy's girl… I was my Mother's daughter.
I climbed the familiar stairs to my old bedroom. I opened the door and stepped back in time. Old photos graced the walls of all my hijinks with Rosalie and Emmett during our high school years. I smiled as I fingered the delicately yellowed and curled edges of the photographs. Rosalie, that bitch, had somehow found the fountain of youth. She was just as beautiful now as she was then.
I sat down on my old purple bedspread and lay back to stare at the ceiling overhead. I was tired. Dad yelled up the stairwell to let me know he was going by the station for a short while and would be home later. I let him know I had heard him and settled back onto my bed. I glanced out the bay window watching the branches of the old tree sway gently in the wind. I was home. I was safe. As I let the swaying branches lull me into a gentle sleep, I realized the only thing missing was Edward.
I wasn't sure how long I had slept but the house was till quiet when I awoke. I shivered slightly forgetting how chilly the house could get later in the day. I quickly rifled through my suitcase, found my comfortable old sweats and put them on. I made my way downstairs and started to search through the cabinets and the refrigerator wondering about the last time that Dad had a home cooked meal. Of course, I found tons of fish in the freezer. Further searching, I found not only fresh lemons but some spices that hadn't been in the pantry since I was a teenager. Apparently, Dad either learned to cook or he was keeping a secret from me. Everything, in his pantry and refrigerator, was fresh. Not a single take out container in sight. As a matter of fact, upon further inspection of the large freezer out in the garage, I found individual containers of food, neatly labeled in feminine script as to what the contents were.
"You, sly old dog you." I smiled as I whispered to myself. Seems my father was just as good at keeping secrets from me as I was from him. I spied some frozen chicken breasts and remembered that I had seen some penne pasta in the cabinet. I would make him a simple Chicken Alfredo as soon as I ran to the store to pick up some fresh cream and parmesan cheese. I picked up the phone and called the station.
"Hey, Bells." My Dad gruffly answered.
"Hi, Dad. I'm thinking about making some Chicken Alfredo for dinner tonight. Can I take your pickup into town to the store?"
"Sure, honey. Keys are where they always are. I'll be home about seven. Is that okay?"
I glanced at the clock on the wall near the refrigerator. "Yeah, Dad. That gives me more enough time. Want me to pick you up some Vitamin R while I'm at the store?"
I heard him chuckle slightly. "Damn, Bella. I forgot you're old enough to do that now. Yeah, honey. That would be great."
I discussed a few more minor details with Charlie regarding dinner and hung up the phone. Suddenly, things seemed more relaxed. Maybe tonight would be a good thing. I kept thinking about us finally being able to relax as I drove into town to find the necessary ingredients I would need to make our dinner. I smiled as I passed by Newton's Sporting Goods. All the time I spent in that store having to dodge Mike's lame attempts to get me to go out with him on a date made me shake my head and smile. I almost pulled in just for shits and giggles to see how he would react to me now that I had posed in Playboy. I could only imagine the look on Edward's face though when he found out and I decided against it.
I heard the hushed whispers as I passed through the grocery store and I steeled myself for the inevitable. It finally came in the form of the skinny, gawky kid who bagged my one bag of groceries and more than insisted on carrying them to my truck for me. I wasn't paying much attention to him, he was rambling on about something, and I suddenly thought of all the times I had done that to Edward in high school. I allowed the kid to load the one bag on the passenger side of the bench seat of the truck. I turned around, tipped him ten dollars and kissed him lightly on the cheek. I saw a furious blush rise up on his somewhat spotty skin and he stammered a 'thank you'.
"May I have your autograph, Miss Swan?" He asked hesitantly. I smiled at him and ripped a sheet of paper from my day planner. I pointed at the name tag affixed to his striped polyester uniform shirt.
"Danny? Is that your name?" I asked. He just nodded. I quickly scribbled an inscription and signed my name. I handed him my autograph and gave his arm a quick squeeze. "Remember, Danny, study hard, work hard and some day all your dreams just may come true."
"Does that really work, Miss Swan?" He asked a shade of doubt crossing his face.
"Do you know who Edward Cullen is?" I asked. He nodded vigorously at the mention of Edward's name. I winked at Danny. "It worked for him. I should know. He's rich, successful and someday soon I'm going to marry him."
"Geez! Seriously? Thanks, Miss Swan. Wait until all the guys at school hear about this!"
I waved at him as I drove out of the parking lot. Almost ten years ago, that kid could have been Edward Cullen.
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Dinner with Dad was quite peaceful. We both caught up on all the Forks gossip and I told him about the successful opening of the restaurant. I hadn't told him about my selling of the L.A. branch of Chow Bella to Paul and Sam, because I wanted it to be part of the news when Edward and I told Charlie that we were getting married.
Dad seemed to know that I wasn't being fully forthright with him and I just let the uncomfortable silences slide by until I could find a new topic of conversation to talk about. I finally remembered the frozen dinners in the freezer outside in the garage and decided that deflection would be my best form of defense against my father's intense scrutiny.
"Say, Dad? Who has been making you all those frozen dinners?" I smiled as I took a sip of my milk. Dad cleared his throat and pushed away from the table a little and took a very long sip from his beer.
"Um… Yeah, Bells. I kind of wanted to tell you about that."
I waited.
"Kind of? Or you are going to?" I teased him.
"What about you, Kiddo? I get the feeling there is something you want to tell me too."
"Ouch! Touché Dad! I do have news, but it's not fully mine alone to share."
Charlie's face pulled into a frown. "You're not in trouble again, are you, Bells?"
I snorted and stood up to start clearing the dishes from the table. "No, Dad. I'm just fine. Just needed a break from Chicago and L.A. Is it a crime for me to want to see my dear old Dad?"
"You are such a terrible liar, Bella." Charlie grinned as he smoothed down the corners of his mustache and leaned back in the chair.
"And you just need to wait until Edward and I can tell you our news together. Tell you what, I'll let you off the hook and you can reveal your big news after we tell you ours." I turned the water on and started to clean the dishes in the sink. I could hear Charlie get up and come stand right behind me.
"Alright. Just for the record though, my mind is reeling with all the possibilities of what you have to say. I may not like it, but I'll give you until tomorrow to come clean."
"Yes, sir Chief!" I said as I gave him a mock salute. I pointed to the living room with the scrub brush that was in my hand. "Don't you have a Mariner's game or something to watch?"
Charlie chuckled and leaned in to kiss my forehead. "It's nice having you home, Bells."
"Yeah. I missed you too."
After the dishes were done, I realized that I was still somewhat tired. I bid Charlie goodnight and slowly took the stairs up to my room. I headed for the bookshelves above my old desk and found my favorite book exactly where I had left it. I pulled it out and immediately it opened to one of my favorite parts. I plugged in the twinkle lights above my bed and listened to the muted sounds of the game floating up from downstairs and the settling of the house as the wind picked up and blew a little harder outside.
I was so engrossed in my book that at first the sound didn't register with me until I heard it again. It was a light tapping sound. I put my book down and looked over to where the noise seemed to be coming from. My eyes widened in shock as I saw Edward, clinging desperately to the branch right outside my window, his sly crooked smirk on his face as he raised his hand to tap my window once again.
I jumped out of bed, rushed over to the window and threw it open. "Edward? What are you doing here?"
Edward reached out for the window frame, pulled his long, lanky body along the branch and hauled himself in through my bedroom window.
"Came to see my best girl." He answered.
I started to giggle. "Okay, this is either the most romantic or the most insane thing you have ever done."
He grinned at me as he straightened up and pulled me into his embrace. "How about a little of both? Either that tree got a lot bigger or I did since high school."
I laughed against his chest, inhaling his wonderful Edward smell. "How about a little of both?" I repeated his words back to him. "You could have come through the front door, you know?"
"Call me irresponsible, but damned if I didn't want to live out a fantasy that I had non-stop about you in high school." He chuckled as he pressed a warm kiss to my temple.
I looked up into those dark green eyes of his and saw that they were full of not only mischief, but there was pure lust there as well. "What fantasy would that be, Mr. Cullen?"
"To sneak into your room while you were sleeping, climb into bed with you, give you the softest of kisses and then give you a lovely orgasm as you slowly begin to wake up, only to discover that it was geeky Edward Cullen who made you tremble in ecstasy."
I quickly pulled myself out of Edward's embrace, jumped back into bed, pulled the covers up to my chin and began to make loud snoring noises.
Edward snorted and I heard the sound of his leather jacket hitting the floor. One shoe, soon followed by another one made gentle soft thuds on area rug just near my bed. I tensed up slightly as I felt the covers slowly being pulled back and his weight sinking his side of the bed down. I felt him move my hair, exposing my neck and my shoulder to him. I could feel the butterfly soft press of his lips against my throat and I started to squirm almost immediately. He was so warm. He seemed larger than life in my small full sized bed. He placed small warm kisses down my throat and across my shoulders as his fingers found their way under the hem of my camisole and started to trace circles around my belly button. My body pushed back against his and I whispered his name.
"Do you dream of me, Bella? Do you dream of me doing things like this to you?" He whispered hotly in my ear. His long fingers slid down underneath the waistband of my sweat pants. He gently scraped the top of my thigh with his fingernails. My nipples hardened in an instant the moment his tongue found its way into my ear. He nipped my earlobe and began to whisper torturous things to me.
"Oh, Isabella. Try to imagine how many nights I lay awake in my teenaged bed, stroking my cock, thinking of your lush body, your tempting mouth and this beautiful hair of yours. I longed to touch, taste, smell and devour it all. Now you belong to me. You have no idea what that thought does to me."
His fingers found their way under the elastic of my panties. He teased me, stroking, dipping and sliding against the very center of my sex. I groaned quietly into my pillow knowing that any loud noises would have Charlie upstairs within a flash. It was so erotic, so dangerous knowing that my father was downstairs.
Edward's breath was hot in my ear, his fingers pushing me towards a much needed orgasm.
"Say my name. Say it. Say it out loud." Edward pushed his fingers inside me and I could feel myself beginning to spiral into the white hot heat of my release.
"Edward!Oooh Edward." I groaned/ whispered as I came around his fingers. His breathing was almost as labored as mine and I put my palm behind my back and molded it to his erection that was straining the confines of his jeans.
"Bella…" Edward's voice was hoarse with lust. I pulled his fingers from my panties and licked them clean.
"Oh Jesus, Bella…" Edward reached down to unsnap his jeans. I glanced over my shoulder at him and we both smiled at one another. It was almost a comical race to see who could strip their pants off faster. Edward's jeans got caught around his ankles and he kept fighting to push them off. I giggled and told him to stop. I pushed myself back up against him and we spooned tightly together. Edward lifted my leg and pushed it up toward my shoulder. I was spread wide open for him and he speared me within an instant.
My eyes rolled shut and I felt every inch of him filling me. His arm that held my leg up moved forward to find my nipple and he started to roll it back and forth between those glorious fingers of his, elongating and making the flesh pucker underneath his skillful touch. His tongue bathed my neck. My fingers slid down to my clit, only to find it incredibly slick from our exertions. I begged him to go faster but he wouldn't listen to me. He took his time. He was driving me mad. Suddenly, he thrust up inside me very hard only to withdraw to the entrance of my pussy. He waited a few excruciating seconds before slamming back into me.
"Fuck, yes!" I whispered. The noise was becoming almost too much. The stuff on my bedside table started to rattle; Edward quickly grabbed a pillow and stuffed it behind my headboard to stop it from slamming into the wall. We both started to giggle but neither one of us could stop fucking one another. The movements became more frantic, both our faces red from exertion and trying to keep quiet. Edward pinched my nipple and suddenly I came again, only this time I came harder all over his cock.
"Bella… Oh God, Bella…" Edward groaned and I felt him shudder and spasm inside me. He pulled me close to him. Our clothes were soaked with sweat. It was a desperate coupling and one that seemed to be needed. One to make up for all the years in high school that we denied ourselves to one another. Being in my old bedroom made it that much sweeter.
Finally, I found my voice and could talk. "Shit. I think I'm in love with Edward Cullen. He is a total Geek and he is the Wizard of Fucking. All hail King Geek Cullen."
Edward pulled himself out of me and bemoaned the loss of the contact of his body. Much more to the point, the loss of his cock inside me.
"Oh Hell, Isabella. How did you know that I always imagined you saying that?" I turned over and hit him with my pillow.
"Shhhh! My father will hear you!" I warned.
"Good. I hope so. I'm ready to march downstairs right now and let him know just how much I fucking love his daughter."
"Pfft… you just love fucking his daughter." I joked.
Edward's gaze turned darkly pensive and serious. He pulled me to him and held my chin in his hand. "I have never lied, nor will I ever lie about how much I love you, Isabella Swan."
I lay my head on his sweat-soaked chest.
"I will never doubt you, Edward Cullen. You are my superhero. You are my love. You are my life. Marry me."
"Let's do it. Vegas. Now." Edward grinned at me.
I swatted him. "Why didn'tyou give me that answer weeks ago?"
"I like getting a rise out of you, Swan."
"Not as much as I like getting a 'rise' out of you, Cullen." I said as I blatantly stared at his crotch. We both knew that we were teasing. We grinned at each other and began searching for our clothes.
We found them twisted up in my sheets and I opened my bedroom window a little to air my room out. It smelled rampantly of sex and Edward. We both shivered slightly and we curled up in each others arms underneath my comforter.
"I love you, Bella."
"I love you, Edward."
Together we slipped into the ether of sleep and our dreams of one another.
%%%%%%%%
I woke with a start when I realized my room was filled with bright sunlight and a very sleeping Edward almost sprawled completely on top of me. My bed was way too small for this shit. Still, I was happy that I spent the night in Edward's arms once again. I slowly extracted myself and smiled as he grumbled and fondled the pillow like it was my breast. His hair was sticking out every which way and his shirt had ridden up exposing the lovely trail of hair that ran from his navel to down below the waist of his jeans.
I stretched and looked out over the front lawn of the house. I realized Charlie's cruiser wasn't in the driveway which meant I could go downstairs and make breakfast for both Edward and me. I quietly opened my bedroom door, took one last look at Edward and gingerly walked down the steps hoping to avoid any creaking boards.
I noticed that even though the coffee pot had been turned off, the carafe was still quite hot. I giggled to myself as I remembered the time difference and blanched when I saw the actual time here in Forks. It was way too early for me to be up on this mini little vacation of mine. So, I promptly went back up the stairs to crawl back into bed with Edward. I had to admit the feeling of knowing he was laying in my bedroom in the house, I basically grew up in, made me blush. I blushed even more remembering all the wonderfully delicious things Edward whispered in my ear last night as he…
He wasn't in my bed.
"Edward?" I quietly called out.
The bathroom door swung open and Edward almost looked like a mad dog foaming at the mouth. He grinned at me, bluish foam hiding those wonderfully sinful lips of his and then went over to the sink to spit out the toothpaste.
"I borrowed your toothbrush. I hope you don't mind."
I swiped it out of his hand. "Yes, I do mind!" I said as I pushed past him to enter into the bathroom.
Edward snickered a little. "Seriously, Bella? I mean considering the things of mine that you've put in your mouth…"
"Get your prepubescent mind out of the gutter, Cullen. I was just pissed that you got rid of your morning breath before I did." I rinsed my toothbrush off, put some more toothpaste on it and quickly brushed my teeth. I splashed some water on my face and quickly dried it with the towel that was hanging on the hook behind the door.
"Now… where is my good morning kiss?"
Edward walked me backwards into my bedroom until the backs of my knees hit my bed. He kept moving towards me and I had no choice but to sit down on the bed. Edward dropped down on his knees in front of me and spread my thighs open. He slowly started moving towards me and I watched as he angled his head to meet my lips with his for a kiss. He was moving so slowly it was driving me crazy.
"Oh come on!" I uttered and grabbed him by his tee shirt and pulled him towards me, causing us both to fall back on the bed. Edward lay on top of me, grinning from ear to ear.
"My, my. Someone's a little impatient today."
I rolled my eyes at him. "You enjoy this, don't you? Is this your way of torturing me for ignoring you all those years ago in high school?"
"You never ignored me, Bella. You just denied your true feelings for me. You said so yourself."
I shoved Edward off of me and started to get up from the bed, only to have Edward grab me by the wrist and pull me back down again. I playfully struggled against him and found myself getting very excited just wrestling around like we were teenagers. I had to resist the urge just to lie there and make out with him for about the next two hours or so; but, my stomach reminded me that we both needed breakfast.
I sighed and Edward moved off of me. "Bella, get dressed. We'll have breakfast at my parent's house. Besides, there is something I want to show you."
"What is it?" I asked my curiosity getting the better of me as his grin became more mysterious.
"Just dress to go hiking, okay?" He answered as he started to put his shoes on.
"Hiking? Me? Not such a good idea." I objected.
Edward rolled his eyes at me. "Bella, I'm not asking you to climb the fucking Matterhorn, I just want to show you a place that is very special to me. It's a little ways away from my parent's house but today is an absolutely perfect day to show you this place."
He seemed so anxious I couldn't help but smile. "Okay. You win, Cullen. Just give me about 20 minutes and I'll be ready."
"I'll go get the Volvo and pull it into the driveway. I'll wait downstairs for you."
He slid his hand down my arm and our fingers tangled together. He gave it a quick squeeze and leaned down to press a kiss against my cheek. "Love you," he whispered.
My heart seemed to constrict the moment he left the room. Would it always be like this? Feeling as if something, some part of me had disappeared until he came back again, filling the void and making me whole again? I finally knew and understood what having a soul mate was all about.
I smiled as I turned the water on to warm up. Today was the day we were going to tell everyone just how much we loved one another. Today would mark the very beginning of our lives together.
Okay...I know you are all ready to see what Edward has planned. I'm being a total bitch dragging it out just a little, but the kids are back in Forks! Let's let them have a little fun!
Reviewers get early morning snuggles with Edward Cullen...
