A/N: Thanks for continuing to pray for Hailey. She's definitely improving!

Some of you are wondering how many chapters are left. If I have to put a number on it, I'll say about 4 or 5 regular chapters, the Epilogue, and then once we're done I did promise a couple of outtakes from E's POV, of Chapters 1 and 3, so we're looking at somewhere in the low forties for total number of chapters.

BUT…as most of you probably know, I'm a very wordy chick, so though I have an outline and know how and where this ends, sometimes some parts take more words for me to describe than I'd envisioned, so do not quote me on those numbers!

But basically, yeah, that's what's left.

In that vein, I plan for this and the next chapter to be the last two chapters from E's POV. :(

Betad by the lovely Michelle Renker Rhodes.

Most characters belong to S. Meyer

Chapter 37 – The Secondary Love Story

EPOV

"This is more or less what we expected," Jasper confirms.

He's pacing back and forth before my desk, in front of an audience which includes Emmett, Alice, Aunt Esme, as well as Bella and me. With Elizabeth in bed for the night, we've called this meeting to let the rest of our family know of the shit that may be coming down the pipe in the near future, and make sure that we're all ready.

So while Esme, Emmett and Alice listen intently from the leather chairs in front of my desk, I'm seated at my own chair with Bella settled on my lap, her arms wrapped loosely around my neck while my arms are around her waist keeping her braced against me. Her body is a warm weight that keeps me focused, reminds me of what my priorities are; of why I'm willing to do anything and everything to keep this warmth with me forever. I wasn't exaggerating before when I called her my rock. When I think back to what my life has been over the past seven years, I realize I was just floating around on imagined responsibilities and priorities with nothing to ground me, nothing to hold me down and anchor me to the real world. I was no good to anyone - not the country, least of all myself.

Now Bella and Elizabeth are my anchors.

My thoughts drift to my father. There was always a hunger for power and control in him; I can remember it as far back as my memory will take me. But I also remember moments of laughter with him, of playfulness, of caring.

When he lost my mother, did he lose his anchor to true priorities, to what really mattered?

Had I not found Bella and Elizabeth, would I have ended up as exactly the kind of man he's become?

That final thought makes me shudder.

Bella must feel my shudder, because her eyes meet mine. She smiles, and with that one action she chases all dark thoughts away, making me thank whatever higher power may be out there that I did find her and our daughter, grateful that she was willing to give our love a second chance and that somehow that second chance has turned into what we have now – which is more than I ever dared wish for.

Jasper is still talking, and yes, I'm listening closely, but my head is in so many places at once. My eyes wander over the view outside of the windows, where a half moon now shines over darkened grass and bushes surrounding a glittering pool. The evening lanterns add more light, illuminating the place to where we sometimes retreat at night to laugh and relax, where Elizabeth and Bella have been receiving swimming lessons from Esme and me for the past few evenings. I smile faintly, remembering Elizabeth playing and giggling in there just a few hours ago, before the sun went down on this final day of our end-of-summer vacation.

It's been…an interesting summer to say the least.

Bella reappeared in my life out of the blue, storming in like an angry hurricane hell-bent on overturning everything around me.

Well, she sure as hell did that, though perhaps not in the way she'd first planned. She gave me a daughter – our daughter - and while it did change everything, it's been for the better. That once furious hurricane now sits on my lap, no longer angry, but rather as tender as a warm breeze; all the while she distractedly plays with the small hairs at the nape of my neck.

I refuse to lose this. I'll never allow it. I'll never take either Bella or Elizabeth's presence in my life for granted because the road to get here was long and hard as hell; it put both Bella and I through the fucking ringer, and I'll fight for this with all that I have and with all that I am. I'll go up against anyone who wants to disrupt our lives again – even if he is arguably the most powerful man in the world.

"Martin had a Plan A, which was apparently getting Edward to make that statement," Jasper continues, still pacing back and forth. When he's completely submerged in the business at hand, when he's in his zone, it's hard to get him out of it. "Now that he sees that Edward won't make that statement, he'll switch to Plan B."

"What's Plan B?" Alice asks.

Jasper stops pacing, almost abruptly, and turns to give her his full attention.

"Plan B is to try to discredit Edward and Bella, to smear their relationship as well as their reputations."

"But I don't understand," Alice asks with a frown. "How will that help President Martin?"

"Think about it, Alice," Jasper says, his tone markedly gentler than it was just a few seconds ago. "If Martin were to discredit Edward and Bella as a couple, what would it do to how the public views them right now?"

While Alice appears to ponder this, Jasper takes a few slow, seemingly patient steps closer to her, which is actually a bit surprising because he was just in his zone, and when he's there, he's usually anxious to just stay there instead of having to stop to explain things.

"It would end the public's fascination with my sister and Edward."

"Exactly." Jasper smiles so widely you'd think he was proud or something. "Right now, because of the strong feelings that both Bella and Edward have shown towards each other and their daughter, whoever was involved in keeping the three of them apart is on the American public's shit list."

Emmett snorts at the analogy.

"But if the public is somehow led to believe that the relationship between Bella and Edward isn't real, that those feelings aren't genuine or lasting, then they'll stop caring, and if they stop caring-"

"Then they'll stop wandering about what, if anything, Martin had to do with their separation," Aunt Esme finishes for Jasper.

"And if the speculation about Martin's involvement ends, then he can go back to his safe campaign without having to worry about anybody trying to dig deeper into this whole, rotten business," Emmett adds, sneering in disgust. "Because if the American public wants to know, then the press will dig. If the public doesn't care, then it leaves things alone."

We're all silent for a couple of minutes, absorbing all this info. All the while, Bella keeps running her fingers up and down the nape of my neck. I don't even think she realizes she's doing it, or the comfort it provides me. We can sit around here and talk about hell freezing over on earth, but as long as she keeps doing that, I couldn't care less.

Jasper sighs. When he moves away from Alice and starts pacing again, I swear he looks almost pissed off to have to do so.

A strange sensation, almost like a thought that isn't quite clear yet, pokes around in the corners of my mind.

"They won't go to Plan B unless things look dire, because it's a risky strategy that Martin knows very well could backfire, not only because Edward is prepared to retaliate, but also because the public might be so taken by Bella and Elizabeth at this point that any sort of attack on them will automatically be thought to come from the Martin camp."

"They won't go after Bella unless they're recklessly desperate because the second they decide to attack Bella in any way, I will release those pictures. So they'll start with me, and possibly even you guys."

"What would they want with any of us?" Alice questions again.

Esme, who's sitting right next to her, reaches out and puts a comforting hand on top of hers. "Alice, Honey, all of us in this room, we're a family. What Martin would hope to accomplish is to dig up anything he can consider dirt on any of us, so that in the public's eye, the bad publicity would reflect on Edward and Bella as well, and hopefully turn public opinion away from them." She holds Alice's gaze.

"That's right," I confirm with a head nod. "That's why we wanted all of you in on this meeting."

"And I'll be calling Mum too, Alice," Bella adds. "I don't want to worry her, but we've got to let her know what's going on."

"What about Rose?" Alice asks.

Bella sighs. "Yes, you're right. I do need to speak to Rose...about a few things actually…"

"I think that's a good idea," Emmett pipes in.

I frown his way. In the past few days, I've gotten the feeling that I'm missing something when it comes to Emmett. Granted, I've been a bit preoccupied with other things, but between him and Jasper, I'm starting to think that there's something else going on around here that I'm not privy to.

Emmett claps his hands together once. "Well, as long as they don't find that body I've got buried a few miles from here, we should be okay…" He bursts out laughing. "Just kidding. I've got nothing to hide, so Martin and his cronies can kiss my ass."

"I echo Emmett's sentiments," Aunt Esme says with a wry grin.

Despite the topic of conversation, Esme's comment manages to make us all chuckle - all except Jasper.

And actually, Alice isn't laughing either.

Jasper's head is down, as if he's…hiding.

"What about you, Jasper?" I ask him, grinning because I've got Bella, and I've got my daughter, both safe and sound and happy here with me. There's nothing Martin can do to take them away. Yes, I've made a few mistakes in my life, but Bella knows about all of them. I've done nothing I need to hide from her or from the public. What could I possibly have to fear?

Absolutely nothing.

"Actually, Edward…"

"What, Jasper?" I smirk. "Are you going to tell us that you've got a body hidden somewhere too?"

Bella snorts in amusement. She's pulling harder at the hair on the nape of my neck, and I know we're both getting anxious to end this meeting. Yes, this fucking business is something we're going to have to be vigilant about for the next few weeks, until the elections, but Bella and I are finally on the same page about so much, and I'm pretty sure one of those things is tonight. It's our final night here for the foreseeable future. We're heading out into the real world tomorrow.

And we've got one last night on the yacht to get to.

But when Jasper looks up at me, his eyes quickly flashing to Alice, who's gazing at him with a pair of big doe eyes and biting her lip, I finally figure out what the hell is going on around here, and I think I might choke the living shit out of my cousin slash Chief-of-Staff.

Jasper must see his imminent death in my eyes because before I can pick Bella up off my lap and do just that, he rushes towards the door.

"Edward, wait, wait! Can we go speak in private for a minute, please?" he blurts out quickly.

For a few seconds, I simply stare at him, nostrils flaring.

When I turn to Bella, her own livid eyes are on Alice. I can tell from her expression that she's reached pretty much the same conclusion I have.

With a deep breath, I place a hasty kiss on her temple. "I'll be right back," I say through clenched teeth.

"Yes, so will Alice and I," she growls lowly.

Walking out behind Jasper, I catch a glimpse of Aunt Esme, who gives me a pleading look, but I can promise nothing at this moment. Emmett, on the other hand looks like he's holding in a bout of raucous laughter. I smirk his way and walk out of the office and down the long hallway, which leads into a small sitting room and is where Jasper finally turns in. He turns around.

"Are you fucking crazy?" I hiss. "She's Bella's sister, and she's only nineteen years old!"

He puts his hands up, palms out towards me. "Edward, we didn't plan this, it just happened."

"Did you sleep with her?" I ask in horror.

"No! Of course not! I mean, we've fooled around a bit, but I respect her. Besides, we've only known each other for a week! What kind of girl do you think she is?"

In his defense, and the only reason his teeth remain in his mouth a second longer is because his face contorts in shame when he seems to realize what he's just implied.

"Jesus, Edward, I didn't mean it that way! I realize it's different! You and Bella only had one weekend into which to fit an entire relationship! Look, I know that Alice is young-"

"She's barely nineteen, Jasper," I repeat through clenched teeth, my fists clenched at my sides. "You're eight god-damned years older than her!"

"Like I said," he hisses back, "I didn't plan this!"

"Then stop it-"

"I didn't plan it, but she means the world to me now, Edward."

I shut my eyes tight, breathing out through my nostrils and bring a fisted hand up to my forehead to try to stop the fucking migraine that's just started there.

"Look," I hear Jasper say, "do you remember a few months ago, when Bella first came back into your life?"

I open my eyes again, glaring at him, and nod tightly.

"The last time she was at this house, she left suddenly and the next thing I knew, you'd chased her all the way back to England. You disregarded all your responsibilities, all your duties, to follow one woman half way across the world. Then, you stayed there with her for over a week, only to come back to the U.S. to announce that you were dropping out of the Senatorial race and putting all of your previous goals and plans on the backburner for the foreseeable future. I stood behind you Edward, every step of the way," he stresses, "even though I honestly didn't understand that shit at all. I mean," he snorts, "yes, you had a daughter now, and I can only imagine what that feels like, but what you did, you did not only for your daughter, but for Bella as well, because of your love for her. That's what I didn't get."

"What are you trying to say about-"

"I'm not trying to say anything against Bella. I'm just saying that I," he bangs his chest with his knuckles, "couldn't picture any woman being worth the kind of sacrifices you were ready to make for Bella. But I get it now."

I narrow my eyes at him.

"Yes, Alice is young, and yes, we've only known each other one week, but I get it because right now, if you ask me to step down as your Chief-of-Staff, if you ask me to choose, I'll choose her."

Now what the fuck am I supposed to say to that? How am I supposed to ask him not to love Bella's sister the way that I love Bella?

So instead, I turn to the wall and bang my forehead against it a couple of times, groaning out my frustration and hoping I can make all this disappear if I just bang my head hard enough.

"We were planning on speaking to both you and Bella today," I hear Jasper saying. "We spoke to my mom this morning, and she suggested-"

I stop banging my forehead just long enough to turn and raise a brow. "Aunt Esme knew?"

"She made us promise that we'd speak to the both of you before we left the house."

I straighten myself up again, squaring my shoulders and inching closer to Jasper, but he's only about an inch shorter than me and stands his ground firmly. I glare at him.

"Your timing is impeccable, you know that, don't you?"

At least he has the grace to look apologetic for that much. "I know it's bad timing, but like I said-"

"Yeah, yeah, you didn't plan it. But you do know what will happen if this gets out, especially after Tanya's threats this morning? That age gap will be a huge factor, Jasper, as well as the fact that she's Bella's little sister, a young college kid, and you're Congressman Edward Cullen's twenty-seven year old Chief-of-Staff! Only God knows how Martin's camp will spin this!"

"Do you think I haven't thought of that? Do you think I haven't pictured every scenario since the minute Tanya arrived? You and I knew this was coming, and Edward, the last thing I've wanted to be is a liability to you and Bella, but I don't know how to handle this." He leans up against the wall and grips his blond hair and yeah, I feel sorry for him for a second. "Tell me what you want me to do, but don't ask me to break things off with her," he shakes his head, "because that I can't do."

I lean against the wall myself and grip my own hair in my hand - it must be a Masen thing. Beside me, I can practically feel his desperation, sense the frustration wafting off of him. As difficult as it's going to make everything, I can tell he really cares about her. Fuck.

"Jasper. Edward."

We both turn towards his mother's soft voice.

"Why didn't you tell me, Aunt Esme?" I fire quickly her way.

"It wasn't for me to tell, Edward." She stands her ground between us, putting a hand on either one of our shoulders. "I love you both very much, and I raised you both to be more brothers than cousins. Now I know that this summer that relationship has been sorely tested, especially for you Edward. You've had to redefine your family, but Edward, family will always be family. Sometimes its members change and shift and grow, but in the end, we're all each other has. At all cost, we have each other's backs."

I think through my Aunt Esme's words, dissect them in light of everything that's happened this summer. My definition of family has certainly changed not just over this season, but also over the past few years. My true legacy lies asleep in her bedroom upstairs, and I've realized that family does not equate power – at least not in the way my father and Aro Martin once tried to make me believe.

"I need you to stay away from Alice for now."

"Edward," Jasper begins to protest.

"No. Listen to me," I say firmly, leaving no room for argument. "We're all leaving Oyster Bay tomorrow, and when we do, we leave the protective shell that it's encased us in for the past week. We'll be back to reality, back to the press, and back to Martin's threats looming over all of us now, including Alice."

Jasper's nostrils flare, but he remains still. "If this relationship between you and Alice leaks out now, Jasper, Martin will jump at the opportunity to hurt Bella through her sister."

"I won't let-"

"Do you really want to risk that?" I ask him. "Alice is almost exactly where Bella was seven years ago. Do you really want to risk hurting her?"

Jasper closes his eyes, breathing out heavily through his nose.

"I'm not asking you to break things off with her, but we have to proceed carefully here and slowly. Alice will be starting her exchange program this week and needs to focus on that, and you and I, Jasper, need to be focused on taking care of those who matter to us. It's only two months to the elections." I grip his shoulder firmly. "Can I count on you to remain focused until then? Once the elections are over and we know where the chips have fallen, we can all breathe a bit easier. But I need you focused right now. Can I count on you, Jasper?"

He doesn't answer right away, but when he reopens his eyes, he gives me a tight nod.

OOOOOOOOOO

I find Bella on our boat, standing by the railing and staring up at the black sky, littered with stars that'll be much harder to see once we're back in the city. I come up behind her and place my hands on her shoulders, dropping my chin to the space next to her neck, inhaling her sweet scent.

She draws in a long, heavy breath. "She's only nineteen, Edward."

"I know." I skim her neck with my nose, feeling the skin there prickle.

"He's twenty-seven."

"I know."

"If this gets out, the Martin Administration will have a field day."

With a deep sigh, I angle my face forward, staring out at the darkness with her.

"I thought of that too, but Bella…he does seem to really care about her."

When she doesn't say anything, I straighten up and turn her around to face me.

"Bella, are you upset because of how young she is, because of the age difference between them, because of what the Martin camp might do with this info…or because of what happened between us?"

She sighs and drops her eyes to my chest, and that's when I know that it's at least some of the latter.

"I just don't want to see her get hurt."

"I don't want to see her get hurt either. I don't want to see either one of them get hurt."

She nods, eyes still on my chest. I reach out and lift her chin up to me, so I can see her eyes. So that she can see mine.

"Bella, don't judge Jasper based on my mistakes."

"If this gets out, if it turns into a scandal, and he decides it's simply too much…I don't want that to happen to her. She's my little sister, Edward," she whispers in a pleading tone.

"Bella…I've asked him to take it slowly with her and to…try to put a hold on things as much as possible until after the elections. I think that's the best we can do right now."

"That's what I suggested as well."

"And what did Alice say?"

She snorts. "She says she doesn't want to make things harder for us. That she and Jasper have spoken about it, and if we all believe it will make things easier if she and he put a hold on things until after the election, then she'll go along with it for me. But she says she loves him. That if hiding for now is the strategy we want to take with Martin, she won't go against it, but neither will she give up Jasper."

Bella grins wryly, but there's a note of apprehension to her smile.

"Bella, I value and treasure your opinion more than anyone's. If you think that asking them to hold off is wrong, that we're taking the wrong strategy, if you think that I'm taking this too far and that I should just-"

"Shh." She places two fingers over my mouth and I close my eyes. "Martin is a manipulative, deceitful man, and I won't ask you to continue to compromise your beliefs for him, Edward. I don't know whether this country is better served with a man like him leading it, but what I do know is that he shouldn't win the election at the expense of your beliefs and your honesty. I won't have you compromising yourself to make things easier for him or for us. And I won't let him hurt my sister either."

I pull her in and wrap her in my arms. For a while there, when she would let me hold her, I could still feel the hesitancy in her frame, I could still feel her holding herself off, protecting herself.

But now she holds on to me as tightly as I do her, because she's completely mine again, and this is why we have to be so careful for the next couple of months.

We've built a strong base for our future. I won't allow anyone to tear it down.

When we pull apart, she grins, shaking her head.

But then her eyes narrow.

"Edward, Love, what happened to your forehead?"

OOOOOOOOOO

Later below deck, we spend the night trying to make up for seven years of lost time. Her sweet moans fill the ocean air surrounding us. She leaves me with no doubt that she's entirely mine, and she claims me with the same fervor, branding herself over every part of my body and making me cry out her name over and over. It's a good thing we're not in the main house, because there's no holding back.

When morning comes, we wake up tangled in each other, spent and tired, yet despite the threats that have been thrown at us, we're content in the knowledge that we'll be facing them all together.

OOOOOOOOOO

In the morning, we spend a couple of final hours hanging out on the beach. Jasper and Alice sit off on their own for a while, but it's their last few hours of freedom too, so neither Bella nor I will begrudge them their time, especially when they've agreed to be cooperative for the next couple of months.

Bella, Ellie and I are trying to teach Oyster how to catch a Frisbee, though he may still be too young to learn. Elizabeth is having fun anyway as Oyster hops happily behind her every time she throws the Frisbee, and then just sits there and stares at her, making us all laugh.

While Bella and Ellie play with Oyster, Emmett and I have a long discussion on Bella and Elizabeth's security detail for the foreseeable future now that they'll be in New York City, and especially in light of Tanya's visit yesterday. We agree that it should be ramped up a bit, probably have a guy dedicated to Alice too, but without letting it disturb any of them, because I know Bella for one would be pissed off if she noticed it. Then we get into a discussion of Tanya's visit itself. Though I'm grateful for the fact that Bella is such a smart woman and that I find it so easy and helpful to speak to her, Emmett has been my buddy for years. That's not going to change.

"So do you think Martin would try to physically harm Bella or Ellie?" Emmett asks.

I think it through once more, just as I've been thinking over that same question ever since I figured out how involved Martin was in keeping Bella and I apart.

"No," I say with true conviction. "If I did, I would've never allowed them to come to the States. Aro is a lot of things, but he wouldn't take it that far."

"Yeah, I agree," Emmett says with a nod of the head, "but as for his other threats…"

"Oh yeah, of those I do believe he's capable."

"You have to be ready for the worst here, Ed, and willing to take it all the way."

I hold Emmett's gaze. "I'm ready and willing, Emmett. Both Bella and I are."

Emmett grins. "I can see that. Well," he says, crossing his arms across his chest, "you handle things on your end. As for me and my team, we'll do everything to keep the Swan women- oops, and the little Cullen girl," he adds wryly because my daughter now officially carries her paternal surname, "safe and sound."

I clap him on the shoulder and grin smugly. "If things work out the way I hope, only one of those three will be Swan much longer." But then I glance over at Jasper and Alice and roll my eyes. "Or maybe even none of them."

Emmett bends over with laughter. He finds this whole "Jasper and Alice" thing hilarious, probably because it finally got Alice off his back.

"Thanks, Man," I say, once his chortles die down, "for everything. You're a part of this family too, Emmett, I hope you know that, and if there's ever anything I can do to repay you for the care you give my daughter…"

He eyes me speculatively. "Ellie is special to a lot of people, Edward. I watch after her because I care about her, but also because I care about those who love her. When this…threat from the Martins is over, when you don't have this looming over your head anymore, you and I do have to have talk about how you can repay me, how you can accept all those who truly love Elizabeth."

I frown in confusion, but he simply laughs again and claps me in return.

"Not now, Man. Not now." And with that, he walks off and I look back towards Bella and Elizabeth. Our daughter is digging holes in the sand while Oyster the puppy helps her furiously with his front paws. I watch them for a few minutes, just taking in the simple sweetness of it. A few feet away, Jasper and Bella are deep in discussion and as curious as I am, I don't want to interrupt. When Bella reaches up and gives Jasper a quick hug, I know we'll all be okay.

I look around at my family. Emmett stands off by himself, arms crossed over his chest as he surveys the entire area. Alice gazes at Jasper as he walks back towards her. Bella watches Jasper and Alice with a note of apprehension and anxiety on her beautiful face. Our daughter plays happily with her puppy. And over by the house…Aunt Esme takes us all in with a small smile on her face.

There's a bit of tension here and there now, and no, it's not the perfect paradise it felt like just a couple of days ago, but my aunt's words come back to me,

"…family will always be family. Sometimes its members change and shift and grow, but in the end, we're all each other has. At all cost, we have each other's backs."

No, it's not easy, but we'll get through it together because we all have each other's backs.

A/N: Thoughts?

Oh, and for those of you who couldn't remember Edward and Bella's ages, she's 26, he's 31.

And before you all start yelling at me about how Edward is being a bit of a hypocrite here by asking Jasper and Alice to stay away from each other, even if just for a couple of months, I want you to know that I DO realize it, even though HE may not realize it at the moment.

Alright, time to get those big girl panties on for the last few… :)

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