A/N: Thanks so much for all your wonderful thoughts.

Most characters belong to S. Meyer. The rest belong to me. All mistakes are mine.

Getting close to the end!

Chapter 38 – Paranoia

Edward

Bella runs wildly through the dark woods, her route one of no real direction beyond escape. She drips river water, her eyes bloodshot and as rounded as those of an owl, her wet hair tangled like thick vines. She is a study in abject, bewildered terror.

Abruptly, she stops and crouches behind a tree, heaving, hiding from those unseen beings hunting and tracking her like an animal. A deluge of silent tears stream down her face.

This is my first clue that I'm dreaming. The Bella of now, the woman I love more than life itself, has lost the ability to cry.

Chimes suddenly ring out, the sound one that might not even register under different circumstances or, if it did, might be considered sweet jingles or a series of harmonious pings. In this setting, it's a blaring foghorn, an elephant's trumpet. The thunderous blast erupts from Bella's wrist, from the charms around her bracelet as they're snagged on a jutting piece of bark. Kate and a man in a black mask emerge from the misty, nebulous woods and instantly spot Bella.

The ache to wrap my hands around their throats and crush the life out of them as I watch them struggle for one final, agonizing breath makes me dizzy. I try to rush them, concurrently attempt to shout at the top of my lungs, and warn Bella to run – to jump. But I'm frozen…and inaudible. I'm completely useless against the horror unfolding before my eyes.

Because it's a dream, a nightmare of an event that's already transpired, and there's absolutely nothing I can do to change its outcome. Instead, I stand there, horrified and useless.

"She's got to be here somewhere, James! We'll put an end to everything if she gets away!"

Kate shouts the words, their sound as clear as the bell-like tinkling of Bella's bracelet. But it's as if they've been spoken in a foreign language, put through a translator that jumbles the words into a strange order.

'She's got to be here somewhere, James! We'll put an end to everything if she gets away!'

They make a peculiar sort of sense in the order they're in. So, as the images to this monstrous dream slowly dispel and fade, the words remain; they replay over and over in my head. But no matter how many times I hear them, they sound absolutely…wrong.

Suddenly, a new scene materializes – muted colors and shapes coalescing and solidifying like gasses into liquid and liquid into…

I'm no longer a silent, invisible witness to that abominable night in the Everglades. Bella and I both stand on that cliff and…and I've got a palm pressed tightly to my ribs. When I pull it away, it's stained bright red.

"Jump, Bella!" I shout.

"No! Not without you!"

There is no pain, but fear. Fear like I've never known wraps and tightens itself like manacles around my heart. But not fear for myself; rather, it's an almost blinding panic on her behalf, dread that no matter what I say, I won't convince her to jump before he decides to turn the gun on her.

"Damn it, take the jump without me!" And at that moment, I know that I'll say whatever I have to say…do whatever I have to do to ensure her safety.

I wake with a start and almost instantly aware of Bella's warm body cradled against my chest. We're safely in our bed. I release a long breath of relief through narrowed lips. As the breath caresses Bella's nape, she rouses, shifts and turns in my arms.

"Edward…everything okay?" Her voice is groggy, eyes still shut.

"Everything's fine, sweetheart." I brush my lips against her forehead. "Everything's fine."

She mumbles something in return, but a few seconds later, the even rhythm of her breath assures me she's asleep once again.

I lay awake for the rest of the night, reminding myself over and over why I can't walk into the office tomorrow and put a bullet through James and then Kate – or Kate and then James. Either way, Bella would lose me, and I've promised her she won't.

Somehow, someway, I'll make them pay. For now, all I know is that I'll say anything…do anything to keep Bella safe.

OOOOO

In the morning, it's business as usual at the practice.

No one would guess by looking at Garrett that he's ready to throw Kate to the dogs, or to the prosecution, as it were. If anything, he seems calmer these past couple of days, perhaps more at peace with himself. Jasper tells me Garrett has been assigned to a separate office to keep my cover - as well as the rest of the team's - intact. My cover won't be revealed until the trial. Until then, to everyone in the office, I'm still Doctor Anthony Masen.

At first, I find myself wondering why he hasn't broken things off with Kate. Then I conclude that, like me, he's playing a character as well, one who's still loyal and in love. Like Bella, he's been told by the Department of Justice that his statement must be cleared before a safe house can be provided. It's not easy to work day in and day out surrounded by murderers, knowing that, at any moment, your cover might be blown. I should know.

He's probably scared shitless as well, except while my fears revolve around the safety of the woman I love, he's ready to flip on the woman he once purported to adore.

Garrett has told the ADA all about the bracelet James bragged about having in his possession, as well as the fact that Kate disappeared the weekend when Bella's parents were murdered. He's claimed he has no idea where she went, but he's added that when she returned to the hotel, her arms were full of minuscule scratches, the sort one might get when running through a thick forest…

In the meantime, he and I pretend separately. We all talk, hang out, see patients, discuss treatments, schedule surgeries. James sits in my office and complains about the upcoming trial and the lies the government is willing to tell to lock him up – keeping up the ruse to the very end.

Kate no longer looks at me.

When I drive home in the evenings, I'm more careful than ever. I constantly remind Emmett and Alice to be extra vigilant. Sometimes, as I stroll into my apartment building, the hair on the nape of my neck stands on end. When I look around…there's nothing.

Paranoia has set in close to the end of the waking nightmare, to the end of Doctor Anthony Masen and all the lies and betrayals surrounding the cover, close to the reward I don't deserve but which Bella is willing to grant me, and I'm ready to claim heart and soul. If I can keep her safe.

I've always had stellar instincts. Therefore, the paranoia kills me, especially when I have nothing to attribute it to. Bella is never alone. She's out of sight. We have the bracelet. We have documents. We have tapes. We have Garrett Judas-kissing Kate. We have all our bases covered.

Don't we?

All I know is that I'll say anything…do anything to keep Bella safe.

OOOOO

Counselor Cora Cope situates her laptop so that Jasper and I can observe her interview with Jacob Black from a private room back at FBI Headquarters. When the laptop camera stops shaking, a sharp image shows us Cora Cope, Jacob Black, and Jacob's very pregnant girlfriend, Leah Clearwater, all seated around a small table in Jacob's secured Miami home.

Clearing her throat, Counselor Cope begins the recorded conference.

"Are we all ready? Okay. Good afternoon, everyone. This is Video-Conference Number Five for Case Number…"

Movement in my periphery catches my eye. Miss Clearwater absently rubs her rounded stomach – around and around. Over and over. It's a simple gesture, but for some reason, it makes my chest ache.

When Cora begins the interrogation, I blink away from Leah's distracting midsection.

"Jacob, for this interview, I'd like to discuss Miss Swan's physical condition when you found her."

Jacob delves into a description of how he found Bella that night; battered, bleeding, shot, unconscious. Cora takes notes, and I listen with a false veneer of stoicism.

"Do you have any idea what happened to the bullet after your father removed it from Isabella's thigh?"

Jacob shrugs. "We threw it out."

Through the screen, Cora lifts her gaze to Jasper and me.

"What?" Jake snorts, crossing his arms defensively against his huge chest.

"It would've been helpful if you'd still had it," I say.

He sneers my way. "Bells was lying unconscious and bleeding across our sofa. I'm sorry if keeping a souvenir was the last thing on our minds."

It's obvious the cocky prick's dislike for me hasn't abated one bit since he and I last crossed paths, which is fine. The dislike goes both ways. But it's also obvious how much he truly cares about Bella. So I'll let it – as well as all the supposedly covert sideways glances he's been giving me through the screen – slide, for now.

"Tell us what happened then," Cora asks softly, attempting to get Jake back on track.

Jacob glares at me for a couple of seconds longer before turning his attention back to Cora.

Once he replies, Cora moves on to her next question. "Jacob, can you tell me about Isabella's state of mind in the days immediately following the murder of her parents and the attempt on her own life?"

"Her state of mind?" Jacob repeats, eyebrow raised high. "Well, she wasn't breaking into any song or dance, I'll tell you that."

Jasper angles his head sharply upward, breathing out through narrow lips. "This guy's a piece of work," I hear him mumble.

"Seriously," I breathe.

"What I mean is," Cora presses on, "was she hysterical? Did she appear to be out of sorts, incoherent, confused?"

Jacob purses his lips. "I know none of you know Bells well, but if you did, you'd know that she's not the hysterical type, no matter what."

I want to punch him in his cocky face for assuming he knows Bella better than I do. Obviously, I can't. Not only would it be wrong, but we're separated by thousands of miles and a couple of laptop screens. What's more, he's had no contact with Bella for weeks and has no idea about us.

"No, she wasn't hysterical," he confirms. "She was heartbroken…but calm. We told her how we'd found her, and she told us what happened. She didn't even cry…" Here, he stares straight ahead at some point beyond the laptop.

"So would you say then that she had all her wits together? That she knew what she was saying?"

It aggravates the hell out of me that something like that can even be questioned at this point. However, from a clinical and legal standpoint, I understand Cora's reasoning. She'll have to establish Bella's state of mind for the jury, make sure they're confident that Bella wasn't insane with grief when she told her story or when she identified James and Kate.

"She knew exactly what she was saying," Jacob says curtly.

"Good. Good," Cora nods. "So when she described what happened, as well as the people that did these things to her and her parents, she was lucid and rational."

"Didn't I just say so?" Jacob snaps. "Look, a couple of nights before all that, Charlie asked my dad if it was okay for Renee and Bella to stay with us for a couple of weeks. He said he wanted to speak with my dad about something important regarding Harry Clearwater" – Leah sighs deeply at the mention of her own father, still rubbing that stomach – "but he and Renee never made it out of that river. I've always wondered what Charlie would've said had he had the chance," he muses thoughtfully. "Anyway, once Bella woke up, and she told us what happened, we did some research of our own and…well, it didn't take a genius to put two and two together. I don't understand why it takes you guys years to build these goddamned cases."

"It's a little more involved than pulling up pics on the internet and playing 'Clue,'" Jasper replies dryly.

"Sure it is." Jacob rolls his eyes.

Jasper throws his head back again and mutters once more. "Asshole."

I smirk.

This goes on for a couple of hours. Sometimes, Jacob replies straightforwardly to Cora's questions. Sometimes, he appears to feel an aching need to show off just how much of a bastard he can be.

Finally, Counselor Cope wraps up her questioning, and we all sign off. Jasper and I change into sweats and spar for a while as we discuss the particulars. After a shower and another change, I get in my car, drive around for a bit to ensure I'm not being followed, then pull over on a quiet road. Here, I place another call to Jacob.

He's seated on a couch, already glaring warily through the screen as he answers the call.

"What now?"

"Has Counselor Cope left for the airport?"

"Yeah, she's gone."

"Are the agents assigned working out well for you and your family?"

"Well, we're still alive, so I'd say yeah, for now."

I smirk. "They'll be there for as long as you need them."

He nods. "Yeah, I've been told Look, I know you can't tell me where she is, but how is Bells?"

"She's safe."

He glares at me dubiously. "If she's so safe, then why do you look like you've got a huge stick up your ass?"

"Jacob, where is Leah?"

"She's taking a nap. Why?"

"You're alone?"

"Yes."

"When did your feelings for Bella stop being romantic?"

He starts in surprise. His mouth pop open angrily, apparently ready to curse me out. Abruptly, he shuts it. For a few moments, he scrutinizes me with narrowed eyes.

"We were always good friends as kids, but then, as we got older, that seemed to change into something…more. We lived so far apart though, but I'd hoped that when she came to visit with her parents that summer before she was supposed to go away to college…but yeah, then, all that happened. And yes," he sighs, "at first, while she hid with us, we did fall into a different sort of relationship. But she was full of so much restless anger. She moved on from me to Paul to…and all she could think of was revenge." He swallows thickly and rakes a hand through his jet black hair, his dark skin ruddy. "Our friendship never wavered. It's how things were meant to be anyway."

I nod slowly. "Yeah, it was, but you still love her."

He holds my gaze steadily. "I'll always love her. It's just different now."

I know that, of course. Jacob has his own family to take care of, but he'll always love Bella. And that's why he's the only one I can trust.

"You're going to receive a package in the mail."

"What sort of package?" he frowns.

"If something ever…goes wrong," I swallow, "I'll make sure Bella finds her way back to you…and to your family."

"She won't stay." He shakes his head vehemently. "I tried making her stay before, to forget the revenge-"

"I know you did, and I know she won't," I confirm. "Give her what's in the package. It's all she'll need, in case."

Jacob draws in a deep breath and exhales slowly.

My plan is for Bella and me to disappear together. The last thing I want is to leave her alone. But the weeks pass, the trial grows nearer, Garrett turns, the evidence mounts, Kate looks like shit.

And James looks as confident as ever.

Paranoia has set in, and there are too many unknowns. So I'm covering all my bases.

"I'm asking you to help me keep her safe, Jacob. Will you do that?"

He doesn't hesitate, and in that moment, despite what an irritating prick he is, I no longer dislike Jacob Black.

"Of course." All his brashness and cockiness are stowed away for later, for when he actually needs it. "'Course I will."

OOOOO

As is unfortunately often the case, by the time I arrive back at the apartment late that evening, Bella is already asleep. As I stand at the foot of our bed and strip off my clothes, I remind myself that soon, I won't have to keep ridiculous schedules, where I live two separate lives and conduct covert work after hours.

When I slip in beside her and pull her against me, Bella comes easily. She molds her body to mine, and the heat radiating off of her is like a beacon. I brush my lips back and forth against her nape, from shoulder to shoulders, and she arches deeper into me, her body billowing like a summer breeze.

"Edward…please," she breathes, "please."

With no other words necessary, I pull off the clothing still separating us and ease inside her.

She is…heaven. We both exhale in relief as if we've been separated for years rather than hours. I mold my hands around her breasts and feel her heart pounding just as quickly as mine. Though it takes many forms, tonight our lovemaking is slow and sensual, my thrusts deep and languid, stroking her. I grunt quietly as she sheathes me and ripples against my hips. When her orgasm tightens her, I hold my breath and help her ride it out, trying to hold off my own overwhelming need until she's done. Then, I follow close behind.

I will always follow.

Afterward, we fall into conversation, like we always do.

"Tell me more about Charlie."

"Charlie…Charlie was the opposite of Renee in many ways. He was much more serious. More organized. If he started something, he stuck with it to the end. He loved sports and the great outdoors, and he loved fishing and camping. He didn't make friends easily, but those he did were lifetime friends. Like Harry Clearwater. He was the silent sort who observed his surroundings. But his eyes…his eyes always told you what he felt."

"You inherited his eyes, right?"

"Yes. My mom and dad… complemented one another. He kept us safe; she kept us happy."

We're quiet for a long while. "You know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think you're the best part of both of them."

Again, she's quiet. "I wish you could've met them somehow."

"What do you think they would've thought of me?" Because I don't deserve her; I know I don't. Yet I'll reach for her like a dark angel reaching for salvation.

"My mom would've loved you on the spot. My dad would've been a harder sell."

"Why?" I ask warily.

She turns in my arms and holds my gaze through those deep, taupe eyes.

"Because you're so much like him."

Emotion momentarily prevents me from speaking. And all the while, she holds my gaze, tracing my eyes with one finger, my mouth.

"Go to sleep."

I offer her a nod until I can find my voice. "James called tonight and asked me to meet him for an early morning surgery, so I'll be up a bit earlier than usual. But I'll try to be home before dinner tomorrow."

"Okay."

And with that, I kiss her softly and drift off with Bella in my arms.

A/N: Thoughts?

Facebook: Stories by PattyRose

Twitter: PattyRosa817

"See" you soon!