Stolen Dreams

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I know. I can't believe it either. Who knew? That said, she still owns it and I don't. I do, however, own the ideas behind this story and I would appreciate it if they weren't used without my permission. That would be stealing. And stealing is wrong.

A/N: First, I would like to thank the lovely Kassiah for pre-reading and Jenny Cullen for her beta duties. These two ladies are about as awesome as they come. Any mistakes you see are mine, because I fiddled with it after I got it back.

Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I am looking forward to taking this journey with you, too. I do read each and every review that comes through, but if you want me to post faster or ever finish this story, I can't respond to each one. That said, I will answer any questions I can and I do take everything you say to heart.

Chapter 2

After running my daily three miles on the treadmill, I took a few minutes to record my morning in my journal. Anna, the first therapist my father had dragged me to, had suggested it as a way to purge my feelings a few months after Ryan's death. I'd kept the habit up. All of the old ones were in a box in my closet, but I rarely touched them, not wanting to be taken back to the worst time of my life. As I stowed my journal away and grabbed my suitcase, I ran my finger over the flap of the box, considering opening them again to fortify myself against the overwhelming feelings I was sure would inundate me throughout the weekend.

I didn't have long to myself after packing, as my first appointment was at nine. After graduating with my PhD, I'd been invited to join a growing psychology practice that specialized in family therapy. Each partner had our own specialties: Zafrina in marriage counseling, Irina in child psychology, and me in teenage counseling. My patients ran the gamut from superstition crazed athletes to young mothers.

Tina, a shy, seventeen year-old victim of bullying was already sitting in my waiting room when I arrived. I spent the entire hour listening to how she coped with her tormentors during the week, and I was thrilled to find that she was learning how to deal with it on her own, without turning their malicious jibes inward. It wasn't an easy feat for an introspective teenager with self-esteem issues.

Several hours, two appointments—including a mildly autistic young man and a sixteen year old boy with anger issues—and lunch later, I found myself sitting in my last appointment of the day. My own. I'd asked Zafrina to see me before I left; I needed the extra strength.

"Are you ready for this weekend, Bella?" Zafrina asked casually after I told her about the reoccurrence of the dream. Zafrina and I had been close since I started seeing her in college. While our relationship had blossomed after my graduation, I was unwilling to part with one of the few women I really trusted, though she would now be my partner and colleague.

"Yes and no." I sighed. "Edward is excited about going, and there's a part of me that is, too. The last time I really spent any time there, though, was right after I gave birth. Forks is a small town, and every time I went out, all I heard were whispers about how sad it was that the Chief's daughter had gotten knocked up and lost the baby. Add that to the gossip about Edward leaving so suddenly, and it was its own version of Hell."

"Have you talked to Edward about how that time was for you?"

My shoulders slumped. "A bit here and there. It's just . . . it was so long ago. I hate to ruin what we have now by digging all that back up."

"Do you feel like it's affecting your relationship now?" Zafrina asked.

We'd talked about this when Edward and I first starting dating again.

I shook my head and answered honestly. "No, not really. It's been amazing to get to know him as the man he is now. We still have that shared history, but we're both very different people than we were then."

"You have certainly grown up a lot from when we first met. I do want you to promise me, though, that you will talk to him or call me if you get overwhelmed this weekend," Zafrina requested. "In fact, I can almost guarantee that you will."

"Yes, ma'am," I said, somewhat sarcastically. We both knew I would do so if I needed it. "Oh! Did I tell you about Mom's last visit?"

"No." Zafrina giggled. "What happened?"

"She came into the apartment and rearranged while Alice and I were at work. Claimed that our 'feng shui' was off and she needed to cleanse our space. Alice's favorite chair ended up in a corner in the guest room, because Mom swore it wouldn't fit anywhere. She went shopping and bought all of this weird food that no one knew how to cook. It was the strangest three days I've spent in years." I laughed.

"Phil didn't come with her?"

"No, he had some big game to coach. Frankly, I think he likes it when she comes to visit me. It gets her out of his hair for a little while and gives him a break," I told her. I loved my mom, but she could be a lot to handle. Phil, the man she'd married when I was in eighth grade, had kept her grounded for a long time, but I was sure that it exhausted him sometimes.

"Did you get to enjoy your time with her?" Zafrina asked.

"I did," I said with a smile. "She's so flighty that sometimes, it's nice to just live on her wavelength for awhile."

We talked a little more, and then called it a day. Zafrina urged me to have fun over the weekend, and I went back into my own office to finish up my notes for the weekend. As I'd predicted that morning, I left the office around three-thirty and went home to make some dinner for Alice, Edward, and me. Alice wasn't coming down until the next morning, but she couldn't cook to save her life.

Alice came home just as I was throwing pan of shepherd's pie in the oven. "You are a godsend," she moaned. "I haven't eaten since breakfast. Paul haggled with me all day. I am seriously starting to think that Angel is getting some kickback from him, because she badgered me continuously about adding his collection."

"I told you to watch her," I said. "She's sneaky and conniving."

Alice sighed, but conceded. "Unless I can find someone to replace her that's willing to work the same hours, though, I'm stuck with her and her Goth-ness."

I laughed at the disgust in Alice's tone. Angel, Alice's assistant and primary clerk, was the antithesis of Alice. She had dyed black hair that she kept plastered to her head, large gauges in each ear, and a lip ring. She did follow Alice's edict to dress only in the shop's fashions, but she managed to find every black item they sold and only wore those.

"Check with the school of design over at UW. They might have some girls that want to intern," I suggested.

"That's a great idea, actually. I think I'll check with them when we get home. Would you mind terribly if I rode in with you tonight? Mom's going to let me use her car this weekend, and I don't want to make the drive by myself."

"I don't mind, but let me check with Edward. He's the one driving," I said. "At this point, I'm not even sure when he's going to get—"

A knock on the door interrupted the rest of my sentence. Alice sashayed to the door and opened it, letting Edward into the apartment.

"Hey!" I called from the kitchen. "I didn't expect you so early."

"I gave up," he shouted from the living room. "I'm going to have to find some sort of connection in Forks at some point this weekend, though. I had to set up a few traces, and they aren't going to find anything for hours."

"Does The Lodge have high speed internet?" I asked doubtfully.

Edward snorted. "Um, I doubt it. I've got my air card if there isn't another choice, but reception there isn't great." He strolled into the kitchen. "What are we having?"

"Cheesy Shepherd's Pie," I answered, opening the oven door and showing him the browning potatoes.

"Mmm," he moaned, inhaling. "God, I love you, woman."

I laughed and slapped his shoulder. "I see how it is."

"Eh, I'm a man of simple tastes," he teased.

His smile was so sweet and infectious that I just couldn't resist kissing him.

"Hey, simple man," Alice said from the other room. "Can I ride in with you tonight?"

Edward looked over at me to make sure it was all right with me, and at my shrug, he agreed, but told Alice that she couldn't bring her entire closet with her. She gritted her teeth and scowled at him, but went back to her room to consolidate her three suitcases into one.

We ate dinner quickly and got on the road; the four hour drive in the waning light and ever present rain wasn't overly appealing to any of us. Edward plugged in his iPod, though, and filled the car with upbeat music to keep us alert.

"Whatever happened to Peter?" Edward asked Alice. Peter was the guy Alice had dated on and off through high school.

"Um, the last I heard, he was living in New York City. He's a stock broker—or was," Alice reported. "He's supposedly dating some nineteen year old wannabe actress or something. Mom sees Mrs. Stanley at the store all the time."

Inwardly, I grimaced, but I tried not to let it show. Mrs. Stanley was the worst of the town gossips, and I'd heard enough tripe spilling from her lips to last me a lifetime. "Well, then, I would say he's probably married to a fifty year old society woman," I snarked. "Who do you think will have changed the most?"

"That's not fair," Edward whined. "You two have at least seen these people in ten years. You know who's changed."

Alice giggled. "That's why this is so much fun!"

"I think we should let him try to guess who is who when we randomly run into people," I chimed in.

Alice's answering laugh was almost evil.

"I hate you two," Edward grumbled as he swung into the parking lot of The Lodge. "If you don't mind, I'll check in, and then drive you and Alice to your parents' houses."

I swung my feet out of the car and followed Edward to the registration desk. "Actually," I said, "Charlie called earlier and he's working all night. Do you mind if I stay here? I can get my own room if I need to. I know you have work to do."

Edward laughed deeply and wrapped his arms around my waist. "No, baby, you don't need to get your own room. I think I'll be perfectly happy to have you in my bed all night. It's not like your dad doesn't know we have sex." He waggled his eyebrows.

"Ho-ly shit! Edward Masen? Is that you with Bella Swan?"

Edward didn't let go of me, but turned us to face the person across the lobby. A statuesque blonde strolled across the tile floor in four inch heels, looking every bit the model that she always had.

"Rosalie Hale, how the hell are you?" Edward called, his face breaking out in a wide smile.

She sped up a little, and they embraced tightly.

"It's actually Rosalie McCarty now," she told him with a grin. "Emmett and I got married six years ago. We tried to find you—he wanted you as his best man—but you'd fallen off the face of the Earth."

Edward conceded with a tilt of his head. "Eh, six years ago, I was in Iraq. I'm sorry I missed it, though. I'm sure it was the wedding of the century."

"Em's going to be so excited to see you!" she exclaimed. "We're going for drinks later at The Pub. Come with us."

Edward glanced down at me. "You up for it?"

I smiled at his consideration. "Yeah, sure. Sounds like fun."

"What time?" he asked Rosalie.

"Eleven?"

"We'll meet you there."

She rubbed her hand down his arm in a friendly gesture and smiled at the two of us. "It's good to see you, too, Bella." With a parting brilliantly white smile on her perfect face, she walked out the door and into the night.

"And so it begins," Edward muttered as the receptionist started checking him in.

We threw our bags, including Edward's extensive computer equipment, into our room. Alice's mother was thrilled to see us when we dropped her off and made us come in for a piece of pie before we left. Mrs. Brandon's apple pie was mouthwatering; I could never resist it.

It was ten after eleven when we finally got to The Pub. It was a hive of activity, a situation that I was sure was unusual for a Thursday night in Forks.

"Masen!" Emmett's deep baritone yelled over the din. "Over here." He was standing and waving wildly from a corner booth.

A boyish grin covered Edward's face, and for the first time since we'd been back together, I saw the boy I'd fallen in love with all those years ago. We crossed the room briskly. Emmett and Edward embraced in one of those man hugs where they pound on each other's backs. Rosalie looked on with amusement and motioned for me to sit.

"How are you?" she asked. Rosalie and I had never been close, but we'd always been friendly. Dating best friends for years had that effect.

"Good, actually. How are things going for you? Are you still here in Forks?" I knew she'd left town for college at the same time I did.

"Emmett and I live in Port Angeles. We figured that some of this reunion crap would run late, so we got a room at The Lodge. I run my own garage now—put Dowling's out of business a year ago," she informed me.

I imagined Rosalie's perfection in a pair of coveralls and covered in grease. It made me laugh out loud. "That's . . . wow! Do you . . . work on the cars, too?" I couldn't come up with anything more intelligent sounding.

Peals of laughter fell from her lips, and Emmett guffawed. The guys had gotten us some drinks and returned to the table. "My woman is hot when she goes all grease monkey on me," Emmett said.

"My dad likes to restore old cars," she explained. "When I was a kid, if I wanted to spend time with him when he wasn't at the mill, it had to be in the garage. I picked up a lot from him. At Oregon State, I took a few shop classes and got my degree in automotive engineering. Em's mom got sick during our senior year, so after we graduated, we came home and I opened my own shop."

"Wow. That's incredible. How's your mom now?" I asked, looking at Emmett. Ms. McCarty had spent a lot of time mothering all of Emmett's friends. She'd been the 'cool mom,' but had kept Emmett in line with an iron fist. Emmett's dad left when he was little; you just wouldn't know it from how well adjusted he was.

"Mom's good," Emmett said. "It was breast cancer, but she's been in remission for five years. Just had her check-up the other day."

"Glad to hear that, man. I'll have to stop in and see her while I'm here," Edward said.

"How long are you here for?" Emmett asked. "And where did you go?" There was no malice in Emmett's tone; that was just the way he was.

Edward frowned. "At the beginning of our senior year, Bella and I applied to schools all across the country: Seattle, New York, even Georgia. After . . . well, after Christmas, we both decided on UW so we'd be closer to home. Unbeknownst to me, my parents also tendered my acceptance to West Point. I came home from the hospital one night and found our entire house packed up. They informed me we were leaving the next morning for New York. In August, I started West Point. As for how long I'm here for, I guess that depends on where here is. Forks? I'll be here through the weekend. Washington? I live in Seattle now, so unless the Army sends me overseas again, I intend to stay indefinitely."

Emmett stared at him in disbelief. "The Army, dude?"

"The Army," Edward confirmed.

"So, did you and Bella stay in touch?" Rosalie asked, a furrow in her brow.

I shook my head. "No. He snuck out that night and came to tell me that he was leaving. His parents didn't leave him much choice, and once he was across the country, they cut off his access so he wouldn't contact me, either."

"What the fuck?" Emmett exclaimed. "You let them do that shit?

"It wasn't like they gave me much choice. I tried to call her a few times from pay phones, but I never got through. I even sent her a letter, but she never wrote me back. Later, I found out that she hadn't gotten it. Once school started, there wasn't a lot of time to do much else. It's not like the military gives you a lot of down time," he added wryly.

Rosalie still looked puzzled. "But you're together now?"

I laughed, and Edward continued the story. "I moved to Seattle about eight months ago. One of the guys from my unit and I started our own computer company and relocated to the Northwest. I was making our weekly grocery run, when I literally ran into Bella with my cart. I haven't been able to leave her side since." He threw his arm around my shoulder and tugged me against him.

"That's some fate shit right there," Emmett declared. "More beer?"

It shouldn't have surprised me that those were the only questions our old friends asked, but the conversation ended there. Emmett told us all about teaching at Forks High, where he was the new Biology teacher and head football coach. I was glad to see that he was doing something he loved, too; he'd injured his knee during a game in college, and it had ended his career.

Sometime after one in the morning, we called it a night. Having started our day so early, neither of us had the energy to do more than crawl into bed. Sleep came easier than I'd expected, wrapped in Edward's arms.

So, they've made it to Forks. Do any of you have any great going back home stories? I'd love to hear them.