Stolen Dreams
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. You shouldn't be surprised since this is fanfiction. I own this. Please don't translate or use without my permission.
A/N: Thank you to everyone that read and reviewed this week. I love reading all of your thoughts. Thank you to Jenny Cullen for betaing. She's the bizama. I hope you enjoy this chapter. And, uh, no offense is meant . . . even if I don't understand the inner workings of some people's minds.
Chapter 11
"Edward, wake up," I whispered harshly, pushing on his shoulder. "There's someone in the house."
"What?" Edward asked sleepily.
"There's someone in the living room," I hissed, trying to convey a sense of urgency.
He snorted. "Yeah, Bella, Jasper's in the living room."
"No, it's someone else," I said frantically. "I heard the door open, lots of banging, and then I heard Jasper yell. He stopped . . ."
Edward sat upright, now fully awake. His eyes darted around my room and found the baseball bat Charlie had left with me when I moved into my first dorm room. At the time, I thought it was silly, but now, I was thankful for its presence. Edward gripped the handle and carefully opened the door, tiptoeing down the hallway with the bat ready to swing. I followed behind him, unwilling to be left alone and unprotected in my room. For all I knew, Jasper could already be lying in a pool of his own blood and the intruder could have crept by my door.
With one swift movement, Edward flicked on the lights and positioned himself over the outline of the large head we could see on the couch. A sharp female scream broke the stillness of the room. Jasper flung himself in front of the girl and raised his arm to fend off Edward's bat.
"What the fuck, dude?" he yelled.
"What the fuck, me?" Edward yelled back. "You almost gave me a heart attack. Bella woke me up, telling me that someone was in the house killing you! Here you are, letting some girl into Bella's apartment to mack on in the middle of the night."
"Hey, I live here, too," a familiar voice from behind Jasper said indignantly.
"Alice?" I said, bewildered. "Aren't you supposed to be downtown?"
She had the good sense to look a little sheepish when she poked her head around Jasper's torso. Edward let the bat fall and sighed.
"When I got there, he had a full blown party in his room. I had a little bit more to drink, but when they brought out the hard stuff, like cocaine, I got really nervous and started to leave. Sean took me into the other room, which was quieter, but there were three other girls in there already getting . . . well, it looked like it was going to be quite the party for Sean. I told him I wasn't into that and left. I'm sorry I didn't call, but I figured you were already asleep and that I could just slip in. I ran into the table by the door, though." Alice gave me a tentative smile.
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask how she'd gone from the orgy with the band, to sneaking into our house, to making out with Jasper on the couch when she'd ignored him all night. Instead of embarrassing them both further, though, I settled for wishing them a good night.
Edward turned off the light as we left the room and groaned when he lay back down in bed. "Death by Alice," he muttered. Within seconds, he was snoring. I wasn't far behind.
The next morning, Edward let me sleep and just kissed me goodbye when he went to take Jasper home. Three hours later, I finally crawled out of bed and cornered a very hung-over Alice in the kitchen.
"Do you mind telling me what that was all about last night?" I said through a yawn.
"Ugh." Alice dropped her forehead to the table. "I feel like such an idiot. I went with that singer last night, convinced that he thought I was special, only to find that drugs and orgies were more his style. Meanwhile, a great guy tried all night to impress me, and I just shoved him to the side. When I got back here, I actually fell on top of Jasper; I was too drunk to make it back to my room."
"Did you . . . uh . . ." I asked, sort of.
She lifted her head and looked at me with a curious smile. "No. I mean, we kissed for awhile, but he told me he didn't want to take advantage and just held me the rest of the night. When he left, he said he'd call me later today."
"I'm glad. Jasper is a good guy, if not a bit of a ladies' man," I added for good measure.
"I'll be careful," she promised.
The cereal I'd poured while we talked had gotten soggy, so I poured it into the sink and fried myself an egg.
Alice sniffed the grease on my plate, and her stomach rumbled. "If I buy, will you come to Willie's with me?"
Willie's was the diner down the street that served the best, greasiest breakfast in Washington. Actually, I wasn't sure what the name of the place was, but Willie was always there, serving the truckers and students that frequented the place. Memories of their crisp bacon, fluffy pancakes, and perfectly scrambled eggs flooded my brain, and my fork clattered to my plate. Bits of yolk splashed onto the table.
"How fast can you get dressed?" I asked her, eyeing her clothes from the night before.
She glanced down at herself and grimaced. "Give me ten minutes."
In the end, Alice was waiting for me when I came out of my room. She must have been feeling really off, because she was wearing some old yoga pants and a tank top. I was practically dressy in my jeans and t-shirt in comparison. At least she'd washed her face and didn't have raccoon eyes any more.
Over breakfast at Willie's, Alice started her confession. "I just didn't know what to think. I thought Sean liked me when he came into the shop, and I thought he was really cute. I didn't think it was going anywhere, but I wanted a night of fun. And then, I saw Jasper." Her eyes took on a dreamy quality, and she actually sighed. "He could cause problems, though, so I was determined to stay away from him."
I snorted. "What kind of problems would Jasper cause?"
"He's a player, Bella, and you know it. I'd fall for him so easily, and he'd break my heart. Then, you and Edward would be stuck between your two best friends that couldn't stand to be around each other," she reasoned, as if this was the future and she'd already seen it unfold.
"And kissing him on the couch isn't going to make that happen?" I asked with a tinge of disbelief in my tone.
She chewed on a bite of pancakes while she thought how best to word her answer. "He's not who I thought he was. I made a judgment without knowing him or knowing all the facts. Yeah, we were kissing when you caught us, but we talked, too—really talked. He enlisted right out of high school and has worked his way up through the ranks. He doesn't really see his family in Texas. His parents divorced when he was little because his dad traveled all the time, and his mom never got over it, even though she's the one that wanted out. His dad never settled down and barely saw him or his younger sister. That's why he's never wanted a relationship. He didn't want it to end up like his parents."
"But now?" I asked.
"Now, he's settling down here in Seattle, and he likes it here. Maybe there's a chance." Alice shrugged. "We'll see."
Mentally, I planned a dinner for the four of us in the coming week, and I made a note to ask Edward if they would be able to spare the time. Both he and Jasper would be gone with the Reserves over the weekend, so that meant a lot of long hours beforehand.
It was after two when we finally trudged back home. We were both exhausted from the late night and flopped on the couch. For dinner, we ordered a pizza, because we were too lazy to get up and cook. That and the Lifetime movie we were watching were too good to miss. All in all, it was a wonderful, lazy Sunday. For the first time in weeks, I didn't worry about a custody case, work, or my relationship with Edward. I was content to let it all ride for the day.
On Monday morning, I dropped a line to Aron Michaels, informing him that we had gone to Forks for the testing and about the incident on Saturday. In case more came of it, I wanted him to be apprised. Edward sent me a cryptic message mid-morning that I didn't have a chance to reply to until my patient left at a little before noon. No sooner had I hit send, then there was a knock on my door.
"Am I interrupting?" Edward asked as he poked his head in the door. "Chelsea said you were free until this afternoon."
I grinned. "No, I'm good. What was that message about anyway?"
"I was trying to see if you'd have lunch with me, but I kept getting distracted. So, what do you say? You have an hour or so, and I need some advice . . . and food," he added with a smile.
"I'm all yours," I promised. I grabbed my purse from my locked desk drawer, and we headed out.
He drove us to a nearby Applebee's, and we got seated fairly quickly, though it was the peak of lunch hour. We both ordered before he brought up the reason he wanted my opinion.
"Colonel McIntosh called yesterday," he began, and my heart froze. That had been his commanding officer while he was on active duty.
"It's nothing bad," he assured me when he saw my expression. "He has a Corporal in his battalion that didn't sign his renewal and is out as of last Friday. His family lives here in Seattle, so McIntosh thinks that he's headed in this direction. He's apparently a computer whiz kid, and the Colonel thought he would be a good fit with us. He also dumped two more assignments in our lap if we want them."
"Wow. Those both sound like good things. What do you think about it?" I asked.
Edward sighed. "I think that we can't take the two assignments if we don't pick Ben up. Neither Jasper nor I want to bring him on as another partner, but hiring an employee can make a difference in the business. I wanted your opinion, to discuss it with you, since it could affect my, and consequently, our finances."
A thrill shot through me at his words, and a smile stretched across my face involuntarily. It was the first time since we were seventeen, other than when we hastily decided to live together the other night, that we had initiated a discussion about our future as a couple. "Do you have enough work to keep him busy?"
"With this new stuff and our private contracts, yeah, we do. They have us tracking several al-Qaeda members, and they aren't exactly easy to find. He can also take the weekends that Jasper and I have to be gone," Edward said.
I sat in thought for a minute. "Edward, can you afford him?"
"Yes, for now," he answered.
"Then I think you need to hire him. There might come a time soon when we need to be able to travel to Forks more often or be able to be home in the evenings with our son." Hope for that future was practically strangling my heart, but I was doing my best not to let it take over.
Edward smiled sweetly, leaning over to kiss me. "Thank you," he whispered.
The server interrupted our moment by bringing our food to us. We'd spent so long talking and waiting for our food that we only had a few minutes left to eat before I had to be back at the office. I did tell him about my call to Aron that morning; he agreed that it was for the best.
Just before one, Edward dropped me off with a lingering kiss and promised to come by my apartment tonight. I rode the high of his affection through the rest of the day.
I made chicken parmesan that night for dinner. Both Alice and Edward were running late, but I kept it warm in the oven.
Alice was singing happily to herself when she walked in the door and flashed me a huge smile. "Angel's gone," she crowed. "I hired two of the design students in her place for less than she cost me, because they're getting internship credit, too!"
"Alice, that's wonderful!" I gave her a big hug.
She spied my glass of wine over my shoulder. "Hey, I'm going to go change. Pour me some?"
"Sure thing." No sooner than I had tipped the bottle of wine, the door opened again and Edward stepped through.
"Make me one, too, please," he called from near the front door.
"Long day?" I asked.
He sauntered into the kitchen, took a drink of my wine, and kissed me on the lips. "Hmm," he hummed in contentment. "Yes, long day."
"How did it go with Jasper and the corporal?" I asked as I pulled dinner from the oven and plated our meal.
Edward sank into the chair he usually sat in and leaned back. "We spent the entire day reviewing the financials and bickering about what we can afford to pay this kid. McIntosh found him on his way off base. The kid had interviewed with Google, but with the economy the way it is, they didn't have any openings for him. He was willing to accept a lower salary because of our affiliations with the government. Apparently, Corporal Ben Cheney suffered through two tours in Iraq and didn't want to kill anymore. But he has the heart of a soldier, so he wants to help track terrorists in another way." He finally smiled.
"That's great news!" I cheered.
"What's great news?" Alice asked, walking into the kitchen.
"We hired a guy to help us out today," Edward told her. "Now, it'll be easier for Jasper to find time to take you out."
Alice blushed. "Did he say something?"
Edward smirked. "I barely got a word in edgewise between talking about you and Ben Cheney. I'd expect a call tonight."
Alice practically inhaled her food. She kept watching her phone for any sign that it might ring. I hadn't seen her so excited about a guy in so long that I didn't want to laugh and rain on her parade.
After dinner, Edward helped me wash the dishes. As I dried and put away the last pan, Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed up and down the length of my neck. The pan slid out of my hands and onto the counter as I leaned my head back onto his shoulder.
"God, I love you," Edward murmured against my skin. His hands wandered up my torso, skimming underneath my shirt. My hands clutched his thighs and rocked my hips into his. He was already hard and ready.
"Alice is home. Let's go back to my room," I whispered. It was as loud as my voice could go without moaning.
"Brilliant idea. I've been waiting to have you underneath me all day." His voice was thick with desire and heavy with want.
This time, I couldn't contain the moan.
We barely got the door on my room closed before his shirt hit the floor. Mine followed soon after, and Edward held my breasts in his large hands. While he caressed me, I reached for his waist and popped the button on his jeans. With a swift tug, the line of buttons on his fly pulled free. I slipped my hands into his boxers and grasped his cock with my hand. He groaned and thrust into me, lightly pushing me backward onto the bed.
I bounced slightly, but Edward quickly covered my body with his. Hot and passionate, his mouth met mine. Before long, I was dizzy with need and yanked on his boxers. My own pants were quickly discarded. The feeling of skin on skin was divine and only spurred us on.
"This isn't going to be slow," Edward ground out, hooking my leg over his hip.
"Please," I begged.
In one swift movement, he thrust into me, filling me completely. I groaned loudly as he hit the right spots deep inside me. He kept up the relentless pace, taking my breath away and taking me even higher toward the precipice. Minutes later, I moaned deeply through my release. Edward flipped us over, settling me over him.
"You feel so good," I panted as I rocked back and forth.
Edward guided me down to him and captured my nipple with his lips. The tingling in my abdomen started all over again, and it wasn't long before he was tweaking my nipples as I came. Seconds later, he followed behind.
I rolled off Edward, grumbling as he slipped out of me. My feet hit the floor, and I went straight to the bathroom to clean up. Once Edward had done the same, we both got into pajamas. It was still early, but we cuddled together under the covers and drifted off to sleep.
Edward was gone the next morning when I woke. He'd left me a little note, telling me how much he loved me and that he would see me later that night. The work day dragged by, with me checking my phone every fifteen minutes. It was almost five o'clock when the call from Charlie came through. He wanted to meet us at Morton's Steakhouse to discuss his meeting with Agent Majors, but when I called Edward, he didn't answer.
Charlie met me at the hostess stand and escorted me to the table. He looked serious, but somewhat relieved.
"What happened today?" I asked.
Charlie sighed. "The Feds are going to work with me on this. They don't have the manpower to investigate, but they'll do the prosecution. With everything I have, they agree that there's a case, as long as the DNA comes back positive."
"Will they prosecute Susan Mallory, too?" I asked.
He shook his head. "I don't know, Bella. She's the one that crossed the state lines with the child. Bob Gerandy just brokered the deal."
My heart ached for Lauren, Susan, and Caleb. I wanted to keep her out of it, because I knew that it would be very difficult for all of them if Susan were to go to prison. "Let's just do what we can, okay?" I requested.
"I ran into Dr. Cullen yesterday," he told me. "He apologized again. I think he's a good man in a rough situation, Bella. I'm a father, and I'd do anything I could to keep you safe, too."
I snorted. "Do I look that dangerous, Dad?"
He gave me a sad smile. "Not in the conventional sense, but you are trying to take his son away and tear his family apart. There's no worse feeling in the world than that."
For the first time, I understood how my own father had felt when I was only three years old and my mother took me away with her. I spent the rest of the meal recounting all the good times we'd had together and making sure he knew what a good father he was. He left to go home as soon as we were finished, hugging me a little longer than normal. I promised that I'd be down to see him soon.
Edward finally called after eleven. He apologized profusely for missing dinner and listened intently when I described Charlie's meeting with Agent Majors. Our conversation was cut off, though, by a pinging on his end of the line, followed by muffled curses.
"Fucking hell, stupid suicide bombers," he mumbled. "I'm sorry, baby. I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"See you tomorrow," I agreed.
As it turned out, Monday night was the last time I saw Edward until Friday afternoon. Ben arrived in Seattle on Tuesday and reported to work on Wednesday. Edward and Jasper spent the next three days familiarizing Ben with their systems. An hour before he was set to leave, Edward knocked on my office door.
"Hey, love," he said. "I'm sorry I've been so absent this week. I'll be back Sunday afternoon, and you can have me the rest of the day, okay?" He cradled my face in his hands and kissed me gently.
"Be careful. I'll miss you," I told him. "I love you."
"I love you, too. If you hear anything, call me. I'll check my messages when I can," he requested.
I nodded and kissed him goodbye one last time. I didn't even want to imagine having to see him off for a tour of duty of overseas. Though I preferred not to think about Tanya and her time with Edward, I could understand why she became clingy when he got back. Watching him walk away was torture.
Jasper had gone by Alice's shop, as well, and she was very subdued when we both arrived home. We dug the ice cream out of the freezer and put in some good old-fashioned chick flicks. By the time Edward and Jasper texted to say they had arrived, we were both a mess of tears.
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