Stolen Dreams
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and the configuration of names used in this story. She doesn't own the actual names, because, well, they've been in use much longer than she's been alive. But you all knew that, too.
A/N: You've all hypothesized and one of you was right! You're so smart. I was thrilled this week when I left a review for another wonderful author, DreamoftheEndless (if you aren't reading her stuff, do it after you read this), and she informed me that she considered me a big name in this little fandom world of ours. I was stunned, and humbled. Thank you, darling, for the vote of confidence. It really means the world to me.
Thank you to everyone that took the time to read and double thanks to those that reviewed. Stolen Dreams is almost to 1500 reviews and I think that is incredible. Thank you also to my beta, JenRar, for her work making this readable.
For the record, the following Monopoly game is based on a real game I played with my family about three months ago. My son, at five years old, kicked my ass. In fact, he beat us all, and it was his first time playing. Who knew that being the slum lord in Monopoly was so profitable? Apparently, he did. Sigh.
Chapter 22
"Bella, you need to turn on channel three," Dad's voice said ominously through the phone without a proper greeting.
"What's going on, Dad?" I asked. The only television in the office was in the waiting room, and we had patients out there.
"Don't argue with me, Bella. Just do it. The grand jury is handing down the indictments on Gerandy this morning."
I ran out of my office and grabbed the remote from Chelsea. Without care that I had patients watching the cartoon on the screen, I scrambled with the buttons and changed the channel. A reporter in a crisp, white button down shirt and carefully coiffed hair was standing in front of the federal courthouse in Seattle.
"—still waiting to hear from the grand jury, but after the evidence presented yesterday, it is almost certain that Dr. Robert Gerandy will be indicted on all counts. He has been accused of child trafficking, kidnapping, forgery, and theft. We received word from our contact inside the courthouse this morning that the grand jury had reached a decision, and we are waiting for the official word now."
Chelsea had alerted Kate and Zafrina, apparently, because they both came to get their clients and moved them into their offices with their apologies, before returning to the waiting room to sit with me. I grabbed my phone and held it back to my ear. Dad had hung up at some point, so I dialed Edward and told him to turn on the television.
"Here comes the prosecutor now." The lady ran with the camera following behind her closely to a staging area of sorts that was being created by a gang of journalists. "Mr. Mancuso, over here. What was the verdict?"
Mr. Mancuso, the prosecutor, ignored all of the individuals clamoring for his attention and held up his hand to quiet them down. Choosing his words carefully, he spoke to the assembled crowd. "The grand jury has returned indictments on all accounts against Robert Gerandy. My office will be proceeding to trial as soon as possible, and we fully expect a jury of his peers to find him guilty. That said, I urge you to remember that there are families—real people—behind this tragedy, and their rights should be respected, as well." He ended the interview with that and refused to say any more.
"Robert Gerandy is the man that stole your son?" Zafrina confirmed.
I nodded, unable to tear my eyes from the screen.
"Let us know whatever you need." Kate patted my leg. "Chelsea, you're probably going to have to screen calls diligently for the next few weeks. No new patients without a written referral." I didn't want to believe that a reporter would stoop so low, but I knew they would to get a story.
"Yes, ma'am," Chelsea said from her desk.
Kate and Zafrina both returned to their offices where their patients were waiting, and I slowly got to my feet. Earlier in the day, I had been lamenting my light schedule for the day, thinking that it would make my day go by slower. Now, I was grateful. I could hear the phone starting to ring on Chelsea's desk as I made my way into my office and her replies of "No comment."
I was fortunate that my patients didn't mention anything and did not seem to be affected by the media buzz surrounding me. A couple of them mentioned seeing reporters outside our building, but that was as far as it went.
That night, Kate suggested I use the back door to get to the parking lot. It was likely that there would be people watching my car, but most of them seemed to be clustered around the front door, waiting eagerly for me to leave, like what happened to me was nothing more than entertainment for the masses that I would be eager to share. Perhaps there was something to the idea of giving a single interview after all.
Two reporters practically chased me to my car, but they were kind enough to move so I didn't have to run over them to get home. Somehow, they hadn't located my home address yet. It was a relief to be able to get in to grab my bag. Edward arrived, and we were on the way out the door when my cell rang.
"Don't bother coming down here this weekend," Carlisle said icily as soon as I'd answered.
"Excuse me?" I said, shocked.
"I just had to go rescue my wife and son from the Thriftway, where they were cornered by reporters. We moved to this town so they would be safe, and now, you've dredged up all this trouble. Just don't bother." He hung up before I could respond.
I stared at the phone in my hand, wondering just what we were supposed to do.
"Babe, who was that?" Edward asked, coming back inside and shutting the door. "Did some reporter get your cell?"
I shook my head absently. "No, that was Carlisle. He told us not to come. Apparently, some reporters were harassing Ryan and Esme at the Thriftway, and he's blaming it on us."
"Not to come? It's our weekend with Ryan. He can't just tell us not to come," Edward protested.
"We don't have a formalized custody arrangement. Aron warned me about this," I whispered. I didn't understand before. I didn't believe they would try to keep us away from him. Now I knew the truth.
"Fuck that," Edward snarled. "He's not going to keep us away from Ryan. Let's go." He jerked our bags up off the floor where he'd dropped them and yanked my front door open. In a daze, I followed him to his car and listened while he called Aron.
Aron cussed so loudly that I could hear him through the phone. He told Edward that he would make some calls and to keep his phone handy, before yelling again and hanging up. Edward's knuckles were white on the steering wheel, and his jaw was clenching. The silence in the car was almost deafening, but Edward was too angry, and I was too afraid to break it.
About thirty minutes into the trip, Edward connected up his iPod and let the music soothe us both. Granted, it took a while, but by the time we got to Forks, we were both calmer and resolved that we were going to be at the Cullens' house in the morning to see our son, regardless of the media or Carlisle's wishes.
Sam and Emily had our room ready for us, and despite the late hour, we had to avoid a reporter that was staying at the Lodge, too. Aron still hadn't called back, but we agreed to be at the Cullens' house by ten, like we'd arranged with Ryan earlier in the week.
"I'm not breaking promises to him," Edward defended when I reminded him that Carlisle was going to be pissed. "If Carlisle doesn't want us there, let Ryan hear that. I'm not going to have my son think I'm going to stand him up."
"I agree," I placated to keep him from yelling again. "I just want to make sure that we both know what we're walking into tomorrow."
"I know. I'm just mad at the situation, not you. I mean, why would anyone think that it's okay to pester a ten-year-old boy about his kidnapping. That's insanity!"
I sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. "It's not going to stop. Alice suggested that we pick one media outlet and give an interview together, kind of like the celebrities do when they have kids. That way, we have something to tell them, they get their story, and they let us lead our lives."
"Actually, that's not a bad idea," Edward mused as he sat down next to me. "When Aron calls back, we'll ask him about it and bring it up to Carlisle and Esme tomorrow. In the meantime, we should get some rest. You look exhausted."
I nodded. "I think the stress has really gotten to me today."
"All right, then. Go." He swatted my ass as I stood and moved toward our bags.
In less than ten minutes, I was clad in my pajamas and crawling underneath the covers. Edward joined me minutes later, just as the cold sheets were starting to warm.
"I love you," he whispered softly, facing me and brushing the hair away from my face. "We'll get through this together."
"I love you, too," I sniffled. Being here in his arms, I could almost believe that everything would be okay. Just as it had always been, Edward's embrace made everything better. Slowly, so that he wouldn't misunderstand my intentions, I wound my hands around his back and underneath his pajama pants. His muscles clenched underneath my fingers.
"Baby, what—" he started, but I cut him off by pressing my lips to his.
"Let me do this for you," I whispered.
My fingers curled around the elastic, and I tugged both his pants and boxers down. He kicked them off, once I got them low enough, and continued kissing me passionately. His hands roamed my body like he couldn't decide where to put them. Internally, I smirked and shifted so he only had one option.
The covers were shucked to the end of the bed, baring Edward's lower body to me. I settled in between his legs and ran my hands up his thighs, massaging slightly as I went. His gaze never left my face.
Though I felt a little like an idiot trying to be seductive while I did it, I licked my lips, and then ran my tongue up the underside of his penis. It twitched in front of me, and Edward groaned. His eyes slipped closed, just for a second. When he opened them, he stared at me, his eyes heavily lidded with lust, desire, and need.
If the day had been any different, I would have teased him. Today, though, I wasn't in the mood for games, and I doubted he was, either. I lowered my head over him and sucked as I pulled back up. Over and over, I moved up and down, only increasing my fervor when Edward buried his hands in my hair. He tugged lightly, not guiding, but showing his appreciation. Occasionally, I'd scrape his shaft with my teeth, enjoying the hiss that left Edward's mouth each time.
It wasn't long before Edward was moaning and chanting my name, almost incoherently. He tugged on my hair to warn me seconds before he exploded into my mouth. As he collapsed back onto the pillows, I grabbed the washcloth I'd left next to the bed and spit into it. Edward's arm looped around my waist and pulled me back into him.
"I love you," he mumbled. "Thank you."
I giggled at him. "You're welcome."
He found his pants and slid them back on with some effort. Then, he tucked me under his arm and closed his eyes. He wasn't awake more than a minute. It took a little longer for my mind to relax and let go of the day. When I closed my eyes, I could see the reporters chasing my car from the parking lot, and I imagined those same people practically attacking my son in the grocery store. From there, those images became dreams as I drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Edward woke me by kissing along the column of my neck. Sometime during the night, we had turned on our sides with my back to Edward's chest. He was taking advantage of that by pinning my arm down with his and fondling my breast. My hips bucked back into his, and I could feel his excitement pressing into my ass.
"Mmm," I moaned sleepily.
"Good morning, princess," he said huskily, placing another kiss underneath my ear.
"What are you doing?" I whispered.
He hummed and kissed underneath my ear. "Waking you up," he answered.
I stretched in his arms as much as I could. "What time is it?" I asked through a yawn.
Edward groaned as he turned and checked the clock. "Time to get up. It's almost nine, and I thought you might want some breakfast before we went over there. Emily was kind enough to offer to pick it up for us. She should be here any minute."
I groaned and hoisted myself out of his arms and out of bed just as there was a knock on the door. I scampered to the bathroom as quickly as possible, while Edward got the food he'd ordered from Emily.
"There are still reporters hanging around, but they seem to be aimless," Edward reported through the shower curtain a few minutes later.
"So they don't know we're here?" I asked.
"No, they don't seem to, and they can't enter the Cullens' property. Your dad warned them yesterday that it would be trespassing and they'd be arrested from what I've heard," he said.
I stuck my soapy head out of the shower and stared at him. "Have you already talked to my dad this morning, too?"
He laughed at me. "No, Emily's a gossip."
I finished rinsing quickly and wrapped one towel around my waist and the other around my head. Edward was sitting at the round table by the window, peering through the curtains surreptitiously and munching on a doughnut.
"Anything interesting?" I asked while I dug through my bag for clothes.
He shrugged. "There's a guy hanging around a white van, but he's kind of ugly, so I'm guessing he's the camera man. Other than that, I haven't seen anyone. We should be able to get out of here without being followed. At least, I hope so."
As soon as I was dressed, I grabbed a bagel and used the hair dryer in the room. It wasn't the best and it took longer than normal, meaning that we had to rush as soon as I was done. No one watched us get into the car, and it didn't seem like we were followed as we sped through the wet streets.
A deputy stopped us as pulled into the drive, but waved us through once he saw me sitting the passenger seat. Edward blew out a deep breath as he moved forward again. There was a slight movement by the front window when he parked behind Esme's car. The front door flew open, banging into the wall behind it, and Carlisle stepped over the threshold with his arms folded across his chest.
"I thought I told you not to come," he shouted at us, his anger barely concealed.
"We had plans with Ryan, and we had no intention of missing that," Edward commented evenly, strolling up to the porch with me by his side. "I'm sorry that reporters accosted Esme and Ryan yesterday, but you can't refuse to let us see our son because of something that's not our fault."
He glared at us. "Not your fault," he scoffed. "How is this not your fault? If you hadn't opened this can of worms, my wife and son wouldn't be afraid to leave the house!"
"Excuse me?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "We didn't ask for Bob Gerandy to steal Ryan from us. This is our scheduled visitation time, and you have no right to keep him from us."
Carlisle's smile turned nasty. "Actually, according to our attorney, the agreement you made with Esme isn't legally binding. You have no visitation rights. I told you not to come, and you need to leave."
The retort was on the tip of my tongue, but I bit it back when I saw Ryan standing in the doorway, staring at Carlisle with an odd look on his face.
"Dad, why would you tell them not to come?" Ryan's voice was laced with hurt. "You told me that they were busy in Seattle this weekend."
It was obvious that Carlisle knew he'd been caught, and his expression showed it. "Um, well, Ry, after the incident at the grocery store yesterday, I thought it would be better not to draw more attention to you."
Ryan leveled Carlisle with the withering glare. "There's a cop at the end of the driveway. How is having Ma and Dad here going to 'draw more attention' to me? And why are you being so mean?"
Carlisle gaped like a fish for a minute, but his answer was cut off by Esme coming to the door. "What's going on here? Why is the door open?" She looked shocked when she saw us. "Bella, Edward, what are you doing here? I thought you weren't going to be able to make it this weekend."
Edward looked at Carlisle and raised his eyebrow. "We weren't going to be able to make it?"
A look of understanding washed over Esme's face. "Ryan, since we aren't going to be able to go out like you wanted to today, why don't you go upstairs and get out some games?"
"You'll stay, right?" Ryan asked pleadingly to Edward and me.
"Yes, Ryan, we'll stay," I assured him.
He stuck his hands in his pockets and went back into the house. Seconds later, I heard his heavy footfalls running up the stairs. Esme seemed to be holding her tongue until he was out of earshot as well, because as soon as the sound of his feet hitting the landing reached us, she rounded on Edward and me.
"Did the two of you cancel your plans to come up here for the day, and then change your minds?" she asked.
"No!" I insisted. "We were on our way here last night when Carlisle called and told us not to come."
She wheeled on Carlisle. "Did you call and tell them not to come?"
He had the sense to look sheepish. "After . . . well, after yesterday, I thought that it would be better if they didn't."
Her nostrils flared, and her eyes flashed.
"Esme, you were shaking when I got you home last night. Ryan was terrified by all the shouting and the questions. You needed a break, some time for us to deal with this as a family."
"When are you going to get it?" she seethed. "This is our new reality. They are our family. From this point on, we are in this together. And you need to start looking at it that way, Carlisle, or we aren't going to see our son ever again."
His face paled, and I could see the hint of panic in his eyes. "They can't do that," he tried to insist, but I could see that he didn't really believe what he was saying.
"They can." Esme's tone was firm. "Right now, being in a home where Ryan is familiar and comfortable is the best thing for him, but legally, Tia said that if the court rules that they never terminated their rights, we may have no say in his life. Now stop making this harder than it has to be. The only one that will get hurt here is Ryan."
Carlisle had the good sense to look ashamed. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "You are nice people; you really are. It makes it hard for me to hate you for taking him away from us. I love that little boy in there with all my heart, and you're taking him. It's easier to paint you as the bad guys in my mind because you're here in front of me."
I shook my head. "The only bad guy here is the man who sold a baby he had no right to take."
"You're right. It's hard to remember that, though, when those leeches have your family backed into the wall at the grocery store with no means of escape." Carlisle looked so stressed out that if he smoked, I was sure he'd want an entire pack.
"Bella actually had a thought about that," Edward cut in. He had been quiet during the tense exchange, but I had felt him coiled and ready to attack by my side.
"Oh?" Esme asked.
"Yeah. What if we choose one media outlet and do one interview about the situation? If we make it known that's all we'll do, maybe they'll leave us alone. It's what celebrities do when they have big news," I added when both Carlisle and Esme looked at me in shock.
"That's . . . that's actually a really good idea, Bella," Carlisle said. "Something like Good Morning America or the Today Show?"
I nodded. "That's what I was thinking. It's not just you being ambushed. They camped out around my office, and I almost hit two reporters trying to get out of the parking lot. Until they hear from us, they aren't going to leave us alone."
"Why don't you talk to Mr. Michaels, and we'll talk to Tia and get them to arrange it soon?" Esme suggested.
I nodded and started to go inside. It was still raining, after all. We were covered on the porch, but the breeze was chilly. Edward clamped his hand down on my arm and stopped me, though. His hard gaze never left Carlisle's face.
"We need to end this before we get in there in front of Ryan. This is the third time you've been blatantly disrespectful to us. The first time, I let it go. The second time, I didn't say anything because my son was right there with us, and I didn't want to cause a scene. But this time, you've gone too far. To tell Ryan that we were just too busy to fulfill our promises to him is over the line. Whether you like it or not, that boy is our son. I won't leave him in a home with a person whose sole purpose is to turn him against us, and I'll make sure he knows exactly why he can't live with you anymore." Edward's voice was calm, but menacing, and Carlisle took a step back.
"You . . . you can't do that," he whispered.
"I can, and I will," Edward reiterated. "Right now, the court is leaving him here because our rights haven't been restored and they view this as the best place for him, given the circumstances. But I will make sure that changes if your attitude doesn't."
"How would you feel, Edward?" Carlisle asked sadly. "How do you think you would feel if your son was being threatened and taken away from you? What would you do to spare the feelings of the woman you love?"
I turned to face Edward in time to see the flashes of pain and guilt cross his features. "It's the worst feeling in the entire world, especially when you know there's nothing you can do. But we aren't taking him, Carlisle. Not once have we suggested that you wouldn't be an integral part of his life. You've cared for him for ten years and loved him as your own. There is nothing we can do to ever thank you adequately for that. But the fact remains that you shouldn't be in the position in the first place. Ryan should never have left that hospital with anyone but his mother and me."
Carlisle nodded, chastened. Perhaps it had finally sunk in that Edward knew what he was feeling to an extent. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out the way it did. The three of us have been a family for ten years, and when we've had problems, this is the unit we retreat to. I just wanted to figure it out before having to face it all again."
"I understand that," Edward allowed, "but I'm not going to allow you to drive a wedge between us and Ryan. There's no need for it."
Carlisle nodded and stared at his feet.
Esme sighed and glanced toward the house. "Ryan had planned to show you all his favorite places in town today and to ask you about your memories. With the rain and the reporters, I think we're going to have to postpone that. Are you up for playing some games?"
"That sounds like a lot of fun," I said honestly as the last of my anger ebbed enough to allow for rationality. "Will you join us?"
"Yes, I think we will. This might be a good time to talk as a family, include Ryan in our decisions," she suggested. "He's probably got six games set up already, so we should get in there."
She offered me her hand, and I took it, seeing it as the peace offering that it was. Together, we walked into the house, leaving Carlisle and Edward on the porch to work out whatever was still eating at them. As she had expected, Ryan had pulled out a bunch of games and had them arranged so that the adults could choose what they wanted to play.
I quickly perused all the choices and settled on Monopoly. It would take hours, but not a lot of concentration. Ryan grinned when I pulled it from the stack and set it up on the coffee table. Esme nodded with a smile and went into the kitchen. Carlisle and Edward still hadn't come in when she came back in with bowls of popcorn, chips, and trail mix.
"Bella, can you help me with the drinks?" she asked.
I jumped up from my spot on the floor. "Of course. Whatever I can do to help."
When we came back in, Ryan had moved the couch cushions onto the floor and was happily munching on some popcorn. He patted the cushion next to him. "Ma, will you sit by me?"
Esme furrowed her brow and mouthed, "Ma?" at me.
I shrugged and whispered, "That's what he decided on last weekend. You're Mom, and I'm Ma."
"What does he call Edward?" she asked quietly.
The question had been intended for me, but Ryan answered. "Dad. They're smart enough to figure out who I'm talking to." He shrugged.
Esme pretended to be offended. "And we aren't?"
"Uh . . ." Ryan looked like a deer caught in headlights. "You can both be Mom, too."
She stopped suppressing her grin and laughed at him. "You're too easy, Ry."
He scowled and threw a handful of popcorn at her.
"Are we having a food fight already?" Carlisle asked, walking up behind Esme and taking one of the glasses from her. "Shouldn't we save that until someone at least has two houses?"
I caught sight of Edward over Carlisle's shoulder. He gave me a smile and a nod to let me know everything was okay and sank onto the floor next to me. Within minutes, Carlisle and Esme had joined us, and Ryan was busy deciding which piece each person should be. I wasn't sure how I ended up the thimble, but I placed it on GO anyway.
For having only played Monopoly once in his life, Ryan was uncommonly good. After an hour and a half, he held all of the cheaper properties and had erected hotels on all of them. I was almost out of money, because I kept landing in jail. When I had mortgaged everything I had and handed over my last ten dollars, I laughed and sat back to watch him annihilate everyone else.
"Ryan, were you scared at the grocery store yesterday?" Carlisle asked conversationally, while moving his dog around the board.
I turned my head to see his reaction.
He scrunched up his nose and shrugged. "Not really. I didn't understand why they were shouting questions at me, but I knew Mom wouldn't let them do anything. Besides, they had cameras and wouldn't hurt me on television, right?"
"No, they wouldn't hurt you," I assured him. "Did you hear any of the questions they were asking?"
"Something about kidnapping. I wasn't paying attention." Ryan landed on Free Parking and took all of the money from the center—there were a lot of taxes in there, as if he needed anymore.
"Dr. Gerandy, Bella's doctor when you were born, was indicated yesterday," Esme explained. "Do you know what that means?"
"Nope," he answered. Honestly, it didn't seem like he actually cared, either.
Carlisle cleared his throat. "It means that he is going to trial for kidnapping you when you were born. Those reporters wanted to know how you feel about that."
Ryan gave him an odd look. "He should get in trouble, right? I mean, he did something wrong, so he should get punished. Why do they care what I think?"
"Because you are the one that is most affected," I told him gently.
"So if I tell them I want him to get into trouble, will they leave me alone?" he asked in his child-like innocence.
Edward shook his head almost as soon as the question was out of his mouth. "It's not quite that simple, buddy. If you talk to one of the people wandering around town, they're all going to want to talk to you. We were talking about doing one interview on television. How would you feel about that?"
"I'd get to be on TV?" he asked excitedly. Trust the ten-year-old to find the silver lining.
"Yes," Esme laughed.
"Cool." Ryan rolled and moved his piece around to one of the spaces I used to own. He already had the other two in the color group. "I want to buy it, Dad."
Carlisle groaned, but handed over the deed when Ryan handed him the money. It didn't appear that our illustrious banker was faring much better than I had. Edward was holding his own, and Esme still had a few bucks left, but one more bad roll, and Carlisle was going to be out with me.
Our conversation turned to lighter topics, and all of the adults listened with rapt attention as Ryan told us all about the day camp at the community center and his new friends in Forks. Within three rounds, Carlisle was out and accompanied me to the kitchen to refill our drinks and the bowl of popcorn.
"Bella, wait," he called quietly as I prepared to go back into the living room. "Can I have a word with you?"
With my back turned, I schooled my expression into something more neutral and open. After the confrontation on the porch, I wasn't feeling overly friendly to him, but I owed it to Ryan to hear what he had to say. "Yes, Carlisle. What can I do for you?" I asked politely.
"I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier. I'm not too proud to admit that I'm terrified. Seeing those reporters crowded around my family and hearing from our attorney this week that it's likely your parental rights will be restored scared me to my very core. I love Ryan. I just don't want to lose him." He fidgeted a bit, as if admitting the truth to me was difficult for him.
"I can understand that, but that doesn't excuse what you did today. Letting Ryan believe that we were too busy for him was underhanded and wrong. The only one that truly gets hurt in that scenario is Ryan," I told him. "How could you do that to him?"
He shook his head. "I wasn't really thinking of it like that."
"You need to," I told him seriously. "I realize that I'm the last person you want to hear this from, but this is my field of expertise. Not only does Ryan need someone impartial to talk to, but he needs our support more than ever. He's dealing with it really well right now, but that's not going to last forever."
"I understand," he whispered.
I nodded, picked up my glass, and returned to watch the game. Edward and Esme were trying, but they weren't overly successful. In the end, Ryan won handily. After crowing about his victory and dancing around the room, he helped pack up the game and grabbed the Scrabble box.
"Whoa there, Ry." Esme held out her hand to stop him. "It's after one, and we need to eat lunch first."
Ryan wrinkled his nose, but trudged to the kitchen.
Esme made us all sandwiches, and after eating, we all returned to the living room for more games. I beat everyone at Scrabble, and Carlisle dominated in Life. We finished out the night with Clue, which Edward won, though it was only because Esme said the wrong name when she guessed.
Ryan was yawning almost continuously. We hugged him and put him to bed, and then headed back to the Lodge. It was after ten and both of us practically collapsed into bed. The confrontations we'd each had with Carlisle, and the stress of possibly getting shut out of Ryan's life had been draining. Until the court restored our rights and awarded us either visitation or custody, we both knew that Carlisle was right and that we were dependent on the Cullens to see him. I had hope, though, that I'd finally gotten through to him tonight and made him understand that his actions were hurting Ryan first and foremost. I knew that Carlisle loved him and hoped that would be enough of a deterrent.
Edward fell asleep in his clothes. I didn't bother to wake him. I just put on my own pajamas and pulled the lowered covers over both of us.
The next morning, we dressed quickly and got on the road with a stop for coffee. "What do we have to do get our rights restored?" Edward asked as we winged our way back to Seattle.
"That's what Aron is supposed to be doing, I think," I answered, sending him a quick text to confirm. "With any luck, that won't take long."
Edward nodded, deep in thought. "Ryan doesn't want to leave them," he finally said after several minutes of silence. "We talked about it a little bit when we were at the ballgame."
"If we have parental rights, though, it would be our choice as a family who he would live with. They wouldn't be able to keep him away," I noted. "As long as he knows how much we love him and that we want him, I don't care so much if living with them is more comfortable for him right now."
"I care," Edward grumbled, "but I don't want to make him unhappy."
My phone chimed with a text from Aron. "Because of the media attention, your case is going to a judge this week," I read aloud.
Edward's eyebrows shot up. "By the end of the week?"
I stared at my phone in disbelief. "When are we supposed to close on the house?"
"A couple more weeks, I guess." Edward shrugged. "We're going to let Alice work her magic before we move in, right?"
"I'm not going to be the one to tell her no," I laughed.
He looked at me in disbelief. "Don't look at me. I just got back on her good side."
"Then her decorating skills it is," I decided, still chuckling.
Edward's phone rang, cutting off our conversation. He glanced at the screen, groaned, and hit the speaker button. "Hey, Mom."
The ambient noise behind her almost drowned out her voice. She said something I couldn't quite make out, and then told us to hold on. When she came back, it was marginally quieter. "Hi, sweetheart. Are you home this weekend?"
The look of apprehension on his face amused me, and he shot a glare in my direction. "Sort of. We're on our way back from Forks."
"Oh, well, how far away are you?"
"About thirty minutes or so. Why?" he asked warily.
Elizabeth sighed. "We're at Sea-Tac again. When I scheduled our flight, I reserved a rental car, but they ran out. The girl at the counter promised to deliver one to us at the hotel tomorrow, but now we have no way to get there. The hotel doesn't have a shuttle, either. Can you please come get us?"
"Why are you here? And would it kill you to call and tell me you're coming?" he practically yelled.
"I saw the news reports about Dr. Gerandy being indicted and thought you'd need us. I just got our tickets—is it so wrong to want to come see my son?" she asked, the hurt clear in her voice.
"No, Mom, it's not wrong, but I have a life—we have a life. It's not always the best timing for you to show up unannounced. Like now. You and Dad are going to have to sit there until I can get into town and through the airport traffic." Edward was exasperated.
"We don't mind the wait," she said quietly. "We'll just get lunch or something. Call us when you get close."
"See you in a few." Edward groaned and pounded the steering wheel after he hung up. "Seriously, is it too much to ask for them to call before they get on the fucking plane?"
I chuckled, because Ed and Elizabeth didn't seem to have changed much. They'd always just done what they wanted where Edward was concerned, without consulting his feelings. He looked at me and sighed, shaking his head.
"Do you want me to take you home first?" he asked, squeezing my hand.
"No." I shook my head. "Just go get them."
We weren't as far away as Edward had told them, and the traffic around the airport wasn't as terrible as normal, being that it was Sunday afternoon. He called as we entered so that he would know which airline to go to.
"Can you just park and come in here? They lost one of your dad's bags, and he's fighting with the airline," Elizabeth said, slightly exasperated.
Edward didn't even reply. He swerved the car back into the driving lanes and circled back around to short term parking. We found a space close and walked hand in hand into the terminal. Elizabeth was standing near the empty baggage carousel with her purse slung over her arm and her rolling suitcase by her side. She was staring at a room off to the side. My eyes followed her gaze, and I could see Ed arguing with someone. He slapped the counter, huffed, and stormed out.
"Edward," he called loudly as he traversed the space between us. "Thanks for coming. They said they'll find my bag and bring it over to the hotel tomorrow. They think it got stuck in security and someone forgot to put it on the plane. What a load of crap." He turned to look at me and smiled. "Bella, it's good to see you again. Oh, look who we ran into on the way out here."
Ed gestured to a woman standing next to Elizabeth that I hadn't paid attention to before. Really, I hadn't even noticed her, and now I wondered why. She was gorgeous. Her blonde hair hung past her shoulders, and her crisp blue eyes sparkled. Unlike most Sunday travelers, she was wearing a business suit and four inch heels, though she looked perfectly comfortable in them.
Edward clearly knew the woman and couldn't hide his shock. "Tanya?"
Uh, I did it again, didn't I? Sorry? No, not really.
Here's the deal—I've really sucked at teasers lately, but I've been doing better at replying to reviews. So, for the person that gives me review number 1400 and 1500, you all will get a special review, just for you, from the next chapter.
Don't forget the FandomAJD compilation. It's still available.
Reviews for this week: Go read anything that Lissa Bryan writes. It's all fantastic. Also, check out Going Under by sparklnfade. It rocks. Seriously. Proud by jennde is one of the best blue collar Edward's I've ever read.