Ch.16 Blame the Machines

I'm flying blind I'm speeding through

I hate to think I've been fooled by you

an interactive nightmare show

which never ends, it just goes on and on and on and on

- Blame the Machines, Duran Duran

Beta- StacyO72 –

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N- quick synopsis since it's been so long: Mysterious handsome fisherman Ted Platt is a new crewmember of a longline fishing vessel, the Vampress, captained by reality t.v. star Carlisle "Doc" Cullen along with Jasper and Emmett. Bella Swan is spending the summer at home working on Block Island. She works two jobs, as a waitress with her friends Alice and Jake and as a bookkeeper at the local fish house. She hopes to save enough money to cover her college tuition. She's immediately drawn to Ted and they begin a whirlwind romance but she senses there's more to his story than he's telling her. Eventually, she discovers that Ted is hiding his true identity. She confronts him and he agrees to tell her everything as long as she promises to keep his secret.

BPOV

"It doesn't matter how they play in April, as long as they're playing well come September," my dad repeats his favorite mantra about the Red Sox before he takes a long swig from his beer.

Edward nods his head and mumbles in agreement. Baseball is a relatively safe subject. The two of them have some common ground, although Charlie was surprised to hear that Edward likes that other Sox team and not the Brewers. Dad granted him absolution with a wave of his hand and the acknowledgement that the White Sox are acceptable. After all, it's not as though he likes the Yankees. Edward definitely seems more at ease now than at the beginning of the meal, when my dad had plunked down his service revolver on top of the picnic table.

"Do you think they can repeat the worst to first run again?" Edward asks, knowing the team's most recent World Series championship season came between two busts.

"Well, they're in it right now, another couple of weeks and they could have the wild card locked up. I'm still trying to figure out how you're a White Sox fan. I would have figured you'd root for your home team. I know the Brewers imploded this year but hell, look at the Red Sox, they do that every other year. Imagine if Braun can finally stay healthy and Nelson lives up to the promise. He didn't have such a great season but he's still adjusting to being in the majors. They pick up a couple of good relievers in the off season and the Brewers could take the NL central next year."

"I've got nothing against the Brewers. My dad grew up a Sox fan so it just kind of got passed down to me."

Edward squirms a bit and I know he's uncomfortable with the mention of his father. He manages to turn the conversation back to baseball itself rather than his specific team. I half-listen to them banter about the upcoming playoffs, inserting the occasional comment of my own when necessary but my head is consumed by the information Edward shared with me just before my dad had arrived home.

My father's arrival had interrupted his story. I still don't know the full account of what had happened to the boy I now knew to be Edward Masen Jr. My fingers itch to google his name on my phone but I know he was serious when he warned me that both our lives would be in danger if I tried to find out more on my own. I can't help but wonder what else had happened. He'd said his mother's death wasn't an accident and that the same fate would befall us both if that Romanian drug lord found him.

I'm roused from my thoughts when Charlie leans back in his chair and wipes his mouth with his napkin. "That was a good piece of sword. Doc knows his fish."

Edward nods. "Bella did an excellent job grilling it."

My dad rolls his eyes and mouths kiss–ass behind his napkin so Edward can't see him but I can. He's teasing so I shoot him a look of warning. Edward's just started to feel more at ease around my dad and I don't want him to feel uncomfortable.

"Thanks. It's from a sixty-two pound pup. Doc's kissing my ass to make up for the last time when he avoided going grub shopping," I reply automatically. I glance over at Edward and give him a sarcastic smile. "Remember last month when he stuck me with you?"

Edward beams with pride as he returns my smile. "Yeah, well, you taught me well. We grubbed up all on our own today. Emmett even managed to get that Alistair dude to part with an extra case of Marlboro Lights."

I laugh as I stand up and begin gathering the plates. "That has nothing to do with what I taught you and everything to do with Emmett being a top notch ass-kisser himself."

Edward rises and helps me with the dishes. As much as I want to corner him in the kitchen and interrogate him further, I know it's neither the time nor the place. I grab my dad's favorite cherry cobbler, while Edward carries the watermelon out to the patio and places it on the table.

My dad gives me a smirk before picking up a large knife and forcefully thrusting it into the watermelon.

"You like watermelon, don't you Ted?" he asks as he pushes the knife through the rind and into the flesh, sharply rending the watermelon in two.

"Dad!"

"What?" My dad asks innocently but then rolls his eyes and chuckles. "Ted knows I'm just joking."

My dad leans over and thumps Edward on his back before he begins slicing the watermelon into thick wedges.

Edward forces a smile. "Sure, Chief, of course. I know you're not really threatening to maim and kill me just because Bella and I are together."

"See," Dad gestures to Edward with the knife, "that's absolutely correct. I'll only maim and kill you if you break my baby girl's heart."

Edward's smile turns genuine as he grasps my hand. "Well, in that case, I hope I'm safe since I never intend to do that. I only want to make Bella happy."

I smile back as my dad makes a gagging gesture behind Edward's back. I raise my eyebrows, silently mouthing the words knock it off as Edward retreats into the house to get the ice cream I'd forgotten.

"Yeah, well remember what they say about good intentions," Charlie mumbles once Edward is out of earshot. His eyes meet mine as he draws an imaginary circle over his head and then finishes with his fingers raised like devil horns.

"Dad, enough," I hiss just before Edward returns.

Dessert doesn't take long and soon the sun glows a soft orange as it hangs low in the sky. Charlie asks us about our plans for the rest of the evening while simultaneously informing us of his.

"I told Billy and Doc I'd meet them at the Wolf. Billy's got that cover band coming over from Newport again," he adds with that look that silently says there will be no fornicating in my house as he casually picks up his service revolver and slides it to the other side of the table.

I choose to ignore his cop dad bluster. Even if it wasn't that time of the month, I certainly have no desire to mess around in our house when Edward has a room at the Mallory. "Ted and I figured we'd go for a ride down to the preserve or the bluff and watch the stars come out then call it an early night. He has to leave with high tide tomorrow."

Charlie smirks. "I can tell Ted here hasn't been fishing long. When I was your age, we'd stay up all night before an early steam then catch up on our sleep once we left port."

I try to hide my own smirk since turning in early certainly didn't equate to sleep in my mind. I glance over at Edward. His eyes rake over my body before meeting my mine. He quirks an eyebrow suggestively while giving me that sexy half smile. It's a good thing he's turned away from Charlie because while my dad may have been teasing about the revolver, there's no mistaking the look of desire on Edward's face.

Edward winks at me and rearranges his expression to one of guileless innocence.

"You're right Chief Swan, I'm still getting used to this life. Emmett, Rose and Jasper should be at the Wolf tonight too. Maybe after a few more trips I'll be able to handle it. Speaking of Rose, we met the captain of the Predator today. Do you know him?" Edward asks, smoothly changing the topic.

"Caius Volterra? Yeah. He's a royal ass but he can catch. Rose will be safe on there, he runs a disciplined crew offshore. Of course, you never would have thought he'd amount to anything if you knew him when he was young. Caius was a real hell-cat back in the eighties.

Back then, it wasn't uncommon for owners to pay for their crews to fly down when the boats were moving south for the winter. You only need two men on board to run a vessel down the coast so it was cheaper to fly the rest down when the boat was ready to leave rather than pay and feed the crew when they weren't fishing.

Anyway, I heard one time Caius partied so hard that he'd lost all track of time. The other crewmembers had to find him then drag him through the airport with coke still caked around his nose. Today his ass would've been in jail before he even made it through security. Instead, they got him on the plane, completely wasted. He kept trying to take off his clothes and proposition the stewardesses- that's what they were called back then Bella," he points out to me before I can correct him then continues.

"Yeah, Caius is one of those guys that you look at and wonder how he's still alive. He's survived overdoses, car crashes, bar fights; I heard he even got stabbed once or twice."

"So how did he straighten out? AA?" Edward asks.

"Nah, his father got sick of his shit and sent him back to the old country. The Volterras come from some little island off the coast of Italy. Aro Volterra likes to brag that it's so isolated, the ancient Romans never bothered to conquer it. He says they're descended from the Etruscans, that's why they've got those weird names. Anyway, after two years there Caius came back a changed man. He married a girl from there and they had a set of twins. He transformed into the stone cold sober prick you know today."

After my dad tells a few more stories about how fishing used to be in the good old days, we finish cleaning up and grab the bikes that are stored in the small shed behind the house The remaining glimmers of sunlight are casting a pale streak across the otherwise darkened sky. Late August nights are still warm but the ocean breeze sends shivers across my skin. I pull my sweatshirt over my head then cast a dubious glance at Edward's khakis.

"We might want to go back to the hotel so you can change."

"No, it's fine," Edward replies. "We've got a blanket to sit on." He points to the backpack he's carrying.

A few minutes later we're coasting onto the trail leading to the Southeast Lighthouse as the last of the day's sun dips just below the horizon. The picturesque brick building is much grander than the quaint North light at the opposite end of the island. This larger lighthouse is a national landmark, comprised of a Victorian gothic revival house with an attached light tower. Located at the top of Mohegan Bluff, the entire structure is surrounded by ten acres of open land, offering excellent unobstructed views of the ocean and night sky.

"I still can't believe they moved this entire thing three hundred feet," Edward says as we dismount our bikes and walk across the wide expanse of lawn.

"Well it wouldn't be here now if they hadn't. By the nineties, the bluffs eroded to the point where the lighthouse was literally at the edge of the cliff," I reply.

"Do you remember that?" Edward asks as we pick a spot far from the structure, where we can have complete privacy.

Between the roving beam of the lighthouse and the last streaks of sun-kissed color in the western sky, we can still pick our way across the lawn without turning on our flashlights. Star gazing isn't our primary reason for being here. The Preserve is a better place to do that since it's completely dark there. Here the green glow cast out by the large Fresnel lens obscures the sky every time its light passes over us. However, we wanted someplace open and quiet, away from the thin walls of the hotel and my father's acute ears at home. We needed to be sure no one was nearby and the lighthouse grounds fit that description.

I shake my head as my memory strains backward through the haze of my childhood. "Not really. I was very young but growing up here, you see the pictures and hear the stories all the time so it becomes a part of your own life's history. It's almost as though you've borrowed everyone else's memories of it and made them your own."

Edward takes the blanket out from his backpack and the two of us spread it on the ground. Once I'm settled in the crook of Edward's arm, I feel him sigh.

"I don't know anything about astronomy. I can barely find the Big Dipper most of the time."

"Leave that to me. The viewing here isn't great but you can still see the major stars. The Big Dipper is right there," I point out the familiar cluster, now clearly visible in the darkened northern sky. "And the Little Dipper is right there with the North Star at the top of the handle. The two together along with those," my hand circles the air, "make up Ursa Major, the Great Bear."

"Impressive. She cooks and she reads the stars," he gently teases as he takes my hand in his.

"Thanks for dinner. It was delicious," he whispers as his lips gently brush against my hair.

"Sorry about my dad and his running commentary."

Edward laughs. "I wouldn't have expected anything less from a father who carries a loaded weapon all the time. I'm just relieved that gun didn't accidentally fire when he kept moving it around. I really don't want to get shot."

His words give me the opportunity to broach the real reason why we're here. "My dad would never hurt you. He's all bark and no bite. But are there are others out there that want you dead?"

I glance over and meet his gaze as the lighthouse beam passes over. Edward draws me closer to him but says nothing. The sounds of a quiet island evening surround us. The muted echo of the waves gently lapping against the cliffs below, the chirp of crickets, and the dull buzz of the last of the day's cicadas combine with the man-made sounds of clanging buoy bells, boat horns, and the occasional strain of music from the bars on Spring Street. We let the peacefulness of the new night settle in. This close to the open ocean, the salt-tinged air is heavy with moisture, even without a trace of clouds in the sky. Despite my sweatshirt, I shiver slightly and draw closer, seeking the warmth emanating in waves from Edward.

After a few minutes of lying in its path, I can anticipate the cadence of the light's pulsing beam, preparing for the moment when I can see clearly through its eerie green glow. When the track of light shines over us again, I catch sight of his brows furrowing. He casts his eyes down to our joined hands resting on his chest. I feel him stroke my thumb with his over and over while I patiently wait in the growing darkness. Finally, he leans down and sighs softly against my ear.

"So, I started to tell you what happened. Just bear with me, it's a long story. You know already that my father uncovered enough evidence to convict Stefan Popescu of tax fraud and identify theft. Dad was the lead investigator for the I.R.S. on the case but it's not like being a cop or an F.B.I. agent. They're really a bunch of super-nerd C.P.A's with Master Degrees in Taxation. I.R.S. employees aren't part of enforcement so despite the fact that they're federal agents, they don't actually make arrests. They gather facts and provide data. After the evidence was turned over and Popescu was arrested, my dad moved on to a new case. His job was done. However, Popescu's family was much more dangerous than anyone here knew."

Edward has grown more animated as he tells his story. He turns towards me and raises himself up on his right elbow as the green glow from the lighthouse traverses us on its circular path and briefly highlights his body's movements.

"Have you ever heard of Hackerville?"

I shake my head as he continues. "The town's real name is Râmnicu Vâlcea. It's in the foothills of the Transylvanian Alps. It's become infamous for being a center for cybercrime, not just in Romania but throughout the world. Computer viruses, identify theft, phishing scams, website hacking, -you name it- all crimes that generate millions every year. The streets of Hackerville are filled with kids our age and younger living like rock stars. The Popescu family controls everything. They recruit these kids from all over, not just Eastern Europe. The town is surrounded by luxury car dealerships, jewelry boutiques, and high-end electronics stores.

Stefan's older brother Vladimir is the kingpin. He's psychotic. He has some sort of complex where he obsessed with being respected and feared like movie crime bosses, you know, Don Corleone in The Godfather, Tony Montana in Scarface, Goodfellas, The Departed, even The Sopranos. He lives in an ancient walled castle that's been modernized with a state of the art security system. Vladimir surrounds himself with armed guards. He's completely ruthless and will murder anyone he suspects of disloyalty.

A few years ago, he learned of a plot to overthrow him by two of his top men. Their bodies were later found impaled on stakes with all the blood drained out of them. Since then, some people believe Vladimir is THE Vladimir- Vlad the Impaler – the real life inspiration for Dracula. Despite that, he's regarded as a hero there because his business has brought so much prosperity to the area. The town has one of the highest standards of living in all of Eastern Europe. The local police won't touch him and the national Romanian government has no control in that part of their country."

The beam of light illuminates us again. Edward pauses, still perched on one elbow. He releases my hand and pushes his hair off his face as he shifts his weight. The hand moves animatedly when he continues his story.

"My dad and his department didn't know about any of that at the time. Their focus was purely domestic. As far as they knew Stefan was just another local drug dealer who had turned to I.R.S. fraud. They had no idea that his crazy brother back in Romania who took the arrest and imprisonment of his only brother as a personal insult and was determined to avenge him. Vladimir used his hackers to penetrate the Federal court system servers and eventually that let him back to my father's investigation. Apparently, Vladimir blames my father for Stefan's arrest. Like I said, after the case, my dad went on to his next assignment. He had no idea he or any of us could be in danger. You… you know that my mom was killed in a car accident."

Edward stops and takes a deep breath. He sits up fully pulling me along with him. He clasps both my hands in his.

"Accident isn't the right word. She was driving my dad's car that morning so we still aren't sure if she was the actual target, or if they were trying to get to my dad and she was just unlucky. A traffic camera on the bridge caught it all on tape. My dad and I have both watched it. A dark SUV closes in as she approaches the bridge. It speeds up just as she gets on and then just rams into her car until it's pushed off the bridge. She was murdered. We…we didn't know who or why at first. The police speculated that it could have been a road rage incident. They still hadn't come to any conclusions by the time we buried her.

But then, the night after her funeral, my dad wakes me up, yelling and screaming for me to get out of the house. The kitchen was on fire and it was spreading fast. Smoke already filled the whole downstairs but the alarms hadn't worked. We had to crawl out to escape. I couldn't breathe or see anything. I had to grab my dad's ankle and follow him that way until we got outside. I'm twenty two years old and I was so scared I almost peed myself. The smoke detectors were tied to our house system. At the time, we thought they must have shorted out. If my dad hadn't been having trouble sleeping, we probably wouldn't have survived. We were lucky that night. The fire was eventually contained to two rooms downstairs so we didn't lose my mom's pictures and mementos. More importantly though, we realized something was off. It was too much of a coincidence. My dad knew without a doubt that someone was after him.

The I.R.S. worked with the F.B.I. and immediately put Dad and I into witness protection. We left everything behind. We didn't even have a change of clothes. The F.B.I. still didn't have all the puzzle pieces in place but they suspected Popescu's organization. Even then, they still underestimated the Romanians. Three days after we were hidden all hell broke loose again. We were staying at a supposedly secure location, a small safe house in Iowa. There wasn't much to do. We had to stay inside, no contact with family or friends, so we just sat there and watched movies or slept. We were shell-shocked. My mom had been the heart of our family and without her, we were both lost."

Edward swallows down the lump in his throat. His voice cracks when he speaks.

"I believe Mom was looking out for us at that moment. There's no other explanation. I dropped the remote and my dad and I simultaneously bent down to grab it at the exact moment the shots were fired. If we had been a second later, we'd both be dead. It wasn't like you see in the movies. The windows didn't shatter in a hail of gunfire. There were small holes where each of the bullets penetrated the glass. The federal agents returned fire and actually killed the guy. He was a known hit-man with ties throughout the Chicago criminal organizations, which wasn't really a surprise. What was though is how they found us.

After my father and I were attacked the F.B.I. realized this was a much bigger operation than they thought. The Federal servers, which were supposedly protected by the most sophisticated defense system in the world, had been hacked like they were your grandparents' home computers. The N.S.A. and the C.I.A. were brought in once they discovered the Popescu organization's infiltration."

Edward hugs me closer as he huffs in frustration. "They moved us to what they called an impenetrable building on a military base while they analyzed data. It was this weird windowless bunker where we never knew if it was day or night but my dad was assured that we'd be safe there. It took them less than two days to find us again. This time though, they didn't come in with guns blazing. Instead, they tried to use the installation's own defenses to first isolate us by locking down our unit, and then suffocate us by flooding the ventilation system with carbon monoxide. They did it all remotely by hacking the base's computer network."

He stops abruptly and looks away. I run my hand over his cheek until he looks down at me. My eyes have adjusted to the dark and I can see his hard expression even when the lighthouse beam extends away from our spot on the lawn. We're so close I can feel his breath warm my cheek as his lips softly graze my skin.

"And? How did you survive?" I whisper.

He grimaces as he recalls that night.

"Dumb luck. It was late and we were asleep. A guard had forgotten her cell phone in her locker after her shift ended. When she returned to our section to get it her passcode wouldn't work no matter how many times she swiped her card. She alerted her superior officer. By the time they overrode the system and got back inside, my dad, me, and the two guards assigned to us were all unconscious. We were revived and spent the next two nights in the infirmary under very heavy security. One morning, our handlers at the F.B.I., my dad's bosses, and the N.S.A. agents arrived and informed us that we needed to get off the grid. Our information had to disappear from the Federal computers until they could figure out how to stop Popescu's people from hacking in and finding us."

Edward laughs bitterly. "It wasn't that they cared that much about keeping us alive. This was suddenly a matter of national security. The hackers had infiltrated the Federal system repeatedly. We were making them look bad."

"Edward, that can't be …" I start to object but he interrupts, his voice hard and angry.

"True? No, it's definitely true. They argued back and forth about it right in front of us. The C.I.A. agents were assholes. They were livid that some pencil pusher had accidentally stumbled into this situation and exposed the Federal networks by angering a crazy hacker who then focused all his resources on finding us. The N.S.A. accused the F.B.I. of mishandling the case and not doing the proper background vetting, that's what they called it, when they arrested Popescu. The F.B.I., in turn, blamed the I.R.S. We were all clustered in this little room in the infirmary listening to them air their grievances against each other, going back decades, to cases as far back as the Clinton administration. When they finally ran out of accusations, it was clear that we needed to just disappear, Jason Bourne style.

I wanted us to stay together but the N.S.A. agents and my dad thought that he was the actual target and that I'd be safer if we separated. One of the N.S.A. agents, Mary, had a contact for my dad- some old school retired agent that lived off the grid. All I know is his name is Randall and that he would act as dad's connection with Mary. They gave us cash and some clothes, and then my dad and I left with Mary. My dad didn't tell any of them where he was sending me, but I wasn't surprised when I found out it was to Carlisle. He's my godfather."

"Doc is your godfather?" I repeat in surprise. The wind picks up, covering us in a light salty ocean mist. I snuggle even closer, the need to feel him overwhelming my senses. He must need the connection too because he responds in kind.

"Mmm- hmm." He mumbles his agreement as his nose glides down through my hair. His lips gently brush my cheek. I turn my face to meet his and we kiss softly, once, twice, and again before he continues speaking.

"We stopped and bought a couple of those pre-paid cell phones, so any calls made couldn't be traced. Dad immediately called my godmother, Esme. She is- was- my mom's best friend. She and Carlisle were engaged a long time ago but it didn't work out. Aunt Esme was always trying to get him to quit fishing. She was terrified that he might die out there. They got in a huge fight after he survived a big hurricane offshore and still refused to change. You've heard of The Perfect Storm?"

"He lost Esme because of that storm, didn't he?" I asked him, gripping his arm tightly. I vividly remember the episode of Doc's show when he talked about the aftermath of living through the Perfect Storm and losing someone onshore.

Edward chuckles wryly. "Yeah, I guess. My mom always thought they'd get back together. My dad would call her a hopeless romantic and then she'd correct him and say she was a hopeful romantic. She'd somehow make sure Carlisle and Esme always knew what the other was doing. In the end, that was her saving me again because Aunt Esme knew exactly where to find Carlisle - which port and which vessel. She drove all night from Boston, where she lives, and met us at a rest stop in Pennsylvania. She took me straight to the Outer Banks in North Carolina, where Carlisle lives. The Vampress was out on a trip when we got there so we spent the time staying off the grid- checking in at little mom and pop hotels, paying for everything in cash and keeping me out of sight.

When Carlisle landed, Aunt Esme showed up at the fish house and just said 'I need you, come with me.' He did without any further questions. She brought him back to see me. He'd been offshore for close to a month and didn't know anything had happened to my family. My godfather really hasn't been a part of my life the way Esme has. He always kept in touch with my parents and I'd get birthday and Christmas gifts from him but he fished year round so he was more of a myth than a person to me growing up.

I watched his show when it was on and he was so much larger than life- doing things no one else could or would- that it really didn't change my image of him. It's intimidating to actually be a part of his crew, especially when I knew shit about fishing. At the same time, I can't imagine anyone else I'd feel safer with right now. Whatever the crisis, Carlisle always keeps his cool and just handles it. Now his job is to handle me. Luckily, he had a crewmember that wasn't cutting it and he was going to fire him anyway. That made it is easy to make room for me, no questions asked. Even though he trusts Jasper and Emmett he decided that it was best if they didn't know our connection. I used Esme's last name and we figured Ted was close enough to Edward that I'd remember to answer to it. That's how Ted Platt from Milwaukee joined the crew of the Vampress. We landed a couple of trips in OBX before following the fish up here. You know the rest," he finishes.

We lay in silence for a few minutes more; Edward strokes my hair while I just let it all sink in. The endless night sky stretches out above us. There's only a sliver of crescent moon allowing the stars to gleam brightly. Moon phases are important in longline fishing. The catch is better when the sword feed just before and after a full moon so the boats leave on the waxing new moon in order to arrive at the fishing grounds on time. My mind attempts to reconcile the information Edward has just given me with the person I've known for the past month. Snippets of odd conversations, phrases and words that didn't quite fit, the haunted look in his eyes, are all pieces of the puzzle that is now almost complete. The pain of losing a parent that way is unimaginable to me.

"What about your dad?" I blurt suddenly. "Do you know if he's okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I guess you don't quite know the rest. I saw him in Newport."

I sit up abruptly. "What?"

Edward follows my lead and sits up as well. "Remember the morning when you came outside and heard me talking to someone? It was my dad. I only saw him for a few minutes before he to leave again. I can't go into specifics but there are plans to get this resolved and he wanted me to know before it happens."

I mull over what resolved means before I ask. "Do you know when?"

"No specifics but soon."

I turn fully on my side. He does the same so that we're facing each other.

"Then what?" I ask, wondering if he plans to just return to his old life once this is over.

He reaches out and touches my face before lowering his hand to reach around my waist and bring me flush against his body. The green glow from the lighthouse flashes over us once more and I can see his expression grow tender.

"I'm not sure. So much has happened in the past few months. Before this happened I was so focused on becoming a professional composer. I have a semester left of school. My original plan was to finish my degree then to try to get a fellowship for graduate school. I had definite goals and a timeline. This was going to be the summer I attended festivals like Darmstadt Institute in New York. I wanted to definitely enter a few competitions, impress the juries and really get myself noticed. I've got several compositions written but I need to finish an ensemble piece. But…" he hesitates before continuing. "None of that seems important anymore. Now, I just want to be Edward Masen Jr. again. I want to not worry that someone is going to find me and kill me. I want to be with my dad…" he trails off, looking lost.

I place my hand on Edward's cheek and gently coax him forward until our lips touch. I kiss him slowly but not languidly. His lips are soft and so warm. A fire smolders between us, quickly igniting with intensity. Our mouths open, deepening the kiss. I pour everything I feel for him into it; sympathy, desire, fear, hope, and need combine and combust. We have no secrets between us now. The raw emotions he's been keeping hidden for months soar to the surface and overwhelm us both. His hands slide under my thick sweatshirt and find my breasts. Edward's long fingers circle my nipples, rubbing and tugging as they harden under his touch. They're tender due to my period and I gasp loudly when he rolls them firmly between his thumbs and forefingers.

"Too much?" he pants, stilling his movements.

"No, more, I want more," I reply, my voice husky from want. "Harder."

Edward complies, pushing my sweatshirt up and bra down so that he can wrap his hot mouth around my nipple. I almost scream from the intense feeling of pleasure mixed with just a little pain as he sucks and laves the sensitive tips. Heat courses through me, converging where I throb and pulse the most. My legs wrap around him of their own accord as my hands holds his head firmly against my chest. My fingers tighten their hold on his soft locks of hair, my nails scratching at his scalp causing him to moan as he continues lavishing attention on my now swollen nipples. I've never wanted anyone this badly ever. He responds to my ardor with equal fervency. Edward rubs against me and I feel his hard length exactly where I'm aching most for him.

"Bella, I want you so much," he mumbles as he moves from one breast to the other breast.

He repeats his actions, licking and sucking the peaks with ferocity as I pant and cry for more until it's too much. He replaces his mouth with his hands, palms open as he skillfully caresses each full breast. His thumbs move to circle and gently pinch as his lips find mine again. We kiss over and over again. My hips buck harder and harder, moving in a steady rhythm which he first matches then quickens the pace. I lose control as the throbbing between my legs surges. Its powerful pulsing dominates every cell and synapse as my entire body shutters and shakes in release. My eyes shut tight as I cry out, Edward's name on my lips while the entire universe expands and contracts against him.

After a few moments, the seemingly infinite ecstasy subsides. I finally still and come back to my senses. I'm instantly aware of his hard length still nestled between my legs. Edward's sharp erratic breaths punctuate the air above me. I don't hesitate to reach down and open his pants, freeing his erection. My hand closes over it as I stroke his cock from tip to base and back up. He rolls onto his back to give me better access. I immediately stop stroking and bend forward to take him in my mouth as deeply as I can.

"Fuck!" he curses. I hollow my cheeks, flattening my tongue against his girth and suck hard while my hand reaches down to massage his balls. He continues to spout a litany of curses mixed with endearments as I relentlessly work to bring him to release.

"Fuck, baby, yeah just like that…"

I move faster, my head bobbing and tongue swirling around his wet tip.

"Shit, Bella, fuck, I'm so close, baby...

I can feel and taste how just close he is. He strains with effort as he tries not to buck his hips. I look up just as the darkness is again illuminated by the lighthouse's beam and our eyes meet. I release his cock for just a moment to say what I know he never expects to hear from me before I return to my task.

"Fuck my mouth, Edward," I move my hands and grab his hips firmly, pushing him towards me as my lips clamp down, surrounding his thick shaft. My arms slide back around him as he lifts up and I squeeze his ass with both hands.

"Christ!" he cries out as his fingers weave into my hair.

His curses change to grunts as he pumps into me once, twice and again until I feel the warm release pour from him. I wait until he calms completely before I finally let go, discreetly cleaning up in the darkness. When I'm finished I lay back and curl into his side as his arms encircle me.

"Holy shit, Bella. What got into you?" Edward asks; his voice rough and low.

I shrug, not ready to admit how deeply I crave him and how much the truth of his situation makes me fear for him. I had worried for his safety before when I thought he was just a normal commercial fisherman. His job is inherently dangerous but now I have to fear for him as much if not more when he's on land as well as when he's at sea.

"It's probably all the raging hormones. Some women get really aroused when they have their periods. There's a theory that sex alleviates cramps." I say aloud, and I know that's not a lie. My mom nauseated me once by confiding in me that very theory had helped her quite a bit. But then I can't help but add 'Plus I wanted to give you something to remember me by when you're lying alone in your bunk."

He laughs then bends his lips to my ear and whispers "I'm going to be taking a lot of cold showers this trip. Keep talking dirty and grabbing my ass when I come and I don't think I could deny you anything. Damn, I might just end up earning those red wings after all."

The previously clear sky is now partially obscured by night fog but I can still see the brightest stars through the haze of low clouds rolling over us. I show him a few more constellations that I know will be visible where they'll be fishing.

"Edward, every night at this time, could you go on deck and find those stars?"

"Of course," he replies.

"Good, then know that I'll be looking at them at the same time and thinking of you."

"We'll be thinking of each other. I'm gonna miss you so much baby," he whispers before kissing the top of my head.

"Me too. You'll be back when the moon is waning again- a month from now," I respond, stifling a yawn. I'm suddenly tired and spent now that the rush of hormones has subsided.

"I want to spend the rest of the night in our bed, wrapped around you for as long as possible. Are you ready to head back?" Edward asks, holding me tighter.

I nod. "Let's go."

We pack up our belongings and head out to spend our last night before the trip alone in each other's arms.

A/N See, I said I wouldn't abandon any of my stories. I just had a raging case of writer's block on this one. Funny story: go back, read that lemon again and when you get to the part where Bella tells Edward to fuck her mouth, imagine that just as I've written that, a kid (as in I'm probably old enough to be his mom) from the IT department connects to my computer which is open to my story in all its lemony glory. AFTER he connects, a message pops up asking me if he can work on my pc. I have no idea how much he saw before I manage to minimize Word. I basically tell him to GET OUT of my computer. Long story short, don't write lemons on your lunch break. We now have a new rule that the IT people can't connect to anyone without calling that person first.

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It looks like TFMU is a go for me and my lovely beta stacyo72. We're both really excited about going and hope to see you all there! Remember, she's the tall one, I'm the short one.

As for TUitML, this was the last of the exposition/backstory information chapters. I think that's part of why it took so long to write it. After this, things move very quickly for Bella and Edward. There are only 3-4 chapters left. Please remember to click that review button and let me know what you think.