AN: I know it's been a while. I apologize, I am really stuck on this fic.
A summary of the story so far:
This all started with an "innocent" letter to Santa that somehow made its way to Edward, who wanted to help the child in the letter, Will. He wants to help his big sister, Bella, get her "happy endings". Unknown to poor Will when he overheard his sister's wish, Bella didn't mean Disney version of happy endings.
The letter led Edward to Bella, who happens to know his sister, they met through fanfiction (it really does happen in RL). Edward is estranged with his father for various reasons.
Edward and Bella decide to let Will think that Edward's on an elf assignment to help him with his letter to Santa. Meanwhile, Edward and Bella are getting to know each other, and he's more than willing to help her with some not-so-innocent happy endings.
Bella had moved back home, into her own house by her parents after Charlie was shot during a robbery while off duty, Will was with him. They are under a protection detail since the suspect in the robbery/shooting who got away but can be identified by Charlie and Will.
Edward is staying in the neighborhood to help Will, they are also getting the house he rented for the month holiday ready with the intention to have Edward's sister and her family visit.
We last left off with Edward and Bella having gone mattress shopping.
The Letter
Part Five
"Edward!" Will stumbled as his excitement of decorating another tree doubled since Bella and Edward arrived from shopping. Tree decorating meant his sister made Nutella Hot Cocoa, cookies, and usually, there was no time for a shower!
That was always a win in his book.
"Hey, buddy, I see you're happy to be decorating again." Edward wrapped an arm around Will's slim shoulders. There was a spark of uncertainty, mainly because he avoided actively decorating for the holiday since the year his sister and niece died. Christmas never felt the same since then, and it had been their favorite holiday. "Are you ready?"
Despite the stirring of sad memories, Edward couldn't help but match Will's enthusiasm. He'd gone to pick up dinner for them while Bella worked to make his rental as cozy and inviting as her own home.
Will fist pumped a few times and waved him over to the strings of lights Bella had untangled and tested, ready for the tree. "There are so many lights! You guys got so much stuff."
The young child looked almost giddy. Too giddy.
"Did you have a cup of hot chocolate already?" Edward ruffled Will's hair and smiled when the boy nodded several times.
Will looked up at him and smirked, holding up two fingers. "I snuck some cookies, too."
Edward laughed and headed to the kitchen in search of Bella. "You might want to limit how much hot chocolate Will consumes for the rest of the night." He joined her by the island where she decorated some sugar cookies, setting the bags of food on the counter and dipping his finger in the red icing.
She slapped his hand away, laughing.
He just sucked on his finger for a second. "It smells good." He looked over Bella's shoulder and realized the best, sweet, seductive scent came from her.
"My nose is taking a bit of a break, I think. It's been assaulted by so many scents today, I've become desensitized." She did look a bit flushed.
"Are you all right?" He leaned against the counter and lifted a hand to her forehead. Surprised by his own initiative and concern, he continued anyway.
"I think I'm coming down with something, so brought you this." She gestured to the counter where some tea and Vitamin C waited for him.
Edward rarely, if ever, got sick. Though the gesture touched him, his worry for her intensified. "Maybe we should postpone."
She shook her head, smiling when her brother yelled for them to hurry up.
"He's way too excited to wait." She looked away and sighed. "Getting sick sucks, though. I had hoped to get some couch time with a handsome man."
Not mattress time, because she wanted to take things slow, which he understood. Maybe feeling a little under the weather would help them temper the desire between them. The chemistry did seem to increase the more time they spent together.
She licked frosting from her fingertip, her slightly glazed eyes shuttering closed in pleasure.
"Fuck." Nothing would temper the desire from his end.
Bella's eyes snapped opened and she winced. "Sorry. It won't last long, I promise. If I take something tonight and take it easy tomorrow, I'll be good by tomorrow night. Following morning, tops."
Will joined them in the kitchen, wanting to see what was taking them so long. "This may take all night. Maybe I should spend the night? Can I Bella? Pleeeeeease?" Will pulled out his secret weapon. The widening of his eyes, the slight pout, and dimpled cheek always made his sister crumble.
Well, sometimes. He had better luck with Mom since Bella used to have the same kind of secret weapon when she was his age. Which was forever ago.
Bella offered her brother a small smile. "You were supposed to help set up for dinner ten minutes ago."
Will muttered and started to pull out placemats from a nearby drawer. "You didn't answer my question? You know that's considered rude."
Bella gave him the look. "That tone is rude."
"Sorry."
Edward worked hard not to laugh at how not sorry either of them really was. He rather enjoyed Bella and Will's dynamic, reminding him a lot of relationship with his siblings when he was younger.
"How about we wait for sleepovers until school is out? You have about a week."
Will contemplated his sister's words, tapping his chin. "I'll agree if I can have another cookie before dinner."
Bella gave a pointed look at Edward, noting the art of negotiation her brother had mastered since she moved back home. Something he lacked when they went mattress shopping earlier in the day.
"Another cookie would imply you had one already," Bella pointed out in a stern voice.
Edward snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Rookie mistake, Will."
Will looked sheepish after a moment, then shrugged and ran toward the snack bar at one end of the kitchen island to finish setting up. "It was worth a try. But that still means we can do a sleepover soon!"
"I thought your parents were going to join us." Edward had been nervous about meeting them, yet Will was only setting up for three.
Bella stole a glance at Will, who was too busy grabbing glasses and ice for their drinks. "My mother was not feeling well, and if I am coming down with something, I can't risk exposing her."
Renee Swan was still recovering from her last chemo treatment. Though all prospects looked good for her future, her immune system had taken quite a toll.
"That would mean that Will has to stay with you, too, since he's already been exposed."
Bella nodded, pouting a little. "I know I said we'd get some privacy soon."
Edward placed a hand on hers, stopping her from putting the finishing touch to a Christmas tree shaped cookie. "I want to spend time with you. How we spend it doesn't matter to me. Besides, Will is not what I would consider a hardship. He's a great kid."
He felt a pang of longing; his nieces and nephews would get along so well with Will.
Something in his demeanor made her drop the icing bag on the counter and wrapped her arms around his neck, her body warm and comforting against his. "You miss them."
Edward watched Bella's eyes soften as he accepted her comfort; something he rarely felt, especially in the last few years. He had no idea how much he missed basic human contact.
"I do miss them." All of them, even my father. He opened his mouth once, but lost the courage to express himself.
She pulled back to look at him again. "Does he know that?"
Edward had to smile. "How do you know what I'm thinking?"
"I don't know." She touched his lips with the tip of her finger and looked unsure. "The connection between us makes it easy. Well, for some things."
He wanted to know what she meant by that, but they were interrupted by an impressionable young man.
"So gross!" Will's fake gagging sounds pulled them out of their little bubble.
So, of course, Bella played it up, and Edward was more than game. She puckered her lips, peppering his jawline several times, making dramatic "kissy" noises. Before she had a chance to pull away, Edward spun her few times, humming a waltz and danced around the island, much to Will's amusement.
Then he dipped her.
Bella was out of breath.
Edward was smug about that.
Will cleared his throat. "The food is getting cold," he deadpanned, rolling his eyes.
Edward and Bella laughed, joining Will. They soon settled to eat, going over their plan to decorate the tree. Bella was going to string the lights around it, while they opened all the packaging on the many, many ornaments. She was the best at strategically placing the strings, but she knew it was the least fun task of all.
Edward loaded up the dishwasher, a first in quite a while, having a maid that came in daily to his apartment in the city. He found it the perfect time to reflect on the day's events. He made a decision somewhere between loading the last plate and the silverware. It was time to call his father.
.
.
.
Edward and Will put the last touches on Bella's first present on Will's list. They asked for some privacy and she had gone home to do some laundry in the meantime. After they were done, he would walk Will home. He also hoped to check on how Bella was feeling.
It was time to head to her house and put their plan in motion.
Each day from that night, leading to Christmas, they'd give Bella a gift or do an activity to not only spend time together, but show her how much she was loved. A little over two weeks of happy endings.
Talking animatedly on the walk over to Bella's house, Edward's instinct sent him into high alert. The little hairs on the back of his neck prickled with awareness. As if they were being watched. He looked toward the unmarked car a few houses down that Bella pointed out to him earlier.
It was empty.
Without preamble, he lifted Will in his arms and quickly made his way back into his house. He kicked the door closed, locked up, and asked Will to stop his protests in a stern, but steady voice.
Sensing Edward's urgency, Will remained quiet as Edward called Bella.
Edward started to curse when she didn't pick up. The slight fever she had before she left could indicate she had fallen asleep. Still, his every instinct told him there was something wrong.
"There's a friend of dad's, a detective, I'm supposed to call if something is wrong." Will handed Edward a worn business card with a hand-written number on the back; something the boy felt he needed to carry with him at all times.
"Everything will be fine."
Will's chin trembled. "I don't want Bella to hurt like my dad."
Unable to do anything but offer some comfort, Edward hugged the young boy, and made a call.
.
.
.
Tyler Jackson rolled his shoulders, the police report on his desk blurring around the edges. It had been a long day, and he really needed to get some sleep. His phone buzzed in his pocket, not unusual with his pregnant wife on maternity leave. The woman was nesting at a level she had not with their twin boys.
The number on the screen was not recognizable, nor from his area. He answered with a curt greeting, instantly on alert at the sound of someone crying in the background—a child. He listened for several moments, but was on his feet, signaling for his partner and making a motion for others in the room to join him.
"Listen, Mr. Cullen, Will is also a target. Lock yourselves in a room and wait for someone to come get you. We'll use a code word, so do not come out unless they use it. We'll get to Charlie, Renee, and Bella as soon as possible."
.
.
.
Bella wiped the sweat from her brow, wishing she had taken more medication. Her fever made her question herself when she heard a sound after doing laundry. Now she could pay the price.
Someone was in her house.
The phone line in her bedroom was dead.
Her cell phone was in the living room.
There was no more power in the house.
Worse, she'd removed her gun and locked it away once she got home.
If she hid in her closet, she might as well walk toward the intruder. It would be the first place he would look. Under the bed would be the second location. Already cornered in the bathroom, she wondered if the only window was too small.
She regretted the butt exercises she started a few months earlier. No way would she fit through the window. A thought came to mind, and she worked quickly and quietly, hoping her plan would work. She started to remove all the stuff from the cabinet under the sink, tossing a towel over the contents.
She also prayed that Edward and Will weren't on the way as planned. For once, let them run late, she whispered to herself. She then grabbed the heaviest object she could find. Thank you, Costco, for your giant conditioner bottles.
AN: As mentioned above, I apologize for the delay. Working on the next chapter of Crosshairs then back to this so I don't leave you all hanging for long. Thanks to kyla713 for the help on the chapter, any mistakes are mine because I added quite a bit to the chapter after her edits. Thank you so much for reading.
