A/N… I sincerely apologize for the lengthy delay. It's explained at the bottom, but I swear, some of you act like I'm never coming back! ;)

We left off at the Trinity mountain cabin, Mercward and the crew have possession of all the weapons Kim Min-Jun wants. Kim has Carlisle and Cho Seong – the girl they've been hired to protect.

I'll let you get to it. I know I'm late…

~o~H&E~o~

Chapter 17

BELLA

"Remember, Edward, Kim doesn't know we know about Seong, so you have to ask for her in trade, too." I raked my fingers through his hair, handing over his cell phone as I stood between his legs. "And I know you'll want to speak to your dad, but you have to maintain your temper and secrecy. Let them 'find' us via Alice. Okay?"

He nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly before pressing a soft kiss to my lips. "Got it, sweetness."

His eyes were deep green as he sipped his coffee and then handed me the mug. We were about to let Alice release our location, call Carlisle's phone to speak with Kim, and then get ready for the fight that was coming. Edward's hand stayed on the side of my leg, rubbing gently up and down. Occasionally, his thumb would drag sensually along the scar on my thigh hidden beneath the fabric of my jeans.

The night before had calmed him some, and I could still feel the delicious ache left over with every move I made. However, I knew my Edward. He wouldn't truly calm down, couldn't completely drop that intense side of himself until this was over. When his dad was safe, when Edward could wrap his arms around his kids, that's when he'd start to settle down. Until then, my husband would stay this way – fierce, firm, deadly.

"Last thing…" I said, making sure he was listening. "There are pictures of the EMP and the bombs on there. So if Kim asks for proof that we have them, you can send those."

Edward looked down at his phone, scrolling to the last pictures. He nodded at the photo of the back of the truck. But it was the picture of the EMP that made him snort.

"Dad will know exactly where we are," he said with a touch of laughter to his voice. Holding up the picture, he cracked a small smile. "The lake is in the background."

"I know, I know, I know," Alice piped up from behind us, barely glancing up from the laptop in front of her. "I did that shit on purpose. Just another way to secure the location. I needed to make sure they choose this one. I'm just waiting on Eleazar to give me the green light to hit Jacob's laptop with the info."

Edward grinned, shaking his head. "You scare me, pixie. Just a little."

She giggled but shrugged.

I cupped Edward's face. "C'mere," I said softly, taking his hand in mine and sitting him down in front of a computer. With a click or two with the mouse, I smiled at the face on the screen.

Emmett's big grin was there. "Hey, guys. What's up?"

"Hey, Em… Could I see my two, please?"

"Here's one," he said, lifting a giggling, squirming Sammy up onto a stool. "I'll get you the other one."

Edward chuckled. "Hey, buddy. You behaving?"

"Yeah," he said in his usual slow manner. "I miss you guys." He raked his hand through his hair and tugged a baseball cap on backwards, looking so much like his father that it made my heart ache to squish him and kiss him silly. "You almost done? Is Poppy okay?"

"We miss you, too," we both told him.

"We're working on getting done soon, Sammy. I promise," Edward told him, his eyes lighting up at Bethy joining her brother. "Morning, little sweetness. He didn't have to wake you."

"I was up," she mumbled through a long, wide yawn. "We're supposed to work with Noah today. Tom's been teaching him how to let someone ride him. Break him in? Or something like that."

Noah was Goliath's offspring. He was about two years old at this point, so I would guess it was about time to break him in to ride.

"You be careful, Bethy. Stay clear of him when Tom's working with him. He could kick the sh—stuffin' out of you," Edward told her.

Bethy grinned, pointing to her dad. "Almost busted. Uncle Alec owes the swear jar about a hundred thousand dollars at this point. He's stopped talking to me."

Edward cracked up. "He'll never pay it."

"I know," she agreed with the most adorable giggle. "You guys still have to help Poppy, don't you?"

"Yeah, baby," I said through a sigh. "We do. We're hoping to be done soon. We just needed to see you guys. We miss you both. Please be good for Gamma and Aunt Kate."

"Love you. Be safe," both chanted back.

"Love you, too." Edward sighed, watching our kids leave the room and Emmett and Esme come into view. And my husband was all business. "We'll be leading them straight to us. With the addition of El's men and Benny's men, we'll cover most of the grounds. Jasper will be in the attic. Mickey and Bella will be in the crawlspace beneath the decking. I'll be on the ground with Dean and Eleazar."

"Roger that," Emmett grunted. "When do you need me online with you?"

"Soon. Alice is waiting for Eleazar's go-ahead, and then Kim will know where we are."

"Have the pixie let me know what she needs." He held up a finger. "Just FYI, Ed… Cho? He's stable. That's all they can tell me. He's no better, no worse. Just hanging in there. But he's safe on McChord's base."

"Ten-four."

Esme sat forward, smiling a little. "If anyone can finish this, it's you two."

"I'm doing my best to get him back, Mom." Edward raked a hand through his hair roughly. "Maybe it's time to get the old man to retire. He's killing me."

Esme laughed, pointing his way. "You may just have something there, son."

"Good," he grunted, nodding once. "Where's Alec? I need him to work on something. The girls can't seem to get anyone to talk to them."

"I'll get him." Emmett got up and left the computer room, but he wasn't gone long.

Alec followed him back, using just one crutch to hobble into the room. He took a seat next to Esme with a cranky expression and a deep sigh.

"If this is about the swear jar…" he grumbled, grinning when Edward laughed. "What do ya need, Ed?"

"A hundred grand? Jesus, Alec, I'm not sure I know that many swear words," I teased him, leaning into Edward's kiss to my temple.

His smile was cocky and contrite and silly all at once. "Ah, Bellisima, I blame the pain meds."

We all laughed at that. However, Edward sobered quickly, telling Alec what we knew about the three floors under construction in Twi Tech Tower. He explained that due to the damage, no one had been able to get in touch with anyone at the Realtor's office or in the executive offices. And Benny had told us that Angela was taking a few sick days since the attack at the tower, so our usual help wasn't there.

"IGOR, please open the file on the construction at Twi Tech Tower for Alec in Alaska," I ordered. Behind them, IGOR came to life, pictures and info displayed on the wall. "That's what we have so far, and we still have to get ready for Kim."

Alec turned, reading through quickly as he nodded a little. He glanced back to us. "Okay, I'll see what I can come up with. If I have to go back to Twi Tech, I will."

"Thanks, Alec."

"Watch your asses," Emmett advised seriously.

Eleazar had been in the room for a bit but once the video chat ended, he finally nodded. "Okay, Alice let the info through. Ed, go ahead and call."

Edward's expression hardened as he hit Send on the phone, leaving it on speaker. He stood up and started to pace.

"Hello, Edward," Kim's voice came on the line. "This is the heroic son, right?"

Edward chuckled. "Sure, asshole, whatever you say. I need to talk to my father. Now, Kim."

"Not so fa—" Kim started, but Edward's patience was nonexistent.

"No! This isn't a part of the negotiations. I speak to him now, or I'll assume you've killed him, and therefore you'll take your chances with me, not Homeland Security. And trust me, douchebag, that is a whole different level of fuckery, because you will never fucking see me coming. Put him on the phone now, or this is all over. No bombs, no electronic toys, no airplane ride to freedom. How 'bout that? Hmm?"

Kim didn't bother to say another word.

"Edward?"

"Hey, Papa Bear," Edward sighed. "So Mama Bear told me to tell you that it's time you retired."

Carlisle chuckled over the line, muttering, "She might be right."

"Are you okay? Is Seong still with you?"

"Yes, and yes, she's fine, though I think she wants to know about her father…"

"Oh?" Edward asked, sounding way too sarcastic, but I waved him on. Everyone was listening to both sides of this conversation. "All right, she'll be so happy to know that her father survived, that he's stable, and that he's currently safe on McChord Air Force Base."

"Stable?"

"No more, no less."

"Okay," Carlisle mumbled over the phone. "Son, where are the weapons?"

"Someplace safe," Edward stated, leaning on the last word, his eyes drifting up to the map that was dedicated to watching Carlisle's GPS; they were back in Seattle. "And off the grid, but I sent proof to your phone that I have them. If Kim wants 'em, he'll have to find 'em. Or we can make a trade. You and Seong for a bomb…each. He may have two. The EMP is off the table for now."

Eleazar snorted, shaking his head at my husband's proverbial line in the sand. Even more, he chuckled at Kim's reaction.

"You said—"

"Motherfucker, you said we'd finish this shit at Twi Tech, and look where we are now, so don't you get all fucking indignant when shit changes. You have…" Edward trailed off, glancing over at Alice, who was giving him a thumbs-up.

"He's back onto Jake's computer. He'll figure it out soon," she whispered to him.

Edward grinned, and it was evil and scary and downright sexy, nodding a little as he went back to his phone call. "You have two hours to call me back with an acceptable location for a trade. Seong and my father for two bombs. Time is ticking…"

He ended the call, sitting back down at the table and giving Alice a fist bump.

"Perfect, Edward," she praised, typing like mad on the keyboard. "Reducing the number of weapons should motivate him to find you first." She stopped, glancing up to me worriedly and then to Edward. "You know they may hurt Carlisle for where you could possibly be."

Edward nodded, letting out a weary sigh. "Yeah, I know, but he's smart. He'll know we'll be ready for them, so he won't need to play the victim too long. He'd let them think they won."

Alice nodded, going back to her keyboard. "Okay, so I'll be watching their progress. IGOR will alert if they start to head this way."

Edward stood up from the table, picking up the coffee mug with one hand and offering his other hand to me. I took it, linking our fingers together. After telling Eleazar that we'd join him soonto ready this place for a fight, Edward led me out of the house and out onto the deck.

"Edward?" I asked, and he turned to kiss me, tugging my hand again.

We walked around the side of the cabin to the shed. Edward pulled out the key and unlocked it. Once we were inside, he closed the door and moved the worktable, revealing the underground weapons cache down below.

"Edward Cullen, a lot of things have changed since the last time the two of us rushed in here, but one thing has not…" I pointed to the dark space underground. "Baby, I'm not going down there."

Edward's face ran the gamut of emotions – amusement, love, sadness. He walked to me, cupping my face gently in both hands to kiss me and then whispering, "Okay, you don't have to, but give me a second."

Kissing me once more, he turned away and descended the ladder down into the hidden weapons cache. I heard cabinets and drawers open and close, weapons engage, metal objects clink together, and a heavy thud.

When he reappeared at the ladder, he handed up a black duffle and an RPG, and I took them so he could climb back up. Once I set them on the workbench, he spoke softly.

"Sweetness, the last time we were here…the last time we were preparing for a fight, I didn't…" He trailed off, bracing his strong arms on the wood counter. Glancing over his shoulder, he smirked and shook his head. "I was a love-sick idiot and didn't want anything to happen to you. Now I know fucking better and have major trust in your abilities."

Giggling, I walked to him, wrapping my arms around him from behind. "Tell me what you need, Edward."

He turned around, leaning back against the workbench. "Take this." He pushed the duffle my way. "You know how I feel about these types of situations, Bella. If something happens to me, then you get out, you get away." He exhaled roughly through his nose. "Just get to the kids, baby," he whispered, his brow furrowing. "That… That's the most important thing. Okay?"

"Vice versa, Edward."

It was a counter to his plea, but I tilted my head until he acquiesced with a nod as I peeked into the bag to see false identifications and money. There were weapons and ammo in there as well, but it was about the ID, the ability to escape if we had to go.

I pointed over his shoulder a little. "The Challenger and the Mustang aren't far away. Mickey and Benny stashed all the vehicles on that dirt road on the other side of the lake. Okay?"

He nodded, cupping my cheek with one hand and bringing me in for another kiss. "That's the plan, sweetness," he whispered against my lips, and I nodded. "Now, for this fight… Let's get to work. I want this place locked down, ammo accessible every-fucking-where, and the earpieces tested and charged. You and Mickey need to load yourself up with anything and everything you need for under that house."

"Okay. I'll get with her. We'll get set up. Where will you be?"

"Dean and I will be in the woods, hidden and camouflaged along with El's men."

"Got it, Edward." I stood up on my toes to kiss him, wrapping my arms around his neck. "No friendly fire. And no stray shrapnel this time." I pointed to my leg that had caught a bit of tree bark the last time we'd been here.

He grinned, wrapped his arms all the way around me, and lifted me up to the workbench, stepping between my legs. "Roger that, sweetness."

~o~H&E~o~

EDWARD

After slamming the Challenger's trunk and shouldering the bag I needed, I turned to face the lake and the cabin on the other side. I'd run the perimeter and worked my way through the woods to the dirt road where all the cars were hidden. Just on the other side of a cluster of trees was the small country gas station I'd once told Bella to remember "just in case." I'd told her to remember her surroundings – every tree, every trail, every landmark.

The sun was setting, and everything was cast in a yellow-orange glow and long, dark shadows as I ran back around the lake. Alice said that my dad was immobile on the GPS map in Seattle, but she was confident that Kim would take all the bait we'd laid down.

I slowed down to a walk as I neared the cabin. I wasn't taking any chances. Kim could send scouts to the locations that Alice had allowed him to have. And if he did, it needed to look like we were alone, minimally guarded, not locked down, dug in, and armed to the teeth. We didn't need to look ready for a fight; I wanted to seem like we'd be an easy target.

On the back deck, the girls were still busy at work, but they were dressed and ready for a fight, too. I set the bag from the car down on the table.

"What'cha got, pretty boy?" Mickey asked, setting down the rifle she was cleaning.

"Gear from Gravity. C'mere," I told her, tossing the Kevlar vest her way. "Yes, ladies, they're hot and uncomfortable and ugly, but they'll protect you. Put 'em on." I grinned at the grumbles, but they all came to get one.

Bella stopped typing and stood up to get one, but I shook my head, holding the vest in my hand and stepping away from everyone else. The rip of Velcro was loud as I readied the vest for her. Helping her prep, getting her ready seemed to settle me a little, but it always did. I adjusted straps, pulled her hair out of the back, and smiled at the kiss to my chin.

"Thanks, Edward," she whispered, wearing a smile that meant she knew I needed this little moment. "Am I good to go now?"

"No," I grumbled, handing over a baseball cap, a tin of face paint, and a new phone. The latter was replacing the one left at Twi Tech Tower. I'd had Jasper pick it up when he and Mickey had gone into town for supplies. "I know you hate the face paint, but you'll be in the shadows, so you'll need it to stay hidden. The phone is just in case we get separated or the commlinks go down."

"And the hat?" She held it up, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Spiders, Bella… You're underneath the house." I grimaced and shook dramatically.

Bella's grin and soft giggle was the reward I received. And a sweet kiss. "Love you, Edward. Thank you."

"Mmhmm," I hummed against her lips. "Now," I started, pulling back to look around the deck, "is everyone ready? You know where to go, what to do if these assholes show up?"

"Yeah, we're good, Ed," Jasper drawled, stepping out from the house and leaning against the door. "You've got Benny's men spread out along the driveway. You've got El's men in the woods." He pointed behind me, and Dean was nodding in agreement as he stepped onto the deck.

"Actually, you and I are the last to get set," Dean added, holding up the Korean radio. "And it's just in time. This bad boy just kicked into life not too long ago. It seems it's back in range."

"He's right, he's right, he's right," Alice chanted from behind the laptop. "Kim's on the move. Or rather, Carlisle is on the move." She stood up, opening a case she'd brought from Gravity's office, and pulled out a small drone plane. This was different than Sammy's toy. She turned to me. "That is our eye in the sky, Edward. Emmett will be controlling it and watching the video feed." She twirled her finger up, gesturing to the whole property. "We should get set."

"Okay, pixie." I nodded, tapping the earpiece. "Time to go dark," I stated to everyone on the deck and over the radio, turning to Bella and cupping her face. "Constant communication, sweetness. Stay sharp."

"Stay safe. We'll watch your back."

Pressing a rough kiss to her lips, I whispered, "There's no one else I trust more with my six."

Bella giggled, groping my ass and then giving it a smack. "I like your six. It's fantastic."

"It's all yours when we're done," I said through a chuckle, shaking my head as I walked off the deck and around to the shed.

I strapped on my own gear, loading up on weapons and ammo and pulling my baseball cap back on. I glanced up at Dean in the doorway as I pulled a bag over my shoulder and across my chest. He was mostly geared up, a small smile on his face.

"Thought I was done with this black-ops shit," he stated with a laugh.

"I thought I was too, but it seems to keep finding my ass." I gripped his shoulder once I had all my gear on. "I appreciate the help, though. I know this isn't the shit you signed up for."

He nodded, waving my gratitude away. "No problem." He sighed, taking a long gaze around the yard from the shed door. "Ed, they'll come in silent. They'll come in to make sure someone is here, and then they'll attack."

"I figured," I said with a deep sigh. "But that's why we have Alice…and Eleazar with us. They have awesome toys." I pointed above us to the drone Alice had unleashed.

Dean smirked but nodded before leading us into the woods.

"Okay, I'd like to hear everyone on the radio, please," Alice commanded, and once we'd all checked in – Emmett in Alaska included – she started to fill us in on a few things. "I've got movement going east, and it doesn't seem to be in the air. If that's the case, we're looking at approximately three hours or so. We are nearing the two-hour countdown mark as to when Kim is supposed to call us back with a location for trade."

I glanced down at my watch, nodding that she was right. Kim had about fifteen minutes left to call me with a location.

"Emmett, how's your visual?" Alice asked.

"So pretty," he sang, making a few of us chuckle. "Seriously. It's fucking perfect, this camera. I've linked it to the old GPS computer, thanks to my buddy, Sammy, so I can see where most of you are, and I have real-time footage from that drone."

I shook my head. My son was turning out to be quite the little gadget guy. My daughter would most likely be a scary combination of her mother and me, with her love for flying and her ability to see through bullshit, but Sammy would give Alice a run for her money in the future; I was willing to bet my life on it. Suddenly, I missed my kids with a sharp pang, which made me fucking livid. It was the goddamn summer. We were supposed to be on vacation. We weren't supposed to separated or in safe houses or fighting to get one of us back. In the last forty-eight hours, my wife and father had been held captive, we'd had one of the crew injured, another had died, and now my kids were helping on info in order to get my dad back. Fuck, this shit needed to stop.

"We've got Jasper on high as our eye in the sky. We've got two of the deadliest women I've ever met down below on either end of the deck," Emmett continued, taking the tenseness out of the moment as Mickey and Bella chuckled low over the radio. "Ed, I see you just inside the woods making your way toward Eleazar's location. The sun is setting, everyone is where they need to be…" He trailed off just as Dean and I joined Eleazar's men.

"Em?" I heard Alice call.

"Stand by," he mumbled almost to himself. "Well, what have we here?" he asked. "Ed, you've got a scout."

I pushed away from the tree I'd been leaning against, asking, "Where?"

"Oh, about a football field away from your location. He's moving low and slow along the edge of the property, guys. And from what I can see, he's alone."

"Roger that. Gimme a sec," Jasper said, and I could hear him scrambling around up in that attic. "Oh-ho, I got 'im, Edward, and I have the solution. He's working his way from the main road and using the tall grass and trees."

"Copy that. Stand by," I stated, looking to Eleazar.

He shook his head, saying, "We may be able to use him. I'll go with you."

Taking a glance around to Dean, I jerked a chin. "We may need you to translate."

"Yeah, sure."

We took off at a jog, keeping to the edge of the trees. The sun was almost set, and it was easy to conceal ourselves with the shadows. It was even easier to sneak up on someone when they thought they were secret.

"Jasper, I don't care if he's just a scout. If you see something shady, you take him out." Bella's order came sharply, without room for argument.

"Yes, ma'am. Copy that."

Eleazar chuckled low but silently told me he was splitting off to go around. We'd surround the scout, giving him no way out. I gave Dean the command to face him head-on.

"Weapons out," I muttered over the radio. "Everyone on me."

Dean veered away from me, using the trees to stay out of the scout's sight. Eleazar was just on the other side of a small clearing, facing us. The tall grasses surrounding me were a blessing and a curse. They were perfect to hide in, but they hid other things too – birds took off, crickets shut the fuck up, and other creatures scurried away.

The scout crouched down, binoculars out and aimed toward the house, and a radio buzzing softly through an earpiece. He was dressed in dark clothes, not quite military, but close enough. I moved silently, over a fallen tree, down low through the grass. The next time the scout lifted the binoculars to his face, Dean and I moved at the same time.

He stood before the scout, nine mil out and the safety off, shaking his head when the man started to run. "I wouldn't…" he started to warn him and even switched to Korean, but the man spun around, only to stare down the barrel of my Glock.

"Don't move, motherfucker." I shook my head, slowly reaching for his radio, his weapons, and his binoculars. The radio was tossed to Dean; the weapons were stowed in my bag. "Speak English?" When he nodded, I flipped open his wallet. "Yi Pin… Pin, what are you doing on my property? Hmm?"

He stayed silent, wearing a slightly prickish smile on his face.

I snorted, letting out an exaggerated sigh. "And I thought we could do this the easy way."

With an open hand, I slapped Pin hard and then picked him up by fistfuls of his shirt. Spinning around, I slammed him down on a fallen tree and pulled out my knife. Pin's eyes widened and followed the shiny metal blade with every move it made. Dean covered me from behind with his gun. Eleazar walked up slowly, pulling his own knife out.

"Are you reporting to Kim Min-Jun?" Eleazar asked, picking up Pin's hand and placing it flat on the log. The point of his knife aimed in the center of the scout's palm, Eleazar waited for an answer.

Dean chuckled, saying something in Korean. "I told him that you'd cut his fingers off if he didn't answer." He looked back to the scout, speaking in English as he knelt in front of him. He shook Pin's radio, which was calling for him. "You'd better answer us before you answer this."

"Yes!" he cried out, glancing from Dean to his own fingers, where I was holding one out to cut it off. He tried to pull away from me, but I slapped his face again.

"Damn, Ed's pimp-slappin' him like the bitch owes him money," Jasper said through a soft laugh.

Ignoring that, I forced Pin's face my way. "Are you supposed to report back when you've found us?" I asked him, and he nodded, now starting to sweat a little. "Does Kim think he can sneak up on me? Attack me? And take the weapons he wants?" I asked, digging my knife into his hand just enough to hurt, to draw a little blood.

"He says he's gonna kill the man who fucked up his plans in Seattle," Pin blurted out.

Grinning, I looked from Dean to Eleazar. "He must mean me."

"The rich man's son…" Pin said, looking around at all of us.

"Yup, that's you," El said through a laugh, squeezing my shoulder.

"Well, he can try to kill me. I'm not particularly sure he realizes what he's gotten himself into," I mused sarcastically as I shrugged a shoulder.

The radio that Dean was holding was getting louder, with voices getting more and more frantic. Dean smirked, saying, "If he doesn't check in, they'll know we've caught their boy here. If you let him check in, saying what he's found, they'll think they still have the upper hand."

Eleazar grabbed the radio and shoved it at Pin. "Tell 'em you've found the rich man's son. Tell 'em you've found where they've hidden the bombs. Then tell them he's alone."

Pin reached for the radio, but Dean pointed his weapon right into the middle of his forehead. "If you say anything other that what he just told you, I'll know, and I'll pull this trigger. Are we clear?" he warned him.

Pin nodded and spoke rapidly into the radio. When he was done, Dean nodded to me.

Eleazar gripped Pin's shoulder, hoisting him up to his feet. We walked him back to where El's men had set up a small camp inside the woods.

"Secure this man, and keep him fucking quiet," El ordered, looking at me when my phone started to ring.

"Bet that's Kim," I stated, swiping my thumb across the screen to answer. "Cullen!"

"Son," Dad answered.

"Dad, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm thinkin' it's time for a vacation after all this bullshit. Maybe the mountains…someplace secluded."

"Sounds about perfect," I said with a grin, because he knew where we were, and he was telling me that Kim knew too. "I may have to meet you there when we're done with all this. Kim better have a meeting place, or else I turn over all my info to Homeland Security, which will lead them right to him."

"Son—" Dad started but was cut off.

"Hero, you have no idea where I am," Kim stated.

"Motherfucker, you'd be surprised at what the fuck I know!" I snapped, starting to pace. "I know you're heading east out of fucking Seattle. I know you're on the road and not in the air. And I know your scout just told you where I am before I put a bullet in him," I lied, shrugging when Pin gazed at me wide-eyed. "Let's get this shit done, Kim. I'm tired of dealing with you. Now… I can let Homeland Security know all of that, or you can come and fucking get me, asshole."

"I want all six bombs, hero."

"And I want my father and Seong."

"And the EMP."

"The EMP is mine. You'll have to kill me for it."

"That can be arranged."

I laughed. "Bigger assholes than you have tried and failed. Let's see what you've got."

I ended the call and looked to Eleazar, who was nodding and smiling. "Excellent. Everyone, get in position and stay there. Benny, watch the main road. We'll go dark and stay dark, because he'll come tonight, and he'll come in silent."

"Perfect." I spun around but stayed on the radio. "Gravity team on me… You know your positions and where the motion sensors are… If it moves, it's dead. Got me?"

"Sir!" they all answered.

"Sweetness?"

"Yes, Edward?"

"You keep that sweet ass safe, and you know what to do should all this blow to hell," I reminded her as I started to make my way around the property on a slow perimeter run.

"Yes, Edward," she sang back to me. "But we won't let them burn the place down this time, either."

Grinning at the memory and continuing my rounds of the property, which would be the first of many, I said, "Roger that, Bella."

~o~H&E~o~

A/N… Okay, the fight is heading their way. Edward's in the woods, Sweetness is under the house, and the whole property is covered.

**IMPORTANT** Guys, I have in NO WAY abandoned this story. After my being the hospital and quitting smoking, all sorts of shit went on at my RL work, so I've been interviewing and then training someone, which left me no time to write. And when I did have the time, I just had no muse whatsoever. So… I'm trying to get back to it. Chapter 18 is about half written, so hang in there for me. I appreciate all of your amazing reviews, but for the ones thinking I've dropped this story, the answer is no… I'm around. I'm just trying to get back to it. Okay?

I think that's it for now. See you next time. Until then… Mooches, Deb ;)