"Agent Swan." The man sat behind a long glass table, his black suit matched the row of other men who sat to his left and right. Bella nodded once, keeping her back straight and her head forward even though she felt lightheaded. There was no way she hadn't sweat through her white shirt that she wore under her own matching blazer.
"These are serious accusations that have been brought against you and your husband, Mr. Masen."
"I understand." Bella nodded again, focused on keeping her breathing level and quiet. She couldn't give them any indication of her guilt.
"Are these reports factual?" Her boss asked.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five. She counted slowly in her head before answering.
"They seem like a wild fantasy thought up by a tabloid to be completely honest." Bella was proud, her voice never faltered, never cracked.
"While it might seem that way, there seems to be a lot of evidence mounting against your husband now. More coming in by the hour." The man to her left said. Bella remained quiet. Her fingers twitched; she could feel the weight of her gun hanging on her hip.
Don't even think about it, Bella, she told herself.
"Agent Swan?" Her eyes snapped to her boss's.
"Yes, Sir?"
"What do you have to say about this?" He turned the file around and placed it in front of her. Bella's heart sank as she looked over the paper sitting before her. It was her husband's original birth certificate. Bella flipped the page over, finding his school records, his surname change, the paper trail that led straight to Edward Masen.
O…O
"You sure you can handle this, Swan?" Edward smirked, wrapping the tape around his wrist.
"Oh, I think I'll be fine. You should be worried about yourself, Cullen. Years behind a desk and podium might've made you soft." Bella laughed, shifting her weight from foot to foot, planting herself on the mat.
"Sweetheart, nothing about me is soft." He winked and stepped closer to her and Bella focused on his face, refusing to let her eyes drift down the expanse of his bare chest.
"We'll see about that." Her hand shot out and connected with his shoulder, sending him back a step. "See … You've gotten slow." Edward slowly walked in a circle, keeping Bella in front of him before making his move. He reached out and she blocked his punch, but while she was distracted with his right hand, his left made contact with her ribs.
"Seems as if your reflexes are lacking as well, love."
"Ow. You said no real contact!"
"And you believed that?" Edward shot out again, both hands moving to find an area of her body that was exposed, but Bella was faster, blocking each hit as they moved across the mat. Bella reached out, landing a punch to his stomach, causing him to groan and lean forward.
"Oh shit, are you okay?" Bella paused, stepping closer to him and placing a hand on his back. Before he could answer Bella was flying backwards, her back connecting with a loud smack against the mat. Edward had swept her legs and he quickly pinned her down, his larger body keeping her in place.
"You're not as heartless as you used to be."
Bella sucked in a breath and shifted her lower body, putting the entire force of her weight behind it. Edward flipped over her head, landing on his back as she rolled backwards, landing atop him.
"And I recall you once slammed my head into a door, but here you are going easy on me."
"You're still holding that against me?" He smiled up at her, both were covered in sweat and Bella loved the way his eyes were bright with passion.
"You also stabbed me, so I guess we could talk about that instead." Bella sat up, pointing to the very small scar that Edward's knife had left all those years ago. Edward quickly rolled, slamming her into the mat, her skin making a loud slap as it connected.
"And you shot me."
Bella lifted her fist, aiming for his chest, but hitting higher than she meant. Her fist slammed into his jaw and Edward paused, looking at her, his eyes wide with shock.
"Oh fuck, I'm so sorry." Bella was trying her hardest not to laugh. Edward slowly smiled, but it was dark.
"Is that what we're playing at now?" Before she could answer him, his hand was around her throat, holding her in place as she struggled to flip him again. His body weight was more evenly distributed and with his hand holding her neck she couldn't get the leverage she needed. "Come on now, Bella, you still haven't learned how to escape this?"
Bella paused, her mind running through his weak spots, but her body was flooded with desire more than anything in that moment. Then it occurred to her how she could get out of this hold. Her hands slid over his bare stomach, feeling the scars that had healed over time. She smiled up at her husband as his body suddenly froze, her hands sliding lower beneath the waistband of his shorts.
"Isabella…" He growled. "That's not playing fair at all." Her fingers wrapped around his growing length and his hand suddenly disappeared from her neck. It gave Bella the distraction she needed to shove him off her. Bella jumped to her feet and took off towards the other side of the mat, laughing.
Edward shook his head, slowly rising to his feet as he cleared his throat. The flush on his body was enough to give it away, but there was no denying how visibly excited he was. Bella smirked and moved around the mat, dodging his attempts to grab her again.
"You shouldn't be coming at me with that thing." Bella laughed and motioned towards his pants. "It could be dangerous."
"Dangerous?" Edward scoffed and reached for her again, grabbing her thigh and squeezing, yanking Bella towards him before lifting her off her feet. He quickly spun and she found herself on her back again, looking up at her husband. "It's definitely not dangerous."
"I recall it getting me into a lot of trouble about four years ago and it hasn't stopped yet." Bella wiggled beneath him, trying to move out from his grasp, but Edward ground his erection into her hip making her freeze.
"Oh, come on, Cuore mio," He growled into her ear. "Don't you want me inside of you." His hands had already worked her shorts off and Bella had no idea how she'd missed that maneuver. But truthfully, she didn't care because she definitely did want him inside of her.
O…O
"Are you ready?" Edward asked, his body folded into the back of the limo, his suit impeccable, not a wrinkle in sight. It was one of the few times he wasn't wearing a three-piece suit, this time there was no matching vest beneath it and Bella found herself missing the look.
"I think so." Bella nodded, brushing her hair back. The dress she wore was custom made by Alice herself, though she must've forgotten Bella's measurements because it was a little tight. Or she wanted her to be uncomfortable.
That was more likely the reason.
Addy swung her feet from her carseat, her glittery shoes catching the light as she looked out the window, flashes of cameras going off in every angle. The limo pulled slowly through the gate, a guard checking the ID of the driver and then seeing who was in the car.
"Mr. Cullen." The guard nodded and Edward smiled, a slight tilt of his head in return. The guard tapped the roof of the limo and it pulled further down the winding drive, in line with the several other black limos.
The car finally came to a stop in the front of the Cullen estate, flowers of every kind decorated the entrance perfectly, leading guests through the house to the backyard. Bella took a deep breath, remembering the last time she exited a vehicle in front of this house. Her stomach dropped, recalling the gunshots, Edward on the ground, Adrianna covered in blood. She was frozen in place, a cold sweat broke out on her back, her heart raced as her stomach slowly churned.
"Isabella?" Edward's voice broke through the sound of blood rushing in her ears. She turned her head and saw his bright green eyes full of worry and concern. Bella smiled and took a deep breath to try and calm herself.
"I'm okay." She lied.
"You're not, but that's okay." He reached for her hand, wrapping his fingers around her as he pulled her towards him. "It's okay, Bella. I'm okay. I know what happened the last time you were here." He whispered against her hair, holding her to his chest and she could feel the anxiety ebbing away. Bella took a final deep breath and nodded, the tightness in her chest relaxing.
"Ready?" He asked, his green eyes searching hers.
"I am." Bella nodded and smiled.
O…O
The wedding was beautiful, there were no other words to explain it. Everything was perfect and amazing, even the weather. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, the sun beat down on the lake shining a glow on the happy couple as they stood in front of their friends and families.
Now they all sat around beneath a huge tent as the sun set across the lake, music filtering through from the band, drowning out the laughs and conversation of all the guests. A bar sat at the far side of the area with a steady line of patrons taking advantage of the free drinks. Signature cocktails designed by Alice herself and a small selection of beer kept guests happy and alive.
Alice stood in the center of the room, her white dress wrapped tightly around her small frame, the beading creating intricate designs across the bodice and down onto the sweeping train that dragged the temporary flooring placed on the grass.
"Bella Swan." A deep voice rumbled and Bella turned to the right. "Or is it Bella Cullen?" Jasper's easy smile spread across his face. His tux jacket was long discarded, the bowtie hanging from the open collar.
"Do you really think I'd take his name?" They both laughed as he took a seat in the empty chair beside her.
"Yeah, I figured you were still a Swan." He leaned forward and hugged her tightly.
"I actually did take his name; I just don't tell anyone." Bella winked.
"It's been a long time, Swan."
"Yeah … I know," Bella nodded, the guilt coming back. "Uh, listen Jasper, about that night … I … I um didn't-" Jasper cut her off.
"I know. Don't beat yourself up about it, I told you to leave."
"I know, but I should've stayed."
"And you definitely would've died and there'd be no Bella and no little Addy in this world. And Edward definitely would've gone on a rampage and probably killed all of us in the process." Jasper laughed and looked out on the dance floor where Edward was swinging Addy around as she squealed with laughter.
"Probably." Bella nodded and looked out to watch her husband and daughter dance.
"You look very happy, Jasper. I'm happy for you, even if your wife hates me." Bella placed her hand on his arm and smiled.
"She doesn't hate you, Bella." He laughed and looked out at his wife. "She's actually become quite fond of you from afar. I know the girls were kind of … rough at first, but they were worried."
"And that's why they still don't approach me?" Bella laughed.
"They'll come around." Jasper raised his hand and signaled for Alice to come over. She quickly jogged over, her posture never failing even though she wore five-inch heels.
"Bella!" She shrieked happily. "I'm so happy to see you." Alice bent down and crushed Bella to her chest, hugging her tightly.
"Clearly the alcohol is working on everyone." Bella mumbled, returning the hug.
"I'll come back and catch up, okay?" Alice was gone before she could reply.
"That's not alcohol, it's just Alice." Edward laughed, dropping their daughter onto Bella's lap. "Jasper." Edward nodded towards his brother and shook his hand. "Congratulations, man."
Bella focused on Addy, smiling and chatting with her. The interactions between Edward and his brothers was always so odd; cold and formal. Not at all like the bond between Emmett and Jasper.
Then again, Edward grew up hundreds of miles away.
"Are you ready?" Edward asked.
Bella's stomach dropped. She knew she had made this decision and she needed to stand by it. She couldn't hide in the shadows forever.
"Yeah, of course." She forced a smile to the forefront and stood up, led from the reception by her husband.
O…O
Bella and Edward walked down the steps at the front of the house, Addy swinging from their hands as she laughed, her auburn curls bouncing around from the pigtails she wore. Bella scanned the yard, searched the perimeter, her eyes scrutinizing the place where the shots came from the last time.
"There's hundreds of guards here, Bella. I'd never let something like that happen again when you and Addy were around."
Bella looked up at her husband, the sun was almost completely gone by now, an orange glow settled over everything, making his hair appear brighter. She knew he believed what he said, but she knew that he couldn't control something like that.
"Do you think they can see us from here?"
Edward glanced down the drive at the photographers pressed against the gate. They were chatting amongst themselves, not aware that anyone had come out yet.
"They should be able to, we just have to get them to turn around."
"How do you plan to do that?" As the question left her lips, one of the reporters happened to look over their shoulder. A quick double-take before they quickly spun around, garnering the attention of the others. Suddenly they were struggling against one another as each tried to get a shot of the small family.
"Well, if we're going to really be out here with the truth, we might as well give them a show." Edward dipped Bella slightly, his mouth covering hers as she laughed against his lips.
