A/N: So here we are. Second to the last chapter of this story. Thank you to everyone who reads and comments. You guys have no idea how much brighter they make my day and I appreciate everyone. This is just a little chapter and the very last chapter will post sometime next week. Thanks always to BitterHarpy, Maplestyle, Agoodwitch,and LaMoMo for the prereading. You ladies keep me from falling off the edge a lot and I appreciate it so much. Thank also to Alice'sWhiteRabbit for betaing. Love you! Without further ado, here we go.
BPOV
The following weeks were surreal. We were all together for the 4th of July, and we had a BBQ and shot off a couple fireworks, but it was nothing huge. We were still in hiding. I was still having a hard time really coming to grips with the fact that I had killed someone, no matter how well deserved. Other times, I felt it was all a dream, and I would wake up back in that room, being held against my will, and waiting for the next torture. I leaned on Emmett a lot more than Edward because he had been hurt by Mikhail too. It also was really hard to see what all this aftermath was doing to Edward. I knew I shouldn't have felt that way, but I felt guilty for crying or having nightmares. Edward was trying to keep it together for me, but I still saw the pain and sorrow in his eyes. It killed me, so I talked to Emmett.
"Hey, baby belle," Emmett said. He looked up from what he was watching and grimaced. "Sorry, little one, but you look like shit."
I chuckled humorlessly and sat on the couch with him. "Yeah, I haven't gotten a whole lot of sleep lately," I explained. Emmett pulled me close to him and hugged me.
"I understand. Why do you think I'm awake? I'm not a morning person. I went through a lot less than you, and I still freak out sometimes," he explained.
"I just feel bad for not getting better faster. Edward's still beating himself up about this, and it's like every time he sees me struggling, it's just a reminder," I confessed.
"He thinks he failed you and broke the only promise he made you," he told me.
"Why can't he see that was never something that was solely in his hands—our safety. From the beginning, this whole fucking game was rigged. We were at the mercy of the actions and decisions of other people. And very unstable people at that."
"I will agree with that." Emmett looked at me like he was studying me, but he dropped his head and shook it. "Edward has always been the more serious of us. You remember how I was in high school?" I nodded because I couldn't forget his exuberance. "Okay, well, I've always been like that. Yes, in my job, I know when to be serious, but Edward always carried that with him and only dropped his guard around certain people. With you, I saw the serious side at lot less than I expected, and when Mikhail took you, that dude never stopped worrying about you. He loves you, and unfortunately, that's gonna affect him in a negative way while you're trying to deal with what happened."
"But I don't blame him for what happened, Em."
"I know, Bell. I don't know if he does though. I know why you and I have been bonding more lately because we can relate, but I think Edward sees it as you pulling away from him. I know it's hard, but you're both hurting right now, and nothing is going to get better unless you talk."
I hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. "Have I ever mentioned that I'm glad you ended up being the friend Edward brought on this case. No matter what happens between you and Rose after this, I still want you in my life, Em."
Emmett gave me his big, dimpled grin and cupped my cheek. "I feel the same way, baby belle." He patted my cheek, and I hopped off the couch to go find Edward. I walked upstairs and into the room we were sharing, and he was just coming out of the bathroom when I appeared in the doorway. His eyes shot to me, and he looked a little wary.
"Hey," I said, hating that this felt awkward.
"Hey, I didn't hear you get up."
"I've been awake for a while. I wasn't sleeping well, so I just got up," I explained.
He came over to me and cupped my cheek. His ran his thumb over what I assumed was the dark purple circles under my eyes. "Baby, you have got to get some sleep."
"I know. I wanted to talk to you though," I said, turning into his hand and kissing his palm. I grabbed his hand and pulled him to sit with me on the bed. "I think this is important." He looked me right in the eyes and nodded. "I know I've been bonding a lot with Emmett, and I don't want you to think that I'm trying to pull away from you. I see how much my struggling is hurting you, Edward, and Emmett went through what I went through, not as extensively, but we can relate on that level. Plus, it may seem crazy, but he's a connection back to my sister. I haven't been without her this long since I moved back to Washington two years ago, and even before that, we talked every few days. It's been two months since this shit all started, and I'm having a hard time with continuing to do this all without her."
"I know. I'm sorry I've been making you worry while I should be the last thing on your mind. I hate to see you in pain, and I just don't know how to deal with all this," he confessed, resting his forehead against mine. The calm that always enveloped me when he was near returned, and I sighed in contentment.
"Just this. All I need is to be around you, and I feel calmer," I whispered, closing my eyes. I felt his lips brush mine, and I melted into him. Though I went through hell while held captive by Mikhail, I could differentiate the difference between him and Edward. Edward was my rock and a pillar of strength and comfort. But the proof of my captivity, the bruises and scars I sustained, made me feel ugly and damaged. Edward and I kissed all the time, but we hadn't been intimate, so when I felt his hand slowly slide the strap of my tank top down, I froze, and he immediately noticed.
"Bella, are you okay?" he asked, stopping to look at me.
I looked into his green eyes, seeing nothing but concern and love. "I'm scared." He went to speak, but I stopped him. "Not of you or doing physical things. I'm scared of what you'll see when I'm naked. He left me damaged, Edward, and I don't want you to see those scars and how ugly I am."
Edward kissed me softly, then kissed the side of my neck. "You're beautiful. Do you know what I see when I see your scars?"
I shook my head. He kissed the burn scar on my collarbone. "I see strength to protect the ones you love." He licked along a particularly nasty scar left by Mikhail on the swell of my breasts that first night he took me away from Katiya. "I see courage to endure whatever it took to survive." He kissed back up my body to my lips. "I see the woman whom I've fallen in love with so hard that, sometimes, it's hard to breathe when I realize that I get to keep you forever. I could never find any part of you ugly."
I grabbed his hair in my fists and pulled his lips to mine. I kissed him with a renewed hunger. "I thought you were dead, Edward. God, so many things I'd wanted to say ran through my head over and over."
"Hey, I'm right here. You're safe, babe."
I pulled him closer to me. With all the crap that had happened the last few days, it wasn't close enough. I brought myself up on my knees and moved onto his lap. Edward moaned and ran his hands up my back to weave into my hair. I ground my hips into his lap. He gripped my hip and ground me down on him. I moaned and closed my eyes. He kissed my collarbones and licked the valley between my breasts. He kneaded my right breast and flicked the nipple with his thumbnail, and it instantly hardened. I moaned. He did the same to the other breast, and I kissed him again.
"Keep those fucking beautiful eyes open. I want you to look at me as I make you feel good," he growled out.
I opened my eyes, and he dipped his hands in my pants, his fingers gliding in between my slick folds. He went straight for my clit, and I moaned. I almost closed my eyes, but I focused and kept them open. He circled my clit, and I leaned in, licked his neck, and nibbled along his jaw. He caught my lips with his—this was a hungry kiss. I caught his bottom lips between my teeth and gently nipped. "Stop teasing me, Edward."
"Fuck," he ground out. I ripped my shirt off and wasted no time getting his shirt off. I flicked both his nipple piercings. He grabbed my wrists like he always did when I did that. He grabbed me by my thighs and pulled me so that I fell onto my back. I squealed in surprise. He wasted no time in covering my body with his, pinning my wrists together above my head. I thrust up into him. I was past craving him now. It had been too long, and I just needed him to devour me.
As he started to pull my pants and underwear down, I helped him by lifting my hips and kicking my pants off my legs. He stood and hurriedly took his pants and boxers off. I propped myself up on my elbows and licked my lips, teasing him a little further. He sat on the bed and gestured for me to come to him. He was fully erect, his cock standing tall and proud. I crawled over to him and straddled his lap. As I sank down onto him, I kissed him deeply. We moaned into each other's mouth.
"So warm and tight. Damn. I gotta move, baby."
I nodded my head, and he thrust up into me. "Shit!" I moaned. My head fell back, and I rolled my hips. Our bodies moved in perfect sync. Edward and I had only been in a "relationship" for less than two months, but I knew his body as well as my own and vice versa. He was the other half of my soul, and with every thrust of his hips, I felt those small fractures in my heart start to stitch together. Edward fisted both hands in my hair, pulling me closer to him. I wound my arms around his back and dropped my head to his shoulder. The fire raging in my blood got hotter, and I knew I was getting close, but I needed just a little bit more. "Fuck, Edward, harder."
He growled, gripped my hair tighter, and thrust harder into me. The sound of our skin slapping together filled the room, and I whimpered.
"Jesus," he whispered in that husky tone filled with pure sex. He started hitting my G-spot, and I got impossibly wetter before I felt my stomach drop, and I cried out in pleasure.
"Oh, my God," I moaned as I rode out my orgasm. Edward thrust several more times, and I felt his cock twitch, filling me with his release. We both fell onto the bed on our backs, completely spent. I pulled myself close to his chest. He put his arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head. I laughed quietly. "Well, that wasn't the way I saw that talk going, but I don't regret it."
He laughed quietly into my hair, his head still resting on mine. "I love you, Bella."
I pulled back so I could look up at him. I grabbed his face with both of my hands. "I love you too, Edward."
We just lay there, basking in the company of each other. I knew eventually we would have to go face our responsibilities, but for now, I was warm, content, and comfortable. Before I could stop myself, I felt myself falling into the abyss.
I woke with a start and immediately started panicking, having a hard time trying to breathe. I felt next to me, but the bed was empty. I sat up and forced myself to focus so I could catch my breath. I heard light knocking on the door. "Come in," I rasped out, my voice hoarse from sleep and panic.
Katiya poked her head in and smiled at me. I smiled back at her and opened my arms to show I expected a hug. Her hair was newly dyed—we'd done it yesterday. She had come out of this situation fairly unscathed. She wanted nothing to do with her dad, and she didn't want her blonde hair to grow back. So, for now, we were honoring her wishes and making sure we redyed her hair. We figured she may outgrow it, or her counselor may be able to help her. We all agreed that Katiya and I probably should have some counseling, but we had to wait until we could come out of hiding, and we couldn't do that until Marcus gave us the go-ahead.
He was busy cleaning house, making sure that the various branches of government were cleared out of shady assholes in the Russians pocket. I was vindicated when they told me that the police chief in Seattle where this all started was found shot execution style in his house. I totally called it and knew he was just a loose end who didn't do the job he was given.
Katiya snuggled into my side after giving me a big hug. She sighed. "Mama, what's going to happen after all this?"
Ever since Edward brought me back from being held captive, Katiya had started calling me Mama and Edward Papa. It was soothing to my soul to hear those words from her in relation to me and Edward. "You mean when we don't have to hide anymore?" I asked. She nodded and I shrugged. "I'm not too sure. I hope we'll go find my parents and sister, and then all head back to Seattle. After that, I'm not sure. Edward and I lived very separate lives before this all started. I know I want to start the process of adopting you."
"Will I be able to stay with you until then."
"I don't know, Katiya. I'll have to ask Marcus, but I really hope you can." She nodded, and we sat there just enjoying each other's company. She started playing with my hair. It was just something she always had done from the beginning. We decided to go join the boys. She followed me downstairs, and Edward was just walking in the front door as we passed. He grabbed my wrist and gave me that adorable smile. He spun me in a circle and kissed me quickly before threading his fingers with mine. Katiya and I laughed. She ran off to talk to Emmett.
"Marcus just called me," he told me, leading me toward the kitchen.
"What did he say?" I asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. I jumped up on the counter.
He stepped in between my legs that were hanging over the edge and put his hands on my thighs. "Sorry, baby. It's going to be a while more. He's having a hard time getting some people to show their hands, and he's trying to get ahold of someone in Russia to see what the situation is there. He did say that he'll try to give us another update tomorrow."
"Katiya asked me what's going to happen when all this is over. I really didn't know what to tell her. I mean, I want to find my parents and sister, and then I imagine we would go back to Seattle. I want to get the adoption process started. I just don't know what's going to happen with you and me," I said. He looked confused and a little hurt. I shook my head and pulled his forehead to mine. "No, I'm not unsure about us, Edward. I love you. We just lived very separate lives before this all started, and I don't know how we're going to mesh our lives together or what you want vs what I want."
"Well then, maybe we should have that conversation," he said, and I nodded. "We both have houses, although mine is shot up. I don't know what state yours is in. We know we can live together but do we want to."
"We've been together less than two months, but it doesn't seem fast, but I don't know if it's just the situation we're in. Is that crazy?"
"It doesn't seem fast to me, but some people just click. I mean, I was working on asking you out before all this happened. Just took you on a really crappy date," he said, chuckling.
I laughed with him and wrapped my arms around him. "Well, it didn't all suck. Even though all this shit has happened, and we've been on a run for our lives, I have a lot of really good memories. Having Katiya with us and sticking together. It felt like …"
"Like we're a family," he finished for me. I nodded, and he kissed me. "We still can be, baby. Just because we're going back to life where our lives aren't constantly in danger, it doesn't mean that all those feelings and memories go away. I mean, I think we've done well so far when you aren't being a stubborn brat." He chuckled as I huffed and hit him playfully. He caught my hands and gave me a sexy grin.
"You're such a showoff," I said, leaning in to kiss him. He hugged me tight and surprised me by lifting me from the counter and placing me on the floor. We walked to the living room to join Emmett and Katiya. We hung out the rest of the night and watched TV together. It was weird because having Emmett here with us was like a piece of the puzzle that finally fit. I knew when we did reunite with my family that he and my sister would probably try to make it work between them, but I meant it when I said that I was so grateful he was the one whom Edward brought on the case. I had always missed Emmett's loud laughter and joyous attitude when he left in high school, and he was the same now. He made Katiya giggle all the time, and she still had a little bit of a crush on him. I think it was more she was in awe of the big guy than anything else.
We all knew this whole chapter of our lives was going to come to a close soon, and while it was a happy thing, it was also a little bittersweet that things were going to change again. I knew that all the people sitting in the room with me right now would be in my new chapter, but there really was no telling what crazy things would be mixed in there too. Even though this had been a scary ride, and I would never want to do it again, I couldn't find myself regretting any of it. Even being held captive by Mikhail. It proved to myself that I was a lot stronger than I gave myself credit for and that Edward would always be there, and that was something I would never trade.
A/N: So, there we are. How are we feeling? Hope it was satisfactory. The next chapter is the last one. I'm still working on and posting my collab. Check us out at CullenGaff. I also have another story I'm working on in the background. Details on that are still shaky but follow me if you haven't so you can hear about it when it happens. I also have a FB group. It's called Cullenlvr83 Fics. If you have a hard time finding it PM me. That's all for today. 'Til later lovelies!
