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Chapter 6
BPOV
I'm tired. I'm not even taking a full course load, but between school, the internship, and Steve … I'm just tired.
I'm not saying that any of those things are a burden to me, but it's nice knowing that right now I can just go to my room and do nothing. I have no homework, and since it's a Friday with no plans with Steve, I get a night off.
"Miss Swan, your uncle would like to speak with you at your earliest convenience."
I haven't even been in the elevator to the living quarters in the tower for 10 seconds when JARVIS pipes up.
I sigh, "Jarvis, please tell Mr. Stark that my earliest convenience is sometime tomorrow."
"I sense the sarcastic nature of your response and have directed it to Mr. Stark."
"Awesome," I mutter as I step off the elevator and head down the hallway to my room.
After keying in my code and throwing my backpack on the floor, I head to the small kitchenette to find a snack.
Steve and I have the key codes for each other's rooms. Generally speaking, we don't enter without permission, but occasionally, we'll sneak in and leave notes.
One time, I left brownies for him on his counter.
One time, I found him asleep on my couch after reading one of my books. I run my hand over the buttery leather of the cushion.
The day had been one nightmare after another, but seeing Steve stretched out on my couch with "Rebecca" open flat on his chest. I whipped out my phone and snapped a picture; I wanted to save this image forever.
I toed off my shoes, set the book on the coffee table, and snuggled in next to him. There was just enough room for me, and when I pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, his eyes fluttered opened, he gave me a drowsy smile, and shifted to wrap his arms around me.
"Hey, how was school?" he stretched just a little as I burrowed farther into the sofa and his warmth.
"I've had better." I ran my hands up and down his chest. "How was the book?"
Steve's hands are tracing soft lines along my back as I begin to press kisses to his neck. "It was sad and haunting." I hear the sharp gasp as I press my body to his and continue to kiss and lick at his neck and along his jaw toward his ear. "The housekeeper is creepy."
"Mhmm, I told you." My voice is just a whisper in his ear, and his large hand slides from my back to knead at my breast. I hum in delight, and suddenly, Steve has shifted us so I'm on my back, and he's hovering over me. His elbows are on either side of my head, and he's on his knees between my splayed legs.
His face is flushed as he dips down to capture my lips; lips that are already stung from the five o'clock shadow on his face and ready for more. Instinctively, our hips meet in the middle, and I can feel how hard he is.
In that moment, I know I'm not ready. I thought I was a long time ago. I thought maybe I would be again soon, but it's not today. When I pull away abruptly from his kiss, he searches my eyes for an answer.
"Not yet." He says it so kindly, firmly.
"I want to feel something, Steve." I'm not above begging because I feel a little desperate right now. It's building inside of me, and I need the release, so does he. "I'm not ready for … everything."
"We can give each other something." He dips back and sweeps his tongue over my lips and bucks into my center—hard and hot.
He pulls one of his arms down and around my back and wraps it around my waist to pull my hips forward to meet his every thrust. His mouth finds my neck and buries itself there, chanting my name in between licks and soft kisses.
My arms are locked around his shoulders, as much to keep him as close as possible as they are to keep me grounded to him.
I can hear the sofa feet slipping against the hardwood floor and Steve reverently whispering my name. I can feel his length pressing up against me again and again in just the perfect spot that, when the explosion hits, it's like a nuclear bomb.
Steve's panting and thrusting against my center as I come down. Just as I latch onto his ass, I feel him stiffen, and he lets out a grunt into my neck. His body goes slack against mine, and the weight feels glorious and not at all too much to bear. He pulls himself back up on his elbows and gazes down at me.
"How's your day now?"
I smile at the memory and glance into my kitchen. There's a new note on my fridge.
Tony desperately wants to talk to you about something. It's all he's talked about today. It took everything for Pepper and me to convince him to not collect you from school. Just FYI. See you tomorrow, Steve.
P.S. Thor's involved. I have more questions.
I roll my eyes and sigh. This is the last thing I wanted to deal with right now.
Steve has been so great about me not telling him my secret. He knows it's not even my secret, but he also knows that I believe I'm protecting more people by not telling him. But when Thor asked me about shapeshifters … he couldn't help himself.
After I told Thor everything I knew about the Quileute tribe, which was admittedly not much, Steve wanted to know if that was my secret.
When it wasn't, he cooled down for a while, but every so often, he would ask again.
I understood; I really did. It didn't make it any less annoying.
The ringing of my in-house phone pulls me back to the situation at hand.
"Hey, little miss! Are you ignoring me?" Tony's voice rings out, and I move to pull up his image on the holo-screen and move into frame.
"I'm sorry. You have reached the life model decoy of Isabella Swan, please leave a message."
"Look, it doesn't work when I do it, and it's not working for you." He smiles. "It's cute though."
"What do you want? I'm tired."
"I ordered Chinese—all your favorites. I'm working on a project for you. Goldilocks is helping, but I need some input from you too."
"Did you order Thor his own? Because I'm not sharing, and I want to bring all the leftovers back up here."
"Yeah, sure thing."
"I'll be right down."
When I get down to Tony's lab, the only place he spends any time in, I see cartons of takeout all over one table and Thor gesturing wildly while Tony welds something.
I step into the room, and Thor greets me with a wide grin.
"It's about time! You need to tell Stark everything you know about the 'cold ones'."
I stop in my tracks and stare at Tony's back.
"Uncle Tony, may I have a word please?" I ask through clenched teeth.
"I think not." He turns off the welding torch and pivots to look at me. "I didn't say a word, he did." He cocks a thumb toward the god, and I'm staring in disbelief.
I suddenly don't understand anything that's going on and have no idea why I'm down here.
"I don't understand," I tell them as I hop up on one of the workbenches and look between both of them.
"Here." Thor hands me a box with egg rolls in it. "I know you favor these."
"I came to Stark as a precaution. I know of the 'cold ones' from my own father, Odin. He would tell me and my brother stories of Earth's own immortals."
"Vampires." My voice is barely audible, but Thor nods and looks to Tony.
"There is one group that believe themselves to be gods among humans." I gasp. "They are not. They are tyrants."
"I don't understand. So, Asgardians know about vampires?" I ask as I set the egg rolls aside. "You two are talking about them, and you want my input? Why?"
Tony turns to look at me. "We're trying to figure out how to protect you."
"Why do you need to protect me?" I can feel the panic bubble inside me. Edward left me. He didn't want me. I was just a distraction.
"He's never coming back for me. I'm nothing to him." I can barely breathe, and I clutch my stomach. I dry heave a little, and I'm honestly more annoyed at my reaction. As I try to hop off the bench, Thor comes and helps me down, and I start pacing on wobbly legs
"Isabella, he could come for you at any time. If this governing body of vampires finds out that you know about them, they could come after you." Thor is staring at me, concern written all over his face, but Tony … he isn't even looking at me.
"What is it?" I ask as I move to him. "Tell me."
"I've lost them." His voice is a hoarse whisper as he pulls up a screen and starts flipping through files. Driver's license photos, school records—all forged by some professional but still available.
"I was tracking them, but after they left Denali, we lost the trail." Tony looks over at me. "I promised Charlie I'd look after you. I need you to tell me everything you know about them."
"Like what? What are you building?" I swipe the screen away and look down at the suit he's modifying.
"It's for you. This is why I need to know everything you can tell me. I need to know how strong to make it." His eyes are pleading with me.
"You can't protect me from them." I back away from them both. "I'll write everything down and give it to you, but you don't understand."
"Isabella, what are you not saying?" Thor voice is booming even in the large lab.
I'm at the door, and I just want to go to my room. I want to cry and scream. I want to be myself.
I want Steve.
"They're stronger than any of you. If a vampire wants me, you won't be able to stop them."
I turn to open the door and look back at both of them.
"Or save me."
SPOV
"Captain, you wanted me to alert you when Miss Swan was entering her quarters."
"Thank you, Jarvis." So, the elusive Bella had finally left the comfort of her office and was home for the weekend. Now was the time to set things in motion.
I grabbed everything I had left by my door and head down the hall to hers. When I knock on the door, I can actually hear her sigh from the other side.
"Bella? Open the door. I just want to talk to you," I call out, hoping that she'll give in without a fight. She's been avoiding me for the better part of the past week. Unless it had to do with work, she hasn't spoken to me or seen me.
There's silence from the other side of the door, save for the padding of what I assume is her feet across the hardwood. I can picture her pacing.
"I gave you space because you obviously wanted it." I'm leaning against the doorjamb now. "You ignored my calls and texts. You changed the key code to your door, which by the way, I wouldn't have used. It's time to open up and talk to me."
I hear the click of the lock and the door creaks open. Standing before me isn't my beautiful girl but a hollow shell. Bella looks worn and beaten down. She beckons me in, and when I step inside, I'm appalled by the state of her place—the sink is piled with dirty dishes, takeout containers litter the counters and table, and there are just piles of clothes all over the place.
"Bella—"
"Are those for me?" She's pointing to the bouquet of wildflowers I'm holding, and when I nod dumbly, she takes them and moves about in the kitchen, finding something to put them in.
"Give me about 20 minutes, and I'll have this place cleaned up." Bella sighs as she looks at the flowers nestled in a clear vase as she sets them on her coffee table.
"I'll give you a hand," I say as I roll up my sleeves and grab her trashcan.
Between the two of us, we get her place back to rights in half an hour, working in complete silence. When we're done and I'm coming back from dropping the three bags of trash in the chute, I find her changing the key code again.
"I'm putting it back. I'm sorry I changed it in the first place." The tears are welling in her eyes, and I'm suddenly at a loss.
My objective had been so clear: come over here and get some answers out of her. Why had she been avoiding me? What had she spoken to Thor and Tony about last week? Were the two things connected?
"Sweetheart," I murmur as I reach for her, and the dam breaks, and I can feel her tears soaking the front of my shirt. "Shh, everything is going to be all right." I guide her to the couch and pull her down onto my lap and stroke her hair.
Bella brings her arms up around my neck and breathes deeply. "I'm sorry."
I pull away from her slightly to look into her eyes, "You don't have to apologize. Does this have to do with the conversation you had with Tony and Thor?"
She nods as she slips from my lap and settles in next to me on the couch.
"What happened?" I turn my body to face her and drape my arm over the back of the couch. I'm open to her, in more ways than one, but her knees are drawn up to her chest and her arms are locked around them. She's closed off, and I don't know how much I'll get out of her.
"I just didn't know how to handle all the information that was presented to me, and I shut down." She shrugs and gives me a weak smile. "It's not a good excuse, but it's all I've got."
"But, you didn't just avoid me; you haven't spoken to anyone else, and I know you skipped classes this week." I place a hand on her knees. "What is going on? What did Tony talk to you about?"
"Steve, please don't—"
"It always comes back to this secret, doesn't it?" I shove myself off the couch and try with all my might to stay calm, but I know it's useless. "I get that there are things you can't tell me. I don't like it, but it's there, so I have to deal with it. Bella, I think relationships are about being open and honest with each other. Is that ever going to happen with us?"
"I can't tell you. It's not because I don't want to, Steve. I made a promise, and keeping my word is important to me. It doesn't matter if Edward broke my heart and the Cullens betrayed me. I made a promise to them."
I stop and stare at her. "So this is about your ex. What is it? Is he looking for you? Did he threaten you?"
"Uncle Tony has been tracking him and his family since I left Washington, but he lost track of them." Her voice is so quiet that I have to take a seat next to her again to hear her clearly. "He's building me a rescue suit just in case."
"A rescue suit? Why would you need that?"
Bella sighs, and I can see again how tired she is. "I told you that his family is different, unique. It's just a precaution."
I'm somewhat stunned into silence when something occurs to me. "Thor was there. When you had this little talk with Tony, Thor was there." I can feel the agitation setting in again. "What does he have to do with this?"
I watch as her throat moves, and I can hear the audible swallow.
"He knows."
There's a ringing in my ears, and it sounds like a bomb just went off. I'm leaning over my knees trying to catch my breath.
"Thor knows." I'm not asking her to clarify anything.
"I didn't tell him, Steve. Neither did Uncle Tony." She reaches out a trembling hand to my shoulder, and I shrug her off.
"So how does he know?" My gaze is steely, and I see her recoil slightly from me.
"His father told him stories of people who were like Edward and his family when Thor was just a young boy—just bedtime stories." She's quiet again, and the tears have stopped, but her wide eyes are fearful. I don't know if the fear stems from me and my behavior or these bedtime stories that I know nothing about.
"Thor is over a thousand years old, and his father, Odin, told him stories about your ex?"
"Not him exactly, but those like him." Her resolve is so strong, and there's a part of me that celebrates her for it.
"What is he? The boogeyman?" I desperately want to make light of this situation and pulls us out of this.
"Yes. They're the thing of nightmares. They're going to come for me, Steve. One day, when we least expect it." She stands up and brushes past me. "I have to protect you because I love you. Not telling you the truth isn't a choice I make easily."
"I don't need protection." I'm yelling now as I jump up from the couch again, and she and I have put some space between us. She hovering near the front door, and for once in this conversation, she looks like the strong independent woman that I— "I love you too. Bella, I want us to be partners in everything, but that means you have to tell me everything."
"I don't have a choice, Steve. You have to accept what it is."
"I just have to accept that whatever or whoever he is, he can hurt you and all of us so badly? He can take you away from me? But you won't tell me what he is so I can protect you? I don't accept that. I can't accept that." I stride the few feet across the room to the door and where she's standing. My hand cups her cheek gently.
"You know where to find me when you want to tell me how to help you." I press a kiss to her forehead and walk out the door.