Thanks to Fyrebyrd, Gabby1017, 2brown-eyes, and TheMetroDad for pre-reading the revised chapter, and to my beta, SunflowerFran for looking over my changes. I fiddled a bit, so please remember, all mistakes are mine.
A thank you to Ninkita for looking over the original contest entry. Also a thank you to Life and Death's Lullabies and TheMetroDad for pre-reading the original.
Edward
Walking down the hallway toward the bedroom, our arms are wrapped around each other tightly. The revelations of today have left me feeling unsettled, in need of reassurance. Once we're safely in the privacy of our darkened room, I pick her up, her legs wrapped around my waist, and carry her to our bed.
She's smiling, biting her lip, waiting to see what I'll do as I lay her down, crawling on top of her. I reach up to release the plump flesh from between her teeth with my thumb.
"What did I tell you about that? I'm the only one allowed to bite that lip." My hand finds the back of her neck, and I pull her up toward me, our mouths meeting. It's slow, but deep; our tongues dancing, fighting for dominance. Feeling her hands in my hair, I pull back, just enough to softly nip her bottom lip. Staring into her eyes, I see love and trust, and my future.
As my lips find her neck, my other hand trails down her side, looking for a way to her skin. She had changed out of her work clothes earlier and into a long, cotton dress, so it's an easy task. Finding the bottom, my hand glides up her leg to her ass, searching for something that isn't there.
"You naughty little thing. Do you always walk around without your knickers?"
"Only when I know you need me as much as I need you." Her hands have found my belt buckle, and she makes quick work of my jeans as I rip my shirt over my head. A moment later, her dress and bra have found their way to the floor as well.
In a move that surprises me, she pushes on my shoulder until I'm lying on my back and she's straddling me.
"I don't think so." Sitting up, I grab hold of her, holding her tightly to me. She's moving, grinding her wet heat against me. "Damn, baby. I need you," I growl into her neck.
Lifting herself up, she grabs hold of me, and slowly sinks down. I groan into the space where her neck meets her shoulder as she cries out, her head thrown back. My arms wrap around her, holding her tightly as she begins to rock against me. It's a slow, almost tortuous pace.
The sounds of our heavy breathing fill the room, as she begins to rock harder.
"Lay back," she asks, breathlessly. She gently pushes on my shoulder, urging me back down. When I do, my hands go to her hips, pulling her tight against me, thrusting up into her, slowly, deeply. Her hands have moved to her breasts, her fingers gently tugging on her nipples. Licking my thumb, I brush her hand aside and circle one of her hardened peaks. She moans out in response.
"That feel good, baby?"
"So good." Her head is thrown back again, her eyes closed.
Taking advantage of our position, my other hand slides down, my thumb circling her clit while the rest of my hand spans the tiny bump of her abdomen. When our eyes meet, I can see she's close. The last few weeks, she's been incredibly responsive.
"That's it. Feel it." Her eyes close once again, lost in the sensations coursing through her. I can feel her walls begin to clamp down on me, her hands are woven tightly into her hair.
"Oooh God. Ungh!" Her eyes are screwed shut, her mouth open, quiet screams coming from her. Seeing her like this, so beautiful, in the throes of passion, I can feel myself getting closer. When I know she's coming down, I grab her around her waist and flip us over, never leaving her warmth. She's like putty in my hands. Rising to my knees, still deep inside her, I grab her legs to wrap them around me, lifting her hips from the bed. She finally opens her eyes, and we lock gazes. No words are spoken as I continue to move. I let the sensations take over, so it doesn't take long for my orgasm to shoot through me. My thrusts falter, then still, as I release inside her, coming with a roar. It's as if I can feel the stress of the day leave my body.
Feeling like I've used all my energy, I collapse next to her, pulling her pliant body closer to mine. Her breathing is heavy and hot on my already overheated skin. As my hand traces a path up and down her back, we both catch our breath. Even with everything that's happened today, I'm once again calm, centered, lying here with her in my arms.
"Did things go okay after I left?" Her soft voice breaks the silence.
"Yeah, things are in order."
"Do you know who..." I reach down, my finger gently pressing against her lips.
"Shh. I do, and it will be taken care of. That's all you need to know." She nods in acquiescence as I kiss her forehead. "What about you? Were you sick this morning?"
"Yeah, first thing. And, uh, Kaitlin saw me. She was really freaked out."
"What did you tell her?"
"That I ate something bad. I know we talked about waiting to tell her, but I'm not sure how long I can keep it a secret. She's nine Edward, and she's not stupid. She'll figure it out soon."
"I know. Let's just wait a little while longer. I mean, you're barely showing. I'm the only one that can see it." My hand drifts down, ghosting over the barely-there bump once again. I feel her place a kiss to my chest, over my tattoo—her tattoo—and I kiss the top of her head.
Knowing it's probably going to lead to an argument, I still can't stop myself from asking the one question she hates answering. "How much longer are you going to work?"
I feel her take in a deep breath. Whether it's to gear up to argue or to calm herself, I'm not sure. There's a long silence before she speaks.
"You know, when I planned on joining the force, I was still grieving my father. I wanted some kind of retribution, revenge. I wanted to find the men responsible for his death, and I couldn't see anything else. All I could see was the chance to get answers." Her finger absentmindedly traces along the ink on my chest.
"It was so important to me to find justice for him. But at some point along the way, asI got closer to you,my priorities shifted. It became more important to help you than to seek revenge against the Voltolini family. I know my father would want me to be happy, and my happiness is with you, not spending my life bringing them down."
Running my hand up and down her back, I try to calm her. Her breathing has picked up, like it always does when she talks about her father.
She looks up at me with her dark chocolate eyes. "Besides, in the five years I've been there, I haven't found any new information on them. At this rate, I don't think I'll ever succeed. Things have changed now anyway. We're about to have another baby, and I'm so in love with you. I won't risk our family for some old vendetta. I'm tired, so tired. I was focused on them for so long, for almost ten years. It's time to let go. I want to go out in public as a family. I want you to finally be able to adopt Kaitlin. I'm ready to walk away from it now. I want to focus on us, on our family."
"Does that mean you'll finally plan a wedding and marry my sorry ass?" I ask with as much humor in my voice as I can manage. But the look on her face makes me realize how serious her answer is going to be.
"I'm sorry I've been reluctant to make any plans. I think I just needed to make peace with my decision first. I'm ready to put it behind me." She kisses me lightly. "But yes, I'm ready to be your wife. I'm ready to be Mrs. Cullen."
Grabbing her face, we're a tangle of lips, tongue, and bodies. The next hour is spent celebrating in the best way, wrapped up in each other. We finally drift off to sleep, but the beeping of the alarm wakes us just a few hours later. I hit the snooze a few times, and when I finally wake, the space next to me is cold.
Looking across the room, I see her putting her shoes on, ready to face the enemy.
"Sorry baby, I need to be there in thirty minutes."
Looking over at the clock, I see it's eleven thirty.
"Yeah, I need to meet up with Emmett in a bit too. Carmen still here?"
"She is." Walking over, she leans down and gives me a kiss. "See you tonight?" she asks.
"No, not tonight. I've got…business to take care of."
A look of understanding crosses her face. I know she wants to ask more, but I also know she won't.
"All right. Tomorrow, then?"
"Absolutely."
"I love you, Edward."
"Love you too. Be safe out there." My hand reaches out to brush against her bump, and worry floods through me.
"I will." Another kiss and she's out the door.
After a quick shower, and slipping into my clothes, I peek into Kaitlin's room. She's sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of the world around her. Leaning down, I give her a gentle kiss to her forehead, inhaling her sweet scent once more, knowing I'm going to need that calm for what I have to do.
Walking into the pub, I see it's just Emmett there. Peter is nowhere to be found, and the lights are low. Seeing me arrive, he raises his coffee cup to me in greeting.
"I was wondering when you'd show. So, what's so important that we needed to meet before I headed over there?"
I settle onto a barstool. "Bella had some news for me today."
"Shit. What now?"
"Seems we've got a leak."
"Son of a bitch." He stomps behind the bar, abandoning his coffee, pouring himself something stronger. After swallowing it down, he turns back to me. "I assume you've got an idea of who it is?"
"More than an idea, Em. I know." I grab his coffee and finish it off for him. I'll need the caffeine if I'm going to stay up all night.
"Well? Who is it?"
"It's Jasper. He's been meeting with Caius." The silence is broken by the sound of shattering glass.
"After all the chances we've given him..." He's still behind the bar, his hands balled into fists, ferocity on his face.
"Yeah, I know. He's made his choice, Em. He had to know there would be consequences."
"But, you're sure? Eddie, we can't do anything unless we're absolutely sure."
"Yeah, I'm sure. I had Jimmy follow him this afternoon, and he went straight to Caius. I didn't have to give the order, but Jimmy followed through. Apparently, with all his tech garbage, we've got taps on a few of their lines. A few calls were made; the last was to a number at the station." I pause, looking directly into my brother's eyes. "For whatever reason, he sold us out, Em."
After a few minutes of silence pass, Emmett takes a deep breath and speaks.
"All right, just tell me what we're gonna do."
Watching from our elevated position, I can see half the Boston PD, as well as FBI and ATF scurrying around trying to figure out what the hell happened. Using night vision goggles, I search the crowd for Bella. She's standing with others in her unit, being berated by her supervisor, Banner. They've got to think that their tip was bad, or they've been crossed. Funny thing about having a mild-mannered, five-foot-two brunette, whose father was murdered by the Italian mafia: they'd never suspect her as my mole.
"You see Jasper anywhere?" Emmett's question brings me out of my thoughts.
"Nah. He'd be crazy to show up, even if it was just to watch it go down. He knew they'd be here; he's the fucker that tipped them off. He's not gonna risk his own neck just to be fuckin' nosy."
"Yeah, guess not."
"Tell ya what, let's go down and meet up with Liam and get things square with the shipment, then I'm gonna go pay our big brother a visit."
Packing up the few things we brought, I can sense Emmett staring at me.
"What?" Looking over at him, I see the conflicting emotions on his face.
"He's a dead man walking, ain't he?"
"Em, he's betrayed us. After everything else... Every fucking thing... No, he's left me no choice. Even Da won't be able to deny me this time." I don't need to say anymore. Emmett knows family comes first, and Jasper has chosen to turn on us. Him stabbing us in the back where our business is concerned only gives me a reason to do what I've wanted to for the last ten years.
Our time at the second drop point is short. Liam was able to transfer the shipment to a smaller vessel, so we're waiting at a small, private dock. We inspect the crates as they're unloaded off the small yacht, and everything is in order. Money is exchanged, and the deal is sealed with a handshake. Liam takes over the transfer of the actual crates, moving them into several waiting trucks to be driven to yet another location before they reach their final destination.
Driving back, the air is thick with tension. We both know what's about to happen, neither of us looking forward to it. Emmett reaches over to turn down the stereo, silence settling over us.
"Do you want me there?"
I focus on the road ahead of me, not sure what I want to happen.
"Just say the word, and I'm there," he says. I only nod, not looking in his direction.
Driving up to Jasper's house and stepping out onto the sidewalk, I can see lights on. It isn't the lights being on at this hour that's strange. No, what is strange is I can hear his drunk of a wife screaming at him. She's usually passed out at this hour.
Emmett gives me a wary look, and we head up the walk. Knocking doesn't seem to get their attention, but neither does the doorbell. Emmett resorts to pounding on the door while I ring the bell constantly.
"Yeah, yeah. Hold on. Who the fuck comes to my door at five in the mor..." As the door swings open and our eyes meet, and Jasper realizes this isn't a friendly social call. I can see behind him, at the foot of the stairs, several packed bags. Looks like big brother was planning a last minute trip.
Looking over his shoulder, he yells out to his wife. "Um, Alice? I'm gonna head out. I'll be back in a bit."
"You son of a bitch, we're not done here!" I can hear her angry screaming from down the hallway, followed by something glass, a plate maybe, hitting the wall. "You think you're leaving me, you've got another thing coming!" Her words are drowned out as Jasper closes the door behind him.
"Sorry about that. Crazy bitch hit the roof when I told her I had to go out of town. Pretty sure she knows I'm headed to see Maria, but what can she do? She's stuck with me." The asshole has the nerve to laugh. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing the two of you at this hour?"
Opening the door to the car, he slides into the back.
"Just thought we could go down to the pub, discuss business." My voice is calm, nonchalant. On the inside, I'm anything but. I get into the driver's seat as Emmett buckles into the passenger side.
"Little early for a drink, isn't it little brother?"
I look into the rearview mirror, meeting his bright blue eyes.
"Eh, it's five o'clock somewhere, right Eddie?" Emmett slaps my chest with a laugh, forced as it is.
"Yeah. Besides, it's not early if you haven't been to bed yet." We all chuckle as I pull away from the curb and head toward the pub. All of us are lost in our own thoughts, so the drive is quiet, and thankfully short. This time of day the streets are mostly empty.
Once inside, I flip on a few lights and walk behind the bar. Emmett and Jasper head for our regular booth and have a seat. Shrugging off my jacket, I grab a bottle of Jameson and three glasses then head for the table. Instead of sliding into the booth next to one of them, I set the bottle on the table and grab a chair, spinning it around at the end of the table, straddling it and taking a seat. Pouring our drinks, I glance at both my brothers.
"So, I say we drink to a successful night, yeah? We're gonna make a mint off that shipment." Grabbing my glass, I knock it back, allowing the burn to help me focus. I don't miss the expression on Jasper's face. He looks worried, but quickly covers it up before downing his own drink. Looking over, I see Emmett didn't miss it either. "So, how did that go? Any problems with Liam?"
"Yeah, about that. Would you believe the fucker never showed? Waited two hours for him." He grabs the bottle, quickly pouring another generous glass for himself, which he tips back slowly.
"Really? Well, I'll have to give Liam a call. Maybe there was a problem. I haven't spoken to him in a couple of days. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for it."
Watching him pour his third glass in almost as many minutes, I know it's just a matter of time before he starts talking. His dilated pupils tell me there's already something in his system.
"So, you're off to see Maria for a few days?" Emmett is pacing himself with his glass as well, knowing we need to be sharp today.
"Yeah, I just couldn't take another minute of Alice's yakking. I swear she's driving me outta me goddamn mind." When I start to hear a hint of an accent come through, the one picked up over summer visits with extended family during our childhood, I know it won't be long. I just need to steer the conversation where I want it to go.
"So, how long will you be gone?"
"Eh, not sure. Once I get started with Maria, who knows when I'll come back up for air! Not much that cow of a wife I've got could do to get me to come home. Speakin' of cows, how's that used up skank and her brat doin'? You still paying her bills after all these years?"
I breathe deep, holding back the anger welling inside me, knowing this will end on my terms. "Do you mean, am I taking care of the woman you drugged to get into bed when she was just a sixteen-year-old girl? The one you left pregnant and alone? Yes, I'm taking care of what you wouldn't. Kaitlin didn't ask to be born, Jasper. And Bella didn't deserve-"
"Don't say her name! Don't say either of their names! That whole feckin' mess cost me in more ways than one. My wife still brings it up all these years later. Don't say her name in front of me."
I raise my hands. "All right, all right, forget I mentioned it." This is why our relationship has been kept from Jasper. If he'd ever found out that Bella and I were together, let's just say things wouldn't have been pretty. He thinks I just take care of them financially, as part of the family. He doesn't even know she's been working in the Boston PD for the last five years, four of those in the Organized Crime Division, heading off trouble for us. As far as he knows, she sits back and collects a check from me every month.
"Just don't forget what you did to her, Jasper. You were the twenty-six-year-old married man in that situation, taking advantage of a little girl who had just lost her father. Her being under our roof didn't give you a free pass to manipulate her into sleeping with you. She was under Ma and Da's protection, and you exploited that. You're the one who forced that baby on her and left her with no options."
"Eh, she coulda gotten rid of it. No one told her she had to keep it."
"She was sixteen years old, for feck's sake! Only seventeen when she had her!"
"So, what, she had to stick around and shove it in my face for the last, what, nine years? No, she's made my life hell. Every time Alice hears anything about them, my life is hell for weeks." He downs another glass, and his hand is shaking when the tumbler hits the table. "No, she shoulda gotten rid of it, or maybe I shoulda just smothered her in her sleep. Would've solved both my problems." His chuckle causes me to grip my own glass so hard, I'm afraid it'll shatter in my hand.
Emmett's stare is directed at me, willing me to calm down. He's got his own special bond with my girls. He's been there from the beginning, watched Bella and me get closer over the years. So he knows it's taking all my self-control to sit here and listen to my brother wish them dead. Remembering that this is the last chance I'll have to settle things with Jasper, I decide there's no time like the present to crack open Pandora's Box.
"But Jasper, if you had done that, I'd have never gotten the chance to get to know them as well as I have." I can see Emmett smiling around the rim of his glass as he takes a drink.
"What is there to know? She's a whore who spread her legs open for the first buck to come along."
My fingers twitch to go for the gun at my back, but I know I need to get more information out of him.
"How was I supposed to know she wasn't up for a ride? Most girls that age have been around a few times, hell, most of them are on the pill or some shit. Didn't even have the good sense not to get knocked up. Besides, the way I remember it, she was pretty agreeable once she loosened up." Digging through his pockets, he pulls out his pack of cigarettes and lights one up. Blowing the smoke out through his nose, he grins. "But don't tell me you aren't gettin' a free ride from her whenever you need it." His slurring words tell me he's nearly bolloxed.
Contradicting the rage I feel inside, my words are calm and collected. "Now, Jasper, that's my fiancée you're runnin' your mouth about." He chokes on his next drag, coughing.
"Fiancée? What the feck do you mean, fiancée? That brasser's not fit to be yer wife! She's nothing but a whore!"
"Watch it! She's gonna be my wife in just a few months. You'll speak about her respectfully."
"Like hell I will. I don't have to sit here and listen to this, be reminded of the fucked up mistake I made." He grabs his glass, throws it back once more, and goes to stand. When he does, he sways and stumbles, grasping onto the table for support.
"Emmett, looks like we need to give big brother a hand."
"Like hell you do." He tries to pull away, falling over and hitting his head on the table in the process. The head injury combined with the alcohol flowing through his system knocks him out.
We flank him on either side, lifting him to his feet.
"Come on big boy. We're gonna go for a little drive." With that, Emmett throws an unconscious Jasper over his shoulder, and we head for the car. We're parked in the back, so people seeing us in the early morning light isn't an issue.
We manage to shove him into the trunk that's already been lined with a tarp. Gotta be prepared, I always say.
A/N: Well... how are we feeling? For those of you that have read the original one shot, you know what Jasper's fate will be. For those of you that have not... buckle up. Next chapter will be a doozy!
I must apologize, once again, for my lack of review replies last chapter. With the crazy weather we've had here in the US Midwest, my boys were home most of last week. As I post this, I'm about to send my youngest out the door for the day. Once he's gone it will be the first day I've had to myself in twenty five days! So I'm hoping to get a lot accomplished and actually have time to reply this week.
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