Hi Again!
Thank you for all the reviews and the wonderful response to the last chapter. I think you guys are going to like this one, so we'll get right to it.
Thanks to SueBee0619 for betaing, and putting up with my last minute changes/additions. ;) And thanks also to StellaBlueBella for the superb feedback!
Dislcaimer: All fictional characters, government agencies, and brands still belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.
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From Chapter 4—
"What did you have in mind for step two?"
~(~)~
Chapter 5:
.
Edward sits down across from me and opens the paper with one hand. With the other he slides a jar of blackberry preserves towards me.
I wonder how he knows that it's my favorite.
He still hasn't answered my question, but not long after I start eating my toast, he clears his throat and smiles at me.
"So, it's Friday. What about a movie?"
"A movie?"
He nods, a pensive look on his face. "Yeah, we could use a distraction. It's zero-pressure fun, you know?"
"Okay. Yeah, I guess so."
He smiles again and I feel my traitor cheeks heat up. "I need to run by the school first. Since class was cancelled unexpectedly, I have to pick up some work that I'll need to finish over the weekend, but after that we could go," he says.
"Are you even allowed to take one of your students to the movies?" I ask, regretting the question as soon as I've voiced it.
He's quiet a moment, and I hear him fold the paper.
"Honestly, Bella, I'm already acting in a more familial capacity this weekend anyway. All of the faculty at the school and half the town know that I'm staying with you. It's all on the up and up." He shrugs, seeming very matter of fact about the whole thing.
"Are you sure? I wouldn't want you to get in trouble over me. For anything."
He sighs. "If it weren't such a small town you wouldn't even be my student, but things being the way they are in Forks, this is just something a lot of the faculty and staff have to deal. Unless, of course, you prefer not to be seen with me? Now that I would understand. I mean,who wants to be seen with their dorky math teacher?"
He's joking I can tell, but I can't help the protest that leaves my lips.
"Dorky!"
He chuckles. "Yes, dorky."
I smile. "You're anything but dorky. Unless you keep using the word 'dorky', then I may have to reconsider."
He laughs more fully and I join him.
"So a movie then?"
I lift my eyes to meet his gaze. "Yeah, that would be okay."
"Good. Here are the show-times."
He passes me the paper and I look at it while we finish breakfast. Afterwards, he goes upstairs to get cleaned up so he can drive over to the high school and get what he needs for the next couple days. He asks me if I want to ride with him, and I can't think of a reason not to, so I do. As soon as he finishes up at the school, we leave for Port Angeles.
We stop for lunch at a little diner on the way out of town. The moment we walk in, I can't help but think it's the kind of place my dad would have loved; they even have his favorite kind of cobbler on the menu. Things like that make me contemplative, so I'm quiet for most of lunch and during the rest of the drive.
"You seem thoughtful," Edward comments in between songs on the radio.
I nod. "Mm-hmm."
"May I ask what about?"
"My dad," I admit.
Edward nods. "Was that what your nightmare was about last night?"
I sigh. "I don't entirely remember. Why?"
"No reason. I was just curious."
"Why? Did I say anything? You know... in my sleep?" I ask, suddenly afraid of what may have slipped out of my mouth.
"You didn't say much when you were crying, Bella. What did come out after was mostly incoherent."
"Mostly?" I say, my voice cracking over the word.
"Don't worry, you didn't reveal the top-secret location of Area 51 or anything. I think you may have mentioned your father and mother. Other than that I didn't understand it. Except for something about swans."
I feel myself pale a little. "Swans?"
"That's what it sounded like."
I say nothing else, thinking that if I try to offer some overly detailed explanation then he will know I'm lying, or trying to hide something. Fortunately, Edward lets me just have some time with my thoughts. I appreciate that he isn't forcing the conversation, though I wonder why. Doesn't it seem odd that I would have been having a nightmare about a swan? Maybe not since most people know that dreams make little sense.
I try to remember what my nightmare last night was about. I think it was the one where it's the day of my parents' murder and I know it's going to happen, so I'm running frantically, trying every method I can think of to warn them. To stop it. But I never can. I usually wake up in a cold sweat with the image of their lifeless bodies freshly emblazoned in my mind's eye.
That wasn't how I woke up this morning however, and I wonder why last night was different. I wonder if it was something Edward did once he got the door open that changed the pattern. Which makes me wonder what exactly he did do once he saw I wasn't in trouble, but was just having a bad dream.
"Can I ask you a question?" I ask, turning towards him.
He glances at me out the corner of his eye. "Sure."
"What did you do when you got the door open?"
"You mean last night?" he asks.
"Yeah."
"I don't know... stopped having a heart attack?" He grins at me. "Really, I just double checked the room and made sure there were no monsters under your bed or in the closet or anything."
I smile. "How'd that turn out?"
"Monster free."
"Did you try to wake me up?" I ask.
He's quiet a moment, his fingers tightening and relaxing around the steering wheel. "Yes."
"And?"
"You don't remember?" he asks quietly.
I shake my head and then remember he's driving and not looking at me. "No," I answer.
He nods. "I thought you'd woken up. You stopped crying and..." He pauses and swallows, "You said my name. You seemed fine after that, but I left the door open just in case."
I let his confession wash over me. I'd either woken from my dream and seen him, but not enough to remember now, or, what seems more likely (considering how often he's appeared in my dreams of late), I started dreaming about Edward as soon as he stirred me from my nightmare. If that was the case, heaven knows what else he could have heard me say.
I close my eyes in embarrassment and cover my face before he can see how red I am. I'm struggling to think of what I can possibly say to him that won't embarrass me further when my cell phone rings and I breathe a sigh of relief. There are only about five people with my phone number, but for the last week, I've gotten a call every day around this time.
"It must be 3:30," I say and rummage through my purse to find the phone.
"Esme?" Edward asks.
"You know her well, I see."
Edward chuckles and turns down the radio as I answer the call.
Esme tells me she and Carlisle are having a fabulous time in Hawaii. The conference Dr. Cullen was attending in Honolulu finished yesterday and they took a small plane to another island last night. She sounds tired, and explains that they woke up at three in the morning Hawaii time just to be shuttled to the top of a volcano and bike all the way back down. When she asks how school was today, I tell her that it was cancelled and explain about the broken pipe. She's immediately worried, so I let her talk to Edward for the next ten minutes. I have no idea what they talk about because I zone out as soon as I look out the window and see the sun peeking through the clouds.
By the time we get to Port Angeles, there is hardly a cloud in the sky and I'm nearly giddy that we have an hour of daylight to burn before the movie starts. We get our tickets and then walk towards the waterfront, eventually finding a warm spot in the sun to just sit. The ground is a little damp, but I don't mind at all.
"Your hair has red in it," Edward says at some point.
I smile. "So does yours."
He chuckles. "I believe I have heard that before."
We continue watching the water in front of us. A Coast Guard ship sails by off in the distance, its bright orange stripe catching my attention and making me curious about something.
"May I ask you a question?" I ask tentatively, still facing forward.
"Of course," Edward says.
"What did you do when you were in the Navy?"
He chuckles. "That's a Coast Guard vessel, Bella. Navy are grey."
"Um, thanks there genius, I did see that. The bold writing on the side sort of gave it away."
He laughs again and I see him watching me out the corner of my eye. After a moment, he seems to sigh contentedly and rests his chin on his knees before continuing.
"I was a Boatswain's Mate, which is basically a glorified maintenance man. We did all kinds of stuff, anything necessary to keep our ship up to regulation every day. Painting was somewhat of a specialty of mine."
My head twists to look at him without my permission. "Painting?"
He chuckles. "Yeah. Apparently the proper use of a drop-cloth is a highly coveted skill in enlisted men."
I must look at him like he has three heads or something, because his hands go to his hair and he scratches his head, looking embarrassed "Not what you imagined, huh?"
I giggle, and bite my lip because he's ridiculously adorable. "Not really, no, but that's okay."
"It's lame, I know. I went in hoping to do something cool like work on an air-craft carrier, or maybe become a pilot someday. I just didn't stay in long enough, or go to college first."
I nod and turn my face back towards the water, closing my eyes instinctively when I feel the little bit of heat the sun's rays offer in the waning light of day.
"You like the sun, don't you?" Edward almost whispers.
"Very much. Do you?"
"I do. The Roosevelt, that's the ship I was stationed on, was homeported in Florida. You know, the Sunshine State and all that."
"Do you miss it?" I ask, my eyes still closed.
"Sometimes. I missed my family more. I wasn't here for Emmett's high school graduation because I was at sea. Then September 11th happened and I was in the Arabian Gulf when Tori's adoption went through. They didn't even know where I was though, or if I was even getting their letters when they sent them. Esme hated that. I think she aged twenty years in the forty-eight months I spent on active duty."
I open my eyes and look at him. He's staring off at the water now too, his face thoughtful and seemingly ethereal in the sunlight.
"You love them very much," I say.
He nods. "I do. It was hard when I first came to live with them, though. I never thought I'd ever get over losing my, quote-un-quote, real family," he says, pausing thoughtfully. "I don't really remember my father, but my grandmother spoke well of him. And even though she couldn't take care of me, my real mother called me every week for the first year or two after she sent me to live with my grandmother. I remember listening to bedtime stories over the phone."
He's quiet a moment. "Most of my other memories have faded, but I can still remember my mom's voice and I know she loved me. And my Grandma Beth was the greatest. She never would have let me fall into state custody, but she had a sudden stroke in her sleep and they couldn't find her will, or my mom."
"I'm sorry," I say, realizing for maybe the first time that not every child who ends up in foster care had a horrible life or crappy parents before then.
"Don't be sorry for me," he says, granting me a breathtakingly soft smile and looking me straight in the eye. "I've had the rare privilege of being gifted with two families in my life. Both who loved me very much."
I blink back tears and look away, out over the water. He continues, his tone more casual.
"I'll be honest with you, Bella. Losing my grandmother was hard. Being in a group home before Esme and Carlisle came along was really hard. And finding out my mom wasn't just missing, but dead and had had another child that I never knew about? Yeah, that really sucked. To be honest, I think that's what drove me to join the navy without thinking through what I was giving up. But in the end, I guess it all worked out the way it was meant to."
It takes me some time to find my voice to respond.
"I hope that I'll be able to think that way some day. I just don't know if I can. My parents weren't supposed to die."
Edward shakes his head and sighs. "No, they weren't. But, Bella..." He scoots over and turns to face me. "Even if you never look at your own experience the way I look at mine, you can be happy again. Just give it some time."
I nod and wipe away the tear or two that have escaped.
"Maybe," I say, and, at the moment, that's the most I can offer him.
The sun, which had been shining so brightly for the first time since I moved here, eventually dips down in the horizon and is eclipsed by some clouds off in the distance. The chill that defines the Pacific Northwest returns, and I wrap my arms around myself and lean towards the man seated at my side a lot more than I should.
Edward suggests we head to the theater for our movie and offers me his jacket. I politely decline and tell him I'll be warmer once we're moving. It's mostly true, but I'm actually afraid that if he gives me his jacket, I might be overcome by the urge to sniff it. Really, it wouldn't be my fault though. The man just smells good.
Once we get to the theater, we have just enough time to get some popcorn and a drink before the movie starts. It's a Friday night so there's a line. We're waiting and talking randomly about the almost criminal price of a large tub of popcorn when I notice two people in the next line over staring at me. They turn away and whisper to each other before looking back at me. I avert my eyes and face the front of the concession stand.
"Are you sure you don't want anything besides a drink?" Edward asks, as we step forward a bit in line.
"No, thank you," I say softly, noticing that the couple from before are now talking more animatedly and I hear the phrase three-position clearly. I step closer to Edward and try to hide as my heart begins beating wildly. When the guy next to us leans around Edward to get a better look at me, or perhaps to get my attention, I bolt.
"I'm going to go use the restroom," I say suddenly and turn away.
"Are you okay?" Edward asks, surprised by my odd departure no doubt.
"I'm fine," I say over my shoulder, but I keep walking.
After several minutes of hiding in one of the stalls, my panic attack is mostly under control, so I wash my hands and take a deep breath before returning to the lobby.
"Hey," Edward says as soon as I appear. "Are you alright?"
I blush. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that."
"You scared me a little," he laughs, and I smile apologetically as he hands me my Cherry Coke.
"I didn't mean to. I just realized that I'd never be able to make it through the whole movie."
He looks unconvinced, but lets it go as we head in to find some seats.
The movie is decent –funny, but not over the top. I'm just saying so when someone jogs up behind me and taps me on the shoulder on our way out of the theater. Surprised, Edward and I both turn to see who it is.
"Hey, I'm sorry to bother you, but... you're Isabella Swan, aren't you?"
My heart stops. The whole world creeps to a standstill at the same time. I suck in a breath and it feels as though the man's words are echoing off of every surface and bouncing back to stun me.
It takes me a moment to gather my wits and my voice.
"I'm sorry," I say, breathlessly. "You must have me confused with someone else."
The man looks confused, and shakes his head, still smiling. "No, I'm sure you're her. You have to be. My little sister idolizes you. She has your picture on her wall at home. We watched you on TV at the 2008 Olympics and saw you shoot last summer at the National Championships in Georgia."
I pale. "No, that wasn't me. I'm sorry, I..."
"Oh, come on. You look exactly like her. Are you sure you aren't Isabella Swan?" the guy asks, grinning in a way that I'm sure would normally charm a girl. It makes me want to throw up.
His female companion has joined him now and he finally seems to notice he's making me uncomfortable, so he lowers his voice.
"Look, I'm sorry. If you aren't her, then I'm being an ass. But if you are her, then my sister is going out for her first nationals this summer in air rifle and she is a huge, huge fan of yours. She would love an autograph. It would mean the world to her."
I whimper and feel unbelievably guilty. Shooting isn't the kind of sport that gets you stopped on the street very often, but because of that, the community's somewhat of a close family. It feels horrible to have to deny this man's request, but I can feel all the pairs of eyes on me and I know I have to do just that.
"I'm sorry," I start to say, but a hand on my shoulder stops me. Edward's voice is low in my ear.
"It's just an autograph. Give the man what he wants and let's get out of here."
The guy smiles anew. "Please? She wants to be just like you."
I look back at Edward confused, and slightly terrified. His face is eerily calm, but he glances around to the small crowd gathering. There are people looking on, trying to figure out who I am or why someone would want my autograph. I need to get out of here before someone takes my picture or something else equally crazy. Not that that's ever been an issue in the past, but it would just be my luck that it would happen now when I'm supposed to be hiding from people who would rather see me dead than signing autographs.
The guy in front of me holds out a piece of paper and a pen. "Please? Can I just get an autograph for her?"
I swallow hard, and with shaky hands take the paper and pen. "What's her name?" I rasp out.
"Bree Tanner. And it's B-R-E-E."
"Bree," I repeat, writing her name the best that I can considering the amount of adrenaline coursing through my system. I scrawl a quick note wishing her luck in the nationals and encouraging her to go out there and win one for me. Then I sign my name. My real name.
"Thank you so much," Bree's brother says when I hand him the note. "She'll be on cloud nine when she gets this. I'm sorry for hassling you though."
I smile weakly. "No problem."
"Well, it means a lot. You really are her hero. And who knows, maybe we'll see each other in June at the nationals, huh?"
I shake my head. "Not this year."
He looks confused and then there's a moment of understanding and I know the expression that washes over his face. It's pity.
"Oh, God," he breathes. "I'm sorry. I forgot. Oh, crap... I am so, so sorry. I wasn't thinking."
"Don't worry about it," I manage. "Tell your sister I wish her all the best."
The man nods and backs away penitently as his date whispers to him. "What was that all about Riley?"
With Riley gone, I'm two seconds from falling into a million pieces. I'm afraid to move. I'm afraid to even look at Edward. I'm afraid of what he's going to say or do, afraid of what will happen now that my cover has just been blown wide open. Suddenly, his hands are on my shoulders and he's turning me to face him.
"What do you need?" he asks, his voice warm and full of concern.
I close my eyes and exhale. "Just get me out of here."
~(~)~
The next thing I know we're in the car and speeding towards Forks. I'm wearing Edward's jacket, but it hasn't stopped me from shivering almost non-stop since we left the theater. Only when we're halfway home do I start to feel warm again. I have one thought running through my mind on a continuous loop, but I'm afraid to act on it. I know I need to call Jasper and tell him what happened. I just can't make myself move.
I'm in denial. I keep telling myself that maybe that didn't just happen. I keep hoping I'll wake up and find that I was dreaming. Glancing over at Edward though, his face eerie in the light of the LEDs coming off of the dash board, I know I'm awake.
"Are you going to say anything?" I ask, finally breaking the silence of the last half hour.
He looks over at me, seemingly startled by my voice. "I don't know what I should say, Bella. I just want to get you home right now."
"Are you mad?"
He looks shocked. "Why would I be mad?"
"I don't know," I say. And I feel cold again. I realize that what I'm most afraid of right now is his reaction. Suddenly, or maybe finally, the tears start falling. I don't even realize I'm making any noise until I hear Edward's voice.
"Bella? Bella, what's wrong?"
I shake my head because I don't even know. I think the weight of everything is starting to come down on me, but that doesn't make any sense because what happened may not even be a big deal and I'm safe for now. If not, then Jasper will come get me, or I'll run. And it's that thought that turns my cries into sobs. I don't want to go.
I hear Edward call my name again and then the car is slowing. It's raining again and completely dark outside as a result, so I have no idea where we are when we stop. I only know that, unexpectedly, my door opens and Edward's at my side. He unfastens my seatbelt and turns me towards him. He's speaking comforting words and telling me he's not mad; telling me not to be afraid, that he promises to protect me.
Then he lifts me out of the seat and, in a motion that's unbelievably graceful, sits back down with me cradled in his arms.
"Bella, please don't cry. You're fine. It's fine."
I bury my face in the crook of his neck and hope to God that he's right. He holds me tighter as I wrap my arms around his neck in a vice grip.
"I've got you," he whispers. "You're okay."
I nod against his neck and his hold on me tightens. It's almost too tight, but is just what I need. I feel myself calming and exhale a breath. I think it must rush over the skin of Edward's neck because he shudders beneath me and his own breath hitches.
For the second time tonight the world seems to stop.
Everything changes all of a sudden and, at every point of contact, the feeling between our two huddled bodies becomes charged. I breathe slowly, but shallowly, and hear Edward trying to do the same. His arms stay wrapped around me, but I feel his posture change. Before I even know what I'm doing, I turn my face and place a kiss on his neck below his jaw. Edward goes still. I do it again. His arms pull me closer. I do it again and feel him tremble at the contact.
Then he leans back. His voice is a rough groan when he says my name. I know it's a plea.
"Bella..."
And I know. He doesn't have to say any more. I pull my face away from him and loosen my arms around his neck. I keep my eyes down as he releases his hold on me.
I've crossed a line. The line. I don't doubt that his next words will be a rebuke.
I am surprised when instead he grips my face and hesitates. I look up just in time to see him close his eyes and kiss the top of my head. His lips linger longer than necessary and when he pulls away, one of his thumbs strokes my cheek before he lets me go. My eyes fall to the floor as he shifts to get out of the car. When I've moved aside to let him up, he gets out and closes the door behind him. He walks around the car and opens the driver's side door a moment later to get in.
"Put your seatbelt on. We need to get you home," he says quietly, starting the engine and quickly pulling back onto the highway.
There is an undeniable awkwardness between us when we do finally reach the house. At least it distracts me from my earlier panic. I feel calmer now, strange as that is. I'm still cold, most especially when we get in the house and I give Edward his jacket back. We stand in the foyer, both of us trying to decide what we should say to each other. I break the silence first.
"I'm going to go take a shower and go to bed. I have to call Jasper first, but..."
"Will you let me know what he tells you?" Edward responds immediately.
I meet his eyes. He looks worried now.
I nod. "Of course."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"I'll be in the study," he informs me.
"Okay, I'll be upstairs," I answer.
He nods and I slip by him, escaping up the stairs and into my room. I turn the water on in the shower before pulling my phone out and dialing.
Deputy Whitlock doesn't answer at first. It goes to voicemail. I'm not sure if I should leave a message, so I don't. Fortunately, he calls back right away.
"Bella?"
"Hi, Jasper."
"What can I do for you? Is everything okay?"
I sigh. "I don't know. Somebody recognized me this evening. In Port Angeles, at the movie theater."
I hear a muffled voice and then a door close. "Bella, how many times have I told you to be careful about mentioning anything about your location."
"Oops. Sorry."
"It's okay, I happen to be at the field office at the moment so it's fine, but you can't do that anymore. Are you safe right now?"
"Yes. I just had somebody recognize me from the Olympics. He asked for my autograph and said my real name at least a couple of times. The guy's little sister is an air rifle competitor."
"You were in public?"
"At a movie theater. There were some people looking on and Edward was there."
Jasper let out a frustrated breath. "Well, damn. That's not the best news."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault, sugar. I'll get our people on it. We'll see if there's been anything new pop up on the internet that would send anyone your way."
"Okay."
"Did you get a name for the man who approached you? Even a first name would help," he asks.
"Um, I think it was Riley. And his little sister is named Bree. I think he said it was Bree Tanner or something like that. She is supposed to be going to nationals in June."
"That helps. We can find her and then we'll find him. As long as he was who he says he was. Where are you now?"
"At home."
"Did anyone follow you?"
"No."
"You're certain?"
"Yes. Edward stopped off on a side road for a few minutes on the way home. There were no cars on the highway when we started driving again."
"That was good thinking. Be sure to thank him for me. Is he there with you now?"
"He's downstairs," I say, not mentioning that Edward's "good thinking" was most likely unintentional.
"Is he asking a lot of questions? Do you need me to remind him of our arrangement?"
I smile at the concern in Jasper's voice. "No, I think he's spooked, but he hasn't even asked me about it yet."
"He probably will. At this point, since he already knows your real name, just answer his questions in lieu of him Googling you or something. The less cyber-activity related to you the better. Got it?"
"Got it," I say.
"Try not to worry. We'll work it out. You know what to do if you get into trouble, or if I call back and tell you to go?"
"I know."
"Alright. I'll be in touch within the hour."
I hang up with Jasper, feeling both better and worse. I'm still cold, so I take a long time in the shower just soaking up the heated water. I am so glad that Esme and Carlisle have one of those heat-on-demand water heaters, because it means I can stay in as long as I want to. I may have to pay them back for the water bill though. Eventually, I begin to turn into a prune, so I get out and dry off.
Wrapping the towel around me, I dry my hair, using the round brush again like I did last night. When I'm all dry from head to toe, I finally leave the bathroom to get my pajamas on. My phone is sitting on my bed and I realize I forgot all about Jasper calling back.
I missed him, but there's a message. I check it while still in my towel.
Bella. This is Deputy Whitlock. Bad news, kiddo, you're all over Twitter. Deputy Brandon and I will be there in the morning. My gut instinct is we have to move you, but we'll see how it looks tomorrow. In the meantime stay home and be ready. Also call me back so I know you got this.
I delete the message and dial Jasper back. He fills me in on all the details, telling me he's not happy about the autograph –which Bree Tanner posted a picture of on her Twitter account. Since she's connected with other Twitter users in the sport, it's big news because I've been MIA and no one knows what happened to me. Her brother even recounted the whole sordid account of how I denied who I was, and that I seemed nervous. There are now rumors that I'd suffered a mental breakdown and was in Washington to check myself into an exclusive rehab clinic just outside Seattle.
When Jasper and I are done talking, I crawl under the covers of my bed without bothering to put anything on. I tuck the towel tighter around me and snuggle into the sheets and blankets, pulling them over my head. My eyes prick, threatening tears, but there are none left. I'm just exhausted. And depressed. I really, really don't want to leave.
On the upside, I realize, I won't be here to make Edward uncomfortable any longer. I'm thinking about how it's probably a blessing that I won't have to deal with the consequences of my hasty actions earlier when there's a light knock on the door.
I take a deep breath and pop my head out of the blankets. The knock sounds again, louder and more insistent.
"Come in," I say, sitting up without paying attention to what I'm wearing.
The handle turns and Edward's face appears through the opening a moment later. I stand up suddenly, and clutch my towel tightly.
"Oh, crap! Wait a second," I yelp.
His expression is startled as he averts his eyes. He reaches out to grip the doorframe and turns. "Sorry," he says quickly. "Sorry."
"No, wait. It's my fault. I was upset. I wasn't thinking," I explain, my face as red as a tomato.
"Upset? Why are you upset? Did you talk to that Jasper guy? " he asks, glancing back at me briefly before looking out into the hall again. As brief a glance as it was, I can see he's both concerned and unsettled.
I grip my towel tighter, making sure it doesn't go anywhere, and sigh. "I spoke to him, yes," I say. "He's coming for me in the morning."
"Wait, what?" Edward shouts unexpectedly. "Are you...? You're leaving?" he asks, stepping fully into the room.
I look down, still clutching my towel. "I don't know for sure yet. But most likely, yes."
"Most likely?"
"He hasn't decided yet. He wants to wait and see how it looks in the morning. Either way, he told me to be ready."
"But you can't leave now," he protests.
I sigh. "I may have to, for all our sakes. Believe me, you'll want me to go."
"No," he says, stepping closer. "Never."
I back up against the bed. "You don't know what you're saying, Edward. You have no idea how dangerous these people are, what they would do to keep from going to jail. They're very well connected and well-funded. Why do you think I'm here living under another name?"
My words cause him to inhale sharply and he lifts his eyes and his hand at the same time.
"That reminds me," he says, his voice low.
I glance at his hand and see a piece of paper in it. I look from the paper to him and back again as he opens it. I'm shocked when I find that it's my athlete's profile from the USA Shooting website. My picture, my name, my real birthdate, my hometown –it's all there. Why didn't the FBI pull that down?
"I came up here to ask you about this," he says, his eyes traveling over my face, searching for clues no doubt. "I'm sorry if I shouldn't have done it, but I had to know."
"How did you find that?" I ask.
"Does that matter?"
"A little. What did you, Google me?"
"So it's true?" he breathes, taking a step towards me.
I feel my pulse race to a fever pitch. He's looking at me as if he's a burning man, holding onto the paper in his hand like it's a life line. I'm sure I'm misreading the desperation in his eyes and putting my own feelings onto him, but it seems like he's begging me to end his suffering.
I want to. But I can't. Can I?
He steps forward again and it causes my breath to catch in my throat as I hold my towel closer, my knuckles likely white with tension.
"Bella, is this the real you?" he demands. "Are you really Isabella Marie Swan?"
"I..." I hesitate and instinctively lean back. I start to lose my balance as I'm backed up against the side of the bed.
Edward catches me and steadies me by placing his hands around my waist, his jaw clenching, his eyes still searching mine. We're both breathing fast,
"Please, Bella. Please, tell me it's true. Tell me that it's you." One of his hands lifts, hesitates, and then cups my face.
My voice is caught in my throat, my mouth opens and closes impotently.
"For the love of God, please..." Edward begs, his eyes wild, his touch setting me alight. I can deny him no longer.
"It's me."
His whole body sags. "It's you?" he gasps. "It's true?"
I nod and he lowers his forehead against mine. "Isabella."
I smile and lift my hand to cover his where it rests against my cheek. "You can still call me Bella. I'm never Isabella unless I'm being reprimanded, or paying taxes."
He chuckles and lifts his other hand so that he's holding my face. Our noses touch together and I think he's going to kiss me, but he hesitates.
"I need you to tell me one thing more, Bella Swan."
"What?" I ask immediately.
"Tell me you're not seventeen."
I laugh and shake my head. "I haven't been seventeen in six years, Edward."
He pulls me closer and what was left of my laughter dies in my throat.
"That's all I needed to hear."
~(~)~
So, I'll see you guys next week, right? Right? No?
Let me hear it... ;-)
PS- WDH readers: There should be a new chapter up tonight. I hope.
