Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or plotlines of the Twilight Saga and the following is a form of fiction based on the brilliance of Stephanie Meyer's work.

Author: ToryD

Beta: Splendorous Night Unfurled (Stay warm!)

Title: A Forbidden Forever

Chapter Eleven

Five days later

"I'd like to help you Edward, but this is an election year and I have to consider what the voters would think," Governor Reaves imparted with a pained expression on his plump ruddy face as he didn't want to offend his top contributor.

Edward leaned back in his chair and studied the older man with a barely leashed menacing glare in his nearly black eyes. "As you said Governor, this is an election year," he said as he with a slightly threatening tone that instantly caused the other man to swallow hard. "I would hate to have to announce Cullen Telecommunication's future plans to relocate to another state while you were still in office so to speak."

Gerald Reaves flushed a bright red at Edward's implied threat of moving his company to another state. The loss of jobs and tax revenue would be catastrophic to the state's economy, not to mention the detriment it would be to his own personal benefit in his bid for reelection. "Now let's not be hasty Edward," Gerald backpedaled quickly as he sat forward in his leather chair. "I didn't say that I wouldn't pardon this…" he paused as he looked down to retrieve the name from the pardon application that Edward had just presented to him, "Jacob Black, only that I had to consider the impact it would have on my campaign for reelection."

Edward hid his disgust as he read the older man's selfish thoughts and wondered just how someone as self-serving as Gerald Reaves had ever reached such a high office. "Rest assured Governor," Edward began with an almost bored tone. "I would make it my personal mission to be of any assistance to you in your campaign if you would help me out with this matter."

Nodding his head in understanding, Gerald knew that he was well cornered and that he must acquiesce and grant Edward's request to pardon Jacob Black in order to save his job, not to mention the thousands of jobs that Cullen Telecommunications provided within the state. "Alright Edward," he said with a resigned sigh. "I'll have my team draw up the necessary paperwork on Monday. The press is going to have a field day with this story."

Edward frowned at the unforeseen threat of publicity that could possibly bring Bella into the public eye. Knowing that she was still struggling to deal with her painful past, Edward vowed that he would do everything within his power to keep the pardon out of the news. "Let me handle the press, I don't want any word of this leaking out."

Relieved to hear that Edward seemed to be as eager as he to keep the press at bay, Gerald relaxed for the first time in the last twenty minutes since the tall, pale billionaire entered his office. Rising from behind his large mahogany desk, he smiled nervously. "Grace is having a few people over for drinks this evening, would you care to join us?"

Edward rose from his chair as well. "No thank you Governor, I have plans for this evening," he refused politely as he held out his hand for a quick handshake, wanting to swiftly put an end to the late evening meeting as he was anxious to get to the bar where Bella worked in order to keep an eye on her.

"Another time then," Gerald said as he repressed a shiver at the coldness of Edward's firm handshake.

Edward nodded as he passed through the open doorway. "Thank you for your time," he said formally as he made his way towards the grand entrance of the Governor's mansion.

"Good night Edward," Gerald called after Edward's quickly retreating form while wondering just who Jacob Black was to garner the support of such an important man.

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Bella drew a draft from the tap as she listened to the two skimpily dressed Mike Newton football groupies admire some poor unsuspecting male who had just entered the bar with an amused smile.

"Oh my God!" the blond with the surgically enhanced breast whispered dramatically. "Do you see him?"

The bottled redhead to her right gasped as her line of sight beheld a pale tall bronzed haired man who had just come in from the cold. "He's mine Rachel!" she called with an unmistakable ownership in her tone that nearly caused Bella to laugh out loud.

"No way!" the blond fired back, her blue eyes flashing challengingly. "Besides, you already called Mike Newton."

At the mention of Mike's name, Bella was unable to stop a short laugh from escaping and quickly hid it under the guise of a cough. "Here you go ladies," she said with a smile as she placed two light beers in front of the young women who were still in the mist of deciding whom would be pursuing who for the night. Following their gaze to the front entrance Bella felt her breath lodge in her throat at the elegant vision Edward created as he stood statue still staring back at her with his signature crooked smile. With a frown of confusion she called to her boss to let him know that she was taking a quick break.

Edward watched as Bella slipped under an opening behind the bar to cross the crowded room to his side with a slightly bemused look in her beautiful brown eyes.

"Edward," she greeted as she reached for his hand to pull him towards a less crowded area. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she looked up at his gorgeous face.

"Well since I am being so cruelly denied your company for the night, I thought I'd have a men's night out with Jasper and Emmett," he answered as he leaned down to brush her lips with a quick gentle kiss.

Bella, seeing an opportunity, leaned into his kiss with a small purposeful smile playing about her lips. She deepened his gentle kiss into a hot, passionate display that had Edward tensing with a ravenous hunger that had nothing to do with the normal burning thirst for blood he usually experienced while in Bella's presence. "Let me find you a table," she said a little breathlessly once she reluctantly pulled away from him, while listening to the sour comments directed at her from the two women who now knew that the tall good-looking man they had been fighting over was undeniably spoken for.

Edward, unable to speak, merely nodded as he allowed her to lead him to a secluded table in the back of the bar.

"What can I get you?" she asked with a slightly smug look in her eyes as she could tell that her kiss had not left him unaffected.

Frowning, Edward looked down at his hands, relieved that at least they didn't seem to be as unsteady as his breathing. "I'll just take a beer," he said as he looked up into the impish grin on Bella's beautiful face.

"I'll bring you a pitcher," she announced as she leaned down to press a quick apologetic kiss to his cheek as she danced off to get his order.

Edward watched her closely as she seemed to have a new lightness about her that he had never before seen. Smiling, he wished that she could always seem to be as happy as she did at this moment. 'Bro, where are you?' Emmett's thought intruded, pulling his attention to the front entrance where Emmett and Jasper stood. Raising his hand he caught their attention and motioned for them to join him.

"So this is a sports bar," Emmett observed as he slid into one side of the booth, his massive arms resting casually on the lacquered wooden table before him.

"Edward," Jasper greeted as he slid in beside his brother Emmett.

"How did you get away from Alice?" Edward asked with a knowing look of amusement.

Rolling his eyes, Jasper replayed the memory of his and Alice's argument for his brother's benefit.

Laughing out loud, Edward shot Jasper a sympathetic look. "Sorry Jasper, I'll make it up to both you and Alice," he apologized.

"She'll get over it," Emmett advised absently while he continued to look around him in awe at all of the sports memorabilia on the walls.

"Well she has already decided just how you're going to make it up to her Edward," Jasper said warningly with a mocking light dancing within his topaz colored eyes.

Edward's eyes focused shrewdly on Jasper's face as he read his thoughts and sighed resignedly at the upcoming dinner party that Alice was planning for next Tuesday evening. "At least tell me she's not planning on cooking?" Edward asked with a pleading look on his perfect face.

Jasper laughed at the pained look on his brother's face. "She is, but don't worry, she seems to be getting better, the smoke detector only went off three times today," he announced with glee as Edward was unable to suppress a groan.

Emmett looked confused as he glanced from one brother to the next. "What are you talking about?"

"Alice has decided that she needs to learn how to cook for Bella," Jasper informed dryly.

"Oh," Emmett said as a new frown appeared on his brow. "So how do you get away without eating in front of Bella?" he asked very softly so as not to be heard by any of the other patrons.

"Edward bought three golden retrievers who are always conveniently available at meal times to act as surrogate eaters under the table," Jasper relayed with a wicked grin at Edward's expression.

"Hi Jasper, Emmett," Bella greeted as she placed a large pitcher of beer on the table, followed by three tall pilsner glasses.

"Hi Bella," Jasper smiled as he stood to kiss her cheek gently in greeting.

"Hey Bella," Emmett greeted less formally. "Is Mike coming in tonight?" he asked with an excitement of a child on Christmas morning.

Smiling at Edward's large bear of a brother, Bella smiled as she answered the question that she had answered at least twenty times since her shift began three hours ago. "He usually does make an appearance on Friday nights."

A pleased look flashed across Emmett's handsome face as he leaned back with a satisfied smile. "So Bella how was your week?" he asked as he casually placed one of his beefy arms upon the back of the booth.

"Great," Bella answered as she quickly discounted everything that happened prior to Sunday evening. "And yours?" she asked in return.

"Great!" he answered with a huge grin. "I was able to get ten jumps in this week."

Bella frowned in confusion at Emmett's last comment.

"Emmett runs a sky diving school and when he has a lull of student's he gets to take advantage of jumping himself," Jasper filled in helpfully.

Bella's eyes lit up instantly. Sliding into the booth next to Edward, she leaned forward and focused her sole attention on Emmett. "Do you think you could teach me?" she asked with a sharp light of anticipation dancing in her eyes.

Emmett chuckled at Bella's excitement which stood in sharp contrast to the look of horror that was clearly defined on Edward's. "Sure Bella, what are you doing tomorrow morning?" he asked as he watched Edward pale a lighter shade of white than his normal vampire shade.

"NO!" Edward choked out after he swallowed past a lump of fear that had clogged his throat. "No way are you taking her up!"

Bella looked sharply to her right at Edward as he shot a menacing look at his amused brother. "Edward!" Bella admonished as she stared at him with a frown marring her smooth brow.

"You're not going up Bella," he said with a razor-sharp edge of authority that she had never heard before.

Bella watched in utter shock as a blazing anger began to alight within Edward's nearly black eyes. A sense of her own answering anger began to simmer hotly as she tried to comprehend why Edward thought he had the right to decide what she could or could not do.

Seeing that both Bella and Edward were about to erupt into a rage filled argument, Jasper immediately set about to sooth the high emotions with his gift.

Bella shook her head in confusion as a strange calming peace began to settle around her in place of the indignant anger she was feeling just a short second ago. "Maybe we can discuss this later Edward," she heard herself respond without really understanding why.

Edward took her face gently between his hands and touched his forehead to hers as he pleaded softly to her, "Bella, please try to understand that I just can't bear to think of you in any sort of dangerous situation."

Bella felt a shiver race through her body as she looked into Edward's dark eyes and saw that he had a look of unmistakable fear within their depths; a fear that something may happen to her. Her heart instantly softened in response to his plea. Smiling she grasped one of his hands in hers and brought it her lips to press a soft kiss into his palm. "Thank you," she whispered as she looked deep into his dark eyes, not bothering to question why his eyes seemed to be much darker than their usually golden color.

Relaxing slightly, Edward traced the curve of her cheek with the back of his fingers with a tenderness that served to melt Bella's heart. "What are you thanking me for?" he asked softly.

"For really caring about me," Bella responded simply as she wished that they were not here in a crowded bar surrounded by a multitude of people.

Shaking his head ruefully, Edward leaned in and gently kissed her lips.

"Oh come on!" Emmett whined slightly as Edward and Bella continued to stare at one another. "So I don't get to take her up?"

Edward turned a menacing gaze to his brother as if he were daring him to even consider uttering another word on the subject.

Holding his hand up in surrender Emmett smiled sheepishly. "Alright Edward," he said with a slightly sulking tone. "I guess I won't be able to teach you Bella," he advised Bella with a sad look in his amber eyes.

Bella smiled at the look of Edward's hulking brother. "That's okay Emmett," she said as she rose from the booth knowing that giving up a chance to sky dive was a small price to pay for the look of relief in Edward's astonishingly handsome face. "I need to get back to work."

"What time do you get off?" Edward asked as he rose from the booth to gently pull her into a loose embrace.

"We close at two but I need to help clean up, so about two forty-five," Bella answered as she looked up at him in confusion.

"Would you mind if I stayed around to give you a ride home?" he asked with an intense look in his dark eyes that had Bella wondering why he seemed to be so interested in seeing her home.

"Okay," she said after she studied him quizzically for a short second. "Is everything okay?" she asked as a feeling of apprehension began to flow through her.

Smiling at the look of trepidation on Bella's gentle features Edward reached out and tweaked the tip of her nose affectionately. "Everything is wonderful, I just want a chance to talk with you about something involving Jacob's situation," he admitted quietly.

Hope flared within Bella like a beacon, knowing that Esme must have spoken with Edward regarding Jacob's unfair imprisonment. "Edward?" she questioned as tears began to well within her eyes.

Seeing her tears, Edward pulled her gently into his arms so he could whisper softly into her ear. "It will soon be over Bella," he began as he felt her heartbeat begin to accelerate to a quickened pace. "Jacob will be freed by Tuesday at the latest."

Bella felt her knees buckle beneath her at the news that Jacob was finally about to be freed. Tears began to flow unheedingly from her soft brown eyes as Edward reached down to tenderly lift her chin so he could look into her eyes. "Okay?" he asked gently as he tenderly wiped away her tears.

Unable to speak Bell nodded her head.

Jasper felt Bella's happiness and relief wash through him and instantly shared it with Edward who closed his eyes at the sensation of pure and utter happiness that flowed from Bella through Jasper to himself. Smiling, he felt an easy sense of peace fill him that he had been the one to bring such a joy to the woman he loved. Leaning down he whispered in her ear, "I love you Bella Swan."

Bella drew in a shocked breath and leaned back to stare in awe at the man who in the last two weeks had become the center of her world. New tears began to fill her eyes as she reached out to touch his soft lips in wonder. "I love you too," she said with a new found joy to her tone that caused Edward's flawless face to break into an exquisite portrait of unmitigated happiness.

"Bells!" Mike's shout broke through the tender shared moment, causing Edward to frown slightly. Bella reached up and pressed a quick kiss to Edward's cold lips before she turned to greet her foster brother.

"Hi Mike," she said as she disengaged herself from Edward's arms to throw them around Mike with a huge hug that caught Mike by surprise.

"Hey little sis," he said as he returned he embrace with a confused look on his face. "You okay?" he asked as he pulled back to look down into her radiant face.

"Yes," she nodded happily as she looked back at Edward with a soft smile. "I'm okay," the deeper meaning to her words meant for the man who she knew would be the one person who would always be the man who held her heart.

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A/N Thanks for the reviews, over 100 now! But oh how I long for more! Please review even if it's just a word or two…smiley faces are great too! Okay next chapter we get some more of the evil Rosalie. Yay! My favorite thing to write, the jealous female! Oh and team Jacob fans Jacob is being released but there won't be a love relationship with Bella in this story, maybe in a future story but Edward and Bella will have enough to deal with in this one with mean old Rosalie, oh if you only knew what she was planning!