A/N...Okay, guys. It's time for the first day of kindergarten. :D Which means...there's an awful lot of Bethy in this one. There's some info, and then...the TV interview. I will give you guys a slight CLIFFIE WARNING. But it's nothing that send you into complete shock, or anything like that.

I think you guys will like this chapter. So I'll let you get on with it. :)

CHAPTER 8

EDWARD

"Little sweetness, at least eat the toast for me. Okay?" I asked her, trying not to ruffle my baby girl's feathers so early on such an important day. She was fucking nervous enough about her first day of kindergarten as it was.

I glanced up when Bella walked into the kitchen, carrying a clean, dressed, still pretty sleepy Samuel in her arms. She set him down next to his sister, and he immediately started shoveling Cheerios into his mouth. Appetite was not a problem for my big guy.

"Pretty girl," Bella soothed in Bethy's ear, at the same time playing with her long hair. "Eat the toast, or even just the oatmeal, but you've got to have something. It'll make that funny feeling in your tummy not so bad, okay?"

In all honesty, I wasn't sure who was more nervous about Bethy's first day of school – me, Bella, or Bethy herself. Our daughter was gung-fucking-ho about getting new notebooks, paper, crayons, and pencils, and clothes shopping had been a mother/daughter party, but now that the actual day had arrived and Bethy realized it wasn't Mrs. Cope that she would be seeing, it was a completely different story.

I knew for a fucking fact that Sammy would grow up to be just like me, all nervous, shy, and quiet in school. Bethy, on the other hand, I'd hoped would attack school, making friends and socializing like the little hellion I knew her to be. I'd hoped that she'd be like Bella, with a sense of ease at everything she took on.

Bella locked worried gazes with me, but didn't say a word about Bethy. "Is everyone gone?" she asked me, still running her fingers lovingly through our daughter's hair.

"Yeah," I said with a nod. "They left about twenty minutes ago to head to that next recording session. Alec is handling this one." Bella started to open her mouth, but I stopped her. "And yes, he's totally keeping an eye on Raulson. I can't imagine what Alec will say to the guy if he starts his same old sh...crap."

I fought my smile as Bethy finally picked up her spoon, putting a tiny bite of oatmeal in her mouth – though begrudgingly, I noted.

"Good," Bella huffed, stepping away to grab my cup of coffee from my hand, before kissing my jaw. "She just needed the focus off of her," my girl whispered, giving me another kiss. "Anyway," she sighed, walking back to Bethy. "I don't trust Ike."

I shook my head, because I didn't trust the asshole, either. He'd arrived about a week ago and had chosen to stay with my father, because he damn well wasn't coming to my house. In fact, he wasn't allowed anywhere near it. And that rule came from not only me, but Alice, Alec, and Bella, as well. I wasn't sure he was truly behind Kyra's threats, but he offended everyone at every turn. He was pompous, cranky, and insulting. The first recording session he'd attended had resulted in just about everyone jumping to Kyra's defense – and that included my crew and the technicians at the studio. He'd insulted Kyra's performance, her tone, and her pitch. It had been almost abusive.

In fact, Raulson had upset everyone so much that the techs at the studio had needed Kyra back the very next day. I'd had to drive her by myself to make up some missing part of the song. It had only taken an hour to record it, but at that point, we were all about to strangle the old fucker every time he was around. From that moment on, my father told him to keep his fucking mouth shut during recordings. The old fart shut the fuck up, but the snide comments continued after the sessions. He truly was a miserable son of a bitch.

Kyra, on the other hand, didn't seem to think anything of it. And that bothered every woman on our team. They weren't exactly signing up for the Kyra Bailey fan club, but they thought she deserved to be recognized for her talent. Personally, I thought Kyra had been around the asshole so long that she didn't know any better.

And holy fuck, if he didn't recognize me in an instant. I fought my smile at the memory of the pure fear that splashed across the old fucker's face. It wasn't just that he didn't like me; I scared the fucking hell out of the man. Thinking back to when he'd been with Kyra on the USO tour, it made total sense. I didn't put up with abusive, insulting nonsense. I'd unknowingly acted as a shield between them back then.

Eying Bethy as her breakfast slowly started to disappear, I sighed not only in relief that she was eating, but wearily at Kyra's attitude the last few days. She'd been flirty and had started using a new tactic. She'd wait until my wife wasn't anywhere around to say something, speak of the past, toss innuendos my way. In fact, she'd wait until no one was around, except that I told Bella about it each and every time, if she didn't sneak up on the situation herself. I was pretty sure it had gotten worse once Raulson had shown up.

"It's not that I think he's behind this," Bella said, dropping a kiss to a quiet Bethy's head, "but he's so mean..."

I walked to my girls, kissing Bella's temple, only to look down at Bethy. She seemed to be finished, picking away at her oatmeal. "Pretty girl, is that all you want?"

"Yes, Daddy," she answered, looking up at me. "I'm finished."

"Go brush your teeth, then. Gamma should be here any minute to take Sammy. We need to leave soon," I told her, swinging her down off the stool onto the floor.

Moments later, little thumping footfalls echoed down the hallway.

"I'm nervous for her," Bella whispered, snickering a bit, but wrapping her arms around my waist.

"Me, too," I sighed, brushing my lips across hers. "If we leave soon enough, we can have a talk with her, yeah?"

Bella nodded, and we both turned when Esme walked into the house.

"Gamma!" Sammy chirped, his fists still full of cereal. He happily grinned up at her.

"Hello, my handsome boy," she crooned to him, placing kisses to his chubby cheeks. "Are you ready for our date today?"

"Yeah," he said in his slow, crookedly grinning way, and both women giggled, because on more than one occasion, they'd told me that he was me made over when he did that.

I laughed and rolled my eyes at Esme and my wife swooning over us. I scooped up my boy and kissed his cheek. "Wash your hands there, pal," I told him, turning on the kitchen sink. Sticky hands shot out under the water, and Sammy rubbed his hands together. "Good boy," I praised, flinching when he flicked water at me when he shook his hands. "Tell them that we can't help being this hot, Sammy," I growled dramatically against the side of his head.

Sammy giggled, "Yeah...hot!"

Esme and Bella laughed, my wife snatching Samuel out of my arms.

"Yes, you are," she laughed, smooching a now hysterically giggling boy in her arms. "Both of you," she chuckled, kissing me, too.

Bethy came back into the room, and Esme knelt before her. She looked slightly pale, carrying a pink camo backpack that Bella said our daughter had insisted on getting. The color of the day was pink, with jeans, of course.

"It's a big day, huh, sweet one?" she asked her.

Bethy nodded, smiling a little. "Mommy says it's big kid school."

"It is," Esme agreed with a nod. "I'm sure you'll show them just how smart and sweet you are. And you'll be a good girl?"

"Yes, Gamma," Bethy whispered, looking to me and Bella.

"Okay, it's time to go," Bella said, giving Sammy a kiss before handing him to his grandmother.

Bethy was quiet as we loaded her and all her supplies up in the Volvo SUV. She stayed quiet up until we pulled into the parking lot of the school. I turned to look at her, seeing that her little brow was furrowed and her teeth were sinking into her bottom lip, just like Bella's when she was upset.

I got out of the car, opened the door, and swung her down to the asphalt, kneeling down in front of her. "Little sweetness, what has you so scared? School never bothered you before," I said softly, tucking an already stray lock of hair behind her ear and looking up when Bella knelt with us.

"Haley said," Bethy started, huffing and frowning. "H-Haley s-said th-that th-the b-big k-kids w-will m-make f-fun o-of m-me. Th-The w-way I-I t-talk..."

I looked to Bella, because I didn't know who the fuck this Haley was.

"Mrs. Cope's assistant," she whispered, but I could see tears forming in Bella's eyes at our daughter's painful admission. "Pretty girl, did she say this to you?"

"N-No, I-I h-heard h-her..."

I took a deep breath, pulling my baby girl into my arms as we all stood up. "Bethy, look at me," I said, tilting her chin so that her green met my own. "I won't lie to you, baby. They may try to make fun of your stutter, but you know what you do?"

She shook her head, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"You ignore them," I told her. "You know that feeling you get when you think you're going to stutter? Like the words just won't come out the way you want?" I asked her, and she nodded again. "That's when you don't say anything. Just wait. Relax, and then the words will come. You know this, my smart girl. We've talked about it before."

We had talked about it. A lot. Bethy's stutter was easier to deal with than my own, because she only stuttered when she was nervous or thought she was in trouble. When I was her age, every single word had been utter fucking torture. We'd worked on it together, and I'd thought it was something she rarely thought about anymore. There was a part of me that wanted to find this Haley and tell her she should keep her big fucking trap shut.

"And you only talk that way when you're nervous, Bethy," Bella reminded her. "I promise that you'll have fun today. It's not the big deal you're making it out to be. You'll be with Abby, because Aunt Sarah and I made sure to keep you two together."

"Yeah?" my baby girl asked, her eyes brightening a bit.

"Yes," Bella and I both said with nods.

"I'm pretty sure Abby's just as scared, honey," Bella soothed, kissing her forehead. "And you liked Miss Gardner when you met her the other day."

Bethy nodded again, looking around when her name was called. I had to grin, because she looked so mixed up...excited, nervous, adorably curious – all the things that she got from her mother. I watched in utter amazement as a defiant little chin jutted out in determination, and I was reminded so much of Bella back when I'd first pulled her away from Miller that it caused my heart to sputter in my chest. Bella had used the same movement in order to steel herself for the next thing she needed to overcome.

"Christ," I breathed, hugging my girl close and burying my face in apple-smelling hair. "I love you so very much, little sweetness. You'll be just...perfect. Okay?"

"Pwomise, Daddy?"

"Oh, baby...you can't go wrong," I chuckled, fighting back tears at just how big she'd gotten. No one could rock me as much as my wife and kids could.

"Come here," Bella sighed, taking Bethy from me. "You know you can handle this, my beautiful girl. You go show 'em what awesome girls the Cullens are."

I laughed as Bella set Bethy back on her feet. "Now...should we go on in?" I asked her, and she nodded, so I grabbed backpack, lunch, and supplies out of the backseat. I knelt in front of her one more time. "And if someone is dumb enough to pick on you, baby...then you tell them what I am, who you are, and that I'll see them after school. Got me, little sweetness?" I asked her with a smirk and a raised eyebrow – and there was a part of me that wasn't fucking kidding about that shit, either.

Bethy giggled, grinning up at me, and then nodded. "Got it, Daddy."

It took all of about sixty seconds before my baby girl was okay to leave behind at school – just the sight of some of her friends from Mrs. Cope's daycare, Abby's presence, and the teacher's sweet smile. I grinned, shaking my head as we, along with several other nervous parents, left the room, because my smart girl was going to rock school.

But it was my teary-eyed wife I had to contend with once we were back to the car. I pulled her into my arms at the passenger side door.

"She's so big, Edward," Bella sobbed and laughed at the same time, because it seemed silly, yet time had flown with our oldest child.

"I know," I sighed, dropping kisses from her cheek down to her ear. "She's so much like you, though," I chuckled. "She'll be running the school before the day is out."

Bella giggled, smothering it into my neck. "Probably," she agreed, all sniffly sweet and clingy.

"Come on, sweetness," I said, opening the car door for her. "As much as I want to hang out here all day just to make sure she's all right, we have some things to do before coming back to get her."

"Yeah, and one of them is hunting down Haley," she growled, her brow furrowing.

I chuckled, cupping her cranky looking face. "Let it go, baby. I'm glad she heard it that way. It made it easier for me to talk to her about it, because I knew that was bugging her. Hell, it bugged me my whole life."

"Yeah?" she asked, looking hopeful. "Because I'll make a kid disappear for upsetting her."

I laughed, thinking the same thing, but I shook my head. "Leave the children alone, love. And yes, I wanted to talk to her about that anyway, so it all worked out. Okay?"

"Okay," Bella sighed, finally releasing my shirt from her tight grip. "Back to work, I guess."

"Yes, ma'am," I crooned, dropping a kiss to her lips. I took her top lip and bottom, only to tease her mouth with my tongue. "I love you. And we did a fucking awesome job with her, Bella..."

Bella grinned, cupping my face. "Yeah... Yeah, we did."

~oOo~

"Just show me, Alice," I sighed in frustration. "Computers and shit aren't my thing, but I'm not a fucking doofus."

Alice grinned, because Bella was cracking the fuck up behind us at the conference table. I smirked, rolled my eyes, and grasped ahold of Alice's chair, rolling her hard enough that she drifted almost the whole way out of the computer room.

"Jackass," she laughed, tiptoeing back up to me, only to punch my arm, which didn't hurt one fucking bit from the tiny pixie. "Fine. So you know I didn't get anything on this note the stalker left, right? The partial print just wasn't enough to bring up anything."

"Right," I urged her, waving my hand for her to go on.

"And the FBI lab didn't get shit on the flower, except that it had been burned with one of those butane lighters. Traces of the accelerant were found on one of the not so burned petals. It's a common fuel, especially in the..."

"Restaurant business," I answered for her. "They use those blow torches on like desserts to brown the top. You know...like flan...or lemon meringue pie."

"Yes! Exactly!" Alice chirped, ruffling my hair and nodding. "What I also did was take a really good look at the paper this note was printed on. And it's expensive shit...parchment-like, high end, really pretty stuff. It's almost like card-stock. The ink... According to the lab, it's pretty common stuff, but the type that's usually sold in bulk to large businesses."

I wasn't stupid, because I immediately picked up on what she was telling me. "This guy has money. The paper alone tells me that. So your theory of Kyra's wealth being a part of her draw is out the window."

"Maybe," she said, shrugging a shoulder. "But at least this gives us the tools to narrow it down. I've traced the paper to a company in South America. They ship everywhere, but they mainly supply large quantities to greeting card companies."

"Okay," I said, dragging the word out. "How's that point to Kyra?"

"The division of Solstice Music that resides in California is in the same building as All-Occasion Greeting cards," Bella piped up from the conference table.

Alice pointed a finger toward her, giving me a shit-eating grin. "That!" she chuckled.

My eyebrows shot up, and I leaned into look at the computer. Alice had pulled up a list of people that worked in that building. It was a really fucking long list.

"So all I need to do is narrow down this list to people that match up to the profile we're trying to build," Alice said, like it was a simple fucking task.

Looking at the list, I was skeptical, because it was a thirty-something story building, with several companies, not to mention what looked like so many names that it would take a week to research them all.

"So eliminate the women," Bella said, turning around in her chair, "because this is a man that's threatening her. I'm sure of it, because women don't say 'I'll show you what you do to me.'"

"Take away anyone older than say...fifty," Rose added, coming to lean in the doorway, "because even Wes said that this guy would be between the ages of twenty-five and forty-five. Something about how that note was put together and some sort of control that he has over his obsession."

"Get rid of anyone that's been hired in say...the last two weeks, because Kyra's been here," Kurt mused, also leaning in the door. "And I'd remove anyone that doesn't have a passport..."

We all looked up at him, because that was such a random addition to the list.

He grinned, shrugging, but pointed toward the bulletin board, where a map of the world was pegged up. Every place Kyra had received a flower was marked by a pushpin. "Look, she received flowers in London, Paris, and again in Hong Kong. This guy can travel outside of the country. Passport," he sang the last word, looking rather proud of himself.

"This guy's got money," I muttered again to myself, shaking my head. I watched as Alice's fingers flew over the keyboard and the list shrank smaller and smaller, but not small enough.

"Or he works with her," Rose added, raising an eyebrow. "Who haven't we met?"

"The technicians from the LA studio," Bella replied, biting her bottom lip as she watched Alice work. "People from the movie sets, photo shoots...fuck, bartenders from the clubs. Shit, it could still be just about anyone."

"No," Makenna stated, walking in the room to join us. "No...we're missing something. We're overlooking something, or over thinking it."

"That still leaves...close to two hundred names," Alice sighed frustratedly, turning to look at us and giving us a glimpse of the list.

"I want that list...with pictures," Mack ordered, rushing back to her computer. "I've watched every fucking second of security footage where Kyra's received flowers – the hotel in LA, the theatre she did a concert at, and even the small back-lot of the movie studio. I need fucking faces to look at."

"Jesus, Mack, that'll take you ages," I told her, and despite the fact that Makenna could not only remember faces and draw them to portrait perfect quality, what she was planning to do would take forever.

Bella put a hand on her shoulder to stop her for a moment. She turned back to Alice, saying, "On that list...who has a criminal record? And I mean misdemeanors and dismissed cases, too."

"That will take a bit," Alice murmured, her fingers flying over the keys. "Dismissed cases sometimes are sealed."

"This is a pain in the ass case," Rose huffed, rolling her eyes when we all chuckled. "No, for real. It is. This guy has gone quiet, just when we thought he'd get more vocal. Kyra...she's...I can't... What a cow!"

I barked a laughed, because I couldn't help it. Rose never held back, so I was wondering how long this had been building.

"Rose," Bella chided, but her tone held no authority, and there wasn't any stopping Rose once she got going.

"God, all she does is bitch! I mean, granted...she's gotten better, but damn! She stares at Edward like he's her next meal, she flirts, she plays stupid. She's so not stupid. She's holding something back. I'm telling you...I guaran-fucking-tee you that she has some sort of mental list of people she's pissed off." Rose folded her arms across her chest, shaking her head slowly. "She needs to give up that sexual history...and soon."

"She doesn't remember it," Bella said softly, wrinkling her nose. "Cassie's tried for us. Over and over. The problem stems from her drinking and partying. She was too tanked to remember." Bella's eyes landed on me. "And as far as you are concerned...it's a comfort issue. You make her feel safe. Hell, I'm not so sure she's not hiding behind you from Raulson. I'm willing to bet he's been verbally abusive to her since she was a fucking kid."

"Hell, no! Kyra wants a piece of that again," Mack growled, pointing to me as she glared at Bella.

"Oh God, stop!" I groaned, leaning my elbows on my knees and shoving my fingers into my hair. "I'm not a piece of anything!"

Bella giggled, and I couldn't help but grin up at her, because she raised a deadly sexy eyebrow up at me.

"She's getting worse, too," Alice noted softly from my side, but when I glanced up at her, she winced apologetically. "Yeah, I heard her this morning. Sorry, Edward."

I groaned, rolling my eyes, but I was completely grateful that Alice had indeed been in the office just before everyone headed out to the recording session. Emmett had been talking nonsense about one of Kyra's past music videos and the nudity in which it contained, which prompted the singer to state that she slept naked – a comment that had poor Kurt's eyebrows raising up high and his whole body shifting uncomfortably in his chair. She'd asked me if I remembered that shit, which I quickly told her no, considering I had never actually slept with her, because I'd had to sleep in the motherfucking barracks. Alice – bless her tiny self – had jumped in to give Kyra whatever emails she'd screened, almost physically yanking the woman from my presence.

"She can look all she wants," Bella grumbled, turning back to her computer. "The first time she touches...well, she won't be on any magazine covers for awhile. Let's just put it that way."

The whole room exploded into laughter, except for me. I couldn't decide whether to kiss my girl senseless, until we were fucking drunk with each other, because that shit was sexy as hell, or groan in terror, because I knew for a fucking fact that Bella meant that threat, completely. Luckily, I'd been able to avoid Kyra the last week for the most part. She'd talked, flirted, and batted eyelashes at me, but she hadn't touched, even when I'd driven her by myself the one time back to the studio.

"Shit, she hasn't touched you, right?" Kurt whispered to me, looking terrified between me and Bella, the latter of whom was concentrating more on her computer than anything else.

"No," I sighed, shaking my head and sitting back in my chair. "She hasn't."

The room split back up again, everyone getting back to whatever tasks they were working on. I turned back to the layout of the TV station, because that was the next day's appointment with Kyra. I'd already spoken to the security team of the building, explained the situation, and requested that the building needed to be tightened down.

By the time that the crew had called and said that they were heading back from the recording studio, it was time to go get Bethy from school. I stood up from my chair, walking to Bella, and dropped a kiss to the top of her head.

"Let's go get our girl, sweetness," I whispered in her ear.

A sweet smile spread over my wife's face, and she spun in her chair to gaze up at me. "Wanna bet she chatters the whole way home?"

I laughed, shaking my head. "I'm telling you...she's running the joint by now."

Bella chuckled, looking to Rose. "Need us to grab Caleb at Mrs. Cope's?"

"Nope, Esme's doing it. Something about taking her two boys to the park," Rose said with a smile. "But before you go...schedule changes." She held up a sheet of paper, only to set it down so that Bella and I could study it. "We're waiting for the people from the studio, but we'll add the making of the music video as soon as we get all the info. Next, tomorrow is that TV spot. Mickey, Alec, and Gator will be joining you two on that one. Then, there's the concert... Am I to assume we're all going?" she asked, glancing between me and Bella.

"Security-wise, I need the whole crew, including my dad," I told her with a nod. "Alec, Mickey, Em, Jazz, and Kurt."

"I'll be with Edward," Bella told Rose, still studying the schedule. "I'll need you, Alice, Mack in the security office that night." She then turned to look at me. "You're still planning to fly in?"

"Yeah. I think it would be easier. I think if I had you, Alec, and my dad with her, leaving everyone else at their posts, we could get her in, let her do her thing, and then get her out. Safely."

"Okay, so the concert is set," Bella agreed, turning back to Rose. "What else?"

"Your birthday," Rose said with a cheesy ass grin. "You're off. Both of you. You have a curfew, but at least you can go somewhere, do something, without kids, irritating singers, and the rest of us bugging your asses."

I chuckled, kissing the side of Bella's head. "Fuck, yeah. We're going out. No arguments, sweetness."

Bella giggled, leaning into me. "I wouldn't dare..." She thanked Rose, and then turned to me, grabbing my hand and tugging me toward the door. "Come on. I want my girl."

~oOo~

BELLA

The school was busy when we pulled up and parked the SUV. I had a feeling it would be, because it was the first day. I'd been nervous all damn day. My Bethy wasn't a baby anymore, and that just about killed me.

There was also another part of me that hoped we'd given our little girl enough ammunition to handle herself in life. Her amazingly adorable conversation with her daddy that morning concerning her stutter just about had me wrapping her up and taking her back home, because I knew what Edward had gone through when he was young. And despite how much I loved that she sounded like him, I knew the reality was that kids could be cruel. Really fucking cruel. And with Bethy, that could be a double edged sword. It could either cause her terrible heartache, or she'd blow the fuck up, just like her father.

Edward had soothed her the best he could, reminding her of all the work they'd done with the speech therapist. My husband had struggled to overcome his stutter for the most part and was able to work at home with Bethy, though he'd made it seem like a game. He only stuttered around me, and sometimes the kids, but I remembered what he'd been like when I'd met him so long ago. Every word he'd said was work...hard work. Until he was relaxed and comfortable. And that was what he'd tried to get across to Bethy.

But the reality was that we were expecting at least one kid to notice, and that was why Edward had told Bethy to tell whoever bothered her what he was. And as we navigated the school hallways, I realized he'd dressed the way he had on purpose, specifically for today. Bethy loved to tell kids that her daddy was a soldier and a bodyguard. It was the easiest description for her to understand. So Edward, having nowhere to be today – other than at his daughter's beck and call – had dressed the part. And damn, he looked good, too.

Wearing desert camo cargo pants tucked into tan boots, a khaki colored t-shirt, and his black backwards baseball cap, my husband looked larger than life. Why the desert camo made him look that big, I had no idea, but it did. He was broad shoulders, thumping boots, and a muscular chest narrowing to his waist. He turned heads, caused little kids to stop and stare, and he paid none of them any attention.

Giggling silently when I realized he'd dressed this way in order for the kids to remember him, I reached out, linking my fingers with his. And suddenly, I felt really sorry for the first boy that ever had the courage to date Bethy. Really fucking sorry.

As we approached the kindergarten classrooms, I could see all the little ones waiting outside along the wall, backpacks and lunchboxes all lined up with them along the sidewalk. Abby and Bethy were together, as always, and a little red-haired boy was standing in front of them.

"Go away, Todd," Abby huffed quietly, rolling her eyes.

"No, say it again, Bethy," Todd laughed.

"I said my d-daddy is a s-soldier," Bethy growled, her little fist balling up, and I wasn't sure how close she was to knocking out the boy in front of her. I could tell that Bethy was struggling hard on keeping her stutter to a minimum, but some words were just impossible.

"S-So?" the kid mocked.

"Ah, fuck," Edward sighed, shaking his head, but a wicked as sin smirk crept up over his face as he shot me a wink.

Bethy caught sight of him, her eyes brightening, as did Abby's, but he quickly put his finger to his lips to tell the girls to keep his presence a secret as he stealthily walked to them.

"You sound like a scratched CD," Todd laughed, wrapping his arms around his stomach as he laughed his ass off.

Edward came to stand behind the boy – and I mean, right behind him – glaring down at the poor, unsuspecting child. And I could have sworn the man just grew in size. His eyes blackened as he glared down at Todd.

"Y-Your d-daddy's not here," Todd continued to mock, but froze like a deer in headlights when a deep, no nonsense tone barked right behind him.

"Yes, he is," Edward stated firmly, fighting his smile when Todd ran smack into Edward's legs, only to stumble back a few steps. My husband's eyebrow shot up menacingly as he leered at the kid. "You know, for someone with so many freckles and no front teeth, you don't really have a lot of room to make fun of someone else."

I wanted to laugh my ass off as I watched the kid take in the soldier in front of him. Bright blue eyes raked from boots all the way up to the pissed off face waiting for an answer.

"Todd, is it?" Edward asked, and the kid could only nod with a gaping mouth. "Well, Todd, maybe you should find someplace else to wait for your parents, yeah?"

But Todd took another route. His curiosity got the better of him.

"Are you really a soldier?" he whispered, still gazing up at Edward like he was a walking, talking G.I. Joe doll.

"I was," Edward said with a nod, his voice still smooth, cool, and measured. "Now I'm something different."

"Did you shoot guns? Drive in tanks? Did you catch terrorists?" Todd rattled off rapidly, and I had to hide my smile behind my hand, because Edward wasn't quite prepared for the interrogation.

"Yes. No, it was helicopters. And yes."

"Hi, Daddy!" Bethy chirped, brushing past Todd to get to her father.

"Hi, Uncle Edward," Abby giggled, giving Todd a scathing look. "Aunt Bella!" she sang, running to give me a hug.

"Hey, Abs..." I chuckled, thinking the beautiful little girl had blossomed in the last year or so. She wasn't as shy as she used to be, though she was the quieter of the two girls.

Bethy spun to Todd just before reaching Edward. "Go. Away."

Edward smirked, kneeling so that both girls could rush to him. "I'd do what she says, kid. I've taught her everything I know," he lied, just to scare the poor boy, causing him to take off running.

"Edward," I chided with a giggle, rolling my eyes, but loving him more at the moment than I probably ever had.

"Mommy!" Bethy gushed, planting a big kiss to her daddy's cheek before running to me.

"Pretty girl," I sighed, scooping her up and kissing her sweet puckered lips. "How was the first day?"

Both girls started talking at once. I caught things about recess, snack time, reading stories, naps, different children, and even something about an art project, but their excited chatter went on until Sarah arrived to pick up Abby. It continued all the way out to the parking lot, and we could barely separate the two in order to get into our cars.

"And the first graders get their own desks," Bethy continued once we were in the Volvo, causing Edward to chuckle and give me a pointed look, because we'd known she would be like this on the way home. "But we don't," she said, sounding disappointed. "We have big round tables, and Abby's sits wif me."

"Desks, huh?" Edward verified, but I could see the wheels turning in his mind. He hadn't had a new wood project since Sammy's trundle bed. He turned to me. "Could one fit in her room?"

I shrugged. "Not too big. And I think Alice is working on some sort of computer situation for her. You'll have to measure, though."

Of course, Bethy heard nothing of that, because she was still trying to get every second of her first day out to us. In fact, Edward didn't seem to want to let it end, so he stopped downtown.

"My girls need ice cream," he stated, giving me a sweet as hell grin. "I think the survival of the first day of kindergarten deserves strawberry ice cream."

"Yay!" Bethy cheered, letting him pull her from the back seat.

He didn't set her down, though. He kept her in his arms all the way to Miss Gladys' ice cream shop, held her during the ordering process, and set her on his lap when we made our way to a park bench across the street. Edward was showing off his girls as he had a tendency to do. But he was also about to ask a really important question.

"Did Todd make fun of you all day?" he asked her, taking her cone from her and licking it to keep it from dripping on him.

"No," she told him, shaking her head. "He's in first grade. He heard me on the pwaygwound after school."

Edward nodded, but asked another question. "How was your stutter?"

"Okay," she answered with a shrug, her attention on her treat more than his face as he wrapped a tendril of her hair around his finger gently. "I did it one time in class when I answered Miss Gardner. And one time outside." Her eyes met his. "There's a boy in class that does it, too. Colin. He's nice."

Edward smiled and nodded slowly. "Good, little sweetness. It's good you aren't the only one. No one is perfect, baby. I've told you that before."

"Colin was nervous, but he sat wif Abby and me," she told him, and I could see that she had done what Bethy always did. She'd protected this little boy, despite – or because of – the fact that they both had the same problem.

And that seemed to settle Edward down immediately. If no one in her class was picking on her and she wasn't upset, then all was right in the world with Daddy.

At one point, she clambered into my lap, telling me all about her classroom and work and how she thought Miss Gardner was a nice teacher, but not as nice as Mrs. Cope. As she spoke, I watched as the baby I'd had slowly slipped away. She was a big girl now. And that caused me to cup her face and kiss her forehead.

She'd turned into an amazing blend of Edward and me. She was outgoing, accepting of others, and so very curious – like me. She was also strong-willed, tough, and just a touch insecure – just like Edward. Her big, beautiful green eyes were the same shade as his, but they were bright and sparkling with mischief as she held up her cone for her dad to lick from it.

Warm lips pressed to my temple, and then to Bethy's as she handed over what she couldn't eat of her ice cream cone to her dad, who tossed the whole thing in his mouth at one time just to hear her giggle.

"I love you both so much. Did you know that?" he asked us, grinning when we scoffed at him.

"Yeah!" we both sang back to him, causing a laugh to bark out of him.

"Good," he growled dramatically back at us, standing up and throwing away our garbage. "Let's get home." He turned to his daughter. "What's for dinner, Bethy? Your pick."

She didn't even have to think about it. The answer came instantly. "Chilwi dawgs!"

Edward grinned, and I kissed his cheek once I stood up with Bethy in my arms, because he just looked so fucking happy at the moment.

"Chili dogs, it is. Sammy will be pleased," he chuckled, wrapping an arm around us and leading us back to the car.

~oOo~

"Edward, it's good to see you again," a rather disheveled older man in a security uniform gushed, shaking my husband's hand.

"Ronald," Edward greeted, giving the back entrance of the TV station a sharp glance around. "Are they ready for her?"

"We've got a dressing room ready until it's time for her to go on," Ronald answered, his eyes drifting past Edward to me, Mickey, Alec, and Gator. They finally settled on Carlisle and Kyra as they emerged from the SUV.

Cassie was still in the car, because she'd been arguing all morning with the producer of the video Kyra needed to make.

"I'm telling you, if I don't have an entire employee list, a set schedule of what we're doing, and where it's going to be shot in my possession by the end of the day, this video isn't happening. Carlisle Cullen says we'll shoot it live on stage and use that instead. Okay?" she snapped into her cell phone while she still sat in the back seat.

Mickey and I chuckled, because despite Cassie's quiet demeanor, she was tough as nails at doing her job. We liked her. A lot. She'd proven herself time and time again, trying her damnedest to get Kyra under control, pump her for information, and communicate all of that back to us. She wanted her boss, her best friend to be safe, and she was willing to work with us to get that accomplished. The poor thing was so used to the spoiled diva that she was just about the only one that could step in and be a wall of explanation. We relied upon her heavily.

Mickey leaned in the car, whispering, "Let Rose call them. That'll light a fire under their asses."

Cassie grinned and nodded fervently, finally ending the call with, "Never mind. I'll just have my head of security call you this afternoon to check in on your progress."

"Bellissima," Alec crooned, giving me his sweet smile when I turned to him. He held out his hand, and it was filled with earpieces. "Alice has requested that everyone take one, including Cassie."

"Oh, gotcha," I said, grabbing them. I handed one to Mickey, and then turned to Cassie. "Ever worn one?"

"No," she admitted, looking a touch nervous.

"Okay, well, they fit like a Bluetooth in your ear, and they kind of work the same. You'll be able to hear everything that we say, but for us to be able to hear you, just touch it here," I instructed, helping her figure out how to work it. "The difference is that it's radio. We're connected back to the office to Rose, Mack, and Alice. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah," she gushed with a smile and a nod, tucking the thing in her ear, as we both turned our attention to Edward.

"Everyone, this is Ronald. He's head of security at the TV station. He's going to be working with us for the next couple of hours while we're here." He turned to Ronald, giving everyone's name. "Alec and myself will be at the back of the audience posted at those two main entrances. Bella and Mickey will be on either side of the stage, and Cassie will be with them. Gator will take the very front of the building, while my father oversees the backstage. Are we clear?"

"Crystal, sir," Ronald stated with a smile. "Let's get Miss Bailey to her dressing room."

Navigating the backstage of the TV station was interesting. It was endless wires, bustling people, moving cameras, nonsensical chatter, and winding hallways. We passed a news set, a cooking show set, and finally ended up at the morning talk show set, where Kyra would be giving an interview.

"I'll take this side," Mickey murmured to me, "and I'll keep Cassie with me."

I nodded, glancing across the stage to the opposite side. It was dark, but I'd have a better view of the interview and the area close to the stage. I glanced out over the empty chairs where the audience would be, noting to myself that I'd be able to see Edward's and Alec's positions just fine from there, as well.

"We'll be going over Kyra's stay in Seattle, her upcoming album, and some of her history," a woman with a large headset and a clipboard babbled to Cassie. "The whole interview will probably only take about fifteen minutes."

Cassie scanned over the questions, nodded, and then handed them over to me. They seemed to be the normal shit – how she was liking the Pacific Northwest, what direction the new album would take, and some personal questions. I nodded, handing it back to Cassie and making my way through the maze to find the dressing rooms.

But instead, I found Kyra up to no good.

"Aren't you going to check out my dressing room with me, Edward?" she purred, leaning closer to him.

He leaned back, almost as if she smelled bad, and I shook my head. She'd been pushing her limits with him and me for the past few days. She thought she was getting away with what Cassie tried to say was harmless flirting, but I had started to see it for what it really was. She wanted what Emmett would say as "get backs." Edward had repeatedly turned her down from the ending of their time in Afghanistan, to even more so now. She wanted him because he told her no. I'd have been willing to bet had he ever given in, she'd drop him like a bad habit, because she would've achieved what she'd wanted. Closure. Something about his rejection of her bugged the ever-loving piss out of her. And she was just tenacious enough to keep fucking trying. I imagined she thought that eventually, Edward would give in. It wasn't going to happen.

"I've got this," I barked, pulling my gun from my shoulder holster, making them both jump, and locking my eyes with Kyra as I checked the chamber, popped the clip, and engaged it – all in front of her fucking face. "Let's go, Kyra," I commanded, not even having the time nor the patience to look anywhere other than her slightly frightened expression. I slammed open the door of the dressing room, giving it a brief sweep, and turned back to her. "Clear," I sneered, closing the door and leaning back against it. "Now... get your fucking ass dressed."

I raised an eyebrow at her, fucking daring her to say something, but she didn't.

Mickey's maniacal laughter met my ear through my earpiece. "Don't kill her here, Bellsy. Too many witnesses."

"And don't take naked pictures of her, either, Bellissima. Because you know that Alice will post that shit on the internet," Alec chuckled.

"Don't. Tempt. Me," I murmured back as Kyra nervously started getting ready.

That statement earned laughter from everyone over the radio, including my girls back at the office.

"I wouldn't have done it, sweetness," Edward stated.

"I know," I sighed, rolling my eyes. The poor thing caught no breaks from her. At all.

By the time she was dressed, the station had sent in their hair and makeup people and the show's director called for her, Kyra was calmer. She was getting herself into a mind-set for this interview. And I could imagine from some of her earlier statements that she didn't particularly care for this part of her career. It took away from her true calling and talent – singing and performing – to have to stop, be a certain way on screen for others to see, and promote herself.

Just before she left the dressing room, I finally had to give her a warning. "I know what you're doing," I sneered softly, grabbing ahold of her arm. "It won't work. Back the fuck off, or you'll find yourself in a world of fucking hurt. Got me?" Her eyes widened, but I went on. "You're a fool if you think he doesn't tell me about each and every pathetic attempt. You're an even bigger fool to try it here," I said, tapping my ear, because she hadn't realized I could hear her over Edward's headset. "But what makes you the biggest fool of all is thinking that you can take him from his family. He's moved on; you should, too."

With that said, I jerked open the door to find Carlisle standing there, his face expressionless as I shoved a quiet and shocked Kyra at him.

"She's ready," I snapped, walking away from them to take my place at the side stage.

Everyone knew better than to tease me at this point, so the radio was quiet, except for a few muttered instructions from Alec and Mickey. Not even my girls said anything. They knew I'd tried and tried and fucking tried to overlook Kyra's actions, due to her scary situation, but there was only so much disrespect a wife could take when it came to someone flirting with their husband. They knew if I'd reached the point of actually calling her out on it, I was about five seconds from knocking the pretty woman's teeth down her throat.

The host introduced Kyra, who was greeted by loud cheers from the audience. The interview started pretty much like every other interview of a famous person I'd seen. Kyra was asked how she was liking Seattle, and she said that the weather was different than LA, but that she was getting used to it. She was asked about upcoming shows, the new album, and what fans could look forward to in the future. All were answered gracefully by the singer, because she seemed to be quite proud of her new work.

But it was when the interviewer – some pompous journalist wannabe – paused and gave her a smirk that I started to worry.

"Now Kyra," the woman gushed dramatically, "why don't you tell about this new man you've been seen with around town."

I groaned, because up on the large screen was the photo of Edward and Kyra from the first recording session. It showed him guiding her to the SUV out the back of the bakery.

"Fuck," I hissed, shaking my head. "Cassie, did you know about this?" I muttered softly, and from across the stage, a shocked Cassie shook her head slowly, her eyes wide, because another photo popped up on the screen.

"Oh, fucking hell," Mickey gasped as I took in the picture on the screen.

It was hard to tell the background due to the blurriness, but the forefront of the picture was perfectly clear. Edward and Kyra were wrapped in an embrace, a wickedly sexy smile planted on my husband's features as a laughing Kyra caressed his bare chest. Kyra had one arm around his neck, his hands planted on her waist. Clothes, surroundings, lighting were all a blur, but their bodies from the hips up were crystal clear. They thought they'd been alone at the moment.

What the audience couldn't tell, what the interviewer didn't know, was that I knew every fucking inch of that man in the picture, and I could tell that there was something off about it.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," I seethed, pushing away from my spot by the stage, a few stagehands giving me a side glance.

"Bella, I didn't..." Edward started, but was immediately cut off by Alice.

"Stop, stop, stop!" she commanded in our ears. "That photo's been fucked with."

"I know it has," I growled through gritted teeth. "That date couldn't possibly be right, though it does match up with when Edward took Kyra to that emergency recording session alone," I added, walking around the back of the stage as Kyra gave some nonsense answer to the question, because I don't think even she was prepared for that shit.

"Why do you say that?" Rose asked.

"Look at that fucking picture! You all know him. What's missing?" I yelled, slamming the dressing room door in order to get some privacy.

"Oh hell, the Cullen crest," Edward breathed. "Sweetness...that's from... Baby, it's from back then, not now. I don't know how, but..."

"I know," I said, pacing in the room and trying to think, but the sight of that picture had me reeling due to my already fragile temper with Kyra. "There is only one single star on your chest in that photograph. You have four now, and even though her hand is covering it, the crest on your arm would still show. It isn't. That's an old picture, but someone changed the date. Why?" I practically yelled, glaring at the TV monitor in the dressing room.

"I don't know, love. But I fucking swear to you that I didn't touch her!" Edward said, and I could hear him rushing through the crowd to get back to me.

"I know you didn't," I scoffed, trusting that man with my entire being. I looked up when Cassie poked her head in the door.

The poor thing was white as a fucking sheet when she closed the door behind her. "We need to talk."

"Not now, Cassie," I sighed, because I had this fucked up feeling that she was going to defend this shit.

"Yes! Now!" she hissed, walking to me, and I stopped pacing in front of her, because she looked determined, and yet scared shitless.

"What is it?"

"We have to go!" she stated, looking around and back to me. "I know that picture. And it isn't from now. It's from the USO tour."

We both glanced up when Edward blew in through the door, but Cassie didn't stop.

"I took it," she admitted, shrugging a shoulder.

"Well, then who the fuck did you give it to?" Edward snapped, stalking closer. He was raging pissed, practically puffing up with his temper, but I placed a hand on his chest to settle him down – or at least stop him from scaring the shit out of her.

"I didn't. That's the problem." Cassie rubbed her face, and then turned back to me. "Someone stole it. And I know where they got it!"

"Where?" Edward and I asked at the same time.

"Not here," she hissed, looking around. "We'll need Alice."

"Fine," I snapped, pointing toward the door, but barking orders over the radio. "Alice...I want everything that picture can fucking tell you. I want to know who the fuck sent it and to whom at this station. I want it all."

"On it, on it, on it," she chanted. "Now... get your asses out of there, because if they were smart enough to do this, then they may still be around. And if they are still there, then they're definitely fucking watching your reactions right now."

The whole crew met in the hallway, our eyes wide with that last thing, but Alice knew criminal behavior better than anyone, so we trusted her.

Edward was the first to move. "Ten-four, Alice. We're on our way."

A/N... Yeah, small cliffie, but you guys can handle it. :)

Bella let a bit of her control slip there, huh? And Daddy/Mercward is too cute to resist sometimes. LOL

I think the next chapter will interest all of you. You see exactly what happens at the TV station, and everyone's reactions on the way home. Plus a little more info...the team starts to put some pieces together. And I really think what you guys have truly been waiting for will come to pass. LOL

Okay huge thanks to JenRar for beta'ing this for me. 'Mooches to GooberLou, who really wanted Bella to end that warning to Kyra with an open handed smack. And to MedusaInNY for all things to do with my blog, and who is a baking whirlwind for the holidays. Much love to all of you.

Chapter 9 is done, beta'd and ready to go, so Wed will be the next posting. Right now I'm battling the beginnings of a cold, so the posting schedule after Wed is up in the air. Sorry guys, but I'll do my best to keep up. Let me hear it all. Until Wed... Later.