A/N...It was an interesting split between you all concerning Bella and Edward's argument. Some of you were grateful for Carlisle's...um...interruption, but others felt that Bella had been just as nasty. I suppose you're both right. But it happens...
This first part wasn't easy to write. I've never delved into the mind of a 3yr old before, so it took a few tries and several rewrites. Like I said, it's not something that will happen very often, but I wanted you to see another side to this story. And you'll see that our girl is...tough.
Oh...I want it noted that I'm not a doctor, so any mistakes are just those...mistakes. Lilith is a monster...let's just leave it at that.
I'll let you get on with it...I see you at the bottom...
CHAPTER 6
BETHY
The light was bright when someone turned it on, and I jumped and covered my eyes with my hands.
"Get up, you brats," the mean man yelled. He was the man from the farm, who was there when I wanted to ride the horse, and the car ride to where we were now. He wasn't nice at all.
I tried hard not to cry, because the last time Abby and I did, it made the mean man so angry at us. He yelled and took away our dinner. The lady had to make him put away his gun. Guns were dangerous. I knew that, 'cause Daddy said so.
"Jesus, Kenny, could you be more of an ass?" the other man asked, pushing him away. "Go pack your shit."
I sat up in bed next to Abby. I was still sleepy, because I didn't like strange beds. I liked it when my mommy and daddy woke me up or when I could wake them up. I missed them. I wanted Mommy's hugs and Daddy's breakfast.
Abby wiggled away from them, closer to me. "Don't t-touch!" I told him, because Mommy always told me no one could touch me if I didn't want them to.
Kenny went back to the room next door and left us with the man with black hair like Aunt Alice. This man wasn't as mean as Kenny. I didn't like him at all.
"Fine, I won't touch," he said, holding up his hands and rolling his eyes. "But we gotta get going, so up. Outta bed."
Abby tugged my shirt. "Potty," she whispered.
"Yeah, yeah, potty," the man said. "Go on...the both of ya."
We ran to the bathroom and closed the door.
Abby helped me with my overalls and whispered, "I wanna go home."
"My daddy and mommy will come," I whispered back. "'Cause I'm not suh-posed to be away from home, except at Poppy's house. And he's wif Gamma on their hummy-moon."
We washed our hands in the sink and came back out into the room. The black-haired man was eating a doughnut.
"Ready now?" he asked, after taking a great big bite.
"Don't t-talk wif your m-mouth full," I told him. "Y-You'll ch-choke."
"God, kid, gimme a break, will ya?" he sighed, kneeling down in front us. "I don't like this shit any more than you do, okay? Hang in there for me."
"I want my daddy," I told him, folding my arms across my chest, because my daddy would never like these people. "And you said a bad word."
"Believe me, much longer with Lilith, and I'll want your daddy," he chuckled, holding out two doughnuts to me and Abby. "We have a place we gotta go, kids. Just...eat for me. It'll be over soon." He stood up when we took our breakfast. "How we got through group therapy together, I'll never know."
"Mister..." I said, tugging on his shirt until he knelt in front of me again.
"Kurt, Bethy, okay? You can use my name," he sighed, shaking his head. "It won't make a difference."
"K-Kurt...where are we going?" I asked.
His nose wrinkled kind of funny. "We're going to see if your mommy and daddy think you're worth a lot of money. But it's a long car ride to get there."
I smiled. "Mommy says I'm priceless."
Kurt snickered and nodded. "Sure, kid. Let's hope so."
~oOo~
BELLA
I lightly brushed an errant curl from Edward's forehead. He hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours, and had finally succumbed to his weariness about an hour after he'd had Alice play Bethy's voice for me. He was right; our girl was tough, but she was scared, sounding almost belligerent with the people that were holding her. It happened when she was tired, scared, and uncomfortable with her surroundings. If she didn't like someone, she didn't hold back. And that thought scared the fucking hell out of me, because when the hostage didn't exactly cooperate, the kidnappers tended to lose their patience – and I should know.
Edward sighed, shifting in his sleep, and I looked down at him.
Was I still mad at him? No, I needed him and loved him too much to hold anything against him. Had what he'd said hurt me? Absolutely, but everything we'd spat at each other was only said in the heat of the moment – with our hearts hurting – and it wasn't anything I wasn't already berating myself over. Fighting wasn't exactly foreign to Edward and me, but we'd always apologized at the end of it, and always moved on. Sometimes, our thick-headed natures didn't always mesh. We were strong people independently from each other, but together, we were just...better. We'd forgotten that in the blink of an eye.
It helped that I just knew Edward. I could see what he was doing, see that he was putting up defensive walls. It had just been so long since the last time he'd done that with me that I'd totally forgotten how to deal with it. It didn't help that I was folding in on myself, either.
The house was quiet again. There had been no word from Lilith, no phone calls, and most of our crew and friends were taking advantage of either a few hours sleep or the chance to go home and freshen up. Carlisle, Esme, and Alice were still here, the latter of which finally took a break, let me feed her, shove her in a shower, and force a nap on her. But she didn't stay down long, launching herself up from the sofa to go back to her computers.
Emmett and Rose were on their way back from their house. They went to get Caleb from Rose's parents. I'd already set up the spare room for them, including Bethy's old crib. They'd balked at first, because they thought Carlisle and Esme would need the room, but Carlisle opted to catnap when he could, and Esme said she'd sleep later in my bed, once Edward woke up.
Sam and Alec had gone to the airport to pick up Eleazar, Eric, and Felix, a thought that just made me shake my head. My whole house was turning into a military base. So much help was pouring in, and – as of right this moment – there was nowhere to direct it.
Wes and Benny split their time in the office and out in the field. Benny paid a visit to Mrs. Carmichael, just to check in, just to show that he was investigating Abby's disappearance, but he didn't give her much information. I could imagine she was having a worse time of it than Edward and I were, because at least we knew something. She was completely in the dark – and being a single parent, she was utterly alone.
The lab results came in from everything the Feds had found at the campgrounds, the bathroom at the farm, and the SUV that Lilith's men had dumped in Olympia. All the fingerprints confirmed who we had assumed we were dealing with – Kurt Vernon, Kenny Porter, Rusty Carnes, and Lilith Laray. The only one we couldn't tie in yet was Walter Bridges, the young doctor from Shady Glen.
It was already late in the afternoon, but Wes had decided to pay the mental facility a visit himself. He was having a chat with Dr. Vernon about his son – Kurt – and Lilith, and I was pretty sure Wes wasn't going to be kind about it, because he was nothing if not pissed about this whole fucking case. Dr. Vernon and Dr. Bridges were the only employees at that facility that had thrown up red flags when Alice and Makenna had poured through the files.
With one last kiss to Edward's smooth brow, I slid off the bed, took a quick shower, and got dressed. I tiptoed through my living room, trying my damnedest not to giggle at a cuddling Carlisle and Esme asleep in front on my TV. They were taking up the whole sofa. I knew they were tired from traveling and grief at the loss of Bethy, not to mention having to come in and play refs between Edward and me, so I stayed quiet as I passed by.
I walked straight out to the office, finding it almost empty, except for Alice and a snoozing Jasper in one of the conference table chairs. His feet were up on the table and his head was back, a soft snore escaping him every other breath.
"Wake him, and I'll cheerfully beat you," Alice snickered, handing me a cup of coffee. "He rarely sleeps as it is."
"Yeah, Edward just crashed, too," I told her, following her back into her office. "Anything?"
"Wes just checked in. He's at Shady Glen," she said, pulling up a spreadsheet on her screen. "I'm still looking into hotels around the Portland and Olympia areas. I'm not having much luck, because if one person checked them in and someone else snuck the girls into the room, then no one is going to match the descriptions I'm sending them – which is the dead end I'm running into." She took a sip of coffee and sighed. "Are you and Edward okay?"
"Yes," I told her. "We just..."
"Lost it," she finished for me. "It's understandable, really. But I was considering removing his balls forcefully and mounting them over my computers like a trophy."
I grinned, nudging her with my elbow. "I'd like to keep him in one piece, pixie," I giggled, but sobered up quickly. "He loves Bethy so much. She's his little mini me, you know?" I started, and Alice nodded for me to go on. "And remember, he's always panicked when it came to my safety since the beginning – you know, Miller. I just think the combination of me getting hurt, Bethy getting taken, and his inability to stop any of it was just too much for him."
"You expected it," she stated, looking at me intently.
"I don't know what to expect, Alice," I sighed, shaking my head and looking down at my cup of coffee. "I just know we need to get my baby back, and I can't imagine how Edward felt when he watched Bethy drive away." I teared up for a second, leaning into Alice when she wrapped an arm around me.
"And what's going to happen if Lilith wants you in trade?" Alice asked in a whisper, because that had been the one thing Edward had held back from me.
Once he'd told me Benny's theory, I'd accepted it, but I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I really wasn't sure I trusted Lilith to make that kind of request. The bitch was crazier than a shit-house rat. I'd been in captivity before and it was the worst of the worst, so anything else seemed mild in comparison.
"If I'm prepared, I could do it. The goal is to get the girls back, right?" I asked her.
She stared at me for a moment, and then back at her screens, before jumping up from her seat to start pacing. "Okay, okay, okay," she muttered, rubbing her forehead. "We could...send you in packing...well, everything. I could rig your clothes with small knives, lock picks, and GPS trackers. I could mark the money in a way they wouldn't see..." She paused, turning to me. "I could put it all on you in places that no one pats down. And with this group of nut jobs and criminals, they'll never suspect it."
I smirked up at her. "Good to know, Alice. Just...hold onto that thought, okay?"
She smiled and nodded, sitting back down next to me. "Okay. No prob."
One of the computers signaled with an incoming email, and Alice glanced up at it, a small smile spreading over her face. "Well, looky here," she sang softly, pulling up the message. "It seems our dear friend Dr. Walter Bridges is a no show at home and work. Thank you, Wes," she whispered to the screen.
"Walter's parents have money, right?" I asked, pulling a keyboard closer to me. "Let's see what property they own. Just because they've cut the purse strings, doesn't mean he still can't use Mom and Dad another way."
I pulled up a search, inputting in Walter's parents' names. The list that pulled up was long and included several states.
"Well," I huffed, scrolling through the list. "They reside most of the time in Portland. You know, just the simple three-point-two million dollar home, guard gate, four car garage, swimming pool..."
Alice giggled, looking over my shoulder. "Must suck. What else?"
"A beach cottage in California...a few strip malls...an apartment building in Seattle," I read off the list. The last one made me look over at her. "That address looks familiar. Pull it up."
"I don't have to," Alice stated, pointing to the file in front of her. "That's the apartment that both Kurt and Lilith were supposedly moving to." She glanced back up at me. "Dear Dr. Walter was their reference for moving in..."
"Imagine that," I mumbled, moving on down the list. "Next, there's a cabin in the preserve of Oregon...and a warehouse just this side of the California state line. Well, now..." I mused, rubbing my temple. "Those two are certainly something to look into. Don't you think?" I asked, and Alice nodded, but we both looked up when someone joined us.
"Definitely," Carlisle said in answer to my question, coming in and sitting next to us.
"You looked awfully cute on my couch, Carlisle," I teased him without taking my eyes off the computer screen.
He chuckled, kissing the side of my head. "I've slept in worse places, Bella. How are you feeling?"
I turned to look at him. He was asking about more than the bump on my head; he was asking about his son, as well.
When he'd shown up in my room just after Edward and I exploded, I'd never been so glad to see him. I'd fallen into his arms, emotionally spent. He'd held me tight, whispering that he was sorry about Bethy, that Edward didn't mean it, that his son was more like him than he'd like to admit. He'd reminded me of Elizabeth's letter that Edward had read at the wedding, about how Carlisle had been gruff and sharp tongued. He'd said it wasn't right what Edward did, but tempers were apparently genetic. And the last thing he'd said to me was that he'd die finding Bethy for me – for us all.
"Better," I answered him honestly with a nod. "And did you have to punch him in the freakin' face, Carlisle?" I queried, cocking an eyebrow up at my godfather.
"Yes," he stated firmly. "Consider it like a slap to someone who was in hysterics, Bells. He needed to be brought back to his senses, because that's not who my son is...now." His statement was followed by his own raised eyebrow, and I realized that Carlisle truly loved his son and only wanted to see him happy, but he also needed his son in control in order to find Bethy. And despite his calm demeanor, Bethy's kidnapping was just about to drive her Poppy insane.
I leaned over, kissing his cheek. "He is finally getting some sleep, but next time, just...smack him upside the head or some shit. Don't make him bleed," I sighed, pulling back.
"There won't be a next time," he snorted.
As Alice and I manned the computers, the place started to fill back up with people. Where I was going to put them all, I had no idea, but they didn't seem to care. In fact, Alec and Sam set up some temporary tents in the open space between the house and office once they came back with Eleazar, placing a few military type cots inside so someone could take a break if they needed. They even went as far as relieving some of the Feds that were still keeping an eye around the property.
Carlisle allowed a few minutes of greetings, but eventually took the three CIA men into the conference room to bring them up to speed. I could hear him in the other room, going over every name and face and location we'd already looked through – everything that was posted on the board. I was pretty sure the layout of Lafayette's farm was up there, showing where the campsite was located, along with Edward's path toward the 101.
I found that working, that studying files and lists, evidence and backgrounds, was soothing. Actually doing something, instead of sitting around in misery, gave me a chance to focus, to calm down for a bit.
By the time Wes had returned from Shady Glen and Benny had returned from Mrs. Carmichael's and his office, night had fallen, and Esme, along with Alec, decided to feed the masses. Emmett and Jasper set up our three long outdoor tables Edward had made so long ago, and even some of Benny's officers took a break to eat.
I poked at my food, not really wanting it. It was hotdogs from the grill with all the fixings, and it happened to be Bethy's favorite, because she loved her dad's chili, which Alec had found in the freezer. I couldn't help but smile at how messy she'd get trying to take a bite, spilling half the contents down her front and wearing the other half on her face.
A gentle, but warm kiss pressed to my shoulder as Edward's warm body slipped onto the bench beside me, though he straddled it in order to pull me into his arms.
"She'll be mad she missed chili dogs," he said softly, so only I could hear him. The table became tense at his arrival, but we ignored them.
I nodded, pushing my plate away that Esme had made me, and leaned into him. His strong arms engulfed me completely, and he smelled fresh from the shower, like shampoo and soap. He was calmer now, rested, and he felt like home and comfort and strength. Tears stung my eyes as I fed off of it, burying my face in his chest.
"Baby, please eat," he begged. "You need... I know it's my fault...but please, at least eat something." He lifted my face with his fingers under my chin. "Try, okay? For me? I know I d-don't d-deserve shit from y-you, but I need you to stay strong, love."
His nose was a touch swollen and slightly bruised, giving him a wrecked and dangerous look. His eyes were earnest and a touch contrite, all bright green and not as tired looking as they had been before his nap, but I finally heard what I'd needed from him since Bethy had been taken – his complete honesty, topped off with his in-control tone. I needed that Edward – my Edward. The Edward that was able to fight like a lion, while at the same time holding me with strong, yet gentle arms, telling me that everything would be all right.
"I can't...the chili, Edward," I complained, looking at my plate and back to him. It wasn't the chili; it was the memory of Bethy's love for the chili. It just made my soul hurt that she wasn't there.
"Then I'll make you a plain one, okay?" he whispered, and once again, I realized we were having this conversation in front of a shit-ton of people, but then again...we weren't, because they were giving us this private moment.
"Okay," I finally conceded softly, watching him get up, make three hotdogs, only to bring me back one with just ketchup and mustard.
He resumed his former position, keeping me close to his chest and between his legs, but silently urging me to eat by setting the hotdog on a clean paper plate in front of me. It was a sweet, gentle request, but one that was not to be ignored, so I took a tentative bite, though it tasted like cardboard. Swallowing it was like swallowing sand, but I ate the damn thing anyway.
A file slapped down in the middle of the table, and Benny took a seat across from us, but it was the looming presence of Sam behind him that Edward's fierce gaze locked on. Sam was pissed, and I knew what he was about to say.
"Sam, don't," I said, glaring up at him, but also mentally begging him not to start with Edward, because I wasn't sure if either would back down at this point. There was too much stress and frustration floating around everyone.
"Little one, he..." he started, his fists opening and closing over and over at his side. Sam didn't scare me, because I could see his protective nature when it came to me, but it just wasn't necessary.
"Sam," Carlisle warned, looking up from his position at the head of the table. "That's my son...I handled it."
"Eddie," Sam seethed, ignoring Carlisle altogether, "I will break more than your nose if you don't learn respect for the mother of your child. Am I clear? From what I could tell, she did nothing wrong...but she did almost get her neck broken..."
Edward tensed, his fingers gripping the side of the table, but I watched as he calmed himself down minutely. "Crystal clear, Sam. It won't...happen again." His voice was thick with his vow, his temper barely under control, but I wriggled closer to my husband in order to get his attention, because Sam didn't look appeased.
"Stop!" I commanded. Though my voice wasn't that loud, the table came to a standstill. "I can't do this..." I begged, looking to Carlisle, and then Benny. "I'm barely keeping it together as it is. Please! I need this..." I gestured to everyone at the table. "I need this to function together. Otherwise, I'll lose it."
"Good girl," Esme praised softly from the other side of Rose, who was sitting next to me with little Caleb in her arms.
"There's way too much fucking testosterone around here for my liking," Mickey stated suddenly with a dramatic sniff from the opposite end, looking around the table, and Obie tensed – waiting for her temper to explode, I supposed. "Everyone needs to calm the fuck down, or we'll never get anything done. Pretty boy!" she called, and he spun to look at her. "You okay now?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "You let off some steam, I see. Bells, you okay, too?"
"Yeah," Edward and I both said at the same time.
"See? That's all that matters," she said, smiling her sarcastically crooked, but beautiful smile. "It's not about you guys...it's between them. This is some scary fucking shit, and they're allowed to lose it, and if they've worked shit out, then I'm okay. Benny, please continue," she huffed, waving at the file he'd slapped onto the table. "I'm sure we could all learn from whatever you've brought."
Rose chuckled softly next to me. "Better words could not have been spoken," she chortled, shaking her head and kissing Caleb's forehead. He was happily asleep in her arms.
Carlisle fought his smile and won, but opted to focus on his plate, instead of the people at the table. Makenna gave Alice a fist bump on the sly, but I totally saw it. And Jasper smirked, shaking his head. Emmett didn't look as placated as the rest of the table, but this was my family, my crew. We fought, we stated our opinions, and then we got over it.
Sam stared at Mickey for a split second, only to turn his attention to Edward and me. "Sorry, Miss Bella," he mumbled, before taking a seat.
Edward huffed a small nervous laugh, kissing the side of my head. "Yeah, sorry, baby," he whispered to me.
"Me, too." I nodded, linking our fingers together and turning my attention to Benny, who was clearing his throat.
"Wes was able to get some information out of Dr. Vernon that I think you'll all find interesting," he stated, setting his hotdog down when Wes took over explaining.
"The very second Cooper and I walked into Shady Glen, that head doc started sweating bullets," he chuckled, shaking his head, but turned to look at Alice. "That repayment on his mortgage?" he asked, and she nodded, wide eyed and expectant. "He's embezzling money from the insurance companies of the patients."
"Stop it!" she gasped, practically choking on her soda. "So...what? He's charging the insurance companies for treatments he's not giving the patients?"
"Treatments and meds...and rooms..." he finished for her. "It's fucking ridiculous, that place. Two person rooms have four beds, patients are on the wrong meds – or watered down versions of what they should be on – and the staff is neglecting health and cleanliness issues. I brought in my psych team, a warrant, and basically took over, but another FBI division was already building a case against the whole joint. I arrested Dr. Vernon for the theft, and I've got a crew there now to evaluate each and every patient."
"What about Lilith?" I asked, glancing between Benny and Wes. "Since we're talking about patients..."
"She never should have left," Wes groaned, shaking his head. "I asked Vernon about her and his son, not to mention Dr. Bridges. Dr. Vernon opened up like the best of books." He chuckled, shaking his head again. "He confessed to everything like I was his priest. He told me Kurt found out about the money, and Lilith overheard an argument between them. She took that shit to Dr. Bridges." He paused for a moment and took at deep breath. "Walter and Lilith...they're..."
"Lovers," I sneered, shaking my head when he nodded. "So...let me guess," I sighed, sitting forward a bit. "In order to cover up their affair and release Lilith from Shady Glen, they blackmailed Dr. Vernon. Walter Bridges is backing her on the kidnapping and extortion. He's fucking helping her."
"Right in one, Bells," Wes stated with a smile. "Vernon forged all the paperwork, fully aware what he was releasing out into the public, because he went in and changed her medical history, as well." He pulled out a few pages from his file folder, laying it at my fingertips. "She's a sociopath, with no conscience, no hope for ever being a normal human being. No medication will make that better. Dr. Vernon, who was a decent doctor at one time, said it stemmed from her abusive childhood, but the loss of Bree, and then Ashley, was her breaking point. It caused something in her to become...unhinged."
"She let that baby drown!" I snapped, practically shaking. "She let Ashley roam the streets of a crime riddled neighborhood!"
"Easy, sweetness," Edward soothed, twirling my ponytail around his hand, finally resting it on the back of my neck. "Wes, there has to be more to it than that."
Wes nodded, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Dr. Vernon said the combination of her chemical imbalance prior to the deaths of her daughters, combined with the narcotics she was partaking in at the time, caused her to lose grip on reality," he stated, reading it off of Lilith's true medical history. "By the time Bella told her about Ashley's death, she was battling her addictions and mental illness pretty hard."
"It was my fault," I breathed, shaking my head in shame. "I just..."
"Added fuel to the fire," Wes concluded for me. "Yeah, but Bella...Dr. Vernon said they'd been waiting for her to have a psychotic break at that point. They saw it coming. Look," he said, tossing the pages in front of me.
Edward and I read the doctor's notes. Lilith had indeed been biding her time, telling them what she thought they wanted to hear. She was pretending to get better, taking her meds, acting like the model patient, but she was anything but getting better. Dr. Vernon even noted that he saw through her attempts and that he was considering another, more aggressive type of therapy to see if she would have some sort of breakthrough. His fear at the time was that if she was ever released, she'd become a threat to society.
They actually saw my visit as a positive thing, because they were able to really break her down to the basics to try and build her back up. He really wanted to help her get better. However, that all started to change once a Dr. Walter Bridges took over for the group therapy sessions she attended three times a week.
Wes said Dr. Vernon saw it all, but unfortunately, he was unable to finish what he started, because his illegal activities were found out by his son. In order to save his own ass, he had no alternative but to change the status of her medical file, declare her sane, and release her; otherwise, he would have been in a shitload of trouble – which clearly, he now was.
"In all reality, Bella," Wes continued with a deep sigh, "if Walter Bridges hadn't come along, none of this would be happening. It was his questions, his dredging up of the past that got Lilith thinking about you again."
"And she saw us on TV," Edward concluded in a subdued voice.
"Probably," Benny said with a nod. "At least, that's how we assume she found you, but that's what I wanted to talk to you two about." He pointed a finger at Edward and me. "I'd like to see how Lilith reacts if Edward takes the next call."
I pulled back from Edward to look up into his concerned face as he said, "I really don't want to piss this bitch off, Ben. If it's Bella that she..."
"I know," Benny interrupted, holding up his hand to stop him. "But if she thinks someone else holds the key to the money, then she may be willing to negotiate quicker."
"Or she may get pissed off and hurt those girls, Ben!" Edward countered, trying really hard to maintain his fear and his temper.
I winced, but turned Edward's face to mine. "Hey, I can answer if she freaks out," I said, shrugging one shoulder, "or we can both talk to her. She's mad at me, but she felt she could approach you."
"I can't fuck this up," Edward whispered, but it was heard loud and clear around the table. He shook his head, running a hand through his still damp hair.
"We won't let you," Benny stated with a shake of his head. "Ed, this is what I do. Please just trust me on this. If I think we're about to lose her on the phone, we'll let Bella take the call back over, but I honestly think because she's not truly upset with you in general, she'd be calmer talking to you."
My husband nodded nervously in acquiescence, but said nothing more on the subject.
~oOo~
EDWARD
We sat a bit longer at the table, going over some old facts and some new ones. Apparently, while I'd been asleep, Alice and Bella did their own research on Walter Bridges – more specifically, on his parents.
"I'm actually going to talk to them tomorrow," Wes stated with a nod. "I want to know exactly why they've cut off all ties with their son, if that's truly the case, and I want to know what properties he has access to."
"What if they don't cooperate?" Rose asked, shifting a fussy Caleb around in her arms.
"Then I'll bring in a whole helluva lot of Feds just to embarrass them in front of their posh society neighbors," Wes chuckled with a shrug, which caused the whole table to laugh with him. "Nothin' works better than the thought of the rumor mill going crazy. Heaven forbid the Johnsons think the Smiths are up to no good...or in this case, the Bridges."
Caleb fussed some more, finally breaking into a wailing cry.
"Did you just feed him?" Bella asked, holding her arms out for the chunky thing.
"Yes, just before I came outside," Rose answered, "but I already burped him."
"Bethy used to hold a gas bubble back from me," Bella snickered, placing Caleb up on her shoulder, and instead of patting his back, she rubbed it softly from his little bottom, up to his shoulders. With one resounding hiccuping burp, his cries stopped.
"Nice," Emmett chuckled, his face full of pride. "Wonder if he'll sound like that the first time we share a beer."
"Edward did," my father snorted, looking up at me.
"Oh," I groaned, shaking my head. "Worst hangover...of my life!"
"You were old enough to join the Air Force, but you couldn't hold your liquor," my dad laughed, shaking his head.
"You were eighteen," Bella giggled, rocking Caleb slowly.
I reached up to let the little man hold my finger as he grunted happily in her arms, and said, "Yes, but I was about to go overseas. Dad's superiors were kind enough to let him go with me, so he thought he'd get me drunk once."
"Taught you a lesson, didn't it?" Dad laughed from the head of the table.
"It did. I rarely got that drunk over there," I said, smiling when Caleb squeezed my finger with a surprising amount of strength, and then yawned widely. "He's just about ready to be put down."
"He needs a bath," Rose said softly, but her smile was warm and kind. Motherhood suited her, just like it suited Bella.
"Come on," Bella said, standing up. "We'll get Bethy's old bath out of the closet. I'll help you."
Most of the women followed them in, except for Alice and Mickey, but it was the latter that asked the question that more than one of us had asked over the last few hours.
"Why hasn't she fucking called?" she groaned, watching Bella walk into the house, because Mickey had truly come to love my wife. They were similar in many ways – strong, snarky, tough in tight situations. In fact, together in the field, they were an unstoppable force, because they could both think quickly on their feet.
"I truly think Lilith wants to make Bella and Edward sweat," Benny said, getting up to start pacing. "And the fact that Walter Bridges' fingerprints haven't been found on anything so far leads me to believe he's setting up somewhere for the rest to join him. My theory is we'll hear from her soon, that she'll set up for the ransom drop off, and then she'll want Bella in trade."
I groaned, running my hand through my hair again. The thought that I had to lose one to get the other was killing me. I wanted my family back. I wanted my daughter home safe, and her mother with her. I couldn't handle the mere idea of what Bethy was going through, but I also couldn't stand the thought of Bella ever being held captive again. I couldn't imagine what it would do to her.
"My biggest concern is Abigail Carmichael," Benny sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Of all the players in this game, she's... well, she expendable."
My head shot up to glare at him. "God, I fucking hope not," I breathed, shaking my head.
"Me, too, but it's the truth," he sighed, and he looked weary and worn out. "Her mother has no money, and she just happened to be there when Bethy was attainable. In all reality, Lilith could use her as a negotiating tool...a key to scare you."
"I'm already fucking scared, okay?" I snapped, getting up from the table. "She's achieved that goal."
Benny nodded, taking a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. He looked to my dad, before turning his gaze back to me. "It's time to get that money out, Ed. We'll need to be prepared for whatever she comes up with, and be able to take this to the next step."
I swallowed thickly, nodding once. "Um...I'll call my bank in the morning."
"It's already done," my dad muttered, looking at his hands. "It's in my car."
"Dad," I gasped, shaking my head.
"I did it on the way here, son," he sighed, holding up his hand when I opened my mouth to speak. "I called from Brazil, had them hold it for me. It's already done," he said again, but his face turned fierce. "I don't plan on her spending a dime of it. In fact, I'll happily pay for her funeral, once this shit is over. This was a hit on my family, a threat against my fucking granddaughter! She, my son, and my goddaughter are worth more than any bank account I have, so it's done...and I'll get it when you're ready."
Neither my father, nor I – or any of our crew, really – needed for money, but what he'd just done was made this personal. It was no longer a police matter, though Benny would most likely continue to run things, but it was now a mercenary hit. He would, without shame, kill every single participant in this kidnapping, and he'd order the rest of us to shoot to kill, as well. My father had just reopened his soldier for hire business again – if only to get his granddaughter back.
The table was silent as we stared at him, most of us with open mouths, but it was Eleazar that spoke up.
"This will be ugly at the end, I'm afraid," he sighed, sitting forward on the table. "I want to know about this Kurt Vernon," he said, looking around the table. "That's the only one in this shit that I haven't gotten a fix on. I get Lilith and Bridges – that's money and revenge. I even understand this ex-boyfriend, Rusty, and his pal, Kenny – also money. I don't understand where this Kurt fits in."
"I asked his father why he was with them," Wes sighed, falling down onto one of the benches. "He said Kurt was there to make sure that they didn't go back on their word. Kurt thinks he's guilty by association when it comes to his father, because in all reality, he should never have been treated by his dad. But..."
"He was seduced by the money," I finished for him.
"Exactly," he agreed with a nod. "However, he is on his meds. In fact, he picked up his prescription just before the kidnapping. We checked his records. He's not a bad kid. He's been in trouble for normal stuff, some weed, some graffiti vandalism, but nothing major. The doc said he was trying to catch him before he got out of hand. Doc said he knows Kurt went with Lilith as a way to get out of Shady Glen and to split the money, but he swears his son doesn't have a mean bone in his body."
"Interesting," Eleazar mused, rubbing his chin. "He may be Lilith's weak link, especially if he finds out his father has been arrested."
"It's all over the news," Benny chortled. "He'll find out sooner or later."
It seemed everyone filed that away for later, but the table started to break apart. My dad offered Mickey, Obie, Eleazar, Felix, and Eric a place to stay at our old house around the corner. Mickey and Obie took him up on it, because they'd been going for thirty-six hours straight. Eleazar and his men opted to crash on the cots Sam and Alec had set up while I'd been sleeping.
I needed a fucking break, so I walked away from them all, opening my wood shop. I needed to relax in order to think, and not stew in my misery and pain. I needed to think of something other than how conflicted I was that Lilith hadn't called, and I needed to stay calm, because I couldn't let my temper snap on Bella again. I'd hurt her too badly, and I was worried the damage was beyond repair, though she didn't act it.
In the far back corner of my shop sat a cloth covered project I'd been working on for Bethy. It was a surprise. For what, I didn't know. She'd already had her birthday, and it was less than six months until Christmas, but I was building it anyway. My heart and mind wouldn't even approach the idea that it could possibly be a welcome home present, because it seemed to feel like a jinx to me.
I lifted the dollhouse up onto my work bench, after tugging the tarp off, and then my shirt. It was a detailed and intricately designed thing, but something that could take my mind away. I draped my shirt over one of my chairs, pulling a beer out of my mini fridge as I studied what I needed to work on next.
"Whoa," I heard from the doorway, and I looked up to see Jasper leaning there. "That's fucking awesome, Ed. Seriously. She'll love it."
I smiled, took a long draw on my beer, and then nodded. "I hope so. She was with Bella in the toy store and played with one for hours just before the new year, so I thought..." My voice trailed off, not knowing how to finish that sentence without letting my emotions take over. God, I just fucking missed my baby girl.
"You gonna make the furniture, too?" he asked, bending down to take a look inside of it.
"God, no!" I laughed. "I thought she'd like to pick it out from the little hobby shop downtown."
"Dolls, too?"
"Yeah, dolls, too. Not that she doesn't have plenty of those."
Jasper leaned on the worktable, opening the back of the little house and shaking his head. He wore a small smile when he finally looked up at me. "Can I... I mean...do you need help?"
I huffed a small laugh, and I could see he was having the same problem I was. He just needed a break from all the shit. "Yeah, sure. Can you paint?"
"I can try," he countered with a chuckle and a shrug.
I grabbed him a beer, the paints, and some small brushes, setting him up to start painting while I worked on the roof. I still had walls, doors, windows, and shutters to put on, so we both just...worked.
We barely talked, except when someone would come to the shop to see what we were doing, but for the most part, everyone left us alone. I knew Emmett was probably with Caleb and Rose, and that Eleazar and his crew had given some of the patrolling Feds a break around the property. My Dad, Benny, and Wes were in Gravity's office, but Esme had finally decided to take advantage of Bella's offer to sleep in our room.
I wasn't tired by the time Alice came to get Jasper. She was barely keeping her eyes open, complaining of a headache from all the computer work she'd done. She said she just needed to close her eyes for a moment and was staking claim to the sofa in the living room.
I cleaned up my shop after he left, storing the dollhouse back in its corner with its tarp covering it. Once I'd closed the shop doors, I went in search of Bella. My first thought was that she'd fallen asleep in Bethy's room like she'd done the very first night – and I wasn't unaware that she wouldn't let anyone near our daughter's room – but as I crossed the yard, I discovered differently.
A soft glow shone down from the tree house, casting strange shadows across the lawn. I slowly climbed the steps, reminded of the time I'd first met Bella. We were just kids, but we'd hung out for most of a day in her own tree house at her father's house. And much like then, she was using this fort as an escape.
The radio was playing softly when I quietly creaked open the door. My Bella had fallen asleep in the beanbag chair under the ceiling fan, a book open in her hands. Mr. Bunny wasn't far from her reach. She'd been reading by the small lamp, her dark hair spread about her like a halo, but it was the wrinkle to her brow and the frown on her face that I was drawn to. Even in her sleep, a tear slipped slowly down her cheek.
Guilt wracked my frame, causing me to physically quake, before I closed the door and crawled to her. I should've been able to save Bethy, and I should never have taken everything out on my wife.
"Oh, baby, I'm sorry," I sighed softly as I lightly brushed a hair from her head.
I didn't blame her for anything – especially her reaction to Lilith years ago. Knowing Bella like I did, it was understandable for her to be upset. And even before Bethy was taken, my wife had shown nothing but remorse concerning her actions. She regretted her temper, regretted deliberately hurting someone when she was hurting herself. No, this shit was not my girl's fault.
Warm, brown eyes blinked open, gazing up at me as I laid down beside her. It wasn't easy fitting my long frame onto a beanbag, but she scooted over to let me in.
"Hey, sweetness," I whispered, kissing her lips softly. "I didn't mean to wake you, but you should sleep in Bethy's room, baby."
"I like it out here," she said softly, cupping my face. "I just needed...a break from all these people."
I nodded, because I'd done the same thing by going out to my shop. I tucked her hair back behind her ear, leaning into her touch.
"How's the dollhouse coming?" she asked, a small smile curling up on her face.
I snickered. "Jasper painted it for me. The roof's done."
"I'm sure it's beautiful, Edward," she stated, wriggling a bit and laying her head down, still facing me.
"Well, when my girls finish decorating it," I chuckled, kissing her nose and mirroring her position, "it'll be even better."
We spoke quietly about a few things, but I was just reveling in her arms. I needed her touch, for reasons I couldn't even articulate. I told her about my dad and the money, and about the discussion she'd missed concerning Kurt Vernon. Neither topic surprised her.
"A family of sparrows moved into the birdhouse today," she whispered as I placed my hand on her waist and pulled her closer.
"Really?" I snickered.
"Yeah," she said, smiling and biting her lip. "I hear babies in there."
I'd told her my mother's story ages ago. My mom had loved local legends and one that she'd passed on to me was about sparrows and how they chose to live in pine trees. Before my mother died, she said she'd always watch over me with the sparrows. Bella had loved the story, loved even more the birdhouses I'd built throughout the years, so I'd placed one in the pine tree by our front porch.
"Good," I told her. "Maybe that's a good sign, yeah?"
She nodded, but didn't say anything for a few minutes. "I'm sorry, Edward. For everything..."
"Don't, baby," I said, stopping her with a soft kiss. "It's not your fault. I swear I didn't mean anything I said. God, I love you. I just was going crazy, love." I ran my fingers through her hair, bringing her forehead to mine. "How's that bump?"
Her nose wrinkled adorably, but she nodded, pulling back to study me. "It's better. How's your face?" she asked with a touch of amusement in her smile and her voice as she trailed her finger lightly down my nose.
I chuckled softly. "I'll live."
She sat up, causing the beanbag to shift, but she crawled on top of me, straddling my lap. She pulled me up into a sitting position, only to wrap herself around me in a strong, warm hug. She snuggled her face into the crook of my neck, clinging to me like a limpet.
"I miss her, Edward," she mumbled against my skin, and I held her tighter, placing random kisses to the side of her head, her ear, her cheek, and her neck. "I feel like a part of me is just...missing."
"The waiting is killing me," I admitted softly, pulling back and placing my hands on either side of her neck, rubbing her cheekbones gently with my thumbs. "We'll get her back, love."
She was so fucking beautiful as all she did was nod. Her eyes flickered with flecks of gold in the soft glow of the tree house as I brushed her hair from her face. She was the essence of pain and sorrow, but also of love and home, and I just wanted to...fucking fix it. And that last sentiment exploded from me.
"God, I fucking wish I could just...go get her!" I gushed, pulling her forehead back to mine. "I wish I hadn't let her go...and that I'd run faster. I wish I'd followed you guys to the bathroom. I wish I'd shot the son of a bitch that dared put a fucking gun to her head..." I gasped, trying to get myself under control, but I wasn't embarrassed, because I could be me with her. When I had to maintain in front of our crew, she was the only person on this fucking planet that just got me. "I-I w-wish w-we'd n-never gone to that f-fucking f-farm..."
Tears slipped down her face as she placed her hands on either side of my face. "Shh," she whispered against my mouth to stop my emotional rant. "It's not your fault, baby." She sniffled, kissing my lips roughly. Her mouth was warm, her lips soft from her crying, and she tasted salty from her tears. "We didn't know, Edward. We thought both of us being there was enough..."
My fingers wove themselves into her hair, mindful of her injury, but I needed her to know one thing. "You and Bethy...you're fucking everything to me. You know that, right? I love you both more than my own life. Tell me you fucking know that!"
"I know!" she sobbed, nodding against me. "I knew it even when you were mad at me."
"I was never mad, baby," I vowed, kissing her lips and practically panting. "I love you."
"I love you, too," she whispered, nipping at my bottom lip, and then my top.
What started out as soothing, comforting kisses, suddenly turned into something completely different. It was anger and hurt; it was desperate and needy. It was tears and tongues, gasps and whimpers as my mouth welcomed her with a moan I couldn't stop. I turned her head slightly, claiming her, plundering her mouth with my tongue, using lips and teeth along her bottom lip. I kissed her until I thought I'd go mad with the want of her. I kissed her because she always made everything okay.
I finally pulled back from her, panting from want and need and something altogether different – pure fear. "Bella?" I breathed, looking to her for the answer, because I wasn't sure where this was going.
"Edward, I need you," she ground out through gritted teeth, gripping the bottom of my t-shirt. With one swift tug, she swept it off over my head. "For just a moment, I need to feel something...other than pain. I need you to love me."
I had my answer, because apparently, I wasn't alone. I wasn't sure if it was the waiting on some word, any word, the fight we'd had, or just the emptiness that seemed to fill my chest, but fuck, if I didn't need her, too.
I kept her on my lap, gathering up the bottom of her shirt and tugging it off over her head. Underneath, I was met with sweet pink and cotton and all things girly and sexy – and just Bella. It reminded me of when we'd first started out, all simple and good and healing. I tossed her shirt away, moaning when her hips wouldn't be still. Not that I wanted them to. I spread my fingers out, placing my palms flat on either side of her ribs, because I needed to feel as much of her as I could at one time.
No words were spoken as I locked eyes with hers, begging for permission to remove her bra. When she nodded, I flicked open the back clasp, tossing it away, as well. My hands touched everywhere – cupping her, bending her slightly back, arching her up to my mouth, so that I could consume every inch of her I could reach. We didn't need to say anything, because this was something we fucking knew.
This was years of our bodies knowing exactly what they needed. This was years of love making that was almost instinctual. And this was years of how we healed ourselves of everything from fights between us, to burns and cuts from assholes that no longer existed. If nothing else, this was how we reconnected, how we let shit go – if only for a moment.
Bella's jeans rubbed against mine as her hips rolled wantonly over me. "Edward," she panted desperately as I switched from one nipple to the other, swirling my tongue over it, making it harder, more sensitive at the same time my fingers glided down her spine, only to grip her ass and pull it closer to me.
She was so fucking sexy, so fucking beautiful, that I found myself slipping my hand down between her legs, just to hear her gasp, just to see her head fall back when I applied pressure over the seam at the exact place where I knew she needed it the most. I tugged open the fly of her jeans, slowly kissing up her neck as my hands slipped into the back of them, cupping her ass fully. I kneaded it, gripped it, used it to grind her against me.
I tried to roll her over, but the beanbag just wasn't having it, so it spilled us out onto the floor, causing an adorable giggle to escape my wife as I landed on top of her, my chest to her back. I left a biting kiss to her shoulder, practically growling in want when her ass pressed against my cock in the most delicious of ways. Her beautiful back arched gracefully, her muscles rolling under soft, smooth skin.
Her breath caught as I gripped her waist, pulling her ass up a bit more and grinding against her. "Yes...Edward. Fuck, yes...like that," she commanded, her forehead hitting the wood floor with a soft thump.
"Yeah?" I verified, unbuckling my belt with one hand as I pulled her hair to one side. "You want me to fuck you from behind, baby?"
"God, yes," she begged, and I saw her nod against the floor. "I just want to feel you all around me, baby," she stated, barely shoving her jeans down over that delicious ass of hers. "Now, Edward..."
It was her look back over her shoulder that just about caused me to lose all control. It was heady to see her want me that much, to need my touch, my body. I barely got my own jeans down far enough to let my cock spring free. I fell forward, bracing my arms on either side of her, giving her neck and shoulder suckling kisses up to her ear.
"Like this?" I asked, moaning shamelessly when her ass rose up off of the floor, causing my dick to slip through her wet folds.
"Closer," she pleaded, and I let my chest press down onto her back.
I rolled my hips, coating myself in her wetness, finally slipping just inside her entrance. "Bella," I gasped, my head falling to her shoulder. "I love you...so fucking much," I ground out, because it was all I could do not to just bury myself as deep inside of her as I could get.
"Me, too," she said, looking over her shoulder again, but this time, she raised up slightly on her hands, sinking herself down onto me. A whimper escaped her, and it sounded like relief and a plea for just...more.
My eyes locked with hers when my hips were flushed to her ass, and we both paused, letting that feeling of being one, of coming back to each other consume us. I let the need grow, let it swell between us, my fingers practically gouging the wood floor beneath me.
I pulled slowly back, and she twisted just enough so that I could kiss the shit out of her when I thrust forward again. A soft cry escaped her, ghosting into my mouth as I did it again, this time swiveling my hips the way I knew she liked.
I sat back on my heels just long enough to tug her jeans down a bit more, in order to wrench her leg out to the side. I needed more, deeper, harder, and the jeans were in the way, but I took what I could get. I fell back over her, holding her leg with one hand and using the other to brace at her shoulder.
Sweat beaded on my forehead, falling down my nose and dropping down onto her back. Her hips met mine over and over, until I could feel the deep burn start to boil in the pit of my stomach, but I could feel her fighting it, holding back.
"Oh, sweetness," I begged, placing a biting kiss to her shoulder blade. "Come for me, baby. Let it go..." Her hand snaked underneath her, and I moaned as I watched her touch herself. "Yeah, love...just like that. Let it go... Come," I finally commanded, because I was so fucking close.
The feel of her, the sight of her, even the sounds she was making, were pushing me closer and closer, and when she finally clenched down around me, my name breathlessly bursting forth from her mouth, I smiled against the skin of her back.
"That's my girl," I crooned, licking up her now sweaty neck and sucking the salty-sweet skin just below her ear. She clamped down again around my dick, and I gasped in her ear. "Fuck, baby...I'm gonna come..."
My mouth gaped as I buried myself as deep as I could go, spilling inside of her. My arms shook as my head fell to her shoulder again, and I let go of her leg.
"Come here," I panted heavily, finally ridding us of our God forsaken jeans, leaving my underwear on.
Bella tugged her panties up, but pulled my t-shirt on over her head. I settled somewhat into the beanbag, and she curled sweetly in against my side, laying her head on my chest as her small finger traced my tattoo like she did most times after we made love.
She took a deep breath, looking up at me, and I kissed her forehead as I played with her hair. She didn't need to say a word, because I could read her face like a book. She felt better, more relaxed, but her sadness was like a heavy blanket. It would be there, laying over us, until we found Bethy.
I nodded, swallowing thickly, because I felt the exact same way. "I know, love. Me, too."
I rolled to my side, wrapping her up and holding her as close as I could get her. The sounds of the night echoed through the little open windows and the ticking of the ceiling fan lulled me into a light sleep.
It felt like I'd just closed my eyes, when we both were jerked awake.
"Edward! Bells!" my dad called from somewhere outside. "Front and center!"
Bella groaned, rolling her eyes. "He did that shit when you were a kid, didn't he?"
"Not like that," I stated, helping her stand up. "Something's up..."
We tugged on our jeans, and Bella tossed her sex and sleep ravaged hair up into a pony tail. We rumbled quickly down the tree house steps and practically ran across the yard.
If he thought our sleeping in the tree house was strange, he didn't say a word about it. He only grabbed Bella by the shoulders. "You've got an email, sweetheart," he said carefully, glancing up at me.
"Shit," I hissed, running a hand through my hair. "What's she say?"
My dad grimaced, shaking his head slowly. "She's finally given her demands, son. And this...this shit won't be easy."
A/N... So a little makeup time, in the tree house no less... That's something I've been dying to write for ages...the tree house. If you check out my blog, you'll see the picspiration for that...and it's quite naughty, just FYI. www(dot)drotuno(dot)blogspot(dot)com
Lots of info in this one, and a slight cliffie that doesn't come close to others I've left you with. So Lilith is...damaged. Severely. Like I said, I'm not an expert, but her illness isn't as important as her actions. Trust me. And Poppy is pissed! Using his own money, setting up his own agenda to get his granddaughter back. Hmm...
Coming up, you'll see the email demands. You see a plan start to form. And you'll see how everyone will start to work together, though for different reasons. And you'll find out what Wes discovers concerning Walter Bridges. Our hurting parents will cope better, but they are still in pain, so you'll see how they find some sort of coping mechanism.
Okay, thanks to JenRar for beta'ing this. Thanks to Goober_Lou for helping me with the little details. And MedusaInNY and les16... I love you both with a sickness. Thanks for being there this week. Seriously. I send you both lots of hugs and smooches. :)
I'm pretty sure the next posting will be Sunday. All my chaps are being beta'd, so when she sends them to me, they're yours. That being said, let me hear from you. I read them all...so let me hear you. How did I do with Bethy? So until Sunday... Later.