We mention the band He's My Brother, She's My Sister in this chapter. I've seen them before and they are fantastic, so if you ever want a killer show, go check them out. The song for this chapter is by them and it's called, "Escape Tonight" youtu*be/Cmj7ya98tj4

In case you missed it on Twitter or Discordia's Facebook/Tumblr (go check out the yummy), here's the pictease: i47*tinypic*com/169na1e*jpg She made it, isn't it awesome? Oh her talent swoons me. And we can't go any further without thanking our fabulous team of Le Cow betas: karenec, LJ Summers, AshesAshes, and jakeward. Edward's "luggage" thanks you.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Honesty

After Edward left for his meeting, I dressed in casual clothes and went into my study, taking a moment to enjoy the view of the San Francisco skyline as my laptop booted up. The sun glittered off the buildings and the sky was blue and nearly cloudless. I put on some mellow music to listen to while I worked.

I pulled out my files for the Walker case, making notes as I read through them. After an hour and a half, Edward called to let me know his meeting was over and he'd be back at my place after running a few errands. Things with Alec had been in the back of my mind since I'd talked to Ness so I figured I'd dig around a bit more while I waited.

Turning to my laptop, I did a Google search for Jared Cameron. I knew I wouldn't find anything I could classify as fact without verification of the source, but I figured it didn't hurt to become more familiar with him.

Six years ago, Jared Cameron was a San Francisco P.D. detective who specialized in high profile cases. He was a bit of a local celebrity and had connections with the Mayor, Senator, and others in high-power legislation. Some even speculated that Detective Cameron's connections were how he had reached his position within San Francisco P.D.

When a particular case involving the murder of the Senator's finance campaign manager came along, Detective Cameron was tried as a suspect and, ultimately as an accessory in the woman's death. Rumors circulated that he and the campaign manager were having an affair, and that the Senator was using that as leverage in exchange for favors. When the news of the woman's death broke, the media immediately focused on the Senator's office, and the connection was made between him and Detective Cameron. The case was later dismissed, and things were eventually washed away, replaced by the next big scandal, but shortly after the focus was shifted away from Detective Cameron, he retired from the force.

There wasn't much to find on Cameron post-retirement, except that he was clearly a close associate of Judge Benjamin Cheney. They played golf together every Wednesday at The Olympic Club, and he was unofficially known as Ben Cheney's bodyguard.

I pulled up a blank spreadsheet and started mapping out all the connections I'd discovered between the various parties. I was just about to start looking into Judge Cheney when I heard a knock on the door. Quickly, I saved my file and closed my laptop, before hurrying to answer it.

Edward stood outside my door, carrying a small bouquet of white roses, topped with a wash of pale yellow in the center. They were a wild-looking variety with ruffled blossoms that smelled absolutely incredible, even from a few feet away.

He handed them to me with a smile, and I buried my nose in the blossoms. "These are beautiful, Edward; thank you. Where did you get them?"

"A stall at the market by Fisherman's Wharf. I picked up some lunch for us, too." He held up a bag. "Have you eaten yet?" He came inside the apartment, and I followed him into the kitchen.

"I haven't. You are so thoughtful."

I found a small vase, filled it with water, and carefully put the roses in it. I took one last appreciative sniff before setting them down on the dining room table. He set the bag of food on the counter and shrugged, crooking his finger to invite me to come over to him.

I went willingly, nestling into his arms as I kissed his cheek. "I don't know what I did to deserve being spoiled like this."

"Isn't it enough that you're the most brilliant and beautiful lawyer in San Francisco?" he asked, looking down at me.

"If it were true, yes," I said, laughing.

He nuzzled my neck with his lips and spoke quietly. "It must be true. There isn't another woman out there who compares to you."

I held him tighter, not wanting to let go of this moment, or this feeling, for anything. "Thank you."

He held me close for a long while before he kissed my forehead and let me go. We had our lunch at the kitchen counter, eating the delicious soup and sandwiches he'd brought.

After lunch, I took Edward out to the rooftop deck of the building. I rarely used it, but the weather was incredible, and I liked the idea of spending the day relaxing with him. We spent the next few hours just talking and laughing, curled up together on a large lounger as we soaked up a little sun. It was a beautiful, warm day with a light, salty breeze coming off the water.

By late afternoon, when the sun went behind the clouds, Edward was laying with his head in my lap. I had been idly combing through his hair with my fingertips and his eyes were closed. There was a slight chill in the air now as the crisp evening settled around us.

"We should probably head inside," I said reluctantly.

He shook his head and smiled with his eyes still closed. "No. This is perfect. I don't want to go anywhere."

I chuckled softly. "It's been so nice to get outside for a few hours and do absolutely nothing but spend time with you."

I raked my fingers through his hair again, leaning down to press my lips softly to his before gently pushing him to sit up.

He smiled, stretching as he sat up. "I suppose it's cooling down."

I grinned at the wild chaos I'd made of his hair. Edward was normally so pulled-together looking. Right now, he had on a pair of jeans, a rather wrinkled button-down shirt, a slightly dazed expression, and hair that suggested we'd been doing far more than lying in each other's arms and talking.

He stood, pulling me to my feet, and I burrowed up against his chest. "It's starting to get cold."

He rubbed his hands up and down my arms to warm me up, peppering my lips with teasing kisses. Before it could get too intense, he drew back with a lopsided, knowing smile and took my hand in his.

"If we're not careful we could get carried away. We seem to have trouble with that." His voice was low and husky, sending a thrill through me.

"You make it easy for me to forget where I am." I stretched and kissed him briefly again. With a wry smile, he took my hand, and we went back to my apartment.

That evening, Edward and I finally made it to the movie we'd intended to see the previous week. After the movie and a casual dinner of pizza, we went back to Edward's place. As I got ready for bed, I looked at my reflection in the mirror in his bathroom. There was color in my cheeks, my eyes were shining brightly, and I had a smile on my face that didn't seem to want to go away.

I felt like an entirely different person by the time we slid between the sheets to go to bed. Edward curled his body around mine, and I happily settled into his arms. I tilted my head to kiss his forearm where it wrapped around my upper chest. He made a low sound of contentment, and I closed my eyes. I fell asleep thinking about the day and how happy I felt.

~LTOYL~

On Sunday morning, we reluctantly went our separate ways; Edward had plans with his family, and I had to tie up some things on the Walker case. The trial was fast approaching, and I needed to spend the next few days working hard so I was more than ready. I also wanted to check into Judge Cheney some more before meeting with Vanessa on Monday.

That night, after going over my own case, I research Cheney before bed. I spent hours searching for information but unfortunately, turned up very little. Cheney had a fairly clean record, and nothing struck me as out of the ordinary. The only thing that caught my attention, was his high rate of out-of-court settlements and case dismissals, but because he was a criminal court judge, it wasn't uncommon for that to happen. However, it did make me curious. I made a note to look into it further if need be.

On Monday morning, I got to work at my usual, early time—long before anyone else in the office. Just a short while after I got settled, Vanessa came barging in my door. She quickly shut the door and came to sit in one of the two chairs opposite me.

"Bella! You'll never guess what I got my hands on. I was able to call in a favor with a P.I. I know. He was involved in some undercover work while investigating Jared Cameron, and when I told him I was looking into Alec Volturi, he recognized his name. Not because he knows Alec's a lawyer and Aro Volturi's son, but because he remembered him from the investigation!"

"Well good morning to you, too," I said, completely blown away by what she'd just said.

"Yeah, yeah." She waved me off and looked down to rifle through her briefcase. "Anyway, Jenks was assigned to tail Cameron and said he often remembered seeing Cameron and Alec together. I asked him if he could look into things for me. Bella, he had pictures!" She triumphantly pulled out a manila, untagged envelope. "I have in my possession pictures of Alec Volturi, wining and dining not only Jared Cameron, but also Judge Benjamin Cheney and his head clerk, Angela Weber."

I took the package from her and began to flick through the black and whites. She placed her bag back on the floor beside her and continued. "I cross-referenced Cameron, Cheney, and Weber with what I have so far, and it turns out, they were all involved in the Collin Littlesea trial that Alec was head council for. The date on the pictures was exactly one month before the case went to trial." She pointed to the dates printed on the back. "No one thought Littlesea was innocent and yet, somehow, he got off on a technicality. Turns out, the technicality was insufficient evidence on the D.A.'s part and the case was thrown out. After the trial, Judge Cheney had the case sealed, and both Littlesea and Cameron's records were expunged. That's how Cameron ultimately got off as a suspect in the campaign manager's murder." She took a deep breath before looking me square in the eyes and said, "Bella, this is huge. If any of this gets out, more than just Alec will go down."

I sat quietly, processing the abundance of information Vanessa had just given me. As I pieced it all together, I realized what she was saying. Alec was deeply involved in something far greater than blackmail. He was associating with possibly corrupt politicians judicial officials, and retired law enforcement. The magnitude of charges that could come from that, if anything they did turned out to be illegal, would be huge and the repercussions could stretch even further.

"That's . . . wow." I flipped through the photos again before dropping them onto my desk.

"I know," she acknowledged. "Bella, when does the Walker case go to trial?"

I gave her a questioning look. "A week from Wednesday, why?" She looked down for a moment and open and closed her mouth a few times, as if trying to gather her response. "Ness, whatever it is, say it."

She looked at me, hesitation written all over her face. "Okay, here it is. This thing with Alec is going to be tough. I don't know how far you're looking at taking this, or if you're even planning on doing anything, but-"

"Ness." I cut her off and squared my shoulders. "I'm going to get to the bottom of whatever Alec is involved in. Mark my words on that. I've given up the love of my life because of that man. I won't let him destroy this firm, too."

Vanessa sat up in her chair. "Okay. Then let me give you some advice—strictly professionally."

"You know I'm a civil lawyer and this isn't my area. I'm listening."

"Don't take this challenge on by yourself. You need someone who specializes in criminal law to do this justice. Someone who has the time, resources, and experience to see this through or Alec will get out of this. He may be slimy, but he's a damn good lawyer when he puts his mind to it." She took a breath. "Bella, you're good and if I ever needed a civil, hell, I'd be calling you first. But I think you need someone more experienced in criminal law to handle this."

I thought about it for a moment before nodding. "You're right. Nothing is more important than doing this correctly, and with the Walker trial coming up, I'm afraid one or the other will suffer if I try to tackle both."

"I have a fairly light caseload right now. If you're comfortable with it, I'd really like to take this on. You know my work and you know you can trust me. I'd love to nail Alec's ass to the wall." She gave me an almost feral grin. "You know how cutthroat I can be. If you trust me to do this, I'd love to keep going."

"I can't think of anyone better," I said honestly. "You're an amazing lawyer, Ness, and I trust you implicitly with this."

We laid out a plan of how she was going to tackle the research, and she promised to keep me in the loop every step of the way. After she left, I took a deep breath, feeling much better about the situation, knowing that Vanessa was going to do everything she could.

Over the next couple of days, I worked feverishly with few breaks. The only ones I did take, were to text or call Edward. His voice and soothing support helped keep me going. He was busy with his own work as well, and it made me feel good when I was able to do the same for him.

~LTOYL~

Edward and I spent Wednesday evening together. After we made dinner and did the dishes, I spread out my work on his dining room table and he went upstairs to do his own. A few hours later, I had done about all I could for the night and was ready to go to bed. I made a few final notes for the following day before putting everything away. Upstairs, I found Edward in his office, immersed in his work.

I gently rested my hands on his shoulders. "I'm finished," I said softly and he looked up, blinking for a moment, as if surprised. I smiled down at him. "Do you have more you need to do?"

"A little bit, yeah," he said.

"I promise I'll make it worth your while if you come to bed soon," I teased.

"Give me twenty minutes;I'll wrap this up."

"Perfect. I'll get ready for bed." I headed toward the bathroom, but he stopped me.

"Hey, Bella?"

"Hmm?" I turned around to face him.

"How do you feel about going out to see a band with Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper?"

"Yeah, I'd love to go. When?"

"This coming Friday night."

"Sounds good," I said.

"Great, I'll let them know." He gave me a pleasant smile and returned to his work.

I quickly got ready for bed and slipped between the covers, snagging a book of Edward's from the nightstand. I'd hardly started reading before he appeared at the foot of the bed.

He grinned at me. "Done in less than twenty minutes. What's my reward?"

I patted the bed beside me. "C'mere."

He knelt on the edge of the bed and crawled over to me. I kissed his lips before rolling us over so I was on top.

"I'm going to make you forget that there's even such a thing as work," I promised playfully.

And I did.

~LTOYL~

Friday night, I wrapped up my work by six and went home to change. We were going to the Café du Nord, and I was really looking forward to it. It was a nightclub/restaurant with a live music venue located in the Swedish-American building in the Upper Market district. I hadn't been there in years,and I was eager to see the show.

Half an hour before he was supposed to pick me up,I got a text from Edward.

Stay at my place tonight?

Staying at Edward's place no longer felt uncomfortable. In fact, I'd grown to really like spending time at his loft and sleeping beside him. It wasn't easy at first, but it had become routine for me now.

I'll pack a bag now.

I threw together a change of clothes and everything I'd need at his place before I finished getting ready. I was just double-checking my overnight bag to be sure I had everything when there was a knock on the door. When I opened the door, Edward's eyes raked over my body with a hungry, needy stare that made my heart pound. Without a word, he closed the door, took my hand, and pulled me into the guest bedroom. At the foot of the bed, he kissed me deeply, reaching behind me to unzip my dress.

"I have been thinking about doing this all day," he said in a low, throaty tone that made me swallow hard.

My mouth went dry when he gently pushed me to sit at the edge of the bed and pushed my silky panties aside. I leaned back, resting on my hands on the bed behind me as his mouth met my skin. I watched as he devoured me; his eyes locked on mine. I gasped, shaking from the eager attention of his mouth, my heart thundering in my chest. My release came quickly; I cried out and threw my head back as the pleasure washed over me. With a smug smile, he drew back and kissed my thigh, still kneeling on the floor.

"That's what you've been thinking about all day?" I asked breathlessly, shifting so I could reach one hand up to run it through his hair.

He nodded, his eyes sparkling and his expression still smug. "Through my morning meeting and all afternoon at my desk."

He stood, and it was impossible to disguise the erection in his dark charcoal pants. I reached forward and lightly ran my fingertips across it. His breath caught in his throat as I sat up fully to unzip his trousers.

"Then I'll bet you desperately need some relief," I said.

He hissed as I freed his cock, my fingers gently wrapping around it. "I might not have thought about it all day, but I definitely am now, and I'd really like to make you feel as good as you made me feel."

When I lowered my lips to tease his balls with my tongue, he groaned.

"Not going to argue with that," he managed to get out.

I moved my lips around him, enveloping him in with my mouth, and wrapping my hand around the base. His fingertips skimmed my jaw lightly as I began to move. I wanted him to come hard and fast, and I used every trick I could think of to make it happen. A combination of quick, sliding movement and firm pressure had him panting and gasping. I wrapped one hand around his backside and pushed him further into my mouth.

"Bella," he warned me. "I'm close."

Without another thought, I tightened my grip and drew back just enough to flick my tongue to the underside of his cock. With an agonized groan of satisfaction, he shuddered against me and I swallowed. He was a panting mess when I finally slid him from my mouth, and he shakily tucked himself back into his pants, falling onto the bed beside me with his eyes closed.

I watched his chest heave with exertion, and I felt just a little smug for the reaction I caused. Not only was I glad to have pleased Edward, it was an important step. I'd dropped some of the walls that I'd been putting up between us, and it felt good. It felt right.

Edward's eyes opened lazily and he reached out for me, twisting our fingers together. He gave them a small squeeze. "You didn't have to do that, you know."

"I wanted to, Edward. I … I haven't done that with anyone since Riley," I said sheepishly. He sat up, clearly surprised and no doubt thrown by me mentioning Riley. "I just want you to know that you're special to me. I don't know exactly what this is between us, but you make me feel things I haven't felt since he left. I know this hasn't been easy, but I want you to know how important you are to me."

A pleased look crossed his face. "You're important to me, too, Bella."

I leaned in for a brief kiss and stood up, tugging at him to get him to stand, as well. I carefully put my dress back on, turning my back to him so he could zip it. He skimmed his hands down my back and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close to kiss my neck.

"A thank you seems inadequate."

"I could say the same to you," I replied, and he leaned in for another kiss before letting me go.

I ran to the bathroom to clean up, and we met back in the hall. I quickly grabbed my things, and we hurried down to his car.

"Are we going to be late?" I asked and Edward glanced at the dashboard clock as he started it up.

"I think we'll be fine." Edward popped some gum in his mouth as we pulled out of the parking space.

"Good. I'd feel bad if they were already there waiting on us."

"We're hardly the first couple to be late because we couldn't keep our hands off each other," he said and winked at me. "I try to avoid thinking about my sister's sex life, but I doubt she and Jasper are any different. Truthfully, I know far more about Emmett and Rosalie's love life than I'd like."

I laughed and squeezed his hand. "I just want them to like me," I said softly.

"I know Emmett and Rosalie like you," he reassured me. "She texted me to tell me as much after we had dinner at their place."

"That's good. I am looking forward to seeing Alice." Alice and I had hit it off well when she and Esme had worked on my apartment. I was sorry I hadn't kept in contact with her after that. She seemed like someone who would make a good friend.

"You'll like her husband, Jasper; he's very easy to get along with. I'm sure we'll have a great time tonight."

We parked a few blocks from Café du Nord and walked the rest of the way. Rosalie had been given free tickets to see tonight's show, and I wasn't familiar with the band.However, I had seen other shows at Cafe' du Nord in the past and was never disappointed.

Riley and I had quite a few couples as friends in Georgetown, but once he left it was hard for me to spend time with happy couples. Other than going out with Ness, I'd essentially neglected my social circle. As we got closer to the venue, I realized I missed it. Going out in a group like this was something I was really excited about. When we arrived, there was a line of people waiting to get into the club, but Edward gave our names to the bouncer, and he waved us inside.

A hostess led us to our table and surprisingly, we were the first to arrive.

Edward ordered me a glass of Drambuie and a Scotch for himself. While we waited for our drinks, he wove our fingers together. "I'm glad you wanted to come tonight," he said.

"I've been looking forward to it," I said honestly.

Our drinks arrived moments before Rosalie and Emmett. They both greeted me enthusiastically with a friendly hug. I wished I could say the same for Alice. When she and her husband showed up, she gave me a casual hello and that was all. She wasn't overtly rude, just cool to me. She hugged Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett and gave me a small smile.

"It's good to see you, Bella," she said, but the warmth didn't quite reach her eyes.

"It's good to see you, too, Alice," I said. "It's been a while."

"This is my husband, Jasper," she said. He was around Edward's height, but with a much longer torso. He was handsome, with light brown hair and an engaging, dimpled smile.

"Nice to meet you, Jasper," I said and he shook my hand.

"It's nice to meet you, too." His smile was warmer than Alice's, and I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling I picked up.

After everyone took their seats, we decided on our orders. I was between Edward and Rosalie but couldn't help but notice Alice's appraising glances every so often. I excused myself to the restroom, wanting a moment by myself but Alice followed.

The restroom was deserted except for a woman in the corner who looked too engrossed in her cell phone call to be paying us any attention.

"Alice, is something bothering you?" I asked, turning to look at her. She was small, with delicate features and dark hair. She looked nothing like Edward, except for the shape of her eyes, the long eyelashes, and fair complexion.

"I like you, Bella, I really do," Alice said softly. "My brother—he's such an amazing person, and hell, under other circumstances, I'd probably be trying to set you two up. But I saw how gutted you were when we worked on your apartment. You were barely holding it together. I know how devastated you were, and I just don't want to see my brother get hurt."

"Alice—" I started, realizing where she was going with this,but she cut me off.

"I'm just worried." Alice shook her head. "All Edward's said is that he's met a really incredible woman, and that he is taking it slow because she'd gotten out of a relationship not that long ago. He talked about your work, how beautiful you are, and a few of the times you went out. But honestly, he said almost nothing about your personal life.

"When I asked him why we hadn't met the woman he was seeing yet, he told me he didn't want to rush things but didn't go into any details as to why. I didn't really understand until I realized you were the woman he was seeing. I saw the way you two interacted at Spinnakers and put the pieces together.

"Bella, what I saw when I was working with you on your apartment. . . you were pretty upset. I can see it in your eyes even now. You aren't quite over your ex, are you?"

I sighed and shook my head, knowing I was walking a strange line between coping with moving on from Riley and seeing Edward. "I understand your concern, Alice, but I am trying with Edward. I really like having him in my life; believe me, I know how careful I have to be not to hurt him."

"I'm sorry if I'm reading too much into it," she said. "I just want to be sure you aren't stringing him along. He's a wonderful guy, and I'm not going to say anything to him, or anything else to you after this. Just be careful with him, all right? Edward is the kind of person who will put his own needs aside to make someone he cares about happy. Maybe I'm being overprotective; I just can't bear to see him get hurt."

"The last thing I want to do is hurt Edward," I said sincerely. She nodded, looking at her hands. "I'm trying, I really am," I reassured her. "I'll be honest, it has been rough for me, letting Riley go. But I am really trying now with Edward, and we're both okay with taking it slow."

"Thank you for being honest," she said apologetically. "It really isn't any of my business, but Edward ismy brother."

"It's all right. I know you're just looking out for him. He seems to have a lot of people in his life who really care about him." I smiled, reassuring her.

"He does."

Wanting to smooth things over with her, I added, "Just so you know, I am sorry I never called you back after you finished my apartment. I just wasn't in the right place to be a very good friend back then."

She nodded and squeezed my upper arm lightly. "I understand. I'm just glad to see you're doing better."

"I am," I said firmly. I turned away from Alice to check my lipstick in the mirror before turning back to her. "Now, let's go back to the table and see what everyone else is up to."

She smiled at me, and we walked back to the table.

I saw Edward visibly relax when we returned. "Is everything all right?" he asked when I slid into the seat next to him. "You two were gone a long time."

He put his arm around me, drawing me closer to him, and I rested my hand on his thigh. "It's fine," I reassured him. He nodded and kissed my temple.

While we were gone, the waiter had delivered our food. As we all ate, we conversed about San Francisco's social scene. Any lingering tension between Alice and me was gone by the time we finished dinner and made our way into see the band play.

She was the one I ended up sitting next to with Edward on my other side. She wasn't exceptionally talkative, but we made polite conversation about current events. I didn't feel like we were fast becoming best friends, but I didn't feel like she was quite as wary of me anymore.

The band was unique to say the least. The lead singer not only played multiple instruments at once, the entire percussion section was a tap dancer on a box. They were incredible. Edward spent most of the show with his hand on my thigh, fingertips stroking my bare skin. The laughter and easy banter that surrounded the group was relaxing, and I seemed to fit in seamlessly, earlier awkwardness with Alice aside.

After the show was over, we all left the club together. We stood on the sidewalk talking for a while with Edward's arms around me, his cheek pressed to my temple. Emmett and Rosalie invited everyone to join them at their place for drinks.

We made our apologies to the group and declined; Edward and I both had busy weeks ahead of us and wanted to spend some alone time together. Everyone seemed to understand. Goodbyes were exchanged along with hugs. Even Alice hugged me goodbye.

Edward and I walked to his car hand-in-hand. The night was cool now that the fog had blown in, and my buzz had taken over.

Once we were inside Edward's loft, he kissed me deeply. We stripped each other as we made our way up the winding staircase to his bedroom, leaving a trail of clothing behind us. It went against my usual fastidious nature, but I didn't care right then. I was too eager to feel his bare skin against mine and taste his lips. The sex was deep and intense, and the sky was beginning to lighten through the large arched windows when we finally succumbed to exhaustion.

So that was fun, right? Slow but steady progress for them. And what about Bella's conversation with Alice?

This chapter almost didn't make it. For some reason we kept losing it. So you'll have to let us know of it what you think by the end. Should it have stayed lost?

In very, very exciting news, this story was nominated for Fic of the Week at The Lemonade Stand. We are thrilled and honored to get that kind of recognition. Take a moment to go check out all of the stories nominated and vote. The polls close today! .net

There are some other really amazing fics up, as well. We deeply appreciate your enthusiasm for this story and love your reviews, tweets, and messages.

Feel free to stop by to chat or look for teasers in the following places:
Facebook: www*facebook*com/DiscordiaWriter
Twitter: DiscordiaWrites and kharisma2
Tumblr: discordiawriter*tumblr*com/