A/N: This is my very first fanfic ever. It is inevitable that I will probably make some mistakes, so let me know when I'm completely off the reservation, OK. But be tactful and courteous as I will always be to you. Bella and Edward are in the Florida Panhandle where feelings about interracial dating may not be as widely accepted as it is in say Metropolitan South Florida, hence some of the racial tensions in the story are warranted. There are still small towns in the Panhandle that fly the Confederate Flag and sell bumper stickers and t-shirts that tout their disdain for people of color. Tallahassee is a college town, so interracial dating in the Capital City is more accepted in the college communities. The south is also considered the Bible Belt, so Bella as a born-again Christian is not far-fetched at all.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. I am just living vicariously through them.
Trust, Loyalty, Commitment
"All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him." – Song of Songs 3:1
Chapter 1 Love Yet Eludes Me
Bella was annoyed with God. Not in the way that the children of Israel might have been when they wandered around in the desert for 40 years, either. Her annoyance was more akin to the way the Israelites might have felt when they were held in captivity in Egypt and the evil Pharaoh had given them even less straw to make the bricks he demanded of them.
She was royally peeved because she was lonely. She desired male companionship, and not just a gratuitous boy toy that she could play with a while and discard when she got bored. She wanted to meet "the one" already, but that little blessing had eluded her for most of her young adult life. She was pursuing her career passion, but she was missing the passion that was the love of her life.
Bella was the only child of an interracial couple who met as children during the waning years of the Civil Rights movement in the very church where Dr. King delivered many of his most prolific sermons. The Swans made sure that Bella had cut her teeth on passion.
Bella's mother, the former Renee Higginbotham, had become a lawyer because the dream she envisioned for her children included the possibility that even little "colored girls" like her could be whatever they wanted to be in life. Her father, Rev. Charles Swan, who humbly began as a small town police officer, realized that he had a higher purpose for his life when God called him first to marry Renee and then embark on a new career as a Presbyterian preacher.
Renee and Charlie were a formidable team. Together, they had founded the City of Hope Church on the south side of Tallahassee and built it to five hundred members, an apartment community and a community center in less than five years. If Charlie was the type of preacher who sugarcoated the gospel, the church would probably be a lot bigger, but he was known to be a straight shooter, both in his former and current vocations.
Charlie and Renee's dream for Bella was for her to be viewed as a woman of faith who, just as in Dr. King's dream, was judged by the content of her character and not the color of her skin. However, in her case it would be more accurately described as "the color of her maternal ancestors' skins."
Although Bella was biracial, her coloring was quite the anomaly. Renee liked to call it "dark peaches and cream." Even though her features belied any claim she could make to being totally Caucasoid, her skin was practically translucent. Charlie said she had inherited the Swan blush, which members of his family had borne for generations. And Bella was proud of all of who she was. Unlike some in the public eye who downplay their African American roots, Bella was happy to be the daughter of both Renee and Charlie. Like Barack Obama, she embraced her heritage in all of its beauty and its ugliness.
Bella had been waiting patiently for her soul mate for twenty- two, soon to be twenty-three, years but to date he had not shown up. At least that's what her personal prophet, and newest best friend, Mary Alice Whitlock, had assured her last year when they first met at the altar of City of Hope Church. Alice, also like Dr. King, had had a dream. This morning Bella's "I Have a Dream" had consisted of a full-blown wet dream starring some pale, nameless, faceless, dreamboat of a man who brought her to the brink of passion, but refused to seal the deal. Even her personal dreams robbed her of passion and left her sexually frustrated.
Bella often considered that if she were not a preacher's kid, and had not made the "It's Great to Wait" commitment when she was thirteen, the pool of eligible men would increase exponentially for her. However, she had never thought seriously about breaking that commitment or expanding her options to include men who were not of the Christian faith. She had never been desperate enough to do that. Yet, today she was feeling particularly annoyed, and not so much at God anymore, that she didn't even have a prospect on the horizon.
Hey God, can you throw a girl a bone here?
Bella had given this feeling a moniker: empty arms. This empty-armed feeling she had was always more pronounced when she spent time with Alice and her husband, Jasper. Those two had been married three years, but you would have thought their wedding had been last week. Their PDA was tolerable if you were an incurable romantic, but bordered on nauseating if you weren't into that sort of thing. Bella loved them and was happy for what they had together, but it always seemed to underscore more what she didn't have.
Bella was dwelling none too happily on this fact as she exited her car at the City of Hope Community Center where she had been serving as the Director for almost a year, since she'd completed her bachelors degree at Spellman and returned to Tallahassee to spend the summer with her family. When her maternal grandmother had suffered a stroke, she'd decided to stay in Tallahassee and Charlie had offered her the position at the Center.
This was not what she had intended to do with her English Literature degree, but because she had an Elementary Education minor, it was a good enough fit. Then the unexpected happened. She fell in love with the children and the program she had tweaked at the Center to be exactly what she envisioned for an urban after school educational program, which incorporated classic literature, music, and mathematics. Preliminary testing of the children in her program had convinced her father and the Board of Directors that she was perfect for a long-term position at the Center, so she had happily accepted the position with a nice raise in salary.
Bella was brought out of her reverie by her cell phone, as it began its rendition of "Claire de Lune" when she was almost at the door of her office. It was her mother.
"I got your message, Lovely!" Her mother sounded excited. "What's the good news? Have you met my future son-in-law, yet?"
Somebody kill me now.
"No, Mom, I have not met anyone." Bella propped her cell phone on her left shoulder next to her ear so she could juggle a latte, a laptop and briefcase to unlock her office door. "The good news is: I've been accepted into graduate school at FSU. You know, I had my interview with Dr. Tolbert today in the education department and while I can't do the fellowship because I don't want to give up my job at the center, I will be getting my letter of acceptance into the program in a couple of days."
Bella eyed a police car pulling into the lot as she turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open.
"That is great news, Bella. However, I thought you were about to tell me that you had a new beau." Renee Swan loved to hound her daughter about her love life, or lack thereof. But today of all days, Bella was really not in the mood.
"Can you at least bring the lingo into this century? No one uses the word beau anymore, Mom." Bella cringed and took the cell phone in her hand again as she set her things down in the chair next to her desk, pushing a foot out behind her and kicking the door shut.
"I can say beau, I'm from another generation," her Mom quipped playfully. "So tell me again why Jacob Black wasn't right for you?" Jacob Black was the son of a very close family friend, Billy Black, who was a Tallahassee Police Captain and a member of their church. Her mother never seemed to forget that the first match she tried to make for Bella did not work out.
"Jacob is just… different." Bella didn't have the heart to tell her mother that she was pretty sure Jacob was gay. Her mother was business smart, but had no 'gaydar.' Her first college boyfriend, Phil, had been gorgeous enough to be a Mr. Universe contestant but had also been a closeted homosexual, and Renee had been crushed. This development sent her right back into the arms of Charles Swan, her longsuffering and loyal childhood sweetheart.
"People thought that about your Dad, but you know the old saying, 'still waters run deep.'"
"But not "down low,'" Bella retorted.
"What was that, Baby?" Renee seemed preoccupied now as Bella heard keys clicking on the computer and papers being shuffled around on her mother's desk. Renee was an Attorney and the controlling partner of Swan, Thomas, Zachary and Brewster, PA. She was a formidable litigator in Tallahassee and was well respected.
"Nothing, Ma." Bella walked through the Center opening blinds and turning on the lights. "So, tell Dad I'm good for at least another two years at the Center, OK."
"I'll tell Charlie," her mom said dryly. "He'll be ecstatic, of course."
"Mommeee," Bella pleaded. "I know you think I should be married and teaching in a school district somewhere so I can build tenure, but this is where I belong right now."
"I know but I can hope for something more for my only daughter, can't I? I finished law school, was married and trying to have babies by the time I was twenty three, you know." Charlie and Renee had gone through four miscarriages before Bella was finally born. They were ecstatic when they finally hit the jackpot, and had planned more, but Renee had almost died when Bella was born, so Charlie quietly got a vasectomy and flatly refused to put Renee through that again.
"Yes, I know, but times are different now, Mom. Women are choosing careers now and putting off marriage and especially procreation." Bella walked back into her office and was about to pick up her laptop when a staccato tapping on the door made her jump. She turned to see a police officer peering into the window of her office door.
"Gotta go, Mom. Tallahassee's finest is at my door." Bella opened the door and held up a forefinger to signal the officer that she would be off in a second. She didn't really look at him, but was concentrating on getting her mom off the phone.
"Hope it's not any more bad news about those poor kids over there," Renee said solemnly. "Well, I'll let you go…Oh, dinner with us tonight?"
"No, I'm hanging with Angela tonight," Bella referred to her best friend, a foreign exchange student from the Mediterranean that her parents sponsored to come over to live with them when they were both in High School. She and Angela were now more like sisters.
"Give Angela our love." Renee declared. "Bye Baby."
Bella clicked her phone shut.
"Officer," she acknowledged. "How may I help you?" She prepared herself mentally for the drill, but then was surprised to see that this was not the same officer who was regularly assigned to cover the apartment community that her church had adopted as one of their mission fields. The first thing she registered was the emerald green eyes that seemed to pierce her soul. This guy was strikingly handsome, and younger than any of their previous community liaisons. He was about a foot taller than she was, even in the ambitious pumps she was wearing. Although slender, he was not rock-star thin, but boasted sinewy muscles that were definitely not manufactured from a steroid bottle. Shocking reddish-brown hair, almost copper in color, was finger combed back from his face, and wildly peeking out from under his cap. The paleness of his skin made him look almost angelic as he stood there, apparently giving her the once-over as well. She nervously bit her bottom lip, motioning for him to come in.
"Ma'am." The officer touched the brim of his cap briefly, then took it off and tucked it under his arm.
The gesture reminded Bella of those cheesy cop movies her Dad liked to watch from the seventies. She smirked, folded her arms and waited for him to speak again.
"I'm Officer Edward Cullen, TPD. Are you the Director of this Center?" His velvet drawl was distinct, but not overtly, sort of lilting and sexy. He couldn't be more than a few years older than she was, but his demeanor was all business.
"Yes, I'm Bella Swan." She offered a hand and they shared a firm shake. Touching his skin made her face grow warm, and hoped she wasn't blushing. "What? Do I have another delinquent in your custody?"
"No, Ma'am. I just wanted to come by and introduce myself. Captain Black has assigned me to cover the City of Hope Apartment Community. Officer Padgett was reassigned."
"Please, just call me Bella," she corrected. "My grandmother is the only woman in my family who answers to Ma'am."
Bella grinned broadly, shifted her weight slightly on one hip and shook her head.
"Protocol requires I use a bit of decorum, Ms. Swan."
"Alright, Officer Cullen. Hope you're better at this than Officer Padgett," she chided. "He was extremely non-responsive!"
It seemed like her candor may have been slightly off-putting to him, but he continued to smile. "As this is my assignment, you can be sure I will be responsive."
The inflection in his voice was a dead give away, but Bella was pleased that her directness had gotten a rise out of him, but hadn't rattled him too much. She didn't like weak as dishwater men who didn't know how to stand up to a strong woman. Bella was not usually attracted to just anything in uniform like many of her girlfriends, but found herself drawn to his brooding good looks tempered with a modesty that she was unable to explain.
"Have a seat, Officer Cullen." She moved her laptop and briefcase onto her desk. He sat in the chair offered, but did not relax. She also sat in the chair behind her desk.
"It might be helpful if you gave me an overview on what you do here," he stated plainly. "I know that this area is rough, to say the least. I was previously assigned to a precinct in Killearn."
Bella smiled, "You're not in Killearn anymore, Officer Cullen." Her brown eyes locked with his interested green ones, as she gave him a brief rundown. "In fact, there is upheaval here almost every day of the week. The residents have a median income of about $11,000.00. Most households are headed by single mothers with several children. The children in K-8 attend an after school program here in the Center. The children in High School…not so much. They prefer to hang out with their friends on the property and the community at large stirring up trouble wherever it can be found. You see everything here: drugs, alcoholism, prostitution, domestic abuse, gang activity, occasional assaults and murder. The Center is a safe haven for the children at the City of Hope Apartment Community. Together with several churches who volunteer here, I manage the after school program and other community activities. We provide mentoring, tutoring, and spiritual guidance. Our goal is to try to break the cycle of poverty and hopelessness while they're young."
"So, you flying solo today?" Officer Cullen looked dubious.
"The volunteers will be here in about fifteen minutes. They usually get here just before the children arrive." Bella opened her laptop bag and slid the laptop onto her desk.
Officer Cullen seemed relieved. "That's good. You can never be too careful, Ms. Swan."
Bella smiled again. He was so dedicated, so professional, so concerned, and so beautiful.
"I'm sure I'll have nothing to worry about, now that you're here, Officer Cullen."
EPOV
Edward finished logging his location in on his PC, got out of his squad car and approached the City of Hope Community Center office. He had seen a rather attractive, exotic young woman enter the building just before him. He didn't see her face but, from behind she looked like she could give his current flavor of the month, Tanya Denali, a serious run for her money.
Easy Cullen! You're here to work.
Peering through the window, he saw her moving around through the building with a cell phone glued to her ear, opening blinds and preparing for the day. Her coloring was exquisite, almost the color of translucent warm caramel, but lighter and more subtle. Her almost burgundy brown hair fell in cascades of wavy curls over her shoulders. His police training made him adept at figuring out what nationality people were. Her exotic features clued him in that she was biracial. She reminded him of a prettier version of Rashida Jones or Jessica Alba, a couple of his favorite actresses. When he saw her heart-shaped face for the first time, he was smitten by the vulnerability there, yet she also exuded a confidence, a bit of bravado that was sexy as hell.
He balled his slender fingers into a slight fist and tapped on the door with the first knuckle on his right hand. The woman was visibly startled, but she kept talking on the phone as she came to answer the door. She opened the door and held up a forefinger signaling that she would be off in a second. Edward was assaulted by a wonderful scent that was elegant, yet playful at the same time. It began as irresistible as Sicilian citron, but built into something more floral as he adjusted to the smell, like a mixture of Bluebell, Arabian Jasmine and White Rose, ringing resolutely feminine, deep and true. This woman was captivating and he felt himself becoming aroused as her scent assaulted him. He immediately began exercising a little trick he had taught himself while in the Marines. If he played "Taps" in his head, it would effectively quash his traitorous thoughts and their accompanying physical reaction. The haunting melody played at military funerals was a sure killjoy.
"No, I'm hanging with Angela tonight," She said to whomever she was talking to on the phone, and looking just a little bit disappointed. He wondered if it was a boyfriend or fiancé. She wore a tiny platinum ring on the ring finger of her left hand that had a row of interlocking hearts on it. After another couple of seconds, she abruptly clicked her phone shut and gave him her full attention.
"Officer," she said sincerely. "How may I help you?" When she took him in with a sweeping glance that she tried to hide behind her long black eye lashes, she then did the most adorable thing. She caught one side of her bottom lip in her teeth, and he had to resist the overwhelming urge to kiss her.
"Ma'am." Edward touched the brim of his cap briefly, then took it off and tucked it under his arm.
The vulnerability left her then. She smirked, folded her arms and waited for him to speak again.
"I'm Officer Edward Cullen, TPD. Are you the Director of this Center?" Edward was never nervous around women, but this one had single-handedly unnerved him. He vowed to stick to the business at hand.
"Yes, I'm Bella Swan." She reached out to shake his hand and he took it firmly, reveling in how soft her skin was, but being careful not to hold her hand too long. He began humming Taps in his head again.
Her light caramel complexion darkened infinitesimally, a slight dusty rose blush showing through. "What? Do I have another delinquent in your custody?" She asked earnestly. Her deep brown eyes were troubled, and he quickly reassured her.
"No, Ma'am. I just wanted to come by and introduce myself. Captain Black has assigned me to cover the City of Hope Apartment Community. Officer Padgett was reassigned."
"Please, call me Bella." She corrected. "My grandmother is the only woman in my family who answers to Ma'am."
The smile she gave him then opened up her face as she shifted her weight slightly on one hip and shook her head. She was wearing a navy blue, slim fitting business suit and navy pumps, but she didn't look studious at all. She was ravishing.
"Protocol requires I use a bit of decorum, Ms. Swan." Edward refused to allow her to unnerve him like this. He was going to be the consummate professional.
"Alright, Officer Cullen. Hope you're better at this than Officer Padgett," she chided. "He was extremely non-responsive!"
Damn, she was not going to play nice. "As this is my assignment, you can be sure I will be responsive."
He thought he might drown in her dark chocolate brown eyes until she snapped him out of his reverie with a polite gesture.
"Have a seat, Officer Cullen." She moved her laptop and briefcase onto her desk. He sat in the chair offered, careful to continue humming Taps. She sat in the chair behind her desk looking at him expectantly.
"It might be helpful if you gave me an overview on what you do here," he said sincerely. "I know that this area is rough, to say the least. I was previously assigned to a precinct in Killearn."
Bella smiled, "You're not in Killearn anymore, Officer Cullen." Her chocolate eyes became compassionate as she gave him a brief rundown of the demographics of the Community Center and Apartment Complex.
"So, you flying solo today?" Edward had to ask. She was entirely too beautiful to be in a place like this on her own.
"The volunteers will be here in about fifteen minutes. They usually get here just before the children arrive." She opened her laptop bag and slid the laptop onto her desk.
Edward was relieved. "That's good. You can never be too careful, Ms. Swan."
She flashed him her brilliant smile again. "I'm sure I'll have nothing to worry about, now that you're here, Officer Cullen."
~888~
Edward was determined as he walked away from the Center, Ms. Swan would see responsiveness, and he'd make damned sure of that!
"Why so angry, cuz?"
He'd recognize that cute little voice anywhere.
"Alice, what the…ummpf?" The little pixie rammed into him so fast it took the breath out of him for a second. "Careful now. I'm armed, you know."
"Yeah, sorry. Wouldn't want to accidentally shoot you in the foot, Edward. What are you doing here?"
"I've been assigned to this community. I just introduced myself to the Director."
"Bella's great isn't she?"
Edward looked quizzically at his cousin, "Uh, yeah, I guess so…"
"This is where I've been volunteering for almost a year, remember?"
"Yeah, now that you mention it." His talkie squawked. "Hey, I gotta get this. Talk to you later?"
"We're done at five-thirty. Meet us in the lot!" Alice scurried toward the Center.
Edward wanted to ask, "Who is us?" but she was in the door before he could do so. He answered the call from dispatch and began his patrol of the City of Hope Apartment Community. Each time he completed a perimeter sweep, he would pointedly drive back into the lot at the Community Center to make sure that all was well there. Now that his cousin was also there with the exotic Ms. Swan, he wanted to make sure they were okay or so he kept telling himself.
On his first day of duty, Edward found a homeless man sleeping in the plastic toy house on the playground. He directed the unfortunate fellow to the homeless shelter downtown and Edward advised the man that he did not want to find him sleeping on the playground anymore. There were also a couple of sixth graders who had ditched school for the first time and were wandering around the Apartment Complex. He took them both home to their mothers and one received a thrashing while he was there. Edward stopped the mom from beating the kid senseless with her house slipper and let her know that corporal punishment was okay as long as she used something more appropriate than a house slipper and didn't maim or harm the child in any way. Between all these incidents, he kept stealing glances at Ms. Swan in that killer blue suit.
The highlight of his day was catching some teens with a few rocks of crack in their pockets. He called for backup and two units responded, one bearing a couple of his favorite colleagues, Seth Clearwater and Rosalie Hale. He had known Rosalie a lot longer than he'd known Seth, but they were good friends now as well. Rosalie was engaged to one of his best friends, so she had become his friend by default. Rosalie was beautiful, and had he met her while he was in the Marines or in Terre Haute, he might have tapped that, but she was too high-maintenance for his taste and extremely vain. Emmett McCarty, Rose's fiancé, was one of his best friends, and he would never mess around with his friend's girl. They had known one another since grade school and had kept in touch even when Edward moved away while they were in High School. Now that he was back in the area, he and Emmett had picked up where they left off. Emmett had gone to college at FSU and played football for coach Bowden. An injury in his junior year kept him from going pro. He had been hired by the Leon County Sheriff's Department right out of college and was now a Resource Officer for one of the local High Schools.
"Officer Hale, Officer Clearwater," Edward greeted them each with a smile as they ambled toward him.
"What you got, Officer Cullen?" Rosalie was always ready to bust some balls.
"Three teens, possession, intent to distribute. The youngest one had one rock on him. The older two had about a dozen each. Haven't gotten them to tell me who they got the stuff from, yet."
Rosalie and Seth approached the three boys who were assuming the position on the side of Edward's cruiser. They handcuffed them soundly and put the three of them into separate squad cars.
"We'll see you back at the precinct," Seth said. Rosalie saluted him playfully and they were gone.
Edward escorted the youngest one in his car, and carried the bagged evidence as well. He would take him in and be back shortly, but he couldn't resist taking another look into the Center windows. Ms. Swan's brown eyes were taking in the scene. Alice looked from her to him and grinned a little impishly. Edward sighed heavily, hopped into his cruiser and took off.
BPOV
Bella found herself oddly distracted today, which was extremely unusual. This had not occurred once in the year she had been managing the center. She was always careful to be attentive, kind and patient while remaining firm with the children because she knew that their home lives were inconsistent. She found herself watching Officer Cullen cover the grounds as she and the volunteers tutored the children in reading and math.
Alice kept looking from her to the window, and questioning Bella with her eyes. She grinned sheepishly at Alice and tried to concentrate on the children and what was going on in the room, but it was becoming increasingly more and more difficult to do so. The bronze-haired Adonis outside had her mesmerized.
When Bella looked out at Officer Cullen again, she observed a couple of teenagers and a slightly younger boy in the trademark sagging pants with underwear showing, being stopped by Officer Cullen and having their pockets emptied. Backup units were called and there was activity in the parking lot for more than an hour. She noticed Officer Cullen had a nice smile, specifically for a tall, gorgeous, blonde, female officer who responded to the call.
"That would be more his speed!" Bella snorted inelegantly under her breath and turned away from the spectacle outside. She retreated into her office to calm down and begin her daily reports.
Bella, you are covetous and jealous over someone you just met, she scolded herself. Get a grip!
She was standing in front of the chair of her desk, when a spiky-haired, diminutive brunette poked her head in the door.
"Got a minute, Boss?" Alice chirped, and bounded into the room and closed the door before Bella could answer.
Bella smirked, readying herself for the onslaught which was Alice. "Yeah," Bella teased, looking down at her watch. "Sixty-seconds and counting."
Alice pursed her lips, glaring at Bella through squinty eyes. "You can't time what I've got to tell you."
Bella turned her laptop on. "OK, you have my undivided attention until my computer boots up."
"What, half a minute? Bella, I'm so hurt." She slumped into the chair in front of the desk.
Bella relented, "OK, friend. Lay it on me."
Bella could never keep Alice at bay. They had been this way since day one. Alice Whitlock had been volunteering at the Center since Bella began and they had quickly become as thick as thieves. She was a bundle of energy that Bella was drawn to probably because Alice was so very different from herself. While she was reserved, bookish and introverted; Alice was outgoing, lighthearted, fun loving and loud. Bella was conservative in her dress and not prone to draw attention to herself, but Alice was a fashion connoisseur and thrived on the attention of others. Alice was her only married friend. Her husband Jasper was a youth Pastor at Oakdale Church, a sister church to her father's City of Hope. While both Presbyterian churches, Oakdale was a north Tallahassee, predominantly white, mega church and City of Hope was a south Tallahassee, multi-cultural church, seating approximately 700 on a good Sunday. Oakdale and City of Hope worshipped together a couple of times a year and partnered together in quite a few ministry endeavors. This is how Bella met Alice and Jasper.
"Bella," Alice put on her serious face. "You remember what I said to you when we first met, right?"
"Alice, you said a lot of stuff to me when we met. Can you be a little more specific?"
"You know, I told you that God would show you who your husband would be later this year, remember?
"You're worse than my mom. I haven't been on a date in six months. There is no husband on the horizon for me, so…"
"Yes, there is. I've seen it."
"Really!" Bella rolled her eyes dismissively.
"Don't you be sassing me, Missy!"
"Alice, come on, you don't do the southern belle thing very well at all."
"Seriously, Bella. As God is my witness, your man is here. I don't know why it took me so long to see, I guess it's because he is not your conventional kind of guy."
"How's that?"
"Well…he's not your usual type. But I promise he's worth it, even though he doesn't know it yet."
"What is that supposed to mean? Is he like a Russian midget with self-esteem issues?"
"No, he's a really good looking guy. And, he's kinda related to me."
"I thought all your relatives were in Washington State." Bella's eyes widened. "Don't tell me he's that man-whore cousin who just moved back to Wakulla County a few months ago?"
"Edward has been known to like the ladies, don't get me wrong, but he's not really a man-whore. Now Edward, Sr. was until he settled down with his second wife."
"Ladies man…man-whore, I don't think I'm interested, Alice."
"I think you are, Bella. In fact, I saw you looking at him just a little while ago."
Bella flopped down into her desk chair, flabbergasted.
"Officer Cullen is your cousin?"
Alice nodded almost apologetically.
Bella felt like she was beginning to hyperventilate. Alice came around the desk and began massaging Bella's shoulders.
"Breathe, Bella."
Bella found her voice again. "But Alice, he's beautiful and so out of my league. Not to mention he probably already has a girlfriend. Does he go to your church?"
Alice twirled Bella around in the chair and looked at her sternly.
"You are beautiful inside and out and don't you believe anybody who tells you any differently. You're a mutt, Bella. And mutts are always beautiful."
"Okay, so I'm not homely and totally un-dateable, I'll grant you that. But I'm a preacher's kid and I am not the type of girl your cousin is probably used to dating."
"Yeah, my cousin's got some crack-head skank ho who's attached herself to him, Tanya Svengali, or something. She thinks she's a supermodel because she's done some print work and commercials in Atlanta and Orlando. And Edward doesn't go to church…yet."
"See, that right there is a deal breaker, Alice, and you know it. And I definitely can't see myself trying to steal him away from a model."
"Model, schmodel," Alice muttered.
"Anyway, I thought he might have eyes for that blonde Amazonian police officer he was smiling at today."
"Oh no. That's Rosalie. She's Edward's best friend's fiancé."
"So, it's supposed to make me feel better that it's not the blonde he's dating, but the model?"
"Bella, he won't be able to resist you. You'll be like a drug to him."
"In what alternate universe? You haven't told your cousin any of your wild prophecies have you?"
"No, Edward wouldn't receive my gift…"
"Why?"
"It's a long story. Anyways, Edward's meeting us in the parking lot after work and I'm going to ask him to hang out with us tonight."
"Alice!"
"Come on, Bella."
"I'm hanging out with Angela tonight. Her boyfriend, Ben, is going out of town and we don't get to see much of each other anymore."
"What are you guys doing?"
"We're going to Café' Cabernet with the young professionals from church."
"Jazz and I love that place. We'll bring Edward by there later, then, Okay?"
Bella chewed off the last vestiges of her lip-gloss.
"He probably thinks I'm a loser who can't get a date. I won't be a charity date, Alice."
"Believe me, he doesn't look at you like you were a charity anything."
"Was he really… you know, looking at me?"
"Yeah, every time you weren't looking at him."
"I was not…" Bella couldn't lie. "Okay, I was looking at him." She hung her head in shame. "He's just so pretty, Alice. I don't think God will get me for looking."
Alice patted the top of her friend's head. "No, Bella, I don't think God will get you for that."
~888~
Officer Cullen was true to his word, he was nothing if not responsive. There had been more concern shown and activity on the grounds than Bella had seen in the year that Officer Padgett had been their liaison. Edward Cullen would be described by Angela as "hot!" He looked to be about 6'2", approximately 180 pounds and was physically very fit with natural muscle, not that over-bloated "Johnny Bravo" look, but very toned, which helped him wear his uniform as if it were tailor made. There was no policeman's donut or beer belly that you saw on some of the cops around Tallahassee. In fact, she would bet that he had a six or eight pack underneath his dark blues.
Edward Cullen looked like he might have been the golden boy in High School, lettered in several sports, and part of the uber-popular crowd to boot. Bella had never been quite this taken with a Caucasian man before in real life. Most of the guys she dated had been either African American or biracial, with an occasional blonde or brunette hottie who traveled in their circles. And yes, she sometimes even ogled movie stars like Channing Tatum, Colin Farrell, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, but never had she been this smitten with an honest to goodness white boy in her own home town. Bella was not prejudiced but had dated firmly within her comfort zone and exclusively guys who were unapologetically Christian.
Bella was giving snacks to the children when they were preparing to leave and was saying goodbye to each one personally when Danae, one of her favorite first graders, got her attention.
"Ms. Bella," Danae sing-songed her name.
"Yes, Danae," Bella answered sweetly, looking down at her charge.
"What's that police man keep looking in here for?"
Bella looked out the window to see Officer Cullen, now wearing a pair of black aviators, arms folded across his chest, leaning on his cruiser, looking in her general direction.
She looked down at Danae again. "He's probably just making sure you kids get home okay" Bella tweaked Danae's little nose. "You go on home to your Mama, now." Danae skipped out the door, her little beaded French braids making their own music. When Danae got closer to Officer Cullen, she looked up at him and slowed down becoming almost entranced at how tall he was. He said something to her and she stopped. Bella would have loved to hear that conversation.
When all the kids were gone, she and the volunteers made quick work of tidying up the center, Bella armed the alarm system and they all left together as they characteristically did. Alice headed directly to the cruiser to talk to her cousin. Bella lagged behind and hoped to get into her car and away before Alice realized she was gone.
Officer Cullen greeted Alice almost as enthusiastically as she had him. The throaty chuckle he had for his cousin made Bella smile.
Bella overhead him ask incredulously, "So, that's the friend you've been wanting me to meet, Alice?"
Why was Alice doing this to them when she knew it wouldn't come to anything, and if it did, it couldn't end well. Bella tuned out their muffled whispers and said one last goodbye to the volunteers and clicked the keyless entry to her red Mazda 6 parked next to Cullen's cruiser. She quickly busied herself putting her things in the backseat and was about to slide into her car when she heard his velvety drawl calling her name.
"Ms. Swan!"
If he insisted on continuing with the formalities, so could she. "Yes, Officer Cullen." Bella slowly turned around and looked up into his emerald eyes. His sudden proximity totally disarmed her.
"Call her Bella, Edward. We all do." Alice was holding onto his arm and giggling like a fiend.
"Bella," he said softly, but it felt like a caress. Then he got all businesslike again. "One of the young men we detained today was a seventh grader…Kwame Jones. He had one rock in his pocket, which was considerably less than his friends, but he admitted they were selling for a local dealer. It's a first offense, so he'll probably get mandatory drug education and community service. He says he used to come to the Center. If we funnel him back through, can you take him?"
"Absolutely," Bella said without having to think twice about it. She was pleasantly surprised that for a young cop, Officer Cullen did not seem anxious to send all the kids to juvenile detention. He was sincerely compassionate and willing to give a second chance where justified.
Officer Cullen smiled widely and Bella was amazed at how much younger just a smile made him look.
"So, this is the deal," Alice said talking fast. "Bella's meeting some friends at Café Cabernet tonight, so I thought maybe you, Jazz and I could meet her there later, Edward."
"I'm off at seven," he smiled a crooked smile that made Bella want to swoon like a southern belle. "I could meet you guys there around eight."
"Sounds great!" Alice squealed. "It'll be fun."
Edward's radio crackled with a litany of information, the dispatcher asking for responders. He sprinted around to the driver's side of his squad car.
"See you ladies at Café. Domestic situation around the corner," he said by way of explanation, and slid into the driver's seat. He hit his lights and backed away before she or Alice could respond. He hesitated a couple of seconds until they got into their cars, then he blared his siren and sped away when they were each safely inside their vehicles.
~888~
A/N: My Bella is not overtly clumsy and has some rhythm which she inherited from her African American roots. She is somewhat shy with men, especially because she has lived a very sheltered life. And although she doesn't seek the limelight, she is not afraid to speak or sing in front of a crowd, since she did so growing up in church. She also has a bit of a swagger of confidence, because she is a strong woman.
"Taps" Story and Lyrics on my Profile. http://mydothomewithgoddotcom/lanell/TAPSdothtml
Tallahassee's Finest – City of Tallahassee Police Department, or TPD as we affectionately call them. Their motto is "Trust, Loyalty, Commitment" hence the title of this story!
Down-low is a slang term that refers generically to keeping something private. Use of "Down-low" to refer to closeted homosexuality evolved from the earlier use (as in "keep it on the down-low"). More recently it has been used to describe the behavior of men who have sex with other men, as well as with women, but who do not identify as gay or bisexual. The term has its origins in African American slang but such behavior is not exclusive to that group.
Johnny Bravo is an American animated series created by Van Partible. It premiered on July 7, 1997 on Cartoon Network and ran for 67 episodes and 4 seasons. The series originally lasted for 12 1997 episodes and a half hour's worth of original pilots, was renewed in 1999 and officially ended in 2004.
Bella's Promise Ring link on my Profile: http://wwwdotoverstockdotcom/Jewelry-Watches/10k-White-Gold-Diamond-Interlocking-Hearts-Ring-H-I-I1-I2/3254338/productdothtml