A/N: Readers and reviewers, I just want to say thanks to all of you who take the time to read TLC each time an update makes its way into your Favorite Stories box or your Alert Email. The stats have borne out time and again that many of you around the world are reading, and for that I am truly grateful. I want to also say a special thanks to those of you who feel so strongly about the story that you must review each and every time.

Together with the tireless efforts of my lovely betas, SSHG316, acireamos and Charmie77, your reviews have done much to compel me to keep writing and to strive to make TLC the best story it can be. JennDay is my cheerleader, and beta in a pinch, and I love her for loving TLC as much as she does. Copward is getting all Coptastic in this chapter. Show him some love and press that Review button!

Trust, Loyalty, Commitment

No one who, like me, conjures up the most evil of those half-tamed demons that inhabit the human beast, and seeks to wrestle with them, can expect to come through the struggle unscathed." – Sigmund Freud

And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues. – Mark 16:17

Chapter 11 – TLC: Conquering The Demons

EPOV

Edward watched Bella until she disappeared into what had to be her bedroom to finish whatever it was she needed to do to get ready. Even with her face devoid of makeup, she was absolutely stunning, so much so that he had to think of some lame-assed excuse to kiss her first thing this morning. After having shared another fuckawesome kiss with her, he was positive that he had done the right thing when he had come clean about his feelings.

He spotted some family pictures on the end table next to the sofa and bent down to peruse them. Her mother, Renee, was a caramel-colored beauty who was quite regal-looking with just a hint of mischief in her hazel eyes. Charlie had the look of a serious pastor, with dark brown hair and eyes, and sporting a neatly groomed mustache. Bella had her mother's beauty and Charlie's brown hair and eyes. There was a picture of Bella between the two of them when she'd graduated from Spelman, and an older picture from maybe her high school days. She was captured in a split over the balance beam in this photo, the picture of concentration and in flawless form. He smiled, wishing he had been around when she was in gymnastics, but then realized that might have been a little awkward as he was five years her senior.

He replaced the photo on the table and turned to find her taking in his form. While she was busy looking at him, he looked his fill of her, too. He could never get enough of looking at Bella; looking at her was a natural impulse he couldn't avoid or stop if he wanted to. He had not taken the time to do so when he'd arrived, because kissing her had been his first objective, but he would not miss a second opportunity.

He smiled and told her how great she looked, and she returned the compliment. Her eyes turned curious as she noticed his ink and asked about it. He still had trouble sometimes talking about the tattoo and its significance even though it was there and people noticed it, invariably. After he explained it was a tribute to his friend, she did the strangest, yet most caring thing anyone had ever done in response to it. She actually kissed the fucking tattoo, which had him breaking out in all kinds of cold sweats, but it was just too damned beautiful for him to comprehend. The deference she paid to a guy she hadn't even known brought a lump into his throat bigger than a fucking grenade, and all he could do was gather her into his arms and hold on to her for dear life.

Finally, he was able to get a hold of himself and he released her, but held both her hands in his. Her eyes were soft and warm as chocolate fudge looking up at him. She stared back into his eyes with such adoration that he began to wonder what he'd ever done to deserve to be in the same room with a creature as amazing as Bella Swan.

Edward cleared his throat. "Bella, um... thanks for honoring Paul like that. He lost his life saving mine."

"Greater love has no man than this..." she began, and he helped her complete the quote, "that he lay his life down for his friends."

She looked surprised that he knew the verse, and he had to swallow hard to keep from bawling right then. "Paul used to quote that shi-, um that verse all the time," he whispered raggedly.

"Looks like he really meant it," she said softly. "I am so thankful that you had a friend like that when you needed one. Sounds like Paul and I would have gotten along famously." She smiled.

"This is the closest I have come to believing that he might have sacrificed himself for someone who's worth it. You make me want to be a better man, Bella."

She cradled his cheek in her palm, "The man you are, underneath all the baggage from a dysfunctional family and the self-inflicted guilt you carry, is a good man, and the only one I see," she said sincerely.

He was so moved by her words; he raised her left hand to his lips and kissed it. "I guess I can only get better, then." He smiled and, releasing her right hand, began to lead her to the door.

He didn't understand why he was so fucking emotional today and had never been so anxious to change the subject. "We should get going. One of these places closes at one."

~888~

BPOV

They had visited all the rental stores within an hour and half and found their way to Nic's Toggery just off Monroe on Northtown where Edward would be fitted for his tuxedo. The owner, Mr. Gavalos, had a son around Bella's age, and they had attended church together when they had both been in middle school. Mr. Gavalos was very attentive to them and got to Edward quickly. Bella enjoyed checking out all the men's clothing and accessories he had on display. She also got a nice peek at Edward's abs when he was being measured. They were as she expected: perfection. Just the little glimpse she caught of his bronze happy trail made her feel warm all over. He kept asking her opinion about which tux to choose, and she tried to have an honest opinion, but he actually looked good to her in every one he tried on. Finally, the owner suggested something special he had just added to the line, and in the end, they both felt that one was the Debussy tux. It was black, of course, with tails but boasted a satin shawl collar rather than the traditional one. They placed the order and were off to his car to their next destination, which Bella thought was home, but Edward had other plans.

They had gone only a short distance on Monroe before they made a right on 5th Street where they pulled into the parking lot of "Bella Bella," one of her favorite restaurants, and not only because it bore her name, but because they had some of the best informal Italian dining you could find in Tallahassee.

"Oh my God, Edward," she exclaimed. "How did you find out about this place?"

"Seth told me about it. I kept bending his ear so much about you, he said that I should take you here if I was ever fortunate enough to get a date with you."

"So, this is a date?" she teased.

"Now it is," he smirked. "This place was given a name so nice, they had to say it twice. You can't beat it for a first date for the girl that bears its name."

Bella giggled and started to open her car door. "No," he insisted. "Let me get that." He slid quickly out of the car and came around to open her door. Taking her hand, they walked into the restaurant and were seated in a round corner table underneath a ceiling fan.

Bella Bella was buzzing with lunch-goers and they were fortunate to get a table very quickly. They ordered tomato and basil bruschetta, and for their entrees Bella chose a chicken pesto melt, while Edward chose the Caprese, a prosciutto ham sandwich, both with cold pesto salads.

"You get serious cool points for this move, Cullen," Bella teased.

"That's good," he said teasing back with a smirk. "I'm all about the cool points."

"So, what do you normally do on a Saturday morning?"

"I usually jog, first thing. Sometimes go to the firing range, wash the car or putter around with it—you know, usual guy stuff. And there's the soccer team Emmett and I coach together."

"Yeah, how's he making it without you today?"

"Trust me, we have quite a few well-meaning dads who are always dying to be coach for a day."

"I imagine that would be true. I was so happy when I was growing up that gymnastics wasn't a sport that parents could meddle with very much. Because it wasn't something that either had experience in, they couldn't offer any real advice to the coaches."

"Children the world over probably wish that were the case in every sport."

"Yeah," Bella agreed, taking a quick sip of water. "How far do you jog in the mornings?"

"Usually five miles. Ten, if I skip a day."

"I've been looking to do some cardio since leaving Spelman, but I've been doing so many other things and the gym can be so boring. I do a little bit of Capoeira, this Brazilian martial arts thing, but it doesn't offer as vigorous of a sustained workout as I'd like. Maybe I should try jogging."

"We can go out together some mornings when I move back to Tally, if you'd like," he offered.

"Thanks, I'll hold you to it," she said, smiling.

"What's your usual Saturday morning routine?" he asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"I usually sleep in," she confessed. "I am not a morning person. In fact, I am particularly grumpy when I'm either sleepy or hungry."

"So, I guess it's good I'm feeding you now then, huh?"

"Yeah, another half hour and I probably would've eaten you alive," she joked. Then she realized how sexy that double-entendre sounded and blushed profusely.

He smirked, his green eyes smoldering, "I would not have protested."

Bella took another sip from her glass hoping to cool the warmth that was beginning to emanate from her center. He was making her come unhinged with every passing moment, and she fought desperately to regain her composure. She chewed nervously on her bottom lip and was eventually able to muster a shy smile.

"I walked right into that one," she said lamely.

"I couldn't resist," he admitted. "And I love it when you blush."

"It's a Swan thing. There are a long line of Swans who bear this curse."

"Well, it's an adorable curse," he said. "Probably just as adorable as seeing you grumpy in the morning."

"It might grow old quickly for anyone who inherits the misfortune of cohabitating with me in the future," she said mischievously.

"Not if he is a man who has a certain skill for altering moods," he said with an equal amount of mischief.

"You have an answer for everything, don't you?"

"I'd like to think I'm a pretty resourceful guy," he said, quite pleased with himself.

"I'm inclined to agree. You can be quite charming, dazzling even when you want to be. Especially when you're intimidating people who don't understand how protective you are of the people you care about." She looked pointedly into his eyes, allowing her meaning to sink in.

"Dazzling?" He latched onto the first part of her sentence, ignoring the latter part completely.

"Edward," she said in a warning tone.

He grimaced. "James told you about our little conversation, huh?"

"Reluctantly," she said. He mumbled an expletive.

"James is not a bad guy. He became dependent upon pain meds when he was injured at a martial arts tournament several years ago. He hit rock bottom very quickly. He even got into trouble with the law, but he's faced those demons and he's managed to tame them. Tallahassee is a new beginning for him and his family."

"I applaud him and his new beginning," Edward said calmly. "But I've seen a lot of addiction in my line of work, and it is difficult to kick. If he had a relapse you could be hurt, Bella. Not just emotionally, but physically. And I will never stand aside and let him do that to you. Even if you choose him, I will always be watching out for you."

"Why is that? Why would you selflessly make a sacrifice in your personal life to secure my safety?"

"To be honest," he said. "It's hard to explain. I feel very protective of you, because you have touched something in me that no other woman has ever even come close to."

"It's the divine in you that identifies with the divine in me. You have a good heart, Edward. There is also something powerful that resides in James' heart. He has a strong faith, and even if he does relapse, he will always find his way back. I believe that because I share that faith," she said softly. "There is evidence that you have it, too. It might be covered over by years of rejection and denial, but I see it there. It is what allows you to say that even if I chose him, you would still be looking out for me."

Bella realized that she might have said too much too soon. He had been hurt so deeply by organized religion, to hear anything remotely related to it in regard to his life could be just a bit much. She would have to be careful because she didn't want to push him away. He was too important to her to do that. She would honor her vow to accept him the way that he was, because even if he never changed, she was slowly becoming convinced that her feelings for him absolutely would not.

~888~

EPOV

After lunch they took a stroll around Lake Ella. Fred Drake Park bordered Lake Ella on the east and had picnic shelters, a site for community activities, amateur astronomy, and a paved walking trail that completely encircled the lake. It was bordered on the west by quaint little shops and cafes and was a popular walking spot for families, couples and friends. Edward held Bella's hand and shared easy conversation with her as they walked, honoring the due diligence required in new relationships during the "getting to know you" phase. He found they had an uncanny number of things in common. Even things in which they were polar opposites were, at the very least, complementary. He knew that Bella loved music, but he was doubly impressed that she knew and liked a fairly decent number of country music artists.

"So what's the story behind you knowing country music so well?" They had found a bench in a shaded area near the shops that had an excellent view of the lake, where they sat ignoring any view that didn't involve them looking at each other.

"My parents tell me that when I was about four years old, they got me my first radio. I tuned it to a country station and that's where it stayed exclusively for about a year. It helped that during this same time I was a minority at church, in my gymnastics program, and other activities I was involved in. All my friends liked country music, Christian contemporary, rock, hip hop. And my parents influenced me with classical, jazz, gospel, soft rock, and R&B. I just love music period. I mean there isn't much I don't like. So, are you an exclusive classical, rock and country music man?

"Primarily, but I like my fair share of jazz and R&B and well, any music that's good."

"How long have you been playing the piano?" she asked.

"Since before my feet were able to touch the pedals," he answered. "My mother is quite an accomplished pianist herself, and she toured around the world, playing all the concert venues before she married my father. She taught me to play and insisted on daily practice when I was growing up, but that wasn't something I needed any coaxing to do. I've always loved it."

"I regret not learning to play an instrument well. I took piano for a couple of years in school. I can play just well enough to make good pianists cringe," Bella confessed. "Gymnastics took up so much of my time, but I really loved it, too."

He loved how Bella didn't make a big deal of his mother's accomplishments and his allusion to his privileged childhood. He had a sizeable trust fund sitting in a bank in Seattle where his mother had grown up. It became available to him when he was twenty-one. The only time he had ever touched it in his adult life was when he'd set up an anonymous stipend to be sent to Mrs. Featherstone every month for as long as she lived.

"There's always time to improve. You should try it again. I can show you chord progressions that will allow you to play anything you want."

"Okay, I've got you on the hook for two things. Looks like I might have to keep you around for a while," she teased.

"That's the plan." He smiled back at Bella, noticing her cheeks pink up almost immediately.

~888~

BPOV

The rest of the weekend flew by. Bella attended service at her dad's church on Sunday because she missed his preaching and singing with her home church choir. James had lunch with some people from his new church, but they met later at her place. Because it was such a hot day, they decided to take a dip in the pool. After they changed, Bella got a glorious eyeful of a shirtless James again. She remembered seeing him around his parents' pool in Atlanta, and he was extremely nice to look at in a bathing suit. The years of martial arts training were evident in his sinewy muscular frame. From the look in his eyes, she could tell that he liked what he saw of her in her suit, too. She wore a modest one-piece, although she owned several bikinis. It was cut in a way that made it extremely sexy even though it had the illusion of covering up more skin. They frolicked around in the water for a while, then grabbed takeout from Japanica, a local Japanese restaurant, and rented a movie.

When the food was consumed and the movie ended, they continued to sit on the floor in front of her sofa and talked. James retrieved his acoustic guitar from his car, and they sang a few songs together. Bella loved that they sang well together; it was what made her feel closest to him. They sang several Nichole Nordeman songs, because they agreed she was one of the best lyricists in contemporary Christian music.

The end of their evening together came too soon. She found herself in his arms and for the first time was absolutely wowed by his kiss. It didn't quite reach the magnitude of an Edward Cullen kiss, but it definitely turned her on. Apparently, James had decided that he wasn't holding back anymore; she saw unbridled desire in his blue eyes for the first time.

"Bella, you are everything I could ever dream of wanting or needing in a woman," he whispered urgently against her lips. "I could very easily fall in love with you."

Bella stiffened in his arms when she heard those words. "I don't know how advisable that is, considering our current situation," she replied softly.

"What if I couldn't help myself? Feelings don't have brakes that you can apply to slow or stop them. They tend to develop of their own volition without giving you any say in the matter."

She removed herself from his embrace and started picking up the takeout containers on the table. She needed to busy herself with the mundane because this was getting too heavy for her. When she had as many items as she could carry in her arms, she looked up at him again.

"I only know that I like you a lot, James. And before you came around, I met someone else that I like, a lot. I'm sorry that I'm not anywhere close to a decision right now, but I don't want you to become so invested in me that you don't guard your own heart. I don't want to hurt you, if this should go the other way."

"I want to believe that it won't be necessary for me to guard my heart," he said, forcing a smile. "But you're right. If things should not work out the way I'm hoping, I do want us to be able to emerge from this as friends. I care too much for you to lose you entirely." He picked up the other items on the table and followed her into the kitchen.

Bella was thankful that by walking away from him and into the kitchen she didn't have to look into his eyes. She felt like she was suffocating. How could he already be falling for her? This wasn't supposed to be happening so fast. James was sweet and had so much to offer, but she didn't know if he was "the one." And she didn't want him to go all in when she wasn't sure what her decision would be in the end. They made short work of discarding empty containers and placing glasses in the dishwasher.

James hugged her from behind as she straightened up from the dishwasher, enveloping her in his strong arms and careful to wrap his arms in such a way that he wasn't touching her too intimately. She closed her eyes and relaxed her back against his muscular chest. Bella knew that James would be true to his word. He would cherish her and do everything he could to make her happy. Could she be happy with a man who could offer her a strong abiding love within the context of her faith, even though there was someone else who offered her an unpredictable, volatile kind of love that was long on passion and ambiguous on faith? She knew that when she could answer that question, her decision would be made.

~888~

EPOV

Edward was perched in a fucking deer stand on a hill about a half mile from the Church of the Greater Son. There were about a dozen cars in the lot, one of which was a dark green Jaguar belonging to Bishop Aro Volturi. The others were, he surmised as did the Feds, various office staff. The final car that arrived – a black SUV – carried two suited characters who looked like muscle men. He and all the federal agents and local law enforcement backup on this operation had been strategically monitoring the activity at COGS since before dawn. Edward had been in his current position for about an hour, just waiting until he got the "go" signal. He checked his talkie to make sure it was on low and, satisfied, took a sweep across the landscape and the church through the sight on his sniper rifle. No movement, yet.

Sunday night, he and his mother had been visited by "the suit" in charge of the take down and his very own Captain Black. It was a courtesy call because Captain Black wanted to help smooth a path for the Feds by talking Edward into agreeing to their plan. The plan involved his mother going into COGS, wired, and having a conversation with Aro that would seal their case against him. After cursing Special Agent Eric Yorkie and Captain Black six ways from Sunday using every word he had in his arsenal of colorful language, he'd only relented when his mother had overridden him and insisted she would do it.

"Edward Anthony Cullen," she'd scolded. "I'm going to do this, and I don't want to hear another thing about it." He'd felt like he was ten... again. As much as he didn't like to admit it, he was his father's son. Edward Cullen, Sr. was an Alpha male, brash, and fiercely protective of his family. Edward remembered some of his parents' very heated arguments and how his mother, in their final years together, had stood up to him more often than not. Even though he had not been successful in getting his mother to decline the Feds' request, he had been able to insist that he be included in the bust. Special Agent Yorkie had been happy to have someone with his skills in on the operation.

Taking another look through the sight, he simultaneously got an announcement on the talkie. "The dove is descending," a disembodied voice crackled, indicating that his mother was on her way to the church. He found her cobalt blue Cadillac easily in the sight, entering the driveway and slowly approaching the church parking lot. He watched as his mother parked, then got out and made her way to the entrance of the church. She was wearing one of her favorite pastel Chanel suits, looking to the entire world like she was a woman going to pay a visit to her pastor in a mainstream church. Edward's heart seized slightly. Despite all the shit that had happened in his childhood, this was the woman who had carried his troubled ass in her womb for fuck's sake; he was going to protect her with everything he had in him.

After about a half hour, he was getting antsy. The next words coming from the talkie made his blood run cold. "The dove is compromised! The dove is compromised! Wait for my signal." Edward trained the sight on the door of the church, waiting for any sign of movement. With his naked eye, he saw approximately fifteen law enforcement vehicles converge onto the scene, the men in them jumping out and taking various positions of cover behind them. He positioned himself quickly back behind the sight of the rifle. The church door opened, and the first thing he saw emerge was a peek of his mother's powder blue suit; then she was edged forward by a feral looking Aro who was brandishing a handgun that he was nudging into her back. "Stand down. Wait for my signal!" the talkie voice barked.

Edward froze only briefly, then his Marine training took over. He separated the fact that this was his mother from the job in front of him that he had to do. He kept his eye and the crosshairs trained on Aro's head. The two suits who entered the building last were also using women as shields. They emerged just moments behind Aro and his mother with guns and hostages of their own. The two unfortunate office workers were being shown just how much they were valued by the Church of the Greater Son. Edward was primarily interested in only one of the hostages at this point, and he kept his rifle trained on the man who had brainwashed his mother and destroyed his family. He spoke clearly into the talkie. "This is eagle one. I've got a bead on Satan," Edward acknowledged, referring to Aro. Yorkie's voice came back through the talkie: "Eagle one has Satan. Eagle two and three, you got the minions?" "Roger that," they said almost in unison. "On my mark," Yorkie declared. "Take the shots! Take the shots!" he yelled seconds later.

Edward took his obligatory breath and held it, steadied the crosshairs, and squeezed. Then all hell broke loose in the Church of the Greater Son's parking lot. Aro's head popped like a grape, spewing blood and brain matter all over his mother and her beautiful suit. Aro went down, taking his mother with him. She looked like Jackie Kennedy in the often played video of President Kennedy's assassination as she crawled a short distance away from Aro, but couldn't seem to get her bearings. The minions went down seconds later, their hostages running frantically in opposite directions. The bodies of Aro and his henchmen were shot several times by the officers on the ground. The other two female hostages were corralled by the officers and placed under cover behind their vehicles. They all still had their guns trained toward the front door of the church, while a few broke rank and went around to cover the back. Yorkie got on a bullhorn and called to the people still left in the building.

Edward wasn't waiting for the rest of this to unfold. He practically jumped out of the deer stand and took off running full speed toward his mother, who he realized was still in harm's way if anyone came out of the church with a weapon. Before he could reach her, the remaining six people came out, waving a white cloth of some type and filed out in an orderly procession with their hands clasped behind their heads. There was an elderly man and woman in what appeared to be janitorial uniforms and four other men. Edward sprinted past them, making a beeline for his mother, who was being helped up by one of the Feds and a Sheriff's deputy.

"Mom," he growled as he ran up to her, pulling her gently to him and out of the assisting hands of the two men. "Are you all right?"

"Edward," she cried, collapsing into his arms. She was bloody and disheveled, but didn't look like she had suffered any life-threatening injuries. Then she whimpered with pain as she tried to put weight onto her left leg to walk with him. "Oh damn," she muttered, the shock leaving and tears beginning to flow. "I think I sprained my ankle."

Edward looked into the green eyes of his sobbing mother. She had never looked more beautiful to him. "I've got you. Lean on me," he said proudly, hugging her tightly. "Everything's gonna be all right, Mom."

~888~

A/N: Paul Featherstone's Verse: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. -- Mark 15:13"


Nichole Ellyse Nordeman (born January 3, 1972) is a nine time Dove Award winning contemporary Christian American singer–songwriter. Her best-known songs include "Why," "This Mystery," "Holy", "Legacy," "Brave," and "What If." She also sang a song on the soundtrack Music Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia, called "I Will Believe."