A/N: These ladies make TLC the absolute best it can be: SSHG316, SavageWoman and Irritable Grizzzly. I would probably look amateurish if it weren't for the expertise each of them bring to polishing my crude musings. For this chapter, I'd like especially to thank Nicnicd who is pinch-hitting for SavageWoman this go-round. She is also a woman after my own heart
Just Like A Star
by Corinne Bailey Rae
Just like a star across my sky, just like an angel off the page
You have appeared to my life, feel like I'll never be the same
Just like a song in my heart, just like oil on my hands
Oh, I do love you.
"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place; what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?"
— Psalm 8:3-4
Chapter 33 — Just Like A Star Across My Sky
Edward and his team descended on the Center, lights flashing, sirens disengaged. His jaw was set firmly as he entered the building, flanked by Officers Clearwater and Shoals, carrying evidence kits, fingerprint kits and interrogation pads. Edward struggled to keep his face impassive, but he scanned the room greedily for Bella, who was sitting at a table between Maria and Mrs. Williams. He could tell from her expression that she'd been shaken by the letter, but was trying valiantly not to show it. Their eyes met, and it took every ounce of willpower he had not to rush over and take her into his arms and comfort her.
Rosalie greeted them at the door. "Officers," she said somberly, and handed the bagged, offending red letter directly to Edward. His stomach sank as he read the vile things the stalkers threatened to do to the woman he loved. He looked at Bella again and had to dig deep to remain professional and begin the investigation process.
He rattled off orders. "Seth, please interview the male volunteers, Sean and Demetri, over in that corner. Alvin, you can take the two female volunteers, Mrs. Williams and Maria. Rosalie, I'd like you to debrief me in the office with Ms. Swan, and then, with his mother's consent, we can interview Trey together."
Edward approached the table and spoke to Trey and his mom, while Rosalie escorted Bella back into her office. He was thankful that Rosalie had gotten his cue to sequester Bella for a few minutes, because he really needed to just hold her and reassure her, and that couldn't be done out in the open.
He offered a hand to Mrs. Thompson, Trey's mom, who shook his weakly, grave concern riddling her work-worn face.
"Mrs. Thompson, I'm Officer Cullen. I was the liaison here about a month ago."
"I remember you," she said. "Trey and the kids here liked having you around... but I think they enjoy looking at Officer Hale just a little bit better."
Her attempt at humor surprised him. Edward smiled in agreement. "Officer Hale is much easier on the eyes." He quickly advised her of the process. "In a few minutes, Officer Hale and I will bring you and Trey into the office to ask him some questions. I have a release form that you'll need you to sign before that happens."
He strode over to the table where Seth was already talking with Demetri and Sean, and took a sheet of paper from a stack and handed it to Mrs. Thompson. "Please read this and sign if you agree to the conditions. If you have any questions, I'll answer them all when I return."
Edward winked at Trey whose eyes were as big as saucers. "You didn't do anything wrong, Trey. We're just trying to do all we can to find out who sent the note to Ms. Swan, okay?"
"Okay," Trey said, and he visibly relaxed. Edward smiled again at them both, then turned and headed for Bella's office door.
He tapped just for protocol, and opened before there was an answer, closing the door behind him, and locking it.
Rosalie and Bella were sitting in the two chairs in front of her desk, but she was up and in his arms before his hand left the doorknob. It had been too long since he'd held her. The only thing he could compare the sensation to was when he'd seen guys return to their loved ones when they'd been deployed overseas. He'd never had anyone waiting for him when he'd returned from his tours. At last, he felt like he could breathe easy now.
"Are you okay, baby?"
"I am now," she said softly.
"We're going to get to the bottom of this, I swear."
"I have no doubt," she said with a determination that matched his.
Whoever these sick fucks were, they had to go down. He didn't want Bella living in fear anymore, and the separation was driving him crazy. Captain Black wasn't as keen anymore about the extra manpower, and had given him a deadline of sorts a week prior. He hoped this new development would convince him they needed more time.
Carlisle and Jasper had been patient about the separation from their wives, but they were also ready to have Esme and Alice back home. His mother, oddly, was the only one not anxious to come back, and he didn't have the time or energy to ask why. Bella was his priority right now. Truth be told, if his mother were in town, his concentration would be split. He needed to focus all his energies and the considerable resources of the TPD on capturing the perpetrators as quickly as humanly possible, because this was getting ridiculous.
Edward and Rosalie's interrogation of Trey yielded a similarly vague description to the one he'd gotten from the doorman at the condo, but was still not enough for a positive identification, and he pushed Trey a little harder after he and Rosalie took his initial statement.
"Is there anything else you remember about this guy that you can tell us, Trey? Anything at all?" Edward pressed.
"Uh... he looked funny and acted kinda weird," Trey said.
"Weird and funny how?" Rosalie interjected.
"You know, funny, like... not like a dude. And he had fingernail polish on."
Edward's mind traveled back to all the previous incidents and descriptions, and even his own personal sighting of the stalker. He'd definitely seen a guy, but could there also be woman involved? A female with a slight build could dress appropriately and pawn herself off as a male.
"What was his voice like?" Edward asked anxiously.
Trey frowned. "He talked soft like me and some of my friends before their voices changed."
Rosalie looked at Edward, realizing where he was going with his line of questioning, and fired another one of her own. "If this person hadn't been wearing jeans, Nikes, a jersey, and a baseball cap, do you think it could have been a woman?"
Thinking so hard his eyes squinted, Trey finally answered, "Yeah, he was kinda pretty to be a dude. And he wore some of that black stuff on his eyelashes and around his eyes... you know like them rock stars wear."
Rosalie smirked. "Mascara and eyeliner?"
"Yeah! I was like, 'this dude must think he the lead singer for Green Day or Fall Out Boy.' "
"They both wear a lot of eyeliner," Edward agreed, and then he let up on Trey a little so he could relax. Maybe then they would be able to get a little more information out of him. "You like those bands, Trey?"
He looked shy. "Yeah, but don't say nothing about it. My friends will just make fun of me. They all like rap."
"It's okay to like rock music. Chuck Berry and Jimi Hendrix are legends. Slash and Lenny Kravitz are awesome rockers, too. Do you play?"
"Yeah, my mama got me a used electric guitar last Christmas."
"I don't know how smart that was," Mrs. Thompson said sheepishly. "Sometimes I can't even think over the racket, and Officer Hale been over twice for noise complaints."
Edward glanced at Rosalie, who just turned her hands up and shrugged. He gave Mrs. Thompson some unsolicited advice. "Let him practice anyway, but just have him turn the volume way down, or play without the amp, especially at night."
"Sometimes, I make up songs"—Trey stole a look at his mom—"after I'm supposed to be in bed." Mrs. Thompson tried to look stern, but a smile formed anyway.
"Keep writing your own music," Edward encouraged. "I wouldn't be surprised if we aren't coming to one of your concerts in ten years." He ran his hand over Trey's head, ruffling his tiny dreads. "Okay, so when he walked away, which direction did he go?"
"He walked back across Texas street."
"Did you see a car where he was headed?" Rosalie asked.
"Um...not sure. I didn't see him come in a car, or leave in a car, but I started playing with my friends after he left."
Edward stood up. "Think, Trey. Were there any cars parked on the street while you were talking to this guy, or immediately after he left?"
"Yeah, there was a gold car parked on the other side of Texas Street, but I didn't see that dude get in it. I wasn't paying too much attention after he gave me the five dollars. "
Rosalie and Edward shared another look. Bingo!
Edward smiled at Trey. "Thanks, man. You've helped us out a lot." He addressed Mrs. Thompson again. "I think that'll be all for now. If we have any further questions, we have your phone number, so we'll just give you guys a call, if you don't mind."
Mrs. Thompson and Trey stood up too, and she snaked her arm around her son's shoulder, who was already about an inch taller than she was. "Call us anytime. Thanks Officer Cullen, Officer Hale."
"No, thank you," Edward insisted. The Thompsons left Bella's office and closed the door.
Rosalie said exactly what he was thinking: "Looks like one of our perps might just be a woman."
~888~
All Edward wanted to do after he left the precinct was to go home, eat the sodium-laden take-out that was nowhere near as good as Bella's cooking, and work on the case. When he entered the foyer, George the doorman, was there, and he took the opportunity to ask him a few more questions, just to see if he shared Trey's assessment of the stalker.
"Do you remember anything else about the description, dress, or demeanor of the person who delivered the note to Ms. Swan?"
George thought for a few seconds. "Well, he acted kind of fruity."
"Can you elaborate?"
"You know, I'm not homophobic or anything, but he had kind of a feminine air about him, if you know what I mean?"
"Yeah," Edward said. "I know exactly what you mean. Thanks, George."
This was the best solid lead they'd had in weeks. Now all he had to do was concentrate on the females associated with the cases he'd been involved in, and they were few and far between. He felt like they could narrow things down fairly quickly, given this new information. For the first time in weeks, he felt good about the direction things were going with the case, and he was anxious to get started.
Looking down at the take-out bag in his hand, he felt kind of weird to be eating alone again, and on a Friday night, no less. He missed having meals with Bella at the condo. He missed seeing her in the flesh every day after work, and he definitely missed their steamy little make-out sessions. Since she'd been gone, he'd ignored his need until it became so painful he couldn't endure it, and then he'd take a shower, take care of business, and resume his routine. After seeing Bella briefly at the Center earlier, his libido was back, and all he could think of was having her hands, her mouth, her anything on him…anywhere.
He left his dinner on the bar in the kitchen and headed straight to the shower. He was just seconds out and toweling himself off when his cell phone rang. He grabbed a pair of sweats and pulled them on commando. Hell, he wasn't going anywhere. There was a time when he wouldn't have been caught dead at home on a Friday night, but this had become his life. He answered his phone mid-third ring.
"Hey, bro!"
Emmett.
"What's up?" he asked as he loosely tied the drawstring on his sweats.
"You should come out to the house tonight, man. We're grilling, and Rosie feels sorry that all the women in your life are either out of town or on lockdown."
"I've got work, and considering everything that happened today, I can't spare a minute—"
"Like hell you can't. Let that snooty doorman know I'm coming up."
"You're downstairs?"
"Parking the car right now."
Emmett was knocking on his door in less than five minutes. When he opened it, Edward tried not to look less-than-enthused to see his friend.
Eyeing his sweats, Emmett said, "You're really slumming it for a Friday night, dude. I remember a time when you'd be dressed to the nines and ready for happy hour and hotties."
"Well, this hour's not too happy without Bella, and she's the only hottie I'm interested in seeing any day of the week."
Emmett strolled in and sat down on the sofa. "So I understand. You know, you were the first person I told when I asked Rose to marry me, but I had to hear that shit about you and Bella secondhand and several weeks after it happened. Not cool." Emmett looked righteously indignant.
Edward rolled his eyes and ambled over to the bar where his take-out was getting cold. "Rosalie could have told you sooner. I didn't tell her not to." He glanced up at Emmett, who was looking like someone had kicked his puppy. "I know I should have told you myself, but we haven't made a formal announcement yet, anyway. You know what's been consuming our time—surely Rose has kept you up-to-speed on that."
"Yeah, well... It's just...aw, hell; I'm sounding like a fucking chick." Emmett shook his head as if to clear it.
Edward chuckled. "With PMS even. Just take a couple of Rosalie's Midol and call me in the morning," he teased.
"Okay, so we're cool, then?" Emmett stood, eyeing him nervously.
"Yeah, as long as you don't ask me to hold you until you stop cramping." Edward picked up an eggroll and took a bite out of it, but almost dropped it when Emmett yelled, "Don't eat that shit. Didn't I tell you we're grilling at the house?"
Edward chewed quickly and swallowed. "But I'm not eating at your house tonight."
Emmett took a few hurried steps over to him and yanked the eggroll out of his hand.
"What the hell is wrong with you, man? Don't you know you shouldn't be messing with people's food like that? Geez!" Edward snatched his eggroll back and devoured the rest of it in one bite.
Emmett picked up the bag, took it to the refrigerator, and deposited it inside. Then he stood in front of the door with his arms folded across his chest. "Go and get your ass dressed. Rosalie's made all kinds of sides... you're coming to eat at our house, and that's final."
Edward considered wrestling Emmett to get to his food back, but he really wasn't up for any physical altercations with his friend, who bested him by an inch and a half, and about forty pounds. He turned on his heel and headed to his bedroom.
"You're a persistent bastard," Edward threw over his shoulder as he went to get dressed.
"And Rose loves it," Emmett said. Edward knew without looking that Emmett was grinning so hard his dimples were engraved in his cheeks.
~888~
Edward argued briefly about taking his own car, but Emmett insisted he'd drive him out and bring him back. On the ride to Crawfordville in the Hummer, Emmett had him laughing so hard at his antics, Edward felt like his sides were splitting. His friend had been able to help him see the light side of situations since they were kids. However, in the last few minutes of their trip, Edward became so preoccupied with his cell phone, Emmett asked him what was up.
"I texted Bella just after we left the condo, and she still hasn't texted back."
"So?"
"It's Friday night. She doesn't have class, and it's almost dinnertime. She should be home."
"Give her a few minutes," Emmett advised. "I'm sure she'll text back. Obsessed much?"
Edward smiled ruefully in spite of himself. "I guess the letter today's got me keyed up, but I'm sure her mom or dad would call me if anything was going on."
Emmett pulled into his winding driveway and parked. "Now get your anxious ass out of my car."
"See, I knew I should have driven my own car, because there you go talking smack."
They got out and started up the walkway. As they approached, the front door swung open. Thinking it was Rosalie, Edward began talking before he looked up.
"You know, you really ought to teach this second cousin to the Neanderthals some manners..." He scanned the woman standing in the doorway and blinked. "Bella?"
She was there in the flesh and wearing a smile only for him. "As long as he doesn't make you behave like his third cousin, I'm good," she quipped. Edward ran, swept her up into his arms, and kissed her so thoroughly, he was embarrassed for both of them. Emmett nudged them into the house, shutting and locking the door behind them.
~888~
It was all they could do to make it through dinner and a movie with Emmett and Rosalie before they began to get antsy. Edward was cuddled with Bella on the sofa and wasn't even altogether sure what the movie was about. Their hands were on each other the whole time, rubbing, caressing, massaging, becoming familiar with one another again. Bella touched him everywhere—his arms, his chest, his stomach, sending tiny waves of sensation through his body. Her hands were curious, like this was new to both of them.
Edward reciprocated modestly in kind. He felt the need to hold her and keep her close, because who knew when they would get an opportunity like this again? With the threats to her intensifying, it made him want to scrap standard operating procedure, protocol, and plain common sense, and never leave her side. They were careful to keep their exploration all PG-13. Rosalie and Emmett were great hosts, but they were both ready to take their party into the guest bedroom.
The minute the credits began to roll, they both shot up off the sofa and made excuses.
"I'm really kind of tired... " Bella began.
"It's been a long day... " Edward said simultaneously.
Emmett and Rosalie looked up at them and cracked up.
Bella hid behind Edward, blushing. Edward smiled sheepishly and apologized.
"Your company is great, but we haven't had any alone time in over a month... sorry."
"Go on you two," Rosalie said. "I've shown Bella where everything is."
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Emmett teased. "I left some essentials in the bathroom for you, bro.
Edward flipped him one, took Bella's hand, and headed off to the guest room.
They practically ran into the room. Within seconds of the door closing behind them, Edward had Bella plastered up against it, kissing and tearing off clothes. It became a race to see who could undress whom first. They were both topless and shucked down to their underwear with pants pooled around their feet as they kissed and touched like the maniacs they'd become during their forced separation.
The flavor of her moments ago had been inciting him to frenzied passion, but now the love he felt for her was calming him to reverence. This was the woman who had helped him discover that he was a man of worth, despite the sordidness of his past. This was the woman, who was his everything, who would become his wife, the mother of his children. She deserved to be worshipped.
Edward was humbled by the realization that what flared between them went beyond sex. He freed them from the tangle of clothing at their feet, lifting her leg over his hip, cupping her bottom, and molding them together.
He carried her to the bed, laid her gently down, and slid into her waiting arms, kissing a trail from her lips to her neck and down her stomach.
"God, I've missed you. I love you so much, Bella," he mumbled against her skin.
~888~
Bella had never felt more loved. Just remembering the powerful intimacy of the night they'd shared together, she found herself blushing furiously even though Edward wasn't awake to witness it. Remembering the intense emotion with each kiss they'd shared, each caress, charged like electric shocks, she could almost feel them again.
She had felt the potent need inside him, but he had held himself in check as always, as promised. It seemed it was even more important to him now that they wait until they declared their love to the world. Just as before, he had followed her lead, only doing what was comfortable for her. He'd assured her again that whatever she offered would be enough for him, because having her in his arms, safe and unharmed, eclipsed everything. However, she was even more confident that when they finally came together, it would be explosive.
Edward slept like the dead, and he had her pinned down with an arm and a leg. She moved carefully to face him, and while she didn't want to wake him, she couldn't resist touching him now that she was awake.
She brushed her fingers over the stubble on his jaw and finally ran her fingers lightly through his hair. He shifted a bit, and she raised her head so she was level with his lips and kissed him softly. Without opening his eyes, he reached out with both arms and pulled her close to his chest.
"I'm ready to do this forever," he said.
She smiled. "What?"
"Wake up with you in my arms."
Bella's grin widened considerably. "Me, too. I wish we could stay like this. No one would think to look for us here. But I know we can't hide out at Emmett and Rosalie's forever."
He put a finger under her chin and raised her face up. "I'm going to find whoever is doing this and put them away. I hate that these stalkers have stolen our ability to enjoy being engaged."
"Yeah, I love talking to you on the phone every day, but seeing you, being with you like this, is way better."
"I know, and I've been thinking. After this is all over, I don't want us to have a long engagement."
Bella looked surprised. "Really?"
Edward held her closer. "I don't want to go back to us living apart, even if it's just during the week."
"You know what this means, right?"
"What?"
"I'm going to have to employ Alice to be our wedding planner, pregnancy hormones and all. She's the only person I know who can do it on that short notice."
He groaned, but smiled through it. "She's going to make our lives a living hell for a couple of months."
Bella gasped. "A couple of months? Is that even possible?"
Edward didn't look fazed. "I'd really like to do it the day this mess is over, but I thought that would be a little too short of notice."
"Yeah, that would be, even for my mother, who's only been saving for her only daughter's wedding for about twenty years."
"Then there's no reason to wait. I say let's order the invitations the day the case is solved."
Bella giggled huskily. "Anxious, are we?"
"Yes, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I'm ready to share my love, my name, my life with you, forever."
Edward kissed her before any errant happy tears could escape her eyes.
~888~
E/N: The spring is coiled. The next three chapters are already written, so you should get a chapter a week until this baby ends. It is bittersweet, but so glad finally to be there. However, we're not quite done yet. I still have two FGB pieces to write, so you'll see a little more of Copward and his Bella once the WIP is over.
This chapter is named for the song "Just Like A Star" by Corinne Bailey Rae. I know you guys have probably figured out by now, I love her with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns!
I'm also going to post a seven-chapter story next month, which began as a one-shot for a recent contest. It will post daily for seven days and there won't be a weekly wait for updates. Put me on author alerts if you're interested.