3

Bella walked out of her bedroom, down the hallway, and stopped outside the guest room. She closed her eyes for a moment before she reached up and knocked on the door once, twice, and a third time. She heard Edward moving inside, and a moment later, he opened the door. He'd removed the T-shirt, and the black sweatpants hung loosely on his hips. He placed one hand on the doorframe and gripped the door with the other as he looked down at her.

"We hit the road in ten minutes. Make the bed, put your towels in the hamper, and make sure the lights are off."

Bella turned back toward her bedroom, but stopped when he said, "Where are we going?"

She looked over her shoulder. "I'm taking you home, Masen."

"Are you staying?"

"I don't know."

And without giving him a chance to push her for more, she hurried to her bedroom, closing the door behind her. She'd already packed most of her clothes, but there was one more thing she needed. Dropping to her knees, she crawled over to her bed and reached beneath it, sliding out a metal firebox. She shifted so she was sitting with her legs folded in front of her and placed the box on her lap. Her fingers trembled as she pried it open and reached inside, picking up the black leather wallet. She flipped it open, looking down at the gold miniature shield with the crest of an eagle on it. On the other side was her identification with her picture and full name: Special Agent Isabella Swan.

"What the fuck are you thinking, Bella, going back there? You should just tell him to go to hell."

Taking a shaky breath, she shifted the box to the floor and turned so she was on her knees. She pried her suitcase open and shoved her badge inside, burying it under the pile of underwear. Standing, she used her foot to kick the box back under her bed, zipped the suitcase, and pulled it off the bed.

Walking into the living room, she found Edward near the front window. He'd changed into black slacks and a white button-down shirt, which admittedly caused her to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"You," she scoffed, leaning her suitcase against the back of the couch.

She turned and walked into the kitchen, pulling out four bottles of water, a bag of chips, and some homemade trail mix. She shoved them into a plastic grocery bag before she began unplugging everything in the kitchen.

"Why did I make you laugh?"

Bella smiled and looked over at Edward as she unplugged the coffee pot. "Because you're wearing work clothes, Masen, and we have a long drive ahead of us."

"I have plane tickets waiting for us at the airport over in Rolla."

"I don't fly."

"But I have tickets."

"I can drop you off at the airport, but seeing as I don't fly, that would mean you're defying another order. I think that means disciplinary action."

"You're not funny," he grumbled.

"I'm hilarious. Go change into something more truck-worthy, Masen. It's going to take us almost a day to get to D.C."

"Fine."

Ten minutes later, Edward walked out of the guest room, this time in the same sweats and T-shirt she had given him the day before. He tossed his bag on the floor before walking into the kitchen and picking up his cell phone, tapping the screen.

"It died."

His green eyes met hers.

"In the crash, I mean. Looks like you stepped on it while trying to brake. You really shouldn't have been on your phone while driving, Mason. I know they covered that in defensive driving at the academy."

"I was trying to follow my GPS, but your place isn't on any map."

"I know, that's because I don't want people showing up here. Especially people like you."

"What do you mean people like me?"

Bella tilted her head to the side. "FBI agents, Masen. I left for a reason, or did he not tell you that?"

"He did. They all did, actually."

"And you didn't think I was serious? I walked away from a career where I spent the better part of eight years of my life, and you thought, what? I would just come back because you gave me puppy dog eyes?"

"I'm not giving you puppy dog eyes," he scoffed. "He —"

"He didn't make you come here, Masen. You could have told him no. I've told him no a thousand times."

"Fair enough. I thought you'd want to come back and stop . . . stop the man who killed your husband."

"There you go again, talking about shit you should keep out of your mouth."

"I'm sorry." Edward gripped the back of his neck. "I don't mean to . . . I don't mean to bring up painful memories, Bella."

"I told you not to call me Bella."

"You also told me not to call you agent and gave me a nasty look when I called you Swan, so what should I call you?"

She smiled. "Bee. Everyone calls me Bee."

"Bee? Like Bumblebee?"

"Yep, just like a bumblebee."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

Edward just stared at her.

"Because when I hit someone, I sting like a bee. Get it? Like Muhammad Ali said, 'Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.' Sound familiar?"

"Yes, I am aware of the quote."

"I know this is going to surprise you, Masen, but I'm kind of a bitch."

"I mean . . ."

"I own it, okay? I spent my entire life surrounded by men who taught me to profile, track down leads, and fight. When I was in the academy, more than once, I had to prove I wasn't just another dumb bitch with a nice ass and perky tits. So, I fought a lot of assholes, and as a result, I earned the nickname Bee. It just kind of stuck, I guess."

"Bee," he murmured. "Okay, if you say so."

She laughed. "I could prove it to you, but I'd really rather not have to lift your unconscious ass back into my truck again."

"Fair enough."

"You'll get used to it." She picked up the two traffic mugs she'd prepared and held one toward him. "I don't have cream or sugar."

"Oh, um, thanks. I appreciate it." As he grabbed the coffee, his fingers brushed across hers. "Are you going to stay?"

"I don't know."

"You should."

"Why?"

"Because we need you."

Bella shook her head. "No, you don't. You just think you do because he's filled your head with this bullshit that I'm better than I really am."

"I've reviewed every single one of your cases, Swan."

She raised an eyebrow at the use of her surname.

"Sorry, I don't know you well enough to call you Bee, so I'm sticking with Swan until you prove otherwise to me."

"Fair enough."

"Stay and help us."

Bella shook her head.

"I've seen what you can do. Come back and help us stop Phillip Dwyer before he kills another woman."

Taking a step backward, she sighed. "You don't know what you're asking, Masen."

"I do, though, and maybe this gets me knocked out or whatever, but I don't think your husband would want you to walk away from your life just because he died."

"He didn't just die, Masen . . . He was killed, and my life ended when his did, Masen." She walked by him. "Let's get on the road. We have a long drive, and we ain't stopping."

—^—

Bella parked at pump fourteen at Woodman's Gas Station and turned off the truck. Edward leaned forward, his back arching as he stretched. The bottom of his T-shirt pulled up enough for her to see the small tattoo of a police badge with the name E. Masen and the numbers one, five, eight, two, two, and nine inscribed on it.

"That in honor of your dad?"

Edward looked at her, noticed where she was pointing, and immediately pulled his shirt down. "Yeah."

"It's cool."

"I guess."

Bella pushed the door open. "Think he would be proud of you, Masen? For making it to the game, I mean?"

Edward frowned. "I don't know that he would have wanted me to follow his footsteps into law enforcement in the first place."

"Why not? You said it went generations back, didn't you?"

He nodded. "My mother told me he didn't want to go into law enforcement but felt pressured by my grandfather to keep the family tradition going."

"And did you feel pressured, too?"

"No, no, I knew I wanted to become a cop. I just wanted to go further."

"You've been a part of the team for six months?"

Edward nodded. "They were working a case in Austin, double homicide, and my unit was working with them. Guess your father found me versatile, so he invited me to be a liaison with the FBI. I agreed, moved to D.C., and finished my training while working on the job."

"And they make you do all the paperwork."

He laughed. "Now that I know it's their way of hazing me, I'm going to stop."

"Sure you will, Masen," she scoffed as she climbed out of the truck and grabbed her coffee cup. "You know the only reason he sent you was because the others weren't stupid enough to say yes. They knew better, and he knew you didn't. He played you, Masen. You realize that, don't you?"

Edward grabbed the handle and pushed the door open, sliding out of the truck as well. He turned and looked back at her. "Doesn't change the fact that we need you, Swan."

She shook her head and said, "You don't need me, Masen. Granted, I used to be good at the job, but I'm not that person anymore. I'm sorry, but I'm not who you were sent to bring back."

—^—

Bella drove into the visitor's parking lot on the north side of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington D.C. just after nine the next morning. Edward had spent the first hour of their drive trying to talk her into staying and working with him and the rest of the team.

"Do the right thing."

"Make the choice to stop being a victim."

She wanted to throat punch him, but it wasn't his fault, she told herself. He'd been filled with this false ideal about who she was, her skill level, and her ability to just move on. Masen didn't understand, she told herself. He didn't know the man who had been stolen from her. He didn't know how Garrett had begged her to walk away . . . to let the rest of the team handle Phillip Dwyer. Bella had been stubborn and thought she was strong enough, smart enough, and tough enough to take on the serial killer. But she hadn't been any of those things, and in the end, Garrett had paid the ultimate price.

Bella parked in the first space she found and shifted into park. Looking over at Edward, she watched him as he slept against the passenger window. His mouth was open, and he had a little bit of drool on the side of his chin. His arms were folded in front of him, and every once in a while, he'd mumble in his sleep about porcupines. It was almost cute.

She reached over and gave him a vigorous shake. "Hey, wake up."

"Huh, what?" he mumbled, his eyes barely opening before he sat ramrod straight. "What time is it?"

"Just after nine."

"Oh, fuck, okay." Edward fumbled with his seatbelt, and when it was finally unclasped, it flew up and almost hit him in the face. "Son-of-a-bitch."

She laughed. "You okay there, sport?"

"Yeah," he murmured, his cheeks turning red. "Don't tell them that happened."

"Why not?"

"Because they'll just make fun of me."

"Do they make fun of you a lot?"

Edward shrugged his shoulders. "Kind of. They say it's all in fun, but I don't think it is."

Bella bit the inside of her lip before she asked, "How old are you, Masen?"

"What?"

"How old are you?"

"Why?"

"Inquiring minds want to know. Is it a secret?"

"No," he grumbled. "I'm twenty-nine."

She nodded. "Oh."

"What do you mean, 'oh'?"

"I just mean, oh."

"How old are you?"

"You already know how old I am."

He smiled. "I do. Kind of impressive, knowing what you've done, and you're only twenty-eight."

"Well, nepotism works."

"Whatever," he scoffed. "He may have brought you in, but your stats speak for themselves, Bee."

"Oh, yes, my stats." Bella pulled her keys out of the ignition. "Those are just numbers, Masen. They don't . . . they don't tell who I really am, what I've done."

And without giving him a chance to say otherwise, she opened her door and climbed out. Edward followed, grabbing his bag from the backseat before the two made the short walk to the front of the building. Sitting behind the security desk was an older man with sparse grayhair and wire glasses perched on the tip of his nose.

Bella smiled as she walked over and leaned against the front of the desk, saying, "You'll just let anyone in here, won't you, old man?"

"Just scoundrels like you, Bee." He grinned and stood, reaching across the desk and hugging her. "Damn good to see you, girl."

"You, too, Banner."

He laughed and leaned back. "He's up there already. Said you were coming in, but honestly, none of us believed him. Guess he was right for a change."

"And they say miracles don't happen." She pushed away from the desk. "Coffee, okay? Before I leave again."

"I'm looking forward to it, Agent Swan."

She gave him a look before motioning for Edward to follow her to the elevators. Her hands were shaking as she reached over and pressed the up arrow. She'd hadn't stepped foot inside the building in a year — a long, painful year. The doors opened, and the two stepped inside, leaning on opposite sides as Edward pressed the button for the fifth floor. Bella closed her eyes and tried to stop the panic and anxiety that filled her at being back inside FBI headquarters. When the elevator suddenly stopped, she snapped her eyes open, finding Edward watching her.

Before the doors could open, however, she reached over and pulled the emergency stop. "Why'd you come for me?"

"Because I needed to know you."

"Why?"

"Because everyone keeps talking about Agent Swan and how fucking amazing she is, and I wanted to see for myself what the big deal is."

"And did you see it?"

"No."

"What'd you see?"

"I don't know yet. Still trying to figure out who you are now, because you're not Agent Bella Swan, who fought tooth and nail to prove she was more than a nice ass and perky tits."

Bella laughed. "I knew you were looking at my tits."

"No, I wasn't!" he insisted as she reached over and released the emergency stop button, enabling the doors to slide open. He looked from her to the people gathered outside the elevator, and his eyes widened. "It wasn't me, sir."

"Oh, I'm sure it wasn't you, Masen."

Stepping into the elevator and placing his hand up to stop the doors from closing again was none other than her father.

"Bee."

"Dad."

Thank you for all the AMAZING reviews! Huge thanks to Sunflower Fran for cleaning up my mess. See you next Monday.