Epilogue

Bella's reply was lost to Edward, because his head fell back and his eyes rolled. The last thing he heard before it all faded to black was she threatening to kick his ass if he didn't wake up.

Damn, he hated when she cried.

The last thing he felt was her slapping the shit out of his cheek, giving him just enough kick to open his eyes, barely. Through heavy lidded slits, he saw her mud splattered face, tears in her pretty eyes. He managed enough energy to give her a half-cocked smile. He might have said something, because she choked on a laugh and shook her head at him.

He saw her lips move as if she was saying something to him. He hoped it was yes.

"He's out," Bella yelled, looking over her shoulder at Emmett. "Make sure there's an ambulance at the field when we get there."

"Already done," Emmett said over the roar of the engine and rotating blades. He handed her a set of headphones and tapped a button on the side. "That better?"

She nodded and returned her attention to Edward. The exhaustion she felt earlier had fled at the thought of him bleeding out. She checked all the wounds he had, but other than the arrow, there wasn't much to explain his loss of consciousness. It wasn't until she loosened his shirt that she found he was wearing a damn vest. That was probably restricting his breathing. She undid several straps and instantly, she saw his chest heave to take in a deep breath. She couldn't take away the weight of the vest off his shoulders, since the arrow had pierced through it.

"Leave it," Toshiro stated through his mike. "He'll be fine." He gestured toward the field, old stadium lights flickered over the dead grass, an ambulance stood by. She mouthed a "thanks" and closed her eyes, curling into Edward's side.

"Tell them, where he goes, I go." She heard Emmett chuckle as her body finally gave in to slumber.

~oOo~

Edward's head felt like a jackhammer was going to town inside. His mouth tasted like a night after one of his whiskey or scotch binges. His tongue wasn't much better, and thought hair was growing on it. Something beeped nearby and after a moment, he recognized the antiseptic smell.

As he tried to remember what happened to cause him the need to be in a hospital, a couple twinges of pain caught his attention. His right shoulder hurt like a bitch and something made his hand on the same side itch. He moved it enough and felt some resistance. IV he thought. His mind started to work harder, synapses lit up as memories assaulted him.

Bug doctor called, buried alive, seeing Bella for the first time in years, the cabin, rescuing Alice, the dark forest. Shit. He knew she was near and felt that she was close. "Bella?" His free arm did a half-assed cartwheel in search of her, his eyes snapping open. It didn't matter that his throat was on fucking fire, or that his voice sounded like he swallowed glass and gravel. "A-angel." It wasn't much better than a damn croak. He needed to find Bella. Now.

That was when he felt a pinch on his left side. "Quit yelling," a soft voice whispered. "I'm trying to sleep."

Warmth and relief seeped deep his chest. "Sorry," he tried again, wincing at the sound of it. She nuzzled his ribs for a moment, and then stretched by his side with her arms over her head. Drugged up or not, she was the sexiest thing to see after waking up. "How long?" he asked.

"About six hours," she murmured and held a cup of water up to his lips. He sipped and once he figured out he'd keep it down, he drank deeply. "They had to do some patching up, tore a lot of pretty muscles with that arrow."

After his second cup of water, he lifted his good arm and tugged on her chin. "Is he gone?"

Her eyes, rimmed red from irritation and likely tears, were the lightest he'd ever seen. "Yes." She looked down, playing with his hospital gown over his chest. "You scared me."

"How do you think I feel after the shit you pulled?"

She peeked up at him with one eye open, the other clenched tightly. "Like I need to be spanked?"

He groaned and laughed at the same time. "Of that spectacular conversation, that stuck with you the most?" When she didn't answer, he whispered her name.

"I remember all of it," she said as she shifted to her knees. How there was room on the hospital bed for them both, he had no idea. "It's good to have a father who's a doctor." She tugged on his gown again, and shrugged. "When he figured out I'd bite anyone that tried to separate me from you, he got us the big bed."

Edward hummed and settled his hand on her hip. "I'll have to thank him later." He pulled at one of her wild curls. "Now, why don't we go back to that helicopter ride?"

She cocked her head to one side and smiled. "You don't remember my answer, do you?"

"Pretty much everything before and after you slapped me is all sort of blurred." She laughed like he hoped she would. "What did you say?"

"Before the slap, I said," she murmured, pausing for dramatic affect. He pinched her ass. "Okay, okay. Jeez, you kept me waiting for six hours, the least you can wait for is ten seconds."

She was wrong about that, he'd been waiting for years to make her his. "Is this what married life is going to be like? You keeping me on my toes and arguing with me."

She rolled her eyes. "Am I arguing?" The serious look on her face lasted only for a few seconds, before she laughed again and puckered up. She planted a kiss on his cheek, then his eyes, before pressing one softly on his lips. "I said, 'yes, you idiot.'"

He remembered now, and she had used those exact words. "Then you threatened to kick my ass and slapped me."

She settled back against his side, his hand sliding down her back. It felt good to have her close again, felt as if it had been weeks instead of only a day or so since he held her.

"You said something about slapping you in the wrong place, too," she said, snorting. It hurt to laugh, but he did anyway. For several seconds neither of them said a word. "They said he killed her before he buried her."

It made sense to Edward. "He wanted to be successful one last time before going to see you."

"Why didn't he just wait?"

Edward shrugged and regretted it. "I have no idea. Maybe after he realized how much Charlie cared for him once upon a time, he blamed you more for the life he didn't have."

"My mom died to save me." She repeated what Ben had told her, what she learned from him. "He went after me anyway."

"Not for years though," Edward said.

"He said he tried to become a part of my life through Charlie, but I think he realized I had everything he wanted other than a mother. He hated that."

Edward kissed the top of her head. "It's over now."

Bella half-shrugged and shook her head. "I can still project."

"And Alice can see the future."

"She only saw what happened to me, but I remember when we were kids, she always had a knack for knowing something was going to happen."

"Maybe surviving allowed you both to strengthen your natural abilities to capture him."

"Then you should have one, too."

Edward sighed and whispered, "I do have one."

She shifted to the side enough to watch his face. "What?"

"I always know when you're near, whether it's your projection or you." He pulled again on a curl. "I just have to learn how to listen to it better."

"So you didn't need me to yell?"

"I was going in the right direction, you're yelling only told me to hurry the fuck up."

They dozed off for another hour before someone intruded on their rest. "Charlie," Edward said hoarsely, as Bella burrowed further against his side and under the blankets.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Like I got shot by an arrow," Edward stated with a straight face, but soon grinned.

Charlie chuckled. "I can honestly say that I don't know many people that can say that."

"I didn't get a chance to ask her. How's her ankle?" He did his best to keep his voice low, the dryness helped make that easy. He wanted her to rest some more.

"No breaks and they stitched up the deeper cuts, but she should be treating it like a sprained ankle." In other words, she shouldn't be in bed with him. Yet, she was and he knew she wouldn't leave his side.

Edward relaxed against his pillow, his hand on her back pulling her tighter against his side. "I'm sorry," he said, closing his eyes against the pain in his temples.

"For?"

"For not protecting her," he said, carelessly shrugging. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from grunting. It barely worked.

"You did the best you could in the situation. How were you supposed to know she'd take off on her own?"

"Yeah, maybe." He shook his head, unable to help a small smile. "She said yes."

"I told you she would." Charlie walked closer, shaking his hand awkwardly. "There are a lot of people waiting to see you two in a couple of hours. Your parents just left and will be back with breakfast."

His stomach rumbled at that moment, earning a poke from Bella again. "Feed the wolf," she mumbled and snuggled closer. They laughed as she covered her head with the blanket and told them to be quiet.

"See you two soon." Charlie rubbed the back of his head. "They're going to want a statement. It was a clean shot, right?"

Edward looked in his eyes and said, "Yes, it was." Charlie understood perfectly.

~oOo~

One month later

"I can't sleep." Bella flung her leg over both of Edward's and rocked against his hip. Edward chuckled and slid his hand along her thigh, reveling in all the smooth skin.

"I'm not complaining," he murmured. His hand curved over her ass and slid down to the back of her thigh to shift her on top of him. Her hair tickled his chest as she hovered over him. She sat up, teasing him with a little hint of what was in store for him soon.

"It's the noise." She shrugged, but kept her gaze on his nipple that she teased with soft fingertips and stung with sharp nails.

"I know." He slid his hand along the back of her neck, pushing some of her hair back to see her face. Dark circles bruised her pale skin under her eyes. "We can go to the cabin tomorrow."

For the last three weeks, they'd been staying mostly in his Seattle apartment. His PI business required an office in the city, if he planned to be successful. The problem was it aggravated Bella's fears. The city meant more people, danger, and other killers. It hardly helped that she was such a light sleeper, often he woke up to find her body beside him but her mind elsewhere.

There was already a ghost story floating around about a woman that walked the halls of their building. One that looked a lot like her, thankfully no one had been able to give a good description.

He knew he couldn't stay in the city, but trying to find a middle ground was nearly impossible. Their hometown was two hours away, and that was on a good day. Not only was the long commute too hard after a long stakeout, the separation if he stayed in the city while she remained at the cabin was harder.

When Bella stayed at his apartment, she projected and usually found trouble. Two murders, a domestic abuse case, parental abuse and even a home invasion. That was only in the last few weeks, he couldn't imagine what it'd be like in a year. It already made a detective in the local precinct suspicious whenever she called something in. It was the last thing they needed, attention due to her gift. She no longer could feel what victims felt, but she did know when someone was in trouble.

If Edward wanted her to keep her sanity, he had to get her out of the city. If he wanted to keep his own sanity, he had to be with her.

"What are we going to do?" she asked.

"We'll figure it out." His hands slid up her thighs. "Until then, we should find something to do." Before he had a chance to take advantage of her position, she kissed her way down his chest, sampled the sharp edges of his hips with her tongue and teeth. A few months of teaching her what he enjoyed, and yet she always surprised him when she took over. Lips soft and warm surrounded him, the heat of her mouth made him thrust further inside.

He groaned her name and even a few words too garbled to make sense to anyone but her. She hummed a reply, earning a few more. She loved to tease him and even though he complained about it, he loved it too.

Deeper, faster, warm, it didn't take long before he grunted her name and came in her mouth. His body sated, with his limbs loose and relaxed, but as she curled beside him with a smug smile, he turned the tables on her. She giggled as he flipped her beneath him, teased her in the same tortuous manner. Nips and sucks on her pink peaks, teeth, and tongue along her navel and down between her thighs. She gave into her pleasure with the same passion in which she loved him.

"I think I figured out what to do," she gasped, her fingers still tight in his hair, as she tried to catch her breath.

He worked his way up again, lighting her up from within in a short time. When he reached her mouth and slid inside her, she was speechless, other than whispers of his name and "yes, yes" punctuating every kiss and thrust.

He'd keep her busy until they figured it out. First thing the next morning though, they'd find their way to the courthouse where he'd make her his.

~oOo~

"Who and the fuck is here this early?" Edward grumbled as he reached for his phone to check the time. Six fucking am.

"It's Alice and Jasper," Bella mumbled, having checked. There was no surprising her.

Edward slipped into a pair of jeans and t-shirt, deciding to hit the floor barefoot. He answered the door with the same finesse he would bulldoze a criminal, throwing it open and glaring at their guests. He blamed it on the lack of coffee and that he had to leave a naked Bella in bed.

"This better be good," he said, slamming the door closed as Jasper and Alice pushed right past him. His friend handed him a cup of coffee and smiled. As he sipped on his cup, he saw Alice head toward the bedroom. "Doc, you need to stop right where you are."

The black-haired woman cocked a dark eyebrow as she turned to look at him. "Did you seriously think I'd allow her to get married in jeans and a t-shirt?"

He groaned and shook his head, shooing her away. It was too early to argue with the little demon. "That's still not easy to get used to," he said to Jasper.

"It has its benefits and disadvantages." Jasper waggled his eyebrows, making Edward flip him off as he sat on the couch. "It helps that she only sees things about loved ones and not everyone like Bella does."

"I better call the others."

Jasper clasped his shoulder and grinned. "Already done, Emmett and Toshiro are flying in with Billy, Charlie, and Jake. Garrett and Seth, along with your dad and Esme will be at the courthouse waiting for us."

Edward smiled then, blaming it on the half cup of black coffee he already drank. "I'm getting married today."

"You're also moving and you're starting a business with your wife next month," Alice said from the bedroom.

"The hell we are!"

Bella appeared at the doorway and shrugged. "She found a piece of property of two acres between here and the cabin. The house needs some work, but it'd be great. As for working, think about it. You'll be safer if I take a peek before you go in guns-a-blazing."

"You have no experience." That was bullshit and Edward knew it, but the thought of her in danger did not sit well with him. Yet, the idea of her being able to protect herself did. "You're going through training."

She saluted him, trying to do it with a serious face. It didn't last long. "First order of business after our honeymoon is building a website and creating cards."

Edward watched as Alice pulled her back into the bedroom under protest. "Not even ten seconds of our partnership and she's already calling all the shots."

Jasper snickered, "Did you think any differently?"

~oOo~

Three years later

Bella gasped as she sat up in bed, her heart beating out of her chest. "What is it?" Edward asked groggily. The wolf that often followed them for a day or two after they left from visiting the cabin howled nearby. Their savior was well fed and cared for by Jake who stayed at the cabin more often than they did.

"Sara Brown has been buried," she moaned and held her hands over her temples. She was dizzy from the lack of air she felt as she dreamt. Sara hadn't made it home earlier that day, at only sixteen, and witnesses indicating a kidnapping, the locals were worried. "Fuck, we have about three hours to find her."

Edward worried, but also knew that whatever life threw at them they handle it together. A sharp cry from the next room had him jumping out of bed. "I'll get her." He kissed the top of Bella's head, phone in hand as he called up Seth, his contact in the local bureau and told him they'd be there in an hour. They often worked on cases together, paid as consultants on some of their unusual cases.

"I better go feed him, he'll head home later." Bella slipped out of bed too, heading toward the French doors that lead to their large backyard. Their wolf had a family back home, and though they didn't see him often, he always seemed to show up when they needed him most.

Edward walked into the blue and lavender room beside theirs. "Hey, baby girl." He watched as Emma bounced on the mattress and reached out for him. Curls as dark as Bella's, was a wild, but beautiful mess around her face. Eyes a mix of his green and her brown ones, dominated her sweet face. Tears trailed down her cheeks as she called out for her mother. "Did you have a nightmare?" She nodded and rubbed at her tears with a tiny fist.

"Mommy," she cried.

"Oh my, God!" Bella screamed from their bedroom. Edward grabbed their daughter and ran back to his wife.

Standing by their bed was their daughter, only he was carrying her.

"She's only two!" As soon as he yelled, the projection of his daughter disappeared. Emma squirmed in his grip, calling out for her mommy. He sighed and slipped into bed with his wife.

Bella rubbed her face and tugged on her hair for a few seconds as she held Emma. She rested her head in the crook of her neck. "She's going to have to be homeschooled. At least until she learns to control it."

"Do you think she dreams like you do?"

Bella shook her head. "I don't think so. She only woke up because she heard me." She looked unsure and Edward hoped she was right.

Shortly after the memorial service for all of Ben's victims after he died, Bella dreamed about scary ass shit. He hated it, but she explained it was different. She didn't experience it first hand with the victims but as a bystander. It wasn't much better, because she often had small bouts of anxiety from them. No more trances thought, and they also happened rarely, which he was grateful for, because she didn't deserve to be a victim anymore.

As he watched her dress and strap on her holster, he knew she wasn't one. He had to do what he could to protect her and their daughter, but so would she. Bella grabbed the keys from the nightstand, adjusting a picture of them on their honeymoon in St. Lucia.

"Ready?" she asked, taking Emma from him. They'd drop her off with a retired Charlie on the way to the office.

Edward pressed a kiss to her lips and another on the baby's head. "Let's go."

There was always going to be bad people and secrets that needed to be unearthed. As long as Edward had her by his side, they'd do the best they could to get as many of them off the streets. They'd keep living as if there was no tomorrow and never take life for granted.

Bella did her best to keep her thoughts to herself. They dropped off their daughter with her grandfather who was pleased to see her, even at two in the morning. Seth gave them a briefing on what they knew so far from Sara's disappearance. As she passed the mirror and looked, she had to take a deep breath to gain some control.

She adjusted her collar and ignored the face looking back at her. It wasn't her own.

Damn, it confirmed her suspicions. They had a copycat.

The End

AN: This does not mean sequel. It's just to show that her life will always be like this. She's closer connected to cases similar to her own, which was why she saw the face in the mirror, like in the first chapter. Most of the time she finds trouble and she reports it. If she dreams something, she figures out what it means. Yes, Edward does let Bella help him in his PI business.

Thank you for taking the time to read, to review, and recommend this story. Some of you conquered your fears, (as I did), to read it and I appreciate that very much. Thanks to Kim, she's been an amazing help for this story.

I have another Detective type Edward coming up. It'll be a while though. I have to finish a few other things first ;)