AN: Hey everyone, this is my first fanfic and I'm extremely curious to see what you all think of my story and my writing. Comments are extremely appreciated!
A special thanks goes out to my beta Limona. This story is so much better because of you and your extraordinary editing skills. ;) Thank you! I also want to think my friend Nia for brainstorming a storyline with me. I'm anxious to see where this story goes!
Enough rambling! Here goes my first chapter.
EPOV
"Well what do you know, look Jas! It's Eddie!" Emmett bellowed while elbowing Jasper in the arm to get his attention. He waved me over towards where they were.
"I didn't think we'd be seeing you today, man." Jasper said as I made my way out further onto the backyard deck where he and Emmett were setting up the grill.
"Yeah, I figured I'd swing by for a few minutes before catching this flight to Atlanta."
Jasper gave me an amused look. What? I wondered.
"You want a beer Eddie?" Emmett asked while pulling himself one out of the cooler that was on the deck.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Emmett, be serious. You know I can't drink before going to work. And for the last time will you please stop calling me Eddie before I'm forced to use some of these combat skills I've learned on you."
Emmett laughed so hard he almost spit out some of the beer he just took a swig of. "You couldn't beat me with one of my hands tied behind my back!"
Emmett McCarty wasn't nicknamed 'the beast' for nothing. He was very intimidating to look at on a good day and downright terrifying if provoked. He stood 6'5" and had to be around 250 pounds of pure muscle. He loved the combative aspect of our job, and felt that no one could take him down. At 6'2" and very toned, I was no slouch myself. Plus I was much faster than Emmett. They call me lethal at work because I can quickly incapacitate someone if I have to.
"If I were you I'd quit laughing before I come prove just how easily and fast I can beat you." I tried to restrain my laughter.
I knew we would never go to blows. For as intimidating as Emmett can seem to strangers, I only see him as a big kid because he's so playful. His short, curly black hair, childish dimples and love of pulling pranks on people make him seem like my little brother. Even if he is bigger than I am.
"Name the time and place Eddie boy and we'll see who comes out the victor." He teased.
"Boys, settle down!" Alice Whitlock playfully scolded us while going to put her arms around Jasper's waist.
Alice is Jasper's wife and one of the most energetic people I know. I honestly don't know how Jasper seems unaffected by her never ending energy and hyperness. My theory is that his mellow vibe neutralizes her hyper vibe and vice versa.
Looking at Jasper and Alice standing together, staring lovingly into each other's eyes made me long to have a loving woman that I could call my own. They were a good looking pair, the two of them. Jasper stands at 6 feet with blond hair and blue eyes. He's slender but toned and has an air of confidence and assurance about him. Alice, on the other hand, is a little thing, barely 5 feet tall. She has short black hair that is cut in a trendy, spiky cut. She is always dressed to impress but also has that same air of confidence and assurance that Jasper has. It's obvious to anyone that they were made for each other.
"Yes Ma'am!" I playfully agreed. "But, only if this asshole stops being a prick," I stated while pointing my thumb toward Emmett.
"Hey! Nobody calls my husband an asshole or a prick but me." Rosalie laughed while stepping out onto the deck from inside of the house. "Isn't that right baby?" She smirked at Emmett.
"You've got that right Rosie." Emmett gave her a goofy grin.
Rosalie McCarty was what most would call attractive. She was tall at 5'10" and slender, with long, wavy blond hair. She could easily pass for a model. Rosalie uses her looks to her advantage on a regular basis to get what she wants. I will never understand her and Emmett's relationship, they are always going at it – either verbally or sexually – and they seem to thrive on it. I know they both love each other immensely though, so I am definitely happy for them. Even if I don't understand them.
"And now that the love fest has started, I think that's my cue to head on out to catch my flight," I said noticing that both couples were starting their love stares into each other's eyes.
This caused Alice to step out of Jasper's embrace and come over toward me. "Aww, Edward. We wish you could stay, it's such a beautiful day and we haven't had a chance to do this in far too long."
She was referring to the fact that there had been an onslaught of rainy days over the past couple of months here in Seattle, and usually we only grilled out the sunny days when the three of us can make it. But because it's been so long since we've seen the sun and because both Jasper and Emmett have the day off, they decided to go ahead without me. I can't say that I blame them; I just wish I was able to join in the festivities longer than a few minutes. But alas, duty calls.
"I know, hopefully the weather sticks around for longer than a day and we can do this again later this week when the three of us are off."
"Hopefully." Alice agreed. "And hopefully you'll bring a date already!"
"I'll bring someone when I meet someone worth bringing, Alice. " I laughed at her while tapping her nose with my index finger.
"Hmph!" Alice said while making her way back to Jasper. I knew she wanted me to find someone. She was kind of protective of me and wanted the best for me. They all did.
Maybe one day… I thought.
"I really should get going. I have places to go and people to protect. I'll catch you guys later. Have fun." I said as I waved to them..
A chorus of goodbyes sounded behind me as I headed to my car.
Right before I reached my car I heard someone running up behind me. I turned around to see Jasper jogging toward me.
"What's up Jasper?" I asked him.
"I was debating on whether or not to tell you, but you know how Alice gets these feelings sometimes?"
I nodded, trying to understand where he was going with this.
"Well, she told me last night that she has a feeling something important is going to come from this trip. She can't say if it's got something to do with our work or if has something to do with you in particular, all she knows is that it's just going to be something significant."
Jasper once again got this look of amusement on his face as he continued,"Personally, I think you'll find the future Mrs. Masen on this trip." His smile quickly faded then and he leaned in a little closer, "But please be vigilant and careful just in case her feeling indicates something bad." Jasper said in a low voice.
"Thanks Jasper, I will be sure to be on the lookout for anything or anyone out of place or for some extraordinary woman." I smirked at him. "I appreciate the warning nevertheless."
"Any time Edward. Be safe up there."
I nodded and got into my car, starting it up and began heading south toward the airport. Off to catch another flight. At least this one is flying to Atlanta. This was a fun city and I have a favorite area of town that I like to visit when I'm staying overnight.
I couldn't help but think about what Jasper told me. Alice's feelings were usually more specific than what he told me and always right. I've learned to not bet against Alice and her feelings. I just hoped that this feeling didn't mean that there would be any issues that arise while I was in the air.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Flight 972 going to Atlanta will begin the boarding process by welcoming first class and sky medallion customers to board in approximately 5 minutes," the attendant at gate B5 announced.
This was the third flight this month that I needed to take in order to perform surveillance of any potential suspicious behavior. I work with homeland security as a US Air Marshal. My primary mission is to protect air passengers and crew from air attacks and terrorist acts. After all of the tragedy that our nation and my family personally endured from 9/11, I decided that I wanted to do my part in preventing anything like that from ever happening again. Since I joined the this task force 2 years ago after college, I have trained, learned skills, fighting techniques and abilities necessary to keep our aviation system safe and secure. In all honesty, I love what I do.
Most months I average approximately 15 to 20 flights. Some flights are randomly picked, but most are pre-identified based on information and potential threats that government intelligence picks up on, and we are placed on the flights strategically and as a safety precaution to diffuse any "situations" that may occur. We are meant to be inconspicuous and to look like everyday civilians. This way the air passengers don't get nervous about our presence on the flight. Only the pilots and crew are aware of our presence on board and know that we are armed.
For randomly picked flights like today's, only one marshal is scheduled to perform air surveillance. So I would be going solo today. Even though I rarely talked to my fellow marshals on flights, it was still comforting to know they were on board. Since joining, there have been two guys that I have come to look at as brothers more than the rest of my squad, Jasper and Emmett. I hope they are enjoying grilling out without me on this beautiful day. The bastards. Oh well, the faster we get going, the faster we'll be able to take off and arrive in Atlanta. I plan to go to my favorite bar tonight.
As if she could hear my thoughts, the gate attendant informed us that it was time to begin the boarding process.
As I stood up I picked up my duffel bag that I packed as an overnight bag and flexed my ankle to confirm that I felt the .9 mm strapped securely in place to it without obviously touching it. I made my way up to the forming line to board the plane and handed my ticket to the woman scanning the tickets to check passengers onto the flight.
"Have a pleasant flight Mr. Masen" she said as she flashed me a winning smile.
She's cute. I thought to myself as I sent her a quick polite smile. But, while on the job I never entertained all the flirtatious women that tried to grab my attention.
I will turn 25 in two months on June 20th and I have yet to settle down, much to my mother's disappointment. I don't even have a girlfriend, despite Alice's best efforts. I have dated a couple of women here and there, but nothing too serious. No one has ever made me want to pursue them any longer than a date or two. Maybe it's just not written in the stars for me.
I settled into my seat which was located in between the middle and the back of the plane. This allowed me to have a decent view of majority of the plane without being in the very back. As more passengers continued to board I took a look at each passenger. I took note of their facial expressions, if they had any nervous habits, their comfort level, or if they seemed too composed. It was my job to notice these things. I have always been pretty good at reading people, and I liked the opportunity to utilize those skills.
My gaze started to follow this guy who looked to be around 32 years of age. He was around six feet in height with long reddish-brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. He had a studded piercing in both his nose and eyebrow, and rows of studs and hoops piercing both of his earlobes. He wore a black leather wristband that contained a phrase that appeared to be written in Italian. He looked like he should be in somebody's rock band. Only, he was dressed in a very expensive looking grey business suit. It made him look out of place on several levels. The business suit indicated that he should be able to afford purchasing a first class seat. But his physical appearance indicated that his normal style of dress would be more Goth. This also didn't match up with his age. Usually the gothic look was popular with teens and musicians, not those 30 and up.
He took a seat 4 rows up from me to my right. I had a good line of vision of him. I didn't consider him a threat, but I liked to err on the side of caution. I would keep an eye on him to be safe.
I glanced up as I noticed someone making their way down the plane closing all of the overhead bins. What I saw when I looked up made my world stop momentarily. There before me was a beautiful brunette bombshell. She wore her flight attendant uniform which consisted of a dark blue, knee-length pencil skirt, a fitted white blouse and a gold scarf around her neck that was tied at the side of her neck. She had the most soulful brown eyes that held my undivided attention and pink full lips that currently smiled at a little girl who spoke animatedly about this being her first flight. The woman laughed a musical laugh and told the little girl, who looked to be about 6, that she would bring her a special treat once we were in the air to celebrate her very first flight.
She must have felt my eyes on her because she glanced up and held my gaze for a moment. I could swear I saw the faintest hint of a blush covering her delicate pale skin. I gave her a lopsided smile. She wrapped up her conversation with the little girl and continued to make her way down the aisle toward me while closing the remaining overhead bins. When she stood right ahead of me to close the bin above my seat, she lifted her arms causing the shirt to mold itself tightly against her skin. I could see the faintest hint of what looked to be a dark blue lacey bra underneath her white blouse; her breast forming the perfect shape. All too soon, her arms were back to her sides and the view obstructed.
Shit. I glanced up to her face and saw her gaze on me. I was embarrassed to think that she might have noticed my inappropriate gaze on her body.
"Sir, I'll have to request that you buckle your seat belt since we will be taking off shortly." Her voice was light and I could tell she was amused. She had no idea that she was doing to me what no other woman had yet accomplished. She was making me speechless.
She stood there waiting for me to comply with her request while I just stared at her.
Her cheeks started to flush with a pink blush and her eyes started to shift uncomfortably under my intense gaze.
Snap out of it! I internally yelled at myself.
"Sorry about that." I smiled at her as I began to buckle and adjust my belt.
She gave me a beautiful smile and I felt my heartbeat pick up. Then she leaned in so that her face was merely inches from own.
What is she doing?! Is she about to kiss me? Please be about to kiss me! My thoughts began going haywire.
Much to my chagrin she continued past the kissing zone and stopped when her cheek was nearly touching mine.
This angelic creature began to whisper into my ear. "I hope we have a safe flight."
Slowly pulling back from her current position she winked at me and turned to continue to the back of the jet to close the remaining overhead bins.
What? Oh, of course. Since she is a crew member she knows that I am a US Air Marshal. Normally they do not acknowledge us for obvious safety reasons. I suppose that's why she whispered. Wow. This is going to be an interesting flight. Hopefully one where I can just admire the view that is this woman. Perhaps I can try to wait for her after the flight in order to get to know her better…
Bringing the reason I was on this plane in the first place back into my mind, I tried to direct my thoughts to monitoring the activity on the plane and away from the brunette goddess in the back.
Ding. The flight intercom sounded and none other than her voice came over the speakers to address the passengers.
"Good afternoon and welcome aboard flight 972 from Seattle to Atlanta. We are happy to have you on board. The flight time to Atlanta will be approximately 4 hours and 27 minutes. Please direct your attention to the one of the monitors located throughout this 767 for a safety presentation. Should you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to ask one of your flight attendants. My name is Bella, Cindy is working with me in the coach cabin and Jessica is in the first class cabin. We hope you enjoy your flight." Ding.
Bella. What a fitting name. Oh I plan to enjoy this flight alright.
AN: Well that's all folks. Comments?