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futuremrsdrcullen · 8 months

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This Love Came Back To Me - Preface

Here it is! Almost!! This is the Preface to the Eclipse Reader insert fic that I again, have been promising for far far too long. The rest of the chapters will be up, hopefully soon.

Summery- I was completely overwhelmed with this looming dread. This wasn’t just about Bella anymore. Though that was bad enough, this involved me now. Despite how often Edward disregarded my safety and despite how desperately Carlisle tried to protect me from this;

My life was in danger.

It was never going to end was it?

Word Count- 3207

Warning- Uhhh this is just the preface. There really aren't any warnings yet. But I'll let you know.

Notes from me- My name is Claire and September 3rd is my birthday! I wanted very much to post, at the very least this part today. SO! I finished writing the whole book. I still have a lot of typing and editing to do but I do have a very close date set. This is only the Preface. I can't wait for you guys to see the rest.

This is the 3rd book of probably 5, So follow for updates.

As always, I DO NOT own The Twilight Saga. All rights go directly to S. Meyer.

Read on AO3 <3

Masterlist <3

I love you <3 Thank you for still being here <3

When Carlisle surprised me with a trip to Ireland, I didn’t know what to expect exactly. I got to his house on a clear afternoon and he wasn’t in his usual spot by the door to greet me. In his place were four fully packed suitcases.

“Carlisle?” I didn’t have to yell, I knew he heard me, and yet, no answer came. I moved to study the suitcases. I read his name and address on one tag and my name and his address on the other. In the front pocket were our passports, though I couldn’t recall ever getting a passport made. With a soft laugh, I asked just loud enough that I knew he could hear me, “Carlisle, what is all of this?”

And then his arms were around my waist. I felt his cool breath on the crook of my neck, and could hear the smile in his voice as he whispered “You said you want to see the world. I promised I would show you.” He placed delicate kisses to my pulse point as I looked inside the passport.

All of the information was mine, the photo was from my ID photo. Even knowing that this wasn’t made entirely legally, I still turned to him and couldn’t help but smile when I saw the grin on his own lips. His hands turned with me and rested on my hips.

“I didn’t mean we had to go right now. How…? How did you do all of this?”

His smile didn’t falter, “Do you really want to know?”

“No…, But-”

He laughed. “Alice packed the bags. I… handled the rest of it.”

“I won’t ask you to elaborate. My dad is the sheriff, so it's probably better that I don’t know about the broken laws.” I draped my arms over his shoulders and ran my fingers through his hair. “Where are we going?”

He grinned again. I would do absolutely anything he wanted when he smiled at me like that. “I haven’t paid for anything, yet, but I was thinking we could go to Ireland. I’ve got some friends there I haven’t seen in a while. I would love to introduce you, but-”

“They wouldn't approve.” It came out so casually. I knew very well that there were few vampires who abstained from human blood the way his family managed, and even fewer who kept in human company. I was hardly fazed.

He nodded, “They’d make an attempt, but they do not have the same level of control… even if it wasn't on purpose…” And then he let the conversation drift back to just Ireland, clearly less casual about his friends eating me than I was. “There are beautiful castle hotels that we can stay in with gorgeous views… and I thought, it might be nice to get away for a week. Just the two of us.”n

I had to admit it did sound very enticing. Not to mention how persuasive the way he kissed my neck up to my jawline up to my lips was.

The trip was perfect. We spent so much time doing completely average tourist things, but we also found time for the ‘not-so-average’ tourist things; just a lot of alone time together. Some things, you only get to do because your boyfriend is a 300 something year old vampire.

The idea of the experiment was brought to my attention a few days into our trip. Here, since there wouldn’t be any other trace of me to cause distraction, we could test Edwards theory that I couldn’t be tracked. This was cause for much debate in the Cullen house because they knew me and they knew how to look for me. Carlisle believed that he could track me solely based on scent. He believed he wouldn’t lose control and eat me in the process.

Which is precisely how I ended up hidden deep inside a ‘small’ patch of Irish woods. I wasn’t exactly lost, I walked for roughly an hour in one direction hoping to lose the vampire, but not the way back. I kissed Carlisle goodbye two hours before he would set out to find me. I ran out of energy pretty early and then hiked for a bit more.

The woods here weren’t unlike the woods at home. I could navigate them well enough but it was still exhausting to hike through them with little to no paths. Eventually I gave up and found a fallen tree to sit on. I figured since I was out here anyway, I might as well get some writing done.

With the return of the Cullens, my poems became less edgy and existential and flowed into something more peaceful and beautiful. It became the poetry of someone who was content with their life and was excited to see what came next.

However, it was incredibly hard to focus with the knowledge of just how alone I really was. Instead of putting pen to paper I let myself become absorbed in the woods around me. The wind in the trees, the chirping of birds, it all kept my focus. While I could recognize the anxiety I felt, it was also very serene here. Maybe I could just push the panic aside knowing that any second, he would be with me again.

Then the woods around me seemed to still and I smiled at the open page before me and wrote the first six words that filled my head.

“The silent comfort of being found”

I wasn’t scared. I didn’t hear him at all, but he didn’t frighten me as his arms wrapped around my waist. But to be fair, I had been expecting him. I felt his lips grace my neck and the sound I made only encouraged him to kiss me more.

“I found you, Dove.” He whispered in my ear.

“I knew you would.” I hadn’t intended to sound so light but he made me feel like I could float away. I leaned back into him, relying more on him than the log. He didn't budge.

“I think Edward might have the right idea though,” He said in between kisses. The confusion in his voice almost made me turn to look at him but I didn’t want to interrupt the attention. “I couldn’t track you on scent alone. I knew I’d find you, but… at times it was like you’d never been there at all. But I felt pulled to you all the same.”

I couldn’t help the way I melted into him, I turned just enough to rest my forehead on his chest; he continued to kiss my neck and only pulled back to look me in the eyes. “I think I’d be able to find you wherever you went, though I would be interested to see if Edward could track you.”

I felt a soft chill up my spine at the idea. “You wouldn’t let him.” I pointed out.

“No, I wouldn’t.” He kissed my cheek and pushed my hair out of my face. None of his family had the control he had. If any other vampire tracked me out here, I wouldn’t make it home.

When I looked into his eyes, they were still bright and golden. There wasn’t even the smallest trace of instability.

I just wanted to kiss him and forget about everything for a while. Life was chaotic and he made me feel grounded- even when I was ‘lost’ in a foreign forest. He sighed and rested his forehead on mine. “It’s getting late… I should get you back to the room.”

“Are you going out tonight?” I would never try to stop him from seeing his friends. Of course I wanted him to see his friends, I just didn’t love the idea of being alone. It would only be a few hours. I could handle it. I had a feeling he knew how I felt anyway and that’s why he hadn’t gone yet. I wasn’t about to make it worse.

“I might.” He placed a delicate kiss to my nose, I giggled. “Siobhan might come looking for me if I don’t visit soon, since she knows I’m here. I can stay with you until you fall asleep, you won’t even know I’m gone.”

I doubted that, but I played it off. “I can handle that.” I kissed him quickly to reassure him. “Carry me?”

“Of course, Cara.” I grinned at him and put my notebook back in my bag. As soon as I was ready, and without saying a word, Carlisle lifted me with ease into his arms. He carried me out of the woods so much faster than it took me to get in there, I almost thought I hadn’t gotten that far.

He slowed and we broke through the treeline at the back of the hotel. There were a few couples and families sitting in the yard enjoying picnics and watching the stars.

I had to hold back my laughter as he set me down. I whispered so that only he could hear me, “That couple totally thinks we just had sex back there…”

He laughed, placed a kiss to my hair, and threw his arm over my shoulder. In response, he whispered. “I am far too much of a gentleman to just take you against the first flat surface in the middle of a forest.” As he walked, he grinned and I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He leaned in and breathed, “I will not be able to say the same, once we are back in the room.”

I shivered at his words. I’m sure the blush that heated my face confirmed what they were thinking, even though it wasn’t actually true. I hid my face in his shoulder as we walked.

When we got on the elevator he kissed me like he fully intended to keep to his word. I hardly noticed when it opened on our floor. Luckily he did, and even more luckily, there wasn’t anyone waiting to use the elevator.

He walked backwards and led me towards our room. He swept me off my feet again before we even reached the door. Once we were inside, and the door was firmly shut and locked behind us, he sat me on the first available table and made me forget my own name.

We lost a few hours. We took a shower and he made me food as I sat on the counter watching him cook. He let me fall asleep on his chest as he read War and Peace . I didn’t notice when he kissed my forehead, or told me he loved me. I didn’t notice when he left or when he came back.

I don’t think I could get used to the peace I felt there. Carlisle drove me to a beach on a very cloudy day, as the sun was setting. The water was cold but I stood in the ocean and let the waves crash around my feet. I let him spin me around as we danced to the sound of it all. I let myself get lost in all the love I felt for him.

I twirled out as far as our joined arms could stretch and he spun me back in. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders. He kissed my ear.

“You’re so beautiful.” He whispered and I probably wouldn’t have heard it if he wasn’t right by my ear. He leaned back and cupped my cheek with his hand. I almost didn’t notice the coolness anymore.

He studied my face, his thumb brushing across my cheekbone. He looked into my eyes like he was trying to memorize their color. He spoke again, though I could hardly make it out. “So beautiful.”

I leaned up and kissed him and he met me halfway. His hand moved from my cheek to lift my chin. When we eventually broke apart I smiled up at him.

“You know I love you, right?” I asked.

He laughed at me, “I would certainly hope so.” He placed a soft kiss on my forehead before adding, “I love you, Y/n.”

It took a lot of sweet talking to convince me to get out of the ocean and to go back to the room.

Despite how much I really did not want to, we had to fly home eventually, rushed only slightly by a frantic call from Alice. Apparently, Victoria would be passing through Forks and Alice thought they’d have a pretty good chance of catching her this time. However, they weren’t going to tell Bella, and she demanded that Edward go to Jacksonville with her. With Edward out, our family was now, not only down in numbers, but also down one mind reader who could hear her before the rest of them could, so Alice was frantic.

Of course they could still rely on Alice's visions, but with the wolves hunting too, things could get missed. I wondered if it would be safer if we just told Bella what was going on. I wanted to tell her what was going on, but I knew she would probably use herself as bait if she knew.

If she knew though, we could convince her to take Dad to Jacksonville and Edward could stay and fight with the rest of his family. I think we’d still fly home though. I would never ask Carlisle to not stand with his family, and he wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving them to defend themselves. I hoped it wouldn’t come to a fight anyway.

Victoria was alone, and revenge hungry. Maybe they could take her out quickly, and then it would all be over.

We caught a flight out of Ireland at nearly 1 in the morning, after Alice called. We made it through security and to our gate with 30 minutes to spare. I was ridiculously tired, given the time. I knew I had to at least board the plane before I passed out. Which I found increasingly harder the longer I sat with my head on his shoulder.

“Y/n?” His voice was soft and he elongated each letter of my name.

“Hmm?” I didn’t have the energy to really answer, but I did lift my head to look at his face.

His gaze met mine and he wore a delicate smile. “Where would you like to travel next?”

Confused by his spontaneous question, I asked, “You want to start planning our next vacation before we’re even home?” He laughed and shrugged.

“Seemed as good a time as any. If only to help you stay awake.” I yawn on cue, as if to prove his point.

“Okay, okay!” I couldn’t help but laugh with him. I took a second to think about it before sighing. “Part of me wants to fly off somewhere warm and secluded, but another part of me thinks that… maybe we should stay home for a bit.” I could see the confusion flash across his features, “I just mean- Dads been getting on to me about getting back to a ‘normal’ life” I put air quotes around the words.

I continued, “Maybe, if I get a job, he'll settle a bit. And- related but kind of a side note- Bella is going to graduate soon and then…” I couldn’t bring myself to finish the thought.

His face softened, “I understand, Cara.”

“I want to travel more with you. Once some of the dust settles.” I put emphasis behind my words and lifted my hand to caress his cheek. He placed a kiss against my palm.

“That sounds like a good plan.” I broke eye contact with him to yawn, pulling my hand back to cover it. He chuckled, “You can sleep on the plane. I don’t think they will let me carry you on if you’re unconscious.”

I sighed dramatically, “But this flight is only an hour and a half. It’s hardly worth it. Then we’ll be in London for 3 hours before we get on another plane.”

He raised an eyebrow while listening to my reasoning, “You can sleep on that one too, you know.”

“ Oooor I could stay up for the first flight, spend extra time talking to you, then sleep for all of the second flight.” I matched his expression, a huge smile shining through the exhaustion on my face.

He didn’t seem convinced, “Can you stay up for nearly five more hours?”

“Is that a challenge?”

“No-”

“Because I accept!” We didn’t stop laughing even as he kissed me and when we boarded the plane I ordered a hot coffee. I looked him in the eyes as I took the first sip, sending us both into another fit of giggles. We were still laughing as the plane took off.

I stayed awake during the first flight just fine. I drank two cups of coffee and I had to keep talking. Though Carlisle didn’t seem to mind. I spent most of my time trying to convince him that Howl’s Moving Castle was a better book than War and Peace . He, of course, respectfully disagreed, but said he would give Howl’s Moving Castle a chance. I celebrated the win for at least getting that. I wasn’t all that serious anyway, but the debate kept me awake.

Now, getting off the plane proved significantly harder than expected. I could hardly drag myself through the airport. I could already feel the jetlag pulling me down and we hadn’t even changed time zones yet. We stopped at a shop and I got a soda, hoping to only stay awake long enough to get on the next flight. I kissed him every chance I got, mostly to keep myself busy; but also, it was quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do.

Kissing Carlisle Cullen in a busy airport was definitely up there with: kissing him in the rain, or in the woods of Ireland, or on the cliff by his house. All I wanted to do was kiss him. He was always more than happy to oblige.

When we were finally on our flight home, I rested my head on his shoulder and pulled the travel blanket over us. He squeezed my hand.

“What’s the plan?” I asked, my voice heavy with exhaustion.

“We get you home,” He kissed my head for emphasis. “Then this weekend, Edward will keep Bella safe in Jacksonville. The others have arranged a party of sorts on the reservation- some kind of sporting event. Which should keep your father busy… and we think it would be best if you stayed down there as well, despite how much I wish I could keep you with me.”

I yawned and he chuckled into my hair. “Sounds like a very safe plan.”

“We’ve all worked very hard to make sure it is. I’ll spend forever ensuring your safety.” I would have kissed him if I had the energy to lift my head.

“At least until I’m like you…” I could feel the sleep washing over me. I allowed my eyes to close. He kissed my hair again and rested his chin on my head.

“Probably even then.” I felt it, more than I heard it, as I finally drifted off to sleep.

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#carlisle cullen #twilight #twilight fanfiction #carlisle cullen x reader #im always in this twilight #reader insert #masterlist #iaitt #this love came back to me #tlcbtm #eclipse #Screaming

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beyondthesefourwalls · 5 months

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This Love Came Back to Me (13-Final)

Summary: You and Bradley hadn’t ended on bad terms; really, you stopped before the two of you could even truly begin. Still, in the last seven months, you had never completely left his mind. So when you suddenly appeared in front of him at the bar, asking for a favor and pulling him into a kiss, he thought maybe it was the perfect opportunity to see if this time, things could be different. But what neither of you realized was that there’s more going on than just rekindling a lost romance, and it might not be as easy as simply just wanting it.

Pairing: Bradley Bradshaw x Reader (no use of y/n)

Warnings: second chance romance, language, smut and allusions of smut, stalking, breaking and entering, violence, attacks, blood, unhealthy obsessions, delusions of feelings, unwanted attention.

Part Thirteen Word Count: 6.1K

Part Twelve :: Series Masterlist

----

Bradley had an incredible feeling that something was wrong.

He couldn’t really explain it, but there was a twisting in his stomach and his heart was steadily beating faster in his chest. He knew he was being paranoid and he tried to calm himself down, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

“Come on,” he muttered, tapping his hand against the steering wheel. Traffic was slow moving and he was so close to the turn he needed to make, but his rare impatience was shining through. He breathed an audible sigh of relief when he could finally take his foot off the brake. He sped up, driving faster than he normally would. But it seemed that the closer he got to your house, the more anxious he became.

He thought it would go away when he finally pulled behind your car in the driveway that wouldn’t be yours for too much longer. But then he realized that you weren’t in it, hadn’t waited for him like he asked, and he cursed under his breath. He got out of the Bronco quickly. He had just slammed the door when he heard a scream come from inside.

His blood ran cold, his heart stopped in his chest, and he ran.

_____

“It’s so good to see you,” Paul breathed, smiling at you in what he probably thought looked reassuring. “You look so pretty today. I love when you wear blue. It’s my favorite color. How did you know?”

The light blue sweater you were wearing was suddenly making you itch. Your bottom lip wobbled against your will as you stood there in front of him. Paul looked more disheveled than usual. He was in his normal work attire of khaki pants and a wrinkled plaid button down, his lanyard with his badge still draped around his neck. His red hair was mused like he had been running his fingers through it, and his thick glasses were sliding down his face, the eyes behind them wide and crazed, even as his words were spoken almost…gently. It was a horrifying juxtaposition.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he continued, not waiting for you to answer his previous question. He took a step closer to you, and you backed up on instinct, your heart pounding in your chest. The fear that you had been desperately trying to hold at bay was creeping up your spine. Your lower back hit the edge of the counter and you whimpered when you realized you had allowed him to cage you in. The scent of his cologne was overpowering, like he had poured the entire bottle on himself. You wanted to gag. You needed to get away from him, but you couldn’t seem to move your feet.

Oh, you should have waited for Bradley. Why hadn’t you listened to him?

“Have you missed me?”

You didn’t say anything, you couldn’t, not with this terror sitting in your throat. You could tell by the huff that he let out and the way his smile dipped that your silence was starting to make him angry. You had to swallow several times before you could force any words out, and even then, your voice was soft, nothing more than a whisper.

“Paul…why are you doing this?”

The man in question cocked his head to the side, his brows drawing together in a frown. “Doing what?” he asked, sounding genuinely confused.

“All of this,” you said, your voice shaking.

“What do you mean? I’m doing it for you. For us.”

You squeezed your eyes shut for a moment, tears slipping down your cheeks. “There is no us, Paul. I don’t want anything from you.”

He huffed out a loud breath through his nose as his jaw ticked, and the hair on your arms stood up. You were frozen in place as he took another step closer to you, nearly flush with your own body now. His hand reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. You flinched away from his touch, and his blue eyes darkened as he shook his head. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do,” you swore.

“You’re confused,” he argued back.You could feel his hot breath on your face, and you wanted to scream. You couldn’t remember a time when you had been more scared than you were at that moment.

“I’m not.”

“Yes you are,” he snapped, eyes flashing dangerously. Another tear slid down your cheek as your body trembled, and he leaned closer. "You know, I've been waiting for this moment for so long," he whispered, his lips brushing against your cheek. You recoiled from his touch.

“Please, Paul. Just let me go.” You knew that you were trying to rationalize with someone who was probably too far gone to be reasoned with, but you had to try. At the very least you had to buy yourself a little bit of time.

“I can’t do that,” he said, his voice growing more desperate. “I can’t let you leave me again. I won’t let you.”

You pressed your luck and shuffled just the slightest bit to the side to try and escape, but he grabbed your arms as soon as you shifted. You gasped at the intensity of his grip. God, why didn’t you listen to Bradley? You never should have gotten out of the damn car. This was all your fault.

Bradley.

“Bradley’s on his way here,” you stammered, and you weren’t sure if you said it to see if it would give him enough pause to let you go, or just to reassure yourself. But Paul’s expression changed in an instant. Gone was the fake kindness he had been trying to maintain, replaced by an ugly sneer that made the fear that had been consuming you turn into panic. He looked completely unhinged, and you knew now, more than ever, you had to get away from him. You started to struggle against the hold he had on you, but his fingers pressed down harder and his nails dug into your skin.

“Everything changed as soon as he showed up,” he hissed, and you flinched when you felt his spit hit your face. He shook you, like he was trying to will you to hear him. “He took you from me.”

You wanted to tell him that you were never his to be taken, but you didn’t think you could get the words out. You were trapped. Panic was clawing at you from the inside out, making it hard to think. Your heart was pounding so loudly in your chest that you could barely hear anything else, and it was starting to get hard for you to breathe through the panic. Tears streamed steadily down your cheeks, and your blurry eyes shifted quickly, searching for something, anything. You tried your best to inhale and unintentionally caught the off putting scent of the rotting and fresh flowers that were littered all over the counters at your back.

Several vases of them.

Before you could overthink it, or really even think of it at all, you jerked your leg up. Your knee connected with Paul’s groin and he let out a loud groan, stumbling back and doubling over. His grip loosened just the slightest bit and you wrenched your arms free of him. You turned quickly and grabbed the vase of freshly purchased flowers, identical to ones you had loved so much before. You swung it at him right as he was standing back up, and the glass connected with the side of his head with a satisfying shatter. He yelled out in pain and you took your opportunity.

You shot past him, trying desperately to go for the front door. You just had to get to the door. But you had only taken a few steps when your feet were kicked out from under you, sending you sprawling to the ground. Stars exploded in your vision when your head caught on the edge of the side table by the couch on the way down, and then bounced off the hardwood. Your eyes fought to adjust as you tried to get up, but a rough tug on your legs had you sliding across the floor. Your vision swam as you were flipped onto your back, and Paul was on top of you in an instant.

You struggled under him, trying to push him off, but his weight pressing on you made it hard to move - hard to breathe. His eyes were wild and his breathing was ragged as he stared down at you. “I told you that you couldn’t leave,” he said, low and menacing. “Why did you do that?”

“Get off of me!” you cried, trying to free yourself. Paul fought to grab onto your wrists as you flailed underneath him.

Get away, get away, get away.

“Stop it!” he yelled. You sucked in as much of a breath as possible with the weight on your chest and screamed as loudly as you could, desperate for someone to hear you. To help you.

Paul’s eyes widened and he slapped his palm over your mouth so hard that it stung, pushing your head harder into the floor beneath you. “Shut up!”

You bit down on the hand muffling your sound, and Paul hissed, yanking it away. You kept screaming as you managed to get one of your hands to his face. You scratched, feeling the skin break underneath your fingernails. You kept struggling beneath him even as one of his hands found its way to your neck and a loud bang echoed throughout the room, followed by a terrified shout of your name.

—--

Bradley had experienced fear in his life before, and anger even more than that. The emotions were all too familiar to him. Yet there was something different about the way they spread through his body like wildfire as he burst open your front door and saw you on the ground with the man who had been tormenting you on top of you, his hand around your throat. Your legs flailed as you tried to kick your way out from under him, and Bradley saw nothing but pure, hot, dark red.

Your name tore from him as he lunged forward. He tackled Paul off of you, the force of his weight sending him sprawling to the side. The smaller man’s expression transitioned rapidly from shock to anger, but Bradley wiped it off just as quickly.

He didn't even think about what he was doing, he just acted, his fist connecting with Paul's face once, and then again, and another time after that. Each hit was fueled by the months of anger and frustration he had felt knowing what he was putting you through, of the nights he spent holding you after you woke up screaming, and each tear he had wiped away.

The man underneath him did his best to swing back, catching Bradley once awkwardly on the jaw, but Bradley quickly overpowered him and his limbs fell weakly to the ground at his sides. He felt as Paul’s nose bent under his knuckles, blood flowing freely down his face. It was like something else had taken over his body. He couldn’t feel anything but the need to protect you.

It wasn’t until his name on your lips broke through the ringing in his ears that he came back to himself at all.

He looked over his shoulder to see you had pulled yourself up enough to lean against the couch. You were gasping for air as you sobbed, tears streaming down your face, and Bradley felt his heart break at the sight of you. He spared Paul one more glance. The man was still conscious, if only barely, staring up at him with bleary eyes, and Bradley leant over him with a sneer, pressing his forearm against his throat. He spoke low, so only he could hear. “Don’t fucking move.”

He quickly moved off of him, crawling the few feet to where you were. You were shaking, your eyes wide and scared and trained on the worthless lump of a man sprawled out on the ground. Bradley knew he needed to get your focus on him, and he also desperately needed to touch you, to assure himself you were as okay as you could be. He moved slowly, trying not to startle you as he brought his hands up to cup your face. He guided you so that your eyes locked on his. He breathed out your name in a shaky exhale.

“Bradley,” you croaked, and his heart broke a little more.

“I’m right here,” he promised. His voice was hoarse, and he couldn’t help the tremble of his hands as he brushed away your tears. “I got you.” You let out another sob, and Bradley’s face softened. “Come here, baby.”

You didn’t resist when he pulled you into his arms, curling against him and burying your face in his chest as you cried. Bradley held you tightly, shifting off of his knees to sit so his back was against the couch, and your back was to the man still bleeding by the coffee table. He pressed a kiss to the top of your head, inhaling your scent as he did. He tried to focus on the feeling of you in his arms to calm his own racing heart. He ran his hand over your hair, and his eyebrows pulled together when he felt something wet and sticky. He pulled his hand away, seeing blood on his fingertips. His eyes widened as he pulled back from you just far enough to meet your eyes. They were still wide, and now he could see how they were slightly dazed, too.

“Bug, baby are you hurt?” he asked, his voice urgent and laced with concern. He was already carefully touching your head again, searching for injury. His breath caught in his throat as he felt the bump on the side of your head. He gently pushed your hair aside, his eyes narrowing as he saw the gash that had opened up on your scalp. It was small, which is maybe why he hadn’t noticed it before. But it was there.

“Fuck,” he muttered. He felt a rush of anger all over again, heating him from the inside out. He felt the urge to scramble across the room and finish what he had started, but your soft whimper as he touched around the wound kept him grounded. He knew that you needed him right now. He had to swallow the fury he was feeling and focus on you, but it was thick in his throat.

Slowly, he let his hand drift down to your neck. The skin was still hot from the pressure Paul had put on it, but he pushed past that, focusing on the feel of your pulse thudding against his fingertips. He let his eyes close for just a moment and took a deep breath.

He had to take care of you.

He pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead, pulling away and cupping your face in his hands again. He brushed some of your tears away as they fell, slower than they were before. Your sobs had lessened, too, but your breathing was still shaky. He gave you a sad, tight smile, trying to push some sort of reassurance to you. “I need to call 911, sweetheart.”

You squeezed your eyes shut and gripped the front of his shirt in your hands. He knew that you hated hearing that. Your head lolled slightly, and his heart thudded in his chest as a shot of panic went through him. Your name was on his lips before you nodded, opening your eyes and straightening up to look at him. They were still fluttering, fighting for focus, and he was fairly positive that you had a concussion. But you whispered a soft “okay”. Bradley pressed another kiss to your forehead and helped you stand just far enough to get off of the floor and onto the couch itself. He pulled you back into his arms as soon as he was beside you, tucking your face into his chest so you were facing the cushions. He wished he could get you out of here completely, but you weren’t the only one he had to keep an eye on right now. But he’d be damned if you had to look at the piece of shit across the room.

He ignored the sound of him groaning as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He dialed the three numbers quickly, his voice calm and steady as he talked to the operator. He gave them your address, as well as the case number he had memorized from the police report you had filed. All the while he held you close, rubbing soothing circles into your back. Once he hung up, he risked a glance over at Paul. The man was still crumpled on the floor, holding his bent nose. But he didn’t try to move or to run, laying on his back and blinking up at the ceiling; Bradley wondered if maybe he finally realized how fucked he was. Or maybe if he had just hit him so hard that he was concussed, too.

Still, he felt his anger ignite once again and his hands unconsciously clenched into fists. He wanted nothing more than to go over there and finish the job, to make sure that man never hurt you or anyone else ever again. But he knew that wasn't his place. Right now, his only place was here, holding you. You were the only thing that mattered.

"I got you," he whispered into your hair, his voice soft. "I got you.”

——

You kept your eyes closed, face pressed into his chest, focusing on the sound of Bradley’s voice as he spoke with the 911 operator as opposed to the words he was speaking themselves. You didn’t want to think about what had just happened, about the feel of Paul’s hands on your arms and on your neck and the weight of his body on top of yours. You wanted to go back to the carefree happiness you had felt and forget this night ever existed. You just wanted to stay in Bradley’s arms and pretend that everything was going to be okay. You felt safe, protected from anything; nothing could hurt you.

You just wanted to stay right here.

"I love you," Bradley said softly, his lips brushing against your hair. You weren’t sure when he had gotten off the phone or if he had said anything else to you, but the words made you blink your eyes open slowly.

You had to swallow a few times, your tongue heavy and your mouth dry. Your voice was hoarse when you were finally able to return the words in nothing more than a whisper that still felt too loud. "I love you too.”

Your head was fuzzy and your arms were tingling, your fingers still weakly curled into the fabric of his shirt. You wondered if you were going into shock.

After what felt like an eternity, but simultaneously no time at all, you heard the sound of sirens outside. Bradley’s grip on you tightened, and you felt the exhale he let out against your forehead. His voice was gentle and comforting when he spoke. “We’re going to get this all taken care of, okay?”

“Kay,” you whispered.

He pulled away and cupped your face in his hands, and the calluses on his palms felt so good and familiar against your cheeks that you couldn’t help but lean into it. You blinked at him slowly when he asked you to look at him, and the worry that shone in his eyes made your heart clench. “I’m going to take care of you, Bug. I promise.”

You knew he would, without a single doubt in your mind.

It was all a bit of a blur after that. The cops arrived first, and you let Bradley do most of the talking. It was almost like you were separate from your body, or listening through a seashell, as he explained what he had walked in on and everything that had happened before this, too. You flinched when Paul’s voice broke through the fog in your head. You had almost forgotten he was even in the room, he had been so quiet, but now he was saying your name, the sight of the police officers having sparked something back in him.

“Don’t do this, please. Just tell them this is all a misunderstanding. We-we belong together. Why don’t you know that?”

He sounded weaker and less sure of himself than you had ever heard, but you didn’t want to hear him at all. You squeezed your eyes shut and buried your face in Bradley’s chest again, trying to block it all out.

You were relieved when, almost immediately, your boyfriend was scooping you up into his arms and carrying you outside. You rested your head against his shoulder, breathing in the scent of his cologne as he whispered soft reassurances to you. “The paramedics need to look at you, baby. And I need to finish talking to the police. I’ll make it quick, I promise.”

He set you down gently on the edge of the open ambulance. You gripped his t-shirt in your hands, drawing his eyes to you. You felt pitiful and small when you whispered, begging him not to go too far. He pressed a kiss to your forehead and promised he’d stay within sight. You felt a pang of separation anxiety as he let go of you. He only stepped a few feet away to where one of the officers from inside was now standing, notepad in hand. He was close enough where you were sure he could hear everything the paramedics were saying, too.

They were all business, but their touch was gentle as they checked you over, asking you questions and assessing your injuries. You felt the tears prickling at the corners of your eyes again as the dull pain in your head where the gash was and the ache in your neck and your arms where Paul had grabbed you seemed to register. It was all too much, and you wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear.The flashing lights from the police cars cast an eerie glow over the street, and you felt a lump form in your throat. You kept your eye on Bradley the whole time. He stood tense with his arms crossed over his chest as he talked. He kept glancing at you, sending you reassuring smiles. But there was a pinch in his eyebrows, and -

You cried out at a sudden pain on your scalp. Bradley was by your side before the paramedic had even finished muttering her apology.

“Sorry about that, just cleaning it up.”

You gripped Bradley’s hand as a tear slid down your cheek. He ran his thumb over the back of your hand and shushed you, his voice low and soothing. “Shh, it’s okay, I’m here.”

You focused on his touch and his voice as the paramedics finished with you. You vaguely heard the words concussion and antiseptic, and you forced out a thank you where you hoped was appropriate. The woman who had been helping sent you a warm, kind smile as she took her gloves off. She nodded in your direction and muttered about giving you a moment before she slipped away.

You leaned into Bradley’s side when he wrapped his arm around your shoulder, grateful for the warmth and comfort he provided. You were exhausted, physically and emotionally, and you just wanted to close your eyes and rest. But the sound of someone clearing their throat made you open your eyes again. The officer who had been talking to Bradley was now standing in front of you, his expression serious.

“Can’t this wait?” Bradley asked. You glanced up at him, noticing that line between his narrowed eyes again. Without even consciously thinking about it, you raised your hand, smoothing it out with your thumb. He looked down at you, his features softening. He smiled, but you knew it was half hearted at best.

The officer’s lips thinned and he shook his head. “I’m afraid not. We need to take your statement, miss.” He looked at you expectedly, pen poised over the paper.

Bradley’s grip on you tightened. You leaned further into him, and it was like you were both trying to draw and give comfort to one another all at the same time. His fingers traced soothing patterns on your arm as you took a deep breath.

Your voice was shaky, detached, as you described as much as you could muster. The man in uniform standing in front of you jotted down notes on his notepad and asked questions as you went, which you answered as best as you could.

“And when your boyfriend showed up? What happened then?”

Even through the haze in your mind, you saw how the older man’s eyes flicked over to him. You looked at Bradley, too, seeing the way his jaw clenched. He stayed silent beside you, but you could feel the tension in his body. You knew he was angry, thinking back on the interaction. You thought about how Paul’s grip on your neck and weight on your body had released so suddenly. You had scrambled away, and it had taken you a few gasping breaths to register that Bradley had him on the ground in much the same position you had been. You had watched, almost transfixed in a way, as he laid into him.

But he stopped as soon as you said his name. You could only imagine how he had felt in that moment, seeing you like that. You knew how much anger and hatred he carried toward your old coworker, contrasted and heightened by the love he had for you. It was in Bradley’s nature to protect the ones that he cared about, and he had walked into something terrible. But he hadn’t hesitated to put his own anger and vengeance aside the moment you needed his comfort, instead.

“He protected me,” you murmured quietly. You heard the breath of air that he let out at your words.

The questions continued for a few minutes, until a commotion near your front door drew all of your attention. Your breath caught when you saw Paul being led out with his arms behind his back. For a terrifying moment, he met your eyes. A shiver ran down your spine as fear spiked in you all over again. And then he started yelling for you, struggling against the hold another of the cops had on him.

You flinched back, squeezing your eyes shut. Bradley turned so he was shielding you completely and drew you into his chest in much the same way he had done inside. He went the extra step of covering your ears to drown out all the noise and kept them there until a slam of a car door cut off the voice screaming your name. The tears you had been desperate to hold back slipped down your cheeks, and your chest felt tight all over again.

“Please,” Bradley pleaded softly, and you knew he wasn’t speaking to you. “She’s been through enough tonight. She’s given you more than enough - just let me get her out of here.”

The officer must have agreed, because the next thing you knew, Bradley was buckling you into the Bronco. He pressed a kiss to the side of your head and murmured that he would be right back. You heard the click of the lock once he closed the door, and you let out a breath of relief at knowing no one could touch you now. You let your eyes fall close and your head rest against the cool glass of the window as you waited.

He was gone for several minutes, and when he unlocked the car and climbed in himself, he set your bag down on the floor at your feet.

The trip back to his apartment was silent, not even any music playing on the radio. Halfway there, you unbuckled your seatbelt and slid over on the bench seat to press yourself to his side. He didn’t say anything, just shifted to wrap his arm around you. You let your eyes close, and when you opened them again, you were parked in his normal spot.

“Let’s get you inside, baby,” Bradley murmured, and you felt so drained, you could hardly even nod. You barely register him leading you inside, or how he knelt on the ground to take your shoes off, and then helped you sit on the couch. He brought you a glass of water that he helped you drink, and now, sitting here in the quiet of one of the places you felt the safest, that you felt the emotions hitting you all over.

“I’m sorry,” Bradley said softly, running his thumb across your cheek. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner.”

You shook your head, feeling the weight of the day’s events pressing down on you. You didn’t know how to explain that it wasn’t his fault, that you were just grateful he had come at all. You just wanted to be held, to feel safe. He seemed to sense that, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you close.

You leaned into him, the tears streaming down your face as you buried your head into his chest. Every part of you ached, and you didn't know how to make it stop. You tried to take deep breaths to calm down, but the sobs kept coming. All the while, you clung tightly to Bradley’s body, his arms secure around you.

You don’t know how long you sat there, crying and clinging to one another on the couch, when the thought came to you. Mustering all the strength you could, you muttered the words into his soft shirt. “Is it over now?”

“What, baby?” Bradley asked, and you sucked in as much air as you could, letting it out slowly. You pulled away just enough to look up into his dark eyes.

“It’s over now, right? He can’t…he can’t hurt me anymore, right?”

Bradley’s expression softened, and he ran his hand up and down your back. “No, he can’t hurt you anymore. You’re safe now. I promise.”

____

Six Months Later

You woke up to Bradley’s lips on your skin.

You were laying on your stomach, face pressed into the smooth material of your pillow. The sheet had pooled near your hips as you slept and you could feel the warmth of sunbeams through the thin curtains on the window contrasted with the cool air from the ceiling fan spinning above on your bare back. Bradley pressed kisses along your shoulder blades, featherlight touches that had you wondering if maybe you were still dreaming. But then you felt his fingers tracing up the indents of your spine and you knew this was real. You shivered in delight, a sleepy moan escaping into the pillow before you rolled over.

“Morning, Bug,” he rasped, voice thick with sleep. You couldn’t help but shudder again at the sound of it. You opened your eyes to see Bradley propped on his side, head supported by one hand. With the other, he traced the outline of your collarbone.

You smiled and reached up to brush your fingers through his hair. “Morning, handsome.” You leaned in for a kiss, relishing the feel of his warm lips on yours. “What time is it?”

“It’s still early. I couldn’t sleep, so thought I’d wake you up instead.” The next kiss was deeper, and you felt your body starting to respond to him. You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him closer, and after a moment, he chuckled against your lips.

“What’s so funny?” you asked, pulling back slightly to look at him.

“Nothing.” he replied, brushing a strand of hair away from your face. “Just happy to finally wake up here with you.”

You hummed in response and smiled, knowing exactly what he meant.

It was almost hard to believe that just six months ago, you had been in the middle of a nightmare. It had been a whirlwind since then. You had started a new job that you absolutely loved and that you were thriving in. Paul had been arrested and charged with assault, stalking, and breaking and entering. You had been granted a restraining order against him, even though hopefully you wouldn’t need it for a while while he served out his sentence.

Bradley had been there every step of the way. He never pushed, never pressured you into anything you weren't ready for. He just held you close, listened when you needed to talk, and loved you fiercely.

You had decided pretty soon after the incident that you wanted a fresh start together, in a place completely on your own. You had found a cute little house that suited both of your needs. It was the exact same distance to work for both of you, had a spare bedroom and an office that you would utilize on your work from home days, and a small yard where maybe you could get the dog you had both been joking about for awhile. It wasn’t totally updated and would need some work, but it was perfect. You were in the middle of closing when Bradley had gotten deployment papers in the mail. He was scheduled to leave a week before you were planning on moving in, and would be gone for nine weeks. You had talked, briefly, about putting everything off. He knew that you were still working through a lot, and he hadn’t wanted to put the pressure of moving into a new house completely on you.

But you had been tired of feeling weak and dependent. So you had smiled and kissed him and told him that it would be okay. You waved him off with tears in your eyes while you watched the carrier ship pull away, and then you went back to his apartment and finished packing boxes. You were determined to make the house you had purchased together into a home for him to return to, and that was exactly what you had done. He had looked around in wonder when you brought him home just yesterday. It was the first night you had spent together, and it had made all the stress worth it.

“Hey,” Bradley said softly, brushing his thumb across your cheek. “What are you thinking about?”

You smiled and snuggled closer to him, burying your face in his chest. “Just how lucky I am to have you,” you whispered.

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around you tighter. “I’m the lucky one,” he said. “You’re the strongest person I know.”

He leaned in, his lips meeting yours in a gentle, lingering kiss. He brushed his nose against yours when he pulled away, and for a long moment, you just laid there together, sharing the same breath. “I think we should take a trip,” he murmured, breaking the peaceful silence you had fallen into.

You let out a surprised laugh, shaking your head. “You just got home.”

“I know,” he shrugged. “But I have a few weeks of leave, and you have some PTO saved up. Maybe we can go this weekend.”

“Did you have somewhere specific in mind?” you asked, deciding to humor him. A playful sparkle that almost looked mischievous crept into his dark brown eyes and he nodded, kissing you again.

“I was thinking of a cabin in the mountains. I might know a place with a good hot tub.”

You felt a flutter in your chest at the thought of the first trip you had taken together to just the place he was describing, and how it had been the perfect escape. It was the first time you had expressed that you loved one another. You hadn’t been back since, but you had thought of it, every once in a while. Clearly he had too. It would just be the two of you, secluded away from reality, able to enjoy each other's company without any distractions.

You smiled up at him, and he returned the gesture, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Sounds amazing," you said, and he leaned down to kiss you again, his hands roaming over your body. The kiss quickly turned passionate, and before you knew it, you were lost in each other - just the way you should be.

-Fin-

-------------

Series Masterlist :: Main Masterlist

Notes: And there we have it. Thank you so much for everyone who stuck around. Can't believe we made it🖤

Thank you to Mak and Em for all of your help making this story come to life. This one is for the two of you.

And thanks to Mak for the AMAZING banner!

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