A/N: Hello loves! Just so you know, it’s Monday, Dec. 20. Read on. (And please read the A/N below.)

I spent the entire weekend pacing.

Edward hadn’t called me on Saturday, hadn’t let me know if anything had happened with the information Jasper and I gleaned at Lilly’s on Friday. I went with Pops to church on Sunday, feeling like I was going to burst at the seams. I wavered between mentally cursing Edward and praying that he was alright.

“Tiny, it’s gonna be OK. If they haven’t done anything to him yet, two days isn’t going to make much of a difference,” Pops tried to tell me, on our way out the chapel doors.

“I hate this feeling of not being able to do anything,” I whined. It was a very unladylike of me, but I knew Pops understood. “Emmett’s well-being is essential to the happiness of so many people I love. I can’t help feeling that we’re cutting things short with all this waiting around.”

“Small steps, Ali,” Pops’d wrapped an arm around my shoulder as we headed into a small café for lunch. “Besides, no one works on Sundays. Even the bad guys.”

I’d sighed and flopped onto the couch when we got home. I had a feeling there was something I didn’t know, and it was eating at me. The phone rang and I sprinted to answer it.

“Hello?” I said, out of breath.

“Ali, it’s Edward.”

“Eddie. What’s the haps?”

“I know where they’re holding Emmett Swan.”

I’d nearly dropped the phone. I bounced a little in place to work off the excitement.

“How—Eddie—You didn’t … you get in any trouble yourself, did you?”

He laughed. “No, Alice. I went and had a look yesterday around the area you got from Alec and saw Felix outside a warehouse. From the clues Emmett left in his note, I think that’s the place.”

“So? When are we going in?” I was aching to put this case in the “solved” file cabinet. I wanted so badly for it to come to a good resolution, so everything—and everyone—could work out like I’d been planning.

“Whoa now Ali-cat. We aren’t going anywhere. I’m going to the police first thing tomorrow morning and laying my evidence on the table. I’m pretty sure Jasper will be willing to help me set up a rescue.”

I stuck my bottom lip out in a pout. We were so close, and yet I still felt so far away. “I’m going with you.”

“No, you’re not,” he’d responded, his voice firm. “I am not taking any chances with your life.”

“I meant to the police station, Eddie.” I resigned myself to the fact that even though I was his partner, if any part of our plans involved risking bodily harm, I’d have to stay behind. Every day, it seemed, women were gaining ground on equality, but there were some things that I doubted would ever change. Not with men like Edward around; men who saw their main role as one of the protector.

“I appreciate the fact that you’re trying to keep me safe, and I will accept the fact that I’m not going to the warehouse with you,“ I continued. I’d had a split-second of fantasy about being the hero, but I didn’t entertain the idea for long. “But if we’re going to be partners from here on out, I will be going to the precinct with you. Even if it’s just to stand there and look pretty.” I grimaced. I didn’t kid myself that I’d get the respect I deserved in a room full of bulls.

The line was silent for a moment. “That’s fair.”

“Thank you, Eddie.”

I didn’t sleep well at all after his call. The anticipation of this case coming to an end, and my honest belief that it would all work out, invaded my dreams. I dreamed of dark rooms that smelled of the sea; rooms with no entrances or exits. I dreamed I had a burlap sack over my head and my arms and legs were bound; I couldn’t rise from my cramped position on a cold, hard cement floor. When I woke, long before my alarm was set to ring, my mouth was dry and my palms uncomfortably clammy. I rose and got ready for the day; it was no use trying to go back to sleep, and I didn’t think I wanted to, not after those dreams.

I turned on the shower, as hot as I could stand it, and just stood in the stream for a while. I took deep breaths and thought about happy things: kittens … new dresses … Jasper’s smile. My face turned red, and it wasn’t because of heat of the water.

I got out and dressed for the day, in a professional navy suit, and hid my pin curls underneath a dark gray cloche. I turned to and fro in front of my full-length mirror and laughed, despite my mood. Bella would love this outfit.

I called for a cab and sat at the kitchen table to wait. I sipped at a cup of coffee, but my stomach was in no mood to accept solid food. It felt tied up in knots. I spotted the car pull up to the curb and hurriedly jotted down a quick note for Pops before heading out the door. It had snowed overnight, and the walkway was slick, so I forced myself to slow down lest I fall flat on my behind. I got in the cab and directed it to the office, impatient for the day to begin.

When I got to the office, I realized I’d beaten Edward, which never happened. Looking at the clock as I hung my coat on the rack by the door, I realized it was just barely 6 a.m. Edward wasn’t due in until 8 or so. I sat down in my desk chair, so forcefully the wood groaned. I threw my arms onto my desk and rested my head on them with a sigh.

“Alice?” Someone’s hand was resting on my shoulder and tugging slightly. I pulled my head off my arms and looked up, into the concerned green eyes of my boss-slash-partner.

“Eddie,” I said with a yawn. I stood and stretched my arms in the air. “I’m glad you’re in early.”

“Early? Ali, it’s 8. I always get in at 8.”

I peered at the clock on the wall. He wasn’t kidding.

“Geeze, I must have fallen asleep,” I said, surprised.

He walked over to the coat rack and hung up his own. “How long have you been in the office?”

I stifled another yawn. “Since 6?”

He laughed, but it was without much humor. “I’m guessing I wasn’t the only one who didn’t sleep well.”

As he neared, I could see the beginnings of dark circles under his eyes. This case was getting to him too.

We both looked at each other for a moment. Edward broke away first, and headed into the inner office. “I’m going to gather up some files and then I think we should head over to headquarters.”

“Sounds good to me.” My stomach retied itself into a knot that seemed to have loosened while I was asleep. I sat on the edge of my chair, jiggling one leg and then the other, just to keep the nervousness at bay.

Edward came out of his office about 10 minutes later and I shot up. “Ready?”

He eyed me for a second, a worried look on his face. I took a deep breath to calm myself and ran my hands down the wool of my suit, pressing slightly. “Don’t worry Eddie, I’m OK. Just feeling the pressure building is all.”

“You and me both, Ali.” He pulled his coat around his shoulders and placed his well-worn fedora on his head. He offered me an elbow and I placed my hand on his arm as I pulled shut the door.

We got in the Silver Ghost and headed down to the station. I knew Jasper would be getting on shift at about the same time we arrived; I was glad that he would be there. His presence always seemed to put me in a relaxed mood.

“Jasper’s on shift this morning, yes?” Edward asked me as we drove south.

“Yes, he should be,” I replied, a bit startled at Edward’s accidental mind reading.

“Good. We’ll talk to him first. I’m hoping having Jasper on our side will get us into good graces with the chief.”

We pulled to the curb just outside headquarters. It wasn’t snowing, but the city was muffled by the weekend’s snow. The quiet was eerie. I nodded to the desk sergeant as we headed in the front door and stood back, annoyed but willing to let Edward do all the talking.

“Is Officer Whitlock in yet?”

The desk sergeant, whose name badge read Ateara, looked at Edward with inquisitive eyes. “He is.” I wondered at the name. It was quite unusual. I looked at the man’s face, wondering at his heritage; his skin was many shades darker than mine, and had a russet tint. I’m sure he tanned quite nicely in the summer.

“Can you tell him Edward Masen is here, and would like to speak with him?”

The desk sergeant’s eyes narrowed as though he could sense Edward wasn’t just a regular civilian. After a moment’s pause, he stood up. “Be right back.”

He returned soon after, following behind Jasper. Jasper’s face was drawn, but when he saw me, it lit from within. He rushed over and picked me up in a tight hug, lightly kissing my cheek.

“My Alice,” he breathed into my ear. “This is a nice surprise.”

The knot in my stomach undid itself and I tried to catch my breath enough to speak. Jasper set me down on the ground and took my hand before turning to recognize Edward’s presence.

“Edward.”

“Jasper.”

“We’re actually here on work business,” I stated, with a hint of disappointment that this couldn’t be a more personal visit.

Jasper’s face fell, just a little. “Oh. Darn.”

“The information you gathered on Friday night was very … helpful,” Edward said. I realized he was eyeing the man behind the desk with a bit of concern. “Is there a place we can go to talk? Somewhere a little more … private?”

The desk sergeant scoffed, but Jasper ignored it. “Of course.” He swung his arm toward the interior of the building in a grand gesture. I smiled.

Jasper led us to a small interrogation room off the main corridor. He pulled out my chair before rounding the table to sit on the other side. Edward took a seat next to me.

“So …” Jasper prodded.

“I went down to the docks on Saturday, to do some snooping around,” Edward began.

Jasper’s lips turned down into a slight frown. My heart gave an involuntary twinge at the sight. I reached a hand across the table and Jasper placed his into mine. I figured it would be OK to be a little non-professional, since there weren’t any other cops in the room. I squeezed his palm and turned back to Edward.

“Seems the information Alice got from Alec turned out to be good. I saw a delivery truck heading toward a warehouse in the afternoon and followed it, curious. I watched it for a while, and I was just about to leave when Felix came out of the warehouse.”

Jasper sat back in his chair just a little, but not enough to loosen his hand from my grasp. He looked thoughtful. “So. That’s it then. We need to form a plan.”

Edward nodded in agreement. “That’s why we’re here. I can’t take on the Russians by myself. I think we’ve got enough evidence to prove that Emmett’s in that warehouse. We might even be able to get Alec to talk, if he’s guaranteed protection.” He pushed the files he held under his arm toward Jasper, who looked through the paperwork with interest.

“You take pretty detailed notes, Masen.” Jasper peered up at him, a glint in eyes telling me he knew more than he was letting on.

“I’ve had … training,” Edward offered in reply.

Jasper stared, as if he was trying to figure Edward out. I hadn’t yet told Jasper what little I knew about Edward’s background, as I figured it wasn’t my place. It would all come out, someday. If I was right, however, the two men actually had more in common than I’d initially realized.

“We gotta bring the chief in on this, you realize,” Jasper said, breaking his scrutiny. “It needs to be an official case for us to be able to do anything.”

“Sure, I understand, “Edward said. “I was hoping you’d be willing to back me up when I went to talk to him.”

Jasper turned to look at me. I looked at him, with love in my eyes. Not just for him, but for Eddie and Bella and Esme and Rose, and even for Emmett, who I’d never actually met, but I knew would fit right into our little—growing—family. I could see that Jasper knew he had to help Edward out on this case. He knew it was the right thing to do. I just tried to make it a little easier to make the decision.

Jasper rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. “You stay here, Ali. Edward and I are gonna go see the chief.”

Edward fought back a grin. He stood, gathering his papers, and turned toward the door. Jasper lifted my hand to his mouth and planted a light kiss on my knuckles. “See you in a little bit, darlin’.” He too stood and led Edward out the door, leaving me to entertain myself for as long as it took the men to form a plan. I smiled after them, shaking my head lightly.

I folded my hand and took a look at my fingernails. I needed a new manicure.

Jasper and Edward came back into the room almost an hour later. I’d gotten bored of staring at the walls pretty quickly, plus I didn’t know what to say if someone needed the room. So I wandered out into the hallway to see if I could find something to read. I’d run into Pete, Jasper’s partner, and he’d kindly gotten me a cup of coffee and the latest issue of Life. I’d gone back into the waiting area and settled myself onto a hard bench, as comfortably as I could. Police officers tipped their hats to me as they walked in and out of the building; I gave each one a dazzling smile.

I heard Edward and Jasper’s voices before they came into view. They were intently discussing something, but I couldn’t quite make it out.

I stood and straightened my skirt and jacket. The desk sergeant—I’d learned his first name was Quil during my time sitting across from him—snickered. I felt like sticking my tongue out at him, but I refrained.

The two men broke off conversation as they saw me standing there. Annoyed, I changed my posture to reflect my mood: jutting out a hip and putting a hand on it. Quil snickered even louder.

“So, boys,” I said, “just because I didn’t get to go into that little bull session of yours and offer up my two cents doesn’t mean you can cut me out of the plan entirely.”

Both men looked chagrined. Jasper spoke first, “It’s just … the chief said …” Edward looked away, as if he knew what was coming next and wanted to shield himself from the blast.

“Do. Not. Cut. Me. Out.” I said, through gritted teeth. I hated having to be stern with Jasper, but he was being ridiculous. I was part of the team—more so than him, that was for sure—and not letting me in on the plan was just plain mean.

Jasper got a look on his face like a kid who’d broken a window with a baseball.

“Hey, I’m starving. Let’s go get some lunch and we’ll discuss things there. Jasper? Can you come?” Edward swept in and tried to diffuse the situation.

“Uh, yeah,” Jasper replied. “Let me go tell Pete I’ll be back in a while.”

I hadn’t moved from my spot. My jaw was starting to hurt from clenching it so tightly, so I let my mouth move into a frown as Jasper walked away. I looked at Edward, and there was mirth in his eyes. Obviously the meeting with the chief had gone well, but I had no idea what could be so funny.

“What, Edward? What is so funny?” I demanded.

“Jasper’s never seen this side of you.” He shrugged and looked down at the floor, but I could see the smile making one corner of his mouth turn up. “I think you knocked him for a loop, Ali-cat.”

All my steam blew out in a gust. My arms fell loosely at my side and my mouth hung open. I realized the annoyance at not being able to be a full member of the partnership in this situation, and the feelings that had been tying me up inside for the past few days, had come out in a bad way. I felt terrible. Somewhat justified, but terrible nonetheless.

Jasper rounded the corner and tentatively eyed my face. I went over to him and wrapped an arm around his. “I’m sorry Jazz. I … let my emotions get the better of me. I apologize. You’re just being a cop. But you need to understand that I’m not playing at this. I have just as much right to know what happened behind those doors as you.”

“I’m sorry Alice,” he looked abashed. “You’re right. I’m just not used to ... sharing these sort of things with a … a …” He faltered.

Quil spoke up from his place behind the front desk. “A woman?”

I gave into my earlier urge and stuck my tongue out at him. He guffawed.

Jasper’s face turned red. I spoke so he didn’t have to—and so Quil couldn’t continue being a pill—“You’re just going have to get used to it, Officer Whitlock.” I pulled him toward the front doors, where Edward was waiting, still trying to hide his crooked grin.

“Yes ma’am.”

Jasper didn’t have much time at lunch, so we walked to a small diner near HQ and settled into a booth. There, he and Edward filled me in on the plan.

“Chief Charles took all the evidence and is going to send some undercover cops down to the warehouse this afternoon to check the situation out. If they get a feeling something’s going down there, we’ll be able to go in tomorrow or the next day with a lot more people,” Edward said.

“What are they going to be looking for?” I asked.

Jasper answered me. “The chief’s worried that the evidence you and Edward have gathered is just a little too circumstantial to justify a full operation. He agrees with Edward that Emmett is most likely being held there, but we just can’t go in on Alec’s hints.”

“So they’re going to look for some evidence on the liquor running.” I started to get a bit worried.

“Yes,” Edward replied.

“But, Rose—“ I was interrupted by the waitress bringing our hamburgers and Cokes. I waited until she left to continue with my train of thought, but Jasper beat me to it.

“Rose will be OK. I’ll figure out some way of keeping her name out of this. If her name does get pulled into the mess, I’ll be able to show that she was coerced into her part in the liquor running pretty easily. She pays the Russians protection money on top of their fees for the liquor. Lilly’s is a juice joint because of her choices, yes, but I’m pretty sure she’s only kept making those choices because she’s been forced to by Tanya and Demetri.”

I was still worried about Rose. We weren’t close friends, but I’d like to think we could be. ‘Sides, I figured some day we’d be related, at least by marriage.

“If I was her, I’d really appreciate knowing about what’s about to go down before it does,” I said.

Jasper nodded. “I was planning on calling her tonight, as soon as I got home, and filling her in on all the details.”

I breathed a sight of relief. “Thank you, Jazz.”

My stomach took that moment of quiet to growl. I blushed, embarrassed. The men both laughed, and dug into their burgers with gusto. I followed suit, but with a little more finesse.

We finished up and paid our bill, and then wandered back toward the precinct. Jasper held my hand the entire way back, and stood at my side when we’d reached the front door.

“I’m going to head to Bella’s office and let her know what the plan is.,” Edward said. “Do you want to come with, Alice?”

Kinsey and Campbell was in a different direction than our office. I also had a bit of paperwork waiting for me. And I knew for a fact that Edward would rather go alone.

“Nah, Eddie. Go ahead.” He grinned. “Tell Bella I say hello.”

“Of course.”

I watched the spring in his step as he went to the car. He was excited that the case was so nearly coming to a close, but he was even more excited to go see Bella and tell her that the case was nearing an end. I sighed, happily, and leaned my head on Jasper’s shoulder. After a moment, I turned so that I was facing him, and I gazed into his eyes.

“I’m sorry about earlier, Jazz. I just got really worked up when I thought I was being cut out of the case. I’ve been on edge all weekend. And I’m so very glad that we’re so close to getting Emmett back where he belongs. The stress of the situation just got to me.”

“It’s OK. I guess I’m just not used to dealing with strong women such as yourself. It’s … surprising.”

I frowned. Surprising? That didn’t sound good.

Jasper raised a hand to my face, and pushed up the corners of my mouth. “Please don’t frown. I didn’t mean that as a bad thing. It’s just … I just have to make a few adjustments to my mindset, that’s all.” I tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip on my chin.

“Alice, look at me.” I peeked at him as best I could without fully giving in to his insistence that I turn my head.

His voice softened to a whisper. “Alice, please.”

I gave in and met his eyes.

“I … I love you, Mary Alice Cullen.”

I certainly wasn’t expecting that. I felt my mouth drop, just a little. And all the contempt I’d been building for Jasper’s chauvinistic ways melted away.

He continued. “I love you. I love you and all your forward-thinking ways.” He shot me a smile that made my knees go weak.

I flung my arms around his neck, my heart riding the final curve of the emotional rollercoaster it’d been on for the past couple of days. I moved my face close to his and breathed onto his lips as I spoke, the words coming out as gusts of white air. “I love you too, Jasper.”

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me in the last inch, his mouth pressing to mine in a manner that wasn’t quite appropriate for public, particularly the public right out in front of a police station, but I couldn’t care less.

Things were all working out, better even than I’d planned.

A/N: It’s so close I can taste it! What do you all think, hmm? Are we going to see a certain Mr. E. Swan in the near future?

And, *swoooon*. The first kiss of the story! Did you expect it to be these two, hmm? :D

Apologies are in order once again. I had to go out of town for work and A unfortunately had a death in the family, so we once again didn’t get to respond to reviews. But we thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, and hope that we can make it up to you at some point in the near future.

A link to an example of a suit Alice might have worn is in the profile.

Slang terms:

bull—a police officer

juice joint—a speakeasy, an underground, illegal bar

pill—an unlikeable person