DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight. Duh.

Leash Laws

Chapter 1

It was my idea of a dream come true.

He raised his hand to hit me, but I beat him to the punch.

Literally.

With as much force as I could muster I threw a right hook and caught him on the jaw. I forced the heel of my left hand upwards and into his nose, breaking it. I listened to the sickening crunch with morbid satisfaction. He doubled over, his face contorted with pain, and I smiled. I was hardly this ruthless with my unnamed attacker, but today was different.

He had tried to hit me. I took another step forward to continue the beating, but my entire body began to vibrate. My forehead crumpled in confusion when I heard a voice I knew all too well calling my name.

"Bella"

She shouldn't be here, I thought to myself. Again, she called my name.

"Bella," This time, she sounded impatient.

My bed was shaking violently, ripping me out of my dream and causing my pillows to vibrate beneath my left cheek. The entire bed frame was rocking with me still wrapped unceremoniously in the sheets. I wrenched my eyelids together to keep my eyes closed.

It was an earthquake of sorts.

A normal person would or could take this kind of occurrence as a sign of an impending apocalypse or something else equally dramatic. Thankfully, I'm not a normal person and have the tendency to remain unnaturally calm when facing any kind of danger. Besides, this was my apartment in the middle of downtown Chicago—an earthquake was hardly plausible. An intruder, on the other hand, was definitely a thought I should give more credit to.

As quickly as the idea entered my head, I dismissed it. I was positive that I could handle myself adequately if I really was in danger.

That, and I'm positive that my Great Dane, Duke, would have eaten any sort of threat without hesitation. Not because my life was in danger, of course, but because he was hungry and an intruder would have been convenient.

I smiled half-heartedly at the thought… then I remembered that I was still caught in the middle of a pseudo-earthquake.

I groaned.

The vibrating paused momentarily and I heard a silvery giggle and a soft bark. Obviously, Duke wasn't hungry this morning.

I mentally kicked myself for giving him the other half of the chicken I'd roasted the night before. He clearly believed that whomever emitted the giggle just a few moments ago was not a direct threat to either my safety or sanity. I disagreed.

I groaned again.

I felt a soft pressure on my right shoulder and the earthquake on my bed stopped. It took up residence in my body. I began to convulse against my will as I fought vainly to cling to sleep. I tried to roll away from the shaking but the pressure on my shoulder quickly became vice-like in its hold on me. I was vaguely aware that my body had stopped shaking.

"Get up, get up, get up!"

Alice.

"No." It wasn't as witty as I'd hoped, but it did the job.

"So it's going to be one of those mornings?" She asked, clearly amused.

The pressure on my shoulder disappeared and I rolled over to wrap myself up in the warmth of my down comforter. I smiled smugly and inhaled deeply in preparation for returning to unconsciousness.

"I don't think so." Alice quipped.

I felt a tug on my comforter so I clasped onto it to keep it wrapped tightly around me. I knew that Alice couldn't drag me out of bed even if she tried (which she had, on multiple occasions), so I kept my eyes closed and listened for her to exit my room. Instead, I heard someone else enter the room—someone larger. Duke growled lightly, but quickly stopped. I heard him chomping on a snack. Some guard dog, I mused.

"Alice, your boyfriend isn't going to get me out of bed, either." I said while keeping my eyes closed. He had tried, of course, multiple times on Alice's request. He knew the risks involved in waking me up, but whenever Alice batted her eyelashes his common sense went to shit. Regardless, he'd never been successful in getting me out of bed. The last time he tried, I knocked him out. Jasper had been in the middle of attempting to pry my fingers off of the headboard when I wrapped one of my arms around his neck and put him to sleep. It was a move I'd recently learned in one of my self-defense classes and I'd been itching to try it out. I felt bad that I had used it on Jasper, but he'd provided me with the opportunity. When he'd regained consciousness, he informed me that I wasn't allowed to come near him until I'd had at least two cups of coffee and had been awake for at least an hour.

"Who said anything about my boyfriend?" She asked coyly.

This got my attention.

Before I got the chance to think about what that implied, the mattress beneath me was lifted into the air and tipped sideways, sending me to the floor. I had managed to keep a hold of my comforter in the tumble so I didn't consider it a complete loss. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, it was yanked out of my grip and sent across the room. It was freezing and I was wearing next to nothing—covered only in an over-sized Dartmouth t-shirt and my underwear.

That did it.

My temper flared. Half-naked or not, I was not about to go down without a fight. Duke must have noticed my change in demeanor because he started growling. I spun on my heel to face whoever had dumped me on the floor of my own apartment, my self-defense instincts kicking in. But before I got the chance to get in a good punch, my feet wrapped up in my bed sheets and I went tumbling to the floor.

Booming laughter filled the room.

Emmett.

I looked up, beyond annoyed at the situation, and saw my bear of a friend doubled over in hysterics. I narrowed my eyes at him. He would pay.

"Duke," I didn't take my eyes off of Emmett. Duke growled menacingly on command, he'd always been able to sense my shifts in mood. Emmett tensed and immediately stopped laughing. Duke was instantly beside me, his monstrous form shielding me protectively. Emmett's eyes flickered between my dog and I, and I couldn't help but smile. Scaring him was almost too easy. I was still smiling when I whispered: "Allez"

I knew what this command meant, as I'd trained Duke well, but Emmett didn't. I merely requested that Duke incapacitate Emmett, had I wanted to cause him bodily harm I would have said "Attaquez," but I had yet to clue in my overly-large friend on this minor detail. The fear on his face was evident, and I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Alice was choking back her own giggling. I'd attempted to use this on her, once. It failed miserably, of course. I had forgotten to factor in my dog's unabashed love for my best friend. It would have been like asking Mr. Darcy to attack Elizabeth Bennett on command.

Emmett's eyes widened with panic as Duke jumped forward and placed his paws on Emmett's chest, forcing the both of them backwards towards the ground. Emmett made a strangled squeaking noise as he fell and let out a loud "Fuck!" as his ass made contact with the hardwood floor. Duke's paws remained on his chest, effectively pinning him to the ground. Emmett looked terrified. Duke lowered his face to Emmett's and licked him from chin to cheek before barking lightly and ambling back towards me.

This time, it was my turn to laugh. I fell over sideways and held my ribcage as laughter peeled out of my mouth as I watched Emmett grumble and wipe away the slobber Duke had left on his face. He shot me a glare as he retreated from the room but I just shrugged. He deserved it.

Duke pressed his cold, wet nose to the back of my neck and I yelped in surprise, jumping to my feet. He wagged his tail in anticipation of our morning run.

"Are you serious?!" Alice half-shouted, throwing her hands in the air in frustration.

"What?" I smiled down at Duke as he looked tentatively between Alice and I. It was clear he didn't know what to make of Alice's recent outburst.

"I all but torture you every morning and one kiss from that—" she pointed at Duke and he barked softly and looked up at me "—gets you up and moving before I can even blink?"

I planted a kiss on the top of his head before smiling at Alice. "What can I say? He holds the key to my icy heart." I placed my palm over my chest and wiped a mockingly false tear from my face. Duke pressed another "kiss" against my arm and gave a gruff bark. Alice growled, making his tail go crazy. I was fully aware of the fact that Duke had a doggie crush on my best friend, but she denied this fact vehemently. Jasper noticed it, too, and always kept a careful distance from Duke, as he'd explained, "as a precaution." I thought it was silly but Jasper swears that Duke eyes him whenever he and Alice touch. I was laughing at Alice's antics when I glanced at the clock. It was 6 a.m.

… on a Saturday.

I almost choked. My cheery demeanor vanished instantly.

"I swear to God, Alice, if you wrenched me out of bed at this ungodly hour in the morning for something as trivial as shopping—" I spat out the word as if it were a curse, "—I'll kick your pixie ass."

Alice sucked in a gasp. "You bite your tongue, Isabella Marie Swan!"

I was vaguely aware of the fact that in Alice's world, I had just committed the blackest of blasphemies. Given the hour, I could care less about hurting her feelings. I felt obligated to simply hurt her. I narrowed my eyes at her and she held out a cup of coffee—as if she had known what I was thinking—as a peace offering of sorts. We'd grown used to this morning routine.

"You're a doll," I said dryly.

"Don't try and butter me up now, Swan," she retorted, "I'm still considering throwing away that ratty Dartmouth t-shirt the second you leave the room." I knew she was serious.

"Touch my sweats and die."

We had reached an impasse.

Duke barked again and trotted over to the door, begging me with his eyes to follow. I sighed.

"Give me a minute, Duke, I have to get dressed first." He huffed as if to say 'hurry up' before walking out the door towards the kitchen. I walked to my closet and threw on running shorts and an oversized sweatshirt before pulling on my running shoes. I grabbed my i-pod from the top of my dresser before turning to walk out the door. I was intercepted by Alice.

"You're going out in that?" She gestured towards my attire with an incredulous look on her face.

"You can't wear stilettos on a five-mile run, Alice," I chided.

"You have ONE hour, Bella, no getting distracted today, I have an agenda to keep!" She hissed at me, knowing all too well my love for walking in the city and tendency to get lost.

"Whatever, Alice." I rolled my eyes and strode past her towards the living room.

"I'm serious, Bella!" She called after me, clearly not following me to the living room.

"Keep your grimy paws off my sweats!" I yelled back at her. I heard my dresser drawer slam shut and a string of profanities quickly followed. I laughed and turned to the three men in my life to greet them properly. Jasper, Emmett, and Duke were all lounging on the couches watching ESPN with avid interest. Duke was the first to acknowledge my presence. He hopped off the couch and took a seat by my left leg. Jasper and Emmett then turned their attention towards me.

"Catch her again, Bella?" Jasper asked, amused.

"I always do," I replied. He smiled and turned back towards the TV.

"That was a dirty trick, Bella Swan," Emmett grumbled. His ego had clearly taken a hit.

"You shouldn't have taken my comforter." I shrugged.

Emmett wasn't looking at me when he spoke next, "You, I can handle," he said seriously to Duke, "It's her that's the monster." He gestured towards me and winked. Duke barked and placed a 'kiss' on my arm. It didn't surprise me that Emmett addressed my dog, for all intensive purposes, Duke was as much of a person as any of us. He was a part of me, my friends understood that.

"I'm going running," I announced to no one in particular as Emmett turned back towards the television again.

Without taking his eyes off of the screen, Jasper replied, "Try not to make anyone cry."

I rolled my eyes again and grabbed Duke's leash from the hook by the door. He wagged his tail happily and held still as I attached him to myself before heading out.

"ONE HOUR, SWAN!" was all I heard and I was out the door.

I reached Ellis Park in about five minutes at a slow jog. Convinced that I was warmed up, I picked up my pace and pushed myself, hard. Duke was running at my left side, his breathing matching mine. It was eerie how in synch we were. I smiled down at my four-legged friend. I picked up my pace even more, hoping to help Duke burn off the extra dog-treat calories. The familiar burn in my muscles relaxed me. I finished a three mile circuit in no time and slowed my pace for an easy mile cool down.

I walked slowly to a park bench and unleashed Duke, giving him some freedom to wander. I felt eyes on me, which made me uneasy, but I wanted to give Duke some time to relax from the work-out. He walked away from me hesitantly, refusing to stray far—as if he could sense my unease. I turned towards the bench and began my stretch routine; starting with my legs, then working my way up my body until I finally reached my neck. I rolled my head around in an attempt to loosen the muscles, but the tension remained. I decided to try to rub out the kinks.

"I can help you with that," A gruff voice from behind me said. I didn't like being snuck up on. I immediately stiffened. A hundred scenarios played through in my head, and my body tensed in anticipation of an attack. After everything I'd been through, it was a natural reaction. I could feel his breath on my neck from behind me, making my hair stand up on end. My heart-rate quickened but I kept my face calm as I turned to face whoever had been addressing me. A man, who looked roughly 28, stood before me with a creepy smile on his face. His body language put me on edge.

I reached a hand forward to touch me uninvited, and I was seeing red. I went into offensive mode immediately, and tensed before making a move to incapacitate him. Before I had a chance to react, however, a blur of black and white flew past me, effectively pushing me out of the way. Duke was standing in between the man and I, and a feral, ferocious snarling was coming from his chest.

"I think you'd better leave," I spat out icily.

"Call your mutt off, lady, I just wanted—" But he didn't have a chance to finish that sentence because Duke practically roared at him. Apparently, he'd been offended by the mutt remark. I hid a smirk.

The guy backed away slowly with his hands raised in the air. He narrowed his eyes at me. "What a slut," he muttered under his breath as he turned away. I almost laughed at the remark, knowing how incredibly false that particular claim was, but Duke didn't take it so lightly. He launched himself at the creep and attached himself to the guy's arm, ripping off the sleeve and breaking the skin. The man reacted, whipping his free arm back around his body and placing a punch in Duke's ribs, causing him to whine slightly and release his hold. My vision blurred in rage. I called Duke back to my side, and stepped forward to hit the asshole.

The creep was enraged. For that matter, so was I. No one hits my dog. I could feel the situation escalating. I really didn't want to get carted down to the police station again, only to get made fun of by Emmett and his buddies, so I forced myself to take a deep breath. I took a minute to glare at him whilst willing myself calm. When I felt fractionally more at ease I opened my mouth to yell at him.

He beat me to the punch.

"I'll sue you, bitch!" Bad move. What little calm I'd self-imposed instantly vanished. He gestured to his bleeding arm and I tensed to attack, but Duke's nose touched my arm, keeping me rooted to the spot. I placed my hand on the scruff of his neck, calming myself before speaking.

"For what?!" I shrieked, "For hitting my dog, or for very nearly assaulting me in broad daylight?!" I glared at him, daring him to respond. So much for being calm. Duke growled, voicing what I couldn't.

The man's face turned red at being caught in his intentions. Without a word, he turned and stormed away. I dropped to my knees and wrapped my arms around my best friend and cried into his fur.

"Duke are you okay?" I whispered when I pulled away. He cocked his head and whined, while keeping the man's shirt-sleeve firmly grasped in his jaws. I ran my hands down his front flanks and ribs multiple times to check for damage. He didn't flinch once at any of the varying pressures I applied, and he assured me with his big, blue eyes that he was fine. He pressed his nose to my forehead and whined after I finished checking him over.

"I'm fine," I said shakily. Duke growled lightly. "I'm fine, really." Stupid, over-protective Great Dane.

"You couldn't have held yourself together for another two minutes?" I asked him. His tail wagged happily but he looked a little guilty when I tugged at the shirt sleeve in his mouth. He whined lightly, tail still wagging. "You're forgiven, but you already knew that." I smiled down at him and placed a kiss on his head. He pressed his nose to my forehead again.

"I know, I love you, too." Duke wagged his tail.

The strange feeling that I was being watched hit me again. I stood up and looked around me for any other park-goers, but I saw no one. Duke barked at me, sending the message that he was ready to head home.

I let him take the lead as we walked back to the apartment.

It's a new story. I have every intention of finishing the last one, but I've got major writer's block. This is an idea I've been toying with in my head for the past month or so. I don't know how often I'll be able to update, but I'll try to do it regularly.

Let me know what you think!

xo auteurinconnu