And here I go again, another story!

The Last Time

"Come along, darling! We're going to be late!" Edward called up the stairs.

"Just a minute, Ed!" Amy shouted back from her bathroom. She turned to the mirror, pulling at her ponytail of blonde curls and smacking her lips together. Her pink lipstick popped with contrast to her hair and she smiled at her reflection. There was no way she could ask for a better body, better features, better anything. Of course, she couldn't say she the largest breasts, but her push up bra and low cut shirt weren't exactly hurting anything. Puckering her lips and then relaxing them, she gave herself a seductive look and giggled as she walked back into her bedroom.

"Amy!" Ed called again.

"It's just a few shots and some pool, Eddie! You can wait a moment," she called, reaching for her lime green handbag. Amy walked out of her room and started down the hall, checking her chest one last time in the hall mirror. As she descended down the staircase, she felt Edward's eyes on her. He smiled brightly at her as she gave him a grin, standing on the last step and spreading her arms wide, displaying her attire and spinning on the spot.

Ed looked at her—her faded denim short-shorts, her tight, cerulean halter-top that plunged between her breasts and showed an inch of skin on her waist between the shirt and her shorts. Her curls bounced as she struck an innocent pose, smiling sweetly at him.

"You are…beautiful," Ed shook his head, unable to find a more powerful word to use.

"I try," Amy grinned, sticking her chin out.

"Now come on! Jeffrey's waiting at the bar," Ed tugged Amy toward him, "He and Woody are waiting for us to start the game."

"You men and your pool," Amy rolled her eyes elbowing Ed playfully.

They walked out into the crisp summer air, their feet crunching on the gravel of the driveway. Ed walked around the right side of the car to open the passenger door for Amy, kissing her bare shoulder as she ducked into the car. Making his way around to the driver's side, Ed watched Amy through the windshield checking her makeup in the rearview mirror. He pulled open the door and sat down in one swift motion. Shoving the keys into the ignition, he started the car and backed out of the driveway.

Amy continued to flash her teeth to herself in the mirrors, making sure she hadn't gotten any of the lipstick on her white teeth. She rubbed her finger across her smooth teeth just to be safe. Batting her eyelashes a few times, she groaned, "My mascara is clumped and it's already dry."

Ignoring her remark, Ed looked over at her, "Did you call Kat?"

"And my eyeliner is smudged right here," she continued, smudging the other side to make it even.

"Did you here me?" Ed put his hand on her firm thigh.

"I'm sorry, were you saying something, Eddie?" Amy finally looked at him, though he was sure she had heard him both times.

"I asked if you called Kat," Ed said calmly. She did vex him at times, but he loved her so. Even if she took patience, she was worth it. She was his angel, his doll.

"No," Amy answered simply and quickly, eager to switch the subject.

"You promised you would, Amy. I don't understand, she's your sister! And after what happened with Jeffrey and all…I'm sure she would love to hear from you. I mean, you two are so close and I'm afraid he did hurt her terribly by calling off the wedding so suddenly and without reason like that," Ed rubbed his hand down her leg to her knee.

"I'll call her, baby, I promise," Amy smiled at him again, hoping he would take her word and drop it.

"Alright, I just hope she's coping with herself okay. You know how she can be," Ed sighed.

"You bet I do," Amy replied coldly, looking out the window into the dark night.

Ed hadn't caught the harshness in Amy's words and grinned at her anyway. He squeezed her knee and spoke softly, "You know, I've always known about you and her."

"What?" Amy whip-lashed her head around to face him, her eyes wide.

"The whole Tony Pee-Pants story," Edward sighed happily.

"Oh," Amy relaxed in her seat, allowing herself to breathe, "That."

"You two might have your ups and downs, but you love each other. You really are good to each other," Ed said.

It was impossible for her to meet his eyes. She stared out the window again, avoiding any contact with him.

"But you should have seen her face when she couldn't find you on the morning of the wedding," Ed laughed, "She thought you were skipping out on her or something."

"Hmm," Amy's response came quietly.

"And then you showed up just in time for Jeffrey to announce that he was calling it all off," Ed's laugh died, "I still think he's a bastard for doing that to her. But he's my best mate."

"Ed and Jeff the Inseparable," Amy forced a laugh, "That's the two of you, all right."

"And look who's out waiting for us now," Ed laughed again, "If it isn't old Jeffrey himself!"

"Would you look at that," Amy said so quietly it was almost inaudible. She watched Edward open his door and call to Jeffrey. Immediately deciding to make her escape quickly, Amy opened her own door and headed for the entrance to the pub. A few men stood outside the door, a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

"Hey, lookie here, Cal, we've got a sweet one here," a beer-bellied man stepped in front of the door, blocking her way.

"Excuse me, sir," Amy said, her eyes on the ground.

"A beauty," another man slurred.

"Neva seen one like 'er in my…," a third man said, his sentence ending with a jumble of uncomprehendible word salad.

"You betcha," the second man said, slapping her rear.

Amy jumped, her eyes darting as the drunken men seemed to close in on her.

" 'Ay! Get away from her!" a man shouted. He pushed the men aside and grabbed Amy's upper arm and pulled her through the doorway and into the pub.

She lifted her eyes gratefully only to see Jeffrey. Her stomach sank as he continued to pull her past the bar. He paused to make sure Woody was distracted, thankfully by a young woman in a skimpy skirt with platinum blonde curls and a fake tan. Jeffrey pulled her past the pool tables and to a door with a label over it reading "EMPLOYEES ONLY". He opened the door anyway, revealing a simple utility closet. Pushing her in before him, Jeffrey turned to survey the bar behind him—perfect, no one paid them the slightest attention.

Ed raised his fist, "I swear, if you touch her ever again I'll kill you!"

"Mate, I'm sorry…," the man's words were to confused to make out at that point.

"Sorry my ass!" Edward yelled, socking the man in the jaw so that he fell backwards into the others. At this point Ed took his leave, going into the pub to catch up with Amy and Jeffrey. His eyes scanned the bar and the pool table area, but he didn't spot either of them. It was a small pub, a difficult place to get lost in.

Jeffrey locked the door from the inside and pulled Amy to himself. This wasn't a new concept to either of them. Amy hesitated as Jeffrey kissed her neck and untied her halter-top with urgency, his fingers fumbling. She didn't pull away; she wouldn't dare. The strings fell and he was now trying to peel the shorts away from her skin. At first he had hardly noticed her attitude, but it dawned on him as she hadn't reached for his pants yet.

"Make me do it myself, eh?" Jeffrey chortled, beginning to slide her shorts down her thighs.

"No," Amy whispered, bringing up her courage, "No, Jeffrey, I don't think so."

"Don't be absurd," Jeffrey continued, "You want me."

"Jeffrey, stop!" Amy grabbed his wrists.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jeffrey thrust her away.

Amy hit the back wall, her head hitting a shelf, but she resisted her cry of pain. Her hand raised to the back of her head, and she fought to meet Jeffrey's eyes. Her voice was a mere whimper, "I think I love Ed."

"What?" Jeffrey came towards her and she shrank a little ways down the wall.

"I can't do this anymore. I won't. I won't have sex with you when I love someone else. You hurt my sister—and I did too! I hurt her so badly, when she finds out I…I don't know if she'll ever speak to me again. I love her, and I love Ed. And I don't love you. Jeffrey, I'm done. You've made a piece of meat out of me for the last time."

Jeffrey pinned her shoulders against the wall and she turned her head away from him in fear of what he would do to her, "You think I treat you wrong? Is that it? Well, go off with Ed. But you're making a mistake, Amy, I'm warning you. And when you come crawling back to me…" He glared into her eyes for a moment, then a sly grin played across his lips, "I'll be waiting."

He released her shoulders and turned as she slowly slid down the wall, sinking down to a heap on the floor. Jeffrey unlocked the door and put his hand on the handle, but he didn't turn it. Instead, he looked back over his shoulder at her, "You are nothing but a self-centered piece of meat, Amy Ellis. Don't forget that."

And then he left her there, on the floor, alone. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she slowly pulled her shorts back up and tied her halter-top again. She drew her knees up to her chest and cried, her mascara and eyeliner making black streaks down her face. It wasn't until she heard the door open again that she lifted her head.

"Amy?" Ed rushed toward her, "What happened What are you doing in here? Are you alright?"

Her lip trembled as she looked into his eyes. She couldn't bear this any longer, she loved him so much. She couldn't lie to him. And yet, she had to. But was what she was about to say really a lie? She couldn't say that it was. In fact, if anything, it was more true than anything she possibly think to say to him. And thus the toil of her brain began. Memories of the horrible thing she had done beginning their haunting of her. There was nothing she could do to fix it though. She had already done it. She had already ruined her sister's life. She had already stolen her sister's fiancé. She had already made a fool of herself. And she wished she could take it all back.
"I miss Kat."

Really, truly, what do you think? I know it's probably not as good as some of my other work. And I the truth of it is that these characters are not the ones I've been working with for the past year.