AN: Please note that anything that you recognize is not mine, but the beautiful Stephanie Meyer's. And such applies to all following chapters of this story.


Chapter 1: Canvas

I mixed in the slightest bit of yellow to the red paint I already had prepared. The combination created the exact shade of orange that I had pictured.

Using one of my lesser used brushes I began to make thick, harsh strokes on the canvas, changing between the deep orange, blood red and a near black with the smallest shimmer of blue I began the create again.

It was rare for me to ever begin a painting with an end in mind. It was equally as rare for me to be attacking my canvas as I am.

When I paint, I use small wistful brushes that allow for gentle strokes, letting the paint almost float above the canvas rather than become part of the material.

However, I am furious at the moment and I needed control over the paint that I am laying down.

James have just been pushing all of my buttons the last few weeks. Like yesterday, not only did he blow me off, but he left me waiting for him at one of the fanciest restaurants in the city on the night of our two year anniversary. I know that he could not have forgotten that detail, because he was the one teasing me all week with a promised surprise.

I had thought he was going to propose, so despite my hatred for surprised I decided to let him have his fun.

He couldn't pick me up because he had to make the final arrangements for my surprise. I was going to meet him there instead.

Three hours and a half a bottle of wine later I left. I was worried sick about him so I called as soon as I was out the door. No answer, I left him three messages before I finally fell asleep.

I called him again this morning but again there was no answer. Then at my lunch break he shows up. Still smelling of whatever it was that he drank last night.

Xoxox Flashback xoxox

"James what happened last night?" I asked, concerned.

"Oh, yeah. I haven't had the chance to shower yet, but I wanted to see you. That's okay, right?" He asked me while avoiding the question. He was leaning in for a kiss that I ducked to avoid.

"No, it is not okay. Where were you last night?" I asked, now demanding for an answer.

"What is up with you Bella?" He asked, but continued before I could snap. "I was watching the game with the boys and we drank. You have never cared when I did that before, and I don't really enjoy that you all of a sudden need to know my every move"

What?

"Excuse me, but did you just tell me that you ditched me, for the third time in two weeks I might add? But not only did you ditch me, you ditched me on the night of our two year anniversary, a date you have reminded me constantly of for the last two weeks strait, to drink and watch the game with the boys?" I was fuming already but I was using all of my will power not to make a scene.

"Oh yeah. Sorry Bells, it's just that Tanya was there and I haven't seen her in forever, you know how she is." Oh yes I know how Tanya is. Tanya is the one who has always wanted James for her own and will grope and touch him any chance that she gets. James always thought that this was a riot and let her continue on her merry way with it. "You forgive me, right babe?"

Looking into his eyes I could tell that he was completely serious. He really thought that his excuse would get him off the hook. "James, that is the saddest, most miserable excuse I have ever heard. I just can't stand to look at you right now." I stood up and turned to leave.

"Alright Hun." He said completely un-phased by anything that just left my mouth. "Call me later though, won't you?" He asked.

I turned back to look at him and he was grinning, the one that used to make me go weak. "I don't know James."

"Okay." Was all he said. He did not sound remorseful of even slightly disappointed from my answer.

As soon as I got into my car I called the assistant curator and told him that I would not be coming back in today and that he was in charge.

All that I could see through my fury at what had just occurred were flames of anger. Flames consuming and destroying everything.

Xoxox End Flashback xoxox

Those are the flames that I am nearly carving into the material of my canvas.

I was nearly at my breaking point with that man. But I still love him, right? Despite his faults, I still feel the way that I have for so long about him, I do. Do I?

I stepped back from the easel. I wanted to continue but at the same time I knew that this was done. There was nothing more for me to do. Was my relationship with James in the same position? Was there nothing left that I could do to change how it now stand. This may take more than one painting to figure out.

Xoxox

Oh wow. My head feels terrible. Refusing to get up until my head stopped revolting against me, I reached over to the drawer in my bedside table to get three aspirin and dry-shot them.

Last night was insane. We had two bachelorette parties, a bachelor party and a twenty-first birthday. Those four alone nearly booked our staff completely, but we did good. Minus John, one of our bartenders, being forty five minutes late. I had lost at the rock-paper-scissors war and worked the bar till he came. Breaking Dawn was packed from open till close.

I am co-owner of Breaking Dawn with my two buddies Emmett and Jasper. Breaking Dawn is a night club located on the south part of the strip in 'The Fabulous Las Vegas.' It is directly across from the Luxor.

My headache was dwindling, so I decided it was time to get up. Showering and getting ready for the day allowed time for my headache to take its leave.

Walking across my bedroom I opened the curtains, allowing the desert sun to fill the room.

A groan came from the blankets on the bed. "Close them!" The voice demanded.

"Sorry, Tanya, you need to get up. I have to leave." I knew that she wasn't going to like this, but she knew by now that I wasn't going to let her stay here without me here too.

"But Eddie," she wined, creating an annoying, ear piercing sound. She stuck out her lips as well, she thought it looked cute. "I'm so sore, come back here and lay with me."

"Why are you sore?" I asked, not being able to think of anything that she ever did that would make her sore.

"Sex, duh! Silly Eddie!" She stretched herself out on my bed, I think she was trying to be a cat. I gave her a skeptical look, why would she be sore if we hadn't done anything remotely intimate all week.

Seeing the look on my face she seemed surprised. "Oh, well, you might not remember, but we had crazy, mad, hot sex last night. But you drank a lot to last night."

"I don't even remember you coming by the bar last night, and Emmett drove me home."

"No, silly, I was waiting for you here. I am really sad that you don't remember, you were so happy when you saw that I was here, in your bed, when you came in."

"Tanya, I was drunk. You know how I feel about anyone being in my apartment while I am not here."

"Eddie, we have been dating for a year now so I thought you would want me to have a key. But I am a very perceptive girlfriend and I know that you are always bust so I took it upon myself to go and make a copy of your apartment key for myself."

"Tanya, really?" What is she crazy? "I need that copy, I will pay you the cost, but I am sorry, that is just not something I can deal with."

She looked at then buried her head into my comforter, fake sobbing, making those horrid whining noises again.

"Tanya, Tanya, TANYA! STOP!" She looked up at me again. "It's okay, I am not angry, but I am going to need what ever keys you had made back. Also I need to leave for work in ten minutes, I will drive you to your apartment, so I need you to be ready to leave in ten." I walked out of my bedroom and back into my kitchen. Sitting next to her purse were her keys. I took my own key chain and found the matching one for my apartment on her set.

"Tanya," I said walking back down the hall to my room. Luckily she was dressed. "Is this the only copy you made?" I asked her.

"Yes," she sniffled, "That is the only one.

"Thank you." I said, "Let's go."

Xoxox

I parked my Volvo around the back of the club, after dropping off Tanya, and walked in through the rear employee entrance.

The club is a dream. The first floor has the main bar and the dance floor with a kitchen and stock room in the back behind the bar. There is a half level on each side. To the right is a stage for when we had bands come in and a DJ booth. The left is a seating area with tables and couches. The second floor has four rooms. One in each corner, each with it's own set of stairs, and catwalks in between the rooms. Three of the rooms have two outer walls and two glass walls that can be tinted. These walls give you a view of the club from above. These three rooms are the rooms that we rent out for parties. The forth room is the office that Emmett, Jasper and I share. The third floor is another dance floor, it is really just the roof with a few tables and a smaller bar under an overhang. It is simple but still really popular at night because you can see the lights on the Strip from there.

I walked in to see Jasper and Emmett sitting at the bar just talking to each other.

I sat down net to them and they both turned. "Eddie boy, what's wrong? Are you sick?" Emmett asked.

"No, why. And don't call me Eddie, it just makes you sound like Tanya." Emmett made a face to that.

"You're late." Jasper said. "For the first time in around forever."

"Yeah, so we guessed either you were sick of Tanya finally showed her true self and you were locked in a basement somewhere as her new sex slave." Emmett told me. All three of us shuttered at the thought.

"Emmett, really, she isn't that bad. She is only the annoying, crazy, psycho when she is drunk of hung over." Feeling obliged to defend her, seeing as she is my girlfriend, even though a large part of me agrees with him.

"Yes," Jasper said, "as opposed to the annoying, crazy, psycho that she is every other second of the day." Jasper and Emmett share a common hate for all things Tanya and they never hesitate to tell me so.

"This morning was just not a good one for me." I told them.

Emmett looked at me with raised eyebrows. "I know you left here a little drunk, but I know you were alone, I drove you home. What could she have done?"

"Well," I said, running my hand over my face. "I don't really remember, but she was there when I woke up." I paused, going back to what Tanya told me this morning. "She told me that she was there when I got there and that we had mad, hot sex, but I know that if she was there I would have sobered up right away. You guys know how anal I am about other people having keys to my apartment. So that part is kinda hard for me to believe. And then when I told her, again I might add, about the key issue, she told me that she knew I was just shy about it so she took the liberty of making a copy my key for herself."

Emmett and Jasper were silent for a moment before breaking into hysterics. "Dude, please tell me you got that explanation on tape." Emmett said through laughs.

"Really guys," I said walking behind the bar to grab myself a water bottle. "It's not funny. Now I am going to have to get my lock changed when we break up. And judging by the fact that she was sore from sex that I know that we didn't have, I have a feeling that it will be soon. I just don't want to do anything rash before I know for sure."

"Well man, it is about fucking time you saw the light." Jasper said, Emmett agreeing from behind.

We kept talking for a while, knowing that we have a while before any of the staff showed up for our regular pre-night meeting, then to get ready for another big night.

We didn't have to wait as long as we expected though. Around an hour before we expected any of our staff to show up we heard the back door leading to the kitchen slam and the hard clink of an angry women's heels walking through to the bar.

"EDWARD ANTHONY MASEN!"


AN: Thanks for reading, reviews are loved, a lot, and they tend to make me type faster, hint hint.