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Beta: TwilightDramaTeach

Chapter 39-40 Outtake

Edward's POV

"Hey Edward," I heard from behind me. "Long time, no see."

"Hello Mike," I greeted after dragging my attention from the book. "How are you?" I didn't like the guy, but that didn't mean I couldn't be civil.

"I'm good, I'm good. And yourself?"

"I can't complain." I wasn't going to encourage this conversation.

"Has today been a slow one?" I shrugged trying to focus on the manuscript. Bella had given me the first couple of chapters from the Annie Levins sequel. It was captivating so far, and I just wanted to be left alone. That's why I'd chosen to read in the kitchen. It was the quietest place during the off time. He walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. I narrowed my eyes at him as he unscrewed the lid. That wasn't his.

"What are you doing?" He ignored my question and stared at the pictures on the door.

"Are you still seeing Isabella?" He reached forward and touched the latest picture of her I'd put up. It was a candid shot I'd taken of her sitting in her writing chair in the spare room of my apartment. It was the pure essence of her. Watching him run his finger over it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"Yes. Get your fingers off her picture." He pulled back and turned to smirk at me.

"She's a beautiful girl. Anyone would be lucky to have her. She's quite the eye candy, definitely belongs on someone's arm." I closed the manuscript and fully turned my attention to him. Listening to him talk about Bella as some object put me on edge.

"You need to watch your tongue, Newton. Bella is her own person; she doesn't belong to anyone. She is not eye candy. She is a beautiful woman, but she's also very intelligent, sweet, and genuine. We're a couple, partners. I guess that's something you wouldn't understand."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He stalked toward me so I stood up. I pulled myself to my full height and stared down at him.

"Exactly what I said. You obviously don't know what a healthy, thriving relationship is like." He took a deep breath and stepped away.

"I could have a healthy relationship if the girl is worth it." He unscrewed the lid of his water bottle and took a sip. "She's not supposed to be with you." I looked at him incredulously.

"What?" I was stunned, truly.

"She was supposed to look to me for help. At that accident, she needed me. You got in the way." I shook my head in disgust.

"You're delusional." He looked at his watch then back at me.

"It's almost lunchtime. Is Isabella going to cook for everyone?"

"Bella's not in town today." I wouldn't give him any details.

"Has she been by to cook for the station lately? I wouldn't mind having a taste of her on my tongue." I clenched my hands into a fist as my breathing sped up. "A taste of her food. I bet she's a good cook."

"I know exactly what you mean. Keep your fucking mouth shut, Newton. Don't test me." The door to the kitchen swung open, and we both turned our attention to the interruption. Nathan stopped short when he looked between us. I'm sure the tension was palpable.

"Hey," he said cautiously. He looked at me curiously. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," Mike answered. "We were just talking about Isabella and her taste…" I stood up. "I mean her food."

"We're not stupid, Newton. Don't talk about Cullen's girl like that." I gave Nathan an appreciative nod. He nodded back and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. "We're thinking about playing a round of Hold 'Em. You in, Edward?" I nodded. "We'll save you a spot. First hand starts in fifteen." I nodded as he left the room.

"Gambling, Cullen? I'm sure Isabella wouldn't approve." I walked over to where he was and poked him in the chest.

"Don't talk about Bella. Don't even think about Bella." He stepped back and held his hands up.

"Are you threatening me? You know you just assaulted an officer of the law, right?" My hand itched to put him in his place. "You've got quite a temper, Cullen. I'm surprised it hasn't gotten you in trouble yet. One of these days, you're going to say the wrong thing to the wrong person and they won't be as nice as me."

"Oh, get over yourself." I turned to walk away, but his next words made me stop cold.

"It'd be such a shame if something were to happen to you, but don't worry. I'd be there to take care of Isabella. I'd be there to comfort her, to take her mind off you. She's never known pleasure till she's had me." I whirled around and took two long strides to him only seeing red. We stood an inch apart. I wanted to hit him so bad, but I knew he'd follow through with his threat of an arrest. So, I settled for showing him how I felt with words.

"Bella is mine, and you'll never get your grubby little pencil dick anywhere near her!" I wasn't expecting it, wasn't happy with it, but was grateful when I felt his fist connect with my jaw. He'd thrown the first punch. That was all I needed. I sneered at him. "You'll fucking regret that."

He pulled back to let another fly, but I was quicker. I landed a right hook in his jaw causing his head to jerk to the side. Before he could straighten up fully, I punched him in the ribs. His breath left him in a whoosh. I pulled my arm back but didn't get a chance to clock him again. I felt someone grab my arms and pull me away.

"Stop it, bro," Emmett's voice said as I struggled against his hold.

"Let me go!" I said through gritted teeth. "I'm not done with his ass."

"That's assault, Cullen," Mike wheezed as he leaned against the counter and clutched his ribs. "I'll arrest you."

"I heard the whole thing, Newton," Emmett growled. His grip loosened on one arm. I twisted to the side and lunged for him again. Emmett was faster. He grabbed my arms and swung me behind him. "Chill! Don't make this any worse than it has to be."

"You weren't in here," Newton said. "You're statement won't hold. I'm a cop. It's your word against mine. Who do you think they'll believe? I've gotten out of plenty of stuff, because I'm a cop. This will be no different."

"Who's better liked, cops or firefighters?" Emmett had a point. I worked for the Fire Department. We were always considered heroes. Cops could go either way, and we could paint any picture of him we wanted. "Just leave, and we'll forget this ever happened." Newton spat in my direction, but it fell short.

"Just wait till I get you alone."

"I'd like to see you try," I taunted. He stepped toward me.

"Don't!" Emmett's exclamation startled us both. "Just leave. You'll never make a case. We've got cameras in here. It WILL show that you threw the first punch. They'll hear what you said, see that you taunted him. It won't stick. Give it up."

"Since when are there cameras in here?" Newton asked looking around. He was nervous now.

"We put them in a few months ago. Do you really want to keep this up?" He looked at his watch.

"I have to be back at the station soon, or I'd finish this." I rolled my eyes at his lame ass excuse. "We'll deal with this at another time." With that, he walked out the door.

"Ow! Hey!" I exclaimed when Emmett hit the back of my head.

"What the hell were you thinking? This room has a camera."

"He didn't know that," I defended myself as I rubbed my head.

"You're an idiot. You got damn lucky. Next time, take him into the dorm or outside. Better yet, call me. I'll do the dirty work for ya. He shouldn't talk about Bella like that."

AN: Long time no see!!! I hope you enjoyed this and that it lived up to your expectations. A lot of people wanted to see a confrontation between these two. You can thank TwilightDramaTeach for the BRILLIANT line in this.

Leave a review, and I'll send you a sneak peek at the next outtake, which was also a highly requested one. It's the background of Alice and Kate.