So happy that you guys are liking this :)

Lingo in this chapter that might be useful:

Cage— any automobile other than a motorcycle

Scoot—motorcycle

P-pad or bitch seat— passenger seat on a bike

RUB— acronym for rich, urban biker. Like a "poser," it refers to the wannabe bikers.

81— refers to Hells Angels. The eighth and first letters of the alphabet are H and A.

Packing double— riding with a passenger

Rice rocket— Asian bike (Derogatory? I apologize if it offends. I didn't come up with it.)

Club or MC— motorcycle club

If you're confused over any of terms I use, let me know. I don't live this lifestyle… that's why it's fiction.

Disclaimer: Twilight and all characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. Also, Hells Angels is a trademarked name that I am not profiting off of. I use it with the upmost respect. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.

Warning: This story has strong language and some lemons *wink*. If those things offend you, this story ain't for you.

"If Bella's riding on the back of any bike, it'll damn well be on mine."

EPOV

The thing about Jazz was he hated being cooped up. I didn't know if it was claustrophobia or if it was not being able to move around, but he was one grouchy motherfucker when I got into his hospital room. His tatted up arms were as crossed as the cast on his wrist would allow, and he had the biggest scowl I'd ever seen on his face.

He was not happy.

Alice was trying to convince him to do physical therapy as soon as possible, but like I thought, Jasper was too stubborn for his own good. If he wasn't careful, he would wind up with a limp.

"So how long will it take to get back on your bike?"

They were so into their argument that they hadn't noticed that I came in the room. Alice gave me a sad smile, but it was Jasper who answered.

"About three months," he grumbled.

"Longer if he doesn't do what the doctor tells him," Alice piped in.

Jerking my chin up, I silently asked Jasper to explain because I wanted him to hear himself sound like the dumb, stubborn shit he was being.

He sighed and said, "Asshole doctor says I shouldn't be traveling."

Well, shit. I wasn't planning on that. I thought we were still talking about therapy.

"Tell him my idea, Jazz," Alice said while hopping up and down.

"No, forget it," he responded, uncrossing his arms. Fucker even pouted… pouted. Even the koi on his right sleeve looked depressed. How the hell did a fish look depressed? Easy… trap it between the sleeve of an ugly hospital gown and the plaster cast on the bearer's wrist.

I ran my hand down my face. "What idea?"

With her arms spread before her, like she could actually envision it, she said in a slow, sure voice, "We get a motor home."

"Forget it," he spat. "I ain't going to Bike Week in a goddamn cage."

His hostility threw me off. Never had I heard him talk to his beloved little pixie like that.

"Well, you can't exactly take your bike," she said.

It was true.

The stubborn son of a bitch had plaster on both his wrist and leg. How did he expect to control his speed if he couldn't throttle, never mind operating the gear shift with his left fucking foot. Brother was in serious denial.

"Alice, can you give us a minute?"

After nodding her head, she quietly slipped out of the room. I looked at my depressed friend as soon as I heard the door click shut. He still had that scowl on his face, and I knew he wasn't going to like hearing what I had to say. Sometimes being a good buddy meant verbally ripping your friend a new asshole.

"Quit acting like a little bitch, you whiny-ass motherfucker."

His blue eyes bulged out of his head and the glower look on his face was replaced with surprise. Guessed he didn't think I would be willing to play the good friend.

Looking at his propped up leg, I rounded the side of the bed and said, "So you ate asphalt. Do you think you're the first that's ever happened to? You're lucky you're not dead and that Alice is safe. And you're damn lucky she hasn't left your sorry ass if that's how you've been treating her."

He hung his head and gritted his teeth.

Yeah, like I wouldn't call him out on that bullshit. I'd known Jasper my whole life because our parents rode together. From playpen to scoots, we had always been thick as thieves. When Alice came along, I knew she changed him. Seeing her stand by his brooding ass was too much for even me to bear.

"You're right. I'm just… pissed that it happened. Three months? What the fuck am I gonna do?" he asked, using his uninjured hand to punch the mattress.

"You're going to make things right with your wife, quit your moping, and then we're going to get the hell out of this town," I answered, walking to the door to let Alice back in.

I knew she wouldn't wander far, and I was right. She was standing in the hall talking to Em. With a nod in the direction of Jazz's room, I said, "So for this motor home we need to find a dealership—"

"Um, actually, I've already taken care of that," Alice said in a nervous voice as we walked back in the room. Three sets of eyebrows shot up as she continued, saying, "There's a dealership in Fife, near Tacoma. I kind of, sort of, already bought one."

I tried to hide my chuckle because buying a vehicle that cost several grand without seeing the damn thing was such an Alice thing to do. It was actually Jasper who gave the full belly laugh I expected to come from my brother. It was the tension breaker he needed, and I for one was glad it snapped him out of his pity party.

After catching his breath, he said, "Darlin', why am I not surprised? So tell me, what are we driving down to Arizona?"

She squealed and barely managed to restrain from launching herself on him. We all breathed a little easier when she instead perched next to him on the corner of his bed and pulled out a brochure. How the hell she got her hands on one, I had no idea. Little Alice was full of surprises like that.

Jazz's eyes grew wide, and he said, "Holy hell, this thing has a garage in it!"

Emmett and I hustled around the bed to look at the colorful brochure, and sure enough, the damn thing had a garage. We could use it to take Jasper's bike to the shop in Arizona when we made it down there.

My brother stood to his full height, and scratching the back of his head, he said, "Um, Alice, are you sure you can drive that thing? It's a little big."

I understood his hesitance in asking. The girl could develop a bit of a Napoleon complex if it was suggested her height held her back in any way.

She rolled her eyes and gave a snort before saying, "Please."

"Do you need a special license to drive that?" I asked, pointing to the picture of her latest purchase.

Not that we had the time for her to earn it, but it case she did I needed to call Jenks to have some made quickly. He was scary good at the things he did for my family, and he always came through. Hate to say it was fear that made him move so fast, but when Carlisle or Peter said jump, he fucking jumped.

Alice shrugged her shoulders and said, "It depends on what state. Washington doesn't require a special license."

"Em?" I asked, turning to my brother.

He sighed before saying, "We can still make Bike Week if we take the I-5, so Oregon, Cali, and Arizona at least."

"They won't wait for us," Jasper said, staring off into space. "Has anybody called them?"

Them, meaning our parents. Going on without us was nothing personal. That was just the way riding with members of the Hells Angels was. There was only one pace—theirs.

"I was planning on calling Carlisle after I found out how you were doing," I answered. Facing Alice I added, "I'll also get Jenks to work."

She nodded her head, and I turned my attention back to her husband. "Is the doctor releasing you today?" He nodded is head. "Alright, you worry about settling that. Alice, can you go with Em and rent a car to take to Feef?"

"Fife, and yes I can."

Only Alice could correct me and make me smile at the same time.

"Make sure they give you something so we can tow Jazz's scoot," I said to my brother. "Jasper, did you need me to call your parents too?"

"Nah, there's no point; Carlisle will tell Dad."

= ADC =

"Hey, are you almost here?" Carlisle's soft voice said through the cell.

"No, we're still in Washington," I answered while walking to my Victory.

Other than the wind that whipped between the cell and my ear, there was silence. Finally, I heard, "Is everybody alright?"

"Jasper hit a wet patch and spun out. Broke his leg and wrist. The doctor is releasing him today."

"And Alice?"

"It was unreal, Carlisle. She flew through the air and walked away without a scratch."

I heard his sign of relief before he said, "Okay, we're leaving tomorrow morning. Were you still going to make it to Arizona?"

"Might make the end of Bike Week if we're lucky, but honestly I don't see Rose being able to book that distance in such a short period of time."

He chuckled and said, "True. We plan on staying in Arizona for a bit, so take your time. I remember when Esme first started riding. I made the mistake of letting her tackle Route 66. She wouldn't let me into the Promised Land for weeks. If Rose is the same, take as long as you need 'cause Esme's wants grandbabies soon."

I cringed. Not only did I have to hear about my parents doing the dirty, but I was forced to hear about Rose's snatch again. So fucking wrong.

"Man, I have to change the subject," I said while using the heel of my hand to rub my eye. "Do we know anybody with a shop in Washington?"

"You definitely won't be making Bike Week if you're getting Jasper's ride fixed."

"No, no. We're bringing his Saxon back with us to Arizona. No, I was thinking about making an addition to my bike," I said, knowing I was about to get ribbed.

Bella riding on the back of my bike was less than comfortable. I didn't have a p-pad, so I was forced to sit further up on the seat while she tried to squeeze in behind me. My junk was pinned to the bike, and my muscles strained in my attempt to not crush her or bump her off the back of my scoot. If that wasn't enough, knowing I was between Bella's thighs made me rock hard and since I didn't have room for… growth, the entire ride was torture on my dick.

It was totally worth the pain, having her wrapped around me again.

After some prying, I finally confessed to Carlisle about my reasons for getting a p-pad put on my bike. Asshole was still laughing when I hung up on him.

Wilson's Garage was on Highway 101, right outside of Fairholm. There were old Coca-Cola and MGD signs hanging on the walls and an old hound dog that was lounging by the door. I didn't know if I should be offended that he didn't see me as a threat or humored because the beast was just that lazy.

An old man with worn faded jeans and a light blue shirt, both stained with grease, came outside and said, "You Doc's kid?"

"Yep," I answered while nodding my head.

The only people who called Carlisle, "Doc" were members of the club or their families. I never asked how he got the name. Honestly, I didn't want to know. He did a lot for the Angels before Esme came along, so whatever it was it was probably better left in the past.

Wilson was wiping his dirty hands on a red rag as he said, "Hear you want a bitch seat and pegs put on your ride."

"Yes sir, I do," I said, stepping aside so he could circle my Cross Roads. "Do you think you can do it today?"

He scoffed and said, "Yeah, I was supposed to work on some RUB's bike, but it's all good. He's probably telling everybody and their mother how disappointed he is that he won't be able to take his bike out this weekend."

I tried to hide my smile because I knew one thing that a club member hated more than paying taxes was a poser.

Letting out a whistle, Wilson said, "Can't imagine Doc was too happy when his boy picked up a bike that wasn't a Harley." I rolled my eyes. Yeah, he wasn't happy, but then again it wasn't his ass that was riding my bike. "I hear Marcus Aro rides a Victory," he said, scratching his beard.

I smiled because that was my argument. Marcus Aro was not only a close friend of Carlisle's and Peter's, but he headed the Arizona charter of the 81. He also happened to be the toughest motherfucker I'd ever met.

"It shouldn't take too long. Pull it in," he said, walking back inside the garage.

I watched as Wilson slid the extra seat on, wondering if I was maybe being too hasty. Changing your scoot was a big deal. What if Bella told me to fuck off and that she wanted to stay in that dreary as fuck little town. What if last night didn't measure up?

I snorted out loud at that asinine thought, ignoring Wilson's questioning gaze. Of course it measured up. I fucking rocked her world… several times. There was no doubt in my mind that she would pack double if I asked her to. I saw the excitement in her eyes when I asked if she wanted a ride earlier. The girl loved having me between her thighs.

Yeah… she would ride with me.

But just because she would ride didn't mean she could handle the biker lifestyle. What if she decided she couldn't hack it? I pinched the bridge of my nose, telling the little voice inside my head to shut the fuck up.

My phone buzzed and looking at the screen, I saw that it was Emmett.

"Yeah," I said gruffly after bring the device to my ear.

"Guess who decided to join us?" he asked.

I could hear the excitement in his voice, and with the turmoil I was experiencing, I was tempted to hang up on his ass. Instead, I said, "Who?"

"Little Bella!"

I stopped the pacing that I had unknowingly been doing and responded with, "Huh?"

"Bella, Assward. She tends bar at The Muddy Dog. You know, the one you couldn't stop eye fucking? Rose just had lunch with her and apparently convinced her to ditch this place and tag along." A slow smile began forming on my mouth at what I was hearing. "Rose said she could either ride with Alice and Jasper, or if she wants, she can pack double with me."

My good mood vanished, and I growled, "The hell with that. If Bella's riding on the back of any bike, it'll damn well be on mine."

At hearing my words, Wilson's hands jerked away from my ride, and he took a few steps back.

"Oh, really? And why would she do that? You don't even have a p-pad, man?"

"Wanna bet?" I gritted out.

"So that's where you went," he said with a chuckle. Ignoring all the unflattering things I was saying about his mother, he said, "Hey, one more thing. You need to hurry back so we can go get Jasper's bike."

I stopped my verbal tirade and asked where it was being kept. With the stress of Jazz's accident, and my thoughts on Bella, I forgot about asking where Jasper's Saxon Villain was towed.

"His scoot is at some rice rocket dealership in Port Angeles," he said with a sigh.

I groaned at thinking how well Jasper was handling that. He would probably kill anyone on their payroll if they laid a hand on his baby.

After agreeing to meet up with Em later, I turned back to see Wilson leaning up against the wall.

"Are we good to go?" he asked.

"Yeah, just ironing out a few details."

While he was working on one of the pegs he said, "Oh, I almost forgot. Did you want me to put handholds on the seat?"

Hell no, I didn't want them on her seat. Bella would be holding onto me.

Wilson chuckled at my smirk and head shake, and he said, "Didn't think so."

= ADC =

Bella's lesbian friend tossed me her bags as I headed out of The Muddy Dog, dragging a very pissed off Bella away. I quickly strapped them on the Victory and all but pulled her on behind me before I took off like a bat out of hell.

She hit him.

My grin couldn't be wiped off my face. My little hellcat punched a uniformed cop in the nose. If there was any doubt that she couldn't hold her own around the club, it was quickly erased when I saw the big douche bag stumble back with blood spilling from his nose.

I made it back to the motel, and with one hand clasped around Bella's and another busy calling my brother's cell, I marched to Jazz's and Alice's room. Em picked up the same time Alice answered my knock, and I said, "We're leaving."

She gave a quick nod and shut the door as Em disconnected the call. This was how it was when you were raise around an MC. When we needed to get the hell out of dodge, there were no questions asked. Things could be explained later… and in this instance, there would be answers.

I would definitely be asking about the murderous bitch comment. Did I believe him? Fuck no. He wouldn't be the first cop who's ever talked out of his ass, and he wouldn't be the last. Those fuckers were capable of lies and deceit just like everybody else. Did I believe she killed someone? Maybe not intentionally, but that was Bella's story not the asshole cop's.

It took a little longer because we had to move Jasper, but after twenty minutes we were on the rode. My duffle and Bella's were both in the trunk of the rented Chevy sedan, and Bella had her arms wrapped around my waist and her face rested on my shoulder.

She was a natural passenger. I was worried that she would fight the curves, but she did the cutest thing by moving her head with mine. She was also smart enough to keep her feet on the pegs whenever I stopped. It was like she was born to ride with me.

Fife was about three hours away. When we pulled into a motel parking lot, we each took the keys to our separate rooms and called it a night. Introductions and interrogations could be done in the goddamn morning.

I tossed the bags off to the side and pulled Bella to the bed. I slid off her shoes while she sat, clutching her right hand. I stood up with a frown and after placing a kiss on her forehead, I said, "I'm going to get ice for your hand; lock the door behind me."

I wasn't the only one visiting the vending machine area. Em was getting a midnight snack for him and Rose, and when he saw me, he asked, "Want to tell me why we left in such a hurry?"

I waited for the machine to finish making the loud rumbling noise it took to produce ice before saying, "Bella punched a cop."

"No shit," he said with a grin.

I nodded my head while deciding what to bring back for my little lawbreaker. She was probably hungry too.

I was right.

Her eyes lit up when I dropped bags of Ranch flavored Doritos on the bed. Taking the bucket of ice to the sink, I grabbed a towel and made a little ice pack for her hand. She had a chip bag cradled between her arm and stomach and was using her left hand to pluck the chips from the blue bag.

I rotated her hand, resting it on the bed and carefully placed the pack on her swollen knuckles.

"Aren't you going to ask what Paul was talking about?" she asked in a hollow voice.

She looked tired; I was tired, so I said, "Not really. We can talk about it in the morning." Seeing her confused look, I sighed and said, "Bella, did you kill anyone?"

She shook her head, her eyes filled with unshed tears.

"Then we can talk about cops that lie in the morning, okay?"

I wiped away a tear that escaped from one of her beautiful, brown eyes. After taking the ice pack from her and walking it to the sink, I stripped both of us and pulled her down on the bed and under the covers.

"I can't do anything," she mumbled. "I'm still a little sore."

Knowing she was probably blushing, I chuckled into her hair. I was too tired for sex because it felt like a long fucking day, but it didn't stop me from snaking my arm around her waist to cup her pussy.

She bucked back into me, and I smiled knowing she was wet because of me.

= ADC =

I woke up horny as hell because Bella kept wiggling closer and closer to my body all night. Waking her up was tempting, but I thought I would be a gentleman and decided a little self-love in the shower wouldn't kill me.

After way too much time wanking it, I was about to give up because once my dick knew Bella's touch it wasn't satisfied with anything I was doing. Almost like my cock knew she was in the next room. Just as I was about to switch to cold water, Bella joined me.

"There is something so sexy about watching you jerk off," she whispered.

I felt her hot little tongue trace the devil tat on my shoulder blade, and I had to take a deep breath just to not come all over the shower wall. My legs nearly buckled when I felt her little hand gently cup and squeeze my balls, and I had to use both of my hands to hold me up.

She took advantage of them being on the tile, and fuck me if I didn't whimper like a little bitch when she started stroking me. Her teeth scraped against my ink and I bucked into her hand in response.

My hips continued their thrusting and I almost cried when I felt her pull away. I nearly begged her to finish me off, but she surprised me by crouching in front of me. There wasn't a lot of room between me and the shower wall, but I wasn't complaining because Bella was nuzzling my cock.

"Edward," she said in a sexy, husky voice. "Can I please suck your cock?"

What the fuck was I going to say— "no?"

I knew why she asked though. With all the sex we had, one thing I wouldn't let her do was go down on me. It didn't feel right… not after having the blonde on her knees on the same damn night. But we weren't in that tiny town anymore, and I wanted to finally feel those lips wrapped around me.

The water continued to beat down on me as I growled out a yes and felt her take me into her hot little mouth. What she couldn't fit, she pumped with her hand. It felt so fucking good and I knew if I looked down I would lose my battle to not come. As soon as I hit the back of her throat, I jerked back and grabbed my dick to squeeze the crown.

"D-Did I do something wrong?"

I looked down and saw confusion in her chocolate colored eyes. Using my other hand to gently stroke her cheek, I said, "No, baby. You were doing everything right, but I need to control it or else I'll finish too soon."

She nodded her head and I was amazed at the blush that spread across her cheeks. She was sucking me off and she still looked so goddamn innocent. I caressed the curve of one cheek and slowly let my fingers drift down to those pouty lips. "Open your mouth, baby."

Her tongue darted out to wet her lips before she listened, and my hips bucked in her direction because my dick was just as eager as I was. As I watched myself slowly disappear inside her beautiful mouth my breath caught. My muscles were straining at the control it took to not fuck her face, but I knew I couldn't resist. All I could do was try not to be too rough with her.

"Relax your throat and try to breath through your nose," I said, gritting my teeth. "Yes… that's it. Deeper, baby, take me deeper… ahhh… fuck."

Both of my hands were fisted in her hair as I enjoyed her throat muscles contracting around me. My nuts bounced off of her chin the deeper I got, and the short deep strokes felt like heaven. I pulled back so she could take a deep breath. Grabbing hold of my dick, I ran the sensitive head over her lips and hissed when I felt her hot breath on it.

Bella moaned and quickly took me back into her mouth. I watched captivated as she reclaimed control, and soon both of my hands were back on the tile wall as I watched her worship my dick. She whimpered and moaned with her cheeks hollowed out, and I knew it wouldn't be long.

My eyes drifted from the full lips surrounding my shaft and I saw her body shaking. I tilted my head down and saw that she was fingering that beautiful pussy of hers. Seeing her get off because she was going down on me was probably one of the hottest things I'd ever witnessed.

"Bella, look at me… Look at me when you suck me," I begged.

She turned her big doe eyes up at me, and I couldn't hold back any more. There was lust and hunger in those chocolate pools, and she was everything I could ever hope for.

Like the asshole I was, I didn't warn her when I shot my load, and she coughed and sputtered in surprise. Did I stop there? No. I held her head still while I finished on her cheek, smearing my spunk onto the side of her face.

I quickly caught my breath then joined her, crouched on the shower floor. My fingers dove into her slick folds and I rubbed her cute little clit, hissing when I felt her dig her nails into my arms in her attempt to stay upright.

"Uhhh… almost… yes… yes," she panted out.

"Come on, baby. Come for me," I said while using my other hand to pinch one of her nipples between my thumb and finger. "Do you know how fucking sexy you look?"

She whimpered and her legs clamped shut as her body shook with her climax. She was so goddamn beautiful.

"You like doing that, don't you?" I lifted her in a standing position after she calmed down and asked her what she meant. "Seeing your cum on me," she explained.

I shrugged my shoulders, grabbed a little bottle of shampoo, and said, "I like marking you. I get some primitive satisfaction in knowing you're mine."

"Is that so?"

"Mm-hmm. One day I'll show you," I teased while washing her long hair. "But right now we need to go meet with the others."

We finished bathing each other, and I called both Em and Jazz to tell them to meet us at the Denny's we passed the night before. They didn't have the greatest food, but my brother was a fan of any place that served three different breakfast meats on one plate. Fucking nasty if you asked me.

Alice and Jasper were already there when we arrived, and as soon as we walked up Jasper groaned and said, "Sugar, I already told you, I can't keep seeing you. I'm married now."

I turned to look at Bella, but she was glaring at the guy I used to call my best friend. With a head jerk to Alice, she said, "So you married her?"

Alice had a little smile on her face and both she and Jasper nodded their heads.

Bella walked closer and taking the seat next to Alice, said, "Was it because you got tired of feeling left out? It's not our fault we don't need a recovery time like you. We all had fun together; you didn't need to steal her."

If I wasn't confused enough already, Alice softly caressed my girl's left hand. I fucking hated not knowing what they were talking about, and I sure as hell didn't like what was being implied so I spat, "Just what the hell is going on?"

The three cracked up in laughter while I stood there huffing and puffing like the damn Big Bad Wolf. After a few relaxing breaths, I realized they were having fun at my expense. I was kind of happy that they hit it off, even though it made me look like a dumb shit. Just as long as they didn't make a habit of it. Jazz was lucky I didn't take his head off after implying he got down with my girl like that. Fucker was replaceable, and I made sure to tell him.

Emmett and Rose showed up just as the food arrived, and the first thing my brother said was, "Little slugger! How's the hand?"

Everybody looked at my girl's red knuckles, and Alice asked her what happened.

"Bella decked a cop," Rose whispered excitedly as she leaned across the table.

Jazz's eyebrows rose in surprise and his grin matched my own. "So, why'd you punch him, sugar?"

Bella looked down and all I could do was run a comforting hand down her back. I knew the cop's words had set her off, and I hated that asshole for pushing her that far.

"There was a time when Paul used to like me but that all changed when Jake was killed. I loved Jake; he was my best friend," she said with watery eyes and a sniffle.

"Jake was the one you mentioned?" Rose asked with a sympathetic look on her face.

Bella nodded her head and said, "My father, Charlie was at his friend, Billy's house. Billy was Jake's dad, and our fathers would spend entire weekends out on the lake, fishing. On one of those weekends, we decided to take our relationship to the next level. I wanted to give my virginity to him. The couch was probably not a very smart place. It was uncomfortable to begin with, and Jake's legs were hanging over the arm. Afterward, he carried me up to my room. I fell asleep in his arms, but something woke me up. I noticed Jake wasn't next to me, so I went looking for him because it wasn't like him to leave without saying good-bye."

I pushed aside my jealousy at hearing about her with another guy because I had a bad feeling of where this story was going and knew both Em and Jazz felt the same by the look in their eyes.

"When I reached the bottom of the stairs, somebody hit me in the side of my head, and I blacked out. When I came to, I was handcuffed to a hospital bed. One of Charlie's men was standing guard outside, and he told me I was a suspect in a murder case," she said, covering her mouth.

Rose handed her a napkin to wipe her tears away and I pulled her into my arms, placing a kiss on her head. "You don't have to say anymore if you don't want to, baby."

She shook her head and said, "No, you guys deserve the truth. Charlie was the one to find me. He covered me up and called nine-one-one. They said there was gun powder residue on my hand and that the gun used to kill Jake was the one Charlie left in his holster, hanging by the door.

"I know my dad contaminated the scene. He hired the best lawyer he could find, and I got released on a technicality. Charlie was suspended for his unofficial involvement, but he told everybody he could that there was no way I would ever hurt Jake like that. Unfortunately, people believe what they want and rumors of that night spread.

"The reservation where Jake was from wanted justice, and one day Billy came over saying the elders wanted me turned over into their custody. I later found out that Charlie told them about the blood on the couch cushion and the blow to the head I suffered. Something I never understood was a torn shirt of mine that was found in the living room, but Charlie told the Quileute that all of that looked like it was self-defense."

She clamped her eyes shut and in a tiny voice, said, "Jake didn't rape me; he loved me. The elders backed down after that, but the only one who believed me was Jake's best friend, Sam."

The big guy I felt threatened by was actually one of her few friends and supporters, and I was a complete asshole to him.

"After I got the job at The Muddy Dog, Paul showed up every night. Every night he would make snide comments about what happened five years ago. Every fucking night. It just… It just felt so good to finally shut him up," she whispered.

We all sat in silence, digesting Bella's story. What should have been a special night for her would always haunt her. The part that worried me the most was that the killer was still out there. It was probably somebody she knew, and I was happy that I was able to take her away from that place. Hell knows I wasn't going to play detective. The whole thing reeked of a cover-up, and I knew her pops knew who the killer was.

Jasper sighed before saying, "Sugar, I never met Paul, but he sounded like he needed his ass kicked."

"Still does," Emmett grumbled.

Rose rolled her eyes at her husband and said, "Bella, at least you got that little bit of retaliation."

"I'm happy that you're not living there anymore," claimed Alice.

No, Bella was with us now. She would never have to worry about feeling so alone because we always looked out for our own. That now included my girl.

My girl with beautiful brown eyes.

My girl, Bella.

AN: Right, so I used to be one of those writers that was good about responding to reviews, but then Cullen Companion started doing so well that I just couldn't keep up and the bad habit of not replying was born. But that's not the case now so I'm going to really make an effort to get back to you guys. But I'm curious… Do you want to hear back from me or are you just indifferent?

See you next Tuesday!