Edward groaned as Jasper shoved him into the back to change out what was left of his fireman outfit. "Do I really have to do the cage tonight?"

Jasper rolled his eyes, "Come on, man. It's really not that bad. And yes, you have to. The woman's friends asked specifically for you. I can't figure it out. Honestly, I don't see what they could possibly want from you when they could have me."

Edward chuckled, "Okay, well what is it? A bachelorette party?"

Jasper hesitated, was it right to tell him yet. Maybe he should leave that for Bella to tell him. He shook his head, it would be better for him to know it going in. That would give him hope when he saw her come in, and make him less likely to run. "It's actually a divorce."

Edward groaned again, "That means she'll either be really grabby or all weepy. Why do women come here after they get divorced? Does seeing men they can't have really make them any happier at the end of the night?"

Jasper shrugged, realizing yet again what his friend had given up in this woman. She was his perfect match, even in this belief. "She doesn't really look like she wants to be here. I don't know if you'll get any response out of her at all. You could probably rape her and all she would do was stand there. It seems that her friends want her to be here."

Edward stepped into the bathroom to change while Jasper waited on him. When he came back out, he was wearing a small pair of leather underwear held up by a leather belt. Jasper looked him over. God, he was going to scare the hell out of the poor girl. Yes, the cage was definitely the best idea. "Are you ready to go?"

Edward nodded and began to follow him. "Do I at least get to know the girl's name?"

Jasper shook her head. "Her friends said she'd prefer if you didn't. She's already gonna be kind of upset that they're forcing her into this. She seemed kind of shy. She'll probably stand as far from you as the cage will allow. Just dance around her, and then when the thirty minutes are up, you can just let her go. No harm done."

Edward sighed, that didn't sound so bad. He couldn't really give a woman the proper attention tonight, He was far away, about six years back, and he kind of wanted to stay there. He was happiest there.

He followed Jasper out to the cage, where he would be locked in with some chick for the next half hour. It could be worse. He could have to take a woman to the back privately. He'd never done so before, but soon Charlotte might force him to. At least what they would be doing in the cage was publicly acceptable.

Jasper looked over at Alice meaningfully, she knew what that meant. She had to both distract Bella and get her over to the stage at the same time. Bella would run if she knew what was going on. The good news was, the minute she lifted her foot to take the first hurried step, she would be flat on her face. The heels really had been a good idea.

Alice looked around. Luck of luck, the restroom was on the same side of the room as the cage. She stood up, "I need to go to the bathroom. Bella, will you please go with me?"

Bella rolled her eyes, not really in the mood to move unless it was toward the door. "It's because of women like you that men think we can't go to the restroom by ourselves. One day they are going to burst in trying to figure out what it is that we do in there together."

"Just get your butt up and out of that chair little missy. I have to pee, and I don't like going by myself." Alice put her hands on her hips. "You're just going to have to deal with that."

Bella got up and followed her friend across the room. She was actually glad to get out of the club for a moment, even if it was just to an overcrowded bathroom. It was beginning to be too much. Sure, the waiters had been sweet and delivered to their every need, but that didn't change the fact that she wanted to go home to her son. She was losing valuable time with him.

A woman's voice came over the intercom system, but Bella ignored her. It didn't really matter who was going on the stage next, because she hadn't watched any of them. She had somehow managed to get Alice and Rosalie to let her face away from the stage. She couldn't believe they'd let her do that. At first she was suspicious, but then she decided that they were wearing down to the fact that she didn't want to be here in the first place. She'd almost turned around when a dancer named Edward had taken the stage, but she decided against it. There was no way that Edward would be at a place like this, and he wouldn't want her even if he was here. So she just resigned herself to listening to the stupid YMCA music.

"We have a special treat tonight, ladies," the woman's voice blared into Bella's thoughts. "Tonight, one lucky lady is going to be locked into the cage with Edward for a full half hour." There was an uproar and Bella covered her ears in annoyance. Maybe Alice and Rose would let her leave soon. Surely she'd sat the required amount of time to be allowed to see her son again.

A hand was around Bella's wrist. She looked back at her intruder to see her waiter, the big one. "Can you come with me, Miss?"

Bella looked around at Alice who was smiling at her, "Why? Have I done something wrong?"

Emmett shook his head and smiled down at her. "No, we just have a special treat for you. I need you to come with me."

Bella shook her head and tried to step away, not really able to get away from his hand which covered half her forearm, "I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong woman. I'm not really into this whole thing. I'm only here because my friends forced me to be."

Alice shoved on Bella's back hard. "Bella, I paid a hefty amount for this. You will follow him and you will enjoy this. There is no arguing this point. They are going to keep my money whether you follow him or not. You wouldn't do that to me, would you?" Alice pouted out her lower lip.

"Oh I'm going to kill you, Alice," Bella glared at her friend as Emmett pulled her away. She turned, trying to see where he was taking her, but he was huge and blocked her view. She tried to move to his side so that she could see around him, but he held her wrist so that she was firmly behind him. She sighed in resignation. She didn't know what was going on, but she might as well just wait and find out. Alice was going to get it for this.

"And here comes the lucky lady now." Bella started to breathe heavily as realization hit her. What had her friend got her into?

"Relax," Emmett said over his shoulder, "You're going to enjoy this."

Bella shook her head. How could she enjoy anything like this? She'd already let one man touch her who she didn't love. How could she deal with a complete stranger doing it in front of a room full of people? This was both humiliating and degrading. Tears started to build behind her eyes. Her vision blurred as she began to see the cage. The dancer was facing away from them, and all she could see was the back of his legs, and she could barely make out their shape.

Emmett pushed her lightly in the cage with a few more whispered encouragements. Then she heard the resounding lock and stood there, looking at the ground, waiting for what would happen next.

Edward hadn't even bothered to look back at the woman in the cage yet, but he found it encouraging that she hadn't jumped him yet. Perhaps Jasper had been right. He just had to dance around her for a little while and then send her on her way.

As the music started up, he began to dance against the bars. He felt like he was exciting the women in the audience more than the one behind him, because she'd yet to make a sound. He couldn't even hear soft footsteps telling him that she was moving toward him.

He slowly rubbed against the bars, eliciting a scream from a woman at a table closer to the cage. Edward could see Jasper in the audience working the rounds again. He shook his head at him and motioned for him to turn around. Edward sighed internally and began to face the poor woman who'd been forced into this behind him.

Bella didn't know what happened. One moment she was standing in the cage, looking down at the ground, and the next she was being pushed backwards, her head hitting the bars as she was forced to look up at the dancer. Her eyes closed and she groaned in pain. He'd really hit her head hard. Her entire back was probably going to have the bar imprints, not to mention the goose egg on the back of her head.

She growled, "Damnit. Don't you have any decency? First my friends force me into this damn cage and then you think it's appropriate to slam me into the cage bars. It…" Bella opened her eyes and froze. "Shit." All she could see was deep green eyes. She gripped a bar behind her for dear life.

Edward looked into the deep brown eyes that had haunted every one of his dreams and nightmares for the past five years. "Bella?" he whispered, almost afraid that she would disappear in less than a puff of smoke if he spoke too loudly. After all, she couldn't really be here. God would not grant him that miracle after how he'd screwed up the last one.

She was breathing heavily, not sure what to do. She reached around the bars, looking for the one that would open it. "Edward, what are you doing here?"

He chuckled, feeling oddly light for the first time since he'd said goodbye to her. "I could ask you the same thing."

Edward wrapped his arms around Bella, earning some catcalls from the women in the audience, but they were both oblivious to the audience now. "My friend's forced me to come out tonight. I don't usually do these types of things." She felt the need to make excuses for herself. She didn't want Edward to think that she was the type of woman to go around looking at naked men all the time. It was nothing like the girl that he'd known.

Edward was breathing heavily as he looked down at her, "They didn't tell me…I didn't know that you…divorced?" was all that he could get out.

She choked on her tears, it was all getting to be too much. "Yes," she whispered.

Edward's heart leapt for joy. His hand came up behind her head and he pulled her mouth to his, not caring about anything else. He pressed his lips firmly against hers, just enjoying the spark of life that he felt when their lips met.

The jolt rocked Bella's system. Her hands went from the bars behind her to Edward's hair. Their lips fell into perfect sync, moving together as if a day hadn't passed since they'd last been together. "Edward," she panted. "We can't." It was a feeble attempt, but she felt she had to try.

"Have to," Edward grunted back. "Not letting you go again."

Bella opened her eyes and was met by shining emeralds. She cried out again. Then she pulled back from him. The fear showing though her eyes. "I can't."

Edward stepped back. He looked down at the floor ashamed of himself, for everything. For the way that he'd let her go all those years ago. For the person that he'd become. And for the way he couldn't restrain himself when he'd first seen her. "I'm sorry Bella. I shouldn't have done that. It's just…"

The crowd's disgust with their lack of movement was becoming harder and harder to ignore. Edward groaned and stepped closer to her again. He moved close enough that, with his back to the crowd, it appeared that they were pressed together against the cage bars. "Bella, I made a mistake."

She nodded, "I know. I guess it would be surprising to see me here."

Edward chuckled, "That's not what I meant. Although, that's true. Neither of us would have been caught dead in a place like this growing up. Charlie would have killed us."

A small giggle slipped through Bella's lips, she couldn't help it. She looked up into his eyes. She knew that might be a mistake. He'd always dazzled her into doing the things that she wasn't really fond of. It used to be okay because he was always with her. Now, she didn't have that comfort. "Then what did you mean?"

He let out a staggered breath. He took her face in his hands, forcing her to continue to look into his eyes. "I meant that I love you. I meant that I was stupid to say those things in high school. And I meant that I was going to do everything that I could to prove that to you."

She studied his eyes for a moment, "Edward, how can I trust you? I've already dealt with too much. And my son. I can't put him through any more." Tears were falling silently from her eyes now. She wanted so desperately to believe him. But it would kill her if it was all a lie and ended like last time.

Edward wiped away the streaks of tears. "I know you can't trust me right now." He should be upset with this revelation. But he couldn't get his heart to stop doing those stupid happy flips at having her so close. He never thought that he'd get the chance to see her again, let alone talk to her. "I don't expect you to trust me right now. But I'm not going to give up. I will prove this to you."

Bella chewed on her lip as she looked up at the man who still held her heart. Did it make a difference if she gave him a chance or not. She'd never be with anyone else. She'd only been with James because Edward had told her to find someone else. "Edward, what if I said that I didn't want you to prove it to me?"

He looked into her eyes, trying to decipher exactly what it was that she was asking him. "I'd tell you tough shit. You're not going to be able to get away from me this time. I tried to be selfless as a kid, but the whole thing blew up in my face. I've lost all will to do that anymore. I know what I want, what I need to live, and that's you, Bella." The emotion in his eyes was staggering. "That's always been you, Bella."

She moaned. It didn't seem possible, but she was more aroused by what Edward had said than she had ever been by anything that James had ever done. She launched herself into his arms. She needed this. She needed to be selfish too. She knew there was a possibility that what he had said was just a lie. It was his job to keep the customers happy, but she couldn't find it in herself to care at the moment. She needed to be with him in this way. So she moved her lips against his.

Edward picked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling her as close as he could possibly get her. And as close as he got her still wasn't enough. He needed her in every sense of the word. He needed her body, heart and soul. He needed to feel the way he could only feel when it was just the two of them.

Bella shook her head, needing to surface for air. Edward obliged, moving down to her neck, finding a sensitive spot, and sucking on it. It amazed him how much about her he was suddenly finding out. This was much farther than he'd ever let himself go with her before. He discovered that her skin tasted just as good as her lips. And, suddenly, he needed to know what the rest of her tasted like.

"Bella," he grunted, "If you want me to stop, you need to tell me now. I'm not going to be able to stop myself from taking you somewhere more private and taking you."

Bella's breath stuttered. Her mind was no longer working, but her body was quickly responding to his. He wasn't wearing much material, and the little piece that he was wearing wasn't hiding from her how hard he was getting. She ground herself into him a little and gasped. "Don't want you to stop."

He nodded and continued to assault her skin until she laced her fingers into his hair and pulled his face up to hers. Bella's tongue darted out and pushed past his lips. He opened them to her, surprised at how brave she was compared to the shy girl that he'd known as a teenager. Their tongues danced together, perfectly choreographed, and yet exciting and new all the same.

Jasper smiled over at Alice, who was clapping her hands excitedly. This was going more perfectly than she'd planned. She'd never seen Bella so passionate before about anything other than her son. And it was obvious that Jasper had been right, this was no stranger.

"What the hell just happened?" Rosalie sputtered. She'd only been told a little bit about the plan. She knew that Bella was going into the cage, but this all seemed too off kilter for her.

Alice smiled, "Apparently, the man in the cage is the love of Bella's life. Grew up together, or something like that. Would have never believed it if I hadn't seen it."

Rosalie just continued to stare as her modest friend hooked up with a stripper in a cage. "Oh, we are definitely getting this story." She smirked. Who knew that there was a vixen beneath the Sunday School mother exterior.

"Oh, don't worry," Alice said eyeing Jasper's back as he served another table their drinks. "Now that he's back in her life, it should only take a little tequila to get the whole story."