A/N: what would I do without my reviewers? You guys seriously are the very best! here's what the rest of the night looked like for the Swan-Cullen family.

By The Way- hopefully I responded to everyone that reviewed chapter 4 and 5? You guys deserve to be appreciated! And hopefully I cleared up any confusion/problems.

"You feeling better now?" I lifted my lips in a feigned smile. I would do anything to ease her frazzled nerves and make her feel safe again, even if it meant pretending that the entire night had been a breeze. She nodded softly and scooted closer to me, as if gesturing to be carried. I rolled my eyes in a mocking manner but lifted her up anyway. "And we're sorry for talking so loud- we promise not to wake you up again, alright?" She didn't say anything in return, just a swift nod before she laid her head against my shoulder. My mouth ran away with words, didn't it? Since when had I ever spoke in terms of 'we' anyway; for the last three years and some change, I had been doing things single-handedly, never looking to anyone for assistance or advice.

But as I walked towards the stairs with Lana in my arms Edward suddenly appeared right beside me, matching me step for step. After cleaning each table until I saw my reflection, my arms and shoulders were so sore that carrying my tiny niece suddenly felt like ten potato sacks on my chest. I grimaced with each step I ascended, suddenly detesting the 'princess stairs' as Lana deemed them. "Lemme help." Edward brushed my insolence off with a slight shift of shoulders, handling Lana as though she were a feather in his palm. If only I were buff and machine-like, I wouldn't ever need a man to do my work for me… my eyes did an involuntary flutter as he caught my look red-handed. Was it okay to look at that man in such a way? Just moments before her breakdown, we were fondling each other and heavily making out- that warranted me the privilege to look as I pleased, right?

We laid her in bed, tucked her in, and said our drawn-out goodnights before dimming her bedside lamp and walking back out into the hallway; my fingers were twisting themselves in knots just thinking about what earlier meant. Edward seemed so serious and dead set about all of this, but just how much was the truth and how much was little white lies to appease Lana? I swallowed nervously as I walked towards my room, just a hallway down from Lana, and tried to practice slow breathing when his footsteps could be heard just behind mine. If I ran into my room and shut the door fast behind me, he'd get the hint and go away, right? I mean, anything was better than having to look into his face and tell him no. I took a large step forward and reached for the door when he drew my hand to him, taking me along with it. My mouth opened wide in surprise at the lurch, but he was nothing near playful as his lips sought my own.

After a few seconds of doing nothing in hopes that he was just here for a goodnight kiss, I started moving against him- I finally gave a solid push against his chest that sent him back only a few inches, but just enough for me to think clearly again. Seriously, he was an addictive man! The way he smelled, the way he spoke, the way he kissed… it was all so overwhelming. "So we strangers again." It wasn't a question, it was a statement and Edward's voice was not loving nor seductive, but rough and callous. I almost preferred him as the scramming maniac rather than the severely quiet predator he was being now! When I didn't say anything in return, he let out a loud noise from deep within his chest and pushed off of me. I gnawed on my lower lip, contemplating just what it was that I needed to do. He was not going to be invited into my room, even if he owned the place and paid the bills. That was the first thing he'd have to get off of his mind!

"Edward…" I warned him softly. This was not the time nor place to get into this! "Can't we have this talk tomorrow? I really am tired-" I held my hands up in surrender, hoping he'd take this for what it was and not run with it. Who knew the type of shit that ran through his head? I wanted him to know this had nothing to do with Michael or my work or personal feelings. This was strictly business- he could respect that, couldn't he?

But he cut me off rudely. "What's to talk about?" The street thug crept back into his voice and gone was the loving, understanding, sophisticated man I enjoyed having around. He had his guard back up, and there was no way getting over the fence he was building. "You do what you gotta do, I'll do what I gotta do." His eyes, those pretty green things, were hard like stone and his demeanor was colder than Spacer's storage freezer.

We were still so near to one another, but it was suddenly like there was an ocean between us. "So it's like that now?" I asked haughtily, my arms crossed.

"Yeah, it's like that." Edward spat in return.

"Fuck you." The two words spilled out of my mouth before I could stop them- before these last few days, I had never turned to mindless cussing as a way of expressing myself. I used to think it was immature and unsophisticated, but dealing with Edward opened my mind to so many new words and feelings that the only way to describe my pain, hurt, confusion, fatigue, and anger was in those two little syllables. Without explaining myself, I turned on my heel and went for the door knob again, resolving to just forget about this entirely shitty night with a lot of beauty sleep and maybe a glass of wine.

I had no such luck. "Fuck me?" He slammed the door shut before I could walk through, wedging himself in the space between my body and my sanctuary. Did he enjoy being this close to me all of the time? "You think you're gonna tell me to fuck off and then sleep in the bed I bought, under the roof I pay for?" The look in his eyes was delirious with frustration, as though I were a pest he had no way of getting rid of.

I snatched my arm from his grasp and poked a finger into his chest. "Did I ever ask for any of it? I told you not to hang that shit over my head!" I tried to keep my voice down for Lana's sake but he was making it so difficult. "How about I leave then?" I let the threat hang in the air, knowing he'd have to make his decision right then and there- either shut his big ass mouth about what he 'paid for' or let me walk out the door without another look in his direction. Even in my angered state, I knew Lana and I had it good here in his house- the longer we stayed, the more money I could put aside and then we'd never have to depend on another person for the rest of our lives. Until then, I would have to deal with Edward's little games.

But even in my strategy, I refused to let a man try to put something like that over my head. I wasn't a mute broad or some scared little girl; I deserved better than to be treated like a hoe plucked from the track or a bitch pulled off the pole! Edward let out a long breath before correcting his demeanor, a softer look coming over him. "I already told you, you don't gotta leave- this is yours and Lana's joint." I didn't say anything in return, I merely glared him down with tightly crossed arms. Was I suppose to jump for joy, or something? Words were nice and all, but I wouldn't believe it until I saw my name on the lease! "Look- my bad, aight?" When I still said nothing back, he shot a hand through his hair and slammed the other against the wall.

I jumped a foot in the air and perched my ears up in worry- when I didn't hear Lana or her small footsteps, I turned back to him. "What's your fuckin' problem? Are you trying to upset Lana tonight on purpose?"

"What's my fuckin' problem?" He parroted the question aloud, a maniacal grin covering his flawless face one moment before it twisted in anger again. "You- you're my problem!"

"Oh, I'm the problem now? You're a real god damn headache, you know that?" I shoved at him in frustration, not knowing what else to do. "What, 'cause I don't wanna fuck you? That's your issue with me?" The house was so quiet you could hear everything going on outside as if it were on an intercom- our chests were heaving up and down with the suppressed anger we were building up since earlier. One of us was bound to explode, I only hoped Lana wouldn't be around to see it. "If you hadn't fucked around with so many hoes in your life, you'd know how a woman, a real woman, handles herself!" I shoved him again, this time harder. "I don't open my legs for dirty street thugs-"

He yanked me by the nape of my neck, slamming his mouth against mine in a bruising manner- I moaned in both pleasure and frustration, running my hands over his face and through his hair much harder than necessary. But unlike Michael, he didn't cry out or pull away, it only made his tongue go deeper. We moved against each other like that for what felt like endless minutes, only breaking away to catch our breaths. I refused to meet his gaze, instead pulling my eyes down to the wooden floors- I was suppose to be angry, pissed off, and outraged by his actions, but I was feeling just the opposite.

It wasn't fair the way his body and just his mere presence could make my entire being go off like a siren… it was uncontrollable, and I couldn't afford to make a colossal mistake like that. "Dated so many pussies you ain't never been handled right." He whispered into the shell of my ear, his hands like coaxing ghosts over the chest of my shirt, touching but not touching at all. I let out the tiniest moan when his lips wrapped fully around my left earlobe, sucking gently as though my skin tasted like honey. "When I get between those legs, if it's my face or my verga…" I had no idea what he meant, but when his pelvis grinded into my lower belly with his very obvious bulge at attention, I got the picture, "and I put this on mi clica," he muttered against my cheek, his wandering hand skimming over the crotch of my tight jeans where heat was pooling already, "…it's a dirty street thug that made you cum with your clothes on when your guero couldn't."

My throat went dry at his words. Why did everything he say have to sound so rough and edgy? I balled my shaking hands into fists, refusing to moan out loud when his fingers started playing with the fabric of my cotton button-up shirt. We still hadn't made eye contact, though he had no problem kissing his way down my ear and up towards my forehead. "No." I muttered before shifting away from him ever so slightly, trying but failing to get away from his infectious presence for the night. I needed space and time to think over everything- our kissing, my lies, his exaggerations, and how Lana fit into every scenario. But he pulled me back, this time forcing his way into my line of sight- I focused on a faded beauty mark on his face as he directed his lips down towards mine, turning away at the last minute to avoid another one of those ridiculously beautiful touch of lips. "I need to rest." I huffed at last, trying to get away from the desires he was applying.

"Tell me you ain't mad no more." It was spoken so softly that I almost missed the underlying command. I shifted my eyes away from him completely, intent on staring at the doorknob for the rest of eternity if it meant not looking his way. "Ay- c'mon, lemme know you still ain't mad." Edward pressed his puckered lips on the corner of my mouth as a gesture to speak, but I was stubbornly still not wanting to meet his eyes. But he was persistent in his method, turning to giving me little butterfly kisses all over my face. When he reached the space between my jaw and ear, I let out an involuntary giggle, immediately hating myself for it. Good job Bella, you look real angry giggling everywhere, I chastised myself. He caught on quick and turned all focus on the area, showering me with dozens of kisses before the giggles turned into laughter- this man would be the death of me, whether it was by giggles or not.

"Alright!" I choked out, not quite able to contain the giddiness in my voice. He knew this wasn't over and I was far from happy, but my feigned joy was so contagious that even he had a smirk on his face. "Alright, I'm not mad anymore!" It was a lot like when Liz and I used to play Mercy as children… just like Edward, she knew all of my weak spots and put them to use whenever inclined.

"Muy bien." He smirked wider before completely releasing me. I immediately went for the door, and it was almost closed behind me when his foot shot out to block it. "Duerme con los angeles, bonita." It was beautiful, the way he said to me- it felt perversely loving and gentle, as though he were Romeo or Casanova or Don Juan, as if he knew who either of those characters were. He knew not to call me sexy, wifey, boo, a 'bad bitch' or any of those ridiculous tags women and men alike saw as compliments these days. I tried to decipher what he meant but he was gone down the hallway before I could ask what he said- just as well, I needed lots of shuteye and plenty of alone time.

So why did I spend the rest of the night lying down in bed, eyes wide open, thinking of only him?

A/N: Would anyone be interested in beta'ing in for me? Please PM me if interested. love the support and positive feedback I'm getting for this story.

Translations:

Mi Clica- my gang (slang)

Verga- dick (slang)

Guero- white boy

Muy Bien: very good

Duerme Con Los Angeles, Bonita: sleep with the angels, beautiful