I'm back, people I'm back, people!!

I finally finished "Breaking Dawn and I'm highly motivated. Although, it seems like everything in life post-BD is kind of a let-down, doesn't it?

Anyway, back to our heroes…

EPOV

I'm not quite sure what happened – I just went numb.

From the time my fast made contact with James' face until I was being shoved into a jail cell, I couldn't feel anything.

However, once I sat down and felt the cold, hard metal of the bench underneath me in the cell, I put my head in my hands and was almost on the verge of tears. What had I done? Sure, James deserved that, but now I had to take responsibility for these actions. I just committed assault, and would probably have to stand trail for it. How was I going to explain this to my family?

And then I thought of Bella – my sweet, innocent Bella. I had been trying to defend her honor, but instead I ended up disgracing myself in front of her. She stood by, horrified, while I acted on my most violent impulses; what does she think of her nice, loving boyfriend now?

After a while, I became tired and curled myself up on the bench. Luckily, I was the only person being held tonight – the benefits of living in a small, quiet town.

The next thing I new, the sun was washing over my face as I opened one eye at the sound of footsteps walking towards the cell.

"You're free to go, Mr. Cullen," a man said. "Your friends bailed you out."

My friends...I really didn't want to face them. Would they be upset? Not too many people actually like James, but that doesn't mean they thought slugging him was a good idea. I stood up slowly and shuffled my feet to the front of the building.

There stood Emmett, Jasper...and Bella. I had really hoped Emmett would have made her stay home for this—it's not my finest moment.

I stopped about ten feet in front of them and just stood there, not knowing what to expect. Bella hesitated briefly before rushing to me and throwing her arms around me.

"You stupid, foolish asshole," she was crying and kissing me as she cursed me out. I couldn't help but smile at her actions; they were more than appropriate considering the situation. She wrapped her legs around my waist and I began to smooth down her hair while trying to calm her.

"Shhhh, I know, I'm an idiot," I whispered into her hair. "I'm so sorry Bella; I don't know what came over me. Please don't cry, everything is going to be alright."

She sniffled a bit before burying her face in the side of my neck. I could feel the moisture from her tears on my skin.

"Sorry to break up the reunion," said one of the officers I assumed was the chief. "But, we do have to inform you that the victim is pressing charges."

I didn't turn towards the man talking, I just kept holding Bella and rocking her gently as I heard him began to scribble something onto a piece of paper on a nearby desk.

"This is your summons to appear in court, son. The trial has been set for December 15," he said.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Emmett reach for the ticket and snatch it out of the chief's hands. He nodded to the cop brusquely before putting a hand on my back and leading me and Bella outside. She refused to let go of me, even when we got into the car – she insisted on sitting on my lap. Jasper had to talk some sense into her.

"Bella sweetie, we'll get a ticket. And Edward's in enough trouble already."

She shot Jasper a harsh look but relented, sliding into the seat next to me, but not taking her right arm from around my neck.

"How do you feel?" She asked quietly.

"Better now that I'm out of there and next to you."

She smiled weakly, but it faltered as she became choked up again, "Was it awful?"

"There was no one in there with me, so at least I had that going for me — no need to fear getting molested by a gigantic biker or anything."

She didn't find that as funny as Jasper and Emmett did.

"You ARE pretty, Cullen," Emmett said as he looked at me in the rearview mirror. "You'd have been their favorite bitch."

Jasper chuckled softly as Bella lifted her head off of my shoulder, "Shut up, Emmett! This isn't funny!"

"Chill Bells...it is a little funny," he said. "I mean, out of all of us to be put in jail overnight, I'd have thought Cullen would be pretty far down the list...James on the other hand…"

"By the way, has anyone seen the little rat lately?" Jasper asked Emmett.

"No one has said anything, but I bet he's on his way back to Seattle to get one of daddy's high priced lawyers."

"Speaking of parents," I began, "I need to talk to mine."

"I called them, man," Emmett said. "Don't worry, I broke it to them gently. You're mom was a little worried about you, but they're fine."

"Just the same," I said pulling Bella tighter to me and resting my head back on top of hers. "They need to hear it from me. Plus, I need to get a lawyer and everything, I think my dad knows someone who can help."

Back at the Pi house, Bella sat on my bed while I paced the room with my cell phone to my ear, waiting for my mom to pick up on the other end.

"Hello," came her musical voice.

"Mom? It's Edward."

"Oh Edward!" She cried. "I've been so worried!! How are you? Where are you?"

"I'm back at the fraternity house, Emmett, Jasper and Bella bailed me out this morning," I said. "I'm fine…but I'll have to stand trial in December. Does Dad still have connections over at Schroeter, Goldmark and Bender?"

"Yes, he still has lunch with Mark Burke every other Friday."

"Good, I think I'm going to need his help."

BPOV

I spent all night pacing around Emmett's room as he made calls to everyone from Edward's parents to just about everyone of his fraternity brothers. He was trying to find a way to get Edward out of this mess while simultaneously trying to track down James.

But, it seemed our little friend has conveniently dropped off the face of the earth.

I didn't get any sleep at all, so I decided to just skip my classes the next day. It wasn't like I'd be able to pay attention anyway, knowing that my Edward was somewhere unsure of his fate.

This afternoon, I sat on Edward's bed and listened while he calmed his mother. She gave him the number a lawyer named Mark Burke who worked in Seattle. Apparently, he was an undergrad with Dr. Cullen at the University of Washington.

Once Edward had tracked him down and set up an appointment to meet with him to discuss his case, he finally sat down on the edge of his bed and put his head in his hands.

"Have I apologized to you yet today?" He asked.

"More than you should have, I think," I said as I crawled to him and wrapped my arms around him. "You have nothing to apologize about."

"Yes I do, I can't believe I've put you through all of this worry," he said his voice weary from the events of the past 24 hours. "You don't deserve this."

I placed my cheek against his back and sighed. We sat like that for a few minutes, and it began to worry me that Edward wouldn't turn to me – or touch me at all.

"Edward, don't do this to yourself," I said. "Please look at me?"

He sighed and reluctantly turned, his eyes red-rimmed and filled with sorrow.

"I love you," I said. "And I'm sticking by you through this. I don't care what you did, I just want us to be able to put this past us."

He shook his head softly and looked at me, "I don't deserve you, Bella. You're too wonderful and beautiful and understanding."

"You're all those things, too," I countered.

I couldn't help myself, I let a yawn slip out before I could stop it. Edward chuckled and caressed my face gently.

"I'm sorry I've kept you up, Angel," he said as he began to lean me back against his pillows. "You need to sleep."

"No," I protested. "I'm not sleeping unless you're here beside me."

"I have things to do still, Bella."

"They don't have to be done right this second," I said. "Wait until tomorrow."

I held my arms open to him and gave him a pleading look. He balked for a moment and looked as though he was going to refuse, but he eventually gave in and lay down in my arms. He pulled me close and kissed my forehead.

"Sleep Angel, don't think anymore about what happened last night."

I nodded and closed my eyes, letting sleep wash over me.

I woke a few hours later and looked at the clock. It was 1 in the morning. I felt the bed beside me to find I was alone and I shot up immediately.

"Edward? Where are you?" I asked in a harsh whisper.

His head poked out of the bathroom briefly, "Sorry Angel, I just had to take a shower. I was beginning to smell pretty bad."

"You never smell bad, lover," I said.

A sudden grin crept its way onto his perfect face and he leveled me with his intense stare. "You've never called me that before."

"What?"

"Lover…I like it."

He sauntered back into the room in only a pair of boxers. I gulped a little too loudly and his grin only got wider. He almost looked like he was stalking me.

"I am your lover, aren't I?" He asked seductively as he stretched himself out on the bed next to me. "Your first lover…your only lover."

My heart was beating so loudly I almost couldn't hear him anymore. It was strange, we have made love before, but I was still a bit nervous about this whole thing. Especially when he got this lustful look in his eyes – every part of me felt like it was on fire.

"Yes," I replied weakly. "You're my first and only lover…and, if I have my way, you'll remain my only lover."

"That is what I intend as well," he said huskily as he began to reach for the hem of my shirt.

I sat up and allowed him to lift it over my head. As he turned to throw it to the floor, I unbuttoned my jeans and slipped out of them. He unclasped my bra and I shrugged it off before lying back against the pillow.

He stood up and removed his boxers before fetching a condom, and I pushed my panties down my legs while I waited for him to be totally prepared for our love-making. I'm sure I hadn't showered in as many hours as he had, but he didn't seem to notice. He rolled on top of me and dipped a finger into my core, checking to see if I was ready for him.

He grinned wickedly, "Nice and wet already…that's my girl."

A tiny moan escaped my lips as he stroked his finger in and out a few times, but that wasn't the direction he wanted to take this in. He quickly replaced his finger with his erection and held himself close to me for a few moments – just looking into my eyes and enjoying the intimate connection we were sharing.

His hands gently messaged my hips before he began to grind his pelvis slowly into me. His lips found mine as he trailed his soft yet strong hands up the side of my body; they rested on either side of my face.

"I…love…you…so much," he whispered in between his kisses.

His lips trailed down to m neck and suckled gently at the sensitive skin there. I was about to warn him not to give me another hickey – but decided I didn't care if Emmett got upset, Edward's feelings were definitely more important at this point.

I wrapped my legs around his waist to take him deeper into me. His hands were suddenly under my backside, his fingers dug into my skin as he began to pound even harder. He sunk his teeth into my neck and made a deep grunting sound – I sucked in my breath and tried not to show him how much it hurt.

I knew that he needed this release, and I was willing to take anything he dished out. We rode our climaxes together as he let go of my neck and buried his face in the pillow to muffle his screams of passion – I did the same into his neck.

He lay there afterward, splayed across my body. His weight was beginning to become an issue, but I wasn't about to make him roll over until he was ready; especially when I felt his chest began to contract and spasm against me – he was crying.

"Edward," I whispered as I rubbed his back gently, "Everything is OK…shhhh, don't cry."

It was the reverse of this morning; it was my turn to be the support he needed.

EPOV

Once I felt the sobs wrack my body, I just couldn't stop them from coming. The full force of the past 24 hours – coupled with our passionate love-making – had finally taken its toll on me and I gave in to it. It wasn't until Bella began to rub my back that I realized I was still resting all of my weight on her. I rolled over, bringing her to lay on her side with me.

I practically crushed her into my chest, "Bella, what am I going to do? This could ruin so many things for me. I'm going to have a record and this may keep me out of medical school – who's going to want to admit a criminal into their school?"

I was silenced by Bella's lips against mine. She kept them there for a few moments before pulling away about half-an-inch and gazing intently into my eyes, "Stop talking like that. This is going to all blow over, you'll see. Your dad's friend is going to help you get out of this; you probably won't even get so much as a slap on the wrist."

I snorted a laugh and she looked at me sincerely, "I'm serious, Edward. You've never done anything wrong in the past, and you have a whole fraternity house full of brothers who will take your side over James' any day. And, you come from a good family – you will be fine; everything is going to be OK."

I pulled her back towards me and stroked her hair gently, "Thanks Angel, sometimes I get a little carried away."

"Tell me about it," she laughed as she pulled away and turned herself so I could see the right side of her neck – there was a large, purple bruise there from when I bit her.

"Oh my god," I said, suddenly very upset again. "I am a monster. I'm sorry, my sweet, beautiful angel, I didn't mean to do that to you."

She laughed again, "It's fine, Lover. I kind of liked it, actually…it was exciting to be made love to so passionately."

"But, that didn't mean that I had to hurt you, it looks so painful," I said as I brushed my fingers lightly across the spot.

She grabbed my hand and brought it to her soft lips for a long, sweet kiss.

"Don't worry about me," she said. "Just try to get some sleep."

"Yes Angel," I replied as I wrapped her tightly into my arms and drifted off to sleep. I suddenly felt ten times better, like I could do anything as long as I had my beautiful, understanding angel by my side.

Sorry this was so short :-(

I think I'll get to the Thanksgiving trip in the next chapter. And, of course, James will have to cause a little more trouble; but fear not, he will get his comeuppance!!

By the way, if you've been reading my story "What if I am a superhero," it's been postponed until I finish this story. I just can't seem to concentrate on that one, but I WILL finish it, I promise!