Disclaimer: Any and all characters, songs, etc belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Vampire1817 my darling beta, thank you for the help.
*X*O*X*O*
Alice was grabbing soap and the pail for laundering as she got ready for the chore.
She walked outside with the pail and clothes she was planning on washing when her eyes caught something roaming around a few yards out, it looked human.
Whatever it was, it was shielding itself behind the trees.
She dropped everything and swiftly returned inside.
"Edward, Jasper, Emmett!" She cried frantically in a loud whisper.
All the men bursted forth from their room where they plan and strategize coming to meet Alice.
"What is the matter Alice?" Edward asked urgently with a stern face.
She pointed towards the trees. "There is a man out beyond the tree line."
All three men jumped into action grabbing their various hidden weapons, not once hesitating.
Jasper threw a bow across his back, the arrows ready and attached.
Emmett grabbed an axe made for battle.
Edward gripped a sword and unsheathed it, he led them outside.
Bella and Rose were heard laughing from the confines of Rose's room. They were finding Bella a few dresses that were more to her liking.
Alice stood inside her eyes focused on the men as they sought out the intruder.
Rose opened her door carrying a few gowns, her smile immediately faded and the fabrics fluttered to the ground as Rose ran towards Alice.
"What is it?" Rose asked in panic.
"A man was just beyond those trees, they are looking into for him now," Alice said her finger pointing in the direction the men disappeared.
Her voice was tight and shaky from nerves.
Rose gasped and let her eyes sweep frantically for any sign of the man she loved.
Bella was still in Rose's room grabbing the gown Rose just gave her.
It was lovely, the color of a blue birds wing.
She quickly dressed into it pulling at the strings in the back to tie it together.
That's when she heard it.
Men yelling.
She stopped her dressing and ran to Rose's window; her eyes darted everywhere and failed to see anything.
She then ran to find the women.
Rose was marching towards the front door to rip it open as Alice grabbed a few pieces of rope.
Jasper and Emmett were holding onto a man who was struggling in futile and screaming curses.
Bella gasped recognizing the man immediately.
Jasper flicked his gaze to her then quickly shot out a hand to Alice for the ties.
"No please, don't harm him, he is my friend," Bella pleaded, not knowing what was going to happen to one of her dearest.
Jasper and Emmett ignored her protests and tied him up shoving a cloth into his mouth.
Edward strolled through the door and gave Bella a very severe look which she returned.
"Is this your husband?" Edward hissed at her with a very dangerous wild look upon his face.
Bella looked genuinely confused and shook her head 'no'.
"He is my childhood friend Michael, we are still that to this day," she said bitingly.
Edward released a breath of relief and briefly closed his eyes.
When he opened them he looked less murderous.
"We will be sending him away when we send for your father, in the meantime he will be moved to a friend's home, he cannot stay here," Edward ordered sternly.
"Why not? He is harmless I assure you," Bella insisted.
Edward chuckled darkly and stalked to Bella gripping her by the back of her head.
He pulled her face close to his; both stared at each other with hardened features.
"This man was willing to have the whole village slaughtered to keep you. He is in love with you, he will not be allowed near you," Edward's voice was colder than a winter's storm.
Bella lifted an eyebrow her eyes still locked with his.
"Are you afraid of the competition? Or are you afraid I might return those feelings for someone other than you?" her voice low.
Edward didn't blink or even move for a time. They both were silent as everyone watched them.
Suddenly Edward growled and released Bella roughly.
"I have no fear of this man," he bellowed as he pointed his sword at a detained Michael.
"Then why do you have him tied? Does it bring you pleasure to see people at your absolute mercy?" Bella hollered back.
Edward breathed roughly through his nose and balled one fist; the other gripped the sword so tight it was shaking.
"Watch your tongue Bella or you will end up just like him for the rest of the night," Edward warned.
"Go ahead Edward, it will be one step further into proving to me you are the man I think you are and one step closer to losing me for an eternity," she warned right back not stepping down, if he truly loved her he would love her fire and all.
Edward snarled and brought his sword in the air launching at across the room.
It sliced through the air and pierced a piece of wood furniture. It was perfect aim, in the middle of a chair.
Edward rushed outside before he did something that forever lost Bella to him.
When Bella followed he had already disappeared.
She ignored him and went back inside to Michael.
Jasper was watching her every move as she walked over to the seized man.
Her eyes lifted swiftly to meet Jasper's, her eyes stayed locked with his as she removed Michael's gag.
As soon as she removed it her eyes lowered to Michael as he began his speech.
"Bella I have been so worried. Are you okay they haven't violated or hurt you have they? I will bring you home I swear," he rambled keeping his eyes on her.
She cupped his face and gave him her most genuine reassuring smile.
"No Michael, I have not been hurt. They have cared for me far better than the prisoner I am," she promised.
"You must be thirsty and hungry, would you like something?" she asked looking him over.
He was still her dearest friend, but nothing more, she could never love him.
She has tried and it made her sick to her stomach.
He could never be nothing more than a friend.
Michael shook his head 'no' and leaned forward so he could whisper, "If you can get me out of these ties I can take you away from here, take you home."
Bella smiled sadly and pulled away.
"They will never allow that, they would find us and have more reason to harm you. I am to become Edward's wife dearest Michael," she told him with a quivering chin.
She was getting emotional now that she had her friend. She always went to Michael for comfort after Angela was taken; she had no else after losing her sister.
Michael shook his head frantically in denial, and struggled even harder to release himself.
"No Bella, no," he bellowed as he thrashed violently against his restraints.
He was going to ask for her hand, he was going to love her; he was going to take care of her.
"Please calm down Michael, you are harming yourself," Bella begged as she knelt down next to him resting her hands on his arms.
"Bella that choice is yours, he can't love you like I do," he said as he kept up his resistance.
Michael knew most women didn't have a choice in who they married, but he truly loved her so he wouldn't ever force her hand like that devil.
From the exertion and exhaustion Michael finally gave up and stopped his futile struggle.
He was panting and he was drowsy.
"Bella, what of Charlie?" Michael asked quietly, trying to avoid the lone man with dark piercing eyes.
Rose, Alice and Emmett left to bring an outraged Edward back.
Jasper was listening and watching the two with keen interest.
Bella sat on the floor next to Michael.
"Demon is sending for him soon, he will join me in the west," Bella offered and brushed Michael's hair from his eyes.
"Demon?"
Bella gave a small chuckle and nodded.
"Edward, the Demon."
Michael snorted in amusement, only Bella.
They smiled fondly at each other.
"You were always one for making me laugh," he said tenderly.
Jasper shot over to them, he could stand this no more.
His movements were always stealthy; they had very little time to react.
Crouching down Jasper grabbed the gag from Bella's hand and stuffed it back inside Michael's mouth.
"This ends now," Jasper demanded his dark eyes narrowed at Michael in warning.
Bella narrowed her eyes at Jasper and clenched her jaw.
"Jealousy is the ugliest form of a man's never ending adolescence," Bella snarked.
Jasper gave her a wry grin. "Then let me be ugly, for it is far better than hearing foreplay in the form of words."
Bella made a face of disgust.
"You are no better than Demon," Bella huffed and stood.
Jasper just grinned and shook his head.
"It is your passion that keeps men at your knees," Jasper said knowing she heard everything that caused the rift between him and Edward.
Bella shook her head and suddenly felt sick.
She swallowed back the rising bile in her throat.
"Men at my knees? Is that supposed to be flattering? Women are just too terrified to speak as I have. You degrade us for desiring something other than breeding and cooking in your homes. Well guess what Jasper I have been humiliated beyond not even caring if you beat me, you took away all of my choices, and my voice the moment you men raided my village."
Bella and Jasper locked eyes neither one saying anything.
Michael began screaming behind his gag so the two would stop the staring contest. He was terrified for Bella.
Jasper looked lethal, and his dark eyes looked as though he was just barely hanging onto some kind of control.
Bella met Michael's eyes and he saw them water before she turned swiftly towards a door and locking herself in a room.
Jasper then turned his gaze to Michael, and Michael held back his whimper.
He was absolutely certain Jasper wanted to mutilate him, but held back for some unknown reason.
Michael had no doubts that these men were the most deadly in the entire kingdom, possibly even for endless lands beyond that.
The two men just stared at the other in absolute silence.
It was going to be a very long day.
*X*O*X*O*
When Edward returned he was calm, but his gaze was the same as Jasper's hard and calculating.
It was of Michael's demise, of that he was sure as he met the eyes of these men.
Emmett didn't seem to hate him as much, but he was just as scary.
Bella had yet to return to them.
Alice and Rose tried coaxing her out, but she still refused.
When it was time for dinner they all sat at the table stiffly stealing small severe glances at Michael, even the two women.
Suddenly the door to the room Bella was locked away in crashed open, her eyes held fire as she took in the scene before her.
She marched straight over to the stove and slammed a steel bowl down onto the counter and put the night's dinner into it hastily.
Gripping a spoon heatedly she moved towards Michael.
She said nothing.
She plopped down next to him and removed his gag.
Her eyes then snapped to the other pairs of eyes who were watching her warily.
"He is a human, he needs food you pigs," she hissed at all of them and stuck the silverware into the bowl taking a hefty serving and shoving it towards Michael's mouth.
Bella was whispering to Michael, words that Edward could not hear.
He gripped his silverware and glared at the little piss ant he could easily squash under his thumb.
Alice reached over and gripped his hand in her own.
"Edward, he is her dearest friend. She does not love him like that," she reassured with promise.
He shook his head not taking this situation well at all.
"I do not care Alice. She is to marry me in a few days time, she is mine," he growled slamming his fists on the table making the entire frame buckle under his force.
His intense gaze settled on Jasper who met Edward's glare head on.
Edward was furious!
He was fighting desperately for the love of a woman and two other men were drooling all over her.
"Marrying a man-child is even less appealing than you already are to me Demon," Bella chided from across the room as she still fed Michael.
She didn't even look in his direction.
This made him even more enraged.
He locked his jaw down to prevent him from saying something that would make this even worse, and wrapped his feet around the legs of the chair tensing his knees.
Otherwise he would get up and show Bella that he was a man, a true man.
One that had desires for the female body.
No child could do the things he wanted to do to her, of that he was certain.
So the rest of the night he kept his temper in check even though it was boiling and he was sure his muscles were flexing from restraint.
It was silent besides the soft chewing.
When Bella stood for bed and dismissed herself, Edward swore he saw Michael shoot him a smug look.
Oh how he wished he could drive his sword through his heart and see who would look smug then.
Edward shot Michael the darkest look possible making Michael tremble and turn completely away.
He even scooted along the floor like a stuck bug on its back in fear.
Edward gave a sinister smug smile of his own.
*X*O*X*O*
I swear that this is an Edward and Bella story!
There will be no love triangles!
Jasper will not try to take Bella away from Edward, he is falling in love with Bella, but he cares for Edward. So no stealthy sweep in from Jasper will happen here.
It will be love by glances, fantasizing, and very unrequited.
And well Michael that's just too bad for him…