You should take it as a compliment that I'm talking to everyone here but you. And you should think about the consequences of you touching my hand in a darkened room. ~ Taylor Swift, Gorgeous

..Sick..

"I thought a rehearsal dinner was just the wedding party and family? And aren't they the day before the wedding, not the week before?" Bella asked as she walked out of the closet. She turned her back to me, silently asking me to zip up the back of her dress. It went against every one of my instincts, but I slid the zipper up her back.

She was in a dark, sparkly looking thing. She kind of reminded me of a figure skater, the way the short shirt flowed with her as she moved, but I kept that thought to myself. I wasn't sure if she would take it as a compliment or an insult.

"You look beautiful, but you're going to freeze," I told her, rubbing my hands along her arms, hopefully creating some friction to warm her up.

Bella shrugged. "I've got a coat. Now, what's the deal with this party?"

"They're calling it a rehearsal dinner, but it's really just another way for Rosalie to get more attention. Like a pre-wedding celebration."

"You're sure it's a good idea for me to go?"

Bella had asked repeatedly if she should attend. Most of the attendees would be family and wouldn't speak a word about her, but there were also some of Rosalie's friends and various family business contacts coming. They all respected or feared us too much to do anything,

"Yes, it'll be fine," I told her. "Though, this isn't how I would have wanted to spend our night if I had a choice."

A week ago tonight was our wedding. We had both gone back to our normal schedules the Tuesday after, but things were different. We were different. All it took was the muttering of the word wife or husband for us to drop everything and start tearing at clothing.

In a few days we would be moving in to our new home where we would have countless new places to christen. I had already told Bella to clear her schedule. I wanted her constantly before, but the sight of her wedding rings, or that tattoo on her hip drove me crazy.

"There will be some… unsavory people there. Her guest list isn't like ours." Now came the moment I had been dreading. "Aro Volturi will be there, along with his family." Rosalie was, unfortunately, friendly with Tanya and Irina. Apparently, you couldn't invite the daughters without inviting the whole fucking family.

Bella stiffened in my arms, but I kept rubbing my hands along her biceps.

"I won't let anything happen to you," I promised.

"I know," she whispered, but I could hear the doubt in her voice, the fear.

I pulled the jewelry box out of my coat and turned her to face me. I got an indulgent smile as she saw the box.

"You need to stop buying me things. No one needs this much jewelry."

"This is the last one for now. Seven gifts for the seven days you've been my wife. I've never… been like this before. Been this happy, this open with someone, this free to be myself. You… our marriage is the greatest gift I could ask for. A few pieces of jewelry is the least I can do to repay you."

I was lucky we were alone, because if anyone else heard how much of a pussy I had become around this woman, I would be a dead man. My words got her to take the box, and the soft gasp and subsequent smile was all I wanted in return.

Bella trailed her fingers over the various strings of diamonds, all bound together to form a bracelet. She pulled it out of the box and fumbled with the clasp, so I took over and fastened it to her wrist.

"It's beautiful. Thank you." Bella played with the new bracelets on her wrists before whispering, "You don't have to repay me. It's the same for me."

I kissed her forehead and led her to the car.

On the drive up, I told her what to expect from the guests. Many still believed that wives should be seen and not heard, that they were to be arm candy for the night. The women would most likely branch off into their own group, while the men talked business. I hated the idea of Bella surrounded by the vapid, nosey women all night.

"Edward, Hollywood is a den of egotistical men and gossipy women. I think I can handle myself."

"I don't think it's quite the same, Bella."

"Just because we don't actually kill people, doesn't mean Hollywood isn't just as ruthless, sexist, and disturbing. Especially at my… level I guess you could say.

"The month leading up to my first Oscar win, every single night I had to go to a meeting or a party or an event. Every night I was surrounded by people that were perfectly polite to my face, and then ten minutes later I heard them in the corner talking shit about me. The men would hit on me and stare at me and make crude comments. I think I can handle a few gossipy mob wives."

This woman was made for me. Her soft smile, the slight cockiness as she talked about her past, her ability to put up with the shit my life entailed, everything about her was exactly what I needed.

"I promise I won't be far all night."

"Okay," Bella told me, and kissed my cheek as the car stopped.

The party was at one of my nicer hotels downtown, but not the same one where their reception would be held a week from today. I kept an arm tight around Bella's waist as we entered. It was already full, people were drinking and mingling amongst themselves. Emmett and Rosalie were in the center of the room, of course.

"Edward!" Adam Matthews approached, his wife on his arm. From what I could remember, she was cheating on him with at least three other men. I had been propositioned to once or twice, but affairs were messy. Adam was a fairly straight up guy, he was one of our more legal acquaintances and worked for the district attorney's office. He abided by most laws, but he was still a family friend. That alone could likely land him a few years in prison.

"Adam, good to see you," I said with a firm handshake. "This is my wife, Isabella Cullen." Damn, it felt good to say that.

"Wife?" Adam looked a little shocked for a moment, but then his eyes fell to Bella. She had a face that could make any serial bachelor change his ways. "It's nice to meet you, Isabella. This is my wife, Adeline. I'm sure she would love to introduce you to her friends."

Ah, there it was. The brush off of the wives.

"Of course," Adeline said all to willingly. I could see the gleam in her eyes at the thought of getting near Bella, the thought of a new girl to bring into her web.

Bella smiled, the one that didn't meet her eyes quite as much as usual. It was her fake smile, but to anyone else it would look completely genuine. I leaned down to kiss her cheek and whispered, "Find me if you need me," to her before Adeline and she walked off toward the women. I saw Alice there, so hopefully she would be civil with Bella tonight.

"She's beautiful," Adam said, his eyes on the women as they walked off.

I had brought dates to events like this before. I used to like it when the men would complement the woman I was with, because she was with me and not them. But the idea of these men looking at my wife the way they looked at those women was unacceptable.

"She's mine. You look at her like that again and her ass will be the last thing you ever see."

The night was a waste. I talked with men I had no interest in and kept an eye on Bella. She never faltered, I always saw the same fake smile on her face. By the time we sat down for dinner I was ready to leave.

"Are you okay?" I asked as I pulled out Bella's chair for her.

"Yes. Calm down."

"Was anyone rude to you?"

"It's nothing I can't handle, Edward. Eat your chicken."

I obliged and looked around at the surrounding tables. Wives from each one were staring over here. At first, I thought they were looking at Rosalie but I quickly realized they were staring at Bella.

"What did you do?" I asked her with a smirk.

"I just made it clear that they were to stop talking about how big my husband's dick was while I was around."

"That's what the women talk about at these things? Dick size?"

"Apparently."

"Are you sure you're okay?" I couldn't tell if she was upset or not. Her tone seemed a bit put off, but her words were telling a different story.

She sighed and finally looked up at me. "I'm fine. I just sometimes forget how… experienced you are in that department. I'm not the only one they asked for your size."

Hell. I looked around and saw the Volturi table, Irina and Tanya were snickering together.

"I'm sorry," I told her, because there was nothing else I could say.

"You don't have to apologize."

When dinner was over Bella and I sat at our table for a while longer. She may have said she was fine, but I understood how her brain worked. She would overanalyze everything. So I sat there, held her hand, and talked about how her film was finally complete.

"You're keeping to yourself more than usual tonight, Edward," the deep voice from next to me broke me out of my Bella-induced bubble.

Aro stood before us. I stood up immediately, pleased that I was a good five inches taller than him. Bella followed, but I kept her slightly behind me.

"Aro," I greeted, offering him nothing more. I had seen him a few times since the shooting, but every time made me sick to my stomach.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your lovely new wife?"

"No," I told him roughly. I squeezed Bella's hand and led Aro away from the table. I looked behind me and saw Bella sit back down.

"What do you want?"

"I just wanted to meet your wife, Edward," Aro smirked. You just wanted to scare her, bastard. "I have a… friend who is into acting. I thought your lovely Bellissima could offer her some advice."

I ignored his request. "Stay away from her."

"You can't protect her forever, Edward."

I ignored the threat as best I could because there was nothing I could do about it here. My plan for Volturi was a slow burn.

But when I turned back to the table, Bella was gone.

"Fuck," I went back to the table. Her purse was gone. I scanned the crowd but there were too many fucking people here.

"I had Ben take her to the car, she's waiting for you," Carlisle said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "She looked a little uncomfortable."

I relaxed and nodded at my father. I guess tonight was a good night for him. "Thank you."

When I slid into the car Bella had her head resting against the back of the seat and her eyes squeezed shut. She jumped slightly when I grabbed her hand. "It's just me, Bella."

She lifted her head and looked at me. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she hadn't shed a single tear yet. Her face was dry.

"He's the man who planned it."

It wasn't a question. She knew. "Yes."

"What did he say to you?"

"You don't have to worry about it, Bella."

It had been a long time since I had to hold her at night while she cried. It happened a lot early on in our vacation, while she was still coming to terms with everything that had happened with the shooting. She still talked to her therapist, though not as often anymore. She seemed to be doing better, moving on.

But as soon as we got back and she was in bed, Bella clung to me as she cried for everything she had lost, everything Aro had stolen from her.

..Sick..

Two days later we were forced back into the lion's den. Esme took her Sunday dinner's very seriously. She didn't accept excuses for absences easily. She also didn't appreciate tardiness. Bella and I had broken both rules in the past. We had both been busy and Bella had only attended a few Sunday dinner's in the time we had been back. And tonight, she was running late. Dinner started twenty minutes ago and she still wasn't back.

Not that I cared. I would happily order something to be delivered for us and spend the rest of the night ravishing her.

"I'm late, I know. I just need five minutes!" I heard her shout, and then saw a flash of brown hair run past my office door.

By the time I had logged off of my computer she was stumbling down the hall, trying to put her boots on and walk at the same time.

"Okay, let's go!" she said before she nearly fell down the stairs.

"Slow down, it's fine," I told her, making her sit at the top of the stairs to finish putting on her boots.

"How was the shoot?" I asked her as we drove to my parent's home.

"Good. Took two hours longer than it should have, but we got what we needed."

"And when do I get to see the finished product?"

"I can show you the movie next weekend."

"Really?" I had no clue how the process worked. Next weekend seemed fast, though.

"Yup. It's all done." Her relief was evident.

I never realized how much work went into making movies. I had never really been a movie or television person. I watched the news occasionally, and sometimes I got roped into watching things with others, but usually I was too busy to sit for two hours and watch something.

Now, I had watched everything that Bella had been in. She had an impressive catalog of appearances, so it took me a while, but I managed to see it all. She explained the process to me once, everything that went into making those movies, and it was surprisingly complicated.

I pulled her hand to my lips and gave her a soft kiss. "I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you," she replied and stretched over the console to kiss my cheek. Now that we were out more, around more people, I got a lot of kisses to the cheek. Sometimes my shoulder or hand, but they ended up on my cheek a lot.

On the island neither of us hesitated with our affection. No one was around, there was no one to judge us. But now, especially around family, Bella had taken to a chaste kiss to the cheek when she needed the affection but didn't feel comfortable with anything more. Personally, I would take her and ravish her mouth in front of anyone, anytime, but her modesty was adorable to me.

Dinner was nothing special. Esme was her usual passive aggressive self, and the moment of kindness Carlisle had shown Bella at the rehearsal dinner was gone and he was back to being the hothead he had become.

Bella was practically dead on her feet. I needed to get her home and in bed, but she had gotten pulled away with the women. I listened to pieces of their conversation from the kitchen.

"We should update your wardrobe to be more… Cullen wife friendly."

I rolled my eyes, even though no one could see me. No one like Alice Cullen to simultaneously offer to do something for you and insult you all in one.

"My wardrobe is fine, Alice."

"I'll pick up some things for you and have them sent to the house. When are you guys moving in again?"

Bella was no pushover. When she needed to, she stood up for herself and didn't let people walk all over her. Alice was just too pushy for her own good.

..Sick..

"Shouldn't we be… doing something?" Bella asked.

We were officially moved into our new home. People were working around us, unpacking and cleaning. It was only ten in the morning, but all of the heavy lifting was already done.

"You thought I would have you lifting boxes and unpacking?"

"That's usually what people think of when its moving day. Why did you let me dress like this?"

I looked down at her stretchy pants and sweatshirt. It was typical moving attire, I supposed. "Because your ass looks great," I said. It earned me a playful shove. "Because it doesn't matter what you wear, Bella. Come on, I'll show you around."

I walked her around the house and enjoyed the way her eyes lit up at the little things. Her hands trailed along the freshly cleaned surfaces and she smiled at every blanket that was draped over the chairs and couches.

I held my breath as I opened the door to the room I had made especially for her. There was a piano for her in the corner and space for any other instruments she might like. There were plaques with platinum albums on them that she brought back from Los Angeles hanging on the walls. I was pleased that the movers followed my instructions not to touch the awards in the boxes. Those would be the only thing I let her unpack.

"Do you like it?"

Bella had ventured into the middle of the room. "You did all of this for me?"

"Of course, Bella."

She wasn't used to people doing things for her. Every little thing I did, whether it was the jewelry or bringing home dinner, got me the biggest smile because she didn't expect it. Bella had spent too long taking care of everyone else that she forgot what it was like to not have to fend for herself.

She walked around the room and ended up trailing her fingers over the empty floating shelves.

I lifted up the boxes of awards and put them on her desk. "I thought you'd want to put these up yourself."

Bella ignored the boxes and wrapped her arms around my neck. "Thank you."

I pulled her into me. "Anything, Bella. I'd do anything for you."

..Sick..

"What do we know about her?"

"Not much. Name is Elena Rossi, but that could be a fake. There's not much on her before 1995. No birth records, no medical history, no social security. She's an actress, like he said. Never in anything big, just a few commercials and random television appearances."

"Rossi. She's Italian. Is she related to him somehow?"

"Could be. We've got an extensive history on all Volturi's and their relatives, though. We've never come across a Rossi. But, if it's a fake identity that doesn't mean shit."

"Have Liam tail her. It's no coincidence that Aro suddenly wants in Hollywood of all places."

"I don't understand his motive, though. What does coming after Bella do?"

"He goes after Bella, I get sloppy. With me out of the way Carlisle would be free to do whatever idiotic shit he's promised Aro."

"Thanks, man," Emmett scoffed.

"We all know you'd fold against Carlisle, Emmett." I didn't have time to sugar coat things.

"So, what do we do?" Jasper asked.

What do we do, what do we do? It turned out Aro wasn't lying. He did have a friend, acquaintance, girlfriend, whatever, who was trying to make a name for herself in Hollywood. Elena Rossi. He had stuck his neck out there for her on a few occasions and gotten her some small roles, but he had very few connections who could do much for him.

Hollywood and the mob never mixed well together. Until now.

I had an idea. In the back of my mind, I knew what I wanted to do to retaliate against him this time, but I hated myself for it. I couldn't ask her to do what I wanted.

"You know, Bella could probably – "

"No."
"I'm sure she's got plenty of connections, Edward."

"She does. But I'm not asking her to do something like that. What if it's exactly what Aro wants?"
"He would never assume you would ask her to do something like that. Bella could start a rumor or something, make it so no one wants to work with her. It's a little thing, but it'll piss him off."

"You know she'll do it, Edward," Jasper said.

I leaned back in my chair and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Yes, that's the problem."

Half an hour later we walked through the front door and the smell of smoke assaulted us. It wasn't typical fire smoke, it smelled like burnt food. Oh, Bella, what have you done? I nodded toward the stairs, and Jasper and Emmett headed up.

"Bella?" I shouted, heading toward the kitchen.

"Kitchen!" Yes, sweetheart, I know. The smoke gave you away.

When I got there, she was pulling something out of the oven, and more smoke flowed out as she did. The room was a mess. There was a pot on the stove that looked like it had been through hell, and whatever was in the oven was definitely dead now.

"Are you okay?" I asked, walking over to turn off all of the burners.

"No. I can't cook to save my life, I don't dress 'appropriately' to be your wife, apparently, and I don't have time to go to fucking brunch every Thursday!"

The image of Bella sitting at brunch with my family was too funny not to laugh at.

"Why are you laughing?" she grumbled.

I cupped her face and forced her to look at me. "Because you're adorable. You don't need to cook dinner. Throw the recipes my mom gave you away, I don't care. We can hire a cook." She tried to protest, but I continued. "Let me finish. I love the way you dress. Alice and Rose are stuffy and proper, but I love those shirts where your shoulder peaks through, or the jeans where I can grab your knee and feel your skin and not just denim. I'd much rather you skip the fucking brunch on Thursdays and have more time to spend fucking me on Thursdays."

Weekly Thursday meet ups sounded very appealing.

"This isn't a joke, Edward."

"I know, but I meant what I said. My parents tried to set me up with girls just like Alice and Rose, women who would have made a perfectly proper wife. I could have had all of those things a long time ago if I wanted. But I didn't want them. I want you. And I'm completely serious about Thursdays."

I finally got a little laugh from her, and then she wrapped her arms around my waist. "Thank you." Don't thank me yet, baby.

"I actually had something I wanted to talk to you about. Emmett and Jasper are in my office. Do you have some time?"

Say no. "Sure."

I grabbed her hand and walked with her to my office. One of them had pulled another chair across from the desk and placed it between the two of them. I walked her over to her spot, and then sat in my own chair.

"You guys don't need me to rob a bank again, do you?" Bella asked, a hit of humor in her voice, but I couldn't find the humor in it. "Do you?" she asked more seriously.

"No, no banks this time. I do have something to ask of you, though. If you're not comfortable with it, you can say no. Don't feel like you have to do it, okay?"

Bella nodded. "Okay."

"Have you ever heard of an actress named Elena Rossi?"

Bella furrowed her brows but shook her head. "Should I have?"

"No. She's a relative nobody as far as we can tell. Aro is helping her for some reason. He's been contacting agencies in California to represent her, and is trying to get her into award shows and parties. It's an odd move for him, but we want to make it as hard as possible for him to do it."

"That makes sense. Thwarting any and all of his plans will piss him off, at least."

I took a deep breath, hating myself for asking this of her. "How much pull do you have in Hollywood, Bella?"

"A lot," she said without a pause. "What do you want me to do?"

"Can you have her blacklisted? Make it so nobody wants to work with her?" Say no, say no, say no.

"Yes. I've done it once before."

My eyebrows shot up at that. It seemed very vindictive for her, very out of character.

"One of the guys from the Clash movies… the ones I backed out of… he went around telling people I was difficult to work with and rude to everyone. He pissed me off, so I made it so he never got anything more than a role as an extra. It's not my finest moment."

That made more sense. "You can say no to this, Bella," I reminded her, praying she would take me up on it.

"I know. I can do it, it's not that big of a deal."

I sighed, because there was more to my plan. More than I had told Emmett and Jasper. "There is one more thing. Can you get us into the events?"

Bella looked sufficiently shocked. "You want to do awards season? You're goading him."

"Yes. I want him to know I can take anything away from him and have it for myself."

I wanted to take everything away from the fucker. Just like he took everything from Bella.

"Or do you want to show him you only go to the best of the best?" I frowned at her and she elaborated. "I won at all of the big shows last year, the globes, SAGs, Grammys, and Oscars. If you win the year before, you're usually invited back and asked to present an award. But, what if we skip everything except the Oscars?

"The Oscars are the best of the best. If this woman is a serious actress, that's her end goal. But, we skip everything except the Oscars. We'll announce our marriage that day, maybe right before we arrive. We'll take over the biggest night in Hollywood."

Jesus. She was diabolical.

"We can do whatever you want, I was just –"

"That's brilliant."

"Are you sure you want to do this? We'll be putting a lot of attention on ourselves. The press is going to butcher us." You don't have to worry about me, baby.

"He's up to something. He's been too quiet lately, and then this? We're going to beat him at his own game."

It was decided.

I watched Bella for the rest of the night after Emmett and Jasper left, waiting for her to change her mind or freak out. Neither happened. She went about her usual schedule and by the time she curled up next to me in bed I was sure she thought the worst of me.

"Are you okay?" No. I'm sorry. "Edward?"

"I don't want you to think… I didn't know Aro was going to take this Hollywood route. I don't want you to feel used."

"I don't feel used. I didn't think that at all, Edward. If I can help you out, I'll do whatever I can. You wouldn't do that, I know it." God, I love you.

"I would," I told her honestly. "Before. Before I met you, I wouldn't have hesitated to seduce you if I thought I could use you to my advantage."

It was exactly something I would have done before I met her.

"Not to me, though," Bella whispered. It wasn't a question, but I could tell she wanted an answer.

"No. Never to you."

A/N: Oh, boy. We're getting close to the exciting stuff! Buckle up folks.