A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that already.
Giant kisses to everyone that voted for EverClear at the Indie Twific Awards. You wouldn't believe how many new groupies we picked up as a result of the exposure. Thank you guys for being so incredibly supportive.
One more chap this week, and then a break until next Thursday. I'm taking the baby to the beach for a few days. We need a break from all the craziness that is RL. But don't worry, the laptop is going with me.
Let me know what you guys think, you know that's what makes me purr.
There is a little unexpected citrus fruit in here for you guys. It wasn't really planned, but Edward had other ideas.
Chapter 11-Waking Up
BPOV
I felt as if I was swimming in a very deep pool. I could hear voices around me, but they were muffled and confusing. I struggled to make sense of what they were saying, but I couldn't. I could only catch bits and pieces.
"…do you think he'll say anything?" a soft tinkling female voice spoke from somewhere near my feet. I was aware that my feet felt…heavy. Almost like they'd been encased in lead or concrete. I tried to wiggle my toes, but all I managed to do was create a tingling sensation on the bottom of my foot.
"…don't think anyone would believe him…" a voice I knew I should be able to place responded to the bell-like woman's voice.
As I struggled to make sense of something, anything, I also became aware of a very cold sensation on my back. The coolness ran through my tee shirt into my shoulders, down my spine and even across the back of my legs. It was wonderful, almost like a life raft that I could see from beneath the water but just not quite touch. I shifted my body slightly to try and increase the contact with the icy…whatever…and I sighed when I was rewarded with a firmer press of the bliss behind me.
"Alice, how much longer is she going to be out?" the most beautiful voice I'd ever heard asked quietly. The rich deep texture of the voice was the perfect compliment to the chilly blanket that engulfed me. I never wanted to leave this place, wherever it was.
"Relax, Edward. She's already awake, she's just trying to come out of the fog of the medication."
Something in my head stirred at the name that had fallen so gracefully from the woman's voice. I tried again to focus on what I felt was something important. An icy breeze blew across my neck as my hair shifted away from my skin and then the softest kiss imaginable was being placed just behind my ear.
"Baby, open your eyes for me. Come on Bella, open your eyes," the perfect voice cooed in my ear.
It took less than a second for the ocean of fog to lift from my brain. My eyes flew open and I jerked myself around to find the source of the electric shock that had seemingly flown through my body.
Edward. Oh, God, Edward was home.
The moment I found his eyes, wide as he took in my apparently unexpected movements, I launched myself at him. His arms wrapped around my body and settled on my waist as he laid back into the mattress to let me consume him.
"Edward! Your back," I cried into his shoulder as I desperately tried to grab any part of him that I could reach. I felt his body shaking ever so lightly beneath me as he laughed at my behavior.
"Shh, baby. I'm here." He kissed the top of my head very sweetly as he continued to whisper words of comfort to me.
I closed my fingers into his hair, intent on kissing him. But the fire that raced up my arm at my actions allowed nothing but a shriek of pain. Tears pooled in my eyes instantly as the pain radiated across my hand and down into my fingers. Edward had flipped us the moment the horrible sound left my mouth and was frantically pulling the strips of Velcro on the brace that covered the lower part of my right arm. In a barely discernable move, he closed his fingers around my wrist. The feeling was better than the most frigid ice bag. Immediately, the pain turned from a sharp stabbing motion to a constant ache.
But Edward, in all his glory, distracted me from the ache by planting a searing kiss on my lips. It was forceful and tender at the same moment. My lips parted of their own accord and his tongue plunged in to my mouth. My left hand dug into his hair with all the strength I possessed and I locked myself against him, momentarily forgetting the pain and the other voices in the room. It was only someone clearing his throat loudly that pulled me from the heaven I'd been seeped in for the last several seconds.
"Lord Child, I go away for several days and I don't get so much as a 'hello'. Adonis here goes away for several hours, and you are mauling him. What gives?"
"Chip!" I yelled as I looked to my left to find my best friend stretched out casually on the bed beside me. He leaned over slightly, kissed my forehead and then smiled at me. "I really did miss you, Queenie. Did you have fun?"
"I have never had more fun in my life, Baby Girl. You would not believe the damage we did. They ought to name a city block after your sister for the sheer amount of revenue she generated in that city! It was fabulous. And we picked up quite a few things for you, Little One."
I rolled my eyes at him. After all the years that we'd been together and all the years of me protesting any form of "giving", he still tried relentlessly. It was endearing, but incredibly frustrating. I was trying to find a polite way to respond when I heard Edward groan softly from beside me.
"What?" I asked as I turned my head to look at him. He had a partially amused partially horrified look on his face.
"Nothing, Love. But we're gonna need 'Open Door' to hit triple platinum very soon if we let these two go shopping together often," he laughed. I didn't think I wanted to know the specific circumstances behind that particular comment.
I looked away, grudgingly, from my husband's smiling face and down to the foot of the bed where my sister was perched on the footboard. She was very gracefully tucked into a tiny ball of energy that balanced without a single waiver on the balls of her feet atop the three-inch piece of wood. Her smile was almost as glorious as her brother's was as she gazed lovingly at me.
"I told you I would be back before you knew it," Alice chirped.
I hadn't realized just how much I'd missed her until I looked into her shining golden eyes. She seemed to understand what I was thinking, because in the next second she launched herself across the bed and landed firmly between Chip and me. I curled my left hand backward around her neck as she hugged my torso tightly to her.
"I'd like to tell you that you look good, but damn, you actually look like hell," she quipped as she laid her head against my shoulder. "Is my brother letting you get any sleep at all?"
I blushed at her words but looked up at Edward. His crooked smile flashed across his face and then the adorably cute sheepish look reappeared for a split second. Rather than answer her question, I leaned into Edward and kissed him.
"Well," Chip laughed, "I guess that's your answer."
"Bella, I can't wait to show you some of the things we got for you. I think there may be a few items that my brother will appreciate as well," Alice smirked. "Rose also got you something…special. I'll let her give it to you later."
I did not miss the coy look that passed between her and Chip and for some reason, I felt like I should be blushing again.
"You want to tell me what happened?" Chip asked as he nodded toward my right arm, still clasped between Edward's long fingers. I felt Edward's body shudder and then tighten at the mention of my accident.
I could feel all eyes in the room staring at me as they waited for my explanation, but I knew which pair would be filled with fury. So I pointedly avoided his gaze as I spoke.
"Sebastian was being a shit, as usual. He grabbed my arm during rehearsal and when Emmett pulled me away from him, he didn't let go fast enough. It was an accident. He didn't mean to actually hurt me, he just…" I trailed off.
"Bella!" Edward's voice cut into my speech. "The son of a bitch broke your wrist, that was no fucking accident."
His voice was sharper than I'd ever heard it and he was shaking in his attempt to control his anger. I turned to look at him, hoping to soothe or reassure him, and was shocked at the stare that met me. His eyes had gone completely black and not in a good kind of way. There was a low rumbling growl emanating from his chest at a near constant rhythm. He was less like my husband than I had ever seen him. The only time I could ever remember him looking as menacing had been six years ago in Phoenix.
My vampire was pissed.
"Edward!" Alice's voice broke through the tension filled air, "Jesus, you're scaring Chip and your wife. Take it down a notch."
Chip just giggled at her words and looked at me. "Does he do that often?"
"No, only when he's really ticked or really worked up. Do you think you guys could give us a few minutes?" I knew I needed to talk to him about what happened, but I felt like I needed to do it alone.
The both nodded and silently rose from the bed. When the door had shut behind them, I rolled over slightly to face him. He was still stretched out across the bed, his fingers wrapped gently around my wrist. But everything about his presence screamed anger. His chest was rising and falling much too harshly and his eyebrows were pulled together in concentration. I reached across his fingers gingerly and pulled the brace back into place. When he realized what I was doing, he quickly moved to help me secure the straps in place.
"Thank you," I said quietly but he just nodded. I ran the fingers of my left hand across his furrowed brow and down his check. He closed his eyes and leaned his head into my touch, silently asking for more contact. "It's okay, Baby. I'm fine."
He leaned forward until his forehead was touching my own and took a ragged breath.
"It's not okay, Bella. He hurt you and I wasn't there to stop him. What if he'd grabbed…"
"Shh, Edward. He didn't and no one expects you to be there twenty four hours a day." I kissed him very softly as I spoke.
He pushed himself forward until I was lying on my back with him hovering above me. He was still leaning forward touching my forehead, seemingly unwilling to break the contact. I ran my good hand down his neck and over his chest.
"I missed you so much. I didn't realize how badly it would hurt to be away from you," I whispered into his ear. I felt his body shudder above me, only I knew this shudder was not anger induced.
"Baby, I need you. I need to feel you," he groaned as his hand began yanking impatiently at his belt.
I nodded and spread my legs farther apart to accommodate him. He didn't bother to remove his pants; he simply pushed them below his hips. He pulled the fabric of my underwear once and then tossed the lace remnants away from the bed. His eyes were clenched tightly closed and he still pressed his forehead against me as he entered me.
He moved so slowly and gently that it almost seemed dream-like, like I was still underneath the ocean of water from earlier. He seemed to be relishing in the feel of my body against his, even though we both still wore the majority of our clothes. I ran my fingers through the hair at the base of his neck, loving the feel of silken texture.
"I didn't know I could miss anyone as much as I missed you," he rasped out between gentle thrusts. "I just…I just wanted to get back to you. And then I heard you…screaming…and I…" Venom had pooled in his eyes as he looked down at me and even though I knew it would never give him the relief of falling, I was touched at the intense emotion behind the reaction.
"Shh, Baby. I know. It's all right. You're home and I'm fine. Everything is as it should be, Edward," I continued to whisper. He never broke his pace, but I knew his body well enough to know that his release was quickly approaching. He clenched his jaw tightly as he leaned forward to kiss me and I could feel the muscles of his stomach tighten. He thrust his hips three more times and then went perfectly still. I could feel his pulsing deep inside of me and I gripped his shoulder as tightly as I could.
After just a moment, he pulled out and lay his head on my chest, obviously listening to my heartbeat. I knew he was trying to calm himself, so I silently scratched nonsensical patterns into his scalp with my nails. He drew a very deep breath and then rested his chin on my chest to look at me.
"I'm sorry about that. I just…" he fumbled.
"Stop. Don't ever apologize for needing me Edward. God knows I need you in so many ways. Please, don't ever apologize for feeling the same way."
He laughed lightly and the most gorgeous smile graced his lips. He was stunning in his beauty as he looked up at me from underneath his impossibly long lashes. "I love you Bella Cullen," he laughed.
"And I love you, Edward Cullen," I answered with all the sincerity my heart held.
"And we love you both, now get your asses out here before we come in to get you," Emmett called through the door. "Edward, please put your pants back on, Bells, feel free to come out exactly as you are."
The scowl that flitted across his face was adorable. He slid sinuously off the bed and pulled his pants back over his sharp hipbones. I was momentarily stunned at the perfect "V" of his abdominal muscles and stared unabashedly.
"Um, I'm kind of feeling like a piece of meat here," he teased.
"Sorry, it's just that…well, you so…damn, you should never be allowed to wear clothes," I confessed in my stupor.
He laughed freely as he tossed a pair of soft yoga pants to me. As I awkwardly pulled them up with one hand, he disappeared into the bathroom. He returned seconds later holding a glass of water and a small brown bottle. He handed me the glass and then tapped two pills into the palm of his hand.
"What are those?"
"Pain killers. The doctor said you would need them pretty regularly for the next couple of days, until the bone has started to mend."
I did not miss the darkness flash across his eyes as he spoke, but I didn't say anything. I swallowed the pills without protest and then reached my hand out for his. He took it willingly and gently pulled me off the bed and toward the door to the living room.
"Carlisle will be here tonight, probably around ten," he said as he looked at me with an expression that left no room for argument. I should have realized that he would want Carlisle to look at my wrist and in truth, as pointless as it was, it would be wonderful to see him again.
Scattered around the small living room were most of the Cullens and EverClear. Rosalie sat imperiously in an oversized chair by the window with Emmett in front of her with his back against the chair. Jasper and Alice were curled around each other in one corner of the couch with Chip and Marcus at the other end. JP and Dimtri were sitting like kids; legs crossed over each other and backs slumped forward, inches away from the large television, playing a video game. It filled me with more comfort and love than I'd ever known in my life to see such a casual congregation of the most important people in my life.
Emmett rose from his place and walked quickly toward where Edward and I stood. He looked uncomfortable, something I had very rarely ever seen from him.
"Peanut, I'm sorry," he spoke very quickly. "I just wanted you away from that shit. I shouldn't have…"
"Em, stop it. Thank you for getting me away from him. What happened was an accident. It wasn't your fault, hell; it wasn't even really his fault. It was just one of those things. Do not beat yourself up, big brother."
His smile was filled with relief at my words, while Edward on the other hand had stiffened again. My brother wrapped his enormous arms around me awkwardly, since Edward was seemingly refusing to let go of my hand, and hugged me tight. He kissed me on the top of the head before he folded himself back onto the ground at Rose's feet.
Edward towed me across the room toward the other chair beside Rose and sat down. He didn't wait for me to sit in his lap, he simply picked me up under the arms as he turned and placed me against his chest. I leaned back into him as his arms encircled my waist.
"So I brought you something special back from New York," Rose said as she looked at me wickedly. She tossed a rather large drawstring bag to me with a small flick of her wrist.
Edward reached out and snagged the bag mid air. His right eyebrow was cocked as he stared at Rose incredulously. She never flinched at his gaze, only laughed lightly.
"I thought it might come in handy when Edward's away hunting," she said cryptically.
The bag was bright ping and sturdier than I'd thought it would be just by looking at it. I gingerly pulled the strings apart and stared horror stuck at the contents. Okay, so horror struck wasn't really appropriate. I was fascinated and completely embarrassed that I'd opened her present in front of a room full of people.
The beautiful script on the note tucked inside the bag proclaimed the contents to be "The Glassy Duet" but the name in no way gave away its true nature. Nestled inside on a pillow of pink fabric was a perfectly sculpted, perfectly smooth glass penis. It was rounded at the top and notched at the bottom. Part of me wanted to scream and throw it across the room and the other part, well, was exceedingly curious about it. I simply stared at it, my mouth dry as a bone.
"I have a friend, Michelle, that runs a business that specializes in 'toys'. This one in particular I think you'll find interesting. You can submerge it hot water to heat it up, or cold to...I think you get what I'm saying. Enjoy." She looked like the cat that had eaten the canary as she finished her explanation.
"Rose, your sense of humor is truly twisted," Edward sneered. Everyone else in the room was laughing hysterically, no doubt at the tomato red color of my face and neck as I stared the box in my lap.
"Sense of humor, my ass, Eddie. You can't give a girl the keys to the garden and then take them away when you leave," she bit back.
"I cannot wait until we get that back on the bus," JP screamed as he fell to his side laughing.
"Hands off, Asshole. It's mine and you are not allowed to touch it under any circumstances," I chuckled back at him, trying desperately no to look at Edward's still pinched expression.
"So, what time do we leave," Dimitri asked Chip, obviously trying to change the subject.
"What do you mean leave, she's not performing tonight. In fact, someone should call the club and cancel," Edward said calmly from behind me.
I wheeled around to stare at him. I was anything but calm. In fact, I was furious. His overprotective nature was one thing when it was only me that it affected. But his audacity at making such decisions for the band and road crew was incensing. He looked genuinely surprised to see my reaction. He opened his mouth to say something, but I launched myself off his lap before he could. I was distantly aware of JP letting out a low whistle from across the room.
"What exactly do you mean 'She's not performing tonight'? Exactly who gave you the power to make that decision?" I growled at him. I loved my husband more that anything in the world, but in the moment, I was livid. This was nothing but an accident, but it did not change that fact that we still had a job to do tonight.
"Baby," he said in a patronizing tone, "I just thought that today had been hard enough on you. Why make it worse with performing. You guys can always reschedule the show."
"Really? And exactly when did you make this decision? And when were you going to share it with me?"
"Bella, you're being absurd. Cancel the fucking show. You need to rest."
"And you're being petulant, Edward. Even if I agreed with you, which I most certainly do not, that is a decision that I cannot make alone. Everything that effects the band, everything, is a group decision! And pardon me for being blunt, but the last time I checked this was my band, not yours."
I knew my words were hurtful, but he needed to understand that I was not going to jeopardize everything we'd worked so hard for over the years for something as ridiculous as a broken wrist. He rose to his feet, his nostrils flaring and stood inches away from me. The silence in the room was deafening. No one moved or even seemed to breathe.
"Edward, I love you, but you cannot step in and try to take control of this." I turned to face JP and Dimitri on the floor, both of them trying not to stare at the fight that was unfolding before them. Both of them knew me well enough to know that my temper had taken control and that if it wasn't directed at them, they needed to be quiet. "Find Felix and Jane. Ask them to come in here for a few minutes please."
Both of them stood up and walked out of the room without a word.
"How are you going to play, Bella? Your wrist is broken. The doctor wants it immobile for a few days. That means a sling. How exactly are you planing on playing the fucking piano with your hand in a sling?" Edward growled.
"There is more than one person in the band that can play the piano. Jane does it every night. We'll adapt. It's what we do. Why is this so hard for you to understand?"
"You're right, I don't understand why you are being so unreasonable about this. What kind of point are you trying to prove or are you just that God damned hard headed?"
There was a collective gasp from all sides of the room at his harsh words. Chip shifted in his seat, as if he was about to rise, but I stopped him with a glare in his direction.
"The point? The point is that Sebastian fucking Steele is not going to take away what I have worked for years to achieve! I will march my ass up on that stage and sing the hell out of my songs as long as I have a breath in my body. He is not going to take that from me and I am stunned that you would let him."
He looked like I'd slapped him. Pain tore through every feature of his beautiful face. He stared at me, obviously at a loss for words.
"He is going to be there tonight, Edward. And I don't want to give him any reason to think that he's gotten to me. This afternoon was bad enough, but I will not give him my show as well."
"Actually, he won't be there tonight, Baby Girl. He apparently had an accident of his own this afternoon. His wrist is also broken. So, he's bowed out of appearing with you tonight, so that he can do his own show tomorrow night."
I spun to look at Chip. His words didn't make any sense.
"What happened?" I asked no one in particular.
"That would be me," answered Edward flatly. "I paid him a little visit after I made sure you were okay."
"What did you do?" I asked him, the anger fading quickly to concern.
"An eye for an eye. I also make it clear that if he ever hurt you again, it would be his final act." His voice was steely and cold. The vampire spoke, not the man. But I loved the vampire as well and I knew that his response was logical to him. But I was terrified. Edward didn't have all the information he needed and now there were serious consequences to be dealt with.
"Edward, you shouldn't have," I said quietly as I exhaled loudly. He opened his mouth to argue but I needed to finish. "He knows. I don't know how, but he knows. About you."
"If he didn't before sound check, he does now. I left no room for any confusion."
I couldn't process what he was saying. He'd knowingly exposed himself to a lunatic with a nationwide audience to confess to should the urge strike him. He'd done it willingly, with no concern for himself in order to protect me. Suddenly, my anger at the show felt very silly and childish.
"Baby, why? You didn't have to…"
"Yes, Bella, I did." He stepped forward toward me and placed his hands on my upper arms. "You still don't accept it, do you? You. Are. My. Life. If anything or anyone hurts you, even thinks about hurting you, it is my job to stop it. I love you, with everything I have."
I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled myself into his chest. His arms wrapped around my shoulders and he kissed the top of my head. He rocked us back and forth for just a moment before he pulled back enough to lean down and kiss me.
"What are we going to do about him," I asked quietly, still gazing into his eyes.
"I don't know yet. We got some information from our attorney on him. I don't think we need to make a decision until we read through it all. But in the meantime, please promise me one thing."
I cocked my eyebrow at him. He smiled quickly before his expression turned serious.
"Please, don't take any unnecessary chances where he is concerned. I heard what you said about not letting him take your success from you, and I get it. I'm sorry if it seemed like I didn't. But, Baby, the man is unhinged. We don't know what he's capable of. Please, let me be there anytime he's around you."
I nodded my acceptance of his request. It was a genuine concern, even if I thought he was overly anxious about it. Edward had always been overly anxious when it came to me, so I knew this would be no different.
"Ok, so until we see him again, we have a decision about tonight to make," I said, trying to convey that he was as much a part of the band as the rest of us.
"Actually, no you don't," JP called from behind me. I wheeled around in Edward's arms to see the rest of the band gathered by the door. "Majority rules, right? So the majority is that yes, we perform tonight. No, you don't play a single note. And if he's willing, Edward plays on stage with us all night."
I smiled at them as I felt Edward nodding his head behind me.
"And just to piss Asshat off, we think you and Edward should sing 'What Have You Done' and then follow it up with 'The Howling". Word will get back to him before midnight that you did it without him and it will send him into a fucking fit," JP laughed.
My smile grew impossibly wider at the thought of anything that would include Edward and piss Sebastian off. JP tossed an Ipod to Edward as he turned to leave the room.
"If I were you, I'd get to listening. You've got a lot to learn in just under three hours, Eddie. And your girl here is apparently a bad ass, screaming a freakin' vampire for God's sake. So get your bad boy mojo in gear.
Edward just laughed at him, but stuck one of the small speakers into his ear and pushed play.
"So, are you two ready to get dressed? We're gonna be crunched for time, even without your handicap, Doll," Chip asked as he rose from the couch.
"Yeah, let's do it," I answered him as I pulled Edward toward the bedroom. The look on his face was priceless as he concentrated on the lyrics of the song he'd be singing in just a few hours.
As we stepped into the bedroom, I heard Jasper chuckle.
"Rose, I don't think your present is going to get any use tonight. First fight make up sex? It sounds like whoever is in the next room may want to find somewhere else to stay tonight. I'm thinking it could get loud in there," his Southern drawl spoke amusedly.
Chapter Notes: So, Bella's present is a real product. One of my readers, Michelle, really does this for a living. The scene in this chapter was written before she made the suggestion, but she provided me with the details. Check out her website if your interested (really, who wouldn't be aside from some of my male readers…and even they might like the reaction their ladies get from it). Check her out at passionforromance (dot) net.
Let me hear it, you know your reviews make me edit faster. Next up is a point of view we haven't heard from yet.