I don't own Twilight or any of its franchise.

This chapter was amazingly speed-betaed by PTB's EdwardsFirstKiss and Arones and I can't thank them enough for the fast chapter return and patience!

A/N I'd advice you all to do a quick re-read since it's been so long. Apologies and explanations at the bottom so you don't have to waste more time before (finally!) reading chapter nine short though it is.

CHAPTER NINE

I can't begin to describe my elation at coming back to my dorm without Tyler. Seriously, it was amazing to know that I wouldn't have to fend off disgruntled offers of sex and sneering looks that inevitably brought Edward as close to rage as I'd ever seen him.

Judging from the small smile playing on Edward's face as we entered my living quarters, I wasn't the only one enjoying our Tyler-free surroundings.

"So," I stated, sitting down on my pristinely made bed with a contented sigh. "What happens next?"

"Whatever you want, Miss Bella."

Right. I rolled my eyes, somehow not in the least bit surprised by my butler's one track mind. Pushing past the brief stint of annoyance, I merely smiled and flopped backward on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. I was exhausted after my drama-filled week.

The next thing I knew, I was dreaming. I was aware that it was a dream right from the start, but to be perfectly honest, it was such a great dream that I didn't care one iota about waking back up.

Edward held me in those wonderful and powerful arms of his. His eyes burned into mine before they dipped lower to stare at my parted lips with nothing short of devastating hunger. I swear, I could almost taste him as crazy as that sounds when he came closer and closer until his warm lips gently slanted over mine in both the chastest and the most seductive kiss I'd ever experienced. This sucked since I knew I was only dreaming it.

Reluctantly, I dragged back to awareness with a small groan of discontent. The moment I opened my eyes, I realized two things: one being that I had once again been subjected to Edward undressing me since I was now in my nightgown and the other that my dazzling and frustrating butler was currently leaning over me with an undecipherable expression on his face.

"Gah!" I yelped, praying that I didn't have any morning breath and scooted backward till my back slammed into the headboard. The pain grounded me back to reality.

"Ouch!" The exclamation left my lips before I could control it, and of course, the mere idea of me being in pain sent Edward into a tailspin of his very own.

"Are you hurt, Miss Bella? Should I send for the doctor? I know you do not enjoy going to the doctor, but I'm sure it would be no bother to get him to come here. If you'll permit it, I can get some ice and to place upon your injury, minimizing potential bruising and swelling?"

In the next second, Edward completely violated my space when he unceremoniously gripped the silky fabric of my nightgown and began pulling it upward. "Here, let me get a better look, Miss Bella."

I had a brief, hormone-induced urge to grab his face and attack his lips to finish what I had begun in my dream before my senses came back. And I did what any proper young lady would — I screeched like a Banshee and pushed him in the chest as hard as I could, promptly making him fall off the bed. Only realizing a second later that he was still gripping my nightgown, the next thing I knew I tumbled off of the bed as well.

I'd like to say that I landed elegantly and got back on my feet with a serene and very ladylike smile of forgiveness. What really happened was that I landed on top of Edward's hard body with a curse and immediately tried to get to my feet. I scrambled backward, only to fall right back down again when I tripped over his long legs. That caused me to land with my face mere inches from his crotch, and for some reason, I simply froze in that position.

Unable to move and barely able to breathe, I laid there as the air around us began damn near crackling with electricity. His breathing slowed, so deeming it safe, I forced myself to look up at him and I proceeded to blush like I'd never before as his gaze locked onto mine.

"Miss Bella…" His lips barely moved as the words left his gorgeous mouth in a whisper that sent a tingling sensation down my spine.

His hands reached down and caressed my bare arms until he took a gentle hold of me and slowly began pulling me closer to him, giving me time to appreciate his firm body until our faces were right in front of each other. His green eyes darkened, and Edward suddenly looked down at my lips before meeting my gaze once more just like in my dream.

By now, I couldn't breathe properly, and the only thing running through my head was an impossible notion that Edward definitely seemed like he wanted to kiss me. I licked my lips in silent anticipation, and I swear his eyes damn near turned black as coal when they traced my movement.

"Bella…" My name was whispered like a prayer, and it was the first time Edward had ever put the 'Miss' aside. I closed my eyes, eagerly wanting him to close that last little distance between us. I could feel his warm breath caress my face as he followed my silent wish. I could almost feel his lips upon mine when the door to my room suddenly burst open and the next thing I knew, I was lying on my bed with Edward standing frozen in a half crouch in front of me, glaring up at our intruders.

Alice's slightly mad grin increased to proportions that would've normally freaked me out. But at the moment, I was too caught up in getting control of my blush and – more importantly – my hormones.

"Hiya," Alice chirped, balancing one of her many knives on the tip of her index finger, "Jazz and I just stopped by to say hi. Say hi, Jazz."

Jasper bowed stiffly without any hesitation and said in his hoarse tone, "Howdy."

Alice beamed proudly before unceremoniously dumping herself down next to me and looked around with a growing air of disappointment. "Oh, no snacks tonight?"

Hi indeed. I grinned briefly, barely managing to stop myself from rolling my eyes at her. I shouldn't be surprised by now, seeing as the two of them had somehow managed to worm their way into my room coinciding with one of the many delicious snack-times that Edward served me. The two of them generally ate my food so fast that I had to be careful that they didn't steal the food right out of my hands.

"But I'm hungry," Alice whined, looking up at the much taller Jasper with beseeching eyes. He nodded and promptly knelt on the floor with an equally pleading look on his face.

"Food now, please." His usual monotone had more than a hint of unashamed begging to it.

In that moment, my embarrassment was gone from what had almost transpired with Edward and shared a very exasperated look with him instead.

"Wow," I murmured and shook my head while Edward denied any willingness to cook. He may or may not have told them to beat it as well, albeit in a much more polite way that I pretended not to hear.

Alice rolled her eyes and jumped to her feet again. She rubbed her stomach with one hand, while the other effortlessly juggled her knife in a way that made me fear the next time I blinked, she would've cut one of her fingers off.

"Well then," she chirped merrily as if she and Jasper hadn't just acted like a couple of starving toddlers. "It's getting late, and Jazz says I need to sleep six hours at least once a week. Night Bestie," she added before taking me off guard by pecking me on my cheek roughly and vanishing just as quickly as she'd come. Jasper stood immobile for a long minute, staring forlornly at Edward as if he'd change his mind, but then he too disappeared without warning behind one of his signature smoke bombs.

Their abrupt departure left Edward and me in an uncomfortable silence that I had no idea how to break. I mean, we had been in the middle of something when we'd been interrupted. Now I was left with an unfulfilled feeling that made me wish Edward didn't live in my rooms because I could really use some private release, if you know what I mean…

I clenched my thighs and prayed that he wouldn't notice, but I quickly saw that it was in vain. Edward's eyes darkened again, and they were trained on my body. I bit my lip and tried to breathe calmly, and after a few moments, I finally seemed to get a hold of myself.

"Edward," I said, waiting until he looked at my face again before continuing softly. "I'm going to sleep now. I'll see you in the morning."

Was that a flash of disappointment I saw? I shook my head in silent denial, because there was no way that Edward Masen, the most perfect of butlers and men could ever willingly want to be with a boring and plain girl like me.

He's only acting like he wants me because I'm his mistress, I told myself gloomily as I threw my blankets over me to escape his presence for a little bit. If we were two normal people, there's no way Edward would look my way for a second. I shouldn't give in to temptation just because I want him. The whole thing reminded me a little too much about forced sex, and I didn't appreciate that idea at all.

I took a deep breath and released all my want through my exhale, slowly letting go of the sexual tension still rushing through my body until I eventually succumbed to sleep. Sadly though, my dreams weren't helping, and I woke up the next morning right on the edge of orgasm from dreaming about Edward making passionate love to me.

The morning sun shined brightly and chased away the cobwebs in my head as I slowly sat up. I was frustrated beyond anything I'd ever experienced before, and when I looked up, I spotted Edward standing calm as always by the vast breakfast table he'd set up for me.

There was no sign of the man I'd briefly experienced the night before, and my frustration transformed into irritation. My need for release took over, and I all but jumped out of bed, for once not stumbling like a bumbling fool and raced toward the bathroom.

"Miss Bella?" Edward sounded concerned, but I didn't give him another look as I ran past him and slammed the door in his face, ordering him to leave me be while I got ready.

As soon as the door closed and locked behind me, I slid down to the floor and without any hesitation my hand made its way down into my underwear. It was almost embarrassing how quickly I fell to pieces, a few rough touches and it was all over. I moaned Edward's name through my other hand that I'd put over my mouth to muffle my sounds as much as I could.

My heartbeat slowed after a few moments, and I reveled in the feeling of release that still lingered. When I felt more like myself, I got back to my feet and jumped in the shower so I could start my day.

Fifteen minutes later, I was dressed in my school uniform and opened the door to eat some breakfast only to freeze in my steps when I looked at my butler.

For the first time, Edward wasn't looking at me the moment I entered a room. All of his attention seemed trained on pouring me my usual cup of morning coffee, but upon closer inspection, I realized that he was subtly shaking, and I frowned. A second later, I spotted the hint of a blush on his skin and immediately understood what was going on. He'd either guessed or, what would be worse, heard what I'd just done in the bathroom and was trying his damndest to act as if everything was perfectly normal.

"H-hope you made enough for Alice…" I mentally slapped myself at the lame statement, but quickly continued when Edward looked at me with puzzlement. Evidently, my words had momentarily derailed the awkwardness. "I mean, she didn't get to eat any of your food last night after all…So, I better hurry before she barges in here and steals it all from me."

Without another word, I gracelessly fell into my chair and took a big gulp of my freshly made orange juice to give Edward a chance to speak. Fortunately, he seemed to get my point.

The smile on his face was almost back to normal when he replied, "I have taken the liberty of bolting Miss Alice's door and windows from the outside, Miss Bella. It should stop both her and her butler's efforts to ensure you going hungry at least for the time your breakfast is being served."

I grinned half-heartedly and began buttering a piece of toast just to occupy my hands. We didn't speak another word to each other until I'd finished and Edward deftly cleaned up after me. Again, I had to admire the mere speed and elegance my butler moved at, but I quickly had other things on my mind when Edward suddenly stopped and stared at me in a very tense moment.

"What?" I prayed that he wasn't about to do the unthinkable and mention anything. After all, things had been going so well with a little blatant ignorance here and there. I should not have bothered hoping…

Edward sighed and then broke all my flimsy hopes. "I have mentioned this before, Miss Bella, but I am here for you. I will do anything you wish and desire with the utmost pleasure."

I had a brief urge to run back to the bathroom and dunk my head in a tub of ice water to cool down my burning face, but I managed to curb it after a long frozen pause.

"I—I don't think that'd be a good idea, you know?" I muttered, grabbing my book bag to follow at least some normal routine. "I'm just…You're…You know what? I'm gonna be late for class," I finished, hating myself for the part of me that had instantly wanted to take Edward up on his offer.

Today's gonna be an easy day, I thought to myself as I all but ran to the Pink Horror and expertly ignored the bemused looks the pilot gave me when I inelegantly crawled inside.

Edward was by my side immediately, his training seemingly back at the forefront of his mind as he quickly made sure I was buckled in safely for the trip. Once satisfied with his work, Edward handed me those huge headphones that I had to wear to be able to hear either him or the pilot talking over the loud noise of the helicopter. I mutely put them on and continued to try and not think too much about all the things that had almost happened – especially his knowledge of what I'd been doing in that damned bathroom!

Instead, I focused on the positive of the last few days. Lauren's behavior had probably changed toward me now and that was pretty much the best thing ever, considering her cutting words had made it a lot harder to live in peace at this weird school that I was now reluctantly calling home. Alice hadn't eaten my breakfast today and…

I groaned and placed my head in my hands. "If that's the positive of my life these days, I'm screwed."

"I beg your pardon, Miss Bella?"

"Nothing, Edward." I faked a smile and looked out of the helicopter's window to avoid falling into a dazed trance like I usually did when I wasn't careful. "I was just thinking about something – don't worry about it."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could swear I saw him sigh dejectedly, but that was probably just my teenage hormones playing a trick on my eyes. Edward wasn't really attracted to me; it was just his weird butler training that had made him able to deliver whenever his employer wanted to get laid.

Yeah, I thought, biting my lip harshly as I tried getting the idea firmly into my mind, that's it. There's no way he'd ever truly want to be with me like that unless it was an order.

"Miss Bella?"

I flinched as Edward placed his cool hand on my shoulder, ripping me out of my own head more securely than anything else ever could have hoped to do. "Yes?"

"We've arrived for your classes," Edward explained, and he got out of the Pink Horror to elegantly help me exit this time. I looked up at the huge building where I now received my education and sighed.

At least there was a low probability of any drama today…

0o0o0

The moonlight cast an illuminating light through the windows, disappearing when a cloud passed through its path, leaving the room's occupants in darkness yet again.

"Is the plan ready to begin?" a voice asked coldly, the chillness matched the almost evil looking eyes that stared in fascination at the thin expensive looking glass sitting on the only table in the room.

"Yes," another, deeper voice replied. "I'll begin to execute your orders tomorrow before the first classes begin."

"Good," the first person stated and glanced at the last person standing quietly behind them. "And do you have anything new to add that may help my plan?"

"I'm sorry, no." The reply was fast and timid as if knowing it wouldn't be taken lightly. "Edward keeps his eye on her everywhere they go, so I haven't been able to try anything since my initial attempt."

The glass was picked up and gently stroked, as if lovingly, before there was a response from the first person. The tone of voice was eerie calm and collected as if barely holding back an eruption. "I guess I shouldn't have trusted you so much then, but fret not, because fortunately for you I always have a backup plan."

There was a brief pause in which the gathering clouds outside finally burst, and the rain descended in pours that brought a false feeling of serenity with it. Suddenly, the grip on the glass tightened enough to crush the delicate item and a wayward shard of glass bit into the soft skin, causing it to bleed profusely.

The pain didn't even seem to faze the injured, the voice just transformed into a near hiss as it exclaimed, "This time it will succeed even if I have to murder Isabella Swan with my own two hands – do you understand me?"

The other two people present nodded in agreement, and soon after, the silence returned, broken only by the sound of the rain and the occasional crazed laugh from the still bleeding plotter.

TBC…

A/N I hope this sated you all a little till next time. I'm soooo sorry for the absence! I have high hopes that the wait shall not be as long again, but I've grown wiser and won't outright promise anything. That said, I truly love your comments and they are the reason I didn't just delete the story to pick it up at a later date. Thanks for the support!

As for why I completely fell off the grit, well… Here are the sad cliff notes: Moving, losing a promised job, nearly forced to move again due to lack of funds, an ill grandma, who got injured twice over a short period and who can't seem to realize that getting injured means taking it easy. A beloved uncle with lung cancer, who finally beat it only to die abruptly from pneumonia following a non related and supposedly safe surgery. Mourning and grief and then a car accident for me, turning into a panicked doctor stating I had dangerously high BP and shouldn't be as fine as I seemingly was – enter cardiologist and a whole bunch of tests. After that got sorted I got a new education opportunity that has helped a lot in other areas as well and now *fingers crossed* I'm ready to tackle a new year and lay my all in my writing again…

Sorry for the epic note, shan't happen again, but after the nice and not so nice PM's wanting an update, you deserved to know what's been going on :)

Until Next Time

Ditte Mai