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CHAPTER 12

EDWARD

I walked into the living room to see my angel and my sisters in a heated debate over what movie they were going to watch. I watched in fascination, leaning in the doorway.

"For God's sake, Rose!" Bella said, blushing and fighting a smile. "I am not watching Pretty Woman. How many times do I have to tell you?"

Rose fell over on the couch, laughing hysterically. I caught one quick flash of something in her mind: my name and a piano. I couldn't even imagine what that was about.

Alice was ignoring them both, still looking through the many titles we owned. She finally piped up with, "How about Princess Bride?"

All three girls cooed at the same time, but Rose said, "No, we just watched that one not long ago." She sighed. "Oh, but Wesley..." They all drifted off with dreamy expressions on their faces.

I couldn't read Bella's mind, but both my sisters had the same thing running through their heads: true love, the man in black, giants, sword fights, and something about a kissing book. I had to stop myself before I snorted.

My Bella got up and headed to the shelf. I watched as she bit her bottom lip, trying to appease everyone. She pulled out a movie and held it up, asking, "How about Pretty In Pink?" The other girls nodded excitedly. She saw me in the corner of the room then. "Edward!" she cried, and a glorious smile lit up her beautiful face.

"Hey, sweet girl," I said, chuckling and holding my arms out for her.

She ran into my arms, kissing me sweetly. "Your sisters wanted me to watch a movie before we head to my house. I need to check on things since Charlie just left and pick up a few things. Is that okay?"

I smiled, nodding. "Sure, love, anything you want."

Once the movie was put in, my brothers came downstairs and joined us. When they saw what the girls had picked out, they both groaned.

"Isn't this a girlie movie?" Emmett asked with a scowl.

All three girls shushed him, and he looked to me. "I don't think you'll win this one, Em," I said, chuckling.

I sat down on one of the couches, pulling Bella between my legs, her back to my chest. Jasper sat in a chair, curling Alice into him and resting his chin on her head. Emmett sat on the floor, laying his head on Rose's lap.

Emmett didn't give in so easily. "Can't we watch 300 or Gladiator? Anything but this..." he whined.

"No!" they all yelled at him.

Jasper and I chuckled.

"You know, Emmett," Alice started, "it's disturbing that you would want to watch a movie with scantily-clad men. Is there something we need to know?"

Bella burst into giggles, burying her face in my chest.

Emmett glared at Alice for a moment. "Shut it, short shit," he said and then mumbled something about too much estrogen.

She stuck her tongue out at him, laughing, and we all joined her.

I could see the attraction that Bella may have had to the movie. The girl, living with her father...not having much money...falls for who she thinks is the "unattainable" guy, who happens to be rich. Neither sets of their friends wanted it to happen. The lead girl was the strongest out of all of them, able to stick to what she knew was right, rather than what other people thought.

There was a part where he wasn't brave enough to tell her the real reason they were breaking up, and I felt Bella's warm hand slip into mine. In the end, the guy finally admitted to her that he hadn't believed himself to be strong enough to face the adversities.

"What an asshole his best friend was!" Emmett exclaimed, scaring us all. "But Duckie was cool," he said, grinning like a fool.

All the girls threw pillows at him.

~oOo~

BELLA

I'd told Charlie that I would check on the house while he was gone, but I knew I'd better check now, too, since he had left that morning. Edward was ever-so-patient as to drive my truck. I'd told him it had been neglected because we were driving the Volvo so much. The look on his face as he drove my antique vehicle was an adorable mix of frustration and surrender.

"It's a good thing we came," I said, sighing and walking into the kitchen.

Edward leaned against the counter and asked, "Why's that, love?"

"He left a ton of dishes and the coffee pot on," I said, turning it off. "I'm just going to grab a few things out of my room and then wash these up real quick. You don't mind, do you?"

He smiled, shaking his head. "Are you kidding? It's quiet here. Listen, no Emmett...no Alice..." He grabbed my waist and pulled me close. "Hmm, I could get used to this," he said, picking me up and setting me on the counter. His head bent to my neck, and he was skimming his lips across my skin.

Not one to miss an opportunity, I wrapped my arms and legs around him. "I see what you mean," I said, my voice faltering at the feel of him.

He groaned when my legs pulled him closer to me. One of his hands cupped my face, lightly stroking my cheek with his thumb.

He pulled back, looking in my eyes, and whispered, "I love you so much, do you know that?"

For some reason, my love for Edward became almost too much to bear. I nodded, tears welling up in my eyes. I didn't know if it was being all alone, all the barriers that we had broken down, or just the fact that this beautiful, sweet man wanted nothing more than to be with me, loving me.

"Bella, what's wrong?" he asked, wiping the tears that spilled over.

"Nothing," I hiccupped. "Nothing at all. Everything's perfect...you're perfect." I tried to steady my breaths. "I don't have the words to express to you how much I love you," I said, leaning into his hand that was still on my face.

A gentle smile came across his face as he pressed his forehead to mine. "I know what you mean. Sometimes I feel I can't say it enough." His sweet breath washed over me as he spoke.

His lips touched mine in the softest of kisses. There was no urgency or need, just love. He deepened the kiss by lightly touching his tongue to my bottom lip. I melted into him, just letting myself hold onto him.

There were still moments that I felt he would disappear or could be ripped away from me. Those thoughts were fewer now, but they still showed up every now and then. We'd only been back together for a little over a week, and my feelings for him had not necessarily changed...but they'd definitely expanded. My fears weren't as bad because I could feel his determined hold on me as well.

If anything good came out of his leaving, it was all that was happening between us. We were more open, more sincere than we'd been before. I hadn't realized it then, but lately, I could see how both of us had been holding back.

"I better get my stuff," I said, loosening my grip on him. "Down, please." I smiled as he chuckled, kissing the top of my head while setting me back on my feet.

I went upstairs to my bedroom and grabbed a few sets of clothes, throwing them in a bag I'd brought with me. Eventually, I was going to need to do laundry again...whether here or at Edward's. Knowing Alice, she would rather go shopping than see me wash anything.

I went in my bathroom and got another shampoo and body wash, tossing it in the bag with my clothes.

When I finally made it downstairs, I could hear Edward on the phone. He was furious.

"Well, stay where you are, Alice," he said, pacing the kitchen, "and tell Carlisle that I'll be there as soon as I can. Call Emmett and Jasper and send them to Bella's to watch out for her. I'll be right there."

My heartbeat picking up pace alerted him to my presence in the room. The only thing that switched Edward's personality that fast was Victoria. "Where is she?" I whispered, stopping in mid-step.

He shut the phone and walked to me, pulling me close. "Alice was with Carlisle and Esme, and they spotted her in the woods by the house. They're tracking her now. Emmett and Jasper are going to come be with you for a few, okay?"

All I could do was nod. I hugged him closer to me, not wanting to let him go but knowing that he wanted to stop her.

His phone went off, and he looked at the screen. "My brothers are on their way here. I'll come back when I can, love." He kissed me quickly and bolted out the door.

I picked up my bag, set it in the chair in the kitchen, and walked over to clean the few dishes that Charlie had left in my absence. I heard the door and expected Emmett and Jasper, but when I turned around, Jacob was standing in my kitchen.

"Everything's perfect...you're perfect," he whined, mocking me with my own words. "That's such shit, Bells, you know that?" he asked, stepping closer. "Here I was...taking care of you, loving you, being patient for you...and that bloodsucker shows back up, and you welcome him with open arms."

I tried to back away, but he lunged for me, knocking me to the floor. My head smacked back against the floor, and for a moment, I saw stars. "Shit," I gasped, shaking my head to try to clear it.

I tried to get up, but his large frame was holding me down. "Jake, get off of me. Why can't you just leave me alone?" I growled, struggling under him.

"No, Bella, I don't think so," he said, forcibly taking my hands and holding them above my head. He reached down with his other hand and forced my legs apart, lying between them. "I should have made you mine a long time ago." I felt his hand start at the button of my jeans. "Maybe we wouldn't have had this problem that we do now."

I panicked, screaming, "No!" I couldn't get enough leverage to move, so I tried everything...screaming, squirming... Finally, I spit in his face. It caught him off guard enough to make him back off me for a moment, and I took the opportunity to bring my knee up with all the force I could to his groin.

He fell over, holding himself. I wriggled out from under him, only to be caught by my foot and dragged back to him. I tried kicking him with my other leg but could never make purchase. Just as he raised his fist to punch me, I felt the weight of him lift off and heard a smashing sound across the room.

I stood up carefully and saw Emmett holding Jacob up against my kitchen wall by his throat. Glass and plaster were everywhere.

Jasper was by my side in an instant. "Bells, are you okay?"

I nodded and saw that he had taken out his phone.

"Carlisle, is Edward with you yet?" he asked, listening. "Well, only you can control him on this one... He needs to come back to Bella's. Now." He listened again and said, "No, it's not Victoria. It's Jacob Black. Oh, shit, he heard me, didn't he?" He closed the phone and turned to Emmett. "We have to wait. Edward's on his way."

Emmett turned to Jasper and said, "Come hold this mutt, will you? He stinks," he said, handing him over.

I took notice for the first time that Jacob was stuck. He was struggling, but it was not doing him a bit of good. That issue didn't change when Jasper took over for Emmett, and I could see his body vibrate, wanting to transform. They were constricting his airway just enough that he couldn't do anything; he was barely able to breathe.

Emmett strode over to me, picking me up with his arms behind my legs. "Little sis, are you okay? Seriously?" he asked, carrying me over to the kitchen table and setting me on top. "God, Edward will kill me if anything's broken on you."

I snorted at the thought. "I'm fine, Emmett, I just bumped my head," I said, rubbing the knot that was already rising. "It's not the—"

My sentence was cut off by the sound of my door slamming open.

Emmett and I turned to see a livid but well-controlled Edward fly threw the door. His eyes were black, assessing the scene in my little kitchen. When he saw me, his eyes softened just slightly. "Are you all right, love?" he asked, standing in front of Jasper and Jake.

I nodded, watching him close his eyes and take a deep breath.

He turned to Jacob and, with a low, deliberate tone, said, "Mongrel, she has asked you, her father has asked you, the police have asked you...and I told you to stay away from her, but you just can't seem to help yourself. I told you not to touch her," he said, and his fist moved so fast, I could barely see it connect to Jake's mid-section. Jasper struggled to keep him upright.

I jumped at the sound, gripping Emmett's sleeve. He hadn't moved from my side, but he was tense, waiting for his chance.

Jake went limp, and Edward picked him up by his throat. "Emmett, keep her there," he demanded, pointing at me and carrying Jake like he weighed nothing. He and Jasper were shoving Jake toward the door.

I looked up at Emmett and asked quietly, "He's going to kill him, isn't he?"

Emmett looked at me and nodded. His expression was scary.

I tried to stand up off the table, but Emmett caught me. "Edward, wait," I cried, struggling against Emmett, which was impossible.

Edward and Jasper froze, turning toward me.

"Edward, don't. He's not worth it," I said, squirming away from Emmett.

"Bella," Edward started, but I interrupted him, speaking to Jake.

"Jacob, you do realize they're about to kill you, right?" I asked, and all he could do was nod, his eyes tearing from the hand holding his throat.

All of the guys went still, listening to me.

"You realize I could grab Charlie's gun over there"— pointing to the corner where it hung—"and shoot you now, and it would be justifiable homicide for home invasion, right?"

He nodded again, and Edward flinched.

"So, I am holding your life in my hands, Jake," I said, folding my arms across my chest.

"What do you want, Bella?" his voice rasped.

"What do I want?" I asked, laughing darkly and rolling my eyes. "What I want is to give you every pain you have given me and then some, Jake."

"Sweet, sis! Can I help?" Emmett asked, coming up behind me.

I held up my hand to stop him. "Do you know what you've done to me, Jake?" I yelled, my eyes narrowing in hatred. "There's not a spot on me you haven't bruised. You were supposed to be my friend, and now I hate you. There isn't a memory I have of you where you weren't being a shit. I can't have children, Jacob, thanks to your little stunt with the stairs!" I spat and heard Edward's intake of breath.

Oh, shit, I thought, closing my eyes. He didn't know about that one.

Jake flinched when Edward's grip tightened and he growled low. Emmett put a hand on my shoulder, but I could hear a growl deep in his chest.

"I should let them do it, Jake. I should," I said, looking at Edward, "but they work so hard not to kill anyone, it doesn't seem right."

Edward's face was unreadable, but his eyes were focused on me. His eyes were sad at the news I'd let slip. I was going to have to tell him the story sooner or later anyway, but this really hadn't been the best way to break it.

I turned back to Jacob. "If I can stop them, and only if, then you owe me...and here's what I want. You don't know me, you don't talk to me, you definitely don't touch me...and that goes for anyone I know – Edward, Charlie, the rest of the Cullens, all of the pack you ran out on... You disappear from my life."

"Fine, Bella." Jake's voice was shaky but defeated. "I knew I could never have you, anyway."

I looked at Edward and asked, "Will you let him go?"

"Bella," he begged softly. "All the things he's done to you..." His beautiful eyes pleaded with me.

"Jake," I said, not moving my eyes from Edward, "if you come anywhere near me, I'm going to let these three kill you, just like they want to now. Is that understood?"

"Yeah," Jake said, "I swear I won't."

Still looking at Edward, I asked, "Is he telling the truth, Edward? Or is his mind saying something different?"

"He's thinking you're too good to be true," Edward said, the side of his mouth twitching, "that he ruined the best thing he ever had because he couldn't control himself, and he's deciding whether or not to go to Canada, but...he's not lying."

"Then let him go," I whispered. "No one needs to die over me, please. If he breaks his promise, then he's all yours. I swear, Edward."

Edward, still clinging to Jake's throat, pulled him to his face. "After all that you've done to her," he growled, "she still takes mercy on you. She's better than all of us put together. Remember that, mutt. You owe her. And I will kill you if you ever touch her again."

With that, he let go, and Jake slumped to his knees. Edward towered over him, fists clenched and breathing heavy. It was pure hate in his face, and he'd never looked more beautiful or more terrifying.

In a blink, Jake jumped up, looking at me sadly. "I'm sorry, Bells. I really am. I should've been a better friend."

I waved him away, disgusted, and he ran out the door. I heard the tearing of fabric on my front porch and a howl not long after.

My vision went dark for a second, and I swayed on my feet. Emmett scooped me up before I hit the floor.

"Whoa, Bells," he said, "I think you hit your head harder than you think."

"Here, Em," I heard Edward say in my ear. "I'll take her."

I felt myself being handed over.

~oOo~

EDWARD

Emmett put Bella in my arms, and I walked her to the sofa. "Love, let me see your head," I told her, running my fingers over the spot rising on her scalp. "At least it's on the outside. If it was inside, it might have been a concussion. But I want you to try to stay awake for me, okay?"

She nodded groggily. Her eyes were wary.

My brothers were cleaning up the mess in the kitchen when I went to get ice for her. I looked at the damage we had all caused and said, "Jasper, call that contractor that Esme uses. We need to fix this before Charlie comes back."

My mind was reeling from this whole situation. As I put ice in a towel, I couldn't help but blame myself. I should have waited for my brothers before leaving her. My obsession with finding Victoria was what had driven me out the door.

"He said he'd be here tomorrow, Edward," Jasper said, coming into the kitchen. "You can't blame yourself, man. You didn't know. Emmett just checked; Jacob's been living as a wolf out in that patch of woods...right there...the whole time. He was waiting for this."

I nodded and thanked them both for their help. They both left after telling Bella goodbye.

I walked in and knelt by her head, placing the ice pack gently on the bump. I just stared at her, my love. It was like I was seeing her for the first time. She was stronger than I'd ever imagined, and I couldn't love her more.

"Why didn't you tell me, love?" I asked, brushing her hair from her face. Tears leaked from her eyes, and I wiped them away.

"I'm so sorry you found out that way, Edward. I didn't know how to tell you. It's not something I think about much anymore. I see it in your eyes now. You're blaming yourself for this," she said, sighing and reaching up to my face. "Please, don't."

"What happened? What did he do?" I asked, not sure if I really wanted to know.

"We were fighting upstairs, there." She pointed up toward her room. "When I went to walk away from him, he pushed me, and my stomach hit the rail. Charlie thought I tripped." She sat up, taking my face in her hands, and said, "I need you to know that I'm okay. That it's not an issue. It happened about a year ago, but kids weren't anything I ever wanted anyway. I said something to Jake because he needed to know the extent of the damage he'd caused, not because I'm bothered by it. Do you understand, Edward?"

"I should've killed him," I muttered, breathing deep for control.

"No," she said, her deep eyes set on mine. "I will not be the underlying reason someone dies, Edward. I won't have it."

I nodded in understanding. She wouldn't want to be responsible for the loss of anyone's life, no matter how deserving. She wouldn't have wanted me to kill again. Little did she know how close I'd come a few years ago in Port Angeles.

Her having children was always the one thing I wanted for her...the one thing my mother and sisters always hated about the lives we had. It was astonishing to me that she was strong enough to know what she wanted – or didn't want in this case – and move on. Sometimes, I found myself still underestimating her.

"Would you really have shot him, though?" I asked, a slight smile playing on my lips. The thought of her being violent was almost an aphrodisiac to me.

She snorted, looking at my face. "Yes, if he had touched me," she said, and her face grew serious. "No one touches me, but you." She blushed at the statement, but it meant more to me than anything else she had said. I kissed her lips softly, listening to her heart pick up.

I knew what she was talking about. I'd seen in my brothers' minds what they had walked in on. He'd been trying to take from her what she had willingly given to me. Mine.

"Although," she continued, a smile playing on her sweet lips, "with the knee I put to his groin, he may never have pups." She snorted and started to giggle.

I couldn't help but laugh with her. I loved this woman more and more every day.

I scooped her up and lay with her on the couch, holding her close to me and placing kisses on her head. She looked up at me and asked softly, "Can we stay here tonight? I just want be alone with you."

We stayed on the couch most of the day. Bella fixed herself something to eat and eventually fell asleep in my arms. I took her upstairs to her bedroom and put her to bed.

~oOo~

BELLA

"Oh, God, Edward!"

I sat up in bed and realized that I had woken myself up. No cool arms were wrapped around me, and I was confused.

"Tell me your dream, Bella." Edward's voice came from the rocking chair in the corner. His voice was low, husky, and shaky. I couldn't see him; he was masked in shadow.

"Edward, why are you over there? What's wrong?" I asked nervously.

I wracked my brain, trying to remember what I had been dreaming. Flashes of things came to mind: Edward's hands on me from behind...our moans...his tongue on my...back. "Oh, God," I groaned – again, but for a completely different reason – putting my flaming hot face in my hands. "What did I say?" I mumbled into my hands.

It was bad enough that I routinely got caught staring at Edward like he was a piece of extremely good-looking meat, but it was another that my subconscious had betrayed me in the middle of the night.

"Your dream, Bella," he said, still in the shadow. "Tell me."

"Y-You were touching me," I said, not really wanting to tell him but continuing anyway, unable to stop. "You were behind me, Edward, gripping my hips." The memory of my dream flooded my mind, and I felt my underwear dampen even more than they already were.

"I could barely refrain from touching you, Bella," he said, and I heard a slight movement from where he was. "I could smell you. It was all I could do not to violate you in your sleep."

It was then that I figured out what I had said to him. I gasped to myself, mortified.

Instantly, I found myself pinned underneath him, his breath flooding my senses. "Say it again, love," he growled softly, and I realized that he was already shirtless and his pants were undone. I groaned at the sight of him from the moonlight streaming in my window.

"Were you t-touching yourself?" I asked, feeling my core throb painfully. I wanted him so badly.

He nodded against my neck, swirling his tongue against my skin. I groaned into his neck, and my body shuddered. Just the thought that he was so turned on that he couldn't stop himself was insanely erotic to me. I felt wetness seep through to the top of my thighs, and the throbbing was all I could take.

"Fuck me, Edward," I snapped, and I felt my clothes ripped from me in a split second.

He growled against my skin, grinding his hips against my overly-sensitive core, and I cried out his name. He cut off my cries with his mouth, urgently crushing his tongue to mine. I wrapped my legs around his hips, trying to push down his pants and causing him to grind into me again, and we both groaned.

Edward kicked off his pants and broke from my mouth, showering my breasts with swirling, wet kisses, raking his tongue flat across my hard nipples.

"Jesus," I gasped, gripping his shoulders.

He continued laving my skin all the way down to my hips.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me, my Bella?" he asked, sitting back and picking up my leg, caressing the skin.

I shook my head, and a wicked smile crossed his face. My breathing was shallow.

"The way that you touch me...the way that you call my name..." he said, placing kisses up my thigh until he reached my apex. "The way that you stare at me when you think I'm not looking."

He paused, dragging his tongue between my throbbing folds. My hips bucked off my bed.

"The way that you taste," he groaned. He flicked my bundle of nerves with his tongue, thrusting two fingers into me, and I gripped the sheets. "It all makes me want you more and more," he said and continued to lavish me with long, wet strokes of his tongue.

My orgasm came violently, causing my legs to pull him in closer to me.

Edward sat up on his knees and said, "Turn over," while tugging on my hips.

I rolled over on to my stomach and felt him pull my hips up to meet his. He placed his hands on my bottom, squeezing and groaning. I felt him kiss the lower part of my spine. He teased me with the tip of his arousal at my entrance. I was practically shaking, wanting him in me.

"Edward, please," I begged, trying to push back toward him, but he wouldn't let me.

His body folded over mine so that his chest was touching my back. His lips were on my shoulder blade, leaving open-mouthed kisses. He pushed my hair to the side and kissed the spot behind my ear. I was incoherent.

"Tell me again," he whispered behind the shell of my ear.

His hand snaked around and grasped my breast, and my eyes rolled into the back of my head. I gasped but couldn't get a word out of my mouth.

With his lips still at my ear, he whispered, "Do you want me to fuck you, Bella?"

That word coming out of his sweet mouth was just about my undoing. "God, yes," I growled.

Edward smiled against my neck, sliding into me at the same time. He sat back up, pulling my hips to him over and over. I gasped at how much I could feel of him this way. I could feel every inch of him, and I still wanted more.

He sat back on his heels and pulled me with him so that my back was touching his chest. "Do you like it when I touch you, Bella?" he asked, thrusting into me. Both his hands slid up to my breasts.

"Yes," I gasped, leaning back into him.

"Do you like it when my mouth is on you?" he asked, kissing up the side of my neck.

I turned my head and met his lips, our tongues colliding and fighting for control, and we both moaned. I raised my arms back and weaved my fingers into his hair, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss.

I gasped for air with a, "Yes," throwing my head back against his shoulder and grinding with him.

"Do you like it when I fuck you, Bella?" he asked, snaking his hand down my stomach to circle my hyper-sensitive clit.

My breath hitched, my stomach filled with lava, and I could feel the coil start to come undone.

"Tell me, love," he said, still rubbing my bundle of nerves in torturous circles.

My body clenched down on him, and I gasped. "Yes, Edward. I can't fucking get enough of you."

I heard him groan into my neck. "That's my girl." With three more thrusts, I felt him pulse into me, calling out my name.

I collapsed back against him, and he wrapped his arms around me, peppering my shoulders and neck with kisses. Our breathing was heavy, and I was covered in a sheen of sweat.

Edward laid us back down, pulling the sheet up and curling around me. I was still a little shaky but was asleep almost instantly.