All thanks to Fran for editting this story. She's an awesome beta! :)

Disclaimer: These characters belong to Stephanie Meyers.

Edward Pov

Emmett comes over, and I hold out a hand, but he shakes his head and swats my hand away going in for a hug. He pats me on the back, and this is familiar. Strangely it reminds me of when we met for the first time almost eighteen years ago.

I remember it like it was yesterday. Mostly because I thought it was the worst thing to ever happen in life. I was meeting a boy that Esme said I had to be nice to. She sat me down and explained that she wanted me to meet a very nice man and his son, and that soon we'd all be a happy family.

I hated that she just expected me to be okay with the fact that my attention would be split between two strangers now. She expected me to be a good boy, she expected me to be understanding. This is how it was with Esme. Without actually saying certain things, they were just expected. She knew that I would do anything to make her happy, even at eight, all I wanted to do was protect her. That's what daddy wanted. Thats what he made me promise to do before he passed away. He made me swear to always look after my mom and to never let anything bad happen to her.

I'd succeeded for two years, before meeting Emmett and his father without incident. I'd kept my promise. Until that day. The first day that man put his hands on my mom. Or maybe it was just the first time I'd seen him do it. I'm not sure what she did to upset him, but right at the dinner table after much yelling and cursing on his part, he smacked her right across the face. Emmett and I looked at each other in horror at a lost for what to do. I stood quickly, wanting to do something, needing to do something. Even at eight years old I tried to protect her.

I stood there wide eyed, mouth open, and watched as he drug Esme by the hair clear across the kitchen floor. Not caring that she was begging him to stop, pleading with him to let go because she was in pain. At one point she shouted, 'Henry, the kids!' but he didn't care. He was past the point of caring, he was someone else. This wasn't the same man that played football with Emmett and I outside after school. This wasn't the same man that was trying to teach us how to be respectable men with endless lectures on how to be a gentlemen. This wasn't the same man that taught me how to fish, and how to play the piano. This man was...different. Alcohol made him a different kind of man. It made him an evil son of a bitch. He didn't care what he did, or how hurtfully his words were. He threw punches first and apologized later, blaming the alcohol.

At the age of twelve, I begin to see the truth. It wasn't the alcohol that changed him, he literally had to be a sick twisted bastard in the head. He tried to drown Esme one day, but he came to himself and backed away from her as if he had lost control of himself. As if someone else controlled his body, controlled his actions, but then he went right back to it, like there was a switch within him.

I intervened then, knowing for sure that he was going to kill her. "Mom!" I shouted as I watched him dunk her into the bath tub again, his hands at her throat gripping her. "Stop!" I shout at him, and run full force towards him. He looks back at Emmett who just stands there with his eyes wide, unable to do anything. He was fourteen at the time, and although at this point this was something that we commonly encountered, Emmett always looked as if this was his first encounter with violence. I always wondered if he was in shock by what his father had turned into, what his father was capable of. "Get that bastard in the room, Emmett, Now!"

Emmett complies, pulling me into his room, where he stood in front of the door blocking me from exiting. He was always alot bigger than me, and not just because of his age. Even at my age he was huge. There was no way I'd get passed him.

Some days I thought he was helping his dad, and I would get angry and try to fight him. We fought all the time, but this particular time I wanted blood. That son of a bitch was going to kill my mom.

I lunged at Emmett, spearing him at the waist with so much force we flew through the door. Emmetts feet left the ground, and he let out a 'oof'sound, before thudding to the floor. I tagged his face over and over, and that got his dad's attention, as it always does. Emmett was his golden boy, his ticket. Emmett can't be hurt because he was going to make him money one day. He was determined to make Emmett a football star.

"Enough! God damn it, you little shit. Get the fuck off him." He came over pulling me off Emmett who surprisingly didn't throw any punches, and that angered me more. His unwillingness to fight me, eventhough I was unbelievably angry only pissed me off.

I looked over into the bathroom to see my mom crawl on her hands and knees out of the tub, drenched in water, gasping for air. She fell to the tile floor on her back, stretched out, looking over at me with eyes that begged me to be understanding. How could I be? How could she accept this, allow this? What did she get out of it? Love? Was it that strong? My dad loved her like crazy and he never layed a hand on her, yet here she was, being strangled and begging for her life.

"Mom." I rushed over to her as she choked and coughed up water. I turned her to her side, trying to help her breath.

With tearfilled eyes she told me something that I regret to this day. "Go to your room, and forget about this." She choked out weakly, but it was a command, and I wouldn't dare disobey her. When I got to my room I'd heard him bound back up the stairs to her, after dealing with Emmett. He wasn't finished.

My mother was so badly beaten that day, I had to stay home from school for four days, helping her around the house because she could barely move from all the aches and pain, and she refused to go to the hospital, claiming she didn't want to spend my thirteenth birthday in the hospital. I didn't make her go to the hospital but I remember feeling overwhelmingly angry and guilty, and I wanted to place blame, but it always fell on my shoulders.

I regretted going to my room, and I blamed myself for how badly she was hurt. My dad's words rung in my ears over and over and that day I vowed, if that man ever put his hands on my mother again, I would kill him.

And I did. And now, just as Emmett did after every disagreement we had as kids, every argument, he was closing the gap. Even after all these years he never changed.

"I'm sorry Edward. I wish I could make up for lost time, I swear I do." He pulled back to look at me, his face showed sincerity. He pats my chest with the back of his hand. "You will always be my little brother."

I nod, and he pulls away with a smile that I'm unable to return. "We have so much to talk about. Let's meet for lunch tomorrow." He pulls out his phone, and hands it to me. "Your number." He nods his head to the phone.

I dial my number with his phone, calling my phone. When my phone rings in my pocket I quickly hang it up. "I'm here on a date, otherwise I swear I would spend the entire night catching up."

"- I get it." I tell him nodding and he pats my back, putting his arm around my shoulder leading me out of his office.

"Let's get some drinks in you." He insists as we enter the VIP section. I decline and he bellows out in laughter. "You don't drink." I lift one shoulder. Seeing as I saw his dad drink and batter my mother daily for years, I'm pretty sure that little experience is ruined for me.

"Drinks on me." He shouts like he's the king of the world, and the VIP section errupts in cheers and hoots, even Bella joins in, and I find myself trying to hold back jealousy.

I look over at Bella with her hands in the air, dancing to the music and realize she's had quite a few drinks already. She catches me staring at her, and she drunkenly winks, her mouth wide open and I laugh at her, because it's quite cute and amusing.

She laughs too, tossing her head back in this adorable carefree way. It was refreshing because she isn't doing it for my benefit or to please me, this is just who she is. Granted, when she's drunk she has less inhibition than when she's sober, either way she's showing me a different side of her right now and I'd be lying if I said I didn't love it.

I crook my finger at her, telling her to come here, and she gives me a sexy look, biting the corner of her mouth, before she stands and walks over to me, sitting square on my lap.

I instinctively wrap my arms around her waist, and nuzzle my nose in her hair, trying to hide from Alice and Rose' stare. "You're drunk." I groan into her ear and she giggles and whines as she pulls away, letting me know not to do that because it tickles.

She looks back at me and I lick my lips, wanting so badly to lean up and kiss her, so I do. She doesn't pull away and I take that as a sign to continue. I grip the back of her head, and deepen the kiss and I moan when she sucks on my tongue. She then does something that I wasn't expecting.

"Shit." I hiss, because she feels so fucking good. She's grinding her ass against my growing erection, along to the beat of the music and I am enjoying it, but god damn she's got me hard as a fucking rock. I have a need so deep in me, so urgent that I almost lift her dress and bury myself deep in her pussy as I've often dreamt about.

I grip her hair in my right hand pulling her back so that her head turns to the side to look at me. I whisper in her ear exactly whats on my mind, not able to hold back any longer.

"That little move will get you fucked." I tell her, and I hear her take in a sharp breath and turn her head more to get a better look at her.

"So do it." She taunts, and my eyes widen. She can't mean that.

"Bella, you're drunk."

"I'm not. I've only had a few shots. I just..." She looks down, debating something and bites the corner of her lip, which is something that causes my dick to twitch painfully in my fucking pants. I reach up and pull her lip from between her teeth and her mouth opens as her eyes snap to mine and when I lick my lips, she attacks me.

Full on kissing, and grinding, and not caring who the fuck was around us. With my hand in her hair again, I maneuver her side ways in my lap, pulling her face closer to mine. I bite her bottom lip, the very same lip that was between her teeth just seconds ago, because fuck, she made it look so damn enticing. I suck it into my mouth, and then shove my tongue through her parted lips, loving her taste. She has a strong alcohol taste, and something else that lingeres and although I hate alcohol, I find the taste on her tongue intoxicating.

"Mmm" She moans, and I feel her shiver in my hands, and not because she's cold.

"Fuck, I want you." I pull back looking between her eyes, to see if this is indeed something that she wants. I have to hear her say the words. "Tell me that you want me." I was desperately in need and I'm sure it showed in my voice.

I wanted to worship her body, learn every curve, and lick every bit of her, I want to make slow passionate love to her, and show her exactly how I feel. But that can wait. I have this pent up frustration within me from her indecision, and constant teasing, and her little black dress and fuck me heels. I need to be inside of her now.

She looks between my eyes, and for the life of me, I can't seem to figure out what she's looking for. She all of a sudden looks very sober, and I know the exact moment that I lost her. All because of my need to touch her.

I cup her face, and run my thumb against her cheek tenderly, and she stiffens. Thats when I lose her. She looks away and stands, looking everywhere but at me.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me." She tries to laugh it off, but when she looks at the look on my face, she stops short. I'm pretty fucking frustrated, borderline pissed.

I watch her, trying to calm down, staring intensely and she squrims under my fiery gaze.

Luckily Alice saves her, grabbing her hand and tugging her towards the dance floor. Bella's eyes stay on me as she backs away with her hand in Alice's clutches.

I watch them dance, and soon after Rose joins them, I feel Jasper and Emmett next to me with drinks in their hand. I turn my gaze towards them and tip my head towards Jasper, realizing that I hadn't spoke to my ex boss.

"Jasper."

He tips his head as well, and surprisingly I don't see a hint of resentment in his eyes. I left him high and dry without notice, as he's been really cool about it.

"So" He begins, lifting a beer to his lips. "You and Bella..." He asks, tipping his beer bottle towards Bella who momentarily distracts me with the way her body is moving to an upbeat mashup song that I've never heard. It's really good though. I make a note to look it up when I get home.

I look back over at Jasper, not having even the slightest clue how to answer so I shrug nonchalantly. "She's engaged"

He lets out a mock laugh, and gives me a look that tells me he knows more than I think he does. "Hasn't stopped you."

"Yea, I've seen the way you look at her" Emmett pipes in and it takes everything out of me not to tell him how far he can shove his opinion up his ass because he doesn't know a god damn thing about me or Bella.

I keep a neutral facial expression, and try not to even look his way as I speak. "We're friends." I wish we were more, i think, but don't voice it.

They laugh and I just look at them like they are as crazy as they sound right now, laughing at me as if I'm blind or stupid. I know how it looks, but sadly, Bella and I have been the most complicated thing about my life...ever. My life has been fully of issues, full of fate's bad dealings, but this time, I think I'll be the most heartbroken I've ever been in life. It was somewhat okay when I didn't know her, when she was simply an infatuation, an obsession. Now that I know her I've fallen so deep in love with her I can't think straight.

All of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye I see Bella rush out the club doors with a phone glued to her ear. I stand quickly going after her.

The cold air hits me reminding me that she barely has on fucking clothes, and it pisses me off. Why would she come outside?

"Bella" I shout and she turns around quickly shooting dagers at me, before turning back to speak into the phone.

She pushes her hair out of her face, and holds her palm against her forehead. She seems stressed about something. I walk up close to her, and I can't hear what she's saying, nor what the other person is saying because the closer I get the farther she walks, but I can tell that she's sad about something.

All of a sudden she turns back to face me quickly with tears streaming down her face. "Stay away from me, Edward."

Thank you for reading! :)