Disclaimer: The author does not own any publicly recognizable characters herein. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: Getting stuff done in time for a vacation is serious work. It's a relief to finally wake up without a to-do list.

Chapter 13

Edward turned into the quiet lane that marked the boundary of Le Mazet, and stopped for a moment, letting the car idle.

"Bienvenue, mademoiselle," he said. "We'll be home in a minute. Let's go upstairs and relax in a warm bath for a while, oui? Then when we are properly fortified, we will go meet everyone next door."

"Vraiment, monsieur Masen? Are you sure that isn't code for more sex?" she laughed at his hopeful expression. They both reached for each other at the same time. A peck turned into a deeper kiss, and their lips parted only to meet again, softly tasting and insistently demanding more. Their moment was shattered by the irritating tapping of a fingernail on the passenger side window.

Rose and Emmett stood by the car, looking in with identical expressions of nervous trepidation.

"Hi you two, how was your vacation? You look happy," Rose rattled off with a strangely choked laugh and a quick glance towards Emmett. "You umm… you sure you don't want to maybe go pick up some groceries from St. Junien or something?"

"Rosie," said Emmett, "let's just…"

"Or hey, maybe you should just take another day together. Nothing much happens in Le Mazet anyway, right?" Rose gulped and bobbed her head, looking like a deranged bobble-head doll. "We could come with you!"

"Rose, what is the matter?" Bella asked, quickly climbing out of the car and taking her sister's hands in her own. "You're freaking out. You never freak out." She cut her eyes to the men standing to the side, looking nonplussed. "And how did you even know we had stopped here? Were you looking out for us? Did something… happen… with you two?"

For a moment, Rose's expression didn't change, but then her forehead cleared and she gasped a quiet laugh. "Oh no, no… nothing happened. Not like that. But it's just… I really don't think you should have to go in there right now."

"Go in there?" repeated Edward, with raised eyebrows. "It is our home, Rose. Why should we not go in there?"

"Uh yes, about that," said Emmett, "You have some unwanted company in there. It might be our fault, sort of. So…"

"So you were trying to head us off?" said Edward, shaking his head. "It is still our house. Whoever it is that you are trying to warn us about, they will have to leave, n'est-ce pas?"

Emmett snorted. "It hasn't happened so far."

Edward stilled. "Are you saying Angela is inside my house?"

A nervous giggle escaped Rose. "Got it in one, Edward. Welcome home!"

With a groan, Bella leaned back against the side of the car. "Ugh, I had almost forgotten about her, and now she's here? And what do you mean it's your fault?"

Emmett shot a quick look to Rose, and spoke up. "Ok see, the day after you left, James kind of dropped a bomb. He'd somehow managed to sweet-talk Victoria into letting him join her and Annie for the rest of their vacation."

"I don't suppose that went over well with dear Aunt Angie," Bella said, trying to hold in her incredulous laugh.

"I didn't think he had it in him," commented Edward. "But go on."

"I thought Aunt Angie would blow up, she went so red," said Rose with a fond smile. "But James was out of there before anyone could react. Uncle Ben already knew, so he wasn't bothered at all. Just went on with his breakfast, cool as ever."

Emmett continued, "With James and Vic gone, Jasper and I decided to clean up your place a bit before he had to leave. I was taking out the trash when I saw Angie sneak up to the house. I am not joking, she tip-toed across the grass, and pressed up against the wall trying to peek in through the window of the barn, to see if Vic's car was hidden there. I could practically hear the Mission Impossible theme in the background."

"Or the Pink Panther theme," suggested Rose.

"True, that would fit," agreed Emmett with a laugh. "Anyway, so I told Jasper and he came up with an idea to mess with her."

Edward rubbed his face with a hand. "Jazz, of course. Do I even want to know?"

Emmett shrugged sheepishly. "We waited till she had sidled over to the main house, then we put on some random porn to give her something interesting to overhear. Then Jazz and I walked out, whispering loudly about how embarrassing it was, and how James couldn't just use your house as his dirty sex hideaway. Then we pretended to notice Angela, and Jazz steered her back to Rose's place in that suave way of his. I don't know what exactly he said to her, but the next thing I knew, Angela was running back to Rose's place like her hair was on fire."

"Oh lord!" groaned Bella with a helpless laugh. "I'm almost sorry I missed seeing this."

"It was kind of fun," conceded Rose with a grin, before sobering up. "She was pretty awful the whole evening, but we didn't think much of it. Jasper left for England, and Em and I were upstairs at my place, working on my project. Aunt Angie didn't leave us alone, though. She kept stomping up and down and passing comments, annoying us, asking what we were doing a million times, the usual."

"She just wouldn't let up, so we decided to keep messing with her," added Emmett, looking a little guilty. "I went over for breakfast the next morning—yesterday. I had been up most of the night working on a research paper, so I must've looked a bit tired, I guess. Angela started in on how I looked like crap, how kids nowadays needed to manage their time better, and how it was a pity I didn't seem to have any better role models than my 'poor uncle'. I mean seriously, she could teach a conversation class for bad manners."

"And then she suggested that I was a fool for getting involved with someone so much older than myself, and told mom she was just concerned that I'd be left alone and holding the baby, so to say," added Rose, indignantly. "Mom shut her up pretty fast, but I was so angry. I mean she's rude and insufferable as it is, but I'd have thought the revelations about her precious James would have shut her up a bit, you know? But God, she's worse than ever!"

"It was beyond ridiculous," agreed Emmett. "Oh, and then I pretended I hadn't heard all her crap, and told her your house was probably haunted, 'cause there was this constant moaning and rhythmic banging that kept me up all night, but I just couldn't figure out where the sounds were coming from. She snapped to attention pretty quickly, I can tell you. We didn't wait for her questions, though. I took Rosie out to Rochechouart for the day, and we actually got a little work done on our school stuff."

"But she was just as bad when we returned. She actually commented on the two of us having gone out for the day. I mean, seriously. What right does she have to make stupid insinuations about anyone? And we haven't even… I mean…" Rose stuttered to a stop with red cheeks.

Edward nodded, trying not to smile. "Go on. How did all this end up with her in my house?"

"Right, so we decided to continue with Jazz's joke. I had seen one of those stupid printed cravats he had brought with him in the wash, so we pretended to have found it near your cellar door. Em was so convincing, going on about how he was sure it hadn't been there before. Aunt Angie lapped it up, too. The upshot is that she now believes that James and Vic are holed up in your place somewhere. I think her story right now is that you have somehow trapped her precious son in your… ahem… playroom or something. When she heard you were returning today, she parked herself in the driveway. Mom got so annoyed, she made us tell her the truth, but Aunt Angie absolutely refused to listen. We let her into your place because otherwise she threatened to break a window and enter."

Edward looked at Emmett and Rose blankly for a moment. Then he turned and took Bella in his arms, burying his head in the soft curve of her neck. "Mignonne, tell me I dreamt up this conversation, please?"

Bella chuckled, stroking the soft hair off his forehead and dropping a kiss there. "I don't think I can do that, Edward. Let's just go get rid of her."

With a sigh, he agreed.

…_ _ _ …_ _ _...

Rose and Emmett hadn't been exaggerating when they said Angela was worked up. She dashed out of the front door the moment she heard the sound of the car engine. Before Edward and Bella could even get their doors open, Angela was bearing down on them, nostrils flaring, thin lips pursed, chin jutting out. Her pugnacious attitude was in sharp contrast to the flirty, low-cut floral jumpsuit she was sporting.

"It looks like she hasn't given up on her plan to seduce you yet," muttered Bella.

"C'est incroyable," said Edward. "Do you suppose she plans to offer herself as a sacrifice if I'll let her precious son go?"

Bella rolled her eyes at the ridiculous suggestion. "Let's just get this done with, Edward. I had other plans for tonight, you know."

They stepped out of the car, bracing themselves for Angela's fury.

"So, you are here at last, I see," she bit out. "You… you seemed like a nice man, but you have proved yourself to be a libertine!"

Her tirade was cut short by Bella's incredulous laughter. "Who says stuff like that? And you are being rude, Aunt Angie. You can't just turn up at Edward's place and insult him."

"Oh, you have no idea what I can do, young woman. Either he gives up my son, or he will have to face me."

"I've no idea where your son is," said Edward, his exasperation evident. "Bella and I have been travelling all day and are tired. If that is all you had to say, we'll say good night and perhaps talk tomorrow when you are in a more rational frame of mind."

"Rational!" she sputtered. "How can you expect me to be rational when my only child is being used, and brainwashed, and… and maybe whipped!"

"Angela," said Edward in a deliberately calm voice. "I'll only say this once. James is not here. I have no idea where he is. I am not interested in whipping him. I am not interested in whipping anybody. If you really want to know where your son is, you could try calling him on his cell phone."

"Oh," she said, nonplussed. "So you don't have a playroom with chains and whips?"

Emmett and Rose had walked up in time to hear their last few exchanges, and nearly fell to the pavement laughing at Angela's comment. Ignoring their howls of mirth, Bella stepped up to Angela. "Aunt Angie, I really think you need to go back to Uncle Eli's place now. Whether or not Edward has a playroom is for me to know. I know you came to Le Mazet because Uncle Ben needed peace and quiet, but I really think village life is way too stressful for you. He's fine with his brother; why don't you take a cruise or something to soothe your nerves? I know seeing Victoria and Annie was a huge shock for you. You really need to get away, you know?"

For a moment, it seemed as though Angela wanted to argue, but the idea of her being the injured party in need of a rest cure appealed to her greatly.

"You could be right," she sniffed. "I have been made to suffer so much, and I haven't said a word. Not one word of complaint! But this is all really too much. If I wasn't so worn out, there's no way Edward would have chosen you. But I'm not going to grudge you that. There's no way a plain little thing like you could keep a man like that for long, so enjoy it while you can. I'm not going to tempt him away this time."

Bella was focused more on Edward than on Angela's words, so she saw the moment he stiffened with anger, his eyes flashing and jaw firming. She quickly placed herself between them, pushing Rose forward in the process. "Thanks, Aunt Angie. That's really nice of you. Why don't you go along with Rose now, and she'll help you book something that you'll enjoy."

Bella, Edward and Emmett heaved a collective sigh of relief when Angela finally walked off with Rose.

The tension drained from Edward's body and he slumped against the car. "Mon Dieu," he muttered. "What a homecoming."

…_ _ _ …_ _ _...

"Edward."

"Hmmm?"

"Do you?"

"Do I what, chérie?"

"Do you have a playroom with whips and chains?"

Edward rose onto his elbow, staring down at the naked woman by his side with a raised eyebrow.

She giggled.

"Do you want me to tie you down, ma belle?" he whispered. "Blindfold and tease you, pleasure you till you beg me for release? Do you want to submit to my every desire?" He ran a fingertip along her collarbone, then down over her exposed breasts, circling the tips.

"Oh yes," she moaned, her body arching up involuntarily. "But…"

"But?" he whispered, moving to cover her body with his, scattering kisses over her shoulder, neck and face.

"But I get to do the same to you. Will you submit to me?"

"Bella," he whispered. "I already do. I always will."

He slowly entered her body, setting a slow, deep rhythm that tantalized as much as it pleasured. Again and again, they came together, lips meeting, fingers sliding over slick bodies, grabbing and stroking, until she tugged on his hair and groaned out a single demand.

"More!"

Edward grunted an incoherent reply, focused solely on her body and its response to his own. Their breathing became increasingly erratic as he drove into her hard and fast, their need for each other a tangible force uniting them, elevating them beyond the confines of their bodies, till they came together in a glorious burst of sensation.

Lying in her arms, his head cradled against her breast, Edward sighed in contentment. Tomorrow, he would put her on a flight that would take her miles away from him. But he had her tonight, and he would do whatever it took to keep her always.

…_ _ _ …_ _ _...

Translations:

Bienvenue : Welcome

Vraiment : Really

Mignonne : Little one

C'est incroyable : It's incredible/unbelievable

Mon Dieu : My God

A/N: We're back to regular updates! Next week: Parting is such sweet sorrow, etc.