Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, Stephanie Meyers does. However, I do own this plot and storyline. I also own my own original characters.

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Chapter 14: The Mice Will Play

EPOV

The girls left early this morning to pick Emily up on the way to the airport. I made sure to have a cup of coffee and some toast ready for Bella so that she wouldn't travel on an empty stomach. My good deed earned me a kiss on the cheek, and then she was out the door.

I'll admit I'm moping, but hell, I miss her. I ride with Sarah to take Cassie to school. We even stop at the nursing home to visit Sue. I meet Mr. Brady, and we talk while the ladies visit. He's one sharp man and immediately asks me who the lady is.

"Um, you know her," I state hesitantly.

"Are you sweet on my Bella, son?" he asks without missing a beat.

"Yes, sir," I answer sheepishly. "I have to plan our first date and have no clue what to do since I'm not from around here."

"She's something special, that one." He sighs with a faraway look in his eyes. "Reminds me of my Trish. You love her already. I can see it in your eyes."

"I haven't known her that long," I rush out. "I'm surprised she's even giving me a chance."

"I met my Trish and right away knew that she was it for me," he explains with a small smile. "Do something she loves. She loves her horses, so take her riding and have a picnic. Keep it simple. However, don't hurt her or that precious daughter of hers. She's been through too much already."

"Yes, sir," I promise. There is no way I would intentionally hurt Bella or Cassie. I shake his hand and move to leave, but he calls me back.

"You're both gonna have some tough times. But, as long as you stand together, you'll make it through the heartbreak," he tells me as his eyes start to close, and he drifts off to sleep.

On the ride home, I'm lost in my thoughts, and Sarah just lets me be. When we arrive back at the ranch, I help Sarah clean the house for Bella, and start on lunch. As we're eating, Billy and my dad tell us boys that they don't want us getting into any trouble tonight. I really don't want to go, but this is supposed to be our bonding time, per Emmett.

The guys want to go out for pizza before hitting the sports bar. I'm dressed by six and head downstairs. Cassie is sitting on the couch, playing with the pups, who I'm sure, didn't get up there by themselves.

"Whatcha doin', baby girl?" I ask, startling her, but she smiles guiltily. "Did those pups get up there all by themselves?"

"Yeah," she whispers as I walk over to sit next to them, only to be attacked by said pups.

"You sure they didn't have a little help?" I ask, winking at her. She giggles and continues playing with the pups.

When the guys are ready to go, I kiss Cassie on the head and follow them out to the garage. Ben, Jasper, and I ride with Seth while the rest of them split up between Jake and Sam's trucks.

For a hole in the wall pizzeria, it's not bad. We eat a lot of pizza, but what do you expect from nine guys.

I'm just fixing to take another bite, when Jake's words stop me cold. "So, Edward, I hear you asked Bella out on a date?"

I look up and the entire table is smirking at me. "I did."

"So you think you're gonna waltz into her life and screw it up, more than it already has been?"

"Nope," I blurt out with confidence I wasn't even expecting. "But I'm gonna take her out and get to know her. If we start a relationship, that'll be between us. Besides, I have Mr. Brady's blessing." I'm now the one smirking at their shocked faces.

"You better treat her right is all I'm saying," Jake concedes. "Or you're gonna have all these guys on your ass."

"Hey, dude," Emmett pops off. "Edward has never treated anyone bad. Not even the she-devil when she deserved it the most. He's had feelings for Bella for five months and now just got the nerve up to ask her out."

Jake let it go after that. We finish our food with great conversations all around, before heading to the bar. The bar turns out to be an old house that was renovated into a sports bar. The smell of grease and stale beer waffling through the air hits me as soon as we walk in.

"Hell, Jasper," Emmett blurts out. He's never been known to have a filter. "You need to get that game room done at the house, real quick."

"It's not much, but the beer is cold," Seth comments, smirking at us. "Welcome to the boonies, boys."

We grab a table close to the pool tables after ordering a round of beers. I'm actually enjoying myself, and I'm sure the beers that keep flowing are helping with that.

It's my turn to shoot, so I lean over the table to line up my shot when I feel an arm snake around my waist. Turning to look beside me, I jump back at the sight of owner of the arm. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I came to find you." She pouts, sticking out her red lips. "Did you miss me?"

"You need to take your ass back to Seattle and stay the hell away from me," I state, raising my voice. "I told you before, I want nothing to do with you."

"Well, I want what's mine." Jane smirks. "And I always get what I want."

"If you don't quit stalking my brother, what you're gonna get is a shit-load of legal trouble," Jasper interrupts. "The fact that you're in this town proves you're a stalker."

"Let me make it clear for you," she demands, raising her voice above the music. "I will get what I want or you will have hell to pay. Do not underestimate me. You will be mine, Edward Cullen."

"Let me make something clear to you," I growl, getting in her face. "I DO NOT WANT YOU! If you ever threaten me again, your daddy won't even be able to get you out of the hell I'll bring down on you. Take your dumb, slutty ass back to Washington and leave me the hell alone. Was that clear enough for you, or do I need to imprint it on your nasty-ass face?"

"Whoa, Edward." Emmett tries to calm me, pulling me away from her. "Don't give her what she wants."

Jane smirks at us. "Oh, I'll get what I want and you will pay for it." She walks away after her last remark as Emmett pulls me over to the table.

"What the hell was that about?" Sam asks, clearly confused. "And who the hell is she? I thought your ex is in prison."

"That is not my ex," I growl out. "I have never even seen her before she showed up in Vegas."

My brothers and I tell them everything that happened with her in Vegas as Ben just sits back with an angry look on his face. He finally enters into the conversation. "I think you need to have a restraining order issued. I mean she followed us all the way from Washington, and now she's threatening you."

"I agree with Ben, man," Eric pipes in. "She seems a little delusional to me."

"Let's get outta here," Jasper suggests. "We need to tell Dad and Billy about what just happened."

We all load up and head back to the ranch as Sam goes home for the night. My dad and Billy are sitting at the kitchen table playing cards when we walk in. Billy immediately knows something's wrong.

"You're never home this early," he states, looking up from the table in confusion. "What happened?" he demands, turning to Jake, who just holds his hands up in surrender.

"Um ... not me," Jake sputters. "Edward had a problem, so we got outta there before he did somethin' he'd regret." This gets my father's attention, who whips his head around to look at me. I'm not sure what look is on my face, but my father is instantly concerned.

"Edward," he whispers, a frown on his face. "Son, what's going on?"

Before I can answer him, Ben breaks in, defending me. "It wasn't his fault. Jane showed up at the bar and started threatening him again. She followed us from Seattle and keeps telling him she want's what's hers or he'll pay."

"She's stalking him, Dad," Emmett interrupts. "And she is serious, too. She said he would pay for rejecting her."

"So either something happened with her father after I left, or this has to do with the Denalis," my dad states, thinking aloud. "You never met her before Vegas?"

"No, Dad, I swear," I answer vehemently. "Unless she was at a function and I don't remember her."

"In Vegas, she said she would get what she was promised," Emmett asserts with a faraway look. "Do you think she is friends with Tanya and knows about what happened? Maybe Tanya promised her something?"

My father turns to his longtime friend, looking more at a loss then I think I've ever seen him. "Billy, do you have any ideas? My family has been through hell with all of this and now it's followed us here. I don't want to bring any trouble to the ranch or Bella and Cassie."

"Car," Billy says, grabbing my dad's shoulder. "We stick by our own and you know that. We will take care of this as a family."

"HOLY SHIT!" Seth blurts out. "It's her! Look at this, Billy," he commands, looking up from a laptop. I have no idea where he even got it. "The girl with the Call brothers. That's her, the girl from the bar."

"Are you sure?" Billy asks in anger. "How do you know?"

"When Emmett and Jasper were tryin' to calm Edward down, I watched her walk away," Seth rushes out, as he points at the screen. "She grabbed a red jacket off the bar stool. That red jacket."

"Y'all get some sleep," Billy sighs, letting out a deep breath. "I'll talk to Garrett in the mornin'. I don't wanna get anyone else involved until I talk to him. Did y'all close the gate on the way in?

"Yeah, I locked it," Tyler pipes in. "Just need to set the main alarm."

We all head to bed; the ranch guys leave with Billy. "Where's Mom?" I ask my dad as we walk upstairs.

"She's sleeping in Bella's room with Cassie and all the pets," he states, shrugging. "That baby threw a fit. She's missing her momma."

My sleep is restless, with horrible dreams of Bella and Cassie being hurt by Tanya and Jane. Not able to go back to sleep after the last nightmare, I get up and start breakfast, not even realizing it's only five in the morning.

"Couldn't sleep?" I hear behind me. Billy is standing in the doorway with a look of sadness and understanding. "We'll get this figured out. We just need to stick together."

"I just hate that this is gonna affect everyone here," I state with more venom than I realize. "I thought I left all this shit back in Washington."

"You did leave it there, son," he comforts in a calm voice. "You didn't ask for this crazy bitch to follow you over two thousand miles."

A few hours later, Cassie is climbing onto my lap. She's too cute in all her grumpy, rumbled glory. "Did you sleep good, baby girl?" I ask softly. "You want some breakfast?"

"Yeah," she whispers sleepily. "Momma?"

"Momma will be home tomorrow," I answer excitedly, hoping she doesn't get upset. "But today, we're gonna have some fun."

My mother walks in looking just as tired as Cassie but stops short when she sees Billy and me sitting at the table. I'm sure we both look like zombies due to the little to no sleep we had.

"Do I even wanna know why my son looks like the lead zombie in The Walking Dead?" she asks sarcastically. "Stay out all night, did ya?"

"Um, actually, they were home before ten, Es," Billy mumbles, taking a drink of his coffee. "There was a … incident last night. We'll be takin' care of it this mornin'."

Billy's words get her attention real quick, and she is next to me in a heartbeat. "What's going on, sweetheart?"

Billy and I explain to her, as calmly as possible, what happened at the bar last night. Her eyes tighten and lips purse before she walks out the back door without a word. Once the door is shut, we hear a heartbreaking scream, which has the rest of the family running down the stairs.

"What the hell?" Emmett bellows. "Is that Mom screaming like that?"

I'm in complete shock as she walks back inside and goes over to fix herself a cup of coffee like nothing has happened.

"Es, honey," my father falters, stumbling over his words. "Are you … are you all right?"

"I will be when the people who are out to hurt my family are dealt with," she answers in a soothing, motherly voice. "Come fix your plates. Edward cooked a little early, so you need to warm it up."

We all just continue staring at her as if she's lost her mind as we fix our plates and warm them in the microwave.

As the others arrive for breakfast, Sarah breaks the silence. "Did you boys have fun last night?"

Everyone diverts their eyes because she's the last to know, and I sure as hell am not telling her, especially after my mother's reaction.

"Jacob William Black," Sarah addresses her son in that don't-mess-with-me tone. "I asked a question."

"Why you gotta full name me, Ma?" Jake pouts as he lifts his head to give her his attention. "I was home by ten and didn't get into any trouble."

Billy explains what happened the night before as I hang my head in shame. I really hate that I've brought this mess onto these people, who I now consider my family. I'm broken from my thoughts as Sarah reaches for my hand.

"Don't worry, son," she comforts me. "We'll take care of it. Even if I have to hunt her down and show her what a buckshot feels like in the ass."

The entire table explodes in laughter, even Cassie giggles, though I'm sure that's in response to us laughing.

Garrett shows up mid-morning, and we sit on the back patio, explaining to him everything from our life in Seattle up until last night. I feel raw with the emotion coursing through my veins. I'm watching Sarah and Cassie playing in the pool as Garrett writes down everyone's statements so he can file for an order of protection against her. He even has my father get him Dr. Aro's contact information in Seattle.

After he leaves, we play around in the pool all afternoon. Jasper grills hotdogs for lunch, giving Sarah and me a break from the cooking. I receive a text from Bella, it's short and sweet, but it puts a smile on my face.

"Hey, Edward," Seth calls from where he's sitting on the edge of the pool, throwing a ball for Luke to fetch. "Didja ever tell Bella about Jane before she showed up here?"

"Nope," I sigh, hating even the sound of that bitch's name. "Hadn't even thought about it until she showed up last night."

"Well, she knows now." He laughs at my disgruntled face. "Sorry, man, I told Jessica this mornin'."

FUCK MY LIFE! That's the only thought I have at the moment.

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