[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Welcome back my dear readers. Thank you for reading my story. Your support is everything to me.

Today's update is dedicated to Leslie for always having my back. Thank you, girl.

**14**

Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up.

(James A. Baldwin)

The hot water feels amazingly soothing on my sore skin. I sigh, leaning my head back to wash my hair. Underneath the water surface I can hear nothing but the soft bubbling of the Jacuzzi. The scent of lavender fills my nose when I inhale very deeply.

This could be the perfect place for relaxation, I think. Only that right now, I can't seem to find any peace of mind. Bella has sent me up here to take a bath while she's talking to Charlotte. I'd rather stayed with them to get the whole story too but Bella's tone made it clear there would be no discussion.

I grab the shampoo from the shelf and massage it into my scalp. Last night was so amazing. Bella is a goddess in the bedroom and I feel proud that she has chosen me to be her new Sub. A pinch of jealousy, sharp like a needle breaking through your skin, hits me. The thought of Bella being downstairs with her previous Sub makes me feel uncomfortable. It's not like I don't like Charlotte. She's a dear and caring person. I'm just concerned that maybe she wants to get back together with Bella. After all, why did she come here after her fight with her husband? I rinse off the shampoo, hissing when I get a bit of the soap into my eyes. I am angry. I am angry because it is so goddamn difficult for me to trust. Bella and I both agree on not sharing with others. Do we? I make a mental note to have a talk about that topic with my Domme as soon as possible.

After soaking in the tub for a few minutes longer, I get out and dry myself off. Then I braid my hair into two long braids and put on the clothes Bella has requested me to wear. The corsage is pushing the little bit of cleavage I have to offer up to my chin. I like the feeling of the cotton skirt against my bare bottom. She really has a thing for plaid skirts, my Bella, I think, smiling at myself in the mirror.

When I come downstairs, Charlotte is still there. She is wrapped in a thick blanket and Bella is sitting next to her, holding her hand. The wave of jealousy, I felt towards her earlier is gone now. I feel bad, that she's so miserable. If I were miserable about Bella, I would most likely turn to Jane too.

"Is there anything I can do?" I ask, sitting down on the edge of the couch, next to Bella. "Maybe she should eat something?"

Bella leans her head against my shoulder. "You smell good. Charlotte, you need to smell her hair too. It's like spring in France."

Charlotte sniffs. She blows her red nose and stands up. Her breathe tickles my ear when she leans down to smell my hair. "Yes, she smells good."

I can't even manage to close my eyes when Bella grabs my face between her hands and kisses me passionately. Her tongue thrusts into my mouth. I blink, getting a look at Charlotte who is watching us. Maybe she's the kind of person who gets off watching others. When she smiles shyly, I know she definitely is that kind of person.

Bella kisses me a second time, barely giving me a chance to catch my breath between. I whimper into her mouth when I feel her hand gliding up my thigh.

"Are you hungry, Mistress?" I ask, realizing I sound completely moronic. The thing is that I have never been comfortable with playing in public. But when I stand up again, I realize that I'm damp between my thighs.

"Not particularly for food, Mary Alice." Bella tells me. "But maybe eating something would be a good idea." She clears her throat. "Charlotte, go with her and help her make some breakfast. I bet you haven't eaten anything since yesterday."

Immediately Charlotte jumps up. She's still puffy eyed from the crying. But I can see the smile on her lips is real. This is what makes her feel safe, being told what to do. We are so much alike.

"Do you like cooking?" I ask her when we are in Bella's kitchen. "because I'm more of a frozen dinner and pizza kind of girl."

Charlotte opens the fridge and pulls a box with eggs out. "Don't let Bella hear that. She's very much on eating healthy."

I nod. Then I get ham, cheese and onions out to make some omelet. Making omelet comes close enough to cooking, right?"

"No onions," Charlotte tells me while she starts peeling an orange. "Bella hates onions in her eggs."

And I hate that she knows Bella's likes and dislikes better than me. I swallow back a nasty comment and put the onions away.

"That must be difficult for you to have me here." Charlotte states, standing up on her toes to get a cup from the shelf. I wonder if Bella has chosen Charlotte as her Sub because she resembles me. Apart from her ears, that are absolutely perfect, she looks a lot like myself with a very short pixie haircut.

"I don't mind." I tell her, hoping to lie convincingly. "How long are you going to stay here?"

Charlotte sighs. Her lower lip quivers like she's holding back tears again. "That depends."

"On what?" I ask, slicing the tomatoes. "Your husband?"

She nods eagerly. When she lifts her hands to her face, I notice that she's not wearing a wedding ring. The second missing item that catches my attention is the leather choker she wore the other day. Crap, if he un-collared her, things between them must be bad.

I wipe my hands on a towel. Then I kneel down in front of Charlotte and take her hands in mine. I really don't want to like her. She was with Bella. She slept in that little room that is mine now. She knows more about Bella than I do. I still can't hate her. Charlotte is too much of a nice person to hate her. "Did he take off your collar?" I ask, rubbing my thumb over her wrist. "I'm sorry."

"I threw it at him." Charlotte whispers. "I was really mad. He was telling me to calm down but when someone tells me that while I'm agitated, it only makes me angrier. Stupid isn't it?"

I shake my head no. "I think that's normal to be angry at each other now and then."

I give her hand a gentle tug. "Do you want to tell me what happened? I mean you told Bella, but she made you do it."

Another smile, this time loop-sided and weak flashes over Charlotte's mouth before she speaks up. "You're right. She made me tell her. Bella can be very persistent."

"I know." I whisper softly. "But she only made you tell her because she thought it would be the best for you. She wants to help you."

Charlotte frees her hand from my embrace and places them on her stomach. Is she sick?

"He said he can't do it. Isn't that a joke? A man who has no problems whipping the shit out of others is too chicken to take on the responsibility for a child?"

My knees hurt from the hard kitchen floor. I stand up, and crack the eggs into a bowl to whisk them thoroughly. "You are pregnant?"

"I am. Fourteen weeks now. At first I thought Peter was as thrilled as I was. I mean, everything happened pretty soon. The wedding and then me discovering the pregnancy."

I place a pan on the stove, adding a thick piece of butter inside it to let it melt. "I think that's great. You are going to be a good mom."

Charlotte grabs an apple from the counter and starts slicing it up too. "Thank you. That's very nice of you to say this."

"You're welcome." I mumble, adding the eggs into the hot pan. "Maybe your husband will come around. Sometimes the thought of becoming a father is scary to some men."

"I don't know." Charlotte says, nibbling on a piece of apple. "I never had to be the strong one in a relationship. That's not who I am."

"I understand. Now, what are you planning to do?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "No idea. I'm trying to find a job first. Who is going to hire me while I'm pregnant? Only an idiot would do that."

I add the cheese and ham to the eggs. "What kind of job are you looking for?"

"I was hoping Bella would hire me for the club. I know how to mix some mean cocktails."

I get plates and cutlery out to place it on the table. "Is coffee okay for you or do you want tea?"

"I'm just pregnant not suffering from a heart defect. Give me some coffee."

Ten minutes later, I'm placing the plate for Bella in front of my mistress. She grants me a gracious smile and points for me and Charlotte to sit down on both of her sides.

We eat in silence. I barely taste my food because I'm too agitated. I feel so bad for Charlotte and the situation she's in. Family is always a touchy subject for me.

"Maybe Peter just needs time to get used to the new situation?" I ask, regretting the words as soon as they leave my lips. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"It's okay to voice your opinion as long as you do it respectfully." Bella states wiping her mouth on a napkin. Her red lips leave a mark on the white linen. "Charlotte, stop pushing your food around. Eat up, before I make you."

Charlotte clears her throat. "I'm sorry but I'm not feeling hungry."

"I'm sure the baby is hungry." I say, taking a bite from my buttered toast. "Try the eggs. They are good."

Bella runs her fingertip over the edge of her coffee cup. I jump up and refill it, adding a bit of sugar into the hot drink. "Thanks," she mumbles, lifting the cup to her mouth. Then she grabs my wrist. "You got a tattoo?"

I nod. "It was a present from my best friend. She's a great tattoo artist." I avoid adding the fact that Jane was my Domme as well. It would stir unnecessary jealousy in Bella and I don't need that to happen.

Charlotte looks up and leans over the table. "Wow, that's a good work. Don't you agree, Bella? A bleeding butterfly. How creative."

"I'd rather don't have her decorate her body permanently again." Bella says while she pushes my skirt up and slaps me hard against my buttocks. "Your body is mine, Mary Alice."

Next thing happens is that Charlotte begins to sob loudly. "I'm sorry." She wipes a trail of smeared eyeliner from her left eye. "I'll be right back."

When she walks off, something tugs on my heart. "Isn't there anything we can do for her?" I ask Bella. "She's so miserable."

"There's not much you can do to mend a broken heart. See? That's what makes our lifestyle complicated. Losing your play partner is twice as bad when that person was your lover too."

"Are you taking her back as your Sub?" I ask, unable to suppress the worry in my voice. Sharing is something that I would not be willing to agree to – ever. "She would like that." I wouldn't…

Bella shakes her head. "Charlotte needs someone to take care of her. I feel responsible for her but only as a friend." She pulls me on her lap and runs her hand up my inner thigh until she reaches my bare pussy. "You are the only Sub I want to have serving me."

Her fingertip circles my clit very lightly. "This pussy is all mine." Bella states while she's rubbing me a bit harder now. "I could fuck you right in front of my entire Dungeon crew if I wanted to." She whispers, sliding two fingers inside me. I whimper in unsatisfied frustration when she removes them a minute later. "Clean them off,"

I take her hand in both of mine and lick of the glistening wetness from her fingertips. "You'll sleep with me in my room as long as we have a guest."

I nod. "If you wish, Mistress, whatever you desire."

When I stand up from her lap, she grabs one of my braids and tugs on it. "I like being watched. I even like it better being heard. And Alice, I can promise you that the walls in this house aren't soundproof like those in the dungeon."