Chapter 25 (on FF)

A/N:

A reviewer brought to my attention that I had never described the characters' looks. My bad, guys. I just assumed you knew to envision them as the actors in the movies. My only caveat being that pretty much all the men should be bigger and taller.

Also, I appreciate all feedback both critical and praise and do take your suggestions to heart. I understand completely if you don't like switching povs and a story that has a lot going on aside from E/B, but that's the way the story is meant to be.

Vocab Reminders:

A cut is a vest or jacket worn by a motorcycle club member with emblems and patches on it. It signifies the wearer's club affiliation and may even have a patch denoting their position within the club.

Church- club meeting

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Still Friday.

Let's start with Edward's thoughts on his day…..

Edward POV

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For my day to have started out so good….it had damn sure gone to shit quickly.

Between Jasper's awesome news about Aro and dealing with Tanya, my morning high from waking up with Bella snuggled up beside me and my hand up her shirt was long gone.

Especially so, considering I didn't know if or when it would happen again.

I really couldn't blame Bella if she was angry….what she saw earlier looked questionable. Tanya was hardly subtle.

But fuck, I was just trying to do as she'd asked and I hoped that she realized that and understood. Besides, getting information on what was going down at Cara Cara was necessary. It was club business. Business my dad apparently didn't think I could handle but business nonetheless.

Sometimes it did not pay to be Carlisle Cullen's son.

My irritation with my overprotective father was all but forgotten when I stepped out of church and found Bella waiting in the main room. Any doubt I'd been harboring about whether she was pissed, disappeared the minute I saw her face. Her death stare was legendary and despite her best efforts, she sported it for a full 15 seconds before she managed to conceal her real feelings with polite indifference…..and she committed to that shit, too. Since then, she'd avoided being alone with me at all costs and treated me like…..like an acquaintance. It was driving me crazy.

And now…..this asshole.

I don't how long we'd all been sitting around in the den with Bella's little friend, but my jaw was starting to hurt from how hard I was gritting my teeth.

'Xay's here now and it's all gonna be alright.'

Um, what? Xay is the one that asshole got by before.

'Not everyone's as blessed as you.'

I about had a heart attack at that one.

And then, to top it off he asks her to go stay at his parents' house across the country?!

That was not happening.

When he excused himself to change clothes, I was relieved at the short reprieve from his presence.

If I was smart, I'd try to like this guy. Xavier was Bella's best friend in San Francisco and really, I was glad that she'd had someone when all this shit went down…..I was just less than impressed with how he'd handled the situation. The very least he could've done was call Jake. As much as I hated to admit it, Jake would've done what was necessary to protect her.

The volume on the T.V. was abruptly muted and I realized why when I heard the back door open. I suppose I'd missed the car pulling up outside.

A few seconds later Jacob walked in the room carrying a sleeping Maddie and a handful of toys with Red trailing behind him.

Bella was up and ready to help, but he waved her off.

"I've got her," he whispered. "Where do you want me to lay her down?"

Xavier returned dressed in jeans and a T shirt just as Bella was leaving the room to show Jake where to go. He nodded at Jake and smiled at Maddie's sleeping form. As he moved aside to let them pass, he noticed Red and his eyes widened.

"What happened to you girl?" he asked as he kneeled down to examine her. From what Jasper had told me, she looked much better than she had, but to a first-timer, she still looked rough and had bandages in several places.

"There was a fire at Charlie's, his shed out back," Jasper answered. "Red was locked in it. We were lucky to get her out in time."

"Oh no," he said, inspecting a wound on the dog's back. "You're going to be okay, girl." Red grinned up at him, leaning into his hand as he scratched behind her ears. She offered him her paw and he took it, patting it affectionately. After leaning down to accept a few licks, he stood and released her. "Go on, girl, go see about your baby. I'll see you later."

As Red trotted off towards Maddie's room, Xavier watched her. The serious look on his face, the tightness in his eyes was so different from his earlier jolly demeanor. It was like somehow the information about the fire had reminded him of the reality of why he was here and what we were dealing with.

"This is worse than I thought," he murmured to no one in particular. His hand wiped over his face before sliding down to rub over his jaw as he walked back over to take a seat on the couch.

"How can this be worse than what already happened?" I asked sharply, staring at him.

"Edward," Jasper warned.

Xavier shook his head. "That's not what I meant, man," he began but was interrupted by the return of Bella and Jake.

"What's going on?" Bella asked warily as she looked between the three of us.

"Nothing," he said, holding his hands up in supplication. "I just…..I saw Red and Jasper told me about the fire."

Comprehension spread on her face and she nodded her head. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down to sit beside him. "I've been crazy worried since Didi got that message, but I guess because I hadn't heard any different, I tried to reassure myself that he was just watching you again. I didn't realize it had already gone this far." He looked over at me pointedly. "That's all I meant when I said things were worse than I thought. You've only been here a few weeks and he's burning down your dad's property. That's a pretty bold move."

"Xay, that's-"

"Baby girl," he cut in. "It was him. I don't care who else the police suspect, what the report says….nothing. After finding out how pathological he was about covering his tracks the night he attacked you, I certainly think he can manipulate an arson investigation."

"I wasn't going to argue with you," she said. "Any hope I held out was gone when I walked into my locked office a few days ago and found a vase of white flowers on my desk." They exchanged a look before she continued in a quiet voice. "His usual typed note was attached…..letting me know that he's still watching me."

Xavier leaned back in his seat, a sick look on his face. "He got that close to you."

As much as I wanted to interject and say that this had all happened before I was aware of anything, I stopped myself because I knew it sounded petty.

"You can imagine how bad I reacted," Bella mumbled.

Jake sat down beside her and reached over to massage her shoulders.

We were all quiet for a few minutes before Peter's arrival broke the silence. I heard the rattle of bottles and thump of boxes as he placed down the beer and pizza he'd brought home for dinner. "Food's here!"

Waving his hand toward the kitchen, Jasper spoke up. "Let's go eat. We've got a lot to talk about."

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Esme POV

Food was sizzling on the stove when I heard Carlisle's bike pull into the driveway. His timing was perfect. The vegetables were almost ready.

I turned the burners down to simmer and checked the potatoes in the oven to ensure they were close to being done. As I began to untie my apron, I heard him drop his stuff on the table and shuck his jacket, hanging it on the back of a chair. He opened the fridge and got out a beer, taking a long pull before he walked over to me. He leaned down to give me a hug, sighing loudly. "Long trip?" I asked.

"Very."

"I had a feeling so I made all your favorites," I said as I massaged his shoulders. Shifting back, I looked up at him. "Now go have a seat. You can tell me all about it while we eat."

"You're the best, wife," he said with a smile.

"I am," I agreed. "Because not only do you get steak, twice-baked potatoes and sautéed vegetables tonight, you get teriyaki beef tips, fried rice, and onion soup tomorrow night."

"That sounds so good." He gave me a smacking kiss on the mouth. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to kill me."

"Something's got too," I joked. "I figured you could use a few days of red meat after eating a whole bunch of junk on the road."

"Yeah, I was on edge most of the trip so I didn't feel much like eating anyway." He plopped down in his chair and stretched his back. "And having Jimmy with me didn't help. Cheap bastard would rather drink his dinner."

"I thought you had Jasper and Emmett with you? And didn't Ben meet you yesterday?" I asked as I sat his beer in front of him and went back to the stove to fix his plate.

"We were separated a good bit of the time. Once Ben got there and we picked up Emmett, I was more at ease and we stopped for food."

I put both of our plates on the table and sat down. "Wait, where was Jasper?"

"He needed to get back," Carlisle answered absently, much more interested in his dinner than talking. "There was some kind of fire over at the Chief's place and he's helping Bella sort it out."

I'd heard talk of the fire around the clubhouse and figured that's what had Peter acting like Bella's nanny. I'd fleetingly considered that being the reason for Edward's attention to her, but I knew better. If anything, it was a convenient excuse.

"Jasper's not the only one. Your son is trying to get tangled up with….. her again, too."

Carlisle stopped eating and his eyes met mine. "Stay out of it, Esme," he demanded in a sharp tone. "I mean it. Let him deal with his own shit."

I quietly pushed food around my plate after his little command, furious that my husband was berating me. I'd even tried to be nice and dispense with the name-calling.

After a few minutes of silence, Carlisle sighed and put down his fork. His elbows rested on the table as his hands clasped in front of his face. "Look, something ain't right. That house sat there vacant for almost 10 years and nothing happened. Bella's back for two weeks and all the sudden Charlie's shed is burnt down. We owe it to the Chief to help her."

I took a second to debate before revealing the other things I knew. There wasn't any advantage in keeping it to myself now, not when my boys were already in protector mode. "I found a gun in her purse," I offered. When my information didn't seem to impress him, I decided to press further. "I know you. You're worried this is tied to the club and you don't want her caught in the middle, that's why you've got the prospect tailing her…but this isn't on us."

He motioned with his hand for me to continue. "She got a restraining order on a man back in San Francisco a few months ago, a married man," I began. "Then out of nowhere she up and moves back here to a small town with a small hospital…..hardly a typical career move for a new surgeon, and as I already mentioned, she's carrying a gun around even though she has a small child. Bella is running from someone, Carlisle."

Leaning back in his chair, his eyes were on the ceiling as he shook his head at me. Even though I was sure it was in exasperation, I liked the think it was awe over my powers of deduction. "Okay. I won't ask how you know all that, but even so, Es, what would you have me do? Leave her on her own?"

When I didn't answer him, he continued. "I didn't think so. As much as you don't like that girl, you still don't want anything to happen to her or her kid."

"I don't want anything to happen to my kid," I retorted. "He'll do anything to protect her and you know it. I don't want her hurt. I want her to go away. Have you stopped to think about all the shit she could stir up?"

He flinched slightly at my question, but when he answered his voice was its usual steady, calm tenor. "Of course I have….but I also know that this situation has to be handled before Bella can go anywhere."

"You're crazy if you think it's going to be that simple."

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Bella POV

"Where is it?" I asked myself as I plundered through my overnight bag. "I swear I had it. It's not in my purse. Maybe it's at my dad's?"

I heard someone entering the room, but caught up in my task I paid no attention until I heard the door shut behind them.

Butterflies erupted in my stomach when I heard the lock click.

It was Edward. I knew it without looking.

When I felt his arms slip around my waist, I stiffened. He kissed me right below my ear and lingered, nuzzling his nose against my neck. My lack of response hadn't escaped him but he continued on, sliding his hands up to my shoulders and rubbing gently.

It wasn't that I was necessarily mad at him about Tanya. I really felt more stupid than anything else. What was I supposed to say to him? It felt stupid to be angry and stupid to act like everything was fine.

"What are you looking for?" he asked softly.

"It's silly," I answered, taking a step away from him so he'd get the message to let me go. "I want my hair out of my face and I can't find my favorite clip. My hair's so heavy. It's the only one that works well."

He took the hint and moved over to sit on the bed by my bag. "Sounds like you need more than one."

"Probably," I mumbled as I began to straighten my things, giving up on my search.

He was quiet as he watched me, seemingly focused on my poor attempt at organization.

"I've always liked your hair up….all messy," he murmured, reaching over to trace a line down my arm with his finger. "It reminds me of all of those nights…coming in your window to find you studying on your bed and leaving just in time for the sun to come up."

I knew what he was doing but that didn't stop his statement from having the desired effect. Those times were our best times. We were so in love, so connected….I was happiest under the covers with Edward whispering and touching. I had to bite the insides of my cheeks to keep the corners of my mouth from turning up in a smile.

I quickly zipped my bag shut and moved to leave the room, determined not to be manipulated by nostalgic daydreams.

Before I could get past him, he grabbed my arm. "Where are you going?"

"Back to the kitchen with everyone else."

He stood from the bed, towering over my petite form, and moved his hands to my waist, staring at the side of my face as if he could will me to look at him. "I'm sorry about earlier, okay?"

"Okay," I replied. My tone was probably a little brisk but what did he expect?

"Bella," he said as if to get my attention. "I just needed some information from her, that's it."

"Okay," I said again and stepped back from him. "My friend traveled a long way to see me, so….."

His shoulders sagged in frustration. "Stop," he drug out.

"Stop what?" I said, finally meeting his eyes.

He looked at me as if to say 'Really? You know what?'

When he could see I wasn't going to give in, he started to get an attitude. "So everything's fine between us?"

"Yep, fine," I answered.

"Really?" His tone made it clear he did not believe me. "Where am I sleeping tonight?"

"I would assume in your bed."

He snorted, one hand brushing under his nose before he crossed his arms. "That's how it's gonna be, huh?"

"We've kind of got a full house, so…." I shrugged.

"Oh come off it. This is bullshit. You're giving me the cold shoulder for talking business with someone, but it's okay for your friend in there to touch you and talk about you like he does."

I couldn't stop my eyes from rolling. "Yes, it is complete bullshit because there is no comparison. You had a real-life street walker rubbing her tits all over you today," I whisper-yelled. There were too many people in the house right now that would overhear us if we starting shouting.

"Well he was talking about yours!" he threw back.

"Xavier did nothing in appropriate and you know it. He was joking around," I retorted.

We stared at each other in anger for a moment before Edward sighed and rubbed his hand over his face in exasperation. "What did you expect me to do, Bell? I don't know what's okay in front of other people. You said you don't want to be in the middle of my divorce. I'm trying to respect that."

"Nothing. I wanted you to do nothing," I replied as I stepped around him and walked over to the dresser. I opened the top drawer and was pleased to see it hadn't been cleaned since the late '90s. Typical Jasper. I could feel Edward's eyes burning into my back as I distracted myself looking through the drawer's contents, hoping I would find something to hold up my hair to make it look like I had a reason for what I was doing.

I got it, I did. If Edward had come to my defense in front of Tanya, it was as good as outing our involvement to the whole town….but that didn't mean I had to like seeing that woman all over him. It brought back bad memories of his fan club in high school. It made me question what had happened over the years, if his views on fidelity had changed, whether he was serious about the possibility of an us again or just playing with me….maybe trying to get back at me. It would be understandable if he was. And given how vague we were about our relationship or whatever it was, it was hardly fair of me to expect anything…..

God, this was confusing.

I'd managed to locate a truly hideous scrunchie by the time Edward came over to the dresser and leaned an elbow against it. He tapped his finger on the surface a few times before he spoke. "Are you going to take that guy up on his offer?"

He focused on his fingers, refusing to look at me as he waited on an answer. Even without seeing his eyes, I could tell by the tone of his voice and his stiff posture that he genuinely thought I might leave.

He looked…vulnerable. And vulnerable was just not a word you would generally use to refer to Edward. And because I knew I'd caused it, I couldn't help myself…all I wanted to do was make it better.

Putting aside my irritation over that Tanya woman, I tugged at one of his belt loops to get his attention. "I only told him I would think about it to get him to leave it alone. I'm not going to Louisiana."

Though a slight nod was his only reply, he did finally look me in the eye and the tension that had earlier pervaded the room slowly dissolved as we stared at each other. If I'd still been even a little mad, I wasn't anymore. How could I be when he looked at me like that with those sparkly, sincere green eyes and pouty, soft lips. It was hard to explain and probably a weird way to describe a tough, tattooed biker guy, but he just looked so….precious, so adorable.

I had the sudden urge to grab him and hug him tight but I restrained myself and instead only pulled at his cut to maneuver him a little closer. He came willingly, reaching one hand down to squeeze my hip before sliding it under my shirt to softly stroke my skin.

My body tingled from his touch and as much as I didn't want to start another fight, I had to address the Xavier situation. It was pointless for the two of them to be at odds. "You know, that guy has a name," I teased.

"Yeah, I know," he grumbled.

I cupped his cheeks and stood on my toes to kiss him under his chin and on his neck, trying to soften him up. I moved his head with my hands so that I could better see his face. "He's my friend and I need you to be nice."

He leaned into me until our foreheads were touching and brought his right arm around my waist to join his left before slowly gliding his hands up my sides. When he reached my breasts, his thumbs caressed the sides of them as he pressed his lips to mine. "I'll try…I just, I don't like him talking about your boobs," he admitted, grazing a nipple for emphasis.

My breath caught but I tried to muffle it with another kiss, embarrassed that one stroke from him could affect me so much. Edward had always loved my boobs and I mean really loved them. I'd developed early and could fill out a C cup by freshman year of high school. At first, I was self-conscious, at least until I noticed that Edward couldn't keep his eyes or hands off me. Memories of his devotion to my breasts filled my mind and not just the raunchy ones….even before we started having sex, he loved to fall asleep with his head against my chest and my fingers in his hair. "His place" he called it.

Of course, just when I thought we were turning a corner, he had to go and ruin the moment. "And him acting like he's here to save the day when he didn't protect you before-"

I let out a long sigh and shifted back in his hold. "Ed-ward, we've been over this. He did what any normal man would do- he worked within the confines of the law."

He looked away from me and mumbled something unintelligible. It was pretty clear that he did not agree with me and was not about to budge on hlis opinion.

I realized that for us to get anywhere some truth with a side of sweet talk was in order so I pulled his body close to mine and snaked my arms back around his neck. "I know it hurts you that I didn't come to you at first and I'm sorry. We've been over and over the reasons why I didn't but please don't ever think it was because I didn't want to," I begged as I stared into his eyes. "You were the only one I wanted."

His hand came up to brush a strand of hair from my face and then caress my cheek. "Even though I felt like it was wrong, I still couldn't stop myself from wanting to run to you and let you hold me and make it all go away."

"I'll always keep you safe," he whispered as he hugged me tight. I laid my head on his shoulder and hugged him back, feeling both relieved and a little exposed after what I'd told him.

"No other man is going to protect me like you. I know that. I always have." I moved back from our embrace to look at him. "So can you please be nice to my friend, who is only my friend, and keep that grouchy, jealous look off your face?"

The tips of his mouth turned up at my jibe. "I suppose," he said. He still sounded a tad begrudging, but it was progress.

A smile spread over my face and I pressed my lips to his softly. Edward moaned as his mouth opened to mine. Even though our kisses were gentle and unhurried, we were no less affected. I was thankful my own excitement wasn't obvious through my clothes, but there was no hiding Edward's hardness against my stomach.

Before things could get too heated, I pulled away and brought my hands back to his cheeks. My finger traced his lips as I tried to calm my rising libido. "We need to get back out there before someone comes looking for us."

His expression was somewhere between a grimace and a smile as he rubbed his hands over my hips. After leaning in for another kiss, he let me go. "I know, Bell. You go ahead. I'll be there in a minute."

"Take your time," I teased with a knowing look as I moved to leave the room.

He grabbed me and pulled me back into his arms, growling into my neck as he gave me a swat on the ass. "Get outta here, Bell."

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Tanya POV

I muted The Real Housewives of New Jersey as I took a big gulp of my white zin, hoping a good buzz would help me relax.

I couldn't concentrate….my mind was racing with what I'd found out earlier.

Bella Swan was back.

She was my competition.

If Garret seriously thought being coy made his little riddle hard to figure out, he was delusional.

It had taken me, what, like a day?

Just because I was from Port Angeles didn't mean I was unaware of the epic teenage love affair of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. Every girl in Clallam County knew who Edward Cullen was in high school and most wanted him, too, but he only had eyes for Bella.

Bitch.

I hadn't quite come into my own yet back then so I'd only admired him from afar.

Thinking of my high school self always made me grimace. I was flat-chested, had boring brown hair, and was forced to wear secondhand frumpy clothes by my harsh grandmother. I was invisible to the opposite sex.

I used to look at all the car and motorcycle magazines at the quickie store down the street from where we lived and dream of looking like the girls on the covers.

As soon as I moved out on my own, I took care of the easy stuff….I dyed my hair, started tanning, and bought makeup and better clothes. My tits were a bit more of a challenge, but I was nothing if not determined…..and I had the DDs to prove it.

I had focused on making my way to the top for years and, now, here I was, a legitimate porn star with my sights set on one man.

We were the perfect match.

I mean look at Carmen and Eli? The porn industry and bikers went hand in hand.

And with Vickie's junkie ass out of the picture, I thought it was finally my time…..but of course, someone else had to get in my way.

I had to admit I was surprised that someone was Bella Swan. I wasn't expecting her to be my rival as last I'd heard she was long gone.

But you know, whatever, it didn't matter.

I wanted Edward Cullen.

He was next in line for the MC and when he made it to the head of the table, I was determined to be established at his side, to be his old lady.

Bella would be hardly an afterthought

That was all there was to it.

And by the way, if they thought it wasn't obvious that Riley was escorting her around they had another thing coming….

I'd get to the bottom of that soon enough, but first, I had a phone call to make.

I couldn't stop the satisfied smile that spread over my face as I dialed her number.

"Maria? Hey, its Tanya. What've you been up to girl?"

"Eh, not much. You?"

"I went up to the clubhouse today and you'll never guess whose back in town."

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A/N: Thoughts…..Was Esme telling Carlisle anything he didn't already know? What did you think of the Edward this chapter?

I do so love writing Tanya's crazy POVs. For some reason, they fall out of me in like 10 minutes.

Reminder: Maria, Jasper's long time ex, hates Bella. (See Chapter 4) and she's bananas (See Chapter 7).

So even though Carlisle is technically Clay from SOA….I don't have it in me to write him like Clay so they really aren't very much alike in personality. I think a good bit of it has to do with him being Edward's actual father, whereas Clay is Jax's stepfather and not a very good one at that.

Confession time: As much as I dislike jealously in RL, I love jealousward.