Disclaimer: It is with a heavy heart that I admit that the exclusive rights to Twilight aren't mine, nor will they ever be.
A/N: Thanks to all that are reading and that have put this story on alert. One request, if you aren't old enough to by cigarettes legally, please don't read this.
Thanks to my beta's Colleen-who whipped this into shape and got back to me veerrryy quickly & Jessica who is enjoying being a new mommy, congrats Jess.
Special thanks to my fellow VPP Bleriana for pre-reading this and telling me to get off my ass and post it.
Edward looks at me, blinking a few times as his mouth opens, words trying to escape but nothing coming out.
"Edward?" I ask, nervous I've moved too fast with this or asked the wrong way.
"Really?" he asks, his voice quivering.
"Yeah," I answer. "Why not with you?"
A huge breath leaves Edward and he pulls me in, hugging me to his body, his hands finding my backside, lifting me and pulling me to straddle his lap.
"I mean, are you sure? This is big, almost as big as us living together."
I give him a quick kiss. "I'm sure about us, always have been."
"And you want to go into business with me? Tie yourself financially to me?"
"Do you not see yourself with me in the future?" I ask, trying to hide the hurt in my voice.
"You're the only one I could ever see myself with, Bella. But are you ready for this?"
Edward looks bewildered. I know I threw this at him from left field, and he must be confused. I don't need an answer right away, hell, I just thought of us doing this together just a few minutes ago.
"Edward, why don't you take some time and think about this. We've never really sat down and talked about our future together, but this could be part of that," I tell him. "I didn't mean to spring this on you."
He tilts his head to the side, looking at me, and I can see the wheels turning in his head.
"I'm going to think about this, look into a few things as well. You won't be mad if I don't give you an answer right away?"
I give him a quick kiss on the lips. "No, take your time."
Edward pulls me closer, cradling my head in his hands and kissing me.
An hour later, we are in the blacked out SUV driven by Paul, on our way to the airport. Pulling up to the private airfield, my stomach finally drops out, the horrible feeling that soon I'll be away from Edward again, thousands of miles separating us with only technology to keep up communication, fills my body with dread.
Edward and I will be counting down the days until we see each other again.
Edward's plane is ready, and Paul exits the SUV to give us a private moment before Edward boards.
"Beautiful, I promise to give you a solid answer. I'm not saying no, I just want time to think."
I wrap my arms around Edward, almost crawling into his lap, trying to show him how much I care, and that I'm willing to give him time to think.
"Take as much time as you need," I whisper.
Kissing me on the temple, he sighs. "Being impulsive seems to be our thing."
I laugh, thinking of all the things that we jumped into during our relationship, especially those first couple of days.
We kiss a little more, quiet whispers of love to each other.
A soft knock at Edward's door breaks our bubble.
"I wonder if he knows Zafrina?" I joke.
I watch Edward leave the SUV, climb onto the plane and turn at the opening to give me a wave goodbye. Then, unlike last time we parted, I sit silently in the SUV, staring at the roads and sights as Paul drives me back to the house.
I resign myself to not break down. It's only three weeks. I can handle three weeks.
When I return, Alice and Angela are sitting in the living room, both looking at Alice's laptop and smiling.
"Hey," I say, taking at seat in the large overstuffed chair.
"Did Edward get off?"
"Alice! I'm not going to tell you that!" I feign my shock that she would ask such a question.
She looks embarrassed and almost scared. I guess I am that good of an actress.
My face turns from false shock to a grin, "I'm kidding."
"Dammit, Bella!" Alice yells at me, grabbing a pillow and throwing it at me.
I hold my arms up, laughing as the pillow hits me. Once I calm down, I finally talk to the girls and catch them up on the past few days.
The next day, I return to the set, ready to plow through this script and focus on this project.
But when I arrive, I find a few speed bumps.
"Angela?" I whisper, seeing the extra cameras and crew on set.
"They are from E.T."
"Is Lauren here?"
"I don't know who is doing the interviewing. But they are here for the movie, not just one person."
Angela and I move on to makeup and wardrobe as Alice makes her way to my trailer. An hour later, I'm ready and head back to my trailer.
Alice gives us the run down once we arrive.
"They are here to give the movie some promotion, not that it really needs it. And yes, Lauren is the interviewer," she explains. "Also, Friday, a journalist and photographer from Entertainment Weekly are going to be on set."
"Any other press I need to know about?" I know I should be getting used to this attention, but somehow I still get nervous.
It seems early to be giving press on the movie, but I'm sure that Felix and his team know exactly how to play the media. His movies wouldn't do as well as they do at the box office without the right coverage.
"I did get an inquiry on your schedule from Vogue."
I swallow loudly and stare at her.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I just didn't think I was at that level," I explain.
Alice snorts, and flips through her BlackBerry, making a few notes before looking back up at me as I gawk at her.
"Bella, you're turning into an A-list star. Vogue is the big leagues. You are at that level."
"Wow."
"Bella, seriously." Alice rolls her eyes at me and continues to work on her BlackBerry.
"Wow." I'm truly stunned by this request. I never really thought of myself as A-list or even C-list. I'm just Isabella Swan, actress.
"Well, come on 'wow', it's time to get you to the set."
Once we arrive on set, I watch as Lauren and her E.T. crew works their way around the set, talking to various cast members. She sees me as I take a chair off camera and gives me a small wave.
But before she can get to me, blocking is complete and our shot is ready. After we run the familiar multiple takes for Felix for the scene, I'm back in my chair with a bottle of water from Angela as Lauren approaches me.
"Bella," she greets me, going in for the one-arm hug and air kisses.
"Lauren, great to see you again."
"Do you have time for us?"
"Yeah, sure."
Lauren interviews me for about fifteen minutes and waits to ask about my relationship with Edward as her last question before cutting.
But seeing that this interview is supposed to be about the movie, I politely dodge answering the question.
Lauren huffs at me afterwards, and I just know that in her mind, she feels that I owe it to her to give an answer on my relationship with Edward. It's all about who you know in Hollywood.
But she should know better. I like to keep my private life private.
Smiling sweetly at her, I remember New York and the interview that we gave her and I that don't owe her anything. But I'm not going to throw that in her face.
She moves on and, throughout the long day, I see her and her crew interviewing and filming various activities on set.
The rest of the day is more productive than I thought it would be with an extra film crew and interviews going on. But after nine plus hours on set, Alice drives me home, where I crawl into bed with my computer on the nightstand, waiting for Edward to call on Skype.
Snuggling into the pillow that he slept on just last night, I take a deep breath, inhaling his smell. I don't think I'm going to let Sue wash this for a few days. Burying my face, I take another deep breath, remembering all the lovemaking and sweet touches.
My thoughts move to the idea of the production company; it's been lingering in the back of my mind all day, like a song that you hear first thing in the morning and the tune sticks with you.
I can hope that Edward will want to take this journey with me, but I can't predict his answer. After all, this is Hollywood.
But as the thought crosses my mind, I settle on one thing. Even if Edward doesn't want to get involved with me financially, that doesn't mean I can't pursue starting one on my own.
It just could mean more time away from Edward.
And a very selfish reason for asking him was to create something that would enable us to be with each other more on a professional level.
The familiar and welcoming ringing on my laptop brings me back. Looking up, I see it is Edward calling and I reach to accept the call.
Our conversation is brief. I tell him about the busy day on the set and the visit from E.T. and Lauren. After I yawn for about the fifth time, he tells me that he will talk to me tomorrow and requests that I get some sleep.
Without arguing with him, I tell him I love him and say goodnight before snuggling back into his pillow and closing my eyes.
When I wake up the next morning, I feel a little more at ease about the whole situation. If I had to pinpoint a reason, it would be that I've decided to do this with or without Edward; that this is the direction that I want to take my career.
But that decision will need to take a backseat to this movie and role that I have right now.
Focusing on the present is my job.
I return to work, the lingering tune in my head, but with a new melody that gives me hope that everything will work out for the best.
The week is long and when Friday arrives, I groan knowing that I'm still going to have to come to set tomorrow and that I only have Sunday off.
Of course, today involves more press for the movie.
When I arrive on set, Angela gets the information about Entertainment Weekly and who and when they will be interviewing. They plan on taking a few photos but state that they promise not to get in the way of shooting.
I report to set, run through blocking and prep for the scenes while the lighting is being adjusted. All of the kids that are in the classroom are here, and it is taking a few extra P.A.s to contain them. Apparently they are excited about being interviewed.
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see a photographer taking pictures of our intertactions. I remain casual and try and focus on the kids.
"Bella." I hear my name being called by Felix from behind the camera.
I turn and walk over to him, noticing that he is talking to a tall, thin middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair.
"Bella, this is Vladimir Ivanov, the reporter from Entertainment Weekly."
I extend my hand to shake his, "Nice to meet you, Bella." Vladimir is definitely Russian, speaking full sentences that are a little hard to understand because of his thick accent.
"He is also an old friend of my uncle's," Felix adds.
So that means Aro helped set this up. The connections never end.
"Yes, Aro and I met in New York when he was on Broadway," Vladimir explains through his muddled English.
We chat a little bit more, and surprisingly enough, I feel comfortable talking to him, like he is an old family friend. He lets me know that he wants to speak with me during lunch and leaves me to return to the scene.
After we break for lunch, I find myself sitting across from Vladimir at my kitchen table in my trailer with a spread of food in front of us. He wanted to make sure that I got my lunch in and had the set caterer bring a little bit of everything.
I take some chicken salad and some fruit and allow Vladimir to start interviewing me.
He pulls out a yellow legal pad and his pen before placing the micro-recorder on the table and asks me, "Do you mind?"
I shake my head and motion for him to start.
"Felix and Maria said that they hand picked you for this role?"
"Yes, Felix approached me about working with him, telling me about a new project that he was developing. I had read Maria's book and was a huge fan. After reading the script, I had a hard time saying no."
"How hard is it for you to put yourself in Maria's shoes? Your life is so different from hers."
"I'm not going to lie and say that it's easy. It takes some time for me to focus and put my head in her mindset. I have been working with Maria from early on, talking and connecting with her. We have become close friends because of this film."
"Have you ever been in a desperate place in your life like Maria was?"
"I don't think so. There have been times in my life that I really wasn't sure what I was doing, that being an actress was the right thing for me. But as I started to work more, mature and grow as a person, I've developed a compass for myself to lead me in the right direction."
"You have a lot of face time in front of the camera so far on this film. Do you feel the pressure to carry it?"
"Oh yes, any actor would. Knowing that the success of the film comes from the performance that you give, and that performance is the majority of the film."
"Felix Volturi said that you are one of the most dedicated and talented actresses that he has ever worked with. Do you see yourself as he describes you?"
Trying not to show how stunned I am from what Felix has said about me, I take a bite of my food, chew and swallow, taking a drink of water before answering.
"Wow, I'm humbled by Felix's words. I don't think of myself any different from other people in this industry. I like to work, enjoy the roles that I accept and take a personal interest in the characters that I play. I've also been fortunate to have a great team surrounding me that gives me the support that I need in order to give one hundred and ten percent to the film."
"Does Edward Cullen play part in that team?"
"Yeah, of course he does."
Vladimir continues on, asking more questions about the film, and working with Felix. At the end, he thanks me and heads off for more interviews with the cast and crew. I let out a huge breath when the door to my trailer shuts.
Turning to the couch, I see Alice and Angela with huge smiles on their faces.
"What? Did I fuck up the interview? Why the hell are you two grinning?"
"Bella, stop worrying. Did you even hear yourself in that interview?" Angela asks.
"No, why, what the hell did I say that was so wrong?"
"You didn't say anything wrong," Alice states. "You said everything exactly right."
I open my mouth to protest, not wanting to believe that the interview went as well as they said it did. But I just huff and stalk back to the bathroom to freshen up before returning to the set.
At the end of the day, I'm exhausted. Between the long takes today and the interview, my mind is ready for some sleep.
The next day, I get to sleep in, a late call time, but plans on a late night on set. I turn on my computer, hoping that it's not too early on a Saturday morning to Skype with Edward.
I send him a text to see if he is up. A few minutes later the computer screen alerts me to Edward's incoming call.
"Hi."
"Hey, Beautiful."
"Did I wake you?"
"No, just the opposite, I was already awake, lying in bed, thinking of you. You have a late call time, and I was hoping to catch up with you."
"This has been a rough week. I've missed being able to see you each night."
"I know. My schedule has been crazy with all these dinner meetings and smoozing for the Emmy's."
"Oh, you know you love 'smoozing'. You and all that charm of yours."
"Hmph, my charm?" he grins, part of his pearly smile peeking through.
"Yes," I sigh. "Your charm. Edward, you could charm the pants off an old lady."
"Does my charm work on you?" he whispers.
I lean closer to the screen, pushing my breasts together, giving them wonderful cleavage under my cami. Watching Edward's grin widen, his eyes gloss over with a mixture of sleep and lust. "Your charm is nothing compared to your hands."
He groans and I see movement from his arms, no doubt reaching to grab on to his morning wood.
"Edward, are you touching yourself?" I seductively ask.
"Bella, two weeks."
"Two weeks."
Just those words coming from him remind me that at this time in two weeks, he will be in this bed with me, his arms wrapped around me and possibly making love to me once more.
We continue to talk some more, catching up on the odds and ends of the week, the question of starting a production company between us never coming up. I'm glad for the ease of conversation with him and not having to talk about anything heavy.
I eventually get out of bed, leaving Edward on Skype, dragging the laptop into the bathroom to continue talking to him as I get ready to head to the studio. It's funny, even though he is not physically in the room with me, I'm very happy to have his voice and our usual banter.
When I arrive on set, there is a grin on my face that is hard to deny. Just talking with Edward this morning put me in the right mood for the day.
I make my way to hair and makeup before getting dressed for the first scene that we are shooting. After given the okay from the costume designers, I head back to check in with Angela and Alice before settling in on set.
Entering my trailer, I find them both staring at Angela's laptop discussing something quietly.
"Hey."
They both look up at me with 'deer-in-the-headlights' looks on their faces.
"What?"
"Vogue called, they want to schedule a shoot for you the last week in April to put you on the June cover," Angela tells me.
"Holy shit," I gasp.
"That's not all," she continues. "It's Tanya and Kate."
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
As if I wasn't already stunned enough that Vogue wants an interview, but now I find out that they want to put me on the cover.
Isabella Swan, Vogue cover girl.
And then, I've now just been informed that I'm going to be photographed by the one and only Tanya Taylor; the best out there as far as photographers are concerned. The double whammy is finding out that I'm being interviewed by her life partner, Kate Kingsley, who just happens to be one of the toughest writers to be interviewed by.
She gets the information from her interviewer whether you want to give it our not.
I sit down, blinking and taking a few short breaths, trying to compose my thoughts.
"Bella? Are you alright?"
"Um," I stutter.
This is a new level of pressure. What the hell?
I feel the couch dip beside me, and Alice's hand coming to rub my back. "Don't worry, you're going to be awesome. Vogue chose you for a reason."
I huff in response, my brain still not completely functioning.
Alice and Angela leave me to sit on the couch in my daze as they go about their routines around me.
All I can think about is what kind of themes and ideas that Tanya will create for me. After all, she is known for pushing the envelope with celebrities. She has put some in bathtubs filled with milk, only their face, hands and knees showing. She more recently shot a young female celebrity in a unique position with her overbearing and over involved father. I remember specifically looking at those thinking I never wanted to be in that situation.
And here I am, at her mercy, because Vogue and every other magazine in the world loves Tanya and will bend to her will with whatever she wants.
Then, to add to my stress, I'm going to be interviewed by Kate.
Fuck, I might as well be interviewed by Esme.
Kate is tough; she has interviewed heads of state, military leaders and some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Including Felix and Aro.
She can pull information out of you like you are a siphon needing oil out of the desert sand.
How the hell am I going to keep my private life, well, private from her? Edward and I haven't even discussed the production company question. She is going to ask about my life with Edward. We are a celebrity couple, it's impossible to ignore that line of questioning from her.
Shit.
Time passes, and eventually my head clears enough for me to focus back on what I'm here for today, work. I push aside my fears of the Vogue interview and make my way to set.
But I need to share this, so I grab my phone and text Edward as I take my seat on the edge of the set.
A/N: Okay, first *gets on knees* I'm sorry to all my readers in the delay in writing. I had a block, and it was a big one. But it looks like I'm through that and back to writing again. I already have 3500 words on the next chapter and hope to have that completed quickly. *gets up* I hope you can forgive me.
Second, is it November yet? Geeze, I can't wait for BD, the vid leaks, unf!
And last, thanks for reading, reviewing and putting this on alert. Remember to check out Dirty Cheeky Monkey's Squeeze My Lemon, come write for us, squeeze some lemon juice.