Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight

Chapter 23 EPOV: The Incident

Since Bella had come back into my life I finally had a reason to get up in the morning. I had a reason to have a smile on my face. I had a reason to feel like the luckiest son of a bitch in the world.

I also had a raging libido.

And since I wasn't going to push her or rush into anything too fast, I had to take matters into my owns hands; literally. It all started when I was in the shower (taking care of business) when I heard my phone chiming on the bed. I had to stop pumping for a moment and try to breathe normally while I debated what to do.

I could jump out of the shower and run, soaking wet with a painful hard-on, to get my phone which was sitting on the bed in my room.

My other option was, I could stay in the shower and continue loving myself, then dry my body, solving the hard-on problem and the wet problem. Also I wouldn't slip on the tiles and rip my dick off...

The last seemed like the better option.

I worked my hand double time knowing this had to be quick and my mind formed different scenario's which ended in me taking Bella over various surfaces. But even my dream Bella, the one that was begging me to love her, did the real Bella justice. She was so beautiful.

I could feel myself nearing the end when my fantasy became a nightmare.

"Eddie baby, you look tense," Tanya's voice purred in my mind. "Why don't we relieve it..."

"Don't worry, it'll be over soon," Irina whispered.

"NO! Get away!" I shouted and tried to scramble away on instinct. My chest heaved as I fell back out of the shower and landed on the cold tiles, a bit stunned at what had happened.

When I realized I'd had an episode, I just lay there for a while, disappointed because this had never happened before. Oliver said it might, but I thought that this was one thing I was strong enough not to give into to. Apparently, I was wrong.

A few minutes passed before I finally got my naked ass off the floor and called Oliver about my incident. He told me not to worry; that it was a good thing. It has to get worse before it gets better.

I thought he was full a shit. But maybe I was just frustrated.

After that, I got to my cell phone and saw Bella had been the caller who had distracted me from my...shower. What made me worry though was the fact she'd tried to call twice and she'd left messages. Normally she never left messages, only ever sending me a text to call her.

"Edward...listen to me carefully," she screamed into the receiver as I replayed the message. She seemed frantic with worry. "Get out of Washington; he's on his way to castrate you. He found out, he knows about us! Actually, I told him and I'm sorry, he didn't take it well. He's on his way to kill you, you need to leave, now!" she shouted and the message ended.

I was panicking and the room seemed to be spinning. James had found me. He was coming to kill me and if Bella knew, that must have meant she'd come into contact with him.

Get Bella safe...

Have to get Bella safe...

That was all that was running through my mind. I needed to make sure my mistakes didn't impact Bella again.

"Bella pick up the fucking phone!" I shouted as tears began to blur my vision. I was beyond terrified now, but not for me, for her. If anything happened to Bella...I didn't even want to think it...

She wasn't answering and I was beginning to fear the worst. I hung up, threw on some pants and ran for my keys, intent on driving around town like a maniac until I found her and got her safe. I have to get Bella safe...

As I made my way out the door, I tried her cell another time and a voice said it was engaged. Could she be talking to him? What was she doing messing around like this?

"One last time. Come on, answer me, baby. I need to know you're okay." I said to myself as I called her cell one more time, turning my keys in the ignition of my car.

"Edward?" she answered and I felt the breath I hadn't even realized I'd been holding rush out of me.

"Bella, love. What's wrong? You called me; fucking shouting something about getting out of Washington and you didn't pick up the first two times I called! I was going out of my mind! Are you okay? Where are you? I'm coming to get you."

"Where are you?" she asked randomly. I was beyond frustrated with her and if I was honest, I was scared shitless.

"I'm at my parents' home, Bella. Why? You're scaring me; please tell me you're okay." I begged, only wanting her safe from harm and not caring about anything else.

A Police cruiser pulled into my drive-way and I was about to shout at her to tell me she was fine before anyone took me away from her. If I had to kill someone to make sure James Treckar stayed away from her, I would.

"Edward, listen to me, my Dad's on his way to your house. I told him about us and he freaked out. He has a loaded gun and a bullet with your name on it. You need to leave now." Everything suddenly clicked into place.

She hadn't been talking about James. Charlie was the one coming to castrate me. Oh thank God...

I'd never thought I'd say it, but I was so relieved Charlie Swan was coming to kill me. Instead of James. At least he wouldn't hurt Bella and that was all that mattered.

The chief got out of his cruiser, looking angry as hell, but minus a gun. I knew he wouldn't kill me, he was an officer for Christ sake, but I was willing to bet he had no problem with kicking the shit out of me to show me whose boss.

"Well, that explains why your Father just pulled into my driveway." I replied, the realization that I was about to get a serious beating finally setting in.

"He won't kill you," she blurted suddenly and not at all convincingly, "He's all bark and no bite."

"Either way, I'm about to get my ass kicked. I'll call you back. I love you, Bella." I hung up before she could say anything. This was going to happen one way or another, I knew that for certain. But I figured her thinking about it was better than her actually witnessing or hearing it.

I took a breath and went to face the Chief. "Chief Swan, what can I do you for?" I asked in the most pleasant voice I could summon as I stood out of the car. I stayed a few steps away from him encase he got straight to the point and kicked my ass. Even though I was glad he was here instead of James, didn't mean I welcomed a beating...

"Going to try escape, were you, boy?" he smiled wickedly.

"No sir, Bella left me a strange message and I thought she was hurt. I was going to go to her when you pulled in." Charlie's eyes narrowed.

It was hard to remember the times when Charlie Swan had actually liked me. It seemed so long ago when he used to call me 'son' instead of 'boy' or 'asshole'. I used to come to his house and watch baseball with him while I waited for Bella to finish her homework. Several times he came to Thanksgiving dinner with Bella…when he didn't glare at me the entire time. I missed those days, but I wasn't so naïve as to think I would ever get them back.

"Stay away from Bella!" he shouted, the don't-fuck-with-me vein popping out of his forehead and his face going red with fury.

"I can't do that," I answered honestly and in a calm tone, never letting my eyes leave his. "I love her."

"You don't fucking love her! You lost her and now you want what you can't have. You may have fucked with my little girl once before, but I will never let that happen again. Do you hear me, asshole? Never again."

As I stared at this man, and he glared back, I understood that behind this hard facade he was putting up, he was just a guy. A guy who had watched his little girl grow and then saw her shrink again right in front of his eyes. Both times had been because of me. I'd married Bella, promised her everything and then failed her completely.

The way he saw it, I was setting Bella up to knock her down again. As a father, he couldn't let that happen.

"How dare you even think-"

"Charlie, I'm sorry." I interrupted him mid-rant and he stopped to stare at me.

"What? Did you just say you're sorry?" he asked in disbelief. But before he could get another breath to shout abuse at me, I stopped him again.

"I'm sorry I hurt her after I took her away from you and promised to keep her safe. I'm sorry I gave you my word and I broke it. I know you hate me and you have the right to beat the ever living shit out of me for everything I've done, but even if you do, it's not going to change anything. I love her and I'm not leaving her if I can help it. Whatever the divorce papers may say...To me it's still 'til death do us part'." I told him in a sure voice and he stared at me with a scrutinizing gaze, like he thought I had some ulterior motive and he was trying to figure it out.

"You're nothing. Once she's see's you haven't changed, she'll leave you."

The Chief was good. He knew exactly what buttons to press to make me angry. "You're wrong, I have changed!" I shouted, losing my cool completely.

"Oh? Because when I look at you Dickward, all I see is the lying sack of shit that made Bella lose everything."

I had to fight to hold on to my control and not pounce at him like I really wanted to do. First of all, Bella would never forgive me and secondly, Charlie would probably win that fight. "That might be what you see but it's obviously not what Bella sees. She loves me as much as I love her and the only reason you're here today is because you know she won't budge on this. You're hoping that, if you scare me enough, I'll back off." The look on his face told me every word I had said was true.

Bella and I had come too far to let anything stand in our way though. I wasn't giving up now when we were so close to going the distance again.

"I've seen pretty scary things when I was in Chicago. The scariest was that I became something I wasn't and I hated it. It was all because I was impressionable and depressed and I didn't have Bella to remind me who I really was. I've come a long way from being that guy and I won't become him again, Bella's helping me not to. So don't you dare think you can change my mind. Bella is my forever. Only she has the power to change that."

There was a dead silence between both of us and the phrase, if looks could kill was running through my mind.

Finally he sighed. That one sigh said more than any words could.

He was giving in. He knew that there was nothing more he could do, but advise Bella to stay away from me. However, even he knew that wasn't going to work.

"If you so much as make her cry, I will hunt you down, Cullen. You will regret the day you were born. Understand me?" Charlie ground out through gritted teeth.

"I understand," I answered and held out my hand for him to shake. Surprisingly, he took my hand in his firm grip and I thought, this is new ground. He doesn't have to like me but maybe he can respect me...

That thought was soon flying out of my head as his fist made contact. I think I blacked out for a moment because I couldn't understand what had happened until I felt another fist collide with my face. I hit the floor in a matter of seconds and I lay there, accepting this as punishment for failing Bella the first time.

He didn't hit me again, this time he only gave me a warning before departing. "That's for hurting Bella in the first place, and the second one was for pissing me off. Think about this pain always and remember it. You'll feel a hell of a lot more if you ever hurt her again."

With that he left me, bloodied and sore in the drive-way of my parents' house.

I must have slipped in and out of consciousness because for a while I swore I had gone back in time...

I was really freaking out.

How do I do this without getting killed or shitting my pants? That was the main question.

It sounded simple in my mind; all I had to do was go inside and say, "Hey Charlie, can I marry your daughter?", then it would be done and I'd be free to skip down the aisle with Bella.

But actually doing it in real life, going to the Chief while he cleans his shotgun in front of me and then asking to whisk his only daughter away for life, was a lot harder to get out than it seemed.

That was why I found myself standing at Charlie Swan's house, a nervous wreck and altogether pussy.

"He loves me like a son already, he won't shoot me." I reminded myself as I marched up the steps of the porch reminding myself that I had to do this if I wanted to start my life with Bella.

One breath...two breaths and... knock.

"You can do this..." I chanted as the door eased open and a bright smile lit Charlie's face once he saw me.

"Edward, good to see you, Son. You're just in time, the game is only after starting." Charlie clapped me on the back and ushered me inside and on to the couch, practically forcing me to have a beer with him. Finally when he sat down, I worked up my nerve.

"I actually came here for a reason. Not to watch the game - and it's kind of important."

Charlie stared at me intently for a while, making me gulp nervously. Is it hot in here...?

"She's pregnant, isn't she?" Charlie blurted and began ranting before I could correct him. "I knew this would happen if I let you two live together, but Bella convinced me she was mature enough not to get knocked up. Mature enough my ass! I told her what men are like, no offence to you, Edward. I hope to God you two both have a plan because there is only so far your parents and I can take you. Plus I already raised a kid, I'll babysit for you now and then but there's no way in hell I'm doing all that again."

"No, no, no," I rushed out. "Bella's not pregnant, Charlie." You could see him visibly relax at my words and breathe a sigh of relief.

"Whew!" he threw his head back dramatically. "You nearly gave me a heart attack, son. You're both way too young for that kind of commitment. You both have a bright future ahead of you, especially you, kid. You'll be the finest lawyer Forks has ever had, if you're both smart about your lives." Charlie warned and I blushed a little at his compliment.

"Thanks," I mumbled, before clearing my throat. "Speaking of commitment...You know I love Bella so very much and we've been together for a while now. Well, sir, I um...I want her heart, body and soul...well, not that I only want her body for sex because I would never do that to her, but...I don't get me wrong, I'm attracted to her physically also... it's not only about that though because I want her for like...um... children later...way later...in our lives. I love her a lot. So what I'm t-trying to say is that I really want Bella, heart, body and soul...shit, did I say that already?" I rambled, letting my nerves get the better of me.

I saw Charlie was just sitting there, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. I knew I was making a mess of the whole speech. I tried to save myself but ended up digging myself in deeper. I decided to shut the hell up when I got to 'how I would always buy her tampons in the store when she asked me to...'

Wishing I could die of embarrassment, I sat in the armchair, silence filling the room, with my hands covering my burning face. I couldn't even look at Charlie for what he must think of me now.

"Edward," his gruff voice called. "What the hell are you trying to say?"

"I want to marry Bella." I blurted out and finally looked at him, wide-eyed. He sat there unmoving for a moment before the corners of his mouth tugged upwards. I wondered for a moment if he was going to leave me without an answer just to torture me for being a moron and not asking the question like a normal human being.

"Okay," he said, and stood up to shake my hand.

"Okay?"

"Yes, you can marry my little girl," he stated and I looked at him in total shock. He had actually said yes after the load of crap I'd just delivered him...? "You're like a son to me already Edward, and above all others, I trust you to take care of her."

I had never felt so completely honored in my entire life. He was trusting me with her, his most prized possession, (not that women are possessions, of course), and I would try my very best never to let Bella or him down. I would be the best husband I could possibly be for Bella.

"I promise I'll take care of her."

"I'm going to hold you to that promise, Son. It'll break my heart if you break hers." he smiled and clapped me on the back again before we sat back down to watch sports-center…

When I woke up in my drive-way, it took me a good three minutes to remember where I was and how I got here.

The only thing I really knew the entire time I lay on the cement was; Charlie Swan was a saint… for not killing me.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Only a few days late...

There you go, as promised EPOV of "The Incident" mentioned in chapter 25. I'm sorry I'm not as fast with posting as I used to be but I'm trying the best I can.

Thank you to RND4EVA, my awesome Beta, who is seriously like Wonder Woman when it comes to fanfiction. How she does it all, I'll never know...

Thank you to everyone who voted in the poll for What Chapter would you most like to see in EPOV? The end result made chapter 5 (otherwise known as the wedding sex scene) your favourite. My Beta RND4EVA also requested I do Chapter 3 (Where Edward wakes a naked Bella up) in EPOV. Therefore Chapter 5 and 3 will be donated to Fandom Against Juvenile Diabetes to help the cause. If you'd like to get involved the link is on my profile.

Thanks to all those who reviewed! We're getting so close to 1000 now and I love you all for it.

PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! I can almost feel 1000 coming closer. :)

See you for chapter 26,

~ Casey

Twitter: Caseyx457