A/N Wow. What a lovely weekend I had in the fandom. I cannot thank you all enough, but I'm going to try. Your response to the Emmettake killed me. Thank you! So glad you enjoyed the crazy things that go on in that guy's (and my) head.

Special thanks to Linzzer220 and Kassiah for their lovely review on The Fictionators, it was an incredible surprise.

My AU story, Taste of Innocence, won 2 Vampies on Friday night, for Best Romance and Bloody Newborn. I am blown away, truly. Thanks to those who read and voted and supported me!

The Readalong was a blast on Twitter and I thank all of you who stopped in and tweeted your favorite things about this story. It meant so much. Special thanks to IngenueFic for hosting. I'll have to give her some special QB time as a reward :)

Here's the new chapter and for my non-football fans, there's a chunk of game toward the middle of the story. For my football fans, it felt good to write some game again! The struggles continue for these two but they're working through it together, as promised! Enough babble, here you go:

First & Ten Chapter 28

BPOV

After Edward left on Saturday morning, I called Alice and told her everything that had happened since practice. Listening to her getting riled up on my behalf made me feel nearly as loved as the appearance of the three men in my room last night. I'd known that Edward would freak out but I hadn't expected him to arrive with Emmett and Jasper in tow, though why it surprised me I couldn't say. Those three stuck together at all times and it warmed my heart to know that they embraced me as easily as they had.

I had to talk Alice down from calling Fox and demanding that Dan be fired and/or prosecuted. What amazed me more than the response I had gotten from my friends was my own reaction. Never once had I been afraid of Dan. I'd been afraid of what would happen when Edward got a hold of him, but when he'd been drunk in my doorway I hadn't been scared at all. He grabbed my wrist after I pushed him and that pissed me off and I hit him. I still wasn't sure if he'd been grabbing me to grab me or if he'd been about to fall as he wasn't overly steady on his feet. Either way, hitting him had felt good and I'd happily do it again if he opened his big mouth once more, though I doubted he would after my boys got through with him.

Alice had swooned with me when I told her about Edward's inability to stop touching me when he had arrived. It had been amazing to see my calm, cool, amazingly level-headed boyfriend completely overcome by emotions. He'd held me even tighter than he usually did through the night, but I hadn't had the heart to pull away or loosen his grip. So I lost a little sleep. He'd needed to hold me and being in his arms was hardly a hardship.

Now, in the light of day, all the events of the past week washed over me. Had it really only been a week ago that we'd sat down with Lauren and Jess and come out to the public? It felt like it'd been a lifetime. This was the longest week ever and it wasn't over yet. Today I had to see about finding a new phone, cover practice and the pre-game press conference, have dinner with Ronnie, and of course the game itself still loomed ahead. I really just wanted to curl up in my hotel room for the weekend and then fly home with Edward.

That thought made me glance at the number I had asked Alice to give me, since I didn't have access to it at the moment. I dialed it before I could second guess myself and waited anxiously as the phone rang.

"Hello?" I couldn't help but smile at the familiar, gruff voice coming through the phone.

"Hi, Buddy, it's Bella."

"Bella! What number are you calling from? How's the Windy City treating you?"

I rolled my eyes. Not so well, Buddy, but the city could hardly be blamed for Dan Mullen. He wasn't from here after all. I didn't know where he was from but it was probably someplace disgusting and dirty.

"I'm calling you from my hotel. I need to get a new phone. Mine died." Because an asshole made me drop it.

"Hmmm." I couldn't read Buddy's tone but I suspected he knew something was up with me. He was Buddy; he always knew when something was off. "And the city?"

"I haven't seen much yet but I'm going to try to go to the Shedd today if I get time." I still wanted to see it, but my excitement from yesterday had diminished, I had to admit.

"How'd your boy look at practice?"

I smiled then. "He was great. I didn't see one errant throw. He should be ready to go tomorrow." Unless, of course, he's so busy being distracted by me that he can't concentrate. That's what I was really having issues with right now. I didn't want to cause his career any harm and having to worry about whether or not I was being bothered by a fellow reporter was a distraction he didn't need.

"Great. So, what's on your mind, kid?"

Of course he knew I wasn't calling to chit chat. I decided to just go ahead and get it over with. "What has the doctor said about when you can come back to work?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the line that made me nervous. "He didn't, yet. I have an appointment next Wednesday. Why?"

"I was just wondering." Wondering when you'd come back and I could settle back into the more comfortable world of high school sports, you know, where the fact that I was dating Edward Cullen would be viewed as cool and nobody would feel the need to accuse me of sleeping my way to the top. At least I hoped not, though those sixteen year olds were sex obsessed so who knew?

"Were you now? I know you're just dying to see my ugly mug back around the office." I was, actually. Buddy was the best thing about that place.

"Of course, I need to balance out all the pretty in my life with a little ugly."

"Hey! I resemble that remark! We can't all be male models like your boy toy." I giggled at his mock outrage.

"Aww, but I love you just as much as I do him, albeit in a different way."

He grunted. "That's a good thing, seeing as I'm old enough to be your slightly older brother."

"Slightly older?"

"Yes, slightly. It encompasses a very unspecific range that you don't need to worry about right now."

I laughed. Talking to Buddy was guaranteed to pick up my mood, which was one of the reasons I called him.

"Okay, brother dear, well I hope the doctor has good news for you."

"Yes, I'm sure you do." He paused and I didn't know how to say what I wanted to say so I sat and waited. "Bella, would you just spit it out?"

"Spit what out?" I toyed with the bedspread, nervously. I knew he was going to get mad about what I had to say.

"The real reason for your call. I know I have a sparkling wit and personality but that's not why you called me. And it just so happens that I have sources and I know that this week has not been the best of your life. Talk to me."

That was the prodding I needed. Buddy always knew when to push me. "Well, I'm sure you heard about Seth."

"Yes, I did. That boy had a very obvious crush on you, Bella. I'm not surprised that he's taking this badly, but he had no right to say the things he did. When I get back, I'll be giving him my strongly worded opinion on his behavior." I knew just how strongly worded Buddy's opinions could be and I shuddered at the thought.

I sighed and shook my head. "Don't do that, Buddy. He's already apologized." I didn't say why he apologized, but as long as I didn't have to deal with his anger, I'd be okay. We weren't going to be friends again and I had to deal with that.

"It's not just Seth. I feel like everyone is treating me differently. Either they're avoiding me or they're acting like I'm some kind of celebrity. It's driving me nuts."

"They'll get over it eventually, Bella. It won't take long before you're just Bella Swan again." I wished it were true but it didn't feel that way. "And I'll never treat you any differently. You'll always be the one I dump all the boring research on while I do the glamorous stuff."

I actually longed for it. "That works for me."

"It does, huh? What else is going on with you?"

I blew out a breath. "Have you talked to Ronnie lately?"

"No, why, is there something I need to know?" His jovial voice had an edge now. "Are you having any more trouble with that Stan guy?"

"You know perfectly well his name is Dan." Buddy never forgot a name.

"His name is irrelevant unless he's done something more to upset you. Has he?"

"Well, he said more stuff about me and Edward yesterday, of course, and then he showed up at my room last night drunk and…"

"HE DID WHAT?" I held the phone away from my ear as the volume in Buddy's voice was enough to deafen me.

"Calm down, Buddy. I handled it. He left here with a busted nose."

"Good. But if I had my way he'd be leaving Chicago in a full body cast. Has your man taken care of that?"

I rolled my eyes. What was with the men in my life and their barbarian tendencies? Not that I really minded. Edward's anger at Dan was pretty hot so long as he didn't land in jail for it.

"First of all, I took care of it myself; my man didn't need to do a thing. And second, I wouldn't let him hit him. The last thing the two of us need is more press, especially the bad kind," I grumbled.

"Humph. I don't believe for one second that Cullen isn't doing something about that asshole. If he's just leaving it at a fist to the face, then he's not holding up his end of the promise he made to take care of you."

I glanced at my watch. "At this very minute, he's in a private interview with Dan. I told him that he couldn't hit him, so he decided to intimidate the hell out of him and make him ask for a transfer."

I listened as Buddy started laughing. "I love it! He'll shit his pants, that little weasel. I never liked that prick. Oh, to be a fly on that wall." It was so very true. I wished I'd told Edward to call me and let me hear what went down. I only hoped that it didn't backfire and end up front page news tomorrow.

Buddy calmed down eventually and took a deep breath. "I'm fine, woman. I was just laughing, not having palpitations. No, I don't want carrot sticks. I want carrot cake. I don't care what the doctor says. Carrots do not taste good. Celery tastes even worse. You and the doctor are going to drive me to an early grave," he grumbled at his wife while I laughed at his irritation. I knew his new diet was not going to be well received. "Heart healthy my ass. Who wants to live on rabbit food? I'll die with a cupcake in my hand. Stop laughing at me, Bella." I heard his wife yelling at him in the background.

"I should let you go…"

"Hell, no, don't leave me alone with her. Since you didn't call me over that turd, what did you call me for? And don't tell me it was just to talk because I can see right through you, Swan. Spit it out."

Here goes nothing. "Alright, I think I'm going to tell Ted that I don't want to cover the Cards anymore. It's clearly just too much."

"Since when are you a quitter? You're not going to let a few asshole reporters drive you away, are you?" That got my back up. I was not a quitter. I wouldn't even think about it if it weren't for Edward.

"Of course not. That's not it at all. Look, I haven't decided what to tell Ted about this whole thing, but one thing I won't tell him is that Edward came over here like a man possessed, ready to throw his career in the toilet to save me. Fortunately, I'd gotten rid of Dan before he got here or I have no doubt he would have beaten the shit out of him and suffered the consequences. You and I both know that even if Dan's behavior came to light, Edward would be suspended, fined, possibly arrested and he'd be savaged by some corners of the press. I can't risk that." I spat the words out quickly, the thoughts that had been in my brain since last night spewing out without filter.

"Tell me something, Bella. If some food delivery guy made a sexual comment and grabbed you, would Edward do the same thing he wanted to do to Dan?"

"Yeah, probably, but…"

"And he'd get arrested and the press would hear about it and blah, blah, blah. You're a beautiful woman, kiddo, and you're going to appeal to men no matter what their profession. And if they cross a line, Cullen's going to come running, because he loves you and he'll protect you. That's as it should be. It has nothing to do with your profession. You could work in a flower shop and it could happen. The press would get wind of it because of who he is, and you know it. You can't stop that any more than he can."

I let my head fall back against the pillows, relieved that he'd said what I needed to hear. I didn't want to walk away from this, it wasn't who I was. "I knew I called you for a reason."

"Because I'm awesome." I could actually hear his smile through the phone, I swear.

I chuckled. "That too, along with your utter humility."

"Yes, just one of the many things to love about me. As for Ted, I think it's best to tell him the whole story."

"I can't tell him that Edward came running to my rescue. He told me that we had to stay away from each other during away games because I was representing the paper."

"I think, under the circumstances, he'll understand why Cullen broke his stupid rules. So long as he left after you both calmed down a bit, it's no big deal."

I felt my cheeks heat. "Uh, well, actually…"

Buddy laughed. "I see. Well, did he miss bed check? Ted will hear about that if it happened."

"No, he was covered." I wasn't quite sure how, but I knew Emmett and Jasper had pulled it off. Edward texted that nobody was the wiser.

"Then he doesn't need to know anything other than that. As far as he knows, Edward saw you were alright and went back to his hotel without harming a hair on the pervert's head."

"If I tell him what happened, he's going to want to report him."

"And so you should, missy. I get why you don't want to, but your safety is more important than your reputation."

"In this business? I'm not so sure."

"Yeah, kid, good point. I guess so long as Mullen does what Edward tells him to do, it'll be fine. But you need to alert Ted to what went down. It's not tattling. If something breaks down the line and he doesn't know, he can't protect you. And he'll be pissed at you and more importantly, at me, for not telling him."

"Alright, I will, when I get back in town." Buddy was right.

"Fair enough. Now, are you going to stop this quitting nonsense? Because I can tell you, even if I do come back, I fully intend for you to be a part of the Cardinal's beat. You're doing a wonderful job and I'm not letting you run away from those jealous assholes we call colleagues. You're going to show them all what you're made of, the woman that I know and adore."

I felt worlds better from talking to him, just like I knew I would. "Alright, I won't quit. But you better hurry back to work. I need you there."

"Oh, kiddo, you can bet I will. But you've got everything that you need right inside you. And you have that quarterback of yours as well. You don't need me."

"Maybe not, but I want you."

He laughed loudly. "They all do and of course you do as well!" I giggled. Of course he took it the wrong way. "There's plenty of me to go around, you know."

"Oh, I more than know. But your diet will likely limit that soon enough." I grinned, anticipating his reaction.

"You're evil and I hate you."

"Love you too, Buddy. And thank you."

"Any time, kid. Come see me when you get back to town. Bring cookies."

I laughed and said goodbye. Buddy was the best pick-me-up in the world. Well, second best. The first was currently intimidating the hell out of a loser with a broken nose. I loved my boys, all of them.

Xoxoxoxox

I made my way into the press box without incident, spotting Ronnie with a seat saved next to him, just as he'd promised me last night at dinner. I sat down, giving him a grateful smile.

"Hey, Bella. Ready to watch your man beat the crap out of the Bears?" I was more than ready. Mainly, I was ready to go home and curl into bed with my boyfriend. He'd wanted to come over again last night but we figured we'd be pushing our luck, plus we couldn't ask Emmett to get into trouble yet again, though he would likely have no qualms about it. Instead, Edward had called me right after dinner and we'd stayed on the phone until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. It was sweet how protective he was of me, even though I doubted Dan would come near me any time soon, after I'd gotten a rundown of what happened in the "interview."

"I'm ready." I looked down at the field and found him throwing the ball back and forth with Jasper. I smiled as I watched those two doing their usual thing. It was comforting to know that nothing disrupted their rhythm.

Ronnie let out a laugh next to me. "Whoo boy, what in the hell happened to Mullen's face?" I glanced in the direction he was looking and had to bite back a grin at the damage I'd caused. His eyes were a purple/black color and he still had tape all around his nose. The eyes actually matched his dark jacket and slacks nicely. Though I'd been tempted to tell Ronnie about what happened last night at dinner, I decided against it. The less people that knew what went down, the better.

Dan moved toward us to head to the back of the room. He looked at me and his eyes moved away very quickly. "Mullen, what happened to your nose? Did you finally hit on the wrong woman?" Ronnie asked, snickering away.

Dan's eyes flicked to me again and he grimaced as he focused on Ronnie. "A bottle of Jack and bad reflexes, man. It won't be happening ever again." His gaze was on Ronnie but I suspected that his words were for me. He turned and headed to the back of the room, setting up his laptop and typing quietly, which was very rare. Usually Dan loitered and chatted until kickoff.

"Guess that explains why he wasn't at the press conference yesterday," Ronnie told me and I murmured my agreement. I knew he likely wasn't there because Edward, Emmett and Jasper had scared him pissless but I couldn't voice that theory.

"Come on, Bella, don't tell me you don't love that Mullen got his comeuppance. You've probably wanted to punch him in the nose a few times yourself."

I bit my lip to keep from laughing hysterically. Oh, Ronnie, if you only knew. "I'll admit that it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy and leave it at that."

Ronnie laughed and patted me on the back. "Stay classy, Bella. I'd have punched him for you myself if he mouthed off again. It seems his getting drunk and hurting himself may have knocked some sense into his fool head finally."

I flexed my right fist. It was still a little sore from punching his pointy face. I should have gone for the stomach or the groin, I supposed. Well, next time, if necessary. "Doesn't matter what caused it, as long as he stops being such a prick," I told Ronnie.

He looked up from where he'd been focused on my hand and gave me a bright smile. Oops, had I given myself away?

"I hope you've been icing it." Then he pantomimed zipping his lip and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's fine," I reassured him.

"More than, looks like. Good job, champ."

"Um, thanks?" He laughed at my questioning tone and ruffled my hair.

"I always said you had style, Swan. Now tell me, does your boy have any information on the upcoming labor talks?"

I smiled at him, grateful that he was changing the subject. "Honestly, we haven't talked about it much at all. He trusts the union to handle it."

"I hope they do. A year without football is a year I don't want to experience. God only know what I'd have to cover then. Professional bowling? Wrestling? The mind boggles!" Ronnie shuddered in mock horror and I laughed at his dramatics.

"I could always go back to covering high school sports." My talk yesterday with Buddy was fresh in my mind.

"Yeah, you could, I suppose. It'd be a damn shame if you did, though. You belong in the big leagues, Bella. Buddy and I have both known it from the start."

I blushed and thanked him. There was a reason those two were thick as thieves, they seemed to share one mind. And they both knew just what to say to keep me on an even keel.

The opening tones of Ozzy Osbourne began to play and I leaned forward to watch the Bears run out onto the field. Edward paid zero attention to their entrance and the screaming of the crowd. He continued to throw with Jasper, warming up his arm. His utter focus was one of the sexiest things about him. He focused in on me just like that when we were alone and I ached for him now. I couldn't wait to be back in his arms, in his bed, in his tub…wherever he wanted to take me really.

I shook myself out of my fantasies and started to jot down impressions of the atmosphere. It felt like the playoffs, even though they were still a month away. Both teams were 9-2 and likely locks for the one and two seed, with whoever won today being in the driver's seat. I knew Edward wanted this game badly. Home field advantage could not be overlooked in the playoffs, although lately the road teams had a lot more success than in years past.

Edward, Jasper, Emmett and Darnell Dockett walked to the center of the field and shook hands with Brian Urlacher, Olin Kreutz, Jay Cutler and Julius Peppers, the Bears' captains. The ref asked Edward to call the coin toss and the microphones caught Edward's sexy voice saying heads. He flipped and heads came up, with Edward quickly telling them they'd defer to the second half. Chicago's offense would be taking the field first.

Jay Feely kicked the ball deep into the end zone but the Bears had the best return weapon in football, Devin Hester, so instead of taking a knee, he ran out, dodging would-be tacklers and managed to hit midfield before Curtis Jefferson brought him down at the Cards' 48-yard line. I groaned as the Bears offense hit the field and Matt Forte ripped off a 14 yard gain right up the middle on the first play from scrimmage. A short pass to Greg Olsen and another Forte run had them in the red zone just a minute later. Cutler took a deep drop and sent a touch pass to the right corner of the end zone that Olsen hauled in, tapping both feet down just before falling out of bounds. 7-0 Bears just like that.

I held my breath as Gould kicked off to Breaston. He caught the ball just at the goal line and brought it out to the 25 before he was taken down. Edward positioned himself behind Uley as the crowd did their best to give their team home field advantage, screaming so loudly that I doubted his team could hear him at all. Edward resorted to giving a few hand signals and redirected Jasper to the same side as Fitzgerald, sending trips wide. The corners and safeties edged left to cover both the Cards best receivers, leaving Breaston with one-on-one coverage on the right side. As soon as the ball was snapped, Edward took a three step drop and let the ball fly before Peppers could close on him. Breaston caught it and streaked down the sideline, getting tripped up at the Bears' 21-yard line. I managed to resist throwing up a fist in triumph, just barely.

The next snap was a handoff to Crowley, who was caught in the backfield, as the Bears were playing run all the way. Second and twelve from the 23. Edward broke the huddle and gave a few more hand gestures before calling for the ball to be snapped. Fitz and Jasper were on opposites sides in this formation; Fitz ran straight into the end zone while Jasper ran a slant across the middle. He caught Edward's pass at the 15 and the Urlacher couldn't catch him as he streaked into the end zone. The game was tied with two minutes to go in the first quarter.

The Bears stalled at their own 30 on the next possession, the Card's defense tightening against the run and bringing the blitz to pressure Cutler into a couple of bad throws, one of which should have been a pick but Adrian Wilson couldn't hold on to the ball. The Bears punt was returned to the Cards' 22-yard line.

Edward stepped back under center and led the Cards on a long clock-killing drive that ate up half of the second quarter. He masterfully mixed short passes with runs and kept the Bears offensive off the field, giving his defense a nice long rest as he drove down the field. The drive stopped at the 3 yard line, with a tipped pass breaking up a sure TD to Cheney and a great tackle by Urlacher keeping Crowley from running into the end zone on third down. The Cards had to settle for a Feely field goal, taking a 10-7 lead into the half when neither team did a thing on their next possession.

I used halftime to get my notes it order and start the bones of my story. The opening and closing paragraphs were yet to be written, but the first half of the game was covered. I finished just as Ronnie returned with a hot dog and a soda for me.

"You treat me so well. Thank you." I bit back a moan when I bit into the hot dog, the flavor and the mustard exploding on my tongue. Nobody made hot dogs like Chicago did, nobody.

"Buddy would kill me if I didn't. Plus, it's nice to have a pretty, small thing sitting next to me instead of that big lug."

I giggled as I remembered Buddy's outrage yesterday. "I don't know how big he's going to be going forward. Carol was giving him carrot sticks and celery yesterday while he bitched up a storm about wanting cake and cookies."

Ronnie grinned and took out his phone. "I love it! Here, take a bite of your hot dog while I take a picture of it." I giggled and did so, grinning widely as I chomped down and Ronnie snapped my picture, firing it off to Buddy's cell a minute later. It didn't take long before he got a response.

"What did he say?" I asked when Ronnie let out a loud bellow.

"Nothing that I'd ever repeat to a lovely lady like you."

I snorted and elbowed him. "I'm no lady."

He smirked. "Yes you are; you're just a very cool one. I'll paraphrase. He said he'd be sticking his carrot sticks where the sun doesn't shine next time he sees me." I laughed hard at that one. "And he said that you better bake him several dozen cookies to make up for taunting him."

I smiled as inspiration struck. "I'm going to go online and google some heart-healthy cookie recipes. We'll see if he can tell the difference."

Ronnie chuckled and shook his head. "I'm sure he can. That man is like a bad food bloodhound."

It was true. "Well, I'm not letting him be that way anymore and neither is Carol. I want Buddy around forever."

Ronnie smiled fondly. "He will be. That man will outlive us all, I just know it." I hoped he was right. Kidding aside, I loved Buddy and I was going to see to it that he followed his diet at work, even if it pissed him off.

The second half kicked off and I watched as the ball sailed in the air and came down in the arms of Breaston. He returned the ball to the 27 and Edward took the field again. He took a 5 step drop this time and I held my breath as I saw Peppers barrel past Levi Brown and slam into Edward, just a second after he released the ball. The second was all he needed, though, because Larry Fitzgerald left Charles Tillman in his dust and caught the ball mid-stride as he streaked down the left sideline. He scored easily, since the safety had cheated toward Jasper and couldn't catch up when Edward let the ball fly.

Edward was buried underneath 300 plus pounds of Peppers and I bit my lip as I waited for him to get up. The TV screen showed Peppers lean toward Edward and say something as he hefted his considerable weight off of him. Edward got to his feet and started yelling, going head to head with the much bigger man. Emmett ran over and pushed him back as Peppers smiled and said something else. Emmett pointed at the Jumbotron, which was replaying the touchdown and Peppers' smile melted away. Edward was still trying to get to him and Emmett pushed him over the sideline. The ref spoke to the coach and I knew he was warning him that Edward needed to cool down or he'd get kicked out of the game.

"Wonder what that was all about," Ronnie murmured and I shrugged. Maybe Peppers had tried to injure Edward or said something about his mother or something. Who knew? The point was, my normally unflappable boyfriend was very flappable this weekend. I'd have to see about getting him to relax tonight, maybe with a nice soak in the tub followed by a massage and some mind-blowing sex. It was the least I could do.

Cutler and the Bears took over at the 32 and went on a long drive that ended in a 22-yard field goal by Robbie Gould. It was 17-10 with six minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter when Edward took the field again. Instead of going for the big play, Edward elected to go with the ground game, with Crowley running the ball on almost every play. Third and short, Edward would throw a quick out to Crowley or Cheney, and one to Fitzgerald right at the first down marker. Crowley fumbled on a hard hit by Harris inside the twenty, so the Bears got the ball back at their own 16 to start the fourth quarter.

Forte ripped off a 13 yard gain on his first carry and then Cutler went to work, throwing mid-range passes to Olsen and Hester, mixing in the run nicely to keep the defense guessing. The D was playing on its heels, backpedaling on almost every play, trying to keep everything in front of them.

"I hate prevent defense," I told Ronnie, who nodded in agreement.

"All it does is prevent a win."

"Damn right." I grimaced as the Bears were first and goal from the 3-yard line. The Cards stuffed the box, with eight men up defending the run. Cutler saw it and immediately threw a fade into the corner of the end zone for an easy touchdown. The extra point was good and the game was tied at 17 with five minutes to go.

I sent up a silent prayer, as if God really cared about things like football games, but hey, it was just the way I rolled, as Gould kicked off. Breaston brought the ball out to the 29 and I clutched the seat rails when Edward ran out onto the field. He got his men into the huddle and gave them directions calmly, not letting the deafening noise in the stadium affect him. They started in the I-formation, as there was plenty of time left in the game to run the ball. They had two timeouts left as well as the 2-minute warning stoppage as well. Instead of handing off the ball, Edward used Crowley as a blocker. He took out Tillman as he came through on a run blitz and Edward completed a pass to Jasper for a gain of 17.

He handed the ball off on the next play. Crowley got a short gain of 3 and Edward handed it to him again for a gain of 6. Third and one from the 45 and Chicago stacked the line to try to stuff the run. Edward saw it and gave a hand signal, changing the play. He called for the ball and threw a lateral to Fitzgerald, who hadn't moved on the snap. He zipped ahead for a huge gain of 23 before the safety, Chris Harris, tracked him down. Fitz managed to stay in bounds and the clock became the Cards ally.

Edward called two more running plays that took the clock down to the 2-minute warning and had the Cards sitting pretty at the 16-yard line. On the next play, he shocked the Bears by throwing a short pass to Jasper right at the sticks, making it first and goal. The Bears had one time out and used it, but it was all for naught. Three more running plays that were stuffed and Edward called timeout with three seconds left. Feely trotted onto the field. I was amazed at how quiet it had gotten in the stadium as Edward drove his team down the field. You could have heard a pin drop as Feely kicked the game winning field goal. Well, I could hear the few hearty Cards' fans that had made the trip but the majority of the crowd was quiet as they trudged toward the exit.

"Hell of a game! Gotta love that Cullen!" Ronnie crowed as he typed a few lines in his computer. I did love that Cullen and God knew I loved watching him play football. My heart, which I swore stopped a few times on that final drive, was now beating overtime. I packed up my stuff and stood to head to the postgame press conference. Ronnie joined me as we made our way through the bowels of the stadium.

We filtered into the room with the rest of the press and took a spot over to the right of the table. Edward, Jasper, Fitz, Crowley and Coach Clapp all came in, Edward sitting to the right of the coach, Jasper on Edward's left and Fitzgerald next to him. Crowley sat on the coaches' left. Edward's eyes moved over the crowd and when they landed on me the corner of his mouth lifted a little and he gave me a slight nod. It wasn't obvious but ever-observant Ronnie chuckled and nudged me. I blushed but clutched my notebook and tried to pretend that I didn't want to launch myself over the table and crawl into his lap and devour him. His hair was slightly damp from sweating and adorably mussed. I wanted to bury my hands in it and tug his lips to mine. He was so damn hot in his uniform. It killed me.

I tried to shove that urge away and focus on the press conference, jotting down notes as the Coach answered a question about how important it was to beat the Bears, um, very, and what this meant for the postseason. It was lame but we'd all use it so I wrote his responses.

"Edward, what happened between you and Peppers in the third quarter?" Rick, that SI guy, asked.

Edward's hands clenched on the table but he smiled. "Oh, you know how these things go. A little shove here, a little word there. Tempers were high and I lost my cool for a minute. No harm, no foul." Hmm, that was an interesting reaction. I wrote a question mark next to his response. We were coming back to that later.

The rest of the press conference was pretty formulaic, just discussing some of the play calls, complimenting the Bears performance, saying they'd see them again down the road and it would be another tough game, et cetera, et cetera. I closed my notebook as things died down. The players left and Coach Clapp answered a few more questions. I went into the Bears' press conference next, getting a couple of quotes from Cutler and co. Peppers didn't answer the question much different from how Edward had; just laughing it off and saying it was fun to get to Mr. Cool.

I went to the locker room and waited outside. I wouldn't get to talk to Edward for that long, as they had to head to the airport, but I was being allowed ten minutes. Emmett came out and gave me a smacking kiss on the cheek as he walked by. "You can head in, Suzy Kolber, everybody's decent." He paused and grinned. "Well, let me rephrase that. None of them are decent, but at least they're all dressed." I laughed and shook my head. "Did you write about how fantastic I was?"

"Oh, were you out on the field? I didn't notice you." I laughed as he grabbed for me and ran into the locker room, ignoring his shouts from outside. I smiled tentatively at the few players that remained as I made my way over to Edward, who was sitting next to his locker, pulling on his shoes.

"Hey." He looked up and smiled at me and I felt my heart flip around in my chest at just how gorgeous he was in jeans and a long-sleeved gray shirt.

"Hello there, Ms. Swan. Did you enjoy the game?"

"Immensely." I sat next to him and took out my recorder and notebook. Edward snickered and waited.

"What really happened between you and Peppers?"

His eyes flashed and the mirth died out of his face. "It was just like I said."

No it wasn't, but I wasn't going to push now. The locker room emptied as Coach Clapp yelled "five minutes!" as he walked past us.

"How's your arm?"

Edward rolled his right shoulder. "Good. I didn't have to throw as much this game. Crowley carried the load."

"That touchdown to Fitzgerald was a thing of beauty."

"I liked it. We thought we could exploit Harris and Tillman today; they're both a little banged up. I saw the shot and I took it."

I asked him a few more questions and he answered, but I could tell he really wasn't into it so I shut off my tape recorder and closed my notebook. "Talk to me." We were off the record now, and I was no longer the reporter. I was the concerned girlfriend.

He closed his eyes and reached for my left hand, lacing his fingers through mine. "It was nothing, really. Peppers made a comment about the very long interview he had for you after the game and gestured at his cock and I just lost it. It was no different than some of the others were saying but I just reached my boiling point." I hadn't thought of it, the fact that I could be used as ammunition to get under his skin during the game. I kissed him and his lips were hard and hungry on mine as he pulled me to him. I gave him all I could and he took it, pouring out the anger he'd been carrying all afternoon.

After a minute, I broke our kiss and smiled at him. "Better?"

He gave me a half smile and nodded. "For now, anyway."

He stood and pulled me to my feet. "For the record, he didn't say anything remotely sexual or otherwise to me or anyone else. Also, I doubt he's packing anything bigger than Zeus, and you know how very fond of him I am. You're the only one that will be giving me long interviews, always."

Edward laughed and kissed me again. "I know this is against the rules but I don't really give a damn," he murmured and he held me against him.

"Me either." I closed my eyes and buried my face against his chest, marveling at just how good it felt to be back with him, even for a brief time.

"Did Mullen give you any trouble?" Edward asked.

I looked up at him and shook my head. "No. Ronnie asked what happened to his nose and he said he had a bottle of Jack and was clumsy. I read his article this morning and there was nothing derogatory there."

He smirked and kissed me again. "Good. You won't have to deal with him again."

"I can take care of myself, you know."

He chuckled. "I know you can, slugger. Believe me, I do. But I hope you'll let me take care of you as well."

"Tonight I'm taking care of you. You can take care of me tomorrow." And we could switch off for all of eternity if I he wanted.

Edward kissed me once more. "Sounds good." He walked out of the locker room with me. "See you at home?"

I felt warm every time he said it, as if his home was mine. It felt like it was, though. "See you at home."


A/N Did Bella mention some mind-blowing sex somewhere in that chapter? We'll just have to see what we can do about that, no?

Thanks again for all the reasons listed above, and more. The response to this story continues to stun and amaze me. I can't thank you enough, but I'll keep on trying!