A/N: Thanks so much for all your wonderful thoughts.

Here's a short update to keep the momentum going. :)

Most characters belong to S. Meyer. The rest belong to me. All mistakes are mine.

Chapter 29 – Safe House Ground Rules

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

Within the relative silence of the SUV, I hear my words erupt slowly yet potently, like the slithering hiss of a snake – a warning before the actual bite, but don't be fooled for a second into thinking that bite isn't forthcoming. I feel it building, and I know myself; I know that the indignant fury boiling inside me, just like a snake's toxin, has the potential to be deadly.

Meanwhile, Agent Cullen's already angular jaw juts into a tight, albeit geometrically perfect square.

"No, I'm not."

"No, you're not?" I mimic.

"No, I'm not."

His concise, three-word answer irritates me all the more. The boiling fury spills into my eye sockets, blanketing everything in my vision in a haze of senseless scarlet.

"What kind of fucking nickel-and-dime operation are you guys running here?"

He opens his mouth, shuts it, and huffs through his nostrils, scrubbing a hand viciously up and down his face as if he has any right or reason to be frustrated.

A terrifying thought occurs to me.

"Jacob. What's going on with Jake's agreement?" I demand in an anxious whisper.

Here, Anthony slash Edward slowly pulls his hand away from his face and holds my gaze.

"Don't worry about Jacob. Jacob is fine. This doesn't affect Jacob's arrangement in any way, so can you please focus on yourself for a second here?"

He finishes through clenched teeth, and my first instinct is relief at the fact that Jake is okay and that his agreement remains in full effect. Drawing in a deep breath, I sit back. Then, just as Agent Cullen suggested, I focus on the second part of his statement.

"This is bullshit," I enunciate clearly, glaring at him. "Why the hell didn't you tell me about this earlier?"

"Because I just found out when I returned from court, Isabella. There was no time to-"

"Bullshit! You always have some bullshit excuse, don't you?"

"Do you think I would've allowed them to mislead you like that had I known?"

"Why the hell wouldn't you allow them to mislead me?" I snort, crossing my arms against my chest. Even before the next words erupt, I know they'll be the toxic ones, the snake bite. "You did."

He jerks back, bright green eyes widening in shock. For the next few seconds, the silence in the car is all-encompassing. No one breathes, no one moves a muscle or provides me an excuse to look away from the wounded expression that plays across Anthony…Edward's features. And for a moment…for one quick moment of weakness…I want to take those two words back. I want to explain to him that he's thrown me for a loop, yet again, and that he's bewildered me even more so than I already am. I want to remind him of what I do when I'm cornered. I run, and if I can't run, I lash out - just like a snake.

But, in the next moment, before I can decide, either way, he wipes away all traces of emotion so that when I blink, all that remains is the impassive, undeniably-handsome, yet stoic expression of Agent Edward Cullen. Then, I remind myself that I just imagined the rest, the way I have in the past.

He isn't Anthony.

"Are you ready to go upstairs?" Edward asks.

"Don't I get a goddamned say here?"

"Isabella, it's either here or a holding room at FBI Headquarters. Pick your poison."

"That's not much of a choice, is it?" I sneer.

OOOOO

An operation ensues where I'm draped in oversized clothing, surrounded by everyone in the car while Emmett half hovers and half carries me into Edward's apartment. Once the door is shut behind me, I yank off the hoodie and fling it across the room, limping angrily to Edward's fancy, black leather sectional and muttering as I plop down, lay back, cross my arms and lift my feet onto the coffee table.

"What a fucking week full of bullshit and bullshitters."

Everyone stands around silently and awkwardly, while in my periphery, I spot Edward's swift approach. He strides purposely toward me but then stops abruptly while still a few feet away. The next thing I hear is his gun and holster quietly landing on the table beside him, and I conceal a shudder as he resumes his approach. When he takes a seat on the coffee table, I avoid his gaze as he reaches to the right of me and plucks one of the decorative pillows. He then proceeds to lay it on the coffee table before carefully picking up my feet and placing them on top of the pillow.

I still refuse to look at him. "God forbid we ruin the furniture."

He snorts. "Yeah. The furniture. Isabella, there are a few ground rules."

This gets my attention. I sweep my eyes toward him, quirking a brow.

"Ground rules? Really? Are you fucking kidding me?"

He releases another sigh as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Isabella, have any of the events of the past seventy-two hours seemed comical to you?"

"Of course not," I snap.

"To me neither. So please, don't ask me if I'm kidding."

A thoroughly unamused chuckle escapes me. "All right, then. Please share the ground rules beyond keeping my feet off your furniture."

His eyes shoot up, irises so dark they're almost black. And now he's clearly fighting the urge to wrap his hands around my neck. I'm provoking him; I know I am. The problem is, I have no idea what'll happen if I stop. I mean…how the hell am I supposed to spend the next few days in his apartment? Even now, as angry as I am, as much as my trust in him has evaporated, the fury in his eyes, the flare of his nostrils, the tightening of his jaw – all of which I'm sure would strike fear in the hearts of many – simply excites me. They provoke me all the more.

What kind of evil deity planned this fuckery?

Trying with all my might to repress my inappropriate reaction to his wrath, I flourish a hand to indicate that I'm waiting.

"Isabella, look around you for a moment, please."

I roll my eyes. "You're ridiculous. I'm not going to destroy your perfectly neat apartment, Agent Cullen. I know how to pick up after myself."

"That's not where I was going at all," he grinds through his teeth. "As long as you're comfortable, I don't care…" – he expels another long-suffering sigh. "Please, just look around you for a moment."

Exaggeratedly pursing my lips, I sweep my gaze all around his apartment. There's no denying it's a great place, open yet comfortable, and though the blinds are all closed, it's a dark day anyway. Nonetheless, I can tell that once we throw open those blinds, a rush of natural light will infuse the entire space. I almost smile at the prospect.

It's hard to believe that it was just a few short nights ago that I spent a few minutes here, believing I was going to spend the night…maybe even longer. Thinking I'd found someone with who to share my truth, my reality, and my pain. Assuming I would wake up in his-

Anyway, the joke's on me because I am spending more than just a night now, but in such a different manner than I could've ever imagined. And yet again, the reality of it all serves to ground me, especially as I meet the faces of Agent Cullen's fellow FBI agents. No, this is no longer about him and me.

And if I needed any more reality to intrude on my fantasies, Agent Cullen's ensuing speech does the trick.

"Isabella, everyone in this room is willing to go to great risks to protect you, to keep you safe. All I ask is that you please not endanger them by attempting to leave either through the front door…or through the windows. Once you commit to remaining under our protection, you have to commit to abiding by their directions, if not mine, or this won't work. Please remember, it's their well-being on the line here as well."

Shutting my eyes, I swallow and nod, outraged now that all of this is necessary in the first place, all while knowing that, at least that part of it isn't the fault of anyone in this apartment.

"Of course," I reply shortly. "Of course, I don't want anyone to get hurt. What kind of monster do you think I am? What else?"

He scrutinizes me steadily. "The next request, and nowhere near as important, I'll admit, but I think it bears mentioning…Isabella, I know…I know you and I…" – his eyes pan around the room, and he sighs before continuing, "when I speak to you, I'll do my best to remain respectful, and I'd like to ask that you please try to extend me the same courtesy."

I jerk back, and it takes me a couple of seconds to recover from the surprise of that one.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not asking you to recite me sonnets," he explains in a rush, "to offer me your friendship or even your…just…just please try to keep the hostility to a minimum. I know this isn't an optimal situation for you, believe me, I know," he stresses, leaning closer to me, his voice dropping to a gentle whisper, so close in fact that I feel his breath on my face as he continues, "and if I could make all this go away, Isabella, I would."

His gaze is suddenly so open, so…intense, and I find myself simultaneously reminding myself that he didn't cause this, while not losing sight of the fact that I'm just part of his case. So, while perhaps, he is being open, he is being honest, his truth isn't what I once thought it was.

"I just think it'll make it a more comfortable working environment for everyone involved here if the hostility between us…lessens."

"I'll…try," I say, turning my face and avoiding his gaze, minimizing the warmth of his breath and his proximity because…because I can't deal with it.

He pulls back as slowly as he leaned in.

"Thank you. And lastly, the blinds will remain closed at all times."

"What?"

"Bell- Isabella," he corrects himself, "please try to understand that this is for your own safety. You have to stay away from the windows."

"Are you fucking kidd-?" I begin but then cut myself off, recalling our new agreement. "Ugh, never mind." I throw my head back and groan.

"Look, I know it won't be easy, but you have to remain out of sight," he says much more gently. "Actually, this point takes precedence over the previous one regarding minimizing the hostility."

I bite my lip to keep from spewing more hostility yet. Instead, I offer him a sharp nod of begrudging acquiescence. When I glance at him, he looks almost…relieved.

"Anything else?"

There's a beat of silence before he replies.

"That's it for now. If anything else comes up, we'll figure it out as we go along."

"Fine." I stare at the wall. Might as well start getting used to it since it doesn't seem I'll be doing much else for the next few days, at least. "I think I can manage all these rules for a few days."

In my periphery, I see him nod. "Good. Hopefully, your official safe house will be ready for you soon."

My chest tightens, and for a fraction of a second, my throat constricts, and it's too hard to speak. I can only hope Anth- Edward doesn't pick up on how my reply takes just a heartbeat too long.

"Yeah. Let's hope."

A/N: Thoughts?

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