The last update for this year! =)

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The first stop of the house tour was the library. If Edward hadn't already won Bella in his bedroom, he'd win her with one of his favorite places in his house. The library was the only room defying the modern look of the rest of the place. His mom had tried to keep the modern air in the light colors, but the massive bookcase and the sturdy desk weren't what anyone would call sleek.

"Wow! It's so big." Bella walked past Edward into the room, staring in amazement at the large bookcase.

He chuckled. "I thought you already knew that."

She turned to glare at him playfully. Then, she went to trail her fingertips over the spine of the books. "Have you read them all?"

"Not quite." He stood in the doorway, simply watching her take in the beauty of that room. "Come," he said after a while, extending his hand.

Bella grabbed it, smiling. He took her next to the entertainment room, as he liked to call it.

The front of that room held various games from a pool table to a row of shelves filled with board games, and behind a black glass divider was the home cinema. This part of the room was dark and it hosted several stuffed chairs and two loveseats. The movies were projected on the far wall and the audio system was better than in most movie theaters.

"You don't even have to leave the house. You have everything you might need in here," she said in the same amazed voice.

"Indeed." He nodded in agreement, pulling her out of that room and down the hallway. "This door leads to the garage," he explained. "And this…" He opened the door next to the garage door.

Bella gasped, slipping into the pool area, which should have been the sun room based on his mother's drawings. Edward had wanted to incorporate both in the same place. The glass ceiling and heated floor created the perfect ambient for a night dip in the middle of the winter if he wanted. Along the walls, there was a bar and several lounge chairs, a closet full of fresh towels and cotton bathrobes, and some tropical plants.

"This place is amazing," Bella declared.

"The ceiling opens," Edward explained, going to a button near the door. He pressed it, and slowly, the glass dome parted, allowing the morning sun to stream down in the room.

"Whoa! I'm afraid to ask how much you invested in this house."

"A lot." He chuckled, pulling her back into the hallway. "Down to the left are Felix and Tanya's rooms." Bella merely nodded, staring at the paintings on the walls. "Alice paints," he explained.

"She does? These are pretty good."

Edward smiled indulgently. He had never been a fan of the abstract art Alice created, but he had to admit that the paintings looked good in his hallway.

"So when are you going to show me the torture room?" Bella linked her fingers with his.

Edward rolled his eyes. "I think I was clear that there's no torture room." He led her the way they came, only to veer left instead of right which would take them back to the living room/kitchen area. "Here's the dining room. I only used it once."

Bella laughed. "I bet it gets lonely to eat here all alone."

"I've lived here since I returned from college – give or take two years – which is close to ten years ago now. The kitchen is more practical."

"Don't you have your friends over? Or your family?" She frowned, going deeper into the room, tracing the back of the chairs.

"Yeah, right. We hold the family diners at my parents' house." Edward leaned against the doorframe, folding his arms across his chest. "The only time I hosted such an event was when Angie and I got engaged. And I did it here, because Mom insisted it was my party, not hers."

Bella froze, and he hated mentioning Angela like that. He shouldn't have said it. Bella returned to his side, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'm sure you're not much of a party person."

"What gave it away?" he snorted, hugging her to his chest.

She looped her arms around his neck, bringing his head closer until their lips met in a heated kiss. Bella's short nails scratched against his scalp, making him groan in pleasure.

"So no torture chamber?" she said against his lips.

"It wasn't a room I could explain to my mom when she designed the house."

"Your mom designed this? Wow!" She looked around, as if seeing it for the first time.

"So I had to be creative. The chest of drawers across from my bed is filled with sex toys."

"Kinky."

"I could show you kinky," he murmured, kissing her slowly.

But his plans were interrupted by the doorbell ringing. Bella moaned in protest.

"She's early," she mumbled.

"Unless, that's my sister ready to kill me for getting Emmett drunk," Edward joked.

They approached the front of the house in small steps, not ready to part from each other. Tanya had already opened the door.

Alice and Jasper were in the entryway, holding a dozen bags.

Bella whimpered, shrinking into his side. "Hide me," she begged.

Edward chuckled, holding her tightly against him, walking to his friends. "Good morning."

"Morning," Jasper greeted him, looking clearly upset.

Alice skipped to Bella's side, taking her hand. "We have so much to do."

"Alice," Edward said loudly, making her stop mid-tugging Bella down the hallway. "Maybe you could just show Bella what you got her. We have plans."

It wasn't exactly a lie, but the grateful look in Bella's eyes made him happy he'd made the right decision.

Alice looked unsure, torn, as if she wanted to protest.

"You have thirty minutes," Jasper snapped, which made Alice hurry down the hallway with Bella in her tow.

He hadn't had the time to show Bella the guest bedrooms, but he trusted Alice to know her way in his house. His room was off-limits.

Edward nodded to the couch, and Jasper walked over without further encouragement. Edward went to Tanya, who was already working on more coffee.

"I'll bring it over in a minute," she said quietly.

"Thanks." He picked his mug, carrying it to the couch. "What's up?"

Jasper's jaw clenched. "Did you know that Alice went to talk to Bella despite my direct orders not to? I told you what happened, so you'd go and talk to her, but no. Alice had to interfere."

"I didn't mind," Edward said seriously.

"You missed the point."

"She defied your direct order just to make Bella and me happy. I fail to see how that will upset you. I thought you wanted me happy."

"And then last night…" His hands clenched, and that stance reminded Edward of an ugly time when Jasper was constantly angry and there was nothing to help him. But then he had met Alice. His wide eyes met Edward's. "She fucking fell asleep on me. In the middle of a scene. I thought I killed her when she went limp on the cross."

Edward snorted, despite of their very serious conversation. "Maybe you've lost your touch?" he joked.

Jasper narrowed his eyes at his friend. "And it gets worse."

"Is that possible?"

"This morning she was ready to apologize for last night, but as soon as she took me in her mouth, she was gone. It took me a second to realized she'd run to the bathroom and was retching."

"Christ. Did you gag her?" Edward asked, concerned.

"Man, she barely licked the precum, before her mad dash."

"There has to be an explanation. Has anything like this happened before?"

"No." Jasper pursed his lips. "Alice has been acting weird lately, and I'm not sure what to make of it. It took me a few days to notice her car parked differently in the garage, but when I asked where she'd been, she only said shopping."

"You know Alice loves to shop."

"And I'm subjected to her fashion shows every time. Not once, has she attempted to parade her new clothes."

"Maybe she hasn't shopped for clothes?" Edward suggested. "Or the clothes weren't for her." He pointed down the hallway.

Jasper shook his head, his eyes filled with worry. "For the first time in our relationship, I feel like she's hiding something. After she'd gone to Bella's…" He stopped talking, accepting the coffee from Tanya with a tight smile. "I took her straight to the playroom when we got home."

Edward braced himself, because he could tell something had gone wrong. He didn't mind discussing sessions with Jasper. They usually exchanged opinions, new toys and play ideas.

"I wasn't ready for a real punishment, because she had her heart in the right place. So I used two of her favorites – the pulley and the cat-o-nails." Edward knew that Alice loved suspension, not feeling the ground under her feet. "The second I stroked the tails over her stomach, she started trashing and screaming. It upset me, so I gave her a real strike across her stomach. She Red me, Edward."

Edward gasped.

He was transported back in time to his dark bedroom and Angela curled into a ball on the floor, begging him not to hurt them. He hadn't made sense of the plural, angry she had put a stop to the scene developing.

Edward tried to find the right words and suggest to Jasper that Alice might be pregnant and afraid to tell him, or maybe she was waiting for some special occasion. But his mouth was dry, and Jasper didn't seem to be in the right mindset to have such a conversation.

It wasn't Edward's secret to spill.

Bella returning into his line of view was a surprise. She was wearing a dark blue lacey dress, unzipped. She went straight to Tanya, not even sparing them a look. She whispered urgently, gesturing wildly.

Jasper stood up abruptly and went to them. Edward rushed after him, ready to physically restrain his friend if he unleashed on his girlfriend.

"Where's Alice? Is she all right?" Jasper reached Bella before Edward was halfway in their direction.

Bella chewed on her lips, catching Edward's eyes. She looked afraid. "Can we talk?"

"Jasper, give us a minute." Edward patted his friend's back. "Just sit down. I'm sure Alice is fine. Bella's probably freaking out for playing Barbie."

Jasper went back to the living room, not looking convinced.

"What?" Edward whispered, cupping Bella's shoulder. He tried not to let his eyes wander to how revealing the dress was.

Tanya brought over a glass with sizzling water. "There's a calcium tablet in there," she explained. "I could make some toast?"

Bella shook her head. "This should do. Thank you."

"Are you not feeling well?" Edward asked, worried.

Bella peeked around Edward's side toward Jasper, then met his eyes. "Don't freak out, but Alice just fainted on me. Then she got violently sick…and uh, she told me…" Her brown eyes were wide, brimming with tears.

"She's pregnant." Edward nodded. "Jasper was just telling me something that led me to think of this."

"So he knows?" Bella's brows met in the middle of her forehead.

"Not exactly. Alice hasn't told him, and he's in the dark."

"She's scared to tell him, and I have no idea why. She won't tell me. She just made me promise not to tell him."

Edward sighed, because he knew why Alice was scared. Jasper had never been a fan of babies. He went as far as to say he hated children when they were mentioned. He'd always praised how content he was with his life, and how Alice was all he needed.

"Why don't you go and calm her a little? I'll bring Jasper in a minute."

"We're in the guest bedroom."

Edward simply nodded. He didn't ask which one. He'd find it.

He returned to his friend, who was pacing in front of the fireplace. It had been a long time since Edward had seen Jasper so affected by his own emotions. He usually kept it together far better than the regular human.

"Did I push her too far? Is she going to leave me?" Jasper spun around to face Edward.

"When Alice stopped the session, did she tell you why she said Red?" Edward wasn't sure how to approach the situation.

"Uh, not exactly. She kept telling me not to touch her, then she locked herself in one of the guest rooms. The following morning we ignored the episode. It was stupid on my side to let it slide, then push her again into a session. Fuck, I'm such an idiot. What the hell is wrong with me?"

"Jasper." Edward touched his friend's arm, rubbing the spot. "There's no handbook on how to deal with this kind of situation. You know as well as me how lost you feel when your Sub calls Red, but I agree. You should have talked to her, instead of initiating another session."

"How much does she hate me?" His voice broke.

"Come on. It's time you two have a talk. Just…keep an open mind and your anger in check."

"My anger?" He gasped. "Oh, God. She found another!"

"Jasper, you need to keep it together. How can you think that of Alice?" Edward snapped. "She'd never hurt you like that."

They followed the sound of muffled voices and sobbing. Edward decided he'd stay with them until he was sure Jasper understood the situation, then he'd take Bella and allow them to talk.

When he opened the biggest guestroom's door, he stifled a gasp. Alice was curled up against the side of the bed, rocking back and forth. Bella was by her side, stroking her back.

"Alice." Jasper was most likely not thinking clearly, because his voice was more Dom than fiancé at the moment.

Alice scrambled to her knees, throwing her arms around Jasper's legs, sobbing into his jeans.

Edward wondered if it was wise to allow Bella to see such a scene. Everything was new to her, and she could be easily impressed.

Jasper petted Alice's hair absently for a moment, before he crouched to her level. "Talk to me, baby."

The word triggered a wail of misery from Alice. Jasper shot Edward a terrified look.

"Bella, please leave us alone," Edward said in his most firm voice. She shot him a wounded look, but left the room. Her eyes lingered on Alice, before she shut the door in her wake. "Alice," he continued in the same voice. Her wet eyes shot to him. "Jasper." Here, it became tricky. If Jasper actually listened to Edward, the whole situation could be held under control.

Jasper shot him an incredulous look. They had tried several scenes on each other in the very beginning of their friendship.

"Jasper," Edward insisted, holding his eyes. Just as he was about to win the challenge, the door opened.

"I can't stay away. Who knows how you'd deal with this thing?" Bella advanced in the room defiantly, unaware of what Edward was trying to do.

"Bella, not now," he snapped in his most commanding tone.

She froze on her way to Alice. "What are you doing?" She frowned, watching Edward and Jasper staring at each other, like they were having a fight without throwing punches.

The corner of Jasper's mouth lifted. "Feisty, huh?"

"Like you." Edward narrowed his eyes. He glanced at Bella, still frozen in the middle of the room. "Can you be quiet for five minutes?"

She gulped loudly, nodding.

"Good." Edward returning his eyes to the couple at his feet. He had never imagined he'd be in such a situation. "Alice, tell Jasper what you told Bella. And you, keep your mouth shut," he added to Jasper.

Alice stared at him with a betrayed look in her eyes, and Edward realized he'd chosen the wrong path to make them talk. But Alice wouldn't have told Jasper on her own terms.

Then Alice jutted her chin up, before standing up. "No!" she spat in Edward's face. "I won't do what you tell me. I won't tell Jasper because you constrict me, Edward!"

"Alice!" Jasper gasped, standing up and gathering her in his arms.

"Leave us alone, Edward." Alice had never used that cold voice toward him, and the Dom inside him made Edward want to admonish her, but his friendship and respect for Jasper had him backing away.

He took Bella's arm, taking her out of the room. He opened the door of his bedroom, pushing her inside, before slamming the door shut.

Bella cringed, jumping slightly. "What the hell was that?" she demanded.

"Maybe you should tell me," he hissed, backing her into the door. She flatted her back against it, looking him in the eye. It was then when Edward was reminded with how raw Bella was to his lifestyle. She had no clue how to act, and even if she'd known, he was sure she'd have challenged him nonetheless.

"What were you doing to them? Did you plan on commanding Jasper around? I thought he was like you! And is this something common? To use this power over someone else's Sub?"

Edward punched the door, making Bella cringe, giving a squeak of fear. "Fuck. Just shut up, Bella!" He was so angry at the moment – at himself, at Bella, at Alice.

There was no way in hell he could get the release he needed when Bella was still watching him defiantly, curious and scared at the same time. He snatched his running shoes, stepping into them. He left without another word to her.

If he didn't find her in his house upon his return, he'd understand that this time the choice had been Bella's, without anyone else influencing her.

Deep breaths. They're both still learning and adapting.

PS: Did you check my new one-shot: Mischievous Duo?

See you in the FB groups: The no Rules Twilight Fan Fiction Group and It All Started with Twilight for the usual teaser. Also, check the pictures related to this story on my group addict_writer fanfiction