Hey guys! Happy New Year :)! I want to say a big thank you once again to Tarbecca for the mentioning Protector in her fic dive over at A Different Forest, thank you so much! And thanks to all you guys that followed, faved or left a review, it means a lot!
This story is intended for mature readers! SM owns twilight!
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I doubt I slept more than half an hour last night. Every time I closed my eyes I was back to that night in the alley, finding Rose. It was a little different each time though. Sometimes it was the faces of those men, sometimes there were three identical Victors towering over her. Sometimes towering over me. Sometimes I didn't get there in time. Sometimes I didn't stop when I knocked them out. I just kept hitting them and hitting them until I was covered in their blood, and looking down at their lifeless, broken bodies.
Needless to say, I wasn't in a cheery mood the next day. I got out of my bed at three, took Zeus for a walk, had a shower, a light breakfast, and got changed into my gym clothes. I stopped by the office when I got to the building, then went down at ten after five, sticking a sign on the door of my classroom before walking inside.
It was a decent sized room, the far wall all mirrors with one bike in front of it, and facing it was two rows of fifteen bikes. I closed the door, perhaps harder than necessary, and put my bottle of water and towel on my bike while I set up the small stereo and my headset.
"Good morning," I said, facing them with a dark smile. I recognized a few faces, and a couple of them looked excited, while a few a little uneasy. "My name is Samantha. Your instructor cannot make it in today, and as reimbursement you will have one extra free session added onto your package. I will be covering for those who want to stay, but I warn you that I am not in a bright mood, and I fully intend on taking my frustration out on this lesson today," I said with a mischievous grin. I hopped up on my bike. "If you're not up for this, I suggest you leave now."
One person from the back row slipped out, which caused a few sniggers. I did not mind at all, as long as he didn't come back and interrupt me. I reached down to turn on the stereo, and stopped when someone made a dramatic scoff. I looked up at the bulky guy in the blue shirt, who was giving me a condescending smirk.
"We paid for a hell class, not some spinning class with a little girl," he said, rolling his eyes.
"Dude, shut up," someone whispered when I glared at him.
"Oh, blue shirt, you are so going to regret that," I said sweetly, and two more people slipped out of the room.
"Oh, please," he said sarcastically. I hit the button on the stereo, and everyone hopped up on their cycles. I didn't break eye contact with Blue Shirt for a second as I started the warm up.
It was an hour long class. I kept them moving, shifting up their resistance, bringing it back down, sprinting in bursts and peddling off of their seats and other little things to keep them out of a lull while we raced the beat of my Slipknot mix. I could see that I was starting to wear Blue Shirt down, and when the first student ran out of the room, he started looking nervous as I grinned at him. Perfect time to push him, he looked like he was close to the same reaction. All talk, no game.
"Everybody up! PUSH! Come on blue shirt, I said push! Ninety seconds isn't going to kill you!" He wasted too much energy groaning, but raised up just like everyone else as they followed me in a sprint. Five minutes later, my watched beeped, and I signaled for everyone to start their cool down. After seven minutes I told everyone to wash their machines, and got a few thank-yous as they trickled out into the hallway. I distinctly caught Blue Shirt's voice as he was leaving though.
"What a cunt, did you see how she singled me out like that?" He hissed. My fists tightened on my towel. I couldn't beat up people in Emmett's gym, the law-suits, the shadow on his company's reputation… Just keep breathing, and keep your feet planted. You are the master of your own body…
"Dude, that was completely your own fault. You were the one who was being a dick, and now you're just being a bitch because you got your ass handed to you by a girl."
"Shut up," he hissed, and they disappeared through the door.
Well, it was sweet that his friend put him in his place, but I was still crazy pissed off at his words. I really, really wanted to punch him in the face for calling me that.
No longer tired, and needing to burn off some anger, I went back to the office, washed my face, and grabbed my personal phone and headphones. I froze for a minute when I walked into the main room of the gym on the first floor. Alice's brother was jogging on one of the treadmills, listening to music.
Well, I wasn't going to run away from my gym just because he was here. Even more pissed off, I walked over and inverted one of the weight benches and grabbed a medicine ball. I tied my lose shirt so it wouldn't rise up before hanging myself upside down and stretching for my weight.
I did some hard crunches, loving the burning sensation in my stomach that usually distracted me from my chaotic mind. I could see Hollywood looking in my direction from the corner of my eye though, and just got angrier each time I reached up. Why was he here early? Maybe he stopped in on his way home from his date. Why did that seem to piss me off more? And why the fuck was he watching me!
I threw down the ball, and ignored the head rush when I got down too quickly. I furiously wiped down my bench, then walked over to my favourite punching bag, taking out the roll of tape I had stuck to the bottom of it, and put on my headphones before I wrapped up my hands. I skipped through my music before I came across a SOAD album, then cranked the volume up until I couldn't hear myself think.
Slowly, slightly, with every punch, jab, and kick, I felt my exhaustion start to slowly dissolve the waves of anger that threatened to drown me. I was getting into a nice groove, and almost hissed when my music stopped and was replaced by Rose's ringtone. I un-plugged my headphones, then brought the phone up under one as I answered.
"Yeah?" My voice came out a little short, but she didn't remark on it. We both had our moods.
"Hey Bella! I finally heard back from Kate. I'm taking her out to dinner tonight, but we're going as a group. Do you think you could tag along? Just as an extra set of eyes? Our group might attract some attention."
"You know that's not my thing Rose."
"I know, but with me, Emmett, Alice, Kate and maybe Edward…. And you know she's going to tick me off, you keep me grounded. Pleeeease? You said to ask you if I needed help yesterday."
She already knew I was going to say yes, I could never say no when Rose's safety was involved. And then there was the unspoken part; it would be bad for PR if Rose, Emmett, or any one of them got into a fight, or if a photo of Emmett got published on some magazine. They have to be on their best behaviour while in public.
And it was my job not to be.
"Will you get the corner table at least?"
"Of course, I already have it booked. Did you want to arrange the transportation yourself? I know how picky you are with that stuff."
"Yeah, okay. Not a problem." I started shifting, trying to stop myself from punching again while my phone was still in my hand. So much for my day off, covering a class for Emmett and now babysitting a celebrity dinner. Great.
"Excellent, I'll send you the info. Love you sweetie!"
"Love you too, bye." I hung up quickly, plugging my headphones back in and starting up my music. My body got excited as Chop Suey started playing, but seeing Hollywood starting to walk over towards me from the corner of my eye prevented me from becoming happy enough to smile. My jabs got harder with every step he took until he was really close, and I got fed up with playing oblivious. I tossed my headphones onto the ground, not breaking my rhythm.
"Hey Stalker," I said dryly, and felt him freeze. He always seemed to think that I couldn't see him. "You know, it's probably not the smartest thing to try and sneak up on a woman when she's punching shit."
I froze then when I heard him laugh. It was the most beautiful laugh I had ever heard, and made my stomach flutter with the warmth it seemed to create. I turned around to look at him, not able to stop myself, but put my hands on my hips to at least look more intimidating.
"Sorry, I wasn't trying to sneak up on you, I swear," he said, gasping for a breath. Man, that smile was distracting. "I just wanted to come say hi."
I watched him carefully while he spoke. I found it pretty hard to believe he came over just to "Say hi," but he was just watching me with a completely disarmed, hopeful smile. He didn't seem bothered by my calculating gaze at all. I've sent stronger men running with that look.
Hmm.
"Okay, hi," I offered, leaving the ball in his court to see what he really wanted. I started peeling off my tape, pretty sure I wasn't going to get to continue my anger-management session in peace. His eyes swept over me, and widened slightly when they stopped halfway down.
I could actually feel him looking at my scar, and I quickly ripped open the knot that I should have undone the moment I got off of my bench. It felt like he had actually touched me, and I don't know why it bothered me that he had seen it, but it really fucking did. A lot.
I wasn't going to cry, or hide in embarrassment though, or let him know how much it fucking bothered me that he saw that, so I shot him the coldest fucking look that I could before I grabbed my things and left. This day just could not get any worse, and I was now exhausted and livid.
"Don't ever bother me while I'm trying to work out again, or I'll have you thrown out of this gym," I warned without looking as I walked away. He was lucky I gave him as much as a warning, if he ever ruined one of my workouts again he'd be lucky if I didn't break his legs.
I didn't even stay for a shower. I grabbed my keys, stuffed my shit into my bag and went home. The traffic was horrible, and my irritation just sort of seemed to plateau before I went sort of numb. I cautiously made my way into my building, parked my truck, and took my service elevator right up to my floor.
I tossed my bag on the floor in my foyer and held the door open for my boy so we could go up to the roof. There was a giant flock of pigeons up there today and he had a field day cashing them all away. I must have been up there for a while, because by the time I finished my shower, blow-dried my hair and got dressed it was already noon.
I grabbed my bag, and dropped down into my favourite corner of my couch with a sigh. I cracked open my laptop, and pulled up Leah's number in my address book before taking out my personal phone. I took a steadying breath and counted to five before dialing her number.
"ClearWater Rentals, this is Leah."
"Hi Leah, it's Bree Tanner."
"Oh, hey Bree! How are you?"
"Great thanks, how about you?"
"Oh, pretty busy actually. I've started doing some free-lance photography, and things are really starting to pick up."
Hmm, I didn't know any photographers. "Oh cool, what sort of work are you doing with that?"
"Over the last couple months I've done some weddings and a few parties. So let me know if you have any friends that need someone to do an event for them! I'm really hoping to get out of my dad's company."
"I definitely will Leah."
"So, what can I do for you?"
"I need a limo and driver for tonight. I was wondering if Collin was free?" I heard her fingers typing away through the phone. I liked Collin, he was younger yet very professional. And discreet.
"He is now. What sort of time frame are we looking at?"
Picking up me, going over the route, picking up Emmett, Rose, Alice, Hollywood and Kate, maybe three hours for the restaurant and driving everyone home… "Five-thirty until eleven, and Collin knows where to pick me up."
"Perfect. Hey, my cousin was hoping to take your class, will you be having them again soon?"
"I'm hoping to start one in a month or so. Just tell her to drop by the gym and sign up at the front desk."
"Awesome! Will you be paying cash again?"
"Yes."
"Excellent. He'll be there at five-thirty sharp. Can he call you on this number if there are any problems?"
"Yes."
"Okay, take care Bree!"
"You too." I hung up quickly, dropping my phone.
God, I hated this. I hated Bree.
I hated Victor.
After checking my newsfeed and replying to an update request from Alec, I printed off the maps for tonight and called Rose to talk about times and a head count. Everyone was going, and we'd be picking up Alice at her brother's place. That'd save a bit of time.
After a light lunch I went for an hour walk with Zeus, and then just collapsed on my couch after I locked my door. I was completely exhausted, but I didn't dare fall asleep. I was too on edge, and I just couldn't handle a nightmare before tonight. I lay there, staring up at my ceiling until five, then got changed into some black slacks, and a matching fitted blazer with a white blouse. My scalp hurt, but I put my hair up into a tight bun anyways. I grabbed my keys, my personal and temporary disposable phone, and my papers before sliding on a pair of sunglasses. Yes, I'd look like a tool wearing sunglasses at night, but I didn't want to get caught in any photos of this crowd. And they hid the dark circles under my eyes without make-up, and I really hated scrubbing that shit off of my face.
Collin was there ten minutes early, just as I'd expected, and I went over the addresses and times before giving him a schedule and map. He held the door for me to step into the back and drove me over to my brother's place. I sent Rose a text, and I stepped out to let them in when they came out of the building. Rose looked absolutely gorgeous as always, and my brother looked extremely uncomfortable in his suit. Watching him wiggle around in his seat and tug at the collar of his shirt while we drove made me genuinely smile for the first time today.
God, I was so exhausted.
We made our way across town to Alice's brother's place, and I felt my mood sink lower the closer we got. Why had I agreed to do this? Spending my night off watching people eat dinner. This wasn't hanging out with friends, this was going to be an evening of pretending to be invisible while watching over my brother, sister, a stuck-up model, someone who may possibly be a friend, and her annoying celebrity brother that is amazingly talented at stressing me out.
He saw my scar.
So what? It's a fucking scar, why does it matter that he knows it's there? It's not like he's going to see it again. No one will actually, a few more weeks until my next appointment with Rory and he's going to be starting on the extension to cover it. That thought lightened my mood. I couldn't wait, I was addicted to my tattoos, to the burning and buzzing of the needle dying my skin. We finished my back piece seven months ago, and I absolutely loved it. He had perfectly, and artfully, hidden all of the scars on my back, even the six larger ones. I still feel lucky that I had been unconscious the entire time the stitches were in my back whenever I felt the scars.
The only scar I had left relating to that night was the one on my hip. It was an ugly one, from where they surgically repaired my pelvis, and also reopened to help with the internal bleeding and infection when they figured out the fucker botched my surgery.
Well, at least I wouldn't have to worry about getting pregnant and stretching my tattoos.
I dragged myself out of my head when we pulled over in front of the building, and went to step out to wait outside. Rose reached for my wrist, and I flinched away. Her eyes were concerned.
"Sorry, what's up?" I said, rubbing my wrist where she touched me. Damn it, I needed to get my shit together.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"I don't believe you, but thank you for helping me out tonight."
"No problem. I'd be worried knowing you were all going out together like this, it's better that I can keep my eyes on you," I said in a forced, teasing tone. She seemed to buy it though, and let me escape the limo.
I only had two minutes before they came out, and just looking at the two siblings exhausted me. It was going to be a long night. Alice was beaming, almost bouncing as she waved and made her way over. Her brother's expressions kept changing. Surprise, excitement, apprehension, curiosity.
I was just impatient, and opened the door for them to get in so we could go.
"B, you're not a fucking chauffeur, you don't need to open our doors," Rose teased.
She knew better, this was how I worked, and I needed to be in control of the door. "You want me to work for you, I'll do it properly. Get in the car Hollywood, or the pap will be all over our asses." He finally hopped in, and I waited for him to slide over, but he just sat there by the door, blocking my way and just looking up at me curiously. I was tempted to just shove him, but managed to restrain myself somehow. "Are you going to move over or do you want me to ride on the roof?"
He looked embarrassed, and quickly slid down the bench while stuttering an apology. I got in quickly, staying as close to the door as possible while keeping it locked, trying to ignore his watchful gaze. I knocked on the roof twice to let Collin know we were good, and he pulled out. I crossed my legs, and pulled out my phone while trying to disappear. I felt him shift slightly closer to me and caught him looking at my phone with a curious expression.
"Stop trying to read my phone, Hollywood," I said, forcing myself to whisper so I wouldn't shout. Being this close to him was putting me on edge. His response was instant.
"I'm not looking at your phone, I'm looking at you. I don't think I've even seen someone make a pants-suit look so fucking hot before," he said quietly, so that only I could hear. I looked over at him in surprise. I couldn't believe he had just said that. He seemed just as surprised as I was by his comment, and something about his facial expression and just the ridiculousness of this whole scenario cracked me. I burst out laughing, to the point of my eyes watering as I clutched at my side. He was a pro, that was for sure. I was wiping at my eyes under my glasses when we pulled over in front of Kate's.
"Oh man. Good one Apollo, but keep it in your pants," I laughed, and without even thinking about it, I clapped him on the shoulder.
I ripped my hand back quickly, the surprise of the contact shocking me like a burn, and I jumped out of the car quickly and helped Rose out before I could panic.
But oddly enough… I didn't feel like panicking. I was fine with it, actually. That realization was a little unsettling, but I was surprisingly good. I just touched a man casually, and I wasn't freaking out.
I grinned slightly as we walked into the building.
I had never seen Kate this close up before, only from a distance at the club. She was tall, with straight, long blond hair, and had the body of a super model. Well, I guess that made sense. She was a model. She was extremely pretty.
Did he know she was coming? Would he be excited to see her?
It doesn't matter, you don't care, I reminded myself.
Kate didn't even notice me as she came out, and I walked ahead of the two of them, getting the elevator and then holding the door open for them to climb in. Not a single thank-you, not that I was expecting one.
I saw his face the moment he saw her, and for some reason seeing his expression made my fucking day. He was not happy, although it was obvious that she was.
"Hello Edward, it's nice seeing you again so soon," she said in a low voice with a wanting smile.
Instead of watching her though, he looked over at me, and my stomach fluttered excitedly.
Wait, what? No. I don't care.
It was simply reassuring that he could see through her façade, that was it. "Uh, sure, you too," he said quickly as she climbed in. He shifted over and made space for me once again, right beside him. He was taking out his phone as we pulled away again, not paying much attention to the model trying to get his attention as we drove.
I felt incredibly hypocritical, but it was too easy to read the message he typed.
I'm going to try to be polite as possible because you're fucking family, but I can't stand this woman. I'm not going to kiss her ass all night.
Hmm, maybe tonight won't be so boring after all.
Actually, I would have preferred the boredom to the irritation that clouded my mind for the evening. I tried to ignore our table and watch the rest of the room, but it was hard. I noticed every single time the table cloth fluttered, and it was obvious by the look on his face what she was trying to do under said table cloth. She spent the whole night reaching out and touching him, leaning into him, whispering to him.
The only thing that stopped me from lunging across the table and knocking her out was him. He wasn't oblivious to her moves, but he was obviously not enjoying them. He kept shifting away from her, brushing her off,
And watching me, just like he always did, even though he had this gorgeous model close to begging for his attention.
She started to notice this too, and by the end of dinner I had most of the table watching me. Hollywood with his usual looks, that for some reason didn't annoy me so much today. Kate in irritation. Alice in some sort of hopeful curiosity and Rose in amusement while she got completely tanked and made small talk easily with the table. It was a talent of hers; Rose didn't like most people in general, but she could make people talk with ease. I had noticed it often, that there was this quality about her that just drew people to her, wanting to please her. It was pretty intense, to be honest, and wasn't always a good thing as we both knew.
Emmett was the only person not shooting me frequent glances throughout their meal, though he looked even more irritated than Kate did. His big brother alarm bells had gone off, and he was watching Hollywood very carefully now.
There was a man that had been waiting in the lobby for a table for almost twenty minutes now. I thought he had been with one other man, but he left five minutes ago and hadn't come back. He kept shooting glances at our table, and I didn't trust the shape of his jacket. That bulge on his right hip could too easily be a camera.
Edward Cullen sitting next to Kate Handson in a restaurant, with his big-time designer sister and two of the biggest upcoming names in New York business would get some circulation.
I couldn't be in those pictures, especially with Emmett. The suspicious man had drawn more of my attention than the tension at my table, and I bit back my response when Rose and Alice said they wanted to get dessert.
I was surprised she had waited this long to say anything, really. "So, why'd you bring the help in?" She asked, her voice slurring slightly as she sneered at me. I was kind of flattered that I bothered her so much, and didn't even acknowledge her words as I continued to watch the man in the lobby.
"Excuse me?"
Oh, shit. Rose. I looked to Emmett immediately, knowing the tone in Rose's voice meant trouble. He heard it too, and took her hand in his.
"You've got the hired help sitting at our table, can't you just tell her to stand in the corner?"
Fuck.
Rose shot to her feet. "Don't you fucking talk about her like that you spoiled bitch!" She threw her napkin at her, and I stood up quickly before she could break a glass and try to shank her.
Rose was a little protective, and I loved her for it really. Though I really didn't care for the audience in the restaurant.
"Hey Rose, calm down," I told her sternly, stealing her attention. "Alice, why don't you take Rose to the ladies room, I think she needs to pee."
Bless Alice, she didn't hesitate in following my orders and quickly pulled Rose along to the bathroom. Once they were safely en route away from the table, I pulled out my phone and texted one of my preferred drivers. He responded in seconds luckily, saying he was just down the block.
Perfect, hopefully the photographer didn't run.
"This meeting is over. There's a personal car waiting for you outside, would you like me to walk you out?" She glared at me for a moment, but I remained impassive and polite. She threw down her napkin in lieu of an argument, and I dashed to her side immediately, steadying her when she swayed on her feet.
Yeah, I might not like her, but that didn't mean I was willing to let something happen to her on my watch. Despite what I easily convinced most people, I didn't think I was really a total bitch. It's just more convenient for them to think I am. I handed Kate her purse, refusing to be upset when she snatched her sparkly clutch away from me like I'd contaminated it, and walked her out to the car that better be waiting.
I didn't look at the man until I was next to him, and snatched the camera out of his hands before he could blink. I shot him a look as I tossed it into a large vase of water and flowers without missing a step.
As soon as we were outside, I saw a flash of sadness go through Kate's eyes, and it completely changed her appearance. I fought back the feeling of guilt as I opened the door for her, then nodded to Saul before paying him and giving him her address. The back window rolled down as I straightened up. Her face was a dark scowl as she leered at me, a complete one-eighty from a few seconds ago.
"I don't know who you think you are, but enjoy it while it lasts," she said, looking over me critically.
"Excuse me?"
"He is so far out of your league, you don't stand a chance. He'll see that and get bored quickly."
There were so many things wrong with what she was saying, but there was only one thing I felt the need to address. I smiled at her, and leaned into her window. She shrunk back, surprised.
"I don't know who you think you are. All you have are rich parents and a good body, and neither of those will last. I may be many things, but boring is not one of them." I gave her one last bright smile, and then patted the hood as I straightened up and walked away.
I faltered slightly, missing half a step when I walked back over to the table. It was the expression on his face, a mixture of relief and a deep sort of loneliness and wanting. I had to look away from him quickly, my pulse was pounding loudly in my ears and I felt almost nauseous. I just sat down in my chair, and looked around the room. Rose almost fell out of her chair as she lunged to hug me. I felt the corner of my mouth twitch up in a smile as I hugged her back, holding her from falling to the floor. She was such a girl when she drank wine. It was kind of adorable.
That, and she would never know how much these little bits of physical contact meant to me. There was just something so… fulfilling, touching another person like this. She and Emmett were the only people I felt comfortable enough to touch like this, and though I liked it, it also made me feel so lonely sometimes.
It was kind of staggering. I needed to end it before I freaked out. "Hey, none of that," I said with an awkward pat on her back, and topped off her glass of wine to distract her. "Okay, stop being such a girl and have a drink."
"I'm sor-"
"Shut up Rose," I interrupted. I wouldn't let her apologize for something that meant so goddamn much to me. Especially when I couldn't find the words to thank her for it. She let out a beautiful laugh, and gave me a loud kiss on the cheek.
"You know I love you right?"
"Ditto." This was getting too personal in front of present company, I didn't want to give him more reasons to be suspicious of me. I sat up straighter, looking over the room, and chastised myself when I realized I had slacked off.
The second man from earlier was back, clicking away as he made his way over to the washrooms.
Fucking hell, what sort of establishment are they running here? I shot up to my feet, making my way around the side of the room to him, but had to cut across to stop him when he noticed me and tried to run. I caught him, grabbed him by the arm, and looked around for a quick second before seeing the room to the back and pulling him along with me as I went through it, yanking the camera out of his grip as I did so. The cooks looked up in surprise as I walked into the kitchen.
"Where's the manager's office?" I hissed to the closest man. He was about my age, maybe a year or two younger, and blanched before pointing to an office off the side of the kitchen. I went over without another word and walked into the office. The older man in a suit looked up from his computer in surprise. "What sort of establishment are you running here?" I demanded angrily.
"E-excuse me?"
"This," I said, shoving the man forward, "Is the second photographer that had come in and photographed my employer's dinner party this night. Do you usually just let the paparazzi walk around in your restaurant photographing your customers? I was told this was a high-class, professional establishment. I can ensure you that my employer, Ms. Hale, and her cousins Ms. and Mr. Cullen will not be returning here, nor will we be recommending it for any future meetings."
Just as expected, those names had the desired effect on him.
"Ma'am, I can assure you this is an isolated incident," he said, standing quickly and walking over to me. "Please, may I offer Ms. Hale a personal apology?"
"I would recommend doing so," I said curtly, and walked away without another word. I ripped the memory card out of the camera as I made my way back through the kitchen, and dropped it into a half-empty glass of red wine that a busboy was carrying in before tossing the camera in the trash. He could look for it if he wanted to. I heard the manager run and follow after me as I made the way back to the table. Really, I understood it would be near impossible to keep all photographers from entering a restaurant, but Rose would love this. It was my own personal way of thanking her for earlier. I took my seat.
"Ms. Hale, I just wanted to come over and personally apologize for our lack of security this evening. You're associate has pointed out that you have been photographed by two separate men this evening. I assure you that this is not a common occurrence in my establishment. Please accept my sincere apologies. Dinner of course is on the house."
"Oh, okay. Thanks. And don't worry about it," she said quickly and looked over at me in surprise. She hadn't seen the first one.
I winked at her, and she smiled at me before I went back to watching the room. The desserts came, and when I saw Alice's cherry-cheesecake, it solidified my decision instantly.
That was Jasper's favourite.
"Hey Alice, are you seeing anyone right now?" She looked up at me in surprise, and I bit back my smile when I saw her brother's anguished expression.
Had he really thought I was gay? I wonder what he'd do if I asked out his sister.
"Nope, why?"
I had guessed as much from what we discussed yesterday, but it was still good to hear. "I have this friend that I think would be perfect for you. I'm setting you two up."
She beamed at me, and I was relieved that she didn't seem opposed to the idea of me setting her up. There was no amount of money in the world that could convince me to go on a blind date, or any date really. "I can't wait! What's his name?"
"That can be the first question you ask him when you meet him. Come by the club tomorrow night." She nodded excitedly.
"What's this guy like? What does he do? Does he have a criminal record?" Her brother asked worriedly, giving me a stern look.
Oh, someone wasn't shy anymore. I couldn't resist the smile this time. For just a second, I caught a glimpse of the boy from the audition tapes seven years ago. The boy who loved his little sister more than anything else in the world and would give his life to protect her.
Maybe he wasn't completely gone after all.
"Don't worry Brother Bear, he's cool. I wouldn't let him near Alice if he wasn't," I told him gently. He seemed to believe me, and gave me a small nod before relaxing slightly.
God, his eyes were so damn green. Even prettier than his sister's eyes, which was saying something. I looked away from them quickly, before I could get trapped. It would have been too easy.
I was kind of irritated with myself. Twelve hours ago I had been absolutely livid and uncomfortable around him, but now, not so much.
It was cute, when we got into the limo to leave. Emmett waiting to go in last before me, ensuring that Alice's brother wouldn't be able to sit next to me. We dropped off Alice first, then him. As soon as we pulled away, Emmett yanked off my sunglasses.
"Hey!-"
"Fuck, Bells," Emmett said, cupping my face in his hands. "How much did you sleep last night?"
"Emmett…"
Rose was watching me worriedly now too. Fuck. I always wore my sunglasses when I was out with them, what tipped him off?
"Answer the question."
"It doesn't fucking matter Emmett, I'm fine," I said, pulling away from him. He frowned at me.
"Is it because of him? I've seen the way he's been looking at you. I can take care of it."
"No, he didn't do anything, I couldn't care less about him. Don't worry about it."
"Is it Victor?" He hissed angrily. "Have you heard anything on him? Did he contact you?"
God, he just wouldn't let this go. I slumped in my chair, finally letting my exhaustion show.
"I just can't sleep, okay? I'm tired Emmett, just really, really fucking tired. Can you please let this go? You know you'd be the first person I talked to if something happened," I told him quietly.
He was silent for a minute, and I concentrated on the tinted window, not wanting to meet his eyes.
"Okay," he said uneasily, and I relaxed slightly. The rest of the drive passed in silence, and I gave them both a hug as they exited the limo. After Collin dropped me off a half a block from my building I paid him, gave him a nice tip, then watched him drive away before I walked down to my building. I woke Zeus up when I came in, but brought him up to the roof anyways. I pulled the pins out of my hair while waiting for him, massaging my irritated scalp, and passed out in my bed as soon as I kicked my clothes off.
. . . . . . . . . .
"Ugh-stop!" Zeus was licking my face, breathing all over me and poking me with his cold, wet nose. He started barking when I sat up groggily, and I looked over my alarm clock.
It was a quarter to noon. I'd slept almost eleven hours.
Fuck. I grinned brightly and hopped out of my bed.
"Okay, Mommy's sorry. One more minute and we'll go outside," I told him before dashing over to use the washroom. As the last pieces of sleep faded away, I felt absolutely amazing. Refreshed, alert. It's been months since I've slept that well. Slept that long.
I brought a bottle of water and my phone up to the roof with us, draining half of it before I started doing some stretching and called Jasper.
"Hey Bells."
"Hi friend," I said cheerfully, smiling into the phone as I stretched my calves.
"Oh god, what have you done?"
I laughed. "You trust my judgement, right?"
"Yes…" He hedged, cautiously.
"And are you still free tonight to come to the club?"
"What's going on Bella?"
"You have a date tonight, I'm setting you up with someone."
He was silent for a long minute, but I waited patiently, knowingly.
He sighed. "What time do you want me there?" He was trying to sound annoyed, but I could hear his excitement.
"Eight o'clock, and you know the dress code."
"Okay, I'll see you later then."
"Hey Jasper?"
"What?"
"Wipe that smile off your face!" I teased, and heard him laugh before I quickly hung up.
After going back inside, I checked my newsfeed, looking into a suspicious abduction in Washington but finding none of Victor's patterns. It's been so long, but I knew it would be foolish to think he had just given up or died. It took a while to go through my e-mails, and I started setting up the lists to start making a group from the requests for my class. After two bowls of cereal and finally prying myself off of my computer I got changed, went to the park with Zeus for a run, had a shower, dinner and got ready for work.
It was a dry day out today, so I left my hair in a braid and took my bike. I stopped at the corner store on the way to stock up on snacks for my desk, and made it to my building at a quarter to six and unlocked the employee door.
I booted up my computer and security monitors while I twisted my braid into a bun, and crammed my top drawer full of junk food as I went through my e-mails. I snacked on a bag of chocolate-covered pretzels while I watched the bartenders come in and sign for their tills, and start setting up their bars while my guys started to trickle in. Jasper called when he got here, and I went down to let him in right before I gave the okay to Jacob to open the doors.
"So, what's she like? What's her name? Where did you meet her?" He asked with a mixture of nervousness and excitement. I grinned at him and we ran into Rose and Emmett as we walked into the VIP room.
"Hey man! How did she manage to drag you here?" Emmett said knowingly. Jasper wasn't really into the whole bar scene.
"I'm setting him up with Alice," I announced happily. The three of them gaped at me, and we moved out of the way as people started to fill in and Rose had to act social. I led Jasper away to a private table on the side of the room.
"Rose's cousin Alice? The one you thought might be spying on you?" He asked with an amused grin. I rolled my eyes at him.
"Yeah yeah, we all know I'm a little paranoid. She's perfect for you though Jasper, you're going to love her."
"What makes you say that?" She asked curiously.
"Don't worry, you'll find out for yourself pretty quickly," I assured him. "Hey, I gotta get to work, but she shouldn't be long. I'll bring her over when she gets here. Will you be okay here? You definitely don't want Emmett with you when you meet her," I said knowingly. He paled slightly.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," he said, looking around uncomfortably.
"Just give me a wave if you need anything," I told him, then headed over to my corner.
I wasn't surprised to see her come in with her brother, what did surprise me was the relief I felt seeing him. I quickly pushed that away, focusing more on his new haircut. It looked nice, his hair had been getting pretty long, but I thought it was a little too short on the top and not short enough on the sides now.
I mean, it worked for his usual style. I couldn't care less about what he did with his hair.
Alice ran over to me, beaming excitedly, but checked herself before hugging me. I was relieved, but there was a twinge of disappointment mixed into that which confused the hell out of me. "Hey Alice."
"Hey B! Is he here?" She was so excited! It definitely boosted up my mood.
"Yup, come on." I took her by the elbow gently, leading her over to Jasper's table.
He jumped out of his seat, and I swear I actually felt it, the shift in the room when their eyes first met. I felt pretty damn proud of myself, watching the two of them smile at each other like teenagers.
"Hey, I'm Jasper. It's a pleasure to meet you darlin'." Oh fuck, he was serious, breaking out the accent.
"Alice," she answered back brightly. He swept his hand, offering her a seat, and my attention was caught by the brother as he stepped forward.
I only hesitated for a second, then forced myself to reach out and took his arm, gently. I wasn't trying to hurt him, just distract him.
It worked easily, his response to my touch froze him instantly, and I guided him away from their table. Once again, I felt like I'd been burned from the contact, but he made no move to touch me or struggle though, and I realized that it wasn't completely horrible. I could see the worry clear as day in his eyes, and felt the need to comfort him. "Really Hollywood, Jasper is a complete gentleman. You have nothing to worry about. Just give them a little privacy." He looked over at them again, and I hoped he saw the same thing that I did; a pretty intense, beautiful connection between two people that seemed incredibly happy and comfortable. He gave me one quiet nod, and I quickly dropped my hold on him when I realized it wasn't actually necessary. He actually didn't pay much attention to me, and I was surprised to find myself walking him to my brother's table. What was wrong with me tonight? This guy was messing with my groove. I quickly ducked away without a word, placing myself in my corner and getting back to work.
I didn't have long to wonder if I'd pushed the brother too far and finally set him off. As soon as I was back in place I noticed he'd been watching me walk away. He didn't blatantly stare at me, which was a welcome change, but I caught him looking over pretty often.
It was a pretty quiet night, no big fights. It was obvious that Jasper was hitting it off, a couple times he threw me thankful smiles. I was feeling pretty good until Alice dragged him over to introduce him to the others, and he gave me a panicked look.
Shit. Shit shit shit. I texted the three of them at the same time.
We all know each other from the gym.
They all nodded inconspicuously as she took him over to the table where he already knew everyone except for her brother.
What was wrong with me? I can't believe I let myself get so caught up in this that I looked over something so crucial. And that isn't even what got to me the most.
He made introductions easily enough, and the five of them seemed to get along perfectly as they all laughed and got smashed together. I had been so careful for so long. I had Emmett, Rose, and Jasper, and it was just too easy to juggle the three of them and keep all the boundaries of my other relationships clearly defined.
Those lines were blurring out of sight by the second. All because of my need to take care of James. If things worked out between Alice and Jasper, I'd have to let her in.
I couldn't risk something slipping, because I really didn't trust her brother. I knew he had the potential to cause a lot of trouble if he put his mind to it.
I spent the night in contemplative silence while I worked, watching my three closest friends take in two new people. I was used to this, living on the sidelines, and it's never made me feel as empty as it did that night at the club.
I didn't bother them as the club closed, and got Mitch to leave on a low mix when he left. I was a little worried about how much their table had drank, so while I left Jake to watch the bartenders count their tills, I went next door and made an order for them. Emmett could eat until he threw up from cramming too much food and go right back at it when he drank, and I hoped getting him three of their big smoked meat sandwiches would give the others enough time to actually reach some of the food, and got pretty much one of everything else since I didn't know what anyone wanted.
"You feeling okay tonight precious? You don't look as pissed off as usual," Carlos noted with genuine concern as he whipped up my order.
"Yeah, just looking forward to going to bed," I said easily. "You must know how that feels," I teased with a grin. He laughed, packing up everything into a large bag for me.
"Well, you know if you're feeling lonely, or want to take a 'nap,' Uncle Carlos always has time for you," he said with a suggestive wink. I laughed.
"In your dreams, you dirty old man." I paid for my order while shaking my head, and made my way back up to the third floor of my building. They were all still there, oblivious to their surroundings.
"Hey drunkies. You guys look fucking wasted, so I brought you some sandwiches," I said graciously, dropping the bag of food in the center of their table. Unsurprisingly, Emmett lunged for the food and Jasper tried to challenge him, and I had to pry them apart. "Emmett, I brought you three smoked meats, calm down."
"You take such good care of me," he said, grinning up at me with that puppy dog look. Hollywood was watching us curiously, and I gave my brother an irritated look and punched him to remind him of where he was. Fuck, I was losing my touch. They were all watching us, Jasper uneasily and Alice and her brother very curiously. I turned a stern look back on all their drunk faces.
"How are you all getting home tonight?"
Alice said she and her brother had a car picking them up and that they'd give Jasper a lift, and Emmett told me he'd be getting a cab for Rose and himself. Everything was closed up, and everyone was gone, so I said goodnight and went to leave.
"Beeeeeeeee, stay with us! Hang out for a bit," Rose pleaded.
Her cousin jumped in quickly. "Yeah, why don't you chill for a bit?" He looked so hopeful, and to be honest, there was nothing I wanted more than to actually be a part of the group, not an onlooker.
But I just couldn't. Beside, Zeus would be lonely. I hated leaving him alone.
"Sorry Rose, I gotta get back to my man. You know how he gets when he's left waiting," I told her with a smile, and she couldn't argue with that. I waved to the others, and was slightly taken back by the angry look on Hollywood's face.
Whatever, I was out of there.
I stopped by my office, sliding the pins out of my hair so my braid rolled out, put on my coat, my backpack, and grabbed my helmet before locking up and going down to the alley. I was just pulling out my keys and sitting down when the door flew open.
He was there, breathing heavily and looking furious. I automatically tensed to spring, but he just stood there, looking around in the dark alley. He didn't even see me.
"What are you doing?"
His head whipped around at the sound of my voice, and he just stared at me. I was starting to get a little worried, he didn't look so well. "Earth to Hollywood. You okay? You look kind of sick, man."
"What's his name?"
It didn't get much more random than that. I had no idea what he was talking about. "What?"
"Your boyfriend, what's his name?"
My mouth almost popped open as I looked at him in surprise. My boyfriend? What was he…? The light bulb went off, and I couldn't help smiling. This was interesting. Had my words to Rose really upset him that much? I laughed, hard, the idea of me having a boyfriend just too ridiculous, and when I looked back up at him he had slightly relaxed. "Are you serious?"
"Completely fucking serious." His voice was hard, but I could hear something that looked like genuine worry in it also. It's not like my life was any of his fucking business, but the thought of needlessly upsetting him bothered me. I didn't see any harm in it, and took out my phone, pulling up the new photo of Zeus I had taken for Alice. It was kind of cute when he squinted at the brightness of my screen. "Why are you showing me a picture of a dog?"
"This is my man, my baby. His name is Zeus."
His eyes widened in shock, and then his expression slowly shifted to one of horror and embarrassment. I put on my helmet before I could laugh and make him feel worse, and started up my bike.
"So you don't have a boyfriend?" He asked loudly as I pulled away. I lifted my hand in a wave as I took off.
I kept telling myself I had no reason to be smiling like an idiot as I drove home, but I couldn't help it.
. . . . . . . . . .
Hello again guys! Bella's really hopeful that things are going to work out great for Alice and Jasper, but do you think it was a mistake for her to introduce them? And do you think she should have even bothered trying to comfort Edward?
Please review if you can, and if you have a minute, please vote for me for December's Fic Dive of the month over at A different Forest! Both of my Protector stories are up there :)
Take care guys!
-Kitty