Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. Twilight character names belong to Stephanie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter 4 - Home

Darkness consumed me but, though the sounds were muffled, I could still hear. Felix's words were easier to understand, possibly because he was sitting in the back seat with me.

"Can you see it?"

Demetri's response wasn't clear, but I made out the word "yes" in his response.

"Then we are being followed. Quick, turn right up here."

My body slammed into Felix and the screech of tires broke through the veil that threatened to deafen my ears. Felix wrapped his arms around me to keep my limp body from thrashing about as we sped through the city. I could feel the vehicle accelerate as the pursuer closed the distance between us. Though I couldn't hear them well, the panic in their tone was easy to decipher.

Deep inside I was screaming, hoping my mouth would obey and submit to my demand, but my body was a cocoon, a dead shell holding my life inside. The situation brought about a feeling of hopelessness, threatening to take me back to the horrid place I couldn't bear to revisit. To keep from succumbing to the pain, I focused all of my attention on the muffled sounds around me.

Demetri and Felix were arguing, their raised voices nearly bringing me to life, but the cloud was too thick for me to break through. Another screech filled the car and Felix's body was gone as I felt myself floating for a fraction of a second before a searing pain cut through my head. Then everything was silent.

In the stillness despair caught up with me. It was summer. I know this because every year my parents and I went camping for summer vacation, and the scenery was familiar. The stream was to my left, the camp to my right. I was sitting on a tree stump watching a butterfly as it fluttered from flower to flower, collecting sweet nectar. Only, in this dream my parents were nowhere to be seen, and the emptiness within my chest was unbearable. Tears flowed freely, and I didn't care because I had nothing to hide. Someone called out to me, and though I recognized the voice, I couldn't place it. I stood and walked into the trees.

It was dark in the woods, so much so I couldn't see more than a few feet in front of me. The voice beckoned me once more and I started to run, chasing the sound.

"Bella!" the voice called.

"I'm coming," I yelled as I stumbled, arms outstretched, feeling my way through the darkness.

"Bella!"

"I'm here, where are you?"

Another voice cut through the darkness. "She's bleeding too much."

"Bella?" his voice was panicked. "Oh, God! Bella, please!" His voice was strained as he turned his attention to someone else. "Do something!"

"We're doing all we can, sir."

I stopped in the middle of the woods, certain I was only running farther from the voice, and listened.

"God, please don't do this to me…not again."

Again? I recognized his voice – Edward. He had lost someone before: his parents, his first love, now he thought he was losing me. I didn't like the way his words were strangled, tortured. I tried to find him, to comfort him.

Turning, I headed back in the direction I'd come, hoping something would bring me back to the surface. As I stepped through the break in the trees, out into the sunlit opening, I saw Edward. He was standing beside the trunk I'd been sitting on. His beaming smile dissolved the hopelessness that had been taking root inside my heart, bringing forth a strong desire to be in his arms. I leaped across the distance in three strides, slamming into his chest. His arms wrapped around me.

"Welcome back," he murmured in my ear, his breath tickling me, sending a shiver through my body.

I leaned my head against his shoulder and sighed.

"This will only sting for a moment," he said, and I felt a stabbing pain in my arm.

A burning sensation crawled through my shoulder and I looked up at him. His beautiful face blurred and I fell limp in his arms, succumbing to darkness.

I didn't dream anymore, and for that I was grateful. I don't know how long I was under, but when I came to I wasn't in a hospital; I was lying on a large, four post bed with deep blue bedding. I pulled the blankets back and realized I was wearing nothing but my panties and a t-shirt.

What the…

"Welcome back."

I turned to the voice and gasped. Edward was sitting across the room, in a plush chair.

I sat up, a bit too quickly, and my head spun, the room swirling around me like I was on a carnival ride. Grabbing my head in both of my hands, I groaned.

"Careful," he said as he stood and crossed the room, sitting down next to me on the side of the bed. "You have a nasty bump on your head."

"What the fuck happened?" I asked, my voice coming out in a garbled mess.

"You assaulted Tanya, and she had you removed forcibly from her property. When I found out I went after Demetri and Felix. I knew they had you. All the fuckheads had to do was pull over so I could take you home, but they decided to run. They ended up crashing into a light pole, and you hit your head. You have a few stitches." He ran his fingers over the bandage. "I'm so sorry," he murmured.

I concentrated hard on my words, making sure I formed them well as the medication was still affecting me quite a bit. "What are you sorry for? I'm the one that should be sorry. I should have just taken that skank ass bitch's money….and what the hell? Tanya threw the first punch!"

He smirked at me. "I figured, and I knew you could kick her ass. She's got a bruise the size of a baseball on the side of her face and nasty scratch marks on her arms, but you…you only have wounds from the accident." He ran his fingers along the side of my face and my head spun once again, but it wasn't from my weak state.

I groaned and let myself fall back onto the pillows. "How did you get me out of my dress?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

The sly grin that slithered across his face said it all.

"No," I groaned.

He chuckled. "Bella, I've seen my fair share of naked women. Rest assured I didn't touch you in any way inappropriate. I couldn't leave you in that evening gown. It wouldn't have been comfortable. Besides, it was covered in blood, and I can't have blood on my bed."

I rolled away from him, grabbing the pillow with both hands and burying my face in it. No man had ever seen me nude, and it was humiliating. I wasn't wearing a bra with the dress because it had a halter top, and my panties were lace, revealing way too much. My face was hot, tears forcing their way to the surface as I tried desperately to control myself.

"Bella?" His hand rubbed small circles on my back. "I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to do so, but I didn't know how to take care of you. I've never had to take care of anyone before." His last words came out whispered, almost choked.

"It's okay," I mumbled into the pillow.

"No, it's not. What do you want me to do to make it better? Would you like me to go to work naked?"

I let out a choked laugh and rolled over to look at him. He was serious. "Um, don't you think that would be a little inappropriate for a boss?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't care."

"No," I sighed, "you wouldn't."

His brow furrowed and he pursed his lips. "What is that supposed to mean?"

I looked straight into his eyes. "Hasn't nearly everyone at work seen you naked already? It wouldn't be a big deal."

He let out a quick breath, as if I'd punched him in the gut, and turned away from me, hiding his reaction. "You're right," he mumbled, "it wouldn't." He stood and walked toward the door. "I'll leave you to get dressed." He turned his head to the side, staring down at the dresser beside the door, and spoke. "I had Alice pack some clothes for you before we left for the premiere, in case you felt the need to change. They are in the closet." He pointed to a door on my left. "The restroom is there. Take your time. I'm in no hurry to get to work."

I gasped. I'd forgotten about work. He left me with my thoughts, and my thoughts were a scrambled mess. I wasn't completely sure this wasn't all a dream. Did everything I think happened really happen? I blinked my eyes wildly, wondering when I was going to wake up from this dream. Or was it a nightmare?

I slid out of bed and took in my surroundings. The room was large with dark wood floors. The bed stood in the center of the room against the wall opposite the door with a nightstand on each side. A lamp rested on the center of each nightstand. A lone dresser stood beside the door with a painting hanging above it. The art depicted a naked woman sitting in the grass, leaning against a tree. Her back to me, her head to the side, she was looking down at the flowers beside her. Her dark hair hung low on her back, her bottom and right shoulder the only skin revealed besides her face. I reached up and traced her profile, catching my breath. Had I not known any better, I would swear it was a picture of me. The likeness of her profile was uncanny. A shiver crawled through me and I had to look away.

The shower was calling my name, so I shuffled over to the restroom. I felt a bit uncomfortable using men's soap but grateful to be washing the previous night away. I carefully removed the bandage on my head to wash my hair, being as gentle as possible while also trying to be thorough. When I got out of the shower I couldn't find a towel and I instantly regretted not thinking ahead before I jumped into the water. I stepped carefully across the tiles, trying not to slip and split my head open again. My feet slid a few times, but I caught myself on the counter before disaster could strike again. I found a towel in the last cabinet I searched.

After carefully drying myself, and the wet floor from my dripping body, I examined my wound in the mirror. There were only a few stitches, and if I left my hair down it would be concealed. Wrapping the towel around me, I slipped out of the restroom and made my way to the closet.

When I opened the door, I sucked in a quick breath. The closet was nearly as big as my own bedroom. It had wall to wall clothes on three levels, with shelves and cabinets between neat sections of clothes organized by color. The shelves were full of shoes and other accessories.

In the center of the closet was a burgundy, circular couch with the clothes Alice had packed for me lying across it: grey slacks, white eyelet lace blouse and black shoes. I grinned when I noticed a matching set of a bra and panties. Everything still had tags, so I felt comfortable slipping into the clothes.

I stood, staring at myself in the three-way mirror Edward had in his closet. My hair was a tangled mess, so I shuffled over to the restroom to brush it out, finding Edward's brush on the counter. When I picked up the brush, I looked at his hair tangled in the bristles and pulled out a strand, wrapping it around my index finger.

Hmmm… I pulled the hair out of his brush, making sure to grab it all and turned toward the trash can. Before the hair left my fingers, I stopped myself. I'm not exactly sure why I did it, and to anyone else it may seem really strange, but I wanted this beautiful man's hair, so I rolled it up in my palm and shoved it into the front pocket of my pants. I then proceeded to brush my hair, making sure every tangle was gone.

I had no toothbrush, but a bottle of mouthwash smiled at me from his counter, so I rinsed my mouth three times to make sure my breath wouldn't be offensive. My pale face screamed for color, but I didn't have any makeup with me, so I pinched my cheeks a few times to give my face some semblance of blush. I stood back and frowned at my reflection. The red blotches failed at improving my appearance.

When I ran out of things to do I made my way to the bedroom door. Not sure of what to expect on the other side, I hesitated before reaching out and turning the knob. The door opened into a long hallway which I seemed to be at the end of. My shoes clicked along the dark wood floor and after five steps I decided to slip my shoes off. Shoes in hand, I tiptoed down the hall, peering around the corner at the end.

Edward's home was bland. Every wall was pale white with all furniture various shades of black, white, and grey. I stepped into the living room, a black leather sectional flanking a large flat screen. Across the room was a grand piano beside a set of sliding doors revealing nothing but blue sky. A clanking sound from beyond the living room caught my attention and I stepped carefully through the plush carpet to an opening on the other side of the room.

Hesitating, I sucked in a slow breath and peeked through the opening. It was the kitchen, also black and white in décor. Edward was standing over the stove, his back to me, serving food onto a plate. He reached over to pour juice into a glass and started humming an unfamiliar tune. I stood, staring in awe at this beautiful man as he fixed breakfast wearing nothing but jeans. My eyes roamed over his bare back, taking in every inch of his perfect skin, every curve of muscle in his shoulders, arms…

Points of light flashed before my eyes and I realized I'd stopped breathing. I sucked in a quick breath and Edward spun around, nearly dropping the plate he had in his hand.

"Fuck!" He took a deep breath. "You scared the shit out of me."

"I'm sorry." I scooted into the kitchen, leaning against the refrigerator, crossing my arms. "I didn't mean to startle you."

He grinned. "That's quite alright. Here…" He motioned for me to sit on the stool by the island in the center of the room, placing the plate and juice on a black placemat. "I made you breakfast."

I walked to the stool, aware of his appraising eyes, and sat before the plate. I noticed there was only one stool and mat. I also noticed there was only one plate and glass.

"Aren't you going to eat?" I asked.

"No."

"Why not?"

He sighed. "I'm not too hungry this morning."

Knowing his eyes wouldn't leave mine, I tried desperately to keep my eyes on his face, but his bare chest was calling out to me. Before looking down at the food, my eyes swept across his body as swiftly as I could possibly manage, and in that quick glance, I was able to get an eyeful. The image of his firm chest, the lines of his well-developed abs, down to the V exposed by his low jeans was burned into my memory. His perfection made my breath falter once again and I had to take a deep breath.

Edward snickered and walked away, glancing over his shoulder, "I'm going to get dressed," he said before disappearing around the corner.

I looked down at my plate: two over easy eggs, two slices of bacon, a bowl of fruit and glass of juice. I wasn't usually a breakfast person but, looking at the food before me, knowing he spent the time to make it, I was suddenly famished. Scooping up a bit of egg, I placed it in my mouth, chewing carefully, savoring the flavor of spices he'd added. It didn't take me long to finish the meal, it was beyond delicious.

When I was done I made my way over to the sink to wash the dishes I'd used. I also grabbed the pan off the stove to wash it as well. While I was soaping up the plate, an arm wrapped around my waist and I jumped.

"Sorry," he murmured against my neck.

I looked back to see Edward standing behind me, way too close, wearing a suit.

"You know," he grinned, "you could just toss those in the dishwasher."

I blushed. I hadn't even thought to look around the kitchen for one. I was used to washing my dishes by hand at home.

"Oh," was all I could manage without hyperventilating. He was still standing over me, his breath sweeping over the back of my neck.

He backed away from me. "Are you ready for work?"

I turned to face him, flushed. "What time is it?"

"Ten."

"Holy shit!" I scrambled over to the counter, grabbing my shoes off the floor. "I'm fucking late!"

Edward laughed. "I'm sure the boss will forgive you."

I blushed once again, various shades of red covering one another. "Oh, yeah. I'm sure he will."

He offered me his arm. "Shall we?"

I pulled my arm though his. "We shall."

He led me through the living room and to another door that led up a flight of stairs. When we reached the door at the top, it opened up into a garage containing five cars, two I recognized, but the others I couldn't name. I'd never heard of a garage on top of a house.

The car he chose was a black Porsche, and that's about all I knew. I was surprised when we pulled out of the garage and I saw no house behind us.

"What the…"

Edward's laugh was booming. "I expected that reaction."

I turned to him, eyes wide.

"My home is built into the hill. Only the garage is visible from the top."

"But…you have glass doors…windows…"

"Yes, but the east side is exposed. You can see the sun rise through the windows. It overlooks my beach."

"Y…you're beach?" I stammered.

His grin was overpowering. I nearly exploded with wonder. "Yes, I own the beach along the hill, stretching for several miles I might add."

"Wow! Women must really love that."

He frowned. "I wouldn't know. You're the first woman I've ever had in my home."

I turned to him, searching his face, not sure whether or not to believe him. "You can't be serious."

"I am. Actually, you're the first person to set foot in my home aside from Lauren, my housekeeper."

"And your family, of course."

"Nope. Not even my family. I usually visit them." He glanced out his side window and took a deep breath, his brow furrowing. "Nobody ever comes to visit," he swallowed thickly, "and that's just fine by me."

Somehow I felt that it might not be fine, but I didn't want to pry. We continued swerving down the path, no other roads in view for miles, until we reached civilization.

Pulling into the garage at the office, I felt my butterflies come to life, fluttering about my stomach in a desperate attempt to escape the coming onslaught of questions. We walked toward the elevator, Edward keeping a safe distance between us. Had we not been together the night before, nobody would have guessed we were coming to work together.

Inside the elevator the tension was tangible. He stood opposite me as we leaned against the sides of the elevator. His gaze never left mine, and our mouths never opened. The elevator reached our floor, the binging sound snapping me back to reality. I turned toward the doors as they slid open, screeching lightly along the way, and stepped out into the lobby. Leah, the secretary, sat perched on her desk, reaching over for some paper that had fallen between her desk and the counter. I walked over to greet her.

"Good morning, Leah. You drop something?"

She looked up at me and gasped. "Um…Miss Swan, good morning…Mr. Masen…" She bowed her head, not making eye contact with Edward.

I looked over at him and saw his hardened glare. Ahh…the asshole is back. My inner Bella warned me. I leaned over and shoved my arm between the two pieces of furniture, grabbing the piece of paper between two fingers, and pulling it out for her.

"Thank you, Miss Swan," she murmured.

"Quit fucking around," Edward growled, "you have work to do, Miss Swan."

I turned and quickly followed Edward through the doors, down the aisle between the cubicles, and into his office. As we walked, every eye followed our movement, noting our late entrance…together, examining the distance between us, and forming their own speculations. If their eyes could burn holes, the back of my head would look like Swiss cheese.

When we entered his office he closed the door and locked it. I walked to my hole of an office and sat at my desk. My mind forced itself away from him, knowing he closed the door to talk to me but not sure I wanted to. With my back to the door, I leaned over to retrieve my bag from the bottom drawer of the desk. I'd left it in the office overnight, not wanting to take it to the premiere.

I felt Edward's presence in my core before he cleared his throat. I looked up to find him next to me, leaning against my desk.

"Can I help you, Mr. Masen?"

He looked at me, but he didn't say a word. Minutes passed as we just stared at each other. Leaning over, he pushed a stray hair behind my ear, letting his fingers brush along my neck and collarbone before running them through his beautifully tangled mess of hair. His eyes left mine for a fraction of a second and it seemed he was collecting himself.

"This is all very strange for me, Miss Swan. I want you to understand that I have a reputation. If I treat you like shit, I am apologizing before hand, and I never apologize. I am asking you to put aside my fucked up behavior and promise to remain my employee no matter what happens."

The pleading look in his eyes nearly had me jumping into his arms, promising him I would never leave no matter what he did or who he fucked, but my inner Bella chided me for the thought, tapping her foot and raising her fist to me.

"Mr. Masen, I will not make a promise I am not sure I can keep."

His eyes darkened. "So, you would quit this job if I fucked up?"

I grinned and looked down, realizing he was a bit vulnerable, and reveling in the thought. "Well, I'm not saying I want to quit, but it would all depend on how fucked up you really are."

I looked up at him and saw his face fall, his lips pulling down into a frown. He picked a loose strand of my hair off the front of my blouse, just above my breast, grazing my nipple with his fingers. A shiver ran through me, and my inner Bella had to calm me the fuck down or I would have had him on my desk in that instant, giving him what I'd never given to any man before.

He rubbed the strand between his thumb and forefinger, rolling it into a ball and placing it in his pocket. I grinned internally, knowing I had a pretty large ball of his hair in my pocket.

He sighed heavily. "Well then, would you like your last paycheck now or after work?"

I gasped, "What? You're firing me?"

"No. I'm being realistic. You probably won't last the day." With that he turned and walked out of my office.

What the fuck have I gotten myself into?