A/N: Heaps of love to my wonderful beta and friend, Ms Kathy. I also owe overdue appreciation to d0tpark3r, whose two younger children I have shamelessly borrowed from to help create Frankie. She was also a great help in writing the club scene in this chapter - I probably haven't seen the inside of a club since the early 90s. Thankfully, d0tpark3r had a more exciting youth than I did.
Special thanks once again to Team Shalloward for the generous donation that made these four chapters come to life.
Let's check in to see how Bella and Edward manage as their very different worlds continue to collide ...
##
Edward woke up slowly. Even with his face pressed down into the pillows, the light coming in through his open blinds was painful. His stomach churned, but thankfully decided against ejecting its contents all over the bed. He groaned.
Too much vodka.
He dragged himself up and shuffled to the bathroom where he took a long pee, one arm braced against the bathroom wall. After drinking a couple of glasses of water to rinse the sour taste from his mouth, he burrowed back into bed to catch another five or six hours of sleep.
Wonder how I got home last night.
He lay there for a couple of minutes, drifting back toward sleep. Then abruptly, memory descended and he flew upright in bed, his head shrieking in protest.
"FUCK!"
##
One week earlier
"Listen," said Edward, his green eyes sparkling with excitement. They were over at Bella's house on a quiet Friday afternoon. "One of my old friends is coming in from LA next week, and we're going to get a bunch of people out to celebrate. I really, really want you to come with me."
Bella looked at him uneasily. "Edward, I don't think that's …."
"Don't even say it," he interrupted. "You agreed we'd meet in the middle. That means that sometimes you have to try stuff that I like doing." He knelt on the couch beside her, using his best pouty face for full effect. "Please? Just one night out with me?"
"Stop that," she murmured, pushing at him half-heartedly with one hand, while reaching up to tangle the other in his wild hair. "I know what I agreed to, but I'm going to look like a fool beside you in a fancy night club. All your friends will think you brought your spinster aunt with you. It's mortifying."
"They will not think that," he insisted, running a finger over her lips. Edward had never flirted like this with Bella before, and he found it exciting. After more than three months of self-imposed celibacy, he was wound as tight as he could go. The unexpected swipe of her tongue across the pad of his finger nearly sent him through the roof.
"Bella," he said. "Please …" He was no longer sure what he was asking for.
"Yes, Edward," she whispered back. "Whatever the question is, the answer is yes."
##
Edward and his friend Simon arrived at Bella's house shortly after 10 p.m. on Friday night. It had been close to two years since Edward had seen Simon, and they'd spent the last two hours drinking and laughing their asses off.
"So who's this chick we're going to pick up?" Simon asked in the cab on their way to Bella's house. "You've been awful quiet about her, so I'm thinking it must be serious, bro." Edward flushed, and Simon hooted with laughter. "Holy shit, look at you! Are you in love?"
"Shut the fuck up," he said, giving Simon a hard elbow to the ribs. His friend doubled over, still laughing. "It's not like that," Edward said lamely. "We're not dating. We're just friends." Simon finally came up for air and looked hard at Edward.
"I have the feeling there's a long story behind this," Simon said. "Look, she isn't married, is she? A big dude with tattoos isn't going to meet us at the front door with a shotgun?"
"No, she's not married," Edward mumbled. "Not anymore. She has a kid though."
"Jesus Christ," Simon said. The cab was stopping in front of Bella's home. "This ought to be good." He pulled out his wallet and paid the fare. Edward caught his arm as the taxi drove off into the late winter night.
"Simon, she's important. Okay?"
"Yeah, I got that part. C'mon, introduce me to the love of your life." Edward trudged up Bella's driveway with Simon grinning beside him. Belatedly, he wondered if maybe this evening was a bad idea. But it was too late to do anything about it since the door was opening, and there was Bella. Edward stared.
She had on an elegant little black dress and modest heels that showed off her legs to perfection. Her hair had long, loose curls in it. Edward hadn't seen her this made up since Oprah; she'd even had her nails done. How had he ever once found her plain?
"You're beautiful," Edward blurted out, then immediately cursed his lack of filter. Bella blushed. Simon stood on the step, staring at both of them.
"You're beautiful too," Bella said with a wry smile. "You must be Simon. Please come in." They shuffled into the entrance hall, out of the cold. "I'm Bella DiPalma. It's nice to meet you."
"Simon Lee," he said, shaking her hand.
"Let me get my bag. I'll be back in a moment," Bella said. The minute she was gone, Simon wheeled on Edward in disbelief.
"What?" said Edward irritably.
"Dude. She is totally not what I expected."
"Well, what did you expect?"
"I dunno … some crazy hot chick that you'd met at a bar one night. Fucking hell, who is she?" Simon poked his head into the living room of Bella's subtly elegant house. "This is her house, isn't it? Not her parents' place."
"Yeah, it's her place." Edward said, shifting nervously. "So what d'ya think of her?"
"I think she's loaded, pretty unremarkable in the looks department, and much older than you, in that order." Simon looked intently at his old friend. "I also think she must be something really fucking special to have you this jacked up."
"She is," Edward replied, then looked up to see Bella descending the staircase, pulling on an expensive-looking black coat he had never seen her wear before. It looked like cashmere, and Edward prayed that it wouldn't get ripped off in the night club. "Ready?" he asked.
"Not even close," Bella replied.
##
The Sound Bar was loud, smoky and rocking by the time they arrived. This was Edward's favorite dance club; a quick nod to the bouncer and they bypassed the long line to get in. In minutes, they were settling in at a private VIP booth just off the dance floor.
Edward was in his element. Simon was here. Bella was here. And for the first time in a long time, he could pay for his own drinks. He no longer had to fear having his reputation as the life of the party replaced by that of being a first-class mooch. This would be, he decided, a night to remember.
Bella looked on with sharp interest as their hostess appeared and began setting up the bottle service at their booth. Over the thundering music, Edward explained that having private service at the table meant they didn't have to line up at the jammed bar to order drinks.
"Like this," he said, ordering all three of them a Grey Goose on the rocks. He slammed his back, relishing the feel of the ice-cold vodka burning down his throat. Out of the crowd came friends, waving in greeting. The DJ started a new set, and Edward signaled to the hostess for another vodka.
After a few drinks, he coaxed Bella on to the dance floor. She danced well, better than she had claimed she could. But just as Edward was warming up, she indicated she was returning to the booth.
"Stay here," she shouted into his ear. "Dance with your friends, have fun. I'll be at the table." Edward dropped a kiss on her lips. Bella grinned at him, and wormed her way through the crowd back to the table. She was replaced on the dance floor by a blonde and a redhead, both of whom Edward recognized vaguely. He had a feeling he'd made out with the redhead once before. Maybe more than made out. The girl spun and shook her generous behind in his direction. Yeah, he had definitely had been with her. He recognized the ass.
Flinging his hair back, Edward danced.
##
Nearly an hour later, Edward returned to the booth to find it crowded with friends and acquaintances. He expected Simon to be on the dance floor surrounded by women; instead, he was in deep conversation with Bella. Or as deep as any conversation could get in a night club.
Soaked in sweat, Edward plopped down into the booth and ordered an iced vodka. Before he could even get his drink, the redhead from the dance floor sat in his lap. Edward glanced at Bella nervously; she smirked at him and rolled her eyes. He blew her a kiss.
Redhead (he couldn't remember her name) wound her arms around Edward's neck a bit too possessively for his liking. She wriggled in his lap, unfortunately causing his cock to come to life. These days, a stiff breeze could make him hard.
"Who's that lady with Simon?" cooed the redhead. "Is she Simon's sugar mama? You'd think he'd be able to do better than that."
"She's my friend," said Edward coldly, standing up. The redhead fell out of his lap and stumbled a few steps before catching her balance. "Now do you mind pissing off?" Edward picked up his drink and walked to the edge of the dance floor, ignoring the girl as she stomped away. He let the crowd flow around him while he drained his vodka. A few moments later, he became aware of someone standing quite close to him. Edward turned to see a tall man with a blond pony tail and cold eyes.
"James," said Edward. "Good to see you. Can I get you a drink from the table?"
"I think not," said James with a thin smile. "You haven't been around much. I thought maybe you'd retired from the scene."
"No," said Edward. "I had to take a temporary vacation because I was broke. But now I'm back."
"So you are," said James. "You should celebrate. Anything I can help you with?" Edward knew what James was asking: Did he want to buy any drugs tonight?
It was on the tip of Edward's tongue to accept the offer. James had been supplying his club drugs for a couple of years, and his stuff was always reliable. Except … he had promised. He automatically looked over his shoulder to catch sight of Bella back at the table. She was listening to Simon but had her eyes on Edward and James. Her brow was faintly creased, like she was catching a whiff of what was going on.
"Not tonight," Edward finally said. He could see James had followed his gaze and was looking at Bella with narrowed eyes.
"I see," said James. "Who is the charming individual Simon is talking to? The one whose opinion you seem to value so highly? Do you have a patroness these days?"
"A what?"
"A patroness," said James. "A sponsor, a backer of funds." Edward continued to look blank, and James sighed in annoyance. "Is the old cunt paying your bills in exchange for your cock?"
"No!" Edward said, horrified. "Jesus fucking Christ. She's a really good friend. Don't talk about her like that." He looked at James in irritation. "Why does everyone think that Bella is doing that?"
"Because she doesn't belong here," said James curtly. "And she sure as hell doesn't belong with you." Before Edward could respond, James vanished into the crowd, looking for greener pastures. Edward stood there a moment longer, then went back to the table to order another vodka. A double this time.
His last memory of the night was sitting at the booth, a glass of water in his hand. Simon had convinced him to switch, but Edward was already smashed. Bella stood several feet away from him, talking with a couple of girls. She looked blurry. Edward squinted, trying to bring the scene into focus. The two girls were regulars, he realized, girls he had tried and discarded. Pin-thin (except for their large fake boobs), dressed in barely-there dresses, perfect make-up and hair, stiletto heels. Bella looked positively Mormonish beside them.
You mean she looks like a beat-up used car beside two Porsches.
Edward jerked backward as if trying to get away from the thought that had popped unbidden into his mind. Bella instantly looked up at him. At his face. His face that showed everything.
And that was where Edward's memory of the evening ended.
##
Fuck. What had happened after that?
Edward strained to remember, but there was nothing after that point except a few confused flashes. Running … running after Bella in the club. Getting into a cab. Someone shouting – at him?
This is bad.
Ignoring his queasy stomach, Edward slid across the bed to his night table. No phone. He saw his jacket tossed across his desk chair, and brushed in disgust at what appeared to be spots of vomit on one lapel. Phone in the pocket.
His first instinct was to call Bella, but the last few memories nixed that idea. Had they fought? Had he done something stupid? Better to call Simon first to get the details. Simon's phone rang a few times, then went to voicemail. Edward kept hitting redial until his friend finally picked up.
"Fuck off, Edward," Simon snarled into the phone. "Do you know what time it is?"
"Uh … no," said Edward.
"It's …" He heard Simon moving around in bed. "It's … holy shit, it's two in the afternoon. Fuck me." Edward was glad he had today off. "Still, fuck, I was sleeping. What's wrong with you?"
"Simon, I need your help. About last night …" There was a silence on the end of the line, then laughter.
"You can't remember what happened last night, can you? Can't say I'm surprised. You were pretty trashed at the end. You're such a cheap date, Edward."
"Yeah, yeah," said Edward. "Look, I fucked up large here. Did Bella get home okay? Was everything all right when we left? I remember some arguing."
"Hang on," said Simon, dropping the phone. Edward waiting, listening to Simon take a piss somewhere off in the distance. "That's better. You really don't remember, do you?"
Edward's stomach sank. "Simon, just tell me."
"I should fucking hang up and let you suffer for waking me up," grumbled Simon. "Edward, you didn't do anything wrong. Unless you call that freak-out you had in the club 'wrong'. We thought it was cute." Edward made a whimpering sound. "I'm being a really shitty friend right now, aren't I?" said Simon gleefully. He chuckled again then got serious. "I'm fucking with your head, you know that."
"I remember running through the club after Bella," said Edward. "And shouting. I remember someone shouting at me."
"Bro, you were sitting at the booth all dopey like you get when you're wasted. You're one of the happiest drunks I know. Bella was cornered by a couple of chicks who were telling her what a manwhore you are. Then Bella excused herself to go to the ladies. Next thing I know, you're on your feet and fucking racing after her. I caught you before you could run into the ladies room and get us all kicked out.
"You thought Bella was leaving without you, that she was pissed about something you said or did. She came out in a few minutes, asked what the fuck was going on, and decided we should get you home."
Edward processed this information. "What about the shouting? I remember that part."
Simon laughed. "That was the cab driver, dude. He was sure you were going to puke all over his car. Kept telling us if you threw up, we'd be walking the rest of the way home."
"Did I puke?" Edward remembered the spatters on his jacket and figured he already knew the answer to that question.
"Not in the cab. You barfed in your mom's flower bed, though. I don't think Esme's gonna like that." Edward winced; Simon was right about that. "But otherwise, you were fine. I got you upstairs and into bed so quietly that your parents never woke up. You were unconscious before I left the room."
"You put me to bed?" asked Edward. "Why didn't Bella do that?"
"You think she was dying to undress you, Puke Boy?" asked Simon. "She didn't want to come in the house. Said your mom wouldn't be happy if she caught her in her son's bedroom in the middle of the night. That sounded like a good thing to avoid, so Bella stayed in the cab while I did the dirty work."
Edward slumped back against the pillows. Things were okay. He felt the worry fading away, then was struck with a horrible thought. "Fuck, Simon, the tab! I didn't close the fucking tab!"
"Oh!" shouted Simon. "I almost forgot about that. No, we closed the tab. It was fuckawesome."
"How is closing a tab fuckawesome?"Edward's heart was pounding again. How many bottles of vodka had they drunk? All those people at the table – had their drinks gone on his bill? He had gotten into deep shit in the past before like this, but somehow, he never learned.
"Bella asked for the bill, and it was fucking huge. So cool as anything, she asks for the hostess and the manager. She goes through the bill with them, asking whose drinks were whose and how all this extra stuff got on the tab. At first, they were all 'not our problem, pay up', and then she fucking went to town. Not shouting, just like super strict, saying that this was no way to treat a valued and important client, that the club needs VIPs to be successful and this wasn't the level of service she expected, blah, blah, blah. It was fantastic."
Edward sat frozen in horror. "VIPs … she told them who she was?"
"No, stupid. She was talking about you. God knows you spend enough money there, plus the chicks dig you. Eventually, they fixed the tab so it was just you, me and her. The rest of the bill went back to the people sitting at the booth. Some of them were right pissed. They thought they could drink for free all night, but Bella got rid of them like dickey birds off a rhino's back."
"Did she pay the bill?" Edward croaked. That would be so mortifying – like she really was his meal ticket.
"No, she left it on your card. The total was about $600, after tip. She said you could suck it up." Edward gagged a little at the number, but realized it could have been much worse. "Look, I gotta tell you, Bella's pretty cool. Smart. She's a keeper."
"Yeah, she is," Edward replied. "Listen … thanks. Thanks for having my back last night. And for telling me this stuff."
"Sure," said Simon. "We need to do it up again before I leave, right? Last night was sick."
"Yeah," he said faintly. "I'll talk to you later, buddy."
##
Edward was still exhausted but couldn't sleep after that roller coaster of a conversation. After some thought, he sent a text to Bella asking how she had enjoyed last night. Showered, got some food down. No response from Bella, but that didn't mean she was pissed at him. At least, he didn't think so.
He spent the rest of the afternoon hanging around – watching television with Emmett and Alice, fooling with the computer, nervously poking around in the flower bed by the front door to minimize the damage. Called Bella, but it went straight to voicemail. He left a message asking her to call him.
Edward fidgeted through dinner, checking his phone under the table. He wanted to talk to Bella, needed to talk to her. Even if she didn't want to talk to him.
"May I be excused?" he asked suddenly.
"Certainly," said Carlisle as Edward leaped up from the table. "Going somewhere?"
"Yeah, I need to go out for a bit. Can I take the car?" He was already in the hallway tugging his jacket on.
"Only if you have it back by 5 a.m.," said Esme. "I've got an early shift tomorrow."
"Never mind," said Edward. "I'll cab it."
"Take an umbrella; it's pouring outside!"
But Edward was gone.
##
It took him 10 minutes to jog to the nearest major intersection, and a further 15 to find an empty cab in the cold spring rain. As a result, he was soaked and freezing as he walked up Bella's driveway. Praying that she wouldn't slam the door in his face, he rang the doorbell.
"My God, Edward," Bella exclaimed when she opened the door. "You're soaking wet! What on earth?"
"You weren't answering your phone," he said, feeling lame. "I was worried that something was …" Edward froze, looking just past Bella and realizing that he hadn't finished fucking up the day yet. In fact, he'd saved the best for last.
Standing wide-eyed with excitement in the hallway was Frankie.
"Oh my God, Bella," he said in a rush, trying to keep his voice down so Frankie wouldn't hear. "I totally forgot you'd have Frankie. I'm so sorry to barge in here like this. Fuck." Edward pushed his wet hair back from his face in frustration. "I'm such an idiot."
"Maybe for going out without an umbrella, but that's about it," said Bella, amused. "Frankie, should we leave Mr. Edward outside in the rain or should we invite him in?"
"Invite him in! Invite him in!" squealed Frankie in delight. She darted past Bella and pulled on Edward's hand to bring him into the house.
"I'm really sorry, honest …"
"You're full of apologies tonight, aren't you?" Bella said. "Frankie, upstairs right now and get into your jammies or you won't be able to visit with Mr. Edward before bed." Frankie flew upstairs. As soon as her daughter was out of sight, Bella gave Edward a soft kiss on the mouth. "I'm not sure why you're here, but I'm very happy to see you."
"I thought … your phone," he stammered at this unexpectedly warm welcome.
"My phone shit the bed so I had to replace the operating system," said Bella. "It's upstairs reloading right now. I had no idea you were trying to reach me. I should have emailed you." Edward's teeth chattered unexpectedly. "Stay here for a second." She vanished downstairs, and returned with some clothes over her arm "They'll be too big on you, but it's all I've got for men's clothes. Give me your wet clothes and I'll throw them into the dryer."
Edward changed in the bathroom, cinching the sweatpants tight to keep them from falling down. The shirt was loose but manageable. Everything smelled a bit like Bella, which was a nice bonus.
When he came out, Frankie was sitting in the living room in fuzzy pajamas, a bear tucked under her arm. She led Edward to her room, showing off her stuffed animal collection, souvenirs from a trip to Disneyworld, and her latest artwork.
"Are you having a sleepover at our house tonight?" she asked. Edward shook his head, flushing.
"No, I just came to visit your mom for a bit. You know, 'cause we're friends?"
"I wish you could stay. We have a guest bedroom right over there," she said, pointing. "You could stay if you wanted to."
"That's really nice of you, sweetheart," he said, smoothing her hair. "Maybe one day we can have a sleepover. We could watch movies, eat popcorn and stay up really late together."
"Maybe one day we can do that," agreed Bella from the doorway. "But right now, it's bedtime. Frankie, do you have a hug and a kiss goodnight for Mr. Edward?" Edward bent to hug the little girl and receive an ardent smack on the lips. Then he escaped downstairs to the living room while Bella tucked her daughter into bed. He was wrapping himself in a throw on the couch when Bella came down the stairs and stopped in the door.
"Are you here to break off our arrangement?" she asked abruptly.
Edward stared at her. "No! Of course not! Why would you think that?"
"I don't know," she said, biting her lip. "You showed up here all of a sudden, said you were trying to call. I thought maybe you wanted to get it over with."
"God no," said Edward. "I came here because I wanted to apologize for being such a drunken ass last night. I thought you were mad at me and weren't answering my messages."
Bella cracked up laughing. "We're a good pair, aren't we?" She walked over and sat down on the couch beside him. "Let's start again. I'm not angry with you. I had fun last night, and I'm glad you did too. You're supposed to get drunk with your friends on Friday nights when you're 24. That's the whole point of being young."
"Still, I shouldn't have left you to fend for yourself. It wasn't nice."
"I'm a big girl," said Bella. "I can look after myself. But apology accepted. Now, I owe you an apology for meddling with the tab. I shouldn't have butt in the way I did, but I was furious with the bar for taking advantage of the situation when you were drunk."
"You saved my ass," said Edward. "No need to apologize. Just thanks for helping me. And - I can't believe I'm saying this - thanks for not paying the bill." Bella arched an eyebrow in question. "It would have felt wrong to me if you'd paid it. Like you were … you know …"
"Like I was your patroness?" asked Bella dryly. Edward's head flew up in surprise. What the fuck? "I had a very interesting conversation toward the end of the evening with a guy named James," said Bella. "I didn't understand most of what he was talking about, but he did ask me if I was your patroness. He seemed disappointed in my response."
"What did you tell him?" asked Edward, his throat suddenly very dry.
"I told him that he had a lovely way with words and the wrong idea altogether about you and me." Bella looked at Edward sharply. "I saw him talking to you earlier, and he gave me the creeps. Doubly so when I talked to him in person. Who is he?"
"Uh …" Edward felt his face reddening. "I buy my drugs from him."
"Oh," said Bella. "Well, that would explain why he seemed so skeevy." There was a moment of silence. "Do you find yourself doing less business with him these days?"
"Yeah. I'm trying to live life better. Not just for you, although you help a lot. But because it's time." Edward fiddled with the edge of the throw for a moment. "There was something else that happened last night. Just before you went to the bathroom and I thought you were leaving." Bella didn't say anything, just looked at him. "It was a really weird moment, and I got freaked out. I thought something not very nice about you, and I figured maybe you could tell what I was thinking."
"I see," said Bella. "I'm not a mind-reader, Edward. I'm very good at reading people's facial expressions and postures. I'm observant. But I can't tell what you're thinking all the time."
"I know. But you looked at me. You … saw." Bella was silent.
"I saw you take off your rose-colored glasses at one point and see me for what I really am," she conceded. "I'm not young and beautiful, Edward. You shouldn't pretend otherwise. You should have seen how long it took me to get ready for last night – I spent a fortune at the salon just to have enough confidence to walk through the door!"
"You looked great," insisted Edward. "You are beautiful."
"I'm not," she said softly. Edward scooted down the couch and took her hands in his.
"You are to me. You're beautiful just like this, the way you are now. I like you the way you are. I want you the way you are." Bella looked at him, a pink flush creeping up her cheeks. For a long moment, the electricity crackled between them. Then Bella leaned forward and kissed him.
It was hungry and passionate, driven by months of pent-up desire. Edward's tongue was restless in her mouth. Bella made a sound of desire in the back of her throat, and he pushed her back into the couch, his body tight to hers. His erection pressed against her thighs, jutting out in his sweatpants. Bella's hands were buried in his damp hair, and her hips pushing gently but insistently against his. Edward's body was on fire; all he could think was how easy it would be to remove her jeans, pull down his pants and be buried balls deep in her warmth in seconds.
"I want you so bad," he mumbled against her lips. "Please …"
Bella's hands stilled in his hair, and she pulled back a little from him. Her face was flushed, her lips swollen from his kisses. "I want you, too," she murmured. "But the first time we make love isn't going to be on the couch with my daughter upstairs. I want you spread out in my bed, alone with me, so no one else can hear you scream when I make you come."
Edward froze, afraid for a moment he was going to embarrass himself by coming in his pants. "Don't say stuff like that," he said. "You're going to give me a permanent case of blue balls." Bella chuckled against his neck, and rubbed her hand in soft circles on his back. "That feels good," he sighed.
"It feels good just to touch you," she said softly. "I never want to stop."
"Then don't" Edward whispered back, feeling more relaxed by the second. He lay there, enjoying the sensation of Bella's hand moving up and down his back. His erection slowly subsided. After a while, things started to blur and fade into the background. He was so tired, and it felt so good…
A sudden snore jerked him awake, making Bella giggle. "You're tired," she whispered. "Did you drive here?"
"No," he said sleepily. "Took a cab."
"Will your parents be worried if you don't come home tonight?"
"No. They're cool with it," Edward mumbled.
"C'mon then." Bella got him to his feet and led him up the stairs. A few moments later, she settled him into bed in a blissfully dark room.
"Stay with me," he whispered, his voice drowsy. "I want you to sleep in my arms." Bella leaned forward and kissed him lingeringly on the mouth.
"I wish I could," she said. "But I don't think we'd sleep if I did that. I'm not ready for Frankie to find us in bed together in the morning. Another time, love."
Whatever his response was to that, Bella never knew – Edward was already asleep.
##
A/N: Heartfelt thanks to everyone on Team Shalloward, including cherieblossum, emmy, heatherjeanhd, Jessypt, Katie, laylak500, scarrok/scarrtx, sogoodtoo, Fergie, jjjuliebee, athenajean, Haileywood, janob63, treasurecoast, TwilightMundi, amymorgan, spanglemaker9, arfalcon and of course, hookashewz