AN: Thank you to both Melee03 and 6dlb5 for pre-reading for me, especially b/c I know how busy/crazy/manic your lives are right now. :oD

Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing.

Chapter 7:

When I woke the next morning, I didn't even have to open my eyes to know that Bella was not beside me. I stretched and sat up, straining to hear where she was. When only silence greeted me, I frowned. I waited for twenty minutes before my agitation got the better of me and I got up. I wandered into the bathroom, took a piss and turned on the shower. As I stepped in, I realized that it was the first time in days my dick hadn't been in some state of arousal. Maybe because it was the first time in days I hadn't been within ten feet of my doll. This fact irritated me even more. I glared down at it, willing for it to get hard, or twitch or. . . something. It didn't. Not even when I tried stroking. Great, I was going to be fucking impotent now unless she was in the room.

Stepping out, I wrapped a towel around my waist and made my way back into the bedroom.

"Nice." A female voice startled me and I nearly fucking dropped my towel, but grabbed it just in time.

"Jesus Christ, don't you people ever knock?"

Rose turned around and looked at the fabric covered door. "No."

I wrapped it around me even tighter and went about searching for my clothes.

"What are you embarrassed about? Your body's hot. And a big birdie told me you're hung like a horse."

I shot up, my back straightening like a board. "What the fuck?"

"Look. Bella knows my husband inside and out. I only think it's fair I know a little bit about her lover, don't you?" Rose pressed her lips together in a vain attempt to hide a smile. She was fucking with me.

"What do you want?" I groaned.

"Bella was required in the medical unit this morning. She didn't want to wake you."

"She could've fucking told me where she was going," I snapped.

"That would've required waking you now, wouldn't it?" I stared at the blond, who simply raised a brow at me. "Come on. I am the fortunate soul who gets to take you on the full tour of our humble abode."

I shook my head. She was a sarcastic bitch. But I kind of liked her.

"I need food."

"Well, you're in luck. First stop on our journey is the cafeteria."

I pulled out a pair of cargo pants and was about drop the towel, when I realized Rose was still standing behind me. I turned to and shot her a glare.

"Awww, come on." She smiled. Whatever. I didn't care. I got naked and pulled them on as fast as I could, then grabbed a t-shirt.

"Get used to it, honey," she said as I pulled on my socks and boots. "Privacy is a luxury around here that none of us can afford. Unfortunately for Bella, it's not one she's allowed."

I stood up and stomped my feet, obviously ready to go.

"Finally," she huffed.

We descended the staircase level by level.

"So where's Emmett?" I asked as we neared the ground level.

"With Bella."

"It doesn't bother you that they used to be lovers?"

"Why would it?"

I shrugged. "They seem. . . .close."

Rose stopped moving and turned to face me. "Something you need to understand, Edward, is that should you be lucky enough to earn Bella's love, you don't throw it away. Yes, it's his job to protect her, but he doesn't do it because he has to. He does it, because he loves her. I love her. There's no competition, there's no jealousy. The sooner you understand how things work around here, the better."

She flipped her hair and continued down the stairs. "Are you paying attention? Because I don't want to have to do this again."

"Do what again?" I asked stupidly before realizing what she was talking about. "Oh, yeah."

"Good. So this is obviously the main living area. At least for couples and single adults. Everyone has their own space. If you want to enter someone's quarters, you need to announce yourself first. If they aren't there and you don't have permission, don't enter. We do not tolerate thieves. Charlie will fuck you up. Don't give him a reason to. Come on."

I followed her through a door and a hallway and down more steps and through another door. On the other side, was the cafeteria. "You've been here before, you know what it is. Over here is where the food is served." She led me to one side of the room where people were picking up different foods. "Can you cook?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Huh. Okay, then you won't need to know the details of the kitchen, unless they want you to clean," she squinted her eyes. "No, they save that for the younger ones. Just know that it's back there." She handed me a stainless steel tray and then started picking out her food. I was surprised to see fruits were offered.

I grabbed a bread roll, an apple, and a bowl of what looked like oatmeal and followed her to a table.

"Where does the fruit come?" I asked, holding up the apple and examining it like there was something wrong with it.

"Uh, trees."

I shifted my annoyed gaze to her and she laughed. "Higher up, we have access to sunlight. We have all sorts of plant life. I'll take you up there so you can see. Don't throw your apple core out, by the way. They'll pull the seeds and compost the rest."

We finished eating and Rose showed me where to put our dishes along with the apple core.

There was a teenage boy on the other side, probably seventeen or eighteen. He leered at Rose. She ignored him.

"That little prick is Jeremy," she said as we walked away. "Watch him. He thinks it's a game to see how close he can get to Bella. Emmett busted him up last month though, so I think he's a little bit more wary now."

I look back at the kid. He's skinny, but he's still bigger than Bella. "Is he dangerous?"

"No. He's just a punk."

Rose pointed towards every single door in the room, telling me where each led. My head was already swimming and we hadn't even really started yet.

"It'll get easier," she told me. "Sometimes you gotta get lost to find your way." She made eye contact with me as she said this and something in her eyes told me she wasn't just talking about location.

We went through the club, which I expected to be empty, but it wasn't. Tables were set up all over and people sat at them working – sewing.

"They can make anything you want," Rose explained. "Every six months, you're allowed to put in a request for clothing. There's a list. You prioritize what you need from underwear and socks, to t-shirts, jeans. . ." she looked down. ". . . cargo pants. They're good. You don't get to choose the color, but it doesn't matter."

"What about shoes?"

"Um, we have cobblers, but. . . leather isn't as easy to come by these days. They do more fixing than making. Our raiders bring back what they can."

"Raiders?"

Rose shifted. "We've got groups that go out and collect what they can from abandoned homes and shops. It's a dangerous job though, and sometimes they come home empty handed. Most people spend a lot of time barefoot."

I glanced at her feet and saw that she was wearing sandals with thin soles and fabric threaded up through her toes and around her ankle.

"Treat those boots well, loverboy."

We continued on, Rose pointing out pretty much everything on our way.

We got to an area that must have been on the complete other side of the mountain, when Rose stopped.

"This is the family living unit," she said flatly.

"Are we going in?"

"Uh. . . yeah. I guess."

She opened the door into a cavernous room. It was similar to the quarters we were living in, but instead of curtains separating each unit, there were complete walls with doors. Like little apartments.

"Wow." I gaped.

"Yeah, well. If you're lucky enough to have babies, it's like winning the fucking lottery." Rose sighed. "The school's in here, too. And a daycare." She turned back towards the door and began to walk out. "Let's go. You won't ever need to be in here, so it's not that important."

I frowned at her. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, sorry. I just figured. . . as long as you're with Bella, you won't have a family, so. . . but maybe I should show you."

I pushed passed her, leaving the room. When we were both out, she shut the door and smirked. "Come on."

The next area she showed me was obviously the medical unit. It was much cleaner than anywhere else in the hive. Stainless steel tables, carts full of bandages and other medical equipment. The floor appeared as though it had been buffed. It was still rock, but it was smooth and shiny. People were everywhere. On one side, there was a guy getting his head stitched up. Next to him, a woman was vomiting. I grimaced and looked away.

"Rosalie." A guy with blond hair approached her grinning.

"Carlisle," she greeted him affectionately. "This is Edward."

"I've heard," he said, smirking at me.

"This is Alice's father."

I nodded at him. "Hello. Your daughter is something else."

Carlisle barked out a laugh. "Yes, she is. She gets it from her mother." The woman who was vomiting suddenly fell over. Carlisle looked at us apologetically before running over to help a young nurse pick the woman up.

From the other side of the room there was a loud wailing. The sound startled me and I realized I hadn't heard anything like it in well over a decade. It was a baby. I glanced over and saw a young woman rocking an infant back and forth in her arms. If I had to have guessed, the child wasn't more than a few months old. The woman looked nervous and agitated. Standing next to her, with his thumb in his mouth stood a little boy of about three.

"Holy shit," I muttered.

"Yeah. She's one of the lucky ones. A childhood friend of Bella's actually." Rose approached the woman. I couldn't hear what they said, but Rose put her hand on the infants head, staring at it longingly. She smiled at the woman and kissed her cheek. Then she bent down to the little boy and spoke to him before poking him in the stomach, making him laugh.

When she returned to me, the smile that had made her a million times more beautiful for that brief moment had slipped from her face.

I looked around. If we were in the medical unit, Bella had to have been close, right?

"She's in a special area," Rose said, reading my mind. "You can't see her right now."

"Why? What's she doing?"

"Getting tested."

I frowned. "What do you mean? Getting tested for what?"

"I told you last night that they run tests on her. Every time she bleeds, they take samples. I don't know what they're looking for, Edward. They're trying to figure out what she is. How she does what she does. She has doctors and scientists all over her for three days."

"That's fucked up," I growled. "She's not a fucking science experiment."

"No, she's not," she spit. "None of us like what she has to go through, but we can't stop it. Don't try it, loverboy, or you will find yourself having an unfortunate encounter with her father."

"I don't give a shit about him," I snarled.

Rose slapped her hand over my mouth and squeezed. I winced, because it fucking hurt. She leaned in close. "He's got eyes and ears everywhere," she whispered, articulating every word. "He will take you out if he thinks you're a threat to his operation. Think about what it will do to Bella to find your body, lifeless, drained of blood. She's lost too much already. Leave it alone."

She stepped away from me and straightened her clothes. I wanted to tell her that I could take care of myself. Maybe if I were in my world, I could, but I wasn't. I was in their world; Charlie's world.

"Come on. It's time to go up."

"Up?"

Rose pointed towards the sky. "Yep. Up."

When Rose said 'up' she wasn't kidding. We climbed nearly forty flights of stairs. I had no idea the place was that big. When we got to the top, Rose opened a door and I was blinded by sunlight. After spending days underground, it seemed unnaturallybright. I shaded my eyes and tried to follow her. It was hot and I immediately began sweating.

"Jesus," I groaned, wiping the sweat that had already formed on my forehead. Rose just laughed.

"This is the hottest part of the day, because the sun's directly overhead. She nodded in the direction the heat seemed to be coming from. From what I could see, we were standing in a sort of valley of rock. We were actually standing on grass and dirt. There were rows and rows of trees. There were a few people wearing long white linen outfits and hats picking fruit. Beside the orchards were greenhouse-like structures. A dozen, maybe more. Rose led me to one of them and we entered. These workers were barely wearing any clothes at all. Some were watering, some were planting, and others were picking berries and leaves.

"See," Rose said. "We're not all savages. We don't live in filth. We don't eat each other. Well. . . not that way, anyway." She winked and I had to smile.

"I never said you were."

"You didn't, but that's what they think." She lead me back towards the door we came through and back into the mountain. "Tell me that's not what you heard."

I shook my head. I couldn't.

"There's more to show, but I'm going to let Bella do that. Her favorite places are on that tour and I think it's only fair. Now, we need to find you a job."

"What do you do?"

"A little bit of this, a little bit of that. I do whatever Bella tells me do."

"Anything?"

"Yep."

"No questions?"

"Nope."

"Huh. Why can't I be Bella's bodyguard?"

"Because she already has two bodyguards. I'll make my recommendations, but Charlie has the final say."

"Wonderful. So I could be cleaning toilets for the rest of my life?"

Rose snickered. "That would be kinda funny. It's possible. Charlie has sick sense of humor sometimes."

"I'm glad you find my discontent amusing."

"Don't think you're special, Edward. I find everybody's discontent amusing." She grinned and continued back down to the ground floor. I followed wordlessly.

"Do you think you can find your way back to Bella's quarters?" she asked when we finally hit the bottom.

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Good." She looked past me and smirked. Emmett's heavy hand slapped down on my shoulder.

"Your lady's awaiting, man. Gimme mine." He pushed me sideways forcefully. I didn't stay to watch the mauling. I moved through the hive and up the staircase to Bella's.

I almost backed out when I got up there, thinking I had walked into the wrong quarters. She was on her stomach in bed. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was wearing a plain black shirt and pants. Her ankles were crossed, her feet bare. But then her body shifted, and her beautiful, fresh face became visible.

I took off my shoes and climbed into bed next to her.

"Hi," she whispered, her eyes fluttering open.

"Hi. Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. Was Rose good to you today?"

I shrugged. "She saw me naked."

She snorted. "Sorry, I should have warned you."

"It's fine. She's a fucking trip, though." Bella laughed. I ran my finger over the collar of her shirt. "What did they do to you?"

She smiled softly. "Nothing."

"Don't bullshit me, doll. Nothing doesn't take four fucking hours."

Bella looked away from me. "They take samples. . . from inside me. They do ultrasounds and scopes. It's not that bad."

"They do it every month?"

She nodded. "Since I was fifteen. They're no closer to finding out what I am than they were three years ago, but that doesn't stop them from trying."

"Charlie orders it?"

Bella scoffed and rolled over onto her back. "Haven't you learned anything?"

"I've learned that he treats you like a fucking animal," I spit, lifting myself up onto my arm. "He uses you."

"He doesn't."

"YES, HE DOES!" My voice was harsher than I expected, but Bella didn't flinch. She sat up and glared at me.

"What is he supposed to do?" she begged. "These are his people. They count on him for survival and procreation is part of that. I am the solution. I can help them."

"So, what are they going to do when you die?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you immortal?"

"Don't be stupid, Edward. Of course I'm not."

"Then someday. . . you're going to die. Then where will they be? All he's doing is prolonging the inevitable. For whatever reason, nature's decided that it's time for our species to die off. He can't change that. YOU can't change that."

"But I can. I have," she cried. "That's what you don't understand. There are hundreds of babies that have been born because of me; because of what I can do. That's a whole new generation."

"You're willing to give up everything that you are for this?"

"Yes!"

I frowned and shook my head. "It's not right."

Her hand reached out, cupping my jaw. "And what if it weren't me?" she asked softly. "What if Rose was the one with the ability to encourage pregnancy? What if you and I wanted a baby together and she refused to do anything about it?"

"Then I would love you and only you until the day that we died."

She lowered her head and placed her lips on mine. I reacted immediately, pushing her back so she was under me.

"I want you," I whispered against her mouth.

"I know. Two more days."

"I don't care about that you're bleeding."

"I can't, Edward."

"Why? I can feel you want me, too. You can't hide that."

"Exactly. I can't hide it. I'm not allowed. It'll mess up their tests."

"Fuck their tests." I rubbed myself against her, making her moan. Encouraged, I rocked into her again and again. Her energy surrounded us, enveloping me in an intense haze of lust. I reached down and unbuttoned my pants, freeing myself. "Control it," I ordered.

"I can't," she whimpered breathlessly.

"Yes you can. If you don't want them to know. . . control it."

"He'll know. He always knows." She started to push me back. "Edward, stop. He'll hurt you if he knows what you're doing."

I lowered my head, frustrated. I felt her fingers run through my hair and her hand rest on my head seconds before exploding into orgasm all over her. I gritted my teeth, trying to get through it, but the heat of intense anger flooded my veins, overwhelming me. I ripped myself away from her and flew across the room. "Don't ever fucking do that again!"

She sat up, her eyes losing any of the life that had just been there.

"I told you last night, that's not what I'm looking for. You are not a means to an end for me. If you can't accept that, then maybe I should walk away now."

"Maybe you should," she said softly, refusing to look at me.

My chest ached. I hadn't expected that.

I tucked myself back into my pants and stormed out of the room, fighting the urge to turn back around and shake the shit out of her. I stepped down onto the ground below Bella's quarters and turned, hitting a brick wall in the form of Emmett.

"Whoa, whoa. Where you off to, brother?"

"Where's your wife?"

He gaped at me. "Wanna try that again?"

"You're wife? I need a place to sleep."

"I'm not sure what you've been hearing there, brother, but you ain't sleeping with my wife."

I had a feeling if Emmett actually thought I intended to fuck his wife, I probably would've had a busted up face already. When he realized I wasn't in a joking mood, he jerked his head towards the stairs.

"She's in our quarters."

I took off as fast as I could. I had to get away.

"Announce yourself!" he shouted after me. I waved him off and continued on.

When I got to the level where Emmett and Rose's quarters were, I could see her inside through a crack in the curtain. She was making their bed.

"Rose," I called.

The curtain pulled back and she stared at me with a hand on her hip. "Piss her off already?"

"She pissed me off. I need my own quarters."

She scoffed lightly. "You're an idiot. Come on." I followed her down another flight of stairs and along the walkway. "Here."

It was small, but I didn't care. It had a bed, a small bathroom, and a place to put my clothes. . . . Motherfucker. I'd left everything I owned at Bella's.

"I'll tell Emmett to bring your things," Rose said with that creepy mind reading shit she seemed to be able to do.

"When do I get a job?"

"I told Charlie I thought you'd do well in either the medical unit or in security. As soon as he makes the call, I'll let you know."

"And what do I do until then?"

Rose shrugged. "Stay out of trouble. You've just put a target on your back."

She left me standing there, alone in my new quarters. I made the bed with the sheets that were stacked on top of the mattress, neither of which was as soft as Bella's. That irritated me to no end. I'd rarely slept in nice places before, but in a matter of days, I'd become spoiled.

I stayed in the room, lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling for hours. I heard people coming and going. At one point there was a loud whistle that echoed off the walls. Then there were more voices. Eventually, I got too fucking hungry to stay there anymore. I headed down to the cafeteria. I kept my head up, but only because I needed to see if Rose's warning was accurate. It was. I got jacked three times in the shoulder just on my way.

Standing in line to get food, you'd think I was invisible. People kept stepping in front of me. I was about to deck some shirtless dude with a sun tattoo covering his entire back when I caught the eye of Alice. She tilted her head, staring at me for a minute before turning away.

I got my dinner and found a seat in the corner of the room, away from all the people socializing. I was just about to shove a spoonful of some bean concoction into my mouth when I felt someone standing next to the table. I sighed and looked up.

"Hey," Alice greeted, her voice devoid of any emotion.

"Hey."

She sat down across from me and started eating.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Uh. . . what's it look like. I'm hungry."

"You're not gonna. . . like shoot me when I'm not looking, are you?"

Alice laughed. "No. And neither is anyone else. Relax and eat."

"Does everybody know?" I asked. She looked me seriously.

"Word travels fast . . . . and you have a big mouth."

"I didn't say anything!" I protested.

"You told Rose, very loudly I might add, that Bella pissed you off and you needed your own quarters." I opened my mouth and shut it again. "There are eyes and ears everywhere in this place Edward. I'm surprised no one's told you that."

I returned my focus to my dinner, dipping my bread and taking a huge bite.

I heard Alice sigh. "No one's ever walked away from her. You can't begrudge them a little animosity. We're all extremely devoted to her."

"So why are you sitting here then? Why aren't you trying to take a shot at me?"

"She's my sister, Edward. I love her. I'll always be on her side, but I know how she feels about you. I'm here to protect you. For her."

"I don't need protection," I snorted.

Alice just hummed and continued eating. When I finished and got up, she got up. She followed me back to my quarters wordlessly. I was about to tell her to back off, but I turned around and she was gone.

After entering my quarters, I saw that Emmett had brought my things down. I didn't bother with them, though. I stripped down and flopped down into bed.

Despite my best efforts, I didn't sleep well. About once an hour I wondered what the fuck I'd done leaving her. Listening to the sounds of lovers all around me was excruciating. It wasn't just the grunts and moans either. It was the whimpers, the laughs, the murmurs between them. I felt like a pussy for wanting her with me, for feeling guilty about getting mad, but I wasn't one to go crawling back. Not yet anyway.

For two days, I laid low, waiting for. . . something. I wandered the hive, figuring out as much of the geography as I could. There were still areas I didn't dare go into. I was a little worried I would get lost and never find my way back out again.

I knew I was being watched. When it wasn't Alice, it was Jasper or Rose. None of them really talked to me, other than to say hello, but they were always close by. I decided not to fight it. I only saw Emmett once. He came up behind Rose in the cafeteria and whispered in her ear. They both glanced at me and away again.

I never saw Bella.

Finally, I got fed up. I hadn't heard from anyone about what I was supposed to be doing. I felt useless and was extremely agitated. I found myself pushing back when people got in my way. I almost started a fight with some fucker who grabbed the last piece of bread at lunch, but Jasper stepped in between us and leveled me with a stony glare. I wasn't messin' with him. I'd seen what he could do.

"What are you doing?" Rose asked when she passed by my quarters and found me packing up my shit. Not that I had that much, but I had taken everything out of my duffle.

"I'm leaving," I answered flatly.

She laughed. "And where do you think you're going to go?"

"Anywhere. I don't belong here."

"If you don't belong here, honey, there's no place for you."

"At least out there I had a purpose," I snapped. "I wasn't just fucking. . . . wasting my time."

"You have a purpose, Edward. We just don't know what it is yet."

"Well, I'm done waiting. I'm heading out first thing in the morning."

"Okay," she shrugged, her expression hardening. "One less thing for me to do. Just remember, once you leave, you can't come back." She turned her back on me. "Good luck with that purpose thing."

"Fuck you, too," I muttered under my breath.

I didn't bother with dinner that night. Instead, I pulled my pillow over my head and attempted to figure out where I was going to go. The few surviving members of my family didn't want anything to do with me, and I didn't know where they were anyway. I'd barely escaped my job with my life. If I tried to go back, they'd probably kill me on the spot. And. . . there was the lingering pain of not ever seeing my doll again. I tried to push it back, ignore it, but I couldn't. In those few, short days, she had become a part of me. A part of me I wasn't sure I was willing to give up just yet.

I wondered if my feelings were just a part of whatever it was she did to people. I'd never, ever felt so intensely towards anyone like that. Again I considered crawling back to her. I fell asleep with the image of me on my knees, begging her to forgive me, and being humiliated by rejection.

~xxx~

I woke with a start at some point in the night. It was pitch black and deadly silent. After lighting a candle on the side table, I looked up through exhausted eyes and thought I must be dreaming. My doll stood at the base of my bed in a white nightdress. She wasn't wearing any make-up and her hair was hanging down over her shoulders.

I sat up and just stared at her.

"You're leaving me?" she asked in a soft voice. "Would you have even said goodbye?"

She looked ethereal in the flickering candlelight and I still wasn't sure she was actually there.

"I didn't think you'd care."

She lowered her eyes and flicked viperbites with her tongue. "Of course I care."

"You told me to go."

She started to crawl across the bed until she was directly in front of me, her knees on either side of my thighs. Her hand touched my chest while her eyes scanned my face. My dick hardened inevitably.

"If I hadn't stopped you when I did, I wouldn't have been able to tell you no. I'm weak when it comes to you. I didn't mean to push you away. I was afraid you'd get into trouble. I don't want you to go, Edward. I want you with me."

I just stared at her.

"Please stay."

"I don't want you manipulating me anymore," I warned. "That was fucked up."

"I thought I was helping."

"You wanted me to stop, I stopped. You forced me into that. You made me feel like a means to an end."

Pain flashed in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I. . . didn't realize." She looked away.

"I've been lied to too much," I said quietly. "I love being with you, but I want to know that when we're together, it's real."

Her fingers trailed over my stomach and then lower. "It's always been real."

I took a deep breath as she palmed my erection through my pants.

"Never doubt that, Edward. I can't promise that I'll be able to hold it back," she said, stroking me a little more aggressively. "I won't do it on purpose, though. Not like that."

"That's all I ask," I assured. "I don't. . . want to be a puppet."

Bella frowned. "That's not what you are. I'm sorry I made you feel that way." She stopped what she was doing. "Do you want me to go?"

I shook my head, running my own hands underneath her nightgown and up her thighs. "No."

She smiled, placing her fingertips on the waistband of my sleep pants. Her eyes flickered up to mine. "Can I?"

I nodded and watched her drag them down my legs. She took my erection in her hand and squeezed firmly. I moaned and pushed my hips upwards over and over again until her hand was coated in slippery pre-cum.

Reaching for the ties that held the front of her dress together, I pulled them loose one by one. It slowly fell open, revealing her breasts.

"Fuck you're beautiful," I groaned.

"I missed you," she whispered.

She lifted herself up and then slid down onto me, letting my cock fill her. "I missed you too," I rasped.

I let my mouth explore her collarbone, dipping to swirl my tongue around one of her nipples and then the other. She let out a whimpered-cry and began rocking her pelvis against mine.

The haze swept around us and began building.

"Please try," I begged.

She nodded and continued moving. Her whole body writhed on top of me. I leaned back and braced myself on the palms of my hands. If I needed to let go of control for her to concentrate, I would.

After about ten minutes, I started to feel her shake. "I. . . I can't. . . I can't hold it back," she stuttered.

"It's okay, doll," I grunted. "You want me to. . ." She started nodding frantically. I ripped her gown up over her head and flipped her over, moving fast. She let it go and we were both catapulted into orgasm. The combination of pleasure and pain nearly caused me to bite through my tongue.

"Ahhhhh," I groaned.

"Are you okay?" Bella asked, her eyes wide.

I couldn't answer her at first. I had to wait for the needle feeling all over my body to die down.

"I'm fantastic," I eventually got out.

"Was it bad? You looked like it was hurting."

I laughed. "Oh, God, no. It wasn't bad. It was just. . . fuck." Still hovering over her, I pushed her hair from her face. "I was a fool to think I could have let you go. I'm too fucking addicted to you." I shifted my weight a little. Of course I was still hard. I smirked. "Wanna do it again?"

Bella giggled and wrapped her legs around me.

We had sex three more times before she completely wore me out. I was pretty sure Bella could have kept going, but she let me rest. I started laughing when I heard a humming sound from all around us. The place really was a fucking hive.

"Edward?" Bella whispered, her arm tightening around my waist.

"Hmmm?"

"Tomorrow, can we go back up to my place? This bed's really uncomfortable."

~xxx~

We were woken up the next morning by an extremely unpleasant noise. I cracked open my eyes and saw Rose standing in the doorway. I groaned.

"What is it?" Bella sighed, not bothering to cover herself as she sat up.

The wary look on Rose's face made me nervous.

"He's to be a raider."

"What?" I asked, confused.

Bella shook her head. "No."

Rose nodded. "Charlie just sent Alice with word. The team returned a few hours ago. Alastair and Johnny were both taken out last night. They need replacements."

"What are you talking about? My job?"

They both ignored me. Bella jumped out of bed and threw on her nightgown, heading for the door.

"Bella, you're not going to change his mind," Rose said, stopping her. My doll's head snapped up, a fury in her eyes I hadn't seen before.

"Watch me."