A/N: I have a statistics test today. WISH ME LUCK. Onward.

"You look disgruntled, good buddy."

Bella's voice drew Edward out of his moody thoughts. She was right; he was irritated, but when he saw her, he smiled. She was sitting on the stoop of his trailer, sipping a covered cup of coffee.

"Good friend," he said. "You know, next time you take off for two days, you should really warn me."

"Aww." She waggled her eyebrows at him. "Did someone miss me?"

He'd reached the trailer by then and stood in front of her so she was looking up at him. Rather than answer from that respectful distance, he braced his arm on the railing and leaned in close. "I always miss you," he said, his voice soft enough that she stretched up closer to hear him. It brought their faces close together. Too close. She tilted her head up and froze. His eyes darted to her lips.

It would take nothing to close the distance between them, and it would be sweet relief to kiss her. She knew it, too. He heard her quick intake of breath, and when he raised his eyes back to hers, he could see she looked as dazed as he felt. "Of course I missed you," he said, his voice gravelly.

He reached out, snatched the cup of coffee out of her hands, and took a huge step backward. "No one else brings me coffee," he said, keeping his voice serene, pretending that his head wasn't spinning.

She started, and the shocked expression on her face made him laugh. She narrowed her eyes. "Hey," she protested several beats too late. She stood and darted at him, her hand out to retrieve her coffee. "That's mine."

He danced out of reach. "No takie backsies. It's not my fault if you give your coffee away before you're done with it."

"You're so full of shit, Cullen." She made another grab which he dodged neatly. "There are like twenty people on this set who would get you coffee, including your personal assistant. That's his primary job function. And even if you couldn't find a single one of those twenty people, you could do what all we unimportant people do. Walk your happy ass over to craft service and get whatever you want to drink. That's where I got my drink." She made a final lurch for her coffee which he again dodged.

"Well, don't be lazy, bucko. If you want coffee, stop bitching at me and start walking. Craft service isn't that far." He leaned against his trailer and took a patronizing sip of her coffee.

And spit out again. "Ugh," he said, coughing because some of it had gone down the wrong tube. "That's not coffee."

Bella smirked. "This is the second time you've tried to spit up all over me. It's a nasty habit, Cullen. Very unattractive. They have a special section in one of the tabloids of celebs with disgusting habits. You can go up with the picture of Jennifer Lawrence picking her nose."

He thrust her cup back at her, wanting the horrible stuff away from him. "That's fucking foul. What the hell was that?"

"Ah, who the hell knows," she said with a shrug, sniffing it. "It's green. I got it in a coffee cup so I wouldn't have to look at it. It's some cleansing, weight loss promoting smoothie with a bunch of nasty ingredients. The others were raving about it, and I got curious. A couple of weeks of this stuff encourages natural fat burning or something."

"Inducing vomiting is not a healthy way to lose weight." He took her arm and guided her into a turn.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Trying to find this weight you're trying to get rid of."

She scoffed. "You're just trying to stare at my ass again."

"Quiet, you. I'm almost done with my examination." He led her back to face him and shook his head. "Nope. About the only excess fatty storage I can find is at the breast and butt level. I'm going to have to say, in my professional opinion, weight loss from those areas isn't advised."

Bella rolled her eyes. "You're shameless, stud. Such a damn pervert."

"In all seriousness, you shouldn't be endangering your health drinking crap like that. I'm really concerned for you. As a friend."

"Eh." She shrugged. "I was curious, that's all. I'm telling you it's spreading like wildfire through the crew. I wouldn't want to be left out."

"Don't be a follower, Swan." He bumped her under her chin. "Or at least hold out for something that tastes and/or feels good."

He craned his neck, looking around. As she'd pointed out, there were plenty of people milling around he could send on an errand, including his personal assistant. He beckoned the man over. "Hey, man. My demanding friend here is interested in getting in on local crazes. How about you scare us up a couple of pumpkin spice lattes? Not the generic kind. I'm talking Starbucks here. We want the full experience."

"Should I pick up some Uggs then?" the man asked.

Edward scoffed. "Just the lattes for now. We're not that cool."

Bella shook her head, following him inside the trailer. He stopped her at the door, his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Stalky McStalkersons. Did I say you could come in?"

She fixed him with a cool expression. "No, but you did order me a latte."

"Oh. Damn." He sighed dramatically and stepped aside, holding the door open for her. "There I go again, shooting myself in the foot, subjecting myself to your company."

"You do suffer, don't you?"

"Frequently." Edward sat down in his recliner and slumped down, rubbing his eyes. "Actually, Bella, I don't know if I'm going to be good company today. These jackasses changed the script again, and I have ten new pages to memorize. Well, they're not a hundred percent new, which is almost worse. They're so similar to the original script it's going to throw me, and we shoot this scene tomorrow evening. That's why I'm here today even though they're shooting the leading man and his posse. Gianna and I had to go over the new choreography."

"Walking and talking. That might take more talent than you possess, hoss." Bella was wandering aimlessly around his trailer as he spoke.

Edward scoffed. "Funny. Except it's not walking. It's menacing."

"Menacing?"

He raised his head. "You know. Threatening dialogue and action. I'm not the superhero. I'm the bad guy, remember?"

"Good luck pulling that off, you marshmallow."

"Hey, I'm menacing. I menaced you the day we met. I'm a cruel bastard who throws young women down stairs, among other things. Are you saying you don't find me threatening at all?"

She grinned at him. "Not even a little bit, but I might be biased. No one could be scared of you if they've seen your dance moves." She pretended to flail, her grin turning wicked.

Edward held her gaze, the wheels turning in his head. He breathed in through his nose, and when he breathed out again, he let the persona he'd been immersed in these last few weeks come to the surface. His character was a sadistic, evil prick. There was ice and malice in his gaze, and he could see the moment Bella saw the monster staring her down. Her body went rigid, frozen like a deer in headlights.

His eyes hard on hers, he rose slowly from his chair. "Well, well, well," he said, the beginning of the monologue he'd been practicing all morning. "Here you are, and without your powers too. Just a silly little girl messing with things you can't possibly comprehend."

He took measured steps toward her, and saw the conflict in her eyes. Like she wanted to be amused. Like she wanted to brush him off, but he unnerved her. As he approached, she stepped backward, away from him, but he reached out, quick as lightning. He took her by the wrist and spun her, his arm thrown around her chest as he brought her back against him.

"Tell me something, little girl." He used his head to force hers to the side, his lips against her ear as he spoke. Her body jolted, but his hold was tight, pinning her fighting arm to her side. "I'm the maniac, right?" He gritted his teeth. "So why do you insist on pissing me off?"

Bella, of course, didn't know the dialogue. She didn't fill the small space he left, hearing Gianna's voice in his head. When he loosened his hold, she took the same steps Gianna would have, twisting to the side to evade him. He caught her with ease.

"Just where do you think you're going, little girl?" He spun Bella, and pushed her up against the wall. His body swallowed the space between them, coming up hard against hers. He threw his arm across her chest, elbow coming up under her neck forcing her head back. Her eyes were wide and riveted when they met his. With his free hand, he took her chin in a rough grasp. He could feel the vibration of the noise she made at the back of her throat. "Seven months you've been a pain in my ass, and now you just want to run out on me. I think not."

He leaned in, nose to nose with her. "I have you now. And you're going to pay."

That should have been the end of the game. Edward knew without a doubt he'd gotten carried away, swept up in the dialogue and the character. He should have stepped back immediately, smirked, and gloated. Not menacing-his ass. He could see the fright in her eyes, the vulnerability.

He should have stepped away, but the power of the moment had him. The air was charged, heavy, and every line of her body was lined up against his. He knew he hadn't hurt her, would never hurt her, and though there was fear in her eyes, there was also excitement. It was the same excitement that gripped him, making it impossible to stp back, away from her. He couldn't let her go.

He wanted to possess her. Not like his character would. Not to own her or conquer her. He wanted to be part of her. He wanted her so much he couldn't breathe or think.

Silence stretched on, and when his lungs burned, he tried to get ahold of himself. He pushed back just enough, not ready to let her go yet, but preparing to. "Bella," he said, his voice raw. "I don't know what-"

She didn't let him finish. Her hands tangled in his hair, pulling him down toward her. She was as rough with him as he'd been with her just a moment before. She kissed him. She kissed him hard, letting out a desperate groan as she did. His mouth responded before his brain could catch up. He kissed her back, lips moving with hers. She pressed him forward and he pressed her back, devouring.

Oh, this was definitely not the way the script went.

Bella shoved, and Edward stumbled backward. Now, she was the one in total control. Her fingers tangled in his shirt, her grip tight. She walked forward, forcing him to step backward. It was disconcerting, but he didn't care. He couldn't care about anything except the way her lips felt against his.

Edward felt the backs of his legs hit something solid-the couch-and he sat heavily. She was on him in an instant, straddling his lap, continuing her attack on his mouth. His hands came up and hovered, unsure of their role. Without breaking their kiss, she took his right hand and guided it to her breast.

That was all he needed to know. He let his other hand come around her waist, holding her. This was everything he'd wanted since he first laid eyes on her, and she was perfect in his arms. His every sense was inundated. The feel of her, the taste of her tongue, the scent of her skin. Everything he knew was her.

The door of his trailer opened. "Hey, boss. I got your- Ahh!"

They all gasped-Edward, Bella, and his hapless assistant. There was a crash and splash as pumpkin spice latte tumbled to the floor. Bella's body jolted, and Edward instinctively tightened his arms around her.

"Shit. Fuck," said the assistant. "I'm sorry. I- I'll- I'll get you another," he said, and he was out the door in the next heartbeat, leaving them in an unnatural silence.

After the longest three seconds of Edward's life, Bella sighed. To his surprise, rather than get off him, she leaned forward, her forehead against his. "Well, hell."

Tentatively, he let his hand rest on the bare skin of her lower back, under her shirt. "Um. Yeah," he said helpfully.

She raised her head and fixed him with a mock-stern glare. "I told you you weren't menacing. I was supposed to feel threatened; not turned on."

For a second, Edward stared at her. His lips quirked up and down, up and down, because he had no idea how to read this situation or this crazy woman. In the end, he giggled. He straight out giggled, and then he groaned because the way she was wiggling on his lap wasn't doing him any favors.

She cleared her throat and slid backward, off his lap and onto her feet. "This place smells like pumpkin now," she said, turning and heading into his bathroom. She came out a moment later with a handful of paper towels.

Edward swallowed hard, trying to drag his cloudy mind back to the present. "You don't have to do that," he said, going to join her as she knelt by the mess.

She glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. "No, I suppose I don't. But I'm doing it anyway."

He huffed, helping her mop up the mess. The air between them had changed again. It was electrified and superheated, and damn if he could think about anything else but taking her in his arms again. He was afraid to look at her, because if he did, his will would snap.

A rap on the door right by their heads made them both jump a mile high. "Hey, Edward. Are you in there? You want to run lines?"

Edward closed his eyes briefly and got to his feet. He looked to Bella apologetically. She gave him a small, almost bashful smile and shrugged. He opened the door.

"Oh, hey, Bella," Gianna said, her eyes darting between them. Edward wondered what they looked like. Bella's cheeks were a hectic kind of red, her eyes bright, and her hair disheveled. He didn't imagine he looked much better. "I could come back."

"Naw. No," Bella said, looking around as though she'd forgotten something. "I was just hanging out. I'll let you two get to work."

"Are you sure?" Gianna asked. She looked amused.

"Yeah. Edward was just telling me you got new pages."

Gianna huffed. "Oh, I know, right? Contrary to popular, or at least this asshole director's belief, I'm not a robot. Could we not have the weekend to memorize this crap?"

"I heard he's a bit difficult like that," Bella said, giving her a sympathetic smile. "I'll get out of your way so you can work."

"You really don't have to go," Gianna said. "You could help us, if you want."

"Nah. Not my area, you know? I'll stick to the hijinks. You get all the paperwork." She winked.

"Okay. Party is still on for this weekend, right?"

"As far as I know. It's Alice's shindig, not mine, but yeah."

"I need a good drink."

"That much I can promise you," Bella said with a grin. "Anyway. Good luck." She looked to Edward, and he could swear her cheeks flushed. "I'll see you around."

Then she was gone, leaving Edward distracted and confused. Gianna cackled. "What?" he said.

She gave him an innocent look. "I said nothing." She furrowed her eyebrows. "Why the hell does it smell like pumpkins and coffee in here?"

A/N: One day, I'll be able to understand passive voice. Today is not that day. Poor Femme Malheurese. Many thanks to her and songster for hammering my sentences into shape. Packy, MoH, and barburella for catching the rest and for general, hilarious commentary. I love these girls so much.

Okay. I have one more hour of work before I head off to take this test. How are you guys doing?