Warning: This story deals with domestic violence and the struggles to recover. If you have problems with this issue please don't read this.

Disclaimer: Ms Meyers owns Twilight and all its characters.

Big thanks to my Beta's Taloolah, dizzygirl28 and Beate73. You girls are awesome; I appreciate all the work you do for me, helping me make my stuff presentable. Love you guys.

Thanks to my prereader VanPireNZ it's good to have you back bb I've missed you so damn much. Love ya.

Okay on with the story.

Meeting the Ex

Jake's POV

Waking up, I still felt weightless and utterly content after what Edward and I had done the night before. It reminded me of one of the many fantasies I'd had, and I couldn't contain the smile on my face as he slept next to me, curled tightly into my side.

The smile slipped as I recalled the moment he collapsed at Alice and Jasper's place.

My heart was in my throat as I saw Edward drop; I was quick enough to catch him, but only just. Carlisle checked him out thoroughly and let us know it was just another panic attack and he would be fine, and with Carlisle there to take care of him, there would be no need to take him into the hospital.

We all gathered around Edward as he tossed and turned and screamed out. He sounded terrified and I couldn't break through to him. I felt my eyes well up as I gripped his hand tighter when he screamed out mine and Jasper's names. He was panicked and sweating, his arms and legs were thrashing around as he tried to get away from what I could only imagine to be Sam.

When he spilled the beans about what Esme had done, the others in the room went suddenly silent. All movement ceased and the only sound - besides Edward - was a small gasp coming from behind me.

"Mom, what did you do?" Alice's small voice cut through the room. I spun around to look at Esme. Her face was drained of color and she collapsed onto the chair, a small sob escaping her.

"I..." She looked down at her hands and drew in a deep breath. I moved to her side and took her hand in mine, hoping she could use my strength as her own. She looked up at me with a grateful smile and then continued on.

She told them the whole story, from talking to Sam, to injecting his IV, to me catching her. She explained how we told Edward, and his reaction. All of it came tumbling out as everyone sat around her in stoned silence. Jasper - while watching and listening to Esme's explanation - kept close to Edward, holding his hand the whole time.

"I'm so sorry you had to find out like this. I was going to tell you all because of how it was affecting Edward, but he fainted, and..." Esme stopped talking as Alice ran up and threw her arms around her mother.

"I'm glad you did it, Mom. I was so terrified he would come back for me and for Edward. I was having horrible nightmares about him." Jasper gasped and moved to Alice's side as I made my way back to my Edward.

"Why didn't you ever tell me, Alice?" Jasper asked and kissed her head.

"You were under enough strain, sweetheart, and I didn't want to add more. God knows what it must have been like for you to see me laying broken on the ground that day. I know if it was reversed, I wouldn't have been able to cope," Alice said, sobbing softly.

"What do we do now?" Carlisle spoke up for the first time as he unfroze and made his way over to his wife. "I won't let her go to jail for this. I won't lose my wife." He wrapped his arms around Esme and clung to her like it was the last time he would ever see her.

"I'm so sorry, Carlisle," she whispered as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Shh, it's okay, love." My heart clenched at the term of endearment Edward used on me often. "We will get through this together. I only wish I had the courage to do what you did. To protect our family." He settled his nose into her hair and inhaled, taking comfort from her scent. It was the most intimate display I had ever seen from the Cullens before.

"Tell me exactly what you saw, Jake?" Jasper asked with a raised eyebrow. I knew what he meant. I knew what he wanted to hear and that was exactly what I was going to give him.

"Nothing. I was walking down the hall and ran into Esme. She looked a bit shaken, so I took her into a room and we sat down to chat. She was worried about Alice and Edward as any mother would be. Next thing I knew, there was a call for a Code Blue. We didn't think anything of it and continued to talk about Alice's recovery and how Edward was coping with all that had happened. It wasn't until later that we found out Sam was dead. It was a heart attack, probably due to all his prior drug and alcohol abuse." I finished up, looking at everyone in the room with a straight face.

Esme looked at me and shook her head until I winked at her. She exhaled quickly and was about to say something when Jasper cut in.

"Sounds like Edward is just having a nightmare; his mind is probably just making things up to help him cope with Sam's death. What was heard in this room stays in this room, are we clear?" Jasper asked, though his tone held authority.

"Agreed," Carlisle said as he pulled Esme tighter to him.

"What about Edward?" Esme said, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Now that we know what's going on, it will be easier to get through this together," Jasper said before mumbling about how this explained everything about Edward's behavior.

I was brought out of my musings by Edward rolling on to his back and murmuring in his sleep. God he was beautiful, and the funniest part was that he didn't even have any clue how truly attractive he was.

Our night together flashed through my mind again, and I realized that I never did get to taste him. I really wanted to wake him up by giving him a blow job, but this was Edward and I was sure that he would freak out if I did that.

He mumbled some more before rolling back into my side, and I felt his lips kiss my chest as he threw his leg over mine.

"Morning, baby," I said as I pulled him closer.

"Morning, love." His voice was thick with sleep, but I felt the smile form on his lips against my chest. He buried his face deeper into my skin and inhaled before sighing softly. Edward was slightly obsessed with my chest. He would constantly bury his face there or run his hands up and down it. For some reason it gave him great comfort, though I wasn't completely sure why.

I felt his morning wood press into my hip and chuckled, pulling his head up to capture his lips with my own. "I remember something about me wanting to taste you last night, but I got distracted. How about we pick up where we left off?" I asked, the arousal thick in my tone even to my own ears.

Edward simultaneously groaned and thrust his hips into my side, causing a moan to leave his beautiful plump lips. I smiled and gently rolled him on to his back.

Kissing him passionately before moving my way down his neck, chest and abs, until I reached the Promised Land. I looked up at him through my lashes and licked my lips before poking out my tongue and running it from base to tip.

His hands flew down and laced themselves into my hair, tugging slightly as I encased him in my mouth, running my tongue over the ridges before taking him deep into my throat. His hips bucked up as his grip tightened even more, causing me to moan and thrust into the mattress beneath me.

I raised my hand to Edward's mouth and released him from my own for a second to tell him to lick my hand. He coated my hand in his saliva as I sucked him back into the depths of my throat, swallowing around him.

He moaned out a "fuck" and held my head in place as he thrust in and out of my mouth. I wrapped my now wet hand around myself and stroked in time with Edward's thrusts as he fucked my face. His soft, satin skin felt glorious in my mouth and I moaned around him.

"Oh God, Jake, shit, I'm gonna...fuck...come." He managed to get out in between pants and grunts. I was so close too, but I wanted him to come first. Unfortunately for me, the sound of his voice as his thrusts became erratic was enough to do me in, and I coated my hand and bedding.

Edward followed closely behind me, and it was rather difficult riding through my own orgasm and swallowing down all he gave me at the same time, but I somehow managed. It was his voice, his throaty moans that made it possible.

"What a wake-up call. I could get use to that." Edward's voice was thick and his eyes shone as he rose up on to his elbows to look down at me.

I was busy cleaning myself up and didn't noticed until his gasp brought my eyes up to meet his. "You...you were...while you were...God, that's hot." He said as he continued to look at me, his eyes darkening with every minute that passed. I chuckled and licked my lips, peeking up at him through my lashes with what I could feel was a slight blush taking its place on my face.

The things this boy did to me, and it was all totally innocent on his part. He wasn't used to a thoughtful lover, or someone who got so turned on pleasing him that they had to take matters into their own hands. And it was that innocence that made me fall in love with him, made me want to please him, and one day I would make him see it, too.

He was beyond desirable, and he would know what it was like to be worshiped in every way. I decided the best way to start that was to shower him and then make him a big breakfast.

"Jake?" His voice cut through my musings as I realized I was just staring at him the whole time I was lost in thought.

"Yes, baby?" I replied, moving myself to lie next to him and wrap him in my arms. As usual his head buried itself into my chest and he sighed softly.

"I was wondering if we could go get my tattoo done today?" He sounded hopeful, but I could hear the hidden fear in his voice. "A friend of mine works at a place downtown. He was actually one of the first guys I ever went on a date with. He was so kind to me." I had to hold down the bubbling jealously that was threatening to rise in me at the thought of him dating other people.

"Are you sure you are ready for that?" I asked, concern lacing my voice. I really didn't want him to move too fast.

"After everything I've been through - we've been through - it's time. I'm sick of living with this constant reminder. I want to put everything behind us and move forward. I want to do this for me and for us." I smiled widely at him. Every day, he astounded me more with his strength.

"Sure, baby, if that's what you want. It would be a good idea to go to someone you trust, at least a little."

"I'm not sure if trust is the right word, but I think he would be my best bet. Besides, having you with me will make things so much easier. It's you I trust, Jake." He placed a kiss on my chest and snuggled back into me. My smile was a mile wide at his declaration. He trusted me! I knew he did, and he told me on a few occasions, but to see him put it into practice for something this big, was just awesome.

"How about I get you showered and make you some breakfast? You can call and see if you can get an appointment while I'm cooking. How does that sound?"

"Sounds perfect, love," he said offering me his hand as I pulled myself up, grabbing him and taking him with me.

In the shower I took my time washing his hair and body, showing him my love through touch. He would let out contented sighs every once in a while, and then, to my surprise, he returned the favor. Once we were done I pulled him in to a loving kiss and whispered thank you to him before I turned the water off and we both got out, dried and dressed.

I heard him mumbling softly into the phone, catching snippets of his conversation, hearing words like wolf and cover up before he hung up and made his way back to the kitchen. I was just dishing up the French toast and the bowl of fruit salad I had made as he took his seat at the bench.

"My appointment is at eleven." I looked at the clock to see it was ten and we had to get eating so we could get a move on.

"Where is this place?" I asked trying to calculate how much time we had.

"It's just a few blocks from the clinic. It will only take us fifteen minutes to drive there," he replied before popping a piece of watermelon into him mouth. The juice slid down his jaw, and I couldn't help myself - I leaned over and licked it off. He moaned softly and turned to smile at me, his eyes dancing with amusement and love.

We finished up quickly and washed up, making it out the door at ten-thirty, giving us plenty of time to get there and have a look around at the pictures. Following Edward's directions, I pulled up in front of Inkspirations and was slightly stunned. My ex-boyfriend, Seth, worked here. The look must have shown on my face 'cause Edward turned to me with his eyebrow raised.

"What's wrong, Jake?"

"Nothing, it's just...remember when I was telling you about my ex-boyfriend and how we parted sort of friends?" I asked and when Edward nodded, I continued. "Well, he works here," I ended, watching Edward to gauge his reaction. His brows furrowed in thought before he frowned.

"You're J? Seth's ex-boyfriend?" It was my turn to be completely stunned. I had never mentioned Seth's name to Edward because he had fallen asleep.

"Yes. How do you know Seth?" Seth had been the only person to call me J. It never bothered me, and I found it even more adorable when he admitted one night that the nickname started because he was way too tired after we made love to form the full word. I had chuckled at that.

"Seth was the guy I was telling you about that I had a date with and we decided to just be friends. He was about the only one I still keep in touch with. He was easy to talk to. He used to talk about you a lot. I always wondered why you two broke up. He just said that you drifted apart, realizing that you both were better off as friends because you wanted different things." I sighed softly as I remembered.

"Yeah, that's about the long and short of it - he was a wild child and I was a home body. I was looking to settle down, maybe get married one day and start a family, but he wasn't, so we figured out that we would be better off just parting ways and staying friends. We don't talk often, the occasional email or quick phone call, but I haven't spoken to him in a while," I said shaking my head as I remembered our break-up conversation. It hurt, but not as much as I expected it to. And looking back from where I was now, I was grateful for it, because after laying eyes on Edward for the first time, I knew we would have ended anyway.

"Oh,"was all Edward said before turning to face the front. Then he added, "Do you still have feelings for him?" That one kind of threw me for a loop. Was Edward actually jealous? I placed my hand under his chin and turned him to face me. His eyes were slightly misted over and he wouldn't look me in the eye.

"Edward?" I said, and wouldn't continue till he looked at me. After a minute, he finally looked me in the eye and I continued. "I care about Seth, but only in a friendship kind of way. I didn't know what real love was until I met you. It's only ever been you, Edward, and it will only ever be you. No one could take your place in my heart." He let out a breath and threw his arms around me, hugging me close.

"Thank God. I don't... I can't...I need you, Jake. I love you so much." I kissed his neck and chuckled slightly.

"That's a good thing then, because I need you too, and I love you so much more than I could ever express." He pulled back and smiled at me, placing a chaste kiss on my lips before adding more pressure and deepening it. I threw all my love for him in that kiss and moaned as his tongue found mine.

It was beautiful and reassuring; it was passion and love. It was amazing and I whimpered slightly when he pulled away. It was his turn to chuckle as he placed another quick kiss to my lips.

"Do you still want to do this now, knowing this new bit of information?" I asked, concerned.

"Yes." He nodded his head as he said the word and then added, "I can face anything with you by my side, Jake." I smiled and hugged him one more time before getting out of the car and walking around to open his door. Taking his hand in mine, I closed the door and pushed the button to lock the car, and then I walked us to the front door. I took a deep breath to steady myself and then opened it, holding it for Edward to go through, and I followed behind him.

"Be right with you." I recognized the voice immediately as Seth's.

Edward pulled something out of his pocket and opened it up, smoothing out the paper. I peeked over his shoulder and saw the detailed drawing of a wolf sitting on his hind quarters, howling at a full moon. It was beautiful, and I knew, without a doubt, that it would look stunning against his alabaster skin. I was a little stunned that he had a picture all ready to go and hadn't told me, but I figured he wanted it to be a surprise.

Edward recaptured my hand in his before walking us up to the front desk just as Seth came around the corner to face us. He looked from Edward to me with his mouth hanging slightly open, his face clearly showing his surprise.

I placed a kiss on Edward's cheek, squeezed his hand tightly, and turned my attention back to him.

"Hey, Seth."

A/N I wanted to say a huge thank you to all my reviewers, 600+ reviews. You guys are awesome, so of the reviews I have been getting have left me gobsmacked. You all are so kind and sweet. Thank you all so very very much. I would also like to thank the ppl who have alerted my fic and the ones who are just reading it. Thank you all, it means so much to me.

OKay thats all for now lol as you were.