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

You Said Yes

Jake's POV

Seth made calls to his clients and locked up the shop. Lucky for us he was the only one working today, though I had to wonder how much trouble he would get in with his boss for doing this.

"Okay, all set," Seth said as he took his seat beside Edward again.

"Won't you get fired for this?" Alice asked, and I turned to her and smiled for asking the questioned I wanted to know the answer to.

"Well, only if I fire myself," Seth chuckled, "I own the shop. Brought it from the previous owner two years ago."

"Oh," was all I said. I was a little stunned that Seth would take on such responsibility since he was always so carefree. He must have seen the look on my face because he sighed.

"I've changed a lot, Jake. I decided it was time to settle down, find my place and make a real life." He shook his head slightly and then looked down before mumbling, "If only I hadn't been so stupid before."

Edward must have heard as well, 'cause he shuddered and whimpered softly. I stroked his arm and leaned down to kiss him. He was mine and there was no way in hell I was going to let him feel anything but my complete love and devotion. He had been through too much, and now getting this tattoo was wearing on him completely. The last thing he needed to feel was unnecessary jealousy on top of it all.

I would always hold a soft spot for Seth in my heart; we had known each other for too long for me not to. And he was my lover for three years. Back then, I had thought that we would be together forever. But I knew it wasn't meant to be the moment I'd laid eyes on Edward.

As much as I hated to see Seth suffer or in pain, Edward was my world and that would always be so. His feelings came first. I couldn't let anything stand in the way of that. I could still hear the sound of Edward's screams echoing around in my mind. I could feel the determination coming off of him and his need to get this done and get it done now. And as much as I wanted to be enough for him to get through this, instinctively I knew he would need more support than he could get from just me.

I was brought out of my musings by Seth's voice. "Okay Edward, we are going to start again. Now, this time if you feel the slightest bit uneasy, I want you to tell me straight away and we will stop. I don't care if we are here for a week. I will get this done for you, bit by bit if I have to, but I promise you I will get it done."

The compassion in Seth's voice made my heart stutter. Even through his own pain - which he was letting me see clearly in his eyes - he was taking care of Edward, putting him before his own needs. I smiled to myself as I realized that Edward brought this out in people. Anyone that came into contact with him and got to know the real him found the need to protect and comfort him.

Edward truly was a beautiful soul.

He looked up at me, his eyes shining with tears as he pulled my hand to his lips and kissed my palm. "Jake? If I pass out, tell Seth to keep going, please." Edward whispered to me.

"Are you sure, baby?" I asked, even though a part of me hoped he would pass out and sleep through the whole process.

"Yes, it would probably be easier if I did."

Jasper leaned over and kissed Edward's forehead, causing Seth to raise an eyebrow. I chuckled and shook my head. "There he goes again, Alice. Always trying to steal my man." I said, causing everyone to laugh.

"We are all here, Edward, so just don't try and be heroic. If you need a break, you say so. Okay, buddy?" Jasper was watching his eyes, rubbing soothing circles on the back of his neck, an action I knew always calmed Edward.

"I promise, Jazz," Edward replied, his voice just a whisper. He then reached up and grabbed me from the back of my neck and pulled me too him, face to face. "Can you stay just like that please, Jake?"

His voice was full of fear and he looked pleadingly at me. "Of course I can, baby." I smiled and kissed his lips, causing his eyes to flutter close and a soft moan to leave him. I chuckled at his reaction to me. It made me giddy that I could do that to him, especially since he always gave me the same reaction. I felt my pants starting to tighten as his breath ghosted my lips, filling my mouth.

Closing my eyes and shaking my head slightly, I tried to will away the automatic reaction I had to him, but his soft laugh caused my eyes to snap open. "Inappropriate responses at inappropriate times."

I laughed rather loudly at his statement and then drew my attention back to the room. It wasn't uncommon for me to forget where we were at any given time when he was holding my attention like this. "As usual," I said, before adding, "Okay, let's get started before I kick everyone out and take you on the table, or let you take me." Edward, Jasper and Alice laughed loudly at my usual lack of control, but Seth gasped before schooling his expression into a forced smile.

It was then I realized my mistake - Seth knew I was a top, and only a top. He had asked me once if we could switch and I told him no. I didn't have the want or need to try out being a bottom, and I told him; he knew that before we started dating. He said it was fine and never asked again.

Now, I had just declared in front of him that I would bottom for Edward and I mentally slapped myself for it.

When Edward had told me Seth talked about me a lot, I was worried he had said things that would make Edward hate me. You know how exes get sometimes, disgruntled and mouthing off bullshit to make themselves feel better. I should have known better, but what I wasn't prepared for was the look on Edward's face coupled with the look on Seth's when we walked in. It told me all I needed to know. Seth was still in love with me and seeing me with Edward hurt him. I did not want to hurt Seth.

But my love for Edward shone out of me from every pore. I knew it was visible to anyone who looked at us and I was glad for that, but there was no way he wasn't going to be able to see it. I didn't want to add salt to the wound, but it seemed at that moment, I had. I had no verbal filter when Edward was around, and I just couldn't or wouldn't apologize for that.

As I gazed into the eyes of the man I worship, Seth started the gun. Edward shook slightly but was holding it together rather well as he concentrated on me. As the needle touched his skin, he flinched and then took a deep breath. "Kiss me?" He asked, and I was more than happy to do anything to keep him mind occupied.

I brushed my lips against his softly before opening my mouth to him, letting him dominate as his tongue pushed inside. I made sure he didn't get too carried away so he wouldn't shift during his tattoo. He pulled back with a grunt, his face etched in pain, and I reached up and stroked his cheek.

"You okay, baby? What is it?"

"Hurts a little," he whimpered softly, a small tear escaping his eye.

"Do you need me to stop?" Seth asked, pulling the gun away from his skin.

"No, I will be okay. It's bearable." Alice's hand scratched Edward's head, causing him to sigh and lean into her, while Jasper placed his hand on Edward's shoulder, his arm laying over me to get to him.

"Don't even think about it, Jazz. You're not my type." I said causing everyone to chuckle but Edward. I studied him carefully and saw that his face was full of emotion. Pain, sorrow, anguish, love, fear and determination all battled it out before he couldn't hold off any longer and screamed out into the room. Seth pulled away quickly and turned off the gun while I gathered Edward up into my arms.

"What is it, baby?" I was terrified for him as he shook and sobbed in my arms. He was being so brave and trying to fight off his reactions, but it was only intensifying them when they broke through.

"Don't hurt me. Please, no more, no more, I can't take anymore. You're killing me, Sam." Edward whimpered out, his eyes glazed over like he was lost in a nightmare.

"Is that how he got all those scars too?" Seth asked, seeming to know Edward was too far gone to hear his words.

"Yes," Alice answered, "He has been through hell and back. We are so proud of all the progress he has made, but some things just trigger his memories."

"And Sam, your cousin, did this to him?" Seth added and I nodded. "Now I'm glad you never let him get near me when we were growing up. I always wondered why you didn't trust him, but I trusted your instincts. I'm glad I did say no when he hit on me." Seth finished and my eyes snapped to his.

"When exactly did Sam....you know what? Never mind, now is not the time." I finished, my grip tightening on Edward. The tremor that rocked through him when I said Sam's name was enough to cut me off.

"Jake?" Edward whimpered, burrowing his head into my chest.

"I'm here, baby, I'm not going anywhere." I kissed the top of his head and pulled him closer to me. He was where my focus needed to be, not wondering when the hell Sam went after Seth. Seth was fine – safe. Edward had not been so lucky.

"Jake, what happened?" Edward asked, his swollen, red eyes looking up at me. The distress was written all over his face.

"You were lost in a memory..." He started to shake his head wildly, cutting me off.

"No, no, not that. What happened to Seth? You were talking about Sam and Seth, I heard you." Edward drew back from me, his face twisted in sorrow. I went to pull him back to me but he backed away, moving over to Jasper, who wrapped his arms around him and started to whisper in his ear.

I knew he wasn't thinking clearly, his eyes still glazed over slightly like he was caught between a memory and now, but still, the pain that hit my chest from his rejection, was enough to make my legs buckle. I gripped hold of the table to steady myself as a loud whimper left me.

Before I knew it I felt Edward surround me, his scent, his arms, his lips on my neck. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please, Jake, I'm sorry." I spun around and pulled him to me, holding him and burying my face in his hair.

I couldn't speak; my voice was caught behind the thick lump in my throat as I tried to stop it from reaching the surface. The thought of him turning away from me was paralyzing after everything we had been through. I wasn't sure how much more I could take before I broke down.

Trying to be strong for Edward, knowing how much he needed me, I hadn't realized how emotionally exhausted I was from it all up until that point. But I could never left him see that, he had too much to deal with as it was. Jasper caught my eye as I looked over Edward's shoulder, and he nodded his head like he knew exactly what kind of emotional turmoil I was going through. I guess if anyone could understand it would be him and Alice, they had been there from the start.

Alice moved behind me, rubbing her hand gently over my back in a soothing motion and I drew comfort from that, knowing that I had two other people to lean on and help me through this. But right then I needed to pull my shit together for the man I loved.

I swallowed hard, and took a deep breath, "I love you, baby," I said looking down into his beautiful green orbs. He was watching me so closely, shaking like a leaf in a violent storm until I said that, and it was like a light switch went off in his head. He gave me a small smile before placing his lips on mine and talking against them.

"Jake, I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened. Can you forgive me?" He whispered against my lips.

"Of course, baby, you know that. And about the Seth thing, he just mentioned that Sam made a move on him, but my telling Seth to keep away from Sam stopped him from getting anywhere near him. That's all. baby."

"So, Sam, he...Seth..." he blew out a breath and continued, "Sam never hurt Seth?"

"God, no!" Seth answered before I could open my mouth, "Jake told me to stay away from Sam. He would warn me constantly when we were growing up that Sam was unstable. Though, after witnessing Sam go after Jake, I kind of figured that out for myself. I was happy when Jake finally got bigger because Sam never touched him again." I turned to look at Seth over my shoulder to find him smiling at me, pride shining in his eyes.

"Sam... he hurt you, Jake?" Edward was crying now, and when I turned to look at him, he face was a mask of horror. His hands clung to my shirt tightly, like he was afraid I was going to fade away.

"I'm fine, Edward. He used to pick on me when we were younger. Nothing to worry about now. How about we take a minute have a drink, maybe something to eat so you can calm down enough to finish what you started, and then later when we are home I can tell you anything you want to know?" He nodded his head but his hands held tighter, so I pulled him around to my side and led him out into the other room.

As we were walking out, I heard Seth's voice, "They live together?" he asked either Jasper or Alice, but I didn't wait around to find out who answered.

Alice followed us out, "How about I go grab some food for all of us? Then we can eat and relax for a while before you get started again." Edward and I both nodded as Jasper came to our sides.

"Hey Jake, how about you go with Alice, just to keep her company?" Jasper said, his voice insistent. There was no way in hell I was going to leave Edward though but as I went to voice my answer I noticed Jasper was having one of his silent conversations with Edward, who pulled away from me slightly and kissed me on the cheek.

"It's a good idea, Jake. I'm sure you could use a break, and besides, you know exactly what I like so I won't have to make any decisions." He chuckled as he said the last part, but it was forced and I was torn. I needed the fresh air and a minute to talk to Alice, but there was just no way that I could pull myself away from him.

"No, Alice knows just as well as I do what Edward likes. There is nothing on this earth that could get me to leave him right now." Edward sighed and snuggled into me and I swear I could hear the relief in that noise. That thought alone made my insides swell and added to my resolve to stay right by his side.

Seth ended up going with Alice - which I thought was a good idea - to give Edward a break from being around my ex-boyfriend which was only causing his emotions to be amplified. It would be good for Seth to have some questions answered. Plus, I knew Alice; she would ask him how he was coping and if he could continue to do this.

"How ya holding up, buddy?" Jasper asked Edward whose only response was to burrow further into my chest and start shaking.

I rubbed his back and whispered words of love and encouragement into his ear and he sighed and looked up, his eyes flicking between Jasper's and mine.

"I didn't think it would be this bad," he said, his tears starting to flow again. "I knew it would be hard, but I don't know why it's so much worse." I could see the gears turning in his head and the frustration on his face at both his lack of finding the right words and his inability to get through this like – as he would call it- a normal person.

"Buddy, it's gotta be one of the hardest things you have ever done, facing one of your biggest fears. Plus, having found out that it's Jake's ex-boyfriend who's doing the work can't help. Don't be so hard on yourself; you are doing so much better than most would in your situation." I was about to scoff at the whole ex-boyfriend thing, knowing I had laid Edward's fears to rest, but one look at the guilt in his eyes told me he was still worried. And that's when everything that happened earlier clicked into place. Sam, Seth, the conversation he overheard bits and pieces of. But I decided to leave it for another time, he had enough to deal with and now wasn't the right time or place to get into that kind of conversation.

I just wasn't sure what else I could do to convince him that I was all his until a light bulb went off in my head. Sure, nothing about this place was right for us to have this conversation, but it was now and never, and he needed to know that I was in this for the long haul once and for all.

"Edward?" He looked up at me and smiled at the look on my face, I'm sure my smile was a mile wide at the thought of what I was going to say.

"Mmm?" Was all he said as he continued to stare into my eyes.

"I was thinking, about how much I love you, and how I can't live without you in my life. And, well, I was wondering," I took a deep breath and then just blurted it out, "Marry me?"

Edward stared at me for a long moment, his eyes bugged wide and his mouth hung open which caused a slight panic to rise in my chest. My brain screamed at me that it was too much too soon. I could hear Jasper whispering behind me about how Alice was gonna be pissed she missed this which caused me to chuckle slightly, easing some of my tension as I waited for Edward to regain his composure.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, he threw his arms around my neck, similar to what Alice had done to Jasper, but instead of covering my faces with kisses, he just sobbed out a "yes" in my ear and clung to me. After a moment he started to mumble to himself. "Is this real? Am I dreaming? Did he really… Am I really… Could I be that lucky?"

I laughed out loud at his ramblings, my heart swelling with joy as it sunk in that he had said yes. I stood, picking him up with me and swinging him around the room. "You said yes! You said yes!" I hollered, my excitement getting the best of me. Edward's laugh rang out through the room, causing Jasper to join in at the glorious sound of it.

Alice and Seth chose that moment to walk back in, and Alice stood in front of us. Jasper stood off to the side watching us with a smile as I continued to spin Edward around in my arms.

"And just what the hell is going on in here? What did I miss this time?" Alice said with a pout on her face.

"I asked Edward to marry me and he said yes." The excitement of the moment caused my voice to rise, with each word.

"Oh. My. God! I can't believe I missed that. Do it again, Jake, I want to see the whole thing." I laughed at Alice and shook my head.

"It was a spur of the moment thing, Alice, you had to be here. And it can't and won't be repeated till I get the rings." I smiled at her while she pouted, until she seemed to come up with an alternative.

"Fine, but I wanna be there when you give him the ring," she said, crossing her arms over her chest for emphasis.

"Congratulations," Seth said. He was smiling at me and Edward, and he seemed genuinely happy for us, even though I could see the hint of sadness in his eyes. I also noticed Edwards grip on me tighten at the sound of Seth's voice, but he calmed himself relatively quickly.

"Thanks Seth, that means a lot coming from you," Edward replied, smiling at him.

"Yeah, thanks man," I said reaching out my hand in offering to him. Seth took hold of my hand squeezing it slightly before he shook it. He held on to it a bit longer than necessary which caused Edward to tense up at my side. I pulled my hand back and kissed Edward on the top of the head. "I love you, baby. So damn much, and soon, I get to call you husband." I said causing a beaming smile to take over Edwards face.

God I loved this man.

We sat down and ate while Alice tried to convince us to have a double wedding with her and Jasper. Both Edward and I nixed that idea. Quickly. And in no time at all we were back in the other room, Edward lying on his stomach, his eyes gazing into mine as Seth restarted his tattoo.

It took hours, but Edward only had two more episodes during the whole thing, and I was so damn proud of him. The end result was beautiful, and not a trace of Sam's name could be seen on his skin, though it was rather red and swollen.

After Seth cleaned it up and put a bandage over it, we said our goodbyes and told Seth to keep in touch. He nodded his head and said he would definitely call us to catch up, which surprised me. I was expecting him to say he would see what he could do. Alice must have had a really good talk with him. I would have to ask her about that later.

But right then, I wanted to get my fiancé home and take care of him. Today started out as one of the worst days of my life and ended with me being the happiest man on the planet.