AN: It's been less than a month. It's even the same calendar month. Pretty good, huh? (Yeah, I know it's not really.) Anyway, last chapter was severely lacking in the review department, but I think that's partly my fault. I totally forgot to mention that I was still willing to do teasers, so no one took the bribe! Hopefully this chapter will will make up for that, and check the bottom AN for details. :)
Thanks again to my beta, SwallowedxInxThexSea, and all the people who have read, reviewed, alerted, and favorited! I still don't own anything to do with Twilight. Also, I would like to thank lovesloser13 for recommending Unattainable Perfection in the second post of her new blog! (http:/ www . ficsations . blogspot . com/ - be sure to check it out!)
P.S. - There is a bit of citrusy flavor in the chapter...
Chapter 18 – Alice Whitlock, Evil Overlord
EPOV
Bella held the picture frame in her hands like it was an ancient artifact, like it would fall apart in her hands if she applied any more pressure. Her finger slowly outlined the weary angel I'd designed weeks ago.
"What is it?" she whispered.
I sat behind her and rested my chin on her shoulder. "This is what you mean to me," I answered. "I drew this."
Her head turned in my direction and I saw her confused expression. I smiled and gestured for her to look back at the picture.
"What is the first thing you see when you look at the picture?" I asked.
"She looks… broken. Like she's been through every bad situation known to man and just barely made it out alive," she said. "But her eyes…. Her expression changes the entire picture."
"Why, Bella?" I urged. I wanted her to see the connection. It would be better if she could see it in the drawing rather than have me explain it. Sometimes the words weren't enough.
She studied the picture again. The flower should have kept her attention, but she barely glanced at it. "It's relief," she finally decided. "She's focused on the flower, but without that expression, the flower wouldn't mean the same thing. If she wasn't so hopeful, she would look like she was about to give up. But with this… the flower is a good change. It means that she's wilting in relief instead of desperation."
I kissed the side of her neck to let her know she was on the right track. She leaned back into me as she continued looking at the design.
"Is there more to it than that?" she asked after a minute.
"There is one very important point you haven't hit yet," I noted with a smile.
"What does the rose mean? I don't think I've ever seen one like this."
"Pure love and desire," I whispered. My voice held a sense of wonder as I held the woman of my dreams in my arms while she analyzed something she inspired.
After the few seconds it took that to sink in, Bella suddenly shifted to the side and gaped at me. "Edward! Are trying to tell me that the flower… is me?" I nodded slowly, letting her process the information. "Then the angel… is you?"
When I nodded again, she looked back at the picture. This time, her gaze was less critical and more appreciative. She spent the most time looking at the angel's face. I saw the recognition slowly cross over her face.
She turned to me as a tear fell onto her cheek. "I never realized," she muttered. "I never thought I could have that much of an impact on someone's life."
"Bella, I don't know if I can ever get back to how I was before the accident," I admitted. "But I don't really want to anymore because I have you. For lack of a better term, you're my happy ending. I want to marry you someday. You, Bella. You are the reason I even want to keep trying."
"Edward," she whispered before pulling me closer. "I love you so much."
Her lips gently pressed against mine, her hands roaming my chest. I lay back on the couch and she surprised me by straddling my legs. Smiling, she put her hands on my shoulders as she leaned forward and kissed me again.
She rarely took control of our intimate moments, so I took the chance to revel in it. Her hands clutched at my shirt as she tried to gain a better angle. I stifled a groan when her hips moved even the slightest bit against mine. My hands snaked around her waist as I responded to her cues.
It all started out tender and gentle, but Bella quickly changed that. Her lips grew more insistent against mine. The movements became more heated, more urgent. Her whimpers spurred me on, pausing only to take a breath.
Eventually I realized that this would lead somewhere that she would regret, so I pulled back, leaving soft, lingering kisses on her jaw.
"I love you too, my sweet Bella," I whispered.
She smiled again and rested her head on my shoulder.
As much as I loved kissing her, I savored the quiet time I had with Bella. It was easiest to read exactly how she was feeling by how relaxed she was. I could tell she was happy by the way she was lazily drawing random designs on my chest with her index finger.
"When did you draw that?" she finally asked.
"A few weeks ago. I was waiting until the right time to show you," I answered honestly.
"Oh. Are you thinking about getting it done, or will it stay just a design?" She tilted her head up to look at me when I didn't answer right away. "I mean, it's too beautiful to stay just as a design."
I smiled and kissed her forehead. "I was hoping you'd say that. I told Rose I was thinking about getting a new one, but I haven't shown it to anyone but you yet."
"I think you should get it if you want to," she said. "Did you have anywhere specific you were thinking of?"
I nodded. "You know how I have the rings right here?" I tapped my chest over my heart. She nodded. "Well, those are for remembrance. This one is about hope and the future, so I was thinking of putting it in roughly the same area only on my left shoulder blade."
Bella leaned down and kissed my shirt where she knew the image of my parents' rings was etched into my chest. "That sounds like a great idea, Edward."
We spent a little more time talking before we decided it was time for a nap before we headed back to the hospital. I set an alarm for a few hours later so that we wouldn't waste the whole day. Bella snuggled into my arms contentedly and we both fell asleep quickly.
I woke to the feeling of Bella's fingers trailing down my chest. I smiled and enjoyed the sensation. She changed the pattern she was drawing so I knew she could tell that I was awake.
"Come on, sleepyhead," she cooed close to my ear. "I know you're awake."
"But I'm having this wonderful dream that my wonderfully beautiful girlfriend was lavishing me with attention," I whined jokingly. I sighed and slowly opened my eyes to see Bella in all her rumpled glory trying not to laugh as she propped herself up on one arm next to me. I smiled and reached up to cup her cheek. "Ah, it wasn't just a dream."
"Mmm, no it wasn't," she said, leaning down to kiss me. "But I had a wonderful dream myself. One that involved significantly less clothing." She was teasing me, tugging at the waistband of my boxers and letting her fingers trail under slightly.
I already had an erection forming, so she didn't need to do much at all to get me worked up. The tone of her voice and her teasing fingers were enough. She was already dead set on giving me some form of release – I could tell by the determination in her eyes – and I decided it would be stupid to give up an opportunity for giving her the same thing. My hand caressed her back, slowly inching my way down.
"That must have been some dream, baby," I said. "I know neither of us is quite ready to run home, but I'm sure we can find some way to have some fun playing the bases, right?"
"Edward," she whimpered, surprised as the tip of one of my fingers teased her center. Her hand flattened over my abs until she got her breathing in check again. Then a wicked smile graced her lips as she jerked her hand down to palm my erection. This confidence that sometimes presented itself in Bella was staggeringly hot. I couldn't get enough of it. "Third base has been pretty lonely lately," she said. "Maybe we can spend some time over there."
I crashed my lips to hers as my fingers slid around her slick folds. She whimpered into the kiss as I grazed her clit and I growled softly when her hand connected with the bare skin of my shaft.
"I can't think of any better destination than third base right now," I muttered between kisses.
The two of us tried to concentrate solely on the other's pleasure, but it was hard when we were working simultaneously. I let Bella lead and set the pace for the first few minutes, but the primal side of me won over soon enough and Bella was writhing under me within minutes.
"Does that feel good, baby?" I whispered. "I love seeing you like this. So free and uninhibited only for me. Let me see you come, love. I need to see just how wonderful I can make you feel."
"Edward!" I gasped as I felt her walls contract around my fingers.
"That's it, Bella. You're so beautiful, my love," I told her as I kissed her neck, sweetly helping her down from her high.
Her hand was still stroking my shaft, though more slowly than before. When she finally caught her breath, she pushed me onto my side and began stroking in full force again.
"That may be the most wonderful experience I have ever had," she sighed. "The real thing can run circles around that silly dream I had. But now, I do believe I owe you for that." Her thumb flicked over the tip as her wrist twisted, bringing a new sensation to her ministrations. It didn't take too much more before I was quietly chanting her name as well.
We lay on our sides, both breathing heavily as we recovered. I pushed a bit of the sweat soaked hair off her forehead and smiled.
"That was, hands down, the best wakeup call anyone has ever given me," I said.
"Well, you slept through the alarm and I couldn't find another way to wake you up, so I was just tracing patterns and I guess it eventually worked so-"
I pressed my lips to hers in an effort to silence her. The shy, insecure Bella I was used to seeing was back in full force. "Hey, it's ok," I said. "Really. I thought I made it pretty clear just how much I enjoyed that."
"Well, yeah, but…" she stammered.
"Baby, even if we hadn't just done that for each other, it still would have been an enjoyable way to wake up," I explained. "I don't care if I sound like a corny Hallmark card. I love falling asleep with you in my arms and waking up with you by my side. I wish we could do it every night, but it's just not a possibility right now. For now, I need you to know that you are the reason that I'm so happy. You're so beautiful no matter what you do and I love you so much, Bella."
Her face erupted into a smile and I thought I saw tears in her eyes, but I couldn't be sure. She started to wiggle away from me, but I held her tightly in place.
"What are you doing, silly girl?" I asked.
She smiled at me sweetly before pulling me out of bed with her. We got ready for the day side by side, gently teasing each other.
"I love you too, you know," she said as we were leaving to go back to the hospital.
I kissed her cheek before heading to the driver's side of the car. "I know, love."
We walked hand in hand through the hospital, both of us smiling. There was nothing horrible waiting for us in Alice's room, so neither of us had to be worried about what we would find. We were content to just walk together.
Of course, we were wrong about what we'd find.
"What do you mean I can't do it? Jasper!" Alice screeched as we neared the room.
"Baby, it's not good for you to be doing anything right now. For you or our child," he said gently, resting his hand on her stomach.
"Do you realize that if I can't do this, I'm going to gain like ten times the weight from the pregnancy?" she tried to rationalize. She noticed Bella and me standing at the doorway then. "Bella! Will you please tell them that I can't stop my daily yoga routine just because they want me on bed rest?"
Bella sighed while I tried to stifle my laughter. I shot a look at Jasper and saw that he was doing the same thing now that his wife had shifted her focus away from him.
"Ali, you have a weak ankle, a broken arm, and a needle in your arm," Bella explained calmly to her best friend. "There are so many things you won't be able to do in that condition. And you won't gain too much weight because of a few weeks on bed rest if you eat right and do everything the doctors tell you."
"Bella! I can't do anything now!" she whined. "I can't shop, I can't exercise, I can't have sex with my husband…. This sucks!"
Jasper tried to hide his blush by running his fingers through his hair, but I caught it. I didn't think he was actually embarrassed, but he probably didn't want his wife spouting off what they did in their spare time. He was the kind of guy – like me – that wanted his woman all to himself.
"Okay, just calm down and listen to me," Bella said forcefully. I watched, amazed, as she gently talked Alice back from her insanity. "You can't do any of this without fear of making everything worse. You could make the injuries worse. Fuck, Alice, you could lose the baby if you pushed too hard! You can't do that over some baby weight."
A few tears fell down Alice's cheeks as she processed all the information. "I just feel like I'm so helpless right now," she whispered. "I was never a useful member of society anyway, but I was good at helping out whenever I could. Now I can't do anything."
"Sweetheart, don't think like that," Jasper soothed. His thumb gently stroked her cheek as he talked to her as much to calm her down as to wipe the tears away. "You are a beautiful, charismatic woman who is carrying my child. Do you realize how important that is? If gaining a few pounds means I get to keep you and that child, then it's worth it. You'll still be the woman I love and you'll still be beautiful."
"Jazz…" she whispered. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.
Bella came and put her arms around me as she watched her two best friends. I snaked my arms around her waist and pressed my lips against her hair.
"I have no idea how she doesn't see how great she is," she said, resting her head against my shoulder.
"You know, I could say the same thing about another girl I know," I teased her. "But, in all reality, it's probably all from the pregnancy hormones. I remember my mom saying that when she was pregnant with me she couldn't stay happy for more than a few minutes before she found something else to cry about."
"Then what about all that stuff about women saying that pregnancy is the best thing ever?" she asked, confused.
I laughed, "Bullshit. They just want to be pampered."
She giggled and shook her head.
Alice gasped and squealed. "Oh, that's a great idea! I can just shop online! Thanks, Jasper!" she said excitedly and kissed his cheek.
Bella groaned. "Please tell me you didn't remind her about the fact that she has all the measurements memorized, Jazz…"
The blond man cringed at his wife's excitement.
"Alice," I started, "I'm just curious, but is there a reason you need to do this much shopping? I mean, you have more than enough dresses to cover everything you would need to dress up for. Why do you keep shopping?"
Alice's jaw visibly dropped at my question. My goal was to just distract her, and apparently it worked. She launched into a rant about stimulating the economy, helping others, and the need for shoes.
When she noticed my semi-vacant expression, she turned to Bella. "He has no idea what I just said, does he?"
Bella chuckled. "Nope. None at all." She pushed me over to Jasper. "You boys entertain yourselves. I'm going to keep my best friend company."
Jasper and I sighed, taking the hint that we were dismissed. We sat at the table in the corner of the room – only Alice would pay for the biggest private room in the entire place.
"I've been demoted," Jasper said.
"Huh?"
"Your girlfriend has officially demoted me from her male best friend to her best friend's husband," he explained with a laugh. "I don't rate anymore."
"Better her best friend's husband than her ex-fiancé's little brother," I reminded him. "Speaking of which, how's everything with your family?"
Jasper shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "My parents are thrilled for you guys. My mom saw you here last night and thought you were, and I quote, 'just the cutest thing.' My father, on the other hand, would like me to inform you that you will be subjected to an interrogation after you've been formally introduced to everyone," he said.
I flinched at the memory of the guys at New Moon ready to pounce on me and Jasper laughed.
"I swear it's not that bad. Joshua wants to beat your head in for even looking at her, but he'll get over it. James… well, no one's really heard from him yet. He's apparently been staying at a friend's house and doing the bare minimum of hours at work. He's done this once before after spring break one year, so he'll probably show up at home soon."
I nodded and glanced over at the girls. Bella was perched on the edge of the hospital bed as she and Alice talked excitedly. I turned back to see Jasper looking a little concerned.
"How has she been?" he asked quietly.
"Happier than I've ever seen her," I said honestly. "Even when she's at home, she isn't calling me in tears anymore. She'll call just because she wants to talk to me before she goes to bed or because she wants to hear about my day. And she actually tells me about her days now. She's talking about going to school and getting a job." I shook my head and smiled at the strangeness of it all. "It's amazing, Jasper. She's still the Bella I fell in love with, but at the same time she's a completely different person."
"Wow," he breathed. "I remember her talking about going to college when we were younger. When her mom started in on the marriage track, it was like she dropped everything to follow her mom. I never realized she still wanted it."
"I don't think she wanted to admit it before now."
"Maybe not."
"Oh, no, Bella! You have to!" Alice whined.
"Ali, no. Really, we don't have to do anything of the sort," my beautifully flustered girl replied. "You know how I feel about that kind of stuff."
"Then we'll have to make it a combo party. You finally admitting that you love your soul mate and Jasper and me getting pregnant," the other woman persuaded. "It'll be perfect, Bella! We don't even have to have it at your place. My parents' house is perfect and I'll plan everything too."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Bella groaned.
I chuckled and decided to go comfort her. She relaxed when she felt my hands at her waist and leaned back into my chest. I leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
"Maybe this is a good idea, baby," I said softly. She turned her head upwards to glare at me. "Hear me out. Eventually, I'm going to meet these people anyway, right? And there will also inevitably be a congratulatory party for Alice and Jasper. If we combine them like this, it will take the focus off of us at least a bit and we can invite my aunt and uncle and Emmett and Rosalie. It won't be as bad as you think."
"That's what you say now, traitor," she grumbled.
I leaned a little further down to whisper in her ear. "You know, we could always sneak out early and have our own little party at my place," I said, pressing my lips against the spot right behind her ear that seemed to drive her crazy. "We can revisit that dream of yours again. Maybe a few others of mine…."
She tensed in my arms and I heard her breathing hitch. I smirked at the effect I had on her.
"Wow," Bella breathed. "I guess it's not so bad…."
"Holy shit. Edward, you're a frickin' genius," Alice gasped. "If you can just do that for everything I ask her… we would be unstoppable."
Bella sputtered and tried to think of an appropriate comeback, but I interrupted her.
"Sorry, Alice, but this was a one-time-only deal."
"Aw, you're no fun," she pouted. In that moment, she reminded me of a toddler. "At least tell me what you said to her. If you have a secret weapon, I need to know about it!"
"I think I'll keep that to myself," I said with an embarrassed chuckle.
"Well, before my wife drags someone else into her world domination plans," Jasper interjected, "someone needs to get her to take a nap sometime soon."
"Party pooper," Alice said, sticking her tongue out at her husband.
He quickly took advantage of the situation, pressing his mouth to hers and sucking her tongue into his mouth. It was clear that neither one of them remembered that they weren't alone.
"Well," Bella announced, "that would be my cue to leave."
They had the decency to look a little ashamed when they broke off from each other. I shook Jasper's hand and gave Alice a quick kiss on the cheek, wishing her a quick recovery, while Bella hugged her two best friends. It was much easier to leave the hospital that time knowing that Alice was already well on her way to being her old self.
Bella pulled me right to the couch when we got back to my apartment. She curled herself into my chest and I curled my arms around her.
"Not that I mind, but what brought this on, exactly?" I asked.
She shrugged. "I just realized in the hospital that I had everything in the world that I wanted with you and I just thought that it would be nice to spend that time together, just enjoying ourselves without needing to worry about anything," she said.
I smiled and kissed her tenderly. "That sounds like a great idea."
"So, when were you thinking of getting that tattoo?" she asked.
"Not really, why?"
"I was just thinking, it might be best to wait until after the party. That way there will be more of a chance for it to heal and whatnot."
I thought about it for a second and realized that she was right. It would be better if I wasn't recovering from a new design. Judging from what she'd told me in the past, the men at those parties were the sort to show affection – however fake – in the form of a slap to the back. Right where I was planning on getting the tattoo.
"That sounds like a good plan," I agreed, shuddering slightly at the thought of that pain. It had happened in the past, and I didn't need to relive that.
"And I suppose that means I should invite you to a family dinner sometime soon," she mused aloud.
"Just your parents and us?" I questioned.
She hesitated. "Well, my mom's parents are coming into town soon, so I suppose we should do it then. It would be easier than having it before they come and making you come again or having my grandmother lecture me about not meeting you if we wait until after."
"Well, in that case, I'll brave the one meeting," I laughed. "After all, I've got your dad on my side. That should help, right?"
"That, the fact that you're gainfully employed, and that you can converse intelligently, yes," she agreed. "My grandfather believes that if a man can speak well, it doesn't matter if he doesn't understand what's being discussed. It means he can learn."
"Well, then hopefully I can handle that."
She sighed and pressed a kiss to the side of my neck. "You know, they'll probably think that we're doing this for the same reason as Ali and Jazz. Or that you're in it for the money," she said quietly.
I tilted her face up so that I could look into her eyes. "You and I both know that's not true. So, we'll deal with that as it comes. Okay?"
She smiled weakly and nodded. "And you know I'd run off into the sunset with you if I could, but we're in this for the long haul now. We may as well start selling tickets and popcorn for what's about to go down."
"Emmett's going to want to see this out," I noted. "You better add beer to that list."
I brought Bella home the next morning after we both got a good night's sleep. This time, I actually pulled up in front of the building and she allowed me one, tender, lingering kiss before she pulled away.
I walked into Twilight a little later to see a large group crowded in the waiting area. Pete was manning the piercing station and Rose was working at the most open ink station. Drew was taking information at the front desk.
"Wow," I breathed.
This was the most we'd ever had waiting at one time. Either someone had brought an entire entourage with them, or we were finally gaining popularity around town.
Drew saw me first and looked relieved. I needed to give that kid a break soon. Pete nodded, but continued with his customer. Rose waved from her spot when she gave her hand a break.
"We did not have this many appointments on record," I pointed out to Drew as I set up the second ink station.
"Most walk-ins we've ever had at once," he replied. "You've got your work cut out for you today."
"Shit," I said, stunned. "Well, this could work well in the long run. I mean, we've been trying to get more of a crowd. This could be good."
I looked around the waiting room to see all the people chatting within their groups or admiring the photos of past works. This was real. We were finally starting to make a name for ourselves,
"Dude," Drew said, "that manic grin is freakin' me out. Dial it down."
I chuckled. "Sorry, man." I clapped him on the back and went to set up my station. "I'll stay out of your way."
Rose and I efficiently worked our way through the customers we had waiting. I asked a few of them where they'd heard about us and was stunned by the results. Some said they'd seen posters around town and one even said they heard someone mention it on the local radio station. It shocked me to realize that we were able to get that much press without even knowing.
I got curious and decided to check the figures for the past month at the end of the day. The numbers were astounding.
"Rose? Can you come check my math?" I asked, not wanting to believe it.
"What? Mr. Big Shot hasn't learned how to use a calculator yet?" she teased. I shook my head and pointed to the number at the bottom of the page. "Whoa, there. You're not that good…."
She spent the next ten minutes redoing the math that I'd done. When she came out with the same answer three more times, she sat back in her chair and let out a low whistle.
"That girl of yours better get her ass through school," Rose said, still staring at the figures. "We're going to need some backup here."
"Yeah, I know."
For once, I wasn't depressed to walk into my apartment alone. Everything was welcoming and I knew the pictures on the wall were all the company I needed for now. I had a support group in the form of my family and business partners. My parents had to be watching from somewhere, and, even though I never finished school, I knew they would still be proud of me.
But there was only one person I needed.
I settled on the couch with a tube of Pringles – my reward to myself – and quickly dialed Bella's number.
"Hey, what's up?" she said cheerily.
"Hey, baby," I answered happily. "So, you know how I was hoping to eventually expand the shop? Maybe get a bigger, better space and shit?"
"Yeah, of course. That's what you and Rose have been planning for, right?" she asked, obviously confused as to where I was going with the conversation.
"Well, I think that might happen a little sooner than we thought," I replied, hardly containing my glee.
"Edward, what are you saying?" The pitch of her voice had gone up. She was starting to catch on, but she wanted to let me tell her.
"We finally have the money, Bella," I said. "We had the biggest income we've ever seen over the last few weeks. Twilight is becoming the most popular tattoo shop in the city. At the rate we're going, we'll need to expand."
"That's wonderful! Oh, Edward, I'm so proud of you."
We stayed on the phone until the entire tube of Pringles was empty. Bella let me know more about Alice and what we could expect from the impending party. I mentioned that my aunt and uncle wanted us to have another family dinner and the Bella's presence was fervently requested.
Talking to her like that, with everything going well for us, made me realize that I needed the sort of emotional stability that she provided in my life. The ups and downs of everyday drama would come no matter what, but I would no longer live in the dark place I'd been steadily crawling out of.
I wanted a life with Bella. I wanted her by my side as I made my place in the world. I wanted to make her forget that there was ever a time in her life where she was in danger of ending up in a bad marriage.
I needed to make my move.
I wanted to propose to her and give her the life she dreamed of.
I just needed to wait for the opportune moment.
AN: Good? Bad? Want to yell at me for not giving a teaser last time? Tell me in a review! Double digits in reviews will get a teaser and beating the record (still set at 15 for one chapter) will get a second, better teaser. Also, I've already started the next chapter, so it shouldn't be too much of a wait this time. :)
Next chapter: Bella starts thinking more about the future and introduces Edward to the rest of her family. (Hopefully it won't be as boring as that tiny summary made it sound.)
In your reviews, please let me know if the profile teasers are working. If not, please, please, please suggest something that might work better! Thanks again!
-Kaylee