Ms. Bond updated? FINALLY?? I know, It's been three weeks and I promised you two but I have a great excuse!! Between friends in town, work meetings and the kiddo getting her tonsils out its been pretty hectic! Thank you all for being so patient.
This was a hell of a chapter, almost 9500 words before my A/N. It kinda had a mind of its own and just kept going (and going, and going).
Special thanks goes out to several people, first bbwraven, my love, you are wonderful, patient and invaluable to me. Never forget that. Casket, I puffy heart you and hope you continue to 'not get too annoyed' by my punctuation deficency' you are a gem bb!!
If you have not gotten the alert, I wrote a winter o/s that also took on a mind of it's own. The characters are now screaming at me and I can't get them out of my head. Check it out too and let me know what you think. Should I keep going, or not... http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5602482/1/
Lastly, Merry Christmas, I love you all! ((BIG HUG))
Disclaimer: SM Owns, I don't.
According to you
I'm stupid,
I'm useless,
I can't do anything right.
According to you
I'm difficult,
hard to please,
forever changing my mind.
I'm a mess in a dress,
can't show up on time,
even if it would save my life.
According to you. According to you.
But according to him
I'm beautiful,
incredible,
he can't get me out of his head.
According to him
I'm funny,
irresistible,
everything he ever wanted.
Everything is opposite,
I don't feel like stopping it,
so baby tell me what I got to lose.
He's into me for everything I'm not,
according to you.
According to you~Orianthi
I was just running the towel over my hair trying to dry it when I heard the door bell ring. Since it was a Sunday the bar would be fairly slow, so I was the only one going in. I had two hours left before I needed to leave and I still had so much to do. The glow I had from my date with Edward had yet to wear off. After I managed to pry myself away from the front door last night, I took my time getting ready for bed. I opted to shower this morning rather than last night, not wanting to get rid the scent of Edward I still had lingering on my skin. I went to bed with a smile on my face and woke up with the same one. I couldn't remember the last time I had ever had that happen to me, at least with a man. It was gratifying to know that I got to Edward just as much as he got to me, and all I had thought about since I sprang out of bed this morning was him. I couldn't wait to see him today.
Alice and Rose were still in bed. I assumed they both got home well after three AM since I was in bed at almost three and there was no peep from either of them before I drifted off to sleep. For the first time since I left James I actually slept well - I mean really well. No tossing or turning, no odd dreams or tiredness upon waking. Is this what it was like to be happy, to really be enjoying life? Who knew it would take Edward, big time DJ, who could have whoever he wanted and who happened to be the most persistent man I ever met, to bring it out of me?
I passed by the hall table, running my fingers over the smooth wood, and hell, even that reminded me of Edward: his smooth skin, hard tight abs... Jeez Bella, get a grip or you're gonna need another shower... I reached the front door, still smiling as I opened it, and stopped dead in my tracks. My day had just gone from fantastic to crap in a single second. Standing at the front door, leaning on the frame, the same cocky stance he used when we were married, was James. His posture was telling me that he was waiting for me to acknowledge him, but all I saw was red. Would this man never leave me alone? We had no children, no pets and no property to split. The way I saw it, there was no good reason why we needed to ever speak again.
"Bella, are you just going to stand there all day, or are you going to let me in? I do have places to be." His tone was full of disdain and disrespect, like I owed him something and he was here to collect a long overdue debt. It was a tone that I had become used to over the years and had not missed at all in the last six months.
"Actually, James, you caught me at a bad time, so I'm afraid you're going to have to leave. I, too, have things to do today and you're taking up my valuable time." I moved to shut the door and he stuck his foot over the threshold, preventing me from pushing it all the way closed. I was incensed. He bullied me when we were married, but that was over and done with, and I was not about to give in and let him bully me now. He was on my turf, this was my home and he was invading my space. He needed to leave.
"James, remove your foot from the door NOW. You are not welcome here and I want you to leave." I told him as forcefully as I could with as much attitude as I could muster.
"Oh, no. I don't think so Bella. We have things to discuss, namely, you talking to my mother. This whole divorce 'thing' was your doing and your fault," James said, raising his hands in the air and making finger quotes when he said thing. "I am not confessing to her or explaining something that's going to hurt them when all of this is your doing. You can go on and be a quitter; I personally think we could have worked through any 'issues' you think you had and we could still be happy. But no, you had to go and be a screw-up, like usual. I really shouldn't have been so surprised. It's just like you to fuck things up - you always do."
"Excuse me? How dare you?! How dare YOU, come into MY home and insult me like this? I may have had to take this shit from you when we were married but I DO NOT have to take it from you now. Leave, James, or I'll call the police. I want you gone and I WILL get a restraining order if you keep bothering me. I don't care if you're a cop or not. Watch me." I was seething, and I couldn't remember the last time I had ever been so angry. I could feel the heat rising in my face as I stood at the door willing him to leave. His foot was still stuck in my door when he forcefully pushed it open and walked in, grabbing the edge of it and slamming it shut. His face was contorted, he looked furious, and for the first time in my life I was truly scared of him. He had never before shown any sort of physical aggression around me.
We were standing in the dimly lit hallway and I felt the claustrophobia setting in from the nearness. The space was too narrow and he was too close. I willed myself to remain calm and not to panic, as I lifted my face to meet his eyes. In doing so, I could feel my courage building, coming on like a surge of electricity. I had not come this far to let him bully me and it wasn't starting now. In a low voice I ground out, "So help me James, I'll scream. Alice and Rose will be out here in a matter of seconds and we will call the police. You can't force yourself in here like this. This is my home."
James smirked at me; it was obvious my courage was doing nothing but amusing him. He moved forward, backing me up against the hallway wall. He placed his hand on the side of my head, collectively trapping me, and for a brief moment I felt my heart rate pick up and became worried. His nose was inches from mine when he spat, "Bella, I feel so sorry for the man you finally do end up with. You are the most stupid, useless woman I have ever met and I'm surprised you have made it as far in life as you have without fucking it all up. You never have been able to do anything right, you can't hold a conversation, you have no clue how to dress and you're a wet rag, Bella. I don't know what I ever saw in you; at least at one point, you were a good fuck. Hell, look at you..."
He looked me up and down, processing me, judging me, and everything he was saying finally hit home. He never loved me, he never appreciated me and all I was to him was a means to an end. Luckily for me, it was the end. I kept my eyes focused on his, not backing down. My hands may have been balled into tight fists and I may have felt as if I wanted to explode, but there was no way he was going to see me cower. Not now and not ever. Never again would he have control of how I felt.
"What, James? What?"
"Who would EVER want you?" The sneer on his face held nothing but contempt for me and it fueled my fire.
From around the corner I saw Rose and Alice come into view, Alice with her phone in her hand. Our argument must have woken them up, thank God for small favors. "Bella, I'm calling the police right now."
"What a great idea Alice, it seems we have a trespasser, and while you're doing that, I have something to say, and then James is going to leave." Alice and Rose stood stock still, I could tell by the surprised expressions on their face that they were not expecting anything like this out of me, but James had gone too far and I now had plenty to say.
Still against the wall, I wedged my hands between James and I and placed them on his chest. Using all my strength I pushed him backward creating space between us. When I had room I lifted them back up and shoved him, pushing back until he was flat against the wall, surprised he gave me no trouble as I really expected him to push back. I had wanted him to; I wanted a reason, any reason to have him taken away in the back of a police car, in handcuffs.
I grinned a sarcastic, evil grin as I, taking the upper hand, boxed James into his own corner. "Let me share a piece of news with you, James, and remember this well because I'm not repeating myself. I have a man and he's twenty times more man that you will ever be. Not ONLY is he a better man, he knows exactly how to fulfill my needs, which is something you were NEVER able to do.
"MY man thinks I'm beautiful, sexy and I am more than enough woman for him. He LOVES my wit and sarcasm. He thinks the way I dress is perfect for me and would never dare to try and change me. He sees my flaws and cares for me all the more for them because they make me who I am and that's who he fell for - not some cookie cutter big boobed bimbo that would cater to his every need and be pathetic for it, because that's what YOU think all women should do."
"You think you're all that James? I'm here to tell you that you're not. You're nothing, do you hear me? Nothing. You suck, you sucked as a husband, you sucked as a lover and you sucked as a friend. All you ever did was bring me down so you could shit all over me and lift me back up so you could enjoy yourself while you did it all over again. FUCK THAT. I hope like hell the next woman YOU get treats you exactly the way you treated me and I pray that you fall madly in love with her so you know exactly what it feels like to be let down by the one person in your life that has bound themselves to you and promised to love you above all else. I hope she eats you alive, James, and I hope you suffer dearly for it.
"Edward, MY Edward would NEVER treat me the way you do. I know my worth now and I will never feel that way again."
I could see the cords straining in James neck and knew it was taking all his control to hold himself together. I may as well have just stuck a knife in his back and twisted it. He was so angry and I was more than sure he felt complete betrayal from me. In the span of five minutes I had managed to spill my guts all over him, letting him know exactly what I thought of him and myself. It was the best self-gratification I had ever felt. I slowly backed away from him and walked backward toward Rose and Alice, keeping my eye on James the whole time. James stepped forward and reached for the bat that I kept in the corner of the hallway by the front door in case of emergencies. For a split second I thought he may actually use it and beat me to a pulp, instead he opened the front door and at a striding purposefully he started walking toward my car. It then occurred to me exactly what he was about to do.
"JAMES, NO!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as he lifted the bat and started beating in my car's windshield. He reared back, each time bashing in a new spot. When he was done with that he backed up and batted at my side mirror like he was trying to hit a pop fly ball out of the stadium. There was nothing I could do but watch in horror as he bashed my precious 4-runner into pieces. "James, STOP IT!" I tried one more time. He turned around and looked at me with pure hate.
"You are nothing but a fucking whore and you will never be anything but that. Do you hear me? Think all you want about yourself and your pansy ass boyfriend but it will never change who you are. I married a weak ass bitch and you will always be a weak ass bitch. You WILL regret everything you said to me, do YOU understand me? I hope your confidence lasts Bella, because you're going to need it." He flung the bat into the yard and started walking to his car.
I couldn't stand there and look at my smashed up car without completely losing it. I turned around and went back inside. Hopefully, the police would be here soon; I needed to file a report and press charges. A million thoughts were tumbling around in my head and the more I tried to sort them all out, the more agitated I felt myself becoming. My breathing was becoming short and choppy, and I knew that if I didn't calm down I would start hyperventilating. I needed to calm down, I needed...Edward.
I turned around after shutting and bolting the door and ran into Alice. I stared at her wide eyed as what just happened began to sink in. What the fuck was I going to do? I got out of the bad relationship and he still kept following me around like he owned me. I paid my dues! I let him follow me, keep tabs, dress me and make me feel like virtual shit on a regular basis. I catered to him, never asking for a thing in return and this is what I got after I had the courage to leave? Alice must have seen the panic setting in because she reached up and wrapped her arms around me, enveloping me in a comforting hug.
Alice started rubbing her hands up and down my back trying to soothe me. I stood there in her embrace feeling the comfort and was so thankful at the moment that I had her as a friend, no matter what had been happening in my life she was always there, unconditionally, no questions and always accepting. "Hey sweetie, its going to be okay, do you hear me? We're going to fix this, Rose and I, we are going to take him down and make him won't get away with it this time, I promise."
Two things occurred to me at that moment: first, Alice's affection had calmed me, and the second, she had just made a promise that would be by all standards, impossible to keep. There was no way she could ever ensure that James would go down for this. He had done so much in the past and never had he been made to take responsibility for any of it.
"Alice," I spoke softly, "I appreciate your optimism but you know as well as I do that you can't guarantee that James will be held accountable for this. He has always managed to get out of every compromising situation he has put himself in and you know he will with this as well." I felt like I was in a cave, my own tiny hole in my own little world, standing in the exact same place I had been the night before, so happy and excited about my new relationship. Images of James' fury kept flashing in my head and I briefly wondered to myself if he would have hit me if I had pushed him further.
"Bella, I think-"
A beating on the front door interrupted Alice's next words. James... would he never give up? I turned around to open the door when Alice interrupted my actions.
"Bella, NO! Don't open that door; you have no idea what he's capable of now. That man is on the warpath and he's not backing down. Rose is still on the phone with 911 until they arrive. They'll be here any minute, so just wait, okay?"
She was right, James was furious and opening the door was not an option. A look of relief crossed Alice's face when I threw the lock on the door and started backing away.
"BELLA!! BELLA, open the door." There was more beating on the door and when I heard the voice again I realized it was not one of fury, but one of worry. "BELLA, so help me open this door before I break it down!"
"Edward!!" I flew back over to the door, flipped the lock and threw open the door flying into his arms. It was then that everything sunk in and I started shaking.
He pulled back, looking me over, "Baby, are you okay? Please tell me you're okay," he said as he placed his hands on either side of my face holding my head so he could look in my eyes. I couldn't help it, tears started pooling and spilling over onto my cheeks. He was here and everything was going to be okay. "Bella baby, are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
"No," I said sniffing trying to keep myself under control. "He never touched me, but for the first time since I've known him, I actually thought he would. He was so angry, Edward. I suppose I deserved his fury; I said some awful things. I really wanted it actually; I wanted him to realize that I wasn't kidding any longer, that I've moved on and he had no chance. It was purely selfish on my part." I let out a deep breath and pulled Edward in tighter, gripping my arms around him. It was amazing how much his touch comforted me and I relished in it, not wanting to let go.
"Come on baby, let's go inside." Edward walked me backwards, not letting go of me until we reached the interior of the house and shut the door. He rubbed his cheek over my hair as he held on to me, "First off, you don't deserve his anger, none of it. He's a bully, Bella, and he came here intending to hurt you, that much is obvious. He should be thankful he never laid a hand on you or…" Edward stopped mid sentence, his breathing became heavy and his jaw tight against my hair. I could feel his facial muscles tense up and then relax, like he was trying to calm down. After a minute he said in a restrained calm voice, "Can I ask what you said to piss him off so badly? I imagine it wouldn't take much but still Bella, you must have really triggered him with something to make him destroy your car like that, especially right in front of you."
I knew this was coming: he would ask and I would have to confess more. I paused briefly, wondering if I could gloss it over a bit so I didn't sound so needy of him. I knew the whole of the conversation pissed off James, but the part that got him the most was my mention of having another man. James had always reveled in being in control; the trip he got out of the power of the law was one of the reasons he had become a cop. Unfortunately, James had become a cop for all the wrong reasons. He didn't care about upholding the law, making the world a better place; as a matter of fact, he was the one who broke the rules, skirting around the edges.
James had come home on most days with awful stories about how he had ticketed this person for this when he could have let them off, but did it because he thought it was funny. One time, there had been a mother on the way to the hospital because her boy had been in an accident; he had pulled her over for speeding and instead of escorting her, like a decent officer would do, he held her up for 20 minutes 'having trouble' running her information. And when all was said and done, he still ended up laying a hefty speeding ticket on her. He had to go to court for that one and was almost sued because the woman's son ended up going into a coma before she could get there to see him coherent.
"I-umm, I may have really messed up with that one Edward," I whispered.
Edward pulled back again, looking at me with confusion on his face, "What do you mean?"
I took a deep breath to steady myself before softly saying, "James can be very cruel, and he has no conscience. What I said to him was something I never had the guts to say before and I made it worse by throwing you into it."
Edward smiled at me, brushing my hair off my cheek, "Go on." His smile told me that he really enjoyed the fact that I mentioned him to James. Maybe it was a re-confirmation for him or something. It certainly was for me. Saying it out loud to James had sealed my relationship with Edward. There was no back peddling now, no going back. I was in it for as long as the good lasted.
"He was insulting me, bad mouthing me like usual. James never had the guts to tell his parents we divorced and since he thinks this is entirely my fault, he thinks I should be the one to tell them. I refused, again and stood up for myself, but when he told me I was stupid and worthless..." I took a deep shuddering breath and continued, "He...he told me he felt sorry for the man I finally ended up with and I just snapped. I-I told him that I did have a man and you thought I was wonderful and beautiful and, well, I really laid it on thick..." I could feel myself blushing from my admission and I lowered my head so he wouldn't see the heat rising on my cheeks.
"Bella, I would imagine that everything you said to him was pure truth. I do think you're wonderful and beautiful. I also think you're funny and sexy and everything a man could ever want in a woman. James is a fool to have treated you badly and let you get away but I'm so thankful he did. Not for the pain you went through, but for the joy he gave me. For you..."
"Thank you..." I lifted my head back up and Edward placed his lips on mine, giving me a small gentle kiss.
"I hate to interrupt the fluff fest guys, and I can't tell you how happy I am that you finally decided to put Edward out of his misery, Bella, but the police will be here any second," Rose said, snapping us out of our little dream world. She still had the phone to her ear and I assumed it was 911 she was on with. I had actually forgotten for a few minutes that Alice and Rose were even there still. Edward was all I was focused on. "You are going to press charges, right, Bella?"
"Rose, you know it won't do any-"
"Here Alice, hold this," Rose said shoving the phone at her as she stalked toward me. "Bella, do NOT tell me you're not pressing charges, after all that man as put you through. And look what he's done, now you're out of a car AGAIN? You have let him run over you for the last ten years, Bella. What was the whole point in today, in standing up for yourself, in making a new life and being who you finally ARE if you're not going to let him know you mean business? If you don't I will, if not for you car, then for trespassing in my home. It's you or me babe so pick your poison." Rose was in steam roller mode, full on and she was pissed. The only time I ever saw her this way was when it came to James. She was right; I needed to do something about this at least filing something formal would put it on his record even if it didn't stick. I had to at least try.
"Alice, did you not tell her?" Rose asked, looking agitated.
"I started to, but then Edward started banging on the door and I never got a chance to finish."
Edward was looking completely irritated at Rose for yelling at me, and pulled me back to his side, He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could I grabbed his hand and kissed it, pulling out of his embrace and stepping forward. "Rose you know the history James has, you know what he is capable of and what he can do. He will make my life a living hell again and I just want this to all go away. I know you're right Rose, you are completely right and I don't want everything I've worked for to be for nothing. I'll do it, okay? I don't think it will do any good but I'll do it." Rose was breathing heavily and she grabbed my hand looking at me.
"Bella, it WILL work this time, and do you know why? No? Well, let me tell you." Rose looked at me smugly, "While James was outside throwing his hissy fit with your car, Alice had my phone and captured the entire episode on video. There is no way he will get away with this one. Press charges, get your restraining order and start living again. Once he knows you mean business he will back off."
Edward stepped forward and spoke up, "She's right, Bella; with the video there is no way he can get out of this. Although I do think Rose was a bit hard on you just a second ago, I do agree with her. Do what you have to do and we will all be here standing behind won't hurt you any more, you can be sure of that." I could feel the tears starting to form in my eyes, the support I was getting from everyone was overwhelming, especially the support from Edward. Things were so new with him and the fact that he had not go running in the opposite direction spoke volumes about how he must feel.
"You know I love you Bella, Alice and I both do. We have stuck by you going through your hell with you and it's over now okay? It's not going to happen anymore. There will be no more hiding. No matter what he does from here on out we are not going to pretend it never happened any longer. He's gonna pay for everything now. He needs to be held accountable. We," Rose motioned at herself, Alice and Edward, "are all here for you, so is Jazz and Em and he can't hurt you anymore."
"You know he's going to fight back, right? He has a lot of loyal friends on police force; even with the video I could really be getting myself into a giant mess. You know what he can get away with, you know what he's done."
Rose looked at me, her eyes pleading, "I realize this Bella, but you have to do something or he's going to keep pushing and pushing until he breaks you. I hate saying this, Bella, because you've come so far, but he's done it before and he'll do it again."
"Like hell he will," Edward spat out.
"Edward, with all due respect, I don't think you understand the extent of the situation that-"
"Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea. I may have only been around several months, but I've seen enough of what she's been put through to realize that it wasn't good and she was put through hell. I'm not blind, Rose and believe me when I say; he won't get near her again if I can help it." Edward paced back and forth running his hands through his hair. "Look, I may not know people here, but I DO know people. Let me make some calls, see what I can do."
"Hello??? I'm right here people!! Can we at least pretend like I'm in the room? I AM capable of making my own decisions." I was waving my arms, trying to get Rose's and Edward's attention but they kept going back and forth with each other. Apparently they both knew what was best for me and I knew nothing. I blew out a deep breath and shook my head waiting for them to finish debating who had my best intentions at heart.
"They're just concerned for you Bella, we all are. Give them a small break, we all hate seeing you in any pain and just want this to end. Would it hurt to just let us do what we can to help?" Alice smiled up at me, pulling me aside so we could speak privately.
I gave Alice a small smile, "You're right. I guess being without James these last six months has given me a sort of control complex. I hate not being able to just fix something. I mean I really thought all of this was over and I hate feeling like I'm back at square one. And what the fuck am I supposed to do about my car now? My insurance company is going have a fit! This is twice in the course of a few months that I've filed a claim."
"I know you're upset, you have every right to be, but it won't be like this forever Bells; eventually James will back off and find another woman to mistreat." I gave Alice a go to hell look; the thought of James treating anyone else the way he had treated me made me sick to my stomach. "On a brighter note, I do have to say though, seeing you launch yourself at Edward like that...well, let's just say I could tell that you must have had one fantastic date," Alice said with a suggestive grin.
I couldn't help myself, a bright smile lit up my face and I looked from Edward back over to Alice. "Alice, it was wonderful and I can't wait to tell you all about it!" For a moment I forgot all about James and what had happened; I was back in my happy place, remembering the evening before. "Oh! By the way, before I forget, Edward has this thing this weekend and I need a dress. You know how fail I am..."
Alice squealed, "We get to go shopping? Bella you never let me take you shopping! What kind of thing, what kind of dress?
"Alice!" Rose interrupted, "What in the world are you making all that noise for?"
Alice turned toward Rose and Edward grinning like she just won the lottery. "I get to take Bella shopping; she and Edward have a 'thing' to go to."
"You're talking about shopping at a time like this?" Rose asked, looking completely baffled.
"Rose, it's okay, I needed a bit of happy and Alice, as always, figured out how to give it to me. It in no way makes what just happened any less tragic. But it did make me stop thinking about it for a second and I was able to get my head back on straight." Edward walked up behind me and put his arms around my waist just as we heard a car door slam shut. Seattle's finest must have just arrived.
I opened up the front door and groaned as I saw Officer Jared Harris, James ex-patrol partner was walking up the front walk. Well, shit! Why, of all the officers that could have responded to the call, did he have to be the one?
"Bella, it's good to see you again." Jared said, tipping his hat at me with a blank look on his face. He never was one to make a good impression. It's probably why he and James made such great partners. They both were suspended and assigned new partners two years ago when James was going through the whole deal with the mother he pulled over when she was racing to see her son at the hospital. . Apparently SPD deemed them a bad influence for each other and I couldn't agree more. They fed off each other; it was like a power game, which one could do their worst. The best thing that ever happened to James is when they got split up. Of course he and Jared are still friends, which is where my worry came in. Jared showing up was not good for me at all.
"Jared," I spoke back, not having anything pleasant to say to him." I suppose it's just a coincidence that you happened to get this call?" I rolled my eyes at him knowing exactly how this was going to play out and he was cocky enough to take my bait, and I did not believe for one second that they were a few miles away. I was willing to bet he had received a call from James telling him what happened and Jared was on his way here to do damage control.
"Bella, you know the officer nearest the scene gets the call. Victoria and I just happened to be a couple miles away."
He pulled his note pad out of his back pocket and flipped it open like he was ready to take notes. Great, all I needed was Victoria. At one time I actually thought James was having an affair with her but talked his way out of it. I was such a fool to let him snow me like that. I looked over toward the patrol car parked by the curb and saw Victoria step out of the passenger side and start walking up to the house. She looked exactly the same way she always had, tall and exotically beautiful. She had fire red hair and almond shaped blue eyes; her skin was smooth, like alabaster with a slight spread of freckles across the bridge of her nose. If I didn't know her better I would say she looked angelic - until I saw the sneer on her face as she walked up and stood beside Jared.
"So, I hear you're going by Swan these days Bella," Victoria said in her high and mighty voice."
"As a matter a fact, I am, but I don't think you came here to discuss the status of my name Vicki," I said, calling her the one thing I knew would irritate the hell out of her. James was the only one that called her Vicki. I tried to once before and got an earful about how I had overstepped and offended her because she never gave me permission to be so familiar with her.
"So, there was a call that your car got all smashed up? Do you want to file a report?" Jared asked, rolling his eyes at me.
"Actually, I'm glad you asked because I do. But if you don't mind I think I'd rather go down to the station to do it," I said, knowing that if I relied on him and Victoria I would never get an accurate story filed. I was quite willing to take pictures of the evidence and take them with me. Hell I'd even bag it up and take it with me but I was pretty sure I would have to depend on them to take notes on it.
"Look, you can do whatever you want, but my advice to you is to let me handle it; otherwise you never know what's going to happen." He actually had the nerve to look innocent as he said this, like we were in the midst of normal everyday conversation.
"Was that a threat Jared?" I said with venom in my voice. He had really struck a nerve and I was so tired of being pushed around. Would this ever end? Right at that moment Edward, Alice and Rose walked up directly behind me, like they were guarding my flanks.
"Bella, I'm sure officer-," he looked at Jared's name tag to get his name, "Harris would never do such a thing. I mean, he's one of Seattle's finest. I'm sure if you want to go downtown and file the report he is more than willing to accommodate you." I looked up at Edward, who was looking at Jared with raised eyebrows, like he was daring him to say no.
Apparently, Jared was unaware I had company with me and immediately his personality changed. "Of course, Bella is free to do whatever she is most comfortable with, but I do need to ask a few questions, so we can get things started, and then she can go on in after I have written it up. Would that be satisfactory to you, Ms. Swan?
I glanced back at Edward and rolled my eyes in a gesture saying, sure, you're full of shit but I'll play your game. Victoria was standing there glaring at me the entire time and she made no effort to change, even when Edward and the girls were visibly behind me.
It took about ten minutes but Jared asked me the standard questions, which I answered with as much detail as I could, making sure they noted the bat in the yard and my smashed up car. Jared bagged up the bat, which made me very uncomfortable and took pictures of the car before they left.
I turned to Edward as they pulled away, "Well, welcome to the first day of our relationship. Are you sure you're up for this? I told you I was a mess." I was trying to be light and joking but at the same time, every word I said was true. I looked up at him and gave him a half grin before running my fingers through my half dried hair. At least I wouldn't have to dry it much. I turned and looked at the clock. Shit! I was going to be late and I had to open for everyone to prep.
"I'm sorry you had a wasted trip over today, but I really have to finish getting ready for work and have one of the girls take me." I put my hand on his arm, rubbing it up and down, feeling the muscles in his biceps as I brushed over them had me wondering if he was that hard everywhere. I couldn't wait to find out.
"I'll take you to work Bella," Edward said, with convection.
"Oh, you don't have to do that, I can have Alice or Rose take me," I said, not wanting to make him go out of his way for me.
Edward insisted, "Bella, I would feel much better if I took you and made sure you got there safe, please... Let someone take care of you for a change okay?"
"Mmmmm, how can I resist when you put it that way," I said as I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him to me for a breathtaking kiss.
*********
EPOV
I was furious! Furious at James, the police and furious that Bella was still being put through hell and there was nothing I could do to fix it. She was taking it rather well, better than most women would. As I stood there banging on her door all I could think was that she had been beaten like her car had been and I was terrified when she didn't answer. The moment her front door opened and she flung herself into my arms I felt such relief; so many emotions coursed through me. I was so glad she was alright, but the fact that she needed me that much, to not even have a second thought about what to do when she opened the door, had me almost weak in the knees and for a guy, especially one like me, that's not a good thing.
I dropped Bella off at the bar and told her to call me when she was ready to be picked up to go to the station to file her report, and as expected she tried to tell me it was not necessary. I refused to listen and told her I didn't mind and it would make me feel better to know she was safe and to please bear with me. Little did she know I planned to be there to pick her up from work as well.
I drove over to Emmett's, knowing that he would be alone since I left Rose and Alice at their place. I needed to talk to him about all this; we need a plan of action and I needed to know everything he knew about James. I needed a man's point of view. I would let Bella fill in the cracks later, if she would talk to me about it; I hoped she would. Our relationship, although it had been an ongoing pursuit for months, was still so new and I had done nothing yet to earn that kind of trust.
I pulled into the driveway and got out of my car making my way to the door just as he opened it up. "Hey bro," he said, "Rose said she thought you might stop by."She filled me in a bit on what happened; man Bella just can't catch a break huh? That asshole just keeps fucking with her and what's worse is he has the worst kind of friends, the ones that have no qualms about sweeping things under the rug and pretending nothing ever happened."
We walked into Emmett's apartment and walked into the living room, sitting down on the couch. "Yeah, I kind of gathered that from the conversation I overheard when Officer Harris was there with his partner." I let out a heavy frustrated breath and looked over at Emmett, "You know they got video of James bashing up her car right?
"Yeah, Rose told me, but Fucking Jared?? You know, this isn't good." Emmett responded as he stood up and started pacing, his fists contracting into tight balls and relaxing, over and over. I had never seen him look this out of sorts before.
"What do you mean exactly by 'isn't good'? What can he do that we can't back up? Rose and Alice were there and witnessed it all. We have the video; it's not like it's her word against his. Hell we took pictures of everything and the damn bat he used as evidence."
I felt like I was a little out of the loop here; I mean, obviously he could make it a bit more difficult because of his connections but we had plenty of proof to attest to the fact that James did indeed force his way into their home and smash up Bella's car. Hell, we not only had witnesses, we had proof on video. It was a sure fire win on our part, so the way I saw it it was a fairly cut and dry deal.
"Dude, there is so much you don't know, so much James has done to make Bella's life a living hell. To be honest with you I was really surprised that she actually stuck with it and left him. I kept waiting on her to go back, she always does. I was never more surprised than when she filed for divorce. I think that's when it really hit home for Rose and Alice too; until those papers were signed we all knew there was a chance he would find a way to lure her back in."
"Did she always go back because she loved him so much? I don't understand..." I said, resting my elbows on my knees and propping my chin up, waiting for Emmett to speak. He looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing.
"I think in a way, she did love him, not like I love Rose or vice versa, but James is really all she knows and she has never been in a healthy relationship before. Things started changing when Rose and I got together. I think Bella saw how we were together and it made her stop and think. See, the thing about James is that he isolated her, so she had no access to a car, money, friends, family, relatives, anything...She had her job, which is when she was able to see the girls, but even that was limited. She was never able to work the regular bar hours, only what James allowed her to work. It's what she knew and had been living it for years until just a couple years ago when she started becoming a little more rebellious. Her hours didn't change, but she insisted on a car, got a phone and started becoming a bit more independent. Of course that's when he started keeping tabs on her and Victoria came into the picture."
"Victoria, as in the cop? The one who is partners with Officer Harris?" I asked, starting to see where he was going with the story and understanding a bit more why Bella was so slow to accept me. It was never me, but a trust issue all together.
"Yeah, we all suspected that James was seeing her on the sly but could never prove it. Anyway, when James couldn't keep tabs on her himself he had Victoria following her around. Hell, he didn't even try to hide it either and she would report back to him. Bella never did anything wrong but somehow she was always in trouble for something. It could be as small as leaving the house in the wrong outfit, or at least what he considered the wrong outfit. If she wore a shirt that was too low cut, he would pull on the front of it and ask how many men she was flashing her boobs to that day and did they like it. He even had the balls once to come in to the bar and do it right in front of everyone. Bella was so humiliated.
"I don't think he ever hit her, I think he knew if he did there was no way to cover it up, but he sure made it his goal to make her life a living hell." Emmett said, finishing.
"Okay, so I get Victoria and I understand that Officer Harris was his partner once, but what I still don't understand is how he can make things any harder than they already are."
"Eddie boy, dirty cops always stick together, it's like a brotherhood or something. They protect their own, just like the legit ones do. Do you really think that Jared is going to go right back to the station and file his report? Do you really know what he wrote down on that pad, if he will really file anything into evidence? Do you know how easy it would be for him to say there was never a bat?"
The more Emmett talked about it and the more I let it stew in my head, the angrier I got. How could a man do this to the woman he loves? How could a man do this to any woman for that matter? Come hell or high water James would leave Bella alone and I would do whatever it took to make sure of it. There was no way in hell I was about to let him hurt her again, not after all that she had been through and all the progress she had made to get past this. I got up from the couch and started pacing, letting my thoughts get the better of me. It was five minutes before I realized that Emmett had not uttered another word and had left me to my silent fuming.
Not being able to hold it in any longer I gritted out, "Em, so help me if I ever get a hold of him, police officer or not, I'll beat him within an inch of his life. You should have seen Bella launch herself at me when she realized it was me at the door and not him; I had to pry her back just so I could get a look at her to make sure she was okay. The look on her face, the tears in her eyes...man she could have asked for anything and I would have given it to her just to take away that hurt." I shook my head.
I stopped where I was, turned around and gave Emmett a curious look when I realized that he still was not talking. "Em, I think this is the quietest you've ever been, why aren't you babbling on, trying to calm me down or telling me that I need to think this through?"
"Well bro, it occurred to me while we were sitting here and I was confessing all Bella's dark secrets that you weren't yanking my chain when you said you were in for the long haul. I've never seen you wanna be the white knight for any woman, they are usually easy enough for you to move on from, but Bella, you treat her so differently and quite honestly I didn't know what to say. You must have had one hell of a date last night.
"Actually, I did." I said to him looking up and smiling. "Bella and I are officially exclusive."
"Seriously bro? That's awesome. I can't say I saw that coming." He reached out and gave me a high-five.
"To be honest, me either. I mean, she was playful enough when we were having dinner and there iswas no doubt we have some major chemistry, but I still sensed some hesitation from her at times and when I told her I didn't want to share...well let's just say I expected the opposite reaction that I got. Personally I still think she's going to hold back from me and its going to take a while to get her to really fully realize that I won't hurt her, but it's a start right?" I walked over and sat back down on the couch, I was done with my pacing. Just talking about Bella and I had calmed me in a way that nothing ever had.
"Speaking of start," Emmett said with a wicked tone to his voice, "Did you and- "
"Stop right there. You know I'm not going to answer that." I said, giving him a wicked grin of my own. Bella and I were so fresh and new, I was not about to start kissing and telling. But we were men after all and I knew eventually something would have to spill. Emmett wouldn't let me go silent or long. He certainly never did, I had gotten my fair share of an earful about Rose more times than I could count.
"Fine, fine, I'll let it go...for now." Emmett said in his no nonsense tone that always had me cracking up. Any time Emmett was serious about anything it made me laugh, he was just such a humorous fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of guy. "So, what is Bella going to do, I mean about the whole James thing? You know I have your back no matter what you decide." No matter what we had been through growing up, Emmett always had my back. It was comforting to know that he was still here to help me. I had my doubts about Seattle before, but those were all gone now. Between Bella and Emmett I had everything I needed here.
"Well, for one thing I need to make sure she's never alone. Whether it's me, Rose or Alice someone always needs to be with her, at least until James calms down. I felt so much better today driving her into work today, even knowing that Jake would be there with her. At least she's not alone and she promised me she would fill him in so he was aware of what was going on. I know they're friends so he'll keep an eye out. I have to go back up there in an hour or two so I can drive her to the police station and I intend to stay with her the whole time. If what your saying is true then I need to make sure her report did indeed get filed properly and that they aren't going to brush her off."
"Sounds like a good place to start, before you're there, let me make you a list of all the cops that James hangs with. At least you can go in there with a little knowledge as to who your talking too, and tell her when she gets all the car stuff worked out with the police to call me and I'll take care of her SUV."
"Thanks Em, you're a life saver. Let me know what the cost is and I'll get it paid for."
"You know she's not going to go for that right? I tried to do it for free last time and she insisted on paying for , I'm pretty sure her deductible is met now. Yo may not have to worry about it anyway."
"I know she's gonna put up a fight, but it's about time someone started taking care of her for a change, so just let me know if I need to and I'll deal with the wrath of Bella when the time comes."
"Edward, Bella really takes pride in being able to take care of herself now, just remember that when you go about insisting to pay for things okay? Even if you are just trying to take care of her, its taken a while to start feeling proud of herself again."
"I never thought of it that way," I said, feeling pride for my brother. As goofy and rowdy as he could be, sometimes I forgot that deep down he really did care for his own and was constantly looking out for them. It amazed me at how perceptive he was sometimes. "Thanks for the advice and the background Em." I got up to leave, I had some things to do before I picked up Bella and the first on my list was a new security system. There was no way he was getting near that house again.
"You bet bro, call me if you need me." Emmett said as I shut the front door. I had a lot to get done in the next hour and a half and a security system was only one of the things on my list. James was going to regret messing with Bella and I was going to collect enough dirt on him that it was a sure fire bet he would leave her alone.
Well, what do you think? Drop me a line and let me know!
This last chapter eclipsed 100 reviews for me (adranwen) and I was so excited! I never thought I would have so many readers or that anyone would enjoy it as much as they are. So thank you all! You are completely wonderful.
Muah! MB~