a/n No Mike POV this chapter, but there is a different one we've not yet heard from at the end of the chapter. Hope you enjoy it! *ahem* Children, please go locate your parents at this time. All children out of the pool, it's time for some adult swim.

The "purple La Perla things" are the Passion de Fleur baby doll and matching robe on their website. Yay for blueberry!

CHAPTER 7—BLOOD ON THE WALLS

"I can't believe you're leaving me here by myself," Tanya said, pouting. "You're mean."

"Trust me, Tanya, you need to deal with this on your own." Edward's voice was sympathetic. "If anything goes wrong, we've got VIP status with two airlines, and we can be there in a couple of hours."

"Why, though?"

"Because you're going to have too much to worry about with her than you realize," Bella's voice cut in.

"Did you put me on speaker again?"

Edward laughed. "Yep."

"You better hope I don't start talking about things that are inappropriate around your child."

"I'm sure she's heard worse from Emmett," Edward said dryly. "Bella's right, though. Jessica's not going to let Mike off easy. She's never been pleasant, but she's gotten worse with age. She'll dig in her claws. She's obsessed with the idea of being Mrs. Newton and having a husband with a little status."

"Don't say her name." Tanya clenched her teeth.

"Deep breath, Tanya." Edward's voice was encouraging. "You'll do just fine."

"You're just happy I found someone more appealing to me than you," she said, laughing. "So I need to worry about the girlfriend?"

"No." Bella's voice was a little bitter. "Just what she's going to do to Mike and his brain. Poor guy doesn't deserve what she'll dish out. She used to be okay, but yeah, she went nutso or something. You'll need to have all your attention on him. The last thing you need to do is explain why we haven't aged. He won't notice it so much with you."

"Maybe I'll go a little easy on him," she said, studying her fingernails. "I'm going over there later. She's out of town for the weekend."

"Oh, my God, Tanya," Bella said, and she sounded like she was smiling. "You're the other woman."

"Shut up."

"You're the home wrecker. Coming in and breaking up their happy engagement."

Edward burst into hysterics, spluttering out the words, "Happy engagement."

Tanya rolled her eyes and tapped her foot while he laughed. He finally calmed down, but before she could get anything out, Jacob said, "Hey, Hester, did you sew an 'A' to the front of your dress yet?"

Tanya hung up the phone and scowled. Things were so much easier before mass communication.

The phone rang a second later, and she smiled.

"Hello."

"I was afraid you wouldn't answer," Mike said, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "'Fraid you'd have your way with me and never want to see me again."

"Oh, I want to see you again," Tanya said, her lips curling into a smile. "I'd like to see you without any clothes."

"That can be arranged."

Tanya laughed, and her mind flashed over images of the night before. He'd been amazing. They'd made love again before he'd left this morning, when he'd first woken up. She knew men were more aroused when they first woke up, but she hadn't experienced anything like that before.

All night long, Tanya breathed in Mike's overwhelming scent. Over the last two weeks, Edward had pressed the importance of doing this—it was the only way he hadn't killed the woman who would later marry him and birth his child.

His words, not hers.

Around six, Mike's phone beeped to wake him for work. His body, which hadn't moved in two hours, sixteen minutes, and forty-seven seconds, suddenly shifted violently toward the sound. He seized his phone, pushed something to silence it, then rolled back. She'd expected him to go back to sleep, but he'd grabbed her by the waist, surprising her. His hands immediately went between her legs, finding her already ready.

"Fuck," he muttered, and with a groan, he pushed himself, hard, into her. She squealed with delight when, wasting no time, he started slamming into her. Half expecting him to finish immediately, she was delighted and shocked when he went for a full eight and a half minutes, making her come twice alone before once more with him.

It was a mind-blowing experience, after which his phone went off again and, laughing, he rolled over and reached for his shirt. She lay on her back, knees still spread, unable to move. Her mouth hung open slightly, and he smirked when he glanced back at her.

"Good morning, baby," he said, winking.

"Oh, darling," she said, grinning, feeling her succubus charm seeping unintentionally from every pore, "you're just not real."

He burst into laughter before slapping a hand over his mouth and glancing sheepishly at the door. "Can they hear us?"

"No." Tanya stretched her arms leisurely over her head. "They left last night."

"Thank God," he said, jumping into his khaki cargo shorts. "No offence, but the last thing I want right now is for your fucking cousin to see me do a walk of shame." He winked again.

"More like a walk of pride," she laughed.

Dressed, he kneeled down next to her, leaning down on his elbows to be closer to her face. "Come to my place tonight," he begged, suddenly a teenage boy after his first lay.

She was nervous. She'd never been to his house before, and now she knew why. "She won't come back early?" Tanya asked bitterly.

Mike's eyes narrowed. "She is out of the state. The earliest she could come back is tomorrow morning at noon. She'll be too drunk to get up that early, so she won't be back until late tomorrow night, maybe Monday morning."

"She sounds like a delightful girl," Tanya said, raising her eyebrows.

Mike frowned. "I don't really wanna talk about it right now, baby. I'm sorry. I just wanna be with you." He buried his face in her neck, pressing soft kisses against her. "Please?"

She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Anything for you, champ," she said, and she laughed when he pecked kisses all over her face. "Have a good day at work." She twined her fingers in his blonde hair. "Sell shit. Make money."

"Five more minutes," he said, grinning up at her. "I'm not done with you yet. Keep your hands there, doll. Gotta make sure you know how… appreciative I am for last night."

Her first thought was, Oh, God, he was trying to kill her. Her second thought was, Thank God everybody left last night.

"Tanya?" Mike's voice broke into her memory. "Hello-ooo."

"Sorry." She may as well screw with him a little. "I was just thinking about something."

"What?" His voice dropped a little.

"This morning." She headed upstairs. "Both things. Best night and morning ever."

There had to be a big goofy grin on his face right now. His voice was giddy. "Really?"

"Yeah, really," she replied, laughing. "Well done, stud."

"I am a stud," he said proudly. "Maybe it's just you, and you've never been fucked properly."

"I hope your employees can't hear you."

"Naw, I'm in the office with the door closed and the shade down." There was the sound of something shuffling. "Kid's out on the floor. So what are you up to?"

"Cleaning the Ducati," she said, and she glanced back at Bella's black motorcycle. "I promised Bella I would. It's her baby."

"Bella rides a motorcycle?" Mike's voice was incredulous, and a little concerned.

"Yes, why?"

"Bella's not the most coordinated person in the world," he said seriously. "She could really hurt herself."

Tanya burst out laughing, unable to stop. She sometimes forgot how clumsy her cousin had been as a human. "Well, it was that or the Ferrari. She can hide behind a helmet on her bike, but everybody sees who's driving the sexy red car."

"Yeah, makes sense," Mike said, laughing. "She's pretty low key."

"Low maintenance, too," Tanya said. "She's got a fucking Ferrari and she never drives it."

"Sacrilege." Mike's voice was teasing. "Such a shame. So glad you're not like that, sugar."

"Oh, no, I'm just a simple girl who happens to think Manolo Blahnick and Prada look pretty."

"Prada?"

"Yes, you've probably heard of it." She grinned. "Have you heard of La Perla?"

"No."

"Google it right now."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

She heard him start typing, and a minute later he let out a low whistle. "Damn," he said appreciatively. "Hot stuff."

"Bella's got a shopping abuse problem when it comes to La Perla," Tanya said. "She tends to drag me down with her."

"Yeah, I would have been fine without that first part."

"Hey, she's got good taste," Tanya defended. "You'll see."

"I'm sure."

"I'm heading over to your house right now. I was really hungry, so I already ate." She smiled, recalling the violent hunt she's gone on after he'd left.

"That's fine," Mike said. "I'll swing by the diner, pick on Bella's dad for a few minutes if he's around. Take your time."

Once she was off the phone, Tanya shot around, gathering everything she'd need. Candles, purple La Perla things, and a few other odds and ends were put into a bag, and she raced down to the garage.

An hour later, everything was ready. Candles were lit, and Tanya sat on the edge of the bed in a long robe that went down to her ankles, where her were cased in black Jimmy Choos that laced up her calves. He'd see that when the robe came off.

She heard the roar of his car from down the street, and anxiously jiggled her foot. She put her hands flat behind her and leaned on her arms, jutting her chest out, when she heard the front door open.

"Baby?" She heard his keys drop onto a table. "Where are you?"

"In here," she called, and her sensitive ears picked up the sound of his heartbeat increase slightly, and his feet pause for a brief increment before turning toward the sound of her voice. They got closer and closer until they paused outside the bedroom door. Then the knob turned and he opened the door, stepping inside.

"Welcome home, honey," Tanya said, smiling coyly. "How was your day."

He laughed. "Jesus, baby," he said, taking a step toward her and crossing his arms. "I could get used to this."

She smiled coyly at him before standing up and walking slowly toward him. She tugged him toward her by his belt. He left his arms crossed and just grinned at her.

"Did you have a good day?"

"No," he said seriously.

Tanya frowned. Would he not be in the mood? "What happened?"

The grin was back. "Well, some lady called me in the middle of the day and got me all riled up talking about her underwear."

Tanya's mouth fell open a little, then she started laughing. "You asshole," she giggled. "I thought you'd really had a bad day."

Mike raised his hands so that he could cup her face and tilt it toward him. "You shouldn't call people names," he said softly, his hot breath fanning her face and making her dizzy, and a little thirsty. She gulped. "It's not nice. Now take your robe off."

Tanya's fingers moved to the tie, her face still in his hands and her eyes still on his. She let him back her up, moaning softly when he pressed his lips to hers and reached to her shoulders to help her shove the silk robe to the floor before shoving her back against the bed. She lay on her back, her knees bent and spread at the edge of the bed. He stared down at her for a long time before glancing toward where she'd left her bag. A grin stretched across his face, and he stepped over.

"This is nice," he said, pulling something out.

Oh, God. "It's Hermes," she said, her voice weak.

He was folding it as he walked slowly toward her, the sound of his shoes on the hardwood almost foreboding. Stopping in front of where she lay, Mike reached down to tug her up by the hand, and she let him.

He cupped her face in his hands again. "Do you trust me?" he asked quietly.

"Yes." Did she? "Yes," she said again.

She knew it was coming, and she braced herself for it. His hands let go of her, and he was staring into her eyes when he disappeared from view. When he pushed her back against the bed, she felt herself shaking a little with anticipation.

Then he stepped away.

She started to sit up, but he quickly turned and held her down. "Stay put," he ordered quietly.

Well, yes, sir.

Tanya was grateful for her sensitive hearing as she lay still on the bed, her legs still spread, on her back. She could hear him remove his shoes, and the sound of each button slowly pulling through its hole. Even more slowly, he slid his shirt off. She could see him in her mind's eye, see him in his black slacks and an undershirt. There was a soft click that she recognized as the sound of the clasp on his watch, then a little clink when he set it down. He stepped toward her again, and stood unmoving for about thirty more seconds. She was just about to say something to him when his hands reached for her wrists and pinned them above her head.

"Do you know how fucking sexy you look right now?" he growled into her ear, and she shuddered. "Lying on my bed with your legs spread, and I can see right up that thing. Take it off. I want to see you."

He was so delightfully bossy. Her stomach clenched again, and she wondered what he would tell her to do next as she pulled off the little baby doll. She heard his sharp intake of breath that hailed the falling of his eyes on the thong that matched the baby doll and the robe.

"Fuck," he whispered. "Put your heals on the edge of the bed." She did as she was told, feeling strangely submissive at the moment, and wondering vaguely what that meant. He rested his hands on her knees and spread them, his own knees holding her feet in place. He kept going until her knees touched the bed, then gently, from neck to ankles, ran his open palm down her body.

She was water. She was shapeless, formless, barely existent. Physically present but her mind was occupied elsewhere. She heard him talking to her, and she followed his instructions and the pressure of his hands.

Onto her front. Butt raised up for him to pull down her panties. Shoes still on. On her hands and knees.

He ordered her to scream, to beg him for what she wanted. The words came out in a torrent, in a rapid flow of whitewater words that were jumbled and barely coherent. Please. There. More.

Harder.

Faster.

She begged, he delivered. And oh, did he deliver…

The first time she went over, his hands were everywhere. It was like he was some god with the ability to stimulate everything, and with his hands on her breasts and between her legs, his mouth at her neck and ears, she fell, wordless and whimpering, over the edge.

The second time, she was on her back, and he'd removed the blindfold. He ordered her to look at him, and her eyes trained on his, only straying to watch his body work. Her ankles were raised above and behind her head while he knelt in front of her, working like a piston, back and forth, in and out. His hands were braced behind his back, and he used his arms to push himself forward.

The final time, she knelt, raised, on her knees in front of him, while he molded to her from behind. Together, they worked in tandem and she went limp in his arms, which suddenly felt very strong and protective, despite the fact that she could easily overpower him.

She was nothing. Floating in an abyss of bright pleasure. Water, again.

"Baby?" Mike's voice echoed through her glittering paradise. "Tanya? Come back to me, honey. Come on…"

She blinked. Mike was hovering over her, looking concerned. She blinked again. So strange. Just like the first time—like she'd passed out.

"Hey." He smiled down at her. "Where'd you go?"

"On vacation," she said, giggling.

"Did ya have fun?"

"Oh, yes," she said. "This beautiful man showed up and made love to me and made me lose my mind."

Mike burst out laughing, collapsing onto his side next to her. His chest was covered in a sheen of sweat, and he smelled delicious.

But not delicious… Strange.

"How are you not sweating at all?" he asked, running his hot hand down her icy side.

She shuddered. "Bad circulation," she said. "A genetic condition."

Mike frowned. "But you're healthy, right?"

"Oh, darling, I'm just fine," Tanya said, laughing. "I'm not going anywhere. It's not that kind of condition."

"Good." Mike rolled closer to her, and pressed his lips against her shoulder and back. "'Cause I like you, lady."

Tanya laughed, and they lay together for a long time, just laughing.

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One Month Later

"Fuck you in the asshole!"

Alice frowned over the top of her latest issue of Italian Vogue at Emmett, where he stood in front of the couch, game controller in hand, glaring in disbelief at the plasma TV. The night would have been quiet, but Emmett had decided not to go hunting with the others, staying back with Alice, Jasper, and Esme, while Carlisle worked.

Jasper laughed. "Oh, and now I'm going to rip out your guts… there! Ha ha! I'm killing you ever so slowly."

Fake blood spurted out of a video character's intestines. Alice rolled her eyes and went back to her magazine. Only vampires would get this big of a kick out of blood and carnage…

A body lay in the middle of an unfamiliar hallway, facedown and still. Not breathing. Dead. Blood pooled around the head, down the neck. Blood was trailing down the short hall to a bedroom. A bit of blood dripped ominously from the corner of a heavy, antique wooden table. This was probably what the head had impacted. Fresh red blood streaked down the wall, and bloody finger trails were evident on the floor, as well.

Blood drying in place, pooling in others, clotted and sour…

"There's blood everywhere," Alice whispered, her eyes out of focus still. She wasn't seeing Jasper, but that strange hallway and the human, facedown and bleeding.

"What's wrong, Alice?" Jasper was shaking her, but she was still in the hall. "What do you see?" His voice was calm, full of authority.

"Blood everywhere. A body, in a hall. I couldn't tell where."

"Who was it, Alice?"

"I don't know." Alice's eyes slid back into focus. "I didn't see a face. It was a woman, I think. Maybe."

"That's all you saw?"

"Yes."

Jasper frowned. "Well, if you didn't see anything else, there's not a whole lot we can do." Jasper kissed her forehead and ran out the front door. She glanced at his immediate future and saw him telling Edward what Alice had seen.

They flew back in not two minutes later, and as he got closer, Edward could see her memory. The body. The hall.

The blood.

He recognized things that she did not.

There was nothing to be done, he said. He'd noticed a detail she had missed—a clock radio, flashing the time. Two minutes ago, in another time zone. By now, it would be over.

"So much blood," Alice whispered again.

a/n I say nothing else. Exercise patience, young padawan. Leave your Master a review.