~WARNING~ if you can handle this chapter don't continue to read. This is just the tip of the iceberg of the fuckery in this story.

Thanks to toocute24 and teamalltwilight. Both Sobhian and I thank you ladies very much for all your hard work!

"Hey, Jake," I said uncomfortably. "Um...what are you doing here?"

Seeing Jake again only brought on an onslaught of memories that I wasn't prepared for.

James had been excited to introduce me to his cousin, who was coming to visit him in Arizona. I didn't particularly want to share James, even if it was for his own family, but like the good girlfriend that I was, I sucked it up and put on a smile that I didn't really mean.

That first night Jake stayed with us, and he and James spent the night in front of the television, while I did their beer runs to the fridge when they would run out. I asked to go up to James' room early for the night, but instead, James pulled me down into his lap, snuggled my head underneath his chin, and wrapped his arms around me possessively.

"You got yourself a good girl there, cousin," I heard Jake say, tipping his beer to James.

James just chuckled and squeezed me a little harder. "She's perfect."

"Not a bad mark there on her collarbone either," he noticed. "You make her show it off?"

I could hear the burning curiosity behind his words, but I was a little peeved that he didn't just talk to me outright. I was sitting less than a foot away from him, after all.

"Make her?" James asked laughing out right. "No. This little girl loves wearing my marks on her proudly. She knows who she belongs to."

"Well, I'm glad you finally found a bitch who knows her place," Jake said, laughing right along.

James' praise bounced around inside my mind and I couldn't help but grin smugly and proudly. I could hear the pride he had for me in his voice, and feel it in his touch. He was proud of me. That's why he kept me here with them, instead of allowing me to go to bed early. Even Jake's words couldn't bring me down from the high that I was on, because of James' words alone.

After that my mind wandered, and the last thing I heard was their beer bottles clanking together once more, as I finally succumbed to the darkness.

"That's my mom," Jake said pointing to Sue, bringing me back from my trip down memory lane.

"Oh, small world," I said slouching back into my seat.

Jake studied me for a couple of moments before recognition dawned on his tanned skin. "Oh! Your Charlie's Bella! I was wondering why you were here," he said, shaking his head.

"How do the two of you know each other?" Sue asked.

"Oh, she's James' girlfriend," he said as if it was a known fact.

Charlie's eyes grew wide and Leah let out a quiet laugh. This was going to be one interesting family dinner.

"Cousin James?" Sue asked as Jake made his plate.

"Yeah. Bella and I met over the new year when I went down to Phoenix."

"Bella, did your mother know how old James was?" she asked as I felt all eyes on me.

All I did was shrug, because I wasn't going to say his age out loud while I was within arms reach of my Dad.

"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?" my dad growled. "I get that James is your ex-boyfriend, Bella, but what is he to you?" my dad asked Sue.

"My nephew," she said as my dad sat down.

"Okay, and what's the deal with his age?" Charlie asked, taking a drink of his beer.

"Um..." Sue said looking at me.

"Look, it's no big deal. James and I aren't together anymore," I said, trying to avoid the conversation completely.

"He's twenty-five!" Paul said, making me cringe. "That's kinda old for you, isn't it?"

"Mind your own business," I said, clenching my jaw.

"Twenty-five? You started dating him when you were fifteen! Did your mother know?" Charlie said, getting loud.

"Oh my god! Just get over it! I'm over James, can we move on now?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"Can I talk to you outside?" Charlie asked, pushing away from the table.

"Charlie, you need to calm down," Sue said, going after him.

I rolled my eyes again, but stayed put. Going out there now would not solve anything. No. It was better to let Charlie blow off some steam first, and then try to talk to him as soon as he calmed down a little bit.

"Aren't you going to out there?" Seth asked, sitting up slightly in his chair in an attempt to see out the window.

"Hell no! Did you see the veins in his neck pop out? I'm not that stupid," I said as I ate some potatoes.

Sue was a pretty damn good cook.

"I talked to James today," Jake said as I nodded.

Really? What was I supposed to say to that? Of course they would talk. They were cousins. But what did that have to do with me? Deciding that he wasn't exactly looking for an answer as much as he was looking for a reaction, I kept my face neutral and continued to eat.

"He's pretty torn up over you."

"So, our parents are getting married. That's some crazy stuff," I said, trying to change the subject.

"I knew it was only a matter of time," Leah said. "He asked all of us for our blessing like six months ago."

"Bella!"

I groaned loudly as my dad's voice rang into the kitchen.

"I'm going to the mall tomorrow. Wanna go?" I asked Leah.

"By yourself?" she asked.

I noticed that Seth looked really uncomfortable.

"No, I'm going with friends from school."

"You've been here a day!" she exclaimed with a laugh.

"So? They're pretty cool. I stayed at their house last night," I said, obviously shocking her. "Do you want to go?"

"What time?"

"I have no clue. I just know we're going."

"Bella! Now!" Charlie yelled.

Sue looked fairly relaxed when I made it to the porch, but my dad was pacing across the front.

"Did your mother know?" Sue asked as I stepped outside.

Charlie continued to pace, but would throw me a glare every once in a while.

"Not at first, no," I said as Charlie looked up in surprise. "She thought he was seventeen and I never told her the truth. I don't even think she knows, now," I said with a shrug.

"I can't believe this!" Charlie said, throwing his hands in the air.

"Dad, everything is okay now. I'm here," I said, rolling my eyes.

"So what happens when he shows up for the wedding?" Charlie asked as Sue and I stared at one another.

"He'll probably bring his girlfriend," I said.

I really didn't understand why people were so upset over this.

"How do you know he'll have a girlfriend by then," Sue asked.

"Because he already has one."

"How do you know?" Sue asked again.

"He told me," I said exasperated. "Look, he's my friend, but I don't think we'll ever be together..."

"Damn straight you won't be together. He beat you up! Why would you even want to be friends with him?" Charlie asked.

"I really don't want to talk about this. James and I are over," I said, suddenly really wanting a cigarette. "I'll even have a date for your wedding if it makes you feel better."

"James had a really rough upbringing. I'm not trying to make excuses for him, but he's my family, Charlie. What happened to Bella was awful, but she's away from him now," Sue said as my phoned beeped.

It was a text from Edward that immediately put a smile on my face.

Miss you.

"You're right, the past is in the past. Let's just move forward and worry about James when the time comes," Charlie said, rubbing his hand over his face.

"Dad, I like it better here. I have friends, and I guess I'll have siblings now. I even asked Leah if she wanted to go to the mall tomorrow with Rose, Alice, and me," I said as he smiled.

"I think that's great," Sue said. "Are you talking about the Cullen kids?"

"Yeah," I said with a smile. Sue smiled at Charlie and for some reason I knew everything was going to be okay.

After the drama was over, the rest of dinner went smoothly. Leah seemed to be cool enough and the boys were typical boys. I couldn't imagine having such a big family. My life was changing and I was definitely nervous. Everything seemed to be okay, though, so I was fine with the changes. Leah and I were in her room hanging out when Rose called to ask about the mall. I told her that I could go, and that I would probably be back over later on. I also told her that Leah was going to go with us, and she was cool with that. Rose was very laid back, and I liked her a lot better than Alice. It was hard to believe that she, Alice, and Edward were all related.

After awhile, Charlie and I left to head home. I asked him if I could stay at the Cullens for another night, and he didn't care. He said he had to go into work anyway. He left a few minutes after we arrived home and I went to my room and called Edward. I knew I needed to tell him about James, and I knew it was going to be a fight. Any thoughts of James showing up here would drive Edward crazy. I sat on my bed and stared at my phone. It was hard to tell Edward, but there was no getting around it.

I sighed out loud and quickly dialed his number; better now than later, right?

"Hey, baby. When are you coming over? Do you want me to just come get ya?" Edward said as I smiled.

"Yeah, I'm just getting some things together. Um...there's something I need to tell you," I said taking a deep breath.

"Fuck! Is it always going to be like this with you?"

I was momentarily shocked by his tone and accusation. "Like what?"

"Am I always going to be pissed off?" he asked.

"No. I'm pretty sure you'll want to end us before it even starts," I said as I started to cry.

"You talked to him again, didn't you?" he yelled.

"NO!" I said quickly. "But, it does have to do with James," I explained as I heard Edward breathing heavily into the phone. "James is Sue's nephew. My dad asked her to marry him tonight. James will most likely be at the wedding," I said as I waited for a response.

"Be ready and waiting when I get there. I'm leaving now," he said with venom dripping from his voice.

I quickly got ready and waited for Edward to show. I was just happy that he was still willing to come and get me. It showed me that he wasn't giving up.

I heard his sleek car before I saw it, the breaks squealing in protest as he came to an abrupt halt in front of my house. For a moment I was completely terrified of the man staring back at me through the windshield. I couldn't even see the green from his narrowed eyes, and his lips were stuck in a permanent scowl. A part of me wanted to run back inside the house, bolt the door, and just wait for his anger to pass. If my experience with these types of guys taught me anything, it was that running would only bring out their hunting instinct, and I would be the prey.

Without removing his hands from the steering wheel, he jerked his head to the passenger side of the car, telling me silently to get my ass in there. The white of his knuckles stood out prominently, even from as far away as I was. I knew that at any moment he was going to snap. It was best if he did it in the safety of his own home, and not out here where people could see. Snapping out of my daze, I stumbled my way quickly to the car, throwing myself in before he could drive off with me half in and half out.

Before the door could shut, Edward was tearing his way out of the driveway, forcing the door to slam shut on its own as he spun the car around in the direction he needed. I fumbled slightly, trying to get the seat belt across my chest as I heard Edward taking deep, deliberate breaths. He was angry, and rightly so, but it shouldn't be with me. It couldn't be with me, could it? I told him the truth. Immediately. He had to know! It wasn't something that I could just hope would never come to a head. I would never keep something this big from Edward. I just couldn't tell, though. Was he angry with me? Or at the situation? Calming Edward down was the only thing I could do at that point, but how was I supposed to go about that?

"Edward-" I started.

"Don't!" he snapped, cutting me off.

I looked at him closely as the fading sun settled onto the side of his face, bringing out his features. His nostrils were flared and his hands still gripped the steering wheel tightly. His eyes were hard and narrowed, his lips pursed like he had a bad taste in his mouth. He had never looked more beautiful to me than in that moment.

Hoping that I wasn't stepping out of line, I reached over and gently pried his right hand away from the wheel. He shot me a quick glance, shocking me with the intensity of his gaze: fear being the most dominant emotion on his face in that split second. Still, he allowed me to remove his hand and cradle it in my own. I played with his fingers idly, keeping my focus down at our hands in my lap. I was trying to understand what I had just seen. I vaguely registered that his breathing was beginning to even out and I hoped that the worst had passed, but I seriously doubted it.

I looked up just in time to see us pulling into the driveway of his house. There were no other cars, but I knew that didn't mean anything. I just hoped his siblings knew better than to interfere with whatever Edward was about to do. I didn't want them to make this worse than it already was, but more importantly, I wanted to prove something. I wanted to show Edward and his sisters that I could handle him at his worst, and take whatever it was that he gave me.

As soon as the car was parked, he was out of the door, ripping his hand from mine. I felt the loss of his warm fingers immediately, and watched anxiously as he stalked to my side of the car. Without warning, he tore open the door and leaned over to unbuckle the seat belt that I forgotten I had around me. His fingers were fast and efficient as they worked, and before I could do or say anything, he grabbed me by my upper arms roughly, forcing me out of the car as well. His grip was painful, but I couldn't concentrate on that. Without even shutting the car door, he dragged me up the steps, causing me to stumble and fall a couple times,and cursing my clumsy feet as we went. He never let up on his stride, though. When I would fall, he would lift me back up roughly before continuing on, practically dragging me behind him.

"Edward, wait!" I begged, as we walked through the front door.

"Shut up!" he growled, not stopping.

I looked around the room frantically, praying that his parents weren't home. Instead, I was met with the wide open, frightened eyes of two other people. One pair blue and the other dark brown: his sisters. With my attention on them, I somehow managed to fall to my knees again as Edward tried to force me up the stairs, not even acknowledging the two witnesses in the room with us. The bottom of the stair managed to snag my pant leg, ripping it clean through, and causing me to scrape my knee. I hissed in pain and tried to get back up.

"Fuck, Edward!" I complained, as he exhaled loudly, gripping me under my arms to pick me up once again.

"Don't do this, Edward!" I begged as we finally made it up the stairs. "We need to talk about this!"

His answer was to throw me to the floor, locking the bedroom door quickly behind him. I knew better than to get up. Instead, I turned so that I was sitting on my bottom, my knees drawn up to my chest. I had never seen him this angry before and it was new to me. My heart was racing in anticipation, but something didn't feel right. I loved a good fight, but not like this; not when it was going to be over something that was non-existent to me. We could, and hopefully would, fight over anything and everything, but not James; he was too much of a sore subject for the both of us. I stared up at Edward as he towered over me, willing him to see the truth in my eyes. He opened his mouth to speak at the exact same moment someone began banging on his bedroom door.

"Edward!" Rosalie screamed. "Open the door this instant! You're going to fucking ruin everything!"

I'm sure my eyes looked like they were following a tennis match with the way they bounced from Edward to the door and back again. Edward had his eyes shut tight, and his fists were clenched at his sides. I felt the blood rush from my face as I realized what was happening. They were making it worse!

"Dammit, Edward!" Alice yelled, banging harder against the wood. "Don't fucking do this! Don't hurt her! You know who her dad is and you know what he's capable of doing if you break her!"

That caused me to look back at Edward in horror. If he broke me? Oh my God, they were talking about my nose. I really didn't want any broken bones. Without waiting to see his reaction to my thoughts, I crawled the couple of feet to the door and hit it with my open palm.

"Get the fuck away from the door," I growled. "I have this."

I turned back to Edward just as I heard Rosalie mumble that she was calling Emmett. I wasn't afraid of the girls. They couldn't get in the room even if they tried. Emmett on the other hand...I wouldn't put it past him to break down the door. We didn't have much time.

Damn! Another cliffy. Lol! Thanks for reading and all of your reviews! Join jess2002 fanfic group on face book, link is on my profile. There are a tone of recs on there along with teasers.

See you next Friday!