WARNING!

We own nothing but the plot.

A month after Edward and I had been married, I found myself waking through the door of our home, only to stop short when I saw what was in front of me: a dirty house… again. The whole 'being married and living together' thing was a lot harder than I ever thought it would be. Edward was a lazy son-of-a-bitch and that was something I hadn't known about him before. He didn't do anything! Heaven forbid he pick his clothes up off the floor or wash a fucking cup out when he was done with it. I understood that I was the woman of the house, but he sat at home doing nothing all day long! I went to school all day, came home, cleaned up the mess that he had made throughout the day, try to cook some kind of dinner, and then stayed up late into the night studying. Of course, this would only piss him off because he wasn't getting the attention he wanted.

"You're fucking late again," Edward snapped as he rounded the corner, looking pointedly at the clock on the wall.

If I was a cartoon character at that moment, steam would be coming out of my ears. As it was, I was sure my face was bright red with anger.

"What the fuck do you want me to do!" I yelled as I picked up an empty soda can off the table and hurled it at him.

"Throw one more fucking thing at me, I dare you!" he yelled back.

I knew I was pushing his buttons, but I was beyond pissed, so I picked up a dirty plate and threw it at him like a frisbee. He moved off the wall as I sprinted into the kitchen. Why I ran, I don't know. I stood at one end of the dining room table shielding myself from him at the other.

"When I get my hands on you, I'm going to fucking hurt you," he said through clenched teeth.

It would have been smart to apologize, or beg for forgiveness, or plead insanity, but at that point, I was past all rational thought.

"You do nothing all day long! I come home from school to a house that looks like scum-bag central! It's a lose-lose situation for me! You bitch because the house is dirty, or bitch because you don't get enough attention! I can't fucking win with you!" I yelled, throwing my hands in the air.

"You need to manage your time better then," he said, making me see red.

I briskly walked around the table and, without a second thought, slapped him across the face. The next thing I knew, I was on my back with Edward's hand wrapped tightly around my neck.

"Don't you EVER hit me again," he yelled in my face.

As I struggled to breathe, I kicked my leg up, hitting him in the nuts. He quickly let go of my neck as he fell to the floor. I wanted to run, but my guilt at hurting him had my feet glued to the floor.

"Cunt," he grunted.

I knew then that running was my best option.

"I'm so sorry," I said as I started to take off to the other room.

Before I could even take a step, though, he grabbed ahold of my ankle and I fell onto the floor. I just knew that this was the moment where he would break me - physically and emotionally. After a minute, he was pretty much over the nut kick he received, so he pulled on my ankle and moved me across the kitchen floor.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I didn't mean it, I swear," I said as I started to cry. "Baby, I'm so, so, sorry."

He pulled back his left hand and I knew what was coming next. The impact was hard, and I felt his ring cut the corner of my eye. My hand went immediately to my face as Edward stood and walked out, leaving me on the kitchen floor. My face hurt so badly, and I could feel the blood starting to pool in my hand. I'm so fucking twisted, that the first thought that ran through my mind was that I hoped I could cover the mark for Charlie's wedding. I slowly got up and grabbed a towel from the kitchen drawer. When I moved my hand, I thought I was going to be sick. My whole palm was covered in blood.

"Edward!" I shrieked as I started to shake. "Edward, I need you!"

There was a lot of blood. I held the clean towel to my face and went to find Edward since he wasn't coming to me. I found him in the bedroom, pacing like a mad man.

"Get the fuck away from me right now," he said without looking at me.

"I think I need to go to the hospital," I said as his head quickly shot up. His eyes grew big as I showed him my blood covered palm.

"Oh my god, baby. What happened?" he asked as he quickly came to me.

"I think your ring did it," I cried as he checked out my face.

"I'm so sorry. I think you need stitches," he said as I nodded in agreement.

He quickly threw on a pair of shoes and helped me into a pair of flip flops.

"It hurts so bad," I cried as he quickly drove me to the hospital.

"I know, we are almost there," he said as he rubbed his hand up leg. "I love you so much, baby."

"I love you, too," I said with a sniffle.

I laid my head back against the seat, and I could feel the blood start to soak through the towel.

"Edward, I don't feel so good."

"We're at the hospital, baby," he said as a wave of nausea came over me.

Edward rushed to my side of the car, and as soon as he had the door opened I threw up, almost on his feet.

"Fuck," he half yelled as he pushed my hair out of the way.

When I was done, I wiped my mouth on my sleeve and he slowly picked me up. I rested my head on his shoulder and held the towel to my face, closing my eyes.

"My wife's hurt," I heard Edward's frantic voice.

"What happened?" I heard a woman's voice ask.

"I don't know, I wasn't in the room," he said quickly. "But she just got sick in the parking lot."

"Right this way," the lady said as I kept my eyes closed.

My head was starting to pound by the time I felt the cushion of a gurney hit my back. "Ma'am, what's your name?" the nurse asked.

"Isabella Cullen," I said as Edward held my hand.

"Good, can you tell me what happened?" she asked as she pulled the towel away to look at my face.

"Um...I was getting a square platter out of the cupboard when I lost my grip on it, and it hit me in the face," I said.

"That must have been a very sharp edge," she said.

I could tell by the tone of her voice that she didn't believe me, but that was my story and I was sticking to it.

"I heard the crash and ran to the kitchen. When I saw the blood, I brought her right in," Edward said, sounding more believable than I did.

"Okay, put this ice pack on you face and I'll be right back," she said just before I heard a door shut.

"Baby, I'm so sorry," Edward said again as he sat next to me.

It made me feel even worse that he was apologizing to me, when I was the one that started the fight in the first place. I shouldn't have pissed him off so much.

"It's okay, I shouldn't have hit you," I said crying again.

"I'll do more around the house, I promise. I love you, baby, and I don't want to lose you," he said with tears in his eyes.

"You will never lose me, Edward. It was an accident," I said as he kissed my lips. "I love you."

"Oh, baby, I love you, too," he said wiping my tears away.

A doctor, two nurses, and a police officer walked in to the room a little while later, and my heart started to race.

"Mr. Cullen, can you come with me please?" the nurse asked.

"Why?" Edward asked as the doctor looked at my face.

"We need you to fill out some paperwork," she said kindly.

"Will you be okay for a minute?" he asked as I gripped his hand.

"Why is there an officer here?" I asked, wanting to know.

"Isabella, can you tell me what happened?" the doctor asked.

"A platter fell on my face," I huffed, annoyed.

Surely the nurse had already filled him in.

"Bella, calm down," Edward said. "Everything is going to be okay. I'm going to go with the nurse, but I'll be right back," he said, kissing me sweetly.

"Mrs. Cullen, I'm Officer O'Mally. Did your husband do this to you?" he asked as I stared at him in disgust.

"No! He has never laid a hand on me, ever!"

My heart was racing and I could feel a blush begin to spread across my face. I only hoped they would think it was in anger, and not because I was lying. I didn't understand, though. Surely accidents like this happened all the time, right? Why would they feel the need to investigate this further?

"There is bruising around your neck, how did that get there?" the doctor asked as he examined the side of my neck.

That's why. Fuck! I didn't even think about the bruising there. Otherwise I would have worn something to cover it up.

"That is nobody's business," I said, wincing as the doctor pushed around the gash with his fingers.

"Mrs. Cullen, if you don't tell us what happened, I'm going to arrest your husband," O'Mally said, making me laugh.

"My father is the Chief of Police in this town so don't threaten me," I said as his face paled.

"You're Charlie's daughter?" another nurse asked.

"Yes, now just fix me up so I can go home," I said between clenched teeth.

"I'll be back," the officer said as he stepped out of the room.

I relaxed slightly when he left, but I knew without a doubt that he would be back, just as he promised.

"Isabella, we are going to need to do an x-ray of your face to make sure there aren't any fractures," the doctor said as he started to clean the cut.

"I'm fine," I insisted.

"This injury is very close to your eye, and an x-ray is a must in order to ensure there is no bone damage," he said as he cleaned the blood off my face.

I decided that not fighting would get me out of the hospital a lot quicker, and I just wanted to go home, so I agreed.

"Please tell me how you got the bruising around your neck. I'm a doctor. I promise you I have heard it all before."

"It's not anyone's business," I said again as the nurse started to get impatient.

Making a quick decision, I looked from the rude nurse back to the doctor, who was actually being very kind.

"I'll tell you if she leaves," I bargained.

I watched as the doctor nodded his head toward the door, and the nurse left without a word. At least that got her out of here.

"I like to be choked during sex," I said as I blushed.

"You need to be careful with erotic asphyxiation," he said, making me gasp.

"There's a name for it?"

That would be good to know for the future, I'm sure.

"Yes, and it can be very dangerous. I would highly advise against it. It can cause permanent damage to your trachea as well as other serious issues," he said as he applied dermabond to my face.

"I didn't know that," I said.

"Did your husband do this to your face?" he asked gently.

With this doctor, I didn't feel like he was judging me or jumping to conclusions the way everyone else here was. Sure, they were dead on, but that didn't make it right for them to judge me or my husband without getting all the facts first.

"No. He has never laid a hand on me. My father is a police officer; Edward wouldn't dare raise a hand to me," I said with a chuckle.

"Smart boy," the doctor said. "If something was ever to happen, and you found yourself in an abusive situation, there are ways to get out, you know."

"My father has been telling me this since I started dating," I said sincerely.

"Okay, kiddo. You are all fixed up, I'm just going to go order the x-ray, okay? You should be out of here within the hour," he said, raising up the head of the bed. "Do you have a headache?"

"Yeah, and it's getting worse."

"Are you having any blurred vision?"

"At first I did, but not anymore."

"Okay, hold tight and someone will come and get you shortly. Keep the ice on your face," he said, gently placing the ice pack on my face. "It will help with any bruising or swelling."

Once he left the room, I laid my head back and closed my eyes. I felt so tired and everything that had happened was making my head spin. I should have kept myself in check with Edward, especially knowing his temper first hand. I wish I would have never raised my hand to him. It was so wrong and disrespectful of me, no matter how angry I was, or how much I felt like I was in the right. If I would've kept my hands to myself, none of this would have happened. I knew Edward was going to be beating himself up over everything, but I was hoping he understood that I didn't blame him. Edward and I were meant for each other. I loved and needed him so much, and even though I was sure that I would be in the emergency room again, it didn't bother me. This was who Edward was, and I loved him for that.

Thinking about my face reminded me that Charlie and Sue's wedding was coming up quickly, and I was hoping that my face didn't look too horrible. I was sure that I would be able to cover everything with makeup, though, so that was good. Everything was set in stone for the ceremony, so we were just waiting for the day to come. Leah told me that James would be here the day before the wedding. Now that I was married, I was hoping that Edward would show some trust in me.

"How are you feeling, baby?" Edward asked as he walked back into the little room.

"I have a headache and I just want to go to bed," I said with a yawn. "I told them that the bruises on my neck were from sex," I whispered.

"Yeah, I told them the same thing. I guess great minds do think alike," he said before kissing me. "I'm so sorry, baby."

"Don't beat yourself up over it. I deserved it," I said as he kissed me again.

"Get away from my daughter!" Charlie screamed as I heard the door fly open and bang against the wall.

I jumped in surprise, which made my head throb even harder.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" I asked as Charlie rushed to my side.

"George called me and told me you were here," he said as he pulled the ice pack away. "Did he do this? You better not lie to me, either!"

"Charlie, calm down before they have you removed," Sue said, coming into the room.

"I love her. I would never hurt her!" Edward said, standing on the other side of me.

"Please stop. I have a killer headache and you guys aren't helping," I said as I felt tears in my eyes. "Everyone seems to think that Edward did this, but he didn't. I was in a bad mood, and was rushing in the kitchen. When I opened the top cupboard to get a platter, it fell. The platter had a sharp corner on it, and that is what cut my face. I learned my lesson with James. Edward is nothing like him, and I wish everyone would just stop accusing him," I said with a sniffle as my tears fell.

"We believe you, sweetie. Your dad was just so worried," Sue said, rubbing my leg.

"George said there was a hand mark and bruises on your neck, and that Edward did it, but there was nothing he could do. What does that mean?" Charlie asked, glaring at Edward.

"Well, George was wrong and he was wrong to immediately accuse Edward without getting the facts first!" I snapped. "And I'm certainly not talking about this with you any longer."

"Oh please, I have heard it all," he said as I looked to Edward.

All he did was shrug his shoulders with a small smirk on his face. He was actually looking forward to Charlie's reaction to this - that much was clear.

"Fine, I like to be choked during sex, okay?" I snapped as Charlie stopped breathing, his face turning bright red.

"What? That's...oh my god…that is...Bella, I really...didn't need to know that," Charlie sputtered, standing up quickly.

"You're the one that had to know," I said with a shrug.

"That's not normal," he said as I heard Edward chuckle.

"It's not uncommon, Charlie," Sue said as we all gawked at her. "What? I'm old, not dead."

Again, we all just stared at her. What started off as a joke to make Charlie uncomfortable, was now becoming weird for me and I didn't like it.

"You like to be choked, too?" I asked.

"Not to the point that it would bruise me, but a light squeeze is okay," she said as Edward groaned.

Yeah, that was a little gross to know about my dad's soon-to-be-wife.

"Lucky man, dad," I said with a nudge to his elbow.

"Just...stop talking," my dad said as Sue and I started laughing.

I was discharged a few hours later with a clean bill of health and a bandage. Charlie and Sue were off my back, and for that I was grateful. Of course they stayed until we left, but they just wanted to visit; nothing else was said about me being hurt. I stayed home from school the following day, but I was disappointed when I had minimal bruising. Then again, I didn't bruise easily. Edward and I just hung out and we got to know each other's bodies once again. I wasn't big on the slow love-making, but Edward made me feel so good. We just couldn't get enough of one another. After our morning together in bed, I gave the house a good cleaning. Edward tried to help, but I told him that I didn't mind when I didn't have school. It made me feel like I was contributing.

The next day, I went to school and repeated my story about a hundred times; I was tired of talking about it by the end of the day. I wish I knew someone here like me, so I would have someone to confide in. I told Alice what happened, but she just didn't understand. When I arrived home, I was in a bad mood and I just wanted the one person who understood me. I walked into the house to find my husband waiting for me with a dozen roses. I thought I was going to cry.

"For you," he said as I hugged him tightly. "I love you so much."

"Oh, Edward, I love you just as much," I said as the tears streamed down my face.

He squeezed me to him and I never wanted him to let me go.

"I have a little surprise for you," he said as he kissed my lips.

He wiped my tears away and took my school stuff, laying it on the floor beside the door. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah," I said, giving him a smile.

He handed me the flowers and I buried my nose in them. The smell of the roses made my day so much better.

"As you know, I'm not much of a cook, but I wanted to do something nice for you," he said as he took my hand in his.

I walked into the living room and saw that it wasn't trashed. That right there was the best surprise I could ever hope for, but Edward wasn't done. I giggled when he set the flowers in a vase that he had already on the coffee table. He walked up behind me and covered my eyes, leaving a few kisses and nibbles on my neck before we started walking. As he walked behind me, I could feel his hard cock pressing into my back, and I wanted him so badly. He uncovered my eyes and my smile grew even wider. The dining room table was decorated with more roses and candles. He pulled out my chair, and when I sat down, I saw chicken fingers and french fries on my plate.

"This is awesome," I said, turning to him so that I could pull him down to kiss me. "Thank you."

"You are more than welcome," he said, taking a seat next to me.

The whole night was perfect. We fed each other and just enjoyed being us. It was perfect. I know I already said that, but it was. When we finished eating, Edward ran a bath and we cuddled in the hot water for a while. We didn't stay there long, though, because our need for each other was too great.

After that need was fulfilled...again and again, I laid there awake while Edward slept on my chest. I was going to bask in the perfectness because I knew it wasn't going to last. James was going to be here soon, and I knew...well, I knew what was going to happen. But instead of focusing on something that I had no control over, I focused on what I had right in front of me: a wonderful husband who loves me more than anyone has ever loved me before. That was all I needed to make it in this world.

What in the world are we going to have these two do next? Oh yeah we are going to bring James into their little world again! Review and let us know what you think. We love to read your thoughts. Thanks to toocute24 and teamalltwilight for the help they have giving us throughout this story!