Disclaimer- Stephenie still owns the usual suspects.
I own my original characters and original story.
**Heads up Crystal-we meet you and your vilain in this one. As promised…
********************************LRM************************
Chapter 18 - A Prelude To Aspen
Once I arrived in L.A., the time did move quickly. As long as I was working that is.
Isabella and I fell into an easy pattern of phone calls when she was at school or work, and skype when we were both at home. It was tolerable. But I still couldn't wait to have her in my arms again.
"Alec, how's the business about the laundry room at Isabella's apartment building going?"
"The landlord balked because by only refurbishing and remodeling the one on Isabella's floor, he's sure to get complaints."
"Well then maybe he needs to make all of them just as safe." I retorted.
"Exactly what I said." Alec grinned. "If anyone complains, he's going to say that one of the tenants paid to have it done, and leave it at that."
Not a tenant, but a man hopelessly in love with one. I was quickly finding out that I would do anything to keep Bella safe, even if it was from a rogue washing machine.
"Sounds good. As long as Bella never finds out that I'm the one paying, there won't be a problem." I sighed. "I need you to do something else for me. I need you to find and purchase a certain car."
Alec started to rub his hands together. He loved this shit. "Oh please tell me you're going to buy a Ferrari this time." He whined like a little girl.
"It's not for me" I smiled "It's for Bella."
His shoulders sagged in disappointment. "I have to get a girl car?"
"Could you maybe try for like five minutes to not be an asshole?" I barked at him.
"Yeah, yeah, just tell me already." He answered, totally disregarding my insult.
"I want you to find a 1965 Ford Mustang convertible, she said it can be 4 speed or automatic, I'd rather it be an automatic." Alec perked up, suddenly interested.
"Find that, then we will need to have it restored. Bella wants it to have a white top, white pony interior, and the exterior painted 'poppy red'. And I need all that done by early June."
Alec thought. "That should be plenty of time but, why June?" He asked.
"I'm giving it to Bella as a graduation present." I answered.
Hopefully she'd be gracious in accepting the gift, if I gave it to her for a specific reason.
"I'm on it." He answered.
"And I'm on my way to get a haircut." I replied as I headed out to the waiting car.
-LRM-
"Well, what do you think?" I asked Bella as we spoke on Skype that evening.
"I don't know Edward. I kind of liked running my fingers through your unruly mop. I may not be able to date you anymore. Maybe Carrot Top is single? Might be worth a shot." She said as she giggled.
Funny. Motherfucking Carrot Top is getting nowhere near my girl.
"Very funny Miss Swan." I grinned.
"Seriously though, Edward, you look tired. You'd better be taking care of yourself, I don't want you to get sick."
"I could say the same about you sweetheart. I can see the circles under your eyes, even on Skype."
We both sighed.
"We're a fine pair aren't we?" She murmured. "Okay, I promise to take better care of myself, if you do the same. I just haven't been sleeping well. I miss you."
"I know how you feel. I got used to having you beside me. Those few nights were the best sleep of my entire life."
"Wow, I sound like a security blanket." she chuckled.
"Not exactly, I miss your warmth, your scent, your sleep talking, the sounds you make when you breathe."
"Are you saying I snore Edward?"
"Well.." I laughed.
She definitely didn't snore, but I found the talking in her sleep to be fascinating, and couldn't wait to hear more.
"I do not!" She said indignantly
"No, you don't, but if you did, I'd miss that too." I answered truthfully.
"I love you." She said in answer.
I rested my chin on my hand while looking into the screen. "I love you so much it hurts Isabella."
We were pathetic.
"I have an idea." She said.
"Why don't we leave Skype on while we're sleeping, it would be just like being next to each other again. Well, sort of."
"Sounds like a plan." I answered smiling. "Sixteen more days baby."
That was the first night I watched Bella sleep on skype, but not the last.
-LRM-
Every time I left the car, they were there. Photographers were stalking my every move. It was starting to drive me crazy. I hoped that this meant they were so busy bothering me, that they were leaving Isabella alone.
As I found out later, that was wishful thinking on my part.
Bella never complained to me about them, but I heard from Rose, via Alice that Bella was still being followed. There were only about four paps, but that was four too many.
"Edward we need you on set in five" One of the assistants tapped on my trailer door to let me know.
The filming had been going extremely well, but the trip to England in April still loomed.
I walked onto the set and saw Yves and Tony, my costars in the film, talking to a couple of very pretty girls.
After taking a seat in my chair, I leafed through the script reviewing the upcoming scene once more in my head. Alec brought me a coke as I worked in silence.
I was suddenly aware of someone standing next to me. I jumped up when I realized it was a woman.
Yes, my parents drilled it into my head to never remain seated while a lady is standing.
The woman in front of me smiled as if she'd just won the lottery. "Hi, I'm Nicole French. I play Tony's girlfriend." She said as she reached for my hand.
I remembered that the character Tony plays, falls in love with a British nurse he meets while stationed in England, before the D-day invasion.
This girl didn't sound British. Couldn't they have hired a British actress?
I shook her hand politely. "I'm such a fan Edward." She breathed. "I can call you Edward right?" She said as she rubbed my arm, and moved her body uncomfortably close to mine. I jerked my hand away and moved back.
Her flirting is downright puke-inducing.
I felt myself morph into the asshole almost immediately. "Calling me Edward is fine. Touching me the way you just did however, is not fine. If you need to speak to me, you can do so whilst keeping your hands to yourself. As a matter of fact, that's how I'd prefer it."
She appeared startled, but I'd learned from experience that if you didn't draw the boundaries immediately, some people never got the message.
"I apologize Edward. You seem a little out of sorts. Is there anything I can do to help you with that?" She purred.
She's still trying to fucking flirt with me, what a moron.
Damn it. I can blame no one but myself for the way I'm regarded by the public. I've sat back and let myself be painted as a man-whore, neither confirming nor disputing it. But now that I'm looking forward to a future with Isabella, I'm going to dispute it. I refuse to act unaffected by this type of treatment, even if Tanya hasn't made her statement yet. I need to take control of my life.
"Believe me when I say this Nicole, was it? There is absolutely nothing that you can do for me." I barked. "Is there a reason that you're on set right now? I don't recall any scenes they're filming today in which you appear?" Now I was being a bastard on top of an asshole.
I didn't give a shit.
"Well, um, I just wanted to meet um, everyone."
"That's nice. If you'll excuse me, I need to go over my lines."
It was a lie, but I wanted her to leave. Where the hell is Alec when I need him?
"Oh, I could help you with that."
Good God, she is clueless.
"No, thank you." I said before turning my back on her, and spotting Alec walking toward me. I met him halfway.
"You need to keep her away from me" I gestured with my thumb so there would be no confusion as to what I was talking about.
"Already?" Alec asked incredulously. "A little over a week into shooting, and you've already got one after you? That's got to be a record." He smirked.
"Alec, make sure the trailer is locked at all times, I've had to deal with her type before."
"Gotcha" He said as he winked.
The director signaled that he was ready for me. After shooting the scene, the other two guys started joking around. Evidently they'd been witness to my 'conversation' with Nicole.
"Hey Masen, you were a little harsh weren't you?" Tony asked.
"I don't know what you mean." I answered.
"To Nicole. You didn't even try to let her down easy." He said.
Just then, the two women I'd seen them talking to earlier walked up. "Edward, I want you to meet my wife Molly." Tony said as he introduced me to a beautiful redhead.
"Glad to meet you Edward." She grinned as she shook my hand.
Then Yves spoke up. "And this is my fiancée Crystal." I turned to greet the stunning blonde.
"Hi Edward, nice to meet you." She smiled sweetly. "And don't listen to these guys. Molly and I heard your conversation with Nicole. You said exactly what needed to be said."
Molly nodded her head in agreement. "My husband and Yves don't realize that they are way too passive. If you're nice to some people, they walk all over you."
I smiled. "Actually ladies, that's exactly what I was going to tell them before you walked over."
We sat and chatted for a while as the next scene was set up. After a couple more hours of work, I headed home, having not seen Nicole for the rest of the day.
-LRM-
Isabella looked so sad when she told me about her mother's upcoming birthday. "We're driving out tomorrow and coming back on Sunday." she said quietly.
"I wish I could go with you Bella. Are you going to be okay?" I was so worried about her.
"I think I'll be fine Edward. Her birthday isn't as hard to deal with as the anniversary of …you know."
"Besides, my family decided early on that her birthday was the day to celebrate Renee's life, not mourn her death. We have dinner at her favorite restaurant in Port Angeles, and we have birthday cake for dessert. After the first couple of years, it stopped being a sad day."
"I still wish I could be there. I want to help you face these things from now on." I felt so useless so far away.
"I won't be alone, but I have to admit that I wish you could be there too…maybe next year?"
"Definitely." I nodded. "Only seven more days my love."
-LRM-
"Alice, my advice is to just send them without any fanfare. Bella seems to accept things better when they just arrive without notice. Put a note with it explaining that it's for Aspen. Hopefully she won't blow a gasket. I won't tell her that I paid for everything." I chuckled.
I was having dinner with Jasper and Alice. It was a working dinner. The waiter arrived with our entrees while Jasper and I talked about a couple of scripts that had come across his desk. He was still intrigued by the upcoming vampire movie, but the script wasn't ready for us. Alice was busily texting back and forth with Christopher.
"Keep in mind Jasper that I'll give special attention to any script that would require filming in Seattle." I grinned.
He shook his head and laughed. "Once Bella graduates, that really won't matter any more, will it Edward?" Jasper made a good point.
It shouldn't matter, but what if Bella gets a job? That would be a continuation of the nightmare.
-LRM-
"So, I got a special delivery today."
"Oh yeah?" I questioned while knowing that it was the dress and shoes from Alice.
"My dress and shoes for the wedding. Alice sent them, but I know that you paid for them Edward."
"Bella, don't give me a hard time about this. It's only money, and believe me when I say that I have more than I could ever spend in my lifetime."
At that, she became very quiet.
"I won't give you a hard time, and thank you." She smiled. "The dress is lovely."
That was a relief. I was prepared for a long argument.
"You make anything you wear 'lovely' Miss Swan. Truth be told, I haven't seen the dress, but I'm sure Alice is coordinating our outfits. She's very thorough." I chuckled.
"So" she began.
"So?"
"Have you had to kiss any girls during filming, Mr. Movie Star?" I wanted to laugh, but she actually looked worried.
"No, but even if I did there's only one girl I'm interested in kissing."
"Oh? And who would that be? Your girlfriend?"
"Why yes, as a matter of fact. You may know her, she lives in Seattle." .
"What a coincidence. My boyfriend lives in L.A." She smiled.
"Tell me about this boyfriend."
"Well, he's sweet and gentle, handsome, intelligent and sexy. His kisses are 'to die for'." I laughed as she faked a swoon. "He's the best thing in my life." She added sincerely.
"Tell me about your girlfriend." She asked.
"She's witty and smart, absolutely gorgeous."
She rolled her eyes.
"I think you may need glasses Mr. Movie Star."
Not again. Bella really needs to wake up to the way the rest of the world sees her.
"Hey! Don't knock my girlfriend." I glared as she chuckled. "As I was saying, she's absolutely gorgeous, with the most beautiful brown eyes, and when she smiles I think my heart might stop." I said in a low voice, while clutching my chest
"She's everything to me." I added.
"Four more days baby."
-LRM-
"Edward, you may want to look at these. Just remember, I'm only the messenger." Alec said with a smirk as he handed me two gossip rags.
Until Alec's interruption, I had been sitting in my trailer on break, trying to read.
"Damn it." I muttered as I saw the front page photo of myself and one of my co-stars Rachel Harrison having lunch. The headlines screamed about Edward Masen's 'new woman'. Alec was still standing there watching my reaction. "You know what pisses me off?" I asked.
"Well, it all pisses me off, but the fact that Rachel's husband was at the table with us. They cut him out of the photo just to be able to print something sensational."
Alec was still watching me. "This is really weird Edward." He said as he shook his head.
"What's really weird?" I asked, confused.
"This stuff never used to bother you. I mean, I knew you didn't like it, but now it really upsets you."
I paused before answering. "It's because now I have someone whose good opinion of me matters. So very much…." I practically whispered the second part.
"You know man, I think it's great. I don't think I'll ever find the one for me, but I think it's great for you." He said sincerely.
"Alec, you should really consider cutting down on the womanizing a bit. I mean if you ever do find 'the one' as you call it, she probably won't be a fan of your past." I smirked.
"Hey Edward, not all of us can live the life of a monk." He grinned at me.
Just then my phone chimed with a text.
E-
Don't worry, I don't believe any of it. I love you.
-B
And just like that, my day instantly got better.
B-
Well thank God for that. Call me as soon as you're out of class. Love you.
-E
A little while later, my phone rang. I was still fuming about the headlines.
"I just can't believe this shit. Rachel is a friend. She's also married with two children. Her husband Sean was sitting at the table with us, but they conveniently cut him out of the photos." I barked into the phone.
"Hello to you too Edward." She said with a laugh.
"I'm sorry sweetheart. I'm just kind of angry at the moment."
And I'm a bit of a jackass.
"Really? I couldn't tell." She was still laughing. "Look Edward, this stuff is probably going to get worse before it gets better. You said you'd give Tanya time to speak out, but even after she does so, we'll never fully escape the rumors and gossip. We just have to learn to ignore it, and live our lives."
"Wow. Bella you're amazing. You're handling this so much better than I am. I just can't stand anyone thinking poorly of you. If they only knew the truth..."
"They would still say terrible things Edward. Some of those people make a lot of money off of other people's misery. I'm starting to develop a thick skin. I can take whatever they want to throw at me." She stated.
She is the most amazing woman I've ever known.
"Have I told you today that I love you?" I asked.
"You just did Mr. Movie Star, now get back to work. Two more days babe."
-LRM-
It was finally Friday. I didn't have to shoot today, so Jasper, Alice and I were flying to Aspen early. Sidney was flying to Aspen from Seattle and securing the car before we arrived. He would spend next week moving to L.A., and into my guest house.
Alice and Jasper arrived to pick me up. My temporary driver and Alec were going to create a diversion to lure the paps away. If we could pull this off, they'd never know I left town.
Alec, disguised as me, left in the car with the driver. I watched on the security monitor as every single pap outside my house hopped in their vehicles to follow them.
At the airport, it was pure luck that saved me from the paps, when Brangelina and their entire brood arrived from who knows where, and every pap in the airport followed in their wake.
Once we were seated on the plane, Alice, Jazz and I laughed. "What were the odds that Brad and Angelina would arrive at exactly the moment we needed them to?" Alice giggled. "I have a feeling this is going to be a good trip guys."
I couldn't help but agree. After so many days apart, I could barely contain my excitement. I would see my Bella tonight.
************************************************A/N***********************************
A/N Now I'm off to finish the next chap of V&V...leave some love?