Disclaimer- Stephenie still owns the usual suspects.
I own my original characters and original story.
*This parallels chapter 64 of V&V 'Strange Days & Sucker Punches'. Please read that before attempting this.
Enjoy!
****************************LRM**********************************
Chapter 64 – A Shiner for the Birthday Boy
Bella tried to hide the frown that appeared at the mention of Meghan's name, but I still caught it.
"Are you okay?" She asked. Always more concerned about how I was feeling than about herself.
I shrugged before proceeding to tell her everything about my visit with Meghan. In a way, this talk with Bella was necessary in order to finally get the closure I needed. After confiding in Bella, the weight of the past seven years seemed to at last lift from my shoulders, hopefully never to trouble me again.
After this, I doubted whether Meghan or the pain she caused would even cross my mind, and if she did, it would merely be as a foggy distant memory. My present and my future sat beside me, studying me with her beautiful brown eyes.
"Edward, I have to say something. I hope it doesn't come across as insensitive but" She hesitated "I'm really glad you never had sex with her." She said with a small smile. "I'm glad you didn't for other reasons but, I'm really glad now…"
I reached up in order to gently release her lip from where it was trapped by her teeth. "I couldn't agree more. I'm very glad that you're my one and only Bella." I couldn't hold back any longer, I had to kiss her. This time I wasn't desperate or urgent. Instead, I poured every bit of my love and adoration for my girl into the kiss, she was the only future I was interested in having. I vowed that, after today, that future would never be haunted by the ghosts of my past.
-LRM—
I had never been to The Ruins before, although my mother had spoken about it often. Once I got a look at the courtyard, I had to agree with Emmett, it was damn nice.
"So, once we return from Vegas, are you and Bella planning to stay around Seattle until the wedding?" Emmett asked as we went to get drinks.
I assumed he was speaking of his wedding. "For the most part" I answered "I have to go back to L.A. to perform some community service, but I'll be back here before Clint arrives."
He nodded.
"I'll grab a table" Emmett declared as he walked over to a table near the bar. I decided to go in search of Bella. With drinks in hand, I scouted the ballroom first.
Surely she and Rose aren't still in the rest room?
I backtracked and found Emmett still seated alone before I headed in the direction of the powder room.
I saw her before I heard what she was saying to Mike Newton. She was smiling, which was good news for Newton because I wouldn't have hesitated handing him his ass if he were to make her feel uncomfortable as he'd done in the past.
"….now. As much as I hate to admit it, Masen really loves you." I heard Newton say.
Well I'll be..
Bella smiled broadly. "Almost as much as I love him."
"I think you've got that the wrong way round Miss Swan." I announced before walking toward her.
"Newton." I said with a polite nod of the head to Mike.
Mike sighed. "I suppose while I'm at it, I should get all my apologies out of the way. Sorry for being an asshole Masen. Do you think we could start over?" He asked as he held out his hand for a shake.
Seems like everyone is apologizing today.
I shuffled both drinks into one hand in order to shake Newton's. "Absolutely. As long as we're clear on boundaries." I warned with a glance toward Bella. "Then we don't have a problem."
Mike grinned. "We're clear." He said before turning to face Bella again. "Good luck Bella. I hope things go back to normal for you now." He glanced at me then. "For you both." Mike added in a serious tone. "I wish you all the best." He said before walking away.
Bella raised both eyebrows and looked at me. "This has been a weird day." She muttered as she held back a smile.
That it has.
"I was thinking surreal, but weird will do." I chuckled. We made the rounds, speaking with Bella's co-workers before eventually ending up back in the ballroom.
"Come on Edward, let's dance." She directed, earning a wary look from me.
"No, I'm not drunk." She defended.
"Bella, you're actually asking me to dance?" I asked with a smile.
"Come on" She directed as she grabbed my hand. "This offer won't last forever."
If I had known the torture Isabella was going to put me through on the dance floor, I would have come up with some reason that would have excused me from dancing with her.
As it was, I tried to keep the dancing as innocent as humanly possible, but when her ass kept grazing against my very prominent erection, I came very close to losing my mind, and embarrassing myself in public.
"Are you trying to kill me love?" I whispered.
She snickered in response. "Definitely not. I want you alive and well and waiting at the altar in fifty-seven days."
She glanced over her shoulder at me as I shot her a brilliant smile. "You've been counting too." I remarked before turning her around to kiss her in full view of everyone.
God how I love her.
-LRM—
It seemed that all evening, no matter where we were, that fucker Victor James was lurking on the periphery.
Once Rose's producer finished the tribute for her, I glanced around the ballroom. James wasn't anywhere to be seen, and Rose and Emmett were in the room, so I judged it a good time to maybe hit the men's room before grabbing us a couple of sodas.
"Will you be okay for a minute sweetheart?" I asked Bella. "I'm going to get us a couple of soft drinks."
"Sure." She answered before I gave her a smile and headed for the door. As soon as I exited the men's room, I was surrounded by three females very insistent that I pose for photos with them. It took longer than it should have, and I was certain that two of them had been drinking more than was prudent. My first clue was the 'wandering hands'.
After I extricated myself from that situation, I got our drinks and headed back toward the ballroom. When I passed through one of the sitting rooms and saw Rose and Emmett talking there with a couple of people, and Bella not among them, I got an uneasy feeling.
Damn it. It shouldn't have left her alone this long.
When I rounded the corner into the ballroom, I couldn't believe the sight before my eyes.
That miserable bastard Victor James was gripping my girl by the arms, preventing her from leaving, while he spewed his venom.
In my anger and surprise, the drinks fell from my hands.
"I bet you like it rough." I heard him say.
I will kill him.
"Get your fucking hands off her" I barked. I saw Isabella close her eyes and sigh in relief before darting to my side. I pulled her close. "Are you alright sweetheart?" I asked as I kissed her temple.
She nodded in answer.
It was time to turn my attention to the douchebag.
"I warned you that day in your office James. One phone call is all it will take." I seethed. I wanted to punch his stupid face. "You can kiss your sorry career goodbye." I barked.
"Who the fuck do you think you are Masen?" He bit back. "You threaten me because I dare to talk to you girlfriend?" He smirked before he spoke again. "I was just keeping Isabella company while you were distracted out in the hall."
Son of a bitch.
"By the way, I've fucked every one of those women" His voice lowering to a whisper as he gestured toward the doorway. "Just between you and me, they weren't very good, but who am I to deny you my sloppy seconds" He chuckled "especially when I'm more than willing to treat myself to yours?" Then he leered at Bella. My girl. My fiancée. My beautiful Bella whom he dared to touch with his filthy, fucking hands.
I snapped. The rational part of my brain gave over control of my actions to the white hot anger I'd been harboring for days as I launched myself at him. I intended to make him suffer.
Hadn't I vowed that no one would ever hurt her? I'd failed yet again to protect Bella, but by God I could punish those who foolishly attempted to harm her. Besides, I'd warned him.
Bastard deserved it.
James was on the receiving end of all the anger and hatred that had been building inside me since the day Bella told me about her mother's death. As I pummeled him, I thought of what Jeffrey Dryden had done to her, what the Ranger had tried to do, and every hurtful word James himself had said to her. And the fact that he had dared to touch her.
The small measure of satisfaction that I felt with the first punch grew each and every time that my fist made contact with his body. I wanted to pummel him until he was unrecognizable, until he was a bloody heaping mess on the floor of the ballroom.
Too soon, I felt myself being dragged away from him by several pairs of strong hands. I fought against them until I caught a glimpse of my girl's face. I stopped struggling, I couldn't continue down that road, it made me no better than him.
I realized then that I would have to satisfy myself with the fact that I'd been able to land a few punches before being stopped. It would have to be enough.
I saw what James was planning to do before anyone else, but didn't have time to say a word before his fist made contact with my face. It hurt like hell, but nothing could take away the satisfaction I felt from the beat down I'd given him a moment before.
"Edward!" Bella shouted as the men let go of me in order to grab James. When Emmett punched James in the confusion immediately following, it was a total surprise. After all, he'd arrived late to the incident and didn't even know what had happened. When he referred to me as his 'brother-in-law' it made me proud. After everything we'd suffered through together, we were family.
They hauled James away after that.
"Oh Edward, I think you're going to have a black eye." Bella announced sadly as she kissed my bruised cheek. All I could do in return was smile.
I know it was a twisted thought, but in a way it seemed like I'd taken that hit for her, and by absorbing that pain, I was sharing in the pain she'd suffered at the hands of another evil bastard days before.
She grinned back. "It's beautiful." She whispered. "Thank you." Bella understood me better than anyone.
"I'm sorry I didn't get back sooner Bella. A group of women stopped me in the hall wanting photographs." I told her.
"So I heard." She whispered before kissing my cheek. I sighed and let her touch soothe me.
I was glad no one wanted to stay after that. The valet brought the hummer to the front, and we helped our girls inside. As soon as we'd closed their doors, I gripped Emmett's shoulder. "Thanks man, for hitting James."
"Eddie, you're family. That's what families do. But sometime would you let me in on why you punched him?" He grinned cheekily.
"Absolutely" I answered as he gave me a fist bump.
It turned out that I didn't have to tell him. Once we were in the car, Bella relayed the entire incident to us.
Unbelievably, Victor had found a way to get to Bella that I never expected. She seemed to be recovering so well from the whole ordeal with the ranger, there was no way I could risk something like an interview with Dryden causing a setback.
I'd be making some phone calls in the morning.
-LRM—
"Unfortunately, if James has gotten permission to do the interview, we can't stop him. We can, however, make it clear that we intend to sue if anything said about Bella is not already public knowledge. There can be no veiled threats, no hints at anything that would make Bella uncomfortable. James will have to walk a very fine line indeed in order to keep from facing an ugly court battle. Somehow I don't think he wants a legal shitstorm raining down on his head during his attempt to better his career." Kyle explained. "I still think your best bet Edward, may be to go through your Hollywood contacts in order to shut the project down before it begins."
We were on our way to Forks for our last Pre-Cana class when I phoned Kyle about Victor James's intention to interview Jeffrey Dryden. "Okay Kyle. Thanks. I'll be in touch."
The next two calls I made were to Jasper and Alec. They both planned to find out as much as possible about the new show James was starring in.
The class about raising children was not quite what I expected. A lot of what was mentioned by Mr. and Mrs. Combs was common sense. Aside from the near breakdown exhibited by Rose, the class was less than exciting. Maybe it was just the fact that I couldn't wait for it to be over.
My thoughts kept wandering back to the little girl I had dreamt of. I found myself paying less and less attention to the class, and paying more attention to Bella's profile as she sat there smiling and listening to Mrs. Combs go on and on about the mischief her own children had gotten into while growing up.
I have no doubt that Emmett made them all look like amateurs.
"What do you mean there's nothing we can do?" I barked at Jasper. It was Saturday evening and we were back at the apartment. Thankfully, I'd stepped onto the balcony in order not to disturb Bella.
"The producer of Victor James's new show is Louise Collins. I'm sure you remember her." Jazz answered.
I thought for a moment before it dawned on me. "The same Louise Collins that worked as a director's assistant on The Lost Knight?"
"The very same." Jasper answered.
I groaned internally, remembering how Louise and I had a major disagreement during filming of The Lost Knight which led to her being fired from the movie. The disagreement stemmed from the fact that she wanted to suck my dick, and in response, I told her to stay the fuck away from me.
"How the hell did she become a producer?" I barked at Jazz even though I knew none of this was his fault. "According to Alec, Louise has been a busy girl during the last few years. She latched onto the sole heir of a shipping magnate. This guy knows nothing about the entertainment industry, but is willing to finance her projects in order to keep her happy. She's tried a couple different television shows which have flopped."
"The network seems to like her ideas for this one. There's no way we can halt production, at best we can only keep them from crossing certain lines."
I was upset. "Look Jazz. I think it best that Bella not find out about this yet. I want her to enjoy this vacation. Once we're home, I'll let her know what's going on."
"Okay Edward." He sighed. "If my opinion matters, I think Bella will surprise you. We've all seen for ourselves how strong she is. My belief is that she'll handle this just as she has everything else. She's an amazing woman."
"That she is." I agreed.
As usual, Bella fell asleep in my arms that night. I knew that when I awoke in the morning it would be my birthday. I also knew that because she would be with me, it would be the happiest birthday I'd ever had.
-LRM—
I was on set, waiting for Hal to call my name when I felt a trail of warm kisses on my jaw and neck. I closed my eyes.
"Happy birthday, I love you." I heard Bella whisper.
I could feel her in my arms, and forced my eyes open. "Thank you sweetheart." I whispered back.
"I'm sorry I don't have birthday cake for you." Bella said with a smile. "That will be at your parents' later. I do have a gift though, and I could sing happy birthday to you."
mmm…Best Birthday Ever
I laughed as I imagined Bella singing while blushing profusely. "That's not necessary. All I really want is to hold you just like this."
I didn't want her to move.
She seemed content with that, and snuggled against my side. After a few minutes, her breathing pattern changed, and I knew she'd fallen back asleep.
I lay there awake. The Victor James clusterfuck was still on my mind, along with the realization once again that, no matter what we did, because Bella was a public figure now there would always be someone wanting to cash in on that. Even if we were to diffuse this particular situation, there would be more in the future. Rumors, accusations or just remarks guaranteed to get a rise out of her…or me.
Was Jasper right? Had she grown strong enough to handle it? All of it? Every time I thought about what she'd done to the Ranger, I wanted to believe so.
When it was drawing close to the time we'd have to leave for church, I woke her up.
"We have to get ready for church soon Sleeping Beauty." I whispered as I gently rubbed her arm.
She nodded and opened her eyes. "Would you like your present now?" She asked.
This took me by surprise. "Now? You're not waiting for the party?"
She cleared her throat and sat up. "Believe me Edward; I don't want there to be an audience when you open it." She moved until she could whisper the next part in my ear. "My gift is for your eyes only."
Fuck me, I hope it's a belly dance.
My dick literally twitched in anticipation.
"What is it?" I asked apprehensively.
She leaned over and pulled a box from under her bed before handing it to me.
Okay, I need to calm the fuck down. Bella's obviously not doing a belly dance or anything sexy; my imagination is running away with itself.
I need to get my mind out of the damn gutter, and stop letting my dick think for me.
I pulled the gift from the box not realizing it was a calendar until I opened it. And holy shit what a calendar…
There stood the love of my life photographed in vivid living color, the pose was from Gypsy, but the sex goddess looking back at me was all Bella. I literally couldn't take my eyes off of her. "Fuck" I whispered as I slowly scanned the photo starting with her beautiful sexy smile before trailing down across her bare back, lingering for a moment on her sequined panties, before taking in her sexy as fuck legs perched atop a pair of black stilettos.
I was momentarily paralyzed.
Bella's voice distracted me, "Edward, would you please say something. I mean, I can take it if you don't like it. Just tell me the truth." She said in a nervous whisper.
What?
I looked up at her, thoughts of all the different ways I wanted to worship her body flashing through my tortured brain. "Bella, are you actually harboring a doubt that I wouldn't find this photo the singularly sexiest thing I'd ever seen?" I said with a smirk. "Bella, I wish you could see yourself the way I do. Or maybe not, I would be embarrassed for you to know my thoughts at this particular moment Miss Swan."
That was the fucking truth.
I set the calendar aside and pulled her down on the bed beneath me. I began to leave soft kisses on her neck and shoulders. "Bella, my self-control is hanging on by a mere thread. Please tell me there are no more photos like that in the rest of the calendar." I asked as I pulled the collar of her shirt away from her neck, needing to kiss as much of her skin as possible.
"Um. Sorry?" She answered.
I groaned as I continued to touch her. Without consciously realizing what I was doing, my hands were suddenly on her breasts. "I'm never going to be able to let you out of my sight, you're too fucking beautiful." I managed to choke out as I felt her warm skin. Bella said something, but I didn't catch it, my mind too busy working out the fastest way to remove her shirt.
"Edward, please." I heard her that time.
I froze.
Oh shit. What the hell was I doing?
"Oh God Bella, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me."
I felt like an animal, momentarily losing my self-control like that.
"Edward, please don't apologize. I can't wait until we don't have to stop. The thought of it is beginning to take over most of my waking moments."
Aware that Bella made a habit of letting me off the hook entirely too easily, I sat up and pecked her luscious lips, too anxious to view the rest of the photos at that moment than to beat myself up for my actions.
My eyes were treated to photo after photo of Bella in poses ranging from sweet and innocent to cocktease extraordinaire.
"How did you do this?" I asked in amazement.
She was gorgeous. When I contemplated the fact that my shy little Bella had put herself out there in this way simply to please me, it took my breath away.
"Alice" She answered.
I should have known.
"Bella, you have captured every one of my favorite Hollywood divas along with some of my favorite Bella fantasies." I said with a chuckle as I tapped one of the photos.
"Your sister keeps referring to that one as 'hot for teacher'. I told her that term made me uncomfortable and that I prefer 'naughty librarian' because it doesn't make me feel like a pedophile." She was trying not to smile.
I laughed as I pulled her to me and kissed the top of her head before continuing to peruse the calendar.
When I turned the page and got an eyeful of Bella lying in the hay holding a firearm, I felt all the blood in my body travel straight to my dick. It vaguely registered that the photo was a recreation of a scene from The Outlaw, but I was too busy trying to remember how to form words to fully comprehend that fact.
"I think I'm going to have a heart attack." I groaned when I could finally speak.
She had the nerve to snicker at my agony. "Why?"
"Bella this is too fucking sexy. You're holding a gun." I choked out before shaking my head and laughing. "Ever since you told me you knew how to shoot, I've been fantasizing about you with a weapon."
She fucking laughed at me.
When I turned to the last photo, I was almost overcome with emotion. It was for May, the month that I proposed to Bella. There was my beautiful girl, captured for posterity, looking as she did the night she agreed to be my wife.
I looked up at her face. "Bella this is perfect." I whispered before pulling her close and kissing her. "I love you so much baby. Thank you."
"You're welcome." She answered with a smile.
I noticed then that there was a CD lying in the bottom of the box. "What's this?" I asked as I held it up.
"Well, somehow I knew that you'd want copies of those photos for your laptop, so all the photos are on the CD."
Did I need any further proof that Bella was perfect for me?
My heart was filled to capacity with love for this woman.
I smiled. "You thought of everything baby." I smirked before sighing loudly. "And now if you'll excuse me, I'm starting my birthday with a very cold shower."
She laughed, I was serious.
What was that song Emmett sang about blue balls?
-LRM—
"Are you enjoying your birthday son?" My father asked as we stood with Charlie watching Emmett and Jasper play pool.
I nodded and smiled.
"It's a good thing you aren't filming any time soon." He said as he gestured toward my black eye."
I had forgotten about my eye until we arrived at my parents' house. Obviously my mother made a big deal about it, although she never questioned how I got it.
Alice probably told her
Dad hadn't mentioned it until now.
"About that eye" Charlie began, as if he'd just remembered something. "Emmett told me what happened the other night." He paused, taking a deep breath. "First of all, I'm trying to understand what kind of a person would do that to someone else. Interviewing the piece of garbage that murdered Bella's mother right in front of her and fully planned to do the same to her?" Charlie's voice betrayed the sadness that he'd felt for years. I took another breath. "Who does that?" He whispered while staring down at the floor.
Everyone in the room remained silent, not knowing the answer any more than Charlie did.
Charlie sighed before looking at me again. "I also heard what he was saying about Bella." He let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm damn proud of you for beating the hell out of him Edward." He said with a smile as he patted me on the shoulder.
"You realize Chief that technically I assaulted him." I whispered conspiratorially.
Charlie pursed his lips and rubbed one hand across his chin. "Funny thing about that, the way I heard it, he punched you first" He said with a smirk "and then made up some shit about Emmett punching him too, which several witnesses claim never happened."
Charlie grinned. I nodded, returning the grin. If he was okay with that story, so was I.
"I may as well say this right here in front of your Dad and Emmett and Jasper." Charlie cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention to him. "I don't think I could have asked for a better man to marry my daughter. You've more than proven yourself worthy of her these past few months. It's obvious that you put her first in everything, and that's as it should be." I noticed his mustache twitch. "I just wanted you to know that when the day arrives, I'll be proud to call you my son-in-law." He grinned then and held out his hand.
I shook his hand, "Thank you sir."
Charlie was quite eloquent when he wanted to be.
After that, Charlie and Dad began to discuss the chartered fishing trip Bella and I had given him.
Emmett, obviously eavesdropping, interrupted. "Dad, please tell me you're not taking your girlfriend on the fishing trip."
Charlie gave him a dirty look. "Emmett, we've been on two dates. I don't think that qualifies her as my 'girlfriend'." He snapped.
Emmett thought for a minute. "So…you're not doing the wild thing?" He asked with a quirked eyebrow. Dad and Jasper both started to snicker. I kept my expression blank, not wanting to lose any of the ground I'd gained with the Chief.
"Emmett" Charlie barked in warning.
"I'm just asking old man. It's going to really piss me off if my father, the monk, gets his freak on while I'm abstaining." He announced with a frown.
Charlie groaned. "You know Emmett; it's pretty hard to take you seriously with that shirt on." He said, referring to Emmett's DILF shirt. "And it's especially hard to take you seriously when you open your mouth and stupid shit like that spills out of it."
Dad, Jasper and I all laughed at that. Emmett just gave Charlie a cheeky grin.
"I never fully appreciated the fact that I get to plan your bachelor party until this moment." Charlie said with a smirk.
Emmett's smile vanished immediately.
-LRM—
"Bella, if you forget anything we can always purchase it on the road." I told her in an effort to calm her down.
"Edward, I love you, but it would be best to leave me alone right now. I'm in the zone."
I laughed.
After a few trips with me she won't stress about packing any more. It becomes second nature.
My ringing phone distracted me. I glanced at the screen.
Jasper
"I'll take this on the balcony." I told her.
"Hey Jazz."
"Hi Edward. I had something I needed to tell you. I wasn't sure I'd be able to get a moment alone on the train later."
"What's going on?" I asked, expecting this to be about Victor James.
"The Oprah show just called, more specifically, Oprah Winfrey herself just called me."
Whoah
"Yeah" Jasper commented on my stunned silence.
"Oprah has requested that Bella appear with you on the show." Jasper blurted.
"Uh" I was on the verge of freaking out, but stopped myself. "I'll ask Bella." I simply replied.
"Wow, I really expected an ass-chewing for not telling her 'no'." Jasper said with a chuckle.
"Now why would I do that? You can't take it upon yourself to say no to Oprah" I chuckled back. "Bella can decide what she wants to do. Thanks for letting me know Jazz."
"No problem Edward, see you on the train."
When I walked back inside, I found Bella wheeling her suitcase to the living room. I smiled before retrieving my own luggage and setting it beside hers.
I then took her by the hand and led her over to the sofa. It was best if she knew about Oprah's request while we were still alone.
"Bella, I need to ask you something."
She waited expectantly.
"As you know, I'm due to appear on Oprah this Thursday."
She nodded.
"That was Jazz on the phone. Oprah herself called him to ask if you would consider being on the show with me."
********************************A/N******************************
A/N Short chapter. Edward didn't have a lot to say this time.
The next V&V begins on the train. Can't wait to start this trip. Watch the Facebook and blog for V&V sneak peeks.
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