Disclaimer- Stephenie still owns the usual suspects.
I own my original characters and original story.

*This parallels chapters 78 & 79 of V&V (Good Friends & Fireside Picnics and Demon Spawn & Movie Marathons respectively). Please read those before attempting this.

A huge thank you to Caruso5 for her pre-reading/beta help on this chapter!

Enjoy!

****************************LRM**********************************

Chapter 78&79 – Anger Management for the Insecure

As we rode home from Emmett and Rose's house, I tried to dispel the bad mood which threatened. The evening had been pleasant enough; Emmett keeping everyone entertained with the ultrasound photos, but the thing that had set me off was the news that Chris had confided before we left.

I wasn't angry with him for keeping the information quiet before our wedding. He knew me well. I was a brooder. I was simply pissed that Gerry could treat him that way.

And that explanation about Chris being too young.

I call bullshit.

During the rare occasions when Gerry would actually go out with us, I'd noticed the way he was always eyeing the other men, especially the very young ones.

Bastard

Bella, sensing my mood, managed to soothe me with her soft words and tender touch so that by the time we arrived home, I was almost myself again.

***LRM***

"Cut!" Clint shouted. "Good take, but I want to try that one more time."

I walked over to Clint.

"I get the feeling you wanted to play that scene a little differently Edward." Clint probed.

I nodded. In the short amount of time we'd been working on the film, I'd really grown to respect him. He not only accepted input from his cast, he expected it.

"I think I want to play it a little stronger, you know, a little more aggressively."

Shane, the author of the novel Enemy Combatant spoke, "Edward's right, his character is pretty angry during this scene. It would be better to see more of that, I think."

Clint nodded in agreement. "Well, we've got the last take, let's do one your way and then we'll decide."

We'd be working late tonight. Clint wasn't a fan of night shoots, he really tried to let the cast and crew have their evenings free, but if we were to finish the film before Christmas, it was necessary.

It was well after dinnertime when I arrived home to an empty apartment. Bella hadn't returned from her night out consoling Christopher.

The place was gloomy without my girl there, so I trudged to the shower with a heavy heart at the prospect of spending the evening alone. After my shower, I found the note she'd left for me.

Edward,

While I'm out with our family tonight, you will never leave my thoughts. I know that if you weren't working, you'd be by my side. I'm going to imagine you there.

No matter how exhausted you may be when you arrive home, please make sure to eat. I've left you a plate in the fridge.

I love you,

B

My spirits lifted, I ate the meal and watched a little television, before turning in. Sleep was hard to come by though. My mind was working overtime, thinking about Chris' situation, and the fact that I missed Bella.

In the process of tossing and turning, an idea came to me. Quite frankly, I was surprised I hadn't thought of it before.

I should ask Chris to stay in the L.A. house…

As soon as the thought solidified in my mind, I realized that it wasn't my place to ask him, not before I'd discussed it with Bella.

I smiled at the feeling of satisfaction that came over me at the realization that she truly was my partner in all things, including the making of these types of decisions.

Some people would view that as a lack of freedom, and resent having to include a spouse in every decision, but that simply wasn't the way things were with Bella and me. For myself, I'd been on my own unhappily for so long that I relished being able to share everything with her.

Not surprisingly, she was thrilled with the idea of having Chris stay in our house.

****LRM****

The next day, while having dinner at my parents', I was able to pull Chris aside.

"Chris, I want to ask you for a favor."

His eyes lit up. "What is it? You have only to ask stud-muffin, I'd do anything for you. You know that. Oh!" He held his hand up to stop me from continuing. "You are going to let me dress you for the movie premier in December! Yes!" He exclaimed as he did a little victory fist pump. "Your sister is so selfish, always trying to hog you for the special events. Now, I want to design Bella's dress as well…."

I laughed. "No, Chris, it's not that, although I wouldn't be averse to you designing for us. I guess you'll have to fight that out with Alice."

He scowled. "Maybe I should ask her while she's feeling sorry for me." He pondered.

"Well, my favor does have to do with your situation."

Chris furrowed his eyebrows.

"As you know, Bella and I intend to make Seattle our home. We are keeping the house in L.A., but had discussed leasing it out. If you were to move in, you would be doing us a favor because the house would still be at our disposal when we were required to be in L.A."

Chris thought for a minute and then smiled. "I love that house Edward. I don't know what to say…"

"Just say yes. Believe me, it would be a load off of our minds to know someone we trust is staying there."

Chris beamed at me. "Then yes, and thank you." He said before hugging me.

-LRM-

"Happy birthday old man," I smiled as I spoke with my Dad.

"Thank you son and none of this old man business, I'll have you know I still feel as I did in my twenties. I actually feel better because these days I get more sleep. Back then I was in medical school."

I laughed. "Yeah, you definitely have the more grueling occupation. I should never complain about my job."

"I should say not." Dad chuckled. "Are you on set right now?"

"Yes. We're almost done for the day."

"That's good. Bella called to wish me a happy birthday as well. She's a wonderful girl Edward."

I took a deep breath as I thought about my wife. "Yes, she is."

"Your mother and I love her very much. If you weren't aware, yours and Alice's happiness is very important to us. It always has been." He cleared his throat. "Now, go home and enjoy the evening with your beautiful bride. I shall do the same; your mother is taking me out."

"Have a good evening Dad. Bye."

"Goodbye son."

-LRM-

"Hey Edward, it's all over the news, Tanya had a little girl." Alec informed as we walked to my trailer.

I was surprised that I didn't feel even a twinge of resentment, only happiness for my old friend. My life with Bella had given me so much joy, that I'd found it easy to forgive Tanya for her selfish behavior months before.

Yes, the fact that Tanya had dragged her feet before finally making a statement about our 'nonexistent' relationship had added to the tension and stress in mine and Bella's lives for months, but it was all water under the bridge now.

"Send her some flowers from us, would you Alec?"

"Sure."

I should have known that my ever thoughtful wife would have beaten me to it by sending a baby gift and flowers.

-LRM-

"Motherfuckers!" I was seething. Bella and I had been happy for Tanya when we heard the news of little Katya, but leave it to the tabloids to take all the joy from the moment.

A couple of the less reputable ones had decided to display a photo of Tanya holding her daughter alongside one of my Bella the night she was out with Chris, Alice and the others, making it look as if she was already bored with marriage and seeking excitement elsewhere.

It took a lot of soothing and a spectacular round of shower sex to turn my mood around, but Bella managed.

I am a lucky man

-LRM-

"What's wrong now, you grouchy fucker," Alec snapped as he brought me a coffee.

I shrugged before glaring at him. "I miss my wife, is that a crime Asshat?"

Alec chuckled. "You've always been moody, but now on top of that, you've turned into a real pussy. Jesus, Edward, you've got everyone's dream job along with a drop dead gorgeous wife, and all you do is sulk."

As much as I didn't want to admit it, he was right. I scowled. "Sorry." I mumbled.

He shrugged. "Don't sweat it man. Just know that I'm always going to give it to you straight." He grinned then. "I'm also kind of jealous. I wish I could find someone I cared about that much, you know; where they're the most important thing, and all that shit."

"You're so eloquent," I told him with a smirk. "I'm surprised you don't have the women swooning at your feet."

"Yeah, yeah," he rolled his eyes. "You know I have no problem getting women, it's just that sometimes I'd like something a little more I suppose."

I shook my head. "It's too early in the fucking day to have this conversation with you."

Alec barked out another laugh.

Little did I know that Alec had conspired with Bella in order that she might surprise me with a visit to my trailer that very afternoon…

After Bella and I spent a little 'quality time' together, I told myself that Alec may be deserving of a raise for pulling that one off.

However when I found him outside waiting and he greeted Bella with a salacious grin before winking at me, making it clear without words that he knew exactly what Bella and I had been up to, I changed my mind.

Asshole

I felt a great amount of pride as I introduced Bella to the other cast members, and to Shane, knowing that meeting a fellow author would be of particular interest to her.

For the rest of the afternoon, I felt invigorated as I worked. Just knowing she was nearby made me incredibly happy and I wondered how she would feel about coming to the set more often.

That was until I found out what day Emmett would be onset to film his 'scene' if you could call it that.

I knew for a fact that Bella wouldn't want to be anywhere near the set that day. I silently wished I could come up with a reason not to be there as well.

-LRM-

"Hey there Philo, how's it hanging?"

I rolled my eyes at the sound of my brother-in-law's bellowing voice as he greeted Clint.

Luckily Clint thought Emmett was hilarious, but then he didn't have to put up with him as much as Bella and I did. We were shooting today in the locker room of a men's gym in downtown Seattle.

"Hi Emmett, are you ready to shoot?" Clint asked him with a smile.

"Hell yeah!" He boomed. "Eddie!" He yelled before slapping me across the back.

Alec snickered beside me.

I turned and plastered on a smile as I greeted the big goof. "Hello Emmett."

Emmett was grinning widely. "What's up? Are you in this scene with me?"

"Uh, no," I answered. "I refuse to share a scene with your ass. It's in my contract."

I could hear Clint chuckling then.

Emmett shrugged. "Your loss my friend." He said before turning back to Clint. "So, you want I should get naked now?"

"Hold on Emmett, not yet." Clint held up a hand as he continued to laugh. "Let me give you the set up for the scene. Now, you see that guy over there," Clint pointed toward Vincent who played one of the terrorists that Clint and I spend ninety percent of the movie pursuing. Clint began to instruct Emmett as I tuned them out. I was vacillating between hanging around the set because Emmett was family, or escaping to my trailer.

I decided to hang around purely out of respect for my wife. If she could spend her afternoon with Rosalie at a prenatal yoga class, I could certainly spend mine with Emmett and his ass.

"So, the close-up will occur when terrorist dude walks past me?"

"Exactly." Clint said with a nod.

I watched as one of the assistants led Emmett over to a makeshift dressing room. When he emerged he was wearing a robe. "Hey Eddie, do you wear one of these over your junk when you do sex scenes?" He bellowed as he pulled open the robe and pointed to the triangular piece of material taped over his genitals.

I didn't even want to acknowledge the question, but knowing Emmett he'd keep pestering me so I nodded and rolled my eyes.

"Good to know." He grinned before dropping the robe altogether.

"All right Mister DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up," He called over to Clint as he gyrated his hips, sending everyone into another fit of laughter. "I always wanted to say that." He chuckled.

Oh dear God

For the next ten minutes, everyone around me had difficulty keeping a straight face as Emmett discussed with Clint whether to 'clench'or 'not to clench' his ass cheeks. I couldn't take it anymore.

"Okay so unclenched it is," Emmett boomed. "I kind of thought that would be your answer but I wanted to make sure. I can see how the clenched cheeks could give the impression that I'm trying to suppress gas which, by the way, is something I never do." He said with a grin and a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Why the hell didn't I escape to the trailer when I had a chance?

"You see Clint, whether we're talking about farts or anything else in my life, I've never felt the need to 'hold back'."

Don't I fucking know it?

Emmett proceeded to place his arm around Clint's shoulders while he continued their 'heart to heart'. "If you ever have the time, I'll tell you how I was able to perfect my 'fire at will' farting technique. It took years, but now my farts are intentional and well-aimed."

Clint stared at Emmett with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open, speechless, while everyone around us dissolved into laughter. Alec was laughing so hard he looked as if he was having a heart attack.

Forgive me Bella…

There was no way I could spend one more minute on that set with my brother-in-law. I didn't walk; I ran straight to the sanctuary of my trailer as if Emmett's farts were in hot pursuit.

-LRM-

Fucking tabloids

One moment they were reporting that Bella was bored with our marriage, and the next they were announcing a pregnancy.

In either scenario, my beautiful girl was painted as an unhappy bride, merely tolerating the situation she found herself in.

Their image of Bella couldn't have been farther from the truth. The reality of the situation was that we were both as deliriously happy as we'd been on our wedding day. The only time we weren't together happened to be the hours each day that I had to work. As Bella had promised, we had yet to spend a night apart.

My girl visited me on set as often as possible. I wish it could have been every day… but I would take whatever I could get.

The tabloids even tried to turn those visits into something ugly.

I scrubbed my face as I waited for the next scene to be set up.

"Hey Edward, did you know Bella was coming today?" Alec asked as he handed me a bottle of water.

My day just got better…

"No, she's here?" I knew my excitement probably showed on my face when Alec laughed and shook his head.

"Yeah, she's over there." He said as he pointed toward a place halfway down the block where I spotted Bella chatting with Shane.

I felt a twinge of jealousy, but I was so happy to see her that I buried that feeling deep down.

"Hey baby," I smiled and kissed her before turning to Shane, "I thought you'd left, Shane," well maybe I didn't bury the jealousy quite deeply enough.

"I, uh, yes, I was just about to leave when I saw Bella. I thought I'd say hi."

a-huh

I turned back to Bella. "I didn't know you were coming today."

"I wasn't sure myself until a little while ago. I had Lou drop me off; I thought maybe we could ride home together?"

I thought about the hours of work yet left to do, and frowned. "I won't be done for hours yet Bella."

"Oh, well, that's okay. I'm always happy watching."

"The thing is, as you can see, we're literally filming in the street today. I'm afraid you'd have to stand so far away that you wouldn't be able to see much."

"I don't mean to intrude but, Bella why don't you wait in the coffee shop on the corner. They have a large collection of books there."

Bella smiled brightly. "That sounds perfect."

"Thanks Shane," Even though I wasn't keen on the interest he was showing in my wife, I owed him one. "Bella, I don't want you waiting alone, how about if I have Sidney stay with you?"

Shane spoke up again. "I can go with her Edward. I have nothing waiting for me but an empty hotel room. This way we can continue our discussion on what constitutes literary genius."

What. The. Fuck?

Unfortunately, Bella seemed thrilled with that idea.

"Is that what you want?"

Please say no…

Bella touched my arm. As usual, the movement calmed me. "Come find me when you finish?" She asked in almost a whisper.

I nodded and smiled before kissing her goodbye.

I made sure to give Shane a pointed look before I left.

Motherfucker just doesn't get it…

"Edward that was a damned good take," Clint congratulated. "Exactly what I was looking for."

The scene required me to be angry. Little did Clint know that it wasn't difficult for me to tap into that emotion. Every time I thought of Bella spending the afternoon with Shane, it was right there just below the surface, clawing to break free.

Dammit

Relief washed over me when the day was finally over. I barely spoke two words to Alec before bolting off to find my girl.

She was in a quiet conversation with Shane, and I wanted to kick myself for my feelings of jealousy when she looked up at me and I saw the love shining in her eyes.

All the way home, I felt like a bit of an asshole, but I couldn't shake my suspicions about Shane.

That evening, I was honest with Bella and told her I didn't trust him. I saw the sacrifice in her eyes when she offered to stop spending time with him, and I felt like even more of a jerk.

There was no way I was going to exercise that kind of control over the woman I loved. I would just learn to deal with my shit. Besides, Shane wouldn't be around forever, he and his 'single' ass would go back to St Louis as soon as the shoot was over.

-LRM—

"I appreciate all of your hard work tonight," Clint told us once we were finally done shooting for the evening. "I know we ran overlong with this scene, but we're in a crunch to get this done before the shoot moves to New Orleans. Thanks everyone."

I made my way wearily to the car, glad to have the next day off, Sidney walking silently beside me. I pulled out my phone, realizing it was too late to phone Bella, and found a text message from her asking how late I'd be.

As I debated whether to phone her, Sidney interrupted my musings. "Hey Edward, I may as well tell you now."

"What?" I asked, only half paying attention.

Sidney hesitated. "Uh, well, I was instructed by Bella to drive you to the new house tonight. It would seem that she wanted to surprise you by having everything moved in."

"You're kidding?" I was happy that we'd finally be in the house, but irritated that I wouldn't be able to enjoy our first evening celebrating.

"Nope. Neither of us knew this shoot would run this late…."

I had a feeling there was more to it than that, but I was so damned exhausted that I didn't pursue it.

Before going upstairs, I took a peek into the great room and found Bella curled up on a blanket in front of the fire. My heart sank when I noted the wine glasses and empty bottle sitting there, along with the remnants of what looked to be a picnic.

She was obviously planning to surprise me with more than the move…

I felt like shit as I lifted her carefully into my arms and walked toward the stairs. Bella attempted to open her eyes. "Baby, I'm so sorry," I whispered.

"Head hurts," she said in a hoarse voice as I tucked her into our bed.

After making sure that she drank some water and took some headache tablets, I proceeded to mentally beat myself up. When I thought about how disappointed she'd probably been that I hadn't gotten home earlier, I felt awful.

Obviously she was disappointed; she drank a whole fucking bottle of wine…

If I'd only known, I would have phoned her.

As usual hindsight's twenty-twenty.

Be that as it may, I was determined to make this up to her, beginning the next day. Every time I attempted to apologize however, she shot me down so, instead, I decided to let my actions speak for me.

I made breakfast and made arrangements for dinner to be brought in.

In the end, the day and evening were perfect. I surprised her by having a picnic 'redo' and Bella couldn't have been more pleased.

Add to that the sex by firelight, and that night quickly became one of my top ten favorite of all time.

-LRM-

I finally had an entire weekend off, and it was shaping up to be a nightmare.

That doll

That godforsaken doll

If this is really how a newborn behaves, Bella and I need to revisit the discussion about having children.

During the ride to Forks, I resisted the urge to toss it out of the window of the hummer.

Just barely.

What? I would have paid for it.

Thank heaven that Chief Swan was the voice of reason in the midst of insanity. He'd dispelled most of my worries when he explained exactly how children really behaved.

After that, my mind was filled with thoughts of Bella pregnant with my child and of little ones running around our house. In my imagination, every one of those children had Bella's brown eyes and hair. I smiled to myself at the image of a miniature Bella climbing into my lap for story time.

Then I thought about the pain my beautiful girl would endure bringing our child into the world and I winced.

But then the Chief said the words that affected me more than all the others 'but it was worth it'.

I still didn't know if I could handle watching Bella suffer, but to have a child which was part of us both, just the thought almost took my breath away.

I wanted it.

We spent the balance of the evening watching old home movies of Bella and Emmett as children.

Damned if Emmett isn't exactly the same…

Bella was an absolute doll, and it made me wish for that little brown eyed girl all the more.

It was strange to hear Renee's voice and I realized that Bella sounded a lot like her. She had been a beautiful woman, and loved her children passionately. I was sorry I'd never get to know her.

-LRM—

My inner horny teenager was officially in control. I wanted Bella in the worst way. I knew that Charlie, and possibly Emmett and Rose would hear us, but I didn't care.

This stupid creaking bed

Sure I turned on the radio trying to give Bella a false sense of security, but I knew it wasn't going to drown out the noise.

Fuck it

The horny teenager and I didn't care.

Not one bit.

-LRM-

"It was nice to have everyone in Church this morning," Charlie stated as Emmett parked the Hummer.

"Yep." Emmett answered. "I was surprised Suzanne wasn't there."

Charlie cleared his throat. "Um, she went to Mass last night, before coming over."

"Suzanne's Catholic?" I asked.

Charlie nodded.

"So Pops, when you gonna propose?"

Charlie froze; his fingers on the door handle. "Are you asking because you want me to propose or because you don't want me to propose?"

I stopped and took a good look at my father-in-law. His face bore an expression which I'd never seen on it before. He looked unsure of himself.

Emmett laughed and slapped his Dad's shoulder. "I think she's great Pops. We all do."

I nodded in agreement as we exited the vehicle.

Charlie eyed me and pursed his lips, thinking, before turning back to Emmett. "Do you, um," he cleared his throat, "I mean do you think she'll go for the idea?"

Emmett grinned at his father as we grabbed the rifles and ammo from the back of the Hummer. "You'd know better than me old man, but, yeah, I think she'll go for it. You are quite the catch. Chief of Police, pushing fifty and still have your hair, that's got to count for something." Emmett said before laughing loudly. "Plus you have a fuckawesome son."

"Thanks jackass," Charlie responded with a scowl.

We were quiet as we approached the target range.

"I guess I should warn you that I don't do much shooting." I murmured.

Or any unless it involves a role in a film.

Charlie quirked an eyebrow. "So, I take it there's lots of room for improvement then?"

I nodded.

Emmett laughed. "That's alright Eddie, even if your shooting skills suck, Bella's a crack shot. She can protect your ass if need be."

I knew Bella could shoot, but I'd never heard anything about her being a 'crack shot'. "She's good?"

Emmett raised his eyebrows. "She's better than me at two things; shooting and pool. At the mention of pool, I thought of Bella's ass in those tight jeans bent over the pool table…

Charlie's laughter broke my concentration. "Don't forget about poker."

"Oh yeah," Emmett grinned again. "But that's only because she has perfected her 'poker face'. Come to think of it, Bella would have done nicely in the old West with those skills." He laughed again.

Yeah, with your farting and her marksmanship, you could have tamed the Wild West in a month.

I laughed at my own joke.

After my pathetic showing on the shooting range, Charlie, Emmett and I stopped off for sandwiches and a round of beers.

We were quiet as we sipped our beer while waiting for the food until Charlie broke the silence. "I think I'll ask her around Christmas."

It took a moment for me to realize he was speaking of proposing to Suzanne.

"I think you should do what feels right Pops." Emmett didn't push him to express his feelings. Charlie wasn't that type of guy.

Charlie nodded, deep in thought. "Being with her feels right." He said matter-of-factly. "You don't think I'm jumping into this?"

"Pops, you've never jumped into anything in your life."

"Except my first marriage," the Chief corrected.

Emmett nodded slightly and shrugged. "I guess."

Charlie spoke directly to him then, "but I don't regret that son. I loved your Mom, and I have you kids. Even with all the shit that came later, I wouldn't have done things differently."

Suddenly, I felt as if I was intruding. Emmett and Charlie, regardless of the teasing that went on between them, had a very close relationship. Charlie needed to know that Emmett supported him in this, and Emmett understood.

"Pops, if Suzanne makes you happy and you want to be with her, then by all means do whatever it takes to keep her in your life. If you love her, propose. The sooner the better."

Charlie nodded and breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Do you think she'll say yes?"

"Why wouldn't she?"

Charlie took a sip of his beer then and fixed his stare on something across the room. "You know she's a widow."

Emmett and I looked at each other in surprise.

"Her husband was in the military, got killed in a training exercise years ago."

"Wow," Emmett muttered with a frown before looking his Dad in the eye again. "Well then, that settles it. You two are perfect for each other. What are you waiting for Pops?"

"It's been a little busy lately Emmett." Charlie huffed.

Emmett laughed at his father's defensive tone. "Ask her." He grinned. "Do you think you'll live in your house after the wedding?"

Charlie's face lit up at the question.

He's got it bad

"I would suppose so. Suzanne's got a house, but it's smaller than mine, and besides, mine's paid for." Charlie frowned as he thought. "She's got a lot of furniture though. I guess we'll have to get rid of some stuff when we combine houses."

"I can take some of the furniture from my old bedroom, if that helps." Emmett suggested. "We have a lot of room in the new house. And Bella could do the same with hers."

Charlie seemed to remember something then. He averted his eyes so that he was staring at his sandwich and his face turned a little red.

Is he blushing?

I swore I heard him mutter under his breath, "Definitely need to replace that old squeaky bed."

"Huh?" Emmett asked.

"Uh, nothing." Charlie practically whispered before downing the remainder of his beer.

Oh fuck.

He heard.

He most definitely heard.

I am never sharing this information with Bella.

-LRM-

'Edward Masen would do well to keep a closer eye on his wife, or she may be whisked away by her new 'friend' Shane Benedict. Shane, aside from being a consultant on Edward's current film 'Enemy Combatant', is actually the author of the novel the movie is based upon.'

'Shane has been seen numerous times with Edward's wife Bella, and they've become 'very close'. Ironically, it was Edward who introduced them.'

I wasn't sure why I tortured myself this way. Reading the gossip sites was never conducive to me having a productive day.

All they managed to do was piss me off, and make everyone want to stay away from me. I always managed to pull it together before getting home to Bella though, so she was none the wiser about my mood swings.

At least, that was my hope.

On Friday I tried my best to not to give in to my bad mood. The dreary day was working against me, but the fact that once I got home tonight I had the entire weekend off was keeping me from being an asshole to everyone.

"Cut," Clint shouted. "Great take people." He continued as he motioned me over.

"Edward, I won't need you back until about eight tonight, so if you wanted to go home and have dinner with Bella, feel free."

"That's great." I told him with a broad smile. "Thanks."

My day had suddenly taken a turn for the better.

I stopped by my trailer to get my stuff, and immediately booked it to the car. As Sidney drove, I checked my phone and found a text from Bella. It said she'd be gone for the afternoon, but I took a chance and phoned her.

When it went to voicemail, I tried to hide the concern in my voice as I left a message,

"Baby, where are you? I know you said you'd be out, but I need to speak with you. Call me back when you get this."

I tried to relax, expecting her response at any moment. When thirty minutes passed and I still hadn't heard from my wife, I began to rack my brain, trying to think of where she could possibly be.

Why the hell wouldn't she be able to answer her phone?

I called again. "Sweetheart, I am a little concerned that you haven't called me back. I may as well tell you that I'm on my way to the house. Clint doesn't need me back on set until tonight, so I thought I'd surprise you. Come home as soon as you can, or I can meet you somewhere. Love you."

Maybe her phone is dead. I suddenly remembered that Lou would have driven her wherever she went, so I phoned him.

"Hey Edward."

"Hi Lou," I rushed out the words. "I'm looking for Bella; can you tell me where she is?"

"Um, Edward, I haven't seen Bella today. She told me she'd call if she needed me. I haven't heard a word."

"Shit," I muttered. "I don't know where she is, and she's not answering her phone."

"Oh man, what do you need me to do?" He sounded worried too. We all remembered what happened the last time no one could reach Bella.

"Just sit tight, I'm going to try her again and then I'll call around. She may be with one of the family."

"Okay Edward, keep me posted."

"Thanks Lou."

I dialed Bella once more. I was so worried that I didn't have a chance to be pissed that she went out by herself. "Bella, I just spoke with Lou. I can't believe you went out alone, and aren't answering your phone. Where are you? I'm getting anxious sweetheart. Please call me."

A knot formed in my stomach as I remembered how it felt to see her in the hospital after the ranger had taken her.

Oh God

There had been no threats. No strange phone calls. No stalkers. The reasonable part of my brain tried to convince me.

I tried to keep the panic at bay, but it wasn't working.

Please, please, please

I didn't even know who I was begging. God?

By this time, we'd reached the house. I ran inside and was met with empty rooms. I realized then that I'd been holding out hope that she was there, and that she hadn't heard the phone.

I felt sick.

I dialed her again. "Bella, I'm freaking out here. If you get this, call me right away. Otherwise, I'm phoning every member of our family hoping you're with one of them. I'm losing my mind baby. I love you. Please call."

After watching the phone in my hand for five solid minutes, I let my panic take control. Someone had taken her. I just knew it.

Who to call first?

Rose

If Bella was spending the afternoon with someone from our family, Rose would be the most likely choice.

"Hi Edward," She answered in a cheerful voice.

"Hi Rose, have you seen Bella? I'm terribly worried that something is wrong…"

"Didn't she call you?"

"Yes, she said she'd be out for the afternoon."

"Yeah, I think the movie marathon will be over shortly. I know that she's going straight home afterward."

"A movie marathon?"

"Yes," I heard Rose draw a breath. "She didn't tell you?"

"No, but that explains her turning the phone off. Although I wish she'd put it on 'silent'. I'm not happy that she went to the movies alone though. God, doesn't she realize that it's not safe. I'm going to have to speak with her about that. What theater was it; maybe we can pick her up."

I was only slightly relieved at the prospect that she'd gone to the movies, and hadn't been abducted. It could still happen.

"Um, Edward, she's not alone," Rose answered back in a small voice.

"Who's with her?" I asked automatically. Expecting the answer to be one of Bella's friends from school.

"Shane," Rose said quietly.

"What the fuck?" I asked incredulously.

"Edward, don't be angry, he phoned and invited her. She knew you'd be working late."

"Oh that makes me feel so much better," I spat out. "The fact is that I had a few hours off and rode all the way home to surprise my wife only to find out that she didn't miss me because she was spending the afternoon in the company of another man."

"Shit, Edward, it wasn't like that."

"Thanks for the information Rose. See you later." I ended the call abruptly. I didn't want to take my anger out on her.

Shane

Motherfucking Shane Benedict

I have been losing my mind for the better part of the afternoon and evening, and it's Shane Benedict's fault.

Fuck this.

I decided not to hang around my house. Who knew how long Bella and Shane would be out enjoying themselves.

Maybe she'd invite him back to the house, knowing that I'd be gone.

Fuck

I ran my hands through my hair.

I knew better.

Bella wasn't like that.

We had almost arrived back in Olympia when my phone rang.

Bella

"Where are you?" I asked in a calm voice while trying my hardest to keep the anger at bay.

"I'm on my way home. Listen Edward, I've been in a movie theater for hours, that's why my phone wasn't on. I'm so sorry..."

"I'm well aware of where you've been Bella, and with whom you chose to spend your day. Rose told me. I wish you had been the one to relay that information, but no matter." I failed at holding the angry tone out of my voice. "Do you have any fucking idea how worried I was? Call me crazy Bella, but it wasn't that long ago that you were kidnapped by a lunatic asshole who planned to kill you. I tend to lose my mind when I can't get in touch with you." I was tugging at my hair like a madman as I spat out the words.

I noticed Sidney eyeing me cautiously in the rearview mirror.

"I'm sorry," she said in almost a whisper.

That didn't stop me from continuing.

"Are you? Because from where I sit it doesn't seem that way. I can't imagine treating someone I love in such a callous manner. And then to find out that you were with Shane. I honestly don't know what the hell to think anymore."

"Edward, what are you saying?"

I drew in a breath, angry with myself for letting this nonsense with Shane go on for so long, but angrier with Shane for making an obvious play for my wife. "I'm just angry Bella. We probably shouldn't be having this conversation until I've had a chance to cool down. Do me a favor and as soon as you get home, lock yourself in the damned house." I growled. I knew I was being a jerk. "I never thought I'd miss the day when you were afraid of your own shadow. At least you wouldn't be spending hours in a darkened movie theater with a virtual fucking stranger."

There was dead silence from the other end of the line. I knew I needed to end the call.

"Listen," I started in a quieter tone, "I've got to go; we just arrived back at the set. I'll see you in a few hours." I took another breath. "Goodbye Bella, I love you…" it was then I realized that she'd hung up.

She didn't even say goodbye

Can you really blame her?

Fuck

What the hell have I done?

When I was through with costume and makeup, and had sufficiently calmed enough that I knew I wouldn't lose my temper again, I dialed Bella's number.

Not surprisingly, it went to voicemail, I chose not to leave a message. I needed to apologize in person.

About five minutes later I received a text.

I'm home. Going to sleep now.

Short and sweet.

That was when I knew how much I'd hurt her.

Somehow I got through the next few hours without thinking about what a dick I'd been. As soon as we were riding back toward Bainbridge Island however, I let my feelings of guilt wash over me.

I'd said some horrible things to the person I loved most in this world.

How was I even going to apologize for my behavior? I pulled out the bottle of liquor I'd brought from my trailer and took a swig. The burn felt good and helped to numb my feelings of guilt.

I knew I needed to apologize, but I also wanted Bella to know that, even though I trust her implicitly, I didn't trust Shane.

If I'd only said something sooner, none of this would have happened.

When I arrived home, I went straight to our room. To my horror, Bella wasn't anywhere to be found. I ran back downstairs, ready to phone Rose to see if she had gone over there, when I heard my beautiful girl scream.

I found her in her small study, obviously having just had a nightmare. I ran over to her and wrapped my arms around her small shaking frame.

She screamed again while trying to push me away, obviously not quite awake yet. I held her tightly to my chest, "Baby, it's me. You were having a nightmare."

She seemed to relax in my arms then, for a moment, before I felt her body stiffen. She placed her hands on my chest and pushed me away.

Oh no

And then she said the words that almost stopped my heart. "Don't. Just don't."

********************************A/N****************************

A/N Okay, this covered chapters 78 and 79. The next and final chapter will cover chapters 80 and 81. Remember that the end scene in that final chapter will continue a bit further than it did in V&V to include the interaction with the family at the hospital. Should be sweet and fluffy.

Reviews make me very happy! I will eventually respond to every one of them..unless your private message function is disabled. Be that as it may, I love to hear your thoughts!

Remember to keep giving your love to Popsicle Sticks as well. As soon as LRM is complete, the sequel to V&V/LRM, 'Lullabies & Eternal Love' will begin.

Also, I'm working on another story which will probably post later this week. "The Harvest of Avarice", yes it's the story behind Edward's movie. It's short and will be an entry in the Age of Edward contest. Put me on Author alert if you'd like to know when it posts.

Ciao!