CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

"Long may our land be bright, With freedom's holy light…"

Only one more verse to go… thank god I didn't have to sing the Star Spangled Banner.

"Protect us by thy might, great God our king."

And scene. A massive sigh of relief, thankfully masked by cheering crowds. I did it! Yes, my fellow Americans the hard part has truly passed for this great country.

I stepped back and shook Mr. President's hand once more and went to find my seat. I was decked out in a bright royal red coat that Marcus made for me. I was pretty sure that one could see me even from miles away. The coat was a welcome relief to the cold temperatures that day. Makes me wonder what genius thought it would be a good time of year to place the inauguration during January in Washington D.C. a city not foreign to snow and freezing temperatures.

Now that my part was done it was off to focus on the many parties that would be happening all over the city tonight. Scratch that, balls. Large grand balls where you were expected to dress in ball gowns and every conversation was about money or politics. The difference between parties and balls were that at parties it was expected to have fun at balls it was expected to die of boredom. The difference between Edward and myself was that, Edward preferred balls and I preferred parties. Go figure.

When the inauguration was through the plan was to meet my parents back at the hotel. I told Edward it would be hard for us to meet up seeing how their was thousands of people to wade through to get to one another but he was insistent that I not go back to the hotel by myself so here I stood at the edge of the authorized personal only area waiting to be picked up like the child I was. I stood there for an hour and still nothing. I pulled out my phone and tried calling him again and there was no answer. Another half hour passed and I had had it so I texted Edward a message and set off for the hotel on my own.

I'm not sure if you have ever had to move through a mob to get somewhere but it's like having to trudge your way through a sticky swamp. It's tedious. There were no taxi's around and even if I had managed to get to the subway they were jam-packed and people couldn't even get down to the platform. Our hotel was miles and miles away but there was no choice but to walk…or trudge.

I tried to remain inconspicuous but remember that bright red coat that Marcus put me in, yeah so much for the inconspicuous part. It didn't take long for my fellow trudgers to take notice of me and so my swamp like pace seemed like a speeding freight train to the pace I was at now. I tried to be nice and sign autographs and pose for pictures while trudging but suddenly it was becoming so overwhelming. My cell phone was ringing and lo and behold it was Edward.

"Where are you?" he practically shouted into my ear.

"Lost in a sea of citizens. I tried calling you and calling you. Why weren't you answering your phone?" I snapped back.

"Where are you, Bella? You shouldn't have left."

"Well I wasn't planning on waiting there until the next inauguration. I'm somewhere on Constitution Avenue and I'm trying to find my way back to the hotel." I explained.

"Don't you realize how unsafe that is? Get to a safe place. Give me a landmark you're near."

I looked around to see anything I could give him. I wasn't sure at this point who was more irritated with whom. "Uh…I think there is a café coming up…Capitol café."

"Stay there. I will come for you but stay there." He demanded.

"And how long should I wait this time."

"Just do as I say." And then he hung up. I could feel my blood beginning to boil. Sometimes…. I shook my fist in anger.

I stood near the stupid café for another half hour until Edward finally arrived. Somehow he managed to acquire a government vehicle. He popped out of the SUV and dodged his way through the crowds for his extraction mission.

"Come on." He grabbed my hand and started to pull me back to the vehicle. I hadn't even noticed that he had brought security with him as well and the moment we got into the car the security piled in behind us and we took off like a herd full of turtles. It would have been faster walking then having to drive our way through crowds.

"Why didn't you wait like I had asked?" Edward started in on me before the car door was even shut. I wasn't planning on taking it however.

"Why didn't you answer your phone? I waited over an hour and a half. What was I supposed to do? You weren't calling me or texting me back so yeah I decided to find my own way back."

"Bella, you are no longer just another civilian. Don't you realize that? It is unsafe for you to just pop around on your own. I don't care if you had to wait three hours for me to get to you, you should have waited."

"No, we should have just done things the way I wanted to from the beginning. You should have taken my parents back to the hotel and I would have just met you there. We both would have been to the hotel by now. I didn't need you busting down here with Seal team six to escort me back to the hotel. Sometimes I wonder if I'm your fiancé or your hostage."

"Sometimes I wonder if you really are that naïve or just being hard-headed." He spit back.

"Pull over." I told the driver. "I'll walk." I put my hand on the car door ready to tuck and roll out of the car if necessary.

"No you're not." Edward commanded and he took a firm grasp onto my wrist.

"Let me go." I looked him straight in the eye with fury.

"No." his eyes were burning as well. "When we get back to the hotel room you can act like a brat all you want but right now you aren't going anywhere. I'm not going to allow you to risk your life just to prove a point. So sit back."

I turned my body away from him and crossed my arms, I was so furious right then that he dare not speak to me.

The crowds slowly started to dissipate and another half hour later we were finally back to the St. Regis. I tore out of the car not allowing any room for Edward to catch up with me and arrived back to our suite where my parents were waiting.

"Oh baby, you did so well. Your father and I couldn't be prouder." My mom hugged me. "Where's Edward? What took you so long? Emma, Ian and us arrived back here over an hour ago."

I went over and hugged my dad. "Edward was being difficult so you always have to add on two hours of slag time when he plans anything." Right then Edward walked in and still didn't look very happy. I didn't care, I wasn't happy as well.

"I'm so proud of you." My dad said quietly when I hugged him.

"Edward, what took you so long?" my mom asked.

"Ask your daughter. She didn't want to stick to the plan so I had to chase on after her." He replied.

"No. I waited for an hour and half for someone to show up and they never did and that someone couldn't take the time to answer their phone." I snapped back.

"Well, I managed to get a great picture of you shaking the President's hand." My mother continued not even taking notice of Edward's and my little spat.

"Mom, dad I think I am going to go and lay down before all the festivities begin. I'm pretty beat." I pulled my coat off and laid it on a chair.

"Yes, Charlie we should go back and lay down for a while too. We were up so early and I'm sure we will be out late tonight."

They left and I was already off to the bedroom, stripped down to my underwear and in bed before Edward could continue our argument, which was wise that he didn't however it was during this time in our lives that Edward found different ways to fight and for the record, he didn't fight fairly.

After a nerve-racking performance it usually didn't take much for me to pass out hard. I would sleep only a couple of hours and it would feel like days. When I managed to open my eyes a squint I could see how dark the room had turned from day to early evening; a light crept in through a crack from the bedroom door. I felt something roaming up and down my body. It took only a moment to register Edward's hands pulling my backside to him. His fingers leading their way down to my special spot and then he started to play. I let out a soft moan not even remembering that I was supposed to me upset with this man.

"That's right baby, feel my fingers." Edward's husky voice filled my ears.

I pushed myself on him; grinding on his hand wanting more. Edward removed his hand and suddenly I remembered I was upset with him. I was about to bitch but then he pushed me over onto my front and climbed on me. It was then I realized that he managed to completely undress me and now he was naked on top of me pushing his firm member onto me.

"Edward…" I tried to protest. Not that it wasn't hot but come on I couldn't get any of my girly bits excited in this position.

Edward secured my hands down to the bed above my head. "Do you feel what you do to me?" he pushed his dick into the crevice of my butt. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

"Edward…uh…" it turned into a moan when he reached down and dipped a finger into my now dripping pussy. Yes, my kitty knew what was coming. Edward released me and allowed me to turn over and like the desperate strumpet I was, I immediately opened my legs for him and he gladly obliged.

He entered me swiftly and then I didn't care what infractions he was on my shit list for. He went back to pining down my hands up over to my head. "Isabella, you drive me crazy. You never listen to me." He leaned down and nibbled on my neck. He stayed inside me not moving and I whined trying to push him in further.

"Edward, come on." I moaned.

"Silence. I want you to listen to me." Slowly he pushed himself further inside me as his mouth reached my ear. "You are no longer Bella Swan the adorable young intern at some production company. You are now famous and you cannot just wander around without someone with you who can handle if a situation turns ugly. I am not going to punish you but I love you too much to see anything happen to you." He started to slowly pump in and out of me causing my rebuttal to fly out of my head.

He leaned down and sucked on my nipple ending it with a harsh little bite. I cried out but the pain was oddly sensual. I grabbed his mouth and stuck my tongue down his throat. I was never more turned on and confused at the same time. It felt like savage beasts mating. So much power. So much need and want and desire.

"Promise me you will listen to me." He pushed in and out more rapidly. Oh my god I wasn't going to last long.

"Be my good girl. Say you're mine." He slammed into me and I cried out.

"More, harder." I groaned.

"Say you're mine." He growled.

"Uh…I…Edw…" I could only focus on my impeding orgasm.

And then he stopped and pulled out completely.

"Come on." I cried.

"Say it, Bella."

He looked me in the eye and it threw me off guard because I could see something in them.

Desperation.

This was all about control. I took away all his control when I made him promise to never punish me. I took away his control when I made him choose between Tria Fata and me. Now he had nothing left to use to make me see his reasoning.

"I've always been yours." I replied sincerely. I placed my hand on his cheek, "Edward I am yours as you are mine."

He slowly pushed back into me never taking his eyes off of me, "Promise me, Bella. I need to know."

"Okay." I pushed myself up allowing for him to go in further. "I promise."

Edwards's hands grasped onto my hips and then I really unleashed a beast. He didn't stop; one hand reached up and pinched my nipple. He kept sucking on my neck and the moment I started screaming out he bit down a little. My heart was racing so hard. I placed my hand on my chest to feel the rapid beats of my heart. My head fell back onto the pillow in a satisfied relief. I could tell Edward was getting close by his pace so I squeezed my kegel muscles with all the might I had left in me.

"FUCK!" he roared and filled me with his hot torrid cum. Edward seemed to have a little trouble catching his breath as well but he pulled out and pulled me to him, spooning me.

"I hate fighting with you." I whispered.

"I know. We've had a couple doozies lately." He sighed.

"I don't mean to be difficult but sometimes I think you go a little overboard."

"Bella, you don't know what I know about this business. People can become obsessed or a crowd can turn ugly, quickly. Most people feel like you owe them something and they can become vicious. I…just want to protect you. Will you at least let me do that?"

"I appreciate that but…" I sighed.

"You promised me." He reminded.

"You coerced me."

"Play to your strengths, baby."

"Uh…you're so frustrating. Oh and by the by, I hate when you call me a brat." I declared.

"I know you do. That's why I do it because you may not believe it but you are acting like a brat. I will always call you out on it because I am ensuring that you don't turn into that narcissistic demon bitch you so warned me about." Edward replied.

"Well you make me into a brat by being all…frustrating." Damn my vocabulary.

"I will try to not frustrate you but you started it." He teased.

I flipped over, "Really, Edward you're resulting to childish taunts. You may want to go back and ask Gracie or Savannah for the updated rebuttals from the playground." I smirked.

"Couldn't resist." He leaned down and kissed me, his hand on my lower back bringing me closer. "I never got to tell you just how amazing you were today."

I blushed and looked down, "Thank you." I replied softly. "Do we really have to go to this thing tonight? I want to stay here." I wanted to get off the subject of my performance, hearing praise just felt weird.

"Yes, baby. I'm afraid we do have to go and put an appearance in. Think of your parents. They are so excited for this."

"Trust me Edward, my dad isn't even thinking about this ball. He's too busy focusing on that Super Bowl thingy you're taking him too."

"Super Bowl thingy? Don't be jealous now."

"Its football, I imagine grass growing would be more fascinating. I think I will just enjoy my weekend testosterone free with my girls. Embry is leaving a couple of days after we get back and I plan on putting in some time with them seeing how things are about to become a tad bit crazy around the Cullen/Swan/Call/Black home."

"That's a lot of slashes. Maybe…" Edward was interrupted by a banging on our door.

"What time is it?" I jumped up and looked over to the clock. "Oh my god. Edward we're running crazy late. You answer the door; I'll jump into the shower."

I ran into the bathroom in a frenzied pace. So much to do in so little time, I had a feeling my mom was about to rip me a new one.

There's not much to write about with this particular ball. We came; Edward looked dashing in his tux, I managed to ooze a particular amount of grace and it was a good time to be had by all. I was anxious to just get back home. It's funny I had always wanted to travel and now that I was finally at a point in my life where travel was expected I found that after a week I would be itchy to get home. I think this time it was because I knew all that needed to be done so I asked Edward to allow us to leave early the next morning.

The wedding was weeks away and somewhere in there I needed to do preproduction for four music videos. My plan of attack for the videos was to hire two different crews; one crew to work on video one and video three and the second crew to work on video two and four. Each video would get one week of my time to film which means that the moment I arrived home from our honeymoon I would be working nonstop for a straight month.

"Mommy, we saw you on the T.V." Gracie was the first to greet us like usual.

"Oh did you? Are you ready for presents?" I asked.

Her face lit up. Edward had followed in through the door with the rest of the suitcases and ceremoniously dropped them down in the foyer.

"Where's your sister?" I continued.

"She's upstairs with Tiana." Gracie stretched out her name dramatically like Tiana had become a thorn in her side suddenly.

"Who's Tiana?" I asked looking upstairs toward the direction of their bedroom.

"A girl at school. They won't let me play with them." She huffed.

"Well, maybe you'll want to play with the toy we brought you that's in my bag." Edward sang.

And Tiana was all forgotten.

I left Edward with the task of doling out the gifts and went on upstairs, very curious of this Tiana person. I was gone a week and now there was a friend I never knew about. Embry really sucked on the whole updating me thing while I was gone.

I poked my head in and saw the television on to the Disney channel and Savannah and Tiana sitting at the table drawing and laughing. Oh my god, she looked happy. I stood there in awe for a minute knowing what this meant to my daughter. Her first friend.

"Hey, stop spying."

I looked back to see Embry right behind me. I punched him in the shoulder. "How could you not tell me about this?"

"Not a big deal. Her mother called and got ahold of Jacob last week to arrange a play date or whatever and the nanny dropped her off. No need to stop the presses."

I walked with him away from the girl's bedroom and toward his room.

"Well, you need to keep me updated on these things. This is Savannah's first friend here. It's a big deal." I exclaimed.

"Wow, I don't think I want to be around you when she gets her period for the first time." Embry laughed.

"Yeah, just yuk it up." I sighed. "So what's been going on? Did you decide what day you are leaving for New York?"

"Yeah probably Friday. The shows not till Saturday but I thought it would be good to get in a couple of rehearsals. Did you have time to come up with a concept for the video?" Embry asked as he dropped down to his couch.

I sat down next to him and slightly cringed. "I'm not sure if you're gonna like it. I can come up with something different if it's too much." I offered.

"No. I wanna hear it. I'm cool."

"Okay. So I thought about starting off on a street lined with brownstones. When I think about your past, I imagine you living on a street in Brooklyn that's lined with old brownstones. So we see you sitting on the stoop and you rap the first part of you song. In the back ground we see someone come out of the door behind you and go down the steps and walk right in front of you continuing down the street. You jump down from your stoop and continue off the same direction as the person who passed. We see you walking down the street rapping and I know that Chandra sang your hook so I thought maybe she should be the one you're following. The camera will pull out and see how close you are to following this girl or Chandra but it's like she's in her own world she has head phones in her ears and is completely unaware of what is going on around her. No matter what you say about her or what you rap it's almost like she doesn't want to notice you there. You continue to get closer and closer until you are just mere inches away and it doesn't even affect her. But then you actually make physical contact with her hand and she realizes that you are there. She pulls the headphones from out of her ears but it's too late. You sing to her that it's over now and you continue to walk on without her. Suddenly she is behind you trying to get your attention and is the one being ignored. You go on with your life."

I breathed out a sigh and let my words sink in for a minute, "Oh and I want to do this all in one take, no editing or splicing shots together."

His eyes snapped up to look at me. "What? How?"

"It could be done with a truck and a jib. It would require a lot of rehearsal especially with the walking because I basically want you in step as close as possible to the girl or Chandra."

"Bella, who did you think I wrote this song about?" he asked.

"Your…wife?" I replied awkwardly.

Embry gave a small smile. "Why would you think that?"

"Because you rap about how you would tear your heart for her and how she drives you crazy but you will always love her. Sounds like Sabina to me."

"Bella, I didn't write this song about Sabina. I do love her and I don't honestly think I will ever love another woman the way I loved her. She was my soul mate but I wrote the song about you."

"WHAT?" I might have been a tad too outraged with my ecstatic WTF moment of denial.

Embry got up from the couch with the same smile on his face. "Listen to the song again." He laughed a little and started to go toward the door, "Oh and I love your idea but I won't do it with anyone but you in the video."

He left me there sitting on his couch surrounded by my cloud of confusion. What the fuck. What the fuck! I couldn't stop thinking about it until finally I had the genius plan to run off to my room and grab my iPod. I wrestled the ear buds into my ears and started the song.

"Eyes meet I feel a rush, seeing you its all enough…" How could this song be about me? This was a love song…well a really fucked up love song. I listened further.

"Saved me from further sin my life's not worth my skin…" slowly it started to make sense. This wasn't a love love song. It was a song of appreciation and he was raping about if I were to ever leave what that would do to him. Albeit kinda weird twisted things he would hypothetically do to himself. But I could finally understand the lyrics on a whole new level. At first I was worried that he meant that he was confessing he had a crush on me but that wasn't it at all. I understood what he was really saying, it was about our friendship.

Wow.

Just wow.

This may change my video concept however when I tried to approach Embry about it he insisted that we keep the old idea but maybe tweak it. We would talk about it some more when he got back. He promised he would of course be back in time for the wedding.

Edward had agreed to take a couple of days off with me and go and help out my parents with trying to pack up the remaining stuff from my old childhood home. My parents were still looking for a house but were in no rush since my mom still had to work till June to finish out her school year.

Our plan for Thursday was to drop off Savannah and Gracie at school; I made arrangements for Emma to pick them up that day and drive them out to my parents' house. I was hoping that packing would go fast and we could have dinner with my parents before going back home before nightfall. That was the plan…

January 22nd on a Thursday morning at some time after five AM a loud banging came on Edward's and my door. Jacob undeterred by our silence from sleeping that morning decided to bust on in yelling like a mad man. My ears and brain couldn't even make out what he was yelling about. Was there a fire? A hostile take down? Armageddon?

"Jacob, what the hell?" I yelled out. "Keep it down. The girls are sleeping next door."

Yes, I was one crazed monster in the wee hours. Never one to feed after midnight.

"Jacob, go back to bed." Edward mumbled.

"You'll never believe what just happened." He replied animatedly.

All the sudden my phone started ringing. "Don't answer that. I want to tell you." Jacob demanded.

I looked at my phone with one eye since my eyes still hadn't adjusted to light this early. Seth Clearwater was calling me. I hit ignore and flopped down back onto my pillow, "Go to bed, Jacob. Come back when the suns up."

"No. Just listen to me. So I was sitting there in my room with the television on because you know what today is right?"

We didn't answer.

"Oscar nominations." He said it like there should have been a drum roll to preface it.

"Oh." I yawned. "Did ya win something?" I mumbled.

"Win? No it's the nominations. You don't win…yet. I mean unless you talking about a nomination…then yes, you did win something."

"Jacob, go to bed." Edward growled and then threw his pillow off into the general direction of Jacob.

"Dude, are you like not listening to me. You have an academy award nomination." He said every single syllable.

"That's nice. Add it to my others. Now shut up and go to bed." Edward grumbled.

"Not you, man. Arrogant much? Bella! You got the nomination." Jacob huffed.

I laid there for a minute not really comprehending his words. It was still too early for comprehension something I tried explaining to my English teacher in grade school but alas that never stopped them.

Edward sat up in bed throwing the covers slightly off me.

"What?" he replied.

"Bella just got her first Oscar nomination." Jacob said once again. "Oh, and uh you didn't get nominated this year. Sorry, bro."

I finally sat up slowly. "Is this some kind of joke?" I looked at him murderous. Any other day it would be funny. Scratch at any other time of day it would have been funny but not when one dares mess with my early morning hours of sleep.

"It's not a joke." Jacob crossed over to our television and turned it on. He found our DVR remote and found his taping of the announcement. He fast forwarded to the Best Original Song category and pressed play.

Even seeing it and hearing it did nothing for me. Edward and I sat there like cavemen staring at fire for the first time. My phone rang again and absently I picked it up.

"Isabella Swan, have you seen. You're my little hit making factory." Stefan sang.

"muveraarffalahlea." It wasn't a word but it was the only thing going through my mind that I was able to make audible.

"Huh?"

Jacob took the phone out of my hand, "Man, she's going to have to call you back. I think she's in shock." He hung up and tossed the phone back down onto the bed beside me.

"Baby, this is amazing." Edward said softly. "You deserve this."

I still hadn't cracked well maybe I cracked but not in the way they wanted me to. I just sat there staring at my name on the screen obviously right next to Liberty Projects name as well.

"Uh…Jacob give us a minute." Edward got up and started to push Jacob out the door forcefully.

"Wow…no thanks, no gratitude. This is the last time I try…."

Edward closed the door cutting him off. He walked back over to where I sat slightly comatose. My phone started to ring again and that snapped me out of it for a moment to take the phone and fling it across the room like it was a hot potato. Edward a little surprised by my outburst jumped a little before walking over and hitting the mute button on it. He returned to me and dropped down in front of me.

"Baby, this is a great thing, right? It was one of the things on that bucket list that you told me about awhile back. You did it." Edward smiled.

"Did you do this? Did you pay someone off?" I asked.

"What? Why do you always think I have something to do with things involving your career? Bella, that's insane. You did this. All on your own…well not technically on your own. The boys helped too but that's not the point. You can't keep assuming that I am the one responsible for your career milestones. You did this!"

"I'm sorry…it's just that I'm having trouble feeling my face at the moment. Am I drooling?"

Edward laughed and stood up to take ahold of my face and brought his lips to mine. "Feel that?"

"Uh huh. I think I need more just to be sure this is reality." I coaxed.

Edward picked me up from the bed and pulled me in for a deeper longer kiss.

"I'm nominated for an Academy Award." I giggled. "Oh my god. OH my God! Oh my god, OH MY GOD!"

"Okay baby you have to keep it down a little. Savannah and Gracie, remember?"

I flopped back down on the bed with a grand smile. I couldn't believe that this was possible.

For a brief period of time I was on top of the world. I was going higher and higher. Everything was going great in my life and it felt like nothing could stop me now. However, when it came to Academy Award Sunday and they announced the winner, I was never more relieved at that point in my life to hear someone else's name called.

AN: Hope everyone will hang in with me for the next couple of chapters. I am almost finished with the next chapter and it is the hardest chapter I have had to write yet. Thank you for always reading and reviewing, giving me the confidence to keep going forward. Thank you, thank you, thank you!