CHAPTER SIX

By the time the sun started shining through my bedroom window the next morning, all I could feel was a massive headache. I slowly opened one eye, stinging from the harsh sun it seemed that God had turned the volume up on it today. Alice came bouncing into my room, with far more energy than should be legal on a Sunday morning.

"Morning Bella, did someone enjoy their date with the porcelain god last night?" she laughed.

"Alice I know that you have more power in your one little pinky in Hollywood then I have in my whole body. I like to take this moment to remind you we're not in Hollywood anymore Toto, so don't make me kick your ass." Damn, I was crabby.

"Calm your ass down Dorothy. Does this look like the face of a mangy mutt, I am definitely a Glinda." She gave me a twist of her head that told me Alice could have been ghetto in a past life.

"I'm sorry Alice, I just feel like someone just took the biggest shit in history and I was the product from it." I was afraid to ask but I knew I had to, "How's Edward?"

She jumped up on my bed. "He's fine, I think its Emmett you have to worry about." She made a face. Alright, add him to the list of people I never want to see again after last night.

"Edwards making you a hangover cure as we speak, he knows that once we start filming tomorrow you'll want to be up to par." She all the sudden became very quiet, "Edward cares for you, you know that right."

"Alice after last night, I'm just glad he cares enough not to fire me. God, it was so humiliating." I don't know why but tears started to brim. Maybe it was because I really did want to make something of myself and now all Edward would think when he saw me was the assistant who threw up on him. Or maybe it was the fact that in my first couple of weeks away from my parents I showed a complete lack of maturity. Who was I kidding, I was becoming just like my sister.

"It's going to be ok, I happen to know that you are surrounded by many people who love and care about you. In fact, I personally declare that last night will forever be ripped from the pages of your life." She looked triumphant, possibly delusional but with actors that comes with the territory.

"Alice I don't think we can use the "what happens in Vegas" defense for last night. I'm just going to have to live with the consequences."

Edward backed into my room carrying a tray, "How's our little patient, Alice?"

"It was touch and go there for a while but I think if we hook her up to an IV, she should make it." She smiled at me; I think my face may have shown a look of horror upon it. Needles the one topic a person should not joke about around me.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Edward questioned.

"You're not seriously going to put a needle in me?" I squeaked.

Edward shook his head, "I'm not a real doctor, I just play one on TV." He laughed. And he was right, at one point in his career he did play one on TV; it was a guest appearance stint that was a rating bonanza.

Edward looked over to Alice, "Alice could you give us a moment?" She hopped down from my bed gave a wave as she left.

"So…"I began.

"Yeah, we need to talk. First, I brought you some breakfast and let me say I will be a lot more agreeable with the more you eat." I looked at the food, on any normal day my ass would have been all over it well some of it. Pancakes with strawberries and a cup of fruit on the side. A large glass of water and beside it another smaller glass with some kind of thick red liquid in it.

I decided to go for misdirection and take my time with the things I knew I could eat. I offered up a thank you and picked up the bowl of the cut up fruit. Just as I began stabbing a piece of cantaloupe with my fork Edward spoke, "Just so you know, I'm not leaving until you've consumed every last bit."

I looked down at the tray, eyeing the red juice like the contents held a death sentence. Apprehensively I asked, "What is it?"

"I can honestly tell you, that you don't want to know." He said.

"Just tell me" I was beyond frustrated. I slowly felt like all the power was in his hands. I hated that feeling. If he thinks for one minute he can boss me around, just because he helped me out last night he has another thing coming. I mean who does he think he is my boss? Oh right, damn.

"Alright, but you are still going to drink it. It's called a Red Eye, it contains orange juice…"

I interrupted, "Well that's not so bad."

"Coffee, pepper, whiskey, tabasco sauce" My stomach was turning just hearing this. "And a raw egg."

"No, I'm not drinking that, it's against my religion." I was adamant.

"That's not funny Bella." He reprimanded me.

"I'm allergic to …eggs."

"Says the girl who plowed through a whole carton last week. I'm not playing around with you; either you drink it on your own like a big girl or you won't like what I'll be forced to do." He threatened.

I sat there staring at it, trying to come up with a plan. I looked around the room for some inspiration, I could throw it out the window but my aim isn't very good and knowing my luck lately I'd most likely hit him in the head. I could "accidentally" spill it but with the mood Edward seemed to be in, I wouldn't put it past him to make me lick it up.

I decided to leave it to the end, hoping inspiration would strike. He dropped it for the time being.

"Bella about last night…" he stopped himself abruptly and I could tell he was changing direction with his thoughts. "I think you need to control the amount of alcohol you consume in the future, I'm not mad at you. But after what I saw last night, I'll be honest, you really had me worried."

"I know. I'm sorry. I could never make an apology that would even come close to how sorry I am for everything. But after last night, I swear I will never drink again." Oh, shit the plan was forming.

"Well there have been plenty of people who have come before you that have said that very thing, I'm not saying don't drink, I'm just saying don't drink to point of drunkenness." He smiled over to me.

"No I mean it, I'm not drinking anymore, in fact," I picked up the offending glass offering it to him "If you could make this without the whiskey I would be happy to drink it." He wasn't amused. He rose from the chair crossing over to me, I started to get nervous maybe I crossed the line and he was planning on smothering me with the pillow. He picked up the tray and set it on the desk. I still had the vile concoction in my hand.

My voice trembled, "What are you planning to do?" I swallowed loudly. He picked up my towel from off the floor and spread it out on my lap. "Give me the drink." He said quietly. I slowly handed it to him. He set himself up on the bed next to me, "Alright, I'm going to hold your nose, just like my mother used to do when I didn't want to take medicine and one, two, three you swallow and it will be over in a flash."

"News flash, I'm pretty sure as a child you only had a tablespoon of yuckiness, this is a huge glass."

"It's a cup. I measured it myself."

"So holding my nose? What exactly was the plan you might have been forced to do?" I probed.

"Same thing just with Emmett's help." He shrugged.

"You lost your damn mind!"

"And your stalling, stop it!" he brought his hand to my nose, I pouted as I tried to pull away.

"Bella" he warned, "If you don't stop this minute I won't allow you to come to set tomorrow."

I opened my mouth in shock; he knew just where to hurt me the most. "Gee, that's really fair." I settled down, he took ahold of my nose again and brought the glass to my lips. I started whining just at the thought. He slowly started to tip the contents into my mouth and down my throat, they went.

I can't even begin to describe the evil nastiness Edward inflicted upon me. Part of me started to think that maybe this was some kind of revenge for last night and that this drink really wasn't a hangover cure after all. I began bouncing up and down the more, the drink came to a close. By the last drop, I'm pretty sure there were tears in my eyes.

"There. That wasn't so bad." Edward smiled.

The look I gave him would send Satan himself running. He got up from the bed laughing; he picked up the tray and asked me to join him downstairs for a mini meeting to go over tomorrow once I was decent.

I started feeling apprehensive about going downstairs, I'm sure that Jasper had heard all about my escapades from last night and I wasn't exactly thrilled of having to show my face. Then there was Emmett who I'm sure just couldn't wait to tease me.

Prolonging the inevitable I decided to take a long hot bath. By the time I was done I was so relaxed, I could've gone back to bed, but I knew that Edward needed me to talk to him so that we would be on the same page for tomorrow.

As I descended the stairs, the uneasiness weighed upon me.

"Hey it's Old Faithful, not planning to erupt soon are you, Bella? I want to make sure I have the proper distance." Emmett broke into fits of laughter the only one amused by his own joke.

"Hey, it's old…oh wait, that's right, you're just plain old." I smiled over to him.

Emmett's face instantly changed, "I'm only 38, that's not that old." He pouted.

"Don't dish it if you can't take it Em." Alice rightfully said.

"Alright, that's enough." Edward, always the peacemaker. "Bella, are you feeling better?" I hadn't really thought about it but my massive headache had disappeared and the light wasn't bothering my eyes as much.

"Yeah, I feel good." Wow, drunken crisis averted.

"I know. Told you my cure would work maybe next time you won't fight me so much." Arrogant ass crisis not averted.

"I don't think it had anything to do with your drink, Mr. Cullen. It was the beautifully long bath I just took that is the cause of my good health. Your drink is most likely the cause for my uneasy stomach." I lied, my stomach actually felt pretty damn good. But I wasn't about to let him think he won. His eyes bore into mine, I looked away busying myself with a pillow on the couch.

"Whatever you say, Bella, I'm sure you are a woman of your word." He could tell I was lying. I guess I was going to have to cross his name off the list of people I can never play poker with. Although I have to admit my poker face has never been very good and my list was getting thin.

Our meeting was fairly short mostly because all Edward wanted to talk about was my safety. He went on and on about how Rome was a big city and how I should stay within the roped off areas at all times because he didn't want me getting lost. I told him that I wasn't planning on getting lost; the plan was to be kidnapped, duh. He was not amused and told me that if he couldn't trust me, I would spend the next couple of months working from home. I promptly shut it after that.

I could tell that he all the sudden seemed nervous of our deal, he started talking about not allowing myself in to take on any jobs physically knew I wasn't capable of handling. Make sure you don't lift more than forty pounds, Bella. Make sure you don't get electrocuted, Bella. Make sure you don't walk, Bella you could trip. Alright, maybe I was exaggerated on that last one. I finally had enough, so I mimicked Edward and said, "Make sure you don't go near the makeup brushes Bella, you could poke an eye out." That promptly ended our meeting.

Tomorrow was the day, the day I have been looking forward to my entire life; it felt like fate that it just so happened to coincide with my birthday.

AN: Thank you for reading and reviewing.

STORY IS MINE. CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.