A/N: I want to thank once again my wonderful betas: SSHG316, Charmie77 and acireamos. They help me to not look stupid when I update, because they are my eyes and my inspiration. Love you ladies!
The Dump James Contest was not successful because we only got 29 reviews. The minimum was 50. However, the majority of the reviews requested a good James, but only by a few votes. James will continue to be a polarizing character, but in this story he will be treated somewhat humanely. Give James Hall some love, ya'll!
Trust, Loyalty, Commitment
"Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid." – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret. – Proverbs 11:13
Chapter 9 – TLC: Imagined Secrets and Things Left Unsaid
EPOV
Now that planning for the concert and the year-end festival were under way, everyone at the Center was busy, including Edward. This made for a largely "Taps"-free couple of days for him. Bella was as beautiful and desirable to him as ever, but he had not had a lot of direct contact with her, which allowed him to exercise a little more self-control. He was finding that even the contact he'd managed to have with her was bearable because he really didn't want to objectify her as he had done so, with so many other women.
Together, he and Bella had mended fences of sorts, with Alice. Bella had given Alice absolute free rein to plan the functions in any way that suited her fancy. This made it necessary for them all to come earlier and stay later to get everything done, because the homework help, tutoring, and teaching must go on.
Edward was given the task of planning security for the events. With the assistance of two new male volunteers and the one they already had, they would only have four total for the concert which was a stretch at that. The year-end festival would require reinforcement by his colleagues on the force, and he would need to talk to Captain Black about that.
Edward's first appointment with Dr. Levy had been just as he expected: an introduction and little else. They shared pleasantries, personal information, and then discussed where Edward was in the SWIRL. S.W.I.R.L. is an acronym which stands for the five stages of abandonment: Shattering, Withdrawal, Internalizing, Rage, and Lifting.
Edward knew that he was planted firmly where he had been when he left treatment in Terre Haute, ping-ponging between Internalizing and Rage all the time, and as far as he knew, he had never gotten to the Lifting stage.
Dr. Levy pointed out to him that by making a decision to work through some of his issues again, he was actually practicing one of the most important AkeRu exercises; he was taking the steps necessary to deconstruct his "outer child" defenses allowing him to change his behavior, resolve his insecurities, and become "unstuck." His homework was to create a five-point action plan to move him toward Lifting to remove any barriers that might increase his capacity for love.
Edward wanted to tell Dr. Levy that he was already moving in that direction, but decided he would save that for a later session. There was still a shitload of work he had to do before he could pursue Bella in earnest and he was anxious to get it started. He surprised Dr. Levy when he requested two sessions per week, rather than a weekly session.
"Anxious aren't we, Edward?" Dr. Levy teased. "Is there someone special providing the driving force for your desire to resume therapy now, and at such an accelerated pace?"
Ira Levy was approximately thirty five, average height and weight, with a prematurely receding hair line. His expressive face made him look oddly like he was always surprised about something. That fact alone made Edward at ease with him.
"There is," Edward smiled. Then he proclaimed earnestly, "However, I am extremely tired of living life like I'm alone in this world. I need to be a better man for myself before I can be the kind of man she needs me to be."
Dr. Levy looked very pleased. "That admission wins you half the battle, Edward."
On Thursday morning, Edward remembered that he needed to talk to Captain Black about security at the Center for the year-end festival when he checked in at the Precinct. He also wanted to inquire about Aro Volturi and the Church of the Greater Son, as well as follow up on a lead about who was supplying drugs at City of Hope Apartment Community. If anyone on the force would know about an impending Federal bust of a local cult, and be aware of the local drug dealers, Captain Black was definitely the man.
Edward stopped at his shared precinct desk and booted up the desktop. He ran a few names on the NCIC database to see if there were any hits for criminal activity for Aro Volturi, Laurent Beauvoir, and hey, what the fuck, why not run James Hall through to see if the holy man was clean. While that was running, he grabbed a cup of coffee and headed to Captain Black's office.
Edward saw that the Captain had his head buried in a file, but as soon as he noticed Edward at his door, he set it down on the desk, looking almost relieved.
"What's up, Cullen?" he inquired. "You about ready to bail on City of Hope? It became too much of a handful pretty quick for the last several liaisons we've had over there."
"Not yet." Edward smirked. "I think it's growing on me."
"Sit down," Captain Black said, gesturing toward the chair in front of his desk. "Well, you give me hope that I will eventually be able to keep a man in that assignment. What can I do you for, Cullen?"
Edward sat in the chair and crossed his right leg over his left knee, forming a makeshift table on which to balance the forearm of the hand holding his coffee mug. "It's both a police and personal matter, you might say. Have you ever heard of the Church of the Greater Son?"
"Yeah, pseudo-religious outfit founded by a nut job by the name of Aro Volturi. Word is they've secured a federal indictment. Church of the Greater Son is going down. What? You're not one of theirs are you?"
"No, not since I was fifteen," Edward said truthfully. "But my mother was still very much a part of the church until a few months ago when she contacted the Feds to report some potentially illegal activities she'd discovered in her personal accounts. Her late husband, Marcus, was Aro's brother."
"Smart lady. 'Bout time somebody blew the whistle," Captain Black said appreciatively. "The Feds have been after that outfit for years."
"How soon do you think they'll wrap this up?" Edward asked.
"That is the $364,000.00 question. They might need some reinforcements from us. If they come calling, you want in?" Captain Black picked up the file he'd been reading and slid it in his desk drawer.
"Yeah, I'd want nothing more than to be a part of taking that greedy bastard down," Edward hissed through clenched teeth.
"Can you keep a cool head on this thing, Cullen?" Captain Black looked skeptical.
"The Church of the Greater Son stole too much from my family that can't be repaid. I want in on this, Captain." Edward drained his coffee cup in one swallow and worked to keep his temper in check.
Captain Black must have been satisfied, because he relented. "All right. I'll remember you if they do call. They expect Volturi to be something akin to David Koresh. They can probably use your skill set. I'd hit the range for some target practice if I were you."
"Thanks, I'll get right on that," Edward said eagerly. He ran his hand through his hair and planted both feet on the floor, sliding toward the edge of the seat. "One more thing, Captain. They're having an end of year festival at City of Hope, and we'll probably need some extra muscle Memorial Day Weekend. Can you spot us?"
"I'll try to wrangle you some volunteers, Cullen." Captain Black smiled. "You can count me in, too."
"Really? Thanks, Captain Black." Edward stood up.
"The Swans are good people. I went to High School with Renee. We tried to set our children up on a date, but they weren't compatible, I guess. Great friends though." Captain Black seemed really disappointed.
Edward frowned in commiseration and wisely changed the subject. "I've been hearing a name over at City of Hope from some of the teens selling drugs over there. Ever heard of a Laurent Beauvoir?"
"Yes, unfortunately. His parents were Haitian immigrants, but Laurent was born in the states. Parents were both druggies. Father was a Heroin addict. OD'd. Kid was shipped off to live with his grandmother in Miami when his mother succumbed to AIDS. Been picked up a couple of times here and in Miami. We've never gotten anything to stick to him. Lawyer's up and he's out in 24 every time," Captain Black said morosely.
"I'm running him through the database now. As if we didn't have enough risk factors to worry about over there, looks like Beauvoir's trying to make City of Hope into a little Miami. I'll be keeping an eye out for him." Edward exited the Captain's office.
Back at his desk, Edward picked up the reports generated for him on Laurent Beauvoir and Aro Volturi. There were no surprises on either of those two. Their rap sheets were quite extensive. What he found surprising was a rap sheet on one James Hall. That pretty boy preacher had a possession of a controlled substance charge in Fulton County, Georgia.
Fuck me!
Bella was dating a small-time criminal, possibly a fucking drug addict. This shit just wouldn't do. How would he go about telling her this? Then he realized, he couldn't tell her. She would want to know why and how he came up with the information and then she would be pissed at him for running it. And the last thing he wanted to do was allow a goat-fuck of a situation like this to push her away from him. Maybe he could ask Alice. He picked up his cellphone and punched Alice on speed dial.
"Edward," Alice said cheerily. "Are you already at the Center?"
"I'll be on my way shortly," he said quickly. "Hey, I just wanted to ask you something."
"Sure, go ahead."
"How much do you know about James Hall?"
"Well, I only know what I know because he and Jasper talked quite a bit the other night and Jasper really likes him. His father and Bella's went to Seminary together, and their families have known one another for a long time. He was a champion martial artist until an injury took him out in college. He went through a rough time, was addicted to painkillers until he went to a Christian Rehabilitation Center a few years ago. He's been clean ever since. He has a powerful testimony," Alice ticked off casually.
"He also pleaded no contest to a possession charge a few years ago. That disposition smacks of a plea bargain or daddy calling in a favor, but he got two years probation on the contingency of completing court-ordered rehabilitation."
"And why were you running him through the system, Edward?" Alice asked a slight edge to her voice.
"Alice, this guy is dating your best friend. Aren't you concerned that he might be pretending to be something he's not?"
"Edward, if he was any Joe Schmo, yes, I would be concerned. But James is a believer. He shares this freely with other people so they won't make the same mistakes he did."
"I don't care what he believes. I'm concerned about Bella and how he could hurt her, Alice. So, you're not going to do anything about this?"
"No, cousin, that would be meddling in my friend's personal business. You had your chance with her, Edward, and you passed, so you have no right to dictate to her who she can and can't see. Besides, you've got Ms. Svengali. You can't have your cake and eat it too."
"Alice, I broke it off with Tanya. We're not seeing each other anymore."
"Oh, well, still doesn't give you the right to run background checks on men interested in Bella. She would rip you a new one if she knew about this, you know."
"Yeah, which is exactly why I need you to talk to her," he said in a pleading tone.
"Oh no, and how am I supposed to know about his felony charge? Won't fly, Edward."
"Well, since I can't talk to her, and you won't talk to her, then I'll talk to him."
"About what?"
"We're just gonna have a little chat about life and whether he loves his or not. I'm gonna be nice and friendly like the local sheriff used to talk to newcomers to town in the old west. Then, I'm gonna tell him how far I'm gonna put my foot up his ass if he does anything to hurt Bella."
~888~
BPOV
Bella couldn't believe it was already Thursday and James would be returning to Tallahassee today. They'd talked last night for more than an hour, and she'd had to make him get off the phone because she knew he would be driving in and would be tired if he didn't get enough sleep. They talked about everything from favorite music to books and things they liked to do. They had a fair amount of things in common, and Bella really liked his sense of humor. He told her hilarious stories about his days at Georgia State, while she swapped stories with him about Spelman. They'd made tentative plans to have dinner together tonight, and she was excited that they would finally have a real date.
The last few days with Edward at work had been, in a word, tolerable. The few interactions they'd had were mostly work-related, and he had been a perfect gentleman. There was an undercurrent of sexual tension between them that was undeniable, but she wasn't ready to admit yet that her feelings for him went any further than that. She was determined to find out if having a man around who wanted her would make a difference.
Edward Cullen had sent her enough mixed signals to confuse a flock of migrating birds. James was single-minded, focused, never played any games, and knew exactly what he wanted and how to go after it. It felt nice to be chased after instead of constantly trying to figure a man out. Logically, James was the obvious choice for her because he was the only choice. Edward was still unavailable and currently "friend with benefits" with one Tanya Denali. Bella wondered how Edward could be involved with a woman without feelings, or warmth...without love. While she didn't subscribe to the idea that all men were dogs like some of her friends, she was convinced that they were wired differently and given to respond to the visual more readily than their female counterparts.
Alice was taking her new duties seriously and was putting in more hours than anyone else to make the two upcoming events the successes they would undoubtedly be under her direction. Today was no exception. She was second only to Bella arriving at the Center. She stored her purse and personal items in her locker and sought Bella out in her office.
"Hey there, girlfriend." Alice practically floated in smiling widely at Bella. "What ya doin'?"
"Crazy busy as always," Bella answered dryly. She was finishing up her newsletter that she sent to the center patrons each month. Then she smiled at Alice and did a funky little "Cabbage Patch" move in her chair. "But James is coming back today. We're going to dinner tonight at Cypress after he settles into his new place."
"Fancy!" Alice crooned and sat daintily in a chair in front of Bella's desk.
"Well, he wanted to celebrate his new job, new home, new woman in his life...." Bella giggled. "I am such a dork."
"It's about time you got excited about a man again. You need a little 'something something' to get your groove back, Stella Bella." Alice said it so fast, it sounded like "sump-in sump-in."
"I am due for a little groove, aren't I?" Bella frowned. "If I weren't having those freaking dreams, I would be severely make-out deprived."
"You're still having those dreams?" Alice said, a look of shock on her cherubic face.
"Yes, every couple of days, or so," Bella said, annoyed.
"And who's starring in them now?"
Bella bit her bottom lip and looked away from Alice and around the room, as if she hadn't heard the question.
"It's still Edward, isn't it?" Alice pressed.
Bella sighed a deep and laborious sigh. "Yes, but James is there now sometimes… in the beginning."
"I could kill my cousin," Alice declared.
"Why, because your best friend is having lewd and lascivious dreams about him? Come on, I don't think he's at fault here, Alice. He can't help it if I've got a screwed up psyche." Bella snorted.
"Hey, if he hadn't choked, you two could be going to dinner at Cypress."
"Alice, your cousin's still kicking it with Tanya last time I checked. Why pursue a maybe when he's got a sure thing?"
"Eventually men tire of variety and quantity and go for exclusivity and quality. And, um… Edward and Tanya broke up."
Bella was surprised. "Oh, that was… sudden." Did this bit of information change her feelings about giving James a chance? She didn't have time to give it much thought because Edward came breezing in at that moment.
"Ladies." He said simply, by way of greeting, his crooked smile cocked and ready.
"Heyyyy," Bella said dragging the one syllable word out goofily. She was still trying to process the news she'd just heard. She looked up into those green eyes as if they would reveal her own name to her again, since she'd clearly forgotten it when he'd walked into the room.
Alice just pursed her lips into a half-smirk and folded her arms.
"Good news," Edward said, taking the chair beside Alice. "Captain Black's going to front us some security for the year-end festival. And I'll ask Officer Clearwater personally about volunteering for the concert. Since I'll be playing, I thought it best we still have a uniform on the grounds that night."
"That's great," Bella said excitedly. "Another thing we can cross off our gigantic 'To Do' list, right Alice?" Bella wanted to engage that little elfin matchmaker quickly in conversation, because she was sitting there watching them like she was trying to figure something out.
"Yep. We're moving along on that list. Except, I really would be grateful if you two would work on getting the risers and other hardware we need for the concert. I think I should concentrate on the more creative aspects of the planning. Can you two take care of those logistics for me?"
Bella wanted to strangle Alice. How could she say no and not look like she was trying to avoid alone time with Edward? He was no longer attached to Tanya, but she was not going to follow him around like a love-sick puppy now that he was free. And she definitely wasn't about to stoop to the level of Meredith on Grey's Anatomy by pleading for him to "pick me, choose me, love me."
Edward looked at Bella and smiled. She smiled nervously back at him.
"Sure, we can do that. Give us a list and we'll get everything in place for you," Bella said resignedly.
Alice stood and headed for the common area, unable to suppress a devious smile. "I'll be right back with it."
~888~
Bella and Edward sat side by side in her office poring through phone books and checking the Internet for the items on Alice's list. Bella had somewhat reluctantly allowed him to bring a chair around to the other side of her desk so they could easily make marathon phone calls and check everything off the list. They finished in about an hour. Their plan was to narrow down a few places and then take an actual field trip out to the party or equipment rental stores to check the items out and reserve them.
Having Edward sitting right next to her kept her in a state of near intoxication the whole time. He smelled like a nifty cocktail of soapy clean, sexy cologne, and Edward. She found herself becoming enamored with all of his cute mannerisms: how he held a pen in his hand, his almost freakishly neat handwriting, how his brow creased slightly when he was concentrating or on the telephone, and how his green eyes lit up when he had an idea or was just simply amused. She was fairly disappointed when their work meeting came to an end. Alice was in the common room with a couple of other volunteers she had roped into doing various things for the projects. When they were finished, they really could have gone out and joined the others, but they didn't.
"I guess that does it for the scheduling of all the hardware," Bella said matter-of-factly.
"Well, actually we need to go out and check these three places." Edward showed her his list. "And make deposits and schedule delivery," he said. "Maybe we can do that after work? They stay open pretty late."
Bella was so mesmerized by his mouth moving; she almost waited a beat too long before answering. "Um... I've got plans tonight, sorry." She was apologetic. She could have sworn she saw a look of disappointment on his face, but she didn't want to go there. "Maybe we can do it on Saturday?"
"Saturday's good," he agreed. He turned his chair facing her and reared back on two legs of the chair. "Got a date tonight, Ms. Swan?" he teased.
"As a matter of fact, I do, Officer Cullen," Bella said a little too defensively.
"James Hall's back in town already?" he asked.
"Yes." Bella looked at the clock on the wall over the door leading into the common room. "He should actually be here by now. The movers are probably unloading as we speak."
Edward didn't seem the least bit fazed that she was going out with James this time, and she was ticked because while he was with Tanya, he'd played twenty questions with her when she was at Alice's. Now he was free of Tanya, and it didn't seem to bother him a bit. She wondered how long they had actually been broken up and what had precipitated it. Had he been the dumper or the dumpee? She had so many questions, but she wasn't about to clue him in that she knew, unless he brought it up.
"Where's his new place?" Edward's tone was conversational, but he looked as if he were really interested to know the answer to his question.
Bella bit her bottom lip briefly. "Um... he's moving into an apartment not too far from the church."
"Hmmm," he said cryptically.
"What?" Bella inquired.
"I would have thought he'd want to move closer to your side of town," Edward stated innocently.
"He's a music minister, Edward. Ministers generally move into the same community where their churches are located." Bella shook her head and rolled her eyes dramatically.
"I can admire a man who's dedicated to his vocation, but I would have had to make a compromise," he said smoothly.
"Really?" Bella folded her arms and glared at him. "And this from the man who dates a model who travels all over the place?"
"Dated," he said pointedly.
"So, you guys have broken up?"
"You might say that. We were never really... committed," he said with a forced grin.
"Have you ever been in an exclusive relationship, Edward?"
He ran both hands through his hair before he answered that question. "My longest running commitment was a live-in relationship when I was in Terre Haute. Victoria and I were together a year."
"What happened? Did you two decide that a long-distance relationship wouldn't work out?" She turned the question on him that he'd asked of her regarding James on Saturday night.
"No, it ended long before I left there." He set the chair back on all four legs with a thump, looking like he really wanted to bolt.
Bella pressed on despite his obvious discomfort. "Mind if I ask why?"
"Um... She wanted more... and I didn't love her," he said wearily. "My unresolved issues haven't allowed me to have the best track record, Bella."
"We all have issues, Edward. Resolved or unresolved, we shouldn't allow them to prevent us from being who we are or stop us from taking chances. I have a very spartan track record when it comes to relationships, too. Particularly because I refuse to compromise in certain areas. The stand I've taken isn't very popular in this day and age." His green eyes bore into hers as she'd been speaking, his thoughts indecipherable. Now she couldn't believe she'd actually said all that.
"Have you ever been in love?" he asked.
"I've been in serious like a couple of times, but no, never in love," Bella answered truthfully.
"You have got to be the most self-aware, well-adjusted person I've ever met." He smiled that crooked little smile that slayed her every time.
"You can thank Charlie and Renee Swan for that." She grinned.
He became serious again. "Bella, I have crazy knee-jerk reactions to things that I invariably live to regret. I 'm taking steps to resolve some issues that I've ignored for a very long time..."
They both looked toward the door to the common room as they heard someone there.
Mrs. Williams knocked lightly on the jamb of the open door. "Bella, you have a visitor." She stepped aside, and James strolled into Bella's office carrying a bouquet of flowers and a bag.
"Hope I'm not interrupting a business meeting," James said, smiling and looking from Bella to Edward and back to Bella. "The movers finished unloading early. I thought I'd come by and bring you lunch, Bella."
Edward was regarding James as if he were a serial killer. Bella recovered from her obvious surprise and willed her lips to speak. She walked quickly around her desk to him. "James, wow, this is quite a surprise. How thoughtful."
James set the bag on her desk and pulled her in for an embrace, wrapping his arms and the flowers around her waist. Bella hugged him back, but it felt oddly uncomfortable with Edward in the room.
She looked up at him and smiled, feeling for some reason like she needed to explain. "Perfect timing. Edward and I were just finishing up a project for the concert."
"I'll begin my patrol," Edward said tersely and left through the office door leading outside. Bella watched him leave, disappearing quickly from her view. She wondered what he had been about to say before they had been interrupted. She turned back to James.
James held the bouquet aloft to her. "These are for you," he said smiling proudly. "I figured I'd better deliver them myself, and make absolutely sure there was no confusion as to who they were from this time." She willingly took the bouquet from his hands.
"They're beautiful. Thank you," Bella said returning his smile. She sniffed the bouquet. "What's for lunch?"
~888~
EPOV
Edward wanted to punch something, and the most appealing thing he could think of at the moment was James Hall's face. He'd wanted to tell Bella the truth about that night at Cafe' Cabernet, ask her to not give up on him, and beg her to give him a chance to show himself worthy of her. But the felonious Casanova had arrived with lunch, flowers, and shit, making his confession to Bella impossible. As he drove around the perimeter of the property, he used AkeRu techniques to try and calm himself the fuck down. He struggled, but was finally able to use his rage energy to take constructive actions and was using his inventory quite well within the hour. He felt like he'd circled the perimeter a hundred times.
It wasn't actually time for him to begin his patrols yet, but he'd decided that he would rather begin early than watch Bella be wooed by that two-bit Lothario. As he rounded the corner in an approach to the Center parking lot, he saw Bella and James sharing a kiss near what had to be his car. The bastard drove a gold Audi A4L. That figured, the pretentious prick. Edward wanted nothing more than to have his arms around Bella and to be kissing her beautiful mouth, thoroughly exploring all the intimacies of it and being the only keeper of its secrets. It took all his strength to refrain from slamming on the gas and zooming into the parking lot and pulling her out of James' arms.
When Bella began to walk back toward the Center, Edward decided he would pull into the lot and have a little conversation with James. James was standing next to his car watching her walk back inside, probably checking out her beautiful derriere and those shapely gymnast's legs of hers. That shit pissed Edward off because this dude was supposed to be the Mr. Holy Roller gentleman or some shit.
Edward pulled his cruiser up next to James as he was about to open his car door. He powered his window down and called out to him. "James."
James turned as he heard his name, pushing his car door closed again, his keys ready in his hand. Edward got out of his cruiser and walked around to him.
James had a goofy grin on his face and offered Edward a hand to shake. Edward, his smile laced with venom, took the proffered hand, wanting this encounter to seem like it was a friendly one if seen from the Center windows.
"Edward," James joked. "Unlike Saturday night, you look like you could pass a field sobriety test with flying colors today, dude."
Edward responded quickly. "That was an off night and a sight you're unlikely to see again in this life, dude," he assured him. "So, you're all moved in, I take it?"
"For the most part," James answered. "All that's left is the unpacking. You know how that is… takes a couple of days."
Edward looked carefully at his eyes. No sign of pupil dilation or other tell-tale signs of drug use. He looked clean. Maybe Alice was right and he was a true believer now.
"Yeah, moving is a bitch," Edward agreed.
"I guess, I'll get back to my unpacking," James said. Then apropos of nothing, he added, "I just couldn't wait to see Bella again."
"I'm sure," Edward said with a friendly looking smile, but his tone was icy. "About Bella. I just want to know, why you're all of a sudden so interested in her now. She spent four years in Atlanta and you never made a move. Why is that?"
James' smile faded, and his demeanor changed from friendly to a defensive posture, his eyes narrowing almost into slits. "I'd say that's none of your business, Edward."
"Wrong, James. Everything that concerns Bella is my business. When I signed on for this program, she became my business. And she is my cousin's best friend. You're not gonna waltz in here and break her heart, capice? If I ever see her unhappy about anything concerning you, I'm gonna show up at your door and put my foot so far up your ass, you won't be able to sit straight again. You got that?"
James' coloring changed from tanned to red, his hands balled into fists involuntarily. "You and exactly how many of your comrades in blue are gonna accomplish that feat? Take off that uniform and I'll face you any day, any time, man to man."
Edward laughed derisively. "You gonna use your competitive martial arts skills on me? Your hands are registered as lethal weapons, right?"
James took a deep breath and relaxed his hands. "Cullen, you are not worth me losing my freedom. Bella is worth everything, and I'm going to do all I can to make her happy. I don't know what your problem is, and honestly, I don't care. I was once as lost and as afraid as you are, and only when I faced my fears and gave everything in me to God was I able to make any positive changes in my life."
"I don't need a mini-sermon from you, man. Just don't hurt Bella. She better not even get a hangnail while she's with you, understand?"
"Tell me something, Edward. You had a chance with her, but you didn't take it. Now why is that?" James challenged.
Fuck AkeRu. "I'd say that's none of your business, James," Edward growled. "But understand me, I am not going to stand aside any longer and let you have an unopposed shot at winning her heart. I'm going to be here every day showing her how much she means to me."
"So, what, the model isn't enough, and you want to go after Bella, too?" James' anger rose again.
"Bella is worth more than any number of women like Tanya," Edward spat. "I would never disrespect her by making her a party, unwitting or not, to some love triangle."
"Are we done here?" James asked sarcastically, turning away and reaching again for his car door before Edward could answer.
"Have a nice date tonight," Edward said, smiling that venomous smile again. "Saturday, she's all mine."
~888~
A/N:
S.W.I.R.L. Website: ..html ; http://wwwdotabandonmentdotnet/swirldotframedothtml
AkeRu: AKeRU is a Japanese word that means "to pierce, to end, to begin." AKeRU works with the natural flow of life process, enabling the individual to restore a sense of self, increase life, and find new love. AKeRU recognizes abandonment as rebirth. It taps into your capacity for growth. There is an AKeRU exercise for each stage of the abandonment process called S.W.I.R.L.
Grey's Anatomy: is an American medical drama television series. It follows the lives of five surgical interns, later residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital in Seattle, Washington. Besides their careers the series also follows their personal lives. The pilot episode, "A Hard Day's Night" premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC. Since then, five seasons have aired, with a sixth announced.