You all were pretty unanimous in saying Edward should have said something about Jane's advancements. Let's see how Bella feels about it.

Song: Primitive Radio Gods - Standing outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand

. . . . . . . . . . .

I was not fucking enjoying this. At all. No way in hell would I ever come to her trailer alone again. I should have known better after the last three weeks.

I would have left but my phone was dead, and Bella was supposed to meet me here.

And it was fucking cold outside today, some storm was moving in.

I wasn't oblivious to Jane's advances, I just didn't acknowledge them. The woman had confidence, I'd give her that. I wasn't interested though. She was almost as bad as Jess, just more subtle and less stalker-y about it. The casual touches, reaching out and touching my arm flirtatiously, or resting her hand on my thigh. Standing too fucking close and nearly choking me to death with that damn perfume.

I had tried to be gentle about my disinterest at first, but had bluntly told her twice now that it just wasn't going to happen. It was making my job tense as hell, because she was my co-star and I was stuck with her. I had to be professional about it, because I had to work with her almost every day. It would just make things worse if I was to… confront her in anger.

What pissed me off the most though, was the way she treated Bella. Not just the fact that she was disrespecting her by the way she acted towards me, but the way she looked at her when she thought no one was looking. That hard glint in her eyes. And there was just something else about the way she looked at her that put me on edge.

I didn't mention it to Bella, but I wasn't naïve enough to think she hadn't noticed as well. Bella noticed everything. She was a complete sweetheart to Jane though. She always smiled when they spoke, was always friendly and polite. I'm pretty sure she was doing the whole 'killing them with kindness' thing, and she was frighteningly good at it.

I had thought confrontational, blunt, angry Bella had been scary. It was nothing compared to the sweet, polite, unassuming little thing she turned into when interacting with people on set though. She gave off this 'girl next door' vibe whenever she wasn't on the matts, and I wasn't surprised that everyone bought it. No one but me knew that it was all an act. She was pushing herself not to be so… standoffish, to curb her reaction to flinch or knock someone out when they got too close to her. She had been able to sort of have a fresh start on a new city of people.

She was kind of adored to be honest. Walking around with her, it was like she had the names and resumes of everyone she passed memorized. She was irresistible, a fusion of complete opposite personalities that just sucked people in. It drove me a little crazy, because I wanted to keep her to myself, and everyone always seemed to want a piece of her.

But it wasn't her, because the one thing she just was not capable of doing, was being herself around anyone that wasn't me or Marcus. I think the idea of it alone made her feel vulnerable. So, she just acted circles around a bunch of fucking actors, but no one but me had a damn clue.

I felt like a selfish asshole, but I was one, and had come to terms with that. I didn't want to share her, and she didn't want me to. It worked for us.

She had no interest in her own celebrity status since we'd come to LA. She got requests for more interviews than I did, really. Neither of us really cared though, we had no interest in the spotlight. We were here to work, and were here for each other. That was it. It was close to my nightmares coming true, Bella had given up her privacy and anonymity to be with me, but she didn't complain about any of it. Aside from the press clogging up her inbox that was.

Since we had started shooting also, I'd just been exhausted and slightly irritable. Some nights I was lucky to get five hours of sleep. Bella has always been the best drug to help me keep my cool, to calm and settle me, but I didn't get to spend much time with her. Those few hours of holding her against me in our bed seemed to be the only thing keeping me level. That and all of her little visits. No matter how busy she was, she always made time to come see me, even if only for a minute, and often to make sure that I was eating. Always bringing me lunch or dinner. I really don't know what I had done to deserve her.

I missed her though. This only solidified my resolve to stop working for a while after this movie. Who was I kidding? I wanted to fucking retire, convince Bella to marry me, and just monopolize as much of her time as possible. I was more than able financially to provide for the both of us for the rest of our lives.

I was smiling at the thought alone. I should have taken her up on the offer when she was in the hospital to run away and sail to the Caribbean. That would be so fucking awesome…

I snapped out of my daydream when I felt Jane's hand on my arm. The image of Bella in a skimpy blue bikini laying out on the white deck of an unnamed boat in the middle of the sea faded to her. Eyes the wrong brown, hair closer to a black than mahogany, a too thin and sharp face.

I pierced her with a cold look as I took her wrist and removed her hand.

"Where'd you go?" She asked with her smile. I had thought she had a nice smile before, but now it just put me on edge. She always looked like she was hiding secrets, secrets I didn't think I wanted to know.

"Just thinking about the weekend, and how much I'm looking forward to getting the hell away from this place for a bit."

"From what I've heard, you used to love this city, and all it had to offer," she said coyly.

I laughed. "Yeah, well, shit changes." I looked out the window again, wondering why the hell she was so late. Bella didn't do late.

"Big plans for the weekend?"

"Mhmm." God, I wished I was physically capable of just sitting here and giving her the cold shoulder. I would have had no problem with it a year ago, but now, I found it hard to treat anyone the way I'd treated people before. I am well aware that I used to be an asshole, but also that I wasn't that person anymore.

Only three more months…

Next time our conference room is taken we'll rehearse in the fucking hallway, this shit it just creepy.

"Really? What are you doing?"

"My sister's getting married."

"Oh really? Well-"

Jane flinched when the door to her trailer was thrown open, and Bella stood there in a fiery rage that I hadn't seen in a while.

The woman was fucking glorious when she was angry.

And dangerous. She completely ignored me as I walked over to her and took her hand, though her fingers automatically entwined with mine. She was practically vibrating.

"You might think that you're fucking smart, but you're not. This is me, giving you a warning. Watch your fucking step Jane." Jane gave her an innocent smile, and when Bella returned it, Jane turned wary. Bella turned to me and smiled. "You ready to go baby?"

"Anywhere as long as it's away from here," I admitted with a grin, and her smile slipped into something more genuine before I threw her over my shoulder, squealing, and practically ran with her to our truck.

Once we were safely in the cabin, I let my concern show as I cupped her face.

"What happened?"

"Can we talk at home? I just want to get out of here," she said in a small voice. I nodded, and the cabin was oddly quiet without Zeus' heavy breathing coming from the back bench. It would have been so stressful for him to make two flights within three days though, which is why Marcus was babysitting for us for our break.

It had been windy all day, the harsh breeze coming off of the ocean oddly cold for LA, and I mentally cursed when I remembered that I'd left my coat in my changing room. It would have taken too long to go back for it, and I really didn't want to go back to studio to get it. I had others and would make do, but that one was my favourite. I turned on the heat in the truck.

Bella spent the whole drive in silence, staring out the window of the cabin. I tried to suppress my panic for her, because even with my weekly visits to Sib it was still something I was having issues with. I just worried about her, all the time. I knew it was irrational, a misplaced fear that a dead man was still hunting my reason for existence, but I couldn't help it. I'd ripped apart her world and dragged her into mine and my worry that she was suffering for me just wasn't something therapy, or her assurances, could turn off.

As soon as we pulled into our garage, and the door shut, Bella's eyes watered. I was pulling her into my arms in the same second, and she clung to me tightly. I just picked her up, and brought her inside, dropping down onto our favourite couch with her in my lap. I pulled the clip out of her hair, and started combing through it with my fingers as I held her tightly. I felt her slowly start to relax against me after a few minutes.

"What happened?"

She sniffled. "Cloe's in the hospital," she whispered, and I froze.

"What? Why?" My throat tightened worriedly, because Bella had fucking adored Cloe. She was probably the closest thing to a friend she had made in LA so far, just because those ladies loved trying to beat the shit out of each other and both had a fondness for guns and baking.

"I…" She sighed. "She got a message from Jane today, saying that she'd left her gear in make-up, and when she ran out to get it before our session… Someone had left a broken jug of hand soap on the stairs. She slipped, and broke one of her legs and an arm."

"I'm sorry," I told her gently. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Yeah, but she won't be in the movie anymore," she said quietly. "And…" She swallowed loudly.

"And what?"

"And… Mac asked me to take her place," she said warily, looking up at me uneasily.

"Really?" I asked, and my head was a jumble of pride, anger, concern, and just shock. She nodded. "I'm sorry, I know you two are close, but Marcus can be a fucking idiot." She flinched. "He never should have hired Jane, or asked you to be a stunt double. You should be doing the whole fucking role."

She stared at me in surprise for a long minute, but I didn't look away from her eyes.

"Why would you say that?"

I shrugged. "Because it's true. That part was made for you, and you would have killed it."

"I'm not an actress," she said quietly, and I laughed.

"Baby, you're the most skilled actress I've ever met."

Her eyes watered as she looked down in her lap.

"Marcus offered me the part," she said, her voice barely above a breath, and I think my heart stopped for a moment in my surprise.

"He… what?"

"After I woke up in the hospital, he offered me the part before he offered it to Jane."

I grasped her chin and tilted her face to meet my eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I hissed angrily, and her tears pooled over.

"Because I was scared," she whispered. I raised in incredulous eyebrow at her before my eyes narrowed at the vagueness of her answer.

"Of what?" She flinched from my curt tone, but I was fucking angry. Because the only thing I could think of wanting more than to co-star with her would have been fucking marrying her, but I think I overestimated the amount of trust she had in me, because she didn't tell me shit. She shook her head, and I snapped. "Tell me!"

"Because this is your thing, not mine!" She cried, and she tried to push me away from her but I didn't fucking let her. I knew if she really wanted me off she'd make me, but at the same time… I didn't think she ever would. "I don't want to be famous, I hate it when people watch me, I liked being invisible. The only reason I put up with any of this shit is so I can be with you. I hate it here, I hate having my picture taken, not being able to even buy my own fucking groceries, and I'm not a fucking actress! And-" her voice cut off in a sob, and she shut her mouth quickly.

I was stunned to silence. I just sat there and watched her cry for a few moments before I pushed.

"And what?" She shook her head, but I knew she would tell me if I pushed. She always told me. "Tell me Bella."

"On the off chance that you would have been okay with it… I was afraid what it would do to us."

"What do you mean?" She finally met my eyes again, and my anger turned to a bit of fear as her eyes looked so… broken.

"Do you really have to ask?" There was a plea in her voice, or maybe it was disappointment. All I did was nod.

Her eyes turned hard.

"You should know what would have happened if I took that role, and I wasn't ready for it."

Her riddles were pissing me off. "Stop playing word games and just spit it out."

She flinched like I'd slapped her, then moved to get up. My grip tightened on her arms to keep her, and she just reached up, pushing into a spot just above my collarbone with her thumb, and the surprise of the sharp, shooting pain caused me to lose my grip, and she got up.

"You said you wouldn't keep anything from me anymore," I accused. She didn't turn to look at me when she answered.

"I didn't think I would have to spell out that being your girlfriend as Bree tanner, and choreographing, is a lot safer than using an alias to star in a movie. Sorry for not jumping at the idea of wanting to risk the chance of most of America knowing what he did to me. And the idea of us ending the way you did with your last two female co-stars wasn't so appealing either. We need to leave for the airport in an hour."

And I watched her walk away without a backward glance as she went over to our bedroom.

All I could hear was the thudding of my pulse in my head, as I tried to make sense of the last ten minutes. And everything that I'd just done.

Fuck.

Fuck fuck fuck.

I flew off of the couch and bolted into the bedroom. The door to the bathroom was closed, and I heard the water of the shower turn on. The door was locked.

"Bella?"

"Go away Edward."

"No, open the door."

"Fuck you, just leave me alone."

"Never. Let me in or I'll break down the damn door."

She didn't answer, and must have thought I was bluffing. I wasn't. I lifted my foot, and kicked in the handle. It flew open, bouncing back from the wall with a bang.

Bella wasn't in the shower. She was sitting on the floor next to it, shaking, her knees pulled up tightly to her chest and her face hidden behind her long dark hair. My heart just fucking broke as I walked over to her, and quietly folded myself down on the ground in front of her.

"Why buy such fancy fucking locking doorknobs if you're just going to boot-fuck them for doing their job?" She mumbled into her arms, sniffling. The corner of my mouth twitched despite my internal chaos.

"I'm an actor, being dramatic is in my job description," I said gently. She didn't laugh, but I prayed that she smiled, or that at least a part of her wantedto smile. I opened my mouth but her words left hers before mine could.

"I should have told you about the offer, I'm sorry," she said in a broken voice. "I… I didn't even think about it, I didn't think it was important, but I still should have told you. I'm sorry."

This was just getting worse.

"No… Bella, I lost my temper and took it out on you. I'm sorry, I was just… hurt. You were right, about what you said. It wouldn't have been safe for you, and that is what's most important to me baby. That was just me being selfish. The first time I ever read that script… it was the night that you chaperoned that dinner Rose had with Kate. The second I read it I thought of you, and it had been a dream of mine really ever since. I- it wasn't right of me to react like that though, and I'm so sorry." And I'm sorry that I took advantage of the fact that you seem incapable of saying no to me…

She looked up at me in confusion, with puffy, red-rimmed and watery eyes. I could barely breathe watching her suffer, and knowing that I was the one that caused it. She watched me for a long minute. "Aren't you…" She stopped herself, and her hand went to her hair, tugging on it in frustration.

"Aren't I what?"

"I thought you were coming in here to break up with me," she said in a tiny voice.

Damn it. I really needed to bring this up with Sib. It was killing me that she seemed to have this constant fear that I was going to break up with her, and I was at a loss for how to convince her otherwise anymore. She knew I loved her more than anything in the world, I didn't know what else I could do besides assuring her again and again. And I didn't mind doing it, I just hated that broken, terrified look in her eyes.

"No. Never. Just to beg for your forgiveness."

"But, but I-"

"When did he ask you?" I asked her gently. "How many days after you woke up?"

"I… I'm not really sure, the pain meds kind of made the days blur into each other," she whispered.

"Before we went home?" She nodded. "Baby… you were dealing with bigger fish than telling me about a job offer. I get that. I may be an ass, but when I actually take time to think over something I'm not a complete idiot. You had other things on your mind." She had gone nearly catatonic while in that hospital, she wasn't much capable of communicating anything while she was there. Aside from wanting to leave… which I'd had to deny her. She looked down self-consciously, but I tilted her face back up to mine gently. "But that other thing you said, about Tanya and Jess?" She winced. I hadn't known that she knew about my thing with Jess, it was before I'd met her, but I wasn't surprised either. "That's fucking bullshit. You're the only woman I've ever loved, and they didn't have shit on what we have together. You know that, so what did you really mean?"

She watched me nervously, worrying her bottom lip. "I was afraid that you might get… frustrated, or annoyed, if we had to work together like that. I didn't… I didn't want you to grow tired or resentful of me if you didn't like it."

I grinned. "Please tell me you can hear how ridiculous that sounds," I teased. She just looked confused. "Baby, I want nothing more or less than all of you, every single moment of the day. I love and crave you so much that I'm pretty sure I've lost my mind. One lifetime with you will never be enough for me, but it's all I have, and I'm going to fill as much of it as I can with you because there's nothing I want more."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she said again, her eyes welling once more with tears.

"I forgive you, and I don't blame you either. I'm sorry I lost it but…"

"But what?"

"Sometimes I feel like you don't trust me," I admitted gently. She shook her head.

"I trust you more than anyone else I know," she said shakily. "It's me I don't trust Edward."

"Well you should. I do," I told her gently. I moved closer to her, and let out a sigh of relief when she let me touch her, and then pulled her into my lap and held her tightly. She let out a shaky breath and I felt her rigid posture sort of melt away as she accepted my comfort.

"I… I don't know what sort of things I'm supposed to tell you," she said uneasily, and I frowned before leaning back to look at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Like… What sort of stuff you would want to know, and what you wouldn't? I don't want to hide anything from you, but I don't know where the line is," she said self-consciously. Her voice sounded so… vulnerable. Young.

Sometimes, most of the time, I tended to forget that Bella was only twenty-one… that I had seven years on her almost. She was too mature for her age, and she had lost most of her childhood. Or rather, skipped it.

She was just finally getting to learn this stuff. And I think she knew that. I'm pretty sure that's what she was self-conscious about.

"Well, that's easy," I said with a smile, cupping her face gently with one hand. "I want to know everything."

"Everything?"

"Yup. Every single tiny, inconsequential detail. I want it all."

"What I ate for lunch?" She asked curiously.

I nodded with a smile, brushing my hand back through her hair. My hand got a little stuck in a tangle, and I carefully un-snagged it, grinning. She was an adorable mess when she cried.

"When someone asks me for an interview?"

"Yup."

"Mike's dirty jokes?"

"Mike tells you dirty jokes?" I asked a little darkly, and she bit her lip nervously. "Not mad at you baby, and still want to know. I just don't like the way that fucker looks at you."

She blushed. "They're really bad jokes. I know he thinks he's being funny, but he's worse at telling jokes than I am, and we have very different tastes in humour. His are more gross stories than actual jokes."

"Hmm, tell me more about my less-attractive doppelgänger," I said in amusement, leaning back against the wall and folding my arms behind my head. My grin grew when she giggled.

"He's a pig really. Thinks he's slick too." She leaned in, shifting so she was straddling me and resting her hands flat against my chest before she placed a soft kiss on my jaw. "I'm pretty sure he's been trying to pick me up, but after being dazzled by Edward Cullen himself, his attempts just seem pathetic."

"I dazzle you?" I teased.

"Frequently," she said, with the sweetest pink blush spreading over her cheeks as she leaned back to look at me with a shy smile. How she managed to look so fucking sweet and innocent when she was straddling me, I have no idea. I slipped and arm around her, and instead of pulling her in to kiss her, I just pulled her against me to hold her. She rested her forehead against my neck, leaning on my shoulder as she settled comfortably on my lap.

I fucking loved this.

"So he's been hitting on you?"

"Attempting to," she said, and I could hear her smile. "He's really not that bad though, he's a pretty nice guy. It's just… hard, curbing that urge to punch him, or yell at him for it, but I'm trying to be professional about it. I don't want to mess with Mac's movie. I just don't like guys hitting on me, it makes me uncomfortable. I don't think he's nearly as bad with me as Jane is with you though."

"Ah, you've noticed that huh?"

"Pretty hard not to," she laughed.

"Aren't you upset that I didn't say anything?"

"Not really. I trust you, and I know you can take care of yourself," she said, placing a soft kiss on my neck. "Really, I think it's kind of pathetic that's she's trying so hard."

"You're not the only one," I said with a sigh, leaning my head back against the wall and closing my eyes. "It's exhausting, and annoying as hell. But just like you said with Mike… I'm afraid of doing something too drastic and screwing shit up for Marcus." She nodded against me, and it was a big relief being able to talk about stuff like this with her. Talking about Marcus though, it brought up the catalyst once again, and I asked as gently as possible. "So, what did you say to Mac's offer?"

She leaned back to look at me, chewing on her bottom lip for a moment. "That I wanted to talk to you about it first," she said timidly.

Yeah, I was really feeling like an asshole today.

"I want you to do whatever you want to do Bella. I think you'd be amazing, but I don't want you doing something that's going to make you uncomfortable." I tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "What do you want to do?"

Her face flushed scarlet, which really grabbed my attention, as she tried to avoid my gaze. "Honestly, I think I'd like to do it just to avoid training another person, and…"

"Fuck, you're the prettiest tomato I've ever seen," I gushed, and she smacked me in the arm, making me laugh. "And what baby?"

"And… well, I'd prefer you were kissing me instead of Cloe anyways."

"What?" It took a second for me to grasp, and my face fucking broke with my smile.

It was bad enough that I'd have to kiss Jane, but being able to avoid kissing her stunt double too…

"Baby, please say yes. I really want you to do it," I said selfishly. I'd actually get to do two scenes with her. Short ones, but still pretty fucking awesome.

"Okay," she said, not even hesitating. I almost started bouncing in my excitement before my entire body went cold.

Shit.

Hell fucking no, I couldn't watch something like that again. Not after Victor… I could barely pull my memory of the script to mind at the moment though.

"Baby… would you be… were there any parts where your double would have to, uh-"

She smiled.

"No, I told Mac I don't mind kissing you, but anything else was non-negotiable. All I'm doing is beating people up and jumping off stuff." She smiled when I relaxed. "I think he was a little offended to be honest, he would never have asked me to."

"Really?"

She laughed. "Yeah, Dad would have come back and haunted him from the grave for it."

"You know, he told me that he was an old friend of the family, but I never did ask you what the deal was with you guys. How'd you meet?"

She smiled. "Mac's known me since I was in diapers. He met my dad on this exotic fishing trip my dad had won tickets to and… they just clicked. Dad told him about some of the local fishing, and Mac accepted his offer to come visit. He loved Forks, I think it was just because no one knew him there. He's the closest thing to an Uncle I ever had and…" She went quiet for a minute, then swallowed thickly. "After the accident, when I started writing what happened… well, I originally thought about trying to get it published, but I didn't want to. It wouldn't meet the purpose of the whole thing, I wanted everyone in the world to know his name, what he looked like, and what he was capable of. And I wanted to stay anonymous. The whole point was so that he'd be found, and a book wouldn't have done shit, so… I gave it to Mac, to see if he had any friends that might want to do something with it. He read it, and then said no, and asked to buy the rights for it. You know the rest."

"You made his career with that script," I pointed out. "Same with mine."

She went uncomfortably quiet, as she usually did when talking about that movie. She just looked sad though, the self-loathing that used to always fill her eyes when it came up wasn't the prominent emotion anymore.

She was getting better. I knew she still blamed herself, but she was getting better. That only became more obvious when, instead of curling in on herself, she wrapped her arms around my shoulders and hid her face in my neck.

This I could do. I couldn't convince her of her innocence, but I would always be glad to hold and comfort her as she tried to work through it herself.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Hmm… They got distracted. Why would Bella think Jane left that bottle of soap there? What reason could she have to want to injure her stunt double?

Please review! And I'll try not to wait too long to put up the next chapter :)