So, how do we like FighterWard? Isn't he swoon-worthy? Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the story … What's up next?

We'll be continuing the citrusy moment. Bella wants to reciprocate and will in the next chapter. We also are going to find out more about Emmett, Rose, and his future in fighting.

What I own: A persnickety neighbor who is complaining about the fact that I make my home smell good! At least, I don't smoke …

What I don't: Twilight

Chapter Thirty-Five

Bella woke up from her snooze, encased in a very naked and cuddly Edward. He was snoring quietly, holding Bella to his side. She yawned, wriggling out of his hold, and padding to the bathroom. She brushed her hair, tossing it up into a messy bun after taking a human moment. With a smirk, she walked back to the bedroom and crawled into bed, gently pushing Edward onto his back. In his sleepy state, he rolled easily and hummed. "Bella?"

"Let me love you," she murmured, kissing his jaw, and suckling on the spot behind his ear. His skin was warm and soft, smelling like the soap they'd used in the shower, hint of his aftershave and something that was purely Edward. She moved her mouth down his neck while trailing her fingers along his muscled torso. With open-mouthed kisses, she made her way down his body. "You've had your taste. Now, it's my turn, Edward."

Shifting her body, she crouched down between his legs and stared up at him. His eyes were trained on hers, searching her face with a hungry gaze. She circled his pectoral muscles before she slid her palms down his stomach to his hips. His cock was standing tall, like a divining rod. Seeing him hard and ready, it made Bella's mouth water in anticipation for what she was about to do.

"Bella, my sweet girl … I …" he moaned.

"Like I said before, let me love you," she purred. Her fingertips gliding over his 'v' and moved lightly to the tops of his thighs. Leaning forward, she pressed a kiss to the tip of his cock. His body bucked involuntarily. With a saucy wink, she wrapped her mouth around him as she fisted the base of his length. Keeping her eyes on him, she took him deeper into her mouth, sucking in her cheeks.

"Oh, fuck," he growled. "Seeing you with my cock in your mouth? It's heaven and hell wrapped in one moment."

Bella didn't reply verbally as her mouth was currently occupied with sucking off her boyfriend. Slowly, she moved up his length while pushing down with her hand. It was torturously teasing, but felt beyond amazing. With a low hum, she slid her mouth down and moved up her palm, twisting ever so slightly. Edward's responding groan was loud as his head was thrown back in the sweetest agony.

Her mouth was hot and wet, teasing and taunting. "God, so fucking GOOD!" he growled, fisting the sheets. Bella swirled her tongue around the head of his dick. Blinking down, he saw that she was enjoying doing this. Her eyes were alight with desire, with love. "Bella …"

She released his cock and kissed down the length before caressing his balls while pumping his cock with her hand. She lightly nipped and sucked on the sensitive flesh, making his hips buck up in need. She cupped him, plunging her mouth back over his length. He called out. She slurped around him, eagerly tasting him. She sped up, making him come to the brink of his release, only to slow down and stop. During one of those slow moments, she purred, "Fuck my mouth, Edward. Let go."

With that, she swirled her tongue around the head of his cock again. He arched up, thrusting his hips and he fucked her mouth. It was the most delightful torture and only a preview of what he wanted to do with her. His mind wanted to do this while he was balls deep inside her pussy, feeling her from the inside and spilling into her body as she milked him dry. "Bella, I'm … going to come."

He expected her to release him, pumping with him with her hands, but she tightened her hold around the base of his arousal while she relaxed her jaw. His balls tightened and his release spurt into her mouth. She moaned, swallowing around him, and taking all he gave her. It was then that he saw her hand between her legs as she played with her pussy while she'd gave him the best blowjob in the entire world. Her moan was her own orgasm.

When he was finished, Bella released his cock with a pop and sat up, naked and unashamed. Daintily, she checked her face for any evidence of his cum. "Are you boneless, Masen?" Crawling over his body, she lay down next to him and idly traced patterns on his chest.

"I have no words, Ms. Swan," he breathed, capturing her hand, and kissing her fingers. He tasted her essence there, making his dick jump in need again.

"Ready again?" Bella quipped. "That's impressive recovery time."

"With you, everything is impressive," he countered, pressing a gentle kiss to her mouth. "I love you, Bella."

"I love you, too, Edward," she whispered against his lips. They deepened the kiss, but Bella's phone ringing from the nightstand broke them apart. "Talk about a bucket of ice water." Rolling over, she saw Rose's name on the screen. "Hey, Rosalie … everything okay?"

"He's awake," she sniffled. "Can you come?"

"We're on our way, Rose. Do you need something to eat?" Bella asked.

"No, just come," she begged, ending the call.

Bella looked at Edward, who had already gotten up and was in a pair of boxer briefs. "What do you think …?"

"With head injuries, it can change a person's whole demeanor. When I was first recovering, I was a complete asshole," Edward explained. "Short tempered, angry, and frustrated. To prevent my temper from exploding, I separated myself from my friends. I holed myself in my condo, but was never alone because of Victoria's constant presence, along with her nagging and whining. I lost my cool on her on more than one occasion, yelling at her."

Bella frowned, getting dressed in her jeans and picking up Edward's button down from earlier in the day. She artfully tucked it, slipping on her leather jacket. "I hope that … Emmett is okay. That his demeanor hasn't changed. He's a big guy and … it would kill him to hurt Rose."

"That's the thing. You don't know you're doing it until it's too late," Edward said. "I didn't realize I lost my cool until after I saw Victoria run out of the room crying because I was an ass. She was also under foot and bitching constantly that I was always home. I now know why …"

"Right," Bella responded flatly. "Slut."

"Don't hold back, gorgeous," Edward snorted, picking up his wallet and car keys after he slipped on a sweater and jacket. "Come on, Bella. As much as I'd love to stay here and bask in the afterglow …"

"Afterglow," Bella giggled. "Really?"

"Shut it. You sucked most of my brain cells out of my body through my dick," he deadpanned. "That was the most erotic blowjob I'd ever had. Anyway, afterglow is the best I've got."

"I do agree with that description," Bella smirked, threading their fingers together. "Let's go."

A short drive back to OHSU, Edward use the valet to park the car. They rode up to the ICU, where everyone was congregated in the waiting room. Carlisle stood when Bella and Edward arrived, making a beeline to Bella. He whispered that Rosalie wanted just Bella. He took her hand, guiding her into the ICU. Charlie was standing outside of the room, speaking on his cell phone.

"Can you tell me more?" Bella asked. "Rose was very upset and just asked us to come back."

"Emmett woke up and was quite agitated. We removed the breathing tube, but he's been sedated again," Carlisle frowned. "He didn't seem to recognize Rosalie. He blinked at her, staring at her blankly. It was like his mind was trying to force a memory, but the connections weren't there. Retrograde amnesia is no uncommon with his type of injury, but we're not sure if his memory will come back. He knew me and Esme. He recognized Charlie as someone he once knew, but Rose was a huge blank spot."

"Oh, no," Bella breathed, pushing into the room. Rose was curled up on the recliner, crying quietly. Bella hugged her friend, blinking toward the slumbering giant in the bed. Esme was hovering nearby, holding Emmett's hand, and praying quietly. "He'll come back, Rosalie. He'll remember you and how much he adored you."

"But, what if he doesn't," Rose whispered, pressing a hand to her belly. "We'll be all alone."

"Don't say that," Esme argued. "You're his wife."

"Not if he doesn't remember me, Esme!" Rose argued, wiping her tears away. Blinking to Bella, she grabbed her friend's hand. "I need to get out of here. I need a night away from the stress. Can you take me back to the hotel? I want to soak in a tub, eat some fattening foods and …" Blinking to Emmett, she sobbed.

"We'll have a girl's night," Bella suggested as she led Rose out of the room.

"As nice as that sounds, I just want to be alone," Rose murmured, leaning heavily on Bella.

They walked back to the waiting room where Bella indicated to Edward for them to leave. Gallantly, he helped Rose out of the waiting room and into a wheelchair. "I can walk, Masen," she grumped.

"You're dead on your feet," Edward said. "I can carry you, but I'm getting the car."

"Okay, okay," Rose sighed, settling back in the wheelchair.

"Let me get the car," Bella whispered. "Talk to her about your recovery. Hearing a first-hand account might help assuage her fears."

Edward nodded, handing Bella the valet ticket. She ducked outside, leaving Edward and Rose in the lobby. "I know you're scared."

"Scared is an understatement, Edward. He didn't recognize me," she sniffled. "What if my husband, the man I love more than my own life, my monkey man, never recognizes me? He'll never know me, never know our baby."

"You'd leave him?" Edward asked, trying to keep his anger out of his voice.

"No, of course not! He's my best friend, but I'm terrified it's going to be like Fifty First Dates or whatever … that his memory resets every day when he goes to sleep," Rose huffed.

"Every head injury is different. From what I can attest to is that it'll take time for him to recover. He'll never fight again, and that will be frustrating for him," Edward explained. "Support him. Love him and love your baby. Don't take his rages personally … it's his brain healing. I was a real asshole the first few weeks after mine. But, I was healing ostensibly on my own. My girlfriend at the time was … well …"

"I heard about her," Rose said flatly. "She's dating that monster who beat the hell out of my Emmett."

"Have you heard anything about James?"

"He's still in jail and Volterra will not pay for his bail," Rose answered. "His coach, that snivelly fucker … Caius?"

"Yeah, Caius coaches. Aro is the head of the entire gym," Edward explained.

"He came, too. Both of them vowed to do an internal investigation, but it doesn't matter now. The damage is done," Rose huffed.

"I wouldn't take what they say at face value," Edward growled. "Aro and Caius are … they're just as bad as James, but more underhanded. Volterra needs to be dismantled because of what they do to their fighters. I have no proof other than Caius's encouragement for me to take steroids. He never gave them to me, but he wanted me to juice up."

"Will you go on record to say that?" Rose asked.

"Of course," Edward nodded as the car pulled up. "Anything to close them down." He pushed the wheelchair outside and helped her into the backseat. "We're all here for you, Rosalie. We're all here for Emmett, every step of the way. He helped me when I was healing from my injury. Now, it's time for us to pay it forward."

"Thank you, Edward. You are one of the good guys and Bella's lucky to have you," Rose said, squeezing his fingers.

"Damn straight!" Bella chirped from the driver's seat. She drove them back to the hotel and helped Rose into her hotel room. "Are you sure you want to be alone? I'm just across the hall."

"No, I'm okay. I just need a few moments to grieve and get used to Emmett's injuries," Rose answered quietly, hugging her best friend. Bella gave Rose a dubious look. "I'm okay. I'm on an emotional roller coaster and need time to process." She gave Bella a gentle push. "Go … please?"

Bella shook her head, pointing to her door. "I'm right here. Just knock, okay?"

"If I need you, I promise," Rose agreed, closing the door with a quiet click.

Bella walked into her room, finding Edward sitting down at the table with his computer. Her brows furrowed, closing the door, and walking to him after she tossed her jacket onto the bed. He pulled her onto his lap, nuzzling her neck. "What are you looking at?" she asked.

"Information about amnesia," he answered. "I wanted to see if there was any information about how long the recovery time will be, along with the probabilities of the memories being permanently lost."

"And?"

"It's all in medical jargon," Edward frowned. "I'm not a doctor and I'm more confused with the descriptions." He pushed the computer toward his girlfriend. She read a few lines, shaking her head, and closing the laptop. "See what I'm saying?"

"About the medical wording? It is confusing, but it appears that time is the best, most effective form of healing," Bella murmured, blinking to Edward. "Time and support is what he needs. That's what we'll give him." She trailed her fingers down his cheek. Edward captured her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. "Thank you for being here, Edward. You've been a rock for me … for all of us."

"You said that Bull Dog is a family … I'm taking care of my family," he murmured, staring up at her. "I love you, gorgeous girl."

"I love you more, handsome," she smiled, sliding her arms around his neck.

A/N: We had some delicious lemonade to start off the chapter, some uncertainty with Emmett, and words of calming from both Bella and Edward. Leave me your thoughts …

Up next will be a jump in time, leading up to Christmas and preparations for Edward's first fight in New York at Madison Square Garden. We'll also hear about the investigation into Volterra, James' punishment and more about Emmett's injury.

Pictures from this chapter (not many) are on my blog. There's a link for that on my profile. I'm also on FB: Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation. Twitter, Hive and Spoutible, too: tufano79. Thank you for reading and for your support!