So, how do we like FighterWard? Isn't he swoon-worthy? Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the story … What's up next?
Next chapter will be the fight … who will win? Leave me your thoughts!
What I own: An upcoming vacation to Minnesota to visit family
What I don't: Twilight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
"Gloves, mouth guard, water bottle, ID," Edward mumbled as he packed his bag. "Trunks? I need trunks."
"In our haste, I forgot to give you the trunks," Bella said, scurrying over to him. She was in a pair of jeans and one of his button downs for before the fight. She'd change into a black cocktail dress with sky-high heels for actual event. "Here, Edward. You have to wear our colors, baby."
She handed him a box with the Bull Dog logo etched on top. He placed the box on the bed, opening it and grinning. Inside was a pair of deep purple trunks, with matching compression shorts for underneath. Under the trunks was a bright red robe with the Bull Dog logo on the back and his name spelled above his heart. "Wow … this is awesome! Thank you, angel."
"Looks much better than the Volterra colors," she said, taking the trunks and placing them in his bag. Turning and taking his hands, she smiled up at him. "You are going to kick so much ass, Edward. I'm proud of you and I love you so much."
He leaned forward, pressing his forehead to hers. "I love you, Bella. I couldn't have done this without you or without your dad. I'm so afraid that he's pissed that I'm retiring."
"He's not, baby. He gets it," Bella vowed, playing with his hair at the nape of his neck. "Don't think about that. Think about the fight."
Charlie barged into the room, scowling. "Tick tock, Masen. We've got to be at weigh-in …"
"I was just giving Edward the trunks," Bella retorted, scowling right back at her father. "Yeesh, Dad. Calm your tits."
"Sorry, Little Bells, but we've got to go. The limo's here," Charlie said.
Edward zipped up his bag, smoothing down his tie and following Charlie out of the bedroom. Bella picked up her garment bag, hot on their heels. In the garage, they got into the limo, and it drove them through the traffic of Midtown to Madison Square Garden. They all had to flash their credentials in order to gain access to the garage.
At the entrance, they went through metal detectors and were patted down by security personnel. Bella went up to the private box purchased by Bull Dog while Edward and Charlie, along with Carlisle went to a large training room to wait for weigh-in and then wait for their fight. It made for a long day, but the governing board wanted to have a drug test completed the day of the fight.
After Edward peed in the cup, handing it to the fighting official, he changed into a spare set of trunks and a compression shirt. Charlie and Edward walked to the weigh-in room. Caius and Jacob were already in the room, speaking in clipped tones. Charlie, crossing his arms over his chest, asked, "Is everything okay?"
"We've been waiting here for ten minutes. My fighter needs to warm up," Caius snapped.
"So does mine, but ten minutes will not kill you, Caius," Charlie huffed, rolling his eyes.
Edward sat down, pulling out a book from his bag and he began reading. Charlie hopped up onto a table, idly playing a game on his phone while Caius continued to stomp around like a bull, even calling out into the hallway, demanding his fighter to be weighed.
Twenty minutes later, an official came in and weighed them. He apologized for the delay, but after he took down the numbers, the man left the room.
"Come on, Jacob. We can get some sparring in to warm you up," Caius said. Blinking to Edward, he sneered. "Not that you need it. You're looking sloppy, Masen."
"And, you still look high," Edward retorted, turning a page in his book.
"I'm not fighting, Masen," Caius laughed, pushing Jacob out of the room.
"Has Caius always had a drug problem?" Charlie asked. "Getting high?"
"At parties, I'd seen him shoot up and do lines of coke," Edward frowned, closing his book. "Aro, too. I never touched the stuff, but it was offered."
"I know, Edward. You're clean. Hell, you didn't even take opioids when you were healing from your injuries," Charlie smiled.
"When I was hospitalized, they kept me pretty drugged, but after that I refused anything stronger than over the counter," Edward explained.
"I'd love to run a hair drug test on Jacob," Charlie mused. "It'll come up positive. He was on drugs when he left our gym. It was one of the many reasons why we dropped him."
"Maybe he went to rehab," Edward suggested. "Look, I want to warm up my muscles. Can I run the Garden?"
Charlie checked his watch. "The doors open up in three hours. I don't see why not. Bring your creds in case one of the security guards give you beef."
Edward spent a good hour running and the rest of the time doing yoga to center his mind. He also listened to music, which helped him get into the fighting mantra. At six, he changed into his Bull Dog trunks and let Carlisle wrap his hands. As that was happening, Bella strolled in, looking like sin incarnate in her black dress and red heels. Her hair was pin straight, slicked back into a low ponytail. "Wow," Edward growled. "You look … fucking hot."
"That's still my daughter, Masen," Charlie clipped. Though, he gave his only child a baleful glare. "Could that dress be any tighter, Isabella Marie?"
"It could, Daddy," she replied cheekily. "I had to get it taken in when I bought it. Lost weight from all the sex." Both Edward and Charlie choked, giving her twin looks of shock. "You're both too easy to tease. But, I'd like a moment with Edward before heading back up to the box."
"I'm going to check in with the medical team," Carlisle smirked. "Edward, you've got this. I'll be cheering from the sidelines."
"Carlisle, I appreciate everything you did for me to get me to this point," Edward said, shaking his hand. "I couldn't have gotten here without your medical expertise and support."
"It was all you, son. I just got you over the hump," Carlisle explained. "Bells, I'll see you in the box."
"I'll be right outside," Charlie murmured, following Carlisle.
Taking Edward's hands, she smiled. Her entire face lit up and sparkled, like the jewelry he'd gotten her on Christmas. "Tonight, it's your night. Not Jacob, not me … it's all you. I have a good feeling," she whispered, squeezing his fingers.
"Knowing you're in the stands … you're my good luck charm, angel," Edward said, moving to wrap his arms around her waist. "I love you."
She pressed a kiss to his lips, sliding her hands along the satin of his robe. "I love you, win or lose. But, it would be great if you'd kick his ass and all … he is a douche."
"Done, love," Edward replied cockily.
There was a quiet knock. Charlie poked his head back into the room. "We're up, Edward," he said. "Bells, we'll meet you back at the suite. After the fight, there will be press conferences and interviews."
"I'll wait," Bella said.
"I'll be lucky to be done by midnight, angel," Edward snorted. "Long ass day."
"Okay, I'll head back to the suite, but I'm kissing the shit out of you if you win," Bella teased, stepping out of his arms, and sashaying out of the room. She hugged her father before turning back to Edward. "Win or lose, I love you."
"I love you, too, angel," Edward said, picking up his gloves and water bottle. She left with another sexy, sweet smile. After she left, Edward handed Charlie his water bottle. "Don't let anyone touch this. I don't trust Caius and Volterra to fuck with my water like they did with Demetri."
"Only you and me will touch your water bottle," Charlie vowed. "Do you need a minute or are you ready to go?"
Edward's friendly smile dropped and the cold, calculating gaze of a professional fighter replaced it. With a curt nod, Edward walked out of the room, down the hall toward the thunderous and cavernous space of Madison Square Garden. An employee led them through the labyrinth of walkways to a dark tunnel. In the tunnel, Charlie put on Edward's gloves. No words were shared between the two men.
It was now in the hands of fate.
"Ladies and gentlemen, hailing from Chicago, Illinois and representing Volterra Fighting Club, in the first corner, we have Jacob Black!" came the announcer's voice.
A spotlight shone in the opposite end of the Garden, tracking as Jacob stalked through the crowd. The audience went wild, cheering Jacob's name. He'd won several big fights and was the odds-on favorite to win tonight.
Edward was the underdog. With the dissolution of his partnership with Volterra, his injuries and absence from the sport, he was not slated to win.
But, Edward was determined to go out on top – to beat the odds.
"In the other corner, coming from Seattle, Washington and representing Bull Dog MMA Fighting Club, we have our challenger, Edward Masen!"
Momentarily, the spotlight blinded him. He looked up, keeping his face impassive but his gaze sharp. The cheers were not as loud, but it didn't matter to him. He was fighting for himself. Not his father, not his girlfriend. He wanted to redeem himself in the eyes of the fighting community. He was not going down without a fight.
Punching his gloves together, he walked to the ring with Charlie following him. Every ounce of his body was coiled for this bout. Jacob was going to be on the receiving end of a knuckle sandwich, with a serving of humble pie for dessert.
The dog was going to be put down.
Stalking into the ring, Edward met Jacob's harsh stare. Jacob was already bouncing on his toes, eager to begin the fight. Edward stoically watched him as the referee went over the rules of engagement. He asked if there were any questions, but neither man responded. They moved back to their corners and Edward slid off the robe, biting down around the proffered mouth guard.
"Meet in the center of the ring," the referee announced. "Tap gloves."
Edward held up his hands as a sign of good sportsmanship. His gaze was still harsh and cold, as was Jacob's. However, Jacob's gaze was empty, unfocused.
"Tap gloves," the referee repeated, clearly frustrated.
"Apologies," Jacob said sarcastically. He tapped gloves with Edward. "You're going down, Masen."
"That remains to be seen, Black," Edward said, arching a brow.
"Fighters, ready?" the referee snapped. With a nod from both, the bell rang.
Edward's arms went up and he bounced on his toes. Jacob took the first punch, arching high and trying to hit Edward in the head. Edward blocked it easily, jabbing Jacob in the torso and giving him an upper cut with his other arm. Jacob spun away, using his momentum to hit Edward's ribs.
That hit aggravated his older injuries, making him groan lowly. He blocked another blow, using his forearms and a twisting motion. With his inertia, he landed a few hits on Jacob's jaw and shoulder. Jacob snarled and rapidly went to hit Edward's face, but was blocked.
The bell rang, indicating the end of round one.
Edward stepped back, walking backward to his corner. Charlie took out his mouth guard and gave him some water. "You're looking good out there, son," he said.
"Thanks," Edward replied. "Jacob seems sloppy."
"He's a sloppy fighter, but as he continues on, he gets more focused," Charlie explained, wiping Edward's face. "He'll try to hit you where you were injured. Protect your sides and your head."
"Okay," Edward nodded.
The referee called them back to the center of the ring and the bell rang, marking the start of round two. As Charlie predicted, Jacob was more focused with his blows and managed to hit all of Edward's previous injuries with precision. Edward did not let show as he landed more hits on Jacob, making him stumble to the ground several times. Like with his fight with Demetri, Edward's speed and grace were his strengths. Jacob had more force, but was slower.
The second round ended and third and fourth rounds followed the same vein, with Jacob hitting previous injuries and Edward barely dancing out of the way. Jacob, however, was losing strength and his hits were not as painful as the hits from the previous rounds.
The fifth round began and Jacob was more determined, eager to bring this to the end. His blows landed on Edward's sides and a few clocked him in the jaw, making him see stars. He thought he was going be knocked out when the sweetest voice entered his memory … I love you, win or lose …
Damn it, he was going to win.
With a rebel yell, Edward blocked the blows and went at Jacob like a man crazed.
Jabs to the torso.
Strikes to the head.
Blocking Jacob's attacks.
An uppercut to Jacob's jaw, sending him flying to the ground.
And, staying there …
The bell rang, each chime reverberating in his head. Edward stammered back, sitting down on the stool. He spit out the mouth guard, along with a mouthful of blood. "Is it over?" he asked, blinking at Charlie.
"You knocked him out, son," Charlie said, wiping his face. "I think he rang your bell a few times. How many fingers?"
"Two?" he answered uncertainly.
"Close enough. We'll get you checked out by Carlisle," Charlie snorted. "Drink your water. They're about to call it."
Edward stood up, shuffling to the center of the ring. Jacob was up on his feet, but dazed. "And, the winner by knockout, in a resounding come back, Edward Masen!" the announcer proclaimed. He lifted Edward's arm. Edward raised his other arm, smiling widely. The lackluster cheers from earlier were replaced with cheers of exultation and congratulations.
Blinking down to Caius, Edward noticed his former coach was sneering at him. He was clearly disappointed in the outcome. Edward just smirked confidently as he reveled in his triumphant return to the fighting arena. He ended his career on top.
A/N: I hope I did this justice. I prefer writing about loving, not fighting. Now, I've got a plan for the end of the story. We've got perhaps five more chapters left. This is not the end.
Pictures from this chapter are on my blog. There's a link for that on my profile. I'm also on FB: Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation. Twitter, Spoutible and Hive, as well: tufano79.
Up next will be Edward getting checked out by Carlisle and the, erm, celebration of Edward's win back at the hotel. (Can you say lemonade?) Leave me your thoughts.