CHAPTER – 10 EPOV FREE FOR ALL FIGHTING

I'm gonna make a mistake-
I'm gonna do it on purpose
I'm gonna waste my time

Cuz I full as a tick
And I scratching at the surface
And what I find is mine

And when the day is done, and I look back
And the fact is I had fun, fumbling around
All the advice I shunned, and I ran
Where they told me not to run, but I sure
Had fun,

So
I'm gonna fuck it up again
I'm gonna do another detour
Unpave my path

And if you wanna make sense
Whatcha looking at me for
I'm no good at math

And when I find my way back,
The fact is I just may stay, or I may not

I've acquired quite a taste
For a well-made mistake
I wanna mistake why cant I make a mistake?

I'm always doing what I think I should
Almost always doing everybody good

Why
Do I wanna do right, of course but
Do I really wanna feel I'm forced to
Answer you, hell no

I've acquired quite a taste
For a well-made mistake, I wanna
Make a mistake, why cant I make a mistake
I'm always doing what I think I should
Almost always doing everybody good
Why

EPOV

My bathroom smells like the beach threw up in it. There are jars of salt by the bathtub and bottles of…stuff all over the counter. The drawer on her side of the sink has makeup in it. Six thousand dollars worth of clothes are sitting in my closet - shirts and dresses, pants and skirts and high heeled shoes. There are even some lacy things hidden in the bottom drawer of my dresser.

She still wears those jeans. She still wears my shirts. She still uses her dollar store shampoo and she managed to hold on to her Nike's. I would be offended if she weren't so fucking cute wearing my shit. Thinking about all this brings me to my sad charade in the kitchen. While Bella was being a pain in the ass about her cell phone and new duds, she was the epitome of perfection in every other way. So after days of being waited on hand and foot with breakfast, lunch, and dinner made from scratch, I thought it would be nice to make something for her…

Which has led to me burning breakfast this morning. I don't know who I was trying to kid, me or Bella. I ruined the pan, melted two spoons and the spatula as well as broke two plastic mixing bowls. I was on a roll. Pancakes were the Devil's creation anyway. Grunting, I yanked my finger away from the scalding hot pan and watched as the smoke billowed up from the sink while I turned the on the faucet. Oh yeah, grease splatters. Right. I tried my damndest not to slam the pan into the sink. I tried so hard, but I was so pissed off it sounded like I was trying to flatten the fucking thing out.

Shit that probably woke Bella up.

Sure enough, as soon as the smoke dissipated I saw her sleepy form standing in the kitchen entryway. Her hair was fluffed and tangled and my t-shirt was wrinkled from the constant burrowing in her sleep. I glanced down and noticed new panties.

Fuck you Doctor Holdman. Fuck you to the fiery pits of hell.

Those fucking panties were purple. Purple. Did she do it on purpose? Fuck me. They were almost like the ones she had on the first time…only…lacier…and see through…ier. Dammit. I leaned against the counter in a vain attempt at hiding my raging wood because the thoughts of exactly what kind of breakfast I now wanted were getting me excited. I could just imagine throwing her up on the counter top and going to town. Then again, maybe not. Glancing around there wasn't a clean spot of counter space anywhere. Dirty measuring cups and bowls, batter flung everywhere.

"Edward, I don't know what the kitchen did to upset you, but I think you both need to call a truce because I honestly don't know who is going to win here."

"You are so fucking funny, you know that?"

"Who's joking?"

I rolled my eyes and pulled her over to me. No use in hiding the hard-on anymore, so I ground it into her ass and grinned when she gasped.

"Edward…"

Ugh, she had to use that warning tone.

Whatever.

I released her and stared at the pan in the sink with disdain. Stupid fucking pan. It lied to me. It was supposed to be stick free with that Teflon shit on it. Liar.

I felt Bella's arms wrap around my waist and looked down at her. I can't help but smile at her. It's so sick.

"Thank you for trying to make breakfast."

I kissed her hair and walked us back into the bedroom.

"Get a shower and get dressed, we're going out for food. I'm tired of being cooped up anyway. Then we can go uh, get some more shit for the kitchen; I think I ruined a lot stuff."

She snorted and disappeared into the bathroom. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a random shirt from the pile in my drawer. This leads me to another subject of controversy with me and Bella. Bella folds my clothes. She fucking folds my underwear. I swear to God I was living in the Twilight Zone when it came to my closet and dresser now. Clothing that had never been ironed before was suddenly starched and smooth. I never had to wait in my boxers for the laundry loads to get done before I had something to wear. Come to think of it I don't even think I've seen a pile of dirty clothes anywhere. She was sneaky. My socks got folded with their matching partners. It was weird; I always had to search for the matching one. Always.

I was dressed in a few minutes and I found my phone, quickly texting Alice and asking her the best place to take Bella for cooking shit. I got a response back immediately.

Bella came out in her trusty jeans and a new shirt. It was green and buttoned up, which looked nice on her, but would be better off.

I need to get laid soon. This is fucked up.

We walked down to the Volvo and she got in without complaint. I was enthralled with the view of her breasts from my position above her. I shut the door with a little too much force.

I wondered if this obsession with sexing up Bella was coming from the fact that it was a forbidden fruit thing now because of that asshole doctor or if it was because I really wanted it. I mean, it had been years since I'd had sex before Bella. I wasn't a hermit per se, I was just focused. I had to shake these thoughts off. There was no way she was giving it up when there were doctors saying no, this was just torturing myself uselessly.

I took her to IHOP for breakfast and glared at her pancakes.

Devil's creation.

"What's wrong with my pancakes? You look like you hate them?"

"Nothing. Are you ready to go?"

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

"Ugh, I hate that shit."

"I know."

Grinning from ear to ear, I paid the bill and ushered Bella out of the restaurant and into the Volvo. She looked peeved; it was cute.

If it were just me, I would have said fuck it. But Bella liked to cook, so I felt kinda bad for ruining all that stuff. We pulled into the Bed Bath & Beyond parking lot and I smirked at Bella's wide eyes, internally thanking Alice for her suggestion.

We walked into the place and I grabbed a cart before strolling off, Bella following me. Once we got started looking at stuff, I wanted to laugh my ass off.

Alice complained for over three hours about how she had to finagle Bella into getting clothes. The fighting and the pushing it took to get her to agree on prices and styles. How she bitched about buying makeup and shoes. But as soon I turn down an isle with metal mixing bowls, it's suddenly Christmas! All the lip biting and gaga-eyes at frying pans and mixers was making me hard again. We had the cart filled up, much to Bella's dismay, and we were in line to check out. This place was absurdly packed for a Thursday afternoon.

I pulled Bella in front of the cart's push bar and rested my arms on either side of her. She leaned back against me and put her feet up on the bottom bar. I laughed at her and she bounced. People were staring at us, so I made out with her neck and she giggled. Finally, we made it to the checkout and I ignored the cashier batting her eyes. Bella did not. I snorted at the number written on the receipt then handed it back to her telling her I didn't need it. Bella smiled and we left with more kitchen appliances and pans than I thought I would ever need in my lifetime but the happiness on her face was worth the headache of finding a place for it all once got back to the apartment.

Two hours later we were done putting everything away and rearranging the kitchen. We snuggled on the couch as I read one of the Cosmo magazines that Alice had left Bella. Specifically the article on giving good fellatio. I read it out loud and very seriously. It was a hard feat to manage through Bella's laughter. We even took a quiz called 'Is He Interested in You or Your Bod?' Apparently, I was interested in other men. After that, Cosmo went into the trash.

At four we were graced by Emmett's signature 'Bang and Yell'. I opened the door to see him dressed up in a suit. Fuck, I forgot about the fight tonight.

"We're not going." I made to shut the door but a massive paw slammed against it before I could get it closed all the way.

"Nu uh! You're going. We're leaving at seven. The fights at nine. Attendance is mandatory."

Groaning, I shut the door and went to tell Bella.

"Hey, I gotta go to a fight tonight. I won't even stay the entire time, so I'll be-"

My cell phone started ringing; I grabbed it off the coffee table and sighed before answering…

"What else Emmett? …No…..No…I'm not being...Fine. Whatever. Yeah, I gotcha."

I hung up and breathed deeply.

"Do you want to go tonight?"

"Of course I do. You know I'd go anywhere with you."

Emmett was right. I did want to be a controlling asshole. I did not want her to go. At all. But I knew if she was with me, I had a better shot at taking care of her. I couldn't take the chance that something would happen to her here alone.

"Okay, so we're going to a fight tonight. James will be there as will King. I need you to stay close to me tonight, okay? I'm not going to leave you for a second but it's important that you stay right with me. We should just sit and watch the fight and leave but sometimes they do crazy shit and…just stay near me, okay?"

She nodded and bit her lip thoughtfully.

"Do I have to dress up?"

Ooooh. This was good. She had to wear something nice tonight. Score.

"Uh, yeah. The girls that come to these fights usually dress up. But I mean, anything you wear looks nice, so I'm sure whatever you had in mind will be fine."

I knew she wanted to wear jeans and a nice shirt. I knew it but I also knew that she would feel bad if I went in a suit and she didn't dress up. Oh…this was perfect. I got up as calmly as I could and went into the bedroom to set out my slacks and a dress shirt, and finally opted to wear a coat. I felt Bella's eyes on my back and grinned. She was trapped now.

Huffing, she stomped into the closet and I wanted to do a little happy dance so bad. At six thirty Bella had still not emerged from the confines of the bathroom. I didn't see what she took in there only that it looked like a dress. Emmett came clambering into our apartment with Jasper tagging along.

"Is she ready?"

"Hell if I know. She's been in there for like two hours. I'm thinking about sending in a recovery team."

"Does she know we're leaving at seven?"

"Yeah, she knows."

"The fight's at The Ring tonight. We gotta represent yo!" Emmett threw out his gangster twang and I laughed at him as Jasper rolled his eyes.

"You are so not ghetto." Jasper retorted.

"Represent?"

We all turned to look at Bella. My eyes were so wide I felt them drying out. She was gorgeous. Her dress was blood red and satin with no straps and stopping just shy of her knees. There was a black sash tied around her waist and her hair was pulled back into a loose twisty thing with pieces falling out. She had a little makeup on and her lashes looked impossibly longer than they already were. I stepped forward and caught her as she teetered on a pair of black pumps.

"Thanks."

"You look…amazing."

She blushed and looked down and fidgeted with a small black purse in her hands.

"Alright kids, lets go!"

I wrapped her arm around mine and walked her out the door. I opted for the elevator. No use in torturing her on the stairs or myself for that matter. Despite Emmett's pleas that we all take the Jeep, I helped Bella into the Volvo and we drove separately. It was a silent drive as I held her hand in mine. I even used her hand to shift gears just to hear her giggle.

When we arrived at The Ring, I parked on the edge of the lot and helped Bella across the uneven asphalt. Once inside the heady, moist atmosphere crushed down on me. My grip tightened on Bella's hand as I was forced into mingling with people I barely knew and hardly cared about. There were only a handful of women in the joint and Bella shyed away from their glares. I tucked her into my side and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"I'll protect you."

"I know." She whispered back.

For some reason those two words made me feel invincible. I had a purpose and I was important. The urge to puff out my chest and pound on it was staggering. Someone was counting on me and it wasn't just anyone, it was Bella. The feeling left me high on power and importance. I was someone's safety. Bella trusted me.

She wrapped her arm around my waist and we were in our own little world. The hazy, smoke filled air swirled around us and the florescent lighting was garish against my eyes.

Emmett had invested in a new structure for the canvas platform; however he kept the same old posts. I never wanted to admit it but I did have an attachment to them. They were as old as this place and they just seemed to define everything the annex was - worn, beat up and tattered yet still holding onto that vibrancy that defined it. I looked down at Bella to gauge her reaction to the place. She seemed nervous and edgy and resigned. When she looked up at me and smiled, I knew it was genuine. I grinned back at her and kissed her softly.

"We'll leave as soon as we can, okay?"

She just nodded and continued to peer out over the mass of bodies that pulsed and pushed against itself. Emmett and Jasper found us soon and we all began to chat casually in a corner. Bella relaxed and started to have fun. As I had promised, I never let her go and always had my hand on her; whether it was resting on the small of her back or holding her hand, I had my fingers on her flesh.

Currently, I was rubbing her shoulders as she stood in front of me and engaged Emmett in a battle of wits. Which is a really nice way of saying that Bella was kicking Emmett's ass in a game of 'yo mama.' I laughed frequently at her come backs. She never ceased to amaze me. This girl enjoyed traditional literature, she appreciated classical music, she could cook, clean and was incredibly compassionate, and here she was throwing down with Emmett in a game of 'yo mama'. I really shouldn't have been surprised; she was a smart ass and a half when she wanted to be. She did have a fire for life that was magnetic. Emmett's flustered face was priceless. He kept baiting her even though her retorts were just as quickly fired back.

"Oh yeah? Yo mama is so fat she eats Wheat Thicks."

"Ugh, Emmett. Please. Yo mama so fat she was floating in the ocean and Spain claimed her for the new world."

Of course Bella would bring history and culture into ghetto verbal sparring.

"Yo mama so fat when you get on top of her your ears pop!"

"Okay let's get off the fat ones…how about….ugly?"

"Dude, I got the best one… Yo mama so ugly her mom had to be drunk to breast feed her."

"Yo mama so ugly I heard that your dad first met her at the pound."

"Yo mama so ugly she made an onion cry!"

Bella laughed and they continued on. Jasper snorted his beer a few times and I chuckled at their game. I had my arms wrapped around her stomach, just below her breasts and my chin on her shoulder, holding her close to me. As I pressed a kiss to her neck I heard him.

"Edward? I didn't expect to see you here tonight. I thought you would still be recuperating. If I had known you were here, I would have sought you out earlier!"

James' mellow voice cut through our little world and I stiffened; gripping Bella to my chest. She squeaked and her hands shot up to grip my forearms.

There he stood with a strung out redhead on his arm and two other men standing behind him. I spared Black a glance and noticed his open gawking at Bella's chest. My arm came up around her shoulders and I effectively cut off any view of her cleavage.

My eyes rested coldly on James' as we silently appraised each other.

"Ah yes, Miss Swan. I believe we have met once before. You left such a striking impression on me. I hope that we might be allowed to get to know one another better in the future."

The growl trapped in my chest suddenly burst free and I snarled at him.

"Back the fuck off James."

I felt Bella shivering against me and I knew instinctually that she was afraid. Of me or James, I had no idea, but she was scared and that pissed me off. Her hands clenched down on my arms in a vice like grip, I felt her nails biting through the layers of my coat and shirt. I tightened my own hold on her fractionally. Thankfully, the anger rising up inside of me was controlled enough to know that I shouldn't hurt her.

"Why, Edward is that any way to talk to an old buddy? I was merely making an effort to get to know Miss Swan here. Now, Bella…I can call you Bella, right? Good, Bella, I was thinking that perhaps we could go out one night and grab some drinks maybe see a show."

"No, thank you for the offer, but I have better things to do with my time than consort with cowards."

"Damn Masen, she's got fight in her. I like that. Coward you say? And why might I be a coward?"

My fingertips dug into her ribs gently, as a warning. A silent plea for her to keep quiet. She was right, but she was going to seal her fate if she uttered anymore words. It was time to be an asshole and deter James from what he thought she was.

"That's enough. Bella, you know better than that. James, I assure you that she meant nothing by it. She was obviously distraught when the match ended; you can understand her dislike of you. It won't happen again… will it baby?"

I felt her stiffen in my arms but she nodded curtly and I swear her fingernails broke skin under the cloth of my sleeves. I cursed myself internally. I just fucked up. I knew I fucked up. No matter how I tried to choose my words, I sounded like a domineering prick. But if James thought she had been broken, then he would lose a small bit of that interest he had in her. If she was bowing down to my word here, no matter how false the statement and sentiment was, he would understand that she had been obtained and was being controlled. If this situation wasn't so fucking intense, I would laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Bella owned me, not the other way around. I would gladly do anything she told me to. Her stiff nod was a way to tell me that I had won right now, but I would not win later; not with her.

"Understandable. Well, this has been fun but I think we're going to find our seats. This should be an interesting fight, if not entertaining."

He turned and his small entourage followed him. Black lingered for a moment and I wanted to roll my eyes at him.

"Black, your master's walking away; you should follow him like a good little puppy."

He glared at me but said nothing before turning and leaving as well.

I took deep breaths and inhaled the smell of Bella's perfume. It was a stark contrast to the dank smells in the room. Fresh and breezy, vanilla and lime, I greedily took her in and felt her grip loosen on my arms. Spinning her around, I gripped her face in my hands and kissed her.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't want to do it, but you can't go challenging him like that. You know I didn't mean it right?"

She searched my face and sighed, apparently happy with what she saw. Her lip trembled only a moment before she squared her shoulder and glared at me. I swear to God, I would go a hundred rounds in the ring against Emmett and my hands tied behind my back rather than have to face that glare.

"I'm sorry. Please, Bella. I'm sorry."

I was pleading with her now. The sex embargo was being lifted on Monday and I would be damned if I wasn't going to be taking her the minute we left the doctors office. Come to think of it, I might be able to blockade myself some goods sooner than that.

This isn't about sex; it's about putting her down in front of her friends. It's about making her feel less than she is. Think with the right head, asshole.

"You know I didn't mean that shit. Bella you are not an object for me to control and I realize that, but I had to diffuse the situation. James…he…starts little games with people. He's fucking with me through you. I was trying to get him to understand that you aren't what he thinks you are."

"And what exactly am I?"

It was the first thing she had said since I started my pathetic rant and I was only grateful for the fact that after James had left, so had Emmett and Jasper. They would never let me live this down.

"You are…the smartest, sweetest, craziest woman I have ever met. You are everything I could have ever wanted in someone and you are going to kill me off one day if you keep pissing off very dangerous, psychotic assholes. You mean everything to me Bella and trust me when I say that I didn't mean what I said. I did it to protect you. James is fixating on you and I can't let that continue."

Complimenting women was always good…right?

She nodded her head solemnly and I wanted to stamp my foot. She didn't get it. She still thinks I'm an asshole.

You are an asshole.

"Look, we don't have time for this here, just follow my lead, try to have a good time and lets get this over with okay? We'll leave right after the tenth round, even if it's not over yet, okay?"

She nodded again. Oh, fuck the silent treatment. Fuck that shit to hell.

"Bella, please, just let this go and let's have a good time?"

But the damage was done and I was leading her to our seats next to Emmett. Jasper always preferred the gallery. The agitation rolling inside me was increasing minute by minute and as the second round came into play my knee was bouncing hard and I was close to just saying fuck it and leaving, however I knew Emmett would fillet me alive if I left early. These things were important to him and mingling helped get support for our cause. I watched James across the platform slinging back drinks and fondling the redhead at his side. She looked like she needed another hit of whatever she was on. By the third round, I had counted six downed glasses of what looked like bourbon and he was swaying in his seat as he joked with Black and his other buddies.

Lightweight.

Then that thought made me want to chuckle despite my morose mood and shitty situation with Bella 'cause honestly I wouldn't put it past her to knock my junk when we got home.

Home. It was our home. Fuck, I messed up.

The skimpy waitresses were prancing around with drinks in their hands and bending over a tad too low to ask if I wanted anything. I got one glass of Vodka and nursed it, only taking one sip and deciding it wasn't worth it. Drunken apologies were never good and I was prepared to grovel once we were alone. I was seriously considering jumping in the ring and finishing off one of the fighters myself just to get this damn thing over with.

Suddenly the fight was over. Clairmont landed a jab and head butt that rendered Hawthorne down and out. I cringed when I heard the cracking noise from his final blow and had to wonder if this is what Bella had seen before I was finished off in the last round. It made me slightly nauseous but I couldn't be sure if it was from the slight bit of alcohol in my system or genuine remorse. The room went crazy for a moment and I dropped the glass in my hand in order to yank Bella into my arms. Chairs were thrown back and people began shouting. Emmett stood quickly and I was thankful for his large frame. Whether or not it was his intention, he was keeping people from backing into us.

This is exactly why she should not be here. These people were filthy and disgusting.

I wrapped my arms around her like a cage and folded her into my chest. My shoulders and back were being shoved, so I locked my knees and legs attempting to keep us grounded and stationary through all the jostling. I felt Bella burrow her face into my chest and her arms go around my waist underneath my jacket. I wrapped the flaps of the coat around her sides in an attempt to shield her from the view of all the pissed off drunk fuckers in the room. I leaned down and whispered to her again, trying to calm her nerves.

"It will be over soon. They'll all leave to get their money and we can get out of here okay?"

She didn't relax though and the hole in the pit of my stomach widened. It was that feeling of impending doom - when you knew you had done something wrong and you knew you were caught. Punishment was on the horizon and it was those calm moments before the storm when your stomach twisted in knots and you felt all clammy and sick.

I heard the raucous laughter coming near only a split second before they were standing before us. James and Black seemed to be alone and James was the only merry one. I could see his wild eyes glitter with mirth when he locked his gaze onto mine.

"Edward! Great fight huh?! It lasted about as long as I thought it would! We should go out and celebrate! C'mon you can bring the little tiger and we can all see what she's made of!"

Emmett decided to try and step in on my behalf, which was a good idea, because my only idea of a response was to shove his nose into his skull.

"Look James, the fights over. Go collect your winnings and leave."

I saw Emmett put a hand on James' shoulder, pushing him back slightly and I cringed when James' eyes shined darkly in the hazy lighting. He shoved Emmett's hand away and took a sloppy step back. Black balanced him quickly then stepped back himself, clearly knowing he was outnumbered if his boss decided to throw down right here.

Then the unholy of all unholy things happened. King graced us with his presence. I saw him stumbling towards us and knew immediately that he was toasted. King was always drunk at these events. A shapely blonde was being drug beside him. His hands biting into her skin in an unforgiving grip. If I didn't have Bella to worry about I would teach him a lesson on how a woman deserves to be treated.

"Well! How are my two favorite fighters doing?! What's going on?! Why so serious?! Did someone die?!"

Bella went rigid in my arms; I tightened my hold on her praying I wasn't suffocating her against my chest but I knew exactly what she wanted to say in response to King's stupidity.

"No, we were just leaving." Jasper's soothing voice called over us all. I glanced back and saw him coming towards us with a lazy gait. He had his jacket tossed over his shoulder and his shirt was un-tucked around the suspenders connected to his gray slacks.

Jasper was a legend in these circles. He won more consecutive fights than any other fighter around and he was the epitome of calmness. People didn't know how to handle Jasper's cool - it was strange to see the fire in the ring only to see ashes out of it and King always did get wigged out by him.

"Well, that's too bad! We should go to the Sound Bar! The club is still open for another few hours and we could all get some drinks, talk about the old days!"

Which was funny because King didn't know shit about the 'old days.' King was fresh on this scene, only having been here for about two years now. Truthfully, I didn't know much about the 'old days.' But I didn't really care to either. Emmett politely declined the offer; however King saw it as anything but polite. His face turned red and he shoved the blonde roughly out his grasp causing her to stumble on her shoes.

"You think you're so much better than me McCarty? 'Cause you got this piece of shit gym and a second rate fighter? I won last match you fucker! And you know I'll win this next one too and when I do, I'll be sure to buy this shit hole out and take it over."

Now with Emmett, you can insult him, his mother, even the great state of Tennessee, where he's from, but you never, ever insult his gym. Because to Emmett, The Ring was like church: sacred. And King had just committed heresy. I saw the ire flame up in his eyes and before he could get a move in, I heard the sharp feminine voice of the blonde next to King.

"C'mon, Royce. I'm bored, let's go. It's hot and nasty in here and I want a real drink."

She practically simpered at him. Unfortunately, Royce was too drunk to realize what was going on around him and he lashed out at her, screaming profanity after profanity while yanking on her arm and slapping her across the face. Spewing things about knowing her place and never telling him what to do. Before I could manage to do anything, Emmett was on Royce, Jasper was on Emmett and in my haste to help my brothers, I had let go of Bella and didn't know where the hell she ended up.

I gripped Emmett's massive arm in my left hand and slung my right arm around his throat as Jasper wedged himself between the two brawling assholes.

"You don't fucking treat ladies like that! You fucking piece of shit!" and Emmett went on and on, not making a damn lick of sense after that. But there was plenty use of the word fuck and shit in various degrees. My ear was ringing with his shouts when we were finally able to detain him a good six feet from King's sprawled form. I saw a nice bruise starting to form on his face and blood leaking out of his mouth. I hope he broke some teeth.

"Fucking bitch. You're going down McCarty. Fuck you, I own you! I own this whole game! Fuck you and your weak ass fighter and your crazy trainer! Fuck you all!"

King had limited men on his side and I gathered from James' lack of appearance now that they weren't so sure about how to effectively takedown three sober professionals. I felt the hair on my neck prickle and turned my head a fraction to see many gym patrons standing off to the side, waiting and ready to see if they were going to be of help. Smirking, I nodded my head towards them.

"If you want this gym King, you'll be waiting a long time. I think James knows who the clear victor is in a real fight…you know, since he's left you here on your own."

King's eyes darted around and I could see the color draining away from his face, the bruise becoming more prominent against the white pallor of his skin.

His friends straightened him up and he held his face as he looked at us.

"This isn't over."

"You're right. You're still standing, so this is far from over."

Emmett's hard words hit home with King and he stormed off, out of the gym and out of harms way.

I released my hold on Emmett and turned quickly seeking Bella. She was standing beside the blonde who was mercifully passed out. Her face swelling up now and blood drying under her nose. I went to her and crouched down beside her.

"Are you okay?"

She looked at me with shock. Yeah, I know there's an unconscious girl lying in front of me, I know I was just in the middle of a fight, but really I have priorities here.

"Are you okay?"

My hands skimmed over her arms and I looked her legs over the best I could as she knelt down. She looked alright. I would know better later if she was hurt.

"She fainted a few minutes ago…she was confused, asking where she was before she passed out."

Emmett's brawny frame came up and looked down at the woman. His huge arms slinging down to lift her up gently. He looked at her face with a deep frown and turned from the crowd of people to leave.

I pulled Bella up to me and made for a hasty exit. There was far too much fuckery going on tonight to hang around. God only knows what will happen here next.

A fucking three ring circus of death.

Bella was silent on the drive home. I hated that shit. Silent treatments were the ultimate punishment. Basically because you got nowhere. She didn't wait for me to open her door. She didn't wait for me before entering the apartment herself. She didn't acknowledge me when she stripped down to nothing but the sexiest fucking bra and panties I'd ever seen on her and she ignored me when she went into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

I chucked my jacket, not caring where it landed or if it wrinkled then ripped my shirt out of my waistband, popping the buttons on my cuffs and rolling them up to my elbows. Plopping down on the bed I held my head in my hands and tried to sort this mess out.

Okay, so let's start with the basics shall we?

Okay, Bella's pissed…

And…

And I'm an idiot.

Good start. Now why is she pissed?

'Cause I'm an idiot.

We've established that. Try harder fucktard.

She's pissed because I put her down in public and made her seem like she was wrong and James was right. I made her feel like she couldn't handle herself. Which she can't…I mean not against James…not physically….dammit.

Apologizing didn't seem like enough right now but shit, she was being so fucking stubborn about it. I mean, I said I was sorry afterwards and I meant it. Why did I have to keep doing this shit? This is exactly why I didn't do relationships. They were fucking complicated and all this fighting was really starting to wear me down. I didn't even have the luxury of being able to stay pissed at her long enough to do any good either. It didn't help that she was right most of the time.

Groaning, I leaned back on the mattress and ran my hands through my hair. The water cut off signaling Bella was done with her shower. I rolled over and propped myself up on an elbow when I heard the lock click and the door open. Her hair was hanging in damp strands over her shoulders and a towel was clutched around her body.

"Bella…"

She stopped me with her hand and I held my breath for the 'tell off'.

"I don't wanna argue about this anymore. I get it, I do. But don't do it again. I know what I'm doing and I know what I'm saying. I don't need you to censor my words."

I just nodded. She was wrong. She didn't know what she was doing and she did need someone to censor her words. She was strong and smart and sarcastic but Bella was reckless when it came to starting shit. She didn't realize that the people she was baiting were not known for their level head and sweet disposition and while I was raised to treat women a certain way, guys like James and King saw women as toys. Just a pair of tits and ass to pass the time. Bella was so much more and she didn't know what would happen when she tested that belief. She didn't realize the severity of that outcome. It was my job to protect her. As a man and as her lover, I had the right to do what I thought was necessary. But actually telling her that was fucking suicide, so I just nodded.

She huffed and dropped her towel, effectively confusing me and successfully distracting me from whatever the fuck I was thinking because God damn she was beautiful. Her hips swayed as she walked into the closet and I about died when she bent over to retrieve a pair of hidden underwear from that bottom drawer. My peeping was put to an end as soon as she slung a shirt over her head and flicked out the lights in the bathroom and closet.

I was still reclining on the bed and kicked my shoes off, wiggling my toes in these stupid gray socks. Bella stood between my knees and looked down at me pensively. I didn't know what to do so I just stayed put and stared at her. I liked doing that, I couldn't complain. She sighed and reached down to peel off my socks then reached up to undo my belt buckle. I raised an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes at me.

"Just stand up and let me help you get undressed. Tonight sucked and I just wanna go to bed."

Grunting, I got up and she undressed me before shoving me into bed and sliding in next to me.

"You smell like smoke."

"Want me to take a shower?"

"No."

Then she was straddling me and kissing my neck, my shoulders and her hands were running down my stomach to fondle the elastic band of my boxers. I groaned and dug my fingers into her hair and pulled her up to my mouth. She greeted me eagerly and slipped her tongue into my mouth. I kept her connected to me firmly even as she tried to wiggle out of my grip. She ground down over my erection and moaned into my mouth. One of my hands went to her ass and helped her create that amazing friction. I felt her lift up and slide her hand into my underwear to wrap around my hard length and give me two forceful pumps. Grunting, I bucked my hips into her and she released me quickly before snatching her mouth off my own. She rolled over and curled up onto her side of the bed.

"Goodnight, Edward."

I lay panting against my pillow, gripping my hair in my hand and looking over at her prone figure. She just did that shit on purpose! Holy fucking hell. My cock twitched against my thigh as if saying, 'Hey, what the fuck?'

You deserved that.

"Goodnight, Bella."

AN:

So, Edward…well he fucked up. He made a mistake...he did it on purpose...

So I know everyone is like…no sex? Yeah, that sucks huh. But there is hope on the horizon peeps. Limey goodness is on its way next chapter.

Just stick with me through the next few chapters cause we're going to be fleshing some things out here and it takes some time. Yeah, so if you can stick through the fuckery in the beginning of the next chappie then you get a little prize at the end.

I really can't believe the feedback this has gotten. All you're reviews are going straight to my head fo realz.

But enough about the story and onto more important things…

I hope all those colorful hoors over at the T'd thread caught the essential clothing article that both Edward and Jasper were sporting. Yeah, they're cool.

So if anyone wants to come over to the T'd thread for SB and ask some questions or just join in the….well I don't really know what to call it anymore but…its something, then feel free to drop us a hello or tell us we're crazy. Cause we are.

http://www(dot)twilighted(dot)net/forum/viewtopic(dot)php?f=44&t=2984&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Cheddah = awesome beta who fixes all my mistakes and tells me when shizzle is too gay to post

Gavi = stalker who owns my Panther

Lucy = who pimps my shizzle and makes me laugh on T'd…mostly at Cheddah…

Dawn = dude. I don't even know wtf it would be like without you…I just don't know…I don't wanna know.

Aspen = …I want to be your google…cause you find the yummiest pictures of hot half naked men to post…Srsly.

Saranic = who is always about Fightward and eggin' on Cheddah. I can't do it all on my own.

And to all the other wonderful ladies on there who are fuckawesome…you guys are amazing and a big reason why this fic is continuing to be written…

…no pressure…

k…so you know what this means…

Leave Me Some Love…