Great chapter, Louise! I loved how Bella rushed to be with Rosalie, to be there for her. I'm so glad you have developed such a strong relationship between the three women in your story. It adds such depth to both the plot and to Bella's personality. As to Edward being too hard on Bella.....please... he is her DOM! We don't want him to be a wuss. So tell him to "bring it on". Thanks for another amazing chapter!

Btw, thanks to you, EP has owned me the last few days. Now I know why you said it was your favorite!

Nice transition back to their everyday life. I am ready to find out what Weiss has! I am anxious to see what is coming around the corner.

LOVE LOVE LOVE  this chapter. I am so glad that Rose has Bella to lean on. Glad they have each other. I busted out laughing when Bella took Emmett down. That was GREAT!!!!!!!! I can not wait for Esme's OT. I would love a Jasper and Alice OT, about everything!!!!! The longer the story the better to me. That just means We get to read it longer and longer. Keep going!!!!

I'm so glad Bella was there for Rose. There's nothing like a fellow survivor who really understands. And Rose makes some excellent points, regarding it just being the wrong victim this time. Unfortunately, though justice it supposed to be blind, it rarely is. If you ever have any doubt, look at the prison system. And the fact of the matter is that money rules everything.

I'm not sure how to feel about Edward telling Bella's secret. True, Emmett needed to understand why she could be more help at that moment, but it's not Edward's stry to share. And Bella has enough issues with it already, and her shame about it, that I don't know if she would have told him herself. But I'm sure she'll get a chance to have her say when Edward reveals what's he's spilled.

Love that Bella was able to take down Emmett. I understand that he was pushing her harder in view of the new information he had, but she still has some PTSD reactions, and putting her back in that place was not a nice thing to do. I'm sure he would have freaked if Jasper or Edward had pushed Rose that way. But at least she showed him she's not a puppet he can intimidate.

Cheers, Balti K

I love this story. I have been trying to leave a review on other chapters but they never posted but I think I finally figured out why. So hopefully this one will go through.

I love that Bella dropped Emmett.

Next time Jacob teaches Edward some new words have him teach him something wrong. So he says something to bella that makes no sence at all. Jacob should do that to all the playroom words since he does not really agree with their playroom time anyway.
Just dont let bella be punished for it. lol

AWESOME

I would love to her about Jasper and Alice OT- maybe a combo. I believe Bella needs a little more training, as she just firgured out about what bwing a sub for Edward really means. wouldn;t hurt anyways. I love this story and have been attached to it from the beginning, and have read it more than once. I hope you continue it long enough to include Edward and Bella getting married as this seems like it is what Edward thinks about. Also maybe something about James getting arrested, finally. And if I'm selfish enough I would love for you to include, the possibilities of Bella getting pregnant, that would just be icing on the cake. They have so much love for eachother, it seems a shame that would not happen. :)

loved it looking forward to the next chapter 

Loved it as always. I cried when Emmett triggered Bella's fear to make her attack him. Was Bella's quietness over Jasper's question about her past klutziness a reminder of how many bruises James gave her that she blames on gravity?

Can't wait to read Esme's o/t. As for Alice & Jasper? Definitely the past!

Gladd eddie kept his temper when B was running around kinda crazy in the beginning of the chapter.   Ha Ha for B taking out Em.  

I really really REALLY want a scene with Bella and Jasper where he confronts her on their lifestyle so she can explain it to him so he can stop giving Edward those dirty looks.  Yes Jasper, she wants and NEEDS those punishments and lessons. She's THANKFUL Edward loves her enough and has the patience to help her become a better person.

Oh Louise, this chapter was so amazing and emotional. You have made me love these two characters so much. I am continually impressed with the depth of their psyches you manage to convey to us. You are truly brilliant in the way you show how Edward figures out Isabella's motives and comes up with a plan to help her. I have to admit I shed a few tears at the end of the last chapter and the beginning of this one. This line really got to me.....“in order to do that I have to surrender the last piece of my will, with the knowledge that it will be safe with you.” The love you have created between these two is so beautiful; and you show us that in their sex too...it's not sex just for the sake of sex.  You are the best, and this chapter was simply beautiful.

 You are so lucky someone sent you the MOTU story. I have bought both of the new books, but they just aren't the same as the original. I feel like something is missing, and Christian and Anastasia just don't do it for me, even though I try to call them their real names as I read. Btw, your story is right up there with that one. It is one I will re-read many times. Thank you for sharing it with us.

I hope Bella has finally learned her lesson. Edward loves her so much. She needs to stop fight him.

love it and that she finally realized what hes there for 

nice chapter:)

I read this yesterday but wanted to take a little time to think about this review.  As much as I admire this Edward I just wish he would occasionally admit his mistakes to Bella. 

 When she said about not surrendering to James and about James trying to break her, Edward had a light bulb moment, he hadn't thought about that from Bella's pov.  Although he said to himself and therefore us about him being " a f****** asshole" he didn't say it to Bella and if I was Bella and had just been through the most awful evening that would have made me feel so much better because he showed humility.  But that's why I could never be a submissive I suppose.

Love the story.

You did such a great job explaining Edward's motivations here, and how difficult it was for him to follow through with his plan. But it was successful, and I think they've taken a great step forward in their journey together. I was a bit surprised to see that Edward didn't understand Bella's resistance before she brought up James, but no one's perfect, not even him. But they both get it now, and I'm very glad for them.

I think this Chicago news could be both good and bad for Rose. While it will bring all those old wounds back into the light, it will also give her a chance to confront her attacker and get validation for what happened to her, if not from her parents then from the public. She could use that.

Cheers, Balti K

I love these two.  They what each other needs.  They can make it through anything.  Great job...thanks!!!

Thanks for the update

great

Excellent chapter...touched all the right notes on the emotional rollercoster that is E & B in this story...most especially the last word, chilling.

Edwards POV and reasoning behind the events were very insightful as usual!  I am often astounded at my emotions when I read this story, I love how you make a person think and feel compassion and understanding for this couple and their endearing relationship.  Hearing Bella say her submission meant a total surrender and this was the last piece that she had NOT given to James.  How James had continually tried to break her, Edward hearing that "seemed to feel a deep remorse" however, you showed the key in this surrender from Bella's own words-- she felt safe and could trust Edward her Master.  There was a huge difference in James and Edward, Edward does everything for the betterment of Bella and James never thought of anyone besides himself.  P-I-G!!!

Edward's dream was interesting, I am sure that it was significant in numerous ways, but what I took from it was there are so many layers and ways Bella needs Edward but at the same time Edward truly fears for Bella...... 

Thanks so much for this wonderful chapter and patience is alway the key... I will be here waiting patiently for the next update and chapter. The best of days lady bug... take care.  Laters BB Kathy xoxoxoxoxo

If 'angsty' isn't a word then it should be - we all use it frequently. lol

Everytime I read Bella's punishments or lessons from her pov I get angry with Edward. I understand his reasons behind it, but I still get huffy. Then I read the FULL thought process behind it from his pov and how it hurts him to do it and I want to cry for both of them.

Can they have some normal angst for a bit? Stalkers, psycho ex-husbands, jealous, hateful people at the club. You know - their normal life. lol!

I wonder how Rose will feel about the news?

Glad to see his POV.  Ah eddie, ya see where you messed up a little?   My only real complaint is doing it around the family, esp when several of them are not supportive at all.

HmmmI cant remember why Rose is involved there at the end.  Ah well.  Sure you'll explain it soon enough.

EP Playlist

http://www.playlist.com/playlist/17433863691

I'm so glad Bella finally got it. I knew what he was trying to do from the get go, but sometimes she's slow to understand things. I can understand her reluctance with 'ownership,' since I'm sure James used that term with her. But the difference is al in who does the owning. Without fully giving herself away, truly surrendering, it's an empty gesture. Great job here.

On another note... Alice and Jasper should listen to Dan Savage. He's a syndicated sex/relationship advice columnist in Seattle, who preaches tolerance and education. And he would say that Alice was no virgin on her wedding night. The little snarks are getting a bit old from those two, and though Jasper seems to get it, Alice clearly doesn't. I would have thought someone who make a living catering to the BDSM community's needs would be less judgemental. Just sayin, she's pissing me off.

As to your questions: Never called my partner Daddy in bed. He'd get weirded out.

SnowQueen's IceDragon has published MOTU. But the playlist is on her blog page

http://www.eljamesauthor.com/music/fifty-shades-of-grey-soundtrack

You can buy the book there too, I think.

Cheers, Balti K

OMG that was so wonderful, at first was not sure where Edward was taking this, but I thought he handled it perfect, I had to go back and reread his POV to see why he did the punishment to make her understand whom she belonged to and to get her to trust. I just love your story can not wait for more

OMG!!!!!!! What Edward did to Bella, how he turned the tables on her. WOW!!!! That was better than any punishment that he could have given her. It really made a impact on her. WOW!!!!!!!! Loved this chapter!!!!!

Cosmo says the damndest things. One of their actual sex advice tips goes thusly:

When on a hike in the wild with your boyfriend, find a small, smooth stone. When making love later in the forest, retreave the stone and press it against his anus. He will be in awe of your thoughtfulness.

I was on the "Edwrd is an ass" bandwagon, but I didn't trust him just like Bella. I should have known he knew how to get in her head to help her.

Author's Response:

tsk, tsk. tsk...when will they ever learn...lol...

gosh so good. i felt bad for bella but see his purpose. okay can't wait for next time. 

fantastic chapter.poor bella bless her.update soon

First, Master of the Universe has been published as Gabriel's Inferno through another publisher. Second, I can't help with the playlists for either of those stories.

The story: how could anyone be angry with Edward. While I'm not into the lifestyle nor do I totally understand it, like with life in general lessons must be taught and learned and that's what Edward was doing. Once Bella finally realized what was important and used her safeword, I cried like a baby. You have to admire Edward because he could have just ignored what Bella did but instead did the only thing he could to make her understand the importance of her infraction regardless of how innocent she thought it might be.

Can't wait to read their conversation once they're back in their own room and whether or not he'll insistant on them meeting Emmett the next morning in the gym.

I LOVE this story!! Your Edward and Bella are captivating and your chapters have always been exceptional and always worth the wait!  You are a wonderful writer/author and each chapter lets me feel Bella's pain and joy as if I was right there--amazing storytelling--all the characters.  Love the indepth feelings of Edward and his Bella when she called RED--looking forward to the next chapter and many more.  I believe this older link may have a longer playlist (since the original 2 are becoming 3 books -playlist may be divided on author site,EL James--luv her 2 new books) -MOTU/MOTU2 (61 tracks) by: Vperezcon-MixPod.com-created July 2, 2010 may be found at http://www.mixpod.com/playlist/59238185

Thank you so muh for your update. Although at first Edward's punishment seems quite harsh, this was a necessary step to break Bella's walls. Just telling would acomplish nothing, she had to see it for herself. I love your story and this was a great chapter.

As er you requests, I dont know about EP (I missed it as well) but MOTU is published through TWCS (www.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/publishinghouse/ authors/detail/21). As for the playlists, they can be found at the Author's page: http://www.eljamesauthor.com/. Regards

man!!!!!!!! that was one tense chapter!!! breathing now....

looking foward to the next chapter

Really enjoyed this chapter

Wow so much pain for Bella at the end yet she pulls through as ever...stuborn till the end

it was another lesson she needed to figure out for herself

Loved the chapter.  I felt Bella's humiliation and totally got why Edward had to do what he did.  It was a very emotional moment for me when Bella called 'RED'.  I'm so glad that she did.  And her discipline worked out for the best - she got it.

BTW here's the FULL EP playlist, courtesy of one of my twitter pals @VanessaInPinks http://lamiabellaragazza.tumblr.com/post/10338377935/full-ep-playlist

Enjoy!

Hitchy (@Hitchy_)

I think that this is one of the wonderfully written chapters of all and that is saying alot since they are all so so very good.  I think that it is all so clear now ... even to me.  Sometimes Edward gets me pissed off and now I see what he was working towards and what she was pushing against.  WOW.  Thank you.

glad to hear that you survived Irene and we got an update too lol

Edward's reaction makes a lot more sense now. It's good to see things from his pov. I can see Bella's reasoning, to a point. All she wants is to be the best for her Master, but if she's always excelled at things (academically), and suddenly she's left without a clue of how to proceed, it can be very suanting to fo to the one person whose opinion you most value to admit what you may perceive as your own inadequacy. They both have a steep learning curve; Bella in being a submissive, and Edward in having a girlfriend, especially one who's also his sub. I'm sure they'll get there though.

Cheers, Balti K

ok it has helped knowing E's pov.  However, I do worry about thier "usual" conflicting with other family obligations.  I do think they need to really look at when it is appropriate to play and when it isn't.  I can't even begin to explain my anger that he would think about using her greatest fear of abandonement against her.  For him to consider it to me means that he was being vindictive to teach her a lesson and that in this relationship is absolutely wrong.  I love your characters and this couple, but I do think that B has to show some strength in thier non Ds relationship and I hate to say it, but it may require them to spend some time apart because right now, E has too much power in that part of the relationship too and it isn't a true partnership.

glad to hear that you are ok after your irene encounter.

I'm sorry but I think he is still being an ass. I love him but he is still making assumptions. He walks the gray area for the first time, but she is too. We can't even pretend that her marriage was submission, and nobody wants to, but she brings unavoidable baggage because of it. He is still expecting things I am not sure she is able to fully do. I get how it went against her submission, but she truly only asked for advice on how to approach a mountain. It seems like a situation that calls for in depth discussion as well as laying out future expectations, but I can't say it calls for a punishment.

Author's Response:

No ...you are right, her marriage was not submission, it was abuse. Bella is fully capable of doing what is expected of her, she just needs to be pushed enough to remove the mental block that is stopping her. And that's what it is, a mental block - a wall- and it needs to be demolished, not just becasue of her submission to edward but so that she can live a full productive life with everyone she loves. Ummm one more thing, there is a difference between punishment and discipline...you'll see...thanks for reading and leaving a comment, these thought provoking reviews are my favorite, they allow me to justify my characters...so thanks...louise

I understand what Edward is thinking.  She has to come to him and sometimes she is not, or she is not making it clear what she is asking.  It is a catch 22 sometimes.  Edward wants Bella to come to him, but he never would have thought to tell her to compartmentalize her life like Jane did.  Even though part of what Jane advised Bella was taking things a step futher then Edward was ready for her to go.  Bottom line I can see how things get messy and frustrating when everything is not put on the table to begin with.  I can't wait to see what Bella is thinking.  Great chapter...thanks so much!!!

I understand where you are coming from with Bella keeping something from Edward, but I also feel that he was not as forth coming with her.

Maybe if he explained himself better when giving Bella the task, she would not have needed to call Jane for conformation.  But then again Bella should have gone to Edward first to clarify what she was thinking.  It really is a catch 22 situation of who is right and who is wrong, it was good of Edward to realise he was to blame also, but who is going to punish him for his wrong doings?  

It seems to me that the submissive is the one to get punished (and I am sure it hurts the Dom to have to punish his submissive) but really how much does it really hurt them.  The way I look at it is their pride is all that is hurt and it is only because they did not do something correctly.  So how is that really punishing them, when Edward is experienced and should not be making these mistakes?  Where is Bella is in training and allowed to make these mistakes because it is the only way she s going to learn.  So once again who is going to punish Edward for his bad training techniques?  Does Emmett get to paddle Edwards Ass???

A good chapter and it open your mind more, but I just need clarificaton, I am not baging the story or saying it is wrong what Edward did, I just need to understand for me.  As I have always said, there is no way I could live this life style and I have to say it must take a strong peron to live this life style.  To always be polite, watch how you speak (even as a girlfriend, because you can still get repremanded for the way you talk), to have to watch every step you take incase you fuck up like Bella has done.  

When I was married, I had no problem looking after my husband, he always had clean cloths, ironed, I cooked every meal and cleand up after as well.  I did all of the house work.  He never really wanted for nothing, but I tell you if he dirted an area after I had spent all day cleaning or did not thow his clothes down shut to the laundry.  There is no way I would bit my tounge, I asked nicly but if it was not done, words were said.

Not to be able to have an argument and just yell and get it off your chest, never in a nasty vandictive way, just to get your point accross, I would have gone nuts.  Just to be able to tell the person point blank, you are pissing me off at the moment and I need to be left alone to think.  You are probably thinking this is why the marriage broke up, no it was not, he needed to go find himself.  Yeah at 34 years of age after a 10 year relationship and 3 years of marriage, he needed to find himself, I felt like saying put your hand on your head and you will.  But I just let him go, no point in fighting for someone that does not want to be there.

Maybe I am looking at a D/s relationship the wrong way.  I dont know!

As always this is so so good, they are evolving in such an interesting way.  This story never ceases to amaze me - you are so good at giving them each an distinct perspective on how things are working out.  Thanks for writing.

Oh Louise, I get so excited when I see an update from you. I love to see the interaction between this couple...it is just so real. Your Edward is one of the best Doms I have read in fan fiction. He may make some mistakes, but he is always thinking of how to make Bella a better person, not just a better submissive. I'm sorry to hear about your trouble with Irene. Let's hope this next one stays away from the East coast. Thanks for the wonderful chapter.