A/N -

This is my first venture into fanfiction. Be kind. Reviews are welcomed!

Summary: Bella has had some trouble in the past. Edward is trapped in a relationship that he has to be in. What happens with Edward and Bella meet at a Taekwondo studio? Rated M for language and future lemons.

I don't own Twilight or any of Stephenie Meyers' stuff. Wish I did though. Especially Edward.

Chapter One – Meet Bella

BPOV

"Bella, come on!" Alice shout/whined. "I have people coming over in an hour and you're not even dressed yet!"

"Alice", I calmly stated, "I'm not going to your party. I'll be in my room reading, like always."

"Ugh! You need to get a life, Bella. I swear, you spend every night reading and no time mingling and trying to find someone to date."

"Alice, let me stop this rant of yours right there. I've dated, if you remember, I've been engaged. Look how that turned out. I think reading is much better than wasting my time on something that's not going to work out anyway."

"Bella, just – "

"Alice. No. I'm fine, really. I'm just taking a break from dating and I just want to be alone." With that I made my way back upstairs to my room.

Alice was a good friend and I hate that I'm shutting her out. But if I have to endure the parade of men she keeps having at our apartment, I may lose it. Alice was a small pixie of a girl, but she had more energy than the electric company. She exhausts me sometimes. But I love her, all of her crazy anyway. She took me in when things went really bad for me. So I can't really complain. I know she's just trying to help me. But enough is enough. I can't take any more of these 'get togethers', as she calls them.

A couple months ago she started inviting friends over. Then she started telling them to invite any single guys they may know. The small, intimate events have turned into raging parties. It's not so easy to ignore the thumping beat of the music anymore.

My 'funk', as Alice referred to it recently, started about six months ago. That's when my life changed completely and it just seems that I'm doomed to live my life out as the lonely cat lady that lives in the smelly house at the end of the street. But I'm allergic to cats, so I suppose I'll just be the lonely weird lady that just yells at people to 'get off my lawn!"

I was happy, well mostly happy. I did spend an awful lot of time alone, but that was only because my fiancé, Alec, was on business trips. His company was merging with another company in China; this prompted all of his business trips. Alec and I had been together for almost two years, we were engaged and I felt stable. Never really a WOW moment, like in movies, but he was comfortable.

I was trying my best to plan the wedding. However, Alec became distant and wouldn't set a date and any date I suggested, he was shot down due to a business trip. His stalling should have been a sign, but he would reassure me that everything was fine and it was just work stress and things would calm down, then we would set a date.

Thinking over it now, I can see how we had started drifting apart. We didn't spend a lot of time together; we barely even made love anymore. Maybe once the last month we were together. I knew something was wrong, but I just didn't want to rock the boat and confront him. I figured he was just busy with work and when the merger when through, everything would be back to normal. I couldn't have been more wrong.

One afternoon, on the rare days Alec was actually in the city, I stopped by his office. The receptionist looks like a deer caught in headlights and she tried to explain that Alec wasn't in at the moment. I saw his car outside in the lot as I walked in, he had to be there. Something was definitely wrong, I could feel it. Call it intuition or just my subconscious putting things together that I was too blind to recognize. I talked the receptionist into telling me that he actually was in the office, but not taking phone calls or seeing anyone. That didn't sit well with me for some reason. So, when the receptionist took a phone call, I quickly made my way back to Alec's office.

The door was closed, blinds drawn. However, I could see a shadow, and the shadow was moving. It seemed odd that if he was so busy working behind his desk, across the room, that I would see a shadow in the door. So I tentatively stepped closer.

He's just meeting with someone, maybe a higher up that's standing to show how pretentious they really are by hovering instead of sitting like a normal person. Maybe his 'executive assistant' is standing near the door as she witness someone signing something. Yes, that had to it. It was some sort of meeting that everyone is standing.

I went over several scenarios in my head and I neared the door. But then I heard it. A faint moan. A faint, woman's moan. I probably wouldn't have heard it if I wasn't so close to the door. Then it dawned on me. I knew! I grabbed the door handle and pushed my way in. The couple that was blocking the door was shoved to the side wall. Shocked, they started scurrying to correct their state of undress. Alec immediately began explaining he was just checking something on her…blah, blah, blah, I stopped listening. I couldn't hear anything over the sound of my heart beating out of my chest.

Just then Alec looked up and saw it was me. He dropped the speech about how it wasn't what it looked like and corrected it to, it was an accident. How the fuck is that an accident? What, while he was naked at work, he tripped and just fell into her vagina?

Get a grip Bella, say something!

I can't!

How could he?

All these business trips that she had to be on were probably not as innocent as he made them out to be.

I just stood there, looking at him in complete disbelief. A million things were running through my head, but I just couldn't make my mouth work. So I turned and walked out as fast as I could. I called Alice once I was back to our house, and asked if I could move in with her immediately. She never hesitated. I was all unpacked in my new apartment before he even got home from work.

Since then, I've kind of been a zombie. Alice helps me, she brings me ice cream and when I'm really down we sit and we bash all men on the planet. That seems to help for a short period. But then I go back to being sad and alone again. Then Alice implemented 'Operation: get Bella out of her funk'.

At first I would go the parties. I would let Alice pick my clothes and do my hair and makeup. But I just felt like a paper doll that she was hanging clothes on because my heart just wasn't in it. I felt dead almost. Maybe this is how vampires feel, like an animated corpse. After a while, I just started avoiding her parties and making up excuses as to why I need to be in my room alone. I gave that up and just told her the truth. I just wanted to be alone. She still persisted with the parties, insisting that I would meet someone at one of them.

The loud thumping music from downstairs draws me out of my thoughts. I've been sitting here staring at the wall for who knows how long. I'm only getting deeper and deeper into a depression. I'm purposely alone and I can't take it anymore. I feel trapped by my own self.

With the claustrophobic feeling, I make my way downstairs. I have no concern with the fact that I'm not wearing Alice approved party-wear. I have on simple jeans and a black tank top. I find Alice and try to play nice.

"Beeelllla," Alice slurred while walking over to me. She wrapped her arms around me, careful not to spill her drink.

"You came down to the party. I'm so glad you did. This is my friend, um, hang on a sec." She turned back to the blonde haired guy she was just chatting with. Obviously alcohol affects her memory.

"Jasper," Alice clarifies. "Isn't he cute?" I guess alcohol affects her volume control and her filter as well, as she's asking me this, loudly, right in front of him.

"Yes, Alice, he's cute. I'm going to get a drink, I'll be right back." With that I left her to her boy toy for the evening.

I made my way over to the cooler of drinks and just as I leaned down to get one; I caught a glimpse of someone out of the corner of my eye. A guy was sitting across from me, the most unruly hair I've ever seen on a guy outside a modeling magazine. I stood up straight and tried to see him again, but he was gone. Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me now.

Great Bella, now you're going to be the crazy lady that sees things that aren't actually there. Get a grip!

I made my way back to Alice, who was now trying to swallow the Jasper guy's head. I decided that I just wasn't ready to do the whole party scene tonight after all. So I got my keys and started driving around. It wasn't like there were a ton of places to go in this small town. Forks' was just about the smallest place on the planet, at least that's how I felt about it sometimes. But I loved the greens and the browns of the forests that lined the highway. Everything just felt ethereal here, especially after the rain. The rain made things glisten and sparkle.

I made my way downtown and I noticed a new Taekwondo studio that just opened up a few weeks ago. As I passed by I started thinking that I could do something like that. Maybe it would build my confidence up and I would actually be a normal person again. Not to mention the fact that I could protect myself and I wouldn't need to depend on a man to always be around. If I was going to the crazy, hallucinating lady then I should probably at least learn how to defend myself again villagers with pitchforks. Ok, so maybe I'm overreacting with the whole crazy lady, alone thing, but I decided to turn around and go back to the studio. I could use something in my life, even if it's just exercise.

I parked the car outside the studio and looked in to see a rather large man kicking a bag. Next to him was a small boy, maybe 12 or 13. The boy was struggling to kick the bag like the big guy. He seemed sad. The big guy knelt down and talked to him for a minute and then helped the boy straighten out his leg and kick again. At that, the boy started smiling. Evidently, the big guy showed him how to kick correctly. I decided that it looked interesting and I wanted to know a little more about this place. Maybe all I would do it just get a pamphlet and never actually go in. Again, was I wrong…