"Ms. Swan, I'm going to need these copied and on my desk before you leave tonight. Thank you."

I jumped at the sound of papers dropping onto my desk and turned just in time to see Mr. Johnston wink before he turned and left my office. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths before slipping my feet back into my heels and making my way to the copy room. I glanced at the clock and picked up my pace as I realized it was already seven thirty. Jake was going to be pissed. It wasn't that it would take long to make the copies. The copier would take care of it mostly, it was the fact that I had been here since seven this morning, hoping to be able to get out on time for my anniversary dinner with Jake. He had already postponed our dinner reservation once, and it was starting to look like he was going to be doing so again. His voice had been abrupt at best when I had spoken to him the first time; I wasn't looking forward to his reaction if I had to call him again.

"Not to worry love, I will handle it." I pushed start on the copier startled by his intrusion into my thoughts. The cool calm velvet voice was not one that I had thought of in some time, hardly at all since things had been going so well with Jake. Jacob Black was a year behind me at Northwestern, and was currently a first year associate at competitor's law firm. I had literally run into him at the courthouse one day, and nearly choked on my tongue when I saw him in the navy pinstripe suit he was wearing. He asked me out for coffee, and we had been seeing each other exclusively for the past year.

The copies were nearly half done when I felt his presence behind me. I didn't bother to acknowledge him, but quickly realized what a mistake that was. "You're such a good little girl Isabella," he whispered.
"Doing exactly what I asked you to do."

I felt his lips on my ear at the same time as his hands fell to my hips. He pulled me back against him and I did my best to ignore his inappropriate touching. It wasn't that James Johnston was an unattractive man. He was in his early thirties, and was only a partner because his grandfather had started the firm over 50 years ago, but his attitude couldn't have been more of a turn off. Arrogant, insensitive, spoiled, self-centered, I could probably go on for hours. He had been hitting on me since day one, and it infuriated him that I insisted on staying with my "nobody" boyfriend instead of being with him.

"Mr. Johnston, please," I said attempting to turn out of his grasp.

"Bella, how many times have I asked you to call me James?" I cleared my throat and leaned forward in attempt to put some space between us, but once again realized my mistake. He moaned quietly as he pushed himself further against me as I was leaned over the copier. Mr. Johnston reached down for the hem of my skirt and started sliding it slowly up my thigh. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he asked as his fingers found the garter belt holding up my thigh highs that I had put on in anticipation of my night out with Jacob. "Did you wear this just for me?"

I took a deep breath and fought back the tears stinging my eyes before I found my voice. "NO! I wore it for my boyfriend, it's our anniversary," I said as I pushed away from the copier with all my might. He stumbled back a foot or two and looked shocked as I turned around to face him. "Now if you excuse me, I am late. You can finish the copies yourself," I said pushing past him before I completely gave into my tears.

Mr. Johnston grabbed my arm as I pushed passed him and pulled me backwards. "If you walk out of here, or if I find out you've told anyone about this, you'll never work in Chicago again," he threatened. I laughed at his threat, though I knew he was powerful enough to follow through.

"I don't need this job and I don't need Chicago, so do what you want," I said before yanking my arm from his grasp and running quickly back to my office. I grabbed anything important, very certain that I would never be stepping foot back into McConnell and Johnston again.

The tears were still flowing freely twenty five minutes later when I walked into my apartment and found Jacob sitting on the couch. I could tell just by the way that he was sitting that he was unhappy. His large frame was leaning back against the couch and his arms were crossed over his chest. "Drop the act Bells," he said without moving.

"What act?" I asked as I slipped out of my heels and wiped the tears off my face.

"What act?" he asked with a laugh. "The, I give a shit act. Was it really asking too much that you come home early one fucking night so that we could go out and celebrate our anniversary?" He stood quickly, stalking towards me slowly.

"Yea, well you don't have to worry about that anymore," I said softly.

"Excuse me?"

I sighed and took a deep stuttering breath before I continued. "Mr. Johnston, he…."

"Spit it out Isabella," he said coldly as he took a step towards me.

His tone caught me off guard and I narrowed my eyes at him before I spoke again. "He followed me into the copy room and felt me up against one of the copiers. Then he threatened my job and my reputation if I told anyone what happened. So I quit," I said choking back a sob. I expected Jacob to soften then. I expected him to take me in his arms and speak softly to me until I calmed down and then run me a hot bath and sit with me until I soaked all my worries away. At one point during our relationship he would have done just that, and then he would have dried me off and made love to me and held me until morning. But that Jake had been gone for a while now, and I had been too caught up in my work to take notice. Or if I was being honest I was just too comfortable in the relationship to speak up.

"You. Did. What?"

"I quit," I said with less conviction than the first time.

Jacob took a deep breath and closed his eyes tightly for a minute. "You really are a selfish bitch, you know that?"

"Excuse me?"

"Did you ever stop to think about how this would affect me? You're not the only one trying to make it in this city you know. How is it going to look tomorrow morning when I show up at the office and everyone finds out that my girlfriend got fired from one of the most prestigious law firms in the city all because her boss wanted to play a little grab ass, huh?" he asked walking towards me. I had never seen Jacob so upset.

"I guess you can tell them that I am your ex-girlfriend," I said walked passed him, headed for the kitchen.

"Don't you walk away from me when I'm talking to you Isabella," he nearly screamed as he grabbed my arm and spun me back around to face him. I heard a pop in my arm, but ignored it as I felt my anger rise.

"Don't touch me Jacob, who the hell do you think you are?" I screamed.

"What are you going to do now huh? You quit your job, and now you're breaking up with me? I'm all you have left."

I looked up at the man that I had grown to love over the past year. "Edward would never," I started to think but quickly forced him out of my mind. I wouldn't think about him, not now, not ever. I took another deep breath and looked up at Jacob before speaking. "I don't need you Jacob."

He laughed again and grabbed his jacket heading towards the door. "Don't think you can just change your mind, don't call me in the morning and try to come crawling back to me. I'm all you have in this city and you just threw it all away."

"Then I will go home," I said trying to ignore the dull ache starting in my left arm.

"To Seattle?" he asked with a laugh. "You don't have anyone there either." He opened the door and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

As soon as he was gone I fell to my knees and let the tears come, though deep down I knew that I was relieved. I didn't want to admit it but there had been something off between us for a while now.

After a minute or two I stood and headed to the kitchen. I poured myself a glass of wine, and swallowed four Advil as I pulled my hair out of its French twist. My curls fell down my back as I made my way into the bathroom to run a hot bath. My arm was really starting to ache, and I was hoping that a nice long soak would help with the pain.

As I lay in the hot water, covered in bubbles I thought back to what I had said to Jacob.

"I'll go home."

"To Seattle, you don't have anyone there either."

He wasn't wrong. My parents were both dead. Renee was killed by a drunk driver my freshman year of high school. Charlie had followed four years later, shot in the line of duty attempting to talk down a man who was robbing a bank. What made his life so much more important than my fathers? I had lived with Nana Swan in Seattle during the summer after that, and that was where I met him. "No, I won't," I said breaking up my memory.

I could go back to Seattle, I may not have anyone there, but I didn't have anything keeping me in Chicago either and Nana had left me the house in Seattle. As the only grandchild the house and more than enough money to keep me comfortable for the rest of my life had been left all to me. I had closed up the house two and a half years when Nana died, and the money had just been sitting in my trust, waiting for reason to use it. That was the last time that I had been to Seattle. The last time I saw them. The family that had taken me in like another daughter. He hadn't been there of course, why would he? The most important person in my life had just died and he couldn't even spare a day. I couldn't help but let the last conversation I had with my best friends, Alice and Rosalie, flash in my mind.

"Bella don't be ridiculous, where are you going?" asked Alice as she followed me around my room unpacking my things faster than I could pack them.

"I don't know. New York, maybe Chicago. Why does it matter?"

"Because you belong here," said Rosalie.

"Oh maybe Atlanta, can you see me in Atlanta with all that sun and that heat?" I was more than aware that I was acting a little manic right now.

"Bella you need to be here with your family," said Alice stopping in front me.

I stopped and looked at the woman who had been my best friend for the past six years, we had both changed so much and yet she looked just like she did the day I met her when I moved in with nana. "You're my best friend Alice, and I love you. But you are his family and he made it quite clear that he didn't want me as part of his family." I regretted it the second I said it, but I knew I couldn't take it back. Alice was speechless for probably the first time in her life as I continued to pack. It was Rosalie that spoke next.

"Obviously you need some time; we are going to head home now. We will see you in the morning. We love you Bella," she said as she grabbed Alice's hand and pulled her from my room. That was the last time I had seen or spoke to any of the Cullen's, I was gone before dawn the next morning.

By nine the bath water had grown cold, and though I wasn't ready to get out the Advil and hot water hadn't helped my arm nearly as much as I had hoped. And based on my history of broken bones and clumsiness I was almost positive it was broken.

When I climbed in to the cab half an hour later my phone alerted me of a new text. I looked at it with little interest, sure that it was Jacob, already apologizing. I was more than surprised to see that it was someone that I hadn't heard from it over two years. Alice Cullen. It felt weird to refer to my best friend like that, so impersonally.

B-

I'm here for you if you need me. Always. Love you.

-A

As the taxi carried me towards Northwestern memorial hospital I got online and booked the flight to Seattle the next morning. I didn't think I would change my mind, but now I had no choice. I was going home.