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A/N: I know, I know I posted another new story today and I need to update The Wedding Planner BUT I was working on this for another story and decided I much rather write it for Twilight. It is a little bit OOC and AU but it's different. I also have chapter 2 already written. Alright R&R and let me know it you like it. And yes there will be lemons later. Much love, LilD

A man glanced around his newly decorated office. It once had been a storage room for extra paper and the things people lost on a daily basis. In other words it had been a nice sized storage room and when the company had decided to promote their rookie to co president, it had been the best option for the new office. The walls that had been white with yellow lines outlining where shelves had been located, had been painted a very dark blue. The old copiers and printers that no longer worked but had never been thrown out had been replaced with a big desk, chairs, a small table, and shelves. It was the perfect office. It even had a window facing the outside world unlike the old cubicle he'd once had.

Edward Anthony Cullen sighed as he plopped into his black leather desk chair. His fingers danced around the edge of his desk for a couple of minutes before he reached for his missed calls that his secretary Angela Webber had written down for him. Some he threw into the trash and others he put in a pile. A pile he was sure he would call back….in a couple of days.

Angela walked into his office and laid that days mail on his desk. "I'm leaving to get my hair done now." Edward looked up at her thick, dark hair wildly dancing around her face in curls that she favored now. He had known Angela since kindergarten in school and had even tried dating her a couple of times. But it was hard dating one of your good friends crush. Angela had married Ben Copely, one of Edward's basketball teammates, a couple of years after high school.

Edward glanced through his mail and noted there was nothing important. "Are you getting your hair done for me?"

Angela laughed as she walked to the doorway. "Of course Edward. You were always my boy next door love. No one gets over that kinda love." Edward rose to follow her. It was true that she had "loved" him and he had always been considered a boy next door.

Angela had sauntered her way to her desk and Edward leaned against the doorway to his office. "Well don't tell Ben. I don't need to get beat up," he said with a smile. He could smell her perfume. Even in high school she had chosen the same perfume. Fantasy by Britney Spears. Some things never changed.

"Oh he knows," she said with a smile as she swung her Coach purse onto her shoulder. Edward never understood why she carried a purse that looked more like a tote. "But he knows I would never get mixed up with a guy like you."

"And why is that Ang?" Edward asked casually as he crossed his arms across his chest. His emerald eyes watching her closely.

"Everyone knows not to get mixed up with you Edward. You like to dip your toe into a pool but never get all the way in. You like to go the mile but you don't even make it a quarter of the way. You to women is like an anorexic to a chocolate sampler. You take a couple of nibbles of a piece then throw it away for a new one. You never eat a whole one."

"I know a couple of people who could set you straight on that," he said as Angela smiled and walked away.

She wasn't the first to tell him that. A lot of women thought he should settle down and get married. Maybe drive an SUV and buy that house that just made people assume you have the perfect life. He didn't personally think this was necessary seeing that Emmet had gotten married and had children. Emmet had married a girl he met in college, Rosalie Hale. They had three children, two girls and a boy. Emmet drove his children to soccer while Rosalie took care of their youngest daughter who was only eight months. She even had a Plymouth Voyager, a typical family car. And Edward was comfortable only being an uncle.

Emmet worked with Edward. They were both top lawyers at Benson, Jackson, and Cullen.

However Edward at 33 had been their for a substantial more time then Emmet since he had constantly changed his major.

After Edward had returned to his desk, he saw the clock said 1:30. He decided to return the more then a half a dozen of phone calls he had piled up. It was a Friday and hoped the day would go by quickly. After he hung up the phone for the last call he heard a knock on his door before it opened. Glancing at the clock as it clicked to 5.

Emmet walked in and fell into one of the chairs facing Edward's desk. "Well I'm out of here. I have to take Alley to her dance recital," he said. Alley was the oldest of his three children at six. "Are you going to make it to her recital?"

Edward dropped his pen that he had been writing with and leaned back in his chair. He always tried to go to his niece and nephew's recitals and games. "Not tonight. Newton's bachelor party is tonight at Showtime. I told him I would stop by tonight." Yeah even Newton was getting married. He hadn't been a player like Edward, but in college and a little after he had had partied with many girls. Now he was giving up his freedom for a pair of matching wedding bands.

"Will there be strippers there?" Emmet asked with a half smirk.

"I would imagine. It is a bachelor party after all."

"So your telling me you would rather watch naked women and drink alcohol then watch your niece dance to an upbeat Disney song?"

Edward smiled his trademark half smile. He tapped his chin to make it appear he was hard at thought. "You know it was a tough decision. Watch half naked women fight for your attention and hard earned dollars or watch six year olds try to dance."

Emmet laughed as he said, "Lucky bastard." Edward looked at his brother as he laughed. Many people had though he would grow up to look like the rest of the Cullen's. Emmet had proven them all wrong. Instead of having the trademark blonde or copper hair, he had almost jet black hair. He was extremely tall and appeared as if he was on steroids. "Well if you need someone to drive you home, call me up."

Their parents had been killed by a drunk drive just a week after Edward's high school graduation. So they chose to never drive drunk. It was rule that was never made to be broken. "Of course Em." Emmet waved his goodbyes and Edward focused on his computer for another hour.

He finally decided to give it up for the night knowing everyone had already left the office an hour ago. He grabbed his keys to his car and closed his office door behind him. Made sure he locked it and went outside to climb into his Volvo. It was silver and hugged the road just right. The bar was a good forty-five minutes away from his office. After his long drive he parked his car far from the door of the bar. Not his choice, that was just the last parking spots left.

He opened the heavy wooden door to Showtime and could smell the cigarettes and spilled beer. His eyes adjusted to the dim lighting as he made his way through the crowd. Many people he knew called hi out to him as he maneuvered to the bar. He stopped and ordered a Bud Ice. It quickly appeared with the chill still escaping the mouth of the bottle. He handed the bartender a five and took a quick swig of the cold beverage. A light hand touched his shoulder and he turned his head to see Jessica Stanley.

"Hey Edward. Are you here for the party?" Jessica asked with her bloodshot eyes staring at him.

"Hey there Jess." Jessica was younger then Edward by a couple of months. She was thin and liked to wear her clothes tight to show that off. She was also well endowed. She had been married three times since high school and was divorced three times. She liked to ride the mechanical bull that was in the back of Showtime and she was good at that. Her blue eyes were made by contacts and her hair was dyed fire red. He knew that because she liked to ride him about as much as the bull. And there was no mistake that she wanted to make him husband number four. But he had backed off so she would get that idea out of her head.

"Yeah I'm here for the party. Has it gotten rowdy yet?" Edward asked while trying to ignore the lust in her eyes. There was no need to give her anymore husband number four ideas. He liked her plenty, he just didn't want to marry her. Or anyone else for that matter. He took the bottle and put it back to his lips and took a long swig as Jessica downed her Jagerbomb. He grabbed the change from his five dollars off the bar and shoved it in his pocket.

"Not yet." Jessica said with an inviting smile.

"Ah," Edward said trying to not give her anything to work on. "See you around then," as he turned to leave.

Jessica's next five words stopped him in his tracks. "Have you seen Bella yet?"

Edward felt the bottle slipping from his hand but his hand quickly grasped the bottle tight. He was going to need all the alcohol he could find after that question. He turned back to face Jessica.

"I saw her this morning. She was at the store. I think she borrowed her sister's car. She was picking up some stuff." Jessica said as she order her next round of Jager while shaking her head. "What has it been? Ten, twelve years?"

Fifteen, he thought.

After she downed her next shot, she smiled. " I know it was her though. Bella Swan hasn't changed much."

But she wasn't Bella Swan anymore. She was Bella Black and had been for the last fifteen years. And while she may still appear to be the same to everyone else, her new last name had changed everything.

Jessica didn't seem to be phase by any of this and took a step closer to Edward to play with the buttons on his Ralph Lauren dress shirt. "I was deeply sorry to hear about Jacob Black. I know he was your friend for a long time."

Yes Jacob Black had been Edward's best friend. Ever since they had met at basketball practice when they were five. Jacob would go with all of Edward's hair schemed idea no matter the risk. But that had changed as well. The last time he had seen Jacob was when they'd had a fight that ended with blood while Bella looked on terrified. Actually that was the last time Edward saw Bella.

Jessica mustn't have noticed Edward's icy look in his eyes because she kept going. "Imagine dying at our age. It was truly a tragedy."

"I have to go Jessica," Edward said as he pushed past her to Newton's party. She had almost forced him to bring up an old anger. One that he had suppressed all these years. But even as it had come dangerously close to exposing itself, he was able to push it back down and keep it locked up and hidden.

With his trusty beer in one hand he pushed the curtain hiding the bachelor party from the outside world. He leaned against the wall and watched the man of the hour, Newton laugh nervously while the strippers danced around. They'd had started without Edward and was already in their g-strings as they danced to The Thong Song. They removed their silk tops at the same time to reveal their size double d breasts crammed into tiny bejeweled bikini tops. Edward's eyes slid from their big breasts and toned stomachs back down to their g-strings tied at their tiny hips.

Tyler Crowley had stopped next to Edward and watched the show with him. "Do you think they're real?"

Edward shrugged as he lifted his beer to his lips and took a drink. "Who cares right?" Edward asked. Tyler must have been married for way to long because he was starting to sound like a woman.

Tyler nodded. "Yeah your right," he said as he pushed his hair back. "Hey did you that Bella Swan is back in town?"

Edward tightened his grip on his bottle and nodded his head yes. "Yeah I've heard."

Again his old anger began to rise to the surface. But again he pushed way down again until it was forgotten. Edward focused on the show that the strippers were putting on. They had sandwiched Newton between their half naked bodies while they kissed above his head. All of the guys went wild watching it. Their open mouth, tongue thrusting had everyone screaming for more. Edward watched with a smile. This was getting too good.

"I saw her today at Dairy Mart," Tyler said ruining the moment for him. " And damn if she didn't look as good if not better then she did in high school."

Edward's eyes dropped to the floor as thoughts of her chocolate brown eyes flooded into his mind. Her perfect lips pouting. That was one black hole that he didn't want to reenter.

"Remember what she looked like in her cheerleader uniform?" Tyler asked while he elbowed Edward in the side.

Edward nodded and pushed himself off of the wall. He didn't want to go down memory lane if it involved Bella. Unfortunately everyone else in the room did.

As the strippers took off their tiny tops, the topic of conversation between all the men was not the beautiful Jasmine and Carli, but of Bella. And while Edward made his rounds, Eric Yorkie, Seth Clearwater, and Chad McDermott all asked him if he'd seen her yet.

Whatever her reasons for being in town, he'd hope it would be a short visit. Then everyone would go back to their everyday normal lives. And would let men enjoy half naked women standing just four feet away from him. After Chad had asked him if he'd seen her, Edward decided to leave the party. He set his empty beer bottle on the bar as he walked past it to the door. Leaving was the only way to get past all of the talk and excitement that Bella had created. But with each movement he made, thoughts and memories of Bella flooded back to him. He saw Bella dancing around in her old sweats in her bedroom. He remembered the feeling of her warm, smooth skin as his hand felt her leg underneath her black and gold cheerleading skirt. Her dark brown eyes with lust and excitement in them when he had taught her about sexual things.

The rain pelting his head and Jessica brought him out his memories. "Leaving so soon?" Jessica asked as she walked towards him.

"It was a boring party," he said as he looked over at her.

"Well we could make a party of our own if you want." It was typical of her. She didn't wait for him to make the first move. Normally that wasn't Edward's style, but tonight he approved as she raised her mouth to his. He could taste the Jager and the neediness she brought with her. Her firm breasts touched him through her thin wet shirt and desire began to tug at his gut. He pulled her against him tighter until lust and rain was all he felt. All memories of brown eyes and cheerleader skirts were replaced with the woman in his arms.

Bella Swan stood in front of the glassed house with her fist raised to knock on the door. It was the same as she remembered except the grass was somewhat brown, but other then that it was the same. Her stomach twisted into knots as the rain beat against the overhang of the small enclosed porch

The porch where she used to sit between Edward and Jacob. The three of them, best friends. They would laugh and joke. There wasn't many things they had done, that this porch hadn't been involved in.

But the thunder and lightening in the sky brought her back to present time as she stood frozen in front of the door.

Bella was never good at confronting people at a young age and wasn't much better now at 33. She'd improved a little bit, but she still didn't like to face problems head on. Still maybe she should have called first before coming over. It wasn't polite to just show up on someone's porch at ten at night. And she was soaked to the bone from all the rain.

Before she had left Abby's apartment, she had made sure she looked perfect. She had straightened her brown hair to the t and applied her make up perfectly. She had chosen a baby blue polo and a pair of metro black slacks. She had made sure that every crease was perfect on her outfit and that there was no wrinkles. But after getting out of the car and dashing to the door in the downpour, she was sure her hair had curled back up. Which meant it was frizzy and out of control. She hadn't use waterproof mascara so she probably had long black streaks on her cheeks. And her top was soaked and she probably had mud on the bottom of her pants from the holes she had stepped in. Everything in her body told her to turn back around.

But she still she stood planted in front of Edward's door. She had been in town for three days and still hadn't been there to see Edward. She had to tell him what she had been keeping from him for fifteen years.

She raised her fist to knock on the door she knew so well, but before her fist met the door, it swung open. She saw an outline of a man who was shirtless. There was a soft light coming from deep in the house and she could tell that the man's hair was a mess. Yeah she probably should have called first.

"Um, hi," she said quickly. She didn't want to run away. "I'm looking for Edward Cullen."

"Well if it isn't Bella Swan." the man said with a little distaste in his voice.

In the fifteen years since she had been home, his voice had become deeper than it had been when she had known him. But there was no mistaking the ugliness in his voice. No one could pack more hate into his voice and still make it sound musical then Edward. She didn't kid herself. She knew what was going to come wasn't going to be pretty.

"Hi Edward."

"What do you want Bella?"

Bella stared at the shadowy figure that stood in front of her. The knowledge that she had once known him pulled the already tight knot in her stomach tighter. " Well I….I am……I need to talk to you. And I-I thought…" She had to pull herself together. She was an intelligent adult, not a stammering idiot. "I wanted to tell you that I was in town before someone else did."

"Too late." Silence followed after that. The only noise was the rain falling on the overhang. The rain continued to hit her in the back as she stood watching Edward's outline. And when she thought he wasn't going to talk again, he did. "Well if that's what you wanted to tell me, you can leave now."

But that wasn't the only reason she had come over. She had a letter in her pocket. A letter from Jacob. He had written it a couple of months before he had died. She needed to tell Edward the truth, then hand him the letter. And then she could leave. "I need to talk to you. Its important."

Edward's shoulders moved and he walked from the door. He hadn't shut the door which meant that Bella could come in. Even though he hadn't slammed the door in her face, he hadn't gone out of his way to open the screen door for her. But then again this didn't surprise her. When did Edward ever try to make anything easy?

She followed Edward's outline into the kitchen even though she didn't need his help finding it. She had basically grown up here too. She knew her way in here like the back of her hand. She could smell fresh paint though, but was half surprised to see that the kitchen looked exactly as it had from all those years ago.

Edward opened the refrigerator and leaned into it and all Bella could see was his fingers grasping the handle of the door and his nice round butt bent over. But he'd always had a nice butt. There was no denying that. He finally settled on his bottle of milk and slammed the door shut. He opened it and brought the bottle to his lips but Bella's eyes were focused on the small amount of dark hair above his Levi jeans and around his navel. Her gaze went up his muscular chest. And she knew this wasn't the boy she had known.

She looked at his mouth and his hair that he wore in the same style he had as a child. But it wasn't till she looked into his eyes that she felt her mouth go dry and her stomach drop. His eyes had once looked at her with such passion and want. As if they couldn't go a day without her. But now they looked at her as if she wasn't worth more then a stray cat who needed some warm milk.

"Did you come to stare at me?"

She walked closer to the island that was still in the kitchen and tapped her finger on it. "No, I just wanted to tell you that I was in town visiting Abby and Alice."

He lifted the milk back up and took another swig of it from the carton as if he was waiting for her to expand on this.

"I just thought you should know."

He looked over the milk jug at her and met her gaze. Even though Edward had been a bad boy and a ladies man, he's always liked his milk. Some things never change. "And what makes you think that I give a shit Bella?"

"Well, um, I didn't know. I mean I wondered if you did care or if you would care," she said as she twisted her words up. This was much harder than she ever imagined.

"Well now you don't have to wonder." He looked at her for a moment then pointed to the other room with his milk carton. "If that's all, there's the door. Don't let it hit you in your ass."

"No that's not all." She paused as she felt for the letter in her pocket. Like it could give her some magic courage. It didn't help. "Jake wanted me to tell you that he is sorry. No that he was sorry. This is harder then you can imagine." Edward's face never changed. "Its hard for me to think of him in the past tense you know? Like if I do, that means he's gone forever. Which he is." Bella paused. "The flowers you sent were beautiful."

"Angela sent them." Edward said as he shrugged his shoulders. He tossed the empty milk carton in the trash can.

"Angela?"

"Angela Webber. You know one of your best friends. She married Ben Copely. She works for me now."

"Well then thank Angela for me." But she knew Angela hadn't sent the flowers and signed his name without his knowledge.

"Don't make it a big deal."

Bella frowned and looked at him. She knew how important Jake had been to him. "Don't pretend that you don't care that he died."

"You forget that I tried to kill him," Edward said with one brow raised.

"You would never have killed him Edward."

"No you're right. You just wasn't worth it I guess."

Bella saw that the conversation was heading in the wrong direction. "Don't get ugly."

"You call this ugly?" he said with an evil laugh. "This is nothing. Stick around and I'll show you how ugly I can get love."

Bella already knew how ugly Edward could get. But even though she was a coward, she was also stubborn. Edward might not be the same boy she used to know, but she was definitely not the same girl he knew. She just had to tell him about Anthony and then she could leave. She would have told him the truth. And it would be over.

A flash of blue caught Bella's eye. A woman dressed in a man's blue dress shirt had entered the kitchen.

"Hey everyone," she said as she came to a halt next to Edward.

Edward looked down at the red head and said, "I thought I told you to stay in bed."

"I got bored up there by myself."

Bella's cheeks began to redden. Edward had a girlfriend. She didn't know why that surprised her. He's always had one or two. Hardly did Edward go without a girlfriend. At one time that would have killed her.

"Hi Bella. I'm Jessica Stanley. I don't know if you remember me."

It didn't kill her now though. She had come all the way from New York to tell him about Anthony. But Jessica made relief wave over her. She was more of a coward than she thought. Bella smiled at the girl and moved closer to shake her hand. "Of course I remember you. We had Human Behavior together our Senior year."

"Mrs. Bowman."

"That's right!"

"Remember when she sat down in her chair and the chair completely broke underneath her?" Jessica asked as if she wasn't just standing there only in a man's shirt. Which no doubt was Edward's.

"That was so funny, I about--"

"Excuse me, what the hell do you two think this is?" Edward interjected. "A damn high school reunion?"

Both of them looked up into his eyes and Jessica said, "I was just trying to be nice to your guest."

"She isn't my guest and she's leaving." He kept his uninviting eyes on her. They were cold and she wanted to run and hide.

"Well it was nice to see you Jessica," she said.

"Same."

"See you later Edward," she said as she walked towards the door. Edward stayed planted with his arms across his chest. A definite unwelcoming move.

When Bella had reach the outside, she let out a huge sigh of relief. The rain had stopped and she dodged the massive puddles that had been left behind on her way to her sister's Jetta. Next time she would call before she just stopped in on somebody.

Just as she reached for the door handle, she felt a strong force whip her back around. She stared into Edward's eyes. The coldness had been replaced with something much worse. Rage. Rage that seemed to have been built up for years.

"I don't know what you came here looking for. Whether it was absolution or forgiveness. But you won't find it." His voice was calm with rage in it. He suddenly dropped her arm like the touch of her burnt his hand.

"Yes, I know I won't."

"Good, you stay away from me Bella. Or I'll make your life a misery."

Bella continued to stare into his eyes. His passion or anger hadn't been faded away in the last fifteen years.

"Just stay away." And then he turned from her and walked back to his house.

She would have been wise to listen to his warning. Unfortunately she didn't have a choice.

And unknown to him, neither did he.