A/N- So after months of being blocked on my other stories I caved and started writing this that had been kicking around in my head for awhile. In my head it's not a long story a few chapters probably, but here's the start. Let me know if it's worth continuing.

FYI- in case you were confused, I'm not SM, I don't own.

Stepping out the front door she paused for a quick stretch. She took a hold of the dog's leash and turned on her iPod, before starting to run down the road alongside the ocean. She hadn't lived here for long but had already fallen in love with the Santa Cruz. The quirky shops and sea breezes, it was the small town feel she'd grown to love in the last few years, with everything big city nearby. She was glad she'd finally let Jasper convince her she needed a change of scenery. He'd managed to find them a house with just the street separating it from the cliffs over looking the Pacific. Things finally seemed to be falling into place.

As she neared the house again, about three miles and forty-five minutes later, she slowed to a walk. Letting the dog off his leash he bounded back into their yard, he must have felt at home too. She took a moment to cool off and watched the surfers head down to the water.

He wasn't the only one who noticed her. He wasn't the only to take a lingering look before heading down the stairs to the morning surf. He probably wasn't even the only one who's pulse speed up as their eyes ran down her body.

But, he was the only one who froze in recognition.

It couldn't be her.

"Bella?" He didn't realize the word left his mouth until she turned toward him.

She was trim and more muscular than he remembered. Her hair was longer now, and the bright morning sun was picking hints of red. Clearly it was her though. Her eyes were just the same. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath trying to clear his face of his shock.

Though Bella was just a surprised as he was, she was better at hiding it. "Edward?" she replied, the corners of her mouth turning up ever so slightly.

Edward ran his hand roughly through his hair. "Um... Ed. Pretty much everyone calls me Ed theses days."

"Oh," she said, softly, the light in her face dimming ever so slightly. He saw the slight falter of her face and it left him feeling guilty, for a lot of things. Biting down on her lower lip, she stared at the ground while Edward's eyes searched the waves below. Closing his eyes, he exhaled slowly and wished he had thought before he'd called out to her. He still would have done it. There is no way he could have just let her walk away. He just wished he would have taken a moment to prepare himself.

"'What are you doing here?" they asked simultaneously, both hoping to end the awkward moment.

Bella breathed out a short laugh while Edward shifted the surfboard on his hip. He thought briefly about playing this whole thing off, and answering "surfing." But he knew that wasn't the answer she was after and it had been too long and too much had happened for them to play games. "I, um... I came out here for, um, rehab," he said slowly. Bella's eyes met his and the smile returned to her face, much wider this time. Edward was sure for a moment his heart had stopped. Encouraged by the light in her eyes, he continued. "I just decided to stay. Seemed right, I guess."

Bella nodded once and bit down on her lip, knowing it was her turn to share. She had no idea where to begin. What was too much, too soon? She knew he had probably had more questions than she had answers. How could he not?

"I just moved down here," she started softly.

"Down?" Edward interrupted. "From where?"

"Washington."

"Washington?" he repeated.

Looking at her watch, she nodded. "Edwar...Er... Ed? I have to go."

"Of course you do," he muttered under his breath. He didn't intend to say it, his anger sometimes got the better of him. He definitely didn't intend for her to hear it, but she did. Bella's chest ached a bit, but she knew she deserved it. "I didn't mean that," Edward said, when he saw her face fall.

"You did, but it's okay."

"No. It's not," he said remorsefully.

Bella shrugged. "I have a job interview," she explained.

"Oh." Edward felt like an ass.

"Are you free tonight? I could cook you dinner, we could talk?"

"Yes," he said with too much enthusiasm. Edward regretted his immediate response. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk more with Bella. He wanted to desperately. He wanted to see where she was living. He wanted to know what she was doing. He wanted to know where it went wrong. He was eager to ask her so much, he just didn't want her to know how eager he was.

He really didn't need to worry to much about how Bella saw his response, Bella was just happy he'd agreed. "I live right there," she pointed. "The green one. Is five-ish okay?"

"Yeah. That's good." Edward nodded emphatically as he spoke. He knew he'd have to sneak out of work early to make in time, but he didn't care. He'd do just about anything to talk to Bella more. There was so much he wanted to ask her, but right now he honestly didn't care if he got any answers. It was almost enough just to see her again. Just to know where she was and that she was okay.

Bella, looked down at her watch again and sighed. "I have to go," she said again.

"I'll see you tonight," Edward said, though it sounded more like a question.

Bella nodded before giving Edward a little, half smile then she turned and jogged the half block to her house.

"Dude, who was that?" Eric called, sauntering over to where Edward was still standing, slack-jawed.

Edward rubbed at his face roughly, as if he were waking up. Finally, and regretfully, he pulled his eyes away from the house from which Bella had disappeared into. This was real, right? She was really here? After all this time?

"My ex wife."

Twenty minutes before he was supposed to be at Bella's, Edward realized his mistake. He was changing after a quick shower when someone pounded on his front door. Edward cursed to himself knowing who it was. A moment later he heard his brother coming up the stairs. He shouldn't have mentioned running into Bella, and especially shouldn't have said he would be seeing her again tonight.

"You decent?" Emmett yelled as he strolled into Edward's bedroom.

Edward looked into the mirror above his dresser and attempted to tame his hair. He ignored his brother's question, as he turned and walked out the bedroom door. "What are you doing here? I'm leaving. Now."

"I know. I can't let you go over there alone, can I?" Emmett said, following Edward down the stairs.

"Um, yeah, you can." He didn't look at his brother as he spoke. He was honestly more than a little stressed out about seeing Bella again, but was trying to stay calm and not let it show. Emmett was not helping.

"Seriously, Eddie. You haven't talked to this girl since she left you. You can't just go over to her house. have no idea what's been going on with her the last, what, five years? You deserve some answers, dude. I'm just gonna make sure you get them"

"It hasn't been five years," Edward grumbled. If Edward's memory wasn't playing tricks on him, Emmett had been pissed when he found out Bella wasn't coming back from her trip to Phoenix. Of course, Edward's memory of that time was more than a little fuzzy. He already knew more about why Bella left than he had ever admitted to. Really though, as upset as Emmett may have been, it wasn't and had never been any of his business.

The phone in their apartment was ringing, and ringing, and ringing. While Edward wanted nothing more than to stop the noise, he was completely incapable.

"Bella," he moaned. Attempting to roll himself over was impossible. Blinking several times, he couldn't figure out where he was but at least the ringing had stopped. Edward closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

Moments later he was blinded when Bella flicked on the bathroom light. She was frantic, but Edward was still far to drunk to understand much. She'd shaken him, pulled him up off the floor and managed to wrangle him into bed.

Edward woke late the next morning. The bed beside him empty except for note on her pillow.

Edward,
My mom had an accident.
I'm going to Phoenix to be with her for a bit.
I'll give you a call, later.
Love always, Bella

Her phone call later that day, didn't explain anymore than her note. Nor did her second call a few days later. At the time, though, Edward wasn't worried. It was the letter, the letter he received three weeks after she had left Chicago, that made it clear. Bella wasn't coming back.

Sighing deeply, Edward scrubbed his hands over his face. "Em, you know this is between me and her, right?"

The two men stopped and stood on Edward's front porch. "Of course, I know that. I'm just trying to help out, bro."

Edward glanced at the street in front of the house, then looked back to his brother. "Where the fuck is your car, dude?"

Emmett flashed his trademark, dimpled grin. "Rose dropped me off." Edward shook his head as his brother continued. "She wanted to visit with her friend anyway. Alice, the one she's always telling you about. She practically dragged me over here, I guess they didn't want my company. So really, I mean, how could you turn me away."

"You're an ass," Edward replied as he and Emmett climbed into his Volvo.

Jasper came home to find Bella up to her elbows in flour. It was obvious that Bella was a nervous wreck. When ever she was stressed she would cook.

"Biscuits?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah," Bella sighed. "I figured I'd make some gravy too and you could have biscuits and gravy for breakfast tomorrow."

Jasper hummed in appreciation. Then scratched at the back of his neck, while guilt washed over him. "Aren't you supposed to be making dinner?"

Bella looked up at him and smiled warily. "It's in the oven."

Jasper nodded. "Bella, I'm sorry about this mornin'."

Shrugging once, Bella returned to rolling out her biscuit dough. "It's okay, you were just trying to watch out for me. I get it."

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have pushed you so much." Jasper felt badly about his behavior this morning. Bella was freaked out enough about seeing her ex, she didn't need him making it worse. And he had definitely made it worse.

~
"You invited him over? Here?" Jasper yelled in exasperation. "You do realize I live here too. You need to call him and cancel."

"I can't. I didn't get his number." Bella was sitting in the corner of the couch, looking very much like a small child being scolded. She was very aware she appeared as such, and that alone was pissing her off. Jasper had jumped up from his seat at the kitchen table, his breakfast forgotten on the table.

"So, what, Bella, you just told this guy where you live? You can't do things like that, darlin'."

"He's not some random guy, Jasper. I know him."

"He's a fucking drunk, Bella." Bella closed her eyes and fought the tears stinging at her eyes at Jasper's accusation. She wasn't sure as to why his words hurt so much but they did. The pain was visible on her face and Jasper sucked in a deep breath. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. But, Bella it's been years, do you really know him anymore?"

She chewed her lower lip, as she stared down at the empty finger on her left hand. She took a moment to gather her thoughts before she answered. "We just need to talk," Bella said softly, deciding it best to ignore the direct question Jasper had asked.

An eyebrow arched, Jasper countered. "He didn't feel the need to talk to you before filing for a divorce."

"Jasper, that's not fair. There's a lot that you don't know."

"Bella, I know how you looked when you got the papers. That's about all I need to know."

"Jasper," she warned.

He wasn't hearing her though. "Bella. You need to stay away from him."

"He came out here to go to rehab," Bella proffered the only thing she had. The only reason she had to think that Edward had changed from the guy she had left.

Jasper sighed. "And what all is forgiven? Is he sober now? How long? What do you know, Bella, that makes you trust him? If that's all you know of him in the last four years, it's not much is it?"

Once again, Bella, didn't feel like answering his questions. Instead she attempted to turn this around. "Jasper, I never asked you to take care of me," she said quietly.

Jasper knew that he wasn't going to get any further with this line of conversation. Bella was stubborn and if she didn't want to listen she wouldn't. That was made obvious to him by her statement. As hard as Jasper tried to let her know that she could rely on him, Bella refused to admit that she needed anybody. It hurt a little each time, but Jasper knew that eventually she'd realize the error of her ways and he'd be there when that happened. "Didn't say you did, darlin'. But, you know I have always said I would. We moved here for a change. And, if you ask me, a man from your past isn't really going to change anything." He turned and began gathering his things, readying himself for work.

Bella had never hated that southern accent more. "I'm going to talk to him. I never said that was going to change anything." Standing from the couch, Bella got up and headed to the bathroom to get ready for her interview. "And, beside that, I didn't ask you Jasper," she shouted from the stairs.

Deciding to stick to safe topics, Jasper turned his attention back toward the meal Bella was preparing. "You never cook like this for me anymore," he pouted.

Bella rolled her eyes. "I'm cooking for you right now," she said playfully. The timer on the oven beeped she turned and pulling two pans out of the oven. Setting them on the stove top before sliding the biscuits in.

Seeing the two casserole dishes, Bella was now covering with foil to keep warm, Jasper's eyes grew wide. "Holy hell, Bella. How much do you expect this guy to eat?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, this one is mine..." she trailed off, her finger lingering over the dish. "Mushroom Alfredo lasagna."

"And, this one is real food." Jasper's blue eyes lit with delight and a huge grin crept on his face. "You mean there is meat in this house? Damn, we should have had your ex over years ago." Bella shook her head at him. Living with a vegetarian had meant that Jasper had also given up meat in most meals, since Bella did most of the cooking. He wasn't embarrassed to admit that he'd learned where the closet burger joint to their house was with in the week they moved in. "Seriously, you better save me some of that."

"Whatever." Bella grinned back at Jasper, but the light moment was short lived. Bella was trying to put on a brave face. She had attempted not to let Jasper's arguments from earlier set too deep into her psyche, but it was getting to her. She was questioning everything; from inviting Edward into her home, their home, to talking to him at all. The thought of what he might ask sent Bella's brain spiraling. In that way that only he could, Jasper knew the moment when Bella's mood shifted. Coming to stand in front of her, he rubbed his hands up and down her arms. He bent his knees so he could be face to face with her. "You don't have to do this you know?" he said softly. "I can keep an eye out and send him away."

Bella pursed her lips, before reaching up and pushing Jasper's blond hair behind his ears. "And then what?" she whispered. "He knows where I live. You were right I shouldn't have told him that." Her teeth sunk in to her lower lip and she shook her head sadly.

Pulling her in for a tight hug, Jasper kissed the top of Bella's head. "It'll be okay, hon. I promise." He punctuated his words with additional kisses. "I always said I'd take care of you, you just tell me what you want. I'll do it."

Bella pulled herself in close, burying her face in Jasper's chest for a moment. She took a few deep breaths. "I have to do this. I have to, just, talk to him. I have to."

"Okay." Once more he squeezed her close, dropping a few more kisses into her dark hair. "Then maybe you should get changed," he added with a smile.

Bella glanced at the time on the stove, then down at her flour covered tee shirt and yoga pants. "God," she groaned, "You're probably right." She swatted at his chest as she pulled herself from Jasper's embrace. "Can you pull those biscuits out of the oven?"

Leaving Jasper in the kitchen, Bella headed down the stairs to change. The layout of the house was a little strange. It was designed to maximize the ocean views, with the bedrooms on the lower floor. After taking the pan from the oven, Jasper starting getting ready for his evening class. He hated to leave Bella alone with a virtual stranger but only a couple weeks into the semester he couldn't cancel his class. He was new to teaching at the university and didn't want to have things reflecting poorly on him already.

As he sat at his desk, sorting through a few things, he could hear the dog start to bark outside. "Hey, come're," he shouted. Unfortunately, as was typically since Bella had come into his life, the dog didn't listen to a word Jasper said. "He's forgot who's dog he is," he grumbled to himself. With a sigh, he walked out to the patio. "Dang it, Jake. Hush up," he yelled.

He was quick to see what Jake's problem was. Two men were approaching the gate, looking leery of the large barking dog. Jake was a wolf mix dog that Jasper had got as a puppy. He'd grown into a huge dog and Jasper had to admit that his appearance was rather intimidating. It was a feature he appreciated when Bella was out running with Jake, or in moments like this. He smiled to himself when Jake ran at the fence, barking once more and the men flinched a bit. It was immediately obvious who one of the men was. In the years he'd know Bella he'd only seen a picture of the guy a couple of times, but still he knew.

"Hey, there," he called as he came down the steps. "You must be Edward." Jasper shoved his hand out a the slimmer of the two men.

"Ed," the bronze haired, man corrected.

Jasper raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side as he sized the guy up. "I'm Jasper," he finally responded. Then he turned his attention to the other man. Edward was tall and obviously muscular, but this other guy was a beast. "And, you are?"

"I'm Emmett. Ed's brother."

Jasper wasn't sure what to think, was this guy afraid to be around little Bella alone? What would compel him to bring his brother along? He was torn between being worried for Bella and laughing his ass off.

"Well, Bella's gettin' changed. Lemme show you inside."

Edward and Emmett followed Jasper up the outdoor staircase that led to the large balcony, and into the house. He was trying to keep it together but Edward stress was quickly building. He hadn't expected for a man to be there. Obviously, this Jasper guy lived with Bella, he could tell that much. The casual way he'd mentioned Bella changing was making Edward skin crawl. Once inside Edward looked out the wall of window facing the ocean. He could see the waves breaking at his favorite surf spot and he let his eyes flutter shut. Taking a deep breath, he imagined himself down there as he braced himself for what was about come.

"Bella," Emmett bellowed when he saw her. She flung herself across the room and threw her arms around his thick neck. Apparently, Jasper hadn't needed to worry about how Bella would respond to the additional guest. Emmett swung Bella's little body around in a circle a few times, before setting her back on the ground. "You look great Bells. I've missed you, well, we've missed you. Are you doing okay?" When Bella nodded he lowered his head and whispered, "You had me worried."

Bella decided to ignore Emmett's little "we" comment. He shouldn't speak on his brother's behalf. Bella didn't want him getting her hopes up. She figured she'd hurt Edward thoroughly, he'd filed for the divorce, he didn't want her and she was fine with that. Well, not fine, but she'd moved on with her life. Tonight, she had planned to give him the apology and the explanations he deserved, but he'd brought Emmett along, so maybe his thoughts about tonight were different. Maybe, he didn't want to hear any of that. Perhaps, he'd already forgiven her and moved on as well, she didn't know whether to wish that were the truth or not.

When Emmett stepped back from her, Jasper quickly moved in. He lowered his forehead to Bella's and caught her face between his hands, he could feel her tension. "You know my motto, Bells?" She nodded, and he whispered, "Don't do anything Chief Charlie wouldn't do." It was an inside joke between the two of them, and Bella laughed as usual but it was a little thin. "If you need me call. Okay?"

"Yup," she breathed. Jasper quickly kissed her cheek before straightening up.

As the two of them shared their moment, Emmett shot his brother a sympathetic glance. He knew this wasn't what Edward had expected. To find Bella living with another guy, to see another guy touch her. Emmett knew, as much as Edward would never admit it, that he was still in love with Bella.

Edward had stood back quietly watching Jasper and Bella. Now that he was here he didn't know how to act or what to think, and he definitely didn't know what to say. He was subtly snooping, trying to get some idea of who Bella was now without having to ask, because now he was afraid of what he might hear. There were lots of pictures on the walls of the house that he thought might give some insight. Huge prints of large redwood trees and rainy beaches, as well as pictures of Jasper and the barking monster from outside.

And then, there it was, the picture that broke him. Jasper was smiling straight into the camera, one arm of Bella's wrapped around his neck. Her other hand held the black cowboy hat Jasper wore in many of the other pictures on her head. With a huge grin she was kissing the side of his mouth. Edward couldn't tear his eyes from the image.

"I'll be home in a few hours," Jasper said softly. Bella nodded and he turned to her guests. "Well, it was nice to meet you both." Jasper's voice finally pulled Edward from his trance and he nodded once in response. "Sorry, I can't stick around," said Jasper, with a quick wave before turning and heading out the door. Though he didn't know the reason, Jasper couldn't help but smirk slightly at how stricken Edward looked. With one last look at Bella he left her to face her past alone.