Chapter two- Stay away

I don't own the characters, they belong to Stephanie Meyer. Any mistakes are my own, this was an original fic at a point so I might have missed names or eye colour. Sorry! Thank you for reading, please review!

Edward.

I looked down at the busy streets of New York, it really never did sleep. Unlike Forks, that slept all the fucking time! I looked around the sweet I was sharing with a hot piece of ass, she was a model. Swedish or something. New york in the spring was pretty, it wasn't freezing like winter but it wasn't sweltering like the summer. But it was Summer, it was sweltering the heat rose to my penthouse room but the AC fought back beautifully at least it wasn't home, the tarmac would melt and stick to our legs in summer, or it rained non-stop. I was on my world tour, this was the second last date then I was playing Seattle, I didn't really pay attention. I knew it wasn't too far from home, but it had been about five years, since I'd been home, I had no intentions of going back to Forks, nothing there for me anymore. I walked around the room, grabbing myself a scotch from the drinks cupboard, I was twenty one. I could drink fourteen bottles, if I wanted, of course I wouldn't do that to my precious liver. I yawned downing the scotch and sauntering back into the bedroom, my eyes drifting over my phone. A few missed calls from my Mom, I couldn't remember the last time I'd spoke to her. I was such a shitty son.

I dialled her number, taking my seat by the large windows. I threw my head back, draining the scotch from the glass.

"Edward." She said curtly, she never forgave me after Bella. I didn't blame her, I didn't forgive myself. I had my reasons though. I always had my reasons.

"You're not coming home. You stay away Isabella is happy, her and Jacob Black are getting married, he proposed last night on her birthday." Mom giggled enthusiastically. Jesus, when did they hook up? It couldn't have been that long ago. Fuck, my- no Bella was engaged? I had no intentions of going home, I promised her that much at least. She'd never see me in person again. I'd never contact her, a clean break. I knew she'd have seen my CD's and even the films I'd done but I didn't want her to hurt too much, she never deserved that. Wait, hold up… Jacob fucking Black?! He was my best friend other than Bella at school and he was hooking up with my girl? Who the fuck did he think he was? Holy Moly! I'd beat the shit out of him if I was there. Properly. Bella, wasn't mine though. Something I couldn't forget, oh God I would always be hers. No matter how many models and groupies got in my bed but she very clearly wasn't my Bella, she was Jake's Bella. I wondered who she was now, was she a Momma, had she moved out? How was her Mom, Jasper and her Dad? How was my Mom and Rose? Bella's annoying girl best friend, who I of course tormented about everything because Bella was my best friend to begin with, Rose dated my asshole of a big brother Em. God, for the first time since I left I wanted to go home. I wanted to run down main street into the diner and see Bella standing behind the till, working away even though her family had money coming out their asses. I wanted to jump over the counter like the old day's and kiss her like I was claiming her all over again, I wanted to be eighteen again and I wanted to be Isabella's boyfriend. I would never get that back.

"Mom, I had no intentions of coming home and how long has she been with him? Ten freaking minutes probably? Is she knocked up?" I said bitterly, I wouldn't let my guard down. I still had to be the asshole that let her go. I couldn't be the guy that wrote two albums for her and said that they were for Tanya Denali, the hottest young female actress currently. We were meant to be engaged but I fucked female models that let me call them Bella and Tanya also fucked female models. It was a mutual agreement, perfect couple for the photos but we didn't even text in reality.

"Edward Anthony Mason-Cullen, Isabella has been with Jake for five years!" My Mom scalded. "She deserves this happiness! God you left her with a big enough mess to sort! Lucky enough it was a gift more than anything… shit, I wasn't meant to say that." She trailed off, her voice pinched as she mumbled. What did I leave her with? I took it all… Clearly she wasn't going to tell me anymore and I wasn't that interested. I was more interested in the fact she'd been with Jake for three years, considering I'd been gone three and a half, didn't take her long to shack up. Holy shit, had she really loved me in the first place? This was one big fucked up mess. I wanted to go home but at the same time I wanted to bury my head under a rock and die. She was promising her heart to him and she still had my fucking heart. She just didn't know she was the girl I wrote about. I was an idiot. I had let her go because she deserved better and now I wanted her more than anything. Fuck my life.

In the words of the great man, Leonard Cohen, himself.

There ain't no cure for love.

Amen, brother.

The day went quickly, I went to the gym, I ate and got chucked out a trainer shop. That was just the morning, I was performing in Times square. It was going to be good. I had been staying in this hotel on times square all week and I had watched it be transformed into a stage, in which the world would watch me from. It was a free gig but I was still getting paid from the sponsors. Pepsi, was the main sponsor, it was always their juice that got sold at my gigs and I done the adverts. I was a pepsi guy anyways. Converse were a sponsor aswell, I wore Converse and done the ad's. Simple money. There were another couple other brands that I had done some work with but they were nothing major.

I was standing backstage, waiting. I could hear the teenage girls scream and chant. I used to get nervous. Not now, I'm a cocky arsehole. I could get every girl in that crowd and more. I could get all the girls in the world if I wanted but I couldn't get the one I wanted. How ironic. I strolled on causally, before cue. I picked up my guitar, stood at the front of the stage and started to strum a C major, I hadn't been able to play guitar before. The record company had forced me to learn and invented a story about being taught by my Grandfather. I filled out the chords and started the melody. I'd start with a slow one. 5,4,3,2,1. Show time. Huh, this wasn't a song, uh-oh. I'd wrote this today after speaking to my Mom, shit. I'd have to go with it now.

"Oh my mud-pie eyes, oh how precious you are.

Oh mud-pie eyes, have you forgotten me?

mud- pie eyes, is he more than I'll ever be?

He's held your hand longer than I've held your hand.

He was always waiting for me to stumble,

So he could stoop in and be your knight in shining armour.

We all grew up together, I got you first then he admitted how he felt to me

but I laughed it off and thought you'd never leave me.

I ran because I was scared girl, you made me open my eyes again

and it fucking scared the shit out of me. We were tragic really, I

was to young to be what you needed. I wander lost, screwing girls

that mean nothing. Truth be told baby, I'm living a lie. I have to be the

Edward the world wants to see but I don't want to be him. The Edward that

isn't yours. No-one was ever a patch on you.

He will be the boy, I never was. He can set you free

from my curse. I should let it be, let you be happy.

Let you move on but something in my heart won't let me

mud-pie eyes. It's been three and a half years since we

talked, can you forgive me? Oh mud-pie eyes, don't

let go of who we used to be! I know I left you with a real big

mess but isn't it really great, it turned out to be a beautiful miracle, can't you see

mud-pie eyes, you're the one for me, the keeper of the keys to my

heart.

We grew together, went through all the shitty phases together.

We evolved from the stupid kids without a clue to be excited to enter the big bad world,

hungry for more than our backwater towns. Mud pie eyes, I should let it be. I should let

you go but, I need you. Mud pie eyes, you're the only girl for me. I know I fucked up but I told you a bunch of shit, ironically so you could move on and find someone better but I can't watch that, Mud pie eyes. Oh Mud pie eyes don't forget me."

I sighed at the end, holding my guitar in one hand, the entire crowd was blown away. I sounded cocky but the screams had died down and all eyes were locked on me, I could see what they were all asking, who's Mud pie eyes? They all knew it couldn't be Tanya, she had light blue eyes. Like dry, cracked ice. Her eyes were nothing special, they didn't light up like Bella's did. They were hollow, like she'd given up. But Tanya was so high half the time she couldn't get out her bed. She starved herself and snorted coke when she was hungry. Yeah. I stood for a few minutes, and there it was the silence, they waited for me to explain. I didn't picked up my guitar and started to strum the proper introduction to the gig. Fuck them all. I wouldn't drag her down too. But I was going home, I was going to see Isabella for myself.

When I arrived home, I drove past the large ice cream parlor- Frosties (super original name I know), it was good but the diner was calling. Mom had told me if I insisted on coming back then I had to grab her soda, so much love. I could feel so much love. I drove through the small town, perfectly preserved. The lawns beautifully maintained, the houses painted perfectly. I drove into the parking lot behind the wal-mart. It wasn't huge like some of the one's in bigger cities but it was home. I felt comfortable being here. It wasn't full of screaming fans. It wasn't full of traffic and angry people storming about. It was just nice and calm, and for a minute if it weren't for the fact I was driving a pretty car- the new Range Rover Evoque that I was driving I'd believe it was old times again. I looked around the parking lot, there was another few cars but the only one that stood out was the bright red Jeep Grand Cherokee. I wondered who it belonged too.

I strolled inside the store, letting the air conditioner wash the sticky heat from my skin, taking a deep breath. Soda, aisle five. I walked over to the soda aisle, passing the magazines. Most of them asking the same thing

"WHO IS MUD PIE EYES?"

I chuckled a little, picking up my personal favourite- usweekly and reading the exclusive interview with Tanya, explaining her hurt at the fact I didn't love her and how she couldn't be with me anymore. I snorted, she'd begged me to stay in our deal, but I said no-no. I was destined to win another girls heart. She didn't take it well and started spurting shit about me on twitter before the legion of teens turned on her and she had to delete her twitter account. It had only been a week and the shitstorm was growing, they had journalists swarming towards Forks but I hadn't been forthcoming with my personal life before and I sure as hell wasn't starting now. I put it back down and sauntered slowly over to the soda aisle.

I picked up a bottle of Doctor Pepper and then chucked in the Diet Pepsi. I couldn't remember what Mom's favourite was. I liked Doctor Pepper and I think she liked Diet shit, oh well. I wasn't buying that son of a bitch Em anything. He didn't even tell me that Jake and Bella were together and Bella, Rose and Em did go around like the best pals ever. I wondered if he was still dating Rose. The walking forehead. She'd hit me if I said that to her face but it was true, she had a squishy face and a massive forehead. She thought however she was the hottest thing to walk Earth.

I saw her before she saw me. She was standing at the end of the aisle. Her small body was softer than last time I saw her, she was curvier. Her hands were reaching for the Diet Coke. Her long dark hair was tied in a bun on top of her head, her small nose was marked by a nose ring. That was a new one. I couldn't see her oh so famous Mud pie 's, I could see the heavy black frames slipping down her nose. Hm, when had that happened? I thought she had twenty/twenty vision. It had been what four years, I guess things change. The nose ring was new as well though. I noticed her pearly whites clamping around her bottom lip and her slim hand move to push the heavy black frames up, her ring finger clad in a gold band with a square diamond, it looked old. I sighed. If that wasn't marking him as his, I didn't know what would. I saw her plop the bottles in the trolley and stroll down absently mindedly, not even noticing me. Her eyes locked on the list. I turned looking at the ice cream on the other side of the aisle picking up her favourite, chocolate cookie dough.

"Bella! I got the plastic cheese that she likes." I heard him, before I saw him. God, how had I been friends with this shmuck. I clenched the ice cream in my hand, squeezing till the carton was out of shape. I wondered who 'she' was, probably Rose. She liked that cheap shitty cheese.

"Jake sweetie, it's not plastic, it's processed." She laughed, her small hand's taking it from his clearly calloused and rough hands. He was a little confused as she popped it in the shopping cart.

"Betsy's milk makes award winning cheese and she says its yuckie and likes to eat this plastic shit." Holy shit, someone liked cheese more than me. Why the hell hadn't she noticed me? I wasn't exactly small, hello I was six foot five and a half. I stretched out, placing the ice cream in the basket.

"Jake, leave her alone. I love Betsy's cheese." Bella grinned at him, her dimples out in full force. I turned around slowly. Giving her one last look over and smiling, this was it. She'd see sense and back into good ol' Edward's arms.

"Why if it isn't little Isabella?!" I exclaimed happily at her "And my best friend Jake!" I said the latter somewhat sarcastically, best friend my ass. I said look out for her, not fucking hop in her panties at first opportunity. Asshole. Shmuck. Bastard.

I heard something drop, I looked up to see the phone in Bella's hand smash down to the hard tiles of the wal-mart. Hm, I still affected her. Well this is awkward. Nobody is saying anything. I wondered if the red jeep was hers. Probably was. She had one back when I was last here but that one outside looked a lot newer.

"For fucks sake. I've smashed it again." She groaned plopping it in her jean short pocket. I noticed she was slimmer but the curves were there than when I left, the baby fat was gone. I still towered over her, she was tiny. She had grown a couple inches if that. She was wearing retro style shorts with a oversized men's shirt. "Edward Cullen… Long time no see." She muttered, her eyes looking at Jake who had moved his arm around her waist.

"So it would seem, how long have you two been together then?" I asked, knowing perfectly well how long. Wanted to see if she'd lie to me.

"Five years in November." She muttered. Her body stiff and unyielding, she barely fucking gave me a chance to came back. That would mean he would have got in her panties within six months of me leaving, so Mom got it wrong she over estimated their relationship length. I looked at her softer body, she was slender but soft, the eyes that I had caused a shit storm over, they looked at anywhere but me for an extended period of time her eyes weren't twinkling like the stars, no they looked tired. She had bags under them and her mascara had smudged slightly, it sat under her left eye. They darted from me to Jake, they never really settled at me and the moment I caught them I could see her anguish, how hard the last five years had been on her and I realised, she hadn't had it easy. Something had happened to her that had made the small town teenage girl I left behind grow up dramatically. Her mud pie eyes settled on Jake and he smiled at her, she took a deep breath and smiled back. Her eyes twinkled when she looked up at him, like they did with me. Ouch, I tried not to feel the contraction around my heart.

"Congrats, did you go to college? Become a doctor?" Maybe that's why she was tired because she had been doing shifts. Her brown eyes shot up at this, the pupil contracted and the heckles came out, her eyes set in a murderous glare at me and she let out a bitter laugh.

"Plans change Edward, things happen. You have to care for people, and then they have limited time so you can't leave." She said bitterly, her phone lighting up in her front pocket. "People come into your life that depend on you and you can't leave them for the bright lights of hollywood or college." The resentment was clear. It wasn't my fault, I thought she was happy? I was so confused. I wondered if she still danced… she had always moved beautifully. Still one of the best dancers I'd seen to this date."No, I teach dance and drama." She muttered "I need to go, Rose wants to see me." She said too quickly for my liking and she left.

Jake stood and stared after her. He looked tired as well but he looked so happy, Jake had always been slightly down before when I was around, it bugged me that he'd watch Bella so much and now I got it, he was in the same boat as me and now that Bella was his, the roles had reversed and I was the slightly down one wishing for the impossible. The Isabella fandom. There was some bags under his eyes as well, did they have a major lack of sleep? Vampires. Hm, strange. He ran his hand down the three day stubble on his chin and laughed.

"She's still got the fire, I was wondering where that went." He laughed a little, trying to put me at ease. I looked at him, why did he have to be such a nice guy? I couldn't fault him. I had come up and caused a shitstorm as per usual and he tries to laugh it off. Ten out of ten. Ugh, I really wanted to hate him.

"Yeah, the fire in her belly." I laughed a little, knowing that I full well deserved it. "Is she always like this?" I asked with a laugh. God, I think just fell for her again. Fuck, that was hot.

"She's really good now, it took just under a half a year after you left for her to stop the depression era." He said sadly, he was clearly remembering something "I'd rather her angry and storming off than what she was a month after you left."

I looked at him, what did he mean? How would she be sad? She promised me!

"What do you mean?" I asked, biting my lip.

"Well, she phoned me a month after you left and I found her, razor in hand and her left wrist slashed and tore lying in the bath, I got her in time but I'll never forget how she clung to me and I knew I'd let you down cause I promised I'd look out for her but she started going to counselling and things happening that were for the best and then we got together and everything was just perfect, but then her Mom got cancer and died about six months ago, she looked after her Mom till the end. She was determined to look after her but Jasper moved to England to be with his wife Angela, she didn't have much help. Her Dad working away. She was left to it. Rose and I were so stressed about what she'd do you know cause you weren't even that major just her first boyfriend and her Mom had helped her with everything. But she just talks about it. Doesn't lock it up, pictures around the house and she looks after her Dad. It's all good, we have Daisy-Mae." He blurted, I looked at him and raised an eyebrow again. Renee was dead? Jasper moved on. Things really had changed. Bella engaged and who was Daisy-Mae? Somehow, I got why she didn't see me. She had a hell of a lot more on her plate than some jealous brat throwing his toys out his pram. I was going to ask him who Daisy-Mae was but he looked down at his expensive looking silver watch and made a face.

"Well it was sure nice bumping into you Edward but I gotta flee, it's time to go see my girl." He laughed pushing the cart down the aisle, Bella was his girl. Bella had tried to commit suicide because of me?

I stumbled out the walmart, my hands clutching the plastic bag as I walked to my car, the red jeep still there. She could have walked to Rose's in less than ten minutes.

I walked in the front door, dropping my backpack and the walmart bag. "Mom, I'm home!" I shouted, my hands raking through my hair. I was shaving it off, it was too thick for heat like this anyways. I walked down the hall, placing my hands in my the front pockets of my shorts. The wall was lined with pictures of Em and me growing up. Bella was in quite a few as well. Alice. I looked away from the little girl smiling at me, it still hurt too much to remember. I noticed a few of a little girl, no bigger than four grinning at the camera. She looked like Alice, it probably was Mom had maybe dug them out. There was one of Rose and Em, at an engagement party. It looked it like it was their party apparently. Nobody had told me? Wow, well and truly unwelcome home.

I threw my keys in the fruit bowl on the table and walked out patio doors, almost stubbing my toe on the cheesy stone dog door stop. I paced out past the pool, ignoring a laughing Em as he spat water at a little girl with big mental curls. She was giggling in her floaties.

"Uncle Em!" She screamed. Must be Rose's sisters kid. I threw myself on the lounger.

"Uncle Em who is that?" The little girl asked as he walked over to the side of the pool.

"That would be Edward, my little brother. He knows your Momma pretty well. They used to date." He laughed poking her side as he held her and sat her up on the ledge.

"He knows my Momma? Do you mean the Edward that sung the song about flowers?" She asked, sweetheart that wasn't about flowers. She stood up and giggled. Who was her Momma, there was a couple of girls I had dated before Bella but I can't see Em being close to any of them. "Momma always scowls when his songs come on the Radio." She walked over to me and looked at me. Her curls were a copper colour like the fallen leaves that Bella and I sat on in Autumn and made out on. She twitched her button nose and grinned, her little teeth on show. She had the same gap that Bella had before she got braces. But it was her eyes, they were a replica of my Hazel ones. She even had the golden flakes in the right eye, which made it look lighter than it was. Her eyelashes were long and thick, She was Bella with my eyes and hair. Fuck… This was the girl that looked like Alice, I got why now- it was the eyes. I jumped back on the recliner. No, she couldn't be…

"What's your Momma's name?" I asked her, she looked about three/four at a push. I gulped, she'd have told me though. Bella wouldn't have hid her, my Mom wouldn't either.

"Isabella Marie Swan but she's gonna be the same as me and pops soon, she gonna be a Black soon." She smiled "What's your name? Uncle Em no very good with names." She laughed a little and Em slapped his head as she turned. She really laughed at this, her little hands clutching her chubby belly. Nobody had asked me who I was in a long time. Who was I? I didn't believe Jake was her Dad for a minute.

"I'm Edward Anthony Mason-Cullen, who's your Daddy?" I asked, Em's eyes shot up and shook his head, if it was Jake, Em wouldn't have reacted. I knew it. Who was her Daddy then?

"My Daddy is Dakeob Black." I was surprised, her speech had been very good up until now, so she couldn't pronounce her J's. Cute. That ain't your Daddy sweetheart, if my inkling is correct. I'm your Daddy. I stood up and looked down at her. Tiny child. I picked her up and looked at her. She giggled lightly and wrapped her arms around my neck. This was when I felt the small presence of Mom.

"Edward Anthony Mason-Cullen, put Daisy-Mae down and go get some milk. I don't need you near her." Nice to see you too Mom, why were they freaking out about me being near her if she was nothing to do with me? Why did Grady look like he was going to have a heart attack and Mom was about to flip. "Emmett Carty Mason-Cullen, you can go with him." Shit was serious, Mom never used his full name. Ever. Uh-oh. He climbed out the pool and grabbed his tee from the lounger, quickly pulling it over his head and ruffling his hair.

"You could at least get out your wet bottoms and get a new tee, you are soaked." I grunted, stepping away and fixing my ralph lauren polo shirt, getting away from Em and his soaking clothes. I don't like getting wet. I like perfection. 'I won the pie contest at the county fair' tee. I sighed and sorted out the bottom of my shorts.

"Not all of us are pretty boys." He muttered, he looked at Daisy-Mae who was now sitting on my lounger eating a twister ice lolly and the tub of ice-cream I had bought in her other hand "Some of us have more important things to worry about than ourselves."