A/N: Hey there! If you're reading this right now, I guess you liked chapter one enough to give two a try. Thanks. I appreciate you all humoring me. I started a writing class last night and the teacher said that writing is an ultimate act of arrogance because we assume that people will actually be interested in reading what we write. Well, I didn't want to get into it with him on the first night of class, but personally I'm giddy when anyone actually wants to read what I write, and I hardly expect them to want to read it. So thank you for taking the time.

I had a question after the last chapter about the lyrics I posted. The person wondered if it was the lyrics, the song itself, the melody, or some other element that I found important. For the most part it is the lyrics, although that doesn't mean the entire song will reflect events in the chapter. Sometimes it's just a few verses or the chorus, or just the feelings the song evokes. That said, the songs I quote are all songs I listen to, that are part of my "playlist" so to speak. I'll try to include links to youtube or other sources for hearing the songs.

Finally, I wanted to give my thanks once more to Chicklette for beta'ing this for me, and for listening to me whine, and for her support and cheerleading. To my WC Peeps for pushing me and hugging me when I need it, and to my SVM loves who are putting up with this Twilight craziness. I promise, I have not given up on our Viking.

When you were here before,
Couldn't look you in the eye
You're just like an angel,
Your skin makes me cry

You float like a feather
In a beautiful world
I wish I was special
You're so fuckin' special

But I'm a creep,
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here.

"Creep" - Radiohead

EPOV

A disbelieving laugh escaped her as she turned back to me. "Your Bella? Go fuck yourself, Edward! You lost the right to fuck me seven years ago." Then she spun on her heel and left. With Carlisle. What. The. Fuck.

"Well, that didn't go quite as I'd imagined," I mumbled.

"What exactly did you imagine?" Alice snapped at me. "Jesus, you're deranged."

"What did you expect, Edward? Did you think she would see this and forget the last seven years?" Rose seethed. "Did you think that she'd be swept off her feet by your grand gesture? This isn't Austen. It's real life. Alice is right; you're deranged."

"I just," I began, as a waiter offered me a napkin for my nose and I pressed it to my face. "This," I started again, "this is . . . it's everything, Rose," I finished lamely. She snorted.

I growled at her. "Don't, Rose. You may hate me for a lot of reasons, but don't you fucking belittle this. It's my life story. It's everything about me, and yes, you guys too, but fuck! There was no me without all of you. Without Bella. Did you look at it? I mean, really look at it?"

Why the fuck couldn't they see it? It was in every brushstroke, in every sweep of the clay, in every swipe of the charcoal, and in every angle of the camera lens. It was every moment that shaped me. It was every look that defined my soul.

Charlie and Renee's home had been my haven—an escape from the drunken neglect of my mother. I have no doubt that if they would have fostered me as well if they could have, only my mother never lost custody. It was Charlie who taught me to catch a ball, to bait a hook, to ride a bike, and when the fucking time came, about the birds and the bees. Renee showed me that love did not have to hurt, that it wasn't always about bruises and cruel words. She was the one who opened the world of art to me. It wasn't my pathetic excuse for a mother, but Renee Swan who taught me to draw, to look beyond the practical applications of things. She gave me my first camera, and when budget cuts forced the school to cut the art program, Renee paid for private lessons. She was more of a mother to me than the bitch who birthed me ever was.

Rose, Alice, and Tanya were beauty, grace, and happiness come to life. They were a living example of those things, which was a good thing for me, because I sure as fuck would never have seen it otherwise. In spite of everything they'd been through in their lives, or perhaps because of it, they embraced life, sinking their teeth into it with relish. It was something I still struggled with, and except for when I was with them and Bella, the only times I'd been able to really let go were when I was stoned or drunk.

When I was a kid, I tended to withdraw from life, and existed with my head in the clouds. Bella was my tether to the world. She was always the one to take my hand when it was time to leave the park, because she knew I would forget to go home. She was the one who made sure I ate my lunch, and who reminded me to do my homework. She also made sure I checked my sugar levels, and took my insulin. It was always easy for me to get caught up in whatever I was drawing, or dreaming about.

And it was Bella who taught me how to love, how to give myself over to another completely. Rose, Alice, and Tanya showed me how to live, but Bella was the reason I did. My waking thoughts were consumed with her. Even before our first tentative kiss at fourteen, or the first time we made love on her sixteenth birthday, or our high school graduation, and our first year at Northwestern, she was my world. I lived and breathed her. The way her mind worked was fascinating, and with her stubborn streak, she would worry at a problem for weeks on end until she figured out a resolution. She also had the most generous spirit I knew—second perhaps only to Renee—but unlike Renee she wasn't a spitfire. She was gentle, careful, and tender. And once we were together? I couldn't get enough of her

...[edited]

**********NOTE***********

SORRY FOLKS, A VERY SAD, SMALL MINDED PERSON, WITH WHAT APPEARS TO BE A VERY EMPTY AND BORING LIFE, HAS TAKEN IT UPON THEMSELVES TO GO AFTER ALL STORIES THAT THEY BELIEVE ARE INAPPROPRIATE FOR THIS SITE AND REPORT THEM SO THAT THEY WILL BE TAKEN DOWN.

THREE GRACES WILL REMAIN HERE ON FFN. I WILL BE EDITING THE CHAPTERS, SO AS NOT TO BE OFFENDING THE THOUGHT POLICE, AND BECAUSE I DO NOT WISH FOR ALL THE LOVELY WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT THAT HAVE BEEN OFFERED HERE OVER THE YEARS TO BE DELETED BECAUSE THE OWNERS OF THE SITE REMOVE EVERYTHING WHOLESALE, WITHOUT CHECKING ANYTHING OR WARNING TO THE AUTHORS. AFTER THE CUT THERE WILL BE ELLIPSES ... WHICH INDICATES THE REST OF THE CHAPTER HAS BEEN [EDITED] OUT, BECAUSE I'M NOT GOING TO TRY AND GUESS WHAT OFFENDS THESE NINNIES ON ANY GIVEN DAY.

HOWEVER, ALL MY STORIES WILL REMAIN IN THEIR FULL UNCENSORED FORM AT ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN. SEE MY PROFILE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

a/n: So yeah, this story is going to take some twists and turns. Please don't freak out just yet. Well, freak out a little I guess. Have you ever misjudged a situation as monumentally as Edward has?