Hello again peeps!

Here is the next chapter that was looked over by my Beta Carly Cullen, she had a baby a few weeks ago so she is wonder woman for finding the time to read through my dribble.

I want to thank everyone that has reviewed and even those that haven't but added this to their story alerts, I hope I don't let you all down.

I have had a request from a reader to do the first chapter from Edward's point of view, this won't be a mixed POV story, but if enough people want them, I may do the odd Edward chapter as an outtake, so let me know if you want them.

Oh, and to Leelan Oleander & Billi Beavis Cullen...Bloody love you millions birds!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Chapter 2

Whiskey and Home Truths

I woke up the next morning feeling no better than the night before, whoever said that things seem better after a good night's sleep was lying, although I suppose things might have seemed better if I had actually gotten any sleep.

After I had laid on my back and stared at the mottled ceiling for a few minutes, I decided to delete all the messages and voice mails from my phone without listening to them. Whatever was on there wouldn't change my plans.

I knew that Edward was hurting, but my self-preservation had well and truly kicked in and I had to protect my now damaged heart.

I had a quick shower and quickly gathered my belongings, handed in my key at reception and made my way back to my truck.

The next few days of travel seemed to blend into each other. The nights would be spent the same way, crying myself to sleep in random motel rooms, and the days were spent watching the scenery flying by, not really seeing it, just the road ahead taking me to where I needed to go.

On my fourth day of travelling, the trees started to get closer together and the surrounding scenery became much greener and lush. I knew from my GPS that I was getting closer to my destination and when I finally saw the 'Welcome To Forks' sign, I nearly burst into tears.

I was the furthest away from Edward that I had ever been.

I had to fight back the tears and the vision of Edward's tormented face from my mind as I made my way towards the only home that I had left.

Driving through Forks was a strange experience, it was if they all knew I was coming or that they were intrigued by the strange vehicle that was making its way through the streets.

I knew from what my mother had told me that Forks was a very tight knit community and everyone knew everybody. So no doubt my arrival had already been mentioned, and knowing my Grandmother, she would have told anyone and everyone that would listen about my moving to the sleepy town.

When I finally pulled up outside my Grandmother's house, I took a few minutes to gather myself and push all thoughts of Edward to the back of my mind.

There would be no place for him here, with my Grandmother's failing health and with me being her only living relative, her care fell upon me.

Even though it vexed my Grandmother greatly for me to up sticks and 'Babysit' her, as she called it, there was no way that I would leave her to go through her last few years alone.

There was no way in hell that I would have stayed away. Edward or no Edward.

As I leant over the passenger seat to grab my bag, I noticed the front living room curtain twitch, and knew that my arrival had been noticed.

I got out of my truck and made my way to the front door, before I could knock the door, it swung open to reveal a tall dark skinned man that I didn't recognise.

"Bella!" He exclaimed happily, and swept me up in his arms and twirled me around.

All I could do was squeal in shock at this stranger picking me up.

"You're finally here!" He said full of excitement, and placed me back on my feet.

I stumbled back and took a look at him properly.

He had long dark hair swept back in a low ponytail, a broad nose and brown eyes that looked almost black they were so dark. His smile was pearly white and I couldn't help my lip lift to join him in his grin. His smile was infectious.

"You don't remember me, do you?" He asked with a chuckle, and motioned his arm for me to enter the house.

I briefly looked at him and made my way into the living room, which was directly off the front door.

"Um, sorry, but no I don't." I told him honestly.

He gasped and placed his hand over his heart in mock hurt.

"You wound me Isabella Marie Swan."

Not many people knew my middle name, so I raised my eyebrow at him in question.

"Nonnie is in the kitchen...come on." The stranger told me and gently placed his hand in mine and led me to the back of the house where the kitchen was situated.

I was shocked at the term of endearment that he used for my Grandmother, but considering as he was in her house, I would have imagined that he was a close family friend.

"Look who I found outside Nonnie!" He said excitedly.

I finally looked past the man I didn't know and saw my Grandmother sitting at her table with a lady that had matching dark skin like the man standing behind me.

"Bella, my love!" My Grandmother cried happily.

I quickly made my way around the table to embrace her small body in my arms.

I felt the tears begin to fall down my face, and my chest shuddered with sobs. I buried my face into her neck and inhaled the rose smell that always accompanied my Grandmother.

"Come on Jake, let's leave them to it." I heard the dark skinned woman tell the man.

I faintly heard them leave the kitchen, but it was difficult to hear anything over my sobs.

"Shhh Bella love, what's got you so upset my darling?" My Grandmother asked me softly, smoothing my hair down my back in a soothing gesture.

"Just...glad to be here..." I sobbed out softly.

"Even without me seeing your face, I know your lying Bella...remember I have a built in bullshit radar." My Grandmother joked quietly with me.

I pulled away from her embrace and took a seat in the chair next to hers, looking into the eyes of my Grandmother. Even in her advanced age, she was still beautiful. Her pale blue eyes never aged with the rest of her, her long white hair was pulled back into a loose clip that had soft curls framing her face. Her uneven lips that matched mine were pulled back in a gentle smile awaiting my answer.

Even though I knew that her body was being ravaged from the inside out by cancer, on the outside she looked like the woman I had always known. Strong and determined, and with enough foul language in her repertoire to put a sailor to shame.

"I told Edward...how I felt about him Nan..." I said quietly, trying to keep my composure.

I looked up from my fingers, and caught my Grandmother leave her seat and reach into one of the cupboards. When she pulled her hands out, she was holding two tumblers and a bottle of whiskey.

"I take it that it didn't go well?" She asked, although I would take a guess that she already knew my answer.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked her with a sardonic giggle.

I noticed her hands shaking slightly as she poured us an ample amount of whiskey each.

"Should you be drinking this stuff?" I asked her seriously.

"Shush girl..." She told me with a wave of her hand. "Don't change the subject, you can berate me for my lavish lifestyle later...I want to know what's going on with you...now spill it and cut the bullshit." She finished, and downed her shot of whiskey, without so much as a shudder.

My grandmother raised her eyebrows at me, looked at the glass in my hand and then back at me.

I took that as a non-verbal 'drink up pussy' and threw what I had in my glass back down my throat. The burn and taste made me shudder and I may have gagged a little at the end.

"Atta girl...now tell me why my darling Bella has turned up on my doorstep looking like she has been run over by a fucking logging truck." She said, pouring us some more whiskey.

I looked at her in disbelief at our refilled glasses.

"Isabella Marie Swan...the sooner you tell me what's going on, the sooner the whiskey bottle will go in the cabinet. The longer you take the more shots we'll do."

My father used to joke that my Grandmother had hollow legs when it came to drinking and that she had drunk many men under the table, I knew that she wasn't kidding.

I quickly told her what had transpired between me and Edward the day I left, and to say that she looked torn was an understatement.

We managed to have another three shots each by the time I finished telling her about the text messages from Rosalie, right up to the moment that I got to her door and got picked up by the man that I now knew as Jake.

Once I finished talking, my Grandmother sat back in her chair, and declared that I had made a right 'clusterfuck' of my farewell with Edward and that the whiskey bottle was staying out.

"Now Bella, I know that you get a lot of things from me...Including your hot headedness, but I think that this whole thing with Edward was blown out of proportion..."

I went to interject, but she raised her hand to silence me, just like I had done to Edward a few days before.

"Not that I am sticking up for Edward either, but you basically dropped a fucking huge bomb on him and expected him to process what you told him in seconds. Most people would need at least a few hours to digest news like that...as far as he knew, you were just friends, and then you tell him...'Oh yeah, I love you and I have done for years but I never told you and now I'm fucking leaving'...How were you expecting him to take it?"

She threw back another shot of whiskey and I joined her.

My Grandmother was never one to sugar coat stuff, she would always come out and tell you as she saw it, 'Please or offend, this is how I am' she would tell people.

I felt like I was being scolded by my Grandmother at that point.

"I don't know what I was expecting Nan...maybe for him to realise he felt the same way, but for him to say that he loved me as a friend..." I shook my head slightly, looking at the again empty glass in my hand. "I couldn't only be that anymore, I needed more from him than he was able to give me...I can't only be his friend, not anymore." I finished sadly.

"Too fucking right you can't!" My Grandmother exclaimed and slammed her glass down on the table with such force that it made me jump.

"You can't tell someone you love them and then still be friends, it's all or nothing after that, but you never gave Edward a chance to look at his feelings and see how he felt about you. How do you know that if he hadn't taken some time to really look inside himself that he wouldn't have realised that he did in fact love you just as you loved him?"

I looked into my Grandmothers eyes and saw sadness there. She slowly placed her hand on my cheek and smiled sadly at me.

"You did what you had to do to save your heart, I understand that much, I truly do...but I can't help feel that if I hadn't needed you here you would be back home working this out."

I placed my hand over hers on my face and smiled sadly back at her.

"No Nan, the difference is that if I wasn't leaving, I doubt I would have ever told him how I truly felt, so me coming here set me free in a way..." I trailed off, knowing that part was true.

I knew in myself that if I hadn't been leaving town, I would have kept my feelings to myself and no doubt have suffered for many years to come until...I don't know what my future would have held actually. Would I had always have been the best friend? Would Edward always look over me? Would I had been able to take watching him go off with other women and then eventually finding the right one, and attended his wedding and pretended that I was happy for him while crying inside and the love that I had for him not being returned?

That would have been no life for me, being here, in Forks was where I needed to be.

Being here with my Grandmother, for however long she had left, was my future. There was no guarantee that I would stay here when she was eventually gone, but there was nothing left for me in Florida. I had seen to that when I walked out of my apartment and left Edward behind.

Forks was my immediate future, for how long I wasn't sure, but I knew that being here with my Grandmother was where I needed to be, for her sake, and mine.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

I bloody love Nan, she is very much like my own Grandmother, although she would never admit to that.

I know that there wasn't any Edward seen in this chapter, and he may not show his beautiful face for awhile yet, I'm not sure.

No doubt you're wondering about Jake, the relationship between him and Nonnie will come to light in the next chapter, and he won't be a bad guy or after Bella in a way shape or form...just to let you guys know.

Thank for reading, and leave me some love...if you want!