I do not own the Characters...well maybe just Gary and Dr. Ash. Oh...I own the plot too! SM is just letting my play with her Characters, for a limited time only...lol!

Papyrophobia

Chapter 3

Therapy was much the same as it always was, me staring at the same three pieces of plain white office papers; and again they silent mocked me. It was infuriating and sadly pathetic.

"Do you think you could, just try and move, just one piece?" Dr. Ash asked me, her gentle motherly voice, made my insides cringe in pain and grief, for my vampire mother.

I hesitated for a brief moment; I could feel my lips turn down, and my forehead crease with unrestrained effort. Could I touch just one piece, I didn't have to touch the edges; I could just touch the middle of the paper without getting a paper cut...right?

"I-I-I...I don't know." I replied in a shaky whisper. "What if something happens, what if I cut myself again?"

"Isabella, you cut yourself, just once." She said gently; my insides cringed again, and my heart strings twisted in my chest. "It was an accident, was it not?" She questioned me.

"Yes...but what followed after...it was...—"I could never find the right words, when trying to describe the life altering events after, I cut myself at my eighteenth birthday party—"life altering." Great job Bella! I berated myself internally. "Charlie..." A small sob escaped my chest, without my permission.

"Yes, your father's death was a very sudden tragedy, Isabella...but you can't let this rule your life completely; don't you think he would have wanted you to move on? Be happy?"

I suddenly felt like we were not talking about Charlie anymore; Dr. Ash had no idea of my sudden break up, from my vampire ex-boyfriend, Edward Cullen. I never offered any of that information either; as far as she knew my phobia was due to finding my father dead in our home—my home.

The last thirty minutes of my appointment, I cried like a blubbering baby, getting out my grief over my father's death; the papers on the table totally forgotten—for once. I was so tired, by the time my session ended; I went straight home and crawled into bed, and slipped into a semi peaceful oblivion.

I woke sometime in the night, checking my cell for the time. Ten missed calls, twenty text messages and six voicemails. I had missed three from Renee and eight from Gary, I could only imagine what each of my text messages said; Gary worried about me and my isolation from the world. Though he tried his tried his best to break me out of my shell and be one with he world—his words...not mine—and experience life, before it passed me by completely.

I had no plans that included the outside world, I had no desire to travel too far of places or meet new people. Gary learned, quite quickly that I was stubborn as an ox, and could not be bugged from my set plans.

"Hey sweetie, I was just checking up on you." Renee's voice said. "How are the renovations coming along? Why have you not sent me pictures yet? Call me soon, love you Bella."

"Bella...I just the paper work back from the city office, we can have an electrician come in and do some re-wiring, and come get a home inspector to come and make sure the houses supporting beams are not effected in any ways...any ways, darling...call me after therapy; crush those pieces of paper!" Gary tended to ramble when he got excited; I was actually surprised that he got it all out in two breaths, instead of just one.

"Bella, its mom again; therapy was over three hours ago, why have you not returned my calls or texts? Call me back right away!" My mother was worrying herself into a stressful panic again. When I told her that I was going to stay in Forks, to clean up the house—and maybe one day, god forbid...sell it.

"Bella...I haven't heard from you yet." Gary's voice sounded a little worried; it was very unlike me to not pick up his calls. My mother on the other hand, I missed plenty of those phone calls."Call me!"

"Isabella, it's after six at night! Why are you not picking up the phone? If you do not call me within the next ten minutes, I am sending Gary to check on you; if can't get a hold of you...I am jumping on the next flight to Forks!" My mother threatened, in her scary stern mom voice.

I didn't bother to check any other messages; I pressed 'five' on my speed dial. Thankfully my mother answered on the first ring. "Isabella Marie Swan, give me one reason, why I could not fly down there and give you a piece of my mind!" My mother screeched into the phone; I had to yank my phone away from my ear.

"I'm really sorry, mom; I was so exhausted after therapy, that I just came home and fell asleep..."

"I have been a nervous wreck Bella!" She said in her still stern mom voice, cutting me off. "Don't scare me like that again...please!"

"I'm sorry mom," I whispered, feeling insanely guilty. "I talked about Charlie today...it took a lot out of me, and I almost touched one of the pieces of paper mom."

"That's wonderful Bella!" My mother said proudly. "I do understand about Charlie, Bella; but please...please, the next time you are going to do something like this, at least let me know, even if it's just a text, telling me your safe."

"It's a deal mom." I agreed. "Now I hate to cut this short, but if I don't call Gary, he may just refuse to redecorate the rest of my house." I giggled, at the absurd lie.

"Like that would ever happen, sweetie; tell him I say 'hello' and give him a hug from me."

"I will." I told her. "Love you mom." I said before hanging up with her.

Not even ten seconds later Gary's named flashed on my call display.

"Hello, my sexy, hunky piece of tight ass man meat!" I giggled.

"Save those giggles for later, little missy!" Gary scolded; he was annoyed...very annoyed. "I have been trying to reach you for hours; your mother called me, begging me to knock down your front door and hunt you down. I have been making plans and phone calls; I am headed over to your place right now, i am ten minutes away...we will talk when I get there."

"Okay, I'll see you in ten."

"Oh, Isabella," That was not good; Gary only called me by my full name when he was in a tizzy. "Please put a pot of coffee on, we have a very long night ahead of us and an even longer morning." His end of the line disconnected and I groaned.

I quickly changed out of my rumpled top and pulled on a t-shirt; booking it down the stairs to put on a pot of coffee in record time. I heard my front door open and shut, only to find a very frazzled looking Gary.

"What happened to you?" I gasped concerned.

"What happened?" He hissed at me. "What happened? What happened was, someone forgot that we had a shit ton of plans for tomorrow morning! And I can not only get my client on the phone, let alone my best friend!"

"I talked about Charlie today." I mumbled pathetically, looking at the suddenly interesting grains in the hardwood floor boards. "And I almost touched a piece of paper..." Before I could register what was happening, Gary had me up in his massive arms, crushing me to his chest.

"Really!" He squealed, "You almost touched it!" All of Gary's anger and frustration was gone; it was quickly replaced by excitement and pride. "Oh, Bella...this is great news; how close were you?"

"Close...but not that close."