Everyone who reviewed thank you. Everyone who didn't grrrr.

I think I'm getting quite good at this updating regularly thing, don't you think? I like it, so everyone review when you finish reading or I might just stop - gasp!

ATTENTION ALL READERS!!!! THIS IS IMPORTANT AND VITAL TO KNOW!

It has come to my attention, and obviously a lot of other readers who wouldn't stop PM-ing me about it (you know who you are...) that sometimes in Edward's POV he has refered to Bella as Bella SWAN and not Bella CADBURY. He does NOT know Bella's real name, and NO he does not know anything about Bella's secret past other than the fact he knows from Emmet that she did, indeed, have one.

Anyway, now that I'm through yelling at everyone who wouldn't stop PM-ing me - grr - we can move on to my second favourite part (first is reviews ... ) ...

Quotes!

Love: a temporary insanity, curable by marriage.

- Ambrose Bierce

Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle.

- Amy Bloom


EPOV

Tiredly, I rubbed my hands on my eyes trying to focus on the case in front of me rather than the lack of sleep I had been getting lately. Needless to say it was taking its toll, not only on my concentration but also on my looks. It didn't really help the fact that considering the fact I bribed all of my examiners to give me good grades that I had no idea what the hell I was doing with my court case. Obviously, there was the basic points, but I was expected to be an amazing lawyer, as amazing and flawless as Carlisle's skills as a doctor or my own as a womaniser.

It was hard to keep my attention on the case, especially when I didn't exactly believe my client, and I found my eyes shifting to Bella, through the glass wall that separated us. She was, as was her custom, typing away on her computer.

Weeks had passed since we had our last conversation, an awkward silence now filling each moment we shared together. We had no arguments, no fall-outs just formal talk with nothing else, no back-talk.

Though I hated to admit it, I hated it! I missed the old Bella who was actually funny looking back, though still quite a pain in the ass. Still was ... But now, and I hated the saying but it was true, you could cut the tension in the air with a knife. Perhaps it had been coming on gradually since we met, or maybe it was always there but we had never realised it but now... We realised it.

Every time I looked at her, the strange, alien emotion came rushing back from hibernation as if she was calling for it or something. I didn't know how to describe it, but it made me feel ... not right. Awkward. Strange. I had no idea what it was. Jasper, apparently knows, or at least thinks he knows what it is, but he won't tell me because apparently that's not what physcologists do, though I wasn't a patient.

I picked up a pen, twirling it uncertainly in my hand, before writing down a possible question. Reading it through, I picked the pen up again, crossing out the statement I was going to ask.

My gaze fell on Bella, remembering what Mr Hale had told me just before my lunch break on my very first day. God, it felt like years ago! He said that if I had any problems, questions about things I should go to Bella.

Why Bella? I can remember asking that, thinking of her as merely a cheeky secretary, and then being answered that Bella was, in fact, a former law student with a PHD in law, making her higher in law than myself. She could become a lawyer if she wanted to, however she turned down the position, quite angrily I can remember Mr Hale saying, and that she was happy with a secretary's position and had been since she started.

Slightly terrified of her reaction, I walked into her office, glancing around. "I love what you've done with the place."

"I'm not sleeping with you."

"Look, I'm not here to pick a fight."

"What do you want, Edward?" She asked, not looking up from her computer.

"I ... needhelpwiththecase." I blurted out quickly, wanting to get it over with.

"What was that, Edward? I didn't quite make it out."

Though there was evident satisfaction in her tone, clearly telling me that she had indeed heard me and merely wanted me to repeat it, I did, knowing if I did what I wanted to do she wouldn't help me.

"I need help with the case."

"You know normally I would just give you some sort of really annoyed bitchy comment but I can actually see how hard you're working in there. Plus, I had a late night last night since Elle - I just did."

Again, another three things revealed themselves to me again, some of which bringing more questions than answers.

For one thing while I had been watching her, she had also clearly been watching me. Why though,was the question.

Secondly, she too looked extremely tired, dark circles forming around her slightly bloodshot eyes and was, I had noticed from my observation though I had never realised it until now, constantly yawning.

And finally, there was a mystery she was keeping from me. No, I knew that already, but something else and she was letting it slip gradually, but I wanted to know it now. However, I needed her help on the case and I had a feeling that she might not help me if I started badgering her about telling me about her secret past which I wasn't supposed to know about.

"Right, well for starters I just don't believe the woman."

"You case is that one about Alicia Banks, right?"

"How'd you know that?" I asked curiously.

"I know a lot more than you think I do." She said suspiciously. "Anyway, how can you not believe?"

"Bella, her husband is one of the richest men in the world. Tell me, which woman would not want him out of her way so she can avoid all possible run-ins with him, and get all the money and property?"

"I know I wouldn't. Money can't buy you happiness."She was looking at me, but her eyes were glazed as if far away from where we sat. Shuddering slightly, she looked back at me, raising an eyebrow at my intent gaze.

"Maybe that's one woman philosophy, but she - this client - might think differently. It would mean Alicia would never have to work another day."

"No one, man or woman, wants that."

"I do."

"No you don't! You don't understand, do you?" She asked angrily, running her hands through her hair. "If you really didn't want to be here, you would make that happen! If you really didn't give a shit about working then you would just go home and sleep all day. Do you not understand that?"

"I suppose, when you say it like that, it makes sense but - "

"How do you not get it? Without a job you make no difference to the world, and I know you well enough to know that if you didn't have this then you would sleep all day, sleep with a girl at night and the cycle continues. Don't you see, your life would be meaningless without a job."

Slightly troubled by how far she could see in to me, I nodded.

"So you get it that maybe, just maybe, she isn't lying?"

"Sort of."

She exhaled angrily, trying to clam herself, before she allowed herself to speak again. "Look, imagine if you were being abused. Your husband would not let you have any friends in case you told them, he would isolate you from your family because you might tell them, check your every move to make sure you weren't ever anywhere you weren't supposed to be! Don't you realise that being abused isn't just physical? Nasty comments aside, can you not imagine how isolated you would feel if that happened to you? How scared, terrified to run but you know that soon you'll have to or one morning it will get even worse and he'll kill you."

I glanced at her watering eyes, her clenched fists. "You speak ... from experience?"

"No." She shook her head angrily. "Not from experience."

"How do you know all of this, then?"

"I ... knew someone." She whispered, and I didn't miss the trace of longing in her voice, nor the past tense verb in her sentence.

"So, you reckon that this Alicia Banks girl is telling the truth?"

"Edward, as a lawyer, you're never going to get anywhere if you don't have any faith in your clients. Let me guess, and no I haven't been stalking you, you've been pacing around your office, writing down and scribbling out possible questions to ask, unable to think of anything origonal to ask?"

"How do you know all of that?"

"I know you probably never studied in law school, but you'd be surprised how great a lawyer can turn out even if they did exactly what you did in law school. However, I've seen many amazing lawyers, who would have turned out great, but didn't go far enough because they didn't trust their client. Trust is key in every relationship."

"Thank you." I said, grateful for the advice. "But why are you telling me this?"

"The first case can be stressful, every lawyer knows that. Its what makes or brakes a lawyer."

"So, are you going anywhere tonight?"

"Why would I be?" She asked curiously.

"Well, its just its 14th February! Its Valentines Day, so I just figured that you and Emmet would be - "

"Me and Emmet aren't dating, just best friends. Why would you think we were?"

"Just because you always hang out with him."

"So you automatically assume that just because we hang out together we date? Does that mean that because we work together we date?"

"Uh ... no. I just assumed."

"Well then don't assume."

"Fine!"

"Okay!

"Alright!"

"Huh. Where are you going tonight? Going on the prowl for some intoxicated hot girl to sleep with?"

"First of all, don't say prowl its more a ... search. And they're not intoxicated," she raised her eyebrow, "...completely."

"So pretty much, yeah?"

"I suppose. Where are you going tonight anyway? Finding some boyfriend material?" I asked her teasingly.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you were born to be a comedian?"

"No."

"Exactly."


So that's it. Don't forget to review or the next update won't be as quick!

You'd better have read my AN at the top telling you guys about the last names.

Alright ,review!

Peace out.