This Chapter is named after "Dirty Dawg" from NKOTB's album Face the Music

I'm keeping the note short up here and just telling you that I've already started the next chapter of this, so please don't kill me when you hit the bottom of this page. You won't be left in the lurch for long…it is the Holiday's after all, I couldn't keep you waiting forever!

Thanks to my beta A Cullen Wannabe, for keeping me from killing the English language. You're the best! Gotta give a shout out to the WC ladies for the support of this story, even when the letter 'u' went MIA for a few nights until the keyboard decided to cooperate once again.

Remember, I'm hosting a contest, called the "Share Your Inspiration Anon One-Shot Contest," for more info check out: http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2580394/

Chapter 7 – Dirty Dawg

EPOV

I was sitting at rehearsal the morning after Bella's exhibit opened, the snow that was once again falling outside, leaving me happy that this was a multi-million dollar production that could afford heat. I would be missing this next year if we got the theater company off to a rocky start. We had a lot of the prep work done, but the main fundraising couldn't happen until we were out from under contract.

The assistants were sitting at their table working overtime with us almost in tech. I was happy for it because it kept Lauren away from me, and with everything that had gone down with her and the drama over my phone, I was going to be happy to get out of this environment.

As if on cue, my phone buzzed with a text from Jasper, who was bemoaning the grant forms. Neither of us having any idea how to write a proposal, we'd tried to do it a few times and not liking what we came up with. I was about to put my phone away when it rang. I got up, knowing we were breaking in a few, so I wouldn't be missing anything.

I ran down the hall and made my way to the stairs as I answered. "Bella, hold on, I have to run outside so I can hear you better." I busted through the side door and then spoke again. "Okay, can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" She sounded a little worried and I hated that she felt guilty calling me during the day.

"No, you're fine, we're on break. What's up?"

"I was talking to Bree last night while we were cleaning up, and guess what she told me? I got the job! I'm going to be working at the museum as one of the exhibit coordinators."

"Congrats baby! Oh, I'm so fucking proud of you. I could tell how happy she was with what you had done while we were talking to her, but for you to get rewarded for all that hard work is just amazing."

"Thank you, I'll let you get back into rehearsal, but I wanted to just let you know the news."

"Okay, I'll call you later. I'm so happy for you, love. Bye."

"Bye Edward." The click sounded and I was walking around to the side entrance again when I heard her voice.

"It's too easy. I've already gotten that little bitch out of his house, now with tech starting next week we'll be together so much…Edward Cullen will be mine."

I was seeing red at her comments to Jessica and soon I was flying around the corner. "How dare you! I may not have been able to do anything before, but I will have your job now!" I ran up to the rehearsal room and found Aro and Jane sitting there going over the schedule for tech.

"Edward, is everything alright?"

"I want Lauren fired. Jasper and I still own the rights to our work, so if you don't want my composition to walk, you will get rid of her."

Aro blanched and tried to quiet me, but it was Jane's voice that spoke with a quiet authority. "You should do it, and Jessica too, because she's been just as guilty of this stupid plot. He's serious. They've already cost him plenty, and it's not like they do any real work."

Aro nodded and went to handle it personally, while I stayed behind with Jane. "How could you turn on your friends so quickly?"

"I joke with them at work, but I've worked too hard and put up with too much to get fired over the two of them scheming to get into your pants. Never forget that I will always protect my own interest above all else."

The rest of the rehearsal was tense. When I went home and called Bella, she was completely taken aback. "So it was her plan all along to make you look bad so I'd leave?"

"It appears to be. I'm just sorry you had to get hurt in it. You didn't deserve the added stress."

"I'll survive. Hey, I was planning on having a get together at my apartment this weekend. I know you have tech starting on Sunday, but you don't have to be there for the dry tech on Saturday, so would you and Jasper be able to join us? I've lived here a month and I haven't done anything like this."

Part of me was a little sad that she wasn't planning dinner parties at my place, but I wouldn't miss it for anything. "I'll be there, and I'm sure if Jasper hears that you're cooking that he'll be there the day before."

Bella's giggle filtered through the phone and I smiled as we discussed my week working with the conductor and the orchestra so that everything was in order by techs. Aro had rushed previews so that we would make the end of April deadline for the show's opening, so Jasper was going to be at the rehearsals in case anything was needed there. Some shows had long previews; we had three weeks. This was the reason why he had the crew brought in early to learn the staging with Rosalie, having one of the two stage managers they hired to run the backstage aspects in rehearsals while she and the other SM were in the theater getting the kinks out before the cues, music, actors and costumes were added in.

We talked on the phone until we fell asleep. When I woke up, I remembered that Charlie's birthday was tomorrow, so I made plans to visit him. He may not be aware of it, but I wanted to see how he was doing and hoped that my going wouldn't be overstepping in Bella's eyes.

Wednesday morning, I hopped on the train to Brooklyn and made my way to the Nursing Home, hoping that the hour wasn't wasted when they told me that I wasn't on a list of allowed visitors or something. Luckily, Alice saw me in the hallway and walked me down to Charlie's room. She gave me a sweet smile and left me alone with a man I once feared like no other, but now couldn't help but worry about.

"Hi Charlie." He looked up at the mention of his name and his brow furrowed, as if he was trying to remember me, but not coming up with much.

"Are you one of the doctors?"

"No Charlie, I'm a friend of Bella's. I'm Edward Cullen, sir."

"Carlisle and Esme's boy? You've gotten big."

I smiled at the affection with which he seemed to remember us all, even if it didn't transfer to the present. "Yes, sir. I came to see how you're doing."

"I'm okay. I miss my little girl. There's this one girl who talks about her with me all the time, but I don't see her anymore, it's been a long time since I've seen my Bella."

That part confused me, because I know Bella visits him nearly every day. "Alice asks you about Bella?" There was a vague look on his face so I elaborated. "The tiny girl with the short black hair?"

"Oh no, she talks to me about the gossip around the hospital. The one who talks to me about my girl and my wife is a brunette, little taller than Alice. She has sad eyes."

It was in that moment that my stomach dropped. He was talking about how he told Bella about her and her mother in the same moment he talked about never seeing her, because he didn't know the person who was sitting with him was that little girl, just all grown up.

"Bella's doing well. She's working at a museum and she's dating a good guy. She's happy most of the time." I took a deep breath and leaned forward. "Charlie, I need you to do me a favor, the next time that brunette girl comes in, look at her. That's your Bella. She's here with you every day and she needs to know that you know who she is. Recognize her, just one time."

As if a switch was flipped, Charlie's eyes became unfocused and he was focused on the TV. I stood there, staring at Charlie sadly until Alice's hand on my shoulder finally got me moving.

"Is he always like this?" I asked as we walked back towards the elevators.

"He's deteriorating faster than we'd like. With early onset, it's tough. It can progress so quickly. It's been really tough on Bella. Some days he's screaming about that bitch of a wife that left him and other days he's talking about his happy family, but he tells her about it like she's a stranger. I think it's good that you came, because now you can be there for her and have a frame of reference when you talk with her about it, having seen it for yourself."

I smiled, glad that she thought I was helping, but not sure what real good I could do. "Thanks Alice, I'll see you Saturday night."

BPOV

It was my dad's birthday, so I planned on stopping by the Nursing Home in the evening before going to hang out with Alice that night. When I got there, she was all bouncy and telling me to hurry. I got in the room and Charlie sat there staring at me. "Hi Charlie."

He was still staring when he finally blurted out. "You remind me of my daughter. She smiled more than you do, such a happy girl, but still…both of you were beauties."

That had me crying as we sat and talked about his birthday when he told me that Edward Cullen came to visit. He told me that he was a friend of his daughter's. He went on to say a good man that he'd hoped would have married his daughter, a fact that brought a smile to my face. I sat there while he kept telling me about the things Edward had told him. He seemed lucid in the moment, like he was aware of what happened today, but not to its connection to other things. He remembered me as someone who sat with him, but not as his daughter. At this point though, any recollection was something, and may be proof that the medications and trial were working. That was what I took from today.

Alice was waiting outside for me when I was done, and for once was looking a little sheepish. "You aren't upset that I let Edward in to see him, are you?"

I shook my head as I linked our arms. "Not at all. I'm actually really happy that you did. He was able to remember today, but not other things, so he kept telling me all the things Edward had told him about me. How I'm beautiful and happy, successful…I haven't heard my father talk about me with pride in a long time. It was a blessing."

"Oh, thank goodness. Edward had been worried too. He thought that you'd get upset about him visiting Charlie without checking with you, but he had the time before having to meet the musicians and wanted to see him. He said he hasn't been here since the day he dropped you and him here when he flew in."

Remembering that night, I sighed, "It was hard for him to bite his tongue when Charlie was lashing out. He's settled in the last three months, so it was good for both of them, I'm sure. We should get going if we're having dinner."

"You got it hot stuff!" We both giggled and headed off for our dinner date.

The next few days I was busy between work and everything else. Most of my things were still at Emmett's storage space, but I had a feeling they would stay there until I moved back in with Edward. I knew that would be happening sooner, rather than later, but I was going to keep the apartment for a little while. In the last month, I'd learned a lot about myself. Now that Edward and I weren't dancing around how to be together without living together, I was intending to enjoy the freedom, and when the lease was up in four months, I'd see where we were. I knew Edward would welcome me back into his apartment with open arms, as he'd told me so on several occasions, but for now, I enjoyed the independence, even if the commute was a pain in the ass.

The question of if we'd make it was gone from my mind. I'd seen from his actions that Edward loved me and wanted me there, it had only been the influence of his scheming little wench of an assistant and her friend that I'd been led to believe I wasn't as important to him as I was. Now we were just following our hearts, wherever it led.

This was my musing as I stood in line at the Key Food, my cart filled with goodies for the dinner party I was hosting tomorrow, and my head filled with thoughts of Edward. It was a particularly cold Friday night, which meant I'd be sleeping in a sweatshirt and two pairs of socks as the heat in my building was out. As I loaded up the conveyer belt with my groceries, I started planning the menu for tomorrow, excited to have a chance to play hostess in my own apartment.

EmPOV

The shift was incredibly long and I was so fucking ready to get out of here. Bella was planning some dinner thing at her place tomorrow. She said that Rosalie was going to be there and Edward was bringing his partner, so it was going to be a great night.

I was relaxing in the break room when the call came in about a fire at an apartment building. I knew that it was going to get crazy so we'd have to get things organized. I found my supervisor and he had me set up one of the back trauma rooms for the smoke inhalation patients. It wasn't usually life threatening, but we needed someone to supervise the interns and make sure they didn't miss something that could potentially kill a patient that would have survived.

I was going over procedures when the first wave came in and we were soon doing work-overs on our patients. The burn unit was moving all of the victims up to their floor and we were working on getting them on oxygen so they could be cleared and discharged. I was checking up on one of the early patients and telling the nurse who could be discharged when one of the interns called out, "Dr. McCathy, this patient doesn't seem to have soot in her airway or any other complications, but her breathing isn't great and she's unconscious. Can you come look at her?"

I turned to see the singed brown hair and petite frame of the walking accident I called my friend. "No…" I walked briskly to her bedside and took a listen to her lungs before getting her on oxygen. "Did you really check for any evidence of obstruction, listen for fluid in the lungs from prolonged exposure to the smoke, check for-"

"Yes, they were all clear, that's why I called for you."

I looked down at Bella to see her numbers stabilize and then slowly begin to grow, but I wouldn't be happy until I saw her awake. "Come on, Bells, open your damn eyes."