WARNING: The following story contains violence, coarse language and mature subject matter. Readers discretion is advised.

Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue. I don't own Twilight, so please don't sue!


The jail cell made me feel trapped inside myself. My pacing didn't seem to help, but I couldn't stop myself from walking back and forth behind the bars that kept me where I was.

The place where I had been taken after being processed was dank, dirty and smelled of sweaty drunks, like the man who was passed out in the cell across from mine. The florescent lights that lit the corridor between the few cells located at the back of the police station building, was the only light. The tiny windows six feet off the ground (complete with bars) gave no light. It must have been very early in the morning since the sky was still dark. I raised my arm, pulling back my sleeve to check the time when I realized they had taken my watch along with my wallet.

Groaning in embarrassment, I rested my forehead against the cold, metal bars of the cell door. The processing had been hell for me. James had strutted into the precinct, pushing me in front of him as if I were the prize kill for the day. The officers working in the station had watched in confusion as James proceeded to take my prints and start out my police file for me. My first offense would be assault. Wouldn't that look great on my spot clean record?

James had been ready to bring me before a judge but luckily the captain of the station had stepped in and decided I would be held until a bail was paid instead. He'd questioned me about what had happened after James was dismissed for the night and stomped away in anger. I told the chief everything that had happened and he seemed to believe me. He told me that I needed at least one witness to agree with my story and the first person that came to mind was Bella. But there was no way that I was getting her mixed up in all this. If I told them about her they would call her down to the station and she would most definitely find out who I really was.

"I don't know any of the witnesses," I muttered as we sat in the interrogation room.

"Well," the chief sighed, picking up the report James had given him. "It says here that there were two women at the scene. One of them was quite adamant about your release. Could she be able to help you out?" I stared at the bandage wrapped around my scraped palms instead of the man across the table from me, and shrugged noncommittally. The chief sighed before leaning towards me. "Edward," he murmured. "I'm trying to help you here, but you're not making it easy. Just tell us the girls name, we'll find her and she'll back up your claim for self defense."

I looked up into the old man's eyes. He was aging everyday with the graying hair and the wrinkles growing around his eyes from he stress of his job. I looked away again, unable to lie while looking at his kind and concerned face. "I don't know who she is," I muttered. That was the end of that conversation.

So then I was taken to my cell where I would wait until I could either come up with the name of the girl I apparently didn't know or pick someone to call for my bail money. Bella was immediately out of the picture for calling. There was no way that I was calling my parents either. My mother would have a heart attack if I called for the first time in months to tell her I needed to get bailed out of jail. I could try Seth but the kid didn't really have any money. He'd spent his last few hundred on a new gaming system that he told me would be the next big thing. His mother could pay it (and I'd pay her back) but for some reason I didn't want innocent Mrs. Clearwater showing up at a dirty place like the police station. Emmett may help me but then he also would find out about my real identity and probably beat the shit out of me for lying. So I was stuck. But I suppose this was what I got for lying to everyone I cared about.

I started pacing again from one dirty wall that smelled like piss to another dirty wall that smelled like puke. Either way I got what I deserved in this cell and in life. Karma really was a bitch.

Suddenly the door that led to the cellblock opened. I could hear the gate creaking and the snip of the key opening the lock. The sound of footsteps echoed off the cement walls, coming closer to the corner that would reveal who it was to me. An officer (was his name Garrett?) stepped around the corner, pointing towards my cell. "He's in that one, ma'am," he said respectfully. Ma'am?

And then she walked around the corner.

"Bella!" I cried, so relived to see her. "You're all right!"

She didn't answer me or say anything as she stopped in front of my cell. But she looked like hell. Her eyes were red rimmed with black bags hanging under them. Her hair was a crazy mess, almost like mine, and her shirt was wrinkled at bottom almost as if she'd been using it to…wipe her tears.

"Bella," I murmured softly, concerned. "What's wrong?" My hand reached through the bars towards her but she immediately jumped away.

"Don't touch me!" she snapped. I yanked my arm back into my cell quickly. "Just…don't." She looked at me then and my heart dropped at what I saw swimming in her eyes. Hurt, anger, embarrassment…and hate. Above all else, hate. She hated me. She'd found out.

"Fuck," I hissed, dropping my head. Taking a deep breath I looked up at her again and began my pleading. "Bella, you have to listen to me…"

"No, Ted," she said, shooting daggers at me with her eyes that were quickly filling with tears. Then she smiled and laughed without humor, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Oh sorry. I should call you your real name, shouldn't I?" She laughed again, staring straight at me. "No…Edward Masen," she spat, making me cringe. "I will not listen to what you have to say."

"Bella, please," I whispered.

"And you know what the funniest thing is about all this?" she went on, ignoring my pleas. "Is that I would have listened to Ted Cullen. Because you know what? I liked him. I actually really, really liked him. Hell I may have even loved him!" My heart thumped when she said those words. She loved me? But then I realized it wasn't me that she loved. It was Ted. It was always Ted.

"But," I started. "But Ted is me, Bella. I was supposed to change who I was but I was myself with you. God, I couldn't be someone else with you! I couldn't do my job right because I…I really liked you, Bella. And I still do! All I ever thought about was us being together -"

"Oh, that's right!" she interrupted. "I meant to ask you. Was fucking me apart of the job or was it just a perk?"

I literally felt like she'd slapped me. I actually wished she did. I wished that she'd beat the shit out of me for what I'd done to her. I wished that once she kicked my ass she would tell me that she loved me. That she loved Edward and wanted to spend the rest of her life with me. But that wasn't going to happen. She hated me with a passion and I could see that I would never be forgiven in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, feeling my eyes becoming wet with unshed tears. "I never meant to hurt you."

"Well you sure as hell did!" she shouted, the tears streaming down her face. "You know what? I should actually thank you. You made me realize what a complete and utter idiot I am for trusting you! Thanks for making me feel like shit, Edward. You did I really good job with that! You lying, cheating, manipulative bastard. I wish I'd never met you."

I felt like a stake had been plunged through my heart. Like Bella had killed me with her words. My body was shutting down without her love and I was growing desperate. I was like a man drowning in the sea. The darkness continued to suck me down but I could see her face above me. I cried out for her help but she just shook her head and walked away leaving me alone to die.

Bella rubbed her hands across her face again before inhaling deeply. "I'm going to leave now," she murmured before looking up at me with those cold eyes. Gone were the warm chocolate eyes I stared into while we made love. I had changed her to stone. "Good bye, Edward Masen." And then she turned on her heel and left.

"Bella!" I yelled. "Bella please wait! Bella! Please! I love you!"

She stopped at the corner, refusing to look at me. I took this as a good sign and started jabbering away again, hoping something would make her turn around and tell me she loved me again. "Bella, I love you! I can't live without you anymore! You're everything to me! Please," I cried before getting down on my knees inside my cell and gripping the bars until my hands were red. "I'm begging you. Please don't leave me. I love you so much it hurts….and I know. I know that you still love me." She flinched but still didn't turn. "You love me as much as I love you! Please don't leave me! Love me!"

There was a silence in the cellblock as I waited for her voice with bated breath. Slowly she turned her head slightly but didn't meet my eyes. "I did," she whispered and then walked away.

"Bella, please!" I screamed until the gate closed with a resounding clank and her footsteps faded.

Feeling numb I sat on the dirty cell floor and just stared at the place she had stood. She was gone. I had finally figured out that I loved her and she was gone. I'd lost the love of my life because I had been a complete dick. Everything had always been about my career but now…now everything was about the woman who refused to love me.

"That was some fucked up shit, my brother," the drunk burped from the other cell before passing out again.

I was silent for a moment before I finally lost my mind. Getting to my feet, I threw my whole body against the cement wall, just trying to feel something other than the numbness. The pain split through my shoulder and I hissed before slamming my palms against the bars and trying desperately to get myself out. I shook and kicked and punched with all my might but it just wouldn't budge. My hands started to bleed again and my shoulder was bruised badly by the time I stopped and fell to the ground against the wall. That was the place where I let out the real pain and agony of losing Bella. I cried like a fucking baby.

It must have been at least an hour later when the door to the jail cells opened again. I looked up from where I was sitting against the wall with my head in my bloody hands. The same officer as before came around the corner and walked right up to my cell. In his hands were my personal things they'd taken off of me. I heard the jingle of the keys before I saw him take them out of his back pocket. "What's going on?" I questioned in a voice that was still raw from all the shouting I'd done.

He put the key into the lock and yanked the door open after the loud click was heard. "You've got bail," the officer answered, waiting for me to get up and walk out.

I was instantly confused. "What?" I asked. "Wha…who did it?"

The cop sighed in annoyance. "Some woman," he answered. "Short. Brown hair. She said she was a witness and then she offered to pay your bail. So are you going or what?"

I was shocked to understand that Bella had paid my bail. She had stood up for me as a witness as well. But she told me she hated me and wished we'd never met. The action of her paying my bail was completely different from her hurtful comments. Could it be possible that she still loved or at least cared for me deep down in her heart? There was no other reason why she would even think of paying my bail. It wasn't cheap. That meant I had to see her to pay her back. My heart immediately lifted at that thought. I'd have to go to her apartment and give her the money. Maybe she'd hear me out!

I jumped to my feet and slipped out the cell. "Is she still here?" I asked him.

"Wha?" the officer sputtered, surprised at my mood change.

"The woman! Is she still here?" I demanded.

"No," he answered. "She left like an hour ago after paying your bail."

I ran my hands through my hair in exasperation and the cop noticed my wounds. "Woah!" he crowed. "What'd you do to your hands?"

"Doesn't matter," I said. "Why wasn't I let out an hour ago?"

The cop looked sheepish. "There was a lot of paper work to fill out…"

"Paper work?" I shouted, feeling totally out of my mind. "Are you kidding me? This is my life we're talking about!"

"Okay, okay!" he cried. "It wasn't only paper work. The lady…well she didn't want you out until an hour later. She told us to keep you here until then."

"What?" I asked, surprised again. "Why'd you agree?"

He shrugged. "Her father used to work here as a cop…you can't say no to a colleagues daughter…"

I groaned in annoyance and turned to run out the jail cells area. "Wait!" he yelled. "Take your stuff!" I turned back, yanked my watch and wallet from his hands and started running, ignoring the continued shouting of the officer behind me. The station was filled with the other cops, looking concerned and curious as I ran past them. Some of them who I knew personally called out, asking what was wrong but I couldn't answer them. I had to get back to Bella's apartment. I had to hope that she was still there.

The police station luckily wasn't that far from our apartment building and I ran the whole way. The sun had just risen so the rush hour for work had yet to start. However there were a few stragglers from the night before stumbling home. They'd obviously been partying long into the night and the morning. They all looked dead tired but were surprised when they found me rushing past them like I was high on caffeine. I ignored their curses when I pushed past a few of them and just kept my mind on the street ahead. Not that far to go and I'd be there. She'd be there. She had to be there.

I finally reached the building. I half thought I'd see the scene from last night outside the building but there was nothing around that even hinted of the fight I had had with Newton. Without stopping, I ran up the front steps and into the lobby where low and behold the teenager with his texting phone was sitting. I ignored him and took the stairs two at a time to make it up to Bella's apartment.

I was out of breath when I reached her door but there was no way that I was giving up. Knocking on the door loudly I waited…and waited…and waited…She wasn't coming to the door. She must have known who it was and didn't want to see me. I wouldn't give up now. "Bella!" I yelled. "Bella, come on! Open the door! I just want to pay you back! Bella!" I knocked on the door again.

"Oh hello, young man."

I spun around to see the neighbor across the hall, an old woman, had opened her door and was smiling kindly at me. "Are you looking for that nice Isabella?" she continued, nodding to Bella's closed door.

"Uh, yes," I answered. "Is she not in?"

"Oh no," she said, shaking her head. "She left quite a while ago. Poor lamb looked a mess." She frowned and stepped forward so she could whisper. "She'd been crying about something. I think someone broke her little heart."

The guilt overwhelmed me when the old woman said those last words. It was obvious that her heart had been broken? That was my entire fault so I should have been wearing a sign that stated I was a heart breaker and not in a good way. "Do you know where she might have gone?" I asked the old woman, trying not to show her how guilty I really was.

"She said she was going home," the woman answered. "I don't know where her home is but she was taking an awful lot of things with her. Almost like she was planning on never coming back."

My heart seized in my chest when she told me she was never coming back. But when she said that Bella was going home I knew exactly where that was. Phoenix, Arizona. She was going back to her childhood home and was apparently not coming back. If she were going home that would mean she would be at the airport. She had an hour on me but if I had any luck I might be able to catch her on a late flight. I hoped I was right as I started down the hall back to the staircase. "Thank you!" I yelled back to the old woman before jumping down the stairs.

I stopped halfway down and realized something. If I was going to the airport to get Bella I needed a passport to get anywhere near the terminal she would be in. So, grumbling, I ran up to my apartment and grabbed my passport before going back down the stairs.

As soon as I was out on the street I flagged a cab. Luckily there was one passing by. He slowed down and I slipped inside. "The airport," I said before he could ask where I wanted to go. "And step on it."

"You got it," he muttered, starting the meter and pulling out into traffic. "So are you late for a flight or something?"

"You could say that," I answered, before spotting his phone. "Do you mind if I use your cell?"

"Sure," he said, handing it to me.

"Thanks," I murmured before dialing the number I knew so well. It rang for a few seconds before finally being picked up.

"Hello?" a tired voice grumbled.

"Seth," I barked. "Wake up, I need you to do something for me."

"Edward?" he questioned, moving around in what was probably his bed. "What the fuck? You do understand that it's six fifteen in the morning, right?"

"I don't give a rats ass about how early it is!" I said. "I need your help."

"All right, all right," he yawned. "What's up?"

"I need you to delay a flight at the airport."

There was silence on his side before he burst into laughter. "You're kidding, right?" he snorted. "The airport databases have more security on them than the police station does on theirs."

"Fuck," I hissed as the cab stopped at a red light. "I need to stop one of the flights!" I heard Seth getting out of his bed, not noticing how crazy I was. "Fine. Just tell me when the next flight to Phoenix is."

"Right, right," he muttered. I heard the squeaking of his office chair and the whirring of his computers starting up. "So what's this about?"

"I lost her," I muttered.

"That Bella girl?" he asked. "I thought you two had a good thing going?"

"We did," I sighed. "Until she found out about me."

Seth hissed in sympathy. "That sucks," he said.

"Yeah," I whispered.

There was a silence where just the traffic outside the cab and the clicking of Seth's computer was heard. "Here we go," he finally said. "All right…Phoenix, Phoenix…the last flight took over a few hours ago…oh! Next flight out is at…ohh…six forty-five. That's like…thirty minutes from now."

I groaned as the cab stopped at another light. "Where are you, anyway?" Seth asked.

"I'm in a cab headed for the airport," I said. "But the traffic is crazy."

"Wait a minute," Seth muttered. "What route in the driver taking?"

I moved forward. "What route are you taking?" I asked the cabbie.

He shrugged. "The back roads and then highway five."

I relayed the information to Seth. "Oh goody!" he laughed. "I have a great plan. What intersection are you at right now?"

"Uhh," I muttered looking for the street signs as we waited for the light to turn green. "Columbia street and…third avenue."

"Awesome!" Seth cried before chuckling darkly. "Watch this."

I didn't know what the hell he was talking about until I saw the red light switch to green while cars from the left and right were still driving through the intersection. Horns and screeching of brakes were heard as everyone became confused about the light change. Seth was laughing crazily in my ear. "Go, go, go!" I told the driver who was as confused as the other drivers. He did, however, drive through the mess of cars sitting in the intersection and continued on down the street.

"Jesus, Seth!" I crowed, turning around to look at the mess behind us.

"I'm a genius!" he laughed. "Ah! I've always wanted to do this! Like in those spy movies."

"Next one, Seth!" I snapped as the red light came closer.

"Oh right!" he said. "Red light…no more!" The light immediately turned green. The same thing happened as the cars screeched to a halt and confusion spread. My driver went right through it all again and seemed to be laughing to himself as we drove.

It was the same the whole way to the airport and I was sure that the police were going to be pissed once they found out about the traffic problems. Seth of course would never be connected to them. He was clean whenever he hacked into something. There was also no way that I could be connected unless my driver ratted me out. I didn't really believe he'd do that since he looked like he was having way too much fun. I also paid him without actually looking at my money when we got to the airport. Apparently he was happy because he thanked me over and over again. Whatever. I had a woman to find.

After hanging up on Seth and tossing the man his cell phone back, I ran into the airport and went straight to a flight desk where there wasn't a line. A man was talking with a colleague when I got there but looked up at me in confusion as I gasped against the desk. "I need…tickets to Phoenix," I managed to get out.

"The next flight leaves in ten minutes, sir," he stated. "You won't be able to make it."

I shook my head. "I'll make it," I gasped. "Just get me a ticket."

"Well I'll need your passport, sir."

I shoved it at him and he took it with a frown. "Please, hurry," I begged.

"Do you have any baggage to be-" he started to ask.

"No!" I yelled, making him jump. "I have nothing! Just hurry!"

He nodded and processed everything before handing me my ticket and passport. "Have a nice flight-"

I didn't listen to anything else he had to say. Instead I ran for the security area, thankful that I didn't have to pass through the customs area. However there was a large line for the security. Growling in annoyance and I pushed past everyone in the line making them shout and curse at me. One man tried to shove me back but I just kept on going until I came to the front of the line.
"Sir, you have to wait," a woman security agent told me.

"I'm late!" I yelled, heading for through the metal detector. Of course it went off and they all pushed me back, ordering me to take off my shoes and all of the things in my pockets. Crying out in desperation, my eyes looked down at my watch to see I only had seven minutes left to get to the gate. I yanked my wallet out of my pocket and pulled off my watch and shoes. Tossing it all on to the conveyer belt, I ran through the metal detector and just kept going when I got the all clear.

"Sir!" the security called. "You've forgotten your things!"

"Keep them, I don't care!" I yelled back and kept running. I had all I need gripped in my hand. My passport and my ticket. Everything else didn't matter at the moment.

I'd never run so fast in my life. Even when I was on the track team in high school, I didn't run as fast as I did through that airport. Even when there was a scout looking for track runners to give scholarships to, I didn't run as fast as I did through that airport. Even when I was chasing after one of my other targets that I was getting a lot of money for following, I didn't run as fast as I did through that airport. At that moment, while I was dodging other people through the terminal, I realized that I had been wrong through my whole life. My career wasn't my life…my Bella was. And there was no way that I was losing her now. She was mine and I wasn't going to let her go so easily. I loved her far too much to even think of giving up on her.

I finally reached the gate just as they were closing the door to the ramp that led to the plane. "Wait!" I called, falling against the gate desk. The women standing there looked concerned since I almost fell over. "I need…to get on that plane!"

"I'm sorry, sir," the blonde woman said kindly. "But the plane is taxiing away as we speak. We can get you another flight…"

"You don't understand!" I cried. "I have to get on to this plane! The love of my life is about to leave me forever and I can't lose her. I love her, damn it! She's the most important thing in my life. I fucked up really bad and lost her but if I get on to this plane I might be able to get her back. I might be able to get her to admit that she loves me too! I can't lose her! I just can't! I made the mistake of believing my job was more important that her but I was wrong. I should have believed she was innocent from the start but I pushed her into the same category as all the other cheating women I'd met in my life, which was wrong. She's much better than all of them! She's smart and funny and beautiful…God is she beautiful! She's amazing and she's my life. So please. Please help me by letting me on that plane! I'm begging you!"

There was silence all through the terminal waiting area. Everyone was watching me and I was watching the woman behind the desk with bated breath. She stared at me with her mouth hanging open in shock. But she wasn't saying anything. Time was going by so fast and soon that plane would move away from the gate and take Bella away from me.

"Let him on!" I turned to see a young woman standing with her arms crossed over her chest and her glare centered on the woman I was talking with. She came to stand beside me. "Let him on the damn plane," she snarled.

"Yeah!" came a chorus of other people around us. "Let him on!"

The woman behind the desk seemed to shake herself out of her state. Staring at me one last time she grabbed the phone and dialed a number. "Hold the plane," she said, looking up at me. "There is a passenger waiting to board." She put the phone back down again and proceeded to open the door to the ramp.

I turned to the woman standing beside me. She couldn't have been more than thirty yet she had very old eyes as if she had been through things most thirty year olds didn't go through. Her black hair was curly and made her seem quite attractive. So where was her companion? However, around her neck was a gold necklace that held a picture of a man in what looked like an army uniform. So she did have someone.

"Thank you. But why did you help me?" I asked curiously.

She smiled, patting my arm. "You reminded me of my husband," she whispered. Her eyes watered slightly but she smiled nonetheless. "So get on that plane and find her. Don't waste any moments you have."

I nodded and went for the door only stopping once to turn and watch the woman lift her necklace and kiss it gently, her lips moving as if she were whispering to it.

There was a steward waiting for me once I ran down the ramp. He glared at me as he held open the door. "The plane will be leaving now, sir," he grumbled.

I nodded and slipped past him to walk quickly down the center aisle. People glared at me, annoyed that I'd held up the plane. I ignored them. My eyes were searching for the chestnut hair and the pale, heart shaped face of my Bella. She had to be on the plane. She just had to.

Finally I saw her. She was sitting in the aisle seat at the very back of the plane, an old woman sitting next to her. Her eyes were locked on the book in her lap, headphones in her ears. She looked better than she did an hour ago but she still looked broken. Her hair had been fixed but her eyes were still slightly red from crying. She had no idea that I was there.

I used that to my advantage and surprised her. It would have usually taken me a lot of strength to fall to my knees in front of a woman (in public no less) but this was Bella. If I didn't get down on my knees I would most surely lose her. There was no other choice to me as I came to where she was sitting and stopped. Noticing someone was in the aisle, Bella looked up and gasped when she saw me standing there. Before she could say anything, I got down on my knees and clasped her hand in both of mine. She tried to yank it away after getting over the shock of seeing me but I wouldn't let her go.

"Please listen to me," I said, my voice loud in the silent plane. Everyone was watching our exchange but I wouldn't let that take away my courage. I loved Bella too much to start thinking about my wounded ego. She was more important than that.

She pulled her earphones out and glared at me, still trying to reclaim her hand. "I'm not listening to anything you have to say," she hissed. "Now let go of me."

I shook my head. "No," I stated stubbornly. "I'm not going until you hear me out."

"You lied to me…Edward," she said, pausing on my name. "There is nothing else to talk about."

"Bella I made a mistake," I started, taking a breath to calm myself before giving my big speech. I hadn't planned it so I was basically flying by the seat of my pants. "The biggest mistake of my life and I'll do anything…anything to fix it. I love you, damn it! And I messed everything up because I'm the biggest idiot in the world. In the universe! I never believed that I would meet anyone as amazing as you. I've just met so many cheating women while doing my job and I never knew there were women like you. Smart and funny and beautiful...You're my everything, Bella! Please. You have to believe me."

The plane was plunged into silence again as Bella stared disdainfully at me. I stayed on my knees, clutching her hand and begging her with my eyes. She had to believe me. She had to stay. I just couldn't imagine my life without her in it. Not meeting her everyday for work. Not going out to that little café for lunch with her. Not waking up next to her every morning…

"I can barely look at you without thinking about what you did," she whispered, dropping my gaze and fingering the pages of her book.

My heart fell at her words but I kept trying. "Time," I said, squeezing her hand. "I can give you as much time you need. Just please…don't leave the city. Don't go off to hide from me. Just…stay here for a…month, maybe, and then make up your decision. Give yourself some time to process it all and not act so harshly. I promise I won't come near you or contact you at all until you call me. Please…don't run."

Again I was answered with silence and I was sure everyone could hear my thumping heartbeat. I was so nervous that my palms had begun to sweat and Bella could have easily slid her hand out of my grasp. But she didn't move at all. She just stared at her book and fingered the pages.

"A very brave young man."

Both Bella and I (and the entire plane I was sure) looked up to see the old woman next to her had spoken. She was cleaning her glasses with a cloth, looking like she hadn't even said anything. The woman took her time placing the spectacles back on her nose, fixing her white hair (which had been perfectly curled) before finally looking up at Bella. She smiled slightly, looking very grandmotherly towards Bella as she patted her hand gently.

"Excuse me?" Bella finally stuttered out in surprise.

The woman chuckled slightly. "Your man here," she said, pointing towards me. Bella opened her mouth, probably to contradict the woman calling me her man, but she went on. "He's very brave getting down on her knees like that. Not many men would do that, especially in public." She nodded to herself before going through her purse.

"Umm…" Bella whispered. "I don't understand what you're trying to say."

The old woman chuckled again, shaking her head before looking back at Bella. "It's very difficult for a man to get down on his knees," she stated. "Men are not known to submit to anyone, especially women. You can see that throughout history. They are supposed to be the dominant. They take control of everything, not showing their feelings because that is supposedly seen as soft. It takes a very strong and brave man to do what yours is doing. That's a big bash to his ego right about now, embarrassing himself in front of all these people. He must really love you."

I silently thanked the old woman in my head as Bella looked to be considering her words. "How…how do you know that?" she whispered to the woman.

"Well," she said. "My husband, Henry, lied to me once." She took a breath before breaking into her story. "It wasn't a good economic time, you see, and we'd just gotten married. He told me he had a job when really he didn't. He'd become a pickpocket and a con man instead. I was very angry when I found out about it. I didn't realize that he risked his life by stealing from some very dangerous people to make sure I ate each night. All I saw was that he had lied to me."

She paused, searching through her purse again. "So…what did you do?" Bella prompted.

"Well I left him and the house we'd just bought stupidly," she chuckled. "I went to live with my parents, wanting to divorce him but not finding the courage to sign the papers. I still loved him even though he'd lied to me. I was in an awful mess."

She smiled wistfully. "He tried to talk to me for months but my father continually turned him away from the house. I still can't understand why he didn't just move on to the next girl. Lord knows he was a handsome fellow. But he never gave up on me, even after we'd been apart for a year. That's when I finally got the courage to face him in person and sign the divorce papers. My mother hated it since she saw it as a sin. 'You're married for life' she used to tell me but I met Henry to sign the papers I had picked up.

"I chose a very public place to meet him and he found me there. Of course I still loved him but I held a grudge against him and his one lie. He came up to me in that busy city square…and got down on his knees to beg for my forgiveness." She laughed at the memory. "The old fool embarrassed himself well. He didn't get up until I agreed to hear him out. And then he told me why he'd done what he'd done and that he'd finally found a good and steady job at the shipyard. He begged me to stay with him, at least for a little while. I did…and those divorce papers were never signed." She smiled with misty eyes. "We were together for fifty years and he never lied to me again. Quite hard to believe, but it's true."

The plane was completely silent again. Everyone, including myself, was waiting for Bella's reaction to the old woman's story. She was staring at her book again, her expression unreadable. I was becoming even more desperate as the silence went on. It felt like hours until she finally looked up at me. I could see the decision in her brown eyes.

"You'll give me space?" she whispered to me.

I nodded quickly. "As much time as you need." I just hoped it wasn't going to take a year like with the old woman and her husband.

She sat there for another moment before breathing deeply. She turned to look at the woman sitting next to her. "Thank you," she murmured and turned back to look at me. "I'm not getting back together with you now. I need time and space." My heart clenched painfully. "But…I will stay in Seattle until I really make up my mind about you." She closed her book and stuffed it and her IPod into her bag before looking at me again. "Excuse me."

I was frozen in shock for a moment before I jumped to my feet and moved for her to walk past me. She did so, shouldering her bag and going towards the front of the plane. All of the passengers watched her until she stopped and turned to stare at me.

A short tap on my arm made me look down at the old woman who sat alone in her chair now. She smiled and winked at me. "Don't mess it up again," she said.

"Thank you," I choked out. She just shrugged and went back to rummaging her bag.

"Come on!" Bella shouted from the front of the plane. "You're paying my cab fee."

So, it wasn't exactly a romantic reunion. She didn't leap into my arms and declare her love for me but I'd take whatever I could get at that moment. I'd make it up to her…if she forgave me…

EPILOGUE

The sounds of the waves washing against the sand almost made me feel like falling asleep. The sun was hot against my closed eyelids but I relished in the warmth. It made me sigh with pleasure. It was such a beautiful afternoon that I couldn't help but feel happy. Here I was sitting on a secluded beach house's porch on the coast of Barbados with a cold beer in my hand and a comfortable deck chair to sit in. Could life get any better? Oh yeah…and there was also the fact that my beautiful girlfriend was inside the little house getting herself another cold drink. Soon she'd be coming back outside in that little navy bikini I'd begged her to wear, the sun glowing off her soft pale skin and revealing the red in her chestnut hair. Yes, Bella was always beautiful when she was out in the sunlight even though she easily burned.

I couldn't help but think about how we had got where we were. I still remembered that day on the plane when she decided to not leave Seattle. She had gone back to her apartment alone and I had gone to mine. I realized, as I sat on my sofa, that I hadn't told her about the cameras in her apartment. That could wait until she'd calmed down a little…unless she found them. I couldn't chose which would be better: her finding them or me telling her about them. Either way she'd be angry with me. So I decided to wait.

It had only been a day after that when I got a call from Jessica. She'd finally believed me after she saw Lauren with Mike in the hospital. As his wife, she'd been notified about his broken nose so she came only to find Lauren tending to her husband. To say she was angry was an understatement. Apparently his newly set nose had been broken again when she was finished with him. Jessica filed for divorce and moved out of Mike's fancy condo, demanding I move out of the apartment she'd given me so she could live there instead. I'd done so willing, knowing that Bella was safe from the wrath of Jessica and that moving out of the apartment would mean I was finished that job for good. I got a room at one of the local hotels instead but obviously not the Kings (disgusting). I would stay close in case Bella ever needed me.

However she didn't call or talk to me for a whole month. I found myself sitting in my hotel room watching television for days, ordering room service and not going out at all. The room became a mess, matching my appearance. I wore the same clothes everyday, didn't shave and sometimes missed showering. Thank God Jessica paid me all that money to find out about Mike. If I didn't have it I would have had to take on another case, which I was not in the mood for. Instead I just sat on my ass for a month, dreaming about Bella coming back to me.

It was a few days after the beginning of a new month when I knock came at my hotel room door. Grumbling, I pushed myself off the bed and stumbled towards the door. I opened it, expecting to see the maid demanding I let her clean the room but was surprised to see Bella standing there. She was biting her lip and watching her feet when I opened the door but she looked up to meet my eyes before gasping. "Edward," she whispered. I reveled in the way she said my real name. "What have you been doing to yourself?"

I was frozen again as I stared down at her in shock. She shook her head before pushing me back into the room and switching on the light as she closed the door. I blinked, blinded by the sudden light in the room but she just pushed me back until I was sitting on the messy bed. Putting her hands on her hips she frowned at me. "When was the last time you shaved? You look like a mountain man," she stated.

"I'll take that as a compliment," I muttered, rubbing my hand over my beard.

She sighed before switching off the television I'd been watching. "Well at least you're not drunk," she said, running her hands through her hair. "You could have at least let the maid clean the room. It's a disaster!" When I didn't answer she threw her hands up in the air and began to throw out the garbage lying around the room. She muttered words such as 'disgusting' and 'pigsty'. I just watched her, still amazed to see her at all. I wondered what she was doing in my hotel room. Had she come to tell me she forgave me? Had she come to tell me to stay away from her? I didn't know but I was desperate to find out.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

She froze with her back to me. It took her a moment to turn around and look at me with those soulful brown eyes. "Do you…not want me to be here?" she whispered.

"No!" I cried, jumping up and going to her to take her soft hands in mine. "Of course not. I've been hoping you would come but I was…well I was beginning to lose that hope."

We stared at each for a moment before she pulled her hands from mine. I sighed before sitting on the bed again, my heart clenching painfully. "You're here to tell me to stay away, aren't you?" I murmured. "Well I promised I would do that if you wanted me to. So consider me gone. Just give me some time to find out where to go-"

A gentle hand on my head made me go silent. Bella's magic fingers ran through my hair, her nails scraping softly against my scalp making my eyes close in pleasure. I was almost purring like a cat or howling like a dog. Either way, she had reduced me to the animal that I was with just a touch.

"No," she finally answered in a sigh, her fingers still doing wonders with my hair. "I'm not here to tell you to stay away." My eyes opened to stare at her, waiting for the real reason why she was in my hotel room at that moment. She bit her lip before answering. "I'm…willing…to give us another chance."

I couldn't help myself as I wrapped my arms around her waist and pressed my face to her stomach. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," I chanted, my voice muffled by her shirt. I didn't realize at that point that I looked like a complete idiot, not to mention desperate. But there was one thing I couldn't deny. I was desperate and I would do anything to have that second chance that she dangled in front of me.

To say that Bella was surprised would be an understatement. She nearly toppled over when I grabbed her. "You're….umm…welcome?" she said with a nervous laugh.

I let her go, running a hand through my hair and smiling sheepishly. "Sorry," I apologized. "I'm just so…happy." I laughed and stood to walk away from her before returning, looking her right in the eyes. "This is real, right? You're not tricking me or something? Because…this just seems so…unreal."

"Well," she started in a small voice and my heart froze again in terror. "I'm willing to start fresh. I'm willing to get to know Edward." She smiled at me before sticking her hand out. "Hello. I'm Bella Swan."

I took it hesitantly, reveling in the softness of her skin. We shook hands slowly and with purpose. "Hello, Bella," I murmured. "I'm Edward. Edward Masen."

"Well, Edward," she said with a grin. "I like movies. I'll get the tickets if you buy the popcorn."

The following weeks were amazing to me. Every night was filled Bella. Whether we went to the movies, to a club or a restaurant, we always had fun. I finally got to be myself whenever we talked about one another. I practically knew everything about her but there were some things she needed to know about me. Like what my job really was. She was surprisingly very interested in my past cases. Of course I stayed off the cases with the cheating wives (where I almost always had to seduce it out of them) but she seemed fascinated in everything else. She also figured out that most of what I'd told her as Ted was true, such as my likes and dislikes. I had obviously lost my character along the way.

During those weeks I wasn't allowed to touch or kiss her like I used to. We were like two teenagers dating, trying not to cross the line into intimacy. I wanted to so desperately but always caught myself before I did anything. I wasn't going to lose her because my libido was eating at the bit to get to her. He could wait until she was comfortable with me.

Not only did we date during those weeks, but we also went to the Cityspace building to deal with our past jobs. Bella had already quit so she only had to come back to collect some of her things. Luckily we didn't meet Mike on the way out but we did run into Emmett. He was happy to see us both but was sad when I told him we'd both be leaving. It was at that point where I got up the courage to tell him who I really was and why I had got a job at Cityspace. He'd taken one blank look at me before his fist connected with my face. I'd received a black eye from a man that used to be a good friend of mine. Luckily Bella had been there to stop him before he did anything worse to me. Emmett was still pissed at me when he turned and left us, angry with Bella for taking my side on the matter. Even after a few weeks Emmett was still wary of me. I hoped we'd go back to the great friendship we'd had before but it would all take time.

Even though Jessica had paid me a whole bunch for finding out about Mike's infidelity, I still didn't have enough money to support myself. I needed a job since I'd quit the PI business but of course Bella was also in the same boat. But fate seemed to step in when Alice called to ask what had been happening with her friend. Bella explained her situation (including my lies which also made Alice angry) and the pixie had immediately come up with a solution to Bella's problem. Her sexy cowboy Jasper (her words, not mine) was the owner of an up and coming music production company. He was looking for a new personal assistant (whether that was Alice's doing or not, I didn't know) and he was willing to give Bella a job. She didn't have to travel with him since the company's headquarters was in Seattle and she could easily walk there from her apartment. Bella was ecstatic and I was happy for her. Only I had no job and staying in a hotel room for a long time wasn't cheap.

Bella suggested I try the police station. I doubted that I would be able to squeeze my way into the force since I didn't have the education but I had been proven wrong. Apparently the chief had heard about my investigations and was willing to give me a job. It was a desk job of course but I knew that if I worked my ass off I might just be able to work my way up the ladder. It was worth a shot and the guys I worked with were actually fun to be around. I actually liked my job for once.

Then there was Seth. I'd told the kid (after introducing him and his mother to Bella) that I wouldn't need his help anymore. He was sad about the 'termination of our partnership' (as he called it) but he told me he had something much more important now. I was shocked to find out that he'd found a girlfriend. Of course she wasn't exactly super model material but he was completely enraptured with her. They'd met on the one time that Seth had left his basement to pick up some things from the grocery store for his mother. She was a geek like he was in all the stereotypical ways. Black rimmed glasses, braces and a huge crush on Han Solo. He was still waiting for his first kiss but I was happy that he'd found someone. It meant that he had to leave the house more often. It would be good for him.

After a month of dating Bella, I was finally allowed to kiss her. It made me crazy that it took so much time to even give her a little peck on the mouth but I'd come too far to let up now. As that month went on she became more comfortable with me. I was allowed to hold her hand, kiss her and just keep her close to me at all times. A few weeks in we hit the major physical point in our relationship. She let me into her apartment…and allowed me to stay over night…in her bed…after a playful romp between the sheets. God I'd missed touching her, holding her and just being with her. Getting down on my knees in front of a whole plane full of people was worth it all, especially when she called, cried, laughed or screamed my name…my real name. She wanted me and not some made up character. I was the one that got to hold her at night and wake up next to her in the morning. I was the one that got to make her laugh or listen to her corny jokes. Whenever she talked she was talking to me. Never had I been so thankful for second chances.

Speaking of second chances…Bella walked out from the beach house we'd rented in Barbados, smiling when she saw me sitting in the sun. My grin grew wider when I noticed she was still wearing the bikini I'd picked out for this trip. "Now isn't that a sight to behold," I chuckled as she put her beer down on the wooden table next to me. She rolled her eyes, blushing lightly.

Before she could pull her hand away from the drink, I grabbed her arm and pulled her down until she fell into my lap with a gasp. My arms wrapped around her, keeping her prisoner. She laughed before wiggling her ass on my lap. I groaned, my swim trunks becoming suddenly too tight as she smirked. "You know what you're doing," I choked as she gently touched my bare chest.

She shrugged, looking innocent. "Doing what?" she asked, failing to her hide smile.

I grabbed her hands and stared hard at her. "You better be willing to finish this," I warned.

Her smile grew in response. "Finish? Whatever do you mean?" she teased.

"That's it."

I stood suddenly, snatching her up when she tried to run and throwing her over my shoulder. She squealed when I swung the beach house door open and took her inside. "No, no, no!" she laughed before I marched towards the bedroom and slammed the door after us.

THE END


Author's Notes

Hello ladies! Guess where I'm writing this from? FLORIDA! (insert squealing) Finished this chapter on the plane and posted it while staring at our rented house pool with the lake right behind it. (insert sigh) Went to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and it was great! Highly recommended to anyone who is a fan of the boy who lived since you can drink some butter beer and get on the awesome ride inside the huge Hogwarts castle. Sadly there was no Cedric merchandise.

Getting back to my stories…the prologue for the cowboy story is finished and will be posted once I get home to my PC where it's saved. I might write the first chapter on the plane home (insert sad face) and then hopefully finish it before college starts. I will also, after cowboyward is over, be getting you guys to vote for my next story. I have about five ideas that you guys can chose from. Oh the possibilities!

So until then, carribbeanlady is out!