Oh my god, I know it's been FOREVER since I updated, and I don't really have a good reason. I just wasn't into the writing at all. But today I woke up and I decided to just get on with it. I am really really REALLY sorry that it's taken so long, and I have to apologize to everyone who reviewed and asked for more. I appreciated the reviews so much, and they were really what got me going again.

To make up for the unannounced, month-long hiatus, I tried to make this chapter super long and super great. Expect some awesome confrontations. ;)

BPOV

I stood staring out the empty doorway for what seemed like hours. They were here, and then gone, and so quickly. But I knew that they were definitely going to stay in Alaska, which meant that I was going to have to get out of here as soon as possible.

With that decision made, I just had a few things to wrap up before I could leave and find a new job far far away from here. I began the long walk back to the Lit classroom.

When I got there, I could barely contain my surprise. Cindy was directing the class like a commanding general with his troops. She had obviously picked up where I had left off; she was clutching my lesson plan in her left hand and pointing to people with their hands up with her right.

I just watched for a while; she was doing remarkably well, really confident. She would make an excellent teacher. As I was thinking this, I was suddenly reminded of my contract. It stated that I would have to give a letter of resignation at least a semester before I planned to leave.

"Crap," I muttered under my breath. Apparently not as quiet as I had meant it to be though; a few kids in the desks closest to the door turned in their chairs to look at me.

Cindy noticed their shifting attention. "Oh excellent, Professor Swan is back. A really fantastic performance, Professor. The entire class really enjoyed it." With that, the students started clapping.

Cindy was lying through her teeth, so I figured that this 'performance' deal was what she had come up with to explain my sudden disappearance.

I went with it, even doing a little bow as I walked to the front of the lecture hall. I met Cindy at the desk.

"Thank you so much Cindy, really, I just had to get out of here."

"That's alright Bella. How did I do though?" She smiled widely, back to her regular bubbly self.

I smiled back, although I was completely numb on the inside.

"Spectacular Cindy. You'll make a fantastic teacher."

She grinned and bounced to her small desk in the corner. I watched her go, wishing I could be as happy as she was all the time. I turned back to the class, ready to continue. She had left a red flag where she had left off in the lesson, and I went on from there.

I quickly swerved around the traffic on my way back to my apartment. Checking my make-up in the mirror, I noticed that I'd forgotten to bring the box of things I'd hurriedly packed this afternoon. I cringed at the memory, still seething mad.

To get my mind off the general events of the day, I turned to thinking about how I was going to get out of Alaska fast. It was all just as well that I'd left the box in my office. I couldn't leave for months, not with that stupid contract I'd signed. I sighed, thinking about how much of a wasted opportunity this was. Anyway, I'd decided to leave the writing of my resignation letter until the weekend. I didn't want to upset Cindy and I also needed to start looking for jobs in Russia or something.

A red car in the next lane honked at me as I darted in front of it. I chuckled a little, but then my eye caught on the sign directing visitors to the massive local park.

That's definitely what I needed right now; a good hunt.

APOV

I growled as I tried in vain to drag Edward towards the stuccoed apartment building.

"Oh my god Edward. You need to see her, after that cryptic comment she made." I said, avoiding looking at his eyes.

I'd made that mistake on the drive over here. It was the first time I'd actually seen anything but blank deadness in them since she left. Still, I wished he'd continued on with his emotionless eyes, because now they just looked like bottomless golden pits of agony.

"Alice—" He dug in his heels even more. "I can't do this, please. Just let me go."

I turned around in the car park to face him fully. "Edward, I can't stand seeing you like this anymore. You need some closure, find out why she left, and then maybe you can get over her."

He scoffed, like I knew he would. Still, he turned towards me, a look of defeat on his features.

I gently pulled his hand once more, and this time he followed.

"Room 4A, right?" He asked.

BPOV

It was dark when I got back to my apartment building. The white stucco on the walls was gently lit by outdoor lights, but I stayed in the shadows as I walked from my parking space to the lobby.

As I passed the visitor parking spots, I stopped dead in my tracks. An unmistakable yellow Porsche was parked directly in the glow coming from the warm foyer, just outside the main doors. They were here, and 

knowing them, they weren't just waiting in the lobby for me. Undoubtedly, they'd found a way into my apartment.

I growled with frustration, angry that those two awful people had managed to rid me of my hunting calm twice in one day.

I dragged my feet on my way up to my apartment, nodding dumbly to the doorman and leaning against the elevator walls as soon as the doors shut. I absentmindedly pressed the '4' button and succumbed to the rage that was building within me.

By the time I reached my floor, I was nearly spitting with anger.

As I guessed, they weren't waiting for me to come home before they went. How did they even find out where I lived anyway? Furthermore, who the hell did these people think they were?

EPOV

I gently ran my hand over the many certificates of graduation that were propped up in shining wooden picture frames on a bookshelf in her apartment. There was no dust anywhere, I noticed. I looked around the apartment for something else to distract me, but there were absolutely no other personal objects around the room. It was like there wasn't even a real person living in this apartment, like it was just for show or something.

Don't get me wrong, the apartment was beautiful, decked out with quality furniture and stunning wall colours. Of what I could see of the obviously unnessecary kitchen, I could tell that she had acquired some money somehow, because there were marble countertops and top-of-the-line cookware. Everything I could see shone with quality, but there was nothing at all that reminded me of the old her. It didn't seem like she lived here at all.

In fact, both Alice and I suspected that this was true the minute we jimmied the lock and entered her apartment. We thought we'd got the wrong apartment. We checked the door number and turned back to the spacious flat. The main thought running through both our heads was 'This is not like Bella at all.'

The moment I thought her name, the pain came back full force. She looked so beautiful today, not a day over nineteen, just like when I saw her last. She was beautiful back then, but now her beauty was more pronounced, and much colder. Icy even.

Her eyes were changed the most, the golden colour I saw every time I looked at one of my family members. I wondered who changed her, and when. 'Maybe that's why she and Jacob broke up.'

I winced and turned to look out the window. Just being here, in her apartment, smelling that wonderful scent, was ripping a wider gash of agony throughout my body. I was about to tell Alice that I had to leave when I heard the key turn in the lock of her front door.

I looked at Alice, calmly sitting on the couch in front of the TV, then looked at the door again. 'This is it,' I thought, and braced myself.



APOV

She wasn't surprised to see us there, in her apartment, which I found odd. What didn't shock me was the look of rage that contorted her features. I'd be mad too if someone broke into my apartment and was just chilling there when I got home.

I hadn't been able to see her reaction in a vision though, although I had been trying all afternoon. Every time I made an attempt, it was like something was blocking me. And that made me distinctly uncomfortable.

We just stared at each other for a few moments. It was so strange to see her, after so long. We'd all been making an effort to just forget her, for Edward's sake.

I cleared my throat. "You have a beautiful flat here, Bella. I really like the colour scheme you picked out." She just glared at me coldly.

Before things could get any more awkward though, Bella started talking. "I don't really see what gives you the right to break into my apartment, but after you tell me how you found out where I live, I'd really appreciate it if both of you left."

She said it in quite a rational voice, but both Edward and I could see that she was a mere inch from tearing both our faces off.

I glanced quickly at Edward, but his jaw was clenched so tight that I assumed that he wanted me to do the explaining.

"We went and talked to the Board Office. We said that we were your cousins and that you were feeling unwell and we needed to take you home. Unfortunately, you were 'asleep' and we didn't know where your new apartment was. They gave us your address from their files right away."

I paused, and Bella opened her mouth, probably to tell us to get the hell out. "But Bella, please, before you kick us out, can the three of us," I said, glaring pointedly at Edward, "just talk? There seems to be a misunderstanding of sorts. We promise we will leave you completely alone after if you want us too."

Again, Bella surprised me by nodding without any suspicions. She slowly sat down across from me in a huge armchair without a word. I glared once more at Edward, and he sat down beside me on the couch.

I squirmed a little in my seat. Finally we were going to get to the bottom of this whole situation, and I was damn excited.

BPOV

I avoided looking at Edward completely, and focused on Alice the moment I opened the door to my apartment.

She tried to make small talk, but I was in no mood for that at all. After she finally told me how they got my address (a curse on Martha, the secretary at the office), she invited me to talk. The only reason I agreed was because she promised they'd leave and never bother me again if I did. I could see no lies in her words.

As I sat down, I watched Alice wiggle a little on my couch. She always was so enthusiastic about everything, obviously including a potentially painful, long overdue conversation with a girl her entire family completely deserted. What a gal.

I waited for her questions. Somehow I got a feeling that Edward wasn't too eager to speak with me. I can imagine; it must be awkward to talk to a girl you'd dumped without actually telling her about the dumping.

I shut off the bitter thoughts that were raging through my head and refocused on Alice, who was evidently gearing up for the onslaught.

I sighed, and took a deep breath. Unfortunately, I inhaled some of his heavenly scent, and embarrassingly, almost moaned, closing my eyes. The hole in my chest stretched excruciatingly wider.

'Crap,' I thought. 'This is conversation is going to hurt.'

I couldn't resist a major cliff hanger, I'm sorry! But pinky swear, cross my heart and hope to die, all the truth will come out next chapter.

And again, I am so sorry about the MAJOR delay in updating. I will try my hardest to get the next chapter up today or tomorrow. Maybe some REVIEWS could SPEED things along. ;)

Coming up next: The truth comes out, dinner is served, and some more unexpected arrivals stir things up!