A/N: First the normal stuff:

I don't own Twilight.

Special thanks to my beta, G, for everything, your friendship most of all :).

And of course, to you, for reading.

Also, I forgot to mention this at the end of chapter 9, but I posted a link to the song referenced by Edward in his letter on my profile. Maybe someday I'll be able to reference music that isn't Céline Dion in my stories lol… (if you've read my o/s, It's All Coming Back to Me Now, you know what I mean). Now, on to the chapter!

CHAPTER TEN: CATALYST

Bella POV

As if trying to prove something to each other, Emmett and I spent the majority of Sunday evening in bed. While the sex was good, it felt almost… forced. I couldn't quite pinpoint the difference, but I think it was mostly because it was purely physical. There were very little emotions expressed that night. While my body fell asleep satisfied, my brain tossed and turned all night long, filling my dreams with different scenarios than the one I was living.

When I woke at five-thirty, thirty minutes before the alarm, I rose from the bed. Emmett was still asleep, but we'd never been sleep cuddlers, so I was able to get up without waking him. It didn't matter one way or another to me, but he'd declared early in the relationship that he needed his space while sleeping, so I'd just let the sleeping dog lie so to speak.

The week passed by in a blur of work, dinners out with Emmett, Alice, Rose, Edward and Jasper, and then back to the hotel every night. Things improved drastically between Emmett and me after that first night. Emotions were expressed better than ever, confirming what I'd thought—that Sunday had just been a fluke, simply a difficult day all around. By the end of the week, everything seemed to be back on track.

Friday night was the rehearsal. Mr. Weber, the pastor at the church my parents attended in Forks—though not regularly—had agreed to make the trip to Seattle and perform the ceremony. Heidi, the wedding coordinator provided by the hotel, had spent the day without us getting the banquet room ready. She had a crew moving tables and chairs into place while she had placed small pieces of masking tape on the floor so that the attendants would know where to stand. To compliment Alice and Rosalie on my side, Emmett's two brothers, Paul and Robert, had flown in from Tennessee. The three of them all looked very similar; there was no question that they were brothers. The rest of our early guests—my parents, Emmett's parents, Edward, and Jasper, as well as Heidi—watched from the seating area.

After leading us through the entire ceremony twice, Mr. Weber declared that he thought we were ready for the next day. All we had to do was get through the rest of the night and the ceremony tomorrow, and then start our lives together.

The rehearsal dinner was a great time. It was just the same fourteen of us as had attended the rehearsal, so we pushed together two of the eight-seat tables and ate together, laughed together, and drank together for several hours. Mr. Weber and Heidi were the first to leave, and the parents followed fairly soon after them. By ten, it was just us "kids," and by eleven-thirty, we were all ready to head to bed, too.

I grabbed Emmett's hand and started following him up to the room we'd shared all week long. Before we'd even left the banquet hall, though, Alice had grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me away.

"What are you doing?" I protested.

"You're staying with me tonight," she announced smugly.

"No, I'm not," I told her firmly, stopping in my tracks. No one else noticed our little exchange, and they all continued walking. Within just a few seconds, we were alone.

"It's just one night, Bella," she told me when I whined at her. "You two have the rest of your lives to be together. You can manage one night."

"Don't you remember what happened last time I requested to spend a night away from him?" I reminded her in a harsh whisper.

"Yes, I do," she said, "but this time is different."

"How is this time different?"

"Well, for starters, you won't be alone this time. You'll be with me. Plus, Edward's already here, you've met, that relationship is more defined now…" I suppressed a giggle, which ended up sounding like a snort. Edward's and my relationship was anything but defined. Alice either didn't notice or ignored me, continuing as if she hadn't been interrupted at all. "And, you'll just be down the hall from him. If something comes up—and that's a big if—you guys will be close enough to deal."

I sighed, realizing that she'd thought this plan through and wasn't going to let me out of it. Then, as if reading my mind, she said, "You're not getting out of this, Bella."

"Hey, Alice, not tonight. Okay?" Emmett spoke up, walking back over to us. "I need to talk to Bella."

Alice looked taken aback. She wasn't accustomed to not getting her way; no one ever argued with her because everyone knew that her personality made up for her petite size. So when Emmett told her not tonight, she was so surprised that she immediately backed down, not knowing how else to handle the situation. "Oh. Okay. Well, I guess I'll see you in the morning, then, Bella."

I nodded at her, a little nervous suddenly about Emmett's insistence that we spend the night together tonight. I figured if he had something he wanted to talk about, though, I wasn't going to argue. Although now I was thinking that perhaps Alice was a safer bet tonight.

He pulled out his key card and opened the door to the suite. I noticed the lack of contact. He hadn't held my hand again after Alice had pulled me away, even after he'd insisted that we would be spending the night together after all. Thinking back, he'd been kind of distant all night. His eyes had looked glazed over during the entire rehearsal, as if he wasn't really paying attention to Pastor Weber. And when we'd left the banquet hall, he hadn't taken my hand; I'd taken his.

I hadn't realized that I'd stopped walking to process all of these thoughts, and when I pulled myself out of my reverie, Emmett was sitting on the white couch in the main room, not looking anywhere in particular, and definitely not at me. My hands were shaking, and I walked on wobbly legs over to the couch and sat next to him. I didn't say anything for several minutes, until finally, I just couldn't stand it anymore. "What's going on?" I placed my hand on his knee and he winced and pulled away. Blinking back tears, I removed my shaking hand and clasped it around my own knee instead.

"I'm sorry, Bella," he began, "but I can't do this." His voice sounded as uncomfortable and emotional as I felt.

"What?"

"I need you to know that I love you, I really do. But I'm just not ready to commit."

"What are you saying?"

"I can't marry you tomorrow."

My tears were flowing freely now. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Why not?"

"I love you, Bella, but I'm not in love with you. I thought I was, but then you brought Rosalie over the other week, and…"

I interrupted him before he could go on. "Rosalie? Have you been sleeping with one of my friends? And bridesmaid?"

"No, no, Bella, I swear. I have not slept with her, I promise you that."

"Have you been seeing her?"

"Yes."

I felt like I'd been kicked in the chest by a horse. A big horse, a Clydesdale maybe. I couldn't breathe and I wasn't sure I could talk. I knew that I had to, though. I had to make sense of this situation. "So, you're dumping me the night before our wedding for Rose?"

"God, Bella, I'm sorry. I know this sounds horrible. Hell, it is horrible, I'm horrible, and I wish this wasn't happening. But it is. I just couldn't go through with this knowing that I want to be with her instead."

I was in shock. I didn't know what to do, so I did the only thing I could think of. I accepted his words, his decision. Slipping my engagement ring off of my finger and placing it in the palm of his hand, I said, "Thank you for your honesty. I probably shouldn't stay here tonight, though." I stood to go. "I guess I'll see you around." My voice broke halfway through the last sentence. "I'll be by in the morning to get my things."

Turning quickly, I walked out the door of the suite, pulling it shut behind me and backing into the hallway until I couldn't walk any further. When my back hit a hard surface, I slid to the floor and cried.

Edward

I was lying in bed, but far from sleep. I'd had a great time all week long getting to know Bella and her friend Alice. Bella had been right about Alice and Jasper, too. They were really hitting it off well. It was a shame that Jasper and I were leaving the following night. Thinking through the various happenings of the week, and the fact that Bella was indeed going to marry him tomorrow, sleep eluded me. I listened to my brother's light snores from the other bed, but even his slow, even breathing didn't relax my mind enough for me to fall asleep. The clock read 12:12 a.m. when that I heard a low, soft thump come from the other side of my door. It was quiet enough that I wasn't even sure I'd heard it at all. But since I was awake anyway, I stood and walked to the entryway to investigate.

I opened the door slowly, not wanting to make a ruckus in case I'd imagined the sound. Once the door had been moved aside, Bella nearly fell backward; I somehow managed to stoop down and get my arms open in time to catch her before she hit the floor. I was pleasantly surprised to find her there until I realized that she was crying.

"Bella, what's wrong?"

She didn't respond, she just kept crying. I turned her around, wrapped my arms around her, and patted her hair in what I hoped was a comforting gesture. I couldn't help but think that perhaps I wasn't the one who should be soothing her; where was Emmett? But if he wasn't going to take care of her, I was. "Shh, shh, Bella, it's okay. I'm here. You can talk to me," I chanted in a calming voice.

She still didn't talk, but her sobs were slowing. It was slow going, but somehow, my arms and my words were soothing to her. We sat there on the floor in the doorway for a long time, while I hugged her and chanted relaxing words into her ear. If she hadn't been so upset, it would have been my own personal heaven. Time seemed to stand still; while I knew we'd been in the doorway for quite a while, I didn't tire. When Bella's cries finally subsided, I asked her, "Are you alright?"

"No," she said quietly, simply.

"Do you want to come in?"

She nodded. I guided her into the simple room and we sat down on my bed while Jasper still slept in the second bed. "Do you want to talk to me?" I asked gently. Another nod, but she didn't say anything. The words from my letter played in my head: If you ever need me, I am here for you. And now, she obviously needed me. I wouldn't push her, though. I was pretty sure she'd talk when she was ready.

Ten more minutes passed before she moved. I'd kept my arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders during that time, and she hadn't protested. This made me wonder again where her fiancé was. He should be the one here, comforting her. Unless… "Did something happen with Emmett?" I whispered, not wanting to wake Jasper.

"Yeah," she whispered back.

I took the fact that she answered me verbally to mean that she was ready to talk. I hoped so, anyway. "Are you ready to tell me?"

I had to listen carefully, because as soon as she starting talking, her sobs returned. "Alice wanted me to spend the night with her tonight, but Emmett said no, because he wanted to talk to me." A huge sob wracked her body before she continued. "He doesn't," another sob, "want to," and another, "marry me."

I heard her words, but I didn't understand them. My face must have given away the question in my brain, because she answered it with just one word. "Rosalie."

I could feel my eyes pop. The sobs started racking her body again. I knew I probably wouldn't get another word out of her, not tonight, anyway, but I asked the question anyway. "Emmett was with Rosalie? Your friend Rosalie?"

"No. Not tonight. And he told me that he hasn't slept with her. But he's been seeing her behind my back, and he wants to be with her instead." I was surprised that she'd answered me, and even more surprised that she'd remained coherent.

I knew that what she needed tonight more than anything was a friend. So I pulled her closer into my chest, and held her. "Do you want to go spend the night with Alice tonight?" She shook her head. "You want to stay here with me?" A nod. Supporting her weight against my shoulder, I stood us both up and pulled the blankets down away from the pillows, and then gently laid her on the sheet. I lay down next to her and pulled the blanket back over the both of us. There was nothing sexual or arousing about it, though, unlike the many times I'd fantasized about having Bella in my bed. Tonight was all about friendship. And as her friend, I held her until we both fell asleep.

x-x-x

When I awoke, I glanced at the red digits of the hotel-provided alarm clock. It was just after six in the morning. As the events of the previous night replayed in my mind, I rolled over, half expecting to find the bed empty. It had to have been a dream; Bella hadn't come to my room last night after having been dumped on the eve of her wedding by her fiancé who had secretly been seeing one of her best friends behind her back. But there she was, sleeping angelically. Despite the early hour, there were things that had to be taken care of immediately, though.

"Bella. Wake up," I said, shaking her gently.

"Mmm," she mumbled, rolling away from me.

"No. Bella, you really need to wake up. I need to talk to you."

She moaned again, but turned back to face me. When she opened her eyes, she looked shocked to see me. I wondered how much of the previous night she would remember; there had been wine at the rehearsal, and while she hadn't seemed drunk last night, I knew she'd had a few glasses. She blinked a few times, then muttered, "So it really happened."

"You remember why you're here, in my bed?"

"Yeah. Stupid cheating Emmett breaking up with me instead of marrying me."

Try as I might, I couldn't keep my hands off of her. I stroked her face gently and asked, "So, what are you going to do?" It was a simple question, but one filled with a much deeper meaning.

"I don't know. I need to talk to Alice and to my parents, but after that, I just don't know. I guess I should go home. Time to move on, right?"

"I don't blame you for coming to that conclusion. However, there are going to be people showing up here for a wedding today. What are you going to tell them?"

"I'm not going to tell them anything. He can deal with them. He can pay all the cancellation fees, too. I was in love with him, ready to marry him, until he broke up with me last night. This is not my fault, and I'm not going to deal with it. Thank you for being here for me. I didn't even know where I was, but I'm glad it was your door I crashed into."

"I told you I'd always be here for you," I reminded her.

"Well, I guess I'd better get this over with." She frowned. "Before it gets much later. Then I've got to get out of here."

At her last sentence, I had a sudden inspiration. It was crazy, and I didn't know whether or not she'd agree, but I blurted it out anyway. "Come back to Chicago with me."

"What?"

"Come to Chicago with me. You've got vacation already taken for your honeymoon, right?" She nodded in affirmation. "Well, you obviously aren't going to be taking that trip, so come with me. It'll give you the cooling down you need after this. I'll even buy your ticket."

"Let me think about it."

"Okay. But come. Please."

She gave me a tiny smile, and then walked to the bathroom. Once she'd finished and come back out to the main area, she said, "I'll think about it. For now, though, I have some business to attend to." And she walked out the door without giving me a chance to respond.

I sat up in the bed, and looked over to see Jasper very much awake. "How much of that did you hear?"

"Enough to know that you're giving away my ticket home," he teased.

"I am not. I said I'd buy her a new ticket."

"I know, I'm kidding. What's going on, though? Why is the bride in our room this early in the morning? At all, actually?"

I almost said it's a long story, but I realized before I spoke that that wasn't really the case. It was a tragic story, but not a long one. "Emmett dumped her last night."

"No way!"

"Yeah."

He let out a low whistle. "Wow, that sucks. Poor Bella."

I continued the story. "So, she didn't know where she was, but she ended up with her back bumping against our door. I thought I heard a sound, so I went to check it out, and she was there, crying her eyes out. I brought her in here and she said she wanted to stay with me for the night."

"Wait, wait, wait. You didn't… I mean, she didn't… You guys didn't, you know, do anything stupid, did you?"

"What? No, of course not," I told him honestly. "It wasn't about that at all. Last night was just friendship."

He let out a breath, visibly relieved. Then he said, "And now you've invited her home with you? What's that about?"

"She's got the time off anyway. She may as well get a vacation out of the deal."

"That's true, I suppose."

A timid knock on the door interrupted any further conversation. I rose from the bed where I had been sitting and walked over to answer it. Bella stood there, eyes red from fresh tears, but looking solid in her resolve. Her red pull-along suitcase sat on the floor next to her feet. "I told Alice. And my parents. So, I'm going to go, I guess. I don't really have any reason to stay here, in the hotel, any longer. I'll call you in a bit. Thanks again for being there for me last night."

She turned to leave, but I protested. "Bella, wait. Where are you going right now?"

"I don't know."

"Let me come. I want to keep you safe."

She just shrugged. It wasn't a 'no,' so I slipped on my shoes, tied them quickly, and wrapped my arm around her waist as we rode the elevator to the lobby, then exited the building quickly before anyone could stop us.

In the parking lot, I unlocked the rental Jasper had procured for us six days previously. Bella was in no condition to drive; I didn't want her to get into an accident. We drove in silence for several minutes. We were on the interstate, heading out of the city when she finally spoke. "I'll go."

"What?"

"I'll come with you to Chicago. I need a fresh start."

"Wait, what? A fresh start?"

"Well, I can't very well continue working at ACU with him. I'm not even sure I want to live in the same city as him anymore."

"What are you saying, Bella?"

"I'll start by coming with you for my vacation time. But, if it's okay with you, I may not leave."

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