I'm a day late! I'm sorry! I was at school yesterday from 10am to 10pm and it was just a disaster...but here it is! Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight.

SabLuvsLogan...thank you for everything :)

PREVIOUSLY

As she looked herself over in the mirror, she realized she looked better than usual and felt happy. She dried her hair straight then and decided to leave it down instead of tying it in a bun. She put on some mascara and was finally ready to head downstairs. She took one last look in the mirror, took a deep breath, and exited Edward's bedroom.

Chapter 9

Edward was in his living room with his arm lying lazily over the back of the couch he was sitting on when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He turned his head toward the staircase as his mouth dropped open and his eyes widened. Bella descended the stairs in the tightest pair of jeans, revealing the curve of her hips and the length of her legs. She wore a tight green tank top that showed off the beautiful pale skin of her arms. Her hair was down and straight and shiny and he felt a pull to her like he'd never felt before. He had always seen her hair tied up in a loose bun and now that it was flowing freely around her shoulders he wanted to run his fingers through it. He couldn't wait to get up and greet her.

Since Edward had acted so strangely back in his bedroom, Bella had been worried that he would be weird around her when she got downstairs.

She slowly smiled at him, testing his reaction and when he smiled back at her, she grinned. Their eyes were locked until the moment was interrupted by Emmett.

"Holy shit! Bella has boobs!" Emmett exclaimed.

"That's what I said!" Rosalie said.

Bella remembered Rosalie saying the exactly same thing when she had emerged from the dressing room and she couldn't help but laugh. Edward did not find it funny as he shot Emmett a menacing glare before getting up and approaching Bella.

"You look...wow..." he said, struggling to find the right words.

She blushed at his comment and thanked him. All of a sudden the awkwardness they shared in his bedroom was gone and they were back to being Edward and Bella. She smiled in satisfaction.

"You're welcome, Edward!" Alice sang as she passed by him in order to hug Bella.

"For what?" he asked confused.

"For bringing Bella's boobs to life," Alice said chuckling.

"Hey!" Bella protested.

Alice merely smiled as Bella blushed in embarrassment.

"Yeah, and you can thank me for what she's wearing underneath that," Rosalie said, winking.

Bella was even more embarrassed but Edward didn't notice because he immediately thought back to the midnight blue bra.

"So do you like it?" Alice said, pointing around the room.

Bella took a second to take in the room before her and gasped in shock. She had been accustomed to the Cullen's living room a certain way but when she looked around the room, she noticed everything was different. Alice had completely redecorated in the short amount of time it had taken Bella to get dressed. Pink, white, and black balloons and candles were all over the walls and tables and sitting on the small coffee table in the corner of the room was a large three layered cake.

As she looked around the room Bella realized that for the first time in a long time she felt one hundred percent comfortable. She was surrounded by people she trusted in an environment she felt safe in. With Edward by her side, she was really looking forward to spending the night peacefully, tranquilly, and without any worries. She also didn't have to worry about any Mike Newton's barging in and ruining the evening. She knew it would go perfectly well and she decided to bask in the feeling for this one night.

"It's beautiful, Alice," Bella said, smiling.

"Thank you!"

"Hey! We helped!" Emmett whined.

Alice rolled her eyes and led Bella toward the love seat couch and Edward was beside her. As soon as Bella sat down, Alice left the room and came back holding a big wrapped present that she placed on Bella's lap. Bella looked down at the large box as she chastised Alice for buying her a present when she had already done so.

"You already bought me a whole new wardrobe!" Bella cried.

"I know! But this is from Emmett and Jasper," Alice explained.

Bella groaned but unwrapped the present anyways. Inside was a beautiful black dress that Bella had remembered trying on but decided not to buy.

Bella chuckled as she pulled the dress out. How she hadn't noticed Alice paying for it was beyond her. "Why thank you Jasper and Emmett. How did you know my size?"

Jasper and Emmett grinned as Bella got up to hug everyone while giving her thanks. As she sat back down on the love seat, Edward leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"I'll give you your present later," he said.

She was about to tell him off for buying her a gift as well but before she could, Alice stood up and interrupted her.

"Alright! Let's get this party started!" she exclaimed.

"What are we doing exactly?" Bella asked.

"Oh I have all sorts of things planned. We ordered some food, we'll watch movies and play some games, drink some booze and have the whole house to ourselves, so it should be great but low key just like you wanted," Alice said.

"We have the house to ourselves?" Bella asked, looking at Edward.

"Yeah. My parents are going out and they're spending the night at some hotel in Port Angeles," he said.

"Oh and I called your dad and told him you were sleeping here at Edward's and he was okay with it," Rosalie said.

"He was okay with it?" Bella said having a hard time believing Charlie would be okay with her spending the night away from home.

"Yeah. It took a bit of convincing but I assured him that Alice and I would be here and we would all be sleeping together and you wouldn't be going anywhere near Edward's bedroom," Rosalie said, smiling.

"So you're all sleeping here tonight?" Bella asked.

"Fuck yeah!" Emmett said.

"Watch your language Emmett McCarty," Esme said as she exited the kitchen.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Esme was wearing a beautiful red cocktail dress with a pair of high heel shoes that made her legs look fantastic. Her hair was up in a beautiful up-do with thin pieces of hair framing her face and long earrings hanging down to just above her neck.

She looked absolutely beautiful.

"Wow, Mrs Cullen. You look amazing," said Rosalie.

"Mom, isn't that dress a little short?" Edward said.

They all laughed at his protectiveness and Esme merely smiled. "Come give your mother a kiss goodbye, Edward," she said, opening her arms in invitation.

Edward got up to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek as Carlisle walked into the room wearing a suit.

"Alright you guys. Behave please," Carlisle said. "Don't set the house on fire."

"We'll try," Emmett said, grinning.

"Bella, your father called me and I assured him you were in good hands. He was rather worried but I managed to calm him down. Maybe you should give him a quick call to reassure him?" Esme said.

Bella nodded as Esme and Carlisle left to go have dinner in Port Angeles. Bella went to the kitchen then to call her father and to assure him that everything was going to be okay. Before hanging up, she promised to spend the night sleeping between Alice and Rosalie in a bedroom far, far away from the boys. When she hung up the phone with Charlie, she returned to the living room.

As she took her seat next to Edward, the doorbell rang alerting the group that the pizza they ordered had arrived. As they sat around the table in the living room, eating and having a good time, Bella marvelled at the fact that she had managed to make great new friends in Forks. Granted they were all Edward's friends, but she liked to think that they enjoyed her company as well.

Edward saw Bella smiling as she chewed on her pizza and he loved the fact that he was able to grant her the safety she needed to have a carefree night. When she saw him staring at her she looked at him in return. She grinned at him and he laughed. He noticed an eyelash on her cheek then so he gently leaned into her and removed it with the tip of his index finger. He blew it away and she smiled while the four friends stared at them, rolling their eyes and shaking their heads.

When they were finished eating, they cleared the table and Emmett came back into the room with a deck of cards.

"Alright! Drinkin' Time!" he exclaimed.

Bella got a little nervous suddenly because she'd only been drunk a handful of times and didn't want to make a fool of herself. As she realized then that they would all be drinking and it was her seventeenth birthday and Edward was by her side, she decided not to care.

Jasper brought out a carton of orange juice, a bottle of vodka, and six glasses before settling everything on the table while Emmett removed the cards from the deck. Jasper poured everyone a glass of vodka and orange juice while they all settled around the table in Edward's living room.

"Alright, we're playing High-Low. Everyone knows how to play, right?" Emmett asked.

As they all nodded yes, Bella shyly whispered no.

"Okay. It's really simple, Bella. Basically I'll deal you a card and you have to guess whether the next card will be higher or lower. If you get it wrong, you drink once because there's only one card showing. If you get it right, you go again. You have to get at least 3 right before being able to move on to the next person."

"Okay. So if you get it right, you guess again, if you get it wrong you drink once?" Bella asked to clarify.

"Yes, but if there's more than one card down you have to drink more than once. Let's say you get three right then we move on to Alice. If Alice gets it wrong then she has to drink three times. If Alice happens to get another three right after your three, then we move on to Jasper. If he gets it wrong, he drinks six times. And so on, so forth. Get it?"

"Basically every time someone gets it wrong, we clear the pile and start over but that person has to drink depending on the number of cards that are down," Edward explained.

"Oh okay. I understand," Bella said nodding.

They decided Bella was going to start and Emmett was going to be the dealer. He flipped over the first card revealing the eight of diamonds.

"Higher," Bella said.

Emmett flipped over the next card which was the 5 of spades.

"Drink!" they all exclaimed. She took her first sip and Emmett cleared the deck, flipping over the next card, revealing a three of hearts.

"Higher," Bella said.

Emmett turned the card over, revealing a 2 of clubs as they all laughed at her bad luck.

"Shit!" she yelled.

They all laughed again as the first swear word they'd ever heard her mutter left her lips. Bella took another sip as Emmett once again cleared the pile and flipped over the next card –a jack of clubs.

"Lower," she said.

The next card was a 5 of hearts and Bella smiled in happiness. She needed to get two more right in order for the round to move on to Alice.

"Higher," she said.

Emmett flipped over a king of hearts and she beamed.

"Lower!" she said, excitedly.

As Emmett flipped over a four of hearts, she grinned in excitement, thankful that the round could move on. It was then Alice's turn as she right away got all three cards right. When it moved on to Jasper, his first guess was wrong and he was forced to take 6 sips in a row, resulting in Emmett clearing the deck. Jasper failed a couple more times, forcing him to take a total of 9 sips before getting three in a row right and allowing the round to move on to Rosalie.

Rosalie got two correct before guessing wrong and having to take 5 sips. When she got three right it was Emmett's turn and he passed the cards over so Edward could be the dealer. Since Emmett really wanted to drink, he purposely got his answers wrong, saying 'higher' for a queen and 'lower' for a three. After taking 12 sips in total, it was time for Edward's turn. Edward also got all three right as the round moved back to Bella.

When the deck ran out, they started a new round since they all still wanted to play.

In a stream of good luck, Bella, Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie all managed to get three right in a row, resulting in 12 cards being down on the table. Emmett laughed nervously as he knew the lucky streak couldn't continue. He had drank sufficiently in the last round and was no longer trying to mess up on purpose. As a king of spades sat on top, he knew the right answer would be 'lower' so he wouldn't have to take 12 sips.

"Lower!" he said loudly. As Edward slowly turned the card over, they all gasped – except for Bella – at what they saw. A Joker sat staring up at them and they all groaned in frustration.

"What does that mean?" Bella said.

"It means we all drink," Edward said.

Bella groaned and they all joined in before each of them taking 12 sips.

They played another four rounds until they were all feeling a buzz. They decided they didn't want to play anymore so they temporarily lay down on various couches before switching activities.

"I need to pee," Bella said, attempting to get up.

Edward had been lying with his head on her lap and he really didn't want her to move.

"Nooo!" he said, forcing his head down so she couldn't get up.

She managed to wiggle free from him and swiftly rolled off the couch under him but she wasn't quick enough as he grabbed her, forcing her to sit sideways on his lap, his hands on her hips, steadying her.

"Woo! Look at Edward and Bella!" Emmett cooed.

"You guys are like so cute together. I don't get why you're not dating," Alice slurred.

Bella blushed and shifted so she could face Edward. She looked at him then with her hand on her chin as she dramatically pondered Alice's question.

"Hmm," she said, sliding her fingers in his hair. "You are pretty cute."

"Yeah?" Edward said chuckling. "You're pretty cute yourself."

"Oh God. I'm going to barf," Jasper said jokingly.

Bella laughed then and got off Edward's lap and headed toward the bathroom. When she came back into the room, she jumped onto the couch next to Edward, placing her hand on his leg and resting her head on his chest.

"Hi," she said with a smile on her face.

"Hi," he said, stroking her hair. "Did you have fun in the bathroom?"

"Yes," she said, chuckling.

"So what do we do now?" Rosalie asked, lying doing on the long couch with her head in Emmett's lap.

"Strip poker!" Emmett said, playing with the strap of Rosalie's tank top.

"Yeah!" Jasper exclaimed.

"Umm...no!" Bella said.

"Why don't we just watch a movie or something?" Edward said.

"No! More drinking games! Bella's not drunk enough. She's still going to remember all this tomorrow," Emmett said.

"Why do you want me to be drunk so badly?" Bella asked.

"Cause it's fun! I want you and Edward to make out soon," he said, smiling.

"Oh I know! Let's play truth or dare!" Alice said, excitedly. "Okay Bella, you're first. What? You pick dare? Okay! I dare you to kiss Edward!"

Edward chuckled and looked down at Bella. She was staring up into his eyes and as they looked at each other, they both had the same idea. They smiled coyly to each other so the others wouldn't see and shifted their positions so they were more comfortable. Bella slowly lifted her arm around Edward's neck, pulling herself closer to him as Edward placed his hand on her face, angling her mouth closer to his.

"Oh my God, they're actually going to kiss," Emmett whispered to Rosalie.

"Holy crap, I was just joking," Alice whispered.

The four friends sat on the edge of their seats, staring at Edward and Bella on the opposite couch, waiting for what was about to happen.

Edward slowly leaned down as Bella leaned closer to him. Their noses were practically touching as Bella let out a sigh, pulling Edward even closer. At the last second, just as their lips were about to touch, Bella turned her head and gave Edward a loud kiss on the cheek. They simultaneously erupted in laughter as they turned toward the others.

"Did you actually think we were going to kiss?" Edward said, laughing.

"Damn you both!" Alice said, throwing a pillow at them.

Edward and Bella laughed again as they resumed their previous position.

"I know what we should do! We should play Dance Dance Revolution while drunk!" Emmett said, excitedly.

"Okay, you officially have the worse ideas," Rosalie said.

They spent the rest of the night playing random games until it was time to sing Bella a happy birthday. After doing so, they cut the cake and sat around the living room eating and talking.

That night Bella was able to learn all about life in Forks. They told her about what it was like growing up in such a small town and how goofy Edward was as a ten year old. They told her about Tyler Crowley eating his own boogers and Eric Yorkie peeing the bed. They told her about Jessica Stanley getting caught giving head to Mike Newton in the janitor's closet on the second floor and then crying about it.

When they got to the part about all the different ways Jessica and Lauren have tried to seduce Edward, Bella felt a churn of jealousy in her stomach.

"Remember when Lauren sent you her underwear," Emmett guffawed.

Bella's eyes widened. "She did that?"

"Unfortunately," Edward said, embarrassed.

"She walked up to him in the cafeteria and shoved them into his front pocket. He was mortified," Jasper said, laughing.

"Those were the first girl underwear I ever touched. How horrible is that," Edward said, shaking his head.

Bella couldn't help but laugh.

"Or when you walked to your car after one of Mike's parties and Jessica was sitting in the back seat of your Volvo in just her bra and underwear," Rosalie said.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Edward said.

Bella blushed at that and suddenly found herself hating how forward Jessica Stanley has been.

"Edward went to get one of those crazy 50 dollar car washes after that incident," Emmett said.

"Fucker," Edward said. "Remember I wanted you to help me get her out of my car but you wouldn't because that was the first time you hooked up with Rosalie."

Bella had never heard the story of how Rosalie and Emmett started dating so they decided to tell her which resulted in Alice and Jasper telling their story as well. They were both adorable tales and Bella hoped she'd one day have that perfect story of how she met the man of her dreams. She then started to wonder who would be her perfect boyfriend. She couldn't imagine herself with a boyfriend – especially not now, especially since she couldn't stand to be away from Edward for even a day.

All talked out, they decided on watching a movie and since it was Bella's birthday it was her choice. She walked over to the DVD shelves and picked one she thought everyone would like before Edward placed it in the player and they all got comfortable.

Rosalie and Emmett were lying horizontally on the long couch, Rosalie's head on Emmett's chest with their feet entwined together and Alice was sitting sideways on Jasper's lap, her head on his shoulder and his head on hers. Halfway through the film, their buzz had dissipated and both couples were fast asleep.

Bella was lying with her head on Edward's chest, paying closer attention to the beat of his heart then to the actual film. As she brought her right hand up to yawn, he noticed the thin piece of rope upon her wrist and suddenly remembered what he was supposed to do.

"Come with me," Edward whispered into her ear, standing up and offering Bella his hand.

Bella scrunched her eyebrows in confusion but grabbed his hand anyways and followed him as he led her upstairs toward his bedroom. As she walked into his room, he lightly closed the door behind him, not wanting to make any noise. Edward's bedroom was lit up solely by the moonlight shining in through his window and because it provided a soothing mood, he decided not to turn the lights on.

"You know, I promised my dad I wouldn't go anywhere near your bedroom. If he comes barging in here you're going to have to explain it to him," Bella whispered suddenly feeling shy.

The lighting in the bedroom and the feeling of Edward's hand in hers made Bella feel a little different. The alcohol she had consumed was clouding her judgement and even though she was no longer drunk, she couldn't describe what she was feeling.

"Yeah, that'll be okay," Edward whispered, dragging Bella toward his bed.

"You'll explain that you got his daughter drunk and then forced her onto your bed?" Bella whispered before climbing onto Edward's bed and sitting Indian style in the middle of it as he crawled in beside her.

The air in the room shifted suddenly as the darkness made everything more potent. Bella could feel Edward's leg against her own and she could smell his perfect scent as he breathed beside her.

"Hey, all your clothes are still on so I get some credit, right?" he muttered.

"I guess," she said, chuckling nervously.

Edward gently leaned over then, placing a piece of hair behind her ear.

"You really do look pretty tonight," he whispered.

"Thank you," she said, leaning closer into his touch.

Edward looked into her eyes then, noticing how beautiful they were. He suddenly felt the need to be closer to her. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and smell her hair and lay her down on his bed with him. Bella leaned closer into him and he could feel the warmth emanating from her body.

"Are you drunk?" Edward asked as he brought his face closer to hers.

"I don't know," Bella said as she darted her eyes from his mouth back up to his eyes.

As the overwhelming urge to kiss her took him over, Edward gently took her hand in his, lifting it up between them. It was passed midnight which meant it was officially Bella's real birthday and he knew what this day meant. He needed to make this day perfect for her like she had once made his day perfect for him.

He allowed himself a second to look down at their entwined fingers and saw the small piece of rope fastened around her wrist. He brought it up to his face then as he brought his own rope clad wrist up next to hers.

"I bought you a present," Edward whispered, still not pulling himself away from her.

"I know but Edward...I told you not to buy me anything."

"I know. And at first I wasn't going to but then...I kinda walked by the store and I saw it and I thought of you."

Edward gently moved himself away from Bella then, reaching into his bedside table, removing a rectangular wrapped box. He gently placed the box in Bella's lap.

"Esme wrapped it," he said shyly.

Bella smiled at him and realized just how sweet he was being. She slowly unwrapped the box and lifted the cover. When she saw the beautiful bracelet waiting inside, she looked up at Edward.

"Wow..." Bella said.

"You like it?" he asked nervously.

The bracelet was thin and dainty and perfectly Bella. It was silver and had a small pendant in the shape of a B hanging from it.

"Edward...I love it...but...I already have a perfectly good bracelet," she said.

"I know you do...but this one is prettier," he said.

"But I like this one," Bella said, passing her fingers lightly across the rope. In doing so, her fingers lightly brushed against Edwards as she felt a jolt of something in her belly. Edward was lightly caressing her wrist as she looked up into his eyes.

"I don't want to replace it, Bella. I don't ever want to replace it. But you deserve something pretty and I saw this and I thought it would look perfect on you," he said.

Edward removed the bracelet from the box and lightly held Bella's wrist to fasten the clasp.

"Put it on the same wrist," she whispered.

Edward placed the bracelet on her small wrist and looked back into her eyes.

"Happy Birthday, Bella."

:::

As Bella woke up one morning, she stretched her arms above her head while yawning and taking in the room before her. The cellar she had been stuck in for almost two months was exactly the same as it had always been however on this particular morning, she noticed something a little different.

She had been accustomed to waking up around the same time as Edward, and as they would both yawn and stretch and groan, they would mutter low good mornings to each other. This morning however, Edward sat staring at the yellow post-it note that kept their calendar up to date.

"Is everything okay?" Bella asked as she got up and headed towards him.

Edward turned his head to look at her then, not noticing she had woken up. He looked at her momentarily before turning his eyes back down toward the yellow note.

"Edward? Are you okay?"

As Bella leaned around Edward's shoulder, she noticed the date he was staring at but couldn't decipher why.

June 20th

"Edward...is there something wrong with June 20th?" Bella asked sceptically.

"It's my birthday today," he said plainly.

Bella looked up at him quickly and was immediately at a loss for words.

"Oh," she said.

Edward gave her a small smile but couldn't help the feeling that was rising in his chest. For the first time since he had gotten there, he felt completely hopeless. He had been stuck in that basement for almost two months now and the fact that it was his birthday made him all the more scared.

Bella didn't know what to do. She had been accustomed to Edward helping her feel better and now that she needed to help him, she didn't know what to do. She watched the sadness in his eyes and she wanted to make it all go away but she knew that today would be particularly difficult.

"Edward...I know that this isn't where you would want to celebrate your birthday but we can try and make the best of it..." she said, slowly.

"Bella...we're...trapped. We're trapped in a basement inside a house inside a...brick...wall. We're never getting out of here," Edward said shaking his head.

"Don't say that. They'll find us," Bella whispered.

"You don't know that."

Bella felt her heart sink.

"Edward...stop. Please. We can't think like that. If we do, we'll never get out of here," she said.

"I wonder if this is the last birthday I'll ever celebrate," Edward said, still staring at the post-it.

Bella felt the tears in her eyes.

"Edward... I need you to stay strong. If you lose faith than I'll lose faith and we'll just lose touch with reality. I don't want to accept this. I want to fight it. Okay?"

Edward said nothing. She looked at him as his hair hung in his eyes. Everything about him looked off. His hair was too long, he was too skinny, his clothes were too baggy, and she knew she had to do something. She had to make him feel better.

She needed to do it for them.

"Come with me," Bella said, taking him by the hand and leading him to her corner of the room. "It's your birthday, right? So let's just focus on that for a little while. Sit down."

As Edward sat down, Bella went to look around the room to see if she could find something to make Edward feel better.

Bella was able to roam freely now since the man decided that Bella's wrists no longer needed to be bound. He had told her that it made no difference since there was no way she was leaving. He therefore removed her ties and she marvelled at that small step forward as she massaged her wrists. Edward had bandaged her all up then so her wrists were nice and healed.

Because of this, she was able to manoeuvre quite easily around the room, frantically looking for something to improve Edward's mood on his birthday. As she was running out of ideas, she saw an old piece of rope on the floor by Edward's side of the room. She immediately went to grab it and twisted it in her hands so she could figure something out.

Suddenly a thought came to her. A thin piece of rope had come loose from the rest so she started to pull on it and it easily came undone. She held the thin piece of rope separate from the larger piece and approached Edward who was staring down at his hands.

She sat in front of him and placed her hand under his chin so he would look up at her.

"So I know this isn't the optimal place to be celebrating a birthday. And I know I'm not the person you would want to celebrate your birthday with but we'll make the best of this situation."

She gently moved the hair away from his eyes before grabbing his wrist and placing it in her lap. "I'm giving you a birthday present," she whispered. "It may not be the nicest bracelet but it comes from the heart."

She placed the rope around his wrist and tied it in a tight knot, making sure it wouldn't come undone.

"Edward, I'm only sixteen years old, so I haven't met all that many people; but I can say, from the bottom of my heart, that you are one of the most amazing people I have ever met. You're sweet and caring and you deserve so much more than being stuck in this crappy basement on your seventeenth birthday. And if we ever get out of here...I'll make it up to you. At some point...I don't know how or where but I will make this birthday up to you. So you can't be sad. Not today."

She paused for a second before continuing.

"This bracelet is so much more than a thin piece of rope. This bracelet is to remind you of everything you've ever done for me. The only reason I'm still sane right now is because of you. You're an amazing person and I don't want you to doubt that. Not even for a second."

"Bella..." Edward whispered.

"No, wait. I'm not finished. I want this bracelet to remind you not of this place, but of what this place means. Edward, I hate that we're here. I hate that we're stuck here but I love it here because I met you in the process. I don't know when we'll get out of here or even if we'll get out of here; but I want you for the time being to be able to look down at your wrist and know that you've changed my life for the better. Because you're a great person."

Edward looked at her then and realized just how amazing she was. He immediately pulled her to him and gave her a tight hug. She was so skinny – too skinny – so his arms wrapped completely around her but she was warm and her hug was tight yet gentle and he didn't want to let her go. And all of a sudden it didn't matter that he was spending his birthday away from his friends and family. All that mattered was that Bella had just said the nicest thing anyone has ever said to him and he was able to hold her in his arms.

When he released her he looked into her eyes before getting up and grabbing the thicker piece of discarded rope. He ripped off another thin piece and went to sit back in front of Bella.

"What..." Bella started.

He grabbed her wrist and placed it in his lap. "Bella, everything you just said...it was...just...thank you," he said. "And when I look down at this bracelet from now on I'm going to smile in comfort and I want the same for you."

Edward tied the piece of rope he had ripped off around her wrist and fastened it tightly so it would never fall off. "The only reason I can sit here with a smile on my face is because of you. And I know you're having a harder time with this but I want you to know that I will always be here for you. I'm sorry if I made you think otherwise today. There is nothing he can do to us that will ever take me away from you. And I want you to know that you are also one of the most amazing people I've ever met."

Edward hugged her again and Bella smiled into his t-shirt.

"Happy Birthday, Edward," she said.

As they sat enveloped in each others arms, Bella felt proud of herself because for the first time since they had gotten there she had been the one to do the soothing. She knew she needed Edward but she now realized Edward also needed her. And when she looked into his smiling face when they moved away from each other, she knew she was the one who had put that smile there.

And even though it was from an ugly bracelet made of a thin piece of rope that once held their hands bound in captivity, it didn't matter. It didn't matter because Edward was rubbing at his bracelet and Bella was rubbing at hers and they both felt reassured and comforted.

So...did you like the little story behind the bracelet? Let me know :)

I wanted to mention a few things if any of you are confused or wondering what's going on. There's a reason this story isn't labelled as Angst. I don't plan on droning on and on about how broken Bella is and how difficult it is for her to cope and blah blah. There are PLENTY of stories out there that deal with that and this isn't one of them. If Bella feels safe - if she's somewhere familiar with people she knows - all she really wants is to appear normal. They are both trying to blend back in and live their lives like they were. Yes, stuff has happened and will happen that force them to remember but all in all they are desperately trying to be 'normal'. This is why Bella is able to go shopping for a few hours with Rosalie and Alice - who she trusts. This is why she is able to spend an entire night, freely and comfortably at Edward's house. Because she's not nervous or afraid...she feels safe.

I just wanted to make that clear. I want you guys to really realize that they are not completely broken. They are suffering from this but they're getting over it together.

Review for teaser to Chapter 10 where Edward and Bella have dinner with Esme, Carlisle, and Charlie