Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer.

A/N: In case you missed it, there was an alternate POV/outtake posted on the companion story that featured Elizabeth's POV of the events Esme spoke of in the previous chapter.

Thanks to Juliegirl18 for beta'ing for me. Love you girlie!

"It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward."

Chinese Proverb

"Bella, are you sure they won't mind? I mean, I'm not their favorite person in the world right now, ya know?" Bella had called this morning and asked me to hang out with her and the girls along with Emmett and Jasper. None of them had spoken to me since Esme's birthday party and I couldn't very well blame them. I had fucked up and apologized to Bella almost every day since then, even after she told me she forgave me.

"It'll be alright, Edward. I told them you would be there tonight and while they weren't very happy about it, I told them to suck it up because I wanted you there," she said, laughing a bit at the end. I could imagine the looks on their faces when Bella told them I was hanging with them. She told me they had all but cursed her out and asked her if she was insane when she told them she had forgiven me and we were trying to be friends. The girls and Jasper, she said, were a little more understanding, but Emmett was a whole other story. He still wanted to kick my ass and based on the beating he gave me that night, I wasn't so sure I could stop him if I wanted to.

"I don't know. I really don't feel like having my ass kicked tonight," I said, trying to show amusement but not really feeling any.

"I talked to him, Edward. Emmett said he would behave. Besides, I really don't want to feel like the fifth wheel tonight. With Mike being out of town working I would be all alone without you there. You don't want me all alone do you, Edward?" I could practically see her biting her lip and flashing those sad brown eyes at me through the phone.

"Fine, but if I get my ass kicked you're playing nurse maid." We both laughed for a bit and then agreed that I would meet them downstairs in the bar around seven.

I was still positive that Mike was a cheating fucker but I had yet to find any definite proof. Not that I could do anything about it. If I brought this up to Bella, she would probably think that I was being a jealous asshole and that would just serve to push her further into his arms. I needed to let Bella figure out her life on her own. All I could do was be here for her when it all fell apart.

/CSA\\CSA/CSA\\

I walked downstairs around seven thirty to find everyone had already arrived. I had almost decided to not come down in fear of an ass kicking, but figured Bella would have come up eventually to drag me down here. When she spotted me, Bella came over swiftly, hugging me tightly.

"Had to talk yourself into coming down, huh?" she whispered in my ear. I pulled back from her and nodded while she laughed. She took my hand in hers and led me over to the table where the others were sitting. I smiled at everyone and they all smiled back at me, but no one spoke. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Alice stood up from the other side of the table and walked over to me.

"Hello. I'm Alice, Bella's best friend," she said, holding her hand out for me to shake it. I looked at her completely confused but still shook her hand.

"Umm, okay," I said laughing. Everyone else looked just as confused as I did so I wasn't alone.

"Alice, what the fuck are you doing? I think he already knows who you are," Emmett said angrily. Alice looked over at me and smiled once she had already taken her seat again.

"I know he knows who I am. But since he wanted to make a new start I figured I would help him out. Besides, I have never been introduced to Edward, only E.J.," she told him confidently. Everyone at the table agreed and went around introducing themselves to me again. Honestly, it felt great that they were giving me another chance. I couldn't blame them if they hated me forever for what I did to Bella, but they were willing and so was I.

"Look man. I still fucking hate what you did to her, but if she trusts you again who am I to stand in her way? But you remember that ass kicking I gave you?" Emmett asked me and I nodded my head, swallowing hard. "That wasn't shit compared to what I'll do if you hurt her again."

After several rounds of shots and a few beers a piece, it was very evident that the girls were slightly tipsy. Rose and Alice had drug Bella to the middle of the floor a few minutes ago and were currently grinding all over one another to some song. I tried to adjust myself under the table discreetly but smirked when I noticed Emmett and Jasper having to do the same thing.

A few minutes later the girls stumbled over to the bar and ordered another round of frilly, girly drinks and made their way back to the table. Before Bella could make it to her seat, she stumbled over her own feet, bumping into Rose and causing Alice, who was behind her, to dump her drink all over Bella's back.

"Oh, that's so cold," Bella squealed as she stood beside me. I couldn't help but laugh at her as she danced around trying to free the ice from down the back of her dress.

"Edward, do you think I could go upstairs and clean up a little bit?" she asked me. I nodded and threaded her arm through mine. Alice and Rose had all but passed out leaning on Jasper and Emmett in the span of just a few moments.

"I think I'm gonna go ahead and take this one home," Emmett said, nodding at Rose who was swaying back and forth.

"Yeah me too," Jasper said, "you can make sure she gets home alright can't you, Edward?"

"Yeah, sure. You know I will. See you guys later," I told them as I headed to the door leading to the stairs. The cold drink spilled over Bella must have sobered her up a bit because she didn't seem quite as tipsy as she had earlier. Opening the door to my apartment, I ushered Bella inside and locked the door behind us. I usually didn't like to leave it unlocked while the bar was open because I wasn't sure some drunk ass wouldn't come stumbling up here looking for a damn bathroom or something.

"So, you know where the bathroom is. Why don't you go ahead and get cleaned up and I'll grab us a couple drinks?" She nodded her head and whispered okay as she made her way to the bathroom down the hall. I grabbed a couple of beers out of the fridge, placing them on the small side table in the living room. I slipped off the button up I had put on before going down stairs which left me wearing the t-shirt I had put on underneath it.

I took a long swig of my beer and leaned back on the couch, closing my eyes and relaxing for a bit. I didn't know how long I sat there, but a throat clearing in the room made me open my eyes.

Holy fuck.

Bella was standing in the doorway of my living room wearing my shirt. She was wearing nothing but my shirt. I don't know whether I was praying that she was wearing panties under that shirt or praying that she wasn't. I let my eyes trail all the way up her long, creamy legs, until my eyes finally met hers. She was smiling shyly and nibbling on her bottom lip in the way that would succeed in making me rock hard if only I wasn't already by just the site of her in only my shirt.

"I found this in the bathroom. I hope you don't mind, but my dress was entirely too wet and uncomfortable to put back on," she said as she walked over and sat down beside me on the couch.

"Believe me, I have no problem with what you're wearing right now," I said before downing what was left of my beer. I closed my eyes and tried to gain some control, but all was lost when I heard Bella moan from beside me. I opened my eyes widely and looked over to her; she had her eyes closed and licked her lips after just downing almost the entire beer I had gotten for her.

"Holy shit," I mumbled to myself and ran my hands through my hair roughly. I had to gain some control before I threw Bella down on the couch and fucked her into oblivion before I even realized it. I stood up quickly and walked over to where my guitar was standing.

"Oh, are you gonna play for me? You know, you never got around to doing that," she said as she twirled a piece of hair around her finger. I had no idea if Bella knew she was being so damn sexy or if she was just acting under the influence.

"Yeah, sure," I agreed. "Why don't we play a little game. I'll play a little bit of a song and you guess what it is, okay?" Bella squealed a little bit and clapped her hands in a fashion that definitely told me she had been hanging around Alice a little too much lately. I picked up my guitar and sat down at the end of the couch. Bella turned her body and faced me, flashing me what was underneath my shirt and yes, thankfully she was wearing panties. I shook my head trying to clear it as I strummed the guitar a few times.

"What's that? I don't know that one?" Bella said in all seriousness. I laughed and shook my head.

"Patience woman. I was just getting the feel for it. I haven't even started yet." She stuck her tongue out at me and I did the same. I tried to think of an easy song to play for her that she would get. I smiled widely and began to play the song.

"Oh!" she screamed. "I know that one! Sweet Home Alabama!" I laughed and nodded my head and she did a quick fist-pump, excited that she had gotten it right. I began to play the next song and was only able to get a few notes out before she was screaming out the answer again.

"Enter Sandman!" she squealed and I cocked my eyebrow at her, wondering how she knew that one so quickly.

"What? My dad was a big fan of Metallica," she said laughing. I was glad thinking about her father hadn't brought her mood down but had made her smile at the memory. I chose another Metallica song for her figuring she would definitely know this one.

"Edward, really? The Unforgiven. Come on, give me something a little challenging," she said, folding her arms across her chest. This did nothing but raise the shirt from her thighs and gave me more than a glimpse at the little panties she was wearing. It was putting them on full display. I forced my eyes down to my fingers on the strings and racked my brain for a song that might stump her. As I played the song, Bella nibbled her lip and tilted her head sideways trying to figure it out.

"I know I know this one, I just can't remember the name of it. It's really beautiful, I know that much," she said as I continued to play.

"It's Angel Eyes by Jeff Healey," I told her as I ended the impromptu game. I went to put the guitar away, but Bella moved over beside me. She laid a hand on my knee and smiled at me.

"Do you think you could teach me how to play? I mean, I know I won't be as good as you, but could you?" I raised my eyebrows at her trying to figure out if she was serious.

"Really? Right now?" I asked her and she nodded her head. I slid completely back on the couch and Bella sat perched in between my spread legs. I was silently willing my dick to stay calm, but when Bella leaned back into me there was no stopping the moan that escaped my mouth. Bella ignored my response, thankfully, and settled in front of me. I placed the guitar in her hands and wrapped my arms around her, showing her where to place her fingers on the strings.

"This one goes here, and this one here," I whispered to her while placing her fingers in the right positions. I brushed her hair to the side so I could see where I was placing her fingers, but not before breathing in deeply a smell that could only be described as delicious. Before I could lean back Bella had turned her head towards me and kissed me gently. We both pulled away, already breathing heavily just from the feeling of being this close to one another again.

Suddenly we were kissing again and I reached around her and grabbed my guitar, placing it on the floor before it fell and broke her from this spell that she was under. Once the guitar was no longer in her lap, Bella turned around and straddled my lap, not breaking the kiss for a second. She reached down between us and grabbed the hem of my shirt and we broke away only long enough for me to pull it off and toss it across the room.

I grabbed her face between my hands and pulled her to me in another heated kiss. She was grinding all over my cock and I was afraid I was gonna come in my pants soon if she kept it up. Bella's hands went up to my hair and pulled on it a little roughly, and I moved my mouth to her neck, biting down slightly. She moaned and continued to grind against me as I moved to kiss along her chest while I slowly unbuttoned the shirt and pulled it open. Holy fuck, she isn't wearing a bra.

I bent down and gently flicked one of her nipples with my tongue while my fingers lightly pinched the other.

"Fuck, Edward. God that feels so good," she moaned as she continued grinding her pussy in my lap. I pulled her nipple into my mouth and slowly ran my hand across her lower stomach, making my way to the edge of those oh so small panties she was currently wearing.

Suddenly the sounds of our moaning and breathing were interrupted by the shrill ringing of a phone. Bella pulled away from me and widened her eyes. No, no, no. Stay with me baby. Don't do this.

"Oh God, Edward. I am so sorry. I can't do this. I won't do this to him," she said, tears building up in her eyes. I stood up beside her and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"It's okay, baby. I understand," I whispered to her. Even though I am almost completely sure the fucker is probably doing the same thing to you, I can't let you feel bad about this.

"I should probably go now," she said, trying to gather her things and moving towards the door.

"No. You are in no condition to drive. You can stay here. I'll sleep on the couch and you can have the bed. I'm just gonna go change while you find out who that was calling you," I said, placing another kiss on her forehead. She nodded her head at me before I headed to the shower to take care of my "situation".

I walked back into the living room after taking a shower and putting on some pajama pants to find Bella curled up into a ball on the couch, fast asleep. I bent down and picked her up gently, carrying her back to my bedroom. I placed her down in the bed and pulled the covers up around her. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, I brushed a stray hair out of her face. She was so beautiful while she slept. Not that she wasn't always, it's just that she looked so peaceful, not a worry in the world. I bent down and placed a gentle, sweet kiss on her puckered lips.

"I love you, Bella," I whispered to her, daring to finally say out loud the words that I had been saying in my thoughts for months now.