There was a bit of delay getting this one out, but thankfully, not as long as the last LOL! Sickness just keeps on hitting us hard and I'm getting further and further behind so please, bear with me until I can get things back on track.

For those that have reviewed, I am so sorry! I assure you all that I've read them but I just haven't had time to actually sit down and reply to them all. Someone pointed out that they were confused because they had thought Bella had told Emmett about her addiction early on in the story. That never happened. She simply said that she sympathized with the family's pain regarding Edward's addiction so I apologize for any confusion.

We are getting closer to the prologue and I'm beyond excited about that!

One last thing and then I'll shut my trap, I swear! A few have questioned me as to whether I plan to continue my other fic, Break Even. I HAVE NOT abandoned it. Writer's block has been a cold-hearted bitch where that is concerned and of course, Addictward isn't helping with all his damn nagging to get this fic out. I'm nearly done with the update for BE and it will be a doozy. Once I get that fricking chapter out, the updating should return back to normal. I apologize and hopefully you all are still with me *bites nails*

Now, back to the task at hand, here's the update. See y'all at the bottom!

BPOV

So things didn't go according to plan. I was supposed to have gone shopping with Esme on Monday. I could have been wrong, but something in my gut told me that my choosing to stay home and cook for Edward had something to do with why she and I were just now getting ready to go shopping.

A fucking week later.

Honestly, I wouldn't have changed my decision to miss their huge cookout for anything. I wasn't about to accept an invitation to something like that when Edward was sitting not ten feet from me. Emmett's blatant show of resentment was like rubbing it in Edward's face that I was acceptable to them, but he—one of their own flesh and blood—was not. I wasn't going to stoop to their level, and I never would.

Besides, Edward and I had a blast, once our damned hangovers passed, anyway. We'd laughed hysterically at the abomination of a TV stand that Edward had constructed the night before. What he'd failed to realize in his inebriated state that night was that the pieces were, in fact, labeled. Only, it wasn't with a sticker. They had been mechanically labeled with some kind of machine having printed the letters on the sides of the wood. Of course, he'd tried to blame all that shit on me, but in classic Bella Swan fashion—yes, I sometimes speak in third person—I reamed his ass for that. After it was finally completed, he took it upon himself to call a guy he knew who came over and installed a satellite dish for me and hooked me up with all the channels for free. Sure, it was illegal, but hey, I didn't give a fuck. People did that kind of thing all the time, so don't judge me.

We'd sat around the TV all damn day watching old school cartoons, such as the Smurfs, simply because there wasn't shit else on, and quite frankly, I didn't have the patience to explain to him everything about LOST. He'd literally begged to watch it, and after turning it on for twenty minutes and being asked a thousand fucking questions, I eighty-sixed that shit.

Eventually, Edward had to leave because after having taken an important phone call, he claimed he had to go. I knew what that meant. If he was mixed up in the kind of thing I was two years back, he was called out to do a job for his—air quotes—employer, which brought me to my current state of mind.

Frazzled.

I hadn't heard a word from him since , and to be honest, I was worried out of my fucking mind and pissed off beyond belief at him. I could understand that he got wrapped up in whatever the hell they had him doing, but I expected for him to at least text me. I mean, I thought he and I had bonded and that we'd actually become quite close over those couple of days, but his lack of content was starting to make me think otherwise. And I was worried because Lord only knows what the fuck else could have possibly happened to him.

My thoughts were immediately interrupted by the soft knocking at my front door. Knowing it was Esme, I quickly grabbed up my purse and keys before opening the door.

"Bella!" she sang sweetly with a genuine smile on her face. "Are you ready to go?"

"Sure." I smiled back. Esme looked over my shoulder in what seemed to be curiosity.

"Is that a kitchen table?" she questioned, taking a step inside.

"Yep."

"Where on earth did you get that? It's beautiful! I love the espresso stain; it'll go perfectly with what I had in mind for your home."

"Actually, Edward went with me to Wal-Mart last week, and then set it up for me. We also picked up a TV and TV stand."

Her eyes cut to me in surprise. "Really? Well that was really nice of him. You two did a great job of picking the pieces out."

"Thanks," I murmured as she stepped back outside. I had to admit, I was a little thrown off that she hadn't said anything against him and that she, instead, praised him.

Maybe there was a shred of hope in Esme after all.

*~C&B~*

Hours later, after having shopped every furniture store that Seattle and Port Angeles had to offer, I'd managed to purchase an entire bedroom ensemble, comforter set, couch, coffee and end tables, plus various other decorations. All that remained to be bought were area rugs and wall art. I thought we'd done amazing with what time we'd had , and Esme was pure genius with fucking awesome taste. I couldn't wait to see everything in my house.

At the moment, she and I were waiting for our table at a little restaurant in Port Angeles called Bella Italia. How Esme knew I had a weakness for Italian food was beyond me. Okay, maybe it was just a lucky guess, but a damn good one.

While we waited, I pulled my phone from my purse for what seemed to be the umpteenth time that day, just checking to see if Edward had happened to finally send a text, but no such luck. However, there was one from Alice, asking if it would be all right for her to stop by tonight so that she and I could talk. I figured that I needed to get that shit over with and patch things up with her. I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't still bothering the ever loving piss out of me that she and I had had a falling out, regardless of what the circumstance for said argument were. I texted her back, letting her know to be there around seven, and to go alone.

"Bella?" Esme asked softly from beside me as I glanced over at her. "How is he?"

I didn't want to give her an easy way out. I wanted her to say his name without me just assuming, so I arched a brow in question.

"Edward. How is he, really?"

"He's good, Esme. Though, if you really wanted to know, I don't see why you won't call him and ask him yourself. Or at least stop by and visit with him for a while."

"Sweetheart, it's not that I don't want to see my son, or that I don't care. I realize how and why you assume that, but I promise you, that's not it. I miss him with every fiber of my being, but to see the toll the drugs are taking on him breaks my heart. He looks nothing like the handsome boy I raised."

"Then why not check on him, keep in touch, let him know you still care? Why not offer or try to talk him into accepting help? Right now, all you're doing is giving him more reason to want to indulge in the drugs. I don't mean any disrespect, but you all treat him as if he carries some highly contagious, terminal disease and that's doing nothing for him. He needs the love of his family and from what I've seen, he's receiving everything but."

I watched as she hung her head shamefully, shaking it slowly back and forth.

"I've tried, Bella. When I told you that you and Carlisle would butt heads, I meant it. I butt heads with him on a daily basis. I'm not as naïve as he believes me to be. I know that there is something he's holding inside that he won't tell me about, and I know that it revolves around Edward. I've tried sending him birthday cards or gifts during Christmas, but once Carlisle discovered them, he put a stop to it and began monitoring all of my purchases. He's literally forbade me from having a relationship with my son. Do I resent him for that? Of course I do, but when I married him, I made a vow to stick by him in sickness and in health, for better and for worse. To turn my back on him now, especially when Alice and Emmett believe as he does, would be like giving up my entire family. I can't do that. They look to me as their rock, the foundation of our small family, and I refuse to let them down."

"Don't you see, Esme? You're failing Edward. He's part of your family. He's your son, and right now, he needs you more than Carlisle, Alice, and Emmett put together. You've shunned him simply because you're too afraid to go against them. Why are you letting Carlisle control you like this? I love him like a second father, just as I love you like my own mother, but I won't let him control me. I'm not going to let him get in the way of me being there for Edward. Not when I seem to be the only one who gives a damn. Everyone keeps saying that he's changed. That he's dangerous. A loser. A low-life. While I'll admit that he does have a drug problem, he's still Edward. I can still see the little boy I grew up with inside of him, and if I turn my back on him now, it's the same as turning my back on my best friend so many years ago. I won't do it. He's caring, he's funny, and dammit, he loves and misses you all so much that it literally makes me sick. My heart breaks for him because I know he's hurting. And I know that if he knew I was talking with you about all of this, he'd have a coronary, but I can't go without saying something."

"What do you want from me, Bella?" Esme huffed in frustration, as the hostess approached us, letting us know that our table was ready.

Once we sat down and had placed the order for our drinks, I folded my arms on the table and looked at Esme earnestly.

"Listen, I'm not asking you to completely change overnight or to forget about the damage he's doing to his body. All I'm asking is that you at least try to extend a hand to him, let him know that he still has a mother who cares for him. That's all, because right now, I'm all he fucking has, and I'm sorry, but it just isn't right. One of these days, he may decide to get clean and if that day comes, all of you are going to regret how you've treated him. The mere fact that any of you could have accused him of murder, and still believe him guilty of it even after having been found innocent, is unforgivable in my eyes. That is the deepest form of betrayal I can think of, and although I don't know what all went on, I can guarantee that something else happened within this family before any of that ever came about."

"You're right, but just between you and I, and you can even pass it on to Edward, I never believed him to be guilty of murdering that wretched girl. I know my son, and I know he doesn't have it in him to do that to someone he loves. And on the same note, I guarantee you that whatever Carlisle has kept hidden from me explains all that happened around that period of time. Whether Alice or Emmett know, I have no idea, but I do know that Alice is probably the most resentful of Edward, next to Carlisle. Emmett was like me for a time. He and Jasper both. They wanted to try and help Edward in any way they could, but the weight and pressure of Carlisle and Alice's ruthless accusations took its toll, and they just couldn't keep up the fight anymore. We were getting nowhere with Edward and he was just going further and further downhill. Emmett and Rose were beginning to hurt financially from the countless times Emmett had loaned him money and bailed him out, and Alice and Jasper were nearing divorce when Jasper finally caved and went along with what Alice believed. Now, they all whole-heartedly think the absolute worst of Edward, and no matter how I tried, I couldn't make them see reason. They believe I cry and went on depression and anxiety medication because of what Edward had done, but that wasn't it at all. That all came from the stress and heartache it put on me by estranging myself from my son."

Tears freely rolled down her cheeks now, and I actually felt bad for having put this sweet woman through that, but when I thought about the look of pain etched in Edward's eyes, all guilt went out the fucking window.

"Esme, if I were to set up a time at my house where I cooked dinner, do you think you'd want to come over and maybe reconnect with Edward? At least for one night? I really think it would mean the world to him. No one would know but us."

"Bella, I would honestly love that, but I know Carlisle. He'd drive by your place, see mine and Edward's cars, and put two and two together. He doesn't trust me."

"That can be easily avoided. All we need to do is have Edward stay with me that night. I'd go pick him up so that on the outside of my house, if someone were to drive by, it would just look like you were here helping me get things in order."

"Let me just think about it okay, honey? I do want you to know how grateful I truly am that he at least has you in his corner. It's about time that he actually finds someone decent to associate himself with."

Judging from her tone of voice, it seemed that Esme was insinuating something along the lines of Edward and I actually being together. There was only one thing worse than her assumption; I found myself liking the idea of it.

"Oh, no!" I laughed. "Esme, we're not…we haven't…I'm just a friend," I told her with a nervous smile, stumbling over my words.

Esme smiled and raised her brow at me. "Well honey, be that as it may, that doesn't mean anything because if you two aren't together yet, you will be soon."

She winked.

Edward's mother, Esme, just fucking winked at me.

After suggesting that I would be—air quotes—getting together with her son soon.

What the hell kind of mind-fuckery was this? Why the fuck would Esme give a shit if Edward and I happened to get together? I mean, sure, she'd just spilled about how she wanted to reconnect with him, but playing matchmaker was way too fucking fast and honestly, she had no right. And another thing, if the ass ever decided to fucking contact me, there was no way in hell that I was telling him about the mistake she'd just made. He'd not only have a field day with it at my expense, but I just knew it would make him start questioning whether it was a good idea to be hanging around me so much, being in the business he was in and all.

"So, how's Renee?"

My train of rampant thoughts stopped cold. Renee. Otherwise known as my deadbeat mother.

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"Oh, Bella, I'm sorry. I didn't realize. I thought things were okay between you two," Esme said softly, reaching across the table and taking hold of my hand tightly.

"When she left Dad, she left me as well. I haven't seen her since the day she abandoned us, and I don't care to. Charlie and I did just fine without her," I mumbled, perusing over my menu and avoiding eye contact with her. This was one of those things that I hadn't anticipated being asked about or having to explain. Hell, I hadn't even told Edward but then again, he'd been through so much shit himself that he probably just knew without my saying anything.

"I'm sure you did, Bella, but no child, no woman should have to grow up without their mother in their lives. I understand that this is difficult for you, and that in some cases, the absence of a mother can't be helped, but to know that Renee had a choice and opted out royally pisses me off."

"Forgive me for what I'm about to say, Esme, but…that's awfully hypocritical to be coming from you."

"Okay, I know I haven't been the best mother to, Edward. Hell, I've hardly been one at all the past few years, but I intend to try and rectify that as much as I can."

"Fine. Whatever happened to our house after we moved? Is it still standing?" I asked with a small smile, hoping to alleviate a bit of the tension that now surrounded us.

"I kind of figured you might ask about the house at some point," Esme told me with a knowing smile. "Someone bought it shortly after you and Charlie moved. However, about four years ago, that family moved off to New York or something like that. The house was only on the market for two days before it was sold. The odd part of all that was, no one ever moved in."

"So you don't know who bought the house?"

"I do, and I only found out because I've got girl friends in real estate."

"Well who was it?" I asked with a laugh, quickly growing frustrated with the way she was beating around the fucking bush.

"I think that's something you might want to ask Edward."

I could feel my eyes narrow at her as I took in what she'd said. At that precise time, the waitress came around with our food. Once she left, I picked up my fork and scoffed. "If you're trying to tell me that Edward actually bought my old house, the jokes over, Esme."

"Well, I can't say for sure whether he still owns it or if he put it back on the market. My guess would be that he still owns it because it's looking rather neglected. Or at least it was the last time I drove past."

Without even realizing it, I dropped my fork onto my plate with a clang. "Why the hell would he do something like that?"

"Like I said, ask him, Bella. I never questioned him, and to be perfectly honest, he may not even remember his reasons anymore considering that this was something he did so long ago and when he wasn't on the damn drugs."

"Esme, he's still Edward, and his brain is still functioning. Jesus, just because he's on drugs doesn't make him a fucking invalid."

~*C&B*~

Needless to say, it wasn't long before I found myself holed up back inside my house. The conversation between Esme and I had finished on a somewhat good note as we'd changed the subject to Charlie and the reasons as to why he refused to date. More likes, reasons that—after adding them all up—amounted to him just being fucking lazy as all hell.

What was even fucking weirder was that while driving back home, it turned out that Edward was still alive after all. How did I come to that conclusion? The little shit finally fucking texted. What did he say?

Oh, just that he was hungry and hoped it might be okay for him to come by for dinner.

Seriously? I mean come on! I know that I had pretty much told him that it was perfectly fine for him to come over for dinner every night, but what the fuck? He hadn't even so much as said hi, much less texted it, for going on a week now. I'd called and texted, but he'd remained silent. And it wasn't that I was being possessive or clingy; fuck, I wasn't even his damn girlfriend. I was just worried about him, and considering that he had no one, that only worried me more.

Was I going to be friendly when I did see him next? Of course, but I would be a bitch from hell first.

Surely, he was smart enough to realize that my short and to the point reply was out of character. I wanted him to know that I was pissed before I saw him.

Wow. Just fucking wow. I'm busy right now. Alice is stopping by later. I'll give you a call when she leaves…that is, if you'll actually answer your fucking phone. – BS

Minutes after pocketing my phone, it had dinged again and this time caught Esme's attention.

"Something wrong, Bella?"

Just for the sake of not having to talk about Edward with her more, I lied and said it was Charlie asking where I'd put the toilet bowl cleaner. In all honesty, it wasn't really that big of a lie since he had called me about that exact thing this morning. I desperately needed to set some time aside and call the old man because I needed his advice and an ear. The animosity and tension with the Cullens, me, and Edward was really starting to take its toll. Don't get me wrong; I didn't regret anything I'd done, and I wasn't giving up on Edward. I just needed to vent a little and my Dad was the only person I knew would listen.

I shook myself from my thoughts and turned my attention back to my phone to see what the fucker, a.k.a Edward, had sent back.

Fuck. I deserved that. I promise I'll answer my phone. And Doll, I'm sorry. –EC

Save it, Cullen. I'll talk to you later. –BS

After sending the text, I turned my phone to off and slid it into my purse. I needed time to mull over exactly what I was going to say to Alice, and now—thanks to Edward—I was going to have to add thinking about how to handle his absence when I talked to him later tonight. I didn't want to come down on him so harshly that he felt cornered and pulled away from me completely, but I needed to be firm enough to make him aware of the fact that I actually gave a fuck about what happened to him and that he couldn't just up and disappear on me like that and assume it was okay.

"Esme, I just want you to know that it means the world to me that you came and helped. I never would have been able to get all this done and made all these choices without you. Thank you."

What? I could be fucking civil and appreciative when I wanted to be.

"You're welcome, honey. I know things have been rather,well…tense, since you moved here, but I understand why you're angry and feel the way that you do, though I can't say I'm as clear on why you understand Edward so well. I promise you that I'm not going to let it interfere in me getting to know my daughter again, and yes, that's how I see you, Bella, despite everything. That's how I've always seen you. It wasn't just your heart that broke when you and Charlie left us so many years ago."

Okay, remember when I said that I didn't cry easily? Apparently, my defenses were useless against Esme. What she'd said hit home, and it hit hard. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, not having a mother around growing up fucking sucked, but I'd always tried to put up a tough front, as though it didn't really affect me. That Charlie was enough, but truth was, just like Esme had said earlier, every girl needed her mother.

Things had just gotten a whole hell of a lot more complicated, because while protecting and being there for Edward was my top priority, I now couldn't bring myself to hurt Esme. I'm sure it certifies me as fucking insane, but I actually needed her. So how the fuck was I supposed to deal with that and still remain firm on my views regarding Edward?

A/N: So, let me have it. More confusion for Bella, a bit of a rift with Edward, and Alice didn't speak her peace this chapter like I had promised. Bella and Esme's talk kinda went longer than I anticipated, but next chapter will pick up with Alice.

Question: Is there anything that has been skipped over or briefly summarized in the fic that any of you would like to see elaborated or explained? I don't want this to come across as too rushed or for anyone to be left confused about anything LOL.

Leave some love ;D

PS. Really quick, here's a few fics that currently OWN me:

Sperm Donor Wanted by OzellaMarie

The Biology Project by solostintwilight

Metal Pointe by Bnjwl & TheOnlyKyla

About Last Night by EternallyCullen