CHAPTER 21

A/N: She still owns everything.

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Here. We. Go.

Edward POV

I go to my room when Nessie and Bella leave. Watching them go was hard. I just stood there, waving at my daughter, as the car pulled away. I was screaming inside for them not to go - to stay, but I won't say it. The fact remains that Bella doesn't want to stay. She doesn't want me. I'm not sure why she was receptive to me in the woods, or why she asked me to stay at her house, it is so contrary to all of her other actions.

She's a vampire now. Vampires have a need for...um...relations that is only eclipsed by the need for blood. The fact that I was without a mate and did not take a lover for so many years is extremely rare for our kind. I suppose Bella simply had a need for someone. I was there. That is all it was. Right?

I know I'm like a zombie. I don't feel anything. I don't really hear or pay attention to anyone's mind. The only thing that brings me out of my stupor is Renesmee.

I am brought out of my thoughts when I hear Rose raising her voice. I look at the door and sit on my bed, trying not to listen, but unable to stop myself.

"Tanya, you know I love you, but what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Tanya sounds aggravated. She's gotten good at hiding her thoughts, and I hear nothing, even when I am concentrating on it. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about, Rosalie."

"Keep your damn hands off my brother. He belongs with Bella and his daughter. If he were interested in you, you would have had him a long time ago." I furrow my brow. Rose thinks I belong with Bella? After she helped her leave me?

"You helped her leave him, Rose. You sent her to us."

"We both know she wasn't leaving to leave him, Tanya. She was doing what she felt she had to be done to protect Renesmee. She was wrong. So was I."

"The fact remains she didn't contact him to tell him about their daughter. Seems to me that makes him available. Besides, he isn't wearing a ring."

Rosalie's voice is scathing, "Fuck the ring, Tanya. Edward will always be Bella's. Just like she'll always be his. Leave my brother alone, and stop trying to slide in there. Even if he ever turned to you, which he won't, it would only be a rebound."

I want to tell them not to fight, but I can't move. I'm surprised Rose would want to protect Bella and me. She was never our advocate in the past. I suspect Tanya was lying about Bella not being able to wait to get away from me based on the fact she didn't bring it up with Rosalie. Tanya sounds hopeful that I'm 'available'...does that mean she thinks there is a chance we'll get together? Because Rose is right. It is not going to happen. It didn't happen before Bella. It sure as hell will not be happening now.

I replay Rose's words in my head, when she said that Bella wasn't really leaving me. She was protecting Ness...

I shake my head and lay down, staring at the ceiling. More confused than ever.

Emmett POV

It's been a couple days since Nessie's piano lesson. Edward hasn't left his room. The family knows there has been some seriously complicated shit going on between him and Bella, so we just leave him alone. Tanya of course sees it as her chance to swoop in and has tried coaxing him out. It hasn't worked. Tanya is like another sister to me in a lot of ways, but she needs to go. She isn't helping. At all.

I decide I'll give Edward today. Then I'm going in to tell him how it is. Better me than Rose, and she's chomping at the bit. She'd lay into him and probably just piss him off. He may go off on me, but he may listen. When I get serious, people usually do.

I'm sitting on the couch, flipping through channels, when I hear his door open. I glance at the stairs, hoping he'll come down, but not wanting to make a big deal if he does. I see Alice and Rose look up from their girlie magazines across the room. Tanya jumps up and starts moving toward the door.

"Sit down, Tanya." I say in an uncharacteristically hard voice. She looks at me startled. "I'll be damned if I'm going to let you scare him back into hiding. I need to speak with my brother." She frowns but turns back to whatever it is she was doing.

Carlisle and Esme are gone, and Jasper is on the back porch, fiddling with his guitar. Alice nods at me when I make the decision to take Edward hunting. She says really quietly, "That's best."

I grin in appreciation, knowing she has seen the outcome, unless something changes. "Thanks, Pix."

I hear Edward step off the last stair, but I don't want to jump on him, so I wait. He comes into the living room and looks around. He must catch Tanya's thought because he looks ready to bolt.

"Ed, you want to go for a hunt with me, man?" I ask casually.

He looks grateful and nods. I stand up and walk over to kiss Rose, telling her I'll be back. She gives me a look that says don't fuck this up. Gee, thanks, wife. No pressure or anything.

She smiles, "You guys take your time." I look at her questioningly. What is she up to? She just smiles bigger. "See you later, Emm." I smile at Alice who has a faraway look in her eyes and is grinning. Yep. They are up to something.

Edward and I step out onto the back porch. I'm glad Tanya left him alone. He's in a bad enough mood without her help. Jasper looks up at us and gives a wave, before turning his attention back to his guitar. Alice didn't tell him to come with us, so I guess it won't be that bad.

We walk to the edge of the woods. I look over at Edward, "You alright, bro?" He nods and we both take off running. We don't say anything for hours. We focus on the hunt.

We finally slow down when we're both satisfied. Edward is quiet, but he seems better after drinking. I break the silence. "So what were Ali and Rose up to?"

He shrugs, "They were reciting designer names and how to apply make-up in their minds."

"Edward, I know everything with Bella and Ness is between the three of you and it's none of my business, but I need to say some things."

He doesn't look thrilled, but nods for me to go on.

"This whole situation sucks, I realize that. But bro, you have to fight for what you want. We all know you want Bella." He squeezes his eyes closed, so I keep talking before he can interject. "For arguments sake, let's say you don't. Fine. You have a child together. An amazing child who loves both of you. You two need to put all the bullshit aside and be friendly, work together for her sake."

To my amazement, Edward doesn't argue with me. He just nods and says quietly, "You're right."

Okay, so the most important point was made. Now it's time to go for the zinger. I'm sure this part will piss him off..."You love Bella. She loves you. We all noticed your ring is gone physically, but you still feel it on your finger, don't you? You aren't just going to let her go after all this. You waited YEARS for her, Edward. You've spent the last two never giving up on her, why the hell would you give up now?"

"She doesn't want me." He mutters. "She doesn't trust me. She lost faith in me two years ago."

"Bullshit. She was just as scared as you were back then. You pushed her away, so she reacted. You can't put it all on Bella. You two will never be over. The sooner you both get over yourselves and admit it, the happier all of us will be."

He is narrowing his eyes and looks like he's about to go off. I put my hand up. "Don't say anything, Edward. Just mull it over. I'd be a shitty brother if I didn't tell you the truth as I see it."

And with that, I turn and head back to the house.

Bella POV

The days after the piano lesson are relatively quiet. Renesmee never asks or speaks about Edward around me. We've been spending our days at the bookstore while Jake works at the shop down the street. Renesmee has been reading cookbooks and insists on trying to make dinner most evenings, with Jacob's help of course. During the day we all pretend things are normal. It's only at night when they're both asleep that I allow myself to think of Edward.

When I'm sure Renesmee is asleep in her room and Jake is snoring downstairs on the couch, I sit on my bed. My entire room still smells like Edward. Now that I'm certain we don't have a future, I've been going through the stages of grief. I've gone through denial, anger, and bargaining. Depression has been more tricky, but I'm moving on to acceptance.

As I have every night since I first saw Edward and Tanya in the living room of the Cullen house together last week, I'm wallowing in self pity. The contents of the fated honeymoon suitcase are surrounding me on the bed. Bathing suits, lingerie, my favorite pajamas from high school. Laid out in a circle around me are the photos of Edward and I on the island. Mostly just Edward... I tell myself this is sick and twisted, but can't help it. I want to remember what I had. What I gave up for what I thought was right.

Tonight will be my last night, though. I tell myself that I have to move on, like he has. Everything will be packed up before dawn and I'll finally get rid of it all. Burn it or something, I don't know. I just can't keep doing this to myself.

I open the drawer of my bedside table and pull out the small jewelry box. It contains only one thing. As I slip it onto my finger for the first time since I walked out of the Cullen house over two years ago, a sound comes from the doorway of my room.

"Sorry, I knocked but no one came. And I knew you were awake. Obviously."

Rosalie moves across the room to my bed and sits down, carefully moving a black bikini out of her way. She picks up one of the pictures surrounding me and looks it over carefully.

"I keep telling Emmett to take me back to the island, but he doesn't like the game around there."

When she finally looks up at me, she smiles apologetically. "I said I was sorry Bella. I came to talk to you. And this," she sweeps her arm across the air over the piles of things on the bed, "this is unhealthy. You two have taken this too far."

She's right, obviously, so I don't try to deny it.

"Bella, you still love Edward. If you didn't, you wouldn't be doing this." She waves her arm in the air again.

I cut my eyes away from her, focusing on how heavy the ring feels on my finger. "I was saying goodbye. You should give this to him, I'm sure he wants it. It was his mom's and all..." my voice trails off as I look up at Rosalie.

Rose glares at me, "Bella! You are kidding, right? You want me to give Edward back your ring? What is this? Grade school? You two seriously need to grow the fuck up, or grow a pair, or something."

I can't think of anything to say, and when I don't speak she continues.

"You both are ridiculous! Edward broods in his room for days. You are obviously not doing much better here. You are both a mess without the other and neither of you do anything about it. Why not? You really don't want him anymore, Bella? And Tanya! I let her have it this morning. Edward was too out of it to tell her to keep her damn paws to herself, even though he was clearly uncomfortable. So I told her he's yours. And he is, Bella. He'll always be. So you have to decide if you are going to take him, or let him go. No assuming, no guessing. You and he have a conversation and get closure if that's what you want. Then you have to be friendly to each other for your daughter's sake. This not speaking thing is ridiculous."

I scoff and start gathering up the pictures, trying to process everything. "Edward and I don't get a lot of talking done. Everything is fine until he does talk. Then it's all downhill."

Rose rolls her eyes. "That's a cop out, and you know it. He came over here pissed off after I slipped up and mentioned that I knew about Renesmee. That doesn't count as talking. It was probably more Edward yelling and saying things he doesn't mean. He is lost, Bella. Everything is fine? Meaning you have sex?" She looks at me pointedly.

"I'm disappointed in you, Bella. You used to have moxie. You sure as hell wouldn't have laid down and played dead. If you mean what you say, if you're really done with Edward, let him go. You're legally married, so you need to get legally divorced. Set him free." She cocks her head to the side to read my expression, see what I'm thinking.

I don't give her an answer and she leaves as quickly as she came, telling me that whatever I plan on doing, I need to do it fast. I'm not sure how long I sit there, but when light starts streaming in through the window, I force myself to stand up and gather everything from the bed. When the suitcase is repacked, I put it back in it's place beside the closet door. My previous plans of getting rid of everything seem foolish.

As if it would make this any easier.