I just want to clear the air of some questions that some of you sent in. No, this story is not over. We still have a lot to get through before we ever reach the end, so don't worry. Yes, Edward did really cheat on Bella with Tanya, even if he didn't want to. He was just feeling upset with her and himself at the time that he couldn't think straight (he was really drunk, remember?) and she was pushing him to his limit.

I hope that helps some of you.

This chapter's a doozy. Grab a tissue, maybe? You might need it.

Enjoy!

Breathe, Swan. You can do this.

I kept saying that to myself with other sort of pep talks in my head. God knew I needed them for what I was planning on doing, but they only worked slightly. My nerves were thrown to shit, my hands were shaking, and I could feel the sweat beading on my forehead.

Why so nervous? Well, because I'm officially telling Aro that I can't and will not write the article about Edward Cullen. I just can't do it. Not with everything that's been happening recently.

I didn't want the whole city of Seattle knowing our story and how it ended. They would want to know more, and paparazzi will only follow me more relentlessly. And I couldn't just put all of my feelings for him into the damn thing. It would start out with me telling how much of a sweetheart he is, and how much I love him. But then it would turn into me hating him for what happened, and then from there, turning into neutral ground because I couldn't find feelings or words for what I feel now. The article would have been messy and so not my usual work.

But Aro wanted it, messy or not. And I just couldn't let him have it.

So, as I sit in his stuffy office, waiting for him to grace me with his presence, I write out a message to Edward. It was the first contact we've had in a month, and I can literally feel my heart speed up. I knew it was only because I wanted him to know that his article would never see the light of day, but the thought that I was actually squeezing time into his hectic life made me feel special again.

I typed quickly and clumsily, careless on my wording.

Edward, it's me, Bella… How are you?

I hope everything's fine. I just wanted to let you know that I will not be turning in my article about you. There's just too much history behind it, and… I physically can't.

I hope you're not disappointed, and know that I'm deeply sorry. Thanks for letting me have the time to interview you. It was wonderful.

My thumb hovered over the send button. I couldn't find myself to send something that felt so… business like. Especially to him. Where was the carefree way that I used to text him with, sending him cute, flirty messages whenever I felt like he needed one? What happened to the simplicity of it all?

When the sound of the door opening crept through my trance, I quickly pressed the button, watching as the screen changed from Message Sending to Message Sent.

I gulped down the lump of emotions in my throat as Aro walked over to his desk, coffee in hand. I watched as he sat down, taking in the taught skin of his face. His gray eyes were angry from the morning meeting that he had to sit through for two hours. I felt bad for him, noticing how much he had aged in the past month, but then remembered that soon his anger would be aimed at me. I didn't need to feel guiltier about myself.

His eyes caught mine after he leaned back in his desk chair, crossing his arms over his chest. My back stiffened.

"Bella," he said, his voice hoarse and taut. "What can I help you with this morning?"

"I have some news," I replied.

He nodded, signaling for me to continue.

It's now or never. Grow some balls, woman!

"I… I can't do that article on Edward."

My eyes fell off of him for a split second before flashing right back up to him. I noticed that his chair had moved back a little from surprise, and that his lips were in a tight, flat line. His hands were clenched tightly into fists.

This wasn't going to be pretty.

"What?" he asked. I could feel the venom in that single word. It stung. Badly.

I took in a deep breath and repeated myself. This time he banged his hand on the corner of his desk, the pencils in a mug flying everywhere. I flinched at the sound.

"What the hell do you mean 'you can't do it?'" he demands with a red face.

I held my chin up high, trying to show that none of this took a toll on me. It was working… slightly.

"I can't write it, Aro," I said. "You know that Edward and I dated, and it just seems too personal. I think he would agree with me about this being a bad idea. And I don't really want to get even more on his bad side than I already am. I just can't do it."

Aro glared. "You do know that this means I'll have to fire you, right?"

I winced. It wasn't what I thought would happen, but I knew something along that lines would. I just didn't think I would lose my job over it.

"Certainly," I reply calmly. "I completely understand."

He sighed and shook his head. "Swan, you're a good writer, and any magazine or newspaper company would be lucky to have you. But you can't let your feelings get in the way of your job. Do you understand?"

"I do."

"Go clean out your office. I'll send maintenance to come help out soon."

Aro started to shuffle through papers on his desk, and I took that as my cue to leave. Hedi caught my eyes as I started my walk of shame through the cubicles, hers filled with sympathy. Alice stood up from her desk once she saw me approach, rushing over to my side. She wrapped her small arms around me as I started to shake.

"I guess it didn't go well," she mumbled once we were in the safety of my office.

"You think?" I retorted.

I sat down in my chair, resting my head in my hands as I placed my elbows on the desk. Tears formed in my eyes as I thought over my conversation with Aro. My phone constantly buzzed in my pocket from when I had hurriedly stashed it there. I growled as I pulled it out, really not wanting to deal with something like this.

"What?" I demanded after I pressed the call button.

Alice winced as she sat down. I shrugged at her, knowing she understood why I was so moody.

"Uh… Sorry. But your message startled me."

Every bad feeling in my body vanished with those two sentences.

It was him.

His voice sounded rough, almost like he hadn't slept in a few days. I could hear the unease in it, too, and I wanted nothing more than to take it away. My heart jumped at the sounded of his staggered breathing, remembering how I used to make him do that after every kiss and touch.

Every moment together flashed into my mind, burning my eyes with the picture. I was smothering in them.

"Bella, you there?" Edward asked after a few minutes of my silence.

I jumped out of my trance and said, "Of course. I'm always here."

He chuckled. "So, about your message? You're really not going to write it?"

I bit my lip, afraid that he was mad about it, but decided that the truth would only help set me free.

"Nope." I took in a deep breath and rubbed a hand over my tired eyes. "Got me fired, too."

"Shit. I'm sorry," he replied with remorse. "Is there anything I can do?"

Alice quirked up an eyebrow as she listened, taking note that our conversation was actually normal. There wasn't any type of that business-y awkward feeling in our voices, and I actually felt like we were back to normal. Of course, that wasn't the case, but a girl can dream, right?

"Not right now, but thanks," I said with a smile. The fact that he was willing to drop everything for me made my heart pump faster. "I'll let you know if I do, okay?"

"That sounds good." I could hear the sweet, slow smile in his voice as he talked. I could easily picture it in my mind from having seen it about a million times. It still made my knees weak.

Edward and I managed to say some things that were needed, and I had agreed to meet him at the Starbucks we first got to know each other in on Friday morning. I knew that I shouldn't have been this eager to get close to him, but I wanted closure. I wanted to know why he did what he did, and to know that he was truly sorry for what happened. And I could only get those things from having talked to him. So, I threw my worry to the side and said yes, stating that ten would be the best time for me. We said our respected good-byes after that, and I was once again faced with the fact that I had to pack up everything in my office.

"Alice, this sucks," I whined to her as I rubbed a hand over my eyes, not caring about my eye make-up anymore.

She just nodded and continued to place more books into one of the boxes maintenance brought up a few minutes ago. I stood up and started to help her after I didn't receive a verbal response back, taking in her posture. She was keeping her distance, something she rarely ever did.

I was immediately suspicious.

"Ali," I whispered, "what's wrong?"

She sighed, hesitating for a moment before turning her gaze completely on me.

"Honestly?" she asked with a sad look.

"Please."

She crossed her arms over her chest and hugged herself. "I just don't think you should be rushing into things so quickly, you know? I mean, I totally understand why you want to, don't get me wrong. But… Just be careful, okay?"

I nodded and rushed over to her. I wrapped my arms around her small body and held her close, hugging her as hard as I possibly could. She unfolded her arms from around herself and flung them around my waist, burying her face into my shoulder.

"Love you, Ali," I whispered to her as I gave her waist a tight squeeze.

She sniffled as she pulled back, but smiled. "Love you, too, Bells."

The rest of the day went by in a flash. My office was completely empty all except for the things that were here the day I arrived for the first day on the job. Alice held my hand as I took one last look at the now bare white walls, knowing that this will be the last time I'll ever see this place again.

It sucked, in all honesty. I was out of a job that I really needed, my best friend and I couldn't see each other all hours of the day anymore because of it, and I wasn't with the man I actually felt strong feelings for. I knew that life had a funny way of going about things, but this really didn't seem all that fair. Couldn't I have at least gotten a warning about having one of the horrible months of my life? I think I deserved it.

Alice and I walked out of the building with my hand still in hers. She gave me a strong hug before we got into our respected cars, driving in separate directions. I watched her car grow smaller in the distance in my rear-view mirror, wishing that she wasn't living with Jasper so I could stay at her apartment all the time like I used to. I really needed her, but I knew that she had her own life to live, and that she just couldn't drop everything just for me.

And, besides. I'm a strong, independent woman. I just had to figure out a way to get through this. That's all.

I brought everything up to my apartment after I parked into my spot, taking multiple trips. Once I had everything sitting away in a corner, I took in a deep, collective breath as I fell into the cushions of the couch. I kicked off my heels and rested my feet on the coffee table, smiling contently to myself as the familiar feeling of comfort warmed my body.

My phone vibrated in my pocket three times, signaling that I had a new text message. I pulled it out quickly and unlocked the screen, my eyes moving from left to right as I read it. A smile graced my lips after the second sentence.

Bella, I hope you're doing all right. Getting fired from a job sucks, and I wish I could do something to make you feel better. How about I stop by later on with ice cream from Cold Stone? – E

I bit my lip as I typed out a reply. There was butterflies fluttering away in my stomach, and I couldn't stop the way I jumped with excitement. I was turning into a freaking five-year-old on Christmas morning. God, I was hopeless.

Please do, it sounds absolutely yummy. I'll rent a movie on Netflix, maybe a bad romantic comedy? :) – B

I knew that the smiley face was just flat out stupid, but I didn't care. Edward once told me that he loved seeing them because he would always think of my smile. And I did want him to know how big I was smiling, so it was a stupid thing that I was willing to do. I pressed the send button before turning on the TV and flipping through the Instant Play movies Netflix had, choosing to go with Yes Man.

Edward and I love that movie. There wasn't a better choice.

My phone beeped from the table, and I stumbled to get it. I managed to fall off the couch in my haste, but was able to keep my phone glued to my hand. I blew hair out of my face before reading it quickly.

Perfect. I'll be there in ten minutes tops. You better pick one hell of a movie, too. Nothing shitty, Swan. ;) – E

A blush took permanent placement on my face as I stared at the smiley. Edward would always send them when he was trying to come off flirtatious, and my heart started to beat faster.

Things were heading into uncharted territory that we were definitely not ready for, but I couldn't find it in me to stop us. To be honest, all I wanted to do was jump head first into the ocean and swim to the 'Edward and Bella's love forever!' island. I just wanted to get back to him, with some sort of clarity in our relationship.

And I wanted his hands on me.

And his lips.

God, those lips… They're perfect.

Okay, time to stop before you do something stupid when he shows up. Oh, like, I don't know, jump him? Yeah, let's not do that, Swan.

Right. Focus.

A knock on the door sounded after ten minutes passed by. He was never one to be late, something I really liked about him. I straightened my shirt and hair before pulling open the industrial metal door. He smiled down at me as he held up two bowls.

"Delivery!"

I laughed and rolled my eyes at him. "I didn't know you were a delivery boy. When did you start?"

He shrugged. "A few weeks ago. Writing songs and singing them every night began to get boring, and this is so much better. I just had to change my career choice."

Edward smirked down me as I laughed some more. He walked into my apartment and placed the bowls onto the table before opening his arms up to me. I hesitated at first, but then decided that there really wasn't a point. I loved his hugs, they were just perfect. And I missed them, so I was going to be a masochist and hug him, goddammit!

He wrapped his arms tightly around me, squeezing me close to his warm chest. I pulled back after a beat and smiled up at him, limiting each other. He nodded and smiled sadly at me, remembering that things still were rocky, and that we weren't quite back in sync. We still had to talk, and it ended up almost being like an elephant in the room.

An awkward silence fell over us after that. He picked up his own bowl of ice cream and scooped up a bite, shoving it into his mouth to pass the time. I couldn't help but stare, my thoughts about his lips from earlier developing in my head. I could picture every time we kissed, remembering how they felt against my own lips and on the skin of my neck. I had to bite down hard on my lip as I tried to pull my gaze away from him. It was too much.

Edward cleared his throat after watching me for a few seconds. I could tell that he was trying to hide that cocky smirk he always wore whenever I did something like this as he picked up my bowl and handed it to me. I took it, our fingers touching briefly, the spark that's always around us igniting so fast that I almost dropped it.

I could tell he felt it, too. His eyes were wide and a shade darker as he looked at me. His brow furrowed, and I knew it was because he was analyzing the entire situation. It was something he did often.

I didn't want to have to break the sparks around us, but I knew I had to before things got too far. We had made it so far, and I didn't want it to end. Not yet, at least.

"I rented Yes Man," I said softly with a smile.

He nodded. "I was hoping you would pick that."

"I always will," I whispered to myself as I watched him walk over to the couch. He sat down with a sigh before scooping up more ice cream onto his spoon.

"Well?" he asked, the spoon hovering in the air above his bowl. "You gonna join me or not?"

I smiled and nodded, rushing over to his side. I sat down with an inch of space between us. Edward reached for the remote and started the movie. I heard the sound of the one lamp that was on click as he switched it off, sending the room into complete darkness. Jim Carey popped up onto the scream soon after, but I couldn't focus. Not when I knew he was sitting so close to me.

This was a bad idea. I shouldn't have let him come over. It's too soon for this.

My back stiffened as I continued to sit there, my bowl of ice cream completely forgotten about. Edward finished his and set it on the coffee table by his feet. He laughed at the appropriate parts, sometimes pushing my arm lightly when I didn't laugh along with him. I would smile at him before turning back towards the screen, not really paying any more attention that I had before.

Of course Edward would pick up on how I was feeling. He was always good at it, so when the movie paused, I didn't think twice about it.

"Bella," he said softly, his voice tired.

"Yes?"

I felt the couch sink into the middle as he moved closer to me, placing his arm across the back of it. He used his fingers to push hair behind my ear as we sat there, not really sure on where to begin. I didn't want to say anything first. I was scared, and I really didn't want to do this now. But there was no escaping it. We were here, and we couldn't move past this until we talked about it.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "For every shitty thing I've done to you."

I nodded. "I know."

"And I want you to know that I don't feel a thing towards Tanya anymore," he continued as if I hadn't even spoken. "She doesn't have any holds over me anymore, Bells, and I want you to know that. She was a thing of the past that just decided to pop into the present to meddle. She did what she did, and I'm sorry for it, but that's in the past now, too. Let's not let it be a part of the present, okay? I'm perfectly fine with just forgetting it if you are. I just want us to go back to how we were. I miss you, so much that it hurts. I can't think without you, Bella. And I want you to know that I love you, and that I will always love you because it's the truth. I will never lie to you, and I will never stop loving you. I promise you that."

He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. Tears were forming in my eyes as I processed over his words. But he wasn't finished spilling his guts. He started right back up again, the word vomit getting the best of him.

"I just want you to know that I love you, okay? You just need to understand that. I've never felt like this before, not even with her, and I'm scared. So scared, baby. And I don't want to lose you, not now, not ever. You mean so much to me, and I can't even function properly without you. Emmett would always try to get my ass out of bed every morning, but it was no use because it wasn't you. I felt like you were the only one who could help me, which I guess is true because it's still really fucking hard to pull myself out of bed every morning. But I do it because I know that you wouldn't like me wasting away in bed all day when I have responsibilities to do and a job that I have to focus on. But I just need you, Bella. Because I love you and I want you every day for the rest of my life."

He stopped then, taking in a few deep breaths. He didn't start up again; instead he just sat there, waiting for me to say something similar to that.

A tear managed to escape from my right eye as I sat there. I guess I made a sobbing noise because soon I was wrapped up in Edward's arms. He pulled me onto his lap and began to rock us back and forth, hushing my cries as I let the flood gates open. I wept until I couldn't anymore, his t-shirt wet with my tears and snot. He rubbed a hand on my back as I breathed deeply to calm myself down. This was the biggest freak out I've had around him, but he was handling it well. My heart squeezed in on itself, loving that he was so gentle… so loving.

The word vomit began for me, and I let it have its way.

"I miss you, too, Edward. I miss you like crazy, and I've cried almost every night because of it. I hate the fact that something like this pulled us apart, but I just couldn't help it. I hate being lied to, and I hate knowing that I had to find out by walking in on you two. But that never changed how I feel about you. I couldn't find it in myself to not love you, and I know I should have, but I just couldn't. Not even after everything we've said to each other. We were hurt and upset, and most of the things we said we took back, but I couldn't help but worry about how you felt after we said them. I know I felt like shit because I wasn't all the nice, but neither was you. So it was fair. But I still love you, even after everything."

I stopped myself, taking a huge gulp of air. Edward held me tighter to him and kissed the top of my head.

"I know, baby," he whispered. "I know exactly how you feel."

A laugh bubbled up my chest, completely taking us both by surprise. He knew I hated that name, and yet I loved it all at the same time because it was him who was calling me it, and not some stupid pervert who thought it was adorable to call girls that. He made it sound loving and sweet, not childish. He made everything seem loving and sweet. It was who he was.

"I forgot how much you hate me calling you that," she said after a chuckle. "I'm sorry, I'll stop. It was out of habit, I promise."

I shook my head. "No, no. Call me whatever you like. Just know my favorite's 'sweetheart.' It will always be my favorite."

He nodded and chuckled again, the feeling tickling my back. I relaxed more into his arms, sighing contently. I grabbed one of his hands and began to play with his fingers with my own. We both watched our hands interact with one another before he held his fingers open. My hand curled in on itself before I reached up and laced my fingers between his, squeezing tightly once our palms touched.

"Bella?" he whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I know we still have a lot to work through, but… thank you."

I smiled up at him and kissed his jaw. He was right about having some more things to work through, but I didn't care. He was here, and things were starting to look up. Nothing could separate us, not even some crazy ex-girlfriend of his. She was nothing to him, and anytime I will see her, I'll just one up her. All was fair in love and war, anyways. Why not rub it in her face?

"You're welcome, Edward," I replied as I rested my head on his chest.

"You know, Rose has this plan to take Tanya down," he said softly as he began to run his fingers through my hair. "Want to hear all about it?"

A smirk moved onto my lips. It's amazing how he always knew what I was thinking.

If Rose had a plan, then I knew that I was in good hands. We were going to take this girl down and show her what's what here in Seattle. I didn't care if this meant that I had to go to the extremes. As long as I got my man in the end, then I was okay with it. Tanya had to be taken down, and I'll do anything I had to see her burn in her own flames.

So I nodded and smiled up at Edward. He flashed his own cocky grin back at me, knowing that I was in, no matter what the plan was.

"Tell me everything," I said, the Swan fire flaring up in my blood.

This bitch was going down.

It was longer than normal, but I don't care. I love every inch of it, and I hope you do too.

Reviews are always amazing, and I seriously do a happy dance every time I click on a new email from you guys. I'm open to anything you've got for me, so send them!

Lovelovelove!