Read on – we'll catch you at the end.

As if you don't know by now – not ours.

Chapter 25: Temporary Reprieve

The Pop Tart Girl - B

I ended up going back to my apartment around midnight on Tuesday.

No point in calling it home anymore. It wasn't. It was just a place that housed my clothes and belongings. Home was with Edward.

We spent Tuesday night talking about what we wanted. Hopes, dreams, aspirations.

I think we both surprised each other. Not in bad ways, more in the 'wow, I would have never suspected that' ways.

He wanted a dog. Let me rephrase that; he wanted a horse sized canine that probably would weigh more than I did.

I wanted a big backyard with lots of trees.

He was fine with the fact that I wanted to work. Even after kids.

The only nanny that would be acceptable would be of the Saint Bernard variety a la Peter Pan. That solved the dog issue.

It was a surreal conversation, but it was incredibly comfortable. Even if he did insist on naming his first born Edward Jr. I told him the kid would get his butt kicked.

We both laughed. And I let it go. For now.

Wednesday morning, I called my land lord and negotiated an out on my lease. There was a waiting list on the building, and he could get a lot more in rent from a new tenant, so he was happy to release me. All of the complaints from building occupants over some of the press antics might have helped too. I had to cover rent until a new tenant was found, but I would be surprised if that took long.

I sat at my desk, staring out the window. I wanted to call Edward and tell him the news, but a phone call seemed so anti-climactic after the conversations of the last 24 hours. Moving in together, life, kids, horse sized dogs.

Kids. That reminded me that I needed to do something for Alice and JW. Maybe Edward had rubbed off on me too much. I felt like I needed to do something to commemorate the moment.

So at lunch, I took a page out of his playbook and headed for Tiffany's. I stood in front of the window for a long moment. It wasn't that long ago that we had lived for those mornings here. The world had moved ahead light years since those February days.

"Bella!" A woman's voice rang out. I turned to see a smiling Esme Cullen walking towards me.

"Hi, Esme. What are you doing out?"

"I was going to pop in and order an engagement gift for a friend's daughter. Were you headed in?"

I took one last look at the window. Oh how things had changed.

"Yes, I was going in to pick up a gift as well."

We walked into the double doors together, slowly browsing and talking. Most of the sales associates seemed to know Esme, and were clearly deferential to her.

"Come on, Bella. I need to introduce you to my personal shopper. She is a god send."

I followed Esme to the back of the store, where a tall woman with dark brown hair stood talking to an older gentleman. She excused herself when she saw Esme, and came over to say hello.

"Jess Stanley, this is Bella Swan."

Jess looked me up and down, a small smile playing on her lips when she saw my bracelet.

"Ah. So you are the pop tart girl."

I returned her smile as I felt my face color. Esme looked at me confused.

"I take it you were the one that helped him pull all of that together?"

She laughed. "I just put the stuff in the window. He mapped it all out. Edward is down right calculating when he goes after something."

Her tone made me want to ask more questions, but the conversation immediately redirected to the gift that Esme was looking for. I left them to talk while I went to look for a gift for Alice. I found a silver baby spoon with a baseball glove and ball on the handle. Given Jasper's excitement and the comment about the Yankees, I thought it would be a safe bet regardless of gender.

The case containing men's accessories happened to be right next to the baby gifts. A classic silver pen caught my eye. Tiffany's had more significance to the Cullens than just a jewelry store.

Maybe it was time that Edward got a little blue box too.

Ten minutes later, Esme and I were walking out of Tiffany's with purchases in hand.

"So what was Jess talking about, calling you the pop tart girl?"

I laughed. Given the conversations of late, maybe it was time to totally come clean.

"I told you that Edward and I met in a coffee shop. It's right over there." I pointed down Fifth Avenue. "We struck up a conversation, and ended up standing here talking for a few minutes. I don't know why, but I told him a story from the previous Valentine's Day about me comparing true love to Strawberry pop tarts. I bolted after that; it's a long story. Anyway, he had Jess put a martini glass in the window with a new charm each day leading up to Valentine's Day as a way of trying to communicate his intentions. That's how it all started."

"He's so much like his father that it's frightening sometimes." She paused and smiled at me. "Well that explains why he didn't bring you along that Sunday."

We both laughed. "Yeah, that would have been a heck of a second date."

Boys to Men - E

How could I not be in a good mood on Wednesday? Dinner with my father had gone better than could be expected. Bella and I were at "commitment stage," I guess you could call it. And I didn't feel the least bit apprehensive about it. Quite the opposite, in fact. I was excited. Everything about it felt right.

There was only one camera man waiting outside my door this morning. Perhaps the frenzy was really dying down and we'd be able to live as normal a life as we ever would.

I almost called Bella to ask her to take the subway rather than having Demetri pick her up. I missed our daily morning walks. Our window. We had so much more than that now, of course. It was insane to consider how just a handful of months ago; it all seemed so simple on those walks together.

We'd weathered more conflict from one side of the Continental U.S. to the other than many people do over the course of years. We were due for a break. And I was hopeful enough to believe it was coming.

I called Jasper first thing. The news Bella brought home stunned me. If it felt like Bella and I moved fast, then what he and Alice had was lightening. Talk about jumping the gun. I knew the odds weren't in their favor. The odds weren't in anyone's favor for that matter. But what do you have if you don't take the risk?

"Hey, Edward." He sounded groggy. I knew he sometimes wrote late and slept in. I had a feeling he didn't do much writing last night.

"So, I hear soon I won't be the only one waking you up early in the morning."

"I know. Can you believe it?"

"It's something else. How are you feeling about it all?"

"I know it sounds completely crazy, but it feels great. As soon as Alice told me there was a chance, I wanted this. I know it's way too soon, and it was obviously a big oops. Like maybe the first time oops, but I don't care. I love her. And with turning 30 this year, I'd already been thinking about marriage and kids a lot. I'm ready for this."

"Did you talk to your parents yet?"

"Yeah, we went over last night."

"And?"

"Reactions were mixed. My mom was generally supportive. I guess there had been rumors in the family. They all thought I was gay. My mom had taken to describing me as "artistic," since I started writing. And no one liked Maria, so they assumed she was just posing. From that standpoint, I think there was some relief there. My dad reminded us how difficult it would be."

"Ever practical, Mr. Whitlock."

"I know. He's right though. I'm sure it will be hard. And I know people will speculate on how long we'll last. But in the end, I don't really care. All that matters is that we think we can make it."

"I think you can too. Congratulations, Jasper! Oh and thank you."

"Thank you?"

"Your news sparked a rather important conversation for Bella and me. She's moving in."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

"Japser? Still there?"

"Edward, are you sure about this?" He was quiet and cautious, almost like he was talking to a child. But like last night with my father, I decided to guard my reaction.

"Hey, where's that 'I think we can make it spirit?'"

"Everything I've seen tells me you're in this for the long haul, but if she gives up her place, and . . ." I could only be reserved for so long. I cut him off before he could say anything more.

"I love you, Jasper. And because I know you're just looking out for the best interest of the woman I love, I'm going to let that dig slide. But that's the last one. I'm not questioning your commitment to Alice, and I'd have just as much cause to considering how quickly you two moved. I trust you know how you feel about her. Please do the same for me."

I was met with silence. I heard him breathing, so I knew he was still there.

"I'm sorry," he began. "You're right. I'll try. It's just . . . different. Edward Cullen is really off the market. That's big news."

"Yeah well, I could stand not being the news for a while."

Surprise Visits - B

"So what did you buy?' Esme inquired as we walked.

"I had originally just planned to get a gift for a friend who just found out she was pregnant, but I ended up getting something for Edward too. He's blue boxed me twice, I figured turn about was fair play."

She laughed. "You keep him on his toes. He needs that. Edward has always been good at figuring people out. It's good that you keep him guessing."

"Esme, can I ask you a question?" She inclined her head, an indication that I should proceed. "Edward told me that things went better than he expected last night. I am not looking to dabble; I guess I just want to know if Carlisle felt the same?"

I wanted to point blank ask if Carlisle was sincere, but knew fully well that Esme would never disclose that. The instinct to try and step in and protect ran deep in both of us.

She looped her arm through mine. "I'm headed to CI to meet Carlisle for lunch. Why don't you walk with me? You can drop off Edward's gift."

Her invitation threw me for a loop. I hadn't been to CI since Carlisle stormed into Edward's office. I hadn't seen him, for that matter, since I told him off. I wasn't looking forward to our first reunion.

"I don't know Esme. Last time I was at CI it wasn't a good scene." Things were just starting to calm down; I didn't want to stir the pot again.

"Things are different now, come on." We continued walking quietly. "I wish you could see how much you've influenced Edward. The conversation last night could never have happened before you."

"I think you give me too much credit, Esme. I don't know the Edward that left here years ago, but I can't tie together everything I've heard with what I see. I believe he was different when he came back; he just hadn't had occasion to show it."

She stopped and turned to face me.

"Edward needed your unconditional love. He needed to learn what it felt like to love someone like that. It was the only way for him to truly reconcile his choices with his needs. He desperately wanted Carlisle's approval, but was never willing to take accountability for his own actions and how they impacted others. It's only since he met you that he began to show the empathy and compassion that I knew he was capable of. My son has the ability to be a great man, but he needed a way to find it in himself. You helped him do that. Now come on, you are going to say hello to Carlisle and drop off Edward's gift."

I stood, rooted to the spot, dumbfounded by her observation.

"Come on, Bella. Carlisle won't bite. I promise." She smiled and tugged gently at my hand.

"I guess I know where Edward got his skills of persuasion from." I teased.

"Oh Bella, he's got nothing on me."

We made our way up to the 53rd floor. The doors opened, and Esme led me in the opposite direction from the way I had gone last time. She waved to an assistant, and led me into a large office.

Carlisle was seated at his desk, scribbling away on a notepad.

"Just give me two minutes, and I'll be ready. I already called ahead and…"

"Carlisle."

His head popped up as he heard Esme say his name. His eyes widened a bit when he saw me standing there. We hadn't seen each other since the Met.

"I ran into Bella at Tiffany's buying a gift for Edward. I talked her into stopping here to drop it off. "

He studied me for a moment longer.

"That's a nice coincidence. I just came from a meeting with Edward. I don't think he'll be back in his office for a while."

I could feel him studying me, almost as if scrutinizing me. It was incredibly uncomfortable.

"I'll just drop this off then, and leave you two to your lunch." I kissed Esme quickly on the cheek. "Thanks for the walk and conversation."

"Thank you for the story, Bella. I'll see you soon."

"It was nice to see you, Mr. Cullen." I waved awkwardly to Carlisle and excused myself.

"It was nice to see you too, Bella. I'm sure we'll be seeing you soon."

The minute I was clear of his office, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. That definitely went better than I anticipated.

I walked back down the hallway, following the bend towards Edward's office.

Jane looked surprised when I knocked on her cube wall.

"Hey, Bella! What are you doing here?"

"I had to buy a gift for a friend, and ended up getting something for Edward too. I wanted to drop it off instead of surprising him at home tonight. Is it okay if I leave this in his office?" I held up the light blue bag.

"You have definitely been hanging out with the Cullens. They love Tiffany's. What did you buy?"

I pulled out the boxes that held the pen and the baby spoon and showed them to Jane. I didn't want to give away too much about Jasper and Alice, so I deflected a bit when she asked who it was for, simply stating that friends just found out they were pregnant, and I thought it was an appropriate gift.

"You are so thoughtful. I'm sure they'll be so excited." Jane checked Edward's calendar. "He's not supposed to be back until close to one. Do you want to leave that on his desk?"

She led me into the office, and told me to shout if I needed anything. It was strange being in there without him. I sat down in his chair, and pulled the framed tabloid photo to the center of his desk. I box in front of it, and scribbled a quick note.

'I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen' – isn't that the line? Well turn about is fair play. I am giving you a pen so that you have something from the blue box that you can have everyday as a reminder. Not that you need one anymore.

Love you – see you at home.

B

Climate Changes - E

My morning was intense. Two meetings and a conference call back to back. The conference call had been frustrating. A little company that didn't want to be acquired was raising quite a fuss about it. I let them vent more than usual because I understood their concerns, but the tension affected my mood.

The second meeting was complicated. My father was there. I knew he would be as I'd insisted on his attendance. He nodded at me when I entered the room. The most acknowledgment I'd received in years. I returned the gesture.

I walked from one heated meeting right into another. There was over an hour of complaining, heads shaking, and hands thrown up in the air before I was able to direct everyone to some sort of compromise.

There was a break in the meeting as the focus shifted from big picture issues to small details. I told everyone to take ten so they could fill coffees. There was a low rumble in the room as people conversed. I added some notes to a file.

"Do you think I'm needed in the next phase?" I looked up to see my father standing next to me.

"No, I've got it from here. Thank you for coming. We knew this one would be contentious, and figured your presence would be persuasive."

"I'm glad to know I'm still of use around here." There was a lightness in his expression when he said it, but a part of me wondered if there weren't more to it.

I stood up to talk to him eye to eye.

"I wanted to thank you again for dinner last night," I said.

He smiled and nodded.

"Oh, and I should probably let you know that Bella is going to move in with me. I mentioned it last night, but it's official." The minute she cancelled her lease, the information would end up public knowledge. I needed to make sure this was one thing he didn't learn from the tabloids.

He cocked an eyebrow and waited. He didn't need to say anything. I knew what he was thinking. It was the same thing everyone would be thinking.

"I know it seems fast, but we're very happy, and I think given the circumstances, it might actually help calm the press."

The last part sounded like a strategic move, but I thought it might be a better argument than anything else I could come up with. Not that I really needed to have my dad's approval on this, but in the spirit of whatever last night was, I wanted him on board.

He looked out the window momentarily, somehow conflicted. I didn't want to press.

"Dad?" I asked gently.

"It does seem fast, Edward. But I have to trust the two of you have thought through this decision." He looked me in the eye, and I could feel the sincerity when he said, "I wish you the best."

"I appreciate that."

"I should be going. Your meeting will be starting back up soon."

I'm not sure where it came from, but it slipped out before he turned around. "Dad, you are definitely still needed."

He looked me straight in the eye, put his hand on my shoulder and give it a quick squeeze. "Please give Bella my regards."

And then he left the room, smiling and waving to others along the way.

When the meeting finally let out, I didn't have time for lunch. I asked Jane to have something delivered to my office and was about to dig into some research. I told Jane to hold calls and keep visitors at bay, though I was hoping to squeeze in a few minutes to touch base with Bella before the barrage of afternoon meetings began.

I saw something on my desk from the minute I walked in. I almost turned around to ask Jane what had been delivered, but it didn't take long to realize the color. Robin's egg blue.

There was a note, and it had Bella's handwriting on it, but I was eager, so like a little boy on his birthday, I went for the gift first. It was a pen. A nice pen. A silver pen. She gave me a pen?

And then I read the note. I practically doubled over in laughter. I had to rifle through my memory. Bella and her movie quotes. How true it was.

I glanced at the caller id when my personal cell rang. I assumed it would be Bella, but was surprised to see Rosalie's name on the screen. I hadn't spoken with her since the Met event, and I wasn't exactly her biggest fan at the moment. I wanted to let it go to voice mail, but in the interest of trying to move forward with the family, I picked it up.

In 1492… - B

I hadn't felt this giddy since, well…February.

That's exactly what this felt like. Waiting for Edward's reaction to his surprise. Anticipation of what would come next.

Only this time 'what would come next' was a heck of a lot longer term than will I see you tomorrow morning.

75 days ago, I had no clue who Edward Cullen was. I was lost in my own world, bumbling through, longing for that elusive 'something.' Little did I know that the 'something' had been aware of me for six months. Watching me every day, but too wounded to ever consider approaching me.

In two and a half months, we had both faced down our ghosts, our issues. It hadn't torn us apart. It had made us stronger, more confident in what sparked that unseasonably warm winter day.

It sounds cliché to say that it was fate, but I couldn't think of anything else to call it.

Very simply, we were meant to be.

I was going to pack up all my belongings, and move them sixty blocks north. Geographically, it wasn't a huge move.

But emotionally, I couldn't help but wonder if this is what Columbus felt like the first time he saw land after all those months at sea.

I picked up the manuscript that I had started to work on in the hallway last night. I needed to get through it and pass on the markups and notes. When I was done, this one was coming home with me.

I knew just the perfect spot for it in the office. It might not be the next great American novel, but it was just as priceless as any first edition that Edward owned.

On a whim, I tore off the back page of the manuscript. It was blank other than the title and the date of the copy. In big old letters I wrote Edward and Bella. 4/22/09 and tacked it to the corkboard on my wall.

Perfection.

Mea Culpa - E

"Hello."

"Edward?" I sensed the distress immediately. She'd either been crying or was holding back tears.

"What is it?" Suddenly I was in a panic. If she was calling me in the middle of the day crying, this couldn't be good.

"Do you have access to the internet nearby?"

"Yes."

"Pull up Perez."

I hated doing it. Giving any of them hits was like offering them validation. The first thing I saw was a picture of Zac Efron, and Perez seemed to be drooling over it.

"Scroll down to the third item."

My breath caught the moment I saw them. Two pictures. Emmett and Tanya. In the first, they were sitting at a restaurant, tucked in a booth. It was grainy, likely taken from a cell phone. They were leaning in toward each other, whispering I'd guess. The second I recognized instantly. It was from the airport. The group hug. This one not so grainy. His hand firmly planted on her backside.

I re-started my breath and read.

Moving on up?

Spurned by her former fiancé, hot single socialite Tanya Romanov seems to be making a play for the eldest Cullen. From the looks of things, she scored. All reports seemed to indicate that she's been getting very friendly with Edward Cullen's girlfriend, Bella Swan. She's already part of a Russian dynasty, could she be trying to push Rosalie Cullen out to claim part of an American one?

"Rosalie, you can't believe any of this."

"I don't want to, but I don't know what to think."

"Did you talk to either of them?"

"Yeah, I talked to Emmett. He claims it's all out of context. They met last week while you were in Washington. Tanya was giving him shit about how he reacted at the Met." I cringed at the last statement. It meant once again, I was somehow to blame for family drama. "Tanya left a message, but I can't . . . yet."

"Well, I was at the airport, and it was just a stupid Emmett joke. I'd be inclined to believe him, Rosalie." There wasn't the slightest hint of doubt. I knew them all too well. My heart broke from them all, but my head nearly exploded at the thought of poor Tanya's reputation being ruined at the hand of another Cullen incident.

She was crying lightly on the other end.

"Edward, I can't lose him."

"I don't think there's a chance of that. He loves you, Rosalie. He would take on the world for you."

"I'm sorry," she said it so quietly I almost didn't hear it. "God, I was a bitch to you."

Knowing Rosalie, that was about the extent of it. She wasn't going to give a long diatribe on her wrong doings in this. What she gave was enough.

"I'm sorry too, Rosalie. I know I haven't made things easy for you lately. And these pictures, I suppose that's my fault too."

She sighed. "You can't be blamed for this. I tried to. I really did, but it's not fair."

"Why did you call me?" I assumed she was going to go off on me, but this reaction was a little unsettling.

"I needed reassurance. Sadly, most of my girlfriends would tell me to hire a private investigator. I figured if there were any truth to it, given how angry you must be with me, you'd throw it in my face."

I laughed at her. Rosalie's logic was unique. "I'll talk to him."

"Thank you. I have to go. Haley's fussing." The mention of her daughter choked her up again.

"It's going to be okay, Rosalie."

When I hung up, I noticed a text from Bella, and 3 missed calls: Emmett, Tanya, and Bella.

So much for a break from conflict.

You've been wondering what happened to the leak, the media attention…there you go, but never like you expected. Dare we say it, but poor Rosalie.

We haven't heard from Emmett. What's he going to do? And Tanya…everyone has been curious as to what her deal is…next chapter…next chapter.

What would you do if you were Rose?