CPW: I know we were late with the update, but better late than never right?

FLB11: Do you think our readers are alright with that?

CPW: I think they are more than alright with it. All good things come to those who wait right?

FLB11: Let's not prolong the madness any further. We don't own Twilight; but I did make really cute cupcakes with my mother on the weekend and CPW got to see her two baby nieces, Emma and Gabriella.

BPOV

I stirred slightly and found myself surrounded by a comforting embrace and warmth. Edward's soft breaths were making the strands of hair on top of my head sway gently back and forth. The thoughts from the night before swarmed around in my head and I couldn't believe that everything that had happened the night before was real. I couldn't believe he was real; he was my Paperback_Writer.

I didn't have to choose between two guys who were no doubt perfect for me. I didn't have to watch the crease in his eyebrows grow when I told Edward about some random guy that I had been talking to on the computer. I also didn't have to explain to him that this mystery man was part of the reason I had been so scared to finally be with him. He understood.

I had come to realize in the past few days, that no matter what I did to try and stop it, the feelings that I had for Edward would always be there. The crazy whirlwind that my life had been over the past few months, made me see that there was only one reason why I had been so confused.

I loved him.

If Edward had just been another passing ship, or someone that was truly only a friend with benefits, then choosing between him and PBW shouldn't have been as hard as it was. It had taken me a while to accept it, obviously, but I realized that Edward and I… we didn't have to be my parents. We would only become that if I let us, and believe me, I had no plans to let that happen.

I moved my body slightly so I could see his face better. He was so peaceful as he slept, while the early morning sunlight shining through his bedroom window painted happiness on his face. I reached for a stray lock of hair that had veiled his perfect features, and ran my hand through his hair in hopes of putting the deviant strand back into place. Edward stirred faintly at my touch, so I moved my hand away, not wanting to wake him just yet.

I looked over at the clock on his nightstand and noticed that it was just after nine thirty in the morning. I carefully climbed out of bed, sliding out from Edward's embrace and found his white button down shirt on the floor. My lips turned up in desire and I grabbed it, quickly putting it on before going downstairs and into the kitchen so I could surprise him with breakfast in bed. We would both need some sustenance after the night we'd had.

When I opened the fridge, my mouth fell open in shock at the emptiness within. How did he live with absolutely no food? It was practically empty, save for the opened six-pack of beer, half gallon of milk and a couple of apples. I would need to take him to the grocery store soon and fix this. After all, I couldn't be expected to cook for my boyfriend with no food in his apartment. I looked in the cabinets, not finding anything salvageable that I could work with, so I went back upstairs in search of my clothes.

I tiptoed to the bathroom where I had taken them off, smiling at the memory of Edward's face when I had walked out into his bedroom completely naked. I was looking forward to many more nights like that one, and hopefully very soon.

I slid into my jeans and ballet flats, and then I partially buttoned Edward's shirt, tying it at my waist so it fit better and accentuated some of my assets. I found a small notepad and a pen where I wrote a note telling him where I'd gone, that I would be back soon, and that I was sorry if he woke up without me. I placed the note on the pillow I had slept on and kissed his forehead before I grabbed my cell phone and went back downstairs as quietly as I could.

I hurried out the door, a small spring in my step, hoping that I could be back before Edward woke up. I walked along the sidewalk, down a few blocks and passed Common Grounds on my way to Whole Foods. I smiled to myself at the sight of the old coffee shop, because it had been the catalyst that brought Edward and I together. It was our middle ground, and had it not existed, Edward and I wouldn't have gotten to this point. A shiver ran down my spine at the thought, before I realized that I had already found him… online. I rolled my eyes at my dramatics, because wasting time on 'what if's' was definitely what had taken us so long to get to where we were, and I didn't want to do it anymore.

My phone rang and I pulled it out of my pocket. It was Alice, no doubt wanting to know all of the little details from last night. "Why Miss Brandon, what a pleasant surprise," I said enthusiastically as I answered the phone, walking quickly along the sidewalk, eager to get back to Edward, but also wanting to talk to Alice about everything that had happened.

"How did it go? Were you mad? I hope you weren't mad, because he really just wanted to make it perfect for you, ya know. But I don't think you were mad, because you didn't come home last night. So how was the sex? I can only imagine it would be amazing after all you guys have been through, and…"

"Alice!" I yelled in my attempt to get her to slow down, or preferably to just shut the fuck up. She had been talking a mile a minute, not unlike that Micro Machines guy from those commercials in the 80's. If I didn't speak 'Alice' I would have no idea what the hell she had just said.

"Sorry, I got a little carried away. At least I'm getting this over the phone and you're not here to try and cover my mouth like Edward did that one time. I bet I taught him a lesson. Biting a person can do that," she continued at lightning speed, and I wondered how she was still breathing.

"Are you done or did you want me to come over there and kick your ass for biting my boyfriend?" I had to pull the phone away from my ear at the high pitched squeal that screeched through the speaker on my phone. She was so fucking loud I thought it might break, or I might go deaf. I waited patiently until she was finished, still holding the phone away from my ear until all I was met with on the other end was silence.

"Alice? Are you okay over there?" I asked slowly, a smile creeping up onto my face at the thought of her being so excited for me.

"Tell me what happened!"

"Well, we walked around last night and Edward told me about the day we were supposed to meet in the park, and how he waited there for eight hours. He then explained how he found out I was Penny the day I came home from Forks. He told me he didn't want to tell me right away and scare me away, because he's in love with me," I finished, wanting a response before I continued.

"Oh. My. God. What did you say?" she asked, and I could hear the anticipation in her voice. I walked into the grocery store and grabbed a basket, immediately seeking out what I needed to make breakfast. As much as I wanted to stock his fridge, I knew that I just need to get the essentials and then get out. We could come back together later.

"The truth," I said simply, as I was attempting to get a rise out of her.

"Which would be…" she said, dragging out the last word, and I could almost see her tilting her head in a way that said 'quit holding out on me.'

"That I love him, too," I said matter-of-factly. I pulled the phone away from my ear again, prepared this time for the shrieking. I grabbed a carton of eggs and headed over to the meats to pick up a package of bacon as I waited for Alice to calm down. I put the phone back to my ear when I could hear her voice at a normal level.

"I'm so freaking happy for you, Bella! And I'm sorry Rose and I didn't tell you, but Edward really wanted to be the one to do it, and we thought you should hear it from him anyway," she said quickly.

"I know, Al, and it's okay. I'm glad I heard it from him, and I don't really care how we got to this point. I'm just so glad that we did."

Alice and I talked more about the previous night while I wandered through the store. I picked up some orange juice for Edward and I, and then paid using one of the self-checkout stations. Which turned out to be more like a wrestling match than paying for groceries. Those stupid things always go wrong, and I needed to ask for help, which ended up talking ten minutes longer than it should have.

"I swear, Alice, I could have been back by now. I bet you he just woke up, too," I said in frustration. Between talking to Alice and the debacle of trying to pay for the food, I had been out way longer than I had planned.

"Calm down, Bella," she laughed. "Your cooter will get some soon."

I laughed at Alice's crass joke and continued my walk down the street. The streets were a little more deserted that normal, so I crossed just before the crosswalk when I reached the corner across from Edward's apartment. Standing between two parked cars, I checked to make sure that no one was coming before stepping out into the street.

"I need to give that man a lesson on how to shop for groceries. Seriously, all that was in there was beer, a couple of app-"

"Hey, lady!"

I stopped talking to Alice immediately after hearing someone shouting in my direction. When I glanced back, a bike messenger whipped around the corner at breakneck speed, and before I had any time to react, we collided. Well, to be honest… he fucking plowed right into me.

The next thing I knew, I was being smashed into the side of a parked car. My head hit the driver's side window, the glass cracking under the impact while echoing a million fears in my head. I slid down to the ground as I noticed that my cell phone and the groceries were no longer in my hand. There was a sharp, stabbing pain in my abdomen, but when I opened my mouth, I couldn't speak.

I sat there for a moment, the cool morning air surrounding me. I was completely stunned. How could that all have happened so quickly? No sooner had I made sure that no one was coming, I was on the ground.

"Shit, Miss are you okay?" I heard someone call from beside me. The sound was far away, and it took me a moment before I could figure out which direction it came from.

The bike messenger was crouched down beside me, a worried expression on his face. His dull brown eyes held no comfort compared to the vibrant green I craved. I looked past him, to his bike that was on the ground, and to the passersby giving us curious glances, before looking back at him.

"Yes, I'm… fine," I said, sounding unsure, even to myself. The ring of my cell phone from a distance caught my attention and I began searching for it with my eyes because I was afraid to move.

"Is that yours?" he asked, the promptness of his question told me that he was anxious to be on his way. I nodded and took a deep breath. The messenger got up and searched, following the sound of the phone while I grabbed a hold of the car I was leaning against and tried to stand up. I managed to steady my footing just as he was coming back with my phone. Edward's shirt was twisted to one side, and I began straightening it before he handed me the phone.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

I nodded once more, eager to have him leave at that point. I looked down at my caller ID and saw that it was Alice calling me back. "Hello?" I looked up once the phone was pressed against my ear and saw the messenger getting back onto his bike, riding away.

"Bella? Are you okay? I heard someone yelling and then the line went dead."

"I'm, um… I think I'm okay. I just got hit by one of those fucking bike messengers," I said, my voice shaky as a result of the shock of what had just occurred. It had all happened so fast, and yet I felt as if I had been standing in that spot forever. My stomach and my head both ached in pain, and I looked to see the groceries I had picked up strewn across the road, already run down by a car or two. "My groceries are toast though. I smacked my head on a car window and it hurts like a motherfucker, but I'm good I think."

"Oh my god, are you sure you're okay? Do you need me to come get you?" she asked, the panic emanating from her voice and through the phone.

"No, I'm right across from Edward's apartment building. I can get there by myself," I said, the tears threatening to spill over at the thought of seeing him after this. Countless childhood accidents came flooding into my mind. I would never cry until I saw my dad.

"Okay, you'll call me to let me know that you're all right?"

"I promise, Al. I just need to get off the phone and across the street. I'll call you," I said as I hung up the phone and took the first few unsteady steps back to the sidewalk. My legs were wobbling with adrenaline, and my eyes were moving frantically, anxiously waiting for something to happen as I crossed the street.

When I finally made it to Edward's building, I started climbing the stairs to the front door. About halfway up, the pain in my stomach seemed to triple, and I felt like a knife had just gone through me. I sat down on the steps and pulled out my phone again. This time I dialed Edward's number.

"Hey, I was just about to call you. You didn't need to make me breakfast in bed, I'd rather have you in here with me," he said, and the smile was clear in his voice, which only made the tears come faster.

"Edward," I began, taking a deep breath to try and compose myself. It didn't work.

"Bella? Baby, what's wrong?"

A single sob broke through the surface at the distress in his voice, but I reined it in.

"I'm outside. Can you come get me? I think something's wrong."

EPOV

When I woke up the next morning from what I could only guess was one of the most surreal dreams ever, I reached over in my bed desperate to find Bella's soft body beside mine. Instead, I found cool sheets and a piece of paper with a hideously scribbled note on it. I sat up in the bed and began to read the note, a tiny smile forming on my face as I read it.

Dear Paperback_wr
PBWard

Edward,

Went to the grocery store because I went to make you breakfast, but you have nothing in your house. Seriously, how are you still alive? We're going out later so I can buy you some real food.

Sorry I'm not here if you're reading this. I'll be back soon.

I love you,

Penny
Pennyella Well that just sounds stupid. I'm going to have to work on that one.

Bella

Well thank god, I thought to myself with a wide smile. At least last night hadn't been a figment of my imagination. I knew I had only had a few drinks at the bar, but certainly not enough to hallucinate explaining the whole fucked up situation to Bella and then having her confess her love to me moment after I told her how I felt.

Saying it now it even seemed unreal. Bella was in love with me. We were in love. I tossed my body back against the bed, feeling like a fourteen year old girl who was just asked to the dance by her crush. It was really fucking pathetic. I tossed the note down on my nightstand and rolled out of bed, making my way to the bathroom to take a piss before heading to the kitchen.

I was tempted to get dressed and run across the street to Common Grounds to get some coffee, because I was in desperate need of a caffeine fix. I was still high on the entire situation with Bella, but fuck, the burn of some coffee down my throat would have felt good right then. I looked in the fridge and was a little shocked by my complete lack of food. No wonder Bella had to head out to get something as simple as eggs and orange juice. I shook my head for my lack of planning and groceries. I was about to climb the stairs to take a quick shower in the bathroom while she was gone, but my phone began ringing on the island, bringing me back to the kitchen. I smiled brightly when I saw on my call display that it was Bella calling me.

"Hey, I was just about to call you. You didn't need to make me breakfast in bed, I'd rather have you in here with me," I said genuinely as I heard the honking of traffic behind her. I hoped she wasn't far away because I was truly desperate to see her again.

"Edward," she said softly, as her voice cracked and I immediately could tell that something was going on.

"Bella? Baby, what's wrong?" I asked intensely as I heard her begin to cry and my heart skipped a beat. If there was ever anyone in this world I didn't want to hear cry, it was my sweet Bella.

"I'm outside. Can you come get me? I think something's wrong."

"What's wrong? How can something be wrong?" I pleaded with her, trying to remain calm as I ran up my stairs two at a time and pulled on the first clothes I found, a pair of sweat pants and a wrinkled t-shirt from the floor. "Where outside are you?"

I opted to run down the stairs instead of waiting for the deathly slow elevator, listening to her as she told me through her tears that she was sitting on my front stoop. Her voice sounded low and shaky, and it was scaring the living crap out of me. When I ran through the door from the stairwell, I could see a small smattering of her brown hair and ran towards her as fast as I could, finding her doubled over in pain.

"What happened Bella?" I asked as I wrapped my arm around her and tried to lift her up, but she wouldn't budge.

"I got hit," she said as I reached up and wiped away her tears, which only brought on more. "A bike messenger… my stomach," she tried to explain in vain as I dialed 911 on my cell phone and immediately requested an ambulance. At that particular moment, I really didn't care if she just had a small cut on her side, I was taking her to the hospital to figure out what the hell was going on. "I have a headache, Edward."

"Shhh, baby. I'm sure that's very normal considering the hit you took. He must have been going pretty fast, huh?"

"Yeah, I lost the groceries."

"Don't worry about the groceries, Bella. They aren't nearly as important as you are, sweetheart."

While we waited for the ambulance to arrive, I cradled her head gently in my lap and stroked her hair softly. I listened as she explained to me the items she had bought at the store and what she had planned to make me for breakfast.

"I was going to make you omelets," she said slowly. I could tell she was fading away from me and I needed to try my hardest to keep her awake. Bella honestly seemed more heartbroken over the fact that she wasn't going to be able to make me breakfast than she was about the injuries she had obviously suffered.

"Oh yeah? What were you gonna put in them?" I asked as I continued stroking her hair. I realized that this was probably not helping her stay awake, but it was certainly keeping my nerves calm, or as calm as they could be. It wasn't until she stopped talking to me that I understood the entire situation was more serious than I thought it was.

"Bella… stay awake, babe," I said tensely as I lifted her head slowly and noticed her eyes were shut. "Jesus Christ, Bella. This isn't funny. Wake up. Please." I was tempted to try and shake her awake when the ambulance finally pulled up to the curb and two guys jumped out, grabbing their supplies from the back of their truck.

"What happened here?" asked the first paramedic I later learned was named Elliott.

"She was hit by a bike messenger. She just fell unconscious though, like… umm… two minutes ago, I guess. I tried to wake her up, but nothing happened."

"Did she complain of any injuries before she went out?" Elliott asked as he and the second paramedic, Josh, tried to pry her from my arms.

"Umm… she mentioned a headache and her stomach…" I tried to run through my memory to see if there was anything I was forgetting, but I had no idea. Everything was suddenly very rushed as Josh and Elliott helped me bring her into the back of their ambulance, forcing our way through the small crowd that had gathered around the scene. "I don't know if there was anything else. What is wrong with her?"

Elliott climbed into the driver's seat as I climbed in the back and watched as Josh began examining Bella thoroughly. I was completely unhinged and helpless as I simply sat there watching everything unfold. Remorse poured through every fiber of my body as I thought about how I wished I had woken before Bella and convinced her not to go to the grocery store. Fuck, if I had managed to get some fucking groceries for my apartment, this wouldn't be happening either.

After listening to Josh and Elliott banter back and forth about her condition while not understanding any of the medical terms they were spewing to each other, I had had enough. "Where the fuck are you taking her?"

"St. Vincent's."

I grabbed my cell phone and sent a quick text to both Jasper and Emmett, begging them to get to St. Vincent's as soon as possible with Rosalie and Alice. It was at this moment that I wished I had managed to get the girls' cell phone numbers during the past few weeks. I was thankful that St. Vincent's was only a few blocks away from my apartment and breathed a sigh of relief that we would be there sooner rather than later. Each second that passed was absolutely terrifying. I looked down on the girl who I loved more than anything else in the universe, and I was completely panic stricken about losing her.

When we arrived at the hospital, Elliott and Josh brought Bella in on the gurney and I was guided towards the front desk to provide them with her medical information. I felt even more helpless as I looked at the information on the forms and realized that the only thing I could fill out was her name and address. I tossed the clipboard onto the chair beside me and buried my head in my hands, tears falling softly as I realized how little I actually knew about Bella.

It seemed like ages before someone came to find me and talk to me about what was going on. Dr. Bowler, the ER doctor on call began peppering me with questions about what happened, and I grew more frustrated because it seemed like he just wasn't listening to me.

"This is what I know, and nothing more. Bella was coming home from the grocery store when she got hit by a bike messenger. She called me from her cell phone and sounded coherent. When I got to her, I called 911 and she told me her head and her stomach hurt. Please say you have something to tell me… anything. Just tell me she's going to be okay."

"We're currently running a battery of tests on her. We are hoping to have some information for you shortly though. Please stay in the waiting room and one of the nurses will contact you soon," he said as he turned away from me on his heel. I flipped him the bird before throwing my body back into the uncomfortable plastic seat. I glanced down at the unfinished paperwork still attached to the clipboard, and was about to return it to the nurse when Alice and Rosalie ran in, followed closely by Jasper and Emmett.

"Oh my god. I knew something was wrong. I was talking to her on the phone and then our call dropped out, but she assured me she was fine when I called her back. She's not fine is she? Where is she? Where's her doctor?" Words were coming from Alice's mouth but I seriously didn't think I noticed her lips move once. Was she really talking that quickly?

"Alice, shut the fuck up," Rosalie yelled at her as she gripped her best friend's shoulder tightly and tried to get her to calm down. "You, boyfriend… tell us what happened, preferably in short sentences, so that the crazed bitch here can understand."

I let out a small sigh and then described to them what I knew, with Alice filling in the blanks at the beginning of the accident that I wasn't previously aware of. Once everything was explained in meticulous detail, Rosalie went to talk to a nurse to try and get more information as Alice grabbed the clipboard and began filling it out. She patted my shoulder supportively as I felt Emmett sit down beside me and nudge my shoulder slightly.

"So, you finally told her, huh?"

"Yup."

"Are you sure you love her?"

"More than you could possibly understand, Emmett. She's it for me."

"Well it's about time you found someone. Jazz and I have been waiting for you to join the happy relationship club," he said with a small smile, trying to break the tension. It didn't work.

"You guys have been dating for what… like two months? You are hardly the best examples of a serious relationship," I said stoically as Jasper took the seat Alice had just left, as she returned to the nurses' station to hand in the completed paperwork.

"Edward… she's going to be fine," he said reassuringly as Alice came back and sat on his lap, the two of them looking so perfect and in love, I literally felt sick to my stomach.

"You don't know that, Jasper. You have no idea if she is going to be okay. Sure, this could just be some little thing like a broken rib, but don't you think if that was the case I would have heard something already? All I want is to hear her laughter or see her smile again. Is that too much to fucking ask?" I shouted as I jumped up from my chair and began pacing around the small waiting room. "Why the fuck did I have to wait to tell her? I've wasted all this time because I had to make everything fucking perfect and it blew up in my face. I finally tell Bella I am in love with her and she gets hit by some fucking psycho bike messenger."

"They are a hazard to the road," Alice said quietly as I stopped dead in my tracks. I was so infuriated that I couldn't even manage a reply to her that wouldn't have been caustic and mean, so I just kept my mouth shut.

Moments later, Rosalie came back and joined our group, followed by Dr. Bowler, who looked anxious.

"Where is she? Is she okay?" I asked, the pleading tone in my voice making me terrified. I didn't know what I would do if she wasn't okay.

"I'm afraid I can't disclose any specific information about Miss Swan's condition unless any of you are family," the asshole doctor said routinely, as if this was no big deal. I wanted to fucking punch him.

"No, none of us are blood relatives," I seethed, furious and going crazy. "All her goddamn family is 3,000 miles away in Washington. I'm her boyfriend, and we're all her fucking family."

I felt Alice's small hand touch my shoulder, and I jumped slightly at the contact. I knew that my harsh attitude wasn't going to get this doctor to tell me anything, but I needed to know what was wrong with Bella. For my own sanity.

"Look, I'm sorry. I'm a nervous wreck here and I just need to know what's wrong with her." He looked at me with understanding in his eyes, and began telling me what was happening.

"We've discovered some internal bleeding and we are taking Miss Swan into surgery momentarily. We've done several ultrasounds and found some irregularities, which we think are caused by abdominal bleeding caused by the impact of the accident. Her unconsciousness was a result of the head trauma she seemed to have suffered, as she has a small bump on the back of her head." Alice then piped up that Bella mentioned hitting her head on a car window during the accident and Dr. Bowler wrote down a few notes before turning back towards us. "Miss Swan was conscious for a few moments and asked for an 'Edward,' but we had to put her under so that we could get her into surgery immediately. They are prepping her now."

"Can I see her?" I asked, my voice sounding completely hopeful as I moved closer to Dr. Bowler.

"I'm guessing you're Edward?" I nodded my head slowly in response as Dr. Bowler motioned with his hand down the hallway. "She's in exam room three. She's unconscious and looks very pale because we believe she's lost a lot of blood. Only take a moment please." I couldn't believe this was real. No less than twelve hours ago, Bella and I were making love in my bed, and now I felt as if I was walking towards my own demise. She had to be okay. She just had to.

I practically ran down the hall and skidded to a stop in front of room three, where I found Bella lying motionless on the bed, hooked up to a few machines. I kept trying to tell myself it looked worse than it really did, but who was I kidding? I was fucking petrified. I cautiously moved to the side of her bed and leaned down to kiss her cheek tenderly, before reaching up to push some of her hair behind her ear.

"You are never allowed to get me groceries again, Bella Swan. Do you hear me? I can't take the chance and lose you," I said, my voice sounded like it belonged to someone else.

Please remember how I feel about you,

I could never really live without you.

So, come on back and see just what you mean to me.

I need you

My knees gave out under my weight and I sat in the chair beside her bed, my body shaking in fear. "I finally have you… please don't leave me."