A/N: So I don't have any impulse control. I was trying to wait until tomorrow to post this chapter since I just posted one yesterday, but it's ready and I can't wait. This doesn't mean you don't have to review for the last chapter, so if you just hit the next button - go back and review the last one too.

Thanks Twike. I am trying to think of a funny Disney song quote to put here, but I got nothin.

The characters are not mine, but I wish Edward belonged to me.

Chapter 25

Bella hung out in her room playing "No Air" by Jordin Sparks on repeat. She didn't want to imagine life without Edward, and she considered several times going back to his house and begging him to try to be with her anyway. She couldn't let herself be that selfish though. The art of moping was becoming her specialty. She tried to put on a happy face in front of the customers, but around her family she made it clear that she wanted to be left alone.

She finally turned off the music and made her way down to begin her dinner prep, when she heard Emmett and Rosalie arguing.

"She's unhappy Emmett. I can't stand seeing her so sad. Can you not see that? We need to do something to fix this before it goes any farther," Rosalie said.

"What are we supposed to do about it? It's not like we can lock them in a room together and force them to figure things out. Besides, Bella's right. If you died, I could never date someone who reminded me of you every time I saw them," Emmett reasoned.

"Emmett, you're going to talk to him or you'll be the dead one!" Rosalie grumbled.

"Oooo, I'm scared Rose," Emmett challenged.

"Or I can promise you I won't be in the mood again until the baby comes."

"Fine. I'll talk to him," Emmett agreed quickly.

Bella decided it was time to put an end to their conversation, so she came around the corner where they could see her.

"Good. Emmett, we need more heavy cream while you're out too," Rosalie said with a guilty look on her face. Bella decided not to let them know she'd overheard their conversation. She was going to have to do better at hiding her sadness. She didn't want her family to worry.

For the next few days, Bella did whatever she could to stay busy. She put the final finishing touches on her children's book. She still didn't think it was good enough to get published, but she'd promised Edward she would at least try. She answered her NODA emails with as much enthusiasm as she could fake and started searching the web for a real job. Fate hadn't been kind to her so she decided she'd create her own destiny. She'd find a career and throw herself into it. If she were busy all the time, maybe she would forget Edward. Maybe she wouldn't spend all her time thinking about the fact that the one thing she wanted was the one thing she could never have.

Emmett was irritating Bella non-stop. The doctor had released her to go back to her regular duties at work, but Emmett wouldn't budge. He wouldn't let her do much of anything and kept making her take frequent breaks. She was bored out of her mind. Thursdays' lunch service did not go well. Bella decided she'd had enough of light duty and started out moving racks of glasses to the bar from the dishwasher. Emmett saw her and yelled, "Bella! What are you doing? Put those down!"

Bella was startled and proceeded to put the glasses down. In fact, she dropped them suddenly on the floor. Some of the glasses were spared, but many of them shattered on impact.

"Emmett! Don't scare me like that!"

"Why in the world were you carrying that! You aren't even supposed to be down here yet."

"Emmett, the doctor said I could go back to work, and I intend to work. I'm tired of you babying me. I know what I can handle," Bella stomped.

"Bella, I'm your boss not to mention your brother. If I say you're not to carry heavy things, that's what I mean. Now go upstairs, and come back at eleven."

"No."

"Yes."

"Emmett, you're not going to win this one. I need to stay busy. I will be able to tell if I'm in over my head."

"Right, like you knew it when you fell in love with the first guy who ever even acted interested in you and went so crazy when things didn't go your way that you didn't bother to eat or rest or take your medicine? You're right Bella. You don't need anyone to look after you. Do what you want."

Bella was hurt by his words, but she was also furious. How dare he speak about her pain so flippantly! Emmett turned to stomp away, but Bella threw a dish towel at his head.

He just turned around with a scowl on his face and said, "Right. We shouldn't baby you. You don't act like a baby at all."

Bella kept working but left the broken glass on the floor for Emmett to clean up. The two of them didn't speak to each other for the rest of lunch. Bella worked as hard as she wanted to, and Emmett ignored her. Just to make him mad, Bella decided to take out the trash. She was huffing all the way to the dumpster, when she was surprised by Edward jogging up to her. She felt her entire body relax at the sight of him.

"Here, let me get that," Edward reached out to her and took the garbage bag.

Oh no he didn't. She had enough from Emmett; she didn't need this from Edward too. "I am perfectly capable of taking out the trash."

"Well hello to you too, friend." Hearing him say the word friend was like a stab to her heart. No, like a stab to Sarah's heart; that's why they were just friends after all.

It was strike two when Edward admitted he wasn't here to see her, but to play basketball with Emmett. That was just great, Edward had replaced Bella with her brother. She hadn't heard a word from him since they talked on Saturday, and then he shows up to see Emmett!

After work, Bella picked up Emily. That little girl was always a bright spot in her life. Not only was Emily adorable, but she was also obsessed with Bella. Emily was always trying to dress like Bella, she wanted her hair to look like Bella's, and she called Bella to tell her about her school day every time something interesting happened. Basically this little girl was good for Bella's self-esteem. She loved spending time with her, and hearing her contagious giggle was one of Bella's favorite things in the world.

Edward agreed to let them pick up Aro and meet him and Emmett at the park. They pulled up to Edward's house and walked hand in hand to the door. Bella felt the sadness prick at her again as she remembered the other times she'd walked up this sidewalk. They walked inside and headed to the back door to get Aro. Bella froze when she saw the state of the living room. There was trash everywhere. Soda cans, bear cans, half empty bags of chips, empty pizza boxes, and just junk everywhere.

Bella realized that Edward must have had a party. She was put off by the fact that she'd been home mourning the lost of her one great love, while Edward was at home inviting over guests and partying it up. He probably had attractive women over and…

"Aunt Bella, this place is gross!" Emily snapped Bella out of her thoughts.

"Yes it is Emily. Some men can't live without their mother to come and clean up after them. You wait here and watch TV. I'm going to go get some trash bags." Bella turned on the TV and scrolled through the recorded programs to see if the Disney shows she'd recorded a few weeks ago were still on here. She was surprised to see that Edward had recorded several soap operas. Maybe she didn't know him as well as she thought she did.

Bella found an episode of Suite Life and started cleaning up the mess while Emily watched the show. She wasn't sure why she was cleaning Edward's house, but part of her just wanted to be able to take care of him. She finished up vacuuming, put the trash in the garage, and let Aro inside. He went crazy -jumping up on her, licking her face, and wagging his tail. It took Bella a long time to get him calm enough to attach his leash. When they finally reached the park, it looked like the guys were about done playing.

Emily ran straight up to Edward, and Bella's breath caught in her chest as she saw him swing her niece around with a huge smile on his face. Before she could catch herself, she let out an audible sigh. Bella was thankful that no one heard her, but panicked when she heard Emily say, "Eddie, you're gross!"

Bella let out a nervous giggle. She didn't want Emily to tell Edward they'd just cleaned his house. The last thing she wanted to hear about was Edward's party. She changed the subject quick, "We had some trouble getting Aro in the truck. He wouldn't stop attacking me."

"He has missed you that's for sure. He's been moping around the house all week."

Bella knew that it couldn't compare with how much she'd missed Edward. It's like there was no air. She wanted to go home and listen to more Jordin Sparks. If she kept looking at Edward all sweaty in his tight t-shirt, she might spontaneously combust. So she distracted herself by chasing Aro around the park with Emily. For a few minutes Bella forgot that her life was so messed up. Emily's laugh was contagious, and soon Bella found herself needing to catch her breath.

"Hey Bella, do you need to sit down? Do you want some water?" Edward asked.

Strike three. Bella felt the anger creeping from her stomach and up her neck like a volcano about to explode. She saw her brother whisper something to Edward, and her suspicion that they were conspiring to make sure she didn't enjoy a single second of her life was confirmed.

"Don't you dare start that Edward Cullen. I don't need another big brother telling me what to do, and I especially don't need you of all people telling me what to do." It took everything in her not to punch him in the face.

"You just looked tired, and you did just get out of the hospital because you over did it," Edward shrugged and Emmett egged him on quietly so that Bella couldn't make out what he was saying. She'd had enough – Edward and Emmett could enjoy their friendship. She was done with both of them.

"Come on Emily. We're leaving." Bella hoped Emily wasn't hurt or confused by Bella getting mad at Edward, but she was also too mad to care. "You can take your dog home," Bella looked over her shoulder and gave Edward one more death stare.

Once they got home, Emily started helping granddad with dinner, and Bella went in her room, slammed the door, and blasted some angry girl music. Goodbye Jordin Sparks. Hello Alanis. A few minutes later, Emmett barged in on her and sat on her bed.

"Get out!" she yelled.

"No. Sit down. We're going to talk," Emmett folded his arms across his chest.

"I said get out!" Bella fumed.

"No way. You were a jerk to Edward, and he was just asking if you needed a drink of water. He didn't tell you that you shouldn't have any more fun. You looked tired. There is a difference between me worrying you're going to put yourself in the hospital, and the friendly concern of a friend. You need to quit being so stubborn, or you'll push everyone away from you. The only reason I'm still around is because you my sister and I have to be." Emmett gave her a cheesy grin, and she couldn't resist it. She loved her brother even more than she hated him.

"Well you shouldn't have been telling him to check up on me," Bella replied but she wasn't angry anymore.

"I didn't tell him any such thing," Emmett defended himself. "I was telling the idiot to shut up. He had no idea how you were going to take what he was saying all wrong. He obviously just cares about you, Bella. I wish you guys could work things out. I don't think anyone else would still be attracted to you after you open your mouth. He might be your only shot."

Bella knew he was joking, but his words stung. He was right. She would never love again. "Maybe I was a bit dramatic with my reaction," she admitted.

"He was acting pretty pitiful when he left. You should call him and talk about it," Emmett suggested.

"Yeah, I will. Thanks, Em."

Bella reached in her pocket to get her phone out and her fingers brushed against the key in her pocket. A smile spread across her face as she realized she had the perfect excuse to see Edward without crossing any relationship boundaries. He needed his key after all. Bella clicked back to Jordin Sparks on her computer and started brushing her hair.

She ended up spending a couple of hours at Edward's house, when she only planned to stop by. There were a few uncomfortable moments, and the entire time she sat next to him at his computer she had the urge to touch him. She literally had to hold herself back. It was confusing, sitting there like they were friends hanging out, but she still felt inconsolably attracted to him. She wanted to engage in flirty banter and meaningful touching, but that's not what friends did. Being just friends was painful. Maybe they could be friends with benefits?

The next day, Bella sent query letters to several children's book agents. She also applied for a couple of teaching jobs online including one at an inner city high school in Denver. She'd always loved movies like Dangerous Minds and Lean on Me. If Hillary Swank could transform the lives of teenagers by having them journal, so could she. Bella realized it had been over six years since she student taught, and so she made plans with Father Almeada to help out at the Parish school two days a week to get more experience.

Emotionally, things did not get any easier for Bella over the next few weeks. She tried to keep her mind occupied, but she seemed to be losing her grip on reality. Everywhere she went, she thought she saw Edward. She would be walking towards the park and catch a glimpse of his auburn hair, but when she looked closer he was gone. Several times she imagined seeing a silver Volvo outside of her apartment or restaurant or even passing her on the road whenever she went somewhere. She'd be waiting on a table and think she saw him walk by the front window. One day she was relaxing on the grass at the park with her eyes closed and thought she caught Edward's scent on the wind. She was afraid if she told Rosalie about what was happening to her, that she would send her to a shrink.

Edward met her at the park a couple of times, and each time she was relieved when she figured out he was real and not a figment of her imagination. She was always happy and sad to see him. On this particular day, she was more happy than sad. She had big news to tell him.

"Hey you!" she ran up to him as soon as she saw him round the corner with Aro.

"Well hello there. What has you so high on life?" Edward asked with a wide smile.

"I started volunteering at St. Francis this week in a 7th grade English class. I'm teaching them Shakespeare, and they seem like they like it!"

"That's great Bella. I'm proud of you."

"That's not all. I also have an interview."

"To teach?"

"Yeah, at a Title One school in Denver. I go in next Tuesday to talk to the principal."

"In Denver? You mean you would move to Denver? But, what about your granddad? Don't they need you here? Emily would be crushed," Edward said in a panic.

"Edward, calm down. It's just an interview, but it would be a great opportunity to help troubled teenagers. I could be their single positive influence, and then when they grow up to be successful, they'll credit me. There will probably be a movie about it and everything."

"I don't know Bella. Some of those schools are rough and dangerous. I don't want anything to happen to you," Edward wasn't smiling at all now.

"Pshaw, my middle name is danger," Bella blew him off.

"More like danger magnet," Edward grumbled.

"Well, it was really nice talking to you…" Bella said sarcastically and turned to walk away.

"Bella, wait …," Edward reached out and tried to grab her hand.

"No, don't. I'm just going to go home. I'll let you know how my interview goes."

Bella walked home feeling even more depressed than usual. Something deep inside her desperately wanted to please Edward, but it seemed he was more disappointed with her choices than excited for her. He was the one who originally inspired her to start using her degree and living her life. Now he was just like another family member who didn't mind if she remained stagnant and safe. Bella knew the real issue was that she didn't really want a friendship with Edward. She wanted more, and unless something changed, she didn't know if she would be able to stop acting on edge around him. There was just too much going on under the surface when they interacted.

Tuesday came, and Bella spent her drive to Denver humming "Eye of The Tiger" to get pumped up for her interview. As she followed the directions to the school, she purposely ignored the impulse to reach over and lock the doors to the truck. This really wasn't the best neighborhood. Why was that guy running so fast out of that store? Bella noticed that there was a lot of graffiti around and decided she would try and encourage her students' artistic skills and funnel them into more productive activities. There were also a lot of shoes hanging from the power lines. Bella wondered why anyone would play like that with a perfectly good pair of sneakers. She would have to teach these kids more than just English. She would have to teach them about life.

Bella got to the school and was surprised to see several kids hanging out in the parking lot. She hopped out of the truck, checked her make up in the side mirror, grabbed her teaching portfolio, and headed inside. She smiled at some boys standing near the door, and they seemed friendly enough. She went to the principal's office, where she was told to sit and wait. A few minutes later, an older black man holding a walkie talkie walked in from the hallway. Bella was instantly giddy when she saw that he looked a lot like Morgan Freeman. He was dragging a young man covered with piercings and tattoos with him, and slammed him down into a seat across from Bella. They were both out of breath.

"You will not assault my staff young man," the principal scolded. "The next time I see you make a threatening gesture like that, you'll be out of here."

"Screw you," the boy shot back.

"That's it. You're out for three days." The principal went in his office and slammed the door.

The school secretary looked at Bella sheepishly and shrugged her shoulders. Bella swallowed hard and started to get a little nervous about her interview. Bella glanced over at the young man and noticed he was staring at her.

"Hey mamma," he nodded at her and then ran his eyes up and down her body. Bella shivered and felt like she might throw up. Thankfully the principal opened his door and called for her to come in.

Bella's interview did not go well. She was nervous, and the man was nothing like Morgan Freeman. He was rude and sarcastic, and he called Bella naïve. He said she wasn't the first young white girl to show up in his office planning to save the world. The principal not so subtly suggested she get some teaching experience at a suburban or private school.

Bella held her head high, thanked him for the interview, and walked out of the office. She got outside, and wasn't sure if she wanted to cuss or cry. She had never been spoken down to like that before. Maybe it was foolish of her to come in with dreams of making a difference, but he didn't have to be so condescending about it. Bella wasn't paying attention to her surroundings when she ran straight into the kid from the principal's office.

"Hey mamma. I knew you'd be coming back for this," he said and made an obscene gesture as she backed away from him. She quickly looked around for help, but all she found were two other young men closing in on her from two sides. Bella saw the first kid nod at the one on her left, and he started laughing with his eyes fixed on Bella.

Bella might be naïve, but she knew their intentions were not pure. She could only pray that they wanted her money and nothing more painful. She searched for an escape or a way she could run away, but there was no way she could get past all three of them. She wished she hadn't thrown away Emmett's pepper spray. At least she'd learned to defend herself against her ogre of a brother. These guys might be able to hurt her, but they wouldn't walk away unscathed.

She was prepared to knee the one from the principal's office first, when she heard a horn blast and tires screech. The four of them looked simultaneously at the silver Volvo that stopped just inches from one of the boys. Edward jumped out of the car with a ferocious look in his eyes. One of the boys immediately turned and ran away.

"Bella, get in the car," Edward growled and popped his trunk. Without taking his eyes off the first young man, he walked to his trunk and pulled out his tire wrench. Bella ran to the passenger door and opened it but didn't get in.

"Hey cuz, we was just talkin to the lady," he held up his hands defensively as Edward stalked slowly toward him holding the large metal tool.

"Your conversation is over," Edward snarled. The muscles in his neck and arms were flexed and he had a vein visibly popping out in his forehead. Bella had never seen his eyes so dark. "I'm going to count to three. If I can still see your face by the time I get to three, you're mom won't recognize what's left of you."

The two boys looked at each other and laughed, but when Edward said, "one," and held the weapon up in the air, they realized he was serious and ran. Edward dropped the wrench to his side, walked to the car, got in, and slammed the door. Bella got in and closed her door as well. Edward started to drive out of the parking lot without a word. He was clenching the steering wheel so hard that Bella could see the whites of his knuckles.

"What about my truck?" Bella asked nervously. Edward just gave her a harsh look and didn't answer, so she dropped the subject. After several more minutes passed, Bella couldn't hold it in any longer and asked, "Edward, did you follow me to my interview?"

Edward took a deep breath but didn't answer her. He glanced at her with a pained expression, and she wasn't sure if he was angry or sad.

"Thank you," she whispered, and her voice cracked. The shock was starting to wear off and the reality of what had nearly happened hit her. She started to cry, Edward noticed, pulled the car over, and pulled her into his arms. Bella cried on his shoulder and soon she knew she wasn't just crying about the day's events, she was crying because she felt right for the first time in weeks. Edward stroked her hair and held her tight.

"I couldn't live if anything happened to you," he confessed.

"I'm sorry. I keep telling you I don't need people to take care of me, but then I keep proving that I need to be taken care of," she looked up into his eyes and felt safe there.

"Bella, you need to realize that being taken care of doesn't make you weak. When you love someone, you take care of them. You take care of each other. The people that love you need to take care of you as much they need you to take care of them." He reached up to her face and swept the tears away with his thumb.

"I don't even want to know what would have happened if you hadn't shown up," Bella whispered.

"All I could think about was how much I wanted to hurt them. If you hadn't been there – if I didn't know you'd have to witness my actions, I think I might have… I could have killed them."

"No Edward, you saved me. You didn't do anything wrong," Bella said and reached up to touch his face with her palm. Edward leaned so their foreheads were touching and closed his eyes. They sat like that for a few minutes. Finally Edward moved back over, put the car in drive, and pulled back onto the road, He continued to hold Bella's hand. When they got to her apartment, it was twilight. Edward got out of the car and walked her to the door. They hugged and stood staring at each other when they let go. Edward reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear said, "Be safe." With that, Bella walked inside, and Edward drove home.

A/N: Story is winding down. 2-3 chapters left. I honestly don't know how it's ging to end, but I'm excited to write the next chapter. It's been floating around in my head forever, and well... I hope I can make it what I want it to be. Brighter days are coming!

If you review, I'll name my first born child after you.