It's been so long since I wrote Twilight fan fiction that I almost gave Edward a BMW instead of a Volvo in this chapter! Hee hee.

Sorry for the long delay. I've been consumed by novel writing and editing, but I'm determined to finish this story. When we last left off, Edward and Nina were so relieved Bella didn't jump off the cliff. They survived aborted attacks by Victoria and the wolves. Jacob brought Bella's motorcycle over to the house and Charlie was livid.

Enjoy!

25. Bless

I set out on a narrow way

Many years ago
Hoping I would find true love

Along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and

Kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign

Pointed straight to you

"Bless the Broken Road"

Rascal Flatts

Edward checked his collar one last time, relieved to find the polo shirt's corners crisp and even. Softly he knocked on the front door.

"Coming!" he heard from the top of the stairs, Bella's voice sounding strained. Edward smirked, knowing the reason for her concern, hearing Chief Swan's disdainful thoughts a second before Bella's father wrenched open the door.

You can 'Yes, sir' me to death, Cullen, but I'll never forget what happened when you left my girl.

"Hello, Chief," Edward said, unfailingly polite.

Charlie gave him the once-over. "Edward."

"Dad!" Bella came up behind her father, her big brown eyes apologizing for failing to arrive to the door first. Charlie barely gave her an inch as she tried to squeeze in between him and the door frame.

Edward smiled, noticing her flushed cheeks. "Are you ready, Bella?"

"Therapy." She grimaced. "Oh, boy. Want to come in for a couple of minutes?"

Watching Charlie scowl at that suggestion, Edward shook his head. "We don't want to be late."

Charlie fixed a stern stare on Edward. "Bring Bells home right after the appointment."

"But Dad, I'm not grounded, right?"

He turned to her. "It's a school night."

"C'mon, Dad. I'll be fine — we'll be with Nina."

His face softened. "Well then, don't be out too late."

Edward said, "Yes, sir," hearing muttering in Charlie's head.

Bella wriggled out from behind her father, scooping Edward's hand in hers as they made their way to his Volvo.

Edward closed the passenger side door once she was safely inside, then respectfully backed the sleek vehicle out the driveway. Once he was clear of the house, the engine gunned under his firm press of the accelerator. He frowned. "Your father still doesn't trust me."

"He'll get there. Nina's working on him."

"How did she convince him not to ground you?"

One corner of her mouth slid up. "She told him doing daredevil stunts was how I coped with my depression over you leaving. It was the only way for me to feel alive. Now that you're back, I don't need to take risks like that anymore. I promised Charlie I wouldn't touch a motorcycle again."

"Wow." He let his high-performance tires hug the curve, undeterred by the coating of rain on the streets. "Dr. Carlton's quite intelligent."

"Yup." Bella nodded. "And when Charlie thought about it, he was angriest with Jake. He lit into him for teaching me how to ride a motorcycle, especially considering how Jake's own dad got paralyzed in a motorcycle accident. Charlie said it was completely reckless and stupid."

Edward reached out to tuck strands of warm brown hair behind her ear. "It was."

She sighed.

Guilt ghosted his stone features. "You love pursuing crazy ventures, risking your life for others. That's why I'll never leave your side again."

She thought about that for a second. "Even for my human moments?"

Edward chuckled. "Hmm. Maybe I'll let you go then." He mentally replayed their conversation. "That promise I just made to you . . . . it was rather codependent. Allow me to try again." His feral, other-worldly eyes locked on hers. "Bella, I promise to love you and devote myself to you for as long as we both desire to be together. I'll communicate the best I can, and give you space when you need it."

Now Bella was chuckling. "You've listened well in our sessions, Mr. Cullen. Nina couldn't have said it better herself." A crease slowly lined her forehead. "And it figures you're perfect at therapy too. What don't you do well?"

*o*o*o*

"Lieutenant Commander Carlton."

Nina paused, hearing her ex-husband's unassailable voice. She clutched her office phone a little tighter. "Hi, John."

Uneasiness crept into his tone. "Nina."

"You're back from assignment?"

"Been back a couple weeks. We kicked butt as usual."

She smiled, picturing his broad grin as he stood proudly in his uniform. "That's my Navy man."

When the silence grew between them, John asked, "So, uh, what's up?"

Glancing at the picture frame on her desk, Nina reached for the photo of Adam taken days before his death. Wearing his team sweats, her son was tall and muscular with shiny black hair. Though she'd snapped the photo on the pool deck — one of Adam's favorite places — his eyes were melancholy and hollow. Stroking the pad of her thumb across the frame's glass, she realized how much Adam looked like Jacob in that moment. The flecks of pain in his deep brown eyes resembled Jacob the most. I wonder if Adam thought of himself as a monster too.

Finally Nina spoke. "John, I know you're busy. Um . . . I just wanted to ask . . . will you forgive me?"

"For what?"

She let out a breath. "For Adam killing himself."

His voice was tight. "I thought you blamed me."

"I don't. I've always blamed myself, for not seeing the signs . . . but I was too scared to admit it. And now . . ." She considered what she'd learned about the tribe, discovering Adam had likely endured the frightening change to shape-shifter all alone. Nina swallowed. "I wish I could've stopped him."

John drew in a shaky breath. "I miss him."

"Me too." She pressed the frame against her chest, feeling the dull thud of her heart.

"I can't forgive you, Nina . . . because I never blamed you. Adam was sick. He had a mental illness. He was like me — trying to be tough, never reaching out for help."

"You are tough," she said.

"It's all an act, believe me." He hesitated. "I'm back in therapy."

Her shoulders sagged with relief. "How's it going?"

"I'm learning how hard I am to live with."

She smirked. "I'm no prize either."

"I have something to tell you. My therapist's been on my case to let you know."

Nina braced herself.

"I . . ." his voice faded off. "I met someone. She, uh, she just moved in."

Nina had expected such news to devastate her, and she was shocked to find herself smiling. "Sounds serious."

"It is — wait a minute. Aren't you upset?"

"I thought I would be, but honestly, John, I'm happy for you. I'm really happy for you. You deserve happiness."

"I . . . thank you, Nina. That means a lot to me. You sound like you're in a better place too."

"I am. It helps, being back in Forks. I'm home. I feel more . . . more peaceful about Adam. He felt lost, all alone, and didn't know what else to do to deal with the pain. He had no idea how much losing him would hurt us. He was just trying to protect us."

John was silent for a moment. "He was a special boy. We did good, making him. He was a good boy."

"The best." Nina smiled faintly, her eyes resting on the quail figurine Adam had given her when he was twelve. He was still protecting her. "Well, I have a client soon. Be safe, John."

"You too, Nina. Call if you need anything, okay?"

"I will. Take care." She hung up the phone, closing her eyes for a moment. Equal parts bitter and sweet flowed through her, and she prayed for Adam's spirit to continue healing the tie between his parents . . . even though their marital knot had unraveled. It was time to accept the gradual fraying of that knot. It was time to move on in her life.

*o*o*o*

Sitting in the waiting room, Edward deliberated on whether to tell Bella what he'd just overheard.

"What is it?" she asked.

He hesitated. "Dr. Carlton has made peace with her ex-husband. She told him goodbye."

Bella nodded. "I'm glad."

A scene outside a bar flashed through Edward's mind — a memory of Nina's he'd seen. It had been two years ago after she'd moved to Forks when a man attempted to rape her, thwarted by Charlie swooping in and knocking him down, swiftly arresting the attacker and keeping Nina safe. It had been quite a dramatic first meeting between Bella's father and her psychologist.

Nina emerged from her office and jumped when she found the couple in the waiting room. "Oh! You're early."

"Sorry," Bella said. "Didn't mean to surprise you."

Nina looked at Edward to discern if he'd listened in on her phone conversation, but his arresting ochre eyes revealed nothing. She chewed on her lip. "Um, I was just going for a brief walk outside, clear my head . . . would you two like to join me? We could walk while we talk." She glanced out the window. "Assuming it hasn't started raining again."

Bella stood up and Edward followed suit. "Don't worry." Bella grinned. "Alice said it won't be baseball weather for a couple of days."

Nina squinted, confused by that comment, and Edward chuckled, resting his hand on the small of Bella's back as they followed Nina out the door.

There was just enough room on the trail for the three of them to walk side by side. Nina wondered how difficult it was for Edward to limit himself to their pedestrian human pace. She breathed in the cool spring breeze. "So, how's everything going?"

"Pretty good," Bella said. "Things have settled down a little."

Nina noticed Edward wince. "That's how you feel too, Edward?"

"Of course."

The psychologist filed away his mysterious response, planning to address it later.

"Except Jake still won't talk to me," Bella added.

Nina nodded. "I hope he'll come around one day. Unrequited love can be so painful."

Bella looked down, shuffling her feet. "I never meant to hurt him."

When Bella tripped, Edward immediately caught her. Righting her, he felt a small burn in his throat upon noticing her flaming cheeks. Gallantly, he suggested, "Perhaps walking during the session isn't such a salubrious idea?"

Nina pressed her lips together, trying to contain her laughter. "We'll be fine. Just don't look down, Bella. Keep looking straight ahead."

Edward decided that was good advice for them all.

"I know you feel badly about Jacob," Nina said. "If you had to do it all again, would you do anything differently?"

Bella's head bobbed vigorously. "I wouldn't get so depressed."

Nina looked at her gently. "Depression is a biological illness, Bella. Nobody chooses to get depressed."

Her brows puckered, forming a small crease above her nose that Edward found adorable. "Well, then, I'd try to talk to Jake more, make sure he wasn't getting the wrong idea."

"I'm a big fan of communication, as you know." Nina smiled. "But didn't you try to tell him you just wanted to be friends, several times?"

"Not enough times, apparently." Bella sighed. "The truth is, I was scared he wouldn't be there for me if I kept pushing him away. I needed him. It was selfish."

Edward's jaw clenched. He'd done this to her, and to Jacob. He was the selfish one.

"So there were things you did you weren't proud of," Nina said. "I'm sure Jacob feels the same way. Zooming that motorcycle over to your father wasn't his proudest moment."

Impulsive dog, Edward silently growled.

"But we all make mistakes, Bella. We're human." She gave Edward a sideways glance. "Well, some of us are, anyway."

Bella giggled as Nina continued, "Mistakes are our best teachers. What'd you learn from what happened with Jacob?"

She thought for a moment. "I'm grateful Jake took care of me, and I hope someday he'll let me be there for him. But I guess I don't have control over that."

"True." Nina nodded. "You don't have responsibility or control over the choices he makes. All you're responsible for is yourself — for being the best friend you can be."

Edward had taken Bella's hand, rubbing the pad of his thumb over her warm skin. "Jacob's lucky to have a friend like you."

"Not as lucky as I am to have you," Bella replied.

Edward beamed, enraptured by her inner beauty. He drew his arm around her shoulders, tenderly pressing her cheek to his granite physique, intoxicated by her scent.

Deciding to give them their moment, Nina quietly matched their stride. They'd come so far. All of them.

Bella interrupted Nina's reverie. "You could have this too, you know."

Nina started. "What?"

Bella rested her ear on Edward's chest as they continued walking on the path. "You could find romance too, in Forks." She paused. "With Charlie."

Both Nina and Edward came to a halt, staring at her. Edward hadn't expected Bella to broach the issue, particularly in such a direct way.

Nina's eyes bugged. "You think there's something going on between Charlie and me?"

"Not yet. But you guys definitely have feelings for each other." Watching Nina's mouth drop open, Bella gestured to her boyfriend. "I know it's true . . . Edward heard it!"

He took a step back. "Now wait a second, Bella."

"How invasive!" Nina glared at him then lighted her feisty stare on Bella. "Besides, even if I did have feelings for Charlie, which I don't, it would be unethical to act on them. I'm supposed to avoid multiple relationships. It wouldn't be proper to date the father of my psychotherapy client."

The wheels turned in Bella's mind. "But what if that client says it's okay?"

Nina's arms crossed in front of her. "It doesn't matter. There are power dynamics in play here — you could be exploited as a client. You might feel coerced to encourage the boundary crossing, when that's not really in your best interest."

"I think it is in my best interest!" Bella stood firm. "Seeing Charlie happy would make me happy. Nobody gets him all nervous and giddy like you do, Nina."

"Really?" Nina's voice rose like a school girl but then she shook her head, trying to resume her professionalism. "It can't happen."

Edward jumped in. "Bella has an excellent point, Dr. Carlton." When he had both women's attention, he continued. "Primum non nocere. Do no harm. I know you're attempting not to harm Bella, but doesn't she have the right — the autonomy — to define what indeed would be harmful? You're the one who keeps telling her to speak her voice, after all."

"That's a low blow, Mr. Masen — using my own words against me."

He could tell Nina wasn't truly angry with him, so he continued. "Your ethical code proscribes to do no harm, but it also aspires to 'do good'. Prosum. Wouldn't you be doing good by helping Bella and her family this way? Bella constantly worries about her father being alone, with nobody to care for him. If it works out between you and Chief Swan, you'd create beneficence. You'd do good for this family."

Nina took this in. "Okay, Latin boy. But what about my ethical code instructing me to avoid multiple relationships? I can't be Bella's therapist, and her . . . her stepmother — " Nina and Bella both almost laughed " — at the same time."

"Ah, yes." Edward resumed walking, and the women joined him. "That's where the limitations of practicing as a rural psychologist enter into the equation."

When Nina's jaw unhinged, Edward knew he was on the right track. "You see, Dr. Carlton, I did a little reading on the subject."

"How in the world — "

"We vampires have a lot of free time on our hands at night," he interrupted her, softly smiling. "To resume, it's well known that rural psychologists have to deal with multiple relationships. Living in small town means you'll see your clients in the grocery store . . ."

Nina nodded ruefully.

". . . the vet, the hair salon, the doctor's office. Your physician could easily be the foster father of your client, for example. It's inevitable you might have to hire a former client as a real estate agent, or in this case, date the father of a client. After all, how many available single men live in Forks?"

When Nina didn't answer, Bella answered, "With all their teeth? About two." She snickered at her own joke, and Edward tried not to join in on the laughter, determined to make his point.

"And I hate to bring this up," Edward said, "but you already have a dual relationship with Charlie."

Nina looked at him quizzically.

"Charlie saved you from the attacker that night. Of course you feel close to him. He's not just the parent of your client. He's the man to whom you owe your life. He's the man who cares deeply about you."

Nina pictured Charlie's worried brown eyes hovering over her, his steady voice and take-charge attitude soothing her as he covered her shaking body with his uniform jacket.

Seeing the same image, Edward said, "He was there for you that night, and he's never stopped thinking about you since."

She'd never stopped thinking about him either. "Have you thought about starting a dating service, Edward? Already knowing how the other person feels about you makes this a lot easier than match dot com." Nina watched him smile. "But if anything could happen between Charlie and me, and that's a big if, we'd have to terminate our therapy. I couldn't keep seeing you and Bella."

"I've already been thinking about that, actually," Bella said. "Edward and I are doing a lot better, and we're not sure we need to keep coming."

Nina scowled. "You see, this is exactly what I'm talking about! Terminating therapy should be a decision we make together, based on your progress toward therapy goals — not influenced by the therapist getting it on with a client's family member."

Edward nodded. "Honestly, Dr. Carlton, Bella and I have discussed termination already. She just didn't want to say anything — she didn't want to hurt your feelings."

"Oh." Nina gave Bella a sly glance. "That does sound like you." They resumed walking, listening to the caws of nearby crows. "I need some time to think about this. And I'd like you both to consider the wisdom of ending therapy at this point. Think about what you've accomplished so far — what you've liked and disliked, what you've learned, what you have left to work on — and we'll discuss it next time. If we all agree to terminate, then I guess that'll be our last session."

"Thank you," Bella said softly.

Edward added, "That sounds fair."

"Enough about me and Charlie." Nina suspiciously studied Edward. "Is there something you need to tell us?"

His eyebrows lowered. "I don't know what you're referring to."

Bella slowly nodded. "Yeah, he has been acting a little strangely."

Nina said, "Earlier when I asked how things were going, you looked worried. What's going on?"

He exhaled, letting go of Bella and running his long fingers through his bronze hair. He started to talk, then stopped, took a few steps, and finally said, "Alright. Carlisle received an invitation yesterday."

When he looked at Bella, she sensed his guilt.

"From the Volturi."

Bella gasped, and Nina asked, "Who?"

"They're like the vampire police," Bella explained.

"Corrupt police," Edward said. "Victoria . . . she went to the Volturi. She told them we allowed a human to know of our existence."

"Oh!" Bella cupped her hand over her mouth.

"The human is Bella?" Nina asked. When Edward nodded, Nina added, "And that's not okay?"

His jaw tightened. "There are rules."

"What about the wolf-pack and me knowing the truth?"

Edward paused, knitting his brow. "Aro's letter didn't mention you, Dr. Carlton. They only want to meet Bella."

Her voice was a squeak. "They want to meet me?"

"Our presence is requested in Italy. Soon." Noticing Bella's look of alarm, Edward rushed to say, "Carlisle and I haven't decided how to proceed yet. It's why I haven't told you about the invitation."

"You should've told me!" Bella said. "I want to be part of this decision."

"But . . ." Edward looked at Nina, and she smiled cryptically in return. His shoulders hunched. "You're right. I shouldn't have kept this from you, Bella. Perhaps we're not so ready to terminate."

Nina said, "At least you came clean when I asked you if you were hiding something."

"Yes. I'm brilliant at communication."

Bella squeezed his hand, hating to see him beat up on himself. "Let's go talk to Carlisle about it, okay? He'll know what to do."

"Alright."

"Sounds like there are still some issues to discuss in therapy," Nina said.

Edward frowned. "We haven't even gotten to what the Volturi will want."

Bella and Nina returned his worried stare.

Author Notes

There will be one more chapter left in this story, and I'm hoping to get to it soon.

If you read this chapter before 9/19/11, you can enter two giveaways for my novels With Good Behavior and Bad Behavior. Check out jenniferlanebooks dot com and go to the blog for details. Thanks for reading!