Chapter 28:

Don't be afraid
I've taken my beating
I've shared what I made

I'm strong on the surface
Not all the way through
I've never been perfect
But neither have you

So if you're asking me
I want you to know

[Chorus]
When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some
Reasons to be missed

Don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory

Leave out all the rest

((Leave out all the rest – Linkin Park))

Edward's pov:

Just when I think the day couldn't get any worse, fate goes and proves me wrong. Bella's dad has asked to see her and they've been in her parents' room for three hours, now. Three hours. What could they possibly be saying that could take so long? I know that have to be talking about me, but what exactly are they saying?

I've been pacing back and forth across the living room for at-least two of those three hours. Alice, Rosalie and Jasper were sitting on the couch watching me.

"Dude." Jasper's voice brought me to a stop. "Calm down, will you? You're starting to get us worried and we've got nothing to do with this."

Oh, he could talk. He was sitting there with his arm around his girlfriend and not a care in the world. He already had the approval of his girlfriends' parents. He'd met them before we came here and according to him and Alice, they adored him. I couldn't help but glower at him.

It had the desired affect. He frowned then looked down. "Hey, I'm just saying…"

I continued my pacing in silence for a few more minutes until Bella's grandmother came in carrying a tray of lemonade juice.

She set it down on the table in the middle of the room. "Here. I thought you guys could use some refreshment. It seems like they're going to be a while longer."

"Thank you." We all said in unison, but her words only managed to make me even more worried. When she saw the look on my face she laid a comforting hand on my arm.

"I wouldn't be worried if I were you. It's true that my son can be incredibly pig-headed at times- believe me, I raised him –but my granddaughter can be mighty persuasive when she wants to. It'll just take them some time, that's all."

"Some time? But they've been in there for three whole hours." I exclaimed.

Grandma (as she wanted us all to call her) waved a dismissive hand.

"You think that's a long time? You should see when they really get into a fight."

I could only stare in shock. "You think…you think he might hurt her?"

"Oh, no. My son wouldn't lay a hand on his daughter if it killed him! Besides her mother's in there with them. My daughter-in law can be quite the peace-maker. That's why her and my son make an excellent couple. He gets angry and she knows exactly how to calm him down."

Well, that at-least, calmed me down. Just a bit.

Suddenly, we heard footsteps coming down the stairs. A moment later Bella came into view. Her face was flushed and her eyes were red-rimmed as though she'd spent the entire three hours crying.

I was at her side in a second and I took her in my arms.

"Hey, is everything okay?"

She looked up at me and smiled and I felt the breath getting knocked out of my lungs.

"Everything's great. My father gave us his blessing."

I sighed in relief. Personally it wouldn't have made a difference to me one way or the other. I was in this no-matter what, but I know how much her father means to her and part of me had still been afraid that he'd be able to change her mind.

"Thank God." Was my heart-felt reply.

She started playing with my shirt buttons, her nervous habit, again.

"There's still one tiny teeny bit of a problem left." She said, hesitantly.

"James." We said at the same time.

"I need to talk to him, Edward."

"Why? I can make sure that he'll never come near you again, believe me."

She sighed. "Edward, James is still my best friend…in a way, anyway. Despite being an idiot most times, he's a good person and I understand why he did all he did to keep us apart."

"How can you say that?"

"Edward… there's a specific reason why Dad & James object to our engagement so much."

I grimaced. "They don't trust me, right?"

"Yeah, well, turns out there's a specific reason for that."

I raised my eyebrows. "Which is…?"

She pulled me after her up the stairs.

"Where are we going?"

"I need to show you something. It's in my room."

I followed behind, silently, till we reached her room. She pulled me inside, closed the door, and then went to the far side of the room where her desk is. She picked up something from there, and then turned around to face me.

"Since we left after the day after that interview, we didn't get a chance to see the media's reaction to it."

I was still confused. "What do you mean? How did the media react to it?"

That thing she picked up from her desk turned out to be a magazine. She handed it over to me. "This is how they reacted."

I looked at it and I wish I hadn't.

It was one of those trashy gossip magazines and across the front page there was a picture of me and Tanya at the Kings Of Leon concert, holding hands, leaning towards each other, and even I have to admit, looking quite cozy. Beside it there was a small picture of me and Bella at the live interview. The headline said: EDWARD CULLEN! MAKE UP YOUR MIND, ALREADY!

What people didn't know, though, is that I hated every minute I was forced to spend with Tanya. All through that time I was wishing that it had been Bella right there with me. We did that interview to prove to people that we were together and that the rumors about me and Tanya were completely un-true, but it turns out that it wasn't enough.

"Dad says that basically every magazine back home is saying the same thing. That you're two-timing me and Tanya, playing the field, before you decide on only one of us."

I threw the magazine on the bed.

"Looks like we're going to have to go back to Vancouver and prove them wrong yet again." I said, matter-of-factly.

"Dad thinks so too."

"So, when do you want to leave?" I asked.

She stared at the ground dejectedly. "Mom and Dad are leaving tomorrow and they want me to go with them."

I pulled her to sit with me on the couch next to the window, and she snuggled beside me.

"I guess that means the vacation is definitely over." I said.

"Yeah. Sorry." She replied in a small voice.

"Hey, none of this was your fault. I kind of understand why your dad is doing all this anyway. I mean, if I had a little girl, I wouldn't want her dating someone like me."

"Hey! Who are you calling a little girl?"

I laughed. "My apologies. I meant young lady."

We were quiet for a while, just staring out the window, until there was a discreet knock on the door.

"Bella? Edward? You guys in there?"

It was Alice.

Bella moved from my side to answer the door and I felt the loss of contact like an arrow to my heart. I've gotten so used to having her with me all the time, I don't know how I'll be able to cope when we get back to Vancouver and we're separated, again.

"Hey Alice, what's up?" Bella came back to sit beside me and I immediately put my arm around her.

"Your parents came down a few minutes ago and they said that you'll be leaving tomorrow. Is that true?"

Bella sighed. "Yeah. I'm sorry I'm the reason why our vacation's gonna be cut short."

"It's not your fault." Alice said.

"So I keep telling her." I muttered under my breath, but apparently it wasn't low enough since Bella heard it and smacked me on the arm again.

"You're getting pretty violent you know that?" I teased her.

She grinned. "Only when I have cause."

Now, that was a direct challenge I couldn't resist. I caught her in my arms and started tickling her. Bella's greatest weakness was that she was incredibly ticklish. I wasn't above using that against her.

She started shrieking. "No! Stop! Stop, please! I promise I'll behave!"

"Too late." I said while I changed tactics. Instead of tickling I moved on to kissing, which seemed far more preferable to both of us.

"Ehm, well… I guess that's my queue to leave." Alice said. We'd forgotten she was there, for a moment.

"Just don't take too long." She went on. "We don't want your father to go into a fit, again." And with that she left us alone.


Bella's pov:

After spending the afternoon with Edward, I felt like I was ready to face anything. Well, almost anything.

I stood in-front of James' bedroom door, hesitating. Should I talk to him? Would it really help? Or would it only make it worse?

I took a deep breath and then knocked softly on the door. Maybe, he wouldn't hear me. Maybe, he's sleeping and I can put this off till tomorrow.

No such luck.

James called out. "Come in."

I opened the door and walked in. James was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey." I said.

He turned his head towards me. "Hey. Where's your boyfriend?"

I grimaced, then stiffened. Two can play at this game. "Fiancé." I said.

"Right. Fiance."

"James, we need to talk." I began.

"Talk about what?"

"What do you think? James, we used to be best friends! Why can't we just go back to that?"

"Because we can't! ok?" He shouted. "I can't! I'm in love with you Bella. You deserve so much better than that guy you're tying yourself to."

"And by much better, you mean you?"

He sighed. "At-least wait a while longer. Don't jump into something that might be the biggest mistake you'll ever make."

"James, I love Edward. Which means I trust him and if this does turn out to be a mistake then it'll be my mistake and I can face the consequences. I'm not a little girl anymore."

He frowned. "Yeah, I guess you're not. Otherwise, the fact that you're getting married would be completely illegal. Not to mention creepy."

We both burst out laughing.

"Now, this is more like old times." I said, happy to have all the tension behind us.

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"So… are we ok, now?"

He gave me a look that almost broke my heart. He looked so forlorn that I couldn't resist wrapping my arms around him.

He sighed. "Yeah, we're ok. But I have one condition, though."

I looked up at him, curiously. "What's that?"

"If you ever get divorced, promise you'll marry me."

I laughed and smacked him on the shoulder. Edward was right. This was getting to be a habit.

"You know what?" I said. "I bet that, sooner than you think, you're going to meet someone and fall madly in love and the way you feel about me now will be ancient history."

He smiled sadly. "I wouldn't really bet on that."

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see." I said.

I was already making plans to introduce James to girls I knew back in Canada. I was so relieved that the ordeal with James was finally behind me. Now I can finally just relax and enjoy being with Edward. Life couldn't get better. Or could it?


Author's Note:

Now, be nice and click on that lovely little green button and leave an equally lovely review :D Please? =)

The song I picked at the beginning is one of my favourites, but it doesn't really fit with this chapter. I just couldn't think of anything else. LOL.

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