"Congratulations, Ms Hutchins. Everything is finalised," Hank Masen said, standing up and extending his hand across the polished, mahogany conference table. "The property is yours."

Tony joined his father and added to the now beaming, immaculately dressed, grey haired woman, "You're stepbrother's requests to contest the will have been denied. You're father's final wishes will stand."

Tony could see how much this news meant to the client and, though he had joined his father on this case in the latter stages, he knew how hard a time the client had been given by her stepbrother. It made him happy to provide her with such good news on the eve of the New Year. It was something to ease her worry and, for the time being, raise her spirits – which she was probably sure to do tonight herself with the bottle of champagne that the firm was providing her with.

Most people would say that the news gave her the opportunity to start afresh, but Tony knew better than anyone that, with the lingering doubts and the ever changing backlog of questions, there was no such thing as truly starting afresh. The past, for him, always remained present.

Retracting his hand, he moved to straighten his tie simply to feel the pendant beneath it and he wondered if the news that he was hoping for would ever come. He'd helped Rose to send out patient information request forms and emails, but, as of yet, they'd had no luck. Then again, he had known that, in all likelihood, they would not hear anything until the New Year had sprung.

Thinking of this, he buttoned up his suit jacket and followed his father as he escorted the client out of the office.

"Thank you, both," Ms Hutchins smiled, speaking with great sincerity.

"It's our pleasure, Ms Hutchins," Hank answered, genuinely, but then, ever the businessman, continued, "Should you ever need legal services in the future, we hope that you will consider our services again."

Tony provided the obligatory smile and head nod as they moved a step closer to the elevator and the windows letting in the sunlight on an uncharacteristically clear winter's day. Tony's heart twanged as he turned to gaze out at the traffic below and the park across the street, where he could see a rugged up child sitting on the bench with what looked to be their grandfather. He stared, placing his hands in his pant pockets.

"Wouldn't it be lovely to capture that moment?" The thought sprung to mind and he felt compelled more than ever to escape the confines of the office.

"Tony… Tony."

A hand on Tony's shoulder drew his eyes to his father's bothered expression.

"Your mind has been somewhere else today, son."

"Has it?"

Tony ran his right hand through his hair and moved in the direction of his office, reflexively trying to avoid the discussion.

Hank persisted and followed his son into his office.

"You know that it has. Is it something to do with Tanya?"

Tony's eyes quickly found focus on Hank's face.

"What? No."

"Is there something wrong with you and Tanya, Son?"

Tony paused and looked away from his father.

There'd always been something wrong between him and Tanya since he'd come back. He couldn't understand why, because Tanya was a beautiful, intelligent woman, but everything felt forced when it came to her. He couldn't complain about the physical act of kissing. He was a guy, after all, but… it just didn't feel right. They hadn't even been intimate since his return. He was at a loss to explain why he'd had to play the role of Tanya's fiancé and not be able to live life by her side naturally. Perhaps he'd been primed to play the role since the day Tanya and he had been introduced. And for a time, that role had suited him and he'd enjoyed and felt at ease in it, but that was no longer the case. Now, he seemed to know that there was something better out there.

He somehow knew that his father wouldn't understand this. Hank and Eleazar had been overjoyed when their children decided to marry and essentially cement the strength and legacy of Stone Masen Legal. Tony was all too aware of this. He looked towards his father when he heard him exhale.

"I'll ask again, is there something wrong with you and Tanya?"

Tony's jaw tightened.

"What do you want to hear, Dad?"

Hank raised an eyebrow.

"What sort of a question is that?" he huffed. "I want to hear the truth. I want to know why we're all still waiting to hear the new date of the wedding."

Tony ran a hand through his hair and felt his shoulders tense. Adrenalin pulsed through his limbs as silence enveloped the room.

"Well?" Hank pushed.

Tony's heart rate surged and his taut cheeks grew heated.

"I don't want to marry her," he finally managed to admit, calmly. "I can't marry her."

"Why the hell not?! You've been dating her since senior year and you've known her as long as the firm has been open. You can work together. You can carry the business forward…"

"Everything comes back to the business, doesn't it?! You want me to marry Tanya simply to strengthen the legacy of the firm. What about what I want, Dad?"

Tony stepped closer to his father and his emerald eyes were challenging.

"Why do I feel that all I'm good for is playing the role of Anthony Masen?"

His words hung in the air until a soft knock at the door gave Hank a welcome distraction.

"Yes."

Tony turned around and took deep breaths as he moved back to his desk.

It was Chelsea who poked who head in and looked to Hank, who was trying very hard to appear as though nothing had happened.

"Sorry to interrupt, Sir, but there is an urgent call for you from the Callaghan group on line one."

"Thank you, Chelsea. I will take it in my office," he quickly replied, watching Chelsea leave before turning his hard eyes back to his son.

"We will talk about this later, Tony."

Hank ran a hand through his short ashen hair as he left.

Tony slumped into his desk chair and rested his head in his hands.

No. You'll talk about it later.

"Someone looks stressed."

Tony immediately sat up and met Tanya's blue eyes. She'd pulled her strawberry blonde hair down so that it draped across her shoulders. Her beige blouse was tucked into a black pencil skirt that clung to her dark stocking clad legs and her pumps made her curves stand out in all the right places as she approached Tony's desk… and she knew it as well. Leaning against the desk, Tanya reached out and ran a hand across Tony's knuckles and then up to his shoulders, which she began to massage.

"It's the last day of the year. You need to relax, Tony. Let me help you relax." She murmured. "Doesn't that feel better?" She smiled.

"Yes," he breathed with a slight grin, willing to admit to himself that Tanya was capable of giving the perfect massage.

"And there's my Tony." She stopped massaging and brought her right hand up to cup Tony's cheek as she sat herself down in his lap, much to Tony's surprise. "I've missed you," she whispered, before massaging his mouth with her lips. For a moment, he travelled back to a time before their separation and he relished the physical sensations that her kiss elicited in him, but, all too soon, his resounding thoughts resurfaced. He didn't feel like her Tony anymore. Carefully, he pulled away and it killed him to look into her confused, but determined, eyes.

Instead of asking a question in words, Tanya ran her hands down Tony's chest until her fingertips drifted beneath the waistband of Tony's trousers, causing every inch of him to give her his attention.

"Tanya…" he began, but she didn't give him a chance to finish.

"We haven't christened this desk, yet," she grinned, boldly, fiddling with his belt. "And we haven't been together in so long…"

Fighting against his body's desires, Tony placed his hands on Tanya's and stilled her movements.

She glanced up wide eyed and her expression fell.

"I can't," he whispered, shaking his head, anguish evident in his tone. "I'm sorry, but…"

Tanya quickly extracted herself from Tony's lap and moved away from the desk with her head hung.

"But you don't want me."

Tony stood still as Tanya confronted with him with the words that he'd struggled to say. He held her bleary eyes for a while, before answering.

"No."

Tanya wrapped her arms around her torso and turned to face the back wall.

"I think that I've known for a while that you weren't the same – that we couldn't be the same," she admitted to the wall. "I just… I just hoped that… that maybe one day I'd walk in and you'd look at me the way that you used to."

With an aching chest and tired limbs, Tony inched towards Tanya and ran his hands down her arms.

"She's a lucky woman," Tanya said in a thick voice. Tony's hands stilled and she turned around, as a tear trailed down her face, to meet his puzzled green eyes.

"Who?"

"The person who holds your heart." She smiled as if it were obvious.

Did someone hold his heart?

He sighed as his head began to pound.

"And there's a man out there who can give you the love that you deserve. You're an amazing woman, Tanya. Any guy would be lucky to have you."

"Except for one," she sniffled with a smirk.

"Tan…"

"No, Tony," She said, raising her hand. "Don't let this linger any longer. I know that you'll feel guilty, but I'm going to tell you not to and you're going to listen, okay?" She chuckled, wiping tears from her cheeks.

A small smile graced Tony's face.

"Tomorrow's a new day… actually, tomorrow's a new year. We can start afresh… the both of us."

Tony swallowed as Tanya removed his grandmother's ring from her finger. It burned when she placed it in his hand.

"You have no idea how sorry I am that I've hurt you," he murmured, staring at the fine antique ring, before looking up, knowing that today's events would remain in her memories.

Tanya closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Even though we're lawyers, perhaps we should take heed of the phrase the truth shall set you free," she stated, softly, moving towards the door.

"I'm not sure if I'll be able to escape our fathers when they hear the truth," he mumbled to himself, but Tanya heard.

"I'll see you next year, Tony," she winked, staying strong as she turned into the hallway and found comfort away from Tony's gaze. Hurrying into her office, she hastily closed the door and slid down it until she sat on the floor with her knees to her chest. There, she let the melancholy seize her, realising that the truth hadn't set her free.

-()-()-()-

Tony wrapped his coat tighter around himself as the icy wind rustled the few leaves in the garden as he stepped out of his car.

Greeted with the last twilight of the year and a great sense of longing, he couldn't help but think that he'd missed something important.

-()-()-()-

Carlisle Cullen realised that he was staring at something extremely important as he sat at his desk and went through his final messages of the year.

His throat went dry as he read what the piece of paper in his hand was asking him to do, but could he do it? Would she want him to do it?

Completely torn, Carlisle placed the page in his briefcase, resolved to speak with Bella.

Perhaps it could be a happy new year.

Things are starting to move along...

Are we happy that Tony/Edward as started listening to his heart?

What do you think of Tanya's reaction? Has your opinion of her changed?

Thank you for all of the reviews that I received. I read every one of them. Your thoughts do encourage me to write. Make my day happier?

Wishing you a lovely day,

Karry.