Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or its original characters, SM does. Stalker, his Care Bear, Princess Bree, and the twins do belong to me. No copyright infringement is intended with the posting of this story.

A/N: Happy 4th of July! First and foremost, I am so sorry for the delay in the posting of this chapter. Every once in a while storm clouds like to roll in and when they do they tend to leave me unable to tap into my creative side... Last month was one of those times for me, but I'm back at it now and I fully expect to type the words 'The End', before the end of the summer, *tear*.

I really don't have much more to say here, other than me sending another thank you to those who reached out to me over the last few weeks. It means a lot to me to hear from you via reviews, but even more so when it's just to say hi and check in. :)

Many many thanks to my amazing beta, myonlyheroin. Any and all mistakes are mine as I have a terrible habit of suffering from twitchy fingers just before hitting that upload button on FFn. ;)

Let's get to it then...

Chapter 28

Baby Steps of Progress

)^(Bella)^(

As soon as we pulled up to our building, it honest to God felt as though we were finally stepping out from a suffocating fog. A fog that I could now admit I'd been wandering around in for far too long; avoiding the inevitable, and hiding from the truth.

It felt good to be home.

No, 'good' didn't even begin to cover what I was feeling right now.

Looking around the busy streets, I felt like I could breathe again in a way I hadn't been able to do for quite some time. There were so many different emotions coursing through my veins, I could barely focus on a single thought, let alone keep my body still.

The plane ride hadn't been so bad, but that was mostly because I'd managed to sleep throughout most of it. I hadn't really noticed just how exhausted I still was until the wheels had lifted up from the tarmac, and my head had found its way to Edward's shoulder. All those restless, sleepless nights, alone in our bed… they'd obviously caught up to me, and I'd had no problem giving in to my overwhelming need for continued real sleep once we were in the air, on our way home.

Thanks to his connections here in the city, Edward had arranged for us to leave the airport through a private entrance/exit once we'd arrived at JFK, and it hadn't taken us long to wave down a taxi. I was surprised at first that he hadn't also planned to have a driver already there waiting for us, but he'd later explained to me that the paps would of course be looking for a dark SUV to pull up in front of our building before they'd ever expect a simple yellow cab to drop us off in front of our home.

My husband's scheme had apparently worked, because when the cab did finally stop to let us out, neither of the two camera wielding vultures who were camped out on the corner looked to be very prepared.

As soon as Edward paid the driver we forced a nervous smile, took in a deep breath and then ran inside from the cab. We'd made sure to pull our hats down in front of our faces, and our hands had been clasped tightly together while our feet carried us across the dampened sidewalk before they could snap a single photo of the front of our faces.

Success.

Sweet, sweet, success.

It was, however, bittersweet, and also very much short lived. Especially in knowing they would more than likely remain out there, at least for the time being. Meaning, I would be going nowhere from this building, alone, anytime soon.

None of that needed to matter. Not right now. I was home, and because of that one single fact alone, arriving here in one piece, sane, and still functioning… it was still a success. At least in my eyes.

Edward had warned me that Phil would be here when we'd arrived, but I was still taken aback to find him actually standing in the lobby in one of his finest business suits once we'd run inside.

"Well, well. Welcome home you two."

I smiled politely while silently nodding my head, and then leaned in to accept his kiss, which he gently placed onto my cheek before I'd extended my arms out to give him a light, but friendly hug.

"It's really good to see you Phil." Edward spoke up from behind me.

"Well, truth be told, I'd already planned on pouncing on the two of you the moment you were back in the city. It would seem we'll have a few other things to take care of first, though, before we get to my own personal agenda."

I raised my brow in response to my husband's former boss' cryptic words. He was apparently plotting something, but for some reason, the look in his eyes told me I didn't need to panic.

At least not yet.

"Bella, it really is so nice to see you again. It's been too, too, long."

"Yeah, well, living on the west coast for two and a half years will do that to a person's New York City social life." I lightly teased in response, then threw a quick glance out the double glass doors to see if the paps were still standing around salivating.

They were, and now there were two more that had joined their small, skanky huddle.

"Don't mind them. Something big is about to hit the World Wide Web, and when it does, it will send them all further up town, out of your hair."

I again narrowed my eyes over what Phil had just hinted at. This time he offered me a more sincere smile, paired with a reassuring wink.

"A new day always brings a new scandal, Bella. Only this one involves a barely nineteen year old nanny who was caught cavorting with both of her employers after hours. Employers who happen to be a-list names... married to each other, but knew nothing about the others indiscretions."

"I told you baby, something bigger would come out sooner, rather than later, to help pull all of the attention towards some other scandal. We live in a twenty-four-hour news cycle that feeds off of other people's drama and misery. All it takes is one new juicy story with a catchy headline, and everything else becomes old and ancient news."

My head began to slowly nod itself over and over again as it further processed what this news could potentially mean for us. Without hesitation, I took Edward's hand back into mine in hopes that his touch might calm my increasingly heightened anxiety. For a moment it worked, but that moment also didn't last long.

If Phil was right, our saving grace would inevitably come at the hands of us passing off a torch of misery to someone else... Meaning, that family would now have to navigate through their own spotlight of bullshit, highlighting all of their own mistakes in a very public and unforgiving way.

Truth be told, I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

The elevator door opened, breaking my trance, and the three of us automatically entered the small space without saying a word. I could feel Edward looking down at me, but no matter how many times I silently prompted myself to stop, my body continued to nervously shift its weight side to side beside him.

We rode all the way up to our floor in complete silence- at least in terms of actual conversation. I could, however, hear my husband's phone buzzing in his pocket almost non-stop from the moment the double doors had closed, locking us all in.

He wasn't pulling it out to check the screen.

That in itself was making me feel even more anxious.

In response to his sudden need to remain shut off from the rest of the world, I decided to take my own phone out from my bag. Within seconds, I felt an easy smile spread across my face, and my shoulders finally began to relax again after seeing there were three new text messages from Alice.

She was still freaking out about her audition tomorrow morning, only now she also needed my opinion on the outfit choices she'd laid out on her bed once they'd had arrived back at their home in Los Angeles.

"Alice is in panic mode. In your professional opinions, which outfit would you suggest she wear for her audition tomorrow?"

Phil looked a little confused.

"Bella's best friend, a client with the agency, Alice Brandon. She's auditioning for the newest female lead role in the next Pirates movie." Edward further explained.

"I thought Victoria Rachelle had snagged that part? James sent the contract negotiations over to me this morning."

"Ay, but the contract isn't signed yet is it? We both know how quickly deals like that can go south once something better comes across the table prior to any signatures making their way onto a dotted line. Especially when that something better comes with half the baggage, half the price tag, and no ridiculous contract demands." Edward retorted with a devious grin, "I think Alice will knock them off their feet tomorrow. She really is perfect for the role, so long as she's ready for the massive magnitude of the project."

"And why wouldn't she be ready?"

I already knew what Edward was referring to, so I took it upon myself to jump in. "She just finished up taking a bit of a mental health break, but she's doing amazing now, and she's absolutely ready to get back to work." I quickly interjected, wanting to keep my friends impromptu road to recovery both short and sweet.

Edward's smile spread itself wider, and he nodded his head agreeing with me, "No, Bella is right. Alice is ready, and she'll do great. I wouldn't have had Emmett arrange the audition if I didn't think she'd be up to it."

"I thought you weren't working for me anymore, Cullen?" Phil questioned with a slight raise in both his voice and his white brow. It was now his turn to smile smugly and cross his arms in front of his chest while he eyed my husband suspiciously.

Edward laughed nervously, and then slyly shrugged his shoulders. "Old habits die hard. All of that was more about the bigger picture. I'll explain further, Phil, once we're set up in my office."

The elevator doors opened again, and Edward extended his arm out in front of us, signaling that I should step off first.

I froze for a moment after seeing our front door at the end of the hallway. It took everything in me to not sprint towards it and drop to my knees so I'd be able to repeatedly kiss the door knob with my lips.

Edward's own lips were beside my ear now, and goosebumps were spreading across my body. "Welcome home, Care Bear."

"Our forever only home, for all of eternity, Stalker." I corrected him, with a ridiculously huge grin instantly taking over my entire face. He shot me a quick wink as we stepped up to the door, and I watched him insert the key into both of the locks to open it. Upon crossing through the threshold, the automatic lights turned on and I loudly exhaled feeling another invisible weight leave my shoulders. "I'm going to change, and then I'm going to grab my sketch bag to sit outside on the balcony while you and Phil talk shop."

"I figured you would. I already had the fridge and pantry stocked, but I'm cooking tonight, so don't you dare start anything in the kitchen before we've finished up."

He was teasing me now, because we both knew I was the last person in the world who would ever get a jump start on cooking.

Especially when it was just the two of us here without the kids.

"I don't want you to worry anymore, Bella. Your husband and I have everything under control. Once we put out this statement, and once the next couple of scandals break, just like scandals always do right before the weekend, you two will be old and boring news. I say by this time next week, all of this will have been very much forgotten. Especially since Edward will be making a conscious effort to follow his own rules again, and remain out of the limelight from now on."

I forced a weak smile and thanked my husband's old boss, then stood on my toes to plant a firm kiss onto Edward's cheek after he'd pulled me into him for a tight hug. When I looked up into his eyes, his reassuringly gentle smile sent a shiver across my body, "We've got this. I promise. I Love you, baby."

"Love you the most-est. I'll see you boys in a bit then." With those last words, I turned myself on my heels and practically ran towards our bedroom, already looking forward to being able to do a giant belly flop right onto the mattress of our very familiar bed before hugging my pillows deeply into my chest.

I was home.

I was home where I belonged, with the person I belonged with.

At least an hour and a half had passed since Edward had disappeared with Phil into his office- with the door opened. A part of me had liked that he wasn't trying to be secretive about anything. If I'd wanted to sit in with them, he would have let me.

That wasn't what I'd wanted though, and Edward had known that without me having to tell him, which was why he didn't even bother inviting me to join them in the first place. Hearing the two of them review it all, and listening to all of the ugly details... about every misstep we'd taken… it wouldn't have been pleasant.

Not for me.

Instead, I'd remained here, out on the balcony, with some of my favorite colored pencils and a brand new sketchbook in my lap for the last hour.

I was just beginning to overthink things again when all of the sudden, I felt as though I was being watched.

A deep shiver shot down my spine, and the hairs at the back of my neck began to tingle at their roots. I pulled the blanket I'd draped over my shoulders more firmly in front of me, then slowly lifted my eyes upwards from my lap after covering the latest sketch I'd been working on.

Edward was smiling at me.

No, he wasn't smiling.

He was beaming.

My face was practically numb from the chilled night air, but I could still feel my cheeks burning, even now, as they began to blush over the look I'd so easily found in his prideful eyes.

I couldn't help but wonder how long he'd been standing there silently watching me with that expression on his face. By the way he was leaning against the glass window, it had likely been quite a while, and I loved him all the more for it.

My hand reached forward to gesture that he join me out here in the cold, and he instantly followed my cue, casually opening the sliding glass door before him. When he stepped outside, he released an exaggerated shiver, paired with a deep exhale from between his pursed lips, creating a light cloud in front of his gorgeous face from the warm air that had just been forced from his lungs.

It really was cold out here, but I hadn't minded it. Not at all. In fact, I'd more than welcomed it. Christmas was just around the corner, but I'd yet to start shopping. Honestly, I hadn't even thought about the holidays up until about an hour ago when I'd been sitting out here all alone with my thoughts. I wasn't worried though, even less so now that we were home, and I'd have all of my favorite familiar shops to visit.

"You should have at least turned the heater on."

I shook my head disagreeing with him. "No, I like it. It feels-"

"Like home?" he swiftly finished for me, already smiling as he took a careful seat down onto the other lounge chair that was positioned beside my own.

"You know me well." I teased. ''Did Phil leave?"

"Yeah, his wife called and he had to get home. I went over everything with him, and then I told him all about what James and Victoria had going on, and also Garrett's part in all of it. There's been only one slight hiccup."

I narrowed my eyes and sat up straighter in my chair.

"Don't freak out baby but, he's asked me to sign the rights over to produce our story into a major motion picture… he wants to start it from the moment I met Jane though... I actually don't think it's such a terrible idea this time."

The smirk on his face told me he was lying through his teeth, so I sent my foot his way to give his shin a playful jab. His reactive laugh was everything I'd needed it to be, and so much more.

"Okay, okay, in all seriousness, before he left he e-mailed James to formally inform him of his termination, which is effective immediately, but he's expecting retaliation from his lawyer since he owns so many shares in the agency. Once the actual criminal charges are brought against him for embezzlement, he won't have much to stand on, but that doesn't mean he won't fight it tooth and nail and try his best to run the agency into the ground. That being said, Phil seems to have done a phenomenal job at preparing for all of this, and he's already got a team in place to handle everything. We're in really good hands, Bella. The best actually."

I forced a smile and slowly stood up to walk over and sit myself down onto his lap where he wasted not a single second to wrap his arms around my hips. He pulled me in more deeply against his warm solid body, and I felt my heart begin to further thaw in his embrace.

"It's late, and you've barely eaten all day. You have to be starving." His lips whispered beside my ear, goosebumps immediately following his soft spoken words.

"Now that you mention it, I guess I could eat something."

"Well, good. Because I've got the table set and dinner is ready, but first I'd like to see what it was you were smiling over in that book of yours just a few minutes ago."

It had been a long time since he'd asked to see something I'd doodled.

A really long time.

There was of course a bitter part of me that couldn't let go of the fact that Garrett had been the one to call him out on that and suggested he start asking again, but I wouldn't let that memory ruin this moment.

Our moment.

I leaned my body forward and grabbed at the leather bound book I'd set on the small table between our two chairs, then brought it over onto my lap. My fingers found the page I'd been working on last and I spread the book further open in front of me, just as Edward pressed his chin into the top part of my right shoulder. He tilted his head to the side, pushing his temple against my own, and I could feel his warm breath on my cheek now. His action had sent fresh goosebumps across my skin from under the oversized sweatshirt I was wearing, and instantly caused my toes to curl in my warm brightly colored, ridiculously fuzzy socks.

The drawing I'd been working on was one of us with all three kids. It was a happy memory. One I'd been pulling out a lot lately. A moment in time from our trip to Florida less than four months ago, just before Jasper had ruined our time away together with his own infidelity.

We'd all sat down on a patch of soft green grass in front of Cinderella's castle at Disney World to have our lunner as Bree liked to call it, lunch-slash-dinner. Maddie and Aidan were sharing their chicken fingers with a giant cup of ketchup placed between them, while Bree had been standing above us re-enacting the ballroom scene from Cinderella. Complete with an imaginary prince, who she was ordering around in my drawing with one hand at her hip and her other hand pointed in the air in absolute authoritarian mode. Edward and I, were of course, huddled together and smiling as we watched our imperfect-perfect little princess entertaining her younger brother and sister in ways only she was able to do.

"I miss them so much." I whispered, feeling the freshly triggered tears pool up as they began to sneak up on me all over again.

"They'll be here in a few days. Even Bree. I already arranged everything with Jane. She and Tanya will be traveling together to get her here by the end of the weekend, and Bree will start at her new school after the winter holiday. Phil's already reserved her a spot at his son's school, which is insane because there's typically a huge wait list for the Autism cluster."

I smiled and silently nodded my head. Jane, I knew, would only be coming to inspect, judge, and likely throw a few smug smirks my way. Though, Edward had already told me during our plane ride that according to his ex, she just wanted to see the school where Bree would attend, and also meet the therapists she would be working with when she was here with us in New York.

It did surprise me that Tanya would be traveling with them. The last I'd heard from Esme, right before I'd left California, she and Jane were taking some time apart to re-evaluate their twistedly shared lives.

"Jane and Tanya are trying to work on things. Which means, they're basically not letting each other out of the others sight for the time being." Edward informed me with a smirk, apparently reading my mind again. "This drawing is amazing, baby. That day was so perfect. Actually, it's probably one of the last really good times I can remember us sharing over the last six months." He paused and I could feel his grip around me loosen. "I'm so sorry... the way things just… got away from me… from us,"

"Shhhh." I swiftly hushed him, "Let's save all of that for the therapist. We've said all that needs to be said for now. Anything else can wait."

"Speaking of which, I have an appointment set up for us. The day after tomorrow. He's supposed to be amazing. Phil couldn't stop singing his praises."

I forced a nervous smile and nodded my head again. It was strange that I was actually wishing the appointment would be for tomorrow morning. I was just so ready to get things started. All I could really focus on for longer than two minutes at a time was when we would be able to find our way back… really back… in order to leave this last year of our life behind us for good.

"I could probably get us in tomorrow, if you'd prefer that?"

My smile easily paired itself with the rolling of my eyes, and I leaned my body further against him. "Seriously, I'm going to start charging you rent for taking up residence in my head again, Stalker."

He laughed softly and kissed the side of my neck with his lips, "It's so nice to see you smile, baby. I'll call right now and change our appointment for tomorrow afternoon. Meet me inside in five minutes." His fingers tapped me at my hips, and I lifted my body up from his lap to let him stand up from behind me. Once he was on his feet again, he placed his hands at my hips and slowly turned me around to face him. As soon as I found his eyes with my own, I felt the all too familiar topsy turvy feelings in the pit of my stomach. The kind of feelings only he was able to elicit from within me, on an almost daily basis.

"If it's okay with you, I was hoping we could try sharing our bed tonight? No pressure. I'd just really like to rest my head beside yours and maybe, I don't know, hold your hand under the sheets until you fall asleep?" He carefully questioned while studying my face for its honest reaction.

My fingertips traced his jawline, and then traveled up into his hair while my eyes continued to search his as I attempted to find the right words for my response. "We… we can try. I want that too… I just…"

"It's okay. You don't have to explain anything. We can save that talk for the therapist, too."

He was forcing his own smile this time, and it pained me, but I was thankful that he was at least pretending to be supportive and understanding of my inability to just return to the way things were in the blink of an eye.

"Baby steps are absolutely okay. Baby steps are how I won you over the first time, and we have all the time in the world. I'm not going anywhere unless you're coming with me."

I stood on my toes to bring my lips to his cheek, and then wrapped my arms behind his neck to bring him in further up against me.

"This- this is exactly where I want, and need to be, just so long as I have you right here." I whispered back, my lips beside his ear now. My words instantly caused his own arms to increase their grasp around my hips, but then he pulled himself back to look me dead in the eyes again.

"And that's all I need to hear." With those final words he kissed my forehead, then released me from his arms to head back inside, leaving me standing there, feeling both strangely happy and at ease for the first time in a very long time.

The next day, on the way to our appointment uptown, my eyes remained glued to the city sidewalks as we passed along the hustle and bustle of the busy streets. Edward had been pretty distracted most of the morning, dealing with the very minor fallout from the statement he had released about leaving the acting industry behind in order to focus on his family and a new career path.

He and Phil had both agreed that it would be best to keep his statement short and simple in order to avoid feeding into any further narrative that might run itself off course all over again. It was a blanket statement that had thanked the studio for giving him the opportunity to try something new for a short time, and admitted that it had been an eye opening experience.

An experience that had helped him realize what was most important in his life.

Maggie's name was not mentioned once, and that had been done on purpose. Instead, it was stated that he had made many friends while on set, but that he would not be pursuing a career in acting, as it was a life that he had discovered was not for him.

When we pulled up to the building, Edward jumped out of the taxi and held the door open for me with a nervous smile now donned on his face. My head instantly tilted backwards to look up at the tall skyscraper as it reached for the clouds before me. It had surprised me when I'd learned we would be meeting the therapist in their home, but then again, I'd never been to see an actual therapist before, not even after the death of my parents, so I had no idea what the norm was.

"Did you look into this guy at all, or are we just taking Phil's word that he's an actual licensed professional?" I questioned with a slight smirk as we entered the building.

"Dr. Liam Patrick earned his degree from Harvard five years ago, and moved to New York City with his wife and six year old son, three years ago, where he's been working out of his home, privately, ever since- with nothing but glowing reviews."

"Five years? That's not very long."

"Hey now, let's remember, I was the best at what I did and I'd been handling clients for less than that amount of time." Edward playfully reminded me with a quick wink from his hazel green eye. "It's just a first meeting. If we don't like him, we can find someone else. There's no contract here."

After taking in another deep breath, I thought his words over and realized he was right. There was no point in judging someone before we'd even met them yet, and he did come highly recommended, so the least I could do was give the man a chance.

We rode the elevator in silence, no words shared between us, but Edward's hand would pulse mine in his to the beat of the classical music that surrounded us as it played from the speaker above our heads. I found his eyes with my own and smiled as my head began to further over think things again, in regards to what we might be walking into. There was no telling what this stranger would say, or want us to say, and I'd never been an open book about anything in my life, or my honest feelings.

"Should we have like a safe word or something?" I impulsively asked, just before he brought his knuckle up to the door to give it a knock with his closed fist.

Edward released a soft laugh from between his lips, and then shrugged his shoulders with his eyes now hiding a bit of sadness, "How about- how about you just complain of getting a headache and I'll take that as my cue?"

I nodded mechanically and increased my grasp around his hand, which was still holding on tightly to mine, then pulled him in closer beside me.

Dr. Patrick answered the door within seconds. "Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, so nice to meet you. Right on time. I do like that!"

He had a young face, but it was framed by salt and pepper colored hair, with mostly the salt showing. His eyes and his smile weren't nearly as aged. I watched Edward shake his hand, and then he offered the same gesture out towards me. It was a firm handshake, but at the same time, gentle and somehow... reassuring.

"Please, come in. I was just helping my wife in the kitchen with our son. He's learning how to make bread from scratch. You have three children of your own, correct?"

"Ye-yes… well, two together, Aidan and Madison. They're two and a half. Bree is Edward's six year old daughter from a previous relationship, but I do think of her as my own." I instantly spoke up.

"Bree was diagnosed with Autism when she was two." My husband chose to also throw in at the very end of my sentence.

"Really? My son is diagnosed as well. High functioning though, he's quite the pianist."

This news surprised me. I looked over at Edward to examine his own reaction, and he too seemed a little taken aback. Phil had obviously not shared this bit of information with him.

"Oh, Bree has her talents, too. She's also considered high functioning. Very much verbal and intuitive to those around her."

We reached the end of the hallway, and Dr. Patrick opened a door, then gestured for us to enter before him. I scanned the surroundings and smirked to myself over the sight of a typical shrink's office. Complete with a brown leather sofa by the window where a pillow was positioned over the arm rest for someone to rest their head on before spilling all of their secrets and deepest, darkest thoughts.

"Why don't you two take a seat on the couch, and I'll bring my other chair over."

We followed his suggestion, and Edward guided me across the room, where I sat first then pulled him down beside me.

"I'll say this; you two are already leaps and bounds ahead of where most couples are when they first step into my office."

Edward and I both glanced at each other, and I felt a smile form across my face. This time a bit more easily.

"The fact that you're willing to sit next to one another, and that Bella is holding onto you for dear life, well… that already speaks volumes, so we're starting someplace good. It's okay to breathe Bella. I promise, I will make this as comfortable as possible for the two of you. If, at any point either of you start to feel overwhelmed, or as though you're being backed into a corner, all I want is for you to hold your hand up and we will reset the conversation. There's no rush to reach any certain conclusion today, tomorrow, or by next month. Now, do either of you have any questions for me before we get started?"

I instantly shook my head, but Edward cleared his throat, catching me by surprise again. I looked over, then felt my heart begin to speed up over the expression I'd found on his face.

He looked nervous now. Almost anxious, and panicked. It wasn't a look I was used to seeing on him.

"While I realize not every case is the same, I think we're both wondering—"

"As to how long this journey will take?" Dr. Patrick asked, interrupting him with a warm, soft smile. Edward laughed nervously and nodded his head before leaning himself further backwards into the sofa beside me. "Honestly, that's up to the two of you. Like I said, I can see you're already coming in with a head start. The fact that your wife hasn't let go of your hand since the moment you got out of the cab downstairs... Well, that is a very good direction to already be moving in, Edward."

My husband and I both laughed, and before he could beat me to it, I increased my grip on his hand, "We love each other very much… we just… we… we started to get distracted by other things… other people… and those people started to notice before we did," he attempted to explain.

"As is the case with many new marriages between two young people who meet, and fall in love before truly getting to know one another. Then throw in an unplanned pregnancy- with twins, all within a single year of your once rather typical lives, shared with an ex who wouldn't let go… you've both been thrown many curve balls since your paths crossed."

My jaw nearly fell into my lap.

"I like to do my homework before meeting with a new couple. The two of you have quite the love story, and lucky for me, it's been discussed quite thoroughly on the internet. Not so lucky for your own personal life, though. Now, before we get too deep into things, some quick housekeeping. Number one, I insist you both call me Liam. Dr. Patrick is my father, and I am not my father. If you must, Dr. Liam is fine. Number two, anything and everything that will be shared in this room will never leave this room. I do not use recording devices for notes or documentation. I do not have my address or practice published publicly, and I do not play games with the media. All of my clients come from word of mouth. Always have. Always will. I do have a few celebrity clients who come to see me, but you'll never know who those people are, and in turn, they will never know that you visit me here, unless you should choose to share that information on your own accord. Today, I will speak with the two of you together, then every visit thereafter, if you should choose to continue here with me, I'll meet with you both separately for twenty minutes each and then we will end with a joint twenty minutes all together to review and wrap things up." He paused to clap his hands together for added enthusiasm then released a rushed breath after locking his eyes with mine and then my husbands, "Sound good?"

Edward and I both nodded again, but said nothing. My head was already spinning in a million different directions. It was a bit unnerving knowing this stranger already seemed to know so much about us and we'd barely even opened our mouths yet. My eyes began to nervously scan the room around us, and that was when I noticed some framed charcoal sketches decorating his walls. The sight of them almost took my breath away.

"Ah, yes, you're an artist, Bella. Are you familiar with Casey Baugh?"

This guy is ridiculously observant.

"No. I mean yes. I know who he is, but I don't follow his work religiously or anything. His stuff can be pretty haunting."

"Yes, he does tend to reach in and pull out a person's soul, doesn't he? I've seen some of your own stuff. You're quite the talent yourself, Bella. Is there a reason you've never spread your wings more to really put your art out there in the world?"

For some reason, I felt blindsided by his question. Honestly, I'd always believed I'd done quite a bit in the last couple of years since meeting Edward, after I was given a springboard with my first real show. "I was… I mean, I had another show coming up. It was supposed to be next week, actually, back in California. Those plans have fallen through though, so I guess I'm on hiatus again, but I'm ready... if someone should present another opportunity." I finally admitted, feeling slightly self-conscious.

Dr. Patrick, Liam- was instantly scribbling something down on the note pad he'd positioned over his lap. He tore the sheet of paper out and handed it to me. "This is a gallery about five blocks north of here. They do small shows twice a month, and I know the owner would love to display your work. I'll call Stephenie as soon as we're done here to give her a heads up that you'll be coming in to say hello."

"Th-thank you. I'll definitely consider it." I replied, this time just above a whisper, as I reached out to take the slip of paper from his hand.

"Well, I certainly hope you'll do more than just consider it, but that's the closest I'll come to holding your feet to the fire here in this office. At least for today." He smiled at me, and I mirrored his expression the best I could, but was still feeling rather shell shocked by the possibility of a fresh opportunity here in the city. "Okay so, let's start in with why we're all actually here this afternoon. From what Edward shared with me over the phone, and from what I was able to lace together thanks to the internet, you're here today because of a relationship that was established out of the friendship Bella found in a fellow art companion, all of which occurred while Edward was busy getting a thorough taste of Hollywood, and all that it has to offer in terms of free passes and glammed up excuses to live outside of the lines. Does that sound about right?"

I narrowed my eyes over the description he had just laid out, but it didn't take me long to realize it was a fairly accurate assessment of how we'd arrived here, and what had brought us to his office today. Before I knew it, I was scanning the room for a box of tissues. I could already feel the fresh tears beginning to well up at the bottom of my lashes. Edward's hand moved from mine, and he gently placed it at my back to begin rubbing small soothing circles below my shoulder blades.

"Alright, I'll take your paired silence as my confirmation and continue. The first session is always the hardest."

Edward cleared his throat and dropped his hand lower towards my hip to bring my body closer against his again. "I'd like to say something, before we do get to deep into analyzing the past and poking at all of our combined character flaws."

"Oh, I won't ever make either of you feel as though you're under attack. That's not how I work, but go ahead, Edward."

He removed his arm from where it was positioned behind my back and took my hand into his to bring it up to his lips, so he'd be able to give it a firm kiss before speaking again. "I just want to say that I am one hundred and ten percent dedicated to this woman, our marriage, and our family. It was me. I was the first domino that fell, creating a chain reaction that brought us here today, but I think once we're finished, you'll find that Bella and I… we… together we have something that most people only dream of finding during their lifetime. What happened during this last six months of our life, it was a test that challenged us, but it was also a test that will never happen again."

I felt a slow smile take over my face, but my own words were once again refusing to form in order to leave my lips.

"I'm sure that makes Bella very happy to hear, but I won't lie to you and say you're the first husband to come into my office and uttered those same words during our initial sit down. The two of you have a lot of things to acknowledge, address, and react to. There's no purpose in keeping your eyes set on a finish line. Not here. Not with me, nor with each other. If you do that, you'll only be setting yourselves up for disappointment. We will have to address every detour you both took, and it won't be easy, but once we do clear through the real ugly of it all, that's when those words that you just spoke to Bella and I… that's when they will actually hold some water, Edward. We're here to rebuild your foundation. We don't want to miss any cracks or hairline fractures that could later compromise any progress you both make in here."

I considered everything Dr. Liam had just said to us, and nodded my head, agreeing with him almost instantly. He was right. Words were only words right now, and there was still so much in between that we'd yet to even discuss or bring out into the open.

"Alright, let's really get to it then. The first thing we're going to talk about are the four horsemen, and why they're sons of bitches when they start to attack a relationship. Especially once a seed has been planted from the outside. Are we ready?"

We both nodded, and I took in a deep breath, silently willing myself to focus and not shut anything out. I was ready. He was ready. Together, with an open heart we would find that finish line and we would eventually cross it, hand in hand- stronger than ever. I absolutely believed that to be true.

It had been three days since our first meeting with Liam, and we'd already had our first return visit earlier this morning to go over our 'homework'. Honestly, I was feeling so much better about things and the path we were now on, together, but I also couldn't wait for the kids to arrive, and that's where my head currently was.

Maddie and Aidan would be landing with Esme tomorrow morning, so I'd been busy in their room all afternoon getting things ready for their return. I'd just finished up putting fresh sheets on their new 'big kid' beds when Edward appeared in the doorway. I knew he was still riding high on all the progress we'd seemingly made over the last few days. Things truly were good, and they were certainly getting better. I loved having him home, and available- to me, and only me at every hour of the day.

I had found myself wondering more than once though, if he was happy with things being so slow, and routine for him. That being said, I'd yet to find a way to bring it up... out loud. For now, I'd try to not worry about it and just enjoy having him here with me. Especially since that was part of our homework.

I could instantly feel it.

Him.

He was back to silently watching me, waiting for me to turn my head again to meet his eyes, so he'd be able to elicit that rushed soft gasp from between my lips. A reaction only he was capable of dragging out of me.

"They're going to freak when they see these ridiculous beds." I finally shared with a steady smile once I'd leaned myself backwards onto my flexed elbows from where I was sitting on Maddie's new twin sized mattress.

"I have a feeling we might be spending the first couple of nights in here on the floor. Maybe I should invest in one of those giant beanbag beds for the middle of the room?" Edward joked as he stepped further into the room.

That's when I noticed he had his shoes on.

"Are you going somewhere?" He literally hadn't left me, not once, aside from being in the next room with the door wide open, since we'd arrived back in the city. I knew it wouldn't last forever, but I was surprised by how nervous I was suddenly feeling over the idea of being left home alone.

"Phil asked me to come in to give my deposition. Emmett is already at the office giving his. Is it okay with you if he crashes here tonight?"

I smiled and nodded my head, "Of course it's okay. Do you think he will want the pirate ship bed, the whimsical fairy tree bed, or perhaps Bree's Cinderella royal pumpkin coach bed?"

Edward laughed and sat himself down beside me to pull my body up against his. "Mmm, you smell good, Care Bear."

"I showered, silly. How could you have missed that ten minute period barely two hours ago? You hardly take your eyes off of me these days." I teased back. For a brief second, he looked a little hurt, "FYI, I like having you here watching me." I quickly added.

His face softened, and he reached over to sweep some of my hair back behind my ears, "I'll be back in an hour… two tops, but if it does start to look like it will go longer than an hour, I'll let you know ahead of time."

When I didn't say anything right away, he started to ask me if I'd like to tag along with him. I shot that idea down before he could even finish his suggestion. "I will be fine. I still have to call Alice back, so she can squeal into my actual ear for twenty minutes." I joked, as I leaned over to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"You didn't tell her I already told you she got the part did you?"

"Edward Cullen, are you kidding me?! I would never take that deafening freak out moment away from her!" I laughed, still holding onto him, "Now, go, but hurry back! Maybe we could go out tonight with Emmett, since it's our last night without having Maddie and Aidan here?"

"That sounds like an excellent idea. Do you have someplace in mind?"

I shrugged and told him to surprise me, then stood myself up to begin walking us out of the room and guided him towards the front door with his hands still firmly attached to my hips.

"I'll pick the place; you pick out something nice to wear. We'll make a night of it. Just like the old days, sans children."

My face was already giving away the amount of excited I was feeling over the idea of actually leaving the apartment together later on to walk amongst real live living, breathing people. The furthest I'd ventured, aside from our appointments with Dr. Liam, was the lobby yesterday morning to bring our doorman down some fresh muffins I'd baked when I'd been bored out of my mind.

It never hurts to get on the doorman's good side. Especially now that we still have to have extra eyes on the streets outside of our building, at least for the time being.

Edward leaned down to place a gentle kiss over my lips, and I closed my eyes in response to the overwhelming feelings of lust that washed over me while he kept me right there in his arms. "I love you. I won't be long."

"Love you too, don't worry about me! I'll be fine." I wriggled myself free from his grasp, and gave his backside a playful swat from my opened palm to send him out the door. After locking it behind him, I made my way towards the living room to grab my phone, so I could give Alice a call and verbally congratulate her on landing the role she'd always been dreaming of.

Before picking up my phone though, I decided to go into the kitchen to fill the kettle so I could start to boil some water for a cup of tea.

It was rainy out. In fact, we were actually expected snow flurries later on this evening. I would have to take the weather report into consideration when I went back into our bedroom to find something to wear out with Edward and his best friend this evening.

I'd just placed the filled kettle onto the stove top when a loud knock came from the front door.

An easy smile spread across my face.

"Someone's turned into such a homebody they forgot their keys." I teased to myself out loud as I hurried towards the door to unlock it.

"Missed me alr-"

I wasn't even able to finish my sentence. I gasped loudly as my eyes went wide from shock, then took three swift steps backwards from the door after I'd tried to slam it shut with zero success.

He was already inside and pushing me backwards, further into the apartment, before locking the door behind him with both deadbolts. I watched his hand pull the key from the top lock, and then he carefully dropped it into the floor vent beside his feet just as my knees began to shake beneath me.

The room was so silent now, I could actually hear the metal of the key once it hit to bottom of the shaft.

"I didn't think he'd ever leave you alone, Bella."

"Ja-James- what are you- why are you here? Edward will be back any minute. He just went down to get the mail." I lied, while my eyes began to frantically scan the room around us for my phone.

James' laugh sent a fresh, yet all too familiar chill down my spine, "You've never been a good liar. It's one of the main things I've always loved about you. The way you present yourself as an open book, but only to an attuned reader who knows how to take all of you in while reading between the lines. I've always been your attuned reader, Bella. I've always read between the lines. By now, you should know this."

I couldn't form a single word, let alone an actual full sentence in response. My phone was nowhere, and it would be at least an hour before Edward would even attempt to get a hold of me. The look in James' eyes was haunting. He was not himself at all. Not that his usual self would have been something I'd welcome, but it was obvious he was coming down off of some type of heavy bender.

"Sit down, Mrs. Swan-Cullen. We have much to talk about before your husband returns home to find you. He should be busy giving his bullshit deposition for at least an hour, and I've got someone over there who will give me a heads up once he does start to head back this way, so no worries. We won't be interrupted before I'm finished."

A/N: Okay okay, this is the LAST cliffy for TMF. I promise, haha. I didn't expect to end it here, but as per usual my word count got away from me and this seemed like a good place to land for now. Next update should come by the end of next week. Three more chapters to go, *sigh*, and then the epi. We're almost there, *tear*.

Progress has begun with Bella and Edward in terms of recovering their marriage and breathing fresh life into it. Thoughts on Dr. Liam and their first sit down with a professional referee?

James... oh James.. did you really expect him to go down easily? ;)

*Reviews make me smile, and as thanks for making smile I'll return the favor with an outtake from Edward's POV… which should also give a bit of a sneak peek into the next chapter.*