AN: I just want to thank you all for your continued support. ENJOY!


Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Twilight...SM owns it all!


First Steps Toward Reconciliation & Busted Again

EPOV

After speaking briefly with Rosalie, I darted into the bathroom and hurried through my shower. She was excited to come over and she said she'd be by around two, which gave Bella and I about two hours to relax until she arrived.

I still couldn't believe I actually hit her with that damn door, not to mention how hard I actually hit her with it either. I know it was an accident, but Jesus... I could have broken her nose...or worse!

I rushed back down the stairs, eager to check on her and see how she was feeling. If it would have made her feel any better, I would have gladly allowed her to take a whack at my own face for hurting her that badly.

I rounded the bottom of the staircase and headed straight into the living room. Bella smiled at me as I approached her, and she sat up and scooted forward to make room for me. I smiled sadly back at her as I saw how her lip was now bruising a hideous shade of purple.

"Scoot forward a little bit more, love," I said to her as I tried to shimmy in behind her on the couch. She nodded and moved so I could get in. I slid one of my legs into the space between her and the back of the couch and leaned back against the pillows.

"Come here, baby," I said softly as I opened my arms for her. She turned around to face me and eyed my face cautiously. I motioned with my arms for her to come lay with me, but her expression became determined.

'Stop, Edward.' she signed with a serious look.

"Stop what, love?" I asked curiously as I lowered my arms. I wasn't aware that I had done anything since I had come back down the stairs.

'Stop beating yourself up over what happened. It was an accident. I know you would never do something like that on purpose.' she signed to me with a troubled expression.

"Bella, I know it was an accident. It doesn't stop me from feeling bad for causing it to happen though," I replied quickly and sincerely. Her expression became even more troubled as she listened to my reply.

'Please let it go. It was just a bloody nose and a fat lip. It's not like I haven't gotten injuries like that on my own without the help of a door or your strength behind it.' she responded sadly, but smirked at the end. I chuckled quietly for a moment before responding.

"I'm well aware of the injuries you've sustained by tripping over thin air, but it wasn't your clumsiness that did it this time. It was my carelessness that caused your injuries," I said sadly.

'Edward. Let. it. go.' she replied with a determined and severe expression.

"Alright, love. I'll try. I can't promise that it will go away immediately, but I will try. Will you please come here now?" I pleaded with her.

She held up her finger telling me to wait a minute and I nodded. She got up off the couch and padded her way up the stairs. A minute later she came back down with the dry erase board and marker in her hand.

"What do you need that for?" I asked her curiously. She didn't answer before she climbed onto the couch and rested her back against my chest. Once she had the quilt pulled up around her, and she was comfortable, she started to write.

I wanted to talk to you about something, and I figured it would be easier and more comfortable for you to read what I write rather than interpreting my signing.

"I can see your point. Reading your signing upside down isn't the easiest thing in the world," I chuckled.

"What did you want to talk about, love?" I asked curiously. She started writing immediately and I read while she wrote.

While you were in the shower, I was thinking about this whole situation with Alice, Jasper, and Emmett. I think we should write them letters and explain to them why what they did was such a big deal, and also how other people were hurt by the result of it. I think they can't understand it because they only think that we're angry over them decieving us, but that's not it. I think if we explain why we're so upset over it, it will help them understand it, and it will also help us move past what we feel in regards to it.

"Bella... I'm not... What if...," I couldn't even get a whole thought to piece itself together in response to her suggestion.

Would it even make a difference if we wrote to them? Would it help them understand it at all, or would they think that just because we wrote to them that everything was just fine and dandy and we could all move on?

"Bella, do you think this is really a good idea?" I asked her cautiously. She paused for a moment and then nodded slightly. Not the most comforting of responses in terms of reassurance.

"What if this leads them to believe that we've gotten over it, and that all is right with our friendships again?" I asked her seriously.

We explain to them in the letters that it's not all alright, and that trying to help them understand where we're coming from is our way of helping ourselves move past what we feel. If we explain to them that if they just put themselves in our positions for one minute, and try to understand what we felt, then maybe they'd be able to move past what they feel as well. We're not the only ones that need to heal from this, Edward. They need to as well. I know it doesn't seem like they're hurting or distressed, but I'm pretty sure they are.

"They sure as hell don't act like it, Bella. Between their relentless pleading, accusatory remarks, enraged reactions, and heated glares, they don't appear hurt at all. They only seem desperate and angry with how we're handling the situation," I replied sincerely.

That's just it, Edward. They are desperate and angry. They're desperate because it's been six months and we haven't forgiven them. They're angry because they don't understand why we're making such a big deal out of the whole thing. They're desperate and angry because they don't understand. They don't understand how everyone around us was affected by it. They don't understand why something as stupid as hiding their relationship caused such a big disruption in our friendships.

I've never been angry at them for hiding it, and truth be told, I kind of see why they chose that path, but it doesn't make it right. They, especially Alice, should have had at least a little faith in me to be able to handle the situation at hand. She knew how fragile my ability to trust people was..and still is. That knowledge should have given her reason enough to believe that if I was strong enough to trust her with things that I hadn't shared with anyone else, then I was strong enough to accept her relationship with Jasper.

That's what hurt me the worst, not the betrayal, but the way she treated me as if I was too weak to handle it. I don't want to be treated that way. I've lived and suffered through too much to have someone attempt to pull a veil over my eyes and make me feel falsely secure. If I'm going to face everything that fate brings to me head on, I can't have someone shielding my sight from what they don't want me to see. I need to be able to see what's coming in order to brace myself and deal with it instead of running from it.

As for Jasper...he really shouldn't have hid his relationship from you. You were too close to each other for him to be able to justify that. I just don't understand why he would feel that he needed to hide it from you in the first place.

I sighed as I read the last of her words. I had been mulling that thought over repeatedly for a few weeks now, and could only ever come to one conclusion.

"I do," I sighed regretfully. Bella looked up at me in confusion and I took in a deep breath, preparing myself to explain it to her.

"Jasper told me that he liked Alice. Things were so fragile between you and I at that point, and I was afraid that they're dating each other would destroy any progress that we had made, and inhibit us from making any further progress. I asked him to give me time, and he reluctantly agreed. I'm assuming he hid it from me because he knew how angry I would get over him going back on his word," I said with a regretful tone.

Bella narrowed her eyes at me and I braced myself for what was to come. It never occurred to me before that moment that my request of him that day treated her in much the same way as Alice's actions had, and I should have known better.

Edward, you really shouldn't have asked him not to. It's not our place to make those decisions for them, it's theirs. That's why I've never been angry at Alice for their relationship...just hurt by the way she handled it. Edward... asking him to do something like that would be like him asking you to distance yourself from me. I'm not even going to go into how I feel about you taking it upon yourself to attempt to protect me from their choices, as I'm sure you're quite aware of how I feel about that with what I just said about Alice's actions.

Edward, don't ever think of me as being too fragile to handle whatever happens in life. It's one thing if strangers see me that way, but it's entirely different if you do. Please have faith in me that I'm strong enough and capable of handling anything that comes my way.

"Bella, I do have faith in you. You're the strongest person I know, and I'm sorry that my actions that day spoke otherwise," I said remorsefully.

Bella stopped writing and looked up at me with a hurt expression. The pain that she felt because of my actions that day was clearly visible in her eyes. I was worried that she would pull away from me the way she had from Alice and just the thought of it sent me into a panic.

"Bella, love. Please, I know what I did was wrong. I should have had more faith in you, more faith in us. Things had just been so hard for so long and I didn't want anything else to step in between us," I said frantically. She shook her head and turned back around to continue writing.

Edward..there are always going to be people, or situations that arise that could possibly make things difficult between us, but it's only the faith that we have in each other that will enable us to overcome those difficulties. Without that faith we are doomed to failure any time life throws anything difficult at us. You can't continue to make decisions based only upon how you think I will react. You have to trust in me that I will be able to handle my share of the hardships we face and base your decisions on what will enable us to make it through the situation together and not just with you trying to shield me from whatever it is that's ahead of us. I refuse to sit back and allow you to try and control everything so that I never have to deal with anything. Either I'm your equal, and you allow me to stand beside you instead of behind you, or you continue on this way and we fall apart. I love you with all of my heart, but I'm really not willing to hide from living my life just because you're insanely overprotective. I've spent too long not living to endure another day of being that way.

"Bella, you are my equal...in every way possible. I'm sorry I'm so protective over you, but I've always been that way. I can't promise not to try and protect you from things that we face in our lives, but I can promise not to shield you entirely from any of it. I can promise that whatever we have to face in the future, I won't try to deal with it myself, we'll face it together, okay?" I pleaded as I gazed into her hurt filled eyes. She nodded just slightly and took in a deep breath as she relaxed against me once again.

We were quiet for a period of time, and I thought a lot about everything she had said as I twirled a lock of her hair between my fingers with one hand and caressed one of her hands with my other. No matter how I tried to think of all of the events leading up to the last six months, I could only come to the same conclusion over and over. I'd been just as at fault for causing this as Jasper had. True he should have manned up and told me the truth, but I shouldn't have ever asked something like that of him in the first place. That didn't help me with Emmett though.

"Bella?" I asked quietly. She tilted her head up to look at me and I took a moment to gather my thoughts.

"I understand where Jasper's frustration is coming from now, but why do you think Emmett is so angry with me?" I asked sincerely as I had yet to come up with an answer for that myself. She furrowed her brows and after a moment she let out a gust of breath before writing.

Yeah...I don't really know what to say about Emmett. I think Emmett is just really hurt over the whole situation. Even when we were kids he was always strong on the outside but on the inside he was the biggest softy ever created. I can't even begin to understand why he would go along with it in the first place, and I can only imagine what it did to him on the inside to keep going along with it. Maybe if you wrote to him and he understood where you were coming from, he'd write back and explain his reasonings for what he did. I'm sorry for the way he lashed out at you today, but I think it was only because he's hurting and instead of letting you know that, he tried to mask it by acting angry.

"Do you think Rosalie would know?" I asked curiously. Bella gave me a pointed and incredulous glare before she started writing.

Edward...don't you think we've learned enough about not facing the source of our problems already?

"Point taken, love. So when are we writing these letters?" I asked sincerely.

I was thinking maybe tonight after Rosalie leaves, that way we can give them to them tomorrow at school.

"That sounds good. At least it will give me a little bit of time to think of what to say to them. Are you planning on writing to all of them or just to Alice?" I asked curiously. She thought about it for a minute before responding.

I think I'm just going to write to Alice. I don't really know what to say to either Jasper or Emmett aside from telling them that I'm disappointed in how they handled the situation. I think that it's more important for the three of you to resolve your issues than for me to try and add to that. Besides, I haven't really thought anything of what they did aside from how it affected you. If it hadn't hurt you I wouldn't have really been bothered by it much seeing as how I hadn't gotten all that close to them again after all that time. Are you planning on writing to Alice?

"I'm not sure. I should probably apologize for not being more supportive of the possibility of their relationship in the beginning, but I'm fairly certain that Jasper will share his note with her, and she'll be able to gather that much from there," I replied undecided. She nodded and set the board aside.

I looked over toward the tv and noted that Rosalie would arrive within the next half hour. Bella started shifting around uncomfortably, but a minute later she resettled now laying on top of me with our chests pressed together and her head resting against my shoulder. I smiled and kissed her forehead as I wrapped my arms around her.

"I love you, Bella," I said to her softly as I traced my fingers up and down her arm. She tilted her head to look at me and she mouthed a silent 'I love you too' to me before reaching up and pressing her lips to mine.

I worried for a moment that it would cause her pain, but she didn't seem to be affected by it as she continued to move her lips against mine. I decided to take a chance on deepening the kiss, and parted my lips. She readily responded as her warm tongue crossed her lips in search of my own.

I moaned quietly as our tongues met and her fingers ran their way through my hair. I pulled her higher up on my chest to ease the strain on our necks, and she straddled my waist to better stable herself. My hand traveled down her side and slid under her shirt. I held onto her waist and caressed her silky skin lightly with my thumb, trying desperately to control my urge to push her hips down to increase the pressure on my groin.

I realized very quickly that my control was wearing dangerously thin, so I started to slow our kissing down. I kissed her chastely a few times before resting my head back against the pillows and gazing into her eyes. I almost broke and started kissing her passionately again as she pouted at me.

"Love, we're on the couch and Esme could walk in at any moment," I said to her, trying to distract her from my real issue at the moment. She quirked an eyebrow at me and leaned back.

Not a good move!!

My eyes closed upon their own will as my breath hitched. I took a moment to push down the desire that coursed through me so rapidly before opening my eyes. I let my eyes drift back down to Bella and I smirked when I saw her surprised expression. I watched as the blush rose quickly into her cheeks, her expression becoming worried rapidly.

'Did I hurt you?' she signed quickly with concern. I chuckled and shook my head.

"No, love. It wasn't painful at all," I replied sincerely.

'Then why did you stop breathing?' she asked with a curious expression.

I quirked an eyebrow at her and watched closely as her eyes widened and she mouthed a silent 'Ohh' as she began to understand what it was that I had felt. The blush in her cheeks darkened quickly and I chuckled as she tried to hide behind a veil of her hair.

"Love, it's alright. It just took me a moment to compose myself. I know you didn't mean for that to happen," I said soothingly. She moved the hair away from her face and signed to me quickly.

'I'm sorry. I just can't believe that our kissing has that affect on you.'

"Bella, everything about you has that affect on me," I replied honestly. She looked at me incredulously for a moment before she signed again.

'Everything? Like what?'

"Everything, love. The tantalizing sway of your hips when you walk," I said as I caressed the skin of her hips that were exposed above the top of her jeans.

"The delicate sensation of your touch," I said as I took her hands into my own and kissed her fingers.

"The love that I see reflected in your eyes when you look at me," I continued as I brushed her hair away from her face.

"The sight of your perfectly plump and pink lips," I said as my gaze followed my thumb that was tracing the line of her lower lip.

I looked back into her eyes and was momentarily stunned by the overwhelming desire that I saw swirling within them.

"Absolutely everything, love. There isn't a single thing about you that doesn't have that affect on me," I said sincerely.

'I love you.' she signed and mouthed silently at the same time. I grinned widely and motioned with a finger for her to come closer. She smiled and lowered herself back down to me.

"I love you too, Bella," I whispered against her lips before closing the minuscule distance between us.

She kissed me passionately as she caressed my face tenderly. Once again that insatiable desire for her coursed through my entire body. Her breathing quickly became erratic, as did my own, and all too soon it caused us to break apart.

As I trailed kisses across her jaw and down her neck, Bella's hands found their way under my shirt. Her touch was delicate as she traced the lines of my abdomen, working her way up to my chest. I never thought something so simple as her just touching my skin could increase the desire that I felt for her, but it did, and to an incredible degree.

I groaned into her neck as she lightly grazed my skin with her nails. She had absolutely no idea how insane with need that one action drove me. I gazed into her eyes as my hands found their way to her hips and gripped them tightly. It was taking every ounce of effort that I had within me not to push them down and create the friction that I so desperately desired.

Her hands trailed down to my sides and a moment later she gripped them tightly and proceeded to grind against me.

"Christ, Bella..." I groaned as my head fell back, eyes closed, and breathing became labored simultaneously.

I lifted my head back up and looked at her. She was smiling and biting the tip of her forefinger, her expression the epitome of innocence. I smirked at her before shifting us so that she was underneath me.

"Do you find my reaction to your sensual teasing amusing, Bella?" I asked with a husky tone next to her ear.

She shivered underneath me and I smiled smugly in response as I pulled back to gaze into her eyes. She smirked at me, earning a chuckle out of me.

"How would you like it if I teased you that way, love?" I asked as I gave her a wicked grin.

Her eyes flew open as wide as saucers as I lowered my head down. Her breath hitched and she shivered once again as I took the lobe of her ear in my mouth and swirled my tongue around it before dragging my teeth gently over it as I pulled away.

Bella let out a shuddering gust of air as I descended my way down her neck, placing wet kisses as I eased my way down. I rested my weight against one of my arms so I wouldn't crush her beneath me as my other arm traveled up her shirt.

I grazed my thumb gently across the skin just below the edge of her bra as I continued kissing my way down and across her neck. Her breathing was labored as I reached the dip between her collarbones. I darted my tongue out and swirled it in the dip before closing my lips over it, causing her to arch into me and fist my hair roughly as her breath hitched in her throat once again.

I smiled smugly against her skin, knowing that she was feeling the same amount of desire for me that I was for her.

"OH SHIT! I'M SORRY! Oh God! I'm so sorry!" a female voice screeched.

My head shot up as Bella froze beneath me only to see Rosalie spinning around quickly to face the other way. My heart felt like it was about to shoot straight out of my throat and onto the floor. I took in a deep breath and looked back down to Bella's panicked face.

"It's alright, love. It's Rosalie," I said, trying to sound as calm as I could.

She let out a breath of relief and started pushing against my chest. I sat up quickly, as did she, and we both quickly composed ourselves.

"It's alright, Rose. You can turn around now," I chuckled as I saw her shaking her head with her hands over her eyes.

Rosalie turned around and shot us both extremely apologetic glances. Bella chuckled silently beside me before signing to her.

'Sorry. We got kind of carried away.' she gestured as she blushed vibrantly. Rosalie looked at her with a bit of confusion and Bella smacked her forehead.

"Love, please don't hit yourself...you've been hit once already today," I chuckled before turning my sight to Rosalie.

"She said she's sorry, we kind of got carried away. Sorry about that. How did you get in anyway?" I asked curiously as she hesitantly walked toward us.

"Esme pulled in just as I was walking up to the door and she told me to just walk in. I'm sorry, I knew I should have used the doorbell anyway," she said remorsefully.

Bella waved her hands in front of her dismissing her need for an apology. Rosalie looked at her and smiled briefly before hissing.

"Bella! My God! What happened to your lip?" she screeched as she quickly took a seat next to her and cupped Bella's face in her hands.

She grimaced as she took a closer look at the damage my hitting her with the door had caused, and shook her head as she released Bella's face.

"How did that happen?" she asked with concern in her tone. Bella laughed and shook her thumb in my direction. Rosalie glared heatedly at me as she waited for me to explain.

"I was aggravated with Emmett after getting off of the phone with you, and ended up having a confrontation with Alice directly after. I never thought she would be behind the door when I thrust it open, but she was, and I caught her smack in the face with the corner of it," I replied, the guilt and remorse that I felt over it clearly audible in my tone.

Bella turned toward me and signed quickly with an exhausted expression.

'Edward..it was an accident. Please stop feeling so bad about it.'

"What'd she just say to you? I hope she was telling you that she was going to ask me to kick your ass, cause I'll readily do it!" Rosalie sneered.

I rolled my eyes and sank back against the couch just as Esme walked through the door struggling with bags of groceries. I hopped off of the couch quickly to help her, and get away from Rose in hopes that Bella would call her off me.

"Thank you, Edward," Esme said gratefully as I took the majority of the bags from her.

"Anytime, Esme. Before I forget, yet again, Alice stopped by earlier. Her parents invited you all over for a bar-b-que this afternoon," I said as I made my way into the kitchen.

"Oh, thank you, sweetheart. I'll call them right away and excuse our absence. Would you be a dear and ask Rosalie if she would like to stay for dinner with us?" she asked graciously. I quickly shot her a feigned look of shock before I responded.

"Why does she gets an invite and not me? Are you forbidding me from enjoying your culinary skills, Esme?"

She chuckled as she playfully swat at my arm.

"Edward, please. You know you are always more than welcome at our table, and I had already assumed you would be staying which was why I didn't even bother to ask," she said lightly. I laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, I don't think you could forcefully push me out of the front door before my curfew tonight," I chuckled. She spun around toward me and shook a loaf of French bread at me with a playful smirk and a quirked eyebrow.

"Are you trying to test me, Edward?"

"No Ma'am!" I chortled as I raised my hands in the air in mock surrender.

She snickered and shook her head as she turned back into the kitchen.

"I'll go ask her now, Esme."

"Thank you, Edward," she called out as I exited the kitchen area.

I walked back into the living room and smiled as I saw Bella and Rosalie passing the dry erase board back and forth between them.

"Rose, Esme would like to know if you would like to join us for dinner," I said as I leaned against the entry way wall. She looked up at me and smiled as she nodded before turning her attention back to Bella and the board.

I walked back into the kitchen to see if Esme wanted any help in putting the groceries away, figuring that they could use a bit of time to themselves to get to know each other a bit.

"Rosalie said she'd love to. Can I help at all?" I asked as I started shuffling through the bags on the counter.

"Did they toss you out?" she snickered from beside me as she put the phone back on the charger. I chuckled and shook my head.

"No, but I figured they could use a little time to get to know one another, and I figured the least I could do was see if you wanted any assistance," I replied sincerely. She patted my cheek and smiled lovingly at me.

"Such a sweet boy, but no. You can have a seat and keep me company for a while though," she offered as she gestured to one of the stools at the island counter.

"Are you sure? I don't mind helping," I countered, not wanting to seem as though I really didn't want to help.

"Edward, sit." she said with mock sternness. I chuckled and obeyed.

"So what did you and Bella do this afternoon?" she asked casually as she flitted around the kitchen, putting various items in their designated spots.

"We talked for a while about this whole friendship situation," I replied truthfully, avoiding anything related to what Rosalie had walked in on.

"Oh? How did that go?" she asked curiously.

"Somewhat unexpectedly actually, Esme. I realized a few things this afternoon that I really hadn't ever given much thought to," I responded sincerely. She stopped what she was doing and walked over to stand across from me.

"Like what, dear?" she asked simply.

"I've spent months being angry at Jasper and Emmett for their actions, but I never stopped to consider how my actions may have forced them into theirs...well Jasper's at least," I said regretfully.

"Your actions?" she asked with a confused expression.

"Yeah...When Jasper told me that he liked Alice and was thinking of asking her out, I asked him to hold off and give me time to sort things out with Bella first. I was afraid of how she would react to that situation and I wanted to prevent it from creating yet another obstacle for us," I said as I ran my hand through my hair.

"Ohhh. Edward, dear. You really shouldn't have done that," she said as she shook her head slightly.

"I realize that now, Esme. Truly, I do. It not only forced him to feel that he had to lie to me, but it also showed my lack of faith in Bella to handle the situation herself," I replied remorsefully.

"Yes it did. How did she take it when you told her?" she asked worriedly.

"Like a champ. She told me exactly how it made her feel, and that if I didn't have faith in her to be capable enough to handle what life handled her, then we wouldn't make it anywhere together. She told me that she refuses to allow someone to pull a veil over her eyes and make her feel falsely secure instead of them allowing her to stand on her own and work her way through the situation. She also said that she refuses to stand behind me and allow me to try and protect her from everything in life because she's gone too long not living, and my attempts to shield her from everything keep her from experiencing life as it was meant to be experienced. I'm probably mixing messages, but that's the general idea of what she said," I responded honestly.

"She's right you know, dear. We are meant to learn and grow from everything we experience in life, if you try and shield her from everything, you are, in fact, preventing her from living life and experiencing it for herself," she said with a comforting tone.

"I know she's right, Esme. It's just hard after doing it daily for so many years." I shook my head and pinched the bridge of my nose as I tried to think of how I was going to break myself from the habit I had been so accustomed to for so long.

"What do you mean, Edward? Doing what daily for years?"

My eyes shot open and I slowly lifted my head to look at her confused expression. I sighed, realizing what I had just admitted and knowing I had no way to backtrack out of it.

"Jasper, Emmett, and I have spent the last five years protecting her from the students in our school. Sometimes we would catch wind of their plans to taunt her or we would hear the rumors they spread about her, and we would put a stop to it...all of it...before it could affect her," I said remorsefully.

"Oh, Edward...Hasn't anyone ever told you that there's a thin line between helping someone and holding them back?" she asked concernedly.

"No. Even if they had I don't think I would have ever seen what we were doing as holding her back until she explained to me why what Alice did hurt her so badly. I had always assumed she was just hurt because she felt betrayed by her, but that isn't even what hurt her. It may have in the beginning, but what hurts her now is the lack of faith and trust that Alice put in her, and not what she invested in Alice."

I stared at the counter as I mulled everything over. I wasn't any better than Alice in my attempts to protect her. None of us were. We all fought continuously to do something that she never wanted us to do in the first place, and we all failed to see that. Jasper, Emmett, and I even more so than Alice simply because we had known her for years, and we had all been very aware of just how independent she had always been.

"So...what are you planning to do now?" she asked curiously. I looked back up at her for a moment before I responded.

"Bella suggested that we write them letters, explaining to them our reasoning for how we reacted and how we felt, along with how we currently feel," I replied as I absent mindedly traced the granite markings on the counter.

"I think that would be a good start. Hopefully they'll write you a reply and explain it from their point of view as well. I can only assume that with understanding each other, you will all be able to move past all of this and re-establish your friendships," she said encouragingly.

"Do you really think it's possible for all of us to get over all of this and be friends again, Esme?" I asked hopefully. In truth I had missed the hell out of them when they weren't driving me up a wall with their pleading.

"Of course, dear. Look at how easily you and Bella mended your relationship once you both understood each other's actions," she said confidently.

"I suppose you're right, Esme. I just worry about Bella. She was incredibly close with Alice, and I worry that they won't be able to get back to where they used to be. It's not like Jasper, Emmet, and I. We've been through so much over the years that with a little bit of time this will probably all just be water under the bridge," I said honestly.

"I'm happy to hear you say that about them, Edward. It shows that you're ready to take the first steps toward mending your friendships. I wouldn't worry about Bella too much, dear. She's weathered storms in her life that make this seem like just overcast skies. She'll move past it when she's ready, and I think she's already starting to as well," she said soothingly. I nodded to her and the turned to look back in the direction of the living room.

"Why don't you go join them, Edward? Try not to stress too much over the situation, things will come together one way or another when they are meant to, dear," she said encouragingly. I smiled and nodded to her as I got off of my seat.

"Thank you, Esme...for everything," I said sincerely. She smiled warmly as she responded.

"That's what we're all here for, dear. Any time you need to talk we're all here."

I left the kitchen after that and wandered my way back into the living room. Bella looked up at me and smiled brightly. Rosalie chuckled as she saw the happy expression on her face and turned toward me.

"You're incredibly lucky to have her, Edward. I hope you realize that and stop acting like such a schmuck," she chided playfully. I laughed and walked over to join them.

"What in the world have you been telling her, love?" I asked as I sat down beside her and smoothed the hair away from the side of her face. She quickly wrote on the board and turned it toward me.

I've been talking to her about all the things I've been thinking about lately in regards to our situation. She agrees with me that you're completely over protective, in fact, she said you were down right obsessive about it.

I chuckled as Bella and Rosalie laughed after I read her note.

"Did you tell her your suggestion of what we should do?" I asked her curiously. She nodded and smiled as she turned toward Rosalie.

"Yes, she did. I think it's a good idea. I've tried to stay out of it as much as possible, but I have to say that Bella's had some pretty damn good insight into the ordeal as of late, and I think it would do you all a world of good to understand each other," Rose said encouragingly.

"Why didn't you ever call me out on my actions the way you did them?" I asked her curiously.

"Edward, you were so distraught over Bella's condition for so long that I didn't think it would even do any good to mention it. I knew that one day one of the two of you would see things clearly, and I have to say that I'm a little disappointed in you that she had to point it out to you. As far as I'm concerned, the only person in this whole situation that even had reason to be hurt by what happened is Bella," she said as she looked sympathetically at Bella.

"None of you realize what it's like to be the victim. To always assume that people look at you as though you're weak and fragile and unable to stand on your own. It's horrible to face that every day. It's even worse when people that you trust and care for treat you that way. A thousand people can look at you that way in a single day and it won't have the same affect as it does when just one person you care about looks at you that way. After everything that we all went through three years ago with my situation, I highly expected all of you to have learned from that, but not one of you did," she said, her voice dripping with disdain as she looked at me with angry eyes.

"I'm sorry Rosalie. I don't think any of us would have been able to understand that without knowing what it feels like to be seen that way. We never did it purposely to either you or Bella. We only acted in the way that we knew best... to protect those that we care about. None of us ever meant for it to hurt either of you any worse than you were already hurting," I said remorsefully as I looked between both Bella and Rosalie.

"It's good that you understand it now. Maybe you can explain it to the other two imbeciles that still don't get it," she replied in a huff as she flopped back against the armrest of the couch. Bella chuckled and wrote something on the board and then showed it to Rosalie, who in turn laughed and then sighed.

"You're probably right, Bella," she said as she shook her head.

"Probably right about what?" I asked curiously. The both turned to look at me with quirked eyebrows.

"She said that even if you all do understand it, it probably won't stop the three of you from acting like some sort guardian warrior tribe who's sole purpose in life is to protect us," she scoffed. Bella shot me a smug smile and I chuckled.

"Hey, as long as I don't have to wear a loin cloth or something ridiculous like that..." I retorted.

Rosalie burst out laughing and Bella's mouth fell agape in shock from my response. I laughed at her expression and she mock glared at me as she reached her hand out for the board that Rosalie was holding.

Keep that up Masen and you'll be wearing the outfit from the movie 300! Nuthuggers, cape and all!

My mouth fell open as I read her response, and Rosalie was in hysterics as she read it while Bella was writing it.

"Hey!...I .....would..n't...mind seeing..Emmettinthat!" she choked out between her laughter.

Bella's laughter immediately ceased as she slammed her hands over her eyes and shook her head back and forth. I laughed hysterically as I realized she had just pictured Emmett in that outfit.

"Bella, love. You did it to yourself, sweetheart," I chuckled as I tried to soothe her as she rubbed her eyes furiously.

"Oh, Bella...you really should learn to control the images that your mind creates. I'd have the same reaction if I tried to picture Edward or Jasper wearing that outfit...it just doesn't have the same effect," Rose cooed to her as she rubbed her back. I tried desperately to stifle my chuckles, but was finding it incredibly hard to do so.

"Rose...please don't ever fantasize about me...that's down right incestuous!" I chided playfully. She grimaced and wrinkled her nose at me.

"As if I'd ever do it on purpose! It's a damn good thing I don't have an over-active imagination like poor Bella here does," she chuckled. Bella finally stopped rubbing her eyes and she shot us both a sardonic smile, only causing us to chuckle even more.

"It's alright, love. It won't be burned into your brain forever," I said sympathetically. She shot me an incredulous look and I chuckled once more.

"I had to see a naked Newton, remember?" I asked seriously. She burst into silent laughter and Rosalie looked at me in shock.

"What?!" she screeched as Bella toppled over into me.

"Alice pulled a prank on Newton in the beginning of the year, leading him to believe that she was going to meet him in the janitor's closet for a quickie, but she actually had another female student pretend to mistake the janitor's closet door for the girl's bathroom door. She screamed bloody murder and Jasper and I ran out of our classroom thinking it might have somehow been Bella, and I came face to face with a very nude Newton," I replied with amusement.

Rosalie continued to stare at me in shock for a few moments before the corner of her mouth began to twitch and she guffawed loudly.

"Oh my God! I feel so bad for you!" she squealed. I laughed and nodded to her as I pulled Bella closer to me.

"Bella, Edward, Rosalie! Carlisle is going to be late. Dinner is done, come and eat!" Esme called from the kitchen.

We all got up off the couch and started meandering our way toward the kitchen. Rosalie stopped me and Bella turned to look at us curiously.

"It's okay, love. We'll be right behind you," I said as I smiled to her. She nodded and made her way into the kitchen as I turned toward Rose.

"What's up?" I asked her curiously.

"Edward...she's been through so much...way more than I had ever been through. I can see that much when I look at her. She lost everything important to her in the blink of an eye. I still had my family, friends, and everyone else that supported me throughout the whole ordeal. You can see how vulnerable she feels in her eyes, and it's worse than I've ever felt. You need to make sure that they all understand that. She needs to find strength in her ability to stand on her own so that she doesn't have to feel so weak. I never felt that weak, I just hated when people looked at me as if I was. If you all become friends again, you all need to help her find that strength by allowing her to stand on her own and face what she needs to. You can't all crowd around her and protect her from everything. She'll never heal if you all continue to do that," she said with a hushed, heartbroken tone as she looked toward the kitchen area.

"I know, Rose. Esme and I had a conversation about it earlier. I never knew that we were holding her back by trying to protect her, and I assure you that I will do everything in my power to help her stand on her own, even if that means that I have to let her face things on her own until she asks for help. I understand that now, Rose. Trust me, I do, and there's nothing I want more than for her to be able to heal from everything she's been through," I replied with a sincere tone.

"Okay, Edward. If you ever need help, or if Bella ever needs to talk to someone that would understand where she is, let me know," she said encouragingly.

"Did you tell her about what happened to you?" I asked with concern. I knew how much it took out of her whenever it was brought up.

"No, I didn't tell her the whole thing. I just told her that I had once been a victim too, and that I understood how she felt. I didn't want to share the whole thing and have her feel that she needed to share hers in response...because that's what she would force herself to do. It's a guilt thing, and I understand it only because I felt it for so long after the incident...still do sometimes. It can cause us to make decisions that we wouldn't normally make for the sake of attempting to ease some of the guilt that we feel, and I didn't want to put her in that position," she replied sadly.

"Thank you, Rosalie. I think out of any of us, you're the only one capable of making the right decisions in terms of protecting her," I said honestly.

"That's only because I've been there, Edward. I've been through every step that she's walked over the years and continues to walk now. The only difference is that I had people that were capable of holding me above the water whereas she sank to the bottom and has to work her way back up. It was so much worse for her than it ever was for me, but she's doing remarkably well right now," she said after a few moments of consideration.

"I'm sorry for everything that you went through Rose, and I'm sorry for making it even harder on you without ever realizing it," I said sincerely as I hugged her.

She hugged me back and told me it was alright as long as I learned from it and did my best not to repeat my mistakes when it came to Bella. I promised her that I would do my best not to as we walked toward the kitchen.

Bella turned and smiled at me as I sat next to her at the counter and Rosalie took the seat next to me. Esme stood across from us smiling fondly at the three of us. I leaned over and kissed Bella's cheek and whispered I love you in her ear. She smiled and replied in kind silently before I turned toward my plate.

"So that was some pretty interesting stuff I walked in on earlier. Honestly, Edward..I never knew you had it in you," Rosalie chuckled.

Bella and I quickly looked at her with eyes as wide as saucers before looking back to Esme who was staring at Rosalie in confusion. Rosalie turned and looked at us all with a puzzled expression before speaking.

"What?"

Are you flippin' serious?!?


AN: Uh oh...hahhahaha. Gotta love that lack of a brain/mouth filter! R&R PLS & TY! ~Jersey~