It's good to see that all of you understand Edward, and even if you blame him, you understand where he comes from. The same goes for Bella. She's strong and brave enough to stand up to him at his worst.

Here comes a little insight into James's story. I don't expect you to forgive him.

By Wednesday, Bella was ready to face an angry Edward again, this time with good reason, and make a run for it. Being stuck in his house felt like being imprisoned. It didn't matter he had all sorts of entertainment available, Bella was too used to being at the bar every day, seeing her friends, moving around.

Even playing with Harley in the backyard bored both of them after fifteen minutes of tossing a ball.

Tanya knocked on the door of the entertainment room, where Bella was currently looking through Edward's movie collection in hopes of finding something decent. She had tried reading, but she couldn't concentrate enough to get sucked into a fictional world.

"I'm headed to the store to get some things," Tanya said.

"Wait!" Bella scrambled to her feet, wincing slightly when she put pressure on her injured foot. "Take me with you."

Tanya pursed her lips. "Mr. Cullen is going to be upset."

"I don't give a shit about what Edward will say." Bella hurried as best as she could to the bedroom. "Wait for me! I'll be ready in five minutes."

Afraid, Tanya was going to bail and leave without her, Bella only pulled one of her sneakers on her good foot, then she grabbed her purse and was on her way to the front of the house. Tanya was waiting by the island counter, phone in hand.

"Oh, no! Please, tell me you didn't call him."

"I'm still not sure," Tanya said, worried.

"Look, I'll take all the blame. Besides, Edward won't be home until later today. He's going to see Jasper after work," Bella said, walking slowly to the front door.

They drove in a tiny Audi, which Bella assumed was Tanya's car. In the store's parking lot, fate had it so they parked next to a dark sedan. The owner was none other than Bella's brother.

Bella froze halfway out of the Audi, wondering if Tanya wouldn't mind going grocery shopping two towns over.

James was by her side in a matter of seconds, trapping her in the gap between the car and the opened door. "Izzy! You're alright! I've been worried."

"You speak as if I've been kidnapped. I thought it was clear enough I wasn't going to spend another moment home while you were there," she spat.

"You staying at your boyfriend's?"

"It's none of your goddamn business!"

"I just want to talk to you," he begged. "I see Cullen hasn't told you why I'm here."

Bella frowned, remembering how odd she had found the scene and how she had expected Edward to have beaten James. She turned to Tanya, who was now standing in front of her car, watching them warily.

"Uh, I have to do something."

Tanya paled. "Are you kidding me? You're leaving with this man?"

"He's my brother. It will be okay," Bella insisted, stepping away from the Audi. "See you later." She went to James's car, getting into the passenger seat.

She knew that Tanya was going to call Edward, who'd flip his lid. She chose to be a step ahead on the whole mess and text Edward first.

Long story short, I'm with Jimmy. I'll let you know when I need help getting back to your place.

Then, she switched off her phone. This time, she probably deserved some kind of punishment, but Edward better remember that he'd pushed her to talk to her brother.

"Is this a rental?" Bella asked when James joined her in his car.

"It's my new car. I'm a family man, remember?"

She hummed, staring out the window.

"I've been by the pub. Thank you for keeping it going," he commented.

"Yeah…"

"Where do you want to do this?" he asked, twisting the key in the ignition.

"Let's take a walk on the beach," she suggested.

"Is that a good idea? What happened to your foot?"

"Shit. Yeah, okay…the studio, it is." Bella glared at the plaster around her ankle. "You know, Clumsy Bella."

He chuckled, as he started to drive. "How bad is it?"

"Just a sprain. I'll live."

At her studio, Bella noticed the changes right away. All her clutter was gone, the kitchen looked cleaner than it had been in a while, and the window above Harley's blanket was actually opened wide. She hadn't been able to open it in over a year – the top frame caught on something invisible.

She went into the kitchen, opening the pantry door, only to freeze. All her alcohol was gone.

"What happened to my stuff?" she spat, turning to face him.

"Aren't you too young for drinking, Izzy?"

"Who the hell are you to judge me, James? I'll be twenty-four in a few days!"

"I know." He opened the freezer, pulling out the bottle of vodka. "That's where you keep vodka, sis."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, shithead. Now it's frozen!"

"It's been there for under an hour." He shook the bottle, showing her the liquor slushing around.

They sat at the kitchen table with the bottle and two glasses. Bella stretched her injured leg under the table, pulling her good one up on the chair and wrapping her arms around her knee.

"Start talking," she muttered.

"Izzy…" James reached out to touch his sister's hands. "I was just a stupid kid myself. I had no idea what I was leaving behind."

"You were my age now. I'm no kid, but I guess having to grow up overnight and learn how to take care of myself helped," Bella sneered. "You said that cunt told you to stay. Why should I believe you?"

"Because it's the truth. I don't know why you never liked Vicky, but she's really not a bad person."

"You want to know why I started acting up when I turned seventeen? Because you had abandoned me for her! You used to spend all your time with her. I didn't understand then that's how relationships worked." Bella sipped from her glass. "So I rebelled. We were both wrong, I'll admit."

"Christ. You should have told me."

"You were never around, James. Do you know that if Jake and his dad hadn't come here to check on me, I'd probably be dead now?" she asked slowly. James's eyes widened and filled with tears. "When you left that day…I didn't move from the couch where you'd left me. It was two days later when Jake and Billy found me. I hadn't eaten in over forty-eight hours. I doubt I'd slept, either. I don't even remember that time." Bella swallowed loudly, taking a shaky breath. "It took them over a week to make me resemble a human being."

"Shit, Izzy."

"I went back to school, but I couldn't focus in class. Everyone was watching me as if I were some alien. I dropped out. I sought Gary's help to reopen the pub. At first, he kept me in the office, helping with paperwork. Then, I went to the front to help Paul with clearing the tables. Paul taught me how to mix drinks, and as a birthday gift for my twenty-first, I was promoted to bartender."

"That's sweet. I bet Ma's proud of you."

"I tried to keep the bar alive. It's doing better now than it had in the beginning." Bella met his eyes. "A lot of shit happened, James. Did Gary ever tell you I got in an accident?"

"No. His answers were the same, which makes me think he was trying to placate me. He hasn't answered me in a while."

"Did he try to punch you when he saw you now?" Bella could only imagine how furious Garrett must have been to see his lost friend returning.

"He tried, but stopped himself. He said you don't deserve me as your brother," he said quietly.

"That's true. You're a piece of shit."

His eyes held sorrow, which proved he might have some redemption in Bella's eyes. "What sort of accident?" James asked curiously.

"A bad one. I nearly died." She twisted around, lifting her shirt. "See this scar? And this one." She pushed her hair away from her temple.

"Jesus! Car accident?"

"Bike. It was a long time ago." Bella downed her glass of vodka. "Why are you here?"

"We're moving back."

"You want the studio?" Bella could hear the despair in her voice. She was clearly not ready to move in with Edward, and that would mean she'd have to crash at Jake's place.

"Don't be silly. This place is yours."

"Okay." She nodded, as she poured more vodka in her glass. "You said…I'm an aunt," she said slowly, just remembering what he'd told her on Friday.

"Yes." James scrolled through his phone, showing her a picture of a little girl.

Bella had expected to see a baby, not a toddler. "How old is she?"

"Just turned two the other week."

"She looks a lot like you, except the red hair." Bella took his phone, zooming in the picture to look closer at the little girl. Kids had never impressed her, but James's child was adorable. "She's cute, Jimmy."

He cleared his throat. "Sometimes, I worried that I fucked up so badly that you'd end up pregnant and drive yourself and that kid to ruin."

"I guess I was smart enough not to do it," Bella spat. She couldn't believe how lowly he thought of her. "I'm not some skank, James! I don't sleep around. And if I do, I always use protection!"

"You have a boyfriend," he said impressed.

"Yeah, so? You met him. I'm still not sure what you told him, because from the moment I told him about you, Edward wanted to break your face for hurting me."

"I told him the truth, Izzy. I'm back for good. I'm so fucking sorry for leaving…for abandoning you. Like I said, I had no idea what I was leaving behind." James gripped his hair. "Vic's sick."

"Fuck." Bella reeled back, her stomach twisting. "Did you tell Edward this?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Of course, now it made sense why Edward had felt remorse toward her brother. "No reason." She pulled her chair closer, rubbing his back. "Nothing can be done?"

"The doctors discovered it too late. It's a heart problem." He took a shaky breath, leaning into her side. "We decided that whatever time she has left, she better spend it here on the beach…where we grew up."

"Makes sense. Did you find a place?"

"I'm still looking," he answered. "I hope you can forgive me one day, Izzy."

"I need some time, James. You hurt me real badly. But you're my brother – the only relative I have left alive."

"Don't forget Ruby." He nodded to his phone. "My daughter," he explained when Bella shot him a curious look.

"Right." She hugged him for a few moments, before pulling away.

"Hey, what do you say about going to Laurent's for ice cream this weekend? For your birthday."

Bella snorted. "Dude, Laurent retired years ago. He's an old fuck."

"Well, then anything you want." James looked eager to rectify his past mistakes by spending time with her.

"Get in line, bro. I have Jake and Edward fighting for scoring time with me that day. I might as well accept your invitation, just to see them enjoying disappointment."

James laughed throatily. "I like the claws, Iz. So, you and Jake?"

"There was never me and Jake. We're just friends. But there's me and Edward," she said, grinning. She could feel her cheeks flushing as she spoke of Edward.

"He seems like a nice guy."

"He is. I'm lucky," she admitted.

"I'm happy you found someone who cares so much about you. Do you love him?" James stroked her hair, smiling.

She nodded jerkily. "Yep. More than he loves me, I bet."

"I wouldn't hold my breath. Have you seen the way that man looks at you? The way he acted when he took you away on Friday…it's clear he loves you a lot, Izzy."

"I should call him to come get me…" Bella pulled her phone out, turning it on.

Several missed calls and messages spammed her inbox. All of them were from Edward, gradually growing worried and hysterical because her phone was turned off.

She decided to call him, hopefully, she wouldn't disturb his time with Jasper.

"Bella!" Edward gritted out. "Where the hell are you?"

"Home, actually. I had a nice chat with James."

"You sent me that message hours ago!"

"Well, it took us hours to talk," she retorted. "Are you with Jasper?"

"I ditched. I'm coming to get you."

"You ditched? I thought you were going to talk to him about Saturday," she grunted.

"See you soon." Edward hung up, leaving her worrying about what he must have been thinking while her phone was shut off.

She had hoped that this session he should have had with Jasper would help him, make him think twice before making a mistake like the previous Saturday. Her ass was still tender.

Bella wasn't sure how she'd forgiven him, or why, for that matter, but she knew, deep down, that he had meant well. Like she still made mistakes during their playtime, he was entitled to make mistakes, too. Even though, his mistakes had repercussions on her ass.

Edward arrived not long later, knocking loudly on the door.

James went to answer, while Bella trailed slowly after him. Vodka and her equilibrium, on top of her injured leg, weren't a good combination.

Edward shot James a nasty look, before he stormed into the studio, wrapping an arm around Bella's waist. He leaned in to kiss her lips, holding her closer.

"When Tanya said you got into a stranger's car…"

"I told you, I was going to talk to James!"

"I didn't see your message until later." Edward kissed her forehead. "You scared the shit out of me."

"I'll let you know about Saturday," Bella told her brother. "You have my new number now."

"Okay, Izzy. Take care."

"This Saturday?" Edward frowned, as he helped her down the stairs, to the front door of the building.

"Yeah. I'm thinking, I'd rather spend the day with my brother, while you and Jake have a pissing contest over me."

"Bella," he groaned.

She stopped short in front of the building. "You brought the bike?"

"It was the fastest way to get here." Edward handed her the red helmet. "Don't get hasty to make plans for Saturday." He assisted her in getting situated on the bike, before straddling it.

Bella hoped he didn't have some crazy plan. She'd actually rather spend the day with her brother, catch up some more, and try to forgive him.

See you next time =)

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