A/N: Hi! Quick update, I posted chapter four and five around about the same time. I've noticed chapter five has more views than what chapter four does, so if you've been reading along and noticed some sort of a jump, you've might have possibly missed out chapter four.

I'll see you at the bottom.

Three years ago: The Cullen residence.

"EMMETT!"

Edward screams as he comes rushing into the families living room, to find his brother. "Emmett, did you hear?"

"I did…"

"What do I do? I've tried to call her, but her phones sending me straight to voicemail."

"Do you know if she's at home?"

"I don't… I need to find her… I can't let her down in her time of need."

"And you won't, but panicking won't help anything, you need to have your head straight for yourself and Bella, as she'll probably be a mess at this moment in time."

"You think I don't know that? Please Emmett, just tell me what to do, if not for me for Bella." Edward begged.

"Let's go! I'll drive. We can try and find her together."

"Go where? I don't know where she could be." He cried.

"Think, Edward! Did she mention anything about her plans today?" Emmett asked trying to jog his younger brothers memory.

"I-…"

"Don't say you don't know! Because you will, you and Bella share every fine detail of your lives together."

"I'm a horrible friend." He began to sob, "I should have listened to her, why didn't I?"

"Hey! There's no time for you to beat yourself up, you can do that once you find her… If you can't think… what about her other friends, isn't she close to Jasper's sister? We should try there."

"No! I think I know where she'll be…"

"Well come on!" Emmett said running out the house, unlocking his car on the way out.

…

"Take a right here!" Edward instructed.

"Man, I hope you know where we are, because I have no clue?"

Emmett drove his Jeep over the dirt path, throughout the forest behind their old high school Forks high. He got as far as the dirt path would take him.

"It's a dead end!"

"It's not!" Edward argued.

"There's a flipping tree in the way! I know Jeeps are ideal for off roading, but it can't mount a tree, for Christ sake!"

Suddenly Edward was flinging himself out of his brothers car.

"Edward! Get back here!" Emmett yelled as he watched his brother disappear into the darkness of the forest.

Edward used his phone, for light. Him and Bella had walked this path a million times before, but never in the pitch black of night. He just prayed she was at their Meadow. He tripped and stumbled a few times until he made it too the clearing… and there she sat…

"Bella!" He called as he ran to her. Wrapping his arms around her tiny shivering frame, he whispered soft words of comfort, as she nuzzled into his warmth.

"Our Meadow." She cried. "Everything is gone. There's no colours anymore… The flowers are gone, they've all withered away… or in other words they are dead." She wailed.

"Shh." Edward shushed her, as he rocked her in his arms.

"They'll come back, won't they?" She asked pulling her face away from his chest.

He could see the tears streaming down her face, as the moonlight shown through the clearing of trees, making light into their little Meadow. Edward could tell where this conversation was heading, but he didn't want to make it a reality. "Yes… They'll come back…" He croaked.

"And what about him?" She asked breaking down, once again.

"Bella…" He sighed, "Don't make me say it… I don't want to cause you pain." He explained staring into her big chocolate brown eyes.

"You could never cause me pain…" Bella promised, resting her head back on his chest. "His heart will never beat like ours again."

"No… It won't." Edward confirmed.

Bella tightly squeezed her eyes shut, trapping more tears from escaping, as Edward had now confirmed her new reality.

He stroked her hair, as her breathing started to even out… He held her until she was ready for him to let go.

"They said it was a car crash." She whispered loud enough for both of them to hear. "They said he was drunk… My Dad would never!" Bella shouted in rage.

"I believe you, Bella."

"He was out with Carlisle… They were just doing business."

"My Dad, wouldn't have let him get behind the wheel, even if he did drink…"

"EDWARD! BELLA!"

Bella tensed up in Edward's arms, "It's just Emmett. He drove me here."

"Edward!" The voice called again.

"Over here!" Edward replied.

When Emmett neared, he could see Bella wrapped securely in his brothers arms. "Jesus, Edward. How long has she been out here? Her lips are starting to turn blue; we need to take her home."

"No!" Bella cried, as she clung to Edward. "Please don't leave me."

"Never!" Edward vowed.

A week had gone by since Bella's Dad's death…

Edward had checked his phone for the millionth time that week, and still no messages from her, since she left that soul destroying voicemail a few days ago… He felt defeated… and with one last call sent to voicemail, he had come to his final terms… "I'm not going to fight you on this decision you've made… I don't think your head is in the right frame of mind, and I'm not going to stick around, if you can't trust me enough to confined in me, so for now I will respect your wishes and leave you alone… Goodbye Bella." And that was his final message to her.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked.

"Does it look it?"

"It'll be okay. I'm sure she had her reasons."

"I hope it's just the grief talking… Because this is killing me not being able to be near her."

"Why don't I take your phone for an hour or so. So, you won't be tempted to contact her." Alice suggested.

"I don't know… What if she needs me?"

"I'm only doing this for you, Edward… You need to rest; you haven't slept since she left. If she calls I'll let you know. I promise."

"That could be helpful… I know it helped earlier today as well. Thanks Ali."

"What are sisters for?" She smirked, as he handed his phone over for the second time that day.

…

Present time: The Swan residence.

"Hey sweetheart." Renee greeted.

"Hi Mom." Bella said closing her book.

"What are you reading?"

"One of Dad's old books… It still has some of the indents from where he stopped reading."

"If he wasn't playing baseball or fishing, he was reading… It's probably why he would show me up at our trivia game nights. He was so full of knowledge." Renee laughed remembering the good times she shared with Charlie.

"He also tried to impress you, so he would read the cards ahead of the game and study." Bella shared.

"Did he really?"

"Well, of course. Do you think he'd seriously know half of those ridiculous topics?"

"I did! Now I feel so gullible."

Bella chuckled, "I thought it was cute, that he did that for you."

"It was pretty cute." Renee agreed.

"You and Dad were the cutest." Bella recalled.

"We certainly were…" She sighed, "What time do you have to leave?"

"The game doesn't start until seven so, I'll probably need to leave in an hour."

"Sounds good, I'll go make some food for us."

…

The beginning of the game was running smoothly. Bella was able to talk with more of the players and learn about them, while also doing her best to avoid Edward. After their recent plane seating incident, she was not that fond of being anywhere near him. Her body on the other hand… Well, that earned for Edward's touch, while her head was telling her to pour cold water all over his lap…

"Hey, Bella!" Coach Frew greeted. Besides him was a player Bella had never met before. "This is Riley. He missed the first few games for personal reasons, but he's back now!"

"Hi, It's great to meet you." Riley said extending his hand forward.

Bella shook the guy's hand, "You too!"

"I'm going to let you two bond, while I go see James." Coach Frew left them to it.

"What position do you play?" Bella asked.

"I'm a relief pitcher."

"So, you're the backup guy, sounds boring and intense."

"It can be. But once I'm out there I love the adrenaline. It's the crowds reactions that fuels my adrenaline."

"I can see why! Nothing like having all of them eyes on you like that."

"Honestly I live for it, I haven't always been that way though… All that attention put me off as a kid."

"Understandable." Bella agreed, "Are you playing tonight?"

"It all depends on Eric and how well he copes."

"Okay, well just give me a shout if you need anything."

"Thank you, I appreciate you looking out for me…" He blushed.

"It's my job!"

…

Out in the stands… We find Alice with her group of friends watching her brother's game.

"Alice." Esme calls on approach.

"Hey Mom, what's up?"

"Your father will be returning back home soon…"

Alice turned to her friends, "Excuse me for a second." Alice and Esme walked over to the side of the stands. "I thought he couldn't come home for a few more weeks?"

"I guess he was able to leave earlier than expected. So, I've organised a meal for the family after your brothers game. Make sure he's there!" Esme ordered.

"Are you not sticking around?" Alice questioned her mother.

"No, I've arranged to meet an old friend this afternoon…" Esme smirked.

"Of course, your meeting him." Alice rolled her eyes.

"Don't look at me like that!"

"Mom this isn't right… It will tear this family more apart."

"It's our secret, you promised."

"Maybe I don't want to keep this secret anymore!"

"Alice Cullen! If you disobey me, I'll cut you off."

"You can't do that!" She cried.

"Yes I can, and I will! Now do as your damn well told!"

"When it all goes up in flames, I won't be standing by your side anymore. So go have fun with your bit on the side, but tonight I won't fake it!" Alice warned, leaving her Mom by herself.

…

Announcement:

Number 8 Hale has just bit his by a bad pitch! It's not looking good for the first baseman."

…

"God damn it Jasper! Why didn't you move?" Bella questioned as she worked on the injured player.

"Oh, I'm sorry. When a ball is coming towards you at that speed, you try and do that!"

"I wish I never said anything." Bella muttered, "I'm going to go get you some ice, I'll be right back."

"Why god, why? Why did it have to be my beautiful face!" Jasper cried out.

"Being a drama queen again?" Edward teased as he entered the locker room.

"Do one Cullen."

This made Edward chuckle, "Why are you just laying on the bench?" Edward questioned.

"Urgh!" Jasper groaned clutching his forehead.

"What!?" Edward asked alarmed.

Jasper sat up on the bench, "I have this pounding in my head."

"Right Jasper, lets get you sorted." Bella explained walking back into the locker room.

"Oh?" Edward said rubbing the back of his neck… What was he supposed to do here?

Bella made it pretty easy for him, she just decided to focus on the job at hand. "So, I have your ice pack and I've also brought some medicine to help reduce the swelling. On the bright side you'll have a super kickass bruise!" Bella said with a giggle.

"That doesn't help at all!"

"Really? Because I think you'll be the highlight of campus with that shiner, how often do you see people walking around, with a huge bruise on their face?"

"Not often…"

"Exactly! You can use this to your benefit. Make all the girls on campus see what a total badass you are!" Bella enthusiastically encouraged, with a wink.

"Has anyone ever told you how kind you are, Bella?"

"I'm just doing my job. Someone has to look after you boys." She said with a friendly smile. "But you do look like a total badass!"

"Well let's just hope the scouts out there think so as well…" Jasper sighed.

Bella could see the sadness in Jasper's eyes. He was starting to feel defeated, and it was devastating to watch, the usual sparkle in his eye wasn't there anymore. "Hey! Don't you do that, don't dare lose hope! If those scouts don't see how incredibly amazing you are at baseball, then they need to get a new job because they're clearly blind."

"It's fine, Bella. You really don't have to be nice to me."

"I know I don't have to, but I'm just stating the facts."

"She's right, man." Edward added, "You're the best first baseman that I've ever seen. Jasper you need to give yourself more credit."

Jasper let out a huge sigh, "Thanks guys."

Just then the whole of the Spartans team came into the locker room. "I guess that's my cue to leave." Bella mentioned gathering her kit.

"Hey Bella! Wait up!" Riley called. "How's Jasper?"

"Here's right there, why don't you ask him yourself." Bella giggled.

Riley eyed Jasper for a moment, "Woah! That's one badass bruise!"

"Hey! That's what I said."

"Well, you know what they say great minds think alike." He winked.

This made Bella laugh even more, "Well, maybe I have the great mind and you just copied." She teased back.

"Ah you caught me."

The room started to fill with tension between the three boys and Bella. Edward was staring daggers at Riley, with his arms folded across his seething chest and poor Riley had no clue why.

"I was wondering if you would like to join me and few others tonight."

"Yeah, I'm up for it. I'll message Rose to see if she would like to join."

"I'll meet you out front in a bit?"

"Certainly." She turned to Jasper, "Do you need anything before I leave?"

"Nope! I've got the meds and the ice pack; I'm just going to go home and go straight to bed." Jasper explained.

"If you get any worse, give me a call and I'll be straight over, but I don't think you will since you aren't showing any signs of concussion."

"Will do, we should start calling you nurse Swan." Jasper teased.

"I like the sound of that." Bella giggled, "Anyways I better get going… Bye Jasper."

Bella and Edward exchanged eye contact with one another, it was awkward she didn't know if she should say bye to him or not? But wouldn't it be rude if she didn't?

"Uh… Bye Edward." She said before leaving the boys locker room. Edward surly would remember this, the slight hope that things could get better…

"If you cross your arms any tighter, I feel like your chest will erupt." Jasper teased his friend.

"I'm not in the mood for jokes, Jas! Who does that Riley think he is?" Edward seethed.

"Um… Our relief pitcher?"

"That's not what I meant, and you know it!"

"And I'm choosing to ignore it because you're being absolutely ridiculous!" Jasper argued.

"I'm not being ridiculous! He was flirting with my Bella, right in front of me!"

"One, Bella isn't anyone's property and Two she's single, so he can flirt with her if he wants. I'm sure if she were uncomfortable she would tell him to stop."

"But she didn't!" He cried.

"She's moving on, Edward! I think it's time you did the same…"

"I did and that just made her extremely pissed off at me, when she was the one that asked me to leave her alone… The whole thing is complicated."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, man. After Charlie passed, the first couple of days she didn't want me to leave her side, and then she decided to go home, because she felt bad for leaving her Mom. Then the next minute, I'm receiving a text from her telling me to back off, so I figured it was just the grief talking, my plan was to leave her be until she was ready to talk. But later that same day I received a message saying that I was a horrible person for leaving her in her time in need and she never wanted to talk to me again…"

"Wow! Major whiplash vibes."

"I know right, and that's not even the end of it. Like I said I hoped it was just the grief talking, and she would eventually apologies. But when a couple of days, turned into weeks… I began to worry, so I thought I would make the first move, here she had blocked my number."

"Did you go around to her house?"

"Alice and my Mom advised me not to."

"I feel for you man. But I would have ignored your families wishes."

"I wish I did."

"It just doesn't seem like something Bella would do or say. If you want my opinion, it all seems a bit odd to me." Jasper thought. "I mean we are talking about Bella here; she was there for me and Rose when our parents split… She was the glue that kept us four together. I literally thought that Bella, would be your forever girl… Your first draft forever, you always told her that."

"But none of that matters now, Jas. I gave her what she wanted even though it broke me. I respected her wishes because I was madly in love with her…"

"It's a tough call, Edward. I'm just sorry you lost her." Jasper sympathised.

"They say everything happens for a reason, I just don't understand what the reason is, and it's been flipping three years!"

…

"Hey!" Bella greeted Riley as she approached him, "Rose is nearly here and then we are set to go."

"Not quite." He told her.

"How come?"

"I'm waiting for my girlfriend, Victoria to join us."

"Aw! The more the merrier."

"She struggles to make friends, so I thought I would invite her along and hopefully you can take her under your wing."

"So, really your setting me up on a blind date, with your girlfriend?"

"Oh, well now that you say it like that… It does sound like that was my intensions." He awkwardly chuckled.

"I think it's cute, your just looking out for her… And don't worry I won't steal your girl." Bella teased, "Rose on the other hand, well she's taken, but Emmett won't mind."

Riley looked at his new friend in fear, "Maybe this was a bad idea…" He gulped.

…

"Didn't you bring any other clothes to wear?" Esme asked her son, in a disapproving tone.

"Well, it's nice to see you too Mother." Edward's voice was laced with sarcasm.

"Let him be, he wasn't expecting to be going out for a meal after the game." Alice said defending her twin brother.

"Well, here's a thought to leave some clothes in your locker… for future cases."

"You mean there will be more, of these forced family meals?" Edward question with a groan.

"I'm just trying to do what other families do, can you not appreciate that!" Esme yelled at her son.

"Mother we are in a public place." Alice reminded her, "I thought you said Dad would be here, where is he?" Alice questioned trying to change the subject."

"I'm not too sure? Hopefully, he'll be here soon as I had to put a $50 deposit down to get this table."

"So, what's with the late dinner plans?" Edward questioned.

"I've already told you; I'm trying to act like other normal families." Esme repeated.

Edward chuckled, "But Mom, we aren't like a normal family."

"Well, we would be if your Dad was never constantly out of town, and if your brother would stop ignoring his own mother!"

"I saw him the other day, after my game in Atlanta."

Both of the female Cullen's remained silent, as they both stared at the ground.

"Typical." Edward muttered, "None of you are going ask how Emmett is?"

"Why does it matter, he won't tolerate us." Alice spoke for herself and Esme.

"And who's fault is that?"

"Probably his girlfriends, she doesn't like us." Esme suggested.

"Yeah, she just want's to take him away from us, constantly. She probably brained washed him against us!" Alice added, siding with her mother.

"I think you two need to have a hard look in the mirror, before you blame an innocent bystander… You know what I can't bare to stomach anything after the way your behaviour disgusts me."

"That's rich coming from you, son!"

"And what's that supposed to mean?!"

"Are you three already arguing?" Carlisle asked as he joined his family.

"What does it look like… You know what, this was a mistake. I'll see you at home." Edward said.

"If Edward's going, I am too. I can't believe I blew off my friends for this disaster of an evening!" Alice chirped.

"If you think me and your Mother would be able to tolerate one another, without you kids being there, think again. Now you will go into that restaurant, with fake smiles on if you have to. And then we will eat, I don't care if it's in silence, at your mothers expense."

"But Dad!" Alice whined.

"But nothing, now in!" Carlisle ordered his children. Which they obliged to.

…

A/N: Wow what a chapter. I'm exhausted after that one.

So, we started with a flashback, and I just had to add the Meadow! And you saw a bit more from Edwards side of what happened, to cause his and Bella's friendship to break apart but let me tell you Jasper is a very smart man.

How are we feeling about Esme and Alice? And now Carlisle is in the mix, and we can tell their relationship isn't too well either… These Cullen's like their drama!

I'll see you in the next one.

Becca x