***A/N***

Hi! Hope you're all having a great weekend. Just a couple quick disclaimers before we jump into the next chapter:

This is unbeta'd, apologies for all mistakes, grammatical and otherwise.

This is a work of fiction and I have taken certain liberties. I am not a doctor, police detective, wedding planner, bookstore owner, or any other profession attributed to the characters in this story. I have never been to Chicago or Washington. Google helps a lot, but can only go so far.

Thanks for all the feedback. I appreciate it and think it helps me moving forward.

As always, S. Meyer owns all things Twilight.

Now, let's hope Bella's memory starts to come back and she remembers where she put that key...or better yet, remembers meeting Edward at the Post Office...

Chapter 33- Paradise Island

BPOV

"Bella we've met before. We met before you were attacked."

I looked at Edward, my brow furrowed, not comprehending what he was telling me.

"What do you mean? I don't understand."

He let out a breath. "Why don't we go back into the living room and we can talk."

I nodded my head, and followed him into the living room. I sat on the couch, and watched him remove his coat and drape it over a chair while he ran his hand through his hair, and began to pace in front of the fireplace. He finally stopped, and turned to look at me.

"The night you were attacked, Emmett and I went to a wedding that day. One of the rookies from the precinct, Erik, was getting married. Before I went, Esme asked me to stop at the Post Office for her."

I felt my stomach drop. Was I there that day? I was there a few times in the last month, so it wasn't outside the realm of possibility.

He looked at me hopefully. "Do you remember going there that morning?"

I shook my head and I saw the hope fall from his face.

"Was I?" I asked hesitantly. "Was I there that day?"

He stared at me for a moment and said, "Yes. Yes you were. You were there that morning and so was I. We bumped into each other."

I looked up at him in shock. "We did?"

He nodded his head. "We did. You were at the counter, and I was in line behind you. You turned around and I didn't get out of the way fast enough and we ran into each other."

I sat for a moment taking in what he told me. I had no memory of it, and it felt strange listening to him explain an incident I didn't remember. Then another thought came to me. One that made me begin to feel a little uneasy and I looked at him skeptically.

"Why don't I believe your version of this story?"

"What do you mean? Do you think I'm lying?"

"No! No, of course not. It's just, it's just,..." I cringed a little as I looked at him. "I totally walked into you didn't I? It was all my fault wasn't it?"

I could see a slight smile starting to tug at his lips.

I put my face in my hand and groaned. "I did, didn't I? Oh my God, how bad was it?"

He didn't say anything, and I looked up at him. "What did I do Edward? Was it completely embarrassing?" I could only imagine what I did or said, and I was frustrated because I didn't remember any of it.

He came over and sat next to me on the couch. "You didn't do anything. Really. You turned around and we bumped into each other. That's all. You were talking to the man behind the counter. He had a really huge mustache and he looked like..."

"Wilford Brimley" we both said at the same time.

"Oh my God." I said with a smile. "He totally looks like Wilford Brimley."

"You remember him?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Yes, I do. I'm just not sure if it was from that day. I... I've been to the Post Office a few times in the last month, so I'm not sure what day I'm remembering. So you... you were wearing the coat when I bumped into you?"

He nodded his head. "Yes"

I pondered that for a moment. "So then I must have some memory of that day somewhere deep down, if I remember your coat and the buttons."

He looked at me with a soft expression. "I hope so. It was the best part of my day."

I felt my heart flutter, and my stomach did that thing it did when he told me he wanted to protect me. I looked down at my hands in my lap and felt my face get warm.

I glanced up when he spoke again, and saw his expression was a little more serious.

"Bella, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this sooner. I wasn't trying to keep anything from you, I just thought it would be better for you to remember on your own. I've worked enough cases to know you can't force these things."

I didn't like the idea of him feeling guilty, and said, "Edward, it's ok. I'm not mad, I just wish...I just wish I remembered it."

"I want to ask you something." He said.

"What would you think about coming down to the station to look at a mug shot of Dolan? I think now might be the perfect time to do that. Since you've had this breakthrough, maybe seeing his picture would trigger something else."

I thought about it. We briefly discussed it when I was in the hospital, after I gave my statement. He told me I could look at photos whenever I was ready.

I considered the suggestion, and felt a bit of hope at the idea. I had resigned myself to the fact we would never nail this guy since I couldn't identify him, but maybe, just like seeing Edwards coat, another memory would surface if I saw Dolan's photo.

I wanted to try, and I looked at him with determination. "Yes, I think I'd like to do that."

He seemed pleased with my answer and said, "Great, whenever you feel up to it, we can set it up. I know you're still recovering, so you just let me know when you -"

I cut him off. "Is tomorrow ok?"

He smiled. "Tomorrow's perfect."

~!~

The next day I came out of my room and smelled coffee brewing. It was almost eleven.

I walked toward the kitchen and saw Esme leaning over the counter, her eyes closed, and her head in her hands.

Ooof, that's gotta suck.

I didn't want to scare her, so I cleared my throat lightly before entering the room. She turned her head slightly, and peeked at me from between a few fingers.

I approached and gave her a sympathetic look. "I know this is a stupid question, but how are you feeling?"

She turned her head back around to watch the coffee pot, her hands still covering her face.

"Oh my God, don't ask."

I walked up to her and said, "Go, sit down. I'll bring you some as soon as it's finished. Do you want some toast or something else to eat?"

She shook her head slowly as she made her way over to a stool at the counter and sat down.

"No, I can't even think about food right now. I'm going to have some coffee, and then I'm going right back to bed. Thank goodness the store is closed on Mondays."

I pulled two mugs from the cabinet and poured us both a cup, and brought one over to her. As I sat down and handed her the mug, she looked at me with a pained expression.

"Bella, I'm so sorry about last night. Truly. I'm sure I embarrassed you and Edward. I know I embarrassed myself."

"Esme, no. You don't need to apologize. I haven't laughed that much in a long time. A really long time. I'm just sorry you feel so bad today, tell me what I can do."

Yeah, I'd definitely been there. Waking up the next day after having too much to drink, and remembering what you said and did, could be awful.

"I'll be fine." She said. "I'm going to drink this and go to bed and try to forget last night ever happened."

I chuckled and rubbed her back. She closed her eyes and sighed as she took a sip.

When she went back to bed, I ordered an Uber to take me to the train station. After Edward left last night, I decided I was going to go downtown today and do a few things. First, I was going to stop by the Post Office to see if anything came to me. Maybe returning there would trigger a memory of bumping into Edward. Then, I was going to go to the police station and look at mug shots of Dolan.

I was feeling hopeful about both visits. After remembering Edward's coat and buttons last night, my expectations were high, and I was excited to see what else I could recall. I pulled out my phone to send him a quick text to let him know when I would be coming by.

"Just getting ready to leave the house now. I have a few errands to run and then I'll be over. Probably in about two hours. Is that ok?"

My phone chimed immediately with his reply, and I smiled when I saw his name appear on the screen.

"That works. When you get here, go to the front desk and ask for me, and they'll let me know you're here. See you soon."

When I got off the train, I walked the few blocks to the Post Office and went inside. There were a few people in line at the counter and I could see Wilford was working. I looked around the room and tried to picture being there and bumping into Edward. I smiled thinking about it, and wished I had the memory for myself rather than hearing about it secondhand.

When it was my turn and I approached, the bushy mustache twitched in a smile.

"Well hello there young lady. Haven't seen you around in awhile."

I smiled back at him and held up my arm in response. The sling was gone but I still wore the cast.

"Yeah, I had a little accident that's kept me out of commission for a few weeks."

"I'm sorry to hear that, what can I do for you today?"

I looked behind him and saw one of my Charlie flyers hanging on the bulletin board. I remembered putting one of them up at the car wash, but I didn't remember putting one up here. I must have done it the day I ran into Edward.

That's how I thought of that day now. It was the day I ran into Edward, rather than the day I was attacked.

As I stared at the flyer, I pointed to it and asked him, "Do you remember when you put that up?"

He gave me a quizzical look. "I put it up the last time you were in here. Don't you remember?"

I shook my head. "Um, no. No, I don't. When I had my accident, I lost some of my memories from that day and a few days prior. I thought I'd stop by to see if anything looked familiar or prompted something. Do you by any chance remember anything I might have said or done when I came in?"

He looked at me sympathetically and then his brow furrowed in concentration as he thought about it. "Well, you told me you didn't have any luck identifying that key you asked me about, and I mentioned you should go to a hardware store to see if they could figure it out. Did you try that?"

I shook my head. "No, unfortunately I don't have the key anymore. I... I lost it."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope it wasn't important."

I guess I'll never know now.

"After that, you asked me to put up the flyer of your dad. That's about all I can tell you."

I was a little discouraged he couldn't tell me more, and as an afterthought I added, "Do you remember seeing me bump into someone that day? I mean literally. We would have bumped into each other near the counter."

He looked up toward the ceiling, thinking again. "Maybe. I see so many people in a day, but now that you mention it, I think I do remember. Only because, if I recall, you two hit each other pretty hard. He was a tall fellow, right? Messy hair?"

I smiled at his description of Edward.

"Yes. Yes, that's him."

"Well, I hope you feel better soon and your arm heals up right quick. I'm sorry I can't tell you more."

I thanked him and made my way outside into the crisp fall air. I pulled my coat around me a little tighter as I walked away from the Post Office, the feeling of disappointment weighing heavily on me. I thought for sure since I recognized the coat, once I returned to the 'scene of the crime' as it were, I would have some flicker of a memory. I made my way to the train to head to Edwards office. Maybe I would have better luck there.

~!~

When I arrived at the precinct, I opened the heavy glass door, and walked up to the counter. There was a uniformed officer behind the desk, and I let him know I was there to see Edward.

When he put the phone back in the cradle after speaking with him, he looked at me, pointed down the hall, and said, "Take the elevator over there up to the third floor, make a right, and you'll see Detective Cullen's office. He's expecting you."

I thanked him and headed for the elevator, hoping the second part of my day would end with better results. Looking at a photo of Dolan had to jog something for me, it just had to.

When the doors opened onto Edwards floor, I was met with a bustle of activity. Uniformed and plain clothed officers hurried about, and the background hum was a multitude of phones ringing, and constant chatter. I started forward to ask someone where Edward's office was, when a door opened to my right, and he walked out.

I smiled when I saw him. I seemed to do that a lot lately. He was dressed in jeans, a dark blue button down shirt, and black and white striped Adidas sneakers.

"You made it." He said as he smiled back at me.

I nodded my head, and he motioned for me to come into his office. He followed me in, closing the door behind him, and made his way around the desk. "Please," he said, as he held out his arm gesturing to a chair. "Please sit down. Can I get you anything?"

I sat, and put my bag next to my feet. When I straightened up, I smoothed my hair and shook my head. "I'm fine. I had some coffee with Esme before I came down today."

"Oh boy, how's she feeling?" He asked.

I chuckled. "About how you'd expect. Hungover, feels like shit, embarrassed. She had some coffee and then went back to bed before I left."

He shook his head. "She was in rare form last night that's for sure. I don't think I've seen her that lit in...shit, I don't know when."

"Well, if this morning was any indication, I don't think she's going to be drinking wine again any time soon. I think she was just so happy to have you all together, she went a little overboard."

He replied with what I thought was a slight tone of regret. "Yeah, I know. I haven't been around much recently. I need to make more of an effort to see them. Last night was a good start."

He cleared his throat and looked over at his desktop monitor. "Okay you ready? Let me just get out of what I was working on and get into the mug shots. It'll just be a minute."

I watched as his fingers executed the keystrokes, his eyes moving back and forth across the computer screen.

While I waited, I took a look around his office. There was a framed copy of his diploma from the Policy Academy on the wall, and a few pictures on the credenza behind him. The photos were of him and Alice, one with their parents, and one with Carlisle and Esme. The rest of the office was comprised of filing cabinets and case files. I could see my file front and center in the middle of his desk.

After a few more clicks of the mouse, he turned the screen in my direction. "Okay, I'm going to pull up a few of his mug shots from over the years. In some of them he's younger, and in others he's older. The most recent one we have of him is from last year."

I took a shaky breath and leaned forward in the seat and prepared myself to look at the photos.

"Are you sure you want to do this? We can wait if you don't feel like you're ready." He asked as he observed my tense posture.

I gave him a determined look. "Yes, I'm sure. I want to do this. Show me that shithead."

Hi clicked a few more times and then a collage of photos, all of the same man, appeared on the screen. He looked disheveled and under the influence in most of them. The last one reminded me of the mug shot of Nick Nolte that made the rounds years ago. His hair was sticking straight up at odd angles, and he had a dazed look on his face which made him look older than his years.

I narrowed my eyes and scooted forward in the chair a bit more to get a closer look at the photos. I went painstakingly through all of them, and then did it again, twice.

Nothing.

Not a spark of memory.

Not a twinge of recognition.

Edward sat, silently watching me as my eyes scanned the images.

"Do you recognize him?" He asked.

I shook my head slowly as I continued to stare at the mug shots, and a feeling of hopelessness began to wash over me.

Without saying anything, he turned the monitor around so I couldn't see the photos anymore, and then began to open my file on his desk.

He pulled out two pictures and put them in front of me.

"We don't have any mug shots of Victoria Simpson, the woman who was with him that night. She's never been arrested, but we have a few photos of her from her place of employment. Take a look at these and let me know if she looks familiar."

I pulled them closer to me, and picked one of them up to look at it. The woman in the picture was on a stage at a strip club. She wore a g-string and a bikini top and was on her knees, her arms stretched behind her grasping a pole.

I looked at both photos intently, trying to will some memory to come to me.

Again, nothing. I didn't recognize her at all.

"Does she look familiar?" Edward asked quietly.

I shook my head again and tried to hide my abject disappointment.

I watched as he put the photos of Victoria back in the file and before he closed it, I saw there were others, and I stopped him to ask about them.

"What are the other pictures?"

His head came up and he looked at me. "Those are photos of you from the night of the attack."

"I want to see them."

"Bella, I don't think that's -"

I was so fucking angry, pissed off, frustrated, and completely furious with the situation, and I practically growled at him. "Edward, I want to see them. I may not be able to identify this asshole, but I sure as hell get to see firsthand, what he did to me."

I could tell he didn't want me to look at them, but he respected my request and pushed the file over to me.

I opened it up and started leafing through the photos. The first few were of the street and the alley. I saw yellow caution tape surrounding the area, and my notebook lying on the ground with an evidence marker next to it.

The next photo was of Edward holding me in his arms. My head rested on his shoulder, and his coat was wrapped around me. The image captured him gazing down at me while other Police Officers worked behind him.

I looked up at him quickly. He was staring at me.

"That's right after you passed out."

The next few photos were of me on a gurney. I could see my face more clearly in those pictures, and I took in the full extent of the damage Dolan had inflicted on me. The final images showed me lying in a hospital bed, unconscious with a tube down my throat. There was tape over my mouth to hold the breathing apparatus in place, and there were other wires and tubes connected to me in various locations. I swallowed, hard.

I didn't remember any of it.

I was putting the photos back in the file and was about to close it, when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye in one of the pictures, and picked it up again to examine it more closely. It was of me in the hospital bed, but whereas when I first looked at it, all I could see was myself, unconscious, and hooked up to machines, now, looking closer, I saw something else.

Someone was sleeping in a chair next to the bed.

It was Edward.

My head flew up. "You were with me? You were with me in my room?"

He was looking at the photo I held in my hands and slowly raised his gaze to mine. "I stayed with you for three days."

I was speechless. I didn't know what to say. Why would he have done that? He didn't even know me.

"Before you passed out, you asked me not to leave you. I didn't want you to wake up alone, so I stayed with you."

I continued to stare at him as the full extent of everything he had done for me really sank in. He had been watching over me since he met me, and I wasn't sure what to do with that realization. A simple 'thank you' didn't seem good enough.

I closed the file and pushed it back across the desk to him as a feeling of utter disappointment threatened to overwhelm me again. It was crushing to look at those photos of myself, beaten, battered, and lying in that bed, only to realize I couldn't even identify the man who did it.

"Are you all right?" He asked gently.

I looked off to the side, my gaze focused on nothing in particular, trying to keep at bay, the tears that were forming.

He leaned around and tried to catch my eye. "Bella?"

I returned my focus to him and ran my fingers under my eye to catch a stray tear.

He was looking at me with concern. "It's okay. It is. I told you, you can't force this type of thing. You've made progress by remembering the coat. The rest will come. It will. It doesn't all have to happen in one day."

I nodded my head, knowing he was right, but still feeling the weight of disappointment. I had such high hopes this morning, and now I felt completely let down.

I needed a moment to compose myself. "Is there a restroom nearby I could use?"

He nodded his head and stood up. I grabbed my bag and walked toward the door with him. "Just go down this hall, and about halfway down on the left, is the ladies room. You can't miss it."

I thanked him and walked out the door, feeling his eyes on my back as I went.

Once inside the bathroom, I washed my hands and dabbed at my eyes to remove any lingering tears. I fluffed my hair and pulled out a Burt's Bees stick and ran it over my lips. Looking at myself in the mirror I gave myself a little pep talk. "You're fine. Today may not have gone as planned, but that doesn't mean you won't ever remember. Don't push it. One day at a time."

Yeah, even I didn't believe what I was telling myself.

With a sigh, I walked out and made my way up the hall. I had almost reached his office and could see the door was open, and as I got closer, I could hear him talking. I didn't want to disturb him if he was on the phone so I approached slowly, figuring I would linger outside until he was done.

Just as I came to the door and looked in, I realized I had been mistaken. He wasn't on the phone. He was sitting in his chair, eyes closed, two fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, and he looked aggravated.

Sitting on his desk, facing him, was a woman with long black hair. She wore a tailored suit, and the skirt was short and form fitting. Her long legs were crossed, and situated directly in front of Edward, and the soles of the high heeled shoes on her feet were red, alluding to the amount of money she spent on her wardrobe.

Her hand was resting on Edwards arm in a familiar manner, and she was leaning close to him, her long hair falling over his torso.

I felt completely awkward and didn't know what to do. Should I turn around and go back to the bathroom? Should I sit in one of the chairs out in the hall until she left? I was still debating the best course of action, when Edward opened his eyes, and looked directly into mine.

He pushed out of his chair and stood up, causing the woman on his desk to fall back slightly, her balance thrown off by his sudden movement.

He came around the desk and asked, "Bella, is everything ok?"

I wasn't sure if I should come in, but he was holding his arm out in invitation so I walked across the threshold hesitantly.

As I did, the woman sitting on the desk turned slightly and stood up. She was incredibly tall and incredibly beautiful. She had long black hair, a toned body, beautiful skin and piercing blue eyes. She looked like she belonged on that island, the one Wonder Woman came from.

What was it called? Oh right, Paradise Island.

Yep, that's what she looked like, some sultry female princess warrior, one who most definitely didn't take any prisoners.

She looked me up and down in what I thought was an almost condescending manner, but then a smile lit up her face and I thought I must have imagined it.

"Edward," she said, "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Edward looked from me to the runway model a look of uncertainty on his face.

He let out a sigh, and ran his hand through his hair. "Bella, this is Tanya Parker. Tanya this is Bella Swan. I'm working on her case."

Tanya looked at me again, the smile still on her face. "Well goodness, you're a small little thing aren't you? I almost mistook you for a child when you first came in. It's nice to meet you."

I stood with my mouth slightly open, not knowing what to say.

'Fuck you bitch' didn't seem appropriate, no matter how much I wanted to say it.

Instead I plastered a smile on my face as well. "It's nice to meet you Tanya. Nice shoes."

She looked down at her feet and gave me a smug smile. "Thank you Becca."

Okay, maybe I couldn't reach high enough to punch her in the face, but I could probably take her out at the knees.

Edward broke in with an irritated tone. "Tanya, I told you, I'm in the middle of a meeting. I can't talk right now."

The Ice Queen walked toward the door, and as she passed by Edward, she leaned in and gave him a lingering kiss on the cheek. "No worries, I have to get going. I have to be in court in half an hour, just give me a call and we'll figure out the game plan for dinner."

She looked back at me as she approached the door, and there was no mistaking the condescending look on her face this time as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. "It was nice to meet you."

I watched as she left the room and sauntered down the hall, not quite sure what just happened.

Then it hit me. Tanya. She must be 'I'll cook Tanya'. Of course. If the body language was any indication, Edward must be dating her.

Not his body language so much, but hers definitely spoke volumes. They'd been intimate.

I felt a little sick to my stomach.

She must be his girlfriend.

I thought about dinner last night. Esme said she wanted to set Edward up with someone so he must not have told her about Tanya. I didn't blame him. I never told Charlie when I was dating anyone, it was none of his business. No, Edward was a grown man, I'm sure he didn't tell Esme about his love life.

I began to realize I had developed some kind of school girl crush on Edward over the past few weeks. It most likely cultivated because he had been kind enough to help me...more than once. Even though I knew I didn't want to get involved with anyone, I had been enjoying getting to know him, and did feel we had some kind of a connection.

Now I just felt stupid. Obviously, any kind of connection I thought we had developed, was all in my mind. What was going on between us was nothing more than him doing his job.

I thought about how foolish I had been. He and Tanya were perfectly matched. Both of them tall, sophisticated, accomplished...beautiful.

I looked at the clock and realized it was almost four. I needed to get going if I wanted to make the train back before dark.

I could barely look at Edward as I repositioned my bag over my shoulder and buttoned my coat.

"I better get going. I want to catch the train before it gets dark, so I guess I'll just let you know if I remember anything else. Thanks again for letting me come by today." I wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.

I was just about to run out the door, when I felt his hand on my arm.

"Wait"

I swallowed and looked up at him hesitantly.

"Bella, I'm sorry about Tanya. She can be ..."

She can be a total fucking bitch?

Yeah, that sounded about right.

Instead he said, "She was out of line, and I'm sorry she was rude to you. I'll be speaking to her about that...I um,...I have to speak with her about a few things actually, but honestly I just wanted her to leave. I'm really very sorry."

All I wanted to do was to go home. "Edward, you don't need to apologize. I don't want to intrude, I should really get going."

"You're not intruding. She was intruding. Listen, was coffee with Esme this morning the last thing you've had to eat or drink today?"

My brow furrowed as I thought about it, and I realized he was right.

"Yes, I'll just get something to eat on my way back, or when I get home."

He walked over to his desk and grabbed his coat. "Come on, I was just going to head out for something to eat. Come with me and I'll drive you back to Esme's when we're finished."

I really just wanted to leave and not think about how small, 'I'll cook Tanya' tried to make me feel, but when I saw the hopeful expression on his face, I knew resistance was futile. I sighed and nodded my head as I gave in.

He smiled in acknowledgment and led me out the door toward the elevator, and I took a deep breath and tried not to think about red soled shoes and warrior princess bitches from Paradise Island

***A/N***

I know everyone wants Bella to remember everything and to tell Edward about her search for Charlie. These two just have to get to know each other a bit more first. Slow burn for these guys.

As always, thanks for your reviews. I appreciate them all and try to reply to questions.

Thanks and see you soon!