DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended. Additionally, "Light Breaks Where No Sun Shines" belongs to Dylan Thomas. No copyright infringement is intended.

Previously:

In all of fifteen minutes, she'd accomplished what I'd been attempting for the past seven months. She was just amazing. And Mr. Diaz was in love. After that, he wouldn't begin our business discussion until he'd asked after Bella. She'd made a fan.

"What for?"

"He likes to keep you on your toes." She smiled and chuckled at the frustration I was sure was on my face. "Get used to it, Edward. You're in for a real treat with him."

"Hello!" Alice's cheery voice startled me. I pulled back not even realizing I had been leaning into Bella. Bella stood quickly as if she'd gotten caught even though we hadn't been doing anything. Alice quirked a brow at me as she walked over to Bella and pulled her into a hug. "You look great in that dress. The color is fabulous for your skin tone."

"Hello, cousin." I turned to greet Jasper when he pulled my attention away from Bella. He was smirking at me as he patted my shoulder a little too roughly.

"Hello, Jasper." I reached out to shake his hand. "How was your day?"

"It was good. Signed a new client today, so it's a very good day." Jasper was a financial manager and was trying to get into hedge fund management. This was indeed exciting news. I congratulated him, genuinely happy and excited for him. He looked over at Bella and Alice who had taken their seats and had their heads together chatting. I wanted to see Bella with a carefree expression on her face, but there was still reservation in the set of her shoulders. "We didn't interrupt anything. Did we?" He smiled slyly as he tilted his head toward Bella.

"No; don't be ridiculous." There was no need to raise any kind of questions. Even though I would like nothing more than to be in a relationship with Bella, I didn't know if or when she would be interested in and ready for that step. "We haven't been here long. We were just talking about her walk to the club." That seemed to distract him from the topic at hand.

"How did it go?"

"Sir," Nathaniel interrupted. "May I get you something to drink?"

"I ordered the Petrus for the meal," I told Jasper. He raised a brow at me. "What? We're celebrating this milestone. Plus, it's Alice's favorite." He shook his head.

"Don't tell my wife you know that. I'll be in the dog house for not keeping track of that kind of stuff." He turned to the maître d'. "I'll have water, no lemon please. My wife will have the same." He nodded and stepped back to leave the room. "Let's have a seat. We'll talk about this later." We sat at the table but seeing as Alice commandeered my chair, I was relegated to the other side of the table with Jasper. We talked amongst ourselves for the most part because Alice carried the conversation with Bella as she did any time the two got together which still wasn't often.

Bella had decided she wanted to wait a while before letting Alice know she was back. She said she wanted to work on herself, get in better shape both mentally and physically before she spoke with anyone from her life before the abduction. She'd spent almost two weeks in the hospital before moving into Rosalie and Emmett's house on Mercer Island. Then she'd spent another month trying to adjust to her new life before asking to meet with Alice.

She'd requested I be present when Alice came to the house. I'd do anything for Bella, so I took the day off to be available – the first day off for as far back as I could remember. Bella had called around noon in a near panic attack. She had been so afraid that Alice would be angry with her, resent her, or not want anything to do with her. She knew the time after the abduction had been hard for Alice, and she didn't want to dredge up any negative memories. I assured her Alice would be thrilled to see her and know she was alive and relatively well.

I went to Rose and Emmett's around five that evening, and Jasper and Alice were to arrive at 7:00. Esme had told Jasper that they were needed at a friend's house for dinner not elaborating on the real reason. I was with Bella in the living room when the doorbell rang. She shot off the couch and began wringing her hands in front of her. I placed a hand on her back, rubbing circles hoping to sooth her anxiety. She'd already taken an Ativan earlier because of her nerves, but you could barely tell.

"I'm going to be sick," she said barely above a whisper.

"Everything's going to be okay," I tried to assure her.

"I can't do this."

"You can. I promise. And I'm right here."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Rosalie," Alice said, her voice getting louder as she walked toward the living room. She rounded the corner and smiled when she saw me. "Hello, Edward. How a-" You could tell the second she spotted Bella. She stopped mid-sentence and stumbled a few steps before Jasper caught her waist to keep her from falling. She stared, her face draining of color as if she'd seen a ghost. "B-Bella?" Bella nodded slowly. "H-how? Y-you were t-" This time it was a strangled sob that cut off her words. I glanced at Jasper only long enough to see the confusion on his face.

"Hi Alice," Bella said quietly. Alice covered her mouth as she cried and walked over to Bella pulling her into her arms.

"Oh God, Bella, it's really you." Bella wrapped her arms around Alice.

"Yes. It's really me."

After being reunited, Alice wanted to spend as much time with Bella as she could. At first, Bella wanted to as well. However, the more time they spent together, the more Bella began to struggle. Seeing Alice and learning about her life now had brought forth feelings of resentment, jealousy, and anger that Bella didn't know how to handle. Part of her loved getting to know her friend again. Then part of her hated seeing what could have been. She spent many nights wrestling with herself, not knowing what feelings were winning out.

A few weeks after reuniting with her friend, Bella was talking to me about a dinner they'd shared at Jasper and Alice's house. She said that Alice had tried to ask about her time away, but Bella refused to talk about it; she actually refused to talk about it with anyone besides Jeanine and Esme. Occasionally, Bella would share stories with me, but I could tell she chose tame ones. She said Alice carried around enough guilt about the abduction that she didn't want to say anything to add to that. Alice seemed okay with it though, or she was just so glad to have Bella back in her life that she didn't try to push Bella to much. Alice and Jasper knew that I played some role in Bella's return, but they didn't know any details. Jasper had asked, but I explained that was Bella's story. If she ever felt like sharing, she could, but I wouldn't be divulging any details without her express consent.

Dinner went fairly well. Bella still held herself back a bit, but she seemed to relax as Jasper and I joined the conversation. Alice told us about a case she was working on involving a young girl in foster care who had been expelled from school for wearing a jilbab over her uniform. She was flourishing as a human rights attorney, and I could see the pride on Bella's face. No matter what Bella was struggling with, she truly wanted what was best for Alice. As dinner plates were being cleared from the table, Alice abruptly changed the subject.

"Bella, do you have anything planned for your birthday?" I look over at Bella surprised that I didn't know her birthday. It wasn't something that had ever come up in conversation, and I mentally kicked myself for not asking sooner.

"When is your birthday?" I asked with a smile. I was confused to see she looked upset at the conversation.

"Next Friday," she said quietly. "I don't have any plans though. I won't be doing anything."

"But it's your birthday!" Alice exclaimed, clearly excited to celebrate Bella. I wanted to join her in celebration, but it was obvious that Bella was not excited at the prospect.

"No; it's just another day." She didn't look up as she rearranged the silverware, condiments, and anything else she could reach on the table. I watched as her hands trembled, and opened my mouth to help shut down the topic. I wasn't quick enough though, and Alice barreled ahead not queuing in on Bella's discomfort.

"Let us throw you a party." Alice seemed oblivious to Bella's extreme discomfort. "I have the perfect recipe-"

"No!" Bella interrupted, slamming her fists on the table. The dinnerware rattled, and I watched as tears welled in her eyes and chest heaved.

AN 04/06/2019: *Cringe* That didn't go so well, huh? I think a lot of you expected a very happy reunion between the friends, but that's not exactly how it went or is going. Can you imagine the feelings Bella must be struggling with? Of course she's happy her friend wasn't taken...but she was. And here sits the face of the person that got to keep their normal life. I don't think we can blame her for the complex feelings she's having towards Alice.

As for her birthday, I can say it's not the common 'I don't want the attention or people to spend money on me' reason for her dislike that I see in many fics. There is an underlying reason, and I'd love to hear what your theories are on the subject. Let me know in a review or message.

Don't forget to find me on Facebook (Lena Kay). I'll be posting teasers before each chapter that includes a picture to give you a hint. :)