A/N: Hi readers! I was really EXCITED for posting this chapter because I'd the most fun writing this. Hope you enjoy. :)

Thanks to EdwardsFirstKiss for her editing and suggestions. I don't know what I would have done without her. She is really wonderful. xoxo

Again as you know, twilight characters belong to SM while the plot and mistakes are all mine. So here you go for one more long chapter.

CHAPTER 8

BELLA

December 26, 2016

The drive to the airport was short but trying. It was probably due to all of my pent-up emotions. For the last two years, I become quite an emotional mess during this time of the year. After the conversation with my friends last night, I had thought I was done with wallowing in my misery. But that wasn't the case. The only thoughts that were swirling through my mind after finding my engagement ring again, were of Edward. One positive thing that resulted from last night's conversation was that I can now say Edward's name, both in my thoughts and out loud. I used to wince at hearing his name and even refused to think it, and addressed him in third person. But now that has been remedied, I just hope. I sighed and stretched my legs, sitting on the comfortable leather seat in the first class section of the plane. Jacob was really benignant for reserving me a seat in first class on such short notice. Being the holidays, almost all the seats were occupied. I turned my head sideways and noticed a lady seated beside me, sweating bullets. Her face was pale, and she looked like she was trying to find an escape from the confined space.

"Excuse me. You're not looking well. Is everything alright?" I finally asked her. She turned to face me, startled.

"Yessss... I.. I mean, no.. I'm not fine." She stammered. "It's the first time I have flown and I know you wouldn't think an old woman like me was so afraid of travelling in a plane, but believe me I am terrified." She finally managed to say, loosening the death grip she had on the handle of the seat.

"If it helps, I was also terrified when I had my first experience of flying. I had held hands with my friend almost the entire time," I explained smiling her way. This seemed to calm her nerves down a bit. I came to know that her name was Marel. She started to talk about how she was going to visit her high school friend in Seattle for New Year's and about her life in Syracuse. I told her that I was also going to Seattle and from there to visit a friend in Forks. This seemed to please her, probably because of the constant company she'd be getting for the nearly eight hour journey. She was talkative; I had to give her that. But I wasn't complaining as it distracted me from my own miserable thoughts.

After a couple of hours, my neighbour fell asleep. She was mumbling something about flights and cockroaches and for the life of me, I didn't get that connection. I chuckled to myself and rested my head back on the seat, trying to get some much needed sleep myself.

March 21, 2014

"Deep breaths... Yes, just like that. Damn, you're doing good baby. Just a bit more... yes, yes... Good... okay, open your eyes now."

Following the instructions given to me, I opened my eyes and looked into the green orbs. This was the second time I was on a plane and you bet your ass I was freaking the fuck out. Gracious! I'll kill Edward for using so many curse words; he has spoiled my language too.

"So, how are you feeling now?" he asked genuinely.

"Like a fish out of water! Edward, tell me again why I'm doing this." I asked taking deep breaths again.

"Because you are the fucking Department Head of Cullen Landscape Architecture and had to go to Chicago to look at the details of our new project. Fuck! If I had known about your motherfucking aversion towards flying, I would have driven us there in my Aston Martin," he huffed running a hand through his hair.

"Aversion! You call this aversion! I am fucking terrified, you asshole. I'm sorry if I'm being an unpleasant company for you to travel with. Maybe you're used to traveling with that bitch Victoria." I glared at him and then closed my eyes again, continuing my breathing exercises.

"Fuck, Bella. Please don't start with this Victoria shit again," he sighed, frustration evident in his voice. I said nothing and focused on breathing.

It had been two months since I had become the Department head. Victoria had been found stealing the company's confidential designs and information and sharing them with James's Firm, for which she'd paid the price of losing her job. We were due to complete some major projects, and the deadline was near, failing which would have cost an immense loss to both the company's money and prestige. I happened to give some ideas and helped to complete the work on time. Carlisle appreciated my work and thanked me profusely. That earned me the prestigious position of the Department Head of Landscape Architecture which usually takes people almost 8 to 10 years to earn. Carlisle had said that my ideas and designs were very good and he thinks I'm right for the position even though I only have one year of experience. The notion of me getting such a high position in a short time was absurd to me. I tried to reason with him saying that he should appoint someone more experienced. I still remember his answer, "Experience is not the only thing that proves your knowledge in any field. I agree that this position demands experience but Bella, you have the brains which architects kill to possess. You don't give yourself much credit but how you sorted out the entire project in such a short time was outstanding. It was next to impossible even for the experienced architects like Edward and me. Even our engineers were worried about it. You've done an excellent job and I don't care what anyone says or thinks but I feel honored to be able to offer you this position."

I had accepted the position after that and that's how I found myself in this death trap flying through the air at 600 mph. It's my responsibility to visit the sites and work out the rough designs so others in the firm can start the work. Edward was travelling with me as he's the CEO and has to sign off on the project. All this was fine by me except the flying part. My first experience on a flight was when I had travelled from Forks to Rochester with Alice, almost eight years ago. That time I had held her hand the entire flight and had sworn not to travel by plane again. I knew that wasn't going to happen but still I had hope that when I did fly again, I would be much older. Maybe in my seventies. But never had I thought, when I had sworn, that I would be on this monster again in such a short period of eight years.

"If you're done solving the rocket science question you're concentrating so hard on, will you loosen your grip? My hand is really hurting." Edward's voice brought me out of my musings. I hadn't noticed I was holding his hand so tightly and released it mumbling 'sorry'. He flexed his fingers a little too dramatically which earned him a smack to his head.

"Ouch! You know one day you'll do permanent brain damage to me by your smacking me in the head. Whatever would you do without my smart ass brains," he said rubbing the back of his head.

"Stop being a jerk, then. And seriously; you've used ass and brain in a single sentence. I don't even know what that says about your smartness."

"What has gotten up your ass and died! I mean do you even know what you're saying?"

"I've said a hundred times now not to use imagery like that. Died in ass, really! Eww! Just... yuck.." I scowled his way.

"Come on Bella, you know what I'm asking," he said rolling his eyes.

"I know nothing." I closed my eyes again. He took my face in his hands and turned it his way. I opened my eyes to look at him.

"What had you concentrating so hard?" he asked quietly.

"How do you know I was concentrating on something?" I challenged raising an eyebrow.

"Well you had that furrow between your brows that appears whenever you solve your crossword puzzles." He said releasing my face. Shit! He had me there. I loved to solve a challenging crossword puzzle and it was the second thing I do while fully concentrating. Now you might be wondering what the first thing is. Of course, it's sex with the man currently interrogating me. Oh, he has a body to drool over. His perfect skin, his abs, his perfectly built legs, his happy trail, his...

"Before you say anything about my dick, please answer my question because we're going to have a fucking problem if you don't. And I have used fucking as a verb, here." He said pointing towards his lap. Ahem! Yeah, we really have a problem, a big problem..

"So, umm.. I'd said that out loud, didn't I?" I asked clearing my throat. He just nodded and motioned with his hand for me to continue. Christ! His fingers. They are so long and slender. Such dextrous fingers that leave me wanting to change my panties.

The click of fingers brought me out of my lust. "For fuck's sake Bella, stop looking at me like that otherwise I'm going to bend you over in front of everyone and fuck you into oblivion." He said that a little too loudly which made the flight attendant gasp and an old lady behind us sputter her drink. That alarmed Edward and he turned his head back to apologize to the lady who was shooting glares at him.

"I'm sorry sir, but just to let you know that sex isn't allowed on planes." The flight attendant said clearly uncomfortable.

"That was just a comment, Miss. I wasn't going to follow through on it," he clarified. I, on the other hand was trying hard to stifle my laughter. The flight attendant left and we both collapsed in a fit of laughter turning towards each other.

"Phew! That was... ok I'm spellbound," I said breathless.

"Yeah. And that was all you're doing. So now tell me what you were thinking before this fiasco happened." He asked adjusting himself on the seat.

"You never forget a thing, do you?" I sighed. I looked up at him and he nodded at me to continue. "I was just thinking about the promotion. I still don't feel comfortable in accepting such a prestigious position."

"I knew you would be thinking like that. Baby," he took my hand in his and kissed my fingers. "Do you remember when you came for the interview in my office?" I nodded. "I had said when you were leaving that you deserve the world at your feet. You've never seen yourself clearly. You are kind, compassionate, intelligent, witty, strong, caring, oh so damn beautiful, an amazing friend and above all else an outstanding lover. You're my fucking life, love and I'll be the one to show you how important your mere existence is. I'm sorry about being an ass regarding your fear of flying, but I don't want you to be afraid of anything. Hell, you're the first girl I've seen who doesn't shout the fuck out on seeing a fucking cockroach," I snorted at that. "I seriously want you to be brave and never cry or panic. Happy tears are acceptable, but not sad ones. You're my angel and you should fear nothing. And I know you're afraid of the other employees' reaction about your position but I'd suggest not to give a flying fuck and let them rot in bloody hell. Oh, and don't say that Victoria bitch's name again, either. I don't care about her. It's only you who matters to me. I love you my angel and I'm forever yours."

That was all it took for my fear to dissolve and I threw my arms around him, which was a little awkward as we were in different seats. He cupped my face in his hands and crashed his lips to mine. Tongues battled for dominance and teeth clattered. Top lip, bottom lip... all was pure bliss. We separated breathless by the kiss when someone cleared their throat. We looked up to find the blushing flight attendant. Well sweetie, you can't do anything about this situation. My apologies, I thought as Edward glared at her.

"What?" he barked.

"Sir please keep the PDA to a minimum, it's..."

"Ok. We're good here. Why don't you bring us some drinks? That would be better." He raised his eyebrow dangerously at her looking all the more fucking edible. Yumm! I could have him anytime.

The flight attendant's blush deepened and she hastily left.

"For fuck's sake, can't a man kiss his beloved properly?" he raised his hands in the air dramatically. I rubbed his shoulder in sympathy and rested my head on it. He bent down a bit, kissed the top of my head and whispered in my ear, "How strongly are you opposed to joining the Mile High Club?"

I looked up at him incredulously and saw his wicked smile. Well, you can say that after that, I had a new respect for the plane's washrooms.

December 26, 2016

"Miss, are you alright?" I heard a soft voice and felt someone shaking my shoulder. I woke up with a start looking into the hazel eyes of a flight attendant.

"Edward," I looked around and saw a woman sleeping in the seat beside me. I looked up at the flight attendant and asked, "Where is Edw...," I caught myself mid word when the realization hit me like a brick wall. I was dreaming. The wetness in my eyes was the evidence of my dream. I took a deep breath and asked, "I'm sorry. What happened?"

"You were crying in your sleep and mumbling something. You looked like you were in pain. I thought you were having a nightmare, so I decided to wake you up," She said sympathetically.

I touched around my eyes and felt the wetness. "Thank you. I don't remember having a nightmare. That was a pleasant dream." I said wiping my tears.

"So why were you crying?" she asked curiously. Good question. Why was I crying when I had such a beautiful dream or rather I should say a memory?I pondered on that for a minute and finally looked at her in the eyes to answer.

"Because I want to relive that dream but it isn't possible." She looked at me clearly confused and left after nodding at me. Well, she isn't the only one who is confused.

The plane landed around six in the evening at SeaTac International. I collected my luggage and was about to call Jacob when I spotted a weird sign.

"We are here to collect a Swan, babe."

I chuckled shaking my head at Jacob's antics. I walked closer and found him sitting on a chair holding the sign in one hand and his mobile in the other. His eyes were glued to the screen, and he hadn't noticed me, yet. "I heard you have an interesting collection of Swans. May I be so bold as to ask how one becomes part of the collection?" He lifted his head up so fast that I swear if it had been me, I'd have sprained my neck.

"Are you shitting me? The infamous Isabella Swan, live before Jacob Black's starved eyes! Fuck Swan, you're here." he stood up and grabbed me in a bear hug.

"Can't breathe," I muttered.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot how tiny you are." He joked releasing me. He had grown so much since the last time I had seen him, which had been almost a year ago. His hair was shorter and his face more defined. It was like he had a growth spurt in his twenties. He swung an arm around my shoulder and lifted my backpack in the other.

"So if you're done checking out my smart ass, let's go."

"I wasn't checking you out!" I exclaimed. "I was just noticing that you'd grown quite a bit."

"It has been a year, Swan. If you came out of your shell and looked around, you'd notice that a year is a long time for people to grow." He bitched and lifted his arm from my shoulder. I stood shell-shocked at his words. He sighed and reached out for my hand. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. That was spewed out accidentally. I just missed you a lot, Swan. After vamp's death, you weren't yourself."

I caught only one word from his entire speech- vamp. That was enough for me to forget his previous words and left me laughing hysterically. Jacob had once noticed a hickey behind my ear and had teased both Edward and me by calling him 'vamp'. The teasing generally became the usual way he addressed Edward. Edward was annoyed at that and so he had nicknamed Jacob- wolf, because if I was being honest, he really ate like a wolf. I'd always found this funny. Hearing the word come out of Jacob's mouth after so long had me laughing out loud.

"What?" Jacob asked confused.

"Nothing, wolf." I chuckled, brushing past him. I heard his howl of laughter a few seconds later, probably when he got the joke.

We reached Jacob's house on the Res around half past ten at night. The place looked beautiful in the moonlight, away from the loudness of big cities like Rochester. That's the only thing I missed about Forks. It's greenness and quietness. I loved nature and its solitude. The weather was much warmer than New York but still cold. We stopped in front of a small red house. It looked a little derelict. There were overgrown weeds in the lawn due to lack of care. The paint on the house was also faded, and the windows appeared dirty.

"So, this is it. I know this isn't an ideal place to spend a vacation but I promise the La Push beach is good. We can also go in to the town if you like. Actually this house was my mother's when she was younger and now only my grandpa Marcus lives here. Grandma died a year ago and you'll find it strange that we didn't attend her funeral. Like I said on the phone, Dad was fucking adamant about not coming to Forks. I had put one up one hell of an argument at that, seeing Mom so sad. So instead of staying at a hotel, she decided to stay amongst old friends and family. It isn't as bad inside as it appears outside. But if you don't want to stay here, I can..."

"Hey, hey, it's alright. I'm all good. But is it fine by everyone that I stay here? I don't want to impose," I stopped his rambling by expressing my concerns.

"Of course they're ok. The place has four rooms. Two are occupied but you can use the third," He explained getting out of the car.

"Two? But your three- your mom, your grandpa and you," I wondered following him to the house.

"Grandpa doesn't sleep here at night. He sleeps at his brother Caius' place. He said the memories of grandma haunts him here the most at night," he said walking in front of me with his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, ok." I said quietly. I can definitely understand what his grandpa was feeling. I myself had given up the apartment after Edward's death. Yeah, I can now confess to myself that he 'died' instead of saying 'he left' all the time. I sighed and continued following him. We reached the front door and Jake unlocked it with his key. I stepped inside and was greeted by a musky scent. It wasn't bad smelling but not too pleasant either.

"Mom, we're home. I brought you a Swan," he grinned at me and I rolled my eyes.

"This is your room. The bathroom is next door. You can freshen up and then I'll introduce you to my Mom. Funny, we had known each other for the past three years, but you haven't met my mom. We need to rectify that," he ruffled my hair and left me scowling at the entrance.

I opened the door and went inside. I switched on the lights and saw the sparse furniture. There was a bed with purple a bedsheet and a pillow, along the front wall. A small table and chair sat by the window, opposite to the bed. I sat on the bed and fingered the material of the bedsheet. It was really strange that I hadn't met Jake's mom after all this time. He lived in his own apartment and so I never had the need to go to his house and meet his parents. I looked around the room and saw the pale yellow walls. I don't know why but I felt nostalgic. I sighed and stood up to go to the restroom.

"Mom isn't here. Maybe she had gone to Caius' place to drop Grandpa. You want some?" he said offering me biscuits as I walked into the kitchen.

"Thanks." I took one.

"There is lasagne in the refrigerator. I'll heat it and we can eat that. Oh, and we have beer. You want?" he said looking in the refrigerator.

"Lasagne is fine and I can heat it," I reached out for the container.

"Nope, Swan. Let me do the host's job, babe," he said pushing past me. I huffed and sat down on a chair beside the counter.

"Ok. I'm full now," he burped, "Sorry," he said rubbing his stomach.

"You are such a man." I rolled my eyes at him.

"You haven't seen anything yet, Swan," he winked.

"Whatever," I stood to do the dishes.

"Hey," he grabbed my wrist as I reached for his empty plate. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Going to wash the dishes, I think," I said slowly.

"What did I said earlier? What kind of host lets his guest do the dishes?"

"Come on, Jake. You know it's fine," I tried to free myself from his grip.

He released my hand but took his plate in his hand. "No, it isn't."

"Ok fine. You wash and I'll dry," I said raising an eyebrow in challenge.

"Ugh.. ok," he agreed.

"So how's life going," he asked while washing the dishes.

"Same old, same old. Nothing new. I go to work and then I go home."

"Huh. Sounds boring. Wanna have some fun, Swan?" he asked and bumped his hip to mine; I gasped.

"No, thanks," I straightened myself. He left the dishes and grabbed my shoulder, turning me to his side.

"What?" I asked looking into his eyes. He didn't say anything; just stared at me.

"Jake..." I started, but he interrupted.

"Bella, do you still love him?" he said moving us forward. My back hit the wall as he trapped me by his hands on my shoulder. I was shocked and flabbergasted by this sudden change of conversation.

"Jake please let me pass. What are you doing?" I asked looking everywhere but him.

"Answer me Bella. Do you still love him?" His face was closer now, and I felt really uncomfortable.

"Yes." I whispered looking into his eyes. "I'll always love him."

He closed his eyes, and he looked as if he were in pain. He breathed deeply and opened them again with new determination. "But he's not here anymore," he countered.

"Doesn't matter," I said looking away.

"Yes it matters!" he shouted suddenly and moved away. I stiffened. "It matters dammit. It fucking matters!" He came near me again and took my face in his hands. "You can't do this, Bella. You can't be stuck to him your whole life. You have to move on. There is someone else who's waiting for you to notice him." His voice was desperate, and I looked wide-eyed at him. I don't know how our conversation had taken this turn. This isn't the Jacob I knew. My Jacob had never called me Bella while this Jacob has addressed me as Bella thrice now. This Jacob was wild and furious whereas my friend Jacob was funny and carefree. He hadn't talked to me like this, ever. Is it possible he has feelings for me? No, it can't be true. I've always considered him as a brother. This is just ridiculous. I was about to tell that to him when I heard the front door open.

"Jacob, I'm home," a soft but loud voice called out. Both of our heads turned in the direction and he released me, coming to stand on front of me.

"Jacob, are you and your friend home?" The footsteps came closer.

"Yes Mom. We're in the kitchen." He called out and sighed. He turned his head back to look at me and muttered 'sorry'. I so wanted to give him a piece of my mind for cornering me like that but this wasn't the right time.

"Oh, good. I hope you ate dinner. I'd made lasagne. Where's your friend? Swan? Isn't that her name?" I saw a partial view of curly black hair entering the kitchen and nothing beyond that because of the massive wolf in front of me.

"Yeah, we ate dinner, mom. And this is Swan about whom I have told you," he shifted to bring me in front of him and introduced me. I saw his mother's back as she was putting something in the refrigerator.

"It's actually Isabella Swan. Or I prefer Bella. Jake always calls me Swan and until five minutes ago, he hadn't addressed me as Bella in the three years we had known each other," I narrowed my eyes at him and he averted his gaze. I looked up to where his mother was standing and it wasn't the look I'd expected to see. Her whole body seemed frozen. It took her at least twenty seconds to turn and look at me. She was thin and had tanned skin and black hair, just like Jake's. But what surprised me was the paleness that had come to her face. It seemed like she'd seen a ghost. Her eyes were opened so wide that her almost black orbs looked as if they would pop out of her face.

"Mom? You okay?" Jake asked moving towards her and shook her shoulders. That brought her out of her stupor and she blinked. That was the first time I noticed the tears in her eyes.

"Mom, you are freaking me out. What's the matter?" Jake asked, both frustrated and confused. But Mrs. Black didn't hear him. She was looking straight at me with so much emotion that I couldn't seem to decipher. Jake looked between the two of us. "Okay. Why are you looking at Swan as if she's some long lost friend of yours?" Jake asked slowly.

"Because she is. Or a part of her is," she spoke so softly that I almost didn't hear her. Her voice was also filled with the same emotion that was flowing through her eyes. I didn't understand what she said. However, the name she whispered next was the one which would turn my whole world around.

The first time my life changed was when I met Edward. And the second time it begins to change is when Mrs. Black whispers, "Renee Isabella Swan."

Dun dun dun. Damn cliffie! Isn't it? What do you think is going to happen next? Any ideas? I wasn't going to post this chapter so soon but I have to as I think next chapter is going to take a bit longer to come out. I'm super busy these days but don't worry I'll complete it. I never leave my work hanging. So you got a glimpse of the sweetness that's Edward and Bella. Also there was another issue about Jacob's feelings. And then we have the cliffie.

You know I can bring the chapter SOONER too. Well, I've my conditions, though. The more you say about this, the sooner I'll get the chapter out. You think I'm MEAN? Sorry dear readers, but it hurts to see many visitors in the traffic graph but not enough responses. I'm enjoying a lot writing this and I really wants to know whether you're enjoying reading this or not. Isn't it at least what I deserve? Your words are enough to lift up my spirits. :)

It had been a month since I published this. A huge thanks to you all for reading, following and favoriting this story and for your continued support. Oh, and maybe we'll have that extract from the prologue in next chapter. Hints, hints...

-K