The amount of love this story got is overwhelming! Thank you to each and every one of you who left such kind comments. I appreciate it more than you'll ever know.

I hope to be able to keep your interest in the storyline with every new chapter.

This being said, let's delve into the story!

"Take me to that trashy bar you frequent," Edward commanded over the phone.

Emmett barely had time to register that his best friend had called him for the first time in five months. Initiating contact had never been Edward's forte, but after the tragedy he'd been through, Emmett figured Edward was finally feeling better.

Since his fiancée was on her night out with her girlfriends, Emmett didn't have to explain his absence. She'd probably want to tag along and see her brother.

Emmett arrived within ten minutes to Edward's house. He barely had the car parked when the passenger door opened brutally.

Edward climbed inside, buckling his seatbelt.

Emmett knew better than to stare, but he'd never seen Mr. Clean and Sharp dressed in washed-out jeans and a gray hoodie. He could even distinguish a beard hidden under the hood.

"Done analyzing me?" Edward snapped.

"Dude! I haven't seen you in months!"

Emmett could almost hear Edward clenching his jaw. "Fucking take me to that pub, then you can go on to your merry way."

"Yeah, right. Like Rosie would let me live another day when she hears I abandoned her baby brother inside Eclipse."

Emmett drove slowly, keeping his eyes on the road. Edward sat stiffly in his seat, his gaze focused out the passenger window.

"Man…" Emmett had never seen anything so sad in his life. It wasn't like Edward had been the happiest person, but his behavior was vein-cutting inducing.

"Shut it, McCarty! If I wanted to talk about my problems, I'd accept Jasper's offer. But I don't."

At the bar, Emmett planted himself on the stool next to Edward, smiling in greeting at his favorite bartender. Misunderstood and depressive drunks were Bella's specialty. She'd know what to give Edward.

"Hey, Bells!" Emmett greeted her, accepting the beer she gave him.

"Emmett! Haven't seen you in a while," she smiled, leaning over the counter. "What's his deal?" She nodded toward Edward.

"Keep them coming his way," Emmett said slowly. It wasn't his business to tell Bella who Edward was. He kept his life as private as possible. Hell, not even the family knew the details of what had happened, and it wasn't like they could ask Mr. Depression. The family knew what the newspapers and tabloids had showed for weeks following the terrible accident.

"What'll it be?" Bella turned to Edward, smiling kindly.

"Old Fashioned. No orange."

Bella nodded, getting his drink ready.

"If you plan on staring at the side of my head, I suggest you get lost," Edward snapped, his eyes flicking to Emmett for a second.

"Man. You wanted to come here for drinks. People usually talk—"

"I don't need your meaningless conversation." Edward snatched his glass from Bella, walking to the corner of the bar, tugging the cowl back on his head, while sluicing the ice in his glass.

Bella shot Emmett a curious look, but he shook his head.

"I'll be over there." He pointed to a table on the side of the room. On his way there, he noticed Felix by the door.

Of course, Edward's shadow had followed them there. It made Emmett wonder why Edward hadn't demanded that Felix bring him here. Why did he have to drag Emmett along, only to abandon him?

Emmett nursed his beer, watching Edward fetching Bella for drinks at an alarming rate. When he noticed Edward flirting with her, Emmett expected Bella to punch him like she usually did with the pushy patrons. It surprised him when she came by his table a while later.

"I think you should take your friend home. He's intoxicated."

Emmett walked to Edward, touching his shoulder, but he dropped his hand remembering how Edward felt about being touched. "Dude, let's get you home."

"Nowhere near done here," Edward slurred, waving Bella closer. "'nother Godfather."

"Man, you've had enough," Emmett insisted.

"Fuck off."

Knowing he wouldn't win that argument, Emmett slipped outside the pub, calling Rosalie. She'd know how to talk sense into her brother.

When he returned inside the bar, Emmett stopped next to Felix. "Ready to take him home?"

"If that's what he wants," Felix answered professionally, keeping his eyes on his boss, who was making a spectacle of himself.

.

.

.

The highlight of Bella's shitty day was the hottie sitting by himself at the corner of the bar. He kept summoning her for a refill.

She idly wondered where Emmett had kept him hidden.

The man was hands-down the most gorgeous specimen she'd ever laid eyes on, if you were into the whole dark and broody thing. That was her thing apparently.

Why couldn't she choose easy and have her happy story with her best friend? Jacob was the only person to understand her. He was her sun.

No matter how much he tried, though, Bella would never return his feelings. So, to forget about what she could have if she gave them a try, she invested herself in the most troubled men. Of course, nothing ever worked out.

She gravitated toward them when they stepped into the bar, but eventually, she left alone to her lonely studio. She was too set in her ways to ever find someone, so she lived off the fantasies she created with the troubled men coming into Eclipse.

But Emmett's friend was a whole different level of troubled.

While she worked on a group's drinks, she stole glances at him. He had the hood back over his head, obscuring his features. Bella had gotten a glimpse of his profile earlier, and all she'd seen were sharp angles, dark spots under his eyes, and an unkempt beard.

After she told Emmett to take his friend home, which he failed, she kept doing her job. She had lost track of the whiskey-based drinks she had handed him, which meant he had no idea how much he'd drunk.

A stunning blonde woman breezed inside the bar. She was definitely not one of the usual patrons, which meant she was there for someone.

When she stopped behind Dark and Broody, Bella rolled her eyes. Figured Emmett had called the man's girlfriend to get his drunken ass out of the bar.

She hovered over his shoulder, stroking his hair through the hood, whispering into his ear.

Then, she nodded to Emmett. To Bella's surprise, a large, muscled guy she hadn't seen in the shadows of the door came closer. He helped Dark and Broody to his feet, catching him easily when he nearly collapsed.

Then the elegant blonde woman approached her.

"How much does he owe you?" She opened her purse.

"I've got it, babe." Emmett placed a hand on her back. He handed Bella the card. "On me."

Babe? Bella was more confused than ever before.

Emmett might have been her regular, but he'd never talked about the stunning woman he was dating. Though, come to think of it, Bella could remember receiving a wedding invitation some time ago, but she'd declined based on the fact that they weren't exactly friends. Huh.

While Bella sorted through the large tab, she couldn't help but hear their conversation.

"Why didn't you tell me you were taking him out?" the blonde asked, holding back tears.

"I thought he was better, and he wanted a night out."

"How many times has Edward wanted a night out?" she sneered. "Don't you get it, baby? He feels like his whole world is over!"

Bella handed Emmett the card back with a shaky hand. He smiled tightly at her before taking his fiancée away.

Bella was left staring after the party, not sure what, exactly, had happened.

.

.

.

A pounding headache woke Edward up before the sun was visible on the horizon. He rolled over in his bed, not ready to face the day. Eventually the sledgehammer in his head won the battle, and Edward padded into the bathroom.

After washing down two pills with a glass of water, he stared at his reflection. His eyes were sunken in with dark bruises around them, his beard was longer than he'd ever worn it, and his complexion was so pale it scared him.

This is not what Angela would want, he thought to himself, before he walked into the kitchen.

Edward poured a glass of orange juice, drinking it all, before changing into a pair of sweatpants and a sleeveless shirt.

It had been months since he'd run on the shore.

Stepping into his running shoes, he took the shortest route to the beach down the stone steps behind his house.

As Edward enjoyed the morning breeze, flashes of the previous night danced before his eyes.

There was no more booze in the house. It was too late to bother Felix or Tanya with his otherwise insignificant issue. So, he decided to call Emmett and brave whatever the oaf had to say.

Edward had withdrawn from everyone after losing Angela. He hadn't spoken to anyone in months. He'd forbidden his family to call or visit.

The phone calls were easy to dodge – he simply didn't answer.

The house visits were a different story. He stood in the shadows watching Tanya expertly dealing with his mother and sister. She deserved a statue, because Edward had never been able to say no to either of them.

Then, Edward remembered the beautiful lady tending the bar at Eclipse. She was probably used to drunks like him. Because the previous night he had been nothing else other than a random drunk drinking his sorrows away.

Edward stopped near the harbor and closed his eyes. The girl's large, soulful brown eyes haunted him. She looked like the kind of girl he'd choose for himself, but something in her dark eyeliner and purple streaks of hair made him see a rebellious good girl who he wanted to tame.

That thought scared Edward. He wasn't ready yet to get invested in someone else, but every fiber in his body desired to know that girl better.

He'd have to ask Felix to take him there tonight. Granted, that was if Rosalie hadn't scared him off somehow.

Rosalie. Edward still couldn't believe his sister had stepped foot in that establishment, only to stop him from drinking his brain cells away. He'd have to face the music sooner or later.

He'd make an appearance at family dinner on Saturday.

But until then, he'd visit his office. It was Friday, after all.

With that thought in mind, he jogged back.

Tanya greeted him at the backdoor, staring at him as if he'd grown another head.

"Good morning, Tanya."

"Mr. Cullen," she nodded.

"A protein shake, please." He disappeared toward his room. She wouldn't ask questions.

His people knew their place. It was his family who had no idea how to act around him and stepped all over his boundaries.

In the shower, Edward closed his eyes leaning his body on his hands propped against the dark marble wall.

"I'll try again, baby," he murmured, taking a shuddering breath.

If there were any tears on his face, the water washed them away.

Edward decided he shouldn't worry about the beard because it was nothing he could do on his own. He'd have to visit Riley, but the mere idea of facing Riley's bubbly personality made him cringe.

Edward arrived in the kitchen dressed in his dark blue suit, briefcase under his arm. Tanya greeted him with a bright smile at the kitchen island.

"Welcome back, Sir!" She handed him a to-go mug with his protein shake.

"I'm getting there," he said, accepting the mug. "Is Felix around?"

"Keeping the car on idle."

Edward nodded, heading out through the front door.

He kept a strong grip on his mug, eyes on the car. The mere thought of getting into a car terrified him like nothing else, but rationally he knew that not all car rides ended up in tragedies.

"Felix," he nodded to his head of security, closing the back door.

"Sir?" Felix's gray eyes met his in the rear-view mirror.

"The office, please."

Felix nodded, already pulling away.

Edward decided it was the best opportunity to call his sister. He had thirty minutes to listen to Rosalie's monologue.

"How's the hangover?" She said in greeting.

"Cured." He stared out the window. "Hello, Rose."

"Oh, Edward! I've been so worried! When Emmett told me you were at Eclipse…you're not back to drinking, right? I hope not. The last time…"

"Don't worry. Those days are behind me." Edward closed his eyes. "Did you mention last night to anyone?"

"Of course not!" she cried out, scandalized. "But now that I saw you…Edward, you need help, baby brother."

"Rosalie, please," he hissed. "Last night was eye-opening. I'm alright."

"Are you? I've never seen you so low. When's the last time you slept?"

"Last night."

"A good night's sleep, Edward. When is the last time you looked in the morning?"

"This morning."

"Edward, I hate when you do this!"

"Do what? Answer your never-ending stream of questions?" He sighed heavily. "Look, Rose. I'm better, believe me."

"I hope so, because Emmett needs his Best Man beside him at the wedding," she said cheerfully. "You haven't forgotten about the wedding, have you?"

"No, Rose. It's still a month away, from what I remember."

"But there's still so much to do! You need a suit."

"I own a variety of suits. Stop fussing. If it makes you feel better, I'll meet Emmett again today and discuss my duties."

"Perfect! But no drinking," she warned.

"No drinking," he promised.

PS: I have no experience in the whole D/s scene, but I hope to come close to reality when we reach that point. I'd kindly appreciate guidings if I do anything wrong.

See you all next Saturday.

Until then, check on my fb group: addict_writer fanfiction - I'll post there pictures in the folder for this story.