I'm sorry that this is a short one. I figured it was more important for me to get some of it done, then it being a particulary long chapter. Plus, I felt like it was dragging along at this point before Edwards arrival. PLEASE - read & review. You don't know how much it means to me. PPS. I probably need a beta in the near future. I edit it all by my lonesome at this point so please excuse any errors/types whatnot.

All content belongs to SM.

Rated M for a reason.

I woke up, startled, hours later. Covered in a pool of my own sweat, I looked around the room taking in my surroundings. I was in his room, the radio still playing my song on a constant repeat. Slamming the button on the radio and moving it aside, I sat up, noticing for the first time that I was neatly tucked in. Alice.

Embarrassed and disoriented, I stood up on shaky legs, ridden with underuse. I made my way out, quietly closing the door behind me. With one last deep breathe, I flattened my hair and my clothes, knowing that I would have to face Esme, Carlisle and Alice, as I made my way down the stairs.

"There you are sweetheart" Esme said, wiping her hands on her apron, looking like the perfect image of a housewife as she stirred a large pot on the stove. "We're just getting ready for dinner; Alice went out to get me a few things." She smiled sweetly, as I sat myself down at the big wood table.

"Thanks Esme, its smells delicious." I smiled weakly, bowing my head, tired, and exhausted.

She looked at me pointedly, clearly noticing my distress and unhappiness. "What's wrong hunny? You look just …so tired. I know you've been working hard, and I can't help but notice how much you've changed ever since you've come back." She says, taking off her oven mitts, and seating herself in the chair across from me.

We sat in a moment of heavy silence.

"We can talk about, about…it …about what happened, Bella. It doesn't have to be this huge elephant in the room. Of all things, I don't want it keeping us apart." She admitted, taking my hand, compassion and empathy masking her features.

"I want to" I replied weakly, barely above a whisper. "But … it's so raw, and I can … barely handle it on my own, in my own head – and when I talk about it, it all seems so much more real. I've been so scared that you and Carlisle were mad about the song."

"Oh honey, no, no, no!" She let out quickly, pulling me in for an embrace, tears already springing to her eyes. "We could never be mad at you, you know that we consider you family. When you hurt, we hurt, no matter who does the hurting." She rocked me back for a second, my tears mingling with hers in our moment of understanding.

With a few last sniffles we righted ourselves. She chuckled, "Plus, I honestly don't blame you for writing it, it's kind of catchy and … and I only hope it made you feel better, let out all out a little."

"You have no idea…" I chuckled, pulling myself out of the embrace.

Righting myself after my moment of weakness.

"Now get back to cooking, you! Alice and I haven't had a hot meal since … last time we were here." I chuckled.

"But I really wish you two would work it out, somehow, I miss the way it used to be…" I heard barely whispered. Unsure if my ears were merely tricking me, I turned around quickly to Esme at the stove. She looked completely engulfed in her work. I wasn't mentioning the comment, and neither would she.

--

An hour later I found myself seated at the table, Carlisle, Esme, and Alice all sitting around me, making headway into the chicken dinner Esme made for us.

"Thrrris is sooooo ghoood" Carlisle said between huge bites, stuffing the food in his mouth, like he hadn't eaten in years.

Meanwhile, Alice and I made small talk with Esme, catching up on what we were doing on the road; tales of foreign places, past performances.

"And you wouldn't even believe this one time in China! The time Bella fell of the stage! " Alice exclaimed

"Oh I think we would" Carlisle said, the smile lines in his eyes crinkling "We saw it on the internet .. the video .. over, over and over again." He teased.

"Ha … ha … ha let's all laugh at Bella!" I said getting up to put my cleared plate in the kitchen, the chuckles and tinkling laughter of Alice following me as I made my way into the kitchen.

For the first time in a while, I felt relieved. Being with people who enjoyed me, old friends, was a breathe of fresh air in comparison to the multitude of foreign countries, unknown faces, that I was forced upon on a daily basis.

I stepped over to the sink, placing my plate at the top. On my way to turn around and make my way back to the table, I smacked my leg on the side of the fridge.

"FUCK … damn it … stupid clutz … can't even make my way out of the kitchen … no good for nothing … what kind of a famous pop star can't even walk …" I mumbled incoherently, leaning my head against the fridge in searing pain.

When the last of it started to subside, I brought my head up. Startled at the sight blurred in front of my face. Bronze. A picture was taped to the fridge.

I backed up a foot or so, transfixed. It was him. It looked like he was in the middle of Central Park, a row of bushes, the scenery of the city in back of him. He looked young still, his green eyes smiling at the camera, as piercing and full of emotion as they always were. The only indication of his age was the tension around his eyes, his mouth, only obvious because of the fact that I had stared at his face so many times.

But of course, it wasn't Edward in the picture that really blew me away, but the baby cradled in his arms. He was kissing its head, a tuft of copper hair across the small child's head. And if it weren't for the fact that the picture made it real, made my life even more heartbreaking, then I would have thought it was quite possibly the most beautiful picture I'd ever seen. The adoration in Edward's eyes was obvious.

Shaking, I reached behind the picture, removing the magnet and pulling off a white note tucked behind it. Quickly opening it, looking towards the table and noticing that nobody had yet noticed my lengthy trip into the kitchen, I began reading, quickly noticing that the elegant script was indeed his.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I've been extremely busy as of lately, so please excuse my lack of calls/e-mails towards the family. Work at the hospital is better than expected, and I'm progressing quite gradually up the ranks. I was extremely sorry to inform you earlier that I couldn't come out for your anniversary; however, matters at the hospital and at home are often out of my control, and the hours can tend to be crazy. Luckily, I've received some time off, and I'm looking forward to coming out for Thanksgiving. I should be arriving on the weekend. Inform Alice that I'll be there. I haven't seen her in quite some time.

Yours Truly,

Edward

I was hyperventilating. I was crumbling. I didn't know what to do, and my initial reaction was that I needed to run – run as far as possible away from here. I was set up. I was set up by Esme and Carlisle, they knew he was going to be here. They did this purposely. The one time I finally come home to Forks in the last five years, they force me upon him. I'm sure he didn't want to see me. And I sure as hell, did NOT want to see him.

I flew up the stairs quickly, throwing on a jacket, grabbing my purse with my cell phone off the desk in my room. Quickly, I made my way down the hall, nearly tripping over the doorway as I scrambled in Alice's purse, pulling her keys out. She'd always mentioned that her car was as much hers as it was mine, and I was taking up the opportunity to use her hospitality.

I ran down the stairs, ran past the kitchen.

"Bella? Where are you going?" Alice looked up shock, worrying etching her face. She was already off her feet flying towards me.

Pulling my arms through the jacket, I continued walking, refusing to look at Alice as I made my way to the front door. The tears were an inevitable outcome of my stress, of this situation. By this point, I'm sure the mascara was pooling down my face. I pulled a hair through my blonde locks, tangling and pulling it between my fingers.

Throwing open the door, I took one last look back.

I saw Alice's confused and pleading face, Carlisle and Esme looking concerned, yet strangely guilty behind her. Esme acted like she understood my pain, understood why I had avoided this all for years. However, she really didn't. Nobody really understood my anger and the fact that I had never dealt with the pain, could never face up to it.

Esme and Carlisle shared a look of disbelief, as my eyes moved between their faces. I should have felt mad, or maybe guilty for leaving Alice in such a state after she'd been there for me, time and time again. But the only feeling bubbling in my stomach at that moment was fear. Absolute fear and anger, just thinking about what an interaction with him could mean.

My hand tightened around the door knob. "He's coming." I spat out, disgust marring my features. I ran out onto the steps, throwing the door closed behind me.

I couldn't think or worry about the confusion left behind at the Cullen house. I was in self preservation mode, as my feet flew across the gravel. I flew into Alice's stupid, stupid low seated sports car, struggling with the seat belt as quickly as possible. I threw the gears in reverse, backing out - backing out as quickly as I could in the winding, dark driveway.

I was hyperventilating, nervous, barely able to drive.

I knew I was losing control, I shouldn't have been driving under this condition but there was no turning back.

That's when I heard the boom. I winced. It was the crunching, halting noise of me hitting another car from behind, the other car head on. I was just about to exit the driveway. So close to escaping and now I was going to be held back.

"FUCKER!" I exclaimed.

Slamming the car in park, I took one last look at my blonde decrepit self in the mirror. I exited the car, ready to tell off whatever asshole was down this dark and deserted road late at night.

"Watch where you're going next time, seriously? What are you even doing down this road at night!" I panted, a tall, thin man exiting the car. Barely able to make out what the owner looked like as he slowly approached me in the dark.

"Well?" I screeched. Seething with anger that this person had left me in this position, helpless, trapped.

And that's when it hit me. It hid me hard, and I was stunned into submission.

Because as the driver made his way over to me, he passed the headlights of the car, a beam of light illuminating his face.

The only thing I saw before I stumbled backwards in shock, into the side of my car, were to angry, furious green eyes looking back at me.

xoxo

Gracias for reading. Till next time darlings, review!