One thing I'd like to address that came up in a lot of the reviews was that there was a misunderstanding. I think I responded to all of them, but if I didn't, I'm sorry. There was no misunderstanding. What happened between B and E will be crystal clear. How they see what happened will be incredibly different when going between the two points of view. The second thing I'd like to bring up is that a few of you are confused about timelines. Because they are on different time zones and varying POV's, things won't be running parallel until the next few chapters. They are each doing their own thing on their own time. However, this chapter things slowly start to coincide.

Mad thanks to morethanmyself for prereading and what can I say about my beta that I haven't said before? She took a crazy amount of time helping me flesh out this chapter and lay the groundwork for future chapters. Irritable_Grizzzly, the Horshach to my Kotter, the hummus to my pita bread.

Disclaimer: I have a new haircut and am in desperate need of a pedicure. While I believe SM might need both, she created this world.

I've come to the conclusion that the two most important things in life are good friends and a good bullpen.-Bob Lemon, 1981.

Immediately after speaking with Aro Eisenberg, Alice Brandon had been ecstatic; however, Edward's reaction had significantly dampened that enthusiasm.. She'd mistakenly assumed that he would be happy to hear she'd made contact with his former college obsession, since she'd long suspected the reason Edward couldn't keep a steady relationship wasn't because of the gold-diggers or his busy schedule, but rather because any woman would never measure up to Izzy Dwyer, or Bella Swan as she now liked to be called He should have been thrilled, since she'd long suspected his inability to maintain a steady relationship had nothing to do with the gold-diggers or his busy schedule, but rather because no other woman could ever measure up to his college obsession, Izzy Dwyer – or "Bella Swan" as she liked to be referred to now.

Close to three that afternoon her phone rang, and seeing an unfamiliar Chicago area code, automatically assumed it was Safeco Field regarding Edward's trade, but instead it was her former U Dub roommate.

"Izzy! It's so good to hear from you!" Alice's knuckles were white from gripping the phone in excitement.

"How are you, Alice?" Bella chuckled.

"Better now that I'm talking to you. It's been so long. I feel like there's so much we need to catch up on! I've been looking forward to your call."

"I figured it would be best to get things going. I'm sure you're very busy."

Alice frowned. This wasn't the friend she remembered and loved. This girl seemed distant and cold. "I'd always make time for you, Iz-"

"Bella."

"Huh?"

"Sorry. I go by Bella now."

Alice's nose began to burn and tingle when she heard her friend's clipped tone, a sure sign that tears would be following shortly. "Of course, I'm sorry. Uh … I have a meeting I'm about to go to," she lied. "I'm going to be in your area in a couple of days . Would you like to get together for lunch?"

After a brief pause, Bella answered, "That sounds good. Just give me a call when you're in town."

"Absolutely."

"I'll see you soon."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too," Bella said, but Alice could tell she was lying.

Afterward, Alice stared at her Blackberry, wondering what happened to the girl she used to know. For the first time in a very long time, she wondered if putting Edward and Bella together wasn't such a good idea after all.

Edward Cullen

Edward's hand hurt. It had been a long time since he'd signed his name that many times, plus there were the two sessions he'd spent in his bathroom trying to rid the images of a naked Izzy Dwyer from his head. His right hand was positively exhausted.

Despite his hangover, which was thankfully fading, he was having a good day. Alice was right; he was finally getting what he wanted. He was moving back to his hometown and would hopefully spend the remainder of his career there, along with reconnecting with the woman he couldn't forget.

He, Jasper, and Alice had plans to meet at The Chop House to celebrate his trade. When he arrived, Jasper was at the bar and smiled at him, then held out his hand. "Hey, man. Congrats."

"Thanks." Edward beamed. For the first time since he'd been drafted, he felt positively hopeful about his future. "Alice here yet?" He scanned the room but didn't see his agent anywhere.

"Yeah, she's in the bathroom. You know, we're here to celebrate but she didn't look too happy."

"Huh. I'm sure whatever it is can't be that bad. She's getting an obnoxious yellow Porsche." Then he turned and ordered a drink.

He was approached by two women asking for autographs. After signing, he politely accepted their phone numbers.

"Which one are you going to call?" Jasper motioned toward the two women who were giggling in the corner.

"Neither." Edward shrugged.

"Bullshit."

"No, really."

"Why?"

"Well, for starters, I'm leaving in a few weeks."

"So?"

"Then there's the fact that the redhead has an Adam's apple."

"Weird. I didn't see that."

"Yeah."

"What does you leaving have to do with anything? I don't think any of you are looking for a long-term relationship. More like a few hours at the most. "

"I can't do one-nighters. It's just not right." Edward suddenly became focused on the TV in the back of the bar. The station was tuned to WGN, a well-known local Chicago station. They had just advertised upcoming footage of Emmett McCarty and a very familiar brunette at O'Hare International Airport.

"From what I've heard, it hasn't stopped you before." Jasper followed his gaze. "Man, are you okay?"

Edward ignored him and continued to stare, gripping his bottle tightly. "Hey, can you turn that up please?" Edward asked the bartender, motioning toward the TV, now showing a commercial.

"I think I made a mistake," Alice said, having returned from the restroom.

"What do you mean?" he asked, turning to her.

"Izzy isn't the same girl. She sounded so different when I talked with her. " Alice sighed and looked down.

. "You talked to her? When?"

"Holy shit! My cousin is on TV."

"What?"

"That's her, the blonde in the green." Edward looked up and sure enough, there was an attractive-looking blonde standing next to Izzy Dwyer, who was smiling widely in the middle of baggage claim.

The news reporter announced that the Chicago Bears were returning from a team-bonding event and they were all very excited over Emmett McCarty joining their ranks; their chances for the SuperBowl now looked promising. Edward tuned all of this out, only paying attention to Izzy, who currently had her arms wrapped around Emmett, as he hugged her back tightly.

After a few moments Jasper said, "What in the hell is Rose doing there?" When he received no answer, he turned around to see Alice and Edward wearing matching frowns, deeply engrossed in a conversation. As he tried to hear what they were saying, the hostess came over; he saw both of his friends wearing matching frowns..

He walked up and tapped Edward on the shoulder to let him know their table was ready, And Alice and Edward followed behind him through the dining room, both of them looking as if someone had kicked their puppy. He didn't want to pry, but he wasn't going to let them bring down his good mood.

Bella Swan

"That was crazy." Emmett laughed.

"I never thought there'd be news crews waiting for you," Rosalie agreed.

From the front seat, Bella said, "Yeah, that was kind of weird."

"You'll have to get used to the cameras, Em. You're the new Chi-town celebrity; everyone is going to want a piece of you." Bella looked in the review mirror, waiting for a response. Instead she saw Emmett and Rose, two of her favorite people, giving each other shy smiles and slowly eyeing each other.

"From what I hear, you'll need to get ready for some popularity too," Emmett replied.

"I know, I know."

"So what's this I hear about Edward Cullen being traded?" Emmett not-so-subtly blurted, changing the topic.

"Don't remind me." Bella rolled her eyes and pushed back the memory of her call to Alice.

"Okay, okay." Emmett threw his hands up in mock surrender.

"It shouldn't matter, right? Bella has said plenty of times that she's over him, and she has Tyler, so it shouldn't matter. Besides, Chicago is a big city," Rose contributed. Bella looked in the mirror again and saw her cousin's eyes were full of concern.

"Tonight is not about Edward Cullen or me. It's about Emmy-bear coming home."

"Emmy-bear?"

"Oh yeah."

"Bella, you really shouldn't go there."

"Why not?"

"Emmy-bear, really?"

"Yeah. That was the name his mom gave him when she was cheering from the sidelines."

"Yeah, Belly-bean attended all of my games."

"Nice."

"It was that or Smelly Belly."

"Emmett!"

"You started it."

"I'm going to call you BB from now on. I can't wait to tell Angela."

"You will do no such thing!"

"And Jake."

"Who's Jake?"

"Angela's boyfriend," the girls said together.

"Oookay," Emmett said. "Is this where I'm living?" he asked as Bella pulled into a large parking garage next to an apartment building.

"For now, until the realtor shows you something better."

They unloaded Bella's car and headed to the resident's elevator.

"There's absolutely no chance Phil's coming home early, right? I'd hate to walk in on something embarrassing," Emmett said.

"No." Bella sighed. "Phil's in Arizona, but he might come home for the All-Star break, I'll have to ask."

"Phil's a cool guy. We'd make decent roommates."

"Ugh. Just...no."

"What's wrong with that? Two single guys, hittin' the bars, pickin' up chicks, yeah?"

"I don't know what's more disturbing: the idea of you clubbing with your former step-uncle or your use of the term 'chicks.' "

"Chicks. Definitely chicks," Rose chimed in.

"Whatever." Emmett rolled his eyes.

"Okay, Slater."

"Awesome vague nineties sitcom pop-culture reference, Spano. Up high!" Emmett held up his hand and Rose lightly slapped it.

"Oh Christ on a cracker, can we please just all get inside?" Bella whined, opening the door to the lavish apartment.

"Actually, I have an early morning so I have to bail. Call me tomorrow?" Rose asked.

In the midst of their goodbye hug, Rose whispered for Bella to please give Emmett her number and after she left, Bella and Emmett settled into the large cushy leather couch in the middle of the room.

"How ya doing, kid?" Emmett ruffled her hair.

"Good…" .

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I just think I have a lot on my plate. How are you doing, Mr. First-Rounder?" Bella curled her feet under a blanket, knowing that they would be settling in for a long talk, especially one that involved a certain baseball player.

Emmett expressed his nerves about not living up to his large payday and disappointing the fans. They made small talk, both of them waiting for the other to bring up the inevitable.

"So when do I get to meet the illustrious Tyler Crowley?" Emmett teased.

"Never."

"Aw, why not?"

"Suck in your bottom lip, it's not attractive."

"It'd be disturbing if you found any part of me attractive."

"I completely agree.'

"How about drinks this weekend?"

"Maybe. I'll have to ask him."

"I already checked, and he's not pitching."

"Fine." Bella fired off a quick text to Tyler, who quickly responded that he was looking forward to meeting Emmett.

"How does it feel, knowing that you and Cullen are going to be in the same city?"

"Ugh." Bella threw her head back and closed her eyes. "I don't know. You remember Alice Brandon?" He nodded. "She reps him and requested me to do an exclusive." Emmett gave a low whistle and gave her a sympathetic look. "Tell me about itSometimes I think he'll have absolutely no recollection of who I am and I'll be this random chick crying like a teenager over Justin Bieber."

"You guys were friends before you were together; surely that has to mean something.

"I don't know. Sometimes I feel like he and I never happened."

"Does Tyler know that you were boinking his future teammate?"

"He knows something happened." Bella shrugged. "He might be under the impression that we had a mutual agreement not to see each other anymore."

"Might?" Emmett raised an eyebrow.

"I don't want to talk about this."

"Okay." Emmett got up and grabbed one of his bags, bringing it back with him to the couch.

"Okay? Just like that, you're letting me off the hook?" Bella narrowed her eyes, knowing that he had to have an ulterior motive.

"For tonight, yes. I'm exhausted. Besides, I have something for you." He opened his bag and tossed over a Bears jersey with the number one on the front.

"Thank you. I've always wanted one of these."

She went to put it on, but he stopped her. "That's a collectable." He sat down beside her and carefully held it up for her. Then Bella remembered where she'd seen it before. In her hands was the jersey that Emmett had received when he'd been drafted, right before getting hugged by the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell. "I signed it here." He pointed to an area on the shoulder.

"Your ego knows no bounds."

"More or less."

"I love it. Thank you." Bella pulled him in for a long and much-needed hug.

"No matter what happens, remember, I'll be there for you." Bella nodded and squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to cry. "Before this turns into a chick flick, we need a change of topic. Tell me all about Rosalie."

So...what'd ya think?

Next chapter, you get to meet Tyler!

Remember, reviews = teasers that weren't on the Fictionators blog!

Thanks for reading!