Hey ya'll! Sorry this chapter took so long to get out there! It had to under go a few revisions, but I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. The flashbacks in the next chapter are crucial, so I'm reworking them, a lot.

My beta is the incredible Irritable_Grizzzly. Thank you so much for all your kind words on the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this one.

It ain't football. You can't make up trick plays.-Yogi Berra

Edward Cullen

It had been a couple of days since he'd found out about the "new and improved" Izzy Dwyer – now Bella Swan – and Edward fought the urge to tell Alice "I told you so."

He hadn't been completely surprised she'd given Alice the cold shoulder, since it was no secret they'd argued a lot before Bella up and left, but Alice would never reveal why. Of course, she didn't really need to since he was pretty sure they'd been fighting about him.

Still, he let his fantasies of their reunion dominate his free time. He likened his memories to that of a restaurant, but in reverse. He downplayed the bad and remembered the was a part of him that knew he was delusional, but in much the same way two people consistently break up and get back together, through the years he'd downplayed the bad and only remembered the good, convincing himself Bella would be just as excited to see him as he was to see her.

Alice had flown to Chicago with Esme to go apartment hunting for her and Edward. With the two most organized women in his life gone, he was now left to his own devices to pack up his condo. He desperately wanted to hire a moving company to do it all for him, but first he needed to pack up anything worth stealing.

Bella Swan

It had been a few days since Emmett had been in town, and strangely enough, she hadn't spent that much time with him. Rosalie had taken up Bella's role as the unofficial tour guide of Chicago, showing him all the landmarks of the city, such as her apartment.

It seemed that things were slowly returning to their normal pace. She'd been preparing non-stop for her upcoming TV appearances and pulling together sources and interviews about Edward. She'd had a few more conversations with Alice and was convinced that they would be able to repair their friendship, despite what had happened before she'd left, and their rocky phone reunion, and had even set up a time and place to meet while Alice would be in town on a house-hunting mission.

On this day, Bella had spent most of her morning creating her "to-do" list for the upcoming poker night. Even though Emmett had been adamant about meeting Tyler, she still debated bringing him, but didn't understand why. Sure her friends could be tough, but deep down she knew everyone would love him. They always did, because up until now he'd been the Golden boy of Chicago. Of course, that would all change when Edward returned. Bella laughed to herself when she thought of the two men who didn't care about titles competing for the title of Chicago's favorite.

There was a knock on the door. "Ms. Swan, you have a visitor," Mike informed her. Bella had always gotten a kick out of having a male assistant. It was very Murphy Brown. Mike was a good guy and handsome, in a boyish way. Plus, he always had coffee waiting for her. She could count on him for his good-natured joking and she never had to worry about a sexual harassment lawsuit if she flirted with him. Mike was very, very gay.

Bella looked up. "Who is it?"

Mike said nothing, instead smiling and opening the door wider.

"Hey, pretty girl."

She grinned. "Hey, yourself. This is a nice surprise," she said while wrapping her arms around Tyler's neck.

"I haven't seen you in a while, and. I missed you." He gave her a knee-weakening kiss, causing Bella her to forget where she was for a moment.

"I missed you, too. I guess that's expected when you go on long road trips," she said when she pulled back.

Tyler sat on the edge of her desk and pulled her between his legs, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Let me take you out to lunch." Bella giggled and pulled away, glancing at her open office door.

"Absolutely. Where did you have in mind?"

"My place?"

"I don't have time for a quickie." She laughed.

"Not there." He rolled his eyes. "I meant my other place. Where is your mind, Swan?"

"So you don't want a quickie?" Since they'd started having sex almost a year ago, his most recent road trip was the longest they'd gone without being intimate. She'd missed him, but not as much as she thought she should have.

"I've been gone for three and a half weeks and only had my hand and your voice to get me through it. The last thing I want is to be quick." Tyler took a deep breath, then gave her a quick kiss and stood, brushing his erection against her stomach.

"Subtle."

"You just don't get the effect you have on me."

"Whatever." Bella rolled her eyes and pushed past him.

"Hey." She stopped and turned. Tyler was frowning.. "I don't know what exactly he did to you, but I'd like to think that after all the time we've spent together, you would know how I feel about you."

"I know. and I love you too. Can we please go eat now?" As if on cue, Bella's stomach

grumbled.

Tyler nodded. "Fine, but this conversation isn't over."

They had just been seated at Crowley's, Tyler's bar, when a familiar couple walked in.

Bella waved Angela and Jake over. As Jake smiled broadly and bounced on his heels, he looked for all the world like a little boy about to meet Santa for the first time. Angela slapped his chest and begged him to play it cool, but she was also excited, albeit for a different reason. Bella seemed happy for the first time in a long time. Tyler had a great sense of humor, was smart, and treated her best friend with nothing but love and respect. It didn't hurt that he was also easy on the eyes.

Angela and Jake had met Tyler a few times, but it was always brief and they'd never spent more than a couple of hours with them since he and Bella had started dating right before the previous baseball season. It had only been in the past few months that they'd begun integrating their lives, which included meeting the parents and having a drawer reserved for them in their respective houses.

"Do you think he'll give us tickets?" Jake whispered in Angela's ear.

"Oh God, you are such an ass!" Angela elbowed him in the side, to which Jake grunted.

"Hey guys." Tyler stood and greeted them while signaling the server over, and then they settled down, falling into an easy conversation that centered around everything but the Cubs. Of course, the pleasant conversation came to an end when Tyler mentioned the Cullen trade. Angela knew how Bella had been putting on a cool front, and Jake was aware of the past history and knew better than to say anything negative about Tyler's future teammate.

Bella put on a brave face and swallowed deeply. "What do you think about it?"

"If he can stay healthy, he'll be good for the team. He was putting up good numbers before he got injured. You went to school with him, right?"

"Yeah. Briefly." Bella kept her eyes on her salad, but could feel three sets of eyes on her.

"Bella, can you please show me where the bathroom is?" Angela stood up and gave her friend a look that said, 'now'. Bella nodded and followed.

"That was weird," Tyler muttered.

"My girl is nothing if not subtle." Jake laughed uncomfortably.

"I know Bella's been acting a little off lately, especially anytime Cullen's name comes up."

Tyler was fishing and they both knew it. Jake was mentally cringing. He knew he had a big mouth and wasn't sure how long he could hold out.

"You've been her friend for what, at least a few years, right?" Tyler prodded. Jake nodded. "I know if I ask her, she'll tell me it's no big deal, but it clearly is."

"I get what you're saying, but I dunno; Bella's one of my best friends and I really hate to be cliché and say it's not my story to tell, but..."Jake let his voice trail off and shrugged.

"How about I tell you what I know?"

"Okay." Jake folded his arms and squirmed uncomfortably.

"I know she went to U-Dub and was roommates with Cullen's manager, Alison-."

"Alice," Jake corrected.

Tyler nodded and continued. "I also know that there was some guy who all but broke her and shook her confidence enough that she moved halfway across the country to start over." Jake nodded again. "And now this trade is happening and that's when Bella started acting weird."

Jake saw Bella and Angela approaching the table and quickly changed the subject. "I think you're onto something, man. The DH is a legal form of copping out."

"Really, you're having this conversation with him?" Angela sighed and sat down. "The guy plays baseball for a living. I doubt he wants to talk about the DH and what it means to the line-up."

"No, it's fine. I don't mind talking about baseball." Tyler chuckled at the dynamic between Angela and Jake. He and Bella used to be lighthearted like that, but as he said, not lately. He kept a cool front, but he understood Jake's coded message "You're onto something" astelling him he was on the right track.

Edward Cullen

"So I've narrowed it down to several places, it just depends on if you want to rent or buy, and how flexible your budget is," Alice crackled through her bluetooth.

"How many is 'several?' "

"Twelve."

"Jesus, Al. Twelve?" Edward was surprised at her restraint. He'd fully expected her to have at least twenty different homes for him to look atFor Alice, this was restraint, but he wanted to give her a hard time anyway.. "Anything else going on?"

"Yes. I'll be faxing you some paperwork in a few hours. I talked to Bella and we've agreed to meet in a few days. We'll set up a schedule that allows her to do her interviews and won't get in the way of your rehab and training with the team."

His stomach dropped to his knees. "Do I really have to do this?" Now that it was becoming reality, the delusion was going away and the bad memories were coming back.

"I'm sorry. This is all my fault, but it's too late to back out now."

He could tell Alice was truly apologetic. She had known Edward would be a mess of emotions when she'd contacted Bella, she probably thought she was doing something nice for him. She didn't know all the details about what had happened, and all the old wounds she'd be opening, or how deep they went opening old wounds when it came to his college infatuation, but she didn't realize how deep they would be.

Christmas Break 2003

They slow-danced amongst the other drunken couples grinding against each other in the bar, the cheesy Christmas lights creating a soft glow overhead. If it weren't for the fact they were in a sports bar, it'd be somewhat romantic. Edward's heart pounded as he rehearsed the words over and over in his head. Of course, before he'd drunk too much and avoided food on the chance he'd throw up, it had sounded great. He wanted this; God how he wanted her.

"Bella," he whispered.

"Hmm?" Her head rested right below his chin. Little did Edward know, her heart was beating just as quickly, her palms sweating from the closeness of their bodies. She was attempting to be subtle in wiping them off on his shoulders.

Edward took the movement as caresses, and decided to move forward. "Can we please get out of here?" His voice came out deeper than he'd intended.

Bella looked up. "Is something wrong?"

"No-Yes...no. No, but I'd like to talk to you in a more private place." He raised his eyebrows, hoping she'd catch his meaning. Thankfully, she did.

"Alice is gone, so we can go to my apartment."

Edward nodded and went to gather their coats. He knew Alice was gone. He'd asked her to vanish for the night – well, more like bribed her with the promise of paying for a full spa day.

A quick drive later, they were both sitting on Bella's couch in silence. "You wanted to talk, so what's going on?" She kept her arms crossed over her chest, as if they would offer her protection from whatever he was about to tell her.

"I thought this would be so much easier after a few drinks, but now I just feel sick." Edward ran his hand through his hair and muttered himself a pep talk.

"Maybe if you just say what's on your mind, you'll feel better?"

"I think I'm going to be sick." Edward vaulted over the back of the couch and into the bathroom. Bella cringed when she heard his muffled retching. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and patiently waited for him to emerge.

When he did, she handed him the water and said, "Maybe we should crash and talk in the morning." She gave him a sympathetic look and went to grab fresh blankets from the hall closet.

"Lauren and I broke up," he blurted from behind her.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Bella lied. Lauren had always been a bit of a phony bitch to her when Edward wasn't around because she was threatened that Bella would pounce on Edward the first chance she got. "Are you okay?" She gave him a comforting hug, allowing herself to enjoy their close proximity.

"Yeah. It's been a while since I've been dumped." He chuckled. "I don't know if my ego could take another blow of rejection."

Bella was confused by his vague implications. "You've never been dumped before?"

"Not since Karen Stephens in the second grade."

"I'm sure you'll rebound soon enough," she reassured him. It gutted her to talk about anyone else being with him, since she had been in love with him for the better part of a year. It was her own fault for never saying anything. Plus, seeing him with a revolving door of women didn't exactly bolster her confidence when she felt she didn't even compare.

Edward swallowed his disappointment, along with his courage, and nodded. He took the blankets and made his bed on the couch.

Then he thought about it and realized he should man up. He couldn't tell her but perhaps he could show her. "Bella?"

"Yeah?" she called from her bedroom.

"Can I come in for a second?"

"Sure."

He walked in and willed his instant erection away at the sight of her in a pair of flannel pants and camisole, sans bra.

"Everything okay?" She met his eyes through the mirror.

He walked closer, appraising her reaction. "No."

She frowned. "What's wro-" Before she could finish, he was kissing her.

Her lips were warm and soft, and he instantly knew he'd made the right decision. Everything about the moment was perfect, down to the little moan she made. He pressed his body pressed against and she immediately responded by sliding her arms around his neck. Eventually he pulled back to breathe, and rested his forehead on her shoulder.

"What was that?" Bella chuckled.

"I've wanted to do that for so long." He placed light kisses along her shoulder blade and up her neck.

"Yeah, me too."

From her reaction, he'd suspected as much, but it was nice to hear her say it.

As her head fell back, she languished in the warmth of their bodies pressed together, and then stifled a yawn while glancing at the clock. "It's late," she said sleepily.

"I know." He hoped for an invitation to stay the night. It wouldn't be the first time they would sleep in the same bed, but this time would be different. Not that he wanted sex; not yet anyway. He needed to do this right.

"Stay with me?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. He couldn't think of anything to say without sounding completely inept, so he simply nodded and helped her turn down the sheets.

Then they fell into a deep sleep with a smile on each of their faces.

So now you know a bit of how things went/are going. Tyler's a nice guy isn't he? Well I like him.

As always, reviewers get teasers that won't be on the blogs!

I also started a new story, Soul to Keep. It's a bit of a different direction than this story, but I hope you'll check it out anyway.

Cheers!

Anne