A/N: Thank you guys so much for all the encouragement! You're the best! & thanks Jen, you make this worth it!

Chapter 10: Reunion

BPOV

I knew Edward and I needed to talk but his voice was so heavy when he said that very thing. I couldn't help but wonder what he neededto talk about it. Was he going to come clean?

I stepped back, out of his embrace, as quickly as I had run to him.

"What's going on Edward?"

"Bella . . . I need to tell you something."

"Yes, I think you do. But the question is, why should I even listen?"

He took in a sharp breath and then released it in a long sigh. He was pinching the bridge of his nose as he was want to do when he was upset.

I looked into his eyes and I knew he was in pain. His eyes were stormy, like he was warring with himself.

"Please, Bella . . . just, please? I love you and I need you to hear this, from me."

"Just tell me one thing Edward . . . why?"

The tears were going to start falling any minute.

"Were you just using me . . . was it all about a case?"

I didn't want to let out the sob that was building in me but with Edward, I had no defenses. From the start, we had just been with each other. I had been true--no games. But now I wasn't so sure whether he had been and felt the same with me.

I exhaled a shaky sigh, waiting for an answer and clenching my eyelids closed to prevent a flood of tears.

He didn't say anything. Nothing. I decided that the only way to retain any shred of dignity would be to leave. Just leave. Then I could go home and let the tears fall and hope I could pick up the pieces.

I opened my eyes, preparing to fake a smile and brush past him without another word but I made the mistake of looking at him . . .

If I thought he looked like he was in pain before, he now looked like he was in excruciating pain. And I couldn't move. Despite what I thought I knew, I couldn't leave him.

"Edward?"

He shook his head as if he were coming out of his thoughts.

"Bella-- I'm sorry. You have to believe me, I knew nothing about the case. Newton dropped it on my desk this morning and I never even looked at it. I was too busy all day working on a settlement conference and then you weren't answering your phone. Suddenly Jasper came to my office and I didn't know why. And then Emmett--my boss-- called me into his office and grilled me about this case and he told me it was your case and all I wanted to do at that moment was talk to you. To find you and tell you that you are so much more important to me than this job. I would never--I could never do something like that to you. But--"

I shut up him up with a kiss. I'd never heard Edward ramble before and he was adorable. Even more so because I instantly believe him. I knew he was telling me the truth. That vile Mike Newton!

It was a good kiss--maybe a little hesitant at first but then my hands were in his hair and he was pulling me closer, kissing my troubles away.

He pulled back too soon-- much too soon-- and his eyes were still at war.

"What's wrong? I believe you. I knew Newton was up to something. He was just so convincing-- and evil. He knew exactly what to say. For a second, I actually believed him."

"Bella--thank you. Thank you for believing me. But-- there's also something else I need to tell you. Can we go to your place? Or my place? It's important."

"Edward you're scaring me. Is everything okay? I'm--I'm confused."

"Please, Bella, let's go somewhere--he looked around the bar and gestured--more private. I really want--no, I need to tell you this now."

If I ever doubted Edward again, I would just need to look at his eyes. And again, I looked at him and without question, took his hand to lead him out of the bar.

"Are you driving Mr. Cullen?"

He took my hand and kissed it.

"Yes Bella, let's go. Your place?"

"Yes, Edward. Let's go home."

EPOV

I wasn't nervous to tell Bella about my mother--Esme--not exactly, anyway. But I really didn't want to wait anymore, I didn't even want to suffer through the short car ride to her condo. I regretted not telling her sooner. I was just so caught up in--well--us. I forgot about hating my job and I forgot why I had taken the job in the first place. But now I had a big decision to make and I didn't want to make it without Bella. And for us to make a decision, she needed to know the truth. The whole truth.

I opened the car door for Bella and closed it gently after she slid inside. I took my own seat and turned the key in the ignition, grasping her hand with my hand that wasn't on the steering wheel and hoping it would be enough until we got to her place. I just didn't want to start telling her now-- not when I couldn't look into her eyes and reveal everything .

And so we drove to her condo in peace, in silence, but with our hands linked the entire time.

I parked and helped Bella out of the car, wrapping my arm around her as she pulled out her keys.

We were in the elevator again, and I involuntarily smiled remembering several pleasant, if not frantic, trips in this same elevator.

I squeezed Bella's hand and we were finally on her floor, and soon, inside her apartment. I took her hand and led her to the couch.

We both sat down with our backs to the arms, looking at each other.

"Bella, I just -- I should have told you this sooner. It's--well--there's a reason why I work where I do. And it has to do with my mother."

"Your mother? But Edward-- you've never even mentioned your parents. This whole time I just kind of thought they were gone."

"My dad is gone, Bella. And not in the best of circumstances. Which is why I need to care for my mother--which is why I moved here in the first place, and took this job. I--I'm ashamed to tell you this Bella considering what kind of work you do--but I needed the money."

"Edward, help me understand..."

I took a deep breath and raked my fingers through my hair before continuing.

"Two years ago my father was killed in a car accident. It was very sudden and it nearly killed my mother, as well. My parents were inseparable; hopelessly in love with each other. Even every fight they ever had, and there weren't many, was passionate. As for my dad and me, he was my best friend. I could and did talk to him about anything and everything. We were a really, really close family--the three of us. So, as you can imagine, it was devastating--for both of us--when he was gone. But, a year passed and we were doing pretty well. I had finally found my calling as an attorney-- I've never told you this but before this firm, I worked for Human Rights Watch. And I was moving up--in fact, it was almost exactly a year ago that I got the call. The call that I was actually going to get to Africa and do some election and trial monitoring. I was ecstatic. I didn't even call my mother before driving over to her house, lest she plan something elaborate. I wanted to surprise her. I pulled up to the house and I remember being so happy her car was there, knowing she was home. I let myself in and called to her . . . but I didn't get an answer."

My emotions were starting to get the best of me and I took another deep breath so I could actually get this story out before I collapsed under the weight of my sadness in recalling that day. The day we found out. It was almost worse than hearing the news of my father's death.

"I called her name again, thinking she was in the back of the house or in the bathroom. Still no answer. I had brought groceries, intending to make her dinner and I went into the kitchen to set them down. I walked into the kitchen and immediately dropped the bags because there she was, lying on the kitchen floor. At first, I thought she--well, she didn't seem to be breathing. I saw that the water was running and there was a broken plate on the ground next to her. Her head was bleeding, and I knew she must have passed out and hit her head as I moved closer to her. I checked for a pulse and luckily she had one, although it was weak. I dialed 911--those ten minutes when I waited for the ambulance were the longest in my life. I just held her hand, willing the paramedics to get there sooner."

"They arrived and she was still unconscious. I rode in the ambulance with her, trying not to fall apart. We were all each other had but I didn't try to think about that. I just hoped she would be okay. After a few hours in the hospital, she woke up. She had no recollection of what happened. She was washing dishes one minute and staring up at me from a hospital bed the next. I was just so happy that she was awake. At first, the doctors assumed that she just passed out from low blood sugar--she hadn't eaten much that day. But they ran a few tests as a precaution because she mentioned that recently she had had no appetite, bruised very easily and that she had felt tired and well-- that she had felt off. The blood tests came back first-- an unusually high number of white blood cells. We didn't panic immediately. The doctor said they would have to do more tests to be sure. But two weeks later, it was confirmed. Leukemia. My mother started the treatments immediately. And at first, her insurance paid. Everything was--seemingly--going well. But after a few months, she wasn't getting better. And soon, her bills weren't being paid. I thought as a lawyer that I could cut through all the red tape of her insurance company. But soon I was spending more time on the phone than at work. The bills kept piling up. My father had left a small amount of money for my mother and for me, but she had given all of hers to charity and I wasn't being paid much at my job so I had already used quite a bit of my money."

"I was becoming desperate. My mother was going through more treatments and losing so much weight and becoming increasingly frail. The light had gone out in her eyes-- even more so than after my father's death. I had taken a leave of absence from my job at this point because my heart wasn't in the work--it wasn't in any work anymore. All i could do was care for my mother and worry about making sure I could do that. I felt like I had to do that--like I had to do anything I could to make her better. And so I began researching her disease. It seemed hopeless. She wasn't responding to treatment and she seemed like she didn't even care anymore. It had been such a rough year living without my father even before she was diagnosed. And then I found something--on the internet, which I know seems crazy. But it was a new, experimental treatment and I found out everything I could. I talked to the doctor and I talked to previous patients. I talked to my mother--and she was willing--she agreed to try. But we would have to move--move here where the doctor is--and the worst part was that it was incredibly expensive. I had some money left to help and we could sell the house but what would be live on? I needed to work, I needed to . . . make more money than I was making. And that meant a firm."

"Of course I started researching firms in the city. I had narrowed it down to a few that were the best paying and I asked my boss at Human RIghts Watch for any help. I need to start working immediately and my mother needed to start the new treatment. My boss knew Emmett and recommended me. I got the job. I didn't even stop to think about what I would actually be doing--who I would actually be representing. I just went to work every day and spent my nights at the hospital. I was living but I wasn't--living--you know? I was constantly on edge but I was good at the job and I sort of absorbed this persona when I was doing it. It wasn't me--I could never be as heartless as I needed to be to make those corporate clients happy. I just didn't realize it--until I saw you. Until we met, until I spent time with you, I didn't realize just how unhappy I was with my job. You made me live again and I . . . "

I felt a few tears on my cheek and Bella reached over to brush them away. I took her hand and held it my cheek, letting a few more tears escape.

"Edward. . . how is--how is Esme doing now?"

"That's the crazy thing Bella-- she's doing so much better. She even--well, she's met someone. She's actually living again. And here I was, just going through the motions. You can't imagine how grateful I am for you--how I should get down on my knees every day for the rest of my life and be thankful for you."

"But why didn't you tell me sooner? Did you really think I wouldn't understand?"

I took both of her hands in mine, kissing each finger.

"I think I knew you would understand but I wanted to try and pretend to be normal for a little while. These past few years--I've felt like a shell of a person. And the more time we spent together, the more ashamed I became of my job. Hearing you talk about your cases--the passion--I realized I deeply missed that."

"Oh Edward. I'm so sorry you were holding this all in the whole time. I love you--I don't love you any less because of what you do. I would support you and anything you do, always."

She leaned over to kiss me and traced my eyebrows with her fingers--something she knew calmed me down--before kissing my eyelids.

"There's just one other thing, Bella . . . "

She arched her eyebrow at me in disbelief.

"I need you to help me figure out what to do. My mother is stable now and we've both made a home here. There are still some bills but--I just don't think I can work with Mike Newton or Tyler Crowley anymore. I just--"

She placed her finger over my lips, effectively stopping me from continuing.

"That's simple Edward. You're going to come work with Jasper and me. We need someone like you."

I was stunned--I didn't know what to say. Even in my wildest dreams, I couldn't imagine something so perfect.

"Really Bella? I mean, really really?"

She laughed. "Yes, really really. Will you please come work with us Edward? We would be unstoppable."

It was my turn now to lean over and kiss her--pulling her into my lap and parting her lips with my tongue.

We were both breathing heavy when we parted.

"Bella there is nothing I would love more than to work with you and Jasper. You guys are the most moral, thoughtful attorneys I've met and I am--I'm honored you would even consider me. Just one more thing, though . . ."

Now she really stared at me in disbelief.

"Will you please come with me tomorrow and meet Esme?"

She giggled again, kissing me and placing her hands on the sides of my face.

"Of course, Edward. Now, can we go to bed? All this talking has left me . . . I think we both need to feel close to each other tonight."

I took her hand and led her to the bedroom, feeling the exact same way.

A/N: So. . . if there is any interest, I think now would be time for a lemony reunion. What do you think? Please review and let me know. There are just a few chapters left and maybe one (or two) surprises still to come. So, lemon next chapter or on with the story?