My laptop is still in with the geek squad…so I'm uploading this from the art gallery, which is probably frowned upon. But oh well. Hopefully, my own computer will be back in working order soon and I won't get in trouble.

Ugh…I think a big part of my hesitation is that I don't want this to end. So please review, and let me know what you're thinking.

Thanks, Wendy =)

…...

BPOV

Jane's neighborhood was comprised of large houses with perfectly manicured lawns and long, winding driveways. And her sprawling house was nothing like any of the places I had lived- not Charlie's house, Renée's townhouse, and definitely not the apartment that Edward and I had shared.

When I rang the doorbell a stout woman in a grey and white uniform answered, and told me in a thick French accent that Jane's parents weren't home, but that Jane was up in her bedroom if I wished to speak with her. I thanked the woman as I walked into the house, carefully slipping my shoes off before I stepped on the shiny marble floor.

"Miss Jane's room is upstairs, at the end of the hallway," the woman informed me, and then bustled off before I could thank her again.

I shrugged and climbed up the grand staircase and headed down the hallway. The last door at the very end of the hallway had a handwritten sign on it that said "Jane's Room" in curly letters. I had been to Jane's house a few times before, but never in her bedroom.

I knocked, but there was no reply. So I gently pushed the door open, and peered into the room. It was all a shock of various shades of pink and purple with white furniture.

"What?" I heard Jane's voice snap, so I stepped further into the room and closed the door behind me.

"Jane, it's me. Bella," I said, and I finally spotted Jane lying on the canopy bed on the far side of the room. "I…well, I just wanted to talk to you."

She was silent for a long moment, and when she spoke again her voice had lost its sharp edge. "Oh. Um, okay." I saw her sit up in bed, and I had to stop myself from gasping.

Jane, who was usually so put together and trendy, looked absolutely nothing like herself. Her formerly long, beautiful hair had been shorn off, and her eyes looked…dead and empty. It was chilling, and I wondered how close I had been to having that look in my eyes, too.

"How are you?" I asked softly, walking over to her. I stood at the edge of her bed, wanting to touch her to see if this was real, but holding back.

"Not so great. But I'm surviving," she said dryly. "I…I'm having a hard time. Dr. Cullen referred me to a therapist…" she inhaled sharply, "but I don't think I'm ready to talk about it yet. I…I can't even think about it without freaking out."

I nodded, understanding how she felt. Until I had found hope in my life again, that was how I had felt about the whole thing.

"I cut my hair off." Jane's voice was raspy as she spoke, and she reached up to touch the ends of her extremely short hair. "I…I can't stand to think of someone ever touching it again…like they did."

I just nodded again, and I suddenly felt like I was going to throw up.

"How are you?" She asked, changing the subject and putting the focus on me…which was very unlike the Jane that I used to know.

"I'm alright," I murmured, sitting down on the edge of her bed and shrugging my shoulders. "I haven't talked to anyone- I'm not ready for that either. But I'm trying not to think about it, ever. And I'm trying to move on with my life."

Jane stared at me, her blank eyes boring into mine. "Moving on? How so?"

"I'm going back to Forks. I…I'm starting over with Edward and our daughter. I tried to run away from all the responsibilities I have with that, and that was really stupid of me. I can't run away from them, because they've been my entire reason for living all along. I love them, Jane. I have to grow up."

"I thought you didn't want to grow up," Jane remarked, and I had to laugh a little bit at her blunt statement.

"You're right, I didn't. But…it's recently become clear to me that if I want to be truly happy, I need to be with them. The people I love most in this world."

Jane frowned, her eyebrows creasing. "And he's going to take you back, just like that? I'm sorry Bella, but from what you've told me, you kind of closed that door, didn't you?"

"I thought so," I admitted, biting my lip for a moment. "But that's one of the funny things about love, I guess. I know Edward loves me and I love him, and we want to be together. Sadly, it's not that easy. Even if he wanted to, it would be stupid of him just to let me back into his life like I was before. We've got a long way to go before we can actually work things out. But I want to be with him, and I can't bear to be away from my daughter for any longer." I paused, shaking my head slightly. "Jane, I was a really big fucking idiot to have come back to Seattle."

I reached for her hand, and even though she tensed for a moment, she didn't pull away. "Even though I'll be in Forks, I'm still here for you, Jane. You're my friend, and I'm yours. I know it's going to be hard for you to talk to a therapist about what happened, because it'll be hard for me, too. But I think if you and I talked to each other, it may get a little easier. It's probably always going to hurt…even so, we shouldn't let that hurt and hatred stop of us from loving and living our lives, right?"

Jane's eyes filled with tears, and she pulled me into a hug. "Thank you," she whispered, burying her face into the crook of my neck. "I'll call you if I need to talk, I promise."

"And I'll do the same." I squeezed her tightly for a moment, and tears stung in my eyes.

Life was always going to be hard. But what was the point of on hanging onto these bad memories and feelings? They were just weighing me down and holding me back from being the person that I wanted to and needed to be.

…

"I'm really proud of you, Bella." My mom tightened her grip around me, squeezing tightly. "I haven't been the best influence in the past, I know that, but I'm just a phone call away if you need me."

"I know, Mom. Thanks," I whispered, my eyes filling with tears.

Today, I was leaving Seattle and going back to Forks. Edward and Charlie both had the day off from work, so the three of us, plus Avery, were going to be spending the day together. Charlie had offered to drive up to Seattle and take me home, but I declined and opted instead to catch a bus, early in the morning, and make my escape.

But this time, instead of running away, I was going home.

"Alright…you're going to be late if we don't get going," Renée muttered, wiping her eyes as she pulled away from me.

My few bags were in the back of her car, my bus ticket had been purchased, and now all that was left was for me to actually go.

…

The bus ride seemed longer this time, probably because I was so anxious about being home. Forks might be small, my relationship with Edward might be messy, and things might not be ideal, but this is my life and I'm going to accept things as they come. There's nothing I can do to change what is truly fate.

When I stepped off of the bus, feeling grimy and cramped, I see Edward and Charlie standing several feet away, waiting for me. My heart takes off, and my feet moved even faster when I saw that Avery was standing unsteadily next to Edward, tightly gripping his index finger.

I felt like I was being choked with sobs and happiness at the same time, but I couldn't imagine anything less being so right.

Charlie hugged me immediately, holding me close for a moment longer than he would have before. "It's good to have you home, Bells," he said simply, and I saw that his eyes were shining with tears that would, most likely, remain unshed.

I then turned to Edward, suddenly feeling bashful, which I knew was completely ridiculous. Because this was Edward. The man I loved, the father of my child, and the man who loved me so much, that he was giving me a second chance at the life I had once screwed up so badly.

"Hey there." Edward's voice was exactly how I remembered it, of course. But it sounded even sweeter to me now.

"Hi," I replied, a blush rising to my cheeks predictably as I smiled. He smiled back, and then gestured down towards Avery knowingly. I crouched down in front of her, unable to contain the smile when I saw my baby face to face. "Hey, little girl," I said in a slightly shakily voice. Her eyes were bright and her short hair was pulled into little pigtails, and she looked even more adorable than the last time I had seen her, which I hadn't even thought was possible.

"Say 'hi', Avery," Edward instructed her gently.

She bashfully leaned against Edward, tucking her chin down. "Hi," she whispered in her little baby voice, and it was like my heart was mending and breaking at the same time.

…

One left…and then an epilogue? I'm not sure…it just might be one more =( I'll have to see how it works out. But please review, and let me know what's on your mind, as always.

Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie