I apologize for posting this later than usual, but I had a busy day... Once again, thank you all for the amazing response to this fic. Enjoy this new chapter.

Disclaier: I own nothing.

Alone at last
I can't wait 'til we're alone at last
All I wanted was a second chance, second chance
To hold you in my arms at last

Forever, Forever, I'll walk a thousand miles
Just to tell her, to tell her, our love is still alive
And I'll never, I'll never, I'll never let it die
Well you better watch your step, she's a diamond on a landmine

Diamond on a Landmine – Billy Talent

Chapter 11 – Diamond on a Landmine

BPOV

Tonight isn't going to be a good night; I can feel it as I apply my make-up before my solo. I don't know how my life could get any shittier, but I can still feel that something isn't quite right.

I haven't heard anything from Edward since last Friday, and it has me a bit on edge. Poor Rosalie is victim to my mood swings all week. Though she isn't really better, she misses Emmett like crazy. I know Edward has a life outside of me, we've just met, after all… but still, I can't help but worry that he has forgotten about me. If our connection is as intense for him as it is for me, I've kind of hoped he would have come back already…

A knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts as Laurent pokes his head in.

"You're on in a minute." His words would normally fill me with dread but tonight I need the distraction.

"I'll be right there." I reply with the most amount of respect I can muster in my voice.

He nods and leaves. I take several deep breaths to calm down then make my way backstage. I slip into 'Mary' mode, 'Mary' who is eager to please the customers every night. My music starts, so I pull the curtain aside and step on stage, as I make my way to the pole. I drop down on the pole and I can see Emmett sitting a bit to my right. Hope fills me. If Emmett is there, surely Edward is as well. He has to be, but I can't see him anywhere. Maybe he isn't here yet. Or he just went to use the restroom. I make my way to Emmett, still performing to my song; I ask him where Edward is. At the lack of response, I pull back from him and frown slightly.

"Emmett, where is he?" I ask fiercely in his ear. I didn't want to drag any more attention than I probably already have.

"He's not here. He didn't come with me." I won't lie, Emmett's answer stuns me. The little hope I had disappears. He has forgotten. He's forgotten about me, us. Tears well up in my eyes, but I can't let them fall. Not in front of the public anyway. I quickly finish up my solo and hastily go back to my changing room. I come across Tanya on the way and she starts to say something, but I can't hear her. The pain of Edward's oversight blocks all other thoughts and sounds. I do take the opportunity to shove her out of my way though. I let my anger and aggression take a slight reprieve on her. A few minutes later, Rose comes to tell me the auctions are about to start.

"Could you cover for me?" I ask in obvious despair.

Her eyes widen in fear.

"You're going to get in trouble with Phil." Normally this isn't something that I would ever invite but tonight I just can't seem to care.

"I know Rose, but I don't really care right now. Emmett's here, but Edward isn't with him. He's forgotten about me Rose." I cry.

"Oh shit… Look, I really need to go, but we'll talk about this later." I don't blame Rose when she leaves me; I know that she has to go. This isn't a matter of choice for her; she has to go to cover for me.

I just nod as she leaves. A while later, my door flies open as Phil enters. I close my eyes because I know what is coming.

"What the hell is this, 'Mary is not available tonight?'" He asks loudly as he grabs my arm roughly.

"I don't feel well." I mumble.

"WHAT?" He shouts.

"I don't feel well. " I repeat a bit louder.

"What do you mean, you don't feel well? You're supposed to be out there, no matter what!" I feel his spittle hit my face as he leans in to yell at me louder, like that would make me change my mind about things.

"I know." I whisper at him.

"What the fuck are you doing in here then?" His face clearly shows his confusion at my understanding of the rules and yet my ability to break them anyway.

"I think I have the flu." I whisper again, I hope this will make him understand and leave.

It does apparently because he lets go of my arm.

"Okay. I'll let it slide. THIS TIME." He punctuates his generous gift with a wave of his finger in my face. "This is the first and only time. Understood?"

I nod quickly and without another word, he storms out. I sigh in relief. This small concession doesn't make up for the anxiety I'm still feeling at Edward's absence. I am so confused. Why isn't he here? Why didn't he come with Emmett? He couldn't have forgotten about us… our connection. I hear someone come into the room.

"Well this is a first." I hear Tanya say. I remain silent, not in the mood to deal with her. She clears her throat when I don't answer. I look up at her, knowing that if I don't it will just make this situation harder to get out of, especially after I pushed her earlier tonight.

"This is a first." She repeats.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, having no choice, so I respond. "What is?"

"You missed the auction because you're sick. You never miss them. Never. You starting to think you're too good for us?" She sneers.

I was just about to reply when Rose comes in.

"Fuck off Tanya," she says. "We're not in the mood to deal with you right now."

"Well, well, well, look who's here, Bella's own version of a knight in shining armour. Isn't this nice?" Any beauty she has in her physical being is masked by the inner hate and viciousness she always uses as a shield.

"Didn't you hear what I said, bitch? Fuck off!" Rosalie punctuates her words with a push to Tanya's shoulders.

She looks between the two of us, her suspicion clearly written on her face.

"I'm leaving you wimps alone. But I can assure you, I will find out what's going on here."

She leaves with a huff. When I am sure she is out of ear shot, I let my tears fall.

"Oh, Bella. Come on, Emmett's waiting for us in my room. He'll explain."

"What's there to explain Rose? Edward has forgotten about me. Period."

"No, he hasn't." She tries to explain.

"Yes he has." I counter.

"No."

"Yes."

"Bella, you're acting like a child. Come with me." She offers her hand and I reluctantly take it. When we enter her room, I make a bee line for the couch at the far end of the room, I ignore Emmett as I go. When I sit down, I pull my knees up and circle them with my arms. I feel the couch dip beside me.

"Listen Bella," I hear Emmett say. "I'm really sorry about all of this. There's a huge misunderstanding."

I scoff at him.

"Bella!" Rosalie admonishes. I glare at her in response. "At least listen to what Emmett has to say!"

I huff, but motion for Emmett to continue.

"Bella, Edward isn't here tonight because he doesn't even know I came. If he had known, I can assure you he would have come as well. I acted impulsively."

I ponder over his words for a moment then nod, accepting his explanation. I hear him sigh in relief.

"Would you like to talk to him?" Emmett asks a few minutes later.

I bite down on my lip and nod slowly.

"Okay. Here." He offers his phone. "I pulled up his number for you; you just need to press the green button." His large fingers point to the button I need. I would almost laugh if my heart didn't hurt right now for Edward.

"Thanks." I glance at him through the curtain of hair that separates us.

His voice when he picks up soothes me a little, but it is never enough. That's why I ask him to come over when he asks if there is anything he could do. He suggests we meet somewhere else, but I can't very well tell him the truth, so I just tell him the basics. He needs to think that it's because my shift isn't over or something. I hated lying to him, but I don't really have a choice. I stand up and give Emmett back his phone then make my way to the door.

"What did he say?" Rosalie asks.

"He's coming over. I'll be in my room." If she is saying something, I can't hear her because I am already pulling the door shut.

I don't know how much time has passed, but at some point I hear knocking on my door, then someone enters before I could even bid them to do so. A few seconds later, I feel two familiar hands on my face. I close my eyes and relax into Edward.

"You came," I say in a whisper.

"Of course I came," he replies immediately. "I couldn't leave you to think I had forgotten about you. It broke my heart when you asked if I remembered you."

Tears well up in my eyes again, and this time I let them fall freely. I crawl into Edward's lap and cry, I repeat over and over again how sorry I am. He keeps repeating that it's alright. When I can finally stop crying I wipe the tears away but I make no move to leave the comfort of his embrace. I feel the need to make the most of it while it lasts.

"Not that I don't like holding you like this", he says softly, "but I think we would be more comfortable on the couch."

That's when I notice we are on the floor. I nod and scramble off his lap to give him a chance to move over to the couch and make himself more comfortable. When that is done, he takes my hand and pulls me into his lap again and places a kiss on my temple. I smile and snuggle closer.

"Are you feeling better now?" he asks gently.

I look up at him and smile.

"Yes. Thank you." I hide the smile that threatens the corners of my mouth. I'm afraid that if he sees it then he would think that I no longer need his comfort.

He surprises me when he grins in return. "You're very welcome."

We are silent again for a while, but the silence isn't awkward. It is just nice to be in each other's presence, to have a chance to reconnect.

"Bella," Edward starts after a while, "why did you freak out like this?"

I take a deep breath but keep my head against his chest, not feeling courageous enough to look him in the eyes. "I don't really know. Honestly. I think I was half panicked, half jealous."

"Jealous?" I can hear the surprise in his voice.

"Yeah, of Rose, because Emmett came to see her tonight." I pick at my fingernail and straighten my costume again, anything to not have to look into his face as I speak those words.

"Bella," he says as he makes me look at him, "you know I would never hurt you intentionally, right?"

I can see the truth in his eyes, so I nod.

"Good. Then I want you to promise me that you will never freak out like that again if there is one week where I can't come and see you. Most likely, I will not be able to make it because of circumstances that are out of my control. And since I don't have any way to reach you…"

"Okay, I promise."

"Thank you." He kisses the crown of my head and we are silent again.

"Can you promise me something?" I ask him in return a while later.

"Of course," he replies immediately. "Anything you want."

"Is there any way you can make a schedule? I mean… you could select nights on which you are sure you are available, and those nights you could come and see me."

"Hmm… well, I guess that can be arranged. Let's see…" He reaches into his pockets and takes out his phone, and pulls up the calendar on it. "I'm free on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Is that enough?" he asks.

When he looks back at me, I can see a bit of humour through the seriousness. His eyes are soft, I could get lost in them. My heart warms.

"That's even more than I hoped for," I reply softly.

"Then consider it done. I'll be here on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. But please, once again, don't freak out if I can't make it."

I just nod.

"Isn't there any way to reach you?" he suddenly asks.

I bite down on my bottom lip, I don't know how to get out of this one. The beep that comes from Edward's phone saves me. He navigates through a few menus.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"Oh, nothing. Just my sister. Apparently she has a new favourite place to shop." I must look confused because he continues. "My sister studies fashion, and she absolutely loves to shop. And every time she discovers a new place, she calls it her new favourite place. It's nothing new, trust me."

I laugh.

"Do you like to shop?" he asks.

"Absolutely not!"

He lets out a loud laugh. "Don't ever let Alice hear you say you don't like to shop." He adds with a wink. Damn, he's sexy when he does that…

"What about you?" I ask. "Do you like to shop?"

"It depends on what I'm shopping for."

"Can you elaborate?"

"Well… I don't like to shop for my own clothes. It's a good thing Alice takes care of that part. But I like to shop for entertainment: movies, books, video games. I even look around sometimes for motorcycle gear."

"Motorcycle? You have one?"

"Yes."

"Please tell me it's not a Harley…"

He laughs.

"Not at all. It's a sports bike. A Kawasaki Ninja. Would you like to see it?"

I nod, so he fumbles a bit with his phone once again and comes up with a picture.

"Wow. I like it."

He beams at me.

"I'm glad you like it. I'd like to take you for a ride one of these days."

My eyes widen. "Um, I'm not sure about that…"

"Why not?" He seems genuinely hurt. Damn. "I promise I don't speed… too much."

"Hmm…yeah, okay." I must admit I'm a bit sceptical. Just the idea of riding a motorcycle seems scary to me.

"At least say you will try," Edward says when he senses my hesitance. I just nod, biting down on my bottom lip. He pulls it out with his thumb. "Hey, that's my lip," he says with a wink. Could he be any more sexy? He's making this difficult.

He pressed his lips to mine, and everything disappeared. I couldn't understand this effect he had on me. When he's around, I could forget about everything, even the fact that I'm a prisoner, and that Edward doesn't even know about it yet. I want, above anything, to tell him, to ask him to help me and Rose out, but… if I do, I'm scared I will lose him, one way or another. He will either reject me, or something bad will happen. I can't let that happen. That's why I try to make the most of each moment we have together. Carpe diem, they say. And when I lean down to kiss right now, that would be me doing exactly that.

Just as his hands start to roam though, the door opens and someone storms in. I look up and see it's Phil.

"Well," he says roughly and looking surprised, "glad to see you've taken on a client even if you're sick."

"This one was pretty persistent." I reply.

"I knew you couldn't bear to disappoint your clients. I see you've learned."

"Yes sir."

"Good. Enjoy your time, sir," Phil turns to Edward. "I hope we will see you again."

"Thanks." Is Edward's short reply.

With that, Phil turns around and leaves. I let out a short sigh of relief.

"That was tight," Edward suddenly says.

"Yeah. I don't know what's going on. He has never erupted in a room like that."

Edward doesn't have time to say anything because someone knocks before entering.

"Well, well, look what we've got here," I hear Rose say. I immediately blush, she laughs. "Come on Bella, I've seen you in more compromising positions!"

I blush even more and I hear Edward laugh lightly.

"Alright, I wasn't here to tease you though, although I do enjoy that I can," Rosalie continues. "I'm actually here to warn you, Bella. Since Phil believes you're sick, he will expect you to be in our dressing room, ready to go. The bar is about to close, so I'd hurry back there."

"Actually, you're too late. He just came in."

Rosalie's eyes are as wide as saucers. "Really? Did he give you guys any trouble?"

"No, he was actually surprised. He's assuming I've taken on a client despite being sick."

Rosalie laughs at that. "Alright then, as I said earlier, the bar's about to close, so you better say goodbye, guys. See you later, Edward."

Edward nods at her and she leaves.

"Well I guess that's my cue," Edward says.

I bite down on my bottom lip again. "Yeah, I guess. Promise you'll come back soon?"

"Bella, I think we established earlier that I would come on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Today is Friday, tomorrow is Saturday. So I will come back… tomorrow," he says with a wink.

I laugh lightly. "Okay, sorry. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yes, tomorrow. Have a good night, love. And take care of that nasty cold."

I giggle. "I promise."

He gives me a quick but deep kiss, then leaves. As for me, after relishing in the happiness, I hurriedly make my way back to the dressing room before Phil appears again.

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