I had a particularly bad day at Buffalo Exchange today, after a slew of mishaps. I dropped a roller blade on my toe then had a coworker come out frantic because something happened to my brand new Foley and Corina city tote, thanks to the insane downpours that have been occurring here in NYC, water leaked onto my brand new leather bag. It may be ruined, I won't know until morning.

Luckily I had you guys and your amazing reviews to make me feel better, your support means everything to me. Big things are going to be happening in the next few chapters and I can't wait for you to read them!

My Beta's MadelineJade and Twilight-is-lovee are incredible as usual.

Warning - this chapter is super sad

All Characters Belong To Stephenie Meyer

Today was the day that my family would put my grandmother, Katherine Dwyer, to rest. I had dreaded this day all week, and I was appreciative of the comfort and distraction that Edward had brought me. Despite our rough start, he had stepped up when I needed someone. Alice and Rosalie were, of, course there as well, but I was not looking for an "I'm sorry" or someone to baby me.

I snuggled into the warm body next to me and took a deep breath, appreciating his scent. It took a few minutes in my groggy state to realize that I was in bed with someone, and then it hit me. Edward. I was in bed with Edward. Before I could even process this information, I heard a light knock on my door, so I slowly wiggled my way out from his grasp and quietly made my way to the door. I opened the door as slowly as I could and stood wide-eyed when I found what was on the other side.

"We all want to take the train together," Alice said before she pushed past me. Of course, it took her all of three seconds to realize that there was someone in my bed, and then only another two to realize it was Edward.

"Edward!" she shrieked. He sat up quickly, attempting to rub the sleep from his eyes, but effectively just hitting himself with his cast for the millionth time.

"Bella! Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm okay. Everyone is here," I answered. Alice stood there with her hand on her hip, tapping her foot against the floor, obviously wondering what was going on, and clearly wanting answers immediately.

He threw the covers off him and frantically searched for his clothes, before he realized that not only was his sister in the room, but his brother, Rosalie, Jasper, and Jacob were all standing in the doorway. I sighed heavily and smacked my palm against my forehead. What an amazing start to a day like this.

"I was really torn up last night, so I asked Edward to stay. We're just friends; nothing happened," I explained before I pushed past the crowd and made my way to the kitchen. I knew by the lack of response that they were all going to tiptoe around me today. "Give me a fucking break, you guys; my grandmother died. I loved her, but I know all about the circle of life and all that jazz. Today, please don't treat me like I'm breakable. I need to feel normal."

When I was done with my speech, they all took deep breaths and erupted into a chorus of, "Why the fuck did you ask Edward? Why was he in his boxers? You should've called me," and my personal favorite, which came from Emmett, "Bella, are you cold?" I raised an eyebrow at him and followed his gaze to my chest. It was then that I realized that my tank top was see-through. Edward had been nothing but a gentleman and never once sneaked a peek. I covered my chest immediately and stomped back to my room, slamming the door in their faces. Edward was now fully dressed yet still looked frazzled.

"You okay?" I asked as I searched my closet for my new black dress. I heard him approaching and turned around to face him.

"That wasn't my favorite way to be woken up, but I'm fine. How are you?" he asked as he tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. Somehow, he did it without punching me out with his cast.

"I'm as good as I will be today. Thank you for staying," I said with a smile as I began to rifle through my closet again.

I heard him whisper something, but it was too low for me to hear. Before I could ask what he said, I heard the door close.

There was no time to analyze his strange behavior, so I got dressed, and after eating breakfast, we all headed to Penn Station to catch a train into New Jersey. Since it was early morning on a Saturday, the train wasn't very full, and we all found seats close together. Edward and I sat across from each other, and Rosalie sat next to me, with Emmett opposite her in an almost booth-like seating area. Somewhere along the ride, Edward's legs and mine tangled into one other. He smiled at me apologetically as he freed his legs from mine, and I silently waved him off. Rosalie watched the interaction with a quirked eyebrow at me. I shrugged her off, too, and continued to read Pride and Prejudice.

"Always reading that fucking book," I heard Jacob say as he hung over me in his seat.

"I'm sorry, Jake; I just love Fitzwilliam Darcy. There's just something so old school about him that I can't quite put my finger on. Oh, I know. It's his ability to stay faithful," I replied, nodding at my own assessment.

Edward, Emmett, and Rose all laughed loudly while Jacob glared. His angry stare was directed towards Edward.

"I wonder how bad it would hurt if I hit someone in the face with these," Edward mused while examining the hard casts on his arms. Jacob took the hint and turned around in his seat.

"When are you going to get those things off?" Emmett asked.

"They said it wasn't as bad as they first thought; just a bad sprain, but I'll have to wear some sort of brace, and I still can't play for a few weeks," Edward explained. I cleared my throat and cocked my head towards Jasper, who was sitting across the aisle from us. Edward glared at me and sighed in defeat.

"Jasper?" he called across the aisle.

"What's up?" Jasper answered as he shifted his body towards us.

"Do you think you could play guitar for me at Sweet Up's? I can still sing and write, but I can't play," he said nervously. I could tell how uncomfortable he was, asking for a favor.

"Yeah, sure, man, no problem. I play piano and pretty much every instrument, too," Jasper replied without a second thought.

"He's not lying," Alice commented.

For the rest of the train ride, Edward and Alice switched seats so we could get "girl time," as Alice called it, while Edward sat with Jasper and discussed their future as a twosome. We arrived in Elizabeth, New Jersey, quicker than I thought we would. We exited the train station together and searched for any familiar faces. We soon found Renée, along with Rose's mother, Lillian.

"Mom, Aunt Lilly." I greeted them each with a hug and kiss. There was no need for introductions, seeing as how everyone had already met at Rosalie and Emmett's wedding.

Renée and Aunt Lilly had both borrowed mini-vans from family members to get us all to the funeral, which was to be held at my grandmother's house. Grammy had requested to be cremated and buried in her garden, next to Grandpa's ashes. She always had a special attachment to her house. Her parents had bought it for her after my grandfather and she had gotten married. She raised my mother and aunt in this house and took care of Rose and me many summers in it, as well.

We pulled up to the white Victorian, and immediately, I felt the pain. The house somehow looked sad, as if it knew the life that had loved it was now gone. I could feel the tears welling in my eyes, and blinked them back furiously. I felt fingers lace with mine, and gave them a tight squeeze; I could tell it was Edward by the end of his cast digging into my palms. During our walk in Central Park, it was completely painful, but I refused to let his hand go. It felt too comforting, being so close to Edward, to separate myself from him.

"Thank you," I mouthed before exiting the car, our hands still linked together.

The funeral was heartbreaking. The pain in my chest seemed to multiply by the second. The only thing keeping me grounded was Edward. I was leaning into his side, our hands still locked, as I fought back the tears. My grandmother was always so full of life, and she'd often say that she wanted her funeral to be happy, for us to celebrate her life and not wallow in her death.

Remembering her words struck me; I stood up tall and proud before releasing Edward's hand. He glanced down at me curiously, and then I got an idea. I wanted to spend one last day with my grandmother, to revisit her life in this town with her before she was laid to rest.

As my mother picked up the urn with my grandmother's ashes and prepared to drop it into the hole that had been dug, I ran towards her and snatched it while running past the crowd of mourners. I tucked my grandmother under my arm tightly and prayed that I didn't fall. I could hear the loud gasps and the voices of my family yelling after me as I made my way to the front of the house. I searched around frantically, trying to open doors and see who had left their keys in the ignition.

I was about to give up before I saw the black Hearse. There was no time to think. My family was approaching fast; they all had different expressions on their faces from shocked, sad, worried, and happy. The faces of my aunt, Rosalie, and even my dad looked understanding. They knew what my grandmother wanted and that I would give it to her.

I leaned into the backseat of the Hearse and strapped my grandmother's urn in tightly. Running over to the driver's side, I climbed in quickly and started the ignition. The Hearse roared to life, and before pulling out of the driveway, I glanced over at the crowd on the lawn. I saw Edward running towards me and could hear Alice yelling after him.

"Where are you going?!"

"I'm not leaving her alone!" he answered before he yanked the door open and climbed into the passenger's seat. As soon as the door was closed, I stomped on the gas and pulled out. We drove in silence for a few blocks, before stopping at a stop sign. I glanced over at him, and we locked eyes. There was complete silence before we both broke into laughter.

"You're insane!" he said between gasping for air.

I let my laughter die down before I spoke. "She wanted a celebration. I'm going to give it to her," I explained with a smile before turning on the radio. November Rainbegan to play through the speakers.

Grammy, Edward, and I drove around town, while I told stories that Grammy had told me about her life before my mother. Stories about raising Renée and Lillian, and even stories about Rose and me.

When we arrived back at the house, my family and friends were waiting on the lawn in chairs, drinking beers and laughing. Their eyes were trained on Edward and me while we made our way up the hill to them, Grammy tucked safely under my arm.

"I'm sorry," I blurted out.

"We understand. It's okay," Aunt Lilly answered as she approached me and pulled me into a hug.

We all silently made our way to the garden. Renée, Lilly, Rose, and I knelt down by the hole and grabbed the urn. Together, we lowered it into the hole that was surrounded by red roses and lilies. After we covered the hole and patted down the dirt, we sat down around it.

"She's with grandpa now," Rose said as she leaned into her mother while she let tears fall freely from her eyes. We all nodded in agreement. I looked around me and realized that the rest of our family and friends had left us in peace to experience this.

"Thank you for taking her for one last go around town. She would've gotten a kick out of that," my mom said as she patted my back. We were never as affectionate or as close as Rosalie and her mother, but that was what I had Grammy for.

When the sun went down, Rose, my mother, and Aunt Lilly went inside to look through old family albums with everyone. I sat there alone in the dark. I began to hum softly to myself before I started to sing the words to Sonny by New Found Glory.

I'm sorry

I heard about the bad news today

A crowd of people around you

Telling you it's okay

And everything happens for a reason

When you lose a part of your self

To somebody you know

It takes a lot to let go

Every breath that you remember

Pictures fade away but memory is forever

An empty chair at all the tables

And I'll be seeing you when all my days boil down

But it's better where you're going anyway

I'm sorry

I heard about the bad news today

It's really hard to get through

Tough times and long days

But it really just depends on the season

For now we'll say goodbye

We know it's not the last time

I've lost the best part of my day

But it's better where you're going anyway

This is the last thing

I will remember

It's better where you're going anyway

I must have been lost in my singing, because I hadn't noticed that Edward had taken a seat across from me. We stared into each other's eyes in silence.

"I want to live," he said before he leaned in half way across towards me. I nodded in agreement before I leaned forward to meet him. Our lips had barely even touched, and I shivered from the feeling that coursed through me. It felt right. Just like in my dream, his lips were incredibly soft, but unlike my dream, this kiss was sweet, patient. We pulled away after a series of chaste kisses, and smiled at one another. No words needed to be spoken about what had just occurred. We just knew there was no turning back now.

We sat there talking about Grammy for a little while before he suggested we go inside.

"I'll meet you in there," I said as he stood up and retreated into the house. I kissed my palm and placed it atop the packed dirt that held the remains of a woman who could have out shined the sun.

"I hope my life will be filled with as much love and happiness as yours was. I love you, and I promise that I will never let anyone forget you," I vowed.

Suddenly, the strength I had finally dissolved after a long day of trying to hold myself together and trying to celebrate her rather than merely mourn her. And while I wished I could have remained celebratory, the pain and sadness of my grandmother's passing took its toll on me. Sobs wracked my body as sat in the wet grass next to what was left of my grandmother. I vaguely felt strong arms wrap around me and lift me up into a cradling position. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face into his chest while I tried to control my sobs.

"It's okay," he said as he stroked my hair.

I was a wreck, but my father let me lean on him as he led me into the house. We safely made it to the spare bedroom that had been mine when I was a child. He laid me down and pulled the blankets over me before placing a soft kiss on my forehead.

"I love you," he said as he brushed the hair away from my face.

"I love you too, Daddy," I whispered. As soon as he exited the room, I turned to my side and began to cry again. I tried to hide my face in my pillow, hoping to not disturb anyone. I tried to quiet my crying and took a couple gasps of air when I heard the bedroom door opening and closing as someone made their way towards me. It could have been anyone, but I was too grief stricken and tired to even turnover and look to see who it was. They climbed into bed and pressed their body against the length of mine, spooning me. His strong arms wrapped around me as he held me close.

"I'm here for you," was all Edward whispered before he began to hum. Eventually, my crying stopped, my breathing evened out, and I could have sworn I heard him whisper, "Always," before sleep finally claimed me.

I love this chapter and Edward. Next chapter will be angsty, Edward can't be angstless for long. Reviews make me happy and put out chapters faster ;)