Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Thank you as always to PTB!

There are no words to describe how thankful I am for my betas, AddictedtoEdward and Ms. Ambrosia. A2Ed alone read this chapter three times and they both made great suggestions. Ladies, thank you for all your help!

EPOV

If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it. If you liked it you shoulda -

I slammed my hand down on top of my alarm clock. Fucking Emmett and his fucking pranks. My moronic brother changed my radio station again. He knows how much I hate Top 40. Give me Eric Clapton and Van Morrison over Beyonce and Britney any day.

I stood up, scratching my stomach and yawning. The six hours of sleep I'd gotten in my own bed was basically a miracle, but I could've used about twelve more. I still felt tired and grumpy and in no mood to get up and face the day. I wasn't one to pull the covers up over my head, but today that was all I wanted to do.

Emmett was in the kitchen when I stumbled in. He handed me a mug of coffee and leaned back against the counter, arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Little brother, you look like shit."

I glared at him over the top of my mug. "Thanks."

"Seriously, dude, you look like you got hit by a bus. What the hell is going on with you?"

I turned my back on him, walking over to the refrigerator. I grabbed a pizza box from the bottom shelf and brought it over to the counter. Coffee and pizza - the breakfast of champions.

"Hello?" He waved a hand in front of my face. I ignored it, taking a bite of pizza.

"I'm talking to you here. Are you going to answer me? What the fuck is up with you?"

Emmett wasn't known for his patience and it clearly showed as I continued to ignore him.

I shrugged, continuing to eat. Emmett just crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

"It's been a long week, Em, and I'm tired. Cut me some slack, okay?"

I sipped my coffee, burning my tongue. I glanced over at my big brother. He was eyeing me doubtfully and it wasn't hard to tell that he had no intention of accepting my answer and moving on. He opened his mouth to say something, but I just dropped my pizza crust into the garbage and left the kitchen.

"Need to shower. Have to be back at the hospital in an hour," I called to him over my shoulder.

I heard a mumbled "shit" behind me, but I ignored it and kept walking. We both knew what the problem was, and apparently he was ready to talk about it. Me? Not so much.

By the time I left for work, Emmett was gone. I had no idea if he'd gone to work or somewhere else; our shifts were so different and changed so often that it was hard to keep track of who was working nights, days, or overtime. Our schedules had made avoiding each other for the last few weeks very easy.

It was a typical gloomy day in Seattle, but for once it wasn't raining. As I drove my Volvo toward the hospital's parking garage, I was still feeling depressed. I couldn't help but wonder if my crappy mood had something to do with the gray skies. There was no apparent reason for why I felt so down. This couldn't be blamed on a lack of sleep; I'd survived on less than six hours for years now, and usually did so in a much better mood.

Hell, if I was honest, I'd felt moody for at least the last month.

I slammed the door of the Volvo and made my way into the hospital, thinking about my uncharacteristic depression. There was no reason to complain, to be depressed, or to be out of sorts about anything. I was finishing up my residency at one of the best teaching hospitals in the country. My parents were proud of me and extremely happy with the fact that I was following in my father's footsteps. I loved everything about being a surgeon and was looking forward to the day – which was to be very soon – I would be an attending rather than a resident. My brother, who also happened to be one of my best friends, and I were sharing a beautiful penthouse condo located just minutes from my job. I had a beautiful girlfriend and things were progressing well between us. My parents lived a little over three hours away, which was close enough to visit when the mood struck, but far enough away that I still felt like I could have my own life.

So, what the hell is your problem, Cullen?

The hospital was busy as usual when I walked in and made my way to the elevator that would take me to the surgical wing. I gave half-hearted hellos to some of my co-workers as they rushed past me to their patients. The elevator was crowded and I wished that, for once, I could have just a few minutes to myself.

My wish was granted when I got to the doctors' lounge and it was empty. After I put my coat and car keys in my locker, I sat down on the wooden bench and sighed. With my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands, I imagined that if someone was looking at me they would have no problem telling just how fucking depressed I was. I couldn't go and face my colleagues and patients like this. Maybe I should've just called in sick.

Standing up, I took a deep breath. I was here, and there were people counting on me. Maybe if I focused on other people for a while, I would slip out of this depression. One of my fellow residents, Rafael, entered the lounge and I gave him a smile as I left. Operation "Cheer Up" was now in effect.

"Cullen."

I heard my name as I made my way from the lounge toward the nurses' desk that held the medical charts and our assignments for the day. I had a few patients from the day before that I needed to check on, and I wanted to find out who had been assigned to them overnight in case something had changed in their conditions.

"Dr. Bradley, good morning."

I stopped and looked at my chief resident as she marched toward me purposefully. Dr. Bradley was four feet, eleven inches of no nonsense. She was as tall as she was wide and at first glance, most people would consider her sweet and cuddly. She shattered that illusion quickly.

"Did you get some rest last night, Cullen?" she asked, leaning over the nurses' desk and pulling out a chart.

"Y-yes, Dr. Bradley, I did. Were you able to get to Josh's piano recital on time?"

Dr. Bradley made me quake every time she was within twenty feet of me. She was a brilliant but tough doctor and even while she made me nervous, I greatly admired her.

"I did, and he did an excellent job on his solo. We both thank you for your help."

When Dr. Bradley had found out I minored in classical piano in college, she had asked me to help Josh, who was practicing for an upcoming recital and having some trouble. Over the last few weeks, I'd spent a little bit of the free time I had giving him tips and acting as his mentor. It had been nice to spend some time playing the piano again, and I'd enjoyed helping Josh. His recital had been the night before, but I'd been scheduled to work and hadn't been able to make it.

"It was my pleasure. Please give him my congratulations."

Dr. Bradley's smile faded as she handed me the chart she had pulled. "Okay, Cullen, let's go. You've got a long day ahead of you."

"Yes, ma'am. I have some patients – "

She cut me off as she turned on her heel and motioned me to follow her. "Your patients are being looked at by Dr. Owens this morning, Cullen. The Chief of Surgery has asked specifically for you."

I stopped dead in the middle of the hallway, causing the nurse walking behind us to slam into my back. I hurriedly apologized to her, which she waved off with a flick of her hand. Dr. Bradley stopped and glared at me over her shoulder. I hastily started walking again.

"The Chief, Dr. Bradley?"

She was still marching ahead of me and I was having a hard time keeping up with her. Who knew someone so small could move so fast? I should have known better, though. My sister, Alice, barely reached my shoulder and could move like a bullet when she wanted to.

"Yes, Cullen, the Chief. He has a surgery scheduled for today and he specifically asked that you scrub in and assist with it."

Well, shut the fuck up! A grin spread across my face and it took all my composure not to pump my fist in the air. "That's ... great."

She kept walking but looked over her shoulder at me and gave me a smirk. There wasn't much that got past Dr. Bradley and she knew I was thrilled.

Dr. Bradley spent the rest of the way to the O.R. filling me in on the Chief's patient and the procedure we would be performing that day. She suggested I look over the chart and familiarize myself with it, pointing out the Chief would quiz me on everything before he even allowed me into the operating room. Dr. Bradley left me in the prep room, where I could study while waiting for the Chief.

Six hours later, we were done and the surgery had been a success. I'd worked hand-in-hand with the Chief to repair the patient's heart, and that definitely helped turn my mood around from where it had been that morning. The Chief was one of the best teachers we had at the hospital, and it was always a privilege to work with him to save someone's life. I was exhausted from standing on my feet for six hours and from the concentration needed to perform the delicate surgery correctly, but I was also walking on cloud nine. My depressed mood from this morning had been lifted.

As I left the O.R. and moved into the dressing room to change, I pulled the surgical cap from my head, lost in my own thoughts, barely looking at anything but the floor under my feet. I could feel the corners of my mouth turn up in a grin.

"Well, hello, Dr. Cullen." I was so engrossed in my own head that hearing the sultry voice startled me and I was jolted into looking up from the floor. When she noticed my reaction, she gave a throaty laugh.

Standing in front of me was my own personal super model. She was five feet and eight inches of pure sex. Tanya Jackson had long, curly, strawberry blonde hair, sky blue eyes, and lush lips that made Angelina Jolie's look thin. Her legs were long and went on for miles, and she had curves in all the right places. We had met here at the hospital when our residencies began five years ago, but had just started dating in the last six months.

"I heard you had a very successful surgery today." She moved toward me with feline grace and ran one of her long, graceful fingers down my scrub-covered chest. Damn, this woman could make me hard with one look.

"Yes, it went very well." My words and tone did not match the grin that was on my face, but they didn't have to. Tanya knew how much it meant to get called into a surgery with the Chief.

"I'm glad to hear it." Tanya's smile was seductive and her hand continued to trail a path down my chest toward the waistband of my pants. "Do you need help getting cleaned up?"

I caught her hand before it could go much further and leaned in to nip at her bottom lip. "Thanks, but I'm good. Maybe later?" As much as my body was aching to take her right there, having sex in the surgical dressing room would probably not be one of our better ideas.

Her bottom lip popped out and she looked at me through lowered lashes. Tanya was very used to getting her way, but I had been on the receiving end of this look too often in the last six months for it to have much of an effect on me anymore.

"Sorry, hon, I'm beat and I really just want to get showered and changed," I said quietly, moving in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

My body was exhausted, even though parts of it were itching to take Tanya up on her offer. She seemed to have a thing for wanting to have sex in public, especially when we were at the hospital. At first, it was a bit of a thrill to sneak off to a closet for a quickie, but lately, it was beginning to get on my nerves how much she wanted to jump me while we were at work. I was trying to make a decent impression on the attending physicians and the Chief. Now that I was coming to the end of my residency, it was more important than ever to make sure I wasn't making any waves that could jeopardize getting a permanent position at Harborview. I was actually a little surprised Tanya was willing to risk it herself.

Tanya continued to pout, but I just gave her a small wink as I turned to make my way to the showers.

"I'll meet you in the lounge in fifteen minutes."

Twenty minutes later, I was in the doctors' lounge and Tanya was nowhere to be found. She was probably pissed that I turned down her offer for shower sex and annoyed that I was late meeting her. It was also possible that she was irate that I dismissed her to the lounge to wait for me. Tanya was not the type of woman to wait anywhere, or for anyone. I sighed, knowing she was going to make me pay for this next time I saw her.

I'd left my cell phone in my locker, so I checked it to see if anyone had called while I'd been in surgery. I had one missed call and a voicemail from Emmett.

"Little brother, when you get done saving lives, give me a call. Rosie and I are going to dinner tonight and I'm inviting your depressed ass. Call me."

I shook my head at his message and grinned. I'd go to dinner with him and Rosalie, but my depressed ass would not be attending. My mood had changed dramatically since getting assigned a surgery with the Chief.

Emmett picked up on the third ring. "Fuckface, you in for dinner?"

"Just tell me when and where and I'll be there."

I could sense Emmett's surprised pause on the other end of the phone; he hadn't expected me to agree. This wasn't surprising, considering how tense things had been between us lately, but if he was ready to let it go and move on, so was I.

"Ooba's in Bellevue around seven. I have to pick Rose up at her office, so we'll just go right there unless you want me to swing by the condo and pick you up."

"Nah, I'll meet you guys there. I'm going to invite Tanya, okay?"

I was greeted by a deafening silence from the other end of the phone. "Emmett?"

I heard a loud sigh and then, "Yeah, sure, whatever."

"Jesus, Emmett, could you be more gracious in your invitation?"

More silence.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, we'll see you there at seven."

I heard "Peace and chicken grease" followed by a click.

I sighed and sat down on the bench in front of my locker. There was definitely no love lost between Emmett and Tanya. Even after Tanya and I started dating, Emmett continued to introduce me to women he thought I might be interested in. I was polite, but never went out with any of them. The last time he ambushed me with a "date," I didn't talk to him for a week. He'd finally gotten the point that I wasn't interested in dating anyone but Tanya. He had never said why, but I could tell he wasn't happy about my choice.

Emmett had always been cold but civil to Tanya whenever she was around, so I hadn't ever had to call him out on his apparent dislike of her.

Things changed a month ago though, when I finally confronted him after we all had dinner together one night. Rose had been polite, if a bit bitchy, but that was Rosalie, so I didn't necessarily think it was directed toward Tanya personally. Emmett, on the other hand, had been an absolute bastard the entire night.

After dinner, Emmett had taken Rose home, and I dropped Tanya off at her place since we both had an early shift the next morning. Emmett made it back to the condo before I did and had been lounged on our black leather couch, flipping through television stations. I slammed the front door and glared at him. His eyes were trained on the flat screen in front of him, barely sparing me a glance as I stormed in. I'd been livid.

"Do you mind telling me what the hell your problem is?" I stood next to the couch, waiting for him to answer me.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He'd been calm as he answered me, still refusing to take his eyes off the television.

"I'm talking about the way you treated Tanya at dinner tonight. You were a complete fuck!"

He just shrugged, and I growled. He continued to ignore me and when I'd finally had enough, I grabbed the remote from his hand, turning off the TV.

"HEY!" Emmett had jumped off the couch and stood glaring at me.

"I want to know why you acted like a complete ass tonight and treated my girlfriend like shit. You really hurt her feelings. What the hell is your problem?"

Emmett hadn't really hurt Tanya's feelings; it would take a hell of a lot more than Emmett being a bastard to do so. She wasn't exactly the warm, sensitive type and most things bounced right off her. Still, it hadn't excused my brother for his behavior at dinner.

Emmett's right hand was pounding against his thigh, a sure sign he had something on his mind. I waited for an answer; silence did not make me uncomfortable in the least.

It had been like an explosion when he finally answered me.

"Dude, she's not for you! She's loud, brash, and the most self-centered person I've ever met in my life! She makes Rose look like a fucking choirgirl! She was practically giving you a hand job at the table, despite the fact that you were doing your best to tell her to knock it the fuck off without embarrassing her, which is a hell of a lot more than she deserved. She was rude and short to the wait staff and she talked about nothing but her bitchy-ass self for most of the night. She cut you off a million times when you were talking! When she wasn't ignoring you, she was treating you like a five-year-old! She's a bitch and you deserve better."

Emmett was breathing hard by the time he finished.

Well, shit. I'm so glad he held back. Fuck.

I felt my jaw tense and my fists clench. Before I could have done something I regretted, I turned and walked to my room, slamming the door behind me.

As I'd lain in bed that night after our fight, I realized that what Emmett had said about Tanya had bothered me, and it wasn't because he was wrong. When I had calmed down and really thought about his outburst, I knew he was absolutely right. Tanya was a bitch. She was rude, crude, and incredibly self-centered.

And ... I absolutely didn't care.

We had rocking sex. She was a brilliant surgeon, and she pushed me to be a better doctor. We both worked insane hours, so I didn't have to worry about being with someone who couldn't understand the demands my work had on my schedule. Despite what my brother thought, I could ignore what bothered me about Tanya and easily focus on what I did like about her.

Emmett and I hadn't spoken about our fight since it'd happened.

At seven o'clock, I was sitting inside Ooba's by myself, waiting for Emmett and Rosalie to show up. Tanya had ungraciously declined, claiming that she had plans with her sisters. It may have been true, but I had a feeling her refusal had more to do with getting back at me for leaving her waiting earlier. At least now I could enjoy dinner, rather than worrying how she would piss Emmett off and how he would react.

I glanced up from my menu for the fourth time when I was finally rewarded with seeing my brother and his girlfriend moving toward our table. Emmett had his arm around Rosalie's waist with a huge shit-eating grin on his face. Rose was gliding next to him with a small smirk on hers. I was puzzled, wondering why the hell they were smiling.

It wasn't until they drew abreast of the table that I saw what caused their happiness. Alice peeked out around Emmett's right side and squealed when she saw me. I jumped up to hug my baby sister, grabbing her into my arms before she cleared Emmett and Rose's backs.

"Edward! I need to breathe!" She gasped as I hugged her tight. I might not have always told her, or even acted like it, but I adored my little sister. I was shocked, but thrilled that she was here in Seattle.

We settled down to the table with Alice on my right, Emmett across from Alice, and Rose directly across from me. We took a few minutes to peruse the menus and order before launching into the whys and wherefores of Alice's visit.

"So, Baby Girl, what are you doing on our side of the world?" Emmett's booming voice echoed through the restaurant and Rose smacked his right arm as a reminder to not let his excitement be known to everyone in the greater Seattle area.

"Bella's home."

I jerked, surprised by Alice's answer. I shouldn't have been; Alice and Bella had been best friends since high school. I'd heard about Bella's accident from my mother and knew that my sister had been by her side within hours of it happening, so it shouldn't have been a surprise that if Bella were back in Washington, Alice would be too.

I tried to convince myself that the shock I felt was the remains of seeing Alice so unexpectedly and not from hearing Bella's name.

It didn't work.

Alice explained to us the story behind Bella's accident and her recovery. I only heard every third sentence, as my mind was pulled back to ten years earlier, when I had first met Bella Swan.

It had been the summer after my junior year of college, and I'd only been back in Forks for a few days. I'd been spending most of my time sleeping and settling into the routine of living at home again. On this particular day, it was past noon by the time I dragged myself out of bed and headed downstairs to see what my family was up to. Emmett had elected to spend the summer after his graduation from college with our aunt and uncle in Alaska, and it was boring as hell without him here. I was happy to see Alice and my parents, but was already ready to go back to Dartmouth. Maybe Alice could be convinced to head down to the beach in La Push and hang out with me for the afternoon.

I'd made my way into the kitchen and stopped short when I saw Alice sitting at our extra large kitchen table with a girl I'd never seen before. She had chestnut-colored hair, and it hung just past her shoulders in smooth waves. There seemed to be a light surrounding her, almost seemingly from the inside out. Her cheeks had a pink tinge to them and her head was thrown back, laughing at something Alice had said, exposing the line of her throat. I felt my mouth dry up and my stomach clench. Damn, she was beautiful.

I'd wondered if I could sneak back out of the kitchen to go grab a shower before having to officially meet Alice's friend, then Alice glanced over to see me standing in the doorway, giving me a grin.

Too late.

"Bella, the monster standing in the doorway is my brother, Edward. Edward, this is my friend, Bella."

Bella turned to look at me, giving me a small smile before she bit her down on her bottom lip. Her cheeks were a brilliant pink and I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice.

"He-hello, Bella," I stammered; my voice was squeaky and I cursed to myself for sounding like a twelve-year-old boy.

I cleared my throat, and I felt my palms get sweaty. I hadn't been this nervous since I'd asked Jane Mays to our senior prom. I'd tried to nonchalantly wipe my hands on my pajama pants, but Alice had noticed and gave another giggle.

"Hi," she said quietly, looking down at the table in front of her.

It had been almost involuntary, how my feet had begun to move across the tiles of the floor. Something had been drawing me to her and I wanted to get closer, to smell and see her better. The dark blue shirt she'd been wearing brought out the color of her milky white skin, her shorts gave me a great view of her legs and I could just see a hint of pink on her toes.

God, I love summer.

I wondered how I could convince Alice to spend the day with me so I could stare at – and hopefully get to know – Bella, when my mother came storming in the front door, out for blood.

"Edward Anthony Cullen! It's about time you got out of bed. Come with me, now!"

Shit, what the hell could I have done? I've been asleep for the last nine hours.

Alice gave a tinkling laugh and I could see Bella trying to hide her smile. I ran a nervous hand through my hair and waved goodbye as I followed my mother. I heard Alice and Bella giggle as I left the room.

I hadn't gotten the chance to know Bella better that summer, or at any point thereafter. She'd left for Jacksonville a few days later to spend some time with her mother and stepfather and by the time she returned, I'd gone to Alaska to join Emmett at our aunt and uncle's. From Alaska, I went right back to college.

Even ten years later, our first meeting had stuck in my head. There had been just something about her...

Hearing her name now, as Alice talked about her recovery and her move back to Forks, I could only think of that meeting and how beautiful I'd found her. I couldn't help but wonder if the accident had changed the light I had seen in her, if she was still as beautiful as I had found her that first day.

"Edward! Earth to Eddie!" Emmett crowed across the table and I threw myself back in the present, cringing at the nickname Emmett called me.

"Did you need something, Emmy?"

Emmett's face got red and Rosalie let out a chuckle.

Alice smiled and patted Emmett's hand. "Em, he hates it when you call him Eddie. You knew he was probably going to pull the Emmy card."

Emmett scowled, but didn't reply.

Our food arrived and silence fell around the table; the only sounds were the scraping of forks across plates and few murmurs about how delicious everything was. After a few minutes, I noticed that Alice had stopped eating her fajita, put down her fork, and was just sitting there, staring at the three of us.

"Ali, is everything okay, honey?" I asked gently, putting down my own fork and taking her hand.

She nodded and smiled. "I was just thinking."

"Do you mind if I ask about what?"

She sighed and played a little with her fork before speaking in a rushed voice. "Well, I've only told Bella yesterday afternoon, and I called Jake on the way here and they both think it's a great idea. It's going to be a huge life change and there's a lot to think about before I actually do it. But Bella and Jake love the fact that I'm even thinking about it and I know Mom is going to have an absolute freak attack, and Dad will probably be thrilled –"

Emmett reached over and patted Alice's other hand. "Baby Girl, slow down and tell us what everyone is going to be so excited about."

Alice took a shaky breath and a sip of water. "I'm thinking of moving back to Washington and opening my own boutique here in Seattle." She looked at us warily, gauging our reactions.

Emmett and I looked at each other and then back at Alice, huge grins splitting our faces.

"Baby Girl back on our side of the country? That would be fan-fucking-tastic!" Emmett jumped across the table and lifted Alice up into a crushing hug while the people next to us laughed at his exuberance.

"Put the poor girl down, Em! She can't breathe!" Rosalie was smiling and shaking her head as Alice's face turned red from lack of oxygen. Emmett dropped her gently back into her chair and she tried to get her breath back. She looked at me and I nodded.

"I would love to have you nearby. The Cullen kids living in the same town? Seattle will never be the same."

Everyone laughed and we continued to chat over our meals, talking to Alice about the logistics of quitting her job, moving cross-country, and starting her own business. My sister had obviously thought about this a great deal, and Bella's name came up often as she spoke about her plans. It became apparent that Bella's accident had caused my sister to re-think the future she had once been so sure about.

We stayed at the restaurant for another hour, talking, making plans, and reminiscing about old times. It was fun to explain to Rosalie some of the pranks Emmett and I had pulled on Alice when we were younger, and Alice's successful attempts at revenge. We were still laughing as we walked out to the parking lot to our cars.

Emmett was going to stay at Rose's that night, and Alice was staying with me at the penthouse. The girls made plans for the following day to go shopping and to check out possible storefronts, although Alice made it clear that it was just looking at this point.

"Do you think Bella might want to join us?" Rosalie asked as she opened the passenger-side door to Emmett's Jeep.

Alice shook her head. "I don't think so. The trip from here to Forks was pretty hard on her the other day. Jake and I both saw her yesterday after Charlie brought her home, and she was okay, but not great. I got her to take a walk to the park, but when I stopped by this morning, she was in rough shape. She was pretty quiet and I'm fairly sure she was trying to pretend she wasn't in as much pain as she really was. I think shopping might be a bit much for her right now."

I felt my stomach drop. I had the urge to drop everything and go to Forks and check on her.

What the hell is wrong with me?

"What happened to Tanya?"

I jumped at Emmett's question. He had opened the door to his Jeep, but hadn't gotten inside, stopping to listen to the girls' conversation like I had. I looked at him, wondering if there was a hidden meaning behind his question, but his face and tone were void of anything other than indifference.

"She had plans with her sisters already," I answered cautiously. We had a good night and the tension between us had been non-existent at dinner. I had no intention of doing anything to bring it back, so I left my answer at that.

Emmett nodded once and then slapped the top of the Jeep. "Ladies, I hate to break this up, but I have to testify in court tomorrow, so we need to get this show on the road."

The girls hugged goodbye. I walked Alice to her rental, which wasn't parked far from the Volvo. She didn't know Seattle very well, so I told her to follow me closely as we made our way back to the condo. She rolled her eyes but didn't say anything.

There was no traffic, thanks to the late hour, and we were at the condo within fifteen minutes. I took Alice's bag inside and we chatted quietly on the elevator up to the penthouse.

"Damn, boys." She whistled when she walked in. Emmett and I had moved here four months before, thanks to the money from our trust funds that had been left to us from our maternal grandparents. We had been drawing on the interest since we were twenty-five but got access to the principal when we'd turned thirty. The minute I got my share, we'd started looking for new places to live so I could be closer to the hospital. It helped for the nights I was on-call and made it possible for me to actually come home to sleep rather than sacking out in the lounge; there was just no way to beat a two-minute commute. Emmett didn't care where we lived, and although we both could afford to live alone, we liked the company we got out of living together.

Luck had been on our side when the penthouse condo in The Gainsborough opened up. It offered us amazing views of Puget Sound and the Seattle skyline. My favorite part of the condo was the roof top garden – it was a great place to go decompress and think. I couldn't be happier with how everything had worked out. Emmett and I had fought over who got the master suite with a game of Halo and I'd won. I still couldn't tell if he was more upset about losing the game or the suite.

I settled Alice into Emmett's room before heading through the condo to make sure the lights were off and the door was locked. I thought back to what we had been discussing at dinner and I found my thoughts drifting again to Bella. I was having a hard time wrapping my head around my reaction to Alice telling us she was having a bad day. I wondered if she was taking care of herself and if she would recover better being back among friends and family.

A knock at the front door brought me quickly out of my thoughts, and I crossed the living room to open it. Tanya was standing on the other side, wearing a long, black trench coat, red stilettos and a big grin.

"I was waiting for you, lover. Thought you might be up for that shower now," she said seductively, moving her hands to untie the belt at her waist. She was wearing black stockings held up by a black garter belt and a red and black corset that barely held up her ample breasts. I swallowed hard.

"Why don't you come in?" I pulled her across the threshold and into my arms, scattering the thoughts of Bella right out of my mind.