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.

As always, much love to my betas, AddictedtoEdward and Ms. Ambrosia. I seriously don't know what I'd do without the two of them.

There's quite a lot of stuff happening in this chapter. I hope you enjoy!

BPOV

I blinked, trying to remember where I was and why I felt so crappy. Rolling over, I looked around the room I was in, recognizing some of the objects scattered around, but my brain just wasn't cooperating with me. Where was I?

Sitting up, I took a deep breath and tried to put the scattered pieces of my mind back together. My head was aching and my left ankle hurt like hell. Had I hurt myself during physical therapy?

It took a few more seconds before everything came rushing back – my bedroom in the new condo, Alice's scream, tripping over a box, the hospital…Edward Cullen.

I groaned, remembering what an ass I made out of myself in the hospital last night. I can't believe they had to give me a sedative because I was having a panic attack. Not only did I lose it in front of Jake, Alice, and Emmett, but the hottest guy I have ever laid my eyes on also had to deal with me in the mist of my humiliation.

My cheeks were burning as my face fell into my hands. Moaning, I tried desperately not to remember my absolute freak attack in the hospital in front of everyone. The medication I had been given had knocked me out not long after Jake and Alice brought me home, but that meant I now had the opportunity to relive my breakdown.

While I was thankful that they had given me drugs to keep me from losing it more than I had, I was embarrassed by the fact that I lost it at all. It was a hospital for God's sake, not a torture chamber. Granted, much of my time in the Jacksonville hospital felt like torture – physically, emotionally and mentally – but last night was just my normal, run of the mill "Bella had another accident" hospital trip. I was mortified that I had lost myself so completely to the memories and my panic.

And to do so in front of Edward – I'll never be able to stand in the same room with him ever again. Our meetings had been few and far between over the years, but now that we were living in the same city and I was living with his sister, our paths were sure to cross more often. After last night, I should probably just go into the witness protection program and call it a day.

Overreact much?

I fell back against the pillows and groaned again. I was being ridiculous. Everyone understood why I reacted the way I did, and they had been more than kind and understanding about it. Well, everyone – with the exception of Edward.

His bedside manner left something to be desired, that's for sure. He was brisk – almost cold – in his demeanor, and thinking back on it, I couldn't help but wonder why. Granted, he and I had never been anything more than somewhat friendly acquaintances, but I was his sister's best friend for God's sake. You'd think he would've made the effort to make me feel at ease and a little more comfortable, especially since I was fairly certain Alice had explained to him about my panic attack and where it had come from. His attitude had remained cool though, and left me wondering if he was like that with all his patients or if it was just something I had brought out in him.

Justifying my reaction to him would be less complicated, considering the fact that I had always felt a bit intimidated by him. When he had walked through the Cullen's kitchen door the summer Alice and I had graduated from high school, I thought for sure I had seen a Greek God. His jaw looked like it was shaped from marble, and his almond-shaped eyes were a brilliant jade green. His brown hair had bronze highlights, and its careless style made him look like he had spent a very enjoyable night rolling around his bed. He had flashed me a crooked grin and my stomach flew up to my throat. It took all I had to force myself to stay seated at the Cullens' kitchen table, instead of running out the front door and as far away from Edward as I could get. I had a hard time catching my breath and had never been so thankful when Esme's arrival had stolen him away. Having him that close to me was nerve-wracking and I'd had no idea how to deal with all the feelings that had been swirling around inside of me.

Edward had unnerved me, making me feel things I had never felt. No one I had ever met before had elicited in me such a strong reaction. My urge to bolt hadn't come from any fear of Edward, but rather the need to clear my head and understand why his presence had caused a multitude of emotions inside of me. All I could think about were his piercing green eyes and how they seemed to see right through me as they had met my own.

I'd been mortified and confused by the reaction I'd had to Edward, and I had done my best to avoid him before I left to spend the rest of the summer with my mom and Phil. I continued to evade Edward over the next ten years easily, since we hardly ever seemed to be in the same place at the same time. Whenever we were in the same vicinity, I made sure to keep our interactions brief and fairly formal. No one had ever questioned my aloofness, so I figured I had pulled off the "polite, but cool" vibe pretty well. There had been no reason for anyone to guess that I was purposely avoiding my best friend's older brother. There also had been no reason for me to question why I was so set on avoiding him.

Until last night.

I blamed my reaction to Edward last night on the medication. I hadn't felt such a need to touch him, or felt the electricity between us, in any other time we had met, with the very exception of the first time I'd met him. The only logical explanation – the only explanation I was comfortable with – was that I had been having a very odd reaction to the medication that had been given to me.

My cell phone rang at that moment, drawing me out of my musings. I reached over to my bedside table, picking it up to see Charlie's name flash across the tiny screen. I had forgotten to call him last night when I got home.

"Hey Dad."

"Bells, are you okay?" His voice was gruff, as if he had just woken up, but there was a bit of frantic worry underneath as well. I took a look at the clock and realized it was just after seven o'clock in the morning, and he must have just woken up.

"I'm fine. My ankle's a little sore, but other than that, I'm doing just fine. I'm so sorry I forgot to call you last night."

"No, no, it's fine. Jake called me and told me he and Alice had gotten you settled in for the night and said you were pretty knocked out on the meds they'd given you. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay before I headed into work."

"No worse for wear. It was a typical 'Bella' move, and if it wasn't for hitting my head and not waking up, I probably wouldn't even have had to go."

Charlie gave a small chuckle. "Nothing's ever boring with you around, kid."

I smiled. "No, no it's not."

"Well, you take it easy, okay? I'll have my cell if you need anything. Carlisle and I spoke last night and I told him I was going to try and rearrange my schedule so I can come out and visit you kids this weekend –"

"Oh, Dad, no! You're so busy. It's fine. Alice and I – "

He cut me off in a tone that told me to hold my tongue. "Carlisle is going to try and do the same, so we'll be there this weekend if we can swing it, kid. I gotta get going, but you call if you need anything."

"I will. I love you, Dad."

"Love you too, Bells. Be good."

I smiled at his usual ending; no matter what I was doing or where I was going, he always ended our phone calls with the same request. When I was younger it would annoy the heck out of me, because seriously, when had I ever not been good? But now that I was older, I appreciated the sentiment for what it was – my dad looking out for me.

We said our goodbyes and I put my cell back down on the table. I was grateful for the friendship that Carlisle and Esme had formed with my father when Alice and I had first become attached at the hip, and even more so when it continued after we left for college. Carlisle and Charlie would sometimes go fishing together, more often now that Billy's death had left Charlie without his usual fishing companion. Esme had tried to set Charlie up with different women over the years, although nothing serious had ever come from these dates. It was nice to know that my real family and my chosen family got along so well.

Since I was wide-awake, I decided to get up and face the day. I gingerly put some weight on my ankle and when it held without much pain, I wobbled into my bathroom so I could take care of necessities and shower. Edward had told me to stay off of it for at least forty-eight hours, but that just wasn't going to happen. It took a bit of maneuvering so I could strip out of my clothes and unwrap the bandage around my ankle without falling on my butt, but I eventually made it into the shower without mishap. There was a bench that lined the shower wall and being able to sit while showering was going to make my life in the next few days much easier. The shower was big enough for at least four people, and at first, I had balked at how excessive it had seemed for just me. Today was one of the few times in my life I was thankful for the Cullens' need to have the best. I stuck my head under the pounding cascade and let it roll down my body. The warm water felt good against my skin, and it dragged away the remaining fogginess from the meds.

A half an hour later, I had dressed and re-wrapped my ankle, though not nearly as well as Edward had last night. I limped down the hallway toward the kitchen and living room, wondering if either Jake or Alice were awake yet. Alice's bedroom door was closed and I could hear Jake's snores coming from the couch in the living room. Making my way into the kitchen, I noticed someone had gotten some groceries last night. The fridge had bacon, eggs, milk and butter. I figured the least I could do was make them breakfast for taking care of me and keeping me from staying in the hospital overnight.

The bacon was sizzling in the pan and I had just poured the scrambled eggs into the warm skillet when I heard a noise behind me. Jake was standing on the other side of the kitchen island, glaring at me.

"Don't even start." I turned back to the stove and ignored him.

"Dr. Dick said you shouldn't be on your ankle for at least another twenty-four hours. You've taken a shower. What the hell is wrong with you?"

I hated Jake when he acted like my father. It just ticked me off.

"I thought I would do something nice for my best friends and cook them breakfast." I stirred the eggs and turned down the burner under the bacon. "But if you're going to be a jerk, you can march your sorry ass back into the living room and starve."

"You are the most stubborn, pig-headed, aggravating woman I have ever met, and I'm married to Leah! Why can't you just – " Jake's voice was rising and I turned, brandishing a fork and matching his tone.

"Are you kidding me? For all the years you've known me, has anything less than a broken bone ever kept me out of commission for more than a day?"

"You know Alice and I could've taken care of this so you could take it easy. Jeez, Bells, can't you just do what you're told for once?"

"You're one to talk, Jacob Black! When have you ever done anything you're been told to do?"

"You know, you're such a freaking brat. I should just – "

"Go ahead, big man. Bring it on!"

We were screaming over each other at this point, the food forgotten behind me. Jake and I hardly ever fight, but when we do, it's brutal. If I hadn't been gimped out, I would've already been across the kitchen slapping the crap out of him and he'd be wrestling me to the ground so he could pinch the hell out of me.

There was an ear-piercing whistle to our right and both our heads swung over to see Alice, standing in the doorway that lead down the hallway to our bedrooms, her hands on her hips. Her hair was standing up on end and she had a short, pink robe wrapped around her tiny body. If looks could kill, Jacob and I would be dead where we stood.

"It's eight hell o'clock in the morning. Do you think you guys can hold off on the smack down until at least nine when most of our neighbors are probably at work and won't have to hear how freaking dysfunctional we are?" Her words were mild compared to the look she was shooting out of her eyes.

Jake and I glared at each other, but when Alice stomped her foot, we grumbled a vague "sorry" in each other's direction. I turned back to the stove and heard two of the bar stools Alice had brought with her from New York scrape across the kitchen floor.

I finished cooking in silence, and grabbed three plates from the cabinet next to the stove. I was debating how to get the full plates over to the island without asking for help or dropping everything over the floor, when Jake approached me.

He took them from my hands, kissing the top of my head. "Sorry, babe."

I gave him a half smile. "Me too."

Jake walked the plates over and sat one of them in front of Alice, placing the second one to the right of the chair he had been sitting in. I had the third plate in my hand and was about to limp across the kitchen, but one look at Jake's face stopped me. He returned to me and lifted me easily into his side, walking the plate and me across to the island. He deftly removed the plate from my hand before sliding me into the chair next to him.

"Eat," he commanded before sitting down and tucking into the dish in front of him.

Alice, Jake and I spoke quietly over our food. Alice told us that Esme had called just before she had heard Jake and I yelling, and that she should be there sometime before noon. Jake said he was going to stick around until she got there, but then head back to La Push and Leah. He had been gone for three days, and his voice told Alice and I just how much he missed his wife.

Alice finished eating first and informed us she was going to take a shower. She told me in no uncertain terms that I was to leave the dishes alone and keep my ass on the couch after Jake put me there.

Jake and I finished eating in silence until I snorted. He glanced over at me, questioningly.

"Care to share with the class, Bells?"

"Dr. Dick?" I snorted out a laugh.

Jake laughed. "What? Too nice?"

I was in full out hysterical laughter now, bent over at the waist, trying not to knock my head into the counter. "Where the hell did you come up with that?"

"We spent a lot of sitting around waiting yesterday and it just kind of came to me. You have to admit – the guy wasn't exactly Mr. Friendly."

"The person you're referring to as 'that guy' is your best friend's brother, so you better hope that she doesn't catch you calling him Dr. Dick."

Jake nodded. "I know, I know. But even she said his attitude sucked, and she couldn't understand it. Emo, I think she called him, but she said she'd never seen him border-line rude like he was last night." Jake shrugged and got up to take our dishes over to the sink. "Whatever, Dr. Dick has been christened. I'll just have to be careful that I don't call him that in front of Ali."

I just shook my head and rolled my eyes. He'd never get away with it. Jake didn't have a filter; whatever he thought just came out of his mouth whenever it crossed his mind.

By the time Alice got out of the shower, I was deposited on the couch and Jake and I were arguing over what to watch on TV. Ali headed into the kitchen to put away our leftovers and take care of the dishes, and then settled down with a Pottery Barn magazine.

As promised, Esme arrived just before noon. She was welcomed with a crushing hug from Jake and lots of enthusiastic bouncing from Ali. I was a bit teary when she came in and gave me a hug. I was almost thirty years old and had lived on my own for the last ten years, but I desperately missed having a mother figure in my life. Esme would never take Renee's place, but her presence helped mend the crack in my heart a bit, even if it was just for a temporary moment.

With Esme's arrival came Jake's departure, and there were more tears. I had relied on him a lot in the last three months and it was going to be weird not seeing him on a daily basis anymore. I knew we'd get by as we always had – with emails and phone calls – and Seattle was a lot closer than Sacramento had ever been. But he had been one-third of the team that had held me up since my return from Jacksonville. I already missed Charlie more than I cared to admit and now my team would be down one more with Jake's return to La Push.

"Behave," he warned as he sat on the couch with me wrapped in his huge arms.

"Don't I always?" I tried to joke, but it came out choked through my tears.

"I'm leaving you, alone, in Seattle, with Alice and Emmett. There's no possible way you'll behave in any way, shape or form."

I laughed as I leaned back and looked into his big brown eyes. "You've been my rock, Jake. Thank you for – "

He cut me off with a finger placed over my lips. "What did I tell you about this thanking me crap? It's what –"

" – families do. I know."

There were no more words, just another hug that seemed to end all too soon. He said goodbye to Esme and then picked Alice up and gave her a great big hug, whispering into her ear. I could see the tears track down her cheeks as well, and I wondered what he was saying to her. Ali gave him a small peck on the lips before sending our boy on his way.

It had been an emotionally draining day and it was only just past noon. Between Charlie's phone call and my fight with Jake, Esme's arrival and Jake's goodbye, I was wiped out. Excusing myself to my room, I told Alice and Esme I just wanted to lie down and rest. Thankfully, sleep claimed me quickly.

I woke up almost five hours later, with the glittering Seattle skyline shining outside my open bedroom window. I stretched and got up slowly, making my way into the living room. The condo was silent and I wondered where Esme and Alice had disappeared. There was a note on the counter answering my question.

B,

Mom and I went out to get some groceries and other stuff.

I wanted to show her the dining room table I found in the PB mag.

We won't buy anything until you approve.

Mom's going to cook dinner so don't worry about anything.

Back soon,

A

I planned on ignoring Alice's plea to not worry about dinner; there was no way I was going to make Esme cook after driving out here and then being out all day with Alice. Opening the fridge, I looked around to see what I could do with what we had, when I heard the knock at the front door.

Surprised, I shut the stainless steel doors and hobbled over to the entryway. I called out "Hello?" as I put my eye up to the peephole. When I saw who it was, I stumbled back in shock.

It was Dr. Dick.

Crap.

My first instinct was to ignore him, but he probably had already heard me say hello. I certainly couldn't leave him hanging out in the hallway all night, especially with Alice and Esme set to return at any moment. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door.

"Bella." He seemed slightly surprised. "How are – you shouldn't be standing on that ankle."

"Hello to you too, Edward." I stepped back and opened the door wider so he could come in. He quickly stepped in, and without missing a beat, picked me up in his arms. I squealed, surprised, and threw my arms around his neck. He kicked the door shut with his foot and strode to the living room.

"Wh – what are you doing?" I yelped, as he deposited me on the couch.

"Getting you off your ankle, like you should've been all day. I thought I told you forty-eight hours before you could stand on it." His voice was firm, but there was a hint of warmth there too; one that had definitely not been there when I had seen him yesterday.

Maybe Dr. Dick's been working on his bedside manner?

Edward sat on the coffee table in front of the couch and pulled my foot into his lap.

I shrugged. "It was feeling better. Plus, someone had to answer the door since your mom and Alice aren't here. Or would you've preferred to stand in the hallway until they got home?"

"If it meant keeping you off your foot, then yes, I would have stood there all night." I could definitely hear the amusement in his tone, and I was taken aback. What had happened to Dr. Dick?

I sighed and tried to pull my foot away. Edward clamped his hand gently down on my ankle and looked up at me, raising his eyebrow. We started at each other, having a silent battle of the wills, until I huffed and fell back onto the couch cushions, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Did you wrap this yourself?" Edward asked as he began removing the ace bandage from around my ankle.

I nodded, but he wasn't looking at me, so he didn't notice. He must've thought I was ignoring him because he looked up and said, "Bella?"

"Yes, I wrapped it myself."

"Thought so."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" I growled at him, annoyed that he seemed to be mocking my wrap job.

Edward glanced up again, surprised. "Nothing, just that it's hard to do a decent wrap job on your own ankle. It always comes out better when someone else can do it."

"Well excuse me, but my personal physician didn't arrive until just a few moments ago."

His fingers stilled on my now bare ankle and he looked up at me slowly. His eyes danced with mischief and his mouth was turned into the same crooked grin that had mocked me for ten years. I couldn't help but grin back at him.

What the hell is going on? I feel like Alice in Wonderland after she fell down the rabbit hole.

I sat in silence while Edward examined my ankle, answering him when he asked a question about how I was feeling and if I was in any pain. We were quiet as he re-wrapped my ankle. The silence was surprisingly comfortable, and I wondered how and why things seemed to change between us. For ten years, we had been coolly polite toward each other. Yesterday, things between us had been absolutely glacial. Twenty-four hours later we were sitting in my apartment and the atmosphere between us was warm…almost...flirty?

That really can't be right.

Edward stood up and looked around, leaving my ankle propped uncomfortably on the table in front of me. "What are you looking for?" I asked him, as he moved around the living room.

"A pillow to prop your ankle on. Doesn't my sister have like a million of those stupid little ones that you just toss on things?" I tried not to laugh at the exasperated look on his face, or the ways his arms flung wide to imitate throwing pillows on the furniture.

"Up the hallway, second door on the right. There's a pillow on my bed you can use."

Edward's eyes clashed with mine and we just stared at each other, as the tension in the room seemed to grow exponentially. I could feel the blush on my cheeks and I saw his throat bob as he swallowed. He nodded once before leaving me on the couch to release a tension filled sigh.

The front door opened and I saw Alice and Esme enter the condo, laughing quietly.

"Bella! How was your nap?" Alice asked, putting grocery bags on the kitchen counter.

"Hello, dear. Wait until you see what I got for your bathroom; I think you're going to…" Esme trailed off as Edward walked into the room, holding a pillow from my bed.

"Edward!" Both Alice and Esme exclaimed at the same time.

"Hey Mom, Ali." He gave them a smile before coming over and gently lifting my foot so he could place the pillow underneath it.

"You okay?" He asked quietly, looking down at me with those piercing green eyes.

I nodded, staring back at him, unable to speak over the lump in my throat. The air was tense with something I couldn't define and part of me wished that Alice and Esme had delayed their return a bit longer. They both stood in the kitchen, gaping at Edward and I like they had never seen us before.

Edward turned toward his family and walked over to give Alice and then Esme a hug.

"Missed you," he said as he rocked Esme back and forth in his arms for a few seconds.

Alice was silent, watching me carefully. My first instinct was to blush and look down, although nothing inappropriate had happened between Edward and me. I couldn't control the blush, but I refused to look away, meeting her gaze head on. We had one of our silent conversations.

"What's my brother doing here?"

"No idea."

"Really?"

"Nope."

I could tell she didn't believe me, but there was nothing I could do about that. Edward hadn't told me why he was there, although a guess could be made that he came to check on my ankle and see his family. Our eye contact broke when Esme spoke and we looked back at the mother and son hugging in our kitchen.

"I missed you too, sweetheart. You've been working too hard." Esme traced the dark circles under Edward's eyes. "And you're getting too thin!" She stepped back to look him over in her motherly way.

Edward shook his head and gave a short chuckle. "Mom, I'm the same weight I've been since I started med school. Remember, that's when you told me I was getting a little chunky? I'm fine."

Esme shook her head and began emptying groceries out of the bags on the counter. "You'll stay for dinner and then I'll know you got a decent meal. You can stay right?"

Edward nodded. "I worked this morning and don't have to be back until tomorrow at noon, so yes, I can stay. That is, if it's okay with Alice and Bella." He looked at his sister and then over at me for our approval or denial.

"I suppose you can stay." Alice rolled her eyes and bumped hips with Edward. He slung an arm around her shoulders and glanced over at me.

"Of course, Edward. You're always welcome here."

Whoa, wait. Did I just say that?

Both Alice and Edward looked as surprised as I felt. It looked like the corner of Edward's mouth had turned up in a slight grin, but I wasn't completely sure. What I did notice was the way Alice's eyes narrowed in speculation.

Esme nodded and got back to work, emptying bags and putting things aside that she'd need to make our dinner. Alice and Edward helped her, deciding between the three of them the best place for our food to go. Considering the kitchen was my domain since Alice didn't cook, I felt a little left out and annoyed that they didn't bother consulting me, but I shrugged it off. I'd just go and fix it the way I wanted to later.

Esme shooed Alice and Edward out of the kitchen so she could start making the spaghetti and meatballs she had planned for our dinner. They settled down in the living room with me, Alice in a brown armchair she had brought with her from New York and Edward on the couch with me. The length of the couch separated us, but I felt his presence as acutely as if he had been sitting right next to me. I spent the next hour avoiding Alice's eyes and trying to concentrate on the episode of Law and Order we were watching. I was relieved when Esme called us to grab our plates for dinner.

We hadn't bought a dining room table yet, so we were going to eat in the living room. I started to work my way off the couch when I felt a hand on my shoulder. My skin tingled where Edward's hand lay, and I bit my lip in confusion as I looked up at him.

"Stay put; I'll get you a plate." He smiled and giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze, moved over to the counter where Esme had laid out the food.

I looked over to see Alice giving me another speculative look, but I just turned away, glancing back at the TV. I knew she was wondering what was going on – someone would have to be completely oblivious to not see that something was different in the way Edward was behaving toward me. It was as puzzling to me as it seemed to be to her, but I was just as confused by his behavior as Alice seemed to be. But for some strange reason, it didn't bother me.

It didn't bother me at all.

Fic Rec: Please check out my girl Brown's story - "Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave." It is like my crack, and I can't get enough. It's on Twilighted and here at FF(dot)net. There's a thread on Twilighted for the story too, so come on over and chat it up with us!