The sun was barely poking through the dark wooden blinds when Bella's eyes slowly opened that morning. Everything around her was quiet, with the exception of Jacob snoring lightly beside her.

"Okay fine, I give up." Bella muttered as her tired brown eyes stared up at the ceiling.

There was no more sleep to be had that morning, no matter how bad her body needed or wanted it. She had been tossing and turning for the past few hours, which only added to the battle with sleep she had been dealing with since her and Jacob found their apartment.

Between feeling completely displaced mixed with morning sickness, she thought bitterly as she slipped out of bed and into the blue slippers that rested next to her side of the bed.

She paused halfway across the bedroom floor as Jacob snored loudly, rolling over so his muscular frame took up a majority of the bed. Her body remained still under his breathing became labored once again, and light and subtle snores came from his mouth.

Must be nice, she sighed as she slipped her bathrobe on and headed out into the main part of their small apartment.

She carefully tiptoed around the boxes of things her and Jacob had gathered between them, taking what they wanted from Forks and using it to start anew.

For him anyway, the bitter thoughts continued to plague her mind as wandered into the kitchen.

Something about being there didn't feel right to her. She had mentioned it to Jacob a few times in the few short days they had been there, but he dismissed it. He said it was because they hadn't unpacked yet, and that everything would fall into place with setting everything up and throwing some paint on the wall.

It didn't seem that easy as she reached into the cabinet over the sink and pulled out the tin of decaf coffee and turned their new coffee pot on. It was going to take a lot for this place to feel like home. She felt like they were just camping out there, that this was no place to start a family.

Family, she sighed and leaned against the counter. This is not a family.

Everything in her wanted to believe that she and Jacob could make this work, that everything would come together in the end. Well everything wanted to believe that except for the baby. Anytime she thought about Jacob it almost seemed like she got queasy, that the baby was trying to tell her something.

Did she have that same feeling about Edward?

Oh Edward... don't go there Bella.

That part of her life was gone, and gone for good.

"Bella, how long have you been up?"

"Not long," she turned around to see Jacob walking into the kitchen.

"Still can't sleep?" He asked as he ran a hand through his messy black hair.

"Unfortunately," she managed a smile as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"It'll be fine Bella, I'm still getting used to being here too." He whispered before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "We'll get this place spruced up in no time. We'll have to, the clock is ticking."

Bella remained quiet as Jacob rested a hand on her stomach. There went that nauseous feeling again.

"What did you want to do today?" He asked, after a few silent minutes ticked by.

"I need to get to the store, we have nothing to eat." Bella said, taking a step back from him. "Maybe I'll do that and you could get some painting done?"

"You want me to come with you?" He asked, causing her to turn around on her way out of the kitchen.

Bella kept her sudden 'no' inside of her as looked at him, a hopeful gleam rested in his hazelnut colored eyes. He was trying so hard and she was incredibly rough on him.

"You're going to paint AFTER you get a shower?" She asked, pleased with her sudden rush of brilliance.

"You're right," he smiled. "Well I'll head out to get supplies so I probably won't be here when you get out."

"Okay, be careful." She waved and started back on her path towards the bathroom.

"Hey Bella…I love you."

Oh god.

"Jake…I…" The words caught in her thought, causing her to cough.

"I know," he said as his head hung in defeat. "I know you're not ready to say that yet, I just couldn't hold it in anymore."

"I'm sorry," Bella said and hurried into the bathroom before Jacob had a chance to say anything else.

This is such a nightmare. She thought as she shut the door, pressing her back against it firmly. How can something that seemed so right suddenly fall apart?

She had to get out, and fast.

The hot shower provided little comfort as she rushed through it, sweeping still dripping wet hair into a ponytail before peaking out the bathroom door. The apartment was quiet and still, indicating Jacob was gone.

She cursed herself for the thankful feeling that his absence provided for her.

God Bella, what are you going to do?

That thought plagued her as she quickly dressed herself in jeans and a t-shirt, taking one last look at herself in the mirror before heading outside.

She felt like running, like driving right past the grocery store and keep going until she felt alive again. That want grew greater as her fingers grazed the metal key in her hand, and only increased ten fold as she climbed into her car.

It was funny; her whole journey had started this way. It began with her, sitting in the car her parents had bought for her, debating on whether a spontaneous trip to see if her brother in Washington was going to be enough to get her locked up forever and the key thrown away.

"You've been here before Bella, remember it is always harder to jump then it is to fall…"

"Bella, is that you?" A familiar voice and a sudden knock on the window of her car caused her to jump suddenly.

Edward, her eyes grew wide as she looked out the window to see who was trying to get her attention. Her fingers tightened their grip around the steering wheel as she stared up at him, surprise and fear rising within her.

"Open the door Bella," Edward said gently. "Crack the window at least."

"What…what are you doing here?" She said after cracking the window just an inch.

"I think that would be kind of obvious," he peered into the car through the tiny hole.

"Now is not the time to be a smart ass Edward," she looked away from him as she spoke. "I'm going to ask you again, what are you doing here? And more importantly, how did you find me?"

"Your mother called Emmett, Emmett called Alice, and Alice told me." Edward sighed, "We've been worried sick."

"I told everyone I was fine," Bella mumbled and let her head fall against the head rest, "Why can't anyone just believe me and let me be."

"Because this isn't you Bella, you don't do shit like this."

"Did I not tell you the way I got to Washington in the first place?"

"I know why you did that Bella," Edward said, not taking aback by the bitterness she spat at him.

"Then what is your point?"

"My point is, is that you're running away."

"I'm starting fresh," she sighed, "And after what you put me through…I had no choice."

"Bella, you know what? I am so fucking tired of that," he said angrily, causing her to

slink back in her seat. "You know nothing about what happened that day."

"Because you wouldn't tell me, you just safe guarded it like some precious secret. You let me walk out that door!"

"You wouldn't look back to let me explain!" He yelled, pushing off of the car and walking back and forth in front of the car.

"Then what happened with Tanya, Edward? What is the big secret?" Bella asked, rolling the window down the rest of the way.

"There is no secret Bella," Edward's arms flopped against his side. "She stopped by to pick up the expense papers for the benefit, and granite she came on to me. I told her to stop, I told her that I had you and that…"

"Told her what Edward?"

"I can't just come out and say it. You just have to trust me."

"I would Edward, but given the circumstances I think it would be best if you just came out and said whatever it is that you need to say."

"Bella…"

"Edward, you listen to me." Bella huffed as she pushed the car door open got out, choosing to stay put against the car. "You need to stop dancing around whatever it was that you needed to tell me. You are lucky I decided to let you talk to me in the first place."

"I know, I know." He put his hands up in defense, "It's just not easy to say."

"Well you know, you might want to put your big girl panties on and give it a shot." She sighed, leaning her full weight against the car.

Edward stared at her, his thin body remaining motionless in front of her. The confidence that he always held was absent from his face, replaced by a look of fear and uncertainty. A nervous yet still steady hand rand through his messy brown hair, the bronze highlights it held glimmered as he did so.

"Do you really want to know?"

"It would be nice if you shared that with me," Bella said calmly.

"This isn't how I wanted to do this," he sighed. "The reason you probably saw Tanya so excited that night and the reason for my behavior was because of this."

Bella's breathing became labored as she watched him reach into his pocket, his hand returning to sight only moments later with a small black box wrapped in his fingers. He didn't say another word as he grabbed one of her hands with his free one, and dropped the box into her palm.

"Edward, is that what I think it is?" She gulped as she stared down at the box in her still extended hand.

"Yeah, it is."

Oh my god.

"Bella, the meaning of what is inside of that box still holds true. I had to come down here with you and try to explain everything that happened. I let you get away because I felt I was up against a battle that I couldn't win. I knew he would tell you things to put me in the most negative light that he could, and between that and what you thought happened…I didn't think I could recover from that. But after a little bit of coxing, I decided I had to give it a shot or be left with the uncertainty of what would have happened if I would have gotten in that car and come after you"

"Alice got to you didn't she?" A smile tugged at Bella's face

"She persuades by annoyance sometimes," Edward let out a sigh of relief as the happy expression grew on her face.

"I knew it," Bella said as her eyes continued to go over the box.

"Tell me what you're thinking right now," he asked as he took a step towards her.

"I don't know…I…wasn't expecting this," she said in an almost whisper as her index finger glided over the lid of the box. "What were you planning on doing when you got down here?"

"Well the day didn't start out like how it was supposed to," Edward chuckled as he glanced behind him. "Alice and Jasper drove me down here, and they both abandoned me at that diner across the street. I guess that was their way of tell me to go for it. And frankly I had no idea was I was going to do, I've been holding onto that box since we got in the car. I figured everything else would come to me once I got down here."

"That's a big leap of faith."

"I know," he sighed heavily. "But you do what needs to be done sometimes."

"So what comes next?" She asked, finally looking up at him.

"I don't think that's up to me to decide. The ball is in your court as long as that box is in your hand."

"There's so much else to consider though…" Bella shook her head from side to side. "I mean there is Jake…and everyone else and…"

"Well Jake would take a beating, but I know he would be okay in the end. He wanted to move out here a while ago, his dad told Carlisle that when he called. And everyone else misses the hell out of you Bella. If you came home, it would be like Christmas."

"God, so you were going to ask me to marry you?"

"I was, and would still like to." Edward walked up to her, his fingers gently grazing her arm, "If you'd still have me of course."

"I don't know what to say."

"Say whatever is in your heart."

"I will, but under two conditions."

"Shoot."

"No more Tanya for starters."

"Already done," he smiled. "I talked to my professor and suggested Tanya get moved to another program, that I had someone else in mind."

"Like who?" Bella asked cautiously.

"Jasper," he said, receiving a smile from Bella. "He doesn't know it yet, but he is my new partner."

"You did that for me?"

"I didn't that for us," he picked the box from her hand and slowly lifted the lid. "I did it for our future."

"About that, I…"

"What is it Bella?" He asked, taken aback by her hesitation.

"Can I have a minute?" She asked, watching the disappointment spread across his face. "There are some things I need to take care of okay?"

"Will you come back?"

She smiled at his shyness and cupped his face in her hands, her thumb brushing over his cheek lightly.

"I promise you," she whispered and placed a light kiss on his lips. "Just five minutes."

"Before you go," he reached for her arm as she started to walk away. "Take this with you, give it some time too."

Bella nodded and held the small black box in her hand as she turned back towards her apartment.

She didn't look back once as she made her way inside; sighing heavily once the front door was shut behind her.

"Now what do I do?" He asked, starting a nervous pace back and forth. His question went unanswered as he walked to and froe in front of Bella's car, his eyes darting from the apartment she had just gone into to the entrance to the complex. He didn't see Jacob's truck around anywhere, but that wasn't to say that he wasn't close or that he wouldn't be back soon. He was surprised Alice had called; he knew she was chomping at the bit wherever she was.

His feet eventually grew tired of moving back and forth across the unforgiving asphalt, after several minutes and glances at his watch later.

"Okay Edward, let's get out of here." Bella said as she made her way back down the stairs, a suitcase in hand.

"You mean…?" He sucked in a large gulp of air as she watched her walk towards him, a sparkle coming from her left hand.

"Yes Edward," she dropped the suitcase a few feet from him and engulfed him in a kiss. " I say yes to it all, let's go home."

"Bella, you have no idea how idea how happy I am right now." He smiled so wide it made his face hurt.

"I could say you have the same effect on me," she kissed him again. "But before I go, there's something I need to tell you…"