A/N

Considering what a challenge the last chapter was I'm completely staggered and touched by the wonderful feedback, I love you guys so hard! Thanks to everyone who reviewed and also for your TLS Fic of the Week votes, I so appreciate it.

Also, I want to wish a happy birthday to one of my dear friends and a loyal fan of this story - Alterite xxx

BPOV

The office without Edward is nothing unusual, he is often out at pitches, meetings and conferences, leaving me to hold the fort. However, days as hectic as today are pretty rare.

As soon as I arrived, the Finance Director, Alec, appeared at my desk with fear in his eyes. When I told him Edward wasn't coming in today, he proceeded to inform me that an intern from his team had inadvertently sent an email to the Accounts Department of one of our clients chasing a payment for a highly confidential assignment. Unfortunately, said intern hadn't realised the sensitivity involved, so now some Accounts Assistant at the client's office knows that we're recruiting a replacement for her boss before he even knows he's being fired. The client was quite rightly furious and if Edward had been here, that intern and Alec, would have been facing his wrath. Knowing he would want to personally grovel to his client about this "cock-up" I was tempted to call him but soon thought better of it. After how upset he was last night and this morning, the last thing he needs is a work nightmare to deal with too.

Instead, Alec called the client himself to apologise and I followed with an email on Edward's behalf.

Next, one of our candidates pulled out of their new job only two days before the start date, a major catastrophe that usually Edward would have dealt with personally, but again I decided to speak to the candidate, take down all their reasons, and email the client accordingly. They were upset but thankfully, are allowing us to relaunch the search to find a replacement.

Add an Outlook crash and constant undisguised questions and insinuations about Edward's whereabouts from Jess and it has been pretty much the morning from hell.

I didn't have time for lunch, and eventually get a break at four o'clock. Eager for some fresh air I take the ten minute walk to Paddington Street Gardens. England is still in the grip of a heatwave and the park is crowded, unlike Hyde Park where we enjoyed our heart-racing tryst. It's hard to believe our wonderful date was only 24 hours ago when so much has happened since. My chest clenches just to think of Edward and whatever confrontation he has had with his father today. I love him more than anything but he definitely has a temper where Carlisle is concerned and, although I was the one to suggest it in the first place, I can't help worriedly wondering if Edward's trip to Brighton will help or hinder their relationship. All I know is I'm grateful that Charlie and I were in such an honest place in those months before he died. Carlisle isn't dying of course but I learned a long time ago that nothing should ever be taken for granted when it comes to relationships.

I eventually find an empty bench and sit down, pulling out my cell to send Edward a text. When I look at the screen I see I have three missed calls and a text from Emmett, all from ten thirty this morning. Considering how late that is in Seattle, I feel a rush of concern for the other man in my life and if I'm being honest, a little panic for myself too. Why would Emmett be calling me at that time unless it was something relating to Jake?

I hastily dial his office line knowing he should be at work right now and his tired voice answers within two rings.

"Sports Desk, McCarty."

"Em, it's me."

"Bells!" He pauses, sighing and quietly mutters, "Hold on, babe."

There's a click, some hold music, and then he's back. My heart pounds unsteadily the entire time.

"Bella? Sorry, had to move to a meeting room."

"What's wrong? You called me in the middle of the night."

Has Jake been to Emmett's again? Is he coming here? Has he threatened him, or me?

"Have you heard from Rosie?"

Rosie? Who the...?

"Rosalie?" I almost shout.

"Damn, yes Bells. Have you heard from her?"

"You're calling about Rosalie?" I chuckle in relief.

I can almost hear the frown in his voice. "Yes! Fuck's sake. Have you spoken to her or not?"

"No, not for a week or so." Now that I've stopped thinking of myself for two minutes, I'm suddenly curious.

"Why?" I frown. "What's been going on?"

The last contact I know of between Emmett and Rose is when we left them making out on the dance floor in the karaoke bar. Emmett subsequently crept back to my flat the following morning looking dishevelled and sheepish. My raised eyebrow had been met with nothing but a wink and a mind-your-own-business nose tap.

Rose had been equally cagey. We hadn't seen much of each other these past few weeks as, frankly, I've been spending almost every moment with Edward and Rose told me she was very busy at work anyway. The one time I did question her about Emmett she just shrugged and said he seemed like a "nice bloke." Based, perhaps unfairly, on what I know of both their characters I had assumed it had been a one-time hook-up, but maybe not.

Emmett has gone quiet.

"Em? What's been going on?"

He mumbles something incoherent and then I catch "...easier to talk about last night."

I suppress a smile. "Spill."

More silence and then a frustrated growl. I can almost see his pouty face and it makes me laugh.

"We've been talking, okay!"

"Talking?"

"Yeah, emailing, I've called her a couple of times. Um...Skyping."

I shudder. Just that pause before he said "Skyping" tells me everything I need to know. Emmett and Rose having Skype sex? Ugh.

"I'm not sure we can ever Skype again but aside from that it's great!" I tell him, genuinely pleased.

Emmett has a pretty frustrating attitude to women. He is one of these rare but tiresome guys who seem to have wanted to settle down forever but always manage to find a way to destroy the relationships they do have. He told me in the months before I left that he "felt ready to get hitched, you know?" and yet he is so incredibly picky with women that I actually want to punch him sometimes. I've often compared him to Chandler in Friends, because he always manages to find some characteristic that bothers him about every perfectly lovely girl he meets, and then complains there aren't any available women.

However, thinking back, he really did seem to get on with Rose when he was here. In truth I was too busy being caught up in my Edward Love Bubble to pay much attention, but in hindsight, I'm not sure I've ever seen my best friend so attentive to a woman. And now they've been in touch, fairly frequently it seems.

I can't help grinning. "Aww, Emmett, you like her."

Silence where I imagine him shrugging his giant shoulders.

"Em-mett...?" I say in a singsong voice. "Is it safe to say that Rosalie doesn't have a nose that is ever-so-slightly crooked or marginally buck teeth or a head that's too big?"

Pause, followed by a frustrated growl. "Ugh! No, she's fucking awesome, okay!"

I laugh.

"And her head is..." he pauses to emit a dirty snigger, "...perfect."

"Gross, Em."

He sighs again and I remember his earlier agitation.

"So you like her, what's the problem? Well, aside from the living-on-different-continents thing."

He lowers his voice, apparently worried that even in a meeting room his colleagues can hear him.

"It was going great, right? We talked, we had fun, we...we had an amazing night in London."

"Yeah."

"And now I think she's blowing me off."

I frown. "Why? What happened?"

"We've been emailing nearly every day," Wow, this is serious. "And talking once or twice a week but I now haven't heard from her for days."

"Huh. That is kinda weird. Maybe she's just busy?"

"I don't think so, Bells. She went a bit funny when I...asked her something."

That sounds ominous. "What did you ask her?

"I asked her about the other guys she's dated."

Shit. Is it possible that Rose is getting funny because of her history with Edward? I thought they had resolved everything.

"Do you think...was it about Edward?" I ask cautiously.

Emmett scoffs. "Oh fuck no, we opened and closed The Cullen File weeks ago."

"You did?" I squeak, I haven't even talked to Rose about that.

"Of course. Babe, do you think I'd be hooking up with a chick who was still harbouring feelings for your love muffin? She's so over that shit, and super happy for you by the way. No, it's gotta be something else."

"What?"

"I have no idea!" he groans, exasperated. "All I know is that she lived with a guy when she was younger, quite a lot younger I think, but she wouldn't talk about it and...well, truth be told, it was bugging me."

Ah, Royce. The total douchebag she has mentioned briefly to me a couple of times.

"So you pushed her on it? Christ, Em, you can be such an asshole."

"Hey! I can't help it! I'm a journalist."

"And that makes you an asshole?"

"And that makes me curious." He pauses. "Anyway, she totally shut down and I haven't heard from her since."

"I think I fucked up, Bells." He sounds genuinely miserable. "I've sent her a few emails and called her but she hasn't responded at all."

"Wow," I murmur. "You really like her."

"Yeah," he says, sadly. "Like I know she lives all the way over there and I have no idea if things were going anywhere but yeah, I like her. And now she's blown me off and I can't stop thinking about her. Especially last night."

Much as I love Emmett and actually think he and Rosalie would be kind of perfect for each other, I'm not sure what he thinks I can do about this.

"Bella," he says, with pleading in his voice. "Will you talk to her?"

I cringe. "Oh wait a second, Emmett, she and I haven't been friends that long and-"

"Please, babe," he interrupts, a little whiny. "I really need to know what's going on. If she's not interested that's cool, I'm not a fucking stalker, I just need to know." I can almost see his little boy pout and dimples. "Please."

I can't even count the ways that Emmett has helped me in the past, being there for me to talk to, to cheer me up, to make me laugh, to hold me while I sobbed after Charlie died—not to mention the small matter of saving me from Jake. Yeah, I owe him, and I love him.

"Okay, fine, I'll see what I can do."

"You're the best, Bellarella!" I can hear the relief in his voice. "Thank you."

"What are friends for, huh?" But already I feel apprehensive about asking Rose this stuff. I thought the being-Edward's-ex thing was awkward enough.

"Damn, I gotta go, Bells. My boss is calling me. Thank you! Call me later?"

"Sure. Bye, Em."

"Love ya!"

"Love ya back."

We hang up. I text Edward a message to tell him I'm thinking of him and hope he's okay, then I text Rose.

Wine and a movie at my place tonight? B x

How on earth did I get involved in this? This is none of my business and if she wants to keep some of her history a secret, who am I to pry? After all, I know a thing or two about wanting to keep the past in the past. But a small voice inside my head rings out: Yes, and look how far that got you.

"Isabella!" Aro barks as I pass his office door on the way back to my desk. Aro almost never leaves his desk, instead preferring to ensnare employees as they walk past like a lizard catching flies on its speedy tongue.

"Angela says you wanted a word?" he asks, when I duck inside.

Crap. I was hoping to have a scheduled meeting, and therefore a little preparation time.

"Well yes but-"

"I'm leaving for the Eurostar in half an hour, not back until Thursday, so take it or leave it."

"Right. Okay then." I sit down opposite him and begin mentally cataloguing my achievements since I joined Volturi UK.

Calm down, Swan, it's no big deal. Only your one shot to convince the old guy to let you stay in the country with the man you love.

I clear my throat, and fidget in my seat.

"Any time today would work," Aro snarks but when I look at him, I catch that playful twinkle in his eye. It relaxes me a little.

Deep breath. "It's about my contract."

"What about it?" He crosses his arms.

Oh boy.

Get. A. Grip. You rock as an Assistant.

"It officially ends next month," I tell him in a clear, strong voice. "And as I am enjoying my time here and doing, as far as I can tell, a very decent job of supporting...Mr Cullen, I would like you to consider extending my secondment."

"For how long?"

An excellent question. I'm planning on being with Edward forever, but am I staying in England forever too?

"For as long as possible."

He leans back in his seat and surveys me seriously, steepling his fingers under his chin.

"Hmmm. You know Caius wants you back in Seattle?"

My blood runs a little colder.

"He does?" I try to keep my voice even.

"Yes. He won't be very happy if I try to keep you here."

Damn Caius! This is concerning. Be cool, Swan.

"To be completely frank, Aro, I think my services are better utilised in the UK office. I'm a lot busier in this role, I handle a lot more responsibility and Edward and I work together very well."

I don't miss Aro's smirk.

"There are fewer support staff per department here and should I go back to Seattle, you will still need to find someone to replace me as nobody else has capacity to support Edward right now."

I know for a fact this is true, I've done my research.

"All good points," Aro murmurs but still looks sceptical.

Don't make me beg, you old bastard.

"Plus, I've spent these last few months building up an excellent rapport with Edward's regular clients. I'm sure if you ask him, he'll back that up."

"Oh I'll bet he would!" Aro scoffs.

Aro continues to be vague and I continue to sing my own praises with increasing desperation. When I can't think of anything else to add I slip into a miserable silence, devastated that perhaps Aro isn't as agreeable to our personal relationship as we thought. If he's tossing up roadblocks now then he must have an issue but I can't see how it can be with the quality of my work.

After a couple of long minutes, I feel his gaze on me so I lift my heavy head to meet his eyes. His expression transforms from sombre to amused within seconds and he let's out a raucous laugh.

"Of course you can stay, Bella!"

"Wh...What?"

"You can stay," he grins. "In fact I've already prepared the paperwork for HR."

"You were...teasing me?" I stutter, wanting to hit him and hug him at the same time.

He waves his hand in front of his face like it's no big deal that he just almost gave me heart failure.

"Aro likes to have his fun!" he chuckles.

"Bloody hell." The surprising words rush out on a gust of relief and Aro laughs harder.

"'Bloody hell?' Good God, we'll make a Brit out of you yet, my dear."

And now I'm laughing too.

"Here's the truth," he says once he's got control of himself. "Eddie-boy sent me a document two weeks ago absolutely singing your praises. Honestly, the man has been compiling evidence or something. Anyway, he asked me to hold on to it should you ever approach me. His praise and flattery were really quite staggering, and given the situation, I suspect entirely biased, no matter how professionally depicted. However, once the nausea had passed I asked around the office and got feedback from the staff whom you're not sleeping with and they backed up everything Ed had said. It seems you're a hit, Isabella, and I'm not letting you go no matter how much Caius chews my ear off."

My cheeks are hot enough to fry eggs but I can't help grinning. Edward gave Aro a freaking dossier on me! Way before we'd had the conversation about me staying. I'm sure I should be irritated on the basis of some feminist ideals here but in reality, all I want to do is hug my boyfriend tight and never let go.

"Thank you," is all I manage to say.

Aro shrugs. "You're welcome. And tell Cullen he's welcome too. My bottle of Glenfiddich is running low if he's feeling especially grateful."

I nod, and leave Aro's office grinning.

A bottle? Hell, he can have a whole case of whisky if he likes!

Rose sends me a text at five o'clock accepting my invitation and I'm just getting out of the bath at six thirty when I hear my cellphone ringing from the bedroom. Suspecting it's Edward, I hastily dash across the hallway, dripping water on the hardwood floors.

"Hello?"

"Alright, Sweetheart?" His voice is rough and tired.

"Edward." I can hear the relief as I say his name. I've been concerned about him all day. "Are you okay? What's happening with your dad?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. He's fine, I think. Well...apart from the shiner I gave him."

"You hit him?" I gasp.

Edward chuckles, sounding partly amused and partly ashamed. "Um...yeah. Just a little."

"Jesus, Baby. And that's talking things through?"

"Yeah I know," he sighs. "Not overly constructive, but actually we did...talk."

"You did?" I'm relieved. Much as Carlisle has behaved like an asshole, I know Edward well enough by now to know that his issues with his father are damaging to him and the rest of the family, and would not be resolved on their own.

"He didn't cheat, Bella."

I feel a rush of relief for poor Esme, and for Edward and Alice. "That's good."

"But he thought about it. And...well, there's a lot of other stuff. We talked it all through." He pauses, and when he speaks again, his voice is quiet and sombre. "I feel like we know each other a little better."

There is a softness, a hopefulness in his voice that I've never heard before when he's talked about his dad. It makes my heart warm. It's a strange and wonderful thing to be so invested in someone else's happiness. That's love I suppose.

Edward clears his throat and speaks a little louder. "Anyway, I'd rather tell you all about it in person but I think I'm going to stay here just for tonight, if that's okay?"

It makes me smile that he's checking with me. "Of course. Do whatever you need to."

"Cool. Mum has spoken to him on the phone and I think he has a good shot at getting her to give him another chance but she's still pretty angry, quite rightly. She's agreed to see him tomorrow so I'll just make sure he's okay tonight and then we can leave together tomorrow. He's been in a bit of a state here, drinking, not eating and all that. I just wanna make sure he's alright."

Edward's obvious concern for Carlisle floors me. That must have been some conversation they had.

"Absolutely. That's fine. I'll see you tomorrow."

"How was your day?" he asks me.

I think of the conversation with Aro, the twinkle in his eye when he told me about Edward's document and I grin.

"Well...I talked to Aro."

"Yeah...?" Edward's tone is nervous and curious.

"Yeah. It seems my fabulous boss has been really, really good to me."

Pause. "He told you about my document?" He sounds uncharacteristically shy and my heart melts a little.

I wish so much that we were together when I give him this news, I miss being in his arms so badly, which is ridiculous as I only saw him this morning, a century ago.

"Yes," I whisper. "Thank you, Edward."

"I wasn't exaggerating any of it," he tells me, defiant. "You're fantastic at your job."

He pauses again. "So what did he say?" Voice full of anticipation.

"He said you owe him a bottle of Glenfiddich...because he's extending my contract."

"Thank fuck." Edward's sigh of relief rushes through the phone line and straight into my racing heart. "God, I wish I was with you right now, Baby. You're happy, aren't you?" He adds the last part hastily.

"Of course, silly! I'm not going anywhere, remember?"

"I remember," he murmurs. "I love you."

"I love you, too. We should celebrate this properly when you're back."

"Absolutely. I'll book somewhere nice."

I tell him about the other events of the day, the couple of issues we've had. As predicted, he's concerned until I quickly reassure him that it's handled.

"See? Best PA ever..." he says, softly, almost sensually.

I grin. "Mr Cullen, if I didn't know better I'd say you kinda like that I work for you?" I purposely say "for", not "with."

I lower my voice, teasing. "Does my efficiency turn you on?"

"Possibly." I can hear him smiling.

"And do you like how I take care of you?" I think of Hyde Park, how his smooth cock felt in my hand, his rapid breath in my ear. I'm going to always take care of you, Edward.

"Yes," he says, a little throaty. "What did you wear today?"

"Grey shift dress."

I hear him suck in a hasty breath.

"From the day in the Comms room?"

"Uh huh."

"Jesus. Are you still wearing it?"

I glance down at my damp, towel-covered body.

"Nope..."

Pause. "So what are you wearing?"

I can't help grinning as I lay down my trump card. "Well, I was in the bath when you called so..."

I can hear his slightly accelerated breathing.

"...just a towel."

"Bloody hell, Baby," Edward murmurs, with a small groan. "What a fantastic image. I miss you even more now."

"Where are you?" I ask, curiously.

"In Peter and Charlotte's spare bedroom." He lowers his voice. "Hard and having inappropriate thoughts."

My turn to breathe in sharply.

"That's a pretty amazing image too," I tell him. "So what parts of me do you miss...?"

"Your skin," he whispers. "Your mouth. Your breasts...Jesus, I can just imagine them spilling out the top of that towel."

I glance down at where my cleavage is indeed heaving over the top of the towel with my heavy breaths.

"Yes," I whisper.

"Your amazing hair...all wet." His voice is strained and I wonder if he's touching himself. I rub my thighs together.

Pushing any residual embarrassment to one side I say "So what would you do with this towel, if you were here?"

Ragged breath. "Fuck, Sweetheart, I'd...oh bollocks!"

And there's the bucket of cold water.

"What happened?"

"My aunt just yelled up the stairs to say dinner is ready and I pretty much jumped out of my skin. I feel like a naughty 14-year-old all over again!"

I laugh, imagining him caught with his hand down his pants.

He sighs. "Raincheck?"

"You bet. Take care, Edward. Miss you."

"Miss you, too. So much. See you tomorrow."

I hang up, glance at the clock and panic a little. I quickly dress, drag a comb through my hair and throw a bottle of wine in the fridge.

Rose arrives at seven on the dot, looking as composed and beautiful as always in skinny jeans, sandals and a strapless cotton top. I note she does look a little tired though, just the hint of dark circles peeking out from under her make-up.

"Hi sweetie," she greets me with a small hug. "Thanks for the invite, I need a break from work and...stuff."

I feel a wave of guilt because of my ulterior motives.

"No problem. Wine?"

"Sure," she collapses on the sofa with a tired grin.

We order the pizza and she asks politely after Edward. When I tell her he's sorting out some family stuff she looks genuinely concerned for him and I feel a wave of contentment that they really do seem to have put their differences behind them.

The food arrives, we eat and chat and it's so easy between us. Despite Rose's shared past with Edward I have always felt a strange kinship with her. It feels like anything I told her, she'd understand.

We finish the first bottle of wine and quickly make a start on our second. Not ideal for a Monday night but neither of us are particularly worried. I'm vaguely wondering how to ask her about Emmett when she studies me and asks a question of her own.

"Bella, what happened with you and your ex back home?"

The question doesn't surprise me; in fact, I thought she would have asked sooner. Part of me wants to tell her the whole truth, but any discussion about the problems in my sex life with Jake would inevitably lead to questions about sex between Edward and I. I'm definitely not comfortable discussing that with her, or anyone else other than Maggie. I don't think Rose would judge me, but I resist the need to offload and decide to keep my unusual situation to myself. Instead, I tell a half truth.

"We weren't good for each other."

Despite the vagueness of my response, Rose nods sagely like she understands.

"He wasn't good for you?" she asks quietly, perceptively.

I take a deep breath.

"I have...issues that made life difficult for him. He couldn't cope with a lot of my emotional stuff." I gaze blankly at my bookcase, thinking of my sessions with Maggie. "I blamed myself a lot but recently I've started to realise how many of our problems were his responsibility too."

Rose looks at me from over her shoulder where she is stretched out on her back along the couch.

"It's easier to blame yourself sometimes, eh?" She says it like she knows.

"Yeah. Jake has a lot of pain in his past, but has never dealt with it. He was angry a lot of the time, with himself and with me."

I'm surprised by how easy it is to talk about this stuff to Rose. The catalyst for his rage soon slips from my tongue.

"And...he drinks."

The few people I've ever told about this have all had the same reaction. Slightly horrified sympathy, curiosity, questions in their eyes alongside the pity. But Rose just nods again, staring at the ceiling.

"And it turns him into a different person," she whispers.

For the first time I realise that the kinship I feel with Rose may be more than just my imagination, maybe it's instinct. Those words were personal, she's not talking about Jake.

"Yes," I murmur.

There is silence for a few moments. Rose stares but her eyes look like she's seeing more than the magnolia paintwork.

"I started going out with Royce when I was 15," she starts. "He was the most popular guy at school and my friends were so jealous." She lets out an ironic laugh. "You know how bitchy teenage girls can be."

"It was like he was two people, you know? To all our friends, to my parents, he was friendly, outgoing, confident. My mum and dad adored him, he charmed the pants off them so they let me go pretty much anywhere with him, let him stay in my room, let us go on holiday together. He was the son they had always wished for."

I think of the people of Forks, how when Jake enters the bar they flock to him, laugh with him. I remember Charlie throwing his arm around him and showing him the fish he caught that afternoon.

"But when it just the two of us it was different," Rose continues. "I adored him, I was infatuated with him. The most popular boy in school wanted me, it made my head spin. I had my own school persona too. I thought it was nice that we could act the way we were expected to act to our friends, parents and teachers but when we were alone together we could be ourselves."

She pauses and I watch her wringing her hands in her lap. "It turns out the real Royce wasn't quite as nice."

"I thought his jealousy was cute at first, shows that a bloke cares about you right? When other boys talked to me in class Royce would be there instantly, to scare them off with a look. At first I revelled in it." She grimaces. "I was a bit of a stupid cow back then."

The pained look on her face is so familiar that I want to offer her some words of comfort but I don't want to interrupt her story.

"Soon it got worse. He wouldn't let me talk to anyone male, even boys I'd considered good mates. He wanted us to spend almost every night together, if I told him I wanted to see my friends he'd make me feel guilty, like there was something wrong with me for not wanting to spend all my spare time with him. He said that if I loved him I would."

"It began to cause tension between me and my friends, they got sick of constantly being dumped when Royce demanded my presence or attention. They began to see his true colours just as I became blinded to them. Eventually, they stopped calling altogether."

"Looking back it's pretty obvious that that was his intention. By the time the summer after leaving school was finished I had almost no one left but him. He still had his friends and would be out drinking all the time but he never allowed me the same privilege. By the time we started college Royce had convinced me to move in with him. I left my parents' lovely 4-bed and moved into a grotty flat that was little more than a bedsit. I still thought I was happy."

"I focused on my studies and Royce focused on going out and drinking. When college kicked him out he took it hard, started drinking at home too. The moments of sweetness between us that had still existed up that point quickly faded and he found a way to blame me for almost all his problems."

The idea that Rose, strong, sophisticated, stunning Rose, could allow herself to stay in a relationship like this astounds me. And yet at the same time it's an unsettlingly familiar tale.

"Why did you stay?" I whisper.

She looks at me as if she's almost forgotten who she's talking to. She sits up on the couch, pulling her legs under her and wrapping her slender arms protectively around them.

She shrugs. "I didn't think I could do any better. I was convinced that I loved him, and that he loved me, and that he was the only bloke who could love me that way."

To some this would be hard to believe. To me it makes perfect sense. No matter how beautiful, how intelligent or how confident a person is, if the person you love tells you otherwise often enough, you have no choice but to believe it.

"What happened then?"

She takes a deep breath. "We were always fiery, both of us. Our fights always bordered on violent." She stares at her hands, blinking rapidly. "Then one day they really were."

I hold my breath, feeling sick at the idea of her being hurt.

"I packed my bag that first night, determined that enough was enough. But then he broke. Begging and crying and telling me how sorry he was, how much he needed me. Is there any stronger drug than when somebody needs you?"

She looks at me, violet eyes searching, willing me for an answer. I think of every argument with Jake, every night that I would sob into the pillow on our unchristened marital bed and swear to myself that being this unhappy wasn't right, only to feel Jake enter the room after calming down, lying down beside me, and tearfully begging me to understand. To need him like he needed me.

"No, there's not."

"Royce was careful to never hit my face or anywhere that would be visible but after one particularly bad night I was writhing in agony. I used the weakness of his apologetic, desperate moment to beg him to take me to Casualty. It turns out I'd...he'd...broken three ribs."

"My friend, Vera, was training to be a nurse and saw me there. Royce wouldn't leave my side but I could tell from her eyes that she knew. I felt sick with shame at what she must think of me, of how worthless I must be to allow someone to treat me this way. Someone who claimed to love me."

"She said nothing in his presence but started calling me and harassing me. At first, to casually enquire as to how I was, to eventually confront me, try to convince me to get away from him. I didn't listen. Eventually, thankfully, she went to my parents. She told them everything and they intervened."

She says nothing more about how she got away and I don't ask.

"Why are you telling me this, Rose?" I ask her. "I mean, I'm glad that you are but what do you need?"

She stares at me with a tiny smile.

"I think you understand."

I nod. "I do." More than she knows.

"And I need to explain something else," she continues. "Since that day I swore to never let another man control me, to never even feel that much for another man. Because feeling could lead to control and I would never take that risk with my safety again. I would always keep things casual."

I'm struck by how alike she and Edward were in that way. How in another universe they maybe could have understood each other, rather than winding up hurt. But sometimes it's the differences that set you free, and the similarities that bind you.

Rose and I came from similar relationships and yet she reacted by using sex and I reacted by running in terror from it.

She clears her throat, avoiding my gaze. "I thought with...Edward...I could feel something again. It felt safe to want someone who couldn't want me. But deep down I knew it would never end well. Looking back, it was nothing more than me testing myself."

She looks at me, smiling now. "What I felt wasn't real, Bella. I can promise you that so you never have to worry."

I smile back. "I'm not." I'm telling the truth.

"But, recently, I do feel something for someone. Something real and solid and I want it so much it hurts."

"Emmett," I murmur, she needs to hear the truth. I'm not going to mess around with Rose's feelings, I may be Emmett's wing girl but Rose has become very important to me too and she deserves my honesty.

She looks up, mildly surprised.

"Yeah."

"He called me. He...asked me to talk to you. I'm sorry."

Ignoring my apology, she quickly asks. "What did he say?"

"That he likes you," I tell her simply. "That he's worried you haven't called him back."

Rose sighs and drags a hand through her long hair.

"I'm afraid."

"I know."

"But you've done it, right?" she asks, imploringly. "You've found a way to bury the past. I can see how happy you are with Ed. I really want that, Bella."

She's laid out a whole deck of pain, it's time I turned over the magic ace.

"That's just it, I'm not burying anything anymore. I was and I was miserable. I'm seeing someone now, a therapist."

"I've done that before," Rosalie admits sadly.

"So had I! But this time I'm...motivated." I study her closely, worried for my best friend's heart all the way in Seattle. "Are you motivated, Rose?"

Her "yes" is full of truth.

"So call him." I hold her gaze. "He's worth it, I promise."

She swallows, nods.

Later, when we say our goodbyes, she throws her arms around me and holds on really tight.

"I'm really glad I met you." I'm not expecting those words and I have to quickly blink back tears.

Alone in my apartment, I slide the deadbolt across as I promised Edward, brush my teeth and change into my nightshirt. My bed will be cold without Edward. I wish everything for Rose and Emmett that I have found in him. A love that is healthy and real. Comfort, friendship and total trust.

I'm drifting off when the door buzzer jolts me awake. Disorientated, I stumble into the lounge and hit the light, that's when I notice Rose's purse on the arm of the couch. My heart slows when I realise it's just her coming back to retrieve it. I buzz the main door, unthinkingly, and throw open my front door.

"Rose, I could have just dropped -"

My words die in the air.

It's not Rose. And it's not Edward either.

The smell of whisky and sweat.

Slick, black hair. Eyes like midnight in the forest.

And an accent that mirrors mine and yet could not feel more foreign.

"Honey, you're home."

A/N

*Ducks for cover from angry blows* But, come on guys, you knew that was coming...didn't you? If you give me your trust I promise to respect it.

There is now a Facebook group for my stories called Amber's Notebook, feel free to come over and chat (or to call me a "Cliffy Bitch";-))

The link (replacing the * with .) is: www*facebook*com /groups /157793751023901 /

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A xxx