All characterizations, plot lines, backgrounds and details belong to the author. No copying or reproduction of this work in any language is permitted without the express written authorization of the author. Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Thank you. August 2010.

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Let's check in with Edward.

EPOV

Chapter 28

I'm exhausted. I have painted so much this week, my fingers have calluses and my muscles ache from the sheer exertion. I'm running on little sleep, pure adrenaline the only thing keeping me still going, but I feel alive. This collection has ignited me, brought me back to life, made me want to work harder… well, actually, it's not the collection, it's Bella.

We continue on our journey, making what she likes to call "baby steps," but which I know are monumental. And with each touch, each moment we spend together, our connection intensifies. The feelings I have for her are foreign to me. I thought what I had with Angela was love; I now know that what I felt wasn't even close. It's hard to put into words how it feels when your entire life changes. When you stop giving a shit about yourself and exist only to make another person happy. I've never been good at words, and so, I do the only thing I can… I paint.

During the rare times when I'm alone in the loft and not painting, I worry about Bella. The incident in the parking lot has me shaken up, to say the least. The police can do nothing about it and are passing it off as random. Given the fact that Bella refuses to tell me her theories, I know she doesn't agree with the police and their lame assessment. I'm pissed off that she won't share what she thinks with me, but I do sort of understand it. Her need for independence has clearly emerged the winner in this particular conversation, for now.

Jane has been by only three times this week to check on me, lingering longer than is comfortable, and trying desperately to get a glance at the collection. She's beyond excited that I'm going to Jessica's to meet with Riley. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about that… for a number of reasons.

To have my work hanging in the gallery in New York would be a dream realized. Carlisle cried… real full on tears, when I told him about the possibility. He and Esme stopped by on Friday on their way to spend the weekend in Whistler. He's happy, truly happy again, and while it's going to take a very long time for me to forget the shit he's put me through, I think we're starting to take our own baby steps.

And so, while Bella makes her way to Revelstoke to battle her own demons, I'm standing in front of Jessica Stanley's house, ready to face my own. There are a lot of unwelcome memories associated with this place. It's where I found out who Jane really was, and the kind of shit that she and Jessica were into. To want to experiment is one thing, trust me, I know, but to act out fucked up fantasies in front of an audience who is more than willing to participate, is quite another.

Jessica's house is also where, on those nights when Jane would disappear with strangers to engage in said fantasies, that I would find my own stranger, and go back to her place, slinking out in the middle of the night, normally without even getting her name. Truth is, I guess I'm not all that different from Jane.

The house is also home to the first painting I ever sold, which now sits proudly on display on the massive wall in the living room of this over-the-top mansion that just screams, "look at me, I'm rich and, therefore, better than you."

Part of me knows that Jessica bought the painting under the false impression that I'd be some sort of boy-toy for her to engage her every fantasy. I distinctly remember nervously pacing in the gallery on the night of the opening, she and Jane hunkered down in the corner, laughing and whispering while they sipped on expensive Bollinger, deciding how much I was worth. In the end, it was one point two million dollars, so I guess I shouldn't complain all that much.

Between the pair of them, Jessica and Jane know a lot of people in the art world, and I know that I'd likely still be trying to break into it if it weren't for them. I also know that once this collection is done, that I'll be done with them, and free to move on to a new phase in my life. That moment can't come too soon. That moment starts tonight.

I ring the doorbell on the massive arched white doors at the front of the house and wait to be welcomed into my hell for the night. I shift nervously, pushing the sleeves on my shirt up to my elbows. Jane suggested I wear a suit tonight, but a suit is just not who I am. I'm here for one reason only; to meet Riley, and then get out as fast as possible.

Light jazz music spills out from the open windows, the sound of laughter and the buzz of pretentious conversations floating to me. A young and extremely in shape guy opens the door, dressed in a white suit with a thick black tie. I already feel like I'm going to vomit. He looks me up and down and holds the door open wider, motioning for me to come in.

"Oh!" I recognize the unmistakable high pitched shrill of Jessica's voice before I even see her. "Edward! It's been too long!" She emerges from a room to the side of the door, dressed in a tight white halter dress that ends just above her knee, and waving a glass of wine in her hand. She slides herself between the door guy and me, sticking her plastically enhanced tits out as she kisses one cheek, and then the other. "Why have you been such a stranger? We've missed you," she purrs, her eyes raking down me appreciatively. "You look well."

She does not. She smells like she's taken a bath in some really expensive perfume and she's already tipsy from way too much wine. "I've just been a little busy. Painting, you know?" I answer.

She nods and latches onto my arm, brushing past the door guy and shooing him away. "Come, there's so many people who want to see you!" she gushes, tripping slightly on the black marble floor in the foyer before pulling me into the room that's home to my painting.

I stop dead in my tracks, my blood boiling as my eyes move from my piece to James' fucked up bondage painting of Bella, which now hangs beside it. I fight the urge to rip it down and punch a whole through it. "What the fuck is that?" I seethe.

"What?" Jessica asks innocently, batting her eyes at me.

"Why is that hanging in here?" I growl.

"Oh! I just bought it. It's very avant-garde, don't you think? It's by a new up and coming artist. You might know him…oh! There he is! James! James!" she yells, jumping up and waving her hand at James, who is in deep conversation with one of Jessica's stuck up rich friends as Lauren hangs off his arm. My day just fucking keeps getting better and better.

James lifts his head and turns in Jessica's direction, smirking at me. Lauren's eyes grow wide when she sees me, and then, she tightens her grip around James' waist like she's afraid she's going to lose him or something as he stalks towards me. "Edward. We're finally on the same wall," James says, turning to the paintings and cocking his head to the side. "An interesting dichotomy between these pieces, don't you think? Yours, so abstract and vivid, and mine, so dark and intriguing. You know, it takes a special person to appreciate the kind of artists we are, Edward. It's easy for people to judge what they don't understand, to have an opinion on what real art is. It's people like you and me that challenge the conceptions of what art can be." Fucking jackass. My jaw clenches while I try really fucking hard not to pound the living shit out of him.

Jessica hums in agreement, even though she has no fucking idea what he's talking about. "I think they're both wonderful," she says. "What made you decide to paint her like this… so, vulnerable?"

I narrow my eyes at him, every muscle in my body coiling as James continues to stare at the painting. "See, that's the thing. She's not the vulnerable one here. She's the one in control. She holds all the power," he says, his eyes moving to Jessica's. "I think art should make people think and feel… it should move you, excite you, disgust you, even… it should be provocative, otherwise, what's the point of it?"

Jessica and Lauren hang on his every word while I try desperately not to hurl him through the glass table in the middle of the room. It's tempting… really fucking tempting. "She kind of looks like Bella," Lauren notes. "Don't you think so, Edward?"

James turns his head to me. "She looks like a lot of people," he says firmly. I shake my head at him and excuse myself from the conversation before I do something that I know I'm going to regret. I need a fucking stiff drink. He's got a lot of fucking nerve and its taking everything single thing in me not to haul his ass outside. But I've worked too hard and come too far to let someone like James ruin everything.

I move into a smaller room where more waiters dressed in white are busily refilling drinks and carrying trays with expensive hors d'oeuvres. I swipe a glass of wine from the top of one of the trays and down it quickly, handing it back to the waiter and helping myself to another. I sip it slowly, the liquid coating my throat while I stare out the window and try to calm the fuck down. At least its good wine and not some cheap shit.

"Having a hard day?" Jane's voice floats to me. I turn from the window and see her leaning back on a white leather couch. She's dressed in a red strapless dress and looking extremely proud of herself.

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me you sold James' painting," I hiss at her.

"I'm pretty sure that's none of your business," she says, pushing herself off the couch and slinking her way to me.

"Jane, I swear to God – "

She closes the distance between us and looks up at me, her eyes blazing. "What the hell is your problem? Are you upset that James' painting sold before yours did? That he beat you to the punch?" she asks snarkily. Fuck, she's a piece of work.

"I don't give a shit about whose painting sells first. Fuck!" I yell, my voice rising louder than it should with this many people. A few heads turn in our direction while she continues to glare at me.

"Um, am I interrupting? I can come back?" I keep my eyes locked to Jane, unable to even look at whatever asshole has decided to insert himself into our conversation.

Jane tears her eyes from me, her expression instantly softening. "No. Of course not! Riley Biers, this is Edward Cullen," Jane introduces.

Fuck me. Of course this is Riley, because that's just the way my fucking life works. He would have to be in the room when I almost lose it. "Nice to meet you, Edward. Jane here can't stop raving about you, and from what I saw in the other room, I have to agree with her. Your work is wonderful," he says. He's tall with blonde hair and dressed in a really expensive suit… probably the reason Jane wanted me to wear one.

"Thank you," I manage to say. He probably thinks I'm some deranged artist or something.

I shake his hand firmly and he cocks his head to me. "Jane says you're working on a new collection?" he asks.

"Yeah, I am. It's probably a few weeks from being finished," I explain while Jane stares at Riley like she wants to –

"Any chance that I could see it before your showing?" Riley asks hopefully.

I shake my head. "Not before it's done. It's not the way I work. I don't like being influenced by what people might say."

He nods his head. "Mysterious… I like it," he says.

"It's not all that mysterious, it's just one of my quirks. Jane hasn't even seen it yet."

"It's not for a lack of trying," she jokes, linking her arm with mine and leaning into me.

"To be able to resist Jane is a monumental achievement, Edward. You have more strength than I do. She can be very… persuasive," he says, eye-fucking her.

"Yes, she can be," I admit.

"Oh, stop," she says, feigning shyness. "I just know what I want, and I'm extremely good at getting it." She tightens her grip around my arm and pulls me closer to her, hooking her other arm around Riley's.

I feel nauseous again, like perhaps Riley's interest has less to do with my paintings and more to do with Jane. He can have her as far as I'm concerned. I move away from her, unhooking her arm while she pouts at me. I recognize that look. She's on the hunt tonight.

"I'll be coming back for your showing and if I like what I see, we'll go from there. You may need to spend some extended time in New York," he says.

"Extended time?" I ask.

Jane smirks. "Yes, you know, there will be a lot of events, promotions, meetings. You can't very well do that from Vancouver," she says, practically scolding me.

"No, I guess not." My thoughts immediately go to Bella and how she's going to feel about me going to New York for any length of time. Will she want to come with me? Is that even a possibility with her prosthetic? My heart sinks on how little I actually know about this. How long can she be gone? Does she have regular appointments she has to keep?

"I'll be with you the whole time, so you won't have to do this alone. This is what you want, isn't it? Your paintings on display in the same gallery as Ofili and Pollock? I mean, this is a once in a life time opportunity," Jane says.

"It's a wonderful opportunity. I hope that you see something you like at the showing," I say to Riley.

"If I can't see your collection yet, at least tell me what inspired it," Riley presses, while Jane wraps her arm around his waist tighter.

I hesitate before answering, and see Jessica, James, and Lauren along with a small crowd that has gathered around us and seems to be listening to our conversation. "Yes, Edward. We were beginning to think that maybe your first collection was all we would get," Jessica says incredulously.

I snicker at her. "You know, for a while I thought so, too. You don't know what it's like to stare at a blank canvas for as long as I did. It mocks you, makes you question why you're standing there in the first place," I say. James nods his head in understanding. "It's paralyzing and terrifying, and I was afraid of it for a while… afraid that maybe I'd never find the kind of passion that made me want to paint in the first place."

"And you found your passion again?" Jane asks, raising an unimpressed eyebrow and issuing me a death stare.

"Your passion just looks like a bunch of lines and swirls to me," Lauren says dismissively. James rolls his eyes, shaking his head at her.

"The thing is, a lot of people don't understand abstract art. They think it's random, that anyone can pick up a brush and throw some paint on a canvas. They look for things that are familiar to them… a chair, a landscape, the human form… and when they don't see those things, they dismiss it. They're afraid to open their minds to a different interpretation," I explain while Lauren stares at me. "The best abstract pieces have a life of their own, they're interpreted differently by everyone who sees them…that's what makes them each so unique. I don't paint what I see. I paint what I feel, what I imagine, what could be… and what results, isn't an accident."

"The New York crowd is going to eat you up, Edward," Riley says appreciatively. "It's refreshing to hear so much passion. Sometimes I think it's gone from a lot of the artists I see these days."

"Maybe you'd like to talk about it further, Edward," Jessica says suggestively, running her hand up my arm. I recoil immediately from her. I know where this is going and I also know where I'm going. As far away from here as I possibly can.

"Actually, I have somewhere I need to be. Thank you for inviting me, Jessica, Jane." I nod my head at her.

"Oh, Edward! You're not leaving me already? You just got here," Jane complains, her stare icy while she leans closer to me. "You're going to regret leaving like this." She says it so quietly, I'm not even sure I actually heard that correctly. I need to get out of here. Right the fuck now.

"Ladies, Edward might be leaving, but I'm still here. I have my own views on art, which aren't too different from Edward's," James says, cocking his head to the side at me and smirking.

"I look forward to seeing your work," Riley says, extending a hand. I shake it firmly and nod my head at him. "If you change your mind about wanting to show your work before it's done, call me." He hands me his card and turns his attention to Jane, whispering something into her ear I'm fairly certain I don't want to hear. She keeps her eyes locked to mine while he pulls her out of the room, and they disappear down the hallway with James and his new found followers.

Jessica spends the next half an hour blatantly attempting to seduce me into staying. She does everything but strip naked and give me a blow job… well, actually she does offer to, and I take that as my cue to get the fuck out. "You're nothing but a tease, Edward," she purrs, looking at me like I'm something she wants to eat.

I tell her some bullshit about her being way too good for me and quickly make my exit. She's not happy about being turned down… again, but it'll last less than a few minutes and she'll be on to the next random fuck of the night.

Driving back to the loft, I'm unsettled and anxious. I haven't seen Bella since yesterday and I miss her. I need to talk to her about tonight. There's so much I still need to say to her.

Before I know it, I've bought six Red Bulls at the Esso, and I'm on the Trans Canada Highway on my way to Revelstoke. About three quarters of the way there, I dial Emmett, hoping he's still up. I mean, it is after one in morning, and who knows what they've all been up to. He sounds drunk and half asleep when he answers the phone. "Edward, man. What's going on?" he asks.

"I'm on my way to meet you guys. Where are you staying?"

"You're coming here? Bella is going to shit, dude!"

"Don't tell her, okay? I want it to be a surprise."

"Dude, she's sleeping. There's no way I'm waking her up. Her room is the first one on the left downstairs when you get here. Try not to wake the rest of us up when you get here," he whispers. I hear Rose complain in the background, yelling at him to get the hell off the phone and back to bed. He gives me their address and I program it into the GPS, silently thanking the Garmin God's for their fantastic invention.

The drive, which is normally almost six hours, takes just over four because I'm driving like a lunatic. I'm also completely exhausted, the Red Bulls and the stale gum I found in the glove box, the only things keeping me awake. It's almost two-thirty when the painfully annoying Garmin voice tells me I'm arriving at my destination.

I pull up to a massive cabin with panoramic windows, nestled at the base of the mountain, surrounded by mature evergreen trees. I shut the car door quietly and slink up the stairs to the deck, feeling a little ridiculous… no one is going to see me, I don't know why I'm sneaking around. The cabin is completely dark and there's not another soul in sight.

I push open the front door and fumble around in the dark, my legs bumping into a chair while my eyes adjust to the lack of light. The cabin is silent as I make my way down the hallway. I gently turn the handle on the first door on the left, hoping to God that Emmett, in all his drunkenness, told me the right room. The last thing I need is to walk in on him and Rose.

I peek my head in and see Bella, sitting up in bed, clutching the sheets close to her chest as she stares blankly out the window. What the hell is she doing up? Her chest rises and falls rapidly and I wonder if she's had a nightmare. She turns her head slowly to the door and takes a loud gasp in, looking terrified. Oh shit! She's going to scream. I race to the bed while she cowers away from me.

"Bella, baby, it's me," I say, sitting in front of her and reaching for her hand.

She yanks it away from me. "What the fuck are you doing here? You scared the hell out of me!" She's visibly shaken and running her fingers through her hair nervously while I just sit here, feeling like an idiot.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I had to see you. I'm sorry… I was trying to surprise you," I say, moving closer and removing her hand from her hair.

"Mission accomplished," she says, reaching for a pillow and hitting me in the chest. "You should have called me!"

"I know. I'm sorry," I say, running my hand up her arm and cupping her cheek. Fuck, I've missed her.

Her breathing starts to return to normal while she stares at me, shaking her head. "This is my worst nightmare, you know."

What the hell? "Me showing up and surprising you?" I ask tentatively.

"No! Feeling helpless." She looks down at her leg. "I couldn't run right now… you know, if you were…" Her voice trails and I feel horrible. Something that was supposed to be a welcome surprise has turned so quickly because, once again, I didn't stop and think about anybody but myself.

"I didn't think. I'm sorry." I rest my forehead on hers and she sighs. "Don't be mad, okay? Please. I just missed you and I called Emmett and – "

"Emmett knew you were coming?" she asks, pulling away and looking more pissed off than she was.

"I told him not to tell you." She shakes her head and leans against the headboard, trying to calm down. "Can I get you something? Some water?" I ask quietly.

"No. I don't want water," she says coldly. Oh, fuck. I've royally screwed this up. "I just want you." She shifts down in the bed, her head resting on the pillow and holds the covers up. "Please?" Her voice softens and I smile back at her.

"I can sleep on the couch, if you want?" I suggest feebly. Please say no… please say no. I need to feel you.

She narrows her eyes at me and raises the sheets higher. "Get in here, Cullen, or so help me…"

I laugh and kick my shoes off, sliding in beside her and pulling her gently into my chest. She sighs beside me, her body still trembling. "I'm sorry," I murmur, kissing her forehead, down her cheeks, and finally, her lips. She's shaking while I whisper my apology over and over as I kiss her neck, her collarbone, her shoulder, until she finally starts to relax.

"It's alright. I know you didn't mean to scare me. I'm jumpy these days," she says quietly.

I bury my head in her hair, breathing her in, trying to calm us both. "Bella, I worry about you. I mean, what if what happened the other night isn't random? If something ever happened to you…"

She leans back and cups my cheek. "Nothing is going to happen to me," she whispers.

"I don't want you going anywhere by yourself."

"I'm not a child," she protests.

"Baby, this clearly has you worried. You're shaking like a leaf."

"If you would have called me, I wouldn't be," she challenges.

"I'm sorry. Let me make it up to you," I murmur, moving down in the bed, desperate to feel her.

She puts her hands on my shoulders and her body stiffens. "Can you just hold me? Please?" she asks quietly. "I mean, I know you just drove all the way here and you probably want to… you know." She looks away shyly.

I shift back up beside her. "Hey. I didn't drive here just so we could… you know." She smirks and laughs. "I want to be here for you. I missed you," I admit. You have no idea how much I missed you. She quickly rests her head on my chest, wrapping her arm around my waist. I stroke her hair, content to just lay in silence.

"Thank you, Edward," she says sleepily.

I kiss the top of her head and pull her closer, knowing there is no where else I'd rather be.

XXXXXX

"Rise and Shine! Wakey, wakey!" Who the fuck is this chipper this Goddamn early in the morning? I squint my eyes and see Alice, bouncing up and down at the foot of the bed, already dressed and looking way too eager. Coffee… I need fucking coffee.

I groan and pull the sheets back up over my head, reaching for Bella. My hand lands on an empty, cold spot. I open my eyes, moving the sheet down, and see her standing in the doorway already dressed with an amused expression on her face.

"Why aren't you in bed?" I whine.

"It's ten-thirty. We have a mountain to take on," she says firmly, clearly enjoying the fact that I've been woken up by the squealing energizer bunny.

I rub my eyes and fall back onto the pillow. "Mountain… right. Ah, give me a couple of minutes?" I plead.

"You've got ten, Edward," Alice says forcefully. "That gondola is leaving with or without you."

"Alright! I'm getting up," I complain, tearing the sheets off and sitting up in bed. Alice nods her head, looking pretty fucking proud of herself for waking me up, and then practically hops out the door.

"Is she always this…?" I struggle to find the words for the little whirlwind that is Alice.

"Yes," Bella says, sitting beside me. "Morning." She kisses me softly and my dick complains against my jeans.

"I don't like waking up without you," I say, wrapping my arm around her waist and trying to coax her closer.

"You needed to sleep," she says, leaning into me.

"I still need to sleep."

"Alice will whip your ass if you're not on that gondola," she says, laughing. "I will, too." Her face falls while she wrings her hands together nervously.

"Hey, what's going on?" I ask, cupping her face between my hands.

She hesitates, afraid to open up to me. "I couldn't do it yesterday. I passed out and – "

"You passed out? What?"

"It was just a panic attack and Emmett caught me before I fell," she says dismissively.

I brush her hair behind her shoulder and rest my lips against her neck. "Bella, maybe you shouldn't – "

She stands up and glares at me. "I'm going, Edward. I have to," she says determinedly, but looking scared as hell.

I nod back at her. "Okay. Give me five minutes."

Twenty minutes later, after I've gulped back coffee and a muffin, Bella is holding onto my hand for dear life while the gondola makes its way up the mountain. Emmett and Rose are nattering on about his epic Pictionary debacle last night and Jasper is busy snapping off pictures. Alice has one arm wrapped around Bella and is staring at me cautiously.

"So, where were you last night anyway, Cullen?" Rose asks.

"I was meeting with my art dealer."

Bella's body stiffens further and she shuts her eyes. "He was meeting with the curator from the New York Gallery," she clarifies.

"What?" Alice asks.

"It's not a big deal," I say dismissively, not wanting to take away from a day that is supposed to be all about her.

"It is a big deal, Edward," Bella argues while the gondola grinds to a halt.

"Not really," I say. Jasper opens the door to the gondola and jumps out, holding his hand out for Alice. They take a few steps towards the trees where Jasper resumes taking pictures.

Bella shifts in her seat and stares at me. "Why are you arguing with me right now?" she asks angrily.

"I'm not arguing." I stand up and gently coax her to the door while Rose and Emmett watch us closely.

"God! You are the most stubborn person I know." I step out the door and lift her down, which makes her even more pissed off. "I don't need your help, Edward. I can do this," she says defiantly.

I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her back to me. "I know you can," I whisper, bending to kiss her, one hand lacing through her hair, the other, splaying down the small of her back. She moans and reaches her hands up to my hair, lacing her fingers through and pulling forcefully. I pull away and smirk at her. "So do it."

She narrows her eyes at me and then breaks into that determined look I've grown to know and love. She turns from me and takes a tentative step forward. Emmett stands beside her and wraps his arm around her shoulder, whispering something in her ear. She nods her head and smiles at him, reaching her hand out to Rose, who takes it, holding it tightly.

I don't know how long the six of us stand in silence at the top of the mountain, the wind picking up slightly, whistling through the trees, the gondola creaking while it sways and makes the circuit back down the mountain. The whole time, Bella just stands in front of me, her body rigid, her breathing shallow. Rose never lets go of her hand. Alice and Jasper stay with their arms wrapped around each other, Alice exchanging concerned glances with me every few minutes.

It takes everything in me not to whisk her back down, away from here, away from everything. I can do nothing but stand and watch as she battles internally, countless times looking like she's going to take a step, but never being able to actually do it.

My heart breaks while I watch the woman I've come to love struggle. Emotion starts to overtake me. I need to paint. I wish I could do something, anything to help her. I look at Alice for guidance. A fuck of a lot of time has passed, and I'm starting to worry that Bella is starting to emotionally shut down. Alice just smiles weakly, offering me nothing in the way of reassurance. I'm about ready to suggest that we head back, when Bella starts walking.

Rose and Emmett are right beside her as her strides become more determined, and progressively faster. Alice starts jumping up and down and covers her mouth to keep from squealing. Jasper resumes snapping off pictures while they march down the trail, stopping abruptly in front of a massive fir tree.

I see Bella hunch over, placing her hands on her knees like she's just run a marathon or something. I start for her, but Jasper puts his hand on my arm, stopping me. He shakes his head in warning. "Just give her a minute. She needs to do it," he says.

Emmett and Rose drop back and Bella takes a few steps closer to the tree. "You fucking son of a bitch!" she screams over and over, her strained voice echoing back through the mountain. She picks up anything she can find on the ground, hurling it at the tree, releasing five years of anger and suffering, loss and pain. I feel the tears well up unannounced while I watch her, so wanting to make it all go away, but knowing there's no way I can.

Alice looks at Jasper frantically and he just shakes his head at her. The screaming and the hurling stop abruptly and then, she's silent, staring at the tree for what seems like hours. Finally, she turns and launches herself at Rose, wrapping her arms around her neck. The three of them start laughing, their voices stirring the birds in the trees and filling the otherwise quiet air.

Alice wipes the tears from her cheeks and kisses Jasper while I watch in amazement as the three of them walk back towards us, Emmett keeping his arm wrapped around Bella's shoulder. They stop in front of us and Alice runs, hugging each of them while Jasper takes more pictures. I am in awe of her. Her strength, her willingness to have me be a part of something so clearly personal is overwhelming.

Bella releases Alice from the hug and walks purposefully to me. I see the tears streaming down her face… tears of joy, anger, release. She wraps her arms around my waist and I bury my head into her shoulder. "You did it," I whisper.

"Thank you," she says through her hitched breathing.

"I didn't do anything. You're amazing and that was all you," I whisper, holding her to me, not wanting to ever let her go.

She pulls back and stares up at me. "You're here, and that means everything to me."

"I'm always going to be here, Bella. Always."

She stills her lips over mine. "Take me home, Edward."

Chapter End Notes:

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