Breaking from the Ordinary

by Burntcore

Bella owns a small bar in town & is fairly happy with her life so far. But it all changes when he walks into her bar, looking lost & confused. AU/AH BxE JxA RxE

8. Chapter 8: Recovery, Coming Clean, and

A/N Special thanks to my betas HEAR and Sirenastarot through PTB. And as always, I don't own Twilight.

Chapter Eight: Recovery, Coming Clean, and the Future

EPOV

I gazed at the beautiful creature sleeping in my arms. Morning sunshine streaked faintly through her bedroom windows making her hair glow like molten chocolate. It also cast a very flattering glow on her peaceful face. The scent of strawberries wafted slowly to me as a breeze from the window stirred her hair. I inhaled her scent deeply and sighed. I could lay next to her for hours and watch her sleep. She shifted slightly, exposing the bandages at her neck. The sight of them brought back the memories of last night's assault. My hands clenched into fists as my arms pulled her body closer to me. I even growled.

I hadn't planned on stopping at the bar. But I was so excited about my surprise for Bella that I just had to see her for a few minutes. When I walked in and saw she wasn't at the bar, I turned to the bouncer- Jacob I think his name was- and asked him where Bella was. He told me she was in her office and pointed me in the right direction. My excitement put a bounce in my step as I quickly crossed the distance across the bar. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the curious looks I was getting from a couple of the waitresses. I chuckled as I rounded the corner of the hallway to Bella's office.

My laugh died in my throat when I saw some drunken blond guy pushing Bella forcefully up against her desk with a knife in his hand. "All you have to do is let me in, beautiful," the man drawled.

"I will never let you in," Bella retorted, her voice full of scorn.

I felt a moment of pride despite my fury as she denied him. I walked as quietly and slowly as I could behind the man who must've had a death-wish for what he was trying to do to Bella.

"Ah, but you will, Bella. My beautiful Bella."

Frozen in fear, I watched in horror as this creep pressed the dull edge of the knife against her throat and then dragged it down across her chest to her stomach and back up again. When it stopped, he flipped the blade over, pressing the sharp edge against the soft flesh of her neck. My vision turned red in absolute rage. Through that haze, I caught a brief look at her face as she closed her eyes and tried to calm herself.

The man spoke to her again, '"That's right, beautiful." He shifted his weight slightly, pressing even closer to her.

I gathered all of my fury, anger, and rage and focused it into a cold inferno. If I let myself be ruled by my fear, Bella could get hurt. Taking a deep breath, I confronted the monster. "Take your hands off her. Now." This was not a request. I was not asking. This was a demand.

In his drunken state, the man did not appear to be as startled as I thought he would've been. Perhaps this was advantageous. He turned his head in my direction and sneered, "Back off, buddy, she-"

I did not let him finish. I pulled my arm back and punched him square in the jaw, enough that I saw his head whip around. The momentum pushed him against Bella as he passed out.

My satisfaction at knocking him out could was quickly cut short when I heard Bella cry out. I looked at her and saw the knife tumble from her neck, the blade red with her blood. Her face was white with shock as her eyes widened to the size of saucers. Blood slowly began to pool and ooze down her neck.

I rushed over to her, panicked and horrified that she was hurt. I quickly tossed the drunken creep's body to the floor. "Oh God, Bella, are you okay?" She looked up at me, her face pale as she felt her blood drip down her neck. Her eyes closed and she started to fall.

I grabbed her before she hit the floor and held her tightly to me. The blood at her neck soaked the side of my shirt but I didn't care. I held her back a little bit so I could look at her face. Her eyes were still closed but her pulse was steady. Slowly they opened, staring deeply into mine, full of shock. Then relief poured through her eyes like a flash flood. Bella turned her head to look around then winced when the movement disturbed her wound. She reached a hand up to her neck and snatched it back quickly, her fingertips coated with blood. Her pale skin took on a green pallor and her eyes pinched with anxiety.

I tried to sooth her. "Bella? Bella, look at me."

She turned back to me, relief and panic warring with each other across her face. She reached up with her unbloodied hand and touched my face.

"Edward..." she whispered, her voice barely audible.

I started to gather myself off the floor, lifting her as I did. "I need to get you to a doctor. And I need to get this monster out of here." I looked down at her again; seeing her so fragile and weak cut me to the core. This was not the same strong, independent Bella "It's okay, Bella. It's all over. I'm here. You're safe."

The rest of the night flew by. I hollered for Jacob when I got her into the hallway. He took care of the guy in the office. Jacob said his name was Mike Sullivan and was always hitting on Bella, even getting a little too grabby from time to time. Apparently tonight he decided to escalate his pursuit. The cops and the paramedics showed up quickly after that. I only released my hold on Bella when the paramedics needed to check her. I tried not to cringe when I met Bella's father for the first time. I so did not want to meet him this way, with Bella hurt in my arms and him armed.

Eventually I got her home. The shock and stress of the attack had worn her down. All she wanted was to sleep. I felt incredibly protective of her and didn't let her out of my sight, but after that kind of attack, I didn't want to push her. I had absolutely no problem with sleeping in the overstuffed chair she had in her bedroom, if she would let me. Thankfully, she wanted me close by too. It felt wonderful to feel Bella's small, warm body curled up next to mine. She fell asleep quickly. I was too keyed up from the night's events to sleep anytime soon. Eventually her steady breathing lulled me to sleep.

I shook my head to pull myself back to the present. The horribleness of the attack would not diminish the surprise I had planned for Bella. She still slept soundly in my arms. I buried my face in her hair and calmed myself with her sweet scent. Strawberries... delicious. Carefully, I untangled my limbs from hers and crawled out of the bed. I padded quietly across the room to grab a blanket from the nearby chair. Throwing it over my shoulder, I returned to the bed and gently scooped Bella in my arms without waking her, her exhaustion from the previous night's ordeal letting her sleep through the movement.

Making as little noise as possible, I carried her outside to the backyard and set her down on one of her lounging wicker deck chairs. Even though it was August, a cool breeze came in from the lake so I laid the blanket over her feet and legs. When I made sure she was settled and hadn't woken, I ran lightly back into the house and grabbed my guitar from my room. When I came back out, I sat next to her and began to play quietly.

My eyes closed as I played my guitar, falling into my music with thoughts of the beautiful girl sitting next to me guiding my fingers. There was not a particular song I played; I just let my fingers find their own path along the strings. Time held no meaning while I played. The only measure of time was the path of the sun across the sky.

Bella's quiet gasp alerted me that she had finally awoken. "Edward, what are you playing? It is beautiful," she whispered, her hand in front of her mouth in awe.

I turned my head to answer and found myself gazing into her eyes as I kept playing. Her breathing caught as I smiled at her. "Nothing in particular. I am just playing what I'm feeling right now."

She continued to stare at me, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" I kept playing.

"Dazzle me."

I laughed. "I dazzle you?"

"Frequently, which is saying a lot since I only met you three days ago." She smiled, her eyes dancing.

"Well, I'm glad. I'll do my best to continue to dazzle you." I leaned over and gave her my most dazzling smile.

Her eyes lost their focus and she blushed.

I laughed again as I put my guitar down on the grass and scooped her up in my arms. I held her gaze, putting all the feelings I had for her in that look; how strongly I wanted to be with her, to protect her, to care for her. She ran the back of her fingers along my cheek and jaw.

"I hope so. I would hate the day that you stopped." She leaned up in my arms and softly kissed me.

Later that day, I finally got to show her my surprise. I had gotten a few supplies from the local hardware store and decided to help her with the house. I felt like I owed her something for letting me stay here for free. I was plenty of money, yet she did not want any of it. So I would give her my sweat instead. Working on the house also provided a good distraction from thinking about my career. I still didn't know what I had to go back to in September. Granted, I still had the movie, but what else was left? Those thoughts would keep me deep in a bottle so I stayed distracted with physical labor. I had to pay attention otherwise I'd end up cutting off a finger or putting a nail through my hand.

Working on the house was a big risk. This could have been something that she wanted to do personally and she may not like how I did the work. It was her house after all, not mine. But my luck held that day. She loved it. It wasn't even much, just some trim work. She told me when she first brought me to the house about some of the work she wanted to do in the rooms that were mostly finished. She went into several detailed explanations. It was easy to see what she wanted to do, especially since I had helped my mother do restorations in the past. So I took care of all the trim around the doors, windows, baseboards, and crown molding. It was a lot to do in one day. Thankfully she already had most of the tools I needed to do the work. I wanted to do some other projects she had told me about too, but I thought it would be best to start small. If she didn't like the trim, it would be very easy to fix.

Each morning after she woke up, I showed her what I had done to the house. This kind of work was so different from what I had been doing for several years. It was exhilarating. I was working hard and not just for me, but for her too. This kind of work needed a different kind of focus than acting or being a musician. I didn't have to worry about memorizing lines or putting on a good show. I never felt like myself more than as I did with Bella.

Bella went back to work the next day after the assault. You couldn't have found a single person that would have blamed her for wanting to stay home a day or two, but that wasn't Bella's style. Physically, she healed in no time, but there were still aftershocks from the emotional assault. I was careful to never call her beautiful to her face. The first time I said it after the attack, her face drained of all color and she looked like she was going to pass out. I hoped eventually that would change.

We kept sleeping together after that night as well. I did not push our physical relationship beyond what we were both comfortable with doing. We explored each other's bodies, learning what we both liked, leaving us breathless and flustered but we never fully undressed in front of one another. I felt a bond with Bella that I never had with a woman before and I did not want to ruin it by having sex too early. Sure, I thought about it. I was a man after all, but she – no we – were worth waiting for the right moment. And…I was afraid. A part of me was afraid of the pull that she had over me. If we gave into our desires now, I would never want leave. I would find a reason to stay. While I would do just about anything for Bella, I could not give up my career for her, nor could I ask her to give up her bar and follow me to LA. Most importantly, I knew how insecure Bella was about my life in Hollywood and how superficially sex was treated there. I did not want her to think that I was here only for sex or a summer fling. Just being able to hold her each night was all I could ask for right now.

While my dreams made me take more cold showers than I thought I could possibly handle, she was worth it. She was everything to me. Bella asked me once, during a rather awkward conversation where she blushed the entire time, why I didn't try to push her to have sex. The simplest answer I could give her was that I didn't want her to think that was all I was after. As I got to know her, I realized that while she had learned to mask it well, underneath it all, Bella was still a shy girl afraid of what the boy she liked thought of her and how she compared to other girls in all the ways that girls compare themselves to one another. She seemed to go back and forth from wanting to go further physically and panicking about it to being perfectly happy to keep things as they were. I told her numerous times that we would only do what she was comfortable with doing and how much I treasured her and there was more to a relationship than sex. I could only hope my words sunk in. I knew neither one of us were virgins but that wasn't the point. It didn't feel like the right time for us. When that time came, I wanted both of us to be confident in one another and in our relationship. I had never been a manwhore, but I certainly looked forward to the time where I could show Bella just how much I treasured and adored her.

I realized in the weeks after the assault on Bella just how deep my feelings were getting. I had fallen in love with this amazing woman that I had only met by chance. When I played my guitar for her the morning after, something just clicked. It felt right, like home. It was like nothing I had ever felt before. And as the weeks progressed, those feelings deepened. At first I was so startled by it that I retreated a little bit into myself. I know it confused Bella and I think I hurt her feelings but I had no idea what was going on. I tried to sort it out but nothing made sense anymore.

It finally hit me one afternoon as I was composing a new song inspired by Bella. I was stumped on the phrasing of a particular line of the song. The right word just was not coming to mind. I tried running through the phrase again and the missing word came unbidden from my lips, "love." I sat there dumbstruck for a solid five minutes, and then I couldn't wipe the goofy smile across my face. I wanted hop in my car and go tell Bella right at that instant. As I rose to do just that, I was struck still by fear. What if she didn't feel the same? Would she panic if I told her and it scared her off? The wind had been taken out of my sails and I sat back down. I couldn't stand to lose her. I would wait to tell her. Maybe I was a coward, but I didn't want to jeopardize a single thing with this wonderful woman. When the moment came to tell her, I would know. At least I hoped I would.

I really looked at where my life was going. Before meeting Bella, what kind of person was I? Instead of dealing with my pain and frustration and fears, I tried to drown them in a bottle. Before I met her, there was not a day that went by that I did not have a drink or two or three or more. Whatever it took to make the craziness of my life easier to deal with, I drank it. I kept seeing in my mind the ways that I'd disappointed myself and my family, my drunken exploits that were so eagerly gossiped about in the tabloids and entertainment channels on television. Now there was clarity and restraint. I might have a glass of wine with Bella at dinner or a beer at the bar, but it was only in moderation. Restraint was now my friend. I found that I liked this new friend.

As days passed, even Jacob seemed to warm to my presence when I would stop in at the bar. After what happened with Mike, he seemed to realize that I really cared about Bella and he backed off a bit. He also helped run some deflection when that one waitress, Jessica, would stare at me. She never approached me, only stared. Bella explained to me one night at home that Jessica was certain that I was the one and only Edward Cullen. But since Bella had lied to her so consistently every time Jessica asked about me, Jessica began to doubt what my identity was. Bella liked to tease me every time she caught Jessica staring at me. It wasn't so bad.

So much had happened between Bella and I in those first three days that it made our heads spin. We took the following weeks at a much slower pace. We wanted to truly get to know each other as much as we could. Time passed far too quickly. Before I knew it, it was the last week I had in Ohio, and to make matters worse, it was also the week of Bella's twenty-fifth birthday.

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Bella and I sat outside while we ate breakfast. This had become a daily ritual for us. One of us would make breakfast, usually the one who got up first, and we'd sit out on the deck and enjoy the late morning. The only times we had to stay indoors was when it rained. I looked over at her, still in awe of her quiet beauty. My hands itched to touch her soft, creamy skin. She looked up from her plate and caught me staring at her again. Despite all the times that I gazed at her, it still caused her to blush.

"What?"

I cocked my head to the side, smiling at her. "Huh?"

She shook her head, smiling back at me. "Edward, you are such a goof. Always staring at me."

"Is it such a bad thing to stare at a beautiful woman?"

She blushed again, this one creeping up to her hairline. Adorable as ever. "I suppose not," she mumbled.

I got up and knelt next to her, never breaking my gaze with her. "Good, because I never want to stop looking at you. You are such an amazing woman, Isabella Swan."

I leaned forward onto the balls of my feet and kissed her. The ever-present fire that simmered anytime I was around her swelled. She leaned into my kiss and I felt her hands in my hair. Her lips became more insistent. I happily obliged. I cupped her face in my hands, relishing in the smooth softness of her skin. Bella leaned into me further, half out of her chair. I shifted my weight as she leaned further into me, but it was too late. I lost my balance and fell backwards into the grass. She came tumbling after me.

I laughed as we laid there, our limbs all tangled up. The weight of her body on mine was a very pleasant sensation. It felt as though electricity flowed from every point our bodies touched. My mind started to wander to thoughts of how much more pleasant this would be if neither one of us was wearing any clothing.

She giggled and brushed her hair out of her face. "Sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be." I wrapped my arms around her waist as she started to get up. "Where are you going? I wasn't finished showing you how great you are."

If it was possible, she blushed again. But she stayed where she was, lying on my chest with our legs interlaced. I craned my neck up and gently pressed my lips to hers. Bella leaned into me so I wouldn't have to strain my neck to try to kiss her. Her hands found their way into my hair again. Our kiss deepened, my arm tightening around her waist. I unwrapped my other arm and ran my fingers through her long brown hair. As my hand rested at the back of her neck, my fingers twisted in her hair. She moaned softly as we came up for air. Suddenly, I couldn't get enough of her. I rolled us over so she was beneath me on the grass. My lips grazed across her jaw, down her throat, and across her collar bone. Bella shivered underneath me. Her hands clenched in my hair, tugging on it. Mother of God, this woman is driving me nuts. Now it was my turn to moan. I rose from kissing her shoulder to look into her eyes. Her brown eyes mirrored the same desire as mine held.

"Bella…" I whispered huskily. She stroked my cheek. Should I tell her? How will she take it? Will she think I am serious? My nerves got the best of me and I chickened out.

She noticed the shift in my thoughts and that I wasn't going to finish what I was going to say to her. Hurt shadowed her beautiful brown eyes, but was quickly masked as she regained control of herself. Her body tensed up in response, effectively breaking the mood. I rolled over on my back and released her, frustrated with myself. Bella got up, righted the chair that had fallen over when she fell, and collected our breakfast dishes. I stared up at the sky, wishing I could turn back time just for five minutes. She didn't say a word as she walked back in the house and into the kitchen.

Damn it. I hurt her feelings. I got up and brushed the grass off the back of my clothes and followed her in the house. She was leaning up against the sink, shaking silently.

"Bella," I tried again.

Her body stilled when she heard my voice. She turned her face away from me, her hair creating a curtain blocking my view.

"Why are you doing this?" she whispered with a soft catch to her voice.

I gasped softly. She was crying. I made her cry. I felt like such an ass.

"Doing what? Bella, why are you crying?" I walked up to her and tried to pull her into my arms but she turned away. Ouch.

"You say such nice things to me and then push me away. This isn't the first time you've done this. I tried to ignore it before, but this morning, it was just too much!"

I was shocked. I had no idea she felt this way. I didn't realize my hesitation made her feel like I was trying to push her away. "Oh God, Bella… I am so sorry. I'm not trying to push you away." I tried to hold her again. She kept her distance.

"Right," she said coldly, clearly not believing me. "I know what you are doing. You are trying to make it easier for you to leave. So you won't have to lie about coming back."

This was the worst kind of conclusion she could have formed. I was horrified that she would even think anything like that. I was just a dumbass that couldn't get past my own fears and say three little words to the woman that meant more to me than anything else in the world.

"Bella, that is the farthest thing from the truth. I didn't mean to push you away this morning or any other time. I was having difficulty putting to words what I wanted to tell you. I was afraid."

Bella inclined her head towards me as I spoke.

"I am not looking forward to leaving, but I have to go. And I will be back. I promise you I am coming back as soon as I have a break in my shooting schedule."

She turned and looked at me fully this time, hope in her eyes as her tears dried on her cheeks. This time when I reached for her, she let me hold her. I rested my cheek on the top of her head and stroked her hair. Bella's hands rested on my hips.

"You have no idea how important you have become to me, Bella. I could not imagine not having you in my life, even if we have to be apart from time to time."

She shuddered slightly in my arms. I lifted her chin so I could look her in the eye. I had finally found my moment.

"That is why it has been so hard for me to say certain things to you. If you turned me away afterwards, I wouldn't be able to take it. You are my life now. And I can't hold back any longer. Bella, my dear, sweet, wonderful Bella… I love you."

Her eyes widened and fresh tears sprang up. I was at a loss. I had made her cry again. Regretfully, I started to let her go, my heart sinking to the floor. I wondered how quickly I could get a flight back home.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. I won't bother you-"

Bella interrupted me with her fingers across my lips.

"No, Edward," she whispered as she wrapped her other arm around my waist, not letting me step away. "I want you to bother me as much as possible because I love you too."

My heart soared. Was this really possible? My angel loved me too!

The breakfast dishes dried in the sink as we continued where we left off in the grass. I buried my face in her neck, trailing a slow line of kisses up and down her neck. My hands forged a path from her hair down to her hips and back again. Our bodies were on fire. We were both breathing hard as we continued to kiss and touch each other. I wanted to see and feel every inch of Bella's body. I kept my hands clenched at her hips tightly, afraid of where they might go if I released them. My new friend Restraint helped to keep my desire in check. I finally regained my senses when I felt Bella trying to pull my t-shirt up. Carefully, I removed her insistent hands from my shirt while I moved my lips o her jaw and up her chin.

"Bella, love," I whispered, my voice thick and my breathing heavy.

"What?" she pouted. Her hands found their way into my hair, tugging gently on the strands. Her eyes locked with mine and I almost lost my resolve.

"You're going to be late for work," I murmured, kissing her again.

"I don't care," she replied, nibbling my ear.

Evil, evil woman.

"Bella..." I repeated, reproachfully. Against every fiber of my body, I untangled her small but strong hands and kept them clasped in mine as I took a step back. "We talked about this."

She sighed, still pouting. "Okay, okay. But this is not over," she threatened, her eyes momentarily filled with longing that made my knees weak and my pants tight. She started to turn away so I released her hands and she walked into her bedroom to change into her work clothes.

Desperately needing some fresh air before I did something I might regret, I walked outside and started to prep my next project for the house. I wasn't far into my task when she came out. She was wearing what she normally wore to work; black pants and a t-shirt with the bar's name on it. But this time, something about Bella was different. She sauntered towards me in a slow, seductive manner I'd never seen her use before. My restraint was being well tested today. Bella's decadent brown eyes locked with mine, ablaze with emotion.

"Edward." Her voice was low and husky.

I wanted to grab her and drag her back into the house right then and there. She smiled wickedly at me. Bella knew exactly the affect she was having on me. I couldn't even voice an articulate response. When I tried to speak, I only made choking sounds.

Bella laughed. She stopped about a foot from me, her gaze never leaving mine. She reached up and gently touched my check.

What is this evil temptress up to? I stared back at her, thoroughly puzzled.

Suddenly her hand locked around the back of my neck and she dragged my head down to hers. Before I even had time to react, her lips were on mine. There was a ferocity with this kiss that she had never expressed before. All the rational thoughts in my mind started to go numb while other things were wide awake. Just as suddenly as it started, she released me. I was left gasping for breath, both my mind and my body collectively thinking "What the fuck just happened?"

Bella sauntered back to her truck, taking her time. She turned her head towards me as she went, "Thought I'd give you something to think about today." Her earlier threat about unfinished business hung in the air.

My mind was still numb as she drove away. It took me several minutes before I could think straight again. I sighed. I am in so much trouble when she comes back. After my mind cleared, I remembered I had to make a few phone calls before I got too far into my latest project. I finally had to face reality and make some arrangements for my return to LA.

I grabbed my phone and turned it on. Since I had been in Ohio, my phone had been off more than it was on, something unheard of for me prior to this. As usual, I had several voicemails and texts. Marcus was the big winner again with Alice not far behind. Marcus's messages were pretty tame, for him. He was just checking up on me making sure I was really going to be coming back to Los Angeles. His last call came in yesterday. Alrighty... I can't be putting that off much longer. Alice's messages, as usual, were much nicer. She wanted to know how I was doing and asked when I'd be back in town. She missed seeing her big brother. I shot her a quick text stating that I was fine and I would call her later to fill her in on what had been going on. I needed to get things set with Marcus first.

As was his habit, Marcus answered on the first ring. "Good Afternoon, Edward." His voice actually sounded friendly.

"Hi, Marcus, how are you?"

"Fine. To what do I owe the pleasure of you actually calling me back?"

I laughed silently to myself. He could only go so long without being sarcastic.

"I would think you would know the answer to that even more so than I do. I need you to send me my copy of the script so I can start looking it over before the rehearsals start on Monday."

"Ah ha!" Marcus laughed. "I can do one even better. I can hand-deliver it to you."

"You're in Ohio?" I asked incredulously. Even though I knew it wasn't possible, I looked around the front yard to see if Marcus was going to appear out of thin air.

"Yes, I just got in at Hopkins in Cleveland. I had to make sure you were coming back. And since you don't answer your cell phone much anymore, I thought I'd drop by in person."

"But you don't know where I am."

Marcus laughed again. "The brilliance of the technology we have nowadays. I was able to narrow down the general vicinity of where you are based on the GPS locator in your rented Volvo. However, it would be a great help if you could give me a precise address."

I was stunned. But I should've known better. Marcus was very resourceful. Hell that was one of the reasons why I hired him as my manager to begin with. He'd probably known where I'd been this entire time, giving me my space until I really truly had to go back. There was no 'probably known', he HAD known.

"Thank you Marcus," I murmured, my voice muted in my sincerity. He was a better friend than I gave him credit for.

"You're welcome, Edward. It is good to hear your voice again. You are finally starting to sound like the Edward I first met several years ago." He paused. "Now, about that address."

I gave him the address to Bella's house. I hoped she wouldn't mind, but I didn't want Marcus pulling up at the bar. This was more discrete. It would take Marcus about an hour to get here from the airport, giving me some more time to work on the house. So I returned to my project and climbed onto the roof to attack some shingles.

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I was deep into roofing shingles when I heard a car pull into the gravel driveway. Assuming it was Marcus, I glanced down quickly and saw Marcus's long, dark hair through the driver's side window. I'm sure I was quite a sight compared to what Marcus was used to seeing of me as he looked up at the roof. He had never seen me doing any kind of manual labor or outdoor kind of work. I was standing on Bella's roof wearing only work boots, cargo shorts, and a tool belt slung across my hips. I was never a big, muscled kind of guy, but all the house work was definitely helping my definition and adding color to my typical pale skin. I continued nailing shingles down as I heard the car door slam and footsteps heading towards the front door.

"Edward?" he yelled up to me. There was some uncertainty in his voice. I couldn't possibly look that different in a month.

I turned around and carefully walked down the slope of the roof to the ladder. "Hey there, Marcus. How was the drive?" I nimbly scaled down the ladder and joined him by the front door, taking his extended hand and shaking it firmly.

He looked at me quizzically. "It was fine. You are looking well, quite well, actually."

I grinned at him as I wiped sweat from my brow. This past month had been great. I was in a pretty happy place and I was even looking forward to starting the new movie. I would miss Bella horribly and I would be counting the days till I could see her again, but I genuinely enjoyed being an actor. Bella helped me relax enough so I could enjoy my craft again. She was such a quiet and calm person and that presence rubbed off on me as I spent time with her. Getting to know her made me realize that there was something real out there. It is something I would keep close to my heart when we were separated from one another. I had lost sight of that over the past several years. There was nothing real to anchor me down and keep me centered. Her love was my anchor.

"Thanks."

"So... what exactly have you been doing this past month? I didn't know you knew how to do roofing." It looked like Marcus wanted to ask something else, but he let it drop.

"You remember my mother, Esme, right? She is an architect who deals with historical preservation. When I was younger, I helped her out at the job sites. I'm no master carpenter, but I can hold my own with most power tools."

"You are a man of many talents, Edward Cullen."

I shook my head. "Not really, but thanks all the same. Do you want to see the rest of the house?"

Marcus seemed intrigued. He followed me into Bella's house as I gave him an abbreviated version of the tour Bella gave me the first night I was here. Marcus looked around with sincere interest. Besides being my manager, he also had an eye for real estate. I could see him appraising the house as we went along. He was also shooting curious looks in my direction as I spoke.

"Who owns this place? It's a beautiful piece of property."

I gestured proudly to the mantle over Bella's fireplace where a collection of pictures stood. "She does."

Marcus walked over to look more closely at the pictures. I followed his gaze as he looked at a picture of Bella and her parents when she graduated from high school, of her and Jacob while at college, of Bella and her parents at her college graduation, of her standing by a sold sign in front of this house, of her outside the Midnight Sun on the day it opened. Marcus's eyebrows shot up when he read the name of the bar on the picture. He stopped completely when he looked at the next and last picture. It was a picture taken of Bella and me from about a week ago, as we walked along Main Street Beach in Vermilion. Bella had her camera with her that day and was taking a ton of pictures of me and the outdoors. Sometime during that afternoon, we found someone to take a picture of us. I loved that picture. We had our arms around each other, faces beaming with a hint of laughter in our eyes. Marcus carefully picked the picture up from the mantle and examined it more closely. He looked at me, then back at the photograph, then back at me again.

"Her name is Bella Swan."

He nodded, looking at my face intently, looking for something. "She is very beautiful."

I smiled warmly, "Yes she is." She's the most beautiful woman I've ever met.

"Does she have anything to do with you wanting to take some time off?"

"Yes and no."

Marcus lifted one eyebrow at me, signaling me to continue. "I knew I needed a break after the debacle of the Odeon show. I was going to have a complete breakdown if I didn't stop. I was so close to hitting bottom. I didn't even know where I was going when I left that night. I just drove. When I pulled into the bar, I felt drawn to the place."

"Are you sure it wasn't because they served alcohol?" Marcus teased.

"No," I rolled my eyes at him. "I didn't even really know what was going on. I walked in and saw her. There was just something about her that I couldn't put my finger on. I couldn't stop looking at her, I couldn't stop wanting to talk to her, to keep her near." Marcus was giving me a pointed look. "Yes, Marcus, I was attracted to her, but it was more then that. Originally, I wasn't planning on staying in the area after that night. I had thought about going back to Forks for awhile. But... here I am."

"Fixing her roof."

"Well, she won't let me pay rent so I have to do something for her. Plus I genuinely like working on the house." The added benefit of seeing how happy my work made Bella was all the incentive I really needed.

"You've been living here?" he asked, surprised.

"Yeah."

Marcus let out a loud, bellowing laugh and clapped me on the back of my shoulder with a wicked twinkle in his eye. "Now I see why you are in such good spirits! I thought your dry spell was never going to end!"

I was instantly furious. I knew Marcus didn't mean anything bad by it, but it still made my blood boil. "It's not like that Marcus. She's not that kind of woman." I glared darkly at him.

Marcus backed off, raising his hands to ward off any further dark looks. "Easy, Edward, my apologies. I didn't mean to offend you. But what do you expect me to think? You are living here with a woman you readily admit that you are attracted to and it is fairly obvious to my eyes that you have feelings for her."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried to will my anger away. This was not a conversation I had expected to be having with my manager, or anyone else for that matter. "I know what it looks like Marcus. I'm not stupid. She's just not that kind of woman. This isn't a casual thing for me or for her. Our relationship isn't defined by sex. I really care about her."

"You haven't?" he asked, incredulously.

I shook my head. "Like I said, I really care about her and our relationship is more than just a physical connection."

"And it appears she feels the same," he answered, indicating the picture of us still in his hands.

I nodded hoping that this conversation was going to be over soon.

He thought to himself for a moment before speaking. Apparently my luck was not holding out today. "And you are going to try to continue the relationship even after you return to LA?"

I nodded again, trying to understand where he was going with this conversation.

He looked puzzled. "Is she coming with you?"

"God no. She has her own life here and she has her bar to run. We are going to try to see each other when we can, when either one of us gets some free time."

"For how long?"

I ran my hands through my hair, feeling myself getting agitated again. "Look, I don't know, Marcus. Does it really matter? I wouldn't be the first actor to date someone who wasn't in the industry!" I started pacing across the living room floor.

He nodded his head once, looking at me intently, trying to get me to look him in the eye. I kept pacing. "That is true, but is she prepared for what it means to be dating a celebrity? I'm honestly surprised that the paparazzi haven't found you yet. How have you not been recognized at all this past month?"

"People around here know me as Anthony Masen. No one-"

"She doesn't know?!" he interrupted.

"If you let me finish, Marcus," I said tightly, "I was going to say that no one knows who I really am here except for Bella. She guessed it the first night. But she, being the amazing woman that she is, didn't blow my cover and announce to everyone who I am."

I had hoped that Marcus would be happy for me, or at the very least be happy I wasn't still a drunk. But he seemed angry with me now and it surprised me greatly. His next words would stop me in my tracks.

"That still doesn't answer the question about her being prepared for what she is getting into. The minute that any of those gossip rags or the paparazzi find out about her, they are going to swarm over Vermilion like a band of locusts. Is she prepared to handle that? Do you really want to put this woman you care so much about through all that?"

"Oh my God." I sat down on the couch as realization came over me. My eyes stared out in shock. I imagined my beautiful Bella being surrounded by video cameras and paparazzi hounding her with questions about us as she tried to leave her bar, as she tried to walk to her door, as she tried just living her life. I could see the panic, embarrassment, and fear in her eyes. She didn't like being the center of attention. And here I was, about to feed her to the lions. All she did was love me. She didn't ask for any of this. I buried my face in my hands. I had been so blind. I hadn't even considered how the media exposure would affect her. Hell, it had almost broken me and I had prepared for it and expected it.

The clear path I had envisioned for Bella and I was no longer so clear. I didn't know what to do anymore. For certain, I couldn't just up and leave and never come back. If I did that, I'd be back in the bottle before the plane landed in LAX and I would never come out. She was my rock. But I couldn't let the very public nature of my life impact hers. I just couldn't.

Marcus patted me on my shoulder, trying to be comforting. "I'm sorry, Edward. I truly am. I can see how much you care about her. But you and Bella are from two completely different worlds. Ordinary people can't survive in our world."

"Bella is far from ordinary," I muttered, staring at my work boots.

Marcus continued as if I hadn't said anything. "Do you really think it could possibly work?"

I looked straight at him while he gazed at me sympathetically. "Yes," I replied simply, "if we are both willing to make it work. Idealistic I know, but it's true. I've never felt like this about anyone in my life. I love her Marcus. And I am not going to just give up at the first hurdle. However, it's not just my choice to make. I'll talk to her about what could happen with the media and all the garbage being in the public eye entails. And if she still wants me, I'm hers. If not, I'll be happy for the time I had with her and gracefully bow out."

Marcus shook his slowly head. "Edward, for your sake and hers, I certainly hope she is willing to make it work. But I doubt that it will be that easy, that cut and dry for either one of you. If she says no, could you really just walk away?

I cringed at his words and tried not to focus on them.

"If that's what she wanted." My heart screamed bloody murder. It wanted me to fight for her, to make her see that it would be worth it. And I would, but I would not force her into the craziness that surrounded my life. She had to be willing to do it and strong enough to survive it.

Marcus nodded again. He seemed satisfied with my responses. He put the picture of Bella and I back on the mantle and reached into his briefcase. "Well, shall we discuss the real reason I'm here?"

"Sure."

Marcus joined me on the couch and handed me the script to my next movie, Everything, But. I idly flipped through some of the first scenes, trying to focus on the task at hand and not my burgeoning love life. The first several scenes I was familiar with from the bit of the script I was sent before I signed on to the project. Now I finally had the entire script, but I couldn't remember who else was going to be in the movie. Based on the success of my previous movie, the director and producer didn't even bother with a screen test so I wasn't sure who all my co-stars were going to be. I had heard various rumors about who else was going to be in the movie, but I hadn't been paying very close attention.

"Marcus, refresh my memory. Who else is in this movie?"

He looked over at me and laughed slightly. "You must've been in a bigger alcohol induced haze than I realized when I told you who was also in the movie, or more importantly who is playing the female lead."

I groaned to myself. This cannot be good. "I honestly do not remember Marcus, alcohol or not. Please just spit it out."

"Tanya Denali."

My eyes about popped out of my head. "Tanya?"

"Yes, Tanya."

"Oh this is so going to complicate things."

I suddenly wasn't very excited about doing this movie. The next several months were going to be very difficult.

Marcus raised an eyebrow at me, "I imagine that it would. She never forgave you for breaking up with her, and she obviously still has some kind of strong feelings for you. I can't decide if it is hate or lust. Anytime she is near you she acts like she is going to jump you."

I groaned again. "I know. I try to avoid her at all costs. I can't get it through her thick, annoying skull that we are over and I want nothing to do with her. Especially after meeting Bella, I am quite certain there will never be anything between Tanya and me ever again."

Tanya Denali was an ex-girlfriend, if you could call her that. We went out for awhile but it didn't go very far and didn't last very long. I had met her when we were both in the same movie a few years ago. We hit if off instantly. She was beautiful, as most actresses tend to be, but her beauty was only skin deep. It only took me a few months to see how ugly she was inside. Tanya was vain, greedy, and hateful. She vowed revenge on me after I broke up with her. And now I was going to be her romantic love interest in this new movie. This could not get any worse.

I flipped through more of the script to see how intense some the scenes were going to be. My whole body cringed in revulsion when I scanned through a bedroom scene. I closed the script before I made myself sick. I groaned for the third time when I recognized the director's name. This all was told to me when I signed on to do the movie, but since I had been too busy drinking my life away, I hadn't remembered.

James Richardson was considered a difficult director. He was infamous for enforcing long hours, up to sixteen hours a day. He was extremely particular and would redo a scene as many times as it would take to get it right. But on the flip-side, he did not belabor anything. Working those long hours ensured filming was done as quickly as possible. It was still going to be a very intense several months. All the more intense due to Tanya. She is not going to make my life easy.

I sighed and looked over at Marcus before speaking as sincerely as I could. "Thanks man, thanks for everything." He had done a lot for me that he didn't have to do and not just in the past month either.

He smiled, relieved that I was really going back to LA. "No problem, Edward. I'm glad to see you, the real Edward, back in action. The guy that took your place in the past year was a jackass."

I laughed at his chastisement. The more I thought about how I had acted, I could only agree with him. I had been a jackass and more. But that has changed now because of Bella.

"How long are you in town?" I was hoping we'd have some more time to hang out like we used to do.

He sighed as he got up. "Not much longer. I have to be back in LA by this evening. My flight out leaves in four hours. Oh, speaking of flights, I have your ticket. Your flight leaves on Friday afternoon. I'll pick you up at the airport when you arrive at LAX." He fished in his briefcase for a minute before he pulled out my airline ticket and gate information. "Here. You better be on that flight or I'll come back here and flog you myself," he warned.

"I will, I will, I promise. Since you still have a little bit of time, come with me to the backyard. We can sit and relax a bit."

As we walked towards the back of the house, Marcus spied my guitar and some sheet music on the kitchen table and stopped. "Hey wait, have you been composing again?" he asked excitedly.

"Yeah actually I have. Not all the songs are down on paper yet though. They are still marinating up here." I tapped on the side of my head with a grin on my face.

"That is great news, Edward! It has been so long!" He clapped me on the back happily.

"Yes it has. I was starting to wonder if I'd ever be able to write another song again. But being here with her, she brought it back to me. She opened me up to my music again."

Marcus shook his head in disbelief. "This woman has done all of this for you and she hasn't fucked you. Unbelievable."

I ignored his comment. When Bella and I did finally get to that point, it wouldn't just be fucking.

We talked for a little bit after that. He was very happy that I had found my way out of the hole I had been digging myself into for the past year. He asked a few more questions about Bella before filling me in on anything important or exciting going on in LA. At any given day or time, there was always something exciting going on in LA, but very little of it held any interest for me. Thankfully, Marcus knew what I wanted to hear about, so it was a tolerable way to spend the afternoon. I may have to finish the shingles later in the week, I thought as I saw the sun gradually continue its path across the sky.

Marcus looked at his watch before getting up. "Time for me to go, Edward."

I nodded and walked with him back to his car. "I'll see you on Friday."

Marcus gave me a quick hug, something he hadn't done in a long time. "Till Friday. Take care of yourself."

I watched Marcus's car pull away and head back towards Cleveland. Deciding that sooner was better than later, I went back up onto the roof and continued nailing shingles down, picking up where I left off before Marcus arrived, before he arrived and pointed out some tough choices that Bella and I were going to have to make before the week was out. I just hoped she could handle what was going to eventually find her.

A/N Please review! :)