Author's Note: I'm so glad you're still reading. Ok, so the sad stuff isn't quite over (I had to let nature run it's course), but after this chapter things will start looking up. I swear.

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

Twenty Five

It was Saturday.

Saturday.

They were leaving today. Their plane left in two hours and eleven minutes and though I decided last night that I was just going to let her leave like she'd made clear she wanted me to, here I stood outside my building waiting for Jasper so we could go to the airport together. He had wanted to spend the whole last day with Alice, but had been called into work. I felt guilty impinging further on his last few minutes with her, but he said he'd share a cab to the airport with me when he was done at the office (which was walking distance to my apartment).

I checked the time again and debated briefly just going without him when a cab pulled up and a door flew open. He leaned out, "we're going to be late," he said in a rush. I jumped in and barely had time to close the door before we took off.

I looked at Jasper and gestured toward the driver as if to say, what the hell?

"Oh, yeah I told him I'd double the cost of the ride if he got us there fast enough."

We swerved into the turning lane, cutting off a line of cars. The driver yelled something in German and kept going.

"Did you stipulate that we had to get there alive?"

I don't know how we made it there as fast as we did with all our parts intact, but we managed. Alice called as we were pulling up to the airport, saying they couldn't wait much longer. Jasper handed the money to the driver who smiled and counted it before we ran inside.

He saw the group before I did and ran over like I wasn't there, scooping Alice up off the ground. They shared a conversation I couldn't hear before he set her feet gently down on the floor. Alice glanced at me with sympathy in her eyes, "she's buying a book."

I nodded a quick hello to Rose and Emmett and then looked in the direction Alice pointed. I saw Bella walking back toward us; it didn't look like she'd seen me yet. I looked back at Alice to ask her something, but she and Jasper had returned to their own universe and I didn't want to disturb them. I steeled myself and walked over to Bella. From the second I saw her I was ready to forget about everything she'd said before; I was ready to do anything just so long as she stayed with me. The couple of days that had passed since I'd last seen her were miserable and I didn't think I could take any more like that.

Bella was fiddling with her carry-on, opening it and depositing her new book inside. I wanted to help her; I wanted to take her bag off her shoulder and carry it for her. I was about ten feet from the rest of the group when she looked up and saw me; she stiffened visibly which I took as a bad omen. Everything I wanted to say somehow evaporated as she came closer. I stepped into her space and looked at her. "Bella," I wanted to pick her up and take her back to my apartment. "I wanted to say…to ask you…" I knew what I was potentially doing, but I did it anyway. I tried to be honest, to be persuasive, but it came out as a desperate plea. "Don't go, Bella, stay with me. I can't just let you leave like this." I stared at her, trying to read her face.

She shook her head and I tried to hold my heart together. "Edward, I can't. I've already caused you enough trouble -,"

"You haven't. Please just stay here; whatever you need me to do, I'll do it. Just stay. Bella," I sighed, "I love you, I'm…so in love with you," I didn't care that I was begging. I reached out and touched her hand, "please, let's go, just…come with me." I held her hand tightly like I was going to make her stay by force.

She looked down at my chest as she spoke. "I…I can't do this right now. I'm sorry," she pulled her hand away. "I've got to go." She turned around and walked past the point where I could follow her without looking back even once.

I stared long after I couldn't see her anymore.

I felt a small hand curve around mine, but I didn't turn around. I knew what I was doing; I was waiting for her to come back. "Edward," Alice squeezed my hand. She faced me and wrapped her arms around my middle and I hugged her back. I did it so as not to be rude, but soon I was holding her just as tightly as she was holding me. Her eyes looked watery when she pulled back. She spoke quietly, "I'll talk to her, ok? She loves you Edward; she's just…I don't know."

I said an awkward goodbye to Rose and Emmett before they all trooped off in the same direction Bella went. Alice turned around once to look at Jasper before she couldn't see him anymore. He sighed and clapped a hand on my shoulder, squeezing once. He and I had never been particularly affectionate, but I appreciated the gesture nonetheless. I turned around and Jasper followed me to the cab line.

I gave the driver the address to the Old Town Bar and practically dared Jasper to say something. It was only about six o'clock, but I needed anything to keep me from thinking. All the analyzing never did anything good for me.

To say that I drank myself into a stupor would not be overstating things. I didn't really know what kind of drunk I was; I didn't get many "opportunities" to test it out. Tonight I was quiet. Jasper tried to fill the silence for a while, but eventually just let me have my way. We sat side by side; Jasper nursed his drinks slowly as I lined mine up, one after another. I lost count after a while. When Tanya came on duty I had sense enough to tell Jasper I was ready to leave. At least, in my head that's what it sounded like I said; I knew I was slurring. I could barely stand.

We walked the short distance to my apartment and I was apparently courteous enough to wait until I got inside before I passed out.

When I woke up I was in bed on top of the covers. My shirt was un-tucked and my shoes were off, but I was otherwise completely dressed. I could still feel my wallet in my back pocket. I didn't want to move; that would mean I was awake and that everything was real. The urge to get sick dominated anything I wanted though. I hadn't felt this way since college. I laid on the bathroom floor until I was sure my stomach was empty before standing up. I felt a wave of dizziness and closed my eyes until it passed. Shit.

I could smell food coming from the kitchen and wasn't sure if it made me feel better or worse. I walked out to see Jasper dressed much the same way I was, standing over the stove of my seldom used kitchen. He glanced at me quickly before turning his attention back to whatever he was stirring; he looked too awake for his own good. "Hi honey, I made breakfast."

Oh God. "Oh, God," I rubbed my face and went in search of aspirin. He handed me two and a glass of water before I could even open a cabinet door. I used all my energy to raise an eyebrow at him. "Who are you?" My voice sounded like gravel.

"Shut up; I don't do this for just anyone. Did you know you don't have a dining table?"

"I'm aware," I leaned my elbows on the counter and put my head in my hands. After a moment, I looked over at the stove, "where'd you learn how to cook?"

"My mom said it would come in handy some day."

"And today is that day?" I asked dryly.

He ignored me and grabbed a couple of plates, "ok, this is Southern food so you're probably shaving years off your life by eating it, but it's the best breakfast you'll ever have." He handed me a plate. "There are biscuits and gravy here, scrambled eggs, and cinnamon waffles with honey butter. Eat." He pulled orange juice out of my fridge and poured two glasses while I piled as much food as I could fit onto my plate.

"Did I have the ingredients for this stuff?"

"No, all you had were two eggs and five cartons of ice cream. I went out when I woke up."

I took a bite of the waffle. "Holy shit, Jasper."

He grinned, "yeah, I know."

Jasper stayed at my apartment for most of the rest of the day until I was pretty sure my misery was bringing him down with me. He tried to ask me about it, but I didn't feel like talking. I felt like wallowing. So he was quiet, flipping through channels on the television trying to find something that wouldn't remind me of Bella. He eventually settled on watching one action movie after another. It didn't help; every female face on the screen reminded me of her.

I wondered if I would feel this way forever.