Author's Note: Thank you all for the support; I'll pass out bowls of Edward's ice cream as a thank you after the story is finished. Random fact - it's about to rain here which makes me happy for two reasons. Reason Part A: that means it's finally too warm to snow and Reason Number 1: rainy weather is my favorite and yes I realize I said A and 1, but my reasons are equal in value and I didn't want to diminish one by giving it a 2 or B status because that's just how my strange little mind works. Also, I saw a man with Edwardesque hair today and it was more than a little nice.

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

Twenty Nine

I hurt for her and felt completely helpless so I wrapped her up and let her cry on my chest despite that I could tell she wanted to get up. There wasn't anything I could say and I refused to spit out one of those empty platitudes about being sorry or them all being in a better place. At any given time, I wasn't sure what I really believed in anyway. So I held her and tried not to let my frustration show. I tended not to wallow; I was more of the problem solving type. Although to say that now - after the autumn I'd been having - was probably not true anymore, but I digress. So I swallowed the helplessness that had begun showing itself more readily since Bella left and held her and let her tears fall on me.

She fell asleep after a while; I kept her close and re-memorized the smell of her and let the things she'd said turn over in my mind. Bella had been through a lifetime of pain within the span of a few years, a few days if you wanted to get specific. When she repeated the last thing she'd ever said to her father – too little, too late – she cried again and clung to me and said nothing she said to him was true and that nothing she left him for was worth anything now.

She wanted to take everything back and I wanted so badly to give that to her, even if it meant that she and I would have never met.

I didn't sleep at all and sometime during the night she woke up; I heard her sniffle softly and press herself closer although she was already laying on me and couldn't get much closer. It wasn't as comfortable as it had started out, but she could lay there forever if she wanted to. I ran my fingertips over her back and felt her softness and the guilt that came with being too rough with her earlier. She sighed and I angled myself so I could see part of her face. "Hmm?" I asked.

"Nothing, that just felt good."

I knew she meant more than just my hands on her back. Before I could say anything more, my stomach rumbled and it made her laugh. "I didn't eat today," I grinned and she leaned up on her elbows to look at me.

"I didn't either unless you count airplane pretzels."

"Want me to get you something?"

"That's -," before she could say no her stomach growled as well. I moved her to my side and stood up, fumbling in the dark for my underwear, but came up with only my pants instead. I slipped those on and tossed Bella what I hoped was my work shirt. I held my hand out to her and walked over the cold wood floors into the kitchen.

I opened the fridge and looked inside, hoping something had materialized in the last few hours; I opened the freezer with the same expectation. "Well, I have a block of mozzarella and a head of lettuce, oh, and one apple. In the freezer…Neapolitan, chocolate, vanilla, and mint chocolate chip ice cream and two bags of frozen broccoli." I looked at her with what was probably a sheepish expression and she smiled at me. She looked completely drained, but also a softer kind of happy than I'd ever seen on her face before.

"How do you live?"

I grinned crookedly, "I manage. Plus Jasper tends to order food when he's here; I always have dibs on leftovers." I raised a hand and ran it through my hair.

She reached in and grabbed the apple. "Want to share?" She held it out for me to take and I did.

We went back to the bedroom and shared the little apple and I was surprised that it was enough to take the edge off my hunger. When we were done I pulled her into my side, but she resisted.

"My hands are all apple-y." She held them away from me and the sheets.

"So are mine, I don't care."

"I don't want to get your sheets dirty."

I grinned, but didn't say remark that immediately came to mind. Instead, I dragged a wet thumb across her collarbone then licked away the apple taste it left there. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me close; I settled partially on top of her and waited for her arms to relax before I looked up. She was smiling.

We fell asleep in that position and what felt like five minutes later, my alarm went off. It startled us both and if it hadn't been an absolute necessity I would have thrown the alarm across the room and gone back to bed. I had a meeting that morning about the university addition and my boss was still not pleased with all the time I'd taken off when Bella was here the first time.

She rubbed her eyes and breathed in deeply. "Work?" Her eyes were barely open and were also a little red and swollen.

I brushed some hair off her face. "Yeah, will you stay here today? You have free reign."

She blushed a little. "Yeah…I didn't get a hotel room…I was sort of putting all my eggs in one basket." Her blush got deeper when I smiled at her.

When I left, Bella had gotten up, but I was pretty sure that was just for show. I went down the block to get coffee; I wanted to eat, but didn't have the time. I walked to work, hoping the chill in the air would wake me up. I was happy, but I knew even that wouldn't quite disguise how tired and hungry I was. I got another coffee outside my office and took the slow elevator ride up.

Jasper wasn't there when I got to our office, so I spent the time re-editing the update we were giving. It was hard to focus though; I couldn't stop thinking about Bella's story. She had told me everything, but I wondered – has she ever gotten help? Would that be rude to ask? And sure, she told me what happened to her, but that doesn't mean everything is ok now. What would stop her from leaving again if she got scared? All of that mixed with my absolute elation that she'd come back at all. I could be satisfied with just that, couldn't I?

I didn't even realize Jasper had come in until he threw a Styrofoam container onto my desk; he followed it up with a plastic wrapped knife and fork. "What would you do without me?" He asked and went over to his desk.

"I'm sure I'd be dead in a gutter somewhere." There were two Creole omelets, my favorite, inside that I devoured. "What? No orange juice?" I said after I finished.

"Don't push your luck."

"You're the one that took dinner away yesterday."

"I figured you'd be too preoccupied to eat." He looked up from where he was gathering papers on his desk and looked at me. "How'd it go?"

I couldn't force down my grin, "good, really good."

"Be careful, man."

I nodded and then thought about his warning for a second juxtaposed with my building worries about Bella. "I think it'll be ok."

We got back to work after that; I knew Jasper wouldn't want details and I didn't really want to give him any. The meeting went well; the breakfast gave me enough energy to concentrate on what I was supposed to say.

By one o'clock I was ready to get some lunch; I stood up from my desk and slipped my jacket back on. "Lunch?"

"Naw, I've got some stuff to finish up first." He looked at me like he was debating something. "You look like shit."

"You say that to me a lot," I chuckled.

He huffed a small laugh, "look, if you want to head home I'll cover for you. Nothing is really time critical today."

"Really?" I brightened.

"Yes as long as you don't get all best friends forever with me. See you tomorrow." He went back to his work and I walked out before he could change his mind.

I let myself into my apartment in a hurry, anxious to see Bella again. I didn't see her in the kitchen or living room so I walked into the bedroom. The bed was made and our clothes were all picked up; the bathroom was empty and it was at that point I started to worry. I walked into my office knowing she probably wouldn't be inside it.

She wasn't.

I walked back into the living room and looked around; her suitcase was missing from it's spot near the front door. I ran a hand through my hair and felt a little lost in my own apartment. In the kitchen everything was exactly how it was left the night before. I looked around again.

It was as if she'd never been there.

This wasn't right. She was supposed to be here, watching television, or reading, or checking her e-mail, anything that involved her being where I could see her. But she wasn't. It felt like the walls were moving closer and it was getting a little hot; I tried not to let my mind go there, but knew it was no use. Had she left again? Had something happened while I was gone? Or was there an emergency? Or was she just always going to run away?

My heart beat faster.

I took off my jacket and put it away, loosened my tie, rolled up the sleeves of my shirt a little ways, but it wasn't enough to keep my mind remotely occupied.

I didn't hear the key in the door, but I did hear it open. I was standing in the kitchen trying not to think at all when Bella came back. Her arms were loaded down with bags and for a second I was surprised she could carry them all at once. I stood dumbly staring at her.

She closed the door with her foot and then gasped, making a little high pitched noise in her throat. She let out a breath. "Edward!"

I shook myself out of my stupor and ran over to help her; I couldn't make my voice work so I just grabbed most of the bags out of her hands.

She had gone grocery shopping for me.

"Edward? Are you ok? I wanted to restock your kitchen before you got home. Are you here early? What time is it? It was sort of supposed to be a surprise, I found the spare keys in one of the kitchen drawers," she rambled when she got nervous.

I put everything down and wrapped my arms around her slim waist.

She was wearing my Yale sweatshirt.

I murmured into her hair, "thank you for the groceries; sorry they couldn't be a surprise." She could tell something was wrong, but didn't say anything. She pulled me closer as I mentally berated myself for thinking she would just take off again. But I couldn't deny that it was on my mind; would I go there every time I didn't know where she was?

Was this the new normal?