"I can't believe you!" Scheduler scolded as she paced. "This is not okay, Edward! I thought you promised you won't do anything stupid?"

"I know, but –"

"Do you have any idea how things could have gone wrong tonight?!" she shrieked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Exactly – they could have gone wrong, but they didn't. Look, I'm sorry, okay? But I had to do it. You know I'd do anything to save my family from Jake and Rosalie."

Scheduler didn't say anything. She just continued to stare angrily at him, but after a while, finally caved. With a sigh, she plopped herself on the bed.

"I understand your intentions, and I admire you for it, but like I said before, stopping those two fiends isn't your priority. And then there's what you're doing to Jasper! You promised to treat him well, Edward."

"I am!" Edward insisted. He stood and showed Scheduler what was left of Jasper's delinquent notices. "See? I'm helping him with his debt. When I first got here, he had a huge stack of these. Now, he only has about…let's see here…two, three –"

"And that's great, but that wasn't what I meant," Scheduler shook her head. She kneeled next to Jasper's passed out form and pushed some hair off his face. "Look at him – he's so exhausted! There's no way he'll be able to work later, and I'm sure he'll have aching muscles – again – when he wakes up. This isn't what we talked about, Ed."

Edward sighed and tugged at his hair. "I didn't mean for him to…y'know, end up like that."

"What, passed out on his miniscule couch from running around the city at night?"

"Uh, yeah. Pretty much."

"Well, it can't happen again, okay?" Scheduler looked at him expectantly. "From now on, you have to focus on your mission, too. Remember, the three tears are the most important thing for you right now."

"Alright. I promise."

"Good. I hope you mean that. And will you please be more careful – both in dealing with Jacob and Rose and in meeting your curfew? Your ass would've been toast tonight if I haven't stepped in!"

"I know, I know, but I just lost – wait, what do you mean if you 'haven't stepped in'?"

Scheduler raised an eyebrow and gestured to her clothes. For the first time that night, Edward noticed that she was wearing scrubs.

"You were the nurse with the red hair. The one that kicked Jacob out," he stated. "Wow, I didn't know you can shape-shift."

"It's a talent," she replied wryly. "But I can't always change form and play deus ex machina to whatever sticky situation you get yourself into. You were just lucky that I was on my way to check in when you got stuck in that bathroom."

"Can I change form, though?"

"No, Edward, you can't."

Darn, Edward thought. He was hoping that maybe he had a new ability to add to his arsenal of spirit powers.

"Anyway, I have to go. Keep in mind everything we talked about tonight, and I'm begging you to please focus on getting the tears. It's why you've been given me and Jasper to help you."

Edward nodded, and Scheduler gave him a quick hug.

"You only have thirty-seven days left. Get to tear collecting, okay?"

…

The next morning, Edward was determined to keep his promise to Scheduler. Her reminder of how many days he had left certainly triggered his sense of urgency, and so, as he walked to Heaven, he thought well and hard about how to fill his cuff with the three crystals.

"I need to find people who actually care about me," he said quietly to himself. "Mom and Dad don't count, and Rose and Jacob are definitely out, so that leaves…um… God, don't I have any other frien – whoa!"

Edward's arms shot out instinctively to catch whoever he crashed into. He was surprised when Bella's wide, brown eyes looked up at him.

For a moment, the two stayed in each other's arms, simply looking at each other. Edward was beginning to lose himself in Bella's gaze when she pulled away with an awkward cough.

"Sorry," she apologized without looking at him. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

Edward could see the tell-tale signs of a blush beginning to cover her cheeks and had to smile. "It's okay. And it's not completely your fault. I wasn't paying attention either."

"Where were you?" Bella blurted in reply. "Last night, I mean. I-I didn't see you when we were cleaning up."

Crap, Edward did a mental facepalm. He had forgotten he had responsibilities with the other staff of Heaven. Well, to be fair, what he did last night was more important than helping put away catering equipment but he still felt bad for just bolting out of the place without informing Bella.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I wasn't feeling well after we last spoke, so I just headed home. That was really, really stupid and inconsiderate on my part, and I wouldn't blame you if you fired me, but –"

"Jasper, relax," Bella smiled. She put a hand on his arm and squeezed. "I'm not going to fire you; I don't really have that kind of power. I – we – were just concerned when you went missing. Are you feeling better today?"

"Yeah. I just had an awful migraine last night, but I feel much better now. "

"Good. I mean, great. Um, we should probably go in now," Bella let go of his arm and fumbled her way to the café's front door.

She's adorable, Edward chuckled to himself and followed her into Heaven.

…

Later that day, Edward had a revelation.

He was a friendless loser.

That was probably a bit of an exaggeration, but that was certainly how he felt. Even after scouring the very depths of his memory in search of someone – anyone – that cared about him outside his family, he came up empty.

He had plenty of friends in high school, but he was about ninety-nine percent sure those people were just acquaintances who either wanted to get the popularity points that came with being 'close' with the student government president, or just wanted to sleep with him. Or maybe both.

Then in college, the only people he ever really hung out with were Jacob and Rose. There were others who would occasionally tag along in their outings, but really, those two were the only ones he did things with. He used to think that was okay since he was more focused on graduating with honors than socializing, but now, he was regretting not branching out and connecting with people more.

This is so pathetic, Edward groaned quietly to himself as he wiped down a table. I'm not that terrible, am I? Is there really no one who would shed a tear for me?

As he looked around the café, he realized that he actually could think of someone. And she was piping cupcakes by the front counter as he worked.

Esme had always described Bella as a person who loves easily and someone you can easily love, and Edward has always agreed. There was something about her quiet yet courageous nature that drew people to her even when she didn't see her effect on them, and she was always so nurturing.

Despite this, Edward wasn't sure if she still cared about him. Well, she did, to some extent, since she did rush to the hospital at first mention of his accident, but he doubted her feelings for him ran deep enough to make her cry. Why would they? From the vague pieces of information Edward had gotten from her, it was obvious that he was the reason they stopped being friends.

Of all the people I could have been as asshole to, it just had to be Bella.

Edward sighed and wiped the table a bit too aggressively.

"Oh, this place is so cute!"

Edward looked up from his task and froze when he saw Rosalie enter Heaven. She was with another woman that Edward couldn't quite place, but he knew he'd seen her from somewhere…

"I knew you'd like it," Rose grinned. "Everything about it practically screams 'Rin' to me."

Rin…Rin… that's right – Rosalie's roommate's named Rin. But her real name was…Irina! Yeah, that Russian girl from Rose's old sorority. Edward felt proud of himself for finally figuring out who she was, but grimaced. That was probably another reason why he didn't have much friends; he could barely remember names and faces.

"I'd have to agree – it's just so…quaint. And warm," Irina giggled. She gazed around the space until she saw Edward. "And the staff's easy on the eyes, too!"

Oh Jesus...

Rosalie turned to see who Irina was referring to, and her smile widened. "Oh, yeah, that's Jasper Whitlock. We went to the same high school. Wait, I'll call him over – hey Jasper!"

Lord, give me strength.

Edward plastered a smile on his face and begrudgingly walked over to the two women. "Good afternoon, ladies, and welcome to Heaven. Do you need a table?"

"Thanks, Jasper, and yes please," Rosalie replied. "Oh, and this is my college buddy, Irina. Irina, this is Jasper."

"It's nice to meet you," Edward said even though he's technically already met her before…or at least he thought he already did.

"You, too,"

Edward nodded politely before leading the two to a table by the window. After they ordered, he made himself scarce and prayed that someone else would take over when they were through eating.

Unfortunately, Jane was busy with the other customers, and the other waitress Carmen was nowhere to be seen. He was then consequently forced to return to the table when both plates were empty. Armed with another forced smile, Edward tried his best to sound cheerful.

"How are we doing?"

"Everything was delish," Irina gushed. "The Alfredo was light, and your crepes are certainly to die for! I'll definitely be coming back here."

"That's great. I'm glad you like what you had. So, are we ready for the check now or – "

"Actually, I'd love to sample a cake."

Of course you do.

"You have black forest, right"

Edward resisted the strong urge to sigh in discontent and nodded instead. He just wanted them to leave, dammit. Why did God have to make Rosalie come here? And with her annoying roommate to boot. Was this some kind of test? Because if it was, he already knew he was failing.

It didn't take long for Edward to return with a slice of black forest cake; Bella was thankfully quick in cutting him a piece, and she didn't question why he looked so pissed though her eyes betrayed her curiosity. He was about to walk away after delivering the cake, but Irina's loud moans of appreciate were too quick for him.

"Oh-ehm-gee! Rose, you have to try this! This…this is ambrosia!"

"I think I'll pass, Rin. I still have to fit into a wedding dress, remember?"

"Live a little, you've still got that rockin' model-bod," Irina nudged her playfully and happily shoved another forkful of black forest into her mouth. "This is seriously the best I've ever had. Jasper, who made this?"

"Oh, that would be our head baker, Bella," Edward grinned genuinely for the first time. "She's a prodigy when it comes to pastries, and she's a great chef, too. In fact, she even headed the catering of the Cullens' anniversary ball last night."

Irina gasped. "No way. She was the genius behind all that food? She must be some kind of food goddess!"

Edward chuckled. "She definitely is." He turned slightly to glance at the food goddess herself, and felt ridiculously pleased to see her blush even from where he was standing. Irina's loud voice certainly carried her compliments throughout the entire café.

"Omigosh, Rosie, I just had a brilliant idea. Why don't you get Bella to cater your wedding, too? I mean, she could totally pull it off if the ball last night was any indication, and – "

"I don't really think that would be a good idea," Rose interrupted. "I mean, Edward would never approve – "

"How are you so sure about what Edward would think? This food is really –"

"I just know, okay? Besides, I'm his fiancée; I know him better than anyone else does."

Edward's mood was beginning to sour fast as he stood there and listened to the two bicker. Know him better than anyone else? Oh, Rosalie, if only you really did know…

"Excuse me, but is everything okay here?"

All three heads turned to look at Bella's unassuming form. Edward wished he'd stopped the arguments sooner. They were probably disturbing Bella so much that she decided to do something about them herself.

"I'm sorry, but you were getting a bit loud, and the other customers were starting to get bothered." Sure enough, many of the patrons were glaring at the noisy table.

"Sorry," Irina murmured. "Wait, are you Bella?"

"Um, yes."

"It's so great to meet you!" the bubbly girl stood and took Bella's hand. "I'm Irina. Let me just say that your cooking is so good that it should be illegal. Like, seriously. You have a new loyal customer right here!"

"Yeah, I kinda overheard something like that," Bella's cheeks were reddening again. "Thank you for the kind words, but I was just the baker today – the food was all our chef's work."

"But you cooked the dishes from last night, right?"

"I…had a hand in the recipes."

"Then that still totally makes you a food goddess," Irina grinned. She glanced over at Rosalie who was silently pouting in her seat. "Oh yeah, and um, this is Rosalie, by the way."

"I know," Bella said quietly. "We went to the same high school."

"Whoa, really? That is so random! First, I meet this handsome fellow Jasper, who went to high school with Rosie, and now you too! So you guys know Edward, then."

Edward's eyes immediately went to Bella at the mention of his name. He struggled to know what she was thinking as her expression went stoic.

"It's so sad, what happened to him," Irina continued, completely oblivious to how tense the atmosphere suddenly turned. "He's such a sweet guy – he didn't deserve something so horrible to happen to him."

Bella found herself simply nodding in agreement. It was like a lump had suddenly materialized in her throat, and she couldn't speak. She cleared her throat in an attempt to get rid of it before trying to reply.

"Were you – so you guys were close?"

"Um, well, not really," Irina was inexplicably blushing now. "I mean, I knew him in college because of Rose, and we'd all hang out with Jacob sometimes, but no, I didn't really know him. He was always so nice to me, though, even though we didn't talk all that much."

"Of course you guys didn't – he was too busy with me," Rosalie suddenly stood up. To anyone else, her tone might have sounded playful, but both Bella and Edward could hear the underlying venom in her words. "Don't you remember all the times we spent locked up in my room?"

Irina giggled. "Oh, yeah. I'm telling you, guys, she and Edward were so disgustingly sweet. Ugh, I almost had diabetes from just seeing them together!"

Edward wanted nothing more at that moment than to strangle the two loud nitwits. Not just for the exaggerations they were throwing around, but for distressing Bella as well. He could see from the way her shoulders hunched and her head bowed that she was getting upset, and he wasn't having any of that anymore.

"Um, Bella, wasn't that the phone?"

"What?"

"The phone," Edward placed a hand on her shoulder. "Y'know, the one by the register. I think it just rang."

"The phone?" Bella repeated. "I didn't hear it ring."

"Huh, I'm pretty sure it did. Well, either way, it'd be safer if you checked. Maybe it was a customer who left voice mail or something. Don't worry about the bill or cleaning up – I'll handle it."

"Oh. Um, okay. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. It was nice meeting you Irina, and, uh, nice seeing you again, Rosalie."

"It was a pleasure meeting you, too!"

"Yeah."

Edward smiled thankfully and began to lead Bella back to the front counter. He wrapped an arm around her until they were out of the two girls' sight.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked. He reluctantly let his arm drop.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," Bella nodded though her eyes were still a bit unfocused. "Sorry about that. I just…talking about Edward really…well, I'm still not that ready to talk about it, as you can see."

"That's perfectly understandable," Edward smiled slightly. "You guys were close once, and you still care about him…right?"

"Yes, of course I still do."

Edward couldn't help but let his smile grow. Maybe there was hope for him yet.

Thank you again to AstridGreenEyes for making manips :) You guys can check them out on her Facebook page.