This is a very heavy SWAT focused chapter during their training week. I think most is self explanatory. I have a feeling their training is not as much like basic training for the US armed services as I envision, but I just went with it. You guys are going to hate me ¾ of the way through this chapter, but just believe me that things will work out.

This is an unedited chapter…so full version is here :)

Super thanks as always to my Jr. Validation Beta SassenachWench who gets these out to you nearly as fast as I can post. You have her to thank for your fast updates nearly as much as you do me :) Also thanks to Sihaya9 for her initial beta work!

Missing and Misunderstandings

BPOV

I watched the elevator doors close through a blurred curtain of tears. As soon as the sounds coming from the shaft indicated that the car had left the floor, I sighed, wiping uselessly at the tears rolling down my cheeks. I felt a bit foolish until I turned to see both Alice and Rose were wearing matching expressions as they wiped their own faces.

I looked back toward the elevator, catching Jacob's eye when he looked our way. He gave a small understanding smile with a tiny wave. I waved back, doing my best to return the smile.

I followed Alice and Rosalie into the apartment, each of us collapsing on separate pieces of living room furniture. We were a sad crew with identically hunched shoulders and sulking faces.

"I miss him already and they probably haven't even left the building yet," Alice moaned from the settee where she was curled up with her chin resting on her knees.

"Me too…exactly when did I get so pathetic? Only a month ago I was a strong independent female doctor, kicking ass and taking names. I feel like that woman would be ashamed of how ridiculous I am being now." I whined from the chair I sat in crossways, my legs laying limply over one of the arms.

Rose scoffed at us both, rolling her eyes. "It's called new love, ladies. It does some crazy ass shit to the psyche, but in the end, it's worth it. You'll find your balance eventually, but even once you do, it's still hard to say goodbye. I'm going to miss my EmBear."

Alice and I both looked up, chuckling under our breath.

"EmBear?" I giggled.

She growled at me and tossed a throw pillow toward me nailing me square in the face. "Knock it off, you'll end up with a nickname for Edward soon enough." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and I rolled my eyes.

"Besides, you call him brother bear…how's it any different?"

I shrugged before turning to Alice. "Do you have a nickname for Jasper?" I was sort of nervous to hear the response.

She smiled a crooked, evil smile and nodded. "Yep, but it's private…not suitable for civilized conversation."

I snorted, shaking my head, "Thanks for keeping it to yourself then!"

Rose hit me with another pillow, "Speak for yourself, squirt. I for one want a few juicy details!"

Rose and Alice broke into a far too detailed conversation about Alice and Jasper's bedroom practices, which I struggled to ignore. Instead, I looked out at the Chicago skyline from the large penthouse windows, nearly succeeding until I heard my name and realized their focus had shifted.

"Oh man, Rose. It's such a good thing that security called when you and Em checked through downstairs or else we would be planning Edward's funeral right now. Bella's definitely a screamer!"

I felt my face flood crimson as I moaned, "Oh God, please no…don't start in on me! Besides, you guys interrupted before we got to the good stuff."

Rose's eyes grew the size of saucers. "Holy shit, Swan, you were that loud and he hadn't even gotten you off yet? You better invest in some soundproofing!"

I smirked, "Not a problem if we stay at Edward's."

The girls' mouths dropped open a second before they both started yammering at once. Suddenly, I was saved by the bell. Alice answered the phone and then smiled and thanked whoever was on the phone.

"Andy just checked in through security. He's on his way up."

I smiled to myself. Sweet Andy…the boys haven't even been gone ten minutes yet and he's already checking up on us. About seven minutes later, a knock at the door heralded Andy's arrival. Alice opened the door with a smile to find Jacob standing at the door with his arms crossed.

"You have a guest. He says his name is Andy. Should we let him through?"

Alice giggled. "Yes silly, Andy is an injured member of the squad. You never have to ask in regard to Andy. I'll call downstairs to let security know that he's free to come up anytime as well."

Jacob moved aside and Andy waltzed in with a wide smile. He threw his arm around Alice, giving her a half hug of hello, before striding straight over to me. He wrapped me in his arms, kissing the top of my head.

"Ah, my little melodrama inducing sister figure…how are you doing my sweet?"

I looked up at him questioningly as he chuckled, running a hand through his still extremely short hair with a smirk.

"I'm not sure exactly what you did to Edward Masen, but when I came in the building, he was about three seconds away from stalking into HQ, giving the chief his walking papers, and coming straight back here to become your personal bodyguard until you're old and gray."

My eyes grew wide. I shook my head. "What in the world? He was ready to quit?"

Andy just stifled a small laugh, shaking his head again. "Kid, I think that man would hand over his own beating heart straight out of his chest if he thought it would keep you safe. I've never seen him like this over anybody, ever. I knew he was in love with you, but damn! Took me five minutes to talk him into trusting in what he's set up to keep you safe, as well as my blood oath to check in on you to get him into that van. I wouldn't be surprised if he made a road trip down over their weekend just to see you. They are at Camp Ripley through Friday and then they have a three day weekend before they go to the shootout house Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday then they'll come home that Friday."

"They don't have anything going on all weekend long?" Alice squealed. I could see the wheels spinning in her mind.

"Chief wants them to do "bonding activities" to develop their group dynamic, but I'd bet Emmett will pretty much tell them to go hang out and meet at whatever local bar they find for the bonding part of the experience."

Alice's smile grew wide and devious. I knew that was going to mean trouble.

"Al, we're supposed to be working Saturday and Monday…so whatever you're thinking won't work." I sighed nervously.

"Oh won't it? We managed to get yesterday off didn't we?"

"Yeah, at the cost of working a double tonight and tomorrow, which we still need to go try to get our sleep in before our shift from hell."

She sighed, "Bella, what else do we have to do this week besides work anyway? A couple more doubles won't kill us if it means that we get to see our boys. What do you say?"

I looked at Rose, her eyes twinkling hopefully. "Fine, I'll ask around and see if anyone is willing to trade or barter."

Alice squealed, jumping up and down clapping like crazy.

Andy shot us all funny looks before sighing and smiling. "Aren't you guys forgetting lock down and your armed bodyguards?"

"If we leave town, we won't need body guards. Hell, I'll pay them overtime if they come with us if that's what it takes! Come on! It'd be great to surprise them."

Andy looked concerned but then shrugged his shoulders in defeat. He'd been around Alice enough to know that resistance was futile.

Andy sat and talked a bit longer before excusing himself to let us rest.

Rose got dressed for her shift that started at noon as Alice and I went to our rooms to try to sleep.

I tossed and turned for an hour before I got up with a sigh. I began to wander around the monstrous apartment. Before I knew it, I had wandered into the guest bedroom I had occupied with Edward the night before. I had made our bed, but there were telltale signs that it had been slept in the night before.

I peeled back the covers and climbed in. I buried my nose in the pillow that Edward had used the night before, melting at his delicious scent. It would be really nice not to have to go two whole weeks before being in his presence again. I could definitely survive seven days a lot better than thirteen. I began to think of who I could beg to trade before falling asleep to dream of being in Edward's arms.

EPOV

The nearly nine fucking hour drive to the middle of fucking nowhere was one of the most torturous experiences of my life. The further I got away from Chicago, the more every nerve in my body vibrated with the need to go back to Bella. My need to take care of and protect Bella was stronger than anything I've ever experienced in my life…even my need for sex.

We pulled up to the gates of the National Guard Base which served a variety of purposes. Providing civilian training for SWAT teams as well as other branches of law enforcement was just one portion of the base's uses. We entered the gates, following the guards' directions to the stark barracks that would be our home for the next week. Surprisingly, this was our first time attending Camp Ripley for training. I got the instant impression that this was going to be the closest thing we've seen to US military basic training since what we endured upon first joining SWAT.

We settled our bags in our sleeping area, taking out our phones to text the girls who were probably sleeping since they had to be in at ten, except for Rose who was already well into her shift. Moments later, a tall man with arms that were actually bigger than Emmett's stepped through the doorway, calling us to attention. We stood straight as he walked up and down the aisle between our beds, introducing himself as Sergeant Grayson and explaining to us what we should expect for the next week.

"With the exception of two nights of limited leave in town, your ass will be mine 24/7. I know you are all experienced operatives within the civilian paramilitary community, but to be honest, you didn't train with me. I don't know if whoever trained you taught you well enough to meet my expectations, so we are starting from the basics and building our way up. You will run P.T., you will sit in countless hours of courses on weapon usage, marksmanship, hostage situation strategies, blind insertions, and the list goes on, but you get the basic idea. For the next week, you will review and relearn everything in the SWAT arsenal. When I'm done with you, you will most definitely live up to your reputation of being the best of the best in Chicago. Now you have ten minutes to muster. Meet me outside this barracks in full armor, side arms locked and at the ready. Firearms are located in the locker at the north of this building. Now move out!"

With that we all jumped up, rushing to slip into our uniforms, body armor, securing our helmets and personal side arms. Then rushing to the end of the room to pass out the AK's, M-15s and 12 gauge shot guns available in the arms locker, we finally ran out to join formation.

The hulk of a man walked back and forth in front of us with a scowl on his face. "Now that was disgraceful. Eight minutes and forty-seven seconds for an elite squad to muster with gear and arms? It shouldn't have taken any more than six. Yes, I gave you ten, but as you all know, the sooner you show up prepared to a target site, the more likely you are to succeed in your mission. Ninety percent of all SWAT assignments are completed without a single shot being fired, but that's only true if the team responds immediately, with the most efficient protocols in effect. You boys have gotten soft in the city, so it's time to toughen you up. We're taking a ten mile jog in full dress, with your arms."

I felt myself groan, hearing matching complaints throughout the group that only earned us evil looks from the instructor. We had arrived at the camp at seven in the evening, were lined up in front of the building by seven thirty, and didn't return to the confines of our barracks until nearly nine. Our entire bodies were burning and aching after our excruciating ten-mile run, which was followed by a quick timed run of the obstacle course. We rushed to shower, collapsing on our beds with partially opened eyes to check out cells. Each of us had messages from our girls. We barely had energy, but managed to smile before typing back quick responses before passing out on our lumpy, and yet all too welcome bunks.

Sunday morning we were blasted awake by a screaming air horn, echoing off the walls, causing my ears to throb in response. The sun was still below the horizon as we rolled out of our bunks and rushed to stand. The Sergeant paced between our rows of beds again, barking orders and leaving us rushing to muster and meet out in front of our barracks. This time we were ready in seven minutes thirty seconds, which earned us a five-mile jog and two more difficult obstacle courses. Afterwards, we congregated on the verge of collapse in the marksman training area, where we received a quick breakfast of water and some oatmeal like rations before our training continued.

SWAT marksman training was a far cry from the range training most people are familiar with. Our SWAT training consisted of moving targets and 'civilian' decoys, in a room or confined area where you have to use quick thinking and discernment to take out dangerous targets, all while identifying and avoiding innocents. This range was taxing on both the mind and body.

To our great relief, the Sergeant actually gave us high praise, stating that we had the highest marksman percentage ratings he had seen to date. After our grueling time in the marksman pit, we were escorted to the mess hall, where we thankfully greeted a protein-heavy, sit down meal. We were all exhausted as we sat, shoveling the food greedily into our mouths. None of us had a military background, but we had a renewed sense of appreciation for what the soldiers who served went through.

Training continued on with tactical classes and scenario discussions all afternoon. We received another protein heavy supper in the mess hall before being dismissed to our barracks at around nine in the evening. We were all aching and whining as we showered and collapsed on our bunks. We were also missing our girls too much to lose consciousness until after we talked to them.

I picked up my phone, selecting Bella's number in my contacts list. I waited with half open eyes for her to answer. The phone only rang twice before a weak and exhausted sounding Bella answered.

"Hey beautiful, how are you hanging in there?"

She sighed, "Ah, it's so good to hear your voice. I kept myself awake just to hear that voice. I'm so tired. I was not built for staying up twenty four hours!"

I chuckled, "I might not have been up quite that long, but after the stuff we did today, I feel like I've been up twice that long."

"They working you hard, baby?"

"Only if running fifteen miles, three obstacle courses, a SWAT shooting range, and sitting through four classes since arriving yesterday is hard."

I heard her whistle on the other side of the phone. "Alright, no more complaining from me. I might have been on my feet and busy, but nothing like that. You better go get some sleep."

"Wait, I wanted to check first, how are things with the guard detail? Everything going okay?"

She sighed, "Yes, Edward, everything is fine. Don't worry so much and concentrate on what you're supposed to be doing okay? For me?"

I smiled, "Okay, love…but just for you."

She giggled on the other end of the line.

The sound made my heart grow warm and forced out the feeling of my tired screaming muscles. "I love you, Bella. Go to sleep now."

I heard her yawn. "MMkay, I will. I slept in the guest room we stayed in yesterday and that's where I ended up just now. It still smells like you and it seems to help."

Hearing her say that reminded me, I reached over to pull her pillowcase from my luggage and held it up to me, breathing deeply with a sigh.

"Sounds like a good idea. I just pulled out your pillowcase. Maybe it will help me too."

"Hmmm…night, looooove."

"Sweet Dreams."

I slid the pillow-case over my pillow and buried my face in it, relishing Bella's scent that permeated the soft cotton fabric. I felt myself relax and fall into a deep sleep almost immediately.

By the end of Monday, we had once again ran over five miles, endured what seemed like hundreds of push ups and sit ups, and spent some new team bonding time together. We sorted our way through a maze lined with targets and innocents to hone our marksmanship skills in an even more complex setting and get used to covering our own AORs (Area of Responsibility). Finally, we wrapped up our day by sitting through several more classes on tactical decision making, running various simulations of mission scenarios.

We were very well trained and had already encountered most of the scenarios first hand. It was a bit boring with the recap, except for two scenarios we hadn't had as much experience with and felt like we needed the brush up. We even requested Sergeant Grayson give us more focus on those areas, since they were where we were most lacking…hostage negotiation, infiltration, and blind insertions.

We had, of course, been part of hostage situations before, but the Chicago PD already had a dedicated hostage negotiation team who were always called on scene in such an event, thus we only obtained basic hostage situation training. None of us liked this fact though, considering all we face in the field, there's always the potential for it to heat up without the negotiator. We could potentially diffuse the situation without fire. The proper training would most definitely increase our chances of success in such a situation.

Sergeant Grayson seemed quite pleased at our enthusiasm and interest to learn more. He promised to look at our scores and see if there were some places where he could adjust the program to fit our requests. Before we were released to our quarters, we were given the great news that Tuesday evening after classes, we would be given a night pass to enjoy the local night-life and get a break. As we walked back to the barracks, we all agreed that Sergeant Grayson's opinion of us was definitely improving.

As soon as we were showered and ready for bed, we were all once again on the phone with our ladies. The phone rang four times before I was met with silence for a few seconds followed by loud music in my earpiece.

"Hello? Bella?" I yelled into the phone getting funny looks until Emmett and Jasper began yelling similar things to Alice and Rose.

From the earpiece I heard the most beautiful laughter before Bella's voice began to sing to me through my phone.

I miss the sound of your voice

And I miss the rush of your skin

And I miss the still of the silence

As you breathe out and I breathe in

If I could walk on water

If I could tell you what's next

Make you believe

Make you forget

So come on, get higher, loosen my lips

Faith and desire and the swing of your hips

Just pull me down hard and drown me in love

I closed my eyes, relishing in the sound of my Bella's voice singing to me. I could only think that I agreed, although once she reached the chorus and started singing about the swing of hips and pulling her down hard and drowning her in love, I found myself with a problem. Thankfully, I was by the wall and could turn away from the rest of the group to disguise my prevalent problem.

I listened intently, drinking in every word as Bella sang the lyrics of Matt Nathanson's Come On Get Higher, which was yet another song on her playlist...one of the ones that made me especially hot around the collar when I read the list. She later admitted it was her most recent addition since we had started making out, and was one of her most played songs on the list.

Once she finished, I praised her. She giggled, picking up the phone and taking it off of speaker mode. The sounds of the room disappeared from the other line. I was relieved to get a chance to hear her speak to me, now that she had serenaded me into a massive hard on.

"Well, what did you think?" she asked a bit breathlessly.

"Beautiful Bella, you sang beautifully."

"So, do you think we're going to give you guys a run for your money with the Rock Band thing?"

"That was you guys doing Rock Band? What level were you on?"

"Expert, of course! You wouldn't believe it. Alice is amazing on guitar…you can barely see her hands moving sometimes she's so good, and Rose…holy crap…Rose beats the hell out of those drums and kicks ass doing it! They're both amazing. Krista offered to do the bass guitar and she's really good too, although she's still on hard, but thinks she'll be able to kick up to expert soon. They all make me feel talentless, that's for sure. When I try to play the instruments, I do really good on medium, but can barely keep from failing out on hard, and you can just forget me doing expert! I guess I'm just the voice."

"Oh, but the voice is what most people pay attention to, love. It sounded really good. You have a great range; I never knew you could hit those lower brassy notes so well."

Bella giggled and we talked a bit longer. I told her about our free evening the next night and my suspicions that it wasn't quite what it seemed. It was so hard to end the conversation, but I knew I had an early morning wake up call. With much annoyance, I finally ended our call and fell into a fitful night's sleep.

Tuesday morning we were up and ready in formation in six minutes flat. Unfortunately, running was part of the program regardless, but we were beginning to grow used to the morning burn in our legs. True to his promise, Grayson rearranged the day's schedule. We focused the whole day on learning about and practicing blind target insertions. These missions were more or less situations where you go in with no intel and no visual confirmation of the location and nature of your targets.

We learned all about technologies used to help provide intel. Working in two man teams, we learned how to covertly deploy hidden camera and listening devices for surveillance in enclosed simulated spaces like air conditioning ducts and dropped ceilings. There were dedicated teams doing this in Chicago, but we liked gaining the new knowledge just in case a day came when we would need it.

The latter part of the day was focused on finding entry points and making it through blind scenarios where surveillance devices are useless or could not be deployed. It was exciting work, as we entered rooms, not knowing what we would encounter. For the first time during our training camp, I was feeling glad to have the chance to expand my skills. Bella was safely guarded and so far there had been no signs of Trager at all. She was right; this was where I needed to be.

We finished our training early on Tuesday with congratulatory pats on the back from Grayson. We were released to our quarters to get cleaned up for our night leave by 4pm and were out the gates and on our way to the nearest town by 5. We called our girls before finding a steakhouse, indulging in a hearty sit down meal. Once we were completely stuffed full of red meat and potatoes, we made our way over to a local bar just a block down.

We all found a table, settling in with a beer, watching as the place began to crowd. I was looking around taking in the locals, wondering mindlessly what their stories were and wishing Bella was here, when I suddenly felt my beeper buzzing on my hip. I pulled it out and looked at it, noticing the rest of the guys did the same.

We all read the alphanumeric screens indicating we were being 'called out." As I suspected, tonight was more practice. We got up, tossing bills on the table and rushing out, but just before the door closed, I noticed the profiles of two people across the room that I thought I recognized. I shook my head knowing that was not possible before rushing out behind the guys into the cold Minnesota night.

We sped to the complex to find Sergeant Grayson waiting by the barracks with a scowl. Our gear was spread out on a bench, ready for us to put on. As we walked up, he began speaking in a rushed loud voice.

"Not pathetic, but I still expected better for you. Here's the mission at hand. You are going in on a night insertion into a blind target. The only thing we know for sure is there is a single perp and several hostages. Your mission is to survey the scene, gain as much intel as you can without being made, and then use said intel to resolve the situation. This is a timed drill. Proceed to the north training building. You will receive more intel from the on scene officers."

With that, he turned and walked away as we rushed to continue strapping on our arms. We worked as a team, making our way toward the north building while maintaining formation and covering our AORs. We reached the building quickly, working seamlessly to form a strategy. Dan and I worked together to shimmy through the ventilation shafts to place a small optical camera for video surveillance. Meanwhile, Jasper and Ben reconnoitered the outer perimeter, looking for alternative routes into the building. Within fifteen minutes, we had gathered the needed intel and proceeded with our raid, capturing the perp and saving the hostages.

Once we were finished, we returned to the barracks around midnight, collapsing in our bunks. Almost immediately, I heard the sounds of snoring all around me, but my mind was too busy processing the evening and the profile I had seen in the bar. I hadn't seen that face in many, many years, but I was almost sure. It was like torture not knowing for sure. After laying there for at least an hour wondering over the many possibilities, I finally fell asleep.

Wednesday we weren't awakened at the crack of dawn like we had been all week long, but rather with the smell of breakfast sometime around eight in the morning. I opened my eyes to see three uniformed soldiers march in carrying massive trays covered with delicious smelling breakfast meats, eggs, and juice. Behind them strode Grayson, a huge smile on his face.

"Congratulations, Gentlemen! In the five years I have been heading this training, I have yet to see a team complete such a complicated mission so quickly and efficiently. For this, you earned a never before experienced privilege here, the chance to sleep in a bit, breakfast in bed more or less, and a break from the typical run. You have half an hour to eat and muster before we continue today with hostage scenarios and negotiation."

After he left, we all eagerly converged on the trays of food, eating voraciously before dressing and falling into formation out front. Our day consisted of intensive training and scenario discussions about various hostage situations. We discussed the best methods of diffusing them, as well as learning about different personality traits and physical indicators that negotiators can utilize in discussions.

We had a fairly early night once again. This time, I wandered outside the barracks to talk to Bella in private.

"I miss you so much, love. I can't wait to see you again."

Bella giggled mischievously on the other end of the line before claiming to feel the same way. I wondered what she was up to, but I knew I wasn't going to get anything out of her tonight. We were both too tired for it. We talked for nearly an hour as I sat in the cold air of Minnesota, my breath whirling around me in clouds of white with every exhale. It was cold as fuck, but I wanted time alone with my Bella, one way or another.

Before we got off the phone, she informed me that she was working a double from Thursday morning through to Friday morning and so we wouldn't be able to talk tomorrow night. I asked why she had to do another double and she explained it was another one of Alice's crazy schemes. I chuckled, wondering what on earth Alice was up to now, but then brushed it aside as I felt the disappointment at not getting to hear Bella the next night. After returning to my bunk, sleep came quickly once I finally stopped shivering.

Thursday started with a typical Camp Ripley morning of P.T. and training all day long, but that night we were once again treated to a night out. This time, we were all prepared for the most certain impending call out. All I could hope is that it wouldn't come any earlier than the night before. I was desperate to get back to the bar and see if the familiar profiles were once again there.

We walked into the bar, making our way to the table where we settled in, slowly nursing our beers in case the call out we were expecting came. We sat for three hours before I saw one of the two faces walk through the door. My heart stopped in my chest. For a moment I forgot to breathe. The person froze too, looking just as baffled as I was before a wide grin spread across their face. They rushed in front of me as I felt the glare of the guys sitting around me.

"Edward?" she chirped excitedly.

"Tanya?"

I felt the pager buzz on my hip. I cursed out loud as I grabbed it off my belt, noticing the others doing the same. We all jumped up, rushing to get out the door as I apologized to Tanya.

"I would love to catch up, but I'm here for work and have to go now. I'm free again tomorrow night, could you be here again at the same time and we can talk?"

She beamed at me, "That would be wonderful!"

I looked at her apologetically, before rushing out behind the guys. As I climbed in the van, the silence was deafening, but we had to push past everything we had going on personally until after the training mission was over.

We reached the grounds in record time, dressing quickly. Grayson, seeming more pleased with our response, outlined our mission. It was tense and difficult, but we completed it in record time and made our way back to the barracks.

After I showered and made my way to my bunk to lie down, the room was silent. I could feel Jasper and Emmett's eyes on me, my mind was reeling. I wished more than anything that I could hear Bella's voice in that moment. I needed her to ground me, to comfort me, to help me remember who I am and what I stand for. I needed her more than ever.

I received the silent treatment all day as we went about the tasks given for our last day of training. We would be released from campus around eight that evening. Once released, we were heading back to town to grab hotel rooms for the next few nights before we moved on to the shootout house. After the extensive training we had received at Ripley, I honestly believed it would be redundant and in fact a step back, but a buddy of the chief's ran the place, so we had to go.

We packed our things away and loaded up. Once we were done thanking Grayson and the other instructors for the amazing things they had taught us, we found our way back into town. When ten o'clock rolled around, I walked alone down the street to the bar.

BPOV

Alice and I stumbled out of the hospital at ten on Friday morning. We were so exhausted that we both passed out on the car ride from the hospital to Hancock. We managed to wake up long enough to wash up, grab our packed bags and some lunch, and pile back into the car with Rose, Andy, and Jake. We were driving up to surprise our boys in Minnesota.

As soon as we hit the road, Alice and I were both dead to the world, sleeping through the entire ride with the exception of one dinner stop and a couple of bathroom breaks.

We pulled into the sleepy little town near Camp Ripley where the boys said they would be staying. I was instantly wide-awake. I looked out the windows excitedly as we drove down the lazy streets toward the tiny motel that we would be staying in for the next few days in order to spend time with our guys.

I was actually amazed Alice was willing to do this. Anything this tiny town had would be a massive step down from anywhere she usually stayed. As we drove up the streets, I jumped and yelled when I saw Edward's unmistakable bronze hair in front of a tiny bar seconds before he entered. I didn't see the rest of the guys with him, but I assumed they must already be inside.

I wanted to jump out to see him instantly, but the girls convinced me to ride to the hotel and get our rooms first, then we could surprise the boys. I rushed through the check in process, ran, throwing my bags on the bed and rushed down the street to where I knew Edward was waiting for me. I didn't wait for Rose and Alice, knowing they would spend half an hour getting fancied up first. I didn't want to wait. I didn't see Andy or Jake, so I just walked on my own since any threat was nine hours away.

I pulled open the bar door, rushing in and looking around for my love. My heart dropped to my feet and my vision blurred when I saw them. Edward, my Edward, in the arms of a tall strawberry blonde woman who was the epitome of beauty…even giving Rose a run for her money.

I saw her run her hands through his hair and pull his mouth to hers, wrapping her body around his, and swiping her tongue over his lips. I gasped, my stomach boiling as I turned and ran out of the room to heave in the street. I looked up and down the street, feeling dizzy and broken, as I struggled to figure out what to do. My options were to go back in and confront them, or get the hell away as fast as possible.

I dry heaved again into the road as my heart clenched painfully, helping me make my decision. I ran back to the hotel, bumping into Rose on the way to my door. I gasped for air between my sobs and the physical exertion.

"Bella? Bella what's wrong?" Rose demanded, grabbing my arms before pulling me into a soothing hug.

Alice appeared beside her, looking upset. She helped Rose pull me into my room, running her hand over my back.

"Breathe Bella, breathe."

I settled my breath as much as I could as she sat next to me.

"Tell us what happened, sweetheart."

The vision of my Edward…no not my Edward, never my Edward...that had to be Slutward…but Slutward was my Edward. Oh God, Edward…why? The visions of him in the arms of that woman, her hands in his hair, her lips on his lips, it broke me. I sobbed and waited again before choking out. "E…E…E…Edward, blonde slut…k…k…kissing."

I broke into more hysterical sobs when I heard a thundering voice outside my door. "MOTHERFUCKER! That fucking motherfucker is going to die!"

"Emmett, Emmett, you have to calm down, man. We'll go get to the bottom of this, but you can't go like this, you have to calm down first."

"I WILL NOT calm down. I repeatedly warned the motherfucker when he got involved with her. I knew I should have listened to my instincts! Fuck!"

I bawled even harder as I heard their voices disappear down the street. I was sure they were headed toward the bar.

Rose and Alice helped me lay down, bringing a cool rag for my face. They asked me if I needed anything. I asked for a pain pill for the headache and some water before asking to be left alone. I sat on the bed and cried, my heart shattered all around me. I didn't know why I should be surprised though…they all cheat on me…it's just the story of my life.

EPOV

I stepped into the bar to see Tanya sitting at a table in the corner. She stood up, smiling brightly at me, a million memories flooded my mind. Tanya was one of my oldest friends. We met in kindergarten when my life was still happy, before my Dad died and it all turned to shit, before I closed myself off to the world. Tanya knew the 'me' I was finally starting to become again. It was so good to see her. I owed her a whole hat full of apologies.

"Tanya," I smiled, walking up to her and readily accepting the hug she gave me. "I haven't seen you since we graduated. What brings you to Minnesota?"

She cast a sad smile down at her hand, rubbing her left ring finger forlornly. "I got married a few years back to a man who ended up getting a job around here. I moved up here to be with him. We recently got divorced, but I don't have the money to move home."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. That's a shame."

She cast me a look from under her eyelashes that unnerved me a bit. I pushed my unease away to ask what I needed to ask and apologize, as I had wanted to do for so many years.

"Tanya, I want to start out by saying I'm sorry for the way I treated you all of those years ago. You were my best friend and when my Dad died, I just totally cut you out. I know that hurt you…and then in high school I tried to treat you like every other girl. I'm sorry for that. I'm so glad you turned me down because I would feel awful if I had made you just another notch in my bedpost. You've always been a great girl who deserves so much better than that and I'm sorry."

Tanya jumped up with tears in her eyes, pulling me to stand in front of her as she hugged herself tightly to my body. "Thank you, Edward. You don't know how much that means to me to hear you apologize and to hear the way you feel about me. I feel the same way. I always have. You were my first love, Edward, and now you've come back!"

I sucked in a deep breath and tensed under her embrace. She had gotten the totally wrong idea! Fuck! I opened my mouth to correct her when she looked up at me.

"Please take me back to Chicago and let me move in with you. I'll make you so happy. Take me away from this awful place!"

Instantly her hands ran through my hair and she was assaulting my mouth with hers. I just stood there, not returning the kiss, in a bit of shock at everything that transpired over the past fifteen seconds, before I finally reached up to grab her hands out of my hair and pull her away.

"No, Tanya, I'm sorry, but that's not what I meant. I felt bad for the way I treated you, but I never had those feelings for you. You were always my friend…sort of like the sister I never had. I'm in love with someone else. I'm sorry if I somehow gave you the wrong impression."

She melted into her seat at the table, tears rolling down her face, while her shoulders shook with sobs. I reached a hand out to comfort her.

"I'm so sorry, Tanya. I made it worse instead of better, didn't I?"

She shook her head, wiping her tears away. "No, Edward, I'm sorry. It was so nice of you to come to say that, I just want so bad to be loved!" She sobbed again, falling against my chest.

I patted her back feeling really uncomfortable.

"I thought he loved me, but he didn't. It seems as though the only men I seem to be able to attract are lying cheaters."

I soothed her for a few minutes before I asked her the question that had been burning in my mind since Tuesday. "Tanya, I saw you here on Tuesday night with someone that I was almost sure was..."

"Your Mother!" She smiled widely at me and I felt myself tense again in shock. "She is married to some guy who owns a ski resort nearby. She comes down here to see me about once a week. We ran into each other at the store one day and have become friends again."

I couldn't breathe…my mother…here…and she never bothered to try to contact me or see if I was well? I felt like the room was closing in on me. Just about the time the room began to collapse around me, I heard the door slam before a strong hand picked me up, throwing me against the wall of the bar with a sickening crash. My head buckled the sheetrock behind me, and my ears began to ring.

"You Son of a Bitch! You didn't deserve her in the first place and then you do this to her?" Emmett screamed in my face, before punching me in the jaw.

I clenched my eyes at the pain before managing to mumble that I didn't know what he was talking about.

"Forget about your girlfriend, fuckface? You know the one who you crushed by kissing this slut! I knew the second she walked up to you the other night that you would hurt my sister! Now she's in her hotel room, crying, because of you!"

I heard Tanya scream as I felt another hard hit to my nose. I felt warm liquid gush before I was released from the wall. The rest of the guys pulled Emmett back as he fought to get to me again.

What? Bella was here? Oh God…Bella saw, and…oh fuck!

I could hear Tanya yelling as she bent down next to me to help me. "You've got it all wrong. It wasn't his fault. He apologized to me for how he treated me when we were kids. I took it all wrong and kissed him. He pulled me away and explained he was in love with someone else. He didn't cheat on her, I swear! Oh God, Edward, are you okay?"

I nodded hazily, my head began to buzz. The commotion around me became quieter and quieter until it all disappeared.

Everything was bright when I tried to open my eyes, but it was hard to do. When I finally got them open, I realized I was in a hospital. I could hear the frantic voices of my friends outside in the hallway.

"What do you mean she's gone?" Emmett bellowed.

I heard a nurse tell him he had to quiet down.

"We left her to rest for a little while. She said she needed to be left alone. When we went to check on her a little bit ago, she wasn't there. Her bags were gone too. She left a note." Rose babbled frantically.

"She didn't have a car, where could she have gone?"

"Chicago…."

I sat straight up in my bed, yelling for them to come into the room.

"What's wrong? Where's Bella?"

Rose looked at me with a mixture of annoyance and pity. "When we went to her room to check on her, she was gone, so was her luggage. She left a note saying she was taking a train back to Chicago on her own so that we could stay here with the guys. Classic Bella, worried she'd ruin our trip."

I shook my head with wide eyes. Bella…alone….on a train back to Chicago…no guards…no protection…and Trager out to get her. My worst nightmares were coming true. Suddenly the fact that my Mother was in the area didn't matter at all.

Fuck that bitch. I needed to get to my Bella.

I ripped the IV out of my hand. I swung my legs over the side of the bed, looking all over for my clothes.

"Edward, you have to stay in bed. You haven't been released yet."

"So the fuck what? I have to get to Bella. I have to make sure she's safe. I have to tell her it was all a mistake. FUCK. MY. LIFE, how the hell did everything go to shit in an instant?" I screamed to myself more than anything else.

Someone tossed me my clothes. I threw them on, running as quickly as I could with the rest behind me. We piled into our two vehicles and sped our way back to Chicago.

Lots O Drama…please don't kill me! I know some of you will be mad at me for busting them up and others for using such a cliché plot point, but it all feeds into a larger purpose that you will soon see. Just please trust me, I do nothing without a specific purpose and I don't pull these stunts just for the sake of adding drama.

Anyway, At least Edward wasn't the screw up it seemed like he was going to be. Now he just has to convince Bella of that. I'm looking forward to reading your impressions!