A/N: Thanks for all the support! I won't suck up all your precious time with a lengthy and ridiculous A/N. I mean, who really reads them anyway, right? I'm sure that you're really reading this when Edward is going to be back in the story. Bella is going back to Chicago and I'm sure that you're anxious to see what happens so why would you read my A/N? I mean, seriously! ;) So, I'm not going to ramble...what's that? I am rambling? I am not! This is important shit! I was talking about Edward here, c'mon! Don't be like that! Oh, don't cry...I wasn't yelling at you, I was just... I've seriously lost it, folks. Enjoy!

Congrats to ltleefan88 for the second place Daytona finish! Whoot!

My prereader, Softragoo, is absolutely brilliant. :)

Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight

Song Rec: "Poison and Wine" by The Civil Wars (Good GOD, people, listen to this beautiful song! If you don't love it, I'll give you your money back)

Chapter Twenty Two

I packed in record time, throwing things in my bag with a frantic pace after getting an open round trip ticket out of Port Angeles off the internet. The flight was scheduled to leave at 7:18am so that only left me three hours to get packed and get on the plane, and it was hard to tell how long it would take to get through security. From there, I'd have a three hour layover in Wisconsin and then to O'Hare. If I was lucky, I'd be in Chicago by four o'clock, Central Time.

After I packed my bag, I got dressed and pulled my hair back into a ponytail. My dad was still asleep but I'd have to wake him. We'd just got a piece of our relationship back and I wasn't going to shatter it by disappearing while he was asleep. When I was sure that I was ready to go, I tapped on his bedroom door with my knuckles. He pulled it open and blinked at me.

"Bella? What's wrong?"

"I have to leave, Dad. I wanted to tell you instead of leaving a note." Internally I winced because his reaction wasn't going to be good no matter how he found out. "I'm going to Chicago."

He blinked some more and rubbed his face with his palms. "You shouldn't do this, Bella. You're just getting your life back."

"I'm coming back," I offered.

He walked past me and toward the kitchen. "What about your job? How long are you going to be gone?"

"I don't know…a few days, maybe."

"What is so important that it has you running out of here in the middle of the night?" He leaned his back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. The hard stare wasn't as successful with a sheet wrinkle going across his cheek and his hair going in different directions. "Does it have to do with that Edward guy?"

I sighed, fully unmotivated to get angry or defensive. "That 'Edward guy' saved my life, dad. He's going through something right now and I need to be there."

"You're going through something too, Bella, or have you forgotten that?"

I grabbed my duffel off the floor. "How can I forget that, Dad?"

He rubbed his face again and sighed. "This is a bad idea, Bella."

"Look, I'm not asking for your permission. I told you because I need you to know where I'm going. I'll call everyday; probably multiple times."

"That'll make me feel better but I still don't want you to go."

"I wasn't going to call for your benefit," I told him. "I'm coming back."

"What about your job?"

"I'll call Paul after the sun comes up and tell him what's going on. If he fires me, he fires me. Edward is important to me and he needs help."

I walked past him, wishing for a different sort of goodbye but not expecting it. When I got to my car, he called out for me to wait. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"Wait, Bella," he said, running up behind me.

I didn't turn around. Instead, I dumped my duffel in the car. "If I don't leave now, I'm going to miss my flight."

"Put your stuff in the cruiser. I'll get you there on time."

I snapped my neck to look at him. He'd stuffed his feet into mud boots and his police jacket was pulled on over his t-shirt. The red flannel pajama pants that he always wore puffed out over his boots. I grinned.

"Well? Are you going to stand there and gawk or are you going to get in?" We piled into his car and he turned the engine over in silence. "Just because I'm doing this, doesn't mean that I've changed my mind. It's still a shitty idea."

"Dad, just trust me? This once, just please, have a little faith in me?"

He cut his eyes to me. "I always have faith in you, Bella. Can't you just humor an old man and nod your head?"

When we got onto the 101, he turned his siren on and I gasped softly in his direction. He shrugged.

"Can't you get into trouble for this?"

"Good thing you're in good with the Chief, huh?"

My dad turned an hour drive into a forty five minute one and I got to the airport in plenty of time.

"I promise that I'll be back," I told him, grabbing my bag off the floor in front of me.

"When?"

I smiled. "Soon."

"Do you want me to walk you to the terminal?"

I glanced at his flannel pants and mud boots. "Please don't."

That's when the awkward do-we-hug-or-don't-we-hug moment occurred. He picked some invisible lint off his pants and I rolled my eyes. Before I got out, I leaned over and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Thanks, dad," I whispered as he rubbed my back with a hesitant hand.

He reached into his pocket as I pulled away from him. "Here, take this—it's not much but it's something."

"You don't have to…" He pushed the wad of cash into my hand.

"Remember what I said about humoring the old man, right?"

I nodded.

XxXxXx

When I was sitting in an airport in the middle of Green Bay, Wisconsin, I called my boss at the diner.

"Paul, it's Bella."

"Oh, Bella, don't tell me you're sick! Lucy is out with the flu and I think Jess is playing hookey again! I can't afford to lose you today."

I bit my lip. "I'm actually going out of town on an emergency, Paul. I won't be able to work for a few days. I'm sorry."

He sighed. "What kind of emergency?"

"A family emergency."

"I just saw your dad, driving through town in his cruiser. If it was a family emergency, then he'd be there with you, right?"

"Look, Paul, if you need to fire me, then fire me. This is not something that I can turn my back on. I'd understand and I wouldn't hold a grudge if you needed to let me go. I'm really sorry."

He paused. "I'll give you a week but if you're not back here by next Thursday, then I'm going to have to let you go, Bella."

I smiled. "Thank you, Paul. Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah—tell me again what Wilson Burkett's 'regular' is again? He won't tell me because apparently it offends him that I have to ask."

"Three blueberry pancakes, hash browns, two eggs—scrambled and unbuttered wheat toast. He likes a large orange juice with none of that pesky pulp."

"How in the hell do I get pulp out of orange juice?"

"See why we need raises, Paul?"

The rest of my flight was smooth and I arrived in the city a little after four. I was lucky to get a small rental car with no reservation, and I got directions for the area where I used to live.

My nerves jumped through my skin the closer I got to my old apartment. I passed Esme's bookstore and silently promised her that I'd visit before I went back to Forks. I winced as I passed the corner where I'd broken down on my run after I'd slapped Edward. As I turned toward my old building, I felt like vomiting. Probably, I hadn't thought this through enough.

What if he told me to leave? What if he'd already left to go see his dad? Then I shook myself and realized that even if Edward told me he didn't need me, I'd still get to see all the other people that I missed. Like Jake, who was sitting on the front steps of the building, puffing on one of his trusty cigars. My heart leapt when I saw him and I quickly parked along the street in front of the building.

"Well, I'll be damned," he yelled, getting up off the step and tossing his cigar. "Look who's here!"

"Hey Jake!" I didn't think twice about wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him in for a hug. His arms wrapped around me and I grunted as he lifted me off the ground. "I can't breathe."

"That'll show you for disappearing on me," he said in my ear. "How are you?"

He dropped me and I smiled at him. "I'm getting there. You?"

"Oh, ya know, same 'ol, same 'ol. I played some Shania the other night and thought of you."

"That's kind of sad, Jake."

His teeth gleamed with a grin and he shrugged. "I can't say that I feel exactly manly when I'm humming I feel like a woman on my way to work."

"It's catchy, though, you have to admit."

He rolled his eyes. "You here for a visit or are you coming back to live?"

"Just a visit."

"Cool," he said as he nodded his head.

I licked my lips and prepared myself to ask him the question that I'd been wondering for months. My stomach clenched with nerves and my palms started to sweat.

"Uh oh," he mumbled. "Your smile just went kaput, honey. What's up?"

"I have to ask you something."

His eyes twitched. "What's that?"

I swallowed. "That night…the night you hit James with your car…"

"Yeah?"

"You…um…" I took a deep breath and released it with my words. "You killed him, didn't you?"

He watched me for a moment, his eyes traveling all over my face, and then his face brightened with a smile. "Of course I did. Nobody tangles with my Chevy and lives to tell about it."

"I saw you, Jake. He…he was still alive after you hit him and you crouched down next to him. At first, I thought you were talking to him but—"

"Did you know that I used to live out in the sticks?" I furrowed my brows and shook my head. "I used to live out in Ohio where my dad lives now, at his farm. We had it all: Goats, sheep, cows…I used to love it out there." His eyes were looking past me as if he were imagining farm animals galloping around on the city street behind me. "One day, I was driving into the city with my dad and we spotted a deer on the side of the road. It had been hit but it was still alive."

"Oh, God," I whispered.

He finally met my gaze. "We stopped the truck and I followed my dad to where the deer was laying. I was probably twelve or thirteen. The poor thing was bad off, broken legs and blood coming from its mouth but it was still kicking around and fighting for life. I asked my dad if we were going to shoot it but he told me that the highway was too busy to be pulling out a shot gun and firing it. So, my dad—who's a tough 'ol son of a bitch—got down on his knees and put his big hand over the little doe's nose and mouth."

My chest ached—for the deer, for twelve year old Jake, for his father who had to take a life to end the suffering.

"He suffocated it," I whispered.

Jake took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "Sometimes, killing a living thing to end the suffering isn't such a bad thing."

"I'm sorry," I told him. "I'm so sorry that happened."

He knew I wasn't talking about the deer. With a quickness that I didn't realize he possessed, he pulled me into another tight hug.

"I don't want you to regret it, Jake," I mumbled against his chest. "I don't want it to haunt you."

"The only regret that I have about that night is that I didn't prevent you or Edward from being hurt. Nothing haunts me but that." He pushed away and smirked. "You got that?"

Stupid, ridiculous, seemingly endless tears filled my eyes as I nodded. "Thank you."

His lips pressed against my forehead for a moment and then he walked past me. "Don't be a stranger, honey."

"Never," I whispered to myself as I watched him walk away.

Edward's door seemed bigger than I had remembered it; the door knob older and darker than my memory allowed. It took three false starts and several deep breaths before I tapped my knuckles against the wood three times. The noise was soft and if he was in his bedroom or the bathroom, there was no way he would have heard it. The floor creaked as weight shifted on the floorboards inside his apartment. He'd heard it and he was on his way.

I needed this. I needed this closure so that I could move on and someday be able to look at another man without wondering "what if" or comparing him to Edward. This would give me what I needed to finally move on with my life, even though deep down that wasn't what I wanted to do. That was something critical that I'd learned in the early stages of my therapy: What I wanted and needed were most times, two separate things.

The door knob creaked as it turned and I prepared myself as the door popped open. I let out a breath I'd been holding.

"Well, hello there." It wasn't Edward. He was about Edward's age but his hair was blonde and curly and fell to his shoulders. The beard surrounding his mouth was epic. I could barely make out the smile that was hidden in the blonde jungle of facial hair. "And who might you be?"

"Uh…does Edward Masen still live here?"

His smile fell and he made a funny noise. "Figures." He closed both eyes in some sort of twitch and then called for Edward over his shoulder.

I heard Edward's voice and my stomach rolled over on top itself.

"There's a hot chick at your door!"

Edward said something back but I couldn't decipher his words.

The blonde mountain man turned back to me. "He said that he's not home."

I rolled my eyes. "Could you tell him that it's Bella?"

He smiled and I caught a glimpse of teeth, then there was another double eye twitch. "You look like a Bella."

"Uh…okay. Can you just tell—"

"What I mean to say is that you're a pretty hot chick." The hippie dude was flirting with me and if I'd been back at the diner in Forks, I may have thought it was amusing but not now. Not with Edward on the other side of him. I wanted to yank on his beard and push him out of my way.

I pressed my molars together until I was sure one would crack. "Please, could you tell him that it's me."

Still smiling, he ran a hand through his blonde beard. "Edward! The chick says her name is Bella!"

Nothing. Silence. Oh, shit…

Just when I was sure that this was a mistake, a hand wrapped around the door just by the bearded guy's ear and it was yanked open. The first thing I noticed was his eyes, wide with surprise but atypically dull. My breath caught in my throat. The beat of my heart pulsed through my entire body until I could feel it pounding in my temples. Every muscle in my body was set to spring at any moment; fight or flight response never gets old. His auburn hair was long again, possibly longer than it was when I'd met him. And dear God, his body…his body was the same, long and lean and I instantly wanted to wrap myself around him and get lost. I'd missed him, more than I realized, if that was at all possible.

He looked like he'd seen a ghost but there was relief in his expression, the same look he'd get when he'd see me come home safely from Rose's apartment. The same look he'd give me when he held me in bed at night. As he stared at me, I got the impression that he'd been waiting for me.

Waiting for me to come home.

What had I said about moving on with my life? The instant I saw him, I knew it wouldn't be easy. Moments ago, I was confident that I could do it, tell him that I'd be fine with never seeing him again but…

"Bella…" His voice was rough, strained, and so beautiful it made my throat close with emotion.

"Hi Edward," I managed to squeak out.

"Good God, the tension is choking me!" Hippie Dude announced, a huge smile on his face.

"Jasper, take a walk," Edward said, not taking his eyes off of me.

The name was familiar but I couldn't place it. Hippie Dude made a disappointed noise with his throat.

"Where am I supposed to go?"

"I don't give a shit. Come back later."

"How much later?" he whined.

Edward finally cut his eyes to Jasper and gave him a frustrated look then he tossed him a cell phone. "I'll call you."

"Can I at least use your car?"

"No."

"Fuck, man!" Jasper's shoulders slumped as he walked out the door, grumbling.

Suddenly, Edward's living room had shrunken in size. My stomach swirled with anticipation and fear. I wanted to run to him, hug him and pick up right where we left off. But on the other end, something was different. There was something unique mixed in with that desire; something deep that made me dizzy and anxious.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

It hadn't been the first thing I was hoping he'd say but the question was valid.

"Uh…I talked to Rosalie yesterday and…" God, how could I say this without sounding like a head case? "She said that—"

"She told you about my father," he stated.

I nodded and my teeth found my lip, gnawing on it.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

He winced. "Come and sit down. Are you thirsty? Hungry?"

Edward's avoidance to the topic of his past was something I was used to so I didn't take offense. Instead, I asked him for water and sat down stiffly on his couch. He handed me a bottle and sat down next to me, as far away as he could get—that, I kinda took offense to.

"I wanted to make sure that you're okay," I said.

"I'm fine," he replied. "I'm sure Rose was excited to see you."

"I haven't seen her yet."

His face contorted a little. "Please, don't tell me that you came all the way to Chicago to see if I'm okay."

I was a little hurt but I had to keep in mind that this was Edward. The Edward that never felt like he deserved any kind of happiness or that he was worth any trouble.

"Yeah, that's mostly what I came for," I stated.

A sigh resounded out as he palmed his face and rubbed furiously.

"You shouldn't have done that."

I narrowed my eyes and sat back against the couch. "Yeah, well, I did."

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"Fine," I said, copying his own answer.

His eyes narrowed in puzzlement and the corner of his mouth twitched.

"What do you want me to say, Bella? That it's good to see you? That I don't want to kill Rose for dragging you all the way here for nothing? Do you want me to break down crying because a father that I don't even know is dying and asking to see me?"

I shrugged. "Any of those would be good but I prefer the first one if I had to choose."

That got him. He smiled at me. "It's not that I don't want to see you but I hate to see you here because of something ridiculous like this."

I scoffed. "You haven't changed at all."

His expression sobered as he spat, "Was I supposed to?"

Anger was fogging my vision, making me forget who this was sitting next to me. Edward had only opened up about his past a couple of times and I never pushed it. He'd been so content to just take care of me while I was here that his problems never reached the forefront of our relationship. That's what he'd liked about me, how emotionally easy I was to deal with on his end. Be the big bad protector and listen to my problems and that's all there was to it. My problems seemed worse than his and that was easy for him. It didn't matter that he'd never become emotionally available to me or that I'd never really know him. What mattered to him is that I never pushed him anywhere he didn't want to go.

But this man, this beautiful man, was still Edward. He was kind and strong and challenged me in ways that I never thought possible. Leah had helped me but Edward was the beginning of my healing process. His presence in my life was monumental. It was also evident that I couldn't just have a screaming match with him and everything would be solved. I wanted, no needed, to help him but I had to utilize the very thing that he'd mastered with me so many months ago: Patience and understanding.

"Are you going to go see him? Your dad, I mean?" I asked.

He licked his lips. "Yes." My face flinched with shock and he chuckled. "Why does that surprise you?"

"I don't know," I lied. It surprised me because the guilt and blame that he carried on his shoulders was comfortable. I couldn't see him wanting to change and the possibility of speaking with his father was an opportunity to let some of that go. Unless, he was hoping that his father wanted to tell him off for taking his baby girl out of their lives one last time before he died.

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow. Jasper is coming with me."

"Jasper…" Then it hit me. "Jasper was Alice's boyfriend." He nodded, looking at his feet. "I didn't know that you two were still friends."

"We aren't, not really. Jasper came to visit me in prison a few times but we lost contact at some point. He still lives in Peoria, though."

It felt like a punch in the gut to realize that I didn't even know where Edward was from. Basic facts about his life were a mystery to me and I wasn't sure if that was more his fault or mine. Maybe, our feelings for each other back in the fall were so much more intense on my side than his. Maybe, I had been a reason for him to make use of his martyr status.

"I appreciate you coming and it is good to see you, Bella. It's just…I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon so—"

"Are you taking Jasper's car?" I asked.

He shot me a puzzled glance. "No, Jasper took the bus. He doesn't have a car." He rubbed his knuckles along his jaw. "Actually, Jasper doesn't have much of anything these days."

"Are you taking the bus?"

"No, I'm driving."

"Let me drive you down there," I offered. "I have a rental."

He shook his head but his eyes were bearing down on mine; the intensity of his gaze causing goose bumps to travel up my spine and over my scalp. My hand twitched to grasp his, and my mouth yearned to tell him so much more—good and bad.

"You should hang out with Rose and the kids. They'll be thrilled to—"

"I want to go with you, Edward," I blurted. "You know I love Rose and the kids but I came to Chicago for you."

He needed to hear it, no matter how much he wanted to argue whether he was worth it or not, whether he'd earned the honor of my ride to his hometown.

"Jasper is going too," he warned.

I shrugged. "The more the merrier."

A smirk played at the corner of his beautiful mouth. "An hour on the road and I'll remind you that you said that." I furrowed my brows in question. "Let's just say that the man loves to sing."

Edward called Jasper and then walked me next door so that I could have my reunion with Rose. I wanted his touch: An arm around my waist or even the brushing of the skin of our hands as we walked. But he gave me nothing. He was keeping his distance. Maybe I'd mistaken the look I'd gotten from him when I'd shown up as mere surprise instead of relief. There was no hidden lust in his actions. In fact, when he wasn't looking, I gave myself a good sniff to make sure that I'd put on deodorant. Deodorant was in place but that didn't make me feel better.

The door opened and a gasp rang out loudly. "No shit!"

"Hey, Rose," I said, grinning.

She pulled me into her apartment, almost hitting Edward with the door and hugged me fiercely. First Jake, then Rose…all these hugs, oh God, how would I ever go back to Forks? I loved these people and I could feel the emotions rushing through Rose as I smiled in her arms.

"You look fucking awesome!" Her eyes went from my head to my toes and then back up again. "I barely recognize you!"

I rolled my eyes. "You're so dramatic."

"Have you looked in a mirror lately?" she spat. "Jesus, I feel like I belong in a Walmart next to you."

"Rose, you do shop at Walmart," Edward pointed out.

"That's not the point," she sneered. "Come in! Emily will be home from dance class in like thirty minutes and she'll be so excited to see you."

"I'm going to go let Jasper in so…" Edward trailed off, looking awkward for the first time since I'd met him. He's always been so comfortable and in control.

"You're coming back over for dinner, right?"

He looked like it was the first time he'd heard about a dinner invitation. "I guess so."

"You can bring that weird friend of yours too. Sammy will like that."

After an eye roll, he looked at me and opened his mouth as if he were about to say something but stopped himself. Then he turned on his heel and walked out.

"How's he holding up?" she asked as we plopped down on her couch.

"I have no idea. He said that he's going to see his dad but he never really has let me in with what's going on in that brain of his."

She raised an eyebrow at me. "I was talking about his reaction to seeing you."

I blinked at her for a few moments before answering, "He was a little shocked but he seems fine. I'm going to drive him down tomorrow."

"What?" she gasped. "You are?"

"Why?"

"Dear God, Bella, I told you that he's been a wreck since you went back to Forks and now you're going on a trip together?" She rubbed her face with her palms. "You might as well stick hot pokers in me."

I laughed. "What are you talking about? I thought you were just trying to appease me by telling me that. He seems…okay."

"That's because you don't have to put up with the constant mood swings like I do."

I pouted.

"It's not your fault," she said, placing her hand on my leg. "He's the one that told you to leave. Then he broods around, snapping at everyone and now, it's going to get so much worse."

"He was shot, Rose. It's bound to put someone into a funk."

She shook her head. "No, this has been going on since you left. It didn't get better. Anytime I'd even mention your name, he'd turn into the fucking Hulk. Emmett had to throw him out of our apartment one night because he tried to start something with him."

"Like a fight?" I asked, worried.

"Yeah, like a two-seconds-away-from-punching-the-next-thing-that-moves incident." She shook her head. "Emmett wanted me to ask him to stay away from us and I fought him on it but I barely won. I just feel…bad for the guy, ya know?"

Holy shit, so did I. I knew one thing for certain, I was going to use this time with him to get into his head whether he liked it or not.

"Momma!" Sammy's voice was musical as it echoed off the walls of the hallway.

"Sounds like I'm being summoned," she said as she stood up. "Where are you staying tonight?"

"Oh, I was just going to get a room at a hotel or something."

"Hell no, you won't! You're staying here if you're okay with the couch," she said, smiling.

"As tired as I am, I could sleep anywhere. I appreciate it, Rose."

"Momma!" His tone was getting frustrated because his call wasn't being answered in the appropriate toddler response time which was immediately.

"Coming, Sammy!"

I rubbed my eyes with my fingers and yawned just as Rose halted her footsteps. "Oh, and Bella? It's really nice of you to visit but we all know who you came for. Just do us all a favor."

"What's that?"

"Remember who you're dealing with," she said. "He's a tough nut to crack."

I laid my head against the back of the couch and sighed, "Tell me about it."

XxXxXx

Apparently, Rose and Emmett's couch was too comfortable. As soon as Rose left to retrieve Sam, I dozed off and didn't wake up until the wonderful smell of food wafted into my nostrils. I imagined myself cartoonishly floating toward the kitchen with my toes dragging along the floor, heading toward the dinner table, drool trailing down my chin. I hadn't eaten in almost twenty four hours, except the granola bar I'd had on the flight to Chicago.

I blinked my eyes open and sucked in a breath. All I could see was beard.

"Hey, there Sleeping Beauty." Jasper was sitting on the coffee table with his elbows on his knees, staring at me.

As quickly as I could, I rose up and ran a hand through my hair. "How long was I out?"

He shrugged, still smiling. "I wasn't here when you fell asleep so I wouldn't know." With narrowed eyes, he leaned in and studied my face. "You got a little something on your chin."

Frantically, I wiped my chin with my fingertips. I had been drooling. I would have been embarrassed if his hair wasn't so much worse than a little unconscious drool. Plus, he didn't seem to mind it.

I decided to ask the most obvious question on my mind. "Why were you watching me sleep?"

"Well, people's true emotions come out when they are asleep. The subconscious has a way of expelling itself through sleep in the form of facial expressions, sleep talking or twitching. It's pretty fascinating."

With a scrunched up face, I said, "That's weird."

He gave another little shrug. "To each, his own, I guess."

"You're lucky," I stated.

"Why's that?"

"Because, my natural instinct in a situation like that is to poke your eye out first and ask questions later."

He ran a hand through his wavy blond hair. "Well, I guess it's my lucky day, isn't it?"

Edward walked in from the kitchen and gave Jasper a furious glare before stomping over and smacking him on the back of the head. "I told you to stop that! Christ! Do you live in some sort of cave?"

"Geeze, man, that hurt!"

Edward flashed me an apologetic look. "Staring at people while they are asleep is not an art form! It's fucking creepy!"

"Edward, watch your language!" Rose yelled from the kitchen.

He rolled his eyes. The Edward I knew wouldn't have let 'the f-word' slip out of his mouth in a situation like this. I studied him as he yanked Jasper up and pushed him into Emmett's recliner. Rose was right—he was angry. His entire body was like a shield of fury; his muscles tense and his gait stiff.

"Bella didn't mind, did you?" Jasper was either too ignorant or too laid back to care about Edward's temper.

"Don't answer that," Edward spat.

Emily wandered out of her room and when she saw me, her face lit up. She ran at me and wrapped her arms around my neck in a tight embrace. Oh, these hugs…

"Your hair looks great, Emily!" It was a few inches shorter and styled differently. "Is that makeup?"

She shushed me. "Mom lets me wear lip gloss but Dad thinks I'm too young. We just tell him its chap-stick and he doesn't know the difference."

I grinned widely at the usage of the word "dad" in her sentence.

"I heard you got a new cell phone."

She gasped. "Oh, come see it! It's awesome!"

With a yank of her hand, I was off the couch and being pulled toward her room. For the next half hour, I got a lesson on Apps and Facebook and I listened eagerly. Rose called us for dinner and Sammy buried his face in Emmett's thigh when he saw me, not remembering who I was. It was a new trait for Sammy—shyness.

"Hey, Bella," Emmett said, offering me his own hug. "How's it going?"

"It's good. How's Esme?"

He put his hand on his heart. "A life saver. I couldn't ask for a better boss, honestly."

"Tell me about it."

"I do have one complaint though," he added. "She always compares me to this chick who used to work there and it's really freaking annoying—makes me feel inadequate."

I laughed. "She never did that with me."

He tugged on my ponytail playfully. "I wonder why, you brat."

I glanced toward the living room and caught Edward watching our exchange from the doorway. A moment of something flashed on his face before he broke eye contact and took his seat at the table.

Tension filled the air during dinner until I found out why Sammy likes Jasper so much. With careful precision, Sammy threw green beans, pieces of chicken and rice into the facial hair of the blonde stranger. I bit my cheek to keep from laughing because I wasn't going to be the one to rat Sammy out. It wasn't long before he did that to himself. After the first couple pieces of food hit their target—and stuck there—Sammy giggled and pointed at Jasper. The entire table stopped eating to stare at Jasper.

"What?" he asked with a mouthful. "Was I humming again?"

Rose opened her mouth and closed it, momentarily confused by the question. "No, but, um, you have something in your…" She pointed to his chin.

He looked down and grinned. "Shoot! I need a bib like the little guy over there!"

I bit my lip. Edward kept shoveling food into his mouth.

With everyone's eyes on Jasper, Sam tossed a green bean with surprising accuracy and it landed in its target. Jasper jumped. Rose gasped. Emmett did a mini-fist pump.

"He's going to be a ffff…awesome baseball player! That was fantastic, Sam!" Emmett cheered.

"Emmett!" she scolded, slapping him on the arm. "We can't let him think that throwing his food is okay!" She turned to Sammy, fighting a grin. "Sam, you do not throw your food!"

Then Jasper spoke up. "Oh, it's okay, Rose! It's almost time to wash it anyway."

There wasn't a single adult at the table that didn't cringe at that information. Even Edward, concentration deep in his food, winced and gave Jasper an exasperated look.

"You seem really happy," I commented to Rose as we were cleaning off the table. The guys had retired to the living room to watch TV—probably something where a ball was being thrown or hit or dunked.

Rose beamed at me. "I am. Things are…they're perfect right now. It's actually kind of terrifying because I'm waiting for something to happen to screw it up."

"You've paid your dues, Rose. Look at everything that you've been through the past ten years." I pointed out. "Don't sit around and wait for something to take your happiness away. It is possible to be happy for a long period of time."

Her brows lifted to her hairline. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with Bella?"

I rolled my eyes. "Bite me, Rose."

She giggled but sobered as she hesitated. "When I talked to you back in December…God, I was so worried about you. Then you wouldn't call me back and I thought…I wondered if…"

"If what?" I asked.

She turned to me, twisting her wash rag in her hands. "I wondered if something happened to you, if your dad would notify us. I was scared that you would, uh…hurt yourself."

At first, I wanted to tell her that hurting myself was a ridiculous thing to imagine but then I thought back on the bottle of Jack Daniels that I'd clutched in my hand that night. I thought about how tired I was of hurting and the way I saw myself in the mirror when I'd stopped eating. I would have liked to believe that hurting myself was out of the question, but it wasn't.

"I'm sorry, Rose," I whispered.

She shook her head and brushed a tear from her eye. "You really do look amazing. Tell me what you've been up to."

After filling my lungs with a deep breath, I told her everything from start to finish: My breakdown, the fight with my dad, the thousands of tears, Leah, the diner, the experimental date with Ben. It felt so good to finally talk to someone; someone who I knew wouldn't judge me or try to overwhelm me with advice.

"That's great," she said, smiling at me. "I'm really proud of you. Do you think that it's good that you went back to Forks, then?"

I shrugged. "I missed this…"—I motioned between Rose and me, indicating our relationship. "But I don't think I ever would have had a relationship with my dad if I hadn't. Who knows, really, what would have or wouldn't have happened if I had stayed here."

A throat cleared behind us. Edward was leaning against the doorway, looking more than exhausted.

"Are you staying here tonight or…" he trailed off.

"Yeah, Rose and Emmett offered me their couch."

He nodded. "I have to go into work tomorrow before we leave but I'm getting out early. We'll take off around four, if that's okay."

"That's fine."

"You don't have to do this, you know. I'm not going to get upset if you—"

"I'm going," I stated, cutting him off.

Again, he nodded and mumbled a thanks to Rose for dinner and left.

"Remember my favor, Bella. You don't owe any of us anything and that includes Edward," Rose said with a hand on my shoulder.

I couldn't help but to disagree with her.

A/N: So, what did you think about Jasper? You'll learn MUCH more about him. He's sort of my comic relief but he has a story too and I hope you learn to love him and his dirty beard. What did you think about what Jake did? Do you really think he tried to call the police or was he planning on offing James the whole time? I hope you enjoyed the lighter chapter. There's still angst to come but the worst is over...or should I tell you that? Oh, fuck it...too late. ;)

I've never rec'd another story so here it goes - if you're looking for a silly, angst-free and short little story, go read "GAME SHOW" by my sweet friend, BilliCullen. It's on fanfiction and she only has two chapters left to go. I LOVE it and I hope you check it out and leave her some LOOOOOVE!

CMNtD is being translated into Spanish by MandyLittleton - just FYI.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you on Thursday!