Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, I just use their creations to have my wicked way with them. No copyright infringement is intended.

Many thanks to Jadsmama and Ladysharkey1, my amazing beta team for this story. You ladies rock!

1.

The pick-up

Chicago, September 2011.

Though he had been anticipating the sound for most of the night and early morning, the well-known footsteps of Marcus Hansen squeaking down the hall still made Edward's shoulders tense up in alarm.

It's too soon, he thought, as his hands rubbed his eyes so strenuously he was seeing stars. It's too soon. I can't-

"Masen?" The footsteps had halted in front of his door, the sound replaced by a clear tenor as Marcus knocked on his door. "You in there, man?"

"It's open." Edward sighed, his eyes traveling around the room that had been his home for the past six months one last time before he sat up.

"Your ride is gonna be here in half an hour." Marcus' face peeked around the corner, his slate grey eyes taking in the room with a speed that betrayed his experience. "You wanna come down and say your goodbyes?"

Edward shrugged. "Not really." He'd said goodbye to everyone who mattered the day before and as for the rest… Wasn't the whole point of his being there about breaking out of the habit of telling lies?

"I figured as much." Marcus grinned as he stepped into the room, his eyes rolling over the stuffed duffel bag on the desk before falling to the pathetic figure on the bed. "You look like shit."

In fact, the poor guy looked just as Marcus had expected him to look: scared to death and worn out from a sleepless night. It was how the good ones looked on the day they got out; the ones who were actually going to make it out there.

"Thanks!" Edward tried to smile, though his efforts resulted in nothing more than a slight twitch of the mouth, his nerves slamming through his veins as the minutes kept ticking away on the clock.

"You ready?"

Edward nodded, his stiff, sleep-deprived body protesting as he got up from the bed and grabbed his duffel before following Marcus out of the room.

He never looked back, though, whether that was because he'd been glad to get the hell out of the little bland room, or whether he was afraid if he looked back, it would cause him to be even more wary about the big ass leap he was taking into the real world was unclear. Even to himself.

The sounds of crappy daytime television, in all its many varieties, followed them as they made their way along the corridor. Some of the doors to Edward's former compatriots standing open to reveal similar bland rooms to the one he'd just left. Most of them showing more signs of inhabitance, though; posters or pictures hung to personalize the space and small, cheap rugs and pillows scattered around to make it look a bit more like home.

Edward hadn't bothered with personalizing his room knowing that no amount of decorating could ever make the small, claustrophobic room in the sterile, clinical environment feel comfortable. Besides, he didn't really want to be reminded of what he'd left behind. He was there to learn how to cope, not deal.

Marcus glanced back as they reached the end of the corridor, seeing the same facial expression he'd seen dozens of times as Edward trudged behind him. Dread.

He sighed, knowing from experience how hard it was to leave the security of the clinic for the temptations of the outside world. He'd tried and failed more times than he could count before finally Dr. Adkinson had offered him a full-time position at the clinic. Marcus worked as a liaison between doctors and patients, as well as doing odd jobs around the facility.

To him, it had been the final push to break the habit; his life gaining a new purpose as he changed his old destructive ways, and the empty life he'd left behind, for one in which he could help people do what he'd lacked the guts and the perseverance to ever accomplish. It made him feel good about himself again in a way he'd never even hoped to feel since his first shot of meth.

He'd never looked back, but that didn't mean he hadn't known how the cocky young guy behind him was feeling. "This place is gonna miss you, man," he said, patting Edward on the back as he moved past him into the clinic's lobby. Halfway to freedom.

Edward snorted, Marcus' sappy remark breaking the tension that had settled into his bones somewhere halfway though his sleepless night. "No offense, but I won't miss a damn thing about this place," he lied, shrugging apologetically before muttering the truth like some sort of afterthought. "Except maybe for the company."

Marcus chuckled, shaking his head. "What did I tell you, bro? Never fucking lie to me!"

"Okay, okay." Edward surrendered, the tension leaving his shoulder as he laughed – genuinely laughed – for the first time in months. "There's nothing I'm gonna miss about sharing a room with a guy who thinks he's stealthy enough to jack off under the blankets when he thinks I'm asleep or crazy Pete trying to steal my dessert, but I swear – honest to God – that I'm going to miss you."

"Well, who would'da known?" the older man grinned smugly, holding the front door open as they walked out, making it all seem like no biggie. As if it wasn't a big step. A huge momentous step even. "One day they walk in here all cocky and aggressive, saying 'fuck off I don't need your help' and a couple of days later, you're going all girly on me? Wha'da you wanna do now? Exchange friendship bracelets and braid my hair or something?"

"I think I'll pass," Edward snorted. Even if Marcus' greasy, uncombed shoulder length hair hadn't been in his face, he knew enough about the man's personal hygiene regimen not to get anywhere near his hair without updating his tetanus shots first.

"Out you go." Marcus nodded when Edward, suddenly aware of the distance they'd traveled while goofing around, hovered over the threshold like some kind of furry cartoon character. "Or are you waiting for me to carry you over the threshold, sweetpea?"

Edward shook his head, a few drops of sweat gathering at his hairline as he took in a few deep breaths, just like Dr. Adkinson had taught him. Deep, cleansing breaths. They didn't help for shit, though.

"So, this is it, huh?" Edward panted, his feet still refusing to cooperate even though he was inwardly screaming at them to fucking move and get the damned thing over with.

"Do you want me to leave?" Marcus asked, his eyes never leaving their target even though he tried not to make it too obvious he was watching Edward like a hawk.

"Nah." Edward shook his head and, with another deep breath, he finally managed to take that one little step that had been plaguing him for days.

It was the one step Dr. Adkinson had been prepping him for ever since he'd been deemed 'clean' enough to be released back into the big, bad world; the one step, or so the good doctor had stressed, that he had to take on his own, with no –well, almost no – help from the outside world. The one small step for man which would be a big, fucking giant, leap towards getting back his old life again. Or so he hoped.

Edward had spent the better part of the days leading up to this step wondering what it would be like. Would he feel the overwhelming panic the doctor had warned him about, or the sense of being lost after spending so much time in the small little universe of the Lakeside Clinic? Would it be the big catharsis of all those months he'd spent turning himself inside-out in order to 'find himself' -the doctor's words, not his- again?

In reality, however, all Edward felt as he crossed the threshold was a slight drop in the temperature and a draft as a gust of early September wind flew past him. Nothing had changed, except for the fact that he was now on the outside. Emotionally, he still felt exactly the same as he had on the other side of the door.

"Well, this was anticlimactic," he muttered, feeling like a complete loser for having made so much out of apparently nothing.

"It's a first step." Marcus shrugged, lighting up a cigarette since he was outside and young Masen didn't seem to need his assistance anymore.

Edward nodded, his panic resurfaced as he looked around him. Was he really ready to be out there? What if he fucked up again? He'd never-

"You'll be fine, McDreamy," Marcus spoke, his big, bear claw hands once again patting Edward's shoulder while Edward wondered how in God's name the old man always seemed to know what he was thinking. "And if you're not, you know where to find me. Day or night."

Edward nodded, patting his jacket pocket to make sure his phone was in there. "Thanks, man. For everything."

Marcus chuckled, knowing that although young McDreamy looked a little greenish at the moment, he would be alright. Cocky young fuckers like him always landed back on their own two feet with a little help from a good doc like Adkinson. Stubborn old goats like him, though…

"I'm just doing my job, kid," he shrugged, toeing his cigarette out as, for a moment, the pressure on Edward's shoulder increased. "Now you go out there and do yours." And with that, he was gone, leaving a freaked out, though he'd never admit to it, Edward behind as he let the front door lock behind him.

Edward didn't have to wait for long, the roar of a classic sports car already heralding the arrival of his pick-up long before the ostentatious red Ferrari 250 rumbled into view, the tires squealing as it came to an abrupt stop right next to him.

Edward arched his brow, his lips pulling into a smile as the inhabitant of the car daintily hopped out of the driver's seat. "Don't tell me you blew the entire divorce settlement on this thing?"

Tanya laughed, revealing a perfect row of white teeth as she plucked the expensive, designer sunglasses from her nose. "Nah, I bought this little puppy way before that particular ship came in. I just figured that with the weather finally cooperating, I'd take her out for a spin. You don't mind, do you?"

Edward smiled, shaking his head. "It's a good thing I packed light." Not that it had been intentional. When the shit hit the fan, he didn't have the time to pack a whole lot of stuff before he had to report at the clinic and, with his family and friends not exactly clamoring at the door during visiting hours, he hadn't been able to accumulate the amount of junk some of his fellow 'inmates' had.

"I guess it is," Tanya chuckled, waggling her eyebrows as she popped the tiny trunk, Edward's duffel bag, though small, barely fitting into it. "Now, are you going to stand there and make fun of me and my car all morning, or are you going to say 'hello' like a decent human being?"

Edward's grin widened. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, 'cause I am, but….shit. I'm gone for six months and they send my ex-wife to come and get me? I thought dad hated your guts!"

Tanya beamed back, a huge weight slipping from her shoulders at seeing her old friend returned as opposed to the selfish, out of control asshole she'd dropped of months ago. "What can I say?" She shrugged, quickly snapping her seatbelt in place before tearing off like her life depended on it. "Ever since you decided to 'take a walk on the wild side', I guess I moved up a few places on Senior's shit list."

"Don't get your hopes up too high," Edward huffed, his eyes having trouble keeping up as the scenery flashed by at breakneck speed. "I think I've topped that fucking list since the day I was born. By the way, would you mind slowing down a bit? I'd like to enjoy my newfound freedom a bit before I die."

"Oops! Sorry," Tanya giggled, the roar of the engine slowly simmering down to a muffled rumble as she eased up on the gas. "I'm glad you're back."

She didn't explain her words, nor did she have to, even though being 'back' could mean a multitude of things. Edward knew.

"I'm glad to be back," he nodded, his eyes still fixed on the urban scenery as it flew by on their way to plushy Oak Park where his parents lived. "I take it the old man wants to see me before he ships me off to my place of exile?"

Tanya made a great show of rolling her eyes. "Don't be so damn melodramatic!" she huffed. "But yes, I am under strict orders to drop you off at the Masen's house and stand by while you visit with your family, before I pick you up again to drop you off at the airport for your midday flight to Seattle."

Edward sighed, already having expected as much. "At least having limited time means he only has a few opportunities to tell me how much of a disappointment I am."

"He loves you, Edward," Tanya's voice was soft and cautious, as she knew, full well, how thin the ice was that she was skating on.

"If he does, he sure has a funny way of showing it!" Edward smirked, his thoughts going back to the many times he and his father had clashed over the years. Whatever he did or however he did it, it just never seemed to live up to Edward Sr.'s high standards; his grades, his career, his wife, his life…

"Do you want to…" Tanya let her voice trail off as they neared the Harlem Avenue/Cermak Road intersection.

"It's…it's too soon. I'm sorry, I…" He shook his head, his breath coming out in panicked gasps as his mind went back to that day, two years ago, when he'd buried his heart at Woodlawn Cemetery. He couldn't go back. Not now. Not so soon after-

"It's okay, Edward," Tanya's hand folded around his as she spoke, though it didn't escape Edward's notice how her palm, too, was clammy and trembling as she kept her eyes firmly on the road. "She'll still be there when you're ready."

"I-I've been writing to her. Dr. Adkinson thought it would be a good thing to help me work through some of my…my issues." Even after six months of intense sessions, Edward still had a hard time admitting to the fact that he had some serious issues; the way he'd been brought up ingraining him with a firm notion that weakness was not something to be acknowledged, let alone talked about.

Tanya smiled hopefully before her eyes flittered back to the road. "And is it helping?"

He shrugged. "Sometimes." In truth, over the past months he'd only written to her twice, both times at the good doctor's insistence. For the most part, he tried his damndest not to think about her or what had happened, even though he left like the most miserable of human beings for pushing her to the back corners of his mind. It was the only way he could live, though…the only way he could survive.

"Maybe I should give it a go, then." Tanya smiled bitterly, her own grief still as fresh as Edward's, though she'd been dealing it in a very different and less destructive way.

"Yeah." Edward sounded as far away as he felt, his mind sinking back into that state of semi-detachment where he could function without feeling. "Maybe."

The rest of the drive to the Masen's magnificent Oak Park residence passed in a laden silence, both Edward and Tanya lost in their thoughts as the ghosts of their shared past took up post between them.

"We're here," Tanya unnecessarily announced as the driveway gates swung open and the vintage Ferrari roared through the rhododendron lined drive.

Edward nodded, swallowing his reluctance to get up and go into the house, knowing what probably awaited him as the car rolled to a stop. "Come with me?"

She shook her head, forcing a smile onto her lips. "Better not. I don't want to push my luck with Senior now that he finally doesn't seem to hate me as much as he used to," she joked. "You'll be alright. And if you're not…I'll be right here in the car, watiting for you."

"Fuck, I hope so!" he chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head as he slammed the car door behind him, the tall white columns that shielded the entrance of his ancestral mansion from the rest of the world seeming even more imposing than they did when he was young.

Edward took a deep breath, trying not to dwell on how much he wanted to crawl back into the car behind him – especially now that Chet Baker's trumpet was blasting his jazz music through the stereo – as he stepped forward, closing the gap between him and the front door just as it opened.

"Edward!" Before he even had the time to think or recognize the person greeting him, he found himself engulfed into an overpowering embrace of abundant perfume and tiny Mexican arms.

"It's good to see you, Carmen," he breathed as the aggressively feminine smell invaded his senses. "How are you?"

"Great as always," she grinned. "You know, one of these days I will get you to call me 'Mom'."

"I did, remember?" he beamed back, relishing in the love of the only person in the world who knew him better than he even knew himself. It felt good to be around her again, like his existence wasn't so hollow or bleak anymore.

"You were two-years-old!" Carmen scolded, playfully swatting his shoulder. "And you almost got me fired for that, remember?"

Edward chuckled, remembering those particular incidents only through the memories of others who never failed to remind him of them. "Speaking of mothers…" he changed the subject, his voice back to a well-practiced indifference. "Is she here?"

Carmen sighed, shaking her head. "Elizabeth is vacationing in Barbados with her driver."

"So, I take it the two of them still haven't had their 'coming out'?" Edward smirked, knowing, as well as anyone did, that his mother's driver also fulfilled a whole different set of services to the first Mrs. Masen than the ones he was contracted to deliver.

"I think she fears what it will do to her income," Carmen shrugged, linking Edward's arm with hers as they crossed the ornate foyer, their footsteps echoing on the marble floor.

"A fear not altogether unjustified," Edward snorted. Knowing his father, he'd cut her off as soon as she went public with her affair and, knowing his mother, she'd never risk her steady cash flow, even though she didn't really need it. "And Alice?"

Another shake of her head. "She wanted to be here but your father threatened to send her to an all-girl boarding school in Switzerland if she skipped class."

"Why am I not surprised?" Even though he truly wasn't, it was still a disappointment for Edward to be sent away without being able to see and say goodbye to most of his family; his mother because she chose to be elsewhere and his half-sister because she had to be. It was the story of his life.

"I will do my best to have her visit you in Washington as often as she can," Carmen promised, her hand squeezing his, "and I overheard your mother mentioning plans to fly out to Washington for Thanksgiving."

Edward smirked at the thought of having his mother and Esme in close quarters together for more than a few hours. Now that was a spectacle he was not particularly eager to see!

Their pace slowed as they neared the far end of the foyer; the place where heavy black double doors gave entrance to his father's sanctuary; the room Edward had only set foot in to be scolded.

"Remember, Edward," Carmen let go of his arm to grab both his shoulders, her fiery dark brown eyes boring into him. "No matter how harsh his actions may be sometimes, your father loves you. He just isn't very good at showing it. He only ever wanted what was best for you."

Edward knew this to be a lie but he didn't have the heart to crush his former-nanny-slash-current-stepmom's hopes. For all his life he'd known his father to care for only one thing: himself. Everything else came in second at a long, long distance.

"I'd better go in," he said, running a hand through his hair as he tried to summon as much confidence as he could muster. "Best not to keep him waiting and all that."

Carmen nodded, her hands locked firmly together as she watched Edward disappear behind the door. She hoped that for once her husband would show his true colors instead of the business façade that had already caused so much discord between him and his son.

"Edward." His father didn't even look up from his paperwork as he heard his son enter, his mind fixed on the quarterly figures his oldest daughter, the apple of his eye, had dropped off earlier that morning.

"Father." Edward's voice was clipped, his hackles already rising at the cool welcome he received. "You wanted to speak to me?"

"Of course I do." The eyes of Edward Senior were cold and calculative, a smooth mask he'd spent years perfecting, as he finally lifted his face to look at his son. "When a son throws his career, and place in society, to the dogs, any father would feel compelled to speak a word or two to him."

"A word or two?" Edward sneered. "I feel honored!"

"Don't get smart with me, boy," his father warned. "I have had just about as much of you running your mouth off at everyone as I can stomach!" He waited a few breaths until his mask was back in place before he continued. "When you voiced your desire to become a doctor, I pushed my disappointment aside to let you go along with it, hoping that giving you what you wanted would finally turn you into someone I wouldn't have to feel ashamed off. I see now utterly I was mistaken."

Edward sighed, taking a few deep breaths as he tried to do what he always did: let each and every insult his dad spewed at him glide off his skin like it was made of Teflon. "I'm sorry, dad," he muttered, feeling about three inches tall.

"All of this was supposed to be yours," his father went on, his arms sweeping theatrically across the room, "but you chose to throw it all away. And for what?"

"It wasn't for me, dad," Edward growled. "You know it. I would have sucked at being a CEO."

"You didn't even try," his father put him in place. "If it wasn't for your sister, all of the hard work and dedication I put into Masen Industries would have gone to waste. And what did you blow it all away for?" The old man shook his head in disdain, no further words needed between the two of them to convey his contempt.

Edward bit his lip, trying not to tear off into another tirade about how Charlotte, a carbon copy of Edward Senior, except for the fact that she had tits in place of cock, though she did appear to be owning a pair of solid steel balls, had been all too pleased to step in when Edward declined. He'd done that more times than he could count and the end result had always been the same: defeat. There was just no winning against his dad just as there was no pleasing him.

"You're lucky Esme and her husband were good enough to take you in and give you a chance to redeem yourself, or so help me-" His voice cut off, the unfinished threat hanging in the air. "In time, I hope this damage to the Masen name can be undone but, if you ever put it at risk again, I will not lift a finger to get you out of your mess. You've cost me more than enough already."

Edward hung his head, trying to hide his true feelings by appearing submissive and remorseful as his father continued his rant. He'd always known that to his father, the business came first and his family followed at a long distance, but to hear it again after everything he'd been through? It hurt.

And what hurt most of all was the fact that his father was right. He had been childish and irresponsible when he should have faced his problems like a man. He had damaged the Masen name with his foolish behavior and by doing so, put everything his family had spent their lives trying to achieve in jeopardy.

For once he deserved the scolding he was getting… but that didn't make it any easier to soak up the blows.

"I believe you have a plane to catch," his father concluded, apparently satisfied that he'd burnt his son down to the floor. "You will find that all of your travel arrangements have been taken care of in your absence."

Edward nodded, his mind so battle worn that he was operating on sheer autopilot. "Thank you, father," he muttered, "I am much indebted to you. I can only pray that one day your opinion of me may better again." It was all he could hope for, since Edward knew very well that his father would never have a high opinion of him. Too much had passed between them for that and it had been a long time since Edward had held hopes of having any real sort of relationship with his father. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to have one at that moment. Not that, like any son, he didn't crave his father's approval deep down inside.

"Then make it so," his father barked. "Your fate is in your own hands now."

"Give my regards to Charlotte and her family," Edward sighed, knowing this was his cue to leave. "I trust they are doing well?"

"Of course they are." His father almost seemed insulted by the sheer insinuation his pride and joy would be somehow lacking. His father had never been very candid about his favoritism for his oldest child; the one who'd succeeded him as CEO of Masen Industries and whom, apart from the fact that she was a cold hard bitch, never put a foot wrong in her life.

"Goodbye then." As he turned to leave, Edward hoped for some word or gesture that would make him realize that his father did care but, as expected, none came. He'd known for years his father's way of showing affection was to spend money. And God knew he had.

When Edward had been caught red-handed with his hand in the hospital cookie jar, he'd assumed his career was over. He could faintly remember having read something somewhere about the increasing figures of pill-popping surgeons and the way hospitals across the nation were dealing with those, but as a lowly first year attending, he never expected anyone to make any exceptions to the rule for him.

And the rules were clear: get caught and you're out.

That was when his dad stepped in; guns blazing and wallet drawn, throwing so much cash at the hospital it had became almost impossible for the board to fire the wayward resident, or even publicly hang him out to dry, instead electing to send him on a yearlong recovery course before welcoming him back in the newly opened Masen Neurology Wing, with no one except a handful of insiders knowing the true reason behind Dr. Masen's sabbatical year.

He knew his father's motives had been first and foremost to save his own face and that of the company. Any consideration he might have had about rescuing his son's career was of minor importance. If at all. To the Masen's, having the family name in the newspaper attached to a drug scandal would have been simply unacceptable and if money had to be spent to keep it from happening, then so be it.

So now, Edward would just have to suck up the fact that after all the fighting he'd done to gain his independence from the Masen chokehold, right now, they had him by the balls. Forever.

"How did it go?" Carmen and Tanya looked up from their chat the minute Edward stepped out of the house again, both faces taking on a look of concern.

Edward shrugged. "As expected, I guess." It was the truth. He didn't even feel disappointed, not when his father had only said exactly what Edward had imagined he would say. In fact, a part of him was almost relieved to have it over with. Now, he could move on.

"I'm sorry." It was Carmen who spoke first, her smile sad as she reached out to pull him into another hug. "He does love you, you know?"

"I know," Edward muttered, wondering as he'd done so often how a woman who had been paid to look after him could have become more of a mother to him than the woman who'd birthed him.

"You go to Washington and make sure you make something of yourself," she ordered, her arms squeezing him to the point of discomfort as he felt her tears trickle down his neck. "It kills me to see you like this; so at odds with yourself."

"How do you always know what I'm feeling?' Edward smirked, keeping his voice low enough so that only the two of them would hear. "That shit just isn't fair!"

"It's what being a mother is all about, Eddie," Carmen chuckled, her laughter deepening at the funny look Edward cast her way. "I may not have given birth to you, but I sat up with you through teething, chicken pox, your final exam stress and detox. As far as I'm concerned, I am as much your mother as that cold bitch who brought you into this world."

Edward snorted, patting the back of her head as he kept her close for just one more minute. "That's the Carmen I know and love."

"Then you make sure you get better real fast so that you can come back to me," she scolded, pinching his cheek like she used to do, even though she knew he hated it, before pushing him in the direction of the car. "Now go, before you miss the plane or make me ruin my make-up."

Edward grinned, knowing she was going to do the latter anyway. "I'll miss you."

"Yeah, yeah," she uttered sarcastically, her hands making a dismissive gesture as she watched him get into the car, both of them knowing she felt way more than she was letting on.

"You about done?" Tanya questioned, putting her sunglasses back in place as she rapped her nails impatiently against the steering wheel.

"Yep," Edward nodded, waving at a sniffling Carmen as the car tore out of the driveway with screeching tires. "Jeez, Tan! What did this poor piece of metal do to you to be treated like this?"

Tanya huffed. "You'd better shut that pretty mouth of yours before I drop you off on the side of the road and let you get to the airport by yourself."

"Pretty mouth?" Edward grinned. "Does Craig know you still find me attractive?"

"Oh, shut up!" Tanya groaned. "You know you're good looking even without me blowing smoke up your ass. Besides, Craig knows he has nothing to fear in that respect."

His brow arched as he shot a sideways glance at her, "Oh, yeah?"

"Uh huh," she nodded, taking one hand off the wheel to flash a ring that Edward hadn't noticed before, though he wondered how he missed it because the stone was huge.

"Wow!" he gasped. "Does this mean-"

"I didn't know how to tell you," she shrugged, the roar of the engine making further conversation impossible as she pulled up to a traffic light.

Edward knew it should probably have made him feel weird to see his ex-wife engaged again so soon after their divorce was finalized but, even though he might feel differently later on, for now he was just profoundly happy his best friend had found happiness again. God only knew she deserved it. "How long?"

She shrugged. "Two weeks?"

He smiled, taking her hand in his and placing a light kiss on the back of it. "I'm happy for you, Tan. You deserve to be with a guy who loves you like you deserve."

"Are you for real?" Her brow arched as she shot a sideways glance at him.

"Absolutely." He hoped the tone of his voice would leave her in no doubt. It had been a long time since he'd thought of her like that and even then it had been more about the idea of her than the actual person behind it. "I meant what I said that day…about us being friends."

"I know." Her eyes were fixed firmly on the road, her hands tightening around the wheel as she spoke.

He sighed, looking out of the window as the car veered onto the access road to O' Hare's departures terminal. Almost there.

"Be happy, Tanya," he spoke, as the car came to a sudden stop in front of the entrance. "You've earned it."

"So did you," Tanya turned away, hiding her face as she got out of the car and popped the hood.

"I'll try," he smirked, grabbing his duffel bag from the trunk.

"That's about as much as I can ask for." Her smile was watery as she hugged him. "Carmen and I went through the house the other day, making sure everything you might need got shipped off to Esme's."

"Thanks," Edward smiled uncomfortably, never having gotten good at saying goodbye though, God only knew, he'd done it more often than he cared to remember.

"You take care of yourself, Edward," she pressed her lips briefly against his before she pulled back again.

He nodded. "I will." There was nothing she could say that would make him more aware of the fact that it was up to him now to show he was worthy.

Up to him to move on.

Thoughts?

You'll get to meet Bella in the next chapter.