Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, that glory belongs to Stephanie Meyers but I do own...really cute HHR! LOL

Hey Party People,

Remember me?

*crickets*

Yeah I'm not surprised its been WAY TOO LONG! One of the problems is over thinking and wanting to add more than what was needed. My only excuse for the delay is my desire to write a good chapter & I hope I succeeded *fingers crossed*. I so appreciate the support from Sabrina, Yvette & Fangmom (- she wrote the coolest reviews!) as well as my betas.

Music wise everything from Mumford & Sons to Katy Perry got me through this chapter.

Okay since its been so long...

So we left off on James going ballastic at his sentencing and Bella's discovery of her mother's jewelry box filled with more than a few costume pieces...

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Tammy

I heard someone call out my name, rousing me from sleep. "Mr. Cullen, we're approaching the airport and will be landing soon," the flight attendant said softly in my ear. "Do you need assistance in buckling up?" she inquired breathlessly which caused my eyes to pop open, but all I could see were boobs.

I gave a terse, "No, thank you," and looked straight ahead until she walked away.

I looked down to see Bella curled in a ball with a blanket wrapped tightly around her. She used my lap as a pillow, and even though the seat was roomier then most commercial flight she still looked uncomfortable. After finding what I now deemed 'the Treasure Chest' and dealing with appraisers and insurance bureaucracy I knew I had to get Bella away from the madness.

I was smoking a cigarette on the patio of the appraiser's office. Jenks sat in front of her computer as she spoke on her cell phone. I knew she was working on a lead but she'd been hush-hush about her findings so far.

Bella burst through the door looking distraught with Jake trailing behind her with a frown. I tossed my cigarette and met her half way. "What's wrong?"

"They knew!" she hissed. The 'they' in question was no other than the Ramseys, her soon-to-be-ex in-laws, thank goodness she would be officially divorced in a few weeks.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself. "Jake said they searched his house when he was in jail. Why did they need to search his house since the fight took place at my house?"

Jenks ended her phone call and joined the conversation. "Why do you say that?" she asked curiously.

"There was no reason to check his house," Bella repeated through clenched teeth.

We all looked to Jake and he explained how when he was in jail the police searched his home several times. "When Leah overheard Peters state he couldn't find it, she assumed it was the drugs they accused me of having," Jake relayed.

For the longest time Jenks remained silent and played with her bottom lip. "So, they kept Jake in jail not only as leverage for Bella to stay, but because they needed a reason to get into his house," Jenks said absently.

"And since the fight took place in Forks, the Elders didn't understand how they were able to come onto our land," Jake said.

"Fuck," I muttered. "They knew Charlie was close to Billy."

Jenks nodded in agreement. "Bella, did the Ramseys ever ask you about this box?" she asked.

Bella shook her head no. "When my dad died they did ask if anything was missing. I had to tell them several times nothing was. I admit, I thought it was odd when they had me walk through the house to make sure. I didn't get it then," she said. I pulled her to my chest and held her close. I could feel the tension vibrate through her body.

The longer she surrounded herself with the madness the more it got to her. Thanks to Mike's new assistant, Sandra, I was able to charter a private plane which allowed us to come undetected into Manhattan a few days earlier than we originally planned. I continued to watch Bella sleep as I ran my fingers through her soft mahogany hair.

"Babe, time to get up," I whispered in her ear.

After a few seconds of confusion, she sat up and looked outside the window. "Ohmigod, we're really here," she said in awe, taking in the sight below her. Without taking her gaze from the window, she quickly buckled her seatbelt.

Fifteen minutes later, we landed at Brierfield Airport, an airport designated for private planes. A baggage handler hauled our luggage, which wasn't much, to the waiting town car to take us to the Ritz Carlton in Manhattan.

Once we arrived to the hotel, we were quickly ushered to the two bedroom suite with a bar, small kitchen and living room area, fully equipped with big screen television, DVD, and a blue-ray. Much to Bella's dismay, we were assigned a private butler to cater to our needs. Even in LA, she grumbled when a weekly housekeeper was hired, stating she could do it herself.

Our butler, Theodore, had mini breakfast buffet set up for us and began to unpack our bags. Bella bounced her leg in agitation because she wasn't the one putting away our belongings.

Even though she denied it, Bella was a certified neat freak. If I left something on the floor she cleaned it right up. My dad believed it stemmed from the years of abuse she suffered while married. One day after court, Jake and I watched Bella in awe as she began cleaning Aro's house, basically confirming my father's theory. Bella kept the house she shared with Charlie tidy and relaxed – not borderline obsessive as she was today.

Just as we finished our breakfast, Bella's phone rang. She sighed when she saw the name and I instantly knew it was Gwen. She smiled apologetically and took the call in the next room. I began to check my own messages and groaned when I saw a few from Mike. He was able to get us in the big radio station holiday concert at the end of the week. I reluctantly replied and agreed to the show. Damn, it's officially a work week.

I found a few messages from some friends who lived in the area. My buddy John was on a promotional tour and would be in Brooklyn two weeks from now to film Storytellers. I honestly wasn't sure where we'd be in two weeks.

Before I had a chance to reply to John, I received a text from Marisol. She and her husband Rob were back in New York for the holidays and wanted to have dinner. After a few exchanges we decided to meet at Colicchio & Sons for dinner and drinks. With the arrangements made, I killed a little time on twitter reading Jake's tweets. Since he joined twitter, he and Emmett had been going back and forth with idiotic jokes and recently got Jasper involved too. It was amazing how much time could be spent with only 140 characters.

After twenty minutes, I went to check on Bella and found her in the master bedroom sitting on the bed rigorously taking notes while she spoke into the phone. I went to stand to look out the balcony to smoke a cigarette as I waited for her to finish up her phone call.

It was chilly December morning, even at this early hour the noise level should have been enough to put me on edge, but it added to already pulsating vibe of the city. Just as I was about to light my second cigarette I felt Bella's arms wrap around my waist. I exhaled a long stream of smoke, enjoying her arms around me. I learned to live with an emptiness I could never explain, but since I'd been back with Bella that feeling rarely had a chance to engulf me.

"Everything ok?" I asked and absently caressed her arm with my free hand.

"Yes, Gwen's just stressed out because she has a meeting with an important investor this week," she explained. "Since I'm already here she wants to meet up tomorrow."

"Fuck, if it's anything like the meetings with sponsors then it's not going to be fun," I said.

I could feel Bella shake her head. "I'm sorry, I know we planned to hang out but it looks like I have to work," she mumbled and squeezed me tighter.

I chuckled. "You're forgiven. Besides, I just found out we're replacing Silversun Pickups at the Z100 show on Saturday."

"Geez, we're loads of fun. Promise me we won't become workaholics?"

"For me, you and I will always come first. Yes, things will be insane when there's a new CD and tour. But always time for you and me," I said and I could feel her arms tighten around me. Mindful of the cigarette in my hand I turned get a better look at her. Despite the fact the next day would be a stressful for her, Bella looked somewhat relaxed; there was even a playful gleam in her eyes that I hadn't seen since Los Angeles. "Let's play tourist."

"Tourist?" she asked doubtfully.

"You've never been to New York and I think the best way to see it is to go into full on tourist mode. We can do tours at a museum, ice skating, go to Elis Island, the whole fucking shebang."

"It's a cute idea but it's not going to work," she with a laugh. "How are you going to do a tour when you're recognized everywhere we go?"

I stroked my beard and grinned. "With this thing I'm rarely – if at all – recognized. It's perfect. Come on, let's go enjoy the city, I have a feeling you're going to fall in love with it," I said as I pulled her into my arms.

I watched as she thought it over and knew the lure of the city was calling her. "It's so tempting," she admitted.

"Come on babe, let's go have fun," I said in a whiny voice, and when that didn't work I tried to imitate Emmett giving her puppy dog eyes.

"Don't do that!" she said with a giggle. "Okay, okay! Let's get the hell out of here."

She didn't have to say it twice; I stubbed out my cigarette, made sure I had the room key, my wallet and phone. While Bella grabbed her messenger bag, I grabbed our jackets and headed to the elevator in less than five minutes.

Instead of catching a cab, I headed for the nearest subway. "In order for you to get your full New York experience, we're taking the subway."

"Subway? Now, would Carrie Bradshaw do that?" she asked mockingly. Bella's knowledge about New York came from Sex and the City and the books she'd read. And that was simply no way to learn about this city. You couldn't read about New York, you just had to experience it.

"Remember when she was running late during that opening of the Wall Street episode?"

She laughed. "Damn, I was trying to trip you up but seriously, how do you know that?"

"One, I basically live with Ace and Rose – die hard Sex and the City fans. Two, we had to reenact our favorite scenes from that show for an Entertainment Weekly spread when the movie came out," I explained. "And Rose chose that scene and had to run like crazy in four inch stilettos." It was one of the rare times Rose was able to do a shoot comfortably. I figured it was because she was running from the camera.

We walked about five blocks before we reached the subway, I asked a few people on the best way to get to Battery Park, most ignored me but a few were nice enough to help me out. Once we got the correct information we were on our way.

I could see Bella was enjoying her time on the train. We saw all types of people from the typical Wall Street guy in an overly expensive suit to someone who looked to be a street performer. Just as our stop approached, we moved closer to the exit. I felt Bella stiffen, she looked frighten as she franticly looked around.

"Babe, what's wrong?" I asked worriedly. She didn't answer me but continued to look around the car a couple of times. "Bella?"

"I thought I saw someone... it looked just like him," she mumbled.

"Who?"

"A friend of James', but I haven't seen him in over a year," she said. "I think they had a falling out or something."

"Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head. "No, no, he just creeped me out."

I put my arms around her as we exited the subway car and slowly made our way to the surface. I kept my eyes open for anyone out of the ordinary, but that was hard to do when you were in New York. It was what I loved the most about the city but at that moment it was what I hated the most.

Despite Bella's minor freak out on the subway, we went on to have a pleasant day. We went on a tour of the Statue of Liberty, even on a boat with twenty sixth graders chaperoned by a few parents and teachers. No one recognized me. Only time anyone approached me was to ask if I could take their picture and in return took a picture of me and Bella with our camera.

I hadn't been on a Liberty Island tour since I was a kid. Back then I was a bratty kid who didn't care about the facts. This time, it was it was fun to see my girl smile at the kids around and be awe over the statue. Liberty was more than just a tarnished piece of copper in the distance. She was the meaning of freedom and Bella was fucking finally free.

Before we exited Battery Park, we came across the gold globe, also know as 'The Sphere' from the World Trade Center. It's surrounded by rocks from the Hudson and roped off with a metal chain. Some people went over the 3 foot barrier and put up photos of their loved one.

At the very top of the Sphere, there was a gaping hole, along with various dents and burn marks. It was more than a shrine but a reminder of one of the worst times in American history. To this day my heart hurts thinking about that tragic day. And if you didn't feel anything, then you're simply not human. I could see the unshed tears in several of the onlookers, Bella, included.

After she snapped a few photos, we grabbed a cab, shook off the somber moment, and headed to Time Square to have some fun.

Bella took in everything with wide eyes, grinning from ear to ear. The beauty of New York was electrifying even during the day. Even the billboards were impressive. By two o'clock, we were both famished so I took her to T Lounge, a bar and grill I used to play during the summers while I was still in college.

"You toured during your breaks?" she asked after the waitress took our order.

I nodded. "Yeah, I mainly did it for fun. My dad was still pissed and told me to get a job, so I did," I explained. "Mike encouraged me to work the MySpace crowd and I gained small following outside school and we went with it. At the time I just wanted to prove my dad wrong and not depend on him."

"You weren't meant to be a doctor," she said softly. "But at least you're doing what you love now."

"Yes, I have a career I truly love and that's important," I said. "You can relate, right?"

She laughed. "Yeah, when I was a kid I wanted to be a teacher like my mother. I tried to emulate her in so many ways, but my dad told me to be me. He gave me my first camera and said if it's my calling then go with it."

I couldn't see her confined to a classroom. "Do you think you would have been happy as a teacher?"

She frowned. "I honestly don't know. I planned to be an English major and minor in photography. Even though my father was confident in my ability to succeed, I was honestly terrified and unsure. Hell, I'm still terrified."

"Well, it's safe to say you're extremely talented, so don't worry."

"Thank you," she said and smiled bashfully. Our food arrived a few minutes later, I looked around to see the room filling with more patrons and thankfully we weren't disturbed throughout our meal. Over all, it was a good lunch filled with easy banter, but I knew the moment I gave the waitress my credit card our peaceful afternoon was over. I noticed the servers staring at us, to the point even Bella noticed.

"So you played here?" Bella asked to reclaim our sense of normalcy.

"Yeah," I said and pointed to the darkened stage. "It was just me and my guitar, or I would jam with the house band."

"I would have loved to have seen that," she said with a small smile.

"Me too," I murmured. "But performing in places like this helped me gain a nice reputation, which led to my first big tour."

"The Virgin Tour, right?" she asked. I smiled because she remembered. I returned to Forks after I finished my short stint with Virgin Mega Store College Tour. I played four shows and because I was one of three unsigned artists, record execs paid close attention to my performances.

"Yeah and the rest is history," I said smiling. "Now let's get out of here, there's some place I want to take you."

"Where?"

"You'll see," I said evasively. Since we'd been in the restaurant the temperature had gone down considerably and the sky started to darken. I lead Bella away from the restaurant, we walked a few blocks but I knew the subway was too far and quickly hailed a cab for our next destination. Twenty minutes later we pulled up the black and white store front, and I waited for Bella to read the sign.

I heard her suck in a breath.

"Serendipity?" she said in awe and looked at me. "Ohmigod!" she exclaimed and lunged herself into my arms. Before I knew it, her lips were on mine. I didn't care that people stared. My only focus was on Bella.

"Surprise," I said when she finally released me.

"Surprise is an understatement," she murmured into my neck and held me tight.

"Did you think I forgot the first movie we saw together?" I asked and kissed the top of her head.

When I first met Bella, we would often see each other at Jake's. One afternoon while he and Leah were otherwise occupied, she and I watched Serendipity staring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale. As the movie progressed we grew closer until she was snuggled under my arm. I remember smelling her hair often and her hand on my chest. I just knew I couldn't do my usual moves which would have ended in sex, instead I treated her with kids gloves.

There was a small crowd of people waiting as we made our way up to the hostess and found out even though we only wanted desserts there was an hour wait to be seated. If the restaurant had less people I would have been okay, but more people were entering and I was afraid of being recognized.

I discreetly placed a fifty dollar bill over the list of names. The host didn't blink and swiftly pocketed the money. "I can have a table for you in the corner in fifteen minutes," she murmured. "It's out of the way, wouldn't want you to be disturbed by fans."

"Thank you, I appreciate it," I said softly and made my way back to Bella who was sitting on a bench nearby. While we waited, Bella gained an admirer in the little boy sitting in the stroller on the other side of her. She played peek-a-boo with him and made him giggle. His mom stopped talking to her friends and watched Bella play with her son and all I could think about was the future. Bella would be a hands-on type of mother, like both of our mothers. I could easily envision her on the floor playing with our children.

A few minutes later, we were seated in a secluded area on the second floor. The table was so small our knees bumped. Since it was Bella's first time, I thought she should choose our dessert. I watched her bite her bottom lip as she read off the description of whatever concoction caught her eye. It took her a few minutes to put in her order for the 'Forbidden Broadway Sundae' which we planned to share since the desserts were made for two people or more.

The smile she flashed me was completely relaxed and shined of happiness. I couldn't help but to lean over and kiss her lips. "Love you," I whispered.

"Love you too," she whispered and crushed her mouth against mine. The only thing I was aware of was her soft lips and I momentarily forgot we were in public. It was when I felt her hands touch my cheeks that I reluctantly pulled away because I knew my beard was scratching her. "As much as I love this beard, it hurts," she said with a pout.

"Sorry babe, don't worry it's gone as of today."

"Thank god! I miss kissing you," she said with a grin and gave me one last kiss on the lips. With our fingers intertwined we took in the whimsical yet romantic décor. It was somewhat noisy with other patrons, but we didn't mind. When our dessert came out a few minutes later, I took a couple of pictures of Bella making funny faces with my iPhone and posted one on twitter. Bella's silly moments were few and far between so I tried to capture it as much as possible. "Babe if you don't start eating I will finish this on my own and fall into a sugar coma. And it will be your fault."

I chuckled. "Would you really eat all this by yourself?" I asked and she just nodded yes. "Babe, I thought you loved me."

She swallowed. "Oh, but I do love you, with all my heart, but I've given you ample opportunity to partake in this deliciousness. Is it my fault you're too slow?"

I chuckled and dug in.

oOo

I seriously hated shaving; I found it to be a nuisance. But as much as I loved the unintentional disguise, it was time to get rid of it. For the simple fact that last week, after a heavy make out session, she was left with beard burn on her cheek and neck. Thankfully, she pulled away before I left a mark during our Serendipity make-out session. Prior to that, we'd peck here and there but I needed to feel the touch of her lips on mine.

As I wiped the remaining shaving cream from my face, I heard Bella's digital camera go off. I turned to find her only wearing a pair of pink and white boy-shorts while taking photos of me.

I was instantly hard.

The continuous flash brought me out of my stupor. "You're really going to put that up on the website?"

She placed the camera on the end of the counter and stood behind me and pressed her breasts against my back. "Hell no, that's for my screen saver," she said in a low voice. "Only I get to see you with a hard on."

"So you saw that?"

"Honey, the blind could see you sporting wood," she said. She placed a kiss in the middle of my back while her fingers grazed my side and crept towards the front. I shuddered when she slipped her fingers in my boxers and caressed the length of my cock.

I clutched the sink as she stroked me. Only Bella's touch affected me so much I could barely hold on and it had nothing to do with the fact I hadn't had a release in weeks. It was all Bella. I turned and kissed her, our tongues whirling as though we couldn't get enough of each other, which we couldn't. Her tits grazed my chest and the urgency to go further was over powering.

She broke the kiss and before I could react I felt her lips wrap around my cock. "Baby, no!" I said, as I tried to move away.

"Yes!" she mumbled against me and continued to suck.

Oh fuck I'm not going to make it!

I looked down and her big brown eyes were staring at me as my cocked moved in and out her mouth. It was entirely too much, her tongue swirled on the tip of my cock and I could barely breathe.

Suddenly, her rhythm quickened, taking me all the way until I could feel my cock hit the back of her throat. I put my hands in her hair, holding her head in place and fucked her mouth. I heard her moan which seemed to make my cock vibrate, my hips moving with no accord of their own.

I needed to slow down but I couldn't stop, I was powerless. "Fuck, I'm coming!" I warned and released her so she could move. Instead Bella grabbed my hips, refusing to move and kept sucking. I was lost in her movements. I felt the familiar tightening and came in her mouth. I suddenly felt weak; with my eyes closed I leaned against the sink. I didn't even open my eyes when I felt Bella press her lips against my chest and I just stood there trying to catch my breath.

I hazily shook off my stupor and pulled up my boxer-briefs. I didn't have the balls to face Bella just yet but I could hear her brush her teeth. I took a shaky breath and turned, watching as she repaired her make-up. Finally I had the courage and met her gaze in the mirror. As I feared her lips were swollen.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly. I ignored her question and turned on the faucet to splashed cold water on my face. "Talk to me."

I took my time and dried off my face. "I hurt you," I said quietly.

She frowned and looked at her reflection. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Bella, your lips are swollen! It looks like I….like," I stammered.

Her mouth dropped. "Edward don't you ever compare yourself to him! Yeah my lips are swollen, it's no different than when we have a make out session."

"Your lip is twice its normal size!" I said harshly.

She rolled her eyes. "Do you not remember the make out session at San Diego zoo when you bit my lip? That was swollen, this is nothing. If anything I just look thoroughly kissed."

"I didn't bite your lip," I protested.

She shook her head and smiled. "Yeah ya' did, in front of the tiger exhibit and I had to use the ice from your drink to help with the swelling," she explained with a slight chuckle. Bella wrapped her arms around my waist and looked at me with a serious gaze. "Yeah, we got a little intense, but not once did I feel threatened or scared. I know you would never hurt me, not like – him. It's the opposite, I feel utterly treasured when I'm with you."

I gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. "I love you."

"Love you too," she said. "As much as I love rubbing my boobs against your chest, I'd rather meet your friends wearing real clothes and not just my underwear. So let's put some clothes and have some fun?"

All I could do was laugh as I gently slapped on her ass and went back into the room to find something to wear. As long as Bella was smiling I was ok.

A/N: Ok...so...please let me know if it sucks monkey balls or ok...I can take it! LOL Thanks for reading!