Let's go back
Back to the beginning
Back to when the earth, the sun, the stars all aligned
'Cause perfect didn't feel so perfect
Trying to fit a square into a circle
was my life
I defy
-Come Clean.. Hillary Duff

Paul sighed and watched the only woman to have gotten under his skin sleep. He hadn't known her that long, but it felt like he had. It'd been only a couple months now, and yet, he felt he knew her as well as Jared. It was impossible, he logically knew that, but he wasn't thinking logically at the moment. All he knew, was he was screwed. He didn't want Izzy to leave his life.

A throat clearing from the door way alerted him to a visitor. He looked up and saw Jared standing there with a small vase of flowers. "Hey, Jared, come in. she's asleep now."

Jared held up the vase. "I saw it in the gift shop on the way in. Girls like flowers, right?"

Paul grinned at him. "Yeah. I think she'll be ok with em. Come have a seat. She's not gonna bite."

"You sure?" He wondered. He'd treated her pretty badly.

Paul shrugged. "It's just Izzy."

"Yeah… look man-"

"I owe you a major apology." Paul said suddenly.

Jared stared at him, confusion evident on his face. He wasn't expecting that. "What the hell for?"

"Because of the fists I threw at you without taking the time to listen. We were both wrong, and we were both right." He said with a sigh.

"Ok… you've lost me, dude, you're speaking in riddles." Jared huffed.

"Izzy… Bella… she's got some kind of split personality thing. Her mom was supposedly a real piece of work. She made her take all these etiquette classes, maintain high grades, even down to a certain diet. That chick you saw in the window? That was Isabella."

Jared's eyes widened in shock. "Oh wow…um…. Wow. So… Izzy is… Isabella?"

"If I hear that name one more time the next person to say it gets smacked." A voice rang out to them.

Paul smirked. "Hey Izzy." He crooned.

She smiled and turned to face Jared. "Thank you for the flowers. It was a sweet gesture."

"Um… you're uh… you're welcome." He said shifting from foot to foot. He still didn't know how to act properly around her. He didn't know which girl he was going to see.

"Have a seat. I don't bite." She said with a small grin.

Paul arched an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Hush you."

Jared shook his head. This was the girl his best friend was falling head over heels for. The one that had him by the balls, so to speak. "So… uh… Izzy… I guess you heard us?"

Paul eyed him warily. "Jared…"

Izzy nodded. She waved Paul off and sighed. "Yeah… all I can do is tell you that… well… I guess.. My mother wanted me to be a perfect porcelain doll. I hated that and well… it took a little time, but I broke free. At first it was just flashes of a different person… like looking in a mirror and seeing someone else.. Someone you wish you could be.. Then it was other things.. Angela kind of opened my eyes too a little. She called me Isabella… it made me think."

Jared listened patiently to her talk. So many things made sense now. He glanced at Paul, noticed his friends attention drawn solely on the girl and turned back to her. She seemed to have shrunk into her head again. He couldn't help but wonder at the kind of pressure her so called mother had put her through.

She cleared her throat. "Anyways… it's over and done with. I told my mother she could leave when she came to see me… she's none too pleased with me at the moment. My grandmother will be here to help when I get discharged. You actually just missed her. She's amazing."

Jared smiled. "I'm glad you're alright. It can't have been easy for you."

She shrugged. "I'll survive."

They lapsed into an easy silence after that. Izzy was lulled to sleep by the beep of the heart monitor giving Jared and Paul time to talk.

"I'm sorry." Jared told him quietly.

"What the hell for?" Paul asked, echoing Jared's earlier spoken words.

"Because. I thought she was just playing you. I had no idea…"

Paul grinned. "You were looking out for me. It's fine. Besides, this way with us not fighting anymore, we'll be a united front when it comes to dealing with the prick known as Edward Cullen."

"Who?"

"He's her supposed fiance. Or at least he wants to be. Her mother matched them together. And she can't stand him."

"Her mother… matched… what the hell is this… the 16th century?!"

"SHHH! That's what Embry and I said too."

Jared shook his head. "What'd her dad say?"

Paul only shrugged. "I don't know… he doesn't really do too much with her. He's working on becoming the police commissioner or something. Izzy was kind of peeved that he wasn't here when she woke up."

"I would be too… I mean hell, she's an only child right? I thought all women were daddy's little girls or some shit like that."

Paul rolled his eyes. "That's the way it's SUPPOSED to be if you believe the saying. But it's not always the case. Look at all the girls you hear about who are wronged and violated or hit by their dads. There are some seriously twisted people out there."

Jared was quiet for a minute or two. "I guess so. I just can't see Izzy as being someone who would have that happen- let her parents run her life, I mean. She comes off as kind of bitchy."

"Repression does wonders to a person." A voice quipped.

Paul grinned sheepishly. "Did we wake you up again?"

"I was only dozing anyways. I am glad that you two aren't fighting though."

A throat clearing cut any further conversation short. A nurse had come in with a tray of food for Izzy. She wrinkled her nose at it and sat patiently until the nurse had taken her vitals and left the room.

"That doesn't look too appetizing at all.." Jared muttered.

"It looks like something died on the side of the road and then was scooped up by the kitchen staff." Izzy huffed.

Paul snorted. "Would you like something else?"

"No, I'll eat it. I have to or they won't let me leave." She said with a sigh.

Jared stood and shook his head. "I'll go get us something to eat from McDonalds. Can I get you something, Izzy? Ice cream or anything?"

Bella nearly jumped for joy at that. She'd not had any sugar in so long. "Um.. Sure, ice cream would be good. Um… my wallet is over there in my purse."

Jared waved her off. "Don't worry about it. My treat." He said over his shoulder before leaving. He knew what Paul got. He always got the same thing.

Before she could say anything else, Paul's lips were covering hers in a demanding kiss that left her feeling breathless and dizzy. When they broke apart, her eyes were slightly glazed over and she had to rub her thighs together in order to find some relief. Paul merely smirked.

"What was that for?"

"I've been wanting to do that since you first woke up." He admitted.

She rolled her eyes and grudgingly began eating. She was promised she could leave today, she was determined to not give them a reason to keep her.

( ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ )

Izzy sighed and inhaled deeply. Home. And free.

For now.

Carlisle himself had been the doctor to release her. Her grandmother had been back for less than twenty minutes- just long enough to tell Paul that he and Jared should head home- before he was walking into the room with papers for her to sign. She was given strict orders to rest for a week and then only light activities.

In other words, they didn't want her to have any kind of fun.

Fat chance. She was perfectly fine. Her small breakdown, was really just a wake up call. It came when she needed it the most and she felt perfectly content now with herself and her mind. Even if Bella was a permanent resident now. She could have it, Izzy's mind was a dangerous place to be sometimes.

She was just about to step into the shower when a knock sounded on her front door. She debated ignoring it, until the knocking turned into pounding. With a sigh, she turned the water off and donned her robe. She ran down the list of people who could possibly want to see her and sighed when she couldn't figure out who it was.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." She muttered.

When the door was open, Izzy stood, frozen in shock. Of ALL the people who she had thought of.. Her dad was just not one of those people.

"Dad?"

"Isabella."

Izzy was too shocked to say anything. She couldn't even find it within herself to correct him about her name. She stepped aside and let him walk by. When the door closed, she led him to the living room and sat with her legs crossed on one side of her couch while Charlie took the other.

"What's the matter?" She finally prompted.

Charlie sighed. "We need to talk."