Greetings, we're sorry this is late. We wanted to get this chapter right and there was just no way of doing that before Thursday. We're in the thick of things right now, and for any of you who write, you know how important it is to get right before you post. Oh the joys of WIP posting—once it's up, it's finalized! No take backs.

The pictease and song are listed at the bottom, and you'll see why. We didn't want to give away any spoilers—even though some of you may have already seen them on Twitter.

We have to give a huge thank you to AshesAshes for going over this chapter with literally only a few hours' time. We sent it to her this morning and she was oh so gracious to do it right away. She also was a huge contributor to helping us make some hard decisions here and we appreciate her collaboration. LJ, we hope you're enjoying your vacay. We miss you! From the African proverb, It takes a village. . . .

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Thirty- Eight: Elation

After Riley and I finished our talk, I returned to my room feeling emotionally exhausted. All I wanted to do was crawl into bed, but I was anxious to get home. On my way out of Riley's room, I grabbed his laptop to book my ticket back to San Francisco. As soon as I was alone, I started to look.

I searched for the earliest flight I could find that would allow me time to get Riley settled in the morning. His parents were arriving later the same day, and he assured me he'd be fine on his own for the few hours by himself. Still, I wanted to make sure he had everything he needed before I left. Ideally, I wanted to catch the red-eye out tonight so I could be at the museum by the time Edward arrived at work, but I just couldn't leave Riley hanging like that. I'd promised Amanda I would take care of him until their parents arrived, and I intended on keeping that promise. I settled for the 9:43 out of Reagan National instead.

After confirming my flight, I plugged in my phone to charge and took a quick shower. If I was going to get to the airport in time to catch my plane, I needed to be ready to leave by seven a.m. I set my alarm and a notification to call for a cab in the morning. I also sent Vanessa a quick text to let her know I'd be coming home tomorrow. I hadn't talked to her since I'd left for Napa and I wondered how she was doing.

By the time I made it into bed, it was nearly one in the morning. My eyes were heavy with exhaustion by the time my head hit the pillow. I closed them, feeling the sting of a long day finally ending. I tried to get comfortable but no position really felt right. As the minutes ticked bye, I grew more and more irritated. The bed I'd slept in the entire week without issue now felt lumpy and hard. I was stuck in a cycle of too hot, too cold, causing me to toss the comforter on and off my body. The lights from the city, glowing through the window, now shone too bright, and the clock on the wall seemed obnoxiously loud—tick, tick, tick, each one ringing out like a siren in the silent room. Trying to drown out the noise, I placed a pillow over my head but then felt suffocated. I finally tossed the pillow across the room and let out a huff. I need to sleep!

The longer I lay there, the more my mind began to work overtime. Hoping to distract myself, I forced my mind to focus on Edward. He always wore that old-fashioned pocket watch, and if I listened close enough, it sounded similar to the clock on the wall, running slow and steady. I remember the first time Edward showed me his watch was when we went to The Greens for lunch and I found it endearing.

I thought of various memories Edward and I had shared—the sunny day on the rooftop, getting lost at the movie theater, even our paddleboat ride at the company picnic. Memory after memory all pointed to what a wonderful guy Edward was and how stupid I'd been to lose him. Riley had been my only concern for so long, I totally missed the fact that I had fallen in love with Edward. Now that I'd finally let Riley go, and knew with 100% certainty that I loved Edward, I wanted to tell everyone. Most importantly, I wanted to tell Edward. I wanted to confess my love right then and there, but I knew a phone call would never do. I needed to look him in the eyes as I said the words.

I wondered where he was right now and what he was doing. I hadn't heard a word from him since his text several days ago and the absence made my stomach clench in knots. Was he really never going to talk to me again, was he out with someone else, was he at Leah's bar?

I turned over in bed and looked the clock. Though it seemed like I had been laying there for hours, only an hour and a half had gone by. My mind was no less tired now than it was when I first laid down, so I decided just to get up. I turned on the lamp on the bedside table and reached for my cell phone, noticing I my notification light was flashing. There was a text from Vanessa saying we needed to catch up, and to call her when I got in. I sent her a quick reply and then put my phone back on the nightstand.

My suitcase was sitting in the corner so I figured I might as well get my things packed. Trying to be as quiet as possible, I went to work refolding and packing up my things. I paused briefly when I came across the shirt Edward had left behind in Napa. Clutching it in between my fingers, I brought it up to my nose and inhaled, letting his scent wash over me. "A few more hours. Tomorrow I'll see Edward and I'll make everything right," I thought to myself. I knew I was being optimistic, but staying positive was all I had left. If Edward gave me another chance, the road ahead would be difficult, but I was to do whatever it took to make things work.

Aching to feel some sort of connection with him, I stripped out of my T-shirt and put his dress shirt on. As soon as the cotton wrapped around me, I felt marginally better. I tucked my other shirt in my suitcase, set out a change of clothes to wear home, and grabbed everything I didn't need to get ready from the bathroom. By the time I was done, I was feeling a little bit more tired so I tried to sleep again. After checking my alarm one more time, I laid my head down and closed my eyes. Once again, the sound of the clock captured my attention, but rather than annoying me, the tick of the second hand became soothing, lulling me to sleep. The last thing I remembered before drifting off to sleep was Edward's face.

~LTOYL~

The alarm blared from the nightstand, startling me awake. Once I'd finally fallen asleep, I crashed hard. I shut off my alarm and looked through my notifications. There was a flight confirmation in my inbox, my taxi reminder, and a calendar notice that the Harcourt case Alec was heading up would be going to trial in in exactly a month from today.

Vanessa was tracking Alec's work calendar and even had his assistant give her a copy of his court dates. His assistant didn't like him much more than we did, and she was happy to provide Ness with any information she needed. I made a note on my calendar of when his case was going to trial so I could be sure to follow up on the verdict.

Before getting out of bed, I looked up the number for a cab company and called to schedule a pick up at seven o'clock. I dressed and put the remainder of my things in my suitcase after changing the sheets on the bed. Riley's parents would be staying in my same room once they arrived, and I wanted to have things ready for them. The water was running in Riley's room, so I assumed he was in the shower. Heading down to the kitchen, I figured I'd get his medications ready and make a pot of coffee. I turned on the CNN and put two slices of wheat bread in the toaster after getting the coffee going. I'd wait to start them toasting until Riley was ready. Next, I brought my bags out and placed them by the front door. All I had left to do was get him settled and I'd be on my way.

Once the coffee finished brewing, I poured a cup and sat down at the eating bar to watch some of the news. Because I was in D.C., there wasn't any San Francisco local news stories and I found myself feeling very disconnected after being here for a week. Nation-wide and globally, I knew exactly what was going on. We were in full-scale election mode with voting day just around the corner. Every morning like clockwork, Riley would review the latest poles; I could tell he was anxious to get back to work.

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in my head. It's an election year. I hadn't thought about it before, but everything that meant for Riley, finally dawned on me. No doubt, he had been swamped since he'd taken the job in the senator's office. Why had it taken me so long to put two and two together? Of course he was working long hours and had little to no time for a relationship. God, I felt so stupid. Not because I was rethinking everything with Riley, or thought that once the election was over we'd have a better chance of making things work, but because I'd been so consumed with my grief that I'd never even considered it as a factor before now. Clearly, self-absorbance had reached a completely new level. I needed to change, starting today.

Riley's phone started to ring on the counter in the kitchen. It was just after 6:30 in the morning and I couldn't imagine who was calling. It wasn't his cell phone but the land line, so it wasn't likely to be his parents and it would be too early for Amanda to be calling. Riley still hadn't come out of the bathroom upstairs but the water had stopped so I assumed he was out of the shower. I wasn't sure if I should answer it or not; it hadn't rang the entire week I was here. I heard the bedroom door open and Riley called out my name. "Bella?"

"Yeah, in the kitchen," I replied.

"Can you grab the phone? It's probably my office."

"Sure," I responded and got up to answer the phone. I reached it just as the answering machine was picking up. "Hello?"

The line was silent for a moment, and then I heard a throat clear. "Um, hi. . . . I'm sorry, I must have the wrong number. I'm sorry for calling so early; I hope I didn't wake you." It was a female voice and she sounded concerned and slightly embarrassed.

"No, you're fine—we were up actually. Are you calling for Riley?"

Again, the line was silent for a moment before she spoke up. "Yes, actually, I am, but maybe this isn't a good time. Um . . . yeah."

"Well, he just got out of the shower but I can leave him a message if you'd like." Just then, it occurred to me this woman had no idea who I was and she hadn't introduced herself either. "Can I get your name?"

"Charlotte."

"Hi, Charlotte, I'm Bella. I'll let Riley know you called. Do you want me to leave a message? Does he have your number?"

"Wait, this is Bella?" she questioned. ?" Her tone sounded surprised as if she knew me from somewhere.

I wrinkled my brow, not really sure what her reaction meant. "Yes, my name's Isabella Swan. Do I know you?"

"No, but I've heard a lot about you. Anyway—um, I'll just talk to Riley later. Thanks." With that, she hung up the line and the phone went dead. I stood there confused, replaying our brief conversation in my mind.

"Who was it?" Riley asked. His voice startled me when he called out from atop the stairs, and I gasped, clutching my hand to my chest. I turned around and saw him standing at the top step a crutch under each arm. He was dressed, had his hair combed, and was clean-shaven.

"Jesus, you startled me," I commented, shaking my head. He moved to attempt the first step and I rushed to stop him. "Wait, let me help you."

He rolled his eyes and waited until I reached him. I stood in front of him as he took each step gingerly, bracing myself should he slip and come stumbling forward. "You know, Bella, if I fell, there's nothing you could do to stop me. You'd just end up getting hurt."

"Just hush and let me help you." I laughed. "It makes me feel better at the very least."

"Yes, boss. So are you going to tell me who was on the phone or are we going to play twenty questions?"

Once we reached the bottom step, I left him and went back into the kitchen to start the toaster. "Charlotte," I said casually. When he didn't respond, I turned around and looked at him. He was staring over at the phone on the counter with an awkward expression on his face. "She didn't say much just that she'd talk to you later. I assume that means you have her number?"

He glanced at me briefly. "Yeah," he muttered. As if snapping out of his daze he hobbled over to the kitchen and took a seat at the eating bar. I handed him his pills and a glass of water before muting the television with the remote. "Thanks. So, are you all ready? What time is your flight?"

"I fly out at 9:45. My cab should be here soon. I want to get there early so I can check my bags and such."

He nodded, and I handed him cup of coffee, topping off my own. "I'd offer to drive you but—"

I waved him off. "Don't be silly. I'm all taken care of. You just worry about not hurting yourself while you wait for your parents." A silence fell between us, and I wondered about the woman who called earlier. Who was Charlotte and why had she sounded so uncomfortable while we were on the phone? It became clear that Riley wasn't going to bring her up so I mentioned it again. I didn't want to leave with anything weird between us and I was running out of time. "So . . . who's Charlotte?"

Riley's eyes snapped to mine again; I could swear I saw his cheeks flush pink. He opened his mouth a few times to speak but no sound came out. He was struggling to choose his words carefully, and I gave him a moment to think by retrieving the toast from the toaster. I buttered it lightly, handed it to him, and waited.

"Charlotte is a co-worker—sorta. She works for another senator here, and we do a lot of political functions and fundraisers together."

"That's nice. She sounded . . . nice," I said awkwardly.

"Yeah." He cleared his throat and scratched his neck. "Hey, sorry about that. I didn't know she was going to call. The only people who usually call me on that line and this early are from my office—Washington never sleeps. She's been out of state on a relations tour and must have just gotten back to town."

I thought carefully as I sipped my coffee. "She said she knows a lot about me." Riley looked at me and smiled, and I laughed lightly in return. This game of being coy and dancing around the topic of Charlotte was ridiculous. "Okay, let's cut to the chase. You like her. I can see it written on your face. It's okay. After all, I told you about Edward."

"Yeah, but—"

"No, listen," I cut him off. "Riley, I want you to be happy. That's what matters to me. If this woman, Charlotte, makes you happy or you're the slightest bit interested in her, don't let me stand in your way." I leaned back against the counter. "I'm sure she's wondering what I'm doing here and why I answered your phone at 6:30 in the morning. Once I leave, you should call her back and straighten things out. She sounded a little surprised."

He blew a deep breath of air out of his mouth and dropped his head to the counter. At first, I thought he was upset so I walked around to his side. That's when I noticed his shoulders were shaking. He lifted his head up and looked at me, laughter on his face. "My God, she's going to kill me. She probably thinks you flew in and we got back together." He laughed again and I sat down next to him, kind of unsure how to take his comment. "Bella, I'm sorry, you're right. We're adults and we can talk about this. Like I said, Charlotte and I work together. I guess you could say I have a crush on her but nothing has happened. I just wasn't sure how to discuss it with you."

"It's fine, really. I mean, yeah, I don't want to talk about Charlotte any more than you want to hear about Edward, but it's okay. You and I are in the past over, and we're both starting our lives again. Besides, we've always been friends, right?"

"You're the best, Bella. I'm really going to miss you," he said and took me into a big hug. I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed him tightly.

"I love you, Ri. Promise me we'll stay in touch, okay?"

He released me with a nod, and I heard my cell phone ringing from my purse on the table next to the entry. I quickly got up and answered it. It was just the taxi driver, telling me he was downstairs. I thanked him and told him I'd be right down.

While I was on the phone, Riley had gotten up off the barstool and made it over to me by the door. I ended my call, put my phone in my back pocket, and started to gather up my things. "So this is it, I've got to get going. My room is clean and ready for your parents. They should be here only a few hours after I leave. I'll be at the airport until 9:45, so if you need something give me a call and I'll try—"

It was his turn to cut me off. "Bella, I've got this. Everything will be fine. Thank you so much for coming; I don't know what I would have done without you."

His words went straight to my heart, and suddenly, my throat was thick with emotion. In less than a minute, I'd be walking out of his door and probably out of his life. We'd promised to stay friends, but things would never be the same between us. This was it, our final goodbye. A huge chapter of my life was ending—my childhood, my first love, and my first heartbreak. I was excited about the possibilities that lay before me, and I was glad to have made the memories I had with Riley. Now it was time to move forward.

"Thank you," I whispered.

Giving him a final hug goodbye, I opened the door and closed it after me, leaving D.C, Riley, and my old self behind.

As promised, here is the pictease. This is our inspiration for Charlotte. i44#tinypic#com/hsvvas#jpg Tell us, is this who you had in mind?

The song for this chapter is titled, "Sometimes It Hurts" by Stabbing Westward. It is the inspired the story as a whole and Bella's character. Please give it a listen and let us know if you think we were able to capture the feeling and emotion of the song. It's a little dark and angsty, but at the heart of it there is a story of a broken soul trying to find their way. www#youtube#com/watch?v=P2oFtzaj4D8

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