. . . And, we're back with chapter forty-one. Here's the pictease: /gzSOa

and the song is "Think Twice" by Groove Armada watch?v=OQM5-Ks64is. Totally in love with them right now.

This chapter was made pretty by the lovely AshesAshes and LJ Summers. Please give them a big round of applause. Thank you, ladies. (Hugs)

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 Forty-One: Branching

Over the next few days, I waited to hear from Edward. I waited for any contact but there were no calls, no emails, and no texts. It was difficult not contacting him, but I wanted him to know that I respected what he'd asked for. Before, all I'd done was ignore the things he'd wanted, and I wanted him to see that I could respect his need for space and be patient while he sorted through things in his own time.

But by the time a week had passed and there was still no word from him, I couldn't take it anymore so I reached out. One Friday morning, before I settled into work for the day, I decided it was time to send him a text. Something simple to let him know I was thinking about him, and that if he wanted to speak to me again, I was there waiting. Just that simple act had helped to ease some of my anxiety as I waited for him to decide if a relationship with me was worth taking a chance on.

When I didn't get a reply, it was hard to be optimistic that this was only temporary, but I did my best. I focused on doing what I needed to in order to start making changes in my life and settled back in at work. I found a new running route, and made a conscious effort to start keeping my working hours between eight and five o'clock p.m., as often as I could. I struggled with putting things down at work when they weren't finished, but I knew it was better for me to just stop and pick things up the following day. Running started to feel freeing again, like something I did for the joy of pushing myself and using my muscles not like the escape I desperately sought before.

One cool October morning, I stopped mid-way and watched the sun rise over the city, soaking in it's beauty. The fog that had rolled in the night before was already starting to dissipate; the light turned the glittering tops of the buildings surrounding me a pinkish-gold as the rising sun reflected off the glass of the hi-rises. It was going to be a beautiful day, and I really wished I really wished Edward were here to share the moment with me.

The building I lived in had a pool and a yoga studio, so a part of my new routine included taking advantage of the amenities I had at my disposal. I'd never actually used any what was offered in my building in all the years I'd lived at the Millennium Towers. But I found the early-morning silence of the pool was cathartic and the coolness of the water helped loosen up my muscles even better than running as I swam laps. I alternated swimming with running and signed up for a yoga class after work two days a week. Although it was far different from running, I enjoyed it. Initially, it felt strange; the slow precise movements were so unfamiliar, but by the end of the first class, I actually did feel more calm and centered. Stress and anxiety were always things I'd always struggled to manage, and the idea of finding healthier outlets for dealing with them were good.

I met a woman at yoga and, while talking one day, she raved about a cooking class she'd recently started taking. As we got to know each other, I discovered that Kate was another professional woman living in the city, who had never gotten around to learning to cook either. I decided the class sounded like fun and learning to cook was definitely something I needed to do, so I joined her at her next class. It was a little awkward at first, but everyone else was at the same skill level as I was, and Kate made it fun. We slowly started to build a friendship through our two classes and even made a plan to meet one night to try out the recipe our instructor gave us.

I'd been thinking a lot about the habits I'd fallen into in the past year and realized that isolation had been one of my biggest roadblocks in coping after Riley had left. I needed new friends—more friends—outside of work and the man I was dating. Building a relationship with Kate was a good thing, and I was glad that I'd met her by pushing myself outside of my comfort zone.

Other changes included removing the mementos I had around my apartment that reminded me of my life with Riley. Some were valuable so I boxed them up and put them in the guest room closet. The rest, I tossed out. It felt good to make such a huge step, and when I thought about the various memories each item brought back, there was no longer a sadness attached to them.

All the steps I was taking to turn my life around were small, but together, they were helping. Every day, I wanted to contact Edward again to let him know what I'd been doing and see how he was, but aside from that first text message, I held off.

By the time three weeks had passed and I still hadn't heard anything from Edward, the lack of communication was beginning to take its toll. I was disappointed that there hadn't been any progress with our situation, but I understood that maybe that was just the way it was going to be for a while. I really hoped that it wasn't a sign that Edward and I were over, and it caused my anxiety to flare.

At yoga that night, Kate commented on how tense I was, and I decided to open up to her about my relationship with Edward. I'd spoken with Vanessa about things, but her "love 'em an leave 'em" dating philosophy didn't exactly give her a lot of experience when it came to longer-term relationships. I thought it might be good to get a fresh perspective on the situation. So after class, we went up to my apartment and talked over a glass of wine. Before, I would have kept it all to myself and just worked through things on my own, but it was good to talk to someone about how I was feeling. I really didn't know Kate well yet, but by the time she left, I felt as if we'd really bonded. She even reciprocated by telling me about her fiancé and issues they were working through.

Given the choices of admitting defeat and giving up, or forging on, I knew I had to keep trying with Edward. The next day, I sent another text, similar to my original, and my heart nearly burst with happiness when I got a response a few hours later. He sent just a few simple words, but they were everything. They were hope that I still had a chance to win Edward back and a place to start again.

The next day I did the same thing, sending him a quick text in the morning to let him know I was thinking about him and this time, he responded a little sooner. Our texts were trivial given the rift that stood between us, but the fact that we were communicating meant the world to me.

I decided to test the waters just a bit and took a picture of the meal we made at cooking class one night. I sent it to Edward along with a brief explanation of the class. His response came almost immediately and was more than just the few words we'd exchanged previously. That night, I went to bed with a smile on my face and excitement in my heart. Whatever was building between Edward and me was getting stronger and I couldn't wait to talk to him in person.

Over the next week, we texted back and forth a little. Rarely more than a few lines at a time, and always with me initiating, but I asked how he was doing, wished him well. I told him a little about whatever was going on around me but kept it light, always trying to leave things open ended to keep the conversation flowing. While respecting his space, I wanted to show him that I was trying. There were times when I could tell he was either hesitant or carful in his wording, but the fact he even reciprocated meant the world to me. It meant he had interest in keeping the lines between us connected. I just wondered how long were going to go on like this before we'd take our conversation from texting to actually speaking to each other.

I'd wracked my brain, trying to think of a reason of why I would need to call Edward that could prompt us along. Ultimately, I decided just to let things play out the way they naturally would. We'd already made great progress, and I had to remind myself that I just had to be patient and let Edward be the one to makes the moves this time. Just as I went to bed though, I heard a quiet alert from my phone. It was a text from Edward, wishing me sweet dreams. It was that quiet reassurance that made me believe two days from now, a week, six months . . . no matter how long I had to wait, I still wanted to be with him.

~LTOYL~

At work, I focused on my latest case and helped Vanessa investigate Alec. She'd been working hard and had amassed an enormous amount of information on him with the help of a private investigator. We spent hours sifting through it all, weeding out what we thought was irrelevant, and what important.

One afternoon, after we'd been going through the files for hours, she sat back with a huff of frustration. "I feel like we're so close but we're missing something."

"I know. I do, too." I shook my head and shuffled through the papers in my hands, frustrated. "The problem is I just don't know what."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Vanessa cock her head to the side and reach for a yellow piece of paper that was lying underneath a stack of receipts. I turned and looked at her, curious by what had caught her attention.

"Holy shit," she muttered under her breath. "Bella . . . I think I found it." Ness's voice was shaking, and I leaned forward, scanning the page she handed me, trying to see what she'd discovered. My heart started racing the moment I realized what she'd found.

"Ness" —I looked at her in amazement, a wide smile spreading across my face— "this is it, this is what we're going to use to nail the bastard! With my heart still hammering in my chest, I read it again, scarcely believing that we had managed to find the final clue that would tie all of this together.

After talking things over with Vanessa and connecting all the dots, we felt like we finally had a sound case to present to Aro and Charlie. Vanessa and I organized the evidence so it would be ready to present to them as soon as they could spare the time. We safely locked it away in Vanessa's desk, and headed home for the night. We decided that I would call Charlie and arrange a meeting with the four of us as soon as possible, hopefully within the week. We both left that night feeling exhilarated that we'd finally be able to flush things out regarding Alec's actions, exposing him for what he really was and what potential dangers he was putting Swan and Volturi in.

I called Charlie on my way home from the car; he answered on the third ring. "Bella, how is my favorite daughter this evening?" He was in a jovial mood, and I made a face, hoping I wasn't about to ruin his night with my request.

"Very funny, I'm your only daughter; unless you have something you want to tell me?" I joked, trying to ease into things.

"Yes, well, I can still call you my favorite. How are you?" he asked again.

"I'm good—just left the office."

"Hmm . . . just after six o'clock." I could hear the reserved judgment in his tone, and I sighed.

"I know, I know but I was working on something important and it's actually what I'm calling about. Besides, I've been making much more of an effort to leave around five lately."

"I know you have and that makes me happy; I just want you to be happy is all. Now tell me, what is it that is so important that you had to stay late and then call me about?"

I laughed to myself and took a deep breath. "Dad, you know how much I love the firm. It's been my world for so long now and the future of where it's headed means a lot to me." I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. "Well . . . Vanessa and I have some things we'd like to present regarding Alec, and we both feel it would be advantageous to do it as soon as possible. So that said, I'd like to arrange for a meeting—hopefully this week—to talk with you and Aro." After I finished speaking, I took another deep breath, bracing myself for whatever his reaction might be—with any hope, he would just give me a simple yes.

"What's this about, Bella?"

"Well, I really think it's better if Vanessa and I present this to you and Aro in person, rather than me telling you over the phone."

"It's enough that you think we should include Aro?" he asked, the concern in his voice clear.

"Yes," I answered firmly.

He hummed into the phone softly, and I could imagine him working his thumb across the stubble on his chin. "Okay. I trust your judgment on this." He sighed heavily. "I'll give Aro a call and see if he can make it in this week."

I let out the breath I was holding and closed my eyes, thanking God the first step was in motion. "Just let me know, and we'll be there."

"Will do. Anything else or was that all?" he asked, his tone gentle.

"No, that was it." I was just pulling into my building and saw Seth standing at the security post. I waved at him and said, "Thanks, Dad. You know I love you."

"You bet, kiddo." I was just about to hang up when he said one more thing. "Hey, Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm proud of you," he said and my emotions swelled. "Have a good night."

Just as I pulled into a parking space, I put my car in park and sat there for a moment just reflecting. My father's words meant so much to me, and I suddenly felt overwhelmed. So much had changed in recent weeks, and finding a way to confront things about Alec with Aro and my father was just another piece of that. I felt like all the pieces in my life were shifting but in a good way.

As I got out of the car, I wished for nothing more than to walk in the door of my apartment and see Edward standing in the kitchen with two glasses of wine. I knew it wasn't going to happen, but it didn't change the fact I wanted it to. We weren't at that point unfortunately, but I could at least call and see if he was willing to talk on the phone.

I waved again at Seth as I entered my building and went up to my apartment. After discarding my things, I changed out of my work clothes, poured a glass of wine, and took out my phone. My breath grew short as I dialed Edward's number. The line rang several times before finally kicking to voicemail and my heart sank. I knew it was a long shot that he'd answer, but I hoped just maybe he would.

"Hey, Edward. I was hoping I'd catch you but I guess you're busy. I got some huge news tonight, and I just wanted to share it with you." My breath hitched. "It's . . . it was a really good night tonight and there's no one else I would have rather celebrated with than you. You're the first person I thought of. I just want you to know how much I'm thinking of you and how much I want to be a part of each other's lives. That's all I guess. I love you. . . . Bye."

My hands shaking, I hung up the phone. I had wanted to share my excitement with Edward, but doing it over voicemail hadn't felt quite right. I didn't regret the unplanned declaration of my feelings for him, and I hoped it wasn't too much. He needed to know how I felt even though weeks had passed. If he still needed more time that was fine. I could wait and see if he responded but at least he knew where I still stood. All I could do was keep on trying.

Okay, clearly Bella can't help herself from trying to spur the relationship on, even though Edward's asked for time. Can you blame the girl? She's neurotic and obsessive, and she finally realized what was in front of her. Can't say I'd stand around knitting while waiting for a guy either. Let us know what you thought and if you were Edward, what your reaction to everything be? Is Bella coming across too strong or is she showing how much she's trying to fix things?

Just a heads up, there are three more chapters to this story, including the ending. Both Discordia and I have other things planned for the future, so if you haven't already, put us on author alerts if you like what you read here. ~K

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