A/N: I do not own Twilight. Just the story and any characters from my own head...

Chapter 4: Think of Me As a Time of Day

I wake up an hour early when Renesmee knocks on the door.

"Mom, daddy are you awake yet?"

I look over my shoulder and notice that Edward is gone again. Figures, the one thing I told him we needed to do together and he bails.

"Sorry Nessie, he must've left earlier than normal. You can talk to me if you want." That didn't seem to make her feel any better.

"S'okay, I'll just wait until he comes back tonight." she shrugged her shoulders and walked out the door.

I didn't even know how to tell her he most likely wouldn't be back tonight and if he did show up, it'd be when no one was around or when no one was awake, that was usually his style these days.

I managed to make breakfast, write checks for sports, dance, and daycare and somehow managed to get everyone to school on time. Masen was still in his own world and I didn't fault him for his quiet thoughts and the stoic nature of his face. Where he looked like Edward, emotionally and logically, he was all Swan. He was just like me and even more like Charlie than anyone could handle.

Taking a day off of work is always nice but it always set me back, I read through maybe a thousand emails about contract negotiations, advance payments, and a ton of spam. I had some new chapters in my email for a new book we were definitely publishing, though my ideas of romance was no longer the same this woman still captured my attention especially if I was willing to fork over a large advance and put my name on her work.

After engrossing myself in the chapters I was pulled away by a phone call. My assistant rang my line around lunchtime, "Mrs. Cullen, your personal lawyer is on line three."

"Thank you Ana but what did I tell you? Call me Bella, everyone else does."

"Sure thing, Mrs. Cul- I mean Bella."

I connected and surely enough it was exactly who I thought it was, I didn't have a personal lawyer.

"Good afternoon, Bella Swan speaking."

"Bella Swan, I like that better than your current last nice."

James.

"Hello James, how are you today?"

"Much better now that I'm finally getting to talk to you. I wanted to take you to lunch so we could talk more in detail about what you were asking about last week."

He must've read my mind because not only was I starving but thinking about how to go about the legalities that come with divorcing a man you'd known half your life weren't easy. If I was lucky he wouldn't put up much of a fight.

"Um, sure. Great actually we can meet at the new restaurant on 12th avenue in fifteen minutes."

"Okay, I'll be there. See you soon beautiful."

"See you soon." I hung up, closed out a few windows and started to walk down from my office to the 12th avenue bistro a few blocks over. Equipped with my umbrella just in case the rain decided to make its appearance.

Honestly, the whole experience was nerve wrecking - this was the first time I'd seen James in the post coital gaze, we'd gone from occasional lunches where we'd been too cautious and considerate to even hug or kiss and we'd somehow jumped straight into sexual intimacy. I wasn't opposed to the action just how we might interact afterwards, we spent the last few months really talking about shared interests, things the kids were interested in, having a spouse that chose infidelity as an out. James had been married to a woman named Vicki who'd chosen to leave him for a younger man in Portland five years ago. He confided in me how it hurt him bad enough that he engaged in risky bed hopping for quite some time.

I grabbed a table for two and wait while combing over the thoughts of how awkward this could be. I didn't even notice when he sat across from me until he opened his mouth.

"Wow. Don't get too excited to see me Bella."

"Sorry. Hi, how are you?" I asked as I was always curious knowing some days were better than others for him.

"I'm fantastic and that's mostly down to you." I'm bite my lip and he immediately notices "Don't be nervous B, this doesn't have to be awkward. We've known each other for years, we know things about each other that no I've else does, the sex was great too but it doesn't have to make us uncomfortable with each other."

I nod. I completely agreed and if he wasn't uncomfortable then I could get over it too.

We order when the waitress arrives, two spinach fettuccini dishes and sparkling water. I love taking the kids out but it can be so nice to eat out where the side dish isn't french fries with an entree of chicken tenders.

We talk about my game plan to making this a quick and slightly easier divorce. What I wanted out of it, what I was willing to give up, and how custody would work.

James offers to pay the bill when my phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Cullen, this is Dr. Joanne Stark from the SMC, I have to notify you that Masen collapsed in gym class and was brought to the Swedish Medical Center. We'd like for you to come down to the emergency room and answer a few questions about his medical history and then evaluate if he's well enough to take home."

I rushed out of the restaurant and to my car only to remember I parked a few blocks away. James immediately followed me out, "B, where are you going?"

By now I'm already in tears, "M-Masen, he's in the hospital, I don't even know what happened. Can you drive me to my car, it's a few blocks down…."

"I'll do you one better, I'll take you to the hospital. Get in the car."

"Really?"

"Yes, Isabella get in the car; I want to make sure he's okay too."

I got in the passenger's side and next thing we're speeding down 12th Avenue and turning onto Broadway. I jumped out of the car as soon as we make it to the parking lot while James goes to park his car, running up to the circulation desk I ask which room I can find my son, the receptionist points me in the direction of room 104.

I walked into the room; he's asleep with a large bruise on his forehead. I rushed over to him and take his hand in mine. I didn't know what is wrong with my baby but I hoped it was something they knew how to handle here, SMC doesn't have the best reputation anymore.

I looked up as James enters the room and he immediately comes and pulls me into a hug.

We don't notice the doctor in the doorway until she announced herself, "Mister and Missus Cullen" I cut her off. "Just Mrs. Cullen, my husband isn't here. I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for him to appear either."

"Okay, Mrs. Cullen – we're going to have to keep Masen overnight for observation, we've noticed signs of cluster migraines, are you aware of any stressors that could result in sleep deprivation or severe insomnia?"

"He complained last night about not being about to get any sleep for a few days, I told him we'd monitor it, my father-in-law is a doctor and could have someone look into his ADHD prescription."

"Okay, so what I'm concluding- and I may be jumping the gun but in conjunction with the medication and high stress situations, he has been experiencing headaches that don't allow for him to sleep very well if at all for days at a time. We're going to do a few scans and we'll let you know."

All I can do is cry and think about my baby needing to stay in a hospital for something he can't control. His brain worked the way it did and he coped with the behavioral effects but the stress was obviously from recent events – Edward's fault. My fault.

"He'll be fine, Bella, he's strong just like you and probably as stubborn as you and Edward. I'm sure this is nothing they can't handle here."

I call Jane and ask if she can escort Renesmee home from the bus and let her know I'll be home as soon as possible to collect she and Eliot.

An hour into our wait to hear if there's any progress or if he's gotten a concussion from the fall, we're just sitting in the corner of the small dim room. I fidget and stare at the unconscious figure of my son while James hums along to an old song actively playing in my hair to keep himself distracted.

I call some of the family and let them know what's going on when Esme asks to speak to Edward, as I open my mouth to tell her I don't know where he is, when he quickly appears into the room. I just hand him the phone and avoid all forms of eye contact.

He answers her questions, making plans and confirmations I assume for whatever she is planning next. She always needed him there and she was always the one person he could never disappoint. He tells her goodbye and hands me my phone.

"What are you doing here Edward, how did you even know?"

"Firstly, he's my son too. Secondly, he's on my insurance policy that means I'm notified as an emergency contact more often than not. The real question is what are you doing here James?"

He turns his attention to the man burying his face in my hair.

"Comforting your wife in her time of need, same thing I've been doing for a long time now while you screw around."

"So it was yours! How long exactly have you been slipping into my wife?" Edward said to James in an accusatory tone.

"What was mine?" James looked puzzled, I was confused as well, but then again Edward did look like he'd been drinking and wasn't making much sense. He just looked over at Masen and stormed out the door.

"Don't worry about him B. It'll all be over soon."


Edward's POV

"I don't understand it Tanya, she's a hypocrite in the biggest sense of the word."

"Edward, she's only going to be your wife for a little while longer. So she screwed James a few times, you've fucked me hundreds of times."

She didn't get it, it wasn't about that. Bella turned our entire family against me, made me seem like the mustache twirling villain in a whimsical fairytale where she was the damsel in distress and yet she was playing a game all along. I'd bet everything I had that she let them believe I was the evil parent, making them resent me so that when she was ready she could frolic towards the setting sun with her new boyfriend, the possible future stepfather and recreate everything we used to be until they loved him too.

Does she really love him?

"You don't get it, you can't understand how she works - she's intelligent and calculated, she knew, the whole time she knew."

"Am I not Intelligent?"

"Of course you are but not like her, her mind works in a different way than everyone else. She can be an open book or a blank page on the surface when she wants to be all while her mind runs rampant with strategic planning."

A lot of people didn't understand Bella, I learned a long time ago that she had to let you in in order to get anywhere and if she wanted to keep her guard up you'd never get through.

"Fascinating I'm sure" sarcasm obviously, then she became serious.

"You didn't come here to talk about your wife."

That is how this started though, talking about my wife.

The thought leaves almost immediately when Tanya began to grind her herself against me.

That's also how this usually began, using the mutual friction until all was lost to lust.

Soon I was encased in warmth repeatedly slid into her center as ankles and painted acrylic found my back. Telling her everything she wanted to hear to drown out her own cries.

11:06 p.m.

"Do you ever think about having children?"

"I THINK I already have three."

"I mean more. Later."

I could only jump to the conclusion that she meant with her which was insane enough, more kids would be a miracle but my head wasn't there anymore. I never wanted to get my hopes up again. I also knew Tanya wasn't necessarily mother material, she'd take great care of expensive shoes or a Kors bag but a baby probably not.

"No. I don't think about it anymore and after this morning two out of three already hate me - the third one doesn't know what hate is yet but eventually he'll hate me too."

"If it were her would you want more children?"

I didn't think about the answer when it came out my mouth abruptly.

"Yes."

Tanya's face paled instantly and her eyes became red, I'd never seen her cry before that moment. I didn't expect it to hurt a bit when she started crying because I denied her but it did.

"I think you need to leave Edward."


Bella

9:02 p.m.

"Mrs. Cullen, we believe Masen will be just fine. From what we can tell his medication isn't suitable for him, we're going to recommend a different medication with less adverse effects or give him the option of a behavior therapy. We'll release him after tomorrow at noon, feel free to come by a little earlier to get the attending nurses' report from the night."

Masen had been asleep all afternoon, only waking up to eat once and I was grateful to know there had been no major changes. He just really needed to rest now that they'd ruled out a concussion.

They'd waited for him to wake up on his own to check that out and we figured he'd be out a bit longer but once James stepped in dinner from the local Wendy's he jolted up at the smell of the Baconator. Teenagers and bacon.

The ride home was quiet, not awkward but comfortable. James dropped me off to Jane's to pick up Ness and Eli, both of whom were sleeping. It was lucky he was there because at that moment I realized a sleeping Nessie was extremely heavy and growing up too fast. After putting the two in their rooms, we sat outside on the deck for a little while all of which was new to him, I never invited him to the house. He made a quip about maybe paying Edward too well.

We may have made out for a few minutes like teenagers before I was walking him around front to his car.

11:06 p.m.

"Goodnight James, I'll call you tomorrow morning."

"I think love you Isabella."

A/N: Kind of a laid back chapter, next chapter we'll find out what happened two years ago.