**FYI: This chapter was written before the "scandal" of the last couple days. More thoughts on that in the AN at the bottom. I am posting this early this week because I didn't want you to be hanging too long after the mean teaser.

Thanks to SusanQ, Nicffwhisperer, VampiresHaveLaws, Kikki7, Julie, KittyVuitton, Stephanie, Jaime, Nolebucgrl, and Sydney Alice for all of their help pre-reading/betaing/supporting me. I'm always tinkering until right before posting and any mistakes are mine.

The Storm

I was jostled awake the next morning by an already dressed Edward.

"Good morning. Happy Birthday." He smelled so good as he leaned in to kiss me.

I opened my eyes and stretched my arms and legs. "Morning."

"I'm sorry I have to take off. Believe me, I would much rather stay and give you a long, hard, early morning birthday present." His eyes sparkled mischievously and I shook my head. "But I have an early meeting and I have to leave. I wanted to wake you so you weren't late."

I nodded, remembering I had classes this morning. My mind was still hazy with sleep, but it suddenly occurred to me I had forgotten to talk to Edward about the creepy guy who had been following me the last couple weeks. So much had happened the last two days with Carlisle and the baby, it had completely slipped my mind.

With the thought of returning to campus, it was right at the forefront again.

I swallowed thickly. "Edward," I started.

He was already walking toward the door, but turned my way and frowned as he glanced down at his watch. "Sorry, baby. I really do have to take off. I'm already late."

I nodded. "Okay."

"I love you. Be prepared for me to lavish you with all kinds of gifts tonight." He flashed me a huge grin before rushing out the door.

My stomach twisted nervously and I jumped out of bed, racing to make it to the bathroom in time. I hunched over the toilet for what seemed like ages, although I wasn't sure if it was morning sickness or dread.

I was a bit scared and not quite sure what to do.

If it was just me, it wouldn't have been that big of a deal. I would carry some mace in my purse and spray that Jay asshole in the face if he got near me again.

But it wasn't just me anymore. I had to also worry about the baby I was carrying. It simply wasn't safe for me to go about this without some help. I needed to talk to someone and figure out what to do about attending classes with this guy out there somewhere.

I finally got myself up, taking a quick shower and dressing in some comfortable clothes. I texted Leah, letting her know I wouldn't be in our classes today, and called Felix to tell him I was staying home. There was one more person—aside from Edward, of course—I needed to talk to before I even thought about going to campus again.

Alec.

I scrolled through my phone and found his cell number. He answered after only one ring.

"Mrs. Cullen?"

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Bella?" I smiled at his insistence on propriety.

He chuckled. "You're going to have to get used to it."

I shook my head and sat down on the edge of the bed with a sigh. "Alec, I think I need your help."

"What's wrong? Where are you?" He was immediately on alert.

"I'm at home. Is there any way you could come over here? I need to talk to you about something."

"Yeah, sure. Are you staying there today? No classes?"

"Well, that was part of what I want to talk to you about."

"Are you okay? Do I need to be there immediately?"

"I'm okay. Everything is fine here. Just come over when you can."

He was silent for a minute. "I'll be over around noon. Does Mr. Cullen know you're calling me?"

"No. Not yet. I didn't have time to talk to him this morning."

"All right. I'll be over in a couple hours."

"Thank you, Alec."

I felt better after hanging up. If I knew anything about Alec, it was that he would help me figure out who Jay was and what he wanted.

I made my way downstairs, finding Hannah in the kitchen.

"Bella, are you okay? You aren't dressed for school." She was by my side in an instant, her hand brushing my cheeks and forehead. "You're flushed. Sit down."

I smiled at her concern. "I'm just feeling a little nauseous this morning. I think I'm going to skip classes today."

She nodded and hurried over to put a kettle on the burner. It wasn't long before I had a steaming cup of tea in front of me as well as toast and crackers. My stomach calmed a bit after eating my breakfast.

Before I finished, Hannah set something else in front of me.

"Happy Birthday," she said.

I grinned at her before opening up the gift. She'd gotten me a journal.

"I thought maybe you could use this while you're pregnant. Keep a daily record of everything before and after the baby's born. That way, one day you can share it with him or her."

I stood up and hugged her. "Thank you, Hannah. It's perfect."

I spent the next couple hours in the library, using the time to study, until Alec showed up a little before noon. I glanced up as he made his way over to take a seat in the chair next to the couch I was on.

"Thanks for coming."

He nodded. "It's no problem. What's going on?"

I set my book aside and wrung my hands. "Last week, on the way to class, Felix dropped me off at a Starbucks. I was walking in and not paying attention, and I ran into some guy. Like literally ran into him. I almost fell down, but he held me up. It was weird. It was like I got a funny vibe from him or something, and I backed away so he couldn't touch me anymore. He looked normal and everything, but I still got a weird feeling."

Alec's face was stony as he took in my words. "When you say he looked normal, what do you mean? What did he look like?"

"He...um...he had a suit on. Like something Edward would wear every day. He was tall, tanned skin, dark hair. He smiled at me and tried to start up a conversation. He told me his name was Jay, and he wanted to buy my coffee. I told him no and left as soon as I had my order."

"Okay. Where was Felix?"

"He was sitting out in the car waiting for me."

He nodded. "Don't ever ignore those intuitive feelings you get. They're usually right, and it's always better to be safe than sorry."

I bit my lip. "Yeah. There's more."

"I figured."

"On Monday, I was hungry and walked to a deli close to campus for a sandwich. I was sitting at a small table they had set up outside, eating my lunch, when the same guy showed up all of a sudden." I paused and shuddered as I remembered. "He put his hand on my shoulder and then asked if he could join me. He sat down before I could say a word. I was really freaked out. I wrapped up my lunch and got out of there."

"Did he say anything else?"

"He asked if I was scared, why was I running away. And...um...I think he said something as I was leaving, but it may have just been my imagination."

Alec leaned forward. "What do you think he said?"

"I'll be seeing you soon, Isabella."

"Damn it." Alec took out his phone, his fingers flying over the buttons. "You never told him your name?"

I shook my head. "No. Do you think he's following me?"

"Yes." He didn't even hesitate. "Why have you not told Mr. Cullen?"

"It wasn't on purpose. When I got home on Monday, we had to deal with other things. His father was here and it slipped my mind. Then yesterday we were busy. I just forgot."

He kept texting away before finally looking up again. "Are those two times the only contact? Anything else stand out about him?"

"Those are the only two times I've seen him. Nothing else really stood out, except the uneasy feeling I got from being near him. What should I do?"

He stood up. "I want you to stay right here. I'll contact you in a little bit. You did the right thing by telling me. We'll get this taken care of."

I stood up when he started walking toward the door. "Where are you going?"

"Back to the office. I'll call you soon."

He rushed out before I could say another word.

I frowned and sat back down, trying Edward's phone again. He still wasn't picking up, nor had he answered any of my texts. It was starting to worry me a little. I knew he had an early meeting, but he shouldn't have still been in it. It also wasn't like him not to sneak me a few love texts even during a meeting.

Especially since it was my birthday.

I tried not to dwell on my disappointment and eventually made my way upstairs, deciding to nap and then take my time getting ready for dinner. Rose and Alice both called during the afternoon, wishing me a happy birthday and making sure I was ready for them to take me out to celebrate on Saturday.

Another girls' day of shopping and pampering. I was looking forward to it.

By the time six o'clock rolled around, I was dressed and ready, sitting downstairs in the kitchen. Edward hadn't specified where he was taking me, but I wore a sexy dress and heels, knowing he'd like it. I still hadn't heard from him or from Alec, and it was stressing me out.

Edward had promised me he'd be home early, and I had not gotten one call, message, or word from him since he left. Hannah kept hovering, concerned I was worrying myself into an ulcer.

I couldn't help it. Something was off. Something wasn't right. Edward wouldn't keep me in the dark like this unless something was wrong.

I jumped when my phone finally rang, my hands shaking as I answered.

"Alec? What's going on? Have you seen Edward?"

"He's not there?"

My stomach fell and my eyes immediately teared up. "No, he's not here!" My words were coming out almost like shrieks, but I couldn't help it. "Have you seen or talked to him at all today?"

"I haven't been able to get a hold of him. I've been trying. When I came back here, he'd already left for the day, and I figured he went home to meet you for your birthday."

I almost couldn't breathe as my brain flooded with thoughts I wasn't prepared to handle.

Was Edward hurt?

Was he in an accident?

Did something happen to his parents? His brother?

All I knew was that it had to be something major for him to ignore me all day.

Especially today of all days.

"Alec, there's something really wrong. Something's happened to him." I sobbed and Hannah handed me some tissues. "Please, can you find him?"

"Calm down, Bella. I'll try to find him. Call me back if he shows up."

It was the first time he'd used my first name.

As soon as I hung up, I called Emmett, who told me he hadn't seen Edward since the morning meeting. Jasper said the same thing when I dialed him next. I was about to call Esme when the sound of a door slamming echoed through the house. Hannah and I both turned our heads toward the sound, and I jumped out of my seat.

I hurried to the hall, catching a glimpse of Edward running up the stairs.

"Edward!" I called out.

It was as if he didn't even hear me. As much relief as I'd felt a few moments before at the sight of him, I felt only despair as he disappeared again.

He didn't even acknowledge me. What was happening?

I started up the stairs, cringing from the sound of another door slamming. Tears started falling from my eyes again and I felt silly looking down at my pretty dress and high heels.

This was turning into the worst birthday ever.

I hesitated outside the door to his office, not sure exactly what I was going to find on the other side. I knocked a few times, but he didn't answer.

I took a deep breath before turning the knob and pushing the door open.

He was there, sitting in his chair behind his desk, but he faced the window. I knew he was aware I'd walked in, but he didn't turn his head, didn't acknowledge me whatsoever.

It hurt. It hurt so much that I paused and tried to gather some strength before I continued further.

He lifted a bottle of liquor to his lips, taking a long swig, and my eyes focused on his hand. His knuckles were cut and bleeding, and I restrained the sob bubbling up in my throat.

"Edward."

His head slowly turned at the sound of my voice, but his eyes were not those of my Edward. They were hard, cold, lifeless. I didn't recognize this man in front of me.

And it scared me right to my bones.

He took another drink, his icy glare lingering on me. I wanted to ask what was wrong. What was happening. What had happened.

But no words would come out of my mouth.

I was frozen. Just waiting on something. Anything.

Anything except what came next.

"How could you?" he spat. "After everything. How could you?"

The tone of his voice cut right through me, even more than his words. I was lost. I had no idea what he was talking about.

I grabbed onto the back of a chair for support, before easing myself down into the seat.

"Edward, please, I don't know what you're talking about. What's going on?"

He threw a folder across his desk in my direction, and my hands shook as I reached to grab it. My eyes blurred with more tears when I saw the pictures inside and realized what Edward was so upset about.

They were shots taken of me and Jay. His hands around me, holding me up. Him touching my shoulder. The two of us standing close together.

To someone who hadn't been there, they would look almost intimate. This guy had set this up. He'd manufactured these meetings to hurt Edward.

I shook my head as my anger flared. Whoever this was had manipulated me, and I'd played right into his hands by not telling Edward about these run-ins when they happened.

"This is the guy following me." I looked up, finding Edward's head turned back to the window. "Whoever he is set this up, Edward!"

"Why did you do it?" He wasn't even listening to me. He just kept drinking. "How could you do this to me of all things."

"I didn't do anything!"

He turned and glared at me again. "If you wanted to ruin me, you succeeded. But Jake? You had to fuck Jake?"

My mouth fell open and tears streamed from my eyes again. The man was Jake, and Edward thought I was sleeping with him. I sobbed, not knowing how to fix this. Edward wasn't hearing anything I said. His trust was shattered.

"I didn't sleep with anyone," I cried. "I didn't know that was Jake. He's been following me. He told me his name was Jay."

Jay...'J'...short for Jacob.

I felt sick. I was such a fool.

"He told me you were fucking him."

He'd gone to see Jacob? Was that why his hand was bleeding?

"He's lying! I don't even know him. He set this up to hurt you. To hurt us!"

Sobs wracked my body. It was like I had no ability to contain the intense fear raging inside me. Edward believed the lies. He didn't trust me.

I couldn't lose him. He was my whole world. I had nothing without him.

His expression changed from anger to pain as he watched me fumbling for control. He leaned over the desk, his face falling into his hands.

"I...I can't talk to you about this now." His voice was so tired.

"You have to believe me. Don't do this."

I couldn't breathe. Everything inside me ached.

"Leave me alone, Bella."

I wanted to walk over and put my arms around, make him see the truth. He sounded so hurt, so bitter, so defeated.

But he wasn't listening to me, even when I could get coherent words out.

I didn't know what to do. How to get through to him.

One thing I did know was I needed to calm down. The pain in my heart and my frantic nerves had me upset to the point of hyperventilating, and that couldn't be good for the baby.

The butterflies I usually felt in Edward's presence had been replaced by only hurt.

I stood up on my shaky legs and walked out of his office. The stairs proved more difficult to get down than I thought, and instead of tripping and falling, I stopped halfway and sat down, leaning against the wall and huddling into a ball.

I didn't know what to do. Where did I go now?

My phone kept ringing in my pocket, and I eventually wiped my tears away enough to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Bella? What's wrong? He's there, isn't he?" Alec sounded even more worried than he had earlier.

"Yes," I answered, my sobs returning. "That stalking man I told you about was Jacob Black. He had someone take pictures and sent them to Edward. They made it look like we were close. Then Edward went and fought with him and Jake lied. Edward believed him. He thinks I cheated."

I wasn't sure what those words sounded like as I bawled, but Alec seemed to get the gist of what I was trying to tell him. He was muttering curses and banging around on something.

"I figured something like that was happening. Bella, listen to me. Go sit with Hannah or take a bath or take a nap. Whatever. Just relax. I promise you everything will be okay. I'm tracking down something right now and then I'm coming over."

"He won't listen."

"He will listen to me. What day was it last week that you were at the Starbucks? And what was the deli called that you ate at on Monday?"

I answered him, hiccupping between my words.

"Okay. Now can you go find Hannah?"

"Yes."

"Chin up, Bella. It will be fine."

I wanted to believe him and tried to pull myself together enough to get down the rest of the stairs. It didn't surprise me much when Hannah appeared by my side a couple minutes later, helping me down to my favorite spot in the library. Alec must have called her as soon as he hung up from me.

As I sat there, I tried to sort through all the thoughts whirling in my head. Although it hurt me Edward believed I could do something like this, I found myself unable to be too angry at him.

This was the one thing...the one sore spot...that Jake obviously knew he could target.

I was more angry at myself for falling into Jake's trap than I was at Edward. Those pictures painted a horrible picture, and I trembled thinking about what vile lies Jake spewed at Edward during their confrontation.

It was no wonder Edward was irrational.

I had to believe when he calmed down, when he listened to me and to Alec, that he would see reason. That he would know deep down I would never do something so horrible.

And that eventually there would be some justice served on Jacob Black. Of that I was sure.

Hannah stayed close, but thankfully didn't try to pry out information. She kept me supplied with food and drinks, allowing me some space to ruminate alone.

I don't know how long I sat there. Some time later, Alec popped his head in, checking on me and assuring me again before he went up to Edward. As the hours went by, the more tired I grew. At some point, I stretched out on the couch and fell asleep.

The first thing I noticed when I woke the next morning was the stifling heat.

Why was it so hot? Did Edward turn the air conditioning off?

Edward.

I smelled him. I felt him.

He was wrapped around me, caging me against the back of the couch. I would have laughed when I opened my eyes, seeing the two of us clinging to each other as we slept on the small space, but I quickly remembered the events from the night before.

It was hardly a time for laughter.

He was snoring lightly, and I took a moment to look him over. He was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans and had obviously taken a shower at some point, because there was no hint of the liquor I had seen him consume.

I brushed through his tousled hair with my fingers, and he tightened his embrace in response. When his eyes popped open, my heart stuttered.

This was my Edward.

These were the green eyes I loved and recognized, even if they were clouded with sadness.

"Hi," I said quietly.

"Hi."

I wasn't sure what to say, or even where to start.

"Bella, I'm sorry." His voice cracked as he too struggled for words. "I'm so fucking sorry."

The truth was I'd already forgiven him. I didn't know if that made me stupid or naive or foolish, but it was just the way it was. I understood why he reacted the way he did, and perhaps if I'd been in his shoes, I would have done the same thing.

I didn't want or need Edward to breakdown or grovel for me to see how much he regretted his actions. It was written plainly across his face.

"I know you're sorry. I'm sorry too. I should have told you sooner about the creepy guy following me. It would have saved us both a lot of grief."

He shook his head. "You have no fault here. You have every right to hate me after what I said." He swallowed a few times. "Please don't leave me though. Please."

The desperation in his voice only made me ache more.

As if I could ever leave him like this.

"I'm not going anywhere."

His eyes darted down and then back up to meet mine.

"I'm also sorry for ruining your birthday. I swear I will make it up to you."

I sighed. From the sound of his voice, he was beating himself up far more than I ever could, even if I wanted to.

"You know what I want the most?"

"What?"

"For us to talk this all out, and figure out what to do next. The best birthday present you could give me is to trust me." I put my hand on his face and rubbed my thumb along his cheekbone. "Believe me when I say I would never hurt you like that."

"I do. I'm sorry I doubted you for even a second."

He kissed me and I let him. I wanted the closeness. Even pressed together like we were, it wasn't close enough for me.

Except for one thing.

I pushed him away a few seconds later. "I'm sorry. I really want to talk, and I really want to kiss you, but if you don't let me up immediately, I'm going to pee all over the couch."

This pregnancy made me have to pee all the time.

He laughed and the sound of it made me break out into a smile.

We had so much to set right, to talk through, to settle between us, but I also knew then that everything would work out. We were going to be okay.

"Why don't you go ahead upstairs?" he suggested. "I'll grab some breakfast from the kitchen and we'll eat it in bed."

"You don't have to go to work?"

He shook his head. "Not today. Today I'm taking care of you."

I nodded and gave him another quick peck. He helped me up off the couch and I hurried up the stairs. While in the bathroom, I took a quick shower and put on one of Edward's t-shirts and a pair of shorts.

He was already waiting for me when I walked back out. I bit my lip at the sight of him sitting against the headboard in only his boxers, munching on a bagel.

Damn hormones. This was so not the time.

I climbed up and sat down next to him, eating the bagel and strawberries he'd brought up for me. We kept peeking over at each other, although we remained silent through most of our breakfast.

When we were done eating, Edward set the plate aside, and pulled back the sheet.

"Would you lie down with me?"

The butterflies were back.

I snuggled in close, enjoying the way we fit together perfectly . Edward pulled the sheet over us to form our own little cocoon.

"Tell me what happened yesterday," I said, as soon as we had settled.

He brushed a piece of hair from my face. "I'm going to tell you everything, because I don't want to keep anything from you. I just hope I don't hurt you any more than I already have." He sighed and kissed me. "I love you."

"Edward, just tell me. The worst hurt I could imagine is you telling me to leave, and we're already past that."

He winced at those words. "God, I'm so fucking sorry."

I blew out a gust of air. "I know. Just don't do it again. I'm not sure I could handle it." I stared at him for a few moments. "I'm serious."

"I won't. I promise." His voice was thick with sadness.

I wasn't trying to make him feel worse, but I also wanted him to understand how much he hurt me.

I nestled in tighter. "Okay. Now tell me the rest."

He took a long inhale of my hair. "I got out of my meeting yesterday morning and found a large envelope on my desk. Tanya said it was delivered, but there was no return address. Inside there was the folder of pictures and a piece of paper that said 'History repeats itself'." Anger flashed in his eyes, but his gaze stayed on me. "Fuck, baby, I...I just lost it. It was like something in my brain snapped.

"I was stupid. I didn't think at all. I didn't stop to consider it was a set-up. All I could see was him touching you. Looking at you." His hands came up to cradle my face. "I told you how devastated I was after seeing Kate with him. But I feel a thousand times more for you than I ever did for her. I love you. You're pregnant with our baby. When I saw those pictures, it was like my whole world was ripped from me. I just went crazy."

My heart ached hearing the pain in his voice. I took his injured hand in mine, kissing his scarred knuckles. "What did you do?"

"Well, I think my office was destroyed. My cell phone was the first casualty after I threw it at the wall." He tried to give me a small smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I...uh...screamed at Tanya to get me a meeting with Jake. That fucker agreed immediately. It should have been a red flag to me, but I was out of my mind. He set it up at some restaurant, probably knowing I'd kill him if we were alone." He looked down at his hands. "I wanted to kill him, Bella. I did."

It scared me a little when he said that. I believed he really meant it.

"So you met him at a restaurant?"

He put his arms around me again. "Yeah. Felix didn't want to let me go in alone. He actually shouted at me because he knew how out of control I was." He chuckled and shook his head.

I wanted to give Felix a hug.

"Anyway, I walked in. He was already there. The bastard just smirked at me. It took every ounce of strength I had not to attack him. And he knew it. He knew I was hanging on by a thread."

"What did you say to him?"

"I asked him why." He shut his eyes and pressed his forehead to mine. "He basically confirmed he's a jealous asshole, calling me a golden boy, and what I had should have been his. When he started talking about you, I lunged after him."

I tensed. "Did you hit him? Are you going to be in trouble?"

The last thing I wanted after this mess was Edward arrested for something.

"No. Felix showed up, grabbed me, held me back. He basically dragged me out of the restaurant before I could touch him."

Now I really wanted to hug Felix.

"What did Jake say about me?"

He shook his head. "You don't even want to hear it. I'm not sure if I can repeat it. I know it was all lies."

It must have been pretty awful, and I thought it best not to hassle him for more details. I shivered and burrowed my face deeper into the crook of his neck.

"What did you do then?"

"I just took off."

"What do you mean?"

"I started walking. I don't even know where I went. After Felix got me out of the restaurant, I was raging and fighting him to go back in there after Jake. Jesus, I fucking punched Felix. I was so pissed." He swallowed a couple times. "I need to give him a big raise. Poor guy took the brunt of my anger."

Until he got to me.

I didn't say that out loud.

"So you just walked around?"

"Yeah. I stopped somewhere. I don't even know where. I was sitting on a bench and Felix found me. He shoved me into the car and drove me home." He pulled back to look me in the eyes again. "I was a mess. I was cursing Jake, Kate, you, my parents, God, everyone. Including myself. Jake said he wanted to ruin me, and it felt like he had. I'm sorry you had to see me that way."

I nodded, trying to understand.

"I didn't want to see you when I came home. I was afraid of seeing Jake's truth in your eyes."

"You scared me."

"God, Bella. I know. I'm so sorry. I know I scared you." He squeezed me until I could barely breathe, but I squeezed him back just as hard.

"I don't know. Maybe you should consider talking to someone about this? You keep all this stuff bottled up inside and then you eventually explode."

"I'm talking to you about it." He loosened his grip to watch my face again.

"I mean someone professional."

He let out a short laugh. "Yeah. Well, I guess I could go see a shrink. Yesterday was kind of a perfect storm of events though. I can't say I've ever been so crazy before. But if you want me to see someone, I will."

I traced his lips with my finger. "I just want you to be okay. I want us to be okay. I want you to believe and trust in me. We have a baby on the way. I don't want you to go off half-cocked anymore or go do something psycho like kill Jake...even if he deserves it. I need you here. We need you here."

His lips met mine, leaving soft kisses that made my heart flutter. "I do trust you. And I'm here for you, for us, for our baby. I feel like we've had people trying to sabotage us from all sides, but it ends now. It's you and me. I won't allow anyone to jeopardize what we have anymore. Not even me."

His assurances did make me feel better, but time would tell if our problems were really over.

My eyes drooped as I grew tired again. "We are going to take a long nap, but before I fall asleep again, tell me what happened when Alec got here."

"He basically kicked my ass."

I snorted and Edward's fingers trailed along my waist, tickling me.

"Don't make fun. He really did. But I deserved it. I'm going to have to give that fucker a raise too."

"What did he do?"

"He came in and knocked me upside the head. Took away the bottle of scotch. He told me about you asking him for help. Then he showed me what he and Ben had gotten from security tapes."

My eyes widened. "Security tapes?"

"Yes. From your two encounters with Jake. Honestly, Bella, I think as soon as I saw your face when you looked at those pictures, I believed you. I hated myself and was ashamed and lashed out. But I think deep down I knew the truth. I didn't want you to see me like that. That's why I wanted you to leave. Then Alec confirmed it when he showed me exactly what happened. Jake set you up to hurt me. I was a fool and fell for it."

I shook my head. "That's exactly what I've been saying to myself. I was a fool for falling into his trap."

He kissed me again. "We are just two fools in love."

I pushed against his chest and laughed. "God, you are so cheesy."

"I know. I can't help it." His smile dimmed and he turned serious again. "Are we okay?"

We still had a lot to talk about. What to do about Jake. Kate. Tanya. And I was sure something would be brought up soon about me being alone and attending classes.

But looking at him right here, right now. I knew the answer.

"Yes. We're okay."

AN: I would love to hear your thoughts on Edward's actions and Bella's response. Just remember their pasts and why this particular trigger was so painful for Edward and why Bella's need to belong makes her willing to quickly forgive.

As for the KStew scandal…

I normally wouldn't say anything, as I don't think it's our business what people do in their private lives, but the public admission/apology kind of made it easy to put opinions out there. I'm a fan of Twilight. I love Edward and Bella first and foremost. I also have a love for Rob's pretty face, and you know this if you've ever seen my twitter, FB, or tumblr accounts. I'm not going to be a judge and jury on the cheating. It sucks, but I made my fair share of mistakes when I was younger. I feel bad for the injured parties, and hope some resolution is made for the wife, kids, and Rob. That's all I wanted to say, and sorry if this chapter hashed up any sad feelings that were already abundant in our fandom today.

I would love to hear any thoughts you have on the chapter or if you want a place to get your opinion out about the current mess.

Thanks again for all the responses to the last chapter. I loved seeing all your guesses to the questions.

Find me on facebook at Twilover Seven-six

Find me on twitter at twilover76

Fic Recs:

Twilight on the BLUE LAGOON by knicnort3

Sideline Collision by Nolebucgrl

Accidentally in Love by Missus T