Ok, so...yeah...finally chapter 22 is up. I know...I know...but like I cautioned last time, real life is seriously kicking my butt these days, so I really do have a good excuse! I will warn you that chapter 23 will be late in coming as well, since I'm preparing for an out of town guest, who is arriving in 2 weeks and with whom I will be spending another week. And I think it would make me a totes rude host if I sat at the Mac and wrote instead of vegging out on the sofa watching Twilight, New Moon and other assorted goodies with her (seriously, we are SO not renting Haunted Airman, Katy, so stop asking me to! :P ) Oh, and just in case you hear about two women being arrested at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum...yes...it will be us...and you will obviously know why ;)

Anyway, I would like to thank everyone who's stuck with my little story, and I'd like to thank everyone who's submitted a review! We've hit the big 1-0-0! Woot! When I first started this hot little mess, I didn't expect to get 100 hits, let alone reviews of any sort, other than complaints that I was a hack and to get off the internet! But I thank each and every one of you who has read and who has come back for more!

Now, the usual business: Twiight, it's characters and it's situations do not belong to me. The are gifts given to us all by the brilliant Stephenie Meyer, without whom we would not have these amazing characters in our lives.

Now, on to chapter 22!

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Chapter 22: Beat on the Brat

Her heart thumped wildly in her chest as her breath caught in her throat.

Edward Cullen sat quietly in her rocking chair, green eyes glistening like enchanted gemstones.

What did he want? Why was he here? Her mind spun out of control.

Why was he getting up from the rocking chair and moving toward her?

Instinctively, she backed away as he approached her, feeling the tears as they pricked at her eyes. Funny how she had been so hopeful he would be sitting in that chair earlier in the evening, and now? Now that he was really there? In her bedroom? She found that she was terrified of him, his harsh actions only a day before still fresh in her memory.

"Edward, please," she breathed as she ran out of room, feeling her back hit against the open bedroom door, giving her no more room to move away from him. She knew Charlie was only a scream away, but she could never do that to her Edward.

"Bella," his voice was soft with a tinge of hurt in it. Good. "Please don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you." He stopped moving, instead holding his hands out in front of himself, trying to convey his intent. "I…I just needed to talk to you. To explain. Please."

"I think you've done more than enough explaining," she felt her voice tremble as she pressed herself closer against the door and cursed herself silently for giving him even that much.

"Please," he begged, his green eyes glowing like the lights on the Christmas trees at Goff's Department Store.

She would liked to have said his eyes looked sincere, but that would have meant actually looking at him full on, and that was something she would not allow herself to do. She couldn't afford to. She knew the moment her eyes met his sparkling green pools of desire, all of her resolve would be gone, and she'd be back to being a gob of jello in his very capable hands.

Instead, keeping her head turned away from him, she slid away from the door, closing it quietly so Charlie wouldn't hear, before moving slowly to her bed to sit down. She needed to sit before her legs betrayed her and buckled out from under her.

"I don't understand why you're here," she closed her eyes, trying to keep her voice steady. "I believe you said everything there was to be said yesterday, Edward."

He knelt down in front of her, smartly careful to keep his distance. One touch and his charade would be over. One touch, and the electricity that coursed through his body whenever he made contact with her would take over. He would scoop her up into his arms and keep her with him forever. That would be the end of it all.

"I need to explain, Bella."

She shook her head, still not looking at him. "There's no need, Edward. I got your message loud and clear," she swallowed hard.

"I need you to understand," he sighed, looking down at the floor. "I…I lashed out at you, Bella, but I wasn't angry with you."

"It's ok, Edward," she allowed herself to glance sideways at him, catching a glimpse of his wild bronze hair and forcing herself to fight the urge to run her fingers through it. "I understand. Really I do. I'm not good for you. I get it."

"I was angry with my parents. Not you," he persisted.

"Hey, who isn't, you know?" Please leave. Please leave now. Please leave before I wrap myself around you and beg you to stay forever, she begged silently.

"My parents…," he swallowed hard as his voice caught in his throat. He cleared his throat and tried again. "My parents, they…they knew, Bella. They knew," his voice was so low she thought she'd imagined it. But, by the hurt and subtle desperation she heard in it, she knew she hadn't.

"What?" Shocked, she turned her head to finally look at him. "What do you mean, they knew?"

He shifted his weight and looked down at his trembling hands as they lay on his thighs. "They knew that Victoria was…well…she was…" his voice trailed off. He was unable to talk as his body shook violently.

"Pregnant," she finished the sentence for him and he nodded silently, his head bowed. Even the tips of his hair shook.

Without realizing she was even doing it, she reached out, running her fingers through the jumble of soft copper hair on his lowered head. He let out a long, low sigh. Perhaps it was one of relief. Or maybe it was one of resignation. She couldn't help but wonder how Dr. and Mrs. Cullen could know such a thing and not tell him. She always thought so highly of the doctor. He was warm and compassionate to all. And Mrs. Cullen was so sweet, so loving. Especially of Edward. How could they not tell him something as huge and important as that? What were they afraid of? She felt a sudden flash of anger at Edward's parents and their apparent lack of common sense. They dropped the ball and she was suffering for it now. She was losing her Edward. And she was none too happy about it. She understood Edward's ire now. She understood exactly where he was coming from, and why he felt the way he did. Did it do anything to quell her hurt? No, but at least his seemingly random actions now had meaning. And that, at the very least, was something.

They sat that way for a long time, with Edward kneeling before her, head bowed, trembling as he cried quietly while she ran her fingers gently through his hair in silence. She wanted to gather him up into her arms, hold him tightly to her chest and rock him, whispering softly to him that everything would be ok, but she forced herself to stay right where she was, that the feel of her hand in his hair was comfort enough. She could be harsh and say that he didn't even deserve this much compassion from her, considering how he had treated her. But, the fact still remained. She still loved him and needed to, in some way, comfort him.

Finally, he raised a shaking hand and wiped at his wet face.

"I'm sorry," he murmured as he looked up at her. And there it was. She could clearly see it all on his face, see what she had missed the day before in all the turbulence at the Cullen house. The anguish was there, plain to see. The deep purple half moon indentations under his eyes and the gaunt, pale cheeks all told the story. His lower lip trembled.

"It's ok," she pulled her hand back, running it lightly through her own hair before her bleeding heart forgot it had been broken by this man.

"I just wanted you to know that it wasn't you I was mad at. I'm sorry if I made you think that. I lo…I'm leaving, so you won't have to worry about Bio on Monday, ok?" His voice was soft, shaky. It was easy to see that this was as hard for him as it was for her. Harder perhaps, because Edward was a man cast adrift in a sea of unknown. He desperately needed something steady to steer by, and yet, by his own hand, he'd readily cast aside his own True North in order to ride the rising storm out alone.

"Edward," she shook her head, once more steeling her strength. "You don't have to leave. We'll…well…we'll deal. That's what we do, right? We deal with it?"

He shook his head. "That's not why I'm leaving, Bella," he sat back on his heels, taking a shaky breath. She could see his hands were still trembling.

"Edward, what is it," her voice was soft and full of understanding, even if she didn't understand him at all.

"You want the whole story?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I do. I think you owe it to me, don't you?"

He nodded and sighed as he shifted his gaze in order to avoid looking directly at her. "A couple of months after we left Seattle, Carlisle got a call from Victoria's father. Garrett told him the situation and asked Carlisle to take care of it. Because it was all my fault and everything," he furrowed his brow. "So, Carlisle set up everything and told him he'd take care of it."

"Is that what Rose was talking about?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I only just found this all out yesterday, so I don't know how she could have known it. Carlisle only told my mom."

"Why didn't your parents tell you?"

He took a deep breath. "I don't know," his voice was sad. "All Carlisle said was that he and Mom decided not to tell me because Victoria and her family had made the decision to get rid of it, so why upset me over something that I had no control over?"

"So, they believed it was in your best interest for you not to know?"

"That's what Carlisle said."

"So, Carlisle set up everything for her to…to terminate the pregnancy?" She tried to choose her words correctly, so as not to upset him further.

"I'm guessing so."

"But instead, she kept it?"

"I don't know," he cried and he was up in one quick motion, pacing around the room quickly. "I don't know anything! Carlisle wasn't able to reach anyone in Seattle. And with doctor-patient confidentiality, odds are they wouldn't tell him anything even if he did reach someone!"

She watched him as he paced, both of his long, graceful hands raking through his disheveled locks frantically.

"He was finally able to find out that they left Seattle about two months after his conversation with Garrett. I mean, what's that sound like to you," he stopped pacing and looked at her expectantly.

"Uh…it sounds…like…uh…," she sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "It sounds like she decided to keep it, Edward."

"That's it exactly." He sprang forward and leaned his hands on her bed, bending over it so he was almost nose to nose with her. "Why else would they leave?"

"I don't know," she moved back from him. The last thing she wanted was to have temptation so readily in her face like it was.

"What other reason could there be?" He resumed his frenetic pacing. "Carlisle was able to find out that they moved to Chicago," he stopped pacing for a minute and a snort escaped him. "Ironic, when you think that we moved to Seattle from Chicago, isn't it," he continued to move back and forth across the floor at a fast, nervous pace.

She nodded silently in response as she began to worry about his mental stability. She had seen Edward at his best, and at his worst. This was beyond anything she had ever witnessed. She could see how agitated he was, how deeply disturbed this new revelation had made him. She could sympathize with him, truly she could, and she was worried about him. She wanted nothing more than to hold him in her arms, but she couldn't fall back into the trap of fighting for them. Not this time. This time, it was Edward's turn to fight for them.

"Maybe," he started speaking again. "If my father had let me know in the first place, when the call first came, none of this would be happening now." He stood still, crossing his arms over his chest as he lifted a hand, running his fingers along the stubble of his jaw. "And I wouldn't be forced to leave," he spoke so low and quickly that she couldn't tell if he was talking to her or to himself. "I wouldn't be forced to lose my love. Lose the best friend I ever had." He looked at her with gleaming bright eyes as a new tear quietly ran down his pale cheek and she felt her face warm with the whisper of a blush. "I love you, Isabella Swan. Don't ever think that I don't, because I do. I will always love you," he swallowed hard. "You're more than my lover. You're my best friend. You're the only person I can talk to like this."

She looked up at him, not knowing what to say, tears of her own running down her face.

He looked at her, his electric green eyes locking with hers. In that moment, she felt it. She saw it. She knew exactly what he was going through. And the pain shot through her as though she'd been shot.

"Oh, Edward," she sighed, breaking the grip his eyes had on hers. She looked down, not wanting to feel it anymore. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm even sorrier. One mistake and it's cost me everything," he whispered, voice despondant.

She shook her head. "That was your choice. This didn't have to be this way. I could have helped you. I could have…I could have been there for you. We could have gotten through this together."

"I know, I know," he dropped down on the edge of the bed and waved his hands in the air. "I know I broke up with you!" He spun around quickly and faced her again, green eyes wild. "I had no other choice, Bella. What else could I do? Don't you see? I have nothing left to offer you!"

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as tears quietly fell from them. "I don't understand, Edward. I want to, but I don't."

"All of my hopes. All of my dreams. They are all gone," his voice was desperate. "All of them. There's no future for me. And if you're with me? Then you have no future either. I won't do that to you. I love you too much to do that to you."

"Edward—"

"Charlie's coming," he slid the window open, deftly swinging his legs out of the opening. He paused, sitting on the window sill for a moment before turning around to face her. "I will love you forever. Never forget me, Bella."

And he was gone into the night.

She ran over to the window, pulling herself out into the freezing night.

"Edward," she whispered plaintively into the night.

"Bells?" Charlie was just outside her door now. She quickly pulled herself back inside, sliding the window shut. "You ok in there?"

"Yeah, Charlie," she shuffled quickly over to the door, pulling it open so her father wouldn't suspect.

"He's gone, I'm guessing," Charlie smirked as he looked into the room.

"How the hell do you do that," she threw her hands up in an exasperated gesture as she turned and marched back to her bed, flopping down on it heavily.

"I'm a dad. And a cop," he tried to keep his tone light, but it wasn't working with her. "I'm a parent," he finally sighed as he rubbed his hand over his head. "And I love you. And that means it's my job to know."

"Oh, Charlie," she could feel the tears spilling onto her cheeks again. "He was…he's…he's not himself. It's like his whole world just…just…shifted on its axis."

"Well," Charlie ambled over to the bed, sitting down beside her. "He's been thrown for a loop, Bells. It's quite possible that his entire life is about to change."

"He won't let me be there for him," she voice was sad as she wiped away the tears that had started falling down her cheek. "He said he has nothing left to offer me. He has no future."

"He's scared, sweetie," he put his arm around her shoulders, gently pulling her into him. She went willingly, crying silently into his plaid shirt.

"He's leaving," she sniffled finally.

"I know, Bells," his large hand moved up and down her arm slowly, trying in vain to comfort her.

"You heard us?"

"Yeah…but…I already knew."

"But…how?"

"Who do you think found Victoria's family for Carlisle?"

She pulled away from him, looking up, stunned. "You..."

"A gross misuse of my authority, I know, but…oh, hell, I like the kid. I just wanted to help put his life back together any way I could."

She stared at him in disbelief.

"You're mad at me, aren't you?"

"No," she shook her head. "But I do wish you had told me."

He sighed. "I don't even think Carlisle told Edward, Bells."

"He said he would love me forever," she looked down at her hands, then wiped her wet cheeks again with the back of her hand. "And he asked me to never forget him," she inhaled a deep, shaky breath.

An awkward silence fell between father and daughter.

Finally, Bella breathed in a shaky sigh. "He's never coming back, is he?"

Charlie pulled her back against him. "I don't know, sweetie."

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Carlisle dropped the last suitcase into the trunk of the black Mercedes.

"Is that everything?"

"I believe so, dear," Esme clutched her thin wool blazer tightly around her slender frame as the cold wind whipped around her.

"You should go inside before you catch a chill."

"I'll be fine," the wind blew her long hair across her face. He reached out, smoothing it away gently. She closed her eyes, sighing at his touch.

"Where's Edward?"

She nodded toward the house. "Where else?" Carlisle looked up, spotting his son as he stared blankly out of the kitchen window, pale and unmoving.

Carlisle sighed. "You know he snuck out last night, don't you?"

"Of course I know," she scowled at her husband. "I also know he went to Bella's."

"He's broken her heart."

"He's broken his own heart, Carlisle. She would have stuck by him through all of this. I just..." she shook her head. "I just don't understand him sometimes."

"This is something he feels he has to do alone, Esme," he slammed the trunk closed with a thud.

"He doesn't have to," a shiver passed through her.

"I know. He told Alice that he couldn't drag Bella down with him any further than he already had," Carlisle played with the keys in his hand.

"Alice has been crying since yesterday. Even Jasper can't get her to come out of her room," she looked down at the gravel in the driveway, kicking at the stones.

"This is all my fault," his brow furrowed. "Had I been honest with him from the beginning, this wouldn't be happening."

She placed a comforting hand on his arm, but he found no comfort in her touch. "We made that decision together, Carlisle. We couldn't possibly have known, darling."

"I know, but at the very least had he been aware from the beginning, this news wouldn't have shattered him the way it has," he ran a trembling hand through his thinning blonde hair.

"Carlisle, if not for Rosalie, Edward would never have been the wiser," her voice was firm.

"And I still want to know how that…" he paused, breathing deeply to calm his nerves as his hands automatically fisted at his sides at the mention of her name. "How she found out."

"I guess we'll never know," his wife sighed. "It's getting late. Are you ready to leave?"

"Yes, go call him."

"He's so angry with us, Carlisle," her voice was sad.

"He's angry at me, dear."

"Will things be ok with the two of you alone together?"

"This is the only way I know to make up for what I did, Esme," he put his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. "It's my only chance. I hope this trip helps to heal him."

"I hope this trip heals us as a family," she grabbed his leather jacket, pulling him closer so she could bury her face in his chest. His arms wrapped tightly around her back.

"I will do everything in my power to do that, my darling."

"I know you will," she pulled back, looking up into his intense blue eyes. "I have faith in you, Carlisle."

He smiled sadly. "I only wish that Edward and I shared that faith."

"He'll come around," she tried to sound convincing, but knew she hadn't succeeded. How could she convince her husband of something she wasn't even sure of herself?

She clung to him tightly, not wanting to let him go. "I love you, Carlisle."

"I love you too, Esme," he kissed her lips gently and buried his face in her silken hair as they stood lost in each other's arms for a few minutes.

Finally, Carlisle sighed as he glanced toward the house. "Can you go get him?"

She nodded silently, pulling away from him reluctantly. "Be safe," she cautioned before she made her way quietly up the path to the back door, to her Edward.

"Edward," she called quietly as she opened the kitchen door. "Dad is ready to go."

"Thank you, Mom," his voice was low as he looked at her without seeing her.

She handed him his leather jacket. "It's cold in Chicago," she cautioned. "Please wear your scarf and gloves, ok?"

"I will, Mom," he answered automatically, turning to her and taking the jacket from her.

She watched as he shrugged into it, zipping it up more for her benefit than his own. When he was done, he stood in front of her, looking down at the floor.

"Alice wouldn't let me say goodbye to her," he whispered.

"Alice is taking all of this very hard, sweetie," her voice was soft.

"I…I snuck over to Bella's last night," he confessed in a low tone as though he were in church. "To say goodbye."

"I know, baby."

"I'm sorry, Mom."

Esme shook her head. "There's nothing to be sorry for, Edward."

"I haven't been very nice to you or…Dad," he furrowed his brow as he said the last word. "And all of this mess is my fault."

She smiled a sad smile. "We all had a hand in making this mess, Edward. But you know what they say?"

He shook his head, his green eyes betraying the pain he felt. "No?"

She reached up and brushed the wild bronze hair away from his face, sliding her slender hand along his cheek and cupping it gently. "That which doesn't kill us, makes us stronger."

He closed his eyes, a lone tear rolling gently down his cheek.

"Dad's waiting," she ran her fingers lightly along his stubbled cheek once more, gently wiping the tear from his face as she did.

He leaned forward, wrapping himself around his mother tightly. "I love you, Mommy."

"I love you too, my sweet, sweet Edward," her voice cracked and she broke the embrace before it became too painful for her to do so. He was her baby, and she would do anything to spare him pain. "You be good," she tried to smile, but the tears tumbled from her eyes.

"I will, Mom," his voice cracked before he grabbed his backpack and swung the door open, heading out. She watched from the same window he'd been staring out of as he made his way down the path and to shiny black car in front of the garage, where her husband now sat in the idling Mercedes.

Edward opened the passenger's door, flinging the backpack over the headrest and onto the back seat. He flopped down into the soft leather seat, fastening the seatbelt before he could be told do so.

He took one last glance at the house as Carlisle navigated the car down the long, gravel driveway and out onto the country lane.

They drove in near silence, classical music playing at a barely discernible volume on the stereo as Carlisle stared straight ahead.

It was Edward who broke the silence.

"What time is our flight?"

"I booked the red-eye, so we have plenty of time to get there."

Edward sighed. Why did this have to be so hard?

Silence overtook the car once again, both lost in thought as Carlisle tried to concentrate on the road and not his son or the obvious rift between them. The road flew by and before they knew it, they were halfway to the airport in Seattle.

"Dad?"

"Yes, Edward," his spirit was immediately lifted by the word.

"I…I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be apologizing for, Edward."

"No, there…there is," he looked down at his hands as his long, elegant fingers twisted together at unnatural angles in his lap. "I blamed you for all of this when the only person to blame is myself. I took my anger and my frustration at my own stupidity out on everyone around me. I'm sorry," he swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. "And I'm sorry for…for calling you Carlisle instead of Dad. It was childish and selfish."

Carlisle smiled and looked over at his son. "Accepted. We all made some big mistakes, Edward. But, what's done is done. We can't sit and dwell on what if's. We just have to get to the bottom of this so we can all move forward. Agreed?"

"Yes, sir."

Their journey to Chicago seemed to take ages, with both anxiety riddled men unable to sleep on the plane, arriving exhausted by the time their flight landed at a pre-dawn O'Hare.

Carlisle stood holding their carry ons while he watched as his son stood groggily next to the baggage carousel swaying slightly as he waited for their suitcases to pass by. Edward had seemingly aged years in only a few short days. The dark purple circles under his brilliant green eyes had deepened, his cheeks were more sunken and pallid than Carlisle could ever recall seeing them. The stress, the strain, the emotional upheaval, the not knowing, were slowly destroying the beautiful boy who'd been so vibrantly in love with the bewitching Bella Swan only days before.

He watched as Edward struggled to yank the suitcases off the carousel, grunting and puffing his cheeks out from the exertion, before wheeling them over to him slowly, slumped over, feet dragging as he moved like a man a century older than he really was.

"You feeling ok, son?"

"I'm fine, Dad."

Carlisle took the handle of his suitcase from him but didn't offer him his backpack back. He feared the extra weight on his shoulders would cause his son to collapse. He already carried the weight of the world on them. "You need to sleep, Edward."

"I can't sleep, Dad."

"You can and you will sleep, Edward. You have to. This isn't healthy," Carlisle rolled his suitcase behind him as he navigated expertly through the familiar terminal, walking toward the airport doors as he continued to talk to his son. "I'm telling you this as both your father and your doctor," he paused, shifting both his carryon and Edward's backpack to a more comfortable position on his shoulder before continuing. "You aren't doing yourself any favors by not sleeping and not eating. You aren't going to change what is happening, so you might as well have physical strength and be mentally alert, son."

Edward followed close behind, dragging his own suitcase. His head was bowed as he nodded in agreement with his father's statements. "Yes, sir," he mumbled as they reached the exit.

The windy, arctic weather hit them as soon as the doors automatically swung open, sending a violent chill through Edward's entire exhausted body. It was still dark outside and the harsh glare of the arc sodium lights hurt their eyes as they walked out of the terminal.

Carlisle paused for a moment, pulling the collar of his coat tightly around his neck. "I'd forgotten how damn cold it was here," he murmured before he continued on, squinting into the harshly lit sidewalk.

"Wait…shouldn't we go rent a car instead of taking a taxi," Edward half turned to walk back into the terminal. "Wouldn't that be…uh...," he closed his eyes, struggling for the word he was looking for, then finished slurring out the rest of his sentence. "Easier?"

"It's taken care of, Edward," Carlisle turned to his right, motioning for Edward to follow him. They walked down the bustling walk way toward where a limo driver stood holding a sign that read "CULLEN" in bold, black letters. Edward hadn't noticed him before, probably because of the glut of people maneuvering along the walk, even at this ungodly hour. But, then again, Edward didn't notice much of anything these days. Of course his father would hire a limo to take them to the hotel. Why drive when you can ride?

The driver took their suitcases from them and, along with Edward's backpack and Carlisle's carry on, placed them in the trunk while the two men sheltered themselves against the frigid temperatures inside the limo. Edward realized his gloves and scarf were in his backpack. He would have to remember to get them out when the arrived at the hotel, reminding himself what he had promised his mother before leaving Forks. He'd disappointed enough people the last few days. He didn't want to have to tell his mother he was sick because he neglected to follow her advice and wear his gloves. He rubbed his cold, red hands together, trying to warm them up.

The driver got into the car and pulled out into airport traffic, but not before turning up the heat in the car, much to Edward and Carlisle's relief. Before they were even out of O'Hare and into good old Chicago traffic, the inside of the limo was toasty warm. Edward sighed as he leaned his head back and stretched his legs out, grateful that his fingertips had defrosted.

"Edward," Carlisle's soft voice roused him from his sleep. "Wake up, son."

His eyelids, still heavy with sleep, lifted slightly. "Whaa?"

"We're here. Let's get you inside so you can get some rest, ok?"

Edward turned his head toward the sound of his father's voice, his eyes closing slowly. His exhaustion had finally overtaken him, and he couldn't wake up.

"Edward," Carlisle wrapped his hand around his son's wrist, shaking him slightly before tugging on him gently. "Come on," he urged gently. "You can lie down and go to sleep as soon as we're inside. You will be warm and much more comfortable inside."

He opened his eyes slowly, looking at his father dreamily. For a fleeting moment, Carlisle was overcome with emotion. Edward had looked at him just like he did when he woke up that very first morning with Esme and himself. His sleepy green eyes sparkled like brilliant gemstones from under his half closed lids, his lips curled into a faint half smile while his face was framed by his wild bronze hair. He blinked twice, composing himself before speaking again.

"Come, son. Let's get you to bed."

Carlisle held on to Edward's arm as the tired boy slowly got out of the limo, stepping with uncertainty onto the icy driveway, the cold gusts of wind whipping his already wild hair into a living frenzy around his head. He allowed his father continue to hold on to him as he led him up a well lit path and into the building. The driver brought their luggage into the building behind them, following as Carlisle led the groggy Edward up a wide staircase.

Within minutes of their arrival, Carlisle had successfully managed to get his son undressed and tucked snuggly into a warm, comfortable bed. Edward was sound asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. Carlisle sat on the edge of the bed, watching as his son inhaled deeply as he fell into a tranquil slumber. It was the most at peace he had seen his son since Thanksgiving. He sighed and ran his hand lightly over the beautiful boy's pale forehead, smoothing the hair that fell over it away, before getting up to leave the room. He glanced once more at the quietly sleeping Edward from the doorway before heading downstairs to call his wife. She would be waiting up for his call, he knew. As he pulled the door closed behind him, he heard Edward sigh contentedly as he whispered "Bella" into the darkness.

XXXXXXXXXX

So there you have it...Edward and Carlisle have gone to Chicago. Is Edward ever coming back? Poor Bella's been left behind, perhaps a bit more understanding of Edward's reasons, but no less hurt than she was before. How will she react? She's pretty strong...it should be interesting to see what all goes down when school starts back on Monday, shouldn't it?

Like I said above, I'll be pretty busy the next 3 weeks, so the next installment may not be up until after (but I will try my hardest to get it up before!)

A big THANK YOU to all of you who are still reading! Please click on the little 'review' button and let me know what you think. And if you REALLY like it, well, tell your friends!

Thank you all so much for reading :)