A bout of insomnia last night means this was finished a little early. Thanks to Iris for fixing it up.

Readers, you guys amaze me! Thanks for leaving me your thoughts, I love the chats I've been having with people.

Bella sat on the floor of her hall with her hands over her heart to quell the feeling of it being torn apart. She loved Mike. Why did she seem to forget him when she was with Edward? Just thinking of Edward caused her nucleus to splinter a little more. She closed her eyes and imagined her heart, fractured and straining to contain itself against what threatened to spill out. With every deep breath, she reined her emotions in, until the walls of her imagined-heart came back together. She gained control and held those feelings tightly locked away once more. When she finally emerged from her meditation and lifted herself from the floor, the sun had nearly set. She picked up the bag of leftovers and headed to the fridge to put them away.

And so the weekend passed for Bella like any other when Mike was away. She caught up on things around the house and watched movies that Mike would normally mock or sleep through. She'd left her battered copy of Wuthering Heights in her desk at work. It was just as well. She wouldn't have read it anyway. She'd managed to not dwell on Edward for the weekend or on what the next week would bring; the two of them working side by side at the library. Sunday night found her putting away the last of her laundry, shaking her head at herself as she put her stockings in the drawer. She loved them, as uncomfortable as they could be. It was her version of imagining her audience in its underwear. Wearing them gave her a secret, and that gave her a confidence boost ‒ one that she very much needed on Friday morning.

Just as her thoughts began to stray to Edward and their day together, her cell phone rang from her nightstand. She was going to ignore it. Nobody called people unless they were selling something. Or it was an emergency. The number that appeared on her screen was a local number. Suddenly, her heart started racing, and she thought of Mike. What if something had happened?

Her panicked "Hello?" startled Edward.

"Bella? Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Edward?"

"Bella, are you all right?" Edward now sounded as panicked as she did.

"I'm fine." Bella was confused. "How did you get my number? Why are you calling to ask me if I'm okay? Oh, God! Did Alice see something?"

"No. It's all right. When I had your phone on Friday, I sent myself a message so I'd have your number. Everything's fine. Why did you sound so scared?"

"Sorry. Nobody calls unless it's an emergency. I thought something had happened to Mike. I worry about him when he's away. I know more than most that there's danger in the woods, natural and otherwise."

"Are you still worried about him? Emmett and I can go check up on them, make sure they're fine, if you'd like." Edward cringed. He had no idea how to navigate being friends with her, and he wasn't sure clandestine check-ups of her husband's safety was a service he wanted to be offering.

"No. Really, it's fine." She sighed and sat on the edge of her bed. "Did you call for a reason? Is this about work?"

"I'm actually calling for Alice."

"Alice?"

"She'd like to take you to lunch one day this week."

"She couldn't ask me herself?"

"I didn't let on I had your number. She's going to show up at work. I guess I'm just giving you fair warning."

Bella laughed. "Thanks. I have to be honest. I'm really enjoying that she can't see me. I'll finally have a semblance of privacy with you guys."

"Jasper can still read you. He knew you were nervous when you were at our house." Edward thought it was something Bella should know. She seemed to keep a tight hold on her emotions.

This was good information for Bella to have. She knew to avoid Jasper now.

"Bella?"

"Yes, Edward?"

"Why don't people call anymore?"

She went to chuckle, but she then realized how sad the question was. Edward really hadn't been around people for ten years. "They text Edward. It's easier, less intrusive."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks." He was quiet for a moment. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yep. Goodnight, Edward."

"Goodnight, Bella."

She plugged in her phone to charge for the night and then left her room to lock up the house. When she came back, she had a message.

Like this?

She hesitated before adding him to her contacts, telling herself she'd need to reach him sometimes for work. This wasn't breaching their new understanding.

Yes, Edward. Like that. Goodnight.

It seemed there was an instant reply as soon as she'd hit send.

Goodnight, Bella.

As it turned out, Monday morning flew by without Bella running into to Edward at all. She was very busy finishing up what she could and delegating other tasks so that she could focus on her new project. He spent the morning in meetings with various members of the North Olympic Library System. When the phone on her desk rang and Julie at the main checkout told her she had visitors, she assumed it was Alice and Edward waiting to take her to lunch.

She was quite surprised to see both Alice and Angela waiting for her.

"Alice, sorry I'm running a little late. Just give me a minute, and then we can leave." Bella turned to Angela. "Were you here for me?"

"You didn't reply to my email. I was hoping we could go for lunch today. Ben's with my mom. It would give us a chance to talk."

"Sorry, Angela. I already promised Alice we'd have lunch today." Bella forced a smile and walked past her stunned friend, turning to see Alice just about to speak to Angela. She caught Alice's eye and shook her head while mouthing 'no.' She had a feeling Alice was about to ask Angela to join them.

Instead, Alice nodded slightly and wished Angela a good afternoon. She hooked her arm into Bella's as they walked out the library. "You weren't surprised to see me."

"Nope."

"Are you reading the future now, or did my brother talk to you this morning?" Alice leaned over and whispered on the way out.

"Actually, he called me last night."

At that, Alice leaned back in surprise. She wasn't used to being out of the loop. "Oh, we have lots to talk about. I'm glad I came today."

Bella smiled warmly at her. "So am I."

They walked down the street to the little coffee shop Bella would often head to on her breaks. Alice kept her arm linked in Bella's and held the umbrella she had the foresight to bring.

"I'm not sure how much we can talk about in here," Bella warned just before they arrived. "It can get pretty busy. It's not an ideal place to have an in-depth conversation."

"Oh." Alice frowned. "That isn't ideal. I think we have a lot to talk about."

"I'll just grab something, and we can head back to my office."

"That's not ideal, either. My brother and his ears will still be there. Any other suggestions?"

"Actually, Alice, it would be ideal if you could get me very, very drunk." Bella sighed.

"Bella, you can't run away from this. Besides, I don't think that's a great way to start your new job. It's not like you're a Manhattan advertising firm in the 1960s. Let's just go here and make do." Alice swung the door open with her free hand.

"You watch Mad Men?"

"Of course!" Alice shook out the umbrella and followed Bella to the counter. "They nail the fashion, right down to the undergarments. Which reminds me, we need to talk about your outfit on Friday. What's good here?"

Bella shook her head slightly. She'd forgotten what it was like to have a conversation with Alice. It was a mental workout to follow her as she bounced around from topic to topic. She ignored Alice for a moment to acknowledge Lee behind the counter. "Thanks." Bella reached out for the mug Lee was handing her. She'd poured the coffee as Bella'd walked through the door. "I'll have a bowl of chicken soup also, please."

"I'll have what she's having, but if you could put that in a take-out container for me, that would be wonderful." Alice pulled out her wallet. "Grab us a seat, Bella. I'll take care of this and be right there."

Bella went to her usual spot when she wanted quiet; the corner at the end of the counter. It was as secluded as they were going to get. Bella sat down with her coffee and prepared herself to talk about Friday.

Alice joined her a moment later. She pushed one of the soup containers towards Bella but kept her own coffee. "I love the feel of a hot drink," Alice said wistfully. "It's even worth the smell of coffee." She wrinkled her nose. "First thing's first." She leaned forward and was suddenly very serious. "I love you. Like a sister. I do. And I'm very sorry that we left the way we did. I know that Edward's talked to you about it. He told you about his lie."

Bella said nothing but nodded. She was not prepared to talk to Alice about this.

"He told us what he did right away. He explained why, and we agreed with him. We argued and tried to change his mind at first, but ultimately, we agreed with him. And for that, I'm so very, very sorry." She sat back and looked at Bella. "Next to Jasper, he's the person I love the most in the world, even when he doesn't deserve it. And I'm also sorry for that." Alice looked at Bella, silently pleading for her to understand.

"That was very honest."

"Edward says honesty is the only way we're going to win you back."

"Win me back?" Bella lifted an eyebrow.

"Of course!" Alice reached her warmed hand out to hold Bella's. "We know it won't be like it once was, but we still love you. All of us have missed you terribly. We're happy you'll have us back in any way you're willing to take us." She squeezed Bella's hand as she confessed. "I'd love to earn a place in your life."

"Things are different now. I'm not sure how close we can be and hide who you are from my husband."

"We'll figure things out as we need to." She let go of Bella's hand so she could start to eat her lunch. Alice watched her crumble crackers and stir them into her soup. Bella had barely swallowed her first mouthful when Alice blurted out, "So, can we talk about Bella and her fancy underthings now?"

"Ummm… Nope?" Bella wasn't sure that would be enough to shut her down, but she really didn't want to talk about this with Alice, because ultimately, if she was sharing this with Alice, she was sharing this information with Edward.

"Okay."

"Really?" Bella didn't really believe it would be that easy to sway Alice.

"I'm respecting boundaries now." She smiled sweetly. "I'll talk. You can eat and pretend to listen."

Alice filled Bella in on her life with Jasper over the past ten years. She skipped a lot of their early days in Alaska. He was riddled with guilt over his near slip-up and Edward's break down. Alice stuck to happier topics; trips they took together now that Alice owned her own plane. Alice flying herself all over North America seemed so right; Bella wondered what took her so long to get her pilot's license. In no time at all, they were back at the library, and Alice was hugging Bella goodbye, making plans to see each other once again.

Bella left the library later than usual. She remained busy in her office throughout the day and didn't see Edward until she was on her way out. He was in the same conference room she'd seen him in last week. This time, he was with a boy who seemed to be in his early teens, based on his height, but it was hard to be sure as his back was to the window. Edward sat facing him. The table had been pushed against the wall to make room for their guitars. Bella stopped and watched him for a moment. He splayed his fingers on the frets, and the boy moved his hand. Edward nodded and reached over and made a slight adjustment. His small grin turning to a wide smile as the boy began to strum. He looked up at Bella then. As his pride radiated from him, she could almost feel it from across the room. His delight was contagious. She waved and continued out the door.

As Bella drove by their store, she noticed that the parking lot was empty. Mike must have already closed down the shop when he brought the bankers back. He often managed to sell some of the high-end equipment he'd used on the trip, especially when he took the wealthy, middle-aged weekend warriors out. They'd often return with inflated egos and open wallets, ready to buy whatever was needed to keep that feeling they'd found in the wild. Adding these excursions had helped keep Newton's open longer than most other businesses downtown, padding their bank account just enough to get them through the off-season. It wasn't enough to keep them going forever, but combined with the Cullens' help, they were in a much better position come next winter.

Bella was surprised when she pulled into their drive and the truck wasn't there. She grabbed her purse and the take-out Alice had handed over before Bella had gone back into the library, and headed into the house. She didn't know how this reunion was going to go. Being outside usually helped Mike when he was stressed out, but she'd never seen him angry the way he was when he walked out of their house on Friday morning.

By nine, it had been more than two hours since she'd driven by the store, and she was beginning to wonder where her husband was. All her calls to his cell phone had gone unanswered.

By ten, she was contemplating texting Edward to ask for his help. He had offered to check on him the night before.

At 11, she picked up the phone and dialed.

"I thought you said people don't call each other anymore?" Edward teased as he answered the phone. The house had gone quiet when they heard it ring.

"Only in an emergency. Edward, is Alice there? Could I talk to her for a moment?"

"Sure, Bella. What's wrong?"

"It's Mike... He's not home. Is Alice there? I'd really rather talk to Alice about this."

"Hey, Bella. It's okay," Alice's voice soothed. "I can't see him, but we'll go have a look for him. Don't you worry. Somebody will be in touch."

"Thanks so much, Alice. I didn't know who I could call. I hope it's okay that I asked you-"

"Bella, I told you we'd do anything for you. Now let me get off the phone, so I can find your husband."

Alice ended the call and looked to her family. They were watching Edward.

"So..." Emmett spoke up. "Do we find him? Or do we end him?"

"Emmett!" It was only Edward that replied. His siblings wondered the same thing as Emmett; he'd simply been the only one to say it out loud. "We find him. We return him safely to his wife." Edward tossed Emmett his keys on the way out the door. "You drive, and I'll track him. Alice, anything?"

She shook her head as she thought. "Nothing. I've never had to look for him before. I can't get anything."

"I'm just saying this could be a good opportunity..." Emmett tried again.

"Don't!" Edward put his hand up to silence his brother. "We're not going to do that to her."

It didn't take them long. Emmett knew exactly where to look once Edward had told him Bella had confessed they were having relationship problems. And sure enough, her truck was parked out front.

"You go and get him. I promised her I'd stay away from him." Edward got out and moved to the driver's side. "Do you want me to follow you?"

"Why does she want you to stay away from him? What's going on between you two?"

"Nothing. She just doesn't want me in his head. Now, do you want a ride from her place or not?" Edward was growing increasingly agitated. He wasn't far enough away from Mike, whose hammered thoughts were focused on Bella.

Emmett had already started walking across the parking lot. "Nah, man. I'll drive him home. You keep your promise to her. When I get back, we're going hunting together. We need to talk about this crazy fucking friend zone you've gotten yourself into."

It didn't take long for Emmett to settle Mike's tab and get him out of the bar. He half-dragged, half-carried him to the truck. Mike willingly handed over the keys before passing out. Emmett cursed as he caught him and lifted him into the truck. "Somebody fucking owes me big time for this," he said to an unconscious Mike as he fastened his seatbelt.