Transition: Syllabification: tran·si·tion Noun.1) The process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another. Example: The situationists only wanted what could never exist, never accepting a period of transition, a process of change.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I stood there, unable to take my eyes off it as it hurled down and down and down until it exploded across the hood of my shiny new acquisition. A Maserati MC Centennial convertible. It was a thing of beauty. Something I had wanted and wished for practically my whole life. Okay, maybe not my whole life, but a good chunk of it.

And now a bird just shat on my car.

I sighed and shook my head at what I was sure was a clear sign from above. A perfect metaphor for my life too. No matter how pretty you are, there is always something above ready to shit on you.

"Bella, you're going to talk to your brother, right?"

Rosalie's voice brought me out of my miserable musings. I didn't want to look back to them. I knew that all that would greet me was a bunch of judging eyes. The great Isabella Swan had done it again. Single-handedly brought down a good and important entity. Gathering up courage, I turned back to my friends.

"Well…I will see what I can do. I'm sure he was just being an asshole like always." I hoped that placated them.

"Maybe he just wanted to teach you a lesson. First a new car and…well you haven't been at home so I imagine you must have been staying at that expensive hotel again." Alice said.

"Of course I haven't stayed there. I moved back to my old place. I didn't want to go home to the place that…your brother shared with me, so Michael informed me that my old house was still available. It's better than that small pitiful place I had, and I know how this all must look to you but I deserve this car. I have wanted this car for years, and believe it or not, I can afford it so how exactly does that make me the bad guy here? What's wrong with spending money if you have it?" I snapped.

"Well apparently Swan Enterprises doesn't have it if Michael shut down the one redeeming section of the company." Rosalie replied.

"I'm sure it's just a mistake. I will talk to Michael. Even though he runs the company, I still own it." I turned to Angela, "Don't worry, I will get your job back and make sure that everything is made right, and for good measure, I will keep the car just to show you that all is well."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Yes, that car is the epitome of everything being well in your life."

I wanted to rip out her eyes in that moment, but instead I took the high road. I shook my head at her and turned to stalk back to my car.

"But wait….when are we going to see you again?" Alice called out.

I threw up my hands and didn't look back. My stupid idiotic brother and his mess is the reason I was called down there. I couldn't believe the audacity. He did this on purpose, I just know it. I drove straight to his house and by the time I arrived I had worked myself into a real frenzy. Thinking through the past thirty minutes and how upsetting it was for me. Just because I was going to try and be old Bella, it didn't mean that I wanted people like Angela to have to go back to old Angela. Angela, who had no job and took care of her two kids out the back of a van because the government ceased all her assets due to her horrid husband, it wasn't right to send her back to that life. Michael didn't understand what he did when he thought he would try and teach me a lesson. I may not know too much about Swan Enterprise, but I know enough to understand that a few pricey purchases weren't enough to bring the downfall of an entire department.

"OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR, MICHAEL!" I screamed, pounding my fists on his door.

The door opened and I immediately backed up, surprised that Emily had opened the door.

"Uh…is Michael here?"

Great, just what this poor girl, who decided to marry into the crazy family, needed.

"He's in the shower. Would you like to come in and wait? It seems mighty important." She cringed, probably worried of another outburst from me.

"Sure." I replied and she stepped aside to let me in.

"So, what did he do to make you so upset?" She asked. "I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

"No." I said softly. "I don't mind. You should know what you're marrying into."

I walked over to the couch and flopped down on it, leaving the plush chair for her.

"Your soon to be, wanted to get back at me so he dismantled the charitable contributions department that I set up when I took ownership. Now, the girl who headed up the department has been sent packing and will most likely end up back on the streets because of his stupidity."

Emily went to cover her mouth in grief.

"Charitable contributions?"

"It's the department that helps homeless shelters and people. It was supposed to raise charity for various individuals and factions. When I took ownership last year, I wanted to see that Swan Enterprises gave back to the community so, as a stipulation of my acceptance, I started the department."

"And then you gave it to this girl to run?"

"Well…yeah, because I was going to go back to school and didn't think I could accept that responsibility but this girl, Angela, has done miraculous things for it. She is able to maximize every single cent, utilize every donation to the fullness. She's a miracle worker and has a real heart for it, because she knows what it was to be on the street and she did it with two young kids. She's an inspiration and someone who should be praised and today, Michael fired her, and not only did he fire her, but he let go a whole slew of other people that Angela brought in to help run the department. The majority of these people were also off the streets."

"Well, where will they go now?" Emily asked.

"Back to the streets I imagine. Back to where they belong, isn't that right, Bella?" Michael answered from the top of the stairs.

I narrowed my eyes at his insult.

"Back where they belong?" I challenged. "You're just like father."

"No. You're just like father." He spit. "Which is rather interesting since you can't even blame biology for that. You wanted old Bella back. The Bella that our father helped raise you to be. Well, what the hell did you think was going to happen? Old Bella didn't care about people or the homeless so why are you here? Why do you care?"

"That's bullshit! I cared about people!"

"Who? Your great influences, Lauren and Jessica? Who exactly did you care about back then?"

I didn't answer because he was right. I couldn't think of a single person that I genuinely cared about before the Horizons bet.

"I cared about grandfather."

Michael laughed. "No, you didn't. You didn't even spend time with him until your little bet happened, and even if you had, you disgrace his memory with this rediscovery that you're entertaining."

I folded my arms over my chest and tried to keep out his horrible words.

"I don't care what you think about me. You put back that department now! That's an order!" I demanded.

"No. You see, I had one of our analyst run the numbers, and based on your couple hundred thousand dollar shopping spree in the first week back as old Bella, he projected that the only way to combat those numbers is by closing various departments over the course of the year. Today was the Charitable Contributions department. Next week, we will move onto another department until the company will no longer be able to sustain and shut down forever or what I imagine will happen is that our investors will begin to pull out, because why would they want a you managing their money, when you can't even manage your own. What you don't realize is that even though our father was a real asshole, he put a cap on your spending, which is the reason why it never affected the company before, but now seeing how you are our new fearless leader, I imagine that you will run our fathers…your grandfather's company into the ground in no time."

"That's ridiculous! The only reason why I spent so much this week was for necessity. I now have a car. I have a house and I have a proper wardrobe, so I won't be spending money like that again for some time…"

"And what happens when you want something else to try and fill that soul of yours? A yacht? A five star trip to Paris? Your own plane…it's only a matter of time before your black AMEX strikes again, and when it does, it will send a whole new group of people to the end of the unemployment line or to the soup kitchen line, but don't worry, Alice's funds come through other various donations as well as Cullen Media Group, so at least your climb to the top won't leave those people in need of food completely screwed."

"Fuck you, Michael!" I shouted out of frustration. "You give Angela back her job!"

"We can't afford to. Angela is going to have to head straight back to where she came from, but if you want to absolve yourself any wrong doing on your part, why don't you invite her to stay with you. Your house is big enough and I'm sure even she would swallow her pride for the sake of putting a roof over her children's head to live at the person's house that was the reason for her ruin."

"God dammit, Michael! What the fuck do you want me to do? Sell back the car? Would that make you happy?"

Michael didn't respond right away. I think he liked seeing me tortured. He breathed out slowly and then took a seat down where Emily had left after it began to get messy in here.

"I'll make you a deal." He calculatedly stated. "Keep your car if you must, but I want you to find the funds that you spent and put them back."

"How am I supposed to do that? I don't have a job. I would be taking the funds out of Swan Enterprises and that's the same thing."

"Then I suggest you get creative. You may want to bring in some help. I hear Angela is free these days and she does have a keen sense when it comes to stretching a buck."

I huffed and shook my head. "Fine!"

"And then…"

"There's more?" I gasped.

"Obviously." He replied pointedly. "I want you to sell your house to make up some of the difference on your new…old house. It won't completely cover the cost, but every little bit helps, as I'm sure you found back in your days at Horizons. Also, I suggest that you find cheap help to move your contents out of your old place, wouldn't want you to spend much needed clothing money on movers and such."

"So you don't want me to spend any money ever, is that it?"

"No. I want you to be more responsible. To know that as much as you think you're entitled to your heart's desire, you can't afford it, because nothing you buy will ever be able to replace him, Bella. But don't worry because I think I have come up with a solution to help you out with that. Lastly, if you want the Charitable Contributions department back, I want you to seek out a therapist."

"Are you out of your mind? The last thing I'm going to do is go and sit on some dude's couch like a nutter and spill my guts so that he can tell me I'm fucked up. News flash, I already know I'm fucked up."

"Put back the money, sell your house, and get help. That's the only way I will help you." Michael spit.

"Help me? How the fuck are you helping me exactly?"

"You're not the only one father fucked up, you know! I happen to see a therapist."

I pulled back, shocked by his omission.

"Yeah, that's right. I'm a nutter, but it has helped me and you need help more than you care to believe." He stood back up and straightened out himself. "The choice is yours. Either do what I asked or abandon those who need you."

He turned and left me sitting in his living room alone. I couldn't believe that he was seeing a doctor. He was never the type to seek out professional head help. I'd bet anything that Emily was behind that. There was no way he would go unless she requested it. We were raised to believe that therapy were for the weak-minded who couldn't fix their own problems. Therapy was for psychos and sociopaths not for people like us.

I stood up from the couch and took a minute to compose myself before leaving. The house was silent, and I wondered what Emily and Michael were doing or saying but I couldn't hear a thing. I sighed and went to leave while my mind went over and over our conversation. What was I going to do? On one hand, I could just go about my business and go home and forget about everyone and everything. Old Bella would prefer that.

I nibbled on my lip while I drove my shiny new car toward my destination. I could almost feel Edward's presence while I tried to make a life altering decision. Of course, I already knew what he would want me to do; it was no secret how offensive my shopping had always been to him. If we were still together, I probably wouldn't have made it through the front door with my new keys. He would have marched me right back down to that dealership and forced me to take the car back, all the while telling me how many people we could have feed on the cost of it.

I just had to keep that car! It was a sign of my independence, but how was I going to put back all that money to help Angela get her job back? The more and more I thought about my situation, the more I came to the conclusion that this was all Edward's fault. Completely not in my right mind, I did something that was so childish, so inexcusably stupid that I never spoke of it to anyone.

I parked the car in front of the house and pulled my phone out of my purse as I went to climb out. I backed up a little from the car and found the camera setting. I lined up the perfect shot, snapped, and sent it before I thought about what I had done. I could feel my skin heat up instantly and a part of me wished I was drunk, because than I would have had a reason to send the silly pick to my ex. The second I hit send, I immediately regretted my actions. It wasn't that I was proud of my new car, but that I hoped that it would bring him some amount of pain the way he had hurt me. Look at me and my new flashy, overpriced car. My my, how my life has gotten better without you and your nagging. See how I single handedly tore down everything that you built with one expensive decision. Now all those people who benefited from Swan Enterprises help will go without.

I fell asleep on the couch in my living room with a bottle of something in my right hand and box of tissues in my left. I hated that I cried myself to sleep. What exactly was I crying over?

The doorbell ringing was the thing to bring me out of my stupor, and unknowingly, I dropped the bottle out of my hand and the contents spilled over the carpet, well, what was left of the contents. Not even caring about the strong odor seeping into the floor, I managed to pull myself up to see who was at my door.

It was Angela.

"I'm sorry…I know I shouldn't bother you at home. Alice gave me your address and I wondered if I could speak to you for a minute."

She was the last person I wanted to see. Every time I looked at her, I saw the person whose life I was ruining. Would it have been better to never give that job to her at all?

"Where are the kids?" I asked.

"School. I dropped them off and came straight here."

I pulled the door open wider and as she entered and thought about Michael's words to me of letting her stay at my house to ease my guilt, but walking back into my television room, it was clear with one look at the bottle of spilt alcohol that it would be unwise to bring kids here.

"I don't know what to say. I can't help you….I talked to my brother and he told me in order to restart the Charitable Contributions department, I would have to finish three tasks and they are all but nearly impossible to do so…"

"I'm sorry." Angela waved me to a stop. "I never should have called you over last night. I went to Alice because I was upset obviously and she said we should call you. It's not your fault. We all have our ups and downs and yesterday was my down, but it's up to me to find my up. That's what I wanted to come here and say, I'm sorry for making you feel like it was your problem to fix."

She looked over to my spilled mess and bit her lip. "Bella…if you don't mind…I know you're going through a tough time but if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here and I won't judge you or make you feel bad."

I felt myself tearing up and I gave an awkward laugh.

"You had an impossibly shitty day and I'm the reason for it and you want to help me?"

"You're not the reason for it."

"Yes, I am!" I said. "If I hadn't went on my shopping spree and bought my car than you wouldn't be out of a job. Michael said he could reinstate the program if I paid the money back, but how am I supposed to come up with nearly two hundred thousand dollars. It's impossible. Plus, he wants me to sell my other house and move all my crap out of it and if I choose to use movers than that will be added on to that impossible number. He wants me to see a therapist, which I imagine is like the worst possible experience ever. I want to help you, I do, but I am so beyond unable to do so."

She nodded her head understandingly and sat down opposite me.

"You've been through a lot…more than most people. Maybe talking to someone won't be so bad. What if they help you answer some of the questions that have been filling your head? The more questions answered, the quieter it might be up there."

I sighed and leaned back, letting my head fall to the back of the couch.

"Do you…really care about the Charitable Contributions department? Be honest…does any part of you actually want to keep the department if it wasn't for your conscious pressuring you?"

I didn't know how to answer her bold question. Did I really care about it?

"It was something you started because of Edward. Maybe to help you get over him, you should walk away from it so you can have peace. There are other ways to give back; it doesn't have to be with the homeless or less fortunate. Maybe there's a different charity out there that can bring you peace." She offered.

I thought back to my time at Horizons and wondered if maybe she was right. But like a rolodex, my mind went through image after image of all the people I had met over my time there, and I was left with the realization that I really did care what happened to them. Unknowingly, when Edward came into my life and posed as a homeless person, he would change my view forever on the world that I was completely oblivious to.

"I want to help you get your department back. I'll sell the car back if need be."

Angela gave me a small smile, "Are you sure about this? I don't want you doing something you'll regret."

"Well…if you can help me figure out how to get together the rest of the money and move out of my old house than…it's the least I can do."

"Will we have the full backing of Swan Enterprises?" She questioned.

"That will be the least my brother can do." I replied. "Maybe there is some kind of event we can hold to help with funds."

"Well, I always thought it would be fun to have a carnival. Invite all these really important people and play to their kids' hearts. People are more likely to spend money if they can bring their families along. We could have games and rides, just like an old fashioned carnival, and a lot of my contacts could help out for minimal costs." She explained.

"Rides and games." I said thoughtfully.

"And food. Carnival food is the best!"

"Like…pies."

"Pies?" She wondered.

"Like a pie eating contest. They have those at carnivals." I snapped my fingers together, "I just figured out how to make this money back and cross something off my life list. Angela, we have a lot of work to do!"

AN: thank you for reading and reviewing! I am blown away by the wordy reviews that I have received. Its great to hear how passionate you all feel about this story. Thank you!

Thank you soo much to my amazing beta Robstenvampgirl and your continuous work on these stories!

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. Story is mine.