FOR SALE BY OWNER

By Ninapolitan

Summary:

AH NM/AU Bella leaves Edward in the hopes of giving him a better life. By fleeing on Christmas Eve,

she unknowingly abandoned him on the night he was to propose. After finding her final gift years later, he vows

to find her again for a second chance.

~ Prologue ~

It was unseasonably cold for a late November Seattle night. The temperature plummeted into the low thirties,

bringing in snowy gales along with the frigid weather. That was the first indication that he should have re-
thought his decision to drive the three plus hours to see her. The holiday shopping traffic nightmare between

Port Angeles and the metropolis was another check in the 'stay home' column that he ignored. His mind was
made up. Even if it was to stoke the fire of his masochism. He needed to see her, to speak with her. To let her
know how he felt.

Wisps of the blustery snow swirled around Edward's hood covered head, educing a trio of shivers down his
spine. The shadows cast from the streetlamp above acted as a camouflage for his tall frame as he lurked on

the nearly uninhabited street below. His holly green eyes fixated on the second story brownstone window and
the holiday scene that played out before him. Edward's eyes began to water. A mix of the cold sting from the
wind, but more from the vision of what his life should have been.

Tightly wrapped in the deep red chenille blanket, sat Bella. Ironically, what Edward didn't know, was that it
was a gift from his sister on the couple's last Christmas together. Her petite body was dwarfed by the high
back, black leather arm chair. The crimson throw was tucked neatly beneath her chin, shielding all but her

face, her long chestnut hair and the two thin pale fingers that twirled the tasseled edges. Even from his lesser
vantage point, he knew there was a fire crackling and sparking in the hearth behind her. The orangey red
flames were responsible for the golden glow highlighting the earthy tone of her hair.

A tuft of steam rose from beside her, a tell-tale sign of the Russian Caravan tea she always loved. He
envisioned the setup with perfect clarity. She called it her snow globe arrangement and it was best suited for

the Olympic winters. The chair was always positioned directly in front of the window that afforded her with
the best view of the powder covered landscape. The wobbly, skinny antique wooden table resting on top of
the old circular wool rug. Grandmother Swan's demitasse cup with the chipped chintz gold lip and the gaudy
pink roses filled with the steaming golden liquid. A bizarre accompaniment for the expensive tea but the only

one she ever served it in. The furniture setting reminded him of the dollhouses that his sister Alice had when
they were children. No matter where Bella lived, those antique pieces were never arranged differently.

"It's comforting." she had whispered softly to him when he questioned the strange placement. "I can lose
myself watching the snow."

Memories of their time together kept Edward warm with a false sense of heat, even as the degrees dropped
further. His feet were numb from being sedentary for nearly two hours in the cold and he needed to move.

Wrapping his hand around the lamppost for support, he took his eyes off of the window for only a moment to
roll his neck around to stretch, checking his coat for the box that lay beneath.

Slowly opening his eyes, the flakes collected on his lashes before he lowered and fixed his gaze back upon the

window. She was still there, huddled toasty warm under the blanket, but a dark shadow passed behind her,
the fireplace giving the large shape a menacing quality. His fists clenched beneath the thick downy gloves,
pain resonating through his fingers from the cold and the force of the motion.

The large shadowy mass moved towards Bella, causing Edward's breath to catch in panic. "No," he gasped,
nervous pricks shooting through his body. Was she being attacked? Had someone broken in as she sat

catatonic and he lurked below? None of those scenarios were true, though what he watched next made him
wish someone had attacked him instead. As he stepped closer to the window, and Bella, his features were
revealed. A large hand pulled the blanket up to cover her shoulder, resting his hand on top. Bending over

slightly, he appeared to kiss the the top of her head. Edward's heart crumbled as her hand dropped the frayed
tassels and placed it on top of his. Her eyes never met his, choosing to remain focused on the falling snow.

Edward took it as his cue to leave.

~*~

~ Chapter One ~

One-Eyed Jake's was the quintessential collegiate bar buried deep in the heart of Port Angeles. Located

strategically within walking distance of the campus, it was an rarity for it to be seemingly empty on the
weekends. The welcoming aspect of Jake's was the mixed clientele. Co-eds, geeks, the sporting elite and even

the alumni and professors would pop in and mingle.

The proprietors, Jake Black and his partner Leah, were graduates and legacies of Port Angeles University and

dabbled in the art of matchmaking. They were tragically unsuccessful in their coupling ventures but their 0-
152 record didn't deter them at all. So when PAU alum Emmett Cullen and his family arrived for the semi-
private party, Jake and Leah had a gut feeling that they'd finally get their first win.

Everyone knew of the Cullen family, at least by name, stature and reputation. From the sleepy town of Forks
straight through the booming megalopolis of Seattle, it preceded them wherever the children went. Not that
they had anything to be ashamed of, no well kept skeletons in their closets or seedy cover-ups of

inappropriate behavior. Quite the opposite, actually. Their illustrious family history was the proverbial
golden ticket to the three Cullen children, yet they were raised to not rely on the name alone and the benefits
it brought but to build their own path through life. And that they did.

The youngest of the Cullen progeny, Edward, had led the most charmed of lives. Blessed childhood, musically
inclined, excellent student with accolades a mile long. All his attributes garnering him the ability to

essentially go anywhere he wanted for his formal education and in life. He chose instead to stay close to his
family. Turning down full scholarships to Dartmouth, Stanford and other Ivy Leagues, he enrolled at UDub,
citing that to the Cullens, family was everything.

He was at the bar to celebrate his older brother's impending nuptials. Emmett Cullen and Jake had been stars
of the PAU rugby team, fraternity brothers and friends during their college life. Due to a move to Seattle, the

elder Cullen hadn't lost touch with him, but visits to the bar had become less frequent as they grew up. But,
when searching for a proper venue to host his stag and hag party, he and his bride-to-be Rose insisted they
head to Jake's for a bit of a reunion.

Jake's wasn't closed to the general public that night but it was advertised that a private soiree was being held
and therefore much of the establishment would be filled with family members and old friends. That didn't
stop Bella Swan from showing up, though. Celebrating her birthday at Jake's was something that Bella's

friends had planned for months. Jake and Leah being the main antagonists to get her there specifically on that
night, knowing that if they played their cards right, Bella and Edward would find each other, or get pushed
together thanks to two budding cupids.

Their meeting was, for all intents and purposes, a disaster of epic proportions.

Bella's mouth to brain filter was severely compromised thanks to too many shots of the Jose Cuervo she was
being served by the handsome bartender, Embry. His own aspirations to woo the Swan girl were severely
stifled thanks to her inability to handle liquor. Perched atop leather stools near the end of the bar, Bella and

her dear friend Jessica were enjoying their evening a bit too much.

Likewise, Edward and his friends and family were at Jake's celebrating his brother's impending nuptials.
Emmett was finally getting married to his kindergarten sweetheart Rose. They met on the playground when a

bulky young Emmett kicked a soccer ball at Rose, hitting her square in the head. The teaching staff rushed to
the young, blonde, pig-tailed Hale girl, convinced they'd find her in tears, or worse.

Imagine their surprise when the found her pounding her tiny fists into the arms of the eldest Cullen, her
eyelet dress covered in dirt. They each apologized to the other and were inseparable since that day. Twenty-
two years later and they were finally going to be married in a ceremony that didn't take place next to the

monkey-bars at the Forks Elementary school. Edward, his best man, decided to respect his brother's wishes
and forgo the antiquated right of passage of bachelor parties. Instead of including strippers and the potential
for diseases, they opted for hanging out with their friends and getting sauced.

Women were off limits that night, at least that was the plan. Michael Newton, one of Edward's college friends,
had made the trip to him to attend the wedding as his plus one. Michael had convinced Edward that
bridesmaids were the only date they needed and insisted that he tag along to help him with the daunting task

of entertaining Rose's friends. What Mike didn't count on was seeing Bella and Jessica when they first walked
in and he had been working up the courage to approach them.

Hours passed as laughter ensued and with the amount of drinks flowing, the call of nature was quickly upon
them. The gentlemen excused themselves as Emmett was trying to do a shot while hanging upside down – it
didn't work. Having their inhibitions greatly diminished thanks to the heavy libations proved to be a lesson in

strategic walking. The young men tried to look in control, all while failing miserably as Mike tripped and
bumped into the women he was admiring.

"Oh, fuck, I mean fucking shit, no I meant just shit. No! I mean no shit. Ah, damn it, what the hell," Michael
cursed, his face as red as cinnamon schnapps. Mortification flowed through him like the fiery shots they
consumed. Edward just lowered and shook his head, too embarrassed for his friend to look the women in the
eye. The vomitous rambling knocked the unapologetic, arrogant man down a few pegs when the women

laughed riotously at his transgression.

Edward saved his friend by shooting a flirtatious smile and a wink at the object of Mike's affections. In his

haste, dragging him into the bathroom at the end of the bar, he missed seeing the pretty face of the other
brunette hiding behind a curtain of shiny hair.

"What the hell was that?" Edward laughed, slapping Mike on the back of the head, attempting to snap his
friend back into a semi-coherent state.

"Did you see her?" the drunk Newton warbled, swaying slightly from being smacked. Eyes fixated in awe at the
ceiling, the fluorescent lights above made the room spin and dance before making him even dizzier "She's

gorgeous...I think I'm in love," he cried happily, then proceeded to throw up on the gray linoleum in the men's
room, narrowly missing their shoes.

The ever loyal Edward wondered which of the beauties had caught Mike's eye. He hoped it was the petite girl

with the fruity looking concoction and not the one chatting with the bartender with the great taste in beer. He
managed to clean his friend and the floor up without incident. At least it was mostly without error. When he
tried to clean off Mike's face, he may have accidentally clunked his head off of the edge of the sink. He was

certain, in his epic levels of inebriation, that his friend didn't feel it... much.

As they stumbled, relatively clean and impossibly more intoxicated, out of the bathroom, Edward grabbed his

wobbling friend in an attempt to keep himself vertical, but to the young ladies watching them from the bar,
their linked armed embrace seemed... intimate. Jessica thought they looked like Banana Republic models,
perfectly dressed from head to toe, too attractive for their own good. She was crushed that they were gay.

"Bells, I think they're you know... together," Jessica whispered sadly, pointing to the handsome duo as Mike
fixed Edward's crooked fedora, squeezing his cheeks and wiggling his face in the process. "Seriously, who
under the age of sixty-five wears a fedora? Unless they're gay?"

Her cautiously optimistic friend disagreed. "I don't think they're together and guys who want to emulate the
Rat Pack wear fedoras" She smiled at the attractive man in the classic black hat hoping for him to

acknowledge her in return. Confirming her observation, Edward walked over to them dragging a heavily
pickled Mike along behind him.

"Act natural," Jess whispered as she quickly fluffed her hair, licked her lips and then adjusted her chest to rest
nearly beneath her chin. "I want the one on the right."

"My right or your right?" Bella asked, confused, facing the bar, keeping her back to the gentlemen. The liquor
swirling in her belly was clearly affecting her mind and sending all rational thought out of the window. "I like
the one on my right, no my left, no...shit. Pay attention!" Bella turned to greet them after earning a resounding

smack on the arm from Jessica for not playing along.

"Can we buy you ladies a round of drinks?" the darker haired one that Bella had been admiring asked
hopefully, the brim of the black hat tipping over his eyes. With his long, slender index finger, he pushed it up

slowly, revealing a wide grin as he leaned towards them. Lifting her hand gently from her lap, he kissed her
soft hand, smiling as the scarlet from her sweater spread across her cheeks. "I'm Edward. And you are?"

Minutes passed, allowing Bella to study his features, memorizing the flurry of freckles across his nose, the tiny
silvery scar above his left eye and the shock of emotion swimming in his eyes. A sharp kick to her shin along
with a trio of snickers alerted Bella to her staggeringly poor manners. "I've been drinking," she said, her lame

apology making her cringe. "I mean, it's my birthday and I've been drooling shots and drinking over you." The
faux pas continuing to tumble out, furthering her embarrassment.

"Well, it seems we have something in common," Edward mused, squeezing her hand in support. "I've been
drool drinking too." Bella laughed at his ability to put her at ease. The light-hearted banter they shared
quickly dissipated from the room as he slowly brushed his lips against her hand, causing her to become very
uncomfortable in the seat.

"Do you guys need some space?" Jessica giggled at the pair who seemed to have forgotten their guests.

"More like a flat surface, high five!" Mike drunkenly snorted, holding his swaying hand in the air for Jessica to
slap. Rolling her eyes at him, her palm met his with a crack, but Mike wanted to channel some of Edward's

suave moves. He tried to be as debonair as his friend and kissed Jess's hand affectionately, but instead left a
sloppy snail like trail of spittle over her knuckles.

"Dude," Mike's friend chided and handed Jess a cocktail napkin.

"S-sorry," he lamely apologized to a smiling and obviously easily impressed Jessica.

"Nobody has ever done that for me before," she sighed, gripping the sides of his face and pulling him into a
scorching, and sloppy, kiss.

"Okay," Bella sang, watching her friend wrap her jean clad legs around the stumbling Mike. His bearings
returned quickly and with two large hands he righted himself as they continued to give their friends a nearly
pornographic show.

"Want to get out of here?" Bella asked, flushed from being at such a close proximity to the live show next to
them.

"God, yes," Edward groaned, equally exasperated.

With that, they linked hands and ran for the front door, waving to their confused friends and family as they
greeted the frosty air.

~*~

~ Chapter Two ~

The abysmal housing market in Washington had finally appeared to be making a comeback and for as much

as it pained him, Edward Cullen's decision was set. The modest home they never got to share would be put up

for sale. The picket fence he never got to paint would remain weathered and worn, a chore for the next couple
to tackle. The tattered and warped shutters would remain sullen gray and unhinged until a happy couple
moved in.

"They'll probably be newlyweds," he huffed, unlocking the large oak door with the shiny silver key, the brass
hinges moaning in protest as the hardly used front entrance edged open. The bright sunlight filtered in from

behind him, illuminating the darkened house as he stepped inside.

Edward loved the old brick red house on first sight and was hopeful that Bella would as well. Settled far
enough back from the road, he envisioned their children playing in the front yard, chasing the dog and playing

with the hose while he cut the grass and she baked them cookies. Antiquated and nostalgic images filtered
through his mind. The Better Homes and Gardens lifestyle was not something that Bella ever wanted.

Bella knew that her surroundings affected her moods, probably more so than others. She explained to Edward
early on in their relationship that it was her mother and her flighty sensibilities that shaped her into the
woman that he met. Every detail in her apartment was nearly permanent in its arrangement; the colors,

pictures and even the tiniest of details enhanced her life.

Edward allowed himself to momentarily give into a memory of when they met. How she had reacted to seeing
her friends giving in to their mutual desire for the other. The invisible fist tightened around Edward's heart as

his mind drifted back to that night. The fogged up windows in his car, her wispy panted breaths as she came.

It wasn't perfect, it wasn't romantic, but it was them.

Smiling sadly at the memory of their passionate night together, Edward wondered what happened with Jake,
Leah and their bar, having lost contact with him when Bella left. He knew that he and Leah split and that he
sold the bar, but anything after that was a mystery. It was the nature of a breakup. Friends and family being

forced to choose sides and only remaining close with one of the pair.

As Edward crossed the threshold into the front room, his hand reached out into the stream of light to his left.

Pale fingers danced in the warmth, catching the dust particles that floated aimlessly in the sunlight. A dark
chuckle escaped him, sending the flecks scattering throughout the air.

He laughed at the level of jealousy that flowed through him over the dust. Who was jealous of dust? Edward
was. Simply because it was free. Edward always felt like he was missing something. Sure he had a happy life, a
wonderful supportive family and a job he adored but there was something amiss. That one piece to complete

the whole. With Bella came a new light, he felt full in a way that he never had before.

Though when she left she took that light with her, leaving him an empty shell. With the light extinguished, it

drained him of that optimism of being finally complete. Even returning to his previous life, the three quarter
full existence he had wasn't possible, the luster was gone. His once content and happy life had become empty.

Each step into the house brought more memories, more heartache and more signals that he had neglected

what he bought for her. Faded and filthy, the large red bow mocked him as it sat next to the door crumpled in
a ball.

Their house.

Blankets of dust covered the woodwork, two years thick. His finger traced a wobbly line into tufts of dirt that

rested along the wood panels of the walls. It was the first sign of life that the house had seen since he locked
the door behind him the day she walked out of his life.

All the boxes he and his family brought over that day remained stacked, unmoved and nearly forgotten. She
left town with a lofty explanation and a brief apology, leaving behind everything that they built in their years
together. His parents and sister boxed it all away, protecting him from the misery that would be inflicted upon
him had he needed to do it himself.

Now, with the possible sale of the house, it would all need to be sorted, revisited and dealt with. Once and for
all. Their memories would be either discarded or sent to her, not that she'd want them. Not that he even knew

where she was. He tried to find her. His sister Alice tried as well, but to no avail. Within hours, any trail of her
vanished, all roads leading to dead ends. Edward knew deep in the recesses of his heart that he'd never
discard any of her belongings. He'd continue to move the boxes with him wherever he went to remind himself

that because he couldn't change, she left.

Edward harbored feelings for his lost love since the day she walked away from him, leaving him downtrodden

and broken. He should have known that it wouldn't last, they were too different. His focus was his family,
friends and his life in Forks. She didn't have any family left, save for Jake, and children weren't in her future
path.

The writing career he built for himself was perfectly suited for the dreary, rain soaked Olympic town. She, on
the other hand, possessed sheer determination, motivation and passion in her unfailing need to get the hell

out of Dodge. The hustle and bustle of the city was what she craved, while he craved only her.

Edward was content writing for the Port Angeles Ledger and doing the national pieces he sold to magazines.

Bella pushed him to submit his work to more periodicals, the major ones that would bring him notoriety, but
he didn't need that. Bella felt that she was too driven for Forks or Port Angeles. After she and Jess graduated,
her friend landed a high paying, ladder climbing job in Seattle, where the energy poured down like the rain in
the Olympic towns.

Coincidentally, Bella got the call from her friend to join her when she was with his sister, having their annual
day for Christmas shopping. During lunch, Alice recognized a serious overcast looming over the table after her

brother's love spoke with Jessica. What Alice didn't know was how that bit of information would affect her
brother's holiday.

The young Mr. Cullen couldn't bear to spend another Christmas with the albatross of a house she never saw.
Even though she had no memories of the rooms, each one he managed to finish reflected subtle nuances of
her. From the deep russet colored dining room walls, the colors pulled from the highlights in her hair, to the

gold flecked sconces that adorned the walls, mirroring the hues of her eyes. Each room, each piece of
furniture, each painting, all of it he bought, orchestrating it all just for her. He painstakingly painted and
decorated the rooms for the weeks leading up to that fateful Christmas. Now, darkened in their dusty state, it
all just remained as a painful reminder of the woman who walked away and how he wasn't enough to keep

her.

Phoning the Forks Realtor was going to be a chore. A call that Edward didn't necessarily want to make,

knowing that Heidi Dellacava and her insistent eternal optimism would be the realtor. 'For Sale by Owner'
wasn't something he knew he could follow through with. Heidi was an old friend, albeit a silver lining kind of
girl. She was one of the few people, aside from his immediate family, that recognized this Edward as a shell of

who he once was. So he made the call to the woman who sold him the house.

"Heidi, it's time," his cold, dead tone the typical intonation of his voice since she'd left.

~*~

~ Chapter Three ~

After nearly three years together, Bella thought she knew just about everything there was to know about

Edward Cullen. Her problem was not what she didn't know, but what she did, and she hated herself every day
because of it. Marriage, children, a home with a yard and growing old together was what she saw in his eyes
when they talked about their future. She knew that level of happiness wasn't meant for a person like her. Just

as her parents' marriage had become a ticking time bomb filled with loathing and depression, any future she
dared to hope for would suffer the same fate.

Having that knowledge - that foresight that it would end in misery - didn't stop her from trying to hold onto
him, though. Selfish to the core, she loved him fiercely and passionately, hoping that her mind and it's
unyielding negativity would listen to her heart and it's unstoppable purity. It seemed though that fate was
consistently against them, at least it felt that way to her.

After two years of them dating, Edward wanted them to move in together, to his apartment. His plea was that
they were together all the time, he wanted them to have a merged space. She knew he'd been thinking of it for

a while, she noted the subtle changes to his apartment every night when she got there. He was making space
for her as a permanent fixture in his life. The empty spaces on the mantel for her pictures to be mixed in with
his. Suddenly deciding that the guest bedroom closet needed to house his out-of-season clothes seemed

normal at the time. Conveniently, it left half of the master bedroom's walk-in closet empty for her things.

Edward's apartment was the larger of the two, it was newer and with modern amenities. It also happened to
have a significantly shorter commute to the four-star restaurant that she managed. As with everything in their

relationship, Bella's heart jumped in with two feet, ready to take the next step. Falling asleep wrapped
together and waking up giving into the passionate dreams they shared. Him being at home waiting for her
with her tea when she got done with work, exhausted and worn out from a hectic day. Something silly like

their shoes lined up together in the closet put a beaming smile on her face.

Until her toxic cynicism reared it's ugly head whenever she let herself be happy. Doubt destroyed the idyllic

image of them curled up in front of his fireplace. Even the rose colored dream she had where she was holding
their baby - something she was always adamantly opposed to in fear of putting their child through a broken
home. Replacing those happy thoughts with the notion that he wanted to change her, by asking her to move

into his apartment instead of vice versa. It was the first step, her mind argued. Giving up her freedom would
only be the start.

Would he expect her to come home from a restaurant and make dinner? What about the general maintenance

of the apartment? Caring and being responsible for only one person was daunting enough on her, but to add
another into the mix? A man who always had everything done for him by an overprotective mother, no less,
would be a nightmare. Memories of Renee forgetting to pay their bills and Bella writing out checks at twelve

years old filtered into her mind. Infidelity by her father impressed upon her that happy endings were only
found in the pages of fairy tales. The painful reminders were at the forefront of her mind; that she too would
just repeat the cycle that started with her own parents.

When he finally presented her with the culmination and realization of her fears, her response unknowingly
set the course for the end of their relationship.

"What is this?" Bella asked, holding the velvet box wrapped in the red bow in her trembling hands. Surprising
her with his attempt at a home-cooked dinner, his mannerisms were tense at best. Curt responses had her on
edge, fearing the worst without having any solid reason to.

Edward smiled lovingly at her, putting her only slightly at ease. "Just open it."

Pushing off the lid, her eyes were on auto pilot, closed in fear. "It's not a ring, Bella," he whispered sadly, his
tone slicing yet another hole in her heart.

Tucked inside the box, settled on a pillow of white satin, sat a key. A simple, shiny, silver gift from his heart
that conveyed hope for a life together. Her fingers ghosted over the tiny present as it quickly became covered
in salty drops.

"I-I can't," she whimpered, afraid to see the hurt and sadness on his handsome face.

Blaming her non-existent old fashioned sensibilities, she thought saying that she wanted marriage first would
let him down easy. Explaining that they weren't ready for that step, he agree - though heartbroken- that
maybe she was right. A house and a wedding should be first since he was always an all or nothing man.

What Bella didn't realize was that her love wasn't deterred, but instead inspired to give her just that. The
surprise, which in general she had always hated, would be the crack that finally crumbled the foundation of

their relationship.

After the rejected request to move in, the following months were very telling for Bella. Little by little, shady

behavior and inconsistencies started to seep into her life. As if to compound her already prominent doubt
over the possibility of their mutual happiness, she noticed subtle changes in Edward. Secretive, odd, hushed
phone calls would interrupt their dinner. There were weekly hangups on the answering machine in his
apartment. Glaring oddities weighed heavily on her mind and she was convinced that something brutal to her

heart was afoot.

"He's screwing around on you, open your eyes," Jessica warned over coffee one afternoon. Never being one to

enjoy the novelty of love, Jess went through men like water. After years of using Mike with no hope of settling
down, she finally broke up with him to focus on her career and her restaurant.

"No, not Edward," Bella countered emphatically. "He'd never-," she paused, her lips trembling at the
possibility that he was. Taking a deep breath she continued, her heart winning this fight with her unrelenting
mind. "No, he loves me too much."

And that was the problem.

He loved her too much.

"If you say so. I still want you to come to Seattle, though. Leave this podunk town and spread your wings."
Jessica offered her friend the one thing she knew she'd never get in the small town of Port Angeles.

An exciting future.

~*~

~ Chapter Four ~

In the end, no matter how hard she tried convincing herself that maybe she did deserve a man like Edward

Cullen, her brain finally won out. Bella took the job.

In Seattle.

Away from Edward.

Rationalizing her decision - finally convincing herself that he was better off without her - was the only way she

could go through with breaking both his heart and her own. Her heart argued that with her gone, he would
find a woman that would give him all the things he wanted in life. A successful and loving marriage with a wife
without issues. The big country style house with the yard and the giant hairy beast of a dog he always

dreamed of having for their kids to play with. A woman to grow old with and die loving with all of his heart.

That was what her leaving would allow him.

Her mind, on the other hand, took the selfish route once again. Seattle was what was best for Bella. All the
years spent in college earning her undergrad and then her MBA would finally be put to use. Running a

successful business would keep her too busy to be hurt by a relationship. She would be fine on her own, a
solitary life for her would mean happiness for Edward.

That made her decision worth it.

It was all for him.

The timing was what was currently consuming her thoughts. There never seemed to be a good time for the
miserable conversation to take place. Negotiations with his new agent meant he came home late many nights.
Her busy schedule running between her current restaurant and Jessica's in Seattle bogged down her

weekends.

As Christmas approached so did her January start date and she had yet to find a suitable townhouse to call

home. Or more importantly, tell her boyfriend that she was leaving him.

Her old friend Jake had phoned her out of the blue, extending an offer to help her search for a house. When

questioning him as to how he knew of her impending move, she got an ear full. Not only had Jess told him
about the job offer she extended to Bella, but also how she was leaving Edward behind. Having moved to
Seattle himself a few years prior, he knew of up and coming neighborhoods for her to check out. Bella learned

that after a brief split with Leah and selling the bar, Jake had become depressed. Leah, who had always been a
bit of a handful, had become excessively emotional and irritable and nothing he did helped.

One morning, he woke up to a note saying that she decided to move back to the reservation where her family

was. That while she loved him, it wasn't enough. Papers from an attorney were there, signing over her part of
the bar, but in the end, without her with him, he sold it.

"Twenty-nine days after I woke up alone, I saw her walking into the diner back in Forks," Jake explained one
night while they were house hunting. "She looked...different, sad and lonely - but beautiful and glowing. I sat
in my truck waiting for her to reappear and when she did Bella, I-," He stopped mid stride on the cold

sidewalk to turn to an anxious Bella.

"She was pregnant," he smiled, bright and ecstatic. "With the bar and not being married she got spooked at

how I'd react. Bella, it killed me to think that she assumed the business meant more to me than she was. That
they wouldn't be more important." Jake finished and his story filled her heart with a level of unending sadness
that she found herself unable to breathe.

Seeing a bleak and gray tinged future of Edward settling for a life he didn't want, then resenting her, sent a
panicked sense of urgency through Bella. The sooner she ended it the sooner he'd be able to move on.

Move on and find someone else.

Bella's small frame lurched away from Jake, just in time to stain the snow covered sidewalk outside the

townhouse she would soon rent.

"Are you sure this is what's best?" Jake asked her, leveled in grief that the relationship he and his wife were

sure would work out broke down before him.

"He deserves a better life-," she cried, slumping over again in heaves.

"I know what you're saying," he reasoned, but was met with cold, dead and determined eyes.

"It's done, I'm done. We're done." The mask and wall went up simultaneously, protecting her the only way she
knew how. "I am happy for you Jake and I can't wait to see Leah and your son."

During the long trip back to Port Angeles, Bella thought up scenarios that would best serve her purpose. A
flurry of inappropriate ideas paraded through her mind, none being suitable for getting the job done.

Knowing Edward, he'd fight for her, see through her lies and the weak facade she would exhibit. Breaking his
heart on Christmas, his favorite time of year, was her decision. The heartless act was necessary, at least in
Bella's mind, for what she felt was best for him.

Two days before Christmas, Bella's nerves reached an all time high. Lying to Edward would destroy the soul
she convinced herself she didn't have but she knew what she had to do to allow him to be happy. Worried

about her, Edward suggested she take time off from work since the 'stress' she was under was making her
sick. He had become so concerned for her that he reconsidered his grand plans for the holiday, not wanting to
add to the stress she was already feeling. His parents were called as a precaution in case they decided to stay

home instead of making the trip to his family home in Forks.

"The holidays are about happiness Bella." He smiled, and hugged her, hoping to reassure her that everything

was okay. All he accomplished was to deepen the hurt and guilt that wracked her body. "I hate seeing you so
sad, is there anything I can do?"

"I've got to step out for a bit," she responded tersely, pushing him away and pulling on her coat. "I forgot a last
minute gift, I'll be back soon." The door to his apartment slammed shut before he could stop her.

Her sudden departure worried Edward, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. He'd been doing that with

most of her odd behavior lately. Christmas at the restaurant always put Bella under added pressure. He
chocked it up to that.

They were in love with no sign of unhappiness, at least not to Edward. The clandestine work surrounding his
purchase of their house had Edward preoccupied. Once it was in the final closing stages, Heidi had given him
the key to begin work on it. The first room tackled was the front room with the fireplace, knowing it would be

her favorite. His plan for Christmas was the proposal and then the presentation of their future together.

Both wrapped in matching big red bows.

Emmett helped him secure the giant velvet ribbon to the house just that morning. "Eddie, it looks like crime
scene tape, like CSI Santa Edition," his brother teased, fastening it to the brick red outer wall with a large tack.
His brother didn't realize at the time his innocent remark would come true.

The holiday dinner at his parents' house was a grand occasion and fitting for his romantic plans. Edward had
prepared his entire family for the big news and the impending celebration. He was positive she'd say yes and

that they'd be able to start their new life together in the home he bought them. Alice suggested several
exciting proposal ideas but none of them suited Edward.

Just like that night when they first met, he donned his silly black fedora and would kiss her hand and ask for
forever.

They arrived that ill fated night, snow covered and shivering. Bundles of beautifully wrapped packages filled
their arms, the one she found last minute at the antique store tucked securely in her coat. As they traversed
over the slick walkway leading up to the Cullen home, they enjoyed the beautiful landscape around them. The

surrounding woods were filled with evergreen tress that were dusted in snow. Bella paused momentarily just
to enjoy the wispy flakes of snow that fell and she let out the last laugh she knew she'd share with Edward.

"What's so funny,?" Edward asked with a smile, setting down the gifts on a snow-free patch of stone. Lifting
her off the ground and into hug, he kissed each of her rosy cheeks before gently placing her back down. He

contemplated proposing then, but he promised his family they'd be a part of it.

"It's like we're in a snowglobe Edward, I just... I wish we could stay frozen here," Bella admitted sadly,

knowing full well that their time was nearly up.

"We will freeze if we stay out here, come on I have a surprise for you." He took her hand and scooped up the
packages before ringing the doorbell.

The Cullens, in all their glory, stood tall and proud in the grand foyer of their home, the ornately decorated
tree providing the magical backdrop for his surprise and the worst possible sight for Bella.

It couldn't wait.

The night would just drag out the hope for him and she couldn't bear to bring him any more pain that what
she would already be causing.

Kissing and hugging each member of the family, she took her time expressing to them how much she honestly
did love them.

"I just need a minute alone with Edward, if that's okay?" Bella said, squeezing his mother's hand as they
nodded and slowly walked away. Their worried expressions were seen loud and clear by Bella and she would
deserve every drop of hate they had for her.

Edward was oblivious to her plight. He was too focused on the snow crystals that were slowly melting into her
hair, their fading reflecting the lights from the tree beside her. He couldn't wait any longer.

The family was still within earshot of the foyer and he knew they were waiting patiently for the big question.
Not waiting for her to turn around, he stripped off his coat and took position on one knee, settling
uncomfortably in the sloshy mess left from his boots. Nothing could dampen his spirit though as he pulled the

box from his pocket.

Waiting until she thought they were alone, Bella wiped the tears away with her glove covered hands. Fighting

to keep her voice even, she didn't turn to face him. She knew if she saw him that she wouldn't be able to follow
through with her plans. Focusing on the way her hands twisted together, warming the velvet of the gloves, she
channeled every awful memory she had of the failed love in her life.

"I'm leaving," her voice broke just after the first two words, but it would take much more than that to drive
them apart. "I've taken another job and I'm leaving tonight. I-I know it's unexpected but it's what I need to do
for me."

Bella felt sick that he wasn't speaking. In fact, there weren't any noises coming from behind her at all. His
wordless state made it easier for her to continue unbidden. "I thought I could do this but, but I can't. I've lost

too much of myself and I need to find my way. I'm sorry." Finally breaking down, she knew that it was time to
leave. Jake had agreed to pick her up and she'd just have to walk into town to meet him earlier than expected.

"This is for you," she sobbed, pulling his box and an envelope from her pocket and resting them both on the
floor with the rest of the gifts. "Take care of yourself, Edward." With that, she moved around, keeping her back
to him until she reached the door.

Never turning to see his hand extended with the sparkling diamond ring that was wrapped around the key to
their new house.

Closing the front door behind her, she could hear the family rushing to his side and she knew he'd be okay and
better off without her.

~*~

~ Chapter Five ~

Edward's mother Esme had thrown herself next to her son, enveloping his large body into her arms. The ring

stayed elevated, as he remained unmoving, in shock from the worst turn of events he could have ever
fathomed. There were no tears, save for the ones falling from the eyes of his entire family as they stood
speechless next to the tree.

"Did she say yes?" Edward asked, confused. Shaking his head, hoping to clear it, the only women in his line of
sight were his mother, sister and Rose. Bella wasn't there.

"Did she say yes!" He wailed, snapping the lid closed on the ring, afraid to see that the ring was still tucked
away inside.

"Sweetheart, we're so sor-."

"No!" Edward threw the ring box forcefully against the wall next, sending the diamond and key flying out

towards the presents. "I have to. It's okay. She's just. Merry Christmas."

He slipped from beneath his mother's arms despite her protest to hold on tighter. Carlisle, his father, had to

extricate his bawling wife from their son, her need to protect him strong even at his age. Once she was cradled
in the arms of his father, Edward stood up, straightened his gray sweater and stormed out the front door sans
any outerwear.

Rose and Emmett, in their urgency to determine what the hell had just happened, had managed to reach Bella
on her cell phone only to have her break down, leaving them unable to understand her. Emmett and his very

pregnant wife left through the back door to find her and bring her back to the Cullen house so that everything
could work out.

Alice stayed with Esme while Carlisle took off after their Edward. Alice plucked the ring from the floor and
nestled it back onto the white satin pillow inside the velvet box. Sliding down the wall, finally taking rest on
the floor, she spied the envelope labeled, "Cullen Family" in Bella's hideous script. Deeming herself the only
family member at the moment not destroyed, she slipped her finger beneath the lip of the envelope, slicing

her finger in the process.

The envelope now spotted with small red drops as she lifted the ivory paper and gasped at the contents of the

letter.

"She's not coming back," she told her mother who continued to cry, huddled in the corner next to the tree.

Alice scanned the letter quickly before reciting it to her mother. "There was a job offer in Seattle and she took
it. No contact is to be made by anyone, she wants him - us - to pretend like she never existed. She said she was
sorry she didn't end it sooner but she was selfish." Alice stopped to reach out to her mother in support for

them both. "He is to stay here until she can get everything of hers out of his apartment and she'll be gone
tomorrow for good."

As his sister finished, a semi-frozen Edward was pushed back through the front door by his father. His large,
lanky frame was shaking uncontrollably from the pain of his loss and the frigid temperature outside. "Esme,

he needs a shower and something warm to eat and drink," Carlisle instructed as he moved his son's body
towards the stairs.

Emmett and Rose stepped inside a few minutes later, his blue eyes glistening with tears while she was

seething with rage. "That bitch!" she spat, uncaring who heard her. "She wouldn't even listen to us." Her tall
figure wobbled from her swollen belly.

"Please, Rose. It's all in the letter," Rose mocked Bella's pleading whine before sitting down next to her
husband by the fire, her tired feet resting on his lap as he cried.

Alice handed her the note Bella left, before squeezing her brother's hand and handing him a few tissues. The
family could hear Carlisle shuffling his son around upstairs, navigating a broken Edward to and from the
shower stall.

"What are we going to do?" Rose asked, the question floating thickly unanswered in the air.

"We honor her wishes for the sake of our brother," Alice answered, sickened that she would respect anything
that Bella wanted.

Soft steps echoed through the silence as their father descended the stairs. "He's in his room," he stated,

broken and distressed. "I can't bear to see him like this Esme, I just can't."

Alice, ever determined, blew into the foyer, tossing gifts around until she found what she purchased for Bella

and the home and future she walked away from. "I'll be back," she snapped, not bothering to close the door
behind her.

She caught up to Bella at Edward's apartment, boxes already filling the quiet hallway. Surprisingly, she looked
like jagged shit, but Alice couldn't be bothered to care. Alice tossed the gift onto the pile before giving Bella
one last piece of your mind.

"I hope you're proud of yourself!" she yelled, not realizing that Bella had company helping her with the move.
"Killing him would have been more humane," she cried, finally giving into the severity of what happened to

her brother.

Bella never responded, instead choosing to curl up on the floor in front of his desk with her arms over her
head as she cried. Jake entered the living area coming from the bedroom carrying a box of her clothes.

"We're almost done," he informed a very stunned Alice. Before she did anything that she would regret - like
double homicide - she wiped her eyes and walked away, hoping that she would never see either of them again.

Christmas that year was obviously canceled. Carlisle and Esme stayed up with their daughter stripping the
house of anything that would remind their son of the holiday. He woke the next morning puffy, pale and weak.

Tears fell from his bloodshot eyes as the memories of the previous night flooded back, sending him to his
knees in the foyer. The only remaining signs of Christmas were the presents tucked away in the corner,
covered with a black chenille throw.

"You didn't have to get rid of the tree...." He grumbled, his voice gravely from crying and lack of sleep.

"Son, I've made you some breakfast and fresh coffee," Esme offered, pulling him into a hug.

"Has she called?"

"No, sweetheart. Alice saw her-," Carlisle started, but was cut off when Emmett and Rosalie waddled in.

"I saw her at your apartment last night," Alice continued for her father. "She moved everything out and said
she'd be gone to Seattle today. I went to her place this morning and it's cleaned out. Nothing's left, Edward."

"Is my car still here?" He asked, looking down at his clothing. He winced at how awful he must have appeared.
"Are there clothes I can borrow? Dad?"

"Edward, she said-."

"I don't care what she said!" He shouted, slamming his hand down on the marble counter, blood pooled into

drops on his knuckles from the impact. Apologizing for his outburst, he paced the slate floor in between the
protective bodies of his family. Each of them hesitant to reach out to him fearing he didn't want the comfort. "I
need to go… to at least try."

Alice knew that he would go to Seattle, beg and plead for her to reconsider and end up only embarrassing
himself, especially if she had already moved on with Jake. Pushing the envelope Bella left for the family across

the table, he snatched up and tore the letter out to read.

"What is this shit? No contact? Forget she existed? What about the fucking house I bought for her, or the ring,

or our fucking life together? How does she recommend I forget about that?"

"Come on Edward, let's get you back to bed, son," Carlisle calmly interjected, hoping that he'd consider resting
without him needing to sedate him.

"I-I can't do this. How am I supposed to do this without her?"

~*~

~ Chapter Six ~

Sitting on the oak floor in the front room, Edward leaned against his palms, legs outstretched, ankles crossed

and just stared at the stack of boxes that were waiting to be sorted. His family offered to help with the
daunting task but he knew for closure, he needed to do this himself.

What they didn't know was that he wasn't just clearing out the boxes, but selling the house as well. They
assumed he'd someday want to move and live in the home he bought. Their hope was that he'd find someone
else, like she wanted, and have the wife, family and life that he dreamed of.

That was never going to happen. He couldn't bear to even step foot in the house until he absolutely had to.
Even now, knowing that the end was on the horizon, he still felt like he was dipped in cement and plummeting
to the bottom of the Sound. Every ounce of him changed in the time since she left him. The house was the last

painful reminder that in two years he had heard nothing from or about Bella.

It wasn't for lack of trying on his part.

He was stonewalled everywhere he went for information on her. Calling restaurants asking for Bella Swan
didn't help. He hadn't been aware that she went by Izzy Dwyer now, mainly to keep him from finding her. His
family insisted they hadn't seen nor heard from her since that awful night, and he had no reason not to

believe them. Finally, he gave up asking, knowing that they'd tell him if they knew.

Which was why his sister was currently in a state of duress.

Alice had only recently discovered her whereabouts and warred with herself about coming clean. He was just
starting to heal – or so she thought - did she want to be the one responsible for opening up those old wounds
again?

Jasper, Alice's new fiancee, was the reason she even knew where Bella worked. Being a food critic, he had
dinner at Jess's restaurant and met them both that night. Having been so impressed with the food, he

suggested that the Cullen family take the trip to Seattle to dine at the newly appointed four-star restaurant.
His goal was for them to enjoy it so much that they'd do the catering for the wedding.

Alice quickly put the kibosh to that.

Instead, she confided in her family, just two days ago, that she was at a loss for what to do with this new found

information. Edward's parents were as torn as their daughter was over the dilemma, but it was Rose who
chimed in with her differing opinion.

"Tell him where she is. If you don't, I will." She stated simply, no cursing, no fanfare. Just Rose being honest,

until her husband disagreed with her.

"Rose, what good will it do him to see her now?" Emmett asked, wondering and worrying what this new

development would do to his brother.

"It gives him the chance to show her that he's fine, that's what." Rose snapped, wishing that her brother-in-law

was, in fact, truly fine. Even after two years, he wasn't the same. He was still lost, lonely and sad that he wasn't
enough for her.

"But you know that's not true. Zombies have more life in them than he does." Jasper responded, hoping that
he didn't just offend his almost family. "I think he should know where she is, it gives him options. If he wants
to seek her out, he can. Or he can continue to live - or exist - or whatever it is he's doing now."

"Jasper's right, I have to tell him." Alice spoke quickly, tossing her coat over her arm before kissing each
member of her family goodbye. "I'll do it after Thanksgiving, I don't want to sully another holiday for him."

With the turkey holiday tomorrow, Edward knew he had to tread carefully on the memories. Treating them
like a hornets nest, he didn't want to dredge everything up and then be unable to spend another festive
occasion with his family in a coma-like state.

Rolling onto his knees, Edward crawled over to the pile, lifting the first dust covered box off, setting it on the
ground beside him. Alice, Esme and Rose had labeled the boxes for him after she left. In only a week they

managed to erase all traces of Bella from his life. Everything was removed – from undeveloped rolls of film, a
misplaced mitten found in the closet, straight through to the whisk she bought from Pampered Chef. Nothing
was left. They accomplished everything she asked them too. In the process, the just hoped that it would help

was what she wanted for him.

To pretend like she never existed.

Inside the first box were CD's and movies that she had left at the apartment in her haste to get the hell out of
town. "How could she have left these?" Edward sighed, remembering how passionate she was about her
holiday music. Never understanding the appeal of the classics, he attempted to listen to Sinatra and Martin,

but chose to tease her unrelentingly about her old-fashioned tastes.

"I just don't get why you love these old tunes." He laughed, ejecting the CD.

"But the fedora?" She smiled, fondly remembering the hat from that first night. "It's a Rat Pack staple."

"Baby... I just look good in the hat."

With a heavy heart Edward continued. Some boxes held her clothes, the scent smothered from years of sitting
in a box. A few contained more strange kitchen gadgets that she insisted he needed at his apartment, too. He

laughed briefly at the memory of her buying him an egg timer, just days after he told her he was repulsed by
any type of egg unless it was used to create something else. She said it didn't matter, that every kitchen
needed an egg timer.

Tossing it back into the box, covering it with her tortoise and the hare oven mitts, he moved on to the next
one. Unearthing memory after memory, he waited for the pain to seize up in his chest, or to break down and

cry, but the tears never came. Instead, he sat and fondly remembered all the history they shared when they
were happy.

Thinking about her smile when he made her the cheesecake recipe she found of her Grandmother Swan's or

how he had ordered that special stupid tea that she loved to just sit and sip. Each of those acts he did out of
pure and honest love. Nothing she had done to him would take away how happy he knew they were.

The last box on the floor was oddly light in comparison to the others, and Edward assumed it was empty.
Sorting the rest of the containers into Goodwill and storage piles, Edward broke down all the cardboard,
stacking it on the back porch to be recycled later. Picking up the last one, something shifted inside, sending a

quiet thud resonating off of the walls in the quiet room.

"Huh," he spoke to himself, opening the lid and peering inside.

Sitting in the center of the box lay a gift. Not just any gift, but a Christmas wrapped present. He recognized the
paper immediately, having been the one to purchase it for her gifts. That's the memory that pricked at this

heart, sending waves of sadness through him.

It was a small rectangular package, red holly berries splattered across paper and a bright green satin bow
perfectly tied around it.

Staring at it, he was afraid to touch it.

If the years had been so unkind to the house, how would the contents of the box have fared? His fear was that
it would disintegrate, taking whatever it held between it's wrapping with it. Edward carefully set the
cardboard box down before slowly removing the gift. Once it was resting in his hands, he didn't know what to

do with it.

Did he open it, simultaneously pulling his thumb from the dam? Or did he leave it untouched, further

cementing the stone around his heart.

He opened it.

~*~

~ Chapter Seven ~

Edward was expecting to find something cruel to solidify his theory that their last Christmas together was a
lesson in planned restraint. He often harbored those thoughts, that she in fact had manipulated everything in
order to humiliate him in front of his family.

Maybe she was just a bored woman who got off on emasculating potential fiancees for shits and giggles.

Edward wanted nothing more than for any situation to present Bella in a bad light, but he knew in his heart it
wouldn't happen.

He would always love her, of that he was positive.

Biting the proverbial bullet, Edward slowly unwrapped the gift, revealing a very old frame. It was a beautiful
piece of silver, swirled with tiny crystals embedded into the design. It was the picture displayed inside he
focused on through his tears. Another reminder that they were happy, that she did love him.

The day was a Sunday and they had ventured back to Forks for a visit to his parents' house. His SUV had
unfortunately been gifted with a flat tire mid journey back to their house. After partaking in the manly art of
changing the tire, Edward found Bella in the passenger seat flipping through his digital camera.

"Anything seedy on here, Mr. Cullen?" She laughed, tapping the camera. She knew full well what photos the
camera contained.

"Mmmm, yes, my dear. Very seedy." He answered, kissing her chastely as a tease.

"Oh, really? Care to scroll through them and give me a peek?" She leaned over further to deepen the kiss.

"Bella, unless you'd like me to take you in the backseat of this car, you'd better stop," he warned with a smile,
already having unbuckled both their seat belts in preparation for their highway tryst.

"Consider it an homage to our first date," she teased, unbuttoning his jeans, "Well, our first time, at least." Her
slender body slid over the console to lay across the backseat. A come hither finger was all he needed to join her.
They laughed when he clunked his head on the ceiling light but the humor quickly subsided, giving way to their
love instead.

Curled together, wrapped haphazardly in their clothes, they lay sated on the cold leather, not caring about the

weather. Or the off chance they'd get in trouble for their current position. With her tucked into his side, her head
resting on his bare chest, he scrolled through the pictures, laughing at the memories.

"Take one now," she asked, kissing the chilly skin of his stomach.

"Not with you down near there I won't. With my luck, Grandpa Cullen would see the picture," he laughed, leaning
over to kiss her hair.

Pulling herself up, she rested her chin on his shoulder, burying her face into the crook, her lips on his neck. He

tightened the coat around them when she shivered. With his arm extended out in front of them, he snapped the
picture, unsure how it came out.

More tears fell as Edward ran his finger lightly over the photo. Their eyes were closed, her lips fastened gently
to the tender skin of his next, with his on her forehead. They just looked happy.

And in love.

Edward remembered how after that day his camera had gone missing for a few days, only to come back empty

of all pictures. He didn't know she ever had it developed, let alone kept it. Wondering if she too had a copy, his
fondness for the time was quickly replaced with hurt and anger.

Why would that be her parting gift to him?

With two years of pent up rage, Edward gripped the frame with two shaking hands, desperate to break it, but
he couldn't. It wasn't a matter of lacking brute strength. His love for her wouldn't allow him to demolish the
one thing he had left.

Dropping the frame to the ground, he heard the splitting crack of the glass. Looking down, he closed his eyes,
shaking his head. All it took was for one jolt to shatter the glass. How ironic.

Flipping the frame over, he unfastened the back to slip out the picture. The glass would need to be replaced
before he'd allow the picture to remain featured inside, unprotected. Slipping the velvet backing down the
side channels of the frame, he was rewarded with Bella's handwriting on the back of the picture. Too
engrossed in her words, he didn't register the piece of paper that fluttered to the ground beside him.

"As long as it beats, my heart will only be yours."

He choked, reading the words that she left. When had she written it? More than likely the day they took the
picture, when she did have love for him. Certainly not the day she split his heart in two.

Enraged beyond belief, he tore the picture from the frame and tossed them into the abandoned gift box.
Edward stomped through the house and out the front door, bound and determined to toss their happiness
into the fire just as Bella had.

Years of him desperately trying to be the bigger person while putting himself back together didn't do him any

good. Deep and powerful hope that she'd come back was what kept him going each day. Turning dates away
from his well-meaning family, never wanting to besmirch the memories what they had. It wouldn't be fair to
another woman, he mused.

She'd never compare to what he wanted with Bella.

Logs in hand, he flew back into the house and over to the never used fireplace. Tossing the timber inside, he
searched the downstairs for anything to start the fire. Finally finding an old book of matches in the kitchen, he

grabbed the box with the frame and picture rattling around inside, stepping on the letter that lay beside it.
Bending over and grabbing that as well, he stormed back towards the hearth.

Seven wasted matches and a slightly burned fingertip later, Edward finally got a fledgling fire lit. Waiting for it
to build within the chimney, he looked once more at the picture, then at the words on the back. Reading it
again, he felt sick that she threw everything away without a word.

As the fire began to throw heat, he sank to his knees, taking the frame, the letter and the photo from the box,
readying himself to send them into the flames.

Her juvenile script peeked out from the letter, giving him reason to pause mid-toss. Setting everything down
but the letter, he opened it and was finally given an explanation.

Edward,

This is being written for purely cathartic reasons. My lame attempt at ridding myself of the unending guilt I have
for hurting you the way I'm about to. I hope that you know that I've always loved you.

From day one at Jake's, I knew you were going to be in my life forever. How? I wasn't sure, but I knew that no
matter what, I would never forget you. Or how much I would always love you, and only you.

My hope is that your family will have protected you from this. I pray that you never see this, but I had to say it,
even if it is just to me. Marriage to me was always an antiquated institution that only ruined relationships, not
made them stronger. Children, by default, were never in my future either for the same reason. They never

deserve to be brought into the world unless they were loved unconditionally and were kept happy and safe. My
parents and their failure was something that I always knew I'd repeat. That's why you and I never made sense.

You were always so pro-family, positive about the future we'd have, the children, the life, everything that I knew
I'd ruin by staying with you. My leaving was to give you the opportunity to have everything that you wanted.
That life that you always knew you'd have.

To find someone that would give you everything freely and completely.

On the off chance that you have seen this, I hope it finds you well.

In love and a father, with that beautiful life that you deserve.

Tell her that you love her every day, that she is the best thing that has ever happened to you and that nobody
before her could ever compare.

It's what she deserves...

If you're reading this, know that though me leaving may have seemed easy, it was the hardest thing I've ever
done.

Leaving was my Christmas gift to you. Though you may not see it as that. It's the only way to give you what you
wanted.

A wonderful life.

Bella

Edward couldn't react. Reading it over multiple times didn't make it any clearer. He was lost in her words, her
apology and her ridiculous reason for leaving.

He was preoccupied so much; he didn't register the billows of smoke around him or the firemen pulling him
out the front door.

~*~

~ Chapter Eight ~

"Did you hear?" Jessica eagerly asked her friend, wondering if the news from their hometown had made it
back to Bella yet. Jess knew that she did, judging by the pained expression that painted her face. Blotchy, tear
stained skin and her puffy eyes and nose were tell tale signs that someone told her.

"He wasn't hurt," she sniffed, pulling the blanket up to her chin and rolling over. Jake had been home the
weekend of the fire, and he had called Bella immediately to give accurate information instead of leaving her to
believe the salacious and hurtful gossip that was flying around Port Angeles and Forks.

He told her that Edward had apparently been restoring a house on the outskirts of town and had lit a fire. Not
realizing the flue was blocked, the room filled with smoke with flames pouring out, requiring the PAFD to be
called by a neighbor. Luckily, the firemen had pulled him out before he was too exposed to the smoke, but that
room and the surrounding few had sustained a significant amount of damage.

The state of the fireplace, the room and the house were irrelevant to Bella. Edward being alive and well was

all that had mattered. She didn't dream that the first time she would hear about him would be with the
possibility that he had been hurt.

Everything, in that brief moment of uncertainty, shifted for Bella. The need to see him crippled her with
anxiety and doubt. She knew that it was risky, but also that it had to be done. Seeing that he was in fact okay,
was the only thing on her mind. She just didn't know how she would deal with what she witnessed.

Jake and Leah had insisted on driving her back, knowing that their friend wouldn't be able to make the return
trip back once she saw him. Being within reach of him would stir up everything that she fought so hard to
cover up.

Bella Swan only existed in the world now, not having lived since Christmas Eve two years ago. She worked
twelve hours a day, six days a week at Jess's, helping her friend build not only one successful restaurant but
two, while using her time at home to work on a third.

Workaholic barely covered her insane schedule. Jess, Jake and Leah knew that the only way that she managed
to not break down was if she engrossed herself in work. Everything around her was a reminder and no matter
how hard she tried to forget, this time of year was the hardest.

Uncomfortably cramped, completely annoyed and stuck in a hospital bed, Edward phoned Heidi, informing

her of the latest development in his quest to get the house on the market. She had seen the damage first hand
and already found workers willing to get it done ASAP. With the economy the way it was, they were
enthusiastic about the job, not caring that it was nearing the holiday season. The cost would be significant but
Edward didn't care.

Alice picked him up from the Port Angeles Hospital after his overnight stay, picture, letter and frame in hand.
Edward didn't remember clutching them to his body as he was being pulled from the house. Everything for the
most part had been a blur, the one thing he was sure of though was that there was no way he was going to live
another day without telling Bella how he felt.

How he still felt.

"First order of business is finding out where she is in Seattle," he told his sister as they headed back to his

apartment, her nervous tapping on the steering wheel not deterring him from continuing. "This is what
matters now, not the bullshit and the lies. This."

Holding up the paper for Alice to see, he was careful in trying not to ruin it more than he already had. Being
covered in soot and errant tears didn't lessen the message of the letter. The words and knowing that she still
loved him was what he focused on.

"She works for Jessica. She opened a chain of high-end bistros called J's. Bella has an office at the flagship
restaurant downtown. She's always there and when she's not, she lives ten blocks east in a red brick
townhouse. I can't remember the number because Rose and I almost got caught tailing her. We were going to
tell you after Thanksgiving. I only just found out and you better not be pissed at me because I'm your sister

and I loved you first." Alice finished, breathing erratically and feeling extremely light headed from the rapid
fire answers.

"Pull over." He barked from the passenger seat.

"Edward no-."

She pleaded, but he shook his head and repeated it adding, "Now, Alice!"

Once the car rolled to a stop, Edward turned to his sister before she could apologize again. Enveloping her in a
much-too-firm hug, Edward coughed from the pressure in his chest but continued to squeeze her in thanks.

"You've save me a lot of illegal internet stalking, Alice. I owe you."

Pushing her away, he laughed at her stunned and teary-eyed face. Happy for the first time in ages, he felt light,
unburdened and dare he say it...hopeful. "Come on, take me home."

Trepidation, fear, excitement, love, happiness and a plethora of other emotions consumed Edward for the
next week. Doctor's orders kept him from driving but he had plans to make to keep him busy.

Thanksgiving came and went and for a change, he actually enjoyed the holiday. As Christmas grew closer, his
ideas of how to reach out to her grew more and more seasonal and symbolic. Finally, he decided on the
simplest way to prove to her that she was what he wanted.

They were what he needed.

The house was another story entirely. Emmett would pick him up from his apartment and drop him off to

oversee the work being done. The construction team was painstakingly thorough in their remodeling of the
damaged front room, and for as much as he wanted them to rush to be finished, he knew this was extending
his time with the house.

A few weeks before Christmas, Heidi stopped by to inspect how much more work needed to be done. The crew
they amassed had reached twenty workers, all thanking Edward for giving them the work before the holidays.

The unfinished rooms were being prepared, so that it was ready for the Open House that Heidi had scheduled
on the twenty-sixth of the month.

As they braved the cold outside, taking in the beauty of the house in the snow, Edward happily gave Heidi a
hug. The simple gesture a sign of thanks for everything she had helped him with. Of course, the friendly hug

was anything but innocent to the occupants of the car at the end of the dirt road. The sight was exactly what
Bella thought she wanted.

For him to move on.

What she didn't want was the feeling of being swallowed whole. Any semblance of hope she hadstored in her
heart dissolved in the acid in her stomach. Jake and Leah shared a knowing look from the front seat,
acknowledging that she needed to leave and more importantly, that this was quite possibly the second worst
mistake of her life.

Reversing the car slowly, Bella refused to look away. Even after the quick embrace was over, they continued
to stare at the house, laughing and smiling.

Their house.

Silent tears fell, and while it pained her a thousand times worse than it had that first day.

She realized that this was what was best for him.

~*~

~ Chapter Nine ~

Seeing Jake and Bella in her house was the worst possible scenario for Edward. Walking away, his stomach
churned with nausea. Not because Jake was with her and that the likelihood was that they were together. It

was because after two years of waiting, hoping and deciding what he would say to her if he ever had the
chance, he froze and walked away.

"As long as it beats, my heart will only be yours."

Holding onto her words, he knew that even if she was with Jake, she didn't love him with all her heart like she
loved Edward. The renewed sense of hope coursed through him, leading him to jump off of the sidewalk and
smack the stop sign with his gloved palm, the impact sending the accumulated snow all over his head.

Shaking it off his body, he slipped on the black ice that covered the sidewalk, sending him onto his rump.
Aside from the double set of frozen cheeks he was now sporting, Edward felt great.

His family was waiting patiently for him to return from his trip to Seattle. Nervous and concerned that the
weather - and what he saw - would affect his ability to drive home, they begged him to pull over and just stay
in a hotel somewhere along the way back to Forks, but he refused. He insisted that he was fine, his SUV was
handling the weather well, and that he needed to speak with all of them.

When Edward opened the door to his parents' house, he didn't expect them to literally be waiting for him, but
there they were - in a lineup along the wall of the foyer - hands wringing together in worry.

Not wanting to prolong their panic, he gave them the Campbell's soup version of his trip. He concentrated
more on how he was going to win her back, only glossing over the other person he saw at her house.

"You realize this is insanity, right?" Emmett argued, hoping to talk some sense into his brother. "She might be
with him now. Like in the Biblical sense. Why are you going to do this to yourself."

It was a logical question. One to which Edward didn't have a logical answer other than.

"It's what you do when you're in love."

They followed Edward into his father's study on the second floor of the house, not wanting to miss anything

that he would reveal. While Esme thought her son's loyalty was noble and romantic, she feared along with
Alice and Rose that he was setting himself up for another tragic encounter with her. "Sweetheart, are you
sure?" Her eyes swimming with worry, she hugged him while he sat at his father's mahogany desk scribbling
what he needed on the Cullen letterhead.

"I don't care for the word 'sure' mother," he laughed, folding up the paper and hugging her fiercely. "Lets go
with unwavering and confident certainty."

"What the hell is wrong with him, did he hit his head?" Rose asked the room, patting her newest Christmas
bump.

"Hell, hell, hell, hell!" Emmett laughed as his first son repeated his mother's indiscretion.

"Shhh, bad words are for adults, Peter. Don't say hell. Or shit. Or damn. Or anything you hear coming from our
room." Rose scolded, laughing throughout the entire speech.

"I hate that you're doing this for her," Alice chimed in sadly, being the loudest dissenting opinion in the group.

"I only want you to be happy...but she doesn't deserve you. Even if she thought it was the right thing, she left
with him. Emmett's right, what if they're together? You've spent two years putting yourself back together–"

"That's just it, Alice. I need her to be put together. I'm like Humpty Dumpty," He smiled at his family. "Except
I'm leaner and far more attractive." His sarcasm and wit had been missed by the family, especially his sister.
She laughed at him in spite of her anger, but it would take her the longest to accept her back into their lives.

If Bella came back, of course.

"I will never forgive her, you know. If she comes back here - to you - I won't ever be able to forgive her,
Edward. She does not deserve your forgiveness." Alice whispered honestly.

"If I can forgive her, Alice, you can too."

"Edward, it's just too... much?" Emmett questioned, unsure as to what his most poignant issues were. "I think
you should just think about it for a while before you do anything rash."

"How is that you guys don't see it? I've thought about it every hour of every day for two fucking years,"
Edward shouted, but quickly slapped his hand over his mouth when Peter started to giggle.

"I'm sorry," he apologized to his nephew's parents.

As Peter started chanting 'fuck', his grandmother scooted him out of the room for fear of him gaining an even
more colorful vocabulary.

"Even if she says no, I have to try. Even if it's just to say a final goodbye. I never got that, she took that away
from me and God damnit, Em, I want that!" He embraced his brother as he cried the years of frustration and
sadness pouring out of him.

Once he felt like he couldn't cry anymore, Emmett released him from his grip and they each wiped their tears.
For good measure they shook hands and included the manly back fist-pat awkward move to regain some
testosterone.

He kissed the rest his family goodbye, ruffling Peter's mop of curly brown hair. Waving happily behind him, he
flew down the stairs two at a time, ready to put his plan in action. Starting in a week, he was on a mission to
win Bella back.

~*~

"You've got to snap out of it, Bella." Jess insisted, stoking the fire that burned in her friend's sitting room. After

two years of never using a vacation or sick day, Bella cashed them all in after seeing Edward. She wasn't using
the days to actually travel, but to lock herself away in her house and mourn.

The once pristine townhouse was now resembling Gollum's hovel. Leah and Jess had tried to stage an
intervention in the days after her return from Port Angeles, but she threw them out, stating that she was fine
and him moving on was what she wanted.

When the cleaning company they hired knocked on the door a few days later, Bella had no choice but to let

them in. The neighbors were complaining about the incessant knocking and doorbell ringing. Plus the piled of
mail and refuse on her doorstep was hideous and unsightly.

Three hours later, the frumpy, wrinkled and antique staff of Denali Housekeeping left Bella's house with all
her laundry aired, and the house managing to get cleaned in the process.

It was imperative for Bella to take that time off from work. There was no way that she would be able to
concentrate enough to do her job properly and she wouldn't risk Jessica's business because of it.

So, she turned into a carbon copy of those women in the movies that she couldn't stand. Ben and Jerry's for all
three meals, becoming an unshowered slovenly mess, ratty hair and sweatpants.

Finally, her friends stepped in, not taking no for an answer.

Since the Denali's scoured the apartment, Jess and Leah were left to clean Bella up. The sweats and empty
pints of ice cream were burned in effigy in her backyard. Dragged into the shower, they literally pushed her

into the stall with her clothes on and sprayed her with soap and the water. By the end, the three were in tears,
of both relief and sadness for their friend.

"You know regret is an awful emotion to try and live with, Bella," Leah explained, speaking from experience.
"Our split was only a few weeks and I felt like I was in quicksand, sinking rapidly every day."

"What am I supposed to do?" Bella cried, wrapping her favorite blanket around her. Curling into a ball on the
rug in front of the fire, she couldn't help but wonder 'what if'?

The doorbell echoed through the quiet house, Bella uninterested in answering it. "They'll go away, or just
come in if it's Jake."

"What if it's Fabio and he's here to sweep you off your feet?" Jess asked, barely keeping a straight face.

Bella couldn't contain the cacophony of guffaws and piggy snorts that erupted from her at the mention of
Fabio. The shirtless, hairless, beautifully coiffed man did nothing but disgust her. "I don't trust hairless men,
it's unnatural." She teased. Rolling herself over on the carpet, she got up and stretched before walking over to
sit in her chair by the window.

The sky was clear and light with the slight gray tint signaling snow was on the way, and fast. Jake bounded up
the stairs as Bella curled herself up into the wide seat of the leather chair.

"Bella honey, I'm going to make us some tea," Leah said, kissing her husband. "Do you want some?"

"No tea. Coffee or hot chocolate. Never tea... not anymore," she added the end quietly.

Bella thought about going back and facing the happy couple head on. That wouldn't do anything besides break
his new girlfriend's nose for the holidays. Now, after she thought about it, it didn't sound like a bad idea.

The snow started falling as Leah brought the mug of hot cocoa out to Bella, resting it on the table beside her.
"I'm going to go to see him," she announced. Her friends weren't positive if they heard her correctly.

"After Christmas though, I won't ruin another holiday for him."

Jake crossed the room, both proud and terrified for his friend. "It's time, Bella." He smiled, covering her back

up with the blanket and kissing her head gently. Acknowledging that he was right, she squeezed his hand in
thanks but continued to watch the snow fall ignoring the conversation happening behind her.

Working for a restaurant, even as a manager, meant that Bella found anything to do with food loathsome. That
included grocery shopping. The irritating and daunting task was something that she had realized she needed
to accomplish, and soon.

Barely consuming anything besides crackers and Ginger Ale (and ice cream) since seeing him, she justified

her empty cabinets for too long. She bundled herself up to shop and spend some much needed time out of her
house before her misery and regret consumed her. Trudging through the snow, she pushed her little silver
cart, filled with her green recycling bags through the slush en route to the marketplace.

Two hours, a cart filled with relatively decent food and two soaked and frozen feet later, she arrived home to

find a small gift wrapped in silver paper. Long strips of red velvet formed a bow tied to the top that swayed
lightly in the chilly wind. Step by step she pulled the silver cart up to the partially snow covered landing,
standing it upright in the corner.

Bending down, she looked around for the responsible party that left the box but saw nobody looking
suspicious. Poking the package with her finger, she heard the tiny brass bells knotted between the bow that
jingled as the box shook.

Determining that nothing dastardly was afoot, she pulled one of the velvet tails, releasing the bow. Bella - still
harboring some trepidation - slipped her finger beneath the tape, unwrapping the gift slowly.

A shiny silver chain sat coiled on top of the tissue paper. Pulling it out carefully, a mesh tea infuser was at the
end. A familiar smell wafted up from the box ignited her senses to what was contained beneath the tea ball.
Her favorite tea's fragrant aroma was unmistakable to Bella.

She shifted the contents of the box around looking for a card, or a gift tag, anything to reveal who it was from.

She found not only a small ivory envelope, but also box of favorite black tea. Dropping it back into the box, she
tore into the envelope for answers.

A playing card sized picture of a partridge and a pear tree greeted her, leaving Bella utterly confused.

~*~

~ Chapter Ten ~

"Don't worry Pete, I'll teach you the right words. Not the profanities your father sings," Jasper teased, setting
out all of Peter's 'Days of Christmas' flash cards along the floor of the study.

Picking up a card, he'd whisper the verse for the young child to sing. Edward paced anxiously behind his soon
to be brother-in-law and nephew, his arms crossed and his hair destroyed from his nervous hands.

"Why the 'Twelve Days of Christmas'? Why not thirty-one so you get something every day of the month?" Alice

asked, dancing cheek-to-cheek with a swollen-ankled, nearly bursting Rosalie. The newly found holiday CD of
Bella's played in the background of Carlisle's study.

"It's that time of year, when the world falls in love..."

Alice warbled and massacred the much beloved holiday song. Rose accidentally on purpose stomped on her
tiny toes with her elephant sized foot, ceasing the caterwauling immediately.

"Ow!" Alice shouted, rubbing her foot and hopping up and down in pain. "Not funny, Goliath."

"What was that?" Edward asked his sister, while helping Rose lift her bloated feet to the leather ottoman.

Sitting cross legged, she lifted her small foot, inspecting it dramatically for lasting damage. "I said that it
wasn't funny Goli-."

"No, not calling her that, what is that song?" In two strides, Edward had reached the stereo system, examining
the CD case.

"It's the 'Christmas Waltz'," Rose yawned. "It's why me and the Peanut here were waltzing."

"What are you thinking, bro?" Emmett asked, rubbing his wife's cankles.

"It's that time of year," Edward sang softly, scratching his chin while he thought about his nephew's colorful
picture cards. "Twelve days?"

Overlooking the cards at his feet, he examined them while Jasper and Peter moved to color the underside of
Grandpa Carlisle's desk with his crayons. "Twelve reminders of what we had?" Leaning over the cards, he bent
to grab one, flipping it between his fingers. "Too much? Not enough?"

Rose and Alice sighed dramatically at his romantic idea, while Emmett and Jasper rolled their eyes and
groaned, knowing that anything they did from now on would have to be on a much grander scale to compete
with Edward's proposed gestures.

Alice, while agreeing it was sweet that her brother was channeling every Hallmark commercial and Lifetime
movie, was still skeptical. She feared that he was giving Bella an open invitation to stomp all over his already
bleeding heart.

When she and Rose were doing their pseudo-reconnaissance in Seattle, they witnessed a truly faded Bella, but
they weren't convinced that Edward was the missing spark.

Under the guise of a weekend shopping trip and armed with Jasper's information, they staked out J's first.
Through the front window of the bistro, they watched as a smiling, ebullient Bella greeted some of the guests
while stationed momentarily at the reservation podium.

Special customers, they mused, were graced with her sitting at their table while they dined. She looked to be
genuinely happy while she was working and interacting with the staff and guests. But it was once she walked
through the front door to return home that her deceptive appearance was stripped away.

As her feet carried her over the threshold and onto the sidewalk, her posture crumbled. The hood of her black
wool coat was immediately pulled up to cover her long brown hair. Her shoulders slumped in a protective
stance and her eyes remained trained on the ground as she walked swiftly towards her townhouse.

When she disappeared behind the large oak door, it would only take a few minutes for her to make her way to
the seat by the window where she would sit and just stare. The second and final night of their stakeout, Jake
followed her home, seemingly unbeknownst to Bella. As soon as she was securely in her house, he'd ventured
back to his own home just down the street.

Rose and Alice knew that it was risky for everyone to encourage Edward in his quest, but the alternative
wasn't much better. In just a few days, his entire disposition had done a one-eighty. He wasn't the same
Edward as he was pre-Bella, but it was a start.

Laughing came freely to him, instead of from obligation. Brotherly camaraderie had returned and included
Jasper as well. Their religious parents considered it a Christmas miracle that their son began to appear more
alive.

As Alice watched him bounce ideas and plans off their brother and Jasper, she came to the realization that he
needed this. Regardless of the outcome, he needed to tell her how he felt.

"We'll help," Alice offered, amused that her family was instantly slackjawed at her suggestion. Shrugging off
their shocked expressions, she clarified just exactly how much they'd help. "I told you that Plumpy and I

almost ended up in the pokey from our shoddy recon work," she laughed, flipping a specific finger at her
sister-in-law, "so you can't be the only one to do this or you'll get pinched by her nosy neighbors before you
even get to talk to her." If it were possible, her family's chins fell even further to the hardwood floor.

"Hey, Columbo Jr.," Emmett snorted, earning a matching finger from his sister. "What are you suggesting?"

"Just like he said, twelve days, twelve memories," Alice instructed, plucking the cards off of the floor and
flipping through them. "She was in love with you once and I'm pretty sure she still is. She just needs a
reminder, and maybe a slap in the face." Smiling, she picked up the first card and handed it to her brother.

"Am I giving her a bird or pears? Certainly not a tree, the woman could kill a fake ficus," Edward said, holding
the partridge and pear tree card.

"Don't be so literal, dear brother. Send small gifts from the heart and include one of these," she finished,
holding up the cards again. Alice had given him a lot to think about, but he was more than happy to do it.

Thinking about their past with an open heart instead of a broken one was something he finally felt ready to
do.

It hadn't taken Edward long to decide on what to leave her in an expression of their memories. Bits of their
history that would be straight from his heart. Not wanting to make them too obvious though, he made a list,
and checked it twice.

Having his family agree to help made it that much easier. Well, all agreed save for Rose, who didn't think she

could make a fast getaway in her condition in the event she got caught. To feel like she was an active
participant, she volunteered to be in charge of gift wrap so that it was done properly. Not in the Sunday comic
section like her husband and Jasper had suggested.

Edward didn't want to rely on his family as much as he did but he was fearful that he'd subconsciously

sabotage everything just by being that close to her. Unaware if he would be strong enough to stay away from
her weighed heavily on his mind, and since his family had insisted, the guilt over involving them has subsided.

Somewhat.

His father offered to be the first up, as he was heading to Seattle for a visit with some old colleagues.
Delivering the tea was easy; he popped in early in the afternoon, knowing most people, Bella included, would
be working. He hadn't counted on the elderly contingent of neighbors near her that were shifting their floral
print curtains around while they spied on him.

When he reported back to his family that they may incur some questions from the busy-bodies in the
neighboring townhouses, Esme suggested that he dress in a mail carrier or delivery man uniform to belie
suspicion. This led their children to groan and gag, thanks to the accompanying mental images of their uptight
parents being... not-so-uptight.

The Cullen patriarch promised his wife that another time would be more suitable for that type of… delivery. In
this case, he was simply going to choose a different time to leave the second package.

And that is exactly what he did. He lucked out the next day, as Bella was leaving when he parked across the
street from her townhouse. Sitting warm, comfortable and safe from prying eyes, thanks to his Mercedes'

tinted windows, he waited until she trekked down the snow covered street. Once she was out of sight, he
studied the neighboring windows for disturbances before getting out of his car to quickly rest the odd shaped
box against the door.

Except he didn't drive away like his family suggested. The previous day, his time was limited. But with a free
schedule, he couldn't resist watching the woman that broke his son's heart, and in the process their entire
family, open the gift.

As the time ticked by, he managed to take a nap, finish nine Sudoku puzzles and locate a decent replica of
USPS uniform via his iPhone. A quick text to his wife ensured Carlisle a very fortuitous Christmas night.

Bella's petite body came into his sight, the streetlights keeping her visible as she swiftly walked up the
sidewalk towards her home. From the base of the steps, she looked up to see the box resting against the door.

Turning quickly, she scanned both ends of the street as she walked up the steps backwards, her eyes

constantly searching for a sign. Once she was safely on the landing, Carlisle leaned against the driver's side
window with puffs of hot air fogging up the cold glass.

The box was quickly moved to lay flat on the cement porch, her small gloved hands flipping it around in
search of a clue. "Open it," Carlisle hedged from the confines of his car. It didn't stop him from continuing his
one-sided conversation to her.

"It's inside." Referring to the card his son put in the box as Rose was wrapping it.

Shredded strips of the shiny red paper went flying through the air as Bella tore into the box like a rabid
wolverine. Once the paper was gone, the lid was next, being tossed off to the side and nearly falling down the
stairs.

Ignoring it, she flipped open the white tissue paper and stared into the box. Scratching her head, recognition
dawned on her face as she pulled out the fireplace roasting forks.

Alice bought them for Edward's apartment last Christmas, not necessarily for use but for the novelty and
possibly for motivation. She, like the rest of the family, hoped he would move on, find someone else to share
romantic nights by the fire with. Knowing that she wouldn't live in a home without a fireplace, he asked his
sister for permission to re-gift.

Scooping up the box, the gift and the destroyed Christmas wrapping, Bella opened her door and disappeared
inside, giving Carlisle his cue to leave. He met his wife at their hotel and gave her the necessary precautionary
speech for her own clandestine mission to Bella's over the next two days.

Esme fared far better than her husband had with the ancient and nosy neighbors. Taking the opposite

approach of her husband, Esme chose to blend into the surroundings and chat with the locals. Nobody
questioned her carrying the festively wrapped bottle of Jose Cuervo in her hand.

Not that they knew what it was, dressed in it's crinkly gold bag with iridescent bow. The sidewalks were filled
with holiday shoppers carrying presents and hobnobbing with each other, so she managed to blend right in.

Being a natural at undercover work, Esme arrived at Bella's early the next evening prepared to woo the
neighborhood even further. It had been difficult for Rosalie to giftwrap a six-pack of beer but she managed to
make it work.

Carrying a case of said beer, plus the gift for Bella, Esme took a much needed rest, conveniently, just outside of
her townhouse, complaining about the weight of the beer. Strategically, she suggested to the few neighbors
that were outside that they all enjoy one of the frosted beverages while she took a break from her return trip
to her car.

She toasted her new friends while nonchalantly leaving Bella's separately wrapped, favorite libation on her
stoop.

None of her neighbors were the wiser.

Alice, hearing of her mother's success as an expert in espionage, couldn't be outdone. Dressed like midnight
and painted in authentic camouflage makeup, she was ready for her mission.

Having researched the area using a map search, she printed and memorized her best escape routes in case
she got caught. Satellite images of the neighboring yards showed her trees and bushes that could provide

cover if she needed it. Emmett, unwillingly, went along with her as the getaway driver she was convinced was
necessary.

Bella's reaction to each of the gifts that Carlisle delivered was what they expected. They knew she would be
confused, and rightly so. Even if she'd gleaned any indication from the first two gifts that Edward was
involved, they doubted she would have believed it.

Going from zero contact in two years to suddenly being the recipient of vague gifts from your past would seem
too bizarre.

Especially to a seasoned cynic like Bella Swan.

The woman that Esme witnessed tearing into the third present definitely looked befuddled again as she
flipped the 'Three French Hens' card. But once she unwrapped the tequila, she sank down slowly, sitting in the
middle of the porch.

With her legs outstretched on the cold concrete, she unscrewed the cap and took a quick pull from the bottle.
Gift number four had resulted in a similar position on the townhouse landing, with Bella chugging a beer.

While the first four gifts were received by a flummoxed Bella, she had always remained calm, reserved and
quiet. Even when she lined up the gift cards along her mantle piece for inspection.

But it was the gifts that Alice had delivered that brought out an angry, frustrated and broken Bella.

Tears streaming in chilly paths down her flushed cheeks, her shrill voice shaking as she screamed out into the
night looking for answers. "Why are you doing this to me!" her sharp, spastic voice echoing in the quiet.

In spite of the late hour, she continued, "I know you're watching! Is this what you wanted?" Her cries earned a
slew of angry retorts from the neighborhood.

Upon smashing the glass of the snowglobe against the cold concrete stairs, Bella broke down even further.
Immediately, she fell to her knees to salvage what her rage had destroyed. Lifting the wooden base, the
interior structure looked to still be intact, or at least from what they could tell from their safe distance across
the street. Alice's gifts were so poorly received they considered canceling the whole thing.

"Edward, she didn't take the snowglobe well… at all," Alice explained, while Emmett drove them to their hotel.

"What do you mean, 'not well'?"

"She screamed and broke down in tears... then smashed it."

"Shit."

"Yeah."

Telling Edward that it was having the opposite effect on her left him speechless. Instead of uplifting her and

having her reminisce fondly on their life together, it was breaking her down. Edward had to agree and told his
siblings to return home. He'd just have to think of something else.

Rose decided that being enormously pregnant, and astoundingly hormonal, gave her the freedom to be selfish
as well. "Under no circumstances is this ending. I can not take Emoward again. I love you, but I can't take
anymore of that shit," she informed her brother-in-law while he was helping her bathe Peter.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" Edward's nephew sang from the tub, splashing his uncle while Rose shook her head at
her unfortunate choice of words. Knowing that another errant slip was likely, she didn't reprimand Peter as
he continued to chant his new favorite word.

"Yes, it sucks that she's hurting, but she needs to feel it. You need to know that she's still capable of emotion
otherwise you're doing all this for nothing. If the barbed wire is still surrounding her heart, Edward, all of this
will be for nothing."

~*~

~ Chapter Eleven ~

"So wait. You didn't give me the tea... or the forks?" Bella questioned Jess and Jake while she paced throughout
the kitchen of J's.

"Maybe they were dropped at the wrong house?" Jake chimed in, desperate to find any explanation for the
gifts. "You know, accidental coincidence and all that jazz."

"Yes! One of your neighbors is probably wondering where their Christmas gifts are." Her friends' answers
were temporarily pacifying her.

"Yeah, you know, that sounds about right. I'll have to pop around and ask who they belong to," Bella resigned
sadly.

Until the next two gifts appeared.

Having not even entered the restaurant yet, the fourth day of Christmas brought a clearly emotional Bella
back to J's. The employees and their boss could see she'd been crying when she arrived, spending time at the
glass front door wondering whether or not to enter and explain the latest developments.

Sitting down on the furthest bar stool from the front, she waited patiently for her friend to get a few free
minutes to listen. "It's not a coincidence...I'm being punished." Bella stated sadly, hands trembling as she took
the cup of coffee Jess brought for her.

"Punished? Sweetie, I think you need to get some sleep or meds... something." She argued, adding a shot of
amaretto to Bella's cup. Her friend smiled at the gesture but waved the cup away.

"It's like it's being dangled in front of me-taunting me-telling me to..." she paused, trying to describe her
feelings as logically as possible.

"What is taunting you, Bella?" Jess whispered, taking her friends hands and squeezing them in comfort.

"Our history," she cried, proceeding to explain the latest two gifts, but more importantly, why they were
significant to her.

Flying into the bistro two days and two new packages later, a harried Bella wasn't as enraged as she appeared.
More like seriously questioning the state of her mental faculties. Her snow covered jeans were ripped and

dirty as if she had fallen. Her disheveled hair was another indication that she was clearly out of sorts. The staff
didn't know how to react to this crazed side of their manager they'd never seen before and chose to just let
her pass undisturbed.

Jake and Leah were there for lunch with their children, the oldest laughing at Bella's frazzled appearance.
"Where's Jess?" she asked the family, unfazed that Paul was flinging ketchup covered crinkle-cut french fries
at her shirt.

"Bella, my goodness, where is your coat?" Leah asked her friend, ignoring her question entirely. "It's twenty
degrees. You'll catch your death."

"I-I must have f-forgotten to grab it," she stammered, realizing that yes, she had felt a bit cold.

"Are you okay?" Jake asked, standing up and blanketing her in his large wool coat. "No offense, but you look
like you've seen a ghost." He said tentatively, taking in the light violet rings under her eyes.

Bella's face lit up in astonishment, "I'm Scrooge!"

"Nah, you give great Christmas presents, Bella," Jake said seriously.

"No, I am Scrooge, that's what all this is!" She exclaimed loudly, startling most of the lunch crowd at J's. "All the
gifts. It's the 'Ghost of Christmas Past' coming back to tell me to go to see him!"

"What the h-e-double hockey sticks are you talking about?" Leah asked, covering her eldest son's ears before
continuing. "Have you lost your God damned mind, Bella?"

"All the gifts on my stoop," she said, pulling out the latest one from the waistband of her jeans. "This!" She

yelled, tossing the plastic case onto their table. The Rat Pack dressed in Santa hats holding martini glasses
stared up at them, with the holiday card stuck across the picture.

"I'm wasting time, maybe there is a new package today!" Bella took off with a shot from the restaurant,
slipping on some ice and landing ass over elbows in the snowbank out front.

Jake started after her but Bella jumped up, waved him off and continued down the street back towards her
townhouse. "I guess she's keeping my coat?"

It was nearly midnight before Emmett had the cajoles to take his turn with the present. His nerves were high
alert and Alice's warnings were rattling through his mind. "If you get caught, take the pill."

"Is it cyanide?" He said seriously, afraid to leave their hotel. His normally strong voice shook with worry, "I've
got the kids, and my Rosie, I can't… die."

"No you ass, it's a breath-mint," his sister said, slapping him on the back of the head. "You can't be
interrogated by the popo smelling like the sauerkraut you had for lunch." Alice's attempt at levity was lost on
her nervous brother.

"I think I'm going to throw up. Why would you make a joke about getting caught?" He gripped his hair while
nervously pacing the hotel room.

"Do you have the book?" She asked, ignoring his sickly pallor and worry. "Jasper's bringing the cheesecake
tomorrow, so it'll be fresh." Tucking in his scarf, she put the black eye makeup under his eyes, similar to a
linebacker.

"Edward's made four already, having screwed them all up. Mom is helping him with the new one."

"I'm scared, Al," Emmett whined, hugging his sister much too hard for her tiny frame.

"You'll be fine, just run up, drop it, run away." She said rolling her eyes at his dramatic antics.

Two hours later, the normally two minute drive from the hotel to her house took exceptionally longer with
Emmett's constant fits of panic.

At one point he actually pretended to faint, his large lumbering frame sprawled out on the hotel floor waiting
to be noticed. Alice simply stepped over him and snapped, "Just get out, it's already midnight. She's probably
asleep, Em."

"Fine, but if I get pinched, kiss the kids for me and don't let them forget me." Rolling her eyes for the
umpteenth time that evening, she opened the passenger door and pushed his hulking body out into the snow.

"How long should I stay up waiting?" Bella asked her friend, rubbing her eyes and yawning into the phone.
Her perch at the window, while giving her a great view of the porch, was not very comfortable.

"Sweetheart, it's two in the morning, maybe there aren't anymore?" Jess replied, annoyance quickly replaced
by her friend's need. "Go to sleep. You're worse than a child waiting for Santa."

Silent seconds stretched to minutes, then hours and without realizing it, both friends had fallen asleep, only to
wake up to two inevitably ridiculous wireless bills and two very stiff necks.

When Bella finally roused the following morning at the hideous hour of six, she barely wiped the sleep from

her eyes before she was tearing down the stairs to her porch. Whipping the door open, she welcomed in a

blustery cold wind and swirls of sparkling snow but she was solely focused on the small rectangular box.
Barefoot and barelegged, she tip toed onto the landing to snatch the package before shiver-dancing back into
her house.

Tossing it onto the cherry entry table, she waited. The motives behind the gifts weren't known to her, but
without a doubt she knew that all roads and explanations led to Edward; thinking, wondering, formulating
some sort of rationalization as to why all of this was happening.

As far as she knew, Edward had a new girlfriend. The stuffy yet gorgeous, business suit wearing, evil wench,
she witnessed with him at his house. Replaying their interaction, she remembered the hug, no kiss. Their

bodies close, but not too close. Without speaking to him, none of it would make sense to her, and she could
only hope that this–these gifts–were his way of reaching out to her.

If they were from him at all.

That minute possibility weighed heavily on her mind. What if all of this really was some bizarre coincidence
like Jake said? Simple answers to her questions lay in wait inside the thin, rectangular shaped box. She
hesitated, somehow knowing that this gift could be a turning point in this odd encounter.

Tentative fingers snapped the tape covering the shiny pointed corner, the fat and jolly Santa losing his head in
the unfortunate placement of the tape, leaving Bella to laugh maniacally at the decapitated man.

"I guess this makes me naughty, huh, Santa?" She snorted, clearly delirious from lack of sleep.

To make her way back onto the 'nice list', she took the time to reattach his head.

Soldiering on, she pulled the box from the wrapping and flipped it over, closing her eyes in the process. Slowly
raising the lid, she recognized the classic white cover with wobbly black lettering. "The Missing Piece," she
whispered, reverently running her fingers over the shiny script. To her disappointment, nothing was

inscribed on the inner cover but as she jostled the pages, she revealed a 'Seven Swans a Swimming' card
marking a special page.

It was missing a piece.
And it was not happy.
So it set off in search

of its missing piece.

Adding the latest card to her mantle, she curled herself up on the chocolate brown leather love seat. Without
the fire roaring, she needed the warmth and familiarity of her red blanket while she stared hopefully at the
images before drifting off to sleep.

Jasper was loading his car with the pie, making sure that it was secure in the backseat. "Are you sure we need
to use Pete's car-seat? I mean, it's only a cake." He asked Edward, wrapping a blanket around the box as extra
padding.

"This is pie number six, I can't risk another mishap," Edward responded, filling the sides of the box with ice
packs.

"Wait. Number six? I thought Alice said Esme was taking over since you screwed up the first four?" He asked,
confused by Edward's inability to master simple math.

"Esme did make number five on the night that my dad came home," Edward shuddered, explaining what

package his father brought with him. He couldn't get out of the house fast enough to return to the comfort and
quiet of his own apartment.

Esme called him the next morning to apologize for the desecration of Grandma Swan's cheesecake, and to
assure him that she did in fact have just enough of the Frangelico left to make a new untainted one to deliver.

"I so didn't need to hear that story, dude," Jasper blushed, shaking his head and closing the backdoor of his

truck. Walking around to the driver side, he gave Edward the latest snow report with a sad expression. "It's
supposed to really start coming down on Thursday. Are you sure you're going to be able to make it to Seattle
to bring the last two gifts?"

"I have to. It all comes down to the final one," Edward sighed, worried about the possibility of not making it.
Slapping his palm on the hood, he waved goodbye as his almost brother-in-law pulled away with gift number
eight.

"It's time!" Alice sang, jumping on Emmett's hotel bed, her husband sympathizing with the big man.

"I can't," he pretend coughed, tucking himself further into the bed and covers. "I'm sick."

"Tough noogies, Em, you're going," she laughed, attempting to pull his half asleep body out of the bed. Not
being able to move him at all, she had a better idea. "Or you can stay here while I thank my fiancee for driving
all this way."

"Five minutes, little sis, and I'm out." Emmett jumped from the bed, covering his eyes as he bumped into walls
before making it to the bathroom.

"Works every time," Alice sang, kissing Jasper chastely. "Where's the cheesecake?"

"It's still safely stowed away in the backseat," he laughed, wondering how Em would fare getting it out and
into his car. "You know, it might be easier if he just takes my truck-,"

"Sure, Jas, if you don't mind," Emmett responded, walking from the bathroom in new black military gear. "I"m
ready for my super spy incognito makeup."

Once Emmett was satisfactorily covered in military grade makeup, he jogged through the parking garage in
search of Jasper's truck. Upon opening the door, the scent of Grandma Swan's luscious nutty cheesecake
wafted up to his nose.

The Pavlovian response worried the dessert loving eldest Cullen; his impure thoughts of the creamy,
delectable treat were wrong, he repeated to himself. Inhaling the cold, stale, non-dessert smelling air, he
controlled himself momentarily, taking a few much needed laps around the truck.

Sliding into the driver's seat, his two large hands white knuckled the steering wheel as the scent permeated
the small cab of the truck. Before he could say Jenny Craig, Emmett leaned back and flicked open the
snowflake detailed cellophane wrapping, releasing another wave of the hazelnut scent.

"Oh, I shouldn't have done that," he groaned, licking his lips. Quickly, Emmett lowered all the windows,
bringing in the chilly air to quell the power of the cheesecake.

Pulling out of the garage, he was no longer nervous about getting sent up the river to do a dime for stalking.
(Emmett had watched a classic black and white cop caper before bed, giving him a bevy of new lingo to use

regarding his mission.) His only concern was if there was a Cheesecake Factory en route to Bella's so he could
stop dreaming of the silken goodness that sang to him from the back seat.

Her lights were off when he parked across the street. Putting the windows back up, he reveled in the scent
before losing his mind. He slid his large body between the seats and ended up next to the thin, white bakery
box.

"One piece won't hurt...right?" he reasoned, thinking Bella was a tiny girl and it would surely go to waste.

Not wanting his mom's hard work to be squandered, he lifted the box from the seat, bringing it to his nose for
a whiff of the thick, heady scent. A slamming door behind him made Emmett whip around to see Bella,
bundled up, walking down the street. "Huh, where is she going?" he wondered out loud.

Taking it as a sign that this particular cheesecake wouldn't be consumed by him today, he closed the lid,
haphazardly re-wrapped the cheerful translucent paper and tied a knot at the top instead of a bow.

"That'll do." He smiled at the poorly rewrapped gift, proud of his work.

Looking for any signs of life and seeing none, he exited the car and tiptoed across the street to Bella's house.

Because nothing says 'don't pay attention to me, like a two hundred and fifty pound behemoth dressed in black
with camo makeup on, that tiptoes in the dark and daintily carries a cheesecake.'

Once he reached the curb, he attempted to jump the snowbank only to hit a patch of ice and fall flat on his
rear.

"I saved it!" he roared, thrilled that the eighth gift remained uninjured. He sat the cake next to him while he

rolled himself over to stand back up to complete the delivery. Hitting a different spot of ice, his legs flew out
from beneath him sending him crashing onto the sidewalk.

And onto the cheesecake.

"Oh, shit," Emmett groaned, feeling the mushy, destroyed, still insanely fragrant cheesecake under his butt.
His hand moved to feel around for the remnants of the cake, hoping beyond hope that at least something was
salvageable.

Fearing the worst, he rolled over to examine the damage. Only half of the cheesecake had an unfortunate
Emmett shaped lower cheek imprint in it, with the other side mostly okay.

"To call, or not to call. That is the question," he mused, his horrific British accent helping him laugh at the
situation. Edward would be as crushed as the cake to find out that Emmett destroyed gift number eight.

"Not to call," he answered, scooping up the salvaged half and shoving it unceremoniously back into the bakery
box. The snowflake cellophane was ruined beyond repair, so he improvised. He plucked the ribbon from it,
tying it to the box, trying to cover the dents and streaks of dirt and snow.

Shuffles to his left sent a stream of panic through Emmett. Rationalizing that the cake was mostly ruined, he
tossed it up the seven stairs, and took off for Jasper's truck. A Seattle PD car drove past, patrolling the area for
any unsavory characters.

Emmett knew that he should have waited. But between the cop's proximity and it's crazy spotlight that he
swore was pointint at him, combined with the prospect of becoming extra friendly with a convict named

Bubba, he started the car and gunned the truck out of the spot, sending a whoosh of dirty street snow over the
sidewalk covering the remnants of the butt squished cake.

~*~
"Who gives a half of a cheesecake?" Bella asked, after having phoned Leah for a chat about her latest 'sort of'
gift.

"Cheesecake is cheesecake, my friend. Never look a gift horse in the mouth," she answered, her friend never
one to mince words.

"I'm pretty sure it's Grandma Swan's," Bella whispered, fearing that saying the words out loud would cause
the dessert to disappear.

"What do you mean 'pretty sure'? You mean you haven't tried it yet? And you call yourself a woman," her
friend teased, remarking how it had been in her presence for twelve plus hours and she still had yet to eat

any. "You've looked at the book a hundred times, yet the delectable dessert sits untouched? Oh, you
disappoint me, Bella."
~*~

Jasper's approach to clandestine gift delivery was unlike the others. He chose a time when he knew she was
home to deliver the bizarre gift of the tire iron, which apparently was significant to Edward and Bella. Jasper

didn't pretend to understand why his friend chose the gifts, he just knew like the rest of the family that he'd
support him however he could.

Not one to beat around the proverbial bush, he confidently strolled up the sidewalk, then the steps and rested
the long, skinny wrapped iron against the door frame. He even rang her doorbell to alert her to the newest
gift.

Taking his time, he descended the stairs and walked casually across the street to his girlfriend's car, hands
tucked in his pants' pockets and whistling. When Bella appeared on the porch looking both dazed and
confused by the forward gift giving man, she gave a tight smile and waved. Jasper being a gentleman, returned
both before pulling out of the spot.

"How strange," Bella wondered aloud, watching the little sports car careen down the street. Walking into her
living room, she unwrapped the latest reminder and set it under her tiny Charlie Brown tree with the others.
Plucking the card from the package, she lined it up on the mantle with the others, smiling at the amount of
thought that was being put into these gifts.

Jake, Leah and their children invited themselves over to Bella's for an early Christmas dinner. Their plans

included returning to Forks for the obligatory familial dinners, and they wanted to see their friend for the
holidays before they left. Worry was the prominent emotion that they were feeling in regard to Bella at the
less than conventional manner that she was having her past regurgitated.

"Merry Christmas!" Bella yelled, whipping the door open and lunging at her friends. Enveloping Leah and Jake
in a joint hug, her friends were struck confused by Bella's daily fluctuation in her emotion.

As the gifts continued to appear on her porch, they urged her to reach out to him, but she refused. They
continued to beg even if it was just to verify that it was in fact Edward that was sending the gifts.

At the arrival of the latest present, and subsequent confirmation that it wasn't Edward doing the delivering,
they became adamant that she contact him. Bella explained that she didn't recognize the gentleman who sped
away in the Porsche, but she didn't care. She insisted that regardless of the methods used, the puppet master
behind it all would reveal himself as Edward. Of that she was certain.

Upon releasing her friends, she turned to their children, "I have presents for you guys!" She said excitedly,
leaving their parents with two mirroring shocked expressions.

"Bella, are you okay?" Leah asked, her hand covering her forehead in search of a fever. "And what do you
mean you have presents? Did you wrap money?" She laughed, referencing to Bella's monetary gift to everyone
for every occasion.

"No, I didn't wrap money," she snorted, rolling her eyes. Leah was left to wonder if her friend was under the
influence of liquor, hoping a Christmas cocktail could further explain her behavior.

"But, you don't shop... and certainly not for children," Jake cut into the conversation, interjecting the facts.
They knew Bella didn't dislike children, but she didn't exactly like them either. Furthermore, she'd never have
voluntarily stepped foot into a toy store or kids clothing boutique.

"Come on," she waved, taking the lead and walking towards the dining room. "Dinner is ready." She waved
over towards the tree. "Then it's time for gifts!"

"Bella, you did all this?" Jake asked, staring at the over abundance of food spread out over the holiday
decorated table.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep, so I went sort of... overboard." Bella unknowingly rubbed her eyes, drawing attention

to how truly exhausted she looked. "Have a seat and I'll be right back," she yawned, turning and stumbling
into the direction of the kitchen.

Within a few minutes, the strong, pungent smell of coffee wafted into the dining area, leading Jake and Leah to
head into the kitchen. They found Bella leaning against the counter, her eyes closed as the pot perked beside
her. Their youngest child gurgled loudly, jolting Bella awake only to spew a stream of apologies for her
rudeness.

"So-sorry," she sputtered, shaking her head to free it of the sleepy film. "It's been an interesting few days.
Sleep has been... sparse."

Her friends looked to her concerned, each thinking of something, anything, to convince their friend to just end
this. To seek him out and be upfront about the past and her reasons for leaving him. "I know what you're

thinking and the answer is no." Bella wondered, albeit internally, from the beginning how this would all play
out.

What his intentions were in starting it and how it would all come to fruition in the end. While she wanted
nothing more than to hop in her car and speed to Port Angeles or to Forks, she pushed those urges back to
allow him to come to her in his own way. She just needed her friends to understand that.

"Bella. We love you but this isn't healthy." Leah stepped forward, lightly touching the violet coloring beneath

her eyes. "Listen, why don't you go and sit by the fire for a bit. This will still be warm and we'll eat in an hour
or so."

"No, no, don't be silly," she yawned again, waving her off as she poured a cup of the steaming coffee. "I'm fine, I
just needed more of this," Bella explained, coveting the glass of liquid caffeine with wide eyes and a sleepy
smile.

"Come on, I insist," Jake said, plucking the cup from her hand and dumping it down the sink. "I'm not that
hungry yet anyway." His blatant lie causing his wife to snort in disbelief.

Bella knew that they wouldn't let up until she rested, so she conceded defeat, knowing that in the end they
were right. "I'll go and sit down, but you guys eat. I'm sure the little guys are hungry."

Trudging her sleepy form into the sitting room, she looked between her favorite chair by the window and her
sofa. Deciding on comfort as opposed to nostalgia, she pulled the velvety crimson throw from the leather

chair, wrapping it around herself. Curling up on the couch, she faded off quickly. Her last vision of was of the
cards he left for her, lined in a row along the mantle.

An irritating ticking sound pulled Bella from her peaceful slumber. Opening one eye, she spied the fire being
stoked by Leah, their oldest son playing on the carpet near the tiny Christmas tree she had picked up. Jake
cradled the youngest, in the old wooden rocking chair in the corner, both fast asleep.

Bella took in the sight of the family, a simple observer taking in everything that Edward always wanted. The
baby whimpered slightly, waking just enough to rouse Jake as well. "Shhh, buddy, it's okay," he soothed his
son, rocking the chair slowly, lulling him back to sleep.

Her chest tightened as she continued feigning sleep just to be able to enjoy the lives she envied. In Bella's
mind, the family Edward wanted was still out of reach, but for the first time she actually considered the what

if. Never one to put the cart before the horse, she knew they needed to forgive each other before any future
plans were even discussed.

It didn't keep her from wondering...

"I see your eyes open," Leah whispered, kneeling beside the couch holding a small box. The irritating ticking
was louder now that she moved closer, the sound emanating from the tiny wrapped package. "This was on
your porch," she smiled, thrusting it into her hands.

"Should I be nervous that it's ticking?" Bella replied lamely, poking the box, wondering what exactly was
inside.

"Don't worry," Leah huffed, popping the separated lid off, showing her it was safe. "I didn't dare bring it into
the house if it was something bad. I would have blown it up on the stoop first."

Bella laughed morbidly at the ridiculous thought of an exploding Leah all over her Christmas wreath. "It's
okay, I laughed too," she said knowingly. "You're not the only one sleep deprived. Go on."

Her fingers shook as they lowered themselves into the darkness of the small gift box, nervously poking the
odd, hard, ticking oval. "What the hell?" She whispered, pulling out the plastic ticking egg.

"Oh," Bella sighed, tears falling before the egg timer was fully out of the box. "He's still so silly," she cried,
dropping the timer and hugging Leah as she sobbed onto her shoulder.

Jake cuddled his sleeping son as he watched sadly as his wife comforted their friend in her time of need. They
knew that her walls were crumbling and that the need to see him was overtaking everything else.

"Shhh, it's going to be okay Bells, you'll see," Leah said reassuringly, hoping that it would in fact be okay.

"I'm leaving first thing Friday morning," she sniffed, pulling away and wiping the falling tears. "I'm sorry,"
Bella apologized, pointing to the gift her nose left on Leah's shoulder.

"Sweetheart, I've got two babies and Jake, this is nothing." She laughed, glancing at the mess.

"Come on, let's get you ready to go home."

~*~

~ Chapter Twelve ~

"A fedora, Edward? Really?" his sister teased, shaking her head at his beaming smile. Flicking the gray feather

that protruded from the brim, she knew exactly why he was wearing the hideous and antiquated piece of
fashion nostalgia.

"What can I say?" he laughed, tipping the brim down over his eyes. "I'm a sentimental old fool." He grabbed
her around the waist, twirling her doll body around as she laughed. Alice more than anyone was happy to see
his vast improvements, but in the depths of her soul she prayed this would work.

That she wouldn't have to watch him die all over again.

With the eleventh day of Christmas finally upon them, it was Edward's turn to drive into Seattle to play the

romantic, albeit unconventional, Santa. His nerves were frayed to within an inch of his sanity and yet, he
couldn't wait. His family, of course, was concerned.

Not for his mental well-being, they knew that was long gone, but for the weather. Their worries revolved
around the storm that was threatening to tear through the Olympic Peninsula, covering most of Washington
in snow much as it had done for Thanksgiving.

"Son, I wish you would reconsider getting a hotel in Seattle instead of making the trip twice," Carlisle
suggested, his wife nodding in agreement. "We can take care of whatever needs to be done at the property to
prepare for the Open House."

Edward contemplated the offer from his family, knowing the risk he was taking in traveling to and from
Seattle. The house needed very little work, just a few cosmetic touches to make it feel lived in. Heidi insisted
that showing an empty house wouldn't be beneficial, that the cold, empty interior was off-putting and
unsightly.

"Potential buyers like to see a house with charm and personality, Edward," she'd said the day he made her

aware of his impending trip. Edward only wanted the home gone, sold and forgotten so that he could move on.
So that they could move on.

What they needed was a fresh start. No reminders of the past, the mistakes, the pain they caused each other
thanks to unrealistic expectations and poor communication.

"Love isn't easy, nothing worth fighting for ever is."

Funny that Bella was the one to speak those words of wisdom to him, yet she was the one to walk away.

Edward wouldn't allow himself to venture down that dark path again. He needed to focus on the future, their
future.

"I appreciate the offer," he responded, turning towards his parents and buttoning up his wool coat. "But I
just...I have to be there to say goodbye to it." What Edward was really trying to convey was that he needed to
say goodbye to what the house represented. The hurt, the pain, the what-could-have-been and unnecessary
suffering that both parties inflicted on the other in doing what they thought was right.

Ultimately, his need to finally put the past behind him was the deciding factor to continue with his previous
plans in Seattle. Edward knew that the final piece to the elaborate holiday puzzle was something that only he
could tend to. Delivering the newly engraved silver frame to her house tonight required him to leave early
enough to catch the ferry.

The manic schedule afforded him just enough time to pick it up from the specialty shop and get it to her house
before returning home to meet Heidi. His Realtor, never one for straying from her normal schedule, only
agreed to the late night appointment after Edward explained, in all his heartfelt glory, the grand gesture he
had orchestrated in an attempt to win Bella back.

Heidi was enthralled with Edward's tale and thought about it for days after hearing the news. In being so

swept up in his romantic sentiments, she missed connecting the dots that were there, printed plainly in black
and white. The Open House for Edward's property was arranged for the twenty-sixth and Heidi only had one
appointment scheduled.

The ferry ride gave Edward time to think. Possible scenarios swirled around in his mind as the snow followed

suit around his head. The frosty chill of the wind nipped at his ears, reminding him of the menacing storm on
its way. Sitting in contemplative silence, he fashioned answers to unasked questions if she were to answer the
door.

Would she be waiting for him? Would she sit silently in her chair, staring out the window and allow him to

follow through with his holiday mission? What if he was there? The possibilities were endless and they
allowed the time to pass quickly.

Edward followed the once-traveled path to her brownstone, clutching the seasonally wrapped box for dear
life. The pressure from his fingers gripped the box so firmly that he snapped the holly branch that decorated
the lid.

"Shit," he mumbled, piecing it back together the best he could using the green ribbon attached.

As he approached her home, the snowfall had shifted from a light dusting to a steady hammering of white
covering the ground. Tentative steps safely carried him along the sidewalk until he stopped abruptly in front

of her bottom stairs. As he appraised her home, the blinding daylight was made all the brighter by the stark
white snow falling around him. It was harder than he imagined to simply walk the steps and rest the package
on her doorstep. Trembling hands and unsteady feet brought him slowly up the steps, one by one, until he
stood stock still facing the knotted oak door.

"As long as it beats..." he promised, eyes focused on the door. With words lost and unheard to the whipping

wind and snow, he sighed, wondering again if she were there. Edward's eyes fell on the weathered brass of the
doorknob, contemplating using it and ending his well thought out plan early but he resisted. Instead resting
his fingertips against the icy metal, willing it to open.

Edward knew his time was limited and his hesitation only served in making his nerves that much more

harried. Dropping to his knee, the memory of his would-be-engagement came flooding back, nearly crippling
him, but he pushed it aside. Focusing only on the gift in the box, the meaning behind it and the woman that
was hopefully behind the door watching his every move.

With no signs of life coming from inside her home, he gently swept a section of the concrete with his gloved

hand, sending the snow swirling into the air before he set the gift down. Sitting it directly in front of the door,
he wanted to make sure she wouldn't miss it. Remaining bent at the waist, he brushed the collected snow
from his pants, missing the woman watching him from the window.

Turning on his heel, he felt relieved as he inhaled the brisk, chilly Seattle air. The snow tickled his cheeks as
he descended the stairs, as he laughed and whistled from his achievement as he navigated the snow covered
streets back to the ferry.

Bella watched as the man whose face never left her dreams appear within reach, looking nothing like the man
she left. Her heart lurched at the the sight of his hand resting upon the door. Visually confirming what she
prayed was true, Edward rested the small rectangular box on her stoop before returning to stare at the door,
lips moving but nothing loud enough for her.

Looking every bit like the man she loved, she couldn't help but spy some obvious differences. The sadness
etched in his features, knowing that she was the reason for the stress lines around his almond shaped eyes
and the slightly thinner frame he carried as opposed to two years ago, pained her ten fold.

But while she was focused on the slightly ashen color of his face, underneath it all she still saw him. His
proximity affected her just as it had from the first moment she noticed him in Jake's bar.

Her initial urge was to go to him. To whip the door open, sweeping him inside, covering every inch of him in
love, but she couldn't. These gifts of discovery were important to him, and to her.

Tomorrow would be the end of the presents and hopefully bring a message from him as well. For as much as
Bella enjoyed this jaunt in unconventional courting, the twelfth day-the final day-couldn't come fast enough.

Answers were needed, reasons for this subterfuge would put an end to her speculation. In opening the door to
a reconnection, he was also unknowingly giving her the necessary boost to apologize. Even having two years

to formulate a suitable 'I'm sorry' hadn't been enough for Bella. She was terrified that it wouldn't be enough,
that her words of apology would fall short of being what he deserved.

She waited until he was far enough away that she could slip an arm out the door and grab the package. Frosty
air flooded through the tiny open space, sending an icy breeze up her nightgown as she squatted to retrieve
the package.

A loud gasp rose above the wind, leading to a round of laughter at her unintentional flashing of her bits to her

elderly neighbor, Mr. James. His lascivious eyebrow waggling led her to collapse on the floor in a fit of teary
giggles, a silent thank you to Edward for making her laugh, even under the circumstances.

All ten previously delivered gifts were torn open instantly, leaving paper cuts and blood on her ivory carpet,
but this one sat untouched. Bella remained on the cold tile of the entryway floor, legs curled beneath her with
nothing more to do than stare at the box. The beautifully wrapped box that was from Edward.

She moved the box from the floor to her lap, where it remained untouched for another ten minutes. Her
steadfast resolve was wavering though, as her fingers picked at the tape along the edge. All the gifts were from
Edward, but this one. This one she saw in his hands, touching the paper, possibly tying the silly bow on top.

With painfully slow maneuvers, she artfully unwrapped the box. Once it had been shed of the paper, she
carefully plucked the gift that sat nestled in tissue paper. In her hands sat an antique silver frame, much like
the one she left him.

"He found it," she whispered, reverently touching the empty glass, both wistful and wholly confused by the
gesture. Though the frame was similar, she knew it wasn't the one she left behind that fateful day.

Regardless, the message was loud and clear - he did know about it and had seen it. After what seemed like
hours of contemplation, she shifted her focus on what gift number twelve would bring.

Late the following morning, long after he intended to wake up, Edward was finally roused from his slumber by

the shrill and incessant ringing of his cell phone. Loud, cheery and unwelcome Christmas music bounced off of
the walls in his bedroom, stirring him from his Bella-centric dreamland. With his copy of the photo sitting on
his end table, he fumbled around, knocking his glasses onto the floor before finding and flipping open the cell.

"Yes?" He groaned, rolling over searching around for his glasses.

"Merry Christmas, son," Carlisle greeted, sighing softly, realizing he'd disturbed his sleep. "Have you looked
outside yet?"

At the sound of his father's somber tone, Edward's stomach lurched, knowing what the ominous inflection

meant. Glancing at the time on the phone, he groaned that he slept through his alarm, setting his plans for the
day well behind schedule.

After tossing the covers aside, jumped from the bed and bolted for the window, pushing apart the drapes with
such force that he took the rod down. With his worst fear realized recognized, his phone slipped from his

hand, landing loudly on the floor. His father's muffled voice was barely audible as Edward registered just how
much snow had fallen during the night.

"Fuck," he whispered, resting his palm flat against the window. His forehead and newly formed fist followed
suit, thudding repeatedly into the hard window. "I should have just stayed," he conceded softly. Everything
was riding on this one last gift.

Carlisle's voice grew more and more agitated as he continued to be ignored by his son. With one last worried

shout by Carlisle into the phone, Edward picked it up and sank to the floor, cradling his head in his hands, the
phone resting on his shoulder.

"I should have listened," he admitted to his father. Tears wouldn't come, he was beyond those now. Edward
need to act - fight instead of just accepting the cards he was dealt.

The weather couldn't be that bad, he grew up in the Peninsula, he'd be able to navigate his way back to
Seattle. Determined to not waste another day, he responded with his father's worst fear.

"I've got to go Dad."

"Edward, you can't," Carlisle insisted, his son could hear the faint sounds of the television in the background.

"Dad, I've got to try... I can't just let her think I didn't - could you imagine what she'll think?"

"No Edward, I'm not saying that you shouldn't. I'm saying that you physically can't. The ferry service has been
canceled because of the weather. Edward, attempting to drive in this mess – it would be suicide," Carlisle
explained, praying he conveyed the severity of the storm to his son.

"Son, I know you need to see her-"

"I... have to go. There has to be a way to get there," he sighed, knowing there wasn't. Images of her face flashed
before his eyes. Seeing her opening the door in the hopes of the final gift only to have it not there. Her crying
at what it's absence meant to the entire sentiment. Cynical Bella would assume the worst, think it was a game
toying with her emotions. He couldn't let either scenario happen.

"Call her, son. Explain to her you'll see her in person soon enough-it's not worth risking your life, Edward."

"Dad, I'm sorry... I have to try." He apologized. Both for his curt response and ruining another Christmas
because of Bella.

Snapping the phone closed, he pulled himself up and tore through his bedroom looking for clothes. Tossing on
marginally clean jeans and a sweater, he managed to shove his feet in one boot, while teetering precariously
on the other.

Bing Crosby's melodic voice filled the air of his bedroom again as his cell began to sing. Glancing at the screen,

his parents' phone number appeared on the screen but Edward ignored it, pushing silent to give him time to
plan.

He was well aware that his Volvo probably wouldn't make it very far in the deep snow - certainly not all the
way to Seattle - but that fact wasn't enough to stop him from trying.

Edward packed a change of clothes into a bag as a just in case, and with the cards stacked against him, he
headed outside to shovel himself out of the holiday winter mess.

As he expected, the Volvo was buried underneath the heavy white powder, the amount taking him over an

hour to remove. With each passing minute, Edward contemplated calling Bella to tell her that he wasn't going
to make it, but as the time ticked away his mind made up reasons why his heart shouldn't make the decisions.
The emotional pull he felt towards her dictated what he did

Four hours later, the car and drive finally cleared, it was mid afternoon and Edward was left exhausted, frozen
and severely behind schedule to have any hope of making it to Seattle and it still be the twelfth day.

He retreated back into his loft to change quickly before heading out. Both his cell and his answering machine
were blinking red with unheard messages of worry and anger from his family.

He was terrified that he was making a mistake, reciting his father's advice that he should just call her and
explain that he couldn't make it was giving him pause. His family cited that his safety was more important to
both them and to Bella and that he was being irrational instead of logical.

Once again, he didn't listen.

Much to his dismay, Edward's car made it exactly one hundred and forty seven feet before it gave up the good
fight against the snow. Bundling himself up before exiting the car, he phoned his family to tell them that he
wasn't making it anywhere.

"I'm not very good company right now," he informed his parents, opening the car door he tossed his bag over
his shoulder and began trudging through the snow back towards his home.

"Tell everyone I said Merry Christmas."

By nightfall, Edward was downtrodden, starving and soaked to the bone. Upon reaching his apartment, he
stripped himself of the drenched material, the sopping clothes tossed carelessly in a pile on navy tile floor of
the bathroom. Climbing into the shower, he would allow himself a few minutes to wallow in his failure.

Once the allotted time passed, Edward retired to his living room to call Bella and at least get the awkward
conversation out of the way before they met face to face. He managed to dial and hang up a dozen times before
deciding that he needed a full stomach before he spoke with her.

As Edward settled on his worn leather couch with a bowl of soup and his phone, he dialed and ended the
phone calls seven times before tossing it onto the coffee table to focus on his meal first.

The phone lit up as it skittered across the weathered wood of the table signaling a text.

Even though it didn't work out, I still wish you a Merry Christmas.

~B

~*~

~ Epilogue ~

"Jess, can you... can you come over?" Bella whimpered shakily into the phone. Her attempt at remaining
composed faltered the second her best friend answered.

Groggy and confused, Jessica woke up from her nap half-hanging off her couch. Barely coherent, she didn't
know what time of day it was, having spent all hours of the night on the phone with her friend.

After Edward delivered his frame, Bella's initial flurry of emotions were ecstatic, jubilant - even hopeful at
what was obviously him conveying his hope for a reunion.

"It means what I think it does, right?" Bella smiled briefly, hopeful that her friend would confirm what she
gleaned from the gifts.

As she stared fondly at the line up of memories around the fireplace hearth, she wondered what the final gift

would be. Since the very first sign from Edward, Bella knew what she wanted - no needed - the final statement
to be. She hoped it wasn't another reminder, but instead Edward himself standing at the door. Anything short
of his presence wouldn't fit the scope of his romantic gesture.

After seeing him on Christmas Eve, it took hours for Bella to pull the smile from her face. She resembled the
Bella of old. Gleeful, semi-optimistic and even a bit obnoxious, according to her cynical friend.

Prattling on endlessly to Jessica, she spoke of changing her life, engaging in everything that they missed out

on. It was when she mentioned their cookie cutter future that her friend decided to bring a much needed
reality check.

Jessica, in theory, was happy for Bella, but she also knew that her friend shouldn't just change for Edward.
They needed to be together - she recognized that - but at what expense?

Guilt over their separation - over how much she hurt him by leaving - couldn't dictate how much of herself she

was willing to change just for a reconciliation. Jess knew what Edward wanted. Even what he was planning
that night that Bella left him.

"Bella, I love you, but I have to be honest." Jessica knew this conversation was long overdue.

"If all this means what I think." She paused momentarily at the sound of her friend crying again. "Bella, I just
want you to have an open mind about his... expectations. "

"I... I don't understand what you mean. Expectations?"

"I'm saying that he might think that all this erases everything that happened. You left him for a reason Bella -

this doesn't change that! You just up and running to him–"

"Running to him?" Bella seethed, livid that her friend was trivializing the effort that Edward made or her
reaction to it.

"Two years Jessica. Two years I've dealt with my reasons for leaving him. Wondering why I did it - if it was all

worth it - and you know what? It fucking wasn't." Bella continued, effectively cutting off her friend's attempts
at interrupting. The empty frame that rested in her lap collected the small salty pool of tears as they splashed
across the glass.

"No. I don't know everything he's thinking, but I have to find out - I deserve it - he deserves to know... why... God

damn it. We have to at least talk - he deserves that much. We never had a chance - I never gave him the chance to
talk... Merry Christmas, Jess. I love you."

Bella spent the next few hours waiting for gift number twelve. Waiting for Edward. The time was also spent
dredging up her past - the decisions and choices - that lead them to where they found themselves now.

As the night wore on, it became increasingly more obvious to Bella that there would be no gift. Even more
crushing was possessing the knowledge that Edward wouldn't... no, couldn't make it.

The storm was relentless and unwavering in it's efforts to bury Seattle beneath a blanket of white. Sheer

levels of exhaustion, compounded by worry, left Bella delirious and falling in and out of sleep, only to jolt
awake by imagined sounds. She dreamed that Edward arrived by dogsled - that was her first indication that
he was only a figment of her imagination.

By the time the moon was high and glowing, it's light seeping through the gauzy curtains of her sitting room,

Bella had given up any hope that he would make it. Though the optimism she held for a Christmas reunion
with Edward had dissipated, Bella wasn't losing sight of her goal.

Edward.

They would get their chance to talk. Of that she was certain. It wouldn't be as romantic as Edward's masterful
gesture, but she'd get her point across. Cell in hand, she sent off a message to him.

Even though it didn't work out, I wish you a Merry Christmas.

~B

Bella agonized over the twelve words she sent to him. Too vague? Should she have added x's and o's?
Clutching the phone in her small hand, she fell into a fitful sleep – alone, dreaming once again of Edward.

Snow plows lumbered down the street, freeing Edward fully from the confinement of his loft. With the Open
House scheduled for early afternoon, he would spend the morning calling Bella, asking to meet, hoping they
could meet half way after he saw his family.

Meet half way.

Edward laughed at the irony, replaying Alice's words of advice to him that morning.

"I don't want to see her hurt you again," his sister pleaded, knowing that he needed a voice of reason - to be
grounded in his hopes. "Her letter... Edward she had reasons for... you guys don't share the same-"

"God, Alice, I know. We didn't talk - we never got the chance. That's all I'm asking for." He paused, collecting his
bearings before he continued.

"I... I could have bent a little had I known - moved - so many things we could have compromised, or at least talked
instead of just giving up... running. She is what was important Al... it's her that I need."

That's all he hoped for at this point.

He prayed the gifts were enough to have her remember what they had. To give him a chance to explain. Each
of them needed to bend if they were to ever come together again.

The Cullen family opted to delay their Christmas dinner. For Edward's benefit they blamed the weather for
the change. Of course the decision came after Carlisle's call to his other children stating their brother's state
of mind over his failed attempt at delivering the twelfth gift.

With the whimsy romantic nature of the twelve intended gifts no longer fitting, last night had given Edward

perspective - time to reflect on how much of a mistake it ultimately was. The gifts could very well have
spooked her. Sent her further away from him instead of towards him.

Though his family had been supportive of his wishes - their priority was Edward and his well being. Seeing
him so disheartened without her in his life would be nothing compared to how he'd react if Bella reacted
badly.

"Did you talk to her yet?" Carlisle asked, smiling faintly at his son's somber expression.

"No, she's... she's not answering her phone," Edward sighed, hugging his father weakly, his exhaustion
apparent in the gesture. "I should have listened to you - to Alice - when you said -"

His sister had joined them in the foyer, saddened by his tone. "Edward, I know what I said but you can't give -"

"I'm not giving up Alice. The only thing I can do is be hopeful... that's all," Edward's voice broke as his sister
enveloped him in a hug.

"Come on," Alice requested, taking his arm and leading him to the dining room for their early supper.

As he sat quietly while the rest of the family finished their dinner, Edward's mind floated between watching
the children celebrate the holiday - to Bella - to his appointment that afternoon.

With his mind adrift, unfocused and swirling with the possibilities of what the day would bring, Edward left

the table to attempt to phone Bella again. Sitting comfortably next to the elaborate Christmas tree, he
arranged the gifts - by color, then size, then recipient - giving himself time to think of what to say.

Though initially saddened by the sound of her voice mail message again, Edward soldiered on, leaving her his
voice as invitation. The cold, unfeeling words expressed in a text would only lead to misinterpretation.

"Bella. Uh... hi. I was hoping to talk about things... the gifts... w-what happened. Call me… please... at this number.
I uh... maybe we can meet. I hope... It's Edward by the way."

"Well. That went well," Emmett teased, rolling his eyes at how nervous his brother appeared.

"I haven't spoken to her in two years, Em," Edward groaned, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms. His
brother smiled and outstretched his hand, flicking it slightly when Edward didn't take it to help himself up.

"Thanks," he said, brushing off his pants once he was upright. "I've got to get going. I'm meeting Heidi and
then hopefully..."

"I know bro." Emmett smiled at his brother's retreating figure.

Edward took his time driving on the snow covered roads, slowly navigating through the back channels to get
to the large red albatross that he would soon be rid of.

As he turned the Volvo onto the dirt driveway towards the home, he took in just how perfect the setting was;
the brick red paint on the house, vivid, rich and bright against the snowy white backdrop of the woods.

Edward's soon-to-be-ex house was nestled in the center of the large acreage, the expanse of the property
surrounded in the dark brown corral fence, keeping in whatever wildlife decided to roam the yard.

With the slow approach to the house, Edward took the time to call her for the eleventh time that day. As the
voice mail kicked on once again, he left her yet another message, hoping that she'd call or at the very least
next him back with some acknowledgment. The house came into his sight, appearing just as it had since he
last saw it – at least until he noticed the smoke rising (properly) from the chimney.

"Ah, another one of Heidi's sale's techniques," Edward deduced. "A fire warming the house, making it look
loved... or whatever."

Parking in between Heidi's and an unknown vehicle, Edward tried to calm himself before exiting his car. Once
he felt as if his nerves were subsiding, he made his way up the snow covered steps to the large front door. Just
as his hand made contact with the cold metal of the knob, it opened swiftly, revealing a very happy Heidi.

"You've made it." She smiled, an obnoxious number of shiny, white teeth on display. "I was getting worried
you'd be late." Heidi stepped over the threshold and hugged Edward briefly before descending the stairs.

"Did you forget something?" He asked, confused as she settled herself into the driver's seat of her high-end
SUV.

"No, everything you need is inside," she said, closing the door, effectively ending his questions.

He turned on his heel and entered the home, looking in the entryway for clues to crack Heidi's cryptic
message but every room looked empty. Taking them two at a time, Edward flew up the stairs to check the
bedrooms and bathrooms first, but found them void of any possible home buyers.

Peering out of the master suite's windows, he saw that the mystery car was still there, so someone was
obviously still in the home. Making the return trip back down the stairs, he took his time wondering why the
couple for the appointment hadn't announced themselves when he appeared at the door.

At the landing, he admired just how much work Heidi had put into the house for the showing. The plastic
protective covers had been removed from all the furniture she rented to fill the space.

A fire roared orange and red, casting shadows across the hardwood floor. But all of it was inconsequential
when a shimmer from a flame caught his eye as it bounced off of the silver frame atop the mantel.

Slowly stepping towards it, the sounds of the groaning floorboards beneath his feet carried through the
otherwise quiet house. As Edward reached the edge of the hearth, his eyes focused on the picture - not the
frame - but the picture that was displayed inside.

Encased in the frame he brought to her as the eleventh gift sat their picture. Displayed just as he intended to

deliver it to her. "Well, I'll be damned," he smiled, picking the frame up to hold it towards the light filtering in
from the windows. With his body turned, the reflection in the frame's glass caught him by surprise.

Sitting, facing the window, was Bella.

She smiled when he realized she was there, but made no move to turn to him. With her legs tucked beneath
her, Alice's red blanket draped over them for warmth, she finally turned her head towards him and smiled.
Minutes passed in silence, both of them needing the time to comprehend that the other was there - within
reach - and willing to talk.

"I was worried you weren't going to show up," she said softly, gesturing to the seat across from her.

Edward's legs were locked in place, while his mind going a mile a minute trying to find something... anything,
to say to her. All the words he had prepared fled his mind swiftly, leaving him with his mouth agape and silent.
It gave Edward time to process that she was really there.

She looked - for the most part - the same as she had last time he'd seen her. Bella's dark hair was much
shorter, barely grazing her shoulders, but the color hadn't changed. Her fingers were twisted and writhing in
her lap as he watched her. His intention wasn't to make her more nervous. But in waiting for the words to
come to him, he unknowingly gave her time to hypothesize what he would say.

Bella was torn, she wanted to make the first move but she was just as frozen as Edward was, both fearful that

all the romance surrounding the meet up would blow up in their faces. That once they were together again -
even just to talk - that the balloon surrounding them would burst, deflating the reunion before it even began.
Bella wanted to talk. She tried to form the words but seeing him, finally in the flesh, was too much.

Edward clearing his throat came just in time. pulling Bella from her memories. Thankfully it came just in time

to stop her imagination from traveling down a dangerous path involving the two of them horizontal on the rug
in front of the fireplace. Smiling in acknowledgment for him to continue, she pulled the blanket tighter
around her legs waiting for him to start.

He shifted nervously before taking tentative steps towards the couch opposite Bella. Smiling awkwardly at the
silent conversation that crackled around them, he settled into the couch, yearning to touch her. Even if it was

to only hold her hand, just some simple contact to prove she was real. As if reading his mind, she leaned
forward, the edges of her fingers grazing his knee.

Emboldened, she slid off of the chair, pulling the blanket with her as she positioned herself on the floor in
front of him. With her arms crossed, she rested them atop his knees, followed by her cheek. She looked up at
him, only to see him stunned silent again, just staring down at her smiling.

With his feathery light touch, he traced the worry lines on her forehead until she relaxed fully under his
touch. Her eyes betrayed her, looking exhausted, as he pushed her hair behind her ear. Edward searched her
face - her eyes - her expression, instantly relieved that they were all welcoming, supportive and most
importantly... eager. Her effort to get there, to him, was a gesture he wouldn't soon forget.

"I've been calling you...." he said, resting his hand on her cheek, reveling in the warmth that pooled beneath
his palm.

"I know," she yawned, quickly covering her mouth in embarrassment. She moved off his knees, and began to
retreat by sliding away back towards her chair. "I uh... wanted to surprise you and with the snow - it took so
long to get here." Bella's statement meant more than the few words could convey.

As she began to back away from him, he took the opportunity to slip off the couch, not willing to let her escape

or retreat back within herself. Edward slipped his hand beneath the blanket and onto her lap, in search of
hers. Taking them, he silently pulled her towards him, her body resting against his as they both leaned against
the couch. The two sat cramped together, perfectly happy at the tiny amount of space between the furniture.

"Tell me about the past two years…" he stated, gripping her tighter in his embrace.

And that's what they did.

For hours he sat, arms wrapped firmly around her, anchoring her body to his, while she replayed everything
that happened during their separation. They traded memories. She told him of her career, her unwavering
need to succeed and how it consumed her. How it was the only thing that she had that kept her from dwelling

on the past. But, she confessed that while she needed him in her lif, that she had to keep sight of herself as
well.

Taking turns so when one would falter from their pain, the other would take over with something happy from
their past. She cried uncontrollably when he told her she walked out on his proposal, that his family feared for
his wellbeing while he mourned her leaving.

His heart raced when the gruesome topic of their romantic lives came up. He savored her words when she
admitted being unable to date anyone else without seeing his face. Similar experiences from Edward were
shared causing another breakdown from Bella.

All that time lost.

While they both knew it wouldn't be perfect, they did agree that concessions by each would need to be made if
they had any hope of a future. She'd take some time off from the restaurant, while he agreed to look for
something closer to Seattle.

The house – for the time being – wouldn't be sold. Bella had secured her wishes with Heidi to ensure that if
their talk went well that Edward would remain the owner. If even after they attempted reconciliation they
failed again, she'd buy it. She couldn't bear to have a stranger own what he poured his heart into.

At least they were talking instead of just giving up. When they were finished - worn from the day and
exhausted from their confessions - he brought up the one thing they didn't touch upon.

"I wanted to talk to you about...the messages - the gifts - they were... I mean I hope they were..."

Bella turned to face him, her smile putting his heart and mind at ease. Antsy anticipation bubbled up inside
him as she leaned forward with a simple kiss. Memorizing the feel of having her lips to his again, she managed
to give him the hope they both needed.

"They gave us a new start..."

~*~ THE END ~*~