I own nothing.

With the world in quarantine, I finally found some time to write! I've been away for ages but posting something new feels like coming home. This one came to life back in December and I have several chapters written and ready to go. I plan to post each week on Thursdays. I'm a little rusty, so I hope you can enjoy it.

I have a fantastic team on this story - Drivingedward and Gabby1017 are my prereaders and my beta, SunflowerFran cleans up my mess.

If you looked up the definition of 'early riser', Alice Whitlock's photo would be the first entry. The woman rose long before the sun every day and accomplished more before dawn than some people achieved in an entire day. Of course, she was usually comatose by eight o'clock every evening – she's only human, after all. The problem with Alice is she forgets that just because she has been up for two hours, that doesn't mean the rest of the world is always ready to face the day at 6:00 a.m. Fortunately, an early bedtime the night before meant I was already up and somewhat prepared for her call when the phone rang.

"Good morning, Alice."

"Y-you're awake?" She stumbled over her words only because she knew me well. I could probably count on one hand the number of times I'd been awake before the sun this year.

"Yeah. Trying to get a jump on packing. If I can get the bedrooms packed, the movers will have an easier time getting the furniture out next weekend. What are you up to today?"

As if I didn't know …

"I need to get to the grocery store and run a couple of errands this morning. Do you want to grab some lunch?"

Lunch. Normally, I loved getting together with Alice. She had been my closest friend since preschool and was more sister than friend. There was a time when I thought she truly would be my sister, and that was the problem … Alice had a brother, and he was coming home today.

"Bella, he won't be here until this evening. I wouldn't have asked you … I wouldn't put you in that position, you know."

"I know, and thank you. I really do have a lot to get done here, so why don't you come by around noon and I'll feed you."

"That sounds great. I need to drop off some things for Edw – at Mom and Dad's, so I'll do that first, and then I'm all yours."

We said our goodbyes quickly, knowing we'd have plenty of time to catch up later. I was looking forward to spending some time with her today realizing it was unlikely that I would see Alice, or any of the Cullens, before the New Year.

Not once Edward arrived.

I went back to work, packing up the smallest of the six bedrooms in my family home. Most of it was going into storage until I could figure out what to do with it. If I'd had more time, or maybe if it was spring or summer, I would have had the largest garage sale the greater Asheville area had ever seen. As it was, I had just over four weeks, which included the Christmas and New Year's holidays, to pack up an entire house … and an entire lifetime of memories. I should have asked Alice to pick up some more tape, preferably the kind that was strong enough to hold together boxes as well as the small bits of dignity I had left.

Turns out, Alice knew me too well. She showed up right at noon with packing tape, several newspapers, and Chinese take-out.

"I thought Chinese would be easier. Oh, and I stopped by the hardware store and grabbed some tape for you. Here's more newspaper for your breakables, and there are a few more boxes in the car." Dropping everything on the kitchen island, she pulled out the little cartons and plastic forks while I grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the fridge. We both took a stool and dug into the lo mein and orange chicken while I avoided Alice's contemplative gaze.

"Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"Please reconsider Christmas. Mom and Dad really want you to come, and I hate the thought of you being here all alone. Please?"

I dropped my fork onto the countertop and sighed, knowing this conversation would disappoint her.

"Alice, you know I can't. Not while he's home."

"He's moving back."

Her eyes drifted slowly up to meet mine and were filled with what I knew was worry, but felt more like pity at that moment. I swallowed back the lump in my throat and nodded, preparing myself to talk about him – about Edward – for the first time in three years.

"When?"

"In January. He has a project he's finishing up in Atlanta first." She twisted the cap off her water bottle and took a drink before continuing. "I just thought you should know."

I nodded, rolling my water bottle between my palms, watching the shadow and light play on the granite as I considered just how great the embarrassment might be. "Does he know?"

She didn't answer immediately, and I watched as a soft frown creased her brow. "I don't talk to him about you any more than you and I discuss him. I guess it's been an unspoken rule on both sides. That being said, I haven't told him anything, but I believe he knows." She took a deep breath and met my eyes, "I really think you should talk to him about it. This is the sort of thing he deals with all the time, Bella, and he might be able to help you figure something out."

I was shaking my head long before she finished that last sentence. "No. No, Alice. You know as well as I do that it's too late now. Short of a miracle, come January 15th, the bank will own this place. Mr. Banner was here yesterday and said they already had a buyer lined up and would probably close on it within a few days of taking possession."

"Oh." The look of defeat she wore mirrored my own. Her hand reached out, patting mine where it lay beside my abandoned fork. "All the more reason to spend the holidays surrounded by people who care about you and support you."

I turned my hand and gave her fingers a squeeze. "Thank you. I appreciate that Alice, but I just can't. The humiliation of all of this," I swung my arms to indicate everything around us, "on top of everything else that happened between us … I just can't face him."

Alice stared, unblinking for a moment, and then nodded. "Okay. I won't pressure you, just know the invitation is always open." She pushed off her stool and turned to face the room behind her while setting her hands on her hips. "Now, I'm going to get those boxes from the car. I have two hours before I have to be back at Mom's, so let's get packing!"

That's what I loved about Alice. She was a go-getter, but she also knew when to let things go.

For the next couple of hours, we worked together, talking and laughing about the antics of our small town just outside of Asheville. Before I knew it, we had the bedroom and one of the bathrooms completely packed and ready to load. Just before she left, we made plans to meet up with Rosalie the following evening to do some shopping. Christmas was just over a week away, and I wasn't even close to finished. I hadn't even put up a tree yet, and as late as it was in the season, I probably would just skip it this year. Of course, I didn't tell Alice this tidbit of information; her disappointment in my situation was bad enough without adding any more pity into the mix.

I used the last couple of hours of daylight to load boxes into the truck and deliver them to the rented storage unit. I thought it would make it easier to get things cleared out of the house gradually as I had the time rather than the chaos of trying to do it all at once. I had no problem moving the boxes and small pieces of décor, but I'd hired movers to handle the rest of the furniture. Alice's husband, Jasper, along with Rose's husband, Emmett, offered to do it but I knew they'd want to spend that Saturday with Edward while he was in town. If I were being honest, I worried they might ask him to help, and I couldn't take that risk.

That evening, long after the sun had gone down, I poured a glass of wine and ran a bath. Instrumental Christmas music, vanilla-scented bath oil and a few candles sounded like a great plan. I turned off the overhead lights, settled into the tub, and for the first time in a few years, I let my mind wander back to sweeter days. Back to a time before everything became so complicated.

"We're going into the shops. They have hot chocolate, and Mr. Oliver said we could all go as long as we are back on the bus in fifteen minutes. Come on, Bella!"

"I – uh …" I glanced between my notebook and Alice, wanting to get my ideas on paper before I forgot them, but it was cold, and a cup of cocoa sounded wonderful. She was quick to sense my hesitation.

"Bring it with you. Hurry!"

The line wasn't too long, many of the students opting to go to the souvenir shops instead. I was frantically jotting notes and glanced up when I heard Edward call out.

"Hey Bella, my money is in my backpack on the bus. Can you loan me a dollar? I'll give it back once we load up, promise." His lopsided smile and wide, innocent eyes were always my undoing. I laughed as I pulled a few dollars out of my pocket and handed one to him.

"Alice already said no?"

Now he laughed. "She knows I'll never give it back to her, but she'll still have to love me. I have to give it back to you because you have the choice."

I grinned and shook my head while Alice rolled her eyes.

"As if. Bella will always love you, just like she'll always love me."

"That's true. Unless you turn into a jerk next year in high school, then you'll have to pay me back with 500 % interest. I hope the cocoa is worth it."

It was a middle school field trip to the arboretum. I always carried a notebook everywhere I went, and it was full of ideas and outlines I was sure would someday become a best-selling novel.

That had always been my dream. It wasn't exactly what my parents had in mind, but they were supportive. I'm sure my mom hoped my writing would always be a hobby and that I would one day run the farm as she had, and my grandparents had before her.

My parents, Charlie and Renee, married right out of college. Renee inherited the family business, White Swan Farms, a large orchard that offered apples, plums, peaches, cherries and apricots. The farm also had crops of seasonal fruits and vegetables and boasted a fabulous pumpkin patch every fall that drew families from surrounding states to enjoy the foliage and atmosphere of the North Carolina mountains

The Cullens lived about a half-mile down and across the road from us. Carlisle and Esme had also grown up in the area and married just before moving to Raleigh for Carlisle's residency. Once Edward was born, and Alice a year later, they quickly decided they wanted to be back in the slower pace of Asheville to raise a family. Carlisle found placement at Mission Hospital and worked his way up as the head of Emergency Medicine. Esme, a gifted artist, ran a successful co-op for local artisans. Their twenty acres housed both their home and a large studio that offered space to artists of every medium and a classroom for local children to learn from the masters.

Just as our parents had grown up together, Edward, Alice, and I traveled the same worn bike path between our homes. Our families had dinner together at least twice a week and weekend sleepovers with Alice were a must. It was difficult to remember a time when we weren't the best of friends.

Oddly enough, the day of that middle school field trip stuck in my memory as the beginning of one great love story … and the end of another.

We were almost back to the school when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to find Edward holding out a dollar bill, grinning at me.

"I always keep my promises, Swan."

I rolled my eyes and pushed his hand away, "Keep it. It's only a dollar."

Of course, he pushed it back at me, insisting I take it. We went back and forth for the next couple of minutes until I finally turned my back to him and faced Alice, asking if she wanted to come over and watch a movie before dinner. A minute later, I felt a slight push on my lower back and looked over my shoulder at Edward. He was bent over with his hands on something in the aisle.

"What are you doing, Edward?"

His eyes shot up to mine with a mischievous glint and a shrug, "Tying my shoe."

A quick glance caught his fingers tugging at his laces, so I shrugged and turned back to Alice, who said she had too much homework and would see me the next day.

I spent the rest of the afternoon doing chores and listening to music. Once dinner was over, I headed up to my room, hoping to write something decent before bed.

I found it when I pulled my notebook from my backpack.

The dollar.

I turned it over in my hand to the 'face' side and noticed something along the short, left end.

"I keep my promises" was written in black ink. I couldn't help but smile at his tenacity and decided at that moment that somehow, in some way, I would give it back to him.

Game on, Cullen.

I slipped the dollar into the outside pocket of my backpack and zipped it up as I heard my dad call my name.

"Bella, can you come down here for a minute? Your mom and I want to talk to you."

I don't know what I'd been expecting as I walked down those stairs, but it certainly wasn't the announcement that my parents were getting a divorce. I knew things weren't perfect, but really, what family was? Well, besides the Cullens, of course.

Within a matter of weeks, Dad had moved out and was searching for a home in Florida. Mom refused to let me take on more responsibility at the farm, choosing to hire a few more part-time hands to keep things running smoothly, which left me feeling useless … and anxious … and a little betrayed.

But never lonely.

Alice, Edward, and I became closer than friends – we became our own family. Alice was my confidante, my encouragement, and my laughter.

And Edward …

Edward was my everything.

Thanks for reading. I'd love to know what you think of it so far.

For those of you waiting for an update on The Gambit ... if anyone is still interested ... I am still working on it and you should have an update within the week.