I don't own anything Twilight. I do use the characters to have fun with.

If you don't know the way and you're lost
This truth will bridge the gap and carry you across - Flyleaf

It was a sound I was familiar with that woke me up. The shuffling sound of someone putting clothes on and moving things around. I opened my eyes to see my fiance Edward throwing on a pair of dress pants. That's when it dawned on me. It was Sunday and neither of us were supposed to be working today.

"What are you getting dressed for?" I asked. My voice was still thick from sleep.

Edward jumped a little, startled at my voice and then smiled at me.

"I have to go to a meeting, a new client is interested in ordering from us so I have to go make sure everything goes smoothly." Edward answered as he slipped on his white undershirt. I took a brief second to admire his body before getting angry. It wasn't that the excuse he just gave me was uncommon or that it wasn't something I was use to hearing but when you only get to spend time with the person you love once every few weeks the 'work' excuse gets tiresome.

"You promised me that today was OUR day Edward." I retorted. My voice still cracking from sleep. I tried to clear my throat so I could sound appropriately mad.

"Bella, sweetheart, I promise I will be back in two hours and from then on I will turn off my phone and surrender to your every whim." He said with a hint of irritation which just made me even more angry. I couldn't count how many times I had heard the promise of two hours and how often it would turn into six hours, or eight hours, and him coming home somewhat intoxicated, leaving me feeling cold and angry.

But I knew that to argue with him was pointless, he had a job to do and if one of my girls had called to say they needed me to fix something I would also go. It was what happens when your in business for yourself or in his case, his families business. You never truly have a day off.

I put my head back down on the pillow and let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. But please Edward, try to get home early. I really miss you."

I saw a flicker of something in his sparkling green eyes. It looked like remorse, or maybe sadness. I was a little relieved that at least he felt some sort of regret over the situation. He blew me off frequently and it was getting to the point where I didn't know where I stood in his life anymore. I loved him with everything I had, but sometimes I wasn't so sure if he loved me anymore.

When we were in high school we couldn't be separated. We went to college together where we both obtained degrees in our chosen fields. I thought we were off to a great start when I opened a catering business and he went to work for his father. It had seemed like everything was going perfectly.

Right after college something happened. He started getting stressed out about work, his dad had him on a very short leash. Things haven't been the same since. He proposed last year on my twenty third birthday. I was so happy because for a while I had my old Edward back. He would come home on time and we had most of our weekends together, but then something went wrong at work and since then he has been so distant. Today we were supposed to spend the day together. My guess is my day just opened up.

I watched Edward as he tied his shoes and looked at him sadly. I loved everything about this man, his crazy bronze hair, startling green eyes. His heart breaking smile that seemed to always do weird things to my heart when he smiled at me. He glanced down at me and gave me a quick peck on the forehead. "I'll be home soon Bella." He said as he walked out the door.

I decided to go back to sleep but I kept hearing a buzzing noise coming from somewhere. I ignored it and then it stopped. I closed my eyes and drifted back to sleep when I suddenly heard a loud knock on the front door. I glanced at the clock and it said 10:48am. I jumped up to grab my robe to tie it around me and went to see who was so intent on waking me up. I looked out the peephole to see a visibly upset Tyler Crowley, who worked for my dad in the town of Forks minuscule police department.

"Whats wrong Ty?" I asked as I opened the door.

"Bella, I need to come in for a minute and talk to you." He replied.

"Sure, sure, come on in." I said quickly and opened the door wide for him to walk in. I was rather taken by his gloomy demeanor and disheveled uniform, which he usually had on neat as a pin.

"My dad's going to take your badge away if you go to work looking like that." I said jokingly.

Tyler turned to face me and looked as though he was fighting tears. It was startling to see such a big guy so dismantled. "Bella, that's why I am here, it's about your dad." He started and took a deep breath. "Uh, look I want you to sit down."

I felt a cold chill run through my veins. Nothing good was ever said after those words were spoken. I felt a swell of panic run through me.

"Just spit it out Ty. What is it about my dad? Why do I have to sit down? Whats wrong with him? Is he ok?" I started to ramble.

Tyler took me gently by the hand and walked me to the couch and sat me down next to him. "Bella, your dad was in an accident. He was driving down one oh one and crashed." He told me solemnly.

As the words registered a huge pain shot through my chest. Breathe Bella breathe.

"Is he ok?" I choked.

Tyler shook his head slowly "Bella, he is gone." He told me his voice and large brown eyes were thick with sorrow.

It must have only been seconds, but it felt like it took hours for all the emotions to hit me. My head started to spin. Tears filled my eyes and a knot formed into my throat. I tried hard to breathe and sort the thousands of thoughts running through my head. Tears were falling down my face while Tyler was softly rubbing my back trying to console me. I looked up at him to find he had tears in his eyes.

"How did he crash Ty? He drove that road a million times. How could he have possibly crashed?" I managed to ask through sobs. My heart breaking more with every second that passed.

"I don't know Bella. I came here after I left the hospital." He said. He looked as though he was going to say more but thought better of it.

My mind was running at an impossible pace. So many things were going through my head that it actually felt like it was buzzing. I looked up at Tyler and shook my head. "I have to call Edward." I murmured, suddenly needing the comfort of him surrounding me. Tyler nodded his head and got up. I stood up and walked to my bedroom looking for my cell. I saw my purse sitting on top of my nightstand and opened it up. I shoved through the junk inside to find my cell on the bottom. It had been on vibrate, which explained the buzzing sound when I was trying to sleep. The screen said:

Three Missed Calls.

One New Message.

I opened the call list to see who it was. It said

Missed Calls: Charlie x3.

I broke down into tears. My father had tried to call me this morning and I ignored it because I was upset over Edward breaking his plans with me. A million guilt riddled thoughts ran through my mind. I sobbed a little louder and Tyler came in. "Bella, you OK?" he asked. I nodded my head yes and told him about the missed call while dialing my voice mail. My hands shaking a bit. The voice mail announcer said "One missed call. Today at 8:48 am.'Bella this is your dad, I need to talk to you, its very, very important you call me back right away, it's abo--'..." There was a shuffling sound and another noise I couldn't understand. Then I heard the car engine start up and speed away when the message ended. I looked up at Tyler with a guilty and confused expression. Tyler asked me what it was and I hit save, then replayed the message on speakerphone. My tears streaming down my face. I rubbed them away and looked at Tyler. A hard look ran across his face. "Bella can I take this into the station to have it analyzed?" he asked. For the life of me I couldn't figure out why he would need it analyzed but I nodded my head yes. "Let me call Edward first." I told him.

The phone rang five times and went to voice mail. I sighed frustratedly and figured he would not have answered because he never answers for me anymore. I hung up to call again so that he knew it was important. Sometimes that worked. Most of the time it didn't. And it didn't.

"Edward, its Bella." I took a ragged breath "I need you to come home right away. My dad was in an accident and I really need you. Please come home. Call me back at the house."

I handed my phone to Tyler and stood in the doorway between my bedroom and the hallway leading out the the living room. I rested my head against the door and closed my eyes. I suddenly felt overwhelmingly tired and drained. My heart aching more with every second.

I looked up at Tyler and saw him looking at my phone as though he was trying to figure it out. "Just press and hold 1 and it automatically dials my voice mail. Then hit 4 to listen to saved messages." I instructed him then walked to the living room to try and sit and figure out what to do next. I was so lost. Tyler followed me to the couch but didn't sit down. Instead he told me something about going to the station to have them take a listen and told me he would drop it back off later. I just nodded and then heard him leave.

I remained sitting on the couch crying for quite some time. I looked at the clock and saw it was almost 3:28pm. I had sat there for four hours and no one had called.

That was when my grief and sadness turned into outright fury. I was alone. I was alone during a time when I needed someone the most. Not just someone, but Edward. I walked to the house phone that was hung up on the wall next to the opening of the kitchen and dialed his number. Rage consuming every fiber of my being.

Voicemail. I hung up and tried again.

Voicemail. I hung up and called again.

Voicemail. I felt the anger cause my whole body to shake and decided if he didn't answer the fucking phone the next time I called, his Armani suits would be covered in bleach. I dialed the phone and it rang three times and then...

"Fuck! Bella! I do NOT have fucking time to fight with you right now! I'll see you when I get home in a couple of fucking hours! So chill the fuck out." Click.

It felt, in the second I heard the click, that my blood had been replaced with flames. I had never been so angry in my entire life. Not only had I never done anything to warrant that kind of response from him, but I felt as though any ounce of hope I had felt for our relationship, or future, was gone.

This house belonged to Edward. It was a gift from his father Carlisle for graduating college. I knew I couldn't be around Edward tonight, and maybe never again. But that wasn't a decision I could make in the state of mind I was in at the moment. But what I did know is I needed to get out of here.

I went into my bedroom and I sat down on the bed and tried to think of where to go. I knew I could go to my dad's, but that thought hurt way to much to even consider. Then it hit me. I could call Angela. She was a great friend and I know she would let me crash on her couch for a while until I could make sense of it all. It would be good to have someone to talk to about it. I felt so scattered and lost. I walked to the phone in the kitchen and dialed Angela's number.

"Ello?" I heard a soft voice answer.

"Ang, its Bella. I have a huge favor to ask you." I asked doing my very best to keep my shit under control. I felt like bursting into tears again but I had to keep it cool till I left or I wouldn't be able to drive over there.

"Sure Bells, whats up?" She asked. I could hear a smidgeon of concern in her voice. It wasn't often I actually needed help.

"I need a place to crash for a few days. I will explain when I get there, I know that Corey is in the guest room but I can crash on the couch or something I..." I tried to explain but was interrupted by Angela.

"Bella, of course you can stay, Corey is actually gone for a few weeks, he went to visit a friend in California. Are you ok?" She said sounding even more concerned.

"Well, to be honest, no. But I can't talk about it now, I will grab some things here and fill you in when I get there, I'm actually surprised you haven't heard, with the way this town talks." I said with the thought actually dawning on me the second I said it. In fact, no one has even called to check on me. Either I was not as popular as I thought, or something was off.

I remember when Harry Clearwater passed there wasn't one minute without someone calling or coming by offering condolences to my dad for losing his best friend. But it was a thought I had to figure out when I got out of this house. I was feeling sick just being here.

"Well come on over Bells, I am off today and tomorrow. So I'll see you when you get here."

"Thanks Ang. See you in a minute." I said and hung up.

I walked to the bedroom and grabbed my suitcase setting it on the bed. I started filling it with almost the entire contents of my dresser. Then it dawned on me I was still in my pajamas. I sat down on the edge of the bed next to my suitcase and looked at my reflection in my dresser mirror. My hair was a mess, my eyes puffy, and nose red. I hadn't felt this low in such a long time. My mind was tired from trying to think and not think at the same time. I let out a long slow sigh and got up off the bed. I grabbed a pair of dark blue jeans and a white t shirt and put them on then I walked into the bathroom and grabbed my hairbrush and brushed out the tangles in my long brown hair till it was smooth and straight. I grabbed a hair tie and threw my hair back into a pony tail. I knew trying to throw any kind of make up on would be pointless, and it wasn't as though I needed it anyway since I hardly ever wore it in the first place. I grabbed my toothbrush and did a quick brushing, and then grabbed the rest of my toiletries and put them inside of my red and black travel case and placed it inside of the suitcase and closed it up. Anything else could wait. I had to make sure to leave before Edward came home. I knew if he saw me leaving he would talk me out of it and I was entirely too upset to allow that to happen. I needed to be alone, or at least in a place where I could think about things without having to worry about anyone else. Angela's would be perfect because she was good at knowing when to ask questions and when to back off. It was exactly the kind of retreat I needed at this moment. I could figure things out easier over there.

I walked out the door and over to my baby. A beautiful, newly renovated 1963 Chevy pickup. It was my first vehicle. My dad got it for me in High School. Everyone had something awful to say about the truck back then, but I loved it. It had character. It was unique, like me. It didn't fit in anywhere. The way I had always felt like a square peg in a round hole world. It fit me nicely. Two square pegs. Edward had hated it most of all. So last year when I went to Jacksonville to visit my mom, he had it renovated. Or as he said, "I pimped your truck!". I was shocked. It looked so different. He had painted it a blood red color, the bench seat in the front was redone in black leather and he put an amazing sound system in it. Not to mention a brand new engine.

It must have cost a lot and it looked pretty but I missed the way it use to be. The quirks it had. Like the way when the horn didn't work I could use the metal on my key chain and touch the steering column with it and it would honk. Or how the headlight switch had to be jiggled a certain way before turning on the headlights. Not that I didn't appreciate what he had done, but I liked my truck just fine the way it was and thought it was an unnecessary expense. But that was Edward, always making sure to get his way.

I started the engine and listened to the loud purr of the shiny new engine inside. I closed my eyes remembering the day my dad gave me the truck. Knowing how prone to accidents I was, he said "This thing will take out anything that comes your way Bells. It will keep you safe when I can't." I remember taking my then best friend, Jacob Black, out for my first drive in this truck and we drove to First Beach. We sat in the bed of the truck and talked and laughed for hours about everything. I smiled at the memory and hurt at the same time and felt tears threaten to surface. I pushed the memory down and started the drive to Angela's house. Intensely missing the friend that I once held so close to my heart, hurting from the loss of my dad, and mourning the future I had once hoped for.

When I had pulled up to Angela's driveway and turned the truck off I saw a flicker in the curtain and saw the front door open with Angela walking out into the dreary darkness wrapping herself in her sweater a little tighter. When she got up to the truck she looked at my tear stained face and cocked her head to the side and as I opened the door she helped me out and gave me a long hug not even asking what was wrong.

That was so like Angela, never one to pry, just always there, a true friend. It was at that moment that all the tears I had been holding in came out. I started sobbing into her shoulder. She quietly shushed my sobs, and softly stroked my back, in such a way that it reminded me of the way my mom would stroke my back when I was upset. It was so relieving to have someone I could trust hold me while I cried. After a few minutes she pulled back. "Let's get your stuff in the house, its going to start raining any second." I nodded and grabbed my suitcase.

When we got inside of the house she walked me to her guest room and I walked in behind her and sat my suitcase down next to the bed. She turned to me and sat on the edge of the bed.

"What on Earth happened Bells?" She asked softly.

I felt the words form in my throat but the pain was too much to actually say them out loud. I looked at her through tearful eyes and finally managed.

"My dad died in an car accident this morning." I said breaking into sobs.

"OH! Honey!" Angela exclaimed, her eyes filling with tears.

We sat on the bed crying together for a long time. She had been my best friend since 9th grade when I had first moved to Forks to live with my dad and he was like a second dad to her.

She started to compose herself and looked at me with hard eyes. "So where is Edward?" She asked.

I blinked the tears from my eyes and rubbed them away. I told her about my day and how it all unfolded. I told her about the voice mail my dad had left me, and how Tyler wanted it analyzed. Which we both agreed was strange along with how strange it was that no one has seemed to know about it. Then I spit out the phone call I had made to Edward and what had transpired.

"What a fucking dick!" She exclaimed. Which for her to use profanity was incredible. It was like a Blue Moon. It only happened once or twice a year. I was in shock but I nodded my head in agreement.

"Well, I can see why you need to be here." She said after a minute, still seething, then she looked at me with teary, sympathetic eyes obviously not knowing what to tell me.

"I need to use your phone. I have to call Ty and see when he can bring me my phone." I told her. Angela nodded and we walked out to the living room. I picked up the black cordless phone sitting on top of the coffee table and dialed the Police Department phone number. A male voice picked up on the other end.

"This is Isabella Swan, I'd like to speak with Officer Crowley please." I told him.

"Oh, Isabella." He said then paused. "This is Sam Uley. I'm so sorry about your dad. He was a great man."

I managed to squeak out a polite thank you and then heard him put the phone on hold.

I heard a voice come back on the phone. "This is Tyler. Isabella?" I heard him ask over the phone.

"Yeah, its me Ty. I was calling about my phone." I said quietly.

"I had went to your house but you weren't home, where are you? Are you ok?" He asked sounding a bit panicked.

"I'm fine. I am at Angela's house." I told him.

"Don't leave. I'll be there soon with your phone." he said then hung up.

I was a little confused by his behavior and told Angela about it.

"Its so weird that no one has called you Bells." she contemplated.

I sat there wondering why that could be for a minute. Why would the police keep a car crash a secret? Unless there's more to it. There was definitely more to it, but what? I glanced at the time on the cable box. 7:18pm. Angela was sitting next to me and my guess is she sensed that I wasn't in the mood to talk about the days events any further so she started telling me the story about her cousin Corey and the person he was visiting in California. Apparently they had started an online relationship and this was their first meeting. I was so grateful to her for her consideration, there would be no way to repay her for her kindness. I started to ask her what his new found loves name was when I heard the crunching of gravel and saw headlights beam through the curtains. "That must be Ty with my phone I told Angela." She nodded and I got up to answer the door when I heard a loud knocking on the door.

"No need to knock the house down Ty..." I started to say and stopped short because it wasn't Tyler Crowley. It was Edward with a less than pleased look on his face.