Summary: Edward and Bella are amiable exes, and they're content with that—or are they? Edward still loves Bella, and Bella still loves Edward. Things start to unfold when Edward takes the stage on karaoke night, surrounded by all their friends at a club… can they learn to forgive and give their love a second chance? Two-shot, AH, AU. Songfic based on The Scientist by Coldplay.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE TWILIGHT SAGA OR ITS CHARACTERS. ALL RIGHTS GO TO STEPHENIE MEYER! I ALSO DO NOT OWN 'THE SCIENTIST'. ALL RIGHTS FOR THAT SONG GO TO COLDPLAY!

The Scientist

BPOV:

I sighed and trudged to the door as Alice and Rose caused a racket outside, ringing my doorbell and squealing.

"Bella Barbie time!" Alice sang. I could picture her bouncing up and down like a sugar-high kid. I winced at the mental image.

"You'll be gorgeous when we're done! So open that door before I kick it down," Rosalie chimed in, feeding off of Alice's chipper mood.

I swung my front door open, unfazed by the accuracy of my imaginings.

"Alright," I groaned. "Let's get this over with. The guys will be waiting for us soon."

By 'the guys', I meant Jasper, Emmett, and…Edward. Just thinking of him sent an overwhelming pang of longing in my already aching heart. Jasper was Alice's high school sweetheart, and we were all waiting for when he finally grew the balls to propose. Emmett, on the other hand, had already gotten that part done. Rosalie, my other best friend, was his fiancée of nearly six months.

And lastly, there was Edward. No, he was not my boyfriend. At least, not anymore…

We'd broken up a little over two months ago, and I was still as helpless without him as I'd been since he'd walked out that night.

-FLASHBACK-

"Bella," he sighed, his melodic voice filled with heartbreak. "I just can't do this anymore. I feel like I've lost you…"

"Edward!" I nearly shouted. "You…you can't do this to me. Please," I begged.

"Bells, I'm so sorry. More than words can ever explain. But trust me; you are better off without me. Please, please move on," he begged quietly, not wanting to cause a ruckus.

I let out a strangled sob, and desperately attempted to bargain. "Can we at least be friends?"

The silence was tense as he considered my proposition.

The crooked smile I'd fallen in love with flashed across his features, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Of course," he promised. "Of course we can."

"Thank you," I breathed, my voice and heart shattered.

"Goodbye, Bella."

And with one last chaste kiss on my forehead, he was gone.

-END FLASHBACK-

"Hello?" Alice demanded, snapping her fingers in front of my face. I blinked rapidly, yanking myself from my reverie. "Bella, did you hear a word I said?"

"No," I whispered, my voice pained with melancholy. "I'm sorry."

Alice immediately understood, and her features softened with sympathy and forgiveness. "I asked for your opinion on this blue dress I picked out for you," she told me, her voice somber. That was new.

I gave said dress a once-over. It was a strapless, sparkly blue dress that would perfectly fit my figure without looking too short. I was honestly pleased with her choice, but my mood was already too dampened to express the proper gratitude.

"Uh, yeah, it's great," I mumbled halfheartedly.

"Oh, Bella," Rose sniffed, enveloping me in an awkward embrace as she curled my hair. "I hate to see you suffering so."

"Yeah, Bells," Alice agreed. "If you're still in love with Edward, just tell him!"

"I can't Alice!" I snapped. "He's happy! He obviously didn't want me, since he dumped me!" my tone increased in volume as I finished my rant.

The room fell silent. It stayed that way for a long, painstaking while, until the two of them were done making me over and forcing me into my dress and heels.

"You look fabulous, darling," Rose cooed. "Now let's hit the club!"

Alice screeched happily, and she and Rosalie strutted to the car with me in tow. I sat in the back seat, losing myself in thought as I stared unseeingly out the window while my best friends rode shotgun, singing along to Taylor Swift.

This continued until we pulled up to the 'Twilight Zone', the most popular club in Forks. As we stepped out, I could hear men catcalling and wolf-whistling at Alice, Rose, and I. This made me grit my teeth and resist the urge to beat them senseless.

As we entered the club, I immediately noticed the strobe lights were too bright, the dance floor was already too crowded with drunks, and the music was deafening. I hated it.

What can I say? I'm not a partying person.

I felt an sharp yank on my wrist as Alice dragged me over to a bar where Jasper, Emmett, and Edward were already seated. When they saw us, all three of them rose simultaneously to greet us.

Without a second look at Emmett, Jasper, Alice, and Rose, I focused my attention on Edward, and Edward alone. His bronze locks were disheveled as always, and his emerald eyes pierced through my dull brown ones, staring straight into my soul. He wore a form-fitting Coldplay t-shirt; our favorite band; and donned a complimenting pair of dark-wash jeans with his normal Nike sneakers.

God, he was so perfect.

As tore my eyes unwillingly away from his body and back to his face, I noticed his mouth was slightly ajar as his eyes drank in my appearance. Was that a good thing?

His eyes, eventually, returned to mine, and I smirked cockily. "Like what you see, Masen?"

He chuckled, wrapping his warm, strong arms around me, and I felt the familiar jolt of electricity surge through me. I shivered with delight as I felt his lips press against my ear.

"I have such a beautiful best friend," he murmured, causing my mood to soar and my cheeks to redden.

"Thanks," I mumbled, retreating my eyes to the floor.

"Can I get you a drink, Bells?" He offered, giving me his genuine lopsided smile.

He was going to be the death of me, I swear he was.

"Sure," I replied breathlessly, trying to recover myself from his overwhelming ability to dazzle me.

He didn't even need to ask me what I wanted; he always knew. He leaned over the counter and hollered at the bartender over the loud music to pour me a glass of club soda with vodka. Within seconds, the man had whipped up my drink and sat it in front of me.

"Thanks," I smiled warmly at the bartender.

"No problem," he answered smoothly, licking his lips. He stared at me a little longer than necessary, his eyes holding a peculiar emotion.

When I turned back to Edward, his eyes sparkled with fury and his lip was curled back over his teeth. Why was he so mad?

"Edward? What's the matter?" I asked, panicked by his sudden mood swing.

When his gaze settled back on me, his eyes softened infinitesimally. "That bartender," he sneered, narrowing his eyes, "the way he—" I strained to hear the rest of Edward's sentence, but he was cut short by the DJ, who had killed the music and cleared the dance floor.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, do you know what time it is?" his voice boomed through the microphone, and the room filled with loud hoots and cheers.

"That's right, it's KARAOKE TIME!" he hollered, and the place went nuts. I covered my ears in a futile attempt to shy myself from the deafening roar of the partygoers.

Once it died down, drunken idiots began stumbling up to the stage to sing ridiculous songs. I glanced over to Edward, who seemed to be over his unexplained fit of rage. He was currently snickering at Emmett, who was onstage singing Barbie Girl in an off-key girly voice. I giggled along, clutching his arm for support when I nearly fell off my stool.

Time passed slowly, yet it flew by. The wasted people had already gotten their 'time to shine', and no one had volunteered to sing in a while.

"I'll be right back," Edward said suddenly, a look of determination in his eyes as he hurried off towards the dance floor.

Where was he going?

"Okay, ladies and gents. We've got one more volunteer for our karaoke session tonight. He's gonna be singing The Scientist by Coldplay," I was shocked. Only one person could know that song other than me…

"Please give it up for Edward Masen!" There were a few random girls squealing, while the rest clapped and cheered as the piece opened.

"This goes out to the one and only girl who forever holds my heart. I hope she understands what I've done, and I'm sorry," Edward said, his gaze holding mine.

As he sang the opening lines, my jaw dropped, and the rest of the world dissipated. It was just me, sitting in my bar stool, and him, onstage serenading me sweetly. Tears flooded to my eyes upon the realization that he was apologizing to me.

His deep, enigmatic eyes still held mine under his intense gaze. A tear leaked out from the corner of my eye, and he did not miss it. He smiled ruefully and continued.

As the final notes came to a solemn finish, the gathering of people erupted into applause. His eyes dropped mine for a quick moment to thank his newly formed fan-club for their encouragement, and I launched myself out of my seat, shoving through the people to make my way to Edward.

He loved me. He still loved me. He never stopped loving me after all this time.

And I was still irrevocably in love with him.

Edward saw me making my way to him, and abruptly hopped off the side to meet me halfway. It was like I couldn't get to him fast enough. I pushed my legs harder, and then I finally reached him.

"Isabella," he breathed, burying his face in my hair as I formed manacles around his waist with my arms and wept into his chest. "Don't cry, please."

"Edward," I choked. "I don't know what to say." Tears had begun to flow freely down my cheeks again.

He brushed a few strands of hair away from my face, his expression unfathomable.

"So don't say anything."

And then we were kissing.

His lips clung to mine like a lifeline, and I responded eagerly. My fingers resided in his ever-so-soft bronze locks, tugging at them lightly. People all around us started whistling and whispering, but we ignored that. After two horrifyingly painful months, I was finally home.

Only when we were seconds from passing out, we pulled apart; he rested his forehead against mine, and I let my eyes slide shut again.

"Bella," he whispered to me. "I never stopped loving you. I only left you because I thought you were unhappy. I've gone so long without your love, and I'm begging you please, please take me back. Make me the happiest man alive at this moment. All you have to do is say yes."

"Edward, there's no possible way for me to get over you. My heart has been yours the moment I first saw you. So, yes. My answer is yes."

Edward's eyes sparkled brighter than a Christmas tree, and his answering smile was so glorious, so victorious it stole the breath from my lungs.

Before I could catch that breath, his mouth captured mine again, his lips gentle yet passionate. He pulled away after a moment, only to meet my gaze with an intense stare of his own.

"I love you, Isabella Swan. I always have, and I always will."

"I love you too, Edward Masen. Never stopped and never will."

A/N: So, there's Chapter 1! Next Chapter is an Epilogue (I couldn't help myself, I had a great idea). This was inspired by my dinner experience tonight, when I was out at a local diner when 'The Scientist' came on the radio. All of a sudden, BAM! I had this whole plot formulating in my head. Hope you liked it—leave reviews! Keep reading for the Epilogue! -C