A/N: OMG. I'm so sorry this one took me so long. I had a hard time working this chapter out, but alas, it is here. Um, I have a fun 80's playlist on my profile that goes along with this chapter. Let's just say that Emmett likes his '80s. ;) As usual, much love to my lovely ficancee SweetVenom69 for holding my hand and just loving me in general. If you aren't reading her fic, Bittersweet Irony, run now and read!

Also, I've put links on my profile of where the clan is staying in Seattle for this weekend as well as a link of the freaking awesome bowling alley they are at. Go look!

A huge thanks to CereuleanBlue for looking at this chapter for me and doing the beta work. And my greatest thanks to shabbyapple for being the best Twilighted validator ever! Seriously, you are amazing!

EPOV

I pull into the parking lot of Acme Bowling, the second bowling alley I've been to tonight since Alice directed me to the wrong place, find a parking spot and shut off my car. Like most of the last three days, my head is filled with images of Bella and what I could possibly say to her. I mean, it should be fine, right? We've been talking on the phone everyday, sometimes several times a day. We're friends, and we confide in each other a great deal; mostly me talking about work and her talking about painting. Several times I've asked her questions about Jake and her past; she politely turns the topic of conversation elsewhere and that is that. I don't want to pry and cause her anymore sadness, so I let it go even though I'm very curious.

How long will she keep me in the dark like this? It seems that everyone else in our little group knows, except for me. Of course Jasper knows, because he has been seeing her for therapy appointments, and Alice knows because now she talks to Rose regularly, on top of being engaged to Jasper. Alice has tried to talk to me about it once or twice, but on every occasion I've stopped her. Whatever has happened to Bella, I want to hear from Bella, and I want her to tell me when and if she is ready to. Everyday I hope that she trusts me a little more, eventually enough to want to confide in me and let me truly help her.

I walk up to the counter to give both Whitlock and Cullen, not knowing what name Alice put the reservation under, and retrieve my shoes. The guy behind the counter informs me that we have one of the private lanes and points me in the direction of our reserved area. Leave it up to Alice; she can never do anything the normal (read: cheap) way, even if it is just bowling. Everything is taken to an extreme with her, but as I walk through a small hallway and around a corner, I exhale with relief that she has splurged this time.

Before me is a large room, and quite possibly, the nicest bowling alley I have ever set foot it. Not that that is some major feat, but it's incredibly classy. All of the upper lights in the place are turned down, and I walk past people bowling, chatting, drinking and just having a good time. There are blue lights that line the walls, giving a bit of a disco-y feel and large screens at the end of each lane with music videos dancing across them. Several couches and chairs covered in retro patterns sit behind each lane, and the lights on the ceiling cast yellow-green lights around the room. The lanes are white with black detailing for contrast.

I sift through the people, counting lane numbers as I go, finally coming up on my, so-far small, group. Before I approach them, I take a moment to take in the scene and, if I'm completely honest, to watch Bella. Emmett is standing at the head of the lane taking practice rolls or bowls, or whatever it is you call it, while Rose perches over a small desk, programming everyone's name in for the game. Over on the black suede couch, Bella finishes tying the laces of her bowling shoes which, by the way, look absolutely perfect on her and retrieves her ball from the tray. She walks over to Emmett, and I make my way over to Rose to say hi. I watch Bella swing her right arm, ball in hand, a couple of times to loosen it up. Just as she pushes it back the third time, Rose greets me, and my attention is stolen from Bella.

"Hello, Rose. It's good to see you again."

In the next second, there is a loud bang and the sound of Bella exclaiming, "Oh shit!"

Her ball goes rolling backward, and she quickly turns, bending at the waist to retrieve it. Emmett doesn't lose a second before poking fun at Bella, immediately shouting something about throwing balls around and the lane being the other way. I can't really focus on what he says, continuing to watch Bella and waiting for her to turn around to acknowledge me.

A part of me wonders if she hadn't known I was coming, but I don't think that Rose would do that to her. Yet, maybe she would. Slowly, Bella straightens up, carrying her ball to the rack, and gently sets it down. She fumbles with it a little before finally peeking through the hair that is partially covering her face and over to me. I give her a calm, soothing smile, and she bites her lip. Watching her do that does something to me, but now isn't the time to dwell on it.

I walk the few feet over to her, and she finally straightens up, looking me in the eyes.

"Ahhh, I, uh, didn't realize you were going to be here, Edward. Not that that's not okay, because it is...I was just, ah, startled," she stammers through, turning a shade of red so vibrant that I can even see it through the dim lighting.

I smiled broadly at her, leaning down to her ear so only she can hear me. "Why the nerves, Bella? It's just me, and we've been talking on the phone for months now." I grip her shoulder gently, attempting to give her any assurance I can.

She returns my smile a little, and something about it both breaks my heart and makes it leap at once. I pull her to me and envelop her in my arms, pouring as much confidence through my arms and into her as I can. She turns her face so her cheek rests against my chest, and I sit my chin on the top of my head. Out of the corner of my eye I see Emmett gaping at us, and then Rose kicks him in the shin. I chuckle, and Bella pulls away, asking, "What?"

"Nothing, just Emmett getting in trouble again," I explain, as she moves completely way from me. Just at that moment I'm tackled at the waist; I pitch forward a little, caught off guard, but regain my balance.

I look down to see small hands enveloping my midsection, and knowing who they belong to, I pry them apart, turning around.

"Hello to you too, Alice." I look over to Jasper, nodding in welcome. He nods back at me, before looking over at Bella with a concerned expression on his face. I turn to look at her, and see that the color in her face has drained completely away leaving her as pale as a ghost.

I take a step closer to her and grip her arm, ready to take her pulse or something, because being that pale can't be good. "Are you okay?" I ask her quietly, glancing back to Alice and Jasper.

"Dr. Whitlock? What are you doing here? What's going on?" Bella asks, looking from person to person, her distress beginning to register on her face.

Jasper walks over to her and helps Bella sit slowly on the small couch she had occupied earlier. He sits down beside her, and the rest of us uneasily take the closest seats. I keep my eyes on Bella, noticing that she is beginning to get some color back into her cheeks, but her fists are clenched. She looks more than a little defensive.

Jasper speaks first. "Well, Bella, it's obvious that nobody told you who I am and that I would be here. I can imagine that this would be a bit awkward for you."

"Having my therapist for a weekend of fun? Yeah. You could say it's a bit awkward," Bella replies in a slightly acidic voice. I can't say I blame her.

Across from me, Rose stands up and huffs, walking over to Bella and Jasper and kneeling down.

"This is my fault. I didn't tell her, and I should have. Look, Bella, Jasper is my cousin, and Alice, his fiancée, is Edward's sister. I didn't even think to tell you that they were coming because I had no idea you were even seeing Jasper for therapy. Honest, I swear. I would have told you! You know this." Rose moves a little closer to Bella and touches her arm. "This is supposed to be a fun weekend, Sweetie. You really need some fun, and this was an honest mistake. Really, Jasper and Alice are fun. Let's just have fun, please?"

I look around at everyone. All eyes are on Bella and Jasper, except for Emmett's, who is intently studying his ball and poking his fingers in the holes. I look back to Bella and see that her color has returned to normal. She places her hand on Rose's head and pets it a little, which elicits a snarl from Rose.

"Sure thing, Rosie. A fun weekend. Um, Jasper, I guess this will help with the therapy a little? Maybe?" Bella asks as she meets my gaze. I give her a reassuring smile, and she looks away to Alice. "And I don't believe we met, Alice. I'm Bella, Emmett's sister and Rose's sister-in-law..." she pauses and takes a deep breath, "...and Jasper's patient or client or whatever therapists call it."

In true Alice form, she jumps forward, throwing her arms around Bella's shoulders. "I'm so glad to finally meet you, Bella. I've heard a lot about you already," Alice admits, and I unsuccessfully stifle a groan.

Bella's eyebrow quirks up and she asks, "Oh really? And who has been telling you about me?"

"Oh, Edward of course," Alice responds like that is completely common knowledge, then walks away to retrieve her bowling shoes, which, by the way, are her own.

The first hour of bowling goes by slowly because the atmosphere is a bit tense, but that all changes at ten o'clock. The lights shift to a reddish color, and we are hit with an onslaught of 80's (music). All of a sudden, Emmett jumps up and stands on one of the little chairs, belting Blondie's "Call Me" at the top of his lungs. The sad part of it is that he actually sounds pretty close to the high-pitch singer, and our group breaks out into a fit of laughter. Parties surrounding us point and laugh, and finally, the tension is broken. Rose swats at Emmett, yelling for him to get down while Bella and Alice tell him to strip.

Did I mention we're all drinking? Yeah.

I watch Bella finally relax, and when Venus by Bananarama comes on, all three girls stand up on the small ottoman and begin to sing and dance with each other. All three girls know every word to the song, and as the chorus comes up, Rose turns to sing to Emmett as Alice turns to sing to Jasper. Rose and Alice sing, shaking their hips; Bella turns toward me to stare at my feet.

She's got it

Yeah, baby, she's got it

I'm your Venus, I'm your fire

At your desire

My heart feels like it could pound out of my chest at any moment. Watching her up there, dancing and swaying, I realize Bella has a sexy body, and she can dance. I always found her beautiful, but this is the first time that I've actually found her sexy. Immediately, I realize that I really want her. At your desire, indeed.

Her eyes finally find my face, and I smile at her, encouraging and supporting as much as I can. I think she realizes that the alcohol is really affecting her, and I see a cloud form behind her brown eyes, almost making them blacken. The realization that she is again, closing off, makes my chest hurt.

The song ends, and she quickly gets down from the ottoman, going over to sit by her brother. I want to talk to her, but her long hair wraps around her body, like a cape, and hides her face from mine, closing her off from the world. I watch them talk. While Emmett is quite animated, arms flailing and gesturing, Bella laughs often at things he says, but I can't see her face. Every once in a while, when she thinks I'm not paying attention, she sneaks peaks at me. I pretend not to see or notice, not wanting to make her feel awkward or embarrassed.

As we get on closer to midnight, one of my favorite songs comes on: All I Want Is You by U2. Alice squeals and quickly runs over to Jasper, wraps her arms around his neck, and begins to sway. Rose and Emmett snuggle together on the couch and I look over at Bella, sitting alone and looking utterly broken. I stand up and take two steps toward her, but in the next instant she stands and quickly walks off toward the bar. I glance over at Emmett, and he's watching her. He breaks his gaze to look at me and quirks his eyebrow at me. They seem to be asking "Well, are you going to get her or what?"

Bella sits on a white stool at the bar, sipping at a bottle of water when I finally walk up behind her. I don't know what to say or do to make her feel better, to make her feel that she can't give up on life, and on love, because if she does, then she gives up on me. I don't even know if she wants me.

You say you'll give me

Eyes in a moon of blindness

A river in a time of dryness

A harbour in the tempest

I place my hand, palm down, against the middle of her back in between her shoulder blades, unmoving. Her body quivers slightly under my touch, but she doesn't say anything or turn to look at me.

You say you want

Your love to work out right

To last with me through the night

I move my hand to her shoulder, slowly spinning her on the barstool until she is facing me. She looks down at her feet, and I see the drops of her salty tears forming dark, wet splotches of sadness on her jeans. I place my finger under her chin, gently pushing against it to bring her eyes to mine. She does it reluctantly, and I wipe away the tear trails on her cheeks and nose. She slowly blows out a breath of air and whispers the next part of the song:

All the promises we break

From the cradle to the grave

When all I want is you

Her voice cracks on the words cradle and grave, and her eyes open up like flood gates. I quickly whisk her up in my arms and carry her back to the rest of the group. Emmett takes her from me and walks toward the exit with Rose following.

"What happened, Edward?" Alice asks.

I shake my head, not knowing and saying nothing.

"Come stay at the hotel with us. Your place is too far from here for you to drive." Alice states as she slides her arm through mine, pulling me through the door. I don't argue, wanting to be as close to Bella as possible tonight.

The drive to the hotel is subdued. Alice and Jasper quietly talk in the front of the car, but I'm too distracted to even care what they're talking about. The only thing on my mind is Bella. Bella, Bella, Bella. I need to talk to her. There are so many things that I don't know, that I need to know. How will I know how to help her, how to get on with her life, if she keeps hiding things from me? I can understand that it's hard for her to talk about it, but if she doesn't, she will never get better, never be able to carry on with her life.

I can't deny that I want to be a part of her life, a part of her future. Ever since that night that I rescued her from her nightmare, I've known it. It started slow, me just wanting to be there to help her get through all of it, but then as time went on and we began talking on the phone nearly every day, something changed. I've changed in some fundamental way, and so has she. Even in these last two weeks, she has lightened up a great deal. She jokes with me, teases me, flirts with me. She gets lighter and lighter each day, but then tonight, her eyes dimmed, and I saw that old darkness, that pain, seep back in like ink polluting water.

In the hotel lobby, Alice and Jasper get their room keys, and I quickly get my room and key. Since I didn't have a reservation, I've had to take a bit more expensive of a room, not that I care. I'm two floors above everyone else; I wonder where Bella is sleeping, if she has her own room, or if she is sharing with Rose and Emmett.

I let Alice and Jasper off at their floor and take the elevator up to the fifth floor. In my room, everything seems so quiet - too quiet. I walk out onto my balcony to look out over the water, feeling an empty ache in my chest. I have no idea where Bella is right now. She is in this hotel with me - so close yet so far away. I run back into the room and over to the bedside table where I have my phone charging, quickly dialing Alice's number from memory.

She sounds breathy when she picks up, and I don't even want to think about what I'm interrupting.

"Yes?" she asks sounding annoyed and out of breath.

"What room are the others in?" I ask pointedly.

"Bella is with Emmett and Rose in 3849," she responds, hanging up abruptly. Hmmm, I must be pretty obvious. I pick up the hotel phone and dial the room.

Emmett answers, "Hello?"

"Hey Emmett, could I speak to Bella?" I swallow, suddenly nervous.

"She took off for a walk, Edward. I told her not to leave the hotel, but she needed to think. Would you check on her for me?" he asks, sounding like he is talking around a mouthful of food.

I quickly reply yes and hang up the phone before I grab my room key and my cell. I head out of the room and to the elevator but have no idea where to start. I hit "L" for lobby and decide to start at the bottom and work my way up.

I walk around for a while, looking everywhere I can think of. I look on most floors but don't find her, so I finally just decide to make my way back down to the lobby. Maybe she needed some fresh air and decided to go for a walk outside. I'll ask the front desk if it's okay for me to play the baby grand I saw on the far side of the lobby and just watch the door. If she doesn't come back, I'll ring Emmett so we can figure out what to do.

After getting permission to play the piano, I settle onto the bench and lightly trail my fingers over the keys, warming up and getting to know the instrument. The piano sits at an angle, and I have a good view of the front door but not much else. I work my way through a couple of pieces, not really feeling them, but watching the door instead. An unease begins to settle into my gut, and just as I decide to quit and shut the cover of the piano, her voice rings out from behind me.

"Please, don't stop. I like watching your fingers and the way they move over the keys. It's mesmerizing."

I turn around to look at her. She looks disheveled, and her shoulders slump forward a little. "Bella. I've been so worried. Are you okay? I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable at the bowling alley, I didn't mean to." Words feel like marbles in my mouth.

"Play something for me?" she asks around the fingernail that she is gnawing on.

I reach my hand over to her mouth and pull her finger away, laying her hand in her lap. She takes a deep breath and meets my eyes with a decided look.

"What do you want to hear?" I ask, turning back around on the bench.

"Anything," she says behind me. I open the lid back up, place my fingers on the keys, and play the song that reminds me of her...of us.

And I sing to her...

I don't get many things right the first time

In fact, I am told that a lot

Now I know all the wrong turn, the stumbles and falls

Brought me here

I hear her sniffle behind me.

And where was I before the day

That I first saw your lovely face?

Now I see it everyday

And I know

That I am

I am

I am

The luckiest

She comes and sits down beside me on the bench, our sides touching. I can feel her warmth and smell the Seattle air on her skin. I want to run my fingers across her lips, but I continue to play.

What if I'd been born fifty years before you

In a house on a street where you lived?

Maybe I'd be outside as you passed on your bike

Would I know?

I look at her, and she smiles then, rolling her eyes at me - an attempt to dispel the chemistry that she fights against and that I welcome.

And in a wide sea of eyes

I see one pair that I recognize

I watch her - our eyes connect on the next lyric, and I hold her gaze, demanding that she look at me.

And I know

That I am

I am
I am

The luckiest

I look back to the keys and finish the rest of the song, making light of the meaning in the rest of it as much as possible, not wanting to scare her away. I feel her head lightly rest against my shoulder as I play.

I love you more than I have ever found a way to say to you

Next door there's an old man who lived to his nineties

And one day passed away in his sleep

And his wife; she stayed for a couple of days

And passed away

I'm sorry, I know that's a strange way to tell you that I know we belong

That I know

That I am

I am

I am

The luckiest

Neither of us want to move or say anything at first. I close the cover once again, and after a couple of minutes, I swing on the bench so that I have one leg on both sides of it, and she sits across from me, our faces matched. Once again, she is looking down. Her eyebrows are drawn together, and I can tell she wants to say something, so I wait. I study the curve of her neck that I have never seen in this light before, and the way her hair grows along her neckline, curling into small tendrils from the humidity of the Seattle night. It's incredibly sexy, and I clench my fingers to keep from reaching out to touch them.

"I have a story to tell you," she says in an almost whisper. She looks up and stares into me - through me - like she is memorizing every detail of this moment. Her teeth capture her lip, and I want to pull it free but let her work through her words and thoughts.

"Everyone else that is important to me knows this already, Edward. It's not that I was keeping this from you on purpose, but if you didn't know, then you were the one person I could trust to not pick apart every little thing I say and do and relate it to my past. That was important to me. It still is, but...you deserve to know, and I'm finally ready to tell you."

She starts to say something else, but her throat catches. She looks like she is about to cry, so I take her hands and hold them in mine. I don't run soothing circles like I want to, because I don't want to distract her. I just want to know that I want to support her anyway I can. It works. She takes a deep breath, and she tells me her story.

"Jake and I married young. Younger than we should have, but we were happy and in love. He was my family. Emmett hadn't yet moved up here with Rose and I was mostly alone if I wasn't out at La Push."

"Jake wanted a big family, which, to be honest, scared me. I knew that I wanted kids someday, but I didn't want them right away. Jake said he would give me some lee-way on that, and we vowed to have fun for a couple of years before we started trying to conceive. It didn't work out that way. I became pregnant anyway, not long after we were married. I was scared to death and pretty upset about it. It wasn't that I didn't want a child, it was just too soon, but Jake was ecstatic. I didn't want to ruin it for him, so I tried to be happy for him."

"Then I had the ultrasound. It showed two beating hearts inside of me instead of one, and I knew that our lives were definitely changing. As soon as I heard those heartbeats, I was okay with being pregnant. I finally accepted it, was even happy about it. Jake totally doted on me all the time and would go to get me all sorts of odd things in the middle of the night to satisfy my cravings."

"And that's how it happened. That's how my life changed in a minute. I mean really, who craves ice cream in the middle of winter? I decided to ride along with him so I could deposit a letter in the mail. We had been at a four-way stop, and there was a vehicle off to the left that looked like it was slowing down. Jake applied pressure to the gas, but the tires spun a little due to the icy roads. He had to ease off a little before we finally got moving. I told him maybe we should just go back home, and he looked at me and rolled his eyes."

"And then I saw it - the lights of the truck behind him and almost on top of us. It struck us, and I don't remember much after that."

"I lost Jake, and I lost our twins. A part of me died that day."

By the time she finishes her story, I feel the tears thick and heavy in my eyes, not quite spilling over yet. I never cry, but what she has been through is incredibly poignant. My heart breaks a little for her. I know I should say something, but I'm afraid to.

She squeezes my hand and a tear spills over. Just one. While hers come down in the form of torrential rain. I pull her to me then and move my legs together, sitting her on my lap and cradling her close to me as she cries. I smooth her hair away from her face as she rests on my chest and I hum the song that I'd just sung and played for her twenty minutes ago.

The scent of her hair and skin fills my senses, and in this moment, I fall in love with Bella. Her scent swirls, twists, and shimmers like ribbon through my blood and shoots like sparks out the ends of my fingertips and toes. I won't ever feel right again if I don't have her in my life, at my side. I love her.

I love her.

"Edward," she whispers.

I take a deep breath and stand her up, then get to my feet, sliding the bench in close to the piano, before I walk her toward the elevators.

We both step onto the elevator, and I keep one of her hands in mine, drunk from the feel of her skin on mine.

"I'm on the third floor," she tells me.

I look down at her and shake my head. "No, you're on the fifth, with me."

She gives me a little smile, and I pull my hand from hers to wrap my arm around her. She snuggles into my side, and I know that I won't be letting her out of my arms much for the rest of the night.

I let Bella and I into our room and point her in the direction of the bathroom. She doesn't have any clothes with her since she was rooming with Emmett and Rose, so I grab a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt from my bag, handing them to her. She gives me a wry smile before padding off into the bathroom. I change into another t-shirt and a pair of shorts, grab two bottles of water from the mini-fridge, and sit down on the bed.

Bella emerges a few minutes later looking the sexiest I've ever seen her, wearing my oversized t-shirt that hangs almost to her knees and my sweat pants that look like the waist has been rolled over several times, through the shirt. The hair lining her forehead looks damp and her face fresh; her expression seems nervous.

"Are you tired? Do you want to go to sleep? Or watch TV for a little while?" I ask, feeling nervous myself.

"Um, I'm pretty wiped out. I think I'd like to just go to bed - if that's alright with you?" She grips the edge of the shirt, and I look away as a sliver of her skins peeks through. I don't want to stare, although I could fantasize for hours about her skin just from that one quick look.

I get up from the bed and point to the bedside table. "There's some water for you. I'll just be on the couch if you need me."

While I'd much rather be sleeping on the bed with her, I don't want to impose. I invited her to stay here with me, but I don't want to think I'm being pushy and expecting to sleep next to her or make her feel uncomfortable. While I'd really love to sleep next to her again, I don't know if that's what she wants.

I get as comfortable as I can on the couch and cover up with a small throw blanket. Bella shuts the light off, and I can hear her rustling in the bed. My mind travels at a million miles an hour, wondering what she is thinking about and if she is okay. Most of all, it dwells on her close proximity. I groan, but clear my throat, trying to cover up the sound. As I roll over onto my side, I hear her quiet voice.

"Edward?" she asks timidly and turns the lamp back on.

"Yes, Bella?" The bed is so big it looks like it's swallowing her.

"Do you think...ahh. Um, you can sleep on the bed with me, if you want to." She turns her face away from me, but not before I can see the blush stain her cheeks, even at this distance.

Relief washes over me, and I quickly make my way over to her, wrap her up in my arms, and rest my chin on her head. "Of course, Bella." I walk over to the right side of the bed, knowing she sleeps on the left, and crawl under the covers. She follows suit, and when she is comfortable, I turn the lights off. I hate not being able to see her face, but after a few minutes of my eyes adjusting to the dark, I begin to see the outline of her body afforded by the dim light coming in through the windows.

She sniffles in the dark room, and I slowly raise my hand out to her, searching for her face in the night and hoping not to poke her in the eye. My fingers find her cheek without injury, feel the wetness, and wipe it away. I shush her.

"Come here," I tell her, and she wriggles closer to me, now nestling into my side. I feel like I'm in heaven.

She shakes in my arms a little as she cries, but after a while, it drops off, so I think she is sleeping. Just as I begin to drift, she speaks.

"Edward? Kiss me?"

A/N: Stay tuned for the next chapter and the second night in Seattle…it promises to be much more fun than this one, I promise!