Authors note- So this is my very first fan-fic. I would you to leave some feedback and let me know what you think. Feel free to ask questions or leave comments.

I would also like to thank my beat Sarah for editing this chapter for me!

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Twilight or it's characters. They belong to the wonderfully talented Stephanie Meyer. I do own All of the books, Twilight the movie, a team Edward shirt, and pre-ordered tickets to New Moon.

Where you belong

"Seriously, Alice, I will watch any movie you want except that one, I promise," I begged my best friend Alice Brandon "I can only watch Chicago so many times, I had that "Razzle Dazzle" song stuck in my head forever after the last time we watched it.

"Oh, Bella, how you exaggerate. It's not stuck in your head right now, so obviously it wasn't stuck in your head forever," she chirped clutching the DVD in her hand.

Stupid little pixie, always trying to find a loophole.

"Alright, Alice, I guess I am not above begging in public places, even this dinky video store," I gestured my hand around at the tiny store we were in. But please, please, please anything else. How about this," I said snatching up a copy of 300, a half naked Gerard Butler, lots of action, a half naked Gerard Butler…..do I need to say more?" I smiled giving her my best doe eyes.

"Fine, Bella," She huffed. "but you owe me, like I get to dress you up the next three times we go out."

"Agreed," I said. Her eyes wentwide with shock.

"Seriously, you just agreed to become Bella Barbie for three different times," She was practically jumping up and down.

"Yes I did, I would pretty much agree to anything to not have to watch Chicago again.

"If I had only known, I would have made you agree to way more thanthat," Shesaid laughing. "So do you think 300 is enough or should we grab something else?" she said walking down the next aisle.

"Ummmmm…well who is all coming over tonight?" I asked picking up the case for Shooter.

Mmmmm…..Mark Wahlberg.

"Well, you and me," She stated.

"Obviously, pixie. I meant besides you and me."

"Well. Jasper, Jacob, Emmett, and Rose," She said stopping to think. "Oh, Angela and Ben, and maybe Mike and Jess. They said they would try to make it. Who knows though, they are still on newlywed high?"

"Well hopefully they can make it, I kinda miss those two. I mean, did they really need a two month honeymoon in Hawaii?"

"Well, it sounded like Jess was more than willing to come, but Mike was trying to get her to stay home, if you know what I mean," Alice giggled wiggling her eyebrows up and down at me.

"Gross, I don't need that mental image, Alice! It's bad enough that I walk in on my brother and Rose going at it, I do not need to think about Mike and Jess too,"

"You're right sorry, if anyone's seen enough sexing, it's you," She agreed. I had walked in on my brother, Emmett, and his wife, Rosalie, more times then I can count. I really probably see a therapist to deal with all the emotional damage that has caused.

"Alright, we are definitely expecting more people than I thought, so we need to stop by the store after we leave here for more pasta, chicken, and Alfredo sauce," I listed off.

"Ok, I guess we'll get 300 and I Love You Man. I keep telling Jasper that's him and Emmett," She joked, grabbing both cases and heading to the check out.

"Here, can you put this back for me?" She asked, handing me the Chicago case.

"It would be my pleasure," I said, taking the case and heading to the appropriate aisle.

Just as I sat the case back in its spot, I heard the door jingle, announcing someone else's arrival. Two seconds later I heard Alice gasp, then squeal. Then I heard a voice I had not heard for almost four years.

"Pixie bug what are you doing here?" he said

"Edward Cullen…how…what…you…"Alice stammered obviously lost for words.

I was frozen in the aisle, I needed to get out of there.

Please tell me there is a back door. Edward Cullen, why God, why now?

I was finally doing better, finally trying to put everything behind me. I really needed to get out of there without seeing him. If I looked into his emerald eyes, I would be a goner…..

Oh god what am I wearing? Please be something decent.

I looked down and sighed in relief, seeing that I was still dressed from the office. I was wearing a deep blue ruffled neck blouse, a black pencil skirt, and the black heels that Alice forced on me this morning. I ran my hand over my wavy brown hair, still soft not frizzy.

"You ok there, Alice?" came his velvety voice.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," she mumbled out. "just really surprised to see you."

"It's been a while," He said, his voice darkening. "So what are you doing here?'

"Renting movies, obviously," she said.

"Obviously you're renting movies, I meant in Seattle, last I heard, you and Jasper were headed to New York," He said.

"We were, but his firm offered him a better deal to stay here, so we did," She said, taking a step back so she could quickly peek down the aisle I was in. Once her eyes found mine, she gave me that OMG look.

"Well, that's nice that you get to stay close to home then," He said.

"What are you doing here, Edward?" She asked, her voice harder. She quickly shot a look at me again, I think trying to make sure that I hadn't passed out or bolted.

"Renting a movie," he joked. I could only imagine Alice's face. "Ok, not funny. I decided it was time to face the firing squad, so to speak."

I knew that I needed to go up there. I could walk up there, grab Alice's arm and make a dash for the door. I knew that was the wussy way out, but how else do you face your ex-fiancé, whom you hadn't seen since the morning of your almost wedding. I mean, he didn't even have the guts to tell me he was done. He'd left a note on the pillow saying:

"Bella, I am so sorry, I can't do it. You deserve so much more. Please forgive me. Edward."

That was it.

"No need to relive that memory at this moment, if you do, you're only going to freak yourself out,"

"So, are you here by yourself?" He asked, obviously seeing Alice looking desperately done my aisle.

"Um, well….," She started.

"No, she's not,' I cut her off, walking out of my hiding place.

"Bella," He whispered, his voice cracking

Don't do it Bella, don't look up Grab Alice, then head for the door. Remember the game plan.

"Bella," he said louder this time. I knew I was screwed, my eyes had a mind of their own. I drank in his long, lean jean clad legs, up his torso to his beautiful covered chest, up to his chiseled jaw and perfect mouth, then his eyes.

I was a goner.

Minutes passed, or maybe hours. We just stared at each other.

"Well…," Alice finally broke in. We both jumped breaking eye contact.

Before anything else was said, the door jingled again and in walked one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. She was at least 5'11" with long strawberry blonde hair and the body of a supermodel.

She looked over at our group, made a disgruntled face and whined out in the most annoying voice I'd ever heard.

"Eddie, I am sick to death of waiting in the car, you said you'd only be a minute."

My eyes flew to "Eddie".

Was he with her?

I mean, it made sense, look at both of them, they were perfect.

Come on Bella pull it together, you have imagined him with someone else the last four years. Now you know it is a fact.

Edward broke eye contact and looked down at the floor almost ashamed.

"Sorry, Tanya," he said, as she wrapped her arm around his waist possessively, not taking her eyes off me. "I ran into some old friends."

Ok that's my cue to go, I didn't want to hear his explanations to his supermodel. I gave Alice the eye. I was glad we'd perfected our art of speaking without words in high school.

"Well Eddie," Alice sneered, "your old friends here will let you get back to your date."

She grabbed my arm, yanking me out of the door.

Once we were in Alice's car, speeding away from Edward, I released the breath that I hadn't I was holding. Alice gave me a concerned look when I wrapped my arms around my chest. She knew what I was doing, this was the position I was in for six months after he left.

"Are you okay?" she asked timidly.

"I don't know, I'm kind of numb right now." I answered honestly. "And I'm angry, really angry."

"I would be angry too, "he left you pretty much at the altar and then after four years, waltzes back in with trampy Tanya on his arm. You have every right to bypassed." She fumed. It took a lot to get Alice really worked up, but the subject of Edward always brought out the worst in her.

"No, I'm not mad at that." I said. Alice gave me a very shocked expression.

"Well, I am mad about that, but I am madder at myself. I spent the last four years perfecting what I would say to him when I saw him for the first time, and I blew it. I just stood there like a star struck idiot getting lost in his eyes. I'm pissed; I was going tell him what a douche bag he was for leaving like that. I had this whole thing planned out about how he was spineless and a coward. I was supposed to tell him that he was right about one thing; I did deserve better, I deserved better then a note on a pillow on the morning of our wedding. Moreover, if I could go back in time, I would never have agreed to go to homecoming with him that year, I would have gone with Tyler Crowley. I could have saved myself all that heartache had I just told him no."

With that statement made, I broke into gut wrenching sobs to the point that I could barely breathe. I didn't even realize that Alice had pulled over until I felt her arms wrap around me.

"Oh Bella," she whispered into my hair. "Just let it out. You can't blame yourself for not being in the right state of mind, honey, it's the first time you've seen him since that dreadful day. Anyone would have reacted in the same fashion."

"Except Rose," I sobbed out.

"Well, yes, except Rose, but I'm pretty sure she's hiding a set of balls up her skirt"

I snorted out a burst of laughter. "I'm sure Em would have noticed that by now." I joked.

"There's my Bella," She said softly. "let me grab my cell and call Jasper. I'm going to cancel the plans for tonight."

"No you're not Alice," I said strictly. "and you're not going to say anything about this to anyone, either. I don't need anyone's sympathy and I definitely do not want everyone bringing it up. It would only bring up more unwanted memories. I just want a normal night with my friends. No Edward involved."

"Okay, Bella, I promise not to say anything tonight. But you and I are going to have a nice long talk tomorrow about all of this." She sighed pulling back into traffic.

"Tomorrow," I promised

Once we were back at the house, I busied myself in the kitchen, whipping up the Chicken Alfredo. I was doing everything I could to keep my mind off of Edward and the darkest day of my life.

"Bella, love," Edward whispered from the doorway. "are you sleeping?"

I snuggled deeper into the comfortable mattress hoping that he would crawl in next to me. We were supposed to be sleeping in separate rooms, per Alice, since tomorrow was our big day.

"Come on love, I know you're not sleeping, you're just trying to get me to join you." He laughed into the darkness.

"Is it working?" I asked as innocently as I could.

"Maybe. You know, if Alice catch's me in here there will be hell to pay?"

"Well you better come hide under these covers then, wouldn't want the wrath of Alice on you," I suggested

"Oh, so hiding there in your covers is going to keep Alice away?" he laughed.

"Mmmhmm."

"Well, who could fight with that logic?" He said, and I felt the bed sink under his weight as he crawled up beside me.

"I suppose it's not really cheating if we don't sleep." He whispered against the side of my neck. I suppressed the urge to moan as tingles shot all the way to my toes.

"Well what do you have in mind, Mr. Cullen?" I replied huskily, running my fingers through his messy bronze hair.

"Well, a little bit of this," he sucked my earlobe into his mouth. "and a little bit of that." He trailed kisses down the slope of my neck stopping to suck on my pulse point.

"Edward," I moaned out, "We have to stop, Alice will surely know if we do this. There will literally be hell to pay then."

"Oh, how would she know?" He asked as he made his way back up my throat. For a second I forgot what I was trying to say. Oh yeah, Alice. Oh well.

"EDWARD CULLEN YOU BETTER GET YOUR BEHIND OUT OF THAT BEDROOM RIGHT NOW OR ELSE!" Alice's angry voice boomed through the door.

Laughing I said, "See she always knows, it's like she's physic."

Groaning, Edward pushed his way off the bed.

"Well, love, I guess the wrath has arrived. I will see you at the end of the aisle tomorrow." He leaned down to give me one last chaste kiss.

"I love you Edward." I whispered into the dark.

"As I love you. Goodnight." He said as he slipped out the door.

Rolling over, I cuddled the pillow to my face, breathing in the scent Edward left there. I fell into a dreamless sleep and woke up the next morning to the sound of Alice's voice outside the door.

"Bella I don't care if you're decent or not, I am coming in,"

"I'm decent." I croaked out rolling over, hearing a crumple of paper under me. Sitting up, I grabbed the paper seeing Edward's elegant writing on the outside

"Bella"

I opened it up ready for the love letter he left.

"Bella, I am so sorry, I can't do it. You deserve so much more. Please forgive me. Edward"

At that exact moment, Alice burst into the room, not paying any attention to me, or the life altering paper in my hand. She began yanking clothes out of my suitcase and threw them on the bed for me. We were staying at Carlisle and Esme's house; because the wedding was supposed to be in their backyard. Alice was talking to me, but I couldn't hear her. It was like I was under water; her voice was muffled and distant. All I could hear was the pounding of my own heart and an awful sound; it was like a mixture of sobbing and woeful moaning. It took Alice's horrified face looking at me to realize that the sound was coming from me.

More muddy words came from Alice as she catapulted herself up onto the bed, grabbing my arms and shaking me. I couldn't respond, my heart was killing me. It felt like it was trying to suffocate me.

Alice finally realized that I was clutching a piece of paper in my hands and pried it from my fingers to read it for herself. Understanding dawned on her face and I knew that she now understood.

He left me. He walked away like I always knew he would.

I had been so stupid to let it get this far. Why had I let my hopeful heart get in the way? I should have listened to all those girl's in high school, the ones that had a said that Edward was just "slumming" it. He was beautiful, while I was plain old Bella Swan.

Alice must have realized that shaking me was not going to work, because now she was off the bed yelling something out the door. Two seconds later, a disheveled Emmett came bursting through the door.

She handed the now infamous paper to him and he read it, horror registering on his face. He dropped the note and in three steps he was on the bed with his whole body wrapped around me. It reminded of me of when I was six and Edward told me that Santa didn't exist. Emmett had found me huddled in a ball in our back yard crying my eyes out. He held me just like he did now, trying to protect me from the horrors of the world.

"Bella, honey, can you hear me?" came his strong voice ripping right through the water that surrounded my head.

"Emmett, he left me." The words came sobbing out of my throat.

"I know, tell me what can I do, I need to do something, before I hunt down the piece of shit and kiss his ass."

"Take me home, I want to go home. Please," I begged.

That was all I needed to say. Emmett stood up, taking me with him. Once he had me cradled in his arms, he headed out the door.

The house was eerily quiet; Alice had disappeared at some point. I looked up at Emmett and croaked out "Alice" A number of emotions danced across his face before it hardened into a mask of calm.

"She went to take care of all the wed--the details," he said softly with heartbreak in his voice.

Once we were down the stairs and into the front hall, I heard voices, mostly Rose's, talking rapidly in the kitchen. I gazed in there as we passed, my eyes making contact with Esme's watery green ones. She had a look of disbelief and heartbreak on her face, seeing it in her eye's made it more real and another sob ripped out of my chest. I tucked my face into Emmett's chest not wanting to see anyone else.

Before I knew it, he had me in the backseat of his jeep; me still tucked safely in his arms as Rose drove

The drive from Forks to Seattle passed by in a blur of sleep and tears. I'd finally succumbed to the numbness in my head by the time we hit the outer part of Seattle. I closed my eyes and went under and woke to Emmett trying, but failing, to carefully get me out of the Jeep. I just tucked myself back into his chest, letting him take me up the stairs and into my apartment.

"Where do you want me to lay you down at Bells?" he asked.

"Bedroom," was all I could force myself to say.

He walked me past the living room, down the hall and into my bedroom. He sat me down on the bed and headed back towards to door.

"I'll be back in a minute; I have to move the jeep."

A watery sob was my onlyreply.

Once he was gone, I looked down and realized that I was still in my boy shorts and tank top. I got off the bed and walked towards the closet, intent on grabbing some sweats to put on. I yanked open the door and the sight before me caused me to double over and fall to my knees.

All of his things were gone.

His shirts, ties, pants and shoes.

Gone.

How….? When….?

I heard a sharp intact of breathe behind me.

"That son of a bitch," screeched Rose "How did he have time to do this"

She kept on going but I tuned her out, I only needed one voice in my head asking questions. Realizing this meant that he came here before he left town made me jump up and run towards the bathroom with a grace I didn't know I possessed. Yanking open the medicine cabinet proved what I was looking for: toothbrush gone, shaver gone, cologne gone. I ran from there, realizing that Rose was now frantically following me, to the front room, pictures gone, half the movies gone, CD's gone. I ran into his office next, already knowing what I would find. I didn't even look, I collapsed onto the floor sobbing, the only thing that remained was his piano;he couldn't carry that out the door. With that thought running through my head, I pulled myself off the floor, just as Emmett was reaching for me. I pushed him away and staggered back to my room. I crawled up on the bed and wrapped my arms around my chest to hold myself together and I let myself sink into the darkness.

I awoke to the sound of Alice talking quietly to Jasper on the phone.

"I have to go Jazz, she's awake." She said smiling weakly at me.

"Love you to," she whispered before shutting the phone.

"Bella, do you need anything?" she asked, leaning over me, tucking hair behind my ear.

"Edward," was the only thing I could ask for.

Alice was looking at me as if she didn't know what to do or say, which was strange, because Alice always knew how to act. I sighed, pulling myself up into a sitting position, making sure to keep my arms securely around my chest.

"Alice I need to know, has anyone heard from him?" Saying his name once today was all I could handle.

"Bella, are you sure that's a good idea?" she questioned me

"I don't know what's a good idea anymore Alice, all I know, is that I need to know he's alright." I answered her.

"Ok, Bella, he called Esme early this morning to let her know that he is in Chicago. She begged him to let her go to him, but he was adamant about no one trying to find him, he said he needs some time to work things out in his head," She said as quickly as possible. I think she thought it was like a band-aid, it would hurt less the faster you ripped it off.

It didn't.

"Did he say why?" I managed to get out before a sob ripped its way out of my throat.

"Bella, I don't think this is a good idea." She whispered stroking the side of my face.

"Please Alice," I choked out, "I need to know."

"Honey, he didn't really say. He just told her that he was confused and needed time. I'm so sorry, Bella." She said wrapping her arms around my shaking frame. "I moved into the guest bedroom while you were sleeping and I will stay as long as you need me too."

"I can't ask you to do that Alice, Jasper needs you."

"Not as much as you do, and you didn't ask, I am just doing, so don't argue with me!" She said firmly, leaving no room for arguments.

"Okay Alice, I think I want to sleep some more." I managed to get out before I curled back up on the bed, pulling "his" pillow to my face breathed in his scent.

"I will be here when you wake up." She said quietly, making her way out the door.

The next few weeks went about in the same fashion: me sleeping, Alice, Emmett, or Rose being there every time I woke up. They would force me to eat something. Rose took it upon herself to throw me in the shower after about a week, saying that my smell was bad enough that the paint was starting to peel off the walls. They had let this go on for another week, before Alice softly reminded me that the time I took off for the honeymoon was up. That I was scheduled to go back to work the next day.

"You know, if you called and talked to Mrs. Cope, I am sure she would let you have more time off."Alice stated matter of factly from her post on my bed.

"No, Alice, it's time." I need to go back to work and I need to start my life again. I can't live in this bed waiting for his return." I said with no emotion in my voice. "Plus, I am sure my writers want their editor back."

I had been working as an editor at Weston books since my graduation from WSU. I hadfinally made Senior Editorthis past spring. I really truly enjoyed my job and I was anxious to return, if for nothing else but to fill my days.

"Your right," she sighed. "let me dress you tomorrow, please." She begged.

"Okay." I only agreed because I couldn't stand the thought of entering my now half-empty closet.

The next morning I got up, got dressed, went to work, remembered to eat at the right times, came home, and crawled back into bed. That's how I'd lived for the next six months. It was mindless, it was scheduled, and it left no time to think about him. My friends had been pretty understanding about it at first, but after six months of me stuck in auto-Bella mode, they decided enough was enough and they sent Rose in. After a six hour yell-fest, mostly from her, I realized that my autopilot ways had been hurting everyone.

I think what it really took was for Rose to tell me that he wasn't coming back.

"Bella, why are you waiting for him?" she yelled at me in frustration.

"I love him," I replied weakly. I already knew that was not a good enough excuse for her.

"Not good enough, Bella, you had better come up with something better than that." She shouted at me.

"I don't have anything else," I huffed.

"Okay, I guess I will accept that if you can answer me this: do you honestly think he is coming back? Have you heard from him at all in the last six months? A phone call? A letter? Maybe even just a text message?" My blank stare was enough of an answer for her. "I didn't think so. Do you know that he changed his cell number? No one, and I mean no one, can get a hold of him."

Upon hearing that I choked on my own breath, tears began stinging my eyes.

"I didn't know that," I whispered, Roses face softened upon seeing an emotional breakdown coming.

"Baby, I'm not trying to hurt your feelings, I just want you to start living again and don't try to tell me you are, because we all know you're not. If I honestly thought Edward was coming back any time soon I would leave you be. But I don't and I am the only one with balls to say it out loud."

"Your right, Rose, he's not coming back." I said, her face was priceless at that moment, I knew she thought it was going to harder to convince me then that. However, I already knew he wasn't coming back, I knew it the day he left. "I'm going to try harder, okay?"

With that said, she wrapped her arms around me, hugging as tight as she could.

"You're not alone in this, Bella, we are all here for you every step of the way," she whispered into my hair. "We're going take this one day at a time."

And we did.