Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or anything else you recognize.
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Special thanks goes out to my beta, obsessedmom. Thank you for agreeing to edit yet another of my stories. You're all kinds of awesome!

Author's Note: Here we are guys, my next story. It's going to be two parts; Part One: Edward POV and Part Two: Bella POV. Ten chapters each to total twenty all together. I'm also doing outtakes. Put me on author alert if you're interest because shortly after I post this, I will post the first outtake.

Warning. This story contains MA content. Definitely not suitable for people under the age of eighteen. I will post warnings before lemons also, incase you do not want to read that.

The Third Woman
-- ++ --

Part One
Edward POV

Chapter One
The Monster in the Story

I had been lying in bed for hours. I wasn't even sure how long for, or if I even got any sleep. I never really slept much. It wasn't a problem, I could easily run on no sleep. I was quite used to it actually.

I turned the alarm off my cell phone before it had a chance to even go off and pushed the covers from my body. I grabbed a t-shirt from the top drawer and put it on. I slept in my pajama pants, so I was all set to start the morning. I walked through the large apartment that I was happy to call my own, making my way into my daughter's room.

My angel was peacefully asleep in her bed, the covers pulled up to her chin. I sat on the edge of her bed and rubbed her back gently to wake her. My mother, Esme had gotten her used to this.

I watched as a small smile crossed her face and her pretty gray colored eyes opened.

"Morning, Ivy." I told her.

"Morning, Dad." She said in a groggy sounding voice.

She sat up and wrapped her arms around me.

I smiled and held her to me. She made every day worth living. She was the only thing that kept me from breaking down. I did it all for her. For Rosalie. For the life we had created. She held up my whole world.

I kissed the top of her head and held her for another minute.

"You want to shower while I make you some breakfast? How does an omelet sound?" I questioned.

"Yes, please. I'll be quick." Ivy pulled away and got off the bed.

I was truly a lucky man to have her as a daughter. At only ten years old, she was already smart and independent.

I left her room as she went to shower, walking into the kitchen and looking at the pack of cigarettes that were sitting on the counter.

You don't need one, Cullen. Walk away and make your daughter breakfast.

I had been trying to quit since she was born. I cut down greatly, but still needed one every once in awhile.

Every once in awhile? Since when was 'every once in awhile' everyday?

Shut up!

I looked away from them and pulled everything out of the fridge that I needed to fix us the omelets. I hadn't cooked in months. That was the nanny's job. But, I had let her go, and yesterday was her last day. She just didn't work out. I didn't like the way she was towards Ivy; way too cold and professional. I needed someone that would truly care about her, as well as take care of her when I couldn't - which was often, considering the career I had.

Ivy and I moved to New York City two months ago when I got offered an amazing position as a neurological surgeon. My younger sister, Alice had been living here since she first attended design school. My good college friend, Jasper actually worked at the same hospital as me also, so I already knew a couple people before even moving here.

I was worried over the change at first. Since Ivy's birth, my mother had been taking care of her while I first finish all my schooling and then began work in Washington DC. But Ivy seemed to have taken the change well. She made friends quickly at her school and made me take her to Central Park whenever I had a free minute. She was definitely a city girl.

I was just flipping the second omelet over when I saw Ivy enter. Her long light brown hair was tied back neatly and she was dressed in her school uniform. I smiled at the thought of my mother making sure she raised Ivy to pretty much do everything herself by the age of five. She was probably afraid I didn't know how to do anything.

"Looks good," she said, smelling the food as I sat it before her on the counter top, then turned to grab the juice and poured us two glasses.

She sat up on one of the high stools while I stood with food on the other side of the counter top and we began eating.

"Mom liked your omelets, right Dad?" she questioned, looking very interested.

I smiled to myself as I watched her. She knew very well that her mother liked my omelets. She knew everything there was to know about Rosalie - also my mother's doing.

"Yes, she loved them." I nodded and took a fork full of my food.

"Did she eat them a lot when she was pregnant with me?" she asked.

"Yeah, she loved apple juice and omelets in the morning. She always told me that you would too." I smiled at her and looked down at her omelet and apple juice.

"So Mom knew what I was going to be like before she even met me...? Wow, she was pretty amazing, huh?" Ivy's eyes widened in wonder and I could see the love for the mother she never had the chance to know clear in her eyes. It broke my heart every single time.

Huh. Who knew you had a heart to break in the first place.

"Yes, she was. She loved you more than anything else in the world." At least I was here to tell her how much her mother loved her.

Yeah, that makes up for what you did.

Ivy talked about Rosalie so much that it made my chest hurt and wanted to cave in. But I didn't mind her wanting to know all there was to know. I told her the same stories over and over, and yet, she still wanted me to tell them again. She loved hearing about what her mother was like.

"I know." Ivy nodded and ate some more of her omelet. "You loved her more than anything, right?" Like I said; she knew everything, just liked hearing it.

"Your mother was the most amazing woman in the world. She took my breath away every morning, just like you do." I winked at her and she smiled.

"But I don't look like Mom," she told me.

Ivy looked just like me, same hair color, same eyes, nose and lips. I was kind of thankful for that, it hurt enough just having to be with Ivy every day, knowing who she came from. I didn't think I could handle Ivy looking like Rosalie on top of that.

"No, but you're still the prettiest and kindest girl I've ever known." I gave her a smile and grabbed her now empty plate, putting it in the sink and running water over it.

"I'm going to take a quick shower and change. You're going to be alright?" I asked my angel.

"Yep." She nodded her head as she reached for the remote to the television in the kitchen. She reached for a banana from the fruit bowl and started flicking through the channels as I left.

I took a quick shower and changed into some clean clothes.

Once we were ready, I took Ivy's school bag and swung it over my shoulder as we left our apartment.

We made our way to her school and I gave her a kiss and hug goodbye then watched her join the sea of girls who were all dressed the same and heading to class. I always felt a little scared when parting from her, but it had to be done.

After Ivy was safely in school, I made my way to the hospital as quick as I could and went to go change into some scrubs. I had surgery in an hour and needed to be ready.

"Mornin', Edward," I heard Jasper's thick southern accent and nodded my head at him.

Even though he attended college with me in Washington DC and now worked in New York City, his accent was forever stuck with him.

"Good morning, Jasper," I greeted him.

We got into a short conversation for a couple of minutes before he went on with his day and I continued to get ready for mine.

The day always passed quickly, because I got so lost in my work. Of course today, I kept an eye on the time. I needed to be at Ivy's school at three today to make sure she got into her after school care class because I had another surgery to perform this afternoon and couldn't be with her at home.

I got there just in time to greet my daughter and a couple of her friends. All of them were giggling to themselves about something. I watched her say goodbye as they all parted and then she came over to me, giving me a hug. I needed that hug. I held her for a second longer and she let me.

We walked side by side as I asked her about her day. Everything seemed well with her. Just as she finished talking, we made it into the office.

"Doctor Cullen, it's nice to see you again," the office lady, I had learned was named Angela, said.

"Hello, Angela. How are you?" I smiled. She was a young pretty woman who seemed a little shy, but fought to overcome it on a daily basis.

"Oh, I'm good thank you. And how are you guys?" She smiled at Ivy.

"Good, thank you." I nodded.

"I have your papers all sorted. Just need you to sign. I understand she'll only be going to after school care until you find a new nanny?" She assumed and was correct.

I nodded as she handed me the papers and a pen. I signed off. I had already paid, so that's all there was.

"I believe Ivy knows where the room is."

"Yep!" Ivy stepped in.

"Thank you, Angela." We said our goodbyes and were off again.

We went down a few halls and flights of stairs before coming to the room.

"I'm sorry I have to leave you here, love. You'll be okay until I get back, right?" I sighed and looked down at my little girl.

"Yeah, Dad... Don't act like it's the end of the world. I don't mind. I can just get all my homework done. And I heard they have other fun stuff to do too." I could have sworn my daughter was more of an adult than I was sometimes.

"Okay, just checking." I shrugged and ran my fingers through my hair. The day was catching up to me. I needed a cigarette and coffee, badly. I was sure I looked like hell.

I knocked on the door and heard some noises, then she opened it. She took my breath away. The third woman in history to ever do that to me.

I swallowed hard as she smiled a beautiful bright white smile and said hello to us.

"Ivy, right?" she asked, kindly.

"Yes, and this is my dad, Edward," Ivy introduced.

"Hi, I'm Bella," I watched her shake Ivy's hand and then extend it to me.

I took her small hand in mine and shook it, swallowing again.

"Those are the teachers. I'll introduce you to them in a minute," Bella told Ivy, motioning behind herself at two older women.

I watched her as she talked to my daughter. She had deep brown eyes and long dark eyelashes. Her hair was hanging down her back and shoulders, a beautiful deep brown color that matched her eyes. She was dressed in a simple black t-shirt and gray skinny leg jeans, right down to her worn in converse. I guessed she was young by the way she was dressed. But, she was just stunning. I couldn't talk from how much she took my breath away in this moment.

"Dad... " I felt Ivy pull on my shirt, "Dad!"

"What?" I asked, coming out of my daze and looking down at Ivy.

"I'm good now. I'll see you later." She gave me a narrowed look, like I might be acting weird.

"Oh, right. Okay. You have a good time." I gave her a hug and then looked to Bella once more. I would think about those deep eyes for the rest of the day, I was sure.

"See you later," Bella gave me another beautiful smile and then took Ivy's hand, leading her in and closing the door behind them.

I stood there for a second, looking at the dark wood of the door, thinking it reminded me of her eyes.

Damn it, Cullen. You just need to get laid. It's been a while.

Like I really needed to be reminded.

I ran my fingers through my hair again and sighed. I made my way back to work, sad to part with Ivy and leave her here. But, I was sure she was in good hands. Bella had a wonderful caring vibe to her.

I bumped into Jasper again, noticing he was chatting with Irina, one of the pretty nurses. Although she was extremely sexy, she actually scared me a little. She was a tad too flirtatious with me, but Jasper, being the big ladies man that he was, flirted back just as bad.

"Hey, Edward." Irina smiled brightly, a few of her golden blonde locks falling down over her face.

"Hi, Irina. How are you?" I asked to be polite of course.

"Oh, I'm fine. But I do have to get going. Too bad, I haven't seen you all day. I'll see you guys later." She gave me a devilish grin and touched my chest, then winked at Jasper and walked away.

Subtle, was not the word to use when describing Irina. She swayed her hips, giving us both a nice view of her ass. I shook my head, not liking forward women too much. I mean, a little forward was nice, but she just went all out to the point that it wasn't needed.

"What's wrong with you?" Jasper asked me when his attention was finally away from her ass as she turned a corner and was out of sight.

"Tired. Need a smoke, a coffee... and a nanny for Ivy would be nice too." I shrugged.

"That's why I don't have kids, man," Jasper told me as he plopped down into one of the chairs and sighed.

You very well could have, you man-slut.

"And what's wrong with you?" I repeated the same question he had asked me only seconds ago.

"It's not fair. She's so into you and you won't even fuck her. I don't get it. If she liked me that much, I'd have her in no time." He shook his head at me and looked annoyed.

I laughed at him. I didn't get it either. Women always seemed to like me and it never took a lot of effort when I did need a nice girl for the night.

"Don't tell me you don't have at least three different women you're sleeping with right now." I raised an eyebrow, knowing what he was like. Never a one woman man.

He smiled widely at me and I knew he was still the same old Jasper I had known in college; different girl every night. The love 'em and leave 'em type.

"What can I say? I want them all," he answered. "Since you ain't giving it to all these hot nurses, someone has to," he joked.

It was true though. The Cullen charm didn't see the light of day too often these days. I had a daughter to raise and no extra time.

Jasper looked up at me again and I shrugged.

"I could help you with the coffee, I guess," he told me, thankfully getting off the women topic.

We walked together to get a coffee and then parted again. I worked on my final surgery for the day and changed again to go pick my daughter up.

I made it to her school just after seven. The door was open and only a few children sat inside. I saw Ivy laughing and Bella sitting next to her as they talk about something.

Bella noticed me first and continued to smile. "Come on in Doctor Cullen," she called.

I stepped inside, forcing myself not to stare at her. She was so inviting though, my eyes only wanted her in this moment.

"Edward, please." I told her. I think that was the first thing I said to her.

She nodded and looked away from me and to Ivy. "I had fun today. I'll see you tomorrow," Bella told Ivy.

"Okay, awesome. I can't wait. Will you help me with the rest of this?" Ivy asked, motioning down to her text book.

"I would love to, honey." I watched Bella rub her back lightly and then both of them stood from the table.

Ivy gave me a hug and I held her for a second longer. It wasn't fair that I had to leave her here, but at least she had Bella. I know I wish I did.

Wow, buddy. What the hell? 'I know I wish I did.'? That's some creepy Cullen stalker shit right there.

"Have a good night, you guys," Bella told us.

I pulled my eyes away from her once more after thanking her and we made our way home.

I ordered us a pizza and we sat at the dining room table eating it. Ivy talked about Bella. I could tell she liked her a lot.

"And she's really pretty too, right Dad?" she finally asked, after she was done telling me about what they had done for the afternoon.

I nodded and had another bite so I wouldn't need to answer that question.

Ivy rolled her eyes at me and asked, "Are you ever going to get married?"

What the fuck?

"Baby, where did that question come from?" I asked with a slightly nervous laugh.

Ivy shrugged a little shyly now, "I don't know... All my friends have moms and dads... I guess I'm just waiting for a mom." She looked down at her plate the whole time.

I sat there, a little stunned by that.

"I'm sorry your mother isn't with us, Ivy. I wish I could bring her back for you." I swallowed the hurt down. It was my fault she was dead. I'd give myself a thousand times over so Ivy could have her mother. So she would know the love that only Rosalie could give.

"I know, Dad. Don't be sad." I felt her gentle little hand on the back of mine and narrowed my eyes. Why was my daughter always comforting me? I must really be a bad father.

"I'm just saying. I would be okay with it, if you dated someone nice." I suddenly knew where her questioning came from.

She had finally met someone who she wished would be her mother; Bella.

Oh, boy.

Thank god the phone rang. And thank god it was my mother. She and Ivy always had long talks. So, after telling Esme everything was good and her telling me how my father was doing, I handed the phone off to Ivy.

A couple of hours later, I tucked Ivy into bed. She reached over to her side where the huge stuffed panda bear sat. That panda was the beginning of Ivy.

"Tell me about the panda." Ivy smiled and moved around to make herself comfortable.

I sat on the edge of her bed and waited until she was ready, "Your mom and I were on break from school, so I decided to take her into New York City for the weekend. I always teased her about never being here before." I looked to Ivy who was all smiles. She knew what was coming. She had heard this story at least twenty times this year alone.

"She really loved it here. She made me promise we'd move here after we got married." I smiled at the thought. She knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with me even when we were back in high school. The thought scared me at the time.

"Did you promise?"

"Of course I did." I narrowed my eyes and pulled a funny face. Ivy laughed at me.

"Anyway, we went to this little carnival and your mom was making fun of me - saying that I wouldn't be able to win her the huge panda bear. She told me if I did win, she'd give me a surprise. So, I did. After I handed over the huge panda that was almost bigger than her, I asked for my surprise."

Ivy actually sat up now, excited for the main part.

"She told me she was pregnant, and she told me everything would be alright." She was so wrong. I was so angry with her. How could she just leave me? How could she just leave Ivy? How dare she miss out on our daughter's life; her first word, her first step, her first day at school... The list was endless.

"That's my favorite story," Ivy said while wrapping her arms around me.

I held her close and breathed her in. She smelt like home. My home.

Of course, I left out the big fight Rosalie and I had after she told me. And of course, I left out all the horrible things I said to her and the horrible way I treated her throughout the pregnancy.

I was scared. I was a teenager who hadn't planned on being a father until after we were both done with all our schooling and gotten married. She told me, day in and day out that we'd be okay.

We had come up with the solution that she would stay home with the baby while I finish up school, college and attended medical school, both our parents also offered to help with money. She always told me she was born to be a mother. She wanted to be a stay-at-home mother, so it would work out. Things were finally looking up and I was finally okay, knowing that I would come home to Rosalie and our child at the end of each day.

"You need to sleep." Ivy brought me out of my little daydream.

"Yeah," I nodded and got up from her bed. I kissed her goodnight and left her to sleep.

I rushed to the kitchen and pulled a cigarette out, finally lighting it up and taking a long soothing drag. I promise Rosalie I would try and quit for the baby's sake. I promised and I failed.

But, hey, she promised everything would be okay and she failed us. She just went ahead and died, leaving us behind.

No.

It wasn't her fault.

It was all my fault. I was the one who got her pregnant. I was the only one to blame. I was the monster in this story, no matter which way it was told.

Outtake of what really happened when Rosalie told Edward she was pregnant coming later tonight.