WOW-Your responses for the last chapter were awesome. Thank you to those of you who wrote such awesome (and rather lengthy) reviews! You helped me figure out how to approach this chapter.

A quick clarification: Jacob and Tanya's affair was far more emotional than physical. They were spending a ton of time together, but Jacob told Bella the truth when he said they never slept together. They fooled around the time that Bella caught them, but that was it. So when Tanya said she thought that she and Jacob could have had something special... she was thinking more of what their relationship could have been, not what it actually was. Not defending her, in fact the emotional affair stuff can be way worse. But just so everyone's clear on what we're dealing with. :)

A half hour later, I was wrapped in my comforter on the couch, a steaming cup of green tea in front of me while Alice hugged me and smoothed my hair. I wasn't crying anymore, I just felt lost. The fight at the restaurant had come out of nowhere, and running seemed like the only logical solution at the time. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got, at both of us. Why couldn't I just stand and face my problems? Why was I always running? And why the hell didn't Edward realize that he was wrong? This wasn't all his fault, but it certainly wasn't all mine either. His face, confused and furious, burned in my mind. I saw it every time I closed my eyes.

Alice didn't ask any questions, but I could tell she was burning with curiosity. We sat in silence for a few more minutes, until finally I started talking.

"Edward and I got into a huge fight, Alice," I whispered. "It was ugly, and I ran. I don't even know where we stand now."

She exhaled, like she had been waiting to make any noise until I broke the silence. "What did you fight about?"

I groaned. "Well it started when I ran into Tanya on the way out of my meeting with my publisher," I sighed, and Alice hissed quietly. "She told me that I was messing with Edward's career and that I was a burden. It was awful. When I got to the restaurant I asked him about it and he admitted to talking to her about our relationship and I just lost it." She squeezed my shoulders, encouraging me to continue.

"I got really mad and told him that it was completely inappropriate to talk about issues he had with our relationship with Tanya. I wasn't thinking and I kind of blurted out that I had seen Jacob recently, and he got all controlling and told me I couldn't ever see him again and—"

"Whoa, back up," Alice interrupted. "When did you see Jake?"

"My car died the other night and no one was around. I tried calling you a couple times and Jasper didn't pick up, so I called Jake. It wasn't a big deal, he jumped my car and we drove around for a half hour. He didn't touch me, he wasn't inappropriate at all, we just talked."

She pursed her lips and shook her head a little. "Bella, can you see how that looks to Edward though? I mean, he only really knows what you've told him and what he's seen, and mostly he's seen Jake angry. I'm guessing you haven't discussed him in depth." I shook my head.

"I'm not saying he's right," she continued. "You've only been dating for a short time, and he's probably feeling insecure. That, coupled with his less than stellar personal opinion of Jacob, and I understand why he reacted that way in the heat of the moment."

"He acted like he owned me," I growled. "Like he knew best. Although honestly, the Jake thing I can forgive. I'm just so angry that he couldn't talk to me about what he was afraid of. Instead he turns to her. How did he not see what a terrible idea that was? I think I've been good about the Tanya thing. I haven't nagged him about her, and I certainly haven't issued any ridiculous ultimatums about him never seeing her again. But talking to the woman who cheated with my ex about our relationship… it's just such a low blow."

"Yeah…not sure what he was thinking there," she said. "That's something you should really ask him about."

I buried my head in her shoulder and groaned. "I'm so mad at him, Alice. I don't know what to say to him. I don't know if I even want to talk to him right now."

"The first fight is hard, but you have to get past it," she insisted. "I remember the first big fight Jasper and I had. I told him that I wanted to be with him forever and asked him when he thought he wanted to get married. He told me that he wasn't sure he ever wanted to get married, that the idea had never appealed to him."

I was floored. I tried to remember this fight, but honestly I don't think Alice ever mentioned it. "When did this happen?"

"About six months into our relationship. I knew Jasper was the one I wanted. I wanted it all, and I was so hurt when he said he never wanted to get married. We had a screaming fight in his apartment. I accused him of not being committed to our relationship and not loving me, he told me that I was crazy and off-base, and that marriage was just a meaningless piece of paper."

"Wow," I finally said. "How did you get past that? It seems like kind of a deal breaker."

"Well, after we finished screaming at each other, we talked about it," she explained. "He said that he felt the same way, and that he wanted to be with me forever. Just because he had reservations about marriage didn't mean he didn't love me completely and totally. Once I heard his reasoning, I kind of understood where he was coming from. He agreed to think about marriage as a possibility, knowing how important it was to me, and I agreed to lay off on the issue until we got a little older."

"How very reasonable and mature of you," I muttered. "What does that mean for those of us who aren't capable of acting like adults?"

She smacked the back of my head sharply. "Stop it," she ordered. "Grow up. You had a fight. A big one. It happens, now you need to deal with it. No more running away, no more hiding. You don't have to call him tonight, but don't just give up. You were never this happy with Jake."

"I was never this unhappy with Jake," I sighed.

"Well, there you go," she said simply. "Another sign."

After another half hour or so she left, with promises to return after rehearsal on Friday night.

When I got to school on Friday morning, Rosalie was standing outside of my office. I guess I should have expected as much.

"What the hell happened last night, Bella?"

"The fact that you're asking leads me to believe you have some idea," I said dryly, unlocking my door and dropping my bag on my desk.

"Edward showed up at Emmett's last night in a complete rage. He was practically tearing out his hair he was so mad. He barked out some convoluted story about you going bat shit on him because of something Tanya said." I winced and concentrated on unpacking my things.

"Of course, as soon as we were able to get more of the story out of him, Emmett took your side." That surprised me. I looked up, silently encouraging her to continue.

"I can't believe he went to that hussy for advice about your relationship," she growled. "I mean, I get it, Emmett gave me the back story. They're practically brother and sister, yada yada yada. Whatever. She's too close to the situation. That's common sense 101, even his own brother didn't agree with him. Edward was pissed because he didn't believe that she had said what you said she said, so Emmett suggested he call Tanya and get the whole story." I ground my teeth together a little. He thought I was lying? Why would I make up something like that?

She chuckled a little and hopped up on a desk in the front row.

"Oh my God, Bella, I wish you could have been there. Whatever she said, it wasn't good. He got paler and paler. 'You said what?'" she mimicked Edward almost perfectly. "I thought he was going to throw up. When he got off the phone, he kind of collapsed onto Emmett's armchair and started muttering to himself."

"What did she say to you? I left to give the boys their space after Edward went all comatose."

I gave her the short version, and she nodded sympathetically in all the right places.

"Well, I can't say that I agree with your reaction, but it sounds like you already know leaving was stupid. What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know, Rose," I said quietly. "I honestly have no idea."

"Well, figure it out. You deserve to be happy, Bella, but that doesn't mean you can have it all without some effort. I love you. Let me know if you need anything."

By the time rehearsal started that afternoon, I still didn't know what to do about Edward. I tried to focus, but we were in the final stages now, and there was little left for me to do but supervise the run-thru and take notes on the performance. Opening night was in one week, and emotions were running high.

I was still having a hard time keeping order, but luckily most of the excitement was centered around the show. Most of it.

"Is Doctor French Fries gonna be at opening night, Miss Swan?" Felix called.

"Yeah, do we need to tell him to bring flowers?" Marc added.

"He looked pretty smooth, I bet he brings roses."

I stood there with my hands on my hips, unable to decide on a reaction. It was all so ridiculous. My students were teasing me about a boyfriend who may or may not want to speak to me ever again. I settled on a smile and a, "We'll see."

At 8, I stumbled out of the auditorium. We had run the show twice, and I was beginning to think that they wouldn't completely tank next Thursday night. I never got tired of this: watching my students create something new and beautiful, something they could be proud of.

I was rummaging through my purse for my keys, so I didn't see the figure standing next to my car in the dark lot until I was right on top of it.

I let out a soft scream before a strong hand reached out and grasped my arm.

"Bella, it's me," Edward said.

"Edward," I gasped, my hand on my chest. "You surprised me."

We stood there awkwardly for a moment, just looking at each other. He looked terrible, like he hadn't slept since last night. I was used to seeing him tired, exhausted even, but there was something new in his expression tonight. Defeat. I sighed and pulled out my phone.

"Bella, I was just about to head over to your apartment. How does cheesecake and rum sound?"

"Can I get a rain check, Alice? I've got company." Edward perked at that, and a hopeful smile crept onto his face.

"Oh? Oh! OK, you take care of business, Bella. I'll be here."

I close my phone and looked back up at him. "Your place or mine?"

We ended up at my place. I made hot chocolate as a peace offering. The awkward silence returned. Neither of us was sure who should speak first. It built up until I thought I was going to go insane. Finally, I gave up. Reminding myself that adults talk about things, I let myself talk.

"I'm sorry I stormed out last night. That wasn't helpful, and it wasn't fair to you." He looked instantly relieved that I had spoken.

"I know I'm not good at this, Bella," he began. "But it seems to me like we need to stop running away and running to other people. We need to talk about our issues together. That's the only way that this can work. I'm just as guilty as you are here, if not more so. I just didn't think…"

He seemed to be struggling, so I decided to ask him something that had been bothering me since last night.

"Why did you go to Tanya? I mean, so you're close. You know about the history between us. Why didn't occur to you that going to her would hurt me?"

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "This is going to sound really stupid, but honestly, I didn't even think about it. I grew up with Tanya, and we've always kind of helped each other through things. Even when we lived in different parts of the country we still talked pretty regularly. She's really the only access I have to a female perspective on things. I don't have other friends who are girls. Things have been so hectic and busy, and I worried that I wouldn't be able to have the kind of relationship you deserved. I asked Tanya for advice because she's been in a couple of relationships with men who are really involved in school or with their jobs. I thought she'd have a good idea on what I was going through with you.

"I know you have a certain perspective of Tanya, and I don't blame you. What she did with Jacob was reprehensible. I'm pretty sure she knows that. She's told me as much. What I didn't realize until last night was that she's still upset about it…and she took that out on you."

He looked me in the eye, his deep green eyes wide and sincere. "Bella, I swear, I am so sorry she said those things. I never would have thought she'd react that way to seeing you. But more than that, I'm sorry because I didn't believe you. You've never lied to me, and I wouldn't even consider the possibility that you were right. Please forgive me."

I sighed. "I lied by omission. I didn't tell you about Jacob." His breath caught, and he broke eye contact.

"Why didn't you?"

"I knew you would be upset and I didn't want you to overreact." He scowled. "I was actually going to tell you about the dead battery thing at dinner, but then we were fighting and… it just came out. I ran into him once at Café Amore, we said hi and that was that. He sent me a text message a couple days later to let me know how he did in his classes. I only called him to jump my car because no one else was available."

"We'll get you signed up for AAA," he muttered. I smiled half-heartedly.

"I know you have a certain perspective about Jake," I began, echoing his words. He arched an eyebrow at me. "But he's a good guy. He's made big mistakes, but I'd like to at least maintain a civil relationship with him. We're not going to be best friends and braid each other's hair, but I don't want to be mortal enemies. He's part of what makes me, me. You don't have to like it, but I'd appreciate it if you tried to understand it."

He sighed heavily and slumped against the back of the couch. "I suppose I can try," he agreed.

I chewed my lip, trying to decide how to say what I knew I had to say next. "Edward, I want this to work. I know we haven't been together that long, but I feel like we have a shot. I need you to be honest with me, though, and if you're scared I need to know. I'm so scared. I didn't realize how much I… cared until I thought maybe it was over. But I'm tired of running away. I don't want to run from this."

He scooted closer to me, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me tight to his chest. "I'm scared. I don't want to lose you, but I'm not used to trying to balance my needs and schedule with someone else's. I keep thinking that you'll get sick of my hours or the fact that I'm relationship retarded and leave me. Bella, I don't know what I would do. After I talked to Tanya last night I was almost physically ill over the thought that I had completely screwed up. And I screwed up without even thinking about it."

I wrapped my arms around his waist and snuggled into him. "There will be plenty of screw ups. That's half the fun."

"What's the other half?" He grinned cockily, and I couldn't help but giggle a little. I knew things were far from perfect, but at least they were on the mend. I ran my hands over the muscles on his stomach under his shirt and winked at him.

"Making up," I replied. He leaned in and kissed me softly. I gripped him tighter and kissed him back, smiling against his mouth as his hands began undressing me. This was right. This was home.

"Miss Swan? Some man out front asked me to give you these." One of the girls on stage crew held out a bouquet of gerbera daisies and white carnations. A piece of paper was tucked into the arrangement. Smiling, I pulled the card out and read the familiar scrawl.

Ay me! For aught that I could ever read
Could ever hear by tale or history
The course of true love never did run smooth

Break a leg, beautiful. I love you.

My heart pounded a little faster as I read the quote and Edward's message, I smiled almost unconsciously. After we finished "making up" on Friday night, he told me he loved me. Intentionally. I hadn't said it back, but that didn't bother him. Honestly, I knew I was almost ready to say it. Part of me didn't want it to be in response to something he said. I wanted him to know that I meant it.

"All right! See, Doctor French Fries totally came through with the flowers, Marc. Told you," Felix called. He winked at me and walked into the choir room where the rest of the cast was gathered for our pre-opening pep talk.

I watched the show from backstage that night, but all my friends were sitting front and center. I was a little embarrassed by the show of support, particularly when the cast started chanting my name and called me on stage to give me another huge bouquet of flowers. Edward, Emmett and Jasper were on their feet, chanting with the cast. They clapped and hollered along with the rest of the audience, trying to outdo each other with every yell.

After the cast left for the night, I was left with the task of making sure everything was cleaned up and turned off for the night. Edward was waiting outside, ready to whisk me off to a late dinner with everyone to celebrate my success as a director and author. Irina had drawn up a finalized contract earlier in the week, and all I had to do was bring it to an attorney and get it checked out before I signed. If everything went according to plan, I would be published in less than a year. It would be a small book, but it was an important first step.

I stood for a moment on the empty stage, peering out into the dark theater. It was difficult to understand all the changes that had occurred in the last few months. In December I was lonely and sad. One decision had sparked a series of changes in my life that were as unpredictable as they were welcome. Edward. My book. My own growing sense of self-awareness. I was, as Alice fondly told me earlier in the week, finally acting like a grown up. It felt good.

"My lady," Edward's voice echoed from the back of the theater, and I could vaguely make out his silhouette in the sliver of light that fell through the open door. "Your chariot awaits and your court grows weary of this waiting. Will you dine?"

I laughed and flipped the final switch, plunging myself into darkness. I felt my way through the dark cautiously, working my way toward the patch of brightness where Edward stood. When I reached him, he picked me up and twirled me around before pulling me in for a bear hug.

"Took you long enough," he grumbled playfully.

"You have no idea," I sighed.

Author's Note: Okay guys, end of the road! Bella's a big girl now-and that's the last real chapter. An epilogue will be coming out shortly to wrap up some loose ends, so don't worry!

A couple of recommendations for you: Check out my new story-"Kissed the Girls and Made Them Cry"; and kimber's "Freshman Year"

Thanks for reading, and keep your eyes peeled for the epilogue!