Chapter 10

Thanks once again to the gracious and lovely aurellacullen for her beta/prereading work. I'd be lost without her! Muah!

Are you still with me? I hope I didn't lose anyone last chapter. I wish I could say that the angst is over…

This is the last time we will have a 'present day' to open the chapter. (I will explain next chapter)

Here is a continuation of the year in Bella's life which was started in chapter 9.

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Chapter 10

- Present Day -

"Have you been crying?" I could tell he was worried even though I couldn't see his face.

I sniffled. There was no point trying to deny it. "A little."

Chapter 9

Thanks once again to the gracious and lovely aurellacullen for her beta/prereading work. I'd be lost without her help! Muah!

This year in Bella's life is so long and involved, that I found I had to split it into three chapters.
Here is part 1. (Aurellacullen has suggested a tissue warning).

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Chapter 9

- Present Day -

"Bella, how are you doing, really?" Alice asked from her comfy seat across the table from me, where she sat sipping her giant cup of coffee, "I want the truth please."

The expression on her face, one I'd seen many times before, told me that she would brook no argument.

Chapter 8

Thanks once again to the gracious and lovely aurellacullen for her beta/prereading work. I'd be lost without her help! Muah!

*Enjoy

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Chapter 8

- Present Day -

Dinner was over, dishes were washed, and baths had been taken. A calm stillness had settled over the house once more. I curled up in bed with a book I'd been attempting to read for days. It wasn't holding my interest and, as of yet, I hadn't made it past the first chapter.

Chapter 7

Thanks once again to the gracious and lovely aurellacullen for her beta/prereading work. I'd be lost without her help! Muah!

A bit of a time jump in this one.

*Enjoy

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Chapter 7

- Present Day -

"It's all settled Bella. We'll arrive early tomorrow, and then Uncle Jazz will babysit while you and I have a spa day."

"Alice…" I whined.

Chapter 6

Thanks once again to the gracious and lovely aurellacullen for her beta/prereading work. She makes this story sooo much better!

*Enjoy

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Chapter 6

- Present Day -

Even though it was an hour before noon, the temperature was already quite warm. I knew we wouldn't be staying on the beach much longer. I laid back in my chair to soak up some of the sun's rays as I listened to the laughter of happy children all around me.

Chapter 5

Thanks once again to the gracious and lovely aurellacullen for her beta/prereading work. She makes me my words much purtier…believe me. Mwah!

*Enjoy

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Chapter 5

- Present Day -

Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight
Someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight

Chapter 4

Thanks once again to the gracious and lovely aurellacullen for her beta/prereading work.
There's a bit of a time jump in this chapter.

*Enjoy

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Chapter 4

- Present Day -

"You feeling okay Bells?" Dad asked; his voice not gruff enough to mask his worried tone.
"Oh you know, same as usual."

Chapter 3

Kudos to msjaxteller for dubbing our sweet Edward as 'Popsicleward' : ) That's me smiling.

Thanks once again to the lovely aurellacullen for her beta/prereading work on this, I have come to rely on her help more than she probably realizes. This chapter is a lot purtier because of her help. Thank you so much my dear!

*Enjoy

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Chapter 3

- Present Day -

"I think you should come down to Pensacola for a couple of weeks. Honestly Bella, school doesn't start for another month, and it would do you some good to get away from Virginia for a while." My mother's voice sounded over the phone line.

Chapter 2

Thanks once again to aurellacullen for her wonderful beta work on this…

**Enjoy

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Chapter 2

- Present Day -

Laundry, dishes, vacuuming.

It wasn't even mid-morning before my back began to ache. More proof that the single parent gig was not for me. As I let out a gust of air, I realized I had no one to blame but myself for making that choice.

Chapter 1

 

Again, thanks to aurellacullen and pixiekat7 for their help with this chapter. You ladies are the best!

*Enjoy

 

Chapter 1

- Present Day -

I slipped silently from the bedroom, keeping my tread as light as possible as I made my way to the kitchen. Mercifully, I'd remembered to set the coffee maker the night before.

With a hot just-brewed mug in my hand, I slid open the patio door, and took a seat on one of the old wooden deck chairs. I sipped at my coffee, relishing the taste of my first and only cup of the day, while gazing across the inlet to where the sun was just beginning to rise above the distant horizon.

Prologue

Prologue-Popsicle Sticks

I was unconscious, half asleep
The water is warm 'til you discover how deep
I wasn't jumping, for me it was a fall
It's a long way down to nothing at all

-U2 Stuck in a Moment

I felt nothing as I floated. I knew that I wasn't asleep because there were no dreams.

Only darkness.

It was as if I temporarily existed in a void, leaving me sensory deprived, and isolated from all memories, especially those which would bring sorrow or pain.

Briefly, I wondered if this is how it felt to be dead. No physical pain, no feeling of hot or cold, no emotions, no memories, no gnawing worries, no matters demanding attention, no concept of time, no sound of life, not even the sound of one's own breaths.

Silence.

And with it numbness.