You Found Me
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight

Chapter One

Lost and insecure, you found me, you found me
Lying on the floor, surrounded, surrounded
Why'd you have to wait? Where were you? Where were you?
Just a little late, you found me, you found me.

But in the end everyone ends up alone
Losing her, the only one who's ever known
Who I am, who I'm not and who I want to be
No Way to know how long she will be next to me

The Fray, "You Found Me"

She missed the States and her life there. She missed being able to call up her best friends just to chat or to meet for a casual lunch in Seattle. She missed Charlie and Renee. She missed Billy, her father-in-law. But mostly, she missed the relationship that had been lost since arriving in the country, so many miles away from the place that she had once called home. London had changed everything and the more she thought about it, the more she realized that it hadn't been the adventure that she had hoped it would have been. They weren't the same people, money had changed him and she had taken a back seat to his job, something he promised wouldn't happen when she had agreed to make the move.

She didn't know many people there, only Rosalie who she had met at a company party one night. Like herself, Rosalie had uprooted her life in the States to follow her husband. However, unlike her situation, her relationship had only been made stronger; something Bella envied more than she would have liked to admit. Still, she couldn't fault her for that, it wasn't her fault that her relationship with Emmett was able to withstand the trials that she and Jake couldn't. Maybe her relationship wasn't meant to be. Maybe Jake wasn't the man that she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with. It was a thought that had been popping into her mind more and more as the time passed.

So why was it so hard for her to leave him? She had been unhappy for two years now. Why was it so hard to just pack her things up and head back to the States where her family was? She had had a few conversations with Charlie and he had told her that her room would always be available for her if she were to ever need it again. Giving up had never been an option for her though, if she couldn't make it work with her best friend, what were the chances of her making it work with anyone else?

It was just after the lunch hour rush on a rare sunny spring day in London when Bella stumbled into a Starbucks in Chelsea. She was a ways away from the townhouse that she shared with Jacob in Notting Hill, and of course it would have been easy to have gotten coffee there, in fact, there was a small little café steps from their home, but she had felt restless and the air there had been stifling. It was easy to convince herself that she had gone to Chelsea because Soho would have been too crowded, but she would have been lying to her gut. Deep down, she had felt drawn to the area from the moment that she stepped into the tube station and saw Sloane Square on the circle line; she knew she had to go there; it was almost as though everything would fall apart if she didn't.

Kings Road was crowded, though it was much calmer than anything would have been had she gone into the heart of the city. She reveled in the calm chaos around her: the business men, dressed in their smart suits as they hurried back to their offices, the women pushing their prams down the street while cooing at their little bundle that was nestled in the soft blankets under the protective cover that shielded their sensitive skin from the harmful rays of sun. It was those women she envied the most. They could have been the nannies or the mothers, but it was all the same to her; she wanted a child and Jake told her it wasn't the right time for them. She knew better than that, it wasn't that they weren't ready, it was that he wasn't ready. It was just another thing that she resented him for, but then again, bringing a baby into the world with the strained relationship that they had wouldn't have been smart and it wouldn't have been fair to the innocent child.

She must have been too absorbed in the thoughts that were swimming through her mind, the cluttered combination of the pain and regret of the life she was living and how trapped she felt in her own surroundings, because the next thing she knew, she had bumped into something hard as she walked out the door and onto the street. She was experienced in the way of falling, but it seemed that every time it happened, it always managed to surprise her, though this time she wasn't sure it was all her fault.

The hot coffee burned her skin and she cursed her decision to buy a hot drink now that it was all over her. She didn't want to look down, to see the dark stains that were probably seeping into the expensive fabric of the shirt Jacob had bought her in his attempt to assimilate her into the trophy wife category. It was a role she was uncomfortable with but as the stress on their relationship grew, she molded herself to fit what she thought he wanted in order to appease him. Now, her wardrobe was filled with clothes that were Jacob approved: various shirts by Marc Jacobs and Diane Von Furstenberg, jeans that were slim and tight as opposed to the loose ones she use to wear in Washington, dresses by Dior and Moschino. They were trivial, a reminder of the fact that he had become materialistic and a man that she barely recognized anymore, and she hated them but wore them because she knew it was what he wanted.

"I am so sorry!" His voice sounded like what she imagined velvet would sound like if it made noise. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

She was still wiping at the liquid as he spoke and she knew that she would be in trouble if she saw his face. A man with a voice that beautiful was likely to have a face, equally as stunning. She picked up the now empty cup that had fallen from her hands to the dirty sidewalk and tossed it into one of the trash bins that was outside of the establishment. "It's okay. I'm prone to accidents."

"American?" He mused and she knew she couldn't keep averting her eyes from him and she instantly regretted it when she looked up to see what was probably the most beautiful man she had ever seen. She noticed his eyes first, his piercing, because there was no other way to describe the intensity of the color, emerald eyes, lit up his entire face. And it wasn't until she was able to move beyond them that she saw his high cheekbones, his strong, chiseled jaw, and the mop of bronze, shaggy hair that she could only describe as sex hair. She had a sudden urge to run her fingers through it to see if it was as soft as it looked but she refrained, thrusting her hands into the pockets of her jeans instead.

"Is it that obvious?" She surprised herself when she found her voice, even more astonished that she managed to speak without stuttering.

"The accent is a dead giveaway." He smiled and she thought she might had died and gone to heaven. His smile was just as vibrant as his eyes and she wondered how it was fair that someone as beautiful as him existed in the world. "Let me buy you another coffee."

"Oh no, you don't have to do that." She was trying to give him an out, but he just stood there, grinning and she felt her heart beating wildly in her chest.

"Please?" Her cheeks flushed and she knew that speaking wasn't going to be possible, so she just nodded her head and followed him back into the coffee shop, trying not to faint as she felt his hand press against the small of her back as they stood looking at the menu, deciding what they would order.

If she thought she was alone in her attraction, she was sorely mistaken. He was certain that he had never found a woman that he had been so instantaneously drawn to. She wasn't attractive in the supermodel sense, she was in a class all her own. Never had he felt as though the sheer force of someone's eyes could knock him off his feet, but when she looked at him, he felt the air leave his lungs and the world around him began to spin.

"What will it be?" He asked, looking down at her and fighting the urge to pull her against him when he saw the way the barista was looking at her. She was absorbed in her thoughts and he took the opportunity to scowl at the man behind the counter, watching as he took a step back and visibly tensed.

"What?" She asked, realizing that his eyes were on her which caused her cheeks to redden once again.

"What would you like?"

"Oh. Skinny, vanilla latte?" She said, though it sounded more like a question than a statement.

"I don't think that's what you should have." He grinned.

"Excuse me?"

"Do you always phrase every sentence as a question?"

"No."

"Okay. Just checking." He turned his attention back to the barista. "One skinny vanilla latte and a cappuccino." He watched as he wrote the order on the cups and turned to look down at the woman at his side. "Would you like something to eat?" She shook her head.

"Will that be all?"

"A chocolate chip cookie as well please."

"Eight pound, twenty five."

Bella reached for her wallet to pay her share but he waved a hand in front of her and tossed a Tenner on the counter, pointing to an empty table. She huffed slightly but complied and he watched as her hips swayed as she walked. There was something about her spunk that seemed to attract him even more. He took the change that the man had placed on the counter and took their drinks in his hands heading back over to the woman who was waiting for him.

"I could have paid for my own drink." She commented and he chuckled lightly.

"Can't you just say thank you and accept it?"

"Thank you."

"It was the least I could do. Your shirt, after all, is ruined because of me."

She looked down and saw the dark brown stains in the cream colored blouse that she was wearing. To say she had forgotten would have been an understatement. It wasn't that she had merely forgotten, there seemed to be something more, something about him that made her mind go fuzzy and the rest of the world disappear. For the first time since she had started her relationship with Jacob, she had to remind herself that she wasn't available.

"It's not a big deal… I have plenty more at home, though I probably won't be going to Trafalgar Square now." She laughed before taking a sip of the drink that he had placed in front of her.

"Trafalgar? You don't seem like a tourist."

"I'm not. I moved here three years ago." She shrugged. Neither had realized that they still didn't know each other's names. "I just like the National Gallery. I could spend hours there. Well, actually I do spend hours there."

"You don't work?"

"No." She sighed. She wished she had a job but Jacob had forbidden it, saying that he would have been embarrassed if his wife had taken up a job when he was more than able to take care of her. "My husband doesn't exactly want me working."

He choked on his drink when she said husband and he coughed violently to get the liquid out of his lungs.

"Are you okay?" She questioned, reaching across the table to place her hand on his, ignoring the tingling that she felt as their skin touched and she tried to convince herself that it was all in her head.

"You're married?" His eyes flickered to her left hand, and there sat the incriminating evidence. The ring was enormous, and somehow, it didn't seem like something that she would wear. It seemed, ostentatious. It was the only word that came to his mind. It was probably purchased at Tiffany or Cartier, or some large, overpriced jeweler and was an easy two carat diamond. It was beautiful, yes, but even though he had only known her all of ten minutes, he knew that this ring was a far cry from her.

"Is it strange that I've allowed you to buy me a drink, and you know that I'm married but we don't know each other's names?" She mused, flashing him a heart stopping smile. He hated that she was married; it meant she was off limits, though that seemed to be the problem with his life. He was always wanted things that could never belong to him. She was the forbidden fruit, but it had to count for something that he had wanted her long before he had found that out, right?

"Cullen… Edward Cullen." He knew he sounded like a tool, and he didn't know what it was that prompted him to respond like that, but it had escaped his mouth like word vomit before he could stop himself.

"I think someone has watched a bit too many James Bond movies… Or do all strikingly handsome British men speak that way?"

"If I said that I was the real James Bond would it make it sound better?" He cocked his eyebrow at her, carrying on with her witty banter while reveling in the fact that she considered him handsome.

She laughed and shook her head and a wave of pride washed over him knowing that he had caused that musical laugh to escape her full, soft lips. He closed his eyes as he tried to rid his mind of all fantasies that were currently forming that involved those lips.

"Well, Edward Cullen… I'm Bella Black." She finally managed to choke out once the laughter had calmed.

He knew he shouldn't have asked, but just as before, the words had managed to escape his mouth before he could take them back. "What was your maiden name?"

"Swan. Bella Swan." She imitated him before she found herself giggling once again.

"Haha, make fun of the man who bought you a drink."

"Sorry." She grinned as she brought the coffee back to her lips.

"That's some ring." He nodded his head to her hand.

She paused and looked at it, as though she was contemplating his words and he watched her carefully. "I suppose it's nice… It's awfully large, but if you ever see my husband please don't mention that to him."

"It's a bit ostentatious."

Her jaw dropped and he took the shock the wrong way, thinking that she believed he had overstepped his boundaries seeing as they had just met. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have said that." He spoke quickly, afraid that he had offended her.

"No… Really it's okay. I told Jake the exact same thing when he gave it to me. I wanted to keep the original ring he had given me but when we moved here… I don't know… He wanted more I guess." Her eyes shifted back to the ring on her finger. "I don't feel comfortable wearing this… It's too large. I'm afraid that someone is going to see it and cut of my finger or something."

"Just don't go over to the East End." He grinned. "Or if you do, at least take the thing off."

"I thought they had cleaned up the area."

He snorted. "I suppose it's cleaner than it was five years ago but it's still not exactly the safest place in London."

"But Brick Lane has the most wonderful Indian food I have ever tasted." She closed her eyes and moaned softly as she imagined the taste of the Tikka Masala at Bengal Cuisine.

"You are something else Bella Black. But please tell me you didn't go there alone."

"No I didn't go alone. My only friend here in London took me."

"Only friend? You've been here for three years and you only have one friend?"

"One friend that I trust." She commented and he pulled his eyebrows together, confused by her words. "Most of the women that I'm around are all the wives of my husband's colleges and well… I suppose the only way I could describe them is the ultimate in Stepford wives. They all have bleached blonde hair or brown hair that they have had streaked with gold highlights… They are all a perfect size zero, and teeter on their Manolo's and Jimmy Choo's… It's disgusting really, and the more time I spend with them the more I feel as though my brain cells are slowly dying." He chuckled and she found herself smiling. "I met Rose two weeks after we moved into our townhouse in Notting Hill at a company party. She moved with her husband Emmett from New York when AEG transferred him to London."

"So what makes her different?" He asked playing with the empty paper cup that he held in his hands.

"She doesn't take their crap."

"That's always an enduring quality."

"It is… All these women, they are all obsessed with money and youth… They don't think twice about taking the metaphorical knife and stabbing it in their so called 'friends' back."

"Sounds horrible."

"You have no idea." She sighed and looked down at the table. "I guess it doesn't help that Jake wants me to be like them."

"What do you mean?"

"I guess he is just wrapped up in the scene… I don't know… He wants me to dress like them, to act like them… But it's not me. It's never been me and he's known that all along. I've always been the girl who prefers to stay in with a cup of tea, reading a novel than going out and drinking at this week's hottest club. I'd rather be in my pajamas then wearing skin tight jeans and designer tops…" She dropped her head into her hands and he was fighting every urge in his body to move to the other side of the table and wrap her up in his arms, to tell her that she should never change because she was perfect just as she was.

"God look at me, pouring my heart out to a complete stranger." She groaned.

"I don't mind." He whispered. "Sometimes you just need to let it out."

"I suppose you are right." She glanced down at her watch, it was nearly two. "You don't have to go to work do you?"

He laughed. "No. I'm in a band so we really only work at night much to my parents dismay."

"Is that who you were talking to on the phone?"

"By talking do you mean arguing?" He laughed and she nodded her head. "Yeah, it was. My dad isn't thrilled that I'm wasting my medical degree and thinks that I should just suck it up and go work in one of the hospitals."

"But that's not what you want." It was a statement, not a question and he smiled at her.

"Exactly! I've always wanted to make music… For it to reach others and inspire them like it always has done for me. There is something, I feel, completely noble in that task. I can't tell you how many times music has helped me get through my darkest moments."

"Then that's what you should do."

"Try convincing that to my father."

"What does he do?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

"He's a doctor I take it."

"He's a surgeon." Her lips formed an "oh" shape and he smiled ruefully. "I suppose he is just looking out for me, I'm twenty five and I should have a proper career but I can't give up."

"Don't."

"For you, I won't."

"No, you need to do it for you." She grinned and he rolled his eyes.

"Alright, I'll do it for me."

"I should probably get going, I've already managed to monopolize enough of your time." She spoke as she stood up, buttoning her jacket to hide the stains.

"You don't have to go." His voice was urgent, not ready for her to leave. He wanted to get to know her more. It was masochistic at best; knowing that he desired her and nothing could ever come from it. He had been raised properly; his mother would have scolded him for even thinking the thoughts that had been racing through his mind, in which she was the starring role.

"I really do though…" She sighed and he thought he could hear her reluctance to leave him as well. "I'm due to meet Rose back in Notting Hill."

"Oh." He said softly and stood as well, taking his empty cup into his hand and tossing it into the trash bin that was nearest to their table as they walked towards the door. London was a large city and he knew that there was a very good chance that he might never see her again and he had to find a way to make sure that he would.

"Thank you, for the coffee… And for listening to me rant."

"Anytime." He clenched his fist to keep himself from brushing the hair that had fallen into her eyes off her face.

They both stood there on the sidewalk, shifting their weight uncomfortably on their feet, neither wanting to leave but both knowing that they had to. She knew that her attraction to him was wrong, that her intense desire to be with him was punishable and she felt guilty for even thinking about him in that light. He knew that she was married and that nothing could ever happen, but she seemed unhappy with the status of her relationship so maybe there was a glimmer of hope. Still, he knew he couldn't be the one to break them up, she would probably only come to resent him if he did.

He watched her tug at the front of her coat and remembered the stains on her shirt. "I don't want to sound forward, I know you are married but I would love to pay to have your shirt cleaned properly. It was, after all, my fault that it is stained."

"It's okay, really."

"I insist. My mother would never let me hear the end of it if I didn't do the proper thing. I could give you a ring so I can see how much I owe you?"

Her heart was fluttering in her chest, though she knew he was asking for her number, she was doing all she could to convince herself that he was purely interested in a platonic relationship, still, she couldn't help but entertain the thoughts that he might have been attracted to her in the same way that she was to him. She enjoyed the moment as best as she could even though she knew that she would regret it later when the guilt would settle in. "That sounds… reasonable." She nodded as her hand found its way into her purse, pulling from it, a pen. "Do you have any paper?"

He reached into his pockets and pulled out the receipt from their coffee and handed it to her, watching as she scribbled the number neatly before passing it back to him.

"I'll call you soon." He smiled, putting the number in his pocket so he wouldn't lose it.

"It was nice meeting you Edward." She smiled before turning her back on him to walk down the street towards the tube station.

"It was nice to meet you too Bella." He grinned, watching as she looked over her shoulder as he spoke and tossed her hand into the air in a gentle wave.

When she disappeared around the corner, he reached into his pocket, pulling the paper out and looking at the number. He was anxious already, willing himself to refrain from grabbing his cell phone that was in his other pocket to dial the number now, if only to hear her voice. He shook his head, as though he was trying to shake the thoughts from his mind and pushed the paper back down into his pocket. He would give it a few days. He didn't want to seem too eager. She was, after all, married.

She tossed her keys on the table in the entrance hall. The house was dark, a sure sign that Jake had not returned home from work yet which would give her enough time to prepare dinner before he would arrive. It wasn't that he expected dinner to be ready when he finally managed to walk through the door, but she knew he appreciated it.

The rest of her afternoon had been tame at best. She and Rose had done a little shopping, something Jacob would have encouraged, but she couldn't get Edward off her mind. It was stupid, nothing would ever come of it, and she was fairly certain that he would never even call. She was married and men didn't phone women with husbands. Still she checked her phone anytime she thought she felt it vibrate in her pocket, cursing the 'phantom' rings when she realized that it had only been her overactive imagination and subconscious desire to hear his musical voice.

"You are checking your phone an awful lot this afternoon. I'm sorry I'm not entertaining enough." Rose joked as she thumbed through a rack of shirts. Bella hadn't had time to go home to change so they had resorted to purchasing a new shirt. It hadn't been hard to find one, but it had wet Rose's appetite to shop, so what was supposed to be an afternoon of relaxing, turned into a shopping expedition much to Bella's displeasure.

"What?" Bella asked, realizing that Rose had said something.

"I said that you are checking your phone a lot. Does Jacob have you on house arrest or something?"

"No." She laughed.

"That man is a modern day Neanderthal. I swear he even glares at Emmett when he goes to hug you." Rose commented and Bella knew that there was truth behind her words. "How do you deal with it? I can't put up with that kind of shit. Emmett would be out on his ass."

"Hey Rose?"

"Yes Bella?"

"Have you ever been attracted to another man? I mean, since you've been with Emmett?" The question was sure to spark Rose's interest but she had to know that she wasn't the only one that this happened to, that even women in happy relationships found their minds consumed by the strangers that they bumped into, figuratively and well, in Bella's case, literally.

Rose shrugged. "I mean, I've seen men I thought were attractive but I've never really thought much about it. Why?"

"Just asking."

"Isabella Marie Black, don't you shut that pretty mouth of yours now. I'm not an idiot and I know when you're lying. Is that why you keep checking your phone?" Bella blushed and Rose's jaw dropped before she covered it with her hand to keep her squeal from disturbing the other patrons in the shop.

"Who is he?"

"Just some guy who accidentally bumped into me this afternoon."

"So that's how you got the coffee stains?" Bella nodded. "Keep talking."

"It's nothing really, he probably doesn't even think of me like that."

"He asked for your number."

"Because he wanted to pay for the dry cleaning."

"Bella you are so naïve." Rose chuckled. "He was using that as an excuse to get your number because if you were acting like I think you probably were, he was probably scared shitless that you were going to reject him. Though I'll have to admit, using his fuck up to get your number was pretty genius."

"Rose, he knows I'm married."

"So?" She shrugged, as she took another item from the rack before handing it to the doting sales girl who had been following them around the store.

"Nothing, and I mean, nothing, could ever come of it."

"Bella, are you happy with Jake?"

"Of course I'm happy." It was the perfunctory response, and it wasn't the truth.

"Liar."

"He's my husband Rose… For better or worse…"

"Is he the same man you married?"

"What does that matter? We said vows; I can't very well go and break them."

"I still bet he calls… I give him three days before he gives in."Rose grinned widely and Bella merely rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to the rack of clothes that stood before her.

Bella placed the bags from her afternoon purchases by the stairs figuring she would take them to her closet later. She couldn't be bothered to put forth the effort to go up the two flights of stairs at that moment and instead, walked into the kitchen.

There wasn't much in their cupboards since she hadn't made her usual trip to Whole Foods for a few days but she would figure something out. Even if it was simple, Jake would have to deal with that. She pulled out two chicken breasts from the freezer and placed them in the microwave to thaw them before shifting things around in the refrigerator to find some vegetables to cook with it.

"Bella?" She heard Jake's voice from the hallway as she pulled the green beans from the vegetable locker.

"Hi." She said when she heard his footsteps on the tile floor of the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck as she washed the beans in the sink. "How was your day?"

"It was great!" She was certain that he loved his job more than he loved her, when he spoke of his job his whole face lit up with excitement. There was a time when she remembered that that look had been reserved for her and her alone. "I have to go to Munich though for a few days."

"When?" She questioned, slightly irritated that he hadn't even bothered to ask her how her day went. It was the little things like that, which upset her. In the beginning of their relationship, even when they had been living in Seattle and he had been working in AEG's Seattle office, he had always asked her how her day had gone. It seemed that since moving, he had become so wrapped up with his promotion and new status with the company that everything else just fell into the background, including her.

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh." She replied, wiggling from his embrace to pull a pot from the pot rack that hung over the counter island.

"I know I just got back from Paris but they want me to go."

"It's fine." She said, her tone even.

"Maybe you could get a dog." He mused and she felt the anger as it began to course through her veins from his comment.

"A dog? You think I should get a dog!" She was shouting when she turned around and put the pot on the burner, some of the water sloshing out of it and onto the now hot surface from the force with which she carried out the action.

"It would keep you company and protect you when I'm not here."

"Nice stand in." She muttered, fighting the tears that she could feel forming in her eyes.

"Don't be like that Bella."

"Like what Jacob?" She snapped.

"All needy and emotional. Jesus Christ, it's my fucking job! What do you want me to do? Quit?"

"Fine, make your own dinner Jacob. I'm suddenly not very hungry." She retorted, storming past him before picking up both her jacket and purse that was hanging by the door and slamming it behind her, leaving him alone in the house. More than ever, she was hoping that Edward would call.

A/N:

So because I enjoyed writing the one-shot so much, I realized that I wanted to extend on it... To write all the stuff that happened between it all and the history behind Bella and Jacob's relationship as well... To watch it fall apart and to watch everything blossom between Bella and Edward in a heartbreakingly beautiful way. So you already know how it's going to end if you read 'Dimes' but I hope you enjoy it nevertheless. I'm having a really, really fun time with this because it's a little less dramatic than 'Baby You Can Stop Running' and allows me to explore a different kind of emotion.

I've never been through anything like this. I'm merely a 22 year-old college student, so I'm not versed on the ways with which affairs begin, but I will try my hardest to make this as realistic as possible. There will be a lot of internal conflict and a pelthora of angst. So if angst isn't you thing, this probably won't be the best story for you to read. Still, I hope that if you do read it, that you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed writing it!

Any help regarding this story would be fantastic. My life experiences are limited, mainly becasue I am still fairly young and have only seen so much. I am very familiar with London though, having lived there last year and my plan is to move back in Setpember. And I hope that I haven't offended anyone with my comments about London's East End. I lived in Mile End last year so I know the location like the back of my hand and have had a great deal of experiences there that I never knew I would... I'd consider writing about them but I'm not sure they are relevant to this story.

As for an updating schedlue for this story as it is just something I'm doing on the side, I hope to update at LEAST once a week. Though it could be much more frequently depending on the reaction that I recieve, so please, review! I thrive on knowing what you all think! Don't be shy! A preview of the next chapter will accompany reviews, unless you do not want me to respond, in which case, please say so and I will respect your wishes and thank you formally in my author's notes! So, click that little box and review!