A/N: This story takes place somewhere in the realm of Eclipse once Edward returns and Bella is forced to make her choice. Reviews are welcomed and appreciated!

"I love you both… but differently…" I trailed off mid-sentence.

"What does that mean Bella?" Jacob demanded angrily. I knew his temper would get the best of him, it always did. He wore his emotions on his sleeve… one of his few downfalls, but one that I had come to rely heavily on. I had expected at least as much from him so I wasn't too surprised when I glanced over at him and his eyes betrayed his angry words. His eyes were full of pain, but that hopeful sort of love. I knew what he wanted me to say.

Edward just stared, his dark eyes boring into mine. He just needed to know an answer, either way, and I knew he would do whatever I wished. There would be no fight and there would be no display of heroism. It would either be him staying or him going.

"I can't do this right now… you're putting me on the spot and I can't think straight. All of this is too much…" I felt completely trapped between the two of them. Breathing was hard, knowing that two people relied so heavily on my feelings, however unsure those feelings were. I began to feel claustrophobic standing in between them, even though they both stood three or four feet away from me. I closed my eyes for a moment and felt Edward move towards me in case I collapsed, something I was known to do in his presence. I moved my hand slightly to let him know I was okay, and I knew he had backed away to his original position.

I slowly took a deep breath, in and out, and opened my eyes, looking directly ahead, trying to clear my mind and figure out what to do next. I heard Jacob move a step closer and I turned my head towards him, almost as if to warn him to keep his distance, but he didn't take the cue.

"But Bella, if you don't know this by now…I mean, you have to know by now what you want… don't you?" Jacob's eyes pleaded with me to say the words he longed to hear. That I had picked him and that this entire mess would be over.

"I need space – I need time Jacob."

I turned to Edward. I knew that my confrontation with him would be easier than it was with Jake, even if I was telling them the same thing. Edward always had a composed, rational side, even when he was upset or angry. He stood still, his eyes dead and his face blank.

"You've always given me my space when I needed it. I need some 'human time' here… please Edward." I whispered the last part of my sentence, begging him to trust me. I hoped my familiar language, the joke that reminded us of how different we really were, would make the blow easier.

He simply nodded and was at my side in two strides. He gently turned my body to his and tiled my chin upwards so that I was looking directly into his eyes. His right hand traced down my cheek and to my neck where it rested gently. I heard Jacob growl quietly in the background, but it couldn't break my gaze.

"You know I will love you until the day I cease to exist and that will never fade, it will never die. But I trust you, Bella, to make the decision that's right for you. Not for me, not for Jacob, but the choice that will ultimately make you happy. You have all the time you need and I will be here no matter what choice you make. I love you Bells." Edward spoke softly, but purposefully. I knew he meant what he said, that he would always love me, but that he only wanted me to be happy.

With that, he leaned down, touched his lips to mine firmly, our eyes still open and locked with each others. He lingered longer than usual and then abruptly pulled himself away, turning his back on me and bolting into the forest and out of sight.

For the first time, after kissing Edward, I wasn't breathless.

I had to will my legs to remain standing and my eyes to contain the waterfall of tears that were threatening to explode at any moment. I took a deep breath, something I had begun to consciously think about after being with Edward for so long, and turned towards Jacob.

He sat on the ground, head in hands, his large shoulders shaking. He was a wreck. And it was my fault. I walked over to him quietly and laid my hand on his shoulder. At the feeling of my touch, his head bolted up and his wet brown eyes stared back at me.

"Bella…"

"Oh Jacob… this is anything but easy. I'm making three people miserable here and I can't do it any longer. Both of you need to know what I want, but I don't even know that right now. I hope you can understand…"

"No… I've never been in a situation like this, so I can't understand. I don't envy you right now, but… I can't wait forever to find out who you care about though, Bella. If you can't love me the way I love you then we can't be. That's a special kind of love… I want that with you but I want you to love me like that." I saw two fresh tears forming at his eyes and Jacob looked down, away from me, embarrassed to be openly crying in front of me at this moment, even though it was far from the first time he had done so.

I longed to reach out and stroke his hair, tell him that everything would work out and have him wrap me into his arms but I held myself back. It was not the right moment to be so vulnerable with Jacob and I would regret leading him on if my choice wasn't him. Instead, I pulled my sweater around me tighter and breathed hard. My head was spinning and if I wasn't careful, I would faint or collapse or something equally as bad. I had to leave but I needed to explain. At least to make Jacob know how hard this was… maybe to make him understand. Edward knew how hard leaving could be, and maybe that's why he left without a fuss or fight. He understood.

Jacob looked up and into my eyes, streaks of wetness across his cheeks where he had hastily wiped away his tears with his shirt, and spoke first.

"You're so special to me Bella… I can't bear the thought not being with you and–" his words were cut short as his voice cracked and he choked back a sob. My heart wrenched in my chest and my hand involuntarily reached for him. He slowly rose to his feet, touching his fingers to mine slowly before he took my hand in his, linking our fingers together. In one swift movement, he had me in his arms, holding me tightly, as if it were the last time he would ever see me. He laid his head down on mine and I felt his huge body shake, three hard, heavy and miserable sobs. Before I could move to put my arms around him, he was an arms' length away from me, looking down.

"Promise me you'll come back to me. Even if you come only to tell me that you've chosen…him."

"I promise. You can't get rid of me that easily Jake." I choked out the last part of the sentence with a halfhearted smile on my face, hoping that the joke might make leaving him easier. Jacob smiled sadly and stared into my eyes, hoping to find an answer, something… anything. I was so close to not crying; I bit my lip hard to keep from losing it now. I needed to be alone before I completely lost my composure otherwise I would just as easily crawl into his arms and let myself sob until my tears were gone. Things would be harder in the long-run that way, because no matter what, I had convinced myself I had to leave. Leaving now was better…

He stepped forward swiftly and had both his hands on my face, tilting it up towards him and he gently but passionately kissed me. I felt wetness on my face as his tears spilled over onto my cheeks and I let my hand wind itself around his neck, gently running my fingertips down the back of his neck as I always did. Jacob pulled away slowly and looked into my eyes carefully.

"Goodbye Bells."

"Goodbye Jacob."

With that, he turned and walked into the shadows and out of sight. I heard him running away through the forest quickly, having changed back into a werewolf to get away faster. Less than a minute later, I heard his low, sad moan echo across the forest and I let my head drop. It was time to go.

Reviews please! I've already got lots more written but feedback is always welcomed and appreciated! I'll do my best to return the favor where possible!