HALO

Summary: When Bella meets Edward, she thinks she's found her prince charming. But life turns out to be a little bit harder than she expected. Will she be able to get the love of her life back? Or will her cynical outlook on love keep her from the Happily-Ever-After she deserves?

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or these characters. If I did, I'd probably be a good $100 Million richer. hehe

"Ohmygod, Bella. You like totally have to meet my brother, Edward," Alice's voice was like the speed of light, you couldn't even keep track of how fast she went sometimes.

"Alice, can't I grab something to eat first? I worked all morning and you know how hungry I get after pulling eight hour shifts…" the woes of working at Newton's Sporting Goods.

"Oh, suck it up you big baby! You'll eat soon enough! C'mon, let me introduce the two of you," The little pixie was true evil, the spawn of the devil himself.

She drug me by the arm through the boatload of people that filled her living room. The Cullens really knew how to throw parties, I'd give them that.

I thought my arm would be permanently ripped out of its socket if she didn't get to where she was going soon, so you can imagine my relief when the tugging finally stopped.

I turned to her, giving her a good glare to let her know that her actions weren't appreciated. I got a small grin back. Like I said, evil.

I heard a small chuckle from somewhere in front of me and turned slowly to reveal the most handsome man I'd ever seen in my young life. Young being 21.

"Bella, this is my brother, Edward Cullen," Alice trilled in a sing-song voice, and I immediately knew why she'd drug me over here. And judging by the smug look on her face, I knew I was right.

She was trying to set me up with her older brother. Oh please God, no.

He smiled at me, and I was momentarily stupefied by the brilliant whiteness of his teeth.

Oh, I'd heard a few things about Edward Anthony Cullen. One, of course, being that he was a gorgeous womanizer. Two, that he was some sort of super genius who graduated Forks High School a year early, went to Dartmouth for his medical degree, and got a job in Chicago his first year out of college.

His entire family gushed about him, almost to the point that I felt like I knew him before we'd even met. I'd seen pictures, but nothing really prepared me for the 6 foot 2 beauty standing directly in front of me.

His bronze hair was sticking up in random places, leaving him looking deliciously disheveled. Sex-hair, I believe they called it.

And his deep green eyes were like pools so deep you could get lost in them. I didn't realize I was staring until Alice began waving her hand in front of my face.

How embarrassing.

When I looked up from his feet, blushing, all I saw on his face was humor.

"Hello, Isabella," his voice was like the smoothest velvet, "It's a pleasure to finally meet the woman who has captured that hearts of my family members. They can't seem to stop talking about you," his voice was seductive, ridiculously so.

I wasn't sure what to say, but in my shock I quickly got out, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Edward."

He smiled, seemingly satisfied with something, before his attention was stolen by someone off to the side of me.

"Tanya," he said, almost flatly, to the woman that wrapped herself around him like a snake. "I'd like you to meet Isabella Swan, a friend of the family." Tanya was Edward's ex-fiancée, a woman that Alice and the rest of the Cullens for that matter, didn't really care for. She was invited to these events solely because her parents were friends of the family. And very obviously, she had a hard time accepting the fact that Edward had broken off the engagement.

I appreciated him being polite and introducing us, but the way she looked at me in that moment, like I was dirt under her shoe, made me want to crawl back to the safety of the kitchen and sulk.

Thankfully, Alice caught on. "Well, we should be socializing, Bella," she grabbed my arm, turning back to Edward for a moment before shaking her head and leading me away once again.

I couldn't help but notice the look of disappointment on Edward's face as we walked away.

"Tanya was a fucking bitch," Alice raged, standing in the kitchen with her hands on her hips. "She didn't deserve my brother."

I could only nod my head in agreement before she was going on once again.

"It was just so evident that she was a fucking gold-digger."

I just let her go on and on about her brother's new fiancée, nodding and humming occasionally when necessary. The girl could go on for hours without a breath.

I thought for a moment that she would but then I heard the distinct sound of a throat clearing behind Alice.

By the look on Alice's face, she already knew who it was, and she turned around guiltily, looking like a sad kitten.

She was met with her brother's hard stare. He was about to open his mouth when Emmett, Alice's other older brother, came in and clapped his hand on Edward's shoulder, oblivious to what was going on around him.

"Eddie-boy! I didn't even see you come in! Have you seen Rosie? Isn't her belly just the cutest fucking thing you've ever seen? I mean, C'mon, me being a father? Holy hell, dude…" Emmett could rival Alice in running his mouth, that was for damn sure.

It was enough to distract Edward, though, and Alice and I seemed to let out a simultaneous breath that we'd both been holding.

"I'm very excited for you, Em. I did see Rose, actually. She's glowing," he looked genuinely happy for his brother, his angel's face looking wise far beyond his 26 years.

Alice, taking advantage of her brother's distraction, slowly slinked out of the room, muttering something about finding her boyfriend, Jasper.

I couldn't say I blamed her.

Emmett and Edward spoke for a few moments more, then Em made his way over to me.

"Still having trouble chewing gum and walking, Bella?" he grinned a dimpled grin that only a Cullen could pull off while still looking beautiful. He was such a goofball, always making fun of my troubles with gravity.

I gave him a glare, figuring actions spoke louder than words.

Finally, he grabbed a beer and made his way out of the room, going to search for his pregnant wife.

And that left Edward and I in the kitchen…alone. The way he was staring at me was making me blush, and I prayed with everything I had that it wasn't too noticeable. He was looking at me like—dare I say—I was something to eat. And I found myself loving it.

"So what brings you back to Forks, Edward?" I cringed as I heard my slightly hysterical voice screech through the air, my nonchalance not coming through whatsoever.

He smiled, showing only a hint of the same dimples that graced Emmett's face, making them look like the actual brothers that they were for a moment.

"Well, considering my parent's 30th wedding anniversary is quite the milestone, I found it important to attend," he took a rather large gulp from the bottle of beer in his hands. "And besides," he said wryly, "I was already planning a trip out here for Tanya and I's engagement party… not that that ever happened."

I was slightly surprised that he had brought that up so soon, but my verbal diarrhea had no filter this evening. Maybe it was the second glass of Chardonnay.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you and Tanya break it off? You two seem like the perfect couple," it wasn't a lie, they were both very beautiful.

He grinned at me, tilting his head to the side a little, looking like a curious puppy. It made him seem younger—and even more beautiful.

"She wasn't right for me," he flashed me a look, "I couldn't bring myself to marry the woman just because she'd make a lovely trophy wife. I wanted something more for myself. A soul mate, if you will."

I practically melted right there. I almost melted right off the chair and turned into a Bella-Puddle on the floor. This man was perfect. And sweet.

"That sounds reasonable," I agreed, nodding my head.

He laughed. "I was rather happy to meet you tonight, Isabella. I wasn't lying when I told you that my family thinks very highly of you. My sister is quite the matchmaker, as you very well may know."

I blushed, looking down to my glass of wine. "She is indeed," I agreed.

We sat there in silence for a few moments before he broke the silence once again.

"Would you be interested in maybe grabbing a cup of coffee with me in the morning? I don't mean to sound forward, it's just that I only have limited time back here in Forks and—"

I cut him off, shaking off my shock. "Sure, I'll grab coffee with you. I love coffee," Face-Fucking-Palm. I love coffee? Really Bella? Four years and an English degree later and that's the most intelligent response you could conjure up?

It didn't seem to affect him in the least, though, or at least he didn't show it. He just grinned at me while we exchanged phone numbers.

I never knew that's where it would all begin.

5 months later

"Mmm, baby, I miss you so fucking much!" Edward groaned into the phone, and I could hear the shifting of fabric as he climbed into his bed. "Next week can't come soon enough."

I frowned. A whole seven days was far too long to wait to see his face again. We had agreed that a long-distance relationship would be tough, but I never imagined it would be this hard. Not seeing him was excruciating.

It was getting to the point where I was done with the whole thing. I had already googled my way around the area of Chicago and had even put my resume into a few places for an editorial position. It was a surprise, of course, one that I hoped would allow us to move the next step in our relationship.

"I miss you too, Edward," I gave a secret smile, hoping that I wouldn't have to miss him again for a very long time.

"I was going to wait until next week to tell you this, but—" he paused for dramatic effect, and my ears immediately perked up. What could he possibly have to tell me?

"What is it, babe?"

"Well, I put in my resume at Port Angeles General, and they called me for an interview via Skype. They hired me, baby. I'm moving back. You and I can get a little place close… move in together…it'll be everything we ever wanted and more." He was breathless by the time he finished, too excited to take a breath.

I was so shocked that I couldn't even formulate words, my mouth was just open in the shape of an O.

"Baby? Are you there? I'm so sorry, I didn't even ask you before I did this I just thought it'd be the best thing for us… please don't be upset, Bella, baby…"

"Edward," I cut him off, just as breathless as him. "I love you. Thank you so much for this."

I could hear his sigh of relief on the other end.

"I love you more, Bella."

6 months later

Right after Edward moved back, he and I found a small apartment and moved in together. It wasn't huge, much to Edward's dismay, but it had character and it was just the right size for us starting out. The first few months were amazing, picking out silverware and towels together. We had to have christened every available surface in the place within a month of living there.

Port Angeles General was just as busy as Edward's job in Chicago, even more so starting out.

I tried not to get upset when he would come home late, leaving the dinner I left on the counter for him untouched so that he could climb up the stairs and flop onto the bed, scrubs and sneakers still on.

He would get so exhausted that he would get short with me as well—and I tried to hide my hurt every time it happened.

"What time do you think you'll be home tonight, babe?" I asked seductively, hoping to gain his interest. He was still at the hospital after 12 hours.

"I don't know, Bella," he sighed, obviously frustrated. I wasn't sure if it was with his long shifts or with me, but I was offended nonetheless.

"Oh, okay…" I muttered, searching for something else to say.

"Listen, I gotta go. My pager's going off. I'll talk to you later, Bella."

"Oh, alright. Talk to you later, Edward," I hung up.

I think what hurt the most was that there was no "I love you" attached to the end of his goodbye. He always made room for that. Always.

I sighed loudly, holding back my tears. I was so in love with him that it physically hurt. How could we let it get this way? How could I let it get so bad that he lost interest?

I beat myself up the rest of the night. When he came home next I'd confront him about it, I promised myself. If this wasn't working…I had to stop thinking there because the pain became too much to bear.

Something had to give.

I heard a key in the lock before the distinct sound of the door handle being turned. At the same moment my stomach gave a nervous flop before settling back down like a rock was setting in my gut.

He kicked his shoes off at the front door and I heard him hang his coat up on the rack before he came into the kitchen.

He saw me standing there and jumped, obviously not expecting me to be up this late.

"Bella? What the fuck are you doing awake at two a.m.?" he inquired, his eyes lined with bags and his mouth set in a hard line.

"I couldn't sleep…I think we need to talk, Edward."

"Can it not wait until a decent hour? I just got home for fuck's sake. I'm tired. I don't have time to sit here and…"

"Why are you being so mean to me?" my voice, even to my own ears, sounded small and desperate.

He looked shocked for a brief moment before turning his tired eyes toward our bedroom door.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I don't mean to be such a fucking asshole all the time," his eyes flicked to mine and I could see that they were sincere. "It's just been very hard switching hospitals…I feel like I need to prove myself to the other doctors here so that they'll take me seriously. You have no idea how hard it is…"

"We knew that this wouldn't be easy, Edward," I was in no mood for his excuses, no matter how credible they may have been. "Your work schedule is no excuse for treating the love of your life like shit."

I hadn't ever spoken to him this way and I could see the surprise on his face because of it. His eyes softened and he reached out for me, but the tears were already swimming in my eyes. I had to get out of the room before the flood gates burst.

I ran into the attached bathroom in our bedroom, shutting the door and locking it. I splashed water on my face, trying to calm my breathing.

I was able to somewhat calm down until I heard the knocking on the door.

"Bella, love, please don't be upset! I love you. More than anything. You know that. Like you said, we knew this would be hard. I'm going to try, I promise! Just please, open the door," he pleaded desperately, his own tears evident in his voice.

I debated for a moment before unlocking the door, letting him open it and wrap me into his warm embrace. I could have cried tears of happiness this time from how good it felt to be in his arms again.

We laid down together that night, our arms and legs wrapped tightly around each other.

I felt so much relief… yet I couldn't help but wonder if this was just the calm before the inevitable storm headed our way.

A few days later I made a surprise trip down to the hospital on my lunch break at Newton's, knowing Edward was taking his break today around that time.

I packed sandwiches and chips, with juice pouches and assorted fruits, thinking that maybe we could sit out on a bench and enjoy the rare sunny day in each other's company.

When I got there the receptionist confirmed to me that Edward was indeed taking his break then and that I could probably find him in the cafeteria.

I rushed down there, hoping that he hadn't ordered anything yet so that we could eat what I'd prepared.

What I saw when I got down there stopped me in my tracks.

Edward was sitting at a table with a very tall, very beautiful blonde woman. Her platinum hair was straight as a rod, and she was dressed to the nines in what looked to be very designer clothes.

Tanya.

What kept me standing there staring, though, wasn't the fact that my boyfriend was having lunch with his ex-fiancée, but the fact that she had one of her long fingernails trailing down his arm, a flirty smile on her perfectly made-up face.

That wasn't even the killer, though. The absolutely stab in the back was that he had his head thrown back in laughter at whatever she was saying, looking happier than he had with me in a month.

With a heavy heart, I walked out of the hospital, threw the bag with the food on the front passenger side of my old truck, and called Newton's to tell them I wouldn't be coming back to work today, making up a lie about getting sick.

I drove directly to the apartment, not even paying close attention to what I was packing. Once I had a good shot of my stuff packed, I put it in my truck and drove to the only place I was sure about—Charlie's.

1 Year Later

"Bella, where are you, love? I came home and all of your stuff was gone—"

Beep. "Message Deleted."

"Baby, where did you go? C'mon, call me back so I know you're alright! Did you go to your dad's? If you don't call me I'm coming over—"

Beep. "Message Deleted."

"Bella, I called Alice and she told me that you left. What the fuck did I do? What made you leave? I thought we agreed to work on this, baby? Please come home so that we can work this out. I still love you more than anyth—"

Beep. "Message Deleted. End of messages."

Edward wasn't bluffing when he said he'd come over. He stood outside Charlie's house on the porch for about three hours before Charlie went out and told him to go home.

I hadn't told my father what had happened, I think he just assumed we had gotten into a fight of some sort.

In fact, I hadn't even told Alice the real reason, just that it was important and that I had to go. She didn't approve at first, but eventually she accepted that I wasn't going to change my mind.

My heart hurt for a very long time after that. It still does.

It always will.

Even after an entire 365 days, I had a hard time accepting the fact that I had lost Edward from my life forever. I couldn't help but wonder whether or not things would have been different if I would have just sat down and talked to him.

The truth is, my pride was what was keeping me from going back.

I had finally told Alice why I had left, and after confronting her brother about it she informed me that it wasn't at all what I'd thought it had been. I asked her to stop there, not wanting to hear anymore, as the pain would be too great.

For a moment I allowed myself to feel relieved—the hurt lifting ever so slightly before I realized that it was too late to go back now, and Edward didn't try to contact me again.

Present Day

"Can you believe I'm getting married tomorrow, Bella? Me! Ohmygod, Jasper makes me like, soooo happy, I can't wait until we can start having kids like Emmett and Rose. Wouldn't our kids be so beautiful?" she sighed dreamily, her hand to her heart like a Southern Belle from a movie or something.

"I'm so happy for you, Alice. So, so happy," I said genuinely, even though I couldn't help but feel the stab of jealousy in my heart. I had what they had…and I threw it away before I could even blink.

Alice nodded before turning back to working on my hair. Tonight was her rehearsal dinner and apparently everyone had to be dressed just so. So in other words, it was time to play Bella-Barbie once again.

I had just finished college the year before, my literature degree carrying me to Stanley's Publishing, a book publisher that hired me as an editor right away.

I liked my job now a lot more than I liked Newton's, and I was happy with the amount of money I was making. I moved to Seattle two years after Edward and I split, and that's where I reside now.

I liked Seattle…it was just so...big.

I still remembered the night Alice had informed me that Jasper proposed to her, it was the same night she asked me to be her "Maid of Honor." I was thrilled to fill the position—and then nervous when she informed me of whom Jasper asked to be his best man. I had a sinking suspicion that it wasn't an accident.

Alice brought me out of my musings by tapping me on the shoulder.

"You know who's going to be there tonight, right, Bella?" her voice was casual, but I could tell the curiosity was killing her.

"Yeah I know," I said, looking at myself in the mirror. "How could I forget?"

I should have known when I got sucked into this wedding that nothing Alice does is…small. The guest list was over 300 and the decorations were lavish.

She was getting married in a huge church in Seattle, not far from where she and Jasper lived now.

The rehearsal dinner was an affair in itself, all fancy food and wealthy furnishings. It was so "Cullen" that it almost made me laugh.

When Alice and I made our grand entrance everyone was already there. I felt the familiar prickles go down my spine as my body registered that I was in the same room as him.

Please God, I thought, Don't let me embarrass myself tonight.

I could already tell that my prayer was going to go unanswered when one of the heels of the fuck-me shoes Alice put me in got caught on a stray string in the carpet, sending me careening forward and heading directly into smashing my face on the floor.

The falling stopped suddenly, though, and when I opened my eyes my face was inches from the carpet. I could tell by the goosebumps on my arm that it had been Edward to catch me—just like always.

I felt his warm breath on my ear, sending a distinct message to my lady parts. "Bella," he murmured his velvet voice amused. "I see you're as clumsy as you've always been."

I huffed lightly, straightening up and out of his arms. I noticed that everyone around us had gone silent, obviously waiting for our reactions.

I tilted my head up for the first time, and as expected, when I saw his face, my knees practically buckled under me. God, he was just as beautiful as ever.

"Thank you, Edward," I muttered, very aware of all the eyes on me.

"It was my pleasure, Bella," he smiled a panty-dropping smile at me, making my body tingle before Jasper pulled him away for some "best man" business.

The rest of the evening went down without a hitch, no doubt the result of Alice's perfect planning. I had no doubt that tomorrow would go the same way, and even better.

I didn't talk to Edward for the rest of the evening.

I was truly glad that Alice was getting her "Happily-Ever-After," it's just that two years of being alone after losing Edward had made me almost bitter about people who had perfect relationships. I knew it was a horrible way to think, but I couldn't help myself.

All of the Cullens and the rest of the wedding party was staying in hotels tonight—I was lucky enough that I lived in Seattle so I didn't have that far of a drive.

When I got back to my apartment, I hurriedly took off the dress Alice had shoved me into, kicked off the heels and putting on comfy socks and pajamas. My hair went up into a messy ponytail and I snuggled into my couch, planning on a night full of "Grey's Anatomy" re-runs.

I didn't even get fifteen minutes in when there was a small but firm knock on my door. Me, being the paranoid person that I was, automatically went into crazy-killer-at-the-door mode and got my mace ready.

I didn't have a peephole, which was one thing that I regretted at a moment like this. I opened the door quickly, almost smacking myself in the forehead with it.

Great job, Bella, I thought, you might as well knock yourself out and make it easier for the rapist.

When I lifted my gaze, though, I couldn't believe who was standing at my front door.

"Edward?" I barely got his name through my shocked lips.

He looked at me anxiously, his body vibrating with some sort of pent up energy. "Bella," he said hurriedly, "I'm sorry to just show up like this—can I come inside?"

I let him in, shutting the door behind him and locking it, just of habit.

"How did you know where I lived?" I asked curiously, as I led him into the living room.

I sat down onto the couch and he followed, looking around nervously and watching me closely.

"Alice," was all he said and I knew immediately. Meddling little pixie.

"Listen, Bella, I came here because… I came here because when I saw you tonight, I knew that I couldn't fucking be with anyone else besides you."

My mouth opened in shock, forming an "O" at his words. Before I could reply, he surged on.

"The past few years have been agonizing… and you thought I was cheating on you with Tanya? Bella, she showed up that day, I had no idea she was going to be there. Her sister Kate was in the hospital—she had just had another baby—and she was grabbing a bite to eat… She saw me sitting at a table and came over, I swear. She was just telling me about her engagement to Riley Biers—some local bartender she met at a bachelorette party. I would never have cheated on you, Bella. I'm so sorry that I didn't try harder to fight for you after you left, I was so confused, I—"

I didn't give him a chance to start apologizing. We'd already wasted so much time—me especially.

My lips connected with his fiercely, my body coming into delicious contact with his own. He responded in turn, kissing me with so much pent-up passion that I thought I would spontaneously combust.

He grabbed me around the waist, picking me up easily and setting me in his lap so that we could continue making out more comfortably. Our tongues battled for dominance, his winning over mine as he made love to my mouth over and over.

It wasn't long before we began rubbing against each other, our cloth-covered parts coming into contact after so long. We rubbed and bucked against each other, and I didn't think I had felt anything that amazing in way too long.

Edward picked me up fluidly and began blindly searching for my bedroom with his lips still firmly attached to mine. When he found it he burst through the door, shutting it and dumping me on the bed, loosening and tugging on his tie.

Oh, fuck. There wasn't anything hotter than watching Edward take off his tie.

I grabbed him behind his neck and brought him down on top of me, his weight so delicious.

Within minutes we had each other's clothes off, our bodies bare and rubbing against each other. It was pure bliss.

"Are you sure, Bella?" he whispered brokenly against my lips, the desire in his voice coating everything else.

"Yes, Edward. I'm sure. I love you, please make love to me," I moaned, the tip of his cock rubbing just right against my clit.

He groaned, nodding his head and pushing harder, to the point where it felt so good it almost hurt. "I love you Bella. More than anything. I always have, and I always fucking will."

And with that, he pushed into me.

I breathed in slowly, hugging him closer to my body. I felt pleasure jolt up through my entire being, radiating through every muscle and bone.

"Ugh!" I moaned.

Edward looked me in the eye and then kissed me passionately. He started moving in and out slowly, all the while keeping eye contact. My eyes kept rolling from the excessive pleasure. It had been far, far too long since anyone—since he—had made me body feel like this.

"Don't stop, Edward," I pleaded, never wanting this feeling to end.

"Never, not fucking ever again." he vowed. "You're mine now. Forever, Bella."

He slowly moved faster and faster, our lips still fused together and our eyes focused only on each other's. I angled my hips and rocked them in time with his thrusts.

When the tip of his cock found the rough patch of skin on the inside of my body, I practically screamed from the pleasure of it all. He knew just where to push, knew it like the back of his hand.

"Oh yes, Oh my fucking God yes," I moaned.

"Fuck!" Edward yelled. "Does that feel good, Bella? Tell me how good it feels, baby."

"Oh yes! So good, Edward. D-don't stop!"

"Fuck!" he yelled again.

He pushed harder and harder, reaching spots I hadn't ever knew existed until Edward Cullen came along. I arched my back, pushing back into him just as hard. He slammed his hips down into mine, pinning me into the mattress and using the headboard for leverage as he hit that same spot deep inside me over and over again.

I began panting, the need to come overwhelming all my other senses.

"Fuck, Bella, I need you to cum with me! Ah! Shit, I can't last much longer," he moaned. "You need to fucking come, Bella. Come now!" he roared.

"Ugh! Edward! I'm cumming!"

He thrusted harder, if that was possible, as I felt my orgasm coming like a welcomed tidal wave.

"Ah! Edward! Fuck!" I screamed as I came all around him.

"Shit shit shit shit shit, Bella!" he yelled in return, before coming inside of me, twitching and shooting into me in long, hot spurts.

When we were finished we wrapped our arms around each other as tightly as they could go, refusing to allow even an inch of space between us. It felt so amazing to be snuggled up to him like this once more, and I knew I'd never let him go again. Not ever.

Whatever else the world threw our way, I knew this time we were going to be ready to conquer anything.

Together.

"I love you, Bella," he whispered into the darkness, and I could feel his warm breath waft across my shoulder as he kissed it.

"I love you too, Edward," I whispered back, kissing the mop of messy bronze hair on his head. "Forever."

There it is, guys! Hope you liked it.

REVIEW if you want. ;)