Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they are property of Stephenie Meyer and so is her plot in Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse.

First Attempt at Fic, be gentle! But constructive criticism is appreciated!

Preface: Edward's Guilt

I flick the light off in the basement as I sit down, and strenuously place my face in my hands.

"Uhg. I'll kill that bastard if I ever see him again."

"Meow?"

"Oh, hello Midnight" I respond in a soft voice, half startled that she snuck up without me knowing. Mine and Bella's new kitten, rubs contently against the side of the chair, as I gently place her on my lap. I didn't think this would be a good idea, but Bella thought it would do me good to have something affectionate with even a fraction of the warmth she had. I needed something to remind me of Bella's best interests while she was in the hospital, so I don't go and find Louis, an ex-friend of mine from the bad old days.

A shiver runs through my body and I suddenly tense, hearing someone open the door upstairs. I listen intently for a few short moments, hearing the faintest creaking in the distance, the wind outside, and I pinpoint what I want. Emmett, it seems is coming to return the weapons the rest of his family had out a few days before.

"Uh oh, Midnight, Emmett shouldn't see you or he'll freak out, poor guy."

"Anyone down here?" Emmett asks eagerly in his usual growling voice. He must be in a good mood. I gingerly scoop up the kitten and flatten to the side of the wall. Emmett trudges over to the chest and noiselessly puts the weapons back inside. I race through Emmett's mind and discover that I haven't been noticed and unwillingly hear Emmett's plans for him and Rosalie the following evening.

"Wow, that cannot be natural" I murmer to myself. I make a mental note to stow away at Bella's tomorrow to avoid hearing things that…best be avoided.

I sit back with Midnight on my lap and my mind goes over the events of the previous days. I told myself I would never live to see Bella in pain again, and I had already gone back on my promise. It drew so much hurt out of me to see her lying on the ground like that, again. So similar to the way I saw her in Phoenix it made me ache.

I lay in the dark, feeling beat of our new pet's heart on my stomach for hours it seemed. It felt nice to let the warmth flow through me, it gave me peace of mind. I only woke from my trance when I heard Alice call my name. She was still tentative about seeing me. I got the feeling that my family felt worse about it than I do at this point.

"Bella's here, home from the hospital" she thinks in my direction. I eagerly sit up and gracefully bound up the stairs. Sure enough, Bella is standing by the piano with a sudden lightness in her eyes when she turns to see me. It's hard to believe that there is someone I want to protect more than my own life.

"Edward, you know why I'm here, you finally have to let me in on the details of what happened with me and the rest of your family the other day."

She turns and I get a waft of my favourite scent. I flash my crooked smile and I see her blush. This is going to be harder then I thought, but she needs to know what happened.

"Ed, you been chasing mountain lions again? You smell kinda….feline." remarks Emmett.

I flash a glance at Rosalie and she clues in, and distracts Emmett. I lead Bella upstairs to my room. She sits on the couch, engaged in my every move, and I decide to get right down to it.

"Bella, I love you…I'm going be honest with you because I never want this to happen again."

"I love you, nothing can change that." She responds, flushing and giving me a smile.

"Ok, well It all started a few days ago" I say.