A/N: Alright, this one is a little different. I was on Post Secrets one Sunday and came across the following phrase on a post card

"She paints again, I'm glad she left you"

I thought it was perfect for a story so I just went with it. The tone is different from anything I've written in the past, but I wanted to use it as a descriptive writing exercise. Also, I really like being in Edward's head, I've found that it's more satisfying than Bella's.

Also, the format is a little different as the scenes jump around a bit, I like it this way so hopefully you aren't too confused when you finish reading.

Soulmates

The elusive concept which inexplicably and eternally binds two individuals together. Some people believe they exist, others simply regard it as fluff that does not belong in a world outside of a romantic novel.

Edward Cullen wholeheartedly believed in soulmates.

Why?

Because he met his one summer, a moment that changed his life forever.

~MNaB~

Edward sat at his piano bench praying that he could focus on making music flow from his fingers to the keys. He hadn't felt this carefree for a long time and wanted to take advantage of it. Unfortunately, the brown eyed girl standing across the room from him made things difficult.

Despite his lack of focus, he wouldn't ask her to leave for anything in the world, especially since he knew what her absence felt like.

~MNaB~

A teenaged copper headed boy wandered through the aisles of Port Angeles' largest arts and crafts store. He had been tricked into coming by his mother and older sister under the guise of going to the music store. Unfortunately, they neglected to inform him about an additional mission to gather jewelry making supplies for some mother-daughter class they were taking at the Forks Community Center.

He walked around aimlessly, praying for the moment that his phone would ring and his mother would tell him they were finished. Until then, he was staring at the giant white canvases that lined the back wall of the store.

"Bells, make sure you get everything you need. I don't know when my double shifts will be end so I'm not sure when we can get back here," a gruff yet familiar sounding man called out. The person sounded as if they were getting closer as each word was spoken.

A lighter, airy voice replied. "I'm almost done, I just need a few sketch pads and a couple of canvases and I'll be set."

Now the boy's curiosity was piqued and he looked up to put a face with the voice. There standing not five feet away from him was Chief Swan and a brown eyed girl that looked about his own age. The Chief was pushing a cart overflowing with what looked like painting supplies while the girl walked closer to the wall plucking many of the blank canvases and large sketch pads from their displays.

Under the ruse of being raised the right way, he attempted to figure out who the mystery girl was. "Hello, Chief Swan."

"Edward," Chief Swan replied, "What are you doing here, son?"

"My mother and Alice are picking up supplies for their next community center class. I was just exploring."

"Another class? Those two never seem to run out of energy," the Chief responded.

"No they don't. The only reason I came was that I was promised a trip to the music store after this. I know now that I was invited as a pack mule."

Chief Swan guffawed, "Well son, that's something that all women will learn to do with any man in their lives."

"That's a bit unfair Dad," a soft voice interrupted. "I would never do something like that."

Edward watched as no less that six large canvases and eight sketchbooks were thrown into the cart. At least for him part of the mystery was solved, this girl was Charlie Swan's daughter, the one he had been separated from for twelve years.

"And how is that Bells?" The Chief questioned, "Us being in this store is proof that you do it too."

"Nooo," this 'Bells' responded, "Us being here is a combination of you refusing to let me order my paint supplies online because you think the internet is evil and Forks not having an art supply store." From the teasing lilt in her voice, you would never know that this father daughter pair had been separated for more than a decade.

Edward let out a slight chuckle, knowing that many of the older residents of Forks held the internet in the same regard.

The soft laugh reminded Charlie of Edward's presence, "Edward, this is my daughter Bella. She moved back here to Forks just a few weeks ago. Bella this is Edward Cullen. You'll both be Freshman when school starts."

Finally, Edward had his chance, he wanted desperately to say something cool, something that would make this girl desire his company.

"Hi," was all he could come up with.

"Hello," the girl smiled back shyly.

Just as he was getting ready to say something slightly less pathetic, the shrill cry of Madonna's Material Girl announced the presence of the phone in his jacket. Bella tried to politely refrain from laughing but directing her attention to the photo sized canvases on her right, though admittedly she was thoroughly unsuccessful.

Alice and his mother were done shopping and, while reluctant to leave, Edward had no choice but to go. With a quiet "See you later" and a pathetic wave, he made his way to the exit with a new composition on his mind.

~MNaB~

He hated him, it was that simple.

He hated the way he was.

He hated that he had acted first.

He hated the way he made her act.

But most of all, he hated that he had her, his rightful soulmate.

Jacob Black had just returned from a three month stint at the University of Washington. If you asked him why, he would reply that he felt guilty leaving his wheelchair bound father back home on the Rez while his sisters made new lives and families in other states. If you did some actual digging, you would find that he was caught with heroin and cocaine in his dorm room and opted to drop out before the formal disciplinary hearing. Unfortunately, no one thought to dig.

Jacob Black struck quickly, so fast that Edward had no chance to block his attack. He wormed his way into Bella's life via the friendship between Billy Black and Charlie.

Just as Edward gathered the strength to act on the thoughts that plagued his mind for over two years, everything was ripped away from him.

"So are you coming over tonight? I have a new piece that I think will really get you in the zone," Edward asked, though already knowing the answer. It had been three months since she came over, but he tried tirelessly nonetheless. He may not be able to see her after school, but in the confines of these walls, Jacob Black's power was reduced.

"Umm," Bella hesitated, "I don't think so, I have p-plans. Jake and his pack want to have a bonfire."

"Oh," Edward tried not to sound disappointed, "I guess I'll just record it and leave with Charlie while you're out."

"Yeah," she her voice wavered, "That would be good."

Edward tried one last time, "You know, I still haven't seen what you came up with for the last four I've given you. When can we fix that?"

"Soon," Bella said, feeling guilty that she was giving him yet another empty promise.

He watched as she walked away unsteadily, garbed in a too short for her skirt and heels that she had never favored before, toward the parking lot where a dilapidated VW Rabbit sat idling with an impatient owner housed within. He hated the changes that that mongrel made to her.

Edward knew that those paintings didn't exist. How? All of her supplies were at his house, in their inspiration room. Her easel sat neglected, a reminder that if he had been more courageous he wouldn't be experiencing the painful emotions that ran through him these days. The paintings that covered the walls in the room and the family portrait that hung proudly in the house's entryway were the only proof that her history had even included him.

For a while, Edward held out hope that she was still creating, still being captivating even if she was away from him. He went to far as to drive to the place they first met and ask if she had been around to buy any new supplies. She hadn't.

~MNaB~

Edward watched mesmerized by the concentration he saw on Bella's face. It was all he could do not to completely stop his playing.

But he knew, he knew if he stopped so would she and the emotion so plain on her face would cease. It had been too long since he had seen that look, he wanted to savor every moment he could.

Bella's hands moved in sure strokes, no one would know that they had not experienced these movements in almost six months. The forcefulness behind her movements and the confidence in her hands was a show unlike any other.

Edward poured his happiness into the compositions that he played, the ones that were inspired by this lovely girl.

~MNaB~

Edward was flexing his hands as he moved to from his music room into the third floor hallway of the Cullen house. His fingers ached, they burned with satisfaction as a sense of accomplishment flooded through him. He had worked nonstop to complete his new piece, the one that came to him after meeting the new girl. The piece that demanded to be written was finished and perfected.

Today was the first day that his sister convinced the girl to come over to the house after school. Just knowing she was close by caused the notes to flow through him.

He had just started high school a few days ago, watching with an amused grin as his classmates for the last nine years were knocked down from 'Big Bad Eighth Graders' to 'Lowly Freshmen.' Edward never had any illusions of grandeur so he wasn't in need of an attitude adjustment.

However, there were some less than desirable events that had taken place over the last few days. He had grown at least four inches in the summer and had finally mastered the art of turned his messy locks from unruly cowlicks to a slightly disheveled bedhead, an improvement he welcomed. Sadly though, along with these changes, came unwanted attention. It wasn't that Edward didn't like girls, it was just that he found it difficult to be attracted to the ones that he had been surrounded by his entire life.

How much can you actually like someone when you've seen them at their bratty, childish worst?

The major downside of this was that he hadn't had a chance to speak with Bella. The girl with brown hair wrapped in a bun, coffee eyes, paint splattered jeans and white Hanes shirts covered with pencil smudges or colorful fading stains. She was welcomed at his sibling's lunch table, as was he, but it seemed that he had to spend the whole time shooing away the girls he could have cared less about instead of getting to know the one that inspired him.

As he pulled the door of open, he heard a gentle thud and looked down to see his new muse sprawled at his feet.

Bella's face flushed with embarrassment as she tried to gather and close her sketchbook. Edward was too fast for her though and he managed to help her to her feet and snatch her art supplies from the floor.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked quietly, concern evident in his voice. "What were doing sitting down there?"

"Umm," Bella hesitated. She was looking for a distraction but wasn't able to find any. "I was sketching?"

"I see that," Edward teased lightly, lifting the sketchbook in his hands. "But why were you on the floor? Here?"

Bella saw no other way around this conversation other than admitting to the truth. "Alice is on the phone with Jasper, so I decided to sketch. I was on my way down to the kitchen table when I heard music. Next thing I know, I wandered up another flight of stairs and just sat down.

"I was in the zone so I didn't even realized that the music stopped playing."

Edward looked down at the page that held Bella's drawing, fascinated by the realism of the willow tree that was depicted. "This is...amazing Bella."

She blushed once again, "Thanks, it's just a rough sketch. I don't usually go into as much detail until I lay it down with paint on a canvas."

"What made you do it now?"

"I don't know," she mused. "I think it might have something to do with the music. I've never been so lost in a piece before. Can I ask what that was? I'd really like to pick up a CD of my own to see if I can hit that stride again."

Now it was Edward's turn to be embarrassed. "That was me actually, I play piano."

"Wow," Bella breathed. "I had no idea, it sounded perfect."

The penny haired boy's chest puffed out slightly in a show of pride. "It's not that good. I'm sure there are some better fourteen year old piano players out there."

She simply shook her head, "Well if there are I sure haven't met them yet."

Edward decided to take a chance, "I practice everyday after school for a few hours. You're welcome to come inside and sketch while I do."

"Really?" Bella was excited by the prospect of listening in on something so personal, she was eager to see what she could turn the emotions into in her art. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it'd be fine." He nodded his head, internally patting himself on the back for having such an amazing idea.

"I'd really like that," the shy girl confirmed softly.

That was the start of it.

For a few weeks, Bella would lug her portfolio and train case to with her around school so she would have her supplies for her afternoons with Edward. The two of them would spend hours in what was now deemed the "Inspiration" room, only ever emerging for meals or when Bella needed to go home.

One afternoon, on Esme, Edward's mother, saw her hauling the cumbersome materials up and down the three levels of the house. After a bit of persuading, she finally convinced Bella to let her renovate half of the room as a more painter friendly space so she could leave her things there. Though it took a lot of convincing, Bella knew this was for the best as it seemed that she couldn't get any painting done when she was anywhere else.

It was clear to every observer that these teens fed off the other's creativity and dedication to their craft, pushing them to be even better at their own.

For a long while this is how their days were spent: School-Art-Sleep, repeat.

But as with all good things, it couldn't last forever.

~MNaB~

Edward knew something was wrong.

He noticed that Bella had become more skittish as of late and he couldn't help but wonder if this was another one of Jacob's doings.

Then finally, finally the day he had been wishing for had arrived.

But it didn't play out the way he had hoped.

He was sitting in the passenger seat of Carlisle's Mercedes, watching the trees blur into green masses as his father drove uncharacteristically fast and trying to determine the cause of this urgency.

A call was made to the Cullen home, Esme yelled up the stairs to her husband, whispered words were exchanged and Carlisle threw his son into the car without any preamble.

Edward caught a few of the whispered words, things like 'Charlie,' 'battered,' 'severe bruising.' His mind prayed for the safety of the Chief, a major fixture in his own life as well as the one who owned him completely.

When they got to Forks Hospital and saw a red eyed Police Chief, his deputy and a familiar Quileute boy at his side, Edward knew he was worried about the wrong Swan.

Carlisle walked toward the ER doors with authority, leaving his son on the brink of hysteria. Fortunately, explanations came flooding toward Edward before he succumbed.

The boy was Seth, he was familiar because he was the younger brother of Leah Clearwater, one of Jacob's 'Pack' members. His sister had just graduated from community college and returned to the Rez, falling in with the wrong group. Seth, who was Edward's age, had followed her to the beach where the pack had planned a bonfire.

"He was egging some kid on, trying to see how many lines of coke he could do before it started to hit him." Seth's voice was shaky and timid as he relayed the events to Deputy Paul. Paul was a lucky one, he never played into Jacob's hands when they went to school together, opting instead to fast track through high school to police academy, eventually taking a position on the Forks' force.

"How did Bella get involved?" Just her name made Edward's blood boil.

"She was trying to get him to stop, she was the only sober one there," Seth answered. "No one noticed when he got angry and pulled her toward the tree line."

"What happened next?"

"They were gone for a minute, it wasn't until I could see Jake's arm moving sharply that I realized what was happening." Seth's eyes pleaded with Charlie's, begging him to understand. "I tried to get to her as fast as I could, but Leah saw me. She started yelling about being spied on and it took forever to get around her. Then-" The boy's voice cracked and a haunted look took over his eyes.

They waited patiently as he regained his composure, Edward was desperate to hear the reason why they were at the hospital, but knew better than to upset the boy.

"One of his knees was on her hip, pinning her down, and her jeans were torn open. He was yanking at his own and said something about 'Finally getting what she deserved' and 'Being tired of waiting and taking what was his'. It on-." This time it was strangled noise from Edward's throat that interrupted.

"Breathe, son," Chief Swan encouraged Edward with a comforting palm against his back. Edward sank into his chair, with his head between his knees.

"Go on Seth," Paul prompted quietly.

"It wasn't hard to figure out what was going on, so I threw myself against him, trying to get him off of her. He hit his head against a tree and didn't get up. I picked her up and ran to my car, I tried to get Leah to come but she wouldn't without a fight and I knew I had to get Bella here as soon as I could."

"You did good, Seth," Paul assured him. "If you weren't there, Bella would be in for a lot more than assault injuries." Edward's head whipped up to meet Charlie's eyes.

The aged brown irises understood his urgency, "She's fine Edward." His voice faltered briefly, but was full of relief. "She was lucky, no internal bleeding. She's really bruised and her right arm is broken, but the damage wasn't so bad that it needed surgery. She's asleep right now, in fact the only reason I'm not in there with her is that the nurses thought I was being hysteric."

Edward was filled with renewed rage, at that asshole Jacob Black for doing this to her and at himself for not knowing this would happen in the first place, and relief that his Bella would be okay.

"Where is he?" Edward's voice finally called.

"In custody at the Port Angeles Station," Charlie answered, "The paramedics were called in for an overdose, when they got to the beach all they found was an Leah and an unconscious Port Angeles teenager. One of them looked around and found Jacob. He and the boy were taken to the hospital, but by the time he came to Leah had already cracked about what was going on at the beach."

"What happens now? Does B-," saying her voice took so much strength, "Bella have to give a statement?"

The Chief shook his head slowly, "No, that won't have to happen. The boy didn't make it so they have Jacob in for manslaughter, possession, attempted sexual," his voice wavered, "assault and whole lot of other stuff he did in Seattle before coming back."

Edward was saddened by the news of the boy's passing, but relieved that Bella would not have to relive this night over again.

He sat with her until she was finally released 36 hours later, a feat only accomplished via Carlisle's power in the hospital. He wrote on her cast, covering every inch of it in the swirl patterns similar to the ones she drew on her school notebooks, while she slept.

He sat with her, on the Swan couch watching old movies, for the six weeks that her arm was in a cast.

He was with her during every physical therapy appointment. Shocked that it took only two weeks to rebuild the strength and remaster use of her right arm.

He sat through her apologies, her temper fits, her attempts to push him away, to push him toward something she deemed 'better.'

He sat there knowing that there was no such thing and that it wouldn't be long until he could be there for her in the way that he wanted.

~MNaB~

A new piece had quickly flooded Edward's mind and he allowed himself to focus on it, secure in the knowledge that she was merely feet away from him.

The piece was full of hope and speculation, was so entrancing that he didn't notice that Bella had stopped painting and moved to sit on the piano bench.

It was only when he felt her arm and leg pressed against his that he registered her presence.

His fingers slowed on the keys, eventually stopping completely. She leaned against him slightly, and he couldn't help but think this is the way it's supposed to be.

Edward wrapped his arms around her, bending slightly to protectively encase her in his warmth.

He knew that he couldn't push things, that he would have to wait a while longer, but he was secure in the knowledge that it was his time.

Edward softly brushed his lips against his shoulder, nothing more then a flutter against her newly reddened skin.

His lips held the promise to keep her safe, to treasure her, to adore her and, most importantly, to love her when she was ready.

Because he was hers.

And she was destined to become his.

A/N: I'd really like to know what you think, so please leave a review if you have the time.