Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: This is probably going to be the longest A/N I'm ever going to write but I think I have to get this out.

I have written one other Twilight fanfic and I have portrayed Edward as an asshole who turns into an amazing guy. I'm going to try my hand at writing a different one. Hope you can soon be able to find out what type of guy he is.

This story isn't going to be as ridiculous and dramatic as my other story and hopefully it won't be as confusing. I hope this story will be an improvement of some sort.

This fanfic was inspired by many stories. Too many to credit to but you may find some of my favorites in my 'favorites' list.

Lastly, this is my second Twilight AH story so please be gentle with it.

Please leave a review and tell me what you think!

EDITED: 27th October 2010

Age 5

"Edward!" Bella shouted, waving her arms wildly. Her eyes were a warm chocolate brown and she had the biggest smile ever seen on a five year old anywhere. "Look what I found!"

A little bronze-haired boy came running towards her, the wind blowing against him. His undeveloped chest was bare and he was wearing shorts which hung loosely from his narrow frame. He had a plastic fishing pole in his hand and the most beautiful smile plastered across his adorable face.

"Did you find it?" he asked, his startling green eyes opened wide with excitement. "You found it, didn't you? The special rock I told you about? The purple one with the red and green polka dots?"

"No! Not that. Look!" Bella shook her head furiously, her little pigtails gently whipping against her face, and pointed to the magnificent castle sculpted with sand. It towered over her little thin frame. She was dressed in faded denim shorts and a bright green t-shirt. Without sunscreen and a hat, there were already red burns from the sun appearing on her neck and cheeks.

"It looks awesome, doesn't it?" she asked Edward excitedly. Her friend appeared to be unmoved and confused by the sand sculpture."Doesn't it, Edward? Doesn't it?"

He shrugged and sucked in a large amount of air and then blew it out loudly. "I bet I could've made a better one."

"No. No you couldn't have. You're just saying that, meanie. You could never make this in a million years," Bella insisted, her eyes still wild with imagination. "Do you think we can go inside? We can pretend to be the prince and princess of the castle and make everything ours! We can put our shell collection in there, Edward! The guards of the castle will keep it safe for us."

"Don't be stupid, Bella," Edward scoffed, crossing his skinny arms across his chest. "Sandcastles are made of sand. It's soft, dummy!"

He looked at her and saw how upset she was and tried to console her. "Well…we could try, I suppose."

"But I'm not going to dig you out if the castle falls on you," he said with a teasing glint in his eyes. "You'll have to ask one of your castle guards to help to get out."

Bella stopped and he looked over his shoulder. "What?" he grinned cockily. "Are you a wimp, or something?"

She shook her head and Edward laughed and began to taunt her. "Ooooh, Bella's a scaredy cat!"

"Am not," Bella protested, frowning and folding her arms across her chest, clearly not amused by Edward.

"Yes, you are. Come touch the castle, then, if you aren't scared!" he said, teasing her. "Dare you to touch it. Last one to do it is a stinky poop!"

Bella suddenly burst into tears and ran away. "Mommy! Mommy! Edward's being a meanie today! I don't want to play with him anymore."

A woman with brown hair and matching eyes bent down and eyed her daughter with concern. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

Bella rubbed her eyes and pointed at Edward. "Edward's not a nice friend today, Mommy. I just want to go home."

Renee chuckled at the exasperated expression Esme cast toward her son. "He's just like any other five year old kid, you know. Cut him some slack. He'll grow up to be just like his father," she said, trying to make her friend feel less worried.

Esme smiled. It wasn't hard to guess that she was not older than twenty five. From an outsider's perspective, when she was not with her son, Edward, she looked like she was still in college. "God, I hope so. I just hope we're doing the right thing, you know, bringing him up this way."

"He'll be fine," Renee assured her best friend. "We all will be."

"Mommy!" Bella whined. "I want to go now! I want to go home."

"Bella, I'm sure he was just having fun. He didn't really want to hurt your feelings."

Renee begged her daughter with her eyes, pleading not to ruin the day by being silly, but she could tell Bella was just not in the mood today.

"I guess we're going now," Renee sighed. "Such a stubborn child."

She took her daughter in her arms and picked her up. As they began to walk back towards the beach house, Edward suddenly realized what happened.

"Wait! Bella! Please wait!" he said as he ran towards them as fast as his little legs could manage.

Edward stopped when Renee turned around and placed Bella back on the sand. He was heartbroken when he saw her red eyes and tears that were now trailing down her cheeks.

"Bella?" he asked, walking towards her.

"Go away," she said, turning her back on him. "I'm not going to talk to you until you say you're sorry."

Edward ran forward and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry for being a mean person. I didn't mean it. I was just joking, really."

Bella didn't know what to do. She had mixed feelings about Edward. He could be a nice friend when he wanted, but sometimes she had a feeling that he just wanted to burst her bubble. That was what she was feeling right now. She was excited about finding a big sandcastle, but wasn't anymore, not when Edward plainly told her she was being stupid for being imaginative and creative. Her mother always told her that her mind filled with imaginative stories and characters was a sign that she was a smart girl, but in her heart, she knew that Edward was the smart one. He knew words like calamity and tranquility – words that Bella wished she knew but didn't.

"It's okay," she finally decided, taking a step back and detangling herself from Edward's arms. "As long as you promise that you're not going to do it again."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Swan," Edward apologized and hung his head. "I'm sorry for being mean to Bella and hurting her feelings. I didn't intend to do that."

Renee looked at the five year old boy, who had amazing manners and vocabulary, and was looking at the ground, possibly too scared to look into her eyes. She bent down and turned his face up to look into her eyes.

"It's okay, Edward. I know you weren't doing it on purpose. You were just having fun but Bella didn't get it," she said softly. "And Edward, please call me Renee."

Edward breathed a sigh of relief and gave Bella a smile which could light up the world.

"So, are you still going to go home?"

"Nah-uh. We were having so much fun before," Bella said, grabbing Edward's hand and taking him back to the beach.

Esme and Renee watched in silence at how quickly Bella could forgive Edward for his flaws.

"I wish I could forgive like Bella could," Esme mused loudly. "I wish Edward could be like that."

"Don't say things like that," Renee said, swatting her friend on the arm playfully. "Edward's got the most amazing manners. He's so smart. I wonder if he knows what he wants to become already."

"A doctor, last time I asked him."

"Carlisle's sure setting a good example, then." Renee smiled.

"Is Bella going to stay at Forks Elementary, then?" Esme asked.

Esme watched her friend struggle to find an answer and knew. They were going to move. Renee had told her in passing a few months ago. Charlie had wanted a job with a greater pay and it wasn't going to be being a police chief in the small town of Forks.

"When?" she whispered, in case Edward or Bella could hear their conversation. "Soon? This year? But Bella's going to do second grade here, right?"

"In two weeks' time," Renee said, her lips hardly moving at all. "I don't know how to help Bella understand why. This place isn't for her and Charlie has scored a fantastic new job as Police Chief in Phoenix."

"Edward will be devastated, I'm sure."

"But he has many friends here, doesn't he? I don't know, but I'm sure Edward's a very likeable boy; he shouldn't have any problems."

Renee's frown lines were becoming more and more visible. Her shoulders were tense and her best friend knew that she needed to find a new topic to discuss.

"Does your daughter mention Edward a lot? During dinner or whenever she talks about her friends and school?" Esme asked.

Before Renee could reply, an ear-splitting scream behind them caused them to stop talking and the two women turned around to see what happened.

"Bella?" Edward asked, biting his lip to prevent his laughter. "It was a joke. Honestly, there are no crabs in the water. It's just some plastic bags, really!"

Both Renee and Esme rolled their eyes. It was just so Edward. Renee wondered how he would react if she told him right now that his best friend was moving away, possibly forever. She knew that they could still keep in touch but they were still so young. Anything was possible. They were five years old, and – after all – what did five year olds know about heartbreak? She was so sure it wouldn't be a problem.

Biting her lip, she decided to ask Esme for her opinion.

"I think it's best if we both tell him. Tonight," Renee said firmly.

"What? Why?"

"I-I have this plan to explain it gently. I don't want Edward to think that it's because of what he has done to Bella or for him to feel guilty or something," she continued. "Bella doesn't know yet but I think that he should know first. Maybe he can…I don't know, at least, know what's going to happen."

Renee shook her head. She had no idea what to do. If only Phoenix wasn't so far away…

Esme sighed. "I think it's the right thing to do. Perhaps Edward would be more gentle with her and nicer to her sometimes."

The two adults noticed the darkening sky and called their children back. Edward and Bella whined but knew that they would still have more fun over the following days. As the four of them reached the Swans' holiday beach house, the mood was already somber and even Bella and Edward noticed the change.

"Mom?" Bella asked softly. "What's wrong?"

Renee forced a smile for her daughter. "Nothing, baby. Why don't you and Edward go take a shower? All your clothes are set out for you already."

Bella nodded and headed towards her room but Edward was more stubborn.

"Mom, if there is anything wrong, please, please, please, please tell me!" Edward insisted, stomping his feet loudly.

"I will, dear. I will."

Esme looked at her obstinate son who was always relentless when he wanted to know something to do with the 'adult business' and sighed. She couldn't bear to see her son unhappy but it was something that she would have to deal with. Soon.

Renee headed towards the kitchen and placed the metal pan on the table roughly with a loud clang.

"Tonight it is, then. When Charlie comes home and after dinner. Tonight," she decided.

Dinner was a quiet event. Everyone was seated but no one touched the food. Even the crunchy fish sticks, which were always Edward's favorite, remained unmoved.

"Come on," Esme said, trying to break the ice. "Edward, why aren't you eating?"

Edward shrugged. "Not telling. You're not telling me something. I know it."

"Edward, please be reasonable."

"I don't know what that means!"

"It means sensible, dummy!" Bella said, poking Edward in the ribs. "Even I know that!"

Edward sulked in his seat and crossed his arms, hating that Bella finally knew something he didn't. "Whatever."

"Edward! Bella! Enough!" Charlie barked and the two of them stilled in their seats.

"Mom, do you need me to help?" Edward asked Esme softly, after Bella and Charlie left the table. "Renee? Do you want me to help clean up?"

"Sure, Edward. You can start with wiping the table."

"Are you going to tell me the secret now?"

Renee and Esme chuckled at Edward's exasperated expression.

"Edward, Charlie has a new job in Phoenix. Bella will be leaving with her family," Esme said softly.

Edward felt his heart freeze. He could not imagine what it would be like without playing and arguing with his best friend every day. He didn't know what to say. He rubbed his eyes furiously at the unfamiliar burning feeling. There were hot tears trailing down his little cheeks and he wiped them away quickly. Esme looked at her son's reaction and wondered if she had worded it all wrong. She did not know until that moment how important Bella was to him.

"Forever?" he croaked out. "Mommy, please. Can we move there?"

"To live there forever, but you can visit her sometimes and write her letters. It will be like she never left."

Edward shook his head furiously. "No! No. No, Mommy. I want to be with Bella! She's my best friend and I…I really like her."

Esme felt like her heart was being ripped out by the way Edward was talking about Bella. Her son was growing up fast. She always knew he was smarter than most his age group but didn't know that he had such mature emotions. She did not know that this was how Edward felt about her. It was heartbreaking.

She bent down to talk to him, face to face. "Edward, sweetheart, before Bella leaves, promise me that you will be very nice to her. She doesn't know yet, and I don't want you to tell her. I know you are very smart, so promise me that you will let her parents tell her the news, okay?"

Edward nodded and embraced his mother. "Yes, mummy. I'm going to miss her a lot."

"Me too, sweetheart. Me too."

Edward hung around Bella the rest of the summer vacation. Sometimes, Bella's friend Alice who lived near the beaches of La Push would tag along and go exploring around the forest. They camped together and Edward told Bella scary stories about mountain lions and animals that lived under rocks and in the forests and held her when she became so frightened she started crying. He liked it when he hugged Bella. She was soft and warm and just right. Sometimes, he really wanted to break his promise and tell Bella what was going to happen before school started.

"Ew, Edward! Look at your shirt. It's all soggy and wet," Bella teased him.

Edward shook his hair, wet with mud, at her. "That's because you threw mud bombs at me and it splashed all over my shirt!"

"I know. You look so funny like that. You look like a mountain lion!"

Edward grinned, showing his missing front teeth. "You're just saying that. You're scared of them, I know you are!"

Bella shrugged and ran back to the beach house. Edward knew she was scared but he loved it when she pretended to be brave. He thought it was so funny that she had a straight poker face when her little legs were shaking.

Two weeks of summer went by quickly and a couple of days before Bella was leaving, Edward was waiting patiently for her to come out to play with him but she never appeared. He had his present to her wrapped up in a pretty pink bow and was ready to tell her everything. Anxious and worried about what had happened to her, he looked around the beach, hoping to find that she was hiding somewhere, to spook and frighten him.

To his disappointment, he found nothing. Nothing to scare him. Nothing to make him laugh.

Bella was leaving in two days. If she didn't turn up tomorrow, Edward didn't know what he would do. Esme was always there to comfort him, but it wasn't fixing anything now. He only had two more days to have fun with Bella. He had two days to make fun of her, to scare her, and to play with his best friend in the world.

The next day, Edward found Bella outside on the beach, kicking at the broken branches and dead leaves on the sand.

"Bella!" he called out, running towards her, ecstatic that she was there waiting for him. "Bella! I have something for you."

However, one look at Bella's tear-stained face, and Edward knew that she knew, too.

"I-I have something for you. I'm going to miss you a lot because you are my best friend. It's something I went to the stores to pick out with my mom," he said softly, reaching out to hold her hand. "Can you believe it? I actually went to the stores that girls like Rosalie Hale and Alice always go to. But it's for you, so yeah…well…hope you like it."

The silence was getting awkward as Edward handed Bella the present. He knew it wasn't something big, or probably significant, but he hoped that it was pretty enough that she would remember him. His heart was pounding in his chest as her eyes widened at the soft purple bunny which was in her hands.

Bella's eyes burned but she didn't want to cry in front of Edward. She had cried so many times in front of him that she knew he already thought that she was nothing but a little wimp. Her hands moved to the stitches engraved at the heart of the bunny. Neatly sewn were the words Bella & Edward Best friends forever 1994.

"Promise not to ever, ever, ever, ever, ever forget me?" Edward asked her, holding her hand tightly in his.

Bella smiled. She couldn't ask for a better best friend. She knew that she would always remember him, even if they were worlds apart. "I'll never ever ever ever ever forget you."

Edward hated the fact that he was the one who always made her cry.

"I'll make Dad take us to Phoenix," he said confidently. "We're going to come visit you soon and I'll write you letters."

Bella nodded and grinned at him.

Edward grinned, too. "But I'll only write you letters if you read them. I don't think you can read yet, right?"

She smacked his arm loudly and didn't apologize when he groaned in pain. She knew he always had to ruin the mood.

"Can so," she said snobbishly. "I can read!"

"You can only read if you know how to spell ," Edward said.

He looked at Bella's face and knew that she was stuck.

"Haha! I knew it! Bella can't read. Bella can't reeeeeaaaaddddd!"

Edward looked like he was about to do a touch down dance and Bella blew a loud raspberry at him.

"So? You can't dance!" she defended. "You can't do ballet. You can't do anything, loser!"

Edward's face fell at Bella's remark. "Can so. I can do everything. And I was just joking anyway. I'm sure you can read some words."

"I can read everything."

"Whatever," Edward said, trying to change the subject. He hated it when Bella didn't get along well with him because he was being obnoxious and underestimating her. He smiled his famous crooked smile at her which he knew she loved. "So…wanna go swimming with the sharks?"

The day Bella was leaving, Carlisle took a break from work and took both her and Edward to have ice cream in the local parlor.

Edward looked at Bella, who looked so withdrawn, and didn't know what to do. Nothing would cheer her up today. Not even ice cream.

"Dad, we can go to Bella's place to visit right?" Edward asked his dad hopefully.

"Sure we can. I'm sure your mother would love some sun."

"It's settled then," Edward said loudly. "We're going to your place, Bella! We're gonna visit you and you can show me your new room and stuff!"

Bella finally cracked a smile. "Awesome! Thanks, Dr. Cullen."

"No problem, Bells. Besides, you can always come back for the holidays, too. I'm sure we can rent out this place again. It's been incredible."

"Yeah!" Edward fist pumped into the air. "That's awesome! And we can go hunting for the mountain lions again, right?"

"And what then, Edward?" Bella asked, celebrating with him now. "We're gonna eat them up."

Edward watched as Charlie and Renee loaded their luggage into the back of their car. Not everything was going to fit, especially the furniture so it was going to be shipped over in the next couple of weeks. His insides felt weird – something he had never experienced before. For the first time, he was fighting back tears because he wanted to stay strong until Bella left. He didn't want Bella to know that her best friend was a big baby.

The summer was over and second grade was going to start in a few days. It was going to be the first time he was going to school with no one to pick on, or to play in the sand pits with. He thought of Rosalie Hale, the girl with the blonde pigtails who had all the boys wanting to be her friend and shuddered. He vowed to himself that he would never sink that low. He would have to find new friends and start over.

"Alright there, buddy?" Carlisle asked him, rubbing him gently on his shoulders. "Wanna go play soccer later?"

"Yeah."

Edward started to panic as he worried that he would never see his best friend again, but as the Swans pull away, Bella turned down the window and waved back at him, smiling sadly. He waved back until he couldn't even see the shadow of the car.

"Edward, you're going to make new friends. I'm sure there will be other people that will hang out with you. Don't worry about it, son," Carlisle said softly. "We're stuck here with you."

A/N Probably not heavily edited but it has been changed a bit - mostly in grammar and spelling and silly mistakes.

Thank you to all the readers and reviewers and to PTB, especially to DeeDreamer and Savannah-Vee for their wonderful help.