Chapter One

Breathe, Bella, breathe.

It was easy to say, or think the words. It was even easy to hear them. But when a giant hole is raging in my chest, I can't always do what I and other's would like for me to do.

As I looked at his beautiful face, I knew I didn't have a lot of options here. Accept or deny. He was going to leave my bedroom, out the damn window, with some sort of answer. His brows were furrowed in worry as he watched me clutch at my chest. I felt heavy all over, just like when I was drowning. Maybe I hadn't actually resurfaced. Maybe I was still drowning and this was just my mind preoccupying itself until I finally died.

"Bella?"

The hole flared with the sound of his voice; no, this was real. I wasn't still drowning. I really had gone to Italy and I really was in danger. More importantly, he was really here and I had to give him an answer. I looked at him for a long moment, wishing I could capture air in my lungs again.

"Bells!" this voice was more urgent and it made the air come back with a whoosh filling my lungs as I gasped and scrambled toward the window. Jacob was perched on the tree and I opened the glass dividing us swiftly. Jake; my eternal sun. He was the cure to what had broken me all those months ago. He had been trying to desperately to repair a broken, horribly average girl who couldn't even love him the way he deserved.

He swung in deftly, tensing at Edward's presence. Without preamble, I flung myself at him, clunging to him tightly. The moon was bright, making him dark skin a little lighter. The difference between us was still staggering. Jacob was beautiful; I was boring. "What are you doing here, leech?" Jacob asked, wrapping his arms around me. It was like nothing at happened. It was almost as if he had forgotten that I had left him to go save the one person who had hurt me the most.

Reality dawned. Forget everything Edward had just told me. Forget that he had protected me in Volterra. Forget that he was here now, begging for my forgiveness. He left me. He walked away, lied to me, and took away the family I had always dreamed of becoming a part of. He destroyed me, left me in the damn woods! Even if he still loved me, that was not condusive to protecting me. That was dangerous. Hadn't he himself told me that the woods weren't safe?

I spun out of Jacob's arms, facing Edward. He was glaring at Jacob over my head, but he looked down at me sadly when I gave him my attention. His eyes were repentant, but I knew mine were furious.

"Bella, please..." he started, but I held up one hand, keeping my back pressed against Jacob. I was furious, but the hole was throbbing and I needed him now more than ever. He wrapped his arm around my waist, almost like he knew. Being who he was, he probably actually did. Edward fell silent.

"The wolves have been protecting me for months! And you were gone. You left and I prayed every night that you would come back. I prayed for weeks and months, hoping and wishing that somehow that had all been a bad dream. Now, realizing what you've really done, I don't want you here. I want you to go back to whatever you were doing before you met me. It's better that way." I said this sternly, but inside I was breaking. The whole room froze, making me feel sick to my stomach. I set my eyes on Jacob's hand, splayed across my stomach. It was the only safe place to look.

"I apologize for the pain I've caused you." Edward said, his voice low and far too calm. I knew it was an act, but I certainly wasn't about to call him on it. "My family and I will take care of the Victoria problem and we'll leave you alone." There was a large gust of wind and then nothing. The room was completely still. Neither Jacob nor I moved.

Breathe, Bella, breathe.

Hello everyone! Welcome to my (other) new story. I hate to admit this, but my old computer died. Ya, it's tragic. You can send roses virtually if you want. The funeral is tomorrow (because that's my trash day). Unfortunately, that also means I've lost all of my other stories. They're gone and not save-able now. I'm distraught and it's made me lose the will to write them. As a distraction, I'm writing this(: I hope you like it. I have big plans, including my own personal Darkward! We'll see what happens... Or you will. Because I already know. Please, review(: