Hello, I haven't posted anything for quite a while and I've been reading Twilight fics again and I seem to be addicted to Bella and Paul (again...)

And I've spent quite a while trying to actually get my head down and write this, so I hope it turns out okay for the first chapter.

- Caden

Bella knew from the start that it'd take an exceedingly long amount of time before she was at peace again, after the day Edward left her in the woods. Bella knew that he didn't leave her to die, like everyone else said he had, otherwise he wouldn't have left the note on the kitchen counter; telling Charlie she was going for a walk.

When Bella found out that Edward had left a note, pretending to be her, she spent a short while digging through the trash, trying her best to find the inked paper amongst the kitchen waste and trash at the bottom of the trash bag.

Most people would cringe just thinking about being up to their elbows in trash, but it was something that Bella needed. She needed to see for herself that Charlie wasn't lying about the note, because she didn't want to believe that her precious Edward had left her to freeze to death in the woods. Bella barely even spoke to her father, or anyone since Edward had left along with the rest of the Cullen's, albeit she didn't think she had much to say about the matter. She was heartbroken, aimlessly wandering amongst the trees and trudging through the early autumn leaves as she tried to find Edward once more; but her efforts proved futile.

She had no idea how long she had been lying there on the forest floor, freezing in her yellow jacket and wishing for death. She had no idea if Edward was coming back with his family, and she had no idea if anyone was going to find her. She had lost hope, and for however many hours that she lied on the forest floor; she had finally come to terms with the situation. Edward wasn't coming back.

She was freezing when Sam Uley and his cronies found her, her lips blue, skin as cold as ice. For a moment or two the men thought she was dead, but after a few moments of careful searching they discovered that she was very much alive. The warmth of Sam's body was overwhelming for Bella, and she felt her skin almost scorching. The mix between blistering hot and ice cold reminded Bella of the times that she would play in the snow during her earlier years at Charlie's. She remembered how she had played for hours with little Jacob Black, his sisters watching from the sidelines as they stayed inside; relishing in the warmth of the small indoor space heater before them.

Bella remembered how her limbs struggled to work, her body freezing and soaked from the cold snow and ice. She grew tired and she remembered how her dad had carried her inside, her skin feeling like it was aflame from the mix between hot and cold.

The difference in temperature reminded her of the contrast between the temperature of her and Edward. She was comfortingly warm, and he was as cold as ice. Bella often wondered how it felt to be that cold for such a long time, not that the vampires would have noticed. Their body temperature didn't effect them, but it effected Bella.

Her cold form was encased in Sam's immense heat and if she was mentally sound, she would have felt like she was being burned alive. But Bella wasn't mentally sound, she was exhausted and cold and heartbroken. She felt like a hole had been punched right through her chest in an Edward like shape to pull her beating heart from her chest.

Edward was gone, and he had taken her heart with him - with them.

When Bella finally found the note from Edward she then began to understand that he hadn't left her there to die. He left her there, knowing that she would search for him, and he knew that she would be found. He knew how stubborn she was, and he wanted her to be safe, and Bella knew that. She knew that Edward cared for her up until the very last second, but that meant nothing to her anymore. He had left, and Bella's mind was screaming,

'You don't leave the people you love'.

But with that thought Bella felt something change within her, she realised that Edward didn't care as much as he had led on. She told herself that she was merely a pet to him, and the rest of his family. She told herself that she would get old and die, and they'd forget about her if they hadn't already. Edward himself had told her that he didn't want her, and she understood. But she also slipped into a perpetual cycle of self-hatred, a vicious cycle where she would stare at herself in the mirror each day and mentally pin cruel words to her reflection; telling herself how little she really meant to him and everyone around her.

Depression.

Charlie knew what was happening, Billy knew. Christ, everyone knew. They knew that Bella was falling into an endless pit of despair and they had no clue who to go to for help. But they looked to Jake, Billy's son, to help her find herself. Bella needed to find herself before it was too late, and everyone knew that Jake's care-free optimism would be more than enough to get Bella back to her old self; to who she was before Edward.

Jake had turned up to Charlie's everyday, watching Bella from the foot of her bed as she sat in front of her mirror blankly staring at herself for hours on end. He spoke, and he spoke, and most importantly; he listened. Jake listened to Bella's quiet voice, he listened to the way her voice cracked and one day he grew less concerned when her voice grew , and it no longer wavered.

It was a cold day and Jake huddled into the fabric of his jacket as he popped the door to Billy's truck. He helped his father out and into his wheelchair for the umpteenth time, and wheeled him up to the door to the Swan residence.

Jake shivered, watching the condensation waver in the air before him as his hot breath collided with the cool air.

It was early, only 9 o'clock, but it was early for Billy and Jake, and they had been to the house on few occasions at such an early time.

Charlie greeted them, opening the door and allowing the heat to escape through the open door frame and Jake let out a sigh of content as he stepped inside, and felt the heat rush against his cool skin. The wheels of Billy's chair squeaked as he rolled himself forward before Charlie held out a hand to him and Jake, a weak smile present on his lips.

"There's a surprise in there." He tilted his head, nodding towards the living room and Jake frowned slightly as he pushed his jacket off and hung it on the coat hook, pulling a face before passing Charlie and entering the living room with his father.

On the worn sofa sat Bella, knees to her chest and her eyes focused on the television screen; her once pale and hollowed face was brighter. Jake and Billy could tell that she had put makeup on, and a part of him knew that Charlie was hoping it was a sign of her improving; trying to get better. And she was.