"You…don't…want me?"

"No"

"I don't believe you," she said softly.

I snap my head up quickly, finally making eye contact with my love, searching her eyes, for what I'm not entirely sure.

"You said we would never be apart," she said firmly, eyes still looking up, but at some point beyond my shoulder.

She takes a deep breath. "You said I was the reason for your existence," her voice stronger now.

"You needme," she said, looking straight into my eyes now, "don't pretend you don't love me," and she is simutaneously questioning and daring me. Christ. Of all the times for her to dig into her well of strength, a well everyone but her knew existed, it shouldn't be now. Not now. Later, after I put her before me, after I let her go, then she should be strong.

"I think I will always care for you in a way, but this," gesturing between us, "isn't right. I should never have talked to you. Our kind are not friends with humans for a reason, we don't fit together. It's not fair for either one of us to continue on this path that can lead to no where." Now I am purposely tapping into her biggest insecurity. The one where she absurdly thinks I don't want her. I'm trying to make her believe that chaste kisses, stolen away after a moment, are all we could ever have. I'm begging myself to believe that too. So I take a step back, moving to walk away on my life.

Suddenly, she has closed the space between us, her face inches away from mine, staring up into my eyes fiercely, emotions running through her beautiful eyes. For a long seconds, I am lost. And I'm actually scared of what she will do next. I'm afraid I won't remember why I even started this conversation. I open my mouth to speak, to say something, anything, and then,

"Fuck you Edward Cullen, you fucking coward!" and my beautiful, gentle, sweet Bella, slaps my face with all her strength. And even though I am quick enough to anticipate and move my face so her hand doesn't shatter, in my shock I'm not as quick as I should have been, and I hear three bones snap in her fingers. She doesn't even seem to notice it. She just stares at me, more emotions, and something I never wanted to see from her flash through her eyes – pity, is the most dominant emotion. Then she turns around, and walks away. And I just stand there, unable to believe that what just happened was real. I'm looking at her, my reason for existing, walking away from me. Hating me, pitying me.

And then, ever so quietly I hear, "I don't believe you. I won't ever believe it. And I'm sorry I didn't see it before. Huh. Maybe I'm too young. I feel sorry that you are so scared to let someone love you, take care of you, want you, for you, so scared that you throw away your best chance at an unbelievably happy and well, entertaining, (snorting) existence. Fucking Romeo and Juliet."

While it didn't make the most grammatical sense, and even as my mind was trying to decipher it's meaning, my heart knew she was right. Knew she, this young human girl, knew me better than I even knew myself.

And I still let her walk away. Because although she knew me, I still thought I knew what was best for her.

Chapter 2

"We aren't safe for her! We only HURT her! NO! We are leaving here, leaving her, letting her live a normal, human life. Rose was right; I should never have started this. I'm sorry, but at least I can do the right thing now and end it."

"No," Esme said quietly, too quietly, her eyes darker than I have ever seen them. "Who are you to make this choice for Bella, for our family? No, we are not leaving," Esme said angrily. Wow, I had never seen her like this. "Not only are you wanting me to leave this house, my house, the one I built and decorated with my own time and hands, but you also want me to leave my daughter behind, feeling unloved?!" Well, at least now she didn't have the scary silent tone; she is flat out growling at me. She has never growled at me. She shook her head, eyes sparkling in a tearful way now. "No, Edward. We are not leaving and I am….I am very disappointed in you." She then placed her head on Carlisle's shoulder and took long, deep, albeit technically unnecessary, breaths.