A/N: Hello again! Thanks for sticking with me. This story was definitely an emotional journey for me, so it's nice to be able to share it. Try not to hate on Bella too much in this chapter. She really does think she's making the best decision that she can, even though it's almost blaringly obvious to some that it's not. Thanks to my superstar beta torisurfergirl for helping me so much with this story.

Goodbye

"Wow," Alice said. I had called her the morning after Edward and I slept together to tell her what had happened with Edward, and how I had responded that morning when we discussed me staying in Dallas. "How did he take it?"

"He was angry at first, but then he was sad." I sighed, leaning into the phone while sitting on my bed. I had just put Elizabeth to bed, and Edward had gone out without saying anything, so I knew that I had a few minutes of privacy. "He said that he and I would be good together…that we could help each other get over losing Jacob."

"What did you say to that?" she asked. I was thankful that she wasn't passing judgment on me; I was doing enough of that on my own.

"I told him that while it was a nice thought, he just reminded me too much of Jacob. Needing to get away from him was part of why I needed to move. That's when he got sad and said that he wished I felt differently."

Alice was quiet for a moment before responding. "B, are you sure you are making the right choice in moving?"

"Yes," I said, without any hesitation. "I want to come home. To be around something that's familiar, without the feeling of Jacob on every corner. Maybe I'll come back to Dallas someday when the pain of losing Jacob isn't so strong. But, right now I need to put some separation between me and the memories. It's the only way that I can start the healing process."

"And have you talked with Elizabeth about this? How does she feel?"

"She's sad about moving but is also excited about moving to a new place. She has a large sense of adventure, my girl, and is really looking forward to seeing more of where I grew up." I rolled over on my back and stared at the ceiling, feeling very tired all of a sudden. "So, how are you feeling?"

Alice was about eight months pregnant, and feeling quite large. She'd had a rough pregnancy so far and finally had been put on bed rest. By my estimation, I would arrive in Napa Valley close to when she was due.

"Changing the subject on me, huh?" she said, laughing a little. "I'm a whale and very uncomfortable. But, I'm surviving."

"How's Jasper doing?" Jasper was her husband, who had been very nervous about the entire pregnancy. This was their first and only, according to Alice, and he was being the usual terrified father-to-be.

"He's wonderful, as usual." She sighed, and I smiled. Alice and Jasper had found each other only a couple years before. They worked well together, and had been extremely happy.

I ended the call with Alice shortly after that and went back to packing. We were moving in less than a month, right after Elizabeth got out of school for the summer. Since I worked from home as a communication coordinator for a large company headquartered in Florida, I wouldn't have to worry about finding a job once we got there. I was taking a couple of weeks off to make the drive and get settled, though.

It was almost midnight by the time I stopped packing. Glancing around my room, I noticed that I was almost finished. It was amazing how little I had now, after giving almost everything away when I was forced to move out of the house that Jacob and I shared.

Feeling overwhelmingly tired, I turned the light off and crawled into bed. A light knock on the door startled me.

"Come in," I called, not wanting to get out of bed.

Edward opened the door, walked in and closed it behind him. I had been expecting Elizabeth, so seeing Edward was a surprise.

"What's going on?" I asked him, sitting up in bed.

He sat down next to me but didn't look at me. "I know why you're doing this, and on some level I understand. I won't pressure you to stay, but I will say that I don't want you to go. You may want to forget Jacob, but I want to remember. Having you and Liz here helps me remember him."

"I'm so sorry, Edward. That's not my intention…to hurt you. I'm not trying to forget Jacob. I'm just doing what I can to help me and Liz move on. I just want you to understand that."

"I do. That's the problem, I really understand. But, I don't have to like it."

I laughed a humorless laugh. He crawled in bed with me and held me all night. We didn't have sex that night, but we held onto each other; remembering Jacob and how much he meant to us.

By the next morning, Edward was back to his normal joking self. He took Elizabeth to school on his way to work, hugging me with that slight one-armed hug that men like.

We continued in the same pattern for the next couple of weeks. He was himself during the day, but a totally different, vulnerable person at night. Every single night he crawled in bed with me and held me all night. The comfort of his arms around me began to feel normal, and I thought briefly about how I was going to miss this once we moved.

Before I knew it, Elizabeth was out of school, and we were packing the rest of our stuff to move.

We had the truck, and were leaving the next day. I was sitting on my bed, after a full day of loading the truck, when I heard a knock on my door. Edward walked in, looking sad.

At first, we just stared at each other, not knowing what to say. He had helped me load the truck, and he knew we were leaving the next morning, and the sadness in his eyes was palpable.

Without thinking, I held my arms out to him, a silent tear running down my cheek. He walked over to me, slid his shoes and pants off, and crawled into bed with me. Turning to face him, I captured his mouth with mine.

Neither of us said anything…there was nothing to say. We both knew that I would be leaving soon; moving away from him and my former life. We hadn't talked about the future other than me moving, and somehow I knew that once I was gone, he would be out of my life forever.

We comforted each other that night, twisting and writhing in passion in each other's arms. I whispered his name as I came, and he whispered mine, too. Afterwards, he held me and we both wept together, realizing the finality of what we had just done. No words, no promises…just the realization of an ending between us and the life we had created for the past few months.

Edward stayed with me that night, holding me all night. I don't think that either of us slept, silently telling each other goodbye. Words weren't necessary as we held each other, staring into each other's eyes.

What alarmed me most about the experience was how familiar his touch was now. How much my body responded to his and how content he made me feel. For the hundredth time since I had made the decision to leave, I questioned whether I was doing the right thing.

Laying there, with Edward in my arms, I wondered if I was crazy for leaving. Maybe we could help each other.

"No words, Bella?" he asked, when we finally had given up on sleeping. I was grabbing my suitcase and was about to take it downstairs when he spoke.

My eyes went to his and studied him. He had always been handsome, but the sadness seemed to overwhelm anything else right now. "I don't know what to say, Edward."

He walked over to me, took the suitcase out of my hand and pulled me close to him. "Tell me you'll miss me," he whispered into my ear.

"Every second of every day," I told him, unwilling to lie.

He leaned back, sitting on the bed and wrapped his arms around me again. When his eyes met mine, I was shocked at the amount of emotion in them. "Stay," was all he said.

Shaking my head slightly, I brought my hand up to his cheek. "I can't."

He nodded, and I saw his eyes fill just like mine had. I kissed him then, trying to take away the ache I felt and ease his sadness. It wasn't frenzied or hot like it had been the night before, but it was final: an ending. We both knew what this was and tried not to let it consume us.

Edward helped me load my bed, and then Elizabeth's bed. Those were the last two items that we needed; everything else was in our small truck. Then he attached the car trailer and made sure my car was secured to it. When he turned around, I knew it was time.

Elizabeth ran to him first, hugging him with more excitement than sadness. She had always been a strong girl, and was more excited about the adventure that lay ahead of us than the one we were leaving. Given how close she and Edward had become, I was sure she would miss him, though. It was against her nature to feel too sad about something she couldn't change. She embraced the changes that came and moved on. It was amazing to see that in a nine-year-old.

"Take it easy, squirt," Edward said, ruffling her hair.

"Don't call me squirt, dude," Elizabeth responded, sticking out her tongue at him.

"Don't call me dude, kid."

"Don't call me kid, man."

Edward grabbed her and gave her another hug, and then turned to look at me. Elizabeth ran and got in the truck, clicking on her mp3-player, and ignoring us.

"I won't ask you again," he started, holding his arms out to me. I stepped into them, relishing in the warmth and comfort. "But, I will tell you this – should you decide to come back, you are always welcome in my home."

"Thank you, Edward. That really means a lot." I sniffed, trying not to let him see just how much this goodbye was affecting me. "I should get going…we have a long road ahead."

"Yeah," was all he said. He leaned down and kissed my forehead, unwilling to kiss me anywhere else when Elizabeth was around. "Goodbye, Bella."

"Goodbye, Edward."

A/N: Sad, I know. Something that I forgot to mention is that this story is entirely from Bella's POV, but I am working on an Edward POV as an outtake. That may bring a lot more into light that Bella doesn't know or understand in this story.

Also more good news, I have actually already completely written this story (except the outtake that I'm currently working on). Other than being my own worst critic and re-writing chapters over and over until they feel right (right, Tori, right? lol), this shouldn't get deferred by my life. I am hoping to post once a week.

Leave me some feedback! Thanks!