Sadly, I am not Stephenie Meyer and, sadly, I do not own Twilight, Bella, Edward, Alice, Jasper, or any of them. Please R and R!! That would make me happy!

Chapter 3 - Conversation - Bella's POV

"Hello, Bella," Edward said softly. "Welcome home."

Bella stared at him in shock, unable to move. It was as if everything else in the world had ceased to exist. His radiant smile, his smoldering topaz eyes, his perfectly rumpled bronze hair…it was as if her memories had been recorded and turned into a reality. It was a good thing she no longer needed to breathe because she had momentarily forgotten how.

And suddenly, it no longer mattered that he had said he didn't want her. It didn't matter that they had been separated for six months. It didn't matter that she had been broken beyond repair when he left. It was as if the last six months had never happened. The ever present hole in her chest and the pain she had felt when she realized that her transformation had been pointless were gone. Not just gone, but wiped away as if they had never been there. For the first time since his departure, Bella felt whole.

"Edward?" she whispered, her senses catching up with her. She took a hesitant step toward him and that seemed to be all the invitation he needed. Too fast to see, even for her newly enhanced vision, Edward crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her. Bella crushed herself to his chest, stroking his face and staring into his eyes, trying to convince herself that he was real and that this was not some elaborate fantasy she had cooked up to escape her pain. But there was no pain anymore, not when she was safely in his arms. Fantasy or no fantasy, she knew that she never wanted to leave his arms, not as long as she lived. She laughed aloud as she realized just how long that might be.

"I'm so sorry," Edward said softly, running his fingers over her smooth face, re-memorizing every aspect. "I never should have left. I never should have done that to you. I'll never forgive myself for the pain I've caused you, Bella. I'll never forgive myself for what Alice was forced to do. I -"

She put a finger to his lips, stopping his increasingly tortured apology. Edward stared at her, his golden eyes filled with agony. Smiling slightly, she smoothed the creases from his marble brow with her fingers and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

"It doesn't matter," she whispered against his lips. She felt him inhale sharply and she briefly wondered what was wrong, but all thought was driven from her mind when his lips suddenly attacked hers, kissing her desperately. Her lips instinctively parted as she breathed in the sweet scent of his breathe and she was surprised to find that he was doing seemingly the same thing. She gasped as he deepened the kiss in a way that he had never dared to do when she was human and felt a strange fluttering sensation in her 'stomach'. She was suddenly hyper aware of just how close his body was to hers and the fluttering sensation intensified, rendering her weak in the knees. When he finally pulled away, what felt like hours later, they were both breathing heavily. They stared into each other's eyes, both alight with wonder, until a snigger from behind them brought them both crashing back to earth.

Bella turned to find Emmett with his fist shoved in his mouth holding back his laughter. Alice and Jasper were both smiling radiantly as were Esme and Carlisle. Even Rosalie looked less detached than normal, but that could have been evoked by the sight of Emmett shaking with suppressed laughter. The little blood remaining in Bella's useless veins rushed to her face, tingeing it pink and Edward smiled and stroked her cheek with one long white finger.

"You still smell wonderful," he whispered in her ear, his cool breath tickling her ear. Bella's knees wobbled.

Bella felt Edward guide her to a couch and pull her down into his lap. She snuggled up against his hard, cold body, relishing in the closeness. After a few moments of contented silence, Bella could palpably feel the curiosity in the room. Everyone was wondering the exact same thing: How had she become a vampire? Finally, Emmett seemed unable to stand the tension a moment longer.

"Well?" he asked impatiently, staring at Bella with curiosity written all over his face. "Are you going to tell us?"

The smile on Bella's face slowly faded and she frowned at Emmett, wishing she could delay this moment. Edward was going to be furious with her when he found out what she had done. She glanced at Alice, who grimaced back at her, knowing what was coming. Bella sighed and then took a deep breath, steeling herself.

"I…I went cliff-diving," she said softly. She felt Edward stiffen underneath of her and didn't dare to look up at his face, terrified of the raging anger she was sure she would see there. She heard Esme's sharp intake of breath and could feel the others staring at her.

"I…I must have misjudged where I would land," she whispered. "When I hit the water, I fell straight onto a tree branch that was jutting up from the bottom of the pool, just below the surface. It ripped into my side and…I would have died if…if Alice hadn't…"

She trailed off unable to continue, realizing just how close she had come to death. She remembered the agonizing pain she had been in when Alice had dragged her to shore and forced the water from her lungs. She hadn't even noticed when Alice sank her teeth into her wrists and her neck. Unconsciously, she reached a hand up and felt the crescent scar on her otherwise flawless throat.

"Why?" Edward asked her suddenly, his voice choked. "Why would you take such a risk?"

Bella looked up at his tortured face and felt guilt rippling through her. "Not here," she whispered her lips at his ear. Abruptly, Edward stood up, slinging Bella onto his back. Bella gasped, startled, as he ran out the door and into the darkness.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked him uncertainly after about five minutes. He didn't reply and Bella angrily made to let go of him. He instantly stopped and released her, but even with the grace of a vampire, Bella still stumbled and Edward sighed as he caught her and set her on her feet. Bella glared at him before turning and perching on a nearby rock. Edward joined her after a moment's hesitation and they sat in tense silence until Bella felt that she could stand it no longer.

"What are you thinking?" she asked Edward, surprised at the desperation in her voice.

He glanced at her, his expression unreadable. "You never answered my question," he said quietly. His voice was strained somehow, but still the most beautiful sound in the world.

Bella felt the guilt rise in her again. "I'm sorry," she whispered, staring down at her pale hands. "I never meant for this to happen like this."

"Do you regret what Alice did?" he asked, dread filling his voice.

"No." There was no uncertainty in her voice and Edward looked at her, putting a finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. He stared at her, his expression still unreadable.

"Why did you do it?" he asked again, his voice tortured. "Why did you jump off a cliff? Were you that desperate, Bella? Were you that broken inside that you would want to end your own life?"

Bella was shaking her head before he had even finished. Quick as lightning, she took his hand in hers and held it to her cheek.

"Please," she begged. "Please don't ever think that. I would never try to end my life, Edward. I could never leave you behind, no matter how hurt I was."

Edward closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. She thought he might have been crying if he could have done so. "Then why, Bella?" His voice was almost too choked to speak, like he was fighting a sob. The thought made her want to cry.

"I…I heard your voice," she said softly. "Whenever I was doing something reckless or stupid, I could hear your voice, more clearly than any memory would ever allow. And in those moments, I felt that maybe you really did care and maybe you really could love me. I was desperate, Edward. Desperate for anything that made me feel closer to you." She was sobbing by now, tearless heart wrenching sobs. She felt Edward pull her to his chest and begin rubbing her back soothingly.

"I'll never forgive myself," he whispered, half to himself, burying his face in her hair. "I'll never forgive myself for leaving you, Bella. I was such a fool. Such a stupid, arrogant fool. Can you ever forgive me, Bella?"

Bella choked back her sobs. "I already have," she said thickly, pulling her head away from his chest and giving him what would have been a watery smile if she had been able to cry. Edward leaned down and kissed her forehead softly.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" he asked, sighing and resting his chin on her head. "I'm sorry things had to turn out this way, Bella. I'll never begrudge Alice for saving you, but…I never wanted this for you. I've destroyed your life more effectively than I ever thought possible."

"Don't talk like that!" Bella exclaimed, glaring at him angrily. "You knew that this was what I wanted, Edward. I'm happy that Alice did what she did. If nothing else, then it made you come back. I would have chosen this life with you to human life without you any day. I don't want to hear anymore of this talk about you ruining me. You have not ruined my life. You are my life. I love you, Edward. I'll always love you, for the rest of eternity."

Bella could see that this was not going to be their last discussion about this particular topic, but he let it go for the moment and pulled her closer

"And I love you," he breathed in her ear. "More than you could ever know."

Bella shivered and turned her face around to kiss him. This kiss was more gentle than the one they had shared in the house, but somehow just as passionate. When they broke apart, they were both breathing heavily. They held each other as the forest began to lighten with the approach of dawn and Bella smiled. For the first time in six months, she was completely and utterly happy.

A/N: Sorry about the intense fluctuations of emotions here. But Bella and Edward are both rather confused. On the one hand they're both ECSTASTIC about being back together again, but on the other hand, Edward is struggling to come to terms with Bella's change while Bella is worried about how much the change is going to affect their relationship.

So not much of a cliffhanger, but stick around for the next chapter! It's going to be very interesting! I already have some of it written!

Please RR! That makes my life so much happier. :)