"Bella, love, I need to talk to you." Did he just talk to me? I was still in a daze. God he was so gorgeous. Damn Greek godness, why couldn't I look like that? Wait did he call me love? There must be someone behind me. I turned to look behind me but there was no one there. I looked back and he was still staring at me. He looked puzzled, so did I. I checked once more, nope nothing. It must have been a slip of the tongue old habit I guess, or new habit with a new girlfriend.

"Bella are you okay? Do you need to lie down?" His words shook me out of my mental ramble. Why did he get me so distracted like this? I could feel my heart pounding in my chest and my cheeks flushed like crimson. Calm down Bella otherwise you will give yourself away. He walked out earlier remember, he doesn't forgive you for turning his family into Carlson. I looked back at him and he was still staring. Why? He looked slightly amused. Yeah that's it Bella is funny I get it. I took a sip of my water then mentally reminded myself of the last thing that he had said to me. His topaz eyes were so gorgeous I found it hard to think.

"No, no I'm fine, I think. Sorry to but in on you like this I guess it has been a while since I last heard a piano. I will get out of your way." I turned to leave but before I could get out of the door I felt a hand carefully take hold of my wrist. My body naturally turned towards him. His touch had sent a pulse of feeling through my body which I hadn't felt in so long. It made my arm shake slightly. He pulled away then, maybe taking my reaction as negative body language, his face looked hurt.

"Oh no I didn't mean.." I started but before I could finish his voice drifted to my ears.

"Bella, I wondered if you would stay for a while and sit with me." I was shocked and I think he could tell. My heart beat raced again and my cheeks flushed but I didn't care. I silently nodded and looked up into his face. He was so handsome. A slight smile played on his lips then. He slowly moved his hand into mine and led me over to the piano stool, where we both sat down side by side. It felt good. I could feel myself sinking into his side. He began to play again, but not the piece he was playing earlier, this piece was a different lullaby, but still had the same undertone as my lullaby. It was beautiful but sadder than the one before. I listened for a few minutes and then felt a tear streak down the side of my face. He slowly finished the final notes then turned to me and slowly wiped the tear from my cheek with a gentle touch.

"It's not finished yet. It's just something I composed in the last couple of hours. It's about you, but different from before. I wrote it based on the emotions I saw in you today, sorrow and sadness but also a hidden hope. To be honest I haven't played for years, ever since I left. You have rekindled my love for music again Bella." His smile was genuine as he stared into my eyes. I don't know what he saw that was so fascinating but he stayed there a while. His expressions kept changing, from hurt, to joy, to love but mostly to sadness. I guess me being here has made him sad. I should leave.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm here and getting under your toes again. I'm sorry for putting your family into this position where you are forced to help me. But trust me I will do everything to keep you all safe, and whoever else you may count as family these days." His eyes turned wide with shock. He stared away and then stared back in disbelief.

"You think that I have moved on? That I blame you? That I want you gone as soon as possible?" He looked like he was in shock now. And then he shocked me. He turned to me and put one hand on each side of my face and pulled my head towards his till our foreheads were touching. "Listen to me Bella, and listen good. I don't know why you keep on apologising to me. I have done nothing but ruin your life right from the start. I left you to keep you safe, to keep you away from the one person who was hurting you more than any other monster in the world. But it hasn't helped because where ever you are in the world; I always manage to hurt you. The pain I cause you can always find you. Don't you see Bella; I love you more than any other creature in this world. I have lived to regret my decision of leaving you every day for the last three years. I only kept myself happy with the thought that you were somewhere and happy. But you're not are you? You're in trouble because of me. Believe me Bella I will give my undead life to save you and Charlie from this. I will not leave you till it is over, and I will only leave you then if you want me to. I know now that I can never deserve your love again. That is why I stormed off earlier, and it was rude of me Bella. I am sorry, sorry for everything."

He released his hands from my face then and looked away from me. I couldn't even comprehend what he was saying to me. It didn't make sense. Well it did make sense if you were Edward, always making my decisions for me and always thinking they were for the best. That wasn't what I didn't understand though; I didn't understand the bit where he told me that he still loved me. Why would he love me after everything that has happened?

"It doesn't make sense for you to love me." The words slipped out unconsciously and they immediately drew his attention back from the wall to me.

"What do mean Bella?" His eyes looked hurt. I couldn't bear to see him like this.

"I mean, you told me that you didn't love me, that you didn't want me, that you were sick of looking out for me and always having to keep me safe. Here I am, 3 years later with nothing to show you. I'm still useless, pathetic and have no job or family to speak of. I still need looking after and I have got myself and your family into a mega mess. I'm 21 and I look like I'm 40. I haven't slept well for months; I've been on the run and put you in the same position because I was too naive to work out Carlson's real intentions." I was crying now. I needed release and this release was coming from flinging all my emotions at Edward. He pulled me into a tight embrace against his stone cold chest. I had missed this, too much. When he looked like he was about to speak I continued. "No let me finish. If you had been in this situation, you would have done things right. It never would have gotten this far. Even if you don't blame me for the whole situation we are now in, you can blame me for how I dealt with it. I mean look at you Edward you are perfect, what were you ever doing with a girl like me?" The crying was over now. In my voice I could tell that I was now coming to terms with the fact that I was never good enough for Edward. It made me feel like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders and it felt good.

Edward moved me in his arms. He turned me so that I had no choice but to look at him. In his eyes I saw a depth of emotion that I didn't recognise. They flickered so quickly until they settled on one defining emotion, admiration. I didn't understand but he kept his glance at me and a gentle but very genuine smile spread over his lips. This turned into his famous crooked grin, which spread all the way up to his eyes. He looked adorable and his presence made me want to smile.

"Bella, beautiful beautiful Bella. I don't know what I was ever doing with you! I mean look at you, through everything that you have been through you still stand tall and undefeated. You are still gorgeous and irresistible, the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. Yes you have aged but if anything you have only grown more beautiful. What were you ever doing loving a monster like me? You may think that it never made sense for me to love you but in reality I was the one who never deserved your love. I have made you doubt yourself and the way that I feel about you. But honestly and genuinely I love you more now than I have loved anything. You are my world Bella, and even in absence you have been the only person that I have thought of through ever second and every day of my sorry existence after I left you." His eyes never left mine. They were boring into my soul now. "Though I can't tell you how much I love you, I can show you!" Before I could comprehend what was happening his lips crashed onto mine. They were cold and different but oh so familiar. I wanted to wake up now. I wanted to be back in the bed upstairs before any of this got more out of hand and I would regret waking up in the morning. But the sensations didn't stop. I began kissing him back. My heart was bleeding as I gave all my passion into this one kiss. My hands became woven into his hair as his arms rapped themselves along his lower back. It was in his embrace that I realised that this was a lover's kiss. He still loved me.

I broke away at that moment. One because I needed to breath and two because I had just had the biggest epiphany of my life. Edward loved me. Edward needed me as much as I needed him. Edward had suffered as I had through our separation. Edward was my soul mate. Edward was forever mine. My smile now began to mirror the smile that I had just seen from Edward. I looked into his eyes once more and could now only see love. Forever. But I didn't have forever; I had probably only a few more days. I was wanted dead. If I were to die with Edward believing that I loved him it would destroy him more. How could I ever do that to him? He noticed my change in mood.

"What is it Bella? Did I do something wrong?" The pain on his face was undeniable and was heavily covered by the confusion knitted in his eyebrows. I had to hurt him now, just like he had done to me all those years ago. But this time it was to save him, to save him from the pain that he would feel when I died.

"I don't think I can do this anymore Edward. We're not the same, I'm not the same. I don't think I feel the same way for you as I used to." I couldn't look at him as I said the words. I knew his face would crack my resolves. God this must have been how he felt all those years ago. Except I wouldn't get a second chance to make it right because I would be dead. "I'm sorry I think it best that I leave now." I got up out of his embrace but he rose with me and again pulled me round to face him.

"That's not true Bella; you showed me how you felt about me in that kiss. You can't tell me that you don't love me." He was right, I couldn't. But I could tell him something that my mother had once told my father all those years ago when she had left him.

"I don't think love is enough for us anymore." I dared to look up and I could see the devastation written across his face. What had I done? I couldn't stay any longer and began to leave.

"Bella, please stay." He was begging now and it broke my heart. But I had to leave. My cheeks were now covered in tears. I ran back to the bedroom I had come from and wrapped myself in the covers despite the baking heat. I let myself cry then. When I was finally done crying I let my resolve slip. I felt the barriers come down around me. I felt alone and scared and vulnerable. I was in a place where I had never ever been before. That was when I felt someone get under the sheets with me and wrap their cold arms around my waist. I was immediately back on edge. I knew it was Edward, I could tell from his scent.

"Bella, you're not going to die. I would never let that happen to you, never. We will protect you; you don't have to lie to me. If we really only had such a little time left together then why spend it lying to one another. Even if I thought you didn't love me I would have still have tried to end my own life after you died." How did he know all this? Was he just guessing? I should bluff my way out of this one! "And don't try lying to me Bella. I know you too well, you are a terrible liar!" I felt his smile on my back then, it tickled.

"Then how did you know?"

"You told me!" Okay confused now. I turned to face him but stayed tightly in his arms. My expression amused him. "I believed you downstairs. You are a good liar now Bella, I guess that's something you have picked up over our years apart. I couldn't stay away though, I thought I would try and make you love me. I got to your door and that's when I heard you!"

"You heard me? But I wasn't saying anything!" Maybe be had lost it?

"I heard your mind Bella!" He said it with a smile that showed complete pride.

"Wait you can read my mind now? Since when?" Had he been leading me on the whole evening? "Can you hear what I'm thinking now?" He laughed.

"No don't worry you still have your privacy. I only heard you for a few minutes. When you broke down in here after you left me, it's like a shield came down around you and you let me in. I saw your emotions through everything tonight and everything you felt for me. And it was beautiful. You don't think like other people Bella, you are so selfless. It only makes me love you more. When I disturbed you though your mental shield came right back up." Well this was new. He could only hear me when I had completely given up. But that didn't matter now. All that mattered now was that there was no hiding from him. He knew how I felt.

"It didn't scare you, seeing how hopeless I am without you, seeing how much I love you?" He laughed again and hugged me closer.

"That's how much I love you." He leant in and kissed me then, only briefly, before continuing. "I felt your fears though as well. You fear for how much time we have left together. You fear the pain it will cause me if we were separated so soon. I can change that Bella; I can change you if that is what you truly want." He was serious. It took me a minute to understand, then I realised that he had just offered to change me, into a vampire. He would sacrifice his beliefs to make me happy.

"That's not want I want Edward. Not now anyway. It would be wrong, turning me now, out of fear of death. But that's what I want eventually Edward. I mean to be with you, forever, and if that is what it takes." He nodded, happy with my answer for now and quickly changing the subject. Though I knew it was one that would come up again very soon.

"You need some sleep; it has been an emotional day for you." He leant in and kissed my forehead before I snuggled into his chest. A perfect fit just like before.

"Oh Edward?"

"Yes, love?"

"I love you" The words felt so natural coming out of my mouth. I couldn't believe I had lasted this long without saying them.

"As I love you Bella, always."

Okay this chapter took me a lot longer to write than I had expected. I hope you like it. Tell me if you don't. I agree with the reviews my story was lacking the romance it was supposed to have, that is why I gave this part of my story a chapter of its own! I have some action planned for next chapter with a bit more romance, I hope :S. I now respect all those writers with really long chapters, it must take them ages to write! Thank you for all of the reviews, they mean so much to me and keep me writing!! Jasper will be back next chapter!!!