DISCLAIMER I don't own anything Twilight.

Here's the next chapter. I've finally recovered from my jet lag. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I promise I'll keep it coming! S

Chapter 3

Bella POV

As soon as I crashed through my bedroom door, the hysterics began. I heard myself laughing full of disbelief, the way a madman might. I had to have imagined the last two hours, because there is no way in hell that he would ever be here, now, in search of me. I clutched my chest, unable to breathe. I'd tried my hardest to maintain my composure while at work, but behind closed doors, I let it the façade go.

Venom pooled in my mouth, and that familiar ache began in the back of my throat. I knew that I needed to hunt, because blood was the only cure for my rage. It was how I staved off the urges to consume human blood in the beginning, but it also quelled the anger that had pooled up inside me over him, over Victoria changing me, over my self-inflicted loneliness.

I quickly walked to the apartment door, grabbing my keys as I passed by the kitchen counter. I tried not to stumble as I raced down the stairs and out the front door of the building. I took in gulps of the fresh night air, even though it futile. I tried to calm down, to think rationally, but adrenaline coursed through my veins. I felt like screaming at the top of my lungs, but that only would have drawn attention to me.

I turned into the alley began to walk toward the parking garage on the other side of the block, but I immediately felt a presence behind me. I whirled around and saw a tall, dark shadow poised against the brick wall. I hissed, knowing exactly who it was by the scent.

"Stalking is illegal in all fifty states," I muttered tersely.

"I'm not stalking you, Bella," he said, taking a step forward. I backed away. "I was hoping we could talk."

"What is there to talk about?" I stood my ground, refusing to let him seduce me into forgiving him.

"Bella, I—"

"Your words are useless, Ed--" I almost said his name, but bit my tongue before it could slip through my lips. "You coming here was not necessary. We have nothing to discuss."

"Please, listen to me." He got closer, and I stood frozen. His topaz eyes glowed in the dark, pleading with me. "I don't know where to begin, or how to fix the damage, but something is missing from my life." He ran a hand nervously through his hair. "You."

"Edward," I sighed, feeling inexplicably empty from saying his name, "You don't fit in my life anymore."

Edward POV

I don't fit in her life anymore? She made it sound like I was a mere puzzle piece, an inanimate pile of pressed cardboard meant to snap together with another piece. Her words stung, and I felt a pain in my chest where my love for her had once burned. She had to know that she was that piece that fit in that vacant space. Resentment emanated off of her in massive waves. The feeling made me cringe. It amazed me that she had Jasper's power, but magnified tenfold. Every cell in my body yearned to reach out and wrap my arms around her, to assure her I was here for good and I'd never let her go.

I stared at her, disbelief evident on my face. "Bella, I want to fit in your life again."

She glowered at me, rolling her eyes. Oh, now he wants me, I heard her thoughts sneer. At first he didn't, said he was leaving for my own good, and blah, blah, blah.

"I deserve that," I said after she finished her mental rant.

"You said you didn't want me anymore, Edward. You said you didn't love me." A frustrated growl rumbled low in her throat. "Do you really think it was going to be that easy? That I'd forgive you right away?"

"Like I said, I deserve it. I deserve everything you're throwing at me right now."

Her hands balled into fists at her side, her tone indignant. "Enough! I am going inside. I can't have this conversation with you right now."

She huffed, angry I could tell, turned on her heel and walked toward the door of her building. Watching her go made something deep inside me ache. I was beginning to think that coming to find her wasn't such a great idea.

It's best to leave her be, Edward, Esme's kind voice echoed in my head. You broke her heart. She needs time to adjust to this.

I don't want to lose her again, Esme, I thought. I can't.

Edward, listen to your mother, Carlisle's voice interceded.

Yes, Edward. Quit being a stubborn ass! Alice's thoughts shouted fiercely.

I nodded quietly in agreement, and took off running toward our house in Vancouver, thinking of nothing but Bella the whole time. I would do anything in my power to have her back in my life, even if it meant groveling at her feet. Only then did I realize that my re-appearance into her life re-opened wounds that she had long sewn shut -- not necessarily healed them, but closed them up so she could go on with her life. I knew the memories were still fresh for her, but I needed to her to understand that they were fresh for me, as well.

Bella POV

After having spent a majority of my night reflecting and processing what had transpired between Edward and I, I decided to cook a quick breakfast for my roommates, who were no doubt hung over after last night's escapades. They had come in at four in the morning, giggling and trying not to fall over each other. I had seen them crack my bedroom door open to check on me, but I pretended to be asleep.

I left a note on the counter for them and grabbed my knapsack, heading quickly toward the college library. As I opened the door, the scent of musty old books wafted under my nose. I passed numerous students sitting at tables studying or doing homework, I could hear their thoughts.

Wow, she is gorgeous, one scraggly-looking male thought. Why can't I get chicks like that?

That's Bella Swan. She's in my algebra class. She's quiet and a bit strange at times. Hey, weren't her eyes black the other day?

This female's thoughts made me freeze on the spot. I searched every which way I could to find out who they belonged to. I spotted a young, Hispanic looking girl with long black hair sitting at a table by the magazine rack. Her head was resting on her hand, propped up by her elbow. And she was staring intently at me. I recognized the girl as Angela Weber, who sat next to me in College Algebra. I briefly glowered at her, and then headed for the elevator.

My plan was to plant myself in a study carrel and read the next chapter for human biology, but my mind kept drifting to Edward's words from last night:

"I want to fit in your life again."

Was it true? I didn't want to believe a word he said, since he had once told me he didn't love me and didn't want me. I kept reminding him that he left me broken, bruised and vulnerable. Seeing him again opened my old wounds, and my breathing started to come short. I felt my arms creeping around my midsection to keep the black hole from encompassing me.

As I stepped off the elevator on the eighth floor, my acute vampire hearing let me know that the floor was devoid of humans and I was going to be completely alone. I laughed inwardly at the irony – a metaphor for my life. I had no mate, no family to speak of -- utterly alone in the world.

I walked through the stacks of reference books and plopped down on a cushy chair at the back, by the windows, and set my knapsack on the floor. I pulled out my iTouch and my biology book and curled up in a ball on the chair, plugging my ears and cracking open my book. I felt somewhat blessed that I could read swiftly as a vampire and I didn't have to suffer very long with the tedious reading assignment that Professor Greene gave us in the last class. I leaned my head back, closed my eyes and immersed myself in the sounds of Ryan Adams singing in my ears.

Images of the previous night flooded my brain, and I shook my head several times to rid them from my memory. I wanted to forget I ever saw him. I wanted to forget he ever existed, just as he had wanted in the first place. I knew there would always be a part of my heart that could never let go of him, but one day, I'm going to forget.

I stiffened upon sensing someone was near, and yanked my headphones from my ears. I subtly sniffed the air – this scent was not human. I whirled around, my eyes scanning the stacks. I used my vampire speed to navigate each row, and eventually found a girl crouched down in the far corner, searching the shelves for a book.

After she had chosen a thick blue leather bound text, she rose to her feet. I immediately recognized her – the short, spiky dark hair, the flashy outfit, the Gucci handbag. Alice Cullen stood before me. She stiffened, sensing I was close by.

"Alice?" I mumbled in disbelief, low enough that her vampire hearing would pick up on it but no human could.

She slowly turned, and the book almost fell out of her hand. She let out a loud squeal and launched herself at me, embracing me fervently in a hug. I was glad there wasn't anyone else around to witness this charade.

"Bella," she said after I had peeled her off me. "It's so good to see you."

"Alice," I began, "what are you doing here?"

"I attend this school."

"Edward didn't mention that."

"I know he came to see you the other night."

"It was quite a surprise." Although unwelcome, I thought.

"He misses you Bella."

"He should have thought of that before he left me."

"Bella, you don't –"

"I do understand, Alice. Edward didn't want me anymore. He needed someone who wasn't going to complicate his life like I did." I began to walk away, but Alice caught up with me and tugged on my arm, stopping me in my tracks.

"He did it for you, Bella."

"Did you even see what had happened to me? Did you know Victoria was going to hunt me down and try to kill me?" I glared at her, rage burning in my eyes.

"He asked me not to look at your future."

"There's my answer right there. He didn't love me anymore, otherwise, he would have cared what was going to happen to me." I swear I thought I saw her flinch. "I thought I was past all this, and I had licked my wounds and got on with my life. Now that you and Edward and everyone else are back, I just…I don't know."

"He only wanted you to have a normal, human life." Her tone was disapproving.

"And we see how well that worked out, now, don't we?" I began to walk away again, my rage growing by the millisecond.

"Bella, please don't –" I stopped and turned around, quickly making my way back to where she stood.

"Did you know she murdered Charlie? Did you see that coming?"

Alice froze, stunned at my confession. I saw sadness in her eyes – fitting because she had always had a soft spot for Charlie, and vice versa. With that, I turned and walked back to my chair. I hurriedly wrapped my headphones around my iTouch and put it back in my bag, and ran down the steps and out of the library into the falling afternoon rain. Alice sure had some audacity, coming here to talk to me on behalf of Edward. I didn't doubt for a minute that he had sent her, since I wouldn't listen to him.

Meanwhile, at the Cullen house in Vancouver…

Edward POV

I heard the door shut downstairs, and knew that Alice was home. She was blocking her thoughts, which meant that she didn't want me to know something. Something inside me needed to know what she knew, even if it wasn't good. I flew down the stairs and found her in the kitchen in a heated conversation with Jasper.

"Alice," I said. "What's up?"

"Nothing, Edward." She gave Jasper a quick glance, expecting me not to detect it.

"Alice, you can't hide things from me. You're my sister."

"I saw…I saw Bella. At the library." She cringed as she remembered the encounter.

"You did?" She nodded, tapping her fingernails on the marble countertop of the center kitchen island. She didn't meet my eyes as I stared at her. "What happened?"

"She's so angry, Edward. I've never seen anything like it." She leaned against Jasper and he embraced her. "It was frightening."

"I felt it, too, the other night when I saw her. It's like she has Jasper's power, but it's magnified tenfold."

"The pain she's still in, Edward, it's unreal."

"She's still that angry?"

"Yes." Alice looked at me sympathetically. "I don't know if this is fixable."

Part of me knew there was a chance I couldn't rectify what I had done, but the love I harbored for her urged me to fight for her. I was about to do something completely out of character.