While Isabella found the following month embarrassing, what with all the attention she was receiving after the accident, things were a little easier for us. People avoided us as per usual, though Edward did seem to be getting a few more curious glances. But no one watched him as much as Isabella, or rather no one watched him the same way she did. She was constantly staring at him, typically with her head cocked to one side, as though she were trying to figure him out and this hadn't slipped past his attention. Although, in all fairness to my brother, he was doing very well not to stare back, like we could all tell he wanted to. None of us glanced in her direction anymore; it was just easier that way and, slowly, I thought things might be getting back towards normal. However, like I said, I was beginning to realise his mood swings were something I should have been taking more seriously.

It was on a science trip that it came to mine and Alice's attention that Edward might be trying to take things further, or at least far enough to risk putting the family in danger again. Waiting for bus in the morning, the three of us were standing a good few feet from the girl but with our super-sensitive hearing it was practically impossible not to overhear her conversation with the Newton boy. She was telling him how she couldn't go to prom with him as she had planned to visit her mom in Jacksonville that weekend and she could not go another weekend because her ticket was non-refundable, all the while her eyes were fixed on an uncomfortable Edward.

Half way through our visit to the plant place, Alice and I realised what Edward was going to do before he did it. His emotions changed and Alice visualised his chosen action plan.

'No, don't Edward. You promised you'd leave her alone,' Alice begged, confirming my suspicions that he wanted to talk to her. I placed a warning hand on my brother's arm but he ignored the both of us and slipped past the few people in front to get to Bella Swan. So sometimes our super-sensitive hearing was a pain but other times, ones like this, it came in very handy and we heard pretty much every word of their conversation.

'What's in Jacksonville?' he asked her immediately, springing up at her side. It was only fair for her to look confused.

'How did you know about that?'

'I- You didn't answer my question,' he replied awkwardly.

'Well you don't answer any of mine,' she retorted, almost angrily, 'and you didn't even say hi to me.' I couldn't help but laugh.

'Hi.' Really, if she hadn't been a human whom Edward was almost certainly in love with, thereby putting the whole family in danger of exposure, this would have been very comical.

'Are you gonna tell me how you stopped the van?' Fair play to the girl, she did not want to give up.

'Yeah.' CRAP! Every inch of my body was alerted as my head snapped up but Alice placed a reassuring hand on mine.'I had an adrenaline rush. It's very common, you can google it,' I felt him snicker inwardly as he heard my thoughts. Now I was the one on edge.

'Floridians, that's what's in Jacksonville,' Isabella said, reluctantly, in answer to my brother's earlier question.

Neither of them had time to contribute anything else to that aspect of the conversation, however, as the girl chose this time to once again demonstrate her supreme skills of clumsiness by tripping over, leaving my brother to save her, again. It seemed my annoyance crept out in his voice.

'Can you at least watch where you walk?' he snapped putting his hands swiftly back in his pockets, trying desperately to ignore the hurt look on her face. 'Look, I'm sorry I'm being rude all the time, I just think it's the best way…' He was, thankfully, interrupted by some girl - I believed her name to be Jessica - wanting to talk to Isabella. Instead of returning Alice and myself though, he stalked off somewhere, probably to avoid our chastising and to sulk.

On the way out of the green houses, as if he couldn't possibly do anymore damage, Alice nudged me and I looked up to see Edward making his way hastily towards Isabella.

'Bella, we shouldn't be friends,' he stated. I held my breath. Was he doing the right thing by us all for once since meeting this girl?

'You really should have figured that out a little earlier. I mean, why didn't you just let the van crush me and save yourself all this regret?' She was clearly getting herself worked up. Understandably Eddie's mood swings were bewildering her.

'You think I regret saving you?' A look of disbelief flooded Edward's pale face. Alice and I were not far from them now; we didn't even need our improved hearing to listen to them.

'I know that you do,' she informed him, 'I just don't know why.'

'You don't know anything,' he replied, the disbelief turning to pain, which was when my wife chose to interject.

'Alice,' I growled softly, but not unkindly. However, like on so many occasions, she chose to pay no attention to me.

'Hi,' she smiled brightly, 'Um, will you be riding with us?' I stayed well back, Isabella's scent hitting me. I could sort of see Edward's fascination with her smell, she smelled… well… delicious.

'No, our bus is full!' Edward snapped before Isabella could speak for herself but this was probably for the best. He hit his fist, not too hard, against the bus door, causing the driver to open it and we all climbed in - Alice giving Bella a wide smile as she did so - leaving the girl looking perplexed.

The ride back to the school was quiet, with Edward not talking to us and us being unable to find the right thing to say to him. I thought it best if I drove home and so climbed into the driver's seat of his Volvo, Alice in the passenger seat next to me with Eddie in the back, staring out of the window in his own little world.

'You can't keep doing this, Ed. You said you'd leave her alone, for all our sakes,' I reminded him, looking in the rear-view mirror at him. His eyes snapped up to meet mine. 'Look, I don't want to start an argument but I mean it. And just be thankful it was us there today and not Rosalie,' I added. I felt him calm as he saw my point. 'You've got to keep away from her,' I told him, sighing deeply afterwards. I felt his pain, it was hard to stay away from the person you loved, for he did love her - I knew that now - and it was hurting him so much knowing he couldn't have her. I partly understood; I don't know how I'd cope without my Alice, she's my entire world, but there was less chance of me having to.

The next couple of days passed and we tried to keep tabs on Edward at all times, however, being in the other biology class, biology was the only time Edward was, effectively, alone with Isabella. While he assured us he tried to keep talking to her at a minimum, we never knew for sure what was said between them. All we did know was Edward would always emerge from the class happy and smiling but he routinely refused to say anything about it. This worried me, more than I was letting on to anyone, Alice included. If anyone out of the seven of us was going to lose control around Isabella Swan it was more than likely to be me, hence the situation was worrying me immensely. I didn't want to be the one to break, to lose control, to risk exposing our true nature causing us to move again prematurely. I didn't want to be the one to kill her and ruin the lives we'd built for ourselves here. I didn't want to be the one to break Edward's frozen heart. Yes, I had the unending support of not just Alice and Carlisle but the whole family, however, the situation was straining me to breaking point. He'd come home with a trace of her scent on him and it would drive me to distraction. So much so, that I took to spending more time than ever either in mine and Alice's room or wandering the woods, hunting more than usual whilst there.

A/N… (Emily) I'm not entirely happy with this chapter but here it is anyway. I'll stress, as the both of us do every time we upload, that reviews are always welcome, as is constructive criticism, emphasis on the constructive. Anyway, please read, enjoy and review… The more reviews we get, the quicker we'll upload. Thank you!