Hey guys! Here's anothe new chapter. I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter. You have no idea how much it means to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please review!

I run back to the house slower than usual, trying to work out everything Bella and I had previously discussed. I feel absolutely horrible for what I have done to her. I know I hurt my love so badly, and I just want to hold and comfort her, but I know she does not want me. I hope that my past has not changed her love for me. I love my dear Bella so much, and I never want anything to come between us. But of course, Clare, my old love, came into the picture and shook everything up.

I do not want to blame her for all of the problems Bella and I are currently having. I don't have the heart to blame all of this on Clare after my constant ignoring her. I know she wants to speak with me, but I am frightened of what will come of our conversation. I just have to keep control of myself and keep Bella in my mind at all times, and I'll know exactly what to say so that no one gets hurt. I can't have either of my loves' broken hearts on my conscience.

When I finally get to the house, I jump into the doorway that opened into my room. I look around the room at all of the music I have stacked on every single shelf space available. I walk over to my CD collection and begin to look for a specific song. When I find the album, I inject it into my CD player that is connected to amazing speakers that are sitting at the top of my music shelves. I sit down on my black leather couch and wait for the song to begin playing. Billy Joel's And So It Goes begins to play and I instantly relax at the sound of my favorite song.

In every heart there is a room

A sanctuary, safe and strong

To heal the wounds from lovers past

Until a new one comes along.

I spoke to you in cautious tones

You answered me with no pretense

But still I feel I said too much

My silence is my self-defense.

When I listen to the lyrics very closely, I suddenly realize that this song relates perfectly with my feelings right now. It explains my heartbreak of losing Clare and my new love for Bella. The song suddenly fills me with anger and sadness because it describes the one thing that I wanted to escape from. And now, the most beautiful song ever written has been ruined for me. I get up and trudged over to the CD player and push the "power" button to turn it off.

I open the door that leads to the hall of the house and walk down the stairs to check on my family. I am open to anything that will take my mind off of what has happened between my Bella and me. When I reach the living room, it is empty, so I decide to go for a light hunt in the surrounding woods. I am running through the forest as fast as I can, when I suddenly smell the blood of an animal and suddenly stop. I sniff the air, feeling my animal instincts take over. I find a large buck and feed quickly, not slowing to enjoy the taste of the blood running down my throat.

When I am finished drinking, lay the carcass down. Suddenly, I smell a vampire and I turn quickly to see who is watching me. I see a bush moving slightly and I walk up to it slowly, baring my teeth as I approach it.

"Who's there?" I snarl. A head pops out of the bush. I cannot see the face but the hair is long, curly, and dark. It's Clare. "Clare. What are you doing here?" She raises herself higher into the air, and I see her face to face for the first time in almost one hundred years.

"Edward," She breathes. "I'm sorry, I saw you run out here, and I wanted to talk, so I thought now would be a good time." This was the reason I came here, to get away from her and the talk we've yet to have. I sigh and relax my stance. I run my hand through my hair, nervously. "I missed you so much," she says quickly. I don't know what to say. Did I miss her? I really don't know. I did miss her, but that doesn't mean that I want her now. I decide to ignore the question.

"When were you changed?" I ask. I see sadness on her face. I feel bad for hurting her, but I remember who the important girl in my life is: my dear, sweet Bella.

"1919; a year after you…disappeared."

"How?" I ask. There is sadness in my voice.

"A nomadic vampire came and bit me. They left me to die, but I woke up a vampire three days later."

"I am sorry."

"Don't be. I'm happy with my life now," she says, trying to cheer me up.

"That's good."

"Yes, it is." We are silent for a while. Then Clare speaks. "So who's Bella?" I tense at the sound of my love's name spoken on the lips of my former beau. My dear, sweet Bella... How could I ever describe her? She is indeed my girlfriend, but I don't believe that title expresses the undeniable love I have for her. She is my life, heart, and soul. She is my perfect, other half. She is everything that I need and want. She is the most important part of my so-called "life."

"Bella," I say, searching for the right words. "Bella is my love." I say it quickly and quietly, barely at a whisper, not wanting to hurt dearest Clare more than necessary. I look down at the grass below me, not wanting to see the pain I know is showing on her face. I hear her let out a strained breath. I look up at her, finally. Heartbreak is all I see. Her face shows the pain she felt, realizing that I had moved on from our century-old love.

"You don't love me anymore?" she asks, while choking back dry sobs.

"Of course, I will always love you…in a way. Clare, what we had was different from what Bella and I have now. We loved and wanted each other, but Bella and I need each other. It's like a gravitational force that binds us together. I've tried to break it by leaving her, for her own safety, but it just brought her right back to me." I feel so horrible explaining my love to the girl I used to love with all of my heart. I do not wish to break her heart. "I love her, Clare." She whimpers softly, trying to hide her dry tears. "I'm sorry." With that, I walk up to Clare and I pull her into a tight embrace, wanting to comfort her.

At first, she keeps her arms at her sides, trying to pull away from me. But eventually, she gives in and grasps onto my arms, sobbing into my shoulder. I whisper that "I'm sorry" and that "everything will be alright" countless times while she cries. When Clare finally calms down, I sit her down on a nearby rock, and continue to hold her in my arms. When she is able to speak, she asks me of how I became a vampire. I proceed to tell her my entire life story, up until a few weeks ago, which is when she arrived.

"Oh Edward, I'm so sorry," she sobs. "I should have been there with you, supporting you, taking care of you."

"No, Clare. Everything turned out for the best, do not worry about me. I am as happy as I possibly can be," I reassure her. She looks at me for a while.

"I don't believe you," she says finally. "I don't think you're happy at all. What did she do to you?" I presume "she" means Bella.

"Bella didn't do anything," I lie. She senses my not telling the truth.

"Then why do you look so guilty?" I then decide to give in, and tell her of everything that has gone on since she came to Forks and how Bella had recently sent me away after I told her the truth. When I finish telling Clare everything about my hurting Bella, she looks me in the eyes.

"Don't ever be ashamed of what we have, Edward. We still have something. We still love each other. I can feel that you still want me. Don't fight it anymore, Edward. I know that Bella seems like she's the right one for you, but you have to know that it's me. I was your first love. You can't just throw that away," she says slowly, with hopeful, sad eyes. I shake my head.

"No, Clare. Bella is my everything. She is my love. I cannot and will not give her up," I say firmly. She sighs heavily, stands up, and walks toward a nearby tree. She raises her hands and rests them on a hovering branch.

"You may think that now Edward, but eventually you'll realize that I am the right one for you. First loves are always the strongest. Second loves never make it." With that, she turns away from me and runs out of sight, leaving me alone with her last sentence still hanging in the air.

"Second loves never make it."