I don't own Twilight or any of the characters, it all belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

Chapter 10

I nodded, waiting nervously for his reaction.

Just a few seconds later I was enveloped in a crushing hug.

My eyes widened and I froze.

Edward, feeling my reaction stepped back immediately.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you." he said, looking ashamed.

"N-no! You didn't scare, me, you just startled me." I said quickly, trying reassured him.

He looked as though he didn't believe me, but he didn't say anything. We stood in an awkward silence before I finally gathered up the last of my courage and spoke.

"Edward-"

"Bella-"

The corner of Edward's mouth twitched and he motioned for me to continue.

"I'm... I'm sorry." I said, trying to look anywhere but his face.

"Sorry...? Sorry for what? You have nothing to be sorry for Bella! Don't ever think that! This... everything that's happened to you, is my fault. I never should have come into your life." his words caused my heart to be crushed in my chest, I hadn't realized that I had let my hope get up so far, that I had been hoping that it was all an act... That he really did love me and he only left me for my own good. It was a foolish idea that I had come up with, but I couldn't help but hold onto it.

I looked at the ground and nodded my head.

"I understand." I said, and I turned and ran.

I didn't get far before Edward called after me.

"Wait!" Edward called, almost desperately.

I stopped and turned.

The look on his face could only be described as complete and utter confusion.

"Yes?" I asked curiously. I small simmer of hope started to develop inside of my chest, as I wondered what else he would want to say. But fear also lurked, threating to overpower it.

"Why... why are you leaving?" he asked, his eyes pained.

I stared back at him in confusion.

"Don't you want me to? So that you don't have to constantly look at the mistake you made a hundred years ago?" I couldn't stop my voice from turning slightly bitter at the end.

"What? No! You will never be a mistake to me Bella. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. And I will never regret meeting you! I just wish that you had been able to live a normal human life, instead of being doomed to live as a monster for the rest of eternity. That's why I left, I was hoping you would meet some nice boy and you two could have a family together, and... grow old together." he walked over to me and put his hands on my shoulders.

"I knew that if I had stayed, I would never have been able to give you that. We could, and never can have children together, we can't grow old together and die together." He shook his head and his face twisted as though he was in agony. "All I can give you is me. Forever the same, never changing, a monster, a creature that drinks blood and can't even come out into the sunlight for fear of being discovered.

"But I will always love you Bella, nothing will ever change that. Not your death, and not mine. Nothing could keep me from loving you." With the last word he pulled me into another hug, holding me tightly, as though he thought that if he let me go I would disappear.

I hugged him back and for the first time in one hundred years, all the weight that was on my shoulders was gone, and I almost felt as though I could fly. Soar into the clouds and never come down. Edward did love me, he just wanted to give me a better life.

But I was still hurt from the way he left. I had been so broken. Even though it has been a hundred years I still haven't completely recovered. He did still have a lot of things to explain, but for now, I would just enjoy the moment.

–

If you were to ask me how long we stood there, I wouldn't be able to answer you. I don't know if we were there hours or months, minutes or days. It just didn't seem to matter anymore.

When we finally pulled away from each other, time seemed to go back to normal. Edward kept his arms around me and I looked down and would have blushed had I been able. But Edward just stood there grinning happily.

But our moment had to end, as all things do. I waited a few more minutes and then I reluctantly pulled away. Edward frowned and tried to pull me back into his embrace but I just stood my head.

"We need to talk Edward." I said softly.

He sighed, nodded and then sat down. I followed his example and sat down across from him.

"So, what do you want to talk about first?" I asked, looking down to stare at my hands, which I had folded in my lap.

"Can... can you tell me when and how you were changed?" he asked me slowly. As though he were reluctant to bring up the subject.

I was hesitant to answer, because I didn't know what his reaction would be. But if I wanted him to be completely truthful with me, then I would have to be completely truthful with him.

"Before I tell you, I need you to promise that you won't interrupt me. Please let me finish talking before you say anything." I stated, and looked up at him.

He nodded and gestured for me to continue.

"Sometime after you left..."

I stopped and hesitated. But I had to continue.

Taking a deep breath, I resumed talking.

"I tried to follow you, and got deeper into the forest. I finally stopped and lay on the forest floor."

I tried to rush through the first part, not wanting him to ask any questions about why I would do such a thing.

"Victoria found me and told me that she had seen everything. She then basically told me that she wasn't going to kill me in revenge. Then she brought me to the people that were looking for me and told me that she'd come to my room after Charlie went to bed and then she left." I looked away from him and over to the trees.

"Before she came I had fallen asleep and a nomad come through my window and bit me but Victoria came in time to save me. And now... here I am." I finished, looking back to him.

Edward looked down, remorseful.

"I'm sorry. I thought that by leaving, you would be safe. But I was wrong." he looked down and his face clouded with an emotion that I couldn't name.

I just shook my head in disagreement.

"It isn't your fault Edward, don't blame yourself." I said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"But it is my fault Bella. If I hadn't left you alone unprotected then you wouldn't have been changed." he said, putting his hand over mine and staring at me anxiously.

"But if you had stayed then I would have convinced you to change me eventually. And if you wouldn't then I would have gone and asked Carlisle. In the end, I just got to changed earlier then we meant me to." I replied calmly.

"But that's why I left. So that you wouldn't be changed into a vampire and become one of us." he protested.

I was beginning to get frustrated. But at the same time I felt slightly amused. We were sitting here, in the middle of the forest, arguing. Edward saying that it was entirely all his fault and me trying to convince him that it wasn't.

Thinking back on our conversation, I couldn't help myself.

I started laughing.

–

First of all, before I say anything else, I want to say that this chapter is for my very best friend Sk8rpunk2560! Thank you for bugging me about updating and thank you for being an awesome friend!

Okay... so, not even I am stupid enough to not know that you guys are probably really mad at me right now for taking so long to update. And I only have so many excuses. Writers block, getting sick, going on vacation, ect... (I think you get the point.) But what I really am trying to say is that I am extremely sorry that I took so long to update. I did procrastinate writing the chapter, but I did also have writers block and I did get sick and I did go on vacation and things like that, but that really is no excuse for not updating and I apologize.

I want to thank all of you that are reading this for sticking with me through the very long hold that I had, it really means a lot to me. And that being said, I hope you forgive me and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!