Edward

I slept better that night than I had in a long time. I woke up feeling completely rested and comfortable and even though Bella was gone by then, I felt…better. I thought I'd never be able to tell her. And even though it was just the tip of the iceberg, it was something.

She knew my demons and I knew hers. And even though it didn't make us completely free from them, it was like a huge weight got pulled of our shoulders. I felt like I could breathe again, completely opposite from that overwhelming pressure I experienced at Charlie's party. The fireworks hadn't even crossed my mind. They hadn't been a fucking miniscule thought. But the first blast caught me off guard and I felt myself go into survival mode. I didn't know how I could have possibly thought that they were here, in Forks. But I did. For that split second before I realized it was just the fireworks I was contemplating grabbing Bella's hand and running away and turning around to fight them. Flight or fight. By the second boom I knew what it was, but my intense fear didn't go away. I felt like I couldn't move, I couldn't speak. I didn't know how powerful and deep this fear was, but when it surfaced it hit me like a cement block. When I could finally move again, I had to get out of there or I was going to fall apart in front of everyone. It was strange how quickly this whole range of emotions flew through me, it couldn't have been more than a minute or two. I was gone and alone. And then I wasn't anymore. She was there.

She sat on the edge of my bed and didn't really pressure me to talk about it, but for some strange reason I wanted to tell her. But when I opened my mouth all of my emotions from the last ten minutes came out in heaving sobs. And when I finally did tell her, she surprised me. I figured she run away and then was ashamed for even thinking it. When I felt her body against mine I felt at peace, completely calm.

Since that night our relationship is on a totally different level. She understands me and I understand her. Before there'd always been that little piece of unknown. And we obviously didn't know everything about each other yet, but the scary part was over. We'd always been compatible…physically. And sure we got along great, but we hadn't reached that level of emotional attachment until them. And let me tell you, as good as kissing her and teasing her and joking around with her is….this is incomparable. The damn butterflies are still there, but they're slowly burning deeper and deeper into me. And it's something I've never felt before. She's the only one that can make my heart beat faster and slower at the same time and I feel like I'm starting to live in one of those God-awful romantic comedies. Edward Cullen, leading man. It's a role I never thought I'd play.

I was a little surprised when she crawled onto my chest and pressed her ear tightly over my heart.

"What are you doing?" I whispered in her ear.

"Listening to your heart," she mumbled, half asleep.

I sighed and laid my head back. I knew it then. We were in deep, at that point where you aren't sure if you're going to drown or stay afloat. Kicking and fighting for the surface, but knowing it was going to pull you under.

It'd been weeks since then, almost the first of August. Charlie's been home a lot, spending less time on the job. They've been a little slow lately, which has been a little problematic for me and Bella. We had to be a lot more careful with our relationship. It wasn't so simple to steal a kiss in the kitchen or spend nights together. It felt like Charlie was always there in the morning and night. The only time we got any time to ourselves was during the day…but only when he was at work. It was frustrating.

Today was a normal day. Just like every other. Charlie wasn't working today and Bella and I had stayed apart last night. It got harder to sneak in and out when Charlie was actually around.

I woke up early and Bella joined me for our morning ritual, as we came to call it. Running and boxing. Every morning. When I first met her I never thought I'd see her do the things she was doing, but I've learned to expect the unexpected from her. She finds a way to surprise me every damn day.

We spent the rest of the day apart. She said something about going shopping with Charlie. She was headed back to school in a month and needed to get some clothes and supplies. Apparently Charlie gets antsy about that kind of stuff. It was up to her she'd wait until the day before classes start. I could already tell that Charlie was anxious about her starting school. It was her senior year and even though she hadn't been with him that long, he was terrified of losing her. It was a strange kind of love between them. It was like an unspoken devotion, utter silent adoration that irked me in a good way. She deserved it after that Hell she went through with that mistake of a stepfather.

I was lying on bed when I heard the car door slam. They must be back. I ran my fingers through my hair and hurried up to the house. Bella and Charlie were grabbing bags out of the backseat.

"Hey. How'd shopping go?" I stuck my arms out to help. Bella smiled. Charlie huffed and glanced at me with an annoyed look.

"Great," Bella said.

"If you call spending all my money great." Charlie started inside. I grabbed the rest of the bags and Bella and I followed him inside. Charlie set his bags down at the bottom of the stairs and plopped himself down on the couch.

"Those are groceries so they go in the kitchen." Bella smiled and pointed to the bags in my hand. She grabbed the ones Charlie had set at the bottom of the stairs and ran them up to her room.

I waddled into the kitchen and set the bags down on the counter. I slowly started putting away the food. Milk in the fridge, soup in the cupboard…I slowed as I pulled out the lacy black bra. This definitely wasn't food.

"Oops," Bella smiled as she pounced into the room and started putting away the rest of the food. "I must have forgotten that was in there." She winked at me and I knew she was lying. I turned around towards the counter and looked down at it again. It was…nice. Delicate. Feminine. I ran my fingers over the lace and couldn't help but let my mind wander…

"Maybe I could try it on for you later?" She whispered, brushing up against me and pulling herself up on the counter beside me. My cheeks flushed as the smirk spread across my face.

She leaned over and ran her fingers slowly down my chest. I gave her a stern look. Not here.

"But I haven't seen you all day…" She whined, coming closer and placing a kiss on neck. I felt her soft tongue on my skin. I pulled back and sighed. "What? You don't want me to touch you? Or would you rather touch me?" She reached for my hand and slowly pulled it up her thigh. I panicked and yanked it away. "What's wrong with you?" She said, a little angrier.

"Nothing is wrong with me," I whispered. "But your dad is in the other room and I'd prefer him not see…that."

"Fine." She looked down at her lap and started kicking her legs idly.

"Bella…" I pinched the bridge of my nose and quickly glanced around the corner. Charlie had his feet propped up on the couch and a beer in hand. I walked back to her and pushed her knees apart, positioning myself in between them. "You think I don't want you right now? That I don't want to touch you…or kiss you…or taste your skin?" I gently placed my hands on her hips, keeping an ear out for Charlie. I leaned in closer to her. "It's driving me crazy."

She bit down on her lip and I couldn't stop myself from leaning down and kissing her. I felt her smile against my lips as she wrapped her legs around my waist and pulled me tighter. I tried to push her back, not remembering where we were, but her head hit with a bang against the cupboard.

"Ouch! Fuck!" She yelled, rubbing her head.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I said, completely panicked that I broke her or something. "Let me see."

"What the hell are you two doing out there?" Charlie yelled.

"Nothing!"

I heard him get off the couch and start to shuffle towards the kitchen. I started to pull away but Bella's legs were still wrapped around me.

"Let go!" I whispered.

She shook her head.

"Bella!"

She stuck her bottom lip out and pointed to her head, where a bump was probably forming. "Kiss."

I tried to break away from her again but she had a firm grip. I quickly kissed her head and she released me mere moments before Charlie walked into the kitchen. I cleared my throat and grabbed the closest magazine I could get my hands on, flipping through the pages without paying attention. I glanced at Bella from the corner of my eye and she was trying to contain her laughter. She would think this is funny.

Charlie walked right to the refrigerator and rummaged around for a little bit. Bella took a sip of her drink and started choking as she burst into laughter.

"Jesus Bella where'd you learn how to swallow?" Charlie said, still searching for something. That comment wasn't going to help.

I crossed my arms and leaned back against the counter as she ran to the sink and spit out her drink, unable to hold it any longer. I felt something soft bang against my side. I looked down and almost passed out when I saw her bra hanging on my arm. I took it off and started panicking. What do I do with it now?

Charlie started to close the fridge door and I did the only thing I could. I threw it up and away from me. It caught on the light and hung mere inches from Charlie's head.

"So Bells. What are you up to tonight?" I held my breath as Charlie turned towards her, hoping he wouldn't see it.

"Alice and Jasper are coming over to watch a movie."

"Good. I actually just got called into work for the night. Deputy Frank is sick." He started walking towards the door and I tried to avert my eyes from the lace hanging down from the ceiling. "What about you Edward? I know there isn't much to do around here. Sorry about that."

My mind went completely blank as I tried to stammer out an answer. "Um. I…I don't know sir I'll probably just read a book or something. I try to make the breast-I mean best of anything I have." Nice going ass. I tried to keep a straight face as he left the room. I don't know what it is about this man, but he totally scares the shit out of me. I've had people yell at me inches from my face and shoot bullets the size of chicken eggs at me and I wasn't that terrified. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I was sneaking around with his underage daughter. Yeah. That was probably it.

Charlie changed into his uniform and was out the door just as the sun was starting to set. Alice and Jasper were at the gate an hour later. I buzzed them in and opened the door as they parked the car.

"Hello gorgeous!" Alice gave me a hug and walked inside. I said a quick "Hello" to Jasper and followed her inside.

"B?" Alice called.

"In here," Bella called from the kitchen. I could hear the pops of the popcorn in the microwave. Jasper and I went to wait in the living room, settling on the couch.

"So how's it going?" Jasper asked.

"Pretty good, how's it…"

"Why is there a bra on the light?" Alice's voice echoed across the foyer. Jasper eyed me suspiciously.

"Don't ask." I shook my head.

Alice and Bella emerged from the kitchen. Bella had a large bowl of popcorn in her hand and Alice was holding the bra in question across her chest.

"What do you think honey should I get one?" She sat down on Jasper's lap and looked down at her chest.

"It's beautiful…" He said, not even looking. He brushed her short hair back and kissed her neck. Bella sat down next to me and pulled a blanket over our laps, setting the popcorn in between us.

"Hi," she smiled as she stuffed some into her mouth.

"Hi."

I glanced back over at Alice and Jasper, who were basically making out next to us. I shifted closer to Bella and she laughed.

"They get like that sometimes…" She stared ahead at the blank TV screen like it was nothing. I put my arm around her shoulder as we waited it out for the next twenty minutes.

"So," Alice said, once she'd pulled her mouth away from Jasper. "What are we going to watch?" She hopped off him and ran to the entertainment center, pulling out almost every movie. She started reading through them and Jasper went to join her on the floor.

Bella stuck another handful of popcorn in her mouth and I was so distracted that I didn't notice her other hand sneak under the blanket. I glared at her when she brushed across the buttons of my jeans.

"You're really trying to push it today aren't you?" I muttered under my breath. She started slowly moving her hand and I felt my body reacting to her touch. "Bella please," I said through clenched teeth. She started moving her hand faster. "That's not what I meant."

"What are you two whispering about?" Alice spun her head around and kinked an eyebrow. Bella shrugged and I tried to maintain my focus. "Bella what do you want to watch?"

"I don't know. How about Free Willy?" She laughed.

The phone rang and I jumped at the chance to get out of this unpleasant situation. Not that the…situation was necessary unpleasant. But this was not the right time for that. And plus that was definitely something new. I mean we'd definitely…explored a little, but we hadn't gone there yet. Apparently she was telling me she was ready.

I ran to the foyer and picked up the phone before the second ring. "Swan Residence."

"Hello may I please speak to an Isabella Swan?" A man's deep voice said. Something was off…it didn't sound right.

"What's this about?" I said, my voice stern.

"I'm afraid that's something I'll have to discuss with Miss Swan."

"Well I'm her bodyguard so if you'd like to speak with her you'll tell me what it's regarding."

There was a long pause on the phone before he continued. "This is Doctor Simpson from the hospital. We've just admitted a Charles Swan and he has her listed as a next of kin."

"Charlie?" I glanced out into the living room and saw Bella turn around to look at me. I tried to hide the concern in my face. I didn't want to scare her. "Is he okay?" I said softly.

"He was in a car accident sir. He's awake, but he's in a lot of pain."

"Okay we'll be right there." I hung up the phone and walked back to a silent room.

"Who was that?" Bella said softly. I knew she knew something was wrong. I could see it in her eyes.

"The hospital. Your dad had a car accident Bella."

Bella

I could feel all the blood rushing out of my face as he uttered the words "car accident." Was it bad? Was he okay? Was he even alive? What happened? A million questions were running through my head but I was completely at a loss for any words to ask them. I tried to get up off the couch because there was no question to where I should be right now. I needed to be at the hospital with him, whether it was good or bad.

As soon as I felt the weight on my legs, my knees buckled and I fell back onto the couch. All three of them rushed over, arms outstretched, but I just buried my head in my hands and told myself to breathe.

"Guys we'll meet you at the hospital…" Edward said softly to Alice and Jasper as he sat down beside me. As soon as he placed his hand on my back I lost it. I turned and collapsed into Edward's chest.

"Just breathe Bella…" He rubbed my back affectionately. "Just breathe…"

I just sat for a moment and concentrated on his voice. It calmed me more than I thought imaginable and I could feel the ease starting to course through my veins.

"Okay." I sat up and wiped my eyes. "We need to go to the hospital. Can you drive?" I jumped up and started running towards the door. Edward ran after me and grabbed my arm, spinning me back around to face him.

"Baby just…relax for a second okay." He took my face in his hands and forced my eyes to his.

"Edward I have to get to the hospital." I tried to look away but he wouldn't let me. I felt the tears start to well up in my eyes again.

"I know, I know." He ran his fingers lightly over my lips. "He's going to be okay." He nodded his head and bent down to kiss my cheek. "Okay let's go." He grabbed my hand and led me out to the car.

It started to rain as I stared out the window, watching the trees rush by in a blur. Almost like my mind at the moment. Just a rush of fuzzy images. Snippets of my memories of my father. My very first memory of him, I was four and he took me fishing with him for the first time. Me crying and clinging to him when my mom and I moved to Phoenix. The look in his eyes when he couldn't keep me with him. The long and in between phone calls. The unsaid love between us. The look in his eyes when I first came back to him, the disappointment. And finally today. Today was a good day. Until now.

I was so lost in my own thoughts I didn't even realize we'd pulled into the hospital. Edward got out of the car and came around to open my door for me. He pulled me out and I looked up at the bright red "Emergency" sign, blinking through the rain. Edward placed his hand on the small of my back and slowly edged me forward until I started walking.

Alice and Jasper were already in the waiting room.

"There you guys are. They won't tell us anything because we're not family," Alice said. Her cheeks were tear stained. It was the saddest I've ever seen her look. I couldn't even imagine what I looked like.

Edward left me for a moment to talk to the nurse at the desk.

"Excuse me? We're here for Charlie Swan."

"Are you family?"

"That's his daughter." He turned towards me. "Bella?"

I walked mechanically over to him, crossing my arms in front of me, thinking it would protect me from the hurt I was about to experience. The nurse looked me over and led me through a pair of doors.

"I'm sorry sir if you're not family you'll have to wait outside," she turned and stopped, eyeing Edward beside me.

"No please. It's okay." I grabbed his hand. "I need him with me."

"Alright." She sighed and led us down a long hallway, all lined with curtained off stalls. And the beeping. That God awful beeping of the machines. It was almost like a time bomb waiting to go off. Like everyone was just waiting for that second when the beeping stopped. When life stopped. I began to remember why I hated hospitals. They made me way too nervous for my own good, even when it wasn't my father here.

The nurse spoke to a group of doctors standing by the nurse's station and with a quick smile she was gone.

"Miss Swan?"

"Yes." I stepped forward, tugging Edward along with me.

"Right this way." He grabbed his clipboard and started towards one of the curtains. I closed my eyes shut as his hand reached for the curtain, afraid of what I was going to see when he pulled it back. I heard it fly open and someone cleared their throat inside. I opened my eyes and was surprised to find the bed empty and a familiar face sitting in the chair beside it.

"Aro?"

The man turned and offered me a slight smile.

"Hello Bella." He stood up and crossed the short distance to give me a hug. "How are you doing honey?" I let go of Edward's hand and wrapped my arms around him. Edward stood silently behind me, watching intently.

"Edward," I turned my face towards him as I snuggled into Aro's chest. "This is Aro. He's my Godfather." I turned back and buried myself into Aro's chest. He was one of my dad's best friends from the force, but he got transferred a few years ago. I didn't get to see him much. I finally let go and stepped back. "Aro this is Edward. He's my new bodyguard." They shook hands and offered a small hello.

"Where is he? Is he okay?" I said, running my fingers through my hair.

"They took him up for x-rays." A warm smile spread across his face. "He's going to be okay Bella."

I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding and finally felt a small glimpse of hope since I'd heard.

"He's pretty banged up though," Aro continued. "He's got a broken leg, bruised ribs, nasty cut on his head."

"What happened?" I sat down in the chair. Edward instantly moved to be by my side. He stood leaning against the wall as I spoke with Aro.

"They aren't sure yet but…it looks like someone tampered with his cruiser."

"Tampered?"

"The brake lines appear to be cut."

Edward's breathing beside me became overwhelmingly loud and he quickly excused himself.

"I don't understand. Why would someone do that?"

"We don't know yet. But I'm transferring back here to take over his job while he's healing. We'll find who did it Bella." He placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder and left the area.

I started biting anxiously on my nails, trying to understand. But I couldn't. He didn't normally drive the cruiser home. It was almost always parked in the garage at the department. Shouldn't that be enough to prevent it from being "tampered with" or whatever he called it?

The sound of squeaking wheels stared along from outside the curtain. I pulled it back and gasped as they brought Charlie in. He was completely awake and his eyes widened when he saw me.

"Oh geez Bells. I told them not to call you. It's not as bad as it looks."

I ignored my urge to tell him off, that it was ridiculous. But I just offered him a smile and scooted my chair next to him.

"Are you in any pain?"

"Not too bad. Doc says I broke my leg, but other than that I'm not in bad shape."

I winced as I took in the gash on his head. It was taped over with bandages but I could see the blood seeping out in a thin line.

"Dad what happened?"

"I don't know. I dropped the truck off at the office and grabbed the cruiser. I started patrol and when I came to the bottom of that hill…you know the one?" I nodded. "My brakes were just…gone. I blew right through the stop line and another car hit me, then I hit the telephone pole."

My eyes fluttered shut as I began to realize how bad this could have been. I could have lost him today. I reached out for his hand and told him I'd be right back. I couldn't fall apart in front of him. He couldn't see me like that.

I blasted past the nurse's station and looked for any door out of the area, just to get away. I plowed through the first doors I could find and fell to my knees as soon as I was out of them. It was a mostly empty hallway. A vending machine sat a little ways down and a few chairs along the edge of the wall. Thankfully there was no one here. From my crazy loud sobs they might have thought I'd escaped from the psych ward.

I scooted to the wall and pulled my knees up to my chest, burying my face down and into darkness. When I heard the click of footsteps I quickly wiped the tears from my face and tried to act normal, if that was possible.

I relaxed back a little when I saw it was Edward. He was walking slowly towards me, his hands in his pockets looking at the ground. When he finally saw me he ran and flung himself down in front of me, holding my face in his hands.

"What happened? Is he okay?"

"He's okay," I sniffled. "He's just…" The sobs started again. "He's just so broken Edward and it's breaking me heart to see my father like that." I reached out to him and clung to his shirt. He held me and kissed my forehead, telling me that everything would be alright. We just sat on the hallway floor in each other's arms, rocking slowly back and forth trying to find some kind of comfort.

"Bella the important thing is that he's going to be fine. By next week I'm sure he'll be yelling at you for doing some pain in the ass thing again," Edward said.

I laughed a little and pulled back from him, wiping at my eyes again. "You're probably right." I leaned back and rested my hands on his knees. "Where'd you run off to?"

He averted his eyes from mine and started playing with my fingers, slowly tracing down one and up the other. I knew that look. He was avoiding telling me something that he really wants to tell me.

"Just spit it out Edward."

He sighed and scooted over to sit next to me, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. "I got scared Bella."

"Of what?"

"Don't misunderstand, because I'm thankful that Charlie is okay but…you could have easily been in that car."

The thought had crossed my mind, but I tried not to think about it. Of course Charlie usually drove the truck home and around, but there were those few times he brought the cruiser home. And if that was the case we would have been driving it earlier. It could have been the both of us.

"And it scared me so much that it made me realize something." He turned his face towards me and inched closer, brushing his lips softly against mine.

"What's that?"

"Bella I think I'm falling in l…"

Panic mode. I knew what he was about to say and I panicked. "Please don't," I said quickly.

I couldn't take the hurt in his eyes and had to look away. I didn't do love. I've never even said it to another guy besides my dad. Of course I had feelings for Edward, but I can't…I can't do that. It gave you too much to lose. And I'd already lost enough.

"Why can't I tell you that? It's how I feel," he said.

"You don't l…" I paused, not even able to say it out loud. "You don't feel that way about me Edward." I shook my head, trying to convince myself.

"Oh I don't?" He said, getting angry.

"You don't. You think you do, but you don't. People always think they do and then they…" That was it. People who said they loved me were always letting me down. My dad was the only one I ever trusted. Maybe I wasn't worth the effort or something. "It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does." He stood up and started pacing. "It matters Bella!"

"Just drop it Edward." I stood up and started walking back to my dad.

"No." He grabbed my arm. "Talk to me."

"I don't deserve that from you Edward! I never asked for this!"

"Asked for what? For you and me? Bullshit!"

"Excuse me?"

A few nurses passed by, giving us strange looks.

"You wanted it just as much as I did and now you're just scared. God forbid you might actually feel something Bella!"

I was speechless. No response to what he was saying. Because I knew he was right. I started back towards the doors. "You can get a ride home from Alice and Jasper. They'll take you back." I turned back around and held out my hand. "Give me your keys."

He sighed and turned around, walking back towards the waiting room. I didn't think he was going to give them to me, but he pulled them out of his pocket and threw them on the ground.

"Mature," I said, bending down to pick them up.

"Fuck off!" He said, disappearing around the corner.

I was surprised at his hostility. I mean I knew he was a little off his rocker when he physically dragged me back to the house that one night, but never this sheer anger. Especially against me. It scared me a little.

I went back and sat next to my dad. He was asleep now. The nurses said they'd given him some pain medication and he'd probably be asleep the whole night. That I should go home and get some rest. But I couldn't just leave him.

I sat in the chair, because there was no other place, and felt my head droop every now and then, heavy with sleep. I didn't realize I'd dozed off until someone tapped my shoulder and I jumped awake.

"Bella. Go home," Aro said. "He wouldn't want you sleeping like this. I'll stay. Come back tomorrow morning." He sipped on some coffee and nodded towards the door.

"Are you sure?" I said, my voice heavy with sleep.

"Yes. Get your butt out of here."

I took one last look at Charlie and nodded. I gave Aro a hug and dragged myself out to the parking lot. I walked mechanically to the Volvo and got in. As soon as I put the key in the ignition the seat beside me shot forward.

"How'd you get in here without a key?" I said, grabbing at my chest. He'd scared me half to death.

"There's an extra in the gas cap," Edward said, repositioning his seat and buckling his seat belt.

"Of course there is…" I muttered, turning the car on and pulling out of the parking lot. We didn't talk on the way home. There was no radio. The only sound was Edward's fingers tapping against the side of his door.

I pulled in and drove to his house, putting the car in park.

"Are you going to turn the car off?" He finally said, going to unbuckle his seatbelt.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm going somewhere."

"Where are you going?"

"None of your business."

His eyes narrowed at me.

"I'm not going to a party," I said, completely irritated.

"Well you can take the truck then…" He started to reach for the keys in the ignition.

"No I can't." I brushed his hand away. "You really think Charlie would keep the keys to his car around me. They're at the station while he's driving the cruiser. That's why I always have people pick me up."

He stared at me for a long moment before opening his door and getting out.

"Just so you know…this car means more to me than anyth….well most things in my life. So if you wreck it I'll hurt you after I make sure you're okay."

"Fine."

He closed his door and I peeled out of the driveway. I stopped and picked up my cell phone once I was far enough away.

"Hey, I'm sorry I know it's late but can I come over? I need to talk."

"Of course," Rosalie said. "I'm staying at the Cullen's."

"Okay I'll be there in a bit."

I drove faster than I should have, considering my father was just in a car accident and Edward would probably hurt me if I damaged his car, but I needed to get there. I tried to remember how Jessica got here the night of the party and was surprised when I found it with little difficulty considering it's in the middle of nowhere.

The lights were on in the living room and I saw her standing at the window waiting for me. I parked the car and walked up the steps. She met me at the door and walked past me to sit on the porch swing outside, a blanket wrapped around her. She patted the seat next to her and I went to join her.

"What's going on?" She said.

"Something…really bad just happened."

"Yeah we heard about your dad. Carlisle got a call from the hospital, but they said he was going to be okay right?"

"Yeah he's going to be fine. No it's actually about Edward."

"Is he okay?" Her eyes widened with panic and I realized how much she really did care for him. Which is why I felt she was the right one to talk to.

"Well yeah he's okay. I think he hates me though."

"Why would he hate you?"

"Because he was…he…he started to tell me that he loved me okay? And I stopped him and he freaked out."

"He said he loves you?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I know its crazy right?"

"No it's not crazy. I just…he hasn't even been on a date since Tanya broke up with him. Bella he wouldn't say anything he didn't mean."

"But it doesn't make sense Rosalie. How could he possibly love me?"

"How could he not?" She smiled and took my hand. "You know I thought you were a pain in the ass when I first met you, but you're an okay girl."

"But I'm stubborn. And broken. What if I'm damaged beyond repair and he can't deal with it?"

"He's dealt with a lot. I'm sure he can handle your issues."

"This isn't supposed to be like this Rose!" I started getting frustrated. "I'm not that girl. I don't do that."

"What? Fall in love? I don't think that's something you can control honey."

"I used to be able to. It was like I put this shield up and kept everyone at a safe distance. I was sick of getting hurt. Everyone who's said that word to me has been a huge disappointment, with the exception of my dad. How do I know he won't do that same thing?"

She smiled. "You don't. That's what love is. But knowing Edward, he isn't someone who half ass's anything. And if he really truly loves you, isn't he worth the risk?"

I didn't know it could be so simple and so complicated at the same time. In that moment I knew I was falling for him too, because the first word that flashed through my head when she asked that was "yes." He'd broken through the shield without me even knowing. I was still terrified. Trust issues like that don't just go away in an instant. But he was worth the risk.

I stood up, a pondering expression on my face, and started towards the car. "I…I have to go. Thanks Rose." I got in the car and drove home, a little slower this time. I knew where he'd be when I got back, there was no rush.

I pulled into the driveway and turned the car off. I paused before walking up to his door, wondering if he would even want me anymore.

I turned the doorknob and it stalled midway. He locked it.

"What a fucking creep," I sighed. I turned around and started walking towards the house. As I passed the car I had the urge to check the gas cap. I mean there probably wasn't one in there. Things like that don't happen to me. I'm not a lucky person. I held my breath as I tugged it open and bent down to look inside. Two keys were stuck along the rim. One was obviously a car key and the other looked like any regular old key. I took a chance and grabbed it, walking back to his door. I put it in the lock and turned. The lock clicked and I tried the handle again. It worked. I sighed and stepped inside, closing the door behind me. The house was completely dark, but I could see his form in the bed, lying on his side facing away from me. I crept quietly across the floor and crawled into bed next to him. I settled in and watched his breathing for a few moments.

"How'd you get in here without a key?" He said.

"There's an extra in the gas cap," I said softly, gauging whether or not he was still mad.

He slowly turned around to face me and I scooted myself closer.

"Promise me something?"

He didn't answer.

"Please don't ever let me down…" I said.

He sighed and slowly opened his arms to me. I smiled and nuzzled closer to him, burying my face in his chest.

"I promise."

A/N: So you guys definitely responded to the review challenge, but I'm wondering if you could outdo yourselves? Who am I kidding I know you can, especially after that amazing chapter right? *wink wink*