Okay, so here's the next chapter of LCBD! I'm am so sorry for the wait, I was going through horrid writer's block, and I was always playing catch up in school, leaving me with no time to write. So please, don't stone me to death, or anything. Oh, and a big congrats to Topaz Eyed Lullaby and KK1994. To see what I'm talking about, go back to the last chapter and read the beginning AN CAREFULLY. Because they actually read the full AN, they got a two-page preview of this chapter. Waaay before any of you got to read it. *Cackles*

Well, onward with the read!

Chapter 11: Secrets and Jealousy

This Edward looked different than my hallucinatory Edwards, almost taller. I guess it had been too long without him, seeing as my hallucinations paid no justice to the real him. At the same time, it absolutely killed me to see him again, knowing that all he was going to do was leave again. After all, he probably just came to make sure his toy was still alive.

I looked up and watched him closely, voicing my opinion.

"Why are you here, Edward?" I asked unemotionally. That's right, Bella, play it cool. Don't let him see how much he's hurt you. I convinced myself.

He looked up to the sky and shrugged sheepishly. "Well, I felt guilty about leaving you alone. I still love and care for you, even if it's just in a platonic way."

...Ouch.

Flinching, I looked down and nodded, holding back tears.

"Come on, you had better get back to school. Lunch period is almost over, and I am certain you don't want to be late." He said.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I noticed that for some reason, his voice was wrong. A lilt had suddenly developed that I had never noticed before. I shrugged it off, using the excuse that his extended absence had made him seem different. I followed him through the forest, back towards the school. Abruptly, he turned towards me and told me he'd see me later, swiftly disappearing into thin air.

As I walked towards History, I thought out Edward's abrupt arrival. Despite his promises, he still reappeared into my life. His arrival still didn't make any sense to me. He truly did not care for me, considering I could see right through his lie. He was acting rather strangely, nothing like the Edward I had once known. Furthermore, what would this mean for the relationship between Ron, Alice and I? I knew Ron and Edward has a bad past, but I prayed that this wouldn't put a rift in our friendship. It's not like Edward even likes me, anyways.

Sighing sadly, I walked into the History classroom and prepared myself for another monotonous lesson about the early 1900's. Class flew by quickly, and soon I found myself sitting in the cab of my truck, hyperventilating. I had no idea what I was going to find when I got home. Would he be waiting in my room?

No! That's ridiculous! He probably doesn't want anything to do with you...

But he did say he'd see you later... the romance-sick side of my mind argued back.

Shaking my head, I bit back my fears and drove home. I got out of my truck and walked up to the porch, where I was met with a shell-shocked Alice and a furious Ron. He was pacing up and down the porch, cursing under his breath.

"If you keep pacing like that you're going to wear holes in the porch floor." I said quietly.

Ron stopped suddenly and looked up at me, his eyes aflame with rage. "Bella," he started, surprisingly calm.

"What happened today?" he asked with tight eyes.

I looked at my feet before answering. "During lunch period, I went out for a bit to read. Then, I met him again. He-he said he just felt guilty, but he was going to stay, to watch over me." I whimpered, my lip quivering.

Ron growled fiercely and turned, slamming his fist against the porch railing. Sure enough, it left a dent.

"I'm sorry, Ron, I didn't mean to get you mad. Please, don't leave." I whispered pathetically.

He turned back towards me, his eyes widening. He took a step forward and gently grabbed my shoulders, holding me close. "Oh, no, Bella, no, you didn't make me mad. I just, I don't like seeing you hurt," he averted his eyes from mine.

"...Or at least, again. I should beat the crumbs out of him for what he did to you." he added, shaking his head. He gathered me in a firm but gentle hug.

"And I will never, ever leave you." he whispered.

Ron let go of me and looked towards the backyard, where the forest began. He sighed roughly. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear…" Ron hissed angrily as Edward walked out of the woods casually. He held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Relax. It's not like I'm going to eat her." his head tilted to the side and he grinned surreptitiously.

"After all, that's your job, isn't it, Ron?" Edward's topaz eyes sparkled mischievously as he egged Ron on.

Ron growled and clenched his fists, along with his jaw. "It's not like that. You of all people should know that." Ron emphasized furiously.

"What are you doing here, anyways?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "I came to make sure my Bella was okay." he said softly. Ron snarled, Alice rose her eyebrows and I gasped.

His Bella? Since when does he still want a claim on me? It's not like he wants me… Maybe I truly am just a possession to him.

Alice turned to me and smiled apologetically. "Well, as much as I'd like to stay, I'd better go home. Coming, Ron?" she asked.

They're not going to leave me home all alone, are they?! But, to my relief, Ron shook his head stiffly. Edward shrugged as Alice left.

"I was thinking of re-enrolling into high school here. I have a feeling I'll be staying for a while before leaving again." he said quietly. I flinched as I thought of him leaving again.

That certainly was going to hurt…

As if reading my mind, ((And, for the fifteenth time, he CAN'T. No one can. ;))) Edward stepped closer and put his arm around my waist. "You know it's for your own good, Bella. You're just no good around me. And you're not safe, either." he said softly. Ron growled angrily and looked pointedly at Edward's arm around my waist. Edward rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time today.

"You know that's not true!" I argued.

"I am a danger magnet, and I attract vampires like dogs attract fleas!" He sighed exasperatingly, rubbing his hand over his face.

"Like I said before, Bella, you're just not good for me, and I'm not good for you." he said, as if speaking to a five year old.

Ron hissed and stepped up against Edward, looking him in the eyes. In any other situation that would've been humorous, seeing as Edward was a full head taller than Ron. When comparing them, Ron almost looked like a midget.

"I can't believe you!" Ron growled angrily.

"No, I can't believe you! Especially with what you've done!" Edward snarled back, just as fiercely.

"What are you, jealous or something?" Edward asked incredulously.

What are they talking about? Clearly they can't be talking about me…

I groaned, confused, and looked at my feet. "Once you two have grown up and are down with your brotherly spat, feel free to join me inside." I said angrily, turning around and stomping up the porch stairs. I went straight to my room and turned my ipod on, tuning everything else out.

Third Person POV ((For Just A Sec, Bare With Me…))

Immediately after Bella went inside, the vampire slammed his brother up against the wall, grabbing him by the front of his shirt.

"How could you!" he roared angrily at the top of his lungs.

"How could I?!" the older vampire scoffed.

"How could you be toying with her emotions like this! She's just an eighteen year old human!"

"At least I came back to my human, and told the truth!"

After a few minutes, the other vampire sighed and shook his head. The older vampire smirked at this, for he knew he had found the target spot in his brother.

"Whatever, I'm going back to the house. I take it you'll be staying here?"

The blonde vampire grunted in reply before heading inside Bella's house, while his brother ran off back into the woods. If there was a list containing the world's stupidest, most idiotic vampires, I would definitely be in the top ten… Ron groaned to himself as he headed upstairs.

BPOV

I sat on my bed, listening to my music, aggravated. Renee was right, boys certainly are a pain. What was Edward talking about, anyways? Why in the world would Ron be jealous? He knew that whatever flame had once burned between Edward and I was unfortunately long distinguished, at least for him, it was. What was up with Edward's behaviour, too? Something big must've happened while he was gone that changed him for the worst.

Where was the Edward I once knew?

I have to admit, it was strange, being able to say his name and talk about him so easily. Perhaps it was just because he was here. As long as I could see him, it didn't matter that we weren't together, or that he didn't love me anymore.

What a lie…

Shaking my head miserably, I let one silent tear cascade down my face. I clearly knew I was lying to myself. Every minute, of every hour, of every day just knowing that was bound to kill me.

Sure, I still loved Edward, but at the same time, I'm cursing him to hell. I was just starting to get better, starting to trust again, then he comes back, bringing all the pain with him. How could I possibly forgive him for that? After all, Ron and I could have probably become more… Ron probably wouldn't want me anymore, though, now that Edward was back. He probably thinks of me as a lost cause… The tears continued to silently fall, but I just dealt with it hopelessly.

I heard someone slip quietly through my door, and I looked up, seeing Ron. His stiff posture relaxed as soon as he saw me, and his eyes softened. He sat next to me on the bed and gently wiped away the tears.

"Bella, I'm so sorry about earlier…" he trailed off. I just nodded.

"S'alright, really." I whimpered, looking down. Instantly, I felt two fingers coaxing my chin up.

My eyes met his smouldering dark brown ones. "It's not alright, Bella." he said tensely, still whispering.

"Is this because of him…" he nodded toward the window, "…Or me?" he asked gently. I whimpered and closed my eyes, shaking my head.

"All of those things he said…" I stuttered, sobbing. I felt Ron lean forward as he pulled me into his arms, rocking me back and forth. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately, and surprisingly, I liked it.

I shook my head and focused on my hands suddenly. Nothing was making sense anymore. The one vampire who I thought I could always trust had turned his back on me completely. Ron, the random vampire who just showed up in my life, the one I never thought I'd be able to trust, is suddenly my best friend. It was the one vampire who I would never expect to even give a care about me, the one who happened to come across me when hunting humans, was really caring about me, and helping me. I surprised myself when I even trusted Ron in the first place. My senses were telling me to get the heck away from him, yet, instead, I embraced him, and trusted him.

Fate surely is acting out for me…

"It's not like him to do something like that… What happened to him?" I whimpered out. Ron grimaced and an unfathomable expression shone in his eyes.

"I don't know Bella, but I'll try to find out, I promise you." He said, determined. He put his chin on my head and sighed. "He's not worth it." Shockingly, he leaned down and kissed my cheek. "Edward doesn't deserve this – neither do I, for that matter – to know such a beautiful woman like you," He chuckled suddenly, though it sounded strained, and somewhat pained. "Let alone be one of her best friends." He sighed again and put his chin back on the top of my head.

"You know, Bella, he's a real asshat." Ron said loudly, the curse word sounding foreign coming from his old-fashioned voice. I gawked at him, surprised. He looked down toward me suddenly and smirked, though his eyes were serious.

"What? Your time's language is quite …colourful, and easy to pick up." He shrugged. "Plus, the word suits him." Ron laughed and I smiled lightly. This time, Ron smiled genuinely and held me at arm's length, pretending to study me. "There, that's better. You should be happy." He said softly.

I snuggled into Ron's chest and fell asleep, with him singing me to sleep. What seemed like seconds later Ron was gently whispering in my ear.

"Come on, Bella, Charlie's going to be home in a few minutes, I need to leave now."

I clutched tighter to him, groaning. He chuckled and kissed my forehead while slinking out of my arms, making me open my eyes immediately.

"Why do you do that?" I asked sleepily. He cocked one eyebrow.

"Do what?"

"Kiss me like that!"

"Oh," he said sadly, frowning. "Well, for one, I care about you, and, err, I want to protect you."

I frowned, matching his expression. The way he said protect held double meaning.

He wasn't really possessive of me too, was he? Well, didn't Edward say…?

"Oh." I said anticlimactically. He couldn't possibly be…

"Bella?" Ron asked cautiously, stepping forward and putting a cold hand on my arm. "What epiphany have you had now?" he said playfully.

I shook my head furiously and looked into Ron's eyes. "Ron, Edward wasn't right, was he? You're not really jealous, are you?" I asked disbelievingly. His behaviour really didn't make any sense. He looked away, sighing angrily and running a hand through his messy blonde hair.

"Bella-" he had started, but I cut him off quickly, having a feeling I knew what he was going to say.

"Please, Ron, just tell me the truth. I've lived most of my life here in Forks being lied to, and as of now, I'm sick of being lied to." I said tiredly. As I said this, it was as if I had awakened an emotion in Ron, as his eyes widened with shame.

"Trust me when I say this Bella, if you knew of what I had done, or what I am doing right now, you wouldn't want to be my friend, in fact, you'd probably hate me." he shook his head sadly, leaning on the windowsill.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that at some point, everyone makes mistakes, and I've learned that the hard way. I'm so sorry, Isabella." He leaned in once more, giving me a kiss on the cheek, before ducking out the window and into the darkness.

RPOV (…I'm trying…)

I stealthily moved through the looming darkness of the forest, thinking back to all of the mistakes I have made during my days as a vampire. Luckily, Bella was oblivious of my past and the secrets it held, for the most part. Hopefully, those secrets will stay hidden, as long as my fruitcake of a brother doesn't do anything stupid.

I remember one of the very first conversations I had with her; more specifically when she had asked about my past. I had told her exactly what I did; I had hurt someone, and I hurt them terribly. What she didn't know is that I didn't just hurt the one I loved, I emotionally killed her. Now, my brother is doing the exact same thing, and to the exact same person, again. After all, we are one in the same. I guess it's true what they say…

Like brother like brother…

AN: Ugh, I'm sorry about the ending… Could this chapter get any more awkward? :/ Well, there's chapter 11! Hope you enjoyed it! I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I can, seeing as school is finally over and my writer's block seems to have finally ended. As always, review equals preview!