DISCLAIMER: SM owns.

A/N: warning: this chapter has some spoilers for the end of new moon. So if you haven't read that far, which most of you probably have already, you might not want to read until you finish.
Anyway, enjoy.
read and review. (:


[Alice's POV]

We were all in the living room, watching Emmett and Jasper play video games. When Bella looked at the clock.
"So, I really should get back, I have morning classes tomorrow." Bella said as she got up.
"Do you want someone to drive you? It's really dark and you shouldn't be driving by yourself." I asked her.
Bella smiled, "No it's fine. I can take care of myself."
We all stared at her.
Bella looked confused, "What?"
Emmett started laughing, "You can take care of yourself?"
Bella pouted, "I can."
Emmett grinned evilly.
I closed my eyes to see what Emmett was up too.
I gasped, "Emmett don't you dare!"
"To late!" Emmett yelled as he playfully tackled Bella.
Bella squealed. Everyone laughed.
Emmett got up and helped Bella up. "I thought you said you could take care of yourself?" Emmett smirked.
Bella rolled her eyes, "You know what I meant."
"I still think someone should drive you, Bella. You might miss the turn and get lost." I said.
Bella huffed, "Fine."
"Edward go with her. You two need to talk." I told him in my mind.
He looked at me and nodded.
"I'll drive you, Bella." Edward told her.
Bella's eyes went wide.
"If that's okay with you." He added quickly.
Bella smiled a little, "Sure, it's fine."

[Edward's POV]

Bella was staring out the window, on the drive back to her dorm, with this confused look on her face. I was trying to think of what to say to her. She barely spoke to me at all today. I didn't know if it was because she hated me for leaving her years ago, or if she just didn't know what to say either. How I wish I could read her mind right now. The silence was torture.

"Bella?"
She looked at me, "Yeah?"
"What are you confused about?"
"Oh, uhm." She looked down at her hands, "It's nothing, really."
I sighed, "Please tell me."
Bella looked up at me then stared back out the window.
It was silent for a second.
"Why did you leave that box in my room?"
I was puzzled by what she just asked, "What box?"
"Charlie found this box under a floorboard in my room, and it had all the pictures I had of you and your family, and the plane tickets, and the CD that I got on my eighteenth birthday in it." Bella looked up at me, "Didn't you put it there?"
Now I knew what she was talking about. That day that I left her I went back to her room to take everything that would remind her of me, or my family. I promised her it would be like I never existed, but I couldn't take those things from her, so I hid them. So that there was always a part of me there with her, and maybe, just maybe, she would find them one day and remember me.
I smiled a little at her, "Yes, I did."
"Why?" She asked as I parked in the parking lot of the school. I turned the car off and then turned in the seat to look at her.
"I didn't want you to forget me, Bella. I always wanted there to be a part of me with you."
Bella looked down and shook her head, "I.. I don't understand."
I put my finger under her chin and raised her head so she was looking at me.
"I love you, Bella. I never stopped."
"But you said y-you didn't want me."
I frowned, "I'm a good liar, Bella, I have to be."
Bella froze. I gently shook her trying to loosen her pose, "Let me finish. When we were in the forest, when I was telling you goodbye --"
Bella still didn't move. She was just staring at me, waiting.
"You weren't going to let go, I could see that. I didn't want to do it -- but I knew that if I couldn't convince you that I didn't love you anymore, it would just take you that much longer to get on with your life. I hoped that, if you thought I had moved on, so would you."
"A clean break," Bella whispered through unmoving lips.
"Exactly. But I never imagined it would be so easy to do! I thought it would be next to impossible -- that you would be so sure of the truth that I would have to lie through my teeth for hours. I lied, and I'm so sorry."
And then Bella started to cry. She shook her head while the tears continued to ooze from the corners of her eyes.
"You don't believe me, do you?" I whispered.

"Before you, Bella, my life was like a moonless night. Very dark, but there was stars -- points of light and reason. ...And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty. When you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everything went black. Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light. I couldn't see the stars anymore. And there was no more reason for anything."
Bella just stared at me with wide, teary eyes.
I cupped her face in my hands and gently wiped away the tears that escaped with my thumbs.

After a while, Bella pulled back.
"Uhm, I should go inside." She whispered as she put her hand on the door handle.
I took a deep unnecessary breathe and then nodded, "Sure."
I took the key out of the ignition and held it out to her. "Here's your key."
She turned to get them but then stopped. "How are you going to get home?"
I smirked at her, "I'm a fast runner."
"Right." Bella chuckled and took the key. "Uh, thanks for bringing me home."
I nodded, "Anytime."
I got out of the car and was opening Bella's door before she knew it.
"Oh." Bella gasped.
I chuckled, "Sorry."
Bella smiled a little, "It's fine."
Bella stepped out of the car and I closed her door.
"Come on, I'll walk you to your building."
"You don't have to do that, Edward. I'll be fine."
I smiled at her, "I want to."
Bella nodded, "Okay."

We walked to her building in silence. Once we got there Bella turned around to look at me.
"Edward, I.. uhm. What.. It's just.."
I put a finger over her lips to stop her. "Bella, It's fine. You don't have to say anything."
Bella sighed and nodded.
She started to turn around but then she looked at me, "I really missed you, Edward." With that she turned around and walked into her building.
"I love you, Bella." I said to low for anyone to hear.

Once I got home and went inside everyone was there staring at me. I could tell from their thoughts, that Alice has already told them what had happened.

"You just have to give her time, Edward." Esme said.
I nodded, "I'm going to go hunting."
I ran out the back doors and into the forest before anyone could say anything.