A/N: Hi all! Sorry for the absence-- I've lost my beta :( That being said, this chapter is being put forward without a beta-reader. If ya'll catch anything, please let me know. Thanks bunches! Enjoy!

Also! As most of you have noticed, the titles of my chapters are songs that I feel fit the attitude of each chapter. I have put together a playlist via youtube with most of the songs. You can find the link in my profile!

Chapter Twelve: String Quartet, Op.1:II. Adagio as performed by Dekany String Quartet

Edward and I continued to revel in each other's affection for the rest of the day. The bed sheets once crisp and in order, were now in much disarray and full of various wrinkles. Pillows that earlier had lined the top of the bed, were now lying on the floor or at the foot of the bed. Sweet, beautiful classical music poured out of Edward's speakers, a string quartet surrounding us and lifting our spirits, despite the impending future. When I heard a knock at the door, I knew it was time.

Knock Knock

"Come in." Edward said, not taking his eyes off me. We were still lying in bed together, me on my back and Edward on his side, facing me, his arm bent at the elbow, propping his head up.

We heard Carlisle's careful steps as he approached the bed. "Bella, dear, I think it is time to go see the wolves." Edward tensed at his words, and I rushed to comfort him, bringing my hand up to cup his cheek.

"I'll be fine, Edward. Carlisle will be with me this time. All we have to do is go meet Sam and the rest of them, get their answer. I'll be back before you know it." I lightly pecked him on the nose and gracefully leapt out of bed. I pulled on a sweater, more out of habit than need, and followed Carlisle out the front door.

It wasn't necessarily cold outside, but I was thankful for the sweater anyway. As we ran through the woods, rain water fell down on us from an earlier rain storm, and I absolutely hated being wet. We ran as quickly as we could the forest and found the meeting ground where we waited for the wolves to arrive.

"Congratulations Bella." Carlisle simply said.

I gave a weak smile, and looked the ring, which was glimmering in the moonlight. "Thanks Carlisle. I'm still not sure if this is exactly what I want, but I do know that I want Edward." He nodded and I continued. "If marriage will make him happy, then I am more than happy to give it to him. I know… I know he's having issues coming to terms with me being a vampire, but he'll come around, right?"

Carlisle smiled and put his arm on my shoulder, "Just give him a little time. Once you take the Cullen name, I'm sure he'll be much happier. He does love you, more than anything."

Just then I heard leaves rustle and the wolves were around us. Sam stepped out, in human form, flanked by four wolves.

Carlisle, ever the gentlemen, stuck out his hand to shake Sam's. Sam took it briefly, giving him a curt nod.

"Have you come to a decision?" Carlisle asked.

Sam nodded his head, "We have. We will help you, but only under one condition."

I looked around at the other wolves, searching for Jacob. I found him standing behind Sam, his head down, his eyes staring at the ground. He must have heard about Edward and I's engagement. First I hurt him by becoming what I am, now I added to his pain by inadvertently telling him of my imminent marriage. I just kept hurting him more and more. I felt beyond guilty, and hated myself for causing him more unnecessary pain. I turned back to Carlisle and Sam.

"We will help you, not because we want to, but because we have to. Bella mentioned that these Volturi will stop at nothing to hurt people. It is our duty to protect the people."

"What are the conditions?" Carlisle asked.

Sam took a deep breath, "We will help you if, and only if, you agree to leave and never return. Ever."

I heard one of the wolves whimper, and I knew it was Jacob. I was about to protest, thinking of Charlie, but Sam interrupted.

"Bella, please know that Charlie will be well taken care of. He lived without you before, he can do it again." What he said stung, but it was the truth. I knew that he would be safe. I nodded my head, agreeing to the terms.

Carlisle spoke, "Thank you Sam, I know this is difficult for you to do, and I also know it goes against your animal instinct to help your enemy, but I promise you will not regret it." His words were soft and calm, filled with conviction. Sam nodded.

"It would be good for my pack to get to know your scents." Sam gave an ugly smirk, "it wouldn't be good if one of mine accidently took down one of yours."

I responded with a guttural growl, to which Carlisle raised an arm to silence me. "Of course Sam, anything to make things easier. There is a clearing a few miles north of here. We can meet there later tonight, around sundown. Again, thank you." With that, Carlisle turned to leave, as did the wolves. I was frozen in my spot, watching Jake as he turned to leave with his brothers.

"Jake…. Jake, I wanted to tell you, I did!" I called after him. He froze slightly before pushing forward into the trees.

Carlisle grabbed my hand, "Bella, I think you need to let him go."

I collapsed, falling to the ground, sobbing, my eyes lined with venom- tears that would never fall. "He's my best friend Carlisle!" I sobbed. "I never meant to hurt him like this!" I was shaking as Carlisle did his best to comfort me.

"I know Bella, and I'm sure he knows it to. It just makes it hurt more when you see the one you love walk away." He winced as he said it, knowing that maybe those words were quite the right ones to say.

"Carlisle, if anyone knows anything about being walked out on, it's me! People — well, vampires and werewolves really, but still — people I love are hurting all around me. Hurt because of me! I'm tired of causing so much pain!" I wailed.

"I know sweetheart, I know." He had pulled me into his arms, rocking me back and forth. I hadn't been held like that since I was four and had a bad dream. I was screaming and Charlie came running in to my room. He picked me up and rocked me back to sleep. It was comforting, but made me truly miss my father. I was aching to see him, especially with what the next few days might hold for me.

I was vaguely aware that Carlisle was now carrying me through the woods, running to the house. He carried me up to Edward's room and laid me on the bed. When I realized where I was, I also realized that Edward was sitting beside me, running his hands through my hair. I shot up out of bed and started to look around.

"Bella, you're safe now. It's okay." He said. He pulled me back down into his arms.

"You give me more love than I deserve" I told him. I nestled back in.

"Bella…." He started slowly, taking a breath was not needed, "how much do you love Jacob Black?" I looked at him confused. He continued, "In your catatonic state, you kept mumbling some nonsense about 'Jacob, my Jacob.'"

I couldn't help but think of how awful of a person I was. I was selfish, I was hurtful. I tortured the ones I loved."Edward, I… He's…"

I stumbled, trying to find the right words. Edward was right. Jake was more than just my friend. That's why it was so impossible to tell him goodbye — because I was in love with him. Too. I loved him, much more than I should, and yet, still nowhere near enough. I was in love with him, but it was not enough to change anything; it was only enough to hurt us both more. To hurt him worse than I ever had.

"I'm hurting him. Every time I turn around, I'm hurting him again. I'm a hideous person. He knows Edward, he knows that we are going to get married, and it hurts him. And it hurts me." Edward just pulled me tighter into his arms and kissed my hair. Edward was amazing; there was no end to his generosity. I now deserved him less than I ever had. I know I had to get over this irrational feeling that Jacob belonged in my life. He couldn't belong with me, could not be my Jacob, when I belonged to someone else. I knew what I had to do tonight. I had to never hurt Jake again. That would be my mission in life. Never again would I be the reason for the look of pain and heartbreak to come into his beautiful, understanding eyes.

Edward continued to hold me until it was time for us to go back to the clearing. The entire family left the house, all of running north towards the clearing. Edward seemed more jovial than usual, much happier. He ran the way he did when it was just us, just for enjoyment, just for the feel of the wind in his hair. It was the kind of thing that, during less anxious times, would have made me happy. Yet, right now, it just caused my heart to wrench more.

Soon, we reached the clearing. Immediately, I began to feel nervous. Edward could sense that and he grabbed my hand.

"Prepare yourselves — they've been holding out on us." He said to his family. As we approached the clearing, we were met by not five wolves, but ten! Sam stepped forward, and Edward began to speak, "We've come in order to learn your scent. We will not stay for long." I realized that Edward was speaking for Sam. Carlisle nodded his head in agreement as the wolves began to roam around us, smelling each of us. When Jacob came to me, I smiled weakly. I knelt down, so I could be face to face with this beautiful creature. I looked into his eyes.

"Jacob, we should talk. Please?" I pleaded with him.

I stood up and he bit the hem of my shirt, pulling me off into the woods. I gave one last fleeting glance to Edward, who just nodded his head. I turned back to follow Jacob. For a moment, I was alone and then I was joined by a man I once knew. He was now reaching 6'7 in height and his body was well toned; he no longer had the body of a sixteen year old boy. He was a man. His hair was reaching chin length, and he wore nothing but cut-off jeans. He approached me slowly and then, as if he didn't care what I was, he pulled me into a tight bear hug. Usually I would have squealed in protest, telling him I couldn't breathe, but this time, I let him squeeze me. I knew it would be the last.

"You smell disgusting." He said, his eyes dark, but a mischievous grin played across his face.

"At least I don't smell like wet dog" I playfully retorted. There was a twinkle in his eye, but he soon became serious once more.

"Why'd you do it Bella? Why'd you become one of them? Wasn't I good enough for you?" The look on his face was enough to kill me a thousand times over.

"Jake… You know that's not it…" I started to say.

"Then what is it?" His hand reached out to grab mine, which was all but lost in his giant paw. He flinched as my cold hand gasped onto his. "Please tell me what would make you choose death over life."

I stared at the ground before responding, "Jake… I was already dead. Edward left me and… the only time I even felt remotely alive was when I was with you..." His eyes lit up a bit, but faded as I continued, "When I met Laurent in the meadow, I knew I what I had to do."

He dropped my hand and turned around, his body beginning to shudder. "I was there for you because I love you Bella," he said, almost whispering. He turned back around to face me, his eyes boring into mine. "I'm in love with you, Bella. Bella, I love you. And I want you to pick me instead of him. I know you don't feel that way, but I need the truth out there so that you know your options. I wouldn't want a miscommunication to stand in our way. I know that you're a bloodsucker, but I don't care. You love me, too. Not the same way, I know. But he's not your whole life, either. Not anymore. Maybe he was once, but he left. And now he's just going to have to deal with the consequence of that choice — me." He reached for me, but I pulled away. "When he left, you spent all your energy holding on to him. You could be happy if you let go. You could be happy with me."

"Jake, I made my choice." I shoved my left hand in his face, waving the engagement ring. "I don't want to be happy with anyone but him. You said you would love me until my heart stopped beating… Jake, my heart no longer beats. I'm not what I used to be!"

"Bella, I can't stop loving you! I just can't! I tried!" He reached for me again and pulled me into his arms. "Bella please" he begged. One of his hands was wrapped around my waist, while the other was bracing my neck. He cocked his head to the side and looked at me once more before licking his lips. "Please Bella" he said once more before kissing me. His lips crashed down on mine and he pulled me tighter to him. It felt so wrong, but there was something tugging at me, telling me that it could be right. His mouth opened, wanting to deepen the kiss further. He growled when I didn't reciprocate by opening mine. I had to stop this. I pushed him, softly at first, hoping he would get the picture. He just pulled me closer, not wanting to break. He lips moved from mine, to my jaw bone and neck. I used this moment to speak.

"Jake… Jake… Stop please."

"Bella, please, just let me be the one for you, please." He continued to beg. I pushed him again, much harder. Our embrace severed as he fell to the ground. Anger flashed across his face.

"Jacob, please. Just listen to me." He was beginning to shake again and I knew rage was taking over. "Jake, you know that I love you, you know that! But you and I, we can't… We can't be together! I could kill you, Jake! My mouth is full of venom! We would never be able to truly be together!" He shook his head, as if not wanting to believe it.

"But you were kissing back, Bella! You want this just as much as I do!"

"It doesn't matter if I want it, Jacob! I can't have it! And that becomes even more irrelevant because I love Edward, Jake! I love him with all my heart! Don't you get it?!" I started to turn away and go back towards the clearing, but he raced over to me and grabbed my arm. "Jacob, let me go. Please." I looked at him. "Just… let me go…"

"But you said you loved me!"

"I do, but not the way you want or need me to, Jake. You're my best friend, I care for you just like any best friend would. If this was a completely different situation, then maybe Jake, but it's not! I'm with Edward and I'm in love with him. Please see that!" Again, I started to tug away. He grasp became firmer. I did the only thing I could think of. I punched him. Granted, I was supposed to have some super human strength, but hitting his face was like hitting a ton of bricks! I could feel the bones in my hand crunch and I flinched with pain. He stumbled back, falling to the ground. And then he started to laugh, maniacally.

"Next time you want to hit me, use a baseball bat or a crowbar, okay?" he said laughingly. I walked away from Jacob, knowing that maybe it didn't end exactly the way I wanted, but he got the point. I was shaking my hand as I reached the circle.

"Fall down again Bella?" Emmett asked.

"No, I punched a werewolf in the face." Laughter erupted all around us and Edward put his arm around me. I looked up at him, "Can we go home now, please?" He nodded his head and we began to run home.

Finally home, we climbed in bed, I noticed that Edward seemed overly happy. "What's gotten your spirits up?" I asked.

"I got a fascinating look into the pack's mind tonight. It was better than a soap opera. I had no idea how complex the dynamic is with such a large pack. The pull of the individual against the plural psyche… Absolutely fascinating. The pack mind is mesmerizing. All thinking together and then separately at the same time. There's so much to read!" He continued to ramble on, "And the imprinting compulsion is one of the strangest things I've ever witnessed in my life, and I've seen some strange things. Did you know that Jacob is second in command? Did he never tell you that?"

I hesitated to answer; I wasn't quite ready to talk about Jacob. My mind wandered and I began to think of what tomorrow would bring. The Volturi were coming tomorrow. The Volturi, a mass of the scariest, most talented vampires in the world. How were we ever going to survive? I was lying on top of him, my head on his chest.

As if hearing my thoughts, Edward pulled me tighter, "We'll be fine tomorrow. The pack is in the best shape its ever been, and we've got thirteen vampires on our side as well. You can't lose hope now." He pulled my face up to his and kissed me, trying once more to kiss away all the pain and anguish. I covetously accepted, drinking in every single kiss. Still, my mind wandered. How can he be so calm, knowing that tomorrow could be his last day here on earth?

He growled against my lips, "Because I'm here with you, now will you please quit thinking and concentrate a little please." I smiled against his lips and deepened the kiss. There was no worry of poisoning him like there was with Jacob. There was no stinging as our cold, marble bodies rolled on the bed, unlike when my hand touched Jacob's fiery hand. There was no hesitation in our kiss, just pure, ultimate bliss. We had rolled so that Edward was now on top of me, his teeth raking down my neck, and I felt his tongue flicker out and meet my collar bone. I moaned and his hands tightened grasping my side. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him tighter to me. If tomorrow is going to be his last day, then tonight should be a night he remembers.

"Bella, please! Tomorrow is not going to be my last day!" he growled. "And will you please stop thinking about sex!"

"You know, for a hundred and seventeen year old vampire, you handle your hormones quite well!" I shot back at him.

"I finally have what I want, I'm not going to mess that up by rushing things." He said simply. Then it was mine turn to growl. I flipped him so that I was on top now and I sat up.

"Sometimes, it's not about what you want" I said seductively. I saw him gulp, and his adam's apple bobbed. For a moment I thought he was going to let me continue, but before I knew it, he was on top of me, pinning me to the bed.

"You've been a vampire for a couple of weeks and now look at you! Seducing like the best of us!" he smirked. I smiled back coyly and giggled and he brought his lips back to mine. I started to tug at his shirt, but his hands stopped mine.

"Bella, can we please just… kiss? That's all I really want." His eyes were golden, and although he seemed happy, they were laced with sadness. I nodded and agreed.

"Bella, love, are you happy?" He asked quietly.

His question caught me off guard. "Of course" I replied as quickly as I could. "How could I possibly not be happy?"

He averted his eyes from mine, looking off into space. "I heard…. The conversation you had with Jacob…"

I sighed, of course he did. "You know I love you, Edward. I chose you."

At this, he sat up abruptly, and hopped out of bed, pacing the floor. He ran his hands through his golden locks, and I sat up in the bed.

He started to explain, "Jacob showed me, Bella. He showed me how you looked after I left. You looked so devastated."

I groaned, "I'm going to kill that werewolf!" I murmured to myself. "Edward- I lived for you. I breathed for you. I woke up every morning to see your beautiful face. To hear your angelic voice. To feel your scintillating touch. When you left- I had nothing to live for. So I stopped."

Edward stopped pacing the floor and sat on the edge of the bed, his face in his hands. "I'm so sorry. I never should have left."

I scooted over to comfort him, my hand rubbing his back. "I understand why you did though. It was hell for me, believe me. And Jacob- he made it easier. You left a whole in my chest, and when I was with him, he seemed to fill that whole. But he was never you."

I pulled my knees up to my chest, my arms encircling them. I continued my story. "I had nightmares every night. I would wake up screaming, night after night. Charlie threatened to send me to Jacksonville. So, I scrambled to make things better. I couldn't leave Forks- not with the possibility of you coming back."

He winced, "I wanted to come back for you Bella."

"I didn't know that. You said you were leaving and you didn't want me. That I wasn't right for you. That you would take everything about you out of my life and it would like you never existed," I smiled at that. "But you were still there. The absence of you was enough to remind me of what we had, what we could have had. When Charlie threatened to send me away, I tried to make things right. That's when I started to hang out with Jake. And he made things better. He even helped the nightmares go away, or at least make them less frightening."

Edward shook his head, "I never should have left. I'm such a fool. What kind of idiot leaves the reason for his existence?"

At this, I unfolded myself and climbed into his lap. "Edward, I understand. And I forgive you. I'm here now, with you, because I love you and because I want you. Always and forever Edward."

I kissed him lightly on the nose and he gave me a small smile. We stayed in that position for hours, him holding me on his lap. We spent hours kissing, talking, and laughing. I loved to hear his laugh- so melodic and smooth. Later, when we emerged from the room, I felt as if we had made crucial steps forward in our relationship and I felt truly comfortable where I was at. We made our way downstairs as the sun was starting to rise. It was time.

My family and I walked down to the clearing and Alice spoke up. "They'll be here in thirty minutes."

Where are the wolves? I asked myself. Edward wrapped his arms around me, comforting me. As if answering my thoughts, I heard a wolf howl in the distance. They were coming. I immediately relaxed, but Alice just seemed to get more nervous. Jasper did his best to calm her down, but no matter what he did, it just didn't seem to work.

I approached her. "Alice, you know we'll make it through this. We're going to be fine." She smiled weakly and I returned to Edward. The wolves came out to the trees and I was astonished by how incredibly beautiful they were. There were several grey wolves, Sam, the black wolf, Jacob the russet colored wolf, and other brown ones. They were all the size of horses and their teeth were bared.

"Don't forget your agreement, leech" I heard Edward say. At first, I was confused, but then I realized he was speaking for Sam. Carlisle nodded his head.

"It will not be forgotten and we will repay you in some other way. We thank you for putting yourselves in danger for us."

"It's not for you, bloodsucker, that we put ourselves in danger." Edward growled, still talking for Sam. "We do it for the protection of our people."

"Your people greatly appreciate it, as do we. As soon as today is over, we will all leave you, never to return, as promised." Sam's large head bowed to the ground, thanking Carlisle.

Alice spoke up again, "They're here."

Out of the tree line stepped a young man, flanked by two others.

"Oh, my my Carlisle. Your… compassion really is rather… moving, banding with a group of wolves." He said the word like it was completely and utterly disgusting. He slowly moved forward, the others following behind.

Carlisle's head dipped down, "Aro, my old friend, it's been centuries!"

A/N: As you can see, we're coming to an end here. Three more chapters til we're finished! That being said, if anyone is willing to beta for me for those last chapters, please let me know! I have them finished, I just need someone to read over them and make sure I didn't miss anything! Thanks for reading and PLEASE review!

Love ya'll!

xoxo

brandinm05