A/N: Don't own twilight.

Why so few reviews? L It's hard to stay motivated if you don't help me out…

Anyways…

EPOV

Edward never knew what it was like for someone to be his whole world. For his very existence to be tied to theirs, and for everything to fall apart the moment he thought he was going to lose them.

He felt his world crumbling as Bella sank to the ground.

How could he not have noticed the blood and the gaping wounds? How had he not seen that she was in pain, dying slowly before him? He had been blinded by his own selfish worrying, and now…now Bella was going to pay the price.

Carlisle was there in an instant, calmly taking over as his training kicked in. All Edward could do was groan Bella's name and kneel down beside her, praying she'd be alright. She had to be. Without Bella, his world meant nothing. Without her, there would be no reason, no reason at all to exist. She was his life, his soul, his heartbeat. She was more vital to his life than the blood in his veins or the breath in his lungs. If Bella died, then Edward would die, too. Maybe not physically at first, but mentally, emotionally, he'd be dead.

"She's lost a lot of blood." Carlisle murmured, causing Edward's heart to clench painfully in his chest. This was his fault. She had been hurt saving him, and now she might--

"Edward!" Carlisle said forcefully. Edward stared at his father dumbly, trying to think straight. Carlisle's eyes softened and his voice lowered. "Go get some towels and bandages. Quickly." Edward started to get up, but a low whine from Bella stopped him dead.

Stay with me, Bella's voice pleaded inside his head. Please. Edward nodded and went back to her side, and suddenly Emmett was running towards the house, calling "I've got it!" over his shoulder. Thank god for Emmett.

Carlisle was running his hands over Bella's body, feeling for cuts and making her tense against the pain. His hands were slick with blood and Edward thought he was going to pass out from the overwhelming pain and fear he felt deep within his heart. Bella's eyes were slightly cloudy, but she looked directly at him with a steady gaze. Don't worry, She told him soothingly. I heal fast. Don't worry…

Edward just groaned again and held her hand tightly. He wished he could obey her request, but he simply couldn't. The sight of her sitting there covered in blood and in so much pain was like a fire in his chest, burning him to the very core and blocking everything but her face from his mind. "You have to be ok." he told her firmly. "I won't let you go."

Bella whined again and shut her eyes tight. Edward's heart ached again but soon she opened them and returned his gaze. She looked weak, but very determined. She suddenly began struggling to her feet, ignoring Carlisle's raised voice and orders to sit back down. Even wounded as she was, she was too strong for them to restrain her. Emmett came back with the towels, but Bella waved him off.

Back away from me, all of you. Bella's voice commanded. After a few minutes of Edward and Carlisle's vain attempts to get her to sit down again, they did as she asked. She shook a bit as she stood, but she still had that sense of purpose about her. Slowly, her body began to shift. She was changing. This time the other Cullens were more fascinated than scared by the sight. Moments later, Bella was the enormous four-legged wolf, and her eyes were already much brighter than before. She padded forward and nudged Edward's shoulder with her huge head and Edward gave a grudging smile.

"Will you be ok?" He asked her worriedly. She nodded solemnly, then turned her head sharply, ears pricked up and eyes narrowed. For a moment she stood perfectly still, listening and smelling the air. She shuddered visibly, then turned her head back to Edward, whimpering softly. She looked suddenly afraid, and Edward was tense once again.

"What's wrong Bella?" He asked before remembering she couldn't talk in that form. "Are we in danger?"

Bella shook her head and just let out a big sigh. She ran her eyes over Edward's family and then looked back at him, repeating the process twice. Understanding her perfectly, Edward waved his family over. They all looked nervous, but not of Bella. They too wanted to know what Bella could sense. Suddenly, there was the distinct sound of screeching tires and then a car door slamming. Edward was baffled until a very scared Charlie came dashing around the house.

Oh crap.

Charlie's unusually pale face shifted from terror to shock as he stopped and gaped at all of them standing with Bella. His eyes swept slowly over all of them before locking on Bella's. she looked back calmly at her father, head bowed slightly but not ashamed. His face still a mask of shock, he turned and saw the corpse of Tanya lying in the grass stained red with her dried blood, and he went back to being scared.

"Bella!" He cried, jogging over to her and inspecting her. He groaned as he saw the large cuts and wounds that covered her, and his hands trembled as he stroked her face. Bella made a sound that sounded like humming and pushed him gently with her head.

"What happened?" Charlie asked Bella in a low voice. He seemed to have completely forgotten about the Cullens as he stared up worriedly into his daughter's eyes. "You left without telling me what was happening or where you were going…Why was she here?"

Bella turned her gaze on Edward. Charlie's head whipped around to follow Bella's gaze, and Edward was suddenly very nervous. He had only talked to Charlie a handful of times before, and Edward had no idea if Bella had told her father that Edward knew. Plus, he had just endangered Bella, and that would undoubtedly make Charlie pissed. Charlie's eyes narrowed as he looked at the suddenly chagrined Edward, and he muttered an "Oh."

Bella seemed to sense Charlie's hostility, for she quickly nudged Charlie again, drawing his attention back to her face. They shared a long, meaningful look before Charlie sighed, resigned. "So…obviously they all know now," He grumbled. He turned and glared at Carlisle, who looked taken aback. "If you do anything to hurt her I swear to god--"

Bella growled and head butted Charlie, causing him to curse and rub his shoulder. "Fine, fine." he growled back. He looked at Bella, worried again. "Are you gonna be ok?"

She nodded and Edward felt the need to say something to Charlie. "Sir," He began, and Charlie's eyes were hard but not mean when he turned to look at Edward. "I'm so sorry for all of this. It's my fault Bella got hurt. She was protecting me from Tanya--"

Bella growled again, loud enough to drown out Edward's words. She stared at him sternly, obviously not pleased that he was blaming himself. Charlie, however, looked pacified by Edward's apology. "It's ok. Bella is strong. She'll be fine." He said, smiling slightly at his little girl. She gave him a wolfy grin back, and then yawned hugely, causing almost everyone to laugh, breaking the tension.

"You need to sleep, Bella." Charlie told her in a fatherly tone. She nodded slowly and Charlie sighed. "I guess I'd better go home now. We'll discuss all of this later… But I have to go to work tomorrow."

He pointed a stern finger at Edward. "You take care of her now, you hear me? She took care of you, and now you'd better make sure she heals right. Got it?" Edward nodded quickly, relieved that Charlie seemed to have taken it all in such stride. Carlisle shook Charlie's hand, and the two began discussing things in low tones. Esme and Edward's siblings walked over to look at the damage done to the house, leaving Edward alone with Bella for the first time in a while.

Bella padded over to a big tree and flopped down beneath it, beckoning Edward over with a jerk of her head. He lay down beside her, leaning against her broad shoulder and running his hands through her thick fur. She was already healed up most of the way, but she looked exhausted. They sat in companionable silence, before Bella's eyes started to close. Edward leaned in, breathing his words into Bella's ear.

"Sleep well, my angel."

BPOV

She did sleep well.

Bella was more exhausted than she had ever been before in her life. Her whole body ached, although the healing was accelerated greatly by her werewolf blood. She would never admit her pain to Edward or her father, but she knew they could see past her façade.

Her father.

Charlie's arrival had been…unexpected. She had been terrified, wondering how on earth she was going to explain this to him. In Bella's mind, she had had no choice but to save the Cullens and her beloved Edward, but she knew Charlie would probably see things differently. She had, in fact, told him that Edward knew, and after he'd finished his tirade of anger, he had admitted he was glad she'd found someone to accept her for what she really was. He had always wanted a normal life for her, even though such a thing was unattainable.

He had reacted much better than she'd thought, and she was surprised at the lack of questioning and yelling. She never thought she'd have gotten him to accept things so easily. Maybe he had seen how very tired she was, or maybe he heard the truth in Edward's words or saw it in his eyes. For whatever reason her father had given up interrogating, Bella was immensely grateful.

Now, with Edward by her side and sleep beginning to overtake her, Bella allowed herself to hope for a better life for herself and for Edward. Now, there were no secrets to be kept from his family, which would make things a lot easier. Hopefully now they wouldn't have to be so secretive about everything… and they could begin to enjoy their time together more often.

But how much time would they have?

Never, ever, in a million years would Bella ever imagine asking Edward to give up his humanity to be with her forever. She would rather die than turn him into the monster she knew herself to be, no matter how appealing the idea of having him forever was to her. In a few years time, Bella would cease to age, and a few years after that she would have to leave Forks and all those who knew her. She couldn't run the risk of being discovered. When that time came, she would have to let Edward go. He had to be left to live his own life, his normal, aging human life.

How Bella would be strong enough to walk away, she had no idea. Before she had met Edward, she had toyed with the idea of destroying herself when the time came for her to leave. Now, it seemed inevitable that with Edward gone, Bella would no longer want to exist. She didn't know how or what to do, but when the time came, she would try and find way. When Edward was gone, she would gladly give herself to the dark embrace of death rather than live an endless lifetime in the nightmare that was her existence. An eternity of isolation and monstrosity and the hate all mortal creatures felt towards what she was would be unbearable to her once she was alone. Eventually, her parents would die, and Edward would die and when that happened…Well, what point was there in trying to go on?

When Bella finally awoke, the sun was high in the sky, although hidden behind the dark clouds that rained gently down upon the tree above her. Edward was sleeping soundly next to her, head laying on her side and peaceful face smooth and perfect. Perfect, except for the dark purple bruises that marked the left side of his face. The sight of his angelic face so disfigured by Tanya's hands angered Bella beyond rational thought.

That fuckin' bitch! Bella thought furiously. She hurt him. She hit him, goddamnit! I wish I could bring her back and kill her again that stupid piece of shit--

"Bella?"

Edward's voice snapped her out of her trance, and Bella realized she'd been snarling quite loudly and her fangs were bared. She quickly stilled her growling and nudged Edward's shoulder lightly in reassurance. "Anything wrong?" He asked. She snorted and just nudged him again. He smiled sleepily at her and put a hand on her face, rubbing gently. "Feel better?"

Bella stood up slowly, so as not to throw him off, and stretched appreciatively. Her muscles were stiff, but the cuts were gone and the strength had returned to her limbs. She flashed Edward a toothy grin and spun in a tight circle. Her heart lifted greatly as he laughed brightly at her antics, and she woofed quietly at him. He smiled at her, and she lay down on the ground, inviting him to sit on her back. He obliged after asking if she was sure it wouldn't hurt, and soon they were making their way into the forest, the scenery much different in the daylight. Bella was extremely careful not to run into any humans, and they ran undisturbed for almost an hour. It felt good to run, and it felt right to be with Edward again. She had missed him terribly while she'd been gone, and to be with him now was like the sun returning to her sky. He seemed to enjoy being with her too, and the two of them floated through the trees happily together.

Bella suddenly switched directions, taking them in a different direction than they had ever gone to before. Edward leaned down to ask her where they were going, but she only sped up in response. After about fifteen minutes, Bella stopped and lowered herself to the ground so that Edward could climb off her back. She ran behind some trees and morphed first into her two-legged form, and then into a human. This way, she had clothes when she changed back. When she stepped out from behind the trees, she was greeted by a big bear hug from Edward as he lifted her up off of her feet and twirled her around.

"I missed you SO much!" Edward cried, and Bella laughed gleefully, hugging his neck tightly. "I missed you too," she smiled when he finally set her back down. He grinned at her and kissed her passionately, making it hard for Bella to control herself.

God, he is so perfect.

"I have something to show you," Bella told Edward when they broke away, gasping for air. He smiled inquisitively and she took his hand. Let them figure out what they were going to do about the mess at home later. Right now, Bella just wanted Edward. She led him through the dense brush, and eventually they emerged into a clearing. Edward gasped in wonder as he saw where Bella had taken him.

It was a beautiful meadow, bathed in sunlight and shining a bright golden color. The grass was green and soft and inviting, and flowers bloomed and covered the slope with rich splashes of color. Never had Bella seen a more beautiful place, and she had known when she'd found it that she wanted only to share it with Edward.

"It's beautiful, Bella." Edward whispered. He looked down at her, dazzling her with that perfect smile and those adoring green eyes that wiped away every doubt and fear in Bella's heart. His gorgeous rusty hair gleamed in the light and his face although still swollen was that of an angel's. Her angel.

Bella pulled him over to lie down in the grass, soft and like a cozy blanket. There, surrounded by the beauty and wonder of that secret place, they stared deeply into each other's eyes, seeing the beauty and wonder of the other's secret places. The places no one else had ever seen. Their souls.

Wordlessly, Edward pulled Bella into a heart-stopping kiss, one that was filled with more emotion than ever before. It hadn't seemed possible, but it apparently was. When they broke off, Edward's eyes were soft and warm and filled with light. He leaned in, breath hitting Bella's neck and sending shivers down her spine.

"I love you, Bella."

Bella sucked in a breath, looking deep into those emerald pools and seeing the truth there. He loved her. And she loved him. More than anything. More than anyone had ever loved anyone else before, she was sure. He had just spoken the words she had so longed to hear him speak, although…

Bella took Edward's face in her hands, cradling that precious masterpiece as she kissed him

lightly, lovingly. He let her hold him, running his hands up her sides and squeezing her tightly. Bella

continued staring into his beautiful eyes and she touched his lips with one finger. "I love you too." She

whispered. He smiled that brilliant smile of his, and they kissed

again, holding each other in a lover's embrace, and they stayed there until the sun set behind the

mountains. Everything would have been perfect…

Except that wasn't what happened.

"I love you, Bella." he said.

He loves me, Bella thought. And I love him.

But I can't have him.

And then she ran. Ran away from that meadow and from her fears. Ran away from the pain she felt, ran away from the decision she wasn't willing to make. Bella ran away from Forks, leaving behind her home and her family and the boy who loved her.

The boy who loved the werewolf.

A/N: Sorry, sorry! Did I just ruin your day? Hope not…

I really like the boy/werewolf lines. Can you tell? There is a poll on my site. Check it out.

Really great story=The Girl in the Diner by KCakaAlice. R&R it J