I own nothing, its all S Meyers.

Chapter Fourteen: Loving Her (Edwards POV)

"Alice? What the hell do I do?" I hissed down the phone. Alice my perpetually exuberant sister was laughing uncontrollably on the other end of the phone. Laughing at me. It had been so long since I had heard her tinkling laugh, it made me smile. Then I remembered why she was laughing.

"Alice... please" I moaned.

"Hang on Edward" I groaned as I heard Alice repeating to my family the words Bella had just said.

"Alice!" I growled down the phone, I could hear Emmett's laughter bouncing of the walls.

"What do I do?" I pleaded.

"Sorry Edward, I'm not sure but Bella is shy. I think she might be winding you up." Alice giggled again.

"Do you have two hands to spare Edward?" with that Alice was laughing again, she was enjoying my discomfort, I knew I had earned that. I put the phone down, I needed a plan and well two could play at that game, and I could see how far she would be prepared to go to wind me up.

As I waited for the sound of the toilet flushing, I thought about Bella. The past three years had nearly destroyed me, living without my life was an intense torture. I could not fathom how I had remained in exile. It was only the knowledge that she was safer away from me that had ensured my absence from her life. But she hadn't been safer. I knew Alice had kept an eye on her from time to time but she hadn't watched her all the time. I had found out about Victoria far too late, but it seemed the wolves had taken care of her, something I should have done. Discovering that my Bella had put her life in the hands of the immature wolf pack frightened me, but they had protected Bella when I failed to. I was more grateful to them than they would ever know and no matter how much they hated my kind if I could ever repay that debt I would gladly do so.

I'd spent months convincing myself to stay away. I saw less and less of my family, Alice had fewer and fewer visions of Bella which in turn gave her fewer excuses to call me. Alice missed Bella more than anyone else in my family and though it was barely a thousandth of the pain I felt when away from Bella, it still hurt her. Alice had tried to reason with me after every vision she had of Bella, each time she became more desperate and more angry. I had been very cruel to Alice when I left Bella. I had told her to stay away from Bella, to stop her interfering. I had said a lot of things to cause me regret, for which I don't think Alice will forgive for a very long time.

When Alice had the vision of Bella in trouble, my world crashed around me and I felt a panic tearing at my insides. The thought of her not existing in this world was more painful than anything I have ever felt. I had gotten to Forks as fast as I could, but she wasn't there anymore. I had to listen to Charlie's thoughts for almost two days before I discovered where she lived. Those two day's were beyond torture, I had considered confronting Charlie and demanding to know where she was.

I tracked her down easily enough once I knew where to start. The first time I had laid eyes on her in three years, to the day, she was running across the main street in Seattle to get out of the rain. I stopped dead and stared at her. She was more beautiful than ever, her hair was longer and the rain made it look so dark it could have been black. Against her hair her skin was the purest ivory, her full lips like soft pink rose petals.

I had ached to hold her in my arms and kiss those lips. I could not turn away from her but then she turned and her eyes locked on mine. I ran, I had thought it was better for her if I stayed away. So I watched from the shadows as she shrugged her shoulders and disappeared in to the shop. I had followed her around through the thoughts of the other shoppers. She appeared to get more and more annoyed as her shopping trip progressed, I had laughed at her expression. I hadn't laughed for three years. It felt so good like a warm liquid flowing through my cold stone body.

I knew I had to stay close enough to protect her but I was afraid to let her know I was there, afraid I might hurt her if I got to close. I kept telling myself this as I followed her home. I had smiled when I saw her house, it was just so Bella. The small house would not have been out of place in a Jane Austin novel. The front garden, though very small, was filled with shrubs and Roses. I knew in spring it would be green and lush, the roses would bring a burst of colour. I moved around to her back garden which was much bigger, the garden stopped against the edge of a wooded area.

I still wasn't sure that was a good thing. You never knew what was hiding in the woods. I chuckled darkly at that as I watched her move about the house from the tree line at the bottom of her garden. The temptation to knock on her door was almost impossible to resist. It was all I could do not to crash through her door and take her in my arms once more and beg her to take me back. I wonder what her reaction would have been.

I had listened to her telephone call with her friend Jake. I heard the words La Push and knew he was a member of the Wolfpack. Bella spoke warmly almost tenderly to him and immediately I felt jealous of him. Bella cared for him, I wondered if she loved him and hated the pain that accompanied the thought. After all I had left her, had intended for her to move on and have the future I could not give her. I suddenly hated him and the easy way he could talk to her. I wanted to talk to her, to see her smile tenderly at me, to hear warmth and love in her voice as she spoke to me. I didn't deserve her then, I still don't now. But I knew I had lost the fight to stay away. Whatever the consequences, I knew that I would stay with her now, I could never leave her again unless she sent me away. Though I would never truly leave, I would watch over her and keep her safe, she just wouldn't know it.

I sighed as I remembered the night she had an intruder and the phone call she made. I couldn't believe Bella was a policewoman, and a DI so young. I found myself shaking with silent laughter at the thought of Bella being in the police. The thought turned dark very quickly, her job had dangers and Bella was a magnet for danger. What was she thinking? I was almost angry with her for her choice of career. But I was here now, I will protect her.

I sighed and tried not to think about the night she was attacked, the night I went hunting, foolishly I had assumed Bella would be with her friends, I should have known better. I had come so close to losing her.

I still felt the horror of watching her body thrown backwards as the bullets hit her. I felt sick as the images flashed through my head. By the time I had controlled my rage, Bella had fought of the other attacker somehow and was aiming her gun at him. I hadn't wanted her to shoot him, to become a killer, she was too good for that. But shoot him she did, because I couldn't control my rage long enough to ensure both her attackers were dead.

Though the one that shot her, paid with his life, I would have liked him to have suffered a bit first. The first attacker was lucky. The things he had wanted to do to Bella... the rage made me almost incoherant, I wanted to rip him apart, and I knew where he was... No it was best not to think of it, even now I knew I would not be able to contain my rage if I came across him. I wanted to sneak into his prison hospital room and end his life.

Luckily my phone rang then, disturbing my angry thoughts, it was Alice.

"Alice? Are you going to laugh at me again?" I demanded the anger still evident in my voice. I cursed silently.

"I had a vision of you." Alice sounded distant. I tried to hear her thoughts but she was blocking me.

"Be careful with her Edward she's in more pain than she's letting on, Oh and Edward remember be a gentleman." Alice hung up. I'd upset her again, damn I really needed to talk this out with her. But why did she always have to be so cryptic. I listened for her thoughts again but she was singing along to Jon Bon Jovi and translating the words into Russian as she sang. I really did need to make it up to her.

I heard movement in the bathroom and heard the toilet flush and I forgot about Alice as I ran lightly back up the stairs. Bella opened the door and smiled up at me, I could drown in her deep chocolate eyes. Her face was slightly flushed I wondered if like Alice had said the pain was worse than she was letting on.

"Are you ok Bella, your cheeks are a bit flushed, is your shoulder getting worse?" I asked concerned that I might have missed something, I wondered if I should call Carlisle.

"No I'm ok, I will take some more painkillers though, I'm due another dose..." Bella smiled again. I loved her smile, it shined on me like the warm rays of the sun. She melted me, made me more human. Her voice interupted my thoughts

"... then I'm going to get a shower." with that Bella headed to her bedroom a smug smile playing on her lips and though her shoulders remained stiff her hips swayed hypnotically in front of me. I fought the urge to grab her hips and pull her back into me. A new hunger was stirring in me.

I knew then that Alice was right, Bella was teasing me. I chuckled quietly as I decided to play along with her and see how far she would go to embarrass me.

I ran downstairs, got her painkillers, a glass of water and ran back up to her bedroom. I was standing in her bedroom doorway before she had even finished getting her pj's out of the closet. She turned around and I offered her the painkillers and glass of water. Bella swallowed the tablets with a grimace and set the glass down by her bed. She picked up her pj's and headed towards the bathroom brushing past me and smiling up at me through her lashes.

The touch of her skin grazing against mine stunned me. I felt a burning tingle where her skin touched mine. I felt on fire. It was then that I decided she did need some assistance in the shower, so I followed her in.

Please be warned the next Chapter contains a lemon.

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