Disclaimer: You know the drill. S. Meyer owns the original plot. I own the twisted words below but not the characters.

A/N: This is a shorter chapter but I had to split it where I did so I hope you can forgive me.

Neither Edward nor Alice returned as the Cullens and the pack began plotting plans of attack. I tuned out the conversation going on around me and wondered why things kept getting so messed up between Edward and me. We loved each other so much and I just wanted that to be enough. But we both had our reasons for keeping each other at arm's length. Jake's hand wrapped around mine and he pulled me up to my room. I followed without question, ignoring the strange looks from everyone else in the tiny living area. I had to get out of there and my Jacob was hurting. He needed me and I was going to be there for him despite his asinine behavior over the last few months. Even though I did not want to admit the fact, I was wholly dependant on Jake, especially when Edward was not around. The look that crossed over Edward's face right before he left was almost enough to rip me open again. The hole had mended tremendously overnight but the doubts were creeping back in and the wounds were still raw.

"Bells, you okay?" Jacob was sitting on my bed next to me with an arm draped over my shoulder. I knew I should shrug him away in case Edward decided to return but I just needed his touch too much. I leaned into his side and sighed.

"Will he ever stop leaving? Even when he's telling me how much he loves me his thoughts are centered on leaving. I don't understand." I allowed the tears to flow but refused to give into the darkness that threatened to envelope me again.

"I think so. I mean, he loves you but I know he thinks he's not good enough." There were a few minutes of silence while I contemplated Jake's words. "He's right, you know." My head snapped up so I could glare at him.

"Why do you say that?" I tried to be angry and defensive but I knew Jacob only had the best of intentions when it came to anything to do with me.

"He's a monster, Bells. He tries to be something better and I respect that more than you'll ever know but it is a constant battle for him. Every time he's near you, I can see the bloodlust in his eyes. He's as worried as I am that one day it will become too much for him to control. You should not have to live in the shadow of the monster. Don't look at me like that. Edward knows this and that's why he distances himself from you. He does it to keep you safe from him." Jake lay back onto the bed and I followed.

"He hurts whenever he's around me but he refuses to change me. He thinks he'll take away my soul."

"Yeah, I know. He's also worried that you'll regret it one day."

"How do you know that?" I questioned.

"He told me. You two haven't known each other all that long and he is the only person you have felt this way about." His voice faltered on the word person but I appreciated his attempt to remain civil. "He's scared that you'll end up resenting him and realize that you deserve so much better than to be condemned with him. You're only eighteen, Bells. Why can't you just give this a little time?"

"Time is my enemy right now. I'm already physically older than Edward. If he waits a few years to change me, I worry how we'll be able to explain our relationship. I want to be with him but I don't want to have to shun all other society for the rest of my life because of our age difference." Surprisingly, this conversation was really helping me figure out all my insecurities and issues surrounding my relationship with Edward.

"I don't think you have to worry too much about that. You barely look sixteen now, I'm sure a few years won't make that much of a difference. You will probably still look younger than him." He looked at me with a smile on his face.

"You're right. I think I'm just so worried that if we wait too long he'll realize that I'm just this plain, ordinary girl and he will reject me." Wow where did that come from?

"Don't ever say that again!" His eyes showed his fury so I quickly moved away from him and off the bed. "You are not plain or ordinary, Bella. You are beautiful both inside and out. You are an amazing woman and ANY man you give your heart to is the luckiest on earth." Jacob had never been this adamant about anything before so I chose not to argue with him.

A knock on my bedroom door saved me from his intense stare. I opened the door to a very distressed Edward. My arms immediately wrapped around him and my eyes closed against his chest. I knew we were moving but I refused to pay attention to anything other than the feeling of him against me. I never wanted to be away from him and I knew that meant I would have to reevaluate some of my views on how our future should play out. The wind stopped moving around us and I looked up to find we were in the meadow. The familiar surroundings were a welcome sight. Edward released me and I sat on the damp ground unconcerned about my comfort.

"I'm sorry; I just couldn't stand to hear you pouring your heart out to him when I knew you should be sharing those things with me." Edward sat down across from me and positioned himself right in my line of sight.

"We haven't had much time alone together recently. I really did want to talk to you about these things but you just kept running away or planning to anyway." I tried to look away but he held my face in his hands. He leaned over and kissed me. Once again he stunned me with his intensity. He pulled me into his lap and parted my lips with his cold tongue. His hands rubbed up and down my back before they grabbed onto my hips. I was pretty sure I would have bruises there in the morning but I found myself wishing he would hold me tighter. My hands found their way to his hair and grabbed hold of it. A smile crept onto my face when Edward's hands started to roam. I was making out with Edward Cullen and it felt amazing.

After what felt like only minutes but was probably hours, Edward began decreasing the passion of our groping session before finally giving me one last chaste kiss and pulling me to my feet. My legs wobbled beneath me causing me to stumble forward and back into his arms.

"The only time I feel at home is when you're holding me." I chanced a glance at his face and was elated to see a huge smile.

"Please forgive me." He pleaded.

"For what?" I was nervous and afraid. Was he going to tell me he was leaving despite everything?

"I am much too selfish to ever let you go, Isabella." His lips met mine before I could respond. I really liked selfish Edward.

"We better get you back before Charlie comes home." With that he slung me onto his back and took off running through the trees.

Charlie came home just as I was setting the table for dinner. Jacob was still moping around the house and I worried that my Dad would be angry to find him here so I worked hard to make a lavish dinner to, hopefully, keep his mind off of crushing Jake's skull. The fishing trip had been successful and we were out of room in the freezer by the time Charlie was finished loading it with his latest catch.

"We're going to be eating nothing but fish for months." I teased my Dad as Jacob walked into the kitchen and sat at the table.

Charlie looked over at him and sighed but I placed a plate full of food in front of him right at that moment to distract him. Luckily, it worked and we ended up having a nice evening together. My Dad did not even complain when Jacob joined him in the living room to watch whatever game was on that night. I went up to my room feeling lighter than I had in a very long time. Edward sat in my rocking chair as I busied myself getting prepared for school the next day. I was transferring back to Forks High so that I could spend at least part of each day with Edward and Alice. My Saturdays were going to have to be divided between the vamps and the wolves. I was not looking forward to that conversation. Edward would not be happy with my plans to split my time among the Cullens and La Push.

I took a long, hot shower and crawled into bed with Edward at my side.

Notes: I thoroughly enjoy watching the reader count knowing that you all are actually reading the words my strange mind wields. Thank you for staying with this story and allowing me to take it this far. I owe a special thanks to those of you who have encouraged me from the very beginning. Some of you have reviewed almost every chapter and I send a special shout-out to you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for asking me not to give up on this tale and begging me to continue. I love you ~ you know who you are ~

Let me know what you would like to see happen next. I'm just curious where you see the story going from here. Who knows, you may make me rewrite the next few chapters :-)