EPOV

Rosalie and Emmett looked at me curiously and I nodded towards the woods. We needed to talk in private, away from Bella's vampiric super hearing. She had done nothing to be ashamed of but I didn't want her to feel embarrassed, either.

When we were a safe distance from the house, Rosalie began the inquiry.

"What happened? Where did you and Bella go?"

I explained about our evening at the symphony and Bella's temptation. I didn't share about how our relationship had progressed. Emmett was full of compassion, while Rosalie blamed me.

"You shouldn't have put her in that position," Rosalie ranted. "A crowded concert hall? Really, Edward, how dangerous could you be?"

Emmett rubbed Rosalie's shoulders. "Rose, it's not Edward's fault. You know how hard it was for me when I was tempted like Bella was….she's a badass for showing that kind of control.."

"What happened to you was an accident," Rosalie protested. "Edward put Bella directly in harms way because of his weird obsession with her."

"Not true," Emmett replied, kissing her cheek. "And Edward is obsessed with Bella the way I am obsessed with you…they're mates just like we are."

He kissed his wife's cheek and Rosalie was immediately distracted by her attraction to her husband.

"Sorry, Edward,"Emmett apologized to me silently, as the two were kissing. "Rosalie just feels protective of Bella, that's all."

His mind quickly flashed to memories of Bella looking withdrawn and unhappy, and Rosalie comforting her, then moved to full concentration on his wife. I knew it was time for me to give the couple privacy.

Emmett and Rosalie were the most physical couple in the family. The other couples felt the same intense attraction and desire but were more subtle about how it was expressed. Although they had never stated it outright, I knew Emmett and Rosalie were a bit of exhibitionists. They liked the attention.

As their thoughts were consumed with one another, I ran back to the house, trying to block their activity from my thoughts. Bella's scent led me to the attic and I peeked inside to make sure she was alright. She had curled herself into a ball, much like she did when Alice called to tell me Bella had disappeared.

Bella kept her eyes closed, although I knew she detected my presence and I took that as a sign she didn't want me to bother her. However, I couldn't leave, so I sat on the floor, by the edge of the stairs, watching her.

BPOV

I felt better knowing Edward was close by, but I was glad he wasn't trying to talk to me. I was overwhelmed with shame and horror. With all my trips to Seattle I had become overconfident, thinking that I was above temptation. How silly I had been. I was a vampire. I wanted human blood. I would always want human blood. The family had protected me from my true nature, which I appreciated, but they couldn't protect me forever. It was inevitable that I would fail at some point and the very thought of that paralyzed me. Carlisle and Rosalie were the only ones in the family who had never yielded, but everyone else had tasted human blood. Even sweet Esme wasn't strong enough to resist. How was Iever going to make it?

At some point I heard Edward leave and I knew that meant the rest of the family had returned from their trip. Within a few minutes, I heard their voices as they entered the house. The conversation was cheerful as Alice described the Buffalo area.

"We were thinking that Emmett, Rosalie, Esme and Bella could go ahead of us and begin renovating the house we bought," Alice shared.

"Sounds good," Emmett agreed. "We always have fun on our construction projects, don't we Esme?"

Esme laughed. "That we do."

"I want to design a larger garage," Rosalie commented, seeming to think out loud. "Maybe underground this time…"

Curiosity got the best of me. I wanted to know what Edward was thinking, but he wasn't saying anything. As casually as I could, I joined the family in the living room.

"Bella!" Alice greeted me with enthusiasm. "Did you hear our plans? What do you think?"

I glanced at Edward, who was sitting rather rigidly, but his face was expressionless. He was looking out the window and seemed oblivious to the conversation.

Time passed quickly for our kind, but after spending a week alone with Edward, I now couldn't imagine spending a few months away from him. As much as my actions the night before made me feel sick, the thought of being separated from Edward made me feel much worse.

But, I didn't want Edward to know that.

"Sounds good," I reluctantly agreed, echoing Emmett's expression.

Jasper raised an eyebrow. "Bella, you're finishing your studies with Carlisle and me…plus, there is still some training to do. Would you consider staying?"

I breathed a silent sigh of relief. I had an excuse to stay! Slowly, I nodded.

"You're right, Jasper. As much as I want to go, I want to stay."

Out of the corner of my eye, I looked at Edward for his response.

He was smiling.