Edward and I were perched on my bed as he played with my injured hand. A slight smile kept on his face. It was silent for a few minutes. I sat there staring at him as he stroked my hand, my fingers…

"Alice told you directly or indirectly that Victoria was back." I stated finally.

"Yes, indirectly." Was all he said as he kissed the tips of my fingers, his attention fully focused on them.

"Okay." I replied. "You didn't have to come. Jacob and the wolves have been watching out for her. They already killed Laurent. You don't have to do this." I said it all to fast.

Edward stopped and gently placed my hand down on the bed. He inched closer to me and was just inches from my face, staring intently in my eyes, "Yes I do." He whispered.

"No you don't Edward! It's too dangerous! I don't want any one else I love putting themselves in danger over me!" I yelled at him.

"Bella, I'm finishing what I started." He said expressionless.

"You don't have to. I understand your reasons though. But, if this ends badly I'm not going to blame you for what the outcome is, alright? You gave me so much to be thankful for okay? This isn't your war anymore. I'm not yours to protect anymore. You're off the hook, just, just go on with…with your existence. Don't stop whatever you were doing because of me. It's not fair to you. I, I am able to face whatever comes at me. I'm ready for this Edward." I did it. I got through my practiced statement without crying this time. I stayed up extra hours at night just finding the right words to say to him to let him go. My voice cracked with emotion through it but I actually finished without one tear escaping from my eye.

I left Edward speechless and he looked like he was dying, ironically.

"You believed it…all. You took to heart everything I said before I left you! You're even prepared to die because I brought these monsters onto you and believe that I wouldn't come back to fight this! I can see it you've thought this through. You honestly think that I would let you die in the hands of them!" Edward keeled over clutching his dead heart like he was stabbed in the chest.

I sat there, my mind trying to take all of what he said and his expression in. I couldn't.

"You're not my Savior now, Edward." I whispered, sadness balling up in my throat.

He looked up at me with the same expression. "I didn't know my words when I left you would have such an effect like this."

"What did you expect?" I said with anger. "Next day, I would forget you and move on to 'God forbid' Mike Newton? No, Edward I've never felt so hollow inside! I woke up every day wanting death before going through one solid day of misery without you!" I said crying through my words now. This part was unexpected, I didn't practice this one. It came out too fast, it had been pent up inside me of how much I wanted to let him know what he's done to me by leaving and what the consequences would be after he left again.

"…It was the same for me except I could never wake up." He whispered, now cradling my face in his hands.

"I don't understand!" I looked down, tears strolling down my cheeks.

"Everything I did or said was out of undying love for you. I thought I could keep you alive if I left you alone. It was a failed attempt of protecting you from any and all harm."
Edward whispered in my ear.

"It didn't work." I sniffled back.

He took me into his arms. "Yes, I see that now. You deserve more than a world of apologies. I will never be able to forgive myself for leaving. I love you Bella, I have always loved you, I will always love you. You never left me for a second while I was away from you! The things I said that evening were all lies. I wanted you to be safe and I knew it would be impossible with me around. All I brought with me and left behind was danger. I'm sorry. I can't say it enough." He sighed into my shoulder.

"Why couldn't you ever understand that you were the one saving me? I should have died the minute I walked into Biology my first day at school. But I didn't, because of your strength. I should have been crushed by the van in the parking lot, but you stopped it. You even held back your brother when he wanted to take a bite out of me! What did you think when you left? It would have been only a matter of time before I did myself in anyway. I can't walk outside without falling over my own feet. Danger…Magnet." I explained.

"I was the cause of…most of that danger." He shuttered.

"And you were the cause of me being here now, instead rotting 8 feet under."

He cringed and shook his head.

"But, but you left, you left me there alone, in the woods! How you said each word that night, it was so true, everything you said. It was true Edward!" I stated frantically.

"No Bella it wasn't! I swear it was all a lie! I didn't mean any of it!" He tried to explain.

"Edward, I'm not good for you. That statement was painfully true and holds together even now. I can't ever live up to you or your standards. I am merely human." It was hard to conjure out the truth but he needed to understand.

"That's false Bella. You will never see yourself clearly. You don't realize that my existence before you was merely just an existence. Nothing made sense until I met you. You are my reason now for existing!" He said every declarative word filled with intensity.

"Stop being dramatic. You had almost 100 years of life before me…You can go back. You already did, it won't be hard again." I whispered looking down.

He held my face up, "I can't go back. I won't go back. You are my life. Why are you believing those few things I said in the forest that night and nothing from before? Those million times I told you I loved you and can't be without you! Why?" His face was torn with sadness and despair

"Because after you said all of those things, they didn't matter because you left me." I wouldn't look in his eyes.

"Is this irreversible Bella? There is no way I can prove to you, what I did is for unconditional love for you? Do you want me to leave? Have I completely lost everything, you?"

"I want you…Always. I just…I don't know what will happen when you leave…" I said in a weak voice.

"I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving you again. I'll prove it, no matter how long it may take I'll earn back your trust." Edward wrapped his arms around me and pulled me so close to him. I locked my arms around him inhaling his scent on his neck.

We sat there without saying anything with only the sound of my sniffling.

He sighed, "What is it?" I pulled back to read his expression. His face full of sadness.

"You belong to someone else now." He stated.

I was taken by surprise. Edward was obviously talking about Jacob.

I bit my lower lip and looked back at him, "I do."