Bella PoV

"Who was that?" Mike asked me while he drove down the interstate to the fair.

"Who was who?" I asked in confusion.

"This kid coming out of your door when you opened. Is he one of the Indians?"

"Yes, he is. The younger brother of someone I knew once." I hoped this would end the topic, but Mike wasn't finished. "And what did he want?"

"Just catchin' up. It's been a long time since I last saw him."

"He reminds me a bit of the guy you've invited to the movies last year. The one with the long hair. What was his name again? J-something?"

My heart squeezed tight. "Jacob. And no, they're not related but I understand why people think that. They're all pretty close in that tribe."

"Strange people. I saw some of them when I went down to the beach with Eric and Pete last week. They were jumping down that really high cliff, laughing like maniacs. They all had this strange tattoo on their shoulders and looked like they work out 24/7. Like they were in a cult or something."

If you only knew how close you are to the truth...

"As I said, they are all pretty tight in that tribe. And cliff diving is one of their favourite past times" I answered with a faint smile, remembering the one time I had seen them do that with Jacob before he'd first phased.

"You say that like you know them." Mike shot me a sideways look and I shrugged. "A little. But not anymore."

This seemed to relax him a little and we drove the rest of the way in silence.

Ben and Angela were already there when we arrived, grinning, and waving at us when Mike pulled in the parking lot.

"Hey there!" Eric greeted me with a small hug and Mike with a handshake while Angela kissed me lightly on both cheeks. "Glad you guys could make it."

Mike put an arm around my shoulder and together we made our way into the flashy, loud, and bright fair.

With a grin and a small bow Mike handed me the plastic rose he had won at the shooting game. "Take it as a small token of my undying devotion to you, Mylady."

I flushed and took the rose. It was small gestures like these that made me uncomfortable. He was so nice and so sweet, and he really liked me and each time I felt like the meanest person on earth because I couldn't return his feelings.

"How about we grab something to eat?" Eric suggested, pointing to an area where different food booths offered a huge variety of snacks and drinks.

Angela nodded. "I'm starving too." She held tight to the black teddy bear Eric had won for her a few games back. The stuffed animal grinned like a fool and clutched a little heart to his chest that said I love you

Mike looked towards me. "What about you? You hungry too?"

I nodded. "Yes, but I'll need to go somewhere first. Just go along, I'll find you there."

My friends agreed and strolled off while I looked around for a bathroom.

"I never took you for a fair-girl."

The sudden sound made me jump. Immediately, my foot got caught up in something and I tripped and fell. Before my head could collide with the ground, sending me to the hospital with a concussion, something cool and hard caught me and brought me back to my feet.

My heart beat loud and quick, and my head felt dizzy. Salvia filled my mouth and I quickly swallowed it down my dry throat.

At first, I thought I was dreaming. It just couldn't be.

But then I turned and there he stood, beautiful and unchanged as always, a small smile on his beautiful, marble-like face, his eyes golden and soft. His long, delicate fingers still held on to my upper arm where he'd caught me.

"Edward..." I breathed, all air deserting my lungs.

"Hello, Bella." His voice sounded exactly like I remembered it, smooth and relaxing. Like before the woods, before his voice had turned cold as ice.

"But... why?" Still, I could only whisper.

He smiled sadly. "I know, I said I would leave and never come back. And yet, here I am."

I couldn't hold it. I reached out and touched his face, his skin smooth and cold beneath my fingertips. His eyes closed and for a while it was like before. He had always said he enjoyed the touch of my hand, the warmth it gave him, the feeling of something alive.

"I missed you" I admitted because it was the truth. I had missed him, in different ways, even when I was with Jacob.

"I missed you too"he whispered, putting one hand above mine.

"I read your letter."

"So, you know..."

"What happened, yes."

"Bella, I can't say often enough how sorry I am. I didn't mean for things to turn out this way." The look in his golden eyes was one of pure sadness and my body began to tremble. After all this time I thought I was over him and yet only one look was enough to bring me down to my knees again.

"Edward...I..."

"I know." He stood still like a statue, his golden eyes never leaving mine. His red lips were curved in a light smile and now he touched my cheek in return. "My beautiful Bella... If you only knew how much I love you. You are the one ray of sunshine in my life, the only living thing in a world full of death." He came closer, pressing his cool forehead against mine. "I was such a fool for hurting you when the only thing that mattered to me was your happiness."

"I love you too..." There. It was out in the open. The one thing that I had always known to be true even after he had betrayed me in the woods. I loved him, still loved him, and would most probably continue to love him until the day I died.

"Oh Bella... My Bella." Edward sighed. When he drew back, it was like stepping outside on a warm spring day from a cold house. "I love you, so, so much."

Then he released me, stepping back. "But I am not good for you. And you know that. Don't try to deny it. Bella, being with me would mean death. You said you wanted me to turn you last year. You asked me to kill you so you could spend eternity at my side. I didn't do it then and I won't do it now. Bella, you are alive. You are young. You can't throw away all this. When Carlisle turned me, it was because I was at the brink of death. All of us were. We didn't have a choice, but you do. You have to choose life, Bella, not death. I love you, my Bella and it's because of that, that I have to let you go."

I frowned. "What? Why?" I wanted to step closer and touch him again, but he held out a hand and shook his head.

"Bella, what happened that night shouldn't have happened. I came back because I still loved you and wanted you back at my side. When I saw that you'd moved on, I should have let you go but I was too weak. I didn't see clearly at that time. I was consumed by sadness and anger and all I wanted was to kill everything that stopped you from being with me. But what I should have seen was that you were happy. It kills me to say that, but he loves you. I've seen it at the plain; I've seen it at the hospital and even in the woods. He wanted me to leave you alone because he loves you. And you love him. You were happy with him and you were alive. And that's what I want for you Bella. Love and Life. I can't give you that, but he can. Don't throw away your chance at happiness for a mistake that I've made."

By now, tears were streaming down my face. My fingers curled into fists, nearly crushing the stupid plastic rose that Mike had given me. "Why? Why are doing this, pushing me back in his arms even though you still love me?"

Edward smiled. "Let's say that someone came to me today and reminded me of a few things. Seth, I think his name was. Nice kid but very stubborn. A bit like you when you want to get your way."

Seth?

"Will you leave?" I asked the first thing that came to my mind. He nodded. "Yes. But I'll come back now and then. You know, I can't stay away from you forever."

Visions rose up in my mind, about a forever young Edward visiting me in different stages in my life, from my graduation from college to my first child, to old age. It felt weird but that's what he wanted for me, wasn't it? A life. Growing up and growing old, starting a family, have children and grandchildren. While he stayed seventeen forever.

Life was not fair.

He knew that better than anyone.

"I love you..." I whispered through my tears. He nodded. "I know." Briefly I felt the touch of his cold, hard lips against mine then he was gone, leaving me like he had in the woods. But this time, I knew he'd come back. And I knew I wasn't alone.

Only slowly the noises of the fair came through to me. The shrieking of children, the music from the different attractions, the smell of cotton candy and hot dogs. It took me awhile to gather my thoughts enough to form a plan.

My need to go to the toilet forgotten, I made my way hastily to where I hoped to find Mike, Eric, and Angela.

I found them sitting around a small plastic table, each holding a hot dog. They looked up when they saw me approaching. "Hey, Bella." Mike said first. "We didn't know if you liked a hot dog, so we waited before buying you something... Is everything alright?" The blond man asked when he saw my confused state. "Has something happened?"

"Mike, I need to go." I panted because of my wild run back here.

"What? Why? Is something wrong with your dad?"

Even Eric and Angela looked puzzled, putting down their food.

"No, it's nothing like that. But I need to go home now. I made a huge mistake and I have to go and fix it."

"What, right now? Can't it wait until tomorrow?" Mike was utterly confused by now and I couldn't blame him. We had such a nice evening before, everything had been going great, then I disappeared for a few minutes and now I was panting like a maniac and blabbering about a huge mistake I had to fix in the middle of the evening.

"No, it can't. Mike, please, I know you don't understand, and I can't blame you. But you remember that kid that was at my house earlier? I lied when I told you that he only wanted to catch up. He was actually trying to bring me back. He and the other Quileute are like family to me, and I need to go back to them. Please."

Mike's face clouded as he began to understand. "It's because of a guy, isn't it? You left him and now you realize that this had been a huge mistake and want to go back."

I nodded. "Yes." I remembered the plastic rose and laid it down carefully in front of him. "I am so sorry I can't be the girl you want me to be. You are an amazing guy, and you deserve someone equally amazing."

Mike looked at the rose in front of him then he shook his head and handed me the rose back. "No Bella. Keep it. You are an amazing girl and I want you to have it, even if you don't feel the same way about me as I do about you." He stood up. "Come on, I'll take you wherever you need to go."

About an hour later we arrived at the border to the Quileute Reservation. It was already dark and the streets there poorly lit, but I would have found my way blindfolded my now. I turned to face Mike who had a sad look on his face but still tried to smile. I held out a hand. "Friends?"

He nodded and shook it. "Friends."

He started the engine and drove away while I was already running towards the reservation. I had a feeling I wouldn't find him at his house and didn't even bother going that way. Instead, I headed straight down to the beach, running all the way. On my way I encountered nobody (or everybody avoided me) and so I was down at the beach twenty minutes later. There were no lampposts or anything, the moon, and the stars the only source of light. For a wolf or a vampire that would be no problem but for my poor human eyes it was serious one. How was I supposed to find him in this darkness?

I could barely see my own hand in front of my eyes. Where did it have to be new moon tonight?

I wandered around helplessly, quietly calling his name. I followed the shoreline, feeling the wet sand beneath my feet.

After ten minutes of wandering, I sighed. This wasn't going anywhere. Maybe he wasn't even here, and I was going around in circles for nothing. I should probably head back and try to find his house. Or any house. They would have a flashlight that I could borrow and then I could look around for him.

I used the sound of the crashing waves as an orientation line to make my way away from the beach. I knew that if I just headed straight ahead, I would find a house eventually.

Just when the ground beneath my feet changed from wet sand to damp grass, I felt a presence beside me. My heartbeat began to quicken. "Jake?" I asked quietly. Could it really be this easy?

"Bella?" His voice sounded hoarse and very much unlike him, yet I immediately knew that it was him. The familiar heat rising from his body, his scent, a mix between wolf and man, it all added up to Jacob.

My Jacob.

"I'm so glad I found you" I breathed. I didn't dare to get closer, not yet.

"What are you doing here?" He too didn't come closer. It even sounded like he was stepping away a bit.

"I was looking for you."

"Why?" A small sound of hope amidst all this sadness that surrounded him.

God, what had I done to him?

"Because I love you. And I realized what a huge mistake I made. I just saw the monster and forgot completely that this was not you. You are still Jacob; my Jacob and I just love you so much."

"Bella... I... I am sorry. So sorry." A heavy sound showed me that he must have dropped on his knees and by instinct I went down too, reaching for his massive body and, once I found it, drew him as close to me as I could.

"Don't. Don't apologise. This was not you; this is not you. I was stupid to forget how much I love you. I don't care what you did. I promised to stay at your side, remember? And I'm going to keep that promise."

His arms went around me, encircling me and I was drawn against his chest, smooth and hard and warm. Smiling happily, I put my hand to the spot where I could feel his heart beating heavily. His shoulders shook a little and when I reached out with my other hand; I could feel tears wetting his cheeks.

"I'm never going to hurt you again, I promise" he whispered, burying his face in my hair.

"You never hurt me, Jake. Not even then. And I know you never will."

"I love you." These three words came out as a sob, but I didn't care. With a small smile on my lips, I lifted my face up until our foreheads touched. With my hand I traced the outlines of his face. "Beautiful..." I whispered, like countless times before.

"Not as beautiful as you..."

I chuckled but not for long because then his lips suddenly were on mine, embracing me in a very familiar and yet very new way. The kiss was soft and full of love. And a promise. A promise of a future. A lifetime. Forever.

The End