Edward POV

I was in Port Angeles again. To know that Rosalie hated me for what I did to Sebastian was too much. It wasn't very late though. And I was in the crowdie area. It was less likely to be attacked by mugs. I walked around without any destination for two hours replaying every moment that I tortured Sebastian in my head. I deserved the pain. I was a monster. I finally stumbled upon a bar in the city. It was quite famous in Port Angeles. I decided to go in for I had nothing better to do than waste myself right now. I'd never drank myself down before. I sat at the bar staring at the drinks. I must have zoned out because I was being forced to pay attention to my surroundings by the click of fingers. I shook my head and saw the bartender in front of me.

"You alright son?" He asked. He was in his late fifty's.

"Tough day." I murmured.

"Tell me about it." He chuckled. "I got a thin guy drowning in misery an hour earlier. I sent him up. There are a lot less people and instruments there. Why don't you go up?" He asked. I nodded in agreement lazily as he pointed to the stairwell. The upper floor was quite empty. I was quite saddened by the prospect. What I did not expect was a thin guy with black shaggy hair wearing an over-sized black hoodie and sky blue jeans. I was shocked. His head was buried in his folded hand which was on the table. I neared him unsure and yet quite confident with my assessment. I knocked lightly on the table he was sleeping on. He lifted his head with a start revealing something that I didn't expect and at the same time expected. He looked at me with wide eyes.

"EDWEIRD!" He cheered. He was obviously drunk.

"Sebastian?" I questioned. He giggled and simply pulled me towards him by my t-shirt. I was quite shocked to respond.

"It's so-" He burped. "Goooood." He slurred looking at me. "To see you!" He squeaked. He turned to the bartender. "Mr. Blackbeard! Get Eddie some of your TEA!" Oh my god. He looked at me with a cute goofy grin. His face was quite cute and pretty for a guy actually. "Mr. Blackbeard gave me some tea!" He said hiccupping. "Best damn tea I've ever had!" He giggled again.

"Do you know him?" The bartender asked me with a worried look.

"Um…Kind of." I said unsure.

"Yeah. He asked for tea and I handed him a beer saying we didn't have tea. Got high on one glass." He murmured looking at Sebastian. "Well. If you don't know him, I will have to send him to a drunk tank."

"No!" I said immediately. "I'll take him." I said. It was the least I could do. I looked over at him wondering what to do. Wasn't he supposed to be in Florida?

"Ed." Sebastian called blinking his eyes.

"Yes Sebastian?" I said sitting beside him.

"Why is the world so mean?" He asked hiccupping and looking towards nowhere in sadness. I didn't answer. He grabbed my t-shirt and pulled me towards himself. I panicked for a second but he left me in the midway. "I don't like living." He sniffed looking at me.

"You shouldn't say that." I said patting his back lightly.

"But I don't like it. Doesn't my choice matter too?" He asked sadly.

"You are drunk Sebastian. I'll take you home." I said getting up.

"NO!" He said protesting. "I don't want to go. And stop calling me Sebastian!" He hiccupped annoyed.

"Should I call you Izzy?" I asked.

"Yeah." He sighed. "I am not lying Ed." He murmured and tears came out of his eyes. "It hurts." He cried silently.

"Your stomach?" I asked worried.

"No." He breathed looking at me with red puffy eyes. I didn't say anything for a few moments. "I loved my mum." He said suddenly. "She was so beautiful and she used to experiment in my kitchen." He smiled through the tears. "She was so vibrant and strong and to me, the mere thought of losing her never occurred." He cried more. I squeezed his hand in sympathy not knowing what to do. He wiped his tears through his sleeve and sniffed again. "We were walking down the street after shopping. I was thirteen at that time. And then these guys surrounded us. I was weak." He said the last sentence like acid. My heart clenched painfully in my chest. "And I begged them to take me instead but they laughed and pointed a gun square on her head." He cried more. "And with a 'pop', she was gone." He was crying openly now. "I screamed and thrashed begging her to wake up knowing she wouldn't." He cried. "I couldn't save her Edward. I didn't but I could have." He said rubbing his eyes. "It was all my fault." He cried. I hugged him from the side as he sobbed. Tears slipped out of my own eyes knowing how well it could have been Alice and me five weeks back. "They weren't done after that." He said gravely. His eyes were bloodshot after the crying but it seemed like he had no tears left now. "I am not a virgin Edward." He said gravely. The words entered my head with a painful realization.

"I am so sorry Izzy." I said, my voice cracking with pain and guilt. I had never known such things about him.

"Only dad and Carlisle know about the last part Edward." He murmured, his eyes drooping.

"At the hospital. I felt complete after all these years because while I was sleeping, I saw my mom. And she looked so beautiful. She said she didn't blame me. And it wasn't my fault." He croaked with a watery smile recalling the memory. "But I realized today that whatever it was. It was just a dream Ed. Just a stupid dream!" He cried.

I touched his shoulder lightly. "How do you know it wasn't a dream?" I said soothingly. "Besides Izzy, I don't think your mom would want you to keep doing what you are doing. You don't deserve any of this." I said. My face was red now. All these years I wondered why he acted so mysterious and quiet. Never had I imagined for him to have such a dark past.

"Thank you Ed." He sniffed. "And I'll protect you Edward." He sniffed wiping his face for the last time.

"Protect me from what?" I asked furrowing my eyes.

"Wosie!" He hiccupped.

"You mean Rosalie?" I asked raising my brows.

"Yep." He slurred. "She was so angry." He hiccupped again. "I told her not to sweat it."

"I thought she found out during lunch." I said confused for a second.

"Yeah. I told her not to sweat it but she didn't listen." He said with a snort. "She never listens. Lucky I helped you through volleyball. She'll warm up to you. I think." He said thoughtfully.

"You weren't at school today Izzy." I said.

"I was." He said strangely.

"You're supposed to be in Florida." I said.

"What will I do in Florida?" He asked questioning my sanity. "I was with Wosie and Pixie. You helped me stand up after Gym." He was barely coherent now.

"It was Bella, I helped Izzy." I said.

"Oh." He said confused. "Wait. I am Bella." He said furrowing his eyes. He was truly drunk now. "Why are you confusing me?" He asked glaring at me.

"You're not Bella. You are Sebastian Isaac Monroe." I said firmly.

"No! I am not Sebastian Isaac Monroe. I am Isabella Marie Swan!" He exclaimed looking at me angrily now. I flinched when I heard Bella's middle name. No. She couldn't be Marie. I had met her before she joined the school.

"You're drunk Izzy." I stated.

"I am Bella slash Izzy. Not drunk." He said to me seriously.

"That's it!" I exclaimed wrapping my arm around his chest and slightly forcing him to stand up.

He didn't protest. He simply slumped in my arms and allowed me to him walk. "Do you know why I never fought back Ed?" He asked me looking in my eyes. I froze at that moment. He was so close to me at that moment that I couldn't comprehend what I was seeing. His eyes were glistening in the sun with a small streak of gold in them with their chocolate depths sinking me in. I looked at his face more closely. His eyebrows were dark brown with hints of red unlike his jet black hair. I lifted my shaking hand to his forehead and slightly tugging at his black hair. It was elastic. I lightly pulled it off to reveal the mahogany waterfall with streaks of red. My world froze as of that second. She continued. "I have had a crush on you for three years but I knew I wasn't worth you. That you deserved so much more and that I was none of the things you deserved." Tears slipped out of her eyes. She didn't notice her wig falling away. She was too drunk for that. "I'm sorry." I hugged her to my chest. At that point, I felt my world crashing down on me.

Bella was Sebastian. The one I had tortured for the past three years. She was also my Marie for I was the one who'd bullied her but she had faith in me that I was much more than I let on. And that I'd tortured and made the life of the one I'd loved a living hell. And that she had loved me all along. She believed in me and it took her to take three bullets to change my life. My chest hurt with the epiphanies. That's why Rufus was so connected to Sebastian. Why Jacob had been so depressed when she had been shot. Why the name 'Bella' had never been spoken in our house. Why Carlisle was so angry at me. I was the reason his daughter was in turmoil. Bella had saved my life and she still loved me. Despite all my doings. She was truly an angel and I didn't deserve her. I realized how the way she'd found Alice in Port Angeles was traumatic for her. For she knew what'd had happened if she hadn't been there. They'd have killed me. She was the reason I and Alice were alive.

"Edward?" Bella choked.

"Yes?" I asked my voice barely audible.

"Can you - Can you please buy me ice cream?" She asked looking at me with earnest eyes.

"Of course." I said as I wrapped my arms around her and carefully brought her down the stairs to avoid pain. I walked her to a nearby ice cream shop and she sloppily chose cookies n cream. I bought her the largest tub to keep her satisfied and I took a small cone of Choco-chip for myself. We sat at the diner and I watched her adorably lick her ice cream while looking at me with her tired eyes.

"Will you go to the dance with me?" She asked suddenly.

I choked on my ice-cream for a second. "After everything I've done to you, you still want me to go with you?" I asked her.

"You're not a bad person Ed." She said slurring. She sounded tired and worn out.

"I really like you Bella. And I'd love to go to the dance with you. But I will do that only when you ask me that while you're sober." I finished.

"I won't remember then." She disagreed shaking her head.

"So you admit you're drunk?" I asked chuckling trying to lighten the mood.

"You tricked me!" She exclaimed glaring at me.

"Okay. I'll ask you to the dance." She looked at me with a creamy smile that looked so adorable that I had to grin.