Thank you for all the encouraging reviews! Because you demanded it, here it is. Enjoy.

Edwards POV

The familiar smell of the moist and mossy Fork's forest penetrated my senses as a ran as fast as I could to our old home. I immediately made my way out of South America to Fork's upon receiving Alice's text message.

'We are all moving back to Forks and do not care what you think.'

That message came with no warning and no explanation. And despite my insistent calling to every member in the family, no one would pick up to tell me anything. I was being completely ignored. It was infuriating that they would disobey my wishes and go back! I have been suffering for months to keep myself away and was not going to let them ruin it. I have moved, without question, for each of them in the past, and now that I ask them to do the same they ignore my wishes and deliberately go against me. I had no choice but to go back and try to intercept their meddling before it ruined everything I was trying to do.

Bella deserved a normal life, free of all the troubles of my world. She deserved to go to college, get married, have children and grow old. I would endure all the torment of being away from her if that meant she could have that. My family being back in Forks would steal her chances for a normal future. I had to stop them.

I ran straight through the trees and into the clearing. They had not been here long, I could hear them scattered around the house, removing furniture covers and readying it for move in. How dare they come back here! I stormed into the kitchen and straight up to Alice whom had been waiting for me.

"What is the meaning of this!" I yelled, "None of you should be here!"

Alice stood her ground with crossed arms looking just as angry as me. Jasper appeared at her side in a protective stance, sensing my violent rage. Carlisle and Esme also came into the room, their thoughts reflecting joy of my return, concern for my appearance and state of mind and guilt that they had betrayed my decision. Emmett and Rosalie stayed in the other room, choosing to stay out of the impending fight. None had a chance to speak before Alice threw her raging accusations at me.

"Edward you are a stupid idiot! This is the worst decision you have EVER made in your life. Your actions have not only hurt Bella and yourself but everyone in this family!"

"Regardless of your opinion Alice, this was my decision to make and I expect you to respect that," I retorted. "I have never made a fuss when we've had to move for anyone else." My eyes glanced towards her mate.

"This is completely different! Look at the harm you are doing!" Images flashed through her mind of Bella thin, pale and expressionless. Laying with lifeless eyes on her bed, hardwood floors and the forest dirt. Walking mindlessly through the school halls alone. Empty moments of silent dinners and pained responses.

"Stop it," I pleaded. It was excruciating to see my Bella alone and suffering, as if she was a walking zombie. I knew it wouldn't be easy for her. Even if she was a changing human that would eventually move on, she would have to endure the heartbreak I left her with. My obvious agony at these pictures didn't stop Alice as she continued to throw visions at me. Charlie hugging her late at night as she cries and clings to his shoulders. Surrounded by strangers drinking beer. Passed out on a bathroom floor with puke in her hair.

I turned to Carlisle and blocked her out. "You promised we'd leave her alone. That this was my business and my decision." I was hurt that my oldest friend and role model would betray me like this. Carlisle's face was conflicted and guilty, but when he turned to look at Esme, who might be crying if she could, it shifted into that of sympathy and sadness.

"We know you Edward," he stated. "What will you do if we stay away, she lives her life and eventually dies?" His eyebrow rose, begging the question. He knew all too well I didn't want to stay on this earth if she wasn't here to walk on it. Even while she is alive, I'm a complete wreck from being separate from her.

"Edward we all want you here. And to be happy," Esme chimed in. Her mind filled with memories of the months Bella and I spent together. Of our playful moments and smiling faces.

'She made you a better person' Carlisle thought with his mind running through the first day I met her. With blood crazed eyes, I maintain my self-control and drove away from him and Fork's hospital, escaping to Alaska. He remembered me leaning over her in the ballet studio and painfully pulling myself away from her delicious blood.

"We can't be selfish," I exclaimed. "Bella's life . . ." I trailed off as the familiar sound of an old truck engine in the distance reached my ears.

Everyone froze, and I glanced at Alice questionably. Had she invited Bella to the house? "We haven't made contact with her," Alice answered. "As far as she knows, no one is here."

My eyes glazed over, staring at nothing while my senses picked up everything coming from her. Rubber tires rolled over the long driveway of dirt and rocks, metal clanks from the old engine and the roar of the beast itself. Her breath was shallow and her heartbeat even. She played no music nor said any words. In my mind I played every second of her ascent to the house, seeing my imagination better than what was actually in front of me. I hardly noticed as the others left the kitchen, sneaking into the forest and upper rooms to hide.

I still had control; this was still my decision. Bella didn't know we were here and if I hid things would continue as if we never came back. My mind screamed at me that I should run. She must not know that I'm here. I am nothing but a monster and a danger to her. This world was not meant for her and she deserves a normal human life. I need to run now. I need to get away, I've walked away before I can do it again. This logic raced through my head, but I could not move.

Every cell of my body yearned to run towards her. She was everything to me and only a few yards away. I could see her, hear her voice, and smell her right now if I moved forward. She was in my reach and I wanted her. To look into her brown eyes and feel the warmth of her hand. Every moment we'd shared, every look she'd given me ran through my head.

The internal conflict to run away or to run forward left me paralyzed in indecision. I remained standing in the kitchen, staining my ears as she broke through the tree line. Her breathing and heart beat quickened as the house came into her view. She took deep breaths as if to calm herself and parked the truck at the front door. The engine was shut off, the sound of jingling keys, the flick of a lighter, fumbling hands, crinkling of cardboard, the squish of dirt and gravel under rubber shoes and the creak and slam of the truck door all pulsed through my ears. I hung onto every step as her feet trudged over dirt and onto the front steps. Thump, thump, thump. As if her movements held the beat of my dead heart.

After turning the door handle and letting herself in, then did she pause. In that second, I came back to myself and all my uncertainty raged within my head. You should run. You should go to her. You should run, get out of here before she sees you. You should go to her, hold her hand and beg for forgiveness. Still, I stood in the same spot, not moving. Leaving what happens to fate, I could not decide.

Bella took a deep breath from the entry way and walked forward into the dinning room. A soft thud echoed through the house as something landed on the table. I was not lost to the fact that my Bella stood mere feet away from me, just on the other side of the wall. Every nerve in my body was electrified and calling me to move closer. I heard her move through the room and open the kitchen door in front of me.

There she stood, a beautiful being sent from heaven. The smell of her blood flew at me with the swing of the door. My throat burned with familiarity and pleasurable torture. It did not fill me with blood lust like it had in the past, rather was a testament to her life and presence. Her warm, brown eyes bore straight into mine and from my lips escaped a sacrament. "Bella," I whispered.

The sides of her lips twitched upwards into a shy smile, as if meeting an old friend. I was held in complete awe as she advanced towards the kitchen cabinets. Fate made the decision I was to weak to, and the part of me that said to run was indefinitely silenced. There was no way I could ever leave her. My heart, soul and very existence belonged to her. I was her prisoner and happy for it. How could I ever think of staying away from this holy creature, whose magnetic field called out to me.

Appearing from the cabinet, Bella pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniel's whisky and started pouring some into a glass. "What are you doing?" I asked, the images I'd seen from Alice crossed my mind. Of Bella drinking beer with strangers, stumbling around unknown living rooms and puking into toilets. Bella smiled unashamed at me, her eyebrows slightly lifted as if I had asked a very stupid question.

"Drinking is not healthy for you Bella. I hope this isn't something you do often." I was quiet concerned now, this was not normal behavior for her nor was it healthy or wise. Rolling her eyes, she took a sip from the glass and stared at me. Her smile growing with a look of anticipation. As much as this worried me, it wasn't my right to say anything. I left her after-all. I wanted her to be human and this was a human thing wasn't it?

If anything, it was my fault she was drinking. I had seen in Alice's head the state shes been in since our leaving. If I hadn't left she wouldn't have found comfort in them, she wouldn't be this thin and pale. Her eyes would still shine with the passion of life. Alice was right, I am a stupid idiot, and this was the worst mistake of my life.

I hung my head in shame. "Bella, I know things have probably changed and you hate me," of course she hated me, I thought. I abandoned her. The Bella that loved me would have ran into my arms. "But leaving you was the biggest mistake of my life. Might you have it in your heart to hear me out?" If she could give me one chance to redeem myself I would do anything. I would gravel at her feet and beg her forgiveness. I would give her anything, even change her if she wanted. If she doesn't want me than I don't need to be her boyfriend, just a part of her life. To be in her presence was enough for me.

The angel's face changed. The smile disappeared, replaced with an agonized grimace. Her faced turned ghostly white and her free arm wrapped around her torso. Her heart beat erratically. It was confirmation enough that she indeed hated me, that I had ruined my one chance at happiness and wounded the only women I've ever loved.

With a quick, unexpected jerk she hurled the glass of whiskey at me. It broke against my shoulder, the liquid seeped into my shirt and pieces clattered to the floor. It had not physically hurt me, but the animosity of her actions was painful. She threw something at me, did she want it to hurt me? Of course she wants to hurt you, I thought, she hates you for breaking her heart. I had to pay for the consequences of my actions. Things were not just going to go back to how they were. I must fix this.

I raised my hands to offer peace, "You have every right to be angry-"

"Shut-Up," she screamed, cutting me off. I stood silence and patiently. I could wait for her to collect herself, surely this was not easy for her. The anger was still present, but a mix of confusion and bewilderment accompanied her face. She slowly stepped forward, lifting a shaky hand to touch me. It's as if she doesn't believe that I'm real. I wanted to ask if she was alright and to know what she was thinking.

"Bel-,"

"Shush!" She silenced me.

The tips of her warm, soft fingers brushed over my shoulder were the glass hit me. She froze, her face in complete shock. The warmth of her touch emanated throughout my body and I yearn to hold her. To wrap her in my arms and tell her everything would be okay. Yet, her brash, conflicted expression stopped me.

The glazed, far-off look in her eyes focused in as she lifted her head to gape at me. Her heart beat faster and faster and her breath started to catch. She yanked her arm away from me and slowly stepped backwards, shaking her head. She didn't hate me, she was scared of me. Terrified.

This reaction is what I expected when she found out I was a vampire. I waited for it in the meadow, when she met my family and when she woke up in the hospital after James attacked her. She never ran before, why now? Had she come to her senses? Finally understood the danger of my world?

"I'm crazy. I'm crazy," She proclaimed, "I've gone crazy."

I didn't understand. What was she thinking? Had she lost her mind while I was away? I moved forward wanting to comfort her but she continued to withdraw from me. Her back hit the kitchen wall and slid down it until she was sitting.

"You're not real. This isn't real," She hyperventilated, gaping at me with a hint of tears threatening to fall from the corners of her eyes.

I didn't know what to do, she was afraid of me. "Carlisle," I called, and he appeared at my side. She's not handling this very well, he thought, taking in the condition of the girl with her head tucked into her knees. Clearly having a breakdown as she states, "You're not real. This isn't real. I'm not crazy." She is not in a healthy state, physically and mentally. Observing her thin body and lack-luster hair and skin. Malnourished. Something foreign in her system. He glanced at the whiskey stain on my shirt and sniffed at her blood, trying to determine if that was the off-putting smell.

"She's afraid of me," I whispered and hung my head in shame, "She hates me." Esme materialized and placed a comforting hand on my arm, concern enveloped her as she took in the scene.

Carlisle resumed his assessment. Bella's heart raced, breath caught and body shook. Her head was tucked, eyes out of site, and she rocked herself from side to side. Again professing, "you're not real. This isn't real. I'm not crazy," as if she was trying to convince herself of that fact.

"She's rejecting our presence; her mind won't accept us being here. Be slow, caution. Don't overwhelm her." Carlisle advised. "May I," Esme stepped forward and Carlisle nodded. As much as I wanted to console her I knew Esme's loving and compassion personality would produce the best outcome.

She slowly approached Bella and knelt in front of her. "It's okay sweetie," her honey sweet voice reassured, "You're not crazy. We're real." Bella's movements instantly froze and breathing ceased. Hesitantly, Esme's hand reached out and touched Bella's arm, with the intention of comfort and a potential hug. Yet, the gesture did not have the desired effect. Bella jumped from her spot and ran for the door.

I followed her, calling "Bella, please come back!" I would have caught her in an instant, if not for Carlisle's warning. "Let her go, she has to come to terms with this on her own." He did not know how she felt about me, if she did indeed hate me than my pursuit would make things worse. With a heavy sign and stabbing feeling of defeat, I stopped on the front porch. Watching her as she ran around the front of her truck.

Carlisle and Esme followed me out, holding each other as they watch the person they once thought would be their daughter run. The rest, whom had been lingering upstairs and on the edge of the forest, joined us just in time to watch Bella clumsily drop her keys and kick them under the truck. Her head disappeared as she bent down to retrieve them but did not reappear. A soft thud of her body against the ground could be heard, accompanied by the hysteric sobs and whimpers exuding from the ground behind the truck.

Although sympathetic and crestfallen over Bella's condition, Alice's irate stance echoed her angry thoughts, 'I told you so. This is all your fault.' Placing his palm on my back shoulder, Jasper tried to calm my tormented, heartbroken feeling of hopelessness and guilt. He explained, "Bella is feeling an overwhelming amount of pain. We can't do anything but let the emotions run their course. It's probably good she's crying, better to get them out than hold them in." His logic did not comfort me, and the full reality and consequence of my decision to leave bore down more than I would have ever believed. I truly am a monster. I broke the most beautiful, loving and kindest creature I've ever known.

Rosalie removed herself from the audience, uncomfortable witnessing this embarrassing scene. Emmett followed suit after firmly instructing me to "Fix this." His brotherly love for her had not wavered during the separation.

Less than an hour ago I was committed to staying out of Bella's life forever, but all that was in the trash now. I will never leave her. I will fix this and devote my existence to bringing my Bella everything and anything that her heart desires. Clearly the road ahead would not be easy, but I promise to be with her every step of the way. Pray, she keeps me at her side.

I walked around the truck and stood next to where she cried. On her side, with knees tucked to her chest and arms encircling herself, she convulsed with deranged weeps of agony. Silently, I sat down next to her, bent my legs and rested my head on my knees. I let myself feel all the heartache, sorrow, regret, and injustice of my leaving, the hardships to come and the unorthodox loved that always put us at ends with each over. Bella would have to cry for the both of us as I could not. All the same, I would sit here for as long as she did and be here when she was ready. I was here and will never leave her.