IMPORTANT A/N

I began this story at a time in my life that I needed to express so many feelings swirling around in my head. I needed to let them out somehow. And I chose to do it by… reliving some of my past experiences via characters that I knew and felt comfortable with.

That being said, I am a different person now. I've healed, I've grown. So, it's not necessarily easy to continue this story. On top of that, I'm still busy; insanely busy.

BUT! I do not want to abandon this story. I will not abandon this story.

I appreciate the constructive criticism, the positive and negative feedback, ALL reviews, ALL favorites, and ALL follows. Stick with me, please. I have much planned for this story.

Love you all!

Izobella

CHAPTER 10

EPOV

She flopped down on my bed with a sigh, a strand of her long brown hair wrapped around her finger. I glanced up from my book and saw her looking at me. I smirked and looked back down, smiling even wider when I saw her eyes narrow. After a moment, she sighed again, turning to lay on her stomach next to my legs. I sighed back, flipping the page, nearly laughing when she huffed in annoyance.

Suddenly, the book was gone, her face in its place in front of me. She sighed again, very obnoxiously, and began to giggle. I chortled, placing my hand on the side of her head, pushing her face onto the comforter gently. I reached for my book, smiling widely.

"I believe that is mine." She continued to laugh, brushing me off and jumping up from the bed. She paced at the end of it, opening the book and brushing her fingers gently along the paper.

"Miss Caroline was no more than 21," she started in a high-pitched southern accent, making me laugh again. "She had bright auburn hair, pink cheeks, and wore crimson fingernail polish. Very sexy," I laughed harder, my stomach muscles starting to cramp. "She also wore high-heeled pumps and a red-and-white-striped dress." She gasped, "Miss Caroline! How risqué!"

She turned to me. "Is that what you like about this book Edward? Does Miss Caroline tickle your old-fashioned-fancy?" She teased, dangling the book over the bed. I reached out, grabbing it before she could drop it. It made a thump on the bed when I tossed it, smiling at my girl. She grinned back, her teeth digging into her bottom lip. I moved quickly, standing next to her and running my hands gently over her cheeks. She gasped, her cheeks burning crimson when I leaned down to peck her lips.

"Why no, Miss Bella. I actually prefer brunettes. Cute ones, with really bad southern accents." My lips brushed across her cheeks, down and back toward the space just underneath her ear that I knew made her knees weak. "Beautiful ones with barley-there freckles and pretty pink lips." I breathed out against her neck, pulling back to look at her. She shivered, eyes drooping, and lips parted. I smiled, "smart little ladies with eyes the color of…" I pulled back, standing up straight. "Dirt," I smirked, grabbing my book and laying back on the bed before she had even blinked.

She barked out a laugh, lunging forward to grab the pillow next to me. After lobbing it at my head, she grabbed the other, and began to hit me. I laughed, shielding my face with my book.

"Oh yeah? Well, if my eyes are the color of dirt then yours are… they're…" She stopped, throwing the pillow down on the bed. "Your eyes are…" she grumbled.

"Mold!" Emmett bellowed from downstairs. "They're the color of mold!" Rosalie smacked him, giggling quietly. He chortled back, continuing his Call of Duty adventures. Bella laughed loudly.

"Yes!" she hollered, "mold!" Her laugh quickly turned into a fit of giggles as she fell onto the bed next to me, rolling back and forth as she held her stomach. I moved the book away from my face, happily watching her face turn red. Slowly, the smile slid from my face, replaced by a quivering lip as I watched her laugh. My eyes stung with venom, and I tried to wipe at them without her noticing.

No such luck.

"Edward," she gasped, sobering immediately at the sight of my watery eyes. She sat up quickly, pulling my book from my hands for the second time that afternoon. This time though, she placed my well-worn bookmark in between the pages and carefully laid it on the bed beside me. Her gentle fingers found my cheeks, wiping my tears away. I tried to stop her, knowing the venom would sting her fingers, but she batted my hands away, shushing me. "What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" Her eye ran over my face. I chuckled dubiously, shaking my head.

"You know you can't hurt me, little love." She huffed, her lips turned down in a frown as she stared at me expectantly, brows furrowed. I sighed, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her into my lap. She shifted, moving to straddle me as I lay her head on my chest. Leaning back against the only pillow that Bella hadn't abused, I breathed her in deep, pressing my lips to her hair. She snuggled into me, wrapping around me like a koala. I huffed a laugh, tears collecting in the corners of my eyes again.

My beautiful little love.

"Please tell me what's wrong?" Her lips brushed gently against my shirt as she whispered, her warm breath making me shiver. I shook my head, brushing her hair back from her face. She tilted her head up, her chin resting on my sternum. Her dark eyes, nothing like dirt, stared into my soul, making my heart feel tight.

"I love you, Bella." She smiled, her brow furrowed.

"I love you too, Edward." She chuckled, rubbing her chin back and forth into my chest. I chuckled, pulling away from the ticklish feeling.

"No, Bella." I laced my fingers into her hair, pulling her face closer to me. I caressed the soft skin of her lips with my own. "I love you."

She yanked back quickly, eyes flickering between my own. I stared back, unblinking. A moment of silence passed between us. Downstairs, Rosalie had forced Emmett to leave his game, pulling him out the backdoor quietly. Esme followed silently behind them. I returned my full attention to Bella, watching as her eyes glazed over with thought.

"You don't have to say it back," I said, understanding her hesitance. "It's… a difficult situation to wrap your head around, I know. But I just wanted you to know – "

"I love you too." Her smile was blinding. For a moment, it was me who was speechless. My smile was just as wide.

I shake my head rapidly, continuing to pace back and forth across the living room. I can hear her sniffling upstairs, and I tense. Jasper's ability reflects the joy Bella is feeling, and I relax slightly. Only slightly.

She is happy to see that thing. Her heart is beating wildly, and I briefly see her wide smile before I close my mind off from Carlisle.

"Edward!" Rose snaps, rushing to stand beside me, trailing her fingers over my knuckles, white with exertion. I halt mid-step, immediately releasing the now-useless phone from my fingers. The sound of small bits of glass and metal hitting the wood floor makes me flinch, my eyes stinging with venom for the millionth time in the past 24 hours.

Again? Emmet laughs. "Carlisle is gonna be mad; that's the second one this month." Rose snarls, flashing him a glare. He snickers once more before walking out the back door, completely unphased by the situation. I sneer at him as he leaves, turning back to see Rosie smirking at me.

"What?" I snap, irritated. She shrugs.

Some things just never change, she thinks as she follows her mate out of the house. I growl again, but there less emotion behind the noise as I roll my eyes and smile. Her and Carlisle always did say I had an anger problem. I just couldn't see it.

Well… Until recently…

I huff, returning to my pacing, but keeping my mind on Alice and Jasper's chess game this time. It was intriguing to watch, really. Anytime Jasper decided on a move, Alice could see it. But if Alice felt confident, Jasper became hesitant, changing his mind. But then Alice would see it again and move 2 steps ahead in her mind. Her confidence would surge again, and the cycle continues.

Scratch that; it was a headache to watch.

"How are you feeling, Jasper?" I ask quietly, continuing my pacing.

"Hmm…" he thoughtfully picks up a piece before freezing and replacing it. Alice grumbles. "Um… I'm better." He picks up another piece. "I would be perfect if you would stop moping over there." This time, Alice giggles.

"Stop being mean, Jas." She picks up her own piece, smiling widely and placing it delicately elsewhere on the board. "Checkmate."

"Dammit!" Jasper chortles, sweeping a hand across the chess board. Alice jumps up from her seat, avoiding the pieces on the floor and coming to tangle my fingers with hers.

"Lunch time for the human," she yanks on my hand, pulling me into the kitchen with her.

"I'm not hungry," I grouse. "And I'm not human." She pushes me over to the breakfast bar before flitting over to the fridge. I sit down forcefully, listening to the metal of the barstool groan in protest. The broken phone in my hand is becoming too heavy for my mind, so I let it go, placing it gently on the counter.

"Half-human," Alice amends her statement. "Now stop abusing the furniture and eat this." She tosses a yogurt and a spoon at me before turning to grab more food from the fridge. We sit in a comfortable silence for a moment as I eat. I'm suddenly very grateful for Alice's intuitiveness; I guess I was pretty hungry after all.

Bella's laugh can be heard clearly from upstairs, and it catches my attention. I freeze mid-spoonful, relishing in the sound.

"Do you think that maybe…" Alice's voice is rough, and I flinch at the sound. She unnecessarily clears her throat before beginning again. "Do you think that you can handle this, Edward?" The question catches me off guard for a moment, but the shock is soon replaced by curiosity.

"What do you mean?" I ask, placing the now-empty yogurt cup back on the counter. It is soon replaced by a perfectly toasted grilled cheese sandwich, which I reach for instantly.

"I mean…" She hesitates again. My brow furrows in concentration as I reach out to her mind, only to find her humming along with one of my recent compositions. I roll my eyes, biting into my sandwich again, and wave my hand impatiently. She huffs, her lips pulling up slightly at the corners, before speaking again. "I'm worried. I'm worried that this is too much for you."

I try not to be offended. I swallow the last of my food before answering, dusting off my fingers slowly.

"She's my mate, Alice." My voice is low with warning; she may not have meant any offense with her words, but they still bother me.

"I know that," she floats around the kitchen, cleaning dishes and replacing them in the cabinets. "I just worry that you are giving too much of yourself right now. You have to understand that what happened wasn't your fault, that – "

"Wasn't it?" I ask, my lip curling. She stops moving, turning to make eye contact.

"No," she says firmly. I look down, following the marble pattern of the breakfast bar with my eyes. "You are not responsible for what happened to her. You are not responsible for her feelings, for her actions." My eyes widen and my breathing sutters to a stop.

"You make it sound like it's her fault, like she asked for it." I say it slowly, tasting the bitter words in my mouth. I attempt to quell the anger I feel bubbling in my throat before breathing again.

"And you should know better than that." The air shifts as she rushes around the counter, sitting on the stool next to me without a sound. Her fingers stroke my hair for a moment, brushing a piece behind my ear before continuing. "She's… going through a lot right now. And as much as you would like to think it's because of you… Well, the world doesn't revolve around you, Edward. You aren't that important in the grand scheme of things." I smile, the tension in my shoulders releasing slightly. "You may be superhuman," I glance over at her, causing her to smile and roll her eyes in response. "Or super non-human." My grin widens. "But you're not omnipotent. You're flawed like the rest of us, imperfect. And I'm scared that you are going to try too hard to fix her, to prove something to yourself." My smile falls with her words.

"What I'm trying to say, I guess… Please be careful. Not just for your sake, but for hers as well. If she ends up finding out about you guys, I don't think she'd take it well in her state. But I also don't think she'd take it well if she finds out on her own instead of you telling her." I nod thoughtfully.

"I know." She pats my shoulder gently, her mind now clear. I place my hand on hers, letting the contact with her cool fingers sooth my nerves.

Two sets of footsteps down the stairs catch both of our attention; one is distinctly human, the other distinctly not. Alice removes her hand from my shoulder, letting it trail down my arm to my hand.

"You ready?" She asks gently, tugging my fingers until I'm standing with her. I smile dubiously at her.

"No."