I'm sorry it's been so long guys, but a break was nice. No I have not finished the story yet, but we'll see. I've been writing a second story and I'm a little apprehensive about posting it because it is a Twilight story, but it's incredibly nerdy because Bella and Edward are musicians and it's fairly different from the actual Twilight book. I might post a sample and get some feedback. But anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter, I'm posting a bunch at once so this is my present to you guys for the holidays!!! I hope you like it!

Bella POV

Edward held his hand out for me and I took it with my good hand as he helped me into the van. I sat in the back and he followed behind me so we could talk in private.

"I slept back here this week," I said and chuckled. "It's kind of like a second home now." Edward did not think that was funny. He looked around the van and shook his head. He stroked my face very carefully; I had forgotten how smooth his skin is. I took his hand that was on my face and put it down next to my side.

"Bella, I am so sorry. This should not have happened to you. I take full responsibility for this. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, if you don't I understand."

"Edward, this isn't your fault. Victoria would've been hunting for me even if I hadn't been wandering out at night with a motorcycle anyway. You can't keep blaming yourself for things you didn't do."

"I know Bella, but..." Edward looked so guilty, it made my heart melt and I wanted to take his face in my hands and kiss him. "It's just if I hadn't left you last year, maybe this wouldn't have happened."

"Or maybe it would have Edward. Either way you can't blame yourself for it. Look, Edward I missed you a hell of a lot, but you shouldn't apologize to me when you don't love me anymore, it just will hurt me more in the long run."

"Who told you that I don't love you anymore?" Edward truly looked curious.

"Uh, you did Edward, a year ago."

He looked distraught and put his head in his hands. If he could have cried I'm sure he would have. After a slow minute he picked up his head and said, "You believed me? You believed that lie? Bella, I only said that to make it easier for you to get over me."

"Easier? Easier?! That's bull. I haven't gotten over you Edward, newsflash: I kind of picked who I love a year and a half ago."

"I realize that now, and I haven't gotten over you either. Bella, how many times have I told you I love you?"

"Seriously? I don't know. Many times though, each time more special than the last."

"Bella, I've told you I love you thousands of times. The one time I say I don't love you, you believe it?!"

"What was I suppose to think Edward? It was all so convincing. Besides, how long are you going to stay this time? You did stay away for a year, what if you decide to do the same thing as last time?"

"Bella, this past year has been the worst year of my life. I can't stand being without you. I love you so much, and you are my everything. How can I convince you?"

"The real question is how you're going to convince me you truly mean all of this! What if you go back on your word?"

"Isabella Marie Swan," Edward began. His velvet voice caressed my ears as the words spilled out of his mouth. "I promise you from the bottom of my heart I will never leave you again. Unless you say otherwise, I will always be wherever you are." He took my hand and kissed it. I forgot how cold his skin is, and how easily I get goosebumps. He chuckled a little bit and then held my face. "Seeing you look like this makes my heart burn knowing I could have stopped this. I will never let this happen to you again." He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. My heart pounded loudly losing control. I pulled away and put my hand against my heart. I forgot how much I liked this feeling.

"Too fast?"

"Are you kidding Edward Cullen, we were apart for a year and you're worried about going too fast?" I threw my arms around him and kissed him back with a great intensity.

He pulled apart this time and said, "Oh how I have missed you. My life is now complete." He put his head next to my heart. "By the way, I think it is wonderful you decided to go to school."

"I need all the human experiences I can get until Alice changes me. The deal was one year of college, then during the summer Alice will change me and I will be a vampire forever. Your plan was eventually going to backfire. I was just worried you wouldn't take me back. Since, well, you know, I thought you didn't love me anymore." Edward gazed at me in shock.

"You're going to throw your life away to become one of us?"

"Edward, I know what I am doing. This is the fate I have chosen."

"But Bella, this is outrageous! You are going to be damned for eternity.

"Edward, I've thought this through, the Cullens have become my second family. I love them as much as I love Charlie or Renee. Either you can accept that or spend eternity hating yourself for letting me decide for myself."

"Eternity. I guess I can accept this. If you're going to do this, I'd rather spend eternity with you instead of apart. It's clear your mind is made up, and you do know what you're getting yourself into, so there is no reason for me to object."

"I'm glad you agree Edward! This will be my dream come true. So, are you going to enroll at U of W now?"

"Right after Victoria is gone. I should be getting a phone call anytime now."

"Oh. Right." I honestly had forgotten about that because nothing else mattered.

"Bella, we'll be okay. I've been reading Carlisle's thoughts and it seems that he has a well-formulated plan. Until then I just want to visit with you and see how much I really missed."

"You missed a lot, that's for sure. But one thing is first." I leaned in and kissed him again. "I love you so much, if I ever have to fake go out with another guy again I will kill myself."

"Ah, Bella, I love you so much too. But, it wasn't that bad? Was it?" His mouth was at my throat, kissing me and making me giggle.

"Yes! It was honestly that bad, he was a terrible kisser! I wanted to throw up afterwards."

"Wait, he kissed you?" Edward looked alarmed now and dropped my hands.

"Yes he kissed me, wait, did you know about my date before just now?"

"Well, I confess, Alice told me. But she left out the part about a kiss."

"It was the most disgusting thing in my life. I want you, and only you." I flung myself at him again, I just couldn't get enough.

When Edward pulled away he said, "I only want you too, and I promise I will never put you through that kind of agony again."

I shrugged and told him,"the important thing is we're together now. I slid my arms up to his neck and sighed. "This is the happiest moment I've had in a long time. This beats graduation, my birthday, and everything else that happened last year combined together. "

"Bella, you're so forgiving, I don't deserve someone so great as you." His eyes were a liquid topaz and made my heart want to melt as he said that. Then he continued before I could argue back, "however, if you want me around, I will stay."

"Well that would be a duh Edward! You clearly don't see how much I missed you."

Edward pulled something out from his pocket then and said, "Oh, I see quite clearly." It was the picture I drew of him in the beginning of the year.

"Where did you get that?"

"Alice."

"Figures," I said crossing my arms together and looking stern. "I've drawn much better than that, I just didn't show Alice because she'd freak out and send them to a museum or something. My art professor almost did until I convinced her I wanted to keep them."

"Bella, it's a beautiful drawing. However, I am more fond of another one." I raised my eyebrows as he pulled a second piece of canvas out of his pocket. He opened it and said, "This is almost as good as the real thing." I realized it was my self portrait. Then he pulled out a picture from his wallet, it was the picture I had used to draw my self portrait.

"My senior pictures! I'm so glad you got one, Alice again?"

"Yes, she gave me this one right after you received yours. After that, I had no contact with Alice because it was so painful. Then I instructed Alice to leave permanently, that's why she left you last year. I am such a cruel person."

"Yes you are!" I started laughing at him. "But, I don't blame you. I don't care anymore Edward, what is important is the present. How many times do I have to drill that into your head?"

"I guess I can live with that. Fine, last year didn't exist in my book. Let's just pick up right where we left off..." I scrunched my face and Edward looked confused. "What are you thinking Bella?"

"Where we left off wasn't great, how about before we left off, and ignore the fight and you saying you didn't love me."

"Fair enough. I seem to recall right where we left off," he smiled his crooked smile and wrapped his arms firmly around my waist. His arms were as hard as stone, but they felt perfect against my skin. He bent down and kissed me with the greatest intensity yet. My mind turned to jelly and I wanted to enjoy this moment as long as I could before Edward's self-control mechanism kicked in and forced us into a moment of awkwardness. Eventually he pulled away and smiled, flashing his perfect teeth at me. I felt light-headed, and a certain kind of high kicked into my system. My hands ruffled Edward's hair and we both chuckled.