Another update, and we are getting close, very close to all the answers. I hope you stick with me. The next 3 chapters I have written, just need to get them to the beta. I plan to post those ones one after the other. Then after that, it is about 6 chapters left, give or take, and an epilogue.

Thank you to Darcysmom for betaing, and Angelcdevil for comments. I also can't thank you guys enough for reading, reviewing, favoriting and following this little story of mine. It really means a lot to me.

Enjoy!

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Freesia.

Bella.

Strawberries.

Bella.

I ran. I ran as fast as my legs could take me, inhaling as deep as my lungs allowed.

The wind shifted, but the scent stayed with me. It grew stronger the faster I pumped my legs. I breathed in, letting the scent burn my insides, marking me, reminding me of her, of us. Of everything. Her scent, that first whiff I got when she entered the Biology room that fateful day, every night that I stood outside her window before entering her room as she slept through the night. All the times that we spent in our meadow, every time that she came out of her house in the morning to ride with me to school. Her scent was embedded in my soul.

Her heartbeat. Oh god, her heartbeat. I knew that the moment that I heard it again would be divine music to my ears.

I needed it.

I craved it.

I continued to run, turning west again as the wind shifted and brought a stronger scent to lure me. I hoped it was bringing me closer to her.

As the wind died down, I stopped in the middle of a clearing. It wasn't our meadow. This clearing was cold, empty and lifeless. It held nothing for me. I fell to my knees as her scent began to dissipate, the wind no longer bringing it to me.

I sunk to the ground and let out a guttural scream. I tugged at my hair, my eyes searched every bit of that meadow, for anything and everything.

She wasn't here.

The wind and her scent brought me here. To nothing. The wind lead me on a false expedition and gave me the false hope that I would find my needed treasure.

I stood up and spun around, my eyes darting every which way for any sign of her or her scent. I wasn't going to give up this time. 'No' isn't something I am going to take this time. There will be no stopping for me, no rest until I found her this time.

No more disappointment. I am going to find her, come hell or high water. I am not returning to home without her. It all stops now.

I paced that clearing, stopping every few steps to breathe in as deep as I could, hoping that I could pick up her scent again, or somehow, miraculously hear her heartbeat.

Anything.

I needed my hope back.

My eyes wandered over every piece of that clearing, my eyesight didn't seem so exceptional to me then. It wasn't helping me to find the one thing that I needed to find.

I searched over every tree, every blade of grass, every flower.

It was one tiny dot that tilted my world.

Blood.

One tiny drop of blood.

I rushed over, ran my finger on the droplet. It was still wet, recent. I brought it up to my nose and inhaled so deeply that it caused my knees to give out.

It was her.

I brought my finger to my mouth, sucked the tiny droplet of blood off my finger and let the taste of her blood move over my tongue.

It was divine. Heaven.

As I swallowed, I felt a piece of myself being cinched together. It felt right and perfect.

My ringing phone interrupted my basking in the taste of her. I had found something, and my chest felt lighter, happier.

"I found something," I whispered quietly into the phone, for some reason not wanting to disturb the quietness of the clearing, as if it would unsettle something, and take away what I found. "A drop of blood. Her blood. It tasted like the sweetest heaven."

"Son? Are you okay? Where are you?"

"A clearing. I think I am north of Forks, outside of Sequim Bay. I found her blood Carlisle! Her blood!"

Carlisle took a sharp intake of breath. "Stay there, we're on our way."

So, I waited. I figured that with my family we could cover a wider range of area, and deep down inside I knew that I would find her today.

Today would be the day. I was excited, but scared at the same time. Would she be the same? Would she still love me? Could she forgive me? Was she hurt? Could I fix her if I needed to? A million questions flashed through my mind, and I didn't have a single possible answer for any of them.

It didn't take long for my family to join me. Carlisle was the first one I saw come through the treeline, and seeing him, my father figure, gave me a feeling that despite the what if's , I'd be able to face anything from here on out.

We discussed a plan of action. We would pair off, going every which way. I would stay with Esme and Carlisle. Emmett and Rose would head west toward the coast, while Alice and Jasper would retrace my foot steps. Carlisle, Esme and I would search Sequim. She had to be close.

After what felt like hours, we finally came across a trail of droplets of her blood. We followed, careful not to step on a single one, just in case we needed to retrace our steps.

Her scent had grown stronger the further we walked and then eventually a faint heartbeat joined the mix.

We came upon a cave, a small cave with a wide opening. As we walked closer, I saw a small body, the scent of it hitting me square in the chest.

I'd found her!

I walked closer and noticed how much blood she had lost. She laid motionless, her chest rose slowly, bringing in shallow breaths. Her right leg was bent at an odd angle, most likely broken, blood came from her head, arms and neck. Her wrist held the same crescent shaped scar from her attack from James.

I watched her, breathing her in, listening to her heart falter every few beats as I fell to the ground on my knees, almost in a supplicant prayer position. Tearless sobs racked through me, splintering me wide open. I hurt when she hurt. I felt helpless as I looked over her body and took in her injuries. I whispered to myself that I needed her to be okay, and that I just needed her. I needed my air, my soul, my heart.

I began to crawl toward her as I continued to whisper to myself that I could hear her heartbeat. That it was faint, but it's there. I could hear her take in a breath, so I knew she was alive. Once I reached her, my finger ran down her face, and it felt so real that it amazed me that I was actually touching her after all this time. It felt like an endless forever stuck in a hell I couldn't get out of.

She turned her head, her eyes widened as she whispered to me, "Edward, I love you, I've always loved you."

My sobs became harsher, gut wrenching. I touched her face as softly as I could, trying not to hurt her. "Oh, Bella. I am here, sweet girl." I went to grab her, but she let out a scream, her body shook violently due to shock and pain. I gently laid her back down, afraid to move her. I didn't want to hurt her.

She began to cry, tears fell slowly down her face as I tried to wipe them away. A sob escaped her, causing her to take a sharp intake of breath due to pain.

"Are you really here, Edward? Is it really you?"

I nodded, and held my own sob inside me.

As I stared into her brown eyes that I had missed since I'd been gone, a voice broke through. "You were never meant to have her. You never should have had her. She's human, a lowly human."

I didn't acknowledge the vampire I could sense before all chaos broke out.

All I could do was remain crouched by Bella, protecting her this one time, unlike all the other times when I felt I had failed.

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So, my lovelies, I look forward to your thoughts and theories. Always the theories. ;)

Thank you for reading!