Hey Guys! It was so great to hear from you again. Thank you for reviewing, I cringed when I hit submit on that first chapter. I was ready for serious flamers, but you guys are the absolute best. (I will still think you're great if you send flamers). This chapter is longer - I hope it holds your attention until the end . . . . .

Graduation came and went without too much fanfare. The rain had come down in sheets earlier in the day, but now seemed to be holding off while everyone shuffled out of the school. Charlie and Renee smiled a lot and acted very proud. There were a lot of pictures taken. I think Charlie took two pictures, the rest was all my mother.

The Cullens seemed to take it all in stride. After all, how many graduations can you attend for the same children over and over again and still act excited? They did play along pretty well.

Renee hadn't seen Edward since the hospital in Phoenix more than a year ago. Subtle changes had taken place in my face and frame, but Edward had not changed in the slightest. I wondered if she noticed, but she seemed to be more preoccupied with how close Edward and I were. I had tried to pass him off as a crush back then. It was definitely past that now.

In two days I was flying back to Florida with Renee. I knew I would get an earful about how I shouldn't settle down so young in life. That was, after all, what she had done with Charlie and looked how that turned out? Lucky me, that I had the whole plane ride, not to mention being in the same house with her, to hear her views on commitment and marrying young.

The ceremony had been over for about an hour. I took a deep breath and scanned the crowd watching the other kids from my class. They were laughing and joking. A few were crying. As I looked around me that day, I remember thinking how far removed I was from what was happening with all these other graduates. Their futures were uncertain to be sure, but in a far different way than mine. Many were going to schools in the Northwest. A few had chosen the military. Some were staying close and taking jobs.

I wondered what I would be thinking on this day if I had never looked over to that lunch table and seen a fantastically beautiful boy staring at me. I would probably be over with Jessica and Mike laughing, crying and hugging. Promising to keep in touch. Perhaps already talking about our 10 year High School Reunion.

If I became a vampire I would never see any of these people again.

I glanced back at Charlie and Renee. They were planning my future already.

I was torn in so many different directions. It was like I was standing on a road with so many paths it seemed impossible to choose the right one. Each path meant another not taken. And if I chose the vampire path, I would never be able to step off of it, not ever.

I didn't realize that I had moved away from the group. I also didn't realize that Edward had been watching me. When I met his gaze, he looked so sad. His eyes seemed to say, "I always knew this day would come."

I put on a smile and walked towards him. When I reached him he put out a hand to stop me and said, "Just promise me that if you decide on another life, that you will come back and give me the chance to say good-bye."

I stared at him with a shocked look on my face. "I love you with all my heart," I said.

"I never said you didn't," he said back to me.

We stared at each other for a long moment. It started to rain again. Then I heard Renee say "Just one more picture honey, you and Edward turn this way and smile."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Senior Class had planned a big bonfire up on the Flatts. Kind of a hangout for the all teenagers in town. I had never been there. Edward and I rode in the jeep. Although this was Alice's graduation night too, she and Jasper didn't come. They decided that on a mountain in the dark with a bunch of rowdy kids was not the best place for Jasper to be.

We had the radio on and a song came on that I liked. It was by Death Cab For Cutie. I started to sing along. "If heaven and hell decide that they both are satisfied . . . I'll follow you into the dark." I looked over at Edward. He was already staring at me. I had never really paid attention to the lyrics before. I turned the radio off and started in on small talk. I made an effort to keep the converstaion light.

When we got there, we made the rounds. It didn't take long. Edward never really talked to anybody at school and I only talked to Angela and Ben now that Jessica had crossed to the dark side. I mostly talked to Mike only at work. My life was all about Edward. If I wasn't with Edward at school, I was usually with Alice.

After a few minutes, in his velvet voice Edward said, "Come with me."

He grabbed my hand and we walked off a ways by ourselves. He then turned off the trail and took me through some trees. I was surprised when we came out of the trees and there was a huge rock face in front of us. He took my hand and began slowly helping me climb up the large rocks. At the top there was a place for just two people to sit. I had no idea how high we actually were until I looked around and saw we were on the highest peak for miles around. The stars were actually out and they seemed so close I could reach out and touch them.

Edward was looking out over the view. He said, "I found this place shortly after we moved to Forks." He then turned to look at me and in a quieter voice said, "Before you came here."

"It's beautiful," I said, still short of breath from our climb. Edward sat down and motioned for me to come and sit by him.

For a time we were both silent looking at the view, but I could tell he was trying to say something. After a few minutes he finally started with his most gentle velvet voice.

"Bella, I need you to know that when I introduced myself to you that day in Biology. . . I never planned for things to go this far. I never dreamed that you would, or even could feel anything for me. I was so intrigued by you . . . you were so different from all the rest. The more I knew about you the more I loved you and," he stopped and ran his hands over his face before he whispered, "I couldn't stay away."

He sighed hard and took my hand and held it as he said, "You were faithful to me even after I left you and hurt you so badly." He turned to look at me and swallowed hard. "You have been a true gift to me and I'll never forget all you have taught me."

This sounded a lot like he was trying to say good-bye. I panicked. I started to stand up but I was afraid I would go tumbling down the mountain so I sat back down and in a high, pitched voice I said, "You promised me you were never going to leave me ever again!"

In a quiet voice he said, "I'm not going anywhere."

I grabbed his arm and said in a desperate kind of voice, "I am going to be gone for a few weeks! Just a few weeks Edward! You seemed okay about this when we talked before!" I turned him around to face me. His face was a mask but his eyes seemed so vulnerable, so resigned to his new fate.

"Why did you just give me what sounded like a good-bye speech?" I asked.

"Because," he said, "Today I made you promise to come back so I could tell you good-bye, and I basically, in a much shorter version, just told you what I would have said, so now I won't hold you to that promise. You don't have to come back."

Did he really think I could ever leave him? I put my arms around his neck as tightly as I could. I could feel tears coming down my cheeks. The breeze was blowing his scent in swirls all around me. I felt him hesitantly bring his arms up to hold me, and then they enveloped me as he buried his face in my neck.

"Edward" I whispered. I was never the one to initiate any kind of affection with him. Not ever sure of his limits, and what urges he could stand, I always let him be our guide, but not now.

I began by kissing his neck in the breathless way I had always wanted to. Every time I kissed him I would whisper, "I love you." My hands moved to his chest and I kissed the front of his neck, the other side of his neck and then my hands found his face and I kissed his forehead and his cheeks. His eyes were closed and he was gripping my arms just below my shoulders.

Then I kissed him the way I had always dreamed of kissing him. I pushed my lips hard against his and I could feel tears staining my cheeks again. My hands went to his hair. This is where he always stopped me, but instead he let go of my arms and drew me closer. He had never let me kiss him this long. I had to pull away for air and I whispered with all the force I could manage, "I am yours forever." Then I was kissing him again.

My head was spinning and I could feel his shoulders start to shake but neither one of us were able to pull away. Then I heard a growl from deep in his chest. He opened his mouth and I could feel his sweet breath in my face.

Instinct told me it was time to stop. Edward needed my help. I pulled away just enough to look into his eyes. They were wild and crazed and his breath was coming out in small shaky gasps. He was gripping my arms again, only much tighter than before, but I didn't wince. I just held his gaze and calmed my face to let him know I was all right and that I wasn't afraid.

"I'm . . . so. . . sorry. . ." He said through clenched teeth. After a time his grip began to loosen and his breath slowed. His eyes were the last thing to come back.

"That was really stupid and out of line," He said. "I am sorry." He said it with so much self loathing that I tried to make the situation seem less serious than it really was.

Still looking right into his face I smiled and said, "If you think that's the last time I'm kissing you like that, you're wrong. I am definitely coming back for more of that." He shook his head and whispered something about a death wish and leaned his forehead into mine.

I sat there with my eyes closed. Just feeling him close to me. Just loving him. I wanted him to understand how much I needed him and why I was leaving.

I made my voice serious again as I said, "Edward, I'm leaving because I want to do this right. You are the most important person I will ever have in my life. I just can't mess this up."

In a very quiet voice Edward said, "Today at the ceremony, I did not have to read your mind to know what you were thinking. Do not be in too big of a hurry to give up a great life."

Every conversation I'd ever had with him about the future always ended this way. I was so exasperated by his dark and foreboding attitude.

I pulled away from him and blurted out, "Why won't you fight for me? Why won't you just grab me and say, "I'm yours and I'm never letting you go? From our first conversation all I wanted was you, and you just keep telling me how wrong you are for me."

Edward looked at me with anguish on his twisted face. He spat out the words and it seemed like there was venom on each syllable. "Because. . .I. . .am . . . a . . .VAMPIRE!"

He stood up and looked down pointing his long perfect finger at me. "I am a monster without a soul and I can count at least 5 times since you met me, one more, just 30 seconds ago, that I had to fight off a strong urge to kill you. I am not even talking about the small urges that come every day, Bella. You want me to beg you to stay with me? I'll never do it."

He turned his head from me and looked out over the mountains. He finally turned back to me and said quietly in a rougher voice, "Every night while you're asleep do you know what I do? I spend half my time berating myself for not being able to stay away from you and the other half wishing I was a human boy. ."

He pulled his hands up into his hair and knotted his fingers there. He sat back down with his arms covering his face and rested his elbows on his knees. Then I heard him whisper softly. . . "I would have fallen in love with you no matter what. I imagine myself as a human trying to convince you to go out with me. That I could play on the football team and have you wait for me after the game, that I could put a bandage on your knees when you inevitably fell down and not be crazed at the scent of your blood, that I could eat pizza with you while we watched a movie, that you could come to my house for dinner and meet my parents and maybe my grandparents, that I. . . that I could kiss you and not have to stop."

My heart ached for him. Why did he want all of that? I never felt one bit cheated out of anything to be with him. I always felt that I was the lucky one. Edward Cullen loved me. . .me! I didn't care about any of that. But he did.

I didn't know what to say. I wanted to say something to make him understand how I felt, so I said, "I could've had Mike, or Tyler or Eric but I didn't. I only wanted you. You are the only one I'll ever want." It was a meager attempt at making him feel better, but it was the best I could do.

He still sat there with his head in his lap.

Finally, I moved over and knelt in front of him. I took hold of his arms that were still covering his face as I said, "I'm glad you told me all this. I sort of knew you felt that way but I just didn't realize how much. But Edward, while I'm gone I want you to do me a favor. Every time you begin to think that way I want you to stop yourself and imagine our life together from here on. Think about places you want to take me. Think about plays I haven't seen that we can experience. Think about books you can read to me." I paused and then said, "Think about the proposal you gave me. Think about the future. That's what I'll be doing."

He looked up at me then. His face was a little calmer, but I wouldn't say it was peaceful. He grabbed my hands in both of his and kissed them. "I'll do it." He said softly. He stared at me for a moment and then he brushed my hair away from my face as he said, "I absolutely love you. I will count the seconds until you're back in my arms again. And Bella, when you come back and you decide for sure that you want to be with me, I will fight for you. I'll do everything in my power to keep you by my side." It made me burn inside to hear him talk like that.

All I could say was, "That's all I needed to hear."

We knelt there holding each other for a long time. It started to get colder and he felt me shiver. He took my hand and we started back down the rock face. It was much harder coming down than up, but as always, he patiently and safely got me back to the trail.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The night before I left was very sweet. Edward came to my room with a new CD of songs. Each one seemed more beautiful than the last. He was a little down, but then so was I.

I started to ask him about places he wanted me to see. I told him how much I wanted to go to Alaska and see the Northern Lights and that he could take me there and I could meet Tanya and her family. I wanted him to be in the right frame of mind when I left.

He started tracing my collarbone with his nose. I could feel him breathing in my scent. Then he was behind my ear. "If you keep doing that I'll never be able to leave." I murmured.

"In that case," he said, and his cold lips were on mine. He kissed me in a loving but desperate way. I was completely in heaven and kept thinking I was crazy to leave. So crazy. . . I was careful to keep my arms down so that he wouldn't have to stop kissing me. He stopped for a few seconds to calm down and then he was kissing me again.

This time I brought my hands up to his face. No one else could ever make me feel this way. He whispered my name and kissed me hard one more time and then he reluctantly broke away and laid his head on my chest listening to my heart beat out a hard pounding rhythm.

I ran my fingers through this hair, thinking about what Carlisle had said about his mother having the same bronze color hair that he had when Edward turned his head up to me. "I want you to know something," he said.

"Your image of me is the person I hope one day to be. I am trying to be positive that you'll be coming back." He paused while I shook my head and rolled my eyes, then he continued. "If you decide to stay with me, I promise I will make everyday for you a happy one. I will love you like no one else ever will and I will always take care of you. You are now, and forever will be the most important part of me."

How could I ever wish for anything more?

"Edward, once again, I'm not leaving to decide if I'll stay with you. I decided that a long time ago. And as for all the things you just promised me, you have already been doing all those things."

I smiled and looked down as I said, "Do you know when I first started to fall in love with you? That day you came back from Alaska and introduced yourself to me." I was staring at the ceiling remembering when he first spoke my name. I looked down at him and said, "Then the day you sat by yourself in the lunchroom and motioned for me to come sit by you. . . when you winked at me I thought I would come undone." I touched his hair and finished, "That's when I knew that there would never be anyone else for me." Then I whispered, "You could be doing so much less than you are and I would still be hopelessly in love with you."

I got my crooked smile. "Oh great, now you tell me!" he laughed. I laughed too.

He laid his head back down on my chest and closed his eyes. I wished he could sleep. I wished he could have that moment of peace.

"It's late," he finally said, "And Renee will be here early to get you."

"Goodnight my love," I whispered. He hummed me my lullaby and I forced my eyes to stay open to look at his face a little longer, then I drifted off.

The next morning when I awoke, Edward was gone. He showed up as we were finishing breakfast. He helped me get my bags into Renee's rental car and asked, "Is your graduation present in there?"

"Yes." I grinned.

Edward had given me a laptop for graduation. He asked if I would e-mail him every night while I was away so that he would know I was safe. When I protested saying I did not have a present for him, he stared at me and said, "Just come back."

He held me tight and then I got in the car. I turned to watch him as we drove away. He was looking at me with one hand raised to wave good-bye. Just before I turned the corner, he touched two fingers to his lips and then sent the kiss out to me.

Five miles down the road I desperately wanted to scream, "Go back!"

But I was determined to make this the turning point for good in our lives.

Go back, Bella! Are you crazy? Just kidding. If you liked or disliked this chapter I would really love to know. Hope you're having a great summer!