Stephenie Meyer owns all of the rights.

"Love didn't work that way, I decided. Once you cared about a person, it was impossible to be logical about them anymore."

– New Moon

Two days after telling Jasper, I was sitting with Edward discussing with him my history of tracking and why I didn't do it anymore. He listened to my story in wide-eyed shock, and when I was done, he pulled me into a tight hug.

"You're not mad at me?" I worried out loud. Yes, I had been in so much fear about telling him. Fear that he would think that I was weak for not being able to protect her or anger at me for getting so close to humans in the first place. Needless to say, his answer shocked me.

"Why would I be mad at you, Bella? You've suffered so much in the years that I left you – I will never forgive myself for leaving you..." He said the last half in a low growl.

"Because I didn't protect her. And, Edward! Honestly - stop with that. You did what you had to do to protect me."

"Bella, you can't save everyone. You're not superwoman."

I growled lowly in response. "Then why is it any different for you! You were doing what you had to do in order to protect me!"

"I didn't do a very good job of it, did I?" He questioned me darkly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Victoria still got to you! My leaving didn't matter at all because you became a vampire!"

"So you rather I had died at her hand?" I questioned, my eyes full of anger. I had pulled my body away from his. Eyes squinting with anger, I was looking straight into his shocked eyes. I could tell you honestly that this wasn't the reaction that he had expected from me.

"No! Bella, no! Of course not – I'm very happy that you're here with me today. But I just wish... I just wish that I could have stopped her from hurting you, instead of you having to rely on those filthy dogs."

A furious growl erupted from my throat as I pulled myself away from his touch completely. We were sitting on the couch in his bedroom and I walked away from the couch, angry. I moved so that I could see out the window – there was a furious thunder storm brewing outside, too.

"Do not call them dogs, Edward."

"Did you love Black, then?"

I growled again in response. "Of course I loved him! He was so innocent, so pure. Edward, you weren't coming back. You wanted me to be happy, to move on. I was trying so, so hard. And of course Jacob couldn't have my whole heart – I was far too damaged for that. But he had the part that was left of me. He loved me completely, just because of who I was. He didn't care if I was slightly mental and completely damaged. He wasn't you, but he tried so hard to protect me at all costs."

If I had the ability to cry, this is where it would have been used. I let a dry sob escape my body as I felt Edward's arms gently wrap around my waist and pull me close to him. I pressed my face against his arm, finding comfort in him once more. I hadn't meant to snap at him – I was just so very emotionally drained after telling him that story and then to have him challenge the very reason I was alive today!

"Bella, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult him. I didn't know how much you cared for him." The apology sounded somewhat forced, but I could tell that deep down, he truly meant it. Oh, how I loved my caring boyfriend.

"It's okay. I'm sorry for making it such a big deal. I shouldn't have gotten upset with you in the beginning, anyway. And, Edward? I don't hate you for leaving me."

He didn't say another word to me, but he kissed me gently instead. I felt his hands on my face, his fingers lightly tracing my cheek bones. I was so happy in that moment. The kiss deepened and I knew that this was what had been missing in my life for so long. I was so happy to have finally found someone to love me - I was so shocked to know that it was Edward that loved me so much.

I think as life goes on and as you grow up more, you realize that not all dreams come true and that not everything is set in stone. One person's love for another can change in a matter of seconds and you can be left scrambling to pick up the pieces where they've fallen. You could set your eyes on a prize, and once you get it, realize that it's not as good as you thought that it was going to be. I was glad that after all this time, my prize – Edward – was still as good as I remembered him to be. I would forever be thankful and grateful to have him in my life.

A few moments of passionate kissing later, Edward and I untangled ourselves. Even though we didn't have to stop – we had no "lines" set up to protect me anymore – I did have to get going.

"We need to get you out of this home," Edward muttered darkly as he held an umbrella over our heads on our way back to the half-way house.

"Oh, I know. I'll leave eventually. Sometimes it's nice to have it, though."

"What do you mean?" He asked me, looking at me as if I was insane. Okay, so perhaps I was a bit insane. What did that matter any?

"It's not a family, but at the same time, it is. I would eventually like to go to a real college and maybe even get a job, but I'm not sure if I can do that right now. The half-way homes have always offered me a place to stay, Edward, when I had no one else."

"But now you have us!" He exclaimed, and I could see that he truly did want me to move in with him and his family.

"Shoreline won't be the place to do it. The next time you move – and don't you dare even think about moving just for this reason, Edward – I'll follow with you. Carlisle and Esme are free to spin the story that they've now adopted me as well, but it's up to them, okay?"

"You know they'd move for you in a heartbeat, Bella. Esme still gets all choked up over seeing you hold my hand or seeing the way that you look at me. She told me the other night, 'Edward, I'm so thankful to know that you have Bella in your life now. I can see how happy she makes you – I'm happy to have my son back'. Bella, they'd move for you in a heartbeat. They just love you so much and they want us both to be happy. Please, I've moved for them so many times!"

"Not yet, Edward. I... let's finish out the year here, and we'll see where that goes. We've only got three more months of school left, anyway."

We were back where we had started in Forks: an impasse. Neither one of us was going to budge, but in the end it was Carlisle's decision to move his family once more. I'm sure that Edward could have been very persuasive if he had wanted to, but I wasn't sure that Carlisle would say 'yes' if he knew that I was dragging my heels.

I know that it sounded like I didn't want to be with Edward anymore, but that was far from the truth. I really, really wanted to be with Edward. I just wasn't going to inconvenience his whole family on account of me wanted to live with him and be with him always. It seemed to me that Rosalie had only just started to accept me completely, and I didn't want her angry at me on account of them having to move again. Somehow, I figured that this would all come to a rather large, possibly heated, family discussion.

"Will they just let you leave?" He asked me.

"When I turn 18 – if I want to leave before then, I either have to run away or go back to live with my parents. I am very capable of running away; I've done it before, I can do it again."

"We'll have a discussion about this tomorrow."

I made a face, which caused him to laugh a little. He ruffled my hair as he walked me to the door and kissed me gently before disappearing into the thunder storm.

Another damn impasse.