A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. I'm not happy with this chapter, but blah. It needed to be posted. As always, comments are appreciated.

Chapter Fifteen

Another feral snarl ripped from his throat, his eyes wild with thirst. Gone was the man that I loved, and in his place was a deadly hunter. Though my body ached from the impact of my fall, I knew that I had to do something. I pushed myself to my feet as quickly as possible, my head spinning. If I could just make it to the gallery, I would be safe. I had to make it to the gallery.

I sprinted in the direction of the gallery, my heart pounding in my chest as the blood seeped down my face, impairing my already blurred vision even more. I didn't make it more than a couple of steps before his cold hand clamped down on my arm. A shriek of terror escaped me as he spun me around to face him.

His hands grabbed my face roughly, tilting my head back until my neck was exposed. I could feel his breath against my skin. "Edward, please," I pleaded, my voice cracking as I closed my eyes against impending death.

And then, as quickly as he'd grabbed me, he let go. Another snarl ripped through the night air, accompanied by the sound of a thunderclap over head. My entire body trembled as I sank to my knees, ignoring the sharp pains at the gravel cut my skin. My head was spinning as I forced my eyes open.

"Jasper, stay back! There's a lot of blood! Go get Carlisle! Emmett, help me with him! He's not in his right mind!"

I watched as the big bear of a man rushed passed me to where Alice wrestled with Edward, trying desperately to restrain him. As she drew her fist back and clocked him across the face, I cringed at the sound. So that wasn't a thunderclap at all. It was the sound of their bodies colliding. Marble against marble.

I could feel another pair of cold hands gripping my arms as I was pulled to my feet. "My God Bella," Carlisle hissed. "We need to get you away from here now."

"But… Edward…!"

"Alice and Emmett will handle him. Let's go."

Though I wanted desperately to argue, I knew that I couldn't, so I allowed Carlisle to pull me across the parking lot to the waiting black Mercedes. Jasper slid out of the driver's seat, his face twisted in a pained expression as he tried not to breathe in the scent before he hurried back across the parking lot to help Alice and Emmett with Edward. In the back seat, Esme was leaned forward in between the two front seats. As Carlisle forced me into the car, I felt her nimble hands working as she strapped me in.

Her hands stroked my shoulder gently, attempting to soothe me. "You're safe," she whispered. "You're safe now Bella. Everything's going to be okay."

I didn't even realize I was sobbing. "I'm so sorry, Esme. I'm so sorry. Oh God. I'm so sorry."

"Hush now Bella," she soothed. "You're safe.

The driver's side door opened. "Esme, push against the seat," Carlisle commanded, a limp form laying in his arms. When she complied, Carlisle deposited the still-unconscious Jacob on the back seat beside her. "Monitor his breathing. Let me know if anything changes. We need to get them to the hospital."

"Is he going to be okay?" I asked, nearly choking on my sobs.

"He'll be fine, Bella. There seems to be no permanent damage."

"I'm not talking about him!" I cried. "Edward! Is he going to be alright?"

Though neither Esme nor Carlisle responded verbally, even through my tears, I did not miss the meaningful look that they shared. Edward would be fine when he came around. But that did not mean that everything would go back to normal. Because how could they?

I pressed the heel of my palms to my eyes, trying desperately to stop the tears that flowed without my consent. This is not happening, this is not happening, this is not happening, this is not happening, I chanted. A million and three questions ran through my mind as Carlisle drove. How had Alice not seen this coming, being the main question.

"Carlisle! You have to take me back!" I cried, pulling my hands away from my face. "Please? He's going to think I'm terrified of him!"

"I can't do that, Bella. He's not Edward right now."

"Yes he is! Carlisle, yes he is! Please! I need to go make everything okay!"

"You can't do anything right now, Bella. Please trust me on this."

I could feel my heart breaking in my chest as we drove farther away from Edward. There were so many things I could have done to prevent this. If I wasn't so damn clumsy, if I hadn't insisted on dealing with Jacob in the first place, if I hadn't been so damn content with him by my side for the last two weeks, none of this wouldn't be happening. I should have made him hunt. I just prayed that after tonight, I would have the opportunity to make up for all that.

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

As Esme pulled the shiny black car up to the curb in front of my house, I turned to her, my eyes pleading. "Please let me go back with you, Esme. Please. I need to talk to him," I pleaded, my voice breaking.

"He's not there, Bella."

"What do you mean, he's not there?"

"While Carlisle was treating you, Rosalie called. Emmett and Jasper took off with him. He won't be back until he's ready to come back Bella."

He's… gone? I felt sick at the thought. I had to talk to him. I had to make him understand that it was okay, that I knew it wasn't his fault. I hadn't been hurt, and that was all that mattered. It was just an accident, a mistake that I knew he wouldn't make again. But he wasn't there. And I wasn't sure when I'd get my chance.

"Will you just… will you call me? As soon as he comes back. I don't care how late or how early it might be. I just… I need to see him, Esme. I need to make him understand that I don't care what happened. I just… I need him."

I hated the look on her face. Pity. I didn't want to be pitied. I just wanted Edward. "Of course I'll call you dear," she promised. "Just… please try to get some rest."

My hands trembled as I reached for the doorknob, unable to stop the stupid tears that had started again. Everything had been perfect. But because of what I was (or wasn't, I suppose), everything was ruined. And I wasn't sure I'd ever have the chance to make it right.

I couldn't even bring myself to wish her goodnight as I climbed from the Mercedes, making my way up the sidewalk on complete autopilot. I couldn't feel anything, except for the pain in my chest that grew with each step.

"Bells?" Charlie called as I shoved the front door closed behind me. "How'd it g—What the hell happened to you?"

I looked up at him, my vision clouded by my tears. My hair was matted against my forehead where the blood had dried. My beautiful dress (the very one that I'd pretended to hate but secretly loved) was stained red and brown. "Everything is ruined," I cried.

"What happened?"

And so I broke. My entire body shook as I sobbed, though I couldn't bring myself to tell Charlie what happened. Besides, how could I fill him in on the events of the evening without finding myself committed to the local nut house? And even if he did believe me, I didn't think he'd take too kindly to the fact that Edward had almost accidentally drained every drop of blood from my body.

The good thing about Charlie was that he didn't press me for information. He just hugged me awkwardly as we stood in the foyer, while I cried my eyes out. I didn't even know how long we stood there before I finally pulled away, mumbling an apology for ruining his shirt.

"Everything's going to work itself out, Bella. You just have to have a little faith. You'll see," he promised. "You'll wake up in the morning, and things won't look so bad."

"I really hope you're right."

I didn't bother to change right away as I entered my bedroom. I closed the door carefully behind me before I headed over to the window, flinging it open. "Edward?" I called quietly, though I knew it was no use. "Edward?" I tried again. No answer.

I could feel myself becoming hysterical again. I'd stupidly thought the tears had dried up, but I was wrong. They were streaming down my face once more. "Edward please," I pleaded. "Please. If you're out there… please come talk to me. I need you. I love you."

I sank down on my knees in front of the window, my elbows resting against the windowsill. I knew he wouldn't come tonight. He was gone. That's what Esme had said, anyway. He was gone because of me, and I wasn't sure exactly when, if ever, he'd be coming back.

But there's no way he would just leave me without so much as an explanation. Of course not, I consoled myself. He loved me. And because he loved me, he was just giving me the space that he thought I wanted. That was it. He thought I was afraid of him and he wanted to make sure he was completely in control of his thirst before he came back. So it wouldn't be long.

He just needed a few hours to sort himself out. He needed a few hours to figure out how he was going to apologize and to give me time to process what had happened. He would not come tonight, but he would be here in the morning, of that I was sure.

But even though I'd convinced myself that Edward would not come tonight, I couldn't bring myself to close the window. So I didn't.

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

As the morning light streamed into the bedroom, I forced my weary eyes open, my head throbbing. Though I had convinced myself that everything would be okay as soon as Edward had an opportunity to cool off, it hadn't stopped the awful dreams from plaguing me as I'd slept.

I pushed myself up on my elbows, sighing softly as I glanced around my room for any sign that he'd been here while I slept. As my eyes swept over to the window, they widened. It was closed. It was closed when I'd clearly left it open! Had he…?

I threw the covers from my body and leapt out of the bed, hurrying out into the hallway. I had to call. I had to call Esme and see if he was back! I had to talk to him, to find out if he'd—

"Hey Bells," Charlie greeted, offering me a slight smile. "Are you feeling better today?"

"I'm… yeah, I need to call Esme."

"Sure thing. Oh hey, you need to be more careful with leaving your window open. You'll end up getting sick again as cold as it's been outside."

"…You?" My heart sank in my chest. He had not been in my room. He had not come. Though I had resigned myself to the fact that he wouldn't, it didn't make the pain in my chest dissipate at all. In fact, it intensified to the point where for a minute, I felt as though I couldn't breathe.

"Actually… dad, I need a ride."

"Sure kiddo. Let me finish up breakfast here and you should, you know, probably go change or something."

"No. No I need to go now. Please. Please, please I need to go right now."

He furrowed his eyebrows at me, but something in my face must have made him think twice about arguing, because he grabbed his juice and gulped it down before he stood. "Alright Bells. Let's go."

There were no words to express how grateful that I was that he was complying, so I didn't say anything. I'd thank him later. For now, I needed Edward.

I rushed him along the sidewalk out to the cruiser and climbed into the front seat, tapping my feet impatiently against the carpeted floor. My heart was racing. It didn't matter if he wasn't there. I wasn't leaving until I talked to him.

The ride to the house was longer than I'd ever recalled, most likely due to the fact that Charlie drove like an old man. But he was humoring me right now, so I didn't even have it in my heart to complain. As he pulled into the long driveway of the Cullen residence, I felt my heart begin to race. My hand was already itching towards the door handle before he even threw the car into park.

"Do you want me to wa—"

"No, I'll get Alice to drop me off. Thank you for the ride," I called back as I climbed out of the car, slamming the door shut behind me. I didn't look back as I jogged off across the lawn towards the front of the house. My knees were weak as I climbed the front steps, praying that he was there, that he would hear me out, that he wouldn't turn me away. I raised my hand to knock, but even before my knuckles could touch the cool wood, the door opened.

"What are you doing here?"

I gazed up into the icy eyes of the leggy blonde. "Rosalie! I… is Edward…?"

"Don't you think you've caused enough damage? You almost ruined everything."

"Please I… can I just…?"

"Just go away, Bella."

"No! I'm not going anywhere until I talk to him!"

"Rosalie? What the hell are you doing?"

My heart soared and ached all at the same time at the sound of his voice. He was here! I watched as his pale white hand clamped down on his sister's shoulder, his angry eyes locking on hers. "Disappear. Now," he growled.

She didn't bother to conceal her anger as she stalked off back into the house, leaving me alone with him. "Edward…"

"You shouldn't have come." There was no anger in his words, though they sliced through me like a knife.

"Edward, please. I just… I need to talk to you."

"You shouldn't have come," he repeated. "Bella… what happened last night…"

"Was a mistake, I know that! It wasn't intentional and I should have been more careful! I should have gotten in the car like you told me to, or I should have… I should have worn different shoes so that I wouldn't have tripped over my own two stupid feet, and I shouldn't have gotten sick! Because if I hadn't, then you would have gone hunting and you wouldn't have been so thirsty, and—"

"Bella," he interrupted, stepping out of the house to pull the door shut behind him. He reached for my hand, pulling me over to the steps where he sat, motioning for me to join him. I sank down onto the step beside him, the tears already forming behind my eyelids.

He gave me a sad smile as he held his hand out for mine. Once I complied, his fingers interlocked with mine. "Do you remember when we had that stupid argument about Jasper?"

"You mean the one where I completely freaked out? Of course I remember that."

"Do you remember what we compromised on?" I bit my lower lip as I looked up at him. His eyes were lingering on the bandage covering the cut on my head. "Do you?" He pressed.

"I don't… that has nothing to do with this, Edward!"

"You promised me that if I loosened up some, that when the time came for me to take you out of a dangerous situation, that you would go willingly. Without so much as a grunt of complaint."

"This does not count, Edward!"

"I could have killed you Bella. And I almost did."

"But you didn't! You didn't, Edward! And I know it was a freak accident! So we'll be more careful! I'll be careful! I'll stay away even if your eyes are like… a darker brown rather than black! But you can't… I don't… I need you!"

I could feel his hand caressing my cheek gently and I leaned into it, craving his touch. "This will never work for us, Bella. There's too much at risk for you."

"So change me! Right now, I'm ready! Bite me and let the venom change me! And then we'll be equal and you'll never have to worry about hurting the stupid, weak human again! But I can't live without you Edward and I won't try!"

"Please don't make this harder than it has to be."

"Please don't break my heart," I whispered, the tears flowing freely yet again. I had promised myself that I would not cry, that I would be strong and that I wouldn't allow my emotions to rule me as we worked through this. But he was killing me, for real this time.

"I want to spend every minute of every day with you Edward. And it doesn't matter to me whether I get to do that as a human or as a vampire, but I can't be without you. Please don't make me try. Please Edward! I'll be so much more careful! I'll be careful! I'll try to stop being so freakin' clumsy and I'll… I'll do anything. Just please don't leave me."

It felt as though someone was kicking me repeatedly in the chest. I couldn't catch my breath fast enough as I sobbed, pulling his hand against my chest. "You think what almost happened last night was bad? You're killing me right now Edward. You… you've changed me more than you'll ever know and that's… that's not just something that's going to go away. I can't… you're everything to me."

"You'll forget about me. You'll go on and find someone who can give you the normal life that you deserved, Bella. I'm not good for you."

"That's bullshit, Edward! That's fucking bullshit, and you know it! You're perfect for me! You know what Esme told me last night?" I asked, wiping the tears from my face. "She told me that she thought I was made just for you. But she's wrong. You were created for me. We're supposed to be together, Edward! Even Alice said so! You're the reason I met Jacob Black, you're the reason he broke my heart! To get me to you!"

"Please don't do this, Isabella."

"I love you, Edward," I cried. "That sounds… so stupid and pathetic, but it's the truth."

I could feel his stony arms tugging me to his chest and I didn't resist. I wasn't sure if this was the last embrace that we would share and I had to savor it. I threw my arms around his neck, closing my eyes as I cried. "P-please don't leave me, Edward. Please. You are my life now."

"I don't ever want to hurt you, Bella. Why can't you understand that?"

"Then stay. You p-promised me forever."

"You would be better off if you just let me go."

"I'm better off just because you're here, Edward." I pulled away from his neck, sniffling pitifully as I lifted my hand, rubbing the tears from my cheeks. "I've laid everything out on the line," I cried. "I don't… there's nothing else I can say to make you understand how much I love you."

His cold hand rested against my cheek, wiping away the remaining tears. His topaz eyes met my brown ones as he sighed softly. "Why are you so forgiving about this?"

"Because it was an accident, Edward. And I can't let you shoulder the blame for what happened last night. I was an idiot for not being more cautious, but I trust you. I trust you with my life, Edward. I know you would never hurt me."

"But I almost—"

"The point is, you didn't! I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere unless you tell me that you don't want me, that I'm not good enough. Because I'm going to fight for you, Edward."

"I don't deserve you. I'm a monster, Bella."

"You're not a monster."

"I can't promise that last night will never happen again."

"I'm not asking you to. I'm just asking you to love me enough to stick around."

"Of course I love you. You're my life."

"Then don't leave me," I begged, my voice cracking.

I don't know how long we sat on the step of the front porch, but it didn't matter. His arms were wrapped around me, holding me close to him as he stroked my hair. When I finally pulled away, I gazed up into his eyes, sighing softly. "Edward?" I asked softly.

"Forever." He promised solemnly. He pushed himself to his feet, holding his hand out for me.

"Where are we going?"

"We need to see Carlisle."