Hey everyone, it was pointed out to me two days ago that the last time I updated was February. I'm not even going to try to make excuses, but I will tell you that I was just waiting for real life to quiet down. And real life always comes first. So, to make a long story short, I feel really bad for not updating for such a long time! That's no way to repay you guys for the amazing reviews that I have been getting. Also, I want to apologize to all of the people to whom I said, 'next chapter will be out this week! Promise!' and it never came. I feel so bad, guys, sorry.

As I said in my other story, because of real life there are going to be some changes in my modus operandi (how I operate). I'll try to update whenever I can, but it'll probably be one week at most. Also, I really wanted to reply to all of my readers when they reviewed to this story. But I just won't have time to answer more than questions or suggestions. Sorry . I feel terrible. But thanks for bearing with my, you guys. If you could hear me, I would give you each a huge round of applause and all of you definitely get major hugs from Lil' Alice!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

Chapter Eleven

EPOV – Eagle Rock Reservation Incident

I was hunting. I had done so every day of the past week. I didn't want to be any less than bloated when around Bella. I couldn't risk hurting her. But, by protecting Bella from myself, I ended up hurting her again. The story of my life…or existence.

I had started out reasonably, nailing a few deer and then heading home. But then Bella's scent washed over to me from the entrance to the park. I snarled, and my senses were overwhelmed. I wouldn't be able to stop. And I wasn't.

I raced toward the beautiful scent with a newfound intensity, thinking about how amazing it would taste. A reaction that I would only have toward Bella. How inconvenient that the woman I love is my singer. I wanted to drink her blood until she was lying lifeless on the ground. But something stopped me. It was Bella herself. I heard her talking to her daughter, Alice, she was comforting Alice.

She was standing absolutely still, not moving at all, except to talk to her daughter. That was what had stopped me at first. She wasn't running. Why wasn't she running? My animalistic side was confused, why wouldn't she run? Did she have a death wish? It was no fun to kill something that just wanted to die!

She said my name then, she knew I was there, "Edward! It's me, Bella, and Alice!" I knew that already! Why did she think I was following her? Because she was Queen Victoria?! "You love Alice! Don't hurt her!" I did? I didn't love Alice, I loved Bella! I loved Bella.

Why should I kill her if I loved her? Why was I chasing her again? I took a deep breath. Bad idea. I smelled her scent, stronger than ever. I crouched down again, trying to be stealthy…why, I did not know. She had already sensed my presence! "Edward," She whimpered. "You can kill me, I know I've been awful to you, but just leave Ali. Please. I wish…" she stopped talking, and I wondered why, my childish vampire side wanted to know what she wanted to say. She thought I wanted to kill her because I was angry with her? What a weird woman, I wanted to kill her because she smelled so damningly good!

She started talking to Little Alice, I didn't pay any attention, and I sensed three more vampires sneaking up on me.

Then there were three growls, and I turned to face two males and one female vampire. I didn't recognize them immediately; I almost attacked my own siblings! And in my one second of realization, Alice had leaped at me and pinned me to the ground. She was snarling more frightfully than she had every before, and then Jasper was next to her, covering my face with his hand. Emmett took the opportunity to sit on me. It was not comfortable.

I felt Bella's scent slipping away and tried to wriggle out from underneath my gigantic brother to run after her. I wanted her blood! It was only once the smell had dissipated that I realized what had happened, I went limp on the ground and Alice finally told the boys to lay off of me. I got up and then noticed the pain. I looked down at myself and noticed that I was all scratched up. My siblings hadn't bitten me, but they had definitely put some effort into their attack. I grimaced, "Thanks guys."

"No problem." Emmett said, gleefully.

Alice was behind me, I didn't see it coming. Her fist swung out and around to cut me in the jaw. I winced in pain, "That was for leaving her in the first place." She said, and then I felt another punch on the other side of my jawbone. "That was for coming back!" She brushed off her hands and legs, from having to sit on the ground. "C'mon Jazz, I've got to change out of this disgusting outfit!" She turned to me, "And you! I need to find you some decent clothing. I'm sorry to say that this outfit will no longer be in circulation." She bowed her head, as if honoring the 'dead' clothing. But I knew she was just joking around, she loved any excuse to shop some more.

I trudged along, as well as you can trudge at 40 miles per hour, back to the house behind my siblings. Esme was in the drawing room when we entered. She gasped, "Edward! What…? No. Do you know what? I don't want to know. Just go get changed." She sighed and went back to her work.

Emmett rolled his eyes, "You know," Edward, "When a mother doesn't want to know, that means it's bad."

I glared at him. "Don't talk about mothers to me."

"Why?"

Rosalie called from the room that she shared with Emmett, "Because Bella's a mother, nimrod." She berated to her husband. "Edward just can't face his fears. He's scared to be with a grown-up, and does not want to be a father. Of course, the fact that she cares for her child more than she cares for him is cutting him deeply." She sighed, "Meet me in the garage, Em, I was just on the internet and found another thing I could try with my engine."

"Sure thing, sweetheart." Emmett raced off quickly.

I walked at human speed into my room and switched on the CD player. It was Debussy, Clare de Lune. I smiled and lost myself in a world of Bella. I wanted to be with her again, I would do anything to be with her! But this close call just underscored why it was impossible, why I had left in the first place. And then there was Alice! Little Alice could not be a vampire, and Bella would not leave her daughter. I could always wait! But then Bella would be even less inclined to be a vampire. Then if I did turn Bella, after Alice was old enough to decide for herself whether or not to become a vampire, Bella would understand my dilemma and feel awful about taking her soul…or not. I could always leave her human and just be with her. But what had she called that? 'Sick' I think. I didn't want to do anything that would bother her.

I could just ignore her; my brain rejected that idea right away. I could wait until I gradated from High School…that may work. And I don't even know if she loves me! God, I had a huge problem.

The next morning, about twenty minutes before school, I showered, put on a clean shirt and pants, and jumped in the car with Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie.

I made it through the rest of the day, the teachers noticing my deviation from the usual smooth politeness, but not mentioning it. It was only in my last period class that I couldn't read the teacher's mind to know that. But Bella didn't make any mention of my mood or injuries, so I didn't make anything of it. But when she asked me into the hall to talk, I knew something was up. I would have refused, and asked to go to the bathroom or something, but there was something in her eyes, something so caring, so loving, so…well, so Bella, that I had to go talk to her.

"Are you alright?" she asked, I didn't say anything, I was still getting used to her scent. "Alright then…" she was flustered.

I quickly realized that humans didn't like to go unanswered, and however good she was at guessing, she could not read my mind. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Really?" she was skeptical. Maybe she could read my mind.

"No. Do I look alright? I didn't.

"Well, no, but that's why I came out here to ask you if I could help." She was so caring, so lovely, I loved her so much.

"Can you listen?" There was nothing else that she could do for me.

"Yes." That simple answer was so welcome to me. So beautiful, so bella.

"Yesterday I was hunting in Eagle Rock Reservation," Bella opened her mouth fractionally, she was surprised? "I was hunting and I caught your scent. I was brought up short. I lost all control. I remember the feeling, it was very liberating actually, but afterwards it was quite scary. I caught your scent and I followed it all of the way across the forest. I wanted you so badly." Did she look afraid? Should I stop? No…she didn't look at all phased. What a strange woman! "But when you didn't run I was so bewildered. I had changed completely into an animal and the only reason that the predator chases is for the fun of it. If the predator wants to, it can just kill the thing. But when you outsmarted the vampire it knocked me back into Edward. And I heard you talking. I remember very clearly what you said to me." I closed my eyes. "Edward! It's me, Bella, and Alice! You love Alice! Don't hurt her! Edward, you can kill me, I know I've been awful to you, but just leave Ali. Please. I wish…" She honestly thought that I loved Alice more than I loved her! Intolerable! Just another sign of how badly I had screwed up.

Then I started crying! I was acting like a little girl! God, I wouldn't have ever thought that you were telling the truth if you had told me that I would be crying outside of Bella Swan's classroom at Montclair High School I would have laughed my head off (after ripping your head off)! But now, I was, and I wanted her to hold me. I wanted her hands in mine, and my hands in hers. I wanted to kiss her, and I wanted her to kiss me back. I wanted to scream with her, growl with her, hunt with her, even to kill with her, anything with her! I just wanted her.

And then, suddenly, her warmth enveloped me. Her arms were surrounding my waist…and her face…so close to mine! Wasn't she freezing? I felt the urge to cover her with a blanket. I turned, and she let go of me. Good thing. I was about to kiss her. Right in the hallway would be bad! "Bella." I said. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, she covered her mouth and ran away. Did I scare her off again! Oh Lord!