The snow had begun to melt, and I mean really melt, about a week ago. The roads were probably passable. My poor phone charger was probably lying in a puddle somewhere out on the road. It was like everything was melting away with the snow, everything I held dear was just getting smaller and smaller with each drop of rain against the ground.

"You know I still have a few days before my flight was technically supposed to get back from Europe," I mumbled. "I don't have to go back yet."

"But you have to go back," Edward said, keeping his eyes on the yard.

"I'll come back," I said quickly. "I just have to get things settled back in town, but I'll come back." I reached over and took his hand.

It was odd that something as simple as rain could turn us into this. We were afraid. There was no other way to put it and even though I didn't want to leave, there was something else in that fear. I could feel it. Like something bad was on the horizon.

"I want you to take me." I turned towards him and forced his eyes to mine. "I want you to take me back, not Jasper."

"I can't," he said.

"Why not?"

"I just can't okay?" He got up off the bed and ran his fingers through his hair. "It's complicated."

"Everything is complicated, Edward. Are you never going to go into town again? You're just going to stay up here forever in your little bubble and never experience life? This isn't a life!" I tried not to get upset, but we were reaching a breaking point. If either of us wanted any resemblance of a life, we both needed to take risks. I needed him to take a risk.

"Bella, you know how they treated me. You know…" He clenched his fists. "You know what I went through."

"Who gives a shit what they think?" I got up and started towards the door. "You have to stop being afraid sometime."

He started to say something else that was probably more whining, but I shut the door before he could get it out.

I screamed in frustration as I stomped down the stairs. I ran through the kitchen and outside into the rain, not bothering to grab a sweatshirt on the way out. It was cold against my skin and I could see the goose bumps start to flesh up over my arms. There was a slight fog settling across the yard, creeping from the edge of the forest towards the house. Everything looked so green, so different from the pure white it had been when I first arrived here. It was like an entirely new place.

I could actually see the wet stone of what looked like some kind of fence surrounding the property. I could imagine in the spring it was covered in moss and maybe the occasional wildflower. The garden itself was stunning. There was a large fountain that I never would have seen in the mountains of snow. It looked like it hadn't been used in years. The top part had broken off and was resting where the water should, laying like a broken moment in time. That's exactly what this entire place was. Like one big, beautiful fucked up scrapbook. Every broken mirror. Every tipped over statue. It was snapshots of Edward's life. I wanted it to be beautiful again. My heart fluttered at what it could be; what it should be…what I could make it. I told myself the moment I fell in love with him that I was never going to let him slip again. I'd never let go.

The greenhouse door flew open and Jasper came through carrying some gardening tools. He looked up and smiled when he saw me.

"Hey." He started towards the outdoor garden and I followed him in silence. The rain was still beating down on us, but he didn't seem to care. My thoughts were so jumbled, I hardly noticed it.

He set down all of his tools and started assessing the garden, checking out the soil and started to plan things out in his head. He was happy. Spring was almost here and now he had the flowers to keep him company.

I leaned against one of the cold, damp statues and crossed my arms.

"What's wrong?" Jasper knelt down and started digging into the earth.

"He won't take me back."

"He hasn't driven in years, I don't know if I'd trust him." He laughed a little before looking up at me. "Did you ask him to?"

"Yes." I kicked at the grass. "I told him I wanted it to be him and he got upset. Said I didn't understand."

"You understand him better than anyone Bella. Even me. I always knew he was in a dark place, but I didn't know how to break through it. You did it. You were his light. I don't doubt that he knows that."

"He's just so…stubborn." I sighed.

"Edward's always going to be stubborn. He got that from his father, that's not changeable." He smiled and took a few steps closer to me. "I didn't want to say anything until I was sure." He fidgeted with his gardening gloves. "I'm going into town tomorrow."

My breath stopped. We all knew it was coming and now it was knocking on our doorstep. I wrapped my arms around myself as Jasper leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Don't ever let him forget the winter," he said before walking away.

The winter had changed him. It changed me. How do I leave something so significant?

I closed my eyes and felt the warmth of my tears mix with the cool rain. And then his arms were around me. I shivered in the cool air and leaned back into his body as he tightened his grip around me.

"You always come after me," I whispered.

"And I always will." Edward leaned down and kissed my neck.

"Just not into town." I turned around to face him. I took his silence as his answer. I nodded and slipped my hands around his wrist. I pulled his palm up to my lips and kissed his skin. "I understand," I mumbled.

I did, but I didn't. I wanted him to come even though I knew he felt safe up here. I wanted him to feel protected and as much as I wanted to be enough, I wasn't.

I stepped away from him and started towards the house to pack. My clothes were sopping wet so I kicked off my shoes as soon as I got inside and ran upstairs. I peeled off my clothes and hung them up in the bathroom to dry as I searched for something else to wear. I found one of Edward's t-shirts sitting in the chair so I pulled it on and started ambling around the room trying to find all my things. It reached down mid-thigh and smelled just like him.

I glanced up at the door as it creaked open. Edward stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He didn't say a word as I flitted across my room, grabbing clothes and miscellaneous things. I packed them slowly into my bag. I avoided his eyes the whole time, but I felt him watching me intently. It was driving me fucking crazy.

I finally looked up at him. Once I caught his eyes, I couldn't look away. He pushed my buttons in every way. Brought me to the edge of sanity. Made me so angry sometimes I wanted to scream. Kept me so completely captivated that even when I left this house, I would be forever his. A willing prisoner to this place.

"What?" I asked, throwing a sweatshirt down in my bag.

"You think I like being afraid?" He rubbed at his forehead. "Do you think I like how this has completely fucked up and controlled my life?" I flinched a little, surprised by the anger in his voice. He started pacing around the room. "I want to be brave…flawless. I want to protect you, be there for you, be a...normal boyfriend for you. I want all those things. Can't you see that I'm fighting for it, you can't bend me until I break Bella!"

"Name one thing you've done since high school that scared you!"

He took a few steps towards me and placed his finger under my chin. "Fall in love with you."

"Yeah?" I whimpered.

"Yeah." He leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine. He gently grabbed a fistful of my hair and held my face to his as he backed me up towards the wall. He forced me back against it with his hips as his tongue parted my lips and slipped inside.

His hand slowly migrated from my hip down to my thigh before slipping under the shirt. He paused below my stomach to brush over my center as he moved up to my breasts. I reached down for his pants and frantically tried to unzip them. I fumbled with the zipper, but finally got it and pushed his pants down as far as I could.

"Baby…" He moaned. He nipped and sucked at my neck as his fingers ghosted over my chest. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he slammed me back into the wall again.

His palms fell flat against the wall on either side of my head as his tongue danced between my lips, tasting me completely. I heard his nails scratch down the wall as I wrapped my legs around his waist. He reached down between us and positioned himself under me before sliding inside me. My eyes rolled in the back of my head as he forced his hips roughly against mine.

I arched my back, rolling my hips to meet every thrust. He didn't bother pawing at my shirt. It didn't matter. We wanted to fuck each other. I was leaving and even though it wasn't final, something about it felt that way. I wanted it rough. I wanted it hard. I wanted the passion. I wanted the beast.

He leaned down and nipped at my breasts through his t-shirt. I shivered and ran my fingers through his hair as a picture frame tumbled to the ground. They continued down his shoulders, digging in and scratching harder than I should have.

I bit down on my lip and grabbed his chin, forcing his eyes to mine. My jaw fell slack as he pounded into me again and again. My fingers were tight around his jaw as he brushed the hair over my shoulder and picked up his pace. The entire house was silent except for the thud of my body against the wall and the soft, staccato murmur of our breaths, rising and falling in unison.

His hands slid easily down my back. He slipped lower and cupped my ass as he pushed himself deeper one last time, forcing me into release.

"Fuck!" He grunted and rested his head on my shoulder. I kissed his cheek and tried to breathe against his weight. I rested my elbows on his shoulder and lifted enough that he slipped out of me. I kissed his lips on the way back down and whimpered as my feet finally found the floor.

I kissed his chest and ambled to the bathroom to clean myself up. When I was finished I walked back out to the bedroom and found him sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked guilty, like he'd done something unforgivable.

"What's wrong?" I asked. I walked over to the bed and forced myself between his knees. "Edward?"

"Was that…okay?" He asked.

My heart sank. I knew he used to be rough with girls when he was younger and now he felt like he couldn't be. He felt like what just happened was a mistake. He couldn't be farther from the truth.

"I never asked you to lose that fire," I mumbled. I ran my fingers through his hair. "I want you to burn." I bit down on my lip. "In your chest, in the pit of your stomach. I never want that fire in your eyes to go away."

He put his arms around my waist and rested his forehead against my stomach before pulling me down into the bed with him.

"Listen…" He started. "About tomorrow."

"I don't want to talk about tomorrow." I kissed his lips and pulled the blankets over our heads. "I want to stay here with you. And not think about it."

"I love you….completely. Do you understand me?" He nuzzled into my hair. "No matter what I do or say. I love you."

"I know. I love you too."

Edward seemed a little tense as we laid in bed with each other. I was, but I tried not to let it show. I didn't want to ruin my last night with him, but I couldn't help but think a little about my future…our future. If I moved up here, it's not like I'd be losing anything. I don't have a job. Maybe we could work towards restoring this place. It would make a wonderful Bed and Breakfast, but I knew that would be in the distant future…the very distant future. Edward doesn't even want to go into town, I highly doubt he'd want any more strangers sleeping in his house.

Edward smiled and ran his finger slowly up and down my spine as we drifted off to sleep. I never wanted to leave this bed. Or this house. It was home. He was home.

The next morning came too soon. Even though I was awake, I refused to open my eyes. I smiled and reached blindly behind me for Edward, but was only met with empty bed. I rolled over and opened my eyes. He wasn't here.

I sat up and looked around the room. It was completely clean. My bags were gone. There wasn't a trace of me here anymore except for a single outfit laid out on the chair in the corner.

I stumbled out of bed and pulled on the clothes before heading downstairs. I noticed my bags were neatly placed by the front door, ready to go. I heard some commotion out in the kitchen and I assumed it was Edward making coffee. I planted a smile on my face even though I was feeling incredibly sad.

"Edward?" I started towards the kitchen and was surprised to see Jasper instead of Edward sipping from a coffee cup.

"Good morning," he said softly. He looked anxious.

"Morning. Where is he?"

Jasper cleared his throat and took a step towards me. It was only then that I noticed the envelope under his arm. I saw Edward's handwriting peeking out, the beginning of my name written on the envelope.

"Jasper," I said. He handed me the envelope.

"He said he couldn't watch you drive away. He went for a run." He looked at me with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry."

I felt the tears prickle behind my eyes. "It's okay," I whispered. I took the envelope and glanced out at the woods. I was hurt, but I understood. I can't say I wouldn't feel the same way if the roles were reversed. "It's okay, I'll be back sometime next week. I'll borrow my dad's car. I'll come back." I nodded and took one last look around the house before we started towards the door. Jasper grabbed my bags for me and we headed out to the car. He let it run for a while since it hadn't been used all winter before we took off.

I held my breath as I watched the house disappear in the rearview mirror. We drove down the winding driveway that I'd trekked up all those months ago when this whole thing started. We passed the gate and turned onto the road.

I wiped the tears away from my eyes as we drove farther and farther down the road, away from everything. I remembered the letter in my hands and frantically tore at the paper to open it. I pulled out a single page. Several lines were crossed out at the top, like he didn't know what to say.

Bella,

I'm a coward right? The one brave thing I did this winter made me weak and I couldn't bare to watch you leave. I'm sorry.

After you fell asleep last night I panicked. I held onto you for hours, clinging for dear life. I was almost afraid I was going to fucking break you. I ended up getting up this morning and packing your clothes for you. You spent the winter picking up after me, the least I could do is help you pack.

I want you to know that I love you forever, no matter what happens. I don't want you to feel obligated to come back. I know this house is like a prison and I could never ask you to sacrifice everything for it. No matter how much I want to, I won't ask you to do that.

You literally saved my life and there is no place I'd rather be than beside you. I'm sorry that I can't give you that right now but know that I'll carry you in my heart, because you're fucking permanent. Always.

I love you,

Edward

I sniffled and folded the piece of paper back up. When I glanced up at the road, I started to recognize places and road names. It wasn't a long drive into town when the roads were clear. I'd be home in less than twenty minutes.

I felt off. I felt like I did when I first set foot in the Cullen mansion, except it was in my own town. Anxious. Alone. Afraid. This place had become more foreign to me in the last few months than the mansion ever was. I didn't belong here.

My heart started beating faster and faster as I felt the walls closing in on me. I was panicking. This wasn't right. It wasn't right that he wasn't here. I shouldn't be here. I couldn't be here.

"Jasper, stop the car…"

A/N: Dun dun dunnnnnnn. I usually don't end with cliffies, but this one seemed appropriate. I wonder where our little B is thinking...

Just a few more chapters until the prologue. Who is the mysterious attacker?

I was absolutely honored that Love Like Winter was chosen as TwiFicDatabase's Pick of the Week last week. There's a wonderful review as well as an interview with me on their website. If you check out my profile, under the LLW section there's a link to it. I'd appreciate it if you took a gander and supported their wonderful website. Thanks again for choosing it! : )