Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

A/N: Yeah. I know. A long, long, long, long, longlonglong time since the last update. Honestly, there isn't much I can say other than the fact that I've just been busy with school and I just had one of my final exams, due to senior graduation. (Darn those senior classes!) But the end of the year is almost here! Three more weeks. :) Then, I'll be able to at least get an update out faster than two, three, almost four weeks. Somewhere around there, I lost count.

To Mrs Ulliel-Whitlock, I'm sorry that it took me so long! It is a BellaxEdward story, don't you worry. :) And I apologize for the fillers. I know how annoying those can get.

Anyway, onward with the story!

Ephemeral

"Éphémère: ça signifie 'qui est menacé de disparation prochaine.'"

(Ephemeral: that signifies 'which is in danger of soon disappearing.')

- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The heavenly scent was light in the air. I knew just by instinct that she wasn't there. And yet, I knew she was safe. Alice was bound to be running around somewhere; I had a hunch that Bella was with her.

Now that I was back, I felt how attuned I was to her; she was connected to my soul. Though I could never be sure how she felt about me, from the last time I saw her, I had a strong feeling that she still felt something for me; like a part of her still yearned to be with me.

But of course, I could never be too sure. It could have just been a trick of the mind. I truly hoped not.

On the subject of the werewolf, I couldn't thank him enough for keeping her safe. But I didn't know exactly what to believe about him. Any area that dealt with the vampires, he skimped on. Exactly what he told her was beyond me.

Still he had her.

She wanted to see me but he had her heart. Jealousy is such a base feeling. But I couldn't stop myself from feeling it anyway.

I exhaled deeply, leaned against the wall of her house. I would return home soon. My emotions, although almost always under control, were strong today and if I didn't return home soon, I would end up doing something I would regret.

"What are you doing here?" I knew exactly who the rough voice belonged to.

"About to leave."

"You should, leech. You don't belong in her life."

"Pardon my questioning, but you think you do? If it's a question of her safety, I'm sure neither of us belongs in her life." He was silent. I had proven him wrong; deep inside of me, a beast swelled. But I knew I had done wrong too. She cared for this mongrel; I couldn't hurt him and expect her to still want my presence. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me. In all actuality, I should be thanking you."

He snorted. "Thanking me? Is that the best you can come up with?"

"Of course not. I cannot put into words how grateful I am for keeping her safe and making her life whole again after I left."

"It would have had a better effect if you hadn't suddenly decided to come back, you know."

I sighed. I knew he was right but I couldn't control myself. I could control many conflicts within myself but when it came to my love for Bella, it was complicated and took much more energy and thought than other matters. I knew what was good for her. And I knew what I wanted. I always tried to do what was best for her safety but I still couldn't help fulfilling my dreams too. I was a selfish creature; one who couldn't stand not getting what he wanted; but the two things I wanted were so polar, I didn't know what to do. I wanted to love her and be her everything, fulfilling her dreams too in every way possible. I also wanted to keep her safe and out of harms way, even if that meant excluding me and all other dangerous beings out of her life.

But no. I wanted her; wanted her so bad that I was willing to put her in danger. I was an idiot (as if that wasn't the understatement of all my selfish actions).

"I suppose you're right." I said finally.

"Damn straight."

"Nonetheless, now that I'm here, it's no surprise that I want to be near her."

"Yeah, well what if she doesn't want to be near you?"

I didn't know what to say to that. She had said she wanted me to be around. But what if she didn't? What if she was only giving me pity love because I looked so miserable?

"Then I'll abide by her wishes and leave her alone."

"Good. Glad you see it my way."

I glared at him. What a selfish dog. "It's not all about you."

"I never said it was." He balled his fist. "It's all about Bella."

"Yes, well, if it was all about Bella, why don't you tell her the truth?" That made him angry. A part of me was glad; I wanted to punch him. I really did. But most of me felt that this was going the wrong way and that if I did something to harm this immature mutt, she would be terribly upset. After all, I did leave her and he picked up the pieces.

"I did tell her the truth!"

"A half-truth is a whole lie."

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH, blood sucker." I appeared oddly calm for all the anger radiating within my cold body. "The only thing I didn't tell her about was YOU and your stupid blood sucking family."

"Why do you have the shallow need to bring my family into this? What in the world did they ever do to you?"

"They just existed. Vampires are not supposed to exist. And before you say that werewolves aren't supposed to exist either, I know that. But at least I can choose not to change into that form and I could do with her what you can't."

Vile images popped into my brain, causing me to shudder. I shook my head to throw away what I did not want to see.

"I know that already. You think I don't want to be with her completely and give her what she deserves? I did not choose this life, mongrel. If it were possible, I would become human so she wouldn't have to suffer the same damned fate that I must deal with for the entirety of my life."

"Well, if you don't want her to change into one of you, let her stay happy without you!"

"Why do you think I left? It was for just that sole purpose. To let her forget I ever existed. You can see how well that plan turned out."

"It would have been fine if you hadn't come back."

"It might have, it might have not. But, as I told you, I'm already back. It's impossible to go back and reverse that action." The anger settled just beneath the surface. If he were to say something to provoke me... no. I didn't want to think of what I would do. I clenched my fists tightly, hoping I could hold myself back. After I calmed myself down enough to talk without clenching my teeth, I said, "You should tell her."

"What do I have to tell her?"

"The truth. The whole truth. About what happened. About how I left her. About how you picked up the pieces. About everything."

"I did tell her everything she needs to know."

"Then why does she feel like she's been left out. She's confused about many things, Jacob. She doesn't need the extra confusion. And knowing her, she'll want to find out."

"She won't need to find out."

"But she'll want to. Sometimes, you want what you don't need." He was silent, so I continued. "You wouldn't want her finding out from someone else about everything, right? If you want her to know the truth, you tell her yourself."

Nothing was said for a while. Then, he started again. "If I told her the truth, she'd hate me."

"You know she wouldn't." I knew she wouldn't. She was much too forgiving. I experienced that first hand...

"But she would never trust me again."

"You've only got to tell her about the vampires. What more is there to it?"

"I-" He stopped. "That's none of your business, leech." He mumbled. It must have been something vital if he didn't say exactly what it was.

"It's your call. Whatever you decide to do affects every time her heart beats. Hers are limited. As much as I hate to say it, that's exactly how the situation is. Whether or not you listen to me, that's up to you. But you think about it yourself. Would you really want her to spend the rest of her life wondering about everything and searching for answers?"

He slowly added his input. "What if.. her decision involved having you out of her life?"

"I would be miserable. But I would never let her see it. I couldn't do that to her. She's too loving and she would try to comfort someone who could never be comforted."

He looked down and grumbled. "This is absolutely ridiculous." Then, looking up again, he asked, "Where is she right now?"

"Assuming she's with Alice, I'd guess she's safe." Before he could interject, I added, "As safe as she could be with a kind vampire like Alice."

"She will be back here tomorrow." It wasn't a question at all.

"Of course. I'll even escort her here myself." He frowned. "In the meantime, you think about you want to do."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"I'm only suggesting..."

"Yeah, well whatever you're doing, I don't care. As long as she's safe back here where she belongs."

I noticed clearly now that he loved her too. He might have been impulsive and immature but still, he wanted her to be safe. The same goal that I had for her. He wanted to protect her and know that she was some place where she wouldn't get in harm's way (since her clumsy nature and danger magnet ways often led her into dangerous situation). He would have been a good person for her had I not loved her eternally also. But if she so pleased, I would not be the obstacle between her love if she chose him. So it was never a matter of whether who loved her more. It was a matter of who she wanted to be with. Because both of us could not exist together in her life as we were at this moment and have her being the happiest she could possibly be.

I only heard a grunt before I saw him turn to leave. "Don't forget." He stated simply before running off in the direction of his home.

It was time I returned too. First, I had to call Alice, to be sure that Bella was with her.

It only took one ring to get through to her. "Alice. Is Bella with you?" I exhaled in relief. "Good. I just had a discussion with her werewolf friend. Of course not. I'll be home as soon as I clear my thoughts."

Running at a slower pace helped erase any trace of anger within me. Bella often had this sixth sense that could feel like she was reading my mind. Still, even erasing that couldn't take away the thirst I felt from wanting to rip apart something to shreds. No matter how gentle I was with her, I was still a violent creature.

I was elated that I would be able to see her again. It might be one of the last times; I could never know and never assume. It was times like these, I wish I could know what she was thinking. But she liked it better that I didn't; and I wanted her to be happy so I would never probe her for answers.

Though the darkness didn't frighten me, I quickened my pace. My mind wouldn't rest until I could see her beautiful face once more.

Parked in the garage, the car was idle. Alice got out of the car and took out all of her shopping bags. Poor Bella. I knew how much she disliked shopping. But she was too nice to say no to Alice. Alice looked over at me and nodded her head towards the car. She was in there. It would only be a couple steps until..

I sighed and smiled. She was so beautiful, even when she slept. If she ever were to be bitten and changed, she would never get to experience the joys of sleeping ever again and I would never get to see this specific moment again.

I picked her up out of the car seat. She mumbled, "Alice, don't strain yourself trying to carry me."

I chuckled. "I'm not Alice." Her eyes shot open. She looked slightly embarrassed, a nice pink blush surfacing on her cheeks. It was truly a lovely color on her. But she had nothing to be embarrassed about. She was always lovely. "You look fine, Bella. Rather, you look beautiful."

"Stop it. You know that's not true." Of course it's true, silly.

"It is. You just don't see yourself clearly." I smiled. "Now please, rest. No need to strain yourself staying awake."

"Fine, fine." She mumbled sleepily. "You'll be there when I wake up tomorrow right?"

"If you want me to be." She only nodded her head before she went back to sleep.

Her heart beat softly and slowly in a rhythmic melody; her blood serenaded me gently, calling to me. I could only appreciate the song without actually acting upon it.

Each heartbeat reminded me of her ability to disappear from my grasp at any moment without notice. She was so delicate, almost like a flower fighting against the world.

There were many in this world who would fight to protect her. But two of the least supsecting candidates specifically designed thier lives to save her from danger.

If she chose to be with him, then I would gracefully get out of the way. No complaints, no arguments. Of course I would want her to choose me but that choice was up to her.

Either choice she chose though, there was still the possibility of danger.

So far, everything had been peaceful. For the most part. But someday, I didn't know exactly when, something bad would happen. I could feel it rising in the horizon.

Human life was limited. And by the sound of her heartbeat, Bella was obviously still human. She was always in danger because of her magnetic nature.

And no matter who she chose,

I would always be there to protect her.