J

I had transformed, that's all I know for sure. I was watching Bella go to that bloodsucker's apartment and the last thing I remember was watching a light flicker on near the top. Now I'm standing on a roof, facing that same building, in my wolf form howling as loud as I can. I come to my senses when I hear Sam's voice in my head.

"Jacob! Shut up!"

I pull myself together and looking over my shoulder I see a slight shade of pink on the horizon. "I could hear you from my house you idiot! What's wrong?"

My breathing heavy, fogging in the cool morning air, I remember what I heard from the street below. "They're…Bella and…and…him are. I heard them Sam." The memory finds its way to Sam's head.

"Alright Jacob, calm down and change back. I'm on my way."

I stare at the building, standing up off of my haunches I shake myself off, trying to calm down enough to change back to a human. I feel my heartbeat slowing, my breathing becoming steady I take in another deep breath…and stop. At the apartment building, on the roof, I see him step out from behind a door.

I let out a low growl, "I know you can hear me bloodsucker."

He nods from his roof and in a calm voice he responds, "Correct, mutt." His voice carried on the wind and picked up by my sensitive ears. "I had hoped that you had left for good when you did, you can imagine my disappointment when I heard a mongrel howling itself hoarse four hours later."

"Leave her alone and I won't rip you to pieces."

He scoffs, arrogant prick, "Why? So you can have her?" Neither of us moves, until he scoffs again, "I know you, you are Jacob."

I freeze - I can't keep tabs on Bella all day so she could have told him about us. "That's right."

"I thought you were different than the original four wolves that found me. So you do want me to hand her over to you." Completely stoic, barely moving since he appeared on the roof as though he couldn't care less, he stares down at me.

I start to growl again, "Listen good leech-"

"Leech? I can honestly say no one has called me that before." He laughs to himself.

"Fuck you!" I bark back.

He raises his hand to his mouth and I can hear him trying not to laugh. At my limit, I dig in my heels and ready myself to jump to his roof when I hear Sam again. "No Jacob! Stop!"

I look around in time to see him leap to the roof, equal in my height even in his wolf form he walks up next to me and stands forward. "Hello Edward."

He nods, "It is good to see you Sam."

Sam looks back at me, then back to Edward, "I understand you have a human in there with you. Is she still alive?"

He nods again, "Yes Sam, she is, but it would seem your new pup takes issue with that."

"Jacob knows about our arrangement, but Bella and him have a history."

"I know, Bella told me as much herself." He says, confident as ever.

The three of us stand there a while longer, no one speaking, no one moving.

"You can't hide what you are from her forever! Show her what you are and see what she says!" The tension takes me over, I yell out the challenge without thinking.

"Quiet Jacob!" Sam snaps back at me.

"What? If she can handle the fact that he might turn around and bite her head off any second then I've got no right to interfere."

Sam turns to me, "I'm trying to help you, you idiot, just shut up and let me talk."

"No Sam, let it go." He turns to me, "Jacob is right, Bella deserves the truth."

"Fine! You admit what you are and if Bella wants to leave you have to let her."

"Agreed," he says. That arrogant smile of his creeps back on to his face as he turns away, back towards the door he came from, "If she accepts me you all leave us alone."

I let out a soft groan, "Agreed."

B

Bacon? My eyes flitter open as the smell of bacon finds its way to my nose. I look out the open window, the sun high in the sky, rubbing my eyes I sit up. Looking around I remember where I am. My eyes dart around the room, he must be in the kitchen. I grab one of his shirts and groggily pull it on. Hoisting myself up from the bed I walk around the wall that separates the sleeping area from the rest of the apartment.

At the far wall I see Edward hovering over a stove, the crackle of frying bacon confirming my hopes. He turns to me and smiles, "Good morning Bella. Did I wake you?" He points to a mug, "I heard you moving around so I poured you a cup of coffee." My eye follows his gesture to the island between us and I lumber over plopping down on a stool.

"Thanks." I manage to grumble.

"Mornings are not quite your thing I see." He smiles and hands me a plate with eggs and the fresh bacon.

I can't help but giggle a little, eyeing the food as I take a sip of the coffee. It's really good, "Yeah sorry." I look around the room, not finding a clock I ask, "What time is it anyway?"

He answers immediately, "Just nearly ten."

I groan, "I can't believe I slept this late." Turning off the stove and setting the pan in the sink he turns towards me. "How long have you been up?"

"Not long, I had some business that needed tending to." He sees that I have yet to touch the food, "Not hungry?"

"Oh no, I am." I'm suddenly starving and pick up a fork, digging into the eggs. I take another sip of the coffee and notice that the blinds are down in here and not the sleeping area. "It's a beautiful day outside, you should let some of it in."

He freezes for a moment, "You can open them if you would like." I stop eating, he sounds nervous.

"It's your place, if you don't want them open they don't have to be." Did I offend him? He seems so taken off guard by my question that I'm not sure if this is the same Edward.

He turns to me, a pensive look on his face. "No, go ahead please. A little more light would do well for us."

It's like he's testing me, daring me to open the windows. I slowly step off of my stool and walk over to the window closest to me. I reach out with my left hand and pull one of the chords, the blinds swivel instead of raise letting little streams of light into the room.

I turn my head seeing his eyes bore into me as he watches my every move. I move to the second of the three windows, before I pull the chord on this set he steps back away from the island and leans against the counter. I gently tug the chord, letting more light into the room.

I step towards the last window and he doesn't move this time. I reach for the chord and wrap my right hand around the tassel. I turn my head towards him again and stop as our eyes meet.

"Bella, there is something you need to know." He says timidly. I keep hold of the tassel but don't pull.

"I have only ever told a very small number of people about myself and I have come to realize in the time we have spent together that you deserve to know as well." He slowly stands up from leaning against the counter and walks towards me. "The most important thing you need to know about me is that I love you more than any person I have ever known."

This isn't what I was expecting. He steps up to me and places his hand around mine, holding the tassel with me. I try to respond but he stops me, placing a cold finger against my lips, "Let me finish this please." He lays that hand on my cheek and I nod, "Secondly, you need to know that I have been lying to you."

I'm shocked, "What…what do you mean? You don't love me?"

"No, that part is true. Do you remember when we first met?" he asks sternly.

"Of course I do." Thinking on that day, wondering how it is about to be tainted.

"You met me before that day. I was there when you got that scar on your arm."

I suddenly see images in my head, a man trying to force himself on me, the knife in his hand, Edward appearing in the alley and pulling us apart, lifting the man above his head with one arm, the knife glancing harmlessly off of his face when the man slashed him, then Edward biting into his neck.

It's so vivid, so real, like an epiphany. I look up at him, "You…what…" I don't try and break away. His hand goes from my cheek to my other hand, softly wrapping around mine he lifts it to his chest and places it flat there. Beyond the feel of his hard cold skin against mine…I feel nothing, no heartbeat.

The speed, strength, only seeing him inside and never during the day, and what he did to that man. "A…a vampire?" I ask nervously, hardly believing that I'm asking the question. I feel him gently pull my hand down, causing the blinds to open. As they separate the light touches his skin and seems to reflect back at me. It looks ass though his skin is inlaid with thousands of tiny diamonds.

"Yes Bella, a vampire." My head is reeling, I'm not sure what to make of this but as I stand there with one hand in his and the other on his silent chest I know that I am not afraid. He could have done whatever he wanted with me up to this point but I'm still alive and unharmed.

"What does this mean for us?" I ask.

I can see in his eyes that he is struggling with this, even more than I am, "It means you have a choice Bella. If you choose, you can stay with me and we can go on being happy together. Or you can choose to leave, as you have seen I have the power to make you forget all of this and you can go on as though we never happened."

I answer immediately, absolutely sure of what I want, "No, I want to stay." Pulling my hands loose I throw my arms around him, "Please don't make me go."

I feel his arms close around me and he kisses the top of my head, "I could never do that." I don't know how long we stayed like that but I could have stayed that way for the rest of my life…and I hoped to.

E

I had prepared my self for the worst. I knew that once I had unlocked the memories of that night in the alley that there would be no turning back. I could not have hoped for a better resolution. I had won and Jacob was to be left out in the cold.

I spent the rest of the day explaining everything to her, my powers, how I have been able to live in this city for so long, I told her about Carlisle and the others, everything except the werewolves. Since they would be leaving us alone I figured it would be a moot point.

We spent the day talking and I would not have had it any other way. It is so liberating, a wonderful feeling, to be able to talk with her freely now.

"I have some news for you Bella. Just a little bit of business that needs tending to."

She laughs and with sarcasm obvious in her voice, "I don't know if I can take much more."

"I called in to the office while you were asleep and we have booked your first concert."

She pales almost instantly, "Oh my god, really? When is it?" It is odd how the idea of a vampire being real does nothing to faze her but the mention of having to perform for people rocks her foundation.

I smile, trying not to laugh at the awkwardness of her idiosyncrasies, "It will be in two weeks. I know it is not a lot of time and you will be the opening act for a bigger show but it is a start and we need to let the public see you."

Some of the color comes back into her cheeks, "Do you think I'm ready?"

I lay my hand on her cheek reassuringly, "More than ready and I will be there to watch over you." I pull her close and wrap my arms around her, "I will always watch over you."