Previously:

"I could kill you, Bella," I whispered, "I want to."

She stared into my eyes for a long moment before answering, "I don't care."

"You don't care?" I was incredulous, and cross, "But I meant everything I said, Bella. When I said that I could snap your body like you could snap a toothpick, I wasn't joking."

"You meant every word?" she checked, her eyes narrowing the tiniest bit.

"Every word, Bella," I promised.

"So, you meant it when you said…" she hesitated, unsure of how to word something. I waited, "What did the kiss mean?" she eventually asked. Damn I was in too deep here, and, by the sounds of it, so was she.

BPOV

As soon as Edward was there, I felt sane again. I could breathe evenly and I could say more than just his name. Carlisle left us alone, which I appreciated, and we launched into an awkward conversation.

He had admitted that he wanted to kill me, and when I told him that I didn't care, I honestly meant it. It was the wrong thing to say; it infuriated him.

"You don't care? But I meant everything I said, Bella. When I said that I could snap your body like you could snap a matchstick, I wasn't joking," he told me, staring me down. I was captivated by his butterscotch eyes, but I hadn't missed the important bit of his small speech.

"You meant every word?" I asked.

"Every word, Bella," he nodded solemnly. Stupidly, I felt a quiver run down my spine when he said my name.

"So you meant it when you said…" I trailed off, hoping that he would pick up on the words that I didn't want to say. He didn't, and I felt myself flush. In the end, I worded my question differently, but the meaning, and the desperation, was still there, "What did the kiss mean?"

He didn't answer straight away. He moaned quietly, so quietly I couldn't be sure that it even was him.

"It meant nothing at all," I whispered, realising, "You don't really care." Pain hit me worse than Tyler's van, and I felt tears flood down my cheeks again. This was so embarrassing; I didn't know why I'd expected anything different.

"What?" Edward looked at me, his eyes wide. His cold hands came up to cradle my face, cupping my chin, "You think that I don't care for you?"

"It would make sense," I mumbled, marvelling at the touch of his marble-smooth skin on mine.

"Never think like that, Bella," he snapped, "You're so much better than me, in so many ways. I feel for you more than you can even comprehend, but I'm not right for you. I'll hurt you."

"But you didn't answer my question straight away," I pointed out.

"Yes, but that's because of your question itself. It's one thing for me to be so involved, but another completely if you feel the same way. I don't want you to feel that way, Bella, it's not good for you. I'll hurt you," he explained in a voice barely above a whisper.

"But it's too late," I whispered back, "I love you, Edward. And I don't care about the danger, I only care about you."

"But you don't understand," he groaned, "I could kill you," he warned for the billionth time.

"I don't think that you could," I disagreed.

"Bella…" he trailed off and his head snapped up to look at the door.

"Don't leave!" I exclaimed, beginning to panic. Then the door opened and Carlisle came in.

"Go, Edward," he instructed Edward.

"No! No, stay!" I argued, "Don't go!" my hands reached up and I pressed his own hands harder to my face, not letting him go.

"Sorry, Bella," he whispered, releasing his hands easily, though I was using all of my strength, "I'll come back later," he promised, making it easier for me to breathe. But then he was gone, and I felt lost. When he wasn't there, I felt incomplete.

I bit my lip, embarrassed and looked at the floor so that I couldn't catch Carlisle's eye. To my intense surprise, he chuckled.

"Well, Bella," he said, "I hope that you're feeling better now."

I nodded forlornly and he laughed again.

"He'll come back later," he too promised.

I heard my mother's heels clacking against the lino outside before she was even close.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything about Edward now, considering I've just miraculously healed your hysteria," Carlisle added and I nodded again.

"Bella?" Renee asked as she opened the door.

"I'm fine Mom," I sighed as she came in.

"Oh, Bella!" she smiled when she saw that I was better and came over and hugged me, "Honey, are you sure that you're okay?"

"I'm great," I forced a smile onto my face for my mother's benefit.

"Thank you, Dr Cullen," Renee turned to Carlisle, "I don't know what you did, but it seems to have worked." Then she turned back to me, "Guess what, Bells?"

"What?"

"You can come home!" Renee's smile reached her ears, "You don't have a concussion and you seem fine, so you're allowed to go home and rest."

"Great," I smiled too. Home; that would be nice after all this time, "How long have I been unconscious?"

"Just over a week," Renee told me, "You were going to be transferred to Phoenix today, but that's not necessary anymore- I can take you!"

"What?" I asked, my smile gone, "Take me back to Phoenix?"

"Yes, honey, isn't that what you want?"

"No," I shook my head, trying to stay calm, "No, Mom, I want to stay here, in Forks."

"But…" she looked so dejected.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I don't want to go back there. I'm happy here," I said.

"Don't be silly, Bella," Phil interjected, "We've been here and there carting all of your bloody stuff and that lump of rusty metal that you call a car around, you can't just change your mind."

"But I have," I said stubbornly.

"No you haven't, young lady, you're coming back to Phoenix with me and your Mom. I cancelled my tour for this and then you think that we can change everything for you? Well, the world doesn't revolve around you, Bella."

"Don't speak to my daughter like that," Charlie glared at him, "If Bella wants to stay, then Bella can stay, isn't that right, Renee?"

"I don't know…" Mom said, her brow furrowing, "Bella, honey, we have arranged a lot to get you back to Phoenix like you asked…"

"I don't want to!" I objected.

"Tough luck, kid," Phil said.

"You can stay at Charlie's tonight, but then you can come back to Phoenix with us," Renee decided, "If you really, really don't like it then you can come back here when you're eighteen, but Phil's right, Bella. We can't change everything that we've arranged."

"What? No!" I cried, "No, you can't do that! I won't be eighteen for almost another year!"

"Well done," Phil said sarcastically.

"Wait one minute, Renee," Charlie interjected, "Bella's my daughter as well!"

"But you were all too happy to get rid of her yesterday!" Renee shouted back.

"I was not!" Charlie argued.

"Charlie, Bella can stay at yours for a night or two, and then she's coming back to Arizona with us. I'm sorry, but there's just no other way around this," Renee concluded. A night or two at Charlie's. Was that long enough to change their minds?

EPOV

I had heard in Carlisle's head that they were sending Bella back to Charlie's home in Forks for this evening, but then she may be sent to Arizona. Was one night enough to persuade Bella to stay here in Forks?

She had said that she loved me, that she cared for me, but she wasn't sure that I felt the same way. How could she think like that? How could she believe that I didn't care for her so much more than she possibly could vice versa?

Just an hour after I had left the hospital, Charlie's cruiser drew up outside the house, Bella seated, asleep, in the back. Renee and Phil were staying in a hotel nearer the hospital, where they had been since Bella's accident.

Charlie went round to the back of the car and opened the door, waking Bella gently. They went inside and Bella asked to go straight upstairs, claiming to be tired.

"But it's midday!" Charlie had exclaimed.

"I know, Dad," Bella yawned, "But I'm exhausted."

"Okay, honey," Charlie gave in.

Bella traipsed upstairs and into her room that hadn't been changed at all since the accident and sat on her bed, tears already trickling down her cheeks.

I tapped gently on the window and her head snapped up. A smile lit her face when she saw me and she ran to the window, flinging it wide and pulling me in.

"Edward, oh, Edward," she rested her head on my shoulder.

"What's wrong?" I asked gently, rubbing my hand up and down her back. The room was full of her scent, but it was so much more bearable now. Now I could never bear to have her even unconscious again, let alone kill her myself.

"They're making me go back to Phoenix, Edward," she wailed quietly, "I don't want to go," she whispered, and this surprised me. I thought that she would've wanted to go. Again, the curiosity as to what she was thinking was almost overwhelming.

"Why don't you want to go back?" I asked.

"I don't want to leave you," she whispered, as though she was afraid that I'd punish her for wanting such a thing.

"I don't want you to leave me either," I said. She lifted her head off of my shoulder and looked me in the eye.

"I love you," she whispered.

"As I love you," I whispered back, "They won't separate us, don't worry."

"I'm not worrying," she lied. I laughed and then she yawned.

"Maybe you should get some sleep?" I suggested.

"I'm not sleepy," she muttered, but she knew as well as I did that that was a lie.

"Come on," I lifted her into my arms and lay her on her bed.

"Don't go," she whispered, gripping at my shirt.

"I'm not going anywhere," I promised, lying down next to her and putting my arm round her.

"Thank you," Bella smiled at me, and I smiled back. She fell asleep almost immediately, her head resting on my chest and I kept my promise, staying by her side all night. But I knew that the morning wouldn't bring happiness like the night did; there was a promise of separation on the horizon…

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Ok, I am SO SORRY for the length of time it took me to update!!!!! And sorry that it was a bit of a filler as well. But I hope you liked it anyway.

Quote from the next chapter (that I haven't finished yet... :S):

It would be much better for her to go back to Arizona with her Mother. I couldn't afford to get any more attached and neither could she. She would forget me if she went, and that was what was best for her; to move on and spend her life with someone who deserved her. A normal human being, not a monster like myself.

Please review- reviews are definitely my brand of heroin XD

Steph