The next few days passed slower than Bella would have preferred she had spoken to Alice about her earlier conversations with her brother, but other than that had managed to stay away from him. Only speaking to him when it was required. It seemed to be a silent agreement they had come to. Neither of them ready to face what life would be after his admission of possible love.

Love. Bella had never loved someone in that way before and the thought scared her. Edward had changed a lot since she first had met him but did that mean he was going to remain that way? Bella knew how many times she would go a long stretch before falling back in the dark sadness that would consume her every fiber. How she would be in physical pain at the very thought of having to get out of bed and deal with reality. She counted on her fingers it had been over 10 months since her last manic episode and she wasn't sure how much longer it would be kept at bay. Maybe the stability of having Charlie, and the Cullen's would finally be just the thing she needed.

Bella was sitting on a bench outside of school by herself when Edward spotted her. She looked like a small child whose parents had forgotten to pick them up from school. Her oversized glasses were sitting at the tip of her nose while she chewed the end of her finger. He had been giving her the space he thought she needed to get over the whole weekends ordeal. He could tell she was tired from the dark circles that had settled themselves underneath her eyes.

" Bella are you alright?" Bella's head turned unnaturally slowly towards the sound of his voice. She wasn't looking directly at him but past him. Her eyebrows knit together as if confused at why he was speaking to her. Finally she seemed to collect herself and raised her eyes to his face. " I'm just fine Edward I'm just so tired. I can barely stand. I just needed to be away from everyone right now."

Edward nodded his head as if he understood what she meant. " Bella again I'm so sorry at everything that happened over the weekend." But she couldn't do this again she had pushed those feelings down and away and was now just ready to move past this. " Edward you have apologized about a million times you've sent me flowers you even had the truck repainted there's no need for it anymore. I can't take it anymore I can't take your silence and I can't take Alice skirting around even mentioning your name in front of me anymore. I'm going to go crazy Edward CRAZY. Now will you please stop it once this cast is removed we will never have to go there again. Why have you been ignoring me anyways I never told you that you had to stay away."

Edward raked his hands through his hair which seemed to be more disheveled than usual if that was even a possibility. He looked about as she felt could it be that he was suffering from the loss of interaction with each other like she was? " Bella I thought you could use the space . I caused enough damage last week and just felt that the space was the best thing."

Bella sighed reaching over to take his face in her hands. She wanted to recoil her hands at the sensation touching him caused almost like a burn. " Edward you can't tell a girl you think you could love her and then not say another word to her." Before Edward could utter a single word to her she had closed her eyes and softly placed her lips upon his. This kiss was so soft had he not seen it he never would have believe it to take place.

Bella stood taking her crutches into her hands as she tried to walk. " Come on lets go do something." Edward nodded his head taking her book bag and helping her into the car. He had decided with her approval to just head to his parents house where they could just spend sometime together.

Bella was curled on Edwards bed that smelled gloriously like him resting her leg on a pillow while Edwards body mirrored her position only facing her. There foreheads were almost touching as they quietly talked amongst themselves. Bella reached her hands up to brush a piece of hair from him face. " Edward has your hair always been this out of control?" Edward chuckled before removing himself from the bed to walk over to his book case. He reached for a small leather bound album and settled himself back in the previous position only this time scooting a bit closer to Bella. Bella took the soft leather album in her hand and flipped open the first page. A chuckle came out of her mouth as she looked at a picture of what must have been a two year old Edward and a very young looking Esme. At that age Edwards hair was more a strawberry blond cascading in curls like a halo all over his head. Esme had a look of complete adoration for her son. They looked so much alike it was a bit scary. The next page was a picture of Alice and Edward who could have been no more than 5 both had fallen asleep in a pair of underwear holding popsicles that were running all down their bodies. Bella chuckled again as she proceeded to flip through the album until she reached the last picture she dropped the album from her hands as she stifled a gasp. It was a picture of her wrapped in Edwards arms that day in the field when they were dancing. It wasn't the fact it was a picture of them or that she wasn't aware a picture of them had even been taken it was the look on Edwards face. Had she had her eyes open at the time the look probably would have scared her just as much in person as it did in the picture. For written across Edwards face was the most love filled look she had received in a very long time.

" My dad took it that day while we were dancing. Apparently my mother discovered us and couldn't pass up the chance to enlighten my father as well as my sister and Jasper. When my mom brought me the picture she actually cried saying it was one of the most beautiful pictures she had seen." Bella nodded her head and glanced down at the picture on last time before closing the album.

" Edward can you hand me my book bag please?" Edward nodded reaching down to hand Bella her bag. His eyebrows raised as she fished through her bag reaching into a small tie dyed pouch she handed him a small very warn picture. At first Edwards mind didn't register the picture before him until he noticed the much younger features of chief swan a small girl and a girl who looked much like Bella. He rubbed his thumb over the picture before turning to Bella. " Is that you?" Bella smiled and nodded taking her bottom lip between her teeth. " Yes I was almost 5 and had started school a bit early my mother had brought me to visit my dad and couldn't figure out why I had cried almost the whole time I was here. Well you see in school we had to write a poem about family and include a picture and I didn't want to include two separate pictures so to ease my poor broken soul Billy Black took this last family picture of us for my class." Edward nodded his head looking back to the picture. Bella looked very similar to her mother but the coloring of her hair and eyes were all her father. She was wearing a red dress with black polka dots and black sandals her hair pulled back in a tight braid. The same failure blush spread across her freckled cheeks her eyes though were what caught his attention they were red along with her nose. She had been crying.

" You had been crying? Why?" Bella sat so her head was resting in her opened hand. " I wanted a normal life Edward. My mother dragged me away when I was just a infant. Stating she was too young to be tied down to so many responsibilities that she needed to live her life. So we went to phoenix why I'll never know she didn't know a single person there. Now I look at that picture and think that even at that young age I knew what was in store for me. That maybe if she had just left me with Charlie like we all know she wanted to I would have turned out better."

Edward wrapped Bella in a hug. " Bella your perfect the way you are, and who knows we might not be where we are now if you grew up here." Bella nodded but sighed. " Yea but it would have been a lot easier."

Bella placed the picture of her broken family back into the bag she had removed it from and settled back on the bed again. " Edward what was that song you sang the other night?" Edward smiled and scratched his head awkwardly. " So you hear it huh?" Bella smiled and just nodded. " Well it was a song I wrote for you why?" Bella smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. " Sing me another song please"Edward stood and walked slowly to his closet where he removed a beautiful cherry wood guitar. He settled himself on the couch across from his bed. He strummed a few chords on his guitar.

Standing there by a broken tree

Her hands where all twisted, she was pointing at me

I was damned by the light coming out of her eyes

She spoke with a voice that disrupted the sky.

She said 'walk over yeah to the bit of shade

I will wrap you in my arms and you'll know you've been save'

Let me sign, let me sign, can't fight the devil so just let me sign

A shiver passed down Bella's spine as he finished the song. He had the most beautiful raspy voice she had heard. Everything in him exuded emotion. A soft knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. Esme was smiling at her son obviously she had her his small performance as a look of pride crossed her soft features.

" Beautiful Edward simply beautiful. I hate to be the bearer of bad news however Bella your father is here to collect you." Bella nodded and did her best to roll off the bed with some class. She was headed towards the door when she found herself pressed against it. Before she could think Edward was pressing hot desperate kisses along her jaw. A soft needy moan escaped Bella's lips erupting a growl from Edward as he moved his lips to her own. Her skin felt aflame as he parted her lips with his tongue pressing his hard body against hers. Bella sighed as she reached her hands to his hair giving it a tug which caused him to grind harder against her. It was almost painful the need he was possessing but in a delicious way. Edward finally tore his lips away from her own when he sprinkled soft kisses around her face trying to regain his breath.

Bella turned to the door as Edward nodded his head understand what was being said. She made her way down the stairs to find her father waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Edward watched as Chief Swan helped maneuver his daughter into the patrol car. He didn't know what he was going to do with himself that had to have been the most intense moment he had shared with anyone ever. One thing he knew was Bella was going to be a lot harder to be around if she made him feel the way he was.