Author's Note: Please forgive me for not updating in a loooooooong time. I'm taking summer courses and they're exhausting. :(
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, settings, etc. of the book Twilight/New Moon. The original characters and plot are the property of the brilliant Stephenie Meyer.
"Bella," a voice was all too familiar to he whispered. That silvery, musical voice that she would know
anywhere; the one that haunted her. Bella's eyes shot open, and she was greeted with the sight of the man
who had been etched into her heart forever.
"Edward!" she whispered in astonishment.
He nodded softly and brought a cool hand to her face. She closed her eyes and savored the touch that she
had been deprived of– no, craved– for months. Slowly, he traced the contour of her face. Each gentle stroke
of his fingers caused her heart to ache, and forced her to remember everything about him that she had tried to
forget.
"Edward. I missed you so much. I-" she began, but was silenced by his cool finger on her lips.
Edward closed his eyes and shook his head; the pained expression on his face proved to her that he had
missed her just as much. It was all she needed. He brought his face down to hers and brushed his lips lightly
against her hair, then to her nose, and finally to her lips where he kissed her deeply. She exhaled slowly and
kissed him back as she brought her hands up to rest on his stone chest. Her heart began to race and she
suddenly felt light-headed. She wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him closer to her.
Edward abruptly untangled himself from her and pushed her shoulders gently away from him.
"I have to go now," he whispered.
She opened her mouth to protest, but he was already gone.
Bella forced her eyes open. Her cheeks were wet with tears she didn't even realize she had cried. It had
been four months since Edward left her, and yet, every night she had the same dream about him. Tonight was
no exception. The image of him, his scent, and the feel of his caress was so real to her that it made it that
much harder for her to ever forget he existed, like he had wished for her to do.
She closed her eyes again and fell back asleep, wondering if it was possible for her to ever be able to exist in
a world that Edward was no longer a part of.
Edward gazed pensively at the picturesque sight before him. The incandescence of the Alaskan Mountain
Range freshly sprinkled with snow was breathtaking. He laughed bitterly at the irony of the situation he was
in. He had come to Alaska over a year ago because he wanted to get away from Bella. Now, he had come
back because he wanted to be with her too much. The wind whipped around him fiercely, while a light snow
began to fall. Edward barely noticed.
He didn't know what he had gotten himself into when he made the decision to involve Bella in his...life. He
never imagined that he would fall for her, and in doing so, summon desires buried deep within him that he
never knew could surface.
It wasn't that he didn't want to be with Bella. He wanted to more than he should. But rather, he was afraid
of being with her. He had once told her that he could crush her skull by accident when actually meaning to
brush her hair away from her face. He didn't even want to think about what he could do to her in a moment
of passion; a moment of absolute weakness for him when he wasn't fully coherent or in control of his every
move. What scared him the most was the fear of not being capable of possessing the self-control he felt he
needed.
Being in seclusion forever was not an option for Edward. He missed Bella every single second of every
single day. He couldn't be without Bella and his family forever. He often contemplated going back to Forks
without Bella knowing. He thought that maybe he could be with his family again and also watch over Bella to
make sure she was safe.
Deep down Edward knew that it was impossible for it to be that simple. He could never be so near to her
without physically being with her. He didn't know if it was possible for him to exist in a world without Bella.
You know what to do!