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Chapter 6: Rolling in the Deep

We could have had it all

Rolling in the deep

You had my heart inside your hand

But you played, with a beating

EPOV:

In this moment, my mouth lowered to hers, to claim her again, to demonstrate my love for her, my need for her. Her lips were soft and yielding below mine, God she was so responsive to me. "Save me Bella," I whispered, "Only your love can save me."

Later I would realize what a mistake that had been. Her body stiffened then, lips no longer responsive, arms dropped to her sides. Then she was distancing herself from me, the physical pain from her withdrawal was instant and sharp and I cried out from it, my arms extending then, reaching for her, returning her to my grasp.

Yet, she resisted me. Damn, I was stunned. Was this not the very same woman I held in my arms the night before, the same one who begged and pleaded for me to continue? The same woman who called my name again and again and again? Surely it was! Why now, was she rejecting me when she had so eagerly accepted me only a few short hours prior?

"Bella?"

My arms were locked around her still naked body; her fingers trembled as they attempted to cover herself, her body shielding itself from me in every possible manner. Without looking, I snatched the abandoned blanket from the grass and wrapped it quickly around her. The strain and stress was radiating from her, shoulders hunched at an awkward angle, jaw stubbornly set and turned away from me, eyes focused on the tree line. What the hell? Angry now, I shook her shoulders gently at first, then as her silence grew with each minute, more and more urgent. "Isabella!" I practically roared.

Finally, she turned to face me, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth, browed furrowed in concentration, tilting her chin upwards to look me in the eye, "Edward, no."

My frustration was reaching a boiling point, confusion, anger, hurt, and rejection, all threatening to bubble over the surface. Still so attuned to me, she placed her palm flatly on my chest and said, "Give me a minute."

The minutes crawled by as she organized her thoughts. Inhaling deeply, her eyelids slid closed for a moment, and it was hard not to notice how sunken her eyes looked, her skin even paler than it had been before. "Edward," she was speaking now, "this cannot continue."

Drawing upon decades of discipline, I smoothed my face into a blank palette, "Is there someone else?"

Bewildered, she considered this for a moment before continuing, "No, Edward there is no one else. But, I'm not sure what you are doing here, why you've returned. I cannot help but feel that it's some sort of guilt, an obligation of sorts because of Victoria." Damn, did she know what I had been doing? "I had hoped Alice would have told you I was perfectly safe –"

"Alice?"

Bella blinked then, looking perplexed, "Yes, she was here just a couple of months ago. I had assumed you had discussed the whole situation with her? I thought that was why you had returned? I promise, I have not been jumping off anymore cliffs like that since-"

"WHAT?"

Visibly she cringed inside my grasp, as if she could move away from me. The idea of Bella jumping off a cliff was so staggering, that without intending to, I squeezed her closer to my body, hearing a small squeak as I failed to fully control my strength. Quickly, I adjusted, loosening my grip around her and heard her inhale deeply. "Er, I thought Alice told you about all that?" When she noticed my shocked face, she quickly continued, "If you didn't know about the cliffs and Victoria, why did you return?"

"You will explain to me what you mean about jumping off cliffs and why on Earth you are so preoccupied with Victoria. Bella, I thought you promised me you would be careful!"

I could feel her blush spread throughout her body, feel her anger radiate from her, felt her fingers curl into fists, and her shoulders visibly shook with anger, "I will, will I? I will tell you all about my life since you've been gone? Why Edward? What gives you the RIGHT to know what has happened these last few months? You threw that right away the night you walked away from me! I don't have to explain anything to you!" With that, she wiggled free from my arms, and began hastily gathering her clothes, hopping on one leg trying to get her panties on one handed while her other hand feebly tried to keep the blanket around her naked body.

Anger surged through my body, in a moment I was on my feet, by her side again and right in her face as my fingers grasped her shoulders, wheeling her to face me at a dizzying vampire speed, "Yes Bella you WILL tell me what happened! How am I supposed to protect you if I do not know what happened?"

"It's not your job, your obligation anymore! Move on Edward! I'm releasing you from whatever you feel you owe me! Just please, go! Go and leave me," she whimpered this, her knees beginning to buckle beneath her, "Leave me to my misery," she whispered.

God, what had I done to her? Slowly breathing in and out, I could tell she was trying to regain her composure, trying to still her body, to regain control. Sighing, I tilted my chin down searching for the top of her head, "Bella, love, I did not come back for you because of some imagined obligation I feel towards you. I returned because I love you, the pull was too strong and I had to return to you. Don't you know that my only place is right here beside you?"

"Edward," her voice was so quiet now.

"No, Bella, I'm staying here with you. I will fix this. You cannot make me leave you again. I will be here with you until you turn me away."

"She might not be able to make you leave leech, but I bet I can," came a voice from across the field. I stiffened.

It can't be. The odor that was wafting across the meadow towards me was one I had not smelled in seventy years. It's impossible.

In my chest, I head Bella murmur, "Jake." Then the air shimmered around him as a giant wolf emerged, stalking steadily towards me.

A/N: So a couple of questions and reassurances for you all ... Let me start that saying while Jake IS going to be in this story, it is strictly a BxE story, so don't get too anxious! :)) What are you thinking so far? Am I keeping you on your toes? I'd hate to be predictable!

Let me also say THANK YOU to everyone has subsribed to me and/or this story, that's so flattering! Thank you for the reviews as well. I'm not enirely sure how to reply to them yet as I am newer to this site BUT I'm working on learning. Someone had mentioned, "I hope this isn't where he leaves or leaves her pregnant". That's not really the direction I'm taking this story, but I think a plot like that has a lot of promise. Have any of you read a BxE AU that explores this? If you've read a good one, leave me recommendation!

Here's what I've read this week that I thought was pretty great: Blood Play (?sid=12696) by kissyfur. It's for sure a "Darkward" story, so steer clear if that's not really for you. After reading this story I've decided I want to try my own hand at a "Darkward" story and have got something brewing right now for you! :)