I know that this part is quite short but the next full chapter will be up soon and should be much longer! Hope you enjoy reading!

XX El Leon Y La Oveja

I wouldn't have been at all surprised if Alice had come racing through the airport, anxious to catch the very same plane back to Forks that I was waiting for. I was about to break my promise which in effect, ended her commitment to our agreement that she should not interfere in Bella's life. As soon as I set foot in Forks, Alice was at liberty to follow me, which I was sure that she would, as soon as she saw my decision. As much as Alice was entitled to return alongside me, I was already thinking of ways to dissuade her from going back to Forks, at least for a few days because I had to do this alone. I didn't want my family around to influence Bella's reaction in any way. I knew Bella and if she thought that her instant dismissal of me would result in disruption of the lives of my family, she would allow me back into her life. I didn't want her to feel that she had to take me back due to my family's wish to return to Forks, I wanted Bella to want me. Selfish though that may have seemed, I had lived without her for far too long. It had been a mistake, an awful, idiotic, rash mistake ever to leave her in the first place. Now, I was to put that right. None of the reasons that I had used against her in the forest seemed at all valid now. My reservations were insignificant next to the pain that our parting had brought. What I had given up was simply too great. The exchange was not worth it.

The closest door to where I was sitting opened and with it, a burst of people came into the hall. They had obviously been in the air for quite some time, as far a human flights went. Most of the passengers looked exhausted and stumbled into waiting friends' arms half-heartedly. There was however, one couple that caught my eye. Their thoughts called to me, for some unknown reason and I glanced over to where they were meeting.

The man had a bunch of flowers in his hand and although his fiancee was clearly tired and hardly able to walk in a straight line, her entire being lit up at the sight of him. Her exhaustion vanished and she launched herself into his arms. They embraced happily, their thoughts of nothing but each other as they entwined hands and practically skipped off towards the exit.

That was when it hit me, brutally and suddenly. Was that the kind of reception that I was expecting in Forks? There was no guarantee that Bella would be happy to see me, in any way and for any reason. I had broken her heart. She had every right never to want to see me again and I had granted her that. I had promised to her, sworn to her. It would be as if I'd never existed. My return would completely negate those vows. If Bella was just beginning to heal, what would she do when I suddenly reappeared?

I surveyed the other reunited couples and noticed what I had failed to see before. None of them were as happy as the first two people who had caught my attention. Yes, the other couples looked content but in no other pairs of eyes was there anything equal to that joy, that exultation, that sheer bliss. That kind of love was rare, special and sacred. Even if Bella and I had ever shared anything like that, it was gone now, surely. I had made certain of that. Asking her to pick up the pieces of our broken lives whenever I felt like resuming our relationship was a horrible thing to do.

Selfish, Edward. Completely selfish, I scolded myself, as I tried to make sense of my new situation. How could I have been so cruel, so unaware of anyone else's feelings? Of course I wanted to go back but I was not the most important person to consider. I had left for reasons that still stood, firm and concrete. Bella's safety. Bella's freedom. Bella's future. All were at stake before I had left and if I returned, threatened they would be once more. Again, I had not thought my actions through fully before instigating them and now I was paying the price. My presence in Forks was not a desirable consequence to a rash decision; would I force Bella to suffer, once more, for my weaknesses? Irresponsible, selfish fool, I hissed at myself, utterly disgusted by what I'd almost done. My suffering without Bella was significant but that did not mean that I should disregard her safety merely to satisfy myself. For me, there was so much more to gain by returning to Forks but that was neither here nor there. The real question that I should have asked myself was whether Bella would be more greatly benefited by my presence in her life. Unfortunately, the table was still laid exactly as it had been before my departure; Bella would live a less dangerous and less threatened life if I was not around to constantly endanger her. Whatever I felt was not important. Bella's losses and gains were still positively weighed towards my absence. As long as I stayed away from Forks, she would have a better life.

It was with that thought, that realisation, that epiphany, that I knew what I had to do. I could never go back, no matter how much pain I was in. I could never allow myself to see Bella again.

Had I been able to cry, inevitably I would have done. The lack of tears gave me a few seconds in which to think before I lost control completely. I had to regain my composure, especially in the present company of several hundred humans. Luckily, or unluckily, my phone started to ring. Thankful for the distraction, if not the chore of having to speak to someone, I answered quickly.

"Hello?" I spoke quietly and began walking to find a less busy corridor where I could conduct my conversation without being overheard or disturbed. Alice's voice didn't come as a surprise.

"Edward, what are you doing?" She sounded frustrated which was slightly unexpected. I slid into an empty room, ignoring the 'no entry' sign on the door. Sighing in reply to Alice, I leaned against the wall.

" At the moment, I'm sure that you know that better than I do."

"Edward, first I saw you in Forks." Alice stopped but I did not say a word. I never wanted to mention Forks again. "Let's talk about that," Alice continued. "You were planning on going back to Forks?" I nodded, then realised that she couldn't see me.

"Yes." I was trying to keep my answers short and painless. Upon the short specification, I was succeeding but abysmally failing at the latter. It felt as though my non-existent heart was being ripped into shreds by a werewolf. I could tell that Alice had leant away from the phone when she shouted.

"EMMETT, YOU OWE ME $50!" More quietly, Alice spoke to me again. "Edward, why have you changed your mind?" I took a deep breath.

"Alice, it's not right. I'm only endangering Bella's life every second that I'm with her. I can't ever go back." I fought to keep my voice steady. Alice sighed.

"It's not your fault if Bella gets hurt. You do everything to protect her." Alice's words were drowning in a sympathy that could only have been Jasper-generated. I growled.

"Exactly my point. I can't protect Bella from what I am. What we are. I cannot be with her. Staying away is the only thing that I can do for her."

"Edward, one day, you are going to realise how wrong you are. I just hope that it's not too late." I growled again. My patience was rapidly disappearing.

"Don't ever say that." Alice huffed and I could picture her rolling her eyes.

"One more thing Edward." Her tone was complacent and all-knowing. I clenched my teeth in frustration.

"What is it?"

"I can still see Bella becoming a vampire." The line went dead.

I felt the metal casing of my phone dent underneath my crushing fingers.