Disclaimer:: I don't own Twilight... : (

The flight home was quite similar to the layover in Paris. I sat alone behind Edward and Alice, and curled up into a ball and begged sleep to overtake me. I could feel Edwards eyes on me half of the ride home. The other half I felt Alice's. Sleep eluded me throughout the long flight and I was shocked to find myself awake as we descended into the Seattle Airport.

The rest of the passengers got up and grabbed their bags and made their way off of the plane. I sat still and waited until it was empty to leave. Alice and Edward had gone on ahead, thinking I had gotten lost in the crowd. I couldn't move. I couldn't will my legs to move towards a life that wasn't worth living. A flight attendant came to me then, asking if I was alright and needed help. I told her no, I was just a bit tired from the flight, and apologized for staying so long. I got up and walked off of the plane.

I walked down the long tunnel to the gate and walked out to find almost the entire Cullen family waiting for me. I could feel the dead look on my face and I could see how this effected the Cullen's, all of them.

Jasper tried to send a wave of calm through me, but there was nothing in me that needed calming. Esme looked hurt, like it was her own personal wrongdoing that brought the dead look into my eyes. Carlisle looked slightly confused and I could not figure out why. I wasn't trying very hard to figure it out either. I tried to smile at Esme and failed.

They were all happy to be together, they knew they would be together forever, they were a family. I didn't feel anything near happiness. I didn't really feel at all.

I looked at Edward, knowing now would be the time to say what I needed to say. The entire flight home I had figured out what I would say and how I would say it, trying to inflict the least amount of damage possible. He looked back at me with wary eyes, anxious eyes.

"Edward…" I paused, not sure if I could do this, "Can I speak with you a minute please?"

"Of course." Edward kept the wary expression in his eyes, but I thought I saw something more behind them. Relief I think. Relief that I was speaking? I wasn't sure.

I walked away from his family into a corner. I knew that it was a fruitless effort, they could all hear me as if I was standing next to them, but the distance made it easier to do. I turned to look at Edward, my back to his family. He looked nervous, anxious, and almost as sick as I felt.

"Edward. I just want to thank you for saving me, in Italy. You didn't have to save me, but you did. I know that you're leaving soon, and I just wanted to tell you thank you before you did. I also wanted to tell you that, despite the fact that you don't feel the same, I still love you." He started to speak but I stopped him, placing my hand over his lips. "No Edward, please, don't say anything. I needed to get this out and I needed to tell you. It will help in the long run. Well help me at least. I hope. You just needed to know. I love you. Goodbye."

I removed my hand from his lips and turned away before he could see the tears spill from my eyes. I walked as fast as my legs would carry me towards the exits. Edward wasn't following me and for that I was grateful. I don't know what I expected, whether it was him running after me, telling me he loved me and to stay, or some other kind of thing along those lines. I was glad he stayed with his family.

I walked up to Alice and stopped. I looked at her and said the words that were almost as hard as when I said them to Edward.

"Thank you so much, for everything. I owe you and Edward my life." I knew he heard that from the sharp intake of breath a few feet behind me. I looked at Esme and Carlisle and smiled back at them as warmly as I could manage and I started to walk away. I got halfway to the exit when I heard my name being called.

"Bella! Please wait!" Edward was running at a normal human speed to where I was walking. I kept walking, trying to get to the exit before I completely lost it. I was almost toward the exit, Edward still trailing behind me, continuing to call after me.

"Bella! Please stop! Bella, we have to talk about this!"

I don't know what he thought we had to talk about. It was simple. I loved him, he didn't feel the same, and he was leaving. End of story. I didn't need to hear it retold.

Suddenly, he was in front of me, blocking my way out. Surely, he hadn't moved the way he would if we weren't surrounded by tons of people, too swiftly for human eyes to notice, if they weren't looking.

Regardless, there he was, keeping me from leaving. So I turned around and tried to walk away from him. There had to be another exit in this airport. One wasn't going to cut it, not in Seattle.

A hand shot out and grabbed my upper arm, not hard enough to leave a bruise, but tight enough that I wasn't able to walk away.

He spun me around and looked at my hardened expression. I expected to see him angry, but I was shocked to find that his face was contorted, not with rage, but something else. His eyes looked pained and he had many different feelings hidden inside the dark topaz depths; anxiety, pain, abandonment, sorrow, guilt, helplessness, confusion, all mixed into one.

"Please, Bella. You can't leave me, not yet, we have to-"

"Me leave you? You're the one who's leaving me! What are you talking about?" I looked at him with disbelieving eyes. What on Earth was he talking about?

"Please, Bella. We have to talk about this. Please! Just hear me out. Please." His voice turned pleading at the end. His eyes were full of despair and I couldn't say no.

I let him lead me to a row of seats, away from his family, and away from the other people in the airport. He sat down and pulled me next to him. I sat reluctantly, not knowing what he thought we needed to talk about. He looked at me hesitantly, seeming like he had no idea where to start.

"Bella-" he started to speak and stopped, collecting his thoughts. He started again after a moment, looking like he knew where he was going this time. "Bella. There are so many things that I need and want to say. Firstly, I want to start by telling you how grateful I am that you came and saved me in Volterra. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here. So it seems that, I owe you my life, instead of you owing me yours."

I gasped, involuntarily. He was only still here because he felt that he owed me something! How could he think that? I guess that I did save him, but he saved me right back. So we were even. He could leave. Warm tears started to pool in my eyes as this realization sunk in and they spilled over, despite my efforts to keep them in. He reached his hands up to my face and wiped away the tears from my cheeks.

"Bella? Bella what's wrong?"

I let out a small sob in response, not able to hold it in, or able to speak.

"Ok, I'm not doing this properly at all. So I'm just going to come out and say it. I love you, Bella. I love you and I want you to take me back."

Review?