A/N: This chapter was beta'd by my fabulous duo sbsp92 and Twilightrocks122. Endless thanks for turning the chapter around into something readable.

To all the readers, thanks for the amazing support with this story.

To all the reviews/reviewers, I read and reply to each of your very much cherished comments.

To everyone in general, read and review! I love to know what you all think.

Bella POV

I resurfaced from the murky water that was my thoughts, my heart picking up speed ten times faster than normal. I began to stumble forward aimlessly with a light sheen of sweat on my forehead when my knees began to wobble. I squinted my eyes shut- sure that I would die of embarrassment and brain damage, for this was the fifth time I'd tripped today- and anticipated a greeting with the wooden floor. But it never came. I opened my eyes to find myself staring into a pair of worried, dark green emeralds.

And then everything went black.

~/~

Edward POV

"Eddie? Why are you being so emo?" Emmett teased.

Not as non-observant as I'd initially perceived. We'd all fallen into our roles as if he'd been with us all our lives. Emmett was the big oaf of a brother who was loud and constantly laughing and teasing us.

"It's because he left his true love behind," Alice stated secretively.

I froze before turning to Alice and arching a brow. I took a sip of my soda to keep from blurting anything unnecessary out loud.

"Relax, I'm joking. Der. Who did you think I meant?"

I relaxed and did my best to answer her indifferently, "I dunno. I'm out of it. I think I'm gonna skip and hit the sack early."

I said my goodnights and left the pizza parlour in our overzealous school's mall. I trudged across the mud to the undercover area before I made it into the Kennedy Building. I arrived in the lobby, only for girls to giggle while I walked past, and guys to stare at me in awe. I tugged on my hair in frustration.

I arrived at the elevator, waiting impatiently. When I stepped inside there was a couple making out which in turn made my stomach churn. I pressed button 3 in the elevator. 1 was for the lobby, 2 for the first floor, and 3 for the second.

The lovebirds got off at the first floor and I breathed a sigh of relief when the doors closed and no one else entered. I rode the elevator up another level before stepping out and getting my bearings before I headed off in the right direction to my room. I turned the corner staring at my feet when two guys ran past, wafting the air around me and sending me the scent of strawberries and freesia. No, it couldn't be.

I raised my eyes, both dreading and thrilled to see what I'd find.

When they were raised at eye level my eyes locked onto the deep brown, chocolate pools I thought I'd never see again.

Bella. My Bella.

Wait, 'My Bella,' what!

I ignored my untrue words and brain's dysfunction, before briefly taking in her appearance; her hair was slightly untamed and she looked fairly frozen. Her eyes told me she was just as surprised to see me as I was to see her.

Her knees began to wobble and I rushed over before I'd consciously made the decision to assist and caught her in my arms just before she hit the ground.

I don't think I fully believed that she was here until her klutz-y self wobbled and proved me wrong. And I was happy to be proved wrong. For the first time in my life I was wrong and I was glad it was her and for this reason. Being proven wrong relating to Bella's appearance being real was beyond freeing. Upon believing it was really and truly Bella, my mouth lifted up into a stupid grin but I couldn't help it. I didn't even want to help it anymore. I'm not sure why but the gaping hole in my chest was smaller. There was still something missing and I didn't know what.

My inner conflict was abandoned when I looked at Bella again and saw that her cheeks were flushed crimson, and she slowly opened her eyes to meet mine. When she saw me she looked startled and afraid and then fell limp in my arms.

Dread seeped through my veins while I checked her vitals, wanting to make sure she was okay.

When I was positive that she seemed conscious, I carried her bridal style to my room, once inside laying her on the couch.

She looked so peaceful and innocent in sleep while I anxiously watched her for a few minutes before dashing for the fridge for an icepack. I had no need for a nurse as my father had taught me basic first aid.

Now, while I sat waiting for her to come round, I ran my fingers through my hair in distress and was forced to attack my thoughts head on.

First, Bella was here. So she must've been the fourth Seattle High student here. Well, lucky it wasn't Mike or Jessica.

Second, Bella was here and I had to face why I suddenly felt closer to completion.

Third, what did all this mean for us?

Her eyes started to flutter and I decided what I needed to do.

~/~

Bella POV

I could feel myself nearing the surface, like floating towards the surface from underwater. It felt as if I was suddenly breaking through a heavy weight. It was no longer pitch black here, there were spots of red. A few more seconds allowed my eyes to open and me to be blinded by the light. I blinked a few times allowing my eyes to adjust.

When I could see clearly I was confused. Completely perplexed.

Because Edward was still here. In a hotel room. With me.

I couldn't understand why my imagination was playing tricks on me. It was ironic enough that my escape from him had landed me in his arms. Even more than that, my realization was still at the forefront of my mind. I still had to decide what to do about it.

The reason I'd been hurt when he hadn't tried to keep in contact with me was for more than I'd initially realized. I had lost more than a friend. I'd never hated him; it was just easier that way.

My thoughts were broken through when I saw that he was staring intently at me, seemingly waiting for me to speak.

"Edward?" I croaked.

"Bella. Are you alright? You just collapsed in the hall."

He was at a weird angle so I looked down at myself to see me laying on a couch. I was still slightly disorientated so I slowly sat up.

"What are you doing here?"

I didn't mean to sound so demanding. He looked hurt for a second at my question before wiping his face clean of all emotion.

"Well, if I remembered correctly you are in my room..." he trailed off.

This was the dorm rooms. Huh!

"Urgh," I groaned. God, he was breathtaking when he was cocky. Snap out of it, Bella. "Um, I mean what are you doing here at FBA?"

"I could ask you the same question," he countered quickly.

He must've seen how unwilling I was to answer, so he told me his reason instead.

"We didn't want Jess or Mike or anyone following us here." Edward's eyes darkened upon saying his name, his face flushed in anger and his fists were clenching and unclenching by his sides. He looked downright dangerous- like he had that night. "After Mike got drunk at that party and was forcing himself on Alice, we just, I dunno. Alice was all paranoid. She didn't want anything to do with him. They wanted to tell you but you have trouble keeping a straight face when lying, so yeah."

He was obviously furious upon reliving that memory. I didn't doubt his feelings when he said we should kill Mike. Edward and Jasper had beaten him to unconsciousness and were very hard to convince to leave him alive. It had been Lauren Mallory's party and everyone was wasted. Mike was obviously out of it and was kissing Alice and trying to convince her to sleep with him. I had run up to Edward and Jasper with tears streaming down my face trying to tell them what was going on.

Flashback

Where the fuck were they? Alice. Oh my God, Alice. He wouldn't listen. He just wouldn't stop.

Where were Edward and Jasper? My thoughts snarled and panicked, I ran through the dancing bodies trying to locate Edward or Jasper. I fell over when I ran into a wall. I wanted to break down. There was no time. Looking up, I found it was only Edward with Jasper beside him. Jasper offered me a hand up and when I was at eye level in the darkened room, they saw my expression and immediately were worried.

"Bella?" Jazz only said my name and pulled me into his arms.

I wrenched myself free. There was no time.

"No! Fucking listen to me!" They exchanged a worried look, probably thinking I was deranged and had lost it.

"Alice. Mike. He was drunk. He's going to rape her." I broke down and couldn't say anymore.

Present Time

We'd made it in time. Mike had profusely apologized after getting told what he did to Alice- he only remember bits and pieces, he was smashed- when he sobered up but he'd only received a split lip and broken jaw in return. Nobody could doubt Edward's love and devotion to Alice.

Going over his explanation for choosing this school, I picked up on the regret and guilt also present in his tone, which I couldn't understand.

"Oh," was all I managed to stutter out in the aftermath of my epiphany.

Well, great Bella, just fucking great you moron. 'Oh' was not even a word of the proper English language. I needed to distract myself soon because I had just decided and the result hurt. It hadn't gone over my head that he had said 'they' wanted to tell you and not 'we'. It wasn't his fault he wanted me to go to another school. Of course he wouldn't want to see me anymore. I wasn't sure if I was happy or angry that we ended up at the same school. If never seeing me again made him happy. But I was selfish, I needed him. With this all in mind I wasn't going to tell him. I would lose him forever with no chance of friendship, either. He would never know that I had realised my feelings for him.

~/~

Edward POV

Well, God, I felt like shit. I'd never even considered if Bella had been hurt by Mike because we were worried where we were going to school would get out. If I was being honest, I didn't hate Bella. Not even a bit. I was hurt by her and it was my way of protection for myself. But upon realising Bella could have been hurt by Mike because of my stupidity and stubborn nature I realized we really needed to talk.

"Look Bella, I know we've had our differences but I think if we're going to be around each other for the next year it'd be a pain leaving things like this. I was hoping we could call a truce. Maybe be friends?"

What the fuck? The last part just slipped out. Be friends? I was suddenly on the edge waiting for her answer. Usually she would have said something sarcastic but things were different now. This was fate's way of bringing us back together. I was sure of it. I mean, surely with the next year together she'd want to make amends, right? I snorted at my own hopefulness and then realized she was still silently staring at me. She hadn't answered.

"Bella?" I was starting to become anxious, her eyes were glazed over and she was at a loss for words.

She composed herself and nodded her agreement.

"Obviously there's more that needs to be said and we can't go back to how we used to be instantly. Questions need answering after all these years, but it can wait until morning, when we have more time, okay?"

I sure as hell wasn't chomping at the bit to get to the inevitable conversation.

She agreed and we decided to keep the rest of the night less shocking and more lax. We got to know each other all over again by playing 20 questions. It was nice seeing Bella hadn't changed. I noticed Bella bit her lip more than usual in the past 30 minutes; it was a nervous habit, but what did she have to be nervous about?

I chuckled to myself at Bella's still dazed expression and was rolling on the ground laughing when there was a knock at the door. Bella's face was hilarious; she got up and anxiously crept towards the door. When she flung it open there was silence for a few beats. Hmph. Alice can shut her gob, who knew? Spoke too soon. Then began an ear piercing, eardrum collapsing shrieking.

I started- thinking maybe it wasn't Alice and the rest- and jumped up to see who the fuck was at the door.

~/~

BPOV

Knock, knock.

With the jittery way I was acting, you'd think it was a Hitchcock thriller in session.

I glared at Edward who was laughing at my expense.

I walked warily to the door and slowly opened it, only to find four people outside gaping at me.

There was a beautiful girl with long blonde hair softly waving down her back watching me with curious eyes. The eyes. The second most beautiful person on the planet with the second most beautiful eyes. They were a sparkling ocean blue with hints of violet in the iris. She was tall and skinny. Not the anorexic kind, she had tone; nice and small curves. She was pale and absolutely goddess-like.

The second stranger was a tall, buff guy with dark hair and hazel coloured eyes. He was huge- not fat, but he was bloody built. He was so muscled up you'd think he was on steroids, but his muscles looked natural. Hm, no steroids and big muscles. That's a first. He immediately made me want to hide in a corner but then I saw his goofy grin and dimples. He seemed to recognize me but I'd be sure to remember him if I had met him before. I doubted he was easily forgettable.

I quickly managed to identify the mega gapers as Jalice before the pixie flew into me. She was clutching my neck with the strength you'd expect the big guy to possess, in turn cutting off my air supply.

I could feel myself going purple without oxygen when Alice began shrieking at decibels that only dogs or a special gadget could pick up. I plugged my ears with my fingers, trying to alleviate the painful echo of her shriek which bounced around in my ear drums.

Jasper seemed to see what was going on after ten deafening seconds and managed to wrench her hands off my neck and clamp her mouth shut.

He gave her a stern look and she seemed to relent to his calming nature which had her released of her restraints.

"Bella, oh my goodness what are you doing here? I mean I'm ecstatic, but how? Oh my God! Wait, is this even real?" She managed to rush out in one breath. It still amazed me, but I was used to this so it took me a second to stew over her words when I felt a sharp pinch on my cheek.

"Ow. What the hell, Al?"

"Sorry, just checking if you were really here," she apologized sheepishly.

Ugh. Typical Alice. I turned around, gesturing for them to follow my lead and come in, only to run into something. Hands shot out to catch me before I could fall and I looked into those soul-deep emerald eyes once again.

"They're civil. God, what did I miss? Oh well, there's more important things to know now." Alice muttered while bouncing past us into the room, making herself at home and tidying the furniture while walking past it.

The blonde, the bear and Jasper shuffled past me, seemingly afraid to bother me while I stood waiting for them to come in. When I went to lock the door, only then did I realize Edward had been hanging on to me all this time. Woops. So, that's what Alice was blubbering about. Edward seemed to realize when I did and smiled at me. A blush ran up my cheeks as I followed after Alice and the gang, with Edward hot on my heels.

When we arrived, Jasper seemed to be communicating with Edward behind me while I looked for a seat. Alice and Jasper had taken the couch, the blonde and the bear had the two armchairs which left the loveseat with Edward on it and me with no other option.

I played it up a bit; dragging my feet while inside I happy danced at my luck.

I sat next to Edward on the small loveseat and he smiled encouragingly at me.

I relaxed into the couch and listened to Alice make introductions and figure out why I was here.

Turns out, the bear's name was Emmett and he was Jasper and Edward's new roommate. The blonde was actually friendly and her name was Rosalie Hale. Emmett had invited her to hang out with them while they were at the pizza parlour only to find out she was Alice's dorm roommate too, as Alice had previously not known her roommate's name. Edward had missed meeting Rosalie and therefore was just as much of a stranger to her as I, because he had left their pizza gathering early. Hm, wonder why he left early?

I was brought out of my thoughts when Emmett started talking directly to me.

"Bella, aren't you and Edward supposed to hate each other?"

I didn't know how to answer and Edward jumped to my rescue. Oh, thank God. Well, Edward was a God. Geez; shut up Bella.

"Uh. We're figuring things out," he stated unsurely.

Wow. That's a first.

I was pleasantly surprised with myself when I realised I usually would have inserted a sarcastic comment after my 'Wow. That's a first.' It was interesting to see how my mind and heart adapted to treating Edward now that things were different and circumstances changed.

"Yup," I confidently stated, trying to assure him.

Conversation ran random and hilarious after that until Alice gasped sharply, immediately silencing everyone's chatter.

She turned to me expectantly and I braced myself for the worst. This was Alice after all.

"What are you even doing here?" I was highly suspicious of her innocently asked question, but had no idea where she was going with it. Wherever it led, it couldn't be good.

"Uh, what are you on about pixie?" I arched an eyebrow also for added emphasis as her question thoroughly confused me.

She sneered at my nickname before arching her brow back at me and replying while everyone waited curiously with bated breath to see where she was going with this. Gossip mongers, tut tut.

"I mean. You. Edward. Same room. And the couch was warm. And his hair is in an even wilder state of disarray then when he left pizza earlier tonight," she stated her case matter-of-factly. "Anything you two kids wanna own up to?" She interrogated with a wiggle of her eyebrows and an impish grin.

A blush burned my face like no other when I realized what she was implying and, what I think she was also hoping for. Alice had always said she wanted us to be sisters.

"No," I answered, my voice sounding oddly strangled.

Alice's embarrassing insinuation about Edward and I, only served to fuel more of my scatterbrained tendencies, inevitably leading to more laughs at my extent.

I buried my face the first place I could find and felt it moving. Shocked, I moved backwards and saw I had snuggled my face into Edward's chest to hide. My blush burned brighter now, if possible. I looked up to see Edward's face equally as shocked before he smiled and pulled me back to snuggle in his chest- but not hiding.

"Me and Swan? We're old friends now, pixie," Edward elaborated while I stayed snuggled in his chest.

He was so gentle and tender it made me want to cry. But that would speak volumes and he could never know. So instead, I snuggled deeper into him and he put his arms around me.

I nearly gasped but caught myself in time, but Alice must have seen my reaction because she gave me a knowing smile and a look which told me she had something to say.

~/~

After saying goodnight's to the boys, we left and Alice and Rosalie offered to help me find my dorm. We were getting looks from the boys and some girls stared at us hatefully.

I didn't understand why they were looking at me like that, but whatever.

Rose asked me what number dorm I had and when I told them both, Alice and Rose squealed, meanwhile I watched in obvious confusion.

Later in the night found me in 'our' room.

Turns out the school had lumped me and Alice together, because we were the only girls from our high school and they thought a sense of familiarity would be nice. Rosalie was there with us because we needed to make new friends, too.

Well, that was our explanation of our good fortune.

As soon as we sat down, they bombarded me about Edward, and I deflected just like a smart person would obviously act.

I merely laughed off their assumptions and finally allowed myself to think. Here I lay in bed, crying myself to sleep because I knew he couldn't ever love me and in turn my heart would be broken further, while I wanted to tell him why would I have my heart smashed into a million pieces-unrepairable- and lose my friend in the process of obtaining a confirmation of what I already knew. I certainly didn't blame him for not loving me; he was far too good for me in every way and I knew that. He was intelligent, beautiful, musical, funny, sweet, brave, and selfless. He was good to the core. Knowing all that, though didn't stop me from wishing for the impossible, though.

People say that when your heart broken it's only a state of mind and not a feeling, but it was certainly a feeling. And not just loss and incompleteness, my heart actually hurt- it ached. A gaping hole in my chest that would never be able to receive the only cure. Edward.

Because while I didn't regret loving Edward, I was heartbroken at the fact that he would never want me in that way. He would never want me the way I wanted him.