A/N Loved the reviews! Keep them coming!

Sadly, I do not own these characters, the great and almighty Stephanie Meyer does. (I have watched Twilight 3 times this weekend!)

Complications

Bella P.O.V.

As we drove home, I was mentally talking to Alice so Emmett wouldn't interrupt with rude comments. I took a glance at his thoughts when we got in the car, and he was thinking about Rosalie, so I left him with that.

So, what do you think we should do Alice? Do you see any other outcomes? (This is Bella's and this is Alice's)

No, I have gone through every scenario possible, and everyone comes out with the same thing. The Cullen's turning into vampires. Even their dad, Carlisle, becomes one. I don't see another way to stop it. None of us are strong enough to stay away from them. I saw that you make us leave, but we came back after trouble started here and Edward was put in danger. Then I saw church bells and his eyes change from green to red to honey. Sorry Bells, there's no way around it.

Alice, we can't waste someone's life like this though. Do they not have a choice? Why is their fate sealed like this? It's not fair to them. They should be able to live out a normal life without us. It's not supposed to happen this way. We weren't supposed to exist. Our being goes against nature. Why subject them to this existence we so call 'life'? I was having a hard time getting over the fact of what we were doing to them. They shouldn't have to live in eternity like we do.

Bella, I hate to say it. But we are all going to be so happy in the future. I see you and Edward, me and Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie, and even Carlisle and Esme together. Why can't you just accept that? I glanced over to see Alice giving me a pleading look.

Because, this isn't our lives to throw away. It's theirs, and they should have a say in what happens to them. I think we should distant ourselves from them. I'm going to head up to the Denali clan tonight. See if I can resist being with Edward. Like you said, we aren't strong enough to stay away. I will show you who's strong. While I'm away, will you keep an eye on Emmett; make sure he doesn't get too close? I hope you do the same. I glanced over to see she was about to start sobbing. Alice and I were very close; we were never apart from each other. I knew Emmett wouldn't take it so well. I decided that I would say goodbye to Esme and leave. Emmett will probably try to follow me and convince me to stay home, but I knew I would outrun him; I was the fastest in the family.

Fine, I don't like this idea though Bella. Please, find another way. Don't go. She looked at me from under her eyelashes. I could never say no to Alice. But right now, this was the time I had to do what was best. I had to get away from here. If I didn't, there was no hope for the Cullen's.

Alice, I have to. Look after Esme and Emmett for me. I know they will hate this plan. I saw your vision. They will be very upset.

Okay, I see you leaving around 7. You will be taking Esme's Mercedes. It will be faster and you won't have to stop for gas. I love you Bella.

Thanks Alice, I love you too. I gave her a weak smile. I was going to miss her. "Hey Em, how are the longhorns doing?" Emmett was addicted to sports. And his favorite team right now was Texas Longhorns. I was pretty sure it was Bowl season and Texas was at the Tostitos Bowl against Ohio State. The only reason I knew this was because Emmett was pissed that they didn't go to the BCS National Bowl Game in Oklahoma's place.

"They beat Ohio State. Colt threw it to Cosby in the last few minutes for an awesome touchdown! It was amazing! Colt is so going to be the Heisman winner for '09! Right Alice?" Emmett never asks Alice about sports, he doesn't want her to ruin it for him. One year she told him that the Cowboys didn't make the playoffs before the season even started. Emmett went off on her and told her never to tell him anything with sports.

"Huh?" Alice was caught off guard by Emmett's question. "Oh, yeah, Bradford lost by a few votes." I had wanted to get Alice on a different topic, and it worked. Emmett wanted a play-by-play of the award ceremony. Alice gave me a wry smile and started telling Emmett every detail. We pulled into the garage a few minutes later. I had driven slowly on the way home because I had wanted to talk to Alice in the confines of the quiet car. I was surprised Emmett had stayed quiet that long. We walked in to find Esme on the phone, which wasn't a surprise. She had to be in contact with her business a lot. I waved and smiled at her and went to my room to pack. There was a knock at the door and I looked up to see Emmett. Uh-oh.

"Hey Bells, can we talk?" Emmett asked me. I nodded at asked him to sit next to me on the bed that I kept for looks. He wrapped me up in his arms and held me there in a big hug. Esme had hoped we would have fallen for each other over the years. She wanted me to find someone and Emmett to find someone. But Emmett and I couldn't find it in each other. We were too much like siblings. I had known that from the moment I helped him. I love him like a brother, nothing more. I would risk my life for him, as he would do for me. We sat in each other's embrace for a few minutes. "So, I see that you're packing. Is there something you want to tell me?" I began to shake with tearless sobs. I shared with him the visions Alice had. His eyes widened. "Oh." Was all he said. I told him mentally that I was leaving for Alaska. I had to get out while I could, before I became too attached. Emmett understood completely. He didn't want to burden anyone else with this life almost as much as me. Emmett doesn't regret me saving his life; he said he never would have had me and Alice for a sister and Esme for a mother. But he understood that no one would choose this lifestyle if they had a choice. I loved that about Emmett. He was my big teddy bear brother. I would miss him dearly. He kissed me on the head and whispered, "I will miss you my sister."

"As I you." I whispered back. He gave me one final squeeze and sat me down.

"I will let you pack. And I promise, I will keep my distance. I will be polite to them, but firm. We must stay away. If I cannot, I will most likely join you there, Bella. Please, don't forget to call me when you get there. I need to know you got there safely." Emmett could be so sweet sometimes. I quickly thanked him and gave him another hug. This wasn't one of his bear hugs, but a gentle one that let me know he was there for me. I continued my packing when he left. I finished around 5:30. I decided I should hunt before I leave, that way I don't have to stop on the way there. The three joined me on my hunt. I was glad to have them accompany me. Esme was still left out of the loop, but she knew something was up. When we returned home, satisfied with our meals, it was almost 7. I looked at Alice, and she was sad. I ran over to her and gave her a huge hug. I turned towards Esme, who was slightly confused by our emotions.

"Esme, there is something I need to share with you." I played back over my and Alice's conversation over the Cullen's. She was shocked at first, and then she drifted to an understanding look on her face.

"Oh Bella!" Esme wrapped me up into a hug. "I will miss you sweetheart. Don't be gone long though. You know I need help with these two." Esme squeezed me once more and let me go to get wrapped up into a huge bear hug.

"Bella, I will miss you more than they will!" Emmett said, his voice shaking my entire body. My face was plastered to his chest that would shake as he spoke. I heard Esme tell Emmett to put me down. He put me down slowly. "I will miss you squirt." Emmett patted my head goodbye. I bid my goodbyes and took off right at 7, just as Alice had predicted. I let my thoughts drift to Edward as I left the city limits…

Ed P.O.V.

I couldn't sleep much that night. When I finally managed to fall asleep, I was pulled into a dream. I was standing in a forest. I could see a light coming towards me. Bella stepped through the trees. I quickly went to her, but just as I reached her, she was gone. I ran, searching for her, but could not find her. I awoke sweating and panting. It was thirty minutes till I would have to get up. I decided to get up anyways and take a long shower. When we got to school, I didn't spot Bella's Camaro. Instead, I saw a yellow Porsche turn into the school and park. Alice and Emmett got out and walked to the cafeteria. That's strange; I could have sworn Bella said she would definitely see me today. I wondered if she had come down with something last night. Most likely, I would ask Emmett about it in Spanish. When I arrived to Spanish and sat down next to him, he didn't even look up. I noticed he was doodling Bella's name over and over again. I asked him if she was okay. Emmett looked up at me with a stern look on his face. I had to look down from his eyes that were staring at me with pure hate. This was really strange; he had been so kind to me yesterday. I wondered if something happened to Bella. Something would be going around school if it did. Emmett didn't look at me again all period. As soon as the bell had rang, he was gone, giving me no time to speak to him. There was something going on, and I had to get to the bottom of it. At lunch, I spoke to Rosalie and Jasper. They were getting the same treatment from Alice and Emmett, too. They both said they had asked if something was wrong with Bella because Emmett and Alice had both been caught sighing her name. But each time they asked, they were met by a pair of murderous eyes. This is strange. The rest of the week went on like this.

I was about to tell Emmett off if he didn't tell me what was going on by Monday. On Monday, I walked into first to see Alice sitting in her seat, texting someone. I found the courage to talk to her. "Alice, can I ask you something?" She turned around, but this time, she didn't have a mean glare to her eye. "What's been going on?"

"Edward, it's nothing personal. But my family and I think it's best if we aren't friends. It doesn't really have to do with you, but it's a family problem we have. It would be a bad idea to involve you in it. It wouldn't be fair to you and your family to get caught up in our lives." Alice gave me an apologetic look.

"What do you mean?" I asked her. I didn't understand what she was saying. They didn't want to be friends with us? They were so nice our first day here. What happened to change that?

"I can't really tell you Edward. Just don't take it too personally. Move on, I'm sure you have plenty of other friends." She was right, ever since I schooled Mike; I was like the most popular guy in school. Not like I care though.

"Is there something wrong with Bella?" I hoped there was nothing wrong with her.

"No, she is visiting family in Alaska. I was just texting her and she said she doesn't know when she will be back. She had a lot to think about." Alice gave me a sad smile and turned around. I took that I wasn't going to get any further with her today.

I noticed Emmett was texting when I went into Spanish. I sat down and he looked up and smiled. "Hey dude, I heard Alice already gave you the 411. No hard feelings right? I just wanted to let you know this is not my idea. I was following orders. But it looks like those orders are about to be thrown out the window. Between you and me, I kept my distance from you today, I didn't say anything! Okay?" I had no clue what Emmett was talking about. He confused the hell out of me. I gave him a confused look. "Okay, we had to avoid being in contact with you, for your safety reasons, but looks like someone finally gave in. So, I guess tomorrow will go back to normal." He smiled at me. I still had the confused expression on my face. He sighed, "You will see later." Emmett turned back to his phone and continued to text someone. I had no idea what was going on.

I went to lunch and sat next to Jasper and Rosalie at our usual table. "Hey, did you two get any weird 'messages' from Emmett and Alice?" I asked them, hoping I wasn't the only one.

"Yes." They both said. "Alice told me Bella was in Alaska and Emmett said everything was going back to normal. I don't know what is going on." Rosalie said, and Jasper had the same thing to report. I turned to the Swan table, my jaw dropped. I probably would off fell to the floor if I hadn't had the table in such a tight grip. Sitting there was my angel. Her hair was in soft curls and hung down her back where she was facing away from me. I could hear her laugh from where I sat. I knew I should get a grip over myself. I quickly composed myself. Jasper and Rosalie were looking over at her table, too. "She wasn't here in home ec. She must have just gotten here." Rosalie informed me. I looked back over to their table, and I was caught looking by my favorite pair of honey eyes. We held each other's gaze for a minute or two. The bell rang then. I picked up my tray and dumped it. I walked over to the science building, trying to have the conversation in my head that we were about to have. I walked in and there she sat, Bella Swan, in all her glory. A white jacket was hung over her chair and she had on a blue v-neck top. Bella's head was down, looking at what she was writing. I sat down next to her, she didn't look up. I coughed, to let her know I was there, just in case. Still, nothing. So, I took it upon myself to start the conversation.

"Bella, did you enjoy Alaska?" I asked conversationally.

"Yes I did, I love polar bears." She answered, still not looking up from what she was writing. I glanced at it; she was drawing squiggly lines over a page of her notebook.

"Will you care to explain what has been going on for the past week?" I tried to keep the angst from my voice.

She finally looked up at me. "I think it's best if we aren't friends. Just stay away from my family. Okay?"

I was bewildered at what she said. "Whatever you want, Bella. I can't deny you anything. But will you at least tell me why?"

"I can't explain. Just trust me. If you were smart you would stay away. There are other people you could spend your time with." I thought I heard her mumble 'less dangerous' but I wasn't sure.

"Let's say for argument's sake that I'm not smart. What if I don't want to be away from you?" Geez Edward, you've only known her for a day and your already saying stuff like 'I don't want to be away from you'? Get a hold of yourself man.

"Well you will get over it." Bella bluntly said and turned back to her doodling. I knew I wouldn't get any more out of her, so I turned to listen to Mr. Banner's lecture about a plant's nucleus.

Bella P.O.V.

It was so hard to be rude to him, but the guy wouldn't take a hint and drop it. I knew it would be the only way to make him stop with the questions. I was sure that if he asked me another one I would break. I had returned after a week of loneliness. I hadn't stayed much with the Denali coven. I stayed out in the woods most of the time. I wanted to be by myself and have alone time to think. I had to return when Benjamin, one of the vampires in the coven, tried to kiss me.

Flashback

When I arrived to the Denali Coven's house, Tanya was sitting on the porch. I jumped out of the car and ran to her; I hadn't seen her in a decade. "Tanya!" I squeaked when I wrapped her in a hug.

"Bella, I've missed you so much! Alice called and told me what happened. I'm glad you came to us." Tanya released me from a hug to get a look at me. "Gorgeous as always." The strawberry blonde vampire commented me.

"Please, my beauty is small compared to yours." We laughed and walked inside. Esme and I had come across them while hunting in Canada. They were like us, 'vegetarians'. Our clans were very close. We would call each other time to time and visit when we were in the area. I had been meaning to visit while we were in Forks. Now was a good time to come. Tanya walked me into the living room where Kate and Irina were sitting watching T.V. They squealed when they saw me.

"Bella, we missed you!" They said while hugging me. I laughed and told them I missed them, too. We all sat on the couch and started to catch up on the past ten years since we talked last. Kate had managed to snag her a mate. His name was Garrett, and what I heard, he was quite the catch. He can teleport to anywhere he has seen, like the movie Jumper. Irina had found a vampire, Benjamin, and was teaching him our ways of life. His power was that he could move earth's elements. Like he can pull a rock from under the ground and throw it without touching it. Really impressive; if the Volturi found out about that, they would take him immediately. The Volturi is basically our royalty if we had one. They upheld our law, the most basic one, vampires can not reveal themselves to humans. Kate's power was that she could send an electric shock through you by touching any part of your skin. I had never felt it because my shield blocks it, and I cannot remove my shield from myself, so I have never had the chance to. Tanya can see the power a vampire has or what a human's power will be if they became one. Irina can feel where people are. It's hard to explain; like if I were to be captured by the Volturi, she would be able to feel me in Italy at their castle.

The conversation started to turn towards why I was there. Tanya hadn't told them why I was there yet. She just said I was on my way to see them.

"So, Bella, what made you decide to come visit?" Kate asked me.

"Um, I had to go somewhere, anywhere to get away from Forks. A human family moved to Forks, and stole each of my family's hearts, so to speak. Emmett found the girl, Rosalie; Alice found a boy, Jasper; Esme found the father, Carlisle; and I the other boy, Edward. I don't know what it is about them. But the one day I had known them, they completely changed our lives. Alice had a vision that I saw, too. She had seen them, all of them, as vampires in the future. Alice and I weighed our options. Nothing we thought of could change that. We all know we wouldn't want to burden anyone else with this life we have to live for eternity. I didn't want to do that to them. They have no choice. Either way, they will end up as vampires. Alice saw this because she saw first that none of us were strong enough to stay away from them. I'm trying to prove her wrong and change her vision. If this is the only way I can save them from this, I'm going to do it. It there was any other way, I would do it. Anything to save this family from an eternity on this earth. It's not fair to them." I decided to tell them instead of show. I thought it would help to say it all out loud and get it all out there on the table for me to see.

"Oh, my poor Bella." Tanya pulled me into a hug. You shouldn't have to do this by yourself. She added mentally, knowing I had my shield up around my friends so that way I could see what they were thinking. I smiled at Tanya.

"I just hope we can work this out so they have a chance to escape this life. Tell me, would you think less of me if I am not strong enough to stay away? Or I cannot find a path to take that will save them?" I pleaded with them.

"Of course not, we think highly of you Bella. Nothing could change that. Remember that. You will always be a part of our family and we love you." Tanya spoke for the whole coven and they all nodded in agreement. I was pulled into a big group hug. I excused myself to get my things and go to my room for the night. I went to my usual room and sat down on the useless bed. I put Debussy on in the background and pulled out my book that was full of different Jane Austen novels. I started to read, but one of the character's names was Edward. I went to the next story, but this one had an Edmund; too close. I finally put the book down. I got bored, so I jumped out the window to take a run. I went to the woods and found the spring I went to a lot when I visited. I sat down next to it and stared at my reflection for a while. If only I didn't have the honey colored eyes from drinking the blood of animals, the granite skin that is impenetrable besides that of another vampire, the venom in my veins, the lack of a heart; then maybe I could be with Edward. If I was a monster, I could be with him. If I wasn't a vampire, I wouldn't be alive though. I would have died many years ago. I was startled by the sound of twigs snapping on the other side of the creek. I looked up to see what I presumed to be Benjamin.

"Excusez-moi, excuse me, I didn't mean to startle you. My name is Benjamin." He held out his hand for me to shake. I took it to be polite, even though I wanted to be alone.

"It is alright. I was just deep in thought. I didn't hear you coming. My name is Bella. I came to visit Tanya and her sisters."

"Ah, the infamous Isabella Swan. I have heard a lot about you. Well, you and your family that is. Is the rest of your family here?" I wondered how much he knew about me.

"No, I came here by myself. I had to leave for a little while. We had some complications with some humans that recently moved there." I said, not wanting to dive into details.

"Well, I'm sorry for that. If there is anything you need, just say so. I will be happy to be of your services, Madame." I noted he had a slight French accent like the rest of the coven. He must be from central Canada.

"Merci, thank you, I will keep that in mind." I thanked him and took off to run for a little. It felt so good to have the wind move through my hair, not having a care in the world. I would run harder to lose all thoughts that would enter my head. I needed quiet right now. I was sure I wasn't in Alaska anymore. But I didn't stop; I had to keep going; to keep my mind free. I turned back around when the sun started to set; déclin du jour, twilight. I reached the steps and Benjamin was sitting there. "Bonjour, hello, Benjamin." I greeted him and sat down on the steps by him.

"Bonjour Isabella. Did you have a nice run?" He asked, taking in my tattered clothing.

"Yes, it eased my mind. I'm glad I had a few hours of peace and quiet." I was honest, Benjamin seemed nice.

"Bon, good." Benjamin commented.

"Where is everyone?" I asked, noticing it was very quiet around the house. I didn't hear anything.

"They all went hunting. I had gone early today so I didn't need to go with them. I was actually on my way back when I came across you." Benjamin smiled. He looked over at a rose bush. I saw a rose pick itself from the bush and float over to me. It fell into my hand. I looked up to see Benjamin smiling brighter.

"Merci Benjamin!" I thanked him. I placed the rose behind my ear.

"Beau, beautiful." Benjamin commented. I knew I would have blushed if I had been human.

"So, what do you do around here for fun?" I asked him, trying to get away from his flirting.

"When I'm not practicing my power, I like to play basketball."

"Parfait, perfect!" I laughed and jumped up. "Lead me to it." I demanded in a light heartened tone.

Benjamin laughed and ran off towards the back of the house. When I reached him, he was holding a weighted ball and was standing under a goal that was at the top of the house. "Ladies first." He handed me the ball. I went back a few yards and started dribbling. "First to twenty?" He asked.

"Sure." I said as I dribbled around him and jumped up for a layup. "1-0, your ball." I threw him the ball. The game went on like this for a few hours. We went past twenty and tried to see who could get to a hundred first. I beat him 100-93. He was devastated. I went over and pat him on the back, "It's ok that you got your butt kicked by a girl. Don't worry; I beat my brother Emmett in a wrestling match. If you ever see Emmett, you will know what I'm talking about. But then again, I can read minds so I have an advantage."

"So, how does that work? I mean you being able to read minds?" He asked.

"I have a shield that I can push out to others surrounding me. I can read their thoughts and if I want them to, they can read what I what them to. My sister, Alice, and I have conversations often like that so Emmett doesn't hear." I sighed, missing Emmett's big head and Alice's know it all head.

"You miss them, don't you?" Benjamin asked me. I nodded. I felt a sob coming on. I excused myself and ran to my room so he wouldn't see me go off. I curled up on my bed with a big pillow and sobbed tearless sobs. There was a knock on the door. It creaked open and Benjamin stuck his head in. He gave me a sad look. He walked over to my bed and pulled me up into a tight hug. "It's okay Isabella. You will see them soon, I know it. Why don't you call them?" He handed me my phone off the side table. I thanked him and called home.

Esme answered, "Hello, Swan residence. Who, may I ask, am I speaking with?"

"Hey mom. I thought I would call you and tell you I got here safely and I miss you tons already." I was happy she answered.

"Oh, sweetheart, I miss you too. I wish you would come home, but I know you needed space to think clearly. Don't stay too long though. I'm already tired of Emmett sulking around. And you know the longer your gone, the bigger the shopping trip with Alice when you get back." I laughed. Esme was right. I shouldn't stay too long.

"Hey, I think I might stay a little longer. I will be back soon though. Can I talk to one of the kids?" Esme and I always called them kids behind their backs because they acted like one.

"Of course Bella, send my love to Tanya and the family!" I told her I would pass it on and said goodbye to my mother.

"BELLA!" Erupted from the other line as Alice took over. I heard Emmett yell why he couldn't talk to me and then I heard scuffling and some few choice words, then Alice was back. "Sorry, Emmett had to be put in his place. I, of course, should get to talk to you first. So how is it going up there? Are you ready to come home yet?"

I laughed, that would be like Emmett. "Everything is good up here. No, not yet. I think that I need to think through some things before I go back. I have to say I have been able to think more clearly about things. What if we told them to stay away? Make them make the choice if they would want to be away from us?" I had been thinking about this all day. I waited as Alice looked to the future.

"I'm sorry Bells; it's still the same thing. I have been coming up with new scenarios, but every one of them turns out the same. Bella, why try to fight this? Why don't you just let it play out like it's supposed to?"

"No Alice. It's not supposed to be like anything. We should have been dead years ago; long before them. It's not supposed to be like this. I am going to try and fight this with every fiber in my being. If it doesn't work out then, then I know that we were all meant to be together and I will give in. But until then, I will fight for them. I will not go down without trying to save them from making this sacrifice." I heard quiet sobs in the background. "Alice?" no answer. "Alice? I didn't mean to be mean. Alice, listen to me. I love you, you know that. Hey, I know something that will cheer you up. The day I get back, I will let you take me shopping and redo my entire wardrobe; except for a few choice items. I will even let you take me into Victoria Secrets! I also promise not to complain once!" Oh, what have I gotten myself into? I just made the biggest promise ever to Alice. I was in some serious trouble when I got back.

I could hear her smile through the phone. "You promise?" She asked with a hint of smile in her voice.

"I said so didn't I?" I heard a squeal on the other side. "Now let me talk to my brother."

"Isabella Marie Swan! How dare you keep your big brother waiting for so long. You are in some serious trouble when you get home." Emmett tried to keep a steady voice, but it broke on his last sentence. His laughing booms came through the phone; I had to pull the phone away from my ear.

"Technically, I'm older," I laughed, "and you just want a rematch because I beat you. You really think you could beat me?" I asked him, a challenge in my voice.

"Of course I can take you out Bells! You may be my little sister, but I won't have you beating me in my sport. Okay?" Ah, how I missed Emmett.

"Fine, fine. So tell me, what happened today at school?" I asked, turning serious for a moment.

"Edward asked about you. I just glared at him and went back to um, well, um doing what I was doing." He wouldn't say what he was doing.

"Em, what were you doing?" I asked.

"Well, don't think of me as a wussy, but I was doodling your name because I missed you. He noticed and asked if you were okay. I didn't even talk to him. Are you happy?" His voice was very sarcastic in the end. He didn't like this plan of mine. He liked the Cullen's. Especially Rosalie, but the guys too because he could see being best friends with them.

"Emmett, you know I am not happy about this situation. But I'm proud of you for trying. Just don't be too mean or harsh. I will talk to later though, okay?"

"Okay. I will call you tomorrow when I get home. Love you Bells." I told him I loved him too and hung up. I had forgotten Benjamin was there. He was playing with my hair.

"Sorry that took so long. We miss each other a lot." I apologized to him.

"It's okay. I'm quite fascinated by your family. I'm still mystified that vampires can live in peace like this. I had been in a nomad when I ran into Irina. She asked me to come with her. She showed me this whole new life where I didn't have to kill humans. I didn't like the idea of hurting them just to eat. So I have followed your way of life for 2 years now. My eyes just started to change a few months ago. Now they are just like yours." Benjamin rattled off, trying to distract me again. He laid down on my bed and pulled me to his chest. I laid there while he played with my hair. He spoke of past stories and I got caught up in them I was forgetting my other problems. But only just, they came back when he left. He was going to be a good friend. I started to think of new ways to save this human family from the personal hell of walking on this earth for all eternity. But I couldn't find anything new. I kept coming up short. I finally gave up and played on the computer.

The rest of the week passed similarly. Us girls went shopping once in Canada. I didn't buy much though; remembering I still had to shop with Alice. Ugh. Benjamin and I became really good friends. Only his flirting was starting to worry me. I hope I wasn't leading him on. The Sunday after I had arrived, we all were all out in the backyard playing Frisbee. Benjamin asked if he could talk to me. We walked to the little creek we had met at. I pushed my shield out and I read what he was about to say just before he said it.

"Listen Bella, over the past few days, I've gotten to learn about you. I think I might be falling for you. I know you probably won't return the feelings; I just wanted to let you know. You will always have my arms to run to if you need a shoulder to cry on, so to speak." He said this with his back to me. This is good because I didn't trust my facial expressions right now. I composed myself before he turned around to face me.

"Um, Benjamin, I'm-" I was cut off when a pair of lips crashed onto mine. "Benjamin!" I yelled against his mouth. He had his arms locked around me and wouldn't let me go. I pushed against him, but he took it the wrong way. His hands began to explore me. I pulled my leg up and kicked him in the knee. Benjamin collapsed to the ground, taken aback by what happened. "You pig!" I spat and started to run to the house. He was close behind me though.

"Bella, please, wait. I'm sorry, I got carried away. I don't know what happened to me. Something came over me and I couldn't stop. I'm so sorry." His pleas continued when we reached the house. Everyone was looking at us concerned.

"That little pig over there put his hands on me and wouldn't let go. You actually thought I was actually into that kiss? I was yelling and pushing against you! I can't believe you Benjamin!" I yelled in front of everyone.

"Is this true Benjamin?" Irina asked.

"Yes." Benjamin looked down in shame.

"Oh, Bella, we are so sorry." Tanya ran to me. But I knew I had to return home. The one thing that was going through my head when Benjamin kissed me was Edward. I wanted it to be his lips that crushed to mine, his hands that held me to him, and his eyes I would see while we kissed. That was all it took for to know I had to go back. I couldn't stay away any longer.

"I'm sorry Tanya. I must go home. You all have been nothing but kind. But I have realized that I must stop running from this situation and face it head on. Please excuse me, I must return home. Thank you for allowing me to stay here. You are all very friends."

"Bella, you are always welcome here. We are quite sorry about Benjamin. That will not happen again. I hope that you find peace in your future. Give my wishes to Esme and the family." Tanya bid me goodbye before I ran to grab my bag and head to the car. I threw my stuff in and drove until I reached the house. It was Monday morning. Esme would be at work and Alice and Emmett were at school. I took a shower to relax. I got dressed and drove to school. It was lunchtime when I got there.

I walked into the cafeteria and I immediately spotted Edward sitting with Rosalie and Jasper; a few tables away from Alice and Emmett. I took my seat and Alice and Emmett jumped up and hugged me when they saw me. I found out that Alice had seen me coming and told Emmett during first and second period what was going to happen. I told them that we were to be nice to them, but we had to give them an ultimatum. We shouldn't be friends, but it's up to them in the end. I felt someone staring at my back and I turned to see my favorite pair of green eyes staring at me. We stared into each other's souls for a minute or two. Then he turned to his sister and I turned to mine.

End of Flashback

I know I hadn't offered Edward an ultimatum. But I couldn't. I couldn't throw his life away like that. It wasn't my life to control and make choices for. Especially the most important one of all.

A/N sorry it took so long to post this chapter. It was really long if you noticed. Review!