Hey, sorry it took me so long to update, but here's your next chappy! Hope you enjoy and remember, I feed off of reviews!! Feed me so I have the energy to continue!!!!

Many thankies to blissfulmemories!

All characters and original story are not mine. All belongs to Stephenie Meyer. Including me.

Edward

'She thinks you don't love her.' My mind repeated these words slowly over and over again, like a mantra. As the realization sunk in, my astonishment quickly rose into anger. I was furious, at myself of course, for leaving her with the darkest lie ever to escape my lips—but, how could she believe me?

Was there that much distrust between us? Had it always been that way? Or is it because she's too hurt? Did I leave a much greater mess than I'd ever intended? But if that were the case, wouldn't she slap me rather than running away? The frustration was driving me crazy; I shook my head in dismay when I finally saw Alice's car. She saw me standing around like a dimwit, no jacket, no umbrella, not to mention my expression must have been priceless in the eyes of Rose, all the fury of an angry bull. My red flag was nearing me; her short black hair waving slightly under her hooded white jacket, she had a worried face, though I

didn't care much at the moment. I would have ripped her throat to shreds had we not been in front of the school, surrounded by innocent—human—bystanders.

Though it was not even slightly Alice's fault I was in this situation, she was most easily to blame. If she had reveled to me Bella was alive, I would have at least thought through her possible reactions. I would have had an idea as to what to say in those brief seconds before she ran. I would have had at least an

inkling as to why I wasn't running after her yet.

"You should have told me." I said my anger clearly tangible. I could see that the words practically pierce through her. She had the guilt written all over her pixie-like face. I could have slapped her, but I didn't have the time nor would I want to face the wrath of Jasper later. I would continue this argument later, but not while I was wasting precious time. If my dearest Bella was a vampire now—or any other immortal creature for that matter—she'd be able to run from me with ease, and I would search the world for her. But I didn't want to take the slightest chance of not finding her. My mind refused to entertain that morbid thought.

Alice had barely opened her mouth when I turned away. I had to walk quickly enough for a human while I was in the eyes of the people around us. After I passed everyone, I headed in through the woods, kicking up to full speed of that of a vampire. I would find her. I simply had to.

Finding her was actually an easier task than I had thought it would be. I didn't quite understand why, but I could pick up that delicious scent of hers again. It was coming in and out of reach; like a dying light, but it was there. She had run to Charlie's house, where I should have known Alice had seen her. I thought she would be in her bedroom, but then I heard gasping coming from Charlie's old bedroom. I walked in quietly, swiftly, so that she wouldn't be able to run away again. She was in his closet. The door was closed, but by the noises that she made, I could only imagine how weak she looked. But my imagination was hardly close.

When I yanked the door open, she shrieked. Her eyes were wild and red from trying to cry much too hard. She was crouched near Charlie's usual black leather shoes in a beetle position, rocking herself to and fro, trying to cease her loud breathing. It broke my heart to see her so. A heart that hadn't beat in now over two hundred years coming to life again at the sight of her, and breaking instantaneously in recognition of what I'd done to her.

I forced her to look at me when she turned away, squealing in defiance. But it was futile once I could lay my hands on her. I held her face still, long enough for her to realize where she was and with whom. Once that happened, she began to breathe heavily as she used to when she was still human. I was the most despicable creature on the face of the earth. I knew her better than to think

she would move on. I knew better, but I was so stubborn in the idea that we weren't meant to be together, no matter how badly I wanted her.

I pulled her out of her makeshift cave and into my lap. It felt marvelous to hold her in my arms again. To feel the touch of her soft brown hair against my flesh as I stroked her back. To press my lips against the top of her head, reassuringly. She resisted temporarily, but after some whimpering and shifting, she became more tranquil.

She had shifted herself at some point, her legs resting feebly between my own, arms wrapped tightly around my neck. My arms cradled around her lower spine, holding her as close as possible. I never wanted to let her go.

We didn't speak for a good time; I was too afraid that it was because she didn't want to say anything. I didn't know what to do next, but I didn't really want to think about it just yet. For the time being, I only wanted to keep her in my arms as long as she would allow. I wanted to tell her how much I loved her; beg

her to give me the second chance I knew I didn't deserve.

"Bella…," I whispered. It seemed to penetrate the silence between us. She shut her eyes, but I didn't understand why. Her expression was emotionless, making me wonder if she was disgusted to hear my voice or if it was something else entirely. She bid my embrace farewell, sitting with her hands on her lap in

front of me. She opened her eyes and looked me straight in the eye. It was glorious. I felt as though I were in the presence of an angel.

"Yes?" she replied. Her voice was strained, dry and high pitched. She hid her face from embarrassment, but my hand pulled out almost instinctively to undo that small action.

"Don't do that." I begged. She responded with a confused glance of her eyes. I stretched out a hand, lifting up her face enough for me to see everything from her forehead to her chin. I smiled, relief washing over me once more.

"I've gone a century without even so much as a glimpse of you. Please don't hide yourself away from me. Not now when you're within my reach." I added. I sounded pathetic; a shot down lover who never did get over the girl. I didn't care how I sounded though; she simply had to realize how much I truly loved her.

Her expression sunk even lower than before. She looked appalled, confused at my words. They were simple in their meaning, weren't they? Again, it killed me not to know what she thought. It would make a situation such as this so much easier to handle.

"Bella, you'll never know how much I despise myself for not being there with you when…," the words stuck in my throat; not wanting to admit that there was a strong possibility that she was now amongst the living dead as well. "But I promise you, now that we're both here, together, I promise to never leave you again. Never. And, yes, I know you have reason to disregard my words, but I simply don't know how to show you how much I truly care." It seemed as thought I was rambling now. It was very unusual of me, usually I know exactly what I'm going to say or do, but at the time, I simply wanted her to believe me. I wanted

so badly to ease her pain and give her all the love my body can possibly hold.

"Bella, I understand if you don't ever want to see me again, after what I did to you. I promise that you will never hear from me again, if that's what you truly want." I began. I took a deep breath of her departing scent, and then continued.

"But if that's not the case, you must know that what I want most is you." I spoke every word truthfully. But she made no response, aside from breathing heavily again.

"Bella, I know it may be too much to ask of you now, possibly ever, but please…"I half begged. "I need to know if you would be kind enough as to give me the second chance I've been longing to have. I know I don't deserve it, even in the slightest bit, but, I'm begging you." I strained. That was when I realized she wasn't even listening. She wasn't ignoring me, but she was zoning out more and more by the second.

"Bella, did you hear me?" I asked, shaking her into listening. She shook her head, frantic.

"Bella, do you want me to stay?" I stated simply. How quaint. If only I had been able to say it this simply in the past fifteen minutes of rambling insanities.

"What?" she breathed. She had the strangest look on her face. It was a mix of pain and rage, or pain and confusion. Whatever the other emotion was, the pain was definitely there. It furrowed her eyebrows, strained her voice even more, and caused her to look at me like I'd just stabbed her through the heart. Did she hate me that much? What the idea of being with me again that repulsive?

"Edward, it's hardly fair that you're doing this to me." She replied. She was looking at me in disbelief, my confusion becoming stronger as she continued to speak. Had my words come out in a different language? What she accused me of

wasn't even remotely similar to what I'd been trying to get across!

"I can't believe you would be so cruel! Isn't it enough that you hurt me? Do you want to destroy every fiber of my being until there's not even a speck of my existence at all?"

That last sentence is what broke me. She was describing my pain from all these years. She was describing hers, though it seemed she was accusing me of causing this pain just now—not a century ago. My face twisted in anguish, though I tried my best to recover quickly when I saw the look on her face. She seemed regretful, though she had nothing to regret. I deserved this. Every last bit of it.

She didn't want me. It tore me to shreds, but there was nothing more I could do if she didn't want to give our strange relationship another try.

"You keep taking advantage of my emotions, only to slap them in my face when things don't go your way." She whimpered. "Edward, I just…" her voice was so frail as she spoke. "I…"

Wait. Her emotions? Did that mean she didn't hate me? I couldn't know for sure, but I had to take advantage of the chance that she may still love me after all.

"Bella, I'm not trying to hurt you…" I replied. My voice cracked midway, full of despair, hope and fear that I would be wrong.

"Hurting you was never and will never be, my intention. I couldn't possibly live with myself, if that were the case." I explained.

She closed her eyes, shaking her head as if wishing this conversation had never started.

"Then why are you taunting me? If you know you don't love me, don't say these things!" She cried. After the words left her lips, she made another run for it. It didn't take me as long this time to react into chase number two. She was on the fifth step to the stairs on the back porch, leaning her head on the recliner.

"Bella…" I whispered. "I know what you must think of me…but how can I show you that what I had said to you was a lie?" She glanced back at me with a hurt expression slowly wrapping around her. I could have whacked myself with with a boulder when I realized how badly stated that was. I meant what I had said to her so many years ago, but the way I said it sounded like I was taking back everything I had just said.

"When I left you…," I started, "Bella, I only wanted the best for you. I wanted you to lead a happy, normal life. Something I knew you would never have with me. I wanted you to be with a man who could kiss you with all the passion that he held within him, without the threat of him sinking his teeth into your neck. I

wanted you to be able to do anything with him, not just the little things you and I were able to do." I added.

The hunger that was constrained within me for a century rose more and more e time her scent grew stronger or impacted after it had faded away. I was starting to loose my concentration, but I had to think straight.

"I was only looking to protect you." I finished.

She looked down then, gazing at something on the wood, without responding.

"I know you could never find it in you to forgive me for what I've done to you, but, Bella, I do love you." I said. She turned away from me, looking out to the woods instead.

She's been avoiding my words, either not wanting to hear them, or not wanting to believe them. But she had to. She simply had to.

It only took me a second to glide in front of her, my mind already set on convincing her that my feelings for her were the absolute truth.

"I love you." I repeated. She closed her eyes, clinging to her torso as a retreat. I climbed the stairs, spreading my arms around her figure as I leaned in to kiss her forehead.

"I love you..." I echoed, moving down to her left eyelid and placing a kiss there too. Her eyebrows twitched when I did this.

"I…" I kissed her nose, moving downward again to her lower jaw.

"Love…" I kissed her neck, grazing my nose against her collarbone. "You." I finished. I planted the last kiss right on the edge of her collar. "I love you." I repeated one last time.

She finally opened her eyes when I glanced up at her from where I was.

She turned away from my gaze, as if contemplating what to say or do. When she returned, she sat up straight, making me realize that I had pushed her into lying under me while I had been kissing her. While I admonished myself for being so animalistic, she surprised me by reaching out and removing something from my nose. I didn't even get to wonder what it might have been, for she kept her hand there. She used her index finger to trace the outline of my eyelids, my nose, and my lips. I could feel her touch all over my body, sending chills down my spine in an easy defeat. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to savor it all.

My eyes shot open again when she stopped, worried that maybe that was all I'd get. She came closer to me, sniffing the air for my scent. I'd forgotten how much it intoxicated her as a human. Apparently, that hadn't changed much throughout the years.

In exchange for mine, she began to permanently release her own scent, reminding me that I was in desperate need of a hunt. But then again, did it matter now that she was immortal as well? Of course this wasn't the life I'd wanted for her, but if the deed was done, why not let myself give in to the hungers I'd refrained from before now?

I took her hands in mine, pulling her to stand in front of me, still breathing in as much of her as I could. I was slowly giving in more and more, leaning my forehead against hers, swimming in the magnificence of her fragrance.

It started raining. We both glanced up at the sky, embracing the drops that hit our faces gently. When I looked back down at her, she smiled at me, her mahogany hair plastered to her face.

"Dearest Bella…" I breathed as I held her closer to me. I kissed the top of her forehead again, staying there when I saw her smiling at the gesture.

"And I love you." She finally replied. I exhaled, feeling like it was the first real breath I'd let go since I'd seen her last. I couldn't help but laugh from the glory of it all. I felt like there was so much energy stored in me; energy I had not even thought of when I lay in my misery each day before now. It was releasing itself as I ran around her, still laughing. I thought she might think me insane, but she started twirling around in place.

I grinned at the sight, coming up behind her. She turned to me with a laughing smile. I lifted her up to the sky as if showing the world the woman I loved, the smile never leaving my face.

She was still laughing when I placed her feet back on ground, grazing my nose against hers.

I could finally love her the way I'd always dreamed of, with everything. I could kiss her without having to pull back, hold her without having to be careful of how close. Everything. I could give her everything and more.

Just the thoughts themselves were so enticing, I couldn't help but glance away from her mesmerizing eyes to her lips. They were just as rosy as they had been when she was human, though I did not know if it were lip-gloss or if her actual lip color hadn't faded in the least. They were slightly parted, exhaling every breath she took. I leaned in, placing my lips to hers, gently at first. She kissed back. I don't think either of us even bothered to break apart for a

single breath of air.