Romeo Unveiled

Nothing from the Twilight Series or Ms. Meyers works belong to me!

EPOV

Taking a deep breath I began, "It was the most moronic decision I've ever made, it killed me to do that. Every day since, I see the look on her face from that day when I said those terrible lies to her. It's with me when I open my eyes in the morning and when I close them at night." I put my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands. This was not a performance, this was the truth and my emotions were not an act.

"To truly understand this, you would have had to know how we got together. What did she tell you?" I asked her, hoping to determine exactly what she knew. She didn't have to say the words just the question itself would cause her to think the thoughts.

Her thoughts briefly flashed to Bella explaining my initial feelings when we first met and how I wound up saving her on several occasions. Nothing in her thoughts indicated that Bella had betrayed my family. "No, you don't get to take any short cuts on your explanation Romeo. I want your version of the story before I utter a word about Bella for your comfort." She answered sarcastically.

I decided at this point I needed to stand up to her; any normal guy doing this would be defensive. Actually I was elated with her responses, it confirmed what I already knew, she was a very good friend to Bella. "Hey, who the hell are you? I don't need your approval on my actions" I said rising from my chair.

"Edward wait, relax. Roxanne doesn't mean anything, do you?" Alice asked pleadingly as she looked over at Roxanne.

"Sit down, don't get your panties in a bunch. You can probably tell from my reaction I know a bit more than any person off the street. Knowing this you might want to think about what that means to Bella. I'm in a position to help you, so before you go getting all caveman like, why don't you tell me your side of the story and see if I can help?" she stated smartly.

Sighing heavily I sat back down. "It sounds like you know most of the story, what else do you want to know?" I asked sounding frustrated while not looking at her.

"I'd like the truth. Bella believes she wasn't good enough for you and that's your doing. Don't leave anything out, especially the part that includes how she was in constant danger around you." Her smug remarks were really starting to grate on my nerves; as much as I appreciated her loyalty to Bella there was only so much of this I could stand.

"Bella is special, she's still the most important part of my life even though I haven't seen her in over a year. Before Bella came to into my life I had built a façade around myself, I was somewhat of a ladies man in the towns we lived prior to Forks. After moving to Forks, I kept a distance from girls, it was too small of a town to start breaking hearts. So when Bella arrived, I kept my distance…but then we were thrown together in Biology class and I knew with one look she would be my downfall. There was no way I would be able to resist her and I really didn't want to hurt her." I sat back in the chair and closed my eyes as I remembered that first day; her chocolate brown eyes that are so expressive and the scent that nearly overpowered me and could have caused me to act upon my instincts destroying everything our family had built.

My stomach clenched with the memory, sighing deeply I continued, "Soon it was evident that staying away from Bella wasn't an option, our paths were entwined she was destined to become a part of my life forever. Unfortunately her destiny not only included me, it included every imaginable way to place her in the path of danger. It became my job to protect her from many unforeseen calamities that most people do not encounter in a lifetime. I'm not sure if you've witnessed it, but Bella is a danger magnet," I smiled at her and shrugged.

"Well she's survived a little over a year without your protection, so maybe you're the danger magnet," she said raising an eyebrow and studying my face waiting for a reaction.

Her thoughts reflected on the recent accident. "That's true, apparently Bella has been safe from near death experiences recently, but I would venture to guess her life has not been incident free." I said glancing at her with a slight smile.

Catching her grin as she glanced down at her hands I continued. "We spent nearly every moment together as I became enamored with her. It wasn't just her beauty that appealed to me, her intuitiveness -- the way she could see right through me and call me on it. Day by day she broke down all my barriers and soon she had charmed me and there was no turning back, I was hers and hers alone. I have never felt that way in my entire life and most likely never will again," I exclaimed emphasizing the word entire, knowing that it wouldn't register.

"Soon, too soon for either of us, Carlisle came home and told the family he had been offered a position out of state. We were accustomed to moving frequently and it never bothered me in the past, I had never made any real connections. The thought of leaving Bella tore me to pieces I knew a long distance relationship would never work; we could barely stand being away from each other while we slept. Knowing this move would destroy her; I determined the only way to sever our bond was to tell her the most hideous lie." I hung my head as I recalled the words, how I ever managed to say them is beyond me.

"My only concern was Bella's welfare, I believed that by telling her my love had faded she would move on and find happiness. Believe me when I tell you that this falsehood destroyed me completely, but knowing Bella could move on with her life and become the woman she was born to be was the one thing that kept me on course." I ran my hands through my hair and inhaled deeply. Looking over at her I saw she was completely engrossed in my heartbreaking tale so I continued.

"The most confusing part even today, is that Bella could believe the deception. She never questioned my change in heart; she accepted my decision never inquiring why. Had she argued or resisted in any way, I never would have been able to continue with the farce and walk away. It took every ounce of strength within me to take those steps and leave. My heart stopped beating at that moment, and I've been dead inside since that afternoon." I vowed. I chuckled darkly to myself at the last statement.

I hung my head this wasn't part of the act, this discussion was taking its toll on my emotions, I wished Jasper were here to keep me from falling back into the self-loathing. I listened to her thoughts to see if I needed to provide her with additional information, 'Wow, he has it as bad as Bella…my heart is breaking and I'm only hearing the aftermath of this love story. But what about the death threats…' My eyebrows raised at this…death threats…what had Bella told her. I decided to wait her out, let her ask her question.

"It's obvious that you are hurting as much as Bella on the stupid decision you made. I'm not sure if I completely understand why you thought a long distance relationship would be worse than what you are going through now, but you apparently thought it was best. There is one little nagging thing that's bothering me. Bella told me some of your family 'friends'," she said making quotation marks in the air, "wanted to kill her. What was that all about?" she asked as she sat forward in her chair.

What could I say to this complication, I sat back in the chair dramatically and sighed again while I gathered my thoughts to answer her question.

Alice quickly spoke up, "That incident didn't really have any connection to Edward, and they certainly weren't friends of ours. You see my brother Emmett is quite big and in the previous town we lived he broke a young girl's heart, not intentionally of course. The girl wound up hurting herself after we left town and her brother felt that Emmett was to blame. He wanted to avenge his sister. Unfortunately, when he came to town he saw Bella and Emmett together and assumed they were boyfriend and girlfriend. He decided to seek his vengeance by hurting Bella. Like Edward said, Bella's somewhat of a danger magnet." She said shrugging her shoulders. Thank god for Alice's visions and quick thinking!

"Oh, I guess that explains it," she said as she thought about the plausibility of this story. 'Bella did say they were visitors and weren't really connected to their family. Who knows how people will react to protect their loved ones…' "Well what about the incident around her birthday, just before you left?" she questioned.

This question was much easier to answer, "That accident involved my brothers once again." I said exasperated. "Emmett and Jasper began arguing which quickly erupted into a fight within the house as we were in the process of having Bella's birthday party. She unfortunately was caught in the tussle and crashed into the table that held all of the glassware. A piece of glass cut her arm and she required several stitches." I finished shaking my head.

"Neither episode had any bearing on my decision," I lied. "they were just reasons why I knew the long distance relationship would destroy us. You see if I couldn't be by Bella's side to protect her, it would drive me mad. She would always be in harm's way and knowing that my over protective nature would consume me, the relationship would have additional stress aside from distance." I looked into her eyes with mine using all of my power to convince her.

She was taken off guard by my intense stare and managed to stammer, "This…explains…a lot." I looked away at Alice to see if she had any idea if we had succeeded. 'Edward, it worked, she's going to help,' she thought. Roxanne's thoughts confirmed Alice's, 'wow, these two really have the worst luck in the world, but they deserve a chance…'

Roxanne sat forward in her chair and looked at me again, "I'm sorry I put you through that Edward. I hope you understand why; I had to know. Bella's feelings and happiness are as important to me as they are you; I needed to make sure you were sincere. I have only one question left. If you have the chance to explain yourself…will you leave her again if she takes you back?" her scrutiny was impressive even when measured by vampire standards.

Running my hands through my hair I answered her honestly, "Roxanne, you do not know me but I am by nature a very selfish person. No one's feelings ever mattered to me, except Bella's. Had I known what hell I would go through for a year, I assure you the words I uttered on that fateful day would not have been stated. My actions were driven by my need to protect Bella and there was no regard to the pain I was inflicting on myself. Knowing now I may have a second chance to win her back, I assure you I will do everything in my power to accomplish this. There isn't a being on this earth that will stop me from reuniting with her." I said as I stared at her intently.

As she studied my face she replied, "Well fortunately for you, I plan on assisting you in winning her back!" she smiled broadly. "You've convinced me, if two people ever needed one another it's you and Bella." Alice and I returned her smile and she continued, "There's just a few minor complications" she hesitated, "perhaps I should tell you what Bella's been up to since I've met her. But before I get into that, I'm starving do you think we could take this conversation to a location that serves food?"

This was a complication we hadn't considered; she needed to eat. Alice and I looked at one another and Alice conveyed, 'Edward, I'll make an excuse about Esme.' "That's fine with me, I'll just need to call home and let Esme know we'll be out a bit longer. Excuse me," she said as she stepped away to make the call.

I noticed Roxanne studying me while Alice was making the call, 'he really is incredibly handsome and it appears he truly loves her…Ian's heart is going to be broken. Not to mention I'll probably lose Drake because of my participation. Ughhhh, finally find a good one and now I'm throwing it all away.' She rubbed her hands over her eyes.

"Is everything okay?" I asked her. The last thing I wanted was to destroy any happiness she had at the cost of ours. If necessary we would find a way to have a reunion without her assistance.

She sighed, "Yeah, I'm just thinking about the complications I mentioned. We'll figure a way around them…I'm just having a hard time focusing without food. Once I get something in my stomach I'll be better equipped to think on my feet." She watched Alice as she returned.

"Well, Esme said we could stay out for a bit longer, but we shouldn't eat. Carlisle has important colleagues coming to dinner; she wants everyone in attendance and on their best behavior!" she said. Alice and her quick thinking saved us from having to choke down a meal. "We better get you fed, so we can return in time for our family dinner," she said rolling her eyes in exaggeration.

"Look, I don't want you two to get into trouble, so why don't I just tell you what's been going on and then I'll grab something from home. We can get together tomorrow and figure something out…maybe if we compare notes after a good night's sleep we can come up with a plan." She said looking from me to Alice.

"That sounds good." I replied. "I'm anxious to hear about Bella so please…" I gestured with my hands that she should continue.

"Well, from what Bella has told me she didn't get involved with anyone after you left. You crushed her; she still hasn't moved on. Just last night she had a dream and called out for you in her sleep." She looked at me harshly. "I'm not sure how she'll react to seeing you again, that's why we need to come up with a plan that brings you two together and doesn't cause further damage. She has tried to move on, she began dating someone in our house recently…with my encouragement" she grimaced as she said this. "Sorry" she said to me.

"Don't apologize, it's what I supposedly wanted for her. My intent was for her to move on, even if it broke my heart." I said looking down at my hands.

"I don't believe you have anything to worry about, like I said she's still dreaming of you. Bella was happy for a couple of weeks and then there was a little accident. She started doubting her feelings for Ian. If I'm correct she's very close to breaking it off with him. My concern is her mental state these days, she's been dreaming about you so much. I think she's worked herself up so much she's bound to have a breakdown. We need to figure out a way to convince her this whole breakup wasn't her fault…that's what she believes you know," she said severely.

Putting my head in my hands and leaning forward again I said, "I'll never forgive myself for the pain I've caused. I swear to you I'll spend the rest of eternity making it up to her." I said looking at her sincerely.

She waved her hand at me, "I'm sure you will, that's not the issue." She started tapping her fingers on the chair trying to come up with a plan, I heard her thoughts scrambling through various scenarios…then she focused on one. Her hand went to her chin and she began absently stroking it. That's it your nearly there, I thought…

"I'm having a party for Halloween…it's pretty much an open invitation…if you two showed up," she said as her thoughts came out of her mouth.

"That's a great idea!" Alice exclaimed, bubbling with enthusiasm clapping her hands. I winked at her letting her know Roxanne was now on track with our plan.

Roxanne slapped her hands down on the arm of the chair and said, "Okay, that's it then. You're officially invited to our party. We'll figure out the rest tomorrow…you two better get home." She finished as she stood.

Standing up, I reached out my hand to her, "I can't thank you enough. I'm really glad Bella has you in her life. I look forward to becoming one of your friends."

She shook my hand and I saw the shock register in her face from the coldness of it. 'Wow, his hands are cold…this boy needs to eat better. He's awfully pale, I'll bet his circulation is shot.' "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, I feel like I already know you based on the conversations I've had with Bella. Of course I misjudged you based on those conversations," she laughed. "I'm sure we'll all be very close friends in the future."

Turning to Alice she said, "Okay, so say we meet her tomorrow around four. Give it some thought as to how we'll get these two love birds together."

Alice grabbed Roxanne and hugged her briefly. "Thank you so much. You're an angel you know, you've saved two people today and hopefully three if we can get Bella back with Edward."

"Stop that, I didn't do anything." She said waving her hands at us. "Now, I really have to get home…I'm starving." She said as she began walking away.

Alice and I looked at one another and then I put my arm around her shoulder, "Let's get home Mercutio…"

'Don't call me that Edward, didn't he die!'

"Yes Alice he did, but you're already dead," I whispered in her ear as we left the Student Center.