Disclaimer: I do not own either Twilight or the Covenant. They are the property of their respective creators. I am simply playing with them for fun. It is my take on what might have happened during N.M. and afterward if maybe Bella had given her heart to and made plans with someone else before Edward.

[A/n: This story will go back and forth from the past to the present. Flashbacks will be in Italics.]

Sitting cross legged on her bed Bella pulled out a pencil and notebook and began to write her first letter to Tyler in slightly over six months. Her stomach was nauseous and her heart ached as she began to write. The bitterness and the reality of what had happened of what she had done consumed her.

Tyler,

I know that it has been a while since my last letter. Okay, so it has been more than a while. There is no excuse or reason good enough for that. Nor is there any reason or excuse good enough for what has happened. My mom remarried a while back. I miss her and her new husband more than I can say. She is fine though of that I am sure. She has Phil and so she no longer has need of me. So I came here to spend sometime with my dad and I thought that would be good. It turned out to be a drastic mistake.

Once I got here my world seemed to turn upside down on its head. I had never lived in a small town before. It was like living under a microscope those first few days. Even more excruciating was the attention of the boys here. It was like I was some shiny new toy in the store window. It still is that way to an extent though it died down finally. The reason that it died down though was not a good thing at all.

The reason was Edward Cullen. He saved me from getting hit by a van on icy day and after that things get really weird. It was like he loved me and he hated me all at the same time. Then he finally decided that he wanted to be my boyfriend. Talk about the most possessive, jealous, arrogant man on the planet. After that we kind of became a thing. Guys kind of backed off because we were like a couple.

The funny thing is that he was in love with me but he didn't get me. He was so incredibly old-fashioned in his view of things. As you can probably imagine we fought a lot. Usually the fights were over me being able to take care of myself. I had a perfectly good truck that ran and he tried to insist on me getting a new car. He even went so far as to say that his family would pay for it. I decided to get a part-time job after school to have my own spending money and save towards college. He said that his folks had enough in the college account that they had offered to pay for me as well. Finally, he told me that they were leaving and so I am probably never going to see him again. The funny thing is that in most ways I couldn't be more grateful. Especially since, his constant brooding and possessive presence once kept me from doing what I ought to have been doing.

I truly am sorry that I have not written more often.

I don't know if I can even have the right to sign off as your,

Bella

With that letter written to the best of her ability she turned out her light and attempted to go to sleep. Charlie was working all night thanks to a recent set of break-ins so there would be no need to cook dinner tonight thankfully. As she laid down again she quickly began tossing and turning, unable to get comfortable. This would not be an easy night for Bella as she was constantly accosted by dreams and nightmares. In some Tyler forgave her and accepted her with gentility and kindness. In yet others she learned that he despised her for not being more true to her promise and him. In still others she learned that after some time had passed he had found some one else. It really bothered her that there were so many ways that this could play out. Now that she had written the letter one of the only things that she could do is mail it and wait to see what reaction she receives.

The next day Bella woke up with her alarm and got ready for school. It would be an interesting day and she prepared herself for a new battle with her attention issues. She knew that it was something that she would need to get over eventually. It just did not help that she lived with Charlie. Charlie was where her issues came from. He was just as quiet and reclusive in a number of ways as she was. He did not like parties and large gatherings where eyes seemed to be on you constantly. It didn't help when your parents separate when you're not even a year old either. Bella had spent years thinking that the whole thing was her fault. Once she was old enough and learned that there were actual reasons why it had happened. It didn't make a whole lot of difference.

As Bella entered the parking lot of Forks High School she immediately began to realize that word must be completely out that the Cullen's were gone. There stood Mike with a huge grin on his face. The first thing that came out of his mouth as she stepped out of her truck was, "So Bella, back from the living dead? Would you like to go to a movie Saturday?" It both made her glad to know that the few friends that she had made here might accept her back and uncomfortable to have Mike hit on her right away. Not wishing to be rude, Bella replied," Sure we could get a group together and make it like a movie night." Mike's smile fell from his face but he nodded in agreement. The rest of the day kind of followed along the same lines.

Once Bella got home she checked the mail box stupidly hoping that she might already see a letter from Tyler. She had to laugh at herself after all she had only mailed the letter off this morning before she left for school. She did find several letters though from different colleges. One was from Stanford and the other was from Arizona State. Putting those aside she took note of the bills that had come in to be paid. This was something that she always did even now after nearly a year away from her mom. Charlie was decent about paying the bills and things so that no longer was her responsibility. He did occasionally ask her to pick stuff up at the grocery store but that was it. He wasn't flakey as Renee often was.

Ipswitch, Massachusetts

One week later

Tyler Simms walked back to his dorm more than a little worn out from swimming laps in the pool. He had pushed himself extra hard today in order to work out his anger and aggression. He received a letter from Bella last night, the first in many months. Every word covered in guilt, shame and garbage. She bothers to write finally only to give a confession! The thought only made him even angrier. The whole situation made Tyler feel so unlike himself. This was the sort of reaction Reid or Pogue might have but never him. He had never felt this angry nor felt the need to use and cause actual pain or damage. There was something else there and he couldn't quite identify it. That was another thing that he did not like at all. Tyler Simms was known for being the reasonable, laid back son, the one who could be trusted to keep a cool head and think logically. For once Tyler did not feel like he could. He needed to talk to someone but could not think of anyone. He let out a sigh and went to get started on his homework thinking that maybe it would help to get his mind off of the whole Bella situation for a while.

Tyler was still trying to focus on getting his homework done several hours later when Reid walked in. Finally, Tyler gave in to the need to talk and decided that Reid would do as well as anyone else. So he spilled out how he was feeling and showed Reid the letter from Bella. It was the best option that he had under the circumstances.

His friend for once had appeared to be serious and listening to what he had to say and for that Tyler could not be more grateful. As Reid read the letter Tyler took the chance to lie down and try and release the tension. Once that was done he actually began to feel tears fall down his face. Even if he tried to stop them he knew that it was futile.

When Reid finished reading the letter he looked over at his brother and best friend and had to admit that he was not sure of how to help. Finally speaking he said, "I can't help tell you how you're supposed to respond to this. It's hard to hear I can understand that. The thing is that you know this girl. Whatever happened there I think maybe you should talk to her. You owe it to yourself to make sure that you have all of the facts and information straight before you react." Tyler blinked and looked over at his brother for once Reid was making sense and his advice was sound.

Tyler walked over to his computer and logged into his email account. Hoping against hope that Bella still had the same email address he began to work on his message to her.

Bella,

I want to actually talk this out with you. To do that effectively I think that we need to meet in person once more. I am open to any suggestion that you might make on a location. Please respond soon this conversation cannot wait.

Tyler