Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Bella was stood staring at me, arms folded across her chest as she waited for me to speak. I didn't know where to start. "C'mon Edward. Clock's ticking." She said, as if I needed reminding.

"First, will you let me explain, get it all out there?" I asked, watching as she nodded. I took a deep breath. "I still love you Bella, I don't think I ever stopped. Through all the shit that happened, I still think of you all the time. I was hurt, badly hurt by your denial of us. It felt like a smack in the face. I pushed you away because I didn't know how to deal with the feelings I still had for you, it felt wrong to love someone who hurt me so badly."

I felt myself getting choked on the words and feelings. Bella spoke.

"Yet you are now dating Jessica Stanley? How do you explain that if you claim to love me still? I saw you last night with her. I'm surprised you made it back alive knowing her."

I shook my head. "No, that is what I wanted to explain to you. I don't want her, never did."

Bella scoffed. "Yet you seem quite happy to ram your tongue down her throat." She glanced at her watch. "Still not heard anything that changes anything between us. Tick tock, tick tock."

I let out a sigh, knowing that what I said next had to count. "I never meant for you to see us like you did last night it-"

"Oh, I see, you think I wouldn't hear about it? The gossips would've made sure I heard all about it if they hadn't, then I'm damn sure Jessica or Lauren would've filled me in. Then I would have to see her all over you at school. She wouldn't be able to resist marking you like her personal property." My mouth opened and closed, sensing I was lost for words, Bella continued.

"Now you are balls deep in Jessica superslut Stanley, and me? I'm last weeks news, you moved on and so have I." Her words hurt me, even though I knew that I had right to be and my heart sank.

"Y-you moved on?"

Bella shook her head. "No, but it's not nice thinking the person you love has found someone else, is it?"

The relief I felt was immense. "Bella, listen to me, please. I don't want her, I want you. This thing with Jessica, it's me playing her at her own game. She tore us apart with her actions, now she is going pay."

The look on her face was one of surprise. "Pay? What do you mean she will pay?"

"I'm playing her Bella, like I said I don't want her, but she wants me. This is the only way I can get close enough to do this. Jessica needs to be taught a lesson, that she just can't go around messing people's lives without consequences, and I fully intend to depose that queen bitch from her throne. I understand if you think I'm lying to you, but think about it. I have nothing left to lose, other than you, forever." My eyes never left hers. "The ball is in your court now, there is nothing else I can say or do to prove how I feel about you." I glanced at my watch. "And I think that is my five minutes."

Bella looked like she was trying to take everything in and work through what I'd said. I knew it would take some time. "Look, I should go. My time is up, it's wrong to ask you for anything more."

She just nodded at me, but the action as slow, almost as if she wasn't sure. I turned and walked away from her. My hand was on the door handle when felt her hand on my arm.

"What happened to your face?"

Turning to her, I managed a wry smile."Jacob. We fought last night, and this." I gestured to my bruises. "Is what I get for upsetting you it seems."

She let out a gasp. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drive you two apart."

I shook my head. "You haven't. Jake is protecting you, that means a lot to me, knowing that someone is on your side and not afraid to stand up for you." Looking out of the door the rain had now stopped, and the sky had cleared. "I should go." As moved to step outside I felt her hand grab hold of me once again before she took a couple of steps away from me.

Watching her, I could see the conflict clearly marring her face. "Don't go." She said in barely a whisper. I didn't move a muscle, watching as she moved closer to me. Her hand reached up and brushed my bruised face, the touch was soft and gentle, reminding me of what we had before and everything that I lost.

"Bella, please." I whispered.

"Sssh." Was her response as she looked me in the eye, her face inching closer to me. Then she did the unexpected, her lips found mine. They brushed gently against them, I wanted to kiss her back, but I didn't. All too soon she pulled away from me.

"Does that tell you what you need to know about how I feel?" She breathed. I nodded in response before I placed my lips on hers. We kissed again, it felt right, it felt like I was home.

When we broke apart, there was that spark in her eyes that I was used to seeing, her hands rested on my chest and my skin, tingled from the contact, albeit through my clothes. All I could do was grin like a fool, the only word I could form. "Wow."

I pulled her towards me, wrapping my arms around her. "I'm sorry I hurt you, things… Well, they were hard for me. How did it all go to shit so quickly?"

Bella shrugged. "I wish I could go back in time, to the dance and I would change it all, everything. I'd stand up there and tell them I was yours, and you were mine and we were happy with each other. It just shocked me and then when I looked at your face I could see how upset you were. I'm sorry."

The emotion that clouded her voice was clear. I placed a soft kiss on her forehead as I whispered against the skin. "It's okay."

Bella pulled me toward the couch, and we sat down together. "So, tell me what your plan is with Jessica. I don't doubt you, but I need you to be honest with me." She paused reaching out and placing her hand on mine. "I want to know everything."

I let out a deep breath while I mentally prepared to tell her what I had planned.

"Okay, Jessica wants me. I know that might sound a bit big headed, but she does. I have no idea where it came from, but since I came back to school, it's like something changed. I've gone from being the butt of their jokes to being someone worthwhile in their eyes."

Bella let out a snort. "Yeah, I've been cast aside and ridiculed."

"I know, and I'm sorry for that. I have tried to get them to back off, but they won't listen. I think Jessica is jealous of you, of what we had. Or it seems that way. I don't know."

Bella nodded. "She is a devious little bitch, and I am telling you know she is gonna love rubbing my face in this on Monday. Seeing you together last night was the worst thing ever, I wanted to rip her eyes out. She had what I wanted to have with you, but didn't."

I frowned at her. "What do you mean, wanted to have? We had everything we needed didn't we?"

Bella stood up and walked away from me, she wrapped her arms across her chest, trying to give herself some comfort. I watched as she walked to the window and looked outside, not turning to face me as she all but whispered. "I never truly had you, not in the way I wanted."

"What do you mean? We were together and I loved you." I was confused.

Then she turned to me and I saw tears brimming in her eyes. "I wanted to be seen with you, to walk around school with you holding your hand, to go to the movies, sit in the back row and then go for ice cream. Don't you see in the last few days she got everything I wanted and I was left with nothing."

I was on my feet and standing before her, I wrapped my arms around her and held her against my chest. Soft, gentle kisses were placed on the top of her head as I whispered. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." I could feel her hands fisting the fabric of my shirt as she let out the emotions she had kept inside. "I thought we were working, that it's how we both wanted things to be."

Eventually, she stopped crying, and began to push away from me, I didn't want to let her go, not after everything that had happened between us. Bella stepped back, confusion marring her face. "How could you not know how I felt about you? I loved you Edward, I'd never felt like this about anyone else in my life. Fuck, you were my first or had you forgotten about that too?"

I stared at her, god she looked extra cute when she was angry. "No, I hadn't forgotten, do you really think I am that much of an ass? Shit Bella, you have no idea how much that meant knowing you trusted me, knowing you loved me enough to allow me to be your first."

She shook her head as she spat. "Yeah, and look where that got me." Her hands covered her face as she took deep breaths. "Look, I think you should go." Slowly, her hands moved to be clasped together with her chin resting on them as she almost whispered to me. "You being here is messing with my head, I want to hate you, to tell you to leave and never come back but I can't. I have no idea what this hold you have over me is, but I need to think this through, to come to my own conclusions about where we go, if anywhere from here. Thank you for being honest with me, but you need to leave."

That was the last thing I wanted, and I frantically shook my head. "No! I don't want you to. I want you Bella, not her, not anyone else. Look, I know I have fucked this up and you I will do anything to make this right. Please?"

She shook her head. "No, you have to go. I won't just fall back into your arms, or your bed no matter what has happened just because you turn up here and say sorry. I know I am to blame for some of this mess, but I just can't do this right now. I need some time."

"So you're saying…" I couldn't finish the sentence, the words caught in my throat. I couldn't look at her in the face, afraid to see the hatred I thought I would find there. My feet took me to the door, and paused briefly to turn around and look at her, but still unable to find or form the words that were needed. With a deep sigh, I walked out and towards my car. I could feel her eyes on me the whole way, still I managed to get behind the wheel and drive away from her. It was the hardest thing I have ever done, but there was nothing more to say. We had said everything, and until she didn't want me there. I couldn't blame her really.

Walking into the house I was struck by just how quiet it was, mom and dad hadn't made it back yet. The silence was both my friend and my worst enemy. Allowing my time to think and clear my thoughts but at the same time those same thoughts threatened to overwhelm me, dragging me under into the darkness.

Flopping down on the couch, I turned the TV on and began mindlessly flicking through the channels while I tried to stop my brain from thinking. The kiss I'd shared with Bella replayed in my mind, how good it felt, how right it was to be with her. I had been so close to getting her back, and then she asked me to leave, but with a promise that things were not over. I'd just have to wait for her to make her decision and hope it would all work out.

A loud noise woke me, I was disorientated having fallen asleep on the couch. The TV was still on, and I thought it was something on there that had woken me. Then I heard it again, it sounded like someone pounding on the front door. I dragged myself off the couch and made my way to answer it. Once again, I heard whoever it was knocking on it, was clearly lacking in patience. "All right, chill the fuck out will you." I yelled. "Gimme a minute." I fumbled with the lock, pulling the door open fully prepared to give whoever was standing there a piece of my mind. Only when I did, the person on the other side didn't give me a chance to speak as they launched themselves at me, wrapping their arms and legs around me as their lips made contact with mine. Instinctively, I kissed her back, my hands finding their way to her ass as I fought to support her weight.

When we finally broke for air, I placed her gently down on the ground and smiled as I asked the question. "So, does this mean you have made your mind up?"

Bella looked nervous for a moment before she said. "Yeah, there was never really any doubt in my mind, but I needed to make sure that my heart wasn't ruling my head." She dropped her head. "I love you, that hasn't changed. Just please, don't make me regret this."

"I can't promise you won't regret it, but I will promise my very best to make sure that you don't. I know this isn't going to be easy, but together we can make it work."

A smile lit up her face as she looked at me. "Now, are you gonna invite me in and tell me more about your plans for Jessica?"

I placed a quick kiss on her lips. "Nothing would give me greater pleasure." With that, I led her inside and prepared to tell her everything.

Authors Note.

Sorry for the delay in updating, I was shocked to see it had been two months. I am planning on writing an out-take of this for Fandom For Lls, which will cover 'those chapters' but from Carlisle's POV. Would you be interested?

Thanks a million to ETPhonehome who is my trusty pre-reader on this.