Bella's POV

I knew there was hell breaking loose around me, but I couldn't bring myself out of the haze until I heard Carlisle mumble something about not needing stitches. I was wiped down, sterilized and thrown into cotton pajamas before being carried to bed in the stiff arms of Esme.

I was lying stiffly on the fluffy duvet cover for quite a long time. It was indefinite. Pretty soon the light coming through the window dimmed to nothing. Another few moments or even hours passed before I heard a knock on the door.

I felt pressure on the bed and looked over. It wasn't the face I was expecting to see nor was it the face I was somehow hoping to see; but it was good enough.

"Bella," Alice whispered, "I'm sorry that you're going through all of this. But… you're not going through it alone. We are all here for you."

I sighed, finding comfort in her words. They sounded genuine enough for me. IF no one else, at least I could count on Alice… I hoped.

Speaking of other people…

"Alice?"

She blanched at my voice, probably not expecting me to speak so soon after the incident. I still wasn't fully sure what had happened…

"Do you need something?" she asked, more than willing.

"No… we… yes… Can you… Ask Edward to come in?" I sat up on the bed and grabbed her hand. "It's not that I don't want to talk to you… I just really need to say something… to him… if he's okay with that, I mean…"

Somehow, I expected her to break into a grin or say something cheesy, but her expression remained serious and somber as she nodded.

"Sure. Give me one minute."

She was gone and about ten seconds later; Edward himself was at the door, not daring to step too close.

His expression was a mixture of hesitation, sadness and confusion. Probably wondering about my reason for calling him in. I decided there was no sense in both of us being so desolate-looking.

"You can come to the bed, you know," I said, attempting a smile. "I won't bite."

His eyes narrowed, still hesitant. As a reassurance, I patted the space on the bed beside me.

"The biting isn't what I'm worried about," he mumbled, approaching the bed slowly and taking a seat on the edge, half turned towards me.

"Yeah," I said sheepishly, resisting the urge to hang my head in shame. "I guess I slipped up on that one. I'm sorry for scaring you guys-"

"You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, Bella," he said gravely. "This is our… my doing. I'm sorry."

I sighed. Finally, I realized unless I spoke up and got to the point, we would be sitting in awkward silence for hours. He was just as stubborn as I was.

"Edward," I started, still unsure of how I was going to proceed. "I… I want to go back on the medication. I want to get better. I want to… be myself…"

He nodded, his eyes not leaving my face.

"Okay… Are you sure you wouldn't prefer having this conversation with Carlisle?"

I shook my head nervously. "No. I will tell him… but I wanted you to know that I do want to get better…"

"Alright," he said, after a pause. "Is that all?"

I licked my lips. "No. I… also wanted to tell you that… I don't like the way we left things off the last time we spoke. I… shouldn't have acted that way. You were right. You're always right…"

I remembered how he tried to warn me about the Joker. And I didn't listen. I should have. I owe him that much.

"Bella, don't blame yourself," he said. "I understand why you reacted the way you did… You're wrong though."

"Huh?"

"I'm not always right," he admitted, looking deeply into my eyes. "Not by a long shot." He almost chuckled.

"When were you ever wrong?" I challenge.

He was quiet for a few moments before he finally looked away from my face and down at his hands, resting on his lap.

"When I left you."

I took a deep breath, not willing myself to believe those words. I kept my eyes on his profile as I spoke.

"I… I want to believe you. But after all this… I don't think… we have a future… not after what I've done…"

He shook his head as I was speaking. "Nothing you could ever do would turn me away from you, Bella. Whenever I think I can't do it anymore… I find myself drawn back. Nothing you've done can ever make me feel any differently about you."

I stared at his profile for a long time before finally letting myself remove my barriers.

"I've missed you, Edward," I finally say. He seemed to freeze, not even breathing. "I… I looked for you… in everyone I met. I saw some of you… in the Joker. He was like you in many ways." His fists clenched in his lap and I faltered. "Nothing like that!" I quickly say, gauging his reaction to be compared to such a person. "He was… a good liar… he saved me… protected me… I felt like I needed a hero and…"

"You made an atrocious misinterpretation and landed up with a villain," he finished for me through clenched teeth.

I narrowed my eyes. "It's not as if you've never hurt me," I reminded him, then instantly regretted it.

His eyes softened and his jaw unclenched, along with his hands.

"I do realize that. I'll never forgive myself…"

I took a deep breath and shuffled on the bed, until I was perched on the bed beside him.

"I forgive you," I say, daring to grab his hand.

He turned his head and stared at me.

"I'll spend the rest of my life trying to win you back, Isabella," he whispered with grave sadness. "I'm here now. I'll be by your side until the moment you order me away."

That was it. With those words, I couldn't contain myself any longer. I crushed my quivering lips to his, expecting him to push me away instantly but not caring.

He didn't.

He deepened the kiss and grabbed my face in his cold hands, pulling me closer to him.

I raised myself to my knees and placed my arms over his shoulders. It was as if I was breathing for the first time in a long time. I wasn't even aware that I had been drowning until the air reentered my lungs.

I wasn't willing to break away from him just yet, and neither was he, evidently.

His hands moved down to my hips and before I knew it, he was on top of me on the bed, keeping enough weight on me to keep the fire alive but not so much that I felt crushed. It was perfect… he was perfect.

My tongue traced his lips as I felt a familiar pulsing between my legs. I knew what came next. I moved both my hands down to his belt and he immediately pulled away. He was looking alright ahead and I decided to move my lips down his neck, reveling in the taste of him.

I was only able to fiddle with his belt for a few more seconds before all of his weight was gone. I was stunned and saw him standing at the foot of the bed, his eyes blazing.

I raised my brow.

"Don't you… want me?" I asked, puzzled and between heavy breaths. Men always wanted me. I haven't been rejected for such a long time… the feeling was new to me.

He shook his head. "Bella… we can't…"

Suddenly, a new fire rose within me.

"You're rejecting me… for a second time?"

"It's not that, Bella, I swear it…"

"So what is it?" I challenged icily. "If you don't want me, say it. Don't be such a pussy!"

I was fuming and he could see it. He rounded the bed and took a few steps towards me.

"Bella… believe me… I want to…" The blaze in his eyes had died down now. All that was left was something resembling sadness. "I don't want you to do anything until you're better…"

"What? I'm too crazy for you to sleep with?" I was genuinely confused.

"You're not in a good place right now," he tried to explain, taking a seat on the edge of the bed beside me once again. "I don't want to take advantage of that, or do anything you may regret later."

"I would regret… or you would regret?" I asked, still irritated.

He took a deep breath. I knew he had more to say, but he decided against saying it. Instead, he stood up and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on my forehead.

"I'm not running away again," he said softly. "I'm here. I'm going to stay here. There's no rush, none at all. I'm not going anywhere."

It was a promise. I wasn't sure whether or not I truly believed it… or anything they say to me.

He left the room in a hurry, probably not wanting to cause any more drama.

I was sure that I felt embarrassed, confused and… hopelessly dazzled by Edward Cullen… who had once again left me hanging.

I furrowed my brow. I still was not over the way things had gone down between us. I wanted… I didn't even know what I wanted. The right thing to do would be to just forget it and let the past stay in the past…

However, there must still be some crazy left in me. A large part of me wanted to get even. I wanted to do something to make him mad.

And I knew what I would do to accomplish that.

A/N Okay… so if you're planning on reviewing, please leave a vote. Should Bella reunite with Jacob Black to irritate Edward… ooorrrr should she wreck his precious Volvo? Either way, the pettiness would be over the top. Let me know which way I should go!