He couldn't get her out of his head. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't stop thinking about her.

He wanted so badly to go back to her. But after that last scare.....

It was two months ago. They had been on a walk through the woods. Everything was fine. Until she tripped. By the time he tried to catch her fall it was too late. She wasn't seriously injured, just a scraped knee, but it set something off inside him. He hadn't hunted in a while, so he was already hungry. He should have known better, been more careful around her.

The pull to her he felt was so strong. He could do nothing but run.

He didn't contact her throughout his whole absence. He was so frustrated with himself for being so stupid, he didn't know what he would do if anything happened to her.

But the pull he felt, not of her blood but of her love, made it impossible to stay away any longer. He only hoped she would have him back.

He made his trip back to Forks and when he arrived went straight to her house. He stared from the back yard up at her window and waited for any sign of movement inside.

For a minute he was left dumbstruck. How could she actually apologize for that? After what he put her through. He knew he had hurt her, and he damn near hated himself for it. He took off after her quickly, and was caught up before she was 100 feet into the woods. He came to a stop in front of her, her running body colliding into him. He caught her and held her there in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her gently and looked down at her sad, broken expression. He lifted a cold finger and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Bella...Why in the world would you be sorry? After what I did...I'm the sorry one. Don't tell me not to be. I was horrible. You don't deserve what I did. I can only hope you'll forgive me..." He closed his eyes tight, inwardly scolding himself for how horrible he had been. How could he ever hurt his love?

When her lips pressed against his, he had to brace himself. But not for the reason he would have thought, after that last experience. He had to brace himself from losing himself completely in their kiss and their embrace. When she pulled back, his eyes remained closed for a moment. He opened them and stared down at her. "Not at all," he murmured softly. He picked her up and held her close as he quickly took them back to her house. He climbed to the second story and through her bedroom window. Once inside, he gently placed her on her bed and sat next to her, pulling her close. "Bella, I think we should talk. About what happened...About what seems to keep happening..." He looked down at her and tried to gage her reaction. It was as frustrating now as the day he first laid eyes on her that he couldn't hear her thoughts.

"Well you're so stubborn, what good would it do me to repeat what you already know I feel, my love?" he asked, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he nudged her lightly. He shook his head and went on. "No, I wanted to talk about my leaving. And how it's unfair to you that I abandon you, then come back and you act as if nothing's wrong. Bella, I can't know for sure what's going on in that pretty head of yours, but I do know you well enough to know that you're not okay when I leave. And don't try to deny it. First of all, you should know that it was anything but your fault that I left. It's never your fault. It's mine and only mine. I should...I should be able to better control myself around you." He cupped her face in his hand and looked at her with a gentle look in his eyes. "And also, I really just wanted to know why you're never angry at me? I do horrible, unbearable things to you. I abandon you, Bella. How is that okay? I hate myself for doing things like that to you. Why don't you hate me?"

He had tensed slightly at the mention of Jacob, but for the sake of Bella quickly dismissed the thoughts and held her close as she cried. "Bella, I love you too. I love you more than anything. And even though it doesn't make any sense, believe me that it's because I love you that I leave. I just fear for your safety. But I promise I won't leave you any more. I can't bear seeing you like this..." He smoothed down her hair and kissed the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair and letting his eyes close. "You don't deserve to have to feel like this."

Hery crying stopped abrutly and she wriggled out of his grip, her expression as blank as she could possibly make it. "Your.Saying.Sorry." She hissed, her teeth clenched firmly together. "If you love me you won't apologise. I understand why you have to leave. But if you keep on explaining why, I will seriously kick you!" But she found herself cut off by a kiss and her eyes widened, pulling away. "I'm mad you silly head." She said breathlessly, feeling a bit weak.

He gave a small chuckle and pulled her back into his arms, despite her multiple attempts to wriggle free. "Well help me understand what exactly I should be doing. You're mad at me, yet you don't want me to apologize. What is it that you do want me to do, my love?" He shook his head, a small smile hanging on his lips, "Do you know how frustrating it is having to rely on you to tell me everything you're thinking?"

As she tried to escape his arms again he kept his hold on her firm, as far as human standards went. His lips formed into a smirk and he nodded slowly. "Yes, Bella, like you wouldn't believe. It is very, very frustrating." He gave her a curious look, noticing her own playful expression. "Oh no. What are you thinking?" He laughed softly, his mind racing in an attempt to figure her out. He was failing miserably.

He just smiled at her explanation. Of course she wouldn't give him a straight answer, it was some twisted pleasure of hers to make him wonder. When she made a noise as if his grip was hurting her, Edward quickly let her go, apologizing profusely. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. Are you okay? I didn't know I was holding you too tight..." He worried much more than necessary about her, he knew. But she was his everything, and he didn't want to cause her any pain.

He grinned broadly down at her. "Of course, how could I ever say no to a face as adorable as yours?" He stroked her hair and the side of her face gently. He smiled softly as he looked at her. Before they left, he leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. He held his lips to hers for a moment longer before pulling back and giving a small smile. "Where do you want to explore?" he asked quietly.

"I won't let you get hurt," he murmured when she mentioned not hurting herself. At the lazy remark, he laughed and was on his feet quicker than she could blink. He reached out to her, offering his arm to her. He pulled her to his back and quickly exited through the window. Once inside the forest (and out of sight from Charlie) he came to a stop and set her down. He ran a hand through her hair, smoothing it down where the wind had blown it.