The next week went by relatively quickly.

I returned to the hospital every day, per Bella’s request to visit. Sometimes she would just talk to me for a short period of time before some act of the nurse or other priority drove me out, and sometimes she would ask me to stay with her until she slept.

Bella insisted that the only way her fiancé would be contacted was to wait for him to call her cell phone as he promised he would as soon as he had the chance. No matter how often we asked, though, she adamantly refused to offer his name or the reason he had left her for so long. With each passing day that he did not call her, I grew more and more furious at him.

True, I didn’t know him… and true, I wasn’t entirely convinced of his existence yet, but I was still furious. At first, I couldn’t stop accusing him of idiocy. I insisted to myself that he must be a complete moron to leave someone as accident prone as Bella to fend for herself with no way to contact him… but then I realized the hypocrisy of that accusation and regretted the thought immediately. I had no right to be this angry at a complete stranger for an act that I myself was guilty of.

“How many is that? I lost track.” I jumped at the sound of Jasper’s voice. I had been too lost in my own acidic thoughts to notice his return.

“Um, I think that was 4. You told me not to let you stop until you had at least 6... But I wont hold you to tha-”

“No. You will hold me to it.” Jasper corrected me quickly. “Two more, I can do this.”

“Jasper. You never tore the family apart, and if you don’t stop blaming yourself I am going to hang you in a tree from your underwear again. Esme isn’t here to stop me.”

He shot me a surprised, yet mildly warning glance, a brief image of Emmett and myself laughing hysterically as Jasper hung with his arms crossed sarcastically from the tallest branch of an oak tree flashed through his mind.

“You wouldn’t dare. Alice’s wrath would stop you if nothing else.”

Another image of Alice, her face cold and glaring as Emmett explained why Jaspers designer underwear she had just bought him had been ruined.

He had a point. Alice may have been fun to pick on, but there was a line that we had learned not to cross, and that line normally had a designer priced tag to label it clearly.

“You don’t have to do this, Jazz.” I continued. “You’re not going to do anything wrong. We’re all going to be there..”

“But it shouldn’t have to come to that.” He argued. “The last time I saw Bella… I was trying to kill her, Edward. Do you know how awful that was? I love her like she’s my own sister… and the last memory she has of me is of you all restraining me to save her life. That’s not what I want to happen again.”

I met his own agonized stare for a long moment before nodding finally, knowing that even if I found his reasons for overfeeding unreasonable, he found them necessary, and that was all that mattered.

“Fine.” I sighed, “Two to go.”

I had already hunted my fill for the day. 2 mountain lions and 1 elk was more than enough to appease my thirst… even around Isabella. I would only be so lucky if other thirsts and desires were as easily quenched when it came to her.

The entire family was busy today. Bella was going to be released from the hospital in 3 hours, and not an end in our hands was going to be left untied. Rosalie was grudgingly helping Esme prepare the guest bedroom, Alice was shopping for a new wardrobe for Bella. “After months of paper hospital gowns, she will be willing to wear ANYTHING I buy for her.” She had said with a grin.

Emmett was with Carlisle at the hospital with the car waiting to drive her home, and I was hunting with Jasper.

This was the first time I had hunted with someone other than just myself since we left Forks. This past week had been the most contact I had had with anyone since we left Forks, for that matter, and in the one week I had realized how much pain my withdrawal from the family had been causing, and I vowed to make a more conscious effort to prevent that in the future. No matter how much pain I was feeling… the rest of my family didn’t deserve to be subjected to it.

I leaned against a nearby tree to wait for Jasper. My head swam with thoughts of Bella and the day that was ahead of me. I checked the time on my cell phone quickly, noting that there was only an hour left before Bella was scheduled to be released, which wasn’t helpful information as it made me all the more anxious for Jasper to finish his unnecessary continuation on our hunting trip. For some unexplainable reason, I felt it imperative for me to be present when Bella arrived home.

I tried not to show too much relief when Jasper finally returned, and I tried not to appear too anxious as we traveled back to the vehicle. Jasper’s speed was hindered by the overabundance of blood he had just consumed, so it was a relief to finally be back in the jeep where he wouldn’t slow me down.

Only a half of an hour until Bella arrived home.

It was odd; calling my home “Bella’s home”. It felt too right, too suitable. Somehow, I had always felt that my home was where Bella was, and now… for the next how-many-ever weeks, it was.

“In a hurry, Edward?” Jasper chuckled.

“What?” I frowned, feinting innocence.

“124 miles per hour. You’re insanely anxious right now, too. Something on your mind?” He pointed out casually.

“No…” I glanced at his disbelieving reaction and surrendered. “Yes. It’s not that big of a mystery, though. Don’t make me say it.”

“She isn’t married.” I corrected, “Just engaged.”

“My hopes aren’t up.” I scowled, “I know I can’t act on any of my feelings towards her. I know that. I’m fine, really. This is what I wanted for her, when I left.”

“Well of course I’m upset that he doesn’t know anything about her current wherabouts, but she appears happy. That’s all that matters. Besides, my hopes aren’t up.”

I shot him a warning glance to which he responded by raising his hands in surrender and continuing, out loud this time, “I’m sorry, Ed. I just call it like I.. feel it. I guess its only a matter of time until I can hone in on what she’s actually feeling. What, an hour until she’s released, now?”

“Twenty seven minutes.” I corrected a little too quickly.

Jasper chuckled and shook his head at me, “Yeah, I can definitely see how hopeless you are.”

“Shut up.” I groaned.

“I don’t want to be a pest or anything, but I don’t want to see you like that again.” His speech was accompanied by a quick slideshow-like grouping of images. There weren’t many images, but all of them were me… that is, the few times he had seen me over the past few years. Beginning with the day I returned from my mistaken visit to Forks. I looked a mess. My eyes were dead, I moved at the slow and lifeless pace that resembled the absence of life I contained with disturbing accuracy.

The rest of the images were more or less images of my closed bedroom door - but they were accompanied by a feeling. An emotion of such strong self loathing and remorse, that even though it had been mine to begin with; I still winced.

“I don’t want that for you, bro.” He finished.

“I know, Jasper. And I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have behaved like that..”

“Out of everyone in the family, Edward… you don’t have to explain yourself to me. I know better than all of them what you were going through. It took me a while to learn to block it out, and even though the emotions I was getting from you were second-hand; a lower caliber, it was still a lot to bear. I understand why you withdrew, and I don’t want that for you again. Yes, a part of it is due to the fact that I enjoy your company. You’re a nice break from Alice, and don’t you dare tell her I said that. You know as well as I how overbearing she can be some times. I love her, but I love you too. You are a part of my family and I don’t like losing that… but even more so, Edward - I didn’t like seeing… feeling you like that. It was harder than you could imagine… especially considering that I am part to blame.” His eyes were deep and full of honest concern.Don’t.

His mental warning cut off my mention of his misplacement of blame and I bit my tongue and returned my attention to the road.

“Thank you.” I finally replied after several minutes. Turning and allowing an acknowledging glance at him.

He nodded back at me, clapping me on the shoulder once.

I slowed down quickly as we approached the long drive to our home. Alice was waiting - sitting on the porch tapping her feet impatiently. A scan of the rest of the occupants thoughts in the home told me that Rosalie was playing a video game, but Esme wasn’t there.

“Where’s Esme?” I frowned, jumping out of the Jeep with Jasper.

“She realized there was no human food and she had to go shopping. She’ll be home in… 5 minutes.”

“Oh.” I nodded, “And… um,”

“Bella will be home in 13 minutes,” she grinned.

“Thanks, psychic.” It felt weird to smile again.

“Oh please.” Jasper scoffed, “It didn’t take a damn psychic to figure out that one.”

I rolled my eyes and joined him as he sat next to Alice.

“Wait… I thought you couldn’t see Bella..” Jasper said suddenly, turning to give Alice an inquisitive glance.

“Oh, I can’t. But Emmett is driving and he is almost effortless to see at this point. I have so much practice foiling his pranks before he pulls them off that I can see him no problem.”

With that matter settled, the remainder of the 13 minutes went by in relative silence. We exchanged a few comments about the guest room she would be staying in and the almost sunny weather before we finally heard the familiar purr of the Volvo turning onto a nearby street.

“Why the hell is he going so slow?” I groaned impatiently.

“Bella hates driving fast, you remember that. We want her to feel comfortable.”

“That’s why he’s driving the Volvo… so she would be more comfortable.” I argued.

“No, Edward. He’s driving the Volvo because its more sensible… With all the memories of you and her in that car do you really think she is that comfortable in it right now?” She bit her lip as soon as she said it, following it up with - “Sorry, Edward.”

I shrugged it off as best as I could, knowing that not every comment that would be made in this house from this point forward would be the most considerate of my feelings… and well they shouldn’t be. The only thing that mattered after Bella got out of that Volvo was making sure that she was safe and well looked after until her… significant other came to claim her.

I swallowed a lump in my throat as I thought about the day that was in our pending future. I tried not to dwell on the prospect of losing her like that. I wasn’t ready to think about that yet, and I needed to have a happy face on for Bella.

As the Volvo came into view, maneuvering the curvy driveway at far too safe a pace until it finally came to a steady halt in front of the garage, I knew that Jasper was right. My hopes were up. There was no stopping the undeniable fantasies frolicking through my mind. I wanted Bella. I needed Bella. And as immoral and ruthless as it was, I was willing to fight for her as I had years ago - even though this time... I faced an opponent who was already two steps ahead.