A/N I don't own any of the characters or the story. This is just an idea that I rationalized because I wanted to explore Edward's reason for leaving even more. Edward was in love with Bella, he wouldn't have left without at least one other reason.

"Carlisle?"

That was the only word I could come up with. I was astounded by his presence. I had assumed he would leave with his family, with Edward. Why would he be here? He was the leader of their family. He was the one that made the final decisions. Did this mean that they were still here? That Edward was the only one that had left?

"We're all going, Bella." Carlisle had seen where my train of thought was going and made sure that I didn't hope for their return.

"Don't think like that Bella. Every single one of us loves you," Carlisle said. He knew me too well most of the time. He didn't even see me that often, and yet, the man knew my mind like no other. Edward had tried so hard to figure it out, but sometimes I think that he didn't want to figure me out on purpose, because I wouldn't be a mystery any more. I guess he figured it out. He was no longer interested in me. I was 'not good enough for him'.

"Edward included."

He always seemed to know what to say, but I didn't appreciate the little white lie. Not now, not ever. Edward didn't love me. How could he? I was a clumsy girl with below average looks. He was to good for me.

"Edward doesn't love me any more. That is the reason that you're leaving. Remember?" I asked.

"I remember, Bella. I also know that you should never underestimate Edward. Come. Sit."

He sat next to me on my bed and refrained from putting his arm around me. I knew he wanted to, it was a gesture that had always calmed me, but I didn't want to be calm. His touch would remind me of Edward. I couldn't even stand the thought.

"What are you doing here, Carlisle?" I wanted to know why Alice wasn't here to say goodbye, why Emmett hadn't come to try and make me laugh before he left my life forever and why Esme didn't come by to hug me and show me the love that she was full of.

"Edward doesn't know that I'm here. I am the only one that can do this, because I am the coven leader. Alice is good at keeping her thoughts from Edward, but I am the only one that can do it unnoticed because I never shielded my thoughts from him using those methods. I simply use the second thinking process vampires posses. Edward can read the first, but not the second. Only the leader of the Volturi can read the second train of thought we have. He can't forbid me anything, but I want him to trust me and that means that I should do what the rest of us wants, even if it is just one of us."

"Edward is my first son, the first member of my family. I have always trusted him to do the right thing. He usually does, but I've never seen him in love before. He is misguided by his logic. Actually, his logic has been thought through, it is the use of his logic that is wrong. "

I still didn't get what he was talking about. Was he trying to convince me that Edward was indeed too good for me, but that he shouldn't have left me because he loved me?

"Edward studied psychology once. Not in school, but at home. He wanted to understand why people thought what they thought, not only what they thought. Once you know the thoughts of every human, you'll find out that there are only a few main subjects: money, sex and love. He understood money and sex. They were primal instincts. One to live your live comfortably and to other to help the human species survive. He didn't understand the subject of love. Animals didn't do it. We had no reason for love, so why did it exist? He never got his answer to that question, but he did notice the difference between human love and vampire love."

"There's a difference?" I asked. I had seen couples just as happy as Esme and Carlisle, or Jasper and Alice. I didn't see the difference.

"Yes, there is. He noticed that there are two things that attract someone to another. Personality and looks."

Was he trying to say that Edward didn't like my looks or my personality?

"That is the difference between human love and vampire love."

"I still don't understand."

"Vampires are frozen in time Bella. I have had the same looks and personality for 400 years, and I'm going to keep them until I am destroyed. That is the reason why we can spent an eternity with our mates. We will be compatible for what's left of our existence."

"What should this mean to me?" It felt like I would never stop asking questions.

"I'm almost there," Carlisle said. He even smiled at my impatience and confusion.

"It is possible for a vampire to experience human love. They start loving each other less once they get to know the other better and break up after twenty years, sometimes even a century. It is not possible for a human to experience vampire love, though. At least, according to Edward. This is where I disagree with him."

"This has nothing to do with Edward leaving!" I was frustrated. This had nothing to do with anything, especially not when I was never going to see another vampire.

Carlisle just continued with his story. "Edward thinks that you won't love him when you're turned, that's why he refused to turn you at the party and why he made sure that James' venom didn't turn you."

"Because my looks would change?" I asked. I wasn't sure why he thought that I wouldn't love him because I'd become beautiful.

"It has nothing to do with looks, Bella, but with personality. Edward is a unique vampire. Reading minds is a power possessed only by Edward and Aro. My personality stays the same because my mind won't grow. My thoughts are my own and I am not capable of growing mentally. Edward sees things that haunt him, day in day out. His personality is able to grow because he gets thoughts that are not his. He grows mentally because of those thoughts, not his own. You are human and can keep up with him because of that. You adapt easily which makes you love him for who he is. He's afraid that when you are turned and frozen like us that you won't love him any more. He is afraid that he won't love you any more because you won't be able to adapt." Carlisle explained.

I suddenly understood. Edward did love me, but he was not sure that he could love me as a vampire. I'd been pushing him about turning me, being in love with the idea of forever with the love of my life. I hadn't realised just what would happen if I was turned. Would Edward still love me? I was sure that I would love him forever, but I was not a vampire. Would I change that much. Would I be unable to understand. Would we live together for a while and break up once we could no longer stand each other? I would have to leave the Cullens and I would've been alone in the world, searching for my mate.

It wouldn't come to that. I would have eternity with Edward. I loved him, and that should be enough.

"Edward left because he thought that he could leave you and keep his memory about the good times you've shared. He didn't want to blemish them by having you leave him. Edward has always had trust issues. It took him a decade to fully trust me enough to have his back, I can't imagine how long it would've taken if he couldn't read my mind. He probably only trusted his parents in his human life, this is a big step for him."

"He will realize that he is wrong soon enough. He will come back, Bella. We will come back. Not today, and not tomorrow, but soon. You are a member of our family, Bella. We won't let you go. Edward won't be able to stay away from you. He loves you, no matter what."

A/N I hope you enjoyed it and I will try to write more one-shots. I'm aiming for more than twenty fanfics