A/N: I also published this one first on Twilighted. I came up with the idea out of the blue. As it stands, there is no additional story. However, I have been asked about doing more. We shall see though. If you have any opinions on the matter, let me know.

As always, I do not own Twilight, I just play with the characters.

BELLA

I try to run after him, but I know that's hopeless. Edward is a vampire after all. After the dozenth time that I trip, it all catches up with me. He doesn't love me… I crumble to the ground sobbing. All I can seem to do is draw each ragged breath to sustain my now worthless life.

"That was much crueler than what I was planning," a voice comes out of the shadows as I settle into just the occasional sniffle.

I can't even bring myself to move. I gave him everything…and he took it all with him. Edward has all I could ever give anyone. I barely register the sound of approaching footsteps. Cold arms scoop me up. Wind rushes by me. Who knows where we are going? Who knows who is taking me there? Better yet, who cares? Not me, I have nothing.

There's a bed beneath me. The room is dark, even though the window is open. Somewhere a door opens. I feel a needle in the bend of my arm. The bed shifts. I guess whoever us keeping track of me is sitting on the side of the bed. A cold hand brushes a strand of hai8r off of my face. As long as my eyes are closed, I can pretend it is Edward. Then, the memories come pouring back to me, completely unbidden. I turn my head away from the touch. Tears roll down my cheeks. Everything starts to fade…

Consciousness is a slippery thing. It comes and goes. That might be a blessing. It hurts too much to think about what was and what might have been. The bed shifts again. I can't even open my eyes. Suddenly I am just so tired. It feels like I have been awake for centuries, maybe I have…

A cool hand brushes my forehead. I sit up and look around. This is not my house. Where am I? Is mom here? There's an IV in my arm. Looking up, I meet a pair of crimson eyes. She is a beautiful woman with fiery red curls that stick out every which way. She looks a little wild, but for some reason I am not afraid of her at all.

"Who are you?" My voice sounds gravely, like I haven't used it in awhile.

"Victoria," she answers in a steady voice.

"Where am I?"

"You are in New York City," she never breaks eye contact.

"Where's my mom?" That makes her curious for some reason.

"Back in Florida, I'd imagine," she smiles a little at me.

"Back? We live in Phoenix with Phil," confusion fills my voice.

"That is…unexpected. Sweetheart, you were living in Forks when I first met you," she informs me.

"Forks? I hate Forks. But I have been considering moving in with Charlie…" I trail off.

"I guess your mind has blocked out your time in Forks as a defense mechanism," Victoria comments.

"Why would it do that?" I want to know if I have blocked out a part of my life because that upsets me a little that I would have to.

"You need to remember that for yourself. But you should know something about me," she pauses there.

"I am a vampire," she simply states. Why doesn't that statement really bother me?

"Like, sleep in a coffin, burned by sunlight, steak through the heart vampire?"

"No, those are stereotypes. The sun reflects off of a vampire's skin and reveals us for what we are. All of our teeth are sharp, not just fangs. We don't sleep and are not at all affected by religious regalia," she patiently explains.

"What do you feed on?" I have a tremor in my voice that I can't hide.

"Humans," she watches my reaction.

"Am I your next meal?"

"I was going to kill you to get back at the vampire that killed my mate, but I have changed my mind. It will be much more satisfying to have him see that we are friends," she has a wicked grin by the end of her answer. At least she is being honest with me.

"Oh, was I important to this vampire?"

"We both thought that you were," she replies.

"Victoria, I want to know. Did he hurt me?" I need to know the truth. No boy should be worth the trouble of blocking out a chunk of your life.

"Yes he did," she responds. Anger courses through my body. No one should be hurt to the point that they block memories while the other just walks away unscathed.

"I want to be strong enough to do something about this, should I run into him again," my hatred is growing for a vampire I don't even remember.

"I was hoping you would say that. A voluntary conversion is much more conducive to the whole 'let's be friends' thing."

"Will it hurt?" I sure hope not, but I fear it will.

"A lot, you will wish for death by the time it is over," Victoria waits for me to decide.

I don't remember the vampire that she is talking about, but the fact that I blocked out a chunk of my life for him makes me hate him. I know Victoria is being honest because I felt a pang at the first mention of this mysterious monster. I knew that he had hurt me at least. She has taken care of me for awhile by the looks of things. The IV must have been needed to keep nutritional needs under control. And I am still alive. That means that Victoria has had at least on opportunity to kill me and let it pass by…

"What about mom and Charlie?" I voice my concern.

"It's been three weeks since I brought you to New York. The search has been called off. They don't need to know anything more," she seems confused by my question.

"Shouldn't I give them some sort of closure? I mean, it obviously will be too dangerous for me to visit them. But I feel like I owe them something," I try to explain.

"I guess you could write them a letter telling them that the pain over Edward is too much and you needed to strike out on your own. But only one letter, otherwise they will try to track you down. I'll drop it at a small town post office in New England somewhere while you are changing. We will need to move to a small cabin I own. A newborn feeding frenzy would draw too much attention in a city. At the cabin, your impact will be minimal," Victoria says as she thinks out loud.

"Let's do that," I decide. Victoria hands me a pen and some paper.

Mom and Dad,

I just can't handle all of the memories anymore. Edward hurt me too much. I love you both, but I have to leave. I'm sorry. It's the only way for me to heal. I'll be thinking of you always.

Love,

Bella

"Short and to the point," I say as I hand Victoria my work.

"Are you sure you don't remember the time you spent in Forks?" she seems skeptical.

"I don't remember living in Forks," I assure her.

"Okay, I will mail this for you. Ready to go?" she inquires.

"As I'll ever be. Let's go," I answer.