Maybe it would be easy, like holding his hand or having his arms around me. Maybe it would feel nice. Maybe it wouldn't feel like betrayal. Besides, who was I betraying anyway? Just myself. Keeping his eyes one mine, Jacob began to bend his face toward me. Many emotions washed over me at once. Edward was gone. He was never coming back. And he certainly did not love me even if I loved him. My heart still ached at that thought. Maybe this would be the first step to finally move on and what better person to move on with but my best friend Jacob Black. Sure, I didn't love him the same way he loved me but I could try, I at least owed him that. I made my decision, just like Edward did when he left me. His lips came closer to mine inches away and he stopped waiting for me to bridge the gap. I couldn't wait any longer. My lips crashed into his. This kiss was different from Edward's . His lips molded to mine in a warm unfamiliar way. There were no restrictions, no holding back with Jake. My hands gripped his hair pulling him in closer, deepening this kiss. The shrill ring of the phone made both of us jump. I unwillingly let him go. Still focusing on me with his hand on my chin he picked up the phone.

"Swan residence," Jacob answered his caramel eyes still looking into mine.

Some one answered, and Jacob altered in an instant. He straightened up and his hand dropped from my face. His warm caramel eyes turned dark and cold. Alice! Damn. I forgot that Alice was outside.

"He's not here," Jacob said in a menacing voice.

There was a short reply asking for more information it seemed because he replied unwillingly, "He's planning a funeral." In a fit of rage Jacob slammed the phone back on the receiver making the bell ring.

"Filthy bloodsucker." He turned to me his face bitter and angry.

"Who did you just hang up on in my house, on my phone!" I gasped.

"Easy! He didn't ask for you!"

"He!" I gasped and my heart accelerated out of control. Could it be? "Jacob! Who was that?"

Jacob started to shake uncontrollably. He gripped a chair that was near him, it started to break under the pressure of his hand.

"Bella, get back!" Jacob spat at me as his body twitched.

"Bella!" I heard Alice's frightening voice. "It's Edward he thinks you're dead!"

"What?" I half whispered, tears already streaming down my face. I snapped my head toward Jacob. My new found comfort in Jake evaporated and filled with rage.

"What the hell Jake! How could you be so damn selfish. Why didn't you let me speak to him!" I screamed at him. I started towards him, but Alice held me back. Not like I could hurt him if I tried.

"He's going to the Volturi," Alice then said in an almost inaudible voice. "He wants to die too. We have to leave now if we want any chance of saving him. If we do this we have to go into the heart of Volturi city. Not only do you know way too much about vampires, but you also smell very good. This could not work. They could kill us all."

"It doesn't matter, we have to go now!" I yelped. Alice was already in the car waiting for me. I ran up to my room with Jacob trailing me. Don't look back, don't look back I repeated to myself in my head. I grabbed a bag and threw some clothes in it then ran to the bathroom and emptied the cabinet into my bag. Passport! Damn, where the hell is my passport. I turned to go back to my room but tripped over the rug and fell into Jacob's arms.

"Get the hell off of me, Jacob Black." I struggled to get free from his constricting hands. I was still furious with him.

" Don't go." Jacob said softly. All of his anger was gone. His arms still holding mine. His eyes, damn why did I have to look in his eyes, were full of sadness.

"I don't have time to argue with you, Jacob." I said as I made my way back to my room, avoiding eye contact. I didn't want to see the pain in his eyes. I rummaged through my drawer and I could feel Jacob behind me. As I sifted through the mess I found a picture of me and Jake taken about a week ago I looked happy, happier than I ever did with Edward. I paused for a moment, was I making a mistake? Just because Edward was gone didn't mean I would never be happy. I made my choice. I grabbed the picture and tossed it to the side under it was my passport. Even though Edward left me, Edward did not deserve to die. I grabbed the passport and chucked it into my small bag. I threw the bag over my shoulder and proceeded past Jacob keeping my head down; I couldn't even look at him.

"So that's it, huh! You're going to leave me for him, if you don't remember he left you Bella he didn't want you anymore." He said as he grabbed my arm and spun me around with a little too much force. "What the hell are you thinking?" He spat in my face.

"He does not deserve to die, Jacob! I'm going, and there is not a damn thing you can say to me that will change my mind. Tell Charlie that I left with Alice and that I love him and that'll be back soon." Jacob's face then crumbled he looked devastated. I made the mistake of looking into his eyes.

"Listen," I said as I put my hands on each of his arms. "I'm going to be alright I have Alice. This is going to work I can feel it. I can't let him do this to himself out of guilt. He doesn't deserve it. I'm sorry Jacob, but there is still a part of me that loves him. I think I may love you too, if you give me the chance. I hope you will forgive me. " I quickly gave him a peck on the cheek before heading for the car promising I would never look back. I ran to the black Mercedes, passport in hand, and jumped into the passenger side. "Go!" I yelled as I stared at the floor board not daring to look back to see Jacob's devastated face. Alice obeyed my command and floored it out of Forks to the airport.

When we arrived at the airport we were stopped at customs by a large man who clearly hadn't bathed in the past few days. Alice entranced him speaking sweet nothings into his ear. He let us skip to the front of the line. Must be nice. We finally boarded the plane and got to our seats. I had time to think once we got in the air. Did I lie to Jacob? Could I truly pick him over Edward once we were reunited? Thinking his name still made my heart ache. Could I ever get over get over my love for Edward, even if I tried? Maybe I was broken and no one could fix me but Edward. I thought of Jacob, his chocolate brown eyes, russet skin and fur, his onyx hair. My mouth formed a smile. All the time I spent with Jacob did not mend my broken heart; it was more like putting a bandage on it. It would stop the bleeding, but never truly heal. Being with Jacob was so different from being with Edward. He was warm. I could have an intimate relationship with him, and Charlie would be so pleased. Then I thought about what I'd be giving up. Edward was certainly more noble and safe. I looked over to Alice, she looked back at me and smiled. Another thing I'd be giving up, my friendship with Alice. Alice, in a way, kept me sane in Edward's absence. I sent her countless emails, although they never sent I still felt as if she could read them.

My stomach growled. Good. I need to clear my mind. I reached under my seat for my small brown satchel purse, which rarely got any use. I rummaged through it for any source of sustenance I could find. My hand finally graced over a plastic wrapper. I grabbed the object and pulled it out. A chocolate chip granola bar I stowed away in here months ago for school. I unwrapped the bar and crunched down on it. Mmm. Chocolate chip was always my favorite. I looked down at my watch. I still had four more hours on the flight until we reached our destination. I plunged my hand back into the satchel to find something to occupy my attention. Although I should be freaking out right now, I felt eerily calm, as if I knew that everything would work out right in the end. No matter what end that would be. My hand found something cold and metallic. I pulled out the device to discover it was my iPod that Renee got my 15th birthday years ago. It still irked me that she spent so much money on the silly thing when she could have gotten me an mp3 player that did the same thing for much cheaper, but she insisted. It had been months since I'd listened to a single lyric or melody of a song. I had not been able to make through a song without somehow relating it to Edward in some shape or way. What better time than now to test my strength. I searched my bag for some headphones. Damn, there was none in my bag.

"What are you looking for?" Alice asked curiously.

"I was going to listen to my iPod, but I can't find my headphones." I replied. Alice pushed on the button to signal to the attendant. The hostess quickly made her way over to our aisle.

"Yes, what can I help you with?" She asked in a pleasant voice.

"I would like the purchase some headphones, please." Alice spoke in a charming voice.

"Here, take these," the flight attendant said as she handed them over to Alice. "Don't worry about them they are on the house."

"Thank you." Alice smiled back. "Here you go Bella." She plugged the headphones into my iPod.

"Thanks, Alice."

I pushed the button to power up my iPod and it flickered to life. It was already on a song, halfway through. I must have turned it off in the middle of the song before the last time I put it up. I hit play.

And high up above or down below

When you're too in love to let it go

But if you never try you'll never know

Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home

And ignite you bones

And I will try to fix you.

The song fit my situation so perfectly, as if it was purposely placed on that song during that part. I soon drifted off to sleep I was exhausted. I dreamt. I was in a cottage in the woods; it was the most beautiful place I could ever imagine. A pair of pale white hands hugged my hips. Good Morning Mrs. Cullen. It was Edward. I looked up into the mirror in front of me. I was beautiful, perfect. My eyes matched Edward's topaz irises. I turned around to kiss Edward. As I pulled away I whispered Catch me if you can. I was out the window in a blur running at lightening fast speed. Edward was at my heels. I suddenly stopped and changed direction. I was hunting. When I came upon my prey I recognized them instantly, it was Angela hiking with her boyfriend Eric. My body flung towards them and my teeth sank into their necks. Alice stood over me "Bella! Bella, wake up!" My eyes snapped open. My heart was beating erratically and my breaths were short and quick.

"Thanks," I spoke.

"No problem." Alice smiled back. "We are about 10 minutes out get your stuff together. We need to prompt if we are to make it in time. Edward is making his way the Volturi now. He is going to ask them to kill him. He will be there in about 20 minutes. If we hurry we may be able to catch him before he goes in."

"Okay." I said calmly. Maybe after I "saved" Edward it would be easy to move on with Jake. I have been at ease this entire time through this roller coaster ride. Surely this would be just as easy.

"Just follow my lead." Alice instructed.

Once we were off the plane, Alice once again got us through customs fairly quick with her charm and wit. We made it out to the parking lot. She scanned the parking lot for about 2 seconds before making a B-line for a yellow sports car. As we got closer I noticed it was a Porsche. She looked around quickly fiddled with door handle and was in.

"Works every time, hurry get in." She instructed.

"Grand theft auto?" I asked as I buckled in.

"I figured you wouldn't be opposed." Alice chimed.

"Not today." I replied plainly.

Alice whipped the car back and out of the parking spot and raced toward the road. I started to feel adrenaline. I couldn't decide if it was the speed of the car or the fact that I'd be seeing Edward once again after months with no contact. The butterflies in my stomach started to churn and I felt nauseous. I took a deep breath in and stared down at the floor board. I practiced breathing it kept my mind and body occupied. I clasped my hands in front of me. The sun beat softly through my cracked window. The sunlight hit my scar and reflected with a subtle shimmer. The scar was from my ordeal with James when Edward had to suck out the venom out to prevent me from changing into vampire. I couldn't help imaging what would have happened if he wasn't able to suck out the venom. I didn't even want to think about it.

"They refused him!" Alice spoke all of a sudden.

"What does this mean?" I asked.

"The Volturi told him no. He is going to make a scene and reveal himself in the sunlight. He is waiting for the sun to be directly overhead when the square is at it's most populated. He is planning on noon." I stared back down at my scar as the sunlight made it shimmer, imaging Edward's skin glistening in the sunlight. I looked at the clock. It read 11:53. My heart dropped. All of my confidence suddenly vanished. I suddenly realized how painful this would be if the plan failed and I lost Edward.

"How far to Volterra?" I asked panic stricken, reality finally settling in.

"Ten minutes, but I can make it five. Listen, Bella you are going to have to run in by yourself. He will hear me coming and think I'm bluffing. He will rush into it. He will be under the clock tower; once we get in the city you will see it. It's huge even you can't miss it." She said trying to lighten the mood.

"Wait." Alice look confused. "It's Saint Markus Day," she scoffed as though it was an inside joke. She looked over at my confused face. "It's a festival the city of Volterra holds every year to commemorate Saint Markus for driving the vampires out the city. Funny. Anyhow there are going to be a lot of people for the parade when Edward is planning to reveal himself. You are going to have to make it through the crowd."

Great what else could go wrong. We pulled into the city and came to a halt due to traffic. Alice weaved around cars in spots that were way to small for the car to fit in. We were stopped by two guards. My hand reached for the door.

"Bella, you have to go now! You have two minutes, Go!" she yelled frantically. I sprung out of the car onto my feet and ran in the direction of the crowd. I was in a sea of red capes and I couldn't see anything.

A/N

Whew! Alright guys this is one of my first fanfics. I have several other starts but none of them are this long. This took me awhile to write so please give me a review if you would like me to continue the story or to give me any constructive criticism. It would be greatly appreciated. This is all I have done of this story so far and still don't know what direction I want to take this in, so if you would like more please let me know and review so I will be encouraged to write more. Thanks for reading! :)

Cassandra.