NEW MOON - EDWARD'S STRUGGLE
This is Edward's point of view from the time he left Bella in New Moon, until the time they reunited in Italy. All characters are the sole property of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended. Please ask permission before copying or redistributing this story as it is an original work of the author.
CHAPTER ONE: MY DECISION IS FINAL
"Edward, NO."
Rosalie's words were loud, and final. She wasn't happy about my decision, but I was used the narcissistic dribble that poured from her mind on a daily basis. Truthfully, she really wasn't that bad, but I still attempted to avoid her as often as I could.
"This is not up for negotiation." I reminded her. I could see the anger growing in her darkened eyes.
It was pointless to argue with Rosalie when she'd been abstaining from feeding. Her anger always had a tendency to shine through. I was surprised to see how Emmett catered to her still. There were times when his thoughts were less than pleasant, but it was a rarity for him to actually express a contradicting opinion to his otherwise flawless wife. They seemed to have an arrangement of sorts. Neither would speak against the other. They had a mutual respect of opinion, but I could still hear Rosalie's disgruntled thoughts as Emmett left the room to begin packing up their belongings.
"This is not fair." She hissed. "Why do we have to leave just because of Bella?"
Bella's name rolled off of her tongue like a disease. Like she was some sort of parasite infecting our family. A low growl slithered its way through my now clenched jaw, and I took a step forward into her personal space. She held her ground but glanced to Carlisle, spouting silent warnings in her mind that she wouldn't hesitate to attack if Carlisle did not intervene.
My eyes remained fixed on Rosalie as Carlisle's soft voice echoed from behind me. "We have to think of what is right for both Bella and Edward. She is a human, and if Edward believes us to be a threat to her, we must move on."
Rosalie snapped. "I'm sick of moving, and I'm sick of you treating Edward like a god damn prodigal son!"
"We would do the same for you Rosalie." Carlisle answered. There was no trace of anger or frustration in his words, but his mind was filled with concern for myself, and what this move meant for our family.
"I've never forced us to move anywhere, Carlisle. Not since I was a newborn."
"No, But Emmett has." I growled. "And you didn't even think TWICE about moving for him."
"This is not about EMMETT!" She hissed in return, but I could tell that she was wavering in her resolve. Everything in her mind was unstable, so it was hard to focus on how she truly felt. Especially when Jasper fluttered to her side, and laced her with a veil of calm that just seemed to irritate her even more.
"Knock it off, Jasper." She shrugged him away from her.
Jasper nodded but his mind remained focused on maintaining some sort of normalcy in the house. He was already trying too hard to suppress Esme's worry over my struggles with leaving Forks, but I was grateful for once that he was in agreement about this move. Of course, I knew his reasons. He was feeling guilty over his almost fatal attack upon Bella. The constant wordless apologies have been deafening. He would do anything to try and make amends, even though it wasn't really his fault. It was mine. I was the reason that Bella's life was in danger. If I had left her be, none of this would have ever happened.
"We're all leaving. It's what's best for Bella." I repeated.
"And what about what's best for us? Did you even think about that, or are you too infatuated with this human?"
Rosalie's words sliced through the chilled air, and she continued to send messages of disdain silently through the open space. Carlisle held up his hand to subsequently end the conversation, but she was no longer paying attention to his warnings.
"I can't believe you are actually going along with this. What about the hospital, our school, our home? Carlisle…" The anger in Rosalie's voice became the only emotion in the room for a brief moment, despite Jasper's attempts to control her. "You are choosing a HUMAN over your own FAMILY!"
Carlisle never faltered. His expression remained as placid as ever. "We have always done what is best for our family. If we stay here, we are putting a human in jeopardy, and risking exposure."
Rosalie snorted. "I think the cat is pretty much out of the bag at this point."
"That may be true, Rosalie." Carlisle sighed. "But the fact remains that Edward feels we are a danger to her well being. If the Volturi were to discover that a human was aware of our existence, they would not hesitate to end her life."
"And what's wrong with that? It should have been done the moment she waltzed into our lives." Rosalie snapped back.
That did it.
Although I knew that she didn't truly wish for Bella's death, her poisonous words were something I could not ignore, and I found my body moving forward, directly hurling myself into Rosalie. She hissed and snarled, cracking me across the cheek with her stone hand as we both flew backwards into Esme's empty bookcase. The old wood splintered and shattered under the weight of our fall, sending slivers of wood splattering off the bare, white walls of the living room.
"How DARE you!" I spat through my teeth.
It was easy to out maneuver Rosalie. Her thoughts always mirrored her actions. I weaved my chalky hands through her hair and pinned her against the hardwood floor, snarling uncontrollably through my teeth as I allowed my anger to consume me.
"ENOUGH!" Esme shouted from the base of the stairs. Her eyes were livid, and I instantly withdrew my hold upon Rosalie. Esme was rarely angry, so seeing her eyes blazing with a mixture of fury and concern, was something that I just wasn't used to. She retreated back up the stairs as soon as my gaze met hers. She was worried. Her mind was a jumbled mess of sadness, and disappointment in our behavior though she'd never speak that out loud, not unless it was devastatingly necessary. She was far too compassionate to ever allow her emotions to get the better of her. It was something I had always admired about Esme, my mother. She loved us unconditionally.
Rosalie was on her feet without another word, turning on her heels and marching off to her room in a huff. She hated losing a fight. Rosalie hated losing anything, but she would not go against Esme. The last thought she ushered my way before slamming her bedroom door sent a shiver through my body. You'll regret this.
In truth, I already did.