Author's Note: This is my take on Edward's version of the some of the events that take place in Stephenie Meyer's New Moon. It is a retelling of large portions of the book, albeit from Edward's POV. All dialogue and conversations from New Moon for which both Edward and Bella are present, have been faithfully incorporated exactly the way they appear in Stephenie's brilliant work of fiction.

As I wrote, I leaned on scenes and emotions depicted in Twilight, New Moon and Midnight Sun (the 12 chapters Stephenie published on her website. Yes, I read them!), as well as outtakes and extras she has posted on her site in my attempt to understand what is going on in that boy's head. Certain information not actually revealed until Eclipse and Breaking Dawn also played a part. Remember, this is Edward telling the story of New Moon as he experienced it. There are things that he knows long before Bella finds out. He is very protective of her, and therefore keeps a lot of what he knows to himself. I also used information gained from Q&A sessions and Personal Correspondence with Stephenie that were posted by the admins of the TwilightLexicon website. These people have done a tremendous job - check them out.

This 2nd Chapter is called "Alive". It continues Edward's journey to find oblivion - his self-imposed punishment for Bella's death. Edward prepares to force the Volturi hand. Unbeknownst to him, Bella and Alice are racing to Volterra to save him.

Please, let's all be very clear on this: All rights to the Twilight series, the books, the characters are exclusively owned by Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I have nothing but the utmost respect for this brilliant writer, whose amazing stories have completely and irrevocably sucked me into the Twilight Universe.

Comments and reviews are welcome and appreciated. Further chapters may follow. Thank you for your interest.

2. Alive

I stayed in the shadows of the high-walled, narrow alley ways that wound through the city, pacing myself to pass the hours. I ended up in the alley just to the right of the clock tower, where I would execute my plan at noon. The sun would be directly overhead, bathing the whole square in sunlight for my grand finale.

This would all be over soon. Noon. Death, oblivion couldn't come soon enough for me.

My love, my Bella no longer existed in this world. The realm in which she resided now was forever barred to me. The horrible grief tore at my insides again. Soon... – death was almost certain now. The Volturi would be made to act. They would give me what I wanted so desperately.

As the hours passed, the square slowly began to fill. In the thoughts of the humans around me, I read their anticipation, their excitement. I chuckled darkly to myself. "Perfect timing", I thought.

Today was St. Marcus Day – the ancient holiday Volterra celebrated each year with a great festival. The day on which, according to their stories, sometime in the fifth century, a Father Marcus had supposedly driven all the vampires out of the city. Father Marcus – of the Volturi.

Of course the vampires hadn't actually left, but their presence was kept so secret, was so inconspicuous, that the humans didn't know any different. Volterra was the safest place in the world, at least from vampire attack.

They would act very quickly, I was sure of it. They could not allow me to through with my plan. They would be watching me carefully, prepared to act at a moment's notice. They would be fast.

I would be faster.

Red flags fluttered in the wind throughout the plaza. People were milling about. Residents and tourists, all coming out to enjoy this special occasion. They had no idea how special it would be.

I stood at the end of the alley way, beneath the clock tower, still in the shadows of the walls around me. I had taken my shirt off and let it drop to the ground. I wouldn't need it anymore.

I could see the diffused light gleaming off my bare skin. Not yet. I would wait for the best possible moment to show myself, to let the humans see what I was. A monster. Horrifying. Hideous. Despicable.

A family was standing close to the mouth of the alley, and one of their little girls was pointing at me, giggling, whispering to her mother. They were wondering about me, why I was standing in the shadow with my shirt at my feet. I tuned them out.

I closed my eyes and thought of Bella. Her face, her warm eyes, her inviting smile. Bella.

It was almost over now. There would be oblivion. There had to be. The clock began to chime. I counted each peal of the bell.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.

My eyes remained closed. I smiled a little, thinking only of Bella. I felt close to peaceful now. It was almost over. It seemed I could even hear her voice, calling my name, over the noise of the pealing bell.

"Bella, my love", I answered the imagined voice. "I wish I had stayed with you."

I took a large step towards the plaza.

Now – it was time. Time to end this, end my existence, end this unbearable pain I could no longer endure.

I raised my foot to step out of the shadows, when something bumped into me. Was this it?

No, this was a human. My arms automatically opened and held up the person who had the misfortune of not paying attention where they were going. Empty space where thoughts should be. That was odd. And then I caught the scent.

Bella. Bella. Her incomparable scent in my nose, her warm body pressed against mine, her soft arms around me. My eyes slowly opened. She was looking up at me, her eyes shining with... with love, it seemed. The bell was still tolling.

"Amazing", I said in wonder, full of surprise. "Carlisle was right."

I was dead, but I'd had a soul after all. I was a little shocked. It was unexpected. It was wondrous.

Bella was with me. I gently touched her cheek. Her scent still sent a burn to the back of my throat, but I wasn't inhaling flames. It was muted, dull, weaker somehow. I didn't stop to think about what that meant. It didn't matter. I would happily endure this pain forever if it meant being with her. "I can't believe how quick it was," I mused. "I didn't feel a thing."

I had gotten my wish. My eyes closed again. I kissed the top of Bella's head.

My arms tightened around her. It was bliss, pure bliss to feel her warm body against mine.

Bella said something but I wasn't paying attention. The ragged hole, the painful burn in my chest was gone. I was holding her in my arms again. I was healed.

"Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, had had no power yet over thy beauty," I murmured into her hair.

"You smell just exactly the same as always," I continued. "So maybe this is hell. I don't care. I'll take it".

Bella said something else. She struggled against me. Her clothes were wet. My brain couldn't make sense of that. I was confused for a moment. My eyes were still closed, and I was inhaling her scent again. Her heart was flying, like she had run a mile.

Why was she struggling? "What was that?", I asked.

She was gasping. "We're not dead – not yet! But we have to get out of here before the Volturi..."

My eyes snapped open and I looked down at her.

The Volturi! Demetri. Felix. I heard them approach the spot where we were standing. Wait a second... – if Demetri and Felix were still coming closer... Did that mean I was still alive? But if I was still alive, why was I holding Bella in my arms?

And then the realization hit me. I was alive. And so was she. Bella was alive. She was not dead. I could feel her arms around me, struggling to push me further into the shadow. Bella was not dead. She was here, with me. Bella was alive. Overwhelming joy spread through every cell in my body. It completely replaced, erased, the pain, the agony I had been feeling for so long. Bella was alive!

Somehow she had known where to find me. Had known what I was planning to do, and cared enough to try to stop me. How did she get here? Who had... Alice! Of course, she had seen my plans. Yes, Alice must be around somewhere. I couldn't hear her yet, but she would be close.

Bella! She was here with me and I was whole again.

As these thoughts passed through my head in just a fraction of a second, I fully comprehended our dire situation. I quickly spun and gently pushed Bella against the wall of the alley. I stood in front of her, spreading my arms protectively, as I turned to face Demetri and Felix. They approached us from the mouth of the alley.

I silently cursed at myself. I should have never listened to Rosalie. I should have verified the news with Alice or Carlisle. But the boy on the phone had said Charlie was at the funeral. What were the odds? I wondered who had died, whose death had necessitated a funeral. I couldn't bring myself to care.

I had to find a way out of this predicament. I had to get Bella out of here.

"Greetings, Gentlemen," I addressed the two members of the guard, keeping my voice calm and pleasant. "I don't think I'll be requiring your services today. I would appreciate it very much, however, if you would send my thanks to your masters."

"Shall we take this conversation to a more appropriate venue?" Felix whispered with underlying menace.

My voice became harder. "I don't believe that will be necessary. I know your instructions, Felix. I haven't broken any rules."

"Felix merely meant to point out the proximity of the sun," Demetri said. "Let us seek better cover."

The two of them, in their cloaks, were not worried about exposure for themselves.

"I'll be right behind you." I had to get Bella out of the alley. "Bella, why don't you go back to the square and enjoy the festival?"

Felix leered. "No, bring the girl."

"She smells delicious."

"I don't think so," I said, answering both his thought and spoken word. All pretense of civility had slipped from my voice. Absolutely not. Bella had to be able to leave. I shifted my weight, prepared to fight him off. "No," Bella mouthed at me.

"Shh," I murmured back.

"Felix," Demetri warned him. "Not here."

He turned to me. "Aro simply would like to speak with you again, if you have decided not to force our hand after all."

"Sure he does," I thought grimly. "Sure that's all he wants."

I tried again to achieve freedom for Bella. "Certainly," I agreed to Demetri's request. "But the girl goes free."

"I'm afraid that's not possible," Demetri said. "Is he serious?"

"We do have rules to obey."

I tried to stay polite. "Then I'm afraid that I'll be unable to accept Aro's invitation, Demetri."

"That's just fine," Felix injected himself back into the conversation. "Do you really think you can fight us both?"

"Aro will be disappointed," Demetri sighed.

"I'm sure he will survive the letdown," I retorted.

Demetri and Felix spread out to the sides of the alley. I was motionless.

They came closer still, meaning to get me to move deeper into the alley, to avoid a scene. I didn't move an inch. Suddenly, I heard Alice calling me. "Edward. I'm here."

I quickly turned my head in her direction. Coming from the dark end of the winding alley, she lithely jumped out of the shadows and nonchalantly made her way to where we were standing.

"Let's behave ourselves, shall we?", she said, as she walked up. "There are ladies present."

Demetri and Felix exchanged a look as they straightened. They didn't like the even numbers.

"We're not alone," Alice pointed out.

The family at the opening of the alley were openly gaping at us, their thoughts full of confusion, wondering what was going on. The father turned and called out to someone.

"Please, Edward. Let's be reasonable", Demetri said.

My forced civility slipped again. "Let's", I agreed. "We'll leave now and nobody will be the wiser."

He sighed, frustrated with my unwillingness to comply. "At least let us discuss this more privately."

"No", I snapped at him.

Felix smiled. "Here she comes..."

I heard her approach. Damn it. The situation had just gone from bad to worse.

"Enough", she said in her reedy voice. Demetri and Felix relaxed immediately and straightened out of their crouch. Jane. Damn it. Damn it.

I sighed in resignation and defeat. My arms dropped to my sides. Alice crossed her arms. She was aware of Jane's talent.

Aro had sent little Jane on a separate mission to bring me back, trying whatever he could to prevent me from achieving what I came here for. Of course, he didn't yet know that my desire to die had been obliterated the second I realized that Bella was alive. When she had saved me, stopped me from stepping out into the sun, my will to live had come back in full force. He had no knowledge of this change, but he would find out soon enough. We were headed his way. Damn it, damn it, damn it.

"Follow me", Jane said in a monotone. Alice did so immediately.

Bleakly, I put my arms around Bella again, and started to pull her forward. Felix and Demetri made up the rear of our little group.

Bella's arms wrapped around my waist. So comforting. I touched her face, over and over. I bent my head to hers and inhaled her scent, again and again. The fire in my throat burned dully, but I didn't care. I embraced it. It wasn't a raging fire, but more of a dull pain. Like the fire had been extinguished and the remains were just smoldering. I pondered that for a short moment. Living through the last 24 hours, convinced I had lost Bella forever, seemed to have cured me of the despicable thirst, the fiery burn that the scent of her blood, her close proximity had previously brought on. It made me hopeful. Considering how long I had been without her scent in my nose, the dull burn was easier to ignore than I ever thought possible.

I bent down to kiss Bella's hair. I marveled at being able to do so. Bella was here, with me. I loved her. With a little luck, perhaps, she still loved me, too.

Certainly though, we were in mortal danger. I frantically thought of ways to save us. Nothing helpful came to mind. Well, I would just have to play it by ear, then.

Bella must care for me more deeply than I had previously thought, if it still mattered to her whether I lived or died. How ridiculous to assume that her feelings for me weren't as strong as my feelings for her. How stupid could I be?

Did she hate me for what I had done to her? Could she still love me? I would do whatever it took to win her back. Apologize. Let her know how sorry I was. Obviously, groveling would be required. Begging, perhaps. I'd be happy to. For as long as it took. Maybe I would be allowed to explain my reasons for leaving. Maybe. If I found us a way out of this mess. "Later," I told myself. I would think about that later.

I looked at my little sister. "Well, Alice," I said casually. "I suppose I should not be surprised to see you here."
"It was my mistake", she responded in the same tone. "It was my job to set it right".

"What happened?", I asked, keeping my voice disinterested, aware of the listening ears behind us.

"It's a long story", Alice sighed, her gaze flickering to Bella and back ahead. "In summary, she did throw herself off a cliff, but she wasn't trying to kill herself. Bella's all about the extreme sports these days."

As I read the thoughts in Alice's head, I tensed and was suddenly a little furious. Appalled. I could feel the heat radiating off Bella's face. She was blushing. Did she guess what Alice was telling me?

"Hmmm.", I said curtly.

What on earth had Bella gotten into while we were gone? Near drownings? Cliff diving? How dare she endanger herself like that? And her best friend was a werewolf?? Young, volatile, immature? Jacob Black was a werewolf? Oh, for the love of all that was holy...how was that possible?

We all had thought that the line, the genetic quirk that allowed the small Quileute tribe on the coast to change into wolves, had died out with Ephraim Black. How very curious. Bella's strange pull for all things dangerous had brought the wolves back.

And Laurent? And Victoria? So she had come back, too. I was panicking at the mental picture of her hunting, stalking Bella, still trying to avenge her mate's demise. My pathetic attempts at tracking her all over the continent had been totally useless. While I was in South America, firmly in the grip of misery, curled up in some rotten attic space, Victoria had been trying to get to Bella. And I had left Bella to face it alone. She hadn't been safe. I had been such a complete fool. And for all my plotting, it seemed I now actually owed the wolves my gratitude for keeping Bella out of Victoria's grasp. Ugh. Well, there was nothing I could do about it now.

There were immediate dangers ahead of us. I concentrated on that.

I had to save Bella. First, get her out of Volterra, alive. I would do whatever it took to achieve that goal. Anything.

Find a way. Get Bella home. After I had accomplished that, I promised myself I would take care of Victoria. She would not be bothering the quaint little town of Forks with her presence much longer.

I knew Aro would be excited to see Bella. This sole exception to my ability, her silent mind, had interested him immensely. He had wondered what could be causing her silence, what defense she had to keep her thoughts secret from me. He had wondered about her potential.

I held Bella around her waist, supporting her, helping her stumble forward through the narrow alleys and uneven ground. She was not as sure-footed as the vampires around her. I was glad for that, in a selfish way. Any excuse to hold her. She felt so warm, so good in my arms. I wanted to hold her forever, never let her go. "Oh Bella, how I have missed you", I thought. It felt wonderful, having her in my arms again. Were it not for the danger I had put her in. Again. So frustrating. Simply my existence was putting her in harm's way again. It was absolutely infuriating. Would there ever be a time when being near me would not cause her to be in peril?

Further ahead, at the end of the alley, just before the brick wall, Jane swiftly disappeared into a drain hole in the ground. Alice jumped in after her.

Bella balked at the edge. I understood her reluctance. She didn't know what lay below. I knew, but I didn't like it either.

" I got it, Edward. Just lower her down. Trust me."

"It's alright," I said quietly, hoping to reassure her. "Alice will catch you."

Bella crouched at the edge of the drain hole. "Alice?"she whispered, trembling.

"I'm right here, Bella", Alice's voice floated up.

I carefully lowered Bella into the opening.

"Ready?" I asked Alice?

"Drop her," she said.

I let go of Bella. It actually pained me to do so, but I heard Alice catch her and put her on her feet. I immediately jumped down myself, and took her back into my arms. Her arms wrapped around my waist. Demetri pulled the grate back over the drain hole. We moved on, down the ancient stone tunnels under the city.

I touched Bella's face. To be able to touch her again was so healing, so powerful. I kissed her forehead, my thumb smoothing over the shape of her lips. I wanted to kiss those lips, I wanted to feel them against mine. "Later," I reminded myself. There would be time for that later. I hoped.

Bella shivered. I realized how freezing the temperatures must feel to her down here, especially since her clothes were still wet. Knowing that my cold stone arms weren't helping the matter, I reluctantly twisted out of her embrace. I moved away from her, holding just her hand, but she chattered "n-n-no", and wrapped her arms around my waist again. Held herself close to me, enduring the wintry cold without concern for herself. I sighed, torn between my need to feel her close and my concern for her well-being. She was still just as stubborn. But her own reluctance to let go of me also gave me hope. Hope that she could still love me, after all I had done to her. Even though I had left her. Not that I deserved her love. For a short moment I let myself imagine that it was true. That she still loved me. Could that be the case? Was it possible? Hope swelled inside me with force.

I quickly rubbed my hand up and down her arm, hoping to warm her with the friction of my hand. I couldn't tell if it was working, but Bella kept her arms around me. It felt so wonderful. She was so soft, so warm. I had missed that so much.

We kept moving forward, Jane at the front. The tunnel grew lighter. We were almost at the end. An iron grille blocked off the passage, but a small metal door was open. We ducked through the door, and hurried on to the larger room ahead. I heard the iron door slam shut. Bella shuddered at the sound. On the other side of the room was a wooden door, also standing open. We passed through.

I glowered at Jane, down the long hallway, standing apathetically at the elevator doors. At least it was warmer in here. I was glad for that, for Bella's sake. The wooden door behind us slid to a close, and Demetri put the bolt in place. In the elevator, I kept Bella in the corner. She was cringing into me. Scared, I was sure. I couldn't blame her. I couldn't tell her there was nothing to fear, though I wished I could.

I locked my eyes on Jane, watching her thoughts. I kept rubbing Bella's arm, trying desperately to warm her. The elevator ride took but a moment. We stepped out into the brightly lit reception area I had been in earlier, with the wood-paneled walls and thick, green carpets. It must have looked very benign, very business-like to Bella compared to the tunnels we had just passed through, but of course I knew better. In the center of the room was the high counter, with the human, Gianna, still standing in place. I looked down at Bella's face as she registered the other human in the room, and saw the confusion she must have felt.

The human greeted Jane, who nodded in reply. "Gianna", she said, her voice dripping with boredom. Felix winked at Gianna as he passed by her desk, and this silly human giggled in response. She disgusted me.

Jane continued on to a set of double doors in the far corner of the room. Having no choice, I followed, still pulling Bella along with me. On the other side, Alec came towards us. He smiled at Jane, greeting her. They embraced, kissing each other's cheeks. Then he looked at us and his smile widened. "He's back. Aro will be so happy."

"They sent you out for one, and you come back with two...and a half", he said, looking at Bella. "Nice work." Jane laughed delightedly.

"Welcome back, Edward," Alec greeted me. "You seem to be in a better mood."

"Marginally," I answered flatly. Yes, I was feeling better than the last time he had seen me, when I still thought that Bella was dead. Holding her, feeling her soft body in my arms, the despair and grief that had me in their grasp before no longer applicable, I was almost happy. If Bella hadn't been in danger, I would have shouted with the radiant joy that was pulsing through me.

Alex laughed quietly. "And this is the cause of all the trouble?" he asked skeptically. I smiled, my expression almost contemptuous.

"Yes, and she smells appetizing, doesn't she?" , Felix thought behind me. I stiffened in response. "Dibs", he called out, grinning. I turned to him, a low snarl building in my chest. His grin got wider, his hand was up, beckoning me forward.

"Patience," Alice said, touching my arm. I exchanged a long glance with her, while she silently told me this had to end peacefully, that we had to find a way to be able to leave. "You'll gain nothing by attacking him. Be careful, Edward" she thought. "Keep your head. Concentrate on getting us out. I don't know what they will do. I can't see the outcome yet. We can't afford mistakes." I took a deep breath, and turned back to Alec.

"Aro will be so pleased to see you again", Alec said, as if nothing had happened. "Let's not keep him waiting", Jane suggested. I nodded once. There was no escaping it now. I had to keep my wits about me, to keep Bella safe. We must be allowed to leave this place.