Sorry for the late update, but this story is a bit more difficult than the last one. Meanwhile, I'm writing another fic for X-Men: The Movie. I write that daily, so please check that one out as well. It's called 'I Can Read Your Mind'.

Ch. 3- Distance- BPOV

I hated this. I hated staying away. I hated ignoring him. Every inch of me had wanted to scale the walls and enter his bedroom last night. To stay wrapped up in his arms the whole night, crooning his lullaby until he fell asleep. Edward had left the window open, probably in the vain hope that I would be there. That, and the fact he had been murmuring my name repeatedly in his sleep, made me ache to comfort him. But, instead, I had kept a firm handle on myself and contented myself by sitting down among the trees, out of sight, listening to his heart beat, his breath, and his pleading cries for me.

No one in the family agreed with my decision, but they complied silently. At least, Carlisle and Esme did. My siblings, on the other hand, were very vocal of their blatant disapproval of my plan, especially Alice. She showed me her visions of me screaming in a forest, of Edward staring at something with blank eyes, both our appearances haggard and weak. She hoped showing me both our pain would convince me to change my mind, but it was already too set. Yes, I would be breaking Edward's heart but, in the long run, he would be happier without me. He would be free to spend his life with someone who could grow old with him, as an equal, instead of staying with me, pining for a life I couldn't give him.

The first step was to distance myself from him. Maybe if he expected it, it would not hurt him so much when I broke the last thread. So I ignored him, tried to remain indifferent and not let him see the pain I felt. It did not matter how much I was tortured, as long as he was safe. And that was all that mattered. I needed to finish this quickly. I would do it today, in just a few hours. I had already removed the photos he'd taken of me and my family, hiding them underneath a loose floorboard in his room and keeping one with me as a memoir, though I didn't need one. I had prolonged it for two days. Enough was enough.

"I need to come over later in the evening, today. Will that be alright?" I asked, suddenly. Edward looked over at me as we walked to my car, surprised by my out-of-the-blue words. "Of course," he stammered. He hesitated a bit, before continuing. "Is Rosalie alright?" He asked. I nodded, struggling to maintain my stone façade.

I parked the car, in front of Edward's house, but stayed inside. Thank the Gods, his mother and uncle weren't home. I knew Edward was inside and was watching me from the window. I found myself wishing I could read his thoughts, just this once. With a deep breath, I exited and went to knock on the door. Edward opened it almost immediately and ushered me in with a tentative smile, a smile I couldn't return. I sat on the armchair opposite him on the sofa.

"We're leaving, Edward," I started. His brow furrowed. "Where are we going?" He asked. I pursed my lips. This was going to be harder than I thought. I stared at him intently, keeping all emotions off my face. All of an instant, the truth seemed to hit him. His eyes widened, his lips parted and his heart stuttered, before breaking out in a hammering sprint.

'You're leaving?" He whispered. I nodded. "Without me?" He went on. When I nodded a second time, something like resignation and realization flashed in his eyes. "Why?" He asked. "Because, the I don't want to be with you anymore," I answered coldly, ignoring the knife in my chest.

"You… don't… want me," he repeated. I didn't say anything, and in that instant, all light left his eyes and his shoulders slumped forward minutely. "But I thought you… you loved me," he said, his voice broken. I wanted badly to take everything back and beg his forgiveness, but, for the first time since I met him, I let myself feel the torturous burn in my throat, letting the thirst remind me of the reason I needed to leave.

"I did love you," I agreed. "And I always will… in a way. But, you're human. And I'm immortal. I'll live forever and I don't want to spend the rest of eternity with someone who will die. And I refuse to change you, Edward," I finished. "That's against everything I ever knew and you can not convince me to change my mind."

He was shaking and I hated myself. But something was wrong. Why wasn't he arguing with me? Why wasn't he calling me out on my lies? "You don't love me," he said slowly, as if testing out the words on his tongue. And then, it hit me. Edward had always believed me, trusted my words, if not my opinion. When I told him he was the centre of my universe, he believed it, though he said it sounded unreal to him. So now, when I told him that he no longer meant anything to me, he still believed me.

With that truth, the pieces of my already broken stone heart crumbled into dust. Slowly, I stood up and headed towards the door. Edward got up with me, following me robotically. I opened the door and stopped to look up at him. "Just promise me something," I said. He blinked and nodded. "Don't do anything rash or dangerous, for Elizabeth and Phil. Especially, Lizzie. She doesn't need to lose you." Mutely, he nodded. "And, I'll promise you something in return," I continued. "This will be the last time you ever hear from me, or any of us. We won't bother you again. It will be like I never existed."

"Wait," he suddenly choked out, his arms moving up to hold me. But I couldn't let him. If he did, I wouldn't be able to leave. So, I grabbed his hands and pressed them back to his sides, before standing on my toes to kiss his cheek. "Take care of yourself, Edward," I whispered against his skin, as he closed his eyes. Then, I ran to my car as fast as I could and started driving to Seattle, trying not to hear Edward's sobs. He didn't know it, but I'd left my heart with him.

Read and Review, pleeeeeease! (And, yes, I meant to type in that many E's.)