WOW- AN ACTUAL UPDATE. I have been feeling pretty discouraged lately in law school so I am trying to redirect my efforts to something more fulfilling. I apologize for any errors in this....NEW MOON IN A DAY AND A WEEK!!!!!! WOOOOOOHOOOOO!

Chapter 3: Swan Song

How could the world have turned so ugly
I am dying
Could you touch me again?
Touch me again

-"Swan Song" by A Fine Frenzy

"Alice, what exactly do you mean by vanished?" Edward's voice tried to mask the little bit of hope I am sure he felt. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. Did vanish mean dead? I sure hoped so. "I don't know, Edward," Alice muttered, "She was there…I saw her in the woods with a younger, blonde vampire, and then suddenly they were both gone. Their futures vanished."

Carlisle chimed in, "Is she dead? Perhaps the younger vampire turned on her…I have read of this phenomenon in legends and such; a younger, more impulsive vampire turning on their sire." I saw Alice shake her head and speak, "I don't know, Carlisle. If she was killed, I would see her death, but it is a possibility…. but so is anything." Alice was rarely uncertain and this gap in her vision was a cause for worry. But I couldn't bring myself to care. Victoria was gone. Were Edward and I finally free of the threats that constantly hung over our heads, were we able to just simply bask in the joy of being together? Questions intertwined with hope in my head. My chest expanded as relief flooded my system. I sucked in a deep breath and exhaled all the toxic worry that had been consuming my system for the last day or so.

Before I even had a chance to exhale the complete breath, the wooden door swung upon with unexpected force as Edward processed my presence. I stood blushing in front of the family for my obvious intrusion into their private conversation.

"Well, I guess that means no fight, which means no fun," Emmett's booming voice cut through the air. I wish I had the ability to look at the world through his eyes; see everything as a dichotomy.

I smiled shyly up at Edward. I knew I had been caught. The rest of the family simply gaped at us as they tried to mull over the puzzling piece of information regarding Victoria. Carlisle broke the silence. "Perhaps I should go do some research, I will consult several primary sources about vampires with special gifts…" Carlisle and Esme smiled as they walked past Edward and I at the door. Emmett shot Rosalie a peculiar glance with an eyebrow quirked. Even my innocent mind could catch his drift. They were next to leave, Rosalie marching past me as if I didn't exist.

That left Jasper and Alice in the study. I focused more intently on her. Her face contorted as she attempted to file through the various futures. She looked as if she was in excruciating physical pain. I wanted so bad to reach out and soothe her with my warm touch, but the detachment in her features frightened me. Jasper murmured words into her ear as he gently rocked her back and forth. The infantile way he cradled her shocked me. "Everything's changing…." She mumbled, "Fragments, pieces, blurs…."

Edward sensed their desire to be alone. He placed his hand on my lower back and guided my out of the study. His stony silence was disconcerting. Alice's visions must have upset him. He led us slowly back to his bedroom. I hesitantly sat at the edge of the bed as I looked up at him expecting some sort of explanation. He simply turned his back to me and proceeded to stare blankly out of the window. I gave him distance. Sometimes, if I let him calm down, it was more likely he would open up to me. Matters concerning life or death, though, usually meant I was left in the dark, much to my chagrin.

"Edward," I hedged, "What did Alice see?" Nothing. Silence. Not even a slight twitch of his fingers to indicate he was listening. "Edward…" I tried again with a bit more sternly. Nothing again. I shifted uncomfortably and the mattress creaked beneath my weight. I waited, trying to be patient with his tendency to self-blame. Minutes passed and he failed to acknowledge me.

"Listen, Edward…" I started, the silence simply became suffocating, "I am going to go back home…" The sentence wasn't even complete before he manifested in front of me, effectively blocking my only exit. "No."

I was speechless. Edward never, ever spoke to me like that. When I say never, I mean NEVER. He was always the kind, considerate early 20th century gentleman that held the door open and pulled my chair out before dinner. Every question he posed was always tinged with uncertainty, fearing my rejection. I couldn't even process the emotion of anger. I looked up into his eyes to see if I could decipher any of his emotions. I searched frantically, my eyes darting back and forth as if I was staring directly into a strobe light. I gently reached my palm up to his stony cheek to soothe his worries and he flinched as the warmth of my hand radiated close to his skin. "Edward, please talk to me…" Please, please, say something.

My imagination took off without my will. I began visualizing the worst possible outcomes out of Alice's visions. I feared that Edward's reaction must have been linked back to something happening to me. "Edward, if this is about Alice's visions, you know as well as I do how uncertain the future is…. nothing is final. We can face it…." My voice became pleading as if I was trying to take him off the proverbial ledge. "Edward, please just talk to me."

He simply continued to stare at me. Several emotions flickered in his eyes but it was much to quick to pin one down. My heart lurched as he decided on one, resignation. His shoulders slumped minutely and I knew this Edward, the one resolved to his fate. The one who could so readily accept giving me up in the name of my supposed "safety."

"Please, if Alice saw something about me, you know WE can change it. I have been in danger before, you know me, 'trouble-magnet' girl. Edward, have faith in me nothing will happen…I love you." Hesitantly, I snaked my hand around his that lay limply at his side. I grasped his tightly praying for any sort of reaction.

Before I could continue my incoherent pleas for him to confide in me, he turned from me, dropping my hand unceremoniously. I immediately felt bereft. The wall was up. It was over. "Edward, please don't do this. Don't shut me out!"

Before I could react, my wrists were pinned by his strong hands by both sides of my head. My back lay flat against his plush mattress and his body aligned with mine in the most delicious fashion. My breathing was ragged and this is what I wanted, what I had hoped for so many sleepless nights. Him, so close. His scent enveloped me and everything about him drew me in. I gazed intently at his jaw, studying the smooth planes of his godlike features. Hesitantly, my eyes focused on his full lips, his straight nose, to his eyes. His eyes. They were the eyes of a desperate man.

"You want to know," he breathed, "You want to know what Alice saw…. why she looked so broken…." I continued to stare at him, hoping, praying that it had nothing to do with me simply for his sake. I gave a slight nod. "It was my future, Bella," his voice cracked uncharacteristically, "it disappeared…"

I swear somebody added my story as their favorite story, and I called half my phonebook to share the excitement...I don't want to pull the card, but FINALS are approaching and I REALLY, REALLLY NEED SOME LOVE! you know what to do :)