BPOV

BPOV

When we got to my car I gave him his wallet back and drove behind him as he led the way to his bar. It was a beautiful place and it was very close to the border. I slept in my car that night, relishing the fact that I had something to do in the morning, but I still slept uneasily. I missed Edward. I'd even settle for Alice, Emmett, Jasper, Esme or Carlisle. Heck I'd settle for Rosalie. I cried myself back to sleep three times that night.

EPOV

Pisa? Italy! What the hell is she doing in Italy? I told her to stay away from Italy!

It was the first coherent thought I had picked up from Alice. The rest had been flashes of images. A small girl in a pink dress, a car dealership, a taxi. My mind was buzzing, but my body was unable to do so. I was in so much pain. I needed Bella back. It had been twenty three hours since I had last seen her. I was afraid to go into the house. Afraid that I might catch her scent, that I would break down again. Our family had all hunted, except Alice. She stayed, sat on the table, trying to find Bella.

Italy. Volturi. Not good. I ran back to the house and Jasper started to feel my pain again.

"Italy?"

"Yes. But wait a second. Everything is blurry, undefined, like she's not planning on staying there. Ugh I'm getting a headache."

"Take a break." Carlisle ordered. Alice shook her head.

"I need to find her."

"You need to hunt." I said. She had already done so much. Hunting would take my mind off of...her... for a little also. We hunted, quickly and efficiently before Alice retook her spot on the table. She closed her eyes and began trying to find Bella again. I stood, determined to be strong, to not let my family see me in pain. Only Jasper wasn't fooled. So I stopped trying to feel anything. I closed off my emotions.

I watched through Alice as she saw Bella break down, then get into a random stranger's pickup truck. Fury rippled through me. If he so much as lay a finger on her, I would hunt him down and kill him. The next vision I saw was of Bella asleep, crying.

"I miss you. I want you all back. But it's better for you. Better like this. Better..."

I had to stop looking. There was no way I could see her in that much pain. But she had made it clear. She didn't want us there. She wanted to be alone.

"We can't go." I said. They all looked at me like I was insane.

"What?" Alice finally whispered.

"She doesn't want us there. She left us."

Alice and Esme broke into tearless sobs and it took all of my will power not to do the same. My world had vanished. There was no point in anything anymore. Jasper hugged Alice and Carlisle swept Esme into his arms also. They were trying to comfort each other. I didn't want to be comforted. I wanted Bella, and she was the one thing I couldn't have. The universe came crashing down upon me, and Emmett caught me before I hit the floor.

BPOV

When Mike rapped on the car window, I wasn't asleep. I was pretending, trying even, but my body didn't want to sleep. I pretended to wake up and Mike showed me around the bar. It needed some serious cleaning, so that was what I set about doing. I dusted the entire bar, especially since it had a whole bunch of beautiful dark red shelves. Most of the bar was decorated in the dark red wood and black leather. I swept shortly after and reorganized their shelves, explaining the system to both Mike and Eric as I did. They asked me to do the same thing to the stock room, so I cleaned and reorganized that also. I took some bleach and began scrubbing out the two bathrooms. I left the graffiti; that would be tomorrow's job. Both Mike and Eric were impressed. At around six, the bar began filling up. Mike asked me to sit at the bar and watch the 'order of things'. I watched as he poured out countless drinks, keeping an eye on suspicious looking men and vulnerable looking women. He kept everyone's tabs in check and even managed to split up a fight. At around three thirty in the morning he closed the bar.

"Now we sleep." Mike said, about to start locking up.

"I'll sleep again in my car tonight and then tomorrow I'll clean the room I'll be staying in."

" 'Kay."

I slept for four hours. I then decided that I needed clothes, a shower and the other necessities I had not brought with me. I found a good clothes store and bought simple clothes; black and blue jeans, black and blue t-shirts, black underwear, black shoes, sneakers. I bought toiletries and a cell phone charger, and even a laptop, bedding. I also bought some better cleaning supplies; the ones Mike and Eric had sucked. I drove back and Eric had already opened it up. He sat in one of the booths, paperwork surrounding him. He watched as I cleaned the room I was to be staying in. The boxes, when stacked properly, only took up a small corner of the room. There was a shower, sink, toilet and a small bed.

I cleaned up all the spider webs, collecting the spiders into a jar. I scrubbed the entire room from top to bottom and put the bedding on the bed. The clothes got hung onto a bar that was near the stacks of boxes. I showered and cleaned up, slipping into some comfortable clothes. I then took all of the cleaning supplies downstairs again and swept out the entire bar, getting rid of all the peanut shells. I used some chemicals to get rid of spilled drinks and the sticky spots that accompanied them. Mike came in and started complaining that he had nothing to do. I gave him a brush and bleach and told him to get rid of the graffiti in the bathroom.

"I can't believe this. My unofficial employee is bossing me around." But he laughed and winked and got straight to it. When I finally sat down for a quick break Eric cornered me.

"Izzy, I want to ask you a few questions okay?"

"It's your prerogative."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty one." I remembered my passport. I flipped it out of my bag and showed him. He seemed satisfied. It was a very good forgery.

"Are you in trouble of some kind? Why are you homeless out here?"

"I'm not in trouble, honest, I just wanted to get away from my family. They know I'm here."

"Alright. What would you do if a bar fight occurs?"

"Get you or Mike."

"And if we weren't there?"

"Call the police I suppose? I can't fight and I'm too small to be intimidating."

"Smart." He seemed to be testing me. It was the interview Mike never gave me. "I know that you can clean up well," he motioned to the bar. "But can you mix drinks?"

"I've never tried."

Eric stood and found a thick book. He brought it back and gave it to me. I flipped through the pages. The book was filled with recipes and pictures of every drink on the planet.

"Memorise this in your free time, and you can stay. Um, but we do have a dress code."

I saw his form fitting black t-shirt and black jeans, with black sneakers. I had many form-fitting black t-shirts and a pair of black jeans, and black sneakers. I nodded.

"Um, you could wear a skirt if you really wanted to." He added. I shook my head. "You can watch again tonight, and do your thing tomorrow, and we'll see how you and I get along, deal?" he held out his hand and I shook it. He twisted my arm quickly and pulled my sleeve above my elbow. Seeing nothing on the inside of my arm he grinned apologetically.

"Had to check. You look like hell, so I thought you might be in withdrawal or something."

"Nope. I just haven't had much sleep, or food." I showed him my other arm too and he nodded appreciatively. I realised that I was a little hungry and walked down the street to a small diner. I got a simple breakfast and then walked back. When I got inside Eric was holding up a paint can and Mike grudgingly took it, heading back towards the bathroom.

"Anything I can do?"

"You've done enough these past two days. It looks cleaner in here than it has in months. He needs to do something today so I have him painting the bathrooms, to get rid of the graffiti he couldn't scrub off."

With nothing to do my brain began to think about home. My breathing became laboured and I looked around frantically for something to occupy my time. There was a piano in the corner. I let my fingers slide up the keys and realised that it was very out of tune. So for the next few hours I tuned the piano. It took a lot of concentration. It was something Esme had once taught me. As soon as I thought the name, tears began spilling down my face.

That night, I watched again, trying myself to keep the correct tabs on people. I was elated to realise that I could easily do that, it just took focus. I heard someone throwing up and cringed at the thought of cleaning that up. When we closed again at three thirty I went to bed. I slept for three hours that night. When I woke I began memorising. It took a few hours, but I managed to get through the book twice, typing up the recipes on my new laptop.

During the day I cleaned up, helped Eric with the stocks and memorised more. Eric tested me and I was happy to know that I knew sixty percent of the drinks he asked me about. That night, I changed into a tight black t-shirt and jeans and stood behind the bar with Mike. Although I got hit on a couple of times, I actually nearly enjoyed myself.

That night I couldn't sleep at all. I sat memorising the drinks, then writing out names to random recipes and recipes to names. By the time I was supposed to wake up I knew every drink backwards and forwards. I showered, singing softly to myself.

"Deep in Denialville

Tryin' a' fight the way I feel

I go jello when you smile

I start blushin'-my head rushin'

If you stand too close to me

I might melt down from the heat

If ya' look my way one more time

I'm gonna go out of my mind

Whatever you do...

Don't even think about it

Don't go and get me started

Don't you dare drive me crazy

Don't do that to me baby

You stop me in my tracks

My heart pumpin' to the max

I'm such a sucker for your eyes

They permanently paralyze..."

My voice stopped. The song that was supposed to help me cheer myself up, had two things wrong with it. The Cullens had written it and it fit Edward and I perfectly. My chest seared in pain again and I collapsed to the bottom of the shower. I barely even felt the water anymore. I was trying to breathe and it wasn't working. I turned the shower off with numb fingers and crawled to my bed. I lay there, naked and in extreme pain until Mike snapped me out of it. A few knocks at the door followed by a query as to my decency, made me sit up and wrap myself into a towel.

I opened the door and he blushed.

"Um, I'm sorry, it's just I wanted to know if you wanted breakfast and then we have a lot of cleaning to do."

"Okay I'll be down in a bit." I pulled myself together and got dressed, we had breakfast and then we cleaned. Oddly enough, my body didn't feel like it usually did when I pulled an all-nighter. That night, before the bar filled, I sent a quick message to Esme's cell again.

I'm fine. Settled.

How are you?

Bella.

Pain shot through me as I turned off the cell again. I knew, however that they would be better, all of them would be happier with me gone, especially Rosalie.

"Izzy!" Mike called. I slipped the cell into my pocket and began the night.

EPOV

I was technically dead. I had been for years. But I died when she left. I lost the will to carry on. I sat, staring at the piano keys, not moving, not talking, not even breathing. I could've passed as a figure in a wax museum. Alice was still trying to locate Bella, but all she kept seeing was the inside of a bar.

Shes working in a bar in France. Americans run it, so why cant I find it? Alice had been searching ruthlessly through the internet, hacking the entire world wide web. She had commandeered a satellite to pick up Bella's phone signal, but Bella had her phone off. The last text message had said she was settled. Esme's response had been longer:

Bella,

Come home!

We all miss you so terribly.

You don't have to try and let us live without you.

It doesn't work.

Edward has barely said a word since you left.

Please come home.

It's not the same without you.

Esme

I knew she wasn't coming back. I had probably scared her off. I didn't want her to be unhappy. She didn't want to have us near her. If it made her happy I would stay away, for as long as she wanted.

Edward? What is this? Jasper came down, carrying a sheet of paper. I skimmed through it when he placed it in front of me. It was a song I had written, about Bella.

You're just too good to be true

I can't take my eyes off you

You feel like heaven to touch

I wanna hold you so much

At long last love has arrived

And I thank God I'm alive

You're just too good to be true

Can't take my eyes off you

Pardon the way that I stare

There's nothing else to compare

The sight of you makes me weak

There are no words left to speak

But if you feel like I feel

Please let me know that it's real

You're just too good to be true

Can't take my eyes off you

I love you, baby

And if it's quite all right

I need you, baby

To warm the lonely nights

I love you, baby

Trust in me when I say

Oh, pretty baby

Don't bring me down, I pray

Oh, pretty baby

Now that I found you, stay

And let me love you, baby

Let me love you

The hole I had managed to partially stitch up ripped open again, filling my insides with pain. Jasper cringed as he felt it too.

"If you love her why not go after her?"

I didn't move. She wanted to be away from me. I would make her happy.

"Do you honestly think she's happy out there?"

I didn't know. If she wasn't she would've come home.

"What if she's not coming home because she wants you to find someone to love? She doesn't believe she's any good for you. There was a major feeling of inequality radiating from her whenever she was around you. What if she won't come home because she feels self-conscious around seven images of perfection? She's beautiful, for a human. She doesn't see that. She feels like she is the odd one out, an outsider, the weak link in a strong chain. She's even pretty weak for a human. She's constantly feeling like a burden to us. It isn't true, but after seeing what Esme and Alice could have, were she not here... You were a difficult complication. Falling in love with you made it that little bit harder for her to leave."

It was the longest speech I had ever heard Jasper make. He was absolutely right though. I began crying the tearless sobs again and Jasper hugged me. I had never been so helpless emotionally as I was in that moment, and Jasper, being the unique person he was helped me exactly the way I needed to be. I felt like a child, wanting his mother. As if called, Esme was the next to be beside me. Carlisle followed, his eyes filled with pride and understanding.

I will find her if it kills me.

Alice's determination helped me. When I stood I asked the date. Three weeks had passed since she had left. It had felt like merely moments, and at the same time, decades. I needed to hunt; I was weak and couldn't focus.

The hunt didn't take long, but I felt better. When I got back into hearing range of Alice she squeaked excitedly.

I was looking for the wrong country! She's still in Italy.

"I thought you said that the customers at the bar spoke French." The snippets of visions she had, had shown Bella conversing easily in French, but only rarely in Italian. We had assumed she was in France, close to Italy.

"She's in Italy, close to France."

Alice showed me a vision.

"I think I've spoken more French tonight, than I ever did when I was in France." Bella told Mike.

"That just proves that you don't have to be there to enjoy the language."

"True."

She wasn't in France. The internet searches were more complicated now. Near the border, run by Americans, bar, opened at five, closed at three thirty. A few matches came up, but nothing quite fit. Until Alice came across a single sentence:

Not as good as the King's Way, a bar only streets away. There they speak great English, the owners being American...

"That has to be it." She whispered. Rosalie was actually the first one in the car.