Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The content, ideas and intellectual property of this story and the 'American Vampire Series' in its entirety are owned by Just4ALE.

Chapter 10: A View to a Kill

APOV

Superpowers aren't what they've cracked up to be… they can be a real burden.

My visions were unpredictable and often annoying. Who wants to see what I see? Who wants to be in the middle of a conversation or a project or making love with your partner and have what you were looking at disappear only to be replaced by something else entirely? People getting attacked. Other people having sex. People having emotional breakdowns.

And the images often left room for interpretation. I didn't get full movie scenes when the visions came, just a few seconds of visuals at a time and not necessarily in any coherent order. I had to rely on my intuition and experience to piece together what I believed was happening and when it would happen.

Frankly, it sucks.

"Five for Fighting" had it right with their "Superman" song lyrics. It's not easy to be me.

Despite the fact that I tried not to interfere to the extent that I could with Bella's and Edward's relationship, I was still tied very closely to their lives. I loved making my favorite brother happy, and Bella had brought him so much happiness. I truly loved her; she had quickly become a beloved sister to me over the time that she was with Edward. But sometimes I needed to overstep my bounds, and over the months that followed Bella's miscarriage, I found that I needed to intercede at least twice. Big time.

~#~

(One Month Before)

My designs for Bella's wedding dress were going well. I had a few concepts that I hoped she'd like. She had said nothing fancy, just simple. Right. Well simple could be the A-line of the dress, but beautiful custom beading would make the dress elegant and special.

I worked the touch screen on my computer and then suddenly the screen disappeared from my view. I heard it before I saw it. Edward's voice chanting: 'Mine, mine, mine.' And then the fog cleared as I saw Edward and Bella in a very naked state and Edward was clinging on to her neck. Bella did not look conscious.

I jumped up from my seat, my hands moving from the computer screen to knock over the vase of flowers that were on the desk next to me.

"Alice!" Jazz was at my side instantly.

"Edward!" I cried. "He's going to kill her!"

The rest of the family had joined us. Carlisle spoke first. "Who's killing whom?"

"Edward is losing control with Bella!"

I grabbed my cell phone trying to reach him. The phone just went into voicemail.

"Carlisle," Esme said, "see if you can reach him through the computer!"

Carlisle ghosted to his study. I could hear him calling to Edward. "Edward? Edward, are you there? Son, come back! Remember who you are! Remember who she is!"

Everyone disappeared from view as my visions began again, shifting rapidly. Edward's eyes widening and then his body jumping back from the bed, his face contorting in horror as he realized his actions. Then the visions went faster. Edward giving her his blood. Edward writing a note. Edward scrambling about his house. I saw him take his computer, her ring, the pendant… and then he left.

"Oh no!" I cried.

"What Alice?" Rosalie asked, reaching for my arm. "Is she okay?"

"He gives her his blood to replenish her, but I think he knows that it will set him off more."

"Does he turn her?" Jasper asked.

"No. He… just leaves," I replied.

"But why?" Emmett grabbed my phone and dialed him again. Voicemail again.

"He gets rid of his phone," I said. "But he has his laptop. We can try him there but he won't answer. He'll be driving for a while."

"Where is he going?" Esme asked.

I shook my head. "I don't know. I don't think he knows himself. I think he'll just be driving."

"What do we do?" Rosalie asked. "Bella will call here once she wakes. You know she will."

"What do we tell her?" Emmett asked.

"What can we tell her? We don't know much more than she does," Jasper replied.

"What a bastard!" Rosalie said. "What the hell is he doing?"

Carlisle was the voice of reason. "We shouldn't just jump to conclusions. It sounds like he lost control. If I know him, he decided to remove the danger from her life… himself."

We kept hoping to reach him but he was on a road to nowhere. He had no destination other than leaving her far behind, and with his computer off, we couldn't speak to him.

We waited in silence, all worried about the call that was about to come. As expected, it came a few hours later. I answered it.

"Hi, Bella," I answered gently.

"Alice," she said. Her voice was empty and flat. "Edward left me a note… saying goodbye. Did I do something wrong?"

Poor Bella. Naturally she'd put the blame on herself. I was silent for a moment. "Of course you didn't, Bella…What do you remember, sweetie?"

She paused, thinking about it. "He bit me, Alice. Twice. He's never done that before. Then I blacked out until I woke up a little while ago."

I stayed quiet. I didn't know how to comfort her and I knew she would know the truth no matter what I said.

"He's gone for good, isn't he?" she asked in a small voice.

"I don't know, Bella," I said quickly.

"Yes you do, Alice…" she responded quietly.

My heart felt like it was breaking. "Oh, Bella! Do you need me to come there?

"No, thanks…" she said, her voice fading off before hanging up.

I looked around at my family, all of them staring back at me with wide sad eyes. Rosalie spoke first. "What do we do? Do we go to her?"

"That might hurt her more. It might be too painful," Esme said.

"She's going to need someone to help her, though," Jasper whispered. "Her bond to Edward is as strong as his is… was… to her."

Carlisle spoke. "I believe his bond is still strong and that's the problem. But we won't know until we talk with him…" he said, shaking his head.

My mind was clinging to the word 'help.' Help for Bella. She needed a friend now. Not her parents, but a friend. Who? Friend. Who? Then a name floated through my brain. Angela. I'd heard of Angela before. One of her best friends from her old job.

But what was Angela's last name? Where was Angela? I concentrated, calling up anything I could think of to see if I could get a handle on this friend, and then through the haze, I had another quick vision.

Edward and Tanya walking down the street, arm in arm. A young woman was standing in front of them with wide angry eyes. Edward introducing them. "Tanya, this is Angela Weber… one of Bella's best friends."

I scanned the scene before it disappeared. The Ferry Building was behind Angela. Embarcadero Four was behind Edward and Tanya. They were in San Francisco.

I called directory assistance and found Angela's home number. It was awfully early there but Bella needed her help and soon. No one answered and so I left a message. "This is Alice Cullen. I'm Edward's sister. Angela, please call me as soon as you get this message. It's important. It's about Bella." I left my number and hung up.

Later that day, Angela called me back. She was away and had retrieved her messages.

"Angela, Edward has disappeared."

"What do you mean disappeared?" she asked warily. "How could he just disappear?"

"We don't know what happened just yet. But… it looks like he left Bella. Our guess is that he did it to protect her… We can't reach him because he dumped his phone and his computer isn't on yet."

Angela was silent for a moment. "Son of a bitch," she muttered. "Got it. I won't be back until tomorrow but I'm on the first flight out the next day." She paused and her voice softened. "Thanks Alice."

~#~

(Two weeks later)

My visions alerted me to Edward's impending call. He had been wavering for a while, wanting to call us and backing off. As he traveled from Shannon, his resolve solidified and I knew that Edward was going to get in touch soon. As a result, Carlisle gathered the family together around the 'dining room' table for a pow-wow.

"You know that when Edward calls, he's going to tell us to stay away from Bella..." Carlisle began.

"The fact that Bella hasn't been in touch indicates that she wants the same. Look how she just sent back the money and the house keys with not a glimmer of feeling in her note," Emmett said bitterly.

"Give her a break, Em. Edward had just left her a few days before. I'm sure she was still numb!" Rosalie answered.

"It's only been two weeks, Emmett… I believe Bella is really hurting," Esme said softly.

"She is," Jasper agreed. "But she deals with things in her Bella way. You know how she retreats into herself when she needs to hide."

"Do you think she'll ever speak to us again? I really miss the kid," Emmett said.

"If Edward stays away as he is planning, I don't think so," I said.

"Man, that's cold," he muttered.

Jasper shook his head. "No, Em, that's a protection mechanism. Her bond to him… well it was just as strong as his was to her."

"Wait. If you felt they had that strong of a bond, are you saying she'll never end up with someone? She'll die alone?" Rosalie asked.

"No, she may end up with someone… but it won't compare," Jasper said sadly. "She'll love him, but never to the extent that she was in love with Edward." He paused. "It really is a shame. Look at the control she has and her bizarre pull toward vampires. Aside from the fact that her heart still beats, the girl was born to be one of us."

Emmett threw his hands in the air. "Isn't this ridiculous then? She's meant to be one of us. He'll be forever in love with her and she with him. Seems like the answer is obvious."

"Edward is too stubborn for his own good," Rosalie said bitterly. "Can't we talk some sense into him?"

Carlisle shook his head. "I think we must stay out of it."

Esme looked at him. "But we've already interfered when Alice sent Angela."

"I don't think he needs to know about that," Rosalie answered.

"Are you saying we should lie to him?" Esme asked.

"I don't think we owe him an explanation," Rose retorted bitterly. "Screw him."

At that moment the computer chimed. Rosalie jumped up. "I'm going to go give him a piece of my mind…"

~#~

As expected, Edward believed that what he was doing what was best for Bella and he asked me to promise not to look for her in my visions, so I agreed to his request. However, just because I'm not looking doesn't mean that I don't see them… and I never promised that I wouldn't interfere under those circumstances.

Two weeks after Edward's call, I was watching Jasper and Emmett play a monster chess game when they once again disappeared from view, replaced by one of my God damned visions. This one was much worse.

Bella walking down a cobblestone road, looking at a map, late afternoon based on the angle of the shadows from the buildings. Two real shadows following her movements. Bella realizing that she went the wrong way and turning back. The two now blocking her path. A man's smooth voice asking, "Are you lost, bella?" Bella's eyes wide as she took them in. A third shadow appearing behind the two. Bella walking toward that third person slowly, her hand outstretched.

The vision swirled and became more frantic. Bella saying, "You're a vampire." Bella running down another narrow cobblestone road. Bella yelling out, "Go find Serena and Nicole and get them out of here!" Bella's body slamming against a wall and then crumpling to the ground. Bella's body thrown again, this time landing against a large metal garbage dumpster. Bella doubled over in pain as the two start walking toward her. Bella's bruised face looking up at them, her eyes looking nervous at first and then seeming resigned to what would happen. The two coming closer to her…

"Bella!" I screamed.

Jasper and Emmett were standing now and everyone else ghosted around me.

"Alice! Now what happened?" Jasper asked.

"Another vision about Bella. It's bad!" I cried.

Where was she? I tried to recall the images and let my mind flow. The man's question: "Are you lost, bella?" The question, the question. The accent. He wasn't saying her name, he was calling her beautiful. Italy.

Then Bella yelling out, "Go find Serena and Nicole and get them out of here!" Serena and Nicole… Serena and Nicole. I had no context for this. I pushed into my mind with those names: Serena, Nicole and Bella. Then an image of three women started to form. Bella in a car driving, an Indian woman next to her in the passenger seat, and another dark-haired woman in the back seat reading. The Indian woman saying, "Mr. Darcy. He's my leading man." Bella looking straight ahead, "No, Captain Wentworth for sure." The Indian woman speaking. "Okay, we're here: Volterra. Just like you remember it, BB."

My heart sunk. Volterra. Of course she'd end up there.

"She's in Italy. In Volterra," I said flatly.

Emmett groaned. "What the hell? Can't she stay away from trouble? The girl really is a fucking vampire magnet."

"She doesn't know what Volterra is. Edward never told her about it. She's been there before with her friends."

"Should we just let it happen, Alice? Edward asked us not to interfere," Carlisle said softly.

The visions started spinning again and they were terrible. Bella's crushed body lay against the garbage dumpster, the bruises already evident. Two vampires moving in slowly, coming at her from different angles. Razor sharp teeth biting into her wrist. Bella writhing and screaming in pain as they toyed with her, letting her feel the venom in her body. The two pouncing on her, taking her from different parts of her body. Finally, Bella's battered and drained body dead in the dumpster.

"Oh, Bella!" I cried out.

And then the vision swirled to a different place. I was back along the Embarcadero in San Francisco. Tanya and Edward standing in front of Angela. Angela running up to Edward and shoving him in the chest. "Bella is dead!" Edward grabbing Angela by the wrist. Angela bitterly hissing at him, "Asshole! She still had your damn mark on her!"

Edward crumpling to his knees in the middle of the sidewalk. Edward's face contorting in pain and his eyes wildly looking around and then covering his face with his hands. Edward looking up at the sky, dark tears coming from his eyes, howling at the top of his lungs; the pedestrians nearby stopping in their tracks and backing away from his anguished screams. Edward jumping up, running down the street away from both Tanya and Angela.

And the vision swirled once more. Edward at an airport, buying a ticket to Hong Kong. Edward causing a lot of trouble for one of the worst vampire gangs there. Edward being captured by three gang members and brought to a dark warehouse. Edward being ripped apart, a small smile on his face right before his head is ripped from his body. The gangs taking his parts and then burning them.

I gasped and fell to my knees. "If we let it happen to Bella, they'll both die."

"What? How?" Jasper asked, kneeling with me to hold me.

"Edward will go to Hong Kong and get the gangs to kill him."

"But if we know that, we can go and stop him! There's no way we'd let those gangs hurt him!" Emmett growled.

"You know that the minute he hears us near him, he'll go somewhere else and find someone to do it for him. He's resolved. He won't live knowing that she's dead."

"No! We can't let that happen to either of them!" Esme choked out.

Rosalie looked at Carlisle. "I'm tired of listening to that moron. Screw Edward and his rules." She looked back at me. "Are we too late, Alice?"

The possibility of our help spun out a new set of images. The first part was the same.

The cobblestone road, the map, late afternoon. The shadows following her. Bella turning back and finding her path blocked. The man speaking to her, trying to lure her. Bella walking toward the third shadow. Bella running and shouting. Bella's body being battered and thrown around. Bella's bruised face looking up at them.

And then new images appeared. Bella and the two shadows looking off to the left of the image. Rosalie and Emmett appearing. "Hands off. She is protected by our coven." Two new vampires appearing behind them.

"Two alone won't be enough," I said in my haze.

The image changed with my statement. Jasper and Carlisle appearing behind the two nearest to Bella. The one closest to Bella grabbing her wrist and biting. Bella writhing in pain. Another shadow appearing near Rosalie and Emmett. A blur of fighting. Carlisle and Jasper bending over Bella's body. Bella being carried away.

"No, we're not too late, but we'd better hurry. She'll be there in a few days. We'll have to go in force. At least four of us. Carlisle and Jasper, you two for sure. She'll need a doctor and if they bite her before we can get to her you're the only one who can help her, Carlisle. And Jazz, you'll need to keep her calm. Rose and Em, you're there too. Esme, I didn't see you but I know there will be at least four of them.

"Then let's all go. Anything to keep Bella and Edward safe." Esme said. "I'll go get the tickets. Pack up everyone. We're heading out tomorrow."

Everyone broke and began to get ready for the trip. I stayed where I was as a new vision started spinning based on the decisions we'd just made. I quickly saw a new possible future... one that was actually quite surprising... and one that absolutely needed to happen. As each image flashed through my head, I could see every step, every action that each player would have to make in order for these events to occur. And at that moment, I firmly agreed with Rosalie: Screw Edward and his rules. I was going to interfere. I'd speak to Jasper later in private.

I picked up the phone and started dialing.

A deepening voice answered. "Hello?"

"Seth! It is Alice Cullen. Hey sweetie, I need your help..."

A/N: Instant gratification - another chapter immediately after last night's post. Alice and the Cullens to the rescue!

OKAY:

So, many of you are anxious to see B&E back together... And as you can see, I'm as much for instant gratification as the next person out there, which is why I decided to post the next one so soon.

But patience, please. As I said a few chapters ago, she has to be on her own for this to unfold the way it needs to. They will see each other again. And as I've told many of you who've asked, she'll be a little pissed off by then. You know her temper (tee hee hee). This girl is not the 'I'm-so-unworthy-of-you-Edward' Bella that we had in New Moon.

I hope that you stick with it... heck, if you stuck with the whole Edward disappears part from New Moon, you can last a bunch 'o chapters here - my chapters are shorter! (LOL) And thanks to those of you who have put this on their favorite story list in the middle of these 'alone' chapters, even though I plan to torture us all waiting for the reunion...

Please leave feedback… it makes me happy to know people actually read it!