There are reasons for everything….

CHAPTER TEN: NIGHTMARE

EPOV

"What are you?"

I had replayed that entire situation over and over again… I had waited and waited for this moment. The moment she would put all the clues together and realize that I wasn't what she thought I was. I had waited but I had hoped. Hoped in vain that she would never come to this realization. That she would remain like everyone else I had come into contact with over the last hundred years and just think that we were a little strange, 'Freaks' as we have often been called.

Before I had a chance to answer her question, Mike Newton had appeared - saved by the bell, or at least something along those lines - and grabbed Bella's face searching her for injures. I wanted to throw him across the car park for even touching her, I wanted to crush him with the van that had almost killed the one thing I had to live for in this miserable life.

Her eyes had returned to me, searching mine for an answer I couldn't give, not yet any way. How did I ever imagine I could break this to her? Did I really think she would be so lost in her own world that she wouldn't notice, that she would give me time to plan around it.

"Edward" Her voice was silent to the ears of the humans around but I couldn't miss the way her breath caressed my name with shock.

"Not here love. I'll explain." I motioned to the surrounding people and she seemed to register my distress. Before I knew it she was being lifted on to a stretcher and the paramedics were trying to convince me I needed on too. Huh! If they only knew the truth of the situation.

We rushed to the hospital closely behind the ambulance, my thoughts were trained soley on the thoughts in front of me. I watched her through the paramedics eyes as he worked closely on her, checking her for any hidden injuries which thankfully didn't seem to exists.

The ambulance took a private turning and as much as I wanted to follow, I knew I couldn't. I was about to take the door off and run towards her when I was thrown into one of Alice's visions. Carlisle and Esme were talking to someone, we were all there but it wasn't until I caught the scent that I knew who sat in front. It was Aro and Jane. They were discussing the recent incident that they had come to sort out and decided to stop by and visit Carlisle on their travels, it was a plan to get Alice and I to join them. I watched how the vision changed every time I thought about what I was about to do.

Alice and I sat staring at one another for what seemed like a long time. If I told Bella the truth the Volturi would know. There would be punishment for us and her… only they would make me deliver her punishment. I knew that I could restrain myself when it came to scent but they would do something much worse, they would torture her till her blood was too much for me to handle. The monster would take over, he would win.

"What do I do?" I whispered to the only other person who understood.

"You cant tell her. At least not yet…" she trailed off suggestively.

"What's going on?" Emmett was torn between our conversation and looking at the hospital. His hand was still firmly on the handle ready to get out the second I gave him permission.

"The Volturi are coming for a visit." I barely breathed the words out but everyone understood what that could mean. I turned my attention back to Alice. "What do you suggest?"

"Put off the conversation for now. Get her scent off you and hopefully the scent trail from ours to hers will be faded enough when they get here not to notice."

"I cant ignore her." I said angrily. It wasn't Alice's fault but I couldn't help my frustration at the situation.

"You have to." Her words were gentle enough that it seemed to make my mind click, she was right. Ignore her or she dies… but I couldn't let go of her so soon after finding her.

"For how long?"

"I'm not sure, they haven't decided how long they want to stay yet. Hopefully not too long." She shrugged. I knew it was out of her control but I just wished that she could be more specific on how long I would have to keep away from her.

"What about Aro? If he reads any of our minds then it wont matter." Jasper spoke up, lost in thought as his arm wrapped around Alice to comfort her. She was nearly as reluctant to follow it through as I was.

"We just have to make sure no one touches him" Rosalie shrugged nonchalantly.

I moved to get out of the car, knowing that this might be the last time I talk my Bella for a little while.

"Edward, no." Alice shouted.

"What?"

"If you go in there she will want an answer… you cant give her it. At least if Aro or Jane finds out by accident technically Bella doesn't know. If you go in there you ruin our back up plan." I hated that little pixie when she made sense. I couldn't stop my eyes from flashing from Alice to the hospital and back again. "Lets go home. Carlisle will phone if she's hurt."

I didn't want to do this… I didn't want to let Bella out of my sight but I had no choice. If I was going to keep her safe then I would have to leave her alone. I just hoped that after all of this, she wouldn't hate me.

Carlisle phoned as soon as Bella was released from Hospital looking for me, as I explained the situation he agreed that it was for the best. I had been secretly hoping Carlisle would have a better plan but he didn't. Bella was fine, apparently I had done a good job at saving her and now instead of her thinking good of me for it, she was going to hate me. She was going to feel rejected and alone. Just great!

It took me all my willpower and my two bothers to stop me from going to Bella's house that night to check on her, I wanted to know for myself that she was fine but more than that, I wanted her to know that she wasn't alone. She had text me twice before the night was over - a simple question mark - she wanted answers and she probably wanted to know where I was.

As soon as we arrived at school the next morning, I saw Bella. She was waiting for me, I noticed the smile on her lips as soon as she saw my car pull in. Before I had even gotten out of the car she had begun walking towards me.

"Remember be tough, walk straight past her without a second look." Jasper said quietly. And that was exactly what I did. I kept a calm façade on my face as I walked straight past her and headed for the school building.

"Edward? Alice?"

'Don't answer her.' Rosalie thought to me.

Walking past her that morning was the toughest thing I had to do in my entire existence and I knew it was only going to get worse.

I wasn't wrong. The moment she stepped into the classroom I positioned myself looking towards the window. I watched her reaction through Mike Newton's thought, which in it self was a terrible torture. The thoughts he had about my Bella was more than wrong, they were vile. She watched me closely as she stalked towards me. I didn't miss the confused anger that was rolling off of her expression.

"Hello?" She spoke as she sat down, obviously trying to figure out what my problem was. I wanted to badly to talk to her but I knew I couldn't but I had to acknowledge her, even once. Just so she would know that I was ignoring her and intended on not speaking to her. It was the least I could give her at this time. I turned to her, my calm façade firmly in place and nodded my head slightly - a silent hello - before turning back towards the window.

I had continued like that for the four days before Aro and Jane had arrived. She hadn't tried to speak to me again and I noticed how her anger seemed to grow daily at me. She would slam her books down on the desk, she would glare in my direction but even worse than that, she had stopped calling me by my name. When someone would ask her a question that involved me - this happened a lot after the accident - she would refer to me as 'Cullen' and as the days went by the distaste in her tone as she said that grew.

It wasn't long until Newton had decided to try asking her out. It took me all I could do not to kill him for even considering it but Bella would always reject him nicely and for that I was thankful. I wasn't sure I could control my anger if she would say yes to that excuse for a boy.

Aro and Jane seemed at ease at our home and every day they tried different ways of persuading us to join. There was no chance that either of us would even consider it but the more we turned them down, the more they continued to offer us things.

Today started like every other day for the past month. I would watch Bella without her realizing, I would keep my thoughts trained on those around her. I would notice how she never smiled or laughed. As she threw her bag down next to me, her scent hit me harder than I expected. Being away from Bella had made it harder for me to deal with her scent but as I had taken the last three days off, it was almost too much. I had fought with the monster and finally won. I made my mind up in that moment that I would not stay away from her for that length of time again. I needed her close even if I couldn't talk to her or touch her.

Mike was planning on asking Bella out again, it made me wonder if he ever took a hint. She wants me. Not you. I wanted to shout at him but decided that it wouldn't look too good if I did especially given the fact I haven't spoken to her. And then it happened… She agreed.

Why? Why? Why?

Was she over me? Did she not love me anymore? Did she ever? Would she ever forgive me?

As she turned and headed for the door, I felt my heart rip out… I didn't care anymore about some back up plan. I needed to talk to her. I needed her to understand.

I followed after her and tried to talk to her but she wouldn't listen. She wasn't interested in listening to me and more than anything else I had ever experienced, that was by far the most painful. I ruined it.

I didn't drive home. I couldn't function.

I was pulled from my downward spiral when Alice pulled me into a vision, Aro and Jane leaving. Another one of those moments I had been waiting for. Only it didn't matter.

Bella didn't want me anymore.

It was over… I was alone… again.