Author's Note: Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Chapter 25

Edward's Point of View

The house was quiet the next few days. Everyone was pressured over the news that Victoria was coming back. And she wasn't going to be alone this time.

While Jasper was telling Tanya about his experience with the newborn armies, everyone else stared at the muted TV screen blankly. Alice rubbed her head absently, disoriented and irritated by the annoying flashes that were caused by Victoria's rapid changes in her decisions. She was doing it on purpose, we were sure.

I was leaning on the wall, my eyes closed. I wasn't listening to Jasper. I wasn't listening to anyone's thoughts. I was drowned in my own memories.

Bella. I could think of no one else but Bella ever since she'd left. I hadn't realized how important she'd become in my life until I'd actually felt her absence.

I missed her. I needed her. I wanted to hear her. I wanted to feel her touch. I needed to smell her scent.

It wasn't right to be feeling this way. It was strange. I was confused. I should be worrying about Tanya every minute of the day, and yet…here I was, concerned about Bella instead.

"You fool," Rosalie said quietly, her voice so low that Tanya couldn't hear anything. But the rest of us could. "You really have no idea why she left?"

My eyes opened slowly, and my gaze flickered over to my sister, who was sitting in an armchair, staring at the football game, her expression hardened.

Jasper didn't give anything away. He continued on with his story without pause, though he was listening in now. So was everyone else.

"Jasper's been feeling it for weeks now," Rosalie murmured. "Your real feelings. For her."

I stared at her. What was she talking about?

"Rosalie," Alice warned, her lips barely moving.

"She knows," Rosalie said, ignoring Alice. "She's known her own emotions ever since we came back from Phoenix. But how long are you going to stay an idiot, Edward Cullen?"

"An idiot…" I repeated.

"Perhaps you should ask Jasper about your own emotions," she said. "Then you'll know. Then maybe…you'll dump this worthless girl sitting in this room."

Normally, I would immediately defend Tanya. But I'd come too far for that. I knew that Bella hadn't left for some silly reason. I knew that my family was hesitant about Tanya for good reasons.

I should've been angry, but her words only made me thoughtful. And from that point on, I began to question my love for Tanya.

How much did I love her? Was it even love? Did she love me at all?

But even though I kept thinking about the last question, I could see no reason why she would stick around. There was nothing else that I could give her, except my own love. My own affection.

What could I possibly give her?

Alice was frowning now, as she stared ahead into nothing vacantly.

Curious, I focused on what she was thinking about. It wasn't a new vision. It was something she'd seen before.

I saw Bella in a sunny place. She was walking along the streets, wearing a large hat, gloves, a scarf, and sunglasses… She was talking to an old man…

Jasper was finally done with telling his story. Tanya looked thoughtful as she asked questions…

Bella was inside a house now, with the old man. There was a picture of Bella's old self on the wall…

"What is that?" I asked suddenly, cutting Jasper off from answering Tanya's question.

Alice looked up, startled. "What?"

"What is it, Edward?" Tanya asked.

"What you were just thinking about," I said, staring at Alice. "Was that…was that a vision?"

Alice shrank bank in her seat. "It's nothing."

"Tell me. You saw her, didn't you? Right after she left."

"Not right after," Alice answered, her lips barely moving. She looked miserable without Bella around. I wasn't the only one who was grieving for her. All my siblings missed her, and Carlisle and Esme even more so.

"When?"

"I couldn't see anything for a while," Alice sighed, relenting. "Not about her. She hadn't made any decisions yet…"

Tanya's eyes narrowed slightly as she realized whom we were talking about. She didn't look jealous, merely curious.

"And then, about three hours later, while you were on that hunt with Em and Jazzy, I saw her head toward California."

"California…" I repeated. "It isn't exactly winter. The sun…" I understood Bella's attire now. "What was she there for?"

Alice was quiet. Finally, her eyebrows creasing slightly, she said, "Max."

I blinked. "Why is she suddenly interested in him?"

"It's only natural," Rosalie said, speaking normally so that even Tanya was able to hear. "She kept a blind eye all these years. And we never exactly told her about what happened in the outside world while she was getting over her wild phase. It's natural that she wants to find out the truth."

"He knows," Alice said, her tone expressionless. "She told him. But we don't need to worry. He won't tell. He's only glad that she's still alive. That she's alright."

"Who's Max?" Tanya asked.

It was silent. Finally, I answered, "Bella's manager. Back when she was an actress."

Tanya blinked. "He's still alive?"

"Apparently."

"Is Bella coming back?"

It was quiet again. No one answered this time. Because we didn't know either.

"Do you see anything else?" I asked instead.

Alice closed her eyes. She sighed minutely, feeling too weary to answer me, even mentally. She, too, was finally annoyed with me for being the cause of Bella's departure. She hadn't been talking to Tanya in a while either.

"What do we do?" Tanya asked apprehensively. "The newborns…"

"We're strong," Emmett told her, though his voice lacked confidence. "We can fight them off."

"We need help," Jasper disagreed. "We're not enough. Even if we did know how to fight them off, we would still lose some of our numbers. I'm not risking that." He glanced at Alice's frozen figure as he said it.

"The Denalis?" Esme suggested.

"Maybe," Carlisle agreed. "Shall I…?"

No one answered. Without Bella by our side, we lacked even the energy to respond to a simple question.

"They won't say yes," Alice said finally. "They don't want to be involved in a war. And Laurent… He convinced them that joining us would make matters worse."

"Bastard," Emmett muttered under his breath. "Hypocrite."

"The wolves?" Tanya suggested weakly.

My expression hardened. "No."

"Edward, Jacob can help," she said. "He and the Pack-"

"We're not relying on dogs to help us," I said harshly. She shrank back.

I didn't approve of Tanya's friendship with Jacob Black , a shape-shifter from La Push. Jacob liked her more than a friend should, and had even confessed to her. He wanted her to leave me, and I wanted him to stay away from her as well.

"Edward," Carlisle said. "Tanya has got a point. If the wolves help us, we have an advantage. Their numbers are going down anyhow. It's better to have more people on our side."

I sighed, closing my eyes again. My teeth were clenched together. Finally, I said through gritted teeth, "We need Bella. She must have seen something. This is a big thing. She would have seen it."

"But what do we do?" Esme asked. "We don't know where she is, and she left her phone behind."

"There's no other way but to wait for her to contact us," Carlisle said grimly. "And we can't wait. There's no time. I think we should ask the wolves to help us, Edward."

I was frustrated. Why had Bella left me in the dark? I was certain that she'd seen the newborn army. I was sure that she'd seen Victoria returning. Why hadn't she warned me?

This was absolutely maddening. I hated not knowing anything.

"Call Jacob," Alice said to Tanya. She sighed. "I don't like it, but I think they'll be involved. Everything in my visions just disappeared."

Tanya glanced at me warily. "Edward?"

I didn't like it, but I knew Carlisle and Alice were right. We were blind without Bella by our side, and even more at a disadvantage if we worked alone.

I nodded slowly, and Tanya unfolded herself from the sofa to use the phone in the kitchen.

"Keep watching for her," I murmured to Alice. "We need her now more than ever."

Alice nodded slowly. "She's fine for now, Edward. Don't worry."

"He doesn't even have the right to worry about her," Rosalie snapped under breath. "Especially when he's so blind."

My eyes closed once more as I leaned my head on the wall. She was right. I was helpless, and I was an idiot.

And I was sure that I was blind as well, though I didn't know what I was so ignorant about.

AN: He's just so frustrating. Yes, Edward frustrates me too, you read correctly. But understand that it's necessary. He can't realize his feelings just yet. At least until the newborn army…thing. So bear with me, and give me all the reviews I want, eh? ;) Thanks!