Cullen Residence, London, England
"You're certain that Edward is gone"?
"Yes", replied Carlisle. "he has classes this afternoon. He shouldn't be home for a few hours more".
Alice breathed a sigh of relief. This was one discussion she did not want her brother to hear. Carlisle would be able to guard his thoughts. Quickly she told Carlisle about her visions of the Volturi and Bella and of the potential outcomes she had been seeing.
While Alice was explaining her visions to Carlisle, Jasper walked aimlessly around the room. He was uneasy. Alice's visions had been coming hard and fast for over an hour, and then suddenly, as quickly as they came, they stopped. Everything she saw had the potential to turn the vampire world upside-down. However, the visions Alice was having about Bella, that had shaken her... badly. Jasper was worried for his wife, fearing that the decisions regarding Bella Swan would break her.
Alice Cullen had never made a secret of her devotion to Bella. The young girl intrigued Alice, and her kindness, her acceptance of Alice and her visions, caused Alice to love the young girl fiercely. Alice could not remember her human life. What she did know for certain, was that her family turned their back on her, apparently afraid of her psychic abilities. Bella Swan represented all that her human family had not given her. Love, friendship, acceptance.
During the months leading up the Bella and Edward's wedding, Alice's visions of Bella were erratic. Sometimes she could see Bella as one of them, happy with Edward, far into future, traveling with the family, leading a happy life of sorts. Other times, Bella was a vampire, but she was alone and tortured, clearly disheartened, emotionally disturbed. More often than not, her future disappeared all together.
The morning of the wedding, Alice had just finished helping Bella into her gown. She had left her in the bedroom, and walked down the hallway to slip on her bridesmaid's dress. Just as she was changing, a vision overtook her. A vision of Bella running through the woods, her dress torn, stained and dirty, searching for something. Then Bella disappeared from her sight. Alice searched the future, but there was no wedding. There was no Edward. There was no Alice. Not in Bella's future. Bella Swan had made her decision once and for all. There was to be no wedding that day.
Visions of Bella began to assault Alice's senses. Bella leaving Forks behind, Bella attending college, Bella with a sweet twenty-something girl, eating cookies and drinking coffee. Bella graduating, Bella spending time with Charlie, laughing, cooking, hugging her father. Then the visions stopped. Alice knew it could only mean one thing. Jacob Black. Bella had chosen to live her life, her human life with Jacob Black. Alice slid down the wall, not caring about the snags being created in her silken dress. She was in mourning for herself, mourning for the loss of her friend. That was how Edward found her. Reading her mind, his face twisted in pain, and he took off out of the house, chasing after Bella.
When he returned an hour later, he kept repeating over and over, one thing. One statement. "He left her. He just left her". In the end it was Esme who finally broke his train of thought. Stroking his face, comforting him as a mother, she spoke the words that might very well break her son. "I know, Edward, but she didn't leave him". That simple statement, short but true, cut through him like a knife. He screamed in agony, he tore apart the room, bending and twisting objects, shredding pieces of priceless art, turning wooden furniture in to matchsticks. When the sun went down, he stopped his tirade, ran from the house and sat under Bella Swan's window as he had done so often in those early days before James, before Victoria, before Jacob Black. Edward listened to her heartbeat. When the sun rose, he found the strength to let her go.
Jasper shook himself from his thoughts and began to pay attention to the situation at hand. What Alice had been seeing affected more than just Bella. The Romanians wanted to overturn the rule of the Volturi, and once again lead the vampire world. To most vampires, this wouldn't matter. They would accept the power shift and things would continue as usual. But, Carlisle's affiliation with the Volturi changed the game. They would be expected to side with them. Aro would not allow his old friend to remain neutral. Besides, Carlisle protected something that Aro wanted. Aro wanted Bella Swan. Jasper did not know what strings Carlisle had pulled, what he held over Aro's head in order to allow the young girl to remain human. Nor did he want to. Sometimes you were better off not knowing a thing. Now it seemed that none of that mattered. Bella was going to become a vampire, there was no choice anymore.
"Carlisle, what do you think? I see no other outcome at this point. Bella will be turned no matter what". Alice was wringing her hands, clearly upset. Esme wrapped her arms around her, comforting her daughter.
Carlisle was deep in thought. He truly felt bad for Bella. She was just a child when she became involved in their world. Old enough to know, but not old enough to fully understand the consequences of their association. He had done all he could to protect her, to allow her to keep her human life, but it appeared that time had just run out. All of their lives were at stake, hinging on this one choice. Cautiously, he gave his final answer.
"Alice, I think that for now, we do nothing. Keep an eye on the situation. We will need to contact Bella at some point, but for now, let's allow her to live her life. We can always hope that a different decision will be made. After all, in your vision the Volturi themselves reminded us that a few years is of no consequence to our kind. Then, if nothing changes, when the time comes, we will go to Bella, explain the situation, and one of us will turn her. It think it would be the kindest thing. We can at least save her from being made a vampire by an enemy. We love her, and we can do it with gentleness".
Alice's heart was breaking. Jasper knew better than to adjust her mood right now. Alice needed to feel her emotions. If a vampire could cry, then certainly the two women hugging each other in Carlisle's office would. Neither one of them wanted to see Bella Swan lose her life. However, if she had to become a vampire, better that she be with them.
Esme couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe a love would re-kindle itself between her son and Bella. Edward had progressed by leaps and bounds, re-entered society, acted as he did before meeting Bella, but his golden eyes were always haunted. Sometimes he would lose himself in his music for hours on end, then stopping abruptly,he'd leave their home for a day or two. It was in those times that they all knew he was thinking of Bella, and what he had lost. Edward had never let her go, not really.
Unfortunately, Alice was so consumed with her emotions that she did not 'see' Edward's afternoon class had been cancelled. Therefore, she and the others were startled to see him stroll into Carlisle's study, whistling like he didn't have a care in the world.
Edward stopped dead in his tracks, taking in the scene before him. Something was wrong, very wrong. "What's happened"? he asked in a panic.
Carlisle looked up at his son, and shook his head. "Edward, we didn't want you to find out this way". Before he could speak another word or guard them, Edward was scanning Carlisle's thoughts, and as he turned to Alice, he watched her previous visions". His eyes widened. "Bella..." he whispered. Edward began slowly backing out of the room.
"Edward"! cried Esme. "Please, don't go. We didn't want you to learn of this right now. It's all so unsettled. Please, don't do anything rash. Stay here. Don't go. We can talk about this as a family. I know you lost hope that you would ever be with Bella, but things are changing. Maybe -".
Edward gasped. His mind was swimming. Seeing Bella turned against her will in Alice's vision had rocked him to his core. Esme speaking of them being together again took him off guard. He needed to leave. He needed to think. He had to get out of here now. Edward ran full tilt from the house, with no destination in mind. He would leave them, travel, live in solitude. Then he would tell his family that he alone would decide Bella's fate.
Emmett and Rosalie sat in the garden of the Cullen home, having heard every word that was spoken inside. Together they stood up, and departed for nearest Internet cafe.
Bella was sipping coffee at Charlie's kitchen table, her laptop open, reading a long e-mail from her mother when a new message notification popped up. Checking her inbox, Bella scanned the new message. Panic gripped her chest causing her to drop her mug, shards of glass and coffee spilling all over the linoleum.