A/N: Oh, you all need to stop hating on my beautiful boy! He can't help what he believes. Yeah, he's an idiot, but he's OUR idiot. And he will redeem himself... eventually. ;-)

So it appears that the poll is telling me you want me to write about Roboward first. My apologies to the folks that want the other one. But when I write the Sci-Fi fic, please give it a shot. It won't be all Star-Wars-y or technical, and I do promise a feasible HEA.


Alice's POV

I stood at my bedroom window and watched Emmett leave Edward's little bower, growling in my irritation. My stubborn brother. I loved him, but right then, I wouldn't mind bouncing his head off of the wall a few times.

The vision I'd had from the day he first laid eyes on her had wavered, but not disappeared; Bella and I, arm in arm, her eyes a vivid red. Now to get him from where he was now to that. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I had faith in my powers of persuasion.

First thing on the agenda was to check in with Bella, make sure she wasn't falling to pieces as badly as my idiot brother.

I made the decision to call, and I squealed happily at the resulting vision; she would answer! I hit her speed dial number and waited.

Her voice was soft and hesitant on the line, "Alice?"

"Hi, honey. How are you?"

"I'm home. I'm surviving. How are... things... there?"

Hm, barely surviving, "Not good. We all miss you so much. All of us. It's just not the same around here."

"Is... he... oh god, Alice. Is he okay?"

"No, he is most definitely not okay. Why don't you call him? Maybe..."

"No. He made his feelings clear, Ali. He doesn't want forever with me. And when I'm completely deaf, and then I go blind... I won't limit him like that. He doesn't need that sort of thing to complicate his life. It's better this way."

"Wait, that's why you left? He seems to be under the impression that you left because he wouldn't make you immortal. That you don't want him for himself, only for the immortality." Okay, I knew I wasn't playing fair, but if these two would just talk, for christ sake!

There was a small gasp, and then she said, "Well, I can't help what he wants to tell himself. If he can't believe that I really love him-" She broke off, and I could hear the tears in her voice when she went on, "I just couldn't deal with the fact that he could be happy with just a few years together, blind and deaf years, when we could have had... forever."

"Oh Bella. Sweety, listen, Rosalie and I can come there, rent a place up in the Catskills, and change you. You don't need him to-"

"No! I don't want that without him, and he obviously doesn't want me enough to change me. He hasn't called me, or come after me. That speaks volumes." She was openly sobbing now.

Exactly what I suspected. I knew neither I nor Rosalie had the control to change her, which was why I felt confident enough to make the offer; I knew she'd refuse. "If you guys could just talk-"

"Look, Alice, I have to go. Give the family my love. I miss you guys. I love you Al."

The line went dead.

Now I had the ammunition I needed to talk some sense into my brother.

I didn't utter a word as I slipped into Edward's little forest niche, I just sat next to him on the stone bench and slipped my hand into his. We sat quietly for a long time, as I sung a song in my head, to lull him into relaxing. That would be necessary, to get him to be reasonable.

He finally bent enough to lean his head against mine, sighing deeply, a very human affectation. "What do I do now, Alice?" he said, it was barely a whisper.

"You know what you should do, but will you do it? Hmm... I can't tell yet."

He turned and looked at me with haunted eyes, "She wants me to end her life."

I snorted, "She wants to be with you forever, dink." I thumped his forehead, "I called her..."

His gaze sharpened, "Is she okay?" It amused me that that was the first question they both asked.

"Nope. She's no more okay than you are, sweety." I played our conversation in my memory, letting him hear the sadness and tears in her voice.

He choked, and it sounded very much like a sob, "You weren't fair, Ali. And neither is she. I do want forever with her. I want it so bad... but I can't doom her soul to hell. I can't."

"You'd think that was true, but you'd be wrong." I really tried not to sound smug. I'm rarely wrong.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he said heatedly.

"It means that if circumstances were right, you'd have no problem with biting her."

It was his turn to snort, but he turned his gaze to the river and remained silent.

"You've made the decision to never change her, correct? To leave her human, and let her die of old age?"

"Yes," he growled.

"And to let her go, to live her life without you?"

"Yes," he moaned.

"Then let's look at the end of her life, shall we?" I played the vision that I'd had earlier for him. Bella was lying in a bed in a cozy room. She was white haired, and the wrinkles of advanced age covered her face. Her breathing was shallow, gasping, and it was obvious that her end was close. Edward climbed in through the window, his face was a mask of anguish as he took her hand, fragile and dotted with soft, brown spots. He leaned close to press a kiss to her lips, and then with a cry of pure grief, he turned her head and sank his teeth into her neck.

I ended the vision, and his look of shock was perfect.

"You can't let her go. And that's completely understandable, but do you think she will thank you, when you doom her to look like that for eternity?"

He snapped his mouth shut, and before I let his swirling thoughts coalesce, I hit him again, "Now, make the decision to go get her, marry her, and let her live out her human life, but as your wife."

He scowled at me.

"Do it, so I can show you."

He nodded once, sharply, and I unleashed my vision. It was a different room, and the bed was bigger, Edward was already in the room, but every detail otherwise was exactly the same, with the exact same result; Edward, unable to let her go, and biting her.

"That can't be right," he said, weakly.

"Edward, you know how my visions work. Based on your decisions, that is her future. All of your altruistic intentions go out the window when it comes to losing her to death. You can't let her die. You. Can't. Do it."

He dropped his head into his hands, pulling at his hair.

After a long, long time, I could see him come to a decision. The vision of Bella and I, arm in arm, her eyes bright red flooded back into my mind, crystal clear. "I have to change her."

It took all that I had not to jump up and fist pump. Maybe dance a little bit.

"Well, I think you're putting the cart before the horse. You need to get your girl back, Edward."

He raised his head, "Yeah, I do." He stood up fast, "I do!" He turned to me then, pulling me to my feet and into a tight hug, "Thanks Alice." He plunged through the leaves, heading back to the house, shouting for Emmett.

"Don't mention it, but you owe me," I smiled at his retreating back, sure that my words went unheard.

Well, I deserved a reward. I'd had my eye on the cutest Prada shoes. The afternoon looked to be me with my laptop and credit card. Yay!

Edward's POV

"Emmett!" I shouted, dashing into the house and straight for my computer. He saw the look on my face immediately, and his own stretched into a wide smile, "Road trip?"

"Road trip," I confirmed. "Well, air trip. We're flying to New York."

He threw his fists in the air and started to do an end-zone dance, "We're going to bring Bumble Bee home!"

The rest of the family appeared, hopeful looks on their faces. Esme came and placed a hand on my shoulder as I pulled up airfare information, "Is it true? You're going after Bella?"

I turned and offered her the first smile that I'd managed in days, "Yes. I'm going to bring your daughter home." She hugged me then, and I turned back to the computer. With a few clicks, I had Emmett and I booked for a midnight flight out of Sea-Tac.

Rosalie drove us to the airport. "Edward, you're going to change her, right?"

Before I could answer, Emmett spoke up from the back seat, "Of course he is. If he knows what's good for him."

I reached back and casually punched him in the thigh. Hard.

"Ow."

"Yes, Rose. Whenever she's ready. I'm done fighting it." If she'll still have me. If she can forgive me. If I haven't lost her forever.

She smiled and nodded, "Good."

The worry that I had lost her for good wasn't far from my mind. I had to try, and I would. I would give everything I possessed to win her back. I would grovel, if I had to. I would beg.

We landed at LaGuardia at about six am, New York time, and I sent Emmett to rent us a car. He pulled up at the curb in the pre-dawn light in a massive black Navigator, with heavily tinted windows. I shook my head as I swung into the passenger seat, "Ostentatious much, brother?"

"Hey, when I ride, I ride in style," he smirked.

Traffic was already getting heavy for morning rush hour, so progress through the city was slow. I was getting more tense by the minute.

"Call her, Ed. Let her know you're coming. I know that women hate drop-ins. They need time to pretty up," he winked at me. I rolled my eyes, but... he had a point.

I pulled out my cell and, with trembling fingers, dialed Bella's phone. It went straight to voice mail.

"You've reached Isabella Swan. I can't take your call at the moment. Please leave your name and number, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible."

Beep.

"Bella... Sweetheart, it's Edward. I need... Baby, please, I love you. I love you so much. I'm so, so sorry about... the other day. Please... I'm in New York. I'm coming to you. I do want forever with you. I really do. I'll change you whenever you ask. Just... answer the door when I get there. I can't live without you. I-"

Beep.

I started to redial when Emmett stopped me, "You got your point across, Ed. Let's just get there."

I nodded, tense and terrified. What if she didn't answer the phone because she knew it was me? What if she wouldn't answer the door? My hand was raising to grasp a handful of hair when my cell went off. I had a thrill of hope until I saw that it was Alice calling.

I connected, but before I could say a word, Alice was shrieking in my ear, "Edward! You have to go! You have to get to her! Now!"

Without a thought, I flung my phone at Emmett and nearly tore the door off the car leaping out. I started running, my mind racing ahead of me. What did Alice see? I almost wished I had stayed to get more information, but my terror drove me forward. I cursed having to slow down at corners. I refused to worry about being seen, as I knew that the pace I had set made me a blur, a breeze blowing past anyone I encountered. Thankfully, they were limited to a dog walker or two, sleepy in the morning half-light.

I turned onto Bella's street, still over a mile away from her door, when I saw her standing at the bottom of her front steps. I knew she wouldn't see me yet, but she looked fine, wringing her hands and watching the cars go by. She was turned in my direction, toward the airport. She knew I'd be coming from that direction, and I was filled with hope that she was waiting for me.

My hope turned to horror as I watched a delivery van turn to avoid a stopped car. The driver over corrected and went into a skid, jumping the curb. I knew I wouldn't get there in time, and I could only watch in disbelief as my Bella disappeared beneath the van as it rammed into the concrete steps.


E/N: Oh my. Yes, another cliffie. Go ahead and yell at me. I deserve it. *puppy eyes*