Intervention

Edward
Much like in the Cullen homes, Tanya's dining room was not often used for actual dining. It was more commonly utilized as a conference room... a meeting place... or as it was in my case, this time, an intervention circle.

I growled out my irritation as I entered the room. I knew they had all been shielding their thoughts all morning, but I had never imagined that this was the reason why. I glanced around the table at all the faces I loved. My mother, my sister, my brother, my father, Tanya, Carmen and Eleazar. The two empty seats between Tanya and my father were obviously reserved for Kate and Bella, who were finishing up tending to the horses.

I had to act quickly. I would not do this in front of Bella; she had already been through too much.

Several of the minds in the room were confused; obviously Alice and Carlisle hadn't actually informed them of what was going on. I decided to clear that up once and for all.

I held my hands up, high and far apart, as I walked cautiously into the room. Every pair of eyes was on me. I could hear Eleazars' shock register in his mind as he finally noticed the red pigment in my eyes. I focused on each of them, in turn, letting them look their fill of the monster that stood before them. Alice wore a look of pity. Esme was ashamed, silently sobbing in the seat closest to me. I placed my hand gently on her shoulder, attempting to comfort her. She immediately covered it with her own.

"You can all see what I have become. If you want me to leave this coven, then you only need to think it, and it will be done. But none of you will breathe a word of this to Bella. She is already suffering enough. She does not need to be worrying about me."

Carlisle stood. "Edward, please sit with us." His expression was friendly, welcoming... but his thoughts were concerned, almost desperate. No, I wouldn't draw this out. I wouldn't join them and let them believe, even if only for a moment, that they had a chance of talking me out of this new way of life.

"No, there is no need for that. There is nothing left to say."

"Edward!" My sister rolled her vision across her internal plasma screen for my benefit. It was of her and Bella and Jasper, in Juneau, at University.

"We're leaving with her tomorrow. I saw that she had been making inquiries about getting back in to school, so Jasper and I enrolled with her. Maybe you could enroll, too? Start afresh... put all this behind you?"

She had risen as she spoke, and slowly walked around the table towards me, stopping when she was beside me, her tiny body pressed against me in what was supposed to be a supportive, comforting hug. I shook her off. I knew what she was trying to do.

"No Alice."

Esme looked up at me. "It could be good for you, Edward. You could get used to being around people again. Could you at least try? Please?"

I glared down at Alice. She was no longer smiling. She had seen my answer already. I spoke aloud for the rest of them.

"I say, it's about time I shift my hunting to Juneau."

I turned to walk away, but was stopped by her small hand gripping my arm with deathly intensity. The rage on her face was such that I had never seen before, at least, never directed at me. Her thoughts were a furious jumble of words... but I didn't need to listen to them in her mind; they spilled out of her mouth for all to hear.

"No. You will stay away from her, Edward. We will look after her in Juneau. You are so far beyond rational thought right now; you can't even see what you are doing to yourself. This is going to destroy you, if you continue to let it, but I will not let you bring her down with you. Or the rest of this family."

As she spoke, Jasper had come to stand behind her, his steadying hand on her shoulder not only offering her comfort, but clearly showing me where he stood, too. He would support her, naturally, right to the end, if it came to that. His proximity calmed her, some, and she continued in a slightly less angry tone... but she hadn't lost any of her desperation.

"You are so much better than this, Edward. We know you made a mistake with the baby, we all did... If I concentrated harder, I should have been able to see what she was and we might have prevented her death, so you're not the only one to blame here, but you are about to lose everything. You have to stop this... now."

Before she finished, I was already shaking my head, a self pitying smile playing about my lips.

"Don't you see, Alice? I've already lost everything. I've proven that I don't belong in this family. I've proven that I don't have a soul. I would end my life, but I don't even deserve the peace of that... not while Bella is still alive and living with the pain and the betrayal that I caused her. I deserve nothing more than to survive on the blood of as many evil beings that I can rid from this world for the rest of her days. She won't know I'm there, Alice, but I will keep her safe for as long as I can. Then when she's gone, I can go too. I can go to Hell, where I belong."

"You still have us, son. Your family will always love you, no matter what."

I eyed Carlisle sadly over the table, shaking my head slowly in disagreement to his words.

"I don't deserve you. I won't be a burden to you all anymore."

Everyone was silent... I could hear their thoughts disagreeing with my speech, but none of them actually formed words. For a brief moment I thought it was over - they were going to let me go without a struggle - then I heard the small voice behind me.

"Don't I get a say in all this?"

Bella
He spun quickly to face me, and for the first time in weeks, I tried to actually take a good, long hard look at my husband; but as if looking at twin candles in the darkness, all I could see of his face were the bright red flames where his molten gold eyes used to be.

Shock, harsh and pure, ran through me in thin rivulets.

Human blood.

How? How had we possibly come this far in just a few short weeks? This couldn't be real. Between his eyes and the anguished faces of his family behind him, I didn't need to be brought up to speed. They told me more than words ever could have.

I shook my head in horrified disbelief.

"Who are you? It's like I don't even know you any more."

He smirked viciously. "That's because I've dropped the act. I'm no longer pretending to be something that I'm not. I proved to you that I am the monster I always claimed to be. Do you believe me now?"

I couldn't help myself. My hand shot out as if it had will of its own and slapped him. I heard Esme gasp. I couldn't have caused him any pain, not physically, but emotionally, my weak slap seemed to have gotten through. He stood before me and hung his head in shame, refusing to meet my eyes. His whole demeanor changed, becoming apologetic and passive.

"Can we please speak in private, Bella?"

I hesitated. I knew I would eventually have to communicate with him again, but as things were right now, I didn't trust myself not to say something that I would end up regretting. The stupid thing was, I didn't know if that something would be in favour of reconciling with him, or ending our relationship completely.

In the end, I just nodded. When could I ever deny him anything?

I turned and walked out of the dining room, automatically following the path straight to my bedroom. It was as good a place as any for this.

Despite my sweaty, horsey clothes, I went straight to the bed, crawling onto it and settling comfortably, cross legged, in the middle, then turned expectantly to look at him. Again the red in his eyes shocked me. How could he have been doing this, and still coming to me every night?

How could I not have noticed?

I had to start somewhere. It may as well be with the obvious.

"You're hunting humans again?"

He nodded, but I didn't see any shame in the action. He seemed almost proud. "Only evil people, Bella. I would never hurt an innocent again, not after..." I screwed my eyes shut, begging my brain not to finish his sentence.

Too late.

"I know what I am, Bella. And now that I have so spectacularly failed at my pretend human life, I am left with only one option. I must do what only I can do - use my gifts to kill evil beings, so that the world can be a safer place for the one person I love, and the people she loves. I will spend the rest of my existence, Bella, protecting you from monsters like me."

I sighed, completely unable to find the words to say what I needed to say to him. He saved me the effort, with what should have been a simple question.

"Do you still love me?"

The anguish and agony in his voice hurt my heart, and as much as I knew that I should probably just cut him loose... tell him 'no' and set him free, once and for all... I couldn't force the lie from my lips.

"Yes. Yes Edward. I will love you for the rest of my life."

He nodded, and moved further onto the bed, resting his head in my lap, locking his arms loosely around my waist, pressing his cheek against my belly. My first instinct was to push him away, but as my hands fell to his head and recognized the silken beauty of his hair, I couldn't do it.

I couldn't push him away. So, for just a minute, for what would have to be the last time, I embraced him back, holding him close against me, loving him with all my heart.

I knew in that moment that if Edward had been capable of tears, my lap would have been soaked, just like his hair was from my own. His pained whisper was barely recognizable.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry Bella."

I lowered my cheek to rest on his head, curling my body around him as I held onto him for dear life, knowing that this was the last time I would ever do it. I had to end this now, once and for all - for both of our sakes.

"I know you are," I whispered back.

He lifted his head to meet my gaze, and I gave him a weak smile, in spite of the pain.

"It doesn't change anything though, does it?" he asked softly.

I shook my head again. I couldn't find words.

Slowly, oh so slowly he started to move towards me. His right hand came up to cup my cheek, giving me plenty of warning of his intentions... and while I knew that this would only make our separation that much harder, I think I needed it as much as he did. I gave him a tiny, almost imperceptible nod as my desperation for him overtook me completely, and then met him halfway in a sweet, desperate goodbye kiss.

His stone lips were urgent against mine and my lips instantly parted, giving him access... only briefly though before I felt my heart physically shatter within me... to my tongue, allowing them to dance together for a final time before I pulled away from him, gasping for air.

Then, in an instant, I was alone. All that he left behind him was the feint stirring of the wind... and me, broken and alone, the pain of all that I had lost, fresh in my shattered heart and numb mind.

Our impossible love had proven to be just that... impossible.