Emmett cursed as he crashed through several trees on the other side of the clearing. Bella laughed as she followed him to where he finally landed. "I told you it wouldn't wear off so soon," she gloated a little.
"I think I would have preferred the zombie version of you for the rest of forever. I don't really like this cocky version very much," Emmett grumbled as he shook off pieces of bark from his jacket.
"What do you mean, zombie version?" Bella asked, suddenly confused.
"You know, back when we left - when you were human." Emmett explained. He and Bella simply stared at each other for a long moment as Bella processed what he was saying.
"How would you know anything about that? None of you were here and I didn't exactly talk about it."
"Alice saw it a few weeks after you met all of us - "
Bella stopped hearing what Emmett was saying as she thought over all that it implied, "Shut up for a second, Emmett. Are you saying that Alice had a vision of what would happen if Edward left, and he knew about it?"
"Well … Edward sees Alice's visions pretty much as soon as she does so, yeah." Emmett replied, confused by her tone. Bella suddenly turned on her heel and started running, "Where are you going?" Emmett shouted after her.
"Back to the house!" Bella shouted back. Emmett paused for a few seconds more before following Bella back to the rest of the Cullens. As Bella approached the house, she found the familiar mind of her favorite sister-in-law, Alice Cullen, and extended her mental shield so her husband, Edward, would be unable to see what came next. "Edward, dear, would you come here, please?" she asked staying near the tree line, maintaining some distance from the house.
Edward joined her quickly with an expression of only mild curiosity on his face. "I thought you would be fighting with Emmett for at least another hour," he commented casually.
"Where's Renesme?" Bella asked, ignoring his comment, and looked for her daughter.
"Out with Jacob," Edward answered.
"Good." Bella turned to her husband with a small smile on her face. She seemed uninterested in the rest of the Cullens as they gathered at Emmett's fast approach. As Jasper came close enough to sense Bella's emotions she extended her shield around him as well so Edward would remain blind.
"Why is that good?" Edward asked, his interest piqued.
"So she won't see this," Bella answered, and before Alice or Jasper could say anything Bella punched Edward in the face so hard he flew back almost a hundred feet and took out one of the large trees by the river.
"Bella!" Esme shouted in alarm as they collectively took a step forward.
Edward carefully got to his feet, watching Bella warily as she glared at him, "What is going on?" he asked cautiously.
"You and I are going to play a game," Bella answered, her voice simmering with anger. "True or false; and just so we are clear about what happens next I'm going to explain the rules. I make a statement, and you tell me if it is true or false," she paused as she waited for Edward to nod in acknowledgement. "Alice had a vision, in the first few weeks after we met, of what would happen if you ever left me - and you knew about it. True or false?"
The Cullens all froze, becoming still as statues. Edward's expression was one of shock and Bella could see he was thinking very quickly. "True or false, Edward?" Bella repeated.
Edward put his hands out, palms up in supplication, "Bella, please calm down," he pleaded just as a wave of calm began to pass over Bella.
"Jasper, if you mess with my emotions, I swear I'm coming after you next!" Bella warned her brother-in-law. The wave receded and Bella was once again filled with anger. "Edward, answer the question!" she ordered, nearly shouting.
"True," he finally said with a sigh.
"How could you?" Bella asked, sounding disappointed.
"How did you find out?" Edward asked at almost the same time. Once again there was a tense moment of silence, then Bella smiled.
"Emmett and I were having a lovely conversation in the clearing, and he mentioned something about my zombie days. I asked for clarification, he gave it."
"He shouldn't have done that," Edward objected, glaring at his brother.
"You're right," Bella agreed quickly. Edward looked back to her in surprise, "Emmett shouldn't have told me; you should have. When we came back from Italy, and I confirmed everything that Alice had seen had come true, you should have told me - all of it. You should have been honest with me, Edward."
"Bella, I can explain," he protested as he stepped forward, reaching out to her. Edward continued when she took a step back to maintain their distance. "I didn't say anything because I didn't want to upset you, and I didn't see how it would help anything for you to know."
"How could you do it? How could you leave when you knew what it would do to me?" Bella demanded to know. Edward flinched at the anger and hurt in her voice.
"I left because I had to," he answered, desperate for her to understand. "You were in danger with me, I had to protect you. Bella, I love you so much -"
"I am so sick of you using that as an excuse, Edward!" Bella shouted, balling her hands into fists. "I honestly can't decide if that's arrogance or just stupidity."
"Bella -"
"I don't want to hear it, Edward. I don't need to," Bella interrupted. "I've heard it over, and over again. How you had to make the decision for me, because of course you know best. Because I was too young and foolish to make a rational decision about who and what I wanted for my future. Because you constantly underestimated how much I love you." Bella paused watching every minute change in Edward's expression as he processed what she was saying. "You didn't leave to protect me, Edward," she argued. "You did what you always do, and put your guilt ahead of me. You left to make yourself feel better, regardless of what it would do to me."
"No, Bella, you have to believe me," Edward protested, "I knew what would happen, yes, but I thought you would get over it quickly."
"I used to think you knew me better than anyone, but if you really believed that, then you didn't know me at all." Bella shook her head, as if to deny the situation they were in. "You thought I would get over losing the love of my life?" Edward stepped forward, to protest again when she continued, "Did you even think about the collateral damage?"
"What are you talking about?" Edward asked, completely sidetracked.
"When you left me, my life fell apart. It was like I was ground zero for a nuclear bomb, and everyone in my radius got swept up in the fall out. My friends, my father, Jacob. Every relationship in my life changed. I changed. We changed."
"That's all in the past now," Edward tried to placate her. Once again he moved toward her, and once again Bella stepped back.
"Yes, but that doesn't change the fact that it happened. It doesn't change the fact that you lied to me, and it doesn't change the fact that you didn't trust me," Bella argued. "You didn't believe me, and you didn't trust that I could handle the truth. You didn't trust me then, so how can I trust you now?" Edward rushed forward, too fast for Bella to retreat and grabbed her hands, "Don't touch me!" she exclaimed, pulling back forcefully. "You had better hope Esme hasn't remodeled your old room yet, because you're going to be using it for a while."
"Bella," Carlisle called to her, finally stepping in as her daughter and Jacob arrived.
"Don't come anywhere near me until I tell you it's alright," Bella warned Edward, completely ignoring the others. Edward began to protest, but Bella continued over his objections, "Do not push me on this, Edward, or you will find out exactly how far I'm willing to take this," she warned.
"Mom?" Renesme called out to Bella with some alarm. Bella turned and approached her daughter who was standing at the back wall of the house with Jacob, their hands still linked.
"Renesme, stay here with everyone for now," Bella instructed, "I need to be alone for a while." Bella kissed her daughter on the forehead and ran off into the woods. No one tried to follow her. Jacob looked around at the others waiting for someone to say, or do something.
"What just happened?" he asked, voicing his and Renesme's confusion.
"Bella and Edward had a fight," Emmett answered with a shrug.
"It was more like Bella ripped Edward's heart from his chest and crushed it under her boot from his expression," Rosalie argued with a smirk. Renesme ran to her father's side, offering wordless comfort to Edward.
"Jasper and I will talk to her later, Edward," Alice promised. Edward merely nodded and took his daughter into the house. Slowly, the other Cullens followed him, and Jacob left to spend time with his father. The forest grew quiet, and waited for what would happen next.