CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

From generation to generation, the people of Haven passed down their loyalties without exception. The same families that believed the Swans had rights to the land of Haven, were the very same families that to this day supported these feelings. The same could be said for the loyal residents of the Cullen family.

However, when Charles Swan fled from Haven, many years before, it did cause some uncertainty amongst the remaining citizens. And even though the two sides managed to coexist with one another, in the back of everyone's mind, they still knew where a particular families loyalties lie.

There was only one place in all of Haven where the lines drawn on family loyalties seemed to fade completely. For in the end it didn't matter which family you supported, eventually you would end up in the same place every other resident ended up; buried in a fine oak box, six feet under.

The temperatures began to decline significantly as fall slowly turned to winter and for anyone in the Haven cemetery that day it wouldn't seem unnatural that rain should fall down on the funeral for Harry Clearwater. However, Bella couldn't help the chills that ran up and down her body as she watched the casket being lowered into the dark wet grave. She looked up at the sky and saw the murky clouds overhead as some sort of omen. The night Edward had told her about Harry Clearwater's demise was still fresh in her mind. She wanted to tell him about her encounter with the man but decided against it.

The whole town dressed in their black costumes looked around at one another and it was clear that everyone was thinking about the same thing. The curse.

Bella could see the solemn looks on the people's faces and some of them looked downright scared. Edward was one of these people. Bella tried to give a reassuring smile to Edward but he wouldn't take it. Since the night he spent in Bella's room, he hadn't been back since.

Instead Edward spent his time evaluating his feelings for Bella and made the decision to let her go. It killed him. He could feel his chest squeezing under the pressure of his resolution but he knew it was the right thing to do. Bella needed to get as far away from Haven as possible. After the funeral, he would send her away.

Mrs. Cope was informed that while the two were away at the funeral, she would be charged with packing Bella's things; a task that Mrs. Cope found herself more than up to the challenge. Never had bags been packed so quickly and perfectly before.

With the completion of the funeral ceremonies, the rain came down harder causing the citizens to disperse quickly. Mr. Whitlock had the car warmed and ready the moment that Edward and Bella sat down in the back seat.

Bella could feel the distance that Edward was placing between them and even though Edward didn't seem too close with the deceased, she wondered why he was taking this so hard. It had been days since he carried on a conversation with her. In fact, he hadn't been to a meal so even the sight of him was something she hadn't been graced with.

"I'm sorry about your friend," She said softly.

"We weren't friends," Edward stated.

Bella scrunched up her forehead and sat back in her seat.

"You seem to be taking this hard for someone you don't care about."

"I didn't say I didn't care. I just said we weren't friendly."

Edward felt his body tense up. Of course she wouldn't know the cause for his pain so why should he feel irritated by her ignorance? She had no idea how hard this was for him. She had no idea why Harry Clearwater's death set in motion an order of events that would completely eviscerate his soul.

Bella reached out and placed her hand on his.

"You can talk to me, you know."

Edward snatched his hand away and the action hurt Bella more than any of his harsh words had ever done.

"We do need to talk. I need to see you in my office…now."

The car pulled up in front of the house and in one swift movement, Edward was out of the car and near the door before Bella had a chance to analyze his actions. Slowly, she too exited the car and walked up to join him at the open front door.

In silence they walked through the house toward the infamous office where so many of their significant moments had taken place. Bella could see Edward's tight form as he walked in front and she thought back to her time at the residence. She could almost sense what was about to happen.

They entered the office and Edward walked straight behind his desk. He pulled open the top drawer and found the envelope he needed.

"Edward…" Bella began to say.

"Miss Swan," he interrupted. "I have given our situation a great deal of thought and I'm afraid I'm going to have to let you go. This isn't working and I have to do what I think is best for myself…my children and…you."

Bella took a small step back. She felt that he was about to end things but the way he went about it infuriated her. After all they had been through, done with one another, he wanted to break things off by treating her as an employee?

Edward held out the envelope for her to take.

"This is your full salary plus a generous severance."

Bella stared at the envelope is disdain. She could feel her chest rise and fall before she thought to speak.

"And…what about the money for other services rendered? Is there a check in there for that as well?"

Edward furrowed his brow slightly.

"I mean if you plan on treating me like an employee, I think it's only fair that you pay me for being your whore as well."

Edward bristled at her choice of words. Of course she wasn't going to make this easy. He had planned for every kind of reaction but the one she had chosen. It angered him to hear her refer to herself as a whore.

"Come on, Master Moneybags. Break out your checkbook; I think it's only fair that you should offer me compensation. How much do you think I am worth? Let's say…a thousand for every time you fucked me?" She pretended to think about it, "Or maybe you think I'm worth less? After all, you never did get to fuck me in my asshole so…"

"STOP IT!" Edward roared slamming his fists down on the desk.

Bella was startled into silence by the gesture. Edward slowly looked up to her and narrowed his eyes infinitesimally.

"Do you think that this is something I take pleasure in? Do you believe that this is easy for me?" He asked.

"I don't think I'm asking too much of you. I want an honest answer from you. I think I deserve it. I knew what you wanted to do the minute we came into this office? I would have hoped that you could treat me with a shred of dignity and not lie to me. Tell me what really is going on. Why you have been distant. Don't treat me like some employee. Treat me like a human being for god sakes."

What exactly was he supposed to say to her, he wondered. He never once thought of telling her the truth. He wasn't so sure what the truth was. He wanted her out of Haven as soon as possible. She needed to be far away from here so she would never be hurt.

"I need you to leave Haven. You don't fit in here. You never will. As much as I have tried to turn you into a proper resident, you have too much of the outside world in you and your close mindedness will never cease. I have to let you go so you can find somewhere you belong."

As much as the statement was true, it wasn't the real reason Edward wanted her to leave and Bella knew that.

Bella shook her head in disappointment.

"What is the matter with you? Why is it so hard for you to be honest?" She pleaded.

"Please just go, Bella," he said exhausted.

Bella could hear the pain in his voice. She could hear the defeat. She was hurt by his refusal to tell her his reasons but she was also hurt at the knowledge that this was ending. This. She didn't even know what this was. What exactly were they to one another?

She walked toward his desk and picked up the envelope.

"I think you're a coward. You stand there master of your house, all superior and powerful but I know the truth you're afraid to tell me…you're nothing more than a coward."

Bella placed the envelope between her fingers and ripped in two.

"I'm stronger than you think I am. I'm stronger than you and I don't need your money."

She turned and kept walking amidst his protests calling her back to take the money. She didn't cry because her anger was too great. Bella felt her mind in a fog as she made her way down the stairs. She had every intention of leaving her possessions behind but like a stake to the heart, all her belongings were at the bottom of the stairs already packed for her. Mr. Whitlock standing beside them.

"I am to take you to the city limit," He informed her.

Bella stared at him before replying.

"That won't be necessary. Please call me a taxi. I wouldn't want to put the Cullen household out more than I already have."

Mr. Whitlock breathed his disapproval through his nostrils before turning to leave and make the call she requested. It was then that Bella noticed a jubilant Mrs. Cope standing by the dining room door witnessing her departure.

Mrs. Cope gave her a superior smirk and for a sad moment, Bella thought she would like nothing more than to push over the tall vase by the door to leave Mrs. Cope with the clean-up. But Bella took the high road and held her head high as she walked out the front door and waited for the taxi on the stairs.

In the fresh air, Bella was able to think a little clearer and it occurred to her that she should have said farewell to Rosalie and Alice. Her hand searched out her chest as it welled up in pain thinking of the two girls and their dismal futures. Bella felt the weight of her sadness push her down to sit on the stairs as the wind began to pick up.

Edward stood looking down from the second story foyer at Bella's small form huddled on his front steps. He wanted to go to her and offer some warmth but he needed to keep his distance. After all this was what was best. Bella could go on and have a bright future anywhere else but here. Haven was marked for nothing but death.

The curse was never something he fully believed in but now that Edward was beginning to fall for Bella, his mind wouldn't think clearly and he had no choice but to believe in the power of it. She was right, he thought. He was a coward. He should have just told her the truth. He didn't want to see her fall victim to the curse. If only Bella had shared with him what Harry Clearwater had said, maybe he would have come to a different conclusion.

Edward's heart stopped for a moment when he watched Bella stand back up from off the stairs. He looked down the path believing he would see a car come to take her away forever but instead there was no car. Immediately Edward was on alert as he watched Bella begin to walk away from the house with no reason.

It occurred to Bella as she sat freezing on the porch steps that as much as she despised Haven and their backward ways, a part of her past resided here. Other than the trip to the Haven historical building, Bella hadn't allowed herself to find out more about the place her father was born and raised in.

The Isabella Swan grave loomed in the back of her mind so with idea of having one last moment in Haven, Bella set off once more for the cemetery but she didn't make it far.

"Where are you going?" Edward yelled coming quickly down the stairs of his house.

Bella flipped back around feeling her hair tangling in the wind.

"What do you care? I am no longer your employee or your responsibility."

Edward managed to catch up easily and with her catty tongue he wished for nothing more than to shake some sense into the young girl.

"How many times do I have to tell you that it's not safe…" He began once more.

"Safe!" She mocked. "What exactly are you worried about? You think some curse is going to hurt me?"

She rolled her eyes and her complacency bothered Edward more than he knew.

"YES!" He growled.

Once before Edward had made it quite clear that he didn't believe in such a thing so when he spit out such an adamant "yes," it caused Bella to pause. She searched his eyes hoping to find a lie but instead she quickly came to the realization that Edward now whole heartedly believed in the curse.

She shook her head searching for words but nothing came for a long moment.

"You don't know this place, Bella. You haven't witnessed the countless horrors befallen on this town."

Bella bit her lip thinking again of Harry Clearwater.

"I don't believe in curses," She stated. "I…believe that everything has a logical explanation."

Edward dismissed her words before she could even finish. He shook his head and looked around frustrated by her obliviousness.

Bella placed a soft hand on Edward's chest.

"Is this why you are sending me away?"

Her touch was unlike anything he had ever felt before. The moment her hand rested on the center of his chest, right over his heart, he felt a mixture of calm, safety and love.

"You need to leave. Your father had the right idea…"

"And if you really believed in this silly curse, then you would see that even he wasn't exempt. My mother died. So…it wouldn't matter if I went or stayed because eventually I could be just as cursed as the next."

"Bella," He pleaded taking her hands in his.

"Harry Clearwater told me something before he died. I didn't tell you…I should have told you but…"

"You met Harry Clearwater?"

Bella nodded, "Yes, he said he knew my father and he gave me a warning. He told me I should leave because I wasn't safe here but more importantly, he told me that there was no curse."

"He told you to leave? He threatened you?" Edward's questions were laced with wrath.

"No! He didn't threaten me. He was trying to tell me something important. Would you listen to me? What if there was no curse? He told me a name. Someone who could be responsible. What if this whole time people were lead to believe something that wasn't true? You have to admit that evil forces could be more likely coming from an individual or group rather than some…curse."

"Bella," he said her name dismissively.

"Come on. Please take me seriously."

The taxi was slowly approaching and as much as Bella wanted to stay and make Edward understand, she wasn't going to win the battle.

"No! You will take me seriously. Go! Get out of here. I don't care what is causing all of this. Whether it be human or supernatural, I want you far away from it! Do you hear me?"

"Edward," Bella protested.

"Now!" He spit. He grabbed a hold of her hands and shook her harshly. "You will forget you ever came here and I will venture to do the same."

His words stung her deeply. He wanted to forget about her? It would have been a kinder gesture if he had just slapped her across the face.

Bella looked over at the taxi while Mr. Whitlock loaded up her things. She pulled back from Edward and refused to look at him again. It was pure punishment for Edward to not be able to look in her eyes even one last time. The last image he would have to hold on to was of her long dark hair, flowing down her back and the silhouette of the black dress she had worn that day.

The taxi drove down the road and slowly disappeared from view leaving Edward standing in the cold driveway to his impressive mansion. He imagined how much worse this was then when his dearly departed wife had passed. At least when Hope died, there was no opportunity for more. But with Bella leaving, he would always be aware of her living out there in the world and not a part of his life.

Bella watched out her window as the small town passed her by. Nearly every person still dressed in formal black garb still fresh from the funeral. Their traditions may have been lost on her but Bella hoped that she could find some semblance of respect for them. Maybe Edward was right. She was too close minded.

With her bank accounts dismal, Bella wasn't sure how far she would make it before running out of funds and being completely desolate. Now it seemed silly to tear up a check that would have helped her survive while she found employment.

"Excuse me…but how much do you think it will cost to take me to the nearest city?" She asked the driver.

"The fare has already been taken care of. You may choose to go wherever you like, Miss."

Bella sat back in her seat thankful for at least this small help.

"Then…Albany I guess."

Bella had never been to Albany but after her ventures in small town life, she needed something more metropolitan.

The sign welcoming visitors to Haven was just up ahead and for a small moment, Bella could feel a weight readying itself to lift from her shoulders. Maybe her departure from Haven can unveil the upheaval her life had become.

It took Edward two hours before he would find the good sense to come in from the rain and wind. He stood on his drive staring at the very spot where the taxi completely disappeared from view. He hoped that Bella would turn the car back around and go against his wishes. It wasn't such a far-fetched idea since she was so famous for her stubborn nature but she didn't return.

Soaked to the bone, Edward began to remove his clothes one by one, leaving them on the floor to his bedroom. He played in his head the very last time Bella would look at him and it broke him down.

"It's for the best," he would repeat every time he began to think of her wounded eyes.

There was a curse. He couldn't be so cavalier with Bella's life when there was a curse.

Her words played in his head. She suggested that there was no such thing. Someone was responsible. Harry Clearwater spoke to Bella?

Edward began to mull that over as he prepared a drink to help warm him. He was ready to down the bottle quickly to assist with numbing the pain if something hadn't occurred to him.

Bella said that Harry told her someone was responsible for the deaths in Haven. An individual? Or a group? Even with a couple swigs of the alcohol, Edward couldn't help but entertain the idea.

Edward shook his head in disbelief. Surely no one could be guilty of such a heinous crime. After all something like this would have gone back decades, centuries even. And Harry Clearwater wasn't exactly known for being all together there.

But something about this plagued Edward's mind.

He set the glass down and set off toward his office. Within seconds he was sitting in his chair with a piece of paper set out before him as he began to write down every last citizen he could think of that had passed away. Next to their names he would write the way they died.

It took him nearly all night to come up with a list but it didn't take him long to see a pattern emerge and suddenly, a frightening thought occurred to Edward. If someone or someone's were responsible for the deaths in Haven, then sending Bella Swan away from Haven didn't necessarily save her. In fact, now she was out there all alone without any form of protection.

The wind was knocked out of Edward when he realized that by sending Bella away, he might have just signed her death certificate.

AN: Thank you for taking the time to read and review. I imagine there are only a few more chapters left. Maybe three or so. Sorry it took so long to get this out to you. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Story is mine, characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.