A/N: And here's the conclusion. I hope it'll live up to your expectations, because personally I'm not that pleased with how it turned out. I liked the last two chapters much better; they were somehow easier to write, but maybe that's because—please don't be too shocked—I'm suffering from a bad case of writer's block. =( Yes, now it's out. I've been writing on the next chapter for over a week now and I'm just not making any progress. Well, that's not true. It's actually half finished, but it's just… It feels bad when I read it. I know I can do better. I actually can do way better than this chapter, too, so once my muse is back (which, hopefully, will be soon because I have to write two term papers and I NEED her) I'll go over it again. I just didn't want to keep you waiting for too long, especially since I promised I'd be posting it this week. But I'm afraid you'll just have to wait for the next chapter just a little longer. I'm sorry. Really! =( And I really hope you won't be too disappointed by this… Because I am.

Thanks again for all the reviews I got and also to those who've added me or "Lifelines" to their Favorites Lists! I'm thrilled you've stayed with me for so long and I promise that there are many, many chapters yet to come—once I've got over this really bad case of writer's block!

And now a little bit of trivia: My boyfriend and I are planning to go to Italy this summer, to Tuscany to be exact. He's found this cute hotel which is right between Monteverdi and Sassetta, which, in turn, is only about 60km (about 38 miles) from Volterra. Since I don't know much about Volterra aside from what I learned in "New Moon" I googled it and found a Wikipedia article. And what's really interesting is that Volterra's sister town in Germany is Wunsiedel (which none of you will probably know because, really, it's in the back of beyond and not important at all) BUT Wunsiedel is the county next to mine; it's in spitting distance, actually.

OK, so you probably won't find this as interesting as I did when I read the article, but I just had to share this piece of information with someone!

Enjoy this chapter and please don't hate me. I know I can do better and I will do better. I swear! Cross my heart and hope to die!

Disclaimer: The Twilight Saga belongs to Stephenie Meyer; I only borrowed certain elements.

—

EDWARD

"Go after her," Alice said into the silence that ensued, a silence so thick it was almost choking. Our cousins had no clue what had just transpired; nobody had told them what I'd asked my family to do, and they were confused, shocked even, at Bella's outburst.

I looked at Esme and Carlisle who stood unmoving, their thoughts unsympathetic. Bella was right; I should never have asked my family to abandon her, and Carlisle and Esme both believed that I deserved her fury.

What did you expect? Carlisle asked calmly.

"I didn't think she'd…" I began, then broke off, burying my face in my hands. "What have I done?" I whispered.

"What's going on?" Kate asked slowly.

"I'll explain later," Alice replied. "Edward, go after her." Her voice was urgent. I saw images flicker across her mind, too fast, too many. Bella splayed out in the snow, unmoving. My eyes flew open and I spun around, already moving. I only paused to get my bearings. Footsteps led away from the house towards the forest, and Bella's scent was still fresh. I crossed the driveway in two strides and leapt across the wall of snow Eleazar had piled up in another. Landing softly on the ground, my knees absorbing the impact, I scanned the tree line for Bella and found her exactly as I'd seen in her in Alice's vision. Splayed out in the snow, unmoving.

"Please leave," she whispered against the ground as she heard me approach.

Cradling her against my chest, I gently lifted her up. Her scent was so sweet, so tempting. I knew the second she realised it was me; her body went stiff. I let go, but kept my hands above her shoulders to hold her if she fell to the ground again.

"Let me drive you home," I said softly. "We need to talk."

"What's there to talk about?" she whispered, uncertain on her feet.

Worry surged through me. What had just happened? Why had she broken down like that?

"I have a confession to make," I said.

Bella turned, stepping out of my embrace, away from me. "A confession?" she asked, her voice bitter.

I glanced back over my shoulder, aware my family would be able to hear every word. "Let's go for a walk," I suggested since she seemed to opposed to me driving her home.

Her jaw was set. Being with her when she was still human, I'd found myself wishing so that I could look into her mind and know what she was thinking so many times. She'd always been so difficult to read. Now she wasn't. I knew she was thinking about the other time I'd led her into the forest, the day I'd lied to her, had told her I didn't love her anymore.

"Fine," she said, to my great surprise, and walked past me, deeper into the forest.

I followed her, slowly. The task ahead lay like a heavy weight on my chest. She'd hate me, that I knew for sure. I would hate me if I were her.

When I was certain we were too far away from the Denalis' house for anyone to overhear, I stopped. Bella did, too, slowly turning around to face me. Her expression was unreadable, but her body tense with apprehension. What did she think I was about to tell her?

"Can we keep this short?" she asked. "I've head a really long day and I'd like to go home."

Was she, too, having that sense of déjà-vu? Bella wouldn't remember that day as clearly as I; human memories faded quickly. For me, it felt as if it had only been yesterday, which, in a sense, that was the case. After a while time began losing meaning if you had so much of it on your hands. "Certainly," I said, realising she was waiting for an answer. "I just…" I had no idea how to phrase it, how to say the words that would make her hate me.

But Jasper was right. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

"I lied," I said very softly.

"What exactly did you lie about?" Bella asked frostily. She wasn't going to make this easy for me.

I took a deep breath, and then it all came out in a rush, the words almost tumbling in my haste to get them out. "That night in the forest when I told you I didn't love you anymore. I lied. I lied so you would let me go. I wanted you to have a normal life, and I was afraid that if you held on to me, you wouldn't be able to fall in love again, stay human. It was wrong. I know that now, and I'm sorry. You're right. I had no right to make that kind of decision for you, and if you hate me know I'll understand. I just… I wanted you to know."

I'd done it. I'd told her. Now she knew what I'd done to her, how much I'd really hurt her. How would she react? Would she yell at me? Maybe. The Bella I knew would never have pitched a fit like that, no matter how justified. But maybe she'd just leave, turn around and walk away into the night, and I knew that if she did that, it would hurt more than a slap in the face. I didn't want her to, didn't know if I could bear it, if I could let her walk away. Because if she did I wouldn't be able to follow. Not until she asked me to.

I'd made my bed. Now I had to lie in it.

If only I'd never left her.

Bella didn't react at all. She simply stood there, staring at me, her eyes wide with shock. I saw disbelief in them, and pain, so much pain. I cringed, desperate for her to say something. She didn't, and in the end I spoke first.

"Bella," I whispered, reaching out for her, trying to comfort her, though I knew it wasn't my place. I couldn't help myself. The desire to protect her was still so very strong. But how could I protect her from myself, shield her from the pain I'd caused?

She moved back, away from my hand, swaying as if her legs were about to give way. Stumbling away, she turned and sank down into the snow. She was coughing, choking, and suddenly blood, so much blood, gushed over the ground, turning it crimson. I stared down at her in helpless horror as she kept choking, the retching sound horribly loud in the silence of the night.

I'd never heard of a vampire being sick, and my first thought was that something was terribly, terribly wrong. I was already reaching for my cell phone to call Carlisle, but then Bella sat back, breathing heavily. Blood was on her face, in her hair and her staining clothes, but she was no longer vomiting. I almost sighed in relief. Our bodies and psyches reacted violently to any kind of emotional shock, and I assumed that's what had just happened, had to assume that otherwise I would go mad with worry.

"You lied?" she asked, her voice rough. Coughing again, she rose to her feet with her hand in front of her mouth as if she wasn't completely certain she was done. "You lied…" A whisper now, her voice trailing off.

"Bella," I began, but I didn't really know what to say. What could I say? "I'm sorry," I whispered eventually in the silence that had stretched between us. The forest was equally silent, almost as if it, too, was waiting for one of us to speak. The animals living in this part of the woods had fled; they knew they weren't safe around us.

Bella didn't answer, and as the minutes trickled by, the night came alive again. Above us, owls soared through the treetops, and in the distance a wolf began howling, and then another. Bella heard, too. Tilting her head, she listened to the eerie sound. The strangest expression flitted across her face. Then she seemed to remember me, and she balled her hands into fists at her side.

"Leave me alone," she said, steel in her voice. There was an air of finality to what she said next. "Leave me alone, Edward, and don't ever come back." Back straight, she turned around and slowly walked away.

And then I was alone.

—

I didn't return to my cousins' house. Instead, I set off to retrieve the car, hoping, that just this once, Alice would give it a rest and not send Jasper after me. I needed to be alone. My cell phone rang twice, but I didn't take it out to see who it was, and when I advanced deeper into the wilderness, taking not the direct route Jasper and I had used this afternoon but a generous detour, I eventually lost reception.

Nobody came after me. Maybe Alice had seen it would be better if I was left alone. But maybe she just hadn't been able to pinpoint my exact location, the forest being devoid of anything that could have told her where I was. Either way I was alone. And I was glad, for if she were here, Alice would have tried to cheer me up, would have tried to convince me that everything would be alright, and I knew that she was wrong. How could she not be wrong? Surely she'd seen what Bella would say to me, what she'd ask of me.

Or had she? Maybe the future had been too undecided, Bella's reaction too unpredictable for Alice to know for sure, and she'd been taken by surprise as well. What if she'd only guessed, had only hoped that Bella would forgive me but never known for sure? Because Bella herself hadn't known what she would do up until the moment I told her the truth.

Because she'd never even considered the possibility that I'd lied to her that day in the forest.

Why would she? She'd trusted me, so she'd trusted me to tell her the truth, even if it was a truth that would, ultimately, tear her world apart. After all the million times I'd told her that I loved her, it had taken but a single lie to convince her that I didn't. I'd never expected her to believe me so easily. I'd thought I would have to lie through my teeth for hours. But she'd trusted me to tell her the truth, to never betray her that way. Yet I had betrayed her.

I stopped in the middle of nowhere, alone in a field of glistening snow that stretched for miles and miles without any sign of human life. I'd crossed the Canadian border some time ago and had a fairly good idea of where I was; another thirty minutes at full pace and I'd reach the car we'd had to bury underneath almost half a ton of snow.

And then what would I do? Driving home would only occupy me for another ten hours and then I'd have to face my family again. They'd ask me how Bella was, certainly, would want to know what had happened in the forest. I didn't think Alice had told them already; it was the kind of thing she'd keep to herself. Our pain was private. She'd try to protect Bella's privacy as much as mine. That didn't mean that, sooner or later, they wouldn't learn what had transpired and then they'd be all over me. They'd insist on helping me, only this time there was nothing they could do. I wasn't even sure I wanted them to.

Slowly breathing in, I ran my hands through my hair, hoping the gesture would help me think. I needed to decide what to do. I'd go mad if I didn't. And it would keep my family off my back. I paused, my right hand still caught in my hair. They didn't deserve me thinking of them that way, as a nuisance, when all they ever did was trying to help. But this I had to do alone. Would I fight for Bella? Or would I just walk away and leave her alone, just as she'd asked? Even as I considered these questions I knew that, deep, deep down, I already knew the answer. I'd always known the answer. And as I stood there, alone in the Canadian wilderness in a desert of snow I decided that I would fight for her, would do anything to win her back, would even try to change if that was what it took.

I would do anything if there was a chance, no matter how remote, that Bella might take me back.

—

It was midmorning when I returned home. Alice and Jasper were at school, Carlisle at work, but Esme was home, waiting for me in the kitchen. Despite there being no necessity for us to ever use it, it was one of her favourite rooms in the house, and she'd taken great care to arrange it exactly to her liking.

"I'm home," I said, dropping the car keys back into the drawer we kept them in. The jeep was back in the garage and I'd refuelled it; Emmett would probably want to take it out when he got home tonight.

"In the kitchen," Esme replied, though I already knew. Sauntering into the room that was brightly lit despite the overcast sky outside, I smiled and slid into the chair across from her. The table was littered with papers. "Alice told us you needed some time alone," Esme continued before I had the chance to speak. "Are you alright?"

Gratitude for Alice once again filled my heart. She didn't have to do this for me, keep my secrets, but she did. "As a matter of fact I am," I said, my smile widening into the grin Esme loved because she thought it truly made me look like the teenage boy I was.

She hadn't seen it in a very long time, and her eyes lit up in surprise. "Something's got you in a good mood this morning," she said. She reached out for my hand and squeezed it gently. "How'd things with Bella go?"

And there it was, the question I'd dreaded. But I'd made up my mind. I'd fight for her. I didn't yet know how, but I would do anything I could to get her back, make her forgive me, and I would do it alone. So I simply said, "I'm sure it'll work out," though I knew this wasn't what Esme wanted to hear, and it didn't convince her.

None of them had spoken to Bella since we left last night, because Alice had insisted that it would be better, that she needed some time alone for her to sort things out. Alice hadn't elaborated on what those things might be, but Esme wasn't stupid, so she assumed I'd told Bella the truth.

"She didn't take it well," I said, answering Esme's unspoken question. "I knew she wouldn't and I don't hold it against her. I never would. I think she just needs time, and I'm willing to give her all the time in the world if that's what it takes. I won't give up, Esme, but I need to do this alone."

"I understand," she replied very softly. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I've been hard on you, and I know the last couple of days haven't been easy for you."

I smiled. "You don't have to apologise, Esme. You were right. You all were. I should have told you, and I'm sorry I didn't. I shouldn't have lied to Bella, either, and I just hope she'll forgive me. I have to believe to that she will." For even though I had made up my mind, I didn't know what I would do if she didn't forgive me. I didn't allow myself to think that far ahead.

"I'm sure she will," Esme said. "She loves you." But Esme knew just as well as I did that love sometimes wasn't enough, and even though she tried to hide it from me and bury it under a mountain of trivia I saw the spark of doubt in her mind like. She wanted to believe that things would be alright, that we'd have our fairytale happy ending, but she was realist enough to consider the possibility that we might never be together again.

"Let's not," I said, my voice rough, "let's not go there, alright?"

"I'm sorry," Esme replied, managing a smile. "You're right. I know you said you wanted to do this alone, but if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask. Never be afraid to ask your family for help."

"I will," I promised.

"Good. And now you could give me a hand with those papers. I'm trying to locate an order confirmation I seem to have misplaced." Esme wrinkled her nose. "I know I haven't. I've never misplaced anything, not even before. But my client keeps insisting that we already bought tiles for the master bathroom and refuses to sign the order even though I know that we didn't. He's driving me crazy. First those inlays and now this." She gave a frustrated sigh. "I'm beginning to regret I ever took this job. Humans are so… peculiar sometimes."

I laughed. "I think the word you wanted was insane."

Esme glared at me, her eyes twinkling with laughter. "No, I didn't. That wouldn't have been very polite now, would it, and one must always be polite. At least that's what Carlisle keeps telling me, but that man has the patience of a saint and I don't."

It was nice, talking to Esme about problems that had nothing at all to do with me and Bella. It was relaxing, and it reminded me that life went on, that the world didn't stop turning just because I felt like it. Jasper was right. I wasn't the centre of the universe where everything revolved around me and me alone, but I'd needed someone else to point that out for me. I had to change that.

There were a lot of things I had to change and I would try, but our nature was such that, even if I gave my very best, I might still fail in the end. That's how things were with us, and I wouldn't know what I'd do if that happened. But for now I'd take my own advice and cross that bridge when I got to it.

After Esme left I went upstairs into my room to busy myself with looking for a car for Alice. She'd mentioned—well, it had been on her mind last night—that she liked Bella's Porsche and that, I thought, would be the perfect car for her. Clicking through at least a few hundred websites, it still didn't take me long to find a model she would like and in a colour that, knowing my sister, would make her squeal with delight when the vision came to her. I smiled as I hit the order button. At least Alice would be happy.

Around five Jasper and Alice returned from school, the latter briefly dashing upstairs to throw herself around my neck for buying her that car before they left to pick up first Bella and then Carlisle; Rose and Emmett's flight would arrive in less than three hours. Alice didn't ask me if I wanted to join them, already knowing the answer. I'd never been Rosalie's favourite person, and with Bella there her already fragile mood was under enough strain as it was. Adding myself to the equation wasn't a very good idea.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked.

"About what?"

I rolled my eyes at Alice's innocent question, and she pouted. She knew exactly what I was talking about, and she knew that I knew. Still, I decided to humour her. "Throwing Bella and Rosalie together. Rosalie's never liked Bella much, and I believe the feeling's mutual."

"Fine." She sighed and parked herself on the edge of the bed I'd never used, legs pulled up against her chest. "No, I'm not sure. But the sooner they'll get it out of their system the better." Her usually cheerful eyes were serious when she looked up at me. "We can't afford this kind of squabble. We have a killer to catch, and Victoria's not going to make it easy for us. Even knowing that it's her, I can't see a thing." Alice ran her hand through her hair, frustrated. "It's driving me mad."

"I know." I sat down beside her. "We will find her. We have to." I smiled. "For Bella."

Alice sighed. "Yeah." She got up and pulled down the long shirt she was wearing today to smooth out the creases. "I'm off now. Wish me luck." With that she disappeared.

—

I found myself waiting more eagerly for their return than I usually would have, perversely curious to see how things would play out. I still didn't think that Alice's idea was that great, because I knew better than her how Rosalie felt about Bella. They'd never quite liked each other—though it had been hard for me to tell with Bella—and I doubted they would now, so my surprise was great when it was Bella who dropped Rosalie off around nine and Carlisle, Jasper, Alice and Emmett were nowhere to be seen.

Which at least explained Rosalie's mood.

Walking to the window, I looked outside in time to see Rosalie stepping out of the car and slamming the door shut behind her so hard it sent vibrations through the entire frame. Bella's lips were pressed together in a tight line, her knuckles straining white against her skin as she yanked the steering wheel around the second Rosalie was out of her way. The car spun around, its engine howling angrily, and off she sped, sending snow flying in every direction as its tyres spun wildly. Rosalie glared after the car, her back rigid, then she turned and stalked up the front stairs. "Edward," she screeched as soon as she'd closed the door behind her, thundering up the stairs and into my room with none of her usual grace. "What the hell is she doing here?" she demanded, poison in her voice.

I felt my lips twitch. Rosalie picked up on it immediately, and her mood was such that she went straight for my jugular. Seeing her intentions a split-second before her body actually executed the movement, I dove out of the way and Rosalie, too caught up in her fury to think straight, slammed into into my desk. It all but exploded, splinters of wood shooting in every direction. Things didn't usually get this physical between us, despite the fact that both of us had a bit of a temper, but then most of the time Emmett was here to rein Rosalie in.

What the hell was Alice thinking?

Turning, Rosalie folded her arms in front of her chest and glared at me, but at least her outburst seemed to have taken the edge off, so she—probably—wouldn't jump me again, depending on what I said and did.

It was always so complicated with Rosalie.

"What is she doing here?" she repeated icily.

"She works at the Alaska Regional," I replied, trying for a normal conversation. Rosalie and I hadn't had very many of those lately. In fact, we didn't talk much at all, but when we did we snarled at each other more often than not. It was tiresome. I didn't know what exactly Rosalie's problem was, because Rosalie herself didn't seem to know. "And she's been in Anchorage for almost a year, which means she was here first."

"That's not what I meant," Rosalie snarled back. "Why is she a vampire?"

I raised an eyebrow, unable to resist the temptation to play. Just a little. "Isn't that obvious?"

Rosalie growled, followed by a string of curses Esme would have been shocked to hear out of her mouth and then she stalked past me out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her, which effectively ended our conversation. That and the fact that Carlisle's Mercedes was just coming around the bend, and Rosalie didn't want to get an earful from either her husband or our father.

I sighed as I looked down at the mess she had left. Greyish dust had settled on almost every surface, and the desk, or what was left of it, was surrounded by a halo of splinters. Carefully, I lifted up its mangled remains. I would have to get rid of it before Esme came home. She didn't need to see this, not because I wanted to protect Rosalie—she didn't deserve it—but because I didn't want Esme to worry about our almost-fight.

I sighed again, deciding that I'd better burn it then, and carried it downstairs. Carlisle looked at me funnily as I passed him on the way to the basement, but he didn't ask, thinking that he didn't want to know, for if he didn't, then he wouldn't be able to tell Esme about it. "Emmett's outside," as he dropped his bag by the little table in the hallway and shrugged out of his coat. "Damage control."

"Bringing Bella might not have been the best idea I've had today," Alice admitted as she and Jasper entered. Emmett and Rosalie had left and were too far away for me to read their thoughts. I didn't mind that at all. It also meant that they wouldn't hear what was said, so there was no need for tactfulness. "Boy, you should have seen Rosalie's face." Alice slowly shook her head at the memory, and I felt my lips twitch into a smile. "It was priceless. But, yes, I shouldn't have talked Bella into coming. She probably won't talk to me for days." Alice sighed, tossed her jacket beside Carlisle's coat and walked into the living-room, planning to curl up in an armchair and watch TV.

She never made it that far.

In a way, I was as used to seeing the future as Alice was. I couldn't turn my gift on and off, so if I was nearby when Alice had a vision I would see it too, and then I was used to the flux of images anyway. It no longer caught me off guard, but when the vision popped into Alice's mind and, a split-second later, into my own I still gasped. Alice did, too. Jasper was at her side so fast I didn't see him move, holding her as the images assaulted her.

Carlisle was looking from Alice to me, then turned to face Jasper, alarmed. "What is it?" he asked, his voice tight.

Jasper gently shook Alice's shoulder, willing her to talk to him. "Alice?" Not for the first time he wished that he could share what Alice and I shared, could see those pictures that held Alice captive and that had wrapped themselves around my chest so tight I found it hard to breathe.

"It's Bella," I managed, my voice strangely thin. Carlisle's head snapped around to me again. "Victoria's decided to make a move."

—

OK, reading the ending again, I realize this really a crappy time for writer's block. I'm really, really sorry for the cliffhanger.