Chapter Nine: Closet

I was running as fast as I could, to try to get as far as possible for him. Part of me wanted to run into his arms and kiss him until we were both out of breath. Another part of me wanted to run away from him, to never look into his face again. And a third part of me was too confused by the other two to do anything except run.

And so I ran.

I was counting on the fact that Edward didn't know this place as well as me –not that I knew it well– and that my scent lingered around the whole place, so I would be harder to follow that way.

I heard him coming after me. He was faster than me. Damn it. He was catching up to me, and I knew it. The only thing I could do was hide somewhere or make sure he couldn't back me into a corner. I didn't like my choices.

Finally, I dodged into a room, and closed the door. I looked up, briefly, and saw that it was a storage closet for the humans who worked here. It was a little bigger than a broom closet, so I was screwed if he found me because it would be oh so easy to corner me in here.

I stopped breathing s I listened. I heard him approaching, and then he stopped outside the door. He turned the knob, but my hand was holding it fast.

"Bella?" He asked.

Automatically, I said, "Isabella." Damn my traitorous mouth!

He sighed. "Isabella. You used to hate being called that." His voice sounded wistful. I shook my head and put it under my imagination. He waited, as if he expected me to comment.

I didn't.

"Look, B–Isabella, I just…why did you run from me?" He asked softly. I frowned. Of all the things I had expected him to say, this was not one of them.

"Why would I stay when I would get hurt again? A heart, even a dead one, can only stand so many breaks." I whispered, my eyes closed.

I heard the intake of his breath at the sound of my voice.

"What do you mean? I wouldn't hurt you again! I promised–"

"A promise you broke!" I said, my voice still a musical whisper of pain.

"How can you say that? You're the one who left the note!" He said, confusion evident in his voice.

"What note? You left me a note saying you had grown tired of me and then Aro kidnapped me!" I said through clenched teeth.

Edward was silent for a long moment. "But I found a note from you saying that you left with Aro because you got tired of waiting for me to change you." He said. I frowned again.

"No I didn't." I said.

"Well, I certainly did not grow tired of you." He said. I thought of this, and as I was thinking, the door knob was turned suddenly and he opened the door.

I looked into his deep, golden eyes, and saw my own ruby ones staring back at me.

I backed away, into a corner.

He stayed where he was, watching me.

Finally, he spoke. "Are you afraid of me?" He asked softly.

I could have laughed, if I had not stopped laughing more than two years ago.

"I am a vampire. I am a Volturri. I could kill you if I wanted to." I said, my voice betraying the truth. That yes, I was afraid. But not of him, just of his thoughts of me.

He frowned.

"You really are one of them?" He asked softly, looking down at the floor.

"Yes." I murmured. "Aro changed me. Aro has claimed me. I am his." I said softly.

Edward snarled and looked up, furious.

Finally, I realized what I had said. "No Edward, I didn't sleep with him. That is Jane's place, not mine." I said, almost wishing the evil little brat could have heard that. Oh how it would have infuriated her.

Edward relaxed, the scowling smoothing out to a look of…love.

I looked away.

"Tell me Bella," I hissed at my name, for it still brought pain, even though he was there. "Isabella. Do you still love me?" I looked up, shocked.

He took a step foreword, and I shrunk more.

"I haven't loved anyone in two years." I murmured. I decided I would wait to tell him that yes, I did still love him. If I gave him too many of my weaknesses, he could take me down. Mentally or physically.

"What about Demetri then?" He spat the name, much as he used to spit out another name…the name of an adolescent werewolf that had fallen in love with me…

I sighed. "No. He wishes me to, but I don't. I can't." I whispered. I almost smiled wryly as I thought of how I sounded. I sounded like him. I sounded like I was from another time period. I recalled being human, and trying, but failing, to sound the way he did. To speak fluidly. As he did, as I did, as every vampire did.

Edward was again silent. I wondered if my thoughts were still invisible to him. They must have been, for he didn't move as I thought his name.

Hadn't our positions been reversed, the last time we were both in Italy together?

Hadn't he been the one in need of rescuing, and I, the one to rescue him? If slamming into him and getting more bruises than I could count could be called rescuing…

But now, it seemed he felt that he had to rescue me. There was one problem. I didn't want to be rescued. Not by him, not by anyone.

'Don't lie to yourself Isabella! Of course you still love him, and you want him to rescue you, even if you don't really need to be rescued.' I thought at myself.

Edward sighed. I thought for a moment that he had heard my thoughts…

"Fine. I'll leave then. If the Volturri are your new family, and you don't want me anymore, I'll leave." He said, backing out of the room.

I was shocked. He was leaving me, again? Then I shook myself. This time, he wasn't leaving me. I was driving him away.

A/N Yay!!! Okay, this one is already longer than all my other stories, and I'm not sure how much longer it's gonna get….please don't hate me for Bella being so….depressed. Remember, this is after Eclipse so she's already in pain from when he left her before, because she thinks he broke his promise to her, and just seeing him hurts her again. Okay, please review!