I don't own Twilight.

~ X. ~

Atlanta, GA

Monday, August 17, 1931

I should've known it couldn't end well. I wasn't meant to lead this happy life that, for a short period, had seemed within reach. I desperately chased the simple story where two people fall in love, get married, and have kids. Of course with my luck the only girl I wanted it with, I couldn't really have. Not completely anyway.

I'm an all or nothing kind of guy, and I knew that about myself going in, which is why I should have avoided her. But Bella was too enticing to resist, and soon I was too entranced by the girl to see what was happening right before my eyes. The slight hints whenever she talked about money ... I should've predicted it.

Yet even if I'd remained entirely unaffected by her charms, even if I hadn't fallen for her, I wouldn't have been able to predict the twisted events that occurred at her parents' house, or Bella's response. No, not in my wildest imagination could I have conjured this up.

Upon Alec's return around lunch on Sunday, I left Bella's room and took a shower. I knew something was amiss when I walked out into the garden a bit later on to find Alec and Bella were sitting together quietly sipping drinks. The silence wasn't odd in itself, but something about their behavior seemed strange and amiss. Bella's mind seemed like it was somewhere else when I greeted her; she barely acknowledged me. Alec seemed anxious. He kept on wringing his hands while throwing nervous, quick glances in Bella's direction. She didn't react. In fact, she ignored him, opting to stare off farther into the distance. I didn't have time to worry or question their conduct, since we all got up shortly after and went back to our respective rooms to get ready for the soiree Bella's parents were hosting.

While Alec and I were waiting in the entryway ready to leave, I wondered whether they'd gotten into some kind of fight when I was showering earlier.

Alec had lent me a tuxedo that miraculously fit perfectly. I didn't recognize myself as I stared into the large mirror leaning against the wall. So much about my appearance had changed since the last time I'd taken a look. The man reflected in the mirror looked not only nicely dressed and properly nourished, he also appeared more alive.

A car arrived minutes later to take us to the party and Alec called for Bella to come downstairs.

"I'm not ready. Go by yourself, Alec. I don't care," she yelled back, an edge to her voice. Bella's reaction was uncharacteristically brash.

Alec didn't react; just sighed in resignation and nervously straightened his cufflinks. We waited for her, I smoking cigarettes and Alec reading a trade paper. Neither of us exchanged a word.

After a half hour wait, Bella appeared at the top of the steps, her face transformed with makeup into a stoic mask. She looked beautiful, too beautiful for a human being made out of flesh and blood, as she glided down the stairs in a pale pink satin gown. Cool and statuesque, she moved emotionlessly like a china doll across the marble stairs. She passed us and slid into the backseat of the car without acknowledging either of us.

I was starting to worry then. The girl I'd spent the night with was gone, and all that was in front of me was a porcelain shell, empty and devoid of emotion. I was tempted to pull her to the side to ask her what was wrong, but there seemed no time for it and every time I made an attempt, she slipped away.

Bella remained perched her seat perfectly still behind me, staring out the window. Alec, sitting next to her, looked like he was strongly affected by her distant behavior. I watched him in the rearview mirror looking sullen and sad, chancing glances at her every so often. He opened his mouth several times, as if he was about to say something, but then, dismissing the thought, closed it again.

We'd left the French Quarter and ended up on a main avenue with larger than life mansions on either side, when the car came to a halt in front of one particularly large, pompous one. I wanted to lean over to Bella and ask her what was going on, but before I had a chance, the car door was opened and she moved to exit the car.

Once we were outside, a butler dressed in a stiff white shirt, bow, and a black tailcoat greeted us. He whisked us through the double doors into the palatial front hall. Bella walked ahead of me with Alec, the crowds of people gathered there swallowing them quickly. The house was stuffed with people dressed to the nines in evening gowns and tuxedos. Some of the older women were decked out with jewelry like Christmas trees, their hands so heavily decorated that it seemed to take an effort to lift them.

I stalked through the masses of people who were chatting loudly into the next room to search for Bella and in the process entered a large room lined on one side by a buffet serving food and on the other side by a bar. The buffet had five different carving stations with glazed hams, roasted turkeys and beef. I didn't think I'd ever seen so much food piled up in my life. The bar on the other side was stocked with every imaginable kind of foreign liquor and decorated with ice figurines. I stared at the unfolding spectacle with a mixture of amusement and distaste.

Once I'd surveyed the scene, my eyes started searching in earnest again for Bella. When I didn't see her anywhere inside, I walked outside. The vast, lush garden extending behind the mansion was lit by a thousand little lights that were shining in chains from trees. A band, complete with a mini-orchestra, was playing dance music. Some guests were moving around the dance floor constructed on the lawn below the terrace, while others were lounging in groups on garden chaise longues. Waiters scurried around everywhere, picking up empty plates and holding up trays of champagne. I must have wandered around for an hour in search of her, but never caught a glimpse, before I decided to get a drink. The waste of food and rapid consumption of extravagant, and still illegal, booze in front of me was appalling, yet I couldn't resist a drink that wouldn't taste like swill.

I was ordering a scotch when I finally noticed Bella standing at the door, glancing around; the mask on her face had temporarily slipped away. She didn't see me. As she passed through the sea of people on her way through the room, her face quickly turned into the same mask she'd worn coming down the stairs at Alec's house. She looked perfect, no hair out of place and her lipstick still vibrantly red on her lips. A portly looking man in a suit, adorned on his arm by a dainty woman was walking head of Bella, seemingly leading the way. The woman clinging onto the hefty man appeared even smaller and fragile next to him. The double-stranded diamond chokers around her delicate throat seemed to be suffocating her, depriving her of life. Her physical form bore no resemblance to Bella, yet I knew it was her mother by the glassy, far-away look in her eyes. I assumed the man whose arm she was holding on to was Bella's father. Alec appeared out of thin air, rushing after them hastily as they exited the French doors leading out into the yard.

Instinctively, I knew I would be intruding if I followed them and introduced myself. The girl walking behind her parents seemed aloof and foreign, as if she wasn't the same girl I'd just spent the night with. Still, I couldn't resist, pursuing them in hasty steps without bothering to wait for the drink. Outside, I saw them nearing the podium where the band was set up. Bella and her family walked up onto the stage, followed closely by Alec. Another couple stepped up behind him. The man looked like a thirty-year-older version of Alec, almost an exact replica aside from some graying hair around his temples. The woman accompanying him had bright red hair, obviously dyed, which framed a small delicate face with a pointy nose and thinly arched eyebrows.

I didn't know for certain what exactly would happen next, but I suddenly had the ominous feeling in my gut that this was not just any party. Without further ado, the man I assumed to be Bella's father started speaking about the close ties between Alec's family and their own, and how what brought them here tonight would only serve to strengthen those very same ties. I knew then what was about to follow, but yet his announcement hit me like a strong punch in the stomach, leaving me gasping for air. When I finally inhaled, a sharp stab of pain sliced through my heart, my esophagus burned and bile rose, his words ringing in my ears "… and so it is with great pleasure that I announce the engagement of my only daughter to Mr. Alec …"

A forced smile appeared on Bella's face as her father requested the guests to raise their glasses in honor of the beautiful, young couple and then disappeared as her eyes came to rest on me. I held her gaze for a second, before I blinked and escaped as fast as I could through the clapping and cheering company toward the front door.

The butler gave me a puzzled look as I ran past him onto the street. I heard him calling after me, asking whether he could call me cab, but I didn't stop. I was almost at the next street corner, when I heard her voice.

"Edward. Wait!"

I wanted to keep running, but my feet wouldn't carry me. I came to an abrupt halt, breathing heavily. I let her catch up with me, though I couldn't get myself to turn around to face her. I clenched my fists and remained motionless. She gave in and walked around me. Standing in from of me I tried to ignore her unsuccessfully. Tears were streaming down her face, leaving grayish trails on her cheeks. The carefully put on mask was gone. As mad and hurt as I felt, I couldn't help but feel empathy for the girl in front of me; the girl I was in love with.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know until this afternoon. I love you. Nothing is going to change that. You have to know that." Her voice sounded exhausted and tired as she pleaded for me to acknowledge her, not daring to touch me.

I pulled my hair in frustration, looking up at the starless, black sky. I was torn. Part of me wanted to console her, tell her that everything would be alright, even though I knew nothing would ever be the same again. The other part wanted to run and not look back. I didn't want to be part of this world. My resolve to walk away was slowly waning; I couldn't find the strength.

"Nothing has to change, Edward. Alec won't care. But my family needs the money. My father's business is on the verge of bankruptcy, and Alec's is incredibly wealthy."

Something in me snapped as my brain made the logical conclusion to her suggestion and I unleashed my anger at her.

"Are you out of your mind? Are you even listening to yourself? Nothing has to change?" I shouted, barely recognizing my own voice in rage. My eyes found hers and I blazingly glared, scorching her. Anger had won out, compassion was swept away; she could only attempt to avoid my burning stare by looking at the ground. More tears came rolling down her cheeks.

"There is no other way. They will be left with nothing if I don't marry Alec, don't you see? I cannot let that happen." She fell down on her knees in front of me, her dress settling around her on the stones like a cloud against darkening skies. I couldn't take it any longer. I knelt down and pulled her up into my arms. I wanted to hold her one last time for my own selfish reasons.

"I'll move to Atlanta, Edward. Alec won't care what I do. He has promised me that."

I wouldn't be able to agree to what she was asking of me – all or nothing; carrying on an affair with her, while she was married to someone else wasn't something I could live with.

"How long will the engagement last? When will you get married?" I asked, an idea forming in my head.

"Probably a year," she murmured against my chest.

I understood her motives better than she could imagine. I don't know if I ever would have sacrificed my own future to save my family. The way I feel about her though leads me to the conclusion that I probably would have chosen her over my family. Yet I couldn't fault her for the decision she made. Instead, I unleashed my animosity and disappointment at the people who put her in the position – her parents, wasting money and living the life of luxury at the cost of their daughter's happiness.

"A year." I contemplated what I could do in a year. I couldn't go back to school. Only one person, one solution, came to my mind. It will have to work, I told myself. Determined, I cupped her face with my hands and turned her head so that she had to look at me. "Wait for me; give me a year. I will come for you before you get married. I promise."

"But how, Edward? Please don't leave me. In a year, nothing will have changed," she answered, shaking her head.

"Please, Bella. Wait for me. I'll make enough money somehow. I'll have to leave Atlanta, but I promise you, I'll be back. Don't ask me how. But please don't get married until next August," I begged.

She nodded silently in agreement. Too brief a kiss, a hushed "I love you" and she was gone. Thunder erupted as her silhouette disappeared in the darkness, and rain started pouring from the sky. I walked back to Alec's house, drenched to the bone by the time I arrived. I used the key he had given me, and once inside packed my bag in a hurry to leave town immediately. I jumped on the night train back to Atlanta before midnight.

The train ride felt like it was never ending. While I drifted in and out of a hazy, restless sleep, with Bella's tear stained face appearing every time I closed my eyes completely.

I need to leave soon to see Aro. Hopefully he will be open to my proposal and maybe it will be enough. My plan sounds crazy even to me, but I have to give it a try. If I fail, there'll be nothing left for me.

Wednesday, August 19, 1931

It's all set and I'm ready to leave this town behind.

I entered the grimy speakeasy on a Monday night and walked straight to the door leading to Aro's office. I knocked once and was let in without questioning. It almost looked like Aro was expecting me. He greeted me with no hint of surprise in his voice, as if I was an old acquaintance who'd visited him on a regular basis. In fact, I had only seen him a half a dozen of times before.

I presented him with my business proposal and he agreed. I will smuggle imported liquor on the black market for him. Not the cheap shit he gets from the local distiller, but the expensive, imported stuff. The prohibition couldn't last for much longer, I warned. In this depressing era, people need something to drown their worries in, I told him. I could provide him with decent stuff at bargain prices, and we can turn it into something legit the minute the draught is over.

I'm leaving for New York City tomorrow morning. I hope the longshoremen back home remember me. They used to be my friends when I worked the docks during college. I helped to unionize them; I'm not sure it came as a blessing to all of them, but most of the workers did get better wages in return. Hopefully my efforts weren't for nothing. With some luck, I know they'll help me. I'll need the help of the union bosses as well if I want my plan to work. That might take some convincing, but I think I can handle them. Cold hard cash will do most of the work for me.

If you told me two months ago about what I set out to do now, I would have declared you insane. Now all bets are off. Anything goes. I've packed up my room and sold my books. No use for them where I'm going.

Thanks for reading. Feedback would be lovely.