Thanks so, so much to all of my wonderful reviewers! I love you all and this chapter, and all of the others, are for you!

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"What?!" I fumed, "Why? Why did you give them permission, Carlisle?"

"I couldn't not!" he replied defensively, "It's not only what they want, it's what Bella wants too."

"Wants?" I argued, naturally, "Wanted, Carlisle. She wanted it before the accident, you said so yourself!"

"I really doubt that she's changed her mind, son," Carlisle murmured.

"But what about me? What about what I want?" I wanted her to stay. No, more than that. I wanted her to want to stay.

"Edward you don't own her," Carlisle reminded me, "I took your feelings into consideration" – I snorted rudely and Esme scolded me through her thoughts, but I ignored her as thoroughly as I ignored everybody else – "but it is not how you feel that really matters. Surely you want what's best for her? Surely you want for her what she wants?"

"Yes," I muttered begrudgingly.

"Besides, we don't know how long she'll be out for, or even if she will manage to hold on."

"She will!" I cried, in denial, "She will. She's strong, Carlisle."

"Edward, you know her chances as well as I do," Carlisle whispered.

"She will," I repeated.

"But you can't be sure. If she doesn't manage to hold on, isn't it better for her if she dies near to home, near to where she wants to be?"

"She won't die, Carlisle!" I shouted. If I could cry, my tears would be raging beyond control. Nobody spoke.

Finally, Alice broke the awkward silence, "There's another way around this…" she whispered, showing me the idea in her head.

"No!" I growled, "No, Alice. I can't subject her to this life."

"Edward, it's not a bad idea," Esme said thoughtfully. I could see it now in her head. Bella a part of our family her eyes a bright crimson, stood next to me, and I was smiling. But I couldn't do it. I didn't want that. I didn't want a beautiful, innocent creature like Bella to be damned to this half-life.

"Edward, she is dying," Carlisle told me. He wasn't aware of how his words burned me, "It would be easy to pull off. We can tell her parents that she just didn't make it… and you can keep her forever. I wouldn't usually agree to this, but… under the circumstances…"

"No, Carlisle, I can't do it," I whispered, meaning it in more way than one. As much as I wanted this future for myself, I didn't want it for Bella, not at all. And I wasn't sure that I would be able to stop… as soon as I tasted her blood… I wouldn't stop… I didn't think that I could.

"I can do it for you," he offered.

"No, Carlisle you don't understand," I shook my head, "She deserves so much more. I can't condemn her to this."

"But is death better?" Alice said, raising an eyebrow at me and I could see her thoughts. If Bella died, that was it. I was going with her. But Alice knew as well as I did that the future could change.

"Bella's not going to die, Alice," I sighed, "That's just what could happen if she does. But she won't."

"What did you see, Alice?" Esme asked.

"Nothing," Alice lied, holding my gaze. It was clear that no one believed her, but they left it at that, not sure if they wanted to know what she had seen.

I don't know why he's so desperate to stay with her all of a sudden, Rosalie's bitchy thoughts were beginning to get on my nerves.

"When can I go and see her?" I turned to Carlisle.

"Tomorrow morning, when I go in," Carlisle replied, "The ambulance from Phoenix will be here at twelve o'clock. You can come in with me at eight." If you want to, he added in his head. He was worried that seeing her again wouldn't make the separation any easier, but I had made my decision. Now I just had to wait for one night before I could see my angel again.

BPOV

Tomorrow. When was tomorrow? I didn't know how fast time went whilst I was stuck like this. It was no good them telling me that I would be transferred to Phoenix tomorrow when I didn't even know when that was. For all I knew, the accident could've been an hour ago, even though it felt like years.

Oh, no. Had it been years? Would I wake up to look in the mirror and see myself like a giant shrivelled prune?

But now I was pretty certain that I wasn't dead or sleeping. I had found a third option: Edward had been here (wherever here was) talking to me, just like my parents and the doctors had. I was surprised that I hadn't thought of that before. I guessed that it must have been because I wasn't paying much attention to these people before, but now I listened to every word they spoke, just in case they said anything about Edward.

I thought now that this third option, could possibly be the most likely, even though it seemed impossible. It was the one I wanted to be true anyway. I decided that I couldn't be sleeping or I would've woken by now. Weren't dreams only supposed to last thirty seconds? And dead? Well, that was still an option, but if I was in heaven, or even halfway there, there wouldn't be this nothingness. And my parents wouldn't be this sad, and nor would the doctors bother me. This wasn't the sanctuary I had considered that heaven would be like.

I concluded that Edward had come to see me here (although the reasoning behind this visit was beyond me), just as my parents did frequently. However, I was convinced that he wouldn't come back again, though I still hoped.

I don't know how long I lay there for, but the next thing that I was conscious of was the door being opened and two people walking in. Having no sight had heightened my other senses, especially my hearing.

"How is she, Carlisle?" Edward spoke. I felt my heart give a jolt, and the monitor expressed it out loud. Suddenly someone was holding my hand, and Edward whispered in my ear, "Bella? Bella, can you hear me?" he sounded amazed.

"She's no better Edward," Carlisle, I presumed, replied. And this time, I knew that I wasn't imagining it, because he had said Edward. There was no way it could be anyone else.

Abruptly, a loud beep went off. Someone silenced it almost immediately.

"I've got to go," Carlisle told Edward, "You'll be okay, won't you? Her parents are coming at ten. Be gone by then."

The next thing I heard was the door shutting gently. Gone by ten? How long was that? I didn't want him to leave ever.

"Can you hear me, Bella?" he asked again. I wanted more than anything to reply, to tell him why my parents would be here soon, that I was being made to leave. I desperately wanted to beg him to let me stay, to persuade them that I didn't want to go. But he didn't know that I didn't want to go, and I couldn't tell him.

There was a clicking noise, and I couldn't figure out what it was at first. Then Edward said, "I don't know if you can hear this, Bella, but I wrote it for you."

Then the most beautiful piece of music I had ever heard filled the room quietly. It was a lullaby and it was gorgeous. He had written it? For me? But why?

EPOV

"Can you hear me, Bella?" I repeated, but her heart didn't respond. My hope was gone again.

I stared at her for a minute. Her beauty struck me as it had the first time that I had walked into this room. It was strange that I had never thought of how gorgeous she was before I had realised how I felt before. Now I couldn't imagine thinking her plain and ordinary, as I had originally considered her.

I fingered the tape and player in my hand, and then plugged it in and slipped the tape in.

"I don't know if you can hear this, Bella, but I wrote it for you," I muttered. As the lullaby filled the room, I stared at her, memorizing her every feature. I knew that Carlisle was right, that I was being selfish, but I couldn't bear Bella leaving.

No, I reprimanded myself. This would be the last time that I would see her. I wouldn't act on selfish impulse any more. But before she left, there were a few things that she had to know.

The song came to an end and I stopped the tape. For a moment, there was only the sound of Bella's heart beat and my even breathing.

"Bella," I whispered, unsure of where to start, "You have to go back to Phoenix, and I have to stay here. I have to stay away from you. You wouldn't want me near you anyway, no matter what I want. I want to follow you everywhere, but I can't. I'm not right for you, Bella. You're beautiful, strong, caring, kind and the most unselfish person I've ever met. I'm… well, I'm a monster." Even I could hear the agony in my own voice as I explained.

I took a deep breath, practically welcoming the burning – I would be grateful for it as long as it was here, because, if that was here, then so was Bella – and continued, "It both senses. I'm selfish and I want things I can't have. I want things that are dangerous to everybody else, and I keep putting you at risk, just by being here. That's the other monster I am, Bella.

"I'm not human, Bella," I admitted, glad, for once, that she could not react to anything I said, because this would no doubt scare her. But she had to know, even though it was against the rules, "I'm dangerous, I'm not good enough to be near to you. I could snap your body like you humans can snap toothpicks. I shouldn't be here, but I'm not strong enough to stay away. I couldn't stay away, Bella. But now I'm putting you in danger, and I'm so sorry."

Edward! Carlisle's frantic thoughts caught me off-guard, Edward, the timing's been re-arranged. Bella's parents are on their way here now and the ambulance won't be far behind. They re-arranged this whilst I was at home last night, so I didn't know. I'm so sorry, Edward, but you have to leave quickly.

I moaned quietly. There was so much more that I wanted to tell Bella, so much that I wanted to admit, but I would have to settle for the most important.

"I'll miss you, Bella," I whispered, leaning my face towards hers, judging my self-control. It seemed okay, so I pressed my ice-cold lips to her warm, unresponsive ones and kissed her. I realised that this was something I had always wanted to do, ever since I first lay eyes on her.

When I pulled away, I rested my forehead on hers and sighed.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I'll leave you now. I love you," I whispered, and then turned to leave, deliberately leaving the tape player and tape there for her. Nobody but Carlisle and I would know who left it there. And Bella. I didn't look back, I couldn't. It would hurt so much more. I leapt lithely from the window, wondering where I would run to this time, because one thing was for sure: I couldn't stay for any longer.

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Quote from the next chapter:

"Hello Bella," Carlisle said to me gently as he sat on the bed; his eyes were full of questions, "How are you?"

I opened my mouth again, but all I could say was, "Where is he? Where's he gone?"

"Who?" Mom asked Carlisle, "Who's she talking about? What's the matter with her?"

"Edward. Where's Edward?" I sobbed hysterically.

Yes, she wakes up in the next chapter! But has Edward gone too far to come back?

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Steph