Hey guys! I hope everything is going great because I have a new chapter! And I think that it is the longest yet! It is definitely the most suspenseful.

This chapter also changes points of view. Take note when it says that it is Edward's point of view. Sorry for the inconvienence, but it has to be like this. You will see why when you get there.

I am warning you that this chapter has a huge cliffy. I will try to send the next (and last) chapter to my beta tonight so you can have it soon. Unfortunately, I also have exams this coming week on Friday and Saturday and next week on Monday and Tuesday (yes, I have finals on Saturday... boarding school sometimes sucks!) So, I will probably not update on the Thursday before that or those days. The good news, though, is that I am planning on writing a new story after Tuesday. :D I have the first chapter, but I didn't want to post anything until this one finished.

With all that said, I hope you enjoy it! Please review at the end.

Chapter 16

Bella POV

Today was Sunday: the deciding day. The Volturi were going to call a meeting tonight at midnight to find out if I had gained my memory back. As of now, the answer would be no. I hope that will change.

Edward said that we would take a hike in the forest to try to get my memory back. I agreed because it meant that I would be spending time with him. For some reason, I knew that I trusted Edward, no matter what. I didn't know how close Edward and I had been before, but I was definitely close to him now.

During the walk to the forest, Edward had held my hand. I was amazed at how a perfect person like Edward would want an imperfect person like me. I have never found anything that I did not like about Edward yet. Edward, on the other hand, would become still for a second before realizing that we were supposed to be walking. I was wondering if he had a lot on his mind when he stopped.

Edward pulled both him and me on the forest floor. We seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, but I really didn't mind; after all, I was with Edward. Soon, Edward had produced a sandwich from a picnic basket that he had been carrying with his other hand. I didn't realize how hungry I had been from the walking.

"So, Bella, do you remember anything new from that walk?" he enthusiastically asked.

"Should I have?" I wondered.

"No," he replied, saddened a little.

"Edward, what is going to happen tonight?" I wanted to know what would happen to me.

"It depends. I don't really know. The Volturi are full of secrets," he whispered. Luckily, I heard his shushed words.

It became silent, and I did not want to break the silence. When I was finished eating, I put all my stuff back in the basket.

"Are you eating?" I asked. It was only today that I noticed that he had not eaten the whole time.

"No. I am trying to go on a diet," he said.

"Well, I doubt that starving yourself is not very healthy," I replied back.

"I ate a salad before we came," he explained, twitching his nose a little.

"Oh," I said, feeling stupid. I didn't notice that.

"Would you like to lie down with me? It's a beautiful day," he said, patting the ground next to him.

I lied down, but I didn't agree with the last statement. Edward noticed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, noticing my discomfort.

"It's just that the sun isn't exactly out. It's not a beautiful day unless the sun is out" I explained my side of the story to him. Apparently, we had different ideas of a beautiful day.

"I like when it's cloudy," he said in a small voice, barely loud enough for me to hear.

We both let the topic drop. Instead, we lay down on the grass, enjoying each other's company.

I don't know how long we lay there, but it had become dark. A few seconds after this realization, we were interrupted by a rustling of the trees. Edward immediately jumped up. Alice had come out of the trees, noticing some other danger across from her.

Alice looked panic-stricken, to say the least. She had deep black eyes, and she had a grimace on her face. She was looking at the other side of the field, which made both Edward and I look that way also.

A woman and a boy came close to Edward. The woman had fire-red hair and red eyes, and she was very pale. She seemed to be enjoying the awkwardness, as her evil smile became wider with each second.

The boy was also pale and had red eyes, but he was a brunette. He was way shorter than her, but he would still be taller than Alice and me. He looked to be about 15.

"Alice, bring her to the city! Make sure nothing happens!" Edward yelled at her while Alice grabbed me.

Edward seemed like he was about to attack both the woman and the boy by himself. I silently prayed that he would not get hurt since Alice had grabbed my hand.

I didn't want to leave due to Edward, but Alice quickly started running, making me go with her. We ran until we were out of the forest, taking only a few minutes. Alice and I quickly walked into the city where we waited under the clock tower. I focused on trying to calm my breathing down because I was breathing extremely heavily.

"Alice, why don't we go back to the hotel?" I asked, confused as to why Alice and I were under the clock tower.

"Bella, the people in the forest would know where you are if we went down there. It's complicated," she said.

"Well, I have time," I retorted back.

"Bella, we really don't. I promised that I would not tell you anything. Unfortunately, I am bound to the law," she explained, saddened.

"Fine," I stomped my foot down, hoping that something would happen. Maybe, I could change the rules to find out just what had happened in the forest.

Edward's Point of View

Bella and I were lying down on the forest floor before we were interrupted. It had already turned night, which was a surprise to Bella. My eyes wandered to the cloudy sky to find out the time: 8:30.

Unfortunately, the person rustling in the woods to my left was keeping his/her thoughts from me, so I did not know who it was. I jumped up, bringing Bella with me.

Edward, I saw danger. Someone is coming. I will take Bella. The others are coming quickly. The fight dispersed over there, Alice explained, making me realize that it had been her. Unfortunately, rustling from the other side also made me realize that Bella and I were being attacked.

Just then, a woman and a boy came out of the trees. My scent recognized the boy as the one that had been in the hotel hunting Bella; I soon caught that his name was Riley. Victoria stood next to him, her hair flying in the wind like a wild forest fire. That's what she would be soon.

"Alice, bring her to the city! Make sure nothing happens!" I yelled while Alice grabbed Bella. I wanted Bella to get out of here before something happens.

Bella seemed unwilling to move, but Alice eventually made her go.

Carlisle came within a few seconds. Edward, Jasper, Emmett, and I are here to help. I will only come out of the forest. The other two will deliver a surprise attack, Carlisle said. I nodded in his direction as he came out of the forest and pounced on Victoria, who was utterly surprised. Carlisle took her down within seconds, making sure that she was dead. He did not start the fire yet, though.

The boy backed away as soon as he seen that his master had been killed.

"Riley, it's not too late. You can always turn back, be a good person," Carlisle warned.

"You killed her," Riley said with a vengeance. His voice wasn't as deep as other people. He was definitely a mere 16 when he had been turned.

"I'll take that as your answer," I said.

Jasper delivered a surprise attack upon him from the side. Riley jumped in surprise, and he was soon killed.

While Emmett and Jasper dismembered the rest of the bodies, I helped Carlisle set up the fire. Once aflame, I looked at it, wanting to go to Bella. She had to be a little scared now.

Edward, go to Bella. It is almost midnight, Carlisle said in his thoughts after the remains had been charred.

I looked at my watch: 11:45. Bella was with Alice for 3 hours? Wow, time flew by while trying to protect Bella.

I ran to Bella within 3 minutes, having only 12 minutes to spend with her. I ran up to her and hugged her with all of the power that I could manage without killing her. She hugged back.

"Bella, please tell me you remember," I said, hoping for a different answer than what I had been given before.

She looked to the ground and minutely moved her head. She had not. This killed me inside, but I tried not to show it for her sake. Alice could see my plans already, and she gave me a death glare.

"You're going to be okay," I said, hoping to cheer her up. Tears were almost running down her face.

With a minute left, I did the only thing that I could: I kissed her with all my passion. She gratefully returned the kissing, and our tongues were soon battling for dominance. Mine were winning, but hers were coming close to dominating.

We pulled away when the clock bell rang above us.

"Vampire," Bella breathed, just as breathless as I was.

OoOo... cliffy like I said, huh? I hope you enjoyed it! Like I said earlier, there is only one more chapter left. So, next chapter, discover where Bella's fate rests, and the meeting with the Volturi. Plus, a little piece of fluff at the end.

Thanks for sticking with me so far.

Please review! They make me really happy... literally.

xxAlicexBrandonxCullenxx