-"I'll Do It If You Won't"-

-Inspired By A Medley of Songs That Are Noted In Text-

-Yet Another Sequel/Chapter-

-Warning: Angst, and not for people who really like Bella. You've been warned. Characters are OOC.-

His eyes flickered down to meet hers. The colour of their eyes were twins, both an unnatural golden butterscotch, indicating that they had sated themselves recently. She glanced back at him, sighing for what seemed the umpteeth time. He was giving her that look again, and it made her very uncomfortable to tell the truth. She didn't want his scrutiny.

I wish you wouldn't look at me like that Edward.

He shakes his head dismissively, knowing that it cannot be helped, given the situation. He can't help --- in spite of all the angst he himself is feeling --- but be concerned for her as well, for surely she had suffered a loss as deep as his if not more so, for the love had actually been reciprocated, at least in the beginning. Alice is the lucky one, in his mind. She had something, while he... he thought he did. But clearly, his love had been misplaced, and he was trying to move on from the upset. However unsuccessfully....

Bella didn't... she didn't love him, that was the truth of the matter and Edward felt inadequate because of this. What did his brother have that was so much more... appealing? What had he done wrong? Why couldn't she love him? Did she ever feel even an inkling of affection for him, or was it all a clever, albeit hurtful ploy? Why couldn't she love him?

It was the question that played in his mind like a broken record. Edward just couldn't see where it had went wrong, so he mused that it must've been wrong from the start. It was the only viable explanation... well half-explanation, because there still was her choosing Jasper to contend with as far as answers went. Because honestly, he never expected it, Bella to want Jasper. There had never been any signs that she liked him, or vice versa. It was a veritable mystery, their attraction.

When he'd first found out about it, he'd believed it to be some sick kind of joke. Not his Bella. Not Alice's Jasper. Kidding, right?

Oh how he wished that were true, that it was all pretend. That at any moment his Bella would show up, beaming at him and proclaiming it'd all been in good fun. A early April Fool's prank to shock the two that could almost never be fooled with anything. The logic made sense in his mind, but Edward knew it wasn't a joke. She'd... done things with his brother, and so it had already gone much too far for a simple jest. No, they truly loved each other. The knowledge of that stung. Badly.

And here they were now, on a doorstep in rainy England, waiting on their brother and sister to let them in. Rosalie and Emmett had been away long enough, and the whole affair had been kept so hush-hush out of denial that neither knew what'd gone on at home. But now they would, and Alice and Edward were just going to tell them. Simple. If they couldn't be at home, they could still be with at least some of their family, right?

Edward chanced another glance at his companion.

She was wearing a sleek black raincoat, and he knew that underneath it was an entire outfit of ebony that served two purposes: one to wear mourning colours, for obvious reasons, and two, to cover as much skin as humanly possible. Alice was dressing like a widow, and in a way, Edward supposed she sort of was. It made him look at his charcoal and grey ensemble a little uneasily. Maybe a little black would do him up proper. It would be sensible, as he too was mourning the loss of a lover.

They're almost done now, she informs him inwardly, her face a tabula rasa. The sounds of love-making from the upper floor could be heard, and from both the images he was recieving, and judging by the noises themselves, she was right. Still, it was a touchy thing for the two of them to be subjected to listening to.

Alice tapped the end of her umbrella on the concrete step, slightly irritated. The moments seemed to stretch on longer now, and it was taking up her very limited patience currently. She seemed to have less to spare than in past years.

I wonder why... she thinks sourly to herself.

Alice. It's all he has to say; like a reprimand, though this is not for bad behaviour. He simply doesn't want her to continue with negative thoughts; they have a surplus of those at the moment, and it'll do her no good besides. So basically, the command is for her to cut it out. Spare herself a little bit a sanity, and to spare him her acidic notions.

I'm sorry I can't just stay quiet about it like you. It's harsh, she knows, but someone had to say it. Edward was keeping his reaction to himself, letting the bad feelings stew and mull around there, slowly poisoning his mind. The only real outlet through which you could see the hurt was his eyes. He couldn't hide it there, it was plain for everyone else to see that he was sad, that something heart-wrenching had happened to him.

Alice felt bad still, and decided not to say anything about it for a time, as her way of being sorry.

The two of them only had to wait a while longer before the sounds stopped, and they made it a point to knock on the oaken front door, calling attention to their being there. Footsteps were on the second floor, then down what must've been the stairs until they came to a halt nearby.

The door swung open, revealing two familiar faces, and the man grinned, somewhat surprised but still pleased to see his siblings out front. Next to him, his wife was carefully surveying them both, noticing something decidedly off-key about both, both in appearance and in manner. They seemed... angsty? And their clothes, well dark colours were all well and fine, but so much dark clothing was unusual for either. But maybe she was just seeing things... it's possible, Rosalie mused.

"You're not," Edward stated glumly. "We are."

Emmett meanwhile hadn't noticed these things, and had supposed they were just coming for a visit; he and Rose had been away for a while after all. He pulled a very unresponsive Alice into a hug, and welcomed her. "Hey sis, what's up? Where's my bro-in-law, not hiding I hope...."

She embraced him back, finding that she'd missed her brother and his incredibly sunny outlook on life. "Jasper's not with us, Emmett. He's at home," she settled for saying, and subsequently recieved a minor telling-off in her mind, courtesy of her less-than-optimistic brother, who reminded her that they were going to tell them about what had happened, not gloss over the subject.

Emmett set her back down after a second, and moved to go greet his little brother, while a very curious Rosalie was glancing at her long-time sister, reaffirming in her mind that something was fishy about this situation. Now it was just a matter of what. Rosalie assumed it must have something to do with Jasper, Bella, or even both,as neither seemed to have come along for the visit. So she motioned for her sister, and they disappeared off into another room to talk, leaving the boys to their own devices.

Emmett reached over to muss up his brother's hair like usual, earning him the customary death glare for such an action. "Hey Eddie, where's your wife? I thought you two were attached at the hip by now..." he teased, "and besides, I miss that kid. She's not clumsy any more, sure, but she still does have her entertaining moments."

Edward, frankly tired of it by now, decided that since it's what they came here to do anyway, they might as well start telling the truth now. "Bella doesn't love me any more."

"Aw come on, yeah right."

"No. I mean she really doesn't love me. Apparently Jasper is more suited to her tastes," Edward said in monotone, shrugging and wishing he really did care that little about the situation. Not caring would be such a relief, and he wouldn't have all this pain stored away inside.

"WHAT?!" his brother boomed. "What do you mean Jasper is...?"

"Emmett, the neighbours," came his wife's voice from the other room.

"Sorry, but seriously? Is this a joke?"

"I wish," Edward answered.

"I'm going to kick his ass," Emmett promptly decided. "He can't do that to the family, and you and my sister! I am going to..."

"Calm down," Edward urged. "It won't do any good, you know. It's not like you can solve it all with a little violence."

"I'd see it as just desserts, actually," Emmett pointed out. "You don't see me going around messing with other chicks. I stick to one woman, and I am perfectly happy. He needs to get himself under control, and not be such a lecherous asshole. You'd think for someone who was supposed to care about people's feelings that he wouldn't be such an insensitive bastard. I thought I knew him, but I guess not," he continued, and Edward mused for a moment that if his brother were human, he might be rather red in the face by now, or pehaps a light puce colour. Either really wouldn't have surprised him.

By now the girls had been drawn back into the original room by the guy's conversation, and Rosalie stepped forward, her expression strangely... smug? No, that wasn't it, Edward thought. She looked... well he wasn't quite sure. But he was soon informed as soon as she opened her mouth. She knew something, perhaps. Something possibly crucial.

"Well that's all very sweet of you, hubby of mine, but has anyone considered that maybe Jasper didn't... do anything? That maybe, just maybe... he doesn't like her? I know, it's hard to believe that with what I'm sure the both of you have seen, it's just that I think something's going on."

"What's going on?" Alice inquired.

"Well I'm not entirely sure, but I just feel like there's something more to it. Because previously, I would've never expected this to go on, I mean my brother, we've all known him for so long, and he seems like a faithful guy. Not the type to deviate. And well... I've always thought that there's something off about Bella. She just seems to good to be true, you know what I mean? Not completely honest, you might say. And as happy as she's made you Edward, sometimes on her part, it seems a little forced.

"And as for my misguided brother, well you can tell he loves you, Alice. Anyone who spends five minutes with you two can't help but notice. So all in all, everything doesn't seem to add up. And I can't believe that someone who loves you would just let you leave them with no words, even if they had fallen for someone else. He didn't even say goodbye, did he?" Rosalie concluded.

Alice shook her head. No he hadn't. He and his new... woman had been holed up in a room somewhere when her and Edward had eventually left. She had tried not to care that he didn't say anything like goodbye, but now that Rosalie brought it up, it really bothered her. So many years together... and not even a word, as if it was all wasted time.

Maybe it was. Maybe that's how he felt. All she knew is it made her feel like the dirt under his shoe.

"I mean, it's just something to think about," Rosalie concluded, her eyes glancing with worry at her siblings. "Anyway, uh, Emmett and I were going to go out, so we'll be back later," she added, and thought so you two can have some time to settle in. Edward inclined his head in thanks, and once the two had left, he spoke.

"Let's just... hang out," he said awkwardly, not really sure what else there was to say at the moment. Alice said nothing, but followed him into the parlour, where they seated themselves in two armchairs, him examining the room's furnishings while she looked pensively out the window. It stayed quiet for the longest time until she turned to face him, and he knew that she was in the mood to talk. He wasn't really, but he'd at least listen. He owed her that, he supposed.

"I miss a lot of things about him," she began, her eyebrows pulling together in concentration. "I miss just seeing him, being with him, talking, but I think most of all I just miss that spark in his eye. He... well I just could tell that he loved me, all from the look. He didn't need to do anything else, that's all it took for me to know."

She hung her head a little, "and then there's the silly things. Physicality was never our thing, but when we did..." she paused, leaving the space open for interpretation, "it was beautiful. Maybe because we didn't do it so often, that might have added to the experience, but I just miss us being together like that. Truly one, by default. Feeling him inside of me, it was as close as we could get to being physically bonded, but even skin wasn't enough. We connected on such a deep level... I guess mostly I'm confused."

"Confused?" Edward inquired vaguely, his eyes downcast, gazing emotionlessly at the beige carpet.

"Yes, confused," Alice clarified. "Aren't you yourself? I know for a fact that you felt for her just as much as I did with him, so why aren't you?"

"I... I'm not confused now. I was, but it's become clear for me. She never loved me, and I was being foolish. I never should have gunned for her like that, it was a stupid mistake, and now I suppose I've learned better. It won't happen again. No next time for me. What could I be confused about now?" Edward stated tonelessly, and it hardly sounded convincing, even to himself. Pathetic.

"Edward... you can't just give up. We girls aren't all like her, you know."

"You aren't like her. I know that."

He turned his gaze to her, thoughtful, and once again she shied away from it, feeling a twinge of embarrassment.

"Edward, I thought I told you not to look at me like that. Please. I can't do that... I just cannot."

"You can't wait for him. You did that a long time ago, and shouldn't have to now. He's moved on Alice, god I know that myself! You know it, I think Carlisle's even picked up on it by this time, he's perceptive, and the way they flaunt it is ostentatious. Only Esme refuses to believe it, because you know how she is, she never wants to think any of us capable of such... connivance. We're her sweet children, and that is what she wants to think. So we humour her. It's not right, but it's what happens. Still, I have to make my point. You cannot sit around here, waiting for someone who clearly is not showing any signs of wanting you back. Simple as that."

"Don't say that," she said unhappily. "He could change his mind at any moment. He can't possibly want her."

Edward sighed deeply, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "But when, Alice? Even you have to admit the future doesn't look promising in that direction."

"No," she remarked after what seemed forever, "unfortunately it doesn't."

She looked even more heartbroken --- if such a thing were possible --- than ever, and he felt sorry for having dashed her hopes. "C'mere Alice, I'm sorry," he muttered, holding out his arms for her. She got up reluctantly from where she was siting, and climbed onto his lap.

He cradled her in his arms, and made room for her to tuck her head just under his neck. Using the free hand that was not slung about her waist, securing her on his lap, he ran it down the side of her jaw, just lightly touching, comforting as he knew the maneuver would be. She closed her eyes, her lips pressed into a tight line along her face, seemingly concentrating though her mind was completely empty at that moment.

"You shouldn't wear so much black," he murmured. "I don't like it. It's too sad... for you."

Predictably enough for him, she doesn't answer... just sits there.

They would sit there together for a very long time.

"I told myself I won't miss you
But I remember
What it feels like beside you
I really miss your hair in my face
And the way your innocence tastes
And I think you should know this
You deserve much better than me"

-"Better Than Me" by: Hinder.

Author's Note: Comments?

Signing off,
Candy.