Bella POV

"Bella, why do you smell like dog?"

I smirked then. "That must be my friend Jacob you smell. He just dropped me off."

"Jacob?" He face scrunched as she pulled further back away. 'Does he work in a kennel or something?"

I looked down knowing she wasn't going to like what I was going to say next. "No..he's sort of a werewolf."

"A werewolf?'She shrieked. "We leave and you go to the first monster you can find?" She shook her head. "What are we going to do with you, Bella?"

I smiled sadly. "Put me out of my misery I guess." I mumbled half hoping she would. As much as I loved seeing Alice, having her here brought back the pain of him leaving much more magnified than the intense pain I felt every day since he had walked out of my life.

"Yes, about that." She said with a hint of anger. "What the hell were you thinking? Are you aware of how that would affect Charlie, Me, Edwa...?"

I held up my hand to stop her. "Please, I begged, please don't say his name. I can't…I..." Coherent speech stopped and I sunk down on the sofa and tried very hard to keep the tears from cascading down my face. But I couldn't. Wrapping my arms around myself, I sobbed.

Alice sat down next to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. 'Oh, Bella. What have you done to yourself? What did he do to you?"

"It's not his fault Alice that he couldn't love me. I always knew it would end, that he would get tired of me. Who am I next to him anyway? I just couldn't stop myself from loving him. And when he left, Oh God, when he left, my heart and soul felt like they were ripped from my body and torn to shreds." I wiped my palms across my eyes to try to stop the tears.

I looked over at Alice and she looked positively livid. 'I'm sorry Alice. I should've never said anything. Now you're mad at me."

ALICE POV

Bella had it all wrong, I wasn't mad at her. I was furious with Edward. That she would think he didn't love her was preposterous. Edward was dying without her only he was too stubborn to turn around and come back where he belonged. He thought he was damning her, that he didn't have a soul. He was wrong. He did have a soul, Bella is his soul. I had to know what he had told her that day.

"Bella, I never looked in on that day we left…I promised Edward I would give him his privacy but I am asking you. What exactly did he tell you when we left?"

If possible, she wrapped her arms tighter around herself. I knew this was painful for her to relive but I had to know what damage he caused so I could begin to repair it. Bella wasn't our Bella anymore. She was this shell of the person I knew and loved.

"He…he said that he didn't want me anymore…that he loved me...in a way…but his kind were easily distracted. He said I….he said I wasn't good for him."

If I hadn't been furious before I certainly was now. Of all the things he could have told her, he chose what would destroy her. Only he was too foolish, too arrogant to see it. I wanted to break something. As it was, I felt my fingers dig holes into the couch.

"You just had to twist the knife a little more, didn't you leech?"

Startled, we both turned around. There stood one of the Quileute boys, it looked like and judging by his stance, he was angry, very angry.

"Jacob?" Bella questioned. "I thought you left."

So this was the werewolf, I thought as I recognized the smell. I was too focused on my anger to sense him coming and mentally chastised myself.

"I did leave but I had to come back." He looked pointedly at me then. 'To make sure you were okay."

"I'm not going to hurt her." I said insulted that this dog would think that I would consider harming Bella.

"It's okay Alice. He thought you might have been Victoria."

"Victoria!" I shouted. Damnit, I didn't see her either. Things were more dire than I thought.

"Yeah." Bella said. "She and Laurent both mad special guest appearances after you left. It seems I am more of a danger magnet than anybody realized." She shrugged nonchalantly and seemed apologetic.

That's it, I thought. Edward or no Edward, the Cullen's were moving back to Forks.

"No thanks to you." Jacob told me menacingly.

"Jacob" Bella warned then looked at me. "Do you think I could have a moment to talk to Jacob? There are a few things he needs to hear."

I nodded dumbly still processing all that I had heard. 'It's okay. I should hunt some and I have a phone call I need to make."

Bella grabbed my hand then almost desperately and I looked into her dead, gaunt eyes. 'Please, you'll come back won't you?" She almost begged.

I hugged her. "Nothing can stop me" I whispered to her looking at the mutt in a warning.

Walking out the front door, I dialed home. It was Rosalie who picked up.

"Bella's okay." I said knowing that Rosalie would care less one way or the other. "She did jump off a cliff but she was saved by a werewolf no less. That's why I couldn't see her come out of the water." I said in a rush.

"Oh" was Rosalie's only response. The tone of it sounded so odd that I could feel worry creep into my spine.

"Oh? Is that all you have to say?"

"Well, I kind of told Edward…" her voice trailed off. I gripped the phone as tight as I would dare without breaking it.

"You told Edward what?" But I already knew. I was in full panic mode.

"I told Edward that you went back to Forks, that Bella killed herself. That she jumped off a cliff."

"YOU WHAT?" I was enraged. "I told you not to say anything Rosalie."

"But Jasper confirmed it after he got off the phone with you. I just wanted everything to go back to normal again." He voice sounded smaller like a child who knew they did something wrong.

"I always thought you were selfish Rosalie, I just didn't realize how much until now. What did he say when you told him?"

"Well I don't think he believed me at first. He first thought Bella had moved but when I told him that she jumped off a cliff...well he was silent and the phone just disconnected. I tried to call him back but he wouldn't answer."

No he wouldn't, I thought. If he knew his whole reason for existing no longer existed, his time would be limited. I knew that. Poor Edward, I thought only able to guess at the utter anguish and torment he was going through. I tried calling him then hoping if he wasn't picking up Rosalie's call that he would at least pick up mine, but there was no answer.

I could hear Bella and Jacob arguing in the house.

"Who was that on the phone Jacob?" She shouted.

"No one, wrong number" was his response.

"You lie!"

"It was one of your leeches okay."

"Which Cullen?"

Did Edward call? Did Jacob answer the phone?

"It was Carlisle okay."

"Why didn't you let me speak to him?' Bella was raging now. I decided it was time to go back into the house. I didn't trust this Jacob Black. If he phased in front of Bella, he could kill her.

"Why didn't you let me speak to him?"

"Because, he didn't want to speak to you. He asked for Charlie" Jacob spat back.

I walked into the kitchen to see Bella seething at Jacob. He seemed to be taking Bella's ranting in stride. I stopped in my tracks as a vision assaulted me.

Edward, his face tormented with purple circles under his eyes stood in front of the Volturi, begging for death.

I gasped and looked at Bella. "What Alice?"

"Was it really Carlisle on the phone?" I asked shaking.

'What, you don't believe me, leech? That's who he said he was."

"When he asked for Charlie, where did you tell him Charlie was?"

Jacob didn't say anything and just looked at me smugly. Bella answered for him.

"He told him he was arranging a funeral. Harry Clearwater died today."

I closed my eyes feeling defeated. Of course. Edward wouldn't make a snap decision without verifying first. Based on what Jacob Black had told him, he thought Charlie was arranging Bella's funeral.

I looked at Bella very seriously. "Bella, that wasn't Carlisle on the phone. It was Edward. He thinks you're dead."

She didn't look like she understood me at first. "Okay, so call him back; tell him it was a misunderstanding."

She didn't get it. Of course she didn't. She didn't think Edward loved her.

I shook my head. "It's not that simple. He won't pick up his phone. He is going to Italy, to the Voturi."

I saw the dawning of understanding on her face as it clicked. "NO!" she shouted. 'Why? Why would he do that?"

"He loves you Bella." I told her. "He never stopped. If he thinks you're dead than he wants to die too."

She looked as panicked as I felt. "Can we stop him?" She asked.

"No Bella." Jacob cut in.

"Shut up Jacob." She said to him then looked at me. "Is there time?"

I nodded. "We would have to leave immediately for Italy."

"Okay then" She nodded "I'll throw some clothes in a bag." She went to run up the stairs when Jacob grabbed her arm.

"Please don't do this Bella. After all that he has done to hurt you, you want to save his life."

She looked at him sadly. "I have to do this Jake. I can't let him kill himself over guilt for me." And with that she ran up the stairs.

Jacob turned to look at me sullenly. "How can you take her to him knowing what he has done to her? You call yourself her friend. That's a joke. He is going to break her all over again."

"He loves her" I said. "More than you could ever imagine. And I love her too. So back off dog!"

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Next up...Edward POV. I know you all have been waiting for it.