Disclaimer. All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original character s, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun.

The Major

A/N: If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter! Enjoy! - Bella'Xo

Chapter 14
(Bella's POV)

The bell rang, signaling the end of first period. I ignored Edward as his eyes followed my movements, subtly – or not so subtly – trying to get my attention as I closed my notebook and gathered up the rest of my books. I was not in the mood to have him hound me about how I became what I am or how I ended up with the Whitlock's. After all, it was ultimately his fault that I needed to be rescued by Peter and Char in the first place.

I quickly and briskly made my way out of the class room with Peter right beside me, trying to escape Katrina, who had been continuously batting her eyes at him despite what we did to try and put her off.

"Bella, wait!" Edward called once we were in the hall way, following after me.

Peter and I exchanged a glance, but did not stop.

"Go away, Edward. I have nothing to say to you." I dismissed him.

He appeared next to me with a desperate expression adorning his pale complexion. "Please, Bella. Just give me two minutes?"

I sighed, knowing that he would only continue to harass me if I did not allow him to say his peace. "You can walk me to my next class, but that's it."

Peter intercepted me before Edward could react, guiding me off to the side by my elbow.

"Bella, are you sure that's such a good idea?" He asked, his eyes silently berating me with warnings that he did not want the humans around us to overhear.

I nodded my head, shooting a glance at Edward over my shoulder before looking back at him. "I have no choice, Peter. I'm going to have to confront him sooner or later and this way he only has the amount of time it takes to get to my next class."

"But the Major -"

"Will have to live with it," I interrupted, giving him a pointed look. After all, the last thing I wanted was Edward to continuously complain about Jasper to me during the time that I let him speak his peace.

Peter let out a resigned sigh and gave me a look that wished me good luck before marching off in the opposite direction. I watched his back as he weaved through the students before disappearing around the corner.

Bracing myself, I turned towards Edward, who had been watching our entire exchange. Lucky for me, though, I had been shielding Peter's thoughts from him, not wanting to give away more about myself than I was prepared to share.

"Come on, Edward," I motioned in the opposing direction that Peter had gone. "I have English with Mr. Green next, so you have until then to say what you have to say to me."

We began down the corridor, silence engulfing us for the first few seconds while Edward psyched himself up. I couldn't help but to once again think back to when I lived in Forks, only this time, it was the day our departure instead of our first meeting…

…Flashback…

School followed the silent, frustrating, terrifying pattern of the last two days since we had gotten back from Phoenix. I felt relief when I saw Edward waiting for me in the parking lot, but it faded quickly. He was no different, unless maybe more remote.

It was hard to even remember the reason for all this mess. What happened with James and Phoenix had already felt like the distant past. If only Alice would come back to Forks. Soon. Before this got any more out of hand.

But I couldn't count on that. I decided that, if I couldn't talk to him today, really talk, then I was going to see Carlisle tomorrow. I had to do something.

After school, Edward and I were going to talk it out, I promised myself. I wasn't accepting any excuses.

He walked me to my truck, and I steeled myself to make my demands.

"Do you mind if I come over today?" he asked before we got to the truck, beating me to the punch.

"Of course not."

"Now?" he asked again, opening my door for me.

"Sure," I kept my voice even, though I didn't like the urgency in his tone. "I was just going to drop a letter for Renee in the mailbox on the way. I'll meet you there."

He looked at the fat envelope on the passenger seat. Suddenly, he reached over me and snagged it.

"I'll do it," he said quietly. "And I'll still beat you there." He smiled my favorite crooked smile, but it was wrong. It didn't reach his eyes.

"Okay," I agreed, unable to smile back. He shut the door, and headed toward his car.

He did beat me home. He was parked in Charlie's spot when I pulled up in front of the house. That was a bad sign. He didn't plan to stay, then. I shook my head and took a deep breath, trying to locate some courage.

He got out of the car when I stepped out of the truck, and came to meet me. He reached to take my book bag from me. That was normal. But he shoved it back onto the seat. That was not normal.

"Come for a walk with me," he suggested in an unemotional voice, taking my hand.

I didn't answer. I couldn't think of a way to protest, but I instantly knew that I wanted to. I didn't like this.

'This is bad, this is very bad', the voice in my head repeated again and again.

But he didn't wait for an answer. He pulled me along toward the east side of the yard, where the forest encroached. I followed unwillingly, trying to think through the panic.

'It was what I wanted', I reminded myself, 'The chance to talk it all through.'

So why was the panic choking me?

We'd only gone a few steps into the trees when he stopped. We were barely on the trail – I could still see the house.

Some walk.

Edward leaned against a tree and stared at me, his expression unreadable.

"Okay, let's talk." I said. It sounded braver than I felt.

He took a deep breath, almost like he was readying himself for something.

"Bella, we're leaving."

I took a deep breath too. This was expected at some point what with them being vampires. I thought I was prepared, but I still had to ask.

"Why now? Another year –"

"Bella, it's time. How much longer could we stay in Forks, after all? Carlisle can barely pass for thirty and he's claiming thirty-three now. We'd have to start over soon regardless."

I understood his answer, but still… something wasn't right. I stared at him, trying to understand what he meant.

He stared back coldly.

With a roll of nausea, I realized I'd misunderstood.

"When you say we –," I whispered.

"I mean my family and myself." Each word separate and distinct.

I shook my head back and forth mechanically, trying to clear it. He waited without any sign of impatience. It took a few minutes before I could speak.

"Okay," I said. "I'll come with you."

"You can't, Bella. Where we're going… it's not the right place for you."

I objected immediately. "Where you are is the right place for me."

"I'm no good for you, Bella."

"Don't be ridiculous." I wanted to sound angry, but it just sounded like I was begging. "You're the very best part of my life."

"My world is not for you," he said grimly. "What had just happened with James proved it."

I began shaking my head, deciding to try a different tactic, knowing that I wouldn't get anywhere trying to argue that point. He has always felt that way and right now, I doubt that I could be the one to change his mind.

"What happened in Phoenix – that my fault, Edward! I messed up when I went to meet him! It didn't have anything to do with you and your world."

"You're wrong," he objected. "It was my fault for bringing you into my world and putting you on his radar to begin with. Who's to say that won't happen again?"

"You promised! In Phoenix, you promised that you would stay –"

"As long as that was best for you," he interrupted to correct me. "But after thinking about it some more, I realized that it's not."

"No! This is about my soul, isn't it?" I shouted, furious, the words exploding out of me – somehow it still sounded like a plea. "Carlisle told me about that, and I don't care, Edward. I don't care! You can have my soul. I don't want it without you – it's yours already!"

He took a deep breath and stared, unseeingly, at the ground for a long moment. His mouth twisted the tiniest bit. When he finally looked up, his eyes were different, harder – like the liquid gold had frozen solid.

"Bella, I don't want you to come with me." He spoke the words slowly and precisely, his cold eyes on my face, watching as I absorbed what he was really saying.

There was a pause as I repeated the words in my head a few times, sifting through them for their real intent.

"You… don't… want me?" I tried out the words, confused by the way that they sounded, placed in that order.

"No."

I stared uncomprehendingly, into his eyes. He stared back without apology. His eyes were like topaz – hard and clear and very deep. I felt like I could see into them for miles and miles, yet nowhere in their bottomless depths could I see a contradiction to the word he'd spoken.

"Well, that changes things." I was surprised by how calm and reasonable my voice sounded. It must be because I was so numb. I couldn't realize what he was telling me. I still didn't make any sense.

He looked away into the trees as he spoke again.

"Of course, I'll always love you… in a way. But what happened the other night made me realize that it's time for a change. Because I'm…tired of pretending to be something I'm not, Bella. I am not human." He looked back and the icy planes of his perfect face were not human. "I've let this go on much too long, and I'm sorry for that."

"Don't," my voice was just a whisper now; awareness was beginning to seep through me, trickling like acid through my veins. "Don't do this."

He just stared at me and I could see from his eyes that my words were far too late. He already had.

"You're not good for me, Bella." He turned his earlier words around and so I had no argument. How well I knew that I wasn't good enough for him.

I opened my mouth to say something and then closed it again. He waited patiently, his face wiped clean of all emotion. I tried again.

"If… that's what you want."

He nodded once.

My whole body went numb. I couldn't feel anything below the neck.

"I would like to ask one favor, though, if that's not too much to ask," he said.

I wonder what he saw on my face, because something flickered across his own face in response. But before I could identify it, he'd composed his features into the same serene mask.

"Anything," I vowed, my voice faintly stronger.

As I watched, his frozen eyes melted. The gold became liquid again, molten, burning down into mine with an intensity that was overwhelming.

"Don't do anything reckless or stupid," he ordered, no longer detached. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

I nodded helplessly.

His eyes cooled, the distance returned. "I'm thinking of Charlie, of course. He needs you. Take care of yourself – for him."

I nodded again. "I will," I whispered.

He seemed to relax a little.

"And I'll make you a promise in return," he said. "I promise that this will be the last time you'll see me. I won't come back. I won't put you through anything like this again. You can go on with your life without any more interference from me. It will be as if I'd never existed."

My knees must have started to shake, because the trees were suddenly wobbling. I could hear the blood pounding faster than normal behind my ears. His voice sounded farther away.

He smiled gently. "Don't worry. You're human – your memory is no more than a sieve. Time heals all wounds for your kind."

"And your memories?" I asked. It sounded like there was something stuck in my throat, like I was choking.

"Well – he hesitated for a short second – "I won't forget. But my kind… we're very easily distracted." He smiled; the smile was tranquil and it did not touch his eyes.

He took a step away from me. "That's everything, I suppose. We won't bother you again."

The plural caught my attention. That surprised me; I would have thought I was beyond noticing anything.

"They aren't coming back," I realized. I don't know how he heard me – the words made no sound – but he seemed to understand.

He shook his head slowly, always watching my face.

"No. They're all gone. I stayed behind to tell you goodbye."

"Alice is gone?" My voice was blank with disbelief.

"She wanted to say goodbye, but I convinced her that a clean break would be better for you."

I was dizzy; it was hard to concentrate. His words swirled around in my head, and I heard the doctor at the hospital in Phoenix as he showed me the x-rays. 'You can see it's a clean break,' his finger traced along the picture of my severed bone. 'That's good. It will heal easier, more quickly.'

I tried to breathe normally. I needed to concentrate, to find a way out of this nightmare.

"Goodbye, Bella." He said in the same quiet, peaceful voice.

"Wait!" I choked out the word, reaching for him, willing my deadened legs to carry me forward, which was difficult with the boot on my foot..

I thought he was reaching for me, too. But his cold hands locked around my wrists and pinned them to my sides. He leaned down, and pressed his lips very lightly to my forehead for the briefest instant. My eyes closed.

"Take care of yourself," he breathed, cool against my skin.

There was a light, unnatural breeze. My eyes flashed open. The leaves on the small vine maple shuttered with the gentle wind of his passage.

He was gone.

With shaky legs, ignoring the fact that my action was useless, I followed him into the forest. The evidence of his path had disappeared instantly. There were no footprints, the leaves were still again, but I walked forward without thinking. I could not do anything else. I had to keep moving. If I stopped looking for him, it was over.

Love, life, meaning… over.

I walked and walked. Time made no sense as I pushed slowly through the thick undergrowth. It was hours passing, but also only seconds. Maybe it felt like time had frozen because the forest looked the same no matter how far I went. I started to worry that I was traveling in a circle, a very small circle at that, but I kept going. I stumbled often, and as it grew darker and darker, I fell often too.

Finally, I tripped over something – it was black now, I had no idea what caught my foot – and I stayed down. I rolled onto my side, so that I could breathe, and curled up on the wet bracken.

…End Flashback…

I was found on the forest floor by Sam Uley, the Alpha of the Quileute pack, thirteen hours later. I had a slight case of hypothermia and a cold, not to mention a broken heart.

Finally, Edward looked over at me and began.

"Bella, I can't even begin to express to you how sorry I am for the way that I left you."

I continued to look forward as I retorted, "Oh, you mean how you left me in the woods all alone after telling me that you no longer loved me and that I was just a distraction to you?"

I saw him wince out of the corner of my eye. "Yes, that." He confirmed. "I'm sorry for lying to you about how I felt. But I want you to know that the only reason I left was to keep you safe and so that you could live the life that you were supposed to live before I came into the picture as a happy, healthy human; away from the danger that being with me possessed."

I rolled my eyes wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible. "Look Edward, if you're looking for forgiveness, you can have it. But it doesn't mean that it's going to change anything between us."

He grabbed my arm, pulling me to a stop. "What happened to you, Bella? This isn't you; how did you become….this?" He gestured up and down my body with his free hand.

Before I could tell him to release me, there was a low growl that would have been too low for human ears coming from down the now nearly empty hallway. "Let go of her, Cullen!"

(Jasper's POV)

I made my way down the hallway towards the science wing to meet my Belle. If she didn't know already, I needed to warn her about the Cullen's being a part of the student population.

I had to admit that I felt threatened by his presence, even if she was my mate and designed to be with me in every way. I was worried that she still had feelings for him and that she would realize that she wanted to be with him; that she was only with me now because of the mating bond.

I was afraid; an emotion that I was not used to feeling.

And I didn't like it one bit.

Suddenly, I heard my Bella's voice as I neared the end of the hall.

"Look Edward, if you're looking for forgiveness, you can have it. But it doesn't mean that it's going to change anything between us." She said warningly.

The two pairs of footfalls came to a swift stop. "What happened to you, Bella? This isn't you; how did you become….this?"

I sped up to a fast human pace.

Rounding the corner of the practically vacant hallways, I froze, an involuntary growl rumbling from my chest as I saw the copper-haired vampire that I now knew was Edward gripping my Isabella by her wrist.

"Let go of her, Cullen!" I snarled, my eyes darkening as the Major tried to push his way to the surface.

A/N: Cliffhanger! Uh oh! Is the Major going to make an appearance at School? What will happen now that Edward and Jasper are meeting face to face? How did you like the flashback? I wanted to show the different way that he left her since it wasn't because of Jasper on her birthday this time. Review!

If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note!

TITINE13110: LA SUITE STP - J'AI LU LES 16 CHAPITRES D'UN COUP GRACE A LA TRADUCTION GOOGLE - UNE FRANCAISE QUI APPRÉCIE TON TRAVAIL

Bella'Xo: Merci beaucoup! Il est bon de savoir qu'il ya d'autres personnes de différents pays qui jouissent également de mon écriture! S'il ya quelque chose que je peux faire pour le rendre plus facile pour vous de lire, faites le moi savoir! Je peux traduire tout ce dont vous avez besoin.

To see more, go to my page: Xo Bella Italiana oX

If you enjoyed this story so far, check out some of my other stories on my FanFiction page! Also, I am still accepting Stories that need beta'ing. I will accept OC characters as well as other Fan Fiction stories aside from Twilight depending on the other lead character. PM me for details!
- Bellisma -
Xo Bella Italiana oX