Love Never Dies

Act XIII: Dear Old Friend


Bella

Forks, Washington, 2010

Jake drove me home from La Push in frosty silence. I didn't care, my mind was too wrapped up with what I had dreamt while I was unconscious in the sea.

That song I had started to sing unconsciously, while I stood on top of the cliffs…

We were just pulling in to my drive when Jake put the brakes on suddenly, throwing us forward.

"What the…? Jake what the hell…?" I began but then I noticed the car parked beside my house.

It was Carlisle's car.

"Vampire. I have to get you outta here," Jake muttered through gritted teeth, but I was already opening my door.

I leapt out, walking quickly to the front door when I felt Jake's hand yank my elbow back.

"Bella no! I can't protect you here!" he hissed, and I stared at him, wide-eyed. "You're about to cross a line."

I looked sadly at my former best friend, knowing this would probably be the last time I ever saw him. It was like someone had walked over my grave.

"We crossed that line months ago, Jake. Goodbye, Jake," I breathed, yanking my arm out of his grip, and hurrying into the house.

The house was dark when I entered it, and I inhaled shakily. My knee-jerk reaction to seeing Carlisle's car had been overwhelming joy, but now…

Now I just felt numb.

They had abandoned me along with Edward, worse they hadn't even said goodbye. And now, for some unknown reason, they wanted me after months of separation?

I didn't think so.

The moment I switched the light on, I came face to face with Alice Cullen.

I jumped out of my skin at the sight of her gold eyes and spiky hair.

"Bella!" she shrieked. I saw she was about to hug me so I moved back, still watching her guardedly. She stopped with a hurt expression, but continued to talk at me indignantly. "Would you care to explain how you're still alive?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, frowning.

"I saw you jump off the cliff, but I didn't see you get pulled out of the water. I thought-" she said haltingly, and I felt anger rise up slightly.

"You thought I'd committed suicide? Well you got that wrong, didn't you Alice?" I snorted, walking away from her and into the kitchen. I was shivering still from the cold sea, and I wanted a hot drink.

She followed me in, silent now after my bitter outburst.

"How-how have you been?" she asked tentatively, obviously sensing my smouldering temper. I rinsed out a mug in the sink before filling up the kettle, taking my time, mulling my words before I turned back to Alice.

"Hmm, how have I been? Let's see the love of my life decided to leave me because he thought I wasn't good enough, my so-called family just leaves without even saying goodbye and I find out my best friend is a werewolf. How do you think I've been?" I retorted sarcastically. I saw Alice wince out of the corner of my eye, as I turned back to making myself some coffee.

"Bella we didn't want to leave you like that, but Edward thought it was best for you. So you could have an ordinary life, free from us," she murmured, and I snorted.

"Well maybe you shouldn't have been so arrogant as to assume you knew what was best for me," I muttered angrily, wiping away rebellious tears.

I felt Alice leave the room, and I sighed. Now my anger was ebbing, I didn't want to be so horrid to Alice. She had been my best friend once, and I was lonely after the loss of Jake.

Besides it wasn't good to hold a grudge on the past.

The kettle hissed as steam exploded from the spout and I poured the hot water into the mug, wrapping my fingers around the base, warming my cold skin.

I walked back into the front room, where Alice was sat waiting, and I sat down beside her, feeling her gold eyes on my face.

"What?" I asked, pushing a lock of stray hair out of my eyes.

"You're not….you're not just how I expected you'd be," she whispered, and I stared at her.

"What did you expect me to be lying on my bed, crying my eyes out while waiting for you and Edward to make it all better again? Life goes on, Alice and so do I," I replied, but this time without so much sarcasm as just tiredness. I was really sleepy after my brush with death, and all I wanted to do was drift off to sleep.

"Then why did you try to commit suicide?" she asked. "Did you even think what that would do to my brother?"

Anger exploded in me again when I heard this. "I didn't commit suicide, Alice. I was cliff-diving, you know for fun. Besides your brother didn't want me anymore so what the hell does it matter what I do? He doesn't own me, Alice," I told her coldly, narrowing my eyes at her. She flinched and leant forward, her sweet smell wafting around us.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I really am, for leaving you the way I did," Alice breathed, and I inhaled shakily, nodding just once.

It was all I could do, I just didn't have the words to tell her I forgave her yet.

"What happened?" she asked me suddenly, almost desperately. "I didn't see you get pulled out of the water. What was that line you sang, just before you jumped? Since when could you sing?"

"Whoa one at a time, Alice," I muttered, rubbing my forehead. I had a headache coming, and I really wanted to just sleep.

"Who pulled you out of the water?" she asked again, and I sighed.

"My friend, Jake. He's kind of a werewolf," I replied, at which Alice sighed.

"Bella, I have never known anyone to be prone to such life-threatening idiocy!" she muttered.

"Hey I didn't ask to move to a town full of vampires did I?" I retorted, smirking when she laughed but then she sobered.

"Bella, werewolves aren't good company to keep. You shouldn't be spending time with this Jake, it's too dangerous," she warned me seriously, as I sat up and put my mug on the side.

"I'll decide what's dangerous, Alice. Did you even tell Edward you came here?" I asked, at which Alice frowned.

"No, I didn't even tell Jasper. I just…had to make sure Charlie was alright," she replied earnestly.

"Oh hell are you going to be in trouble when you get home," I chuckled, at which Alice smiled darkly.

"He can bite my head off all he likes, I wouldn't have stayed away for anything," she told me and I smiled, taking her hand. "Do you still love him, Bella?"

I froze, my breath hitching as I thought about the past few months. Did I still love Edward?

Could I?

Or did my heart, now partially whole again, lean towards someone else? Did it lean towards a man I had never met, and probably didn't even know I existed?

"Bella?" Alice's gentle query had me looking up, as I stood and walked to the window. I crossed my arms and stared out at the rain-washed forest, trembling slightly as memories of that music, and the embrace of a crimson-eyed angel came back to me.

"Not in the same way," I breathed at last, feeling a chill creep over me.

Alice's gasp had me spinning around, to see her rigid in her seat, trembling violently. Immediately, I rushed to her side, taking her face in between my hands.

"Alice what is it? What's wrong?" I murmured urgently, knowing she was receiving a vision.

"It's Edward. He thinks you're dead," she whispered, and I inhaled sharply. "Rosalie told him why I came here. He wants to die too."

"Alice, I don't understand! What-?" I began but she cut me off urgently.

"He's gone to the Volturi. He's going to ask to die," she finished, and I gasped in horror. A memory of long ago came back, and I heard Edward's voice in my head like it was yesterday.

"I'd go to Italy, provoke the Volturi…"

"No, we have to stop him!" I stood at that point, already striding away towards my room, when Alice took hold of my arm.

"Bella, this is going to be dangerous. You're human, you smell good and you know entirely too much about us. They could decide I'm acting as Edward's accomplice….they could kill us all," she warned me direfully, as I shook myself free.

"I'm not going to let him kill himself out of guilt," I replied as I walked into my room and grabbed my satchel. I shovelled a spare set of clothes into it, and scribbled off a note to Charlie. I emptied my tin of college money, and was just about to leave when Christabelle's diary caught my eye.

On a sudden impulse, I grabbed it and the picture of her, and shoved them into my bag. For all I knew, they could be what saved our lives.

A sense of my heart beating faster than I could count its throbs, and my blood rushing through my veins as I imagined meeting Aro at last, seeing him face-to-face the man who haunted my dreams.

Alice was already outside as I left the note on the table, and hurried outside. I dove into the car as she pushed it into gear and tore off down the road.

To meet my destiny at last.


Aro

Volterra, Italy 2010

It had been 125 years since I had lost my darling. 125 years of almost pure madness and anger and vengeance as I gorged myself upon humanity for what they took from me.

The loss of the woman I loved had caused a pall to fall over Volterra for the past century and a quarter. I had glimpsed what Marcus had undergone after Didyme's death, had longed for my own life to end so I may join Christabelle and now…

I sat in judgement upon one, like myself, who had lost their mortal loved one and now wished to die themselves.

I could not escape my hell, so why should he, why should this Edward Cullen be with his love when I could not be?

Why should he get his Isabelle Swan when I could not have Christabelle?

So I hid my pain and my jealousy, looked down on Edward Cullen with pitying eyes, hiding my thoughts and smiled. "I'm afraid your particular gifts are too valuable to destroy…"


More soon!

So sorry for the long update wait but I'm still bogged down in exams so this is a quickie, and I should have a longer one in a few days, namely Bella and Aro meeting at last and Christabelle's ultimate fate revealed. :)