I do not own any of the characters, Mrs. Meyer does.
Chapter 13
Forks, Washington, 2096
BPOV
Four figures emerged from behind the trees, shifting their gazes from me to Edward, in his boxers, to Jennifer, in her torn dress.
"Wow, Eddie, I didn't know you had it in you!" Emmett laughed boisterously, his eyes looking back and forth between Edward and Jennifer.
Alice gave Jennifer a disapproving look, eyeing her ragged dress, but quickly turned her attention to me, running up to me and wrapping me in a tight hug. "Bella! I've missed you so much!" I just stood there awkwardly, wanting to hug my former best friend, but not having the courage to; what if they left me after I'd let them in, again? Alice pulled back after a few seconds, looking at my face, slightly pouting. "Bella? Don't you recognize me? Alice, your best friend?"
I stared down at her, not quite sure of what to say. "Past best friend…" I whispered to the trees. "A best friend who left me…"
"No!" Alice cried, her eyes on Edward. "I didn't want to! But Edward convinced me that it would best for you!"
"Best for me?" I asked incredulously. "Best for me? How would you feel if all of the Cullens, including Jasper, left you? Just like that? Without any kind of notice?" My voice rose. "What if Jasper told you, out of the blue, that he doesn't love you anymore? How would you feel?"
Alice was speechless, opening her mouth, but no sound coming out. Jasper walked forward and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Don't worry, I won't ever leave you," he murmured in her ear.
Emmett had looked like he wanted to come and hug me, but after my outburst at Alice, he decided to stay away. Wise of him.
Rosalie frowned at Jennifer, ignored Edward, and her eyes locked with mine for a moment before she dropped her eyes to her nails. The emotions in her eyes were a strange combination of disbelief, sadness, pity and frustration.
An uncomfortable silence followed, some of us glancing at each other, while others were fixing their gazes at inanimate objects.
"Maybe we should go back to the house." Alice spoke, her voice oddly timid. "Bella, do you want to join us?"
I glanced at the six of them before nodding my head once. We took off in the direction of the Cullens' mansion, everyone running in pairs except for me. As we leaped over the river, Emmett let out a whistle as he saw the overturned table.
We filed into the living room, each couple sharing a loveseat, while Edward and Jennifer headed upstairs to change into other clothes. They returned as I took a seat on a couch. Every pair of eyes looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to speak, to explain.
Finally, the silence was broken as Jennifer sighed impatiently. "You were Bella Swan, the dumb human that Edward pretended to fall in love with before he ditched you, right?" she sneered at me. "Then he found me, his true soul mate," she gestured to herself. "Our wedding will be in the New Year, and I'll invite you, because I am nice, so that you can say a proper goodbye to Edward before you witness him become mine, officially."
EPOV
As Jennifer finished speaking the words, Bella froze, but only for a second. Her eyes met each of ours for a fraction of a second, maybe looking for something, but finding nothing. Then she darted out of the house, leaving us stunned. The thoughts of the vampires around me were a hushed buzz, not knowing what to do.
Only one voice stood out.
It was loud, screaming at me. I recognized it as Rosalie's. 'Go after her, you idiot! Seriously, what the hell are you waiting for? Go! Why are you still sitting next to that bitch?' Rosalie started stomping towards me, preparing to push me out of the house.
I got up slowly, wondering if this was the right decision. Why was I leaving Jennifer to chase after…Bella? From a logical point of view, it didn't make any sense, but now that I placed the words in that order, the answer seemed as obvious as 2 1.
I raced out the front door, going as fast as my legs would allow me.
I followed her scent for a long time, maybe an hour or two. We were now in Canada, somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.
After a few more minutes, I could see her sitting against a large tree, eyes closed, facing a crystal clear lake. The whole scenery was breath-taking, but it surprised me that I found that she was more beautiful than the vast woods, the majestic mountains, and the turquoise lake all put together. As the sunlight touched on her skin, she sparkled like an angel.
At that moment, I couldn't understand why I was with Jennifer, why I had put up with Jennifer for these years.
I walked quietly till I was a few feet away from her, facing her. "Bella?" I asked hesitantly.
Her eyes flew open, and they narrowed as she saw me. "Why are you here?"
"I followed you here, Bella." It was strange saying her name now; I'd been avoiding thinking any thoughts about her for decades.
"Why aren't you with Jennifer now, sucking faces, or doing whatever you were doing before I interrupted?" Her voice was cold, but a strand of hurt wove through her words.
Why? Because…Rosalie told me to follow you. That excuse was a pathetic, but what else could I say? Why had I listened to Rosalie, of all people? I looked at the ground, whispering, "I don't know."
"Seriously, Edward!" Bella threw her arms up in frustration. "Why can't you just…stick with your decisions? You told me that you loved me, and then you said that that was a lie and you abandoned me. Then now you're with Jennifer, and you leave her to chase after me!" She looked at me then, trying to communicate something with her eyes.
"But I left to protect you!" I averted my gaze.
"What?" She blinked; she seemed to be expecting a totally different answer.
"Bella," I said her name softly, "I left you because I wanted you to live a normal, happy human life. I didn't want you to be in danger because of what I am. I didn't want an angel like you to be risking your life every second that you were exposed to my world. I wanted your life to turn out the way it was supposed to turn out, without any interference from the supernatural." I looked into her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Bella, more sorry than you can ever imagine. I never realized the mess that I was leaving behind. I thought that I was protecting you, not putting you in more danger. I know you probably won't forgive me, but at least I hope that you understand my side of the story."
Bella was quiet for a long time, and once again, I was wondering what she was thinking. "I need a moment to think through everything." She got up and ran off.
I decided to head back home; knowing that I'd have to face all of Jennifer's demanding questions when I got back. It was strange that I could identify Jennifer's flaws here, away from her. It didn't make any sense…Or maybe I was just imagining things.
When I was within a few miles of the house, Alice's thoughts attacked me like a bomb: 'Jennifer is gone!'
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