Note1: The break up Bella & Edward had during New Moon never happened in this story. THis is the first time Edward leaves Bella, thinking it's what's best for her.

Note2: I'm giving Bella more backbone here, hope you don't mind. Otherwise, i'm trying to keep them as much In Character as possible.

Note3: starts just after the big fight they had in Eclipse.

CHAPTER 1

"We are going to leave Forks." Edward told me after he had dragged me to the woods behind my house.

"Why?" I asked.

"Carlisle is supposed to be 10 years older than he looks, people are starting to notice."

I was shocked to hear that. And the thing that confused me the most was the word "we".

"When you say "we", you mean…?"

"My family and myself."

I wasn't shocked to hear that he meant leaving without me but I also realised it had not much to do with them looking younger than they should be.

"Edward what happened with Victoria in the mountains, I know I almost died, but I didn't."

"But what if you had died, we got you to Carlisle at the last minute. It could have all turned out differently."

"But it didn't." I insisted. "Edward, come on, don't do this, it's not worth it." I desperately tried to convince him of something he had made a decision about already.

"Yes, it is. It's better to love you from a far knowing you are alive and happy with someone who is good for you, like Jacob, than love you as a dead girlfriend."

"Edward… you want me to be with Jacob?"

I was completely shocked. This was not something I had expected, at all.

"Yes, he loves you like I do and he's better for you. Besides, Alice has seen the future where you two will get together."

"But I DON'T WANT to be with Jacob. Doesn't my opinion matter to you at all?" I started crying. Tears streamed down my face as I realized he was serious and there was no changing his mind.

"You are young, you don't know what's good for you. You will change your mind later. Trust me. I already talked to Jacob who's going to start protecting you with the other wolves."

"Edward, please…" I begged him to change his mind.

He palmed my cheek and I leaned into his touch. But then he said, "Goodbye, Bella" and he was gone.

Next few weeks went by in complete haze. It was the start of summer, and I just sat in my rooms all day with no motivation to leave it. Charlie told me that Jacob had called him every day and I saw his name pop up on my cell constantly too, but I didn't want to talk to anyone. Least of all the guy Edward wanted to see me dating now. I kept thinking about what happened in the mountains were Edward and I were hiding with Seth. When Victoria and the newborn Riley she had created to be her puppet lover found us, Edward had fought with Victoria and Riley with Seth, but at one point Victoria had managed to get a upper hand on Edward and she got her hands on me for a moment and before Edward could stop her, she threw me against a rock with what I thought was all her strength, but Edward later told me that probably she didn't have time to use all of it, because then I would have been dead instantly. Finally Seth managed to kill Riley and Edward Victoria but I had several inner bleedings going on and needed operation right away. I was carried to the hospital by Edward and Carlisle met us there. I had no idea where Carlisle took the strength and focus to patch me up as he had lost Esme in the clearing with the other newborns just before Victoria found me and Edward. Esme had shown mercy to two little girls, but they suddenly turned against her and killed her when Esme was alone with them for a moment.

I kept sending Alice e-mails about what I felt about them being gone, asking them to return to Forks, but all the e-mails bounced back. I knew that, but I kept writing more.

Jacob finally came to see me at the house when Charlie was out. We talked a little and I told him that I was not interested in dating him, no matter what Edward said, I only saw him as a close friend. As Jacob didn't want to see me while I was grieving for another guy, he left me alone, but I had an inkling that he wasn't going to give up just like that.

Suddenly, sitting at my laptop, I remembered I had Carlisle's personal phone number he had given me for emergencies. To the best of my knowledge, Edward didn't know about it and just as I thought it, the paper slip with Carlisle's phone and e-mail was in my notebook. Edward had taken everything else, the photos, the presents the Cullens had given for my birthday, he had tried to erase them from my life, but he either didn't know about the paper note or he had forgotten about it, but it was there.

So, with shaking hands, I dialed the number, but there was no answer. Still, it wasn't disconnected, so I considered it a win. So I took the e-mail address and wrote him a letter, asking if there was anything he could do to make Edward come back to me. I begged him to talk to Edward and make him reconsider. The e-mails didn't bounce back, so I knew he had received them. I wrote to him everyday for two weeks and there was no reply, so I gave up. I slowly started doing household chores and making dinner for Charlie after his day at work. I needed some kind of distraction from the same thought that kept circling around in my head.

One day, about three weeks Edward had told me goodbye and left me, there was a knock on the door while I was peeling the potatoes for dinner. It was still early, it wasn't even dark yet and I went and opened the door. Little part of me hopped it was Edward returning. Huge was my surprise when it was another Cullen entirely who stood there and said with a little smile, "Hello, Bella."