A/N: I finally decided to post this alternate ending that I submitted for the Babies at the Border Compilation last year in an effort to promote the same compilation for this year. Please go visit the Babies at the Border facebook group to find out how to donate! Thank you to Athena for beta-ing this a whole year ago!

WARNING: This is very dark. If you were really happy with the sweet, cute ending...then, maybe don't read this? Because my cold, black heart wrote this. :)

Bella had moved to California six months after her kiss with Edward behind the police station. When the final hearing came about the state's decision, she was asked to come and make a statement. She'd only been back home twice since she'd left; the second being for the memorial service that the Cullen's held for Alice, whose remains were sadly never recovered.

Now she'd return yet again to see the house torn down.

The day of her flight was hard for Bella. She'd worked a full day and was trying to finish packing before she needed to leave. The Uber she called smelled like cigarettes, and the driver didn't acknowledge the 65 mph speed limit, so Bella felt like she was going to be late for her flight.

After going through security and finding her gate, Bella sat down and waited. She'd called her dad while she waited for the Uber, and now she was fiddling with her phone, her thumb hovering over Edward's name.

They'd remained friends after she left; Facebook and Instagram, texts a few times a week, and the occasional phone call. He'd been the one to call and invite her to Alice's memorial, telling her how much it would mean to his family and him.

Checking her watch, she calculated enough time to call and let him know she was coming. She tapped his name and waited for him to pick up.

"Hi Edward, it's Bella. I…I just wanted to let you know that I'm about to get on a plane to Washington. I want to see the house come down. I just thought I should let you know. Bye." She hadn't expected his voicemail and leaving the message felt stupid.

The flight was bumpy but thankfully short. Bella was the last off the plane with her carry-on in hand when she saw Charlie waiting for her by baggage claim. He smiled and hugged her tightly when she reached him.

"It's good to see you, kid," Charlie said as he took her bag and led her to the car.

They made idle chitchat on the way to Charlie's house, and Bella realized just how much she missed her dad. He'd come to visit her several times a year, but they were practically neighbors when she still lived in Washington.

"Bells, I'm worried that the same thing is going to happen this time around," Charlie said as they neared his home.

Charlie pulled into the driveway and cut the engine as Bella's phone chimed with an incoming text message. She let her father lead them into the house with her bag as she checked her phone.

I'm glad you're here. Can we meet before tomorrow?

"It's Edward Cullen," Bella told her father as she grabbed her bag and headed upstairs to what used to be her old bedroom and was now a guest room. She dropped her luggage and descended the stairs to find Charlie holding his car keys out to her.

"Not too late. You're going to need some rest." He said as she kissed his cheek and went back out to the car.

This had happened the last two times Bella had come home. Edward had asked to meet with her and they usually got a coffee at the diner and talked for hours. She responded to the message telling him to meet her and then took off toward the diner.

When she walked into the diner ten minutes later, she was a little surprised to see Edward already inside and waiting for her; and he wasn't alone.

Winnie Cullen was a tall, slender woman with fiery red hair and pale skin dotted with freckles. She had a radiant smile and hearty laugh that echoed wherever she was. She had always made Bella feel completely at ease and had taken to calling several times during the week. If Bella ever thought that would get old or annoying, she was wrong. She missed having a mother figure to speak to, and it was obvious that Winnie missed having a young woman to discuss things with.

The two Cullen's looked up at the same time and beamed at Bella. As she walked towards their table, Winnie stood up greeted her warmly with a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"How are you, dear?" she asked, and Bella felt that same pang in her heart that she always did whenever Winnie called her that. The pain that her own mother could never call her that again and for this mother standing before, who would never speak to her own daughter again.

"I'm good," Bella answered as Edward replaced his mother. He wrapped her in a tentative embrace, and she leaned into his warmth. They held onto each for just a moment longer than the hug with his mother.

When they separated, Edward smiled again and pulled out the chair next to him so she could sit down. A waitress came by, and Bella placed her order, then looked to Edward and Winnie.

She hadn't come the other two times Bella and Edward had met after Bella moved away, preferring to call or spend one-on-one time with Bella when she came home.

"Edward said that you two got together the last two times you had come back to town, and I wanted to come by and speak with you," Winnie said as Bella took a sip of her coffee. "I want you to know there are going to be reporters there tomorrow. I don't want you to be blindsided…like before."

Bella was quiet as she took this in. She figured there would be a news crew at the demolition site because this was obviously something to cover. But the foresight of knowing they would actually be there gave Bella a sense of relief she hadn't had when they showed up at Alice's service, or when she returned to deliver her statement to the court.

"I thought they would probably be there," Bella said setting her cup down. "I don't want to be the center of attention any more than you do, but I think it's unavoidable at this point." Winnie smiled and patted her hand.

She stayed for a little while longer and chatted with Bella and Edward before excusing herself, claiming she wasn't as young as she once was.

Bella and Edward were alone, and the silence overtook them. He reached out for her hand, and they intertwined their fingers together.

"How long are you staying?" he asked softly, and Bella sighed.

"Not long enough. I miss Charlie." She gripped his hand slightly. "I leave the day after tomorrow. I want to see Alice before I go."

Edward turned to face Bella. "That would be nice."

"So, when are you leaving this place?" Bella asked as she reluctantly let go of his hand and took another drink from her cup.

It was a common conversation between the two of them. A different time and a different place; that's what they had both agreed on. For Bella, that meant away from Washington, but Edward wasn't sure he could leave his parents after all they had been through. So, on her last two visits, it was just stolen kisses and murmurs in the dark about how to find a way to be together.

The attraction they both felt was still as strong as that day three years ago, but Bella wasn't going to wait around forever. There were times she was positive Edward was the only man out there for her, but his reluctance to make a plan was discouraging her all the time.

Edward never answered her, and they eventually went on to small talk, which was safe and unobtrusive. When the waitress told them the diner was closing, they paid and made their way to the parking lot.

They finally parted, and Bella made a promise to herself that she wouldn't wait for Edward anymore. If he really wanted to be with her, like he so often said he did, he'd figure it out.

The rain woke Bella before her alarm. The dark sky mirrored her own thoughts and emotions. She showered, dressed, and met her father in the kitchen before they left for the Platt Mansion. There was no pomp and circumstance, no words of remorse for demolition, nor was there any mention of the atrocities that had occurred there.

At nine AM precisely, a crane slammed a wrecking ball into the south side of the house and began to knock it to the ground.

Bella declined all comments to the news crew and remained as stoic as possible as she watched the mansion crumble. Charlie kept his arm around Bella while Winnie held her other hand. Edward was between his mother and father.

When all was said and done, a fence had been erected around the debris, and the cleanup crews were already getting to work, Bella dropped her father off back home and went to the cemetery to see Alice.

She sat at the gravesite and ran her fingers through the grass, not caring that her pants were now soaked through from the earlier rainfall.

Alice's grave marker listened intently as Bella filled in the details of her life since she'd last visited. She spoke about the new condo she'd just bought, and the colors she was thinking about painting it. Bella mentioned Edward, as she always did, telling Alice she thought it was weird but kind that she had obviously put her and Edward in each other's paths.

"The more we talk the more I know that he's it, but…maybe he just doesn't feel the same about me." Bella laughed and wiped away a tear that had fallen. "I miss you, and we never really knew each other." When she had laughed and cried all she could, she left the site and headed home.

A month after Bella had watched the old, once beautiful mansion destroyed, she felt a sense of relief. The weight of her attempted murder had eased. It would never leave her completely, but when she closed her eyes, she couldn't see anything but peaceful darkness.

She hadn't spoken to Edward since she returned home, although she wasn't really surprised. The goodbye they shared in the parking lot of the diner seemed enduring, as though Edward knew that Bella was letting go. So, she went about her life, working and living. Bella still took chances, but was always cautious, not wanting to ever put herself in a life-threatening situation ever again.

After a long week at work, she readily agreed to go out with a few of her coworkers for drinks and to blow off some steam. Maybe she would dance, maybe she would flirt; really anything could happen, and Bella was looking forward to it.

She went home to freshen up her makeup, called for an Uber, and then found herself a local bar that boasted strong drinks and karaoke. Bella was enjoying the happy hour and some of her coworkers, who were braving karaoke when she had a sudden feeling like she was being watched.

A cursory glance around informed her that there wasn't a single familiar face in the crowd and not one person seemed to be looking at her or making themselves appear to not be looking. She chalked it up to being out and in a slightly crowded place. After another hour where the hair on the back of her neck stood on end and she couldn't shake the feeling, she left.

The Uber driver sped and didn't speak to her, but that didn't matter. She was analyzing her thoughts from the evening. She hadn't felt threatened, but she was curious as to why she'd felt like she was being watched. When she reached her condo and thanked the driver, she scanned the street before heading to the door.

That night, for the first time in a month, she dreamed of Alice.

They were walking together, arm in arm, but neither was speaking. Bella could sense the friendship and warmth between the two women, but Alice stopped suddenly and turned to her.

"You aren't a quitter, Bella Swan."

Alice disappeared, and all she could see was Edward.

He was standing over a huge hole in the ground a shovel jammed into the dirt next to him. His clothes were grungy and his face was streaked with dirt like he had been sweating and crying.

Bella couldn't understand, even in the dream, what she was seeing. The Cullen's had never stopped looking for Alice's body; had they finally found her? Was this why Alice came to her in her dreams?

She woke suddenly and clutched at her blankets for comfort as a chill went down her spine; once again, Bella felt as though she was being watched.

"Alice? If you're here, please talk to me." Bella waited in the darkened silence for the response that never came.

She turned over to her side and picked up her phone from the nightstand and sent Edward a text.

We haven't spoken since I came home, but I was just wondering if you'd gotten any new information on Alice. Let me know.

She waited for a response but didn't really expect one at 2:34 in the morning, so Bella drifted back to sleep.

After several weeks of no response from Edward, Bella called Winnie Cullen. However, that ended up being as fruitless as the text message. Winnie's cell phone was no longer in service. The Cullen's house phone was disconnected. Even Edward's father, Carlisle, couldn't be reached at the hospital where he was the administrator.

"I'm sorry miss, but Dr. Cullen left the hospital about six weeks ago." The receptionist sounded annoyed, and really, who could blame her. If Bella was as close to the family as she claimed, how did she not know this already?

"Did he leave any forwarding information?" Bella asked, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice.

When she was denied any information and released from the call, Bella immediately called her father.

"Bells, I really thought that you knew. I thought that Edward or Winnie would have told you. They left town pretty abruptly about six weeks ago." Charlie sighed and Bella could hear the creaking of his old recliner. "I think that maybe, just maybe, they couldn't live here anymore."

It took months for Bella to come to terms with the fact that the Cullens, and more specifically, Edward, had cut her out of their lives. Was she a terrible reminder that their lives were irrevocably changed because Bella had survived, but Alice had not? Because her remains were never found?

Bella made peace with the fact that she might never have the answers. She continued to work and made new friends. She discovered her new city and tried new food. She even explored some notably haunted places in San Diego, albeit on guided tours with 20 or 30 other people.

Spring heated up into a sweltering summer that mercifully and quickly turned to autumn, but brought Bella's anxiety to a desperate peak as the end of October loomed. The anniversary of her attempted murder was on the horizon.

She felt eyes on her at all times. She found herself spying between her window blinds every time she heard a car drive down her street. Bella even took to changing the way she drove home every other day or so no one would follow her and see her develop a routine.

However, it was two weeks before Halloween that everything came to a head.

When Bella approached her desk at work on a seemingly inconspicuous Monday morning she froze in her tracks when her eyes landed on the tiny pumpkin. She could feel her chest constrict and the tears prick her eyes. She wanted to scream but no sound escaped her closing throat.

That's when she felt the hand on her shoulder.

"Bella!" She stifled a scream in her throat when she realized that the hand belonged to her coworker, Bree Tanner.

Bree worked only a few cubes down from Bella and was pretty much the only person she conversed with or spent any modicum of time with outside of work. In short, Bree was a friend.

"Did … did you leave that on my desk?" Bella asked as she gestured into her cube and looking at Bree critically.

"Yeah! It's an invitation to my annual Halloween party. It's really great, Bella-"

"I need you to take that off my desk and I don't want to see it again," Bella told Bree with a quavering voice. "Please Bree, just do it."

Bree could see her friend pleading with her and immediately grabbed the miniature pumpkin and held it behind her back.

"I … I'm sorry Bella. I never meant to upset you." Bree began and turned away.

Bella let out a ragged sigh as she watched Bree duck into her own cubicle and moved to sit down at her desk and lowered her head into her folded arms. After several deep breaths, she took the time to boot up her computer and check her email and get herself ready for her workday. However, after ten minutes of staring at her computer screen and doing nothing she got up and set out to speak to Bree.

She walked the thirty feet down the hallway and rapped her knuckles on the edge of the cubicle. When Bree's head jerked up and her eyes went wide, Bella tried a warm smile.

"Lunch later? At the deli?" She was referring to the deli down the street where they often had lunch when they could get away at the same time. Bree only nodded and when Bella mumbled a 'thanks', Bree managed a small smile.

Five hours later the two women rode the elevator down to the lobby together in silence and neither of them attempted to speak until they reached the sidewalk.

"Bree I'm sorry-"

"Bella, I googled you-"

Both women started to giggle nervously for trying to talk over each other until Bree's words registered in Bella's brain.

"You googled me? Why?" Bella took a deliberate step back and crossed her arms.

"When we met your name was familiar, but I didn't think twice about it, but after this morning and … the thing, everything fell into place. I remembered your story." Bree started walking and Bella followed, curious where her friend's train of thought was going.

" I heard about it on the news and I couldn't imagine the horror you went through." She looked at me as we stopped outside the deli and I opened the door for us.

"I don't like to talk about it." Bella said quietly, "It was a horrible experience and getting back to a 'normal' life after the fact hasn't been easy."

After they ordered and found a seat Bella stared at Bree for a few minutes.

"You have questions. I'll answer what I can, but if I can't answer them, you'll have to deal with that." The resignation was heavy in her voice and she picked at the sesame seeds on her bagel.

"I only have two questions; are you okay?" Bree asked and lightly touched Bella's hand. Her head snapped up and her eyes went wide.

That was never the first question that anyone asked.

"Physically, I'm alright. My shrink says I have some PTSD, which is understandable, but I haven't had a nightmare about it since they demolished the house." Bella looked to Bree. "Thank you. What's the second question?"

"Well, are we okay?" Bree asked and Bella realized that her only friend was sitting across from her and was worried that their friendship was over.

"We're okay." Bella took one last deep breath to clear away the last remnants of fear. "Tell me about your party."

In the following two weeks, Bella helped plan and prepare for Bree's party. Her parents owned a cabin in a resort town about two and a half hours from San Diego in mountains. It was a small town, but it boasted a quaint Halloween parade for all the children to collect candy and the cabin was set apart from town proper so the music and ruckus wouldn't disturb the year-round residents.

The two women took the afternoon of the party off from work to drive up to the cabin and begin to get everything ready for the other guests. The drive was scenic and not too long, but Bella's anxiety was tingling as she began to realize just how remote and isolated this small mountain town really was.

When they reached the cabin Bella was struck by the simplicity and beauty in the design. It was elevated and had a large wrap around porch with plenty of seating and a grill. Upon entering Bella noted it was two stories and the lightly stained wood paneling was offset by the neutral-colored paint. It was by no means a party house but looked more like a peaceful retreat.

"Bree, your parents are really alright with you throwing a party here?" Bella was a bit skeptical as she wandered around the bottom floor.

Bree was in the kitchen putting away perishables and laughed.

"Of course, I've been doing it for years. It's not a rager."

Bella murmured and moved to the stairs.

"Can I go upstairs?"

"Sure! You can have the second room on the right." Bree called out and Bella continued her exploration.

The second level boasted 5 bedrooms with inviting colors and textures and Bella found the room designated for her. She deposited her backpack on the bed and moved directly to the window. She had a lovely partial view of the lake and the road that led to the house. It was a beautiful location and Bella could see how she could actually enjoy the seclusion.

Footsteps were coming down the hall and Bella turned when Bree appeared in the doorway.

"I just called to preorder the pizzas. All the drinks and other food is put away, and we have several hours before anyone is due to show up. Wanna go check out the town?"

Bella nodded and two left the cabin.

They bypassed Bree's car and walked the half-mile into town and walked past the pizza parlor where they would pick up their pizzas later and the tiny general store that Bree explained also doubled as the local post office. An ice cream parlor took up a corner lot across from a small school complex.

As they meandered down the main thoroughfare, Bella continued to look over her shoulder, feeling as if someone was following her … looking at her … watching her. Her unease and anxiety began to build and she told Bree that she wanted to head back to the cabin.

"I understand that we're incredibly isolated here, but this town is really safe. If anyone is staring at you, it's just because you're new." Bree said gently as they made they're way back to the cabin.

Bella knew; someone was watching her. She didn't know who it was or what they wanted, but she knew she was being watched.

"I think you should take a nap. Get some rest before everyone shows up. I can go get the pizzas." Bree gently pushed her toward the stairs and Bella nodded went upstairs to her bedroom.

But she didn't sleep. There was a small armchair that she moved as quietly as she could and placed it by the window. She arranged it so she could see her partial view of the lake and the road and also keep alert to the door to the room.

She checked her phone and saw that she had only two bars and half battery, so she unpacked her charger cord and plugged her phone in and made sure her back up battery was also charged.

Whatever was going happen, she was going to be as aware as possible.

There was a small AM/FM radio on the bedside table, so Bella turned it on for music and to drown out the noise.

As the sun started to set, the shadows from the trees got longer and the musical rotation came back to where it was when Bella first turned on the radio.

"We have a traffic alert on CA-243 on both sides of the highway, causing backups all the way down to the 79 and into Warner Springs. It seems that a three-car pile-up has caused a brush fire and Cal Fire is attempting to contain the fire and put it out. Interstate eight is open in case of evacuations from town."

Bella turned her attention back to the window and stared more intently into the trees and onto the lake.

"Alright, what's next?" she mumbled under her breath.

Twenty-two minutes later another news break came in.

"Another traffic alert has been issued for interstate eight. Another brush fire has sprung up and has already spread to 5 acres. High winds coming in from the south are making it difficult to contain. All fire services north of both fires in the eight and CA-243 have been dispatched to contain and prevent them from spreading any further north."

Bella slowly got to her feet and stretched. She was in leggings, a long sleeve shirt, and sneakers. She checked the weather app on her phone and saw that while it was still in the low seventies, the nighttime temps would drop to at least the mid-fifties. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a hoodie and tied it securely around her waist.

She grabbed her phone and slid it into her pocket and her backup battery and small cord into the other pocket. Then Bella reached for the military-style pocket knife that Charlie had sent to her a few months ago. She opened it and closed it a few times, just to test the catch and then slid it into her back pocket where it was hidden.

She descended the stairs while tying her hair up into a tight bun and called out for Bree.

"Bree? Have you heard what's going on? The fires …" Bella broke off when she registered the silence in the lower portion of the house.

Feeling around, she found a lightswitch and the living room illuminated. She walked towards the kitchen and easily found the switch in there and a note from Bree that said she went to pick up the pizzas.

Being alone in the house and feeling completely on guard, Bella began to search every room and corner. She looked at what she considered every entry point and assessed to the best of her ability the best exit route.

She found a huge knife block in the kitchen and stashed several of the larger knives in hidden spots, just in case they might be needed. There was an office off the kitchen and Bella entered and turned on the light and was shocked and somewhat delighted to see a gun case with several shotguns and a few handguns.

After careful inspection, the terror that came with the thought that anyone could find them was outweighed by the fact that the shells appeared to be locked in a safe with a fingerprint scanner. So, she wouldn't have access to ammo, but she could potentially intimidate someone with the threat of a gun.

She knew how to shoot because Charlie had made sure since there were guns in the house while she was growing up, that she knew how to safely handle them. She turned off the light and closed the door to the room and hoped that she wouldn't need to get back into that room, but she would remember all of her father's training if she did.

In the time it took for Bella to explore the house and formulate at least some kind of plan, Bree still hadn't returned from town.

Bella moved to the large windows that overlooked the driveway and the road and peered intently out. There was little to no movement and while the shadows were darker and denser, the sun had only just set.

Just as she was turning away from the window, bright lights flashed on in the driveway. Obviously, the Tanner's had motion-activated lights installed. Bella turned to look out and almost couldn't comprehend what she was seeing.

Bree was suspended spread eagle, by her arms and legs between the trees that lined the road leading to the driveway.

Bella could feel the tears rolling down her face as she tried to gather her wits. Bree, her poor sweet friend, was at least 30 feet in the air and the trees were at a minimum 15 feet apart. Her head was dropped to her chest and she had blood streaked across her clothes. There was a pool under her body and belle couldn't tell whether she was breathing or not.

The lights went out.

Bella wanted to run outside and find a way to get Bree down, but she didn't dare go outside. Just when she realized she hadn't noticed if the car was there, the lights flashed on again.

A tall figure in a dark sweatshirt with the hood pulled up was standing under Bree's body. Bella could see a sliver of pale skin from under the hood and saw clenched fists in gloves at the figure's sides.

Bella was grateful that she had locked every door and window she had encountered on her search, so while she was terrified, she unlocked the sliding door and opened it up.

"Who the hell are you?!" She screamed into the night. The lights flashed off again and Bella reached out and found the nearest thing, a small potted plant, and threw it over the rail of the porch to set off the sensors again.

The figure had moved a few feet closer.

"What do you want? Are you here to try and kill me?" Bella was practically taunting this person. "Guess what? Been there, done that!"

She watched as the figure reached behind it and pulled out a large knife.

"You don't understand." He was speaking … the figure was male. The voice was shaking like he had been crying. "The last time someone tried to kill you, she was there."

She? Who was this guy talking about? There was no one with Bella when Felix tried to murder her except …

Alice

"What does Alice Cullen have to do with anything?" Bella asked as the lights went out again.

This time the man set off the lights again as he had moved a few more feet closer.

"Her body was never found. I … need to know where she is … where her body is." He moved closer again and Bella yelled out.

"Stop! Why does it matter to you?"

"I tried to get her through her father, through her mother, but she never came. So, I knew it had to just be you." He continued to take slow steps towards the house and Bella began to panic.

"What do you mean you went through her parents? Did you … oh god." Bella was crying again, but she was trying to keep her focus on the man.

This was the man that killed Carlisle and Winnie Cullen. Is this why she hadn't heard from Edward?

"Where's Edward?" Bella asked as she tried to choke back her tears.

"Where's Edward?" he mocked in a high pitched voice. "Don't you recognize me, Bella?"

The figure slid the hood off his head and a shock of bronze hair stuck up in the slight breeze.

"NO!" Bella screamed and fell to her knees.

This man, a man that had comforted her and believed her. A man that she had fallen in love with and waited for … had killed his parents and Bella's friend all in the hopes of finding his sister's spirit.

"Edward, you're sick. Something is wrong … Alice isn't here. If she were going to be anywhere, it would be at the Platt Mansion." Bella began as she stood up.

Something was broken in Edward; the loss of his beloved sister was too much to take after all this time. She could get him some help, she just had to convince him to drop the knife and let her help him.

"The mansion isn't there anymore, Bella!" Edward screamed as he wiped at his face with his free hand. "She isn't there, so she must be with you."

"If you try to hurt me, I'll fight back," Bella said as she took a step backward towards the sliding door.

"I hope you do," Edward said with a wicked smile and disappeared under the porch.

Bella ran into the house and closed the door and locked it. And then remembered that she hadn't bothered to lock the downstairs door. She had stupidly assumed that Bree would have locked it behind her.

Of course, even if she did it probably didn't matter now. Bree was dead, Edward had already seen to her. He most likely had her keys, which meant he had access to her car.

Bella heard the pounding on the downstairs door. She pulled out her phone and attempted to dial 911. She had no service but dialed anyway hoping that somehow the call would go through. When she heard nothing, she left pocketed her phone and tried the cordless on the kitchen counter.

There was no dial tone and as she threw the phone down onto the counter, the interior lights went out. Edward had found the breaker box.

All she had to do at this point was get past him, get to town and get help. That's all. It could be very simple; she could lure him to the back of the house and somehow incapacitate him. Then book it to town.

"Ok Bella, you can do this. Just figure out how to calm him down, even a little." She was talking to herself as she moved to the back of the house. The motion lights were on as if Edward were following her path.

She moved to the rear sliding glass door when she heard footsteps coming from around the corner of the porch. She quickly moved out of sight from the window. Bella saw his shadow loom over the window and she caught her breath. He slammed his fists on the window and she swore she could hear the glass crack under the pressure.

"Don't you want to help me, Bella?" Edward yelled into the night and Bella bit back a sob. "I just want my sister back!"

His steps moved away and Bella reached into her pocket to check for cell service again. With no reception her call still hadn't gone through, so she replaced her phone and moved towards the kitchen. She could hear Edward pacing around the porch.

"Can't you understand? She's here with you, I know she is! Ask her where she's buried. I need to know!" Edward roared from outside and Bella knew that she had no choice; she was going to have to make a run for it.

Edward was broken and there was nothing Bella would be able to do to get him to calm down, even slightly; she couldn't help him, but she could help herself.

"You aren't a quitter, Bella Swan."

Bella took a deep breath and counted to ten. She'd been incredibly lucky once; Alice had helped her, of course, but she'd been lucky. She was determined to live then and even more so now.

The keening sobs coming from the porch were terrifying, but Bella tried to ignore the sound; it was just noise … and the noise could simply be used as a means to pinpoint where he was.

Bella went back into the office off the kitchen and turned on the small desk light. She began searching for loose ammo, anything that wasn't locked up. When her search turned up nothing, she turned slowly around in the room looking for anything that could be used to defend herself.

A loud crack made her scream and when she turned to the window, Edward was there trying to break the window with a porch chair. Bella began to back away when the glass shattered and the chair came flying at her.

All reason flew from her mind as she ran from the room. She could hear Edward running and panting behind her when she reached the stairs. She climbed up having no idea where she was going or what she would do, other than to get away from him when a hand grabbed her ankle and pulled.

Her scream was strangled and she clawed for the railing and tried to pull herself away from his grip. She was thrashing and the muscles in her arms were straining as she tried to maneuver away.

"I can't let you go. Different time, different place. It's now, Bella." Edward said with a hollow-sounding voice.

He gave an incredibly hard yank, harder than Bella would have thought possible and she lost her grip on the railing. Her head banged against several of the steps as he dragged her down and onto the hardwood floor.

Bella's tears were free-flowing and she just wanted her daddy.

"Edward, please." Bella begged, "Alice isn't here … she isn't with me anymore. Don't do -" her words were cut short when Edward's hands wrapped around her throat and began to squeeze.

She knew not to struggle, she'd run out of the air faster. She slowly tried to reposition herself to try and knee him in the groin or get her thumbs into his eyeballs, but Edward being so tall and lanky made it almost impossible for her to reach anything with her small stature.

Bella felt herself drift; she knew this was the moment. What would happen after this? She never questioned life after death, but more, what would Edward do after she was dead?

Then there was blackness.

Bella came to and found herself laying down and shivering in the dark. It smelled damp and a lot like the tire swing she had in the backyard of her house when she was growing up. She tried to sit up and realized that her hands and feet were bound together. She struggled for a few moments before resting again.

Her throat hurt and she was freezing; she felt weak and Bella suddenly thought that there was a huge possibility that she might be or already lost a fair amount of blood. Was that why she was so cold? It was so dark she could barely see anything around her until she finally looked directly up.

Stars … a sky full of stars.

That's when Bella knew; the dark and damp, the cold and the familiar backyard smell.

She was in the ground.

The tears came forcefully again.

"You know, I really thought that she would come for you," Edward said suddenly from somewhere above her.

"Obviously, I can't let you go now." He moved into her line of sight.

He was standing about ten feet above her and jammed a shovel into a mound of dirt next to him. Some of the dirt loosened and Bella shrieked and began to fight against her bindings again. His clothes were grungy and his face was streaked with dirt like he had been sweating and crying.

"Edward, please, no!"

"Did you know that your friend's thumbprint works on that safe? The one in the room with all the guns?" He asks with a wry grin as he holds up a disembodied hand in his left hand.

Bella's eyes widen in horror as he drops the hand and raises his right hand that's holding one of the handguns from the office in the cabin.

A shot echoes in the woods and a body goes limp.

A grave is filled.

A mind sinks further into a mental break.

And a tiny pumpkin sits upon a pile of freshly turned earth.