Part 1

I stared at the phone in my hand. I couldn't believe it. Bella. My Bella. Gone. I leaned my head against my knees, and started sobbing, silent, tearless sobs. Bella. I kept seeing her in my head like I'd seen her once before, in a vision that Alice had shown me not long after I'd saved her from the van; her broken, lifeless form, her face ashen. I wept harder still; my body shook with the pain.

Then I knew what I was going to do. I was going to Italy. I stood up and stole out the window to the grimy attic I'd been in. I heard the phone in my hand ring. I didn't want to talk to anybody, so I dropped it into a trash bin as I ran.

I ran to the nearest airport. This was just a small airport, but they had enough planes to get me where I needed to go. Bella. I thought as I bought the ticket. Bella. I thought as I took my seat. Bella. I didn't care what happened to me now. All I could think about was my Bella.

As the plane started to descend towards the tarmac in Rome, I realized that Alice would've known that I was coming here. She was probably the one who had tried to call before I'd left my phone in Rio. I didn't care if she came, as long as she left me alone. Let me do what I had to. I ran the rest of the way to Volterra. Bella. My Bella. The words kept repeating themselves inside my head along with the images of her broken body. I tried to remember the smile on her living face; but the images kept repeating themselves stronger.

When I reached Volterra it was dark, not that it made any difference to me. I sped through the streets to the foot of the huge clock tower at the north of, what was obviously the town center. I ran down the narrow alley to where I knew the tunnel was waiting below. As I landed on the soggy, uneven tunnel floor I heard something move. I spun, instinctively, I didn't care if I was going to be killed; that was why I was here after all.

"Ah. Edward, a pleasant surprise," said the large shadow, Felix I realized.

"What do you want?" I said in a dead, cracked voice.

"We—" he started but I cut him off. I wanted to do this as quickly as possible; I wanted to be relieved from this misery.

"I know what you thought and I need to talk to Aro." my voice was still lifeless.

"This way then," he said as he started to walk down the tunnel. I heard the other figure walking quietly behind me. I didn't care to hear their thoughts; I was too busy with my own. Bella. My Bella. I had a hard time staying behind Felix. I wanted to run. I of course knew where Aro was, I knew it the second Felix considered taking me there, but I also knew that Felix could contain me almost as well as Emmett. Demetri, walking swiftly next to me, had started to think about the reason that I'd come here; none of his guesses were even close to the truth.

Discontinuing the 'vegetarian' diet that Carlisle and the rest of my family followed. Joining the Volturi. Carlisle needing advice. The list went on and on.

I thought of the real reason and shuddered. I knew that I could never join her in the place she was in now, but I hoped that there would be oblivion. I longed for the oblivion. Maybe there I would be free from all of this crushing torture. The image of her motionless body filled my head again; I started to mourn silently. They noticed that my breathing had sped, and they were now wondering about that too.

We reached the iron grate that covered the end of the tunnel. As we slipped through it I thought of Bella. My Bella. My angel. My one and only love.

We had reached the room where Aro sat, talking with Marcus and Caius, or rather holding hands and letting Aro see directly into their minds. I heard all of their shock at my arrival and heard each of them come up with one of their own reasons that I was here, again their guesses were nowhere near the truth.

"Edward?" said Aro, responding to the dead expression on my face with horror. "What happened? Is your family in trouble?"

"No," I heard my voice as if it were some one else's. Aro walked up to me, concern in his face and thoughts. I felt my knees buckle as another wave of agony coursed through my body. I heard Aro's concern, as he placed a hand on the back of my neck. I didn't listen to what he heard. I didn't want to relive the last 24 hours, or rather the last eight months, of my existence.

Aro knew what I wanted now, I knew that. I also knew that he needed a little time to think about it, to discuss it with his brothers; but I was anxious to get it over with. I wanted to get away from the pain.

"Come, my brothers," Aro said to the other two. As they left the room I heard Demetri walk up to Aro with one thought in his mind; what happened?

Aro shook his head, as he said, "not here. I know that Edward is suffering." Demetri looked shocked as he nodded, leaving with them, and I was alone. I was alone in more than one way. I was alone in the obvious way, there wasn't a single person in the room; but I was alone in a way that hurt far, far worse. Bella. I thought; then I burst into more tearless sobbing.