The pain was back.

I often went back and forth between the zombie-like state I was usually in, and the state where I was in so much pain that I couldn't physically leave my bed. Some days were worse than others, but today especially.

September 14th, the day he left me.

I thought about how Fate could be so cruel. How could she think it would be better than the darkness, than this oblivion which I so desperately craved with every ounce of my being? I'm sure she thought it would be good for me, help me heal from…Edward. I cringed as I thought his name. That name wasn't the one that gave me debilitating headaches and made my chest throb as if someone had punched a hole straight through. No, that was someone else entirely.

His name was Damon Salvatore.

He had been like a blast of heavenly light to my endless darkness. I had been walking alone in Port Angeles, which I knew better than to do, when I found myself in a similar situation like when Edward had saved me 6 years ago.

FLASHBACK

I was just minding my own business, when some homeless guy came up behind me with a knife and held his hand over my mouth.

"Don't make a freaking sound, you hear me?" He said in a gritty voice. My eyes were wide with fear, but lifeless. I nodded; ready to do whatever he said in order to get away faster. He was dragging me behind a building when my hallucination started, his voice velvety smooth as he begged me to fight back. I slowly tried to struggle and to scream when the guy backhanded me across the face. "I said don't make a sound. I have to tell you again, it's gonna be much worse. You understand?" I looked up at him. His face was so evil, twisted with hatred.

He threw me to the ground and raised the knife, when he went flying. I immediately turned around, because nobody can move that fast. Nobody except…..him. But when my gaze landed on my savior, I grew confused.

He was really tall, that was what I first noticed. He was also almost completely in the shadows until he raced over to my would-be attacker. He grabbed him by the throat and hissed his next words. "Why is it that creeps like you get a thrill out of hurting nice, innocent girls? Well I tell you what; you won't be hurting anyone ever again." What happened next shocked me, which shouldn't have been possible. After all, I feel nothing anymore. Sure, I fake a smile here, a laugh there. But in reality, I feel nothing.

This stranger's face changed in a scary way. His eyes darkened, with the whites of his eyes disappearing and red filling the irises. Spidery, web-like veins popped up underneath his eyes. Most surprisingly, he grew fangs.

He buried his fangs in the guy's neck and in seconds, dropped him on the cement. I looked at his eyes and knew he was dead. That didn't freak me out. What did was the man blurred over to me and with a monotone voice said "You were walking home and you tripped on the street and I walked you home." His pupils had widened when he was speaking and it felt like something was trying to get into my brain.

I looked up at him and, in a sarcastic tone said "Really, because I think he was going to attack me and leave me for dead." He took a step back from me, then leaned in and sniffed me. "That's strange. You don't smell like vervain, yet you can't be compelled. Who are you?" I turned and walked away from him.

"I'm nobody. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone what I saw." He watched me turn away and spotted the bruise forming on my cheek. "Wait!" He cried out. I froze in place, like a statue. "What?" He walked up to me with tenderness on his face, which had gone back to normal. I looked at him; chocolate brown eyes gazing into frost blue ones and felt something. My long dead heart felt like it skipped a beat. That shouldn't be possible. He looked at my cheek and whispered "I can fix that." I didn't question what he did next.

He bit down on his wrist and then shoved it against my lips, giving me one command. "Drink. It will heal your bruise." I did hesitantly at first, and then latched on with reckless abandon. A few minutes later, he gently took his wrist away and I reached to feel my cheek. There was no soreness or anything. I looked at him in amazement.

"Who are you?"

He had a tender smile on his face, a thing which he obviously didn't do very often. "Damon Salvatore. What about you?" I fixed my eyes on him in amazement and smiled, truly smiled, for the first time in years.

"Isabella, Isabella Swan."

END FLASHBACK

It had happened that we got into a relationship after finding out I was his soulmate, not Edward's. Damon had searching for me, albeit unconsciously, for a long time. Longer than I'd been alive, even. He had gone from state to state, even country to country to try and find me. He said something inside him had said to be in Port Angeles that night. Lo and behold, he had found me.

Apparently Fate liked to play matchmaker in her spare time because over the course of about 6 months, Damon had helped heal the broken, jagged wounds inside my soul. He had helped me to live again, the he left too. I should have known better than to believe his promises. He said he would be back for me, that he would always love me, but that he had to return to Mystic Falls to help his friends. Something about a vampire that was really hard to kill. I think his name was Klaus or something like that.

And like the foolish woman I am, I believed him. It's been almost 9 months and he hasn't returned. No letters, no phone calls, he just disappeared. As fickle Fate would have it, it was the exact same day that Edward had left me in the forest 6 years ago. I was now 25 years old and more than anything, I wanted to love, to love and be loved in return. Was that too much to ask?

I had been sitting on my bed listening to Black Veil Brides' song "Savior," which had quickly become my favorite and I looked within myself. What was I waiting for? Why was I even still here? It was obvious he wasn't coming back.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I had essentially become an "emo", as people called it, when Damon left. Or at least, a more-watered down version. I had long since dyed my hair black and wore part of it over my face, hiding my dead eyes from the world. I usually wore nothing but black. Black jeans with a band t-shirt and a hoodie. I wore enough eyeliner to drown a raccoon. I had basically erased myself. What Damon and Edward had failed to do, I did myself. I no longer knew who I was and I liked it that way.

Sometimes I wondered if I was going insane, if it was all a dream. I had to effectively tell myself to get out of bed every morning because if I didn't, I would surely stay there.

I looked at the date and made a decision I should have made long ago.

I drove to Cape Flattery in Port Angeles to see one more sunrise.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

I had left a letter for Charlie to find in my apartment, hoping he would forgive me. I hated to do this to him, but I couldn't take this pain anymore, this emptiness. I was nothing more than a shell, useless to anyone.

I made the strenuous hike all the way to the highest cliff at Cape Flattery. It's the most northwestern point in the continuous United States. I had gotten there just as the sky was beginning to lighten with the promise of predawn….and absolution.

I sat and watched for a few minutes, then did what I came here to do. I took off my Black Veil Brides hoodie that I loved so much and set it aside. I pulled off my knee-high Converse sneakers and socks and also set them aside. I then pulled off all my jewelry except for one thing. I never took off the pinky ring Damon had given me. He said it was "just because". It was beautiful and delicate, with a single sapphire in the middle. That was it, just that stone. It was so simple, yet so elegant because of that.

With one last crack of my heart, I took it off too and set next to the picture I had of Damon. I had written a note with it.

Until the end and into forever, my love.

I walked up to the edge of the cliff, now barefoot and cold.

I looked up at the sky on the horizon.

A perfect sunrise.

With one last look, I jumped.

As I sank into nothingness, I had nothing left.

Nothing but forgiveness.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Alice POV

I was just mindlessly browsing through the Gucci website when I got sucked into a vision. It was Bella, but she looked different. She looked like those kids who like to call themselves "emo" when they are really just looking for attention. This was not the case with Bella. It was like I was in the vision with her. I felt her sadness, her heartbreak. It was like she had the greatest light in the world, only to have it all ripped away from her. Again, I sighed. I paid close attention to her as she took all of her jewelry off and her hoodie, shoes and socks.

Then I panicked. She stepped up to the cliff and after about 2 minutes, jumped off.

I watched.

She did not come back up.

Oh no.

"JASPER! COME QUICKLY!" He was in front of me in less than two seconds. "What, Alice?! What's wrong?"

"

I looked at him with sorrow. "It's Bella. She's going to kill herself today."

It took less than a minute for everyone to get into action. Jasper had come across somebody with the face in that picture before. I knew it was hard for him, but I had him look back to his human memories, or what he retained of them. His name was Damon Salvatore and he had been Jasper's comrade in the army. Obviously he was still alive, which means he is obviously a vampire. Not one like us evidently, with him having blue eyes. He was of the Original Race, but that didn't matter.

I searched the future, trying to see if there was a way if I could contact him. Then in a vision, I saw him writing down a phone number. I memorized it and pulling out my Iphone, dialed it. It was immediately answered by a sarcastic voice that said, "If this is that damn Chinese place calling again, I didn't do it!" I rolled my eyes. "Hello. My name is Alice Cullen. I have some information for you." He sounded pissed. "And how the hell did you get this number?" I shrugged. "I have my ways. Listen. It's about Bella Swan." He sounded like he stopped breathing for a second. "What about her? Is she ok?"

I dropped the proverbial bomb.

"She's going to kill herself at Cape Flattery in Port Angeles, in 2 hours. If you want to save her, I suggest you start moving." I heard him getting ready quickly. "I will, and thank you."

Before he hung up, he muttered "Hold on Isabella, I'm coming."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

I had managed to get from Missoula, Montana to Port Angeles in about an hour and a half. I don't know how; good old Fate must have been on my side today. I had 30 minutes left before I lost my Isabella forever. I hadn't meant to be gone so long. The problem with Klaus had gotten huge, with Elena being sacrificed and then dying in Matt's truck, to her now being a vampire and working with Klaus. I took one look at Stefan and Elena to handle their own problems by themselves. After all, they had Bonnie. What could go wrong?

I looked at my watch. I had 20 minutes to get to this "Cape Flattery". Apparently it was on the coast, the most northwestern point of the United States. Like I give a crap. I need to find Isabella, and I need to find her now.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

I arrived at the spot this Alice had told me, but she wasn't here. My mind flew into a panic. I wildly glanced around for her, and then spotted a little pile of clothes near the edge of the cliff. I looked down at it; Converse knee-high sneakers, Black Veil Brides hoodie, socks and jewelry. I didn't think it was hers, until I spotted the ring.

It was the one I had given her when I wanted to say I loved her but found myself unable to. I let my eyes follow the pile until they reached the picture of me. We had been out in the sun, just laughing and giggling when she snapped the picture. I asked her why she did it and she replied "for those days when I'm away from you."

There was also a note next to the picture that was unmistakably in her handwriting.

Until the end and into forever, my love.

I would not be able to live without my Isabella, so I decided to make it simple.

The sun was rising.

I was a vampire.

The sun would burn me if I took my daylight ring off.

So I did.

As the sun finished making its ascent into the sky, I dropped my ring next to Isabella's. The first of the sun's rays touched me, but I felt no pain.

Only warmth.

As I burned, I uttered my final words.

"Hold on Isabella. I'm on my way."