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Dream's Shadow

Summary:
This is my take on the over- and usually poorly- done plot. Edward leaves Bella again. She is changed and they meet again in the future. There will be a big twist! Requested by Iris. Banner by Iris!

Notes:
Try it! I know stories like this usually stink, but I thought I'd give it a try. I own nothing. Stephenie Meyer owns all.

58. Chapter 58

Rating 0/5   Word Count 537   Review this Chapter

He leaps toward me, but I recognize it isn’t an attack. As I suspected, he doesn’t actually reach toward me, rather collapsing to the ground.

I recognize the pain. It so recently was my own… and it is unimaginable in all-encompassing agony. Edward looks on in surprise and pity, with the same sense of familiarity.

“Jasper, we’re sorry.”

“I have to find her!” he moans. “I can’t… can’t live without her!”

“Don’t. This family’s had enough suicide attempts,” Edward begins. Jasper growls and stands, lunging toward him.

“Oh, so you get to end your pain, but I don’t? Is that it? I’m supposed to live without her? How do you expect I do that? I can’t, Edward, Edward, I can’t…”

And everyone in the room trembles at the explosion of grief. It radiates out from him. My heart sinks into my toes, pulsing. I can only imagine how awful all the agony of our last few months must have been for Jasper, if everything affects him like this. It is too much, too strong. I grab at my heart, trying to push it up into my chest. Edward embraces me.

“Oh, Bella,” he whispers. “It’s all right.”

“No,” Jasper says. “No, it isn’t. And it’ll never be right again.”

I am inclined to agree. Where can she be? I will search the world to find my friend, if that’s what it takes. I need to make sure my family is whole, to fix the gap left by her absence.

“Jasper, I’ll help you look for her. To the end of time if that’s what it takes.”

“Bella, what about the wedding? What about me?”

His expression is heartbreaking. I survey Edward for a second, trying not to be swayed by the perfection of his features, by how much I adore him and everything about him. It isn’t fair, though, to give in to the only thing I want and forget the people I love, the people who need me. I did it once, with Jake, with Charlie, chasing my impossible angel and abandoning the good solid souls. I don’t regret my choice… not that I ever had one, I could never have had anything but him in my future. But I can’t lose Alice. I can’t give her up. I have to help.

“I’m sorry, Edward.”

“I’ll come too,” he offers. “We can get married when we get back, with her.”

I nod eagerly. The pain in the room lightens slightly, but does not fade, though it’s replaced by a pale undercurrent of something I recognize. Hope.

It may be misplaced. I seriously doubt we’ll ever find her. However, I don’t show that. Instead, I reach for Jasper’s mind.

Alice… And darkness. That is all I can sense. I carefully and gently replace the nothingness with determination.

I’ll find her. She’ll be perfectly fine. Stuff happens.

His face smoothes. The tension in the air disappears.

I grin widely, before remembering she is gone.

Still, I’m pretty pleased with myself. A job well done… But I have a bigger task to complete.