If the silence in my head lasted, I would never go back. I wouldn't be the first one to choose this form over the other. Maybe, if I ran far enough away, I would never have to hear again.

"That's end of the book," Alice said, putting it down and she looked over at Edward. It seemed like everyone was looking at Edward, waiting for him to say the thing they all knew was coming now.

"I can't meet her," he said softly, but everyone could hear him.

"Edward," Esme said, her voice just as soft and just as hurt. "She's your mate..."

"She can be happy without me..." Edward said.

"But she chose you," Emmett reminded him. "You were the one that she wanted more than anything else in the world."

"Yes, and that's true for the Bella in the book," Edward said, his voice dead, as were his eyes. "She can't live without m... that Edward. But that's not true in this reality."

"But you love her," Esme repeated, really starting to break down at this point.

"With everything that I am," Edward said, his face breaking terribly as he said that, "which is why I have to let her live the normal, human life that she wants - even though she doesn't realize it... I just can't do that..."

"So... er... do we get to read the last book?" Emmett asked.

Rosalie, Esme and Alice were all glaring at him at his insensitivity.

"What? I just thought it might help," Emmett said.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's the reason," Rosalie said, who was being surprisingly quiet during this conversation.

"I think we should all take a break...let's go hunting," Alice said, looking at Edward. She really wanted to talk to him alone. She could get things out of him like no one else could and if anyone was going to make him change his mind, it would be her.

"I..." Esme hesitated, looking like she didn't want to leave Edward right now, but she looked at Alice and sighed. She knew they had a special connection, "Okay."

Carlisle walked over to her and she stood, leaning on him for support as they left silently. Jasper gave his wife one look and a second later he had followed them just as silently.

"I guess that's cool. Let's go babe," Emmett said.

"Edward," Rosalie said. "I just want to say that I'm with you whatever you decide."

"Rose?" Edward asked, looking at her confused. "But...you want her to have the other life...the other future."

"Yes," Rosalie agreed, "but not with that mutt."

Edward actually rolled his eyes at that, something he hadn't done in the last few hours.

"I've never seen you like this, Edward," Rosalie went on. "I like you this way...Selfish, I know... but I... I'll stand by you, whatever you decide." And with those words she ran from the house closely followed by Emmett.

"Well, that was unexpected," Alice said, going over to sit next to Edward.

"You're pleased that she said that and we both know it," Edward sighed. "And I don't care what you have to say...I'm not going to change my mind."

"You know that's not going to stop me from trying anyways," Alice smiled at him.

"I know," Edward narrowed his eyes. "And I don't want to know how low you'll go to make..."

"I'm not going to threaten you, Edward," Alice scoffed. "I won't even try and turn Bella and force her on you..."

"You did the last time," Edward said.

"This is different..." Alice said, sounding like she wished it wasn't true. "I don't know what's best either. But still, there are a few things that I have got to say."

"And what's that?" Edward asked, his voice becoming stiff again.

"You can't know what would happen if you take yourself out of the picture," Alice said. "Their relationship..."

"It's not just about their relationship," Edward said gravely. "It's about her future. Besides, you heard her. He's her soul mate," he said this part bitterly.

"Would have been without you," Alice corrected. "But you don't know if that's true anymore than she does... I don't think it's true at least."

"And what's your proof of that?" Edward scoffed.

"She needed two kisses to even think that she loved him," Alice said. "If she really had loved him, it would have only taken one."

"She didn't kiss him the first time...it doesn't count," Edward said dejectedly.

"Trust me, Edward. It counts," Alice said. "If she really loved him like she claimed, she would have felt it right away."

"She's stubborn," Edward sighed.

"She's not the only one," Alice glared at him.

"This still isn't the point," Edward said. "This isn't about him..."

"Edward, don't walk away from this," Alice pleaded with him. "You won't get a second chance at meeting her."

"I know," Edward said, his voice cracking with strain.

"Are you going to read the next book with us?" Alice asked, hoping like hell that there was something in the next book that would change his mind. A thought that she knew wasn't a good thing for him to hear, but she couldn't block it fast enough; stupid mind reading vampire.

"I don't think so," Edward said.

"Don't you want to know how this all ends?" Alice asked. "Don't you want to know what she is thinking?"

Edward was shaking his head, but she could see that he was struggling with this decision.

"Edward, you know you want to know what going to happen," Alice said sharply. "You want to know everything about her, real or not."

"It would just mean more pain, Alice," Edward sighed. "There's no point in reading any more of this, knowing that she's better off without knowing me... And don't tell me I'm wrong, Alice..."

"But you are..." Alice countered.

"I'm doing the right thing here," Edward said, his voice firm. He had made up his mind.

"I'm not so sure you are," Carlisle said, reappearing in the room.

"What?" Edward asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"I have no idea why these books were sent here, but I can't imagine that it would be to break the two of you up," Carlisle said.

"Why not?" Edward asked. "I'm obviously taking her away from her life... a normal life where she could be happy and have kids and grow old."

"That's the way it looks right now," Carlisle said, "but you can't leave the story unfinished, Edward. That wouldn't be fair to Bella - to either of you."

"What...?" Edward asked, again looking confused.

"You said that your mind is made up, but you don't have all the facts," Carlisle explained. "I understand that if something was going to change your mind now, it would have to be something big. Something impossible probably, but we've seen some pretty amazing things in these books already, so I tend to think that nothing is impossible. And if you don't want to do this for yourself, do it for Bella. The way I've seen you love her already is worth having..."

"But she could love someone else..." Edward argued.

"You don't know what the future holds for her anymore," Carlisle said, "or how your decision today will affect her life. Perhaps she and Jacob would find each other, perhaps not. Taking yourself out of the picture doesn't automatically mean that she's going to have the life she envisioned. In fact, without you, she might never have found her niche in life and wouldn't know how to relate to anyone. I'm just telling you not to do anything rash."

"Having me in her life has just caused her pain," Edward grumbled. It looked like he was trying to stop himself from listening to Carlisle's plea, but he was having trouble with it.

"Not only pain, son," Carlisle said. "You've also made her happy. Plus sometimes making it through the struggle is what makes things all worth it in the end."

"What are you talking about?" Edward asked.

"Edward, you know better than anyone how much I had to go through to keep myself from hurting anyone. At the time, I wondered why I wasn't able to kill myself, what was the reason that I was able to keep living. I decided to become a doctor so I could help those in need. It was very painful to accomplish this goal, but I knew that it was what I needed to do...what I was supposed to do. So, I worked on it as hard as I could and eventually I was given everything that I could ever have dreamed of having. In you, and Esme," Carlisle's smile widened the way it always did when he was talking about Esme in this manner, "and your brothers and sisters...in you I find everything I hoped for. In you I learned that the struggle I went through was worth it.

"Edward, the struggle just makes life better when you have time to look what you have gained," Carlisle finished.

"Fine," Edward sighed miserably. "I'll read the book, but I'm not making any promises."

"I understand," Carlisle smiled at him. "And if you prefer to read the book alone, I would understand that, too. I'm sure there are going to be more...er...private moments in this book and your brothers might..."

"Tease you mercilessly," Alice supplied.

"No, it's okay. We can read it together," Edward said.

"Fine, but you better not be moody the whole time we read this book," Alice said. "You can't be a statue like you have been for the last six chapters."

"I don't think I will be," Edward said. Alice looked into his eyes and she could see the subtle change there. It seemed that Carlisle had filled him with just enough hope that he might actually get to enjoy reading this next book.

A/N: Sorry, I didn't have time to write the thank you to all the readers for this one (I'll put it in the Author's notes in the next chapter), I figured you rather have me post this sooner than later, an I hope you like how this ended, with Edward being a little happier. And I'm sorry that I had Edward so sad the last quater of this book, I just felt that he would be devastated about what he heard for more than one reason, and the others didn't try to cheer him up because they thought that things might get worse in this book and that he would get depressed all over again...

And second thing I want to mention is that I'm just starting a new job. I'm hoping that this wont effect how I post this story, I'm planning on keeping up the every other day, but I'm not sure if that's going to work or not. I promise that I'm going to finish Breaking Dawn and that I'm going to do the Midnight Sun and the Bella and Edward meeting in this new reality not matter what, I'm just not sure if I can hand doing quite as quickly as I have been doing. Like I said, I'm going to be trying to do it, and I'm sure I could get a good protion of the book done before it's would ever be an issue... if it ever becomes one, but I just want to let you know that.