~Bella's POV~
I wake up from a bad dream to knocking on my bedroom door before Dad walks in with a present and a camera with a bow on it.
"Happy birthday."
He approaches the bed.
"I thought we agreed no presents."
"Well, the one from me's not wrapped, so it doesn't count."
He hands me the camera and I snigger.
"That's actually great. Thanks, Dad."
"It goes with this one from your Mom. We coordinated."
He holds out the wrapped present and I take it.
"Well, she coordinated me," he corrects himself as I open the present to reveal a scrapbook. "It's to, uh, put your pictures in from school. I can't believe you're fourteen, how did you get so old so fast?"
"I didn't. It's not that old," I protest.
"Oh I don't know, is that a grey hair?" he jokes.
"Get out, Dad," I smirk.
"Happy birthday," he says again before he leaves.
I ride my bike to the park to meet my friends Angela, Eric, Mike and Jessica. The park is pretty busy.
"Today's the big day, Bella," Jessica says.
I look at them with confusion.
"The R & J auditions," Jessica reminds me.
"Oh yeah, good luck with that."
"Wherefore art thou, Bella," Mike grins.
"Let me take a picture of you guys for my scrapbook for when I go back to school."
"Oh," Eric says.
"Cool, yeah!" Mike says.
"I take them. I'm not in them," Angela complains but Eric grabs her close to him and I take the picture.
"Oh, good. Cullen's here," Mike moans.
I turn to see Edward driving up.
"Well, see you later," Jessica says before they all walk out of the park.
I turn to wait for Edward to come over to me.
"Happy birthday."
"Don't remind me."
"Mmm!"
"Bella, your birth is definitely something to celebrate."
"Yeah, but my aging's not."
"Your aging?" he chuckles. "I think 14 is a little young to start worrying about that."
"It's one year closer to becoming older than you."
"No, it isn't. I'm 90."
"Well, maybe I shouldn't be dating such an old man."
"Mmm!"
"It's gross. I should be thoroughly repulsed."
"Uh-huh!" he says before we kiss.
"We have to get to the diner."
"Okay!"
I turn to walk away.
"Wait a second."
I stop and turn to him.
"Someone wants you."
I turn to see Jacob.
"Bella!"
"Jacob!"
I turn back to Edward.
"I'll leave you to talk."
Edward walks a few feet away as Jake approaches.
"Hello, biceps! You know, anabolic steroids are really bad for you."
Jake laughs.
"Well, I'm just filling out, Bella. You know, it wouldn't seem so drastic if we hung out more."
"You haven't exactly been running round to see me when I'm home."
"Touché! Hey, happy birthday."
I'm not happy that he knows.
"Your dad told my dad, so... "
"Yeah, of course he did."
"I saw this the other day and thought of you."
He holds up a small dream catcher.
"Catches bad dreams."
"That's kind of perfect," I say as I take it. "Thank you."
"No problem."
There's a short silence as we both look at Edward.
"Good seeing you," he says.
"Yeah, I'll see you later," I reply as we hug.
I watch Jake leave the park before I go up to Edward and we also leave the park as we walk to the diner.
"So how come Jake gets to give you a gift and I don't?"
"Because I don't want to celebrate and Jake didn't know that."
"Bella," Alice says after coming out of the diner and skips up to me with a present in her hand. "Happy birthday."
"Shh, shh!" I request.
She holds out the present.
"I thought I said no presents."
"I've already seen you open it, and guess what, you love it."
I scoff a little.
"You're gonna wear it tonight. Our place."
I give her a look.
"Come on. Please? It'll be fun."
"Okay. Alright."
"Great!"
Alice shrieks with excitement. "Okay, I'll see you at 7."
She skips over to Jasper.
"Jasper, no fair with the mood control thing," I huff.
Alice laughs.
"Sorry, Bella. Happy... "
I give him a dirty look.
"Never mind."
The two of them walk up the street.
"You can't trust vampires. Trust me."
Me and Edward go into the diner and find a table.
"I hate being celebrated."
"There are worse tragedies. I mean, look at Romeo."
He knows I love the story of Romeo and Juliet.
"Killed his true love out of sheer stupidity."
"Yeah."
"Though I do envy him one thing."
"Juliet is, like perfect. If you like that obviously beautiful sort of thing."
He sniggers.
"Not the girl, the suicide."
I look at him with confusion.
"It's nearly impossible for um... for some people. For humans, a little poison, a dagger to the heart. There are so many different options."
"Why would you say that?"
"Because I had to consider it once. I didn't know if I'd get to you in time. I had to come up with some kind of plan."
"What was the plan?"
"That I'd go to Italy and provoke the Volturi."
"The what?"
"The Volturi... the Volturi are a very old, very powerful family. I guess they're the closest thing to royalty my world has. Carlisle lived with them for a few decades. Described them as very refined. No respect for human life, of course, but respect for the arts and the sciences, at least. And the law. Above all, the law."
"Vampires have laws?"
"Not very many. And only one that's regularly enforced."
"What is it?"
"That we keep the existence of our kind a secret. We don't make spectacles of ourselves, and we don't kill conspicuously. Unless, of course, you want to die."
"You gotta stop talking about that. I can't even think about someone hurting you."
He smirks.
"Bella, the only thing that can hurt me is you. And I don't have anything else to be afraid of."
"That's not true."
"Victoria? She'll come for me one day. Alice will see when she decides, and we'll be ready."
"I could protect you if you change me."
He takes my hands across the table.
"Bella, you already do protect me. You're my only reason to stay alive, if that's what I am. But it's my job to protect you."
I sigh.
"From everyone except my sister."
I snigger and then we both laugh.
When we get to his house, the others are already dressed up and waiting for us.
"Sorry about all this," Carlisle says as he approaches me. "We tried to rein Alice in."
"As if that were even possible," Esme says before she hugs me. "Happy birthday, Bella."
"Thanks."
Alice snaps a picture and I look at her.
"I found it in your bag. You mind?"
She moves over to Rosalie.
"You first Rosalie."
Rosalie shoves a gift into my hand.
"It's a necklace. Alice picked it out."
"Thanks."
Alice pulls Edward over next to me and snaps a picture before handing me another present.
"This one's from Emmett."
It feels light so I shake it.
"Already installed it in your truck," he informs me. "Finally a decent sound system for that piece of..."
"Hey! Don't hate the truck."
Alice laughs.
"Open Esme and Carlisle's," Alice urges as she hands me an envelope.
"Just a little something to brighten your day," Carlisle tells me.
"Yes, you've been looking kind of pale lately," Esme says.
As I try and open it, I cut my finger.
Before I know it, Edward throws me backwards across the room where I land on the display table, breaking all the vases and then he pushes Jasper back across the other side of the room – smashing the organ.
Jasper comes at me but is grabbed by Carlisle and Emmett.
"Jaz, Jaz. It's okay," Alice reassures him as she stands in front of him. "It's just a little... blood."
She turns and I suddenly fear for my life as all the Cullens stare at me. My arm is really bleeding from when Edward threw me backwards.
"Get Jasper out of here," Carlisle orders before he speeds over to me.
Emmett leads Jasper out and Alice goes after them.
I look at Edward who has a deep look on anguish on his face.
"I'll have to stitch this up in my office," Carlisle says.
He turns to Edward.
"Check on Jasper. I'm sure he's very upset with himself and I doubt he'll listen to anyone but you right now."
Edward continues to stare at me.
"Edward," Carlisle says.
Edward goes out after his siblings while Carlisle leads me into his office and starts fixing my arm.
"I never wanted to have a party."
"It's not your fault. Jasper hasn't been away from human blood as long as the rest of us."
"How do you do it?"
"Years and years of practise."
"Did you ever think of just doing it the easy way?"
"No. I knew who I wanted to be. I wanted to help people. It brings me happiness, even if I am damned regardless."
"Damned? Like hell?"
He gives me a silent response.
"Carlisle, you couldn't be damned. You couldn't. It's impossible."
"Thank you, Bella. You've always been very gracious about us."
"So that's it? That's why he won't change me?"
"Imagine the situation in reverse. Hmm. If you believed as Edward does, could you take away his soul?"
Edward drives me home in silence and when he pulls up outside my house, we both just sit there for a few moments in silence.
"You can't protect me from everything. At some point, something's gonna separate us. It's gonna be an accident or illness or old age, as long as I'm human. And the only solution is to change me."
"That's not a solution. That's a tragedy."
"You're not gonna want me when I look like a grandmother."
He climbs out of the car, closing the door behind him and comes round, opening my door – I just sit there with my legs out of the car.
Bella, do you not understand my feelings for you at all?"
"Carlisle told me... how you feel about your soul. I don't believe that. So don't worry about mine."
"You should go inside."
I climb out of the car and close the door.
We stand by the back of the car.
"It's still my birthday. So can I ask one thing?"
He stares at me.
"Kiss me?"
He looks like he's in agony before he puts his hand on the side of my head and kisses me.
I want him so much and he must have realised because he pulls away.
"I love you," I say.
"I love you."
He turns and begins walking up the road, and I watch until he's out of sight.
The next morning, I look out of the window to see Edward just standing there so I quickly get dressed and go down to him.
"Hey!"
"Just come take a walk with me."
I realise something's up so I follow him deep into the woods before we stop.
"We have to leave Forks."
"Why?"
"Carlisle's supposed to be 10 years older than he looks, and people are starting to notice."
"Okay, I've gotta think of something to say to my dad."
Edward says nothing but his face says it all.
"When you say 'we'...?"
"I mean my family and myself."
"Edward, what happened with Jasper, it's nothing."
"You're right. It was nothing, nothing but what I always expected and nothing compared to what could have happened."
He looks like he's fighting his emotions.
"You just don't belong in my world, Bella."
There's a short silence.
"I belong with you."
"No, you don't."
"I'm coming."
"Bella, I don't want you to come."
I sigh, fighting back the tears.
"You don't want me?"
"No."
"That changes things a lot."
"But if it's not too much to ask, can you just promise me something?"
I scoff.
"Don't do anything reckless. For Charlie's sake. And I'll promise something to you in return. This is the last time you'll ever see me. I won't come back and you can go on with your life without any interference from me. It will be like I never existed, I promise."
"If this is about my soul, take it. I don't want it without you."
"It's not about your soul. You're just not good for me."
"Not good enough for you."
"I'm just sorry I let this go on for so long."
I start breathing heavily.
"Please... don't... "
"Goodbye."
He kisses my forehead, and I close my eyes as I try to make sense of it all but when I open them again, he's gone.
"Edward."
I begin to run through the woods.
"Edward."
I keep running, calling his name until I trip.
I stay on the ground, sobbing.