CHOICES

'Choices' is the story of one vampire's heartbreaking decision to choose between spending an eternity with his beloved or letting her go to have a human pain-free life. 

Choice is never a painless thing, no matter how hard you try to lessen it. 

Set 100 years after the events of 'New Moon' and Bella's cliff diving adventures, Edward takes Bella on a trip to Rio for a second honeymoon. 

Always one of their favourite places to visit, Edward reminisces on the events of the horrifying moments when he thought Bella was dead. 

In his mind he flashes back to when Alice told the other Cullen's news of Bella jumping off the cliff, Jasper goes to Edward in Rio to bring him home to Forks. 

This is the story of Jasper's efforts to console him and help him realise his and Bella's true destiny.

Inspired by the Lyrics of 'Someone Like you' by Adele.

All lyrical credits go to Adele and the respective writers.

Credits also to SM for loaning me her characters.

All other work is mine.

Vamp; AU; Emotional, NON - CANON.  

CHAPTER 1

Stepping into the apartment I had stayed in over 100 years ago, 
I couldn’t help but be besieged by memories. 

Last time I was here, one of the worst events of my life had occurred. 

Those days , so long ago, but still fresh in my memory, Bella had still been 
human.  I had mistakenly thought that leaving her had been for ‘her own good’.  

If only Alice could have seen the heartbreak I would cause for Bella, myself 
and all of those that loved us, I would have never made my snap decision.

Although Bella had repeatedly told me that nothing I ever did could stop her 
from loving me with her entire being, I’d never believed that it was truly possible
 that she could love me as completely as I loved her. 

Until that moment, on that fateful day, I had not known what true heartbreak was.  

FLASHBACK

The soft rapping of Jasper’s knuckles knocking on the door of my hotel room had startled me. 

I could hear his thoughts loud and clear. 

His pity and sympathy for me in my heartbreaking loss of my soul mate Bella, 
was sickening to me. 

I did NOT want any of it. 

What I wanted was to have Bella here in my arms, not lying dead in a morgue.

I refused to believe that Bella would have willingly jumped off a cliff. 

Sure that Jacob had something to do with her death, I would find that dog 
and rip him to shreds with no dignity or regret. I’d never trusted Jacob, 
and always believed he only cared about hurting me and my family. 

In Jacob’s eyes, Bella was just collateral damage in his vendetta against the Cullen’s. 

Believing we were as evil as the vampires who had killed his mother in cold blood 
15 years before, nothing that Bella, or anybody else said could sway him. 

Bella always refused to believe that Jacob had a bad side, 
but I knew that he would do anything to get ‘revenge’. 

Bella only ever saw the good in people. 
It was one of the things that I loved the most about her, but it could also be her biggest flaw 
and people would often use it to hurt her.

With these thoughts in my mind I slowly walked to the door.

I knew if it were possible for  a vampire to cry, I would have had tears dripping down my cheeks.

Jasper was on the other side, and pushed his way in. 

I knew my family would be worried and that they had sent Jasper to see me on behalf of them, 
as I would be more susceptible to his help. To their way of thinking, our closeness 
enabled him to calm my emotions better than anybody else.

It was the first time I had associated with Jasper since Bella’s fateful 18^th birthday. 

That was the event that had led to me leaving her. 

Believing I was doing what was best for her.

Back then, if I’d only known the heartbreak it would cause for all of us, it might have changed my decision. 

Alice has always insisted we had to go on this journey to get back to where Bella, and I belonged. 

She’d said it was our destiny and all part of the grand plan. 

Well, I don’t know if I believed all that, but looking back, I was happy our respective journeys 
had led Bella and I back into each other’s arms.

Bella had been alone when she went cliff diving. 

She’d seen Jacob and all the other Quilete boys do it many times, and had asked them why they do it. 

They’d simply replied that it was‘the rush’. 
So while Bella knew it could possibly kill her, she’d wanted to try it,  for the adrenaline rush 
in an attempt to be with me again. 

Bella later told me that back then, she’d have done anything to be with me again, 
be it through her mind or dying a ‘true death’.

She wasn’t afraid. 
Years later she would tell me that at the time she thought she’d lost me. 

Thinking that I didn’t care for her anymore, nothing else mattered and that 
she’d be with me one way or another. 

Even knowing that I’d asked her to look after herself. 

I thank god every day that she didn’t listen to me when I’d asked her to 
look after herself without me around to protect her, ‘for Charlie’s sake’. 

If she had listened, we wouldn’t be living the life of eternal bliss 
that we were now.

FLASHBACK

“Edward.”

“Jasper. ”

 I paused. I could sense the calm emotions he was trying to send out to me.

“Stop it Jas. You know that won’t work on me.” 

I was begging him now. 

He knew that his particular abilities had no affect, 

although that knowledge didn’t stop him from trying. 

What he was doing was coming from the best place, but all he was 
doing was causing me more pain. And pissing me off.

I shut the door and turned to look at Jasper. 
He had made himself comfortable on the small suede couch in my hotel room, 
and was currently looking at me. 

He had leaned his elbows on his knees and was leaning his chin on his tented fingers, as he looked at me imploringly through his amber eyes.

“Edward. I’ve come to take you back to Forks. 

You should be with your family. 

How can we help when you’re 3000 miles away from us? “

His statement made me laugh at him like a maniac.

But that didn’t stop Jasper.

“Edward...please.....I beg you. Bella needs you now more than ever.”

Those final  7 words stopped me in my tracks.

“ Bella needs me? That’s your argument for getting me home? 

The LAST place I want to be right now is Forks. 

There’s too many memories there for me, of Bella.....of us...
our short time together. How can I go back.....especially now? 

There’s nothing I can do for her now. 

Alice saw her DIE, Jasper. I saw it. 

She’s dead.

Not vampire dead. 

REALLY DEAD. 

There’s no coming back from that.”

Jasper looked taken aback at the conviction in my speech, 
but even that didn’t stop me in my ravings.

I was rallying on him, releasing my pentup anger over Bella’s death.

“ When I left Forks..... and her......I was doing what I thought was best. 

To save her life. 

All I did was cause her more pain. 

And now.....it’s over and soon I’ll join her. 

I can only hope that all the good I’ve done will somehow atone for my sins. 

Then I can be with Bella once again. 

For eternity.”

“But E-E-Edward---“

Jasper was at a loss for words.


I wasn’t sure what he was trying to say, but I’d clearly frustrated him.

“What Jas? You’re going to say that Bella wouldn’t want me to join her? 

She’d want me to go on? I refuse to live an eternal life without her.  NO. 

I WILL go to Italy. 

They’ll help me. 

They’re the only ones who can.”

Jasper was furious now.
He raced across the room to me and grabbed me by the shoulders, 
trying to shake some sense into me.

“ EDWARD! Will you listen to me for once? 

READ MY MIND. 

Don’t close yourself off to my thoughts like always. READ IT!!’ 

Jasper was visibly angry and frustrated at my inability to hear what he was trying to say.

I opened my mind to Jasper’s thoughts.

NO.

It couldn’t be possible.

I know knew what Alice had seen. 

I’d missed this vision, when I closed myself off to my family 

so that I could deal with my grief. In my own way, on my own terms.

Bella was alive.