A/N: Twilight fic based on my one of my favorite childhood tales, The Little Match Girl.  It was written in 1846 by Hans Christian Anderson.  It hasn’t been Disneyfied so follows the original fairytale model, ie. sad ending!  This fic is the beginning of New Moon.

All recognizable characters are not mine and are the property of Stephanie Meyer.

The Little Swan Girl

The cold had come in unexpectedly with the first days of September.  It was an unwelcome reminder to Bella Swan of the passage of time.  Despite her protests to celebrate her 18^th birthday in a circumspect fashion she bowed to the pressure of Edward and his family for a party.  How she wished she had stood her ground.  As with most celebrations, this one went horribly wrong.  Who knew a paper cut could so utterly change her life?

It was the start of the second day since ‘the incident’ as she was calling it.  She had hoped that Edward would be getting over the trauma of what happened, but he only seemed to get worse.  As school progressed the knot in the pit of her stomach got tighter and tighter until she felt like her insides were going to cave it.

“Can I come over later?” Edward asked.

“Of course.  I’ll see you in a bit.” Bella responded quietly.  She hoped that they could talk through what had happened so that they could get past it, but something in her paused her hope.

When Bella arrived home she saw Edward’s shiny Volvo parked in the space reserved for Charlie.  Again, her stomach tightened.  He didn’t plan to stay then.

“Take a walk with me” Edward greeted her with, grabbing her bag and it putting in back in her truck’s cab.

“Ok.” Bella replied as she followed him to the edge of the forest.  As she looked back she could just make out the edges of the roof.  Again, her stomach tightened at what Edward wanted to talk about.  This couldn’t be good…

He was brutal.  Edward didn’t merely end their relationship she did so in such a way that stripped her of all her self-worth and cast her aside as if she were nothing.  His words were like arrows plunging into her heart and shredding it.  He looked at her like she was a miscreant in the street, and as such she begged for his attention.  She tried to follow him, but he was just too fast.  Too damn fast, and she a mere human couldn’t hope to catch up to him.  As Bella began to realize that she had wandered further from home than was safe the temperature began to drop again and sleet fell from the skies.  The sleet clung to her hair freeze the strands into dark, beautiful waves.  She could barely keep her feet beneath her as she stumbled through the forest, hoping to find her way back home.

She searched her pockets for something to give her light or warmth and came across a book of matches she had shoved in there a week ago.

“Thank God for small favors.  Now maybe I won’t freeze.” Bella muttered to herself.  Of course, maybe it would be a blessing in disguise if she were to freeze out here in the forest.  It wasn’t as if there was anything for her at home except an absent father and neglectful mother.

She paused in her walking in a grove of trees hoping for some shelter as she tried to light the match with frozen fingers.  She huddled down against set of trees which provided a natural shelter from the wind and sleet.  Hoping to conserve what warmth and comfort the match might provide and realizing she had no way of knowing how to get home, Bella employed the plan she had been taught as a child to stay in one place until someone finds her if she gets lost.  For all she knew, she could have been venturing further into the forest rather than towards home.

Bella gripped the matchbook and tore a match, hoping to preserve as many as possible until someone could find her.  She lit the match!  ‘Oh, the warmth!’ Bella thought as the match flared to life.  The flame danced in the breeze, but the heat it gave off was almost like she was in front of the fire in Charlie’s living room.    It burned so bright!  She could just imagine herself curled up on cushions in front of the blaze wrapped in a nice warm blanket with the evidence of Bella’s childhood in the pictures on the mantle.  Sporadic and disjointed they highlight how Bella has had to take care of herself for most of her life.  The image was so real, Bella brought her knees up to her chest feeling the warmth creep towards her toes.  Just as she did so, the match burnt out.

“Oh!” Bella muttered as she was plunged back into the reality of her situation.  Abandoned in the middle of the forest with no way of making her way back home.  She knew Charlie was supposed to be home soon, so hopefully when she wasn’t there he would organize a search party and find her.  Bella reaffirmed her decision to stay in the same place, so that she didn’t miss anyone her father sent to find her.  With this decision, Bella lit another match.

As the light fell on the tree trunk, the wood disappeared like a veil lifting and revealed a table set a Thanksgiving feast.  There must have been place settings for nearly twenty people surrounding the biggest turkey she had ever seen.  The light hit the turkey just right to highlight the crispy skin browned all over.  There were also all the fixings, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots and squash.  It was how Bella had always dreamed Thanksgivings would be when she was younger.  Renee always forgot about the holiday or tried to do some new age variation, but in Bella’s heart she always wished for a huge family to share a traditional dinner with.  As Bella looked on the vision became blurry as the tears started to seep down her cheeks.  Just as Bella started to think that she might even be able to partake the match went out and the image disappeared.

In a rush to hopefully get that vision back and with it the feelings of love and security, Bella ripped another match from the book.  However, the image that was revealed instead showed a huge Christmas tree.  It was at least twelve feet tall, decked out with ornaments and lights to light up the room the tree was in.  Bella caught her breath because this was exactly as she envisioned her perfect tree the year she asked Santa for her Christmas tree.  She would never forget the disappointment the Christmas morning she woke up and there was no tree.  It had been the only thing she asked for as a 5 year old.  She had wanted Santa to deliver her tree.  It was also the year she realized Santa wasn’t real.  After speaking with Charlie, Bella overheard Renee fighting with him about how it was a ridiculous request and she couldn’t have possibly pulled it off.  The truly disheartening part was that they she didn’t even get a smaller tree, they just went without that year.  This tree though was all that Bella could ever ask for.  The ornaments were a mixture of ones she had make or been gifted with from family.  The lights were the colors of the rainbow.  It was magical.  She could picture herself there with her family, especially Grandma Swan.  She was always the one to heal her heart when it got battered by anyone even her parents.  As the match blinked out, it looked as though the lights from the tree were fading up to the sky.

“Someone’s dead.” Bella thought.  Her grandmother always said that anytime she saw a star fall it was someone going up to heaven and joining God.  How Bella wished her Grandma Swan was still alive.  She could really use her warmth and comfort right now.  She wasn’t sure where she was going to find the strength to recover from this and continue.  With this thought, Bella lit two more matches as she couldn’t seem to find relief from the cold.

With the burst of light, Bella saw a figure in front of her.  ‘It couldn’t be’ Bella thought.  But there in front of her was her Grandma Swan looking upon her with such love and kindness that Bella began to cry.

“Grandma Swan!” Bella cried.  “Please don’t go.  I don’t want you to disappear like the fireplace, Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas tree!  I need you.  Please let me come with you.”

With this, Bella grabbed all the matches from the book and lit them in hopes of keeping her grandmother with her as long as possible.  The light the matches gave off was of such brilliance Bella had to close her eyes.  As she did so, Bella felt her grandmother grab her arm and with a quick tug she was soaring along with her grandmother.  The doubt and hurt was falling away as she flew with her grandmother higher and higher until all she felt was love.  She was with God.

It wasn’t until the next morning that Bella was found.  Edward had left a note for Charlie in Bella’s handwriting saying that she was taking a walk.  When it reached ten o’clock and Bella still hadn’t arrived home Charlie organized a search party.  However, in her quest to catch up with Edward Bella had wandered even further into the forest and was on the far reaches of the search area.

As the light was finally illuminating the sky, Sam Uley came upon her tucked up between the trees.  He quickly phased and pulled on his shorts.  As he walked closer he could see that she was gone.  But there was a quiet, warm smile on her face.  It comforted Sam but also gave him chills.  He grabbed his phone from the pocket of his shorts and made the horrible call to Billy.  He didn’t feel comfortable calling Charlie himself.  He would wait for a call back from Billy to decide what to do next.

It was discovered that Bella didn’t pass on until midnight.  If Edward hadn’t left the note then Charlie may have started the search sooner and she may have been found like she had hoped.  No one could know if Edward’s actions contributed to Bella’s death, but there were those that certainly held him responsible.

The cold didn’t affect them thankfully.  Alice and Jasper had been up in Alaska since the night of the party.  They were out hunting when Alice nearly collapsed with a vision.  She saw as Edward made the decision to break up with Bella and how.  She tried to call him but didn’t have any reception.  However, it was too late by then to do anything.  Alice had to watch as Edward ripped apart a girl they had welcomed into their family.  The tears wouldn’t come, but she cried as she saw what happened next as Bella huddled in the cold hoping for someone to find her.  She stayed in the same position with Jasper wrapped around her until she knew Bella had been found.  With a wail, Alice came out of the vision and clung to Jasper.  As she recounted what had happened, they both felt their anger rise.  Jasper also felt his guilt nearly overwhelm him.  Guessing what was happening, Alice shook him.

“It was not your fault!  Jasper you are an empath, lust is an emotion whether it is for the body or blood!  She was his singer.  The bloodlust you felt was ALL his and you made it possible for him to be around her.  If he hadn’t overreacted and actually thought about his actions he wouldn’t have made it worse when he threw her across the room.  If anyone is to blame for the events that took place at that party it is Edward.” Alice implored.

“I hear you.  I hear you, but I still feel like I could have done something different.” Jasper rasped.

“You may have, we all may have, but ultimately it is Edward’s actions that drove everyone.  Now he has to deal with the repercussions.” Alice responded “Come on.  Everyone is at the house by now and we have to tell them what happened before he gets here.”

As they made their way back to the house, Alice planned the best way to tell them that Bella was dead.  Even the thought brought a pressing feeling to her chest, but she had to be strong to tell everyone what happened.  She was just thankful that Rosalie and Emmet were coming to Alaska first before traveling.  They quickly entered the house and called for everyone.

“Please, everyone, just take a seat and I will explain.  Then we can decide what we are going to do.” Alice asked.

Quickly taking a seat in Jasper’s lap, as everyone else sat around the living room, Alice organized what she needed to say to them.

“I had a vision while we were out hunting.  I saw Edward’s decision to break up with Bella.  I knew he was going to do this, but I saw how he went about doing so.  It was bad.  He basically ripped her apart.” Alice said continuing to recount what Edward said to Bella during their break up.

The other four were horrified.  It was one thing to make this decision to break up with her, but to then totally destroy Bella was unfathomable.  There was no reason for it.

“After a while of chasing Edward Bella finally gave up.  She tried to walk back home but she was all turned around and ended up walking further away.  To make matters worse, Edward left a note for Charlie in Bella’s handwriting and so there was a delay in getting a search party together to find her.  I’m sorry but Bella died.” Alice wept.

Shock.  It was the only way to describe the feeling that reverberated through the Cullen living room.

The silver Volvo raced up the final road that would lead to home.

Edward made the turn into the drive and continued on to the house.  As he crested the small hill, the house came into view.  ‘Classic,’ he thought as he continued around back into the garage, ‘their houses, no matter the location, always reflected Esme’s classic style.’  Edward made his way into the house and paused as the thoughts he was picking up from those in the house.  They were blocking him for some reason.

“Edward let’s talk in the living room.  I think we all need to debrief after recent events.” Carlisle called.

As Edward made his way into the living room he could see Alice snuggled deep in Jasper’s lap.  She wouldn’t meet his eyes.  ‘She knew’ Edward thought, ‘she saw how the break up went.’  Esme was curled close to Carlisle’s side on the loveseat, nearly burrowed in for some reason.  Finally, Emmet was on the floor at Rosalie’s feet with his face pressed against her lap.  Her hand running continuously through his hair.

“Edward sit down.” Carlisle’s voice echoed through the room.

Edward walked calmly to the last available chair and faced the family.  Though judge and jury may more accurately describe the feeling he was getting from them.

“Bella is dead.  She was found at dawn yesterday morning in the forest frozen to death.” Carlisle entoned.

Shock, grief, remorse, guilt all these emotions swirled around Edward.

“How” Edward asked.

“How do you think?! She tried to follow you after you broke up with her.  She got lost and it was freezing.  You left a note for Charlie so he didn’t call the search and rescue and quickly as he might have to find her in time.  She froze to death waiting for someone to find her.” Alice screamed.

‘His fault.  His fault.  His fault.’ The only thoughts running through his head from himself as well as everyone in the room.

“What have I done?” he whispered.

The End.

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