A/N This is my first try at fan fiction. I've been an avid reader for well over a year now and this story has been just waiting to be written. Any input and feedback is greatly appreciated! I plan on posting the first chapter within the next week.

And of course: These characters are not mine. SM owns them.

The Moments that Change Us

Prologue

The Pacific breeze kissed my warm, salty skin. The heat permeating my body as streams of sunlight danced upon my toes. Solitude in nature, I could become one with the ocean. Waves crashing, rising, and falling. Over and over. Repeating the cycle, day in and day out. I relished in the simplicity of it all.

I laid on the beach, underneath me a beach towel and above me beautiful, clear blue skies. Summer was fast approaching, but even spring in Southern California was picturesque.

I could lay here forever, listening to the sounds of the beach. Tides crashing, children laughing, people talking. I could never be truly alone and that's what I loved about this city. For me, San Diego was heaven. Pure bliss.

My life was perfect, complete. But still, this gnawing feeling deep down in my heart told me different. It was unrelenting. Everything I had done in my life had led to this exact moment. The moment you realize that you have accomplished everything you've ever dreamed of.

Then something unexpected and annoying happened.

"Thump," the sound of a soccer ball hitting my head, radiating through my skull and giving me an instant headache.

But then, something amazing and glorious happened. Well, someone amazing and glorious looking happened. He was jogging towards me. My mind playing it in slow motion. Sand crunching beneath his long, graceful legs. Sweat beading off his lean, slightly muscular body as he approached me.

Time had stopped. Maybe this was the moment my life had led me to. A moment that you know will change you, alter you, in ways you couldn't even imagine. Emotions running through my mind and my heart, so fast that even I couldn't recognize them.

Then time sped up. And he was kneeling down in front of me.

He was like the sea. A powerful wave crashing, refreshing relief and above all a calming presence.

I looked at him and my life flashed before my eyes. My future, a life that could be. This is a risk I was willing to take, wasn't it? Broken hearts and broken dreams were all my heart had known. Loneliness, complete and utter loneliness. He could fix it, mend me, and put all the pieces back together. All I had to do was take the leap. This was my fate and it was all in my hands.

"Take the leap! Just do it!" My heart was screaming at me. No longer was I using reason.

"Throw caution into the wind…" My mind battling reason and my heart singing the truth.

Finally after staring into his deep blue eyes for what seemed like forever, I spoke,

" Hi… My name is Bella."