If you haven't read Eclipse yet, you probably shouldn't read this story until you do. Of course, if you're any kind of Meyer fan you'll have read it quite a few times already -like myself. So this was just to warn you of spoilers ahead – I thought it would be kind. Also, although I would dearly love to read Edward out of the books and have him for myself, I do not own the Twilight series. All recognizable characters and plot references belong to Stephenie Meyer and Little, Brown Co. My rambling is finished, enjoy the story!
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Forever Bella
By: AJ Seawiel
Chapter One: In Memoriam
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"Edward?" I asked as he placed me back on my feet; my head was spinning as rapidly as it normally did after one of his runs. Actually, I felt sort of nauseous and the feeling only increased as I caressed the diamond studded ring on my left third finger. As I stared up at the short driveway to my father's house I felt all colour leave my face.
Edward sensed my anxiety and wrapped a firm arm around my waist taking my left hand in his. He lifted it up to his lips and kissed my ring finger smiling that crooked smile he reserved only for me. I looked into his eyes and saw the twinkle and excitement that had possessed him only a few days before when he had first slipped this god-forsaken piece of metal on my finger.
I tried to smile in response but my face was welded into its worried expression and wouldn't budge. He pulled me close and I buried my face into his chest. What had I been thinking? Telling Charlie I was running off to marry a boy I'd only known for a year? A year…
I furrowed my eyebrows, my face still hidden from Edward's gaze. Had it really only been a year since I'd met him? I tried to focus my energy on thinking back to that first day in Biology 11 - the day he had been staring at me so darkly I'd been sure I had done something to agitate the hell out of him. I smirked in remembrance; I had done something to annoy him after all. Well, not on purpose. It wasn't entirely my fault my blood had smelled - still smelled - so appetizing to him that it drove him crazy.
Edward nuzzled his face into my hair and I heard him breathe in my scent. Sighing in contentment, I moved my head so I could look up into his gorgeous topaz eyes. They were still burning with the same electricity that I had now grown accustomed to. He smiled down at me and gently stroked my cheekbone and down to my jaw.
"What are you thinking?" He whispered into my ear as his hands traveled down my arms and lifted them up to wrap around his neck. I nearly giggled. That was another one of the pains I caused him. Having the ability to read minds and not being able to read mine definitely vexes him from time to time. I can't lie about the relief it gives me that I'm the only person who he's unable to hear the thoughts of. It often saves me from needless embarrassment.
His arms wound themselves around my waist again as I gently caressed his perfectly formed face. Edward's eyes closed and he smiled under my touch as my fingers roamed over his lips. I hated that he needed to exercise so much self control just to feel my touches; if I was any sort of decent person I wouldn't allow him to suffer that way. But I was much, much too selfish. I needed to feel him under my hands, to see him every single minute of the day. In a way, Edward had turned into my drug, my kind of heroin.
I smiled at another of my favourite memories; a sunny afternoon in a meadow of wildflowers, Edward lying next to me and sparkling like a huge crystal in the mid-day sun. It was on that afternoon that my life had taken an abrupt sidetrack and I knew I had fallen in love with a vampire. A vampire who I wanted, no, needed to remain with until the end of our very long existence.
Edward opened his eyes and looked down at me in concern. He raised a hand and wiped the tears off my cheeks I hadn't known were falling. My hand slid down his face to his chest and rested there, above where his heart would have been beating a few decades ago. It was couple moments of his eyes boring into mine, delving so deep I felt exposed, after I realized I hadn't answered his question. I'd been so caught up in my past memories that I neglected the present; now I returned to see the painful, silent frustration in Edward's eyes.
I smiled more easily than before and hugged him. "I was remembering the first day we met." I felt Edward stiffen against me and remembered he had enjoyed that day almost as much as I had. Probably worried that he thought that was what I had been crying over, he pulled me closer to him and rested his chin on my head. I tried to squirm from his grasp but he held me too tightly and I found it rather difficult to breathe through the sweet scent radiating from his torso.
Edward let me go and stared me straight in the eyes. I could see the anxiety and concern in them that plagued him every time he thought he was a danger to me. "I have much more self control now, you know that. I don't want you to worry any more." It sounded as if he were trying more to convince himself of this fact rather than me.
"Edward," I replied, placing my hand on his cheek so he couldn't avert his eyes. "I wasn't tearing up over that. I was remembering how long I've known you and the memories we've shared. I'm happy; I suppose the emotions were just too much for me to hold in." The corners of his lips curled up into a grin and he looked satisfied as I kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I know how much control you possess, I'd never, ever doubt it. Myself on the other hand…"
I smirked and snaked my hand around his neck to crush his lips onto mine. I felt his momentary surprise and then his lips moving against mine. I lost myself within his embrace as his hands slid down my back and carefully lifted me up so I could hitch my legs around his hips. My breathing was ragged as he moved down to kiss my neck. How could he do this to me every time? You'd think after a whole year of kissing him my body would become immune to such embarrassing displays. Edward kissed further down my neck and chest than I'd ever felt him go before and I was starting to wonder if maybe he wouldn't take me right here in my driveway. This was definitely past his imaginary line. My heart started to beat rapidly as my head began to swim once again; if he didn't stop I was sure I'd have a complex. With an exuberant amount of control I didn't know I possessed, I lifted his head back to mine and kissed his lips feverishly savoring the sweet taste of his breath.
When we parted, Edward's breathing was as quick as mine and he set me back down on the earth. It took me a few moments to bring my head back down and attach it to the rest of my body but when I finally did I punched his arm. I didn't punch it hard; I'd learned that lesson from a certain werewolf whose face refused to be harmed despite my strongest attempt.
I shook my head to clear that thought, it was going to be difficult to think of Jacob Black for a while. Especially after I had just learned I'd been in love with him and had to leave him. It was choking me, the pain I was feeling over the loss of my best friend but I had made my choice. Perhaps he was right. It may have been different if I hadn't lived without Edward for a great length of time but now all I knew was that I couldn't live without him.
Edward was looking at me with concern again and I turned to raise my hand and wipe away the wetness forming in my eyes. Damn tears they'd be the death of me. I hated hurting him, Edward was everything that mattered to me and all I did was cause him pain. I'd sworn I wouldn't hurt him anymore but I how could I stop until I got over Jacob?
Edward turned me back to face him and I did my best to smile as brightly as I could. He couldn't be fooled though and clasped my hands. He didn't have to ask, he knew who I was thinking about now. "Are you sure?" He'd asked me that before, after I'd spent a whole night sobbing over what I had done to Jacob. Was I sure I had made the right choice. Of course I was. I knew the darkness - the creature - that had consumed me without him around and I never want to submit myself to it again. That creature was the cause of all the pain I'd put everyone through, not just Edward and Jacob but Charlie, Renée and all my friends as well. I couldn't, I wouldn't let it happen again.
"Bella?" I heard him speak my name softly and I nodded, smiling. This was it, the end of Jacob's Bella; I would now and forever more be only Edward's Bella. That thought made me giggle and I looked back down at my left hand clutched in Edward's. The diamonds on the band sparkled in the setting sun and it reminded me of the man who I would spend the rest of forever with, however long that would be. I gazed up into his light caramel eyes and inhaled deeply letting it out with a smile. I took one of his hands in mine and intertwined our fingers before setting myself in line with Charlie's front door.
"All right, I'm ready." I grimaced. "This isn't going to be pretty, you know."
Edward lifted our hands up to kiss mine once more and let them down again. My crooked smile was playing across his face and his eyes were twinkling with fevered excitement once again. "It's a good thing I'm made of stone then isn't it?"
I nodded and we walked, perhaps to our doom, up the front drive, past the police cruiser and into Chief Swan's house.
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A/N: If anyone is confused, this story is basically going to be my version of what I think will happen in Breaking Dawn. This is my first try at a first person fic and I thought it would be horrible but I think it's turning out rather well. We'll see how this plays out I suppose. Let me know what you think by leaving a review. The chapters will get longer I promise.