Five years.

Five blind, dead, years to the day since I left my Isabella.

For fun one weekend, we had all decided to go to Las Vegas, for the few of us that had never seen it. Rosalie and Emmett reveled in the Blackjack, where Alice and Jasper, or course, owned the poker table. Tanya was upstairs getting dressed while I waited in the lounge for her. I stood in the doorway looking over my shoulder, awaiting her arrival.

No, I did not love Tanya. And she knew that, but for some unfathomable reason she stayed with me, even when I wished she would not. I was doing this simply to appease my family, and I sensed that Tanya knew this, but still did nothing. This partially infuriated me; Tanya was a good...being. Pure and kind. She deserved someone who could give her their heart. This was something I could not do for her; my heart was in Forks, Washington with Bella Swan. Or wherever she was now.

A few times I had thought about looking her up, just to see how she is, where she is. If she has a family. Of course she has a family, I realized with a pang of agony. Who wouldn't want to be with Bella, have her forever, just like she had wanted me...

"Edward?" Tanya's cool voice drifted from behind me. I turned around, and she stood at the entrance to the lounge, a foot away from me. Of course, Tanya looked breathtakingly gorgeous. She always made herself look that way for me, hoping that somehow it would sway my heart...

I plastered an uneven smile on my face. "You look beautiful." I told her, and she smiled. I was sincere, but she took it a different way then just a compliment. We sat down and said nothing, just watched each other for a moment.

"Edward, I think there's something I need to say." Tanya began. I stiffened, but kept my face carefully expressionless.

But then I felt it. The wrecking ball of luciousness that had always been her scent...my Bella's...

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the one! The ONLY! Bella Swan!" An announcer's voice called over the small room. The entire crowd erupted in applause, but I sat motionless and agonized, with Tanya's eyes glued to mine. I watched the stage for what seemed like a thousand years...each step she took was my heart skipping another impossible beat.

She was draped in a golden evening gown that fit her so sweetly, so...irresistabley, it looked like someone had poured her into it. Impossibly enough, she walked gracefully and flawlessly in matching gold stilleto's. My breathing quickened, my sight wained, and I gulped. She cleared her throat.

"Good evening, Las Vegas." She smiled sweetly. The music began playing, and the voice that belonged to her, the only woman that I ever could love, drifted magically through the lounge. Her chocolate brown eyes took on an antagonized look as she began to sing.

I know you think that I shouldn't still love you or tell you that

But if I didn't say it, well I'd still have felt it, where's the sense in that?

I promise I'm not trying to make your life harder or return to where we were.

But I will go down with this ship,

And I won't put my hands up and surrender.

There will be no white flag above my door

I'm in love, and always will be.

She closed her eyes and one crystalline tear fell onto the floor, but I ignored it. She cried for someone she loved; this muse before me no longer wept her sweet tears for me. She continued the song, the beautiful song that she was so sure fitted us perfectly.

I know I left too much mess and destruction to come back again,

And I caused nothing but trouble, I understand if you can't talk to me again.

And if you live by the rules of it's over then I'm sure that that makes sense

But I will go down with this ship,

And I won't put my hands up and surrender.

There will be no white flag above my door

I'm in love, and always will be.

As she sang that last line, she stepped off the stage, but held the microphone as if her life depended on it. She began to walk gracefully around the tables, and still, she continued.

And when we meet, which I'm sure we will

All that was there, will be there still.

I'll let it pass, and hold my tongue

And you will think

That I've moved on.

Still, more tears fell. I yearned to go to her; comfort her. But I knew that she would not react well to that. I sat still and listened, my heart breaking with each word she said.

I will go down with this ship,

And I won't put my hands up and surrender.

There will be no white flag above my door

I'm in love, and always will be.

I will go down with this ship,

And I won't put my hands up and surrender.

There will be no white flag above my door

I'm in love, and always will be.

She waltzed past our table and froze. If it weren't for her eyes staring up at me, I would not be aware that I had stood. In that moment, Tanya was gone, this room full of people was gone, Bella's band was gone. She looked up at me and sang;

But I will go down with this ship,

And I won't put my hands up and surrender.

There will be no white flag above my door

I'm in love, and always will be.

The crowd made no noise, they sat tensely and watched Bella and I stare at each other. I could do nothing no longer.

"I'm in love." I whispered quietly, cupping her cheek with my hand. She leaned into my palm, and I felt a few hot tears drip onto my hand.

"And I always will be." She finished, and I moved my hand to the back of her neck and kissed her, for the five years that we had been without each other.