Rain always made me calm. Sunshine made me happy, rain made me calm. I suppose that's how it was supposed to be.
Then again in the world I lived in, sunshine wasn't an option.
Vampires couldn't walk out into the sunlight like a human, where there were witnesses anyway.
I closed my eyes and my thumb brushed over the thin platinum band that rested on my left ring finger. I had taken care of it, more than any possession I owned. It was almost a century old.
Closing my eyes, I could still feel her with me.
Isabella. Bella. My wife.
We had been married as a result of a betrothal at the mere age of 17. I was to leave for war soon and my parents feared that if I did leave there would be nothing that would make me come back.
So they married me to the police chief's daughter.
She and I had never spoken prior to our engagement. We were from different social circles anyway. She was barely middle class while we were high class. I attended several parties, banquets, dinners etc. while she was free to do as she pleased.
That changed with our wedding.
I had been labeled as the notorious bachelor. Fathers wouldn't let their daughters near me. When the offer to marry me had been given to the Swan family, she had to say yes. Her father had died of the flu a year earlier and her mother was already bed ridden.
On our wedding night, it was expected of us to consummate the marriage, in hopes of an heir for the Masen household. Even after a month of marriage, we didn't speak much, which was my fault.
Training for the war had started and I had been enlisted. While my days were spent training, my nights were spent with her, with quiet, polite conversations in the privacy of our bedroom and sometimes even, making love.
She was utterly beautiful, that I was certain of. Her chestnut locks which turned mahogany in the sunlight framed her porcelain heart shaped face. Her wide brown eyes captivated me; she had a small nose but full pink supple lips. Her slender body called to me since I had first touched her.
It was a simple life we had been living.
Neither one of us spoke of the impeding war; she and I both knew the chances of me coming back alive were slim. In the end I didn't go to war.
Instead the Spanish Influenza struck making everyone but her ill. My father died first, and then was shortly followed by my mother.
Isabella had been becoming weaker as she stayed by my bedside day after day.
Her mother had passed a few days prior and I had yet to see evidence of her grief.
When she had returned to the house that night was when Carlisle had changed me.
After that I had never seen her again.
As Carlisle eventually found his mate, Esme, my sadness grew. When he had brought Rosalie home in hopes of me finding love with her, my depression grew. And when she had found her mate in Emmett, the ache in my heart for Bella grew almost unbearable.
It had been 94 years this way.
I drifted back to the present when the car jerked to a stop.
This was our new home, Forks Washington. Carlisle had gotten a job as the local doctor and it rained here more than the sun shined which was perfect for us.
Opening the house door I stepped in and paused.
Someone was here.
BPOV
Jasper led the way into the house we had currently been occupying after our hunt.
Alice was sure the family of vampires that she had been seeing would arrive today. They were animal blood drinkers like us.
The way she had been giving me sly smiles all week made it seem like there was someone without a mate in the coven.
I hoped there wasn't.
Although my husband had been dead for nearly a century, it felt wrong.
My heart belonged to him. It would never belong to anyone else. The rings he had given me weighed much more right now.
Jasper paused when he noticed people in the room and I froze as my eyes rested on the figure standing alone. He looked at me just the way I was looking at him, in shock. "Edward."
"Bella." I barely heard the whisper.
Alice clapped.
"You know each other?" Jasper asked.
"Of course they do Jazzy, they're husband and wife." Jasper turned to me with a raised eyebrow.
Alice cuddled to his side, turning his attention back to her.
"I'll explain, how about we let the two go for a walk." She suggested.
"Oh and by the way Bella, this is Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie and Emmett." I smiled at them and then turned and exited the house, the way I came.
I made it to the cliff close to my cottage when I felt his presence behind me. I looked over my shoulder and found him a few paces behind me. I turned back to face the scenery before me and sat down on the makeshift bench I had made a while ago with a fallen tree. He sat down next to me, a safe distance away, not to be rude, but respectful.
He was always respectful.
"How have you been?" I asked breaking the silence when I couldn't stand it any longer. He smiled.
"94 years apart and that's the first thing you say?" he asked with an amused smile.
"Fine, you come up with something better." "You've become feisty." He commented.
I chuckled.
"If it were up to me, I would have said I missed you." He whispered.
My eyes flickered to him again. He had a soft smile resting on his face as he watched me. "You missed me?" I asked softly.
"Of course, I thought you were dead but when I saw you at the house, I realized how much I missed you." I smiled, looking down at my lap.
"I missed you." I murmured. He smiled.
"How did you become this way, Bella?" he asked softly after a minute.
"That's quite the tale." I murmured looking out again.
His hand covered mine suddenly and I jumped. I hadn't been expecting that.
His hand was warm and his eyes were warm honey.
I swallowed the lump in my throat; I had missed him so much.
My eyes darted to our hands and an involuntary smile crept on my face when I caught sight of his wedding band. His thumb brushed across my fingers and my own wedding band returning my attention to him.
"What happened after you left the hospital?" he asked softly.
"The house had been broken into, the maid and butler were completely drained of blood." I started.
He inhaled sharply as his fingers tightened around mine.
"I didn't know what to do, so I went upstairs to pack a few possessions and then go to a shelter or something for the night. The vampire was upstairs. I woke up three days later, feeling nothing but thirst. And the first thing I found to quench my thirst was a deer. I suppose living in the middle of the nowhere has its perks." He chuckled.
"After I found a sweet smell, following it, I found Alice. She explained what was going on and I returned to the house while she went to check on you. I didn't know if I could do it. I knew I had to leave, so I packed a few things that I could carry with me."
"Like what?"
"Your father's pocket watch, your mother's necklace, our wedding pictures, the letters you sent me while we were courting, your cuff links, the necklace and earrings you gave me." I listed.
He smiled, if I were still human I would be scarlet right now.
"Continue." He encouraged noticing my embarrassment.
"Alice said you weren't there, I just assumed you were dead." I muttered looking down. He brushed my cheek with his thumb.
"And then what happened?" he asked softly.
"I couldn't stay in Chicago; we travelled down hidden paths, mostly. Alice helped me rein in my urges. Then she met Jasper and we travelled from there. He had been changed during the civil war and had been a part of the wars down south. He thought the woman he was with was his mate. Then he realized he was just merely a convenience to her. She had changed him so much that he thought vampires couldn't love. It's pathetic actually. Alice began teaching him to hunt animals rather than humans. And years later here we are."
"How did Alice know everything about us?" he asked after a minute.
"She can see into the future, based on the decisions people make."
"And Jasper?"
"Can feel and manipulate emotions."
"And you?"
"I have a shield that I can use to protect myself and others from mind powers."
"That explains why I can't read your mind."
"You can read minds?" He nodded.
"Can you remove your shield from yourself completely?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Can you try now?" his eyes were dancing in excitement.
I closed my eyes and focused on pushing my shield away. It took less strength than it did when I first found out but I concentrated anyway.
I heard him gasp when I had pushed my shield way from me completely.
"Hi?" I tried out unsurely.
He chuckled as I opened my eyes.
"I can hear you." He whispered in awe.
My body warmed at the sound of his voice. I had been cold for so long. He noticed my reaction and I pulled my shield back, shying away from him.
He leaned over to kiss my forehead gently. The corners of my lips curved up as my eyes closed.
"What about Alice? What's her story?" he asked pulling away.
"Alice doesn't remember anything from her human life." I replied opening my eyes. "Nothing?" he asked in disbelief.
I shook my head. "I suppose that's the disadvantage to seeing the future, not being able to see the past." I murmured. He nodded silently.
My hand stayed clasped with his.
"Bella." He whispered. I looked up.
"Don't look away please." He whispered. I tilted my head at his odd request.
"I haven't seen you in 94 years, 94 years that I thought you were dead, and that is a very long time to be away from your wife." He whispered.
I swallowed thickly and instinctively threw my arms around his neck, burying my face in his neck. He hesitated before his arms wrapped around my like an iron cage, holding me firmly in place as he buried his nose in my hair.
I rested my head against his chest. There was the absence of the steady thrum of his heart but besides that it felt so familiar. And so comforting. He lifted my face up to meet his and kissed my forehead gently.
His lips traveled to my temple before trailing down my cheek and to the corner of my lips where he pressed his lips softly to my skin. I turned my head and slid my lips along his. He sighed against my mouth and pressed against my lips, pulling my head closer. I moaned against his mouth. We had rarely ever kissed like this.
"Isabella." He whispered against my lips
. I sighed. "Edward" I breathed.
"Shall we take this somewhere more private?" he whispered against my lips. I nodded. In an instant I was gathered in his arms.
"Where?" he breathed.
"My cottage." I whispered nodding to it over his shoulder.
He turned us around and sprinted easily through the dense forests and stopped at the door. I turned the knob and he stepped in with me in his arms.
"Cute." He commented before his mouth found mine.
I clutched myself closer to him. He took us to the bedroom, finding it easily. I relaxed once I felt my bed beneath me.
He pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it across the room. My bra, pants and panties soon followed.
He discarded his clothes and we took a moment to just absorb each other. It had been a long time and we both had changed.
Soon enough the passion that had been cackling before returned full force and consumed us both. His kisses were demanding and passionate, and I returned them with the same vigor.
"I've missed you terribly." He murmured as he pushed in.
My hands instinctively grabbed his biceps as I had done many times, so many years before. A faint smile crossed his lips as he recognized the gesture. I smiled shyly and lifted myself up to kiss him as he pulled back out, only to thrust into me again. I moaned as he continued his pace.
My shield lifted itself and I shared memories of previous times he had taken me, only this time the sensations were much more pronounced.
His fingers grabbed my hips as he moved forcefully but carefully so that we didn't break anything. If Jasper and Alice were any indication, I was sure we would never live it down with the Cullens.
"Edward." My voice was a breathy moan as I clung to his shoulders.
He growled lowly, thrusting into me at a fevered pace. I cried out against his shoulder. He pulled my leg up over his shoulder as he continued thrusting. I moaned loudly when he hit me at a new angle. He buried his face in my neck and thrust into me.
I grabbed onto his shoulders and lifted my hips to meet his.
"Bella." He whispered.
"I'm coming." I cried against his shoulder.
He thrust in roughly bringing me to my orgasm and then released himself.
I panted loudly, sinking into the mattress. His weight pressed me deeper into the mattress. I didn't mind. His breath tickled my skin as he pressed his nose against my jaw. I squirmed as he hummed against my neck, kissing his way back to my mouth.
"I've certainly missed this." He murmured against my lips. I hummed against his lips, stroking his cheek with my fingers.
His hand covered mine as he propped himself on an elbow.
"What?" I asked softly.
"I don't think we've ever been this open towards each other."
"No I didn't think so." I smiled. We laid there for some time, chatting idly.
"We have forever to catch up, but now…." He trailed off kissing me softly.
After nearly a century without the only thing I had come to love in my entire existence, I finally felt at peace.
"I love you." He breathed against my lips.
My breath caught in my throat and I froze.
His eyes were warm, shining in both anticipation and love.
For me.
"I love you too." I whispered as tears that would never fall stung behind my lids.
His mouth found mine.
"I've been waiting my lifetime to say those words to you Mrs. Cullen." I pulled him closer, kissing him soundly.
"I love you so much, Mr. Cullen."
And 94 years of searching for ourselves and then our other halves had finally led to this moment.
The moment that we would finally become one, heart and souls, completely conscious of the fact too.
Forever was just beginning.