Preface

Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, Ashland 1923

The only thing I can think about is Bella.

My soul is literally hurting just by thinking about her. It is obvious the biggest piece of my heart and soul is missing, and I can't – I simply refuse - to live on without her.

I'm making it my mission to track her down as fast as possible, turn her and live happily ever after. Just as I promised her we would from the beginning.

To describe Bella is a mission I'd longed to be able to do myself for a long time. The easiest way to do it is by simple saying she is just.. Bella.

For centuries Bella and I had been reborn. Put on this Earth simply to find each other again. We never knew quite why, but we didn't really need to know either: We had each other, each and every time, and we were always happy together. It didn't matter if we had money or not. It didn't matter if we had a roof over our heads either. We always found something to get along anyway.

We had children, plenty, and many. It was hectic and hard. It was never easy, but we always managed to smile through it and be happy, because we knew no matter how bad things got – we'd always have another try in a new life.

And that life would always be spent together.

Truly there was only one time I didn't manage to catch her before it was too late. It was in 1809 and that era of my life was hell. I knew the man she was married off to was a kind man, Mr. James, and he never hurt her. For that I will be him forever grateful.

I did find myself a wife at that time too. I am a man after all. Quite frankly I needed someone to keep my bed warm when Bella wouldn't be there to help me with that. Tanya was the name of the woman I married. She was from Slovakia and her father offered her to me after they'd escaped. I had a small cottage, and I needed someone to cheer me up a bit. Tanya was good at that.
We had a good life together and even though I didn't love her as I would have loved Bella, I enjoyed her company for the time being. We had three sons together, and I later found out that Bella and her husband had two little girls together as well.

It didn't feel like Bella had cheated on me, but she felt that way. We knew it was a risk there would always be present, and it had to happen at some point. The next time we were reborn together, she was heartbroken. She couldn't stop crying, and it didn't take long for her sorrow to take over, and she died young. Too young. I couldn't live without her so I joined her in death – to a new beginning together again.

We were happy when we woke up to a new life together again. She'd been beyond worried I couldn't forgive her, but she was wrong. There was never anything to forgive her for. She would always be mine, no matter what would happen.

But in this life I'd have an advantage.

I had forever and I'd present it to her with such pride I'd burst.

The last time we'd spend together, was in 1918. We were young, probably the youngest we'd ever been together, and it had been a completely coincidence we'd bumped into each other again.

I'd been in Washington to visit some relatives with my mother, and when we were walking down the streets of my mother's old childhood street, I saw Bella.

She was walking on the other sidewalk, arm in arm with her father. She looked like she was missing a piece of herself, and I knew just exactly how that felt.

One look into each other's eyes and everything would be relived again. Every touch, every kiss, every moment of our lives would be seen again – good and bad. It would come back to us with a splash.

We'd never completely loose the memories to begin with, but they'd always be fading until the moment we were together again. The moment we'd see each other again would work as if it was magic.

In 1917 I looked at her all over again, smiled and my destiny was sealed once again.

It really was like magic that day in 1918 we got married in Chicago. They happiness didn't last long though, and before I knew it both of my parents had caught the Spanish Flu. They died fast and I feared Bella would catch it, so I did my best to keep her save and away from it all. Along the way of making sure she was alright I'd already caught it myself.

Bella was pregnant and all I focused about was her and I could care about myself later. Or so I thought. But no matter how hard I'd tried to get her away from it all, she wouldn't leave my side. She cried for days, and it only made me bet sicker, then one day she brought in a doctor I'd never seen before.

She said I'd be safe with him, and even to this day I wonder if she knew what he was – what he was capable of doing - because the last thing I remember from before I opened my eyes to this new life, was a blonde haired male with yellow eyes telling Bella he'd make me better.

The hair and the eyes belonged to the most genuine person I've ever met: Carlisle Cullen. The doctor Bella had made me put my faith into.

He did the right thing by changing me – I know that now.

All I have to do now is wait.

And survive this endless pain, being without Bella creates. I knew it is worth it though, because someday I'll get to see my woman again, and this time we'll have forever.

The Cullen's living room – 1987

Alice and Jasper have been having a quite interesting conversation actually. It doesn't happen that often, so I've listened intensely through Jasper's mind to see just exactly where it is going. Alice has been trying to drag both Jasper and Esme with her on a shopping trip to Paris for the last week, which has also been the only subject Alice has desired to talk about for the time being too, so this change of heart Alice has suddenly come into is definitely captivating.

No one likes to have a mad dwarf in the house, especially not if the dwarfs name is Alice..

Jasper hasn't had sex for 7 days because Alice is mad at him, so I'm honestly getting tired of the moaning around this house.

When Jasper doesn't get sex he gets cranky. And when Jasper gets cranky Emmett feels the need to bother him. And when Emmett wants to bother Jasper, it usually leaves one of them without a head for an hour or two.

Its pain to be around sometimes, but it kills time and that's always something. Especially when you're the one that gets to explore the insides of their minds as well..

Life is tough in this place.

I sigh out loud as I look out the panorama window Esme had installed last week. It gives me a direct overview of the river in the garden. It looks so peaceful, the water is running down the little waterfall and into Esme's little garden and around the little lake she's made – It's beautiful.

Esme has a thing when it comes to decor, and she is good at it too, definitely no denying that.

The family has been expanded, to say the least, since my transformation.

Esme joined our little two-men-coven in 1923 when Carlisle and I'd been in Ashland, and she made us into a family and not just a coven anymore. She became the heart of the family too. Esme is the most kind and laidback woman I've met in ages. It didn't take long before her and Carlisle admitted their feelings towards each other, and got married not long after her transformation, and before long, in New York 1935, Carlisle added another member to the family. Rosalie Hale.

Rosalie is a bit more set aside and snobbish than the rest of us. She was a pain to have around the house before she met Emmett.

Emmett was a mindless young man thinking it was smart to battle a bear in the forest as he tried to impress his friends. He certainly didn't impress anyone other than Rosalie, and reserving a ticket to vampirism was all he got out of it anyway. Rosalie brought him back to Carlisle in 1937 and he changed her in hopes Rosalie and him would find a way to each other's hearts. And they did.

Trust me they did.

I'm glad the two of them live in their own house at the moment. Let's leave it at that.

In 1950 life had gotten boring and my search for Bella hadn't gone a step closer to where I wanted it to go, but suddenly one day a tiny little black haired girl stepped into our lives. She brought along a solider from another time, her mate, Jasper.

Jasper is unique. Intelligent, and a very kind man. Unlike Emmett, I use Jasper to stay sane while I use Emmett to be reckless and have mindless of fun. It's a balance only I know how to walk.

And to get back to Alice, well, Alice probably saved my life to put it mildly. When Carlisle welcomed them into our lives in 1950, she looked at me, smiled as she thought, "don't worry; you'll find your Bella soon enough."

.. Therefore I like her. A lot.

It was much easier to talk to anyone after Alice and Jasper joined the family. First they have powers too, extraordinary things they are able to, just like I literally can't stay out of other people's minds. Jasper controls feelings while Alice plays around with the future, and second it's a relief to have them around because they know what it is to love someone higher than anything else.

And speaking of Alice and Jasper they were having an interesting conversation I was eavesdropping on..

".. don't think it's fair you won't go with me to Paris when I went to the store with you last week to check out that uniform you wanted!" Alice snapped at him.

This will never go right. If I ever want sex again I have to give in at some point, Jasper thought as he rolled his eyes.

I sighed on his behalf. Poor man. It will never be funny to argue with Alice.

Just as I had hoped they'd get over it.

No, just as you've hoped they'd go to Paris so that you could get some peace and quietness, my own little inner voice screamed at me, and I nodded. I couldn't agree more. There was no denying that.

As much as I loved Alice, she was quite the handful. The only way I knew Jasper hadn't killed her yet was because he loves her to death – just like I love Bella.

"No Jasper! That's not fair you said the last time that –"her voice ebbed out as something in her mind caught my interests. She gasped and focus altered to her.

Her mind suddenly filled with a vision:

A beautiful brown hair woman is walking down the aisle to a man with a mustache waiting for her at the altar. He is smiling. He's seems happy.

*fade to black*

The minister's practiced voice is spelling out the sentence:"Charlie Swan, will you take Renée Higginbotham to be your wedded wife, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, and forsaking all others, keep you only unto her, for so long as you both shall live?" he asked as what I presumed was Charlie – the man with the mustache.

His eyes are full of happy tears when he says the words "I do."

The brown hair woman – Renée – is tearing up as the minister makes her repeat the words, and she says her "I do" at the man with the mustache – Charlie as well.

*fade to black*

There is bed. There is Renée and Charlie and they are undressing each other fast. They fall onto the bed as they are kissing each other hectically. She rips of his boxes as she steps out of her panties, as they disappear under the quilt as Renée giggles.

*fade to black*

Renée is looking thoughtful as she is looking out the window. There is something that is missing, she just can't figure out what exactly is missing.

The place seems familiar to Alice, she quickly places it's as Forks, the small town I lived in with Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie and Emmett in 1936 and with Alice and Jasper as well in the ending of 1950.

Renée looks around the house. She looks in the kitchen; she is sitting at the little table under the window as she look up at the yellow cabinets. – She painted them that color to bring some light into the house.

What exactly is missing? She is thinking..

Then it hits her.

She's late.

*Fade to black*

She picks out a pregnancy test at the town shop.

*fade to black*

Renée is looking at the pregnancy test with mock terror. There are two lines.

She's pregnant.

She looks into the mirror in front of her. Her hand flies to her stomach, and she looks herself in the eyes.

She's having a baby.

She smiles at herself as she nods.

She having a baby and it's the best thing that has probably ever happened to her, she thinks.

*fade to black*

Renée is sitting at the dinner table with Charlie. She can't eat. She needs to tell him, but she's scared.

How will he react? They've only been married for three months? Is it too soon?

It's becoming hard to keep the words in, so she decides to get it off her chest. She puts her fork down as she clears her throat:

"Charlie. Something happened." Her insecure voice says, "I'm pregnant."

He drops his fork surprised.

To her surprise he smiles. He rises from the chair and sweeps her off her feet as he kisses her so passionately she nearly passes out.

They are happy

*fade to black*

Renée's stomach grows bigger and bigger over the months. Charlie is excited. So is she. She learns how to knit – making baby clothes – and she is excitingly decorating the nursery.

*fade to black*

Renée is panting desperatey. It is fall, and it's raining outside, and she is trying to shake Charlie awake. She knows he's been working all night, but he needs to wake up.

"What is it?" Charlie's sleeping voice says.

"The baby is coming." Renée pants.

He's awake now.

*fade to black*

Renée is in the delivery room. She's in labour and she keeps pushing. The doctor's keep telling her to push, and suddenly a beautiful baby girl announces her arrival to the world with a scream.

"A beautiful baby girl, born 6:20 AM, on this Sunday morning." The doctor announces.

The baby is being placed on Renée's breast. Charlie and Renée are having their moment. They see their daughter for the first time.

But it feels as if the baby is looking at me through Alice's vision.

Brown eyes.

My world stops spinning.

It's Bella.

It's my Bella, and she's in Alice's vision.

My world starts spinning again when Charlie and Renée in unison say:

"It's our Isabella. Welcome to the world sweetheart."

*fade to black*

Isabella is sleeping in her cradle at the hospital. The little note at the head saying: "it's a girl" also says she's born on the 13th of September 1987.

*fade to black*

I'm gaping obvious. Jasper's eyes are almost squeezed shot as he tries to figure out what the hell is going on.

I haven't even realized that Alice and I have both stood up during her vision and made eye contact.

She smiled fondly at me as she nodes smiling, "You saw it yourself Edward. The waiting is almost over."

And she's right.

It is.

A/N: I'm hoping to start this up again after New Year's. I hope you'll like the alteriations.