I do not own Twilight.
She knew they could never really love her, they were myths made flesh and she was just a silly human girl.
It had been many years since that day in the wood when her heart broke and her soul shattered. For years Bella selfishly held onto Jacob so she could stay close his warmth, his calming presence; her sun-the man she had learned to love the way he had always loved her. He was able to take the pain away, dulling it so that Bella could try to live and forget them-even if everyone knew that it wasn't really working, but they pretended for her. Bella's world seemed to implode the day that every thing changed. They day that Jacob imprinted on Sam and Emily's newborn daughter, Anne. Bella didn't say a word against Jacob as she watched his face light when he looked into her eyes, she smiled bitterly as she watched them in Emily's hospital room. A quite understanding echoed between the wolves present she knew that this day would come-the day her sun's love for her was eclipsed by the moon of his life* and she was left in the darkness once more.
Before Jacob had found his soul mate, he and Bella had been existing in a sense of normalcy and had been living in the cabin Paul had built for them. It seemed that when he was making things it helped to control his anger and in turn his phasing was easier to do as well. In passing months and months ago Paul mention a small run down cottage that teased the edge of the treaty line. Paul had been repairing it for months as a kind of weigh station so the pack had a place to crash if they were that far out and didn't have the energy to make it back or if they needed to get their hands some cloths. It wasn't like any of the Cullens were going to come anytime soon and reprimand them for stealing and fixing it up. The pack offered it to her if she could keep them fed and let them crash on her couch when they needed it. She agreed, thankful that she didn't have to return to Charlie's house in shame as the people of Forks whispered behind her back about he miserable and mostly nonexistent love life.
The most surprising thing that came out of Jacob's imprinting was a friendship with Leah.
Bella was closer to forty then thirty when Victoria knocked on her door. Bella calmly greeted the red headed impossibly beautiful vampire, before turning away from the door and toward the kettle that had just started to whistle. Trusting the vampire to let herself in Bella took the kettle off the stove. Bella knew that something was going to happen soon it had been too many months that Bella was left without any news about vampires in the area, and there was something that Bella knew it was that the women was not one to give up. On autopilot she made her tea (enough sugar to make her tea less like a liquid and more like a sludge.) before sitting down at the table gesturing that the vampire should do the same.
"I was wondering when you would see this opening," Bella commented sipping her tea.
"It is rather obvious," she purred in her little girl's voice,
Bella nodded setting her chipped coffee mug filled with her tea-sludge on the table. "Do you still want to kill me? " ruby red eyes seemed to bore into her soul while her head tilted in question "Victoria, I'm almost forty, and none of the Cullens have been here for years, they are not coming back."
"Little bird, but your Edward killed my James." she murmured.
Looking at her Bella shook her head, "Edward didn't kill James, Edward was with me, him and Carlisle, they-" she rolled up her sleeve showing the silvery bite that would never fade "Edward was sucking the venom out, it was the others who killed James."
"But you are still the reason that he died, his death needs to be repaid, a mate for a mate. Little bird and you're the most vulnerable." Bella could understand the logic there it would be more difficult to go after Alice, Esme or Rosalie. They themselves being vampires as well as their mates being vampires.
"Victoria? Why do you think they left me?" Bella had always wondered if the vengeful women knew that Edward had left her, broke her.
"I had assumed that they left without you so that you would finish your education, possibly for you to mature into an adult so that you wouldn't become to dependent on others for your survival or that when they would take you your staged death or disappearance would not be linked to them."
Bella snorted looking at the cold tea she had left on the table, "Edward took me into the forest, he said that he never loved me, that he didn't want me. He told me that I was just a distraction to him and his lonely existence." Bella smiled bitterly at the bewildered look that graced the other women's face. "I'm not his mate, even if he told his family that I was, that he told me that I was. When James bit me and I felt that burn, I knew that I was changing into a vampire but he sucked the venom out, I should have known then that he didn't want me for forever. Killing me wont hurt the Cullen's, it'll just piss off a bunch of werewolves." she blinked and Victoria had disappeared into the night.
A deary day twenty-five years later saw Bella and the pack at the memorial service for Emily and Sam. Emily had gotten sick, really sick and passed away in her sleep. Sam fallowed soon after of a broken heart. Jacob was now the alpha or the Quileute pack that still seemed to grow with no end in sight. There were more wolves residing in La Push now then there was humans to protect and Leah was still the only female wolf.
The wolves started to expand their territory. More territory meant more people to protect, and it also meant there would be a greater chance to run into vampires that they could kill. Bella knew that this was a very bad idea, from what little Bella remembered of the Volturi from her time with the Cullens learning about vampire history, was that the one thing that the ruling vampire family couldn't tolerate more then a human knowing of their existence (with out any plans of killing or turning) was werewolves.
Bella had tried to explain this to Jacob, but he wouldn't hear her out. Anne didn't want Bella to be in contact with Jacob, she was jealous of their previous relationship. Bella could understand Anne's hesitation in letting Jacob and Bella alone, Bella didn't want to be alone with him, she wanted to explain to the pack why this was a terrible the be on the Volturi's radar, because of Jacob's ignoring her none of the other wolves would hear her out.
Leah called them stupid for not listening to the closest thing they had on a vampire expert.
When the Volturi failed to appear when the pack started to expand in earnest the pack grew cocky. It wasn't until the pack had stared to actively hunt and kill the any vampire they had come across that the Volturi started to take notice. With in days most of the Quileute pack was dead or worse.
Aro one of the three leaders of the Volturi, who's ability was to gain every thought you have ever had threw touch instantly realized that the pack's were connected when they managed to kidnap one of the younger wolves before the pack knew what was happening. Within seconds Jane (who could cause a mental illusion of pain so strong that it physically incapacitated you ) was using her ability on the young wolf. Which quickly spread through the pack mind, those members of the pack that had not been on patrol quickly shifted to see what was wrong which brought them under Jane's spell. Only those who remained human weren't killed by the Volturi's attack.
Out of the limitless number of wolves that patrolled the Olympic peninsula only a hand full remained. The ruling vampire family even kept the young wolf in their care. Kept asleep using another vampire's ability so that they would still be able to enter the pack mind when they wished. None of the Quileute pack could shift again, crippling the Quileute wolves forever.
Though the pack's forever was significantly shorter then it was now that they couldn't shift and began to age again.
Bella hair was whiter then fresh snow cut short so that she could mange it with her shaking hands. She had more wrinkles then she could count. She was eighty-five, and she was everything she feared when she young fool in love.
That was when she saw them again.
She had been watching the sun set and the moon rise sitting on her porch in a rocking chair that Paul made many, many years ago. She sill kept their old cloths and more food then she could ever eat just in case. When the Cullens exactly as they were before walked into the clearing and into her field of vision.
"Bella," Edward breathed her name just barely loud enough for human ears.
She coughed "Hello," in her now forever raspy voice she knew they could smell the sickness on her, the medication she was taking and the unnatural rhythm that her hear now held.
Edward seemed to freeze, while the rest of the Cullens looked on with varying degrees of wonder and fear. The young woman that they had met and loved was almost out of time.
"I-Bella-we, we were going to come back but-" Edward stammered.
"You got distracted." Bella cut him off bitterly. Edward's face seem to crumple to show all the sorrow and anguish in the world.
"No, it was all lies," he whispered now standing directly in front of her "I just wanted to live and normal life without any supernatural dangers. I wanted you to fall in love an have a nice normal family,"
Bella started to laugh "So you left me in the woods with adolescence werewolves," the Cullen's eyes widened, "With Victoria still after my head, and the Volturi just around the corner," She looked at each of them "Yup super safe Edward, good job." Bella knew that she was being petty but right now she didn't give a damn. The rest of the Cullens were now standing around her porch and not just in the clearing.
"Bella, I-I'm so, so sorry, I never meant for-"
"Save it Edward. What's done is done." After this Bella started to cough violently calling for water when she had the air to do so. Esme ran into the Cottage and was back moments later.
"Di-did you have a family Bella?" Rosalie hesitantly asked
"You're wondering why I'm out here alone in the woods when I should be with by my kids and their kids?" She saw Rosalie nod "No, I was never going to have a family. I love Edward because who he is, not what he is."The Cullens noticed the present tenses used by Bella, "I was glad that I feel in love with a man that wouldn't care that I could never give him children. I'm barren, I was never going to have kids of my own anyway."
Silence reigned after Bella's confession, the Cullens physically froze, while their inhuman minds tried to come to terms with what they had just learned from the strange human girl who had changed all of their lives for better and for worse, and with what they had put themselves and her through.
Forever passed in their silence, the burn present in the back or their thoughts brought them back to the present where they realized that Bella was already cold**.
*Yes this is a Game of Thrones/ A Song of Ice and Fire reference
**If this wasn't clear this means that Bella has passed away and that her body is now cold to the touch.