Inspired by the song and the video for Whiskey Lullaby performed by Brad Paisley and Allison Kraus.
I don't own the characters or the song.
Flashback (EPOV):
The war is over. It's finally over, and I'm on the bus back to Forks to surprise my beautiful wife. It's been three years since I saw her last. Her face ran through my memory, every single day.
The bus pulled up to old white house that I was surprised to see still standing.
Before I got off, one of my sargeants stopped me. "You're a great man, Edward. Always be happy."
"It was great serving, Sir," I smiled. With that, I got off the bus and walked up to the house quietly.
I opened the door, and sett my army bag quietly on the floor. I looked around. This place, really hasn't changed. Except for the walls. They were a light yellow. Bella must've been bored one day and decided to paint. I chuckled. I walked closer to the living room, and saw all the pictures of Bella and I. Our first date, prom, graduation, a few pictures of us with all our friends, pictures from our wedding, and the last picture we took together about three years ago; in our meadow, underneath the Willow tree. It was the morning before I left.
We had a breakfast picnic and after that, we made love. After a few minutes of silence, I turned to look at her stunning face to see her looking right back at me.
"I love you," I told her, "every moment of forever."
She lifted a hand, and caressed my cheek. Her big chocolate brown eyes never leaving my emerald green ones.
"Come home to me safely," she whispered. She then pressed her soft lips to mine. We made love, one last time.
A giggle in the room above me snapped me out of my flashback. Ah, she's home. I smiled at her laughter. It was the most beautiful sound in the world to me.
I quietly went upstairs to our bedroom. I quickly fixed my hair, though it really wouldn't have done anything. Excitement is rushing through me. A smile spreads across my face, and I open the door...
Only to see what could break my heart into a million tiny pieces and wipe that smile off my face.
She sat up immediately once that door opened, her face in total shock. Her brown hair is a total mess, her makeup is smeared, and she's wearing a dark blue nightgown. But it's who I see next to her, is what breaks my heart. Jacob Black. Shirtless. In bed. With my wife.
Bella gulps and whispers, "Edward."
"How could you?" I asked with so much venom in my voice. I turned around and ran out of the house with Bella right behind me.
"Edward, I was just..." she tried to explain. "I was afraid you weren't ever going to come back."
I'm trying to block her out at this point, but I can't.
We're finally outside, and I find my Volvo still parked in its usual spot. I get in and start the engine.
"Edward, don't do this, please," she begged. "I can't have you leave me. Not again." I turn my head to look at her, and she has tears streaming down her eyes. I hate seeing her this way. But, right now, I don't care.
"Goodbye Bella."
"Edward, no!" was the last thing I heard before I pulled out of the driveway.
Third Person POV
She put him out, like a burning end of a midnight cigarette. After him finding his wife of four years in bed with her best friend, he went to the Willow tree. He got out of his car, and just collapsed on the ground, his head in his hands. He cried for hours. She broke his heart.
The sun had set, and he decided to leave the meadow, hoping to never come back. He didn't go back home, and he didn't go to visit his old friends. Instead, he went to the bar. He sat there all night, just drinking in his misery.
It had been months since that day, yet he comes back to the bar every night. He spent his whole life trying to forget. He would forget everything that happened the previous night, but he'd never forget her. We watched him drink his pain away, little at a time, but he never could get drunk enough, to get her off his mind. Until the night...
He came back from the liquor store, carrying a whiskey bottle in his shaking hand. He sat down on the edge of his bed, just looking out the window and taking sips of his drink. He didn't know how long it's been since he last saw her. One thing for sure, he didn't want to see her again, no matter how much she still loved her.
It was twilight out, and he finally got up, unsteadily, after sitting for what seemed like hours. He came to a realization. He's miserable, worthless, nothing is going for him. He's nothing.
He dug through his old army bag, and found a pistol. This is what they trained the men with before they went to the big guns. He checked to see if there were bullets inside. There was. He put the bullets back in, and wobbled his way back to the bed; drink and gun in his hands.
He never thought about suicide in his entire life. Ever. But, that was mainly because he had her. He always did. They were inseparable, even when they weren't officially together. But all of that, was over. Love, life, meaning. Everything was over. He took one last sip before laying down the almost empty whiskey bottle beside him. He stared straight ahead, looking in the mirror. His once-shiny green eyes had now darkened, sunk in, and had purple bags underneath. His hair was a complete mess and looked greasy. A few wrinkles surrounded his face, and was ghostly pale.
To hell with it, he thought. He quickly sat up, and found a piece of paper and a pen laying on the floor. He wrote something down, and laid it on the pillow beside the liquor bottle.
He laid back down on the pillow, and lifted the gun to his temple.
"Bella, I love you," were his last words.
He put that bottle to his head, and pulled the trigger. Finally drank away her memory. Life is short, but this time it was bigger, than the strength he had to get up off his knees.
The woman in the room next door had heard the bang, and ran off to investigate. The door was unlocked, and all she saw were empty bottles everywhere. She ran a hand through her strawberry blonde hair as she carefully went to the bedroom. The door was ajar, and she let herself in. A gasp had escaped from her mouth and went to the bedside table to use the phone.
"911, what's your emergency?"
"I'm here with a man, who has seemed to commit suicide," she said, shaking. "He's lying face down, with a gun right next to him and there's a lot of blood…" Her voice started to tremble.
"Where's your location, ma'am?"
"In Port Angeles at the Holiday Inn, Room 506."
"We're on our way, ma'am. Just stay calm."
We found him with his face down in the pillow. She hung up the phone, and brought her hands up to her face. Poor guy, she thought. She looked over to the other side of him, opposite from the gun, and saw the almost empty bottle and a piece of paper. Curious, she picked up the paper to see if he wrote any reason why he had done this to himself. With a note that said "I love her 'til I die".
That following week, after investigating the body and contacting family and friends, it was time for a burial. His wife had been asked on where to bury him, and without hesitation, she said in the meadow under the Willow tree.
The casket was covered with an American flag and flowers. Only close friends and family were at the burial. His mother sobbing as her husband tried to comfort her. His older brother and twin sister are staring down at the casket, being held by their loved ones. Some old friends from high school were there. But the only person was apart from everyone else, on the other side of the casket; his wife. And when we buried him beneath the Willow, the angels sang the Whiskey Lullaby.
Two army men loaded their guns and shot into the sky.
I'll never forgive myself, she thought.
Flashback (BPOV):
I should've never done this in the first place. I promised to stay loyal to him, no matter what. Clearly, I let my thoughts get the best of me. I kept thinking what if he doesn't come back? So, I decided to go out with my best friend Jacob one night. We had a few drinks, one thing led to another, then I woke up, naked, in his bed the next morning. We kept it up the next couple of months.
I went back inside, sobbing at my mistake.
"You okay, Bells?" Jacob asked, putting his hand on my shoulder.
"Go home, Jake," I said in the tiniest whisper.
"What?"
I walked over to the bed and tossed him his shirt. "I said go home," I said more clearly. "I can't deal right now. I just want to be left alone."
He put his shirt on and stood in the doorway. "Well, give me a call if you're ready."
Third Person POV
"I bet she's even cheating on Jacob, just like she did with Edward."
"What a little slut."
"She can't stay tied down to one man."
The rumors flew, but nobody knew how much she blamed herself, for years and years. No one can understand the mistake she made. They remind her day after day. She tries so hard to forget, but not even whiskey can help that problem. She tried to hide the whiskey on her breath.
She was out with her two best friends tonight, prepared to forget everything that has happened to her. But it wasn't possible, considering that one of her best friends was her husband's twin sister.
"Bella, why don't you go dance for a bit?" she asked. "Rose and I are gonna head to the bathroom real quick." They got up after she nodded and went to the ladies' room.
She walked slowly into the center, feeling the vibrations of the music through the floor. She turned to see some guys starting to dance around her. That's when she saw him. She must've been hallucinating. She would see him one second, then she'd blink, and he was gone. It's probably the whiskey kicking in, she thought. She finally drank her pain away, little at a time, but she never could get drunk enough, to get him off her mind. Until the night…
She left off the dancefloor, quickly walking through the crowd, passing her friends. She made it through the big doors, and stood out on the sidewalk waiting for a cab. She heard familiar laughter and turned around. Leaning over a girl against the brick wall, was her boyfriend. He leaned in for a kiss, and the girl excitedly returned it.
She stormed over and pushed him. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"Bella…"
"Don't 'Bella' me! You're my boyfriend! But here you are, making out with this tramp."
"Hey!" the girl yelled.
"Nessie's anything but a tramp," he defended her.
"Oh right, you're the one who's a tramp," she rolled her eyes and started to walk away.
"Bella baby, come back here." He started to follow her.
'Jacob!" The "tramp" called.
"I'll call you," he said, looking over his shoulder.
He followed her all the way home and up the stairs, trying to get her to look at him. She finally turned around, only to have lips pressed against hers. He started unbuttoning his shirt, wanting more, but she pulled away before anything got too far.
"Jacob, no," she choked out.
"Bella, you know you want it. You've wanted it ever since your husband left."
She slapped him across the face. Hard. "You're wrong. You know that this whole thing is a mistake and it led to Edward's death. He died because of me!" She started sobbing and shaking uncontrollably.
"Bella…"
She pushed him out the door with all the strength she had. "Leave me alone, Jacob. I don't want to do this anymore." She slammed the door in his face and locked it. She opened up her dresser drawer and pulled out a full whiskey bottle. She drank for hours, letting the liquid take total control of her brain.
It's early morning and she's wide awake. She then got an idea, and stumbled to the hall closet, putting her hands on the wall for balance.
She opened it and found the gun her father had given her to be safe from intruders going into the house. She lifted the shiny pistol, feeling the weight of it in her hands. She could hear the bullets inside. She went back into her bedroom, carrying the gun.
Everyone hates me, she thought.
"I don't."
She turned and blinked rapidly. She saw the figure of her husband standing before her.
"Edward, what are you doing?" she asked him.
"I still love you, Bella," he started to disappear. "I need you."
"Edward, don't leave please!" she begged. But it was too late. He needs you as much as you need him, she thought.
She laid down on the bed, holding his picture to her chest, every memory of him coming back to her.
She loaded the gun, and slowly lifted it to her temple. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes tightly. "Edward, I'm never leaving you."
She put that bottle to her head, and pulled the trigger, and finally drank away his memory. Life is short, but this time it was bigger, than the strength she had to get up off her knees.
"Bella?" her pixie friend called. "Bella, are you here?" Nothing. Her instincts told her to check upstairs. Maybe she's asleep, she thought. She went upstairs, bouncing with every step she took.
The door was wide open, and shock ran through her tiny body at what she saw.
"Oh, shit, Bella!"
She ran over to the bed and carefully rolled Bella over. Blood was running from her head, her eyes closed, body cold, and holding onto her husband's picture.
A tear ran down the pixie's cheek as she saw the gun laying next to her sister-in-law. She ran out of the room to call 911.
"My best friend has committed suicide. There's a gun next to her, and she's bleeding from her head, and..."
"Calm down, miss. Just give us your location and we'll be on our way."
We found her with her face down in the pillow, clinging to his picture for dear life.
"She needs to be put down next to her husband," her green eyes told the preacher, "next to the Willow tree."
We laid her next to him, beneath the Willow, and the angels sang the Whiskey Lullaby.
The burial ended, but as everyone started to walk back to the cars, the pixie stopped. She looked back at the gravestones, and a vision ran through her mind. Two people emerged from each side of the tree. A man in his army uniform, and a woman wearing her favorite blue dress. They both stared at each other, until the army man did a crooked smile.
"You're here."
"I didn't want to go another day without you," the woman smiled, but fell faster than it came. "I'm so sorry, for what I did..."
The man interrupted her by grabbing her face and kissing her on the mouth. There was forgiveness and love all wrapped into this wonderful kiss. They pulled away slowly, the woman trying to catch her breath.
"It doesn't matter anymore," the man whispered, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I've watched you for years. I had no idea how...depressed you were. I just thought that since you had Jacob after I passed on..."
"You thought that I would be over you?" she asked. "Edward, I've felt so guilty. There wasn't a second in a day that I wouldn't be thinking about you." She wrapped her arms around his neck.
The man kissed her forehead, light and soft. "I love you."
"I love you too," she smiled, and kissed his lips.
The man lifted her off the ground, and spun. Then just like that, they were gone.
"Alice?"
The pixie turned around, and saw a confused look on her husband's face. She smiled.
"It's okay," she said. "They're together now, and everything's okay."
Her husband smiled back and laced his fingers through hers, understanding what she meant.
La la la la la la la, la la la la la la laa.
La la la la la la la, la la la la la la laa.
The italics in the Third Person POV, were the lyrics, in case you didn't know.