A/N: Yes, I'm opening another Drabble Compilation, be afraid!

This one was written for TwiFicPics, and was inspired by a banner by vbfb1 for which a link will be on my profile.

Pairing: Edward/Bella. AH.

I Will Find a Way

"I'm trying," she assured him, her voice quiet. "How are you doing in the meanwhile?"

Edward sighed and hitched himself over to his back. "So tired, sweetheart. The radiation's working, but I'm just so tired." He compressed his lips against the strange desolation of fatigue; he never wanted that reflected in his voice – she already had so much to worry about.

His fiancée, Isabella, was in the Air Force Reserve as an Operations Research Analyst. After her father's death in combat years ago, she had wanted more than anything to help her country and put her education to good use. So she was a Captain, now. Captain Isabella Swan, stationed across the country at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

He heard her sigh. She was on the phone on base and it always sounded odd, to him. "I'm so sorry. I will get there. I will. It's just that –"

"I know."

Her voice held a smile. "Now, don't go flirting with the techs, all right?"

With a grin, he teased, "I don't know. That Rosalie is sure hot." He was rewarded by Isabella's chuckle. Continuing, he made his voice light and airy. "So's her husband, by the way."

"I'll tell him you said so." Then, "Damn." Her voice caught audibly. "Honey, I've got to go."

An emptiness opened up within his chest – it was filled with her when they were together, but while she was gone, he just ached for her with a cold void. "I know. Thanks for calling, Bella."

"I will find a way to get to you," she assured him, determination strong in her words. "I will."

He waited until she had hung up to give way to the tears in his eyes. Tears released in the pervasive exhaustion caused by his radiation treatments, in the violation of his body by the cancerous growth that had stricken his pelvic region. An unexpressed desolation tried to tighten his muscles against the perceived show of weakness, but he couldn't stop it. He needed his Bella. She had just said she'd marry him...

"Hey, future bro-in-law! I got your laptop, like you wanted."

Surprised, Ed blinked blearily up at the musclebound teddy bear who was also one of his care-givers here at the clinic. "Huh?"

"Okay, that my sister said you wanted. You might know her. She's wearing this pretty ring..."

"Oh yeah, her." The men exchanged wistful smiles. "Thank you, Emmett. I do appreciate it."

Phone calls alternated with email. Edward was finally able to tell her, "Bella? I'm being released tomorrow. And you're coming home soon, right?" There was a pause that made his heart drop to his knees. "Bella? Isabella Swan? Are you all right?"

He heard her sniffle, heard the catch in her voice before she whispered, "I am so sorry, Edward. Damn it, I –"

He sat up, wincing and gasping in his own pain. "Sweetheart, what is it?" Loss tugged at him. "Please..."

"I've got orders, honey. All the new – well, I can't talk about it, but I've got orders and I have to go."

"No!" His voice was not the shout he felt in his heart – it was just a rasping echo. "No, you're in the Reserve and –"

"And we're at war."

"Oh, Isabella..."

He heard her swallowing back her tears. "I will find a way home to you. I need to see you, before. I'll figure out how."

"Marry me," he blurted.

Her choked voice gave way to an incredulous-sounding hiccough. "Edward? I already said I would. Don't you – don't you remember?"

He laughed. "Oh, my love. Of course I do. I meant can you marry me before you go? Like – like in one of those historical movies?"

His Bella's laugh was soft and intimate. "I – I can ask. But I will find a way, Edward."

Emotion filled him, blocking his throat. "I'll be waiting."

A fierce pounding awoke him from a recuperative nap four days later. "Edward?" Then, "Please, you have to be here..."

The cloudy afternoon allowed little light to filter to his front porch but he didn't need to see her. He could hear the precious sound of her voice, of her fist on his door in their old knocking pattern. "Edward?"

"Oh, oh, oh," he gasped, moving more slowly than he wanted, his body still so sluggish in response to what he needed it to do. "Oh, Bella, Bella..."

Click. Slide. "Ooof!" came the trio of sounds as Captain Swan launched herself into his arms.

Then, it was quick apologies, quicker relocations, and finally, finally her lips, her skin, his hands, her hair. Her thighs against his and –

He hissed. "Sorry. This is gonna be the worst wedding night in history, Bella."

Her lips against his throat, though she held her body lightly away from his, she said, "Not even. C'mon. Emmett's gonna get us to Vegas. I have ninety-six hours. Let's do this. I want to be your wife."

He nudged her so that she looked him in the eye. Hers were wet, as he knew his were. "I almost can't believe you made it back."

"I told you I'd find a way."

A/N: So, this will be just another collection of random ideas. :) Thanks for reading!