This is a spin-off one-shot to my story The Antique Ring. I came up with the idea one day when I was wondering how their life (Isabella's and Edward's) would have been had Edward never gotten sick and Isabella never disappeared. If everything had happened differently, this is how their life would have been: human and perfect.

Our Perfect Life

One-Shot

It was New Years 1919; Isabella's eighteenth birthday. And so far everything had gone splendid.

The day had begun with her being woken up at a quarter to ten by her brother Brandon, who presented her with a silver heart shaped locket. When she opened the locket, she cried, it contained two small photographs in it. On one side of the locket held a photo of her mother, Emma, and the other a photo of her father, George. It had been years since she had seen their faces, and it brought an unfamiliar warmth to her heart.

"How did you get these?" She asked him with wet eyes. "I thought all of the photographs of them went down with the ship." She told him as she gently stroked the images of her parents; a small smile on her lips.

"I contacted someone over in England, and they shipped them over." He told her softly. "It wasn't easy, but you're my baby sister and I wanted this birthday to be a good one."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you Brandon, thank you so much."

He leaned his forehead against hers and whispered: you're welcome love.

In the afternoon Ronald and Lily took her out for a special lunch; just the three of them. They were so proud of her, she had gone so far since they had taken her under their wings. She had become a smart, sophisticated, talented, grateful, beautiful young woman. And they knew her parent's were smiling at her from Heaven.

"Happy birthday sweetheart." Ronald told her with a small smile as Isabella opened up the large package Lily and himself and bought for her.

She gasped and lifted her gift into the air. It was a beautiful pink and gold gown with white lace on the shoulders. She held it against her body and smiled at the two of them. "I love it, thank you so much!" She told them gratefully before twirling around in a small circle.

"Oh you're welcome darling." Lily smiled as she stood to walk over and give her adopted daughter a warm hug. "We knew you'd love it." She sang happily.

Isabella smiled widely at them, and told them both she loved them.

The evening had come quickly, and the house was filled with aromas of chicken, potatoes, corn and cranberries. There were white candles lit all around the house, and Lily had gone out and bought pink and yellow roses and placed them in vases in various places throughout the house. All in all, it was a very warm and loving household tonight. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

As Isabella descended down the stairs she looked like an angel. The dress Lily and Ronald had bought her looked as if it had been made for the sole purpose to be worn by her and her alone. It matched every part of her: her eyes, her hair, her lips, her pale skin, the shape of her body... there was not one thing wrong about the two.

She had done her hair in a simple yet elegant way she had seen her mother do as a child; a bun in the shape of a rose on the nape of her neck on the left hand side, just behind her ear. She left a few loose strands on the right side of her face, and enjoyed as the feeling of their freedom brushed against her cheek.

"Isabella!" Lily gasped as she waited patiently alongside her husband, son and Edward, at the bottom of the stairs. "You look absolutely beautiful!"

Isabella blushed as she reached the foot of the stairs. "Thank you." She said shyly before biting her bottom lip nervously. "This is the first time I have tried my hair this way, I used to watch my mother do it as a child, and it always looked so beautiful on her, so I thought I'd try it out on myself." She explained softly.

"Well, you did a marvelous job darling, I know she would be so proud of you." Lily smiled as she placed her hand delicately on her adopted daughters shoulder.

"Yes, thank you." Isabella thanked her again; thinking of her mother, and wondering if she were proud of her...

Isabella looked over at Ronald and Brandon and blushed deeply; they too were looking at her with unblinking eyes. "Honestly." She mumbled shyly.

"You look like an angel Isabella." Edward complimented her as he reached out to take her hand. "You are so beautiful my love." He told her as he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her softly.

"Thank you Edward." She said shyly as a small smile came to her lips.

As the small group sat merrily around the table, Edward brushed his hand against his left pocket, and smiled. The small box that he had had for the past two months sat gently resting against his thigh, patiently waiting for the moment of its opening.

Tonight Edward was going to tell Isabella how much he loved her and cared for her. Then, after he walked her down to the park where they had first seen each other, he was going to lead her to the willow tree, and look deeply into her eyes. He was then going to take her hand in his, drop to one knee, and ask her to marry him.

Brandon looked across the table and gave Edward a knowing nod and a smile: it was no secret to the Tailor's what was going to happen tonight. They had known since the first time they had met Edward that he would one day be their adopted son-in-law. He was handsome, charming, kind, polite, understanding, but most of all, he love Isabella. He loved her so deeply that it was impossible for even a blind man to not see it.

But more importantly than Edward's love for Isabella, he made her happy. He made her smile and he made her laugh... there was not one occasion that he had ever upset her in anyway. He had made her cry before, but only tears of joy fell for him.

No force in heaven or on earth was strong enough to break those two apart, they were simply meant to be.

Isabella shivered in the cool night air, and Edward swiftly took his coat and slid it comfortably onto her shoulders. She looked over at him and smiled but said: "Edward, I don't want you to catch cold."

"You are the important one my love, don't worry about me. Your very presence warms my soul, so I will be fine." He told her sweetly as he reached down and took her hand in his; she smiled and giggled slightly.

As the young couple entered the park the looked ahead and saw nothing but clear skies and silver stars, decorated with black trees in the distance.

Edward spun so he was facing Isabella and kissed her softly on the lips, and then whispered happy birthday.

He took one of her hands in each of his and began walking backwards towards the old willow tree, which made soothing sounds as the soft breeze blew gently through its long leaves.

Isabella smiled and looked at him deeply as he continued making his way backwards towards the familiar tree; the smell of jasmine and roses in the air. "Edward, where are you-"

"Shhh..." He cut her off softly as they walked into the open wings of the willow tree.

He slowly let go of her hands as he reached into his left pocket and pulled out the small blue velvet box and dropped to one knee; Isabella's eyes widened and her lips fell agape as she placed her hands gingerly over her mouth. "Edward..." She whispered softly.

"Isabella, I love you so much. You are my world and you are the only thing that is worth living for." Edward told her romantically a small tears fell from her eyes. "I know I have only known you for five years, but in that short time I have fallen so deeply for you, and I don't want to be picked up again. You are beautiful, and smart, and funny and the most amazing person in the entire world. When I look into your eyes I get lost in them, you make everything stop." He told her. "I never want to leave your side, for if I do I will surly die. Because you are my heart and I can not live without it. I love you, Isabella, and I ask you now, be my wife, make me the happiest and luckiest man alive." He finished as Isabella's wet cheeks curved into a small smile.

"Yes Edward." She said softly. "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!"

Edward took his fingers and slowly pulled the sapphire diamond ring from the box and took Isabella's hand in his and gracefully slid the silver ring onto her finger; he couldn't have found a better fit if he tried. He then brought her hand to his lips and kissed it were the ring rested tenderly, and slowly made his way to the top of her hand.

Isabella took her right hand and placed it onto the back of his head as he stood slowly; never taking his eyes away from hers. As he wrapped his arms gingerly around her waist she placed her left hand and placed the palm of her hand onto the front of his chest and watched as the diamonds and sapphires sparkled with the moonlight.

"It is so beautiful Edward." She told him softly as small tears of joy slid down her smiling cheeks.

"No Isabella," He corrected her. "You are beautiful."

"You've no idea how long I have waited for you to come into my life Edward." She told him softly after the blush from her cheeks had subsided to a mere pink.

"I have waited for you just as long Isabella." He whispered. "But if I had to wait longer, just to spend one day with you, I would wait for the end of the world." He told her. "You are the only thing in this life that is worth living for, and I wouldn't give up our love for anything. I would die for you, I would kill for you... you're the love of my life. If you were to die at this very moment, I would go the rest of my days doing nothing but loving you. You are my one and only love, there is no one else for me, there is only you."

Isabella leaned her head against his chest and tapped her finger against him to the beat of his heart:

Bum-bum, bum-bum, bum-bum, bum-bum...

It was smooth and steady; never slowing down or stopping. It was rhythmic and even, speeding up at times but never slowing past it's original state. Just like their love.

But as Isabella stood there with her ear pressed against him, she realized something that she should have a long time ago. It wasn't just his heartbeat she was listening to, but theirs.

December 14, 1919

"I, Edward, take you Isabella, to be my wife. My partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully. Through the best and the worst. Through the difficult and the easy. What may come I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold. So I give you my life to keep. So help me God." Edward said with a calm yet happy expression as he looked onto his beautiful to-be wife.

"I, Isabella, take you Edward, to be my husband. My partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully. Through the best and the worst. Through the difficult and the easy. What may come I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold. So I give you my life to keep. So help me God." Isabella said happily with small tears slowly sliding down her cheeks as she looked onto her charming and gentle husband to-be.

And in unison they spoke: "Entreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you. For where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. And where you die, I will die and there I will be buried. May the lord do with me and more if anything but death parts you from me."

"You may now kiss the Bride." The pastor spoke with a happy smile on his face as Edward lifted the thin white material away from Isabella's face, took her face gently in his hands, and kissed her lips softly and tenderly.

"I now pronounce you Mr. And Mrs. Edward Anthony Masen." The pastor sang happily as the wedding party broke out into cheers and applause; the Tailor's sat in the front row with wet, red eyes as they smiled and clapped for the young newly weds.

"I love you Mrs. Masen." Edward whispered softly to his wife as they sat side-by-side behind the front table; looking on as people danced and socialized amongst each other.

Isabella blushed and smiled to him sweetly. "And I love you, Mr. Masen." She told him softly as Edward placed his hand over hers and kissed her deeply.

"I have dreamt of this moment for so long." Isabella whispered as they softly leaned their foreheads against each other and drank in the moment.

"As have I." He told her sweetly as he laced his fingers through hers, and rubbed her back softly with his opposite hand. "I am so in love with you Isabella." His voice was soft and romantic as they looked up to see Brandon standing ahead of them with a wide smile on his face.

"Ladies and gentlemen," He began as he turned away from them to face the guests. "I ask that you know clear the dace floor, so that Mr. And Mrs. Masen may have their first dance." He finished as he turned back to his sister and new brother-in-law to give them a friendly wink as he motioned his hands towards the cleared dance floor; people sat silently in their chairs awaiting the enchanted moment they had all been waiting for since the first kiss.

"May I have this dace?" Edward asked sweetly as he stood and extended his hand to Isabella, who smiled and slowly stood after taking his hand in hers.

"You may." She said softly as small, happy tears, burned their way to the surface.

Edward led her slowly to the dance floor; his eyes not straying from hers once. The people in the background soon became a blur until there was nothing left but empty chairs and a clear dance floor, all he saw was his Isabella... his reason for living, his everything, his wife.

He lifted her left hand with his right and placed his left hand gingerly on her side as she took hers and placed it delicately on his shoulder. They stood motionless for a few seconds, just looking deeply into each others eyes as Clair De Lune began playing softly throughout the room.

As they began dancing, they got lost in each other.

The 'awes' and sounds of people sniffing their noses were mere whistles of air blowing in the wind; neither of them heard anything except the sound of their heart beating as one, and the soft music that played rhythmically with each step the took.

"I love you." Edward mouthed with a peaceful smile on his lips.

"I love you." Isabella mouthed back as a small tear slid down the side of her cheek.

Edward looked from her eyes to her lips, to her cheeks to her hair, to her neck to her hands, and back to her eyes. She was so flawlessly beautiful that he soon found it difficult to keep himself from tears. How rare true beauty meets the beauty of that which is inside... he had found it though. He had found true perfection and true love, and he was never going to let it go for anything in the entire world. Let someone offer him $20,000, he would simply hand it back and walk away empty handed. Isabella loved him, and so that alone made him the richest man in the world. No mansion or ship or diamond or pearl or automobile could possibly match the wealth and riches that came from the love that Isabella and himself shared for one another.

They loved each other, and that alone made them the richest people alive.

As the song slowed to its end, Edward leaned forward and kissed Isabella softly on the lips. Sealing the moment for eternity, he wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her against his body softly. Her hands made their way to the back of his head and she slowly laced her fingers through his smooth hair as their kiss deepened with love and tenderness.

The wedding party broke out in applause and sobs as Edward and Isabella slowly and reluctantly parted from each other.

"Now, just because you are married now does not mean you have to become a perfect stranger, Mrs. Masen." Lily smiled with wet eyes as she said farewell to the newly weds who stood near the opened door to their white 'Just Married' car.

Isabella smiled brightly and giggled as her husband stood with his arm wrapped securely around her back; a big smile on his face. "I wouldn't dream of it!" Isabella promised her as she reached out her arms to hug her adopted mother.

"I love you darling." Lily told her as she held her close. "And I am so proud of you, you have become such a beautiful and intelligent woman. I know your parent's are proud of you as well." She added as they pulled away from each other with smiled on their faces. "And Edward, you take care of her, I know you will." She added with a twinkle in her loving eyes.

"Isabella, my little sister, I am so happy for you." Brandon told her happily as he took her hand in his and kissed the top of it softly. "I am happy for both of you." He added as he looked over at Edward who stood smiling. "I love you both dearly, and wish you the greatest happiness imaginable." He said softly as another tear fell down his cheek; he was so happy for Isabella.

"I love you sweetheart, and I am so proud of you and so happy for you." Ronald spoke as he headed forward and kissed his adopted daughter gingerly on the forehead. "You couldn't have turned out better had we tried our hardest... and your husband." He added. "I know he will take care of you and protect you and love you until the moment of our last breaths." He told the two of them with a smile. "Don't forget about us now love." He finished before slowly walking away with his wife and son.

Isabella cried softly through both happiness and sadness as she watched her loving family walk away. Though she knew she would see them again, it was still sad to see ones you love so dearly walk away from you.

She looked over at Edward and smiled as their last two guests approached them to wish them farewell.

"Edward, son, I can not express how happy I am for you." Elizabeth smiled happily as she reached out to take her sons hand. "You could not have fallen for anyone better than Isabella, she is the best and I know she will love you and care for until death." She told them both as she looked back and forth between the two of them. "Now I want to see you both during more than the holidays, promise me Edward, that you will not forget about your old mom?" She asked him.

"I never could, I love you too much." Edward smiled at her sweetly as he leaned forward to kiss her cheek.

"And I you. I love you too Isabella." She added. "I wish you both nothing but happiness."

We both smiled at her and gave her hugs as Edward's father walked up to us with a wide smile. "Edward, Isabella." He began. "You are truly the most beautiful couple I have ever seen. Be good to each other and love each other." He told us. "Though I know you will, I still ask you to. Have a happy life, and enjoy every second of it together." He finished with a smile as he took his wife by the hand and slowly led her away.

Edward and Isabella looked at each other with pure looks of joy and happiness and laughed: they were married!

As the two of them climbed into the elegant interior of their car, they looked back and gave everyone one last smile.

Edward then started the engine, and they were driving off into their new, happy life.

Their first child, Edward George Masen, was born on November 8, 1920, and was a spitting image of his father, but had his mothers eyes. His personality, though, was very unique. He was calm yet energetic, gentle yet fierce. Asides from looks, he truly was his own person.

His sister, Emma Elizabeth Masen, came a year later on December 10, 1921. She was a mini version of her mother, yet had bright green eyes just like her father. Her personality was shy and gentle, calm and understanding; she matched her mother's traits to a T.

The two of them together spoke with a slight English accent, having heard the soothing sound of their mothers voice since they were only babes.

They grew to be attractive and successful citizens of America.

Emma Elizabeth fell in love with and married her first and only love, Marcus Brandon White, at age twenty three. They had four children together and lived long and happy lives.

Edward George proposed to his high school sweetheart, Margret Jane Phillips, on January 5, 1939. They were married six months later and blessed with twin girls, Isabella Rose, and Lily Marie, nine months after the ceremony.

Edward and Isabella Masen lived a long and happy life together. They raised their children well and watched as they fell in love, got married, and had children of their own.

They truly lived a life that was worth waiting for.

They both died peacefully in their sleep on the night of June 16, 1969. And if one would ask how that was possible, they would be told simply, "True love is indeed the worlds greatest gift and biggest mystery."

It was, after all, Edward who had said: "I never want to leave your side, for if I do I will surly die. Because you are my heart and I can not live without it."

THE END

And that there, is the life that Edward and Isabella Masen never had.