AN: After the first chapter I planned out exactly what would happen until the end. I've never done that with a fanfiction and it's a bit of a relief to know what's going to happen.

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I recieved the most amazing reviews! And so quickly. I'm glad people are enjoying the story and I'm only going to say that there is more to come! This is for everyone who reviewed...I continue for you!

Near Wild Heaven

Esme Cullen sat on the floor in Edward's walk-in closet, staring at her son. She could hardly believe what Edward was saying when he began muttering 'she's dead' in french. She remembered looking at Emmett and Alice in even more confusion. Alice had rushed to Edward's side when she had a vision of him crumpled in pain. At the time she couldn only guess what the reason for this was. But when Emmett came in to the house cradling Edward in his arms, Esme knew it wasn't anything good. After seven years, she had never seen Edward so physically weak and in pain that he couldn't stand; he always managed after a while and most blatantly refused to be seen as someone who couldn't walk. But now, he didn't seem to care. That was the worst part for Esme; he didn't care.

When they had placed Edward on his black leather couch he lay there for a while mumbling and staring up at the ceiling before he slid off the couch and began crawling away from the families worried gazes. He dragged himself into his closet where he curled up into a ball in the farthest corner, cowering. The look on Rosalie's face had left Esme even more staggered. The look of absolute love for her brother was so apparant. Esme had never seen her stare at Edward like that before.

Jasper had been avoiding the house. As soon as Edward was in his presence Jasper had winced and tried very hard not to double over in anguish. After a while, he couldn't stand it anymore and he had to limp out of the house clutching his torso, his face contorted in agony. The same look on his face that Edward was wearing.

But, now he just sat in this corner, staring blankly at the wall, not breathing, not blinking and sure as hell not moving. Esme had tried to get him out of his reverie, but he hadn't budged for hours. He looked dead. Not that he already wasn't, but now he actually looked like any-old dead body at a funeral home with the casket open for family and friends to peer into and shake their head in pity and sadness.

While the rest of the family had left because they no longer could bear watching him, Esme stayed. She found that she couldn't leave her son when he was in so much need. In the beginning, when he first left Bella, things were bad. He had left home for about a year, but eventually he returned home, for which she was extremely grateful. It was not the same without Edward here. He was there to make the family have balance, he fit so right among them that without him it felt all wrong. So, Esme stared at his face, unwilling to look away.

She leaned her head against the wall opposite Edward and watched his lifeless, tortured face. He let out a shudder, which got Esme to sit up straight. Edward withered to the floor and gasped in shaky breaths. He turned over to his back, his chest heaving up and down dramatically. His eyes moved rapidly around as he seemed to come back to life, as if he was in a dream this entire time. Esme moved over to him and touched his face. She was stunned when she touched his face it felt somewhat warm. Warmer then any vampire she ever touched.

"Edward?" she whispered, stroking his cheek. Edward's eyes were unfocused and he finally moved his eyes to Esme, blinking and shaking his head.

Carlisle was at the door to the closet and he came down to his knees beside Edward and Esme. He obviously was startled when he heard Edward make a noise after almost twenty-four hours of stillness...of nothing.

"Edward?" Carlisle's voice was much more firm but at the same time so kind. Edward moved his stare to Carlisle and his brows furrowed as he stared at his companion of nearly one hundred years.

"Carlisle," he breathed. He moved to pull himself up into a sitting position, but they could see he was struggling. They helped him up and Edward slumped over his legs, too tired to keep his head up. "I was so close..."

"Close," Carlisle repeated. He brushed back some of Edward's hair from his forehead.

"I nearly reached her," he continued.

Esme glanced nervously at Carlisle who shared the worried look. They knew it was impossible for Edward to be close to Bella when he was...alive. No vampire, no body had ever been close to touching the dead, mentally.

"I heard voices," Edward whispered wistfully. His eyes glazed over slightly and he sighed in a form of contentment.

Carlisle wondered if he meant the fact that he was reading his families thoughts. Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and a now returned Jasper listened from below confused and interested in what Edward was saying.

"It wasn't you," Edward confirmed, probably hearing Carlisle's inquiries. Carlisle nodded, as if he understood what Edward was speaking of, but he did not. No one knew, and the truth was no one would probably ever know. It seemed that Edward had lost his grasp on reality as he seemed to be seeing and hearing things that no one else could. His eyes continued to race around in front of him as if he was watching a scene before his very own eyes. Instead all that was there was his clothes hung up, and his shoes underneath.

Edward fell back down into a lying position, moving his hand to rest on his chest, over his heart. Esme was biting her lower lip, panicking at her sons reaction. She was frantic but tried to be supportive. Carlisle saw this and placed a hand on his wife's shoulder and directed his eyes to the door, to show that it would be okay if she left. She hesitated, but finally got up and left seeing that she was being of no real help.

"It was her time."

Carlisle returned his attention back to Edward once Esme had left. "It was," he agreed. At his words, Edward gripped his shirt in his hand and closed his eyes tightly.

"She sees me," he muttered, opening his eyes and holding Carlisle's gaze, intensely. Carlisle didn't really know how to respond to these words. He wondered if this was true, but he couldn't say these words to Edward, even though he was most likely hearing his thoughts. All of his faith, all of his beliefs wanted to believe that Bella was watching Edward from heaven.

"She does?" He tried not to sound skeptical.

Edward nodded and swallowed venom. Carlisle saw how black his eyes were, and he noticed this fact the moment Alice and Emmett brought him home even though he was returning from a hunt. But his black eyes seemed to be fading into the oddest of ways. They were dark enough to convey his hunger, but they were lifeless and dull. Carlisle tried to think of ways to urge Edward to drink something, but knew it would be difficult to bring it up.

"Edward," he started. Edward tore his gaze from whatever he saw reluctantly and watched Carlisle's. "You need to feed," he said softly.

Edward pulled his stare away. Carlisle pondered if Edward was hearing his thoughts much anymore. Had he blocked out everything during his temporary freezing? Edward shook his head stubbornly. His expression now blank of all emotion, but at least he was blinking and breathing again. Carlisle relaxed slightly, knowing that Edward was far away once again.

Bella shivered when Edward continued his breathing and blinking and focusing once again. That had been so odd. The strangest experience. She couldn't explain what had just happened to anyone, but she saw the soul standing beside her. She wasn't even aware of when it arrived. She did know that it was the same soul who was watching Edward with her only a week ago in human time.

"Isabella, you are requested to meet with Forsard," the soul said quietly. Forsard.

He was an angel she had heard of. Bella frowned. It couldn't be anything too good if she was asked to meet with an angel. She glanced down at Edward. Carlisle had now arrived to aid Esme in dealing with Edward.

"Isabella," the soul was commanding, and Bella nodded reluctantly. She had been so worried about Edward and was relieved that he was now breathing. That was something he always had to remind her of.

She stood up slowly and followed the soul as it lead her far away from the Watching. Some souls entered the area planning on just checking up on loved ones in the Watching, the only place to see the ones you cared for on Earth. She tore her gaze from the area that had become her sanctuary, and followed the soul through this place that was called Heaven. Indeed, for everyone else it was. The souls were conversing and partying and meditating and running and laughing and loving and at peace. Bella had to admit that she was jealous of them to continue on free of all ties to Earth. Because, Bella was deeply tied to Earth in a way no one else up here was. It was as if only half of her soul was up here with her and she left the rest down below. That couldn't be right though...

The world around her was no longer as bright; as the soul led Bella through the valley of angels. This was where they resided, away from the average souls. For an angel was far more special and superior from any old soul that made its way through the gates. Souls were only invited and could never access this area without permission. It was an impossibility.

The other angels ignored Bella. She was awestruck by their beauty. They reminded her of the Cullens, so she wasn't so thrown by their flawless perfection, she was somewhat used to it. They had such grace and confidence and alien-likeness that she was stunned at how much they reminded her of vampires. She wondered if they were aware of their similarities.

Finally the soul came to a stop and Bella looked up to see an angel who she assumed was Forsard. He sat on a grand chair in a room where the walls were a deep blue and a long dining room table stretched before them. She wondered why he wanted to looks as if he was in the human world. For once you were in heaven you could have anything and everything you ever wanted and more. If you wanted a house, all you had to do was wish it. Forsard wished to converse in a dining room in a grand house. She wondered how long he had been up here, but didn't ask this question aloud. She waited for him to speak.

"Isabella Marie Swan," he tutted, his hands folded gently on the table in front of him. His skin was an odd grey tone, and his hair was long and a deep brown. His eyes were large and a light blue. His expression was curious as he stared at Bella. It made her uncomfortable. "Thank you," he said to the soul who backed out of the room at his words. "Sit, please, be more comfortable," he motioned to Bella. She obeyed and sat at the other end of the table. Did he eat on this?

"Thank you for inviting me," Bella really had no idea what else to say. This obviously wasn't a social visit but she said it anyway.

The angel Forsard laughed a little. "You are quite the soul, Isabella," he remarked watching her in wonder. He sighed and shifted his position in his seat slightly. "You are here for a reason." Bella wondered if he meant here in his house or here in heaven. "You have been unhappy."

Bella hesitated. She wasn't sure if she should say what he wanted to hear or tell the truth. Although she felt as if he already knew exactly how she felt. Or at least the Almighty did and informed Forsard of her resilience. "Not completely," she admitted.

"Not completely?" he questioned, his eyebrows raised. "We are well aware of your...attachment to Earth."

"Attachment?"

"The vampire."

Bella nodded, not really knowing if he wanted her to respond. Her hands were rolled into fists and her nails were digging into her palm. You weren't supposed to experience pain in heaven. That was one of the problems though, she did.

"You watch him constantly," Forsard said. "It is offensive."

"I'm sorry, I don't mean it to be," Bella muttered, feeling much like a young child being scolded by her parents. Except this was worse. She was being told off by a real angel. This was all too surreal.

Forsard pushed his chair back and paced to the window behind his seat which emanated a bright white light. "He would be very upset with you if he knew that you were jeopardizing your happiness."

"He is my happiness," Bella said before she could stop herself. Forsard whipped around and stared at her in astonishment.

"You admit it?"

"I do."

He turned back slowly to the window. "This isn't right. Never, ever have we had a soul reject heaven the way you do."

Bella wished she could feel guilty, but she didn't. She had total access to viewing Edward's life, something that she had wished and prayed for for seven years that he was absent. For those seven years she believed he didn't care, but when she entered heaven and gave into the temptation of watching him just for a little while and found that he missed her and loved her just as much as she; she found that she couldn't look away and leave him like he did to her. She didn't see that as her love for him was stronger, she just saw it as being weaker than him. She always had been and always would be.

"Isabella," he sighed. "We can't stop you from watching him, that is what you desire as wrong as it is. But," Bella dreaded what Forsard would say next, it couldn't be good. "You will never be with him again. He is a demon. And if he dies he will go to hell, where he belongs -"

"I disagree!" she cried. "He is good! He belongs in heaven as much as I do!"

"He coveted you! He didn't have any right to pursue you -"

"I pursued him, I think!" She closed her mouth, shocked at her passionate reaction. She knew just from Forsard's expression that no one had ever raised their voice to him, at least not for a very long time.

"You were human. There are different rules. He is a demon it is in his nature to draw in humans. You couldn't help it. It was his choice in the end."

"But he chose to leave me," she muttered.

"By then it was too late. He loved you up close. That is something that we do not turn our attentions away from. Vampires are not meant to feel the warmth of a human in the most loving of ways. In fact, they have no right to touch humans at all, but they defy the rules. All of them." Forsard said sternly. He didn't look away from Bella, who did.

Bella was silent, not agreeing with what was being said. "What about Carlisle? He is the best of the best." All though, internally Bella felt that all the Cullens deserved heaven.

Forsard was stunned into silence, it seemed. "Carlisle Cullen is of no concern to you," he answered, eventually.

Bella noticed what an odd response that was. Was Carlisle granted entry into heaven if he ever died?

He let out a frustrated noise. "Nevertheless, the other day you broke the barrier and touched Edward Cullen. And today, you took his attention away from Earth...that has never happened before," Forsard said seriously, his jaw tight as he explained Bella's mistakes.

"Today?" Bella wanted him to explain more on what happened just moments ago with Edward. He had been still for so long and she felt so with him, that it terrified her. That whole time of him being still as stone, he was almost watching her and she was watching him and they only just stared at one another. He was so close. It was as if his own soul was nearly able to be one with hers. She wasn't even sure if she was explaining it right to herself.

"If he was human, he most likely would have been dead."

"Dead?" she was confused.

"You were stealing his soul, Isabella."

Edward had come to the conclusion. He knew what he was going to do next. He couldn't find his voice to inform Carlisle of this decision, who remained by his side. Edward was unaware of how long he lay here. He pulled himself up without Carlisle's help. He had to do this on his own if he planned on doing what he wanted. He couldn't have people carrying him around for forever.

Forever. It made him even more miserable at the thought. Forever never seemed so long, until now.

Carlisle gave Edward a hesitant look. Edward opened his mouth, so sure on his decision. "I'm going to Forks."

R/R!!