A/N- You will get three updates this week from me. Today, Wednesday, and Friday. Katydid2363 says that a tissue warning might need to be in effect. So...just throwing that out there.
Chapter 10
The Promise
"Is that what I think it is?" Emmett asked, sitting up straighter. Bella nodded. "But how…?"
For the first time since their night had been turned upside down, Bella laughed. "I have no idea, Em."
Jasper was off the floor at a speedy rate, standing next to Bella eyeing the tape curiously. "You really want to watch it?"
Jasper's question made Bella laugh even harder. "Don't you?"
"Honestly? Yeah," Jasper said with a chuckle. "I do want to watch it."
"Okay," Rosalie exclaimed, throwing her hands over her head. "I'm confused. Bella, if that's some sort of sex tape between you and…"
"No! It's the interviews…the only interviews," she said pointedly to Alice. "These are the tapes of the last recording session that Seth made."
Bella handed the tape to Jasper who made quick to work it into the VCR. Taking a seat on the couch between Emmett and Rosalie, Bella stared intently at the screen waiting to see Edward smile, to hear him laugh.
Bella settled in, pulling a pillow over her lap as the screen turned from fuzz to the sight of Edward, smiling. Her insides lit up and a smile instantly formed on her face as the tears welled up in her eyes.
"Introduce yourselves," Seth said from behind the camera.
"Why? You know who I am," Eddie retorted.
"Yeah, but everyone else might not?"
Eddie laughed. "Who're you kidding? Everyone knows who we are."
Eddie started blankly at the camera. "Alright," he relented. "This here, is my best friend in the whole world. Known this guy since I was about this tall," he gestured with his hand. "Em, say hi."
"Hey Seth," Emmett said with a big grin.
Emmett smiled watching himself on the television and did his best to keep his own tears at bay.
"Emmett," Seth complained.
"Alright, fine. Hey guys, I'm Emmett McCarty. Bass player for the most kick ass band there ever was."
"Over there in the corner, being the pussy he usually is, is the Jazz Man. Jasper, put the Goddamn pen down and wave to the kiddies at home."
Jasper bit the cap of his pen between his teeth and gave a subtle wave to the camera.
"He's no doubt penning our next hit," Eddie teased.
"This right here, this is Mikey. Dude, what the fuck? Could you maybe eat that shit somewhere else? You've got the whole place smelling like ass."
Mike looked up at the camera bashfully and hid his bag of hot fries behind his back. "Sorry man," he said.
Eddie shook his head. "Who else? Ah, how about Garrett. He's new with the band, but we like him so we let him stay."
"Thanks Eddie," Garrett said.
"And last but not least, the most beautiful woman in the world. She's off limits fellas. Baby come over here and say something pretty for the camera."
Bella sauntered over and slid into Edward's waiting arms. She kissed him on the lips several times before she turned toward the camera and smiled.
"Bella Swan," she curtsied.
"I love you," Edward said against her wet lips.
"Umm…" Bella moaned.
"Later," Edward promised.
Tears fell from Bella's eyes as she watched the interaction between her and Edward. She missed him so much but it was comforting to see the love they once had captured on film.
"So Seth, you've met everyone. What do you want to know?"
"What's it like being famous?"
Eddie shrugged. "No different than the guy that pumps gas down on 52nd Street. We both put our jeans on one leg at a time. We both have to sit down to shit."
Emmett could be heard laughing in the background.
"Why play the small venues? Why not tour the world and play large theaters?"
"You asking the real stuff now! Let me see," Eddie pondered. "I like the intimate feel of a small crowd. I feel like I can get to know them. That they understand the music better. I don't care about the bright lights or all the fuss. I want to walk in to where I'm playing at, have a beer with some nobody at the bar, play my music, then take my girl home and make sweet, sweet love to her."
Seth panned the camera to where Bella was perched on the end of the sofa. She closed her eyes and shook her head at Edward's bluntness.
"You know, if you were to give a real interview, you'd have to curb the language," Seth reprimanded.
"Yeah?" Eddie asked. "You don't like my bad mouth, then you don't like me. I am what I am Seth, and I am classy with my words. Get that camera out of here," Eddie said, laughing. "This is why I don't do interviews. Stupid reporters and their stupid cameras in my face."
"Ah, c'mon, Eddie! Just one more question and I swear I'll be done," Seth whined.
Eddie sighed and pretended to throw an angry look toward Seth. "Alright, kid. One more."
"How could someone be as cool as Eddie Masen?"
"Get the fuck outta here," Eddie playfully yelled, pushing Seth out of the door. "And turn that damn camera off."
Edward's laughter was replaced with white noise as the video came to an end. Everyone in the room sat motionless, wiping away tears that had fallen down their faces.
"You okay?" Emmett asked, rubbing the knots out of Bella's shoulders. She nodded and wiped her nose with the back of her hand.
"I'm good. I think I needed to watch that. As much as it hurt to remember and to see myself and all of us way back when, I think in order for me to do what I have to do, I needed to see that.
"I don't want to put it all behind me. I know that's probably asking for trouble, but I don't want to forget. He's the only man I've ever loved. The only man I ever want to love. I can't lose that."
"No one is asking you to," Rosalie said. She slid her arm around Bella's slumped form and rested her head against her shoulder.
"I feel like writing the end to this book is writing the end of our story. I know you all may think I'm crazy but I honestly believe that he's out there and that he's going to come back for me."
"Bella," Alice said gently. "I don't think that writing the book the way the story happened is ending the love you have for him. I think, if anything, it will make people see just how much you do love him."
"Thanks, Alice," she said with a small smile. "If it's alright with Emmett and Jasper, I would like for you to have a copy of the tape. You know, use it in your story. I think it would be good for people to see a side of Edward that few rarely saw."
"Oh, Bella!" Alice gushed. "I couldn't."
"You can," Emmett said. Jasper leaned over to Alice and wrapped her in his arms. He kissed the top of her head softly and agreed with Emmett.
"Really? I mean, obviously I can't use it all unless we bleep most of it out."
"Use whatever you think you can make work. I think he would have gotten a kick out of that being seen on national TV," Bella said with a chuckle.
With it all behind her, Bella said goodnight to the others and padded her way down the hardwood floor toward the bedroom once again. She changed into one of Edward's t-shirts and slid under the covers, inhaling the scent of him that still lingered on the sheets. The light on the night stand was still on so she sat up to turn it off. Something inside her brain told her to open the nightstand drawer. The pull was so great that Bella eventually opened it just to put her mind at ease. A picture of Bella and Edward sat face up in the drawer, the two of them wrapped in each other's arms, not paying attention at all to the person behind the lens. They both smiled as they stared into each others eyes.
Bella held the picture close to her chest as she made to close the drawer. A letter inside that was underneath the picture caught her attention. The recognizable script of her name caused a lump to form in her throat. She swallowed thickly and retrieved the parchment, adjusting the pillows against her back so that she could read it against the light of the lamp.
She opened the tri fold piece of paper, her hands shaking with anticipation. Inside, in Edward's delicate script, it read:
Dear Love,
This is my promise to you.
If you wait for me then I'll come for you
Although I've traveled far
I always hold a place for you in my heart
If you think of me If you miss me once in awhile
Then I'll return to you
I'll return and fill that space in your heart
Remembering
Your touch
Your kiss
Your warm embrace
I'll find my way back to you
If you'll be waiting
If you dream of me like I dream of you
In a place that's warm and dark
In a place where I can feel the beating of your heart
Remembering
Your touch
Your kiss
Your warm embrace
I'll find my way back to you
If you'll be waiting
I've longed for you and I have desired
To see your face your smile
To be with you wherever you are
Remembering
Your touch
Your kiss
Your warm embrace
I'll find my way back to you
Please say you'll be waiting
Together again
It would feel so good to be
In your arms
Where all my journeys end
If you can make a promise If it's one that you can keep, I vow to come for you
If you wait for me and say you'll hold
A place for me in your heart.
Let me come home, Bella. Home is wherever I'm with you and I haven't been home in a long time. Say you'll be waiting. When I come home, say you'll accept me back with open arms.
Yours forever,
Edward
Bella sobbed quietly as she read and reread the letter. She finally succumbed to sleep holding the only hope she had left close to her heart. He would come back to her. She didn't need to tell the others, but she knew, eventually he would come home and she would be waiting. With open arms, she would welcome him back.
The following morning, Bella and the others rode back to collect her car and to say goodbye to both Alice and Jasper. She had grown quite fond of the girl and only hoped that when the story was finished, they could remain friends.
Emmett went back to Seattle to a house that was literally turned upside down. He called the only person he knew of to help clean the mess. Doc arrived several hours later with a guilty look on his face but willingly helped Emmett put his home back together.
Bella stayed at the cottage for the entire month, penning the end of her book. It didn't mark the end of her love for Edward, but with a promise that stayed fresh in her mind, she hoped that a new chapter was going to be written on its own soon.
4 months later
"Just act normal," Alice assured Bella while she made herself comfortable on the couch in the cottage. Bella had moved back in after tying up a few loose ends in Phoenix. Once she had put the final touches on the novel, she realized that she didn't want to say goodbye all over again. This was where she needed to be. When Edward finally returned, this was where she wanted him to come home. To her and to the house they once shared.
"I'm going to be informal with this interview. I don't want it to be stuffy and have you come across as unreachable. People have connected with your story and I want them to connect with you on a personal level as well."
"Sounds great, Alice," Bella said with a smile.
Alice and Bella did in fact remain close friends after they parted ways several months back. Alice had been juggling work in New York and a personal life in Portland. Jasper had been very understanding. Now that it was summer, their time apart was few and far between. He traveled to New York and stayed with her, letting her act as the tour guide of the big city. In the short time they had known each other; they had both fallen in love. Once Alice wrapped up her story on Eddie and the Cruisers, she was going to make Seattle her permanent home. Jasper had been offered a teaching position at the University come the fall and Alice would be able to fly back and forth working on stories if need be. If not, she had the blessing of the local affiliate to work in their studio. Alice was excited for the changes that were headed her way. When she started working on this story, she would have never thought it would have uprooted her life. It was in the best possible way, of course.
"Just forget about the camera. Pretend it's you and me, friends, talking."
"Okay," Bella smiled, nodding. "Let's do this."
Alice sat on the sofa next to Bella, appearing just as casual. She wanted people to see this interview as two friends chatting about life and love. It had actually been Bella that approached Alice with the idea of shooting the interview at the cottage. She couldn't see herself in a studio with bright lights and people all around. She wanted an intimate feel for a very intimate story. She also wanted people to see a side of her and Edward that the story couldn't convey, their lives, in their own home, as two normal people.
"Congratulations, first off," Alice began. "You're book, The Promise: A Story of Love, Loss, and Finding Happiness, has been on the New York Times Best Sellers List for six weeks."
"Thank you. I'm floored by the response it's received," Bella responded with a shy smile. It had been hard for her to take praise and even harder to take the criticism that came her way regarding the book. Where most people loved the story, there were still those that didn't see the appeal.
"I had the honor of reading an advanced copy, thank you by the way, and I'd like to talk about how you've broken the book down in three very distinctive parts. Now, each section is named after a song that was recorded by The Cruisers. Why do that?"
"Even though this is essentially a love story, the music was all around us. How can you tell an Edward and Bella story without talking about the music? It seemed fitting to do it this way."
"Tell me how you choose the songs to correspond with each part."
"The first part of the story is called Tender Years because that's what they were. It was the beginning of my relationship with Eddie, a time before we were a household name. It recounts our earlier days as a couple and how we managed as just another band in a sea of musicians.
"The second chapter is called Wild Summer Nights," Bella said with a laugh. "That's what they were. I talk about what life was like after we had hit it big. Our relationship was strained at times, but what relationship doesn't go through its ups and downs? It's basically a retelling of how we made it through, how I made it through the throngs of female fans and how we dealt with our sudden fame.
"The final piece was the hardest for me to write, for obvious reason. Season In Hell is just what it says it is. We rose to the top so fast with the first album; I think we all thought we could follow it up with a second record. Of course, the music changed and people didn't like it. Eddie took it personally and ultimately," Bella closed her eyes briefly, "ended his life. It's been twelve years so it's still hard for me to talk about."
Bella wiped away fallen tears and smiled at Alice. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Alice said in a soft voice. "He was the love of your life. I can't imagine what you went through."
"Is," Bella corrected her. "He is the love of my life."
"I have to ask something else that I've noticed sitting here with you. In the book, and for as long as I've known you, when you speak about Eddie, you call him Edward. Yet sitting here with me right now, you refer to him as Eddie. Why?"
Bella thought for moment. She contemplated answering in too much detail but figured, the world had already read the words of her love and what would it hurt to be honest about this particular question.
"It's not really a very in depth answer, but it's an honest one. Eddie was the person that the world heard through their radios or when they came to see a show. Eddie was the performer that was shared with the world." Bella paused and smiled softly at Alice. "Edward was mine. It seems so silly and selfish, but that's how I always differentiated the two. Eddie was the world's, Edward was mine."
The two sat for a little longer, talking about certain parts of the book in detail. When they finished, Bella took Alice, accompanied by Seth with the camera, around the property. She showed them the house and the garage. They walked down the beach reliving what the man behind the music was like when he wasn't Eddie, but when he was Edward.
Alice stopped and stared out at the water. The wind had picked up slightly and the smell of the salt water stung her nose. The camera was still rolling but Alice paid it no mind. Her next question wasn't as a reporter; it was from one friend to another.
"Bella, if you could say one thing to Eddie right now. What would it be?"
Bella stood next to her friend, staring at the same vast ocean. She didn't have to give her answer a second thought. It was something that had been on her mind for while. With her head held high, she didn't look at the camera when she answered. She kept her sights set on the rolling tide.
"I'd tell him that he made me a promise and that he better keep it."
A/N- If you are unfamiliar with the song, it's by Tracey Chapman and it's called The Promise. Next update on Wednesday where you will FINALLY know Eddie's fate.
Until then...
Thank you all so much for the kind words and love. I probably won't be able to respond to reviews until the story is complete, but know that I will respond.
xoxo
Holly