AN: Here it is, the final chapter of this epic tale. I have to say, I wasn't completely convinced of this idea when I started but the whole thing eventually just came alive to me. Thank you again for your love and support throughout this story; it's what kept me going!


Chapter 10 –Eternity

In my slumber I felt the blankets move before cold hands wrapped around my waist and pulled me towards an equally cold body.

"Love?" Edward whispered, letting his lips linger in my hair. I wiggled in my sleep and turned to bury my face in his chest. "Sweetie, I'm sorry to wake you but we need to talk," he said softly, rubbing circles down my bare back. I tilted my head up and opened one eye. I felt like I'd only been sleeping a couple of hours, how could it possibly be time to get up?

"I'm up," I said with a yawn. Edward chuckled and shifted to turn the bedside light on. "Unnecessary!" I said and clapped my hands over my eyes. He chuckled again and sat up against the headboard, dragging my body up to rest on his. "Fine, I get it." I sat up beside him, facing him and rubbing my eyes as he watched me intently as if trying to memorize my movements. "What? Bad morning breath?" I asked when I caught him staring at me. He smiled and shook his head then turned away looking almost bashful at being caught. "So what's up?" I asked and leaned back against his legs.

"Well, there's been a slight change in plans…" he started delicately and my heartbeat instantly went through the roof. I couldn't stand the idea of another problem with our plans. If Jacob was somehow involved again, I would for sure murder him this time. "We thought it would take a little longer for the coroner's office to do the autopsy and take the dental records to identify our bodies but Esme got the call about an hour ago. They're leaving for Hanover at noon today." My eyes widened and clutched Edward's hand. "We're still going to go through with everything today but we're going to have to move it up a little."

I was stunned. I thought I had more time and suddenly there was no time. The room began to spin and I put a hand to my forehead to stop the pounding. Edward took my hand from my head and kissed it. "So, what's the new plan?" I asked meekly.

Edward cleared his throat. "Carlisle, Esme, Jasper and Rosalie are leaving for Hanover at noon. Carlisle wants to be here for as much as the early portion as possible so we're going to have to get underway at about 5 o'clock this morning." I glanced at the clock. 1:15am. I had just under four hours left of my human life.

"But Carlisle – "

"Believes I can handle it – and should handle it – on my own," he said with some unease and I could feel his body tense. I put my hand on his chest.

"And what do you think?" I asked quietly. He was motionless for a moment and then placed his hand over mine.

His eyes searched mine for a moment as though trying to come up with an answer to that question on the spot. "I know I can," he said finally, his body relaxing a little into the mattress.

"But they're leaving the strongest one behind just in case," I said more to myself then to Edward but he nodded beside me in agreement. "And the psychic to keep Carlisle informed." I paused and looked down at my hands. I would never admit it to Edward but it made me a little uneasy knowing Carlisle wouldn't be there. I knew Edward could handle it and had a pretty extensive medical history of his own but he didn't have the experience that Carlisle had and he'd certainly never changed anyone before. I shoved those thoughts out of my mind and took Edward's hand in mine. "It's a good plan," I said finally and he leaned forward to kiss my forehead. I glanced at the clock – three and a half hours. And then it struck me – if Esme and Carlisle had been informed of Edward's death then that must mean – "Charlie and Renee know," I said softly. Edward instantly grabbed me around the waist and pulled me to sit beside him.

"Carlisle and Esme have been on the phone with them all night. They're doing okay, just very upset. Try not to think about it too much, okay love?" He held me so tight I found it difficult to breath but his grip was the only thing keeping me sane in that moment. If I thought too much about it – or if I imagined Renee's reaction when she got the call (if I knew my mother as well as I thought I did, she'd be a crumpled mess on the floor in a pool of tears with the telephone still gripped in her hand) – I was going to lose it. His grip didn't stop the sobs though nor did it stop the tears from streaming down my face nor my last minute run to the bathroom to heave up what was left of last night's dinner. Edward was so calm and compassionate through the whole thing. He held my hair back and got me a washcloth and hummed next to me, rubbing a soothing hand down my back, promising everything would be okay soon. I clung to him as I cried into his chest on the floor of the bathroom and he did everything he could think of to help me relax. Eventually my tear ducts gave out because I just stopped crying. My chest was still tight and I felt like I wanted to cry but I just couldn't. I just felt exhausted.

Edward scooped me up and carried me back to our bed and laid me back down. He was completely silent for a long time as he ran his fingers through my hair and held me close. He finally took a deep breath and said the one thing I needed to hear. "I love you." He said it so softly I almost missed it. My heart calmed immediately and I pulled him closer to me.

"Thank you," I said and kissed his chest. I knew his patience must be endless for him to sit there and watch me come apart like that in his arms and not call the entire thing off.

He pressed his lips to the top of my head and I did what I could to muster a smile for him. He traced my lips with his finger and then took a furtive glance at the clock. "I need to go hunt," he said softly. I nodded against him and sat up. "Are you going to be okay?" He pushed some hair behind my ear and I nodded again, looking at our hands clasped on top of the comforter.

"Yeah, I'll be okay." He stared at me, not completely sure I was telling him the truth and then shifted me so I was lying back on the mattress.

I watched him as he dressed and tried to keep my mind focused on his movements, unwilling to let my mind wander back to my parents. "I'll be back at around 3 o'clock," he said glancing at his watch. "Write in your journal or go back to sleep."

"Something achingly human, got it," I said and he laughed and leaned down to kiss me. I was silent as he finished putting his shoes on. "Can I ask you a favor?" He stopped what he was doing and looked at me expectantly. I chewed on my lip, not sure of how my request would be received. "While you're out hunting," I started but paused, taking a steadying breath before I continued, "can you please go by Charlie's? Just hear his thoughts and find out how he and Renee are handling it? I just need to know they're okay."

Edward put his hands on my arms and his eyes were sad. "I don't know if that's a good idea, Bella," he said softly.

I nodded. "I know it's probably not but I just need to know. Please Edward, as my last request."

"Your last request was French toast," he said with a snort and I looked up at him, remembering our discussion about my last meal last night before I fell asleep.

I rolled my eyes and eased into his playfulness. "Fine, my second to last request then."

"Your second to last request was sex if I remember correctly. Which is why I need to get back by three," he said looking at his watch. I nudged his shoulder and he smiled down at me, wrapping his arm around my waist. He leaned down and kissed my forehead again before pulling back and sighing. "I won't tell you what I hear unless you need to hear it."

"That's fine. I just want you to check in on him. If you don't say anything then I'll know they're okay." He dipped his index finger and pulled my chin up to look at him before pressing his lips to mine. "You should go," I said when he pulled away.

He stood and looked down at me. "Alice told me to tell you to call her if you wanted her to come down to go over your final look one last time." I rolled my eyes and lay back against the pillows. "Oh come on, you've actually been having fun planning this outfit. I can't wait to see it, just promise me you won't make it to enticing. I'd hate to get side tracked during my mission," he purred as he leaned down to kiss me again. I wrapped my arms around his neck and tried to make him stay. He chuckled and pulled back from me.

"Oh don't worry about the outfit, I already decided on a turtleneck so I can cover up your fang marks," I said and slapped his butt as he turned to walk towards the door.

He turned and laughed, "I hope you're still this bitingly sarcastic after your change."

"Well that's an interesting choice of words," I yelled to him down the hallway as he got to the door. He chuckled again, said he loved me and then disappeared into the forest.

And I was alone with my thoughts. I refused to breakdown again today so I busied myself by taking a shower, straightening up the cottage, anything to keep my mind occupied. When I looked at the clock it was only 2:30am. I considered asking Alice to come up but I didn't want to have to shoo her right back out when Edward got home so I just called and told her that I was fairly confident in what we had put together and she could just finish it off for me however she saw fit. She was delighted with that.

I sat on the couch near the window in the living room and pulled my journal out for my final human entry.

It's Monday morning, 2:37am, Edward will be back from hunting in 23 minutes and then its showtime. Three weeks to the day I left our cramped, sad excuse for an apartment in Hanover for Florida to visit Renee and later to Forks to visit Charlie and I said my good-byes to them both without their knowledge. In the last three weeks I have felt deep despair as well as exuberance, I have cried until I fell asleep and laughed maniacally with joy. I know I am ready for what may come.

He will be back in 19 minutes now. We will make love one last time with me as a human then he will prepare my favorite breakfast at the perfect kitchen in our cottage. French toast, eggs and bacon. My last meal. Dead woman walking.

We will meet Alice at 4:00am to do my hair, make-up and wardrobe. I welcome this although it's something I would have cringed at two years ago. I want to look my best when Edward sinks his teeth into my neck, releasing his searing venom into my blood stream and sealing my fate.

At 4:30am I will say good-bye to my reflection in the mirror, I will lay in the makeshift hospital bed Carlisle prepared for me in the study and he will administer the morphine, Edward's hand gripped in mine.

At 5:00am the world will fade away for three excruciating days.

Peace can't come soon enough.

I saw the blur of Edward's light grey shirt through the trees before I could make out his form as he barreled towards the cottage. I put my journal down, replaying the last five words I'd written over and over in my head. Peace can't come soon enough. Yes, it was painful to think about my parents and yes there were still a lot of uncertainties but there was one big thing I was completely certain of. I flung the front door open as he approached and he didn't stop is inhuman speed until he'd grabbed me and together we flew across the room. He turned his back and let himself crack onto the wall and take the brunt of the impact. I barely noticed because my legs were already wrapped around his waist and his lips were already burning a trail from my mouth to my neck. We were a tangled mess of limbs as he carried me to the nearest surface, balancing my body on the edge of the couch. He broke from my mouth when I was nearly out of breath and kissed his way down the column of my neck. I leaned back and gave him access and his tongue pressed between his lips as he swiped at the sensitive skin of my neck. I couldn't help but purr and run my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer.

"God, Edward," I managed and he dropped open-mouthed kisses back up my neck and to my mouth, his eyes boring into mine as he kissed me. He broke away and rested his forehead against mine as I tried in vain to steady my breathing. His hands were gripping me fiercely like he was trying to hold me together. He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine again, more softly this time and smiled.

"I'm sorry I attacked you," he said softly, with that same bashful look he'd given me earlier. I couldn't understand why all of a sudden he was acting shy. He looked at me intently and then lowered his ear to my heart and I cradled him as he kneeled between my legs, his hands moving to grip my wrists, his thumbs on my pulse points. And then I understood. I'd been so concerned with my own goodbyes that I'd forgotten that Edward was losing something too. He'd watched me as I woke up from sleeping for the last time this morning, trying to memorize the way I looked and now he was trying to memorize how my heart beat in my chest, the sound of my breathing, the feel of my blood rushing below his fingertips. I leaned down and kissed the top of his head and he looked up and gave me a crushed smile, his ear never leaving my chest.

"Will you miss it?" I asked quietly. I wanted to run my fingers through his hair but I didn't dare move and break him out of his reverie.

He was silent and concentrating on my heartbeat and finally answered, "I honestly don't know. I don't think so. I know that all the things I'll get in return will more than make up for this one little thing but it's – it's what made me take notice of you. Out of all of the girls I'd met in my hundred-some-odd years – your blood, your heart was the one that called to me. I won't miss the temptation, I won't miss feeling like I want to kill you occasionally, but I will miss the soft patter that makes me feel like my own heart is beating again. Like if I could just concentrate hard enough I'd be able to jump start mine in time with yours." He turned his head and kissed my chest over my steadily increasing heartbeat and let my wrists fall back to the couch beside me. He kissed his way up my chest, stopping to nuzzle my neck for a moment and drink in my scent and then back to my lips, kissing me softly. "I listened to Charlie like you requested."

My heart hammered in my chest and his eyes were wide with wonderment as he looked back down between us, as though he was hearing it for the first time. "Is he okay?"

Edward looked back up at me and smiled and nodded. "He's okay, Bella. Upset beyond belief of course, but he'll be fine. He spoke to Renee on the phone while I was in the woods listening and she sounded okay too. They are both completely distraught, I want you to know that, I don't want to sugar coat anything, but they're finding solace in each other and in their mates." I let go of the breath I didn't realize I was holding in my lungs and smiled at him through my tears. He cupped my face and ran his thumbs under my eyes to collect the moisture and then brought them to his lips, tasting my tears. I grabbed his neck and kissed him with everything I had in me, smiling against his lips as he snaked his tongue out to feel for mine. "Your second to last request?" he said softly as he pulled away and I nodded against him. He held out his hands to me and pulled me backwards towards our bedroom. He maneuvered me so I sat on the edge of the bed and he leaned down to kiss me then smiled and went to the stereo.

"Oh you picked out music for the occasion?" I joked and he laughed as he leaned down to pick the song he wanted. Etta James's voice filled the room with her rendition of "Sunday Kind of Love." I couldn't help but snort. Edward turned around and his smile immediately fell. "Oh, I'm sorry, you're serious," I said with a smile but he looked crestfallen. I walked to him, wrapping my arms around his waist and kissing his chest before looking up at him. "I'm sorry; you know I always have the incorrect response to romance. It's a lovely song. We just haven't made love to music in so long; it felt a little forced is all."

"I can turn it off," he said softly and twisted around to face the radio. I pulled his arms back and pretended to cuff him. He clearly could have easily gotten out of my grasp but he played along with me, chuckling. I stood on my toes to kiss the back of his neck.

"Don't you dare touch that stereo, Cullen," I said and blew on the back of his neck.

He turned back to face me and his expression was gravely serious as he looked down at me. I felt like his eyes were looking through me and it made me shiver. His eyes traveled the length of my body before he softly wrapped his arms around me, his hands playing with the back of my tank top as he swayed his body against mine. His lips found my ear and they lingered there like a whisper, just barely touching my skin. I tilted my head up and rubbed my bottom lip along the column of his neck causing him to close his eyes tight and breathe deeply. I pulled my arms up and placed them on his shoulders as his hands continued our soft movements together. His fingers fluttered along the exposed flesh of my lower back and then stepped back to pull the fabric over my head. I hadn't bothered to put on a bra after my shower and his expression when he saw my bare flesh was as though he was seeing me for the first time again, all those years ago on Isle Esme. His eyes raked over my body, memorizing every line, every detail. I should have felt embarrassed and exposed in front of him but I felt confident and sexy. After all these years, I knew the thoughts that were passing through his mind as he drank me in and they were as far from judgment as possible. I smiled and reached my hand out for his which he gladly accepted and let me pull him back to me, my arms immediately returning to their rightful place around his neck. I pulled his head down and kissed him deeply, our tongues slowly swirling around one another's mouth, enjoying every unspoken word that was uttered between us. My fingers began bunching his shirt up at the collar and he broke away briefly to pull it over his head and dropped it to the ground. It was my turn now to rake my eyes over his torso, my hands following the slow trail of my eyes, remembering every part of him. If after my change I didn't feel lust for him for quite sometime, I at least wanted to be able to remember what it felt like when I did. He could see my eyes begin to water and tilted my head up to look at him. His finger traced the outline of my lips and he shook his head a little and then leaned down to capture my lips with his again. I sighed into the kiss and pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind, intent on just sharing this moment we had together. I held him around his middle and pressed him as close as possible to my body, his hands snaking down my back and to the waistband of the sweatpants I'd thrown on after my shower. I pulled back from his lips and took a couple of steps back, pulling the sweatpants down along with my panties until they were in a puddle around my ankles. Edward sucked in a breath and closed his eyes briefly before reopening them and letting them drink me in again. I couldn't help smiling at him as he stalked towards me, grabbing my hips brusquely and pressing his lips hard to mine as he dipped me back for a scorching kiss.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured against me and I had to break away from his lips to breathe. I turned my head and kissed his jaw as my hand found the button on his jeans and slowly opened them before pushing them off his hips to join my pants on the floor. Our bodies were completely flush with each other as we stepped out of our puddled clothes and fell together onto our bed, a mass of arms and legs, wrapped completely around each other.

"I need you," I breathed and he nodded, looking down at me as he maneuvered us so my head was resting on the pillows, my knees on either side of him as he hovered over me. The song changed and tears instantly streamed down my face when Edward pushed into me as our song began. I looked into his eyes and felt his intensity, his tormented look as he pushed into me. I wrapped my arms tight around his back and cradled him as he rocked his body into mine, his lips finding purchase on my neck as I held him, his hands grasping my hips to support his thrusts. I clutched the back of his head as he moved, my breath coming in short gasps as he moved in and out of me heartbreakingly slow. "I love you," I whispered into his ear and he nodded against the side of my face. He pulled himself up so he was looking down at me and he pressed his lips back to mine, never closing his eyes, never wanting to miss a second of this. I grasped his shoulders as he began pushing into me with more fervor and I knew he was getting close. "Please," I whispered and he moved his hands under me, grasping my shoulders as he moved with more purpose, angling his hips to hit the places he knew would send me soaring. The tears never stopped as we held each other, my legs wrapping around his waist as he moved, the room silent save for the quiet tones of Ben Folds, our heavy breathing, my moans and his groans.

"God, Bella, I love you so much," he said, his voice sounded like he was a man in despair as he clutched onto my shoulders, his body beginning to shake in my arms. I was there with him, my legs quivering as he continued bucking his hips against mine. I moaned his name and he watched my face intently as I came undone, pushing into me one last time before he stilled in my arms with my name lingering in the air around us. His body slumped against mine, yet he was as careful as ever to not put too much of his weight on me. We stayed connected as I cried and he held me tight, his ear resting on my chest just over my heart, listening intently to the effect he had on me. He finally shifted and leaned up to push my hair out of my face. "That was incredible," he said softly, kissing the streams of tears coming from my eyes. I nodded and smiled through my tears as I tried to push them away and regain control of my emotions. He smiled tenderly and pressed his lips to mine.

"I'm sorry I made fun of your music," I said and he smiled against my cheek.

"It was extremely cheesy, I understand," he said with a smile and I leaned into him, breathing him. "You are exquisite. I can't wait for forever."

I cradled his head as he moved his head back to listen to my heartbeat and ran my fingers through his hair. "Neither can I. I love you. I can't imagine a more extraordinary life." He leaned up and smiled and kissed me again, shifting so he slipped out of me at the same time my stomach growled. I laughed against his lips and broke the kiss. "At least we won't have to be interrupted by that ever again," I said and intertwined my fingers with his.

He kissed my shoulder then sat up beside me. "I should make your breakfast." I reached out for him and he leaned over me, pressing his lips to mine again. "Or not," he said with a grin and cupped my face as he deepened the kiss. I finally pushed at his chest hard enough for him to get the hint and he pulled back.

"We have to stay on schedule or Alice will come bursting through the door and see us like this," I said with a smile. He thought about it briefly then shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in to capture my lips, his hands trailing over my stomach. I grabbed his hand and giggled when he tried to move it lower. "Edward, since when am I the responsible one?" I asked and he laughed and sat up reluctantly.

"Fine, but don't you dare put your clothes back on yet. And also note that I'm not happy about this." He tried to look stern but his face immediately cracked and his smile took over.

"Noted. Now go, the human is hungry," I said pointing towards the kitchen. He chuckled and crawled out of bed and walked down the hall towards the kitchen.

"Um, the chef needs company!" he yelled across the house. I smiled into the pillow and found the strength to move again and walked down the hall towards him, the music still wafting through the cottage. The song had changed when I was otherwise occupied and was replaced by "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Frankie Valli. "French toast, eggs, and bacon," he said putting the plate in front of one of the barstools and motioning for me to sit, I obliged his request. "Made to perfection of course, and with lots of love," he grinned and wiggled his hips as he circled the counter to kiss me. I smiled against him.

"Someone's giddy," I said with a laugh, picking up my fork as he excused himself to our bedroom to retrieve his iHome. He brought it to the living room and set it on the coffee table. "You made an entire playlist?" I asked before shoving an Olympic-sized bite of syrup-soaked toast into my mouth.

He turned and grinned with a nod. "It's all songs that make me think of you. I tried to stay within the confines of the last sixty to seventy years so you'd recognize most of them." He came and sat on the barstool next to me and grabbed my fork and insisted on feeding me. We giggled through my breakfast and through three more songs on his playlist. "How do you feel knowing our next meal will be together?" he asked as he washed the dishes.

I sighed and rested my hands on my folded arms as I watched him. "That's an incredibly comforting thought." He smiled and reached across the counter to cup my cheek as "Crazy Love" by Van Morrison began. His lips mouthed the first words along with the song "I can hear her heart beat from a thousand miles and the heavens open every time she smiles." His eyes searched mine for any hesitance but I felt more at peace in this moment then I had since we started on this path. "I'm ready," I said softly and he smiled and stretched across the counter to kiss me softly.

"We should get dressed and get up to the house," he said as he came around the counter and stood between my legs. I nodded and looked at our twisted fingers. He tilted my head up with our joined hands and leaned in to kiss me again. "Just a few more hours."

"And three more days," I said with a laugh. He pulled me up by my hands and wrapped his arm around my waist as we walked back to our bedroom to get dressed. When we were both in our clothes from earlier, I took one final look around the cottage before he flung me on his back and we ran through the forest towards the house. "Next time I'll run beside you," I said over the rushing wind and he squeezed my knees against his body.

As soon as we got to the house, Alice nearly ripped me off Edward's back and dragged me up the bathroom. I looked back at him apologetically and he just smiled sweetly and shrugged, flitting off to find Carlisle to finish preparations. The bathroom was very reminiscent of our wedding day – every type of buffer and polisher imaginable was spread out across the counter and on the floor. Alice put me in a chair in the middle of the room and immediately got to work.

"Did you let Edward see what I'll look like?" I asked from under my hair as she attempted to smooth it down and curl the ends in elegant little twists.

"Nope," she said, bobby pins between her teeth. "Every time he comes near me I think of Jasper naked and he goes into a different room," she said with a wink. She told me all about her visions as she worked, and reassured me that everything was going to work out just fine, that she hadn't once seen a differing outcome. I breathed a sigh of relief at her words.

"Wow, Bella," I heard Rosalie's voice but I couldn't see her from under my hair. I tilted towards the sound of her voice and tried to peak out from the curtain that my hair formed around my head. "Those shoes are fierce!" I had no idea what she was talking about. I hadn't planned on wearing shoes with the dress as I was just going to be lying in bed for three days. I heard Alice whisper something and I knew it had to be bad.

"Oh God, what did you do?" I asked and Alice and Rosalie snickered and shoved what looked like some sort of torture device under my nose. "How in the hell do you expect me to walk in those?" I asked and grabbed the shoe from her hand, trying to measure the heel against the length of my hand. I estimated it would make me about five inches taller. My heart rate accelerated. "It's a good thing Edward's already planning on changing me, you know I'll probably fall over and crack my head open after taking one step in those things."

Alice told me to hush and said she'd carved out time to teach me how to walk in them. I rolled my eyes and told her they were completely unnecessary. "Of course they're unnecessary, but think of how Edward will look at you in them. The whole inspiration for your look is to showcase your transition from impulsive teenaged girl to a strong confident woman. These heels set off the dress beautifully," said Alice and there was no arguing with her.

"Plus those are some serious fuck-me heels. Edward will flip out when he sees them," added Rosalie. "I'll have to borrow them while you're unconscious," she said to herself. The three of us giggled.

Alice finished up with me, helped me into my dress, taught me how to walk again and then she and Rosalie snuck out of the room and let me have a minute to at my reflection. It was weird to see myself. I looked incredible, probably the best I'd looked since our wedding day and I did feel like a woman, especially in the ridiculous heels I was barely standing upright in. I touched my face and felt my pulse quicken, hyper aware of it at this point. Esme peeked around the door then and smiled at me.

"You look incredible," she said with a smile and pulled me into a tight hug. "Don't you dare cry, Alice will kill us both," she said when she pulled away and caught me wiping away a rogue tear. I smiled and waved my hands in front of my face, willing myself to calm down. "I'm so honored to have you joining our family officially, Bella," she said and took my hands in hers, giving me a warm smile. I turned away from her and tried to keep my composure. She pulled me into a hug again and then released me. "When you're ready, Edward's waiting for you in Carlisle's office."

"Thank you so much, Esme," I said softly and she nodded and quietly exited. I looked back at myself in the mirror and took a long cleansing breath before pushing my shoulders back and leaving the bathroom, glancing back to look at myself one last time.

As promised, Edward was waiting for me alone in Carlisle's office. As soon as I opened the door, his eyes darted to my feet and eyed the black strappy Jimmy Choo pumps, then coasted over my exposed legs, up further as he drank in the blue sleeveless v-neck sheer chiffon dress. The draped ruffle fluttered as I walked as graceful as possible into the room. His eyes finally found my face and his look was unreadable. I felt exposed under his intense gaze and felt the blood rush to my cheeks, causing him to take a sharp breath. I looked up at him through my lashes and smiled, playing with the hem of the dress.

"I tried to be practical. The shoes are Alice's doing of course," I said kicking a heel up and nearly falling over in the process. His eyes were liquid fire and I nervously pushed a piece of hair that had fallen back over my shoulder and stuttered, "It's not as short as Alice wanted, but I wanted to be smart about it. I would guess we'll be hunting immediately so I can at least move a little in this without completely exposing myself. And I considered a white dress but I didn't want the blood to – " I was cut off by his lips on mine, I hadn't even seen him move across the room. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened my mouth to him as he dipped me back, kissing me like it was the last time. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into me.

"You look – " he paused, trying to find the words then shook his head, "there are no words for how devastatingly astonishingly beautiful you look right now." I blushed and looked away from him. His hand cupped my cheek as he looked at me, his hand gently pulling my face back to look at him. He smiled and leaned in to kiss me softly before we broke apart to the sound of a soft knock on the door. Carlisle peered around the doorframe.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," he said with a grin when he saw Edward's eyes still drinking me in, "but we should get started."

I nodded and pulled out of Edward's embrace, putting my arm on his and standing confidently by his side. Carlisle pulled the door open all the way and the rest of our family trickled in, each giving me their approval of my outfit. Alice high-fived me when she walked in, though she had to jump up for it due to the five-inch heels she had me in.

Edward leaned over and kissed my shoulder and I turned to smile at him before he led me silently to the side of the hospital bed and helped me lay down, straightening my dress for me around my thighs, his hand lingering on my exposed flesh. He sat beside me and stroked the side of my face, leaning down to kiss me at intervals. The rest of the room fell away and I felt like we were the only two people in the world. He pulled back from my lips and fresh tears were rolling down my cheeks. I laughed and ran my thumb under my eye. "My last tears," I said softly and Edward took my thumb and licked the moisture off. "Alice will kill me if I mess up my makeup." He laughed and leaned down to kiss my forehead. In the distance I could hear the opening notes of "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong. I looked back up at Edward and smiled through my tears. I looked to my right and Jasper and Alice stepped forward and each squeezed my hand. Alice told me not to be scared. Jasper flooded my emotions with happiness. Emmett stood awkwardly beside Rosalie, neither of them very good with showing affection. Emmett took my hand and kissed it and told me to make sure I came back in a couple of days. I smiled through my tears and accepted Rosalie's soft joke that she was going to steal my shoes the second I was out. Then I looked to my left past Edward and reached my hand out to Esme and Carlisle. They stepped forward and took it, each squeezing and leaning down to kiss my forehead. "When you see Renee and Charlie please make sure they know I love them. And that I'm happy." They nodded and Esme beamed down at me, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. I looked back around the room. "Please say something ridiculous, Emmett. I can't stand this," I said and gave him a pleading look.

He looked agonized but cleared his throat anyway and said, "Um, I can see your nipples." I burst out laughing and thanked him profusely as Edward shot him an unfriendly sneer. I squeezed Edward's hand and he looked back to me and smiled, his eyes sliding down to make sure Emmett couldn't actually see my nipples. I smiled and hit his arm. He leaned down to kiss me tenderly and Carlisle placed his hand on his shoulder.

"It's time, Edward," Carlisle said softly. I looked up at Edward and he leaned down and kissed me so gently I barely felt it.

"Hurry back to me," he said, resting his forehead against mine. I nodded and smiled, leaning up to press my lips to his. He pulled back and stood up straight beside me. Alice and Emmett came around to each side of the bed and strapped my wrists to the bed. Edward looked pained as they did it and I smiled at him and shook my head. As soon as they were done, Carlisle was by my side with the vile of morphine. He flicked the body once and then leaned down and pressed the needle into the vein at the crease of my arm. I clenched my fist and looked away as the needle sank into my flesh. Edward settled back beside me as "Can't Help Falling In Love" by Elvis Presley started.

"Do it now, Edward," I said and grasped his hand in mine. He shook his head and began to explain that it took a little while for the morphine to take effect but I nodded defiantly, tears rolling down my cheeks. "Please, please I want to feel you. Please do it now." I saw him chance a furtive glance at Carlisle and then he turned back to me. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before moving back beside me on the bed, leaning over and brushed my hair off my neck. "I love you," I said softly, looking him in the eye.

"I love you," he repeated, though his voice uncharacteristically cracked. He smiled that same tortured smile I'd seen so many times before as he leaned over me. His lips pressed against the skin of my neck softly at first, kissing me tenderly. He pulled his head back to look into my eyes one last time before lunging forward and sinking his excruciatingly sharp teeth into the skin of my neck. I strained against the cuffs holding my arms to the bed and it felt like my flesh was being ripped from my bones. My entire body convulsed off the bed and in the distance I heard someone scream. And then the inferno began.


AN: Did you cry? I totally cried when I wrote it. I know some of you have been calling for a sequel but right now I don't have any immediate plans to write one. I think Stephanie's version of the immediate post-change events (prior to the whole Volturi thing) is probably exactly what I would write so I don't really see the need. I do have a lot of other ideas from this story though so you may see some additional one-shots, side stories or spin-offs come out of it. Or possibly a sequel set many years into the future.

It never seemed to fit to explicitly say it, but the song that I tease as "their song" while they're making love that last time is "The Luckiest" by Ben Folds.

Also, if you're interested, I put a link to Bella's change look as well as Edward's complete love song playlist from this chapter (I only mentioned I think five or so out of the 20+ songs that provided the soundtrack for this chapter).

And finally, the haunting quote from which the title of this story was derived: "Her blood coursed through my veins sweeter than life itself…and when I heard her heart in that terrible rhythm, I knew again what peace could be." – Interview with the Vampire

Thanks again for your patience and love through the metamorphosis of this story. It was so fun to write, I hope it was just as fun to read!

Reviews = Love