Stephenie Meyer owns all TWILIGHT characters.

The Twilight Twenty-Five
thetwilight25[dot]com

Prompt: 11 – i41[dot]tinypic[dot]com/20l0cnn[dot]jpg
Pen name: IngenueFic
Characters: Bella, Edward
Rating: PG

All prompts can be found here:
www[dot]thetwilight25[dot]com/round-five/prompts/

"Hey, wait! Come back!"

The man ignores her or doesn't hear her – she hopes it's the latter and not the former – and continues walking away from her. She tries to follow him but the Farmers Market is packed. People keep getting in her way and the crowd thickens. No matter how much she tries to push them aside, they keep multiplying until she's just tired.

"Come back!" she calls again. She feels like Rose in that stupid Titanic movie that's not really historical at all but she can't reach him. His tall frame is easy to find in the crowd and it's the one thing that keeps her moving. Bronze hair that glints in the sunlight catches her eyes with every step he takes.

"Excuse me. Excuse me!" She elbows people aside and they give her blank stares like they don't understand what her problem is. Some of them look like they want to say something to her but when their mouths start to open, they seem to think better of it and turn away.

"Hey," someone says from her right side. She turns and sees a short and pretty woman, fixing items on a display space in a stall absentmindedly. "Come back, okay?"

"What?"

"When you're done in there, Bella, come back."

She wants to ask questions but the girl's eyes shut as though she's holding back tears.

"I will," she promises because she just wants to leave the woman to her own devices and keep following the man. He intrigues her.

She moves away from the stall and turns her head every which way until she sees his face. He's staring at her, green eyes dark with affection and need. The left side of his mouth quirks up into a smirk and then he begins walking away from her again.

"No, wait!"

Bella keeps plowing through the crowds and keeps following him until she looks around and realizes that she's walked a long way from the market. She can still hear the murmurings of the crowd behind her but something stops her from looking back. Instead, she focuses only on the space in front of her, a space that looks like it goes into a cluster of trees at the edge of a forest.

He appears in front of her so suddenly that she stumbles back a few steps. His hand is warm on her cheek and he stares down at her intensely. Her heart flutters wildly, which makes him frown.

"What is it?" he asks.

"What's what?"

He doesn't answer. He turns and flees from her, checking over his shoulder once to see if she'll follow. Something tugs at her stomach, at her chest, and she runs after him again. This time, it's not people in her way, but tree roots that make her trip and branches that leave tiny cuts across her skin. They don't hurt as much as she thinks they will but all the running is making her feel sore.

She pauses when she reaches a small clearing. The man is nowhere to be found and her emotions dip down. She likes seeing him, likes chasing after him. As annoying as it is, it's like a game. She's not sure what will happen if she ever catches him but she knows it might be something grand.

"Hello?" she calls out. "Are you here?"

"I'm right here," a smooth voice tells her but it seems to be coming from all around her, an echo that reverberates in the air and in her body. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes!" she yells out. "Where are you?"

"I'll wait," he tells her. "I'll wait forever."

A shadow passes her eyesight toward the left and she bolts that way without thinking. A cacophony of sounds breaks through the serenity of the meadow and she winces. She doesn't like it and is about to run the other way when she spies him again. He's leaning on a tree, giving her a hopeful smile. Slowly, he lifts an arm up and out toward her, as though beckoning her forward. There is something about him that makes her heart flutter, makes the hair on her body stand on end.

With excitement bubbling in the pit of her stomach, she rushes toward him. The ground suddenly falls beneath her and then she's wet. Confused, she looks around to realize she's fallen into a river, the water rushing past her and making her lose her balance.

"Come on," he calls to her. "You can do it. I know you can do it."

He sounds so confident even though she's not sure. It would be so easy to get swept away in the river. The water is cool and rejuvenates her body, taking away the soreness of her muscles. She wants to stop fighting against the current but he's right there, on the riverbank, crouched down and holding out his right hand for her. The sight of him waiting urges her to push forward but for every step closer, it seems that the current becomes stronger. More than once, she slips and almost falls completely underwater. She has to fight to breathe and the taste of the water in her mouth is foul.

"I can't," she whispers but he seems to hear her.

"You can. I know you can. Come back. Please."

He's so close. She reaches out her hand and almost gasps when his fingers close around hers. He's so full of warmth, full of life, and then she slips out of his grasp and her head dips completely beneath the surface of the river.

Bella gasps and her eyes fly open. A beeping sound filters around her and she darts her eyes back and forth. Warm fingers stroke the back of her hand and she looks to her left to see him. He looks tired, like he hasn't slept for days, but there's a small smile on her lips.

"You," she breathes out.

"You had me worried for a few hours," he says. "You were touch and go for a while." He takes a deep breath and rubs her left ring finger with his thumb. "I was so scared."

"You saved me."

He pauses. "Do you remember what happened?"

"I followed you here. Right?"

"I should call the doctor," he frets. He lifts a hand to his hair and she sees a glint of metal on his finger. "I'll be right back, okay?"

"Wait!" she calls out to him. He stops pulling away from her. "What's your… I mean… Who are you?"

He lets out a shaky breath and shuts his eyes tightly. "You don't… I'm… They said you might… Oh God."

"Are you okay?" she asks. She wants to soothe him, wants to take him in her arms and comfort him. He's so agitated suddenly.

"Edward," he says, his eyes still closed. "My name is Edward."

"Oh. That's a nice name." She hopes that will make him smile but when he opens his eyes, they're watery. "Why are you crying?"

"Do you know where you are?" he asks her. "Do you know your name?"

She thinks. Her brain seems to be working at half-speed but she muddles through her scatter thoughts. "Bella," she finally answers. "I'm Bella Swan. Right?"

A sob escapes his mouth.

"What? Am I wrong?"

"You were Bella Swan," he says quietly.

"Were?"

He reaches into his pocket and holds out his hand. Resting in his palm are two rings – one with a sapphire surrounded by diamonds and a band with diamond dust all over it.

"What are those?" she asks.

"Your rings," he whispers. "You've been Bella Cullen for the past year."

She gawks at him.

"You're my wife."

Thank you to oOza for the beta work.