Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I do own Arianna and Gabriel, though. Thanks to my beta, CrystalRaindrop!


Never Too LateChapter Twelve

Previously ... ( AKA: The scene you need to remember most! )

"I love you," I whispered softly, and he smiled sadly.

"I know."

He turned away from me then, and walked slowly out of the room. He paused at the doorway, though, and whispered quietly, not turning to meet my gaze, "I'll be back soon. I promise I'll be here before we leave. I just ... I'll be back soon."

He left then.

And I'd never felt more empty, more alone, then I did now.

Edward ...

September 11th, 2038 - Saturday — 2:45 PM ( Edward POV )

I moved quickly from the house, trying in vain to piece my heart back together.

I knew I was being stupid. I knew she loved me. I knew she loved only me. But hearing those words fall past her pale, beautiful lips had broken me in ways I'd never thought possible.

"I loved Jacob."

She'd never said it before. Not really. I'd said it, and she hadn't disagreed ... but I'd never heard the words, so quiet, so soft, fall from her own lips. In over thirty years, I'd never heard her speak out loud her love for the one I hated so much.

I knew, of course, that I was being irrational.

I knew that Bella loved me — so much. I knew that she had, once upon a time, loved Jacob, too ... but that time was long past. She had chosen me, and she had become a Vampire, an immortal, for me. She had given birth to my child, and we had spent the first thirty years of our forever in peace, filled with love and surrounded by family.

I sighed, biting back the pain.

When she'd whispered — her voice so broken — that she loved me, responding "I know" was the worst thing I could have done to her. Never once since the day she first told me her feelings, had I failed to respond "I love you, too".

And I knew, because of those four, simple words I hadn't said, that she had been crying, weeping, when I'd left. But I couldn't stay ... because it had hurt, comparing the two situations ... the two relationships.

Arianna and Gabriel, and Bella and Jacob.

I was trying to make Arianna's decisions for her, just as I had for Bella. I had tried so hard to keep my one true love away from someone who I honestly believed was dangerous. And now I was doing the same thing by denying Arianna the chance to say goodbye to Gabriel.

I was hurting Arianna just like I'd hurt Bella.

And now I was hurting the woman I loved more than anything by running away from her when she needed me most. She needed me to hold her, to let her know that everything was going to be all right. She needed me to help our baby girl through the pain she was feeling. And now I was hurting her, breaking her trust in me, by leaving.

My brilliant observation was only backed up by Alice as I turned and began to run back toward the house. Her thoughts washed over me, and my heart broke once more not because of words whispered to me, but because of the effect of my words.

"You screwed up, Edward. She hasn't stopped crying since you left. You hurt her."

"I know," I whispered, and I knew she heard me. I knew they all heard me. But I barely heard myself, for all I could hear were her sobs, so quiet because I was so far away.

And with each step I took toward the house, my heart broke more.

3:01 PM ( Bella POV )

It was my fault, really, that he ran away. I had seen the pain in his eyes, the torment at the reminder of the man I had once loved. And though I should have been the one comforting him, rather than being comforted, I was surrounded by my family. Alice was by my side, and Esme was holding me. Arianna's tiny hands gripped my arm as we both cried, the pain locked inside of us pouring freely out.

"Shh, Bella ... shh ... " Esme murmured softly, her voice comforting. I only cried harder, the anguish taking over now.

The fact that he had run away from me wasn't what hurt so much.

What made my un-beating clench so painfully was the anguish I had seen — that I had caused — shining in his eyes as he ran away from me for the first time in over thirty years. I knew I had hurt him very badly ... because when I'd whispered, "I love you", he hadn't responded the way he had for the past so many years. Instead, he'd whispered, "I know".

"He's coming back," Alice whispered, and she laid a comforting hand on my shoulder before she stood to her feet. "We'll leave you alone."

I nodded, letting her know that I'd heard her. Esme stood to her feet as well, but Arianna didn't move.

"I'm sorry, Mom," she whispered, and she moved until she was sitting in front of me. She wrapped her arms around me, and held me tight. "You and Daddy fought because of me, huh?"

Her voice was so soft, so quiet, so vulnerable.

"It's not your fault, baby," I whispered, and I held her close. "It's my fault. I said some things that I shouldn't have. Oh, God, I hurt him so much."

My voice broke as I breathed the last few words, and I was sobbing again. I wondered briefly if this pain would ever go away, and though I knew it would, I didn't know when. I knew my words had left a scar on Edward. I knew that scars faded ... but I didn't know how long this one, the pain I'd embedded in his soul, would take to disappear.

Arianna spoke again, and as she did, she moved so she could stare into my eyes.

"Do you really love someone other than Daddy?"

She said the words as if she had never even thought of the possibility. And I knew she probably hadn't. Since she was born, all Edward and I had shared was love. We never fought, we never got mad.

And we'd never before mentioned — I winced as I thought his name — Jacob.

"Oh, baby," I whispered, and I brushed a lock of soft, brown hair from her eyes. She just continued to stare at me, her expression guarded. I smiled as I continued to talk. My voice broke often, but I didn't begin crying until I had finished. "Once, before you were born, Daddy left me. He was trying to protect me, and I forgave him a long time ago. But while he was gone, I grew close to a boy who I had known all of my life. He was my best friend ... " I smiled. "But he was a werewolf. So when Daddy came back, he didn't want me seeing Jacob anymore. I didn't realize until a long time later that I had fallen in love with Jacob as he had fallen in love with me."

Arianna was about to interrupt, but I pressed to fingers softly to her lips. I smiled once more, and she sat back to let me continue.

She was curious now, but I could see the surprise, the naked astonishment in her eyes. It was beautiful how naive she was, how she automatically believed that I had never loved anyone besides her father.

"I loved Jacob. But it wasn't enough. I loved Edward so ... so much more. If I would have given my life for Jacob, I would have sacrificed the lives of a million innocents if it meant I could take away Edward's pain. I would have given my life, again and again, just to see him smile. Jacob was my light in a time of darkness. Edward was, is, and will forever be, my life. I couldn't live, or breathe, or even continue existing if he wasn't beside me."

It was as I whispered that last sentence that I began silently sobbing tearless sobs. And it was when I began crying because of the overwhelming force of the love I felt for the man who meant so much to me that Arianna finally smiled.

"I love you, mom," she whispered, and she laid her head on my chest as I held her close once more.

I laughed softly, and ran my hand through her soft, warm curls.

"I love you, too, Arianna. So much."

We were silent then, and the silence wasn't broken until Arianna's soft, sweet voice flowed over me.

"Daddy won't ... let me say goodbye, will he?"

I smiled sadly, and shook my head.

"I love Gabriel, mom," she whispered, and I rocked her back and forth slowly as I heard her heart race increase as she began shaking in my arms. "I don't care what he did, or what he is. I love him. I ... I'm afraid that I'll never see him a-again. I'm afraid t-th-that he'll f-forget me. I'm afraid that I'll forget h-him. I'm afraid that he h-hates me f-far too much. W-what did I d-do, Mom? Why does h-he hate me?"

"I don't know, baby," I whispered, and I buried my head in her hair. "I don't know. I'm so sorry. So sorry."

She simply cried harder, and I wished more than anything that the tears, the cries of pain, would just stop. I wished more than anything that we could all be happy.

But, I reflected sadly, wishes don't always come true.

So, instead of wishing, I held my baby girl as she cried for the one she loved. For the one who had tried to take her life. For the one who loved her, yet hated her.

For Gabriel.

3:22 PM ( Edward POV )

When I walked into our room, she was standing beside Arianna, who was whimpering softly as she slept on. She heard me before I had even walked through the door.

"I'm sorry," she breathed, and I moved quickly to her side.

I took her into my arms, and we held each other in silence for a very long time. The world around me was silent. The only thoughts I could hear were the thoughts of my love, and the only thoughts that were running through her beautiful mind were thoughts of me, of us, and of the love she held for me.

"Don't apologize," I finally whispered, and I held her tighter, glad more now than ever that I could touch her freely, without having to worry about hurting her. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I should be apologizing. I shouldn't have run out on you, Bella. I know you love me. I know you loved Jacob once, but I also know that he is your past, and I am your future. I lost sight of that for one brief second, and I let your words hurt me so much. I was an idiot. I love you. Will you forgive me?"

She pulled away from me then, and pressed her lips so gently against mine. I smiled, and laughed lightly.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes," she breathed, and she kissed me again, and when her lips rested on my neck, on the mark Carlisle had left behind so many years ago, she began whispering again.

I could barely hear her, though, for the feeling of her cold breath on my skin sent my mind spinning. "I love you. So much. Please, believe me when I say I've never once, since that day so many years ago in our meadow, doubted your love for me. When you made love to me for the first time, I knew right then that you would love me forever. Every single day of forever. And today is no exception."

I smiled then, and it was a real smile. It stretched across my whole face, and my golden eyes lit up with the love I held for the woman in front of me.

I wrapped my arms around Bella's waist and swung her around in the air, exciting a squeal of happiness from her. She laughed, and the sound washed over me, pure and beautiful.

I pulled her close the second her feet touched the floor and she buried her head in my chest.

"I love you, Isabella Cullen," I whispered, and I could hear her breathing become erratic as I ran my hands along her soft, cold body.

I was unable to kiss her, though — really kiss her, as in take-her-breath-away kiss her — because at that moment, an annoyed, sleepy voice piped up, "Hello? Fifteen-year-old innocent daughter in here. Wait until I'm gone to do the nasty things, please."

We all laughed then, and for the first time in so many hours, I was truly happy.

I knew, of course, that nothing was perfect. We were preparing to run, to move again, to leave the place we now called home, and our baby girl had been hurt in the most horrible of ways.

She had been betrayed, and she'd had her heart broken by the one she loved.

I knew that it would take her a long time to heal from this. I knew it would take a long time for her to be able to move on ... and Bella was right. Leaving when she knew nothing of Gabriel's true feelings — when she didn't know the truth about why he couldn't force himself to kill her— would make it harder.

That thought brought many more back, and I smiled bitterly in remembrance of the past.

A clean break.

That was what she needed ... but it wasn't what she was going to get. Because, if I had anything to say about it, that boy wouldn't be getting anywhere near my little girl. Ever.

A soft, sweet voice broke me from my thoughts then, and I realized that I was still holding Bella in my arms, and that it was Bella that had spoken.

"What are you thinking about?" she murmured softly, and I smiled, pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead before moving from her embrace.

"Nothing important." I smiled then. "We should go help Carlisle pack up his library. That's the one thing he would never let us leave without."

She laughed, and the sound was so refreshing, so beautiful, that it made me forget everything else except for the angel in my arms.

7:03 PM ( Arianna POV )

The sun was slowly slipping behind the clouds as I stuffed my backpack into the back seat of Mom's Audi. I was riding with Mom and Daddy, and they had told me to pack a few things to keep me entertained for the ride. It was going to take a while to get there.

I smiled as I remembered our destination.

Forks, Washington.

It was where my Mom and Daddy met for the first time, where they fell in love. I had never seen it before in my life, and I was super excited.

My excitement couldn't completely cloud out my other feelings, however, and the pain and hurt lurked just below the surface. And every time I thought about leaving the quiet town of Burlington, Massachusetts, I thought of the memories that I had built here.

Gabriel.

Even thinking his name hurt. A lot.

I sighed and opened the back door of Mom's Audi. I sat down, leaving the door open.

I didn't want to leave without knowing if he really did love me as he said he did, but I knew it was impossible. We were leaving as soon as Uncle Carlisle was done packing the rest of his books into Uncle Emmett's Jeep. Of course, the if-you-crash-and-ruin-all-my-books-I-will-personally-kill-you speech usually took a good ten minutes.

Maybe ...

But I squished that thought as soon as I had it, and I laughed to myself.

I was insane. Here I was, preparing to run away from the Hunters — who, by the way, according to Uncle Carlisle, could kill us easily even though we're Vampires — and I wanted to run off to see one of them!

I laughed once more, and the sound was slightly hysterical.

And then...

... then, I heard Aunt Alice gasp loudly, and Daddy curse. Daddy pushed Mom behind him, and in less than a second, I was cradled in Aunt Esme's arms and we were running.

And then I saw him, and I immediately understood what was going on.

He wasn't alone.

Instead, there were several others with him, and they were moving quickly. I heard the first loud growl, and then a clash, and then a shriek of pain, and I buried my head in Aunt Esme's chest.

"They're fighting," I whispered, and it wasn't a question; it was a statement. She didn't even bother to answer, and I buried my head in her shoulder as we ran. The wind bit at my skin, and the cold, September air swirled around me as I fought to keep the tears in.

And then Aunt Esme stopped, and she gasped, and I made the mistake of turning around to see what had caused her breathing to become so uneven.

And I saw him standing before me.


Sorry. Cliffhanger. Havetogonowbeforereaderskillme!

NOTE: So. I know some of you guys think that this story is going to end when this fight ends. Alas, it is not true. This is only the beginning. Well ... more the almost-middle, but yeah, you get the main idea. Hehe.

Please Review! ( The sooner you review, the sooner you get Ch. 13 ... and believe me, it's exciting! )


NEXT CHAPTER:

And even as I was fighting, I felt safe, because I was surrounded by my family, the ones I loved. I knew that, even if I died right here, right now, I wouldn't regret anything.

But even that revelation did not prepare me for what happened next.

"Bella! NO!"

And Edward's voice — so filled with love, yet at the same time horrified ... terrified — washed over me in the same moment that I saw the Hunter.