Too Late

by saranicole

A/N – I don't hate the STORIES on fanfiction... I just hate the website! I'm slightly... well... anal retentive. Is it too much to want the formatting to be perfect? IS IT? IS IT??? Apparently so. GRRRRR!

Anyway... Now the last of the questions will be answered:) And one last bit of Edward's point of view, which I love reading and writing. I hope you enjoy this!

Epilogue – Strategy

Edward Cullen – Late June, 2006

Bella and I spent nearly a month in Denali. Carlisle had to go back to Ithaca to teach and work, and Jasper was in the middle of classes as well. Esme and Alice had gone with them. Rosalie and Emmett had gone to Europe for a couple of weeks—until we got back.

Bella and I had spent every moment together (except during shower time). I was surprised at how well Bella had adjusted to being one of the "eternally damned," although Bella hated it when I referred to us that way. She would say, lovingly, "As long as I get to be with you for eternity, I'll consider myself eternally blessed, thank you very much. I don't care where we are: Heaven, Hell, or anywhere in between, as long as you're with me."

She was the light and love of my life.

---

After a nearly three-day drive, we made it to New York, joining the rest of the family.

About a week after our arrival, we were having a family meeting, as we did on occasion, when I brought up the Victoria issue. She was still out there, and when she found out Bella was now one of us, her desire to seek revenge would grow tenfold.

We needed to find her and remove the threat before she found us.

So, we were planning—trying to come up with a way to bait her or set a trap for her. We had some interesting ideas on the table so far. But I could still hear everyone's doubts. Bella hadn't said much of anything during the entire discussion, but she'd been shaking her head at some of the suggested plans.

"Bella, what are you thinking?" I finally asked. It was still so frustrating not to know.

"I don't know. . . . I was just. . . ." she shook her head again.

"Why do you keep shaking your head then?"

"Because none of the plans will work. They all have . . . fatal flaws."

I raised an eyebrow at her choice of words. "Fatal flaws? How so?"

She listed the problems with each of the ideas we had come up with. She was completely right. She saw weaknesses in the details—things no one else had seen. Her insights were genius, really.

"And we're back to square one. Unless you've concocted a plan in that brilliant mind of yours?"

"Well, actually . . . I was thinking . . ."

And she spent the next twenty minutes laying out an idea that she must have been developing the entire time we'd been discussing our erroneous strategies. The plan was detailed, but surprisingly simple. It would be fairly easy to execute, and seemed to have none of the 'fatal flaws' Bella had spoken of earlier. Everyone seemed impressed—especially Emmett.

"Yes! This is going to be awesome!" he exclaimed, when he realized that he had a central part in the plan.

As she put the finishing touches on the idea—like frosting on a cake—a thought entered my mind that I couldn't shake. I leaned back in my chair, and thought about other instances I had seen and heard about.

When Bella finished, the rest of the family spent about thirty minutes saying things like, "But what about . . . no, that's covered. . . ." Every so often, someone would actually have a valid question, but Bella had all the answers.

So we all voted yea or nay to Bella's ingenious plan. It was unanimous in the affirmative. Bella even had Rosalie's usually skeptical vote.

I felt like I had to speak up before our party broke—I needed everyone's input—especially Carlisle's.

"Before we adjourn, I had one more item. I was just thinking a few minutes ago about this scheme of Bella's. And I think it's . . . well . . . it's almost too brilliant. Carlisle? Emmett? Don't you think Bella's idea was a bit too amazing?"

Huh? Emmett thought. It's a great strategy. What's your point?

"What are you trying to say?" Bella inserted, offended. "I didn't steal the idea from a book or anything!"

"No, no. I don't mean it that way at all. But Emmett—remember when we were trying to get Bella away from James in the first place? It was Bella who came up with the plan. Remember—you were really impressed—you called her 'diabolical.'"

"Yeah, that was a good plan, too. She's a smart one."

"And then, later, Bella managed to find a way to escape at the airport, even though Jasper can feel emotions and Alice can see the future. Yet she still managed to get away." Did they see where I was going with this? It was so obvious to me.

"And Tanya told us about how Bella managed to get to Denali successfully, even though she was alone, had never been there before, and could have failed in any of a million different ways? Especially given that she had just been changed."

You think she has a power? I nodded at Carlisle. What do you think it is, exactly?

I turned to face him, since he was the only one who seemed to be following me. "I'm not sure. . . . Strategy. Planning. But I don't think that's the extent of it. I've been trying to think of other things—smaller things. Like how she can't be beaten at chess, even though she didn't even know how to play a week ago. That obviously fits."

"Yes, that fits," Carlisle agreed.

"Edward—what are you talking about?" Bella asked, but I was on a role.

"But then, consider how easily Bella persuaded Rosalie that her plan would work. Rosalie—who never likes any plan that would endanger the family—especially Emmett, like this would."

"Yes. Intriguing . . ."

"Edward—seriously! What are you talking about? I'm sorry I keep beating you at chess, and that Rosalie likes me better than you today!"

I shook my head at her. She wasn't getting the point at all, which actually surprised me.

"And how none of the Denali clan told any of us Bella was there—even though they knew what I was like—just because Bella "asked" them to?"

"That is curious—that they'd show loyalty toward her over us at that point."

"I didn't know you still loved me! I'm sorry!" She was getting frustrated.

"I don't know how, but the fact that Alice couldn't see Bella, but now she can. . . . That has to have something to do with it."

"Yes, it must. Perhaps she just decided she didn't want to be found."

"That would certainly be interesting. . . . Can you think of anything else?" I asked Carlisle.

Yes. How about how you have to wait nine more months to get married, but you don't even seem to mind . . . because Bella wants to wait.

"That's just because I love her!"

He chuckled at me. Yeah, he added sarcastically. I'm not that much older than you, Edward. . . . Not physically, anyway.

I thought about that for about three seconds, before looking over at Bella suspiciously. I pointed at her when I looked back at Carlisle, and said, "You think she. . . ?" I pointed back and forth between Bella and I.

He thought she'd used her power on me to put the wedding off? "But why?"

"I have no idea. You'd have to ask her. But if it's any consolation, I'm one hundred percent sure she didn't do it on purpose."

"Okay, Edward. What the hell are you talking about?" she demanded. "Tell me. Right now."

"Your power."

"I don't have a power," she replied, immediately. "You know that."

"I think you do," I contradicted. "I think you have an incredible power. Subtle, sometimes, but awesome."

"What is it?"

"Like I said before: strategy or planning or something to that effect. I think we'll be able to name it better the more we see it in action. But I also think that you have the ability to make other people believe in your ideas. Like I was saying with Rosalie and the Denali clan.

"And like Carlisle suggested. . . . Apparently he doesn't think it's . . . normal . . . that I'm not putting up a fight to make you marry me sooner. But I've waited 105 years—89 as a vampire. I don't know why it's so strange that I'd be willing to wait another nine months."

Bella opened her mouth and I could tell she was trying to squeeze our something, but was unable to. Instead, she closed her mouth and looked down at her hands, which she had clasped in her lap.

"Bella?" I asked suspiciously, trying to get her to look at me.

She glanced back up at me, apologetically.

"Bella?" I questioned more seriously. And it all spilled out.

"I'm sorry! I just . . . I needed some time to get used to the idea. I want to marry you—I do—I want to spend eternity with you. And I realize that titles are important to you: husband and wife . . . but I didn't grow up the same way you did. I've never seen a marriage that worked. The whole institution kind of freaks me out." She shook her hands and made a scared face. It really did scare her—she looked petrified. "I just needed some time." She paused. "Although the eye thing is true, too . . . sort of. . . ."

I understood. I really did. I was an old-fashioned guy. I really couldn't help it. My mother had raised me properly—in a religious home. Bella's background was totally different. But I was still shocked.

"I just can't believe you used your powers of persuasion on me!"

"I didn't mean to! I didn't even know I had powers! I'm sorry! If you want to, we can . . . I mean, I can . . ."

She was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown at the idea of moving up the wedding.

"Bella—we can wait. It's fine. I love you."

She exhaled sharply and looked very relieved. "Thank you. I love you, too. So much."

"Just be careful where you aim those powers next time."

"I'll try, although I still don't really know how they work."

"Well, we have time. We can experiment with it. Emmett—what would you say to a game of Risk?"

"You're on!"

"I'm betting on Bella!" Alice chirped.

"And I'm betting with Alice," Jasper agreed.

---

A relatively short time later (in Risk time), Bella's powers proved true. Even though Risk involved quite a bit of chance (rolling the dice), she seemed to know exactly when to play the odds and when to quit while she was ahead.

It seemed that all she needed was to know the rules of the game, and then examine the position of all the pieces, and her amazing abilities kicked in.

This was actually pretty much how it worked in her real-life strategizing. She needed some kind of goal to read (getting to Denali, killing Victoria, etc.), then with her keen understanding of how to work the rules in her favor, and her knowledge or the key or available players, she would devise a thorough and brilliant strategy to bring about her endgame.

And she could talk anyone into anything, which wasn't so great when she was using her power on me (unless she was using it to make me kiss her), but could be quite hilarious otherwise—especially when she made Emmett do funny things.

That was Bella for you. And this was just another of the numberless reasons I loved her, and why, in nine months, I would become the happiest man that ever lived.

The End (again)

A/N – Thanks so much for reading my story! I was so nervous to post it, but now I'm really glad I did. This has been a VERY rewarding experience! Thanks so much for all your support!