AN: THIS IS ALMOST THE END, YOU GUYS :,( Next chapter update will be the epilogue!
Thanks to twilightlvr4vr, BerryEbilBunny, and OwlinAMinor for reviewing last chapter! Love you!
Song of the chapter: Stereo Love- Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina . Yes, I'm a Euro-pop freak now (: I swear I was meant to live in London :D
DISCLAIMER: ALL TWILIGHT CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER, ALTHOUGH IM PRETTY SURE SOME OF THEM BELONG TO ME, I MEAN COME ON…
Bella: Shut up.
Edward: Seriously, you're like, delaying our story.
Me: okay, sorry.
DISCLAIMER: ALL TWILIGHT CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.
Bella POV
The night after graduation, I came home acting absolutely robotic. My parents thought Edward had broken up with me, but I knew the truth. He loved me so much that he'd told me he wasn't human. I had opened my acceptance letter to UCLA with surprising neutrality. I'd chosen the profession I wanted to go into like I was picking slips of paper from a basket with my eyes closed.
Of course I want to teach, I recited to myself, trying to believe it. I wanted only that to be my purpose in life. Not to marry my boyfriend, who by the way was a vampire. A supernaturally fast, pale, cold, and dangerous predator to humans that loved me more than anything else in the world. Even blood.
When time came to drive down here, I packed like I'd been doing this all my life. After I got here, I just sort of sat down and forced myself to focus. Isabella Marie Swan had wanted to go to a good college all her life. She'd worked hard for it, and she had really thought she had a bright future in front of her. But I wasn't Isabella Marie Swan. I was Bella. Bella, who had fallen for a school nerd and then a creature that thought humans were its prey. Bella had gotten her entire future wrong. Her future was bleak now. Boring and tedious. She wanted someone else to be her future…and that someone else was her boyfriend, probably sitting in drizzly little Forks, waiting for her to decide her fate.
This was worse than taking the SATs.
I hadn't talked to Alice or Rose since I'd gotten here. I hadn't seen them over the summer as much as we'd used to, either. My parents were suspicious, but they hadn't said anything, probably making up a satisfying explanation by themselves. We all had needed a chunk of time to come to terms with our feelings. I still didn't know what they had officially decided.
I, on the other hand, had decided to go home for Christmas and talk to Edward about everything. I accepted him for who he was, and I wanted to find out how I could make our future work. I wouldn't let Charlie and Renee's efforts go to waste. In fact, I planned on getting a teaching job before my "mysterious disappearance" would take place…
Rosalie had been e-mailing me facts about vampires since I'd gotten to UCLA. It was a little odd, since there was no personal greeting at the top. I think she just wanted to stay silent until I had decided. I guessed that she'd made the same decision as me, but with Rose, it's hard to tell until she speaks. One of the emails had said how humans could be turned into vampires. I would have to give up everything; school, family, human friends, to writhe in pain for at most two weeks. Once I woke up, I'd be unbelievably thirsty for blood. To convert to the Cullens' diet of animal blood would take years of self-control, patience, and practice. That was why it was best for Renee and Charlie to think that I had died…
My eyes were tearing up as I shuffled to my next class. I loved my parents. I was ready to accept Edward, but I wasn't ready to leave them, which was why I hoped Alice and Rosalie were with me on this. I'd need the support and sisterhood. The class went by fast, and before I knew it, I was back in my dorm room staring at nothing.
I didn't have a roommate. Most people would be jealous, but I hated solitude. I'd always had someone to talk to or be crazy with. Here, I had no one. I wasn't doing a very good job making friends, either. I maybe had talked to one person since the semester had begun.
Not knowing what else to do, I decided to check my inbox and see if Rosalie was finally going to say hi or something. I didn't have anything new from her, but Alice had sent me an e-mail with no subject. The body was one word: Jasper.
I smiled to myself. We were absolutely crazy. But she'd chosen what I'd chosen and that was all that mattered to me at the moment. We would be together on this.
-.-.-.-
December 24- I was indifferent as I got on the plane to Forks, but my weird trance-like state snapped the moment we landed. It was like I could feel the familiar humidity on my skin even indoors, and suddenly I longed to go home to my parents… and to see Edward.
My cell phone went crazy as I struggled to get my stuff. Both of the emotions combined were more than I'd felt in months. I picked up and it was Rosalie who spoke.
"We're picking you up whether you like it or not." She sounded just like herself, and I didn't realize how much I'd missed her until I was crying and smiling at the same time.
"Hey, Rose," I sniffed, checking to make sure I had everything.
"Hey, Bella. Long time no talk," she said softly.
"Never do that to me again," I threatened, and she laughed. I think I heard Alice behind her.
"Is that Alice?" I asked hopefully.
"It sure is."
I bit my lip. Had Rose truly decided the same fate as us? I didn't want to ask over the phone. It didn't seem right. "I have all my stuff," I said instead.
"We're right outside."
I laughed. Of course they were.
I wheeled my luggage out the doors and Alice pretty much jumped me, while Emmett and Rosalie got to my luggage. Rosalie then hugged me quickly and told me to go ahead and sit in the passenger seat of her beautiful grad car.
Her car wasn't what I was looking at, though. Emmett Cullen was smiling at me goofily as I studied him and how he held Rosalie's door open for her. This could only mean one thing.
I let out an uncharacteristic screech of excitement as I ran to Rose for a hug and Alice joined in. She knew why I was so happy. Emmett seemed to know, too, but concern crossed over his face before he realized that I was ecstatic and not frightened.
"We're all in this together," I smiled at her, and her blue eyes warmed as she hugged me back with all her might.
Now that my girls and I were all on the same page, Alice and I had one more thing to do:
Tell Edward and Jasper.
Wish us luck!
-.-.-.-
Edward POV
When you gonna stop breaking my heart…
I'd give anything to know what Bella was thinking the rest of the summer. She'd avoided me as much as possible. Was she afraid? Was she disgusted?
Then, in September, she went off to college just as planned. I hadn't expected anything else, but was she going to be this way forever? Would I ever have another conversation with her ever again?
I don't wanna be another one…
What if she'd met someone normal, someone human in college? Someone that could kiss her without exposing her to fangs? Okay, I didn't have fangs, but…whatever. She'd probably be grateful to have me off her back.
Paying for the things I never done…
All I knew was that Rosalie had accepted Emmett and they were still going strong. It was comforting, because if Rosalie had accepted him, Bella would surely consider accepting me, right? But Rose wasn't Bella, and so here I was, on the verge of a panic attack, if vampires can have those.
Don't let go, don't let go, to my love…
Would Bella want to see my face after Em and Rose picked her up? Should I hide?
Pshh. Now I was just being stupid. I turned the beautiful but depressing song off and straightened up. The least I could do was look like a man when she told me she didn't want me.
Jasper was doing even worse than I was. He was like a vampire robot. He did two things: hunt and read. All of his civil war books. Over and over and over again. Esme would occasionally ask for a hug, being the affectionate person she was, and he'd stand there awkwardly. It was like Alice had turned off his ability to love by running away like that, not to mention the twin silent treatment she and Bella had inflicted on both of us.
I wasn't going to blame anything on them anymore. We'd known this had been coming and I wasn't surprised by their reactions. I just hoped the Volturi wouldn't find out that they knew. We'd have to warn them about that…
Emmett POV
Edward and Jasper were going to get one hell of a surprise tonight! How sad was it that I was snickering away with the girls about it, too? Whatever. It's called sensitivity. I still had my manliness…it's not like I'd immediately recognized Bella's posh handbag to be Prada…
I swear Rose trained me to do that. My woman went to designer school, I couldn't help picking some things up from her…
Sue me for my wisdom.
Anyway, we were now on our way to the Cullen Residence (in other words…my place) because if we got Alice and Bella home first, their families wouldn't let them leave their sight. A quick trip here and then home was the plan.
Too bad it wasn't going to be a quick trip. The guys were probably going to go berserk and all touchy-feely. Rose and I could sneak out when that began, though. No problem…
I'm excited. Heh heh.
Jasper POV
Bloody bodies all around. My good friend Jonathan, who I bonded with so well, half alive next to me, sprawled on the floor waiting for death to take him. Just yesterday, we told one another of our loves. It was the one thing we had in common; we wanted to go home after this war. We had futures waiting for us. It was the one thing all of us had in common as soldiers; defenders of our region. He told me about his Cecelia, and I about my Margaret.
Margaret.
My sweet, blue-eyed angel with such dark hair one can only see the hidden red-brown in the sunlight. She calls to my heart—
I closed the dusty journal in frustration. It hadn't occurred to me how many of my fellow veterans had been in love. It was frustrating. My heart was shielding itself. I couldn't believe how many of them went on and on about their sweethearts. What about our military victories? Our strategies? I longed to read something about numbers, about military skill, about our successes. Something that showed how we stood up for our beliefs and fought on our region's behalf. Anything but this.
Description after description of girl after girl that these men had given their hearts to, only to die in the end. Every time, something came between love. The words I'd been reading had been written by someone who would've been considered my best friend; Fredrick Trojan. This was the last entry he'd penned in his journal before I'd marched with him to the Battle of Bull Run…and then had come back without.
Each woman I read about had something or another in common with… her… and I slammed book after book closed because of it.
I was startled when I heard the doorbell ring. I'd been thinking of Fredrick's Margaret again and felt as though she's appeared before me as I effortlessly yanked the door open.
But this Margaret was grinning affectionately and excitedly while jittering in place.
This was not Margaret. It was Alice.
She jumped into my arms with a thud against my hard, vampire chest, not so much as wincing. I hesitantly wrapped my arms around her as Bella, Rosalie, and then finally Emmett made their way in as well. Bella and Rose were beaming and Emmett was smirking like the idiotic brother he is. Confusion settled in my mind and a billion questions burned on my tongue.
"Guess what," Emmett said in a sing-songy voice. I connected everything together and couldn't believe my conclusion. I gulped in anxiety, looking down at Alice, my Alice, hopefully.
"I love you, Jasper. I'm never leaving you again," she said before embracing me once again.
If it were possible, my vampire senses would have failed me at that moment. Did she know what this meant? She was going to be changed and spend eternity with me.
"Are you sure?" I had to ask.
"Of course. I've done six months of contemplating," she said, scrunching her eyebrows.
"Even that doesn't sound like enough," I muttered, but after months, I was finally content. Slowly, I let a smile overtake my face and watched my big lug of a brother jump around excitedly and go on about how Edward was going to react.
So there was going to be more good news tonight!
I glanced at Bella, one of the most beautiful sisters-in-law I could ask for, and grinned, silently thanking her. Rosalie had given Edward and I some relief by hanging back with Emmett, but what we had really wanted was for all three to stay with our family.
Emmett and I suddenly caught Edward's scent less than a mile away. He was running back, at human speed, from wherever he had just gone.
"There's no way we can surprise him that you two are here, he'll smell you. Just… cross your fingers and maybe stand by the stairs or something," I told them.
"Get ready for another celebration!" Emmett exclaimed.
A moment later, Edward ambled into the house from the garage with a suspicious expression on his face.
Edward POV
"I was just at Alice's and then Bella's trying to find them so we could focus on how to get the Volturi off their backs now that they know about us, but they're here?" I asked my brothers, Alice's and Bella's scents even stronger and the sounds of their hearts practically beating right next to my ears. Sure enough, I peered at the staircase and there they stood, fidgeting uncomfortably.
"I believe Bella has something to tell you," Emmett said, trying to sound grave and failing miserably. I looked at the lazy grins on my brothers' faces and then at the girls who shyly smiled as well. Something worth being happy about had just taken place…
"Edward, Alice has decided to be with Jasper forever…and be changed and everything," Bella said, not looking directly into my eyes. "And I was thinking… I really want the same thing for myself, too." Now she looked up, her brown eyes determined.
I broke out into joyous laughter and twirled her in my arms.
"Are you sure? This is forever, you know. You'll have to leave the ones you love..." I cringed. Would I have done it if I had the choice?
"I'm sure. All I really need is true love and great friends like Alice and Rosalie that are going down the same path. I'm confident that as long as I'm with you guys, I will be just fine," she smiled.
I couldn't resist it. I kissed her right then and there, like I'd been wanting to do for such a long time. "Thank you for coming back into my life, Bella."
-.-.-.-
The next morning, the girls bounded up to our house and knocked furiously on the door.
"We need to find out exactly how we're going to execute this, because I need to know when the last time I'm going to see my parents is going to be," a tearful Alice said. Jasper took her aside and murmured to her affectionately as I took a look at Bella. She didn't look like she'd been crying, just distressed that Alice had been.
"We won't turn you yet," I said without thinking.
Everyone turned and stared at me.
"Then when?" Emmett argued. Rosalie just looked confused.
"I want you girls to go to school. You didn't get into such good colleges only to drop out now because you're dating forever-young vampires. I want to see you working, Bella. Doing your dream job. I want to see you as a teacher," I said to her softly.
"So," I said, standing up and making eye contact with everyone, "I say the girls finish their education and pursue successful careers. Then their parents will be happy that their daughters have had full lives and the girls will have more time to think over their decision—" Bella opened her mouth to tell me she was sure, but I held up a hand. "—because if they change their minds, we can find some other way and it won't be too late. So regardless if the second part of that explanation is not liked, who agrees with my decision?"
Slowly and tentatively, six hands went up. It was unanimous.
"Okay. Good."
"Wait," Jasper said.
"Yes, Jasper?"
"Is it okay if we proposed to them anyway?"
Alice let out a squeal and Bella chuckled.
"If you want to bring out the rings, I'm not stopping you," I said earnestly, watching Bella look away from me shyly. " I think I have plans of my own."
"OooOOOoooh," Emmett said, wiggling his eyebrows.
I rolled my eyes. "Now who wants to eat breakfast?"
Bella POV
And just like that it was settled. We were going to be together forever. My parents would probably not get to meet me after my change, but I was willing to make that sacrifice for true love. I knew Rosalie and Alice were willing to do so too. We couples still fought about it from time to time, but that didn't make our love grow any less, and when the day came, the three of us knew it. We dropped our resignation letters at our work places and climbed into our designated lover's arms, ready to be his forever.
Rosalie POV
I opened my eyes, and I could see everything. Every little detail. I could hear Emmett's every breath. He was so close…
Alice POV
I woke up from the pain into almost an entirely different world, yet one name remained on my lips…
Bella POV
Everything about how I woke up seemed so unfamiliar, but I knew Edward was with me, and that was all that mattered.
AN: What a fluffy ending…
And sorry I was gone for pretty much the WHOLE YEAR! RL was getting in the way, my year was awfully busy :/ Plus I had terrible writer's block with this story, but with the return of summer, I'm okay again (: I'll post an epilogue soon and then we may all cry, k? (:
Somebody asked what exactly was written last chapter? Wow, am I embarrassed, lol… I can't believe I wrote it that foggy… Here's the explanation:
Well, Bella recognizes her obviously permanent love for Edward the very night the guys tell the girls that they are vampires. Rosalie realizes it later throughout the summer, but doesn't have enough courage to go up to Emmett and talk to him about it until she's on her way to college. She thought she was going to just come back later and tell him, but ends up involuntarily driving to the Cullens' house. Alice recognizes her permanent love for Jasper throughout the summer, too, but she doesn't have the courage to accept it and thinks that if she goes off to college without telling anyone and just starts her postsecondary school life, she'll lose the feeling.
So basically the chapter showed how they accepted the truth at different times...and now they're going to go home and we'll see what they do about it :)
Btw the song in Edward's POV was Stereo Love—I talk about it in the AN above the chapter (:
That's about it. (Finally lol) Leave some love!