Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.
Mini a/n: Last chapter, guys.
Thanks to the beta, Little Miss Masen, and Hammondgirl, this is for you.
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Alice and Jasper brought Abigail home a few days later after the hospital made sure both girls were healthy and strong. Jasper beamed like a lighthouse when he brought them both to the car. Of course my dad was filming the whole thing, getting into his role of Grandpa, and taking it very seriously.
I had gone with him to help out if needed, but I think my mom just sent me so I would get out of my apartment. But I couldn't lie; I already had a soft spot for baby Abigail and had a feeling that she was going to be a strong presence in my life from now on.
I helped Alice into the car and drove back to Alice and Jasper's place while my dad babbled on about babies and proper care and how Alice and I had grown up way too fast. I only half-listened, my mind wandering, making a mental list of all the things I would teach Abigail as she got older. She would definitely be getting her own piano as soon as she could sit up straight, if not sooner. Music would be stimulating for her and I'd love to be able to teach her.
We pulled up to the house behind Jasper's SUV and my dad whipped out his video camera, narrating each second. I shook my head when I saw Alice roll her eyes and whine "Dadddd, give us time to get settled down." Jasper just grinned and waved at the camera. If I'd thought he was in love with my sister, then his love for Abigail was ten million times more.
Not that I could blame him. She looked so much like my Alice. The only part that really reminded us of Jasper was her shaggy-looking blonde hair. As she got older I secretly hoped she'd look a little like me, but I was relieved that she didn't inherit my unruly hair. Perhaps her personality would be more like mine.
We walked in to be assaulted by balloons and streamers everywhere. Emmett and Rosalie stood excited near the couch and I swear Rosalie squealed when Alice asked her if she'd like to hold Abigail. Rosalie hummed softly to her while Emmett looked on. The excitement in his face told me that he was just as smitten with Abigail as I was.
I walked into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water and grabbed a bottle for Alice. I took it out and handed it to her and she squeezed me.
"Thanks, Edward, for everything."
I smiled. "No problem at all. You're my sister."
Abigail was put down for a nap and we ate some food that my mom had made while we chatted about the last few days at home. We heard Abigail stirring and Alice looked to me.
"Edward, you always had a way of calming me when we were kids—would you go sit with Abigail?"
I was shocked and stared at her. Jasper agreed, so I walked into the nursery, peeking down at Abigail in her bassinet. She started making a frustrated face and her hands were moving wildly. I picked her up and cradled her to my chest, sitting in the rocking chair and humming softly. When that didn't work, I resorted to what used to help Alice calm down: nursery rhymes.
"Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet eating her curds and whey. Along came a spider and sat down beside her and frightened Miss Muffet away."
She started to calm some and I continued rocking in the chair. "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had...a great fall. But all the King's horses and all the King's men couldn't put Humpty together again."
Abigail had gone back to sleep and I sat there, mesmerized by how a simple nursery rhyme could imitate my entire life at this point—Bella and I had taken a great fall and no matter what happened, I didn't think we could be put back together ever again.
Someone coughed and I looked up to find Bella in the doorway, her finger picking at the wooden frame.
"Bella," I said as I exhaled a breath I was holding.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you," she said quietly.
I shook my head. "No, not at all. Did you want to see Abigail?" I whispered.
She nodded and took a step closer. I stood and offered her the rocking chair. She walked past me, barely making eye contact, and slid into the chair. Once she was situated I placed my niece in her arms.
Bella held her, staring at her in wonder. After a few minutes her eyes began to water.
"What is it?" I asked curiously.
"Edward, I'm just so sorry," she said, looking away from me at the wall.
I kneeled down next to her, trying to look at her sad face. "Sorry for what, Bella? I hurt you, I…I put my hands on you when I shouldn't have. If anything, it's me who should be sitting here apologizing."
She sniffled and my heart was completely breaking all over again. She looked down at Abigail and then over at me. "I'm sorry that I can't fix you."
I stared at her, confused. "Fix me?"
She nodded. "All the King's horses and all the King's men couldn't put Humpty back together again," she recited. "It's us, Edward--that rhyme. And I can't fix you."
I shook my head. "Bella, I broke you when I acted inappropriately. I can't fix this because I am a monster."
She stood up and put Abigail back in her crib and turned to look at me. "You're not a monster, Edward. You're a good man. But I can't fix you, or fix this, as much as I want to."
My heart stopped. "What are you saying, Bella?"
She looked down at her shoes. "I don't know if we can ever be together again, Edward. I love you, and I'd love to try, but I don't know if there's hope for us."
I took her hand softly and cringed when she resisted my touch. "There is always hope when there is love, Bella. I know I messed up and I'm not asking for forgiveness—what I've done can't be forgiven. If you need time I will give you time. Whatever you need. Just please don't give up on us—we can be fixed, I know it."
A tear fell down her cheek and I swiped it away with one finger. She looked up at me after a few moments and nodded her head. My heart came alive with hope for a future. With Bella.
Maybe all the King's horses and all the King's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again. But I knew that Bella Swan could fix me, fix us, and put us back together again.
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A/N: That's it—we reached the end! Before you go and leave me reviews asking me what happened and how could I end it like I did right there, I wanted to say a few things:
First of all, thank you for each and every review and kind word. This story has come a long way from the small one-shot it was originally intended to be. So thank you for encouraging me and sticking with me.
Second, the ending is left somewhat open because it's really up to you to decide in your mind what happens. I know, this isn't a 'Choose your own adventure' style story, but I really didn't want to choose what happened after this moment because Edward and Bella didn't want to tell me.
Third, I got a lot of mixed feedback on whether or not Bella was justified in being scared of Edward. You're most certainly allowed your own opinion, so I thought I'd share my logic with y'all. I think Bella is justified in being scared because her boyfriend, whom she loved and trusted, nearly attempted to rape her. Even though she KNOWS Edward would never do that intentionally, the shock her body went through can often take time to wear off. So as much as it agitated some people that she was so resistant to our lovely Fallward, I can see why.
So, here we are, at the end. Again, thank you for your love and support! If you want, hop on to one of my other stories and check out some happier adventures
Thanks a million times over,
LMW, aka Mels.
