Alright everyone, after all of your extensive votes. The verdict is… well you're going to have to figure that out when you READ AND REVIEW!

Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!

PS: Thank you to LittleSeaMonster to tell me that little grammar error about the title!

Chapter 20

Fate

Bella's Point of View

"Bella, I have to tell you something," Mom said as she placed an arm around my shoulders and we walked across the beautiful field. Her smile still held but my face just looked confused. What did she want to tell me.

"What's up Mom?" I asked curiously. We sat down in at the base of a river and looked at one another.

"Bella, you don't belong here, in this place."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you're still part of the living, not one of the dead like me. This place, this heaven, it's not for you. At least not yet. There are still people in the real world that need you, like the Cullens," Mom explained, placing a hand on my knee protectively.

"But Mom, I… I need you," I pleaded, a few stray tears falling down my face as she was telling me goodbye once more. She couldn't leave me. I needed her more than anything.

"No honey, I've seen how you've been dealing with everything for the last eight years. You've been doing wonderfully, even on your own. I couldn't be any prouder of you, honey." She placed the hand that was resting on my knee up to my cheek and looked me straight in the eyes. My misty eyes tried to focus on her face but it was blurry from the tears. "The fact that you've been putting up with my horrible husband for so long is unbelievable. I've never seen anyone being able to do such a thing and now, you're doing so well with the Cullens. You're letting them in and you accept their help. And I've seen your boyfriend honey."

"I know, he's incredible and really loves me," I answered while removing a stray hair from my face and placing it behind my ear.

"I can see that." Mom hadn't removed her hand from my cheek. It still laid there, its warmth reminding me of all the times she did this action when I was a child. Oh, how I missed her… to think that she wanted me to leave her here, alone in heaven. "And I think he's the perfect guy for you." Looking at her shocked, she nodded and smiled that motherly smile of hers at me, the smile I hadn't seen in eight years. "He'll be able to make you smile and feel everything that Charlie has taken from you. Yes Bella, I approve of him, of both of you."

A smile lit on my face as she approved of my choice of guys. "Thank you…" She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me to her. But she was right. I had to go back. There was no way that I could just leave Edward like that without a word of goodbye. "I have to go, don't I?"

She nodded and looked me straight in the eyes. "Dr. Cullen's trying to get your heart beating again. Obviously, you being here isn't helping them. You have to go back honey. I'm going to miss you so much but it's for the best."

"Am I ever going to see you again?"

"I'll always be here Bella, in here." She placed her finger on my chest where my heart is. A smile broke on her face as she said: "And, who knows, I might check up on you in your dreams. So you better be good."

"I'll try Mom," I said while giving her a big hug and standing up.

She mimicked my movements and we walked together towards the empty field. There was something I knew I had to do and it would hurt both me and the Cullens. But it had to be done. "Do what your heart tells you to do Bella. It'll get you far in life." Of course she would say that. My thoughts were written all over my face whenever she was around. "But makes sure that what you do is the right thing to do," She informed me with a motherly smile.

"I'll miss you," I said as a stray tear fell from my face.

My mother whipped away the tear with her finger and placed both of her hands on my cheeks. "And I you Bella. Be careful." And with that, she disappeared in a flash and I was in a dark place, waiting to go back to my body.

Carlisle's Point of View

I couldn't believe it… Bella's heart just stopped and wouldn't restart. She would just lay there, unmoving and not breathing. Her eyes wouldn't open and her heart monitor held one long beep, indicating the flat line her heart made. "Time of death: four thirty-six PM," One of the doctors said as I just stared at my daughter lying on the hospital table. She had fought all of her life and now was free of all pain and sorrow. But we weren't. Her death was the hardest blow I'd ever gotten in my entire line of work as a doctor. I forced myself to believe that Bella could be saved. But I'd failed. Her pale skin indicated that much.

Walking slowly towards the door, I didn't look back. I couldn't look back, knowing that she was gone forever. Closing my eyes, I opened the door and was welcomed by the harsh light of the white hallway. Looking down, my hands were covered in blood; Bella's lifeline was now on my hands. It disgusted me to think that Bella's blood was embedded in my skin. The memory of her pale skin just giving up made me run to the bathroom, start the sink and wash my hands roughly, trying to remove Bella's blood from my hands.

Bella…

Memories flashed of the past few months. Bella laughing and enjoying herself with Alice and Rosalie… the nights Edward would stay with her to chase away her nightmares… Esme brushing Bella's hair whenever Bella felt sad… the times I taught Bella medicine in my study… It was all just too much. She had so much life in her and now, it was gone. She was gone.

But now, how would I tell the rest of the family. Mainly, how would I tell Edward?

Walking slowly out of the bathroom, I walked towards the waiting room, where I knew that my family would be waiting to hear the horrible news. It broke my heart to think of their sad faces when they would hear the news. How to tell them correctly? When arriving in the waiting room, I could see that everyone was holding onto each other for support. Esme had Edward in her arms, comforting him. Rosalie had Emmett, Alice had Jasper and now, they would be heartbroken at the news. When walking towards them, Esme lifted her head and met my gaze. They all got up and walked up to me, their faces hopeful. But I didn't need to say anything for them to understand.

"No…" Esme said as a tear slid down her face and she placed her hand on her mouth in horror.

"Dad, don't tell me that—" But Alice couldn't finish her sentence. It was too hard for her. She just broke down crying.

"I'm so sorry… We did everything we could," I apologized while gathering Esme in my arms.

"Well, it obviously wasn't enough!" Edward practically screeched at me. Looking up, his face was so furious it hurt to look at. He was angry at me because I didn't save Bella in time. "If you had done everything you could, she'd still be here right now!"

"Edward, it wasn't your father's fault. It was Charlie's. Bella tried to stay strong but it wasn't enough. She wanted to get away from the pain," Esme said as she turned to face her devastated son. Rosalie was now crying into Emmett's chest as a few tears slid down his face. It was amazing to see Emmett shed tears. He looked like such a strong man that it surprised me to see tears falling down his face. Alice was sobbing so hard that Jasper had to place his head on top of my daughter's to stop her from shaking. They were all devastated because of this… "She's in a better place now," Esme whispered as she approached Edward. His hands were now in fists and shaking so hard they were practically a blur.

"You made me believe that she would make it. You told me that she would fight," Edward retorted angrily, making Esme flinch at his hurtful words. I bowed my head in shame, turning away from them and tried to compose myself. I'd failed all of them.

"Dr. Cullen!" One of the doctors shouted from the hallway. Turning towards the voice, I saw him running up to us with a… smile on his face? "Dr. Cullen!" He lowered his voice this time but still shouted.

"What is it John?" I asked, my voice full of pain and self-hatred. What else would he tell me that could hurt my family even more?

"You need to come with me. It's important," John started to run off but I stopped him once more by grabbing his wrist. He was in an awfully large rush.

"John, you need to tell me what the problem is right now." I insisted, my tone rising with annoyance.

"The patient, she's awake and seems to be stable." My mouth literally fell. It couldn't be possible… No, I'd seen Bella die. She wasn't breathing at all. How could it be possible that she had somehow been brought back to life? We all rushed up to Bella's room only to find many doctors around the table, enabling us to see what was going on. But the heart monitor showed a heartbeat, a steady heartbeat at that. Edward was the first to move. He pushed past many doctors and we all saw Bella, her arm moving towards my son and her eyes starting to slowly open.

She was alive.

"Bella?" Edward asked as he knelt down and placing his hand through hers. A small smile erupted onto her face but was erased when the pain came back to her. The girls started to cry as they saw Bella well and alive. We all rushed to her side and saw Edward placing his hand on her face carefully. Her eyes were still slightly foggy but otherwise, they were returning to their original colour. But she really was alive. "Bella, can you hear me?" Edward asked, just to make sure.

"Yes Edward… I can hear you…" Her voice seemed so exhausted and weary that it surprised me that she could talk at all.

"You came back to me…" Edward's voice broke at the last few words. He was crying tears of joy at the sight of his beloved alive. I didn't judge him. If it were Esme, I would have done the same thing.

"It took me a while… but I came back…" She said with one of her smiles, even though it pained her to do so. Unfortunately, I had to push Edward aside to check Bella's vitals.

"Alright Bella, can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up?" I asked while lifting two fingers in front of her. She didn't seem to be able to see them.

"I don't know… it's all blurry…" She practically whispered to me. Bella was extremely weak. Even though she came back, she wasn't Superwoman. Bella needed rest, and lots of it for that matter. I didn't notice the doctors walk out of the room until it was just the family and myself. "I can't see…"

"That's alright Bella. The drugs Charlie inserted in your body aren't fully gone. With a lot of rest and patience, you'll make a full recovery in no time," I informed everyone with the largest of smiles on my face. Our family was whole again. "I'm just going to bring your vitals to the nurses and we'll get you settled in a room and give you some time to rest." Looking at the kids, I said: "Don't talk for too long. Bella really needs her rest." I walked out of the room with Esme's arm around my waist and we left the kids talk to Bella.

"Thank god she made it through…" Esme said mostly to herself as she leaned into me. Looking into her eyes, she seemed to be forming a plan.

"What are you thinking?" I asked with a smile. Somehow, I had a feeling she and I were thinking the same thing.

"I was thinking that since Charlie will be placed in jail and Bella has no one else, they're going to try to force her into an orphanage. Maybe, when she's well and fully settled in, we could take her under our wing?" She asked while looking at me.

Smiling down at her, I tightened my grip around her waist and walked with her towards the front desk. "I think that's a wonderful idea…"

Edward's Point of View

Everyone had had a chance to talk to Bella and, only a few minutes later did they decide to let her rest and visit tomorrow. The doctors had wheeled her into another room, one with a bed, and she was now looking at me, her eyes drooping steadily because of her fatigue. "You should rest Hun. I'll be here when you wake up," I admitted while entwining my fingers with hers adoringly. It was incredible how she had come back to me. The dreaded fear that she had died for a few minutes still plunged at my heart. There was no life worth living if Bella wasn't a part of it. But I was going to have to apologize to my parents. With all the horrible things I had said to them, no wonder they were a little upset with me. Maybe they would ground me.

"Edward… while Carlisle was trying to save me… I… I saw my mom…" She said; a smile evident on her face. Might she have been dreaming that her mother was there with her? But no matter, Bella was here with me and I would believe anything she would say. "She… she approved of our relationship…"

"She approved of me?"

"It's shocking… Mostly she'd chase them away… But she said that you were the perfect guy for me… that you'd love me and you'd make me feel things Charlie never has…" Cupping Bella's cheek, I gave her one of my crooked smiles and kissed her forehead tenderly.

"Well, your mother's absolutely right. I want to love you for the rest of my life," I admitted while Bella fought to stay awake. Tucking her in bed, she was falling asleep instantly. "Sleep my Bella, I'll be here when you wake up and tell you how much I love you," I said while placing a kiss upon her lips when she fell asleep. Bella was safe and sound and I will make sure it stays that way.

Just as I was about to sit down, Dad stepped through the door and walked towards the bed, making sure not to disturb Bella's peaceful slumber and started checking her vitals once more. He wanted to make sure that she wouldn't fall into a coma or something during her sleep. "Dad, I'm really—"

"No need to apologize. I understand that you were devastated. I even hated myself for letting her die." Dad said with the sincerest of smiles plastered on his face. "Even your mother understands how you felt." Dad sighed once and asked: "Did you know that we had lost a child before you were born?"

That caught me off guard. "No… what happened?"

"Your mother had given birth to a baby boy. She'd never been happier. Rosalie was about a year old and didn't quite comprehend anything then but… the baby was much too small. The doctors said that he wouldn't last the night. Your mother was devastated when it died that night. She'd called him Michael, Michael Andrew Cullen. For many days, your mother wouldn't speak. She'd barely make any movement, other than what she was told to do. It was like a part of her died. She knows what it's like to lose a child. Everything that she told you in the hallway, well she said that to me as well the night our little Michael died." I couldn't speak. The words had been taken from my mouth and enabled me to do much besides stare. I'd judged my mother so harshly before.

"I'm so sorry… I have to go apologize to—" But Dad placed his hand on my shoulder, stopping me instantly. His gaze went to Bella and he smiled.

"I believe there's someone who doesn't want you to leave just yet," He mentioned and walked towards the door. Looking down, I saw that Bella's hand was still enticed in mine and she was holding on tightly, as if she didn't want me to let go. After all she went through, Bella still wanted me. "Don't worry Edward, I'll get Esme to come and you can talk to her. Just stay with Bella. That's what she wants, to be with someone she trusts." Dad shut the door behind him and it was just me and Bella once more, my sleeping angel.

Alright, thank you for everything that you guys did. With your reviews, it was 36-1 that Bella lives. And I hope you guys liked the chapter. I found it was heartfelt and well done but then again, you guys are the judge. And I'd just like to point out to Bellaangel1383 that you must have read my mind because that was what I was planning on doing for this chapter if you guys had decided to let Bella live! Great minds think alike right? Well then, I hope you guys liked the chapters so far 'cause we're coming to a conclusion. There are only a few chapters left and then, the epilogue. But there are many other stories that I posted that you guys can look at that might interest you. So, check those out and REVIEW FOR THIS CHAPTER! I'll post the next one as soon as I can, maybe tomorrow, maybe tonight. Who knows?

Bellacullenswan17

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