I squint my eyes, blinded by the strange but beautiful bright green rings around dark pupils. They send radiant beams of light in every direction, everywhere I can see in my peripheral vision.
Too bright. I can't see anything else.
And the figure gets closer slowly, almost drifting towards me. I'm frozen in astonished fear. Then the green light mixes in with another color—a familiar, vibrant auburn.
Too familiar...
The figure comes closer still, and as the face comes into clear view, I catch my breath. Too different, yet still the same.
Edward stops a few feet from where I am, staring at me. I swallow back a hysterical gasp, looking back into his green eyes.
Then he smiles—the smile I have waited to see, different from the ones he attempted to display for his family; this one was real.
Bella, he whispers. I blink again, disoriented by his voice—also different, but still just as beautiful. Don't be afraid.
I thaw out of my frozen crouch, rising cautiously, not once looking away from his green eyes. With deliberate movements, I walk up to him ever so slowly. When I am at an arm's length away from him, I carefully lift my hand, hesitating. If this is a dream, I don't want it to touch the illusion to distort the image. If this is a dream, I don't want it to go away.
My lifted hand stops from inches away from his face, the fingers folding into my palm. How badly I want to touch him...
Edward brings his own hand up as if to touch mine. And when he does, wrapping his long fingers around my hand, nothing about it tells me that this is a dream. Unfamiliar warmth—though so pleasant—courses down the hand he touched, across my arm, and through every inch of my body. I breathe out a sigh.
He lifts my hand so that my palm rests against his warm cheek, and he closes his eyes. I trail my hand across his cheekbones, down his jawline, and run my fingers over his lips. He opens his eyes, and mine immediately attract themselves to the brilliant emerald pools.
This is real. This is as real as ever.
A corner of my lips twitch into a small smile. Did it take you this much to believe that you had a soul?
He gently smiles back without a reply. He caresses my face the same way I did his, a sense of longing in his eyes.
He leans in, pressing his face in my hair, exhaling the smell of it before softly kissing me, my hair, my forehead.
Finally he touches his forehead to mine. This is heaven enough for me.
* ~ * ~ *
Maisie, I whisper.
She sits with her back against a tree only a few yards away from the meadow, her face buried in her arms. Dark red hair falls down her shoulders. Alice sits next to her, her head resting on Maisie's shoulder.
I'm sorry, Bella, Maisie thinks. I didn't know what to do.
Maisie.
She jerks her head up at the sound of Edward's voice, and then she sees him. "Edward."
He grins.
"Edward?" Alice throatily whispers out. Her eyes widen. "Edward! Is he here?"
Maisie's lips stretch into a wide smile, too relieved and joyous to answer. She wraps her arms around Alice, who is still surprised.
"Is he really here?"
Maisie nods.
"Edward... how could you do that?" Alice whimpers. "Think of Esme!"
He looks at Maisie. Tell her—and everyone else—that I'm happy. That I found where I am supposed to be. He turns his head to smile at me now. A strange electric current runs down deep inside my chest through the rest of my body.
"Alice," she says in a quietly bewildered tone, "he's happy. Truly happy." She realizes that she never saw Edward with such a smile as genuine and true as one he wears now.
Alice's expression softens.
Suddenly, away from us, a small bright light forms, growing bigger and bigger. It glows with pearly colors—soft pink, soft orange, and a hint of light green. I've never seen anything more beautiful besides the spirit standing next to me.
Edward looks in the direction of the white illumination as I do, an expression of awe on his face.
"What is it?" Maisie asks inaudibly, knowing what the answer was already.
We see it, I tell her.
"What?" Alice asks.
Maisie presses her lips together before answering, looking down at her hands. "They're ready to cross over."
Alice is silent, along with Maisie.
Maisie, keep the family together. Let them know that we're happy now, Edward requests.
Her eyes bore into mine and Edward's. She takes a deep breath and nods confidently to hide her dry tears.
"Edward, Bella," Alice says, sensing farewells. She cracks a smile. "Be happy," she quotes me. "Really."
We will, I promise her.
"Hey," Maisie calls to us. "Say hi to my dad for me. And don't get into any trouble while you're there, you hear?"
I drift over to hug both Maisie and Alice, and Edward does the same.
Then I take Edward's hand, marveling in the comforting warmth, and we step towards the light, the doorway to our heaven.
Together.
_
[This chapter is called 'Last' because of two meanings of the word: 1) the last, as in the final chapter, and 2) because this story basically says everything, including love, lasts forever. So anyways, I have to thank every one of my readers who reviewed my story and kept coming back for more. You were a great support to me, and you are the ones who motivated me to write so much. Again, for the last time in this story, all the characters (except for Mackenzie J. Curtis) belong to Miss Stephenie Meyer, along with her novel, Twilight. Thanks again to everyone, and if you could review for the last time for this FanFic, I would really love that! Thank you!]
[[One more thing: I have already started writing the first chapter for another FanFic, so if you would check back to read it, that would be great. Love you all!]]
Love, Sherbie2012
_
Break, by Three Days Grace
Tonight my head is spinning
I need something to pick me up
I've tried but nothing is working
I won't stop, I won't say I've had enough
Tonight I start the fire Break away from everybody At night I feel like a vampire Tonight we start the fire Break away from everybody If you can't stand the way this place is Break away from everybody
Tonight I break away
Break away from everything
If you can't stand the way this place is
Take yourself to higher places
It's not right but I just can't give it up
I'll try to get myself higher
Lets go were going to light it up
Tonight we break away
Break away from everything
If you can't stand the way this place is
Take yourself to higher places
Take yourself to higher places
Break away from everything
If you can't stand the way this place is
Take yourself to higher places
Higher places
To higher places
Higher places
Take yourself to higher places