Chapter Twenty-Four Colors of the Dusk

Every muscle burned. Every inhalation screamed to be let back out. Every fiber in his body shrieked at him to stop. But he wouldn't. Because he simply couldn't.

Hunting was the only thing that kept his mind from Bella. The only thing that allowed him a few stolen moments away from the haunted memories, from the pointless conversations of his family, and away from his pure and total failure; his hatred for his own weakness.

Three months.

The two- worded realization hit him like a ton of boulders and stopped his sprint just as quickly.

Three months, to the day, had been the last time he had seen Bella.

The image of her face in their last seconds together would haunt him for an eternity. The fear, the desperation, the dread. Her eyes conveyed everything Edward had also felt. He hoped he'd been able to do a better job of hiding it. He hoped all she saw from him was love. Love and hope.

Hope. Edward scoffed at the word that so many clung to—he, too, had been one of them. But now, three months later and still absolutely without hope, not even a glimmer, of saving Bella. He was no longer a believer.

Early on there had been hope. The first attempt was made by Carlisle, only days after Edward's escape. He thought that if he talked to Aro, as old friends, he could talk some sense into him--could make a deal, could figure something out. And so Carlisle went alone, his hopes when one day turned into two and two days turned to three, Emmett and Jasper had to physically hold Edward back . They were all worried, but Alice saw Carlisle coming back safely.

She just couldn't see if Bella followed.

On the third day, Esme and her children ran to the woods as Carlisle broke through from the thickness of trees. Edward's heart had plummeted when he saw Carlisle's expression and slumped shoulders. Defeat. Anguish. Betrayal and sadness.

He told his story quickly, sadly.

Aro had agreed to meet with him. They had exchanged pleasantries, asked after old friends. But when Carlisle cut to the chase and asked where Bella was, Aro turned cold. He claimed that Bella belonged to the Volturi now. That she was one of them. That she had chosen to be one of them. If Carlisle didn't believe him, Aro said, he could see for himself.

Carlisle followed Aro down a tunnel of dark hallways. When they stopped, what he saw before him shocked him.

Carlisle had paused in his story at this point, his eyes fixed on Edward.

Edward saw the images before the words could meet Dr. Cullen's lips.

Bella: feeding savagely on a screaming human, snarls ripping from her chest, her hands and face bloody.

Edward shook with rage and fear. He couldn't listen to the rest of Carlisle's story. He knew. Of course, the good doctor had failed.

Edward knew it was up to him. But this time, he had to have a plan.

A month after Carlisle's failed attempt, Edward managed to acquire help from an eager Emmett and slightly reluctant Jasper. And soon after that, he also managed to recruit Jacob and a few of the less "opinionated" wolves. With the wolves as an outside distraction, Edward, Emmett and Jasper snuck into the Volturi's temporary home and into the underground tunnels below, knowing the Volturi would never guess the two different species had teamed up. Edward, having had been to the glass room once before, directed Jasper, in the lead, through the maze of tunnels. Jasper had thrown out waves of a calming tiredness that had seemed to work well on the few oncoming threats. When they had come upon a guard, he was slow, sluggish to react. Emmett was able to pummel him and throw aside the body before anyone was alerted.

When they reached the glass room and saw the surrounding area was empty of guards, Edward had grinned triumphantly, his eyes eagerly searching for Bella within the walls of glass.

But she wasn't there.

And if she wasn't there, that could only mean one of two things.

She had managed to escape.

Or something much, much worse was happening.

Confused and suddenly feeling very defenseless, Edward had not put up a fight when Emmett had grabbed his arm and dragged him away from the room, back through the maze of corridors.

"We can't, we have to find her!" he had argued, as Emmett pushed him on ahead.

"She wasn't there, Edward. We've got to get out of here before they figure out we're here. If we stand any chance of getting back in later, we can't get caught. We need a new plan and now is not the time," Jasper had whispered, his voice firm and full of authority.

Edward had not argued.

But when they were safely back in the woods, he found himself starting to crumble.

"We could have found her, we could have…she's in there and we left her!" he shouted, pulling his arm from Emmett and turning to face the direction of the house.

"No. Edward, we would have been dead in there," Jasper had insisted, "Without a plan, we would not have made it out."

Edward knew Jasper was right.

But he was so confused. Where had she been that day? Why wasn't she in the glass room? Were there other glass rooms now? Had she escaped?

Or…and Edward shuddered to even think this, had Bella's nightmares become a reality? Was she willingly helping the Volturi? Was there no need for a protective room anymore?

Edward pulled himself back from his thoughts, realizing he'd stopped in the middle of a very familiar meadow. Bella's meadow.

He sank slowly to his knees, turning his head to the dark sky above, looking for answers in a place he knew would only carry infinitely more questions.

------

Bella's eyes shone fiercely under the moon-lit sky. She inhaled fully, knowing she did not need the air. And yet, it had never felt so good mimic a human motion. Not after being caged for so long.

I am free.

Bella glanced at the house behind her. It had been her cage for so long…so long she had lost count of the passing days into night. She had never been able to actually see the sun or moon, but she could smell them. She knew when she was missing a beautiful sunrise. And never would a sunset pass her without a twinge of sadness. The end of yet another day without Edward.

And how many had she missed? Bella pondered this, watching the quickly moving clouds as they built up angrily in front of the moon and across the sky.

She couldn't even guess.

As she turned back to the forest in front of her, she smiled, anticipation suddenly spurning her on, despite the rumblings of thunder in the distance. Not even a full-fledge storm could ruin her mood.

She was so close. So close to the rest of her life—the rest of her eternity with Edward.

And the best part? Never again would she have to fear the Volturi. Bella's smile disappeared as she glanced one more time behind her.

Days, weeks, months (she assumed) of planning had finally paid off. It had not been an easy road. She had done some things that she was not proud of. She had done things she only wanted to forget.

(flash)

Blood dripped from her mouth. She swiped at her lips carelessly, her eyes focused sharply on the human in front of her. The human—a woman-- cried and screamed, one hand over her face, the other on her neck.

"I will not kill you," Bella spoke softly her lips remaining motionless.

"Monster!" screamed the woman, from under her arm. "Monster!"

Bella nodded slightly, barely realizing that she was validating the woman's words. It had taken all her will, all the energy she possessed not to kill the human Aro had thrown in the glass room a day before. Sadistically, he had purposely not given her anything but human food to eat, knowing of course, that as a full vampire now, human food would hold no interest to Bella's growing appetite and growling stomach.

Twenty-four hours into resisting the woman's blood, Bella realized two things. First, she was hungry. No, she was starving. If she didn't eat, she would become weak. If she became weak, she would lose. And if she lost, she would never see Edward again. That alone would have been enough, but there was also her second realization. She already knew she had to drink some of this woman's blood to survive, to see Edward again. But she could also use her actions to her advantage. What if she showed a little savagery? What if she drank this woman's blood looking as careless and as savage as she could? She could go forth with her plan. She could make Aro think she was becoming one of them.

And so, she had.

It had scared her, the ease of which it took to spill the innocent woman's blood. And how much she enjoyed the taste. How hard it had been to stop the drinking. And how she almost hadn't stopped.

Bella shuddered slightly at the memory. She had almost killed that woman. But it had put her plans into motion. Aro had been satisfied. He had not expected her to feed from the woman. She realized, feeling slightly bitter, that Aro had expected her to fight him in the opposite way she had chosen to fight.

He had thought she would refuse to be one of them.

Bella laughed bitterly, running a hand through her tangled mass of hair and glancing around the trees, uncertain which way to run.

The joke had been on Aro and his family. Ultimately, she had won, so many of their eternities cut short.

But not Aro's.

Bella tried not to worry. He wouldn't bother her ever again. Not when she saw the amazement and wonder wiped clean away, replaced with a horror Aro had never known. Bella felt a flicker of hatred, suddenly longing for a match. But would setting fire to the house really offer her closure?

She decided it didn't matter.

Never again would she have to look over her shoulder. Bella turned her head forward, took another deep breath and surged ahead, memories of the countless painful sunsets evaporating as she prepared herself to see Edward at last.

-------

Alice chewed noiselessly on the cap of a blue pen, her mind a million miles away from the task she was currently engaged in. Close by, Esme flipped through a decorating magazine quickly, threw it to the coffee table and picked up the next in a stack of about fifty.

"We should get out there soon if we want to play. The storm's about to start," called Rosalie from upstairs, appearing a second later in a loose t-shirt and form-fitting jeans. At the same time a bolt of lightning cracked nearby. Alice didn't look up. Roaslie shot Esme a questioning look. Esme frowned back, an eye-brow raised.

"Alice?" asked Esme softly.

Alice looked up, her face blank. Her eyes vacantly stared into nothingness.

"Alice! Baseball? Are you coming? The boys are already out in the field," Rosalie repeated.

Instead of answering, Alice's eyes rolled to the side, un-blinking.

Instantly, Esme was at her side.

Alice was having a vision.

Roaslie ad Esme watched, transfixed, on the blankness of Alice's face. And then she started to shake.

Rosalie jumped forward and grabbed Alice by the arms.

"Alice!" she called, an unusually high pitch escaping from her perfect lips, betraying her calm exterior.

And then suddenly, Alice was back. She sprung to her feet, nearly knocking a relieved Esme over in the process.

"Edward!" she yelled.

"He's not close enough, he can't hear you; he's playing ball. What is it, Alice? What did you see?" Esme asked breathlessly.

"I've got to tell him…" Alice ripped through the room and tore open the door, the other two female vampires following closely behind.

"Tell him what?" demanded Rosalie, exasperated, catching up to Alice.

"Aro! The Volturi…I saw them, defeated. Someone, something…has destroyed the family!"

"Bella?" Rosalie questioned, awe mingled reluctantly in with her question.

"Has to be," responded Esme, a smile completely lighting up her face.

"Yes," whispered Alice, flying around the trees. "Has to be."

--

Crack!

The baseball connected solidly with his bat and took off above the trees at the exact same moment lighting struck in the distance. Edward grinned as he quickly rounded the bases, sliding easily into home. Emmett was still out of sight in search of the ball.

"Nice one, Edward!" yelled Carlisle from the pitcher's mound.

Jasper reluctantly grumbled his praise.

"But just wait 'till the girls get here. Don't get used to it," Jasper said from his crouch at home plate. Edward grinned again, feeling more normal than he had in months. He hadn't been happy at the time, but he was now glad that Emmett and Jasper had tricked him into coming out.

Though I should have been suspicious the moment I heard Emmett reciting that beer commercial over and over in his head.

When Emmett finally came loping back into sight, they traded sides, Carlisle throwing the baseball to Emmett and Edward taking position in the outfield, as Jasper grabbed the bat. Edward stood still, his eyes on Emmett. Not for the first time since they'd started playing, Edward had to push his feeling of guilt to the back of his mind.

"Just give us tonight, Edward. You can go back to living in Hell tomorrow," Emmett had spoken, trying to keep Edward from storming home. The look on their faces had finally won Edward over. They were worried about him. They wanted to help. This was their way of helping him.

And Edward owed it to them. He'd been miserable to be around for the past three months. He would have to make more of an effort. Especially when he revealed his latest plan to get Bella home.--he was going to need all the friends he could get.

"Get ready to run for days," yelled Jasper from home plate, practice swinging a couple times before looking Emmett in the eye and nodding.

The thunder make its presence known and Emmett tensed himself, waiting for the lightning he knew would follow seconds later.

"Wait!" yelled Edward from the back of the field, realizing suddenly that he wasn't hearing any of their thoughts in his head. But Emmett had already released the ball from his fingertips one second before Jasper connected with the ball.

Crack!

Lightning flashed as Jasper dropped the bat and ran. Emmett had turned to look at Edward, but Edward merely shrugged, his focus shifting to the ball whizzing over his head. He took off.

Just as he broke into the woods, he heard Alice yelling his name.

Edward kept running, his eye on the ball. He was going to catch this ball; it suddenly seemed like the most important thing.

It had been a good hit; one of Jasper's better connections. Edward swore under his breath as he lost sight of the ball. It had dipped beneath the tree-line, yards in front of him.

Edward sighed and slowed, not wanting to miss it. As he broke through a thicket of trees he had to pause and laugh at himself sadly.

Not five feet away from him, stood Bella. Bella holding the baseball. Bella holding the baseball looking…shocked.

Edward laughed again.

Of course, it was all in his head. Perhaps he was going insane, conjuring Bella up out of thin air like that. Maybe he'd have to talk to Carlisle about how to deal with this kind of crazy. Do crazy pills work on vampires? Wikipedia would know.

The imaginary Bella dropped her mouth open and just stared at him.

Edward shook his head, blinking a couple times.

"Mighty fine job you've done, Edward. This is the most realistic Bella yet," he muttered, his eyes on the beauty in front of him.

Something inside him twisted painfully. She was so life-like, so real.

God, it hurt.

Would it ever stop?

"Edward?" it…what the hell…? it whispered. Edward blinked again. Never before had his imaginary Bella's whispered. Or even spoken. What had Carlisle said about vampires and Xanax?

"I-I caught this," she continued, her eyes full of disbelief and reluctance. And…fear?

Edward frowned.

"Why would I imagine you saying that? And why would you look so…scared?"

He watched as the figure's face completely changed.

"You think I'm--" a strangled laugh escaped her dry lips—"Edward, it's me, I—I did something back there. The Volturi…"she trailed off, waving her hand behind her.

And then Edward un-froze. His face crumbled. If he could cry, his face would have been soaked with tears.

"Bella? Oh God, Bella. It's really you," he paused. Took a breath. Shook. Stared at her. She didn't disappear. She was real.

One step, two, three steps. He was staggering and he knew it. He could barely see straight and it was affecting his walking.

"Edward, no, wait!" Bella lurched backwards, thrusting her arms out straight and holding them out, as if to stop him.

Edward froze again.

Something was wrong. Something was different.

Edward's entire body yearned to touch her. Magnetized, he could barely hold himself those couple of steps back.

"Bella?" he choked.

"Edward. I don't know—I don't know if I can touch you. Without killing you," she whispered, her voice cracking. Grief flooded her face, as though the thought of never touching Edward again would completely ruin her.

"I may have—inherited Nathaniel's power," she continued, her arms still stretched out, palms towards Edward. Edward focused on her hand, wanted so badly to just grab it and pull her to him.

"I'm willing to take the risk," responded Edward. Because right now, he didn't care that about anything other than touching Bella. Holding her, breathing her in. And never letting go. He never wanted to make that mistake again.

"No! We don't know yet. But Carlisle, he can test me, we can find out…"

Edward grabbed her hand. Pulled. She flew into his arms easily. Too easily. She wasn't strong, she couldn't fight.

He enveloped her in his arms, scooping her to his muscled chest and hugging her hard.

Bella's breath stopped for a moment as she gasped, expecting the worst. Edward cringed, just a little, waiting for a pain. Waiting for a sign telling him he'd acted stupidly and carelessly.

And then…nothing.

Nothing.

Bella let her breath out in a giant whoosh. Laughter bubbled in her chest and escaped from her mouth unchecked, the sound reverberating off a near-by boulder.

Edward laughed, too, and held Bella even closer. When he could gain some control, he buried his face in her hair and breathed.

"I can smell you again," he spoke, pulling her only far enough away to look down into her dark eyes. Bella closed her eyes and brought her face into Edward's strong chest and pulled herself against him.

"It's you," she whispered.

"It's us," he replied, his hands running along her body, up and down her arms, into her hair and to her face.

He never wanted to stop touching her.

"I thought…I wasn't sure…," she began.

"I know. I tried to-- but you weren't there," Edward replied. But words, full-sentences, escaped him at the moment. And yet one questioned wormed its way past his subconscious.

"But how…?"

"I killed some of them," but she said it with sadness, with regret. She was a better vampire than any he knew. Most would be rejoicing the death of those that had hurt them.

"You had to. Aro?" he asked gently.

"Alive," she replied. "But gone."

"You have a story," he murmured into her hair.

"I also have you."

"Bella," he whispered, raw emotion unsteadying his voice.

"Edward," she responded, tilting her head upwards. Edward lowered his head as she stood on her tip-toes, wrapping her arms around his neck. Lips inches apart, Bella spoke softly.

"I couldn't dream of this, of you, after Nathaniel turned me. It was worse than the starving, worse than the tests…almost worse than the killing. Before when I spelt, I slept only to dream of you. And then suddenly, they took that away from me and it was torture. I started to forget what you tasted like, the softness of your skin and the smell of you. That was the worst. Instead, every time I could smell the sun setting, I thought of you. I conjured up your image and held on as long as I could."

Edward pulled back slightly, his lips parting, ready to answer. Bella smiled softly and put a finger to his lips.

"You've saved me three times now, Edward. You saved me when I was human. When I didn't even know I needed saving. You showed me how sad and hollow my life was before you. I hadn't been unhappy before you, but I also didn't realize that I lived my life in black and white. And then you entered my life and suddenly, I was viewing the world in color. Brilliant, broad strokes of every color imaginable. When you left, the color dimmed. I never went back to black and white, not ever. But those colors dimmed and I knew nothing could bring them back but you. And then you did come back. You saved me again when I had lost hope. A hybrid, doomed to go crazy, you made me believe I would survive it…that there was hope. Despite the circumstances, my colors came back with a vengeance. You'd saved me again. The third time was probably the hardest. I didn't know if I would make it out of there, Edward, I didn't. I had a plan…but how many years would it take to implement? How many years would it take to gain the trust? And would the right opportunity present itself? I didn't know. And I knew, without a doubt, it would be near impossible for you to break through the Volturi's security. I was pretty sure it could only mean death for you. So even though, it was up to me, it was you that made it happen.

"And that's when you saved me again, Edward. My colors never once dimmed back there, because I held onto you and the image of us...and the love. It saved me from black and white. It saved me from a worse insanity than being hybrid. And, ultimately, you brought me back here. I will never be able to show you exactly the depths of my gratitude, Edward, but I will spend my forever…our forever, I hope, trying."

Bella pulled her finger from Edward's lips, setting her arm back behind his neck and pulling him closer.

"And that was the longest prelude to a kiss ever," she finished, looking into Edward's eyes. He shook his head slightly, his eyes tender.

Bella closed her eyes as his lips brushed hers softly. And then again, slightly more firmly. Bella found herself sighing into the kiss as her urgency arose. She pressed her body closer and lost herself in the kiss.

Seconds turned into minutes and the kisses continued, tenderness turning into urgency. The urgency fuelled by passion, time apart and complete and utter adoration.

And then, as though she knew her timing couldn't have been better, Alice's voice rang through the trees, close.

They both had to pull back, though not from their embrace, laughing as they panted.

"Well, at least we'll always look like horny teenagers. Even when we're two-hundred years old," smiled Bella.

"That's not all that far away for me, Bella. You sure the age difference won't bother you?" smiled Edward back, brushing a lock of her hair back from her face.

"I've always preferred the mature-type," she touched his face as Alice broke through the trees and began screeching when she caught sight of the two.

"Bella! I knew it! Jasper! Over here!"

Alice ran to the pair, her sparkling eyes on Bella's face as she took them in quickly.

Bella was suddenly pulled into an intensely energetic Alice hug, which attempted to wrap itself around both she and Edward.

"I missed you," Alice's muffled voice declared.

"I missed you, too, Alice. So much," and as the rest of the Cullen's found their way to the clearing, Bella realized just how much she meant that.

They really were her family now. And she was fairly certain, she was finally entitled to a happily ever after.

"But how did you…? I saw the carnage! That was you by yourself?"

"Let her be, Alice," said Esme softly, coming up behind Alice and hugging Bella tightly.

"Fine. For now. But I expect the full story, Bella. And it had better involve drama, intrigue and costume changes!"

"I may even be able to throw in some romance for you," grinned Bella, her eyes on Edward's face.

She was sure, even with the horrific story she had to tell looming ahead of her; she would be capable of delivering it without a shake.

Wow. So, finally, there was the reunion chapter. I hope it was worth the wait. I had to write and re-write this a few times until I was happy with it. Now, all that is left is the very last chapter were Bella will tell her story, ends will be tied, and E and B will have some moments. Sigh. I love them. I'm going to miss this story. But, I'm also ready for my next. This has been my first fanfic...and it was been an intense growing experience, man I have learned so much...I can't wait to test things out on a new story! Thank you guys for remaining loyal (and continuing to flood me with PM's about "when are you going to update?" :D)

The last chapter will be up relatively soon as well. But I would love to hear early how you've felt about the story and about anything else you wanna let me know :)