The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt: ALONE
Pen name: SWEETP-1
Pairing: BELLAxEDWARD
Rating: M

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. I do not own Twilight - I am just borrowing quotes and characters.

Bella is 91. Yes. Get your tissues out.

During the day, the nurses came to check on her every few hours, waking her tired body with their patient hands. She could tell from their subtle frowns that, whatever it was that they measured and noted on her chart, it wasn't good.

She didn't need their sad smiles to know she didn't have much time left.

Her bones ached, and her muscles were so weak she could do little more than lay useless and immobile against the starched sheets. Just taking a breath was an effort that left her exhausted.

She knew that death would come for her soon, and when it finally did, it would be a relief.

Her final days were endless and lonely, the silence and emptiness broken only by the bustle of the nurses and the steadfast visits by her family each morning. Once, she would have welcomed their company, but now their pitied glances and the halfhearted smiles that didn't reach their eyes, just made the time pass even slower.

From the confines of her hospital bed she could see out the window, and she spent her days alone, watching the clouds pass through the sky, letting the gradual shift and change of white against blue lull her off to sleep. Her body may have been feeble, but her dreams were still vivid.

"Play something for me?"

Edward smiled indulgently, and then led her by the hand to the grand piano that was the centerpiece of the living area in the Cullen's expansive house.

Gracefully, he sat at the bench and pulled her down to sit beside him.

He began to play, and she watched in awe as his nimble fingers danced over the black and white keys. The room echoed with the sweetest melody she had ever heard, and it made her heart swell as her mind filled with images of love; of Edward.

She had never heard a piece of music so entrancing, so moving before. Never before had a song touched her very soul.

After the music faded away, Edward moved his hands to her face, gently wiping away the tears she didn't know she had shed.

"Don't cry, sweetheart," he said gently, pressing his cold lips to her cheeks as if to erase the tear stains from her skin.

"I'm sorry, it was just so beautiful," she said, embarrassed by her show of emotion.

"It is beautiful. It's what I wrote when all I could think of was you."

"Bella? Bella, wake up, honey."

She was vaguely aware that someone was gently shaking her from her memories, pulling her from the comfort of his arms, and back into the pain of her ancient body.

"You have a visitor." Bella tried to let go of the music that was still wrapped around her heart as the nurse deftly lifted her up in the bed, easily manipulating her frail limbs. She used the lever on the side of the bed to raise the mattress and carefully placed another pillow behind her head. She then paused and tucked a stray lock of grey hair behind Bella's ear.

"Do you need anything?"

Bella shook her head. Mary and Daniel had already been in to see her that morning. Hadn't they? Or, had that been yesterday? They always came in the mornings, but she'd had lunch already today. Hadn't she? What time was it? Shaking her head in confusion, Bella sighed as she realized that just like time, lucidity was slowly slipping away from her.

With a soft smile, the nurse left the room. Bella absentmindedly toyed with the edge of the cashmere shawl that was tucked around her shoulders while she waited for her family.

He entered the room so quietly. It wasn't until she heard his pained whisper that she realized he was standing just inside the doorway.

"Bella." Her name fell from his lips, hushed and quiet, and weighed down with sadness.

A strangled cry escaped her, even as her gnarled and wrinkled hand flew to her mouth to try and hold it in. She could only stare at the boy who had once been her lover, her best friend; the love of her life.

Edward.

Her eyes filled with tears, and furiously she tried to blink them away so that she could see him better. Part of her was convinced this was just another dream, an apparition conjured up by her failing mind. But with each teary blink, he remained standing in her room. A vision from her past.

Her Edward.

Hesitantly, he took a step toward the narrow bed that filled the tiny room.

"How...?" she wheezed, her voice faint and weak.

"I got your letter," he said softly. He reached inside his jacket pocket and removed an envelope. It was worn and wrinkled, like it had been handled and opened a thousand times over. Slowly, he took the final few steps to close the distance between them, and stood by her bedside.

She wiped at her eyes with wrinkled hands, desperately wanting to see him better.

Though her eyes were weak, she could see he was still as handsome as ever, just like she knew he would be. He was so beautiful; she would never grow tired of gazing at him. The sight of him, there in her room, made her heart skip a beat, and she hardly dared to believe her eyes.

He turned the envelope over, and handed it to her. She reached for it, grimacing at the sight of his pale flawless skin and his long slender fingers. Her own fingers were bent and swollen, and she could barely grasp the outstretched paper.

She pulled it to her face, squinting as her eyes made out the words scrawled on the back of the envelope. In unfamiliar handwriting, next to the blue hospital address stamped near the bottom, were the words 'It's always best to say your good-byes in person. Room 13-06'.

Bella found herself smiling, quietly glad that the nurse had ignored her wishes. She handed him back the envelope that held the heart-felt letter she had written just days before.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Edward's face fell, and he reached for her hand, bringing it to his cold lips. The shock of feeling his icy skin once again was almost too much to bear, and she gasped as the memories and emotions tore through her.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Bella," he implored as he kissed the palm of her hand. "Nothing."

She closed her eyes, willing the tears to stay back, lest they steal him from her sight again.

"I am the one..." he began, but she cut him off, surprising herself with the strength of her raspy voice.

"Let's not waste our time on blame and regret, Edward. I don't have much time left."

He clutched her hand tighter, leaning over her so he could bring her open hand against his chest where his heart once beat. His face was pinched with grief, and he gazed at her with his golden eyes.

"I'm going to miss you...so much." His head dropped, and she knew if he could shed tears, his cheeks would be wet with his sorrow. She could see his jaw flexing with the effort of holding his emotions in check, and the sight of him so wounded made her heart ache.

She lifted her hand and stroked his tousled bronze hair. It was as soft as she remembered, and it slipped through her fingers like silk. She closed her eyes, fighting back the memories of all the other times she had run her fingers through his hair. There was nothing she could say that would make this easier, and all she had to offer him was the comfort of her touch.

"I would have come sooner," he said as he lifted his head, pain etched across his face.

"I know," she smiled at him apologetically. She had thought that if he was to come to her, it would be too painful - for them both. She had thought that memories of another time would be enough.

But she had been so wrong.

She'd never been as happy to see Edward as she was in that moment, and her heart broke as she realized she might never have been able to see him one last time if the nurse had done as she had asked.

Now she had her chance to tell him to his face, make him understand how much he meant to her.

"I love you," she sobbed, the words coming out cracked and pained. There was so much more to say, but her body wouldn't co-operate, cries falling from her mouth instead of apologies and assurances.

"Oh, Bella," Edward whispered as he cradled her face in his hands. He gently raised her face to his, as if willing her to see through her tears to the truth of his words. "I will never stop loving you. I will love you to the end of my days. Forever."

She nodded her head, knowing that if she tried to speak it would only make the tears flow faster. She hoped he would see in her eyes the words she couldn't say.

Silently, he gazed at her, and she could see the love for her glowing in the depths of his amber eyes. She remembered the first time she ever saw him, how intrigued she was by their color; liquid honey, precious gold. How he had stolen glances at her across the Biology desk, her skin prickling under his gaze.

Over the years, she had learned to read his moods by watching the color of his eyes. As he stared at her now, all she could see in the golden depths were love and loss and longing.

Edward frowned in concentration, slowly bringing his head down to hers, watching her face, as he silently asked her permission, begging her. She closed her eyes as, ever so softly, he placed a tender kiss on her lips.

"Moonlight."

He laughed. "I taste like moonlight?"

"Yup!" She grinned at him as she twirled a strand of her long mahogany hair in her fingers. "And something else, too. Why don't you kiss me again, and I'll try and figure out what it is."

He was only too happy to oblige, grabbing her waist and spinning her around in his arms, before kissing her passionately.

She could feel his hunger, and she instantly recognized his overwhelming need for her, because it was the exact same way she felt about him.

His lips were as hard as diamonds, and she reveled in the feel of his ice-cold mouth against her own warm skin. She moaned against him as his tongue flicked against hers, and the taste of him filled her mouth.

She pulled away from him with a wide smile. "Toffee! Moonlight and Toffee!"

She woke with a start, disoriented and confused. For the shortest of moments, she thought she was back in her old bedroom at her father's weatherboard house in Forks. She could almost hear the wind rustling through the trees in the forest behind the house, and smell the coffee Charlie was brewing downstairs in the kitchen.

An agonized sob ripped through the air as reality crashed down around her. She wasn't back in her bedroom with its purple bedspread and creaky floorboards. She was in her hospital bed, in the tiny sterile room that smelled of bleach and grief; the place where death would finally seek her out.

Waking from dreams of Edward was the worst kind of torture. The memories that haunted her sleep were filled with visions of him, and they only made the loneliness cut more deeply.

Edward.

A movement in the corner of the darkening room made her gasp. He moved quickly out of the shadows to her side, concern and anxiety marring his handsome features.

"Bella? Are you okay?" he asked her softly.

"You're really here?" she said, with a bewildered smile. She had thought he was just another dream, another moment of happiness she would eventually wake from.

He smiled at her sadly. "Yes, I'm really here." He reached for the glass of water on her beside table, offering it to her before pulling the blankets up around her.

Gratefully, she took a long sip of the water, feeling it soothing her parched throat and bringing relief to her chapped, dried lips. She glanced out the window. Night time was descending and the room was almost dark; visiting hours would be over very soon.

As if reading her thoughts, he gently took her hand in his. "When the nurse comes back, I'll have to go." She flinched at his words, unable to bear the thought of him leaving her so soon, but he continued hurriedly, "But if you would like me to, I could come back...later."

"Please?" She hated how needy she sounded, but just a few hours with him was not long enough. The time she had left was precious now, and she didn't want to waste a single second of it.

"Bella, I'll never, ever leave you alone again," he whispered as he touched his lips to her forehead.

Just then, the nurse swept through the door, and Edward touched Bella's hand with a soft smile as he turned to go. The nurse chatted away as she performed the last checks and observations of the day before scribbling on the chart that hung on the end of her bed. Bella barely heard a word she said, lost in her own thoughts and marveling at the fact she had seen her beloved Edward again.

The nurse flicked off her bedside lamp. "Goodnight, Bella. I'll see you in the morning," she said as she clicked the door shut.

"But if I lose you, what have I left to hope for?" Edward quoted, his voice deep and gravelly in her ear.

She sighed wistfully, reaching her hand out to carefully touch the intricately carved monument that marked the lovers' crypt. The cold stone held so much history, so many stories of times past, she could almost feel the memories brushing against her fingertips.

It was hard to believe she was really here at the grave of Heloise and Abelard.

There were other tourists milling around the site. A group posed for a photo in front of the pillars, while others tucked handwritten letters into the crypt's delicate stonework. Bella smiled. She had no need to leave a token for the celebrated lovers. She had already found her true love.

Edward came to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "Okay?" he asked quietly. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Her emotions were running too close to the surface, and she didn't want to end up a weepy mess.

They stood in silence for a few moments, breathing in the wintry Paris air and enjoying the comfort of each other's arms.

She opened her eyes. It was sometime in the depths of the night, and everything was pitch black. She didn't need to see him to know he was there.

"Edward?" she called anxiously.

She heard a quiet click and then her bedside lamp was casting a soft glow across the room.

"I'm right here," he said, from beside her bed. She turned to the sound of his voice, reaching for him. He was too far away. Desperately, she grasped his hand, needing him closer. They had spent so long apart, the thought of letting him go again made her insides twist, the despair rising like bile in her throat.

Her breathing was ragged and strained, the sound of her failing lungs rasping out too-short breaths echoed across the room. She winced at how pitiful she sounded, hating herself for not having more strength. Desperately, she wished that she had more time.

In the night, the pain was always worse, the weariness would weigh down on her limbs, pushing on her chest and threatening to suffocate her. Tonight it seemed even more tenacious, an iron grip constricted her heart, and the pain was vivid and raw against her bones.

She didn't need to say anything. He just gently moved her over before carefully climbing onto the bed beside her. He reached back and clicked the light off again, and then cradled her weak , fragile body in his arms. She curled up on her side against him, feeling herself relax into his embrace.

"I'm not going anywhere," he murmured against the top of her head, leaving little soft kisses against her hair.

"Thank you..." she whispered against his chest. She clenched her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears from escaping, "...for everything." The effort of speaking was almost too much to bear, and she could feel her heart stuttering in her chest.

Saying good-bye was infinitely more painful than anything time could have inflicted on her.

His arms pulled tighter as she spoke, and she imagined his love was wrapping around her, holding the broken pieces of her body together. His strong embrace a shield from the agony in her heart, the cool relief of his body soothing the physical pain that was making the breath catch in her throat.

His sweet breath washed over her, and she closed her eyes as his tender kisses made the world fade away around her.

She was no longer an old woman on the edge of death.

She was young and beautiful, her long mahogany hair sweeping across the pillow that she shared with her lover.

"I'll always love you, Bella," he whispered into the darkness.

A/N:
I am beyond nervous posting this last chapter. I hope this was what you were expecting, and I hope I did it justice.

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Long ass end of story notes and thank yous:

*SOB* My first ever chaptered story is done! I was hopelessly naive when I signed up for the Twi25 and totally underestimated how much of a challenge this would be. It's been an awesome ride and I have learnt SO much over the past few months. While there are *cough* a few things that I would do differently if I was to do it over again (or if I wasn't trying to rush to meet an insanely tight deadline) I'm beyond happy to be able to hit the complete button on this.

Thank you to my faithful readers. There was a small, loyal little bunch who reviewed every single chapter and to those of you especially - my heartfelt gratitude. To everyone who read, reviewed, alerted, and fav'd - thank you.

I couldn't have done this without my brilliant beta, Betham. Always there to gchat when I needed it, always turning things around with lightning speed, always saying just what I needed to hear. She never once complained about my punctuation fail. ILY, bb. Srsly.

And Vanpirenz. Still makes me grin to think I found you here. You rock my world. Thank you seems terribly inadequate but please know it is heartfelt. You make everything better.

Thank you also to Becauseshecan for making sure I kept things on track for the last few chapters.

I'm not opposed to the idea of outtakes for this so if there is something in particular you wished I had done, or a missing moment that you want to see then let me know. Just... please don't ask me to do EPOV for this last chapter - I dont know if my heart could take it. No promises on when, so click the author alert. Next up for me is another chapter or 2 for Once we were Kings , my black balloon entry. I'm deliriously excited that Kings made it through for the public vote - the poll is open now!

Thank you for reading x