Oh my goodness, here we are, the final chapter of My Vampire Romance. This one really sums things up, and gets things ready for my sequel 'My Vampire apocalypse."
So please read this thoroughly, and make sure you read the authors note at the end, because it's important!!!
So thank you so much for sticking with this story (even when the grammar was shoddy and the plotline sucked!) and I hope you like this chapter!
Charlie
Who would've thought that I, Bella Swan, would have a fairly normal, teenage life for once? Who would've thought that I'd just be messing around and being a kid for once? Sure, I had a hell of a lot of things to work through, and there was a lot in my life that I hadn't sorted out, but for once, who cares? My life was back on track, in fact, it was better than it had been since before I had become a spy, back when I was living at home with my mom, just messing around. Things were good for once, and that's all I could ask for.
'Bella, shoot!' Paul shouted. And for once, that sentence didn't mean I was about to kill someone. It meant I was about to win. For once.
There was a loud beeping as I kicked the soccer ball, slamming it into the back of the net past the goalies outstretched hands. There was that moment where you can't believe something had happened; that you don't even know what had happened. 'We won!' I shouted when everyone was silent.
And, literally, the crowd went crazy!
I was grabbed and put on Jacob and Jared's shoulders, with Paul, Sam, Jared and Embry shouting my name and clapping me on the back. I knew Emmett, Edward, Caleb and Charlie were all stood on the bleachers – well, they were perhaps the loudest spectators anyone could ask for. We'd played 5 games in this tournament, and every time we'd won, I'd get deafened by my boys! But I didn't care, because we won!
"Here we are guys! Congratulations!" Coach Phillips came over with the trophy, giving it to...me. Well, that was a surprise. I didn't think about it – I didn't allow myself to – I just held the trophy up as high as I could whilst the boys all cheered below me and all the spectators from my school yelled our names and chanted the name of our school.
It was a perfect moment while it lasted.
"Bella! Well done, but we gotta go!" Emmett ran and lifted me from Jake and Jared's shoulders whilst I handed the trophy to Sam. Though I noticed Em gave Jake a high five and a slap on the back afterwards. Maybe things between the werewolves and the vampires wouldn't be so bad anymore...
"Congratulations, baby!" Edward said, suddenly at my side and spinning me round in a circle with a sweet kiss. "Are you ready to go?"
"She doesn't have time to be ready, we have to leave!" Emmett said exasperated, sprinting as fast as he could without drawing attention to himself to the car. After a few moments of shaking my head at him, I yelled an exasperated goodbye to the boys and sprinted as fast as I could after him, with Edward, Caleb and Charlie close to my side.
"Emmett, relax, we have two hours yet!" I scoffed when we were in the car and speeding towards the Cullen mansion.
He gave me a sceptical look in the mirror. "Alice is in charge – two hours early is two hours late to her. You should know that by now, Bells." He growled, his grip on the steering wheel getting tighter. "Besides, the little pixie scares me to death." He muttered under his breath. I just rolled my eyes at Edward, stifling a giggle – though I would never admit that Alice scared the crap out of me, too.
We pulled into the Cullen drive, whizzing past the trees so fast that they were just a blur of green. The brakes screeched as he pulled up to the front of the house and we all jumped out of the car, aiming to get into the house as fast as we could without being spotted by-. "Shit." Emmett muttered, looking up at Alice on the front porch, who was tapping her foot impatiently as she watched us all scramble out of the car like kids caught doing something wrong. We must've looked a right sight, especially me, dirty and sweaty from the multiple soccer games I had played in the rain that had now eased up.
"I let you go on the condition you were back here in plenty of time!" she shrieked, marching down the porch and grabbing my arm. "You boys – get cleaned up and get your suits on, or there will be trouble! And Bella...eww, just eww!" she moaned, taking in my filthy appearance.
"Relax, Alice." Caleb rolled his eyes whilst the rest of us held our breath. Caleb was going to die, I was certain of it.
"Relax? Relax! Emmett and Rosalie are getting married in two hours, and no-one is ready!!"
*
Two hours of scrubbing, spraying and general cleaning up later, I stood in front of the huge mirror in Rosalie's bathroom, helping Alice to fix the brides hair whilst trying to avoid ruining my own bridesmaid dress. Alice and Rose had been planning this in secret with Esme for months, and now the big day was here – the day I would officially get a new sister.
Alice and I were bridesmaids, and unfortunately dressed the same. We were both in scarlet dresses, floor length and made of silk so soft that it felt like water. It was plain, expect for the sides of the dress, which had black roses intertwining all the way up to my neck. I had red heels to match. The only problem with the dress (in Alice's opinion, anyway) was the fact that it showed my recently acquired scars, and the various tattoos I had. I knew this was going to get me funny looks, but for the moment, who cares?
"Do you think my hair looks alright like this?" Rose fretted for what must've been the third time in the space of five minutes. "I mean, it looks alright down, and I shouldn't have done anything fancy with it?"
"Relax, Rose." I soothed. "You look beautiful, and my brother won't be able to keep his eyes off you! I'm pretty sure he'll be staring at something other than your hair..." it was true, Rosalie looked gorgeous. We had left her hair until last, and her dress was already on; it was white until the bottom, where it started to tinge pink, because, as she had put it 'she wasn't exactly pure'. The bodice was covered in diamonds, and it had small princess sleeves just under the shoulders. Her lovely blonde hair was straight, hanging down her back like a river. Her make-up was natural – she didn't need it, she was gorgeous enough as it was.
We all turned to the door as Carlisle knocked. As the door swung open, I heard the sound of Pachelbel's Canon tinkling on the piano, though I didn't know who was playing. Since the episode with Aiden, I had really noticed how good my senses actually were, though I didn't want to talk about it. I had avoided being alone with Carlisle for the simple fact that I really didn't want to know what was supernatural about me – at least not whilst I was still human.
"Are you ready, ladies?" he asked us politely, a smile lighting up his face.
"Yes, I think so." Rose gulped. She turned to me and Alice, grasping each of our hands in hers. "Thank you so much for being my bridesmaids and getting me ready – you really are my sisters."
"You're welcome, Rose. But let's go, Emmett's waiting for you. Bella!" she shrieked as I leant forward and gave Rose a sisterly hug. "If you had messed anything up I would've murdered you." She sighed, seeing that my dress was still perfect.
"Whatever, pixie, let's go." I muttered, following Rose and Carlisle out of the bedroom and onto the landing. I leant over the banister; almost upside down as I watched to see how many people were actually there. There were some people from school, including the werewolves, which I was surprised about. Charlie was sat at the front with Esme; some relatives from Alaska were sat behind them, with Caleb sat beside a black-haired woman; there were plenty of people I didn't know; and there was Jasper, sat at the piano, playing Canon and waiting for Alice, I presumed. And there at the front was my brother, looking slightly flustered, with Edward stood tall by his side – the best man in every sense.
In other words, I was going to have to walk down the aisle in a revealing dress in front of too many people.
"Bella," Carlisle chuckled. "It's about to be your turn, sweetheart."
I slid off the banister – no joke, a wooden banister and silk? I'm surprised I didn't go over the side – and stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at the stairs and wishing that I wasn't a bridesmaid after all. Seriously, heels and this long dress? It wasn't like me at all!
"Off you go, Bella, Alice." Rose whispered to us. "Good luck."
"Same to you, Rose. Have an amazing day." We began our descent as the wedding march started, and the sound of chairs moving as all the guests stood up. I made it down the stairs, and turned towards the aisle to make my way to the front. I locked eyes with Edward instantly, skipping everyone else in the room. I did have the satisfaction of seeing his jaw drop before I turned away, concentrating on making it to the front.
Alice's arm was looped through mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze as people did exactly what I thought they would do. Every person on my side of the room turned to someone next to them and whispered not so subtly. I saw the points and stares my body was getting, and it was starting to get to me. But nevertheless I kept my head high, pretending that nobody else existed but me and Edward, who was glaring at anyone he saw looking at me funny.
But then it was over, and I was stood at the altar with Edward, taking his arm and standing by his side. I leant over and gripped Emmett's shoulder for a moment, feeling him relax slightly.
And then Rose walked into the room.
I didn't think I had ever seen my brother look as happy as the moment when Rosalie stepped off the last step and the wedding march hit a new tempo. She seemed to radiate light into everyone that watched her as she got ever closer to the aisle, never taking her eyes off Emmett for a moment. Whatever I had said in the past about them getting married too soon was instantly marred at that moment – they were so deeply in love that it actually hurt to look at them.
But there was one man in the room who wasn't watching the happy couple as they stood in front of Mr. Weber, who was conducting the ceremony.
I turned to see Edward smiling down at me. His hands folded around my waist, and he pulled me away from my brother slightly so that we weren't as much in the limelight as we had been. His chin rested on my right shoulder, so that he could whisper to me without anyone seeing or hearing – not even the vampires.
"You look stunning, Bella, don't let anyone make you think otherwise. Anyone who was staring at your scars instead of your face was a fool, because they were missing something beautiful." As if to emphasise his words, he kissed the new burn on my shoulder, from where the fire had pierced my exposed skin.
"I'm glad you think so. It honestly doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, as long as you're okay with how I look." I whispered self-consciously.
"Are you crazy?" he murmured against my cheek. "Me being alright with how you look? You are, and always will be the most beautiful thing in my world. Don't let anything make you lose faith in that. You're my soulmate, Bella, and I will love you forever, even if you stop loving me."
Thunderous applause cut our conversation short, and we hurried to join in as though we were paying attention. It was now official – Rose was now Mrs. Rosalie Swan; my sister in law.
"Congratulations, Em, Rose." I said, hugging my brother and sister in law when they broke apart from the killer kiss.
"Thanks, Bells!" Em hugged me tightly then pulled away, turning to his new wife and smiling down at her with nothing but pure love. They would be so happy together; after all, they did have eternity to make each other happy.
But I felt oddly out of place again as I stood there on my own (Edward having gone over to congratulate my brother after I had, and getting into a conversation with his cousins from Alaska), like it had done so many times after I came to Forks. I backed away from the main group, standing at the side of the room and just observing.
Caleb was stood with...Kate, was her name? Talking and laughing with her like I remembered we used to do so long ago – I knew he had a bright future in front of him, maybe with Kate? All I knew was that he was going to be happy in whatever he did, and that his suffering was finally over now that I was out of the main part of his life – I didn't need Alice to tell me that.
Charlie was stood with Edward, laughing at something he had said, and occasionally smiling towards where his son was stood. He'd have it rough, especially when he got older and his family didn't, but he'd pull through. Emmett was happy, so Charlie would be, and when Charlie died, it wouldn't be sad, it would be full of memories. Charlie had a good life ahead of him.
Esme and Carlisle were perhaps the luckiest parents on the planet. They were stood with the cousins from Alaska, Esme had her arm around a blonde one, talking. Carlisle...he was serene as usual. He'd keep the family safe, and keep order for years to come.
My brothers and sisters had each other, as well as their life partners. Emmett and Rose were stood with a gaggle of people. Rose was in her element, I thought with a laugh, and Emmett just looked happy to be with her. Alice was talking as usual, and Jasper just looked down at her with love practically radiating from his eyes. They would never leave each other – it was just the beginning of an entire lifetime that they had to be with each other.
I snapped out of it, blinking and coming to. I didn't know why I was talking as though I was leaving again; I had too many reasons to stay. But maybe, like my mother, there was always that thought in the back of my head that said 'stop, and back off before someone gets hurt'. But in this case, I was the only one who had been hurt. There was no reason to leave now, was there? Could I stay with the Cullen's forever, or was I destined to be alone for the rest of my short life?
No, was my only thought as Edward turned from Charlie, scanning the room from me. The thought was clear as his eyes met mine, full of anxious love, and relief now that he had spotted me. He started to walk over to me, but I shook my head, starting to head towards the back door. I needed time away from the happiness and face reality – I needed to think. I hadn't given my future much thought since the 'accident' as everyone was so fond of calling it. The only reason I didn't think about it was because it made me immensely angry with everyone every time I did.
So I backed away, walking briskly from the wedding and out into the back garden, heading straight for the woods to a place that I had found really recently. It was only a few moments from the Cullen house, but it was secluded by trees, so no-one would be able to see me out here.
I broke through the trees into my special place, exhaling deeply as its beauty astounded me yet again.
I was stood at the edge of a cliff, overlooking a valley with a river snaking through it. There were two mountains shoulder to shoulder opposite, and from in-between them I could watch the red sun set lower in the sky, allowing the vampires to step out of the house and enjoy the party in the back garden. A slight breeze blew over me, swirling my hair around my face. I closed my eyes and inhaled, letting the pure peace and calm of the place sooth me, and letting me drift away into the dark sanctuary of my own mind.
I had made the decision to stay, that much was for sure. I knew that to leave now might well kill me, as well as Edward. The others could live without me, but he couldn't, I knew he couldn't.
That was made up.
Becoming a vampire? It was something I needed to do in order to break the cycle that had gone on for too long. The women in my family had been cursed with having to do spy work for their entire lives, and from what I had found about it during my recovery period, it always ended up in some form of mysterious death. In order to save any other females that would descend from me if I stayed human, I would have to become a vampire. I couldn't let another Swan face the heart-breaking choices and awful memories that I and my ancestors had had to carry.
That was made up.
The only problem I had now was whether or not I could fit into both the Cullen family and normal society without feeling I didn't belong there. For the Cullen family, I just couldn't take the love and understanding they had without feeling that there must be some catch – it had come with all I had seen, all the death and destruction that I had either caused or aided in. As for fitting into society, it was almost the same, I had just seen too much. Plus, judging by the looks my scars and burns were getting at the wedding, society didn't much want me anyway...
"Bella?" I pulled away from my thoughts and whirled to the sound of Edward's voice, my body automatically going into defensive mode. "It's okay, it's only me." he said, holding his hands up with his palms towards me in as though in surrender.
"Sorry – habit."
"Don't worry about it." he sighed, walking through the last bit of the trees towards me, taking me into his arms when he reached me. "What's with exiling yourself? Are you feeling alright?"
Ever since the 'accident' he had been asking me if I was alright on a regular basis. But I didn't complain, not anymore, anyway. As he had rightly said, he loved me, and there was nothing I could do about that. "I'm fine, I just needed to get away from people for a while." I sighed, turning back to the sunset.
"I'm sorry for what they did." He snarled through gritted teeth. "I wanted to beat the shit out of them for staring at you like that."
"They can go to hell, because I don't really care anymore, to be honest." I turned back to him, to find that he was staring at me in wonder again. "Something interesting?" I teased. He gulped, suddenly looking very nervous. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." He pulled away, running a hand through his hair and laughing shakily. "It's just that I was planning something, and I really don't know how to do it, now."
"Edward Cullen, not knowing how to do something? Perish the thought!" I laughed. But the smile was soon wiped off my face as he sunk to one knee, pulling a box out of his jacket pocket. "You dropped something, right?"
"No. Isabella Swan," my heart was beating so fast that I thought it might burst out of my chest. But I wasn't scared...okay I was scared, but it was a good scared. "I love you more than anyone and anything, and I will love you until after the end of time. Your wish is my command, and I promise to take care of you whether you need it not. Babe, I know it's soon, and that we haven't really been together as long as other people, but I mean this with all my heart: will you marry me?"
I had to breathe a few times before I could say anything coherently, or without vomiting. I knew there was only one answer I could give him, only one answer that would make everything be alright again. Only one answer that would keep us both safe forever....
"Yes, Edward, I will marry you." I laughed, letting him slip the fricking rock on my finger and spin me around in a circle, laughing and kissing him as much as I possibly could. "I love you." I whispered as he set me down with his arms locked tightly around me waist, not moving my head from his shoulder.
"I love you too, and I always will."
And he would.
As the sun finally set, I realized that I really did have a lot to live for. And even if my troubles were still waiting to pounce on me the second I burst out of my happy bubble, I could face them, as long as I had Edward by my side.
*Blinks a few times* oh my goodness, that's it, My Vampire Romance is finished! I can't believe it! I honestly that now, after 8 months I have actually finished this story!
I really, really want to thank those of you who have stuck with this from the beginning – mainly OLYMPICCOVEN, who I can remember gives good constructive criticism – you guys rock, honestly, and I hope you'll stick around for my next story, which I'll hopefully (fingers crossed) will be starting tomorrow!
So what did you guys think of this story, and this last chapter? Please, please, please review me, because it will have made the efforts of these past 8 months really worthwhile!
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you when the sequel to this story: 'My Vampire Apocalypse' is released! (Btw, please don't try and guess the plot from the title, I have literally just made it up!)
See you real soon!
Charlie
