Choices

A/N: Thank you for choosing to read my story.

Stephenie Meyer – Thank you for the inspiration.

Time in a Bottle – Jim Croce 'Bad Bad Leroy Brown'

Epilogue

BPOV

They spent several hours wandering together, as Edward patiently taught her signs to look for and the different scents of the animals. Finally, she watched him bring down a caribou. He was magnificent as he chased it, herding it away from its fellows, with Bella close behind. She reveled in the speed and the pure joy of running, even as she thrilled to watch Edward leap on the animal's back and wrestle it, breaking its neck in a moment. He showed her how and where to bite, and then stepped back to let her feed.

The thick hot blood soothed the ache in her throat as she drank, back to the point of it being no more than a scratchy feeling once again. This was going to be easier than she imagined, and Edward was surprised at her restraint.

"Most newborns ravage their prey in a kind of feeding frenzy and tend to drink past the point of comfort. You took all you wanted, but without the mess. That's impressive," he said, as he smiled at her. She smiled back, taking his hand as she began to walk back in the direction of the house.

"Wait, Bella. There's something else I have to show you before we go back. Come, run with me." Edward sprinted off through the trees, Bella at his heels in a moment. They ran, laughing as they vaulted tumbled logs and icy streams. Soon they passed the tree line, and moments later, they broke through the cloud cover. Multi-hued sparkles burst across the surface of their skin, scattering dancing rainbows over the crystalline snow. Bella halted in her tracks, speechless over the diamond-like effect. She had thought Edward beautiful before, but now he was dazzling. She caressed his face, fascinated by the glitter of her hand against his skin as he smiled at her.

"Now you see the real reason we avoid sunlight, Bella. You'll soon learn that much of vampire mythology is careful misdirection," he said as he took her hand to lead her back down the mountain.

They began their run back, at a much slower pace to allow for conversation.

"Twenty Questions, and complete honesty," she suggested, after a few minutes of silence began to feel awkward.

"All right. Shoot."

"Are you Anthony Masen or Edward Cullen?"

He laughed. "Both. I was born Edward Anthony Masen, but I added Cullen after Carlisle changed me. Why were you in my car?"

She shrugged, embarrassed. "I wanted to find out more about you, but there was nothing in it, nothing personal, except the cds. Eclectic taste you have there, by the way. How old are you?"

He watched her face, "Seventeen." He snickered when she rolled her eyes. "I was seventeen when I was turned, but I have a good ninety-eight years experience since. How did you break your hand?"

She glanced at him and chuckled. "I punched Jacob in the mouth. He kissed me at the English Department Christm-"

He stopped and turned her towards him. "He what?" His eyes blazed, making him look even more like an avenging angel than usual.

She smiled at his expression. "Don't be jealous. Obviously I didn't enjoy it, or I wouldn't have punched him." He continued to glare at her.

"Jealousy has nothing to do with it. He crossed a line. You don't kiss a woman unless she gives you permission…" He trailed off, and a look of shame came over his face.

"Oh, this should be good," Bella said with a smile, and she crossed her arms. "Do you have something to share?"

He actually scuffed his foot, and she had to hold in the laughter at how like a little boy he could be.

"I may have stolen a kiss. From you. That night in my suite."

"You may have?" She tried to look stern, but he was too cute in his discomfort. He opened his mouth, and the words tumbled out.

"I did. I couldn't help myself, you were too beautiful in my bed; you smelled so good all sleepy and warm, and I had just given you CPR, so I knew I could control myself, and I thought if-"

"Whoa, there, cowboy. Back up," she held up her hand as her brow furrowed. "Why did I need CPR, and why is this the first I've heard about it?"

He took her hands in his and pulled her close. "After the first kiss, the one you gave me in your sleep, you stopped breathing. Your heart rate was all over the place. It wasn't full CPR, just mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but Bella, I already knew I couldn't lose you. That was when I realized I loved you." He smiled sheepishly as he took in her shocked expression. "You made me renounce Darcy, and I never expected to do that."

She stared at him in wonder. "Edward, exactly how many times have you saved my life?"

"Just that once. Technically, stopping your suicide would not have saved you, as you'd lost too much blood and had all those drugs in you. And changing you actually took your life. I suppose if you count all the times I resisted killing you, six, although I counted each second near you as a victory over my nature. That would put it over a million. But for Twenty Questions' sake, let's go with six."

"Six. You wanted to kill me five times? I mean, I know you wanted to, and I'm glad you resisted; it just sort of hit me how much danger I really was in." She stepped out of the circle of his arms and sat down on a snow-drifted log with a dazed look on her face. He chuckled and sat next to her, reaching for her hand.

"You know I craved your blood, Bella, and to be fair, I did tell you I was dangerous. Repeatedly."

Realization dawned, and she gazed at him wide-eyed, accusing. "Biology. I thought you left because of me! I dreamed of you for years, nightmares of chasing you, begging to know why, what I had done to make you hate me so much you had to leave. You told me you were ill – that it had nothing to do with me, but you actually left so you wouldn't eat me."

He nodded and kissed her hand. "Bella, it had everything to do with you! I didn't exactly lie, though, because I was ill; I was sick with desire for your blood. It made me more dangerous, and especially to you. Your blood smelled so incredibly delicious to me, it was all I could do not to kill you as you sat next to me. I imagined multiple ways of taking you and draining you, and when that one hour was over, I did leave, not because I hated you, but because I hated myself and the thirst. I left to save you, and in the end, the choices I made didn't do any good. Instead, I only caused you pain." His beautiful face was anguished. "I'm so sorry, Bella. Can you ever forgive me?"

She put her head on his shoulder. "I'm pretty sure I forgave you for everything the first time you turned that million watt smile on me in Jake's shop. You coming in that day was awfully convenient. Did you know I was going to be there?"

He shrugged and put his arm around her. "I may have been eavesdropping on Jake and Quil the day before. I'd intended to go in to ask about my car, but they were talking about you, so I listened. Jake mentioned he was going fishing, and the shop would be closed. I did a bit of research and found your apartment. Since I can't read your mind, it's lucky for me that you talked to Bert, and you said you were going to take something to the shop. All I had to do was show up."

"That's extremely creepy and stalker-like behavior, Edward. I'm not sure how I feel about that, knowing you were lurking around my apartment," she scolded.

"Then remind me not to tell you about the night I spent in the tree outside your bedroom," he laughed, and she rolled her eyes. "Speaking of creepy behavior and trees, what possessed you to decorate yours with our clothes?" he asked.

She sighed. "Nothing else seemed right. I know, it's weird, but it made perfect sense to me at the time. I was probably drunk," she snorted, and he smiled against her hand as he kissed it. "You put this back on me, didn't you? Why?" She indicated Jake's ring on her finger.

He pulled her close and played with one curl of her hair. "You won't be able to see him again, Bella. You might be able to manage a call or two, but even your voice is different now. It's best, for him especially, if he thinks I simply returned for you and took you away. He won't like that you're with me, I'm sure, but at least he will know you are cared for. Besides, he should have expected it. I did tell him to take better care of you or I would be back to take you from him. I just didn't expect him to fail so grandly. Kissing you…" he shook his head.

Bella shifted in his arms to look at him. "You told him you'd take me from him? Edward, I was never his to begin with. I only wanted to be with you. I doubt he'll miss me anyway," she said, settling back against his chest. "He has Emily now, and I think he'll be happier with her than he ever imagined he would be with me."

"Jake has a girlfriend? Why am I the last to know this?"

She giggled, and he tightened his hold on her. "Because you don't like to talk about him. Back to the questions: Why did you force yourself to eat that pizza? I can't even imagine how horrible it would taste now."

"It was quite nasty: rubbery and slimy. I was trying to pass as human, and you had already noticed I didn't eat much. I saw the way you looked at our plates at Maximilien. And on the subject of slimy and rubbery, why did you eat the escargots? You can't tell me you truly enjoyed those?"

She laughed and kissed his cheek. "How could I resist? I would have eaten nearly anything that night – there was a very sexy man on the other end of the fork."

"You think I'm sexy?"

Bella clenched her jaw to keep from laughing out loud at the astonishment on his face. She reached up and tugged gently on his hair until his lips were within reach, and she kissed him sweetly.

"Very."

She smiled and stood, pulling him up more easily than she expected. He winced.

"Ow."

Instantly she was concerned. "Did I hurt you? Wait, how could I hurt you?"

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. "As a newborn, you are a great deal stronger than an older vampire. It didn't hurt much, truly," he said, as he rubbed his wrist. She held her hand out, and he gave his over for her to examine. She kissed it and gave it back as a thought struck her.

"Edward, you said Alice can see the future. All of it, just certain things or what?"

"Her visions are dependent upon the choices people make. She could see several outcomes of a situation, depending upon what someone decides to do."

"She told me to take things slowly with you, because you've been alone a long time and you've never really been in a relationship before. Is that right?"

"She interferes like that, if that's what you are asking, but I'm sure it isn't. You are my first… everything, Bella. Why?"

"So, I'm trying to understand… she knows you're inexperienced, and I am, too. So what would make her think we wouldn't take our time?"

"She tries to hide her thoughts from me, but I caught a glimpse of a lot of white lace earlier… I'm sure she has her heart set on designing a wedding gown for you, and she doesn't want to miss out on the opportunity."

"A… what?"

He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and nuzzling her neck. "A wedding gown, Bella. Something a woman wears when she walks down the aisle towards the man who would be eternally grateful that she agreed to be his wife. Would you like one? Or would you rather just live in sin with me? Think carefully. Wouldn't it make things easier on your friends, and your mother, if they had a lovely black and white wedding photo to look at on the mantel for the rest of their lives?"

She closed her eyes, and he kissed her, the sizzle more pronounced than before. They broke apart, his eyes a dark honey as he waited for her answer. Bella stepped back from him, hands on her hips.

"Let me get this straight. You want to marry me."

"More than anything."

"And Alice wants to make me a wedding dress."

"Very much."

"Right now, I'm a lot stronger than you."

"True… I'm not sure where you're going with this." His hand went into his hair, and she smiled. It had been a while since he'd done that, and she missed it.

"So, if I were to chase you… and catch you…"

"Go on…"

"I could totally take you."

"What an intriguing idea. How fast do you suppose you can run?"

"I don't know. How fast can Alice sew?"

Edward laughed and got down on one knee, taking her hand. "Bella, I love you, and I want to be bound to you in every possible manner. Your blood is already part of me, just as my heart belongs completely to you. Please do me the great honor of becoming my wife."

"Yes."

He rose, and his arms wrapped around her as he kissed her. She ran her hands through his hair and across his shoulders, then down his chest to his shirt buttons, popping the first one open. He gently pulled her hands from his shirt, kissed her wrists and laughed.

"Bella, what are you doing?"

"Well, I just figured we could do the living in sin thing until the dress is ready, you know, for practice. Unless, of course, you think you can outrun me long enough for Alice to make more than one sleeve."

Edward laughed. "Why are you so anxious to practice, my love? We have all the time in the world."

Bella raised one brow. "If you recall, just a few hours ago, I had no feeling from the hips down. Now I do," she growled.

Edward's face actually paled a bit and he swallowed. "I see your point. If I may say, forever is going to be a lot more fun with you around."

Bella smirked, reaching again for his shirt. Edward moved and she followed, leaving nothing behind but a scattering of buttons in the snow.

FIN

A/N: Thank you for joining me on this journey. It's been an interesting ride. I've learned a great deal about writing, and readers, in the almost two years I have spent working on this story. I have made some very good friends and I will miss connecting with them through Choices. My Twitter is mumager, if you'd like to stay in touch.

Thanks are due to those who have wrestled through this with me: my family, for putting up with late nights, inattention, and fend-for-yourself meals; my RL friends who are just now starting to understand what it was I was doing instead of hanging out with them; my Production Team- Betas Vampire_Lover93, DeviKalika and Momma Laura, and pre-readers DanySpike, _The_Buxom_Bitch_, and StellaWiki, among others. Choices would not be what it is without your support, input and dedication.

I especially want to thank all those who have touched this story with their comments, suggestions and reviews. I'm still astonished by the number of readers, and the many countries you represent. This fandom truly is universal, and I am humbled that you wanted to spend your time reading this.

I do have a few other story ideas knocking about in my head. Don't be surprised if they refuse to stay there.

Love and gratitude,

bandmum