I've earned through hope and faith

The curves around your face

That I'm the one you'll hold forever.

If morning never comes for either one of us,

Then this I pray to you wherever.

I'll do anything for you.

This story is for you.

I'll do anything for you,

Kill anyone for you.

So leave yourself intact

'Cause I won't be coming back.

In a phrase to cut these lips,

I loved you.

The morning will come

In the press of every kiss

With your head upon my chest

Where I will annoy you

With every waking breath

Until you decide to wake up

Chapter 36: Wake Up

Alice POV

Alice no!

Bella please wake up.

My eyes squeezed shut and my hands ached. Everything throbbed. My familiar home brought no feeling of warmth with it now.

I sat in vigil. A guard standing over the body of a fallen soldier.

Please wake up

The relentless torture of the ticking clock behind me continued its dull rhythm, reminding me of exactly how long it had been.

Eight hours, twenty six minutes, and forty five seconds. Forty six. Forty seven…

We sat alone, content but not comfortable in my old room. Our old room.

The house remained stiff and silent. A reunited family hushed by a pending outcome.

My chest wheezed painfully as I felt another panic attack coming. I closed my eyes again and thought of the only person that could calm me down.

"Why are you afraid?" The image of Bella sat casually on the bed next to her body. If my Bella couldn't be here, at least my imaginary one could be.

"I can't lose you."

"But you can't really ever lose me." Her eyes twinkled and she winked at me. Despite the situation, and my teetering sanity, I rolled my eyes.

"Not what I mean Bella." She smiled and peered down at herself, frowning.

"Do you think I'll wake up?"

"I don't know." My hands began to shake violently again and I shook my head side to side. "I can't talk about this. Please change the topic."

"Can you see me?"

"You're right in front of me." I whispered, confused by the question.

"No, can you see me?"

"Oh." I concentrated hard, looking desperately for any future of my mate. "No. But I haven't been able to for years. That doesn't mean…"

"But what about your future? You can see your future right?"

"I-I don't know." Once I again I focused on the future, this time for mine. "Please stop. I can't keep talking about this."

"I don't really have control of the topics here." Bella's shadow shrugged and slumped back against the bed.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm not really her Alice. I'm just your mind's image of her. So I speak whatever is on your mind." I pondered this and sat down next to the real Bella, deflated. The wound from Aro's venom had not yet healed, only fueling my concern more. "Do you think it'll scar?" Shadow Bella asked, watching me study my wife's face.

"I don't know. Honestly as long as you wake up, I wouldn't care if you have a hundred scars. I'd love you just the same." I ran my fingers along the angry red line that fell down across her face, just narrowly missing her eye.

"Don't I though?" My imaginary Bella had become serious as she laid a hand on her chest. "I have much more than a hundred scars."

"Yes. I guess you do." I sighed and looked back down again. Bella had more mental scars than anyone I had ever known. "And yet here I am, still loving you."

"Here you are." The imitator smiled and her eyes gleamed so realistically, I had to look away before my heart throbbed.

My ears twitched as I heard the coming footsteps of another to my door.

"Alice? Can I come in?" It was Rosalie. A rare and nerve wracking thing to hear, a request from my sister to enter my room with permission.

She wants to make sure you're ok. They sent her to break the news to you. They think Bella's really gone.

"Why?" I asked carefully, entwining my fingers with Bella's cold and lifeless ones.

"Alice please."

"Fine." Rosalie entered the room quietly, as if she was afraid to wake a sleeping dragon. "Why are you here?"

"Alice…." She started, but I immediately stopped her before she said anything she would regret.

"No Rosalie. Just no. Bella is going to wake up and that's final. End of discussion."

"But what if-?"

"THERE IS NO WHAT IF HERE! SHE WILL WAKE UP!" Rosalie actually flinched at my outburst, but I had no sympathy. However, the effort it took me to scream had left me tired and missing my usually constant warmth by my side. I sat back down and squeezed Bella's hand hoping that she would give some sign of life soon.

"I know Alice, I know." Rosalie sat opposite of me and gazed down at my mate as well, her eyes filling with tears. "But it's been almost nine hours."

"I don't care." I spat out through gritted teeth.

"She's always woken up within two, maybe three."

"Why are you doing this to me?!"

"I'm not trying to torture you Alice. But I also can't lose you too."

"STOP TALKING ABOUT HER LIKE SHE'S GONE!"

"Alice I –"

"Just get out Rosalie! I don't need this right now!"

To my surprise, she actually followed my request and left without another word. There's a first for everything I guess.

Nine hours. Nine hours is a long time to wait. Sure it's a lot longer than normal, but Bella had gone through an ordeal.

Ten hours. Really she needed her rest. And ten hours was not even half a day's time.

Time continued to tick and I was growing more restless by the minute.

Fifteen hours. I could hear the nervous whispers coming from downstairs. They had started softly, but had grown louder the more time had passed. I grew irritated by their sympathetic and worrying tones. They would be sending another to come bring me to my senses soon.

"Bella please wake up." I cried and tugged at her shirt, begging any and all deities to bring this woman back to me. She did not deserve such a fate.

You killed her.

My mind kept slipping back into the dark place and I was struggling harder than ever to keep it afloat. The venom was killing her. The venom would kill her. Aro was killing her.

"It doesn't matter Alice. I'm still the one that pulled the trigger, so to speak."

"Stop it!" I screamed and clutched my head, betrayed by my memory of Bella's words. I had pulled the trigger on her. Focus on something else. Anything else.

I occupied my mind and ran my nose all along Bella's still body, trying to sense if there was any hint of Aro's venom leftover in her.

"Nothing huh?" My delusion of Bella returned to the room, just as casual as before.

"I'm going to go insane aren't I?" I asked to the lifeless room. The imposter smiled crookedly, breaking my heart with its perfect charm.

"Well you did marry me. The apple does not fall far from- well, the apple it's attached to." I released a dry laugh and tried to focus on the present. "How long are you going to sit here Alice?"

"As long as it takes. Until you wake up."

"Ok. And how long until you finally realize that I'm not going to wake up?"

"Would everyone just stop saying that to me?! You will wake up! And I will be right here when it happens!"

"How many times do I have to keep reminding you that I am you? I'm just spitting out what you're thinking. The comforting package," the shadow gestured to her appearance of likeness to my mate, "that was your choice. Would you rather I change into someone else?" Before I had a chance to respond, the shadow changed and soon I was face to face with the person I hated most in this world.

"You!" I shouted and lunged for the impression of Aro.

"But not me, remember? Still you." He heckled and dodged my attack. "Would you rather be mad at this face? Even though it's not really the one that killed her? Or would you rather be angry at the real person who caused this?" Once again, the image in front of my eyes changed before I could comprehend. Except this time I was left standing in front of a shell of a woman, one that used to look like me.

She was small, cowering in fear, with lips and hands trembling. Her outfit and hair were in complete disarray and her eyes screamed the definition of misery. I reached out to touch her, me I guess, but was jolted from my terrifying thoughts by another knock on the door.

"Alice? Can I come in please?" My father's gentle voice was calling me, but I had no patience for such things.

"GO AWAY CARLISLE! SHE IS GOING TO WAKE UP! I DON'T CARE WHAT ANY OF YOU SAY OR THINK!" He silently walked downstairs without another word.

But you think it too…..

"Please stop." I sobbed and put my face in my hands. This can't be the rest of my life.

"How long until you give up Alice?" The fake Bella reappeared and I threw the thing nearest to me, a lamp, at her head. It just passed right through her, shattering against the wall, and she looked utterly unfazed. "That's not an answer." I crawled over to a nearby bookshelf and began to chuck everything at her.

"GO AWAY!"

"Just tell me when you're going to put us out of our misery Alice?"

"Stop it! Please go away! Go away." My vision blurred at I continued to throw the contents of my room at a blank wall.

Just end us already. End this.

"Stop. Please stop. Please go away. God make it stop!" I collapsed and fell to the floor, nothing was left to throw.

"Alice stop."

"NO! GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Strong arms pulled me up and I struggled against them.

"Alice just stop and look at me!" The shadow cradled my face in her hands and I shoved it away trying to free myself of its death grip, punching everything I could.

"No! Stop being her! Get out of my head!" My blind struggle was surprisingly difficult and I had a hard time fighting. So this was how I was going to die? Victim of my own mind?

"What? I'm not in your head! Alice for fucks sake open your god damn eyes and look at me!" I paused my movements and the breath caught in my throat. If books could go through the imposter, than how could I suddenly feel this impossibly warm body holding mine?

"B-Bella?"

"Alice I'm here. Stop fighting me."

It's not her. It's just an illusion.

But I perked my ears up and listened for the thing I would do anything for. The sound that I vowed to be with forever.

Thump thump. Thump thump.

"BELLA!" I cried and finally turned into the gentle and welcoming arms, burying my face into her chest and nuzzling against the sound I thought I had lost.

"Shhhh. I'm right here Al. I told you I'm not going anywhere remember? Till death do us part." She cooed softly in my ear while running calming hands along my back. Finally when I felt grounded enough to take a step back from her, I pulled away to observe the features I had missed so much.

Bella was honestly the most beautiful creature on this Earth. I would simply describe her as Godly. She smiled lightly down at me, still concerned about what she had just witnessed, but I returned it happily. A small frown came to my face when I noticed the scar had stuck, and I traced it again with my thumb, just glad there was warmth under that skin again.

"Did it leave a mark?" She questioned my reaction and cupped my hand to feel what I was touching.

"A reminder that I almost lost you." I nodded and moved our entwined hands back down together.

"I'm sorry. It's probably not great to look at." She bowed her head in shame, self-conscious of the imperfection.

"Don't." I grabbed her face and held it up proudly. "You could have died. If anything, that scar should be a badge of honor for what you've faced."

"I already have one of those." Bella rubbed her tattooed forearm subconsciously.

"Sometimes I just wish you could see yourself through my eyes. Then you'd know how perfect you are." She smiled sheepishly and leaned down to give me a small kiss, so gentle is was like a feather. "I still can't believe you're alive."

"I'm still here." I placed my hand over her heart and closed my eyes at the sound and feel of it beating underneath my palm. "You did scare the living shit out of me though. What was that?"

"Oh, that. Dear god please don't ever leave me again Bells. I go insane very easily without you."

"Well I won't. I promise." Once again she pulled me flush against her chest for a crushing hug. Bella was my mind's life boat, keeping it safe in this cruel world.

"Good."

"Now, please tell me that Aro is dead." I bit my lip, ashamed of my failure.

"Um…."

"Fuck."

"He slipped away last minute. It was chaotic at the time. Liam and Jasper chased after him, but eventually he got away. On the other hand, Jane and Felix are both gone, as well as most of the guard."

"How's your family?" Bella craned her neck to get a good look of her surroundings. "I don't remember much, but some pieces are coming back to me."

"Everyone's fine. I haven't talked much with them to be completely honest. I was a little preoccupied."

"Right." She rubbed her neck and then sat down back onto the bed. "Sorry I'm just trying to recall what exactly happened. Everything is so fuzzy." I nodded and sat down next to her. I was unsure if she remember exactly how she died, and at whose hands. Would she be mad at me for what I did?

"Take your time. We probably have a good ten minutes before someone comes to check on me again. Then all hell breaks loose. You may have quite a few bones crushed in some hugs." Bella chuckled and got up to walk towards the door.

"Better get that over with then huh?"

"I guess." I grumbled a little put out. I wasn't sure if I was ready to share her again at the moment.

"Hey, I do remember one thing." She stopped us just short of the door.

"What?"

"You saved me."

"You mean I killed you."

"No. I mean you saved my life."

"It didn't really feel like it at the time." Those seconds would probably haunt me for the rest of my life. "Don't ever make me do that again."

"Yes ma'am." Bella gave me a mock salute and opened the door. "I'm awa-" Was all she managed to get out before a blur of color with Esme's scent knocked her back into the wall with a furious amount of motherly love. "Ow."