A/N: Just a heads up, I decided not to do a whole huge epilogue as another chapter. So this is the final chapter, with an epilogue at the end. And so this entry is really quite long, or at least relative to my other chapters, so be prepared :p

BELLA

I could never go back.

Alice was a vampire.

Or would be one...In about two days. Right now she was a human thrashing about in agonizing pain on the bed.

I couldn't go back to Chicago. I couldn't go back to Forks. That was all in my past. Back when vampires and werewolves and vampire hunters didn't exist. It was hard to believe a time like that ever was.

"Bella, you shouldn't be in here," Edward said to me. "When she completely transforms, she's going to go straight at you."

"Isn't there anything you can do for her?" I looked at the vampires in the room. None of them replied.

Jasper had taken us to what was apparently his hide-out in Mississippi. Alice was lying on the bed, in the middle of transformation, or at least at the most painful part. "She should be settling down soon. The pain stops for awhile, and you're just sort of..." Edward tried to explain something I knew I had no way of actually comprehending. "Non-existent. She'll be completely silent for about a day, and then she'll wake up and you're going to be her first top."

"Then I have time to stay with her," I argued. I'd come all this way for Alice. I couldn't leave her. I sat next to her bed as she writhed, wishing there was a way to fix her, or at least put her out of her misery.

Time passed. Rosalie and Edward came and went from the room, while only Jasper and I stayed by her side every minute. I didn't remember the last time I had slept. I looked at Jasper as he sat on the other side of the bed. I hated him. This was his fault. I didn't believe for a split second that he was in love with her. They'd known each other for a month, give or take a few days. There was no way that genuine, healthy love had sprung from a captor-hostage relationship. But he insisted he cared about her. I didn't know why he even bothered.

Alice had entered the silent stage of her transformation. I only had a few hours left with her. I held her hand, now cool to the touch. Jasper paced around the room. "Are you sorry for what you did?" I asked him, making this the first time I had ever directly and personally spoken to him in a one-on-one setting.

He looked up at me, apparently I had broken him from deep though, "What?" he asked as if he had not heard me.

"Are you sorry that you kidnapped her?"

"There's no point in being sorry about anything. What's done is done, and there's nothing I can do to change any of it. So if you think you're going to get me to beat myself up over this, you're wrong."

"I think if you really loved a person, you'd regret ending their life."

"Actually, I think Edward had more of a hand in that than I did," Jasper spat. "I don't recall being the one feeding from her."

I rolled my eyes and looked away from him. I looked at Alice lying on the bed, her eyes closed and body perfectly still. I had come all this way for her. And she was, for all intents and purposes, dead. I couldn't bring her back to her family like this. Maybe we could wait until she could be around humans without killing them and get her some contacts and pass her off as a human. Some concealer could cover up the under eye circles she'd get when she'd be hungry. She could just say she was obsessive about preventing skin cancer and wore tons of sunscreen and that's why she was so pale and never went in the sun. I mean, Edward had fooled me and Alice for the months he had been living with us. Surely we could fool her family.

I stood up and walked around the room to stretch my legs. I went and looked out the window. It was getting to be dark now. I heard Edward and Rosalie enter the room. I sighed and smiled to mysefl. At least I had Edward.

Suddenly I felt cool hands around my throat, but they were quickly pried off. "Alice!" Jasper said scoldingly, "Rose, Edward, a little help here?" I looked to see both Edward and Rosalie having to help Jasper hold Alice back. It was a strange sight- It took all three of them to keep tiny Alice from getting at me. "Alice!" Jasper hissed at her once more. "Bella, get out of here," he glanced at me.

I quickly obeyed, leaving the room and going outside to get some fresh air. Clark sat on the front porch. "She done changing?" he asked. I nodded, taking in what had just happened. I'd barely had time to register the fact that Alice had just tried to kill me. The quick glance I'd gotten at her eyes- It was chilling. I wasn't looking at the Alice I knew. I was looking into the eyes of a stranger, a stranger who wanted nothing more than to drain the life from me. There hadn't even been a hint of recognition in her face. "What are we going to do?" Clark looked at me.

We. I forgot that I'd uprooted Clark. He was my responsibility now. He did have sisters who were probably worried to death about him. I wondered what the police had thought when they found Clark's entire family dead in the basement of their house. I wondered if his sisters held out hope for his survival. They probably did. Why wouldn't they? Why the hell did I bring him with us? God, I could be so incredibly stupid sometimes.

"Do you have like grandparents or something?" I asked. "Do you want to go back?"

"I have grandparents, but how can I go back and live like a regular twelve year old boy when I know all this is out in the world? I knew before, but I hadn't seen any of it, so I didn't really know what I was missing. I don't want to go back to my old life."

"It's selfish of you to do that to your grandparents and your sisters, Clark," I looked at him as I sat next to him on the porch. "They're going to go the rest of their lives wondering if you're dead or alive, and if you're alive if you're happy or not, or in danger or not. You can't force them to live with something like that everyday." My voice was low, passionless.

"So you're just going to ship me back?" Clark was getting upset.

"Don't you love them?"

"...Yes."

"Then you can't just disappear of the face of the earth, Clark! It's not fair to them," I momentarily became more insistent before I went back to feeling lifeless. I was exhausted. I hadn't slept or eaten at least two days. And Alice was a vampire. Great.

"Fine," Clark scowled.

"I'll find some sort of, I don't know, hunter society or something for you. So you can continue training, if that's what you want."

Clark visibly softened at this idea and shrugged. "Okay," he replied. "What am I supposed to say to people when they ask me what happened?"

"We'll think of something later," I replied, not in the mood to put the mental energy into anything.

"Are you okay, Bella?" Edward came out and joined us on the porch. I smiled at him.

"I'm alive," I laughed. "So yeah, I'm good." Edward leaned down and kissed me, bringing me to a genuine smile. He sat next to me, our arms linked, his hand on my knee. It sent shivers through my body and I thought about how if this were any other guy, we would be in the constant sex phase of the relationship. I was sure Edward and I would get there, just after all this shit was settled.

"So, have you thought about what you're going to do now?" he looked at me. I furrowed my brow.

"What do you mean? It's not like I have a lot of options."

"You can't stay with Alice, Bella. It's not practical. It's going to be awhile before she'll be able to keep from attacking you."

"I can't go back to my old life, either, Edward," I replied, slightly angry that he was suggesting I could.

"So...What? You just want to roam around with me?"

"Doesn't sound half bad," I joked, but Edward frowned. "Do you not want me to?"

"How old are you, Bella?"

"You know how old I am." He continued to look at me. "Fine. I'm twenty-one."

"And you've accomplished all you hope to accomplish as a human? Seen everyone you've loved enough? Because if you hope to just roam around with me, your life as a human is over, whether or not you're a vampire."

I was silent as I turned over the facts in my head. I was only twenty-one. There was still a lot I'd like to do as a human, things you couldn't do with a forged identity. I could only rise up so far in society before one day someone would check my papers and discover them to be fraudulent. "But you live like a human," I insisted to him.

"I move around ever two or three years, and after this little experience with Alice and Jasper, I will never befriend another human. You'll never get to be settled, and I know right now the idea of hanging out with me all the time is a fun idea, but after awhile, you will get tired of it. I promise you that."

"You just don't want me," I replied.

"Oh, you know that isn't true, Bella," Edward gave me an annoyed look.

"I'm getting out of here before this gets ugly," Clark announced as he stood up and went inside.

Edward waited until Clark was inside to resume speaking. "You know that's not true. I want you more than I've ever wanted anything on every level imaginable."

"Then why are you trying so hard to convince me to go back to Chicago? If you want me, why don't you want me around?"

I could sense Edward was getting angry with me, but I didn't care. "Because you're too short sighted right now. You're a human, you don't have a sense of time, you can't comprehend certain things simply because your frame of reference is so...What I'm saying is..." He couldn't find words. He sighed sharply before resuming. "What I'm saying is, right now, I know the idea of just globetrotting with me is a good one. But eventually, things will slip back, globetrotting will come to be normal and mundane. It won't be fun, it won't be exotic, it will just be a hassle. It will mean that just as soon as you start to get used to a certain place, you'll be completely torn away from there and forced to start all over. You'll get annoyed. And you'll regret the fact that you gave up your family and your education and your own life just so you could run around with me."

I took in what he said. I thought about my dad and my mom. Really thought about them. Not just some cursory musing, but a real, deep, earnest thought. It had been the first time I'd allowed myself to do so in a long while. Immediately there was a pull on my chest, and I felt the tears spring to my eyes. I missed them so much. I missed my mom absent-mindedly burning every meal she'd ever attempted to make, and the dinners she'd take us to after surrendering to the kitchen. I missed my dad awkwardly trying to deal with the problems of a teenage girl, and the hugs he'd give me when words failed him. It was strange how their flaws often resulted in some of my favorite parts of them.

I thought about my friends. Jacob, Emmett, Tanya, Angela. Maybe even Leah. I wanted nothing more than to talk a walk with Jacob in Grant Park. He had always been so fiercely loyal to me. He was the best friend I ever had. I wanted to see him. No, not just to see him, but to talk to him and wrap my arms around his neck. I knew that with a life with Edward, I could possibly see my loved ones from afar. But that would never, ever be enough.

Then even disregarding my family and friends, there was my own life. I was almost done with undergrad. I wanted to go to graduate school. If I just gave it all up now, I would feel as if all the education I'd ever had would've just been a waste.

"I'll need time to think about this," I said to him as I rested my head on his shoulder. I stared into the night. "Because I want to be with you, Edward. But I also want me, if that makes sense. I mean, if I go back to my old life, why couldn't you come with me?"

"I have to help Alice. With Jasper, she's just going to end up like him. And I can't, I won't let that happen. I could visit you from time to time...Secretly, of course."

I then thought of what it would be like to go back. They would want to know where Edward and Alice were. I didn't know if I was strong enough not to break under their questioning. What would I tell them? It seemed too complicated to be worth it. Running away with Edward would be so much easier.

And I remembered a fact that was now always on my mind in some degree- I was no longer the owner of my soul.

Rosalie came outside. "Alice is going through blood ridiculously fast," she announced. "You won't be seeing her anytime soon."

"Great," I mumbled.

"But, I was thinking. I mean, Clark can be useful in this situation, you know?" Rosalie wiggled her way between Edward and myself.

"In what way?" Edward looked curiously at her.

"Well, he has all that hunter gear, right? Well, he could essentially train Alice not to feed from humans. Like when you spray water on a cat that misbehaves. Every time she slips up, he could get her with silver or something. Not enough to really hurt her, but just enough to sting."

"I don't know if conditioning is going to work on a newborn vampire. Seems a little too...Weak human psychology. Plus, he does that enough, she'll eventually kill him in his sleep."

"I thought it was a good idea, anyway," Rosalie rolled her eyes at Edward's skepticism.

"I'm taking Bella somewhere where she can get some sleep and food. She can't go in that house with Alice being like that," Edward stood up and extended his hand to me.

We stopped by a local diner. I had French toast and bacon.

As Edward carried me in his arms to an unknown location, there was an air of finality to everything. I hadn't yet decided what I was going to do, but this felt different than before. Maybe I was just ridiculously sleep-deprived. I didn't know.

We took a motel room without bothering to ask, Edward simply pushing the door open. He carried me into the room and laid me on the bed. We laid on our sides facing each other. I wanted to stay awake longer. I wanted to talk to him more. But in the end, fatigue won, and I was unable to keep my eyes open.

I fell into the deepest sleep I'd had in a long while, my fingers laced in Edward's.

When I woke up, Edward was not there, but a note from him was. He'd gone to get food, for both himself and me. I sat up and yawned. It was dark outside. I assume I had slept an entire day, as it had been dark when I'd gone to bed, and I knew I had slept more than eight hours. I turned on the television, perusing the channels a bit before turning it off and deciding to hit the shower.

Edward was still gone when I finished my shower. I didn't like it. Typically, I didn't terribly mind being alone. But being alone right now really only left me with one option- Thinking about what I was going to do. Stay with Edward- Who I had only known since May and never really be with my family again. Or go back to my family for at least a little while and see Edward only once in a while and in secret. On paper it seemed like such an easy decision. Who dumps their family for a guy they've only known a few months? Yet I was still struggling to choose.

He and I had been through a lot together. We were close in a way that was beyond words and on an almost spiritual level before we'd even gone through the perils of the mythical world together. But after the past month, Edward and I shared a bond that was totally unique to us. It was something I would never share with my family or Jacob. Although, it worked in the reverse as well. The bonds I had with my parents and friends were forged through years of work and love, and weren't easily replicated.

It was at times like this I wish I had Jacob or Alice or even one of my parents to help me decide. So I simply had to imagine what they'd say. But of course they'd want me to pick them. And Edward wanted me to pick them. But that was more out of a fear of me getting tired of him than him genuinely wanting me to go back to Chicago.

Then a thought crossed my mind that almost made me feel sick for even entertaining it. I cared for Edward, yes. But there were other fish in the sea. Surely it was possible to connect with someone else in the natural and deep way I had with Edward. Maybe someone human, who I wouldn't have to pick over my loved ones. But I couldn't imagine it. I'd dated plenty of men. Edward was a first. Edward was different, and I knew it from the moment I'd first locked eyes with him. There was no denying that he was one of a kind. But even if he was one of a kind, surely he wasn't the only man I would or could ever be happy with. Then again, how would I ever be happy with another man knowing someone out there made me happier?

I ran my hands through my damp hair and covered my face with my hands as I sat in a chair near the window. I wondered where Edward was. He'd been gone for a long while. At least three hours.

Then there was the whole thing with Sophie to consider. She might come for me, she might not. If she did come for me...What would happen to me? I hadn't asked, because truthfully, I didn't want to know at the time. I didn't want anything to cause me to chicken out and not accomplish my goal: Saving Edward and Rosalie, therefore saving Alice. Worst case scenario: I died when Sophie took what was cosmologically legally hers. What if she came sooner rather than later? Would I want to have spent my last few days, weeks, months, or years with my family? At least if I was living a regular life, I could accomplish more than if I was constantly relocating with Edward. But then Sophie said she might never come for me, anyway.

Goddamnit! I threw the ice bucket that was on the table next to my chair. It hit the wall with a thud and fell to the floor. I didn't want to choose. Although, I guess this was the nature of these things. If a decision were easy, I guessed it wouldn't have mattered for much.

Just then, the door knob jiggled, and I hoped it wasn't a hotel manager or a cleaning lady. But it was Edward. The sight of him made me feel both ecstatic and sick.

"Hey," he came inside and gave me a kiss, "I see you're finally awake."

"Yeah. I have been for awhile. What took you so long?"

"Well," he said as he set down a bag of food on the table, "First, I got myself some food. Then I had to get some for Alice. So I got some blood from a blood bank and took it to Jasper's, only to discover that he's, uh, introduced her to his dietary methods. So he and I had an argument over that, then I talked to Alice, and convinced her to let me help her through this. Then I got you some food. And here I am," he smiled as he gave me another kiss, followed by another on my neck, his hands starting to wander.

"Wait," I resisted the temptation to let this go further. "Alice...Alice killed someone?"

"Yeah. But it was just a one time thing. I'm going to help her learn to control herself," Edward replied. I could tell he was upset by it as well, but was trying to play it off. "She's a newborn, Bella. The fact that she's only killed one person is impressive. On my first day as a vampire, I probably killed ten. But this is why I can't stay with you in Chicago. Alice needs me."

I knew he was right.

I pulled his hands from my backside and held them. "I think I've decided what I'm going to do," I led him to the bed, where we both sat down.

"So? What is it going to be?" he pulled his hands from mine and placed one on my leg.

"Just give me four years. Let me finish undergrad and do graduate school. Then I can tell my family I'm leaving. I'll tell them that I'm gone for good, but not to worry about me, or to look for me. That I'm safe, you know? Then I want to roam around with you and Alice. But, to make it easier," I paused as I looked at Edward. He was hanging on my words. "I want you to turn me. In four years, I want you to turn me into a vampire, too. And you can help me the way you're helping Alice. And you won't have to carry me everywhere."

"Bella," Edward looked uneasy, "I don't mind carrying you everywhere."

I rolled my eyes, "You know it will be easier for me to go with you all if I am a vampire, too. I'll have my master's degree, and won't be considered a missing person once I cut off ties with my family but assure them I'm alive and well. No one will be looking for me, and when we travel from place to place, I'll have a degree worth enough to get me a decent job so we can make money."

"Vampires don't really need money."

"It would make life easier, don't you agree? Especially for you, considering you're not in the business of using violence against humans to get what you want," I pushed.

"Bella, I don't want to. Traveling the globe with me in four years- Great. I love that idea. But you saw me with Alice. I'm pretty sure it's my fault she's dead. I don't have enough control to change you."

"You have four years to practice."

Edward frowned.

"This is what I want, Edward. And if I for some reason change my mind, well, I have four years to figure that out. This isn't something that's just going to happen spur of the moment."

He sighed. "Okay, Bella. If that's what you want, I'll turn you."

"Thank you," I smiled. "This way, I get the best of both worlds. I get to say goodbye to my friends and family on my own terms and in my own timing, and make sure they are all at peace with everything. And I'll get to finish my education. Then I'll get to be with you."

Edward softly laughed. "You're quite brilliant."

"I know," I leaned over to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"So I'll take you back to Chicago tomorrow?" he asked as he inched closer to me.

"Yes. But first I want to see Alice."

"I don't know if that's...Possible. She's pretty, um, bloodthirsty right now. Plus, we have to think of what you will tell everyone when you get home. They'll want to know where Alice and me are," Edward reminded me. "You wouldn't be lying if you said we were dead."

"Yeah," I thought for a moment. "But I doubt they will be satisfied with me just telling them that you all are dead. They're going to want to know where I've been, who took us, how I know you all are dead. I can lie for awhile, Edward, but I don't honestly think I'll be able to keep up with it forever. I can see them putting me under so much pressure I just break and tell them everything."

Edward looked alarmed at this. "Yeah, that would not be good." He bit his bottom lip. He seemed worried. "Keep the story simple so it's easy to remember."

"Maybe I should just feign ignorance, you know? Say you and I entered the building, went up the apartment, someone hit you over the head, then me. Then I woke up in a room with no windows, so I never really knew where the building was, and you and Alice were with me. And they tortured us for weeks until they killed you two. Then they randomly knocked me out and I woke up alive and free on the outskirts of Chicago. And the captors always covered their faces so I never saw them. That way I don't know where I was or who had me or where your bodies are," I posed a scenario. I'd thought about this before, I realized.

"That's good, Bella. Scarily good," Edward scratched his head. "Of course, if you were put up to a polygraph test or anything, you'd fail miserably. And other than being a little underweight, you certainly don't look to have been tortured for a month. But...I think I have a solution for all that."

I smiled. Those were two holes in my plan that I hadn't been sure of how to deal with. I inhaled deeply and gave a sigh. I looked around the room. "Well, if we've got everything figured out, which I think we do," I leaned in closer to Edward, my face inches from his. "Then I think we should make use of this room while we have it." I gave him a mischievous grin as I shoved him to his back and climbed on top of him. He recognized my intentions and smiled back at me. He grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me down into a kiss.

We made love for what would be the last time for awhile. There was a desperate urgency behind each kiss and touch. I memorized every detail about him. The way his hands felt on my hips. The cool touch of his lips against my breasts. His breath on my neck. The way his hair felt in my hands. The way he tasted. How our bodies felt slamming into one another.

After we had finished and had time to collect ourselves and recover, I took advantage of his post-sex mood to convince him to let me see Alice. I used Rosalie's idea of using Clark as a deterrent from killing me. Edward admitted to me that Rosalie had presented the idea to Clark already, and he was going to be staying with them for the remainder of Alice's training.

We arrived to Jasper's a few minutes after sunrise. Clark was sitting on the porch, as he typically did. He smiled when he saw me. "I'm not going back," he said defiantly, "They want me to help Alice not kill people."

I rolled my eyes and smiled at him. "Well come help her not kill me. I want to say good-bye to her."

"What? Where are you going?"

"I'm going home. Everything I told you yesterday about not being selfish and not hurting your loved ones, it all applies to me, too," I replied.

"I'll be right back," Edward went inside, making sure Alice would not be in a position to pounce on me, "Clark, you come with me."

A few minutes later, they called me inside. Alice sat on a bar stool, Clark standing behind her, Jasper and Rosalie on her sides, and Edward stood slightly in front of and to the side of me. Alice's eyes were red. Really red. Was it possible for them to actually glow? That's what it seemed like. Her skin was snow white. Something about her was frightening. There was something about her that was not there before. The urge to kill.

"Hey, Alice," I smiled.

"Hello," she said, giving a strained smile.

"I just wanted to come by and say goodbye. I'm going back to Chicago for awhile."

"Must be nice for you," Alice replied. I furrowed my brow momentarily as I thought I caught some sarcasm in her voice. "I mean, thanks. It takes guts to come near me right now."

"Yeah, well," I rubbed the back of my neck, "You're my best friend. And we'll see each other again. And I'm going to miss you, Alice. And," I felt tears forming in my eyes. How humiliating. "And I'm so sorry for all of this. I love you, Alice. If I could trade places with you, I would. Please don't hate me for this."

Alice paused and just looked at me as I blinked back the tears. I had managed to keep my voice from breaking. "It's okay, Bella. Stuff happens. I guess. Just...Make sure Heidi and Emmett and my parents are okay. Like please help them, I don't know if they can forget me all together, but help them move on, you know?"

I sniffled and nodded my head as I swallowed. "Well," I looked around. "I guess I can't hug you, can I?"

"Definitely not," Edward replied for her. "I can hear her thoughts."

"And I can feel her thirst," Jasper said.

"She's barely holding back as of right now," Edward stated. I looked at her closer and saw that she was shaking.

"Okay," I replied. This felt so cold. I felt empty when I looked at Alice. But I gave her a smile and a wave. "I'll see you later, Alice."

"Bye, Bella," she waved back. I started out the door, Edward standing behind me. "Take a shot for me, Bells!" I heard her yell out to me once I was outside. I laughed despite my somber mood. That was the Alice I remembered, not the restrained, reserved killer sitting in the house. I wondered why she had saved that quip for once I was out of her presence. Maybe she had just let her guard down.

Edward scooped me up in his arms as we started to make the long run back to Chicago.

After running through the woods and avoiding populated areas all day, and only making two stops, we finally arrived to the outskirts of Chicago at twilight. Edward set me down on the ground. In the distance I saw a gas station. That would be were I would stagger in begging for help and a telephone. Edward and I both gazed at it, knowing that this was it.

"When can you first stop by to visit?" I asked, missing him already.

"I don't know. I'll call you, somehow. I'm going to try to visit at least every other month, or every month, hopefully," Edward said. "I just have to make sure I can leave Alice alone with Jasper."

Silence settled over us again.

"I love you, Bella," Edward stated plainly.

"I know. And I love you, too."

Epilogue

I stood in the bathroom of the Brandon home. After wandering into the gas station, I called the police. They called my parents. After questioning and a medical evaluation, I was released to go home. Everyone unanimously agreed that my apartment was not safe, as that was where I had been kidnapped. And since my parents did not have a permanent residence in Chicago, Alice's parents offered me a place to stay while the police investigated and went over my statement.

Telling Alice's parents and Heidi and Emmett that she was dead was the hardest thing I'd ever done. I felt separated from my body as I told them. As I watched the expressions on their faces go from that of cautious hope to outright heartbreak. I felt like I was going to throw up as they all began to cry. I didn't know what to do. So I just stood there and kept telling them I was sorry. I was useless.

It had been a day and a half since Edward and I had said our farewells at the edge of the woods. I wanted him here with me. Being around so much depression and tears was wearing me down.

I stood in the bathroom. It was around ten in the evening. I surveyed my body. Rosalie had tagged along on trip, taking us to her witch near Chicago. After some convincing, the witch agreed to do two things for me. One, mutilate my body so that I did look like I had been tortured for a month. The process had been painful and felt like it took awhile, but Edward said it was no longer than maybe ten seconds. I looked at my wounds in the mirror. I would definitely have a few scars left from this, but hopefully nothing too bad. I was still waifish and gaunt, but was steadily gaining back weight. Secondly, the witch had cast a curse which would help me stick to my story and be able to pass any lie-screenings the police might throw at me.

I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and put on some creme designed to keep the wounds from leaving horrible scars, and flipped off the light. I went to the guest room where I slept. Across the room from my bed was a chair, where either Jacob or my dad had kept watch over me every night. I told them I didn't need them to babysit me, but it was useless. They were hellbent on protecting me from whatever it was that took me the first time.

Seeing my parents at the police station had been surreal. I had changed so much since the last time I had seen them. Not only had I changed, but the entire world as I knew it had changed. It was like meeting people from a dream. A dream that I'd had a million times and new perfectly, but a dream nonetheless. My parents were real. I'd known it when I was gone, and I'd felt it on some level. But seeing them for the first time caused a wave of emotions to hit me that I had not been prepared for. I had been ecstatically happy in a way I didn't know possible. I'd known I would be happy to see them, but not only was I happy, I was grateful and relieved. It was like I had been holding my breath for a month and I could finally breathe.

Jacob had hugged me so tightly that it hurt the open wounds on my arms and back, but I didn't care. Even Leah had given me a hug. I never thought I would be so glad to see Leah. But seeing her and Jacob together made me feel better. Maybe I had changed and the world had changed, but Jacob and Leah had not. They gave me steady footing to go back to the day to day life I'd be experiencing as a human.

I got under the sheets of my bed and laid my head against the pillow. Tonight was my dad's night to watch over me while I slept. "Dad, seriously," I said as he entered the room, "No. Please, let me sleep on my own. I'll let you know if I need you."

"Now, Bella, you have to see it from my perspective."

"And you have to see it from mine," I replied. "Please. I just want to sleep alone. I haven't been alone since I got home. I need some alone time. Time to think and process things. A lot of shit happened."

My dad looked reluctant, but eventually agreed. "But you yell if you need anything at all, you hear?" I nodded. He gave me a kiss on the forehead and smiled. He left the room and I laid in bed and sighed.

Sleep had come easily enough the first two nights I'd slept here. I'd usually fallen asleep within minutes. Tonight, though, I found it difficult. I tossed and turned for an hour and was still no closer to sleep.

I heard two taps on my window. At first I was scared. What could it be? But then my mind went to who could it be, and I was hopeful rather than frightened.

I flew out of bed and shoved away the curtain to see Edward crouching on the ledge of the window. I quickly opened the window and he silently fell into the room. Without speaking a word, I stood on my tip-toes and kissed him as he put his arms around me.

"What are you doing here?" I said breathlessly in a whisper.

"I just wanted to make sure everything was fine before we all took off to Europe," Edward said quietly. "I came by each night, but someone was always in here with you. Tonight you were alone, so I figured I could try. But are you doing okay?"

I nodded. "I'm good. I made the right decision. Seeing my parents faces and being around Jacob again. I know I made the right choice."

"Are you sure you'll still want my lifestyle in four years?" Edward asked, his tone seeming to hope I would not.

Smiling I replied, "I'll always want you, Edward. You don't have to worry about that."

He smiled back. "Someone's coming this way," he said after listening to the silence. "I'll see you in a month or so?"

"Yes. I probably won't be living here or at the old apartment anymore, so come by the bookstore. I'll probably still work there."

"Sounds like a plan," he breathed before kissing me. "Love you, Bella," he said as he slipped back out the window.

"Love you, too," I whispered back. I watched his figure disappear in to the cold Chicago night air.

I eventually closed the window and went back to lie in bed.

In the darkness, I still felt the cool of Edward's lips. My heart was still beating quickly. Fleeting moments such as these would be all I would have for the next four years. But then we would have forever.

It was worth the wait.

END

A/N: Wow. Finally. Haha. This might be the first thing I've ever finished, lol. Sorry this was so long, but I just wanted to get everything finished and done with and stop dragging it out, hehe. Anyways. Thanks to everyone who read this and to those who reviewed...Reviews were big motivators. As for the sequel to this...I'm really burnt out on Twilight and fanfiction in general, so it will probably be around May when I start the sequel. So if you are interested, uh, i guess put me on your author alert or favorite author's list or something so you'll be alerted when I start that. ANYWHO...Thanks everyone. Hope you enjoyed :3