Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.
All plotlines, characterizations, and details in Eternally Intertwined belong to the author: Bronzehyperion. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without the author's authorization.©2009-2011 rights reserved worldwide.
What happened previously:
What happened previously:
"Get away from her," I growled as I moved closer.
But Kate Daggett did no such thing. Instead she leaned in to her prey and inhaled deep, playing with Bella's mahogany locks as she showed her teeth close to Bella's carotid artery.
It wasn't a warning, nor a threat.
"Now now Edward…," she chided me smugly. "No need to be rude."
It was a promise.
"You'll get your nibble soon enough."
Her teeth pierced through Bella's creamy skin before I had a chance to rip her to pieces.
CHAPTER 49: BROKEN
The worst is over now and we can breathe again
I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away
There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain
"A lonely impulse of delight
Drove to this tumult in the clouds;
I balanced all, brought all to mind,
The years to come seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind
In balance with this life, this death."
I scraped my throat as I tried to read the words but they came out in nothing but a scratchy whisper that echoed harshly through the cold room.
I was dressed in black as I stood above an open casket. It was cream white wood like her once vibrant and alive face.
The undertaker had done his best to make Bella look like she was sleeping but it was all deceit. Her lips were a fake red. Her cheeks ashen underneath a sheet of ivory toned make up. All to make it seem like she was simply resting.
But Bella wasn't resting.
She was dead.
Extreme sobbing came from beside me. Renée Dwyer was crying her heart out for her daughter.
Charlie Swan was sitting alone in the front row of chairs; his eyes red and swollen.
I had never seen the Chief cry but I understood the sentiment and I was crying with him.
The salty tears that trailed my face were also bittersweet. I welcomed them like dried out land welcomed rain after a long drought. It was the exhibition of my emotions, each teardrop a token of my devotion and longing for Bella and how much I would miss her.
I had color on my cheeks and my hands were warm. A beating heart pounded against my chest.
A new heart with a permanent hole.
She had given me her heart in exchange for her life.
Bella was dead and I was alive.
But I was also alone. I had to wait seventy or eighty years before I would be reunited with my love again.
I knew I would never be able to wait that long.
She had given me life and I wanted to give it back.
I wanted it to be me in the casket.
I wanted to be undead again.
"Do you want that to happen?" Alice asked.
I frowned as I watched the clear images in Alice's head. The flashes of Bella's funeral were an extremely depressing sight and if I could have cried like in the vision, I would have. The idea of becoming human while Bella would die was startling and I had no idea what it meant.
"Stop agonizing me," I demanded.
"Something is coming, Edward," my sister warned. "I don't know what that vision means but I do know that we need to be careful."
I let out a harsh laugh.
"Something is coming, Alice?" I muttered. "Look around…something already did, "I added as I pointed at Bella who was almost as ashen as she had looked in Alice's vision.
But at least she was still alive.
There was an IV pole on her left side, a heart monitor echoing through the room on the other.
A bandage on the side of her neck.
And let's not forget the monster in the room.
Me.
As I looked at the small ivory hand in my own – an IV needle taped to it to keep it in place, I realized that I couldn't escape my nature no matter how desperately I wanted to.
I had murdered and I had stolen, I had coveted and I had lied.
I had broken Bella and I had saved her.
I was the monster in the room.
Again.
"I don't get these visions for nothing, you know. There is always a reason."
And with that, she left me alone in the aftermath of the disturbing vision she had bestowed upon me like a small cut that wouldn't stop bleeding. The images of Bella's funeral hit too close to my current reality.
She had survived but barely. She was alive but she had been very close to death.
Or immortality.
"Edward?"
My father was standing in the doorway, his gaze intense and his brow creased with worry.
"Alice was here?"
I nodded.
He remained silent as he listened to the heart monitor giving updates on Bella's condition. He read a print out from the machine before he looked at her chart.
"And?"
My father held up his hand as he made sense of the information written on Bella's chart. Reading his mind I concluded Bella would be waking up soon.
"She'll be fine," my father told me.
"How is she?" I informed icily about the state of the other mortal that had been hurt.
"Broken ankle and shoulder, some blood loss but not too severe. She will be alright though, according to her doctor."
I nodded grimly. "No thanks to me."
"Edward, you mustn't blame yourself for hurting Sapphire. You did what you could to defend your mate, son."
My mate. Bella.Who was lying in a hospital bed, yet again. The pristine white sheets wrapped up her innocence, while the large bandage on the side of her neck proved how sinister her life had gotten.
"This is wrong," I whispered. "It's all so wrong."
It was wrong. I was wrong. I had been callous all this time. I had started a relationship with a breakable human knowing I could harm her. But I hadn't cared. I had acted on feelings and desires, instead of logic and rationale.
Perhaps it was time for me to take some responsibility.
"Edward," my father spoke firmly as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Without you Bella would have been dead."
I fought against fresh images of her funeral from Alice's vision as my father gently assured me.
"You saved her."
(FLASHBACK)
Bella struggled against the strength of the vicious creature draining her blood.
I wanted to jump in but before I could reach Kate and risk Bella's life because she would snap Bella's neck, I grabbed Sapphire and secured my iron grip on herneck.
An eye for an eye and all that.
"Kate!" I roared, as I held Sapphire in a choking position. "STOP!"
But Kate Daggett did no such thing. In fact she managed to grab onto Bella even tighter, pressing her lips to the wound she had created. I could hear Bella's heart beat slow and her breath falter.
Kate was killing her. She thought about how delicious Bella tasted and how much delight she felt at killing her.
Sapphire trembled against my chest while my hands encircled her neck. I tried not to squeeze because I didn't want to accidentally kill her.
She sobbed as she watched her mother try to kill the woman I loved.
"I will do the same to you," I hissed as her heartbeat raced in my ears. I could hear her blood pulsing and her breathing speeding up.
"She'll kill her," Sapphire whispered through her cries." "She will."
Hearing her say those words had never made me want to kill as badly as I did then. The time to play nice was gone.
I saw red.
I let go of Sapphire, pushing her away roughly which send her flying against a tree before she crashed to the ground like a rag doll.
If I'd had time I would have noticed how Sapphire remained still after landing her head against a tree trunk but I was too busy saving Bella as I lunged myself at Kate. I grabbed her arm and pulled her off Bella roughly.
She hissed as I spun her to face me.
Her lips were drenched with blood, a trail of it seeping down her chin.
"I told you to be patient," she growled.
For a portion of a second the world stopped. My eyes zeroed in on the red elixir that was making a trail as it dripped down Kate's chin into the cleavage of her dress between the valley of her breasts.
I wasn't sexually aroused because of her but in that tiny moment I envied the fact Kate had tasted Bella's blood because it smelled glorious.
I'd had the same desire a few times though my love and sexual desire for Bella had always been far greater than the need to drain her off her blood.
Kate sneered at me as she removed the blood from her chin. I watched as she stained her fingers with it.
But before I could act on the need to lick the drops of scattered blood off Kate's fingers Bella's deafening scream sounded and I was pulled out of my trance.
She had slumped to the ground, blood still flowing from her neck as she clutched the wound, gasping in pain. Her fingers too reddened with her own blood as she pressed her hand against the wound.
I grabbed Kate tighter as I watched Bella struggle.
She was going to pay for this.
Poor wounded bird Kate thought as she struggled against my grip.
So fragile, so delicious
"You're going to die," I vowed, before ripping off one of her arms with an ease that made it seem she was made of paper.
She howled in pain, the sound mixing in with Bella's cries across the meadow.
Kate, now one armed, hissed and growled as she tried to bite me, but I was faster and stronger. I grabbed her other arm and ripped it off too, snapping it like a twig as she screamed. She barely put up a fight now that she was missing limbs. Clearly Kate was not a very good vampire. She was menacing but not very fast or defensive. I supposed she had been used to other vampires fighting her battles for her.
I was about to lean in and bite her neck, hoping to rip off her head that way, when a hand on my shoulder held me back.
"Son, that's enough."
"The girl is right there," he pointed at Sapphire, who was lying on the ground, wounded from the way I had violently pushed her aside.
"And Bella needs you," he added, as her screams echoed off the trees.
"Kate bit her," I said as Carlisle held Kate's half dismembered body down.
"Hold her, we have to finish this," Carlisle said. "I don't relish the thought of having to kill someone but this is inevitable."
He gave me a poignant look before grabbing Kate's head and ripping it off.
May she rest in peace, he prayed.
He let go off Kate's crumbled body and momentarily moved to Sapphire, who was lying in the ground.
She wasn't moving.
Crap, what if I had killed her?
I didn't like the girl by any means but killing her would be wrong on so many levels. An eye for an eye applied to vampires but Sapphire had always played games far too innocent to be killed for.
I listened for a heartbeat and a pulse, relieved when I heard one, albeit weak.
Carlisle crouched down and checked Sapphire's pulse.
"She's alive," he affirmed my own assessment and he returned to my side. "But we do need to get her to a hospital."
We better take care of this mess right away, son. We don't have much time.
"I have matches and torches in my backpack," I pointed as I moved to Bella's side, grabbing her hand to sooth her. I tried to ignore the blood that stained her shirt by holding my breath.
Carlisle took the bag and pulled out the necessities to make a quick fire.
Once a few torches were burning he threw the pieces of Kate in a pile and lighted them with the torches. Her flesh hissed and whistled in the flames.
It all seemed so calm, but Bella's ear shattering pleas to stop the burning made him act fast.
"You have to suck the venom out," Carlisle said as he poked the fire. "It's the only chance she has."
"Unless you want to let the change happen."
"I can't do that. You know I won't be able to stop," I groaned. "I'll kill her."
"You will have to find the will to stop. She is your mate; you love her."
I looked at Bella's face, scrunched up in pain as she tried to bite back her screams.
"Edward," she gasped. "It hurts."
"Make a choice Edward, time is running out," Carlisle urged.
I leaned in and softly brushed her hair away.
"I love you," I whispered.
"I'll make it better," I promised, before closing my lips over the gushing wound.
(END FLASHBACK)
"Where am I?"
Bella's voice was scratchy and hoarse and I could tell it visibly hurt her to speak.
"Shh, love," I soothed. "Don't speak."
"Edward?" she whispered. "I knew you would find me."
"You never gave up because you love me," she said.
I could hear unconditional trust in every word she spoke.
"Of course, Bella," I vowed, grabbing the hand that was free from the IV needle in mine. I started to gently rub it.
"I am sorry I didn't get to you sooner."
Bella lifted the hand I wasn't touching and looked at the IV. Then she lifted her arm to touch the bandage that covered the wound on the side of her neck.
"She bit me."
I nodded. "Yes, she did."
"It burned, Edward. It burned so much."
"I know."
I knew all too well how painful the transformation from man to monster was. It was excruciating.
She lifted her eyes to meet mine. She looked tired and in pain but her eyes were bright.
"You saved me," she said with conviction.
I had saved her. But just barely. As I had put my lips on the wound I had wanted to suck greedily but Kate's venom had tainted the richness of Bella's fragrance; of the powerful aroma that her blood held. After I had no longer tasted the venom, it had been very difficult to stop. In fact, I had been completely enraptured by the idea of having Bella's untainted blood course through me. To have my irises colored red as a token of the love and devotion I felt for her.
It had been Carlisle who had pulled me back roughly, forcing all his strength on me to make me stop. I would have fought against him and rush back to the siren whose blood was now calling for me had it not been for one detail.
The fragile thumping of a heart.
Bella's heart.
And then like the fluttering of a butterfly's wings there had been another beat.
"Edward?" Carlisle had asked me questioningly.
"What is happening?" I had whispered, grabbing my chest.
Carlisle had no answer for that and Bella's feeble struggles and her unsteady heartbeat had snapped us both out of it.
"Edward?"
Bella's voice pulled me from my reverie.
"You saved me," Bella said again as she gave me a weak smile.
"I love you," I offered her.
"Love you too."
"So, what happened? How long have I been unconscious?"
"You were brought in two nights ago. You gave everyone quite a scare."
"I am sorry," Bella said.
"You should be," I half teased. "You are too stubborn for your own good. Why did you go to the Daggetts all by yourself?"
Bella sighed as she tried to sit up a little. "I wanted to force something. We were going in rounds with all this information and I thought I could help. Obviously it was a very bad idea," she muttered.
"Agreed," I nodded. "I know you love a bit of danger but please never do that again."
"I would say I promise, but you know me," Bella teased.
"Promise," I demanded as I leaned in close.
Bella blinked and the heart monitor started beeping wildly.
"I promise," Bella blinked before she pouted her lips for a kiss.
I happily obliged, thrilled to feel her soft lips against mine.
I pulled away after the heart machine became erratic and a nurse entered the room to check the print out.
"Well well, look, who's awake," a woman in a pristine white nurse outfit spoke.
I read her nametag. Colleen Smith.
Look at that hunk of burning love at her bedside. I wouldn't mind giving him a sponge bath
I cringed at her words and Bella seemed to pick up on my unease because she grabbed my hand possessively as nurse Smith wrote something on her chart.
"The machine has gone wild. Are you feeling anxious?" She asked Bella.
"No," Bella answered curtly.
"Well, I'll be back later to check on you," nurse Smith said coolly as she raised an eyebrow at our intertwined hands.
"Bye Nurse Grumpy," Bella hissed as nurse Smith left.
"So, what happened with the v-a-m-p-i-r-e-s?" Bella spelled.
"Why are you spelling the word vampire?"
Bella shrugged. "I bet Grumpy is listening at the door."
"I am sure she knows how to spell Bella," I teased.
"Edward, just answer the question."
"James and Victoria were destroyed. Kate too."
"Good," Bella stated.
"There is one more vampire out there though. His name is Garrett."
Bella nodded. "I saw him. He is the one who took Angela from the masquerade ball."
Before I could affirm, Bella lifted herself and grabbed my arm. "Oh my God, Angela!" she exclaimed before huffing in pain.
"Hmpfh..."
"Careful, you need to take it easy," I warned as I gently pushed her back against the pillows.
"Angela?" she asked again, her voice uncertain. "How is she?"
"She is at home," I hedged.
Bella scrutinized my face for a moment. I looked away, thinking of a way to distract her, but Bella was stubborn.
She grabbed my hand, forcing me to look at her.
"What are you not telling me?"
"It's Jacob. He...he got hurt."
Bella's heartbeat slightly sped up and she looked at me with wide eyes. "Is he okay?"
"He phrased into a wolf to help Emmett and Jasper but before he could reach them he got attacked by Garrett. Eventually Emmett and Jasper managed to get Garrett off but he ran. Emmett went after him but Garrett is very fast. Jasper and Alice took Jacob to the house. He has a broken arm but Carlisle treated him. He will be fine," I summarized.
Bella let out an audible sigh of relief. "Angela must have been so worried."
"She was," I said.
"And the others? Your family?"
"They are all fine," I assured Bella.
Bella nodded, seemingly relieved. "Good."
"There is something you have to know though," I said hesitantly.
"What is it?"
"I hurt Sapphire. When her mother got you and started to…drink your blood," I gulped and Bella grimaced at the memory- "I wanted to threaten her by pretending I would hurt Sapphire. She paid no attention it though and then I had to stop her, so I shoved Sapphire aside quite roughly and she got hurt pretty badly."
I didn't want to frighten Bella or put the idea in her head that I would harm a human so recklessly.
But Bella was blasé. "She had it coming. She was gloating before when I was alone with her and her mother. I would have smacked her myself had I not been tied up."
"I am sorry for that," I offered quietly. I hated the fact Bella had gotten hurt by Kate and I was certain Sapphire had displayed her usual irritating taunting behavior. But did that excuse the fact I hurt her?
If I reasoned all was fine, I would excuse all the violence I used and I didn't want to be that kind of person. Well monster.
"Wow….it bothers you, doesn't it?" Bella observed.
"She is a human, Bella. And I hurt her, displaying I am a monster," I expressed my feelings.
Bella shook her head. "I am sorry you feel responsible for getting her hurt, but she shouldn't have been there in the first place."
I nodded. "Perhaps, but hurting her makes me no better than her mother hurting you."
"That's ridiculous, Edward. You are nothing like Kate Daggett. She is THE monster. Or was anyway. Not you!"
Bella took my hand and placed a gentle kiss on it "You're still my bad boy vampire boyfriend."
I gave her a small grin. "I aim to please, Ms. Swan."
Bella grinned back and pouted her lips.
"Show me," Bella begged,
I leaned in and pressed my lips against her. They were warm and soft and reminded me of home. She was my home, my essence and although I should leave, I knew I never could.
"Bella?" I whispered against her lips.
"Hmm…"
"You should rest."
I pulled away and kissed her forehead.
"You're no fun!" Bella huffed.
I gave her a smile and took her hand. "I am a bore."
"Sleep now," I told her. "You'll heal faster that way."
Bella closed her eyes as I rubbed her hand soothingly.
"Edward?" she murmured.
"Yes, love?"
"Stay…"
"I will, forever."
And I would.
I was no fool. I knew it was because of me that Bella had gotten hurt. But it was also Bella's stubbornness that had put her in the position to get hurt more than once.
Most of all, I loved her and she loved me and you shouldn't abandon the one you loved. Not unless you wanted your heart shattered. And that's what would happen if I left Bella. It would kill us both to break the bond we had.
Still, more than ever I realized that the fact she was human and I was not would eventually separate us. Whether she would get hurt again, due to illness or old age, Bella and I would not be able to stay together forever if we got separated by those factors.
In that moment, as I watched her sleep, things started to become clear for me.
If I wanted to keep her, as selfish as that may be, than eventually we would have to consider the possibility of Bella becoming a vampire.
Not without discussing it properly of course but it was no longer something we could sweep under the carpet. There was a lot to be said about it. The pain she would have to go through, all the aspects of becoming a vampire and being a new born, giving up her human life…all things we needed to put into perspective.
"You'll do it," a voice sounded from the door.
Alice.
"I can see you do it. And she wants to, you know."
"Alice," I sighed. "I am not going to have this conversation with you. This is between Bella and me."
"Still, if you're going to do this, I think you owe it to her to make things official."
I frowned at her, not knowing what she was getting at.
"What are you talking about?"
Alice rolled her eyes, as if it was blatantly obvious. "Marriage, silly!" she said excitedly.
Marriage?
Marriage?
"What?"
Alice sighed as she ruffled my hair. "You are so dense sometimes, brother."
Undoubtedly, I was. But marriage was something I had never considered.
And perhaps it was ironic to consider changing Bella into an immortal before making her my wife, but I never had.
"It is," Alice muttered.
Darn, I must have said that aloud.
"Edward, you cannot change her into a vampire and not make your relationship official first. It would be wrong."
"Alice," I grumbled. "Bella is seventeen. I don't even know how she would feel about the concept of marriage let alone the idea of becoming a vampire. So stop planning a wedding in your head"
"She is going to be eighteen in a few months. Charlie would not be able to protest legally, though I am sure he'll throw a fit. "
Alice laughed at the idea of that which made me grimace. Charlie would be mad. Not only that, it would also be one of those things to consider when talking to Bella about becoming a vampire.
She would have to leave her parents behind.
Her friends, although one of them was already a vampire and the other was dead, would miss her too.
"Alice, I really need to talk to Bella about this. There is a lot we need to think about before we can even consider it."
"You can't tell her about the proposal!" Alice warned. "That would kill the romantic gesture!"
"Alice!" I warned. "I don't even know if that'll happen."
"I doooooo," the annoying pixie grinned.
"Dadum dadum. Dadum, dadum." She hummed before leaving the room.
I rolled my eyes at her retreating form and looked at Bella, who was sleeping peacefully, her delicate chest rising and falling with every breath she took.
She was gorgeous.
And I had to admit I did find the idea of making her my wife appealing. That way we would belong together in every way.
I thought about Bella in gauzy white, walking towards me down an aisle covered with rose petals. The vows that would bind us together forever, even if immortality wouldn't.
Darn that pixie. Now that she had planted this in my mind, I kind of wanted it.
"Edward?"
I turned to see my father coming down the hall. He was wearing his white lab coat, which meant he was on call.
"Carlisle," I acknowledged him.
"How is Bella?"
"Better, I think. She is sleeping now. Charlie is with her."
Carlisle nodded. "That's good."
"I wanted to let you know that Sapphire was transferred to another hospital this morning."
That was certainly a surprise, given the fact that no one had visited her since she had been admitted, apart from me and I had only visited once when she was sleeping the first night after she had been brought in. I had acted out of guilt, because I'd wanted to make sure she would be alright.
"Who made that decision? I haven't seen anyone visit her."
"I don't know. There wasn't anything on her chart. No name, nothing at all"
"You think it was her father?"
Carlisle shrugged. "I am not sure. It could be. Assuming he was physically able to."
"The last time I saw him he was getting his face slammed into glass," I muttered wryly.
"I am sure you had your reasons, even if I don't agree with violence," Carlisle pointed out. "If he is the one who ordered the transfer, it would indicate he survived."
"I know."
I had not intended to kill Mark Daggett. He had simply irritated me with his smug behavior. Whether he was dead or not was unknown at this point, which made the situation difficult.
"Emmett and Jasper checked out the spot where you left him. The car was empty."
That means Mark Daggett is still out there somewhere, my father pointed out silently.
"Maybe he took his daughter and moved on."
"That's a possibility. I am worried about the fact he knows about you. And us, I am sure."
"I know. But what can we do?" They are humans. We can't kill them. And I doubt he will tell on us given what we can do to him or his daughter," I said.
"Although," I added, pondering," If he finds out about his wife and other daughter being killed, maybe he'll seek revenge."
Carlisle nodded. "There is still a lot we don't know about him."
We have a lot to talk about,he added in silence.
"We do," I agreed.
"Let us focus on Bella's wellbeing and recovery for now; we'll talk about this later. The transfusions seem to be working."
They did, but it made her smell all wrong. This in a way was welcoming because it distracted me from the way her blood had tasted on my tongue when I had sucked the venom out.
"At least you got all the venom out," Carlisle echoed my thoughts.
I had. But for what, I now wondered. If I was truly considering the idea of Bella as a vampire than why had I not let the change happen? It would have been easier in a way.
"It's her choice," Carlisle said, as if he were able to read my mind.
"Huh?" I asked
"She needs to decide if she wants to be a vampire."
"And if she does?" I asked.
"Then we'll welcome her into the family like another daughter," Carlisle assured me with a smile.
"I hate jello."
Bella was scooping up some of the neon green colored bouncing substance on a spoon and stuck it in her mouth.
"Then why do you keep eating it?" I teased.
"I don't know. Boredom, maybe?"
"You're bored?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "And here I thought I was entertaining company."
Bella shrugged. "Meh. Contrary to what you might think of yourself, you are kind of boring. You said so yourself a few days ago."
She flashed me a teasing smile before pushing the cup of jello away.
"You're done?" I asked as I took the cup to throw it in the trash.
"Yes," Bella nodded.
I threw out the jello and went back to Bella's side. She was lifting her hand, looking at the spot that held the IV needle.
"I hate needles," she sighed.
I took her lifted hand and placed a small kiss on it. "Carlisle said the IV will be removed soon."
"Good," Bella said, as she leaned back against the pillows. "Because I hate hospitals too."
We remained silent for a bit. Bella had been in the hospital for almost a week now and thankfully she was healing relatively fast.
The heart monitor was gone and the IV would no longer be necessary in a day or two. She'd had three transfusions in the last week and everything seemed better now.
I on the other hand was feeling strange. For an immortal my body felt exhausted. For someone undead it felt like there was something strange, something transformational going on inside me.
There was this fluttering. Like butterflies in one's stomach.
It reminded me of what I had felt when I had tasted Bella's blood.
It reminded me of Alice's vision. The one with Bella's funeral.
The one where I had been alive.
"Edward?"
"Hmm?"
"You have that frown..."
"What frown?"
Bella smiled. "The one where you are over thinking everything."
"I am not over thinking," I protested weakly. "I just can't wait for you to be out of here."
"Me neither. I am getting tired of staring at these walls."
I nodded, completely understanding what she meant. These walls were depressing, to say the least.
"Am I not pretty enough to stare at?" I pouted.
"You are but I prefer to stare at you in my own room. And it would be nice to shower instead of getting a sponge bath from Nurse Grumpy."
Nurse Grumpy had been flirting with me constantly, much to the grievance and irritation of Bella.
"You're just jealous because Colleen likes me," I winked.
Bella rolled her eyes. "I am sure she would love to give you a sponge bath."
I grinned and leaned in close to Bella's face: our lips inches apart.
"She can try, but I much prefer Nurse Bella."
Bella gave me a mocking "hmpfh" but could barely suppress a smile.
"I am the patient, remember."
"Then I suppose I need to give you one. I will look forward to that," I said before pressing my lips to her gently.
"Mmm," Bella moaned. "I will hold you to that."
Once her heart started to become erratic – we had tested that with the heart monitor a few times, which had always made Bella giggle – I pulled away.
"Edward," Bella sighed.
"Yes, love?"
"You were thinking about leaving, weren't you?" Bella said knowingly.
Her words shocked me. She once again reminded me of how perceptive she was.
"I did," I admitted quietly.
"But?" Bella pushed.
"But I am too selfish to leave. I love you too much and I want and need to be with you. I feel guilty for getting you hurt but that overwhelming need to be close to you is a more dominant feeling."
"So you won't," Bella asked, though it sounded more like a demand. "You won't leave?"
"No, I won't."
"If we want to stay together, we need to think about the future," Bella said.
Future…I had thought about it a lot in the past few days.
Bella as a vampire.
Bella as my wife.
"Future?" I asked, curious to find out her thoughts on the matter.
"I think I need to become a vampire."
A/N: This is the final chapter before a short-ish epilogue which will follow in a few days. The epilogue won't be the end, it'll be a bridge between this story and its sequel "Forever Entangled: Ties That Bind" (working title)
The title of this chapter and lyrics come from Seether ft. Amy Lee's "Broken"
The poem is "An Irish Airman Foresees his Death" By William Butler Yeats.
I want to thank everyone who has followed this story for so long. And everyone who might have discovered this story recently.
The support has been overwhelming!
It's not over yet!
I wish everyone a happy weekend. :)
