Author's Note: Thank you for the sweet reviews! I love them so much.
BPOV
It was good to see my dad again and know that he was safe and cared for. I didn't want him to learn about the Cullen secret, but him knowing made things a lot easier for all of us. At least everyone could finally know the truth about everything. It had been a crazy week so far, but in the best way possible. I was just snooping around for information on Edward's time as a human. I never expected to find him and not just that, but to have our only source of constant disagreement resolved when he changed me, intentional or not.
While I was traveling, I saved anything of interest to keep with me, hoping to one day be able to show the family myself. At times, I realized that I would never find them again if they didn't want to be found. But other times, I imagined that maybe it had been a misunderstanding and that they might even be glad to see me. I wasn't sure what to believe. I knew for sure though that even if Edward didn't want to see me ever again, he would be glad to have the things I had found in Chicago.
I was apologizing to my dad again for running off and scaring him so bad when Edward returned downstairs with my bag. He sat it at my feet for me, kissed my forehead and took his place on my other side.
I had missed him so much. It was surreal not only seeing him again, but having things quickly feel almost normal, other than my new abilities and diet and the red tint to his eyes from where he drank some of my blood.
I unzipped my bookbag and sat a few unneeded items aside, like extra clothes. I handed Charlie the digital camera I had gotten for my birthday and turned it on for him. "I've taken loads of photos of places I've been. I was hoping that I would get to show you sometime. I know it wasn't its intended purpose, but the camera was a great gift."
He grinned and started looking through them, curious. I also pulled out a large accordion folder full of paperwork and handed him a copy of the ticket I had gotten for jaywalking. "Your daughter is a criminal. Sorry dad." I said. He snorted.
"You didn't think you could hide it from me, did you? I've known for weeks." He was laughing.
Carlisle sat down across from us. "That gave us quite a chuckle when it happened."
"So much for keeping a secret." I laughed. "Esme?" I knew if she were in the house that she would hear me. She appeared behind me, putting a hand on my shoulder in an instant. "Did you paint when you were a human? Especially landscapes and flowers?"
"I don't know. I don't remember much of my human life."
"I think you did." I said as I handed her a brochure out of my folder. "This is for a traveling art display of nature paintings signed E. Platt. The museum I saw them at said they are from the 1910s."
Esme gently took the brochure and started looking through it. She smiled and squeezed my shoulder. "Thank you, Bella, I'll go call them and try to find out. They're lovely."
"Thank you, Bella." Carlisle added. "Anything that makes Esme happy makes me happy as well. She always wishes she could remember more about her time as a human."
"You're welcome. I hope they are hers. I really believe they are." I carefully pulled out a small CD player with headphones and a CD case. I changed the CD in the player out with another one from my bag and then handed it to Edward. "I don't believe you've ever heard this. It was really hard to find and it wasn't properly labeled either."
He smiled, anticipating some type of music I'm sure, then pressed play. His smile turned to shock in an instant. His eyes grew wide. His mouth fell slightly open. He stared at me, a burning stare, looking into my very soul. I waited patiently until the recording ended. It was only a minute or two long.
"What did you do to him, kid?" Charlie asked as Edward still sat frozen, now staring at the CD player in his lap.
"Can vampires go into shock, Carlisle?" I asked, amusedly.
"No, I don't believe so." Carlisle smiled gently. "What exactly was on that recording?"
"My mother." Edward whispered. He stood up, carefully handing the CD player to a curious Carlisle to listen to before turning to me. He took my hands and stood me up, taking me into his arms and holding me tightly. "Thank you, my love." He said in my ear, shakily, as if he would be crying if he could. "I have never been able to remember the exact sound of her voice."
"It's her alright." Carlisle said as he finished listening, handing the CD player to a curious Jasper, who had entered the room after feeling everyone's emotions shift so suddenly. The entire family, minus Esme who was still upstairs talking to the museum, appeared and started taking turns listening to the CD. Edward still held me tightly, unmoving.
"Edward, there's one more thing for you."
"I don't deserve you." He said, still overwhelmed and in shock.
"Isn't that the truth." Charlie added quietly.
Edward was curious though, as he let me go and sat back down beside me. I reached in my bag and handed him a paper. It was a photocopy of a newspaper that I had found in a library. "You may have already seen this, but I copied it just in case."
"No, I hadn't. But this reminds me, since I don't have to stay away from you ever again. I have something for you too. I'll be right back." he said as he ran upstairs. I was puzzled, but I handed the paper to Carlisle to read.
Carlisle read it out loud to everyone. "This is a collection of messages from those dying in Chicago hospitals of Spanish influenza to their loved ones, gathered by volunteers who have survived the disease, in the interest of preserving their history and their last wishes."
"Look for the one from his father." I said.
Carlisle skimmed the page a bit and continued, "From Edward Masen, to his son, Edward Masen II. My son, I regret that I have fallen ill without spending more time with you and your mother. If I should die, I hope that your life is full of happiness and that you will find your own success. I also hope that you will find a woman who touches your very soul to love and cherish and have by your side forever, as I have with your mother."
Esme walked back downstairs. "They are my paintings! They were donated to a museum near here by my parent's estate when they passed away. They are part of a traveling exhibit on women painters from the past century. Thank you so much, Bella!"
"You're welcome, Esme. I'm really glad. You are very talented!"
"Carlisle, can we go see them soon?" she asked, sitting beside him.
"Of course. I'd love to." he answered.
Alice started squealing and jumping up and down. "I didn't realize you were so into art, Alice." I said, laughing at her.
"I'm not. It's Edward."
"Don't spoil it, Alice." Edward said, coming downstairs. He walked back towards me, a look of nervous excitement on his face, and came to stand in front of me. He kneeled down in front of me so that he was just below my eye level. I froze, understanding exactly why he had that look on his face. "Bella, you have given me the most amazing gifts beyond anything I ever dreamed of most of all, yourself. I have made many mistakes and caused you more harm than I can ever make up for. What I will promise is that I will love you and spend every day trying to be worthy of you. I will do everything in my power to never hurt you, in any way, again. Will you marry me?"
"Yes!" I said, without a second's hesitation. He smiled with a slight laugh as he opened a small box he had in his hand to reveal a gold ring, covered in a large web of various sized diamonds. He gently took my left hand and slid it into place. I returned his smile, genuinely happy and excited.
"And just how long have you had that?" Charlie asked.
"Nearly a hundred years." Edward and I both laughed at Charlie's shocked expression as the color drained from his face. "It was my mother's." Edward added, still smiling up at me.
"It's beautiful." I said.
"Not nearly as beautiful as you."
Edward stood up, helping me up and into his arms for the second time in the hour. The entire family cheered and came to congratulate us.
"I love you, Bella."
"And I love you, Edward."
"I was afraid you were going to say no."
"There's a time when I might have, but not since I found the book."
"What book?" he asked, curious and caught off guard.
I laughed. It seemed that for once, I had all of the secrets, rather than the Cullens. "It's a long story." I said.
"Good thing we don't have to sleep." Edward replied, sitting down on the couch with me in his lap and the entire family, including Charlie, gathered around us.
I was afraid to start. I knew that it would hurt both myself and Edward thinking about it, but I had to tell my whole story for everything to make sense. Everyone was curious about what exactly prompted me to leave Forks and what had led up to me finding Edward in Chicago. I grabbed Edward's hands in my lap and held them tightly, smiling up at him when my eye caught the shimmer of my new engagement ring. It felt amazing for both of us to be so happy finally and I hated to diminish from that at all with the unpleasant memories I was about to bring up.
"I guess I should start with when Edward, and all of you, left." He squeezed my hands a little tighter, reassuring me that he was real. "I was a mess. I felt empty, like the largest part of me was missing. I never felt that I was enough to keep Edward's interest, and being only human, a boring one at that –"
"You have never bored me." he whispered.
"- I believed him when he told me why he was leaving. It made sense. But it hurt like hell. I couldn't even get up from where I fell chasing after him. I remember Sam finding me and carrying me home and then not much else for a few days. I didn't want to live in a world where it was like Edward never existed. I couldn't bear how much I was hurting Charlie, so I tried to go to school and keep up with the housework and pretend that things were normal, but he saw right through it. He was threatening to send me to Florida with my mom, but that would have been even worse, because as hard as he tried, Edward couldn't erase my memories of him from Forks. So, I went to the movies with Jessica one night to appease Charlie, but there were some men catcalling us as we left the theater and it reminded me of the night Edward had come to my rescue in Port Angeles from some creeps before –"
"He what?!" Charlie hadn't heard that story apparently.
"Yeah. I'll explain later, dad. I knew it was dumb, but I was hoping that Edward might show up then too, so I walked closer to the bar. Edward didn't appear, but I heard his voice as clear as if he were right behind me telling me to go back to Jessica. I did. But I learned that if I were doing something dangerous, I'd hear him. I would have done anything even to just hear his voice, even if he was angry with me." Edward let go of my hands, but wrapped his arms tightly around my waist and rested his head on my shoulder.
"If I had any idea, I would have been at your side in an instant. Angry wouldn't have began to cover it." he said.
"I know that now, but then…I had nightmares too. I was always chasing after Edward in the woods but couldn't get to him. I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to pull over one day when I was driving because I was just so upset I couldn't even focus on the road. That's when I decided that I had to try to find him, even though I knew that I probably never would."
"I saw your decision to go. I tried to call your house, but no one answered. I thought we had more time! I would have flown to Forks myself that very second if I had any idea you were leaving so soon!" Alice said, appearing in front of me.
"I know, Alice. It's alright. I wouldn't have learned what I did, or have found the gifts for Edward or Esme's paintings if you would have stopped me."
"So I went home and printed off a bunch of maps and tried looking for all of you online, but it didn't work. I knew that Charlie would search for me, so I tried to start somewhere he wouldn't look. I almost started at your Denali house, but I decided it was too risky to abandon my truck so close to Forks and to fly that soon."
"I saw your decision to go to Denali. Edward would have arrived only minutes after you. He was beside himself with worry and fear. Your reunion would have been so sweet!" Alice was exasperated.
"I'm sorry, Alice. I didn't know. I still thought that Edward didn't want me. I didn't realize he would look for me too."
"You could have turned your phone on." Charlie said.
"I knew you'd try to track me! You did, didn't you?" I asked.
"You know I did."
"Exactly why I couldn't. I love you, dad. I hated hurting you, but I needed to find Edward. I didn't want anyone trying to stop me."
"So, I kept driving. I travelled aimlessly at first, just putting distance between myself and Forks while I tried to work out places you all might be. I knew it was very possible that you would have went out of the country, but I didn't believe so. Gradually, I started visiting some of your properties as I found them and I enjoyed exploring all of the different museums and libraries I could come across. It was my only real distraction. I worked when I needed to, but I tried to not stay in one place too long. It hurt so much knowing that Edward didn't love me, but I just wanted to see him one more time. I just had this strong feeling that something wasn't right, even if I didn't understand it, and that I needed to see him."
"Because I have never stopped loving you." he said, shifting me in his lap to look at him. "Telling you that I didn't love you was the very blackest kind of blasphemy. Walking away from you was nearly impossible. But I had to try to keep you safe from me. Yet, I still took your life in the end."
"No, you didn't." I said, kissing him. "There's something you still need to know." I turned back to face the family. "Gradually, I found out more about the family's past and most of your times as a human. I stumbled on those paintings of Esme's and really hoped that I could tell her about them some day. I still have something for you, Emmett." I reached in my bookbag and handed him a copy of a photo of him, his parents, and all of his siblings.
Emmett looked at it, grinning widely. "I didn't have any pictures of my family. Thanks kiddo."
"You're welcome. There was no mistaking your goofy face, even as a human." I said, he laughed.
"How did you get this?"
"I found it in a history museum near Gatlinburg, where you're from. I told the staff it was a photo of a long lost relative of mine and offered to volunteer there for a bit if they would make a copy for me. They did and I spent a day helping organize some new exhibits. Gatlinburg is lovely."
"It is. This means a lot to me. You are amazing." he said, sitting back beside Rosalie and handing it to her to look at.
"And Rosalie." I said, handing her a copy of a newspaper. "Your parents took out a full-page ad with photos wishing you a happy 18th birthday." She looked at the paper and then back at me, her face surprised.
"Wow." she said simply, sitting back down beside Emmett.
"Most of my research focused on Edward. I decided to travel to Chicago, if nothing else but to feel closer to him and understand him a little better. I spent several full days going through the library's collection of newspapers and memoirs relating to the Spanish Flu epidemic. I found the newspaper clipping with his father's words first. Then, the next day I found the audio recording of his mother and was allowed to copy it to a CD, claiming it was for a presentation for class. There was a group of volunteers going around Chicago hospitals, trying to record last words and histories from patients who they felt were dying for historical preservation."
"What did it say?" Charlie asked.
Rosalie had listened to it last and handed the CD player to Charlie. "It's really faint, with a lot of background noise. But the parts I could understand was her talking about her love for her son."
"That's exactly what it is. She says: I've lived a happy, fulfilling life. I have hopes for a heavenly reunion with my husband Edward, who has already passed on. I wish only for the survival and happiness of my beloved son, Edward Masen Jr. This is a terrible disease, and I hope that by God's grace he shall recover and know the joys of life and love." Edward said.
"And you all never knew about this?" Charlie asked.
"No." Edward answered. "I have not been able to remember the sound of my mother's voice since I woke up like this." He kissed my cheek and kept his arms around me. "Do you remember them doing this Carlisle?"
"I don't remember them recording your mother. I do remember them working on another floor of the hospital. Perhaps this was done while I was at home. Humans get suspicious if the doctor doesn't need to sleep once in a while." He laughed.
"So, after I found the recording, I searched for information about Edward's family home in Chicago one more time. I just wanted to see it. I noticed it was in Esme's name though and that was odd, because it hadn't been the first time I looked up the address. I decided to go look. I wasn't intending to break in or anything. But then, as I stood on the doorstep, I heard Edward. The door wasn't locked, so I went in. I froze when I saw him. I was still afraid he wouldn't want to see me but I had to see him. He looked unwell. He wouldn't look at me at first."
"I thought you were a hallucination."
"When he jumped up and held me, I forgot how to talk. I couldn't say anything even if I had wanted to."
"And then I took away your life, I-"
"No." I said. I wasn't going to let him wallow in self-pity anymore. "I was caught off guard by the pain, but it had to happen that way. You had no choice."
"Bella, I did-"
"No." I said, reaching in my bag and handing him a few pages copied from a book. "I found this in a library. I know you all say most of the stuff about vampires are myths, but the rest of this one was true and I'm positive that this is too. Read it out loud."
"The book is called The Truth About Vampires and Other Immortals by –"he gasped. "Volturi Press."
"What?!" Carlisle asked, surprised. "You found this in a normal, human library, Bella?"
"Yes. In England when I looked for your property there."
"Have you heard of this before, Carlisle?" Edward asked.
"No, but there is no mistaking who wrote it." Carlisle said. "The Volturi are among the oldest of our kind. They maintain law and order in our world and ensure the protection of our secret. They also collect rare books, art, and artifacts. They have published a few books throughout the years for our kind, usually only to special people. The most prolific one I know of, they only produced 30 copies, many of which never left their castle."
"So, you trust what it says will be true?" I asked, confirming that I was right.
"Yes, absolutely. Although, it definitely doesn't belong in a regular library."
"Read it." I said, looking at Edward.
"This is chapter ten. 'On Mating' it's called. When a vampire meets their mate, whether the mate is immortal or still human, the connection is instantaneous. Both parties immediately sense their bond, even if at first, they don't understand it. Once the mating bond is formed, it can only be severed by the death of one or both parties. Many choose to not live without their mates, although there are some that can find a purpose through their agony if death has separated them.
Once the mating connection is realized, the immortal must immediately make their human mate immortal as well. Not doing so is at severe risk to their life as the human party will feel incomplete and unfulfilled until they can be made an equal. The human party will also pose a risk to our kind and our secret until they are changed, which is why it must be done urgently, or else the immortal will be killed to maintain order.
If mates are separated against their will, they will experience a decline in their health, starting with mental symptoms, and leading to both of their deaths in many cases, but especially if one half of the pair is human.
The first sign of decline in separated mates is usually hallucinations. These will worsen over time until the separated pair lose all grip on reality. They will then do anything to re-unite, crossing continents, oceans, and losing all ability to blend in to society or interact with others, many times drawing unnecessary attention to the likes of our kind, resulting in their deaths, as they attempt to find their mates.
Once separated, the mates will gradually weaken until they re-unite. If one party is human, the immortal will not be able to fight the urge to change them and keep them at their side forever. If both parties are immortal, they will usually feast to celebrate their rejoining.
Some pairs become mated so strongly, whether by circumstances, time together or special abilities, that they share each other's emotional state, thoughts or in some cases, special gifts."
"Do you see now, Edward? You had no choice but to change me. You couldn't have fought the urge even if you realized what was happening."
"Alright…" he said slowly. "But it's still my fault for leaving you. For separating us."
"You left in an attempt to save me from you. You had no idea. You aren't saying you regret meeting me, are you?"
"Never."
"And let's not forget the fact that I would have died had you not saved me from Tyler's van."
"Wait – what?" Charlie asked.
"You always asked if I was hiding something from you about the accident, dad. You were right. Edward wasn't standing right beside me. He didn't push me out of the way of the van. He sprinted across the parking lot and pushed the van away from me. He left a handprint on it. He took extra care to catch me so that I wouldn't hit my head very hard too. All in a split second. That's what made me confront him, made me realize that he wasn't human."
"Is that when you realized you loved him?"
"No. I was fascinated by him at first. I wanted to be around him. He also saved me from some men in Port Angeles when I got bored of dress shopping with Jessica and Angela and went to find a bookstore. It was the next morning when I saw him standing outside, picking me up for school, that I could finally put it into words in my mind. I knew then that it was way beyond fascination. I never knew it was possible to love anyone as much as I felt then and as much as I feel now. But I was always scared that he would leave, and then when he did…"
Edward turned me to face him and looked into my eyes before kissing me. Words weren't necessary. When I was calm, I looked back at Charlie.
"I am sorry, dad. I never wanted to lie to you or hurt you. I just couldn't tell the truth. Now you know why."
"Yeah. Did you know Bella was your mate at first?" he asked Edward.
"No. At first, I was curious. I couldn't hear her thoughts, something that had never happened to me before. Then, we had a class together and I smelled her. I believe you know now that she was my singer. It took every bit of willpower to not drink her blood right there, exposing myself as a vampire to others, or killing them too. I ran away to Alaska, but I couldn't stop thinking about Bella. Alice knew that she was my mate by then, having had visions of it. Esme was sure of it too. I tried to avoid her and not talk to her. I didn't want to hurt her. But I really didn't want to stay away. I decided to just observe, for the most part. But then when she almost died, my only thought was "not her." And slowly, although I felt it was wrong and dangerous, I realized that she is my entire universe. The power she holds over me is absolute and it has been ever since we met. I hoped that if I left her, she would find a human man and be happy and normal and not always in danger. It was the worst thing I have ever done. If she hadn't run away, it was likely only a matter of days before I came back begging her forgiveness."
"And now, we never have to be apart again." I said, looking down at my ring.
"I'm happy for both of you. It's been a lot to process. But it's a lot easier to accept that my daughter is happy and loved than to dwell on all of the lying, the running away and the drama. At least now I understand why. I always knew you were a good kid."
"I will make it up to you in any way I can, dad. I love you. I just had to protect the secret."
"I love you too."
"And I will see that she has a happy, fulfilling life, Charlie. I won't hold her back from anything she wants. I promise. When we're settled, I think we might go to college. I know that's something you've always wanted for her." Edward added.
"It is. I'm sure you've been to college a time or two at your age, huh?"
"I guess you could say that. I know Carlisle is the proudest of my two medical degrees." My dad's face was shocked. "I'll gladly pay her tuition anywhere, and as many times as she wants to go."
"Thank you." Charlie said, yawning. "I think it's time for an old man to go to bed. Unless anyone is hiding anymore big secrets?"
"No, you know everything now." I said. "Goodnight."
"Bella, do you mind if I ask you some more questions about that book?" Carlisle asked.
"No, go ahead. In fact, here." I said, handing him the folder still full of papers, along with the part Edward read. "This is all of my research, travel documents, maps, etc. I think you will find it fascinating." I also handed him the digital camera. "There are pictures on here of the library I found the book in."
"Thank you. When you stumbled across the book, were you trying to research anything in particular?"
"Not really. I was curious about vampire lore and how much of it was true."
"Did you realize that Edward loved you when you found the book?"
"I wasn't sure. But it explained my feelings well and strengthened my resolve to talk to him and make sure I had the truth."
"We were in Chicago together for a few days. If I had any idea -! How did you know I didn't kill any humans?" Edward asked.
"Your eyes were gold when I arrived."
"But I had just finished hunting animals when I thought I killed the human."
"I knew you better than that." I said. He was speechless. He kissed me and I tangled a hand in his hair, happily kissing him back. When I looked up again, we were alone. I laughed. "Did we scare them off?"
"No." he smiled at me. "They wanted to offer us some privacy. You are controlling your emotions extremely well for a newborn."
"Is something wrong with me?"
Edward laughed and I heard a few giggles from upstairs too. "Why do you always assume something is wrong with you? I tell you that I can read minds, that I'm a monster, that you're perfect, and you think you're the problem."
"Habit." I said. He still smiled. "Do you believe me now that we're meant to be together and that you had no choice but to change me?"
"I do. I never doubted how much I love you. I didn't want you to be a monster like me. To always feel this thirst and to have to fight against murderous instincts."
"Do you believe I'm a monster?"
"Never."
"Then neither are you." I said, looking into his eyes. The slight red tint they held from where he drank my blood was oddly attractive, knowing it was me that caused his eyes to change color.
We kissed, finally alone again, with unrestrained passion and desire. I knew now without a doubt that Edward loved me and wanted to be with me. He was my mate and my fiancé. And I also knew that my family was together again, and safe. I was happily snuggled in his lap, relaxed, feeling pleasant sparks everywhere our lips touched.
"I love you so much more than I can ever tell you. When we realized that you were looking for us, we planted clues for you all over the place online, but we missed the most important part. You knew that we wouldn't leave information about our identities in plain sight, so you didn't bother to search for the Cullen name after you left Forks, did you?" he asked me.
"No. I knew I wouldn't find anything."
"Alice and Jasper left things all over the place hoping that you would Google any of us. They made a website for Carlisle's medical work naming the town the family is in and with an email address, we listed some of our houses under the Cullen name instead of our various law firms, they event went as far as to make social media accounts for each of us that connected to Alice's phone….even me."
I couldn't help but laugh. "I bet all of the girls in Forks went nuts over that."
"I wouldn't know." He said, but all I could do was laugh louder.
"I just imagine how mad Jessica and Lauren were when they kept trying to send you friend requests and you ignored them. I bet if Alice put a picture of you up, they printed it out to hang in their rooms." I loved teasing him.
"That's disturbing."
"You wouldn't mind if I did it."
"That's different."
"How so?"
"Because I love you. I've never had any interest in anyone else and I thought I made that very clear to them."
I was still laughing. "I love you too."
"I searched for you almost constantly from the day after you left. One of the hardest days was when I found your truck."
"I miss my beloved antique." I said. I really hated leaving it.
"I left it where you did in case you came back for it, with a note for you in the seat. I can have it shipped here for you if you'd like."
"You would do that? You hate my truck!"
"I would do anything for you."
"How did you find it?"
"Alice was able to tell me the general area you were in and I caught your scent faintly outside the airport. I came so close to finding you several times…" he trailed off, and I could tell that he had been hurting just as I had by our time apart. "I got really scared when I found your phone. I didn't want you all alone without a way to call for help if you needed it, but at least I knew you weren't ignoring our calls and texts."
I groaned and hid my face in my hands. "I really complicated things, didn't I?" I asked.
"I'm the one who left." he started, reaching out to touch my hand and gently pry it off my face. "Several of us tried to call and text you just in case you turned your phone on so you would know that we were really looking for you. I wanted you to know that I love you. If I couldn't get any other message to you, I needed you to know the truth. I searched your truck for clues and then left the note."
"I had no idea that you all were looking for me. I would have turned around and went right home or answered your call or…anything."
"I know. That's the first time I've ever wished that I had a tracker for a friend. But I didn't want anyone to know that you were alone out there unprotected…" he trailed off again, shaking his head.
"Hey, it was my choice to take off from Forks."
"And my decision to leave you." he added.
"They've all missed you. Everyone has been trying to find you or at least contributing somehow, even Rosalie. Your dad gets along with them better than I expected. I felt for sure he would try to shoot me when Carlisle and I came to your house to talk to him, but he was more worried about your safety."
"He doesn't mind staying in a house full of vampires either, does he?"
"Not a bit. He jokes about it even. I see now where you get it from." he said with a smile. "There's something we haven't talked about yet. How did you manage to move around so much? Alice had a few visions of you working, but nothing we could use to find you."
"Well, when I left Forks, I had the money I had saved up for college and my truck. I also found my birthday gifts as I was preparing to leave…"
"I couldn't bear to take them from you even though I promised you no reminders."
"When I started running low on funds, I signed up with a temp agency for work. I thought that would be ideal since they wouldn't mind me traveling frequently and I could find work in most places that way. I also knew their background check wouldn't be that extensive so they wouldn't catch that I hadn't graduated high school. I did office work a lot, filing, answering phones. I spent a lot of time cleaning office buildings too. Sometimes it was factory or bakery work. One time they had me help at a doggy day care, that was a lot of fun!
When I had enough money together for a plane or a bus ticket and a little extra just in case, I'd move on. I spent a lot of time in major cities since they were the easiest to find work in, but I knew that you all would hide in smaller towns, so I spent a lot of time on the road too. At a certain point, I realized my poor old truck probably wouldn't make it much further, so I parked it where you found it. I camped and stayed in youth hostels a lot since they were cheap and safer than outdoors. I got a hotel room a couple of times for a private shower and a chance to wash my clothes. I found that it was easier to stay on the move or else the memories would get too painful. If I wasn't moving or doing something I just…"
I choked up and Edward kissed me, calming me again until I could continue.
"I just missed you so much I couldn't do anything. I think a part of me deep down knew that you still loved me, but I was scared to believe. I thought I was going crazy."
"I can't believe how brave you were, Bella. That you would put yourself through all of that just to try to find me. I feel so sick at what I did to you. That you would have to do something as dangerous as factory work and camping all alone, knowing what a danger magnet you are."
"Edward, everything I did was my choice. The only part I would change is finding you sooner or you never leaving. But I understand now how everything happens for a reason. I learned a lot while I was traveling and had some pretty cool experiences too that I probably wouldn't have had otherwise."
"Do tell?" he was curious.
"Well I guess you know I saw a lot of libraries around the country. I got to experience sunrise or sunset all over the place. I watched street performers and visited a traveling freakshow with sword swallowers and fire eaters one night, that was intense. I tried out a dozen different jobs and spent a lot of time watching the stars, hoping that you might be too. I missed you every second of every day, but I tried to live my life too and enjoy the experience a little while I was searching for you. Even when I was sure I would never find you; I didn't give up. I couldn't. I at least felt like I was working towards something I should be proud of, my happiness."
"You are my happiness as well, my fiancée, my mate."
We kissed again with a fiery passion; hands tangled in the other's hair. We didn't stop kissing until the shrill sound of a phone ringing brought us back to reality around sunrise.
Carlisle stepped into the room. "Family?" Everyone appeared in an instant, except for Charlie, who was still asleep. "There's a 'serial killer' loose in Forks."