Disclaimer: Zip, zero, zilch, gooseegg, notta. That's how much of this series I own.
Well, I did get 45 one time, but 36 is AMAZING BEYOND WORDS, too! Ahhh…ly. LYLYLYLY…you appeased the review gods…my muses will let me write again.
DistinguishedAnguish: Fixed that little problem…I think. I went back and tweaked that chapter some. Thanks, friend. Oh, and, glad you liked it. HOWWW far away? Like, Europe, Asia, Antarctica? Hopefully, not the latter, but hey! You never know these days. (shifty eyes).
Alexa: try to contain that enthusiasm…do you even WANT to know how many people this story has sent to the loony bin…the numbers are astronomical.
Melody Cullen: why, thank you. And of course a Tacoma! What else? And, haha, I got one and some guy actually did tell me that he liked a girl in a truck. So that part was based on real life experience. I didn't go ballistic on him, however.
Thegirlfromamestris1912: I know…poor door…it never did anything wrong. It was too young to die!! But anyway, thanks for the SM comparison. IM not worthy! (sigh). Does this update right now get me the 200 cookies.
Isabelladreamer: robot talk is so irritating. I've read so many stories that I don't think I could write like it if I tried. My mind is like set against it. So, that's good, because that was one of my goals starting out on this story. One day, I hope to be one…lol. That would be awesome. Have a few ideas floating around in my head…but till then, Ill borrow other peoples characters and force them to do my sick bidding (TEHEHEE) Newho, ly, thanks, toodles.
Angelfromhell: How was camping. Oviously exciting, seeing as you went mountain lion hunting…can I have some of that, like, now? Medium well, with some A1 sauce. YAY!! Please don't forget to pm it to me. That would completely make, well, my life really. Ew…one time I did get a grasshopper in my mountain dew…it was disgusting beyond description….well, back to the old pc. Thanks, and Cya!
Ol2bob: Have I told you lately that you are my hero? Or that I love you (insert song here). Yes…I just metaphorically serenaded you. THAT'S how much I love you. But, moving on, thanks for the zillion comments. I never dreamed Id ever get to 600 reviews, but you definitely gave me that push I needed to get there. THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART. Thanks for all the specification, and the quotes, and the well…existing. Sarcasm is the spice of life…or something like that. O yes about intuitive bella, it makes me mad when people write her all dumb and oblivious, like she doesn't understand whats going on or something….grrrr…im angry just thinking about it. Well, thanks…Again. :D
Sparklette: chills? Haha. Chill. Grill. Bill. Sill. Mill. Krill. (that's what whales eat) So, have I mentioned that I just got back from a party and am beat? Although, you should be used to half dead, slaphappy lily by now… thanks!
Ol2bob: thank you…just again, had to say it.
Dazzled26: guess if you tried? What happened? Meh, tomato tomahtoe. And ouch to the frying pan. Ill go grab my light saber to fend you off. Luke, I am your fateher cough cough.
Emberwillow: I DID, thanks. I went and hung out with peoples and slept all weekend, so I wasn't such a grouch. Ill try not to let this whole writing thing control my life again…but that's an empty promise. I liked the "e" alliteration…or Elliteration…haha…or..um…maybe that's just me. Erm…awkward turtle. (literally) And no, edward's bella didn't get into her system, he just sucked on her skin pretty much, but I didn't want to say it like that cuz it sounded crude. Ill read max ride…someday I guess. Cya, and thanks biggest fan!
Sillyella: Yah know what, label making companies? Chicken of the sea can be whatever the sam heck I want it to be! If I want tilapia to be chicken of the sea…or swordfish, it can be! And you cant tell me any different. ANARCHY ALL THE WAY! Haha. Jefferey is at my house right now. He says he teaches color changing lessons every Wednesday at 2 at mt. rushmore…so… stupid cupcake.
Moonifrui: ahhhh…I hate when computers are stupid. Mine is stupid on a daily basis. He didn't actually bite her though, he just sucked on her blood sort of.
Minimeyer: grrr… Archie was a cutie, tho!! Yeah, we, im gonna buy both their cds (cough cough limewire cough) anyway, so it doesn't matter. That sounds fierce, the barney play doh thing. Erm, yes, fierce. Well, thank you my double chocolate chip smart cookie! Cya round.
Roughdraft525: awww…thanks, haven't seen ya round for a while. Welcome back.
Jalice: Cool beans. And HOW COULD YOU??Edward wasn't behind me. I looked for three days straight. LIAR! LIAR! That was before I saw the 'just kidding' part. Next time, bold it or something. Sheesh. But awwww( blushes like nobodys business) thanks. To you and anna. Way to be fawesome…im gonna fawesome on over to the kitchen to eat some fawesome bread…too much? Lol. Thanks.
K: pshhh. I don't accept less than a billion. JKJK… your review was worth a zillion! Haha. Thanks for the appreciation. Ill cry when I end it, I swear…like a baby.
Bronzehairedfreak1901: interesting good or bad?? Thanks…I think…maybe.
Socialdistortionist: And I was soooo looking forward to seeing the core of the earth. It looked pretty smoking (no pun intended) in that movie, where there was this giant geode…and …nvm. Lol. Will do, and gracias.
Nobodyparticular: thanks, my Tennessee friend, thanks.
Meyarose: well….if you insist…
Marikaemmie: Who doesn't? lol…specially the star wars kind…call me a dork. Awww… that's sad. Ill make you some easy mac on my easy bake oven that MY mental hospital lets me have. And send it to you with a giant "thank you" card.
Laurenbttwilightfan: haha…k. lol. Bella didn't turn into a vampire cuz edward's venom never got into her blood stream. He didn't really bite her, he just sucked it out of her…like you do a straw or something. And thanks! :D
Blissfulsin18: awwwww( blushes like mad). Thanks. I love it when people talk about that…yay. Times infinity and three.
Bellaxedward4everz: sorry… (looks away sheepishly) sorry… Im trying! Lol. Thanks anyways though.
Twilighter4ever: Muchos gracias. I was wondering if you were going to come back and realize that there was another chapter… haha.
Iminlovewithjasper: me too…talking bout your penname. That's cool. Ill pm some of it to you or something. Whenever I do…ive actually started writing on one now. O, I mean, I am stephenie meyer! Bow before me…lol. And thanks
Eliane: Onto the review, thanks. Haha…I took your advice though, and chilled by the pool with some friends for the last few days. But now im back from my minivacation. Lol. THANK YOU!
Smileforlife: I mistaked you for hypernessisavirtue there for a second. Gheh…deja vue…but okee dokee…
Broken: Thanks…HAHAHAHA…that story was awesome. Probably the best one ive heard all day! Loved it. And you. Cya lata, thanks!
XD: yeah yeah…excuses excuses JK. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they just come on a whim while im writing or doing some other random activity, and I go…hmmmm…that'd be cool. But I know what you mean by the movie thing. Haha. I think I figured out what writiers are…Certifiable loons. Yep, that's right. O well…thanks.
Sandalswithsox: glad you thought so. And right, bella isn't a vamp now. And thanks.
Clumsy: Yeah, ill go into much further detail. It aint over till the fat lady sings!
Allyq1990: lol. It was…and delicious. And cool. I just got this picture of boiling water in my head. Glad it stuck. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Thanks a bundle. Especially for my kudos…I put them in a vase.
twilightxlover: there's another chapter you know…another one!! Lol.
Ellen dean: No joke. Bella needs to wake up and smell the roses sometimes. But anyway, thanks for the review (s). You're the best, babe.
Hibiscusqt: ding ding ding…reviewer of the year award. Haha. And… I love caps lock. Feel free to caps lock your dang heart out. Awwww…of course I don't hate you. You just gave me the review of my life. I LOVE YOU! IN ALL CAPS! YEAH! I WENT THERE! Lol. Thanks!
enderACullen: Short, sweet, and to the point. I like you. Lol. Thank you.
Thefuturemrsedwardcullen: Yes, I do recall…no throwing sharp objects this time Chelsea! Jeeze louise. That poor man is still shaking in his boots! Haha. Plenty of time for that not so happy ending, as you called it…MWUHAHAHA! Don't drive, ice cream drunk girl…you know, friends don't let friends drive drunk. Thanks as always. Ly. P.S. Do you put LEMONS in your tea??
Tatiana: lol. Thanks. Awww. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside now. And I like your name a lot. Tons better than mine. (it's boring. Ill say that much) Nah, I got the name-control…what you said thing from faery lore. I took a few mythology classes. There was some Irish stuff about fairies and it kindof stuck with me. But anywho, thanks!
Chapter 30
Edward threw me onto his back, and then, before I had made sense of the change in elevation, he had jumped out the hole the two vampires had busted through the window, and onto the ground.
He gave a grunt and crumpled to his knees in the grass.
"Edward?" I asked. "Are you okay?" I never thought I'd have to ask that.
"Exceptional," he said, but his voice sounded edgy.
Whatever happened, he was up in a flash, running. The remaining dizziness I felt from having the blood drained from me made the dizziness from being transported at superhuman speed all the worse. So, I buried my face in Edward's shoulder.
Every so often, his pace would slow. I could tell by the change in wind velocity. It happened more and more the farther he went though. Sometimes, when I looked over, I could even make out individual silhouettes of trees, instead of just the blurred rush of a green and brown forest squeezed together.
I felt something under my chest, a husky sounding sort of motion. It took me a minute to realize that it was Edward's breathing. It had become hard, forced, like he was actually exerting effort to run like this. Exceptional my right foot…
"You're hurting yourself," I told him. "You didn't get enough."
"I'm…just…fine," he said breathily.
"You need more."
"I will never do that again, Bella! Not for anything. Not even for my own health. Is that understood?" The burst of energy that had allowed those phrases to sound remotely intimidating was quickly used up though, for after he said them, he began gasping again.
I didn't say anything. I disagreed of course, but I just didn't want any more of his energy used on quarreling with me. Apparently, he needed every ounce just to keep on sprinting.
All of a sudden, we broke through the dark forest into a clearing. It wasn't Edward's and mine. It was different, larger and less peaceful, but maybe my mind had just attached that label to it because of what happened there. Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that in our clearing, there wasn't a battle being waged.
I heard Edward swearing under his breath, too quick for my human ears to catch. For whatever unintentional reason, he'd taken us right into the thick of things, smack dab in the middle of the war.
The war itself looked…wrong. It was as if heaven's legions had flown down to earth to rail at one another – a civil war between angels.
Everyone was stunning, but I recognized the fairies right away. They were taller than the vampires, the shortest of their kind towering over even the tallest of Edward's. Something about them though was otherworldly. In spite of myself, I felt drawn to their slender forms. Each and every one had long, flowing hair, and their clothes looked like they were spun of some element not yet discovered by humans. Their clothes shimmered, just as the vampires shimmered when the Sun broke through the white clouds.
The fairies' eyes were the most enticing. One looked at me, an abnormally tall one, with ink black hair down to its middle back. I couldn't really tell genders with these beings.
When it looked it me, it peered through bottomless eyes, of every color, like a rainbow had been captured there. It was almost like watching the sun refract on an oil slick, sending all the hues in the visible spectrum running and flowing together. I wanted down off of Edward's back. I wanted to run to that fairy and gaze into its eyes forever.
I started to unhook my arms from around Edward's neck, but the fairy looked away, and I became sane again.
"Why are we here?" I whispered.
He didn't answer.
"Your powers aren't working right, are they?"
Again, he didn't respond.
I glanced over to the vampire side. I could make out a few. Jasper was fighting a rather voluptuous blonde fairy away from the others. He was in between it and the rest of the enemy's army, trying to keep it separated from the rest.
When the blonde one moved, it was like a willow tree's hanging branches rippling in the wind. Jasper wasn't moving as fast as he used to, like he was in a trance.
Esme was battling a fairy with auburn locks and skin as white as paper, dodging out of the way of things that I couldn't see. That must be the invisible weapon Alice had told me about. Maybe Esme could feel the vibrations in the air.
Emmett was lost to my eyes at least. Maybe he was back at the house, keeping the faction of vampires that had come to hunt me down at bay.
"Their names, Edward! Say their names, and you can control them," I shouted.
"I can't."
"Yes, you can! Read their minds!"
"No, Bella," he snapped angrily, "I mean I can't. I can't…hear them anymore…it's quiet." Well, that wasn't exactly true. There were many sounds, booms when vampires slammed up against fairies, cracks whenever someone was too slow, and shouts of commands from both sides.
"I don't…" Edward started. He sounded so frustrated, entirely trounced.
I sighed, than murmured quietly, "You need more."
He roared. I clung to him nonetheless. "No! That's final."
"It's our funeral…" I muttered.
A few vampires were starting to look my way now, with longing eyes. My blood was distracting them. The fairy with the dark hair looked towards me and held up a hand. Edward ducked off to the side, but I still felt something hot brush past my shoulder, missing it by only a hairsbreadth. I shuddered. If it could singe vampire skin, what could it do to a mortal?
Before I could even breathe, in between heartbeats, Edward had taken off again, like a rocket at first, but slower as we covered more ground, until he was traveling at a fairly human pace. An Olympic gold medal winning human pace, but human all the same.
Eventually, we stopped entirely, and Edward stooped over breathing hard and fast.
"Alice," he whispered. "Where are you?"
"Edward, I'm going to force feed you my blood in a minute if you don't drink it willingly! I bet even I can take you right now."
"I refuse to do that again, Bella, for the thousandth time." His voice was calmer now, probably due to the fact that his power was drained for some odd reason.
"Then let me down," I yelled.
He did so, releasing the grip he had under my knees. I fell to the forest floor, and landed with an "oomph" on my rear.
"Ouch," I complained.
"You wanted down," he said.
"Good grief. Why don't you go sulk some more," I told him. Clearly, we had both reached the ends of our ropes.
He turned in a spurt of vampire vigor, standing in front of me, the front of his sneakers connected to my sandals. "I can't protect you anymore. Don't you get that?" he yelled.
I was on my feet in a flash, staring at the onyx fire in his eyes with some of my own. "No, I don't. You know why? Because you could if you just took a few more sips of my blood." I started unwrapping the piece of fabric around my arm.
Fiercely, he grabbed my hand and pulled it to his chest. "Why do you do these things Bella?"
"Edward…" I started, feeling a flutter under my fingertips.
"I mean, really Bella, why do you have to go and…"
"Edward!" I shouted.
"What?"
"Your heart," I said breathlessly. "Your heart's beating."
Puzzlement showed in his eyes, but he spread out his fingertips over my palm and pressed our hands against his chest.
"How…" he started in wonderment. "Why…is…I do feel different."
Then, in front of my eyes, his face began to change. Lines etched themselves into the corners of his eyes, his lips, his forehead. His hair, full, thick, and bronzy just a moment ago, transformed. It thinned as I watched, and soon I could see gray streaked through it. Emerald specks dotted the inky blackness of his eyes. Whatever the fairies had done, it must have reversed the vampire path his genes were set to follow.
"Edward," I gasped. "You're aging."
I heard a rustle in the bushes to my right. Alice stepped out.
"Ed…" she started, voice mortified, so different from her usual bubbliness. "You're going to die if you don't drink more of Bella's blood. You've got to."
I finished removing the bandage from my arm. Edward's lips were thinning now, and he became shorter. He still looked like Edward though…for now.
I held my arm up to him. "I can't live without you. Live for me." I used his own words against him.
He looked up at me through sad, sunken eyes, before grabbing my arm and drinking. I looked away this time and tried to give him some privacy. Alice had a hand on my shoulder and another stroking Edward's hair.
When I got dizzy, Alice's arm kept me from falling. I only looked back at Edward after he had pulled away. He looked how I remembered him now, seventeen instead of fifty.
He wouldn't meet my eyes. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," I said. "By the way, you make a sexy old man."
"Ew," said Alice.
Edward laughed, though, and that was what mattered. "Thank you…I suppose."
"I really am sorry about this, Edward," Alice said suddenly.
"It's not your fault."
"No…not that. What I'm about to do…" she said sheepishly. "If you really like being an old human all that much, you can command the fairies to hit you again," was the last thing she said before she pounced on him, knocking him to the ground, and sinking her teeth into his shoulder. "But right now we need you, or we'll lose."
"Alice!" I exclaimed. "You bit him!"
"Don't worry. I've seen it. It'll only take him about thirty minutes to change…since he's already done it once." She stood back up.
On the ground, in a small bunch of leaves, Edward began to writhe and howl in agony. I knelt beside him and stroked his hair.
"It'll be okay," I said.
"God, Alice…" he said through his pain, "when I get up…" here, he wailed again. "I'm going to kill you!"
"I'll help," I muttered. It was pure agony for me to watch him struggle like this.
His hands gripped the ground. "Burning!" he shouted.
"I know," I whispered, laying my head on his chest, letting the tears spill over.
Alice came to sit beside him, murmuring "I'm sorry" in regular intervals.
I listened to his heart thrash inside his chest, knowing that this was probably the only time I'd get to hear it. I listened as it dimmed to a low pitched thump, and then to a flutter, like a butterfly taking flight, and then at last, as its pumps came to a screeching halt. Its termination was accompanied by one of Edward's shrieks. I cringed.
Finally though, he stopped moving, lying still on the leaves. He wasn't even breathing.
"Is it over?" I asked Alice.
She nodded. I looked to my husband's face. His mouth was still contorted, and his eyes were shut tight, but he looked like the Edward I had come to know and love these past years. My soul mate was back.
Eventually, he opened his eyes. They were redder than usual, but still not that deep burgundy color of non-vegetarian vampires.
"Do you feel like a newborn?" asked Alice. "Do you remember anything? Want Bella anymore than usual?"
"Of course I want Bella," he replied, "but no, not any more than normal. And yes," he looked at me and smirked. "I remember everything very clearly. You," he looked at Alice, "are the most insane, crazy clairvoyant I know, and you," he glanced my way, "are my wife who seems to have an incredibly difficult time keeping her clothes on in my presence and trips over thin air. Is that correct?"
I blushed at what he said.
"Ah yes," he said, "she blushes a lot, too."
"Maybe you should've forgotten," I said, getting up. Edward was on his feet before me though, and had me slung on his back before I could say 'show off'.
A/N: Okay, so Edward may be a vampire, but he's still a guy. And guys tend to get cranky when, all of a sudden, they're knocked off of their high horse, so that's why Edward was kind of a butt for a while. So, Bella and Edward just can't get a moment's peace can they? Well, that's what they get for being so slow. And also, I don't think anyone ever considered that if Edward got turned back into a human, he would be around 100 years old… original plan was to turn him human, and then I thought to myself "What the hell kind of plot is that, Lily? You can do much better." Believe me folks, there's still plenty of time for a not-so-cliché, not-so-fairy tale ending (thanks thefuturuemrsedwardcullen). I just wanted to show what I think would happen, and give them some time for a little more time together, explore the more angry sides of their relationship, and add some more of their classic bantering. I missed it terribly. I mean, SOMETHING had to happened when he got hit with fairy energy, right?! Read and review, please.