Disclaimer: I bought the rights actually. Just yesterday. I found a million dollars on the side walk and thought to myself: "Myself, return it?" "Nah." "What then, myself?" "Buy Twilight of course, you pee brain!" Multiple personalities? No I don't. Yes I do. No I don't...
First, I updated my profile. And secondly, I have finally found a border I can live with IXIXIXI: I thought it looked like a fence. Thirdly, I adore you all. Really. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine this many reviews. Although I'd still like to reach 1000 by the end. (lesigh). But, hey! I'm not complaining. This is amazing. I'm awed...really. 44 for the last chapter... YOUR ALL AMAZING!
Adrirod: Nice theory. Nice review. Maybe, maybe not. Hehe. Iknow something you don't know. I sang that in a singsong voice... NO MOM THE CAT IS NOT DYING. THANKS! IF you have any doubt of my gratitude, read above underlined text.
Catie: Although I never got your long review, the other was just peachy keen! Glad I make work bearable. Haha. Ya know, I've heard that a lot, about the shoutouts. Funny... THANKS!
Oliveexedwardxcullen: I tried to read your pen name, like how it's spelled, letter-by-letter. It took me around ten minutes to realise the OX's were spaces. And some people call me smart... BUT ANYWAY, thanks! You're awesome.
Buddahjo13: interesting name... hmmm... (strokes chin, whilst sipping tea) PINKIES OUT! Ahem...care for a spot of tea?? Appreciate the love, home skillet.
Fleeting thought: Addictive? Cool. I'm like cocaine that can get you high any time you want. Or...rather, whenever I update. This chapter, however is more like a suppresant... sadness abounds. Thank you so much!
Transfiguration: Glad you think so. Hmmm...maybe!
Hypergiggles: If she chucks it, she'll spend the rest of her IMORTAL life thinking about what would have happened IF. The if would eventually drive her insane, don't you think. Haha. you said sorry charlie. I'm like a three year old with a new dr. Suess book right now. I love rhyming. Ahem... "One fish two fish red fish blue fish. Black fish blue fish old fish new fish. This one has a little star. This one has a little car. Say, what a lot of fish there are!" Totally from memory, baby! They were like my kindergarten twilight I swear.
Djtlas: Don't die!! OR dye!! Unless you're going for a light teal green. Then I could live with that. Aye aye capytan! And thanks.
Cataclysmic101: Awwwwwwwwwwww... What else is there to say? That's just...golly gee I'm flattered. Well, shucks. CRAP! (pushing. Back. Southern. Roots!) There. Out of good ideas? Well, I'm not out. I actually have too many. Want some? But I don't know if they are neccessarily "good" either, so... I guess we'll see. Your welcome, but erm... thank you!
Distinguishedanguish: Mcflurrys? If I don't do smilecry I get a mcflurry? Now THATS what I call a tempting bribe! Choose for you? That seems rather silly. Even in my highschool, we chose. Yay! Almost there! Thanks!
Mirrorbay2000: YAY! Your tfmec's other betaee. If that's a word... Well, I held your attention through chapter four it seems. I do enjoy fluff. And wit. And giggles! Sheesh. I sound like a girly girl. I'm actually more of the nature variety, what with the nalgene bottles and the lifeisgood shirts. :D Thanks! Yeah, she told me bout yours, too. Ill get on it I swear! But Ive barely had time for this story.
Monkey: Charlie DID die for a reason. Have no fear! Or... do. I dunno. I'm tired of being mysterious. I'm just going to say bleh from now on. Thanks...and bleh...
Thegirlfromamestris1912: had it coming? Well, okay... actually, he did. From the very beginning. I sort of feel like a murderer. Sad day. Haha. bleh. Thanks!
Brigid: Joke? I don't joke. Haha. Okay i do, but not about EVERYTHING. I know. I know. I killed Charlie. Bleh. Im glad you liked that. Cause I approached it with extreme caution. And thanks!
Thefuturemrs.edwardcullen: you'll always be my megan! Wow. We sound strange... I had a thought. Ever wondered if Stephenie gets on here and reads some of these things. I mean, if I had a popular book, I'd so read my own fanfiction. Haha. Just wondering. Although, she probably has no time at all. Love you and all. Thanks for still reviewing!
Brigid: haha. I do love to make people laugh. Glad you enjoyed. Thanks!
Anon: Gee, thanks! (blush...blush) The whole rest of the story... is getting there. Lots of love! And thanks.
Dazzle.me.darling: MWUHAHAHA of course I am an evil turtle. They call me the TerriTurtle. It's like terrible and turtle mixed together in a blender. With strawberries...mmmmmmm.. . Oh sorry, where was I? Yes, charlie died. TerriTurtle strikes again! Yeah, 26 used to be a high. Now 32's a low. It's weird... Like being popular but NOBODY knows you. Thanks for reviewing!
Reshmi Solaris: hmmm... the TerriTurtle (see above review) is impervious to your incessant pleas! Jk...just wanted a chance to use the word incessant, really. Thanks, as always!
Angelfromhell: I'll tell you the rest of the plot right now. I'll set the scene. We find our two heroes in a Wal-Mart not far from Lebanon, Kansas, the geographical center of the USA. Bella, in a burst of insanity, grabs Herbel Essence shampoo off the shelf and steals it to a previously undisclosed location. (we've now learned that it was Jamaica). Edward comes for her, asking her "WHYYYYYY??", begging and pleading for her to return it. Bella declines, firmly statingthat luscious, volumous, luminous hair should be free! Like oxygen or something. So, Bella, in an act of desperation, shampoos Edward. Then, she shampoos president bush. And precedes to shampoo Dick Cheyney, Michael Jordan, and the old man off of Batman Begins. She's embarks on a mad shampooing frenzy across the globe! No one, woman or child, escapes from her soapy lather. Until, at last, Wal-mart security catch up to her in the Southern part of France... The End. And suddenly, I wish it were real... THANKS FOR THE SCENE UPDATE! Watched it. Loved it. You're like my source for twilight movie news.
Allyq1990: lol. Thank you. Unfortunately, it's neccessary.
Euphoria falls: IF your mind is in the gutter...then bowling balls will squash it if I go bowling...haha, but no really. Im a terrible bowler. He does want a harem indeed. He wears a robe and smokes a pipe like that playboy founder guy does. Although I don't approve, he is in llama years, of the legal age, so... sure. Send them over. Break my heart phillip some more, why don't you... THANK YOU!
Bronzehairedfreak1901: Were the caps neccessary. Meh, whatever. You can't please everyone.
Twilighter4ever: Me too... I mean, I have a direction of course, but sometimes, when I set out to go somewhere, I get sidetracked, and end up in a completely different place then where I meant to... hmmm... THANKS FOR THE REVIEW YOUR AWESOME!
The musings of artemis: Cool name! Exciting. Awwww...your review made me feel all warm and fuzzy and egotistical inside! Thanks! And by all means, "wow" all you want to. I say it like 499 times a day. I counted... THANKS! (again)
Thrushflightedward'sstalker: Good, clean smut. Oxymoron, much? Jacob? Haha. Don't worry then. I don't have to fear for my life. :D yay! You gave me points for killing charlie? Finally! I thought people were going to hate my guts. Well, you get 6005 points for reviewing every time...minus 100 for the first one... selfesteem damages and all. Plus 20 for the name changes. Plus the usual 5 for being a fellow twilighter. That leaves you with... 5, 930. :D You could get SUCH a cool prize at chucky cheeses!
Kkbear: You're amazing too! Haha. Man, I've said haha too much. But muchos gracias!
Audra laudargue: mhmm...sure, Audra...just keep thinking that. Haha...jk. Read angelfromhell's shoutout for a plot commentary. Thanks!
Mandja: Good thing you don't have to anymore, then, eh? I sound canadian, eh? Or that moose from brother bear, eh? Thanks.
Sobeida: I took a bit long. Guilty as charged for that one. D: but hey! Girl's gotta have fun.
Hibiscusqt: "gettin down". I just got this picture in my head of Bella saying "Yo Ed, you wanna get down?" and Edward goes "sure thing homeslice Bellawella. Will the kitchen table do?" AHHHHHH anyway. Choices, choices. I think that's going to be a theme. SHHH...dont tell. :D THANKS for being faithful till the end. Well, almost.
Dandylion0042: I was young and stupid then... all the way three months ago. Hehe. Glad you caught it. When I go back and revise and repost it (just to please my inner ocdness), I'll be sure to get that. Bella forgot it in the 'heat of passion', or whatever... thanks for the reviews, my friend.
Emberwillow: seven seconds? Exactly seven seconds? That's a pretty precise number. Did you use a stopwatch? Meh, don't forget prince caspian! Or, well, he doesn't have to fight. We can just keep him to look at him. Thanks.
Nobodyparticular: Thanks, as always, my tennesseean awesome person!
Melodycullen: lol. The question every one becomes manic depressed over... thanks for the awesomeness of your review!
Dulce Lee: haha. 'holy spit'! That's a new one. It made me giggle. I tend to do those twists rather a lot. Too much? Eh, who cares? Too much mary higgins clark in my diet. I do pratically eat them. They always say you should get more fiber... Thanks for the love! True. I took them twice. FINALLY got a 2030 with all three added together. How'd you do?
Sillyella: pshhh! Not IRONKIDS bread! What's wrong with you? Two slices is equal to a glass of milk, or so the plastic package says. Have you no scruples?! Ah, calm... okay, im better. Love that movie too. Laugh hysterically, then worry about my sanity. Although, that's how the cycle usually goes. Cruel... I am TerriTurtle!! Amphibian of the night! (thanks) bwahahaha!
Lovableloser: cool signature. Never did like MCR much. Some songs are awesome rockurpantsrightoffyou, and others are terrible. Couldn't ever decide. THANKS!
Marikaemmie: haha. Sorry. I thought Tibbins would help some... She's quite good with the crazies, I've heard. Ummm... Are you better now? You know... from your heartattack? Don't die. Erm, I sent flowers to the mental hospital. :D
SavannahX: OH I know. Excuse me, mrs. Meyer, but I didn't wait three years for a "and the next morning, they –" No siree, I did not! I won't stand for it! Haha. Yeah, been there. Read that. The host I mean. I liked it. Not quite loved. Alien is a bit too farfetched for my tastes. As opposed to vampires I know, right. Oh, and I caught you again. You tried to drop down from the ceiling on a string. Clever. But not clever enough. I had scissors, so you were doomed to failure. :D Thanks!
Jalice: It was ironic, wasn't it. Thanks. You're the best! I tried to stay clear of graphicness, and make it sweet and satisfying... ew. That sounds kind of weird in that context. Oh well. YAY!
Danisu20: Aw, thanks! What's with the number 7? You and two other people left me reviews were you did things 7 times... kind of creepy, if you ask me. But thanks again.
Kerssica: Your the coolest. Gettting to your pm, promise. But, erm, just so we're clear, I'm straight as a board. Yep! Men all the way. Haha. What I meant by that was who I hang out with. Guys and girls equally. I guess I misinterpretted your meaning. But, I think you'd laugh if you met me...for thinking that. Review time! Aw!! Thanks... Im blushing like a red idiot. That growl was kind of scary. I thought a lion had escaped from the zoo or something. Dang. Stupid fflaws, always trying to down on us simpletons and our morse code. Jeeze louis. LIVE BAND! Neccessary. Can we have Gavin Degraw?? I really love him. And Bon Jovi. Or some guy who sings bon jovi? Cause the real ones kind of old... and also, we must have a fountain... and a gazebo. How, exactly, are our brains to be transported... in pickle jars with formaldehyde?? Anywho, love the brainchip things. I want to callit a night. But i still have another page of reviews. That im very grateful for! But still... tiring stuff. Good luck at your version of wal-mart. Couldnt' begin to spell it's actual name. I'm from Tennessee! Haha.
MeyaRose: True. And it's so sad. They did a bit with it in the Sweet Far Thing. By libba bray. Read that if you haven't. And thanks.
Smile for life: okee dokee pokee!
Laurenbttwilightfan: I tried to hurry. This is like a 3, 900 word long chapter, soo... does that make upfor it?
SS: I feel like your penname abbreviation is a ship. And then I think of Titanic...jack, jack. Never let go! Oh boy! I was voted 'most likely to quote movies at odd intervals' senior year. Yeah i know. I did explain it kind offunny. The card should be one of the singing ones from halmark. Maybe elvis's "it'll be a blue christmas without you'. Something like that, so pluto knows he's missed. I don't mind rants. Rant away! and thanks.
Meelah: Yay, thanks for the selfesteem boost! THAT scene worked out better than I hoped. :D
Dazzled 26: hmmm...see angelfromhell's review shoutout. Haha. PLOT MUNGERERS ALL OF YOU! Not that I blame you. I do the same thing. It's funny though. Jacob... well I've pretty much got him asettled with his Mexican seniorita, so... probably not making a reappearnce. Just a small cameo or something.
Ol2bob: I was thinking about maybe writing scripts instead of books. Whatta ya think? They do seem to be caught up in a vicious cycle. THANKS hero!
Chapter 35
"Wh…what?" I stammered. "No."
"I'm sorry."
"No!" I yelled. Edward looked stricken. "He can't," I murmured. I shook my head violently. How could Edward play such a cruel trick on me?
Edward didn't say anything, just lowered his eyes.
"Alice would've seen it…" Defenses, that's what I needed, anything to prove his clearly incorrect statement false.
"She wasn't expecting him until next week…"
"No." I cut him off. It hadn't happened. I would go back to Forks, and nothing would be different. "He's not dead."
"He is, Bella." Edward's quiet words tried to break down my fortress, but I wouldn't let them.
"Charlie's alive," I said.
Edward hung his head, looking for all the world like it had been his father that had died. No. No. No. No. My father wasn't dead. I promptly shut down that dangerous line of thought.
"He's alive, right?" I asked to anyone, anyone at all who could say 'yes'.
Again, my husband remained speechless, a soft, pitying glow in the depths of his dark gold eyes.
I grabbed onto his shoulders and tried, to no avail, to shake the answer out of him. "Right?" As if from a distance, like I was watching and listening to myself from across the room, I heard panicked frenzy creep into my tone.
"Right?" I repeated, squeezing his shoulders.
From across the room, I saw my body start to shake.
When Edward spoke, his voice sounded broken, and it was not saying the words I wanted to hear. "I'm sorry."
I shook my head, over and over again, and whatever part of me was observing myself from a distance suddenly went careening across the room and slammed into my body. So did the pain. Edward would never lie to me, but still I tried to make him tell me it wasn't true.
"He's not dead," I said into his chest. "He's not dead!"
Edward's cautious arms encircled me, squeezing me to him as he rocked me. Then, I let go. I broke.
IXIXIXI
Five hours later, I'd cried all the water in my body out onto the shirt Edward had changed into, somehow without ever ceasing to hold me. I missed the mindless crying. I wanted to weep forever because at least the noise held back my thoughts.
Thinking about what had happened – that was the worst. I thought of talking with Charlie, the way he'd beamed about a fishing trip he was taking. Images played out in my head like films, images of him pulling out of the driveway in his police cruiser, images of his midnight checkups on me, images of him eating my burnt food with a smile…
I hiccupped. Edward's hand was still rubbing circles on my back.
"How?" I whispered.
Edward sighed. "It's not important." His voice was musical, seductive, persuasive…
"Tell me."
"Not yet."
My head shot up. I was tired of not saying what I thought. By God, I was worn out, and the voice inside of me that I normally repressed for being so rude and frank, came booming to the surface. "Don't try to decide what's best for me."
Edward's eyebrows lifted, and his mouth parted slightly. His hair, messy from the three straight days it spent lying on a pillow, fell into his face. He looked like the picture of innocence, and I almost stopped what I was going to say to him. But almost didn't quite cut it.
"You always try to decide what's best for me!" I continued, my voice reaching a higher octave. "Don't you remember what happened last time? You left, and it killed me!"
A look of profound and deep anguish passed across his features, and I could've stopped then. But, I'd known that same pain. He'd brought it upon me. That voice screamed inside of my head to keep going.
"I walked around for months like a zombie. Waiting for you! I followed you into the forest when you left," I yelled, ignoring the torture in his expressions. "Sam Uley found me unconscious! Charlie tried to get me to see a shrink! He even tried to send me back to Florida!"
I heard Edward hiss, but I didn't look at him for fear that I would lose whatever sick, dark kind of victory I held now. The words poured out without consent, from raw, elemental emotion.
"I went through nearly a year of absolute Hell all because you thought you knew what was best for me!"
Suddenly, I wasn't on top of Edward anymore. Edward was on top of me, straddling me. Something in between white fury and eternal sadness ignited in his eyes, and the flames they threw were blistering.
"I did it all for you!" he snarled, taking labored breaths in between every other word.
I wondered then, if he had snapped, too. Maybe I'd get my wish today – the one to see him lose control.
I was too stunned to snap back.
"Dammit, Bella. I truly apologize for wanting you to be safe and happy," he sneered.
Incoherently, the vague thought registered in my mind that he'd just cursed. Even more vaguely, I wondered where the self-guilt had gone. Maybe the five minutes of humanity had left more than memories.
"I love you more than anything else in the world!" he exclaimed.
"Then why didn't you stay?" I challenged.
"Because I didn't think that I could." The rage in his orbs disappeared, but not the sadness. "If I had killed you, did you ever stop to think about what that would have done to me?" He shook me so hard my teeth rattled. "I wouldn't have been able to bear it."
"You didn't know that, though! You wouldn't even take the chance that you wouldn't."
"Yes, Bella, the very off chance that I wouldn't."
I leaned up on my elbows, putting our faces closer together. "Why can't you just trust yourself?" then added, "I trust you."
"I'm not trustworthy," he whispered.
There was the self-doubt, back to rear its irritating head again.
"Yes," I said, kissing him on the corner of his lips. "You are. You've saved my life more times than I can count."
"But I put you there to begin with," he countered.
"Danger magnet," I reminded him.
He gestured to himself. "Apparently."
"You don't count."
He flashed me his brilliantly white, venom-coated, razor sharp teeth, and it was the best emotional balm in the entire world. "Don't I? You already established that I was a lion."
I flushed, embarrassed. "A housecat named Lion."
"Housecat?" He raised one eyebrow.
"I mean a vicious, guard housecat named Lion."
"I'm hardly tame," he huffed.
"Whatever you say," I said, nuzzling his neck. "I'm sorry." I couldn't believe that I had overreacted like that.
"Don't be," he said simply.
"Still am. When are we going back to…?" I was going to ask him when we were going back to Forks, but then I remembered what was waiting for me there: a dead father. The floor fell out from under me again.
The bubble of forgetfulness Edward and I created had given my tear ducts time to regroup. Thick drops came pouring forth from my eyes.
I wiggled my way out from under Edward and scrambled to find my clothes.
"Where are you going?"
"Charlie's," I whispered. "I have to see…" I had to make sure. It was so hard to believe here, miles away from the town. I ran into the mahogany chest of drawers and knocked over a burnt out candle.
Edward had let them burn themselves out. Wax dripped over the edge of all the brass holders like white stalactites. I looked back over at my husband. He was itching to stop me I could tell, but after the fight we'd just had, he'd thought better of it.
I wished then, that I could be inside of Edward's mind, to react the way he was, with a calm, cool detachment. I knew that it couldn't hurt him as much as it hurt me, but I still saw the pain in his eyes when Alice had told him. I wanted more than anything else to know his secret.
"How?" I asked again.
"The vampires from the battle…" he started, reluctantly from the sound of it. "Some stayed."
He didn't need to go into detail. I only nodded and continued throwing on every piece of clothing I could find. After I had put my clothes on, I ran out the door and down the long flight of curving steps, grabbed the Camaro keys off the table beside the door, and left without waiting for Edward. He followed though like I knew he would, silent as stone.
I needed to drive right now. I needed to do something to occupy my thoughts. As I stepped into the driver's seat, I saw Edward's resistance to this, too. It probably wasn't healthy to operate a vehicle with tear-blurred vision, but I really didn't care at this point.
I jammed the key into the ignition. The Camaro started with a roar. Backing out of the long driveway, I took one last look at the mansion. Its tall, smooth beige walls rose out of the rainforest. Windows sparkled in the dull light. It was my oasis in this desert of problems life had proven itself to be, and I suddenly wanted to switch gears and put the car in drive. I wanted to go back and never leave, but I stayed on the course I had chosen.
"The house is ours, you know," Edward murmured beside me. "Yours and mine."
For once, I was too exhausted to argue with him about the ridiculousness of buying this big a house for two people. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
IXIXIXI
The ride back was still and silent. The car barely made noise at all even. My thoughts, however, were loud enough.
They took me on a guilt trip, through black rage, utter depression, and I wondered then if Edward was going through the same thing. I held out my right hand to him, and he gently laced his fingers through mine, not once complaining about how I needed to keep my hands on the wheel.
He rubbed comforting, steady circles into the skin there. I tried to focus on that.
I was speeding. I didn't know why, but I was. I had to see. Maybe they were wrong. That tiny piece of hope gave me some ledge to grip. 'Maybe' was such a comforting concept.
I turned down the familiar street, pulling into the same old driveway I always had. Robotically, I lifted the door handle, pushed, and got out. Edward did the same, but I shook my head at him. I needed to do this alone...whatever this was. It didn't even make sense.
I walked to the door. It was unlocked.
"Bella..." Edward called. "You shouldn't..."
"I have to," I whispered, and I knew he heard me.
He wasn't about to complain after I had all but attacked his emotions. Pangs of guilt went through me again, but I gritted the teeth and opened the door.
Inside, there wasn't anything different.
"Charlie," I called weakly. There was no answer.
"Charlie!"
Again, nothing. The small ledge of maybe I held to by one finger told me to check his room. Everything was still and quiet.
I walked up the quiet stairs. Quiet...that was everything now. Why did I insist on doing this? I didn't know. Something inside propelled me onward.
Charlie. Charlie. The house seemed to whisper the name with every breeze, every creak of the floorboards, and the whoosh of the ceiling fan. The tears came swiftly now, cascading down my cheeks ever so silently. Their plops on the floor spoke Charlie. I tried my best to ignore the house.
The door to Charlie's room was shut, barricaded by criss-crossing rows of crisp yellow tape. I tore it down vigorously. In my rampage, I ripped it to shreds. The vampires had come here. I guess I'd never considered that. Charlie the ripping noises sounded like. I threw down the massacred pieces and wrenched open the door.
There, lying on his simple navy comforter was a half-opened brown suitcase. He'd been unpacking when they'd come and taken, taken his... I couldn't finish the statement, not even in the privacy of my thoughts.
Memories that I realized I'd been holding at bay till now rushed through my mind in foaming rapids, the dam having burst. I saw what had happened: Charlie taking me out to eat the day I graduated, Charlie giving me away at my wedding... It grew into a wearisome list of "had been's".
The force of my pain brought me to my knees on the rough carpet. How could this have happened? I was the danger magnet. Everyone else was supposed to be safe.
My father was dead! Unbidden, that statement stealthily seeped up over the edges of my conscious thought and invaded. He was gone. I'd never hear him walk around the house, never see him pull out of the driveway heading for some 'serious' police work. I'd never even gotten to say goodbye.
In my memory, I struggled to come up with how he looked, tried to memorize every little detail lest it should be lost forever. Maybe if I did that, then he wouldn't be so gone.
When I struggled with the little things, like the shape of his chin or the light in his eyes, I flung myself to the floor. I couldn't remember...
I couldn't remember. I couldn't remember... Frantically, I searched through my memories of him. There were so many things, so many things that I couldn't dredge up, like the sound of his laugh.
I pushed myself up on shaky arms and legs, then took hesitant steps toward the bed. I grabbed the first thing I saw out of the suitcase, a green T-shirt with lettering on the back, and brought it to my nose.
At least I could still smell him, I thought. He smelled sort of like shoe polish and pine trees. I closed my eyes and pretended like I was giving him a hug, something I wished I'd done more of.
But when I opened them, there was only me and an old shirt drenched in places with fresh tears. I started to fold it and place it neatly back into the suitcase, when I noticed something – a small, rectangular package in striped wrapping paper.
A tag dangled off the side of the cellophane bow. To Bella and Edward...
Our wedding gift from Charlie... we'd left in such a rush that he hadn't had a chance to give it to us. I put a hand over my mouth to muffle the sobs, but lifted up the happy package, so misplaced and macabre here.
The bed received me with a resistant groan, and my quaking fingers slowly opened the wrapping paper, starting with the flaps at the end. A white box slid out. I opened the lid and peered inside. A silver baby spoon and a piece of folded up paper lay inside. The spoon confused me at first, until the reason for its inclusion struck me. It was the 'something old' I was supposed to have received at my wedding.
Unfolding the paper, I could barely see. Tears had turned the world into a blurry hodgepodge. A smaller piece of paper was wrapped up inside the larger sheet – a check for twenty thousand dollars. I let it flutter to the ground at the four-letter word I saw on the larger document: 'deed'. I did a double take at the address. It was this one. Charlie had given Edward and I his house for after we graduated college.
Thinking back, I had noticed him going through residence ads in the newspaper.
In the next second, I had an ill-timed epiphany about sacrifices. Charlie had sacrificed everything for my happiness. True, he wasn't happy about it at first, but he bore it because marriage to Edward made me truly happy. He gave up his house for us...
The vial in the back seat of my new car, forgotten these past few days, suddenly pulsed again, and I could feel it from here. What made the other person truly happy...
I thought I'd been making sacrifices to change for Edward, but really, that was the way that I wanted it, the way I longed for it to be. I craved the beauty, the loss of clumsiness, and the confidence that went with it. Edward had specifically told me time and time again of how he disapproved, and still I persisted, and now that I had his one wish for us, a human life together, what would I do with it?
I gritted my teeth together in raw determination. I had to tell Edward.
I stood from the bed and began to leave the room, when something in the corner caught my eye. Upon closer inspection, I noticed it was a pinkish stain. Then, as horrific truth sunk in, bile rose in my throat.
It was a bloodstain that hadn't been properly cleaned up. I ran from the room and slammed the door close, letting the sobs rip violently from my throat. I sunk down against the wood to lie on the floor amid the shredded yellow tape.
How could this happen? It wasn't supposed to happen to him! Some part of me was hoping that any moment now, Charlie would walk through the front door and ask me how my day was, but the hope made it worse. I yelled in frustration.
"Edward." It was barely more than a whisper, but he was by my side the moment his name left my lips, picking me up and carrying me to my bedroom.
He murmured meaningless words of comfort into my hair as I drained myself of all water onto his chest. The front of his shirt was soaked through.
But no matter what he said, it wouldn't be all right. Charlie was gone, and he was never coming back. I cried myself hoarse till the sun came up, at which point blissful unconsciousness came to claim me.
A/N: Things look hopeless! Desolate! The Sun will never shine again! Lucky me being author and all. Don't forget about the fat lady. She hasn't sung yet...