Bella's Point View
My heart was full of silent rage. I stood rigidly beside my mother and all of my children and grandchildren. Edward stood in front of us, his stance was tall and full of authority. But I couldn't look at his face. I knew that if I did, my anger would melt away and only leave sorrow.
The funeral service for my father had ended nearly an hour ago, but people still lingered. I wished that they would just all leave. I wanted to mourn in private, with just my family here. But I kept my expression void of all emotion as people walked up to all of us and offered their condolences. Many of them had tears in their eyes and nothing but pleasant memories to share with me. But none of them really knew Charlie. They didn't know the depth of his character. They didn't know how wonderful of a father he truly was.
Flashbacks of my childhood had been on a constant repeat in my mind. I didn't have enough time with him. I should have made more time for him. He was always just a few steps around from me, yet I was so wrapped up in my own world that I neglected my time with him.
Now I would never get the chance. His life was stolen from him and the monster that took his life was still alive. She was here in Ribbonwood, locked up in a prison. Powerless and human. But not for long. I had plans of my own. To hell with a trial. I would be justice.
Victoria and her newborn army had rattled Ribbonwood to its core. Many residents decided to leave town. I wasn't sure how many of them would be staying, but there was already preparation in place. The first few humans left right after the funeral. They were heartfelt and didn't want to leave, but at the same time, they didn't feel safe being here with Victoria still alive.
I didn't know what Edward was thinking, but I didn't agree with it. For once, I believed that Edward made a mistake. She should have died along with the rest of her army.
But Victoria wasn't the only one that I had my eye on. I still didn't trust Mila completely. She had kept so many secrets from us, she acted on her own, behind the backs of all of us. For this, I demanded that she also stand trial. We would decide if she was trustworthy enough to stay in town. I knew it was useless, most of the others were thankful for Mila's help. They were quick to overlook the facts. Sure, she was able to save the lives of a lot of people, including Demetri, but she was part of the reason that everyone was in danger to begin with.
"Bella, love are you alright?" Edward spoke.
I hadn't realized that he was now at my side. He lightly wrapped his arm around me, pulling me to his side. I allowed myself to relax into him. As much as I wanted to stay mad at him, I couldn't. Edward was honoring his father; Carlisle. That's why he chose to put Victoria on trial. He wanted to be a good man. And he was. Maybe I was the one that was wrong. But I couldn't help it.
My dad was dead and I never felt so empty.
"Yeah," I choked out, dabbing at my tears. "It's just been a very long day. I think I'm ready to leave."
"Are you sure mom?" Darius asked, standing next to Rene - his arm around her seemed to be the only thing that kept her on her feet. I had never seen my mother like this. She moved like a phantom, lost in a sea of faces. Life was drained from her. She has been crying for days, I don't think she had any more tears left.
Alice hovered on the other side of Darius, she clung to him, tears still sliding down her cheeks. She didn't take her sight off of the gravestone that read 'Charlie Swan Husband. Father. Friend. Cherif of Ribbonwood'.
"I'm sure, we can come back later, when there are less people. Does that sound good to you mom?" I asked, watching her with concern.
Rene shifted her eyes to me, before focusing them back down to her feet. "Okay." Was the only thing that she could manage to say.
"Are you still coming to stay with me grandma?" Ezra said walking over, with Addison in her arms.
"I really don't want to burden you." Rene mumbled quietly.
"It's no problem at all, I'm sure little Greg would be more than happy to spend some time with Addison. It's no trouble at all. I have a lot of space." Ezra said, turning to smile at Seth - who hasn't left her side for the entire funeral.
"And if you get tired of Ezra, you are welcome to come stay with us as well." Kora spoke up; Zayne was curled peacefully in her arms. While Zoey was resting in Daniel's.
I could see that Rene was trying to pull a smile to her face, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Thank you all. I'm truly blessed to have each and everyone of you."
"Let's go get your things gram," Ezra said, taking her hand.
Rene glanced at me again, and feebling waved to me, before letting my daughter pull her along. Seth paused to have a private conversation with Edward, before he left as well.
With the passing of my father, Edward appointed Seth to be the new police chief. It made sense. Ribbonwood needed a police chief and Seth has been Charlie's right hand man for a long time. If the choice would have been up to my dad, I knew that he would have picked Seth as well.
I didn't bother listening to the conversation. I didn't care if it had to do with Victoria. I would be paying her a visit soon enough.
"Mom, did you hear the good news, they have started the nursing home. The crew voted to call it Swan Ridge. In honor of grandpa." Darius said with a weak smile.
"That is good news, I'm sure he would have really appreciated that." I said lightly stroking Darius' cheek. I knew that Darius hated it when I did that. It embarrassed him, but today he didn't seem to care. He didn't flinch away, he just watched me with a look of worry.
"Dr. Franklin has decided that he would like to take the job as physician of the nursing home. After the war we just went through… he wanted to make a change." He continued.
"Does that mean that you will be the primary doctor of the clinic?" I asked, forcing a smile on my face. This really was good news, it was something that Darius really wanted. I was happy for him. It was just hard for me to actually feel anything. I felt numb.
"Yeah, I'll be starting monday, so unfortunately the school is going to have to find someone else to replace me as the school doctor."
"That shouldn't be a problem, should it?" I asked, peeking up at Edward. His gaze was intense. It sent shivers down my spine.
Edward shook his head easily. "That's not a problem, we will figure something out when the time comes."
Because of the newborn invasion, the school was closing down for a few months to fix the damage. It was a huge inconvenience for the many families here with children. I hoped to make it up to them.
Kora huffed, with a look of annoyance coming to her face. "Let's not forget that I've decided on a career change myself."
This had been news to me.
Alice made a face at Kora now. "Yeah, I heard you are ditching our store to follow a different passion."
Kora grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry Alice, I will make sure to still come in and help out. But after Victoria attacked Ribbonwood I realized that I never figured out what I really wanted to do in life. Well… I knew what I wanted to do… but I never had the courage to try."
The wide smile on Edward's face suggested that he already knew what Kora had in mind. And accepted it.
"I'm going back to school, to pursue a career in law." Kora said with a confident smile coming to her face.
"A lawyer?" Darius snorted, rolling his eyes.
Kora glared at him, appearing slightly offended. "Do you have a problem with that? Is the job not glamorous for the genius doctor of the family?"
Darius elbowed her lightly. "That's not what I mean at all. I'm just saying. That's a pretty boring job, don't you think?" His tone was light and teasing, but it only annoyed Kora further.
"I'll show you just how exciting being a lawyer can be." She said, spinning on her heel, to turn her back to us.
"Are you still up for game night tomorrow?" Darius called after her as she and Daniel walked away.
"Of course, prepare to lose." She said, throwing a smirk over her shoulder.
I was happy that my children - for the most part, got along so well. They planned a family game night that I wasn't sure if I would be attending. It's not that I didn't want to be there. I just wasn't in the right mindset to be around anyone.
After saying our goodbyes to Darius and Alice, Edward and I walked hand in hand, back to our home. It was a long, quiet stroll. I didn't mind the silence. It gave me time to think.
Tonight I would find a reason to drop by the police barracks. Alone. And I would kill Victoria with my own hands. I still had the pistol that Charlie had gotten me for my last birthday. It would be ironic. To use this gift from my father, to avenge his death. I wasn't completely sure if I could do it. But the pain that weighed heavily on my heart was enough motivation to try. I had to do something. Because none of this was fair.
As we made it to our porch, Edward must have lost his patience. He lightly took my hands. "Please tell me what you're thinking. I'm going insane here Bella."
"The future," I said, keeping a somber look on my face.
It wasn't technically a lie.
Edward nodded slowly, reading my expression. He let one of my hands go to dig into this pocket, revealing a syringe of blood. I stared at it openly, confused as to what it was.
"This is the last syringe of Brady's blood that Mila has harvested. She thought it would be appropriate for me to hold onto it." He said with an anxious look coming to his face.
My eyes widened. "What do you plan on doing with it?"
"Well… just like you… I've been thinking of the future as well. I've lived a very long time. And I know that since the day I met you I wanted to be by your side forever."
"Edward… are you trying to say… you are thinking about drinking Brady's blood? You want to become human?" I felt tears brimming in my eyes. It was beginning to get hard to see him through the tears.
Concern colored his expression. "Unless… you would prefer if I remained immortal. I could understand that…"
"No, no, of course not. I would love nothing more than to spend the rest of my dull human life with you." I felt the first genuine smile I've had in days, come to my face.
Now that I've experienced the loss of someone close to me, I understood exactly what that pain felt like. I wouldn't want to wish it on anyone. I didn't want Edward to go through an eternity of that misery when I died. This just felt right.
He seemed to blow out a sigh of relief as his smile returned. "This is what I want. I've wished to be human for as long as I could remember. And it would be an honor to continue our lives together as a normal human couple."
Without thinking I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him close to me. His arms swept around me instantly and his lips just brushed across mine. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to fully let the idea of Edward being human sink into my mind.
"You know this means you can't read minds anymore." I spoke as we pulled apart briefly.
"No more headaches, I can fully focus my attention on what's important." He said sprinkling kisses down my neck.
"No more super strength or super speed."
"I'll still be strong enough to protect you and my family." He now had me in his arms as he carried me inside of our house. We tumbled to the couch, so I was now laying on his chest.
"Sickness," I said with my lips still pressed to his.
"In sickness and in health, I promise to love and cherish you for the rest of my short human life." He spoke, trailing kisses down my shoulders.
"If you are really ready… I support your choices completely." I said, smiling down at him.
"Would you care to do the honor?" He asked carefully, handing over the syringe.
"Nothing would make me happier." I said as I moved the syringe over his shoulder. His hand was on mine as he watched me. The only thing I saw in his eyes was love. Together we pressed the needle into his skin and I pushed the plunger, injected my husband with Brady's blood.
Now, our lives together would truly begin.
The End.
Sequel coming soon.
The name of the sequel is "Chasing Midnight"
Thanks for reading!