A/N: Hey readers. Long time, I know. But here it is. :)

Thanks to EdwardsFirstKiss for being a perfect partner and editing this for us. It's so sweet of her to do this after all these long breaks.

No copyright infringement intended. Twilight belongs to SM. FY to Kristie.

Happy reading!

Previously...

"Do you want to know, now?" he said quietly.

"Know what?" my voice was muffled due to my head buried in his chest.

"About my Savior...,"

"Of course!" I exclaimed, jumping out of his lap. Sitting straighter, I urged him to continue.

"My Bella," he chuckled. "How much I missed you?" I knew the question was rhetorical; so I just smiled at him. He shifted forward and pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. His fingertips lingered over my cheek. I tilted my face and kissed each one.

"Tell me," I asked again.

"Not all superstitious things are true, love. And those which are, they are interlinked," his stare was penetrating, and I felt a cold shiver running down my spine.

"What do you...," I stared back at him.

"My Savior... you wanted to know who he was?" he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Or rather she is," he looked at me calculating my response.

"She?" I looked at him confusedly. His Savior... A lady... My eyes widened as realization hit me. "Don't tell me Renee Swan is your Savior...," I shouted.

"What? Of course, not! Lady, you never fail to surprise me," he shook his head laughing under his breath. "You made a serious situation sound comical."

"And why am I not finding this funny, Mr. Cullen?" I raised an eyebrow at him, folding my hands under my breast.

"Sorry, love...," he coughed. "No, Ms. Swan is not my Savior. Swasean is."

What the...

CHAPTER18

BELLA

Swasean... The word tasted odd on my tongue. How can a woman who has been dead for a long time... Oh, who am I kidding? Anything is possible these days.

"Love? Are you okay?" Edward massaged my arm gently.

"Yes," I whispered. I stared into his eyes silently asking him to tell me how this happened. He smiled miserably and nervously ran a hand through his hair.

"You remember the day we were supposed to leave together to site see? The day when I...,"

"The day when you lied to me," I interrupted sadly, remembering the day when he left me.

"And I'm sorry, love," he sighed, ashamed.

"You're here, now," I smiled cuddling in his arms.

"Yes. And I'll be here as long as you want me," he kissed the top of my head.

"What happened?" I asked closing my eyes, breathing in his sweet essence.

"I left the house that day not long after your departure," he began slowly. "I thought I would finish the work and come back before you could even realize I was gone. As soon as I had reached the outskirts of the city, the weather became very bad. Clouds were thundering, and I could see the rain pouring down on the car. That's when I thought about turning around. But my phone beeped with an incoming call from Mr. Wigzell," he spat his name.

"That asshole," I cursed loudly. Edward tightened his arms around me.

"I didn't pick up the call, but that gave me a reason to look at the sites, and prepare a fucking draft to throw in his face. I continued to drive until the outline of the Manor came into view. I still remember the shiver that went down my spine when I saw the black clouds looming over it. That was the second time I thought about turning around, and leaving the project," he pulled his hair in frustration.

I ran a comforting hand down his back. He relaxed and tilted my face towards his to capture my lips. It had been so long since I'd been embraced like this. So, every intimate moment with him was welcome.

"I wanted to return for us, love. I'd a gut feeling that I wouldn't make it back if I went inside the house," he murmured against my lips. "But I knew there was no turning back. I stopped the car in front of the Manor and jumped out. I ran fast towards the entrance in order to protect myself from getting soaked in rain. Once I reached the door, I took out the key from my pocket which Greene had given to me the previous day," he stopped and closed his eyes. By the expression on his face, he looked like he was remembering something painful.

"We don't have to do this, baby," I told him. I didn't want to torment him.

"No, love. You deserve to know," he took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

"Before I could put the key in the keyhole the door opened with a bang. My body was thrown to the bottom of the staircase in front of me, and the doors closed. It was like a horror movie playing out in real life, except the searing pain I felt in my head and on the right side of my body were actually there. I touched the temple of my forehead, and felt blood. I felt another blow to my gut and then I was thrown beside the couch in the living room. I managed to open my eyes. Another blow hit my head. I was sure that I was going to die. But that was not what troubled me. I was afraid for you, love. I wanted to beg your forgiveness for leaving you. I promised to be with you forever. The thing which pained me to my core was the fact that I wouldn't be able to see you, touch you, love you... I love you so much, my Bella...," he sniffled. "The last thing I remember before everything dimmed is a huge body sticking their frame into me," he rubbed at his eyes. These green orbs have always captivated me. Wait a second...

"I don't understand," I sat up straight. "Earlier you told me... I mean... I saw your car accident in the ring... and now you are telling me you fainted in the Manor?" my brows pulled in confusion. "Were you lying earlier?" I accused.

"No, love," he pulled me into his arms again. That calmed me down. "I didn't lie to you earlier nor am I now. I don't know how much time had passed. When I woke up I experienced something I can only describe as an alternate reality. I found myself in my car again; my head on the steering wheel which made me question the previous set of events. I looked out of the window, and everything was calm. It confirmed my belief that I must have been dreaming. I wasn't injured and felt no pain in my body. I'd thought that the horror stories of the Manor had gotten into my head," he chuckled miserably. "Alas! I realized later that wasn't true."

I looked at him. He looked the same, yet aged. Two years had been harsh on him. He had an unearthly glow in him, but his eyes whispered all the horror he had witnessed. His eyes were the mirror of his inner self, telling me about all the bad in the world they'd seen.

"I jumped out of the car and set off for the sites," he continued. "As I reached the Manor after examining the three houses in the neighborhood, I realized I was not carrying its keys with me. It was strange because I remembered taking them from Greene. I reached my car once again, and prepared to drive back home. But the weather took an ugly turn as soon as I put the key into the ignition," he ran a hand through his messy hair.

"And then the accident happened," I concluded.

"It's not the end, love," he sighed, entwining our fingers. "As my car collided to the rock, I saw you. What I'm going to tell you will confuse you even more than you are already. But know that ours is not the only reality. And in another reality, you were my Savior," he chanced a look at me to see if I was following.

"Umm... You mean... Like my future self...," I thought out loud.

"Ya... Something like that. What happened in your ring... what you saw during that time is what actually happened to me. You were speaking something, and I was saying sorry," he shook his head. "I felt the exact moment when my body slipped inside yours into that cliff. Now I know that it was not my body; it was my soul," he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What?" I exclaimed. "You're saying that your body was not what fell off the cliff?"

"It was due to Swasean. It was due to her that the realities merged. What happened previously, about my being beaten up at the Manor, actually happened. And someone from another reality, about whom I was not told, alerted Swasean. Before my Captor could take my soul, Swasean used her magic to alter the events. That led me back to my car. She told me later that she had two options: either save my body, or my soul. My soul was more important, so she preserved it. The magic was so powerful that it opened certain gateways, blurring the lines of the past and future; which somehow led me to escape another Bella, who had reached me. Now we know that was something which happened in your ring... Like I said... It's damn confusing," he sighed heavily.

"Where did the other Bella go?" I mused.

"After the magic was lifted, everything went back to normal. Swasean thought if she'd rescued my soul, my Captor would go empty-handed. But that didn't happen. They took away my body, leaving me like...," he muttered frustrated.

"Hey. At least you are here," I rubbed his shoulders comfortingly. "But why you? I mean why do they want you? And why keep your body?" I questioned.

"Swasean has kept that information hidden. She says as something is revealed to more people, the thick cloud cover will lose it's thickness. I don't know what she meant," he shrugged. "She just told me that when the clouds are thick and the time is right, I'll meet the Worthy One," he smiled down at me crookedly.

"What? You... you think I'm...," I stammered.

"She told me," he folded his hands confidently, as I sat up straight looking at him wide-eyed. "I came to the Manor a week and a half before you arrived...,"

"Wait!" I motioned him with my palm to stop. "You mean you did not actually live there..." Goodness! You say its confusing? No, my dear. It's a mountain of fucking rocks, each labelled with 'CONFUSION', falling on me every damn second. I practically felt Inner rolling her eyes at my analogy. Yea! I'm way too cool.

"Are you insane? Absolutely not! I dreaded that place. I put up one hell of a fight with Swasean when she told me where we were going. It was only when she said I'd be pleasantly surprised by what I would find, that made me go and check. There she showed me a glimpse of you arriving at the Manor; the first in what felt like ages. That did it," he kissed my forehead.

"If you were not at the Manor where have you been all this time?" Sue me! I'm bound to have a Spanish inquisition after all that had happened.

"Well... I was... asleep...," he scratched his head.

The answer didn't set well with me, but I didn't push. I got up smiling in assurance at him. A glass of water was more than welcomed.

"Where are you going, love?" he held onto my wrist.

"Just needed some water to fuel up my system," I grinned at him. He smiled and let go of my hand.

Putting the empty glass back, I looked at its material carefully. The shiny glass crystals looked breakable; like anything which would collide with it, would lead to its irreversible damage; just like I was, two days ago. The words people threw at me, no matter how kind and genuine, broke me. Whether it was Alice's and Esme's concern or Rose's and Jake's verbal lashings- all led to damaging my soul.

I sighed and turned around. I gasped as the movement accidentally knocked the glass to the floor. To my surprise, it didn't break. The carpet lessened the impact of the fall, preventing it from breaking. Realization dawned upon me. Edward- he was my carpet; the one protecting me from any damage. If I was the one who went on the Street or if I accompanied him that day... I couldn't imagine the horrors. Many people had stood beside me in my bad times, but Edward had no one. He had been alone in his time of distress. God knows what he had faced.

I wiped the wetness that had appeared beneath my eyes. One thing I knew for sure was that he's here and mine to protect.

"Everything alright, love?" Edward poked his head into the kitchen as I was placing the glass back in its place. "You took so long, I came to check..."

I walked over and hugged him tightly.

"Everything is as perfect as it should be," I breathed in the crook of his neck. I felt his arm wrapping around my waist.

I was complete, and I would do anything to complete him.

January 25, 2017

"Oh, dear. It has been so long that I began to think I wasn't going to see you again," Alice cried, hugging the shit out of me. I patted her back.

"I missed you too, Ali. And let me remind you that you are the one who was absent with no phone calls," I narrowed my eyes at her, once she released me.

"She thought she was going to die," Jazz whispered in my ear, as they entered through the door.

It had been almost two weeks since I last spoke to Alice. She had been very sick the entire time; she had had a bad stomach bug. I'd been asking Rose about her, but she hadn't given me satisfactory answers. So, finally when Jasper picked up my call after it had rang seventeen times, I demanded to know about Alice. He promised to come over and answer my questions.

That's how I found them sitting on the couch in my living room, sipping a glass of water. Yeah! Water! Neither wine nor beer.

"Why did you think you were dying?" I asked Ali. "Hell! Why weren't you answering my calls?" I accused both of them. They looked guiltily towards each other.

"Umm... Bella...," Jasper started.

"I'm pregnant," Alice spurted.

"You're what?" I shouted at the same time as Jasper whined, "Real subtle."

"Why beat around the bush?" she rolled her eyes. "So, yes I'm pregnant, twelve weeks to be exact. No, I didn't know until three days ago, and I admit I was a fool for that, thinking I was going to die, hence breaking all contact with the people I love," she said in a single breath.

"Whoa," I gushed.

"Yeah? You know I'm that awesome," she laughed awkwardly.

"Hush," I chuckled and moved forward to hug her tight. "Congratulations to both of you," I happily wished them.

"Thank you," they both said in unison with cheesy smiles on their faces. They were adorable.

"Does Rose know?" I asked.

"We told her yesterday. She laughed her ass off when I told her about how Alice was scared of death... Owww!" Jasper rubbed at his head laughing as Alice hit him.

"Enough of me, now," Alice glared at him. "How have you been, Bella?" she smiled at me.

"Good," I answered.

"Huh? Just good? Details, woman. We meet after what feels like ages, and all I get to hear from you is Good?" she narrowed her eyes at me.

"Seriously, Ali. My wounds are almost healed, and there's nothing for me to do since Carlisle and Esme had given me a long vacation break. Everything here is pretty boring, you know," I rolled my eyes at her. It's not like I could tell her about the non-boring part these days- Edward who was probably lying in my bed reading some old classic on Architecture, which let me add, had become his favorite pastime. We hadn't decided yet which course of action should be taken against his Captor. Edward said we needed to wait for Swasean. Thinking along these lines had me worried again.

"Hey, are you sure you're alright? Why does your face say otherwise?" Alice questioned.

She might have picked up on my anxiety at which she's become an expert. I nodded and excused myself.

A familiar pair of arms wrapped around me as soon as I entered the kitchen.

"What is it, love?" Edward kissed my head.

"Nothing. Just got caught up in the middle of memories," I hugged him back.

"You know I'm here and I am not leaving you?" he breathed into my hair, and I smiled. It's a comfort knowing this especially when he spoke it out loud.

"Bella, you... What the... Aaaaa!"

I was startled by her sudden shriek which made us practically jump out of our skins. I looked at Alice horrified, who had both her hands clasped over her mouth in a state of shock.

"Alice... Bella... What happened? Did you get hurt?" Jasper came inside shouting frantically. "Baby?" he wrapped his arm around Alice's torso whose eyes were ready to bug out of their sockets. Jasper looked at me questioningly, but I was staring at Alice hoping for any sign which would state that what I was thinking was not the thing she was thinking. However, the moment her hands dropped down by her sides, and her eyes filled with angry tears turned towards me, all my hopes went downhill.

"Alice, baby. Will you please tell me what happened to you?" Jasper shook her tiny frame. But she was glaring at me.

"What the fuck, Bella? When were you planning to tell me about this?" she shouted at me, waving her hand in the air.

"About what?" Jasper looked between the two of us confused. This got her attention.

"Are you fucking blind, Jazz? Can't you see him beside her?" she spat.

"See who?" Jasper scratched his head looking all around the kitchen.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, are you kidding me?" she stamped her feet. "Edward. He is standing there beside... beside Bella," she pointed towards us accusingly.

"What?" Jasper's eyes widened as he looked at me. "Darlin'... There's...what...," he stammered, probably falling short of words.

"Alice... let me ex...," I tried to answer her, but she cut me off.

"You dare not to speak! How can you lie...," she cried, wiping her tears.

"I didn't lie to you, Ali," I stepped forward towards her.

"Oh, no. There's nothing left for you to say," she backed off slightly.

"Would any of you be so kind to explain to me what's happening here?" Jasper asked frustrated. Poor man! I could see where he was coming from.

"Before you come to any conclusion, be aware of the fact that Jasper can't see me. Take a deep breath, and weigh all the possibilities of why this is happening," Edward stated in a firm voice.

"Bullshit! Jazz can see you! Can't you?" she demanded.

"I... I don't know what you are...," Jazz began, looking puzzled.

"Cut the crap, Jasper. Of course, you can see Edward," she rubbed at her temple irately.

"Are you two trying to play with me? What... how can Edward be here..." he looked at me sympathetically, probably thinking I'd be having a breakdown on hearing his name.

"Fuck it!" Alice groaned and went on towards Edward. "He is here. Open your fucking eyes, Jazz," she said holding up his hand. What surprised me was not that Jasper couldn't see him, but it was Alice's hand coming up empty while Edward's was by his side. That means she can't touch him! My eyes widened at the realization.

"What the hell!" Alice jumped flabbergasted. "Why can't I touch you?"

"Ok. Bella, forgive me for saying this as I know Edward is a sore topic for you, but if you two are really making fun of me, let me tell you, it's a very bad joke," he sighed, shaking his head.

"No, Jazz. He's here...," Alice tried to speak, but this was enough.

"Guys, will you just shut your fucking mouths for fuck's sake, and let me explain?" I shouted. That got their attention. Good. "Let's take this conversation to the living room, where we'll be more comfortable. Alice," I called, passing her a glass of water. "drink it. All this stress is not good for you." She obediently gulped it down. Jasper took Alice's hand and guided her out of the kitchen.

I sighed and rubbed my eyes.

"What should we do now, Edward? No offence, but I'm really thinking about following Jake's advice of going on the streets with you and see who the hell can see you?" I moaned. Edward chuckled and kissed the top of my head.

"Actually I'm also quite amused by this," he joked, and I elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ow! You know, sometimes I doubt whether the fact that you are able to touch me is really a perk?" he groaned, rubbing his side. I rolled my eyes at him and dragged a laughing goon out of the kitchen.

"Explain," Alice raised a brow at me as soon as we settled.

"Eager much," I countered, but her death glare stopped me from making another witty comment.

"So," I cleared my throat and began narrating the events in the same way I had told Jake. Alice gasped and cried at the appropriate places, maybe more because of her hormones, while Jasper was calm- seriously, no reaction. When I finished telling the story, skipping the gory details of Swasean, Captor and the accident, Alice hugged me tightly, crying softly on my shoulder. It was like déjà vu as minutes ago I was the one hugging her for her good news.

"Oh, Bella. I'm so sorry for accusing you. I thought you'd purposely hidden Edward from us, and that angered me," she wiped her tears. I chanced a look at Jasper, but he was stoic. "I mean it was only yesterday Jazz and I were talking about how you are coping with Edward being gone and now... Oh, Jazz... It's like... Jazz," Alice shook him out of his stupor.

"What?" he looked at Alice.

"What what? Weren't you listening to what Bella just told us?" she asked, knitting her brows.

"Yeah, I heard it all... But... you see...," he scratched the back of his head. "It's quite unbelievable when I...," he waved his hand in air. "can't see what you both are talking about."

"Are you saying that we are lying?" Alice pointed a finger at his chest.

"No, ladies," he raised his hands up in surrender. "But it's really unimaginable."

"Would it be ok if we give him something to make him believe?" Edward whispered in my ear. I turned to look at him, and mischief was clearly hidden in his eyes. He got up and motioned for Ali to exchange places. She grinned devilishly as she caught up with him.

"What?" Jasper questioned as Alice sat beside me.

"Nothing. Just showing you the proof," she smiled innocently.

And that's how thirty-five seconds later we have Alice and Edward laughing hysterically, a sweating Jasper trying to close the zip of his jeans for the 12th time, and a red-faced me, hiding behind my two small hands. God! I live with five-year olds. I groaned internally.

"Who's unimaginable now?" Alice air-quoted, as her laughter calmed down.

"Ugh! I'm sorry Edward. Man, I believe you are for real. Stop being an asshole now," Jasper stood up, his hands covering his crotch, while Ali and Edward hi-fived... umm... in air.

"Stop it, Edward," I admonished him, mortified.

"We forgive you, brother," Edward laughed, and Alice repeated the same for Jazz as he couldn't hear him.

"Lucky me," he gasped and sat down. Edward once again extended his hand towards Jasper, but stopped when I glared at him.

Another fit of laughter was induced by Alice as she saw my face, and this time we all joined in. It felt so refreshing to be able to laugh freely again around people I care and love.

Edward and I had a lot to plan because time was ticking. But now with Ali, Jake and Jazz knowing everything, I was hopeful we would find a way for us to be together. However, before that, I planned to reveal everything to Rose and Em, too. They'd always been an integral part of our group, and it would be unfair not to tell them. Edward squeezed my hand as if he could read my mind and silently agreed with me. I smiled and kissed the back of his hand.

It was overwhelming to have all this on us. We didn't know why some people could see Edward while others couldn't. The questions were many, but the quest towards answers would definitely be with our loved ones. We just had to wait for the right time, and my heart felt that that time was near.

ooOOoo

Footsteps echoed in the hallway as heavy leather shoes beat on the wooden floor. They were soaked in dirt and mud due to the heavy rainfall outside. Strong fingers knocked on the shiny metal door which opened seconds later with a deafening noise.

"Where is he?" the man behind the door shouted. "Mahastra would spare no time in killing us all if he lost his patience. And let me remind you, patience is not his virtue," the man's voice faltered.

"Don't worry. The clouds are getting thinner. In no time, it will rain," the other man laughed viciously as he went inside, closing the door loudly.

Wow... Now you know what exactly happened with Edward. ;) I have received PMs regarding this. Damn! It's confusing. You are free to ask me whatever you have in mind anytime. We'll have more of Swasean in later chapters. Oh! And Alice and Jasper are in on the secret. Plus Edward had been really naughty with Jasper. *giggles* Gosh! And Alice is pregnant! Girl or boy? Any guesses?;)

I would leave you with these questions. Let's see what you've got in your mind-

Who is Mahastra according to you? Why does he want Edward?

Should Bella tell all this to Rose and Em?

Do you think Esme and Carlisle would be able to see Edward?

What connections Alice and Jacob have in this as they can see Edward?

And finally, who do you think had alerted Swasean about Edward?

Do ANSWER and gimme the ideas for next chaps:p

Your reviews...

#Guest: Good to know you are reading it. And about where I'm going with this, you'll know soon. :)

#Various PMs: Well I'm not updating sooner because real life is a huge burden many times. And then there are family issues. I'll really try harder to update more often. But I would really like some encouragement or suggestions from you all in your REVIEWS or messages. Yea! I know I'm greedy :D

Another thing... I've posted a short poetry collection of this story named Forever Yours-World of rhymes. Do check it if you like poetries. It's in BPOV now, but we'll soon have an EPOV. Maybe some outtakes in his POV, too. What do you think? Do tell, and I'll think about it.

Oh! And last question! I watched Avengers: Infinity war last month and cried to tears in the end. The movie is a MASTERPIECE, but don't you think they had been harsh on us?*sniffles* Just can't wait for nxt year!

Thank you for reading, following, favoriting and reviewing.

See you soon.

-K