Soleil

17. THE END?

"So, each of these small ponds…"

"Leads to a different world," Edward finished for her. Pure speculation on both of their parts. Their world, Soleil, was between two ponds labeled 'New Moon' and 'Twilight'. Bella did note it was peculiar that the color of the Soleil pond was a murky brown versus the rest appeared to be a clear aqua blue. The space they found themselves in was endless in all directions. Grass at their feet. Blue, cloudless skies above. And a never-ending supply of small ponds. They walked down the row they found themselves in. Hand in hand. Still mildly soaked and muddy from climbing out of their pond.

Eclipse.

Breaking Dawn.

Midnight Sun.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's stone.

More Harry Potter Books.

A Court of Thorns and Roses…

Bella decided to cut into the silence. "Is it me, or do you think these worlds reflect books?"

"I have been thinking the same."

"Do you think there are any without books dictating the world? And could we belong to a world where we aren't supposed to exist?

Edward laughed, but it sounded carefree to Bella. "We have all the time in the world to figure it out, Bella. Let's keep looking." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the smooth surface. "Maybe something will strike us as the obvious choice." His gold eyes twinkled, and Bella trusted Edward. She would follow him anywhere. Even to the ends of all the worlds.

She could not help but think that perhaps there were countless ways that could have re-steered them to the original plot of Soleil. But she fought along the way, as did Edward. They fought their way to each other. The here and now. She believed with her whole heart she would always choose Edward. No matter the world. The circumstances that defined they be kept apart. It had to be him.

And in the end…it had to be her for him too.

"I'll follow your lead."

Edward scoffed. "We both know that's not your style." He smirked at Bella and tugged her forward and pulled her into a tight embrace. "You are my life now. You have been for a while. Even when I did not want to admit it to myself. But anywhere we go, any world, I will protect you."

"Or…I will protect you," Bella choked out. She knew his feelings. But to hear him speak on them, it made her heart skip a beat. And she ruined the moment by deflecting to humor. But how many times had she confessed her feelings while Edward had rejected her or let them be unacknowledged? Wasn't she allowed a moment of unequal grounding? Even if it was just for a few mere seconds?

"Bella." She lifted her head up. "I love you."

Well of course he would show no mercy and go all in. It was such an Edward thing to do. How could she hold out any longer?"

Tears slid down her cheeks. "I love you, too." He kissed the top of her head.

"Anywhere we go, being together is all I need. We will make it work."

"I know," she agreed and kissed him on the lips. They had all the time in the world to choose where they would live next. But for now, this moment, she was going to soak in what she had been waiting for all along.

Edward, her sun in that dark and dreary world, to love her back.


Epilogue

"What's this, Adalene?"

"Oh, that? My mom bought it off a street vendor in Paris. It was supposed to be Twilight…but they really botched the French translation. Makes me think it's a boot-legged copy. For one, it's titled Sun instead of Twilight. They mixed up Edward and Mike. I mean…it almost seems intentional. Like it was a joke. And after chapter ten, the pages are blank. So to top it all off, it's unfinished."

"That's wild! Can I see it?"

"Sure," Adalene handed the book over.

Her friend began to thumb through the pages of the book. "How was it spending time with your dad's family in Washington?"

"Short and uneventful…" Adalene replied, hiding a smile behind her hand.


Author's Note: Confused by this ending? (if you forgot about Adalene, go to the ending of the first Chapter)

Well, I had a different, more detailed versions in mind. Then I listened to a podcast's discussion on the movie "Pan's Labyrinth". Where without the director's take, you would be left wondering if the ending was real or imagined. I was inspired by this to not give you direct answers. Only an ending where you speculate what happened, to a certain extent, that caused this phenomenon to occur and wonder how ExB would fair on a new adventure. If anything…we learned 'true love' conquers all and not even a role reversal can erase Edward from Bella's heart lol

A quick and long overdue thank you to all my reviewers on this odd, story. You inspired me to take it somewhere I never thought possible and your comments/feedback really helped push this plot forward. LaurelLeafSinger, Foenix2Phorks, & Annatastic92, thanks for all your consistent feedback throughout this story. You three gave me so much motivation! & thank you everyone. From the bottom of my heart. Finishing this was for us all. Thanks for reading!

~pixelephant