A/N: Sigh, I don't own Twilight, New Moon, Edward, Alice, Bella, Charlie, Esme or Carlisle. Don't sue.
Goodbye
EPOV
The rain was now pouring on us despite the fact that we had taken to sitting under a tree. I was looking at Bella two ways as she lay in my lap. One of which was of love. The other was of worry.
How could I not love Bella, as beautiful, fun, caring and loving as she was?
The worry was just as easy to come by; it was from the fact that, by her breathing, I could tell I did not have much time left with my love. In fact it looked like I had no time left. There were so many things that I wanted to say to her that time may not permit.
"Bella, do you hate me for letting you die like this?" I asked her sincerely and with worry in my voice, I tried to conceal the later in hopes that she would not hear it.
"I could never be mad at you. You are the light that makes me happy, the thing that allows me to love and be apart of this world. Before you there was no me, there was just a person wandering the world with no purpose. So how could I hate you for anything after you have given me everything and more out of my life?" The words slipped out in raspy, yet beautiful tones of her voice. Her little speech hit right where I think she intended it to. My dead heart leapt at the thought that Bella could never, and would never, hate me, despite the fact that I had put her in more danger then it seemed humanly, and inhumanly, possible.
"Bella, you are, have, and always will be too good for me. You speak of how I have changed you, when you are truly the one who has changed me. Before you I thought I was able to get by on my own, to never love someone as my brother's and sister's do, to never want the touch another, to never kiss another's lips. And then you came along and you changed everything. You made me realize that life, no matter how true to the fact it is, is still worth living, and you made me want to live it to the extent of the world. You are my everything, Bella."
I spoke the words slowly and carefully, knowing that her hearing was probably going as quickly as her speech and breathing was. Her answering smile was all it took for me to want to bring my lips to hers, but the tears falling down her face stopped me short, my smile dissolved from my face and concern replaced it.
"What is wrong my love?" I asked wiping the tears from her cheek.
"I am just so happy that I got to love someone like you Edward. I never thought it would happen to me, but it did. I could not be happier at this moment." Her tears fell rapidly, now mixing with the rain that decided to make it's self once again known to us as we sat on the forest floor of our meadow, waiting for the inevitable to come.
I suddenly wanted time to stop. I wanted to sit and stare at Bella's face, full of love and admiration, forever. Just us two alone, away from the dangerous world I could condemn her to.
Bella's breath caught in her throat as she tried to say something, she started coughing, fiercely and repeatedly.
"Breathe love, breathe, you have to stay with me now, please, don't give up just yet." I soothed her while she worked to catch her breath, rubbing small soothing circles on her back as I whispered into her ear.
She eventually calmed down, and looked at me with apologetic eyes.
"Bella, are you ok now?"
"Yes I am fine now, Edward, thank you." She replied in a brittle voice.
"Now what were you going to say?"
"Oh, I was going to say, I am sorry." She was looking at her hands now, something she did when she felt ashamed, I had no idea why she would though.
"Why would you have to be sorry Bella?" I asked while gently grabbing her face with my hands to make her look into my eyes as she answered. Oh how I would miss those eyes.
"For being weak, for being human, for putting your family at risk all those times. For everything, Edward, and I need to know that you forgive me." My heart lurched at her apology. She had no right to be saying sorry for these things, I was the one who should be apologizing, she was not weak, human yes, but my Bella was not weak.
"Bella, you have nothing to be sorry for! Sure you may be human, but you are anything but weak. You are brave and strong, and had it not been for you then I don't know where me or my family would be right now. It is my fault that my family was put in danger, because I put you into danger. You did nothing wrong, It was all m-" But I could not continue because she had placed a shaky finger on my lips.
"Let's just forgive each other for everything and call it even ok?" She smiled slyly at me making me also smile in return.
I brought my face close to hers as she smiled, and soon she was nearly hyperventilating. Not wanting to cause her to go into another attack from anticipation, I welcomed her lips with mine, softly brushing them against hers with the lightest of touches. I could feel her blush covering her cheeks as she kissed me back, the gentleness of our impact soothing to both of our hearts, dead or otherwise.
I pulled away at the sound of someone approaching behind me.
"Hi." Alice stepped out from behind a tree, why had I not heard her before? Her face was sorrowful and, if she could, she would be crying.
"Alice what-" But before I could answer Alice had her hand in the air to silence me.
"Edward, I know what is about to happen, and I am sorry that it has to be this way, but you have about 5 minutes before Charlie and the rest of the Forks police department come barging into our home looking for you and Chief Swans daughter. So if you do not hurry and get back to the house then they will blame you and the rest of us for Bella's either death or kidnapping. Believe me, if this was not an emergency then I would not be here." Her voice rang with sincerity. Just then I felt Bella tug on my arm, I looked back at her to see her red faced and gasping for air, her lungs were starting to fail. I felt my eyes widen with fear. I looked from her face to Alice's, whose face also showed shock and sorrow at the situation at hand.
"Bella, baby, breathe, for me Bella, please stay with me just a little longer." I begged and pleaded with her, she opened her mouth to speak.
"Alice, I love you." Her voice was so shaky, so weak. It seemed to take all of her strength to say just that, but she continued, "You have always been a sister to me and I hope that you know that you and your family have made my life something to be happy about. My life was empty, meaningless, I had no one. And then I met Edward, and his family, it was what I needed. Thank you for everything."
In an instant Alice was at her side, clutching one of her hands, holding it to her face, dry sobbing as she spoke. "Bella, why are you so brave even as you face death? You are the bravest human, in fact, you are the bravest anything that I have ever met. You are so special," Her voice cracked there, showing how truly sad she was, "Edward is lucky to have found you. You've changed him you know, for the better of course. I love you, too, Bella." She bent down and kissed Bella's cheek and whispered a goodbye.
I begged my Bella as she said her goodbyes to my sister, "Don't leave me Bella, don't go, I need you. Please don't go. God, don't let her go. I love you, I love you, I love you…" I just kept repeating it as I looked into her eyes.
"I love you too Edward, don't ever doubt that. Forever, remember, don't forget me." She told me as her heart started to slow.
"Never, I love you." I would have agreed to anything at that point. Anything my Bella wanted then, she would get.
"I love you" She replied as her heart slowed, and then, as I gazed into her eyes, stopped completely. Those last moments, before her eyes closed completely, her eyes shined and glistened, completely absorbed in love. Her face glowing and I could see something there that left me gasping for air. I had no idea what it was, but there was something mysterious about the last look she had given me.
I cried tearlessly for I don't even know how long, until I felt Alice's arm on me.
"Leave me alone Alice." My tone was emotionless and I'm sure it was rude, but I didn't care then. My Bella was gone and I could do nothing about it.
"Edward, go home, I will take care of Bella." She told me in an equally emotionless tone.
"No."
"Edward, if you do not they will arrest Carlisle and hold him until you are taken into custody. They know you have her. Don't worry; I will bring her back to the house when it is safe. Please just go." She had me backed into a corner. My family was really all that I had left now, would I really do that to them no matter what I had just gone through.
No I wouldn't.
"Fine."
Alice nodded and went to take Bella from my hands, but I just looked at her and she knew to give me a minute. She walked around to the other side of the meadow to give me some privacy.
"Bella, my darling, my Silly Bella, I love you, I always will, I will never forget you. You are still everything to me. I know I should have changed you, and I wish I would have, but," I paused; the pain erupting in me was making it hard to think let alone speak. I looked into her face, it was still bright, nothing like the way a corpse should look, and it gave me strength to continue, "I know you are already in a better place, please forgive me, I love you." With that I kissed her still warm lips and carried her to Alice.
I kissed her again and reluctantly handed her to Alice. The second she was in her arms I started to run. I had never run so fast, and I knew that my eyes were probably pitch black by now.
I walked into the home and found that the police were not there yet, but I could hear their sirens a couple miles off. I quickly went upstairs and changed into some dry clothes and composed my face.
I walked down stairs to find Carlisle and Esme. They both looked at me with worried expressions. I simply stood in front of them. Their minds were something I didn't really feel like hearing so I ignored them.
"Edward, Charlie will be here soon, he will be a wreck, and I know he will blame you, but please, stay calm. It will be over quickly."
I nodded to let him know that I had heard him. I sat down on the sofa across from my mother and father, the sirens were still ringing, but they just reminded me of my loss. I could not allow those thoughts to get in just yet. I needed to wait.
All it would take is fifteen minutes and I could leave this town forever. I would make sure I kept in contact for a week, as I planned, and then when they did not suspect it, I would go to Voltera.
The sirens were very near the home now. In fact, they were just pulling into the drive way.
I heard the frantic minds of all the men and woman that were now getting out of their cars and coming to storm the house. Then there was a booming knock on the door and I heard chief Swan's voice.
"Dr. Cullen, Edward! I know you have her, you open this door now!" I was hoping that Charlie would not be so violent about this; it was not exactly something that I thought would help me in the current situation.
Carlisle walked to the door and opened it to a red faced, but also sorrowful, Charlie.
"What is the meaning of this Chief Swan?" Asked Carlisle in his "doctor" voice, the one he used to try to sooth his patients when he was giving them the "bad news".
"Your boy has taken my Bella, and I demand to know where she is now!" He yelled while barging into our home. I never took Charlie to be a very aggressive kind of man, but in this case I guess he was.
"What are you taking about?" I asked.
There he goes playing innocent, he took my Bella. I know he did.
"Edward, give her to me before I have to take legal actions." He demanded while bounding to me in such a way that if I were human I would be terrified of the man. But I wasn't human, and the way the man looked at me pulled at my heart. They had the same look when they were angry. My dead heart sank just that much lower in my chest.
"I'm sorry Chief Swan, I do not know what you are talking about. Wait, Bella is missing?" I jumped up in fake surprise, but made sure to make it as realistic as possible.
Wait, he doesn't even know she's been missing for 3 hours?! There is something fishy about this.
"Edward, I'm losing my patience here. Give her to me, or tell me where she is before I have to put you under arrest." I did not mind going to jail and I would lie till the end. I needed to protect the only thing I had left.
"I'm sorry Chief, but I have no idea where Bella is." I answered through gritted teeth, the agitation was growing in my throat and I did not want him to hear it and get anymore suspicious of us then he already was.
"Fine, I'm sorry I have to do this then. You are under arrest, Edward. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court-…" as he read me my Miranda Rights I drifted off to the last moments of Bella's life. It took all that I had left in me, which was not much, to keep from breaking down right there.
I was ushered out of the home to the police department; all of it was a mere blur to me though. I was lost in the last look of Bella's wondrous eyes as she told me for the last time that she loved me. I closed me eyes, remembering her perfect smell. The way she would blush if I some how embarrassed her, the heat scorching through her body for those few short moments. The way her wet chocolate brown hair would hang down her back after she would shower and come to lay down in bed with me. The way she fell, but seemed to fall straight into my arms. The way she made me fall for her. The first day I saw her, the curiosity that burned inside me from this creature. That first day in Biology, I cringed at the thought of ever hating Bella for anything.
By then I was sitting in one of the very few cells in the Forks Police Department. I had no idea how I was going to get out of this, but I knew that they could only keep me for 72 hours with out any credible evidence. Today was a Friday though so I would not be out till at least Tuesday depending on the officers. I just needed to keep my mouth shut.
That wouldn't be hard. I had more then enough to occupy my time. I didn't need to eat, and I didn't need to sleep, so I just waited till the guard was asleep enough and I would bend the bars that encased me and walk outdoors. The rain made things in my mind that much easy to think about with the familiar weather down pouring on my face the same way it did that night. I thought once again about that last look she gave me. So full of love, and she looked so alive still. I asked myself what the mysterious glint in her eyes was, but just took it as the death over coming her.
This was bound to be either a very long or very short couple days. And the whole time I would be regretting my decision about the only thing I loved more then anything.
A/N: So what did you think? I'm in Vacation in Hawaii right now and had the urge to write. This was a pretty darn hard chapter to write and I apologize for the shortness. IT'S NOT OVER. Stay tuned. Things get a little weird now. Dun, Dun, Dun. Yah… Next chapter is going to be strange. . SO HARD. But it will probably be up really soon…. :