Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They all belong to the amazingly talented Stephenie Meyer.

Chapter 14: The Reason

EPOV

I was a lucky man.

Well, sort of.

I was a loose definition of the word 'man', I'll admit. Surely having a body that glowed couldn't be construed as normal. I couldn't sleep and couldn't eat.

Not being able to make love with my girlfriend wasn't exactly super, either.

Alright, now I was sounding like the only thing I wanted from her was sex.

Oh shut up, Edward!

I attempted to quiet the voice in my head, and instead, concentrated on the beautiful woman lying next to me.

My Bella.

I was constantly thinking about how my life would have been so different had she not moved to Chicago, and tonight was no exception.

No doubt I would be existing and going through life only because I had to, because I was forced to.

Now, I was going through life because I wanted to. She made everything colorful, more beautiful. She inspired my actions and my thoughts.

And I loved her for it.

I never imagined that I would ever feel this way about anyone. But she came along and changed all that. I would be forever grateful to her.

And for some strange reason, she felt the same way about me. She loved me for who I was. She didn't care that I couldn't give her much at all. The only thing that she cared about was being with me for as long as possible.

Still, it absolutely baffled me how she wanted to spend her time with me. There were so many other guys that she could choose from, that were actually alive.

I had to be doing something right, then.

I felt her stirring beside me. "I love you, Edward. Forever and ever and ever…" She turned over—facing me—and fell silent. At this, I had to chuckle. She was not a quiet sleeper, always talking and moving around. And from what it sounded like, I was the star of her dreams again.

I couldn't be happier.

"Words cannot describe how much I'm in love with you, Bella," I whispered, being careful not to wake her. Despite my hushed tone, a smile appeared on her face.

I was a lucky man. How could I not be?

I had just resumed gazing at her when suddenly, I saw a faint flash out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look at what it could have been. There didn't seem to be anything that could have caused that flash. The room was completely dark. But at that moment, I saw it again. It came from directly outside the window, and this time, it was brighter.

I got up slowly, walked over to the window, and peered outside. Nothing.

Worry was starting to creep into my mind. What if it was someone trying to break in? I couldn't call for help without Charlie finding out about me. Then again, if I didn't call for help, I'd be putting Bella and her family's lives at risk.

Either way, I was done for.

I shook my head sadly, feeling defeated. Before I could decide what to do, however, something behind me lit up the entire room. I whirled around, and what I saw terrified me. A figure dressed in white was leaning over the bed, watching Bella. Their back was to me, so I couldn't see what they looked like. But it was obvious that this was no human. It was also obvious that this was a woman, for she had long, chestnut-colored hair.

I swear to god, if she hurts Bella…

"She's lovely, Edward," the woman said quietly.

Wait a minute, I knew that voice. And it belonged to someone who I hadn't spoken to in about ninety years.

My mother.

She turned around and smiled widely at me. "Hello, sweetheart."

I froze, my eyes never leaving my mother's face. "Mother, is that really you?"

She chuckled softly. "Yes, it's really me. Now come give me a hug! It's been too long."

I ran forward and wrapped my arms around her tightly, almost knocking her over in the process. If I was able to cry, I would have at that moment. I had missed her so much, gone too many years wondering whether or not I would see her again. Now here she was after all this time, looking as though not one day had passed.

My arms shook as dry sobs racked my body. "Have you any idea how much I've missed you? How much not being reunited with you has tormented me?"

She rubbed soothing circles on my back. "Shh, Edward, love—it's alright. I'm here now. That's all that matters."

"But mom, why weren't you here before? Why now? And while we're at it," I said, stepping away from her, suddenly angry, "Why am I still here? Can you provide some insight into that?"

To my surprise, she began laughing. "Ah, Edward—I see that the fiery side in you hasn't gone away. I guess some things never change."

I clenched my jaw. "You're trying to distract me, aren't you?"

"Guilty," she said with a smile.

"The point," I prompted, sighing.

"Well, I thought it would have been obvious."

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"You wanted to know why you were meant to stay in this house." She smiled and glanced at the bed. "Your answer is lying right there."

Bella.

My mouth popped open as I stared at the woman I loved, and the realization sank in. "You mean…"

"Yes, sweetheart. You know how everyone always says that there's one special person out there who was meant for you, and only you? Well, Bella is that special person. You were supposed to stay here and wait for her. Though it took a little while…"

I snorted. "You call ninety years 'a little while'?"

"Edward, let me finish. You know, I'm still your mother and you still have to listen to me," she said, fighting back a laugh.

"Alright, I'm sorry. You were saying?"

She smiled and continued. "Well, just that it took quite a while, but you two finally found each other. And I think that what you both have is absolutely beautiful. The two of you share an unbreakable bond. And as a mother, it just fills me with joy to see her child happy and so in love."

I was still so shocked by the conversation that just occurred that I didn't even notice Bella's voice. It was my mother's quiet laugh that broke me out of my trance. She tiptoed silently over to the bed and gently sat down. "And from the sound of it, Bella cares for you quite a bit, too."

"Huh? Oh, right. Well, she talks in her sleep pretty often," I said, smiling widely.

"Does she dream about you a lot," she asked knowingly.

I looked at my mom proudly. "Yeah. So what did she say? I was mentally punishing myself for not figuring everything out earlier. I mean, now that I think about it, the answer was so obvious," I admitted sheepishly.

"Not a problem, sweetheart." She reached out and patted the empty space on the bed next to her. I sat down. "Bella, in her exact words, 'would rather die than stay away from you'."

I let out a sigh. "Well, that's just super."

"What? I thought that would make you happy."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad she wants to stay with me. But mom, I'd rather that she not die in order to do so. I want her to live out her life, whether that life and that future includes me or not."

"Edward, I couldn't imagine her not wanting a future with you," my mom said earnestly.

"Oh for the love of god…" I stopped and tried to proceed more calmly. "Mom, haven't you noticed that I can't age? It's pretty much impossible for us to stay together. So right now, we're just enjoying what we can and taking everything one day at a time."

While I was speaking, I noticed that my mom began to smile. "Um, did I miss something," I asked.

"Edward, what if I told you that you could stay with Bella, and be with her in every way possible?"

My eyes widened. "I'd say great, let's go for it. Why?"

"Well, I didn't just come here to chat. I've come to give you something," she said.

"Give me something?"

"Yes, a gift of sorts…"

I sighed, frustrated. "Mother, would you please cut to the chase? What is this gift you're giving me?"

She looked at me intensely. "One week."

"One week?"

"Yes, one week as a human. I've watched you suffer for far too long. Now that you've found someone, I want you to experience this love as you should have in the first place: alive," she explained.

My head was spinning. One week.

One week!

"So, are there any kinds of rules that I need to follow," I asked curiously.

She chuckled. "No rules, sweetheart. You're free to do whatever you'd like."

Yes!

One week to spend with Bella, being able to love her fully and completely.

"When does my time start?"

"At midnight tonight. And your time ends at midnight in one week. So," she looked at the clock on the bedside table, "In seven minutes, your week begins."

One week.

One week?

"Wait a minute, mom. So, what happens at the end of the week? I just go back to the way I am now?" I began to pace, frustrated. "That's not exactly fair, you know. You can't just give me a week and then take it away again. I've waited forever for this woman and I get only seven days? I mean, there has to be a way for me to stay human. If there is, you have to tell me! Please?"

I was on my knees now, begging. And I'll admit, I felt incredibly stupid doing so. But at a moment as crucial as this, I had to do whatever I could. I mean, we were talking about my one, true love. Think about it. If you were given time to spend with your soul mate and then find out that they would be taken away from you, what would you do? Would you concede or would you fight?

My mom turned to face me. "Well, there is a way, actually—now that you mention it," she said mysteriously.

I jumped up eagerly. "And? What is it?"

"Well, you'll just have to solve the puzzle on your own." I opened my mouth to speak, but she cut me off. "Edward, you're a smart young man. I'm very optimistic that you'll figure it out."

"But," I began, but my emotions got the better of me and I choked up. I tried taking a deep breath to calm down. It helped a little. "Mom, I'm afraid that I won't be able to."

She walked over to me and put her arm around my shoulder. "Sweetheart, I can't hold your hand forever. I wish I could, but you're not a little boy anymore. This is something you've got to take on by yourself."

I figured that this was as far as I would get, so I nodded.

"Good," she said. She looked at the clock again. "Well, it looks like we're down to one minute. So I hate to say it, but it's time for me to go."

"No," I whispered, burying my face in my hands. "I don't want you to leave." I felt like a child being taken to school for the first time, sad to leave the safety of their mother's arms. And right now, I couldn't stand to see her go.

She enveloped me in a tight hug. "Well, I'm sure you know that I don't want to leave you. But this is between you and Bella. It's your time." She took a small step backwards and kissed my forehead.

I tried to conjure up a smile, but it was very difficult. "Mom, please say that I'll see you again soon. I couldn't bear going another ninety years without seeing your face."

She chuckled softly. "Don't worry, you haven't seen the last of me." She turned and began to walk back towards the window. "Oh, Edward? Don't forget to have fun this week, too."

This time, my smile was genuine. "I won't. And mom?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

She smiled sweetly. "I love you, too, sweetheart. So very much." With that, she turned, walked three steps towards the window, and disappeared.

Within seconds after she left, I began to feel a strange sensation—as though I was being pulled towards the ground. I tried to look around to see what was going on, but my ears started ringing and the whole room felt as though it was spinning. It wasn't a very pleasant feeling.

But the way I saw things, it was a small price to pay for what I was getting in return.

The last image I held onto before the blackness consumed me was of Bella, sleeping peacefully—completely oblivious to what had just happened.

Well, she'd find out soon enough.

Wow. What an interesting chapter, wouldn't you say? I tried to make it as non-cheesy as possible. Though with a chapter like this, it's kind of impossible to not be cheesy! I hope you liked it, though. Next chapter will go back to BPOV. But not to worry—there will be more chapters from Edward's point of view later in the story! I'll let you know when those are coming up. By the way, I named this chapter after that song by Hoobastank. I'm not really a Hoobastank fan, but the title seemed like it would fit.

I'm so excited that Edward is human now. I think this'll make things totally awesome. I mean, of course it was fun to write about him as a ghost. But now, this is where the real fun begins! Next chapter will be a bit of a filler—everyone just figuring out what to do with Edward now that he's human. But the chapter after the next one…I can't wait for! And I think (hope) you all will be pleased with the way it turns out. I know that this is the moment a lot of you have been waiting for…I definitely have :-)

Hey people…we're 8 days away from the movie of the century! I will be updating next Thursday—the day before, or a few hours before some of you lucky people go to the midnight premiere! I, unfortunately, can't go see it until next Sunday—two days after it comes out. Ugh…two whole days. Friday and Saturday, I'll be completely booked, which sucks. But oh well, at least I'll still get to see it.

You all know what to do...read and review please!