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

Chapter 20: Breakdown, Breakthrough

EPOV

It was like the past all over again.

When Bella stepped out to go for a walk, she took with her all the optimism that we had tried to build up. Even though I wasn't physically by myself—the others were still with me—I felt very alone.

To put it simply, Bella was my other half. I needed her here with me in order to function. She had given me so much, had shared so many experiences with me. I absolutely did not want to give any of that up.

I was so exhausted, though. I guess staying up all night to try and solve the most complicated problem known to man does that to you. And while I did get some fast food and driving lessons out of the deal, it all proved to be inconsequential.

Bella was right. We needed to try harder.

And believe me, when she came home, I was going to do everything I could to come up with the answer we needed.

But I was still waiting.

Bella had been gone for almost half an hour. Strange. I didn't think it took that long to clear one's head. Then again, Bella had been very upset. Seeing her fall to pieces like that broke my heart. She didn't deserve to be hurting. She deserved the world.

And damn it, I would give her the world even if it meant selling my soul to the devil himself.

When this mess was all over, we were going to come out on the other side. We could finally settle down and plan out the next chapter of our lives.

It wouldn't matter what that chapter included—just as long as we were together.

Suddenly, a gasp interrupted my thoughts. I turned and saw Alice holding a hand to her forehead, her eyes shut tightly.

Jasper moved closer to her so he could put his arm around her. "Sweetheart, what is it? What do you see?"

Ah yes—the visions. I had heard of Alice's abilities, but hadn't actually seen them occurring firsthand. Perhaps she saw something relating to our problem…maybe even what we needed to solve it! I couldn't help but smile at the thought.

But the look of horror on Alice's face quickly slammed the door shut on that possibility.

"What's wrong," I asked.

She looked at me, her lower lip trembling. "Bella."

That was all I needed to know.

I jumped off the couch and sprinted to the door, wrenching it open. Before I could get outside, however, Alice ran up behind me.

"Edward, wait. You need to hear more before you jump right in," she said frantically.

"No! I have to go now! Bella is trouble," I protested.

"I understand, but it's too dangerous to just go out without knowing what you're getting yourself into."

"Fine," I snapped. "What the hell is it?"

She motioned to Emmett and Jasper, and they walked over to us. "The guys need to come with you. You'll be outnumbered, otherwise."

Outnumbered? Oh god…

"So, there's more than one after her," I choked out.

She sucked in a deep breath and nodded.

I didn't wait to hear the rest. I bolted out the door, Emmett and Jasper close behind me.

"Guys, go left. She's in an alley not far from here," Alice shouted. "Hurry!"

My heart raced as I ran. I felt as though I was traveling through a dark tunnel, focusing only on that light at the end.

Bella.

Suddenly, a piercing scream filled the air, causing the three of us to jump. We stopped and looked at each other for a nanosecond before continuing on, quickening our pace.

"Emmett, you're lucky to be wearing that t-shirt," Jasper panted as he ran. "We could use that to our advantage."

I turned to see what Jasper was talking about. Stamped across the top of Emmett's shirt were the words 'Chicago Police Department.'

Of course! I had forgotten that Emmett was about to become a police officer.

He chuckled. "Good thinking, man. We'll show those bastards who's boss!"

As we crossed the street, I heard another shriek. It sounded closer. My heart began to pound even faster, the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

Thump-thump, thump-thump.

Bel-la, Bel-la.

"Guys, look over there," Jasper said, pointing to a break in the houses along the street. "I think that's the alley." His guess was confirmed by the sound of glass breaking, followed by a quiet whimper.

"Oh no, Bella. Please, no," I shouted. Those assholes were not going to get away with this!

"Edward, what are you doing," Emmett asked. "They're gonna hear you. You're gonna get your ass kicked before we can even help Bella."

I growled. "Do you really think I give a shit? If I get my ass kicked, then it's one less beating she'll have to take." Again, I heard a whimper. "Bella no! Fight!"

Ten more steps, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…

We rounded the corner just in time to see Bella get thrown to the ground by some shit-faced, sandy-haired guy.

Motherfucker…

"Police," Emmett shouted, putting on the most menacing face I've ever seen him wear. "Step away from the young lady or I'm going to have to introduce you to my friends, Smith and Wesson." To further prove his point, Emmett began reaching into his back pocket. I knew that he didn't really have a gun on him, but his bluff seemed to work. Two of the guys ran away, their eyes wide with fear. The sandy-haired asshole, however, stayed put next to Bella, who appeared to be unconscious.

I was gonna kill that fucking scumbag.

Without any concern as to what might happen to me, I let out a growl and charged forward. The guy got to his feet, a smirk on his face. But he didn't have a chance. He was messing with my girl. And if you messed with her, you messed with me.

"Son of a bitch," I yelled, running into him and knocking him to the ground.

He just laughed. "Let me guess, you must be Edward."

What the fuck? "How the hell did you know?"

"Just a lucky assumption. She said she was dating some guy named Edward, and that he was her boyfriend," he said, sneering the word 'boyfriend.'

"Bella mentioned me?" My heart fluttered at the thought.

He smirked again. "Oh, so that's her name. She never did mention it. But I like it. It's a good stripper name if you ask me."

That did it.

I let out another growl and punched him as hard as I could, hearing several cracks. To my amusement, he grunted in pain and his nose began to bleed. But this just revved me up even more. A broken nose was not enough to make up for what he did.

I began hitting him repeatedly. "You"—punch—"will never"—punch—"touch"—punch—"Bella"—punch—"again!"

By the time I was done, his face was drenched in blood, and he lay motionless on the ground. I stood up, planning to kick him for good measure, but someone held me back.

"Edward, c'mon," Emmett said, his iron grip tightening on me, "Killing someone isn't going to make things better. Remember why we're here." He looked off to the side, and I followed his gaze. Jasper was on the ground, tending to a still unconscious Bella. He had taken off his t-shirt and was holding it to the back of her head, which was bleeding.

Emmett was right.

I looked down at my hands—covered in the filthy mongrel's blood—and immediately felt sickened. I had been so wrapped up in getting back at him for what he did that I had forgotten what we had really come here to do: help Bella.

A strong wave of emotion hit me, and I collapsed to the ground, weeping uncontrollably. How could I have been such an idiot? Ripping another guy to shreds while my one true love lay bleeding nearby was unforgivable. I should have been there for her, should have taken care of her. What the hell kind of person was I?

I wasn't a person. I was a monster.

"Edward, pull yourself together," Jasper said quietly but firmly. "We've got to get Bella to the hospital. She's losing a lot of blood. Emmett will stay behind and deal with this asshole."

Emmett nodded and helped me up. "Yeah, man. You go be with Bella. This bitch is mine," he added, a playful sound to his voice. It was amazing how even under these horrible circumstances, he could still be relatively at ease.

Like I would do anything else. Bella was my everything. I might have lost sight of that in my murderous haze, but I never would again.

I would always stay by her side, and nothing was going to change that.

****

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Stupid machine!

It was just sitting there, mocking me—reminding me that Bella hadn't woken up.

The others were waiting in the hallway, leaving me alone with her. They probably figured that I wanted some time by myself.

They were right. I had a lot to think about.

We found out that Bella had a sprained wrist, two broken ribs, and a severe concussion. She also had some internal bleeding and needed stitches to close up the nasty cut on her cheek.

Because she lost so much blood, and because her head injury was so serious, the doctors said there was a chance she might not pull through.

And it was all my fault.

If Bella didn't make it, I would always feel guilty. I would always wonder if I hadn't been so intent on killing her attacker—if I had gotten her to the hospital quickly while Emmett and Jasper dealt with him—whether or not she would have had a better chance of living.

I should have insisted on going with her on her walk earlier. I wasn't comfortable with her wandering around in a big city alone, and yet, I let her go.

I was an irresponsible ass—an ass that only had a couple of days left to be alive.

There was no point in trying to figure things out now, though. Bella's condition was rapidly deteriorating. She was losing color, and her heart rate was slowly dropping.

This wasn't right!

Bella shouldn't be slipping away in the dawn of her life. She was so young, had so many years ahead of her.

She was supposed to grow up, graduate from high school, get married, have kids, and everything else that goes along with living life to the fullest. I wanted nothing less for her. After all, she was the love of my life.

But I didn't deserve to live.

After everything that occurred today, I realized that if I hadn't been given the opportunity to be human and have to figure out how to stay that way, Bella would never have gotten stressed out and gone for that fateful walk. She wouldn't be stuck in a hospital on the brink of death.

If I hadn't pursued Bella to begin with, none of this would have ever happened. Life would have taken its natural course. She would have ended up with someone else, and would have never been exposed to my harmful influence.

Though the thought of her being with another man sickened me, it would have been for the best. And I wanted Bella to have a shot at leading a normal life. I wanted her to be happy.

I reached over and gripped her hand tightly. "Please," I whispered, closing my eyes, "She doesn't deserve to be here in this horrible place. If there is a god, I beg of you: give her the life I couldn't have. Do with me what you want. Send me back to my lonely existence in the afterlife—I'll go willingly. I should never have gotten the chance to be human again, anyway. But just make things right. Let her live."

Let her live.

I leaned down and kissed her still lips, my tears wetting her face. "Let her live," I whispered again. "She needs to live."

"And she will."

What?

I snapped my head up to find someone in the corner of the room, staring at me.

My mother had decided to pay me another visit.

She walked over to where I was seated and placed her hand on my shoulder. I shuddered at the unfamiliar tingly sensation, and wondered if this is what Bella felt when I was a ghost.

"Mom, what are you…"

"I came to deliver another message," she said, smiling widely. "That was a very noble thing you just said."

"You heard what I said?"

She chuckled softly. "Of course I did. And I'm happy to say that your request has been granted."

I gasped, and my gaze darted between her and Bella. "So, Bella's going to live?"

"Yes, she is…and so will you."

My stomach dropped. "Excuse me," I sputtered.

"Edward," she began, "Wanting to give your life for someone is one of the most selfless, admirable things you could do. I'm so very proud of you."

"So…"

"So, you did it. You solved it. That was the key."

I couldn't believe this was really happening. I had worked so hard to figure out how to stay human, and the answer was simpler than I thought.

"Wow. But that was so easy. I mean, all I had to do was say I'd die for her and…"

My mom shook her head, a small frown on her face. "Sweetheart, no. You couldn't have just said something like that out of the blue. Something needed to happen that would cause you to really mean what you said. Those words had to be genuine."

It was all clicking into place, the pieces of the puzzle interlocking in my mind. "So, Bella was supposed to wind up in the hospital? That's not exactly fair, you know." I was suddenly very angry. "I went through hell today, damn it! And all the while, this 'needed to happen?' She was meant to get hurt? I was supposed to take a ride on the emotional rollercoaster? All of this was a test to see whether or not I'd be willing to give my life for her?"

She sighed and looked at me remorsefully. "Yes, and I feel truly awful for what you had to go through. But just look at Bella." I did as I was told, and to my pleasant surprise, a small hint of color was beginning to return to her cheeks. She was getting better already.

I couldn't help but smile. My mom glanced at me, and soon, I wasn't the only one smiling. "Wasn't all this turmoil worth it, Edward," she asked.

My mom was right. I guess sometimes, you have to go through life's trials and tribulations in order to get to where you want. And right now, here with Bella, there was no other place I'd rather be.

I looked up into my mom's smiling face and nodded. "If I get to spend forever with Bella, then of course it was worth it."

We fell silent for a few moments, taking in everything. Finally, my mom spoke up. "So, what are you feeling right now?"

I chuckled. "Well, after learning that I can, indeed, have a future with the woman I love, how do you think I feel?" She was quiet, waiting for me to go on. "I feel like a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and now I'm just…free. The craziness and confusion is behind me.

"I feel incredibly lucky to have found someone as special as Bella. It can be so hard to find your soul mate in this world. For me to be able to be with her gives me the most wonderful feeling.

"But mostly, after ninety years of solitude, I've realized that I should never take a single thing for granted. I'm going to live each day to the fullest." I paused and focused my gaze on Bella. "And I'm so fortunate that she and I will be able to do that together."

There was, however, another thing that I was thinking about. My mom, always the perceptive one, picked up on it right away. "There's something else on your mind, isn't there?"

I smiled, almost sadly. "You're good."

"Well, I am a mom," she said, a teasing tone to her voice. "What is it?"

"It's just, what happens now…with us, I mean? Now that I'm staying human, will you still visit us? Bella really wants to meet you. She told me."

My mom sat on the foot of the bed, facing me. "Edward, of course I'll visit you and Bella. I've stayed away long enough. But I want to give the two of you privacy. This is your life, your time." She took a deep breath. "I'll tell you what—how about you talk with Bella about it and let me know?"

"Let you know?"

"Yes, just call for me and I'll be there. Does that sound alright?"

I sighed. "Yeah. I'll miss you a lot, though."

"Oh sweetheart, I'll miss you, too. But I won't be far, I promise."

After a moment of comfortable silence, she stood up. "Well, I'd better be going. Your future awaits you," she said, gesturing to Bella.

I grinned widely, still in a state of disbelief. "Ok. And mom?"

"Yes?"

"Will the future be bright for Bella and me?"

"The brightest." She kissed my forehead softly and walked over to the corner where I first saw her. "Goodbye, sweetheart. I love you, and I'm so proud of you."

"Bye, mom. I love you, too," I whispered. She smiled at me one last time, then disappeared.

Your future awaits you.

I had a future—a future with Bella!

Again, I had to say it. I was a lucky man.

Suddenly, I began to feel an odd sensation—odd, but not bad. Even though I was seated, it felt as though I was flying, not sinking into the ground and spinning like my transformation earlier in the week. And instead of being consumed by blackness, the whole room glowed. I felt very at peace, and could only assume that this was what made everything official.

This was the moment.

Everything was finally coming together, and I was giddy with excitement about it.

Then, all too soon, the magical sensation stopped, and the hospital room became its normal self again. But at that exact moment, I felt another sensation, one that I was almost certain I'd never experience again—Bella's fingers threading through mine and giving my hand a soft squeeze. A small smile was playing on her lips and I stared at her intently, waiting for her to open her eyes. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she did.

Bella blinked a few times, and as she locked eyes with me, the smile on her face grew. I loved that smile. It made her even more beautiful.

"I love you, Edward," she whispered.

I felt like I was flying all over again.

Wow, what a chapter, eh? I was planning on having the confrontation and the hospital scene as separate chapters, but they would have been too short on their own. So I thought, why not condense? What did you think? Edward had to be willing to give his life for Bella in order for her to live…and in order for him to stay human. A few of you guys did guess correctly…kudos to you!

So unfortunately, the story is nearing its end. After this chapter, there will be two more plus the epilogue…so three total. This makes me sad, but it's gotta end somewhere. And hey, it's a happy ending, so what more could you ask for?

I will update ASAP. The next chapter will be back to Bella's point of view. We'll get to read about her reaction to the fact that Edward can stay human. And don't forget, I'm on Twilighted now, too. So feel free to check me out there as well.

Please read and review :-)