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

Chapter 21: Never Tear Us Apart

Why wouldn't it end?

My head felt as though it was being pounded away at by a jackhammer. In addition to that, I couldn't see anything. The suffocating blackness was making it impossible to do so. Despite this, I knew that I was falling, the air rushing past my ears at an alarming speed. I thought my fall would come to an end eventually, but it didn't.

I was starting to get scared, and was kind of confused. Death was supposed to be easy, not strung out. I did expect the blackness for a couple of minutes. But after that, the heavens would open, the angels would appear, and I could move peacefully into my next life.

And if luck was on my side, then I'd get to see Edward again in a few days.

At the moment, however, I didn't consider myself very lucky. It felt like forever that I'd been trapped in this dark, horrible abyss.

Well, I guess I was wrong about it all along.

Dying sucked.

But I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't realize that something had changed. I wasn't falling anymore.

I was floating up.

Stunned, I turned my head this way and that, trying to figure out what was going on. It was still pitch black, but as I ascended, I could make out a small dot of light in the distance. And as I got closer to it, I could feel the temperature increasing. Immediately, a sense of ease and tranquility filled me up.

I could only guess that my struggle had finally come to an end.

Ok, so maybe dying didn't suck as much as I initially thought. Maybe a person had to experience that doom and gloom before finally being allowed eternal happiness. I had no idea.

But as long as Edward was going to be a part of that happiness, I guess I didn't mind going through the preliminary round of torture.

Suddenly, I became aware of something else. Even though I was alone, it felt as though my hand was being held. But if that was the case, wouldn't I see the person?

This was very odd. And yet, I still felt extremely calm. There was no sense of danger at all.

Only one person made me feel this safe, like nothing in the world could hurt me.

It had to be Edward.

Did three days pass already? I was falling for quite a while, though, so they probably had. I mean, what other explanation could there be for what was happening right now?

I looked up and noticed that I was now very close to passing into that once distant spot of light. The realization made me smile, and I squeezed the hand that was still invisibly holding mine.

Edward, I'm almost there, I thought to myself. You won't have to wait much longer.

I took one last deep breath and slowly, the warm light welcomed me in…

****

It was well-worth the wait, let me tell you.

Every one of my senses seemed more alive than they ever had, and I felt an extreme amount of joy flowing through me. I blinked a few times to focus my vision, and to my delight, a familiar set of eyes was staring at me.

Of course, they belonged to Edward.

After being exposed to nothing but darkness for a long period of time, I started to forget just how vivid and bright his eyes were. I missed being pulled into the intensity of his gazes. But I didn't have to worry about getting separated from him anymore.

We were going to be together forever.

"I love you, Edward," I whispered, a big smile on my face.

His answering smile was positively radiant. "And I love you, Bella." He slowly began stroking my cheek with his free hand. "I was so worried, and so were the others. We all thought that you were going to leave us."

I leaned into his touch and sighed contentedly. "Well, I may not have made it, but you're here now. That's all that matters."

He frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, I'm in heaven aren't I? And you're here with me, of course. Your time is up, right? It has to be. I mean, it felt like I was falling for the longest time, so…"

"Bella, no," he said, his eyes widening in shock. "I'm not dead…and neither are you. Just look around. Does this look like heaven to you?"

I did as I was told, and immediately realized that the plain, white walls and generic curtains in this room could not possibly be part of heaven. There was also an annoying beeping noise that was coming from next to my head. A sideways glance confirmed that the sound was coming from a heart rate monitor…and it was hooked up to me. I had a heart rate?!

I was…alive?

I shook my head, confused. "I can't believe this. I thought I was dying. Everything seemed to be pointing in that direction."

"You were close, I'll admit that," said Edward. "But it looks like fate had other plans."

The expression on his face made it look like there was more to it than just that, though. "Edward," I began, "Something's going on, isn't it?"

He sighed, closing his eyes. But when he opened them a few moments later, they were filled with tears. "Yes, Bella. Something huge has just happened."

"What? What is it?"

But instead of answering, he jumped to his feet and ran to the door. "Hold on. I want to tell all of you together."

All of us? What?

Not five seconds later, my friends walked into the room. When they saw that I was up, they rushed to my bedside quickly. Alice, however, was quicker.

"Bella," she squealed, tears running down her face, "You're awake!" She pushed her way through everyone and hugged me tightly. However, a pain in my ribs made me cry out in the process.

Edward flew to my side in response and practically bulldozed her out of the way. "Alice, her injuries," he snapped, gently taking my hand and rubbing soothing circles on it with his thumb.

She hung her head apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I forgot."

"It's alright," I replied, giving her a reassuring smile. "What injuries do I have exactly?"

"Well, a couple of your ribs are broken, your left wrist is sprained, you've got a cut on your cheek, and you have a bad concussion," Edward explained quietly.

A concussion? Well, that would explain the jackhammer sensation.

"Wow," I mouthed. "I can't believe I actually lived through that."

"I can," Emmett said, his usual loud self. "You're a tough bitch and you don't take anyone's shit." Strangely, there was a harsh edge to his statement. And he was pretty much never mean.

But I suddenly remembered my cruel words to him earlier, and immediately felt awful. "Emmett, I never did apologize for what I said before." I paused and took a deep breath. "I am so incredibly sorry. I was just so angry and stressed out, and I snapped. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, just let me know. But please forgive me."

Emmett's face brightened considerably, and he patted my leg. "Hey, it's alright, Bella. I forgive you. But there is one thing I'd like you to do for me if you don't mind," he said, a devious look in his eyes.

I didn't like where he was going, but I decided to agree anyway. "Sure, Emmett. What is it?"

"Well, Miss Swan," he said, standing up straight and adding a fake British accent to the mix, "Would you allow me to serenade you?"

As I expected, everyone groaned. Who could forget the off-key vocal stylings of Mr. Emmett McCarty? But if it made him happy…

"Alright. Why the hell not?"

"Yes!" He scooted onto the bed next to me and draped his arm around my shoulders. "Do you like INXS?"

"Yeah, they're pretty cool." Personally, I couldn't see how Emmett could possibly top Michael Hutchence, but he was certainly going to try. "What'd you have in mind?"

He didn't answer. He simply cleared his throat and began.

Don't ask me

What you know is true

Don't have to tell you

I love your precious heart…

Ah, so he was pulling out the big guns. 'Never Tear Us Apart' was probably one of their best songs.

I, I was standing

You were there

Two worlds collided

And they could never tear us apart

We could live

For a thousand years

But if I hurt you

I'd make wine from your tears

I told you

That we could fly

'Cause we all have wings

But some of us don't know why-y-y-y-y-y-y

I was standing

You were there

Two worlds collided

And they could never, ever tear us apart

To my amusement, Emmett even included the big saxophone solo in his performance, jumping off the bed and prancing around the room with great enthusiasm. After that, he finished off the song with some exaggerated gestures before finally falling silent.

I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and clap for him. After all, if I didn't, then no one else would.

"Bravo," I shouted. Everyone else was rolling their eyes and shaking their heads, but Emmett didn't seem to notice them. He was eating up my recognition, sinking into several low bows.

"Alright," Edward interrupted, sitting back down next to me, "Well done, Emmett. But if you remember, I had something important to tell you all."

"Oh yeah, that's right. What was it," Rosalie asked.

He inhaled deeply, and his eyes welled up like before. "Well, I…I…"

The suspense was killing me. "Love, what's going on," I probed, taking his hand.

Edward's eyes bored into mine as the tears fell down his cheeks. "I did it."

"Did what," asked Jasper, frowning. Everyone else had similar confused looks on their faces.

But suddenly, comprehension dawned on me. Over what else could Edward be so emotional?

He had solved our puzzle. There was no doubt in my mind.

I began to cry along with him, and pulled him into a tight embrace, ignoring the pain in my ribs. "I love you so much," I whispered.

"I love you, too, Bella—with all my heart," he replied, burying his face in my hair.

Alice cleared her throat. "Um, will someone please tell me what's going on?"

I half-chuckled at her impatience. "Edward figured it all out. He solved it," I said, caressing his cheek before looking at our friends. "He's going to stay human."

They all gasped and began talking at the same time. I couldn't make sense of anything that was being said. It was actually quite comical.

"Hey," Edward shouted, "Simmer down! Let me explain, alright?"

"Sorry, Edward," Alice said excitedly. "Go on."

"Well, it was quite unexpected, really. At that point, I had pretty much given up on trying to find a solution. Bella, you were getting worse, and I felt completely awful. I mean, if I hadn't become human again, you would have never ended up in the hospital…" He trailed off, his emotions getting the better of him.

I squeezed his hand. "Edward, stop. You know that I would have been far worse off had you not become human. Those experiences were some of the best I've ever had. Plus, well, you all know how klutzy I am. Who's to say that I wouldn't have ended up here on my own?"

We all shared a laugh, then Edward continued. "Ok, point taken. But let me just say that that particular moment was one of the lowest of my existence. I was just sitting here, wishing that it was me dying, not you. You didn't deserve such a horrible fate. All I wanted was for you to lead a long, happy life. So I prayed. I prayed that you could do just that, and if I was sent back to the afterlife in exchange for it, then so be it."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Everything that we had fought so hard for was now ours. And all it took was for Edward to wish that he was the one dying in my place?

I was incredibly touched. But it was heartbreaking to hear what Edward was thinking at the time. I wished that he didn't have to experience such pain.

"But it was after all this, however, that things got interesting," he explained. "I received a visit from someone." Oh god, was it… "My mother."

As I expected, there was a sharp intake of breath from everyone. "Your mother," asked Rosalie. "But she's…"

"Dead. Yes," he finished. "But she came to deliver the good news."

Emmett snorted. "Well damn, how did I miss this?"

I sighed, frustrated. "I was wondering the same thing. Another lost opportunity for Bella."

"Oh, love," Edward said, chuckling, "Don't worry. She wants to meet you. And she said that whenever we'd like to se her, she'll be there." He turned to address everyone. "I'm sure she'd like to meet you all, too. So you're more than welcome to be with us when she visits."

To my delight, they were all very enthusiastic about that idea. And of course, Alice was the most excited of the group.

"Oh my god, this is going to be so great," she shrieked. "I'm going to have to pick her brain, ask some questions, perhaps…"

"No, Alice," we all protested. By this time, all of us knew of her obsession with ghosts. And though I supported her interests (well, I was trying to), we were talking about Edward's family. That was off-limits.

Alice huffed loudly, but didn't press the issue. At that moment, however, a nurse walked in, smiling brightly.

"Good, Isabella! It's nice to see that you're awake."

I rolled my eyes at her use of my full name. "It's Bella," I corrected.

"Oh sorry, Bella. Well anyway, since you're up, would you like to see your dad? He just arrived a minute ago."

My friends and I all looked at each other, grinning. Well, they were grinning. I started to cry.

"Honey, are you ok," the nurse asked.

She had no idea.

It was all beginning to hit me. I was surrounded by every single person that I loved…and who loved me. How I'd been so blessed to fall in with this wonderful group, I'll never know. But I was so grateful for it.

I turned to face Edward, who looked as though he was ready to start crying again, too. There were no more roadblocks, no more puzzles. That was all in the past. But he was my future, and he wasn't going anywhere.

And one of the best parts of all this?

Edward could finally meet Charlie.

I blew my nose. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. Sorry. I'm just happy my dad's here. Please bring him in."

After the nurse walked out, I glanced at my friends before finally resting my gaze on Edward. "It's time."

He nodded and threaded his fingers through mine. "Yes."

Not a moment later, Charlie walked in, exhaling in relief when he saw me. "Oh, thank god," he said breathlessly, rushing forward and giving me a hug. "Are you alright? I found a note on the counter saying that you'd been hurt, and I came here as fast as I could."

I winced slightly at the pain, but stuck it out. "I'm fine now, dad."

He growled. "I swear, whoever did this to you is going to pay! I'll make sure of that."

"Not to worry, chief," Emmett said, snickering. "Douche bag's all booked and ready to go. As soon as we get Bella's side, he doesn't stand a chance."

Charlie cracked a small smile. "Thanks, McCarty. You did good today."

Of course, Emmett had to act like a total cheese ball. "All in a day's work, sir," he said, flexing his muscles.

Everyone laughed, and Charlie turned back to me. "Bells, you do know that you'll have to testify in order for this guy to be locked up, right? Will you be ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," I replied, surprisingly calm. "Just as long as you all are there to support me." I smiled up at my friends hopefully.

"Of course, Bella," Alice said, placing her hand on my shoulder. "We wouldn't miss it."

This time, Charlie's big grin lit up his face. "Thanks, Alice. It's nice to know Bella's able to count on you. And hey, I also want to thank the rest of you for all your help today. If you hadn't been there, I don't know…" he trailed off, his voice cracking.

Rosalie patted him on the back. "It was no problem, Charlie. Bella's like family to us. And we protect our family."

He cleared his throat and wiped his eyes quickly, obviously not wanting to let on that he'd been crying. My dad never was big on showing emotion. "That's very sweet of you to say. Thank you. Thank you all."

Charlie looked around, nodding at each person in appreciation. But then, he turned his attention to Edward. "Who are you," he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Edward and I smiled at each other, and he squeezed my hand, his face filled with excitement. This meeting was long overdue, and we were more than ready for it.

After all, he and I had nothing to hide now.

"Dad, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Edward."

Aww, so cute! I was crying during the final proofread. It's all coming together for Edward and Bella. Now, they can finally just start living :-)

You gotta love Emmett and his serenades! As you could probably guess, I'm an INXS fan. If you don't know of them…look 'em up!

Yeah, I'm kind of having a mental block day, so this isn't going to be a huge author's note LOL. But please read and review. I'll update ASAP. Only two chapters left!