Esme's Worst Nightmare

by El Leon Y La Oveja

We all know how Bella felt during the months that Edward left her. We can guess how Edward was feeling. But what about the rest of the Cullens? This is Esme's story, set during the blackest period of her son's life. Incomplete but concluded.

8. Epilogue

Author's Note: It's been ages since I updated and as this has been on hiatus for a while, I've decided not to continue it all the way to the end. This is the epilogue of Esme's Worst Nightmare that I wrote years ago, when I first started the story. This was actually the first part I wrote and instead of never finishing this fic, I'm just going to leave out the section in Italy and post the epilogue. I'm sorry for discontinuing this fic and although it makes me sad to leave it behind, I know I won't ever be able to give it the attention and time that I have with the posted chapters. I thought about taking this down but there are people who have reviewed and enjoyed it, so I'm going to leave it here in an unfinished form.

Here is the epilogue anyway and thank you for reading. Hopefully this way, you can see the ending that Esme and her family got, just without the middle section of the story. Sorry!

El Leon Y La Oveja :) xx

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I reached for Edward as soon as he was close enough, overjoyed to see him again, so relieved that he was unharmed, that it was finally over. I didn't care that he wasn't letting go of Bella, I didn't think about anything else. My Edward was home. He was safe. That was all that mattered.

The second that he was in my arms, the worry disappeared and in its place, the motherly fury reared. I was so angry at him for causing me so much stress, for almost losing three of our family members in one go. I fought against the impulse to shout at him and contented myself with the fact that he was alive, he was here with us. Nothing would ever part me from Edward again. He could not be allowed to resort to such measures.

"You will never put me through that again." I told Edward forcefully as I kept him in my tight embrace.

"Sorry Mom," Edward replied, smiling guiltily at me.

And unheard by everyone else, he whispered in my ear. "Never. I promise you."

At that, I knew that he understood that I hadn't just been talking about Volterra. I'd been referring to the past seven months of agony and crippling fear. Now that was behind us, I could forgive him easily. He had come back home. My son. My Edward.

I looked around ecstatically at all the faces of my children and as I saw them all, linked with their soulmates, set for eternity, I could not stop the smile of exultation that broke over my face. No mother could ever be as proud as I was in that moment, gazing upon my reunited family, with Carlisle's hand tight in my own.