Title: Never too late
Author: Zee
Characters/Pairings: Edward/Bella, Renesmee, Alice/Jasper, Rose/Emmett, Jacob/Leah
Rating: General Readers (GR)
Category: Drama
Spoilers: None but it would be better if you've read the Twilight series to get an idea of the chacters. This is Alternate Universe (AU) and is All Human (AH).
Summary: A horrible accident leaves Edward broken and empty. When he wakes up to the world and finds he doesn't remember anything, Bella does everything she can to bring back her Edward.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer – the genius

EPOV

After the music, everyone wiped tears from their eyes, and we all went downstairs for breakfast. Bella still held my hand and I smiled to myself because I didn't want to let go of her either. It was like she was my link to being awake, as if letting go of her would mean drowning in darkness again. I squeezed her hand and she smiled.

I took a good look at the house and I marveled at how big it was. The staircase wound down in one fluid turn and we went through the hallway into the large dining room that led to a kitchen. Some of them were in the living room, some of them in the dining room and as Bella started walking into the kitchen a high-pitched voice called out, "Bella, wait!"

I still held Bella's hand and as she turned, I did too. It was Bella's sister with the short spiky hair. Her eyes darted from me to Bella in a second and she said, "I'll prepare breakfast. You guys go… relax." She shot me a glance again.

"But Alice, it's okay—"

"No," Alice said. "Go with Edward around the house or something…" she said and looked at me hesitantly.

"If you insist." Bella said.

Alice nodded. "I do, Bella. Please."

Bella smiled. "Thanks Alice." Then Bella led me back towards the living room where Nessie ran towards me and crashed into my legs.

"Daddy! Come!" Nessie's pudgy little fingers took my hand and pulled me towards the living room. She pointed to the screen of the television. "Look."

A deep laughter was coming out of the speakers and I looked at the image on the TV. "That's Patrick." She said. She put her little fingers to my face. "He's very silly, daddy."

I stared at the pink starfish and listened as he talked to his friend and I had to chuckle. "Is he so much like me, Nessie?"

She was on the floor by this time, her thumb in her mouth, so caught up in the show that she barely nodded towards my direction and said, "Uh-huh."

Bella chuckled and sat by me in the sofa. I took her hand and I glanced at her and saw her cheeks flush. Even if I wanted to just wrap my arms around her and bury my face in her hair… I settled with her hand, somehow it felt like I only had to touch her and I couldn't possibly lose anything ever again.

I looked at the TV without really seeing anything. I willed myself to remember everything. My daughter, sitting right in front of me, my wife, whose hand I held, and the rest of my family, who cared so much – how important were they in my lives? Who was I to them? What kind of friend, brother, son, father and husband was I?

As the abysmal sense of uncertainty started to creep into my mind again, just as I was starting to panic about everything I didn't know and the little things I did know, I heard Bella's voice and my heart skipped a beat – It was more than enough to keep me grounded.

"How are you feeling, Edward?" She asked softly as she place her hand on top of mine that held her other hand.

I hesitated then locked my eyes into her chocolate browns. "Terrified."

Bella broke my gaze and looked at the floor. She pursed her lips then, slowly, she asked, "How about the piano, the song… did it…?" I could hear the hopeful sound in her voice but it seemed like she was trying to hide it.

I shook my head. No, it didn't bring back anything. I thought that after the song, after playing the piano, I would be a lot less empty, but when I stopped everything was still the same. The people who stood around me, looking at me with tear-brimmed eyes with looks of pure concern on their faces, they were still strangers. It was only towards Bella and my daughter that I felt such a pull. "Sorry."

Bella immediately squeezed my hand and her forehead creased. "Edward, don't say that. None of this is your fault."

I sighed. "Bella," I looked at her and saw she was blushing. I touched her cheek and smiled sadly. "It seems like it is."

"It's not. More than anything I feel like it's mine…"

"What do you mean?"

"The accident, Edward… I feel like it's my fault."

My eyes widened. "Bella, how could it possibly be?" I asked as my heart hammered wildly against my chest. Bella, this beautiful woman, could she possibly be the one responsible for this emptiness?

She sighed and looked around as though looking for some way to escape the conversation. I took her face in my hands, "I think it's time you told me what really happened, Bella. How did I get this way?" Then I shook my head. "You… you're confusing me. Don't make me think that you – my – you are responsible for this."

I saw tears started to fill her eyes and as tears started to fall from each one, I wiped them away with my thumb. "Edward, I'm sorry…"

"Why? Bella, love… please tell me… I don't know anything, you can't—" and I winced in pain and disappointment. The woman I loved when I had all of me, the woman I have come to love so deeply that I can feel it in my bones, I doubt that she could possibly be the reason for this.

"When we got married I promised I would take care of you no matter what but I failed myself and more than anything, I've failed you."

I shook my head again. "No, please, don't say things like that. Talk to me, tell me, what happened, Bella… please."

This time it was her who took my face in her hands. "Edward, ssshhh." She said soothingly and I calmed down but I could still hear my heart hammer loudly in my chest. "I will. I will tell you everything. I have chastised myself for too long, hating myself even, for causing you so much pain," more tears started to flow down her cheeks, "but when I heard you ask who you were, deep inside me I knew that I was getting another chance to love you, to keep my promise and I say it again to you now: everything that I have I will give to you, everything."

My heart yearned for me to hold her in my arms and this time I did not hold back. I held her and as I did I felt her arms snake to my back and she held me tight. Warmth ran throughout my body and it was at that moment that things started to dawn on me. About three things I was absolutely positive: first, Bella was one of the two people that I regret ever having to have forgotten, second, there was a part of her – and I didn't know how dominant that part might be – that blamed her self for what happened to me, and third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with her.

We pulled away from our embrace and as Bella wiped away her tears I saw someone standing beside us from the corner of my eyes. I turned and saw that it was Nessie, her thumb stuck in her mouth, holding a stuffed toy in one hand, looking at us her face flushed and her eyes brimming with tears.

"Momma…" she walked closer and touched Bella's face. "Don't cry."

I wiped the tears from Nessie's eyes that threatened to fall down her pink cheeks. "Nessie, Nessie… don't worry. It's okay. Come here." I held out my arms as she climbed into them, her thumb still stuck in her mouth.

She took her thumb out of her mouth, her lips still upturned. "But why is momma crying?"

I hugged Nessie and touched her hair. "Remember how I'm like Patrick?" Nessie nodded. "Well, it makes momma sad."

Nessie nodded. "It makes me sad too, Daddy, but Patrick is silly and you're silly too. You can't remember anything." Nessie turned to face Bella and touched her face. "Don't worry, momma, he promised he wouldn't forget anymore, remember? And daddy played your song."

Bella smiled at Nessie and kissed her forehead. It was unusual that our young daughter was the one who was comforting us, her parents who don't even know what to do right now but it seemed right. I kissed Nessie too and she smiled.

My family. I loved them more than anything in the world and, as though Nessie could hear my thoughts, she said, "I love you daddy." She wrapped her small arms around my neck.

I hugged her and rubbed her back and sighed. "I love you." I said, looking straight at Bella.

a/n :What did you guys think about my use of the famous three up there? :) Tell me about it. I just flipped it a bit so that it was Edward who makes the realization. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter. : ) thanks also those who reviewed. : )