I was trying to fly but I couldn't find my wings,
But you came along and you changed everything.
You lift my feet off the ground,
You spin me around
You make me crazier, crazier.
Feels like I'm falling and I
I'm lost in your eyes,
You make me crazier, crazier, crazier.
-Crazier, Taylor Swift.
Alice POV
"Goodbye Edward," she whispered before turning her back on him and walking out of the still-open door.
I groaned quietly; this wasn't the outcome I had been hoping for. Desperately I tried to run after her, but Edward held me back.
"Get off of me, Edward," I growled.
"What the hell have you done?" he growled back, shaking Tanya's arm off of his shoulder.
"Edward, let me go," I said.
"No. You've done enough."
"Edward, for God's sake let go of me!" I snapped, "You have no idea what that girl has been through. She doesn't deserve this as well."
"So why did you do it?"
"I did it because you love her," I hissed, finally pulling free of the hold he had on me and dashing out of the door, following Bella's scent.
"Bella?" I called after her, "Bella, come back. Please?" I caught up with her to find her sitting on a fallen log crying her eyes out.
"Bella, I am so sorry," I whispered, sitting down next to her.
"Go away!" she shouted at me, "Just leave me alone. Please."
"Bella, I can't. If you want to go home I'll take you."
"No thanks. I'll find my own way back," she said stubbornly.
I smiled fondly, "Bella, there's no way you'll find your way back to Forks from here alone."
Bella didn't say anything and neither did I. For a long moment, all I did was curse Tanya to the fiery pits of hell for her impulse decision to come back to our house draped around my brother. And then I cursed Edward to the fiery pits of hell for not telling her to get lost. I sighed loudly.
"Bella, you should go back," I said eventually.
"What? So I can make a fool of myself some more?" Bella scoffed, "I don't think so. How could you do this to me? I thought you were my friend, but everything you ever said was a lie." She sighed too, "Please. Just take me home, Mary. Alice. Whatever."
"Okay," I whispered. I felt sadness overwhelm me. Another warped plan of mine had failed. When was I going to start listening to Carlisle and Jasper? I had only wanted to make things better and I had made them worse. Not only had I lost Bella, I had lost a good friend. And I had lost a brother.
No. I was going to make this right. Why should I give up? I knew that Edward loved Bella and that Bella loved Edward. Why should they be apart? There was only one answer to that question: they shouldn't.
"Bella, please talk to Edward," I begged, "Just for a little while."
"No," she refused blankly.
"I'm not taking you home until you have, Bella. God knows I've worked too hard to let this all fall apart. You love him. Surely that's got to mean something?"
"Yeah, but what? What does it mean, especially if he doesn't feel the same way?"
"Oh, Bella," I sighed, "He does love you. That's the only reason that he hasn't come and found you yet. He thinks that being together will hurt you and he doesn't want to do that. That girl in there? She's no one, Bella. No one. She doesn't mean half as much to Edward as you do. She's just an old family friend, that's all."
"That's all?" she asked doubtfully.
"Yes!" I cried in despair, "Bella, he loves you so, so much that it… well, it's killing him. Why won't you believe me?"
"Oh, I don't know." Bella glared at me her tone livid. This shocked me; it wasn't like Bella at all.
"Maybe because every word you've ever said to me in the past few days were lies? Maybe because I didn't even know your real name until just now? Maybe because I told you everything and you don't seem to care?"
"Bella, that's not true. I love you like you were my sister," I told her honestly.
"Well, maybe you'd better show it," she snapped cruelly.
"I just did. I brought you to the person you love and told you the honest truth that he loves you back and you won't believe me. Okay, so I haven't been the most truthful person over the last few days, but I've only done it for you. Everything I've done has been for you, Bella! And now I'm being totally honest and you won't believe me! It couldn't be more truthful if it came from Edward's own mouth!"
"You promise to tell the truth?" Bella whispered, looking at me through her watery eyes.
"Yes."
"Tell me one thing, then…" she paused.
"Go on," I urged.
"What are you?" she finally asked. I froze. The one thing I didn't want her to ask. I stared at her for a long moment and then sighed. She deserved to know.
Edward POV
"I did it because you love her," Alice hissed through her gritted teeth. With that, I let her go. I couldn't berate her for doing something for me. Especially not something like that.
She took off through the door running desperately after Bella. I had to admit, just to myself, that seeing her face had brought me a strange sense of relief. Like numbing my pain. And she was more beautiful than I had remembered. For a moment, it looked as though everything would be all right. But then she saw Tanya. Tanya, whom I had forgotten all about. And, of course, my beautiful angel made incorrect assumptions and left. What I wouldn't have given to go back in time, just two minutes and tell Tanya to go back to her home with Kate, Irena and Billy-Bob. What I wouldn't have given to tell Tanya to leave. What I wouldn't have given to have stopped Bella walking right out of our home, out of my life.
"What…" Tanya stammered, "What. Was. That?"
"I have to go…" I stuttered, "I can't… I have to…"
"Edward," Jasper spoke aloud, catching my attention. He held out a box and said: "Alice told me to give this to you if you had any doubts. She said you have to read them."
I cautiously took the box from him and lifted the lid. Inside were letters. Hundreds of letters all torn and then taped back together. I read them one by one at vampire speed and by the time I had finished I felt terrible. How much my angel had been forced to go through without me. How much I could have saved her from. How much pain she'd had to endure.
The guilt and anger almost overwhelmed me, but another emotion triumphed over them. Love. Love for the girl who'd gone through all of this, who'd put up with all of this, just with the hope that someday I'd come and save her. Love for the incredible, beautiful girl who was hurting now more than she ever had. Love for the girl who I was meant to be with. Love for the girl who I had to go to. Right now.
I shoved all of the repaired letters back into the box and left, following the scent through the trees. I could feel my family's stares on my back and could hear their inquisitive thoughts, but none of that mattered now. All that mattered was that my angel felt better.
"Tell me one thing then," Bella was whispering to Alice, who was sat next to her on a fallen log.
"Anything," Alice promised. It was strange to see her with blonde hair. She looked so… different.
"What are you?" Bella asked. So she hadn't forgotten that. I could tell by the way that Alice froze that she didn't want to be the one to tell her.
I decided that now could be a good time to interrupt.
"Thanks, Alice," I said, making both of them jump and turn round. I stepped out of the trees and sat down on Bella's other side, "I'll take it from here," I said to Alice. She smiled a little at me, stood up and headed back for the house.
Bella stared after Alice, seeming unsure what to make of my abrupt appearance. Well, this was awkward. She still smelled as tempting as ever, but I knew that I never could and never would hurt her. Especially not now all I wanted was her forever. And that's why I was about to do what I was about to do.
Bella POV
I didn't know what to say, what to do. I was the most confused I had ever been in my entire life. I didn't know what was the truth and what wasn't. For a moment, I even wondered if Phil had killed me and this was some kind of bizarre after-life. But the love I felt for Edward burned stronger than ever and I knew that a dead person couldn't possibly feel like this.
"Bella?" he asked softly. I still didn't look round; I didn't trust myself enough.
"Bella, Alice gave me these." He put something in my lap, but I didn't look at it.
"Bella, please say something," his beautiful voice begged with me, "Do something? Anything."
I slowly turned my head and glanced at him. His eyes were burning with emotions as he stared into mine.
"I don't know what I can say," I croaked, looking away again.
"Bella?" he repeated, putting his cold hand on top of mine. How many times had I longed for this reunion? How many times had I wished to feel his smooth skin on mine? But I hadn't ever imagined that it would be like this; forced, almost.
"Yes?" I whispered.
"I am… so sorry," he whispered, "No. I can't even say that. Sorry doesn't even begin to cover how I feel. Bella…" he hesitated, "I… I love you… so much."
Now I looked up at him, "Really?"
"Of course I do. Would I stay away from you if that weren't the case?"
"I don't know," I said honestly.
"Close your eyes," he ordered. I hesitated.
"Just do it. Trust me," he purred gently. This time, I did as I was told and shut my eyes. I felt him put the necklace back on and brush my hair away from my face and a small smile hovered about my lips. But then he did something I wasn't expecting.
He pressed his own lips to mine and kissed me softly. It felt so right. Like it was meant to be. I sighed against him and deepened the kiss, my fingers knotting in his hair, whatever he had put on my lap sliding to the floor. Unlike the previous times that he'd kissed me, this didn't make him pull away, just chuckle against my lips and kiss me harder.
"I love you," he murmured breathlessly against my lips when we eventually broke apart. He rested his forehead against my own, not breaking away from me entirely.
"I love you more," I muttered, trying to kiss him again although my need for oxygen was probably more important.
"Breathe, Bella," he reminded me gently. I sucked in a deep breath, my eyes still closed, and kissed him again. I swear I could spend all eternity kissing Edward.
Shortly afterwards, we sat in a comfortable silence on the log, my head resting against his shoulder.
"What…" he broke the peace, but then trailed off.
"What…?" I pressed.
"What happened to Phil and Leila?" he asked, unable to keep the anger out of his voice.
"How do you know about Phil?" I opened my eyes then to narrow my eyes at him. He nodded at the box on the floor. I frowned and picked it up. He pulled the lid off for me and I gasped in surprise as I immediately recognized the sheet of paper on the top.
"Where did you get these?" I wondered, pulling out the letters one by one.
"Alice," he replied, unashamed, "You know, she loves you too. She only wanted to help."
"Hey, I'm not the one who's apparently going to kill her," I teased. It was strange how easy it was to do this now. It was like the piece that had been missing from me had never left.
"I don't plan to do that anymore."
"Why not?"
"Well, because it worked." Edward shrugged.
"That reminds me… what was the tutu scenario?"
Edward shuddered, "An experience I am never ever going to endure again. Not even through the medium of telling someone else. Yes, that includes you. Let's just say that Alice was trying to set me up with some girl and I ended up somehow worse off. Emmett called me Miss Butterfly Fairy for weeks afterwards…" he shuddered again and I giggled.
"So…" I started awkwardly. I knew just what I wanted to ask him, but I didn't want to break our re-built relationship.
"What?" he asked quietly.
"I… nothing," I lied.
"Bella, I know what you want to ask me," Edward said, serious now.
"You do?"
"The same thing you asked Alice?" he wondered.
I nodded mutely.
"Bella, I'm not going to lie to you anymore," he sighed, "I'll tell you what we are and if you change your mind about us… well, I don't blame you. But, remember that I'll always love you."
"Change my mind?" I scoffed, but I was trembling slightly, "I don't care what you are. I'll always love you too."
"Bella, we – my family and I – are vampires," Edward revealed quietly, "But it doesn't change how I feel about you at all."
I stayed silent for a moment; I didn't know quite what to make of this, "What, so you drink blood?" I asked hesitantly.
"Not humans," he replied softly, "Only animals. We don't want to be bad."
"You're not," I whispered stroking his face.
"That's what you think," he muttered.
"Edward, I can tell that you think I'm going to run away screaming, but it's not going to happen. I love you, whatever you are," I said firmly.
"As I love you," he murmured, knotting our fingers together, "Oh and there's something else…" he remembered.
"What?" I rested my forehead against his.
"I can… read minds," he told me quietly, "And Alice can see the future… sort of… it changes. It's subjective."
But I wasn't listening anymore; the revelation before that had caught my attention more, "You can read my mind?!" I shrieked.
"No," he said, "Not yours. Everyone else's, yes. Yours? Nothing. I can't read yours. You're a little mystery," he teased.
"Good," I muttered.
He chuckled and then stood up, "Are you sure you don't mind?"
"Not one bit." I stood too and beamed at him.
"In that case… would you like to come home for dinner?" he asked casually.
"What?" I gasped.
"Joking," he laughed, "But I think we both owe a certain person an apology," he reminded me.
"Alice," I agreed, "Let's go." I started to walk back towards the house, but he grabbed my wrist and slung me up on his back. Then he started to run and I gasped in surprise.
"Oh my God," I whispered and he laughed with exhilaration. Seconds later, we stopped just metres away from the house, where he put me down.
"Wow," I breathed, trying desperately to get my breath back, and failing miserably.
Edward chuckled, "Come on then," he said and then shot me a lop-sided grin. I beamed back as we headed to apologise to and thank his sister. He laced his fingers through mine and squeezed my hand. I squeezed back and smiled to myself as we went back into his house, our hands linking us together. And that's how it would be forever.
Edward was my forever.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Oh my Cullen. It's so sad that it's all over! Sort of over anyways. Oh, and it'd be great if you could actually read this A/N.
First thing's first: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED, ADDED THIS TO THEIR FAVOURITES OR ALERTS, ADDED THIS TO A C2 OR EVEN JUST READ IT. Seriously, I cannot be more thankful. I just love you all so much for the support and everything. You are amazing and I can't thank you enough. If you don't believe me, the whole next chappie is an AN thanking various people and stuff. Go read it after reading all of the below.
SECONDLY... I do have ideas for a sequel, but I'm not sure if I'll do it. If there's enough demand then I'll give it a go, but not until I've finished "Back To Forks" and "Forbidden Interference". IF you are reading either of those thanks, and if not go have a look! Yes, right sequel... I may or may not do one. It could be done, but I don't know whether to leave it here or not. Please review saying what you think. If you want a sequel or not, say so and, depending on the demand, I'll see what I can do. I'll set up a poll so GO VOTE and I'll see... If I do one, I'll post an AN with the title when I put it up.
THIRDLY... I am posting the first chapter for a new Twilight Fanfic at the same time as this chappie right now. PLEASE, PLEASE go R&R. Please tell me what you think and whether I should continue it as I am not really sure at the moment. Please, please, please.
FOURTHLY... Uh… I can't remember what this fourth thing was… oh yes. I know it ended a bit abruptly and Edward didn't tell Bella everything, but I'm leaving it open for a sequel, okay guys?
FIFTHLY... The next chapter is just an A/N saying thanks and various other stuff. It is not necessary to read it, but it would be nice if you did ;)
SIXTHLY... (this is a long list...) I'm sorry for not replying to reviews for chapter 14, but I will definitely be replying to these. I mean, these are the last reviews I'll get for this fic- of course I'll reply!
And finally... Thanks again. So, so much. Please, please review! If you have just read this all the way from the beginning (hmm- bet it seems a long time ago now doesn't it?), like literally just now, or whether you have been a supporter from the beginning and haven't yet reviewed, please do it now. I am on my knees. Literally.
PLEASE REVIEW!!!
Thank you guys so much.
Steph