Hi everyone, sorry for the delay in posting. I ran into a little health problem last week so I rested all weekend... and it was also to get over the shock. I am better now, so here's chapter 23 :o)

A special thank you to SarcasticBimbo for her kind words. I am glad you are enjoying this story. I hope you will enjoy these last few chapters.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 23

BPOV

We pull up in the Cullen's driveway. The sight of their house always stuns me. It has a modern look with all of the windows. Esme Cullen designed each and every aspect of this amazing house.

"Ready?" Edward asks me after he has killed the engine.

"Yeah." I nod and we step out of the car.

Edward walks around to the trunk to pull out his bag, then he grabs my hand and we head to the front door. Carlisle is there waiting for us.

"Hey dad," Edward says, shaking Carlisle's hand.

"Hello, son, hello, Bella," he greets us warmly.

"Hello, Carlisle, how are you?" I ask after he has hugged me.

"I'm fine, thank you, Bella. And you?"

"I'm good, thanks."

"I'm glad to hear that. How was your trip?"

"Just fine, we fought over the radio station again, so it passed the time." Carlisle laughs at that.

"I'm glad you found a way to entertain yourself." I smile; then his face turns serious. "Bella, Esme would like to talk to you in private before dinner."

"How is she?" Edward asks. He had been silent all this time. Carlisle's face falls a little.

"Not so well, but she had a good day today. She'll be happy to see you both." Edward nods. "Bella, you remember where our bedroom is?" I nod. "Good. Go on ahead; Edward and I will take care of dinner."

"Okay." I head up the stairs to the second floor, my heart racing in my chest, though I'm not sure why. Esme's so sweet, I hate to see her like this. She doesn't deserve to suffer like this. I'm just wondering what she could want to talk to me about; it's not like I've had a set back or anything; I've even been doing surprisingly well lately.

Once upstairs, I make a right and walk to the door completely at the end of the hallway, where I know Carlisle and Esme's bedroom is situated. I knock lightly and hear a light "come in", so I turn the knob and push the door open. I find Esme reading, sitting on a loveseat in the living area of the room.

"Bella, hi!" She says when she sees me. She stands up to hug me when I am close to her. "How are you? I'm so happy to see you."

"Hi, Esme," I respond as I hug her back. "I'm good, and you?"

"Well, I'm sure Carlisle has told you all about it, but I am having a good day today. Thank you for asking. Come on, sit down."

I sit down on the same loveseat as her and face her.

"Carlisle told me you wanted to speak to me in private?"

"Yes. I just wanted us to have to girl time before dinner, and before…" I saw the pain flash across her eyes as the tears formed in the corners. "Bella, I don't know how much more time I have, so I want to make the most of each moment I have left."

Oh my God, no, she can't be thinking this way… Doesn't she know about my mother? She can't be saying goodbye, not now…

"Esme, don't you know?" My question seems to stun her.

"Know what, honey?" She asks, taking one of my hands.

"About my mother? She has pancreatic cancer, she will die soon. Apparently Carlisle did some tests, and there are very good chances that her heart will be a perfect match for you."

She brings her free hand to her mouth for a moment before she speaks again.

"Yes, I know, but I didn't dare hope, after all she did to you, Bella…"

I understand Esme's hesitancy, but she has to know that I would do anything to protect her. She has been more of a mother to me than mine ever was. I would gladly take whatever my mother gave as long as it saved Esme. I needed to make her understand this fact.

"She sent me a letter, a little while ago. She wanted to explain some things, and she wanted to tell me about her cancer. She was kind of asking me to let you have her heart, so I could finally have the mother I never had." I can see tears slowly spill from her eyes, but I have to keep talking before I chicken out. She needs to know how much she means to me. "You're like a mother to me, Esme. Not only because you're Edward's mother, but also because you took care of my father while I was… away. And you welcomed me into your family so easily. I want you to have this, so you can live. I don't want to sound selfish, but I want to have you here with me for a little while longer. I need a mother figure. I need you to be that mother figure, Esme."

The longer I spoke the more the tears flowed, by the end we were both sobbing together.

"Oh, Bella… come here." She gulps through her tears, pulling on my hand to make me move forward. When I'm close enough, she pulls me into her arms. Once I'm fully enveloped in her arms, that fragile wall I had built up, shatters to pieces. I never realized until recently how much I needed a mother, and the simple thought of losing Esme is just… unthinkable. "My dear Bella… I promise you that I'll be the mother you need me to be. You and your father have become very dear to this family; we'll be there for you, always. And you becoming Edward's girlfriend makes this bond so much more special."

I can only nod against her chest as she holds me. Our tears seem to be cathartic for both of us, exactly what we need. I know I do at least.

"Thank you, Esme." I respond once my tears have subsided a little. She pulls me away lightly to look me in the eyes.

"You are more than welcome, Bella." She smiles a smile so beautiful that I can't help but return to her. I'm wiping away my tears as someone knocks before opening the door. Edward makes his appearance.

"Hello ladies," he says, coming to sit beside me, "are you alright?" He asks me, most likely noticing my red eyes. I nod. "Alright. Dinner is ready. Are you ready to come down?"

"Of course, dear, "Esme answers. "Will you help me downstairs?"

"Sure, mom."

He kisses my forehead before he stands up. Edward bends down to lift her up, his arms under her knees and behind her back. When he's back upright, he walks around the coffee table and turns to me.

"Lead the way, love?"

"Okay."

Dinner is a quiet affair. Esme retreats to her room not long after we're done and Edward and I take care of the dishes before we make our way to Charlie's house.

"Will you spend the night?" I ask Edward while we're driving.

"Absolutely." He says with a gorgeous smile, one I can't help but return.

Shortly after, Edward pulls into Charlie's driveway and we make our way inside. The greetings go well enough and it's pretty comfortable as we sit with Charlie in the living room for a while. Charlie and Edward do a fair amount of talking about sports while they watch the Seahawks game on TV.

When the game is over, Edward and I say goodnight and retreat to bed.

"Um, Bells?" Charlie interrupts us just as Edward was putting his foot on the first step of the stairs.

"Yeah, dad?" I reply from the middle of the staircase.

"Is Edward spending the night?" I blush. Oops, I may have forgotten to tell him.

"Um, yeah. Do you mind?"

A few agonizing seconds go by before he answers.

"Of course not. Though I would appreciate it if you would let me know a bit earlier next time." Charlie looks like a man struggling with himself. I can see the side that wants to forbid a man from staying in his daughter's room with her, but then again he knows the history of our relationship so he understands this in nothing new for us.

"I'm sorry, dad, it won't happen again." I actually feel for him, not enough to ask Edward to stay elsewhere though.

"Sorry, Chief Swan." Edward added. I can see the outline of a smile on Charlie's face.

"Good night, kids." I'm sure it helps that Charlie likes and trusts Edward.

"Good night dad."

The getting ready for bed routine is surprisingly simple between us, and the possibility of awkwardness given the fact that we were staying together in my childhood bedroom was nonexistent as we changed for bed. And it's not long before we meet in my bed. I cringe as Edward tries to fit himself, comfortably, into my twin bed beside me. I'm not really complaining though, it gives me an excuse to get closer to Edward.

We kiss some, just enjoying the moment, without any afterthought. When we slow down, Edward kisses my forehead and whispers a sweet 'I love you' in my ear, as we fall asleep in each other's arms.

I wake up with a start a few hours later, not sure exactly what made me wake up in the first place. I do notice the racing of my heart in my chest, it feels like it's trying to beat its way out. I crab crawl across Edward and move my legs to the side of the bed as gently as possible. After several deep breaths, my heart finally slows down somewhat. I feel all hyped up with the adrenalin, so I stand up and pace around the room. I hope to slow down my body and clear my head, but it's not exactly working. Going back to bed is tempting, but I know I won't be able to go back to sleep and will just end up lying awake, staring at the ceiling. I need to clear my head properly first

I go downstairs to have a glass of water. With my water glass in hand, I sit in my father's recliner in the living room and look out the window. It's raining outside, the rain is slowly rolling down the outside panes of the window. It reminds me of one night in Phil's basement.

I was lying on the bed, Rose was asleep beside me. It was dark, but I could hear the rain outside. For one rare moment during my captivity, I felt at peace. The pitter plater of the rain has always had a relaxing effect on me. It seems strange to me now that I could find comfort in all the chaos and abuse, but I did. Maybe because it reminded me of a more simple time when I had no real fears or worries, back when I was a child and my life was simple made up of school, my friends, and my parents.

My parents, I almost snort at myself, Renee as a parent. She's clearly the furthest thing from that simple title. I think of her letter. I've been thinking of sending her a reply, I'm just not sure of what to say. I don't know if I should accept it as a last ditch effort to finally do something right by me or the plea of a woman who is about to die and needs to make peace with God. I ponder these ideas for a few minutes before I go back upstairs, somewhat inspired.

I turn on my desk light and take a look at Edward to make sure he hasn't woken up. He looks so peaceful over there. I smile. When I'm reassured he's still asleep, I grab a pen and a sheet of paper, and start to write.

Renee,

I'll be honest and say that I'm not sure exactly what to say.

You know I can't forgive you. I kind of understand where you're coming from, but I still think you should have called Charlie, or the police.

It's sad for Phil, but it's no excuse for letting him do what he did. No one in their right mind would have let anything like this happen to any human, much less their own child.

I don't hate you, but don't expect me to like you either. You're the one that gave birth to me, that's all you are to me. Esme Cullen will always be more of a mother to me than you. You already know that, but I needed to say it.

I agree to let you donate your heart to Mrs. Cullen, even though I don't think you really needed my permission for that. I do need her; she's the only mother I have ever known, even though I haven't known her that long. This is the only time I will say this: thank you. Thank you for letting her have a new chance at life, and for allowing her to be the mother I need. She's a lot more important to me than anyone will ever know.

From this point forward, I ask that you do not contact me ever again. We have no further connection. I wish you a comfortable life for your remaining time, even if you never extended that particular favor to me.

Isabella Swan

I feel a weight being lifted from my shoulder when I put the pen back down. It's not a long letter, but I don't feel I need to say more.

Just as the thought of going back to bed comes to my mind, I feel Edward's arms circle me from behind and a delicate kiss on my shoulder.

"What are you doing up?" He asks sleepily.

"I woke up suddenly, and couldn't go back to sleep." He unwraps his arms from around me and slowly swivels my chair around so we can look at each other. He crouches down in front of me.

"Are you alright? Did you have a nightmare?" Sweet Edward, he looks so worried.

"No, no nightmare. I swear. I'm fine. I just needed to clear my head. I was just about to go back to bed." I say, grabbing his face between my hands. He brought his hands up to mine and looked at me silently for a minute, surely trying to decide if I'm lying. When I see the proverbial light bulb turn on, I know I'm clear.

"What were you writing?" He asks before bringing my hands to his lips to kiss them.

"A letter. To Renee." That seems to surprise him.

"Why?" It's nothing but curiosity. I was expecting… I don't know what exactly I was expecting, but not this.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. But I felt I needed to do this. Esme needs a heart, and Renee can provide it. You know how much your mother means to me."

"Of course, love. If it helps you, then it makes me happy." He brushed the knuckles of my right hand against his lips as he speaks.

I give him a smile, as he rises up slightly from his crouch position to kiss me on the lips.

"Are you ready to come back to bed?" He asks, standing to his full height. I nod and he gives me his signature smirk. "Come on." He offers his hand, which I grab, and he pulls me up before walking back to the bed. He lies down first and opens his arms. I smile and gingerly lie down, my back to his chest, and he spoons me.

It's amazing how a clear conscience and the arms of someone you love will ensure a quick descent into sleep.

Thoughts? Please review :o)