A/N: Hey guys! I'm ecstatic with the amount of good reception I got for the last chapter! I knew you would love it if they finally got together. About time too!

Anyway, an unsigned reviewer asked: Is this story written in retrospect?

To be honest, that thought never really crossed my mind while writing it, but looking back and rereading some of my chapters, I suppose so. Certain chapters; yes, others; not as much. Hmm.

Also, I KNOW I've been updating this story way faster than I have been my other story, Life ain't been no Crystal Stair (which you should totally check out if you haven't already). I'm sorry I haven't been updating that story as frequently, but I'm trying to get this story concluded and wrapped up (yes, sadly the end is in sight… for me, anyway) so I can start my new story, A Vision Stained with Red, and also put more attention on LABNCS.

ONE MORE ANNOUNCEMENT before I let those of you who are actually reading this go; in case you didn't already know, I've put up an "Upcoming Stories" section on my profile where I put the summaries for stories that I plan to write in the future, as well as the playlist featuring the song that either inspired me for the storyline, or helped shape the mood and such of the story. So if you get the chance, you should check it (hint, hint)! NOTE that, if you already haven't figured out from this story, I do write some people OOC, but I try to keep their base personalities the same (i.e. Edward's temper and tendency to overreact or be overprotective)

Okay, I'm done. On with Chapter EIGHTEEN!!! By the way, this chapter is in EPOV!!!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Smiling his crooked grin so brightly that it lit up the whole room, Edward bent his head down and nuzzled my neck. Holding me to him even tighter.

"Thank you," he whispered, before bringing up his head and pressing our lips together.

I hoped desperately that I wouldn't regret my decision. My decision to be with Edward.

But things just don't work out like that.

Chapter 18: Everything – EPOV (Starting from the middle of Chapter 17)

"Bella… I love you," I said, my voice pleading, begging for her to listen. At the same time, I was mentally kicking myself for juts blurting out my love to her. She wasn't ready for this, but the need to tell her was too strong. I wasn't thinking, and possibly losing Bella forever was the consequence.

"No, Edward," Bella said, her voice shaking ever so slightly. "You don't love me, not the way I want you to. You refused me once, you said you only saw me as a friend. It couldn't have changed so quickly." She shook her head.

"That's because it never changed," I said, staring intently into her eyes. She looked at me confusedly.

"I've always loved you, Bella," I explained. This just made her look more confused.

"I just hadn't realized until now," I said. Bella's face cleared with understanding.

I took Bella's hand in mine and it felt so good. I felt even better when she didn't pull away. I looked into her deep brown eyes and tried to show her how much I loved her through my own eyes.

All of a sudden, she pulled her hand away and I felt the pain of her rejection again.

"Edward, I already told you, we can't," she said sadly, her voice weak. "It's too dangerous and I can't risk losing you. It's bad enough that you know about Phil, but being with me is ten times worse."

"I don't care," I said firmly. And I really didn't. The only person who could keep me away from Bella would be Bella herself, and even she wasn't doing a very good job.

"But I do."

I started getting desperate. I was not going to lose Bella. "Please, Bella, let me try. Let me prove myself to you."

"Edward, no," her voice cracking. "Please don't make this harder than it already is. Right now, this can't happen. You can't have just realized you love me and come here, expecting a relationship. I asked for you once, and you said no." A little anger entered Bella's voice. As if anger could stop me.

"I know, and I didn't just realize now. I've known for… a little while now. And I know that I don't deserve it, that you've asked for me before and I refused, but I was a fool then. I didn't know what I do now." I held her face gently, but firmly, in my hands, as if I were cradling a delicate flower. I made sure she couldn't look away.

"How do I know you won't hurt me again?"

I already knew the answer. I hurt her back then because I didn't know. I hated myself for not knowing something so strong and damn obvious. But I knew now. I loved her too much to ever hurt her again. I would never let myself stoop low enough as to hurt an angel.

Telling her wouldn't be enough. I had to show her.

I closed my eyes and moved my hands so that they were slightly tangled in her hair. I leaned my forehead against hers. My already fast heart just started beating even faster, in a rough, jagged rhythm. I opened my eyes and looked longingly at her.

Removing one of my hands from her hair, I picked up one of Bella's own hands and gently placed it over my heart. Her eyes widened slightly, so I knew she had felt it. Was it enough to convince her?

"This is how I know I will never hurt you again. I know I've hurt you so many times in the past and I'm so sorry. I've messed up, screwed up, and ruined things in the past, but I'm ready to make it better again. I need you to give me another chance. Can't you feel my heart? Can't you feel how much I love you?" I said, meaning every word. I needed to get across to her. I needed to.

I looked into her chocolate orbs and saw indecision. I knew she was having an internal battle. Choose her happiness, or my safety? Bella was selfless, and would probably choose my safety, but I wouldn't be better off without her as she thought. I would be hurting too, just as much as her, if not more.

Bella broke away from me and back up so her legs hit the front of the couch. Her eyes filled with tears, practically breaking my heart.

"No, Edward. How many times do I have to say that?"

"And how many times do I have to tell you that we can try?"

"We can't try. It isn't safe. I can't risk your life, Edward. You're too important. If I let myself be with you, it will only lead to heartbreak and danger. You could get hurt, or worse," she choked. "I couldn't do that to you. Both of us will just end up becoming hurt. The risk is too great."

"I already said I don't care about the risk," I said pleadingly, "let Phil come and be this danger. I can protect both you and me. I won't let anything hurt us."

Bella looked at me as if I were crazy.

I wasn't expecting her next outburst.

"I said no! You may think you can protect yourself, but you can't! How many times do I have to tell you no before you get it? You can't just come out of no where, at a time where I'm suffering, tell me you love me, and then expect us to be all dandy. You know as well as I do that this is dangerous and you're not making it any easier!" Tears were streaming down her face and I desperately wanted to gather her in my arms and wipe them away. I couldn't let her do this. Leaving her alone, unsafe, and unprotected, was not an option. She was too important to just leave.

"Bella, no! We were meant to be together, and you know that! I can't describe it, but you fit into me, like a missing puzzle piece. I've never felt like this before towards anyone, and I know that it's meant to last. And I can't just leave you unprotected, while I go off and be safe! If you're going to be in danger, then I'm going to be right there with you. Bella, I love you! Please grasp that I do!" She looked mortified and it took me a second to realize I was crying.

She had to understand. I depended on it. I was being very selfish, but I was also concerned for her safety. Leaving her alone would make Bella more vulnerable towards Phil. I would truly die if I let her get hurt, or worse, by Phil just because I ran off to be safe myself.

To my horror, Bella put her hand over her mouth as the tears kept cascading down her cheek. "I'm sorry," she whispered. I felt my heart dying right there.

All that, and I still couldn't convince her. I still had to give it one more shot. If it didn't work, I didn't know what would.

I had to ask the question. A question I had been wondering ever since I realized my own love for her. I had to know and I couldn't hold it in any longer. If I was going to fight for her, I needed to know if she at least felt the same as I. It was now or never.

"Just tell me one thing," I said quietly, my voice strangled. "I promise I won't bother you anymore if you don't, but… Do you love me anymore? I know you once said you did, and it's perfectly understandable if you don't feel that way anymore. I was such a stupid jackass then, after all. But I need to know. Do you love me anymore?"

I waited in dread for her answer. If she said no, and meant it, I would leave her alone. It wouldn't be fair to keep pressuring her if she didn't. Back when I stupidly told Bella no, she let me be. I had to return the favour as much as I didn't want to.

"No." But I could hear the lie. Bella was always horrible a horrible liar. She gave herself away as soon as she looked away from my eyes. This filled me with hope I couldn't describe. Surely this meant something. Anything.

I grabbed her chin and forced her to look at me. She looked as if she were trying to hold back her emotions from showing. I didn't like that.. "You're lying," I said simply.

"No, I'm not."

"You are. I can see it in your eyes. You're lying."

"I'm not lying!" She was so stubborn!

"Yes, you are!" I said right back. I wasn't shouting, but the frustration was clear in my voice. "Tell me the truth; Do. You. Love. Me?"

The anger in her voice increased tenfold. I knew she wanted me to leave, but that wasn't going to happen. I would get my answer, whether she liked it or not. Bella may have been stubborn, but so was I.

"Of course I love you, you ass!" she shouted at me. "I never stopped! It's breaking my heart having to push you away, but I love you too much to risk your safety so I can be happy! I'm not that kind of girl, Edward, so, yes! Are you happy now? I love you! I'm in love with you! Always have been, always will be!"

I was shocked at her outburst for half a second before pure joy filled me. Bella still loved me. After all I had done to her, she was still in love with me. I knew love could fade over time, so I doubted that she loved me quite as much as I did her, but that didn't matter at the moment. Bella loved me. This just made me twice as determined.

I could tell she didn't mean to shout out the truth at me. She looked as if she was chastising herself for her slip up. The scolding then turned to defeat. Was it possible…?

"I love you," she whispered.

That was all I needed before I kissed her again.

It was better than the first kiss. I tried to convey all my love through this connection. I didn't have to put an effort when kissing Bella. It just came to me. Her mouth felt and tasted amazing. If there was a heaven, this was it. I pulled her closer to me, putting one hand on her back, never wanting our lips to separate. I saw fireworks and felt as if my lips were on fire.

For the first time since Bella left Forks, I was breathing.

And, damn, breathing had never felt so good.

Bella broke away first, both of us practically panting. I pulled Bella even closer, resting my chin on the top of her head.

"You can't deny that," he breathed. "Did that convince you? Did that convince you that I love you, that everything will be alright?" I said, praying she would finally see the light.

My heart sang when she finally said the words I had been craving; "I see now. I understand."

I pulled back and looked into her face, searching for any signs of hesitation or lying. There were none.

I grinned and nuzzled Bella's soft neck. I could barely contain the happiness I felt at that moment. It was something you had to have felt yourself to possibly understand.

"Thank you," I breathed, before bringing up my head and pressing our lips together again.

It was then that the saying, "Third time's a charm", suddenly made sense to me.

Kissing Bella for the third time was… incredible, indescribable, sensational, blissful, and so many other words that couldn't possibly add up to the feelings I felt as I had my love's soft lips under my own. Kissing her felt so natural and I always had the intense need to be near her, to hold her hand…

I had never felt this strongly before. Definitely not with Tanya. When I first asked Tanya out, I definitely liked her. I thought she was beautiful and sweet.

That was no where near what I felt for Bella.

I loved Bella and she was more than just beautiful and sweet. She was stunningly gorgeous and the most selfless angel I had ever known. My head was still spinning with the fact that she had just accepted me. Me. The guy who hurt her countless times, who rejected her, acted like a fool, who caused her pain…

I contemplated Bella's main reason for not wanting to be with me. Phil. Somehow I felt that it was my fault that she was suffering from this fear and the traumatizing memories of her mother's death. If I had never hurt so much, if I had only realized sooner, she would have stayed in Forks. It probably would not have prevented Renee's death, but it would have saved Bella from seeing Renee die and having to live everyday afraid and paranoid. I just wanted to reassure her somehow. Give her some peace of mind, some sort of ease.

The only thing I could do, however, was be with her. Bella meant more to me than the entire world. More than my own life.

It still surprised me a little to be feeling this way about my best friend. I mean, this was Bella. The twelve year old girl with braces, ponytails, and old torn converses.

But I knew I loved her and that I must have always felt like this; in one way or another. Only I could have been this stupid to not have realized this sooner. Two years sooner to be exact. It would have saved Bella so much pain, both from Phoenix and from my rejection.

Her acceptance erased the pain of her previous rejection, but I still remembered how it felt. It was so heart-wrenching, I felt like dying every time she said "no".

Was that how Bella felt when I had once told her I didn't love her?

It was only now did I fully acknowledge the amount of pain I had put her through and the Herculean effort it must had taken her to continue being friends with me afterward. The strength it took every time she faked a smile for me.

If Bella had truthfully said she didn't love me when I asked her, I didn't think I could ever be friends with her again. Seeing her would be heart wrenching.

Having already broken the kiss, I looked down at Bella who was still tucked securely into my arms. She was truly my missing puzzle piece. You couldn't deny that how every line and crevice of her body fit into mine so perfectly. Like our bodies were purposely molded to fit one another. It was amazing.

After a few more minutes of us just standing there, holding each other, Bella looked up at me with her chocolaty brown eyes.

Before she could speak, I said, "Do you mind if I stick around here for a bit? I don't want to leave just yet."

Bella just shook her head and replied, "Sure, but I'm not going to be very exciting. I was just going to order Chinese and watch a couple of movies."

I smiled, brushing my finger tips gently over her cheeks. "As if anything you do could ever not be exciting to me. And Chinese sounds great."

She smiled at me before pulling away to order. My arms immediately felt cold and empty without my love in them. She was barely gone for five seconds and my body already missed her. Trying to distract myself, I looked over Bella and Rosalie's DVD collection. There was quite the variety. At first I considered horror; anything to have an excuse to hold Bella closer to me. I may have been raised a gentleman, but I was still a guy. But then I remembered what happened last time we watched horror movies and decided to leave them for now.

When Bella returned, she leaned over me, seeing what I had chosen. I could feel her breath on the back of my neck and could smell her freesia and strawberry scent. It made it much harder to think with swirling not-so-gentlemanly images of Bella in my head.

"What did you pick?" she asked.

I gestured towards some old Disney movies she had. "Just thought we could use something light-hearted," I explained. That, and the fact that although those movies weren't "manly", I actually enjoyed them.

Bella put in the first movie, Beauty and the Beast, and sat down on the couch. She positioned herself so that her legs were bent, her chin resting on her knees, and her arms wrapped around her bent legs. It looked like a protective stance. She was doing that a lot lately.

Sitting on the couch next to her, I gathered Bella in my arms and sat her down on my lap. Just like I had been aiming for, she relaxed and repositioned her legs so that they were curled off to her side. The back of her head rested against my shoulder. Feeling completely relaxed myself, I bent my head down and placed a soft kiss on her temple.

Bella twisted around in my arms, surprising me. Now facing me, her eyebrows were furrowed and her face scrunched up with whatever she was thinking. It looked adorable.

Bella looked into my eyes suddenly and said, "What does this make us?"

Hmm, never really thought about that. The technical term of boyfriend and girlfriend didn't seem like enough. But I certainly wasn't going to suggest friends with benefits, so girlfriend it was.

"Are you saying you want to be my girlfriend?" I asked teasingly.

"That depends. Are you asking?"

I smiled. "Are you saying yes?"

"I don't know. You never asked." There was a slight smirk on Bella's face.

Chuckling, I took both of Bella's hands in mine and looked straight into her eyes. "Isabella, will you be my girlfriend?" I asked, sounding confidant, but underneath it all I was having second thoughts. What if she said no?

But to my relief and joy, Bella nodded wordlessly before kissing my cheek and wrapping her arms around my neck. I couldn't describe the joy I felt in that small moment. My heart was singing so loud, I was sure Bella could hear it. I smiled widely, holding my Bella tighter to my chest. Hmm, my Bella. I liked the sound of that.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you too." A thrill went through me hearing those sincere words.

When Bella pulled back, I swooped in and connect my lips to hers. The sensation of kissing Bella shot through me again. I loved it almost as much as I loved her. It was so incredible, I felt like I was flying. Her soft lips moved expertly with my own as if we had been kissing each other all our lives.

Then the doorbell rang.

Groaning, I leaned back, flopping myself on the back of the couch. Bella smiled and went to answer the door. I heard her greet the Chinese food delivery guy and jumped up, remembering something.

Grabbing my wallet, I came to the door just as Bella was relieving the poor guy of his many, many packages. I swiftly came to her side and handed the boy the right amount of money once he had a free hand. "Here," I said.

He nodded and walked off. When I turned around, Bella was glaring at me. I choked back a laugh. She was like a kitten who believed it was a tiger.

"You didn't need to pay for that," she said. "You already bought me lunch. I can pay for things myself you know."

"I know. I just wanted me to do something nice for my girlfriend."

Bella's face softened. I continued, "Besides. If I'm going to be with you, you better get used to this, love. I intend on spoiling you for as long as I can."

Bella's eyes turned surprised for a moment before becoming tender. That was not the reaction I was expecting. I thought she would be more along the lines of annoyed, irritated, dripping with sarcasm; take your pick. What did I say to make her the opposite?

Letting it go, I took Bella's hand and led her back to the couch. The food and two plates were on the coffee table. We sat back on the couch, and continued the movie in silence. Just taking enjoyment in each other's company.

After the movie ended, I turned to Bella before she could get up and put another one in. I wanted to talk. Not about the heavy, Phil-filled things, but of other topics. I missed Bella and we never got a chance to just talk without all this drama. She had been gone from me for two years and I wanted to know what she had been up to. I wanted to know if she had changed at all in that time, apart from the obvious things that have changed about her.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," I said as I played with a lock of Bella's hair, " but what had you been doing in Phoenix all that time, before… you know."

Bella stiffened and I regretted bringing it up. Nice going, Edward, I thought sarcastically.

"If it makes you feel unco-" I began, but she cut me off.

"No, I should be able to talk about Phoenix. You're just curious. Um, in Phoenix I didn't really do anything out of the ordinary. Other than it being really hot and crowded there, everything was the same. I finished high school and went to the University of Phoenix afterwards to major in English literature."

"Any boyfriends?" I teased. But in reality, I was worried. Did I have any past competition?

Bella shook her head, making me feel relieved. "Nope. After leaving Forks, I sort of became a love-skeptic and took a much needed break from boys. I needed to clear my head, so I distracted myself with schoolwork and spending time under the hot Arizona sun." She looked up to smile at me then and I smiled in response.

Dropping my smile I sighed, feeling guilty once more. "I'm sorry for making you leave Forks," I said sincerely.

My Bella just shook her head again and said, "It's not your fault. You couldn't have stopped it. Whether you started dating Tanya or not, I would have left anyway. It was inevitable."

I didn't agree with her, but I let it go. I didn't want to argue again tonight.

"So…" Bella began, "It must have been a huge shock to see me here, huh?"

I laughed and nodded. "Bigger than huge. I cannot describe just how surprised I was to see you here, Bella. Completely unexpected. Sorry that my greeting wasn't nearly as climatic as Alice's."

Bella laughed. Music to my ears.

"So, you're studying biology?" she asked.

I took one of her hands and twined her fingers with mine. "Yes. I want to be a doctor like my father. I want to help people by saving lives. I really want to do something not just because I want to, but because it will help other people." I waited for her reaction. I hoped she didn't think I was odd.

"Edward…" Bella whispered, brushing some of my hair away from my eyes. "That's very noble of you. It nice to know someone who wants to be a doctor so they can save lives, not because they can make a lot of money."

I smiled. "Of course there's that too."

Bella rolled her eyes and snuggled deeper in my embrace. I felt myself smiling for the millionth time tonight. Bella made me happy. I still couldn't believe she was with me, but I stopped questioning and just went along with it. Now that I had Bella, I wasn't going to ever let her go. She was everything.

"Edward?"

"Yes?"

Bella hesitated before asking me, "When exactly did you realize you love me? I'm still surprised. You've been my friend for so long. I was sort of used to thinking that nothing would happen between us."

I tightened my hold on Bella as I remembered that painful night.

"The party at my house on Christmas Eve, when you…"

"Had a meltdown," Bella said, grimacing at the memory.

I laughed humorlessly. "Yes, that. I guess I realized right then because it pained me so much to see you hurting. I had never heard you cry like that before and me being unable to do anything about it was excruciating. My heart didn't feel like it was breaking; it felt like it was being torn out all together. I had never felt such pain when anyone else was crying… that's when I knew that I felt differently about you."

"Oh…" Bella said softly, probably not knowing how to respond.

"Yes," Is said, burying my face in her hair. "I never want to see you like that again. I felt like I was dying."

My Bella nodded and wrapped her arms around my torso.

Trying to lighten up the mood I said, "So, what about you? When did you realize you love me?"

Bella blushed and I kissed her burning cheek. I loved it when she blushed. It was like her cheeks were blooming. It was beautiful.

"When I was fifteen," she answered. "We were at the amusement park, remember? You guys managed to drag me on to the spinning teacups and I ended up puking my guts out. Even in my incredibly gross state, you took care of me better than the others, even Alice. You were so gentle and comforting, apologizing over and over again. I guess I just kind of realized right then that you were more to me than just a friend."

Ah, yes. I remembered that summer day. We drove out of town to an amusement park and Alice wanted to go on the spinning teacups. Of course, Emmett agreed, but Bella was more reluctant. I remembered feeling so much remorse for pressuring her on to them when she started vomiting like crazy.

"I remember that," I said quietly, "and you were far from gross. You could never be gross, Bella."

Bella shrugged. She may not have believed it, but she would always be radiant to me, no matter what state she was in. She couldn't see herself very clearly, but I was going to make sure somehow that she would.

After that we just talked some more. Everything was very light-hearted. Just catching up with each other, seeing if your tastes and interests had changed at all since she left Forks. It felt so good to be talking with Bella like that again. Without any worries or cares. It felt like I hadn't been able to do that with her since forever.

Bella yawned and I checked the clock. 11:12 PM. I scooped Bella up in my arms and she looked up at me, startled.

"You need to go to bed," I explained, "It's late. I'll come back first thing in the morning."

I gently placed her in her bed and turned to leave, but Bella pulled me back.

"Don't leave," she said in a quiet voice. She looked as if she was prepping herself to do something. "Do you think… do you think you could stay here with me, tonight?" She looked up at me through her eyelashes. Of course, Bella never meant to be seductive, but that's how she looked. I felt like kissing her again, but I was a little surprised at her request.

Of course I wanted to, but I thought she would think it too soon. She had only been my girlfriend for a few hours, after all.

Bella quickly explained, "It's just, when I fell asleep in your room last night, I slept the whole night through. I think you make the nightmares go away. Besides, with Rose away, I don't want to sleep alone." Her cheeks bloomed with her blush.

Right. Her nightmares. It killed me to know she was so broken. If my staying would help her heal, then I would.

"Alright," I said. "Just let me go down to my room to change."

Fifteen minutes later, I returned to find Bella already in bed.

"If you want, I could grab a pillow and sleep on the couch," I said. I didn't want to move too fast or make Bella feel uncomfortable.

Bella blushed again, and shook her head. "I asked you to stay here, you shouldn't have to sleep on the couch. You can always use Rose's bed if you want, but…"

"But…?"

"But… I'd feel better, safer, if you slept beside me," she said hesitantly, as if I would refuse. She was probably thinking the same thing I was; we didn't want to take this too fast or make the other feel awkward. But it wasn't like we were doing anything more, so…

I smiled before getting under the covers next to Bella. She turned off the lights and laid down for sleep. I felt the familiar need to hold her, but I was wondering if that would be taking it too far. Bella turned her head to me then.

"Thanks, Edward," she said sincerely. As if I would ever say no. Bella was everything to me. I know that may have sounded a bit dramatic, but she was my everything. In this crazy life we were in, everything would always be her. It was beyond words that I was her boyfriend now. It felt incredible that I get to kiss her just because I can.

"It was no problem," I replied, softly kissing her forehead and deciding to take a chance by wrapping an arm around her waist, bringing her closer. To my relief, she snuggled closer to me and laid her head on my chest. Breathing in her heavenly fragrance, my eyes drifted off to sleep.

A/N: ………………………………. Hit or Miss?

Yeah, yeah, I know it was kinda fluffy at the end, but I felt that with everything they've gone through, Bella and Edward deserved some fluffiness. N'est pas?

Anyway, ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!!! There will be 6 or 7 and I repeat, 6 or 7 chapters left in this story, plus an epilogue. So I guess you can say 7 or 8 chapters left if you want to get technical. There will be 6 chapters left for sure, but I'm still unsure on whether or not I want to add another chapter in there, but I'm leaning towards no. So, I can confirm that there will be 6 or 7 chapters left + epilogue.

Also, don't forget to go to my profile and check out my "Upcoming stories" section. You never know when I will put up new story summaries for future stories to look forward to (hint, hint)!

Other than that, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!!!!!

Peace out.