Alright guys, so this is the last chapter of this story. I know, tear tear. But now, there's only an epilogue left and then, there will be NO sequel. I just can't think of a sequel for this story. So, please enjoy this story and many others that I have written and PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!

Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight or any of the songs I used in this chapter!

Chapter 21

Decisions

Bella's Point of View

The days passed. I'd gotten a few visitors each time, mostly the Cullens, Emmett, Jasper and Angela. She had heard about my kidnapping and cried a few tears when she saw me. I'd felt so bad that she worried about me so much that my decision was easier to make now. Ever since going back to the living world, I'd been considering leaving the Cullens and letting them live a happy and normal life without my interferences. Now, with Angela crying over me, my decision was complete. When I'd go back to the Cullen, I'd gather my things, find the farthest orphanage and settle there until the day of my eighteenth birthday. Things would be better this way. Hopefully, Edward wouldn't forget me.

He'd stayed with me during my stay, sometimes kicked out by Carlisle during the night but he'd always return in the morning, overly excited about my sudden awakening. It would hurt us both to be away from one another but it was for the best. I wouldn't be a bother to anyone anymore.

"Hey Bella, can I come in?" Alice asked, poking her head through the door one day while I was reading. My recovery was going extremely well and most of my bones were mending properly.

"Of course, come on in," I said, placing my book on the bed as Alice came inside. She sat on the end of the bed and looked at me with a large smile on her face. Ever since I'd woken up on that table, they'd been overly protective of me. I'd miss her so much… "What's up?"

"How are you feeling?" She asked worriedly, looking me over.

"Better. How about you?" I tried to position myself better but because my ribs weren't fully healed, my chest hurt immensely, which made me gasp in pain.

"Stand still Bella, you're just going to hurt yourself even more. Take it easy for a while," Alice said while trying to place me back in bed carefully.

"Yeah, but it's hard when you're suffocating in this room! I feel like my head is going to explode. I've got to get out of this room," I exclaimed with the biggest puppy dog pout.

"Nice try Bella but I've mastered the puppy dog pout. And Dad specifically said that you can't leave until you're fully recovered," Alice retorted with a grin.

"Yeah, but how long is that going to take? Alice, I'm dying in here." She flinched at the word and hid her face from me. Oh god… How inconsiderate am I? "I'm sorry Alice. I didn't mean to say it like that."

"I know… It just hurts to think about it and it was hard to see you like that, barely alive. I… I don't want to see you like that ever again, Bella." You won't, trust me, I thought sadly while Alice's gaze kept penetrating mine. She looked so sad, in so much pain. And I was the one who had caused it. How much pain would others have to endure because of me?

"I'm sorry…" I looked away from her and closed my eyes.

"Hey, just don't worry about it. You're fine now and no one's going to hurt you again. Edward, Emmett and Jasper will make sure of that," Alice said, trying to get me to look at her but was unsuccessful. There was no way I could look into those all too sad eyes. "Come on Bells, look at me please," She pleaded and I finally looked at her. "Why the long face?"

"It's…" Looking at her, I couldn't tell her why I was so upset. It would just crush her more. "It's nothing Alice… just don't worry." Unfortunately, I knew Alice and she wouldn't just leave it at that. "Alice, it's nothing. I'm fine," I lied and, surprisingly, she bought it.

Looking at her watch, Alice gasped and said: "I was supposed to help Mom with the cleaning at the house and get some groceries. Do you mind…?"

"No, go right ahead. But, do you mind getting me a notepad and a pen before you go? I think I'm going to write tonight," I said and a smile started to spread across her face. "And if you have a chance, could you bring my computer from the house? It would really help."

"Of course! I'll go get the pad and pen for you right now." She ran out of the room and, in mere minutes, she was back with a yellow notepad and a black pen. "I'll give the computer to the front desk so they can bring it to you later on tonight. Mom won't mind me leaving for a while." With a smile, Alice hugged me and ran out the door. Looking at the clock, it was almost five o'clock, which meant that visiting hours were done. But it would give me plenty of time to write something for Edward. Mainly the song would be about him and how we were together.

Hopefully, he would like it.

The days passed by and the song was complete. It was called Please Remember and it revolved around how leaving Edward was the hardest thing to do. No one has seen the song but they were extremely curious. Every single time they would ask about it, I would just tell them that they would see it when it was over or that I just had a few finishing touches to do before anyone would see it. Alice and Edward were the must curious and it was harder to keep it away from them, especially when I was injured.

After a few days, Carlisle had said that my wounds were fairly healed and that I just needed a little rest. But mainly, he said that I was released and could stay with them during my recovery. It was a generous thought and unfortunately, I had to fake a smile and accept the fact that I would be staying with them for a 'long time'. The day Carlisle drove me back to the Cullen household, Esme and the rest of the Cullen family had apparently planned a party for me. It was supposed to be 'welcome home' party but… although this felt terribly like home, there was no way I could put this family through more grief. Unfortunately, it might bring them grief to know that I left but they'll forget about me soon enough.

As the party ended a few hours later, I looked at every member of the Cullens, cleaning the house. Sighing, I asked: "When was the last time you all went out as a family?"

They all looked at one another and shrugged. "A while, I guess?" Emmett said it more like a question. Mostly, everyone agreed to that question.

Sighing once more, I shook my head and said: "Alright, that's it. You guys are going out tonight as a family." They looked at me shocked while I went to sit down on a chair. My legs were so tired that it was a shocker that they lasted this long. But they still kept on looking at me. "Oh come on, how long has it been since you went to see a movie or went to dinner all together?" Once again, they shrugged. This was disappointing and frankly, I would never have another chance of escaping if they didn't leave tonight.

"She does have a point. I mean, we could go catch a movie in Port Angeles tonight," Rosalie said as she looked at the members of her family.

"And dude, we can check out the wrestling game on TV at my house!" Emmett told Jasper and they seemed excited about the idea because they kissed their girlfriends and ran out of the house happily. So far, my plan was working to wonders. It seemed as though they would be leaving the house tonight. Two down, five to go.

"You can always come with us Bella. It would be nice for you to get out of the house," Esme suggested with a worried look on her heart-shaped face. Man would I miss that.

"Actually, I think I'm just going to go to bed. I'm still really tired and maybe another round of sleep will help me out," I lied, hoping they would buy it.

"Are you sure? I mean…" Esme's face turned to horror and one thought popped to mind: Charlie. She was still worried that someone would attack me.

"Don't worry guys; I'm just going to take a nap. No one's going to get me. Charlie's gone and I'm almost done healing. Everything's going to be fine. You guys have been worrying too much about me. You need a vacation from me," I emphasized but they just rolled their eyes at me. "I mean it, just go and have fun as a family tonight."

"Alright…" Everyone grabbed their belongings, gave me a few goodbyes and kisses before they walked out of the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Their cars purred to life and drove out of their driveways. They were gone. And I would have to leave them for good so they could have proper lives without any interference from me.

As a single tear fell down my face, I walked over to my room and started to pack. They would be gone for a while and I would be able to leave without them noticing. I packed everything noticeable: my keyboard, my computer, all the clothes Alice had made me buy, everything… It was as if I'd never been in this room or anywhere in this house. But… Edward needed to see my song. It would be my last goodbye to him. Maybe I could leave a note for the rest of the family. That sounded like a good idea… Grabbing the notepad and pen once again, I started writing my goodbye note.

Dear Cullens,

Thank you so much for everything you have done for me since I met all of you. No one has ever been so nice to me in my entire life. I really want you all to know that I appreciate everything you have done and thank you with all my heart.

But I've noticed that in the past months, I've been troubling you all with my problems. You haven't been able to live a natural life with me around and I find it's best that I leave. I won't interfere with your lives anymore and you can all live happily.

Edward, I'm really sorry to do this but… it's best for everyone, even you. I love you with all my heart and I'm terribly sorry.

Thank you and I hope you have a wonderful and happy life without me.

Bella

Many tears fell from my face and onto the paper while I wrote it. It must be so selfish of me to do this. But they needed to be happy without me. Frankly, their lives would go back to normal without me in the picture. Calling a cab, they said that they would be here in about five minutes. Those were the most agonizing five minutes of my life. Yes, even Charlie's beatings were less painful than this wait.

I placed the letter to the Cullens on my bed and went to Edward's bedroom right afterwards. I stopped at the doorframe. It was too sad to leave the love of my life. How could anything be more painful? All of his favourite music, the beautiful bedroom and just his scent in general hung in the room. Tears ran down my face as I placed the lyrics to the song on his wonderful bed and waited outside of the house for the cab to arrive.

A few tears fell down my face as the cab finally pulled in and the man helped me place my bags in the trunk. "Where to Miss?" The man asked once we were finished placing everything inside.

"The farthest orphanage you can think of," I said lifelessly. The man nodded, got in the driver's seat and started the engine. Looking back at the beautiful house I would never see again, one word escaped my lips while entering. "Goodbye…" And then, we drove off, leaving everything behind. The family I never had, my friends, my love… Everything.

Edward's Point of View

The movie was great. And we'd actually spent time as a family. Everyone felt guilty about leaving Bella behind but she did tell us to have a good time. We were doing exactly that. But it still felt wrong. Bella was part of the family. She should have been able to come. But she was tired. After all, Bella had a rough couple of weeks, what with Charlie and Tanya. She needed a better life than that. And we were planning on giving it to her, no matter what.

When the movie finished, everyone was anxious to get back home and hopefully catch Bella when she woke up. We drove back to the house to find Bella's truck still in the driveway. She was probably still taking a nap. Everyone got out of the car, went to the door and entered slowly and almost soundlessly. "I think I'm just going to say goodnight to Bella," I said and my siblings just rolled their eyes at me but it was easy to ignore the gesture.

Walking towards Bella's room quietly, I opened the door and was extremely shocked. "What the…!" I could barely form a sentence. Bella's room was completely empty. There was nothing, not even a speck of dust that was Bella's. And she wasn't in the bed. Her closet was completely empty, as was her drawer, the bathroom, everything! She wasn't here anymore. Nothing.

Walking into the empty room, Alice and the rest of the family came running to the bedroom. "Edward, what's the—" As soon as they arrived in the room, they all gasped at the sight. "Oh god!"

"Where's Bella?" Alice asked, coming up to me while looking around the room.

"She's gone…" I whispered, unable to believe it myself. She couldn't be gone. We had just gotten her back and now, she was gone from our lives and we didn't know where Bella would go.

"This isn't like her…" Rosalie said, shocked to the very core. Mom walked towards the bed and picked up a piece of paper. She started reading it and gasped.

"I think I know why she left," Mom said with such a frail voice it broke my heart to hear it. She handed us the piece of paper and we read it. No… Bella was not leaving me! Not like this… "This is horrible. Why would she decide to leave like this? It's not like her to do something like this," Mom said, her voice cracking up with fresh tears.

"And besides, where would she go? It's so late," Rosalie said sadly. We all thought about that for a second before everyone shouted: "The orphanage," at the same time. I mean, it's not surprising for Bella to think of going to an orphanage. Her father was going to jail, her mother passed away and she probably had no one else. Such a horrible way to live…

"But they're probably all closed. What are we going to do? There are a lot of orphanages in this part of Washington. She could be anywhere," Mom answered as Dad placed his arm around her waist and brought her close to him. She sobbed into his chest and a ping of jealousy filled my insides. Bella and I could be like that. But she left me… Not bothering to talk anymore, I ran to my room, grabbed my keys and stopped short when something caught my eye. On my bed was a sheet of paper, written in Bella's handwriting. Picking up the paper, I realized it was a sheet of music, one of Bella's songs. It was entitled Please Remember. Reading the lyrics, my heart clenched tighter and tighter with every word written. She'd written this knowing that she would leave us. God… how had anyone not seen this?

Clutching the paper to my chest, I ran down the stairs, passing my family members in the process and got in my car before driving off towards all of the orphanages I knew. I'd tried three orphanages and came up empty handed. Bella wasn't at any of them. It was almost eleven o'clock when I stopped in front of Madam Cooney's Orphanage. It was on the outskirts of Port Angeles and seemed to be a pretty large house. It was surprising that we didn't see this place while going back home. Walking inside, the lights were closed. "Hello?" I screamed and, surprisingly, the lights flickered open and a woman in a nightgown came down the stairs.

"And who might you be?" The woman asked, her tone quite angry.

"Has someone by the name of Bella Swan been admitted here?" I asked, completely ignoring her question and approaching her slowly.

"Who are you and what do you want with her?" She asked. Yes! So Bella was here!

"I'm her boyfriend. And I've come to take her home," I answered honestly. The woman just stared at me blankly but wouldn't say anything. Sighing, I said: "Is she here?"

"She told me she had no one… I didn't realize that she was in love… Bella's upstairs, probably asleep by now. But you can come and see her if you'd like." This woman was very kind and cared a lot about the orphans here. We walked up the stairs and arrived in front of a wooden door. "Most older children have their own rooms and Bella was admitted in this room. You may enter," The woman said while opening the door.

"Thank you," I said while entering slowly Bella's room. She was sleeping in a small bed against the wall, sweat pouring down her face as she dreamt. Kneeling beside her, I shook her slightly and she woke up abruptly, screaming at the air as she sat up. "Bella, you're alright. You're safe," I said soothingly, petting her hair softly. She turned her head and her eyes suddenly widened.

"Edward…" was the only word she said.

"Why did you leave?"

"It was better for all of you. You needed a normal life and that—"

"Bella, you're part of the family. You're not a burden or anything that you wrote in that heartbreaking letter! I can't even believe that you would do this. Why would you?" I asked shockingly, trying to make some sense of this situation.

"Edward, I'm no good for you. You should know that," Bella said while turning her head away from me. Placing a finger under her chin, I made her look at me. She was crying, crying for me.

"Hun, don't cry. Bella, all I know is that you're the only person I want to spend the rest of my life with. I never want you to leave me again, even if you think it's for my own good. You're the only thing that matters Bella." She smiled a little and seemed to recognize what I was saying. There was no one else in this world that I wanted to spend my time with. She was the only one for me and still is.

"And how we laugh and how we smile

And how this world was yours and mine

And how no dream was out of reach

I stood by you, you stood by me

We took each day and made it shine

We wrote our names across the sky

We ride so fast, we ride so free

And I had you and you had me."

"Bella?" I asked confusingly, remembering those words from somewhere.

"It's from the song I wrote. That's what I wanted you to remember. It was like a final goodbye," She said, placing a hand on my cheek and looking deep in my green eyes.

"We'll keep on making memories together because you're coming back to live with us," I said and, surprisingly, she nodded in agreement.

"Let's go home." I smiled as she got out of bed and got ready. She must not have had time to unpack her things because everything was still in her suitcases. We grabbed all of her belongings, placed it in my car and drove home without any problems from that woman. She must have been the owner. But I didn't care. Bella was back and we would be happy together.

Returning home, Bella was engulfed in hugs, scolds and happy tears. Mom and Dad had surprised everyone by offering Bella to be adopted and tears rolled down my beloved's face. She was accepted somewhere and it made her the happiest person in the world. Alice and Rosalie embraced her and cried tears of joy as Bella accepted my parents' offer. She would be adopted by us tomorrow and be an official Cullen in the next twenty-four hours. Thank god… She would finally be happy with us, have a family to rely on. She would be loved.

She would be whole.

Alright guys, what did you think? A little too much? Too sad? What did you think of Bella's decision? And of her adoption into the Cullen family? I used the song Please Remember by LeAnn Rimes. If you want to listen to it, go right ahead. So, please REVIEW YOUR OPINIONS and I'll try to get the epilogue up soon. Thanks everyone!

Bellacullenswan17

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