A/N: So, once again, I missed a weekend in my updating…I cannot apologize enough, but hopefully this extra long chapter will make up for it. I hope.

Enjoy!

Miracle

EPOV

I woke up early the next morning aches and pains littering my entire body, but nothing nearly as bad as what it had been the day before. I remembered my vision blacking out and Bella carrying me to what I could only guess was my room, but there was nothing after that. Mumbles that could have been conversations, but that was all.

I tried to roll over, but something wrapped itself around me. I moved my arms to find myself tightly tucked into the blankets on my bed. I opened my eyes to my blankets pulled up all the way to my chin, and I was starting to get a little warmer than I would have liked. I lifted my head and looked around the room, trying to see if Bella was still here when I felt something loosen around me. I turned as far as I could to see her lying on the covers next to me with her arm draped over my stomach and smiling brightly. I smiled back and disentangled myself from the blankets, moving so I could lean against the headboard. She moved so her arms were loosely wrapped around me again.

"Morning," I said, my voice rough with sleep. She laughed silently.

Good morning, she replied. How are we feeling today? She was smiling, but I could see the worry she was trying to hide. I shook my head at her.

"I feel fine, Bella. I'm okay," I said, she looked at me, unconvinced, but didn't push me to say more.

And it was the truth. I really did feel fine. Both the burning and the pain were gone, and my vision was just as it had been before. She sighed and laid her head down on me. I ran my hand over her hair before I felt a small wet spot on my shirt. I looked down at her to see her eyes closed and a small trail of what could have been tears sliding down her face. I cupped her face in my hand and slowly wiped it away, my mind hitting pause as I tried to process what I was seeing. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at me, waiting for me to ask the question she could see in my eyes.

But I didn't. I leaned back and continued running my hand over her hair, and I heard her sigh. I closed my eyes and mentally inspected my body, looking for anything that felt different than it had before. I couldn't feel anything other than the dull ache in my back and legs. I opened my eyes and looked at my clock on the nightstand. The red numbers announced that it was already three o'clock in the afternoon. I took it that Esme and Carlisle were letting me stay home for the day, and Bella was my caretaker. There was a gentle tug on my shirt and I looked down at Bella.

You…you really scared me, you know, she signed to me, her eyes filling with tears. I watched as she swiped at them before continuing.

I didn't know what to think when Carlisle said there was nothing he could do. All I thought was how I could help you. You were burning up and you were having trouble breathing. They put this mask near your face and I laid next to you until your fever finally broke. You started shivering, so I had to wrap you up, but I didn't leave. I couldn't leave. Her tears were falling freely at this point, and she made no move to wipe them away.

I felt so helpless, Edward. I…I would look at you and see a blur, just like usual, but it seemed so different. It was like you had no life left in you. Like I was seeing that you were going to die. And I was scared out of my mind. I knew it was just my head, that it was playing tricks on me, but I couldn't make myself not believe what I was thinking. Just the fact that I knew you could die, even if it wasn't then, was enough to throw my head into overdrive and make me think you were dying in my arms.

She stopped signing and curled into a ball around me, crying her eyes out. I still didn't understand how she could do it, but I didn't ask. She effectively soaked through my shirt by the time she stopped, and I wiped the trail her tears left on her face away with my thumbs.

"I'm not going anywhere, Bella. I don't plan to for a long time," I said once she looked up at me. She smiled and shook her head.

You can't promise that, Edward. My parents tried to say the same thing. She rested her chin on my stomach and stared off into space, back to a time I had no business asking about. I looked over at my clock again and sighed. It was only ten after three. I hadn't slept all that long for what happened. I thought back to that morning and felt my jaw clench.

Lucas was getting out of control now. He must not have liked me yelling at him that first day, and there was no doubt in my mind that he would let it go. Today would be the first of many more torments from him. I never really said anything before. I came in during the school year when I started living with the Cullens and I always kept my mouth shut. Teachers had to call on me to get me to answer, otherwise I passed through each class without saying a single word. Everyone seemed to know my story before I got there, and no one wanted to be the weird one and talk to the cripple. The only people who ever talked to me were the Cullen kids, and that was because they genuinely tried to cheer me up. To say I had been in a state of depression would have been an understatement. It was more like an abyss that just kept getting deeper the further into it I fell.

Bella changed that as soon as I looked at her. Maybe it was just because we were both…different, but I couldn't tell for sure. It was even before I realized she couldn't see or talk. I knew I had felt that it was my duty to make sure she didn't go through what I did when I first got to Forks High, and I had tried my best to do that. It was completely against my normal character to defend someone else, especially someone I had just met, or even myself most of the time, but I seemed compelled to do things I wouldn't normally around Bella.

Like now.

A girl was lying on my bed with me and I was perfectly okay with it. It wasn't uncomfortable, nor was she acting like Tanya usually did. She was just lying next to me with her arms around my waist and I was comforting her. That was it. She was the only girl besides Alice and Rose that I could have something that resembled a normal conversation with.

Not that she was normal. It really figured that the only girl I was actually friends with turns out to be an immortal vampire who is both blind and mute. Add to that the fact that I am the one she has the most trouble seeing and it seems like we shouldn't have become friends at all. Our relationship was a miracle in itself.

That train of thought brought me to an image of my future. A very depressing one. I was sitting in a wheelchair, just like I was today, and my body was hunched over. Bella walked in to the room, looking just like she did at this exact moment, and the vision moved so I could see my face. My old, wrinkled, dying face.

My eyes shot open and I sat up a little, gasping for breath. Bella's hands came up to my face, her eyes searching for mine. I covered her hands with mine and felt a tear slip down my cheeks as I looked at her.

"Bella, I don't want to get old," I sputtered. She looked at me, confusion covering her perfect face.

"All of you are going to stay the same way you are now, and I just going to get older and older until I die. I don't want to die, Bella. I don't want to," I repeated. She put a finger over my mouth as I continued to cry and shake my head.

The vision had brought back a memory, a memory I had locked away. It was a vision I had had during one of my fits in the hospital. One that had haunted me for a long time after I got home. I blocked the image, but the words still echoed through my head.

I felt myself start shaking and Bella's arms wrapped around me. I buried my face in her neck as I continued to tremble. She rocked me back and forth, letting me take the time I needed to get myself back together. I wrestled the memory to the back of my mind, mentally shutting it away again. I slowly calmed down and leaned into Bella as she reclined against my headboard. She ran her fingers through my hair and rested her head on top of mine. I started leaning back after I had calmed, and she moved her head to let me up. I rubbed at my eyes and blinked a few times.

You know, you can't keep pushing everything away. It only makes it worse when it comes back later, Bella signed to me. I chuckled.

"I'm not exactly the most outspoken person, Bella. I tend to keep things to myself rather than telling my problems to the world," I answered, trying to sound as light-hearted as I could. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Anyway, you've been out for quite a while. You hungry? She asked. I thought about it, but my stomach answered before I could. Bella smiled and I laughed.

I think I got my answer.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." She got up and left my room, shaking her head and laughing silently. I looked down at my hands in my lap and smiled.

I was blown away at how willing she was to deal with me and my emotional baggage. From what I could tell, she had plenty of her own to handle, and yet she was pretty much telling me I could tell her what was bothering me, putting some of the weight on her shoulders. The girl I had just met the day before was willing to help me with something I had been dealing alone since the day I woke up in the hospital.

Bella walked in then, interrupting my train of thought. She was smiling and carrying a small plate with a sandwich on it. I sat up more and she handed it to me, crawling up next to me once I had taken it. She reclined against the headboard and closed her eyes, evening out her light breaths. I watched her out of the corner of my eye as I ate, but she stayed like that the whole time. Then I thought of something.

"Bella?" She opened her eyes and looked at me. "You said I've been out for a while. How long has it been?"

About two days. Today's Thursday, and that happened on Tuesday, she signed slowly.

My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe it. This whole time I had been thinking I had been out for only a few hours, just to find out it had been a couple of days. It couldn't be right. She had to have made a mistake.

"Are…Are you…sure? It couldn't…couldn't have been that long," I persisted. She smiled sadly at me, her eyes searching for mine, and shook her head. I put my face in my hands and rubbed my eyes.

"And you stayed with me this whole time?" I asked, pausing to see her answer. She smiled sheepishly and nodded, her gaze travelling to her lap. I sighed and shook my head.

"Why?" I asked indignantly. "You didn't have any kind of reason to do that, so why did you?" I said more softly. She just shrugged.

I guess it was because of what you did for me Monday. You stood up for me against the teacher and that kid, who went and hurt you. She paused, and then continued hesitantly, like she wasn't sure if she should say what she was.

I…may have felt a little guilty, too. You stood up to that kid for me and got hurt, so I thought I should be the one to stay with you and make sure you were okay when you woke up. Everyone's been stopping in a couple of times throughout the day to see if you were awake or if I wanted to get out for a little while, but I said no.

"Bella, you have no reason to feel guilty about what happened. That was just Lucas being the jerk that he is. I've noticed that he seems to like causing pain, and then denying any part in what happened. I'm not the first person to be his target," I tried to reason. She shook her head.

It's still no excuse for what he did. And if I hadn't needed you to stick up for me, then you wouldn't have fallen into his radar in the first place, she said, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I don't want to argue with you, Bella, so we'll just agree to disagree. But only for now. This is not over yet, miss," I said in an authoritative tone. She laughed, and I quickly joined in. Our laughter slowly died away, really just being mine, and she turned so that she was facing me, her head resting on my chest. My arm was around her and she had draped hers over my stomach. I rubbed her back and jumped when she decided to poke my stomach.

"What was that for?" I said. I rubbed the spot even though I knew she didn't hurt me. She shrugged before poking me again. I jumped again and poked her back, causing her to catapult off the bed.

"What's up with you, today?" I said, leaning over the side to see her lying on the floor laughing. She shrugged.

Things have been a little gloomy around here lately, but now you're awake, she said. I offered her my hand and she got up. She sat cross-legged on the bed and I leaned back again. That's when I noticed her eyes.

"Bella, you need to hunt," I said seriously, looking into her dimming golden eyes. She looked towards the window, and then at her hands.

"I'm not going anywhere, Bella. Go hunt. The others will be home any time now," I reasoned.

"Yeah, Bella," Emmett's voice boomed from the doorway. Both Bella and I turned to him and he laughed. "We can take care of Sleeping Beauty for a few hours while you get what you need."

Alice danced into the room and plopped herself on the bed next to Bella. She just sat there and smiled at her in that creepy, you're-not-going-to-say-no-to-her way. Bella must have sensed it because she sighed and shook her head.

I'll be back in an hour, she signed before opening my window and jumping out. Alice shut the window just enough for Bella to be able to lift it open again and sat at the end of my bed, staring at me. I shifted uncomfortably and she kept staring.

"What, Alice?" I shifted uncomfortably and she kept staring.

"What? You're really creeping me out," I said. She smiled evilly.

"So?" she asked, dragging out the word. I looked at her confused.

"What happened?" she said, shaking her hands at me like she was waiting for good gossip.

"Um…I woke up?" She frowned and shook her head at me.

"Not that! I can kind of tell, since I'm talking to you." I looked between her and Emmett, looking for some clue as to what she was talking about. Emmett walked in and dragged my armchair next to the bed. He sat down and propped his head against his fist.

"Come on, little bro. Are you trying to say that you woke up today, with Bella lying next to you, and the two of you did nothing until we got here?" he asked.

"I seriously had no idea what she was talking about, and yes, that's exactly what happened. I woke up and she was here. She asked me if I was okay. We talked for a while, and I fell asleep. I woke up and she asked me if I was hungry. I said yes and she made me a sandwich. Then you two came barging in. That's all," I said. Sure, that wasn't really all that happened, but they didn't need to know personal details. Both Alice and Emmett looked like they didn't believe me, but she shrugged.

"Whatever, Eddie. We'll find out about you two eventually," I scowled at her use of my hated nickname, but didn't say anything.

"But you said you're fine? Nothing hurts anymore?" Emmett asked, clearly concerned. I shook my head.

"I feel sore, but nothing really hurts now." Alice smiled and Emmett nodded.

"Carlisle's going to ask you that when he gets home, so be prepared for the full doctor-related-questions assault," he said seriously. All of a sudden, Jasper's head popped around the doorframe, confusion on his face.

"Why was there just a rush of confusion, embarrassment, and indecision? Were you guys asking him about Bella?" he said. I groaned and let my head fall back against the headboard.

"I'll take that as a yes." I heard him walk across the room and the one side of the bed moved down. "Did he admit anything yet?" Jasper asked.

"No," Alice said sadly. "He's saying nothing happened. I think we should ask Bella if anything happened." I jumped up and looked to see her smiling evilly once again.

"What was that for?" I heard Jasper ask. I leaned over so I could see him from behind Alice, and he was frowning at me.

"What?" I asked, confused. "I didn't do anything." He continued to look at me before his eyes slowly grew wide.

"Edward, you kicked me," he said breathlessly. I cocked my head to the side.

"What are you talking about? You know I can't move my legs." He continued to stare, making me slightly worried about him.

"No, Edward. I felt it when you jumped up. You kicked me," he repeated.

"Jasper, this isn't funny," I said, starting to get mad. He shook his head vigorously.

"Edward, I'm not playing around. I really felt you kick me." He looked around, like he was trying to think of something to say. "Try to move your foot," he said suddenly, pointing at my leg.

"Jasper-" I started, but he cut me off.

"Just try it," he persisted. I looked at Alice, pleading with her to reason with him.

"Edward, you know he wouldn't act like this unless he had a reason. He would never ask this of you if he wasn't sure," she said softly.

"So you believe him?" I asked. She nodded.

"I felt something move behind me, but I thought it was him. Just look at your leg. It's not even in the same place it was before," she said, trying to convince me. I turned to Emmett, who shrugged.

"You've got nothing to lose, little bro."

I looked down at my lap, and then let my gaze travel down my legs. It stopped briefly at my calves, where most of my leg injuries had been, before continuing to my feet. I sat there, staring at them like they would move on their own. The bed moved, and Alice sat beside me, taking my hand in both of hers. Jasper threw back the blankets and sat back down. My eyes didn't leave my feet. I sighed before consciously trying to move my foot.

Nothing happened.

"See? It wasn't me," I said, looking at Jasper. He scowled at me.

"I know how much of a half-hearted attempt that was, Edward. Try again, and stop thinking it's not worth it. Don't you want to walk again?" he asked harshly. I flinched.

"Jasper!" Alice said. He gave her a look and her eyes widened.

"It did, didn't it?" she said softly. He nodded. I looked cautiously between the two of them.

"What are you talking about? What did what?" Alice turned to me slowly. Her eyes darted between my face and my foot, but she didn't say anything.

"Alice, what is it?" She blinked a few times, seeming to come out of a different world.

"He…he was right. When you flinched, your foot moved. And then when you jumped before, it moved." I looked at her skeptically.

"I'm serious, Edward! Try moving your foot, but stop thinking about it so much. Do you remember what it felt like before you couldn't walk? How it was effortless?"

I nodded once. Of course I remembered. It was one of the things I'd never forget. Or ever take advantage of again, if I managed to get the ability back.

I thought back to those days, the days that hadn't been spent in a constant state of depression from helplessness and the feeling of being the outcast in a place I was supposed to call home. I thought of how I had been able to play so many sports, how the guys always wanted me to join their sports teams because of how good I was. The coaches would approach me and try to convince me that I "could go far" if I got noticed. I actually joined the soccer and football teams. I was never taken out during games, and I was always on the front line. I had loved the feeling of playing. Running down the field, the audience screaming for their team, making a goal or a touchdown…It didn't matter. I had loved every second of it.

Until the accident happened. Once everyone knew I couldn't play anymore, all of my friends seemed to disappear. Everyone forgot their star player, moving on to the next up-and-coming athlete. I was thrown to the side, going from top jock to lowest outcast, even the other "misunderstood masses" staying away from me. Alice brought me out of my reverie, shaking my shoulder and calling my name.

"Edward. Edward, are you okay? Edward? Look, you did it, Edward," she said pointing down. I blinked a few times, trying to push back the past that had made its way out.

"Look, Edward. You moved both of your legs." My eyes shot to her face. She was smiling gently at me, like she knew this was rough. I looked at Jasper and felt my relapsing depression fade. I looked down at my hands, but Alice grabbed my chin and made me look at her.

"Edward, just look," she said softly, her gaze pleading with me. I sighed and looked down, but not at my legs. "Please?" I looked at her quickly, and sighed. The puppy face was out, and there was no going back now.

I looked down and felt my eyes slowly widen. I couldn't believe it, o matter how much I wanted to. My legs had moved. My knees were bet like I was trying to draw them up to my chest, but they only made it half way. I tried moving them again, and they twitched before moving almost imperceptibly closer.

My breaths hitched in my throat and I felt a tear slide down my cheek. Arms wrapped around me and I let my face fall onto them. Alice let her head rest on my shoulder and held me. I felt the other side of the bed sink down slightly and another hand on my back. I turned just enough to see Rose smiling happily at me. A hysterical laugh escaped my throat, and I buried my face in Alice's arm, continuing to try to bring my legs all the way up. I couldn't feel them moving, but I felt when they bumped Alice.

"Ca- can I…can I try…to stand?" I asked through my sobbing, lifting my head to look at Alice. She turned to Jasper and Emmett. Each of them shrugged and she then turned to Rose, who turned to me.

"Edward, you have to remember something before you try this. Just because you can move your legs now doesn't mean your legs will be able to hold your weight. You've been off them a long time. Yes, you can move them now, but it doesn't mean you're going to be up and walking right afterwards," she stated. I nodded, wiping stray tears off my face.

"I know. I…I just…I need to try. I need to know that I can move them even when I'm standing," I responded.

She looked at me for a few seconds before nodding and moving off the bed. Alice got off as well, and Emmett and Jasper moved to either side of me. I moved myself to the edge slowly, taking the time to move my legs instead of picking each of them up and moving them. I let them fall over the edge of the bed and sighed.

"You don't have to do this, Edward," Alice said. I shook my head and set my jaw looking down at my legs.

I scooted forward until my feet touched the ground. I took Emmett's offered hand and let him gently pull me up, using my free hand to push off the bed. My knees gave out at first, but Emmett and Jasper grabbed my elbows and pulled me back up. I could feel both of them staring at me, but I didn't look at them. I locked my knees and started moving my arms out of their grips. They loosened their holds, but didn't let go. I stood up straight and slowly put more and more weight from my arms to my legs, waiting for them to give out.

They didn't.

"Oh, my God," Alice whispered. I looked up to see both her and Rose with their hands over their mouths. I looked from side to side to see Jasper and Emmett at least a foot away from me.

I was standing. I was standing all on my own. No one was helping me. I wasn't in my chair, and I wasn't sitting down.

I heard the window slide open and a soft thump as someone's feet hit the floor. I turned my head to see Bella staring at me, her eyes then wandering around the room. She looked at everyone, who turned around to her in turn, and then looked back at me. She took a few steps forward, her gaze scanning up and down, looking for some explanation.

"Bella…" I said. Her molten gold gaze shot to mine, and I could see the confusion clouding her mind. I remembered her comment about how I look to her and instantly understood her confusion. "It's me, Bella."

She cocked her head to the side slightly, squinting like she was trying to clear the blur that was me into an actual person. She took a couple of steps closer, just out of arm's reach and continued to stare.

I…I don't…understand. What's going on? She signed. I smiled sadly. Of course this would be confusing for her. I should have thought of that sooner.

"Bella, I can move my legs again," I said, turning my body towards her, but not so far as to need to take a step. Her eyes widened, looking like golden saucers.

How? She signed slowly. She walked over and stood in front of me. She had to look up since I had about a good three or more inches on her.

"I don't know, Bella. All I know is that I've wished for this to happen since the day I found out I was paralyzed. I told myself every day that I would give anything to walk again, and now I can." She continued to look up at me, seeming to process what I was saying. A slow, sad smile spread across her face.

I know how you feel, Edward. And I'm very happy for you, she said. She looked slightly distracted, holding something through her shirt in her fist.

She let go of whatever it was and wrapped her arms around my waist. I lost my balance for a second, but she kept me from falling. I wrapped my arms around her and she looked up at me, smiling. A single tear slid down her face and I wiped it away, chuckling. Everyone turned in the direction of the front of the house, but it took me a few seconds to realize what had caught their attention.

It was time to tell Carlisle and Esme.

A/N: And, there it is. A whole 21 pages. Did it make up for not updating, even though it took a while for it to get interesting?

The title of this chapter is Miracle by Paramore. Only the title really fits, but hey. It's the only one I could think of that fits this chapter at all.

Please review! I really want to know what you have to say, whether it's chewing me out for my lack of updating or your thoughts about the chapter. I really don't care. Thank you in advance! :P