Sorry it's been such a long wait! I have my Sat exams in literally five days so i've been just revising non stop! This is kind of like the last chapter. There will be one more after this just to round things up, but this is the end of Edward and Bella's journey. Sob, sob. I'll give all last dedications on the next one, so watch out for that. Alsooooo author alert me! Cos I am gonna be doing other fanfictions, probebly all Twilight. Thanks! Phoebe- we are enlightened. :D :D :D

In my life, there have been many occasions where I've had to run for my life. When James was chasing me, all the times that Victoria has tried to kill me…Each time, afterwards, I would sit down, and I would be shaking and crying- but while I was actually running, I'd never really feel that afraid.

I've never been scared of death. Sometimes, right after Edward left me, I used to envy the dead- because at least they were peaceful. After all, who suffers more when a mother dies in a car accident? The women who loses her life instantly, with no pain, no last thoughts- or the children left behind? Left in a world so cruel and dark that no child should have to go it alone?

It's funny that I should count running after Edward as running for my own life. I suppose in a way, I'm right to say that. Edward and I had always been joined in ways so tangled, so messed up, so perfect- that his life was my life, and my life was his life.

It was just the way we were.

Another scream filled the air. It was too short for me to be able to work out who it belonged rose up my throat like vomit, and I pushed myself harder.

I'm coming, Edward. I'm coming! I chanted almost feverously inside my head, wishing more than anything, for the first time, that he could read my thoughts.

My feet pounded against the forest floor as Tanya's last words to me echoed in my head.

I hope you can run fast.

I could see the clearing up ahead. A tiny little light, too far away for human eyes to see. My heart leapt into my throat as I raced onwards. I dodged the huge trees easily, darting and weaving.

I hope you can run fast.

There was another grinding sound, the horrifying, blood chilling sound of rock hard teeth tearing though metal.

I hope you can run fast.

"Edward!" I screamed. "EDWARD!"

I could hear footsteps behind me, and knew that the rest of the Cullen's weren't far behind, but I pushed them to the back of my mind. Edward was all the mattered now.

A hundred thoughts, memories, images from the past were flashing in front of my eyes. The first time I ever saw him as he walked into the lunch canteen with the rest of the Cullen's. "Who's he?" I'd asked Jessica. The feel of his ice cold lips crushing down on mine for the first time as we'd stood on the edge of the forest…

"EDWARD!"

His arms tight around me, waking up every day to see his face. His glorious, smouldering eyes…him, broken and defeated as I shouted at him… I couldn't leave it like that.

The clearing was less than five meters away. I could hear every single one of my desperate gasps as I needlessly dragged in oxygen. Four meters. Three meters.

"Edward…" I whispered again.

Two meters, one meter…

The ferns and leaves of the last tree were hanging down, blocking my sight of the field. I impatiently pushed them aside, my strength unwittingly snapping off entire branches.

And then my sight was clear.

I could see him. He was crouched on the ground, his back to me, his shoulders hunched.

My heart lurched, and I stumbled forwards, my arms outstretched. Was he okay? Why wasn't he getting up?

I moved slowly forwards. I glanced downwards, then gasped, as I found a broken, still white arm laying by my feet.

"Oh!" I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth as my eyes flickered around the rest of the clearing.

There were body pieces everywhere. Scattered from just by my feet, right over to where Edward was still sat motionless. For a moment, all I could think was Victoira is dead! She's gone! and then my attention was brought suddenly back to him as I tore my eyes away from the twitching arm three meters away.

"Edward…" I whispered again, and this time he turned. His head shot up, his surprised eyes searching for me. "Edward!"

Without thinking, without trying to hold myself back, I threw myself across the clearing. He was on his feet in one second and caught me in another, both his arms locking around my waist, holding me to him with a force that would have crushed me if I had still been human.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded, almost angrily, but his lips told a different story as they worked their way across my face.

"I thought…I was so…I was scared." I whispered in a broken voice. Edward groaned and pulled me closer to him, his hand stroking my hair.

"I'm so sorry." He said, and his voice was husky with emotion. "I'm so, so sorry. Sorry what being what I am. Sorry for leaving you. Sorry for thinking that I know what's best for everyone. For us."

I shook my head, trying to stop him words; I no longer needed to hear them, but his hands caught my face and held it still, his eyes burning into mine.

Behind me, I could hear the rest of the Cullen's slowing, realising that Edward was safe. I realised they wanted to give us some privacy.

"The biggest mistake I ever made was to leave you, Bella." He said. I felt dizzy. This was the moment I had been dreaming of for so long, for so many years. And now it was here- it was perfect.

"I missed you every day. If felt like there was no point in going about my daily life, enrolling in yet another school- because what was the point of life without you? You, who made my existence worth all those long, lonely years before you were even born.

When I was… leaving you, it felt like I was going to tear myself apart in the process, like I could never be whole again without you."

I nodded. I knew the feeling.

"And I couldn't be whole. Not when you still had my heart." A smile traced his lips briefly as his thumb stroked against my cheek. "You see, Bella- it always belonged to you." Then his smile faltered, and he began backtracking quickly. "I mean, I don't want you to feel that you owe me anything. If it's been too long, if I'm too late- then just tell me. Please, don't spare my feelings. All I want is for you to be happy. Forget about me…" His bit his lip, then glanced up. I didn't need to look. I could hear the rest of the Cullen's waiting at the edge of the forest. I thought of them, and for the first time in seven years, their name, the memory of their faces brought with it a feeling of fondness that I had almost forgotten in the years they were away.

"So." Edward whispered. "Where do we go from here?"

I pursed my lips for a moment, pretending to deliberate, then put my arms around his neck, and pulled his face down to meet mine.

"I think I know." I replied, then pressed my lips softly to his.

I heard Alice sigh softly behind me. I would find time to talk to her later. Over time, our friendship would rekindle. I knew it wouldn't take long. Alice and I were meant to be friends, meant to be sisters, just like Edward and I were meant to be together. Forever and always. Some things just worked out that way.

Edward pulled me closer to him, and I smiled against his lips as my own ice cold heart finally started to melt.

Time passes. It flies past in chunks, in fast sparks that light up the rest of your week, and long dragging months that seem to last for years.

Time passed when Edward was gone, and time still passed once he was back.

On the first of May, we brought our own home in Seattle, close enough to Forks that Silver could always see her father.

On the thirteenth of December, Edward and I got married. I did it purely for Alice.

On the sixth of November, we watched the sun go down as we stood, hand in hand.

Time passes.

Even for us.

So. What did you think? Worth the wait? Keep in mind, there's still one more chapter coming!! :) Check out my other fanfic Unavoidable Love. xxx