Final chapter! Final chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I also don't own any of the components that make up the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, "Your Guardian Angel", and Celine Dion "Because You Loved Me"
Recital Reconiliation
Despite the large number of students that attended Ambrose University, the winter recital turnout was pretty low. Alice made a point of telling Bella that more people attending the spring recital rather than the winter one, since the winter one was the more casual affair. But the few hundred people and parents populating the school auditorium was enough to make Bella's heart race. Even more so, seeing Edward tuning his guitar was enough to make her run for the hills in fear.
"Come on Bells," Alice said encouragingly. "You're already here. You've prepared so much."
"I know but," Bella sighed, "What if it doesn't make a difference? What if nothing happens and all our preparation–"
"Bells, shut up," Alice said in a firm but friendly tone. "Nothing bad is going to happen. This is going to be fine."
Of course, that was easy for Alice to say: words are only words. But when it comes to actually putting the practice into action, Bella couldn't help but be somewhat nervous. Everything was riding on today.
And yet, at the same time, Bella felt more ready for this than she had for anything else. She was ready for all this nonsensical unnecessary drama to be over, and for her to return to Edward's ever-comforting embrace – no matter what it takes.
She sat on the left side of the auditorium. Edward was only four seats down from her in the same row. He still had his guitar in his lap, but he was no longer tuning it. His attention was now focused on Alice, who was now walking up to the stage to welcome everyone and introduce the first act. Bella, however, couldn't look away from Edward. He was wearing the black shirt he had tried on the day they argued, paired with dark wash fitted jeans and clean white sneakers. His hair was at its wildest, and Bella remembered tangling her fingers deep within his locks. And his eyes were lowered, making the color of his irises a warm muted gold. She kept her eyes on him, willing him to look at her.
He didn't, but she didn't look away from him, not once. Not even when her fellow peers got up on stage to perform themselves. None of them were particularly spectacular: Alice was right about people not taking this particular recital that seriously – she could hear a group of people playing an intense version of Panic Attack on Rock Band 2.
Look at me Edward, she told him mentally. His eyes were so focused on the stage that Bella was sure now that he was simply ignoring her. He must have seen her before she saw him, and now he was making a point not to look at her. The pain at that idea was impossible to ignore, but she didn't look away from him. Look at me Edward.
But he didn't, and soon enough they were getting to the end of the program.
Bella sighed, finally allowing her eyes to move away from Edward. Maybe he was already over their entire situation…over her. Maybe all of Alice's skillful planning and her efforts would go to waste. She sighed again, a sorrowful one this time.
Alice was getting up on stage again, her light voice ringing through the auditorium. "Our next performer will be my very own brother, Edward Cullen."
Bella's eyes fluttered upward at the sound of Edward's name. He walked smoothly from his seat towards the stage, taking the five steps one by one. The tech crew placed a stool in the center of the stage and Edward eased onto it, placing his guitar back in his lap. There was a mike set up in front of him as well. He strummed a few chords, then spoke:
"I wrote this song for someone special." His voice was like honey to Bella's ears, and the words made her perk ever so slightly. "Someone who, despite it all, I still care and will always care for."
He stopped for a moment, eyes cast downward, and then his eyes found Bella's. The action was so sudden, that it took Bella's breath for a moment. But she didn't look away. And then in the same low voice as before, he said, "This one is for Bella."
Blood rushed to her face when she heard her own name. She whirled around for a moment to find Alice, who was off to the side of the stage, grinning widely. Suddenly, she felt that the plans she had made with Alice weren't the only plans Alice had made this week. Alice nodded back in Edward's direction, prompting Bella to return her gaze to him. He was still watching her, waiting. And once their eyes found each other again, he began to play.
When I see your smile
Tears run down my face
I can't replace
And now that I'm strong I have figured out
How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul
And I know I'll find
Deep inside me
I can be the one
I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to heaven
It's okay
It's okay
It's okay
Season are changing
And waves are crashing
And stars are falling all for us
Days grow longer and nights grow shorter
I can show you I'll be the one
I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to heaven
He didn't look away from her as he played: not to look down at his finger positioning, not wander around the auditorium. Bella couldn't look away either, mystified. The words filled her body and made her heart swell with so much emotion, she was afraid she might burst.
Cause you're my
You're my, my
My true love
My whole heart
Please don't throw that away
Cause I'm here
For you
Please don't walk away and
Please tell me you'll stay
Even as the music picked up, and he strummed his acoustic harder while the backing band began to join in, Edward still didn't look away from her. She could feel the emotion in his eyes, see them shaking with…unshed tears? Bella could feel water welling in her own eyes, but she couldn't even raise her hand. She allowed herself to be consumed by Edward's words.
Use me as you will
Pull my strings just for all thrill
And I know I'll be okay
Though my skies
I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to heaven
I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to heaven
Edward's song faded into appreciative applause: some people even whistled in approval. And of course, his mother and father were on their feet. But Bella was glued to the spot. Even though Edward was no longer looking at her now, but getting off stage and stopping to hug Alice before he returned to his seat, Bella could still feel the intensity of his gaze on her.
"And our final performer," Alice said once the applause had settled, "is a new face to our recital, but hopefully this won't be the last time you hear from her, because she's fantastic. My best friend, Bella Swan."
Now it was Edward's turn to be surprised. His eyes shot directly to her, eyebrow raised. Bella only swallowed hard and tried to regain composure. She was still fill the emotions of Edward's song, that she wasn't sure if she could perform her own. Still, she got up from her seat and walked slowly towards the stage.
The lights were blinding, and did nothing for her already rapidly beating heart. The tech crew had removed the stool, leaving her stand in the middle of the stage. She tapped the mike nervously, and feedback shot through the auditorium.
"Sorry," she apologized quietly, speaking into the mike. "Hi, I'm Bella Swan, and I'm a freshmen here." She stopped herself: no one else gave fucking bios before they sang. She took a deep breath, which was also picked up by the mike. Now a couple of chuckles went through the auditorium. Bella's heart rate increased that much more.
She couldn't do this: it was too much. She hadn't even started yet, and already she was crumbling. She was ready to apologize again the mike and walk right off the stage before her eyes locked on with a familiar set of golden ones.
Edward hadn't gone all the way back to his seat, but was standing and watching her. His expression was kind and understanding. And when they're eyes locked, he gave her an encouraging nod. Bella nodded back and took another deep breath, ignoring the second wave of chuckles.
"I'm a bit nervous," she said shyly. "This is a song I wrote, and I normally don't do this, but I wrote it for someone special, and I wanted them to hear it." She paused, and turned her attention to Edward. "This song is for Edward."
For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrongs that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I'll be forever thankful baby
You're the one who held me up
Never let me fall
You're the one who saw me through
Through it all
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith cause you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me, ooh, baby
Bella was not brave enough to keep her eyes open, but she could feel Edward watching her. What she couldn't give in eye contact, she made up for in emotion. She sang deep from in her soul, sang with all the love in her heart that she had for this one boy, who had changed her life irrevocably.
You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand, I could touch the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love, I had it all
I'm grateful for each day you gave me
Maybe I don't know that much
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because I was
Loved by you
Alice had gotten Bella a backing choir to sing along with her. Bella heard them singing her chorus, but she was hardly paid heavy attention to them. She was lost in the song, swimming in her deep feelings for Edward.
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith cause you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me
You were always there for me, the tender wind that carried me
The light in the dark
Shining your love into my life
You've been the inspiration
Through the lies you were the truth
My world is a better place because of you
When Bella hit the high note, the room suddenly erupted in thunderous applause. As the choir continued on with chorus and the band continued to play, Bella did natural vocalizing over them, giving it all the feeling she could. And then when she changed keys on the second chorus, the applause seemed to get louder. But Bella only sang louder in response, making sure that the only person who mattered could hear her: Edward. The room settled down as she said the final lyrics of the song:
I'm everything I am because you loved me
I'm everything I am, because you loved me
And then there was more applause, but Bella's eyes went searching for Edward. He was still standing in the same spot she left him when her eyes closed, except now he was clapping
wildly, a bright smile on his face. She caught herself smiling back, and before she could stop herself, she was rushing over to him. Edward caught her flawlessly, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around twice.
"Bella you were so good," he said, sounding genuinely impressed. "I'm so proud of you. I thought you didn't want to sing in the recital."
"I didn't," she said honestly. "But I wanted to show you," she paused, reformed her words, "I wanted you to know that I appreciate everything you've done for me. And that I shouldn't have acted the way I did. And that," she took a deep breath, "I love you so much."
He still had his arms around her from lifting her, and now he pulled her closer to him. "I'm sorry it got to that Bella," he told her. "Really I am. You're one of the most important people in my life, and I guess my feelings for you were so strong that, when I thought you were rejecting me," he stopped, then added, "I guess I just flipped out."
"I should have known that you wouldn't do anything to hurt me," Bella said. "I know that you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. I just acted silly."
"So did I."
"So both of you are silly," Alice said, suddenly appearing next to them. "That was so obvious from eons ago. And now that that's been established, the only thing that matters now is moving on from the silliness." Alice rolled her eyes. "Jeez, do I have to do everything around here?"
"You've already done so much," Edward said. "Maybe you should just go away now."
Alice pretended to be hurt at Edward's comment, but she floated away over to Jasper. Edward turned his attention back to Bella, lifting his hand to softly stroke her cheek. "I missed you so much Bella," he whispered.
"I missed you too Edward," she replied. She brought her hand up to where his was on her face and touched it. "I missed this. Us."
"Next time we have a disagreement, we can't let it get like this," Edward said.
"Never again," Bella agreed.
"Because this was stupid."
"So stupid."
"We have to talk things out."
"Absolutely." But Bella was done talking, her eyes were lowered and focusing on Edward's mouth. He had to hear her mentally screaming at him to kiss her.
His eyes lowered suddenly as well. "Right," he said, his voice husky. "Glad that that's settled."
"Me too," Bella said in a breath just as Edward's lips met her own. It was the softest touch, sweeter than she remembered. She had gone too long without the insistent press of Edward's hand on her back, and the taste of his mouth. She pressed herself closer to him, never wanting to let go.
"I liked your song," he murmured against her mouth.
"I liked your song," she said in a whisper, just before she kissed him again.
"And I'm so proud of you Bella."
"Shut up and kiss me Edward."
And so he did: no more words, just the constant brush of Edward's tongue over hers. Her legs trembled, but Edward's strong arms kept her steady. Her arms crept and locked around his neck, pulling him down closer to her.
Bella could only imagine the people who would be staring: the girls with malicious intent, realizing that their plans to get with Edward were now foiled. Bella relished in the idea of Edward being only hers again, and kissed him harder as the thought crossed her mind.
"Maybe we should get out of here," he said pulling himself from her. His voice was deep and throaty, thick with desire.
"Good idea," Bella said, her voice matching his own.
But they only took a couple of steps before they were intercepted by an important-looking man in a suit. Carlisle stood next to him, his expression excited.
"Bella, this is Jeffery Jonson," Carlisle said. "A close friend of mine, and CEO of JJ Records."
Carlisle didn't need to go that far: Bella knew all about Jeffery Jonson. He had signed some of Bella's favorite singer-songwriters. "It's an honor," Bella stammered out, temporarily forgetting her place.
"The honor is all mine," Jonson said. "I thoroughly enjoyed your song. And your voice is phenomenal. If you'd like, I'd like to get you into one of my studios with some of my producers and have you cut a demo for JJ Records. I mean, I can't promise fame and stardom, but you certainly have something there. And I want to grab onto before someone else does."
Bella hadn't ever dreamed of being "discovered" or even being a performer of that sense, but the idea of producing in a JJ Records studio was enough to make her jump for joy. Just as the thought came to her mind, Edward lifted her in excitement.
"That's so great Bella," he cheered.
"I don't know what to say," Bella said. Then she smacked her hand on her forehead. "Of course I know what to say. Yes, yes, I'd love to."
"Good choice," Jonson said with a grin. He handed her a slip of paper. "My card. Call next week and we can set up some studio time."
Jonson walked away without another word, leaving Edward and Bella in a celebratory stupor. Carlisle left them alone as well, sensing that they wanted to be only with each other.
"I can't believe this is happening," Bella said. "Me making a demo at JJ Records. The CEO himself told me he liked my voice."
"Well I told you that your voice was fantastic a thousand times." Edward gave her a sad expression. "But I guess my opinion isn't good enough: you need some big shot to tell you whether or not your voice is phenomenal."
Bella gasped. "Don't say that Edward!"
He cracked a wide smile, the sadness replaced with playfulness. "You know I'm just playing with you Bella," he said.
She leaned closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck again. "I'm just making sure."
Edward kissed her softly, but with the same passion they were sharing before. "This great news calls for a real celebration, does it not?"
The suggestiveness of his tone was not lost of Bella. She smiled. "It does, and I have an idea in mind."
"One that involves me I hope."
"One that could never involve anyone else."
Edward took her hand, and the two left the auditorium together. They walked to Edward's dorm, hand in hand, and entered his bedroom in states of sheer bliss. Bella knew she missed Edward during their trial separation, but it wasn't until their bodies melted together again that she realized how much. Edward completed her in more ways than one. When they fell away from each other in pleasant states of ecstasy, Bella made a pact to herself never to be without Edward again: in his arms is where she belonged.
"Edward," she whispered.
Edward's eyes were closed, but they fluttered open at the sound of Bella's voice. "Yes my dear?"
Bella leaned in closer to him, nuzzling into his side. "I love you."
"I love you too, Bella," he said earnestly, giving her a tight squeeze. "I love you so much."
Bella smiled to hereslf. No words ever sounded sweeter to her ears. It made everything more worth it - everything they had been through - to know that it would come down to this moment, with just them two together again.
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, "Your Guardian Angel" :: http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=jRehmX3zlwE
Celine Dion, "Because You Loved Me" :: http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=Bvou2XxB5Cs
(take out the spaces, as per regular)
Thank you all for reading this story. Even though response was lukewarm, I must admit, I did enjoy writing this story. I might try my hand at another Twilight fic sometime in the future. But we will see....right now, I'm just going to prepare for my graduation ( '09!! )
Reviews are always welcome, thanks again to you all.
Until my next story...
--Brin--