Roughly a year later

"You look great, Bells."

I straightened the already crisp, yellow graduation gown. "Thanks, Dad." It would look hideous on anyone, but Edward probably still looked achingly gorgeous. While I looked like a wrinkled banana in a matching hat.

Despite the atrocious clothing, I was jittery with anxiety. Not exactly excitement (I was too afraid that I would trip across stage for it to be a wholly positive energy), but some strange emotion that kept my fingers tapping and my impatience growing. I was also not enjoying the fact that I hadn't seen Edward in over 24 hours. Last night, Tyler Crowley had called him and basically said, "Man, we're done with high school. Let's PARTAY!" So, Edward rode with a few of his friends (19, to be exact - Edward was good at making friends) to Seattle to dance in a few clubs. I knew they wouldn't get drunk or too rowdy; Tyler was a good guy, and didn't want to see his friends get hurt by driving drunk.

Though I knew that I wouldn't be called about Edward getting charged with DUI, my nails were almost non-existent from the torture of knowing that he could be injured somehow, some way . . . and I wasn't completely sure that Tyler was nice enough to pick bars without strippers.

I heard a familiar clacking of heels on the hardwood floors. "Bella, you look lovely!" Renee squealed. "I would hug you right now, but I don't want to mess up your hair. Lord knows how long it took me to get it to curl just that much. But your makeup . . . Your makeup could use a bit of work. That lipstick is a bit heavy, don't you think? Here," she handed me a napkin to press my lips to, "use this. There! Perfect." She smiled warmly at me.

I had missed my mother so much. This was the first time I had seen her since moving to Forks. She arrived in the drizzly, dreary town (she made no effort to conceal how much she hated this drizzly, dreary town) late last night. We talked until the early morning hours, and it showed beneath my eyes in the form of bruise-like shadows. But it was worth it to catch up completely with my mother. She and Phil were happy together. His career was going well, and he had been signed to some baseball team that I hadn't heard of, but I was simply glad that he was able to make my mother smile. She had always been a generally perky person (even before she met Phil), but there were the times when she mourned her love for Charlie. When she had left Charlie, part of her was still completely in love with him. We never lingered on that fact. Then, in some bit of a miracle from God, she met Phillip Dwyer. He had barely left her alone at all after he proposed, but my mother seemed to enjoy his presence more than anything else. The way she made goo-goo eyes at him was enough for my satisfaction.

"Mom, you look great, too," I complimented her. And she did. I was always told that I was the "spitting image of my ma", but she was much more attractive than I was. She was also more outgoing, though that didn't always amount to something to be proud of.

"Thanks, Bella," she laughed. "So . . . This Edward guy? Do I get to meet him today? I should, seeing as you've been dating him for a year and a half - without telling me!" She shook her head.

"Hey, I told you in March, so it was just little over a year," I protested, wagging my finger.

She wagged her finger back at me. "Still! You should've told me before. You know that these things should be discussed."

"You'll still get to meet him," I protested. "And I know you'll approve of him."

"Just assure me that he doesn't do drugs or have a Mohawk," Renee pleaded jokingly.

"Mom!" I exclaimed. "Of course not. He's amazing, really. Top student, sweet . . . attractive . . ."

"Oh!" Renee giggled. "Well, so long as he's good in school."

"Top of the class," I reminded her. "He'll be valedictorian today." I thought of my Edward, gripping the edges of the podium, speaking profoundly in his clear, velvet voice.

She grinned. "Good. I don't want you being with anyone stupid."

"You don't need to worry about that. He's already gotten full scholarship to DePaul." I had actually done the same, with tutoring and extra studying (by myself, of course. The only thing I would've learned if I studied with Edward would have been how amazing his kisses were), I had gotten myself almost completely paid for. The scholarship paid for over three quarters of it. Instead of being at square one like I had after the crash - I couldn't even read - I was now able to pass a college sophomore test (my tutor had said so after we discussed college curriculum). Edward was more than thrilled when I told him about my accomplishment, as was I for him. Not that there was ever any doubt in his intellectual abilities.

"Bells, Renee!" Charlie hollered from the bottom of the stairs. "We have to go, or we'll be late!"

Our ride to the high school was silent, but the emotions that clouded the air were almost tangible. I was jittery, almost excited; Renée could barely hold in her joyous giggles; Charlie actually seemed depressed. Though I was sad to leave him, I wanted to experience college with Edward and get the education I needed, in hopes to get the career I desired.

Inside the building, things were an absolute blur. Teachers were running like madmen with papers in their hands, commanding students to stand there, or do that. Some of them simply looked relieved that this was our last time in there. I was somewhere in the middle. Not yet ready to leave, yet not wanting to stay.

"Ms. Swan!" Mr. Banner called. He jerked is finger over to my left. "Behind Mrs. Stanley, please." I slipped in between Jessica and a boy named George.

"Hey, Jess," I said quietly, tapping her shoulder.

She spun around at the sound of her name. "Oh, Bella!" There were tears in her eyes. "It's the end of high school! We're done. I- I can't believe it." She sniffed. "I don't want to leave you and the rest of my friends. You have to write, okay? We'll write all the time. We'll stay in touch, and we'll be best friends forever. Just like in the movies. So promise me you'll write."

I smiled back. "Okay. I can do that. Go to college and have fun, though. Don't just think about me or anyone else that's here. Except for Mike - stay with him. You two are good for each other."

I had found out that Jessica and Mike were a couple in April, when I walked in on their janitor closet rendezvous (definitely not an experience I relished). Though I despised Mike for obvious reasons, Jessica had done nothing to me. I was happy for her and Mike.

"I will," she cried. "We're going to be friends for the rest of our lives, okay? For forever."

I nodded. "Okay."

"Students!" someone yelled, raising their hands. "You guys know what'll happen. They play the pretty music, you walk in, speech, blah blah blah, happy happy happy, go home. Got it?" There was a fervent head shake throughout the line.

We all brushed ourselves off and wiped away tears. The doors into the auditorium opened. I peeked around the other students ahead just in time to see Edward flash me a wink. I blushed and look down at my feet.

"Ladies and gentleman," I heard the principal say grandly into the microphone. "Our graduating class."

As I walked down the aisle of the crowded auditorium, I couldn't help but think of some of the events that had transpired since I had arrived in Forks. Or rather, the precious things that I could actually remember.

Flashback

"Ugh. Stupid potato."

"Bella, love, be careful or you'll hurt the wires," Edward reminded me. His fingers glided effortlessly over the plump vegetable and the wires. He could've done this in his sleep.

"Your concern for my safety is simply heart-warming," I snapped, and attempted to untangle the electrical wires from my fingers and arms.

For a "fun day", as Mr. Varnercalled it, we were making potato clocks. We hadn't been five minutes into the project before I had gotten myself a minor shock and muttered a very naughty word. Actually, it was more of a naughty rant. Edward seemed to have found that highly amusing, though I was quite chagrined.

"I've never heard you cuss before," he observed, chuckling.

I turned to glance at him. "Sorry," I apologized sheepishly. "Probably not the most appealing thing."

"No," Edward said. "It's actually sort of . . . sexy, as awful as that sounds." He shrugged.

My mouth popped open. "You think it's . . . sexy?"

He looked down at the potato and began to work with the wires, avoiding my gaze. "Yes," he mumbled.

To his surprise, I laughed. He turned to me with his eyebrows raised and said, "You know, I never have any idea of what you'll do next. First you blow out a phrase that would make a sailor blush, then I call you sexy and you laugh! What is up with that?"

I giggled again. "I don't know, honestly. It just surprises me that you would think that something like that is attractive. I would've thought that you hated curse words."

He swooped down to kiss my cheek. "Not when you say them," he purred against my skin. His velvety voice dropped low and husky. It was the most beautiful noise I had ever heard.

I shivered in pleasure.

"You know," Edward continued, "Mr. Varner just left the room." His hot breath flowed across my cheek and onto my ear.

"What a coincidence," I noted, and dove for his lips.

He ducked away playfully, so my lips on caught the side of his head. "Ah, ah, ah, Bella. With all these people watching? No." He smiled coyly at me.

"Just a quick one?" I asked. "Please, Edward." But, since I was at the side of his head, I would need no begging. With one quick nip at his ear lobe, he was putty in my hands. But before I started my simple (yet brilliantly entertaining) procedure, I simply kissed his cheek. He seemed shocked by the contrast between the touch of my lips on his face and my teeth on his ear.

"Now will you kiss me?" I asked.

"Mmmm," he sighed.

My lips moved slowly towards his. The anticipation of the kiss was about as sweet as the kiss itself.

But before our skin could make contact, my elbow knocked against the insane lump of wires, sending it crashing to the floor. Edward threw his head back, laughing boisterously.

I said a naughty word again.

End flashback

We sat in the first eleven rows, ready to move up to receive our diplomas. But before we could be officially shoved out of Forks High School, Edward would have to make his speech.

He seemed confident as he approached the podium. There was a wild round of applause and encouraging shouts.

As soon as the audience ceased clapping (and Jessica stopped her cat calls), he began.

"Thank you," Edward began softly. "That reassurance was needed. The pressure is almost suffocating, trying to sum up the reasons of why we'll all become successful entrepreneurs," he chuckled. The joke seemed to set the crowd at ease, too. I noticed that his hands held no note cards, no sticky notes. He would be speaking to over four-hundred people by memory.

Yet, as he began his official speech, he didn't hesitate at all. His velvety voice was clear, free of the anxiety that seemed to only be tangible to me.

"Look at this," he grinned, his expression colored by marvel. "So many people, all here for the same purpose, all of them smiling. The students, too. Glowing, even. Everyone seems to be so happy. Happier than I've ever seen you before. Much more cheerful than when I saw you in school. Which really makes me sad, considering that the only time I get to see you truly happy is when you're leaving everyone behind. Because when I saw you in class, at lunch, or with a teacher, you were miserable.

"Maybe it's because you hated high school. Scratch that-- I know you hated it.

"Which is frightening to think about, considering that it means that you wasted four years of your life, mulling over how terrible everything is. I realize that not everyone did. I know a lot of my friends, myself included, loved high school. Not necessarily the learning itself, but the fact that we knew we were changing, and that our lives were coming into place.

"But some of you? You didn't. You ignored the opportunities and abused your rights, and made things worse than even you thought they could be. Your sights were set on the exit doors. Your desperation to get out of this place was scary. At least, to me it was.

The atmosphere had become a bit tense; with a statement like that, it was typical that he would lose a few people. But he continued confidently.

"Which is why I want to ask you something. Most of you will spend four years in college - enjoy them. You wasted four years here, being miserable and doing nothing about it. And how many of you want to do it again in college? So much will happen. You'll find the rest of your life-" he looked down to wink at me "-if you haven't already. Love, a career, friends . . . All in four years. Don't waste it as terrified little kids who want nothing more than to be carted out. If you enjoy those four years, you'll enjoy the rest of your life."

There seemed to be one fervent, simultaneous nod from the audience. I found myself thinking, "You're right."

"Let's be honest; raise your hand if you wasted your time here," he commanded. Dignity rang out beneath the echoes that his voice cast throughout the room.

Over half the students raised their hands, and quite a few adults joined them in their confessions. "Don't lie to me," Edward added. More hands went up.

For a moment, I thought. Had I wasted part of my high school years? Maybe I had before the crash, maybe not. But from what I could remember, I had used every second as best as I could. Either with Edward or studying. That seemed to be something productive, something worth while. So I kept my hands in my lap.

"Now raise your hand if you won't waste college on wallowing in your own sadness."

Every hand was raised, including mine.

--

"Bella!"

I spun around. "Jacob!" I squealed. I maneuvered as best I could through the clusters of people. He scooped me into his arms and did a spin himself. "I'm so glad you came!"

"And miss my best friend's graduation?" he scoffed. "You should know me better, Bells."

"Oh well." I hugged him tighter. "I'm just glad I get to see you. Have you grown - again?"

He chuckled at that. "Of course. I'm Six foot seven now, you know."

"Good grief," I exclaimed. "Over a foot taller than me."

"Isn't everyone?" he laughed.

"That was unnecessary," I shot back with venom. He laughed loudly and set me onto the ground.

"But it was amusing," he replied, knowing it was true.

"So you would sacrifice my happiness for your own amusement?" I screeched jokingly.

"Of course."

"Congratulations, Bella," I heard someone say. Charlie smiled warmly as I thanked him. "You're growing up so quickly. I know that's said often, but it's true."

"You know that I won't forget about you in college, dad. I'll miss you so much when I'm away." I pulled away from him to talk with Billy and Renee. After a couple minutes, I decided that I should find Edward and congratulate him on his speech. The last I had seen of him was when he shook our principal's hand after receiving his diploma. My eyes had followed him until he was lost amongst the group of other students.

"Edward?" I called out. It wasn't too large of a crowd; I would find him soon. "Edward!"

I wove through the crowd, managing to accidentally collide into a few graduates. "Edward?" I yelled out again.

"Yes?" a velvet whisper came in my ear.

I gasped. "Don't do that again, Edward; you scared me!"

Edward chuckled into my collarbone. I shivered as his lips found skin. "Whatever you say, love."

"I say that you should stop kissing me like that," I suggested breathlessly. He only wound his arms tighter around my waist, but still kept his grip gentle.

"Like this, maybe?" I felt his tongue glide along with his lips, high and higher up my neck.

"I-- I think . . ." My voice was so shaky, no authority at all. "Maybe not with my mother, father, and your mother around."

"Oh," he laughed and moved his lips to my forehead. "Maybe you're right."

I turned around to face him. "You were amazing up there, you know. You had the audience by the first sentence," I informed him. "And the topic was genius."

For once, it wasn't me who blushed - it was Edward. My fingers touched his pink cheek. "I wish I could've taped it. Everything that you did was amazing. But weren't you nervous at all? You sounded so confident . . ."

"Trust me, sweet, I was nervous beyond belief. To know that it wasn't just my friends watching me, but my girlfriend--" I giggled as he said that "--, her father, her mother, her best friend, and his father. It wasn't easy, I can say."

"You know that my parents wouldn't ever utter anything against you." I objected.

He seemed to speak my thoughts exactly for the thousandth time. "Your mother might not, but your father usually has something slightly negative to say."

"I won't let him."

"Is that so?" Edward cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes."

He laughed and kissed my hair. "If you say so. Now, I would love to meet your mother."

"Mind you, she is slightly eccentric," I warned him.

"And out-going," he added quietly.

"How did you know that?" I asked him. I had told him little of Renée, other than the basic facts like her remarriage.

"You told me on our first date; I had taken you to a Muse concert," he smiled sadly. I yearned to know what made him so drastically gloomy. If only I could be inside that mysterious mind of Edward Masen's . . .

"I wish I could remember," I said softly. "But it makes me happy that you do. It also makes me happy to know that I'm not dating anyone with awful music taste." That made him break out in a genuine smile. "Now come; Renée will be excited to meet you."

I took his wrist and led him towards Charlie and Renée. Charlie glanced at Edward, then returned his attention to Billy. Renée, however, seemed quite ecstatic to see Edward. I didn't have to introduce him for her to know who he was.

"Oh, Edward! It's so nice to finally meet you!" she squealed. Instead of taking the hand Edward had put out for her to shake, she ignored it and hugged him tightly. Luckily, he merely seemed pleasantly surprised. "Bella has told me so much about you." She leaned to whisper in my ear, "You were right about the attractive part." I giggled and looked at my feet.

"Well, it's lovely to meet you, too, Mrs. Dwyer. Bella has also told me about you. All positive things, of course."

They chatted for a few minutes, inducing a few peals of laughter from both parties. Edward later told me that my mother was "certainly entertaining, and highly intelligent - just like her daughter". I told Edward that kissing up would get him nowhere.

After we talked for while, Charlie suggested we go to The Lodge. The Lodge was - in my opinion - overpriced and overdone. Full of dismembered animals decorated the walls, along with fishing poles and antique sports memorabilia. It smelled thickly of meat and Coke, with just a touch of sweat. Overall, I was not fond of The Lodge. But Charlie wanted to go, and this would be only part of the short time I had before I left for college.

"Are you riding with me or Edward?" Charlie asked, swinging his keys around his fingers.

I looked at Edward. "I'll ride with you," I told him.

He grinned, then turned to Charlie. "If it's all right with you, Bella and I are going to stop by my house and pick up something. My parents will meet you there; they're going separately."

"That's fine," Charlie said with a speck of doubt in his voice, then got in his car.

"So, what're we picking up?" I chuckled as Edward and I got into his car.

"You'll see." He winked at me, making my heart beat dangerously fast. "But we are stopping at my house."

"Edward . . ."

"Bella . . ."

I sighed. "You wouldn't think of telling me, would you?"

"Of course not. This won't be fun if I don't." He pulled up beside the curb. "Now wait here."

He hopped back in less than a minute later. In his hands was a strip of black cloth. "Turn around," he ordered.

I did as he said. I felt both his hands and the black cloth touch my neck, and then touch the back of my head. He was tying the cloth around my head as a blindfold.

"Edward!" I cried. "I don't like the idea that whatever we're doing requires a blindfold."

"But you will when you see," he murmured into my ear. "You'll love it."

I let out a dramatic huff. "Fine."

Edward chuckled. "At times, I think you're 40. But at others, I could swear you're three."

"Shut up."

"As you wish, my little toddler."

--

Throughout the ride, I attempted to rely on my hearing for information, but that seemed to fail. All I could hear was the gentle purr of the engine, and the CD Edward had put on. Instead of trying to figure out our location, I simply listened to his humming, and occasional joining in the words.

After driving for what felt like hours, I realized that Edward had probably never planned to go to The Lodge. Which I was completely fine with, to be frank. What would Jacob say to me when I saw him next? Possibly something along the lines of, "You suck." Charlie might be slightly angered (understatement of the year, anyone? I think so), but if we had been driving this long, it most likely meant that Edward and I could be alone together, which we hadn't gotten to do in quite a while. And with college so close . . . I hoped desperately that in the midst of chaos, that we could still be with each other.

Edward's voice broke through my thoughts. "We're almost here," he told me.

I felt the car come to a stop, and heard Edward get out. His hand grasped mine, and helped me get out of - er, stumble out of - the car. It wasn't pavement beneath my shoes; it felt more like gravel.

"I'll take off your blindfold now. You might want to be able to see."

I blinked, my eyes readjusting to the light. Miraculously, the sun had begun to peek through the thick blanket of clouds. I smiled as the light fell over my skin - I had missed the warmth.

In front of me was the Volvo, Edward leaning on it. Behind them

"Let's go," Edward whispered, and took my hand.

"Aren't we taking the trail?" I asked, pointing to the worn path.

He just continued to lead me toward the thick foliage, devoid of any path. "Of course not," I muttered.

As we traveled through the trees and wildflowers, I began to get a sense of déjà vu. Something itched at the back of my mind, giving me a headache. I just couldn't completely grab what was before it flitted off. Which angered me - quite thoroughly.

But . . . I couldn't have been here before. Could I have? Noted, I couldn't remember over sixteen years of my life, but . . . I felt it. I had been here before. I just didn't know when, or with whom, or how I got there. Which, in a way, was frightening. I knew this place, yet I didn't. Confusing.

I decided to ask Edward. "Have we . . . Have we been here before?" I inquired.

"Yes," he replied, glancing back at me. His blazing green eyes seemed to be relieved, almost. Like the idea in my mind, I couldn't quite grasp his expression.

"When? Was it with you?" I felt impatient, and I desperately wanted to know where Edward was dragging me off to.

"Yes. You'll remember this place when we get there. But you won't remember this part of it." Something about his tone made me less irritated; maybe it was the fact that he sounded like he wasn't in this forest with me. It was as if he was somewhere distant, somewhere I'd never be able to go.

As a way to get my mind off Edward's mood and the fact that I tripped about every five minutes, I attempted to enjoy the scenery. Beneath the horrid green that blotted every surface within sight, I saw tiny flowers that peeked from beneath the earthen floor. The colors were vibrant and vivid, making me wonder why I hadn't seen them before. I longed to stroke the petals, out of pure curiosity as to what their texture was. Some looked as if to be light like the wing of a moth, while others were covered in spikes.

I was aware of the animals, creeping above our heads, watching our steps. Never once did I hear them, but I could somehow feel their eyes on my skin.

Watching the forest go by as we walked on and on felt mesmerizing. Soon, by feet seemed to set in time with my pulse, beating like the thrum of a timpani. Scents of musk and pines whirled around my nose, calming me. I had never enjoyed walking on rotting leaves and dirt so much.

"We're almost here," Edward whispered hesitantly, not wanting to break the silence, which felt pure. "Can you see the light ahead? That tiny sliver?" He pointed ahead of us.

I scrunched my eyes tightly. In the distance, there was one long, golden ray of sunlight, pouring through the leaves.

I smiled widely. "I see it." We walked on towards it, but much faster this time.

Only moments later, I froze. It felt as if my mind was exploding - but pleasurably. Every nerve, every tissue was coming undone, bursting into billions of microscopic bits. My skin was alive with some unnamed force. It tingled like I had been touched with a feather. The world around me had frozen just as I did. The earth felt as if it was one with me, grumbling underneath my toes. Through all of it, there was a sense of victory, of passion. Like my body had been opened to welcome something new that I had waited for.

I fell to my knees, sobbing uncontrollably. I realized what I was welcoming back with a shock through my whole body.

"Bella!" Edward yelled in concern, sitting beside me and seizing my hand. "Bella, what? What happened?"

When I looked up, he saw that they were tears of untamed joy. Brilliant, explosive joy.

"I remembered, Edward!" I cried.

A smiled took over his lips. "You . . . You remembered?" He perked up in excitement.

"The meadow, Edward, the meadow. Our meadow." I wrapped my arms tightly around his chest. He returned the embrace and kissed my forehead. He let out a strangled laugh, making me giggle along, though this seemed to be a strange time to do so.

"I can't believe it," I marveled. "I can remember something - and it's something important. I can remember when I . . . when I said I loved you for the first time."

It felt strange, watching myself over and over in my mind; but God, it felt so good. We both looked so young, so naïve, almost. I smiled at the nostalgic feeling. I had never experienced nostalgia before.

"Do you remember what I said to that?" he asked me. I noticed that his eyes were also wet with tears, just about to brim over. "Do you remember what I said?"

"You said, I love you, too."

We said the last part together. It was whispered in perfect clarity.

"Forever."

Chapter End Notes:

It's over. It's seriously, frickin' I MIGHT DO WHAT CHARLIE WAS THINKING LAST CHAPTER I REPEAT I MIGHT ( this idea was from godsgurl4146 ) and do it as a one- shot YOU CAN HELP MAKE MY DECISION ON MY POLL THAT IS ON MY ACCOUNT THIS POLL WILL CLOSE ON APRIL 20, 2009