DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me…they are all the creation of the wonderful Stephenie Meyer.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Something special. And if this chapter does not meet expectations, we apologize, but we had editing issues. We're sure you guys will understand and forgive us…Or at least we hope so!
On This Day
About three things, I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was up to something. Second, there was going to be some sort of surprise. And third, everyone knew what was going on, except for me.
Edward had ushered me into the shower as soon as there had been a faint glimmer of light in the sky. He had refused to confirm or deny that he was up to something, which meant that he definitely was.
As I showered, I racked my brain, trying to think of what could be special about this day that would require surprises and secrets. But I kept drawing a blank.
I sighed, admitting to myself that I was completely clueless, and turned off the shower. I stepped out, wrapping my towel around me. I grabbed another towel and started working on my hair. When I looked up, I noticed a note taped to the bathroom mirror. I walked over to it and took it down, smiling at Edward's beautiful handwriting. I opened the note to find three words written three times…I love you.
I stepped into the bedroom, ready to thank him for the note, but he was no longer on the sofa where he had been reading. In his place were three roses: one was lavender, one was a deep burgundy, and one was orange. There was a little note sitting with the flowers and I picked it up to read it.
To My Beautiful Bella,
I picked these three roses because I believe them to fit you best. The deep burgundy represents unconscious beauty and your stubborn refusal to see yourself as the beautiful woman that you are. The lavender rose represents enchantment, which is very fitting because I was absolutely under your spell from the moment I saw you. And for your final rose, I chose orange because it is the color of desire and there are so many things that I crave in regards to you—your love, your laugh, your smile, your company, your gentle soul and loving heart, and as always, your touch.
Once you finish reading this, please go to Alice's room. Our sisters are waiting for you.
I love you with all of my heart and soul, Edward
The last line of his note affected me the most. I had always worried that I would never get Edward to believe he had a soul, but now I was able to see, in writing, that my Edward finally believed it. And he had the nerve to constantly talk about how I didn't see myself clearly.
I finished drying my hair, put on my undergarments and robe, and then went to find my sisters. I could hear them talking quietly, but not the actual words. As usual, before I could even completely lift my hand to knock, the door was flung open by a beaming Alice.
"Morning, Bella."
"Morning, Alice," I laughed. "I don't suppose you want to tell me what my husband is up to this morning?"
"Now, Bella, you know I can't," Alice replied with a wicked smile.
"Can't or won't?" I challenged.
"Both," Rosalie chuckled from inside the room.
Alice took hold of my arm and pulled me into her room. "We have to get busy if we want to make it to school on time."
"Yes, because that is such a worry with the way you guys drive," I said sarcastically.
They both ignored me as they pushed me down into the chair I had dubbed 'Seat of a Thousand Tortures'. Although, with Alice around, I probably should have made that a much higher number.
"So, Bella, do you have any theories about what might be going on today?" Rose asked, stressing the word 'theories' heavily.
"Yes, Bella," Alice chirped. "Do you have any hypothesis' you'd like to share?"
"We can't tell you anything, but voicing your thoughts might help dissect the problem," Rose said with an evil little smirk.
"Whatever is going on, I don't like it. You guys are acting way too strange," I huffed, crossing my arms.
"Bella, you have such nice roots to your hair," Alice announced.
I stared at her, trying to figure out where the heck that random thought came from. Normally, I was the one making random statements. And Rose wasn't helping things at all with the way she was snorting and chuckling. Rose was never this giddy.
"Is Jasper hiding around here?" I asked. "Rose is never this…joyful," I said, still unsure of the adjective I had chosen to describe our sister.
"No, Silly Bella," Alice laughed.
"There's a nickname I haven't heard in awhile," I chuckled.
"Edward really should have spent more time in the lab and come up with a better nickname for you," Rose announced, before falling into another fit of giggles.
Alice ended up clutching her stomach and dropping the brush she had been holding, unable to contain her own laughter with the way Rosalie was laughing.
"What has gotten into you two?" I yelled, jumping up from the chair.
"Nothing," Alice chuckled.
"Nothing at all," Rose snorted.
"Okay. That's it. I'm doing my own hair and picking out my own clothes. I don't trust you two at all this morning," I huffed, stomping out of the bathroom.
"We're sorry!" Alice cried, grabbing me around the waist to stop me from leaving. "We promise to behave," she assured me, getting me to sit back down in the chair again.
"So, Bella, about those theories?" Rose questioned, as she controlled her smile. But the humor in her tawny eyes was unmistakable.
"I tried to think of something all morning, but I'm at a loss. Other than New Year's Day, I've never known January to be a special month for any reason. But then again, maybe it has something to do with a human memory that I don't have anymore. Either way, I'm sure it's just an excuse for Edward to spoil me."
"You're much too observant," Alice chuckled.
"Edward has said that a lot over of the years," I laughed. I turned my head slightly to see Rose's face. "Did you help him with the flowers?"
"Yes," Rose beamed. "Did you like them?"
"They were each very beautiful, and I really liked Edward's explanation of their meanings. Thank you for helping him with that," I told her.
"It was nice to get to help," Rose shrugged.
"Edward and Rose have become quite the little tag-team since Christmas," Alice chirped. "Who knew punishing Emmett would bring them so close?"
"I'm just glad Emmett is listening. I would hate to see what it would be like around here if Edward was still enraged with Emmett," Rose said. "At least now, Edward's only mildly annoyed."
"Yeah, the concept of the silent treatment is completely lost on Emmett," I chuckled.
"You know, he actually told Carlisle that he should schedule a hearing exam for Edward," Alice laughed.
"What did Carlisle say?" I asked, grinning.
"He just shook his head and walked into his office," Alice replied.
"Emmett was worried the hearing problem had spread to Carlisle," Rose chuckled.
"At least I was able to convince Edward to stop ignoring Emmett in order to spare the rest of us," I said.
"How exactly did you convince him?" Rose asked, smirking.
"Another one of those see-through blue numbers had to die for a worthy cause," I chuckled.
"I told you we should have bought more," Rose said, pointing the curling iron at me.
"There's one left, so there's no reason to shop," I told them. "At least not right now." I knew Edward and I were going to New York by ourselves next month for the concert and I wanted to hold off on buying anything. I hoped that maybe we could use the time away to go to the store together because there was no way I was going with Edward and our sisters. The teasing would never end from those two.
"I swear that boy has two completely different personalities living inside of him. He's got the early 1900's gentleman and then he's got the modern day teenager with hyperactive hormones," Alice noted.
"As long as Bella's not complaining, I don't think there's anything to worry about," Rose said.
"Definitely no complaints on my end," I laughed.
"All done," Alice chirped, turning the chair so that I could see my reflection in the mirror.
The make-up was very light, but Alice had put on a bit more blush than I was used to. It reminded me of how my cheeks would look around Edward when I was human. Rose had kept my hair straight, only curling the bottom tips lightly.
"Very nice, ladies. Thank you," I told them.
"It was really our pleasure," Rose said, as we all walked into Alice's bedroom.
"Normal clothes?" I squealed, quickly picking up the jeans and blue sweater from the bed. "I can actually wear these?"
"Yes," Alice laughed. "It's a school day, so I don't see the harm in dressing down a little. Just don't think this is going to happen everyday."
"I won't," I laughed, quickly putting the clothes on before Alice could change her mind. She was even letting me wear my blue sneakers.
"Now that you're dressed, Edward would like for you to meet him in your meadow," Alice instructed.
"You are to run half-way there, and then walk for the last half," Rose added. "And he will know if you cheat."
"That man," I growled. "It's not enough that he's surprising me. Oh, no! He has to try and kill me with the anticipation of it, as well."
Rose and Alice laughed as they pushed me out of Alice's room. I continued to grumble under my breath as I left the house and headed toward the meadow. By the time I started walking, I was mostly over my aggravation. Today had to be something special if Edward was surprising me before school even started.
I could already smell him from here and I couldn't wait to have his arms around me. It took all of my self control to keep walking and to not start running. I was so focused on Edward that I missed the other smells around me, and was completely taken by surprise when I stepped through the trees and into the meadow.
Standing in a loose semi-circle was my entire family: Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, and my Edward. My shock kept me from moving as I surveyed their smiling faces, trying once again to figure out what was going on.
Edward chuckled as he came over to me, taking my hands into his, and pulling me forward. "Have you figured it out yet, my love?"
I could only shake my head, which made Edward chuckle again.
"Isabella, three years ago today, I saw you for the first time," Edward said.
I gasped and he chuckled again. I looked at him and started laughing. "You're wearing the same outfit from that day."
"We would have put you in yours but I burned them long ago," Alice chuckled.
Edward pulled me closer, leading me over to our family as he spoke to me. "I had seen you in the minds of the students all morning long, but as soon as I saw you in the cafeteria, I knew their thoughts had not done you justice. But I was not on my best behavior that day and I have always regretted what happened in our biology class, knowing that you thought I hated you. It was not the first impression I wanted to leave you with. Since then, I have made many mistakes, but you always seem to find it in your heart to forgive me."
"I can't do anything else. I love you too much to ever be upset with you for long," I said, squeezing his hands.
"It's one of the things I love about you, Bella. You're so loving and forgiving to everyone, not just me," Edward said, brushing the back of his hand against my cheek. "And because you are that way with everyone, we thought we would all tell you what it means to have you in our life."
Edward let me go and Carlisle stepped forward. "Bella," Carlisle said, his face beaming with a bright smile. "We decided to each tell you three things: what we are most grateful for, what we would change, and what we want you to know most. It took me a very long time to come up with my three, but I hope that you will understand why I chose them." He paused long enough to take one of my hands into both of his. "Bella, I am grateful for your stubbornness. Your refusal to give up on life in your darkest hour is the sole reason that both Edward and you are with us today. If you had not survived to bring him home from Volterra, our family would no longer exist. You see, Edward has always been the common thread among us, holding us all to each other, but it was thin and frail. When he left us to seek solitude, to try to ease his pain, we lived in the same house, but without that thread, we were scattered. We were not a true family. But once the two of you were returned to us, your love for Edward, and our family, pulled us together again, binding us tighter than we had ever been before."
Jasper had to use his gift to calm me at that moment, otherwise, I would have been a sobbing mess. And this was only the first of seven. I nodded, letting Carlisle know he could continue.
"The one thing I would change is that I would have listened to Esme and pressed Edward to talk to you sooner when he tried to ignore you at school. I should never have let my fear influence my choices, nor allowed my son and future daughter to be unhappy for so long. And finally, the one thing I want you to know most is that we are a family. We are together in this life and we will celebrate every joy, honor every promise, and face every challenge together. There is no family without all eight of us." He kissed my forehead and released my hand, returning to his spot in the line.
Esme already looked as though she wanted to cry and when she came over to me, she pulled me into a fierce hug. Soon after, she pulled back slightly and smiled kindly at me. "Bella, dear, I am grateful for so many things with you that it was hard to pick just one. But I believe I managed to pick the most important one, which is that you complete Edward. You unlocked his heart and soul and by loving you, he learned to love everyone else in our family. Like Edward, I feel as though I made mistakes with you, but I do know the one I would absolutely change. I would not have you left behind, my daughter. I should have done more to convince Edward he was wrong to leave you, and if I still had been unable to change his mind, I should have stayed for you. And the one thing I want you to know most is that you have never, ever been a burden to this family."
I hugged Esme tightly and I knew the only reason the two of us weren't sobbing was because of Jasper. I wasn't sure how he was managing it, but I was glad he could. And hey, there were only five more to get through! Esme let me go and Rose stepped forward.
"You know, I figured my list should just be about things I would change, but we don't have all day, little sis," Rose said, getting everyone to laugh. "So I decided to keep it short and sweet instead. I am grateful that you gave your life up to give one to Edward. I thought he was happy before he knew you, but that was only because I was too focused on my own pain to ever see his. I wrote off all of his behavior as him being moody and a pain-in-the-ass. But seeing him with you in the last two years, there is no way to ignore the difference. There is a light in his eyes where only darkness once resided. There is a smile on his face instead of an unhappy scowl. And there is love in his heart where there had only been an empty shell before. You not only made the best choice for you, but for Edward as well. The one thing I would change is that I never would have called Edward that day. If not for my selfish actions, we would not be traveling to Italy this summer, and I will always regret that my actions brought those monsters into your life. The thing I want you to know most is that you are my sister in every way, and I will fight for you just as fiercely as I would for any other member of this family."
I couldn't take this anymore and needed to laugh. "I thought you said it was going to be short."
My joke worked and everyone laughed, making it easier for Jasper to lighten the overall mood. I was glad that Emmett was up next, knowing he would keep us all laughing for a bit.
Emmett bounded over and wrapped me up in a bear hug. "Ready for me, little sis?"
"Ready, Em," I chuckled.
"Okay, so I'm glad you aren't as clumsy anymore. While I miss laughing practically non-stop at your little mishaps, I know it eases Edward's mind to have you more durable." Emmett leaned down close and whispered in my ear so that no one else would hear. "Or doable from what I heard about a certain little blue number."
"Emmett," I laughed, slapping his arm hard.
"Stop singing that damn burger song in your head, Emmett," Edward warned him.
"Right, sorry," Emmett said, quickly. "I would change stealing you from your room at Snowshoe Mountain. I put you in danger for a stupid reason and that was unacceptable of me. I'm sorry."
"I know, Em," I told him, patting his big arm.
He smiled a big cheesy grin at me. "The last thing, the one that I want you to know the most, is that while I might be your big brother, I look up to you. You have shown me what it means to put your family first, to be truly selfless, and how to love a person for who they are and not what they are. But I still say nothing stinks worse than mutt."
I laughed and hugged Emmett tightly. "Thank you. I needed that laugh."
"I know," he chuckled.
He released me from the hug and Rose quickly grabbed him up. I could hear her telling him that she was proud he hadn't made any sexual jokes. I chuckled to myself, wondering just how hard she would smack him if she knew what he had said to me earlier.
Jasper came over and put his hand on my shoulder, smiling at me. "Edward's ideas always involve a lot of thought. I think you need to do more to distract him and spare the rest of us."
"Jasper!" I cried, slapping his arm.
"Hey, someone has to take up Emmett's slack," he laughed.
"You know, Jasper, next time you want help to surprise Alice, I think I'll be busy," Edward remarked. He was grinning too much to mean it, though.
"Come on, Jasper. The sooner we get this over with, the better off you'll be," I told him. "You'll be able to get a break from me and my roller-coaster emotions."
Jasper chuckled and nodded. "I am most grateful to you for accepting my Alice whole-heartedly. You became her best friend, bringing her so much joy and happiness. Through you, she was able to enjoy the human experiences she never had, something I could never give to her myself. I too, have many things that I wish I could change, but there's only one that would really be within my power. The one thing I would change is that I would not have left after your birthday. I have always felt that my leaving for Denali convinced Edward that you could never be safe near me. And the one thing I want you to know most is that your ability to forgive the ones you love saves us all from ourselves, time and time again. You forgave me for you birthday, eventually allowing me to forgive myself. You forgave Rosalie for her anger towards you, allowing her to gain a sister. You forgave us all for leaving you behind, giving us all someone new to love. And you forgave Edward for everything, allowing you both to have the incredible life that you do."
"Okay, if you were all going for making me an emotional wreck, you've managed quite nicely," I told them, smiling.
"We just wanted to see if we could get you to do something to add to your list," Rose chuckled. "We haven't added anything new in awhile."
"Not since you added that I was the first vampire to be afraid of drowning," I chuckled.
"Yeah, but you got over that not long after I wrote it," Rose said. "It's about time for something new."
"Enough teasing," Alice chirped, dancing over to me. "It's my turn."
"This should be interesting. I bet I know what you want to change…The amount of griping I do during Bella Barbie."
"Actually, you don't gripe that much anymore," Alice replied. "Bella, I am most grateful to you for trusting my brother enough to go to the meadow alone with him that first time. It was your faith in him that gave him the courage to trust himself to be near you, and to admit to himself, and you, that he loved you. The one thing I would change is that I would have kept my vision of you quiet until I had been able to verify what I thought I saw. We each bear a certain amount of responsibility for Edward ending up in Italy and you being exposed to the Volturi. That weight has never been, nor will ever be, yours alone to bear. Or Edward's, no matter how much he thinks it should." Alice shot a glance at Edward and he smirked slightly at her. She turned back to me and smiled again. "As for what I want you to know most, I want you to know how much I appreciate your friendship with Jasper. There are things that the two of you can share with each other that no one else will understand in the same way. By talking with you, he is able to lighten his burden and be a happier man, thereby making me a happier wife," Alice chuckled.
"Are you taking up some of Emmett's slack, too?" I teased, grinning at her.
Her tinkling laughter filled the small meadow as she danced back over to Jasper's side. And then there was one. Edward approached me slowly, as if he was afraid he would get close and I would disappear. When he finally reached me and took my hands into his, I could feel his entire body relax from my touch, and I knew that mine had just done the same thing. His golden eyes bore into mine, showing me the enormous range of emotions he was feeling. This moment felt too private to share. My family obviously felt the same because they left Edward and me alone in the meadow.
He sat down on the grass, and pulled me down into his lap, facing him. "Did you like your surprise?"
"Let me get back to you on that. I'm still reeling from everything that was said."
"They all blocked me, keeping me from knowing what they would say so that I would be surprised with you."
"What did you think of what they all said?"
"I'm surprised that they all feel as responsible for Italy as you and I do. It's quite silly really."
"Yes, and taking the blame completely onto your shoulders isn't silly at all," I said sarcastically.
"You misunderstand me," he chuckled. "I mean it's silly for any of us to worry about who was at fault at which point. That doesn't change our present or future. You and I are together and I am convinced that everything will go smoothly in Italy."
I wasn't sure if I could have the confidence in that statement that Edward had, so I attempted to change the subject. "Why did you decide to mark this day this year?"
"We've been speaking so much about your past, working through your emotions and discovering how much of your human memories you still have. It's been an amazing experience to see our life together through your memories. It's shown me my mistakes in a much clearer way, but it also showed me the things that I did correctly."
"Like coming back and never leaving again," I said, interrupting him.
He smiled and kissed my forehead. "Yes, that was the right thing. So was marrying you and changing you."
"Wow. That's the first time you've ever said that. I mean, sure we've said that we don't regret it, but that was the first time you ever said it was the right thing to do."
"I have a new perspective on things now. I was foolish to think I could ever be without you for a single second, much less continue living for an endless amount of time. I still would have preferred you to have a few more human experiences, but you would have been changed in the end regardless."
"I told you all along that I could never live without you. That was one of the reasons I believed you so easily. The fact that you could talk of a life without me…I could never do that with you. I am irrevocably in love with you and always have been."
Edward hugged me to his chest and held me close. "Are you ready to hear my three things?"
"Yes."
"I gave this a lot of thought, wanting to not only be honest, but to make sure I was keeping in mind all of the things I learned through your memories. I believe that all of my worst mistakes were made in the beginning, when I was so overwhelmed with my new emotions and I couldn't reconcile morally right with what was right for you. I can't really pick any one thing that I would change because there is so much I would do over again, so I am choosing to just apologize once again for all of my mistakes. I am sorry, Bella."
"As always, you are forgiven, Edward." I lifted my head and placed a kiss under his chin.
He chuckled and held me just a little tighter. "I am most grateful to you for loving me because you have brought lasting change to me, allowing me to be a man, and not the monster I feared I was. I have experienced so much with you, things that I never believed I would know personally, but only through books and movies. And I look forward to experiencing even more with you. The thing I want you to know most is that I have a deep respect for you and all that you have ever done for me, our family, and every other person that you have ever cared for and will ever care for. I have never known a single person to touch so many lives in such wonderful ways. I am in awe of you, my sweet Isabella."
I sat there for awhile, just looking into his eyes and processing his words. I could now see why he had gone last. If he had been the first to go, I would still have been focused on his words and would have missed everyone else's. I was sure Alice had helped make sure that didn't happen.
When I finally managed to organize my thoughts and find my voice, they both ended up being scattered as a small ray of sunshine found its way across Edward's face, making him sparkle. I brought my hands to his face and traced his features, while working to get my thoughts back in line again.
"Edward, we need to head back to the house."
"We still have some time before we need to leave for school."
"No, that's not it. I thought of what I want to say and I need to say it with everyone there."
"Okay, then. That's what we'll do."
I stood up and helped him to his feet. He smiled wickedly before grabbing me and tossing me onto his back. I laughed loudly as he took off running, causing the wind to sweep my hair out behind me. It was going to ruin Rosalie's curls, but I couldn't do anything but enjoy the ride.
When we got to the house, Alice was on back porch, jumping up and down.
"You didn't tell, right?" I questioned her, as I jumped down from Edward's back.
"Not a word," she chirped, before pretending to button her lips shut.
"How is it that I planned this surprise and I still don't know what's going on?" Edward pouted.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close so that I could whisper into his ear. "Have I told you how incredibly sexy you look when you pout?"
He chuckled as he put his hands on my hips. "No, I don't recall every having heard you say that, Mrs. Cullen."
"Well, now you have. Save the point for later, honey. I need to say this to everyone and then we need to get to school."
"We could play hookey," he offered, sticking out his bottom lip a little more.
"Tempting, but no dice. We have a test today."
"My, how responsible we have become," he teased, pulling my body closer to his.
"Oh, I have plenty of new things to show you."
"Do you now?"
"No, not really, but you're not pouting anymore," I chuckled, before running into the house with Alice.
Edward chased after me, caught me, and lifted me bridal style, holding me tightly to him and causing me to yelp and laugh.
"No getting freaky in the family room when said family is present," Emmett announced.
"You're just jealous because you still can't touch Rose," Edward said, smirking.
"Edward, be nice," I said. "And put me down while you're at it."
Edward chuckled, but obeyed.
I fixed my shirt and looked around at my family, smiling at all of them. "Thank you all for the wonderful things you said to me this morning. You have all made me feel so welcome and loved in this family, and I know this is exactly where I was meant to be. While I appreciated the thought behind each of you thinking of something you would change, I want you all to know that I wouldn't want you to change a thing. Unless there was a way to be one hundred percent sure that we would still end up together and happy like we are right now today, I would never change a thing—not one ounce of pain or sadness. Because while the bad times only lasted for a little while, our family will last forever. I love you all so very much and I hope that I express that to you often."
Even though Edward was standing right behind me, Esme was the first to wrap her arms around me. She was followed by Edward, Alice, Carlisle, Jasper, Rosalie, and then Emmett…Who made damn sure to squeeze extra hard and to make everyone groan and call out his name. But it was the most perfect hug in all the world and I would treasure the memory of it forever.
EBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEB
Well, loyal readers, we are winding down. This story is coming to an end. I hope you will all like it as much as I do. I don't think there will be any further sequels at this time, as Edward and Bella seem to have told me all they care to share. But then again, I never thought that original story would end up being a trilogy with so many followers. I want you all to know how loved and appreciated you guys are! You have all been so supportive and you've definitely made my fanfic experience something I will always remember. I'm anxious for Breaking Dawn and the movie, as I'm sure all of you are. I'm sure reading BD will give us all some great ideas for new fanfics. I'll have another chapter to post on Monday!
