My-Bella and E.C. Cullen proudly present the final chapters of Bella and Edward's trilogy. We are lucky to have had so many of you follow us through all three stories and we will miss the almost daily reviews and banter with you lovely, lovely readers. I sincerely hope this ending is as satisfying to you to read, as it was for me to write. Hugs, cookies, and kisses!
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DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me…they are all the creation of the wonderful Stephenie Meyer.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Read and find out…HEHE.
Super Long Final Chapter
"No. Vampires aren't supposed to faint," I mumbled, trying to pull myself out of the blackness. "Rose, please don't add it to the list. This one wasn't my fault."
"Bella?"
I knew that voice. That voice belonged to my husband. I smiled and fought even harder to get out of the darkness enveloping me. I forced my eyes to open a little and they immediately rested on his eyes. But they weren't the topaz I had become used to seeing; they were closer to onyx, with only a small golden ring.
"Why haven't you hunted, Edward?" I asked, wondering why my voice was so raspy.
"I was going to go, but Alice saw you waking up and I've been waiting for this day for so long."
"I couldn't have been out that long. Aro, Caius, and Marcus must be beside themselves at having seen a vampire faint."
"Bella, what are you talking about?" he asked, taking my hands into his.
I was shocked by how cold he felt. "Edward, you feel cold. What's wrong with me?" I asked, my voice slightly hysterical.
"Bella, please calm down and tell me what you're talking about."
I took a deep breath and looked around the room. I was in a hospital room and when I turned my head farther to the right, I saw an IV and a heart monitor; two very common things for a hospital room. But the thing that shouldn't be there was the steady heartbeat showing on the monitor.
"Why am I in a hospital and how are you faking my heartbeat? Does this have something to do with Carlisle's plan to get us out of Volterra?"
"This is getting us nowhere," Edward sighed, brushing my hair out of my face. "Why don't I tell you what I know and then you tell me what you think is going on?"
"That sounds reasonable."
"Isabella, you've been in a coma for the better part of two months. I have never wished so hard to be able to hear you, to know that you were still in there somewhere."
"Edward, I couldn't have been. I'm a vampire."
"No, Bella. You are very human."
"But…But we got married and then you changed me."
"No, love. We were never able to get married."
I looked down at his hands as they encased mine. Tears welled up and spilled down my cheeks, further confirming what he was saying. "No. This isn't right. This is all wrong."
"Bella, were you dreaming?"
"If I was dreaming, then I want to go back to sleep."
"Please don't," he begged, his voice cracking. "You can't possibly know what it's been like to sit here everyday and wonder if you will ever wake up again. For the longest time, Alice couldn't see anything except you just lying here. A couple of weeks ago, she started to get glimpses of you talking to me, but nothing concrete until this morning."
I looked up at him, noticing the fear, anxiety, and relief in his eyes. I took one of my hands away from his and pressed it to his cheek. "I would never leave you, Edward."
He sighed and kissed my palm, pressing his face into my hand. "I love you so much, Bella. It's been so dark without you."
"Edward, what happened to me?"
"It can wait until you're stronger."
I would definitely be returning to that topic, but, for now, I had another question. "Is Charlie here?"
"No. He had to go into work today. But he'll be by this afternoon, just as he always is. Renee will call him around six, just as she has always done, everyday, for the past two months."
"Where's our family?"
He smiled a true smile at my words. "Alice told them you were awake and they are all on their way. Carlisle is right outside the door, waiting to be invited in."
"Dad, please come in," I said, knowing he would hear me.
Edward looked shocked at my words, but I ignored him. The door opened and Carlisle smiled a little sheepishly at me.
"Yes, I meant you," I laughed, waving him in.
"Bella, are you okay?" Carlisle asked, approaching me slowly.
"Yes, but it seems I had a very vivid dream while I was out. More real and vivid than anything else I've ever dreamt before. I thought it was all real," I explained.
"What was your dream about?" Carlisle inquired, sitting in the chair by my bed and taking my hand.
"It was about all of us. Edward and I got married, and then he changed me. We all moved and lived together in Alaska for the first year in order to gradually introduce me to humans. Once we knew I could handle the bloodlust, we moved to Stony Creek, New York, so we could all go to Dartmouth together. Well, except for mom and you, of course. And then the summer came and we all went to Volterra, like you were forced to promise Aro. We were standing around, listening to Marcus explain the bond he felt between Edward and me. And then, I fainted. But I guess I didn't really faint, I just woke up." I frowned deeply, wondering how my life after being changed would compare to the wonderful dream I'd had.
Edward's cold finger gently lifted my chin. "What's wrong, Bella?"
I looked into his eyes, fighting the urge to cry. "It was just so real, Edward. And you were so happy. We were so happy. Even with the few bad times we went through, you were elated and even got to the point where you believed you had a soul." I took my hand from Carlisle's and placed it over Edward's heart. "It's extremely beautiful and bright, you know."
"Bella, it was only a dream," Edward said, putting his hand over mine.
I shook my head slowly. "Dream or not, that's still what your soul looks like."
The door to my hospital room opened and the rest of my family poured in. I could tell right away that Alice was trying hard not to bounce on me and it made me laugh.
"Bella," she sighed, hugging me and resting her head on my shoulder. I patted her with the hand Edward wasn't clutching.
"Hi, sis."
Alice pulled back and looked from Edward to me. "Did you do something I don't know about?" she asked, looking at Edward.
"No," he chuckled. "It seems that the entire time Bella has been in a coma, she's been having a very vivid dream about her life with all of us."
"Alice, the wedding turns out beautifully, but Charlie and Renee don't come," I told her. "Or maybe since this time I've been in an accident, I can use it against them to make them come." I looked over at Edward. "I was in an accident, right?"
"Yes, love," he replied, leaning forward and pressing his cool lips to my forehead.
"Alice, give the rest of us a turn," Emmett said, clearly itching to get his arms around me.
Her tinkling laughter filled the room as she moved so Emmett and Esme could give me hugs. I noticed Jasper and Rosalie standing off to the side together.
"Well, this is going to take some getting used to," I muttered.
"What do you mean?" Edward asked, searching my eyes for the answer.
"Well, in my dream, we were all really close, and that included Jasper and Rosalie. Only, you let me call you Rose and you were truly my big sister," I said, looking straight at her.
Rosalie approached me slowly and took my hand into hers. "You had the perfect dream and you dreamt that we were close?"
"Oh, it wasn't perfect. I messed up all the time and you kept a list of all the silly things I did that no other vampire had ever done before. I was the first vampire to ever get stuck while climbing. I was also the first vampire to be clumsy, though, not nearly as much as when I was human. And Emmett and I got in trouble all the time with Edward for pulling pranks or doing things he said not to do. Edward had to threaten to rip his arms off a lot, but it got better after I got trapped by the avalanche."
"An avalanche?" Esme gasped.
Edward moved so that he was holding me in his arms, as if he was afraid an avalanche was going to swallow me up right then. I couldn't help but laugh.
"Edward, it was only in my dream," I said, hoping to calm him down. "I'm sure Emmett wouldn't get me buried for real. Besides, in my dream, I was already a vampire by that time and Emmett protected me. Although, if he hadn't kidnapped me in the first place, we wouldn't have even been on the mountain," I explained.
"Emmett kidnapped you?" Edward snarled, staring at our brother.
"Edward," I laughed. "Calm down. It was a dream, remember?"
"Why were we on a mountain?" Emmett asked.
"Snowboarding," I replied, smiling at him.
Jasper approached the end of my bed.
"I think I'll miss you the most," I said, my frown returning.
"What do you mean?" Jasper questioned, lifting an eyebrow at me.
"Well, once I was a vampire, you and I hung out all the time. We argued over books, and we talked about stuff that Edward and Alice didn't want us to talk about, like my unnatural vampire tendencies and your bloodlust troubles. And we even pulled a few pranks against Edward and Emmett."
"Bella, dear, it sounds like you had a lovely dream," Esme said, patting my knee.
"It was. You and I gardened together. And then dad…I mean, Carlisle, and I talked in his study while he tried to figure out if I had a power or not," I told her.
"Bella, you did that earlier," Carlisle commented. "Why do you call me 'dad'? Not that I mind."
"Oh, well, you see Charlie and Renee didn't want to have anything to do with the wedding or me after I told them I accepted Edward's proposal." I stopped talking and looked up at Edward. "That day in the meadow…That was at least real, right?"
"Yes, love," Edward chuckled. "Your accident happened a few days later."
"Good," I said, relieved. "But where's my ring?"
"I'm holding onto it for you until you're released from the hospital," Edward told me.
"Okay," I nodded my head and kissed his cheek, turning back toward Carlisle. "Where was I? Oh! Okay, so they didn't want anything to do with me and I moved in with you guys long before the wedding happened, so that by the time it did happen, I had gotten used to calling you 'dad' and to calling Esme 'mom'."
"What a strange little human you are," Rose chuckled. "So willing to accept us all and let go of your humanity."
"Even if it was just a dream, I learned something very important, Rose. The way you all live, the choice you make to spare human lives—it gives you more humanity than some humans will ever possess," I told her, thinking back to the human boy, Stephen.
My family—they would always be that, dream or not—listened attentively as I explained some of the livelier parts of my dream. No one looked at me as if I was crazy; they all just seemed relieved to have me awake and talking to them. After a few hours, they left Edward and me alone, wanting me to get some rest before Charlie arrived.
Edward moved to go sit in the chair, but I tugged at his hand.
"Please lay with me," I begged.
He smiled and granted my request, holding me in his cold, stone arms.
I tried to just relax and enjoy being with him, but my curiosity kept gnawing at me. It was then that I understood that everything had been a dream, because I no longer had a handle on it at all. "Edward, what happened to me?"
"Bella, it can wait until you're stronger."
"I'm strong enough now," I protested, "And besides that, I have you with me."
"Always so stubborn."
"I'll still be that way, even after I'm a vampire," I assured him. "However, I will learn to get a grip on my curiosity. But for now, I'm human and this human wants answers."
He chuckled and placed a soft kiss against the side of my head. "Is there any way to convince you to at least wait until tomorrow?"
I thought about it for a few minutes. "Yes. But you have to meet the following conditions. You have to have Alice stay with me tomorrow morning so you can go and hunt. You also have to be the one to inform Charlie that I'm moving in with you now, and not waiting until after we're married. After knowing—well, dreaming—what it's like to always be at your side, to never have to go back to my empty room, I can't go back to living at Charlie's."
"Must you ask the impossible of me?" he sighed, blowing his sweet breath into my face and slightly dazzling me.
"Yes. Because it's not impossible, and you know you need to hunt. You can have Emmett stay with me, too, if it will make it easier for you. As for the living arrangements, I'm not budging on those."
"I wouldn't ask that of you. I have spent nearly every second of everyday with you for the past two months and it would be unbearable to me to leave you for any longer than necessary."
"Edward, how long have you been here waiting for me?"
"With the exception of a few hours here and there, practically the entire time. The first time I left, Emmett literally dragged me out of here to force me to hunt. If I hadn't needed to go so badly, he never would have pried me away from you."
"And the other times?"
"Carlisle, Esme, and Alice each came and took me with them. They didn't have to forcibly remove me since they promised we would be quick and stay in the area."
"Edward, you know you can't put your needs on hold for me. It stresses you out more than is necessary."
"Bella, I didn't want to risk you waking up alone. I…"
"What?" I asked, bothered by the deep sadness in his eyes.
"I was afraid you would wake up alone and think that I had left you," he admitted, holding me a little tighter to him.
"Edward, even if I had thought that for a few minutes, I'm sure you would have returned under Alice's instructions to set me straight. I love you. That's never going to change, human or vampire."
"I love you, too, my Bella."
I smiled, hugging Edward as best I could with the way I was laying. "So, we'll just inform Charlie we can't be without each other for a single second more. We'll visit him lots and I'll make sure he eats well, but I want to be with you."
"Bella, maybe you should take some time to think about that. You've just woken up and you had an extremely vivid dream. I don't want you to make choices based on that."
"Edward, if my real life with you is a fraction of what that dream was like, I will forever be happy. These are my choices because they are what I want." I snuggled further against his granite chest. "So do you accept those conditions or do you want to tell me what happened?"
"I accept your conditions, love. I'll tell you what happened tomorrow."
"Have I missed anything exciting?" I asked, reveling in the comfort of his arms.
"I wouldn't know. As I've said, I've been here with you."
"Poor Alice. She must have been so disappointed when she had to cancel everything for the wedding."
"No, Bella. She didn't care about the wedding. She only cared about you and your recovery. She was very distraught when she couldn't see you waking up. But once she started to get glimpses of you talking with me, she started planning an entirely new wedding. She's only keeping your dress and my tux, but all other plans have gone out the window."
"Leave it to Alice to have so much done, so soon after I accepted," I chuckled.
"Bella, in your dream…were you happy with me?"
"Blissfully so. You were an amazing husband."
"Did you have much trouble as a newborn?"
"Lots, but it was because I was an unusual vampire. The smell of blood still disgusted me, so I only hunted when I had to, or when you made me. And because I didn't hunt often, it took me longer to heal when something happened to me. I already told you about still being clumsy. But our family and you were always very supportive."
"I wonder how this dream will affect us. As if the standard you already held me at wasn't high enough."
"Edward, be serious."
"I am. You always think that I'm perfect."
"No, that's what you assume. I know damn well that you aren't perfect. No one is completely perfect. When I say that you are perfect, I mean that you are perfect for me. And honestly, Edward, I only care that you are here with me. I won't be comparing every little thing to my dream. That would be idiotic."
He chuckled and kissed the top of my head. "I love you, Bella."
"I love you, too, Edward."
"Are you tired?"
"No. My body is still a little achy, though."
"You mostly had bruises when they brought you in. The only real trauma was to your head. That old truck of yours took the brunt of the damage."
"I told you that the old rust bucket was good for something."
Edward laughed happily and hugged me just a bit tighter. "God, Bella, I've missed you so much. Your laugh, your voice, your humor, those beautiful, brown eyes of yours…even your stubbornness. At one point, I pleaded with you to sit up and argue with me, just so long as you came back to me."
"I would say that I missed you, too, but you were right there in my dream." I was quiet for a second, before I remembered what Edward would find to be the best part of my dream. "Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you. In my dream, my power was that I could make a connection with you and let you into my mind. You got to hear me, Edward. And whenever we wanted to have a conversation without the house hearing, we would talk in our thoughts."
"That sounds like an excellent power, Bella."
"The best part was that it only worked with you, so I was completely useless to Aro."
Edward sighed and pressed his face into my hair.
I didn't want to upset him, so I changed the topic. "Would you like to hear about our wedding?"
"I would like that a lot, Bella."
"It was so beautiful. Alice did a great job decorating, but I didn't notice any of that until after we were married. It took place in your backyard, right at twilight. Once I stepped foot out of the backdoor, the only thing I could see was you. But I noticed the decorations on the way back. She used blue and gold, and the arch we were married under was covered in wildflowers from our meadow."
"It sounds amazing."
"It truly was. I was in the dress Alice showed me." I turned in his arms, looking up at him. "Was that part real?"
"Yes, love. She showed you the dress before we went to the meadow."
"Good, because the dress is absolutely perfect and you love it."
"Do I?" he chuckled, running his finger along my cheek.
"Yes, you do," I assured him, before leaning up and kissing his cheek. "And Emmett marries us."
"Really? How many jokes did he make?"
"Only a few, but they were all very tasteful. And Jasper walked me down the aisle, while Carlisle was your best man, and Alice was my maid-of-honor. And Rose stood with us, too. You recited the most beautiful vows to me. I had been having trouble with mine, but once you spoke yours, I knew exactly what to say to you. And then we had the reception inside the house. I danced with you practically the whole night—standing on your feet, of course."
"Of course," he chuckled.
"Carlisle shared the father-daughter dance with me since Charlie didn't go."
"I will do everything in my power to make sure your father attends our wedding and walks you down the aisle, Isabella. Just so you know, he's really been coming around in his thoughts toward me. He's impressed with the way I've stayed at your side all these weeks. He kept expecting me to leave when you didn't wake up."
"Silly father," I chuckled. "You promised to never leave me again and you would never break that promise, no matter what."
"That is very true," he said, as he lowered his head and kissed me sweetly. "You are my life, Isabella."
"And you are mine, Edward. Every single day of forever."
"Yes, my love. I promise you it will be forever. You should rest now. Charlie will be here in a couple of hours to see you and I'm sure once he figures out you've come out of your coma, you'll have to speak to Renee as well."
"But I'm not tired," I yawned.
"Stubborn," he chuckled, before starting to hum my lullaby.
"I love you," I mumbled, before sleep overtook me.
Sometime later, I slowly woke up to the sound of my angel and my father speaking.
"Edward, why are you in her bed?" Charlie asked, sounding a little upset.
By the tone of Edward's voice, he was still elated by today's events. "She woke up today, Charlie. She asked me to hold her while she rested so she would be awake for you."
"She woke up?" Charlie asked. I heard a whooshing sound, followed by a thump, and figured it was Charlie falling into the chair next to my bed.
"Yes, Charlie. She was a little disoriented, but she seems to be just fine now."
"How's her memory?"
"I didn't want to wear her out, so I didn't question her too much."
"Does she know what happened to her?"
"No. I convinced her to wait until tomorrow, when she'll be a little stronger after having eaten some real food."
"I should go and get her something. Oh, I'm a horrible father. I don't even know what her favorite take-out is."
"It's okay, Charlie. It doesn't make you a bad father at all. Bella isn't exactly the type of person to just tell you things like that. It took me forever to get her to divulge her secrets," Edward chuckled. "But if I were to guess, I would say that Bella would love a turkey and cheese sandwich with a coke."
"I'll run down to the deli and get her one. If she wakes up, tell her I'll be right back," Charlie said. I could hear his voice fading as he moved toward the door.
The door clicked shut and Edward gently kissed my jaw. "Open your eyes, my little possum."
"Edward, how can you always tell the difference between when I'm sleeping and when I'm awake?" I giggled, opening my eyes and looking into his.
"Your breathing and heartbeat are different when you sleep from when you're awake," he explained, nuzzling my neck with his nose.
"I love you, Edward."
"I love you, my Bella." He kissed my cheek softly. "Would you like me to help you sit up in the bed?"
"Please."
Edward moved off the bed and I instantly missed his contact. He moved the pillows around for me and helped me scoot back against them.
"Now, sit back down next to me," I ordered, patting the bed.
He chuckled, but did as I asked. I took his hand into mine and twined our fingers together.
Charlie returned to the room a few minutes later with a bag and a soda. He nearly dropped both when he saw me looking at him and smiling.
"Hi, Charlie," I greeted, giving him a small wave with my free hand.
"Bella." He made my name sound like a sigh of relief. He put the items down on the bedside tray and quickly moved over to me, wrapping me up in an awkward hug. "I'm so glad you're awake. Your mother and I have been praying everyday for you to wake up and come back to us."
"Of course I was going to come back," I told him, leaning more against Edward. "I could never leave Edward. We have lots to do together, starting with our wedding."
"Bella, you just woke up. I really don't think you need to tire yourself out with that sort of thing."
"Charlie, Alice is handling the hard work. I just have to look beautiful and marry the man I love. So therefore, there's no harm in me talking about it."
My father smiled sheepishly at me, letting the matter go for now. "I got you a sandwich and a soda. I thought you might be hungry."
"Now that you mention it, I think I am." My stomach growled loudly, making Edward chuckle.
Charlie pushed the tray over to me and took the sandwich out of the bag for me. Edward tried to let my hand go to make it easier for me to eat, but I refused. He wasn't going anywhere until he had to hunt in the morning.
Charlie pretty much talked my ear off, telling me how much he missed my cooking and how he had been worried about me. He also admitted that he appreciated the way Edward had stayed at my bedside the entire time.
I was slightly relieved when Renee ended up calling at six on the dot, putting an end to Charlie's chatter. But that was short-lived when I had to hold the phone away from me to deal with all of her squealing; she possibly might have been louder than Alice in the middle of a shopping spree.
It was close to twilight outside when I started having trouble keeping my eyes open. Charlie said some words and kissed my forehead before leaving. Edward moved the pillows around and laid me down. I tried to get him to stay with me, but he said he was making me cold. I had to settle for holding onto his hand while he sat in the chair next to my bed. He assured me he would be staying through the night. Carlisle had made arrangements as soon as I had been brought in, for Edward to always be allowed in my room.
The next morning, I awoke to find myself clutching a different cold hand; it was Alice's and as soon as she noticed my eyes were open, she gave me a blindingly bright smile.
"Morning, Bella."
I smiled in return, letting go of her hand and sitting myself up in the bed. "Morning, Alice. I assume Edward is out hunting."
"Just as you requested. He'll be back in half an hour."
"Did Emmett come along, too?"
"He never left, silly. Emmett has been guarding your door ever since the first day you were brought in. Carlisle had his work cut out for him arranging that one, especially having already arranged for Edward to be in your room twenty-four-seven."
"Why does Emmett need to guard my door, Alice?"
"Well, he actually takes turns with Jasper."
"Alice, why are my brothers guarding my door?"
Alice squealed loudly and attacked me with a hug. "I love to hear you call them that."
"It's what they are, or soon will be," I said, waving my hand around. "Either way, why?"
"Edward will explain it all to you when he gets back." Alice pulled a deck of cards out of her purse. "In the meantime, how about a game of battle?" she asked, as she hopped up onto my bed.
"Just one sec," I told her, holding up my hand. "Emmett, poke your head in here so I can say good morning."
My door opened just enough for Emmett to put his grinning face inside the crack. "Morning, little sis."
"Morning, brother bear."
"I like that nickname."
"I know," I giggled. "Thank you for whatever reason you're watching my door."
"You're welcome, Bella. I'm just glad you're back and okay."
"Me, too," I told him, as he closed the door. I turned my head toward Alice. "Alright, you sneaky little pixie, let's battle."
Alice's tinkling laughter filled the room as she dealt the cards. Battle was the only card game where it didn't matter if Alice could see your cards or not, since we were just flipping over random cards.
The two of us were deep into our tenth game of battle, when my door opened and Edward walked into the room. He smiled brightly, seeing me sitting up and laughing with Alice. He was at my side in an instant, kissing my cheek and hugging me gently.
"How was the hunt?" I asked, smiling at him.
"Necessary," he replied, settling into the chair next to my bed. "How has your morning been?"
"Excellent," I told him. "I've beaten Alice six times, and I got to have a cream cheese bagel for breakfast. Carlisle brought it to me himself." I looked at Alice and then at Edward. "And now that I have my two favorite people in the world with me, I want to know what happened to me."
Alice coughed unnecessarily and Edward grimaced slightly.
"You both know better than to try and keep things from me. Besides, you promised, Edward," I said, locking his eyes with mine.
He moved from the chair, sitting on the bed and pulling me into his lap. "I don't plan to keep this from you, but I'm not looking forward to telling you because I know it will hurt you."
I rested my head against his shoulder and took Alice's hand in mine. "I have both of you with me, so I'm sure I'll be fine. Tell me what happened."
"Bella, you were driving over to our house to go over some wedding details with me," Alice said.
"You had forced me to go hunting that morning. That's why you were driving yourself," Edward explained, with a pained expression on his face.
"You were coming around one of the curves, and there was something in the road," Alice stated.
"Someone," Edward corrected. "Bella, Paul was in the middle of the road."
"Did I kill him?" I gasped.
"Of course not," Edward chuckled. "He's a werewolf, love. And he was in wolf form at the time. But he did a lot of damage to your truck and the old thing flipped over onto its roof, causing you to hit your head. Emmett and Jasper got to you right away after Alice saw your future disappear, and I met them at the hospital as they arrived with you. Apparently, Paul waited to transform until he saw your truck so that he could get past Alice."
"Why was Paul in the road?" I asked.
"He was angry with you. He thought it was you who sent the wedding invitation to Jacob," Alice replied.
"I didn't send anything to Jake. I wouldn't do that to him," I argued.
"I know, Bella," Edward said softly, hugging me just a little tighter. "It was me and I'm sorry. I thought he would want the choice, since I know I would have. When Jacob got the invitation, he ran away from the pack. Paul blamed you for Jacob leaving. He said he only wanted to scare you, that he didn't mean for you to get into an accident. Paul knew the pack wasn't happy with his actions, so he took off. I've had Emmett and Jasper watching your door, just in case."
I thought hard, trying to remember that day. But I kept drawing a blank. I shook my head slightly. "I can't remember anything from that day. I just remember the meadow and driving back to tell Charlie. I don't remember anything after that." I turned my head to look up at Edward. "Did Jake come back?"
"Yes. He came back about a week ago. He's been by once or twice to check in on you," Edward said, stroking my hair gently. "He assures me Paul was just acting out of anger and doesn't pose a threat to you, but I would rather be cautious." Edward turned quiet, looking like he was gathering his thoughts. "Jacob has changed some, Bella. He's grown up. He understands that you love me and have chosen me."
"What aren't you telling me?" I questioned, watching his eyes flicker the slightest bit.
"Edward, tell her or I will. She's been through enough without adding shock to the list," Alice commanded.
Edward gave me a sad smile. "Jacob has imprinted."
"Oh, is that all? Well, this is much quicker than when it happened in my dream, but I knew he would imprint one day," I told Edward.
"You're really okay with that?" Edward asked, searching my eyes.
"Of course I am, silly vampire. I want Jacob to be happy. Just as I want to marry you and be happy myself," I explained.
Alice clapped her hands together excitedly. "Bella, that's perfect!"
"What's perfect?" Edward asked, frowning.
"Is Alice blocking you?" I chuckled.
Edward pouted slightly and nodded his head.
I laughed and hugged him tightly. "She likes my new wedding date."
"Which is?" Edward asked, lifting an eyebrow at me.
"Christmas Eve night, with the moon shining on the snow," I told him.
"And that's exactly what it's going to be like," Alice stated with confidence.
I fought a giggle as I looked up at Edward. "Edward, will you marry me?"
Alice fell over in a fit of giggles, rolling around on the edge of my hospital bed.
Edward lowered his head, his lips inches away from mine. "It would be my absolute pleasure," he whispered, before pressing his lips to mine.
I had no idea if my future was going to be anything like that dream I'd had, but I couldn't wait to find out. I had become that girl and I wanted to be his wife. Now, I just had to convince him to get me out of this hospital and back to our home, to start our forever—together.
THE END – except for the Bonus chapter...
