A/N - Your continued enthusiasm for this story is wonderful - thank you all for your comments - they are so very appreciated. Much love to you all!
Mucho hugs and kisses to my beta-extraordinaire, changedbyEdward - luv ya bb!
Steph Meyer owns it all - except for Chloe...she is mine :) No copyright infringement intended.
Someone pointed out to me not too long ago that I hadn't stuck to the book on how Bella met Mike - I had used the movie version. I am sure there has been more than one occasion where I switched things up, but this was the first time I was asked about it. When I started ADKOM, I decided that I would just write - not trying to stick more to one or the other and see what came out. I have watched the movies countless times (Eclipse is up to 5 as this publishes...LOL) and read the books over and over as well - obviously it is going to jumble together somewhat so I figured I would just write whatever stuck out to me - as long as I remained true to the characters, I would be happy with it. Some will like it, some will not but that is the wonderful thing about fanfic - it is your chance to make the story how you want it! :)
Chapter 38
(Angela's POV)
I remember the snap of bone and silenced laughter when Victoria's head came away from her shoulders. I remember the crazed look of obsession in Mike's expression as he stared at Bella. Bella. I remember the sheer terror I felt; witnessing the look of frenzied hunger on my best friend's face. Her sparkling, red-eyed face. The face of a monster.
I remember the immediate agony I felt when Mike's foot made contact with my abdomen. The sound of bones shattering and the screams that must have been my own. Then darkness. I waited for death to find me; to release me; as my extremities began to numb. It shouldn't have been long until my system succumbed to the injuries. It should have happened swiftly.
But then the burn began. I thrashed against the ground where I lay, praying that someone would douse the flames that seared my skin, but it was as if I were invisible. Delirium set in as colours flashed past my eyes in a blur, but nothing relieved the agony of the fire within.
I wondered if perhaps I had been taken for medical treatment and that this was my dying body rebelling against modern medicine. The thought was a fleeting one. No physician would force this kind of pain on anyone.
I opened my mouth, trying to force myself to communicate; to beg them to simply let me go. But it was as if my vocal chords were paralyzed; charred beyond repair.
Soft whispers floated around me and I felt the lightest of touches brush against my scorched body. I couldn't make out the words, but believed they were meant to soothe. Perhaps God had finally taken pity on me, sending angels to finally bring me home.
But the fire continued to rage on. My mind attempted to add to my torture. Visions of the previous days of captivity plagued my memory like a sick horror film on repeat. The only sounds overpowering the roar of the flames were Victoria's manic laughter and the snapping of bones when Mike murdered the old farmer right before my eyes. With one last rallying effort, I forbade myself to allow this nightmare to be the final memories of my life on earth.
I thought of my family – my parents – God-fearing people that had committed their lives to teaching His lessons and helping those less fortunate. They truly had been an inspiration and I prayed that God would be merciful and help them through the pain of losing a child. I thought of my younger sister, Chloe, who dreamed of escaping the dreary, rainy days of Forks for the sunshine and glitter of Hollywood; following her dreams of stardom. I had no doubt that she would be successful at anything she aspired to be. She was everything I wasn't – outgoing, daring, vivacious. I envied her, but loved her so.
Finally, I thought of Ben. Loving, gentle Ben. The boy I would have followed anywhere if he would have let me. His dark eyes and shy smile mirrored the deep soul I had only begun to know and love. Our time together had been so short, yet I knew in my heart that we would have lasted. I pictured our future together – graduation, college, marriage and perhaps one day a family. I mourned the loss of what might have and prayed that someday he would move on and find another to share his life with.
I immersed myself in the memories of my short life with these people, closing off my mind from the scorching blaze I continued to endure. Although the pain was still excruciating, I felt peace as I held them close to my heart. I only hoped that my memories would last long enough to carry me through to then end, wherever it chose to lead me.
(Edward's POV)
I stared at her in wonder, unable to believe that she really had said the one word I had longed to hear. But she really had, she had said yes. Bella had agreed to become my wife.
She smiled up at me, squeezing my hand affectionately and finally stretching up on her toes like a ballerina to join her lips with mine. My hands cupped her face and I pressed gentle kisses to her forehead, her eyelids, her nose and finally once again meeting her mouth with mine; her arms encircled my waist in a loving embrace.
"I love you with all that I am, Bella." I whispered when we parted.
"And I love you, Edward. I have from the first moment I saw you and have never stopped." We stood in silence, basking in each other's declaration, her cheek pressed against my chest as she laced her fingers with mine.
While I longed to remain there in the silence of the forest - our fears finally at rest; I knew we were eagerly awaited at the house. As if reading my thoughts, Bella pulled away and began the trek back to our home in Seattle. We walked for a bit in contented silence; our hands never parting.
"Edward?"
"Yes, love?"
"I need you to tell me about Angela." I knew the question had been coming, but truthfully, I had been avoiding the conversation, unsure how to begin, or how Bella would react.
"Bella," I began, noting the fear already building in her expression, "Angela's injuries from Mike's attack were fatal, love. She was bleeding both internally and externally – there was nothing that could have been done for her medically…"
"Noo! Please tell me she's not gone!" Her tearless sobs tore at my entire being and I pulled her to me, hugging her close while she shuddered in my arms. "Not Angela!"
"Shh love, Bella, please, shh," I soothed; pressing my lips against the top of her head. "Bella, listen to me. She isn't gone. She is with Alice and Esme back at the house."
"But," I watched as her eyes met mine, the realization of what had happened dawning on her immediately. "Angela is a vampire?" Her tone was hushed.
"I couldn't let her die that way, Bella. I knew you would never be able to accept what had happened…"
She whirled away from me, her eyes dark with emotion. "Wait! You changed her? You changed Angela! For me?"
I stood staring at her in silence, unsure of what to say or do as I tried to gauge her reaction. I stepped towards her slowly, my hands raised in the air. "Bella…"
"Don't Edward! Just don't!" I watched her tear away from me, her long hair flying behind her as she raced off in the general direction of the house.
Dumbfounded, I stood gaping after her, only pulled out of my stupor by the ringing of my cell phone. Answering it, I remained speechless, slamming it shut and taking off after hearing Alice's shrill, "Don't just stand there, you dumb ox. GO AFTER HER!"
Flying through the trees, I silently cursed myself, realizing how wrong I had been. I was so wrapped up in my self-defamation I almost missed seeing Bella, sitting on a tree trunk, waiting for me.
Slowing to a stop, I stood at the edge of the small clearing, waiting for her cue. The look of devastation on her face was heartbreaking and I silently cursed myself for once again causing her such pain.
"Why, Edward?" Her voice soft, hurt.
"She would have died, Bella…" I didn't get a chance to finish.
"No! Why? Why her and not me?" The anguish and hurt in her voice, her entire being, shook me to the core. "I would have given anything for it to have been you. I begged you…" Her eyes met mine, glossed burgundy orbs, heavy with regret.
"Bella," I moved closer wanting to reach for her but afraid to, "my love, if I had it all to do over, I would. I would give you anything you wanted. I was on my way back to you to beg your forgiveness and ask you if it was what you still wished for."
"You were? How can I believe you, Edward? After so adamantly refusing for so long on that issue, what made you change your mind?"
"The realization that I was lost without you, Bella. You were everywhere, love – every thought, every wish, every fantasy and finally every delusion. I was on my way back to you because I physically couldn't stay away any longer. I needed to know if you could forgive me for being so, so stupid. If you could still possibly love me after what I did, what I said. And then…"
"Carlisle had already done it."
"Yes." I swallowed, the venom thick in my throat. "And as angry as I was at him for changing you, Bella, I know now that I was angrier at myself for not being strong enough to do it myself. For not giving you the one thing you asked for."
"I still don't understand about Angela. Why did you do it?" Her tone was softer now, but I still was unsure of where I stood.
"When I got to her, I knew I only had moments. The smell of her blood was so thick in the air – there was so much of it already spilled. I knew at that moment why you had taken off the way you did. You were only trying to protect Angela from Mike."
"And myself, Edward."
"You would have resisted, Bella. I know you don't believe me, but I truly think you would have been able to stop yourself, for Angela. But even so Bella, it was best you did what you did. Newton would have drained her without another thought."
"It means a lot to me that you believe me that strong, Edward, but I think you would have been wrong."
I shook my head, but continued. "Either way, love, it would have been in vain had I not bit her. Your sacrifice would have been worth nothing and she would inevitably have died at Newton's hand if I hadn't done it. I couldn't let that happen, Bella – I knew how much she meant to you as a friend and I just couldn't let her die that way. Not knowing if there was a risk of a newborn finding us, I simply reacted, hoping I would be able to stop."
"But how? You were so against taking my life – my soul…"
"Bella," I shortened the distance between us, standing only a few feet from where she sat – still not close enough to touch, but as near as I dared go, "my love for you is what held me back from changing you. I thought I was protecting you. I realize now that it was wrong, but I really believed I had your best interests at heart. I would also do anything to make you happy, and if that meant changing Angela, I would do it."
"So you had no qualms taking someone else's soul because you were doing it for me." I shuddered at her words, realizing how callous they sounded, but they were true. I had sacrificed Angela's soul simply because I knew Bella would want her friend to have a chance at life, or whatever our existence was.
"Yes."
The silence was deafening while I waited for her to process everything I had told her. It amazed me how much of her humanity she had carried through the change with her – even though her reactions were vampire-like, she still thought the same way she had as a human. She was still so much the Bella I had first fallen in love with, I wondered if perhaps Carlisle were right after all. No matter how much I doubted the continued existence of mine, Bella's soul was clearly intact.
The ringing of my cell phone once again broke through the silence of the forest. Answering quickly I heard Alice's voice on the other end instructing us that we needed to return home soon if we wished to be there when Angela woke up. I sensed the excitement in her voice and knew that she had witnessed my impromptu proposal. I ended the call and looked up to find Bella standing beside me.
"We need to go," she spoke softly and I nodded, hating the thought of leaving this spot with so much left unsettled.
"I'm so sorry, Bella. You are everything to me and the last thing I would ever want to do is hurt you, yet I continue to do so." My eyes met hers in shock when I felt her hand slip into mine.
"Let's go home." Her words were simple but of immense meaning. They gave me hope that she was able to understand and perhaps forgive me for all that had transpired. I raised her hand to my lips, kissing it gently as we set off for home.
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