Disclaimer: I have no claim on any of the characters from Twilight or New Moon all rights go to Stephenie Meyer.
Summary: Edward leaves Bella alone in the woods after telling her he didn't want her any more. As she is lying on the cold forest floor; Bella remembers three important things. Edward made a promise not to leave her, and Edward never broke a promise, and third it was her body, her heart, what right did he have to decide what was good for her? All in all Bella realizes that Edward was covering up his true feeling about her. All in all Bella goes to bring Edward home.
Last Time:
Edward POV
"Oh Bella, I'm so sorry."
The skin of her left cheek was weeping clear but blood tinged fluid from a tear in the first layer of skin. Bella's cheek was a dark purple and her eye was already turning black. The cheek bone must be broken.
I was thankful of one thing - Aro hadn't killed her and he could have done so with that one slap. The sound of Bella groaning in pain brought me out of my thoughts. Carlisle was now examining the damage done to Bella's face.
"I imagine there is a break in the cheek bone. We'll get some ice on it soon. Can I get you something for the pain, Bella?"
Bella shook her head at Carlisle. "No, I'm okay. The pain isn't that bad."
I may not be able to read my love's thoughts; I was, however, becoming very skilled at reading her eyes.
"Bella, you don't have to lie to make us feel better. If you are in pain then you should let Carlisle give you something for it."
My gaze never left Bella's. The contusions and laceration to the left side of Bella's face was another cruel reminder just how fragile Bella's life was, and it was wearing down my resolve. She had almost died again today.
Chapter 16: All I Wanted
Bella POV
As I had come to expect from the Cullen's endless resources, we were on the next flight out of Italy and on our way home. Our connecting flight in Paris didn't leave until the next day for New York. I must have looked pretty bad, because Edward said something to Carlisle. He nodded and then left with Alice. They both came back fifteen minutes later with keys to rooms in a near by hotel.
I wrapped my arm around Edward as he carried me through the door of one of the rooms Carlisle had rented for the evening.
I was well aware of what Edward's agenda was. He was going to put me to bed and then go next door to talk to Carlisle and Alice. After everything we had just been through I didn't want him to leave yet and I clung to him.
"Bella?" Edward asked softly.
I knew what he was asking, he wanted me to let go so he could lay me down.
"No, I don't want to yet." I answered as I leaned against him more allowing my abused cheek to rest on his cool, smooth jaw line.
"You're cold, and smooth skin feels so nice on my cheek right now." I then glanced into his darkened amber eyes. "But you need to feed, so I guess I'll just have to let go for a little while."
Edward sat down on the end of the bed. He was silent as the two of us just stared into each others eyes in the dimly lit room. Our lips were so close, and his sweet minty breath was blowing gently across my face.
"Bella."
His voice had a huskiness to it I had never heard before.
"Yes, Edward?"
It was in that moment I realized a kiss was inevitable, and my pulse instinctively quickened. When our lips touched his lips were gentle as our lips did their best to bond themselves with one another. Time seemed to slow to a stop as we sat on the bed kissing. I pulled away a little to catch my breath.
I had barely taken a breath before Edward had taken my lips captive once more. His kiss was filled with wanting, as if his life depended on my kiss to live. This was a side to Edward I had never seen before. He lay back taking me with him. My mind was a roller coaster of thoughts as I felt Edward's hands wondered over every curve of my body as if planting each one to memory – actually, he probably was doing just that.
I gasped suddenly when I felt Edward cool breath against the nape of my neck. The feel of his lips on my neck made my heart start to pound rapidly inside my chest.
'Yes, yes, yes!' I chanted inside my head, grateful that he couldn't hear it.
He was panting slightly when he stopped his gentle ministrations to my neck. Edward then tucked his nose in the nape of my neck. It took me a moment to realize that he was listening to the sound of my erratic and now calming heart beat.
"I have no problem staying here, if it's what you want. In fact, I would love nothing more then to stay right here."
I'm not sure how long we lay there together, Edward with his arms around me and me with my face lying against the cool skin of his before I broke the silence with my shaking voice.
"I was really scared, Edward. I thought they were going to kill you. I didn't think we were going to make it out of there. I know, I was stupid for saying what I did, but I just couldn't let him talk about all of you like that. I just couldn't."
Somewhere during my outburst of feelings, I had started weeping. All the fear that I had been holding onto just came spilling out of me.
"Shhhh, you're safe. We're all safe, and it's because of you. I wouldn't have let them harm you."
I didn't resist his comfort and fell into a peaceful sleep in Edward's arms despite their chilliness. Later in the night, my peaceful dreams turned into torturous nightmares.
Victoria appeared, taunting me with her laughter and promising me that if she couldn't finish me then she would find other ways to make me suffer.
Her laughter repeated over and over again in my head. Victoria continued to haunt me with her cruel laughter and words.
"I promise you that you and your mate will pay for what you did."
In the darkness behind her, several sets of blood red eyes stared back at me. The very sight of them sent a shiver coursing through my spine.
Victoria was then suddenly right in front of me. She was so close that her cool breath was causing goose bumps to form on my skin.
"I will take everything from you until you beg me for your death."
From nowhere, Edward appeared in my dream and stood protectively in front of me.
"I'll never let you hurt her."
Victoria sneered at Edward, "You won't have a choice."
I stood horrified as I watched as Victoria took a hold of Edward. He struggled as if there was someone else holding him as well, but I saw no one but Victoria.
"Say goodbye to your love, just like I had too." Victoria seemly whispered into my ear.
Tears started to fall when I realized that there was no way for me to save him and Victoria had won.
My heart fractured apart at the metallic sound that screeched inside my ears as Edward was ripped apart in front of me.
"N-noooooooooooo!"
In that one second I had faded away into nothing.
My body jerked as if trying to fight the darkness engulfing me. Thankfully, it awakened me from my frightening nightmare. I bolted upright, and my body slammed into something hard. My arms shot out on instinct and wrapped around the form in front of me.
My cheeks were already wet from my earlier tears, but in my relief at knowing that it hadn't happened, the tears just continued to flow free. Edward began to soothe me by gently combing his fingers through my hair.
"Shhhh, Bella everything is all right it was just a dream." Edward cooed to me in a soft tone.
"It was more like a nightmare, but it felt so real." I sobbed into his chest.
"She hasn't forgotten, Edward; she's still looking for me. And she's not going to stop until she finds me." I said firmly.
"Who are you talking about, Bella? Edward questioned.
I knew he had to know already but I answered him any way.
"Victoria."
"Bella it was…" Edward started.
I cut Edward off as fast as I could, "just a dream. Yeah, I know that, but it felt like she was standing right next to me!"
It was going to be impossible to get Edward to take my dream seriously. So I sighed and laid back down in the bed and rolled over on my side away from Edward.
"Just forget it." I said with as much coldness as I could muster.
The left side of my face was throbbing again. My pain medicine had worn off or my crying had brought the pain back. As I moved to brush a stray strand of hair out of my face, my fingers graze one of the barrettes that Edward had given me for Christmas with his family's crest on them.
Even if he believed my dream was just that, I was still a member of his family even if I didn't share their name and should be taken as seriously as every other member.
I came out of my angry thoughts long enough to realize that Edward had left my side and was now talking to Carlisle and Alice in the next room. Sadly they were speaking in such hushed tones I couldn't make out what they were saying to one another.
Edward returned from next door and sighed.
"Bella, tell me about your dream."
"Why? You don't care about it. You're just asking because they told you too." I assumed.
All I wanted was for the rest of Edward's resolve to crumble away. I was a liability in this glass body of mine. I knew he was aware of it. I had had so many close calls and then I had died and then come back - if that was a divine sign that the two of us were meant to be, I didn't know what was.
"Bella, I apologize if it sounded like I didn't care about your dream. I really do want to hear about your dream if you can remember it."
"Victoria was there. She was laughing, taunting me. She swore to get her revenge for James's death. Then there were all of these red eyes all around me in the darkness. She then said something about taking away everything I cared about.
"She made me watch as she ripped you apart right in front of me. And there wasn't anything I could do to stop it. You were gone and I was alone all over again."
This time it was Edward who softly swept my hair out of my face.
"Bella, Nothi…" I lost it before he could finish.
"You don't know that! I don't know if all of my dream will come true of not, but I know one thing - Victoria won't stop until one of us is dead."
Edward was silent for a little while before he spoke again.
"We'll do everything we can to be ready for her," he said in the hopes of appeasing me.
I was still doing my best to ignore the massive headache that threatened to make my head explode. I was physically and emotionally drained once more. I was starting to think that this was my punishment for falling in love with a vampire.
"Bella, love, how are you feeling? Your cheeks are rather flushed," Edward asked in a worried tone.
"I just have a little bit of a headache is all. I'm sure it will be gone as soon as I get some sleep."
Edward, however, wasn't fooled by my rouse.
"I'll let Carlisle know, and he can give you something for it. In the mean time I'm going to get you a cool compress and something to eat and drink." He then disappeared out of the room.
I sighed letting out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. Carlisle appeared in the doorway with a bottle of Tylenol in his hands.
"Edward told me you had a headache. How bad is the pain, Bella?" Carlisle's voice was so soothing and I answered him truthfully.
"To be honest I feel like an anvil is pressing down on my head."
His cool hand came up to feel my forehead. "You have a little bit of a fever as well. This should help with both." Carlisle dropped two capsules into my hand and handed me a glass of water.
I smiled up at Carlisle as I took them. "Thank you, Carlisle, for everything. You know I don't know why Edward is so worried with finding a cold compress. His or your cool touch works just the same."
Carlisle left too and in the quiet dark, I must have fallen asleep.
The next thing I knew I woke up in Edward's room that was in his family's home in New York. I couldn't believe I had slept through the whole plane ride. I vaguely remembered getting on board the plane. I was sure I was dreaming again but then Edward appeared with a tray filled with breakfast foods.
Yawning I sat up in the massive bed Edward had bought me. I quickly placed a hand over my mouth, while I used the other one to try to tame the tangled mass that was my hair.
"Bella, what on earth are you doing?' Edward clucked.
"I didn't want to offend you with my morning breath; my hair is a mess! I most likely look…" My voice trailed off as I remembered the current events that had unfolded a few days ago.
Remembering what had happened I lifted a hand and gingerly touched my left cheek. It no longer burned or throbbed like before. I could imagine how ugly it looked now, my eyes was probably still black as well.
"I probably look horrid, don't I? All because I'm a stupid human…at least that's what Rosalie thinks. Not even Jasper and Emmett want you to keep me. They knew I would be nothing but trouble. Maybe…they should have…" I froze as Edward chastised me.
"Stop it, just stop Bella!" Edward's tone was filled with anger.
Something shimmered inside of his eyes that I had never seen before.
"Where is all of this coming from, Bella? I don't understand why you would say this." He whispered in a sad voice.
I wasn't sure myself where all of that had come from. I was with Edward. I had him back and we had survived. Yet I wasn't completely whole yet. Edward was sitting next to me on the bed, his thumb and forefinger gently stroking my abused cheek.
"Bella, this bruise could never take away how beautiful you are. It is one of many battle scars that we share. If mine could be visible I would gladly show them."
I then noticed that Edward seemed to be struggling to say something else.
"Bella, this wasn't an easy decision to make. Especially, when I'm not sure I have a soul. It's selfish but I can't exist without you in my world. So if I could just have a human you until graduation, I'll grant your request myself if that's what you want."
His voice was calm yet there was a trace of sadness in it as well.
All I wanted was forever with Edward, and now he was prepared to grant it. All I had to do was wait until after graduation. It was four months away, could I really wait that long?
"Does that mean we're going back to Forks?" I asked.
"In about a week or so, but only if you're ready," he replied.
I took a drink of the orange juice Edward had brought me as I gave his words some thought.
"So waiting till graduation is the condition to becoming a vampire?"
Edward nodded his head. "Yes, it's one of them."
"What's the second one?" I asked him curiously.
"Marry me, Isabella Marie Swan," he said in that velvet voice that made me melt.
I bit my lip at hearing Edward's proposal. But instead of answering him, I changed the subject.
"Am I allowed to have a condition?" I asked.
Edward just smiled at me.
"Anything you want, Bella," he said and then added, "Within reason, my love." Was that sadness I heard in his voice? I couldn't be sure.
My reply to his words was simple. "Okay."
I found myself fascinated by the ribboned seam of the blanket on the bed.
"Oh, God, everyone heard my words from earlier, didn't they?" I questioned.
"No, Carlisle is at work, Emmett took Rosalie hunting, and the others decided to join them."
"Kiss me, Edward," I whispered so low I almost didn't hear it myself.
Edward brushed a kiss on my cheek followed by one on my forehead. I leaned forward and tried to capture Edward's lips with mine. Sensing what I wanted he gently pressed his lips to mine. He was my air and I needed him in order to continue.
I could feel Edward brace his hands on either side of me as our kissed intensified. In one blurry second Edward was suddenly laying on the bed. One of his hands tenderly cupped the right side of my face as we continued to kiss.
Edward's free hand roamed down over my over my left hip, stopping at my waist there was a slight pop as the button to my jeans broke under his touch. I was able to undo two of the buttons on his shirt before Edward pulled out of our tangle of arms and hands.
"Not like this, not while you're still breakable."
He got up from the bed with the half-eaten tray of food and walked to the door.
His eyes refused to meet my when he spoke again.
"Get some more rest, Bella; we'll talk more about this later."
He cast me a sorrowful look before disappearing out the door.
My foolish heart was still racing, obviously oblivious to the let down I had just received. Edward would say it was just my teenage hormones getting the best of me. I however, knew that it was a little more than that. I didn't see myself as a teenager anymore. I was a grown woman who knew what she needed.
My very soul ached to be completed. I need my other half - I needed Edward. There was only one other way to get what I wanted and that was to give Edward an answer he wanted to hear.
'I'm going to have to say yes and become Mrs. Edward Anthony Cullen. Charlie and Renee are going to kill me.'
A/N: It's down to the wire - only one chapter left. Will the end be what you imagined or will there be another twist to come? Stay tuned for the Final Chapter of Lunar Eclipse.
Playlist for Chapter 16:
All You Wanted by Sounds, Under Radio featuring Alison Sudol,
Running Up That Hill by Placebo, and Down by Jason Walker
Thanks again for reading and reviewing.
TaintedDarkInuShemeeko