Arms of an Angel Chapter 31 Arms of an Angel, a twilight fanfic

AN: Dear readers, thank you for going on this journey with me. This is the last chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 31: Arms of an Angel

I lower her onto our bed, and lay down beside her. She immediately moves underneath me, never breaking the kiss.

But I still manage to pull back, looking into her eyes and searching for traces of nervousness.

"I doesn't have to…" I start hesitantly.

"Shh," she interrupts me, placing her finger against my lips.

I shake my head stubbornly, "I still need to make sure."

"I know," she whispers, "and I know I don't have to, and yes, I am sure I want to. Let's just give it a try. No talking. No doubts."

I smile at her, playfully, "so you basically tell me to shut up?"

She snickers, and then adds, "You can talk, just don't ask questions. You know me better than myself. There is no question I can answer, that you don't know the answer to yourself, just by looking at me."

At this, I lean in again and kiss her lips, softly.

For the longest time, that's all we do, only breaking apart to remove pieces of clothing, one by one.

Our bodies melt together.

Not with fire, this time, but with heat nonetheless.

Like lava. Slow and smoldering.

It's not overwhelming in a physical sense, but emotionally, I don't think I've ever felt this passionate about anything.

And she was right. I could look into her eyes and know for a fact that she was sure. That she wanted this. We both knew we would stop, as soon as her body told us it was too soon, and that it would be okay still.

But her body never hesitated, and I entered her easily.

We sighed, and stared into each other's eyes, only to be met with a burning love, a blazing mix of desire and affection.

This is exactly the way I wanted our first time to be. This is the lovemaking I've been dreaming about ever since I fell for her. Probably even all my life.

"I love you," I utter, trying my hardest to keep my movements slow, not wanting this moment to end. Ever.

Maybe half an hour earlier, she would have made playful joke, reminding me to shut up.

But right now, we're both so wrapped up in this cocoon of love, my words go straight to her heart.

I gently kiss the salty tears that have escaped the corners of her shiny eyes, while her voice whispers "me too, Jacob, more than ever. So much I could almost explode."

The intensity of the moment is like nothing I've ever experienced before. I wish this feeling could simply last forever.

There's so much sweet and loving things I'd like to share with her. I need her to know I feel the exact same way. But the ability to talk has left me. All I can do is stare into her eyes, let my love flow freely.

I lost control before, last week, but this is a different kind of control. As I let go, slowly, I can tell that she does the same.

We lose all kind of self-consciousness, all awareness of time and space, and our bodies become one.

The agonizingly slow pace is picked up, but not much. And we move in unison. We both feel the edge coming closer, we no longer kiss. Our eyes lock and everything is said in this silence that is only filled with our soft sighs and our increasing heartbeats.

When we can't hold back any longer, our hips begin to move erratically, no longer in sync. Frantically trying to find that release. She holds on to my shoulders and I hide my face in her neck, tensing up, ready to take that plunge.

And then it's there. My visions goes black, consumed by the fireworks. I'm sizzling from head to toe.

When our sweaty bodies finally stop shuddering, I lift my head to look into her eyes again.

I'd been afraid the moment would be over after finding that release, but the intensity is still there.

We both keep quiet, finding a comfortable spot next to each other, and covering up with a warm blanket, never breaking eye contact.

She's the first to finally speak, "thank you for trusting me."

For one second, I'm confused, because isn't she the one who trusted me? But then I realize it's really been the other way around. I've always held back, asking questions and trying to be extra careful. Whereas now, I really did treat her as an equal partner, who was capable of stopping me when needed.

I reply, "Thanks for allowing me to love you completely."

She understands and nods, another tear dropping on her pillow.

Then she takes a deep breath and murmurs softly, "marry me."

It wasn't a question. Just a statement.

My eyes widen and I breathe "Bella…"

"I'm serious," she says, without a trace of doubt. "This isn't a post-coital bliss impulsive thing. I've been thinking about it. Or rather, daydreaming…" she admits with a blush.

"Me too," I reply softly. And I can't help the tear that drops on my pillow now.

"So will you?" she smiles.

"Just a second," I say, while leaving the warm spot in the bed.

I notice confusion in her eyes, so before she can get the wrong idea, I lean over her and give her a quick kiss on the lips. "Yes, of course I will, but let me do this right, just one second."

Her face lights up and she grabs my wrist, "don't go. You don't have to do the one knee thing, stay here."

"I do," I say, "I got the ring and all, let me just go and grab it."

Now it's her turn to widen her eyes.

I grin and hurry to get the box from my dresser.

I actually had wanted to do the one knee thing, but now I've left our warm bed, my body already aches to get close to her again. After the moment we've just shared, I can't stand to be separated from her, not even a few inches. So I nestle next to her again, and present her the box.

"When did you get this?" she asks, incredulously.

"About three weeks ago," I confess.

"And here I was, thinking I knew you well," she smiles.

Her jaw drops when she opens the box.

"Jacob…"

I quickly interrupt her objections, "I know you don't like expensive jewelry, but you're going to be the wife of a rich soccer player, and I can't have you wearing cheap engagement rings. Believe me, the one I originally wanted had a much bigger stone, but Paul convinced me to go with your taste."

"I was going to say I love it," she smiles.

"Oh."

She kisses my lips and lets me slip the ring on her finger. There is a small possessive feeling inside me that makes me burst with happiness.

Mine. Forever.

"So when were you gonna ask me?" she grins, that same happiness showing on her face.

"Soon," I admit, "but there is something else we need to talk about as well, and I actually wanted to do that first."

Her face drops, but I assure her, "not like a deal breaker, or anything. I just wanted your opinion before it could be biased by the ring on your finger. I didn't want you to feel obligated. Or bribed, or whatever."

"Opinion about what?" she asks, still a little apprehensive.

"You know I've had offers from other soccer teams before," I start, "but I always refused. Because we have a good thing going on here, and I basically never had a reason to consider it."

"Yeah."

"But last week I got an offer I really need to think about."

"Where? How much?" She asks with a weary expression.

"The money doesn't matter to me, it's about the same amount I'm making here anyway."

"Then why?" she asks. I knew she'd want to stay here, with this team that gave her a future, near Tom. But she needs to know the offer nonetheless.

"Because it's from the team I started out in, as a kid in the youth selections. Back home."

"Home…" she murmurs thoughtfully.

To her, this is home. But I always saw myself settle in the place I grew up in.

"This is home too," I explain, "but my family is over there. And it's really a good offer. They were interested in me as a youth trainer after my career as well. I'm not twenty anymore, so I think it's wise to think about the future, in the long run."

"So… you've decided?"

"No! Of course not. I'd never decide anything like that without you. It's just something to think about. Together. I'm asking your opinion."

"But you want to go?"

"Only if you can see yourself being happy there, with me."

There is a long silence.

Just when I want to drop the whole subject, already regretting having spoiled our romantic moment, she says, "I could be happy anywhere with you. But do you want to? If it weren't for me, you'd go?"

"There's no point…" I start, but she interrupts me.

"Would you?"

"Yes," I confess, "I'd go without a second thought."

"Then we go," she states decidedly.

"But Bella, I don't want you to be this soccer wife who sacrifices everything to follow her famous husband."

"It wouldn't be a sacrifice," she says, placing her hand no my cheek, "I'd be with you. And you're right. In the light of our future, if we're going to settle down somewhere, it makes sense that we want to be near your family."

"Even if it means being… there?"

"Yeah, I suppose," she says. "I'd miss Tom, of course, but he's been trying to tell me he'd rather be my friend than my counselor at this point. And I'm sure your family would feel like my family soon. In some ways, they always did, even when we were kids. And, you know, my family lives there too."

"Oh, right, I forgot about Edward."

She nods. "And my nephew David. I don't think I'm ready to be, like family, with them. But who knows, in the future."

"You don't have to decide now. It's just something to think about. And I'll marry you no matter where we go."

"I know," she smiles, "but I don't have to think about it. It makes perfect sense, to eventually go back there and settle down. In fact, I'm getting quite excited about this. So are you sure you're ready to move and start the rest of your life with me?"

"Never been more ready," I smile, and we kiss.

We spend the rest of the night like this, neither ready to let go, or even sleep.

We hug and snuggle, kiss and whisper sweet words. We admire her hand with the beautiful diamond and we even start daydreaming about the wedding we're about to plan.

We're careful in our dreams about the far future, knowing that she still has some issues to deal with and realizing that having babies is no longer an option. We stick to fantasies of a romantic wedding, a tropical honeymoon and a dream house to build.

"I'm so happy," I tell her, and she smiles at me lovingly.

"Me too. And with you, I'll be happy forever, in the arms of an angel."

THE END

AN: This is the song I based the story on. Make sure to listen to it, it's one of my favorite songs of all time...

Sarah McLachlan - In the Arms of an Angel

Spend all your time waiting
For that second chance
For a break that would make it okay
There`s always some reason
To feel not good enough
And it`s hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
Oh, beautiful release
Memory seeps from my veins
Let me be empty
And weightless and maybe
I`ll find some peace tonight

In the arms of the angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You`re in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here

So tired of the straight line
And everywhere you turn
There`s vultures and thieves at your back
And the storm keeps on twisting
You keep on building the lies
That you make up for all that you lack
It don`t make no difference
Escaping one last time
It`s easier to believe
in this sweet madness, oh
This glorious sadness
that brings me to my knees

So this is the end...

Please let me know your thoughts and ideas. Any kind of feedback is welcome!

Would you like to read an epilogue to the story? I'm considering a short flash forward, a few years from here...