True Love Way

Chapter 38

If true love is blind, then in all fairness it should also be deaf and dumb. Whenever the ability to be mute failed, it would help me enormously if Bella simply never heard my stupid words. All of this – this whole disaster of her wanting to have my biological child – began because I just couldn't shut up. I would have preferred to live our lives out with her believing I never wanted to be a father if it meant she wouldn't be determined to give me a child herself.

When Bella sets her mind to something, she is more determined than Don Everly when he's chasing squirrels – or his tail. I wanted to get her mind off children and babies and everything disastrous for us. If she could become preoccupied with an alternate mission, it would be a great relief for both of us.

We'd had our first argument. Sure, it was bound to happen, but I never expected to cry myself to sleep after making up. Where was the stupendous make-up sex? Instead, Bella coddled me for days. She was worse than my mother until I told her so. That was the onset of our next argument. This time, I was the one to sleep elsewhere. Well, I didn't sleep – I was at work. But I had never been so grateful for a night shift.

We gave each other the silent treatment for a couple of days rather than taking the chance of it blowing up altogether. I assumed Bella didn't say anything about our family discussions when she went to the clinic each day, because my sister would have been all over me. Instead, Rosalie was burning her candle at both ends and in the middle… and loving every minute of it. She had returned to her surgical rotation on a limited basis, and when she did her hours at Family First, she had Nathan with her. Plus, she also had Jasper and Alice's move to prepare for.

Jasper's firm had finally secured a location in Port Angeles, where he would be the senior man. Alice was not looking to replace her job, preferring to focus on her home-based business and put her share of time in at the family clinic. Forever the drama student, she was playing the role of big lawyer's wife to the hilt. She and Emily had a real estate agent at their side since the opening, in search of the perfect house.

"You should take Bella out with you this afternoon," I suggested when I stopped in to see how things were going at the clinic. Alice had immediately begun rattling off street names on the agenda for the day. "We've been talking about getting a house. Maybe she'll see something that's perfect for us."

Bella caught the tail end perked up. "We should move on that before Don Everly outgrows the apartment… or the tenants amass a lynch mob."

"Absolutely," I agreed good-naturedly. "A nice one-bedroom with a big yard, right?"

Instead of cooing over me recalling our first dream home conversation, she shot me daggers and turned her attention to Emily. "I have to teach you how to toe-pinch someday. You know who needs a good pinch? Uncle Edward."

Emily giggled and pinched my knee the way normal people pinched. I did the best act of being completely maimed from it and ended up on the floor tickling my niece until Alice scolded me for getting her shoes scuffed up.

"Kids' shoes are supposed to be scuffed up, Alice. You're looking for a house, not walking her down a fashion runway. Do you forget you used to be fun?"

Of any of us, Alice seemed to have matured the most. Some days, I could only think of her as mother and wife. At the moment however, she was standing in front of me, a couple of inches shorter than my shoulders, beaming at me the same way she had when Emmett brought her over to meet us for the first time. I expected her to go into one of her long rambles without taking a breath. Instead, she hugged me.

"You think I was fun? Ed, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me!"

If I had mind-reading capabilities, I knew Bella's would read, 'He's not saying anything nice lately. Take it while you can.'

"Seriously, Bella, maybe you should go with Alice and Emily today. At least it would give you some idea of what we don't want."

Alice scowled at me. "There we go. He's back."

"What?" I asked with a chuckle.

"You just said that nothing I like would be suitable for you."

"Well…"

For a pint-sized woman, she packed a good wallop. I got over it quickly when Emily began scolding her mother for hitting me. It was very effective, because she used Alice's pursed mouth and furrowed brow, but because her speech was limited, it came out sounding like, "No hit Ugg Head, Mommy!"

"That's right. Ugg Head is very sensitive. Quite fragile. I don't stand a chance against a big brute like your mom, Emily." I surprised myself when I was able to contain my laughter. Bella didn't do so well with that, so she went off on her own. I excused myself and followed her.

"Don't crack a grin," I said teasingly. "You've done so well being mad at me for days. Don't let me see you smile or… God forbid… laugh."

She covered her face while she tittered, but at least she was still smiling when she removed her hands. "Shut up, Ugg Head."

"Gonna pinch me?"

"Is that a challenge?"

I had my hands on her waist, and hers went to my shoulders. "I think it is a challenge, Mrs Cullen."

"You know, if you can't beat the other Mrs Cullen, you really don't stand a chance against me."

"I've never stood a chance against you." My hoarse words must have sounded as sincere as I felt them to be, because for the first time in days, my wife kissed me. It wasn't our usual kiss reserved for public places either. It was an apology kiss. A kiss that said we'd get through this. A kiss that showed she would really try to understand where I was coming from with my resistance on this.

"You should come too. If we're looking for our house, we should both be there to decide what we want and don't want."

"I can live anywhere. I honestly don't care as long as I'm with you." I tilted my head down and gave an apology kiss of my own. "Cheesy enough?"

She tittered at me, stroking my jaw with her thumb. "I'll find the perfect cheese house, just for you and me."

"And Don Everly."

"And Don Everly, of course," she agreed with a smile. One more kiss and she turned to join Alice and Emily, giving me an extra treat with an exaggerated ass wiggle. "Oh, Edward? Should it have lots of windows to keep open?"

"Smart ass," I quipped, smacking my forehead. I knew she was referring to metaphorical windows more than functional. "Maybe a few. Not too many, though."

Her grin said 'thank you for being reasonable,' and I got another wiggle.

Make-up sex after days of strife was well worth the wait.

~ 0 ~

Oddly enough, Alice's presence at that time in our relationship was the best thing we could have had. She was the perfect distraction for Bella, since Alice now felt it was her mission to find housing for both families. Every day, she dragged Bella out to peruse more potential homes. I had no idea there were so many people vacating the area, but housing options seemed to open up for Alice. She just seemed to know which area to hit. A few of them weren't even on the market, but when she saw a house she liked from the outside, she just went up and knocked. Her agent would have several new clients by the time Alice had found two ideal homes.

Bella would tell me all about their adventures before I'd leave for my paramedic shift. I'd come home in the morning to find her curled up on the couch. She hated sleeping in our bed when I was not there. One morning, I found a notebook beside her with some rough sketches and bubbles drawn around random sentences.

"Hey, you!" Bella plucked the notebook from my hand when she caught me looking through it. "Don't you know you're not supposed to invade on an artist's work without their permission?"

I made an impressed face before greeting her with a kiss.

"Good morning, by the way," she said groggily after our kiss. "How was your night?"

I shrugged, unbuttoning my shirt. "I splinted an arm. The boy fell from a tree two days ago. They decided he needed an ambulance last night. A false labour – she wasn't even pregnant, but she did pass a fair sized kidney stone. Oh, and a heart attack that wasn't really."

"What was it?" Bella's eyes lit up. She loved hearing stories about the wacky calls we were sent on.

"Constipation. He was literally full of shit."

"We're terrible for laughing at the poor man." Bella's statement came after a good five or six minutes of hysterical laughing and lame jokes at his expense.

"If you can't laugh…" I stretched my arms over my head to ease the kink in my back. Even without the full intestines, the man was a hefty haul down the stairs of his house and into the back of the ambulance. "I think we should increase the fibre in our diets, by the way. I can't even imagine being that full –"

Bella put her hand over my mouth, frowning in disgust. "I think we've killed that subject. It's just grossing me out now."

"Okay…" I paused to yawn widely. "Tell me about your night, then. Looks like you've been busy."

She folded her legs up, sitting to face me as I leaned back on the couch. "Emily's inspired me." Her smile was brilliant, and there was excitement dancing in her eyes. "Remember I said I wanted to write something eventually for her and Nathan? Well, this is Emily's. It will be, anyway. Every house we go into, she drops to the floor and explores. I finally asked her why she's crawling again when she's a big girl."

I lifted an eyebrow at her. "Was she actually crawling or doing the Emily-walk on all fours?"

"Crawling," Bella replied with a laugh. "Now that she's walking, she's learned how to crawl properly."

"That's because of Ugg Head, you know." I had spent considerable time trying to get her to crawl like a normal baby whenever we saw her. "So why was she crawling?"

"For Tinkles. She was looking at the houses from Tinkles's perspective, to make sure he'd like it too. There was one that had a pet door that she just loved. She kept going through it and meowing. It was so cute! You should have been there, Ugg Head."

I hummed. "Next time. Have you seen anything you like for us?"

Her eyes lit up again. "I think so. I liked it when we toured it, but last night, I had a dream about it. It was this particular house but filled with pet doors… that's why I ended up jotting stuff down. I couldn't sleep anyway, and it seemed like the perfect theme for Emily's special book."

She looked so beautiful sitting there in my t-shirt with her bedhead. Her excitement over the story idea, as well as this house she was speaking of, was so evident. I wanted to hold her tight, to see if her enthusiasm would spill over. At the same time, I wanted to tenderly kiss her and tell her this spark she had this morning was what made me love her in the first place. If she kept this up, she could convince me to do anything, even with closed windows.

I was about to make a move on starting up that 'anything' when Don Everly decided to join us. He wasn't the flexible little guy he was when he first began wedging himself between us on the couch. After the obligatory tongue-washing my face always received from him, he swiftly turned and dropped his head on Bella's lap for some ear-rubbing. As he had only dropped his front half, I got the hind quarters. And tail. Like a windshield wiper on pulse, it methodically swept the side of my head. Shifting away would only allow me to take it to the face, so I stayed put.

"You take so much abuse, Ugg Head." Bella's teasing voice was soft and filled with love.

"What if they have another one?" I mused aloud.

"Who have another what?"

"Alice and Jazz. If they have another kid calling me Ugg Head. What if they get Nathan doing it too? Am I going to be named after those ridiculous boots forever?"

"I don't know… you are kind of ridiculous yourself. I think Emily named you quite well."

"You're not complaining, because you got a nice name." Emily could manage hers much better. It sounded more like 'Annabelle', but at least Bella wasn't footwear.

"You're not complaining either." Bella took hold of Don's tail and gave me an extra playful lash with it. "You love it. I can tell."

I didn't have to respond. Of course she was right, and I knew my smile would tell her that. "Can we arrange to have another look at this house? Later on? I want to have a quick nap." And I wanted to move on this. I needed to show Bella that would move forward together, no matter what we decided to do about children. Honestly, I would be just as happy as the family of three we were.

~ 0 ~

When we signed the papers for our new home, news came of another happy family of three. Bella had arranged for Bree to meet my parents, and of course they were thrilled to help her in any way they could. The old me would have worried endlessly for my mom. I would have wondered if she saw Elizabeth every time she looked at Bree. The new me saw a woman revived. Mom had a purpose once more and an overabundance of love and advice to give out. Bree adored that, as well as my dad's calming nature. She looked like the weight of the world had been lifted from her. That was the effect these two had on those they loved, whether born to them or not. I felt so proud to be their son.

Dad notarized the purchase agreement, and we toasted our new home with a sparkling cider. We didn't want to leave Bree and little Emily out of the celebration. When Don didn't get his own bowl of cider, he carefully nudged Nathan's sippy cup of juice from his hands, much to the little boy's delight. He had a big, boisterous laugh that always ended with hiccups. The startled look on his pudgy face when he'd hiccup never failed to make me laugh. Emily was sitting on her other uncle's lap with her own sippy cup, laughing along with us until a mortified look took over and she froze.

Emmett called out, "Toot, toot!"

My brother and I were practically in tears.

"Hey, Al! She lets rip exactly like you used to!"

"I never did that!"

And the sibling bickering was on.

Bella and I slowly eased away from the noise for a quiet celebration of our own. Because the house was completely empty, but for us and empty bottles and plastic cups of cider, everything echoed even from another room. In the front door of our newly purchased house, we held hands and kissed.

"Tell me honestly, Edward. Do you feel like a kept man living here?"

"Nope," I said emphatically. "You owe me after sponging off me for the past two years." I took her playful slap and then kissed her ring finger. "I hope Gianna and Marcus would be happy for you – for us."

"I wish they could be here," she said softly. "And Gran. And Aro! Oh my gosh! We didn't ask Aro to come tonight? I can't believe that slipped my mind."

It hadn't slipped mine, but I hadn't wanted to bring down Bella's enjoyment of our day. I couldn't keep it from her now. "Bella, Aro's not doing so well."

Her smile fell and her eyes searched mine for the truth.

"I've been trying to call him for days. I left tons of messages. I got a call yesterday. One of his nurses got fed up hearing it ring and checked the messages."

Bella's eyes filled with tears. "Yours were the only calls, weren't they?"

I nodded.

"We have to go to him. Let him know he's not alone."

I nodded again, wanting to be with my old confident and friend, but dreading watching Bella mourn the loss of another grandparent. Aro wasn't blood to her, but the next best thing. And he didn't have long left in this world.

"We should go tonight if you want to speak to him."

A few seconds of spurting tears, and I thought Bella was heading back to her days of depression and endless crying. She shocked me when she took a deep breath, pinched her eyes shut, and dried her cheeks. When she looked at me, there was determination, not sorrow.

"You get the car started. I'll go tell them we're going."

~ 0 ~

As we walked the corridor to Aro's room, I couldn't help but wonder if he'd be in better shape if he hadn't moved to Port Angeles to be closer to Bella and me. Would another hospital have been able to prevent the second, debilitating stroke he'd had after being admitted? I felt Bella tug on my fingers and realized I was being stupid thinking that way. This hospital is where Bella had been treated. Where she recovered and grew strong. Where she survived child birth after such a traumatic time during pregnancy.

"Stay with me, Edward," she whispered. "Aro needs us now."

After all Aro had done for me, there was no way I could wimp out and do the avoidance thing. I shook away my morbid thoughts, smiled tenderly at my wife, and stepped into the dimly lit room. Aside from the blinking lights on his monitors, the only light was the faint fluorescent over the head of his bed. It made him appear ghostly. His cheeks were sunken and grey. His fluttering eyelids displayed the wrinkles of his true age. To me, Aro had never aged. He seemed to be the same age a week ago as he was when we'd first met. Tonight, he looked old and frail.

Bella immediately rushed to his side and took his hand in hers, careful not to disturb the tubes that seemed to come from everywhere. "Oh, Aro," she whispered with a sigh. "I just found you."

A tear came to my eye instantly, but I brushed it away with determination. I held Bella's shoulders while I placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. "We're both here, Aro. You're not alone."

If he heard us, or was aware of our presence in any way, there was no indication. Nurses checked on him through the night as we sat our vigil. My mind memorized every detail of the dying man, replacing it with images of a happier, healthier, and much more verbal man. The man I knew in life. The man I respected and adored more than any other person outside family. He'd helped me put my life together, and I would never forget that. I wanted to be certain that when I thought of him, it wouldn't be like this. There would be no dark circles around his eyes, only the crinkles that had been formed from his kind smile. I would think of his skin as being as thick and tough as he was, not the translucent papery skin that showed every vein. He'd have a blush to his cheeks from running down the stairs of his old office to greet me. And he would eternally whisper words of wisdom to me – reminders of what I could do with this life, and more importantly, what I should not miss out on out of fear .

Bella and I sat like statues as that horrid sound of a flatline on the heart monitor sounded out just after dawn. She held his hand. I held her hand. Silently, I bowed my head and wished him well in his afterlife. Please take care of him. He's a good, good man.

No one rushed in to revive him. It was his own wish, and it wasn't for anyone to argue. Instead, the nursing staff gave us those initial moments alone with him before they quietly set about removing the equipment around his bed. Neither of us moved. It felt surreal but for the searing pain in my gut. This is what it felt like to lose someone you loved – someone you knew and loved. I felt like an idiot for thinking I'd understood what Mom had been through. I knew now. I understood my mother's grief for my birth mother was stronger than mine. I'd merely missed out on knowing her. It wasn't the same catastrophic loss my parents would have felt.

And Bella… sweet Bella. She'd suffered the loss of so many loved ones. I wasn't sure how to conduct myself in this situation. I knew I had to be there for Bella, but I also knew it wouldn't be healthy to bury my own grief. I needed guidance. I needed Aro .

I didn't realize I was sobbing until my wife held me with strong, loving arms. We wept together. We consoled each other, and we said goodbye to our dear friend – together .

~ 0 ~

I stopped at the nurse's station while Bella went to tidy herself up in the washroom. Sue, one of Bella's old night nurses, was advising her shift replacement of the night's happenings so I waited patiently. When she spotted me, she smiled sympathetically and excused herself.

"I know you're in and out of here all the time now with your run, but it's quite different when it's a loved one, isn't it?"

"Sure is," I agreed in a subdued voice. "I, uh… I don't exactly know what I'm supposed to do now."

"It's tough, for sure. Time heals though, Edward. You'll get through –"

"No, no." I cut her off before I went on a trip down self-pity lane again. "I mean with arrangements and all. He had no close family. I'll be happy to do whatever's necessary, but I don't know where to start. Here? Is there something I need to sign off on? Or do I contact a funeral home and they do all that? I have no idea."

"So thoughtful." Sue gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "It's all taken care of, hon. He had a living will, and that included all the arrangements in the event of his death. You don't have to worry about that. I'll see if I can get the funeral director's name for you, in case you need it."

A weight was lifted off me. Honestly, I was prepared to handle it all. I'd do that for my friend. But I would always worry that I'd arrange something he didn't want. Even after death, Aro was making things easier for me.

I excused myself when Bella joined us. I wanted to let my family know he was gone. I hated putting a damper on Alice and Jasper's housewarming, but this was reality. I talked to Emmett and asked that he deliver the news, knowing he'd handle it with tact. More importantly, he wouldn't fuss over me and my well-being over the phone like many other family members would. I was in a calm state at the moment – sort of drifting. It was better than carrying the initial pain or being panicked over the days to come, and it was all my doing. This wasn't a pill-induced calmness. I felt like if one person other than Bella made me cry over this, I'd have to drop a whole bottle of pills down my throat to numb the sensations. If I did that, I would be in no condition to sense what Bella needed from me. I could fully trust Emmett to know what to do with me, and I'd handle the rest.

"That was quick," Bella said with surprise when I appeared by her side.

"Emmett," I mumbled. "I got hold of Em. He'll take care of everything else."

She nodded her agreement. "Good. Now I can take care of you."

"Me? I'm more concerned about you right now."

Her face showed her shock. "Me? Edward, you were much closer to Aro than I was. You've known him almost half your life."

"But you've gotten so close. It's like you've lost another grandparent."

She held on to both my hands as she faced me. Her eyes shone with fresh tears but also an unspeakable love. "We've both lost a grandparent in Aro. We can take care of each other. Deal?"

I kissed her forehead before embracing her. Having Bella in my arms was better than any amount of pills. It felt serene. It also made me forget we were still standing at the nurse's station.

"We should go," I mumbled into Bella's hair.

"Before you do…" Sue broke in. "I have something for you."

I assumed it was the information about the funeral home, and I was partially correct. She handed me a card with the pertinent info, as well as a sealed envelope. My name was on the front – Edward. Just Edward.

I looked at Bella in confusion but saw that she held a similar envelope. Bella.

"He was quite alert for a bit after we brought him around from the initial stroke. He couldn't write, but he could mumble a bit. There was something he wanted to say to you both, I suppose. He was very determined to get it out. It took a while, but I think we got it down as he wanted it. I wish I'd known you were the Edward and Bella he cared so much about. We could have contacted you earlier –"

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and shook my head. "Don't worry, Sue. I'm just glad we were with him in the end. Thank you. Thanks for taking time with him. If you'd known him before, you'd know how much he loved to talk."

She smiled kindly at me. "I definitely got that impression. Now, you two go home and get some rest."

~ 0 ~

Rest. My body was exhausted. My mind virtually motionless. It had been like this for hours, but the last thing I could do was sleep. It seemed that Bella was faring much the same. She sat by the window in her favourite chair, sipping a hot tea but not speaking. She stared out the window, but her eyes were blank.

Even Don sensed there was something terribly sad going on. He was curled up on the floor in front of her feet. The foot she had dangling over the side that normally enticed him into playing was left alone. She stared out the window, and Don Everly stared at her.

I stared at the table.

Emmett had taken the information from me and contacted the funeral director himself. He and my dad had gone in to make sure everything was just as Aro had wanted, as per his pre-arrangement. My scribbled notes about their meeting were on a pad of paper. He had also asked Tanya to take care of the catering for the viewings and post-funeral gathering. Of course she had obliged. I stared at the scribbles so long, the ink blurred into a Rorschach ink blot. It was a bat.

No, something caped. A vampire? More like a superhero, I should think.

No. It was an angel.

Taking a deep breath, I turned my eyes to the two envelopes laying there unopened. Bella was afraid to open hers in case it was another endowment she'd feel reluctant to take. I was afraid to open mine in case it was goodbye. Forever.

"Open yours first."

I jumped in my seat, startled by her voice. I hadn't even seen her approach.

"Are you sure you're ready?"

She nodded. "If you are."

I pulled her down on my lap before I reached for my envelope. "We'll read together."

This wasn't an ink blot. The brief letter was in feminine script. The absence of his familiar handwriting removed it just enough from a personal farewell from Aro that I figured I could get through it.

My dear friend,

You've found your strength, now use it. Be strong, my boy. Be strong.

I am proud of every accomplishment you've made. Be proud, my boy.

Do what you know is in you to do.

I will see you on the other side. In time.

Aro

Bella smiled sadly. "It lacks his usual flair with words, but that is so Aro. He loved you, Edward. He saw you for who you are, and he loved you."

"He had faith in me," I whispered in response. "He's telling me to keep my shit together for this. Not to fall apart."

"He's telling you you're strong and capable. And he's out there, watching over you," she countered softly.

I took that in and the message swirled around in my head until another ink blot formed. A cross.

"It's your turn." I reached for Bella's envelope and tore it open before she could protest. She held this one while I read over her shoulder.

My dearest Bella,

The granddaughter I wish I'd had. The one I chose. Blood is not everything. It does not make you who you are entirely.

You had a guide, my sweet girl, a guide in your youth who was every bit the kind soul you have always been. She taught you how to love. The family you chose taught you how to give, as well as receive.

I haven't had you in my life long enough to say goodbye. This is not goodbye. A long, long time from now, I will see you again.

I'll be waiting for you with the most beautiful angel of all.

And I will be smiling.

Aro

Bella turned around to throw her arms around me, sobbing. "He's with Gran!" I couldn't tell if her tears were the good or bad kind .

~ 0 ~

It wasn't until later that night – having been up for nearly 48 hours – that we finally fell into bed.

"He obviously dictated yours first. It had more of his flair," I commented as Bella curled into my side.

"He knew he was going to die."

I didn't respond instantly. I had to take a moment to wonder what that was like. I wondered if Elizabeth had known. Was it better to know? I always thought quick was best. Quick and painless, preferably.

"He sounded okay with that." Bella continued with her thoughts when I didn't speak.

"He didn't sound depressed about it," I concurred. "I bet he was thinking of Gran the whole time."

"Can you image that? Waiting your whole life to be reunited with your true love only after death?"

"What if she's with your grandfather?"

Bella hummed, giving that consideration. "I didn't know him. But I do know Aro, and if Gran knew him as we did, she would have loved him in life too."

"Maybe she did. Maybe she made a poor choice with Marcus, but didn't know how to fix it."

"Maybe she didn't want to ruffle any feathers between friends."

"Maybe she hid her true love from him, just as he did."

"Just as we did." Bella tipped her head back and kissed my chin. "Let's go with that."

I smiled sleepily. "We will. And it's happily ever after for all."

A/N ~ *ahem* Remember me? More importantly, remember these characters? I sure hope so because we're almost there. Shug read my final chapters and gave her nod of approval, so they are on to their final edits. Just two more - well, one long one and an epilogue. I'm planning to post both at once.

On a personal note, I'd like to say there are some outstanding folks in this community. Shug, of course. She makes times for me now matter how long I hide. *squishes you!* Each and every one of you who took a moment to reach out and say 'hey' during my absence, I thank you. You're amazing. To know that people out there remembered my stories and cared enough to check in means more than I could ever say. And then there is the above and beyond... oh, My Kyla, you missed your calling. If anyone is ever in need of a PR agent, look up theonlykyla. In fic, and in life, I'd want this angel rep'ing me. Thank you, BB. Just... thank you for being you.

And a huge thanks to everyone who's stuck around for all these months. I am sorry. See you soon. How's next Monday? ;) ~ SR XX