36

The silence that surrounded them as they stood, staring at Bella was deafening. She saw the emotions fill each and every one of them. Everything from hope, fear, longing, anxiety, and sorrow. This was why she hadn't told them, why she'd kept it to herself for as long as she could. She knew the decision she was going to make, but that didn't make it any easier to make.

Sharing a look with Carlisle, Bella turned and ran into the woods, needing some time to collect herself, to grieve the loss of her family. She wondered if they would even remember her once they were humans again. Maybe they would be blessed to live where she wasn't even a memory. That was both comforting and heartbreaking.

She ran until she found herself standing in the middle of a large, open field filled with beautiful wildflowers. With her arms wrapped around herself, she could feel her chest heave as she sobbed tearlessly. She wasn't ready to give up her family, her loved ones, and her chance at a real life.

"Bella."

Her eyes closed for a brief moment as she turned and found Edward standing behind her. "I'm sorry."

The devastation in his eyes has her knees weakening as he said, "There has to be another way."

She shook her head. "There's not. If I don't do this, if I don't figure how to do this, Aro will not just kill all of us, Edward, but he will take my power. And if he does that, he . . . he will end the world."

"But I just found you," he pleaded, walking up to her and placing his hands on either side of her face. "I just fucking found you, sweetheart."

"I know," she whimpered, covering his hands with hers. "I thought we were going to have forever together."

"What if I don't want to be human again? Don't I have a choice?"

"No."

"That's bullshit!" he exclaimed, ripping his hands from beneath hers and taking several steps backward. "I can't live without you, Bella. I don't chose to let you go like that."

She just stood there, unsure what to say.

"Why aren't you fighting for us?"

"I am, Edward. I'm fighting for you, for Alice and Jasper, for Emmett and Rosalie. I'm fighting . . . I'm fighting for fucking Tanya and Jacob Black. I don't want to die. I don't . . . Edward, I want forever with you, with my mom and dad, I do, but I can't . . . I can't stand by and let Aro end the world just because I want my happily ever after. I'm sorry, but I can't . . . No, I won't be that selfish."

Edward dropped to his knees, placing his hands on his thighs. "But I just found you, Bella. I spent so many years on the outside, you know? Watching with envy as everyone around me fell in love, found their soul mates. And then I found you. I just fucking found you, and I can't . . . I can't live in a world where you don't exist. Don't ask me to do that. Please. Not again."

Bella walked over to him, kneeling in front of him. She placed her hands on either side of his face, feeling him sigh as he turned and pressed his lips against the palm of her hand.

"Please, please, please, please, Bella," he whimpered. "Please."

"I love you, Edward," she whispered, tilting his head back. "I love you, and I wish we could have the rest of eternity together, but we can't, love. We just can't."

"But how do I live without you?"

"I don't know." Bella leaned her forehead against hers. "I love you so much. So very, very much."

Edward wrapped his arms around her, pulling her onto his lap. Though he didn't shed any tears, he buried her face against the side of her neck and cried, his body shaking with more emotion than she had ever seen him display. He was normally so calm, so tranquil, and filled with reassurance that everything was going to work out, but there wasn't any reassurance this time, because nothing, nothing was going to be okay again. She ran her fingers through his hair, weeping with him for the life being ripped away from them.

"Marry me."

Bella froze, her fingers tangled in his bronze hair. "What?"

"Marry me." Edward tilted his head backward, looking her in the eyes. "If this is all we have, if this is all I get of you, I want to leave this world with you as my wife."

Bella shook her head as she climbed off his lap, taking several steps backward. "Edward, I . . ."

"No, just listen to me," he said, standing up and putting his hands up in front of him. "I don't want to let you go. I love you so much, so much more than I realized I could ever love someone, Bella. I don't want . . ." He blew out a thick, heavy breath. "I don't want to live in a world where I can't wake up every morning with you in my arms. It feels . . . unnatural, but I can tell that you're going do the right thing here, and as much as I hate it, it is the right thing to do, but if you're going to sacrifice yourself for us, for the humans, I want marry you first. I want to love you every second we have together, and I want . . . I want to die with you."

"Edward," she whispered, biting the inside of her lip.

"I know, I know, you won't let me die with you, whatever. Just . . . marry me, Bella. Leave this world as my wife, knowing that nobody loved you more than I do."

She smiled, shaking her head. "I don't want to get married just because the world is ending."

"I can't let my world end without marrying you."

"Edward."

He walked up to her, placing his hands on either side of her face and leaning his forehead against hers. "You are my world, Bella. You're the only world I want to live in. Let me love you for however long you we have. Marry me, Bella. Please, marry me."

Bella covered his hands with hers. "How can I could refuse?"

"Is . . . is that a yes?"

"Yes." She laughed. "I'll marry you, Edward Cullen."

Edward closed the distance between their lips, and Bella had no clue how she was ever going to be able to let him go. He was her world, her moon, her sun.

—Stay—

Bella and Edward stayed wrapped in each other's arms until the sun began to set. They talked about their hopes and dreams, the life they wished they could have together. Edward didn't mention the choice she had made again, though she could see the sadness in his eyes, hearing the longing in his words.

In an ideal world, they would get married, travel around the world, live an eternity together, but this wasn't an ideal world, and no matter how much she wished, the facts weren't going to change. Aro Volturi was going to end the world if she didn't take a stand, if she didn't fight back. But being the martyr was a load of bullshit, if you asked her.

"They're going to be worried," he said, leaning forward and placing his hand on her side, drawing her against him. They were seated in the middle of that beautiful field with the colorful wildflowers surrounding them.

"I know," she said, covering his hand when he dipped under her shirt.

"I love you."

She smiled. "I love you, too."

Though she didn't want to go back, knowing she would have to face her family, her parents again, she knew she wasn't going to be able to hide anymore, either. She could feel Aro preparing to move against her, against them, and she had no idea how she was going get control of her powers to stop him. She felt overwhelmed and out of control, feelings she didn't like having.

"Hey, no matter what, you and I are in this together until the very end, okay?"

She nodded. "I just wish the end wasn't so near."

"Me too, sweetheart."

Edward pressed his lips against hers before they turned and started walking back toward the house. They weren't in a hurry. Going back to face their family, their loved ones, wasn't going to be easy. She leaned her head against his shoulder, feeling him sigh and wrap his arm around her, holding her against him.

As they walked through the trees, they found everyone standing in the yard, waiting for them. Carlisle had Esme wrapped in his arms, a sadness filled his eyes. He'd been the first one to accept her into his family, to agree to change her. He was her father as much Charlie was. Sweet Esme looked heartbroken as her eyes flickered from Bella to Edward and back.

Jasper and Alice stood with Emmett and Rosalie, who though she tried to hide it, Bella could see the hope that she would have a second chance at being human. Bella didn't begrudge Rosalie her second chance. Unlike Bella, she hadn't been given the choice and had she, she would have said no. Rosalie didn't like being a vampire, even if that brought her the love of her life in Emmett.

Jacob, Tanya, Irina, Kate, and Garrett stood on the porch with Carmen while Eleazar stood as far away from everyone as he could. He, like her, knew the sacrifice they were going to have to make. But it was Charlie and Renee that drew her attention. The loss in their eyes, the longing they felt. They'd already given her up once, and now she was forcing them to let her go again. It wasn't fair, to any of them, but there wasn't any other way, Bella knew.

"You're giving up, aren't you?" Charlie asked, his hand coming up to cover his mouth.

"You always told me doing the right thing wasn't always easy, Dad," she said, shaking her head.

"I also told you never to stop fighting," he argued.

She sighed, but didn't reply.

"You might be willing to give up, but we aren't."

Bella turned toward the tall dark haired vampire with the blood red eyes. He was standing in the back of the group, his arms folded in front of his chest. As everyone turned and looked back at him, he took the dozens of steps past them, stopping just in front of her.

"Some of us like being vampires," he added.

"So do I," she admitted. "But nobody should have been forced to live this life. I chose to be changed, and I'm choosing to save the world, and to be honest, I don't give two fucks what you want, because I'm not doing this for you."

"Yes, yes, yes, you're doing it for them," he scoffed, waving a hand toward Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie.

"No," she said, drawing his attention back to her. "I'm doing it for the humans who deserve better than to be your lunch."

He smiled. "That's fair, I guess."

Bella shared a look with Edward, who frowned. "Look, I get how hard this is. Trust me, I get how hard this is. I don't . . . I don't want to die, but I can't stand by and let Aro Volturi end the world just because I'm scared. I just . . . I just can't."

"Come on, Bella. If all we have is a few weeks left, let's make the best of it."

Alice was by her side in an instant, her hand wrapping around her arm and pulling her away. Bella felt her body tense, her eyes rolling backward the second Alice's fingers were wrapped around her arm.

The moment of darkness was replaced by a vision of her standing in the middle of the meadow full of beautiful, colorful wildflowers. She was standing in a beautiful, white dress that was flowing around her. She smiled as she turned and held her hand out in front of her as she said with an earthy and elegant voice, "Light the beacons, Alice. Call the army. Prepare for battle."

Bella ripped her arm of Alice's hand, taking a step backward. She could feel her chest heaving, her eyes wide. "What the hell was that?"

"You tell me!" Alice exclaimed an air of excitement in her tone. "It . . . it sounded like you . . . like Eve wants us to fight. We need to call for aid."

"What are you talking about?" Edward asked, causing them and everyone else to look at him. "What did you see, Alice?"

She shared a look with Bella before said started speaking again. "I saw . . . I saw her, but it wasn't her. I think . . . I think I saw Eve. She said to light the beacons, call the army, and prepare for battle. I think . . . I think Eve wants us to fight."

"Your first vision," Bella said, drawing Alice's attention back to her. "Alice that wasn't me. That was . . . that was her. She brought you to me, brought me to you."

"What is she talking about?" Carlisle asked.

Alice sighed as shame filled her eyes. "When I was changed, the first vision I had wasn't of Jasper."

"You said it was," he grumbled, and Bella almost laughed by how sad he seemed, but she couldn't blame him. She was the love of his existence after all.

"Babe, I know, but . . ." Alice shook her head, and put her hands up in front of her. "I didn't understand why I saw her in this beautiful field filled with the most beautiful wildflowers I had ever seen, and when I looked around, I saw her. She said I had to find you, our family," she said with a bit of whimper before she looked at Edward. "She said you had to save her."

"She did, huh?" he asked, his eyes shifting to Bella and his lips curving into a smirk.

"Don't you see? Don't you get it?" Alice exclaimed, causing everyone to look at her. "We need to call for help. Aro will have his guard. Well, we need our own."

"What makes you think anyone will come help? Especially when they find out that she plans to take their livelihood from them?"

Annoyed with the dark haired vampire with the blood red eyes, Bella folded her arms in front of her, but otherwise stayed silent.

"Because when it comes down to it, Alistair," Carlisle snarled, "we choose to do what's right. So will they." Then turning his back on the vampire named Alistair, he turned and looked around at everyone. "Let's start making some calls. If it's a war, Aro wants, a war he will get."

As everyone turned and headed back into the house, Alice stepped over to Bella, leaning up and whispering, "Don't worry about the wedding. I'll have everything ready in two days."

And then Alice turned and hurried after Jasper, Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie. Charlie and Renee walked over to Bella, wrapping their arms around her as they embraced the loss they would all soon have to face. They may be preparing for war, but in the end, nothing would change what Bella was going to have to do. And if all she had left was a few short weeks, she wanted to spend them with her parents, with Edward, with her family.

Thank you for all the AMAZING reviews. Just a note, I've already written the last chapter of this story. Now, to get us to that point!