Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or its characters.

January 21st, 1942…

Bella

The sun was rising, breaking through the partially open blinds, illuminating the otherwise dark room. The new light brightened Edward's eyes, taking them from a darker green to the familiar emerald I'd grown so fond of. I ran my thumb over his cheek bone and down to the corner of his lips. My eyes traced every detail of his, taking in everything I could. The color of his eyes, the unruliness of his hair first thing in the morning, the feel of his skin under my hands, every freckle and crease, everything. Every. Single. Thing.

Edward seemed to be doing the same. His eyes traced over every part of my face as his hand played with the loose strands of my hair around his pointer finger. I woke up to find him looking at me, even in the darkness of the room. We didn't say anything because we were both aware of what today was. We knew this day was coming. We've been preparing for it for weeks and yet the dread was there.

I traced his bottom lip and bit the inside of mine as tears threatened to break. Edward closed the gap between us, pressing his mouth against mine, bringing me back to the first time he kissed me at the courthouse when we were declared husband and wife. That first kiss was filled with both anxiousness and giddiness, it was a kiss that made me want to kiss him every day for the rest of my life. It was a kiss that brought me to life. Every kiss that followed was perfect, leaving me longing for more. They were carefree, they were happy, they were as they should always be.

But this kiss was different. This kiss was harsher than any kiss we've shared before. This kiss was desperate, possessive, decisive. And I loved it. I kissed him back with the same desperation, with the same need to be close to him, to make the most of the little time we had together. The clock was ticking the final minutes before Edward was supposed to board a plane that would take him to Great Britain and I wanted every part of him.

He rolled me on my back, climbing over me. His lips never left my skin. He kissed every inch he could reach, worshiped every bit of my skin that he could get his hands on as he slowly worked his way down my body, taking my sleeping gown with him. I gasped, feeling the goosebumps on every part of me he touched. Edward brought his hand to the apex of my thighs, his fingers slowly working their way inside me.

I gasped, grasping his forearm. He kissed me again, his mouth muffling my moans as his fingers slowly worked in and out of me. I could feel the familiar tension building in the pit of my stomach, slowly bringing me up and up until it all came crashing down, until my nails dug into his skin and my cry echoed in the room.

Using his body, Edward came between my legs and slowly pushed inside me. We moaned into each other's mouths as he buried himself to the hilt. He rose to his hands on either side of my head and without breaking eye contact, he began moving.

This time was different from all the times we've made love since our wedding night. Our wedding night was slow, it was passionate despite my nervousness and it was magical. Every single time that came after was just as special, just as perfect, but this… this was a raw need. This was nearly animalistic with the way he moved inside me. He thrust into me with the same need he kissed me with. With the same need to be as close to me as possible.

He grasped the headboard, trying to stop it from banging against the wall and pressed his mouth against mine once more, muffling my cries. His thrusts became harder and faster, and I was reaching that peak once more. His body tensed under my touch, his jaw tightened and his eyes closed as he threw his head back as he spilled inside me. I followed right after, biting into his shoulder to quiet my moan.

Edward collapsed on top of me, gasping. His body caged me under him and I didn't complain. I marveled at the feel of his weight on me, of the smell of his skin and that slight coat of sweat covering it. I traced the muscles on his back as my heart began to slow. I buried my fingers into his hair. Edward kissed the shell of my ear and worked his way up my jaw until he reached my lips.

He pulled away, looking down at me with an unreadable expression. We didn't say anything. I didn't want to break the spell. Not yet, so I brought him down to me once more and pressed my hips against his. He was still inside me. He moaned against my lips and slowly began moving his hips.

This time it was slower, softer. He made love to me like it was the last time he would, and for a second, it truly felt like it was.

I finished buttoning his jacket and straightened the flaps, making sure his tie stayed tucked inside. I was biting the inside of my cheek so hard, I wasn't sure if the sting in my eyes was because of that or where we were heading. I avoided his eyes as I made sure his uniform was perfect, but Edward never looked away.

"Bella," he whispered, trying to get my attention.

"Not yet," I said quietly, not trusting my voice. "Please not yet."

I saw the muscles of his neck move as he swallowed and his chin dipped in his nod. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to his chest. I sighed and melted into it, taking in his smell, committing it to memory. We stood there for what felt like an eternity, or at least I wished it was. But the clock was ticking and it was time to go. I pulled away, handing him his hat and said, "They're waiting for us."

We walked out of our room in silence, our hands instantly reaching for one another as we walked the hall, down the steps to the living room where everyone else was waiting for us. Kate instantly went for Edward, wrapping her arms tightly around him. Edward let go of me and hugged his sister just as tightly, lifting her until she could barely stand on her toes. I looked over at Carlisle and Esme who were both huddled around Seth as they spoke to him softly. The only other person in the room was Alice, who stood off to the side silently taking in the scene before her.

The energy in the room was massively different than it had been for the last couple of weeks.

The day Edward and I got married was perhaps one of the happiest days of my life. It didn't matter that we got married at the courthouse and the only reception we had was at the bar where we met for the first time. To me, it was perfect and while I wouldn't change a thing, a part of me ached for my parents. A part of me would always have wanted for my parents to have been there the day I got married, for both of our parents to have been there.

Unfortunately, the moment Edward told his mother he was marrying me, she packed her bags and left with Tanya Denali that same day. Despite Carlisle's attempt at getting her to stay, reminding her that her son was weeks away from deployment, she still left. Whether her absence bothered Edward or not, he didn't say. One would've thought his mother never left by the way he was acting. He was happy, or at least he looked happy. He looked at me as if I was everything he wanted. Everything he needed. His mother's departure did not put a damper on his mood the day we got married. Edward, like me, was the happiest man on earth, or so he said.

The weeks following our marriage have been nothing short of a bliss, I almost forgot what was looming over us.

But today…

Today of all days, I was angry at time.

Because as blissful and beautiful the last three weeks with Edward have been, it wasn't enough. We needed more time. We deserved more time, but it seemed like time was working against us.

Carlisle and Esme break away from their huddle around Seth and turn to us. Esme gave me a sad smile, the anxiety in her eyes reflected my own. I've grown to know Esme and Carlisle better in the weeks after the wedding. The day after, Edward, Seth and Emmett all helped Alice and I move our things to the house. Alice was rooming with Kate, which she didn't mind as she really liked Kate and their personalities were one in the same. Since then, I've been spending a lot of time with Esme and I was surprised to see how different she was from Edward's mother. She was kind and warm, much like mine.

"Are we ready?" Carlisle asked quietly.

No one answered.

Because no one was ready but it wasn't like we had much of a choice, now was it?

Edward let go of Kate, placing a kiss on her temple and whispering something to her. Kate nodded and she wiped her tears as they pulled away. Edward turned to me then, his expression still unreadable as he reached for me and my hand sought his almost like an instinct. Our grip was tight and I wasn't sure who was holding on tighter, him or me.

The dread inside me grew with every step we took. My traitorous mind tortured me, reminding me that these were my last moments with Edward with every passing second.

This morning was the last time we made love.

The last time we had breakfast together.

The last time we walked out of his home together.

The last time we would walk the town streets hand in hand.

The last time we would pass by the bar where we met.

The last time we walked through the base together.

When we got to the base, we were met with a large crowd of soldiers and their families saying goodbye before they boarded the planes. My heart skipped a beat when I saw Rosalie and Emmett in a tight embrace. They were married just a week after Edward and I, and Rosalie was set to go back to Oregon later this week.

Edward's hold on my hand became impossibly tight before he let go, turning to his uncles. He hugged Carlisle first. I saw the way Carlisle's jaw trembled as he spoke to Edward softly, holding him as tight as he could.

Seth came to me then and a quiet sob ripped through me as he pulled me into his arms.

"I'll look after him, Izzy. I promise," he said.

"Look after each other," I amended, my voice trembling. "For the love of God, Seth, please be safe."

"I'll try my best." He pulled away, cupping my cheek in his hand and wiped my tears from my cheek with his thumb. "We'll be back home in no time."

I nodded and hugged him again. Edward was pulling away from a tearful Esme by the time Seth and I pulled away from each other. He gave Alice a quick hug and Alice nodded to whatever he was telling her, wiping away her own tears.

After her, there was only me and in that moment, I wished I could stop time. I wished I could make it all pause by saying, "Not yet."

But I couldn't.

Even Edward knew when he turned to me, he knew there was no more holding off our goodbye.

He took my hand and guided me away from the group. It was crowded today but the distance gave us a semblance of privacy. Edward held both of my hands in his, pressing them against his chest where I could feel his heart pounding under the palm of my hand.

"Carlisle and Esme have decided to stay in Pearl Harbor until we come back," he said, his voice slightly trembling. "He will look after you while I'm gone."

I nodded, unable to say anything because I was trying so hard not to break down, not to scream.

He let go of one of my hands and nudged my chin up with his finger, locking his beautiful emerald eyes with mine.

"I'll write to you as soon as I'm established somewhere, I promise. I'll write to you as often as I can."

I nodded again, tears clouding my vision, but I didn't want to blink. I didn't want to waste a single second.

Edward took a deep breath.

"This last month has been the best month of my existence, Bella. You have no idea how happy you've made me in such a short amount of time. I know it all seems hopeless right now, but I have something worth fighting for now. Please, take care of my heart because I'm leaving it here with you."

I couldn't hold it in then. A sob ripped through me as I shook my head.

"It's not fair. We didn't have enough time."

"But we will." He cupped my face between his hands and pressed his forehead against mine. "When I come back, we will have all the time in the world. We will have forever. I knew it."

"How?"

"Because I won't have it any other way. I will come back to you, Bella, no matter what I have to do. I will always come back to you. Always." He pressed his lips against my forehead. "I love you."

I sighed and looked up at him.

"I love you."

His eyes widened at my words. This was the first time I said I loved him because I was too scared to admit it before, too scared to give him my heart. But I knew it now. I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

"Come back to me, Mr. Cullen."

"I will," he vowed.

And he sealed that vow with a kiss.

Author's Note:

Edward is off to war :(

Chapter Twenty-One Preview -

"A part of me couldn't decide whether this was a blessing or a curse."