Fanfiction: Invisibility Chapter 13

-Insanity's Partner

Rated T

Bella:

I was completely unbelieving as I reluctantly strolled the hallway, closer to the man I loved, but wasn't brave enough to admit it. But now it screamed in my mind. I love him! Are you happy now? I love him, but I'm too scared to say it out loud because…because I don't want to be hurt again.

Aro was surprisingly convincing. Who knew?

"Do you want him to die?" he asked, anxious. That took some thinking. I did not hate him; I'd hated what he'd done to me. I loved him with every ounce of my fiber, and it wasn't until now, when I was too numb to feel the pain of it, that I was able to admit it.

I shook my head.

"Then tell him who you are. Save him."

It was then, as I was about to enter the hallway, hearing his roars as he yelled at Alice that I was unsure. Did he still love me? Would he accept me?

I entered the large room, immediately having twelve pairs of eyes glue themselves to my face, shocked. But only one pair captured my interest.

Edward:

I was utterly surprised to see her here. The other girl. Not my Bella. When I heard the soft footsteps, and smelled the luscious scent… It wasn't until now that I'd realized they'd planted inside my heart…a flourishing blossom of hope.

And then as I saw her face, it shriveled up and died. I looked away, pain burning behind my eyes, even though I knew I would not be able to cry.

And then, I heard a gasp fall from Alice's lips. She took three steps back, muttering something incoherent… It might have been a language I could not identify.

And then she froze, reached out to point at her, and said something that made me snap my head around and almost die of shock.

"Bella!"

Bella:

I pictured my old self in my mind, picturing the long plain brown hair, before feeling the added weight off all the extra hair. Slowly, I wiped the sleeve of my shirt across my face, trying to rid myself of some of the make-up.

I opened my eyes after I heard Alice gasp in shock. Her reaction was not heartwarming.

It was…shocked, and almost fearful.

I took a step back, and then she lifted her arm to point at me, and said my name.

And his eyes snapped to see mine.

And then I could see it, in his eyes… It just… clicked.

Edward:

And suddenly, I felt like an idiot. Everything she'd hinted at, all of the clues… The music, the vague yet distinct answers to the questions…

It all fit.

And all this time, I thought…

I wanted to bash my head against the concrete until blood poured from my ears, I felt so stupid.

I opened my mouth, and then shut it.

I couldn't blink. I forced my eyes to stay open.

I was afraid if I closed them she would somehow disappear, or should this be a hallucination, she'd go up in a cloud of smoke.

I walked slowly to her holding out my hand questioningly. I was afraid if I touched her, she wouldn't real, or she'd disappear.

I reached out and ran my hand along her jaw line. It was solid. I wrapped my arms around her in a bone crushing grip, and breathed in her lovely scent. I scoffed at myself for calling it stale before. It wasn't stale at all. It was… wonderful, but it didn't make me hungry. Now I wanted her, but not for her blood.

She grabbed my hand and led me away from the room. I followed her, dazed. I didn't pay much attention to where we were going. I was too busy reveling in the touch of her hand on mine… She was still warm… So very impossibly warm. As she held my hand I could feel my heart slowly defrosting… And for the first time in nearly three decades, I felt whole.

She's okay. She's thinking, breathing. She's here… And I'm with her. She took led me around the maze of corridors until we came to a very ornately decorated door that she led me through. I saw some unpacked bags in the corner before I turned my longing eyes back to her.

I stared into her eyes, seeing through the red, and into her soul; the soul that could never be taken away from her. I knew that there was no force out there powerful enough to take a soul as pure as hers. Her eyes were like never ending pools of wine now, instead of chocolate. I almost felt drunk by the time I managed to pull my eyes away from them to look over her; to see how she'd changed. I didn't get far. I stared at her perfect plump red lips, exactly as they'd been before. She'd hardly changed at all through the transformation. I already knew she was perfect before the transformation. I don't know; maybe she'd grown a little taller? I couldn't tell. I was too busy staring at her beautiful lips.

I wanted so very badly to kiss them…so very badly. I wasn't sure if she would want that. She still hadn't spoken to me yet. And that was making me nervous. But then she opened her lips to speak.

"Well, now you know." she said, a slightly bitter undertone to her voice. I looked down, ashamed for everything I'd done to her.

"I'm sorry." I said, kicking myself internally, knowing that that didn't even begin to describe how sorry I was.

"I'm so sure," she said, her words burning me like acid. "Tell me; what were you doing for the last twenty-seven years? Enjoying your distractions, I can imagine."

He words cut like razors. I opened my mouth to say something, but she cut me off. "Been looking for other hearts to break? I mean, based on that kiss you gave the other me before, you obviously can't love me as much as you had once claimed to—"

"I love you!" I snarled, angry at myself for ever being so stupid.

"How am I supposed to believe you?" she snarled in response, probably thinking I was mad at her.

I didn't think about what I'd done. I didn't pause to think of the consequences of my actions…

I just took her face in my hands, possibly too roughly, and kissed her.

Bella:

I could feel so many emotions in that kiss, fear, lust, anger, angst… But I also felt love.

But how could I know it was real?

"I love you, I love you, I love you…" he whispered between kisses.

"No, you don't. You couldn't possibly." I said, pulling away; trying not to let myself grow attached at his words.

"Bella, why would I come all the way here to the Volturi and then ask to die if I didn't love you." He said, taking my face in his hands again, looking into my eyes, almost as if he was trying to relay a message to me, willing me to read his thoughts. I didn't dare try.

"Guilt?" I replied, trying not to let myself hope…trying not to get hurt again.

"You think I'd kill myself out of guilt?" He asked, incredulous.

"So you weren't guilty?" I asked, raising my eyebrows, trying not to express the pain I'd felt, even if I wasn't letting myself hope.

"Yes, I was guilty. But that's not why I came here." He sighed, anxiously.

"So you're simply a suicidal idiot, then?" I said, hoping the sarcasm would hide the desperation in my voice.

"Very funny, Bella. No, I love you. I love you, I love you I love you!" I said, his voice rising with each 'I love you'.

"You can't love me. If you loved me, you wouldn't have left me; you would have changed me yourself instead of leaving me there to die." I said, feeling myself become numb again with each word.

"I was trying to keep you safe!" He yelled, raising his hands to his hair, pulling at it slightly.

"Okay then. So let's say you were trying to keep me safe. What did you think you would accomplish by returning? So you could break me further? Maybe push me to commit suicide while you were at it?" I asked, steaming.

"What? No, I—"

"Or better yet; Did you expect me to run into your arms so we could be together forever like some stupid romance movie, almost as if nothing had happened. That I would be there, waiting for you with open arms when you did return?"

"Bella, I—"

"Did you honestly expect that I wouldn't be hurt at all by your pushing me away? That the ever-perfect Edward Cullen can do no wrong! That it doesn't matter what he does, Bella will always be waiting for him. That you had me wrapped around your finger? That—",

"STOP!" he yelled, breathing heavily, trying to calm himself. "Stop," He said more quietly, breaking down.

Then he fell to his knees in a heap of broken sobs.

"I don't deserve you." He whimpered. "I never did. I deserve every unkind word and thought you have of me; I keep telling myself that… But it still hurts!" He paused again to let out another whimper. "And… I just know if I can take knowing you don't love me… I looked for you for so very long…"

I was shocking into silence. Then he seemed to compose himself as he continued.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I'm an idiot. I deserve every unkind thought you have to think about me, and so much worse. I left you, and I was wrong in doing so. That was the biggest mistake of my entire life, and I'll never make that mistake again. I'll never leave you again." I paused for a minute, thinking before I answered. "But how can I believe you?"

"I don't know." He sighed, hanging his head in shame. "That's up to you. I'm so sorry, Bella. I'm sorry I hurt you, I never meant for things to go so wrong… Please, just tell me if it's possible for you to still love me the way I still love you. I swear to god, I won't stop you if you don't want me. But if being with you makes you unhappy, I'll leave."

"Edward, I—"

"I'm sorry Bella. I'm sorry I wasted your life." I didn't say anything. And after a moment of silence, he turned to walk away. I watched him take three shaky steps back to the door. His hand on the handle; I yelled out to him.

"Stop! Edward, wait!" And in that one moment as ran to him and kissed him, and melted into his kiss, and he kissed me back, I knew everything would be okay.

Disclaimer: I do not own "The Twilight Series" or the fanfictions by other authors...
LINK:http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3451216/1/Invisibility