A/N: I have absolutely no excuse for making you wait this long. I am truly sorry. I guess I just couldn't bring myself to write the final chapter. I wanted to end it perfectly. It's probably not perfect, but it made me happy.

When I was finally ready to write it, I went to California. Then I got punished. sigh It was not my month.

Disclaimer:

Me: I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!

Reality: AHAHAHHAHA No you are not! Cause you know why? CAUSE YOU DON'T OWN TWILIGHT!

Me: slices of reality's head off with a butter knife (yeah a butter knife)Dude you're dead.

Chapter Seventeen

The Perfect End

Six figures materialized through the doors looking down at me. I knew they were talking, but I couldn't understand what they were saying. It was as if they were mumbling.

Why was I on the floor? I felt as if my head weighed a thousand pounds. Desperately, I tried to pick myself up. When that failed, I tried talking. Nothing came out. It seemed like no one saw my struggle to communicate, so I stopped trying.

I tried to study the blurry figures. From my position on the floor, it looked like the vampires had been painted with shiny slivery liquid. I wanted to ask what was wrong. Why did they all look hurt?

Then, I saw a seventh vampire emerge from the floor to my right. I studied his face, confused. It was Edward. Sliver dripped from the side of his mouth. His hands were also covered in it.

Suddenly, everything came rushing back to me. Visions of Edward viciously ripping a vampire apart swarmed my mind. I tried to scream. He began to come towards me, and I wanted to thrash around; to get away from him.

A look of confusion rose to his face as if he felt my fear. His hands raced to his face as he felt the liquid creeping off of his face. His face fell in horror and the room was in sudden movement.

Alice came towards me and picked me up. I tried thrashing, but soon, my energy was depleted from the effort. Everything went black.

I blinked my eyes, trying to wipe away the sleep that wanted to overcome me again. Looking around blurrily, I realized that I was sleeping in Alice and Jasper's room.

Sunlight shone through the window brighter than normal. I pushed myself into a sitting position, focusing my thoughts.

Last night had been brutal. All I could think about was how grateful I was that Victoria was gone.

I began to wonder why I was in this room and not in Edward's room. Then I remembered. I had been terrified of him last night. I was not really scared of him; it was just in the moment. I was more confused than anything.

All I could see was Edward's horrified face. It had finally happened. He believed he had done the worst. He believed he had frightened me away. He always knew it would happen.

But he was wrong! I still loved him more than humanly possible. Nothing would be enough to make me flee from him. I had been confused after witnessing something terrifying. I was actually thankful that he ripped her to shreds.

I took a deep breath and threw my legs over the side of the bed. Moving slowly, I shoved a pair of sweatpants on that were lying on a chair next to Alice's bed. I figured they were meant for me, considering they were my size and still had the tag on them.

I rubbed my eyes and tossed my hair into a sloppy bun. Then, I sat down on the edge of the bed, preparing myself. When I finally felt awake and confident, I took a deep breath, stood up, and made my way to the door. I was ready to confront my destiny and make everything right.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, movement of all kind ceased. The air seemed to be holding its breath. Within seconds, I saw each Cullen family member arrive through different entrances. Soon, I realized I was mistaken. Every Cullen was there. Everyone except Edward.

I studied each of them. It was obvious that they had been hurt, but most of their cuts and gashes were gone. On Rosalie, a faint shadow of what looked like a bruise was visible on her neck. It was in the shape of finger marks. Clearly, each one had fought bravely and paid a price.

I gazed lovingly at them, wanting to show my gratitude. My heart started to race as my eyes filled with tears from seeing what they'd sacrificed to keep me safe. To keep me alive.

It seemed like everyone felt my emotion, and not just Jasper. Their eyes were filled with compassion and to some level precaution. I was sure they were wondering if I wanted to leave. If I was scared.

Slowly, I glided towards the Cullen closest to me. That was Carlisle. I stood in front of him looking into his eyes, before throwing my arms around him in a monstrous hug. After a moment of surprise, he hugged me back.

Moving down the line, I hugged every Cullen. Even Rosalie. She became stiff, but patted my back. Then came Jasper. He was the last vampire. For a moment, I stood tentatively in front of him, making sure he was comfortable. Then, without warning, I threw my arms around him also. I was not scared of any of them, and I was determined to prove it.

I then stood, alone, in the center of the room, searching for the right words. Jasper spoke before I could.

"Bella, you do not need to say anything. We know. And we love you too."

The family all moved in on me, but I wasn't frightened. They all embraced me in a group hug. I had never felt more at home in my life.

But, everything wasn't perfect. Not yet.

Edward was still not around, and that crushed me terribly. I looked to Alice, and understanding my feelings, lead me into the kitchen to talk to me.

We sat at the unused table. Alice studied my face. Before she could explain anything, I spoke.

"Why did he leave? Surely he knows I love him? Nothing could ever change that. I- I was confused and frightened after just witnessing a huge vampire fight. I just want him back. Where is he?" All my words came out in a rush. I wasn't sure how to explain what had happened or how to explain how much I needed Edward.

Her eyes showed understanding and compassion as Alice took my hand.

"He thought it finally happened. He thought you had seen the thing that would make you run away from him screaming. Seeing you flinch from him broke his heart. At the moment, he is out hunting and said he would be for a while. I think he's blowing off some steam, and he didn't want you to be frightened when you awoke.

"We tried to reason with him. We knew how you felt. I tried to explain to him that I had a vision soon after of you waking up and being fine. He refused to listen."

"I will stay here until he gets back. Nothing will ever separate us. I'll prove to him that I love him. I'm not afraid."

Alice stood and pulled me up by the hand. Standing on her tiptoes, she ruffled my hair.

"You are amazing and brave. There's no way I'm letting my brother leave you. Ever."

My eyes widened, wondering if she had seen a vision about him leaving me. She noticed my fear and quickly added, "Not that he's going to. I'm just saying."

We both laughed.

I walked out to the back yard, alone. I sat impatiently on the hammock. Any minute, I expected Edward to come running through the trees. But he didn't. Time flew as my mind wandered.

Soon, I heard the glass door slide open. My eyes darted to the house, hoping it was Edward. It wasn't. My heart dropped a little bit.

Jasper slowly made his way out of the house. At first, he rested against the house, watching me. I knew it was difficult for him to be around me, but I admired the way he fought against his natural instincts.

After hesitating for a moment, he made his way to the hammock. I sat up and moved over, making room for him. He eyed the spot, but stayed where he was.

"What's up?" I asked him, curiously. For some reason, he seemed to find this question amusing. His eyes twinkled.

"Just checking on you, I suppose."

I muttered an "oh" and looked at the grass. I was sure he was here for a reason, but I couldn't figure out what.

"You aren't scared." He said this as a statement more than a question.

"Of course not!" I said this like I was offended that he even thought it.

I saw his lips turn up in the corners and his eyes sparkle. He was enjoying this.

"I was just stating. I can feel it. I can also feel Edward's emotions from here. He's broken and crushed. He's never felt more miserable."

I wasn't sure how to respond. It made me feel horrible. I needed to see him. But I had no idea where he was. I put my face into my hands and shook my head.

Jasper felt my sadness. He moved towards me, paused at the edge of the hammock, and then sat. He put his arm over my shoulders.

"You need to make him see the truth. He's in your meadow. I'll keep an ear out for you and if I sense any trouble I'll be there in a flash."

Stunned, I looked up. I squeezed his waist and stood up. I began towards the front of the house.

"You're not going to walk there without your shoes, are you?" He laughed.

I looked back, my face flushed. Jasper was holding up my sneakers with a look of hysterics on his face. He seemed to think that this whole situation was funny.

"Why don't you take Edward's car? I'm sure he won't mind." As he said this, he threw me the keys to the pretty, shiny, sliver Volvo. Surprisingly, I caught them. Hesitantly, I looked down at them.

I needed to find him. That made up my mind. I turned and ran to the Volvo.

"It's just like my truck," I told myself. Believing those words, I was shocked when I didn't hear a deafening roar when I started it up.

Some how, I managed to reach the trail without wrecking his car.

Blindly, I ran though the woods. I knew exactly where I had to go. Usually, it took an extreme amount of time to reach my meadow, but I hardly realized I was running. In no time, I saw the meadow. I slowed my pace to a slow walk. Praying that Edward was still there, I stepped into the sunlight.

My eye caught him instantly. Not concealed at all, his skin was glittering and he was more beautiful than anything I had ever seen. On the other side of the meadow, he was sitting, with his head in his hands. His whole body was shaking, despite the warm weather.

Whether he noticed me with him or not, I couldn't tell. He refused to look up. I walked slowly towards him, biting my lip. I knew this was a time where I needed to say the right words.

I put my hand on his arm, and in an inhuman movement, he looked up, startled. When he saw me, he pushed himself back, away from me.

"Edward…" My voice began to trail off. I took a deep breath and made my voice powerful. "I love you. Nothing could ever change that. How could you possibly think differently?"

His face brightened, but he looked weak. He looked at me, concerned.

"I- I thought it had finally happened… I thought-" He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. He pounded his fist on the grass, and I was sure I felt the ground shake.

I bent down next to him, rubbing my hand lovingly on his arm.

"If I was frightened of you, do you think I would be here now?"

I lifted his head and stared intensely into his topaz eyes. I wanted him to see my love for him.

With the back of my hand, I stroked his face from his temple to his jaw, as he had done to me so many times before. He closed his eyes, enjoying my warmth.

"I love you, Edward. Will you still have me?"

His eyes searched mine, looking for any sign of fear. He was listening to my pace of my heart. For once, it was calm.

"Of course I will still have you, Bella. What an absurd question."

I could not control my happiness. I flung myself forward, hugging him. Not even slightly shocked, he threw his arms around me.

We didn't let go of each other. And as I sat there, with Edward in my arms, I felt that nothing had ever been more perfect.

The End

A/N: I left it open for a sequel… I'm not sure if I should. What do you think? Either way I'll end up writing another story, whether it be this sequel or a brand new story. Thanks for all of you who have read my story steadily. And to all who have reviewed, thank you! My readers are what made this story possible!