A/N Hi, well here it is. Id like to dedicate my last chapter to my wonderful beta momma2fan who put up with all my crap and never called me an idiot. She is amazing! I hope you like it.

EPOV

I hadn't seen anything from Bella in over two hours and I couldn't take it anymore. The bar didn't close for another so, technically, I was supposed to be working, but I couldn't stand it. I had to see her.

Making my way through the crowd, ignoring the hands that grabbed my arm, trying to get me to dance with them, I made my way to the girls table and I frowned. Bella wasn't there.

I was starting to worry it had all been another dream. That Bella hadn't returned and Id wake up in my room, alone.

"Where is she?" I demanded, without greeting when I reached the table.

They glanced from me, to each other, and then to me again. I had come to expect this.

"I don't know what happened," Alice admitted as she played with her mood ring.

"One minute she was dancing, then she looked over at you, got all upset and then left." Rosalie told me. She looked concerned but not as much as Alice.

"Why didn't you go after her?" I demanded, wanting to strangle her.

Rosalie shrugged. "We could tell that she needed to be alone. We just don't know what happened..." She trailed off with a frown.

I ran out of the bar, ignoring Jasper and Emmett's demands to where I was going. I finally had her back; I wasn't going to let her get away now.

I tried everywhere I could think, the girls cabin, our cabin, the studio, the gym even. She wasn't anywhere.

Then a thought came to me and I ran as fast I could, hoping she'd be there.

I found her at the lake. She was sitting at the end of the dock, her bare feet swinging from side to side, inches away from the water.

I knew she would never actually put her feet into the dark water. She had told me once that she had been scarred for life after watching shark movies and sitting there, with your feet in the water, half naked, was just asking for trouble.

"Well, you're just asking for trouble," I commented as I sat down next to her.

I saw her smile as she watched her feet swing, but I could see the sadness it her.

Dammit, I felt like I was on a speeding train, that was seconds away from going off the tracks and I couldn't control it.

Jesus, I sounded dramatic to even myself.

"Bella," I sighed and couldn't keep the pain and longing out of my voice. I couldn't lose her again. I wouldn't.

"Bella, look at me," I ordered gently.

I knew from experience that she tended to get defensive when she was upset. Yelling at her wouldn't get you anywhere. She'd just get angry.

She looked straight into my eyes. Her big, expressive brown eyes, were filled with tears.

"What happened?" I asked as I brushed away her tears with my thumbs, loving how she leaned into my touch. I saw that as a good sing and leaned forward to kiss away her tears. It felt incredibly right to do something so intimate. How could she not realize that what we had was special? I was willing to fight and claw to keep it. Was she?

"Tell me," I breathed, needing to know whether I had to add her to my list of people to fight to win this battle.

While kissing her tears away, I was not letting her go. I loved Bella and I was keeping her and she would just have to get used to that idea. I didn't care if I sounded like a stalker.

"I shouldn't have come back," She whispered and I froze.

"What?" I demanded, wanting to kick myself. I had just been talking about fighting even Bella to get her, but I actually truly thought it would be an issue.

"I was on the dance floor earlier and I saw you and you just looked so happy. But then I realized that if it weren't for me, you would have never gone through any of that pain. It's all my fault. I am just like your father." She finished.

"What?" I gaped at her.

"You told me that your dad would leave and then just come back and pretend like nothing had happened. That's exactly what I did." Her accent was getting thicker as she spoke.

I held her face in my hands. "Bella, you are nothing like my father."

"But-"

"No." I cut her off. "My dad would leave because he's seen something in a short skirt and could give a shit about his family. You didn't. Bella, I may not have wanted you to go. I may have hated that you left, but I have always understood why. When Alice and Rosalie told me about Jacob and your father, I knew the day would come when you would have to confront them and you're past. I wished it would be when we were married and you were legally mine, but.." I teased and then leaned in and brushed her soft lips with mine. "I always knew it would come Bella. And I always knew you would come back to me."

I had to smile when her jaw actually dropped.

"What do you mean?"

I chuckled. "I know you Bella, better than you know yourself. I knew you would face you father and realize that you are exactly who you are meant to be and I knew, when you realized that, then you would come back to me."

I watched as a thousand thoughts seemed to go through her head. "What If I hadn't come back?" She demanded.

I smiled. "If you love something, set it free. If it loves you, it will come back. If it doesn't then it was never yours to begin with." I grinned. "Cheesy, but true. Besides, I would have gone to Forks and dragged your ass back here."

"But, you, you asked me to come back. You were so upset when I left!" She accused.

"Of course, I was. I love you and I didn't want you to leave. I missed you like fucking crazy and the thought of you off with another guy, killed me, but I knew. I believed in you Bella, even when you didn't believe in yourself. So did Alice and Rosalie."

"But, they told me how you reacted to my letter. Why would you react like that if you thought I'd come back."

I smiled. "All because I knew you'd come back didn't mean it didn't kill me to watch you leave. I didn't mean that I couldn't breathe without you. I just knew you'd come back and then you did." I smiled. "But now your here with all this guilt, talking about you being like my dad and I feel like I'm losing you. I'll fight for you, Bella. I always will. Even if it's you."

"I can't believe this. So, this whole 'Zombie Edward' was all fake?" She asked with a frown.

I grinned. "I wish. It wasn't lies Bella. It killed me to be away with you and I won't lie, or be that arrogant, sometimes, when it felt hard to breathe, I worried you wouldn't come back. But then Id remember how you looked at me with such love and I knew that you would come back."

"How? Even I didn't!" She burst out.

"I have faith." I answered.

"Faith," She muttered. "I can't believe this. I thought we'd had this painful break up and you were miserable."

"I was!" I interrupted when I sensed she was getting angry.

"I thought that Id destroyed you, Edward. I thought you couldn't live without me and that you were pining away for me. And all this time you knew I'd come back because I loved you too much, you arrogant bastard!" She finished and shoved me away from her, getting to her feet.

"I told you I was miserable." I shouted as I followed after her as she stormed away. "I missed you every second. I would lay there sometimes and just picture your face."

"Don't you try and get back into my good books!" She snapped.

I laughed, I was happy, despite the 'arrogant bastard' comment, that we were together. Even if she was mad at me. It was better than her being sad.

We'd had enough sadness and pain, lately. It was time for me to get my woman.

Without another word, I charged her.

"Let me go, you stupid son of a bitch!" She squealed as her legs went out from under her.

"Never." I answered as I crushed my mouth to hers.

Finally, I thought as he tongue brushed against mine. I had her back.

We continued to kiss and I carried her home and up to my bedroom.

The past week had been hard. I had missed her more than I ever thought possible. But it was worth it because Bella knew what she needed to know to carry on with her life now. All the pain and fear that I felt had all been worth it so that she knew she was perfect. And that she was mine and always would be.

"I love you," I whispered as I lowered her onto the bed.

"I love you," She answered as she pulled me into her arms. "Always."

BPOV

Christmas Day.

Christmas carols were playing low in the background, the smell of a traditional feast filled the air, we had gone, let's just say, a tad over board. The guys lit the log fire which had never been used until today.

I looked around at my friends and the love of my life whilst seasoning the parsnips, before Edward ushered me away, that is. We were all laughing and enjoying each other's company.

All of us were spending the holidays on Jaspers families' ranch in Texas. All of the mothers had come to stay, Including Renee and Phil. She and Beth had hit it off like a house on fire and were already planning our wedding and naming our children.

So far, food had been spilled; plates had been broken and had a screaming match in the kitchen, each of us blaming the other for everything going wrong.

The guys had soon settled things by offering to finish the dinner, telling us girls to go relax, saying they could make desert. The desert was store bought so all they had to do was serve it out.

We had a bet going that they'd still argue. The holidays brought the best out in everyone.

That's what I loved about them. We could be screaming at each other one minute and the next we were all in fits of giggles. It had kept us all on our toes for the few months, that was for sure

We were all finally sitting around the table; the guys had pulled in from one of the barns where it was being stored. Claiming it would be so hot if we could watch the guys using their muscles and that they could take their shirts off if they wanted. We had burst out laughing when they had ripped their shirts off and got to work. Men would be men.

I looked around the table. Everyone I loved most in the world was in the same room.

After dinner, we all helped clean and finally gathered in front of the wood burning fire to exchange presents.

Edward had given me the most amazing gift ever; a thick quilt with pictures of two of us on it. It had brought tears to my eyes to know that he knew what I would prefer something sentimental than flashy.

Later that night, I stood looking at the tree, revelling in the magic of Christmas day, when I felt two strong arms wrap around my waist

Edward pressed a kissed to my neck and then rested his chin on my shoulder.

I had to ask. "A signed baseball cap? Why would you give Rosalie that?" I laughed.

I felt his body shake as he chuckled. "Hey, I still think it's a good gift and besides, Emmett bet me twenty bucks that I wouldn't have the balls to do it."

I just shook my head and smiled. Boys.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked.

"I was just thinking about Christmas. It magical, don't you think?"

"Christmas is when it's with you." He answered and I turned in his arms to kiss him.

The months leading up to Christmas hadn't always been easy, but I wouldn't change a single second of it.

I couldn't even bring myself to regret leaving my home for Jacob because it had finally allowed me to see my father for who he really was. I had finally been able to let go of the guilt I had been carrying around for so many years. The guilt of not being able to be who they wanted me to be, of never loving Jacob the way I thought I should. The guilt of the accident.

The only thing I regretted about it was how much I had hurt Edward. Even though Edward had told me that he believed I would return to him, that didn't mean he hadn't been in pain. I would never stop trying to make it up to him for causing that. No matter how many times he told her it wasn't nessacary.

Edward had also proposed the morning after our reunion. Id said no. He had asked me repeatedly to explain why I had turned down his proposal. I had explained every time that it wasn't because it was himwho was proposing, that it was because I wasn't ready for marriage.

I loved my life exactly the way it was. I loved my job and my friends and the cabin I shared with the girls I saw as my sisters. I loved having the love of my life right next door.

I didn't want anything to change. Not just yet, anyway.

Both Alice and Rosalie had told me that they felt the same. Right now, everything was perfect. Yes, one day we would get married and start families, and I knew without a single doubt in my mind who I would start that journey with. Edward.

The guys would just have to learn to be patient.

Oh, that's right; Rosalie and Alice had also gotten proposals. Alice had passed out and Rosalie had laughed at the fact that Emmett was pasty when he asked her. It was like he felt he had to ask in case she might get mad because he was the only one who hadn't. He had even admitted it when she turned him down.

The guys often made jokes that most guys would take it badly when their girlfriends rejected their marriage proposals and they might even start to feel unloved.

Alice had just told them that it was Karma coming round to bite them on the ass for their former womanizing ways.

Every day was like that. It was fun and new. Yes, we argued a lot. Not only the couples, but all six of us. If Rosalie was pissed at Jasper, then she'd let him know.
It was just how it was. We were close and that meant that sometimes things got heated and loud. But not one of us would change it for anything.

As I gazed into the intense green eyes that had stolen my heart the very first time I'd seen them, I knew everything would be okay.

As he kissed me in front of the perfectly decorated Christmas tree, with the sound of our friend's laughter in the background, I knew that no matter where life might take me, I would enjoy the ride. I would love Edward with every bone in my body for the rest of eternity. And I would take chances.

Taking a chance on Alice's Dirty Dancing fantasy had lead me to Edward. Had lead Alice and Rosalie to Jasper and Emmett.

Taking that one chance, had lead me to where I belonged.

The End.

A/N And there we go. I hope you all liked it and you check out momma2fan. I have had so much going over this story again. I laughed and cried rather pathetically, but it was so much fun!