Sentiment War

Epilogue

Edward's P.O.V

Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
And the dreams that you dreamed of
Once in a lullaby...

It shouldn't be so hard to be with the person you love. It can't be a constant wagging war that begins with ourselves. Bella and I hated each other from the moment we met, but as time progressed and I saw her as she was, a beautiful, smart, stubborn woman, it was her against I. We fought each other and then for each other. I'm not going to lie when I say her rejection didn't hurt, but it did. But then... by some miracle she saw past my pride and fell in love with me. Obstacle One had been beaten.

Obstacle Two was the butterfly effect. It was the hatred her father had toward my life that set off such horrible chain of events. It made us fight a war between our beliefs, our families and ultimately death. I don't seem to remember a time where our lives was actually blissful. We went from fighting a world war to fighting our own. Small battles that left wounded, small victories and losses. Not one moment of actually blissfulness happened for us. Not until we left Forks.

Bella said her father talked to her, begged her to forgive him for all he had done. He went to testify in my favor. Seeing his daughter have a child and being completely alone was it for him, seeing her in so much pain and despair was enough for him to see that she didn't need his protection. She needed her family and the father of her child. He apologized to her for everything he'd done and after he apologized to me.

"If I could take it back, I would."

But he couldn't. Now that alone stood as part of our history. A history my daughter will never know.

Bella didn't want to stay in Forks after I was released from the hospital. Not even when I made sure to emphasize on the fact that I wouldn't mind staying there in order for her to remain close to her family. She said I might want to stay, but she didn't.

"Our home is the harbor," she said. "It's where we met, where we fell in love. It's where I want our daughter to grow up."

She and Alice reconciled. Her whole family reconciled. But she still wanted to go back. We agreed on visits here and there, coming up to Forks for the holidays and them coming down for the summer. My mother moved to the harbor as well and Marcus took a job offering down in San Francisco. We still keep in touch, knowing we are brothers helped us move on in some way. He writes occasionally and asks for photos of Bella and Belle. Belle is especially his favorite little person in the world and not only because she's his niece, he told me himself.

Diana is close to becoming a nurse, she and my wife practice regularly back home and at the hospital. Carlisle and his family still live in Forks, they just can't seem to stay away from little Belle.

Belle is simply the sweetest, most adorable little baby I've ever laid eyes on. I may be biased because I'm her father but I could care less. She's simple perfect. The perfect combination between me and Bella and if all goes right, she'll rule the world one day.

It's hard to believe there as I chased my little one year old around our backyard that it was over. That there was no more need for small battles, to fight to win a wagging war because it was all over. We won. There was scars which served as reminders of what we went through but we won. I had a family. A wife and a daughter, all I'll ever need. Belle ran as fast as her little chubby legs would allow her, looking back at me with a beautiful smile and her messy copper hair flying all over the place.

"I'm going to catch you!" I slowly chase after her, pretending to be some kind of tiger, stretching my claws toward her.

My little girl lets out a little squeal when I sweep her off her little feet and into my arms. I shower her with kisses all over her little cubby face and neck. She laughs loudly, squirming in my arms before I finally set her on her feet and she runs toward her mother. Bella is sitting on a blanket in the middle of our yard with her book. Belle lands right next to her and hugs her mother around the waist. I catch up to them and sit beside my wife, who is managing to sit our one year old on her lap.

"Are you having fun?" She asked our baby daughter.

"Water!" She cheers. "Water!"

Bella pouts. "Are you sure you want to go to the beach today, baby? You just got out of your cold."

"Water!" She demands.

I lean my chin against my wife's shoulder and say, "It's a beautiful day today. Why not?"

"Water!"

Bella looks at me. "Fine, Mr. Cullen. But if this little one gets sick again, you're nursing her back to health and deal with all the little buggers."

"It's a deal." I couldn't be happier about it.

We get ready for the beach, dressing Belle is a little one piece swim suit and wrapping her up in a pink towel. We wave at Jason, who helps bring the groceries in from his car and he waves back. You would think after what Bella forced him through he would think of us as freaks or never cross word with us again. It was the exact opposite. He comes over once in a while and always greets us when we cross paths. He became a great family friend.

The beach was just a mile walk from our home. Belle chants excitedly in my arms water water water the closer we get to the beach. I hold her close to me, pressed up against my chest and hold her mother very close to my side. People look, of course they do. They hear stories. They heard I've been in jail, that my wife gave birth in the mist of so much chaos. We couldn't care less.

Belle's laughter rings in my eyes as I sweep her up and down in the water, having her little toes touch the warm water before sweeping her right up. Bella stands close by, clapping and splashing some water onto our daughter's hair. She claps and cheers for our baby girl when I help her float on her back and teach her how to hold her breath under water.

The smile on their faces has become a constant sight for me. The perfect sight. There was no more pain, no more war. As Belle and I played, Bella decided to go for a swim deeper in the water. We both watched as Bella swam gracefully on her face, kicking her legs out and using her hands to keep balance.

"Ma!" Belle called.

Bella looked at us from her spot in the deeper ocean and smiled.

"Hold onto Daddy, Belle. Monkey."

Belle knows what this means. She wraps her little arms around my neck and her little legs around my waist tightly. I hold her close to me as I swim toward my wife. When I reach her, I use my free hand to bring her close to me, face to face with Belle in between us. That smile is something I'll never get tired of seeing. It's my favorite thing about her. All of her. Belle giggles between us, pressing her head between our chests. She has a small giggle fits. She's just the happiest baby in the world.

Bella and I look up at the same time. We are both smiling. We are both happy. Finally.

"Are you having a good day, Mrs. Cullen."

Bella holds back a small gasp. "You haven't called me that in a very long time."

"That's because-" I lean in to kiss her sweet lips, "-I'm completely, perfectly and incandescently happy. Now, to my previous question-"

"It's the perfect day, Mr. Cullen." She wraps her arms around my neck. "And I'm looking forward for more days like these with you in the near future, forever."

Forever sounds perfect.

"Now that's a promise I can keep."

Well I see trees of green and red roses too
I'll watch them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself... what a wonderful world.

The End.

Author's Note:

New story is up!!! This one the chapters are very very long. Almost 4,500 words long. The longest I've ever written. Check it out!!