Life After You (TVD + Twilight crossover)

Ch. 5 | Reunited

I made my way back to the house, walking at human pace, my thoughts running faster than I could hardly comprehend. Bella was a vampire. How long had she been one? Why didn't she go looking for me? Was she in love with someone else? Stefan, perhaps? Did she want this? Was she using me the whole time to become immortal?

When I got back to the house, miraculously it had already been cleared out. I didn't bother to go inside, instead I walked over to the porch swing and sat down, overlooking the property that the Salvatores owned. I heard the frustrated conversation coming from inside, discussing what to do with this Elena. Bella suggested keeping her locked up until they could figure something else out. Everyone agreed.

It was a while later that Bella said goodbye to her friends and walked out onto the porch. Once she closed the door, she silently collapsed against it and let out a sniffle. "Oh, Edward." She whispered, eyes closed. "What am I going to do?"

"You tell me." I answered her, making her jump, she spun to face me, and I realized she wasnt really talking to me, she hadn't even known I was there. "Bella.." I stood up slowly, and walked towards her, I stopped halfway, deciding to let her close the distance. A tear rolled down her cheek and I frowned.

"What are you doing here?" She asked me, her voice weak. I found myself getting lost in her. Her beautiful face, her lips, her nose. My God, she was perfect. When had she turned? She looked so different, and so much the same.

"I came here looking for you." I answered her. She shook her head before I even finished.

"After seven months?" She asked, her voice breaking, "why now? Why would I believe you?"

I flashed toward her, taking my wallet out of my back pocket. She opened her mouth to question me, but I held up a finger to tell her to give me a second. I opened it up and reached into one of the card holders, hauling out a bottle cap and passing it to her.

Her eyebrows shot up. "What is this?"

"Its the bottle cap from that day in the cafeteria, the first time we sat together." I explained, I reached out and stroked it, still resting in her palm.

"Why would you still have this?" She whispered, clutching it tightly. I smiled sadly in response.

"I held onto it, a souvenir from that day. Not that I needed one, if I didn't already have perfect memory, I would still have remembered you making me eat that God awful pizza." I tried to joke.

I got a small smile out of her, so it kind of worked. "I didn't make you eat pizza, I asked what would happen if someone dared you to eat it." She sighed and the frown resumed, "that doesn't answer my question, why now?"

"I've wanted to come back ever since I left, but I wanted to give you the chance to have a normal, human life." I explained.

"Yeah, well look how that turned out." She spat bitterly. "You should have stayed, I should be like you, we should have been together."

"I know that now." I told her, reaching out to grab her hands. She looked down at her hands and her lips turned into a pout, i could tell it was her trying to hold in her emotions. "Bella, please, forgive me. I never should have left. Please, please.."

"Edward.." she sighed.

"Am I too late? Have you fallen in love with someone else?" I asked. I was afraid of her answer, but I knew if she had I had no one to blame but myself. She shook her head.

"Of course not, it's only ever been you." She reached up to touch my face, but dropped her hand just as quickly.

"Okay then.." I said, dropping to my knees, her eyes widened, confused. "Bella... Bella, I love you. Leaving you was the biggest mistake I've made in all the time I've been on this earth. I want you, in every way. I want to be with you, I want to be your husband someday, I want to be with you for the rest of our lives. Please, Bella, please give me one more chance, and I swear to you that I will never screw it up again."