Chapter 40: Two red roses

~It was the coldest night of the year,

Snow-covered street lamps and Belvedere,

The moon was just a sliver,

The light was fading,

The war was on its way,

And we were waiting,

You asked me how long I'd stay by your side,

So I answered with only just one reply,

Till the casket drops,

Till my dying day,

Till my heartbeat stops,

Till my legs just break,

Till the casket drops. - Till the casket drops, ZZ ward.~

My fingers trembled as I searched for the keys in my purple suede satchel while my nose caught the faintest sniff of an approaching thunderstorm in the distance. I took a deep breath to calm down myself and ended up with a mini asthma attack.

"I cannot believe we are doing this." I whispered, wiping the sweat from my brow.. "Edward, this is wrong. We are committing a felony."

Edward turned his auburn haired head to look at me, his forest green eyes sparkling with an unfathomable expression. For a second, anxiety flickered across his exquisite face before he perfectly masked it with a crooked grin.

"Bella," he sighed, his lips twitching. "How many times should we go over this? We have done worse things. Do you care to recall the time we broke into your dear friend Alice's house?"

"That was her house. This is a cemetery we are breaking into." I said with huge eyes, silently pleading.

Oh yeah, Edward and I were currently standing outside the infamous Eternal Cemetery, dressed in dark clothes so that we could blend in with the shadows. Edward had come up with the brilliant plan to make a nice little visit to that said cemetery where his parents and his old war buddies were buried.

"Give me the keys, you cowardly traitor." He snatched the old stained key chain from me and jiggled it loudly.

"Shh," I pressed a finger to my lips. "No sounds allowed. Do you want to get caught?"

I wasn't happy with his plan but he had me when he said, "loyalty, Bella, loyalty. Are you with me or not?"

I was stuck with him, whether I liked it or not. Alice loved Edward's idea of saying 'goodbye to his past' and she was very happy to help him. All she did was request Jasper ―her boyfriend and my ex History teacher― and he got her the keys from the guard of the cemetery.

It all went so well that I wondered why no one had ever tried the same trick to open the cemetery and get a glimpse of it. I shrugged it off, guessing that people weren't really thrilled with the prospect of revisiting the (human) remnants of the First World War.

"Are you coming or not?" Edward interrupted my thoughts, having already fit the key into the dingy old lock of the cemetery's Iron Gate and opened it.

"I guess so..." I trailed off when the gate opened with an eerie sound, displaying the world of the dead.

Edward took my hand and we entered the cemetery together. He remembered to close the gate behind us and then took my hand again. I glanced at his face and froze. He stood paralyzed, the look on his face scared and devastated at the same time.

Immediately, I went from his disgruntled girlfriend to I-am-here-for-you-no-matter-what girlfriend.

"Hey," I said, squeezing his hand. "It's okay. We're here for closure. Remember?"

"I know." He managed a small smile and nodded.

Everything looked exactly like the way it was the last time I had come here. Exactly a year ago. The tombstones were still beautifully lined with the creepers and wild flowers. Marble statues were scattered all over, watching us with their cautious unnatural eyes. The trees were huge, enclosing everything within it.

"Happy Halloween." I kissed Edward's shoulder and hugged his side.

Edward smiled sadly. "I feel like I met you just yesterday. You looked so beautiful in that red gown and I wondered if I would even get a chance to see you again. Yet, a year has passed and I never knew you would end up as my bride-to-be. This is a miracle if I have ever seen one. No, wait, this is definitely a miracle."

"Now you're just exaggerating." I rolled my eyes, playfully. My heart fluttered and butterflies filled my stomach. I knew I would never stop feeling that way.

"I know you don't like being here. Let's get this over with." He said, pulling me with him towards another row of tombstones.

I led him towards his grave, since there was no possible way for him to know where he and his family were buried. I went to the near end of the cemetery and we reached the familiar spot, all the while dodging roots and sharp branches.

When I saw Edward's tombstone and his name on it, I shivered and clung to Edward's arm. It was disturbing in so many ways that I couldn't describe it.

"Bella?" he asked worriedly. He looked very pale under the moonlight but his lips and a small part of his cheeks were flushed from the cold.

"It's just..." I swallowed, irritated with myself. "It's not every day you see your fiancé's name on a tombstone."

"I'm sorry," he exhaled roughly and looked around. A branch cracked behind us but we were oblivious to it.

I wondered how he felt with a sinking heart. He was standing before his own grave. If I had faced his situation, I would have thrown up...or worse.

"There it is." Edward whispered suddenly, pointing at the tombstone next to his. It was his father's followed by his mother's tombstone.

He knelt down before his parents' grave, his lips trembling slightly. I kept standing, worried, because I did not know what to do. I had never seen Edward cry. Ever. He hunched forward and the sight of him broke my heart.

I took a deep breath and knelt down beside him. I dug in my satchel and found the three red roses I had earlier put inside my bag. I took two of the flowers and placed each one on his father's and mother's grave respectively.

I imagined them resting six feet under, with pride in their hearts that their son had fought bravely in the war...and died. Edward looked up at me, his green eyes full of glimmering unshed tears.

"Thank you, I'm sure they appreciate it." He whispered, putting an arm around me and drawing me closer.

Something rustled in the bushes behind us but Edward didn't seem to mind it.

I'd never believed in magic but in the recent days, my life seemed full of it. Edward died in the war but he came back because of the magic spell. Now, a century later after his death, he was kneeling down before his own grave. That was what you call magic.

Yep, truly unbelievable.

We stayed there for a few minutes before Edward stood up and said that he was ready to go. We took the opposite direction and came upon another set of similar looking tombstones, all bearing marks of same year of death.

I took the third rose from my bag and knelt down before a particular boy's grave. Edward let out a sigh and I tried hard to hold in the tears. It had been months but it was still so hard to cope with his death.

Randall Daniels

~1900 - 1918~

Beloved son of Peter and Charlotte Daniels

With trembling fingers, I placed the rose before his shiny tombstone. It seemed to glow under the moonlight, emitting magic of its own.

"We miss you," I whispered, my mouth wobbling. "Especially Heidi. I think she is going to end up as a nun, Randall."

Edward's chuckle sounded strangled. "Funny, Bella. I am quite sure he is laughing at you now."

Another branch crackled and footsteps echoed behind us loudly. My heart almost burst out of my chest and I whirled around with a gasp. A dark figure emerged out of the shadows.

"Nice, guys, real nice," Randall commented, disgusted. "What kind of prank is this?"

"I remember telling you not to come, Randall." Edward smirked deviously. "When you follow a person, you are supposed to be quiet. You couldn't help but step on one branch, could you?"

I snickered, brushing my jeans. "We knew you'd come out if we did something like this. Seriously, dude, be quiet the next time, alright?"

"Aww, come on, Bella. How can I resist myself from visiting my burial spot?" Randall pouted as he helped me to my feet.

Another set of footsteps emerged and a tall young man with clear blue eyes and blond hair stepped into our view. This cemetery was having way more visitors that it had ever had in the past century.

"Sorry guys, but Alice sent me to check on you," Jasper said sheepishly. "She didn't want you guys to take your "own sweet time", her words not mine."

Jasper ―Mr Hale― resigned from his teaching job in Forks High and began working in a nearby local collage. It made the whole stuff with Alice less awkward and creepy.

"Of course she did." Edward muttered with a roll of his gorgeous eyes.

I recalled what happened months ago, back in February. After all the 'time travelling' was over, things went back to normal. Well, as normal as it could ever get in magic-filled Forks. Edward, Rosalie and Randall took sips from the Elixir of life and Randall got back together with a very happy Heidi.

Edward and I revealed our wedding plans to my parents ― I was so scared, Edward almost peed in his pants― and they finally agreed to get us married as soon as we graduated.

But Edward became increasingly depressed and kept moping till I forced him to tell me what was bothering him. It turned out that he was having vivid flashbacks of his parents and he missed them terribly. And that brought us here, back to the Eternal Cemetery, where it all began.

"Yeah, we have to hurry. Alice's Halloween party begins in, like, an hour." I went to Edward's side.

"Yep. Let's roll, dudes!" Randall said excitedly.

We stared at him and burst out laughing. No amount of practice was ever going to make him sound like a modern dude.

I twirled in front of my mirror, even though there was nothing twirly about my dress except for the cape. I placed a hand on my chin and criticized myself through the mirror.

The black knee length dress had a plunging neckline, sexy lace workings on the back and molded around my curves. I had paired it with a long flowing red cape with black lace lining and blood red high heels. My hair was curled at the bottom, and I applied the dark makeup on my eyelids and then red lipstick. Then came the fake but scary fangs.

To those who still weren't able to figure out which character I was dressed as: I was Dracula's bride.

"Hey, love. Your mother let me in on her way out. Is it safe for your parents to go out on a Halloween night? I heard kids will be..."

Edward's voice trailed off when I turned around to face him with a wide smile. I tried very hard not to swoon but failed miserably. Edward was perfect in his role as Dracula. His black tailored suit fit his muscled and lithe body perfectly. The red bow on his lapel and the long red cape completed the look.

When his lips pulled back into a smirk, two sharp, pointed fangs glinted wickedly.

"Hmmm," he considered, circling me. "My bride looks very...delicious, indeed."

My body burned, as if his arousing words were touching my bare skin. Edward tipped my head and traced my lips with just the lightest pressure. Goosebumps erupted all over my body and I leaned in for his scorching touch.

"I could eat you up, you know." Edward hissed my ear and a breathy moan escaped me.

He pulled me to his chest, crushing my lips with his in an urgent, earth-shattering kiss. Heat coursed through my body and a familiar ache began in my lower belly. Edward stumbled back and both of us fell on my bed, all tangled and messy.

What should have taken us minutes took us nearly an hour to leave the house.

When we reached Alice's house, people were spilling out onto the front and backyard and a few were milling around in the street. Alice's house was a little away from the nearest neighbor's house, so we were all fine.

Edward wrapped an arm around me to keep me away from straying hands and we pushed through the crowd to find Alice and our other friends.

"Hey, guys! You made it!" Heidi squealed when she saw us. She threw her arms around me, squishing me tightly.

"Are you drunk?" I started to laugh as I pulled back. Her low cut angel outfit with the halo and wings was in contrast with her behavior.

"Oops," she giggled, stumbling. "Maybe a leetle."

The second male angel appeared, sighing at his pair. His dark hair and light eyes gave him a rebellious look even though he was wearing all white completed with the wings.

"She just had a sip," Randall frowned, taking her by the arm. "I wonder what they mixed in that...spodie."

"I told him not to let her anywhere near it." Sasha appeared, looking cute in her Barbie outfit. Alec smiled behind her, dressed as Ken. He had even worn the blond wig to cover his brown hair.

Surprisingly, Alec and Sasha had developed feelings for each other and had been dating for a few months now. I had never seen Sasha look so happy.

Another attractive pair joined our conversation. Rosalie was dressed as a sexy nurse and Emmett as a doctor.

"I had a sip too, but gah!" Rosalie made a gagging face. "It was horrible. I'm not going to touch it again."

"It is not that bad." Emmett disagreed, taking a sip from the red cup he held in his hand. Rosalie stared at him in open disgust.

Edward smirked and punched Emmett in the arm. "Give me that. I want to see what all the fuss is about."

While we all tried to stop Edward from drinking it, a girl cleared her throat. I started to laugh again because Alice was dressed as Snow White. When we were little, Alice used to adorn her room with sketches of Snow White.

Her message was strong. It was never too late to act upon your dreams, even if it was childish.

"Come up to my room, guys. We'll play with an Ouija board or something." Alice shrugged, looking around her crowded house.

We followed her up the stairs, pushing past the werewolves, slutty school girls, Lady Gaga's and um, zombies. Edward and Randall turned a little pale when another zombie passed us on the way.

Alice opened her room's door and after we all got in, she locked the door behind us. All the music and noise drowned out. We settled around the lush carpet and Edward pulled me into his lap.

I remembered what we had done just before we left for the party and my body warmed. My yearning for him was never going to end.

"I love you," he whispered in my ear and I giggled, "I love you too."

"Guys, seriously? Hold it just for tonight, okay?" Randall shook his head in mock disgust.

I grinned in delight because my mind was giddy with excitement and happiness. Edward and I would graduate; get married, then get into a nice university, then find a comfortable job, have kids and grow old together. I couldn't wait for all of it to happen.

"So, I know the perfect thing to do tonight," Alice began excitedly. "I was going through Alicia's diary when I came across this spell. We can, like, go the past and visit our past lives...every one of them."

"You can do that?" we asked shocked.

"Why not? The Halloween night is still young and we could..."

We laughed and prepared ourselves for the next adventure. I knew as long as they were all with me, my life was going to be full of magic and suspense. And, I sure was looking forward to my life with Edward and my magical friends.

~:The end:~

Hey guys,

Here we are, at the end of this story. I didn't even want it to end! Anyway, advance Happy Halloween, guys. Thanks to everyone who faithfully continued to read my story till the end. I can't believe a year has passed since I started this story! Any final thoughts? :(

So, anyway, don't forget to check out my brand new story, "Under the shadow of wings."

-BEJL