WRITTEN FOR — JM Shaw (AKA WitchyVampireGirl)

PROMPT USED — Don't You Wanna Stay by Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson

CHAPTER 6: FAITH

"Bella!"

Her eyes were closed, and she squeezed them tighter. His voice rang out in her ears . . . surely a figment of her imagination.

Now that it was all she had left, she wanted to hold on to it forever.

"Bella, love, open your eyes. Please, Bella."

The agony in his voice . . . she could never refuse him if it caused him pain.

Slowly, reluctantly, she let her eyes flicker open.

Wide, anxious, familiar emerald irises stared back at her, and her heart pounded a disjointed rhythm.

"Bella!" he whispered urgently, looking over her body for any signs of injury. "Are you alright? Tell me you're okay, please. Talk to me, Bella."

Her lips parted, but no words would come out.

He leaned in, pressing his cheek against hers, burying his face in her neck. This . . . He felt so real . . . his arms surrounding her, his voice calling for her, the tears trickling down his cheeks.

It was only when she felt the moisture against her skin that she allowed herself to hope.

"Ed- Edward?" she asked softly.

He pulled back and cupped her face in his palms. "I'm here, Bella. Are you okay, love?"

She nodded and pulled in a deep breath, the knot in her chest loosening as she ran her hands over his arms — his warm, solid, real arms.

"Oh, Edward," she cried.

He shushed her softly, pulling her close to his chest. "You scared me, love. I'm so glad you're alright. God, when I saw you falli—"

"I scared you?" She looked up at him in disbelief. "How do you think I felt when I woke up and you were gone?" Her voice broke at the last word. "And when I got here, they were talking about a young man dying . . ." She swallowed thickly, clutching his shirt in her fists. "I thought . . . I thought . . ."

"Shhh," he whispered, kissing her softly. "I get it. I'm so sorry. I never even went in there. I was just standing across the street, conflicted, when suddenly people wearing FBI vests raided the hotel."

Bella's eyes went wide. "FBI?"

One corner of his mouth curled up in a half-smile. "Emmett made good on his promise after all. Even if it was a few hours late."

She released a heavy breath. "You're still here," she murmured. "That means they weren't late." She suppressed a shiver at the thought of what could've happened had Edward actually gone in. "Who was it who died, then?"

"I think it was one of Aro's men," Edward answered. "Seems like they panicked and opened fire. The agents retaliated and managed to take one of them down. The rest are believed to have been caught, or so I gathered from one of the reporters."

"And Aro?" she breathed worriedly.

"He's still in there. At least, I haven't seen him being brought out of the entrance."

Bella nodded, laying her head against his chest. They were in the middle of the street, but she didn't care. All she wanted to do was remain ensconced in her husband's arms until she could wipe the agony she'd endured in the last half an hour entirely from her memory.

"Did you see Emmett?" she asked, deducing that Edward must've heard from him and changed his decision of meeting Aro.

But his answer surprised her.

"No, but there's no way this could be a co-incidence. He organized this. I'm sure he's in there somewhere."

Bella pulled back with a frown. "Then why did you change your mind? Why were you still standing here until the FBI showed up?"

He said nothing for a moment, just looked at her closely. Then with a slow, deliberate movement, he let go of her, freeing one of his arms. Bella's frown deepened, until he started to bring his hand closer to her abdomen. Her mouth fell open in surprise when he placed his palm against her belly and stared at her with deep meaning in his eyes.

"You know?" she whispered.

Edward nodded.

Her voice quivered as she asked, "Since when?"

Keeping his eyes locked with hers, he pulled out an envelope from the pocket of his hoodie — the same one he'd accidentally discovered in her purse.

"Since I left home tonight," he replied softly. "I fought with myself all the way over here . . . and then stood here for two fucking hours, just . . . I couldn't go in." Tears shimmered in his eyes as he peered at her surprised face. "If I went in there . . . I'd never . . . I'd never get a chance to see this little one." He placed his hand back on her belly, his touch soft, reverent. "And, on the off-chance that I got out of there alive, but a . . . killer—" he shook his head, "—I couldn't do it, Bella. If I'd killed him, I'd never be able to look you in the eye, look our child in the eye." His eyes begged hers for understanding. "I wanted to give you the life I promised you. That's why I came here. I didn't want to make you live on the run. But knowing that you're . . . pregnant, it didn't matter. Nothing mattered, except that I knew I couldn't lose both of you. He . . . or she deserves a good father . . . not a killer."

Bella's body shook with the force of her sobs, but this time, her lips had pulled up into a smile, even as tears rolled down her cheeks. She framed his face in her small palms.

"Do you know why I didn't tell you about this?" she rasped. "Because I didn't want my child . . . our child to have anything to do with your past. I couldn't let them have a murderer for a father. That's not the Edward I fell in love with, and that's not the man who deserves to be a father to our child. I had faith, Edward. I had faith you'd never fail us. And you didn't."

"Why didn't you tell me at home?" he whispered gruffly. "I would've . . . I wouldn't have . . ."

She shook her head. "You needed to put your faith in the system, in Emmett. All your life, with Aro's words in your head, you've never believed in the law. Now, today, only you could change your mind. Only you could push those shadows away from our life. You needed to make the decision yourself, Edward. Otherwise, you could've ended up resenting me or our baby."

That would never happen, he thought, and started to voice it, too, but a sudden uproar in the crowd nearby caught their attention.

They watched, still wrapped in each other's arms, as Emmett walked out of the hotel. He was followed by two other agents who were holding a handcuffed Aro Volturi by the arms. They led him to the car and placed one hand over his head before shoving him inside. The media went wild, throwing out questions until their words were almost white noise.

Edward and Bella saw Emmett raise a hand to silence them, his stance indicating that he was going to answer their questions. The crowd gathered around him, as the car with Aro inside sped down the road.

Several meters away, Edward helped his wife back onto her feet. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he tucked her safely into his side.

She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with so much trust and affection that it nearly brought him to his knees. "I love you."

The fire he'd lit inside himself, the one that gave him the courage to go back into his past no matter the consequence, still burned. But as he looked at his wife and placed a hand over her stomach, imagining their little one growing inside her . . . it dulled.

"I love you, too, Bella. Both of you. And I always will."

A/N — JM Shaw, I hope I did justice to the beautiful song you picked :)
This was my first FAGE experience, and I can't describe how amazing it has been. I'm devastated that the organizers have decided to make this the last one. I will still keep my fingers crossed for them to change their mind!

Thanks to snoopylover60, Payton79, Ninkita, and Pamela for making sure this was worth reading. I'm indebted to Mina Rivera for the gorgeous banner she created despite her busy schedule.

And you guys . . . I know I tested your faith and your patience, but thank you for trusting me to make it all okay in the end. I always will ;)

That's all from me on this one.

Cheers!