Sorry, I've been MIA for so long now. I had another set of exams so I couldn't type. But, I'm back now, so here's the last chapter.

Ch. 22- Forgiveness- EPOV

"Time away from me, or time with me?" Bella asked in a strangled whisper. I shut my eyes, knowing my answer would hurt her. "Away from you." "No, no Edward. Please don't." The desperation in her voice made me look at her again and I saw that she was trembling. "Please. I love you." Unable to bear her pain, I reached towards her and gripped her arms tightly. "I forgive you, Bella," I told her in a hard voice. She had my meaning wrong. I needed to correct her, reassure her. "And I love you, too. I never stopped." That was the truest thing I could ever tell her. "But, I need some time to figure out if I can let you back into my life again." The bright gold of her eyes, which I had missed so much, burned bright, but her trembling never stopped. She swallowed with difficulty, then said, "Don't take too long," and before I could stop her, she escaped my grip and fled the room.

Was it my imagination? Or did I really hear a shrill shriek of pain, faint to my ears, echo from the forest, just a minute later? I resumed my original position on the bed. It felt weird to be whole again, to not feel the gaping chasm in my chest. I remembered thinking how Rebecca made me whole. What a joke.

I didn't know how long I sat there for, but eventually, Mom came up to see me, with Phil right on her heels. "Honey, are you alright?" She asked gently, sitting beside me to caress my face. I met her dark green eyes, filled with concern. "I'm sorry I ran without telling you," I muttered. "I know it was stupid, but I was just…" I trailed off, gesturing vaguely with my hands. "Still in love," Mom finished. "I know." I didn't have an answer for her. "She made a mistake, Edward," Phil spoke up, just as quiet. "But, everyone does. It's your job to forgive her, because you'll regret it if you don't." I nodded. "I know. I know."

Nearly a week had gone past, but I still hadn't talked to Bella, except making polite conversation during Biology. The excitement over the Cullens' return hadn't completely died down yet. Neither had the rumours surrounding Bella and me. More than once I had caught several boys placing bets on whether we would get together again and how long it would take us to do so.

But, some things hadn't changed. I still couldn't help but glance over at their table during lunch and my eyes seemed to be drawn towards Bella like a magnet. I looked over in their direction now, only to find it empty. Of course; it was oddly sunny today. They were home. "Hey, Edward," a nasally voice called out to me. I looked around in its direction, taking a second to match it to a face and name. Tyler's bleached blond hair came to mind, and there he was, a sneer on his face.

"I don't know what your plans are with Isabella Hale this time around, but now that she's back, she's gonna be mine." I pondered the name in my head. Isabella Hale. I was so used to knowing her as a Cullen, 'mind, body and heart' like she'd said, that I'd almost forgotten their cover story labelled her as Hale. Then Tyler's words started pounding in my head. "Oh, you think?" I asked hotly, seething that he would even consider the idea of Bella belonging to him. "Well, just so you know what my plans are, I am never letting her go. Not now, not ever. So, you can forget about having even the ghost of a chance with her." With that, I got up to dump my tray and left the cafeteria.

Not wanting to enter the classroom just yet, knowing they'd be talking about what happened just now, I went to stand near the front gates, breathing deeply. "Edward," a high-pitched voice called my name this time. I turned to see Jessica behind me, her brown eyes open and friendly. She came to stand beside me. "Why haven't you talked to Bella yet?" She asked outright and I fought back a small grin. Her openness was so different from Angela's shy, tactful demeanour. "Just need some time," I answered honestly. She frowned. "I think seven months is long enough," she mused. She eyed me carefully. "You look good, Edward," she said suddenly.

I tilted my head to the side, confused at her sudden turn-about. "I mean, you look healthy," she explained. "You look way better than you did just a week ago. And, you know, it won't really take much to look as good as you used to before… before they left." With that, she left, leaving me to wonder when Jessica Stanley, of all people, had become so wise.

Taking a deep breath, I dialled Bella's number, and waited eagerly to hear her voice, ecstatic as I knew it would be. "Edward," I heard someone call behind me and turned sharply to see Alice perched gracefully on my windowsill, a small grin on her lips. "Bella's left her phone home," she informed me. "She's at her meadow." I hesitated and she rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'll take you there. I've had enough of her moping around the house."

She leapt to stand in front of me. "Hop on," she said cheerfully and, holding back a sigh of nostalgia, I wrapped my arms and legs around her dainty figure.

"You'll have to walk from here," Alice whispered. "If I go any further, she'll hear my thoughts. You're downwind, so she won't be able to smell or hear you coming until you're almost there." With that, she flitted back in the direction we came, leaving me to trek the last few miles. It didn't take long. In ten minutes, I was standing at the edge of the meadow. I could just make out Bella's figure lying down amongst the tall grass. Walking over to her, I sat down and watched her. A minute hadn't passed by when she whispered, "Are you leaving me?"

The sheer pain in her words astounded me and I didn't really understand her words until a few seconds later. She thought I was there to end things. So, instead of saying anything, I simply bent over to press my lips to her. To say she was surprised would be an understatement. But, her vampire reflexes allowed her to understand faster than a human, and her hand came up to stroke the back of my neck, while the fingers of her other hand entangled themselves in my hair. Our lips moved together in a perfect tandem and it felt like the last seven months had never happened. The kiss was almost the same as I recalled. Was it my imagination, or did her lips feel smoother, her breath sweeter, her scent more intoxicating?

When we broke apart, my head spun, but I knew my eyes were brighter than they had been. "I'll change you," Bella suddenly said. "I can't live without you and I don't even want to try. I'll change as soon as you want me to. If.. if you still want me to?" She added on, a little uncertain. I gaped at her for a few seconds before swallowing hard. "Yes, please. I still want it, More than anything." Her answering smile was brilliant and, silently, she placed a hand on my chest and pushed me gently back, sitting up as well. Leaning forward, she touched her forehead to mine. "I love you, Bella," I whispered. "I love you," she replied and I smiled contentedly. "I know." And I did.

The End.

Thanks to all those who stuck with the story and reviewed. You guys made it worth sticking with this.