A/n: so i know i said i wasn't going to write the last chapter to this story. but i got such massive feedback from that authors note, that i just felt so bad. one fan even went as far as to actually write the chapter for me. so i'd like to thank Sweetly Sarcastic for emailing me her version of the chapter and letting me use it. well, i only actually used one paragraph, let's see if you guys can spot it. i'll give you guys a hint, its sort of in the beginning.

and i'm not going to delete the authors note before this, so you guys can still review and tell me how much you love me or hate me for actually writing the chapter. i'm really sorry for disappointing most of you, and i hope this makes up for it.

i want to thank you guys again, for being amazing and actually liking what i write. it really means a lot to me. and i have to warn you, i haven't really edited this chapter because i as soon as i fininshed it i wanted to get it posted because i've been working on it for about a month and i didn't want to keep anyone waiting any longer than nescessary.

again, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, talk to me, swap ideas with me, and whatever else you guys do. you're what keeps me writing.

"We're out of time and I can't breathe…I'm gonna make this work; I'm gonna change everything wrong with me; I'm gonna prove you wrong when I meet you in another life; Over again; I'm coming back around again…" – Awkward Last Words, Armor for Sleep.

I had never seen other vampires, aside from the Cullens. So, when we entered the Volturi head quarters (or whatever you want to call it), I honestly didn't know what to expect. Well, okay, so that's a lie. I sort of expected something along the lines of what the Cullens looked like, but these vampires…they were different.

Their entire demeanor was nothing like Edward or his family members. Their appearance was completely different as well. Their beauty was nothing godlike or celestial, as I had come to know. It was more of a fierce beauty, a frightening beauty that couldn't really be called beautiful. And the eyes. Not only were they a dark crimson or, I guess burgundy, but they held emotions that I could never, in a million years, begin to even try to explain or comprehend. To be honest, they scared the living daylights out of me. And these weren't even the leaders.

One vampire in particular, Felix I believe he was called, led Edward through a maze of brightly lit hallways. I followed, not knowing what else to do. I felt compelled to stick with Edward.

After what seemed like hours of walking – which in reality was probably no more than ten minutes – Felix came to a stop in front of two huge oak doors.

"Aro is expecting you," Felix said, and pushed the doors open. He gestured for Edward to enter the room, and so he did. "If you'll just wait a moment, Aro will be with you."

"Please don't let this turn into something it's not
I can only give you everything I've got
I can't be as sorry as you think I should
But I still love you more than anyone else could"

Edward nodded and head toward a couch in the center of the room, where he sat down. I sat beside him, as close as I could get and just stared at him.

I couldn't believe he was doing this. I sat there, in this room. This room that he would probably die in, and as much as I wanted to yell at him and beg him to leave, I couldn't. I wanted so much to tell him that this didn't matter, that we could be together without his dying. But I'd done that all before, and so I sat beside him, desperately searching for something – anything – I could say that would make him give in and go home. And as much as I tried, I couldn't come with anything.

The door opened again, and in came two unknown vampires. This, I expected. What I didn't expect, was Alice to step out from behind them.

"Alice?" Edward's eyes grew wide with shock. I was pretty sure that my expression mirrored his.

Alice didn't seem fazed. She kept walking, while the vampires stopped in the middle of the room. She stood in front of Edward, and stared up at him like she was debating something. And then she slapped him. I flinched along with Edward and everyone else in the room, but I made no move to help him. I figured if anyone could talk some sense into Edward, it would be Alice.

"How dare you!" She screeched. "How dare you even think that I wouldn't see something like this?!"

Edward simply shrugged. "I had hoped," he said.

His words only seemed to make Alice angrier. "I can't believe you'd go and do something this stupid, just for a girl."

"She isn't just a girl, Alice," Edward growled, and I found myself smiling at the comment, despite the circumstances.

"Look, Edward," she sighed heavily, "I didn't come here to argue with you. I came to say goodbye."

And cue the shocked expression again. I had to admit, though, that I didn't see this coming either. I was expecting her to talk him out of it, to tell him to go home. Yet here she was, telling him the complete opposite. I think she was the one who deserved to be slapped at the moment. Alice had gone crazy along with Edward.

"All that I keep thinking throughout this whole flight
Is it could take my whole damn life to make this right
This splintered mast I'm holding on won't save me long
Because I know fine well that what I did was wrong…


The last girl and the last reason to make this last for as long as I could
First kiss and the first time that I felt connected to anything"

"What?" Edward whispered, still a little shocked.

"No matter how many visions I have," Alice explained. "No matter how many times I try to see an outcome where you live and you come back home and explain to everyone that you're an idiot and went temporarily insane, I can't see it. Every vision ends the same."

"So in other words, you're saying that your brother is extremely stubborn and will not be swayed away from his goal?" One of the vampires piped up.

Alice turned to him, a grim expression drawn on her flawless face. "Yes, Aro. That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Can we please just get this over with?" Edward asked.

I shook my head. "How about not and say we did?"

Edward turned to me, eyes narrowed. "No, Bella."

It took everything in me not to start crying at that moment. "Just a suggestion," I squeaked.

The one called Aro piped into the conversation once again. "Edward, Carlisle is a very dear friend of mine. I'm not entirely sure that if I allow your death to occur, he will ever forgive me."

"He will," Edward assured. "Alice will make certain of that."

"Despite the fact," Aro said. "I would like you to consider joining us. Your talents would be a great asset to us; it would be a shame to waste them."

Edward answered almost immediately. "I have no desire to join you."

"The least you could have done was thought about it," the other vampire commented.

"Marcus," Aro scolded, "not now."

"Aro, I think I'd like to make it clear, as I told you before, that you should get this over as fast as possible," Alice chimed in. "Edward isn't exactly known for his patience."

It took most of my self control not to lunge at her at that moment and knock some sense into her. What in God's name did she think she was doing?! Did she want her brother gone that badly? Obviously, or else she wouldn't be telling Aro to get a move on it.

Edward must have seen the look on my face, because he walked right up me and stared down at me with such intensity that I couldn't look away. He was being such a cheater.

"The weight of water, the way you told me to look past everything I had ever learned
The final word in the final sentence you ever uttered to me was love"

"It's for the best," he whispered.

I swallowed hard, and put on my best angry face. "The hell it is!" I exclaimed, but I knew my voice was shaking. I was afraid. Afraid that Edward might actually die today. Afraid I might not ever see him again. I was, quite frankly, afraid of everything at the moment.

"Bella, I'm doing this for you."

"We have got through so much worse than this before
What's so different this time that you can't ignore
You say it is much more than just my last mistake"

"No! You're not!" I yelled. My voice was getting stronger with every word. "You're being selfish. You know I would die all over again than see you do this! You're idiotic for ever thinking that I would willingly let you kill yourself just to be with me. You have me, Edward. Isn't that enough?"

"She has a point there, boy," Marcus said.

We both turned at that moment and stared at the ancient vampire. Did he just say that?

I leaned closer to Edward so I could whisper in his ear. "He can see me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"Yes, Bella," Marcus chuckled. "I can see you."

"But how?"

Marcus sighed. "It's my gift. I see relationships, and your connection with Edward is so strong that I'm able to see you."

"And hear me," I muttered.

He laughed lightly and nodded. "And hear you, yes."

And how was that supposed to help me? I didn't know, but maybe it could. If I could just think of something, anything to get me and Edward out of here with him becoming a pile of ashes.

My optimism was getting the better of me, though, I knew it. There was no way in hell Edward was leaving this city. Either he was going to die, or he was going to join the Volturi. And I knew he would never join them. I didn't know how I knew, I just did.

I could feel myself tearing up again. I didn't stop it, though. I just cried. I was as helpless now as I was when Edward killed me. This situation, much like the last, was completely out of my control. I had no say in Edward's decision, I had no input whatsoever.

"And I don't know where to look
My words just break and melt
Please just save me from this darkness"

I wiped the tears from my eyes, and looked Marcus straight in the eye. "Tell Aro to get a move on," I whispered. "Edward's an impatient man."

Marcus nodded, and took a step closer to his friend. He leaned against him and whispered in his ear. I closed my eyes, letting a few more tears escape down my cheeks.

"The final word in the final sentence you ever uttered to me was love"


The smell of smoke was abundant in the air. I sank to the floor, my head in my hands, sobbing. He was gone, he was really gone. I had nothing left to live for, which I found utterly ironic given the fact that I wasn't even alive to begin with.

As I sat there, smelling the smoke and crying like there was no tomorrow – which there wasn't in my eyes – all I could think about was that I hoped he was happy. I hoped his death was quick and painless, and I hoped he was happy for taking himself away from my forever.

I heard a sigh, sometime later, and I assumed it was one of the Volterra vampires, but they just kept sighing and they were in very close proximity to me.

"Bella, get up," A voice said.

I frowned, dislodged my hands from my face and stood up slowly. I didn't know why I obeying this person who was speaking to me; I didn't even know how they were talking to me in the first place. I just knew that for some reason I had to listen.

I finally looked at the person who told me to get up. It was Edward, and much to my surprise, I wasn't at all happy to see him. I was angry. And the first physical contact I had with him since he killed me was my hand slapping him across the face.

I wasn't even shocked that I hit him. I knew he deserved it. "How could you?!" I screeched. "How could you be so stupid?!" I continued yelling at him for some time, and the more I yelled, the more Edward smiled.

I finally heaved a frustrated sigh. "What could you possibly be so happy about?" he didn't answer. "Honestly, how could you be smiling when you could have taken yourself away from my forever? I don't get you, Edward."

He still wasn't saying anything. Instead, he was taking a step closer to me, closing the already small space between us. And before I knew it, he was kissing me. It was soft, sweet, and completely filled with love.

"You're a total idiot, you know that?" I whispered as we pulled away.

Edward sighed, probably frustrated that I ruined the moment, but I didn't care. He finally spoke. "I didn't take myself away from you, Bella. I'm here, and I love you, and I'm not going anywhere."

"But you could have died for no reason. I could have had to spend eternity alone," I argued.

Edward kissed me again. "But that didn't happen, did it?"

"But it could have," I said.

"Bella," he sighed. "Get over it. I died, I'm here forever."

"You're still an idiot."

He laughed. "I can accept that," he said and then he kissed me once again.

"The last girl and the last reason to make this last for as long as I could
First kiss and the first time that I felt connected to anything
The weight of water, the way you told me to look past everything I had ever learned
The final word in the final sentence you ever uttered to me was love"

Fin.