Iris, a twilight fanfic

Author's Note: Twilight is not mine. Nor will it ever be. As much as it saddens me, I have accepted it. Also, the song in here is "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls and clearly not mine.

At one time, hunting provided relief from the constant boredom and drudgery my "life" seemed to consist of, but since meeting Bella and discovering true happiness, it became nothing but a chore.

My siblings grew excited at the idea of going on yet another extended "camping trip", but I regarded the time as a waste of moments that could be spent with Bella. I had been working on stretching my time between hunting trips, but my thirst had finally caught up to me. Also, as Esme and Carlislep pointed out, it would seem odd if I was the only one in Forks while the rest of my family was away.

So I reluctantly resigned myself to five days without Bella and made her promise to stay safe and out of trouble. Once I had extracted her promise from her usual and numerous excuses about not being able to get into trouble in Forks, there was little else for me to do but kiss her goodbye and steel myself for what was about to be the longest 120 hours of my life.

It had been four and a half days since I had seen Bella, and I had never seen Jasper so impatient. As he began bouncing his foot uncontrollably again, he glared and I muttered a quick apology as I tried to calm down. Carlisle and Esme had gone off for one more catch before we would head for home, and I was anxiously counting the seconds. As I was without Bella, who was by far the best medicine for overactive nerves, I decided on the second best remedy and grabbed my iPod and ran further into the forest.

I found a grassy area and laid down, determined to find something to keep me from bursting out of my skin. As I looked through my playlists, I found one labeled "B". Knowing it had to be put there by Bella—probably during that short hunting trip earlier that month when I left my iPod with her to keep it away from Emmet who had been downloading increasingly disgusting songs (if you could call them that) onto it—I eagerly opened the folder and skimmed through the songs. I recognized all but one, which was titled "Iris".

I decided to give it a shot, and settled down to listen. As the opening guitar chords rang through my ears, I noticed a quiet strength in them that reminded me of Bella. Then I heard the lyrics and I was held in rapture for the whole four minutes that the song was playing.

And I'd give up forever to touch you

'Cause I know that you feel me somehow

You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be

And I don't want to go home right now

And all I can taste is this moment

And all I can breathe is your life

'Cause sooner or later it's over

I just don't want to miss you tonight

And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming

Or the moment of truth in your lies

When everything feels like the movies

Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive

And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

As the last few twinkling piano notes died away, I was left in stunned silence of how every verse seemed to relate to us. The first and third lines stuck in my brain as I realized that they portrayed us so completely and perfectly. Bella was willing to give up everything to be with me, and I was more certain that she was my heaven than I was about anything else I had ever learned.

I stayed lying down, pondering our mutual sacrifices and gains, until I heard my name shouted, rather unnecessarily, by Alice. As I raced back to them, I was pleasantly surprised just how much time had actually passed.

The sun was just setting when we arrived back in Forks. I stopped only to change into clean clothes before running to Bella's house. I almost wished someone had been clocking me, for I was sure that I had never run that fast before. I quickly scaled the tree and was overjoyed to find her window open. Upon entering her room, however, I was saddened to see that she was not there.

I sat in the darkening silence of her bedroom for a few moments before I heard the light sound of her feet. Then the sound of her heartbeat filled my ears. Finally, her scent wafted into the room and I knew that the time until I saw her would only seem long to an impatient vampire.

After what seemed like eons, her door opened and she entered. As she flicked on the light she gasped and ran towards me. I barely had time to stand and open my arms to her before she was in them where she belonged.

"You know, "I murmured to her, "I thought freesias would never be surpassed by any flower, but irises could give them a run for their money."

It took her a moment, but I could tell that she knew what I was talking about when she burrowed her face further into my shirt and began to blush. "So, you found the songs."

"Yes."

"You're not mad…"

"One: Why would I be mad?" She replied only with an indistinguishable noise that prompted a hearty, albeit quiet, chuckle from me. "And two: it was perfect, the song. It really was."

"Yeah, it is."

I was never closer to heaven than that night with my angel in my arms and the haunting melody and lyrics playing through my brain, chronicling the progress of the only love that could turn my existence into a full and vibrant life.

I apologize for my extended absence from the world that is . However, I hope to return with the arrival of the summer.

juliet